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Grocery Chain Mega-Merger Could Affect Rural Arkansas The proposed merger between the grocery chains Albertsons and Kroger has antitrust laws in the spotlight, as the supermarket companies are already the two largest in the country. Albertsons has more than 2,000 stores; Kroger has more than 2,700. There are 32 Kroger stores in Arkansas, with more than 4,000 employees. ...(Read More)

Bill Would Ban Circulating Petitions at AR Polling Places A Republican-sponsored bill in the Arkansas Legislature would make it illegal to circulate petitions at or near polling places during elections. House Bill 1025 would amend the state law about circulating petitions to limit signature-gathering within 100 feet of the primary entrance to a polling place. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. ...(Read More)

National Day of Racial Healing Means Weeklong Events for AR Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s holiday, and tomorrow is the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing. It's a call to action for racial healing for all people, and originated as part of national efforts by the W.K. ...(Read More)

Analysis: The Longer-Term Effects of AR's Lower Tax Rates Arkansans will owe the state fewer tax dollars this year, due to tax cuts that have just gone into effect. The General Assembly met for some special sessions and implemented cuts, both to personal and corporate income taxes. Bruno Showers, senior policy analyst for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, said his group partnered with the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy to analyze the tax cuts and found they'll mostly benefit people with higher incomes. ...(Read More)

Report: Group Works to Alleviate Arkansas Food Deserts A recent report shows Arkansas has a "food desert" issue in urban and rural communities. Gov. Asa Hutchinson formed the Arkansas Gov.'s Food Desert Working Group, which issued a report recommending steps to alleviate food insecurities in Arkansas. ...(Read More)

AARP Has Tips to Avoid Latest Holiday Scams, Fraud The holiday shopping season is already in full swing, and AARP Arkansas has some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft. The latest AARP Fraud Watch Network report finds the most common concerns this year are related to online shopping, empty gift cards and package delivery scams. Ashley McBride, state director of AARP Arkansas, said gift cards are favorites for many people, but scammers can manipulate gift cards on store racks, and can also use software to look online for activated cards with balances. ...(Read More)

Report: AR Rate of Uninsured Kids Held Steady in Pandemic A new report finds during the pandemic, the number of children without health insurance in Arkansas stayed about the same. The report, by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said from 2019 to 2021, the federal government gave states extra money so no one would be dropped from Medicaid coverage, which is the primary reason Arkansas' uninsured rate for kids remained stable. Joan Alker, Executive Director, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said says when the federal public health protections lift next year, it will be important to make sure the numbers do not start going in the wrong direction. ...(Read More)

AR Group Urges Congress to Reinstate Expanded Child Tax Credit An Arkansas nonprofit is adding its voice to the calls for Congress to bring back the expanded Child Tax Credit for families in place during the pandemic. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families said it could be included in the end-of-year spending package. When the expanded Child Tax Credit was in effect, it helped boost millions of families above the Federal Poverty Level, with a few hundred dollars a month per child. ...(Read More)

AR Program Makes HIV Care, Medication More Accessible Today is World AIDS Day, observed internationally to remember those lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and raise awareness about the disease. Health professionals are working in Arkansas to ensure people living with HIV have the services they need. Dr. ...(Read More)

'Project Zero' Aims to Get More Arkansas Foster Kids Adopted National Adoption Month comes to an end today, but in Arkansas, almost 300 children are waiting to be adopted. Project Zero is a nonprofit organization specializing in adoption through foster care is working daily to make the number "zero." Kandace Gerber, director of marketing and development for Project Zero, said when the organization started a dozen years ago, more than 600 children were on adoption waiting lists. The numbers have decreased, but it does not make finding homes any less important. ...(Read More)

Health Centers Clash with 'Big Pharma' Over Drug Savings Program A case involving "Big Pharma" and Community Health Centers serving low-income and uninsured patients began with opening statements this month. At issue is a government drug discount program known as 340B, which requires drugmakers to sell certain medications at lower prices to health centers and hospitals. Three drugmakers, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk, are suing the federal government for the right to restrict price rebates for drugs dispensed at health centers. ...(Read More)

AR Partners with Nonprofit University to Train More Teachers Arkansas is working to overcome the state's teacher shortage, especially in rural areas, with a new residency-based program for would-be educators. There are close to 34,000 certified teachers in Arkansas, and more than 400,000 students in grades K-12. Karli Saracini, assistant commissioner of educator effectiveness for the Arkansas Department of Education, said the nonprofit Reach University teacher prep residency-based program is open to people who do not currently have a degree, or perhaps have an associate degree. ...(Read More)

Report: Arkansas Utility Delivering On Its Climate Promises A report by the Sierra Club rates utility companies for what they say they're doing to transition to cleaner energy sources - versus what they're actually doing. In the analysis, Entergy Corporation - the parent company of Entergy Arkansas - says it's planning for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. And by adding new renewable power to its portfolio, Entergy Arkansas improved its grade from a 'C' in the previous report to an 'A.' Report Co-author and Sierra Club Energy Campaigns Analyst Noah Ver Beek said many of the companies aren't meeting their climate and emission-reduction goals. ...(Read More)

Arkansas Chosen for Military Apprenticeship Hub Program In Arkansas, thousands of people leave U.S. military service each year and start searching for their next job, and some face difficulty because their military skills don't always fit neatly onto a civilian career path. There's a new resource for them in Northwest Arkansas. ...(Read More)

Report: More than 81,000 Arkansans Can't Vote Due to Felony Convictions Early voting is underway in Arkansas, but thousands of people here will not be able to vote in the midterms due to a past felony conviction. Research by The Sentencing Project said tens of thousands of Arkansans are among the 4.6 million Americans with felony convictions who are denied voting rights. Nicole D. ...(Read More)

AR Más de 81,000 habitantes no pueden votar debido a condenas por delitos La votación anticipada está en marcha en Arkansas, pero miles de personas aquí no podrán votar en las elecciones intermedias debido a una condena por un delito grave en el pasado. La investigación realizada por The Sentencing Project dice que decenas de miles de habitantes de Arkansas se encuentran entre los 4,6 millones de estadounidenses con condenas por delitos graves a quienes se les niega el derecho al voto. Nicole D. ...(Read More)

Healthy Lifestyle, Dietary Changes Can Help Prevent Diabetes November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and one expert believes Arkansans can reverse prediabetes, and prevent the onset of Type Two diabetes. Dr. Griffin P. ...(Read More)

Survey: "Back to Basics" for Living Longer, Healthier in Arkansas In a new survey, most people say they want to take steps to live healthier and longer, but some are unaware of the lifestyle factors that can make the biggest difference. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the life expectancy for an Arkansas resident is slightly less than 74 years. In the survey by the for-profit physician group Medical Doctor Value In Prevention, more than half of the respondents said they've done more planning for their financial health than their physical health. ...(Read More)

Group Pushes to Educate Arkansas Voters Ahead of General Elections As the Nov. 8 midterm election fast approaches, there has been an urgent push for more voter education and candidate engagement in Arkansas. AARP Arkansas is one group expanding its outreach efforts online, through social media and in-person to let Arkansans know how, when and where to cast their ballots. ...(Read More)

AR Groups Keep Fighting for Those Who Fall Behind on Rent Groups challenging the criminal consequences for failing to pay rent in Arkansas say they'll take another run at it, perhaps as a class-action lawsuit, after their initial case was dismissed. Arkansas is the only state that treats nonpayment of rent as a criminal offense instead of a civil debt, and a nonprofit that provides free legal services contends that is unconstitutional. Phil Telfeyan, who heads the group Equal Justice Under Law, said the goal of the suit was to end the law - and now, more work must be done. ...(Read More)