Opinion

The state Attorney General has sued two pharmacy benefit managers, alleging that they contributed to the dramatic rise in the abuse of painkillers that has ravaged Arkansas. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are companies that act as the middleman in transactions between wholesale manufacturers and the people who pay for prescription drugs, such as drug store chains, health insurance companies and government health care agencies.

Let me start by saying I am not an attorney. I have been attending the city council meetings, workshops and special meetings in the City of Bull Shoals for the calendar year 2024. Each of these meetings has been met with angry residents yelling at members of the city council and the mayor.

LITTLE ROCK – With the deadline for submittal of signatures on statewide ballot initiatives fast approaching, Attorney General Tim Griffin reissued guidance on the rules that govern the collection of signatures: “As the July 5 deadline for signature submission draws near, there will likely be many people across the state this week making a final push to collect signatures for various ballot measures. It is imperative that both voters and canvassers understand and adhere to Arkansas’s laws on the collection of signatures for ballot initiatives. This benefits all involved; it protects the signatures from being challenged legally and upholds faith in our democratic process.”

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas families and businesses will save more than $483 million in income taxes next year, thanks to a tax cut passed by the legislature during a three-day special session. Also, Arkansas homeowners will see their property taxes go down by about $46 million because the legislature increased the homestead property tax credit from $425 to $500.

This week, the General Assembly convened for an Extraordinary Session, during which the legislature passed significant tax legislation. The new laws reduce the top individual income tax rate to 3.9%, the lowest since the tax was first enacted in the state in 1923.

The last six months of meetings and workshops of the Bull Shoals City Council have been confrontational for all attending. The residents have accused the members of the council of covering up issues, lying, or trying to manipulate the answers given to them.

I’ve learned through my family genealogy research that my 2nd great grandmother Lucinda Stinnett 1822-1893 is related to the Stinnett’s who settled around Yellville, Marion County, Arkansas, around 1830-1840. Lucinda’s father Abner Stinnett is the brother of David Stinnett Sr.

LITTLE ROCK – The deadline to register to vote in the November 5 general election falls on Monday, October 7. Keep in mind that county clerks may not accept voter registration forms signed digitally, unless they are submitted by certain state agencies.

– Arkansas teacher salaries went up 3.2 percent last year, to an average of $54,309. That ranked Arkansas 45th in the country.