Arkansas Symphony Orchestra hosts free concert
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will celebrate Juneteenth with a free concert from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 18, on the grounds of the ASO Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in downtown Little Rock. Presented in partnership with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center’s “Juneteenth in Da Rock” celebration, the event honors the legacy of African American emancipation through the power of jazz.
The evening will include a performance and presentation by the Art Porter Minors in Music, an organization dedicated to jazz education for youth. Following a community update from the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the ASO Jazz Combo will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. to perform Miles Davis’ legendary 1959 album “Kind of Blue” in its entirety.
The public is invited to bring folding chairs and umbrellas to enjoy this family-friendly outdoor event. Local vendors Stones Throw Brewing, The Dessert Lab and Haygood BBQ will have refreshments and food available for purchase. The ASO will provide free water.
Summer school supplies drive at Park Plaza
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Park Plaza, Little Rock’s premier shopping and retail destination, will host a Back to School, Back to Giving school supplies drive Monday, June 1-Saturday, Aug. 1, for students in need for the upcoming school year.
The initiative is part of Park Plaza’s commitment to 250 Acts of Community, which creates opportunities for connection, kindness, and service throughout the summer in celebration of America250.
Community members can drop off new school supplies during normal Park Plaza business hours on Level 1 near the food court or Level 2, near Zales. Large donations can be dropped off at the office from 9-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
SUPPLIES NEEDED INCLUDE: • Glue sticks • Graph paper • Hand sanitizer • Headphones • Highlighter packs • Index cards • Loose-leaf notebook paper • Markers (washable) • Paper towels • Pencil pouches or boxes
Record-high job numbers haven't yet led to record-high home sales by Lawrence Yun The labor market is strengthening, with 172,000 net new jobs in May. Moreover, the upward revisions to the prior months’ data show cumulative job gains of 565,000 over a three-month period—among the strongest in recent years. The healthcare sector has been consistently adding jobs at a solid pace. On the other hand, both federal and state government jobs have been falling. In addition, attesting to recent years’ softness in home sales, employment in home furnishing stores and garden supply shops has also been falling. Likewise, housing-related construction jobs have been declining, even as construction jobs in other sectors—such as data centers and non-residential real estate—have been rising.
The latest wage growth of 3.4% would be considered good in normal times, but due to rising gasoline and other consumer prices, the standard of living is falling modestly. Consumer price inflation was 3.8%. However, wage gains in the construction and leisure and hospitality sectors are rising at 4.4% and 4.0%, respectively, suggesting a worker shortage. In fact, the unemployment rate of 4.3% is tight.
Overall, there is a record-high number of jobholders in America, which should, in theory, mean a record-high number of home sales. But the historic low in consumer sentiment could largely be due to housing affordability challenges and declining homeownership, especially among younger adult households. v National Association of Realtors