Arkansas news

• Idea offered at LRSD meeting about school closures: Don’t close schools

  10-09-2026 18:31 via arktimes.com
  
  On Wednesday night, at the first in a series of six community meetings, Little Rock Schools Superintendent Jermall Wright took pains to convey that the circumstances forcing the district to close and consolidate schools is neither a new problem nor a conspiracy. Staff reductions, shortened contracts and other cost-saving measures taken in recent years cut millions from the district’s annual budget. But a loss of more than 700 students last year and another 300 students so far this ye
  
  Read more

• Justin Moore, sobriety and Razorback football

  12-09-2026 14:00 via arktimes.com
  
  This is the first in a recurring series of riverside musings and photos from former Arkansas legislator and U.S. Congressman Vic Snyder.I’ve never met Justin Moore, Arkansas’s country music star. I suspect if we sat down and had a political discussion, it would not go well.  But sometime early last Saturday morning before dawn, lying in bed unable to sleep, my mind went to Arkansas football and all the questions surrounding the season opener that afternoon.  Then I th
  
  Read more

• After yet another pepper spray incident at LR Central, school board considers security alternatives

  11-09-2026 20:56 via arktimes.com
  
  The Little Rock School Board renewed its contract for security services with the Little Rock Police Department during a regular meeting Thursday, under the condition that district administration provide alternatives to the program. The Little Rock School District has maintained a long-standing partnership with the Little Rock Police Department through its School Resource Officer (SRO) program. SROs are sworn officers assigned to LRSD secondary schools to provide a visible security presence
  
  Read more

• Waters of the night: On A.P. Walton’s selected letters of Arkansas poet Frank Stanford

  11-09-2026 18:10 via arktimes.com
  
  I contain multitudes. So writes Walt Whitman nearly 100 years before the birth of Arkansas poet Frank Stanford. Like Whitman, Stanford, one of the roughs, found his mature voice through what some might call excess. In a letter to the Academy of American Poets (who refused to read Stanford’s manuscript for the Walt Whitman Prize due to its length), poet Alan Dugan wrote, “I think you have made a mistake. Stanford is a brilliant poet and just because he is ample in his work, like
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Where were you on 9/11? The Arkansas Times staff reflects on the biggest news day of our lives

  11-09-2026 17:19 via arktimes.com
  
  Where were you on 9/11? The question is a cultural touchpoint for anyone who was alive and old enough to recognize the significance of the events that transpired on that infamous day 25 years ago. The reporters in the Arkansas Times newsroom today weren’t here back then. One of us was at his grandmother’s bedside after a freak accident caused by the rush on the gas pumps in the confused aftermath of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Another was newly graduated fr
  
  Read more

• “A Decade of Dames” Party

  11-09-2026 17:15 via arktimes.com
  
  Ten years ago, a handful of neighbors met in an alley and decided Arkansas needed more women in office. That idea is now PAWPAC, and this year we’re backing more than 40 candidates and counting. We think that calls for a party, and we need your help pulling it off.Save the date for A Decade of Dames, Sunday, September 20, 2026 at noon at Hillcrest Commons, 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock. Tickets are $100 through September 13, then $125 at the door, and just $35 if you’re under 35.
  
  Read more

• A Little Rock firefighter reflects on 9/11, 25 years later

  11-09-2026 16:45 via arktimes.com
  
  Matthew Stallings, a Little Rock firefighter, was still in high school on that day. The heroics he witnessed convinced him he was on the right career path.I was 17 — one day short of my 18th birthday — and I was in economics class. I remember my teacher came in, and he said, “Kids, a plane has just struck one of the Twin Towers.” Everybody didn’t think a whole lot of it because obviously what happened was unthinkable, so you think, you know, “There’s ju
  
  Read more

• A baby reporter’s 9/11 reflections, 25 years later

  11-09-2026 16:09 via arktimes.com
  
  I’ve read enough articles about memory to know not to trust mine completely. In fact, there are tons of examples of people completely remembering wrongly where they were on 9/11. So I’m telling what I remember from 25 years ago with some trepidation. Apparently, I may or may not be a reliable narrator. I was 25 years old that day. I’ve lived half my life since then. That morningI was getting ready to go to work, listening to “Good Morning America” with Ch
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Second Turning Point USA protest case headed for dismissal

  10-09-2026 23:27 via arktimes.com
  
  Charges against Cameron Bone, 24, are set to be dismissed in Pulaski County District Court if he stays out of trouble for the next 30 days. The dismissal comes six months after Bone and three other protesters — Olivia Thompson, 49; Finley Hanson, 19; and her mother Jennifer Hanson, 46 — were arrested outside the Governor’s Mansion following a high-profile event for right-wing student group Turning Point USA featuring Erika Kirk, wife of political activist Charlie Kirk, who was
  
  Read more

• Arkansans fired for posting about Charlie Kirk’s shooting: Where are they now?

  10-09-2026 21:18 via arktimes.com
  
  A year ago today, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while giving a talk at Utah Valley University.In the days and weeks that followed, conservatives on the internet and all the way up to the sitting president of the United States carried out a fervid and largely successful campaign to call for the firing of anyone who dared to post something on social media that was even slightly critical of the young co-founder of Turning Point USA, a far-right youth organization pushing traditional gender role
  
  Read more

• ForARPeople launches effort to bring equality to girls’ sports in Little Rock

  10-09-2026 20:18 via arktimes.com
  
  Efforts to put Central High School’s softball and other girls’ sports teams on equal footing as the boys’ teams continue, and now a public-interest group is helping lead the charge.ForARPeople, a nonprofit group that advocates for transparency and fairness in government, announced a new campaign called “Equal Means Equal,” calling on the Little Rock School District “to provide equitable facilities, resources, access, and treatment for girls’ athletics.&
  
  Read more

• Tiny Towns drops first new song in 3 years

  10-09-2026 17:05 via arktimes.com
  
  When I spoke with the members of Tiny Towns ahead of the release of their 2023 EP “Let Me Into Your Heart,” it seemed like the fate of the Jonesboro indie-rock band was up in the air. The group was radio silent for a little while, but a full-fledged breakup never took hold, and now they’re back with their first new single in three years. “Bitter,” which came out on Friday, is classic Tiny Towns: tight and energetic yet simultaneously full of listless self-cont
  
  Read more

• Vulnerable Arkie Republicans mum on whether they’ll bend the knee at Trump-a-palooza

  10-09-2026 16:54 via arktimes.com
  
  Emails to the comms teams for both U.S. Rep. French Hill and Sen. Tom Cotton went unanswered, so we don’t know if Arkansas’ most vulnerable Republican candidates are in Dallas today or not.
  The unusual off-year convention, a ploy to energize and then herd conservative voters to the polls during a midterm election that threatens to bust the Republicans’ White House-Senate-House trifecta in D.C., offers a speaker lineup of the usual suspects: Secretary of Health and Human Servic
  
  Read more

• Here’s your list of the smartest kids around

  09-09-2026 23:33 via arktimes.com
  
  Every year, a list of National Merit Scholar semifinalists arrives in our inboxes, listing the names of Arkansas’ brightest high school seniors.
  These impressive young scholars made scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test high enough to rank among the top 1% in their class.Arkansas’ semifinalists this year come from public, private and homeschool classrooms across the state. They now have a shot at becoming finalists by submitting applications that i
  
  Read more

• Grappling with tight finances and school closures, LRSD board members ask for your input

  09-09-2026 18:59 via arktimes.com
  
  How does LRSD shrink in order to grow? The Little Rock School District board of directors spent a couple hours Tuesday discussing LRSD Forward, the administration’s plan to address declining enrollment, financial pressures and an aging and underused school building footprint. Superintendent Jermall Wright said the recommendations are intended to address the district’s immediate financial needs without making larger attendance-zone changes before a broader review of the district
  
  Read more

• Cinema I/O to host free screening of ‘Mikey and Nicky’ (1976) Tuesday at Ron Robinson Theater

  09-09-2026 16:00 via arktimes.com
  
  CINEMA I/O PRESENTS: ‘MIKEY AND NICKY’
  TUESDAY 9/15. CALS Ron Robinson Theater. 7 p.m. Free.After Elaine May released “Ishtar” in 1987, the movie was dubbed one of the worst films of all time, landing her in “director’s jail,” where she struggled thereafter to find financing for future projects. But something curious started to happen in the 2010s: May’s entire (and criminally scant) body of work as a filmmaker was rediscovered and reclaimed. Sudd
  
  Read more

• Aid program for disabled Arkansans that took priority for Hutchinson languishes under Sanders

  09-09-2026 00:45 via arktimes.com
  
  One might think a state whose leaders tout a $655 million surplus could and would snap its collective fingers and find $50 million to clear a years-long waitlist for a program that helps those with severe mental and physical disabilities. But when that state is Arkansas, currently run by Gov. Sarah Sanders, it’s those long-suffering families who may soon snap. The program run by the Department of Human Services has an unassuming name: the Community and Employment Support Waiver.
  
  Read more

• Data center backlash reveals bugs in the political system — or are they features?

  08-09-2026 23:33 via arktimes.com
  
  When I attended a protest in April against Google’s proposed data center in Little Rock, I complimented a woman on her sign that read “We can’t drink data!” She replied, somewhat to my dismay, “Thanks! I used AI to create it!” (The sign was handwritten so I assume she employed a Large Language Model, or LLM, to brainstorm catchy slogans.) This exchange encapsulates the multitudes, and contradictions, that exist within the coalition of everyday people resistin
  
  Read more

• Update: LRPD uses pepper spray to disperse crowd of students watching fight. Again. 

  08-09-2026 22:28 via arktimes.com
  
  This story has been updated to include a statement from LRSD spokesperson Pam SmithThe Little Rock Police Department once again used pepper spray to stop a fight and disperse a crowd of onlookers at Central High School on Friday, according to a statement Central High School Principal April Rike sent to parents. “We are sending you this message to inform you of a fight involving five students today that resulted in a large crowd of students gathering to watch,” the message read.
  
  Read more

• LRPD uses pepper spray to disperse crowd of students watching fight. Again. 

  08-09-2026 22:28 via arktimes.com
  
  The Little Rock Police Department once again used pepper spray to stop a fight and disperse a crowd of onlookers at Central High School on Friday, according to a statement Central High School Principal April Rike sent to parents. “We are sending you this message to inform you of a fight involving five students today that resulted in a large crowd of students gathering to watch,” the message read. Little Rock police spokesperson Mark Edwards told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazet
  
  Read more

• Lights, camera, catfish: On the set of ‘TrueSouth’ in Hazen with food writer John T. Edge

  08-09-2026 17:44 via arktimes.com
  
  A boom microphone hovers over a plate of catfish as a two-man camera crew works to position themselves around a long table of cheerful diners. A production assistant silently and approvingly observes from beyond her clipboard. Conversations from customers bubble to the surface as I eavesdrop on the surrounding tables: one about an abruptly decommissioned John Deere tractor, another about an alleged moonshiner’s recent run-in with the law. The elderly couple seated at the table next to min
  
  Read more

• Arkansas students learn about 9/11 attacks through oral histories 

  08-09-2026 17:41 via arktimes.com
  
  Army veteran Wesley Jackson remembers his confusion when co-workers told him two planes struck the World Trade Center on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. After processing the news of the terrorist attacks, Jackson realized his days as a peacetime soldier were over, and it was only a matter of time before he was deployed to the Middle East. “My whole life changed in an instant,” he said. Twenty-five years later, Jackson is teaching Arkansas State University students abou
  
  Read more

• LRSD Forward: The Little Rock School District’s Plan to Close Schools, Reimagine Programs, and Remain Financially Solvent

  04-09-2026 21:36 via arktimes.com
  
  At a news conference on Friday, the Little Rock School District presented a proposal to close several schools, expand or relocate certain programs, and create new academic options designed to make LRSD more attractive to students and families. The district says declining enrollment, rising operating costs, competition for students, and underused facilities have created a financial gap of approximately $4 million to $7 million that must be addressed to achieve long-term stability. Supe
  
  Read more

• LRSD Forward: District shares plan to close schools, reimagine programs, remain financially solvent

  04-09-2026 21:36 via arktimes.com
  
  At a news conference on Friday, the Little Rock School District presented a proposal to close several schools, expand or relocate certain programs, and create new academic options designed to make LRSD more attractive to students and families. The district says declining enrollment, rising operating costs, competition for students, and underused facilities have created a financial gap of approximately $4 million to $7 million that must be addressed to achieve long-term stability. Supe
  
  Read more

• Pearls About Swine: A game by game preview of the 2026 football season

  04-09-2026 21:26 via arktimes.com
  
  Big spoiler alert right out of the gate: I am NOT going with a rosy prediction for your 2026 Arkansas Razorback football team. Do I think this team will sniff bowl eligibility? To use common parlance, LOL. Do I think there’s an upset or two on the schedule? I do.Arkansas enters this season with a new coach and old expectations. Ryan Silverfield voluntarily agreed to take on this mess, and he’s saying the right things about how he plans to proceed. None of it may matter. I
  
  Read more

• The heat dome is hellacious; hide from it in your local bookstore

  04-09-2026 20:55 via arktimes.com
  
  Alpha-gal syndrome is spreading like wildfire across the state, Entergy and Google have been seeking restraining orders against local newsrooms (including this one), and the heat index values this afternoon are projected to be between 105 and 110 degrees. But you know what’s going swimmingly in Central Arkansas right now? The burgeoning bookstore scene.We had great bookstores in the Little Rock area before 2026, to be clear. WordsWorth Books continues to be a bastion for bibliophiles in T
  
  Read more

• ACANSA Arts Festival returns Sept. 10-Sept. 26

  04-09-2026 16:00 via arktimes.com
  
  ACANSA ARTS FESTIVAL OF THE SOUTH
  THURSDAY 9/10-SATURDAY 9/26. Various venues. Free-$250.Depending on what your idea of a festival is, the ACANSA Arts Festival of the South may surprise you. Rather than compress a single medium of programming into just a few frenzied days, ACANSA spreads its many offerings — across music, theater and visual art — over three weekends, allowing you to slot whatever events work best for you into your otherwise-busy schedule. Highlights of the 11th annu
  
  Read more

• Is Google paying for Cypress Solar—or are you?

  04-09-2026 15:49 via arktimes.com
  
  Is Google paying in full for its massive solar farm to power its West Memphis data center or not? One would think it is a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. On a damage-control press tour after a tumultuous week that included splashy disclosures of secret documents and an emergency trip to the federal courthouse, three Entergy officials visited our office on Wednesday morning to plead their case. In a 45-minute interview, they said Google is still paying the full tab, and then
  
  Read more

• Is Google paying for Cypress Solar — or are you?

  04-09-2026 15:49 via arktimes.com
  
  Is Google paying in full for its massive solar farm to power its West Memphis data center or not? One would think it is a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. On a damage-control press tour after a tumultuous week that included splashy disclosures of secret documents and an emergency trip to the federal courthouse, three Entergy officials visited our office on Wednesday morning to plead their case. In a 45-minute interview, they said Google is still paying the full tab, and then
  
  Read more

• SHS? She’s running.

  03-09-2026 23:16 via arktimes.com
  
  Watchers of Arkansas politics and Republican politics in general have long suspected (read: known) that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was just biding her time in Arkansas until she could jump to a better position back in Washington, D.C. Her gubernatorial reign has always felt like an audition for a presidential or vice presidential run.Like so many would-be candidates before her, Sanders has authored a book touting her successes and listing her conservative bona fides. The new book, Unapologetic
  
  Read more

Follow @News_Arkansas on Twitter!