Law enforcement leaders and legislators gathered in the second-floor rotunda at the state capitol today as Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill that grants one-time stipends of up to $5,000 to police and probation and parole officers, and a second bill that increases the salary for Arkansas state troopers and other certified law enforcement officers […]
Governor Hutchinson Condemns Russia’s Attack on Ukraine; Calls for 3 Days of Prayer, Review of Arkansas Business Ties
Governor Asa Hutchinson declared his unambiguous condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today with a directive to determine whether Arkansas has business contracts with Russia and a call for “Special Days of Prayer for Ukraine.” In a letter to his 15 cabinet secretaries, Governor Hutchinson called for a review of all of the state’s departments […]
Governor Hutchinson Supports Prison Expansion, Presents COVID-19 Numbers in Weekly
At his weekly news briefing Thursday, February 10, 2022, Governor Asa Hutchinson addressed the issue of prison space in Arkansas and the work the Arkansas Department of Corrections will be doing to address issues. He said that over the past two years the Department of Corrections had seen a decline in prison population but that […]
Hutchinson says Omicron is raging in Arkansas; At-home tests available; Legislators approve hospital bed funds
See Covid numbers below and read more about the new funding for hospital beds and statewide distribution of at-home tests. At his weekly news briefing Tuesday afternoon, Governor Asa Hutchinson discussed the state receiving at-home COVID tests and increasing case numbers requiring more hospital beds. Total active cases have doubled since last week, rising from […]
Over 200K at-home Covid test kits to be distributed; Governor requesting funds for hospital beds also
In December, Governor Hutchinson directed the Arkansas Department of Health to acquire 1.5 million rapid at-home tests to be available for free to Arkansans, according to a statement from the Governor’s office. The State now has received the first shipment of 211,000 at-home testing kits. The process of delivering those to the respective distribution locations […]
Gov’s Conference Monday Spelled Out Special Session on Tax Cuts; COVID-19 Data
At his weekly news briefing today, Governor Asa Hutchinson discussed the ongoing legislative Special Session and COVID-19. Special Session Governor Hutchinson started the weekly briefing by thanking the members of the Arkansas General Assembly for coming into Little Rock to cut the taxes of the Arkansas people again. He said that he wanted to remind the […]
Governor Speaks on Vaccinations, Holiday COVID Surge, Natural Immunity, Redistributing, and Possible Tax Cut
At his weekly news briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Governor Asa Hutchinson covered several topics, including encouraging Arkansans to be cautious during the holidays with a reminder that the 2020 holiday season produced a surge in COVID-19 cases. “COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise. Compared with last week, we have over 900 more active cases than […]
Attorney General Rutledge shifts to Lt Gov race for 2022
Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Tuesday afternoon her intent to run for Lieutenant Governor. Rutledge’s decision ends her gubernatorial bid which she launched in July of 2020. “Since announcing my candidacy for governor, I have been blessed by an outpouring of support from Arkansans in every community. At this crossroads in our country’s history, […]
Gov declares health emergency; gets Fed help; calls session to consider amending Act 1002
Governor Asa Hutchinson held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to declare a public health emergency beginning immediately, and extending for 60 days. He stated that the General Assembly still must approve it. Hutchinson said there are two reasons for doing this. The first is for Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) to seek necessary […]
Video: Day one of 2020’s Covid-19 shutdown in Arkansas began in Saline County
A little over one year ago, I started a live video on Facebook in front of the Saline County Courthouse, telling of the very beginning of Covid-19 in Arkansas. Governor Asa Hutchinson was about to hold a press conference that afternoon to talk about the first known cases in the state. It was in the […]