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The Arkansas Newswrap

Each Friday, reporters from KUAF, KASU and Little Rock Public Radio recap the top stories from all across the Natural State. We’ll unpack the headlines, share exclusive insights and provide the context you need to fully grasp the issues that matter most to Arkansans.

  • Arkansans can soon buy a controversial drug over-the-counter thanks to a new state law. And groups seek to raise awareness of the role doulas play in improving maternal health outcomes. Also, a music festival in Northeast Arkansas comes full circle for legendary artist Johnny Cash.
  • Arkansas lawmakers wrap up another busy week in session, advancing several key pieces of legislation. Arkansas’ first public veterinary school breaks ground, and a northwest Arkansas teacher gets the surprise of a lifetime.
  • The Arkansas PBS Commission held their quarterly meeting as lawmakers consider disbanding it. The state of Arkansas is hoping to resume executions – but not with lethal injections.
  • Bills to ban phones in schools and provide free breakfast to all students are officially the law of the land in Arkansas. Healthcare providers have a new tool to assess the mental health landscape in the Natural State. And how does Walmart predict the weather?
  • State lawmakers send a bill banning affirmative action to the governor, and several other controversial bills near the end of the legislative process. One lawmaker aims to commemorate a school integration that predates the Little Rock Nine. And, Fayetteville is officially a “welcoming” city. But what does that mean, exactly?
  • Arkansas lawmakers wrap up yet another week of the legislative session, and a number of controversial bills are close to becoming law. President Trump’s immigration policy has Marshallese migrants in Northwest Arkansas concerned.
  • A bill to eliminate affirmative action in Arkansas clears its first hurdle this week. The Trump Administration pauses refugee resettlement. How are groups in Arkansas reacting? New legislation on livestock farming has environmentalists concerned.
  • A new report says rural Arkansas children are heavily dependent on Medicaid. The Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission took its mission to Vegas. Hear why it matters.
  • Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders lays out her legislative priorities for the ongoing session. Bird Flu hit a Northeast Arkansas poultry farm, wiping out 200,000 birds. Could it spread? Learn the signs and how to protect you and your flock. And some scientific research and a hunch leads to nearly $3 million from the National Institutes of Health.