Tuesday COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Total Cumulative Cases: 1,183
Confirmed Cases: 1,182
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 17
Active Confirmed Cases: 17
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 1,150
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 1,149
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 16
Confirmed Deaths: 16
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Total Cumulative Cases: 448
Confirmed Cases: 446
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 14
Active Confirmed Cases: 14
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 426
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 424
Recovered Probable Cases: 2
Total Deaths: 8
Confirmed Deaths: 8
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Total Cumulative Cases: 323
Confirmed Cases: 318
Probable Cases: 5
Total Active Cases: 12
Active Confirmed Cases: 12
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 293
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 288
Recovered Probable Cases: 5
Total Deaths: 18
Confirmed Deaths: 18
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Total Cumulative Cases: 248
Confirmed Cases: 246
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 13
Active Confirmed Cases: 12
Active Probable Cases: 1
Total Recovered Cases: 231
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 230
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 4
Confirmed Deaths: 4
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Total Cumulative Cases: 212
Confirmed Cases: 211
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 22
Active Confirmed Cases: 22
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 188
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 187
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 2
Confirmed Deaths: 2
Probable Deaths: 0
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Tuesday (09.15.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
Every year thousands of Americans die by suicide, leaving behind friends and family to navigate the tragedy of loss. In 2019, more than 500 Arkansans died by suicide.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This is a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this stigmatized topic.
In 2017, the legislature passed Act 811 which mandated that calls made from Arkansas to the National Suicide Prevention be operated by the Arkansas Department of Health. This has allowed callers in crises to be able to speak to someone who has a strong understanding of resources available nearby. There are an average of over 1,000 calls made to the lifeline each month.
In the 2019 Regular Session, the legislature passed Act 551 which requires the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs and the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs to examine veteran issues within Arkansas, including the occurrence of suicide among the veteran population in Arkansas. The committees will file a written report with their findings and recommendations to Legislative Council by December 1.
This General Assembly also passed Act 962 which creates the offense of encouraging the suicide of another person and makes the offense a Class D felony.
No one organization or piece of legislation can tackle suicide prevention alone. To save lives, multiple systems must work in a coordinated way to reach those in suicidal crisis where they are.
If you are in crisis now, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Veterans can access the Veteran Crises line by calling the number and pressing 1. Anyone can also text the crisis line by sending TALK to 741741, or chat online at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.
Lifeline Chat
Lifeline Chat is a service of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, connecting individuals with counselors for emotional support and other services via web chat. All chat centers in the Lifeline network are accredited by CONTACT USA. Lifeline Chat is available 24/7 across the U.S.
Monday COVID-19 Case Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Total Cumulative Cases: 1,182
Confirmed Cases: 1,181
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 17
Active Confirmed Cases: 17
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 1,149
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 1,148
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 16
Confirmed Deaths: 16
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Total Cumulative Cases: 448
Confirmed Cases: 446
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 15
Active Confirmed Cases: 15
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 425
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 423
Recovered Probable Cases: 2
Total Deaths: 8
Confirmed Deaths: 8
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Total Cumulative Cases: 323
Confirmed Cases: 318
Probable Cases: 5
Total Active Cases: 12
Active Confirmed Cases: 12
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 293
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 288
Recovered Probable Cases: 5
Total Deaths: 18
Confirmed Deaths: 18
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Total Cumulative Cases: 247
Confirmed Cases: 245
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 12
Active Confirmed Cases: 11
Active Probable Cases: 1
Total Recovered Cases: 231
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 230
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 4
Confirmed Deaths: 4
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Total Cumulative Cases: 212
Confirmed Cases: 211
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 25
Active Confirmed Cases: 25
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 185
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 184
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 2
Confirmed Deaths: 2
Probable Deaths: 0
AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Cynergy Cargo: Southeast Arkansas’s Newest Success Story
LITTLE ROCK – Today I’d like to share a story about the business success of a family that also is an economic development success for southeast Arkansas.
The story begins with a fifteen-year-old Guatemalan who immigrated to the United States in 1999. For six months, Vigler Mazariegos harvested fruit and vegetables in South Florida, supporting himself and sending money home to his parents in Guatemala.
In 2000, he moved to Georgia to work for a poultry processing company, where he met Delmis. They have been married for nearly twenty years and have a son and four daughters.
After four years at the poultry plant, Vigler left to help Delmis’s father start a used-car dealership. A year after that, he took a job driving a forklift for a company that manufactured cargo trailers. This is where Vigler dreamed of starting his own company, and in the years since, he has built a business that has changed his life and improved life for dozens of his employees.
In 2004, he and a partner founded a company to build cargo trailers. Then in 2012, he and Delmis started their own company. Vigler designed the sheet-metal trailers, and he and two employees built them. Delmis finished them out, from silicone to sanding to final inspection.
They named the company Cynergy Cargo, and they employ about a hundred people. They have built over 37,000 trailers in the eight years since they built their first one.
When they decided to expand their business beyond Georgia at the start of 2020, they contacted Katherine Andrews, a project manager at Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Crossett was one of the cities Katherine suggested they consider.
The rest is Crossett economic development history and future. On September 3, I joined Vigler, Delmis, their plant managers Luis Mejia and his wife, Cynthia Rodriguez, and leaders from Arkansas Economic Development to cut the ribbon at Cynergy Cargo.
This is a community partnership at many levels. Cynergy will be able to hire many well-trained graduates from the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Technology. Cynergy is a family-focused business with values that are a great fit for Crossett and Southeast Arkansas.
Cynergy was the first company to announce plans to expand in Arkansas after the pandemic drifted into the United States. Within two years, the company will employ 70 fulltime employees that will include carpenters, welders, and electricians.
Howard Beaty Jr., president of the Crossett Economic Development Foundation Board, put it well on the day of the grand opening. He said: “In the middle of a global pandemic, Cynergy Cargo lifted the spirits in our community.”
Crossett’s new Mayor Crystal Marshall spoke for many when she said this is a win for Crossett, Ashley County, and all of southeast Arkansas. As the grand-opening ceremony ended, I had the honor of driving the final screw into the first Cynergy trailer to come off the new line in Crossett. In the years ahead, I am certain that many more cargo trailers will roll off the line at Cynergy Cargo. This is a great addition to Crossett and Southeast Arkansas and a wonderful immigrant success story.
LifeShare Blood Drive at UA Cossatot - Ashdown/Lockesburg Campuses Today
LifeShare will have their bus at the Ashdown Campus of UA Cossatot Monday, 09/14, from 10:50-1:30. They will then go to the Lockesburg campus for a donation drive from 4:00-7:30 Monday evening. If you can donate at one of these places, please do; there is a shortage of blood supply at this time.
Sunday's COVID-19 Numbers and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Total Cumulative Cases: 1,181
Confirmed Cases: 1,180
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 16
Active Confirmed Cases: 16
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 1,149
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 1,148
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 16
Confirmed Deaths: 16
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Total Cumulative Cases: 448
Confirmed Cases: 446
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 18
Active Confirmed Cases: 18
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 422
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 420
Recovered Probable Cases: 2
Total Deaths: 8
Confirmed Deaths: 8
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Total Cumulative Cases: 323
Confirmed Cases: 318
Probable Cases: 5
Total Active Cases: 16
Active Confirmed Cases: 15
Active Probable Cases: 1
Total Recovered Cases: 289
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 285
Recovered Probable Cases: 4
Total Deaths: 18
Confirmed Deaths: 18
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Total Cumulative Cases: 247
Confirmed Cases: 245
Probable Cases: 2
Total Active Cases: 16
Active Confirmed Cases: 15
Active Probable Cases: 1
Total Recovered Cases: 227
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 226
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 4
Confirmed Deaths: 4
Probable Deaths: 0
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Total Cumulative Cases: 212
Confirmed Cases: 211
Probable Cases: 1
Total Active Cases: 25
Active Confirmed Cases: 25
Active Probable Cases: 0
Total Recovered Cases: 186
Recovered Confirmed Cases: 185
Recovered Probable Cases: 1
Total Deaths: 1
Confirmed Deaths: 1
Probable Deaths: 0
Multiple High School Football Games in the State Canceled Due to Coronavirus
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Multiple high school football games scheduled to be played Friday in Arkansas have been canceled due to the coronavirus.
https://katv.com/news/local/high-school-football-game-canceled-after-positive-virus-tests
Multiple high school football games canceled due to virus
Multiple high school football games scheduled to be played Friday in Arkansas have been canceled due to the coronavirus. Walnut Ridge High School announced that its game Friday against East Poinsett County has been called off. The school plans to resume its season Sept. 25 against Palestine-Wheatley High School.
Download the 2020 Arkansas Ballot Issue Voter Guide
UPDATE - Our 2020 Arkansas Ballot Issue Voter Guide is ready for download!
Go to uaex.edu/ballot to download your copy!
Share the guide with your friends and family.
Let them know it’s a neutral, research-based resource to help them figure out their votes on the proposed constitutional amendments and state laws.
This full-color PDF explores all the ballot issues voters will decide Nov. 3. We have included proposals that are currently in court due to the timing of our publication being printed. This digital version will be updated after court rulings.
What will you find in Extension's ballot voter guide?
A worksheet you can print off and write notes on to help you remember later how you want to vote on the issues.
How the proposal will appear on the ballot
Answers to some basic questions about each issue
Reasons why people may support or oppose the proposal
Did you know? These fact sheets go through a vetting process that includes reviews by law school professors, subject matter experts and issue supporters and opponents.
*Printed versions will be ready in early October at your local County Extension Office.
Friday COVID-19 Arkansas Health Department Update
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,175
Active Positive: 13
Recovered: 1,146
Deaths: 16
Negatives: 5,842
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 439
Active Positive: 13
Recovered: 418
Deaths: 8
Negatives: 3,304
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 313
Active Positive: 19
Recovered: 276
Deaths: 18
Negatives: 1,501
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 241
Active Positive: 15
Recovered: 222
Deaths: 4
Negatives: 3,313
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 204
Active Positive: 20
Recovered: 183
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,847
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update from Mena Friday (09.11.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media from Mena on Friday, September 11, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response. Hutchinson will be in Mena today for his daily briefing but he announced that starting next week, he will only provide weekly updates with additional briefings as needed.
Thursday COVID-19 Cases and Maps
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,174
Active Positive: 13
Recovered: 1,145
Deaths: 16
Negatives: 5,825
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 437
Active Positive: 18
Recovered: 411
Deaths: 8
Negatives: 3,296
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 311
Active Positive: 27
Recovered: 266
Deaths: 18
Negatives: 1,500
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 240
Active Positive: 15
Recovered: 221
Deaths: 4
Negatives: 3,290
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 191
Active Positive: 10
Recovered: 180
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,834
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Thursday (09.10.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Thursday, September 10, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Wednesday COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,173
Active Positive: 14
Recovered: 1,143
Deaths: 16
Negatives: 5,712
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 437
Active Positive: 30
Recovered: 399
Deaths: 8
Negatives: 3,275
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 307
Active Positive: 27
Recovered: 263
Deaths: 17
Negatives: 1,483
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 240
Active Positive: 17
Recovered: 219
Deaths: 4
Negatives: 3,246
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 189
Active Positive: 9
Recovered: 179
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,822
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Wednesday (09.09.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
With more Arkansans working and learning remotely in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, the issue of broadband access has become increasingly relevant. Yet as broadband access becomes more necessary to normal modern life, there is growing concern about a digital divide, whereby some areas are cut off from opportunities for distance learning and economic development by a lack of adequate broadband service. Those with lower incomes and people living in rural areas are particularly likely to face digital obstacles when trying to do schoolwork at home during the Covid-19 outbreak. That is why House and Senate leadership recently made a request to the CARES Act Steering Committee to transfer $100 million of CARES Act funding to the Arkansas Rural Connect
Program (ARC). The committee agreed with the recommendation and the measure was ultimately approved by the Arkansas Legislative Council. The Arkansas Rural Connect program is a grant program designed to expand the broadband footprint in rural Arkansas communities. The ARC program will provide grants to qualifying communities of at least 500 people to assist in the deployment or improvement of high-speed broadband to its residents.
The ARC program builds on the work of the Arkansas General Assembly. In the 2019 Regular Session, we passed Act 198 which gave municipalities and other public entities new options to apply for funding to deploy broadband.
Arkansas currently ranks 41st in broadband access. This relatively low ranking is closely related to the fact that over 20% of Arkansans remain without access to a wired broadband connection capable of 25 Mbps speeds or faster. But with the added funding, we hope to see access improve. To date, the ARC program has awarded 21 projects. Those projects have a total of more than $27 million. There are more projects that have been submitted and are currently
being reviewed.
Communities and providers may still apply. The Department of Commerce will continue to receive applications until all funds are expended or until there is not enough time left to deploy broadband and meet the CARES Act deadline of December 30, 2020.
I have provided a link to the grant application on our website
Tuesday COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 Metrics for Sevier County
Cases
Total Positive: 1,173
Active Positive: 16
Recovered: 1,141
Deaths: 16
Negatives: 5,708
COVID-19 Metrics for Howard County
Cases
Total Positive: 437
Active Positive: 31
Recovered: 398
Deaths: 8
Negatives: 3,265
COVID-19 Metrics for Little River County
Cases
Total Positive: 306
Active Positive: 27
Recovered: 262
Deaths: 17
Negatives: 1,481
COVID-19 Metrics for Polk County
Cases
Total Positive: 238
Active Positive: 16
Recovered: 218
Deaths: 4
Negatives: 3,235
COVID-19 Metrics for Pike County
Cases
Total Positive: 189
Active Positive: 9
Recovered: 179
Deaths: 1
Negatives: 1,815
VIDEO: CARES Act Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday (09.09.20) 3PM
The CARES Act Steering Committee, created by Governor Asa Hutchinson to recommend the best use of federal COVID-19 aid, meets virtually at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
The Committee approved on Wednesday the spending of over $211 million in federal aid to go towards establishing or maintaining multiple programs in the state and approved funding to be split between the Arkansas Municipal League and the Association of Arkansas Counties.
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides COVID-19 Update Tuesday (09.08.20) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson provides an update to media on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, live at 1:30 p.m. regarding Arkansas's COVID-19 response.
The Arkansas Department of Health is partnering with Little Rock-based Baptist Health to boost COVID-19 testing capacity by 20%. Governor Hutchinson said the ADH lab has grown capacity from being able to do about 20 tests a day when the pandemic hit Arkansas in March, to now performing up to 3,000 tests a day.