Boozman secures investments for Arkansas Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, secured measures that will strengthen Arkansas water resources in legislation approved by the committee Wednesday. 

The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 authorizes water and wastewater projects, invests in ports and inland waterways, and improves U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) programs. The bipartisan bill passed the committee unanimously and next heads to the Senate floor consideration.

“Reliable, efficient water infrastructure underpins our entire economy. This legislation preserves and enhances this critical resource to ensure we are maximizing its potential to support the demands of communities and industries in Arkansas as well as nationwide. I’m pleased this bipartisan bill includes policies I championed to advance economic growth and development locally and beyond,” Boozman said. 

Boozman-authored provisions make critical investments in Arkansas water infrastructure by:

• Advancing the reallocation study for the Beaver Water District.

• Modifying the federally authorized area of Osceola Harbor to manage the increased barge traffic, supporting the growth of the port and regional steel industry which significantly contribute to economic development in the region.

• Prioritizing funding for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to mitigate cost overruns with a cost-share adjustment. This would allow the nation to realize sizable economic returns, reduce the supply chain’s environmental footprint and address uncertainty in the global agricultural and energy markets

• Creating a comprehensive approach to managing the Lower Mississippi River and implementing restoration practices to support animal habitats in Arkansas and Tennessee.

• Reestablishing the Levee Owners Advisory Board to engage local owner-operators to improve public participation and enhance flood protection.

• Addressing levee safety guidelines under development and ensuring they follow congressional intent.

• Examining digital infrastructure and real-time data collection by authorizing a study on water distribution optimization. 

• Permitting the Corps to reinvest recreation fees to improve facilities where the funds were collected, creating an incentive for the Corps to maintain good facilities and provide quality recreational opportunities on our public lands.

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

Arkansas Attorney General sends cease and desist letters to pro-choice organizations

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sent cease and desist letters to two companies that he says provide abortion pills through the mail. He accused both Aid Access and Choices Women's Medical Center of violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

“Abortions are prohibited in Arkansas… consequently abortion pills may not legally be shipped to Arkansas,” Griffin's letters to the two companies read.

He called both groups' business practices “false, deceptive and unconscionable.” Griffin threatened them with a $10,000 civil penalty for each violation and said he would take further action if this was not remedied in 14 days. Griffin said the companies are advertising in Arkansas. Jeff LeMaster a representative for the Attorney General said: "language on both of the companies' websites" is what concerns them. He wants both companies to assuage the AGS concerns in writing.

Arkansas Attorney General sends cease and desist letters to pro-choice organizations

Arkansas AG Tim Griffin says two organizations are shipping abortion pills to Arkansas and advertising in the state.

Public education ballot group continues signature collection

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

For AR Kids says they are almost halfway to collecting the amount of signatures they need to put their proposal on the ballot.

It's called the “The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024.” The proposal comes after the passage of Arkansas LEARNS last year, which allows for public tax money to go to private schools through a voucher program. The amendment would add requirements for private schools accepting tax money. The group says this will equalize education in Arkansas, though they are short on funding.

To get their proposal on the ballot, For AR Kids needs more than 90,000 signatures from over 50 counties, with a deadline of July 5. Group leaders say they will have to collect 1,000 signatures a day for the next 45 days. For AR Kids says they have more than 1,000 volunteers collecting signatures.

Public education ballot group continues signature collection

Megan Prettyman

The 11th grade social studies classroom of Megan Prettyman at Little Rock West High School of Innovation.

Two UADA staffers earn seven writing awards from APW

By the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Two University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture staffers, one retired and one current, earned seven awards at the 2024 Arkansas Press Women communications contest.

Fred Miller, who retired as science editor for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in July 2023, won four awards, including a first place for his final project, a three-story series on bee research. The experiment station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.

Fred Miller, left, and Mary Hightower, right, were among the winners in this year's APW Communications Contest. (U of A System Division of Agriculture file photos)

“Having just retired, I wanted to go out on a high note so I entered the bee series because bees are a reliably popular topic,” . “People like bees as long as they’re not ‘bee-ing’ stung.”

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer, won three awards, including a first place for feature writing for a retirement tribute to Miller.

“It’s tough to write profiles about people you know, but it was a great joy to win for a story about a highly talented and respected friend and colleague, Fred Miller,” Hightower said.

Arkansas Press Women announced the winners of its annual Professional Communications Contest at an awards luncheon May 18 at The Villa Marre in Little Rock. Work produced in a variety of communications fields during 2023 was eligible to compete.

There were 310 entries from around the state including communicators from newspaper, radio and academia sectors.

There were 66 first-place winners in the Arkansas contest. They are eligible to advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition. Winners will be announced at the group’s annual conference, June 20-22, in St. Louis.

For the third consecutive year in the Arkansas contest, Dwain Hebda of Little Rock, president of Ya!Mule Wordsmiths, Inc., won the Sweepstakes Award. The award is based on a point system that factors in entry ranking and the degree of competition in a category.

Award details

Fred Miller, science editor, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, won:

• Honorable Mention in Writing > Specialty Articles > Science or Technology for “Research uses nanotechnology to boost dietary value of 3D printed foods.”

• Honorable Mention in Photography > Single Photograph > News or feature photo for “Environmental Portrait – Scott Lafontaine.”

• Second Place in Writing > Specialty Articles > Science or Technology for “Arkansas to Lead $5 Million Grant-established Center to Advance Robotics in Poultry Processing.”

• First Place in Information for the Media > News or Feature Releases – Multiple Releases for the series on bee research.

The stories in the series included “Researchers trace ancestry of Arkansas honeybees to original ‘colonists’,” “Molecular survey of parasite threats helps Arkansas beekeepers protect their colonies,” and “Entomologists study how colors attract wild bees to improve surveys, other research.”

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture:

• Honorable Mention in Writing > Specialty Articles > Agriculture for “Bald Knob restaurant shortcakes herald start of strawberry season.”

• Second Place in Writing > Specialty Articles > Agriculture for “Picture is brighter for off-the-track thoroughbreds.”

• First Place in Writing > Feature Story > Online publication for “After 25 years of letting the ‘geeky side come out,’ science editor Fred Miller retires.”

Arkansas Press Women, APW, is an association of professional communicators in journalism, public information, business, education and government. To learn more about APW, visit https://arkansaspresswomen.org/.

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 TX at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

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.

AG Griffin announces cybersecurity summit in October

UA Cossatot Spring 2024 Graduates, Chancellor's and Vice Chancellor's Lists

Congratulations, UA Cossatot Grads Spring 2024!

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.

Rep. Crawford’s Legislation Banning Federal Aid for Chinese-Made Railcars Passes House

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Rick Crawford’s (AR-01) legislation to ban Federal Transit Administration (FTA) aid from being used to buy Chinese-made railcars passed the House floor this evening. Under current law, rail rolling stock cannot be purchased from state-owned enterprises. FTA misapplied the law, however, and allowed certain transit rail car contracts to continue. H.R. 3317, the Rolling Stock Protection Act closes this loophole.

“Despite our efforts, the Chinese Communist Party has still maintained a foothold in the rail market through contracts that have been grandfathered in. Taxpayer dollars should never go to countries that continue to lie, steal, and cheat in an attempt to push the U.S. out of the global market. We need to keep our critical infrastructure safe from the hands of the CCP,” said Rep. Crawford.

Earlier this year, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) cancelled its contract with China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) after frequently missed deadlines and quality issues. CRRC is one of the most subsidized companies in China and has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The CRRC has an ongoing contract with Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), despite MBTA experiencing similar delays due to CRRC mismanagement. In March, it was reported that this project has cost MBTA over $1 billion, which is hundreds of millions more than the initial bid price, and is now set to be completed four years late.

UAFS restarts nursing degree program

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

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) seeks to address an estimated shortage of more than 200 nurses in the Fort Smith metro by restarting its nursing degree program, with Baptist Health-Fort Smith and Mercy Fort Smith participating in tuition reimbursement.

The UAFS on Monday (May 20) announced the return of an associate of applied science-nursing (AAS) degree in the Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approved the new degree plan on May 16, with previous approvals from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, according to UAFS.

UAFS hopes to have 20 students in the first semester, and grow the program to 30 students per cohort. The AAS in nursing allows students to work toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) and higher degrees.

UAFS restarts nursing degree program

EIA: Vehicles used more electricity than rail systems in 2023

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

Light-duty vehicles in the United States used more electricity than rail systems for the first time in 2023 amid rising sales of electric vehicles (EVs), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

A new EIA analysis released Monday (May 20) shows electricity consumption by EVs rose to 7,596 gigawatt-hours in 2023, almost five times the consumption in 2018. Annual electricity consumption by railways has remained flat at about 7,000 gigawatt-hours over the past two decades.

Railways has been the largest electricity end-user in the transportation sector since 2003. Over that period, municipal railway systems or electrified passenger rail have had limited expansion.

EIA: Vehicles used more electricity than rail systems in 2023

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.

Scientists push EPA to update meat packer wastewater discharge rules

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) alleges that water pollutants discharged from Tyson Foods’ processing plants “pose a risk to people and the environment and include large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus.”

According to the report, the agriculture industry is the largest consumer of freshwater and meat and poultry processors account for nearly one-third of that water consumption. Tyson Foods is the largest meat company in the country with 123 processing facilities and all that animal processing creates massive amounts of wastewater.

Researchers Omanjana Goswami and Stacy Woods published “Waste Deep” on April 30. While the report notes Tyson Foods is acting within the legal limits, Woods said the regulatory standards for wastewater discharged to surface waters and municipal sewage treatment plants have not been updated in 20 years.

Scientists push EPA to update meat packer wastewater discharge rules

UAMS Graduates 1,134 Health Care Professionals

By Chris Carmody

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on May 18 conferred degrees and certificates to 1,134 students in its five colleges and graduate school.

UAMS awarded 175 degrees or certificates to students in the College of Medicine, 172 in the College of Nursing, 583 in the College of Health Professions, 78 in the College of Pharmacy, 86 in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health and 78 in the UAMS Graduate School. Thirty-eight students earned dual degrees.

Degrees and certificates conferred at this year’s commencement ceremony included doctor of philosophy; doctor of medicine; doctor of pharmacy; doctor of nursing practice; master of science; master of nursing science; bachelor of science in nursing; doctor of public health; master of public health; master of health administration; master of science in health care data analytics; postbaccalaureate certificate in public health; and a variety of allied health disciplines, including doctor of audiology, doctor of physical therapy, master of physician assistant studies, master of science and bachelor of science.

For a complete list of the 2024 graduates, follow the link below.

UAMS Graduates 1,134 Health Care Professionals

UAMS students take part in the May 18 commencement ceremony at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. Image by Bryan Clifton

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. 

Low-income communities priority for Arkansas’ $93.6 million federal solar grant

KUAR | By Mary Hennigan / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

A partnership between an Arkansas renewable energy nonprofit and a multi-state organization that helps economically disadvantaged communities will use nearly $94 million in federal funds to help low-income families acquire solar power.

Arkansas was one of many states chosen to receive the federal funds from the Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All program, announced last month. The funds became available through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.

The implementation of Arkansas’ funds will depend on a partnership between the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation of Little Rock (AAEF) and Hope Enterprise Corporation, an organization that aims to improve economically strained regions in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Low-income communities priority for Arkansas’ $93.6 million federal solar grant

Arkansas Supreme Court upholds election rule changes made in 2021

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

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday (May 16) upheld four state laws that placed new limits and rules on election procedures. The court’s majority opinion reversed a ruling from Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffin who had overturned the provisions.

The laws, approved by the Arkansas Legislature in 2021, were Acts 249, 728, 736 and 973 of 2021. While complex, the Acts establish the following new procedures.
• County clerks must verify a signature on an absentee ballot with the voter’s registration signature.

• Reduce the time for delivery of in-person absentee ballots.

• Voters submitting a provisional ballot must show a photo ID by the Monday after the vote or the ballot will be rejected.

• People will not be allowed to loiter or stand within 100 feet of a polling site.

The rules were implemented following allegations of widespread irregularities in the 2020 general election. More than 60 legal challenges and numerous investigations found no validity to the claims of election fraud.

Arkansas Supreme Court upholds election rule changes made in 2021

Arkansas lawmakers working on tax cuts, Game and Fish Commission funding

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

Last week, the Arkansas House elected Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, as the Speaker of the House designate.

Evans will begin his term as speaker of the House in January, but he is working with leadership on the upcoming special session. In an interview with KARK Channel 4’s Capitol View, he said he’s working with lawmakers to find a compromise on setting the budget for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

“We’re having conversation on a daily basis with some of the different groups that had issues with the way the appropriation and amendments were. I think conversations are moving at a conservative pace,” he said.

Arkansas lawmakers working on tax cuts, Game and Fish Commission funding

Dwain Hebda/Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas State Capitol.

More than 13,000 trees given away through Free Tree Friday campaign

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s fourth annual Free Tree Fridays campaign resulted in the distribution of 13,400 trees during 27 events held across the state each Friday from March 22 through April 26.

The events were hosted by the Forestry Division in the weeks between Arkansas Arbor Day and National Arbor Day, celebrated on the last Friday in April.

“This program is an excellent way to provide access to trees for people who may never have planted a tree, and to residents in areas like Little Rock and Wynne who lost trees in the March 2023 tornadoes” said Kristine Kimbro, Urban and Community Forestry coordinator. “Arbor Day celebrates trees, and through Free Tree Fridays, we are able to promote proper planting techniques for bare root and potted trees, as well as the importance of planting native species.”

More than 13,000 trees given away through Free Tree Friday campaign

Plaintiffs discuss ongoing lawsuit against Arkansas critical race theory ban

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A group of teachers and students in Arkansas is suing the state over a law that was used to restrict an advanced placement African American studies course. They say the law is vague and creates a chilling effect because it tries to limit how race is talked about in classrooms.

Ruthie Walls, a history teacher at Central High School in Little Rock, is one of a handful of educators who teach AP African American Studies. Last August she was preparing for the school year, when she found out her class was canceled by the state.

“No one wants to get news like that,” she said. “I was taken off guard and I had to continue with the day.”

Plaintiffs discuss ongoing lawsuit against Arkansas critical race theory ban

Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate

From left front: Gisele Davis, Chandra Williams-Davis, Ruthie Walls, Sadie Belle Reynolds and Jennifer Reynolds are five of the seven plaintiffs challenging Section 16 of the Arkansas LEARNS Act in federal court.