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…
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Gibson to Chair UA Board; Other Officers and Committees Set for Coming Year
LITTLE ROCK – The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas elected new officers at its Jan. 26-27 regularly scheduled meeting, and C.C. “Cliff” Gibson III, of Monticello, will serve as chairman of the 10-member board for the upcoming year. Gibson, other officers and members of a new slate of Board committees appointed by…
Four South Arkansas drivers license testing sites closed February 14-18
According to Troop F of the Arkansas State Police, testing sites in Fordyce, Rison, Warren, and Camden will be closed Monday, February 14 to Friday, February 18, 2022. For more information, contact Troop F of the Arkansas State Police at 870-226-3715.
One person killed in Calhoun County vehicle accident Tuesday morning
HAMPTON, Ark. – A minor was killed and another person injured in a one-vehicle accident Tuesday morning, February 8, 2022 near 2055 US Highway 278 West in rural Calhoun County. According to the Arkansas State Police, eighteen year-old Mi’Corrie Lindsey was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer east on US Highway 278 at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday…
Entergy Arkansas prepping for Winter Storm Landon; outages likely
Little Rock, Arkansas – As Winter Storm Landon rapidly closes in on the state, Entergy Arkansas encourages customers to prepare for outages due to freezing rain and ice accumulation likely to affect the service area. Roughly 3,000 personnel – including transmission and distribution line workers, drone and helicopter operators and scouts, vegetation crews, emergency operations,…
Solar panel parts maker bringing 80 new jobs to Crossett
According to Monticello Live, 80 new jobs are coming to Crossett, as earlier this week Primoris Renewable Energy, a solar panel parts manufacturer, announced they will be opening a new facility in the former DamFab building. Primoris Renewable Energy’s website, says they are “focused on providing full EPC services to the energy sector with a…
VIDEO: SRC asks ADH Epidemiologist Dr. Mike Cima for clarity on how COVID cases are reported
Saline River Chronicle talked Wednesday, January 26, 2022 with the Arkansas Department of Health’s Dr. Mike Cima, State Epidemiologist, about how COVID-19 active case numbers are both discovered and reported. During the interview we discussed how active cases of COVID-19 are both found and recorded for public information, what number of new cases are the…
Dr. Brandy Haley named the UAM Representative to the South Arkansas Nursing Task Force
Monticello, Arkansas – Dr. Brandy Haley, dean and associate professor of nursing at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has been selected to serve as the university’s representative on the South Arkansas Nursing Task Force, which is part of the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP). Dr. Haley joined the UAM faculty in 2012 and was…
Former Warren Fire Chief and court reporter pleads guilty to class D felony theft of property
Warren, Arkansas – Former Warren part-time Fire Chief and former treasurer of the Arkansas Court Reporters Association Michael Ashcraft pled guilty Friday, January 21, 2022 to theft of property, a Class D felony offense, stemming from charges filed by the Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, which accused Ashcraft of manipulating, misappropriating, and misusing membership funds…
Gov. Hutchinson’s proposed budget includes $841,000 for UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Monticello, Arkansas – During Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s balanced budget presentation to the state’s Joint Budget Committee on Jan. 11, he proposed funding for the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We have $841,000 in the budget, which is a new item, for the UAM College of Forestry in…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 1-14-22
Pre-fiscal budget hearings began this week with the Governor outlining his balanced budget proposal calling for a 3.3% increase in spending. We will be reviewing the proposal while we continue to hear requests from state agencies and commissions in the days ahead. As we prepare for the 2022 Fiscal Session, we want to remind you…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 1-7-22
January is known as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. It is a time for us to educate ourselves about human trafficking and learn to spot the signs of trafficking. Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services or…
Weekly column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-30-21
The Arkansas General Assembly will convene for the 2022 Fiscal Session on Monday, February 14. Preparations for that session will begin in the next two weeks. Beginning January 11, the Joint Budget Committee will hold a series of meetings designed to begin the process of outlining a budget for the next fiscal year. Budget hearings…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-22-21
From reducing income tax to lowering the sales tax on used cars, there are several pieces of tax legislation passed in 2021 that will take effect on January 1, 2022. In the most recent special session, the General Assembly passed Act 1 and Act 2, which are identical pieces of legislation that reduce the top…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-17-21
From filling out a job application to completing a homework assignment, the vast majority of our day-to-day lives are dependent on internet access. It is no longer a luxury, and now is a critical time for our state to close the digital divide. Arkansas ranks 41st in state broadband access rating according to Broadbandnow.com. The…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-10-21
Legislation providing the largest state income tax reduction in state history has now been signed into law. Act 1 and Act 2 are identical pieces of legislation passed by the 93rd General Assembly in the special session held this week. These acts will reduce the top income tax rate for individuals from 5.9% to 4.9%…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 12-2-21
The General Assembly is scheduled to convene for an Extraordinary Session on Tuesday, December 7. The Arkansas Constitution says Extraordinary Sessions, often referred to as special sessions, can only be called by the Governor. The Governor announced this week he is calling the session to address tax cuts and several miscellaneous items of legislation. The…
Small businesses are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and the lifeblood of our local economy
In Arkansas, small businesses make up the majority of the business landscape, at 99.3% of all businesses in the state. This equates to 258,552 businesses. Small businesses can be found in every corner of our state. Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday. It is a day to celebrate and support small businesses…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives-November 19, 2021
Next week, most of us will gather around a table with family and friends and think about the things we are most thankful for. This year, we encourage you to think about the men and women who helped bring your meal to the table. Arkansas farmers made not only your meal but countless meals across…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 11-12-21
Right now, there are about 349 children and teens in Arkansas whose parents’ parental rights have been terminated and are currently seeking a forever family. November is National Adoption Month. It is a time to encourage others to learn about adoption and recognize the many children who are still waiting. Recently, the Division of Children…
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Representatives 11-5-21
Arkansas is home to more than 200,000 veterans. They live and work in every community throughout our state. As we approach Veterans Day, we would like to thank our veterans for their sacrifice, their bravery, and the example they set for us all. The majority of Arkansas veterans served in Vietnam. We are home to…