Arkansas news

• Six Bridges Book Festival returns Sept. 27-Oct. 4

  17-09-2026 16:52 via arktimes.com
  
  SIX BRIDGES BOOK FESTIVAL
  SUNDAY 9/27-SUNDAY 10/4. Downtown Little Rock. Free.Except for a final hoorah fundraiser event featuring Ariel Lawhon, a historical fiction writer who’s sold nearly 2 million copies of her 2023 book “The Frozen River,” the Six Bridges Book Festival is entirely free. That’s remarkable, given the resources — both financial and logistical — required to rally five dozen authors from across the state and country into one place. Notable gu
  
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• Deputy solicitor general leaving attorney general’s office

  23-09-2026 20:31 via arktimes.com
  
  Noah Watson is leaving the AG's office to join his father in private practice in Searcy.
  
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• Arkansas Times launches Project Catfish

  23-09-2026 18:08 via arktimes.com
  
  We turned 52 this month! To celebrate, Project Catfish will challenge readers to raise $52,000 by Dec. 31 in support of Arkansas Times Independent Arkansas journalism. If readers hit the goal, publisher Alan Leveritt gets a catfish tattoo.
  
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• Appeals court hears arguments over Arkansas’ Ten Commandments in classrooms mandate

  23-09-2026 17:13 via arktimes.com
  
  U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in March said the law violated the families’ First Amendment rights, declared the statute unconstitutional and blocked it from being enforced in the six challenged districts. The state appealed the ruling.
  
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• ‘Rumors of Peace’: A Q&A with writer Hope Coulter ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival

  23-09-2026 16:00 via arktimes.com
  
  With bestselling authors like Ariel Lawhon, Alix E. Harrow, Deesha Philyaw, Sarah Damoff and Annie Hartnett on the docket, the Central Arkansas Book Festival’s Six Bridges Book Festival — running Sept. 27-Oct. 4 — is proving once again that its organizers have their fingers on the national literary pulse. But don’t let those big-shot names distract you from the homegrown talent on display. To give you a sense of Six Bridges’ robust ties to The Natural State, w
  
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• After months of turmoil, Pulaski County Quorum Court passes sweeping data center rules

  23-09-2026 05:27 via arktimes.com
  
  After nearly five months of false starts, bitter debate and packed hours-long meetings of anti-data center advocates holding signs and speaking out, the Pulaski County Quorum Court on Tuesday night, September 22, passed an ordinance to regulate large data centers in the unincorporated parts of the county. The new rules, which Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde has seven days to sign or veto before they can take immediate effect under an added emergency provision, aim to regulate data centers l
  
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• After months of turmoil, Pulaski County passes sweeping data center rules

  23-09-2026 05:27 via arktimes.com
  
  After nearly five months of false starts, bitter debate and packed hours-long meetings of anti-data center advocates holding signs and speaking out, the Pulaski County Quorum Court on Tuesday night, September 22, passed an ordinance to regulate large data centers in the unincorporated parts of the county. The new rules, which Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde has seven days to veto before they can take immediate effect under an added emergency provision, aim to regulate data centers located i
  
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• Proposed Sherwood school district draws resistance 

  22-09-2026 23:01 via arktimes.com
  
  Some leaders in the McAlmont community near North Little Rock are asking fellow residents to jump into a conversation about whether the city of Sherwood should form its own public school district. A meeting about the potential schism that would carve a number of schools out of the Pulaski County Special School District is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. at 4411 AR-161, North Little Rock, across from Harris Elementary. 
  
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• Garland County woman hit with felony charge for pretending to be pregnant while on trial 

  22-09-2026 22:06 via arktimes.com
  
  On one hand, you kind of have to grudgingly respect the chutzpah it took for Christina Marie Gaston, 48, to pretend to be pregnant in the hopes a jury might be sympathetic and keep her out of jail.On the other hand, the fact that her little ruse could keep her in jail for multiple more years suggests that bold or not, the effort backfired spectacularly. So maybe save your applause and just offer a more muted fist pump in celebration.
  
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• From the inbox: Republicans force us to think about their odd relationships with dogs

  22-09-2026 21:39 via arktimes.com
  
  It’s not exactly news that up is down and black is white in Trump’s America. Ten years into this heinous MAGA experiment, most of us have gotten pretty good at putting the constant outrages and oxymorons aside so that we’re able to go about our days.But sometimes? Sometimes D.C. Republicans do things so outrageous that we have to stop what we’re doing, confer amongst our peers and make sure they’re seeing it, too.
  
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• South Korean defense contractor will build $2.2 billion factory at Pine Bluff Arsenal

  22-09-2026 19:30 via arktimes.com
  
  A South Korean company announced Monday it will build its first United States facility that produces artillery ammunition at Arkansas’ Pine Bluff Arsenal, creating about 400 jobs with an average wage of $50 per hour over seven years.Hanwha Defense USA’s $2.2 billion factory “is the kind of transformational investment Jefferson County and the Delta need,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at Monday’s news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated the open
  
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• Arkansas corrections department abandons restrictions on physical books, newspapers

  22-09-2026 19:25 via arktimes.com
  
  The Arkansas Department of Corrections will shift its focus away from creating a policy restricting access to physical books in an effort to prevent illegal drugs from entering prisons, officials told the state corrections board Monday. Officials instead plans to tighten the language of a 2022 policy and give the department more authority to ban “misbehaving” third-parties selling publications laced with drugs to incarcerated people, said Tawnie Hughes, the department’s ch
  
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• Inside Arkansas’ first dark-sky neighborhood, where you can see the Milky Way

  22-09-2026 19:11 via arktimes.com
  
  On a recent evening at Lakeview West, an upscale subdivision perched above Lake Maumelle with sweeping views of the Ouachitas, I found myself at an impromptu star party. As the sun dipped behind the mountains, homeowner and amateur astronomer Lori Gerritsen pointed out constellations to neighbors and out-of-town guests gathered on her patio. They sipped wine and observed the kind of celestial display that’s invisible from my light-polluted yard in North Little Rock.A shooting star streaked
  
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• An incomplete 9-2-5 Dolly Day lineup

  22-09-2026 16:49 via arktimes.com
  
  Seekers of proof for intelligent design will find it this week as the Gregorian calendar, in the year of Dolly Parton’s death, delivers the date of 9-25 on a Friday. If laughter through tears is your favorite emotion, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to mourn our universal icon while celebrating that we got to have her on this planet with us for 80 wonderful years.
  
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• Mayor, business owners cast blame after another River Market shooting

  21-09-2026 22:13 via arktimes.com
  
  The Little Rock Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened over the weekend, just a few feet away from the Arkansas Times offices. Two juveniles had an altercation Saturday night that escalated to gunfire near Scott and Markham streets in the River Market District around 8:46 p.m.; one was struck and is in stable condition at a hospital. The investigation is ongoing. 
  
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• Headwinds are buffeting The Van, but director says closing not an option

  21-09-2026 21:35 via arktimes.com
  
  Under somewhat dire-sounding circumstances, the founder of The Van, Aaron Reddin, has been tagged back into service as an interim executive director, with his first tasks being to get to the bottom of a theft, look for a new executive director and increase donations.In April, Parker Reid took over as director, but as of Monday morning, Reddin said, he is no longer employed by The Van, a nonprofit that locates and takes aid to unsheltered, homeless people. Reddin made it clear that Reid’s d
  
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• ‘Hawk & Sparrow’: A Q&A with writer Ayana Gray ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival

  21-09-2026 17:01 via arktimes.com
  
  With bestselling authors like Ariel Lawhon, Alix E. Harrow, Deesha Philyaw, Sarah Damoff and Annie Hartnett on the docket, the Central Arkansas Book Festival’s Six Bridges Book Festival — running Sept. 27-Oct. 4 — is proving once again that its organizers have their fingers on the national literary pulse. But don’t let those big-shot names distract you from the homegrown talent on display. To give you a sense of Six Bridges’ robust ties to The Natural State, w
  
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• Federal appeals court to hear oral arguments in Ten Commandments case on Tuesday

  21-09-2026 16:48 via arktimes.com
  
  The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday will hear oral arguments in a case challenging a state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.At issue is Act 573 of 2025, which mandated that public schools in Arkansas “prominently display … in a conspicuous place” a specific version of the biblical edicts chosen by the state Legislature. A coalition of 10 multi-faith and nonreligious Arkansas families challenged the law in federal court, sayi
  
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• Healthy moms, healthy babies and the best Valentine gift ever

  20-09-2026 12:45 via arktimes.com
  
  The name for the organization “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America” will never make it as the name of a rock band: too much joy. Actually “Too Much Joy” could be a band name, so you never know. I like Olivia Walton’s short summary of the $100 million effort to improve maternal and baby health: “Healthy moms lead to healthy families.” I am confident that daily folic acid supplementation, a 400 mcg folic acid tablet, for women of child-bearing age will b
  
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• Standing in the ballroom

  19-09-2026 13:00 via arktimes.com
  
  The White House ballroom construction project waltzes on after the August 31 Supreme Court decision, despite the wording of the opinion: “Today, we do not pass upon the legality of the government’s East Wing project.”  Chief Justice Roberts’ dissent is even more frustrating: “The construction is likely unlawful.” This is what happens when a decision is made based not on the merits of the case, but on the standing of a party. The Supreme Court e
  
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• UA Fayetteville prof fired for charging wedding expenses to the school faces domestic battery charge

  18-09-2026 21:35 via arktimes.com
  
  Najja Baptist, a former professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville who was dismissed in March after an internal audit found that he charged tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses related to his June 2025 wedding and honeymoon, was arrested for domestic battery this week. His new wife is seeking a divorce.  Additionally, the university’s board of trustees upheld Baptist’s dismissal on Thursday. 
  
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• Arkansas reports fewer failing schools and school districts in 2025-2026

  18-09-2026 19:17 via arktimes.com
  
  The percentage of Arkansas schools and districts receiving failing or low grades from the state for their performance has decreased, according to data released by the state Department of Education Thursday.Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and education officials touted the numbers as validation for her signature 2023 education law, the LEARNS Act. Education Secretary Jacob Oliva told reporters Thursday that “the improvements that we’ve made by building out this blueprint and this
  
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• GMC Sierra Denali Giveaway and Upcoming Shows at Saracen

  18-09-2026 16:34 via arktimes.com
  
  September is HOT at Saracen and the winning is non-stop! And now there are more reasons than ever to make the trip to Pine Bluff. Book a room in the all new Saracen Casino Resort hotel and catch a show in the state of the art event center.
  
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• ‘Your Beloved Remains’: A Q&A with writing duo Quinn Connor ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival

  18-09-2026 16:00 via arktimes.com
  
  With bestselling authors like Ariel Lawhon, Alix E. Harrow, Deesha Philyaw, Sarah Damoff and Annie Hartnett on the docket, the Central Arkansas Book Festival’s Six Bridges Book Festival — running Sept. 27-Oct. 4 — is proving once again that its organizers have their fingers on the national literary pulse. But don’t let those big-shot names distract you from the homegrown talent on display. To give you a sense of Six Bridges’ robust ties to The Natural State, w
  
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• Slideshow: Kennedy scion comes South to stump for Chris Jones

  18-09-2026 03:27 via arktimes.com
  
  It’s not every day that a Massachusetts Kennedy comes to Arkansas.
  But on Thursday, Joe Kennedy III, the redheaded former congressman and diplomat with that distinctive family jawline, rolled into Conway to host a town hall alongside Arkansas District 2 congressional hopeful Chris Jones.The fellow Democrats held court at Cross Creek Sandwiches on Oak Street to chat up the locals and energize voters as Jones hustles to try to unseat Republican incumbent French Hill.
  Joe Kennedy III comes t
  
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• UPDATE: Arkansas Education Department releases district letter grades (sort of)

  17-09-2026 23:50 via arktimes.com
  
  UPDATE: The Arkansas Department of Education sent out a corrected press release Thursday evening. The numbers in the table the department initially sent out were incorrect and have been updated with the correct numbers.
  The department’s online data center also appears to have been updated with district and letter grades for the 2025-26 school year. Little Rock School District remains at a C grade.
  
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• Arkansas Education Department releases district letter grades (sort of)

  17-09-2026 23:50 via arktimes.com
  
  The Arkansas Department of Education announced Thursday that they’ve released the official district and school letter grades for the 2025-26 school year.
  If you’re eager to see how your district did, though, you might need to wait a bit longer. The website where these grades are to be posted appeared to still show grades for the 2024-25 school year as the latest available around 4:45 p.m., suggesting some glitches are possibly glitching, and may frustrate your search.
  
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• Little Rock Zoo nets $1.2M donation, hires new higher-ups 

  17-09-2026 21:25 via arktimes.com
  
  With a big honking donation in their coffers and new people in new positions, it’s been a big week for the Little Rock Zoo. On Tuesday, the Arkansas Zoological Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Little Rock Zoo, announced a $1.2 million donation to ongoing renovations at the zoo, an undertaking dubbed “Project Zoo: Wildly Reimagined.” 
  
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• Unconventional spending fuels the Grappes’ unusual, on-the-ground campaign

  17-09-2026 20:49 via arktimes.com
  
  Democratic secretary of state candidate Kelly Grappe knows she is taking a unique approach to campaigning. She’s not following the usual strategy of quick appearances at political events and heavy spending on advertising. Rather, she’s focusing on being in communities for extended periods of time, talking to voters who, according to her, rarely get the chance to speak to Democratic candidates for any office.“This is our strategy and we’re proud of it,” she said. &ld
  
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• U.S. House takes up familiar debate over who pays for data centers’ electric infrastructure

  17-09-2026 19:06 via arktimes.com
  
  Arkansas is not at all special in its ongoing tussles over how and if to embrace artificial intelligence and the hot, loud, sprawling data centers it requires.
  As local news broke Wednesday that Entergy was dropping legal action in its attempt to keep the secret details of its deal to power a West Memphis Google data center under wraps, federal lawmakers were also wrangling with how to power data centers and who should pay.The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday that aims to hav
  
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