Good afternoon.
Officials working on a downtown master plan want the city's downtown population to double by 2035.
Gabe Holmstrom, the executive director of the nonprofit Downtown Little Rock Partnership, told the Rotary Club of Little Rock yesterday that many challenges "are fixed simply with adding more people."
Little Rock lags cities like Greenville, S.C., Richmond, Va. and Chattanooga, Tenn. in terms of downtown density, he said.
There are only about 4,400 residents of the 2.5 square-mile zone being studied compared to its 41,000 employees, said Daniel Church, an official with Sasaki, the firm the city has tapped to develop the master plan in exchange for up to $745,000.
A draft is expected to be presented roughly three months from now.
The Little Rock Civil Service Commission upheld the termination of a former police officer last week.
Ahmed "Jack" Soliman, 44, was fired in 2019 after he was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery related to a dispute with his ex-girlfriend. (A Pulaski County jury ultimately deadlocked on the charge, resulting in a mistrial.)
When the panel heard from Soliman on the second day of his two-day appeal hearing, he denied lying during the investigation, physically abusing his former girlfriend or attempting to extort or blackmail her.
Finally, it will soon become more expensive to dump waste at the city's landfill.
Members of the Little Rock Board of Directors yesterday evening approved increases to the so-called tipping fees in an effort to prolong the landfill's lifespan. The new fees will take effect March 1.
Some more local stories can be found below. Have a good rest of the week.
