Arkansas Times

Little Rock school board approves sliding scale for pre-K fees, discusses career ed contract - Arkansas Times The LRSD board has to start paying attention to spending. If you look at projected student enrollment declines, we cannot continue to spend above our budget.

On Thursday evening, the LRSD board approved a new sliding scale for pre-K fees, heard updates on school facilities projects, and discussed an existing career development program that could come with a steep new price tag.

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Local DHS offices will close, 1,500 workers to be furloughed if shutdown continues for another week - Arkansas Times Arkansas DHS is bracing for a disruption to SNAP funding and preparing to furlough thousands of employees and close all local offices amid the continuing government shutdown.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services may have to furlough 1,500 employees and close all county offices if the federal government shutdown isn't resolved by Nov. 7. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Judge rules against governor, sets special election to fill House District 70 seat for March 3  - Arkansas Times Johnson explicitly rejected the state’s argument that the governor also has the discretion to decide on which day beyond 150 days to hold a special election.

Judge rules against Gov. Sarah Sanders, sets special election to fill House District 70 seat for March 3, and specifically rejects Sanders' argument that she had complete discretion to set the election whenever she chose. Expect an appeal.

Best bites of October - Arkansas Times Grilled trout at Anglers White River Resort’s restaurant in Mountain View, butternut squash soup at Boulevard Bread Co., beef and pork dumplings at Slader’s Alaskan Dumpling Co. and more make up our b...

Grilled trout at Anglers White River Resort’s restaurant in Mountain View, butternut squash soup at Boulevard Bread Co., beef and pork dumplings at Slader’s Alaskan Dumpling Co. and more make up our best bites of October. arktimes.com/eat-arkansas...

With SNAP benefits in peril, local leaders are scrambling to put together relief for the hungry - Arkansas Times A federal judge has paused the Trump Administration's freeze on food aid payments amid the government shutdown, but questions still remain on how Arkansas will be impacted.

A federal judge paused Trump's efforts to freeze SNAP benefits amidst the government shutdown, but Arkansas leaders announced plans today to aid the hungry through the uncertainty.

Protestors rally against ICE outside Homeland Security office in Little Rock - Arkansas Times Masked demonstrators gathered across the street from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security office in Little Rock on Wednesday to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in…

Protesters rallied outside a Homeland Security office in Little Rock this week to protest ICE. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Yum Yum Halal brings Middle Eastern flair to Southwest Little Rock’s food truck scene - Arkansas Times Yum Yum Halal, a new Middle Eastern food truck offering meals prepared with halal meats, adds to the rich selection of mobile restaurants in Southwest Little Rock.

Amongst the sea of barbecue and excellent taco trucks dotting southwest Little Rock, we are very happy to have encountered Yum Yum Halal, a family-owned and operated local business offering healthy and delicious Middle Eastern meals, prepared with halal meats and made to order.

Kelly Grappe becomes first Democrat to announce 2026 run for secretary of state - Arkansas Times Grappe is the first Democrat to declare for that race, joining three Republicans who have already announced.

Kelly Grappe announces 2026 run for Arkansas Secretary of State. She is the first Democrat in the race, joining three Republicans who have already declared.

Yum-mento mori: Talking gravestone recipes with author Rosie Grant - Arkansas Times Author Rosie Grant credits covid-era compromises with her introduction to an unexpected corner of the culinary world: gravestone recipes. Her book, “To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes,” is o...

Author Rosie Grant credits covid-era compromises with her introduction to an unexpected corner of the culinary world: gravestone recipes. Her book, “To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes,” is out now. Happy Halloween!

SNAP benefits run out in days. Arkansas has billions in reserve funds. What will Sarah Sanders do? - Arkansas Times Arkansas has the money to pay for food assistance if SNAP lapses. They also can make up for a loss of federal child care funds. Will they?

Arkansas is flush with cash. Its budget reserves run into the billions. With SNAP benefits about to run out for 220K Arkansans (and child care assistance evaporating for thousands more), will Sarah Sanders put her money where her mouth is?

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UA Little Rock Downtown to host 'American Indians in Arkansas Baseball' lecture Wednesday - Arkansas Times Archivist Erin Fehr will speak about how Native American players helped cruise the Little Rock Travelers to a Southern League championship win in 1920 at CALS' monthly Legacies & Lunch lecture.

Archivist Erin Fehr will speak about how Native American players helped cruise the Little Rock Travelers to a Southern League championship win in 1920 at CALS’ monthly Legacies & Lunch lecture.

Ark. secretary of state brags about finding 240 non-citizens on voter rolls, or 0.01% of state’s total - Arkansas Times The Arkansas secretary of state’s office has identified 240 noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, system, according to…

Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester held a press conference Thursday to brag about finding 240 non-citizens on voter rolls, or 0.01% of the state's 1.8 million voters. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Dierks High School wins $1 million to upgrade football facilities  - Arkansas Times Dierks defeated more than 2,000 schools from across the U.S. The school finished with nearly two million votes, defeating the second-place finisher by more than half a million.

The Holler is getting a facelift. Dierks High School just won a million dollars to upgrade their football facilities, beating out more than 2,000 other schools nationally.

Parliament-Funkadelic to hold court at Fayetteville's Ozark Music Hall in November - Arkansas Times If for some reason Nov. 25 is on the doomsday soothsayers’ list as a potential date for the world to end, being at this concert would be an absolutely ideal way to go out.

If for some reason Nov. 25 is on the doomsday soothsayers’ list as a potential date for the world to end, being at this concert would be an absolutely ideal way to go out.

An Arkansas confederate statue rises again in D.C. - Arkansas Times The statue of Pike is all shined up and back on display now, part of President Donald Trump's campaign to make America great again by reminding us of how much worse it used to be.

A massive statue of Confederate and suspected Klansman Albert Pike once again looms over the nation's capital. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Hazel's Public House bringing burgers, beer and pie to former Big Whiskey's space in River Market - Arkansas Times Eric Carter and Jay Cowley, the owners of Little Rock fine dining spot Allsopp & Chappell, are opening Hazel’s Public House, a burger-focused eatery that’s expected to debut in early 2026.

Eric Carter and Jay Cowley, the owners of Little Rock fine dining spot Allsopp & Chappell, are opening Hazel’s Public House, a burger-focused eatery that’s expected to debut in early 2026.

Judge orders disciplinary letter hung below portrait of disgraced jurist in Hot Spring County - Arkansas Times Calling a painting of a disgraced circuit judge a “celebration of corruption,” the chief administrative judge of Arkansas’s 7th Judicial Circuit ordered on Monday that a framed copy of a […]

The chief judge in Hot Spring and Grant Counties has ordered that a framed copy of a judicial discipline press release hang beneath the portrait of a judge who resigned in disgrace in March. The order pulls no punches, calling the portrait a "celebration of corruption."

Arkansas journalist Olivia Paschal announces book about Walmart and Tyson - Arkansas Times Olivia Paschal will see her extensive reporting on global capitalism in the Ozarks come to fruition with “Something In the Water,” a book she recently announced has been sold to publisher Farrar, Stra...

Arkansas writer, journalist and historian Olivia Paschal will see her extensive reporting on global capitalism in the Ozarks come to fruition with “Something In the Water,” a book she recently announced has been sold to publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Public art, a pavilion and pedestrian infrastructure on tap for Ninth Street revitalization project - Arkansas Times A $45,000 grant will help Little Rock reinvigorate what was once a hub for Black culture and commerce.

Little Rock urban development enthusiasts will be pleased to learn the historic West Ninth Street just received a grant to help revitalize the area after it was divided by interstate construction decades ago.

Haunted music, horror films and more abound at Good Weather art gallery's Halloween party - Arkansas Times This Friday night, Good Weather and Cinema I/O are summoning spirits and hellish soundscapes for a Halloween warehouse party you won’t forget. Expect DJs, karaoke, tipples, a costume contest, a reel o...

On Friday night, Good Weather and Cinema I/O are summoning spirits and hellish soundscapes for a Halloween warehouse party you won’t forget. Expect DJs, karaoke, tipples, a costume contest, horror films and performances from the side projects of Little Rock heavy hitters Rwake and Pallbearer.

Second suit challenging governor’s stalling on special elections has its day in court - Arkansas Times Circuit Judge Shawn Johnson said he was “going to work very quickly” to render a decision in a lawsuit challenging Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ schedule for a special election to fill a vacancy in…

Second lawsuit challenging Sarah Sanders' June 9 date for special elections to fill legislative vacancies has its day in court: defense witnesses struggle, judge says he'll rule very quickly.

NLR native John-Michael Powell's film 'Violent Ends' hits theaters Friday - Arkansas Times John-Michael Powell’s “Violent Ends” also screens Thursday at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Paste Magazine called the film “a scintillating southern gothic crime drama bolstered by stellar perform...

NLR native John-Michael Powell’s “Violent Ends” screens Thursday at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Paste Magazine called the film “a scintillating southern gothic crime drama bolstered by stellar performances, gritty naturalism and exquisitely gruesome payoffs.”

The Observer ponders the hip, young Arkansas millennial - Arkansas Times We’re caffeinated. We’re cultured. We’re outdoorsy. We’re Arkansas.

We’re caffeinated. We’re cultured. We’re outdoorsy. We’re Arkansas.

Panel recommends changes to sustain Arkansas child care during government shutdown - Arkansas Times A panel of child care experts on Tuesday recommended several steps the Arkansas Department of Education can implement by Saturday with the goal of preventing child care layoffs and closures…

Experts pitch an emergency plan to keep child care centers open despite a lack of federal funds, by Tess Vrbin for the Arkansas Advocate.

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Mineral rivalry with China takes center stage at AR Lithium Summit - Arkansas Times The Arkansas lithium gamble is increasingly being framed as essential to countering China's dominance in renewables, minerals, and electrification.

Increasing rivalry between the United States and China took center stage in conversations at the second Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit in Little Rock. The United States needs a domestic supply of the critical mineral, but China's stranglehold on the supply chains may prove hard to break.

Billy Roy Wilson, federal judge known for wisdom, integrity and mules, dies at 85 - Arkansas Times United States District Judge Billy Roy Wilson, who earned his spurs as an attorney by fighting for the working man, died Monday night in Rochester, Minnesota, where he had been […]

U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson, who earned his spurs as an attorney by fighting for the working man, died Monday night at 85.

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Newly sober contractor announces state Senate run, has governor’s endorsement - Arkansas Times To get the nomination, he will have to defeat incumbent state Sen. Ron Caldwell (R-Wynne), who is seeking his fourth term.

Trey "BoDirt" Bohannan has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in Senate District 10. He will take on incumbent Sen. Ron Caldwell (R-Wynne) in the primary. BoDirt calls himself an "ag influencer" and he already has Sarah Sanders' endorsement for some reason.

Fort Smith native Brad Neely to publish 'Creased Comics' collection - Arkansas Times Fort Smith native Brad Neely — the riotously funny mind behind the “Harry Potter” voiceover dub “Dear Reader, Wizard People” — is soon to publish a collection of his exuberantly absurd webcomics.

Fort Smith native Brad Neely — the riotously funny mind behind the “Harry Potter” voiceover dub “Dear Reader, Wizard People” — is soon to publish a collection of his exuberantly absurd webcomics.

Clinton Presidential Center to host food writer John T. Edge on Nov. 3 - Arkansas Times On Nov. 3, the Clinton Presidential Center will host writer and “TrueSouth” host John T. Edge for a conversation about his new memoir, “House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home.”

On Nov. 3, the Clinton Presidential Center will host writer and “TrueSouth” host John T. Edge for a conversation about his new memoir, “House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home.”

Ten Commandments displays prompt scholarship cancellations, teach-in at University of Arkansas - Arkansas Times Arkansas is losing goodwill and money over a state law forcing religious displays in public schools.

Great story from the Arkansas Advocate's Antoinette Grajeda: The University of Arkansas's installation of dozens of Ten Commandments posters around campus (as mandated by a new state law) has one UA alumn pulling his support from the school.

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