A third sitting justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court is seeking the chief justice position. Justice Barbara Webb announced she is running, joining justices Karen Baker and Rhonda Wood in the race. The current Chief Justice John Dan Kemp is not seeking another term.
Updated flood maps for Washington County will become official early next year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) finalized the maps and during the next six months, FEMA compliance specialists will work with communities to update floodplain ordinances. FEMA officials are encouraging residents to examine the new maps to determine if they are in a low-to-moderate high-risk flood zone. Current and future flood maps can be viewed at the FEMA website.
Talk Business and Politics reports home sales in Washington and Benton counties are down compared to last year. The number of homes sold in the two counties in the first six months of 2023 are 14.6% lower compared to the same time in 2022. Talk Business and Politics also reports combined sales volume this year through June is down by almost 9%. The full report is available here.
A Ukrainian scholar studying at the University of Arkansas this summer after her studies in Ukraine were interrupted by the Russian invasion will discuss her experiences tomorrow night. Anna Kovalchuk relocated to the U of A through a fellowship to raise awareness on the fragility and importance of democracy. Her talk, “Global Series: The Universal Struggle for Freedom and Unity – Ukraine’s Fight” is tomorrow evening at 5:30 in Gearhart Hall on the university campus.
A new University of Arkansas building still under construction is earning a pair of international honors. The Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation won two awards from the World Architecture Festival 2023. One honor is in the Building Technology category and the building is one of nine projects shortlisted in the Future Projects: Education category. Earlier this year, the structure was named the overall winner in the Architectural Review Future Projects Awards. The center, part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, is under construction in the university’s art and design district on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in south Fayetteville.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals can claim part of first place in the Texas League North Division with a win in North Little Rock tonight. The Naturals enter tonight’s game against the Travelers just one game back of the first place Travelers in the season’s second-half standings. Tonight’s game is the first of six this week between the two clubs. The Naturals next game in Springdale is a week from tonight against Wichita.
