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…
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ADEM conducts live solar eclipse exercise
With less than a month remaining before the Great American Solar Eclipse, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) took a significant step by conducting a live training exercise. This exercise was designed to test ADEM’s response to issues that may arise as visitors flock to Arkansas to witness the event. ADEM responders and other…
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…
Pine Bluff to get new Chick-fil-A on Highway 63
According to partnering news outlets, Saline River Chronicle has learned that a new Chick-fil-A is planned to be built on Highway 63 south of Walmart. As you can see from the above photo, the planned location is set to be south of the intersection of Highway 63 and I-530. That will put the new restaurant…
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…
Weekly column from the Arkansas House of Representatives for 1-20-23
House members will enter the third week of the 2023 Regular Session on Monday. In the second week, several bills passed the House and are now making their way to the Senate. On Wednesday, the House passed HB1018. This bill will allow members of municipal fire department bomb squads to carry weapons while responding to…
Drought, high fertilizer prices eat into hay production
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — High fertilizer prices and drought in 2022 handed hay production in the United States its biggest decline in 11 years with stocks at their lowest level since data collection began, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The stats were part of the Jan. 12 Crop Production Summary from NASS, which is…
Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund accepting Summer 2023 scholarship applications
Monticello, Ark. – Eligible single parents are invited to apply for Summer 2023 scholarships at aspsf.org/applynow. The deadline to apply is March 15. Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) awards scholarships up to $1,200 to eligible single parents who are attending college or obtaining technical training. A full list of eligibility guidelines is available at aspsf.org/eligibility.…
NALC Jan 18 webinar to provide legislative update on foreign ownership of ag land
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Foreign ownership and investments in U.S. agricultural land have increased to more than 40 million acres in the last decade, making up just over 3 percent of all privately held farmland within the U.S., according to the Farm Service Agency. For many legislators, that increase raises concerns over food supply and national…
Jefferson Regional receives second grant from Blue Cross Foundation
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Jefferson Regional is pleased to announce that the Jefferson Regional Foundation has been awarded a grant for cancer screenings from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. This is the second year Jefferson Regional has received assistance from the Blue & You Foundation for cancer screenings. The grant will…
Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma Hydrogen Partnership Encouraged to Submit Full Application for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program
LITTLE ROCK – Today, Govs. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and J. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma announced that the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has encouraged the HALO Hydrogen Hub to submit a Full Application for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program, allocated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The…
Entergy Arkansas prepped for freezing temps, high winds, precipitation through holidays
The following is a press release from Entergy Arkansas: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Entergy Arkansas is prepared for the likelihood that winter weather will affect parts of the company’s service territory Thursday through Saturday (Dec. 22-24) with temperatures below freezing, strong winds and precipitation. Forecasts call for sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with…
News from around Arkansas: Bentonville becomes home for U.S. National Mountain Bike Team
BENTONVILLE, AR – Dec. 15, 2022 – Today, USA Cycling announces that Bentonville, Arkansas, will become the official “Home of the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team,” as young athletes set their sights on success leading into 2028. The U.S. National Mountain Bike Team will utilize Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas’ network of trails and gravel for…
Arkansas State Police: Stop before driving impaired; Holiday law enforcement push to protect motorists
The festivities of Christmas and New Year holidays is often mixed with good cheer leading to tragedies on Arkansas roadways. This year the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is partnering with law enforcement agencies across the state to share the message about the dangers of drunk driving. Beginning this weekend (December…
State broadband office urges Arkansans to verify federal broadband map
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (December 14, 2022) – The Arkansas State Broadband Office is urging all Arkansans to verify the newly published federal broadband map. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a new national broadband map showing high-speed internet availability across the country. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will use this new map to…
Dan Herrington named Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Chief Administrative Officer
Little Rock, Ark. — Dec. 7, 2022 — Dan Herrington of Little Rock has been named Chief Administrative Officer for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. He joins the cooperatives after a 27-year career with a leading Arkansas law firm. “Dan’s skills and experience will enable the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas to continue as a leading…
Jefferson Regional executives, marketing department take home AHA awards
(December 6, 2022 – Pine Bluff, AR) Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff was recently recognized with multiple awards at the 2022 meeting of the Arkansas Hospital Association (AHA). Jefferson Regional President & CEO Brian Thomas received the Alan A. Weintraub Memorial Award, the AHA’s highest award bestowed on an individual. Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer…
Avian influenza confirmed in third Arkansas poultry flock; Producers urged to take precautions
LITTLE ROCK – Testing has confirmed a case of avian influenza in a backyard flock in Arkansas County that had shown increased mortality over the course of several days. This is the third case of avian influenza in Arkansas this year. Earlier this year the Department confirmed cases of avian influenza on a poultry farm in Madison…
Arkansas Grown
Weekly Column from the Arkansas House of Represenatives 11-18-22: Did you know that more than 12% of all turkeys produced in the United States are raised right here in Arkansas? Arkansas produces 27 million turkeys per year and ranks third in the nation in turkeys raised. But that’s not the only popular Thanksgiving dish that…
Jefferson Regional receives Leapfrog Safety Rating
The national Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for Fall of 2022 were revealed on November 16, and Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff is pleased to announce that it has received a “B” rating. Leapfrog is a national non-profit watchdog organization. Using evidence-based measures, Leapfrog assigns a letter grade twice a year to nearly 3,000 hospitals based…
As Mississippi River rises, so do commodity prices
LITTLE ROCK — As rain feeds the Mississippi, the rising river is also buoying the commodity prices farmers are receiving at the elevators. Months of drought throughout the Mississippi River basin dropped the river to record low levels in October; bottlenecking — and at one point halting — barge traffic between Osceola, Arkansas, and Greenville, Mississippi.…