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Arkansas Advocate •

Arkansas’ LGBTQ+ community needs to be supported, not counter-programmed  | Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ proclamation declaring June “Fidelity Month” appeared innocuous enough at first glance. 
For most people there’s little to argue with the idea of encouraging residents to “reflect on and renew commitments” with civic and spiritual institutions as we near our nation’s 250th birthday. The wording even appeared tame to the ways President Donald Trump has couched the approaching semiquincentennial and tied it to his own political profile. 
But the month is part...
Arkansas Advocate •

The data center debates are only a preview of Arkansas’ AI challenges | Arkansas Advocate

As central Arkansas debated how to handle the influx of data centers needed to power artificial intelligence, another story played out in Fort Smith.
There, local police sent an alert to community members about an AI-generated video that purported to show an injured officer thanking the public for their support. The video falsely stated the officer, who was hospitalized, was back home with his family.
The stories may seem to have little in common, but they’re a sign of how inescapable AI and its...
Arkansas Advocate •

Arkansas children face real dangers. Reading ‘The Odyssey’ isn’t one of them. | Arkansas Advocate

It’s hardly news that being a parent is a nerve-wracking experience these days. Between fears of gun violence at school and predators online, there’s more than enough nightmare fuel to keep us up late at night long after we tuck our children into bed.
But the Arkansas Library Board has identified the true danger to young ones. It’s Homer’s epic “The Odyssey,” images of Michelangelo’s “David” or passages from “The Canterbury Tales.”
The board this month proposed new rules for libraries to receive...
KUAF 91.3 •

Arkansas fiscal session: DeMillo on Sanders’ address, what to watch

Moore: We start this Tuesday edition of Ozarks at Large with our friend in Little Rock, Andrew DeMillo. He is the editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Advocate. Hello, Andrew. How are you?DeMillo: I’m doing well. Thank you for having me again.Moore: Absolutely. We are here to talk fiscal session. Last time we talked was leading up to it. Now we are officially in it. Let’s start by talking about really the only thing that has more or less happened at this point in the fiscal session, and that is Gov....
Arkansas Advocate •

Facing prison pushback, Arkansas governor relies on greatest hits in speech | Arkansas Advocate

If you’re a red-state governor with an eye on 2028 and a prison you want to build has stalled, what do you say after a disappointing primary election? If you’re Sarah Huckabee Sanders, you return to your greatest hits.
The Arkansas governor’s 52-minute State of the State address amounted to fan service highlighting stances that appeal to fellow Republicans. She also steered clear of the only proposal she’s made that’s faced serious legislative resistance.
From advocating further income tax cuts...
Arkansas Advocate •

Close secretary of state runoff points to fissures and future fights for Arkansas Republicans | Arkansas Advocate

He cast doubts on the security of election machines and questioned the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. He showed little restraint on social media, with posts sprinkled with profanity that at times were aimed at fellow Republicans.
When Donald Trump displayed these traits, Arkansas Republicans and party leaders warmly embraced him. But for Bryan Norris, it was an entirely different story.
Sen. Kim Hammer’s whisker-close victory over Norris in the Republican runoff for secretary of state h...
Arkansas Advocate •

Close secretary of state runoff points to fissures and future fights for Arkansas Republicans | Arkansas Advocate

He cast doubts on the security of election machines and questioned the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. He showed little restraint on social media, with posts sprinkled with profanity that at times were aimed at fellow Republicans.
When Donald Trump displayed these traits, Arkansas Republicans and party leaders warmly embraced him. But for Bryan Norris, it was an entirely different story.
Sen. Kim Hammer’s whisker-close victory over Norris in the Republican runoff for secretary of state h...
KUAF 91.3 •

Arkansas runoff elections, the coming fiscal session

We begin this Tuesday edition of Ozarks at Large with our friend from his office in Little Rock, Andrew DeMillo, the editor in chief of the Arkansas Advocate.Matthew Moore: Andrew, happy election day again.Andrew DeMillo: Happy, happy election day. It seems like we just did this a few weeks ago.Moore: I can't decide if it's Groundhog Day or Election Day. We'll see. So let's start, Andrew, if we can, talking about some runoff elections. We've got some local, we've got some that's happening in mor...
Arkansas Advocate •

Arkansas’ Capitol grounds could bring people together. An anti-abortion monument won’t do that. | Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas will come closer next month to becoming the first state with an anti-abortion monument on its Capitol grounds when a state panel takes up a new round of proposals. The idea has run into roadblocks that should give leaders second thoughts.
The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission is expected to discuss the latest submissions for the “Monument to the Unborn,” which a 2023 law required to be built near the state Capitol. 
Intended to commemorate the abortions that were performed before the...
Arkansas TV •

Arkansas Week: Primary Runoff Elections/UAMS Improvements & Goals

A political update on the primary runoffs and the partial government shutdown. Early voting began March 24 for primary runoffs in the state legislature, the office for Secretary of State, and county elected offices throughout the state. And now, several weeks into the partial government shutdown, Congress still remains at a funding impasse to reopen the government. Host Chris Kane speaks with editor-in-chief Andrew DeMillo for the Arkansas Advocate and Washington Correspondent Alex Thomas of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on the state and national political landscape. Then, the new chancellor for the University of Medical Sciences,
Dr. Lowry Barnes talks about health care, the work UAMS is doing to improve medical education, and his vision for the academic medical center.

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Arkansas Advocate •

6 years after COVID-19, Arkansas leaders need to do more to battle vaccine skepticism | Arkansas Advocate

Like most people in Arkansas, my daily routine changed completely six years ago this month when the state announced its first case of COVID-19. My beat as an AP statehouse reporter shifted almost entirely to covering the pandemic’s impact on nearly every aspect of Arkansans’ lives.
A key part of that work included covering the daily news conferences then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson led  about the growing number of cases and the steps being taken throughout Arkansas to battle the coronavirus.
Hutchinson...
Arkansas Advocate •

6 years after COVID-19, Arkansas leaders need to do more to battle vaccine skepticism | Arkansas Advocate

Like most people in Arkansas, my daily routine changed completely six years ago this month when the state announced its first case of COVID-19. My beat as an AP statehouse reporter shifted almost entirely to covering the pandemic’s impact on nearly every aspect of Arkansans’ lives.
A key part of that work included covering the daily news conferences then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson led  about the growing number of cases and the steps being taken throughout Arkansas to battle the coronavirus.
Hutchinson...
KUAF 91.3 •

Arkansas FOI turns 60, PBS gets a reprieve, LEARNS vouchers expand

Moore: We start this Tuesday edition of Ozarks at Large with our friend, the editor in chief of the Arkansas Advocate, Andrew DeMillo. Andrew, thank you so much for being with us today.DeMillo: Thank you for having me again.Moore: We are here in the midst of Sunshine Week as we think about the Freedom of Information Act and its legacy here in Arkansas. You recently wrote a column talking about the approaching 60th anniversary of the passage of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Maybe let's...
Arkansas Advocate •

Arkansas’ open records law turns 60 next year. Let’s give FOIA the birthday it deserves. | Arkansas Advocate

After Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller signed Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act in 1967, the Arkansas Democrat newspaper ran the entire text of the law in its pages.
“Freedom of Information law secures rights of everyone, not just the press,” the headline proclaimed.
It’s a statement that’s been repeated often by transparency advocates, press groups and others ever since Rockefeller signed the law protecting the public’s access to meetings and records.
And it’s one that should be repeated even more...
Arkansas Advocate •

Voters sent Arkansas governor a message in primaries. What lesson will she take from it? | Arkansas Advocate

Two years after he was voted out of office as Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton made his comeback bid in 1982 by humbly asking voters to forgive the missteps of his first term. 
His new slogan? You can’t lead without listening.
After candidates backed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were defeated in last week’s primary elections, Arkansas’ Republican governor is unlikely to embark on a similar tour of contrition.
But she may take Clinton’s slogan to heart as she tries to listen to the message voter...
KUAF 91.3 •

What Tuesday's Arkansas primary election results could mean

Matthew Moore: We start this Wednesday edition of Ozarks at Large, the day after the primary and nonpartisan elections that took place yesterday, with our friend in Little Rock, editor in chief of the Arkansas Advocate, Andrew DeMillo. Andrew, you told me right before we hit record that you weren't going to tell me how many shots of espresso are in that iced beverage of yours, but it's probably fair to say it's more than usual.Andrew DeMillo: Yeah, somewhere between one and 100 right now.Moore:...
Arkansas Advocate •

Uncertainty surrounding Arkansas library funding undermines state’s literacy efforts | Arkansas Advocate

Two recent headlines in Arkansas related to reading seem completely at odds with each other. The state Library Board earlier this month tabled a vote on more than $1 million worth of quarterly funding for libraries, a delay that jeopardizes a number of programs.
The board’s action — or lack of action, that is —  came the same week that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that thousands of third graders are at risk of being held back because of new reading standards.
Tabling funding for librar...
KUAF 91.3 •

DeMillo on early voting, Arkansas Supreme Court and Washington Post

Matthew Moore: It is Tuesday, Feb. 17, which is the first day of early voting here in Arkansas. Here to talk about more about early voting and plenty of other stuff that he works on with his team at the Arkansas Advocate is Editor-in-Chief Andrew DeMillo. Andrew, thanks for coming back on Ozarks at Large with us.DeMillo: Great. Thank you for having me again.Moore: Let's talk early voting. Today is the first day that voters in Arkansas can head to the polls and go fill out their ballot. You guys...
Arkansas Advocate •

Journalism needs more leaders like Daisy Bates, fewer like Jeff Bezos | Arkansas Advocate

There are many striking features of the 10 ½-foot-tall statue of civil rights leader Daisy Bates that now stands in the U.S. Capitol. The statue’s details each tell an important part of Bates’ life story, down to the NAACP button on her lapel.
But there were two things that struck me most the first time I saw the bronze statue on a tour of the Capitol. One was the rolled up newspaper she held in her left hand. The other was the reporter’s notebook she held in her right hand.
Both are reminders o...
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