Opinion

Early one morning, Rob and the Easter Bunny met in a sunny, dewpearled meadow. The rabbit had a basket of Easter eggs at his side.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo National River’s designation as our country’s first national river. Enjoying wildlife and the outdoors is a way of life for residents of The Natural State and the Buffalo National River has helped countless Arkansans do just that. As we commemorate National Park Week, we celebrate this milestone and all of Arkansas’s national treasures.

A Day of Debates, featuring Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidates, will be held on Thursday, April 21 at Little Rock Union Station, lower level. A luncheon will also be part of the day’s schedule. The event is hosted by Arkansas Press Association and sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

Arkansans are unfortunately familiar with the devastating impacts of tornadoes. I’ve seen the damage left in their powerful wake and talked with homeowners, businesses and local leaders about the challenges they face in getting things back to normal. In the face of these trials, I have also seen the resolve of citizens determined to rebuild and the care of those who offer hope through words and deeds to friends and neighbors experiencing some of the greatest hardships of their lives.

Today, I would like to talk about the national increase in violent crime, and what we are doing to combat that here in Arkansas. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world felt like it came to a halt while we dealt with the issues of public health.

Little Rock – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today toured the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock and announced a $250,000 allocation for essential transportation related to opioid deaths across Arkansas. According to the Arkansas State Crime Lab, there were at least 493 drug overdose deaths in 2021; 281 of those were caused by fentanyl and 43 autopsies are still pending. In 2020, there were 329 drug overdose related deaths with 148 caused by fentanyl and in 2019 there were 263 drug overdose related deaths with 80 caused by fentanyl. The allocation will help the State Crime Lab transport victims of opioid overdose to the crime lab for an autopsy and determine the exact cause of death.

Little Rock – The Arkansas Financial Education Commission, created by Act 1025 of 2021 and chaired by Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan, kicks off its first partnership to promote financial awareness among Arkansans next week. The collaboration in partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will host a series of financial education webinars geared toward educating the public on basic financial matters.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R- AR) announced he will vote against the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. He released the following statement:

We are delighted to welcome our 14th association and 16th state to be represented in the Column Partner Program — the Arkansas Press Association. The Column team will be working with the APA on a redesign of their statewide public notice website, making critical improvements to the accessibility of their site as well as adding improved search and alert functionality for the public.

50 years ago, the citizens of sovereign Republics known as the Counties of Baxter, Marion, Newton, & Searcy within the sovereign Republic of the State of Arkansas advocated the release of land along the banks of what is known as the Buffalo River. It was done in the hopes of stopping the creation of dams along the river and impacting private property owners not just along the river bottom, but many who owned property that would evidentially be covered in the body of water created by this river blockage. The result was the creation of the Buffalo River National Park (BRNP) with the promises of job creation and national recognition of the pristine area with the main objective of protecting the Buffalo River and providing a pristine outdoor experience with nature in its natural setting. The area would be under federal protection and what could possibility be wrong with that. 50 years later, everything is wrong with this decision.