Author: Steve Brawner

Steve Brawner

Arkansas drops two spots in Kids Count child well-being report

Arkansas fell from 43rd to 45th out of the 50 states in child well-being in the 35th annual edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. The…

ACHI study: Many teen moms give birth again soon after

About a quarter of the 18-19-year-olds in Arkansas who gave birth in the years 2019-21 were pregnant again less than 18 months later. Most teen births in Arkansas were to…

Rockefeller Institute CEO: Arkansas’ low voter turnout part of bigger picture

Arkansas’ worst-in-the-nation voter registration and turnout rankings are part of a larger challenge of civic engagement that the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and its partners are working to address. The Institute…

Judges like UA-Little Rock students’ fix for St. Louis blight

What should a city do when a piece of riverfront property remains blighted and in need of redevelopment after an NFL team skipped town? It might start by asking a…

Speaker: Cities ‘can only move at the speed of trust’

City leaders can only effect change at the pace the community is willing to go. It helps when residents can see short-term successes. It also helps when cities work to…

Draft rule requiring pharmacy payments hits roadblock

A draft Arkansas Insurance Department rule that would have required pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacists for 110% of their drug acquisition costs plus a $10.50 dispensing fee has hit…

Officials say Arkansas’ tourism strategy should play to its outdoors strength

Arkansas should focus on its strengths, particularly its easily accessible and affordable outdoor spaces, the state’s first gentleman said Wednesday (April 24) at Power Up Little Rock, an economic development…

Gov. Sanders outlines budget priorities; Senate ‘fragmented’ on crypto resolution

Gov. Sarah Sanders opened the 2024 fiscal session Wednesday (April 10) by telling assembled lawmakers that if they pass a budget that reflects her priorities, she will sign it. The…

Congressional candidate Jones forming veterans group, names Hollingsworth first campaign chair

Marcus Jones, the retired U.S. Army colonel running as a Democrat to replace U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, said he would support veterans in Congress and announced he was…

Three of New Orleans Four, U.S. marshal remember 1960 integration

Three women who integrated a New Orleans public school as six-year-olds in 1960 while being escorted by U.S. Marshals, including one from Little Rock, formed a lifelong bond in that…

‘Blue to Red’ author: Arkansas GOP in charge for foreseeable future

The Arkansas Democratic Party is in a worse position today than the minority Republican Party was in the 1970s, the author of a new book on the state’s transformation from…

Governor: Eclipse could be among state’s largest tourist events ever

The total solar eclipse on April 8 could be “one of the largest tourism events in our state’s history,” Gov. Sarah Sanders said Monday (March 4). Various state agencies are…

Central Arkansas leaders challenged to think regionally

Many of the challenges facing central Arkansas are regional and not limited to a city or county – a reality that leaders must communicate to the public, Pulaski County Director…

Financing lithium a challenge, but Arkansas environment favorable

Financing major lithium projects in south Arkansas will be a challenge because of the uncertainties surrounding the ventures, but Arkansas has a history in the extraction industry and a supportive…

ExxonMobil exec: Arkansas poised to be ‘center’ of lithium industry in North America

Arkansas can become the center of the lithium industry in North America, but success will require predictable and efficient regulations, fiscal competitiveness and certainty, and infrastructure, said Patrick Howarth, lithium…

Aerospace Alliance, 189th Wing collaborating to recruit skilled personnel

Mark Bremer’s path to becoming vice president of industrial programs for Dassault Falcon Jet started 38 years ago at the Little Rock Air Force Base. On Feb. 2, he was…

State of the State 2024: Arkansas health care faces challenges

Editor’s note: The State of the State series provides reports twice a year on Arkansas’ key economic sectors. The series publishes stories to begin a year and stories in July/August…

State of the State 2024: Arkansas’ education system in flux

Editor’s note: The State of the State series provides reports twice a year on Arkansas’ key economic sectors. The series publishes stories to begin a year and stories in July/August…

Racing Commission reviewing rules to reopen Pope County casino process

The Arkansas Racing Commission is ready to roll the dice again. The five-member panel agreed Wednesday (Jan. 24) to review proposed rules for a new application process for a Pope…

Consultant: Searcy should focus on growing legacy businesses

The city of Searcy should focus on growing its legacy businesses and industry along with firearms and ammunition, aerospace and aviation, and data centers, a consultant told community leaders Friday…