Secretary of state announces run for treasurer
Arkansas’ Secretary of State John Thurston announced yesterday he will run for the state treasurer position next year. he would seek the office. Former State Treasurer Mark Lowery died this summer and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Larry Walther to the position earlier this month. Thurston is serving his second term as secretary of state and has served two terms as Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands.
Utility companies remind customers to call 8-1-1
Tomorrow isAug. 11, and many utility companies in Arkansas use the day to remind people that it's the law to call 8-1-1 before digging on your property.
Robin Mizel, the Arkansas Communities Affairs Manager at Black Hills Energy said people should call 8-1-1 at least two business days before starting a project. She said even jobs that do not require a backhoe could still put you in danger of hitting a gas, electric or fiber line.
Mizel said calling 8-1-1- is not just a good idea to prevent injury or interruption of utility service— it’s also the law. People can also file a digital ticket to have utility crews mark lines on their website.
Erica Eng enters final round of the 2023 Gold Fellowship for Women
A two-time winner of theBentonville Film Festival’s Jury Award is a finalist for the 2023 Gold Fellowship for Women. Erica Eng earned the festival prize for best short for her work Americanized in 2021 and the festival award for Best Epsidoic in 2023 for Off Fairfax. The Gold Fellowship for Women is designed to empower emerging female filmmakers, providing financial support and personalized mentorship.
Annual VenCent Fintech Summit begins Monday
Leaders in the financial technology, or fintech, industry are meeting in Central Arkansas next week. The Little Rock-based Venture Center is hosting its second annual VenCent Fintech Summitbeginning Monday. Venture Center Executive Director Arthur Orduña said the goal is to bring banks and startups together to accelerate new product development.
Orduña said the Venture Center offers unique support to startups seeking to connect with large financial institutions early on in their development.
The VenCent Summit is set for Monday and Tuesday at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Speakers will include Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Republican U.S. Congressman French Hill, as well as several other officials from government, financial services and technology sectors.
U.S. Department of the Interior marks Great American Outdoors Day
The U.S. Department of Interior is marking Great American Outdoors Day tomorrow to commemorate the three-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act.
The law is the single largest investment in public lands in U.S. history and provides $100 million in federal infrastructure funding annually to maintain national parks, public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. To celebrate, entrance fees will be waived all day Friday at fee-collecting public lands managed by the Interior Department. Camping, cabin rentals, group day use and other such fees will remain in effect.
An observation will be hosted at Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge in St. Charles in southern Arkansas. About $10 million in federal funding was spent to modernize campgrounds and improve roads for visitors at the refuge.
UAMS professor receives Alzheimer's research grant.
A professor of geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will use a five-year grant to further study the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Steven Barger, professor at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, will continue his work dedicated to the role of glucose transport in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The project will receive close to $400,000 in funding for the current grant year and a projected total of more than $1.9 million dollars during the five-year term.
The grant was awarded by the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
Arkansas women's basketball is on a roll in Europe
The Arkansas women’s basketball team is now 2-0 on a European exhibition tour. Yesterday, the Razorbacks defeated a Croatian all-star team in Dubrovnik 71-49. Up next is a flight to Athens Greece, ahead of a contest against the University of Regina on Sunday.
