Linda Chesterfield
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Announces Appointments
The latest round of appointments includes new members of the State Medical Board and Arkansas Economic Development Commission. read more >
Arkansas Senate Advances Bill Banning Affirmative Action
A bill moving through the Arkansas Legislature aims to end affirmative action by state and local agencies, but opponents say it could threaten a host of programs. read more >
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Child Labor Bill Heads to Governor; Opponents Say it Risks Kids’ Safety, Education
The bill, inspired by research from a conservative think tank in Florida, would eliminate a work permit requirement for Arkansas kids under the age of 16. read more >
by Lara Farrar -
Scenic Hill Solar Hails Projects for Audubon, CAW
Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is walking on sunbeams this spring, skipping from one public solar power project to another as CEO of Scenic Hill Solar of North Little Rock. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Arkansas Senate OKs Alternate, Scaled-Back Hate Crimes Bill
The Arkansas Senate on approves a stripped-down hate crimes bill derided by opponents as too vague. read more >
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Arkansas Panel Rejects Ban on ‘1619 Project’ in Schools
An Arkansas House panel rejects legislation that would have banned schools from teaching a New York Times project on slavery's legacy, one of several attempts in Republican states to limit how race is taught. read more >
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Little Rock Mayor Proposes Local Control Plan
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott is proposing returning local control to the city's schools after a state plan to only grant limited authority drew complaints that the district could revert to a racially divided, "separate but equal" system. read more >
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Plan for Little Rock Schools Stokes Fears About Segregation
A plan to only grant Little Rock partial control of its schools is drawing complaints that the district may further segregate, and a push to end the local teachers union's bargaining power is stirring fears of more instability. read more >
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Arkansas Lawmakers Weigh Monument Protection Bill
Arkansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it illegal to remove or alter any military or historical monument on public property, including those honoring the Confederacy, unless a state commission agrees to the changes. read more >
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Arkansas Medicaid Plan Avoids Shutdown Fight (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
Medicaid shutdown fatigue is starting to set in at Arkansas' Capitol. read more >
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Arkansas Senate OKs Bill to Keep Medicaid Expansion
An effort to continue Arkansas' Medicaid expansion another year has cleared a major hurdle in the state Legislature, a day after the Trump administration said the state could impose a work requirement on the program. read more >
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Chicago Ad Firm Experiences Tech Difficulties After Legislative Rejection
Arkansas lawmakers, unimpressed with Arkansas Tech's out-of-state choice for marketing, rejected the deal last week when the Legislative Council’s Review Subcommittee declined to “review” the contract. read more >
‘We Believe In Democracy’ (Editorial)
Voters in the Little Rock School District made their voices heard Tuesday: No taxation without representation. read more >
Contentious Grocery Store Wine Bill Fails In House
A proposal in the Arkansas Legislature to allow grocery stores to sell more wines failed in the House on Monday, but is expected to be brought up again this session. read more >
Platform Change Gives Democrats Opening on Pre-K (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
The Arkansas Republican Party's decision to remove any mention of pre-kindergarten from its platform gives Democrats a new line of attack on what they view as a popular issue. read more >
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Amendments Expand Arkansas Session Beyond Budget (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
When Arkansas voters mandated the Legislature meet annually, the plan was for lawmakers to take up a wide range of issues one year and focus primarily on the budget the next. The same voters can be forgiven if they see little daylight between the two types of sessions nowadays. read more >
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Backup Medicaid Plan Requires Leap of Faith (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
With a backup plan to save Arkansas' Medicaid expansion by defunding it, Gov. Asa Hutchinson will need a leap of faith from political foes on both sides of the aisle to prevent thousands of poor people losing their health coverage. read more >
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Black Caucus Tables Vote on Ending King-Lee Day in Arkansas
Black lawmakers held off Tuesday on saying whether they'll support an effort to end Arkansas' practice of honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same day, asking for more details on how such a move would be carried out. read more >
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Bill for ‘SEC’ Primary Fails in Senate Committee
Legislation to move Arkansas' primaries from May to March failed Tuesday to make it out of a Senate committee, while a House committee narrowly advanced an identical bill. read more >
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Law Would Give Arkansas One of Country’s Longest Abortion Wait Times
Arkansas would have one of the longest waiting periods in the nation before a woman could have an abortion under legislation given final approval Monday, which also changes the information a woman must be given before undergoing the procedure. read more >
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![An aerial view of part of the Eco-Vista Landfill in Tontitown. It stands accused of polluting air and water, and is filling up rapidly. [PHOTO provided]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FB_IMG_1750954398409_opt-e1752252680514-150x150.jpg)
![Tanner Weeks is a principal and co-founder of the Ecological Design Group. [Madeline Circle]](https://arkansasbusiness.wppcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Ecological_Design_Group_DSC_6954_opt-150x150.jpg)
