LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent national study gave Arkansas a poor ranking for its large amount of individuals with delinquent debt. The consumer finance site WalletHub ranked the state 4th out of the 50 states for debt delinquency. The study looked at debt in two categories, delinquent total loan balances and delinquent tradelines, a formal name for credit accounts, in the first quarter of 2024 for a state’s score. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls for Arkansas special legislative session, promises tax cuts On Tuesday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders called for a special session of the Arkansas leg ..read more

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas state officials are warning that the air quality in the central part of the state may be unhealthy for some residents.  For the first time this year, officials with Arkansas Energy & Environment declared an Ozone Action Advisory for Thursday for central Arkansas.  Climate records keep getting shattered. Here is what you need to know According to the Division of Environmental Quality’s forecast, outdoor activities may be unhealthy for active children, adults and people in sensitive groups.  Residents with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emph ..read more

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Crews with Central Arkansas Water have repairs underway after a water main break in Little Rock. CAW said that a 16-inch water main near South Spring Street had a spontaneous break Thursday afternoon, adding that repairs are estimated to take six hours ..read more

(THE HILL) - The State Department has opened an online passport renewal portal, allowing a limited number of Americans to submit an application online. The department is conducting a trial for the renewal system over the next several months, with a certain number of applications accepted each day. The beta program launched Wednesday ..read more

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Good news for drivers filling up at Arkansas gas pumps. Gas prices in the Natural State have dropped 5 cents in the last week according to a report from AAA. The Thursday report said the state’s average price per gallon of $2.95 is an 18-cent drop from this time a year ago and the second-lowest average price in the contiguous United States. US inflation cooled in May in a sign that price pressures may be easing Mississippi currently has the lowest average price in the nation by 1 cent below Arkansas with a $2.94 average.  ..read more

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas state officials have named a new head of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.  Officials with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration named Sharon Strong as the new ASL director.  Two Arkansas lottery players win $50,000 on instant games She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Policy from Southern Methodist University. She went on to receive her law degree from The American University, Washington College of Law.  Strong has served as senior assistant attorney general for Attorney General Tim Griffin. She has also served as a deput ..read more

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The city of Little Rock is hoping to solve an ongoing issue with homelessness by creating a brand-new position to coordinate the efforts to help. The city has appointed Arkansas native Matthew DeSalvo as new Chief Homelessness Officer ..read more

(NewsNation) — To pasteurize or not to pasteurize — it's a question for state legislatures across the nation amid rising bird flu concerns. Currently, more than half of the United States allows the sale of unpasteurized dairy milk for human consumption, but the path to peddling unpasteurized dairy has been winding. What is raw milk? Who drinks it? Raw, or unpasteurized, milk is just that — milk straight from a cow, with no bacteria-killing processes taken before it's sold or consumed. First known as a health food for the liberal and hippie-minded, the ideological makeup of raw milk lovers has ..read more

SEARCY, Ark. – The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant to Harding University toward increasing the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers in Arkansas. The $100,000 grant funds a program developed by two Harding professors to encourage STEM graduates to consider careers in K-12 education. Arkansas Children’s Research Institute receives $2.3 million grant from NIH for food allergy research A spokesperson said Huff had previously received a $500,000 NSF career grant.  ..read more

The Supreme Court ruled that a group of anti-abortion doctors does not have any legal basis to challenge access to mifepristone, one of the two common drugs used in medication abortion.  The majority opinion didn’t address the underlying regulatory or safety issues the plaintiffs brought up, and instead decided the case only on standing. As a result, access to mifepristone won’t change.   The drug will remain available to people up to the 10th week of pregnancy, and will still be available through the mail.  The justices found the conservative doctors in the lawsuit did not show ..read more