KUAF By Rachell Sanchez-Smith
Over 5,500 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice. Indigenous women are murdered at a rate ten times higher than any other ethnicity. Students from Stillwell High School in Oklahoma investigated and reported on the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the conviction of David Jefferson Brown of Benton on 4 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a class C felony. Brown pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Ten years were suspended conditioned on good behavior. Upon release, he is required to register as a sex offender.
“Brown admitted guilt for his unforgivable actions and now we can revel in one less predator roaming the streets,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “Each time these horrific photos are shared by these predators, the children are revictimized. My office is doing everything it can to put a stop to these horrendous crimes.”
Brown, 46, turned himself into the Saline County Jail in June 2020 after agents from the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit discovered sexually explicit files shared by him through a peer-to-peer network. Agents seized and provided forensic analysis of a computer hard drive, flash drive and a cell phone from the residence that was then turned over to Saline County Prosecutor Chris Walton once it was completed.
Brown pleaded guilty before Saline County Circuit Court Judge Josh Farmer and was prosecuted by Saline County Prosecutor Chris Walton and Senior Assistant Attorney General Marianne Satterfield.
KUAR | By Josie Lenora
U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas says recently passed legislation and additional measures under consideration will help veterans who over the past few decades have been exposed to toxic waste.
At a roundtable meeting with veterans on Thursday, the senator discussed the “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022.” It was approved with bipartisan support and signed into law last month by President Biden.
The bill aims to give health benefits to veterans exposed to toxic waste.
KUAR News
File photo of U.S. Senator John Boozman who spoke to a veterans group Thursday about legislation intended to help those exposed to toxic waste.
KUAR | By George Jared/ Talk Business & Politics
The numbers of a common, damaging pest in Arkansas row crops have surged in the last several weeks.
Bollworms, a moth caterpillar, are typically found in cotton, soybean and corn crops. The insect emerges as a moth in mid-May and then spreads its larva onto crops, according to farmprogress.com. Hungry bollworms can damage soybean pods, corn ears and cotton bolls and squares.
Yields can be diminished as a result of bollworm damage.
Matthew Davis/UA System Division Of Agriculture
Bollworm moths in a trap in Jackson County on July 1. Agents and entomologists are seeing higher than usual numbers of these moths.
by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe, says he’s comfortable accelerating tax cuts the governor wants to speed up with a $1.6 billion surplus on hand and money in a state rainy day fund, but he’s hesitant to commit to new expenses, including teacher salaries until more data is collected.
Appearing on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, Dismang said he also wants constituents to be reminded there have been other tax cuts for low- and middle-income Arkansans that have already taken place.
“We’re accelerating. We’ve already put, in fact, as far as January 1st, 2022, a low-income tax cut and a middle-income tax cut. When we combined the [tax] tables, those totaled roughly, if I remember correctly, about $150 million alone for all those individuals that were making less than $84,000 a year,” he said.
https://talkbusiness.net/2022/07/budget-chair-says-guardrails-in-place-for-accelerated-tax-cuts/
by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Randy Zook has been working to resolve the state’s labor dilemma with all the tools he can muster. With baby boomers retiring and a smaller number of new generation workers moving into the workforce, Arkansas and the nation are facing a daunting challenge to keep employers staffed.
“There are two open jobs right now for every one person who is officially unemployed. So you’ve got that gap, that two-to-one difference there that creates a lot of this gap,” Zook said on this week’s Talk Business & Politics.
While unemployment is at a historic low of 3.2% in Arkansas and while workers continue to come back into the labor market, there is still a demographic gap that can’t keep up. Arkansas’ labor force participation rate is about five percentage points below the national average, Zook said.
by Marine Glisovic (msglisovic@sbgtv.com)
Two ballot titles were turned in Friday (July 8) to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s (SOS) office. If certified, Arkansas voters will vote on two questions, with one related to recreational marijuana, and the other involving a planned casino in Pope County.
The signatures must first be certified by the SOS. It takes 89,151 valid signatures for an item to be approved for the ballot.
Friday morning, the group behind the adult use marijuana proposal, Responsible Growth for Arkansas, submitted more than 190,000 petition signatures and ballot title for certification. According to the filing made with the SOS, former state legislator and former Democratic Party of Arkansas official Eddie Armstrong is listed as the chairman of the group.
Daniel Breen/KUAR News
Steve Lancaster, attorney for Responsible Growth Arkansas, submits paperwork to Leslie Bellamy (left), director of elections for the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, and Shantell McGraw (center), assistant director of elections.
by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)
Darin Gray has seen a lot of changes in marketing over the past five years, most of which have been good for the industry.
Gray has led 60-year-old ad agency CJRW through the ever-changing industry since joining the Little Rock-based company as president eight years ago. He was named chairman and CEO in July 2015.
“We now, especially in this industry, are in a constant flux of change,” he said. “Data analytics, data itself, insights, access to that information and monitoring that information keeps it changing on a constant basis.”
Darin Gray of Bentonville joined Little Rock-based CJRW as president eight years ago. He was named chairman and CEO in July 2015.
By Chris Carmody
Two faculty members from the UAMS College of Nursing have been selected to take part in leadership programs through the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Fermin Renteria, DNP, APRN, assistant professor in the College of Nursing, was named to the 2022-23 class of the AACN’s Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing (ELAN) program. The one-year fellowship is designed to improve the leadership skills of aspiring deans and senior faculty members. Participants begin with a five-day leadership immersion experience this summer, and they’ll attend virtual workshops and receive coaching throughout the year.
Teresa Whited, DNP, APRN, associate professor and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Nursing, was selected to attend the 2022-23 AACN-Wharton Executive Leadership Program. Whited previously completed the ELAN program. The AACN-Wharton program is designed to hone participants’ skills in negotiation, leadership and influencing others.
On permanent display in the visitor center at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park, the site where this splendid stone was discovered, the Strawn-Wagner Diamond is the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) ever certified in its laboratory. Graded the perfect grade of O/O/O (Ideal cut/D color/Flawless), or "Triple Zero," it is the highest grade a diamond can achieve. This is the most perfect a cut diamond can be. A diamond this perfect is so rare that most jewelers and gemologists never see one during their career.
Found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in 1990 by Shirley Strawn of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, this diamond weighed 3.03 carats in the rough. In 1997, under the recommendation of Bill Underwood, Arkansas's first certified gemologist, the gem was sent to Lazare Kaplan International of New York for cutting. Lazare Kaplan cut the gem to perfection into a 1.09-carat, round brilliant-shape diamond featuring an "Ideal Cut." This cut allows for the maximum amount of light to be reflected from one facet to another and up through the top.
https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park/history/famous-finds
Strawn-Wagner Arkansas State Parks
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined a bipartisan letter to Congress urging action regarding copycat THC edibles. These products are designed to look like popular snack items and have increased accidental THC consumption in children. On June 16, the FDA issued a warning stating that between January 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022, National Poison Control Centers received 10,448 single substance exposure cases involving only edible products containing THC. Of these cases, 77% involved patients 19 years of age or younger.
“We must protect young people at all costs especially when these THC products look almost identical to an everyday snack that a child, like my daughter, would eat,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “If you see these look-alike products for sale, report them to my office immediately.”
Widely available, and easily mistaken for name brand snacks such as Oreo cookies, Doritos chips, Cheetos, NERDs, and more, THC copycat products are often unintentionally given to children or mistaken by children for the brand name snack products, resulting in unsuspecting children ingesting large amounts of THC.
The attorneys general letter states that, while they do not all agree on the best regulatory scheme for cannabis and THC generally, they all agree on one thing: copycat THC edibles pose a grave risk to the health, safety, and welfare of our children.
Congress should immediately enact legislation authorizing trademark holders of well-known and trusted consumer packaged goods to hold accountable those malicious actors who are marketing illicit copycat THC edibles to children.
Attorneys General from Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington signed the letter.
By Chris Carmody
Nursing Schools Almanac has recognized the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing in its 2022 ranking of the nation’s 100 best nursing programs.
The UAMS College of Nursing ranked No. 82 among the 3,000 institutions examined by Nursing Schools Almanac, which places UAMS among the top 3%. Among public nursing schools in the United States, UAMS is listed as No. 44 out of more than 1,800. UAMS was also the only university in Arkansas to make the Top 100.
“The UAMS College of Nursing continues to be recognized for our excellent programs,” said Patricia Cowan, Ph.D., RN, dean of the College of Nursing. “This would not have happened without the faculty’s dedication and commitment to providing quality education to our students.”
By Benjamin Waldrum
Sayena Jabbehdari, M.D., MPH, an ophthalmology resident at the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, was named runner-up in a national ‘Shark Tank’-style competition held at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery’s (ASCRS) annual conference.
Jabbehdari was one of three finalists from a pool of 150 participants in the ASCRS Winning Pitch, a competition designed to foster innovation in ophthalmology. She is the first female resident to be named a finalist.
“Dr. Jabbehdari’s ideas are groundbreaking,” said Paul Phillips, M.D., Jones Eye Institute director and chair of the UAMS Department of Ophthalmology in the College of Medicine. “Many patients previously blind from corneal disease will now be able to see.”
KUAR | By Ryan McGeeney / U of A System Division of Agriculture
Planted acreage for all major commodity crops fell from growers’ stated planting intentions in March, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the across-the-board drop came as a surprise.
“When you tally up the March-to-June difference for all crops — soybeans, rice, corn, cotton and peanuts — June acres are 155,000 less than March intentions,” Stiles said. “You'd think with the wet April conditions that soybeans would have been the beneficiary and come in higher than the March estimate.
Dan Charles/NPR
Arkansas farmer David Wildy inspects a field of soybeans that were damaged by dicamba in 2017.
by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)
The previously estimated Arkansas budget surplus of $1.473 billion grew to a record $1.628 billion, which resulted in Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday (July 5) calling for an Aug. 8 special session to discuss possible tax cuts.
“Today, I am announcing I will call a special session of the General Assembly to reduce the rate of our tax collection. The special session will be the week of August 8. The specific items on the call in addition to tax relief will be announced at a later time as further discussions are held with the General Assembly,” the governor said in a Tuesday afternoon statement.
A record fiscal year 2022 surplus was thanks in large part to a more than 5% annual growth in income tax revenue and a more than 9% growth in sales tax revenue. Total tax revenue in fiscal year 2022 (July 2021-June 2022) was $8.773 billion, up 8% – or $651.2 million – compared with a robust fiscal year 2021 in which the tax surplus hit the previous record of $945.7 million. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) reported the fiscal year numbers on Tuesday (July 5).
by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)
Northeast Arkansas electric vehicle manufacturer, Envirotech, has entered into a $27 million agreement with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The agreement will aid in facility construction and expansion in Osceola, in addition to hiring and training efforts to bring more than 850 full-time employees to Mississippi County.
Corona, Calif.,-based Envirotech announced in February it would bring an $80 million manufacturing plant to Arkansas with the intention to quickly begin aspects of production.
“We’re excited to announce a partnership with AEDC, which is one of many recent announcements showcasing the company’s ability to ramp up EV production and get more commercial EVs on the road to our customers. We have been making tremendous progress. Final assembly is currently taking place in Osceola and facility renovations are underway. As the state’s only licensed auto manufacturer, we’re excited to have AEDC on board as we work to hire and train more than 850 employees,” said Envirotech Vehicles CEO Phillip Oldridge.
https://talkbusiness.net/2022/07/envirotech-aedc-enter-into-27-million-agreement/
Research has shown that 90 percent of a person’s brain develops in the first five years of life.
That is why a child’s experiences and relationships during that time are critically important. Reading not only engages children and boosts brain development, but it also helps children and parents and children bond.
This year the Department of Human Services launched the “10 Minutes Matter” reading campaign.
Studies have shown that reading just one short book every day to a young child can increase their vocabulary by 300,000 words.
Reading creates a wonderful bonding experience between parent and child starting at birth. It stimulates the imagination and expands children’s knowledge of the world. It also strengthens social and emotional development by teaching them words to express their feelings.
Reading to your child for just 10 minutes a day can make a big difference and it is never too early to start.
For families with limited resources, there are several ways to get books a little to no cost.
The Arkansas Imagination Library works in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send every child in Arkansas from birth to age 5 a new book each month. The books are free of cost and age-appropriate.
Research has shown that a child with 25 books in their home complete an average of two additional years of schooling compared to their peers without books in their home. The goal of the Arkansas Imagination Library is that every kindergartner begins school with 60 books in their home.
You can also check out books from your local library. We have posted a link to a map of all libraries in the state as well as a link to the Arkansas Imagination Library website on our website at www.arkansashouse.org.
School starting is just around the corner and we hope that you have had a marvelous summer.
Well, the Summer Reading Program has come and gone but the Contest will be until July 31. So make sure you turn in your reading records in time. Those Children wishing to participate can stop by and pick up a reading record to record the books they have read and whoever reads the most books in their age group will win a backpack with school supplies.
The programs in July at 11:00 a.m. are as follows:
July 6th Seas’ your future Program
July 13th Snakes with AGFC
July 20th Story and Fun with Kelsie
July 27th Delta Dental Program
We would like to thank Klondike and Saybra with Healthcare Express, Casey and Friend with AGFC, De Queen Fire Department, The De Queen Bee, KDQN, and all parents, children and volunteers who helped make this year’s program a success.
We still have seeds of all kinds for checkout to plant. However, we do ask that if you have seeds from your harvest, you share them with us so we can keep our seed program going.
And don’t forget you can access our card catalog anytime at:
www.seviercountylibrary.com/county-card-catalog.
Don’t forget we have the LIBBYAPP. You can follow the instructions to download the libbyapp from our Facebook.com/seviercountylibrary or simply go to your play store on your device. Remember you must search “Arkansas Digital Library Consortium” and hold a valid library card to browse our selection. For more information, you can call 584-4364
Horatio Library Summer is in full force. It is so hot outside. What better thing to do than to sit at home and read a good book. We have a lot of good books this month. We have new books that are for everyone in the family. Summer is a good time for the kids to do some extra reading. We will be having our children’s program on July 16th at 10 a.m. Please make plans to come out and join us. If you haven’t you need to stop by and look at our new interactive sidewalk. Bring the kids, they will love it, come on in and see what Horatio Library has to offer you.
Kids come to the Lockesburg Library for Shark Week, July 6,7 and 9. It is s part of our summer of learning about the Ocean. The next two weeks we will explore the ocean lives of Whales and then Octopus. There are activities, books, treats and games. We will have our drawing for Summer Reading Program winners to be announced and awarded August 3rd. Also in August Mz. Wendy is continuing to providing Summer Page scheduling. Speak to her about learning some basis library science and working some at the library if you need service or volunteer hours. Wendy Clay, 870-289-2233.
Hello from Gillham Library! The Summer Reading Program has been a success this year! We are so glad the kids enjoyed the programs and we plan to have some more things for them so watch our Facebook page. Sure want to thank Arkansas Game and Fish for coming and bringing the little alligator and having the fish program too. We want to thank Rick and Tina Robinson and Freda Kyles for supporting our program this year. It sure helps our small library to be able to provide snacks and treats for the kids. Come see us and get a library card if you don’t already have one and check out a great book or DVD. Remember we are Open Tuesday 9-1, Friday 1-5 and Saturday 10-2. Call Rhonda, Kelsie or Mr. Bob at 386-5665 for more information.
By Linda Satter
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received the American Heart Association’s GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
In addition to receiving the GoldPlus award for the eighth consecutive year, UAMS also received Honor Roll Elite recognition in the Target: Stroke category for the second consecutive year. The latter honor is reserved for hospitals that attained silver or gold achievement status and administered crucial medication to stroke patients within an hour of their arrival, at least 85% of the time.
“We are thrilled to be recognized yet again for our continued commitment to providing excellent stroke care to Arkansans,” said Marzella Backus, MNSc, RN, director of the UAMS Stroke program.
KUAR | By Ronak Patel
Young adults who grew up in foster care were honored at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion on Thursday. There were 74 young adults in the foster care system that graduated from high school or received their GED, according to a program from the event.
The graduation ceremony was hosted by the Arkansas Division of Children & Family Services. Mischa Martin, director of the Division of Children & Family Services, said in an interview the event is a way to bring together the children in the foster care system.
“We just like to come together even though they probably celebrated at the local level to do something special for them to really recognize the challenges they face to finish and make them feel valued and special. They'll walk away with a gift card and some gifts from our nonprofit as well,” Martin said.
Ronak Patel/KUAR News
Gov. Asa Hutchinson shares words of encouragement with graduates. Hutchinson spoke with some of the graduates before the ceremony about their future plans.
