Government

A handful of special elections are taking place this coming Tuesday, Nov. 18. Ozarks at Large's Matthew Moore speaks with Kristin Netterstrom Higgins, a program associate at the Public Policy Center for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

November is National Adoption Month. On Nov. 11, officials with the Arkansas Department of Human Services unveiled their contribution to the month’s observances: a new banner counting down the number of kids still waiting to be adopted in the state.

On today's show, a handful of special elections are scheduled for next week across the state for things like city bond issues and school district property taxes. Plus, national adoption month and the legacy of Western swing music in our region.

President Donald Trump’s budget bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by just one vote and heads to the Senate next. All four Arkansas representatives voted in favor, including Rick Crawford in Arkansas' first district.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Hucakbee is now officially the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The Senate confirmed the former governor, who was sworn into office yesterday afternoon in the Governor’s Conference Room in Little Rock.

Last month, over 20,000 federal employees were abruptly terminated in a restructuring effort by the Trump administration, leaving agencies understaffed and scientific processes stalled. Among those affected are Stacy Ramsey, a former Buffalo National River ranger, and Seth Price, a former USGS geographer, whose stories highlight the impact of these layoffs. Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis has more.

As conversations continue in Washington, D.C., about the size of federal agencies’ workforces, sudden terminations are having an effect. On today's show, Ozarks at Large’s Jack Travis speaks with two former federal employees. Also, the U.S. Marshals Museum is teaming up with the NEA for the Big Read. Plus, the NPR programs It’s Been a Minute and Wild Card are new partners, and we’ll talk with the hosts.

Skip Rutherford, dean emeritus of the Clinton School of Public Service lays out how the 2024 Democratic National Convention may look different from the usual convention.

Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse joined nearly 30,000 mayors, city council members and other municipal leaders from across the country at the National League of Cities Congressional Conference in Washington D.C. this week.

Today on The Outline: How a government shutdown could impact Arkansas' agriculture industry, COVID-19 vaccine boosters available for University of Arkansas staff and students, and marking the desegregation of Little Rock Central High 66 years later.