News

Monday's SW Arkansas COVID-19 Active Case Numbers and Vaccines

Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 12
Active Confirmed Cases: 7
Active Probable Cases: 5

Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 2
Active Confirmed Cases: 2
Active Probable Cases: 0

Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 11
Active Confirmed Cases: 5
Active Probable Cases: 6

Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 8
Active Confirmed Cases: 7
Active Probable Cases: 1

Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 4
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 0

Governor Hutchinson’s Response To SCOTUS Affordable Care Act Ruling

LITTLE ROCK – The United States Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by 18 states that challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Governor Asa Hutchinson’s response:

“The Supreme Court’s ruling, dismissing the case on procedural grounds, leaves the question of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act unanswered. In my view, the question of whether the Congress overreached its powers in enacting the far-reaching health care law was important and a legitimate issue to be resolved by the Supreme Court. The fact that the Court dismissed the case on the lack of standing makes it unlikely that the court will reconsider the issue in the future.

“For that reason, it is important for Arkansas to pursue the ARHOME waiver request in order to avoid the interruption of health care services to hundreds of thousands of Arkansans, as we also continue to innovate in ways that will motivate Arkansans to take personal responsibility for their health and future.

“ARHOME, our new Medicaid expansion plan, will require insurance carriers to do more than cover the costs of medical care. We want the companies to play a role in motivating Arkansans to get healthy through changes in lifestyle such as quitting smoking, exercising more, getting preventative wellness exams, and prenatal care. We want our health care to make Arkansans healthier.”

Sevier County Home to Arkansas’ Longest Duration of 2024 Eclipse

DEQUEEN, AR | On April 8 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. The passage marks a significant opportunity for Arkansas and, more specifically, Sevier County.

Located along the centerline of the path of totality, several towns in Sevier County will have the longest duration of full totality in the state of Arkansas. National eclipse experts define totality as the moon being close enough to the earth in its orbit to cover the Sun’s visual surface as they pass.

For some, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it holds incredible tourism and business opportunities for the local community. “We would be doing Sevier County a disservice if we let this opportunity pass without doing something,” stated Christy McCullough, Executive Director of the Sevier County Chamber of Commerce.

County leadership and an initial Eclipse Planning Team met recently to establish a few core ideas and action steps to plan an educational series and festivals and events leading up to the April 2024 eclipse.

The community is encouraged to educate themselves on future opportunities, follow the Sevier County-AR Eclipse Community Events page on Facebook and share this news and information with friends and visitors who might be interested in visiting our community for this historic event.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to invite and include visitors in our local community,” shared De Queen Mayor Jeff Brown. “We want to be creative and are beginning to plan for this to be a fun place for people as they experience the best place in Arkansas to view the Eclipse.”

Community members interested in helping plan events for the Eclipse or who want to learn more about what is coming are encouraged to visit www.visitsevierar.com/eclipse.

Rutledge Files Lawsuit Against Southwest Arkansas Tech Company For Failing to Provide Reliable Rural Internet

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a lawsuit against Flowmatic Technical Solutions, LLC (FTS) and its owner, Joseph Michael Bradford, for scheming and failing Arkansans by not providing the reliable internet service they advertised and sold to customers in rural communities. FTS also failed to repair defective products, provide refunds to paying customers, and many consumers never received any internet service after purchasing from FTS. The complaint alleges FTS and Bradford violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (ADTPA) and seeks an injunction, civil penalties and restitution for affected consumers.

“Bradford exploited rural Arkansans who have been denied reliable internet service for too long,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Arkansans need high speed internet access no matter where they are in the state and broadband companies can no longer swindle consumers out of their money by over promising and continuing to under deliver.”

FTS advertised reliable high-speed internet to Arkansas families at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic when most people were working and going to school from home. Bradford and his company advertised primarily on Facebook, offering unlimited high-speed internet service for an initial fee of $249 and $65 per month in rural areas in southern Arkansas. The products were offered as broadband services, completely unlimited and unthrottled; there was no contract, customers would never run out of data and it included a full money-back guarantee. These representations were misleading and deceptive in violation of the ADTPA.

Starting in November 2020, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office started receiving complaints about FTS’s business practices. The complaints ranged from FTS failing to provide the services it advertised, not providing refunds when internet access was terminated and taking consumers’ money, but never providing any service.

The lawsuit is seeking restitution for the impacted consumers, damages, and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation under the provisions of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. 

To file a consumer-related claim with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, call (800) 482-8982, email consumer@arkansasag.gov or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

Pandemic Assistance Promised for Arkansas Poultry Growers, Other Farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday (June 15) it plans to provide roughly $6 billion in additional aid to farmers, ranchers and others who make their living in the agriculture industry.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said there is $6 billion in available funds through the Pandemic Assistance Program to support a number of new initiatives or to modify existing efforts. He said the funds will be doled out over the next 60 days in an effort to fill the gaps in the previous round of assistance aimed at helping small and medium-size farmers who need the most support. The  Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments will provide aid to producers and businesses left behind.

The release did allocate some of the funds toward the following agri sectors.
• $200 million: Small, family-owned timber harvesting and hauling businesses
• $700 million: Biofuels producers
• Support for dairy farmers and processors to include $400 million for a new Dairy Donation Program to address food insecurity and mitigate food waste and loss, additional pandemic payments targeted to dairy farmers who have demonstrated losses that have not been covered by previous pandemic assistance, and approximately $580 million for supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for small and medium farms.
• Assistance for poultry and livestock producers left out of previous rounds of pandemic assistance to include contract growers of poultry and livestock and poultry producers forced to euthanize animals during the pandemic (March 1, 2020 through Dec. 26, 2020).
• $700 million: Pandemic Response and Safety Grants for PPE and other protective measures to help specialty crop growers, meat packers and processors, seafood industry workers, among others
• Up to $20 million: Additional organic cost share assistance, including for producers who are transitioning to organic

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/06/pandemic-assistance-promised-for-arkansas-poultry-growers-other-farmers/

AT&T has invested $675 million on expanded Internet service in Arkansas

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

AT&T has invested about $675 million during the last three years to improve Internet access in Arkansas and it plans to spend another $2 billion in the Natural State and other metro areas in the coming years, the company reported Wednesday (June 16).

From 2018-2020, coverage was broadened and connectivity was improved in more communities by investing in wireline and wireless networks. Those improved connections include fiber, 5G and FirstNet, the company said.

In 2021, AT&T plans to increase its fiber footprint by 3 million customer locations across more than 90 metro areas that it currently serves, including in Arkansas. AT&T will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide nationwide.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/06/att-has-invested-675-million-on-expanded-internet-service-in-arkansas/

UA, NOWDiagnostics to Study COVID-19 Prevalence on Campus

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

The University of Arkansas and Springdale-based diagnostics testing manufacturer NOWDiagnostics Inc. announced Wednesday (June 16) a partnership to study the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus antibodies among UA students, faculty and staff. SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is the virus that causes COVID-19.

NOWDiagnostics has developed a finger-stick antibody test that uses a blood sample to detect the presence of COVID antibodies in 15 minutes. The company’s self-contained ADEXUSDx COVID-19 antibody test, developed and produced in Arkansas, will be used for the study. The goal is to test each enrollee three times over four months. Recruitment for the study began March 17.

According to NOWDiagnostics, testing has already started and is tentatively set to end in July. However, investigators are preparing to expand the study to research the prevalence of COVID in children.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/06/ua-nowdiagnostics-to-study-covid-19-prevalence-on-campus/

New Fund to Improve LGBTQ Life in Arkansas

By KYLE KELLAMS

A new million-dollar fund will be used to administer grants to organizations working to improve the quality of life for LGBTQ Arkansans. The development of the grant comes after a legislative session that included several bills aimed at trans youth and adults.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/new-fund-improve-lgbtq-life-arkansas

UAMS Project Part of National Effort to Reduce COVID-19 in Hardest Hit Populations

By David Robinson

June 14, 2021 | LITTLE ROCK — UAMS researchers and their community partners across Arkansas are studying the causes behind COVID-19’s devastating impact on minorities and developing plans to help increase vaccination rates.

Supporting the one-year project is a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. UAMS was one of 11 teams selected as part of the national alliance.

Last year, Arkansas was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a national hot spot for COVID-19 disparities among Marshallese and Hispanic populations. The disparities in percentage of cases, hospitalizations and deaths among these populations were so severe that CDC and NIH officials visited Northwest Arkansas to investigate.

Black/African American and rural communities across the state have been struck hard, too, said Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, one of three principal investigators on the study.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/06/14/uams-project-part-of-national-effort-to-reduce-covid-19-in-hardest-hit-populations/

UAMS Principal Investigators Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, Pebbles Fagan, Ph.D., MPH, and Laura James, M.D.

Thursday COVID-19 Active Cases Update from the Arkansas Department of Health

Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 10
Active Confirmed Cases: 6
Active Probable Cases: 4

Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 1
Active Confirmed Cases: 1
Active Probable Cases: 0

Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 10
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 6

Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 8
Active Confirmed Cases: 5
Active Probable Cases: 3

Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 8
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 4

Governor Creates Cyber Advisory Council To Identify and Manage Threats To Government, Industry

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LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has created the Arkansas Cyber Advisory Council to identify and manage the risk of cyberattacks and to enhance the state’s response to threats and attacks, the Governor announced today.

“The hacks of the Colonial pipeline and JBS Foods were an urgent reminder that cybercriminals are actively looking for targets,” Governor Hutchinson said. “Many industries, such as agriculture, are ripe for attack. As farmers and ranchers move more of their business to computers, the risk of cyberattacks on our food supply grows. The Advisory Council will recommend a path to strengthen our defenses against high-tech attacks.”

The Governor’s Executive Order directs the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to coordinate with the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services’s Division of Information Systems to create the Arkansas Cyber Advisory Council. 

“Arkansas must demonstrate an effective cyber governance structure to support and enhance protections for governmental functions, private security, and economic development,” the order says.

In 2019, the 92nd General Assembly enacted the Arkansas Cyber Initiative Act, which authorizes the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to establish the Arkansas Cyber Initiative and to support cooperation among public and private entities to improve cybersecurity and the state’s economy.

Governor Hutchinson’s 12 appointees to the council are:

  • Jonathan Askins, director of the Division of Information Systems and Chief Technology Officer

  • Gary Vance, state Chief Information Security Officer, Division of Information Systems

  • Mike Preston, secretary of the Department of Commerce

  • Jami Cook, secretary of the Department of Public Safety

  • Dr. José Romero, secretary of the Department of Health

  • Cindy Gillespie, secretary of the Department of Human Services

  • Johnny Key, secretary of the Department of Education

  • Major General Kendall Penn, secretary of the Arkansas Military Department

  • Alan McClain, commissioner, Arkansas Insurance Department

  • A.J. Gary, director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management

  • Colonel (Retired) Steve Eggensperger, Governor’s Office Cybersecurity liaison

  • Lee Watson, Forge Institute

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

This week, we would like to remind families of an upcoming scholarship deadline. July 1 is the deadline to apply for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.

The scholarship provides tuition assistance to traditional and non-traditional students attending universities and two-year colleges – both public and private – in the state.

Freshman students at four-year colleges receive $1,000 from the scholarship. Second- and third-year students receive $4,000, and senior-level students are awarded $5,000 per year.

At two-year colleges, first-year students receive $1,000 annually, while second-year students are awarded $3,000. To maintain eligibility, students must keep a 2.5-grade point average.

Traditional students must score at least 19 on the ACT to qualify for the scholarship. The latest ACT score accepted by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education will be from the June testing. Students who have yet to achieve a score of 19 make take the Accuplacer test as a substitute.

Since its inception in 2009, the Arkansas lottery has helped raise more than $1 billion in scholarship proceeds and awarded more than 650,000 Academic Challenge Scholarships to students.

The lottery also funds the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship and the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarships.

Students seeking certification for high-demand occupations in healthcare information technology and industrial manufacturing may apply for the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship.

And funding is available for high school students who wish to start early on receiving credit for college courses through the Arkansas Concurrent Academic Challenge Scholarship.

Every bit of education you get after high school increases the chances you'll earn good pay. Most college graduates earn more money during their working years than people who stop their education at high school earn. The more education you get, the more likely it is you will always have a job.

For more information and to apply, visit scholarships.adhe.edu.

VIDEO: Tri-Lakes Bass Tournament in SW Arkansas Postponed to July 17

On this week's Sevier County Chamber chat, president Callie Miller tells us the Tri Lakes Big Bass Festival has been re-scheduled because of high waters for Saturday, July 17, and announces this Thursday's Chamber Board meeting will take place at UA Cossatot.

Tuesday's COVID-19 Active Cases and Vaccines Update from the AR Dept of Health

Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 14
Active Confirmed Cases: 9
Active Probable Cases: 5

Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 3
Active Confirmed Cases: 2
Active Probable Cases: 1

Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 5
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 1

Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 9
Active Confirmed Cases: 6
Active Probable Cases: 3

Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 6
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 2

Historic Fort Chaffee Army Barracks to Become Residential, Retail Quarters

By JACQUELINE FROELICH

Plans to renovate more than 20 historic barracks and buildings, originally constructed in 1941 as part of Camp Chaffee, a U.S. Army base east of Fort Smith, will soon be transformed into contemporary living and commercial quarters, recently approved by the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/historic-fort-chaffee-army-barracks-become-residential-retail-quarters

An aerial view of Chaffee Crossing Historic District.COURTESY / FORT CHAFFEE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

An aerial view of Chaffee Crossing Historic District.

COURTESY / FORT CHAFFEE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Camp Chaffee U.S. Army training base circa 1940s.COURTESY / FORT CHAFFEE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Camp Chaffee U.S. Army training base circa 1940s.

COURTESY / FORT CHAFFEE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY