Nominees named for Arkansas tourism awards

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Thrive Inc. in Helena, and the Eureka Springs City Advertising & Promotion Commission are some of the nominees for Arkansas tourism awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 25.

The Henry Awards announcements will be part of the 51st annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Bentonville set for Feb. 23-25. The conference will also coincide with the second annual Arkansas Outdoor Economy Summit.

The tourism awards honor the individuals, organizations, and attractions making an extraordinary impact on the state’s tourism industry, according to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The Henry Award is named after Henri de Tonti, a 17th-century explorer believed to be one of the first Arkansas Travelers and who is credited with developing the first trading post in Arkansas.

Nominees named for Arkansas tourism awards

Bill to prohibit discrimination passes split Arkansas House panel after much public opposition

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

A bill that a slew of critics say would impede minorities’ opportunities for success in Arkansas passed a legislative panel on a split voice vote Wednesday after nearly three hours of debate.

Senate Bill 3 would “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” by public entities and eliminate required minority recruitment and retention plans and reports from public school districts and higher education institutions.

The bill would also repeal language in state procurement proposals that encourage minority participation or require bidders to adopt an equal opportunity hiring program designed to increase the percentage of minority employees.

Bill to prohibit discrimination passes split Arkansas House panel after much public opposition

Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate

Rep. Denise Ennett, D-Little Rock, criticizes Senate Bill 3, which would “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” by public entities during a House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

Boozman-Backed Recycling Legislation Passes Senate Committee

WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Chair of the Senate Recycling Caucus, Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Committee, applauded committee passage of the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act.

The STEWARD Act, approved unanimously by Boozman’s EPW Committee colleagues, would improve our nation’s recycling and composting systems and establish a pilot recycling program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award grants on a competitive basis to communities interested in improving their recycling accessibility. 

“Strengthening our commitment to recycling in order to preserve the resources we are blessed with, as well as spur economic growth and encourage industry innovation, benefits all Americans,” said Boozman. “I am proud to see the STEWARD Act advance with bipartisan support as we continue our efforts to encourage sustainable recycling infrastructure systems and practices.”

“For too many Americans, recycling remains out of reach – either because facilities don’t exist in their communities or because the infrastructure to make recycling economically viable is not in place. The STEWARD Act aims to close these gaps by ensuring that recycling services are accessible to all communities. The bill also recognizes that, to solve a problem, you need to measure and understand it first. The data provisions in the STEWARD Act will empower decision-makers to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions that will drive real change in our nation’s recycling systems,” Capito said.

“I’m proud to join Chairman Capito and Senator Boozman to lead the STEWARD Act, which is an essential preliminary step in reducing the amount of plastics seeping into our bodies and environment,” said Whitehouse. "Recycling is a stopgap in the rising flood of plastic waste, and I look forward to working with my colleagues—on both sides of the aisle—to tackle this issue on all fronts.”

Boozman, Capito and Whitehouse introduced the STEWARD Act last month. The measure combines Boozman-authored legislation from previous Congresses known as the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act and the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act that aim to enhance commercial and curbside recycling.

As a leader of the Senate Recycling Caucus, Boozman has also hosted events bringing together industry leaders to promote sustainability and preservation of our natural resources.

Find a one-pager explanation of the bill here.

Attorney General Griffin Joins President Trump at White House for Signing of Executive Order to Protect Women in Athletic Competitions

Griffin: ‘President Trump’s Executive Order Today Restores Common Sense’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement after he joined President Donald Trump at the White House for the signing of an executive order to protect women in athletics:

“Women and girls deserve the right to compete in athletic events on a fair and safe playing field. The previous administration was intent on putting female athletes at risk and degrading the integrity of competition because of its allegiance to ideals that are out of touch with reality. I applaud President Trump for doing what the Biden administration failed to do.

“When the previous administration proposed to re-interpret Title IX to mandate males being allowed to play in girls’ and women’s athletics, I led a 19-State coalition opposing it, and the administration backed down. Then last year I co-led a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s unconstitutional and nonsensical reinterpretation of Title IX that would have required schools and universities to allow males into girls’ and women’s locker rooms and showers. A federal district court agreed with our lawsuit and implemented a preliminary injunction against the new rule that we challenged.

“President Trump’s executive order today restores common sense. Women and girls deserve the chance to compete in athletics without fear of harassment, injury, or unfair competition.”

To read a copy of the President’s executive order, click here.

Researchers receive $550,000 USDA-NIFA grant to develop farmers market food safety game

By Brittaney Mann
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Food safety education for small producers will take on an interactive gaming form with the help of a collaborative $550,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

FOOD SAFETY GAME — Kristen Gibson is serving as the lead investigator on a new $550,000 grant from USDA-NIFA. Gibson and her collaborators will evaluate current food safety training practices and develop a multimedia game to help teach farmers market vendors food safety best practices.

Kristen Gibson, department of food science professor of food safety for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and director of the Center for Food Safety, will serve as lead investigator on this grant, aimed at providing easy-to-access educational resources about safe food production directed at small- and medium-sized farmers getting started with their market endeavors.

Citing research that indicates interactive multimedia learning tools can help audiences understand concepts better than traditional education practices can, Gibson said the research team decided a multimedia game format may help producers retain the information better. The multi-institution project is titled “GLEAN (game learning to educate and advance knowledge): Transformative food safety training for farmers market vendors.”

“We want to be sure that they’re providing safe food to their customers,” Gibson said. “And so, in order to implement best practices related to the production and the handling of fresh produce, you have to have that knowledge base to understand why that is important.”

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmers markets and food safety

Farmers market vendors do not sell a large volume of produce, and therefore are not covered by the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, Gibson said. Food safety requirements may vary in each market, even within the same state, because farmers market managers can set their own regulations.

Farmers market vendors have varying levels of food safety knowledge and training, Gibson said. Additionally, farmers market managers may not have access to farmers market specific training that can be distributed to the local producers.

The Arkansas Department of Health does not require farmers markets vendors to obtain permits to sell uncut fruit and vegetables or temperature-stable cottage foods.

The researchers want to be sure that everyone has access to resources to aid in the adoption of food safety best practices, and to make it easier to receive them.

“The idea is to be sure you’re capturing those people who may be falling through the cracks,” Gibson said.

The game

The development of this food safety training game will take place over three years. The researchers will collect data from a sample of local food producers to understand what information is most relevant, assess the effectiveness of the game in knowledge retention and eventually release it to the public.

Vendors can find multiple answers to their questions on different media, like Google searches or YouTube, and by directing the necessary information into a game format, it may help growers feel confident in the validity of the information they consume, Gibson said.

The researchers want the game to be realistic to the growers’ specific situations so that food safety awareness can transfer into their practices. The game will include different risks and related regulations, allow the producers to get help from in-game organizations that mirror real-life support structures and allow them to understand the varying rules of different markets, Gibson said. The strategies will also center on how to gain entry to local and regional food systems.

Collaboration

Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food safety and microbiology in the food science department for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. (U of A System Division of Agriculture)

Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food safety and microbiology at the experiment station, will also participate in the project.

“I am very excited to work on the GLEAN project,” Acuff said. “With farmers markets continuing to grow in size and types of products sold, we want to make sure all the vendors are provided with as much knowledge as possible about relevant regulations and are empowered to employ best practices to prioritize the safety of their consumers.”

Acuff’s research focuses on reducing pathogens from foods at the post-harvest level through prevention and intervention. She received a $200,000 grant earlier this year from USDA-NIFA to investigate moisture levels that lead to bacterial survival in low-moisture foods.

“We will be collaborating with colleagues from around the nation to address local and regional knowledge gaps by employing creative learning tools, such as educational gaming,” Acuff said.

That nationwide team of researchers includes Barbara Chamberlin, Matheus Cezarotto and Pamela Martinez from New Mexico State University, and Sujata Sirsat from the University of Houston. New Mexico State University will develop the game through its Learning Games Lab, which has developed many educational games.

Gibson has received many grants that feed into her work on food safety knowledge. Many of her projects aim to characterize food safety risks for small producers. Earlier this year, she characterized the pathogen vulnerability of two popular microgreen varieties and their growing media.

She was also recently awarded a $27,739 grant from the Center for Produce Safety to evaluate current food safety knowledge for indoor leafy green production, with the goal of presenting evidence-based best practices and identifying knowledge gaps on microbial risks.

Gibson is excited to use a game approach to relay food safety information. She hopes to see an increase in confidence, knowledge and the implementation of best practices outside the game.

“To do the practice, you have to have the knowledge first,” Gibson said.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Local activists join nationwide '50501' protest movement

KUAR | By Nathan Treece

Local activists filled the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol at noon Wednesday protesting actions taken by the Trump administration within its first three weeks.

Cynthia Coen is a native Arkansan who returned home to care for her mother. Like many others there, she said it was hard to pin down just one issue that brought her out to make her voice heard.

"It's so difficult to list everything, to list everything that's happening," said Coen. "Back to wasting water in California, over 90 million gallons of water that just went into nowhere, to defying the FEMA organization. This whole DEI situation, it’s insane.”

Local activists join nationwide '50501' protest movement

Carlos Bonilla/Little Rock Public Radio

Activists line the steps to the Arkansas Capitol grounds for the '50501' protests

Hoops for Kids’ Sake charity basketball tournament set for March 4

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives, Arkansas State Senate, Office of the Governor of Arkansas, and Office of the Arkansas Attorney General will square off for a worthwhile cause at Hoops for Kids’ Sake, the annual charity basketball tournament benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas (BBBSCA) and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas.

The tournament will be held on Tuesday, March 4 at 6pm at the Eddie L. Boone & Oliver Fitzpatrick, Jr. Fieldhouse at Little Rock Central High School. General admission tickets cost $10 and will be available at the door.

The tournament will be played in a 3-on-3 format, with the winners of two key games playing for the championship title. The games include:

• Game 1: Office of the Governor v. Office of the Attorney General – The team from the Office of the Governor won the inaugural game against the team from the Office of the Attorney General in 2024.

• Game 2: Arkansas House v. Arkansas Senate – This is the 10th time this game has been played. Dating back to 2014, the Senate leads the series 6-3 after its sixth consecutive win last year. The game resumed in 2023 after a three-year break following the 2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Game 3: Championship – The winners of Game 1 and Game 2 will play for the championship title. The Governor’s Office won the inaugural overall title in 2024.

Hoops for Kids’ Sake charity basketball tournament set for March 4

Arkansas committee passes free school breakfast bill

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A law to make school breakfast free for all Arkansas students has cleared its first hurdle in a Senate committee.

School Breakfast - Flickr Image

On Wednesday, Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe, presented the bill which has bipartisan co-sponsors and support. The bill passed with unanimous approval after some discussion.

The free breakfast bill was brought up by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her State of the State address. She listed it as a policy she supported in combating food insecurity along with eliminating the grocery tax and giving EBT money to needy families over the summer.

The legislature is relying on revenue from medical marijuana sales, which was initially spent on hospital programs, to support the free breakfast initiative.

Arkansas committee passes free school breakfast bill

Cooperative Extension Service to host Arkansas Veterans' Small Business Summit

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — For veterans who own and operate small businesses, accessing available resources is critical to financial success and longevity. Arkansas veteran business owners will have an opportunity to learn about programs and services designed to help their businesses succeed at the Arkansas Veterans’ Small Business Summit, hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center on Nov. 4.

The free in-person event will start at 9 a.m. and end at 12 p.m. at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, located at 2301 S. University Ave. in Little Rock. Registration is available at https://bit.ly/veteran-business-summit.

VETERAN RESOURCES — The Cooperative Extension Service's Arkansas Procurement Technical Assistance Center will host a free Veterans' Small Business Summit on Nov. 4. The in-person event will provide resources and networking opportunities for veteran small business owners, including information about upcoming contracting opportunities with federal agencies in Arkansas. (Division of Agriculture photo.) 

Kimberly Magee, outreach coordinator for Arkansas APEX Accelerator, said the summit will provide “tailored resources” for veteran business owners in the state, including information about no-cost resources and upcoming contracting opportunities with federal agencies in Arkansas.

“It’s important to provide these resources because the public doesn’t generally know how to navigate through the government marketplace,” Magee said.

The summit is presented in partnership with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Division of Emergency Management – Arkansas Federal Surplus Property, Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center, The Conductor, SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Administration – Arkansas District. Representatives from these organizations will be present at the summit to help connect attendees with the services they provide, including business counseling, low or no-cost training programs and training and networking opportunities.

Magee said the needs of veteran business owners are unique, and this summit is designed to connect them with resources available specifically to them.

“Veteran small businesses need a tailored pathway,” she said. “Veterans are already aware of government lingo and are therefore natural leaders in the government marketplace.”

In addition to networking with other business owners, the summit will include a small business resource panel, a presentation on veteran small business certifications and a presentation on government contracting opportunities.

“Veterans are our nation’s heroes, and it is our obligation to take care of them and help them succeed,” said Savanna George, extension program technician for the Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

For more information or for assistance with registering, contact the Arkansas Procurement Technical Assistance Center at APEX Accelerator@uada.edu.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter 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 Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

UAMS Study Finds Mothers Living in Rural Areas or Covered by Medicaid Less Likely to Receive Prenatal Care

By David Wise

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas mothers who live in rural areas and/or who have a Medicaid-covered birth are less likely to receive early prenatal care or receive an adequate number of prenatal care visits, according to a study published recently by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation.

The study, “Sociodemographic factors associated with prenatal care utilization in Arkansas, United States,” analyzed prenatal care utilization among women in Arkansas. Researchers found that mothers with a Medicaid-covered birth were more likely to have fewer than the recommended number of prenatal care visits, more likely to initiate prenatal care late, and more likely to have no prenatal visits at all.

Researchers also found that some minority groups — specifically Black and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations — were more likely to experience late or less than the recommended number of prenatal care visits compared to white mothers.

UAMS Study Finds Mothers Living in Rural Areas or Covered by Medicaid Less Likely to Receive Prenatal Care

Arkansas’ Buffalo River watershed squabble a ‘long, hard battle,’ advocate says

KUAR | By Mary Hennigan / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Marti Olesen has now driven the five-hour round trip from Ponca to Little Rock three times in recent weeks with the intention to learn about lawmakers’ plans for the Buffalo River watershed.

Once when the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy and Environment brought a pair of rules regarding permit moratoriums through the promulgation process to a legislative committee meeting. And twice during the 95th General Assembly when she expected Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, to introduce Senate Bill 84 to the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Lawmakers have yet to consider the bill during the current session.

Arkansas’ Buffalo River watershed squabble a ‘long, hard battle,’ advocate says

Courtesy Photo/National Park Service

A person paddles a canoe on the Buffalo River as trees display fall colors.

Four States Ag Expo offers growers, producers latest research-based information

(Division of Agriculture photo)

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

TEXARKANA, Ark. – The Four States Agricultural Expo returns Feb. 13, bringing together growers and producers from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma area to learn about the latest research and resources available for commercial horticulture, livestock and forages, integrated pest management, home gardening, lawn, pond management, and more.

The expo is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Four States Fairgrounds, 3700 E. 50th Street in Texarkana. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. All growers and producers from the four-state region are invited. The expo is free, open to the public, and includes lunch. No registration is required. Lunch will be provided by Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and Texas Farm Bureau - Bowie County. Sponsors and donors include Cavender’s Texarkana and Simmons Bank-Jonathan Shumate.

The event is a joint project of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, with experts from both agencies presenting workshops throughout the day.

“We usually have around 350 people attend,” said Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension agent. “Every year we offer a variety of agricultural sessions about livestock and forages, row crops, horticulture, commercial horticulture, timber and wildlife management, and pond management."

Continuing education units — CEUs — are available for licensed pesticide applicators. Texas pesticide applicators pay $10 for up to five hours of CEU credits. Arkansas pesticide applicator training will be available at the expo. The cost is $65, with $20 paid to Miller County Cooperative Extension and $45 paid to Arkansas State Plant Board to obtain a five-year license.

Concurrent programs will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the following topics and speakers: 

8:30 a.m.

• Managing Vegetation in Farm Ponds – Tyson Keese, pond management program specialist, Texas A&M.

• Vaccination Protocols for Beef Cattle – Meg Harrington, NAH Livestock Consulting.

• Production & Management of Blueberries – Tim Hartman, assistant professor, extension specialist, integrated pest management Texas A&M 

9:45 a.m.

• Alternative Forages for Livestock – Jonathan Kubesch, extension forage specialist, Division of Agriculture.

• The Fate of Dicamba and Rice Weed Control – Bob Scott, extension weed scientist, Division of Agriculture.

• Production and Management of Tomatoes – John Gavin, Bradley County extension agent, Division of Agriculture.

• Beekeeping 101 – Garrett Slater, assistant professor and apiculture extension entomologist, Texas A&M.

11 a.m.

• Managing Fish Populations in Farm Ponds – Tyson Keese, Texas A&M.

• Treating Common Diseases in Beef Cattle – Robert Bonner, DVM, Nashville Animal Hospital.

• Production and Management of Peaches – Tim Hartmann, Texas A&M.

Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch 

1 p.m.

• Safe Use of Pesticides Around the Farm – Bob Scott, extension weed scientist, Division of Agriculture.

• Grassy Weed Control in Pastures and Hay – Chad Cummings, Texas A&M county extension agent-agriculture and natural resources.

• Pests, Pathogens, Pesticides, and Poor Nutrition and Their Impact on Bee Hives – Garrett Slater, Texas A&M.

2:15 p.m.

• Broadleaf Weed Control in Pasture and Hay – Chad Cummings, Texas A&M.

• Arkansas Pesticide Applicator Training – Jennifer Caraway, Miller County agricultural extension agent, Division of Agriculture.

• Texas Auxin Training – Brian Triplett, county agent-agriculture and natural resources, Texas A&M.

For more information about the expo, contact the Miller County Extension office at 870-779-3609. To learn more about Division of Agriculture extension programs, 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.uark.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Farmers to receive $286 million through American Relief Act

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Farmers in Arkansas will receive $286.2 million in assistance from the American Relief Act, with Mississippi County being the top recipient, according to an analysis by the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center.

The American Relief Act was the continuing resolution passed in December to keep the federal government open through March 14. It also extended the 2018 Farm Bill through September 2025. In total, it provides $10 billion in economic assistance to crop farmers growing barley, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat.

Six million of the state’s acres were determined to be eligible for economic assistance. About 51% of the state’s soybean acres were eligible, while rice was at 26%. Cotton, (11%) and corn (10%) were the primary ag acres covered. The remaining acreage was in oats, peanuts, grain sorghum, and winter wheat.

Farmers to receive $286 million through American Relief Act

Boozman, Tillis, Murray Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Support Purple Heart Families

WASHINGTON––U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to introduce the Purple Heart Veterans Education Act, legislation allowing veterans who received their Purple Heart after their service to transfer their educational benefits to one or more of their dependents

“I’m proud to support policies that honor the promises made to the brave men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform,” said Boozman. “Ensuring that veterans, and especially Purple Heart recipients, are able to access the benefits they have earned for themselves and their families is a duty that Congress should always prioritize.”

“Purple Heart veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to defend our freedoms, and we as a nation should do everything we can to support them and their families when they return—that includes ensuring all Purple Heart veterans have the full benefits they have earned,” said Murray. “As the daughter of a Purple Heart Veteran, this is personal to me—and I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for joining me in this effort.”

“Purple Heart recipients are heroes who honorably served our country at great costs, and this oversight that prevents servicemembers who received this distinguished award after their service from transferring their GI bill benefits to their dependents needs to be corrected immediately,” said Tillis. “I am proud to co-introduce this commonsense legislation to close this loophole and ensure every Purple Heart recipient and dependents are able to further their education.”

 Specifically, the Purple Heart Veterans Education Act would:

• Permit an individual awarded the Purple Heart after their service in the Armed Forces to transfer their post-9/11 educational benefits to one or more of their dependents.

• Allow flexibility by permitting the veteran to allocate different amounts, totaling 36 months of benefits, to their dependents. For example, one dependent may be designated 20 months and the other 16 months. 

• Protect the veteran’s right to their benefits by prohibiting the use of their educational benefits to be treated as marital property or the asset of a marital estate. 

• Honor the veteran’s legacy by allowing their dependents to continue using the unused benefits after their death. 

The legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Angus King (I-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Steve Daines (R-MT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Michael Bennet (D-CO).

Congressmen Mike Levin (D-CA-49) and Greg Murphy (R-NC-03) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Purple Heart Veterans Education Act is endorsed by Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Click here for full text of the legislation.

Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference Examines Complex Issues Surrounding Mental Illness

By David Wise

Hundreds of health care professionals, caregivers and family members of people with schizophrenia gathered at the Fayetteville Town Center on Jan. 30 to learn about the symptoms, misconceptions and treatment of the illness, as well as the experiences of the nearly 3 million American adults with schizophrenia.

The conference, hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Psychiatric Research Institute, was the first of its kind in Northwest Arkansas and was dedicated to raising awareness about schizophrenia and the issues that accompany the mental illness.

Ryan Cork, MSHA, vice chancellor of the Northwest Arkansas Region, welcomed attendees to the conference.

“The Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference is a significant step forward for our region,” Cork said. “By bringing together leading experts, health care professionals and families, this event has the potential to transform how we address mental health challenges locally. It reinforces our commitment to building a stronger, more informed community and ensuring that Northwest Arkansas remains a leader in advancing mental health care and support.”

Northwest Arkansas Schizophrenia Conference Examines Complex Issues Surrounding Mental Illness

Little fish, epic journey: Arkansas biologists track 650-mile migration of Alabama shad

BY Sarah Baxter

LITTLE ROCK — Thirty juvenile Alabama shad are striking out on a 650-mile journey from the Ouachita River in southwest Arkansas to the Gulf Coast and beyond, and for the first time in history, biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be tagging along.

AGFC biologists hope to track 30 transmitter-equipped Alabama shad from their spawning grounds in Arkansas to the Gulf Coast. AGFC photo by Forrest Talley. 

The Alabama shad is ranked as the fourth-rarest fish in Arkansas and is being considered as a candidate for the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Each year Alabama shad spawned in the Ouachita River embark on a quest to reach salt water of the Gulf Coast. The fish is a mere 7-inch juvenile when it begins this trek, which leads it through many dangerous obstacles, including four locks and dams built for barge traffic.

Biologists know shockingly little about their life cycle aside from the endpoints of this amazing journey. Do they make this journey multiple times? Are there critical areas they visit along the way? How do they get past the dams? The questions surrounding this species are as vast as the waters it travels.

According to Jeff Quinn, AGFC River and Stream Program Supervisor, the Alabama shad is the only anadromous fish species in Arkansas — meaning it spawns in The Natural State and travels to salt water in the ocean as a component of its life cycle. One other species, the American eel, makes a similar migration but in reverse, spawning in the salt water of the ocean and traveling to fresh water in Arkansas during its life before returning to the Sargasso Sea.

Unraveling the secrets of this fish’s life cycle has been the largest obstacle in its conservation. Adult shad are extremely elusive and fragile, thwarting many previous tracking studies.

AGFC biologists have turned their attention to the juveniles through a groundbreaking effort. Last fall, they captured 30 young shad and implanted them with transmitters to track their migration. The transmitters, implanted by AGFC veterinarians, will coordinate with a series of hydrophones to “ping” each shad’s location as it passes nearby.

All 30 shad selected for research survived the implantation of tiny transmitters that will record movement as they pass by established recording units. AGFC photo by Forrest Talley.

This is the first time such a study has been attempted on juvenile Alabama shad. The species is notoriously fragile and prone to stress from temperature changes and handling trauma.

State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Jenn Ballard and AGFC Fish Pathologist Kelly Winningham worked in tandem to research and formulate a plan for the implantation procedure. The transmitter, roughly the size and shape of a piece of drinking straw as long as a penny is wide, had to be inserted in the body cavity of these extremely slender fish in a way that would not hinder their movement.

“We came up with some innovative solutions to overcome the fragile nature of the species,” Ballard said. “We even had fresh water flowing over the gills during the procedure through an IV setup instead of a water pump to ensure a constant but gentle flow of oxygenated water to the fish while the surgery was conducted.”

AGFC Wildlife Health Biologist AJ Riggs, AGFC Veterinary Trainee Robert Edwards and AGFC Conservation Program Technician Christina Little assisted with the surgeries, while Jeff Newman, AGFC Hatchery Manager of the Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery, coordinated with Quinn and AGFC Rivers Biologist Chelsea Gilliland to collect, monitor, transport and release the shad.

Biologists employed many creative solutions to successfully implant transmitters in diminutive Alabama shad. The gloves seen in this image produce a light electrical current to immobilize fish for surgery, avoiding chemicals. AGFC photo by Jeff Quinn.

Thanks to the creative solutions by the capture and implantation teams, all 30 of the shad selected for the study survived the procedure and showed no serious effects from the transmitter’s size during post-surgery observation.

“This project is really cutting-edge science,” Quinn said. “We didn’t even think this project was possible earlier this year. Our success is because we assembled a highly skilled and dedicated team, studied successes with other species, and were willing to take chances and fail.”

The data gleaned from this study will be crucial in understanding the Alabama shad’s migratory patterns, habitat use and the challenges they face. This knowledge is vital for effective conservation management and could be the key to preventing this remarkable species from disappearing altogether.

Quinn recently joined Trey Reid for an episode of the Arkansas Wildlife Podcast to talk about this exciting research project. Watch the show on the AGFC YouTube channel or find the podcast on your favorite platform.

Arkansas Supreme Court justice accuses chief justice of spreading untruths

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Nicholas Bronni has accused Chief Justice Karen Baker of spreading untruths during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee.

On Thursday, Baker made a customary appearance in front of the committee. She addressed recent tension at the Supreme Court between her and her colleagues. She told committee members that issues stemmed from newly appointed Justice Bronni recusing “from all our criminal cases.”

In a letter to Rep. Carol Dalby, the chairwoman of the committee, Bronni called this statement “not accurate.” This comes amid other dubious comments made during Baker’s Thursday's testimony, and ongoing tension over how Baker is legally allowed to conduct her duties on the court.

Arkansas Supreme Court justice accuses chief justice of spreading untruths

Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Nicholas Bronni disputes claims made by Chief Justice Karen Baker at a legislative meeting.

Best Care program awarded thousands of professional development hours to Arkansas childcare providers in 2024

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — In 2024, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Best Care program awarded more than 22,000 hours of professional development to childcare providers in the state. Providers are required by the Arkansas Department of Education Office of Early Childhood to earn a minimum of 15 hours of professional development each year.

TRAINING FOR PROVIDERS — Through the Division of Agriculture's Best Care programming, childcare providers across the state of Arkansas can earn required hours of professional development training. (Division of Agriculture graphic.) 

The Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Division of Agriculture, partners with the Arkansas Department of Education Office of Early Childhood to provide 58 hours of professional development training for childcare providers throughout the state.

“It is important that the childcare providers in Arkansas are educated and are knowledgeable in research-based early childhood practices to provide quality care to children, from birth to age five,” said Rebecca Simon, extension program associate for Early Childhood and Family Life for the Division of Agriculture.

Extension offers four methods of Best Care training, all of which are approved by the Arkansas Professional Development Registry, for childcare providers in the state:

• Best Care: Ten hours of in-person training for childcare professionals across the state, taught in 26 multi-county clusters. In 2024, this program reached 2,373 participants through 32 trainings.

• Best Care Connected: An online program that offers five hours of professional development for early childhood childcare educators in Arkansas. In 2024, this program reached 2,234 participants, and 11,170 hours of professional development were awarded.

• Guiding Children Successfully: An online or self-paced correspondence program that offers up to 38 hours of continuing education for parents, foster parents and childcare educators. This program reached 998 participants and awarded 10,374 training hours in 2024.

• Best Care Out of School Time: A program designed to better meet the needs of childcare providers who work with school-aged children in after-school, summer and camp settings. This program offers five hours of professional development, and in 2024, 557 training hours were awarded to 2,785 participants.

Simon said these four programs are tailored to the needs of childcare providers statewide, including those in remote and underserved areas. Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents play a significant role in the delivery of the training.  

“County Family and Consumer Sciences agents are responsible for planning and providing training in their ‘cluster,’ or multi-county setting,” Simon said. “The FCS agents build relationships within their community and are seen as the local source of knowledge, providing consistent, research-based professional development for local early childhood professionals.

“The training content is different every year, and that is one reason why early childhood professionals attend Best Care in their county or cluster every year,” Simon said. “The programs that the Division of Agriculture implements and provides strengthen the early childhood workforce and improve the lives of our youngest Arkansans.”

Simon said the extension training programs are aligned with Family and Consumer Sciences subject matter areas, including family life, health, nutrition and consumer economics. They also align with the Arkansas Department of Education Office of Early Childhood key content areas, including family, community, positive interactions and guidance.

“High quality early childhood environments are vital for fostering the foundational skills necessary for children’s lifelong health, learning, social relationships and overall success,” Simon said. “In Arkansas, childcare providers play a pivotal role in ensuring these developmental milestones are met.”

Simon said there are more than 48,600 professionals serving 165,219 children across 1,940 childcare facilities statewide.

Feedback from the field

In an evaluation sent to Best Care participants after each one-hour unit of training, one participant responded that the training helped them to “have conversations with children about our differences and find ways to include those physically impaired to do our usual curriculum.”

Another participant shared that the training helped them “implement breathing techniques when a child is stressed and struggling with strong emotions,” they wrote. “This helps us to get a handle on the situation, and as a result, it de-stresses me in the process.”

One participant said the program helped them “recognize the unique aspects of the children and their families to create a diverse learning environment that fosters a sense of well-being for all.”

The year ahead

Thirty Best Care trainings are scheduled throughout the state for 2025, in addition to online programming. Best Care lesson topics for the year will include Farm to Early Childhood Education, Sensory Play for All Ages, Outdoor Learning Environments and Physical Activity, Sound Solutions: Music in the Classroom, Arkansas History and Culture and more.

Those interested in Best Care training should contact their local Family and Consumer Sciences agent at uaex.uada.edu/counties/ for information about upcoming training in their area or visit uaex.uada.edu/life-skills-wellness/child-care-providers/best-care. More information about Early Childhood Professional Development opportunities in Arkansas can also be found at uaex.uada.edu/life-skills-wellness/child-care-providers/.

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. 

River Valley Beef Cattle Conference offers cattle producers latest recommendations for herd, forage management

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

MORRILTON, Ark. — This year’s River Valley Beef Cattle Conference will offer cattle producers from 12 counties the latest research-based recommendations for cattle producers in herd health and pest management, along with market outlook for the beef cattle industry.

BEEF — Cattle producers from Arkansas' 12-county River Valley area gather with Division of Agriculture experts to get the latest research-based information. UADA graphic

The conference will be on Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. – noon at the Conway County Fairgrounds, 901 E. Elm St. in Morrilton. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $20, payable at the door, and includes a steak lunch.

The annual conference, hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, brings together faculty, livestock economists and extension specialists to share research-based information to help producers plan and manage their operations efficiently.

Cattle producers from the River Valley area — Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Newton, Perry, Pope, Scott, Sebastian and Yell counties — are invited to attend.

“This year’s conference will bring together experts from the Division of Agriculture who will share the latest recommendations for dealing with armyworms, protecting herd health, and assessing cattle for optimum performance,” said Bob Harper, Logan County extension staff chair. “The industry market outlook will also be discussed.”

Armyworm update

Pope County Extension Agent Brandon Yarbery will discuss options for controlling armyworms and review products that are available this year for controlling pests and products that have worked successfully in the past.

“Last year was one of the worst years we’ve had for armyworms,” Harper said.

The pests appear in the spring and can severely damage forages, hay yields and seed production. Infestations can be easily overlooked when the caterpillars are small and eating very little.

Vaccination programs

Kristen Midkiff, extension animal health and wellbeing specialist for the Division of Agriculture, will discuss vaccination strategies in beef cattle, including options for calves, weaned calves and for the breeding herd for both developing heifers and the cowherd.

“Vaccines are an important portion of a herd health program, as we are protecting our cattle from infectious diseases by allowing their immune system to be able to recognize the pathogens,” Midkiff said. “There are many viruses and bacteria that cattle can be exposed to in their lifetime, and vaccinating gives us an opportunity to set our cattle up for success for future interactions with these agents.”

Midkiff, who has a doctorate in beef cattle health, nutrition, and physiology from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, joined the Division of Agriculture last fall.

Evaluating Longevity

Maggie Justice, extension beef cattle specialist, will discuss assessing beef cattle for optimum performance.

“She will focus on evaluating cows for the? long term and selecting cows that will stay in the herd and remain productive,” Harper said.

Market Update

James Mitchell, extension livestock economist, will discuss industry outlook and provide highlights from the annual cattle inventory report published Jan. 31. Other topics include cow-calf and feedlot profitability, beef demand and impacts of New World screwworm on the beef and cattle trade.

Conference agenda

• 8:30 a.m. – Registration

• 9 a.m. – Introductions: Kevin Van Pelt, Conway County extension agent

• 9:05 a.m. – Welcome: Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas

• 9:10 a.m. – Armyworm Update – Brandon Yarbery, Pope County extension agent

• 9:30 a.m. – Vaccination Programs for Beef Cattle Producers, Kirsten Midkiff, extension animal health and wellbeing specialist

• 10:15 a.m. – Break

• 10:30 a.m. — Evaluating Longevity: Annual Beef Cattle Assessment for Optimum Performance, Maggie Justice, extension beef cattle specialist

• 11:15 a.m. – Market Outlook, James Mitchell, extension livestock economist

• Noon – Lunch and adjourn

For more information about armyworms in Arkansas, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/armyworms

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 publications or extension programs, 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.uark.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

State of the State 2025: Regulations, tariffs, costs part of trucking sector uncertainties

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

The United States has been mired in a “freight recession” for more than a year and Cass Freight Index numbers indicate it’s not over. The Index reported that freight shipments across North America were down 6.5% in December in a year-over-year comparison. The index reported a 3.1% decline from November and a 13.3% decline on a two-year stacked change. Freight expenditures were down 3.1% in December, and freight rates were up 3.3% in the same month, the Index reported.

Data within the Index includes all domestic freight modes and is derived from 36 million invoices and $38 billion in spending processed by Cass annually on behalf of its client base of hundreds of large shippers. The companies represent a broad sampling of industries, including consumer packaged goods, food, automotive, chemical, medical/pharma, OEM, retail, and heavy equipment, according to Cass Information Systems. 

Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) President Shannon Newton told Talk Business & Politics she is cautiously optimistic the freight recession could end in 2025, and the metrics seem to be improving.

State of the State 2025: Regulations, tariffs, costs part of trucking sector uncertainties