Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 86
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 23
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 55
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 9
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 12
“The students and staff at De Queen Elementary had an exciting day interacting with the Lady Colts and Colts of UA Cossatot yesterday. They learned about perseverance and acceptance through the reading of Salt in His Shoes and enjoyed conversations with the team members. Receiving a Colts tee shirt from UA Cossatot served as the icing on the cake for DES students. Thank you UA Cossatot for the experience!”
UA Cossatot will host its annual Veterans Day breakfast on Thursday, November 11, 2021, at the UA Cossatot De Queen Campus in the Skilled Trades Building.
The event will take place from 8:30 am until 10:00 am. Along with food, the event will include a presentation, guest speaker, and door prizes to celebrate and honor local veterans in Southwest Arkansas.
All veterans and their families are invited to attend.
For more information on this year’s Veterans Day breakfast, contact Loren Hinton at 870-584-1179 or lhinton@cccua.edu. ###
by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)
Herbicide resistant weeds are a significant threat to the Arkansas agriculture sector and scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are about to study new methods for dealing with this problem. Catching weed seeds before they start a new generation of herbicide-resistant plants is the tactic behind a relatively new method in the U.S. that weed scientists in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri have partnered to investigate.
“When you take a look at weed management in general, it’s all really centered around soil seed bank management,” said Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor of weed science with the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “If we can drive those soil seedbanks down it’s going to benefit us in terms of the future populations or densities we have in those fields as well as lessening the risk of herbicide resistance evolution and spread.”
The seeds can be caught in the chaff and crushed by a seed mill or laid down in a “chaff line” to consolidate and create a mulching effect, Norsworthy said.
by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)
The driver shortage has risen to a record high of 80,000 amid traditional demographics challenges and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
He said the shortage is determined based on the amount of available freight and the number of drivers needed to haul that. During the Great Recession, he noted a significant decline in freight demand led to a driver surplus.
The shortage is up from 61,000 in 2018, he said. However, the driver shortage declined in 2019 and before COVID in 2020 as freight demand softened.
Springdale Public School District is among four districts in Arkansas participating in a COVID-19 rapid test pilot program this autumn to help reduce the need to quarantine due to exposure to the virus. State leaders are also monitoring Thaden School, a private grades 6 through 12 school in Bentonville, which no longer is required to institute quarantines due to having a high vaccination rate among faculty, staff and students.
https://www.kuaf.com/post/arkansas-schools-test-methods-avoid-covid-19-quarantine
COURTESY / SPRINGDALE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
There are two big developments this week regarding our state’s economy.
Unemployment in Arkansas continues to decline, and our budget forecast was adjusted to reflect an increase in revenue.
The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services says Arkansas’ unemployment rate decreased two-tenths of a percentage point from 4.2% in August to 4.0% in September.
This is the third month in a row that we have seen a decline in unemployment, and we continue to remain below the national rate of 4.8%.
We were also informed this week of a forecast revision to the general revenue budget. The Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) now says the forecast for Fiscal Year 2022 is $246.2 million more than previously forecasted.
The forecast revision for FY 2023 was also increased to $6.454 billion, which is an increase of $298.5 million over the prior release.
Individual income tax and sales and use tax are the two largest sources of general revenue to the state.
This week, the Governor outlined an income tax cut proposal but added he would not call for a special session the week of October 25 as originally planned.
The Governor’s proposal would lower the top rate from 5.9% to 5.5% in the next year and then lower it to 5.3% by 2024. His proposal also provides a low-income tax break and increases the individual tax credit.
Members continue to review tax cut proposals. It is anticipated that we will be called into a special session for that purpose at a later date.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that nine states have passed reductions in either personal or corporate income tax this year. Several other states are considering proposals.
We will continue to update you on any developments.You can find the latest news from the House of Representatives atwww.arkansashouse.org.
PRESS RELEASE
183 College Drive, De Queen, AR 71832
870-584-1172
www.cccua.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 25 October 2021
CONTACT: Dustin Roberts, Director of Development
UA Cossatot’s OER Program Saves Students Nearly 2.5 Million Since 2015
UA Cossatot’s Open Educational Resource (OER) program has saved students of the college nearly 2.5 million in textbook rental fees. Since 2015, the program has saved students $2,238,961.07.
“We began our innovative internal textbook rental and OER program with a primary goal of removing the financial barrier expensive textbooks posed to our students and it’s clear that we’ve accomplished that goal. In six short years, we’ve saved our students millions of dollars in textbook expenses and we continue to lead Arkansas in OER usage among two-year colleges,” said OER Specialist and Director of Educational Resources Relinda Ruth.
UA Cossatot students have saved $433,793.85 for the three semesters of 2020-21. In addition, UA Cossatot’s OER adoption has grown significantly. At the end of the 2015-16 academic year, UA Cossatot was 35% OER. Currently, the college is at 65%.
Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole said, “In 2015, we decided that college did not have to cost as much as it does and we knew that if we developed a way students could save money, it would help students reach their goals. Eliminating most, if not all, of the costs associated with textbooks was something that we knew would help students clear a major hurdle in their educational pursuits. Six years later, our faculty have converted 65% of all UA Cossatot courses to Open Educational Resources (OER), meaning zero textbook cost for their courses. We will always keep looking for creative ways to make college more affordable to our students.”
Director Ruth will present at Open Florida, speaking on “Zero to Sixty in Five Years: University of Arkansas-Cossatot Pathway to 60% Participation.” In addition, Ruth will travel to Atlanta next year and present at the SREB conference, speaking on “Developmental Education and College Readiness.”
For more information on UA Cossatot’s OER program, contact Relinda Ruth at 870-584-1181 or rruth@cccua.edu.
###
The University of Arkansas Cossatot is a community college in Southwest Arkansas accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Offering technical certification and Associate degrees, UAC also collaborates with other colleges and universities to offer bachelor's degrees on its three campuses. UAC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution in compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965 and other Civil Rights laws and offers equal opportunity for admission and employment. Employment preference is given to applicants possessing a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) with all other qualifications being equal. Programs and activities of UAC are provided to all students without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, Vietnam era veteran or special disabled veteran status, or sex. Questions or concerns regarding affirmative action can be directed to the Compliance Officer, c/o UA Cossatot, 183 College Drive, De Queen, AR 71832. For Arkansas RELAY Voiced Services call 711 or 800-285-1121. Visit www.cccua.edu for more information.
The potential for severe weather remains for Sunday night into the early morning hours on Monday. All severe hazards will be possible, including damaging winds, large hail, and some tornadic activity. Please refer to the attached briefing for the latest information.
The ADH released their most recent report on Tuesday, October 19th, on the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the state's public schools and colleges. Some area schools of note include:
De Queen 16
Mena 9
Dierks 7
Cossatot River 5
Ashdown 5
UA Cossatot, and other area public schools were not listed because they reported less than 5 active cases( ADH does not release info for schools with fewer than 5 active cases to protect student privacy)
Arkansas Department of Health Active Cases in Public Schools and Colleges in Arkansas
By Yavonda Chase
LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Amy Wenger, MHSA, vice chancellor of its Northwest Regional Campus, effective Dec. 1.
She succeeds Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., who announced last year she was stepping down from the vice chancellor position to focus on her role as the director of community health and research and serve as the associate director of community outreach and engagement at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Wenger has held multiple leadership roles at UAMS since 2005. She is currently vice chancellor for regional campuses and will continue to oversee that area while UAMS formulates a plan for new leadership. Prior to that, she served as the chancellor’s chief of staff, as administrator for several areas including women’s health, surgical specialties and the department of nursing and as business officer for both nursing and the Psychiatric Research Institute.
https://news.uams.edu/2021/10/20/amy-wenger-named-vice-chancellor-of-uams-northwest-regional-campus/
By Yavonda Chase
LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) ranks among the top 10% in the nation for joint replacement surgery for the second year in a row, according to Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems.
UAMS also received the Joint Replacement Excellence Award.
“Our orthopaedic team believes in putting the patient first, and it shows,” said Steppe Mette, M.D., senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and CEO of UAMS Medical Center. “Year after year, our orthopaedic team offers exceptional care to the people of Arkansas.”
https://news.uams.edu/2021/10/19/uams-named-top-10-in-nation-for-joint-replacement/
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Privately held Zayo Group is in talks to acquire Little Rock-based Windstream and Uniti, a former Windstream company, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The deal could impact employment in central Arkansas and broadband rollout in the state in a positive way.
According to the Wall Street Journal article, Zayo’s owners and Windstream “believe bringing the two businesses back together would accelerate the build-out of broadband to as many as a million more households by redirecting the nearly $700 million Windstream spends each year on lease payments.”
Tony Thomas, Windstream CEO, tells Talk Business & Politics he can’t comment on the Wall Street Journal article or any potential negotiations, but he did say that “any transaction that helps us accelerate broadband buildout would be a very positive outcome for our customers.”
https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/report-windstream-and-uniti-in-talks-to-be-acquired/
By Ryan McGeeney/ UA System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas growers have seen a little — or a lot — of everything this year, including record low temperatures and snowfall in February and a record rainfall event in June. Nevertheless, many row crop farmers in the center of the state are enjoying a strong harvest season.
With 100 percent of the state’s rice matured, and upwards of 90 percent harvested as of this week, Keith Perkins, Lonoke County agricultural extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the last of the summer’s heat had provided a relatively easy transition into fall.
“We had a challenging season,” Perkins said. “It was a hard time getting the crop planted. We ended up having to plant some late rice, late beans. But we’ve had a good harvest season — we’ve been relatively dry this whole time.”
Ryan McGeeney/UA Division Of Agriculture
Rice harvesting continues in Lonoke County following a challenging year for Arkansas growers.
KUAR | By Debra Hale-Shelton/ Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has been released from federal prison after serving less than half of a 10-year sentence for bribery.
The development is the latest in a long-running and complex criminal case that dates back to 2014 and that has entangled a once-powerful Republican lobbyist, a wealthy nursing home owner, an Arkansas Supreme Court justice and others. Maggio was accused of reducing the amount of money a jury awarded in a 2013 civil case he presided over as a judge and expecting campaign donations in return.
Maggio, 60, was freed Wednesday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ website. Since he was first incarcerated on July 19, 2017, he has been held in facilities in Kentucky, Atlanta and other undisclosed places.
Brian Chilson/Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio leaving the federal courthouse in Little Rock after his sentencing in 2016.
KUAR | By Roby Brock / Talk Business & Politics
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Cherokee Nation Businesses and against Gulfside Casino Partnership in a long-running controversial series of legal and regulatory challenges to place a casino in Pope County.
The dispute arises from actions taken soon after voters approved The Arkansas Casino Gaming Amendment, which requires the Racing Commission to issue licenses to Oaklawn Jockey Club in Hot Springs, Southland Racing Corporation in West Memphis, and to entities in Pope County and Jefferson County.
The high court’s ruling in Cherokee Nation Businesses and Arkansas Racing Commission vs. Gulfside Casino Partnership focused on which entity was a legal applicant for a casino license.
The Arkansas Supreme Court
LITTLE ROCK – Data from the United States Department of Labor show Arkansas's unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.0% in September. Governor Asa Hutchinson released the following statement regarding Arkansas's September Unemployment Report:
"The economy continues to expand in Arkansas with the unemployment rate dropping to 4.0%. We continue to be lower than the national unemployment rate, and it is even better news that more people are returning to the workforce. Job training is available for any who wish to improve their marketable skills, and I expect job creation to continue in the state because of our skilled workforce and the population growth that we are currently experiencing."
