On this week's Sevier County Chamber Chat, President Callie Miller talks about the new "What's in the Bag?" video on the Chamber's Facebook page as well as the Tri Lakes Big Bass Festival in mid July.
VIDEO: "What's Up, Doc?" with Dr Randy Walker 06.29.21
On this week's edition of "What's Up Doc?", Dr. Randy talks about some of the not so well known symptoms of food allergies, such as fatigue, migraines, sinus infections, rashes, bloating, heartburn, and sensitivity to bright light, and how testing for food allergies has helped many patients find answers.
Sevier County 4-H Donates to Local Fan Drive
Sevier County 4-H’er, Ethan Wolcott, recently announced that he would be holding a box fan drive. The Be Cool, Stay Cool Fan Drive is a project that Wolcott has taken on himself, with help from the Sevier County Extension Office. He teamed up with Dr. Randy Walker and Angie Walker to reach more of the community. Ethan Wolcott, who is only 17, was able to raise $905, including $200 donated by Hale Real Estate. Dr. Randy Walker has agreed to match the $905 that Ethan raised, equaling a total of $1,810 for the Fan Drive. In the end, they were able to purchase 94 fans for Sevier County.
Many know Ethan Wolcott from the can recycling program he has held in the county for the past three years. Wolcott started the project to donate money to the 4-H POP-A TOP program, a program that helped 4-H families with medical bills. However, the program was ended due to COVID. Wolcott then decided to keep the money locally. By teaming up with the Walkers, Wolcott is able to give those in need, a way to stay cool this summer.
Left to right: Rex Herring, County Extension Agent-Staff Chair; Angie Walker; Ethan Wolcott; Kim Frachiseur, 4-H Program Assistant; and Janet Cantrell, County Extension Agent-FCS.
Tuesday's COVID-19 Update from the AR Dept of Health
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 8
Active Confirmed Cases: 4
Active Probable Cases: 4
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 11
Active Confirmed Cases: 5
Active Probable Cases: 6
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 9
Active Confirmed Cases: 5
Active Probable Cases: 4
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 14
Active Confirmed Cases: 9
Active Probable Cases: 5
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 11
Active Confirmed Cases: 6
Active Probable Cases: 5
VIDEO: Block Party in Horatio Tuesday Night 06/29 - Leslie Daniels, Tonya Wolcott at Ed 88 Studios
LIVE VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Provides Weekly Media Update Tuesday (06.29.21) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson will provide a weekly briefing to media live at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2021.
VIDEO: Senator John Boozman at the New Sevier County Medical Center Construction Site on Monday
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
There are currently 58,000 Arkansans who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It is estimated that 67,000 will be diagnosed by 2025.
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, an opportunity to hold a conversation about the brain, and share the fact that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are a major public health issue.
In 2019, there were 1,507 deaths from Alzheimer’s in Arkansas. That’s a 250% increase since the year 2000. It is now the 6th leading cause of death in the state.
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.
Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be younger-onset Alzheimer’s if it affects a person under 65.
More than 6 million Americans are now living with Alzheimer’s.
The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias is estimated to total $355 billion in 2021.
In the most recent legislative session, the General Assembly addressed this health issue when it passed Act 391.
Act 391 creates the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Advisory Council. The council will examine the needs of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, services available in the state for patients and their family caregivers, and the ability of healthcare providers and facilities to meet the current and future needs. The council will make findings and recommendations in an annual report known as the State Alzheimer’s Plan.
Growing evidence indicates that people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline by adopting key lifestyle habits. When possible, combine these habits to achieve maximum benefit for the brain and body. We’ve provided links to more information on our website
Photos from Saturday's "Stand Up for America" Celebration in Nashville
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOREN HINTON OF UA COSSATOT’S ED 88
Arkansas Humanities Council Offering American Rescue Plan Grants
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
The Arkansas Humanities Council has received $759,297 from the National Endowment of the Humanities to implement the America Rescue Plan grant program aimed at helping the survival of Arkansas’ critical cultural institutions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Maximum awards of up to $25,000 will be offered.
The funds are designated for operational expenses, strategic planning and capacity building and are available to nonprofit humanities-based cultural organizations in Arkansas. The American Rescue Plan grants provide immediate funds to museums, historical societies, college and universities, and other humanities-based cultural organizations.
Information about eligibility, grant applications and guidelines can be found here. Applications open on July 1 and must be submitted on or before 11:59 p.m. August 15, 2021.
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/06/arkansas-humanities-council-offering-american-rescue-plan-grants/
Colonel Ochoa Becomes First Woman Commander of Little Rock Air Force Base
by Talk Business & Politics staff
Colonel Angela Ochoa took the helm of the 19th Airlift Wing during a change of command ceremony, June 25, becoming the first woman to assume command of Little Rock Air Force Base.
Ochoa, who most recently served as the vice commander of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, took command of the wing from Col. John Schutte during a ceremony presided over by Maj. Gen. Kenneth Bibb Jr., 18th Air Force commander.
Ochoa returns to LRAFB having previously served in a variety of positions at the “Home of Herk Nation” including the chief of safety for the 314th Airlift Wing and commander of the 61st Airlift Squadron.
Col. Angela Ochoa accepts command of the 19th Airlift Wing from Maj. Gen. Kenneth T. Bibb Jr., 18th Air Force commander, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, June 25, 2021
Fayetteville's First Annual Trans March Attracts Large Crowd
Over 500 LGBTQ+ residents and allies joined the trans march to the Fayetteville town square last night to protest newly legislated state laws targeting transgender and non binary Arkansans' civil and medical rights. The inagural event was organized by Fayetteville trans activist Jewel Hayes, a member of the board of directors at NWA Equality.
https://www.kuaf.com/post/fayettevilles-first-annual-trans-march-attracts-large-crowd
After walking from the Walton Arts Center, hundreds of trans march protesters assembled on the Fayetteville town square to hear several trans activists and an ACLU attorney speak.
J. FROELICH / KUAF
Arkansas Issues Summer Tick-Disease Alert; Infested Feral Swine Investigated
The Arkansas Department of Health is urging caution for those venturing into woodlands and fields this summer about being bitten by infectious ticks. Invasive feral swine in Arkansas, which attract and transport ticks, are being surveyed for tick pathogens at both the University of Arkansas - Monticello, as well as at the U of A in Fayetteville.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a tick portal including a regional tick bite tracker, which you can check out here.
An adult female lone star tick quests for a blood meal perched on a blade of grass.
COURTESY / CDC
Cotton Speaks Against Drug Sentencing Reform Bill That Has Support Of Hutchinson
Arkansas' junior U.S. senator is pushing back against proposed federal legislation that would eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses, a position opposite of the state’s governor.
Speaking Friday during an event held by the conservative think tank, the Manhattan Institute, Sen. Tom Cotton spoke on the hearing concerning the EQUAL Act, which would reduce the harsher sentences for crack cocaine as opposed to the current lesser sentences for powdered cocaine. Cotton said his proposal legislation concerning sentence disparities is different.
"If they want to eliminate the differences between the sentences, I’m perfectly willing to do that. But my proposal’s a little different from theirs. They want to take down offences for crack cocaine, I’m perfectly willing to increase sentences for powdered cocaine," Cotton said.
Sen. Tom Cotton spoke out against the proposed EQUAL act on Friday.
CREDIT MANHATTAN INSTITUTE
UAMS Announces First Phase 1 Cancer Clinical Trial
By DANIEL BREEN
Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are studying ways to help protect the heart health of cancer patients from chemotherapy side effects. Dr. Hui-Ming Chang is leading the study, which will be the first Phase 1 cancer clinical trial done at UAMS.
The study aims to limit the heart damage caused by a commonly used chemotherapy drug known as doxorubicin. Chang says the negative effects of the drug sometimes aren’t felt until well after cancer treatment has ended.
Chang’s study involves another drug called dexrazoxane which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help limit heart damage, but can limit the efficacy of chemotherapy. She says that’s caused dexrazoxane to only be commonly used with very high doses of chemotherapy drugs.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/uams-announces-first-phase-1-cancer-clinical-trial
Dr. Hui-Ming Chang is leading the study which aims to limit the heart damage caused by a commonly used chemotherapy.
CREDIT UAMS.EDU
AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Immortalizing Two Arkansas Icons
LITTLE ROCK – First, the Arkansas General Assembly had the tough task of choosing the two people who would represent Arkansas in Statuary Hall in our nation’s capital, and then we had a nationwide search for the artists who would sculpt the statues. Today I’m happy to report we now have selected the artists for the statues of civil rights icon Daisy Bates and music legend Johnny Cash.
This discussion began in 2018 with the consensus that we needed a historical update in who represents Arkansas in Statuary Hall. The Arkansans who have been standing in for the state for nearly a hundred years are U.M. Rose, a lawyer who served as president of the American Bar Association, and James Paul Clarke, a governor of Arkansas and a U.S. senator.
The legislature authorized the update in 2019, and since Arkansas is well-known for its civil rights leaders and musicians, Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash are fitting replacements for Mr. Rose and Mr. Clarke.
Once we had settled that matter, the Secretary of State’s office put out a call for artists. The U.S. Statuary Hall Steering Committee and the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission narrowed the list of applicants to three for each statue.
The artists wheeled in their clay prototypes of Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash to the Capitol last month, and members of the committees spent June 14 hearing from each of them. Ultimately, they chose Benjamin Victor to sculpt Daisy Bates and Little Rock artist Kevin Kresse to sculpt Johnny Cash.
The artists’s attention to details such as the way they stood and the expressions on their face capture not only the likeness of Mrs. Bates and Mr. Cash but a sense of their character at pivotal moments in their remarkable lives.
Under Mr. Victor’s hand, Daisy Bates stands with a newspaper tucked under her left arm and a spiral-bound notepad in her right hand. She is stepping out with her left foot, striding ahead with the resolve and fortitude that Mr. Victor discovered as he studied her life, including the year of the desegregation crisis in 1957 when she mentored the Little Rock Nine.
Mr. Kresse’s statue of Johnny Cash will enhance his reputation as a sculptor of Arkansas musicians. In Mr. Kresse’s depiction of the Man in Black, you see in Mr. Cash’s face a hint of the hard life he lived. Mr. Kresse has slung Johnny’s guitar across his back, and the strap of the guitar crosses beneath the Bible he carries in his right hand, testimony to the faith that delivered Johnny from his hard living.
As the artists go to work, we must raise the final $300,000 of the amount needed to pay the artists and for the delivery and installations of the new statues as well as the return of the other statues to Arkansas.
A lot of people have worked on this project, including the members of the U.S. Statuary Hall Steering Committee and the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission; the Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash families and foundations; the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office; and Shane Broadway, chairman of the Steering Committee, former speaker of the House, and all-around thoughtful and kind guy.
When we undertook this project, my goal was to have Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash in place by the time I leave office in January 2023. Congratulations to Mr. Kresse and Mr. Victor. I hope to visit with them at the unveiling of their work sometime in the next 18 months.
Sunday COVID-19 Active Cases and Vaccines Update from the Arkansas Department of Health
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 7
Active Confirmed Cases: 2
Active Probable Cases: 5
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 6
Active Confirmed Cases: 5
Active Probable Cases: 1
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 11
Active Confirmed Cases: 7
Active Probable Cases: 4
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 12
Active Confirmed Cases: 9
Active Probable Cases: 3
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 10
Active Confirmed Cases: 6
Active Probable Cases: 4
Governor Hutchinson Orders Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Memory of Fallen Pea Ridge Police Officer Kevin Apple
Officer Kevin Apple, Pea Ridge, AR
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has ordered the United States flag and state flag of Arkansas to fly at half-staff in tribute to the memory of Pea Ridge Police Officer Kevin Apple. Flags are to remain at half-staff until the day of interment.
Officer Apple was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, June 26, 2021.
A 23-year veteran of law enforcement, Officer Apple served the city of Pea Ridge for the past three years.
Officer Apple's bravery and actions will be inspiration for all Arkansans and is worthy of our remembrance.
Governor Hutchinson released the following statement:
"I am deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Pea Ridge police officer Kevin Apple. My prayers are with Officer Apple’s family and the entire Pea Ridge community during this time."
Baptist Minister Becomes 4th Democrat To Enter Arkansas Governor’s Race
By GEORGE JARED/ TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS
Dr. Anthony Bland fell short in his 2018 attempt to win the lieutenant governor’s race in Arkansas, but that did not deter the Democrat from Little Rock from setting his sights on the state’s top job.
Bland, 43, told Talk Business & Politics he intends to seek the Democratic nomination for governor during the 2022 election cycle. He formally launched his campaign Wednesday in Hot Springs.
Bland is a graduate of J.A. Fair High School and Arkansas Baptist College. He has master’s degree in business administration and doctorate in business administration from the University of Phoenix. He is completing a master’s degree in theological studies from Regent University.
Anthony Bland formally announced his candidacy for governor of Arkansas Wednesday in Hot Springs.
CREDIT KATV-CHANNEL 7
Estimate: Flood Damage To Arkansas Crops More Than $200 Million
By RYAN MCGEENEY/ UA DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE
Farmers in five counties in southeastern Arkansas suffered more than $200 million in direct losses to major crops after the major flooding and storm event in early June, according to a preliminary estimate by experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
John Anderson, economist with the Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, delivered the initial estimate during a flood recovery meeting held Monday evening at the Dumas Community Center. He was one of about a dozen experts with the Division of Agriculture presenting crop-specific information and answering questions from the approximately 175 in-person and virtual attendees.
The town of Dumas, and the nearby Division of Agriculture research station at Rohwer, are at the emotional — if not quite geographical — center of the flooding event, during which more than 19 inches of rainfall was recorded in a 48-hour period. The five counties included in the damage estimate include Desha, home to both Dumas and Rohwer, Lonoke, Prairie, Jefferson and Drew counties. The estimate did not include Chicot County, the southeasternmost county in the state, although it will likely be impacted as floodwaters continue to drain southward from Desha County on their way to the Mississippi River.
https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/estimate-flood-damage-arkansas-crops-more-200-million
Growers at a meeting Monday evening where officials estimated that flooding earlier this month in southeast Arkansas caused more than $200 million in damage to crops.
CREDIT UA DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE