Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

Gov. Beebe Line-item Vetoes Tax Break

Gov. Mike Beebe exercised his third line-item veto during his tenure as Governor. The governor invoked the line-item veto for Section 16 of House Bill 1048, an appropriation bill for…

Talk Business Hires Katherine Daniels, Bill Paddack

A few staff additions of note at Talk Business Arkansas: Katherine Daniels has been hired as Vice President for Sales and Marketing. She brings more than 20 years of experience…

AEDC Chief Supportive Of Minimum Wage Hike, Worried About Quick Action Fund

Arkansas Economic Development Commission director Grant Tennille says he’s supportive of efforts to raise the state minimum wage to $8.50 per hour, calling it a “jobs creator.” Tennille, who was…

Asa Hutchinson Says Private Option ‘Law Of The Land,’ Promises Reforms

Talk Business & Politics hits the campaign trail with GOP gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson. Catch a video of the campaign and a lengthy one-on-one interview.

Arkansas Medical Marijuana Advocate Thinks Measure Is A ‘Shoe-in’

While the race between Tom Cotton and Mark Pryor for the U.S. Senate is getting a lot of attention, at least one other campaign is bound to create a buzz.

Weekend Digest: The Spinach And Chocolate Cake Edition

For our weekend business and political readers: FOR MANY, RETIREMENT IS COMING EARLIER THAN EXPECTED The New York Times calls it the “Gray Jobs Enigma” where Americans many times unexpectedly…

Judge Strikes Down Major Provisions Of ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Law

U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright struck down major provisions of a new Arkansas law that would ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Wright said in her ruling that…

Tolbert: AFP Hits Pryor On Obamacare With $700,000 Ad Buy

In what will be a recurring theme for the next eight months, another conservative group reminds Arkansas voters that Sen. Mark Pryor voted for Obamacare and that the policy is…

Gov. Beebe’s Final Legislative Session

Completing his final legislative session as governor, Mike Beebe and others reflect on the masterful navigation of his 30-year political career.

Tolbert: 3 Republicans, 1 Democrat Seek Arkansas House Speaker’s Chair

A memo from Speaker Davy Carter today lays out the process next week for selecting the Speaker Designate. The election will take place next Wednesday, March 19 when the state…

Lawmakers Approve Budget Bills, Recess Until Wednesday

Arkansas lawmakers passed budget bills to support $5 billion in state spending in the next fiscal year. Wednesday’s short session was a formality to all of the budget proceedings that…

David Bartlett: Community Banks Face Burdens With New Regulations

David Bartlett, the author of this guest commentary, is President and Chief Banking Officer of Simmons First National Corp. and Chairman of the Arkansas Bankers Association. This article first appeared…

Marcy Doderer: Understanding The ACA And Private Option In Arkansas

Editor’s note: Marcy Doderer, Arkansas Children’s Hospital President & CEO, is the author of this guest commentary. It first appeared in the most recent magazine edition of Talk Business Arkansas,…

Cook: New Poll Shows Mark Pryor And Tom Cotton In Dead Heat

A new poll conducted by a nationally recognized polling firm shows the U.S. Senate race between Mark Pryor and Tom Cotton is a dead heat. The poll was conducted by…

Former Treasurer Shoffner Found Guilty On 14 Counts

Former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner was found guilty on all 14 counts of bribery and extortion she was facing from federal prosecutors. Shoffner, whose jury trial began last week, was…

Great Scott! Meet Highway Commissioner-Banker Frank Scott

At every fork in the road, banker and Highway Commissioner Frank D. Scott, Jr. knows how to make a guided decision.

Tolbert: Poll Shows Cotton With 9-Point Lead Over Pryor

I imagine we will see plenty of polls between now and November, but yet another one came out today showing a strong lead for Cong. Tom Cotton over Sen. Mark…

Bond Broker In Shoffner Trial Made $2.5 Million In Commissions

As the prosecution rested its case, testimony in federal court disclosed that Steele Stephens, the bond broker who allegedly bribed former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner with $36,000, made $2.5 million…

Party Squabbles, Party Strengths, Party Strategies

Fielding more candidates and having more contested primaries has the Arkansas GOP in new territory in modern history and experts argue if the trend could be short-lived or permanent as well as what the new dynamic may mean for the top of each political party’s ticket.

Tolbert: Saline Co. JP Creekmore Switches From Democrat To Republican

The shift in Saline County from Democrat to Republican has been amazingly rapid over the last few election cycles. Only six years ago, all county elected officials and most of…