Arkansas’ child care system needs additional funding to avoid widespread closures and layoffs due to changes to the state’s financial aid program for low-income families, providers told the state Early Childhood Commission during a Wednesday work session. ✍️: @tessmvrbin.bsky.social buff.ly/kPS6Zkv

My contribution to States Newsroom's coverage of the proposed federal ban on Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood: This has been the law in Arkansas for years, and while low-income people have some other affordable health care options, those options don't specialize in women's health.

Rural hospitals in need of financial stability can get more federal money if they cut inpatient beds. The Camden hospital is willing to do this even though they'd have to scale back labor and delivery services. Other hospitals decided the exchange isn't for them. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/10/06/t...

There's a possibility of two Arkansas legislative special elections before the regular ones next year: one to replace the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield (will definitely happen) and one if Rep. Carlton Wing takes over Arkansas PBS (not a done deal yet). #arpx arkansasadvocate.com/2025/09/17/a...

Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders officially declared state Senate District 26 a vacant seat in the Legislature yesterday, paving the way for a special election to succeed Sen. Gary Stubblefield, who died earlier this month. #arpx #arleg

Arkansas legislators reverse decision to withhold state funding for 40 municipalities that missed deadline to submit audits, despite concerns by some lawmakers that extending deadline in violation of state law was “dangerous uncharted territory.” @tessmvrbin.bsky.social reports

Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Up to 40 Arkansas National Guard members will assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in apprehending migrants at risk of deportation under the federal Title 32 program, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Tuesday. #arpx

Charlie Kirk shot during event at Utah Valley University. @utahnewsdispatch.com story by @kmckellar.bsky.social:

Kansas recently signed a $44M deal with RedMane Technology to upgrade its child welfare information system. What does that have to do with Arkansas? RedMane had a similar contract here that ended after two years of the state's frustration over lack of progress. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/09/08/e...

Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Arkansas public libraries will receive their usual allotments of state funding for the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, a Department of Education attorney told the new State Library Board during its first meeting Tuesday. #arpx

Teens calling Idaho's suicide hotline are being told they can't proceed with the conversation without parental consent. Many of the callers are then hanging up. Idaho approved a strict parental consent law last year. idahocapitalsun.com/2025/08/29/i...

From @sonnyalbarado.bsky.social and @grajeda.bsky.social: Sen. Gary Stubblefield, a Branch Republican who served a dozen years in the Arkansas Senate, died Tuesday at the age of 74. #arpx

Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Arkansas faith leaders petitioned Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday not to restart executions in the state in light of a new law allowing the use of nitrogen gas suffocation for the death penalty. #arpx

Two of the new members are from Yellville and Benton, sites of local unrest over public library leadership, content and/or funding. Sydney McKenzie, wife of a GOP lawmaker from Rogers, is the only reappointed member (so far; one appointee has yet to be announced).

Today's our birthday! Looking for the perfect gift? Consider giving the gift of independent, local journalism by making a donation to our nonprofit's fundraiser. We hope to raise $3,000 to purchase audio and video equipment to enhance our reporting. You can give at buff.ly/yM94LEp Thank you!

Last month, we reported that the IRS was preparing a system that would share millions of taxpayers' data with ICE. Now we can confirm data was officially transferred ⤵️

A federal appeals court lifted the injunction on Arkansas’ law banning transgender minors’ health care, clearing the way Tuesday for it to be enforced after four years. ✍️: @tessmvrbin.bsky.social

Yesterday the entire Searcy County Election Commission received letters of reprimand from the state on two charges of violating election laws. A poll worker was reprimanded today for electioneering, but as with yesterday, the board decided not to decertify her. arkansasadvocate.com/briefs/arkan...

As of tomorrow, nonprofit Arkansas hospitals will be allowed to hold retail pharmacy permits, and drug manufacturers will face restrictions on their ability to limit the availability of drugs in the state. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/08/04/l...

Ann Cornwell is retiring in December after 45 years in the Arkansas Senate. Colleagues describe her as a dedicated public servant who’s led with grace and a commitment to excellence while directing staff and legislators through the intricacies of creating state law. #arpx #arleg

Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on pharmacy benefit managers owning retail pharmacies may rise or fall over provision exempting Arkansas-based Walmart, which took center stage Wed. during federal court hearing in suit challenging ban. @tessmvrbin.bsky.social reports. #arpx #arnews buff.ly/4Trxclg

After SCOTUS upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming health care for trans kids, Arkansas AG Tim Griffin said this means the injunction on Arkansas' similar ban should be lifted. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/07/17/p...

Many people in the Delta region of the Deep South say Medicaid work requirements and other provisions in the "big, beautiful" bill ignore the reality of living in poorer rural communities. Part of “Uninsured in America,” a project led by @pubhealthwatch.bsky.social stateline.org/2025/07/03/m...

Arkansas PBS board votes to continue PBS affiliation amid attack on funding by Trump administration; state network - facing $2.5M cut - could have saved $2.3M by not renewing PBS membership but would have lost PBS programming. @tessmvrbin.bsky.social reports. #arpx

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine said restorative reproductive medicine “is not medical practice but ideology... Its proponents create a false narrative that standard fertility care skips proper diagnosis or healing, when in fact, it is based on precisely those principles."

The Mountain Pine school board voted in March 2023 to limit elementary schoolers' access to LGBTQ+ books. The state lawmakers representing the small city sponsored a new law this year that makes these restrictions mandatory for elementary schools statewide. #arpx arkansasadvocate.com/2025/06/16/l...

Article by @tessmvrbin.bsky.social and I summing up yesterday's #NoKings protest in Little Rock for @arkansasadvocate.com. Check it out. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/06/14/t...

The #NoKings protest and rally is officially over here in Little Rock. Stay tuned for @tessmvrbin.bsky.social and I’s story on it in @arkansasadvocate.com

Here’s the interview from @tessmvrbin.bsky.social for @arkansasadvocate.com

At Little Rock's #NoKings protest, Lizbeth Huggins (right) said she is married to an immigrant and is concerned that federal leaders think they can "ignore the Constitution and do whatever [they] want." @arkansasadvocate.com

A video from my colleage, @tessmvrbin.bsky.social from the start of the march here in Little Rock.

Kylie Woodward, carrying a sign that says "Morons Are Governing America," said the turnout at Little Rock's #NoKings protest is "amazing" and that it's a pleasant surprise to see so many older folks "fighting against what their generation ultimately is putting onto America." @arkansasadvocate.com

Pat Slaughter, a Vietnam War veteran, said today's #NoKings march in Little Rock is his first protest. He said what Donald Trump, whom he called "Felon 47," is doing to this country is "an abomination" and the exact thing he fought against. @arkansasadvocate.com

Absolutely massive crowd here in Little Rock today. @arkansasadvocate.com

Hiya folks. I’m at the No Kings protest in Little Rock this morning for @arkansasadvocate.com. We’re getting started here in the next 10 minutes or so. Stay tuned.

The divide among the Supreme Court justices who supported or dissented from the order mirrored conflicts within the court earlier this year. Chief Justice Karen Baker and Associate Justice Courtney Hudson dissented from the order.

The four plaintiffs challenging Act 624 of 2025 are three PBMs (Navitus, CVS, Express Scripts) and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the last of which previously challenged a 2015 law regulating PBMs in Arkansas. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that law in 2020.

Our Shauneen Miranda reports for @statesnewsroom.com DC on a sweeping private school voucher program tucked inside the U.S. House GOP tax bill--$5 billion a year for 4 years www.newsfromthestates.com/article/swee...

Paul Skenes will represent Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic 🇺🇸

It is not clear that the president has the authority to make such orders to CPB under the law. From @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social

History Books by The Gaslight Anthem

Transgender & nonbinary Arkansans struggling to get Real ID because of state restrictions on including their gender identify on documents, creating "much chaos and turmoil for no good reason," says Arkansas ACLU director. @tessmvrbin.bsky.social reports arkansasadvocate.com/2025/04/30/r...

The $113K loss means the library system will likely have to reduce its hours at some branches and purchase fewer books in early 2026, the director said. Crawford County residents told the quorum court Monday that the parties who lost the lawsuit should have been required to pay for it. #arpx

A plan to create a federal autism registry has advocates sounding alarms about the dark legacy of disability rosters. @bethhawkins.bsky.social reports

NEW: The Trump administration is quietly putting America’s children at risk by cutting funds and manpower for investigating child abuse, enforcing child support payments, providing child care and much more.

Arkansas PBS CEO and Executive Director Courtney Pledger, whose eight-year tenure included multiple conflicts with the state Legislature, will step down in May, the agency announced Thursday in a news release.

The League of Women Voters of Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging that eight new laws regulating the solicitation, collection and submission of signatures for citizen-led ballot initiatives are unconstitutional. #arpx arkansasadvocate.com/2025/04/21/f...

States Newsroom is hiring a chief financial officer. Job description here:

Arkansas became the first state in the nation to prevent healthcare conglomerates from operating drugstores here when Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed House Bill 1150 on Wednesday. oklahomavoice.com/2025/04/18/a...

With one major exception, Arkansas lawmakers gave Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders almost everything she asked for in the 95th General Assembly, and even then it wasn’t a total loss. #arpx #arleg