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Legislators’ concerns delay proposal to address Arkansas teacher shortage
After it became clear state lawmakers had concerns, Arkansas education officials on Thursday pulled down a proposal that would have made it easier for individuals who have not passed teacher licensure exams to be temporarily allowed to teach in the classroom. Deputy Education Commissioner Ivy Pfeffer said the emergency rule presented Thursday morning to the […]
State and Sen. Jason Rapert settle lawsuit over Facebook, Twitter blocking
The State of Arkansas and state Sen. Jason Rapert settled a lawsuit brought by an atheist group over Rapert’s practice of blocking certain users on social media. According to the settlement signed this week, Rapert must unblock several social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and the state will pay American Atheists, the organization that […]
Arkansas FBI office targets human trafficking suspects in national operation
FBI agents and northwest Arkansas police this week announced the arrests of four people accused of human trafficking or intending to meet underage victims for sex. The effort, which included victim advocacy organizations and a host of law enforcement agencies, began earlier this month with the identification of two victims of human trafficking, according to […]
Federal appeals court upholds Arkansas’ lethal injection protocol
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of Arkansas’ three-drug cocktail used for lethal injection. A group of Arkansas death row inmates had sued the state in 2017 to stop a spate of executions scheduled before one of the three drugs used in the lethal injection cocktail expired. The three-judge panel of the […]
Arkansas health officials, patients brace for Medicaid eligibility review
Health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of Arkansans will soon be at risk as health officials prepare for the first-of-its-kind review of state Medicaid rolls. The number of Arkansans on Medicaid grew 20% during the pandemic, but some of those recipients are no longer eligible. They remained covered under the nation’s largest public health […]
Probe finds cheating in GED program at Arkansas’ youth lockups
Arkansas officials last year noticed a suspicious increase in incarcerated juveniles earning GEDs. A review of classroom surveillance footage during a preliminary GED test at Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center confirmed their fears. An educator for the contractor that runs Arkansas’ youth lockups provided answers to students, state records show. Sarah Gober, a then-teacher for Rite […]
Arkansas pro-marijuana activists oppose latest recreational effort
The staunchest opposition to this year’s recreational marijuana ballot initiative comes from an unexpected group — Arkansas’ most prominent advocates for cannabis legalization. This band of activists is willing to wait at least another two years to transition the drug’s status in the state from strictly medical to recreational. To them, a vote for the […]
Arkansas income tax rate changes explained
The Arkansas General Assembly last week convened in special session primarily to enact tax relief. The law, which easily passed the House and Senate, was billed by proponents as relief for taxpayers in a time of high inflation. Several also referenced the $1.6 billion surplus the state ended with in fiscal 2022. Opponents argued that […]
Arkansas adds 5 new monkeypox cases
Arkansas health officials identified five more cases of monkeypox on Monday, bringing the state’s cumulative case total to 20. A lab identified the first case of the virus, a less-severe cousin of smallpox, in July. As of Friday, the state had 15 cases. Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and a painful rash that […]