Over a dozen nonprofit organizations across Northwest Arkansas are continuing to strengthen their diversity and inclusion efforts.

• True Northwest Arkansas is a program of the Arkansas Community Foundation, made possible with support from the Walmart Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.
• The True Initiative is a three year pilot program to train, report, engage, and uplift the community towards diversity and inclusion. -TRUE NWA
• Erin Hogue, Director of Community Operations and NWA giving at Walmart, said each organization has been working towards an implementation plan. Hogue said the funds are allocated so that each nonprofit will have the resources to create conversations about DEI efforts internally and in the community.
• Listen to the full stories on KUAF.

Record welcomes a pop-up ping pong bar for the month of January! Don't miss the Florence & Flint Cookie Co. partnership, with entertainment by DJ Shortfuze on Saturday, January 23rd! (& there's more! A beer + shot + slice special for $11 hits the pop up this week!) A variety of Ping Pong themed cocktails are also available, including a whiskey mule from sponsor, Nine Banded Whiskey! We welcome guests of all ages, with an ID check and wristbands at the door.

• Open Thursdays-Saturdays starting at 5pm for the month of January. No entry fee excluding live music nights. Game rental fees apply. Masks are required.

• $20 per hour/per table.

• Thursday: *Half-off* play 5pm-10pm

• Friday: 5pm-11pm

• Saturday: (Live Music) $5 cover charge 5pm-11pm

• Looking to rent a table and lounge space for an after work get together, special occasion or celebration? Please contact sales@ropeswinggroup.com for more information.

Record is located at 104 SW A. St. Bentonville, AR. 72712. Free public parking is available nearby.

Fayetteville School District now has plans to move forward with the construction of a new middle school for fifth and sixth-graders in West Fayetteville.

• The City Council approved a 23 acre zoning request for an area located on the east side of Rupple Road near the second of three roundabouts between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Wedington Drive.
• The land was previously listed under CS (Community Services) and NC (Neighborhood Conservation) zoning, but the School District requested the area be rezoned as P1-Institutional.
• Superintendent John L. Colbert said the zoning change would delay the project, which was part of a bond restructuring that voters approved last February, and must be obligated by 2023. -Fayetteville Flyer
• However, the discussion then turned to safety, and if the school’s design could include features to slow speeding traffic along Rupple Road.
• The School District then revised plans, including new designs for landscaping features closer to the road, a narrowed parking lot and an outparcel along Rupple.
• The plan is still waiting to be approved by the School Board.

With new restaurants and bars popping up everyday around NWA, it can seem impossible to make a decision, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. So say goodbye to the days of calling three different restaurants on Friday nights just to see if they offer in-person dining, we've got you covered.

• Lifestyle website Leisurlist posted guides for dining during the pandemic in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale.
• Each guide has an extensive list for each category of dining options: Dine-in, takeout only, and delivery.
• Know of anything missed or not included in the guides? Email support@leisurlist.com with the latest.

The City of Fayetteville is reporting a 14 percent increase in vandalism (including graffiti) in the last year, with a major spike in the summer months when most were out of school or working from home.

• Police are encouraging others to be vigilant and aware - reporting what they see happening in real time.
• The City of Fayetteville is responsible for any vandalism of city property. However, anything left on private property is left to the property owner. -KNWA/Fox 24
• Sgt. Anthony Murphy with FPD says the police will help assist private property owners if they need help removing graffiti from their property.
• Murphy also mentioned that it is important for private property owners to clean up the graffiti as soon as possible, before it leads to more vandalism.

Late last year, The Jones Center in Springdale was awarded a design excellence grant from the Walton Family Foundation. Today, The Jones Center has plans to develop 54 acres of its campus with art, space to relax, and possible performance spaces.

• Have an idea? Go for it! The center's developers are taking any and all types of input.
• Jones Center Chief Advancement Officer Kelly Kemp-McLintock said their goal is to have at least one-thousand survey responses. “They [The Jones Center] have been doing a lot of interviews and visits with key leaders all over Northwest Arkansas,” she said. -KNWA/Fox24
• Ed Clifford, Jones Center CEO, said they want the new addition to be a space for inclusivity, where all are comfortable.
• To take the survey, visit HERE.