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Trump posts Sen. Tom Cotton’s phone number over dispute about daylight saving time bill
President Donald Trump posted on social media a cellphone number he claimed belonged to Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton in a Saturday tirade.
More good news for Chris Jones in race against French Hill
Congressional candidate Chris Jones got some love from the Democratic campaign office, which placed his campaign in the Red to Blue program.
Today is the deadline for voter registration, so you’d better check to make sure you’re all set
Arkansans who want to weigh in on the Nov. 3 elections have to get their paperwork turned in today. Here's how to check to make sure you're good to go.
‘The Age of Anxiety’ opens Friday at AMFA
There’s nothing quite like the drama, darkness and distortions of German Expressionism to ring in the Halloween season.
Sunday open line
Little Rock and Western Railway, won’t you be our neighbor?
A River Trail view, sometimes sullied.
Saturday open line
Schmitts and giggles
If you want to accuse a U.S. Attorney of perjury, know the difference between the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Old State House Museum employee quits over racist comments about slavery
A Black woman who has been working at the Old State House Museum since 2011 quit over racist remarks about slavery.
North Little Rock squirrel attack sends bloodied grandmother and mom to the ER
Two Central Arkansas women are emotionally traumatized but physically OK after suffering a freak squirrel attack while putting up birthday decorations in a North Little Rock yard Thursday.
Kentucky governor rallies Arkansas Democrats, says party can compete and win in South
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear shared his three-step guide to winning in a typically Republican state with Arkansas Democrats at a Thursday night fundraising dinner.
Friday open line
Skip the Scenic Drive and Take the Scenic Route
Grab your hiking shoes, hop on a bike, or launch a kayak. A cool-weather day in Little Rock gives you plenty of reasons to skip the car and keep moving.
Two poetry collections go on a date: A conversation with Arkansas poets Ellie Black and Acie Clark
Ellie Black and Acie Clark, both of whom are creative writing professors in Central Arkansas, each published debut books of poetry in September. Their work coalesces in unexpected yet profound ways.
Jude Brothers release show at White Water Tavern on Thursday
As if recently arrived through a portal from some more pastoral world than our own, Fayetteville singer-songwriter Jude Brothers makes music that sounds like how a golden-hour walk through the woods feels.
We’re reporters, not teachers. We were able to start private schools anyway.
Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hurdles to open a school are so low, could we do it?
Black Democratic candidates talk politics during first Blue Porch Brunch
Several local Black Democratic candidates, from municipal to federal, gathered on the front porch of a house on Chester Street on Thursday morning to talk politics and the coming election.
Hurts Donut is closing its store in downtown Little Rock
Hurts Donut, the over-the-top donut chain specializing in terrifyingly sugary toppings, announced Thursday that its location in downtown Little Rock is closing Oct. 8.
Thursday open line
Attorney demands mediation in case of LRPD officer putting a gun to man’s head
A Little Rock police officer put a gun to Gregory Williams' head over a convenience store dispute over a piece of fried fish. His attorney says it's time for the city to agree to mediation.
Gloria Ray Karlmark, one of the Little Rock Nine, to release biography in 2027
To coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine’s historic integration of Central High School, Gloria Ray Karlmark is releasing a biography co-written by Swedish journalist Elisabeth Åsbrink.
Arkansas lawmakers told helping inmates return to society will ease prison overcrowding
Letting inmates 60 and over serve out their sentences under house arrest was one of the ideas pitched to ease overcrowding.
Arkansas Department of Education blames letter grade discrepancies on a sorting error
Helena World Publisher Andrew Bagley launched the uproar with an article posted Tuesday, describing a team of journalists' discovery of a conflicting set a of grades on a spreadsheet that's since been deleted from the education department's website.
The Sasquash at Funky Stretch Pizza, ribs at Lindsey’s Hospitality House and more: The best things we ate in September
With September in the rearview, we’re looking back at some of the best restaurant dishes the Eat Arkansas team came across over the last month.
New York Magazine discovers the gentrification of Walmart
Walmart wants fashionable people to know it’s cool now. But the company’s low wages and workers’ reliance on public assistance complicate the makeover.
‘Drag Race’ contestant Sam Star at Sway on Wednesday
When it comes to the ever-expanding roster of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queens, the Bible Belt has always punched above its weight. Exhibit 1 of many: the pageant-polished Sam Star, a sparkly perfectionist of a theater kid from Birmingham, Alabama.
Wednesday open line
Arkansas AG Tim Griffin doubles down on blocking your abortion rights
On Wednesday, Griffin linked arms with attorneys general from the similarly blood-red states of Alabama and Louisiana to sue far-away healthcare providers who prescribe and ship abortion pills to patients in states with abortion bans in place.
Fact-checking Sarah Sanders’ claims about Brad, the welfare queen
Her obstinance is hardly surprising — refusing to ever acknowledge a mistake is a load-bearing part of Sanders’ public persona. What is a bit surprising though is Sanders’ willingly taking all this flak for an ad that is based entirely on a lie.
Mid-America Arts Alliance offering fifth cohort of $10,000 grants to 25 artists
When Catalyze first launched, only artists living in Central Arkansas were able to apply. In 2024, applicants from the Arkansas Delta were welcomed in. The latest expansion includes artists from some northern and southern parts of the state.
Central High School graduate Kate Spradley awarded MacArthur ‘genius’ grant
Endowed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the honor comes with a whopping $800,000 doled out over 5 years — with zero strings attached.
Arkansas Explained: How to register to vote in the midterms
Here’s what you need to know about registering to vote in the Nov. 3 election.
Quapaw Nation ousts two Saracen executives
The Quapaw Nation has terminated two Saracen Casino Resort executives.
Tuesday open line
Mississippi River mayors, including three in Arkansas, propose AI data center guardrails
More than three-quarters of member cities in a Mississippi River coalition have been approached to host data centers.
Arkansas emergency management chief AJ Gary to retire
Gary was first appointed by former Gov. Asa Hutchinson in June 2016 and reappointed in 2023, by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Local baker cooks up a sweet idea to cover funeral expenses for Waffle House employee
Tracy Long died Sunday after a drunk driver barreled into the Maumelle Waffle House where she was working.
‘It’s a throwback kind of thing’: A Q&A with Mike and Keesha Motley of Motley’s Farm
The Motleys specialize in providing Central Arkansas with its annual supplies of Natural State-grown pumpkins and Christmas trees, but a visit to their family farm involves so much more than seasonal wares.
First hearing held in challenge to Arkansas’ abortion ban
Vague language governing abortions in medical emergencies took center stage Monday as a Pulaski County judge heard arguments over the state's near-total abortion ban.
Monday open line
Ron Robinson Theater screens ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘The Corpse Bride,’ ‘The Fly’ and more in October
“North by Northwest,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Practical Magic” are also among the October lineup.
Sarah Sanders’ new ad is infuriating her most racist supporters
Even something seemingly as simple as punching down can backfire if you lack the basic political skills to understand which groups you should avoid because targeting them will make a certain subset of your supporters very angry.
‘The Saturday Night Live of Arkansas politics’: A Q&A with Gridiron veteran Beth McAlpine
Gridiron, a biennial satirical musical production led by the Little Rock legal community, has been going on for more than 100 years. It returns to the Arkansas Repertory Theatre on Tuesday.
Still at an impasse with Blue Cross, CHI St. Vincent CMO argues for fairness and healthy competition
While the word on the street is that the gap between what St. Vincent wants to be paid for services and the amount Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to pay may never be bridged, CHI St. Vincent Chief Marketing Officer David Griffin said resolution is still possible.
High-risk pregnancy doctors publish new standards for care under state abortion bans
How can doctors save the lives of pregnant women in distress in states like Arkansas, where abortion care is banned?
Sunday open line
Still standing in the ballroom
Future presidents have skin in the game on Trump's not-up-to-code ballroom construction plans. Plus: monarchs (unrelated).
Saturday open line
Tom Cotton’s intelligence
Some questions for Arkansas' junior senator about when to keep secrets, and when to disclose them.
Top Saracen Casino execs recommended for termination
The Downstream Development Authority said Saracen execs Carlton Saffa and Matt Harkness had created their own gaming software and had marketed it to third parties in the Arkansas gaming industry.
County judge vetoes Pulaski County data center ordinance; override of veto expected
Three days after the Pulaski County Quorum Court passed a long-sought ordinance to put legal guardrails around data centers, County Judge Barry Hyde vetoed it, saying the measure went too far and would open the county to expensive lawsuits.
Friday open line
Judge rejects collusive settlement agreement between Sanders and corrections officials
Calling the parties’ joint motion an “attempt to brand the Arkansas Judiciary obsolete,” Judge Patti James said granting the motion “would result in preposterous and absurd consequences in which this court has enough foresight to prevent.”
Talking health and welfare in Arkansas District 2
Second District Democratic candidate Chris Jones dissects the One Big Beautiful Bill and its impact on the poor.
Arkansas abortion ban lawsuit faces its first day in court, while the state works to dismiss it
Six women say Arkansas’ abortion ban left them pleading for care, enduring dangerous pregnancies or crossing state lines for abortions. Waldorf v. Arkansas gets its first hearing Monday.
LRSD board discusses school closures, 2027 budgeting and revised hiring plan
The latest LRSD Forward proposal seeks to reduce the district’s annual operating costs by roughly $5 million to $6 million to account for declining enrollment and underuse of about one-quarter of the district’s building space.
Come for the hate, stay for the baloney: Sarah Sanders’ anti-trans TV ad offends on many levels
Gov. Sanders has gone up with a truly repellent reelection campaign ad in which she not only offers a false caricature that demeans transgender Arkansans, but also takes credit for doing things she didn’t actually do.
Arkansas awards $54M in second round of federal rural healthcare funding
Arkansas awarded $54.6 million to dozens of recipients through a new federal program to support projects aimed at bolstering rural healthcare, state officials announced Thursday.
Jude Brothers’ gorgeously pastoral third album ‘Dogwood Maiden Voyage’ is a remarkable achievement
This is music for long walks in the woods at golden hour, for dancing at your uncle’s birthday party in the Shire, for the moment when the campfire has begun to dwindle and the darkness of the forest begins to encroach.
‘Kitten’: A Q&A with writer Stacey Yu ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival
Writer Stacey Yu, who spent part of her childhood in Little Rock, heads to Six Bridges Book Festival soon. Her debut novel, “Kitten,” is a “Gen Z parable of existential nihilism” (Kirkus Reviews).
Thursday open line
Listen to your Elders: Lessons in public service from Dr. Joycelyn Elders
Political scholar Jay Barth reflects on the grace and wisdom with which Arkansas legend Dr. Joycelyn Elders moved in and out of the public eye.
4 candidates seek to fill Arkansas state Senate seat vacancy
Independent candidates Steven McClelland and Trevor McGarragh, Democrat Camille Feyen and Republican Will Moore are seeking to replace Republican Jonathan Dismang, who resigned from the Senate earlier this month to take a job at Arkansas Electric Cooperatives.
Report: State going backward in insuring children
Arkansas had been nationally recognized for the high number of children who were insured. But that is not the case today.
Wendell Griffen celebrates birthday with data center win
The retired judge’s path from tech novice to successful data center ordinance author started with a fateful visit to his 90-something former law professor.
Wednesday open line
Deputy solicitor general leaving attorney general’s office
Noah Watson is leaving the AG's office to join his father in private practice in Searcy.
Arkansas Times launches Project Catfish
We turned 52 this month! To celebrate, Project Catfish will challenge readers to raise $52,000 by Dec. 31 in support of Arkansas Times Independent Arkansas journalism. If readers hit the goal, publisher Alan Leveritt gets a catfish tattoo.
Appeals court hears arguments over Arkansas’ Ten Commandments in classrooms mandate
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in March said the law violated the families’ First Amendment rights, declared the statute unconstitutional and blocked it from being enforced in the six challenged districts. The state appealed the ruling.
‘Rumors of Peace’: A Q&A with writer Hope Coulter ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival
Little Rock writer Hope Coulter heads to Six Bridges Book Festival soon. Her new short story collection, “Rumors of Peace,” is “poignant, pensive, and nuanced” (Foreword Review).