🌱 8th Grader Wins App Challenge + NW 'A' Street Closures

Hey, Bentonville! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's everything worth knowing around town today.

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First, today's weather:

Much colder with snow, 1-3". High: 35 Low: 23.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Bentonville today:

1. An eighth-grade student at Haas Hall Academy Bentonville won the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District on Friday. Veera Sai Joshik Unnam was awarded first place in the nationwide student coding competition for his app AttendGo, which uses state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to capture attendance while students enter a classroom. Anish Leekkala, a junior at Bentonville High School, took second place in the competition, and Chandra Suda, a sophomore at Bentonville High School, took third place. (Arkansas Online)
2. Northwest "A" Street will be closed between Northwest 2nd Street and Northwest 3rd Street beginning Monday, Jan. 17 through Wednesday, Jan. 19. The street will be closed again from Thursday, Jan. 20 through Saturday, Jan. 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. The closures are for backfill operations and installation efforts pertaining to the pedestrian bridge. (Press Release Desk)
3. Circuit judges in Benton County have temporarily suspended jury trials due to the spread of COVID-19. Tom Smith, the administrative judge for the county's seven circuit judges, signed an order Thursday suspending jury trials until Feb. 7. Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said he hopes there will be no need to suspend trials past Feb. 7 so they can continue working to clear crowded dockets. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

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Today in Bentonville:

• Hear Our Voices With Will Hill At Museum Of Native American History (Virtual) (11:00 AM)

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From my notebook:

• Did you know the first 2022 Bentonville Farmers Market is on Saturday, Apr.9? Applications are now open for farmers, full-time vendors, and part-time vendors. (Facebook)
• The City of Bentonville is advertising multiple job opportunities to join the city government team. (Facebook)
• Due to the potential for winter weather this weekend, the Downtown Bentonville Saturday market has been canceled. (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.