News
USDA projects farm income will fall in 2023 after two robust years
WASHINGTON — After two strong years of growth, U.S. farm income is forecast to drop substantially in 2023 as commodity prices fall and expenses rise, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service reported Tuesday. And with food prices projected to rise into 2023, the nation’s producers will not be reaping the financial benefits. The […]
Sanders attacks “radical left” and “woke” culture in response to State of the Union address
LITTLE ROCK — In the GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a picture of a nation living in fear because Biden and Democrats “have failed you.” Her roughly 15-minute speech was long on criticism of Biden and Democrats, but short on specific […]
Biden in State of the Union address draws boos and shouts from a combative GOP
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden began his State of the Union address Tuesday — his first to a divided Congress — with an appeal to bipartisan priorities, but later criticized parts of the GOP agenda and got a sense of Republicans’ appetite for conflict during one combative stretch. Biden opened the 72-minute speech with an […]
U.S. Senate Democrats unveil legislation to ban high-capacity gun magazines
WASHINGTON — New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, along with 27 of his U.S. Senate colleagues, introduced legislation Tuesday to ban high-capacity magazines, which can be used on the type of semi-automatic firearm that is typically used in most mass shootings. “High-capacity magazines were designed for one purpose and one purpose only — high-capacity killing […]
Panel approves removing limit on transfer cap for pre-k alum
The House Education Committee approved on Tuesday a proposal to remove a cap on school choice transfers when a student has attended pre-K in a nonresident school district. Sponsored by Rep. Julie Mayberry (R-Hensley), House Bill 1185 seeks to amend the Public School Choice Act of 2015, which limits more than 3% of a school […]
Bill to help pregnant and parenting teenagers finish high school advances in Arkansas House
A bill that would create support systems for teenage parents in Arkansas schools passed the House Education Committee unanimously Tuesday and will go to the full House for approval. Arkansas has an 87% higher teen pregnancy rate than the rest of the United States and one of the lowest high school graduation rates, said Rep. […]
Biden in State of the Union speech to call for bipartisan action on fentanyl crisis
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday night is expected in his State of the Union address to call on Congress to work with the administration to address in a bipartisan manner the fentanyl crisis, administration officials said on a call with reporters. Biden will call for expanded access to opioid-related addiction treatment and announce […]
Arkansas Medicaid recipients petition DHS for better care, accessibility
Al Allen’s younger brother faced more than physical struggles after narrowly surviving being hit by a car on the interstate, she said. Allen’s brother was 18 and uninsured at the time of the accident, and he received treatment at the nearest neurotrauma care center in Springfield, Missouri. Almost two years later, he is able to […]
Proposed federal rule would lower credit card late fees
As Americans continue to struggle with high credit card rates, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a rule to help lessen some of their financial burden — in the form of lower late fees. The new rule would limit late fees to $8. Currently credit card companies can charge as high as $41 — […]
U.S. House speaker calls for ‘responsible’ debt limit legislation, shares few details
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday said the greatest threat to the nation’s future is the rising national debt, though he gave few specifics for how he planned to lower deficit spending or avoid a first-ever default on the debt this year. The California Republican, in a 10-minute address from the U.S. […]
Arkansas House approves work requirement for public housing recipients
A proposed Arkansas law that would require able-bodied adults to work or volunteer part time to receive federal housing assistance will head to the Senate after passing the House in a party-line vote Monday. Adults between the ages 19 and 64, except people with disabilities and participants in drug and alcohol treatment programs, would have […]
Rewritten ‘drag’ bill passes Arkansas House, will return to Senate
The Arkansas House passed a heavily amended bill Monday that prohibits “adult-oriented” performances from public property or using public funds. The original version of the bill sought to restrict drag performances, but the version passed by the House on a party-line vote doesn’t mention the word “drag.” Senate Bill 43, which was rewritten Thursday, defines […]