CAPES gains more signatures than initially estimated
The backers of a proposed ballot measure offering Arkansas voters a chance to repeal the recently passed Arkansas LEARNS Act said they might have collected enough signatures.
On Monday, Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) organizers estimated they were about 500 signatures short but now, they say the group might have enough signatures, according to a Tuesday press release. CAPES said it did not accounted for multiple packs of petitions that went uncounted and asked the Secretary of State's office to recount all the signatures. The office told Talk Business and Politics the counting of the signatures is underway.
Arkansas Republicans react to Donald Trump's indictment yesterday
A pair of Arkansas Republicans are reacting differently to yesterday’s indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said the former president did nothing more than engage in constitutionally-protected activities. Cotton made his commentslast night on Fox News. He also said Special Counsel Jack Smith is an "ideological zealot."
Former Arkansas governor and current Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson said the former president has weaponized the American justice system. Speaking on the podcast Press Advance with Johanna Maska yesterday, Hutchinson again said the former president should leave the race for the White House.
The interview took place just before the latest set of indictments were officially announced.
State lawmakers discuss crypto mines amid deregulation
The Arkansas House Information Technology and Energy Committee met yesterday to talk about crypto mining.
Crypto mines are large groups of computers harvesting cryptocurrency, and a number of state residents who live near them said they are too loud. During an over four-hour meeting, legislators listened to complaints from the public and testimony from experts about crypto mines. Tom Hartford with the Arkansas Blockchain Council said companies should be willing to adhere to sound ordinances if they build a crypto mine in the state.
State Sen. Bryan King of Green Forest, who has talked about calling a special session to repeal a bill deregulating crypto mines, was concerned about energy usage.
The meeting came as Act 851, a law deregulating crypto mines, went into effect on the same day.
HanesBrands to close Clarksville plant
Talk Business and Politics reported HanesBrands will be closing its hosiery plant in Clarksville at the end of next month. Talk Business reports the factory has employed as many as 570 people, but company officials declined to say how many people work there now. The plant, which was relocated to Clarksville from Honduras in 2015, was once one of the largest hosiery knitting facilities in the world. HanesBrands has announced it is selling its entire United States sheer hosiery operations.
Philander Smith College undergoes name change
There is a name change for one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Arkansas. Yesterday, Philander Smith College in Little Rock becamePhilander Smith University. The school was established in 1877 as Walden Seminary before changing to Philander Smith College five years later. The school began as the first attempt west of the Mississippi to make education available to freedmen. In making the change, university officials said they plan to expand academic offerings and research opportunities.
NWACC hires full-time athletic director
Northwest Arkansas Community College ishiring its first full-time athletic director. The college announced yesterday Brooke Brewer will take the reins on a program that launched in 2021 with men’s and women’s cross-country teams. For the past three years, she served as a teacher and coach of dance and cheer at Bentonville West High School. Before that, she taught and coached for seven years in the Alma School District.
Shawnti Jackson named USA Today's high school girls track and field athlete of the year
A new member of the Arkansas Razorback women’s track team next year will be arriving with some impressive hardware in tow. Shawnti Jackson was named the 2022-23 USA Today High School Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Jackson competed at South Granville High School in Creedmoor, North Carolina. This summer, she broke the national high school record in the 100 meters by a half-second.
