Talk Politics

Covering Arkansas Politics

Gentry hired as Fort Smith IT chief, joins other new department heads

The city of Fort Smith’s new director of information technology is set to start his new job in July, when he will join two other new faces in the city…

U.S. Supreme Court rules to curtail concealed-carry weapons rules

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday (June 23) overturned decades of legal precedent in New York state and in doing so significantly curtailed what states and cities can do to…

Judge denies advanced DNA testing in West Memphis 3 case

Crittenden County Circuit Court Judge Tonya Alexander denied a petition Thursday (June 23) by Damien Echols to have advanced DNA testing done on ligatures that were recovered in the 1993…

Arkansas joins ‘Confluence Accords’ to promote outdoor recreation and conservation

Outdoor recreation officials from Arkansas, Maryland, and New Hampshire recently signed on to the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence Accords. The signing, which happened in Little Rock, brings the total number…

Joe Kolb elected president of Arkansas Bar Association

Little Rock attorney Joe Kolb was sworn in as president of the Arkansas Bar Association on June 17, 2022, during the group’s annual meeting at the Hot Springs Convention Center….

VA secretary appointed to University of Arkansas System board of trustees

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced a new member Wednesday (June 22) to the University of Arkansas System board of trustees. Col. (U.S. Army, Ret.) Nathaniel “Nate” Todd of Pine Bluff, secretary…

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Bentonville in October

Former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Northwest Arkansas this fall to give a keynote address at an event hosted by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “America Leads: An…

Payton knocks out Sturch in Senate race; Rep. Richmond lone incumbent to win run off race

Former State Sen. Bryan King’s defeat of Sen. Bob Ballinger was the most-watched run off election of the night Tuesday (June 21). In addition to races in Northwest Arkansas, there were…

King unseats Sen. Ballinger in Senate race run off; Dees wins Senate District 35 primary

Tuesday’s (June 21) run off elections saw five Republicans win Northwest Arkansas legislative primaries. In what was likely one of the most closely watched legislative races in Arkansas, former Sen….

Key county elected posts set in Crawford, Sebastian, Washington counties

Run off elections in Crawford, Sebastian and Washington counties resulted in a new judge and sheriff in Crawford County, and a tight race between Republicans Patrick Deakins and Mark Scales…

President of M-Vac DNA Systems thinks advanced testing could provide clues in WM3 case

A deadly E. coli outbreak at several Jack in the Box fast food restaurants in the western United States in 1993 may provide the means to solve one of the…

St. Louis Fed names Matuschka Lindo Briggs as regional executive in Little Rock

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on Tuesday (June 21) named Matuschka Lindo Briggs as vice president and regional executive for the Little Rock Branch, which serves the majority…

CBID votes to send downtown Fort Smith assessment plan to Fort Smith city clerk

The Fort Smith Central Business Improvement District (CBID) Commission agreed Tuesday (June 21) to send its petition to levy a supplemental annual assessment for operations to the Fort Smith City…

Farmers, conservationists share concerns at Farm Bill hearing in Jonesboro

Every five years, lawmakers formulate the nation’s farm bill, legislation that dictates how much support the federal government will provide for farmers across the country. The new bill will be…

Governor appoints Mitch Rouse as Secretary of Transformation and Shared Services

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Monday (June 20) the appointment of Mitch Rouse as Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services. He replaces Amy Fecher, who will become…

Banker: Feds must use interest rate hikes to contain inflation

Davy Carter has a pretty good seat to gauge the local, state and national economies. From his perch as Northeast Arkansas regional president for Centennial Bank and as a director…

FCRA meeting deals with parking lot conflict; votes against sale of golf course

In what started as a largely attended and contentious meeting of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Board of Trustees, board members accepted offers for purchase of two parking lots, the…

State trade groups, federal legislators tout new ocean carrier regulations

Federal legislators and industry organization leaders from Arkansas touted a new law that’s expected to benefit U.S. exporters and ease supply chain issues, The U.S. Senate approved the act in…

Unbreakable bond

The two communities are 800 miles apart, but after the events of May 24, the small South Texas town and Northeast Arkansas’ largest city are members of an ever-growing group,…

Governor names members to Tax Appeals Commission

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday (June 16) the members to a state tax appeals commission that was created by lawmakers in 2021 to resolve Arkansas tax disputes. The commission, formed…