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A bond burning ceremony was held Wednesday at the Saline County Career and Technical Center (SCCTC) to celebrate the early retirement of the 3/8-cent sales tax that funded its construction. Voters approved the tax in 2018 to support a $43.5 million bond, which was originally scheduled to be paid off in 2031.

Arkansas will start accepting proposals from rural hospitals and medical providers to receive shares of the national $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, “a much-needed lifeline to rural health care,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday.

In 2024, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission partnered with non-profit organization Low Key Arts to develop the state’s first film workforce development program. The free training program taught nearly 50 students skills associated with production, camera, art department and grip and electric roles — but not without the opportunity to apply the newfound knowledge.

For the first time ever, the Benton County and Washington County Quorum Courts held a joint meeting — coming together to talk about one of Northwest Arkansas’s biggest challenges: growth.

Kimberly Hendricks Jones will be the interim director of the University of Arkansas System’s Criminal Justice Institute (CJI), according to a Wednesday news release.

Last week at the Arkansas State Police Headquarters, leaders came together to launch the Fall 2025 Arkansas Drug Take Back initiative. Kirk Lane, Director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), and Tom Fisher, Arkansas State Drug Director, opened the event with strategic presentations outlining the state’s plan to continue expanding safe disposal efforts and strengthening community partnerships.

Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester launched an initiative Wednesday to prevent people from voting in multiple states.The One State One Vote initiative creates a partnership between Arkansas and neighboring states to ensure citizens aren’t registered to vote in more than one state, according to a news release.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is keenly aware that farmers are in a crisis, but solving the dilemma is proving elusive and time-consuming. Still optimistic, Boozman said he has been meeting with colleagues and the White House to address the situation.

Two Arkansas River Valley Republicans announced that they will seek their party’s nomination to succeed Sen. Gary Stubblefield, who died earlier this month