A prison book ban that was set to go into effect for Arkansas inmates on Feb. 1 will not happen for now, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesman Rand Champion confirmed Friday.

For the second time in as many campaigns, Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones is getting a boost from an unknown outside group.

Some environmentalists in Fayetteville are turning against the school district over a proposal to build a new junior high school on an old forest.

Big plans are in the works for downtown Little Rock, so we tossed around some grander daydreams (and a few nightmares) for the River Market’s future.

It’s about to be Black History Month, and the good people at CALS Ron Robinson Theater took note with their February film lineup.

Regulators are giving Entergy the go-ahead to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in Jefferson County, but they had strong criticism for how the company went about the development process and will be instituting new policies to make sure energy development proposals are competitive.

The Public Service Commission approved Entergy’s application for a new natural gas plant, but strongly criticized the utility for not using a more competitive process for deciding how to produce more energy for customers.

Whether your dry January calls for more than the La Croix in your fridge or you need a distraction from the horrors our state legislators will surely unveil in the 2026 fiscal session, here are a few local happy hours to counter the winter doldrums.

While Arkansas officials boast about being “the most pro-life state” in America, a new lawsuit says “the reality of life for Arkansans and their families is anything but.”

Four new books explore prison abuse, miscarriages of justice, race-based privilege and race-based barriers in Arkansas. If you’re scared of critical race theory, don’t read them.

If you're aiming to protest or stand witness in solidarity with Minneapolis, the American Civil Liberties Union offers an online training to help you stay out of the legal crosshairs. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Two people died in Arkansas in weather-related accidents, the state Office of Emergency Management announced. First responders have also made some dramatic rescues. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Canadian psychedelic-country rockers the Sadies will be joined by openers the Tyde and Adam Faucett.

The year 2025 saw the births of five bush dog puppies, three penguin chicks, two sloth bear cubs, a colobus monkey, a gorilla and a chimpanzee.

For some reason, our photographer ventured out into the freezing cold and snow to capture Central Arkansas’s first winter storm of the year.

What do the killings of Bryan Malinowski and Alex Pretti have in common? One thing: The choices made by federal law enforcement made a situation deadly when it absolutely didn’t have to be. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Two criminal justice reform organizations are circulating a petition that calls on the Arkansas Board of Corrections to reverse its ban on physical books, magazines and newspapers beginning Feb. 1.

Thirty-five years ago, an LRSD elementary with a court-mandated 50/50 racial balance became one of the most sought-after schools in the state. Now, the campus in Little Rock’s faded East End stands empty.

Two lectures on race and history are canceled after leadership at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock expressed (understandable) worry that their funding may be threatened by conservative lawmakers. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

With tariffs and volatile politics on top of evergreen worries about weather and commodity prices, our farmer neighbors are having a tough time. Join experts to get a better understanding of how we might save the agricultural economy and traditions of the Delta. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

University of Arkansas student Cameron Rackley opposes SWEPCO's proposed electricity rate increase, which would be used in part to fund coal power plants. Here, he explains why he's pushing for lower rates and renewable energy sources instead. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

The trial of Aaron Spencer, the Lonoke County man accused of murdering the man charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing Spencer's teen daughter, is on hold after the state Supreme Court removed Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore from the case.

As of Friday a.m., the National Weather Service says most of the precipitation in the Little Rock area will probably be sleet — not snow or freezing rain — though that could still change. Gov. Sarah Sanders has declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

An Arkansas State Police trooper was fired on Wednesday after he mistakenly rammed the wrong vehicle while conducting a tactical vehicle intervention — also known as a PIT maneuver — in Little Rock last weekend. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Crime is down nationally, but Little Rock's murder rate remains an outlier, even as it stays beneath historical high levels.

Get excited: Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host now installed as President Trump’s "secretary of war," is coming to Arkansas tomorrow. He'll be visiting the L3Harris facility in Camden, the capital of Arkansas’s burgeoning weapons industry. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

The 2026 Academy Award nominations arrived this morning, and a film about Brent Renaud, the Arkansas documentarian who was killed in March 2022 while reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, made the cut.

The winner decided to take the option of receiving a single lump sum of $834.9 million all at once, rather than $1.8 billion paid out over 30 years. But we may not know their identity for years. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

The winer decided to take the option of receiving a single lump sum of $834.9 million all at once, rather than $1.8 billion paid out over 30 years. But we may not know their identity for years. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards, and Northwest Arkansas chefs Matthew Cooper and Jason Paul made the cut in the Best Chef: South category, while Onyx Coffee Lab is one of 20 nominees across the country in the Outstanding Bar category.

The Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered the state to respond by tomorrow to a petition filed by Aaron Spencer, the Lonoke man accused of killing the man accused of dozens of counts of sexual assault on Spencer's then-13-year-old daughter.

Arkansas liquor officials have revoked the liquor license held by the Peppermint Hippo. This post has been updated to include a response from the management team at the strip club. They are appealing and disagree with the decision.

Snow? Ice? Freezing rain? All of the above? It's too soon to say what the weekend will bring to the Little Rock area, forecasters say, but dangerously cold temperatures and some sort of winter weather are all but certain. Prepare accordingly. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

A journalist who moved from Little Rock to Minneapolis last year sends snapshots from the streets of her adopted home, where protesters aren't letting up in the wake of Renee Nicole Good's killing.

Patrons at the Peppermint Hippo won't be able to drink anymore while watching nearly nude dancers, after state liquor officials revoked the club's permit effective Jan. 22. The permit will remain revoked pending any appeal.

The 2026 election cycle marks the first time a new Republican Party of Arkansas rule prohibiting registered Democrats from voting in GOP primary races will be enforced. (Democratic primaries are still open to all.) The Arkansas Advocate breaks down the details here: arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Little Rock’s Board of Directors will vote Tuesday evening on whether to approve the redevelopment of a property that would house a museum dedicated to legendary writer and poet Maya Angelou.

Attorneys are asking the Supreme Court to halt another attempt by Judge Barbara Elmore to hide the trial of Aaron Spencer, the Lonoke man accused of killing the man who sexually assaulted Spencer's 13yo daughter, from the public.

From our friends at the Arkansas Advocate: A quick guide to voter registration in Arkansas. Here's what you need to know to make sure you're registered in time for the 2026 elections. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

It's tonight!

For fans of Betty Davis, Tina Turner or Nikki Hill, this concert at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is a sure bet(te).

A ragtag crew of janitors paint the night in this short story by Parkview High School and UALR alum Jared Lemus. His debut book, “Guatemalan Rhapsody,” came out in 2025.

Law students at UA - Fayetteville are protesting the school's abrupt un-hiring of would-be Dean Emily Suski by putting on funeral attire this morning, in mourning of "the death of academic freedom and free speech" in the state. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

King recognized the significance of the Little Rock Nine’s struggle, and he honored them by traveling up to Little Rock from Pine Bluff a few hours after his keynote speech to attend Ernest Green’s graduation ...

Walter Kimbrough, a past president of Philander Smith University, warns that colleges and universities in the state suffer when new hires must first pass ideological litmus tests. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

For MLK Day, read this account of Dr. King's controversial 1958 visit to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (then known as AM&N) and its aftermath. King's commencement speech had lasting political consequences for the school, Leon Jones III writes. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

As culture warriors yip victory over the botched hiring and advocates for constitutional rights and academic freedom wring their hands, a heaping load of criticism (and some praise) piles up. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

ShaRhonda Love is locked in a three-person Democratic primary to replace her husband in the state Senate. An ethics complaint, lawsuit and criminal complaint aren't going to do much to help her candidacy.

Arkansas PBS never had a financial problem; it had a political one. Talk of bankruptcy and fiscal responsibility is just a smokescreen, Arkansas Times Publisher Alan Leveritt writes. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

A who's who of former prosecutors, deputy prosecutors, and local business and legal bigwigs are backing Bobby Forrest Jr. in his effort to unseat embattled incumbent prosecutor Will Jones. It's easy to see why.