ASMSA-TIP expands and opens registration

ASMSA-TIP expands and opens registration

HOT SPRINGS — The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Talent Identification Program has expanded to include Arkansas students from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades in its second year. ASMSA-TIP provides gifted students, parents and educators with resources and guidance that are tailored to support a child’s educational, social and emotional development.…

Immunization Deadline Approaching for South Arkansas Students

Immunization Deadline Approaching for South Arkansas Students

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – As the state-mandated deadline for immunizations quickly approaches, parents and guardians across South Arkansas are urged to ensure their children are up-to-date on required vaccinations. According to Arkansas state law, all students must receive their necessary immunizations by September 25, 2024, or they risk being sent home from school until they…

SAU Board of Trustees Hears Updates on Start of the Academic Year and Enrollment

SAU Board of Trustees Hears Updates on Start of the Academic Year and Enrollment

MAGNOLIA, AR (09/06/2024) The Southern Arkansas University System Board of Trustees met in a regularly scheduled session on Thursday, September 5, on the SAU-Magnolia campus. Board chair, Laura Winning, opened the meeting with greetings and the approval of the minutes from the last meeting. Excitement over the start of the academic year, significant campus improvements…

A-State Fall Enrollment Rises 12% to Record 16,687 Students

A-State Fall Enrollment Rises 12% to Record 16,687 Students

JONESBORO – Arkansas State University fall enrollment soared 12% over last year to an all-time record of 16,687 students, Chancellor Todd Shields announced today. A-State broke last fall’s record enrollment of 14,903 as more high school students chose A-State to pursue a college degree, with a 14.5% increase in first-year, on-campus students.  Transfers of traditional…

Mississippi River continues to trend lower; draft restrictions in place for shipping

Mississippi River continues to trend lower; draft restrictions in place for shipping

JONESBORO, Ark. — Barges plying the shrinking lower Mississippi River have to reduce their draft, meaning operators will have to cut the amount of cargo their boats carry to meet the latest restrictions. “The gauge at Memphis dropped to the low water threshold of minus 5 feet on Aug. 30,” said Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for…

Abigail Kingrey Receives 2024 AAS Hester Davis Annual Meeting Scholarship

Abigail Kingrey Receives 2024 AAS Hester Davis Annual Meeting Scholarship

POCAHONTAS, Ark. – The Arkansas Archaeological Society (AAS) has announced Abigail Kingrey as the 2024 recipient of the Hester Davis Annual Meeting Scholarship. Abigail, a resident of Pocahontas, Arkansas, is pursuing an online degree from Colorado State University with a focus on archaeology. Kingrey, who graduated from high school in 2021, shared her passion for…

U of A Sets Enrollment Record with More Than 33,600 Students

U of A Sets Enrollment Record with More Than 33,600 Students

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the fourth-consecutive year, the University of Arkansas has set an overall enrollment record with 33,610 students beginning the fall semester. The new record, which includes undergraduate, graduate and law students, includes an increase of more than 1,500 students.  The 11th day census “snapshot,” required by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, indicates that…

ASP Highway Safety Office Launches ‘Extreme Safety’ Campaign To Improve Pedestrian and Bike Safety

ASP Highway Safety Office Launches ‘Extreme Safety’ Campaign To Improve Pedestrian and Bike Safety

The following is a press release from the Arkansas State Police: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —  To enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety on Arkansas roadways, the Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office is launching a new campaign called “Extreme Safety.” Running from Sept. 3rd to the 16th, this initiative aims to address the pressing concerns surrounding…

Burn Bans Remain in Effect Across Several South Arkansas Counties Despite Recent Rainfall

Burn Bans Remain in Effect Across Several South Arkansas Counties Despite Recent Rainfall

WARREN, Ark. – Despite recent rainfall in portions of South Arkansas, burn bans remain in effect across several counties, with officials urging residents to exercise caution. As of Monday afternoon, September 2, 2024, Jefferson, Lincoln, Chicot, Bradley, Ouachita, and Union Counties are all still under burn bans. These measures are in place to reduce the…

AEDC announces new entrepreneurship program: 75Strong

AEDC announces new entrepreneurship program: 75Strong

The following is a press release from the AEDC: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (August 27, 2024) – The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) announced today the development of 75Strong, a new statewide program designed to train economic developers and community leaders on entrepreneurship and small business development and to provide direct technical support for small businesses throughout…

Arrest Made In Dumas Homicide

The following is a press release from the Arkansas State Police: DUMAS, Ark. — Della Marshall, 39, was charged with First-Degree Murder in the weekend death of a Dumas man. The Dumas Police Department (DPD) asked the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to investigate the homicide that occurred in Dumas on Saturday,…

Abundance of timber, slower housing market forecast keeps prices soft, cuts margins for loggers

Abundance of timber, slower housing market forecast keeps prices soft, cuts margins for loggers

MONTICELLO, Ark. — A nearly twofold increase in standing timber in Arkansas, coupled with a decline in housing demand, is keeping prices soft and tightening margins for loggers, according to economists at the Arkansas Center for Forest Business. By Mary Hightower U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture FreddieMac noted in its June outlook that the housing…

Looming railroad, port strikes could bring additional blow for ag in already difficult fall

JONESBORO, Ark. — Potential labor strikes against Canadian railways and at ports in the United States could intensify an already difficult fall for agriculture. A strike could hit both the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City as soon as Thursday. Nutrien, the world’s largest producer of potash, told Reuters that a strike would…

Building Arkansas’s future: lithium industry support is high priority for SAU

Press release from SAU: MAGNOLIA, AR – As the global community moves toward sustainable energy solutions, Arkansas is uniquely positioned to lead this transition. The state, particularly the southwestern region, is rich in natural resources, including significant lithium deposits. This discovery marks a new chapter for Arkansas, offering the potential to become a major player…

Oaklawn President Louis Cella Announces $500,000 Donation to Razorback Foundation, Challenges Arkansas Businesses to Contribute

Calling it an example of one great Arkansas sports institution lending a hand to another, Louis Cella announced today that Oaklawn has made a $500,000 contribution to the Razorback Foundation at the University of Arkansas.  In addition, he is asking for other Arkansas businesses to consider also making a contribution to support the Razorbacks. Cella, a…

Arkansas State Police Urge Parental Vigilance as Online Predator Threats Rise, Legislative Efforts Face Delays

Arkansas State Police Urge Parental Vigilance as Online Predator Threats Rise, Legislative Efforts Face Delays

Recently, the Arkansas State Police (ASP) issued a reminder for parents to remain vigilant in recognizing and preventing online predators from targeting children. This summer alone, ASP has issued several Missing/Endangered Advisories for missing children and teens, including five Amber Alerts since May. Disturbingly, multiple Arkansas teens have been lured away by predators they encountered…

Boozman, Cotton, Hyde-Smith Hail Victory for U.S. Catfish Producers as Commerce Dept. Reverses Decision Favoring Imports from Vietnam

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) in claiming victory for U.S. farm-raised catfish producers and processors following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s announcement reversing a preliminary decision that would have greatly reduced anti-dumping duties on imported catfish from companies controlled by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The…

Arkansas ag researchers seek climate-resilient rice as part of USDA grant

STUTTGART, Ark. — Scientists at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Rice Research and Extension Center seek to develop rice that is more resilient in the face of climate change and usable water depletion. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists Nick Bateman, associate professor and extension entomologist, and Stan De Guzman, assistant professor and…

Jefferson Regional welcomes infectious disease specialist

Jefferson Regional is pleased to announce that Infectious Disease Physician Mallory Smith, MD has joined the medical staff. Dr. Smith earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica. She completed an Internship and Residency in Pediatrics and…