Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How a $3.18M grant will reshape Little Rock students’ life skills

Also check out 90s Country New Year - Vol. 4 on the Little Rock Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Tuesday December 30th Patch AM
Tuesday December 30th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hey hey Little Rock! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a $3.18M grant will reshape Little Rock students’ life skills
  • How new loitering crackdowns could affect busy Little Rock intersections
  • How a Baseline Road robbery attempt left workers fearing the worst

Also on today's calendar: 90s Country New Year - Vol. 4 and 1 more event.

Find out what's happening in Little Rockfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: The world champion tongue twister just got arrested! 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Little Rockfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Tuesday: Sunny, but chilly, with a high of 45 and low of 33 degrees.
  • Wednesday: Sunny to partly cloudy, temps: high: 58, low: 38.
  • Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high of 61 and low of 48 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. UAMS receives $3.18M federal grant to create program to improve Little Rock students' communication skills (thv11.com) — A new $3.18 million federal grant will fund UAMS’s REAL Deal program to teach communication and relationship skills to students in Little Rock schools and community centers. Over five years, workshops at Hamilton Learning Academy, the Accelerated Learning Center, and city youth programs will focus on conflict resolution, emotional management, and healthy decision-making, with local partners helping sustain the effort long-term.
   

2. Little Rock police increase loitering, panhandling enforcement following safety concerns (katv.com) — Little Rock police say they’ve stepped up enforcement of Arkansas’ loitering law, issuing 177 citations since late May around busy intersections like University Avenue at Colonel Glenn and Markham. City leaders and the attorney general frame the effort as a safety and quality-of-life push, though the vice mayor questions how consistently existing laws are being enforced.
   

3. Shots fired in attempted robbery of Little Rock business (kark.com) — Workers along Baseline Road in Little Rock are shaken after police say a woman attempted to rob a cellphone repair shop and fired multiple shots that hit nearby businesses but injured no one. The suspect, who arrived by bicycle and fled on foot, remains at large as Little Rock police continue their investigation.
   

4. Arkansas lands top player in the state in LRCA's Whitley Rogers (kark.com) — Little Rock hoops fans have a new hometown star to watch as Little Rock Christian Academy guard Whitley Rogers, the state’s top-ranked girls player, has committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Class of 2026 standout averaged nearly 25 points last season and is ranked among the nation’s top 50 recruits, giving the Hogs a major in-state pickup.
   

5. Water Tech Firm Bets Big on Arkansas' Growing Lithium Industry (arkansasbusiness.com) — Little Rock plays a key role in Arkansas’ new lithium accelerator, hosting week-two meetings between startup cohorts, state officials, investors, and universities. A Springdale water-tech firm, Menen Group, is using the program to scale its lithium brine treatment technology, potentially bringing new jobs, research partnerships, and federal investment to Arkansas’ growing critical minerals sector.
   

📸 Around Little Rock

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Little Rock

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

📣 Little Rock Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Little Rock PatchAM possible:

  • Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
    Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Sunday, Dec.
    28, 2025 10:15 pm Earlier today, my cat ran out my door before I could catch him. We live on the 1400 block of Fair Park Blvd. He is a big white and… (Nextdoor Oak Forest)
  • Please share & repost to help reunite this stray dog!
    FOUND on December 22, 2025 in Little Rock, AR 72202 near Near riverfront drive Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest information or to contact the… (Nextdoor Heatherbrae)
  • BlueLinx Corporation posted a job opening for Material Handler-Forklift Operator in Little Rock. Apply here.
  • Arkansas Children's Hospital posted a job opening for Elevate Summer Internship 2026- Interior Design in Little Rock. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Little Rock here.

Ok Little Rock! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I hear they’re giving him a really tough sentence.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Little Rock