David Monteith

Organizations in Arkansas from both ends of the political spectrum are finding things to celebrate from a ruling Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple on the grounds that it violated his religious beliefs.

Jerry Cox, president of the Family Council, a conservative education and research group in Arkansas, sees the ruling as a win.

More arrests are anticipated after an event Tuesday at the state Capitol.

The Arkansas arm of the Poor People’s Campaign has organized a third week of protests, which will end in acts of civil disobedience. Organizer Toney Orr says the rally and arrests have been coordinated with Little Rock police.

“We always anticipate a number of people being arrested. To be honest with you, we really encourage it in a nonviolent way just to let people know that we’re willing to take that extra step to ensure that the message of the Poor People’s Campaign gets across,” Orr said.

The Little Rock Police Department hopes a new hiring process and financial incentives will keep the department fully staffed.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola joined Police Chief Kenton Buckner at the unveiling of a new website designed to attract candidates. A $5,000 bonus and a 5 percent annual raise are part of the financial package being offered to new recruits.

TRANSCRIPT: KUAR’s David Monteith interviewed Dr. Courtney Hatch, assistant professor of Chemistry at Hendrix College, who received $550,000 from the National Science Foundation.

DAVID MONTEITH: You were awarded a $550,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Congratulations.

DR. COURTNEY HATCH: Thank you.

Little Rock’s Central High School is one of over 130 locations on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail that spans 14 states.

Lee Sentell, the director of the Alabama Tourism Department, has been a leader in developing the trail. Sentell spoke at the Clinton School of Public Service Monday.

“This is a process that started indirectly about 15 years ago,” said Sentell. “President Obama and the director of the National Park Service decided there needed to be more diversity in our national parks and in our nominations for World Heritage sites.”

Advocates for using science and data to drive policy decisions plan to take their concerns to the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol Saturday.

The second annual March for Science happened in many states, including the nation’s Capitol, a week ago on April 14. Arkansas Sierra Club Executive Director Glenn Hooks says each march relates to the environmental issues in that state.

Three counties in Arkansas are hoping a new initiative will improve the employability of their populations. Monday at the Capitol, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the ACT Work Ready Communities Initiative.

Jefferson, Arkansas, and Grant counties have begun the process to receive a designation as ACT Work Ready Communities. Lou Ann Nisbett, president of the Economic Development Alliance of Jefferson County, initiated the tri-county effort.

Two events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr will be held in Little Rock Wednesday.

Governor Asa Hutchinson plans to make comments at the Capitol at 10 a.m. At 5 p.m., a candlelight vigil is being hosted at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site. According to David Kilton, with the National Park Service, the milestone anniversary has helped bolster attendance, which had already been on the rise in recent months.

Making communities in Arkansas more successful when competing with other states for industries and jobs is the goal of a new program announced Monday by Governor Asa Hutchinson.

The “Competitive Communities Initiative” is an evaluation process developed by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. It’s intended to help cities identify assets that companies look for when selecting new host sites. Governor Hutchinson spoke to over 100 city leaders at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock about the need for the initiative.

Baseball players will join organized crime figures at the Gangster Museum of America in Hot Springs.

Museum owner Robert Raines says a century ago the city played a significant role in spring training and believes what is now a gallery will soon become something larger.

“We do want to put together a national museum, so this is just a little snippet of what is to come. There’s a lot of baseball history here, so we’ll start reaching out to some major corporations here later this summer and hopefully within a couple of years we’ll have it all put together,” Raines said.