Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

Former Sen. Files prison release date set for Nov. 11

Former Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, who now resides in the City of Faith halfway house in Little Rock, is set to be released from federal detention on Nov. 11,…

More schools get A’s, fewer get F’s in latest school scores

Arkansas saw an 11% increase in public schools earning an A and a 14% decrease in schools earning an F on accountability reports released by the Arkansas Department of Education…

Ex-Walmart compliance exec announces Democratic challenge of Republican incumbent Sen. Bart Hester

For the first time, Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, will have a Democratic challenger in a general election. Ronetta J. Francis of Rogers, a corporate ethics and compliance executive, employment…

Listening tour for Team Jonesboro follows special sales tax defeat

Jonesboro’s need for additional funding to fund more police and fire services and add amenities to the city did not disappear with the voters’ rejection by a narrow margin of…

PSC chief reiterates market-based approach for state’s net metering, solar energy expansion

Arkansas Public Service Chairman Ted Thomas said Tuesday (Oct. 8) that regulators will reopen the controversial net metering docket a week from now and reiterated his past stance that Arkansas…

Lawmakers can’t agree on school consultant, so none hired

Some Arkansas legislators Tuesday (Oct. 8) wanted to hire Augenblick, Palaich and Associates to study the state’s educational adequacy efforts, some wanted to hire Shuls and Associates, and some wanted…

Congressional redistricting: 10 years of political change

For the last 10 years, Arkansas’ population has been slowly growing, becoming more suburban, and shifting from the southeast to the northwest. The effects have been broad and obvious. But…

Sebastian County NAACP branch seeks ‘transparency and justice’ from UAFS

The Sebastian County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is asking for a meeting with University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Chancellor Dr. Terisa…

Delta Regional Authority to invest $2.228 million in projects across the region

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has made a $2,228,104 investment in public infrastructure and workforce training to grow the region’s economy and create jobs, DRA Federal Co-Chairman Chris Caldwell and…

AG Rutledge calls on eBay to remove e-nicotine devices, products

In conjunction with the state’s first Youth Vaping Summit, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Monday (Oct. 7) called on retail giant eBay to remove electronic nicotine devices and products…

Little Rock mayor, city board add proposals to state’s LRSD plan

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. outlined a proposal aimed at bringing city, state and education leaders together to return local control of the Little Rock School District (LRSD) and…

Women2Women Conversation Tour takes place Thursday in Little Rock

The Women2Women (W2W) Conversations Tour will feature a panel discussion in Little Rock on Thursday (Oct. 10) at the Little Rock Club at 10 p.m. Ticket prices are $20.19 and…

The LRSD reconstitution framework is a responsible path forward

Being responsible isn’t easy. In deliberating the future of the Little Rock School District (LRSD), responsibility is a key consideration of the Arkansas Board of Education. People generally agree on…

A unified path exists for Little Rock schools

Regardless whether you believe the education policy underlying the framework proposed by the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Education Commissioner is sound, the reality is that this plan…

Democratic Congressional candidate William Hanson: Trump has ‘absolutely’ committed impeachable offense

Fourth District Democratic Congressional candidate William Hanson says there’s no doubt in his mind that President Donald Trump has committed an impeachable offense and he contends that moving forward on…

Economist: Metro areas largely supporting Arkansas’ record low unemployment rate

UA Walton College economist Mervin Jebaraj said there should be little complaining about Arkansas’ record low unemployment rate of 3.4%, but he warned that there are some fractures that make…

U.S. unemployment falls to 50-year low, job growth cools further

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low Friday (Oct. 4), but weaker-than-expected job growth underpinning the nation’s tight labor pool continues to stoke fears of a possible economic…

Domtar reducing operations at Ashdown paper mill

Domtar Corporation announced Thursday (Oct. 3) that it will permanently shut down two of its paper machines with one of the closures being in Ashdown, Arkansas. The other closure will be…

Don Pierce announces for House District 22, seat currently held by Rep. Mickey Gates

Republican Don Pierce announced he will be a candidate for House District 22, the seat currently held by embattled Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs. Pierce previously sought the nomination in…

Arkansas airports receive $42.5 million in FAA funding for projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded more than $42.5 million to community and regional airports in Arkansas to fund upgrades to taxiways, terminals and other airfield infrastructure improvements…