Rick Fahr, publisher of the Log Cabin Democrat, discussed the move during his lecture on community newspapers in Stanley Russ Hall Thursday.

“This is truly going to be a perfectly suited building for us, a 21st century media building for us," he said. "We’ll include in there a video studio and some other neat new-age capability that we just simply didn’t have and weren’t going to have at our current location.”

Rick Fahr in Stanley Russ

The Log Cabin Democrat closed the sale of its current location at 1058 Front St. in mid-December. The building was sold to Covington Properties of Conway.

The newspaper will rent space in Federal Plaza at the corner of Main and Chestnut streets. Nabholz Construction is currently renovating the historic building. Fahr said he expects the move to be completed by April 1.

The newspaper will be printed by The Courier in Russellville.

“It’s going to show a rededication of our commitment to downtown Conway,” Fahr said. “We would not have considered relocating anywhere outside of downtown Conway.”

• Nonstudent Aric L. Chapman, 31, of Conway, was arrested at 12:45 p.m. for five counts of burglary at College Square Retirement Community. Chapman is accused to taking jewelry, money, prescription drugs and other valuables from several apartments in the building. Police said they are investigating other burglaries at College Square and expect to file more charges against Chapman.
• Nonstudent Albino R. Balderas, 45, of Conway, was cited for careless driving and driving without a license about 8:10 p.m. An officer investigating an automobile accident on Farris Road saw Balderas speeding toward him in a Volkswagen Passat. Another officer stopped Balderas who told police that he did not speak English and had a Mexican driver's license. His car was towed.
• Students Kenneth R. Ashlin, 24, and  Julliann M. Miller, 20, were involved in an accident in the parking lot at the softball field complex about 1 p.m. Ashlin said he was driving through the lot and Miller backed into his car. Police estimated damage to Ashlin's car at $200 and damage to Miller's car at $650.
• A 35-year-old faculty member was taken to Conway Regional Medical Center by ambulance after reporting that she was having trouble breathing.
• A 17-year-old Greenbrier High School student on campus for an FBLA conference reported that a camera owned by her school was stolen in the Student Center food court. The student told police he left the camera next to his backpack at 8:25 a.m. and discovered at 9:30 a.m. that it was missing. Police said the camera was found later in the day.

The IFO Conversation Clubmeets at 6 p.m. each Tuesday at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. A different church in Conway provides the meal each week. At their first event last Tuesday, First Baptist Church provided chili and vegetable fried rice with brownies and cookies for dessert.

Students at Tuesday's meeting

The club sponsors the events each semester to give international students the opportunity to practice conversational English with native speakers. The event also helps the students learn more about each other's culture.

"The best part about these meetings is you get to meet people from all over," said Harold Crow, who is from Singapore. "These students are the brightest of the bright and will be successful in their country one day. These meetings give you the chance to share your own culture and be influenced by other cultures."

Everyone is welcome at the meetings. Who knows, you might make a new friend.

If you like the music at Ernie Biggs and the young, fun atmosphere of the River Market in downtown Little Rock, you will love Kings Dueling Pianos at 1020 Front St. in Conway.

Inside Kings

This brand new venue has been the "talk of the town" and a gathering place for students since it opened in late December. Kings features a bar with all of the drink selections you can think of. I mean, these bartenders can literally make anything. They have nightly drink specials, too.

There's a stage with two dueling pianos and plenty of comfortable seating, including V.I.P. seating upstairs. Kings is attached to  The Ford Theater, a music venue where all of the live music events and performances are held.

Kings is co-owned by James Buck and Campbell Hatch who wanted to provide a gathering place for music lovers of all ages. Buck said he wants Kings to be a "keystone for the growth of downtown" by appealing to all ages.

There are no more excuses that there is nothing to do around Conway. Everyone enjoys live music and good company, right? Kings is a classy, hip bar that provides live "feel good" music. You can even request your favorite song. I request "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns and Roses every time I visit and they always play it for me.

The Owners

I know what you thinking. You're a broke college student barely feeding yourself. Kings can help with that. Every Wednesday is college night, with $2 well drinks and $2 Bud and Miller drafts.

Kings is open from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. There is a $5 cover charge at the door.

If you're not digging the live music at Kings, you can go next door to The Ford Theater. The theater features some of the hottest local DJs playing your favorite hip-hop, R&B, rock and dance music. There's also a dance floor so you want to get your "groove" on.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with Kings. They have something for each and every one of you. So, if you're bored or stuck in the house, grab your girl or guy and some friends and go to Kings where you'll find good people, good music and a good time.

Here's a short video of a recent performance at Kings.

UCA students battle zombies

It's the latest version of the Humans vs. Zombies game.The game has been sweeping across college campuses for the past six years and arrived here last semester. It has been featured on national news networks and in such newspapers as The New York Times and Washington Post. Comedian Steve Colbert once named it "the number one threat to America."

The game attracted about 30 students this semester, down from about 160 last semester, but they have been chasing each other around campus for a week. You might have seen them. The "humans" are carrying foam swords and sock projectiles and they have to battle their way across campus while fending off infection from the "zombies."

The premise of the game is simple. One player is selected as the zombie. Like all good zombies, he or she wants to infect other people. Other players begin the game as humans and carry their weapons to defend themselves. If a zombie touches them, they become zombies, too. If they hit the zombie with their sword or a sock bomb, the zombie freezes for 20 seconds, long enough for a human to escape. The goal is to survive as long as possible.

The game is carefully orchestrated by moderators who organize teams and enforce the rules. The moderators are responsible for ensuring that the game operates properly and nobody gets hurt. They also design "missions" for the humans that challenge their ability to fight their brain-hungry enemy.

The current game ends Sunday but organizers are already planning another one this semester. The game is open to all students, faculty and staff. You can register for the next game at their Facebook page.

What motivates people to play? Tommy Garrison, one of the moderators, said that the game is different from most forms of entertainment on campus and is a great way to meet new people.

"Nothing quite bonds you together like running from a horde of zombies," Garrison said.

Here's the story we wrote about the game last semester.

Here's a video of our students playing the game this semester. They produced this and shared it with us.

Why should you care about Frozenburr? It's where all of the world's ice cream is mined.

You can see the humor and drama unfold at 7:30 p.m. today at Reynolds Performance Hall in the UCA Theater Department's production of "The King of Ice Cream Mountain." Admission is free and no tickets are required.

UCA Theater does a children's production every year and performs it at elementary schools within a 60-mile radius of our campus.

Members of the cast are Joey Walsh, Sarah Jane Rawlinson, Emily Cooper and Madison Ledbetter. Elizabeth Weatherford designed the set and Haley Tynes designed the costumes. Liz Parker, production manager at UCA Theater, is directing the play.

"It was chosen with children in mind," Parker said. "It is bright, cheery, fun and enchanting, all of those things that children love to see."

Parker said that parents and children both will enjoy this play.

"You can expect a jolly good time," Parker said.

If you miss tonight's production, it will be performed again at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

SGA voted 20-16 against a bylaw amendment that would have expanded the authorized use of the Student Activity Fee Allocation (SAFA) money to pay for events used to recruit students.

"The SAFA fee is for students, not prospective students," said Jack Phillips, SGA's executive vice-president of finance. Expanding the use of the money would mean less money for student organizations, Phillips said.

"If we don't fully fund events, they don't happen," Phillips said.

Senator-at-Large Michael Murphy said he opposed to the the amendment because he was concerned it was "overreaching" because the events are organized by students.

Senior Class President T.J. Beringer supported the amendment.

"It's important for us to keep the money that our students are paying in the hands of our students," Beringer said.

In other business:

• SGA members will meet with Hank Phelps to discuss expansion of the Student Center. SGA Executive President Austin Hall said the Student Center "is not big enough" and that "it's an issue of space."
• SGA added $5 to every students' Bearcard this semester to pay for up to 100 copies in Torreyson Library. SGA conducted a survey last fall and found that free printing was a central concern among students.

"This printing credit is something that students have been asking for and deserve to get," Junior Class President Paige Turner said. "I'm glad that the students can see their demands come to fruition and that SGA had something to do with it."

You can read the minutes of Monday's SGA meeting here.

Headlining the list were transfer players Austin Haywood and Jacoby Walker. Haywood, a tight end, comes to UCA after two seasons at the University of Oklahoma. He will have two years of eligibility left. Walker, a quarterback, transferred from the University of Arkansas. He will have three seasons of eligibility left.

UCA also signed transfer Courtney Whitehead from the Air Force Academy. Whitehead will not be eligible this upcoming season because of the transfer of credits but he will have three years of playing eligibility remaining, beginning in 2013.

UCA also signed 20 high school players.

In all, the Bears signed five defensive linemen, three wide receivers, three linebackers, two offensive linemen, two cornerbacks, two safeties, two tight ends, one running back, one quarterback and two athletes.

Here is a complete list of the signees. We also included a video of interviews with Conque, defensive coordinator Matt Williamson, Walker and Haywood at the end of the story.

Signees:

• TE - Austin Haywood - 6'5'', 252 lbs. - Moore, Okla. / University of Oklahoma
• QB - Jacoby Walker - 6'2'', 216 lbs. - Houston, Texas / University of Arkansas
• WR - Courtney Whitehead - 6'2'', 195 lbs. - Athens, Texas / Air Force Academy
• OL - Justin Carpenter - 6'4'', 290 lbs. - Lonoke, Ark. / Lonoke High School
• ATH - Cody Dauksch - 6'1'', 215 lbs. - West Memphis, Ark. / West Memphis High School
• CB - Prince Ene - 5'10'', 180 lbs. - Houston, Texas / George Bush High School
• RB - Wes Foster - 5'11'', 195 lbs. - Clarksville, Ark. / Clarksville High School
• DL - Dawson Hadnot - 6'1'', 265 lbs. - Garland, Texas / Garland High School
• TE - Bo Harper - 6'4'', 235 lbs. - Monroe, La. / Ouachita Christian High School
• CB - Haywood Jeffires III - 6'0'', 198 lbs. - Pearland, Texas / Glenda Dawson High School
• WR - Jameson Johnson - 5'10'', 175 lbs. - Houston, Texas / Tomball High School
• OL - Lance Kloker - 6'5'', 275 lbs. - Owasoo, Okla. / Owasso High School
• LB - Jazz Mason - 6'1'', 210 lbs. - Memphis, Tenn. / Arlington High School
• DE - Bailey McIver - 6'4'', 235 lbs. - Sheridan, Ark. / Sheridan High School
• DT - Nathan O'Connor - 6'3'', 275 lbs. - Allen, Texas / LoveJoy High School
• S - Darius Reed - 6'2'', 185 lbs. - Houston, Texas / George Bush High School
• WR - Desmond Smith - 6'1'', 186 lbs. - Bentonville, Ark. / Bentonville High School
• OLB - Kamane Thomas - 6'1'', 195 lbs. - Missouri City, Texas / Elkins High School
• DE - Tony Truong - 6'2'', 236 lbs. - Carrollton, Texas / Creekview High School
• S - Aum' Arie Wallace - 6'1'', 185 lbs. - Little Rock, Ark. / Pulaski Academy High School
• ATH - Dillion Winfrey - 5'8'', 174 lbs. - Bryant, Ark. / Bryant High School
• DE - Tony Winslow - 6'3'', 231 lbs. - Kingwood, Texas / Kingwood High School
• LB - Ricky Wyatt - 5'11'', 233 lbs. - Monroe, La. / Neville High School

It marked the first time since 2001 that the men's basketball Bears went without a three-point field goal in a game.

Head Coach Corliss Williamson described it as a poor shooting night for the team.

"Some of them were rushed, some of them were out of rhythm," Williamson said. "We didn’t really move the ball well to get guys open for the three-point shots."

The Bears jumped out to an early lead thanks to a big start from senior guard Mark Rutledge. Rutledge scored six of the Bears' first eight points.

The Bears started the game with an 11-2 lead at the 16:39 mark of the first half. It would prove to be their largest lead of the night.

The Northwestern State Demons went on their own 15-4 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 17-15 lead. The Demons stretched their lead to 12 points later in the first half and held a 38-30 lead at the half.

After falling behind by as many as 17 in the second half, the Bears fought back to get the game to within six points at three different points, but could not get any closer.

“We have to stop this trend somehow," Williamson said. "We have to be consistent with our effort and our execution."

Sophomore guard LaQuentin Miles led the Bears with 20 points. Rutledge, who had 12 points, was the only other Bear to score in double figures. Junior forward Jarvis Garner led the Bears in rebounds with 1o.

The Bears fall to 7-13 and 2-6 in conference play with the loss. They face the Southland Conference West Division leading Texas-Arlington Mavericks at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Farris Center.

The Mavericks are currently 8-0 in conference play and 16-5 overall. They are the only remaining unbeaten team in Southland Conference play.

The dance company, based in Birmingham, Ala., exposes its audiences to South African history and culture through the dance performances. It was formed in 2000 by Johannes "Jomo" Xulu, an experienced South African dancer, choreographer, and drummer. Xulu's wife, Asha, is the company's executive director.

The company gave its debut performance at the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 2001. Since then, it has toured the country, giving performances at more than 75 colleges, universities, and festivals.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services, The Minority Membership Program, and SGA.

Here's a sample of what you'll see tonight.