Governor, legislators visit Fordyce one week after deadly shooting

KUAR | By Maggie Ryan

Nine days after a shooting killed four people and injured at least 11 others in Fordyce, Gov. Sarah Sanders met with emergency responders, community members, and laid flowers at a memorial honoring the victims.

Sanders began her visit on Sunday with a trip to Beech Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where she told reporters she spoke with family members of the victims. Speaking afterwards at a press conference outside the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, Sanders said she was reminded in that moment that “we have a God that makes us whole and brings us back together.”

Sanders said Fordyce is an example of a community coming together to heal.

Governor, legislators visit Fordyce one week after deadly shooting

Maggie Ryan/Little Rock Public Radio

A memorial to the four people killed in a shooting at the Mad Butcher Grocery store in Fordyce, Ark.

Judge blocks part of SAVE loan forgiveness plans after Arkansas sues

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A judge has blocked part of a Biden era policy to forgive student loans.

The multi-state lawsuit was brought on by seven states including Arkansas, represented by Attorney General Tim Griffin. The suit was against President Joe Biden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the Department of Education.

The Savings on Valuable Education or “SAVE” plan changes the income threshold for paying back student loans. The plan also forgives loan borrowers after 120 payments if their balances are below $12,000. U.S. District Judge John Ross blocked that part of the law relating to loan forgiveness. It was set to take effect on July 1, and would have amounted to billions in loan forgiveness.

Judge blocks part of SAVE loan forgiveness plans after Arkansas sues

Susan Haejin Lee/NPR

Billions in student debt will not be forgiven after a judge blocked parts of the SAVE plan from going into effect.

Cherokee Nation awarded Pope County casino license

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas Racing Commission has unanimously approved a license to build a casino in Pope County.

The Cherokee Nation Entertainment made a presentation to the commission at a meeting on Thursday, following years of legal disputes over the casino license and an ongoing ballot initiative to possibly prevent the casino from being built.

A spokesman for the Cherokee Nation Entertainment told the commission that they are in the planning phase, but could build the whole facility in 18 months. The state-of-the-art casino will be owned by Cherokee Nation, and go by the name Legends Casino.

Cherokee Nation awarded Pope County casino license

Legends Resort & Casino

A rendering of the casino planned for construction in Pope County.

Arkansas Attorney General sues Temu, pharmacy benefit managers

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced two new lawsuits Monday and Tuesday. One suit targets two pharmacy benefit managers, companies he says financially profited from the opioid crisis. The other was against the online retail site Temu for allegedly using malware on customers.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Pharmacy benefit managers work as the middle men between pharmacists and health insurance companies. They negotiate for rebates with pharmaceutical companies.

Arkansas' suit is specifically against the companies Optum and Express Scripts. Both rake in billions of dollars each year in profit. Griffin says both groups profited from the opioid crisis “pill by pill and dollar by dollar.”

Arkansas Attorney General sues Temu, pharmacy benefit managers

Food program won’t benefit eligible Arkansas children until midsummer

From the Arkansas Advocate:

By July 10, most children in Arkansas will be well into their second month of summer break with five weeks of sunny, schoolless days under their belts, but some children will have spent those weeks without a reliable source of food.

Arkansas has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation and is one of only a few southern states that opted into a new summer food aid program, but the state Department of Human Services won’t get cards to participants until the second week of July.

Three dozen states are participating in a new federal food assistance program called the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or Summer EBT. The program is modeled off a similar service implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food program won’t benefit eligible Arkansas children until midsummer

Fred Miller/UA System Division Of Agriculture

Ashley Appel stocks the Appel Farms Store with fresh produce from the farm she operates with her husband, Travis, near Elm Springs.

Arkansas Supreme Court reinstates gender-neutral ID ban

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday released a formal order in an ongoing legal battle over gender-neutral IDs.

For the past 14 years, Arkansans were allowed to put an “X” on their driver's license for their gender. This came after years of only allowing “M'' or “F.” License holders were also allowed to change their names.

In March, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration got legislative approval to ban the practice. This was an emergency rule change that can only be used in cases of “imminent peril.”

Arkansas Supreme Court reinstates gender-neutral ID ban

The Arkansas Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling which blocked the state's ban on gender-neutral IDs.

Arkansas State Police release more details on grocery store shooting

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

State police are releasing further information on a mass shooting in a small Arkansas town Friday.

The shooting took place at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce. Three people died in the immediate aftermath of the incident. On Saturday, it was announced that the death toll has risen to four.

In total, 12 other civilians were injured, with four victims still hospitalized. Two police officers were also shot; both have since been released from the hospital. On Sunday, Arkansas State Police gave further details on the incident to members of the media.

Arkansas State Police release more details on grocery store shooting

Josie Lenora/Little Rock Public Radio

Arkansas State Police, led by Director Col. Mike Hagar, address the media Sunday at ASP headquarters in Little Rock.

Arkansas lawmakers gather on first day of special session

KUAR | By Josie Lenora, Daniel Breen

The Arkansas Legislature advanced new tax cuts and funding for the Game and Fish Commission on Monday, the first day of a special legislative session. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the session last week, saying “additional tax reductions can be enacted to provide further tax relief during this period of heightened inflation under ‘Bidenomics.’” This comes after the legislature adjourned a fiscal session in May without funding the commission.

Game & Fish Commission Budget

The Arkansas Legislature passed a Game and Fish budget bill through committee after a round of committee hearings on Monday amid ongoing controversy over the director’s salary.

Arkansas lawmakers gather on first day of special session

Josie Lenora/Little Rock Public Radio

The Arkansas House of Representatives gathers on the first day of a special session, Monday.

Arkansas judge tosses lawsuit over worker abortion accommodations

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

An Arkansas judge put a stop to a court challenge over workplace abortion accommodations on Friday. U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. said plaintiffs in a lawsuit over new protections for employees seeking abortions did not have standing, meaning they did not establish that the protections for workers would actually cause them harm.

In 2022, The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was passed with bipartisan support in Congress. The law required employers to accommodate pregnancy and childbirth-related medical conditions. On April 19, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission expanded the law to include accommodations that come from seeking an abortion. They passed the rule change by a vote of 3-2. The new rules will go into effect on Tuesday.

In April, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced his plan to bring a lawsuit against the law's expansion.

Arkansas judge tosses lawsuit over worker abortion accommodations

Michael Hibblen/Little Rock Public Radio

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit say expansions to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would cause them harm; the judge disagreed.

State Board of Education approves new accountability system, guidelines

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas State Board of Education approved new accountability guidelines for private schools getting tax money on Thursday.

The 2023 LEARNS Act signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders allowed public money to be used for private schools. The money comes from a pool of funds called the “education freedom account.”

Sanders and Education Secretary Jacob Oliva have promised accountability measures for these schools since the law was passed. Stacy Smith, Deputy Commissioner of the Education Department's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, presented the new rules at a meeting on Thursday. Students at private schools getting tax dollars will be required to take standardized testing and meet accreditation standards, but there will be a lot of flexibility for them in both categories.

State Board of Education approves new accountability system, guidelines

Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith (right) at a previous meeting of the board. On Thursday she presented testing and accreditation rules for private schools receiving public money.

Publication of abortion amendment canvasser list is intimidation, ballot question committee says

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Supporters of a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would allow a limited right to abortion denounced a conservative advocacy group’s publication of a list of paid canvassers, calling the move an intimidation tactic.

The right-wing Family Council posted Thursday on its website a list of 79 people that the Arkansans for Limited Government ballot question committee is paying to collect signatures from across the state. The committee needs 90,704 signatures from registered voters by July 5 for the proposed amendment to appear on the November ballot.

The Family Council obtained the list of paid canvassers and their home cities via an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request, according to the post. Ballot question committees do not have to submit lists of unpaid or volunteer canvassers to the state.

Publication of abortion amendment canvasser list is intimidation, ballot question committee says

Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate

Supporters of a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would create a limited right to abortion seek signatures at the intersection of 9th and State streets in Little Rock on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Little Rock police arrived during the collection efforts and parked outside the event venue The Hall.

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas voter registration rules

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A local group is suing over a rule regarding how voter registrations are done in the state.

Get Loud Arkansas created a website allowing people to register to vote online. In April, an Arkansas legislative committee moved to prevent this process from being used, saying applications now need to have a “wet signature.” This means voter applications must be filled out in person and only at certain state agencies. The rule change was approved by the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners a week later.

GLA is suing along with plaintiffs Nickki Pastor and Trinity “Blake” Loper, both 18-year-olds whose voter registrations were rejected since they filled out their paperwork online. The suit is against the commissioner of the State Board of Elections, Secretary of State John Thurston and several county clerks. Get Loud Arkansas says the rule violates the rights of minority voters in a state with consistently low voter turnout.

Lawsuit challenges Arkansas voter registration rules

Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate

Get Loud Arkansas hosted a rally outside the state Capitol on April 23, 2024 following the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners’ decision to limit the use of electronic signatures on voter registration applications.

DFA hears public comment on gender-neutral ID rule

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

On Friday, officials with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration heard public comment on a rule change regarding driver's licenses and state IDs.

Under the gender section on their license or state ID, Arkansans were previously able to put an “X” instead of “M” or “F.” Arkansans could also change their gender marker on their license or state ID to reflect the gender with which they identify. DFA says the option was only used in about 500 cases.

In March, the department got legislative approval to stop the practice. DFA Secretary Jim Hudson told lawmakers he did not know of anyone who had been harmed by the policy. But, he said the rule change was necessary to prevent “potential harm.”

DFA hears public comment on gender-neutral ID rule

David Monteith/Little Rock Public Radio

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration held public comment on licenses and state IDs.

UAMS working on adding midwifery program to address maternal mortality

Image by Devon Divine

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) plans to start training students in a midwifery program by 2026. A midwife is a nurse that specializes in helping patients during childbirth.

In an interview with Arkansas PBS, Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, said this type of program is needed to help lower the maternal mortality rate in the state.

“Unfortunately for a lot of our young women in the state, all of our women really, they lack access to that care whether it be because they’re not covered through Medicaid, or they’re falling between the crack, or they’re in a rural area where they are not able to to a provider,” he said. “We hope this new program at UAMS is helping to bring that gap of care.”

UAMS working on adding midwifery program to address maternal mortality

Canvassing groups collect signatures as July deadline looms

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas groups attempting to put their ballot amendments before voters are coming up on an important deadline.

Wikimedia Image

If you want a certain issue to appear on the ballot for voters in November, you have to get tens of thousands of signatures from across the state. If you want to pass an initiative, that number is over 72,000. If the proposal you are trying to pass amends the Arkansas Constitution, you have to collect just over 90,000 signatures from 50 of the state’s 75 counties.

Groups are about a month away from a July 5 deadline to submit signatures. There are seven groups or people who are pushing amendments and initiatives; six of those are scrambling in the final stretch to collect as many signatures as they can.

Canvassing groups collect signatures as July deadline looms

Arkansas nonprofit sues Washington County over use of COVID funds for jail expansion

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

A criminal justice reform group filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday requesting a judge block Washington County from using pandemic relief money to expand jail facilities.

Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, which filed the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas alleges officials misallocated federal funds when the Washington County Quorum Court in December 2022 approved $18.8 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding for a jail expansion project.

Washington County voters in November 2022 rejected a proposed temporary sales tax increase to fund the jail expansion. County officials have said an expansion is necessary to address overcrowding.

Arkansas nonprofit sues Washington County over use of COVID funds for jail expansion

Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition Executive Director Sarah Moore (right) discusses a lawsuit against Washington County outside the nonprofit’s Fayetteville office on June 4, 2024 as co-founder Beth Coger and program director Gracie Fuhrman.

Special session discussions ongoing as Arkansas tornado recovery efforts progress

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

While elected officials’ focus shifted to recovery efforts after more than a dozen deadly tornadoes struck the state last week, Arkansas lawmakers have continued negotiating the details of a pending special session.

A special session became necessary when the Arkansas Legislature failed to approve the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s budget before the end of the fiscal session last month. The agency’s appropriation bill stalled after lawmakers raised concerns about a proposed increase to the director’s salary.

Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, said details of the commission’s funding “remain to be seen,” but he said lawmakers will pass a budget. To avoid interrupting the commission’s services, legislators must approve funding before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Special session discussions ongoing as Arkansas tornado recovery efforts progress

Dwain Hebda/Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas State Capitol.

Arkansas education secretary withdraws Solution Tree contract after legislative opposition

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas’ education chief withdrew from legislative review a $99.4 million contract with an Indiana-based education company following pushback from lawmakers on the proposal’s high cost and the vendor’s effectiveness.

During Friday’s Arkansas Legislative Council meeting, Sen. Scott Flippo, R-Bull Shoals, said Education Secretary Jacob Oliva asked to withdraw a proposed seven-year contract with Solution Tree, which has implemented its professional learning community program in Arkansas since 2017.

In a Thursday email to ALC’s co-chairs, Sen. Terry Rice and Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, Oliva requested that the contract be pulled from the agenda and said his agency would let them know when it intends to resubmit it.

Arkansas education secretary withdraws Solution Tree contract after legislative opposition

Arkansas Advocate Antoinette Grajeda

Arkansas city’s mayor refuses to resign after council asks him to step down

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Helena-West Helena Mayor Christopher Franklin refused to resign Tuesday night after the City Council voted 6-0 to ask that he step down.

The resolution came in response to a profanity-laden video call between the mayor, his adult daughter and his adult niece that went viral online last week.

The Helena World reported that Franklin abruptly adjourned the council meeting after the vote despite a lengthy agenda. The entire episode took seven minutes, from the reading of the resolution to Franklin’s departure from the council meeting room, the newspaper reported online Tuesday night.

Arkansas city’s mayor refuses to resign after council asks him to step down

Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate

The Phillips County Courthouse is seen in this file photo.

At least 15 are dead after tornadoes rip through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas

KUAR | By Joe Hernandez

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms ripped through parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas late Saturday evening and Sunday morning, leaving at least 15 people dead and causing widespread damage.

Around midday Sunday, some rescue crews in those states were still searching for missing people and digging out from the rubble, while residents in other states such as Kentucky and Tennessee were facing severe weather from the eastward-moving storms.

More than 400,000 residents throughout the region had lost power as of Sunday afternoon, according to the website poweroutage.us.

At least 15 are dead after tornadoes rip through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas