Commentary: Arkansas needs balanced strategy to address educator concerns about AI
While AI can offer transformative support for students who need it, it also risks eroding the foundational skills we are trying to help them acquire
Arkansas Advocate: Protestors arrested outside Governor’s Mansion during protest of Turning Point USA
Four people protesting outside the Governor’s Mansion were arrested Wednesday afternoon, with two facing felony second-degree battery charges, according to Arkansas State Police
Bits & Pieces: I always go backwards when I’m backin’ up
We’ve got something in common with Rooster Cogburn
Arkansas Advocate: Child care costs preventing mothers from seeking or retaining full-time work, report says
The study found that the average cost of child care in Arkansas is $17,500 per year for a family with two young children, or 27% of Arkansans’ annual median household income
Arkansas 4-H Foundation’s Day of Giving set for March 17
This St. Patrick’s Day, the Arkansas 4-H Foundation is encouraging Arkansans to set a bit of gold aside to support youth development in the Natural State
Hogs’ Silverfield seeks players; legislators seek answers
The University of Arkansas will struggle to keep up unless the Walton family focuses its attention on football instead of a medical school, a world-class art museum, and hiking and biking trails
Clark County Arkansas Jail Bookings: March 2-9, 2026
The following people have recently been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Crittenden Street in Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Arkansas Advocate: State officials mark LEARNS Act anniversary as school voucher cost concerns continue
Arkansas leaders marked the third anniversary of a 2023 education overhaul law Monday with a visit to an elementary school that has markedly improved its student outcomes in the past few years
Brookshire’s launches donation campaign to fuel Arkansas Food Banks
Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) is launching a new donation program in its Arkansas stores to help support local hunger relief organizations
COMMENTARY: Voters sent Sarah Sanders a message in primaries. What lesson will she take from it?
After candidates backed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were defeated in last week’s primary elections, Arkansas’ Republican governor is unlikely to embark on a tour of contrition similar to that of former Gov. Bill Clinton
Stateline: HUD seeks to reduce time allowed for tenants to receive notice before evictions for nonpayment
Amid a slew of proposed changes scaling the federal government’s role in broadening assistance in federal rental programs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to rescind a 2024 regulation requiring public housing agencies and certain federally subsidized landlords to give 30 days’ notice before filing for eviction based on unpaid rent
History Minute: Understanding Iran’s turbulent history, from Persia to modern times
The history of Iran, called Persia in ancient times, dates back to antiquity, but it has often been the scene of upheaval and warfare
Arkansas Advocate: Hammer, Norris headed toward runoff in Republican secretary of state race
Army veteran Bryan Norris and state Sen. Kim Hammer are advancing to a runoff later this month for the Republican nomination for secretary of state
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes urea, diesel prices to spike as planting season begins in Arkansas
As war shuts down shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, farmers are seeing spikes in urea and diesel prices just as planting season has begun in Arkansas
Gov. Sanders’ not-great, not-terrible night
There is a lot to cover as we review Tuesday’s primary elections. We’ll start with what happened with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and three Republican state Senate races.
UPDATE: Clark County’s 2026 primary election results
The following are unofficial results from the March 3, 2026, primary election in Clark County, Arkansas
UPDATE: $250.8M Powerball Jackpot bought using mobile app
A jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $250.8 million was sold in Arkansas for the March 2 drawing
Stateline: Iran war drives gas price uncertainty ahead of busy summer season
The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline topped $3 Tuesday for the first time this year, and is expected to keep going up
Arkansas’ part in America’s 250th birthday party
The United States is celebrating its America250 semiquincentennial, and Arkansas is doing its part to plan the party
Retired teachers hear history of Arkadelphia’s Peake Elementary School
The Clark County Retired Teachers Association recently hosted guest speaker Cathie Ware Murphy, retired associate professor of nursing from Texarkana College
Clark County Arkansas jail bookings: Feb. 24-March 2, 2026
The following people have recently been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Crittenden Street in Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Dispatch Desk: Foot pursuit ends in arrest
The following incidents were gathered from reports filed Feb. 23 through March 1, 2026, at the Arkadelphia Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Office
Stateline: Democrats call for immediate vote on Trump war powers as US, Israel strike Iran
Democratic lawmakers called Saturday for Congress to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s order launching “major combat operations” in Iran, while Republicans largely provided cautious support of the attacks
Arkansas Advocate: Sanders’ efforts against 2 prison project opponents a test of governor’s pull
Two veteran Arkansas lawmakers are fighting for their political lives in Tuesday’s Republican primaries, with a barrage of mailers and ads funded by outside groups casting them as insufficiently conservative against challengers backed by GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Kopksy to address Clark County Democratic Women
Bill Kopksy, executive director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and representative of the Protect AR Rights Coalition, will be the featured speaker at the March 2026 meeting of Clark County Democratic Women
Citing no evidence of wrongdoing, Arkadelphia Schools stand by Lifetouch amid controversy
In light of multiple school districts across Arkansas severing ties with Lifetouch photography over concerns that its parent company’s former owner and alleged links to the Jeffrey Epstein files, Arkadelphia Public Schools will not drop its current contract with the company
Felony Friday: Prosecutor seeks harsher sentence for accused Walmart burglar
This is a roundup of felony charges filed Feb. 13-27, 2026, by the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office
Weather service forecasters eyeing potential for heavy rain in early March
The National Weather Service in Little Rock says there is increasing confidence for a wet and stormy pattern over the south-central part of the U.S. through the first few weeks of March 2026
Issue Spotlight: What Democrats running for Arkansas governor say about education
The rising cost of Arkansas’ school voucher program has prompted concerns from Democrats and some rural Republican legislators who say it will be devastating to public schools
Rice stink bug genetic mapping offers clues to curb a costly crop pest
Even though farmers have been dealing with rice stink bugs as pests since the 1880s, entomologists are still getting to know them at the genetic level
Clark County Arkansas jail bookings: Feb. 17-23, 2026
The following people have recently been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Crittenden Street in Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Severe weather likely Sunday
The National Weather Service in Little Rock is warning Arkansans to brace for severe weather Sunday, March 15
Update: Hot Springs vehicle chase leaves 2 bystanders dead
Two people died at the hands of a fleeing motorist being chased by police Thursday evening, March 12
Felony Friday: Biker leads state trooper on high-speed chase through Arkadelphia
This is a roundup of felony charges filed Feb. 27 through March 13, 2026, by the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office
Highlights from Arkadelphia chamber’s Rockin’ the Region banquet
The Arkadelphia Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated a landmark year of growth and community achievement at its 2026 Annual Banquet, “Rockin’ the Region,” on March 12, 2026
Shell EVP Christopher Rice encourages business students to build lives of impact
A 1993 Ouachita graduate, Rice is part of a family with deep ties to the university. Remembering how much his parents valued higher education and the Arkadelphia school’s reputation in the state, Rice noted that 10 of his 11 siblings attended Ouachita.
Baptist to acquire South Arkansas Regional Hospital in El Dorado
This June, Baptist Health will officially add the hospital, licensed for 151 beds, as Baptist Health Medical Center-El Dorado