regulations

Water tupelo near a walkway in Louisiana Purchase State Park near Brinkley, Arkansas. (Courtesy of Arkansas State Parks)

U.S. House votes to roll back Biden’s WOTUS rule

BY: - March 10, 2023

The U.S. House voted Thursday to undo a Biden administration definition of wetlands that allows for regulations on private lands. The chamber approved, 227-198, a resolution to roll back the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s broader definition of what qualifies as “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, for the purposes of federal regulation under the […]

Arkansas governor issues executive order to streamline education funding programs

BY: - January 19, 2023

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ latest executive order aims to limit government overreach, reduce red tape and improve education, according to a press release issued Thursday.  The executive order directs Education Secretary Jacob Oliva to develop a unified system that streamlines all state and federal funding programs from multiple plans and budgets into a single application […]

The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts and specialization. (File photo from March 2021 by Danielle Pycior for Investigate Midwest)

Scaling up: 4 ways hog farms changed since the 1990s

BY: - November 28, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is a compilation of the five-part series “Scaling Up” by Madison McVan published by Investigate Midwest in September and October. The story examines changes in the pork industry over the last few decades. More contracts. More specialization. More pork production, resulting in decreasing costs. A report issued in August by […]