Arkansas lawmakers recently convened for budget hearings to review spending across state government ahead of the fiscal session beginning April 8.

School safety for students and staff and the presence of law enforcement on campus became part of a roundtable discussion with Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva visiting Kingston Schools on March 10.

Water is one of Arkansas’s greatest natural resources. It supports our farmers and strengthens our economy, and dedicated professionals throughout our state work hard to ensure communities and families have access to safe, reliable drinking water. Protecting and improving the infrastructure that delivers it is crucial to maintaining a strong Arkansas today and for generations to come.

Some key legislative changes have been enacted to provide the Arkansas State Police (ASP) with a 29% drop in high-speed pursuits from 2023–2025. During that time, high-speed pursuits fell from a high of 622 to 432 annually, according to ASP Director, Colonel Mike Hagar. The reduction is primarily due to recent legislative changes and a messaging campaign focused on aggressive intervention.

Legislators spent much of this week at the Capitol participating in Pre-Fiscal Session Budget Hearings, an important step in preparing for the upcoming Fiscal Session of the Arkansas General Assembly. The hearings allow lawmakers to begin reviewing agency budgets, ask questions, and gain a clearer understanding of the state’s financial priorities before the formal budget process begins.

The Japton Volunteer Fire Department thinks the passage of a ballot measure on March 3 could bring a breakthrough in boosting revenue.

President Trump continued the American tradition of offering a State of the Union Address to the nation. 

In 2008, almost 70% of Arkansas voters approved the proposed Constitutional Amendment which created the Arkansas Legislature’s Fiscal Session.

The Arkansas 250 Commission, as part of its mission to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial,  unveiled a historical marker on the Buffalo National River on Monday at Gilbert in Searcy County.

Arkansas is full of entrepreneurs who use innovative ideas, everyday solutions and ongoing challenges to fuel opportunity.

Since the IDA controversy broke I have been working on response that explains what is best for rural areas dealing with large area populations like Benton county. 

The Arkansas House and Senate Insurance and Commerce Committees recently met to examine a growing threat impacting families across our state: financial fraud.

Brothers Eric and Andrew Moffett experienced all the aspects of multiple campaigns that made for some long nights, listening to speeches, debates and awaiting election results.

Arkansas is the nation’s top rice producer, uniquely positioning it as a leader in research, innovation and conservation practices that improve efficiency and sustainability for producers.   

I have been writing about how political profiteer, Jamie Barker is cashing in by becoming a “partner” at a lobbying firm, Gilmore Davis Strategy Group, with Jon Gilmore as founding and managing partner. 

The Senate Committee on Children and Youth and the House Committee on Aging, Children & Youth, and Legislative Affairs convened on Wednesday to examine issues affecting Arkansas children and families, with much of the discussion focused on how Act 189 of 2019 is reshaping the state’s juvenile justice system.

In the early 2000s, I worked for a small market radio station that aired a show called Little Known Facts hosted by Chaz Allen. According to tunin.com, the syndicated show featured “beautifully written stories of Americana” and “each story is a piece of what made this country great.”

This week the new Center of Excellence for Food Science and Innovation in Fayetteville, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture received $30 million in federal funding.  The new center has been in planning phase, and this funding will catapult the process forward.   The federal funding was signed into law on February 6.

A recent proposal to create the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) involving Benton, Washington, and Madison Counties has brought significant concern and controversy—especially among our rural communities. This proposal is the result of Act 576 from the 2025 Legislative Session.

This week, the House and Senate Education Committees took a wide-angle look at Arkansas education, examining issues ranging from early childhood access to the state’s constitutional funding obligations.