Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

Northwest Arkansas residents hear from transit officials, planners from Missouri, Oklahoma

Transit officials and planners from Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa spoke about ongoing transportation-related projects in their regions, offering insights on how Northwest Arkansas can implement transit plans here….

Cigarette tax increase will help business and employee health

The Arkansas Tax Reform and Relief Legislative Task Force had a veritable buffet of options to consider this week as it prepared its recommendations for the Legislature. But they decided…

Tourism roundtable: Arts, history will drive state’s visitor industry

Arkansas has long touted its “Natural State” motto to draw visitors to the state. In recent years, tourism tax collections have set new records. In 2017, the 2% tax on…

Randolph County residents will likely vote on alcohol sales in November

The Randolph County County Clerk’s Office has certified enough signatures on a petition to allow for an alcohol sales vote in the county during the November election. Randolph County Clerk…

Casey Millspaugh terminated from Parks Commission, Board to consider reinstatement

Fort Smith businessman Casey Millspaugh, the owner of the Fort Smith Popcorn Company, has considered himself an avid supporter of the city’s bikes and trails system for years. He even…

Pharmacists chief Scott Pace to join Impact Management Group

Scott Pace, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, will leave his post and join Impact Management Group (IMG), one of the state’s top governmental affairs firms. Pace will become a…

Legislative panel backs Gov. Hutchinson’s tax cut plan, Internet sales tax proposal

The state Tax Reform and Relief Task Force on Tuesday (Aug. 7) adopted a proposal by the panel’s co-chairs to back potential legislation to cut the state’s marginal tax rate…

Considering term limits

According to a recent article by Steve Brawner in this publication, if cleared for the November 6th ballot and passed by the voters, the proposed amendment to the Arkansas constitution…

Term limits advocate says turnover is healthy

Arkansas Term Limits spokesman Tim Jacob says it’s time for the wishes of state voters to be honored and this year’s term limits proposal should keep lawmakers from altering them…

New AT&T Arkansas president says ‘small cell’ deployment will change consumer lifestyles

Newly named AT&T Arkansas President Ronnie Dedman is a career company man with the telecom giant, and one thing’s for sure, his day job never gets boring. With traffic on…

UA-led MarTREC working to improve multimodal logistics

The Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC) recently received the third of five $1.4 million grants, allowing the center to focus on preserving the U.S. transportation system “through efficient,…

Lawsuit reform is key ingredient for Arkansas’ future

Arkansas needs lawsuit reform to compete economically and increase access to health care. As we work to grow our communities, we are burdened by the threat of frivolous lawsuits and…

Governor: Arkansas Medicaid spending at ‘zero growth’ for first time in state history

Gov. Asa Hutchinson offered a steady dose of good news concerning the state’s healthcare marketplace on Friday (Aug. 3), highlighted by new year-ending data showing Medicaid spending in Arkansas in…

Teacher pay, teen pregnancy are topics Henderson wants to address as governor

Lowering the state’s teen pregnancy rates and raising the pay for teachers would be among Democrat Jared Henderson’s goals if elected governor he said Friday at the NEA Political Animals…

State insurance rate increases range from 1 to 4.6%

Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield has requested insurance rate increases of 4.4% for 2019 on its two plans covering individuals through the health insurance marketplace, while other state insurers…

U.S. unemployment falls to 3.9%, another 157,000 jobs added to nation’s labor pool

The nation’s jobless rate edged back under 4% as employers across the U.S. continue to post “help wanted” signs to attract needed workers in the tight job marketplace, the U.S….

Fort Smith mayoral candidates discuss economy, form of government, FOIA

Fort Smith mayoral candidates Luis Andrade, Wayne Haver, and George McGill met on Thursday (Aug. 2) at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) to discuss their visions for…

State budget coffers boosted by sales tax growth, consumer spending in July

Arkansas budget coffers were flush with new revenue entering fiscal year 2019 as strong sales tax collections and rise in car purchases reflected near across-the-board growth in most segments of…

Medical Marijuana board expedites effort to review dispensary applications, get pot to market

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is accelerating the timeline to receive offers from prospective third-party contractors to score and review more than 200 medical marijuana dispensary applications, according to bid…

Rep. Hill on Russia investigation: Let Mueller ‘do his job’

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, said Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to finish his job, but the Second District Congressman is worried about revelations into FBI internal…