Click on Pic Above for the latest Winter Weather Briefing for Arkansas
UA Cossatot's Relinda Ruth and the OER program featured in a recent national article
OER Zero to Sixty in Five Years: One University’s Pathway to 60% Participation
Severe Weather Briefing from the National Weather Service in Little Rock
Click on pic above for Severe Weather Briefing PDF
Active COVID-19 Cases in SW Arkansas Back on the Downward Trend
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 33
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 60
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 34
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 103
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 41
Robert G. Dixon, M.D., Joins UAMS as Interventional Radiologist Specializing in Prostate Artery Embolizations
By Linda Satter
Feb. 14, 2022 | Robert Dixon, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a professor in the Division of Interventional Radiology in the College of Medicine’s Department of Radiology.
He brings to UAMS a procedure called prostate artery embolization, a minimally invasive treatment that helps improve lower urinary tract symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that affects many men after age 50.
He is also an expert at treating kidney cancer, specifically, renal cell carcinoma.
Conservative talk show host floats GOP gubernatorial challenge to Sarah Huckabee Sanders
by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)
Doc Washburn, a radio personality who until last year hosted a radio show on KARN 102.9, is floating his name as a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.
On his podcast Feb. 9, Washburn said he would run for governor if he could raise the $15,000 required for the Republican Party’s filing fee by the filing deadline at noon March 1. He said he was a third of the way there after only a few days.
Poll: Biden receives low marks for job approval, Hutchinson has widespread support
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson scores high marks for his job performance among Arkansas voters, while Democratic President Joe Biden ranks low. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., has an overall negative job approval rating, although he performs well with his party’s voters.
The latest Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll of 961 likely Arkansas voters was conducted Feb. 7-8, 2022 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%. The survey asked:
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the job Gov. Asa Hutchinson is doing?
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the job Sen. John Boozman is doing?
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing?
Results are found at the link below.
Arkansas governor’s order sparks hope of energy conservation
KUAR | By Josie Lenora
There are hopes that an executive order by Gov. Asa Hutchinson will lead to reduced energy consumption and costs savings. Members of the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) are celebrating executive order 22-01 which was signed by the governor in January. The association is made up of 160 members including public utilities, engineering firms, contractors and solar developers.
Matt Bell, a partner at Entegrity Energy Partners and a board member of the AAEA, spoke at a press conference Wednesday in the Rotunda of the state Capitol. He said the energy saving initiatives could lead to an annual cost savings of over 20%.
Michael Hibblen/KUAR News
Former state senator and current Arkansas State University Vice President of University Relations Shane Broadway speaks at Wednesday's press conference by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association.
LIVE VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson's Weekly Media Briefing Tuesday (02.15.22) 130PM
Governor Asa Hutchinson will provide a briefing to media at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson's State of the State Address
Governor Asa Hutchinson will give his final State of the State Address to the Arkansas General Assembly at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14, 2022.
AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | A Bridge Across the Centuries
LITTLE ROCK – Two weeks ago, I traveled to Washington to attend the Winter Session of the National Governors Association. As I met with my fellow governors, I was inspired by our shared hope that America will continue to be the beacon of freedom to the world.
Our meeting included dinner at the home of the Swiss Ambassador to the United States. In his remarks to us, Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud recounted events, such as the first and second world wars, when the hopes of the Free World rested on our great nation. He was born in November 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He said the planet was on the brink of nuclear apocalypse, but the U.S. stood fast in confronting evil. His parents awakened him in the middle of the night to watch Neil Armstrong become the first person in history to walk on the moon. He was in Berlin in November 1989 when the wall crumbled. He said that once again, people knew the United States had won that victory for freedom.
The Ambassador then said: “This is how we cherish the memories of what America has achieved in the service of Freedom and Progress, not just for herself, but for all of Humankind.” But at this moment in history, he said, the world perceives that the United States is divided. “We sometimes get the feeling that this country has somehow lost the will to search for her better angels.”
The words of the ambassador hit home to many of the governors in the audience. He reminded us that the world needs an America that is strong and united.
The next evening at Mount Vernon, the First Lady of Arkansas and I dined in the same home where President Washington and the first First Lady of the United States ate their meals more than 200 years ago. We shared a table with Bill Ford, the great-grandson of both Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, who is only three generations removed from two of the greatest business entrepreneurs in our history. His grandfathers traveled America in Model Ts on Firestone tires in the company of a third great inventor, Thomas Edison.
After dinner, we toured the Washingtons’ home. In the main hall of Mount Vernon, the key to the Bastille hangs high on a wall in the display case. The Bastille was the fortress in Paris that was home to kings and queens, a symbol of authoritarian rule where they imprisoned their political enemies in the Bastille’s dungeons.
The Marquis de Lafayette, who fought with President Washington in the American Revolution, also fought in the French Revolution twenty years later. Shortly after the revolutionists stormed the Bastille, Lafayette ordered its demolition. The Marquis kept the key to the main door as a symbol of freedom and wanted to present it to his mentor, George Washington. He entrusted the key to Thomas Paine, who ensured that it was delivered to President Washington. Two hundred years ago, men who helped birth the United States and free France had held this key in their hands. That evening, I stood close enough to it to touch it. For me, this simple artifact became a bridge across two centuries, stitching time together in a seamless flow of events that really aren’t that far apart when you consider the entire scope of history.
In the days since those transcendent moments I spent captivated by that key, my optimism has continued to grow that the United States will keep its better angels in sight. As with our founding fathers before us, we will unlock the doors that block history’s path to freedom.
Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught
On Monday, the 93rd General Assembly will convene at the State Capitol to address the budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
Fiscal Sessions began after Arkansas voters approved what would become Amendment 86 in 2008. This will be the 7th Fiscal Session held in state history.
Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to address the General Assembly shortly after we convene at noon, February 14.
During the address, the Governor will outline his budget proposal. Previously, in budget hearings the Governor recommended a 3.3% increase in spending. His proposal included increases for state police salaries and more funding for services for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Governor has also said publicly he will be asking the legislature to direct a portion of surplus funds for a state prison expansion.
The latest revenue report from the Department of Finance and Administration shows net available general revenue at $275 million or 7.1% above this time last year.
All appropriation bills will be heard first in the Joint Budget Committee. That committee has spent several weeks reviewing agency proposals.
By Friday afternoon of this week, more than 90 budget bills had been filed in the House. And more than 80 bills had been filed in the Senate.
If the General Assembly is to take up any bills outside the scope of the budget, they must first have a 2/3 vote in both chambers for a resolution describing the bill. The deadline for those resolutions is by the end of the first day of the session, February 14.
The deadline for filing both appropriation bills and non-appropriation bills is Monday, February 28.
Amendment 86 states that each Fiscal Session shall not exceed 30 days. The Fiscal Session may be extended one time, however, for no more than 15 days, by a ¾ vote of both the House and Senate.
We will continue to update you during this upcoming session. You can find the daily agendas and watch the meetings live at www.arkansashouse.org.
UAMS Part of New Statewide Core Facilities Exchange for Researchers
By David Robinson
Feb. 11, 2022 | The Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) on Tuesday launched the Core Facilities Exchange (CFE), which allows researchers across Arkansas to share resources and equipment. The CFE is a partnership with the six major research facilities in Arkansas, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
The launch and demonstration of the web-based CFE platform included remarks by UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, who endorsed UAMS’ participation and expressed his excitement for researchers across Arkansas who now have access to state-of-the-art technologies and core resources that enable cutting-edge research.
Heifer International President, CEO Announces Retirement
COURTESY / HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Arkansas-based Heifer International, announced he will step down in September. Ferrari has led the global development organization for the past 12 years.
https://www.kuaf.com/post/heifer-international-president-ceo-announces-retirement
Active COVID-19 Cases in SW Arkansas
Active Cases Data for Sevier County
Total Active Cases: 112
Active Cases Data for Howard County
Total Active Cases: 105
Active Cases Data for Little River County
Total Active Cases: 94
Active Cases Data for Polk County
Total Active Cases: 157
Active Cases Data for Pike County
Total Active Cases: 75
UA Little Rock receives grant to research covert online information campaigns
KUAR | By Talk Business & Politics Staff
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS) has received a multi-year grant from a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to study covert online information campaigns in the Indo-Pacific region, the school said.
The school will partner with Carnegie Mellon University, University of Regina, and The Atlantic Council on the five-year project, “Multi-Level Models of Covert Online Information Campaigns.”
Total funding for the project, which is headed by Dr. Kathleen Carley of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), is about $5 million.
Lonnie Timmons III/UA Little Rock
Dr. Nitin Agarwal, founding director of the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies, will serve as principal investigator for UA Little Rock.
Arkansas coalition that eliminated medical debt now working on new measures
KUAR | By Roby Brock / Talk Business & Politics
Last month, a broad coalition of Arkansas nonprofits and donors coordinated the elimination of $35 million in medical debt for over 23,000 Arkansans. Leaders from two of the organizing groups say there is still much work to be done in this area and they hope to advance public policies addressing systemic challenges to lower-income citizens who encounter medical emergencies.
Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, president and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and Abby Hughes Holsclaw, senior director for Arkansas Asset Funders Network, say that medical debt can derail the financial stability of asset-limited, income-constrained, employed (ALICE) workers. ALICE workers have jobs, but they are typically lower paying and don’t always offer benefits. A $1,500 (or higher) medical bill can result in financial challenges related to their jobs, child care, transportation or other health concerns.
Talk Business & Politics
Arkansas-based cannabis fintech hits $2 billion mark; U.S. marijuana sales grow
KUAR | By Michael Tilley/ Talk Business & Politics
North Little Rock-based Abaca has processed more than $2 billion in transactions for the cannabis (marijuana) industry. Growth with the financial technology (fintech) banking company comes as more states in recent years have legalized some form of marijuana use.
The company recently announced it “compliantly” processed the transactions through its “bank-backed financial technology” that provides “normalized financial services for an underbanked industry.”
Awards highlight historic Arkansas properties
KUAR | By Daniel Breen
Projects to restore and refurbish historic properties in Arkansas got some recognition at the annual Arkansas Preservation Awards.
The honors, which were given out last month by the nonprofit Preserve Arkansas, highlight restoration and re-use projects for historic buildings, as well as other efforts to conserve the state’s history.
Preserve Arkansas Executive Director Rachel Patton says the goal is to raise awareness of the larger benefits of historic preservation.
Owners of the Marshall House at 2009 S. Arch St. in Little Rock were honored for Excellence in Personal Projects as part of the annual Arkansas Preservation Awards.
Winners named for 2022 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame
by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)
The Department of Arkansas Heritage’s Arkansas Food Hall of Fame winners for the class of 2022 were announced on Monday (Feb. 7).
Arkansas Heritage also honored chicken as the 2022 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Food of the Year.
This year, more than 2,000 submissions were received from all 75 Arkansas counties for the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.
https://talkbusiness.net/2022/02/winners-named-for-2022-arkansas-food-hall-of-fame/
Photo: Food from La Casa de Mi Abuelita.