News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk
Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk
by Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate
March 18, 2025
Legislation that would overhaul the state’s higher education system awaits the governor’s signature following the approval of identical bills by the Arkansas Legislature on Monday.
Arkansas ACCESS, a legislative priority for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, would make changes to the state’s funding model, scholarships, course credits and the admissions process, among other things.
After Republicans Sen. Jonathan Dismang of Searcy and Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado filed Senate Bill 246 and House Bill 1512 last month, the legislation continued to be “a work-in-progress” for weeks, House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, told the Advocate Monday.
“We had a lot of input from stakeholders, both from higher ed to the public, and feel like the end result is a very good compromise piece of legislation,” Evans said. “It looks like the support in both the House and the Senate has been very strong. There’s even been some bipartisan support on that, so we appreciated that understanding.”
Speaking from the House floor Thursday, Rep. Lincoln Barnett, D-Hughes, said even though he appreciated parts of Arkansas ACCESS, the legislation should have been run separately instead of a large 123-page bill, which allows lawmakers “to sneak in the bad along with the good.”
Arkansas ACCESS reduces the size and membership of a variety of boards and councils, and Barnett said he was particularly concerned about the removal of “critical stakeholders” from a council designed to close the achievement gap.
“This bill aims to erase and ignore continued realities of existing disparities when it comes to the field of education,” Barnett said. “…I am strongly opposed to this bill for the manner in which it was run. The process has been rushed. Input from others was sought on the back end rather than on the front end, and voices of our youth, our educators and key stakeholders have been ignored or at best, half-listened to.”
Several students voiced their displeasure during last week’s Joint Education Committee meeting over a prohibition on granting excused absences to public high school and college students who participate in political protests or attempts to influence legislation or other governmental policymaking.
As someone who visited the Legislature as a teenager, Evans said he understood the importance of involving youth in the process of the General Assembly. The implications of the bills’ original language “was an unintended consequence,” he said.
“I think there were some House members that felt like that may need to have been amended in order so that we could encourage and let it be a part of a field trip, let it be a part of coming and seeing the process of how legislation moves, special events, special interest topics…it would have just been an error in not allowing that, so I think it was good to get those discussions,” Evans said.
Higher education bill receives initial approval from Arkansas lawmakers
The committee did adopt an amendment presented by the bill’s sponsors that would allow high school students to be granted an excused absence for engaging in governmental policymaking with parental consent. School districts would also be required to submit an annual report to the state education department on the absences.
The amendment left the original prohibition intact for college students, who also could be found liable for property damage that occurs during a protest. Under the legislation, students would not receive their degree or credential, or have their credits transferred to another Arkansas school until they pay for the damaged property.
Additional provisions of the legislation include a focus on “accelerated learning” that will expand high school students’ access to courses beyond the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. The legislation also has provisions aimed at supporting participation in concurrent credit courses that allow high school students to take courses for college credit.
As part of an effort to streamline participation in higher education, Arkansas ACCESS proposes creating a universal college application, a common-course numbering system among state institutions and a program that would establish provisional admission to students who meet basic standards.
Both the Arkansas House and Senate approved Arkansas ACCESS Monday without discussion.
Reporter Tess Vrbin contributed to this report.
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Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.
The post Arkansas lawmakers send higher education bill to governor’s desk appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com
News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
New prison would exacerbate Fort Smith’s current water transmission challenges
SUMMARY: Fort Smith has declined to provide water for a proposed 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County due to existing water transmission limitations. A recent engineering report revealed that the city’s current maximum water production of 50 million gallons per day is sometimes exceeded, and adding the prison would worsen supply issues. While alternatives like sourcing water from Ozark or the Arkansas River are being considered, Fort Smith’s infrastructure—built in the 1930s—is only partially upgraded. A new 48-inch pipeline is planned, but only the first phase is complete. Full completion may take over a decade, even with unlimited funding, officials say.
New prison would exacerbate Fort Smith’s current water transmission challenges
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News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Trump, 79, has ‘benign’ vein condition; bruised hand blamed on handshaking, aspirin
by Shauneen Miranda, Arkansas Advocate
July 17, 2025
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, the White House announced Thursday.
The condition is “benign and common” for people above age 70, U.S. Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, the president’s physician, wrote in a memo regarding the president’s health.
The 79-year-old president underwent a “comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies,” after he noticed mild swelling in his lower legs, the memo said.
The condition happens when veins in the leg struggle to get blood to flow back to the heart, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
In the memo, Barbabella specified that “there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease,” and results from lab testing “were within normal limits.” Trump also underwent an echocardiogram, in which “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.”
The White House Office of Communications released a letter from President Donald Trump’s physician on July 17, 2025.
Barbabella also elaborated on recent photographs depicting minor bruising on the back of the president’s hand, saying “this is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.”
The physician noted that “President Trump remains in excellent health.” The memo did not detail any methods for treatment.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who read aloud the physician’s note at a Thursday briefing, said the mild swelling in Trump’s legs is not causing him any discomfort.
“No discomfort from the president at all, and you probably all see that on a day-to-day basis, he’s working around the clock,” she said.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.
The post Trump, 79, has ‘benign’ vein condition; bruised hand blamed on handshaking, aspirin appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This content presents straightforward health information about President Donald Trump, primarily quoting official statements from his physician and the White House. It avoids editorializing or injecting opinion, focusing instead on medical facts and direct quotes. The neutral tone and reliance on official sources contribute to a balanced perspective without clear political bias toward either the left or right.
News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
The Dessert Lab | Eat It Up
SUMMARY: The Dessert Lab in Midtown Little Rock offers delicious mini pancakes with various flavors, including the popular Churro Delight—cinnamon sugar-coated pancakes drizzled with liche sauce and topped with sweet cream. Dana, a local, shares how her 9-year-old son Jed loves their kid-friendly “dirty sodas,” a mix of soda, creams, syrups, and boba popular in Utah. They enjoy the sweet treats and fun atmosphere, with pancakes featuring fruits like bananas and strawberries and toppings like Nutella. The Dessert Lab food truck is conveniently located near the Cantrell and Mississippi intersection, perfect for a quick, tasty summer snack.
This week on Eat It Up, Hayden Balgavy visits The Dessert Lab, a food truck in Little Rock where you can customize sweets like mini pancakes and “dirty sodas”.
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