A complex of strong to severe thunderstorms will develop along a line that will enter northwestern Arkansas by Monday afternoon and sweep southeastward across the state into Monday evening.
Damaging wind gusts and quarter sized hail will be possible in any storm that becomes severe.
The tornado threat in this environment remains very low, but not zero.
The Flash Flooding threat with this system is low, but locations that saw high rainfall totals with the activity from Thursday and locations that experience efficient rainfall producing cells this afternoon/evening may see flash flooding, especially in prone areas.
Rockefeller Institute CEO: Arkansas’ low voter turnout part of bigger picture
by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)
Arkansas’ worst-in-the-nation voter registration and turnout rankings are part of a larger challenge of civic engagement that the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and its partners are working to address.
The Institute has launched the Civic Arkansas initiative to get Arkansans involved not only in the election process but also in their communities.
Janet Harris, executive director and CEO, described what that meant during a speech Tuesday (May 21) before Rotary Club 99 in Little Rock.
“Civic engagement, when we hear that word, we often think about voting, and civic engagement is about voting, but it’s about so much more than that,” she said. “It is about the fabric of our community. It is about how we choose to show up for each other, how we choose to connect with another, how we choose to care about what is happening in the world around us and do something to create the change that we want to see.”
Rockefeller Institute CEO: Arkansas’ low voter turnout part of bigger picture
Attorney General Griffin announces cybersecurity summit in October
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Tuesday (May 21) that he will host a Cybersecurity Summit October 7-8, 2024, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock at no cost to attendees.
The summit will feature the Director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, as the keynote speaker.
“While there will be plenty of Arkansas-specific concerns addressed, this much-needed summit will have national and international appeal as we bring in top experts in the field of cybersecurity. I am particularly thrilled that Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, will serve as our keynote speaker. I’ve known Jen for a long time, and there is no one in government more knowledgeable than her on the topic of cybersecurity,” Griffin said.
Severe Weather Possible Wednesday and Thursday in Arkansas
An active weather pattern will continue across the region through the weekend, with some threat for strong to severe thunderstorms forecast through the weekend.
Chances for severe weather will be greatest across the southwest section of the state through tonight. The threat on Thursday will be less concentrated, but may be more focused for western sections. Chances for severe weather will be a tad lower on Friday…but return for Saturday and Sunday.
The primary threats expected with the strongest storms will be large hail and damaging winds, with some tornadoes also possible. Very large hail over 2 inches in diameter and damaging winds over 70 mph could be seen across southwest sections of the state this Wednesday afternoon.
Some areas of heavy rainfall could be seen by late this week. Additional rainfall amounts exceeding 1.5 inches could be seen through Memorial Day, especially across the south half of the state. Locally heavier amounts are possible. This may lead to some isolated flash flooding.
National Weather Service Hazardous Weather Briefing for Arkansas Tues-Thurs
Severe Threat for Arkansas Late This Afternoon and Tonight - (National Weather Service/Little Rock Graph)
An active weather pattern will develop starting late this afternoon and evening as a cold front drops southeast towards Arkansas.
Chances for severe weather will increase starting late this evening into the overnight hours across far northwest sections of Arkansas. This threat will spread further southeast for Wednesday, and continue for a large portion of the state on Thursday.
The primary threats expected with the strongest storms through tonight will be large hail and damaging winds, with a brief tornado or two possible. Very large hail and damaging winds will be the primary threats on Wednesday, with a few tornadoes also possible. Large hail and damaging winds will again be primary threats for Thursday.
There is some uncertainty regarding the severe threat on Wednesday as timing of morning thunderstorms may create less instability for afternoon thunderstorm development.
Some areas of heavy rainfall could be seen by late this week. Rainfall amounts exceeding 3 inches could be seen from late tonight through Friday morning. This may lead to some isolated flash flooding.
Extension to offer two-day remote produce safety training May 29-30
PRODUCE SAFETY — For fruit and vegetable growers, ensuring their farms are free of microbial contamination and reducing the risk of foodborne illness is key to the success of their operation. The Cooperative Extension Service will offer a two-day remote training with information about best practices, worker health and hygiene, and more. (Division of Agriculture graphic.)
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
LITTLE ROCK — To help Arkansas fruit and vegetable growers across the state learn practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer a remote, two-day produce safety training workshop via Zoom from May 29-30.
The training will provide attendees with important information on best practices, worker health, hygiene and training, soil amendments and more.
Registration is $25 per person for Arkansas residents and $100 per person for out-of-state residents. The deadline to register is May 22, and there are 20 seats available in the training. Participants must have access to Zoom software, a web camera, microphone and stable internet access. Register at uaex.uada.edu/producesafety.
Rip Weaver, extension program technician for local, regional and safe foods for the Division of Agriculture, said his team looks forward to hosting the remote training.
“We know this is a busy time for Arkansas growers,” Weaver said. “We hope that by splitting the training into two half-days, attendees will still have a good portion of their days to tend to their responsibilities on their farms and food businesses.”
Participant attendance and engagement will be monitored during the training. Participants are only eligible for PSA/AFDO Certificate of Course Completion if they are present for all modules of the course.
“This program is targeted to commercial produce growers, but small or beginning farms can learn valuable information for building their operations,” said Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “Farmers who have previously attended this training should plan to attend a training about every three years to stay up to date on the latest regulatory information.”
The training, developed by the Produce Safety Alliance and presented by the Cooperative Extension Service’s Arkansas Produce Safety Team, teaches growers about regulatory requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. FSMA is the first federally regulated standard for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding fresh produce.
For more information, contact Rip Weaver at rweaver@uada.edu or 501-671-2388.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
Severe weather likely in Arkansas beginning Wednesday evening; briefing updated
Severe storms are expected to fire across Arkansas this afternoon into the overnight hours.
Chances for severe weather will increase through the day as a storm system tracks from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, and drags a cold front into Arkansas. Ahead of the front, well above average temperatures and humid conditions will create a very unstable environment.
All modes of severe weather are in play this afternoon and overnight. Very large hail up to baseball size and wind gusts up to 80 mph are the main threats, with tornadoes also possible. Heavy downpours may lead to localized flash flooding as well.
On Thursday, storms will be mostly south of Arkansas but could impact far southern portions of the state. Damaging winds and large hail would be the main hazards.
Minor updates have been made by the National Weather Service in Little Rock, AR.
They include the addition of NW Arkansas to the Tornado Outlook and Overnight Timing Graphics.
Storms are expected to initially develop by early evening across northern and western Arkansas. These storms will be capable of all severe weather hazards. The storms will gradually shift eastward through the evening hours with the very large hail threat becoming slightly lower. The damaging wind and isolated tornado threat will persist. Activity should make it east of the Mississippi River by daybreak Thursday.
Lyon College to locate dental school in LR’s Riverdale neighborhood, vet school in Cabot
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Lyon College officials announced Tuesday (May 7) the locations of their planned dental and veterinary schools with one locating in Little Rock and the other in Cabot.
In November 2023, an original plan to locate the dental and vet schools in the Heifer International headquarters in downtown Little Rock fell through.
OneHealth Companies, the school’s original partner in the venture, failed to meet the deadline to buy the Heifer International facility, according to numerous published reports. OneHealth is no longer involved with Lyon on the project.
Lyon College to locate dental school in LR’s Riverdale neighborhood, vet school in Cabot
Severe Weather Briefing from the NWS in Little Rock
After activity comes to an end this morning, some additional thunderstorms could develop across central into southeast Arkansas this evening into tonight. But, the severe weather threat with this activity remains low.
The greatest risk of severe storms in Arkansas will be on Wednesday during the evening into the overnight hours.
Chances for severe weather will increase Wednesday as a storm system tracks from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, and drags a cold front into Arkansas. Ahead of the front, well above average temperatures and humid conditions will create a very unstable environment.
All modes of severe weather are in play. Very large hail up to baseball size and wind gusts up to 80 mph are the main threats, with tornadoes also possible. Heavy downpours may lead to localized flash flooding as well.
Pride parade, festival coming to SoMa
KUAR | By Maggie Ryan
Little Rock's SoMa neighborhood is kicking off June with a day of festivities celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. It’s the first time the nonprofit Central Arkansas Pride is organizing a parade in June, or Pride Month. For years, the nonprofit has held pride celebrations in October during LGBTQ history month.
Joe Johnson is communications director for Central Arkansas Pride. In his eyes, the addition of a parade in June ties in to their mission of celebrating pride “365 days a year.”
“This is really a groundbreaking event for Central Arkansas, particularly in Little Rock.'' Johnson said. “We’re actually able to realize an LGBTQIA celebration during Pride Month.”
Image by Hanyang Zhang
Marchers unfurl a rainbow flag at the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington, D.C., in June.
Windstream, Uniti reunite in $13.4 billion merger
by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
Privately-held Windstream and publicly-traded Uniti Group – two Little Rock-based companies that once were a combined entity – are reuniting in a proposed $13.4 billion merger.
Uniti Group, then known as CS&L, spun off from Windstream when it was a publicly-traded company nearly a decade ago. Uniti is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns wireless towers and fiber operations, while Windstream is a telecommunications and broadband company with with heavy operations in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. The two entities went through years of litigation over contract arrangements, a move that contributed to Windstream’s reorganization bankruptcy in the late 2010’s. Windstream is Uniti’s largest customer.
The new deal, which has been approved by both company’s board of directors, brings the companies back together. The transaction factors in about $4.4 billion in company revenues, $8 billion in corporate debt, $425 million in cash, and $575 million in preferred equity.
Severe Weather Briefing for Arkansas from the National Weather Service in Little Rock
There is a potential for severe weather today through Wednesday. The greatest risk of severe storms in Arkansas will be on Wednesday.
In the near term, an outbreak of severe weather is expected in the Plains today. A line of strong/severe storms will approach northwest Arkansas tonight, but should weaken as it progresses into the state during the predawn hours Tuesday. Additional isolated to scattered thunderstorms will pop up Tuesday afternoon, but any severe weather will be spotty.
Chances for severe weather will increase Wednesday as a storm system tracks from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, and drags a cold front into Arkansas. Ahead of the front, well above average temperatures and humid conditions will create a very unstable environment. All modes of severe weather are in play, including tornadoes. Heavy downpours may lead to localized flash flooding.
UAMS Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Child Development Center in Little Rock
By Chris Carmody
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today for the UAMS Child Development Center in Little Rock, a 20,000-square-foot facility that is scheduled to open in early May.
The center will provide services for about 200 children, from infancy through prekindergarten, of UAMS employees and students. Of those slots, 10% are reserved for the children of employees who live in the surrounding community, and another 10% go to workers or students who qualify for Child Care Development Fund vouchers through the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Access to high-quality child care has long been identified as a need for UAMS employees. Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief strategy officer, said the UAMS Child Development Center will provide a safe and welcoming place where children can learn, thrive and have fun.
UAMS Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Child Development Center in Little Rock
Our House celebrates opening of $16m expansion
KUAR | By Nathan Treece
Our House, a local nonprofit assisting unhoused individuals and those at-risk of being unhoused, celebrated the completion of a $16-million dollar expansion in Little Rock Wednesday morning with an opening ceremony.
Executive Director Ben Goodwin says the community was key to making the expansion a reality.
“We are so fortunate to have such broad and deep support from the community," said Goodwin. "They bought into this vision and the need, the need to serve more people, and the vision that we can serve them in a way that changes their life for the better. And they came out to celebrate with us today, and show it's just a great celebration of our community's support for their neighbors, and we're excited to get started.”
Nathan Treece/Little Rock Public Radio
Our House Executive Director Ben Goodwin speaks at the grand opening of the non-profit's $16 million expansion
National Weather Service Severe Weather Briefing
A cold front will push through Arkansas from the Plains on Thursday. Ahead of the front, very warm conditions/well above normal temperatures will exist, creating a very unstable environment.
A broken line of scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across the northwest counties Thursday afternoon. The line is then expected to move towards central and northeastern locations Thursday evening and night. There are indications the line will gradually weaken after the sun sets, and daytime heating is lost.
Large hail and damaging winds are the primary concerns, especially across northern and extreme western parts of the state. A low, but non-zero tornado chances exists across the northeastern half of the state.
Severe Weather Briefing from the National Weather Service in Little Rock
A powerful storm system in the central Plains will drag a cold front towards Arkansas Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday.
Ahead of the front, scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop tracking across portions of central and northern Arkansas. Damaging straight-line winds and hail appear to be the primary concern associated with storms Tuesday afternoon.
An additional round of severe weather will be possible Thursday across portions of the state. Once again damaging winds and hail will be the primary concern with this system.
Severe Weather Briefing from the National Weather Service
An unsettled weather pattern will continue today/tonight. Showers and scattered thunderstorms remain in the forecast, and areas of heavy rain are expected.
The forecast calls for an additional half inch to more than two inches of rain across Arkansas. Spotty flash flooding is possible, and some minor river flooding is likely to occur or is ongoing.
While the primary concern will be heavy rain, there could be isolated severe storms across southern Arkansas. More significant severe weather is likely farther south along the Gulf Coast (from Louisiana into Mississippi and Alabama).
Eclipse leaves trail of wonder, excitement in path through Arkansas
KUAR | By Daniel Breen, Josie Lenora, Maggie Ryan, Nathan Treece
Thousands gazed with wonder at Monday's total solar eclipse, which cut a 117-mile-wide path of totality across Arkansas.
The city of Little Rock's official event featured a free concert playing the entirety of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” at the First Security Amphitheater downtown. Photographer Jordan Mozley made the trip from Atlanta.
He says seeing the 2017 solar eclipse made him want to document the celestial event.
"They say this one's special... they say the next one won't be for another 300 years, for this magnitude of the eclipse. So I figured, I've got to photograph this one," Mozley said.
Eclipse leaves trail of wonder, excitement in path through Arkansas
National Weather Service Eclipse Weather Briefing for Arkansas
A large storm system will be over the southwest United States during the day of the eclipse. Ahead of the system, a south to southwest flow will bring increasing moisture and the possibility of clouds/chances of showers throughout the path of totality in Arkansas.
Important to Remember: Despite vast improvements of weather models in recent years, any information over more than a few days of a specific time is subject to change. Forecast details will be fine tuned as additional data is received up to the time of the eclipse.
Severe Weather Briefing for Arkansas from the National Weather Service
Strong to severe thunderstorms are still expected to develop late this evening and continue into Monday night. The only real change to the forecast is the computer models continue to slow the progression of the system down.
The northwest part of Arkansas continues to have the best chances of seeing severe weather with decreasing chances further to the southeast.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop Monday evening and into early Tuesday morning ahead of an approaching cold front. The computer models continue their trend of late in slowing the system down.
Some storms are expected to become strong to severe, especially over the northwest half of Arkansas. These locations will have the greatest overlap of severe thunderstorm ingredients Monday evening and into early Tuesday. While all severe weather hazards will be possible, large hail and damaging winds will be the primary concerns and isolated tornadoes will be possible.
Large hail and damaging straight-line winds are possible across the rest of the state as well, but chances decrease toward the south and east as the storms are forecast to weaken.
Southerly winds gusting upwards of 30 mph will be possible on Monday afternoon and evening.