L-R: Arkansas Lions Club 1st Vice District Governor - Travis Burton, De Queen Lion President - Meagan Blanton, and 2nd Vice District Governor - Toni Shockey
Art Show in King, AR Last Weekend
Dana Stringfellow at De Queen Lions Club
Dana Stringfellow recently visited De Queen Lions Club with a program on native birds in SW Arkansas.
Local Non-profit and Businesses Give Thanks to De Queen Officer for Hispanic Heritage Month
NEWS RELEASE
Minority Affairs Council Contact:
October 6th, 2021 DQUnity@Gmail.com
Local non-profit and businesses give thanks to De Queen Officer for Hispanic Heritage Month
DE QUEEN, AR— In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, a local inclusive group teamed up with area businesses to show appreciation for one stand-out officer in De Queen last week.
The Minority Affairs Council of Southwest Arkansas (MAC) partnered with local companies who donated certificates and items that were collected for a gift basket and presented to Patrolman Gilberto Elizondo of the De Queen Police Department Friday, October 8th.
The group selected Gilberto because of his dedication to helping the community and the positive example he has set for others. Prior to working for the De Queen Police Department, he was employed at the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department as a Detention Officer. For both agencies, Gilberto has assisted with translating Spanish and English when a language barrier occurs between law enforcement and residents. In addition to helping translate, the patrolman also serves as a role model for younger generations to look up to, as he graduated from both De Queen High School and Southern Arkansas University before becoming a public servant in his hometown.
As many cities note rising tension between community members and law enforcement agencies, MAC is working on efforts to connect groups and individuals in the Southwest Arkansas area. The non-profit’s first community project was commissioning the “Welcome to De Queen” mural painted by Artist Darlene Taylor on the Eastern Edge of town. In addition to showing appreciation for local leaders like Elizondo and bringing fresh art to the area, MAC is working to develop events and strategies that will help unite the community as a whole.
The businesses who donated for the appreciation gift include Sweet Cravings, Smart Phone EMT De Queen, Handi Mart, Pollos Assados Querentano’s, and Cricket wireless. MAC and each partnering company would like to express thanks to Elizondo and all the officers who protect and serve our local communities daily.
The Minority Affairs Council can be found on Facebook or reached by email at @DQunity@gmail.com
UAMS Cancer Researcher Brian Koss, Ph.D., Is First in State to Earn Prestigious NIH Director’s Award
By Yavonda Chase
LITTLE ROCK — Brian Koss, Ph.D., a researcher with the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, is the state’s first recipient of the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Early Independence Award.
Part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, the Early Independence Award supports outstanding junior scientists with the intellect, scientific creativity, drive and maturity to bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period to launch independent research careers.
Koss joins an elite group of only 13 2021 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award recipients in the U.S. from such institutions as Stanford, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, Vanderbilt and Columbia. He will receive a five-year, nearly $1.9 million grant to fund his highly specialized cancer research at UAMS.
AG Rutledge Announces $216 Million Allocation of Opioid Settlement Money with Cities, Counties
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Thursday (Oct. 7) that Arkansas’ allocation of a $216 million opioid settlement will be split evenly between cities, counties and the state.
A signed Arkansas Opioids Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) clarifies the settlement being paid by opioid manufacturers and distributors.
“By bringing the cities, counties and state together, all Arkansas communities will have access to funds for the prevention, education, and treatment of opioid use,” said Rutledge. “Far too many Arkansans have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. Our MOU will help save lives through education and treatment of those battling addiction across Arkansas.”
Arkansas State Parks Director Grady Spann Announces Retirement
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Grady Spann, who started his career with Arkansas State Parks in 1993 as superintendent of Parkin Archeological State Park and rose to director of the Division of Arkansas State Parks in 2016, has announced his retirement, effective at the end of this year.
“Grady has been a true leader of the parks and a very valuable member of my team,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. “He has moved up through the ranks in our parks system and is highly respected by his peers in the country’s systems of state parks. We will miss him but wish him all the best in this new chapter of his life.”
Spann said he knew this was the right time to retire and he thinks the division will be in good hands.
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/arkansas-state-parks-director-grady-spann-announces-retirement/
Technology Can ‘Build a Better World,’ UA Blockchain Leader Says
by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)
Speakers and panelists provided insights into the value and ethics of blockchain systems and noted that anything can be represented as a token of the technology. The discussions took place Friday (Oct. 8) as part of a virtual event hosted by the University of Arkansas Blockchain Center of Excellence.
The 2021 Blockchain For Business Conference had more than 400 registrants and comprised five panel discussions and multiple breakout sessions regarding aspects of blockchain technology. According to Statista, blockchain is an electronic list of connected records and verified records and is known for its association with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
Mary Lacity, director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence and an information systems professor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, explained that the future is not predestined, and she tells others she doesn’t know when asked about her outlook on technology. Lacity spoke about tech ethics in a panel with Cindy Moehring, who’s leading the business integrity leadership initiative at the Walton College.
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/technology-can-build-a-better-world-ua-blockchain-leader-says/
At right, Mary Lacity, director of the University of Arkansas Blockchain Center of Excellence, speaks to panelists during the virtual 2021 Blockchain for Business Conference.
Arkansas Lawmakers Approve Final Redistricting Map
By DANIEL BREEN
The Arkansas Legislature has given final approval to a re-drawn map of the state’s four U.S. congressional districts that splits Pulaski County among three districts. The proposed map now awaits a signature from Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
With little debate, members of the state House and Senate passed identical versions of the map on Thursday. House Bill 1982, sponsored by Rep. Nelda Speaks, R-Mountain Home, passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 12. Shortly afterward, the House approved Senate Bill 743, sponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, on a vote of 53 to 35.
The proposal would trisect Pulaski County among the 1st, 2nd and 4th congressional districts. Most of Little Rock would remain in the 2nd District, while areas on the southeast edge of the city would go to the 4th District, currently represented in the U-S House by Republican Bruce Westerman. All of Pulaski County is currently in the 2nd District, represented by Republican French Hill of Little Rock.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-lawmakers-approve-final-redistricting-map
A map that re-draws Arkansas' four U.S. congressional districts gained final approval from the legislature on Thursday.
CREDIT ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE
6th Arkansas box unveiled where newborns can be safely surrendered
Arkansas now has six boxes where a newborn child can be dropped off by anyone not ready to care for a child.
On Sunday, an unveiling and blessing ceremony was held for the latest Safe Haven Baby Box which is located at Maumelle Fire Department Station 1, 2000 Murphy Drive. Other cities in Arkansas that have the infant safety devices are Benton, Jonesboro, Rogers and Springdale.
Monica Kelsey, CEO and founder of Safe Haven Baby Box, said in an interview that after being abandoned as an infant herself, she wanted to provide a place where babies could be safely surrendered.
An example of a safe haven baby box, with the devices installed at hospitals, fire stations and police stations across the county.
CREDIT SAFE HAVEN BABY BOX
COVID-19 Active Cases in SW Arkansas
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 77
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 44
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 38
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 67
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 20
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson's Weekly Media Briefing Wednesday (10.13.21) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson will provide a briefing to media at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Firsthand Perspective from the Southern Border
LITTLE ROCK – Today I’d like to talk about my recent trip to the southern border of Texas. General Kendall Penn, Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard, joined me for a visit with members of the Arkansas National Guard who are in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. They are doing a fantastic job for our state and nation. We also went on a fast boat inspection of the Rio Grande River and received a briefing from the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande sector.
The issues at the border are familiar to me. When President Bush appointed me as Undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, one of my tasks was to oversee security of our southern border. The problems were challenges 20 years ago. But the current number of illegal crossings and apprehensions, the volume of illegal drugs seized, and the human trafficking are far worse than we’ve ever seen, especially in Texas.
Under Operation Lone Star, there have been nearly 7,000 arrests and nearly 150,000 illegal aliens that have been apprehended and referred to federal immigration authorities. And then Border Patrol apprehensions and seizures are on top of those numbers.
We have a crisis at the border. It is a humanitarian crisis, a border-security crisis, and a public health crisis all rolled into a national security threat. It’s never been worse than it is right now. Any time you have migrants coming across our border from scores of countries, waiting for the right moment and then successfully coming in, this is not a closed border.
Until January, U.S. border policy had controlled the flow of illegal crossings and drugs. But those policies were reversed, and that puts all of us at risk, especially those who live along the border in Texas and Arizona. We must change our policy in order to regain control.
I was one of 26 governors who signed a letter requesting a meeting with President Biden to discuss the crisis. After three weeks, the President has not responded. On Wednesday, nine other governors joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a press conference to demand federal action to control the border.
Governor Abbott has allocated more than a billion dollars to continue building the wall along the Texas border and to initiate other measures to protect his state.
The illegal immigration and drug smuggling is a national problem. Those who cross illegally don’t remain in Texas and neither do the drugs. They are coming into Arkansas and all over the United States. Every state has an interest in bringing this under control.
Late Monday night, we took a boat tour along a section of the Rio Grande River that is a hotspot for smugglers. Then we hiked through the brush on the Texas side of the river. The people who patrol at night work in total darkness and rely on night-vision goggles.
Arkansas is doing its part as we are asked. The men and women from the Arkansas National Guard who deployed in July are doing an incredible job of maintaining vehicles for the Texas National Guard.
My trip was useful as I saw firsthand the enormity of the challenge along our border and to personally thank the men and women who serve our country as Border Patrol agents and as National Guard members.
UAMS and Mayo Clinic Researchers Discover Key to Unlocking Molecular Cancer Therapies
By Marty Trieschmann
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Mayo Clinic have discovered a way to supercharge molecular cancer treatments to destroy more cancer-causing proteins in cells.
The research findings of UAMS’ Hong-yu Li, Ph.D., the Helen Adams and Arkansas Research Alliance Endowed Chair in Drug Discovery and professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the UAMS College of Pharmacy, and Haojie Huang, Ph.D., the Gordon H. and Violet Partels professor of Cellular Biology at the Mayo Clinic, are featured in the August issue of Advanced Science.
Li and Huang’s research gives drug makers a new road map to enhance the molecular cancer treatment therapy by PROTAC technology, a rapidly evolving treatment that is in clinical trials. PROTACs (Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras) are genetically engineered molecular compounds that bridge cancer-causing proteins with the molecules that seek to destroy them.
COVID-19 Active Cases in SW Arkansas
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 80
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 47
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 52
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 33
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 22
Tyson Foods signs $2.25 billion credit agreement, settles lawsuits
by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)
Tyson Foods has renegotiated a credit line with JP Morgan Chase Bank that provides up to $2.25 billion in credit through September 2026. The deal requires Tyson to keep its gross earnings to consolidated interest expense ratio at 3.5 to 1 at the end of each fiscal quarter.
Tyson said it also used cash on hand to repay all outstanding obligations under the company’s existing term loan agreement, dated as of March 22, 2021, which was roughly $500 million, according to the filing Monday (Oct. 4) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company is also continuing to settle the antitrust price fixing cases brought against it and most of the poultry industry five years ago. Tyson agreed last week to pay $42.5 million to settle price fixing charges brought by some of its customers. This case was filed in the Northern District of Illinois and also involved Pilgrim’s and Mar-Jac poultry who settled for $44 million and $5.99 million, respectively. Tyson Food did not respond to multiple requests for comments on the recent $42.5 million settlement.
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/tyson-foods-signs-2-25-billion-credit-agreement-settles-lawsuits/
UA researchers receive nearly $18 million to build semiconductor fabrication facility
by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)
University of Arkansas engineering researchers led by distinguished professor Alan Mantooth will use a $17.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility on campus, according to a Monday (Oct. 4) news release.
“The national impact of having a fabrication facility such as this is enormous,” Mantooth said. “The country that leads the world in advancing silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication will also lead the race to market nearly all game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”
According to the release, the new facility will be the only openly accessible fabrication facility of its kind in the United States, meaning its facilities and services will be available to external researchers. All existing silicon carbide fabrication facilities in the United States are for internal use only, and U.S. research and development of silicon carbide integrated circuits rely on international fabrication. The new UA facility will provide domestic opportunities for prototyping, proof-of-principle demonstrations and device design.
Dr. Alan Mantooth, a distinguished professor in the University of Arkansas' electrical engineering department, said the electric power program's collaborative research has added more than $1 billion to the state's economy.
Instead of redistricting, Arkansas lawmakers attack Biden's vaccine mandates
By DANIEL BREEN
In an extended legislative session intended to focus on re-drawing Arkansas’ four U.S. Congressional districts, lawmakers have instead set their sights on COVID-19 vaccines.
Members of the Arkansas House and Senate have debated numerous proposals aimed at rolling back parts of President Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandates for private businesses. The slate of Republican-backed bills have had varying degrees of success.
The most successful so far has been Senate Bill 739, sponsored by Republican Sen. Kim Hammer of Benton. After successfully passing out of a House committee Tuesday, it now faces a vote in the full House before going to the governor.
Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, listens as single mother Ashley Vance addresses the Arkansas Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor committee on Friday.
CREDIT ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE
SNAP Benefits Increasing for Most Arkansas Recipients
Two changes at the federal level mean most Arkansas recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see a change in benefits this month. A majority of the 160,000 households enrolled in the program should see an increase in assistance, according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which administers the program locally.
Formerly known as food stamps, the program covers a portion of each qualifying household’s food budget, with benefits distributed through an electronic benefits transfer card.
At the end of September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ended a temporary 15% increase in SNAP benefits which had been put in place to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Mary Franklin, director of DHS’ Division of County Operations, says for most households, that will be offset by a reevaluation of the federal Thrifty Food Plan, which SNAP benefits are based on.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/snap-benefits-increasing-most-arkansas-recipients
Grant Tennille Elected Arkansas Democratic Party Chair
Grant Tennille, seen here in 2014, was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas on Saturday.
CREDIT MICHAEL HIBBLEN / KUAR NEWS
By STEVE BRAWNER / TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS
Grant Tennille, the former economic development chief under Gov. Mike Beebe who helped bring Big River Steel to Arkansas, was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas and said he will use his “tons of relationships” to build the party in a solidly red state.
Tennille defeated Jim Wallace of Eureka Springs at the Democrats’ State Committee meeting held Saturday. The previous chair, Michael John Gray, had left to become the executive director of Liberty and Justice for Arkansas, a group whose purpose is to “combat Trumpism” and “defeat Sarah Huckabee Sanders,” a Republican candidate for governor.
Tennille said in an interview he intends to work full-time as Democratic Party chair, an unpaid position. He said his “first order of business” is to raise money, get the headquarters in order, and return the staff to full strength.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/grant-tennille-elected-arkansas-democratic-party-chair