Nearly 5,000 students who received vouchers in Year One continued into Year Two of the program. They were joined by more than 9,000 new enrollees who joined the program this year, for a total enrollment of 14,297. As with Year One, the overwhelming majority of the new enrollees — 83% — did not attend public school in the prior year.

Either way, the program has to date mostly provided vouchers to students who are not moving over from public schools. These results fit a consistent pattern in other similar statewide voucher programs nationwide. Most of the public cash doled out winds up boosting the bank accounts of families who were never in the public school system to begin with.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/30511343

A doctor who had confirmed the diagnosis was apologetic but insistent: the state’s laws meant he could be fined or jailed if he performed an abortion. In the wake of the US supreme court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade, Arkansas activated a so-called trigger law that made all abortion illegal except if a woman was in an acute medical emergency and facing death. There are no other exceptions: not for rape victims, minors or fatal fetal anomalies.

A failed petition to ban voting machines in Saline County has been referred to an ethics committee after issues were found with the way signatures for the petition were collected. Members of the Arkansas Legislature made the decision Monday at a Joint Performance Review Committee Meeting.

The ballot measure would have mandated votes in the county be made without a machine and counted by hand. Restore Election Integrity Arkansas is led in part by Col. Conrad Reynolds, who told Little Rock Public Radio before that he does not trust voting machines.

Reynolds has said voting machines could be flipping votes to select more moderate Republicans over more conservative candidates. Little Rock Public Radio has not been able to verify these claims, and critics of hand counting say its expensive, costly and prone to error.

The legislators brought up a Facebook post by a man named Joshua James, whose profile says he lives in New Mexico. James posted on Facebook in July “The Arkansas PAPER BALLOT initiative is in need of 15-20 full time signature gatherers for 2 weeks.”

My personal favorite part :

The legislative committee Monday also alleged that canvassers or representatives from the group may have been altering documents. Under each signature page the canvassers collected, the address was blacked out and replaced with the same Conway hotel address. Two notaries testified that they did not see the alterations to the documents when they notarized them.

Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe, called the situation ironic since the argument for paper ballots is that they are more secure : “The same group that wants paper ballots is okay with altering notarized documents before submission.”

The Arkansas Supreme Court has ordered the secretary of state’s office to continue counting signatures for an amendment to expand medical marijuana.

The high court on Wednesday ordered the secretary of state to continue validating roughly 18,000 signatures collected to put the amendment on the ballot. Those signatures had previously been thrown out over a paperwork issue, meaning votes on the amendment in November wouldn’t count.

Wednesday's order says Thurston must continue counting signatures until slightly exceeding the threshold of 90,704 signatures needed to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Earlier this week, Thurston said some signatures collected during a 30-day "cure period" in August should not be counted, meaning the amendment didn't meet the threshold. The group behind the amendment filed a lawsuit challenging the decision on Tuesday.

The signatures were disqualified because they were collected by paid canvassers. The group behind the amendment, Arkansans for Patient Access, hired a third-party company to then hire paid signature-gatherers. Representatives for the company, instead of the amendment sponsor, then signed off on some required paperwork for canvassers, in violation of state law.

Morgan Nick was six years old when she was abducted from a baseball field in Alma in June 1995. In a news conference Tuesday, Alma Police Chief Jeff Horner said a former person of interest in the case, Billy Jack Lincks, is now the main suspect in Nick’s abduction.

“The most important thing here is Morgan is still missing, but we’ve reached a point where we can concentrate on one suspect to determine the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s abduction,” he said.

Lincks died in 2000 while serving a prison term for sexual indecency with a child. He attempted to abduct a child about 12 weeks after Nick’s disappearance, about eight miles away from where she was last seen.

Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state.

Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed the lawsuit in state court, accusing them of violating the state’s deceptive trade practices and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit claims the site is addictive and has resulted in the state spending millions on expanded mental health and other services for young people.

In addition to tossing the abortion amendment previously.

A measure looking to further open medical marijuana access in Arkansas looks to now be off the November 2024 ballot.

Officials with Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston’s office sent a notice to Arkansans for Patient Access on Monday stating that the qualified signatures submitted during the extra “curing” period following the original deadline were not enough to place the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment in front of voters. Arkansas medical marijuana sales broke all records for 2023

The letter from Thurston’s office stated that 10,521 of the new submissions “were deemed valid” and would be combined to the earlier total. However, the letter continued, that combined amount would only be 88,040, which falls below the threshold set for the November ballot of 90,704.

Leaders with Arkansans for Patient Access claim that the group had far surpassed the ballot threshold, saying they had submitted more than 150,000 signatures that came from every county in Arkansas.

Youtube link.

Description :

Arkansas is emerging as a key player in U.S. lithium production, with major investments from companies like Exxon Mobil, Albemarle and Standard Lithium. The state’s lithium-rich brine in the Smackover Formation holds the potential to power millions of EVs and reshape energy storage. But, challenges like volatile lithium prices and unproven direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology could impact its growth. CNBC visited Magnolia and El Dorado, Arkansas to explore why the state is emerging as a key player in the lithium market and to examine the economic, technological, and strategic impacts of its extraction initiatives.

The annual Six Bridges Book Festival, hosted by the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), is taking place across Little Rock libraries next week.

This year’s program runs from September 22 through the 29th and features a range of events, such as writing and cooking workshops, author talks and social gatherings.

An Arkansas lawmaker on Tuesday renewed his vow to file legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at the state’s colleges and universities.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Jonesboro Republican and co-chair of the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Higher Education subcommittee, last August requested a DEI study to be completed by the end of 2024 with the intention of proposing legislation during the 2025 legislative session.

Sullivan announced the conclusion of the study Tuesday at the subcommittee’s meeting on Arkansas State University’s Jonesboro campus, though no formal report was presented. During a brief three-minute discussion, Sullivan said officials would post links online to legislation in Florida and Texas that will be used as models for an Arkansas bill in 2025.

Arkansans would be able to carry guns at a number of new locations, including school campuses and bus stops, under potential bills to be introduced in next year’s legislative session.

Arkansas is a “constitutional carry” state, in which licenses are not required for residents to legally carry a firearm, either openly or concealed. Despite that, some conflicts exist with federal gun laws, especially surrounding certain public facilities like schools.

One change would allow Arkansans to carry firearms onto the campuses of K-12 schools. Little Rock resident Anna Morshedi spoke against it, noting a fatal mass shooting at a Georgia high school had taken place just hours before Wednesday’s discussion.

At a rate of nearly 19%, Arkansas has the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the nation, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Wednesday.

The annual study, which was conducted by the USDA’s Economic Research Service, found that Arkansas was one of seven states where the prevalence of food insecurity surpassed the national average of 13.5% in 2023, an increase from 12.8% in 2022.

Arkansas was one of six states where the prevalence of very low food insecurity was higher than the national average of 5.1%, according to the report. State level data was calculated using estimates for the 3-year period of 2021-2023, lead author Matthew Rabbitt said during a webinar Wednesday.

The court ruling states that the group Arkansans For Limited Government (AFLG) failed to meet the stated guidelines for submitting documentation that paid canvassers had been trained on state election laws, meaning signatures gathered by those canvassers could not be considered for the total required.

The future of a ballot initiative to restore abortion rights in Arkansas could come down to just who counts as a “sponsor” signing a piece of compliance paperwork about paid canvassers. But court filings last week suggest that Secretary of State John Thurston is applying the rules on that issue in very different and contradictory ways, preemptively striking down the abortion petition, while allowing the very same issue to slide for petitions regarding a casino license and medical marijuana, both of which also used paid canvassers.

There's a lot more information in the article but I didn't want to quote the entire thing : )

Reposted from where I saw it on another site.

The backers of a measure to allow Arkansas voters the chance to loosen the state's near-total abortion ban said Friday they submitted more than 100,000 signatures, more than enough to qualify for the November ballot.

Now, get out there and vote because certain groups are trying hard to ensure that you don't since they already tried to undermine the petition.

An unexpected wrinkle emerged in the last days as an unidentified person or group sent out a blast email Thursday, claiming to be Arkansans for Limited Government and saying that organizers and volunteers should stop collecting signatures.

“It’s OVER!!” the email read.

“We have more than enough signatures now, so we hope everyone takes the day to enjoy the rest of the holiday and CELEBRATE this victory!”

On Friday, Bobrow said that she didn’t think the emails had much impact, since the committee quickly sent out emails debunking the fake ones, though she was disturbed to think hostile actors had gotten ahold of their mailing lists.

Reposting from elsewhere for Lemmy visibility :

Hi everyone. Multiple groups have come together for a massive signing event this weekend. See here and here

There is massive resistance among politicians, churches, and conservative lobbyist groups. They are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars spreading ridiculous disinformation and straight-up lying to folks. They go into churches and lie to people from the pulpit.

We also had the City of Rose Bud essentially ban petition collecting on public property. See here. Thankfully the ACLU immediately sued and a judge stopped the ordinance. Most volunteers are willing to drive to you, if they are in your country. PM me if you need a special request.

Arkansas County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Grand Prairie Center, Juneteenth Celebration (if there is an issue, signers can meet you in parking lot, PM me for info) 10am – 3pm (Stuttgart).

Ashley County

June 21st (Friday)

Hamburg Square 12pm – 2pm (Hamburg)

Community Center 4pm – 630pm (Montrose)

June 22nd (Saturday)

E.C. Crossett Youth Center 9am – 11am (Crossett)

SheBrews Coffee 1130am – 1pm (Crossett) (if you need someone to come to you in this area, PM me)

Baxter County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Cooper Parker Park 8am – 2pm (Mountain Home)

Mt. Home Farmer's Market 8am – 12pm (Mountain Home)

Benton County

June 21st (Friday)

Two Friends Bookstore 10am – 7pm

Bentonville Multi-Peition Signing Event ,306 SW A St, Bentonville, AR 72712, 1130am – 2pm (Bentonville)

Aphrodite's Love Boutique Drive-Thru 5pm – 9pm (Rogers)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Two Friends Bookstore 10am – 7pm

Aphrodite's Love Boutique Drive-Thru 9am – 5pm (Rogers)

Bentonville Farmer's Market 8am – 12pm (Bentonville)

Kaleidoscope Collective 11am – 6pm (Rogers)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Two Friends Bookstore 10am – 6pm (Benton)

Boone County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Harrison Square, Corner of Rush & Main 8am – 12pm (Harrison)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Community Flea Market 12pm – 3pm (Harrison)

Calhoun County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Calhoun County Fair Barn 12pm – 2pm (Hampton) (Note: I'm not 100% the volunteers will make this one. Attend at your own risk)

Carroll County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Forest Park Building (6 Forest Park Ave, Holiday Island, AR, I was told the corner by the bank/gas station) 10am – 2pm (Holiday Island)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Forest Park Building (6 Forest Park Ave, Holiday Island, AR, I was told the corner by the bank/gas station) 10am – 2pm (Holiday Island)

If anyone needs to meet someone in Eureka, we have a great volunteer who spends her days making house calls and meeting people in town.

Chicot County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Lake Village Handy Corner (Corner of 65 & 182) 830am – 1130am (Lake Village)*

Clark County

June 21st (Friday)

Western Sizzling parking lot 4pm – 8pm (Arkadelphia)

June 22nd (Saturday)

8th and Main in Arkadelphia 10am – 2pm (Arkadelphia)

Clay County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Piggot Courthouse 5pm – 7pm (Piggot)

Cleburne County

June 21st (Friday)

Janssen's Lakefront Restaurant 5pm – 8pmm (Edgemont)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Janssen's Lakefront Restaurant 5pm – 8pmm (Edgemont)

Heber Springs event Saturday afternoon – invite only (PM me)

Cleveland County

June 21st (Friday)

Food Truck Friday 5pm - 8pm

June 22nd (Saturday)

Main Street Pocket Park 830am – 11am (Rison)

Columbia County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Magnolia Farmer's Market (Drive-thru near it, 120 N. Court Sq) 9am – 2pm (Magnolia)

Craighead County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Judd Hull Farmers Market 8am – 1pm (Jonesboro)

Petco off Carraway 12PM – 4PM (Jonesboro)

Crawford County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Van Buren Farmer's Market 10am – 4pm (Van Buren)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Van Buren Library 10am – 4pm (Van Buren)

Crittenden County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Comprehensive Care Group 10am 1pm (West Memphis)

Crittenden County Assessors Office 9am - 12pm (Marion)

Faulkner County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Taylor King Law Firm 10am – 6pm (Conway)

Franklin County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Charleston Courthouse Farmer's Market 9am – 12pm (Charleston)

Fulton County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Short's Store 9AM – 1pm (Salem) (I can't confirm they will have all the petitions)

Garland County

June 21st (Friday)

The Retro Fit 10am – 6pm (Hot Springs)

Garland County Public Library 11am – 1pm.

June 22nd (Saturday)

The Retro Fit 10am – 6pm (Hot Springs)

Hot Springs Farmer's Market 1pm – 4pm (Hot Springs)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Garland County Public Library 1pm – 4pm (Hot Springs)

Grant County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Cricket Wireless by Walmart 10am – 2pm (Sheridan)

Greene County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Paragould Farmer's Market 8am – 12pm (Paragould)

Hempstead County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Hempstead County Library 9am – 1pm (Hope)

Hot Spring County

June 21st (Friday)

Downtown Malvern, Corner of Main and Paige Streets in Malvern 10am – 12pm and 3pm – 5pm (Malvern

Howard County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Nashville City Hall 9am – 1pm (Nashville)

Independence County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Batesville Farmer's Market (right outside it, apparently) 8am – 12pm (Batesville)

Jackson County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Jackson Farmer's Market 7am – 1030am (Newport)

Mary Alice Holden Memmorial Park 8am-12pm

There will be another group at a private lot Saturday morning too. Let me know and I will connect you.

Jefferson County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Townsend Park 11am – 3pm (I think in an office building?) (Pine Bluff)

Johnson County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Johnson County Courthouse 8am – 12pm (Clarksville)

Lafayette County

The only thing I know here is they'll be at the next City Council meeting in Stamps, AR.

Lawrence County

June 21st (Friday)

Eclectic Geekery 12pm – 9pm (Walnut Ridge)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Eclectic Geekery 12pm – 9pm (Walnut Ridge)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Eclectic Geekery 12pm – 9pm (Walnut Ridge)

Lee County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Marianna Downtown Park – Juneteenth Celebration 10am – 2pm (Marrianna)

Lincoln County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Lincoln County Library 2pm – 4pm ( Canvasser will be collecting at other place afterward, and can meet people there if needed. PM me) (Star City)

Little River County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Ashdown Public Library 1pm – 5pm (Ashdown)

Logan County

NOTE: Not this weekend

June 25th (Tuesday)

Logan County Library in BOONVEILLE 9am – 12pm (Booneville)

June 27th (Thursday)

Gattis Logan County Library 9am – 12pm (Paris)

Lonoke County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Cabot Public Library 10am – 2pm (Cabot)

Lonoke Train Depot 9am – 12pm (Lonoke) (I can't confirm they will have all the petitions)

Madison County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Huntsville Farmer's Market 8am – 12pm (Huntsville)

Bessie's Inn Drive-Thru 1pm – 5pm (Huntsville)*

Newton County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Ponca Farmer's Market 8am – 12pm (Ponca)

Ouachita County

June 21st (Friday)

DMV Drive Up 1pm – 430pm (Camden)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Ouachita County Farmers Market - 8am – 1pm (Camden)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Camden Public Library 1pm – 5pm (Camden)

Perry County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Perry County Democrats Office – 107 B. St 5pm – 7pm (Perryville)

Phillips County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Arts in the Park W/ Delta Cultural 10am – 12pm (Helena-West Helena)

Helena World Newspaper Office Drive-Thru 12pm – 3pm (Helena-West Helena)

Pope County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Arkansas River Valley Arts Center 11am – 3pm (Russellville)

Prairie County June 22nd (Saturday)

PM for details of Saturday event*

June 23rd (Sunday)

Des Arc Library 11am – 2pm (Des Arc)

Pulaski County

June 21st (Friday)

Wrap Right Packaging 9am – 6pm (Little Rock)

The Arkansas Times HQ 930am – 4pm (Little Rock)

The YOU Center 10am – 4pm (Little Rock)

White Water Tavern 9am – 4pm (Little Rock)

Arkansas Public Policy Panel 11am – 2pm

June 22nd (Saturday)

Wrap Right Packaging 10am – 3pm (Little Rock)

Little Rock Farmer's Market 830am – 12pm (Little Rock)

The YOU Center 10am – 4pm (Little Rock)

Pride @ Pettaway 4pm – 8pm (Little Rock)

Park Hill Pride/The Filling Station 830am – 12pm (North Little Rock)

Laman Library 9am – 1pm (North Little Rock)

Lake Willastein Park 9am – 1pm (Maumelle)

Thompson Library 9am – 1pm (Little Rock)

DSA Tail Light Repair & Sign 10am – 2pm (SW Little Rock)

June 23rd (Sunday)

Argenta Plaza 7pm – 930pm (North Little Rock)

Saline County

June 21st (Friday)

Relics Tatoo Parking Lot 6pm – 8pm (Benton)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Enchanted! Benton Event Center 9am – 5pm (Benton)

Royal Theater (Outside) 5:30pm – 7pm (Benton)

Saline County Library – Benton Branch – 9am – 2pm

June 23rd (Sunday)

Royal Theater (Outside) 12:30pm – 2:00pm (Benton)

Sebastion County

June 21st (Friday)

Rover Valley Natural Pet 8am – 3:30pm (Fort Smith)

Bookish 10am – 6pm (Fort Smith)

June 22nd (Saturday)

Rover Valley Natural Pet 9am – 3:30pm (Fort Smith)

Bookish 10am – 4pm (Fort Smith) Fort Smith Farmer's Market (right outside of it) 8am – 11:30am (Fort Smith)

Lambda Society's Pride Celebration 10am – 5pm (Fort Smith)

Fort Smith Food Truck Festival 10am – 10pm (Fort Smith)

Sevier County

June 23rd (Sunday)

De Queen "Rodgers" Building 167 US Hwy 71, De queen, AR 11am – 3pm (De Queen)

Sharp County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Meachum's Restaurant (walk up or in) 12pm – 6pm (Ash Flat)

119 E. Main St, Hardy, AR 10am - 6pm (Hardy)

Stone County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Stone County Library 10am – 1pm (Mountain View)

Van Buren County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Howard's Collectibles 9am – 12pm (Clinton) (I can't confirm all petitions will be there)

Washington County

June 21st (Friday)

Cheap Thrills 10:30am – 6pm (Fayetteville)

The Liberty Vintage 11am – 6pm (Fayetteville)

June 22nd (Saturday)

The Liberty Vintage 11am – 6pm (Fayetteville)

Cheap Thrills 10:30am – 5pm (Fayetteville)

Fayetteville Farmer's Market 8am – 1pm (Fayetteville)

St Paul's Episcopal Church 10am – 4pm (Fayetteville)

Winslow Farmers Market, Train Depot 9am – 11am (Winslow)

Fashion Fit for (A) Queen – starts at 730pm at The Medium (Springdale)

June 23rd (Sunday)

The Liberty Vintage 11am – 6pm (Fayetteville)

White County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Moneyball Motors 8am – 12pm (Beebe)

Rose Bud Summerfest 5pm – 10pm (Rose bud)

Make.Do 118 N Spruce St, Searcy, AR 10am – 2pm (Searcy)

Woodruff County

June 22nd (Saturday)

Elmo Browning Park 8am – 12pm (Augusta) (I can't confirm they will have all 6 petitons).

Get Loud Arkansas created a website allowing people to register to vote online. In April, an Arkansas legislative committee moved to prevent this process from being used, saying applications now need to have a “wet signature.” This means voter applications must be filled out in person and only at certain state agencies. The rule change was approved by the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners a week later.

A prosecutor asked to look at a recent audit of a controversial tax-funded lectern purchase will not move forward with charges. In a letter, Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones said he did not think the report proved that a law been broken.

Last June, the office of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders spent over $19,000 on a lectern using a state credit card. Afterward, documents pertaining to the purchase were requested by blogger Matt Campbell through the Freedom of Information Act. Then, the Republican Party of Arkansas refunded the cost. The receipt for the purchase has a handwritten note that says “to be reimbursed.”

A Missouri-based health care charity bribery and embezzlement scheme that had already put several former Arkansas lawmakers in prison had two former firm executives sentenced in federal court in April.

The two were the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Missouri-based Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. The former COO, 68-year-old Tommy “Tom” Ray Gross, received a six-year prison sentence on April 25, and his wife and former CFO, 65-year-old Bontiea Bernedette Gross, received a three-year sentence on Monday. The court also ordered the pair to pay $4.35 million in a combination of forfeitures and restitution.

The sentencing came after both had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay bribes and kickbacks to elected Arkansas officials in September 2022. Tom Gross also pleaded guilty to embezzling funds and filing false tax returns.

One Arkansas legislator discovered in the government’s investigation was former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson. Hutchinson received an eight-year sentence in 2023 after pleading guilty to false tax returns and federal program bribery charges in the Eastern and Western District of Arkansas and the Western District of Missouri federal courts in 2019. He is the son of former United States Sen. Tim Hutchinson and nephew of former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.