News

Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year for at least four millennia. Today, most New Year’s festivities begin on December 31 (New Year’s Eve), the last day of the Gregorian calendar, and continue into the early hours of January 1 (New Year’s Day). Common traditions include attending parties, eating special New Year’s foods, making resolutions for the new year and watching fireworks displays.

HUMPHREY — Friday, December 16 at 11:15 a.m. CST, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Homer Wilkes will join the University of Arkansas at Monticello and their partners for a visit to Five Oaks Ag Education and Research Center in Humphrey.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Boozman (RAR), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded passage of legislation to improve the country’s water resources, which included provisions he championed to strengthen Arkansas water and wastewater projects.

Average gasoline prices in Arkansas have fallen 10.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.65/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 1,826 stations in Arkansas. Prices in Arkansas are 44.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 25.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 14.1 cents in the last week and stands at $4.77 per gallon.

It’s common to hear from Arkansans all over the state about their friends and family members in need of help regarding a problem with a federal government agency. Issues such as securing emergency passports for a family to attend an overseas wedding, obtaining a grave marker to honor a WWII veteran or ensuring a small business gets paid for its government contracted work all represent the type of outreach my office receives over the course of a year.

This week, my colleagues and I on the the House Intelligence Committee released a report on the origins of COVID-19. The report indicates that COVID-19 could be connected to China’s biological weapons research program and may have leaked into the human population during an accident at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology.

This week, the Arkansas Legislative Council received a report regarding the state of mental and behavioral health in Arkansas. This report was months in the making.

Christmas Eve Candlelight/Communion service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Saturday, December 24 at 5 p.m. Please, come join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.