News

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Attorney General Alert: April Showers May Bring Storm Recovery Scams

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LITTLE ROCK – Every spring, Arkansas and other southern states are hit by heavy rains and severe weather. While many Arkansans want to help their neighbors clean up after a storm, con artists will seize the opportunity to take advantage during a vulnerable moment. Arkansans must keep their home and family safe from a fraudster trying to make a quick buck.

“Spring storms and recovery efforts often bring an increase in door-to-door scam artists,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Make sure you follow steps to avoid falling prey to con artists who use recovery efforts to scam Arkansans.”

Attorney General Rutledge encourages you to follow these tips to find legitimate individuals to perform your home repairs:  

  • Beware of door-to-door solicitors selling home-repair work. To find someone reputable, ask friends or family who have recently used a home-repair contractor or professional. Consider contacting the Arkansas Contractor’s Licensing Board to verify that the contractor is licensed and has not had any complaints filed against it.

  • Avoid any home-repair solicitor who asks for an upfront payment or who will not provide you with a written contract.

  • Get at least three written estimates. A reputable contractor or professional will never try to pressure you to obtain your business.

  • Obtain and check at least three references from your contractor or professional.

  • Check with the Attorney General’s office or the Better Business Bureau to find out if the company has a complaint history.

  • Obtain a written and detailed contract that includes the grade, quality, name brand and quantity of any materials to be used. The name and address of the contractor must be on the contract.

  • Avoid paying for the entire job up front. One-third paid in advance, one-third paid halfway through the job and one-third paid upon completion is a better plan, helping assure that your project will be completed. Never make the final payment until you have had an opportunity to inspect the work.

  • Remember that all contracts resulting from a home-solicitation sale generally must include a buyer’s right to cancel within three business days after the contract is signed.

  • Make sure all warranties and guarantees are in writing.

  • A contractor cannot promise that your insurance company will cover the work done. Verify your insurance coverage and authorized contractors before you agree to pay for repairs.

For more information and tips to avoid scams and other consumer-related issues, contact the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at consumer@arkansasag.gov or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

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Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

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An important deadline is approaching if you plan on voting in the May 24Preferential Primary Election and Nonpartisan General Election.

If you have not already registered to vote, you have until April 25 to file your voter registration application with your county clerk. 

If you submit your application close to an election registration deadline, you are strongly advised to follow up with your county clerk before Election Day.

You can check your voter registration status and find your polling location at www.voterview.org. 

On the website, you can also find a list of who will appear on the ballot. If you do not see that information listed by May, call your County Clerk’s office.  

Due to redistricting changes, we encourage you to review your ballot before heading to the polls. The boundaries of voting districts for state legislators shifted to reflect population changes in the 2020 Census. Districts were also renumbered. You may have the same lawmaker listed on your ballot but your House or Senate number may be different than what you’re used to. 

Early voting for the primary and nonpartisan general election will begin on May 9.Early voting is available between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, ending at 5 p.m. on the Monday before the election. Off-site early voting hours may vary by county. 

At the voting site, an election official will ask you to state your name, address, and date of birth. The election official will request you provide an approved form of I.D. 

In a primary election, you must state the party primary in which you wish to vote. If you don’t wish to cast a party ballot, you may choose to vote in the nonpartisan races only (which may include judicial and prosecuting attorney races, and other local issues such as tax increases). 

The General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election will be held on November 8.

You can find more information about voting in Arkansas at www.sos.arkansas.gov.

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AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Combatting Violent Crime

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LITTLE ROCK – Today, I would like to talk about the national increase in violent crime, and what we are doing to combat that here in Arkansas.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world felt like it came to a halt while we dealt with the issues of public health. But violent crime did not slow down. In fact, violent crime actually increased since 2018. Homicides in Arkansas were 224 that year, but in 2020, the number was 310, an increase of 38 percent. All this is according to data from the Arkansas Crime Information Center.

Government has no greater responsibility than to assure public safety, and at the state level, we are taking several measures to address this increase in crime and the current threat to public safety.

First, we have tangibly shown our support of our law enforcement.

I signed into law a $5,000 bonus for every certified full-time police officer in the state. We raised the salaries of our state troopers and have expanded the number of positions at the Arkansas State Crime Lab to accelerate rape-kit testing. Finally, we also allocated money to enlarge the prison at Calico Rock.

The prison expansion is necessary because our local court system does not have enough flexibility or adequate space in the county jails due to the lack of space in our prison system.

This last week, based on recommendations by Secretary Solomon Graves and the Division of Community Correction, I announced the expansion of the Intensive Supervision Program.

This expansion will add officers to a team dedicated to providing a higher level of support and supervision to those who pose a higher risk of violent crimes.

These are those that have spent time in prison and were released on parole. We want them to get a second start in life, and our ultimate goal is to help them do that. But you have an element of those who pose a greater risk than others, and the design of the Intensive Supervision Program is to focus on those high-risk offenders.

I have asked the General Assembly to approve $1 million in funding for this initiative. It will cover new positions at a five-county area in Central Arkansas. This initiative will help keep our streets safter and curb violent crime.

It is a dangerous but important time to be in law enforcement as violent crime is on the increase. Our need to support the men and women who put their lives at risk increases every day.

I want officers to know we support them, and we want to make their job as safe as it can be.

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Severe Weather Briefing for Arkansas

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Today we will be kicking off a span of a very active weather pattern, with daily severe weather chances for most of the state. The biggest update to relay is an upgrade in the day 1 SPC outlook forecast, which now includes an enhanced risk (3/5) for severe weather over central and northern Arkansas for later this afternoon and evening.  

Episodes of severe weather are expected to continue into Tuesday and Wednesday. Following today, Wednesday will be our primary concern for a widespread bout of severe weather across the state.  

Please click on the pic below to see the attached briefing for the latest information.

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Feeding America, During a Pandemic... and After

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By Kyle Kellams - KUAF

Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, associated agencies, and people, served tens of millions of Americans during the pandemic. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the CEO of Feeding America, was recently in northwest Arkansas to discuss the work to end hunger in America.

https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2022-04-05/feeding-america-during-a-pandemic-and-after

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Arkansas lawmakers form Forestry Caucus

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

Members of the Arkansas Legislature have formed a Forestry Caucus and selected leaders to represent the group. State Senator Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett, and Rep. Howard Beaty, R–Crossett, will serve as co-chairs. State Senator Charles Beckham, R-McNeil, and Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, R–Hermitage, will serve as vice chairs.

“I am encouraged by the many legislators who have decided to join the Forestry Caucus. Forestry plays a significant role in Arkansas’ economy, especially in our rural communities. It is critical we advance policies that will help our state’s most important industries – forestry. This past session we were able to advocate for the creation of the Center for Forest Business at the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources,” said Gilmore.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/04/state-lawmakers-form-forestry-caucus/

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Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan Announces Milestone with Arkansas 529 Plan; Logo and website given fresh look, benefits remain

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Little Rock, Ark. – The Arkansas 529 Education Savings Plan, established in 1999, is getting a new name to more accurately reflect the plan’s ever-evolving benefits for Arkansans. It will now be called the Arkansas Brighter Future 529 plan, Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan, whose office administers the program, announced today.

“We’ve had a great history with the Arkansas 529 plan,” Milligan said. “We’ve been diligent and have worked with many champions in the state legislature to keep the program current with federal laws, and this was a natural time to ensure the brand reflected all the offerings 529s now have.”

The “offerings” Milligan mentions refer mainly to how funds from the plan can be used. The Arkansas 529 plan has traditionally been used to pay for college and university expenses and trade or vocational school costs.

“One of the first major changes to the plan happened in 2018 when K-12 private school tuition became a qualified expense. Then in 2021, the federal government broadened the plan even more to allow it to cover apprenticeship programs, as well as pay down student loan debt,” Milligan explained. “So as the program has evolved over time, we felt like this was an appropriate time to rebrand to allow people to see that their child’s future – whatever it may look like – could be even brighter with an Arkansas Brighter Future 529 plan.”

Fran Jansen, director of Arkansas Brighter Future 529 plans for the state, said the new logo and website better reflect the brand and its direction moving forward.

“We’ve completely revamped the 529 website to make it more user-friendly,” Jansen said. “For the new logo, we chose a star to resemble light. We designed the star to be red as a nod to Arkansas. Even the playful design of the star was intentional.”

Another factor in rebranding the program to “Arkansas Brighter Future 529” is to highlight the fact that these accounts can now be used for so much more than higher education, Milligan said.

“Not every child in Arkansas will choose to go to college, so we wanted something that reflects that no matter what path a family decides is best for their child, they can still use the funds from their 529 to help brighten their future,” he said.

The Arkansas 529 plan has grown 120% to more than $1.2 billion in assets under Milligan’s administration. Accounts may be opened online for as little as $25 with no requirement for additional deposits, and account owners may be eligible to deduct up to $10,000 in contributions from their Arkansas adjusted gross income taxes.

All of the benefits currently offered by the Arkansas 529 plan will remain the same, Milligan said.

For more information, please visit BrighterFutureDirect529.com or call 501-682-1406.

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UA Cossatot Athletics Department to Add Competitive Shooting Sports for 2022-23; A Visit With Coach Brett Blackburn

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Colts' shooting sports coach Brett Blackburn visited our De Queen studios on Monday to talk about the new program.

UA Cossatot will be adding another team sport in the coming school year. The Colts will compete at the NJCAA Division II level in men’s and women’s clay target shooting beginning in the fall of 2022. Brett Blackburn will serve as the shooting sports coach.

UA Cossatot’s Athletic Director Robert Byrd announced, “UA Cossatot Athletics is excited to expand our sporting options with the addition of clay target shooting in the fall of 2022. Coach Blackburn is eager to begin the recruiting process, and we are looking forward to competing this upcoming fall.”

UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole added, "Shooting sports has become mainstream, especially in our area, and with the incredible interest from our local high school student-athletes, it just made sense for UA Cossatot to offer this sport for all men and women with interest in shooting sports.”

UA Cossatot has competed as a member of NJCAA Division II Region 2 in men’s and women’s basketball for the past three seasons. Clay target shooting is the first sport added to the UA Cossatot athletic department since joining the NJCAA with preliminary plans for future sports under consideration. Coach Blackburn will be visiting the regional and state tournaments.

UA Cossatot Clay Shooting Coach Brett Blackburn said, “The shooting program will build on the foundation started by high school and Jr high students of the AYSSP program from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. We look forward to building on these skills as the student-athletes grow as citizens and competitors at the collegiate level. Go Colts!”

For more information, contact Coach Blackburn at 941-726-2245 or bblackburn@cccua.edu.

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Arkansas Legislators Recognized for Work on Step Therapy

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Today, Senator Cecile Bledsoe and Representative DeAnn Vaught received awards for their recognition as 2021 SAIM Patient Access Champions, a well-deserved honor for their work on Step Therapy legislation in Arkansas.

During the 93rd General Assembly, Sen. Bledsoe and Rep. Vaught sponsored SB99, now Act 97. The law ensures step therapy protocols in Arkansas are based on widely accepted medical and clinical guidelines and provides a clear process for health care providers and patients to request exceptions to step therapy protocol.

Thanks to Sen. Bledsoe and Rep. Vaught, Arkansas has strong step therapy protection laws to ensure patients have timely access to treatments and medications best suited for their needs.

inVeritas CEO, Ruth Whitney was present for the award ceremony. inVeritas is proud to have played a part in helping to pass this important legislation.

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UA Cossatot SCC Welding Team Captures 3rd Place in 2022 Weld-A-Thon

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UA Cossatot SCC welding team from the Nashville campus won 3rd place at the 2022 Weld-A-Thon competition held at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado on March 17th! The team comprised three 11th graders: Cristian Perez from Mineral Springs HS, Wren Washburn, and Tristan Ewing from Nashville HS. They won welding jackets, gloves, and glasses and brought home their fire pit. The fire pit is located in the welding building at the UA Cossatot campus in Nashville. 

The team was assigned a blueprint and welding materials and two hours to build a custom fire pit. The project was judged based on efficiency, technique, quality, and teamwork. Their instructor, Stuart Dufrene, is very proud of their success, especially since many of the other competing teams were seniors who competed in last year’s competition. This year is also the second consecutive year that a UAC SCC welding team has placed in the top three, with the previous year’s group of 12th graders winning 1st place. 

Perez, Washburn, and Ewing hope to compete again next year, and other SCC welding teams from UA Cossatot are encouraged to compete.

Pictured left to right: Instructor Stuart Dufrene, Cristian Perez, Wren Washburn, & Tristan Ewing.

 

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Panel approves rate increase for school employees’ insurance

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KUAR | By Ronak Patel

Arkansas lawmakers have unanimously approved a motion to direct school districts to increase the amount they paid into public school employees’ health insurance program.

During a joint meeting of the Arkansas House and Senate Committee on Education on Monday, state Secretary of Education Johnny Key urged members to approve the motion.

Currently, school districts are required to pay $150 per employee into their health insurance plans, according to the Legislature's website. Beginning Jan. 1, the rate will double to $300, due to the passage of Act 111, which was approved in this year’s fiscal session.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-04-05/panel-approves-rate-increase-for-school-employees-insurance

Ronak Patel/KUAR News

Elizabeth Bynum (left) and Julie Holt, who are both from the Bureau of Legislative Research, presented the Adequacy Study to the joint Arkansas House and Senate Committee on Education on Monday. The study is done to determine whether funding for education in the state is equitable.

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“Creativity Hubs” Established in UAMS College of Medicine to Boost Research Collaborations in Key Areas

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By Tamara Robinson

Four interdisciplinary groups of researchers in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have been named as inaugural “Creativity Hubs” in an initiative to develop and expand collaborative, thematic research programs with high potential.

Each hub will receive $300,000 over the next 18 months to jumpstart efforts to increase research, building on existing expertise of researchers across UAMS, Arkansas Children’s and other partnering institutions. The hubs also will use the funding from the college and UAMS Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation to develop mentorship and pipeline programs to bring new and diverse investigators into the fold. The efforts are expected to position the teams to obtain additional external grant funding to support comprehensive, elite research programs.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/04/04/creativity-hubs-established-in-uams-college-of-medicine-to-boost-research-collaborations-in-key-areas/

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Severe Storms to Affect the ARK-LA-TEX Monday Night

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A strong storm system will approach from the southern Plains Monday night, and showers and thunderstorms will become more widespread. Areas of heavy rain are expected over central and southern sections of the state, with 1 to 2 inch amounts in the forecast.

While there is a potential for severe weather across the southern counties, severe storms are more likely farther south from northeast Texas to southern Mississippi. The main concerns with storms that become severe are damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. 

For more information, click on the attached picture below for the latest briefing (PDF).

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New Clinton School dean to build on success with academic programs, continued partnerships

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by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, the new dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, is no stranger to politics, political science or public service. Approaching her first 100 days in charge of the Little Rock-based campus, she sees a great base of success and hopes to build on it.

“Skip [Rutherford, the former dean], he left an incredibly strong foundation upon which I can write the next chapter of the Clinton School,” DeFrancesco Soto said.

She’s spent most of her first three months in Little Rock listening to faculty, administrators, and students. From that, she’s ready to institute some advancements.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/04/new-clinton-school-dean-to-build-on-success-with-academic-programs-continued-partnerships/

Photo: Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto courtesy of University of Texas.

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UA hires Mike Malone for economic development role

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by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

The University of Arkansas announced Monday (April 4) that Mike Malone is the school’s new vice chancellor for economic development.

Malone is vice president of community and corporate affairs for Runway Group, a private business team in Bentonville led by Steuart Walton and his younger brother, Tom Walton. They are grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton and the sons of Jim Walton, chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank Group Inc.

Runway Group is a holding company that makes strategic investments in real estate, hospitality, cycling and aviation.

Malone will begin his new job on April 18. He replaces Stacy Leeds, who stepped down from the position in July 2020. David Snow, director of Technology Ventures at the UA, held the job on an interim basis.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/04/ua-hires-mike-malone-for-economic-development-role/

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Jim Smith takes leadership job with cannabis company

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by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

In August of 2020, late on a Friday afternoon, Rogers attorney Jim Smith got a phone call from Alex Gray, an attorney in Little Rock.

Gray wanted to hire Smith, considered one of Arkansas’ leading and most highly experienced business lawyers, to acquire one of Arkansas’ eight cannabis cultivation licenses. Gray was an investor with an operation that wanted the license — Good Day Farm Arkansas LLC.

Arkansas voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana in November 2016, with 53% of the vote. State lawmakers and regulators were slow to develop and implement the rules for issuing cultivation and dispensary licenses, and a series of legal actions hampered the process.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/04/jim-smith-takes-leadership-job-with-cannabis-company/

Jim Smith, president of business at Good Day Farm.

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Arkansas’ year-to-date sales tax revenue up 13.2%, surplus tops $450 million

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by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Broad gains in consumer spending helped push Arkansas’ year-to-date (July 2021 to March 2022) tax revenue up 7.6%, with sales tax revenue in March up 33.2% compared with March 2021. Overall gains in tax revenue has boosted the state’s revenue surplus to $456 million.

The fiscal year-to-date revenue is $5.898 billion, up 7.6% compared with the same period in 2021 and up 8.4% above forecast, according to Monday’s (April 4) report from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/04/arkansas-year-to-date-sales-tax-revenue-up-13-2-surplus-tops-450-million/

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Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston Launches Veteran Voter Initiative

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(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) – The office of the Arkansas Secretary of State, in partnership with the veteran service organization We Are The 22, announces the launch of a Veteran Voter Initiative. Throughout the month of April, representatives of both organizations will be on the road, reaching out to veterans across the state to ensure that they are both registered and ready to vote. The #ARVetsVote hashtag has been established to highlight the initiative. 

Secretary Thurston is recruiting support for the initiative from all Arkansans by asking them to dedicate their vote to a veteran they wish to honor or encourage. To participate, Arkansans may visit the tribute page hosted on the Secretary of State's website and dedicate their vote to a veteran or an active service member by sending a message honoring their service to media@sos.arkansas.gov. Arkansas voters may also link their tribute to social media posts using www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/vote-for-a-veteran and the #Vote4ARVets hashtag. 

During the month of April, Secretary of State mobile offices and members of the We Are The 22 organization will be visiting veteran’s facilities and service centers across the state. At these mobile offices, Arkansas veterans and those honoring them, may register to vote and learn how to dedicate their vote in honor of a veteran or active service member. Additional election resources may be found on the office's website at www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections.  

We Are The 22 is a veteran service organization conducting direct suicide prevention and responding to veterans in crisis. Named for the average number of American veterans committing suicide each day (22). "When a veteran is in the darkest place in their life, there should be someone out there that cares enough to go find them, to sit down with them, and tell them there's hope," states founder Mikel Brooks. Members of the organization will be present at the mobile offices to assist voters in offering encouragement to struggling veterans through the Vote for a Vet campaign. Please visit www.wearethe22.org for more information on the organization. For immediate assistance to a veteran in crisis please call their 24-hour, vet-answered hotline at 1-855-WEARETHE22. 

The voter registration deadline for participation in the preferential primary is April 25. The primary election will be held May 24. The general election will be held November 8, with an October 11 voter registration deadline.