Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday filed his official paperwork to appear on the Arkansas ballot next spring as a Republican candidate for president. Arkansas’ primary elections are scheduled for March 5, 2024. Hutchinson is registering at roughly 1 percent in most national polls, but he has vowed to stay in the race through March at least. The former governor is the seventh Republican to file to appear on the Arkansas ballot. Three Democrats so far have filed. President Joe Biden, despite primary opposition, is expected to win the nomination for re-election. On the GOP side, forme ..read more

An American-Israeli joint venture will build a $33-million missile plant in Southeast Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday. The project, a partnership between Raytheon Technologies and Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, will bring 30 jobs to Arkansas, the governor said. It will start producing missiles in 2025 for the Iron Dome and the American-equivalent SkyHunter systems, Sanders said during a morning press conference. Sanders’ remarks referenced the “evil” of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Hamas militants and the continuing military actio ..read more

The Arkansas Humanities Council, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum on Main Street, recently announced the opening of the traveling exhibit “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” at The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff. The exhibit will be on display from Oct. 27 – Dec. 8. The Council offers the rare opportunity to observe this limited exhibition as part of its mission to promote the exploration and understanding of the humanities in Arkansas. “This exhibit is reconnecting Arkansans of all ages to the American values that we hold ..read more

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed an executive order prohibiting the use of what she refers to as “woke” and “anti-women” words within the state government. In her announcement, Sanders claims certain words are “nonsense words to erase women and girls and our voices.” Terms such as “pregnant people, birth-giver, menstruating person” and more are listed in the order. The terms are arguably meant to be gender-inclusive of all people, including those who may no longer identify themselves as the gender they were assigned at birth, but Sanders claims the terms are a part of the “woke” age ..read more

Retired Army Colonel Marcus Jones recently filed paperwork to formalize his campaign as a Democrat running against incumbent Republican U.S. Representative French Hill (R-Little Rock) in Arkansas’s 2nd Congressional District. Jones retired from the U.S. Army last month after nearly three decades of active service, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Kuwait as a field artillery officer and assignments to South Korea as the Director of the 8th Army Joint Fires Element and Norway as Program Director at NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre. He served as the Senior Army Advisor to the Arkansas Army ..read more

Molly Rawn, CEO of Experience Fayetteville, will run for mayor of the city. She made the announcement on a website for her newly launched campaign. According to the website, Rawn believes every resident should have access to the opportunities and services they need to thrive, including affordable housing, quality education, reliable transportation and more. She is committed to removing access barriers. The website also says Rawn is committed to ensuring Fayetteville remains at the forefront of smart infrastructure growth, technological advancements and sustainable practices. Lioneld Jordan, w ..read more

The final version wasn’t as comprehensive as the package originally filed, but Gov. Sarah Sanders on Thursday signed into law legislation amending the state’s open records law as well as promised cuts to the state’s individual and corporate tax rates. Sanders called the legislature into extraordinary session this week to consider Senate Bill 10 and House Bill 1012, which exempt records related to the governor’s security detail from the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOI) — such as who flies on state planes with her — as well as proposals to trim the state’s top individual and corporate ..read more

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Rae Hudson will be seeking another term on the Court in 2024. Justice Hudson is currently serving her second term in position 3 having been re-elected in 2018. Arkansas Supreme Court justices are elected in statewide, nonpartisan elections. “I believe in the Rule of Law and ensuring the defense of our Constitution. I am eager to continue my service to the people of Arkansas as a justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court,” Justice Hudson stated in her announcement of candidacy. Justice Hudson began her service on the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2011. She serve ..read more

The Clinton Foundation will be holding its next installment of the Kumpuris Distinguished Lecture Series on Friday, Sept. 29 in Little Rock, this time featuring former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Professor Robert D. Putnam, and filmmakers Pete and Rebecca Davis. The featured guests will discuss “Join or Die,” a new documentary film about why the fate of America depends on the public being civically involved. The film explores America’s civic unraveling over the past half-century, and more importantly, what we can do about it. The program will be held at the Robinson Center ..read more

In an informal meeting with the Little Rock Board of Directors on July 27, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. proposed a 1% increase to the city’s sales tax, with the objective of creating a ballot initiative to be voted on in a special election on Nov. 14. The last of seven public meetings was held last night on Aug. 30 at Christ Little Rock Church to get public feedback on Mayor Frank Scott Jr.’s proposed 1% sales tax increase. The most significant alteration to the proposal revealed thus far has been changing the 10-year sunset on the entire tax increase to instead make 3/8ths of the increase permanent ..read more