With only three days (two more sleeps) until Christmas, holiday celebrations are peaking in NWA. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, shopping events, and photo sessions happening in the area that are likely to interest every member of the family.

• An updated list of holiday events going on in NWA HERE.
• Additional activities and events can be found HERE.

The Ozarks Electric Cooperative is collaborating with Today's Power Inc. to develop a 2.7 megawatt solar park located on 25 acres of land near Lincoln.

• The park will service the City of Springdale, Elkins Public Schools, Lincoln Public Schools and OzarksGo in its first year of operation and is expected save the participating organizations $3 million over the course of 20 years. -AR Money & Politics
• While currently in the planning and engineering phase, the project is expected to break ground in early 2021 and be completed by June 2021.

The Fayetteville School District will be adding a new middle school to the west side of town. Construction is set to begin in spring or summer 2021 and is expected to be completed for the 2023 school year.

• The school will be built on 23 acres on Rupple Road between Persimmon and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
• The City of Fayetteville says the surrounding area has grown exponentially in the last 10-15 years, with almost 1500 homes built and 500 others currently under construction. -5 News
• The FSD purchased the land for $1.8 million, or $78,261 per acre. The land is owned by Larry Cole of Cave Springs, Superintendent John L. Colbert said. -Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Bill and Hillary Clinton's former home in Fayetteville will be closing as a museum, at least temporarily.

• In September, Fayetteville's Advertising and Promotions Commission decided to scale back programming at the museum. Most of the staff has been laid off and all exhibits for 2021 have been cancelled. -KNWA/Fox 24
• The museum was home to the Clintons when they taught law at the University of Arkansas.

Supported by the Walmart Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, TRUE Northwest Arkansas initiative is helping 14 local organizations elevate their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

• In 2019, the organizations completed TRUE's nine-month TRAIN program in which they took part in peer-learning opportunities and expert-led coaching sessions. -Walton Family Foundation
• A combined $1,267,500 will allow grantees to establish individualized DEI plans. This is all part of TRUE's commitment to ensure all members of the NWA community feel included.
• The full list of organizations that will receive funding to address operations, program design and research, can be found HERE.