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Berryville Elementary Pledge of Allegiance

07/23/2021

Summer of Fun Weekly Winner
Congratulations Kenard Brisco of Shell Knob, Mo., this weeks winner of the Summer of Fun Giveaway. Kenard's name was drawn from the registration box at The Pin Bowling Alley. Kenard gets $50 to spend at Hatman's One Stop in Green Forest and a bag of ice from War Eagle Ice in Green Forest. Remember to register weekly at Hatman's One Stop in Green Forest, The Pin Sports Bar, The Pin Bowling Alley, Georgios, Shaved Ice Paradise, Justin's Exhausted, Harts Family Center, Smokin' Robbins and Rancho Latino.
Covid-19 Update
Arkansas reported 3,319 cases Thursday. The state added 15 new deaths. There are 370,326 Total Positive Cases; 6,035 Deaths. The number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus jumped to over 800, which is leading the nation in new virus cases per capita. The Department of Health said Thursday that the state's virus hospitalizations increased to 849. Arkansas's cases have surged in recent weeks because of the delta variant of the virus and a low number of people getting vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 35% of the state's population is fully vaccinated. Gov. Asa Hutchinson this month embarked on a statewide tour, holding town halls aimed at encouraging people to get vaccinated. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 114%, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers. Nearly 35 percent of people in Arkansas are fully vaccinated, compared to the nationwide average of 48 percent. With classrooms about to reopen, counteracting the delta variant must be a top priority, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told the Reagan Institute Summit on Education on Thursday. Mask mandates won't be one of the tools in the state's anti-covid arsenal, he said. The number of new coronavirus infections is roughly double what they were a year ago as the delta variant spreads, state public health data shows. "Arkansas got hit very, very early on [with the delta variant]. Our cases are high right now. Our hospitalizations are high," Hutchinson said during a session titled "The State of Education: Arkansas." "We were at a point in Arkansas that we had dipped down to where it [covid-19] was almost a non-issue. Life was normal. And everybody thought it was done with. Well, this covid, once again, surprised us. It came back with a tougher variant that is causing real problems" he said. "Right now, there's a lot of consternation about the upcoming school year," he said. Since the start of the pandemic, roughly 1 out of 8 Arkansans has contracted the virus. Thus far, the illness has killed about 1 out of 500 Arkansans. While Arkansas schools closed in March 2020, they reopened for in-class instruction in the fall, with the ability to switch to virtual learning when necessary. "That was one of the best decisions that I made that we were able to accomplish in Arkansas," he said. "We're now seeing the mental-health consequences, the challenges from isolation, the gap in learning," he said. "It was the right thing to do to keep the schools going last year," he said. This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that staff members and students older than 2 wear masks at school "unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is likely to recommend that unvaccinated students wear masks when they return to the classroom, President Joe Biden said this week. It's a policy that can't be enforced back home, Hutchinson noted. "Arkansas's a state where we have a prohibition on mask mandates. We don't have vaccination mandates either, which is typical of a Southern independent, rural state. Culturally that's not where we are. We've been through that and we did what we needed to do. So I don't think that's going to be adaptable to our schools this year. I don't think parents are going to tolerate that," he said. Hutchinson said he hopes the CDC will create another set of guidelines for states that reject mask mandates.
The Eurekan Multisport Festival Underway
The Eureka Springs Multisport Festival is on Friday July 23, 2021 to Sunday July 25, 2021. It includes the following events: Eurekan 5K, Eurekan Triathlon, Half Eurekan, Full Eurekan, Eurekan Gran Fondo 100, Eurekan Gran Fondo 62, Eurekan Gran Fondo 30, Eurekan Gran Fondo 21, and Eurekan 10K. The three-day multisport festival consisting of a sprint-distance triathlon on Friday afternoon, Gran Fondos (road bike rides) on Saturday and running races on Sunday. Participants can enter individual events or take one of two “Eurekan” challenges. The name not only is the moniker of the event, but also refers to participants who complete the ultimate challenge! Any participant who enters the “Full Eurekan” who can complete the triathlon, 100 mile ride and 10K run will be known as “The Eurekan”! There is also a Half Eurekan competition which is the triathlon, 62 mile bike ride and 5K run. Event highlights include the triathlon located on Holiday Island, just a few minutes from downtown Eureka Springs. The finish line for the biking and running events are the same place each day which is located in the heart of Eureka Springs on historic Main Street in front of the Eureka Springs City Courthouse.
USACE Reschedules Temporary Lane Closure of Highway 187 Across Beaver Dam ROGERS, Ark.
One lane of the Highway 187 bridge across Beaver Dam will close from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. July 29 to conduct a routine bridge inspection. Officials at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regret any inconvenience this may cause and ask for the public’s cooperation until the work is complete. Flaggers will be present to assist with the flow of traffic, but motorists should plan for additional travel time. The closure is being coordinated with emergency services and law enforcement agencies.
Two Razorbacks to Serve As Flag Bearers at Olympics
Two University of Arkansas Razorbacks will serve as flag bearers in the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony. Shafiqua Maloney, a member of the Razorback track and field team, will carry the flag for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Gaby Lopez, who was on the Arkansas golf team from 2012 to 2016, will carry the Mexican flag. The Opening Ceremony will be held today. St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be 97th and Mexico 181th in the Parade of Nations. Maloney will run in the 800-meter event, which will be held July 30. Lopez will compete in golf, which begins on Aug. 4
J.B. Hunt Transport Recipient of Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. earned high marks from the U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday for supporting employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserves. The Lowell-based trucking and logistics company was one of 15 recipients of the 2021 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. "The men and women of the National Guard and Reserve make significant contributions to our communities and our national security," Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a written statement. "We owe a debt of gratitude to these exemplary employers." The nominating committee received 3,382 submissions from National Guard and Reserve employees. The recipients exceeded the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, offering enhanced pay and benefits packages, flexible scheduling and generous leave policies. The award was first presented in 1996, with 310 honorees to date.
CDC Reporting "Superbug" Outbreaks
U.S. health officials said Thursday they now have evidence of an untreatable fungus spreading in two hospitals and a nursing home. The “superbug” outbreaks were reported in a Washington, D.C, nursing home and at two Dallas-area hospitals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. A handful of the patients had invasive fungal infections that were impervious to all three major classes of medications. “This is really the first time we’ve started seeing clustering of resistance” in which patients seemed to be getting the infections from each other, said the CDC’s Dr. Meghan Lyman. The fungus, Candida auris, is a harmful form of yeast that is considered dangerous to hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems. It is most deadly when it enters the bloodstream, heart or brain. Outbreaks in health care facilities have been spurred when the fungus spread through patient contact or on contaminated surfaces. Health officials have sounded alarms for years about the superbug after seeing infections in which commonly used drugs had little effect. In 2019, doctors diagnosed three cases in New York that were also resistant to a class of drugs, called echinocandins, that were considered a last line of defense. In those cases, there was no evidence the infections had spread from patient to patient — scientists concluded the resistance to the drugs formed during treatment.
NW Arkansas Home Prices Continue to Rise
At the midway point of 2021, with inventory still low, Northwest Arkansas home prices continue to rise. The latest data doesn’t give any suggestion that those increases will stop. According to data from the Matrix software platform used by the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors, home prices in Benton and Washington counties increased 17% through June this year, compared with the same six months of 2020. This year, homes sold in the two-county area in the first six months had a combined value of $1.71 billion, compared with $1.44 billion in the same period last year. That’s an average selling price of $307,917 for each home sold this year, compared with $263,050 through June last year.

07/22/2021

Covid-19 Update:
Arkansas COVID-19 cases went up by another 1,459 on Wednesday (July 21). The state added 13 new deaths. The Delta variant of the virus spreading quickly in the state is causing health leaders to plead with Arkansans to get vaccinated. COVID hospitalizations in Arkansas have quadrupled since June. Over the last 24 hours, an additional 33 patients are being treated in COVID units, and 25 were placed on ventilators. Hospitals are scrambling to prepare for the effects the third wave of the virus will have on health systems. Washington Regional announced that it was entering Phase 2 of their COVID-19 Surge Plan and that all employees will need to be vaccinated by Oct. 1. Arkansans who are vaccinated still contracting COVID-19, referred to as breakthrough cases, are confusing people hesitant to get the shots. Health leaders still say that most COVID patients hospitalized are unvaccinated and that the vaccine doesn't mean you will not contract the virus, just that the symptoms will not be life-threatening in most cases. Health officials at UAMS are looking at the costs for COVID-19 patients as cases continue to surge in Arkansas. Dr. Steppe Mette, the CEO at UAMS, said the hospital started keeping new records to calculate costs for those patients. He said that if an individual contracts COVID-19, they and their insurance company are going to bear the cost while COVID-19 vaccinations are free. Dr. Mette put the average cost of a COVID patient at UAMS at nearly $25,000. "For somebody who's on a ventilator in an ICU for a month, it's going to be a lot higher than that. Probably close to $100,000," he said. Dr. Mette said most patients who are vaccinated and experiencing severe COVID symptoms are rare and based on another health factor complication. Breakthrough cases can experience mild symptoms or only need short hospital stays.
Body Recovered from Enon Access
Dive crews recovered the body of a man who was swimming in Table Rock Lake. Searchers with the Boone and Carroll County Sheriff’s Offices responded around 10 p.m. Tuesday after the man, who has now been identified as George Davidson, swam under water and did not resurface. The incident took place near Enon Access, which is south of Cricket Creek Marina, located near the Missouri and Arkansas state line.Davidson was camping with his nephew Damon Howe. Carroll County Sheriff’s Office says Davidson was swimming in about six-to-seven feet of water at the time. ”Shortly after 9 o’clock we got a report into our central dispatch that there was a male subject that had went under the water and not come back up,” said Major Jerry Williams of Carroll County. “We had multiple agencies, Carroll County, Boone County, Taney County, Harrison Fire Department responded, Omaha First Responders.” Rescue efforts went late into Tuesday night. As the search continued, the body was found using the help of sonar detection from Mennonite Disaster Services. ”The Mennonite Disaster Services and their first responders and their search and rescue team here in Carroll County are instrumental,” said Williams. “They not only help us, but many counties that surround us. The cam dive team, which is another Mennonite Disaster Services, their search and rescue was called. They were able to recover that body this morning shortly after 9 a.m.“ There is an ongoing investigation into the incident, but officials do not believe any foul play was involved.
State Mask Ban Being Challenged
There are only a few weeks left until most Arkansas schools resume, and parents are deciding what to do about masks. Some plan to take legal action against a state ban on mask mandates. Act 1002, which passed during the latest legislative session, was sponsored by State Sen. Trent Garner (R). It banned mask mandates in the state. Rogers attorney Tom Mars confirmed via Twitter he will represent parents in a lawsuit to make the law null. In a tweet, Mars wrote, “The lawsuit I am preparing will be filed on behalf of all K-12 parents in Arkansas whose children attend a public school.” He went on to write, “From my perspective, a successful outcome would be a temporary injunction and a ruling from a Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge declaring that Act 1002 violates the Arkansas Constitution is therefore null and void. In that event, school superintendents, school boards, and other public officials across the state would be free to implement mask mandates at their discretion.” Republican State Senator Trent Garner said the lawsuit, when filed, will be a publicity stunt. “His clients probably feel a legitimate need to challenge it, but Mr. Mars is a terrible stunt attorney,” Garner said. “He often trolls my Twitter page.” Senator Garner is the one who sponsored legislation banning mask mandates. He said he agrees with the science of vaccines, anticipated legal challenges, but stands by the law. “If there was ever a time we needed to put a mask mandate back in place again, the legislature would have to be called to actually have the enforcement of the law to do that,” Garner said. However, some parents in Arkansas hope school districts will be given the option to mandate masks if they choose to do so.
Minimal Changes to Election Procedures
Voters should see minimal changes in elections caused by new laws adopted in the 2021 session of the state Legislature, state and local election officials agreed Wednesday. Members of election commissions from 10 counties in Northwest Arkansas, along with county clerks and members of their staffs and representatives of the State Board of Election Commissioners gathered in Fayetteville on Wednesday morning to renew a routine of regional election meetings that was interrupted in 2020 by the covid-19 pandemic. The two biggest changes that votes will see deal with changes in state laws concerning the deadline for returning absentee ballots and in the voter ID requirements. Act 249 of 2021 removes the "optional identity affirmation" provision that had been a part of state law since the voter ID law was adopted in 2016. The optional identity affirmation allowed a voter to have their ballot counted without providing the required photo ID. Act 249 will require voters to have their photo ID in order to cast a ballot in person. Absentee voters will be required to provide a copy of their photo ID when they return their absentee ballot. If the required ID isn't provided absentee voters will have until noon on the Monday following an election to present the required ID to the county clerk of the county election commission. The number of voters who failed to present a photo ID has been decreasing every year since the requirement was adopted. The second change concerns the deadline for returning absentee ballots in person by a vote or a designated bearer for that voter. The new law changes the deadline, moving it to the end of business hours on the Friday before the election. The law had allowed absentee ballots to be returned in person up until the end of business hours at the county clerk's office on the day before an election. Ballots being returned by authorized agents of voters who are hospitalized or in long-term care facilities and medically unable to vote at a regular polling location can still be returned by hand until 7:30 p.m. on election day.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement of Gender Confirming Treatments
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked enforcement of Arkansas’ ban on gender confirming treatments for transgender youth while a lawsuit challenging the prohibition proceeds. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in May asking U.S. District Judge Jay Moody in Little Rock to strike down the law that made Arkansas the first state to forbid doctors from providing gender-confirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or sex reassignment surgery to anyone under 18 years old, or from referring them to other providers for such treatment. The ACLU sought the preliminary injunction while its lawsuit proceeded.
Fayetteville Police Offering Sign-In Bonus
The Fayetteville City Council approved new sign-on bonuses for police officers in the city. A $10,000 bonus will be given to new hires with previous police experiences. Rookies will get $5,000. The bonuses will be paid from the city's general fund. The Fayetteville Police Department has seven open positions to fill. According to the department, applications for those open positions are down 63% so far in 2021 and were down 25% in 2020. The bonuses will come in three installments, on top of an hourly rate of $19.18
SEC Teams Encouraging Vaccinations
Over the summer, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban urged his fellow Alabama residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in a public service announcement. The thinking was that one of the most popular people in Alabama might help since the state has one of the lowest percentages of vaccinated people in the nation. The video shows cheerleaders, the Big Al mascot and scenes from Bryant-Denny Stadium with the unmistakable message: Protection against COVID-19 can help everyone get back to normal. It is also a point of emphasis for the defending national champion Crimson Tide and every other team hoping to minimize the risk of impacts from COVID-19 this season after last year’s disrupted effort that saw dozens of games postponed or canceled. It’s a priority, and in some cases a challenge. Universities are struggling with whether they can require legally students to be vaccinated before returning to campuses, though Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Washington and others have taken that step. Many others, certainly across the South, have not, leaving coaches like Saban to emphasize that vaccination decisions are a personal choice, but one that can impact the team. In the Southeastern Conference, Commissioner Greg Sankey said this week that six of the 14 football teams have at least 80% of their roster vaccinated — a number that”needs to grow and grow rapidly.” The six teams include Alabama since Saban indicated “pretty close to 90%” of his players are fully vaccinated, nearly triple the rate for the state’s overall population. Not every coach or program divulged their numbers at their respective leagues’ media days. The ones that did varied fairly widely.
Happy Birthday Dolly Parton
The legendary country singer Dolly Parton, took to Twitter to share a special birthday message to her husband of 57 years. Parton explains in the video that she originally planned to pose in Playboy when she was 75-years-old but unfortunately, the magazine is no longer in existence. “Remember some time back I said I was gonna pose on Playboy magazine when I’m 75? Well, I’m 75 and they don’t have a magazine anymore, but my husband always loved the original cover of Playboy.” So the singer decided to recreate her 1978 cover shoot as a gift to her husband. Fans responded with support and encouragement to her Twitter post and birthday gift to her husband.

07/21/2021

Covid-19 Update:
Public health researchers in Arkansas called the rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the state a “raging forest fire” Tuesday morning just before more than 1,800 new cases were reported by the Arkansas Department of Health. Health officials reported 1,875 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 970 new active cases, pushing the total case count to 367,007 and active case count to 11,475. Even with the increases in new cases, state officials said that there are no additional deaths reported from Monday leaving the total at 6,007. The ADH reported that 815 Arkansans are now hospitalized from the virus, which is an increase of 49 from Monday. There are also 131 on ventilators, an increase of two from Monday. The number of Arkansans becoming fully immunized currently sits at 1,031367, an increase of 2,417 in the last 24 hours. For partially immunized Arkansans the number sits at 253,008, an increase of 2,987 in the last 24 hours. The report from UAMS also notes that Arkansas leads the country in new cases per capita and has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation. Governor Asa Hutchinson released a statement regarding the new numbers: The good news is that we have no new deaths in today’s COVID report, but the increase in hospitalizations and active cases is a trend we must turn around. The increase in cases will only stop when we follow guidelines and get the vaccine shot. The vaccine keeps people alive.
Berryville City Council Report
The Berryville City Council met Tuesday night for the second meeting of the month. Berryville Police Chief Robert Bartos gave the monthly activity report for June. Police wrote 112 citations and 65 offenses were reported. Some of those offenses included 3 aggravated assaults, 2 burglaries and 9 thefts. 75% of the offenses were cleared by detectives. Pollice responded to 12 accidents in June, most caused by improper backing and failure to yield.The Council approved the following:1. Accepted an hourly rate sheet for equipment operators from Barrows Excavation.2. Approved Ordinance 1088, waiving competitive bidding for certain items and materials to be used in the Renovation Project on the Public Square. The Mayor assured the Council that the renovation project on the square would be cleaned up in time of the Ice Cream Social and then they will return to finish the project afterwards. The monthly Financial Report showed the 1% sales tax collected in June was $158,309 and the 1/2% sales tax collected $79,154. A resident on Douglas Street attended the meeting to ask what was being done about the house next door. The Mayor advised the City is in the process of condemning the property. The Mayor also announced a new Buiilding Inspector. His name is Greg Harrison. Lastly, Mayor McKinney read an article from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette... The next meeting of the City Council will be Tuesday, August 3rd at 6pm.
Madison County Rodeo Week Underway
The Madison County Rodeo Week started Tuesday night on the Huntsville Square. It was an old fashioned street dance and Kids Night. In years' past, Kids Night was held up on Skyhigh Arena. KTHS' Jamie Hussey was live on the Square for the kickoff of Rodeo Week. He also got a great intervew with Miss Rodeo USA.... Be sure and check out the Madison County Rodeo Page on our website, kthsradio.com
Carroll County Quorum Court Report

The Quorum Court had their monthly meeting Monday. Highlights include:1. A Resolution passed confirming appointments to the Green Forest Library Board. They are Leigha Jones, Joyce Kolb, Charisse Matzenbacher, Teresa Swallow and Vicki Brown. 2. A Resolution passed confirming the County Sheriff's Designation of Interim Successors if a Declaration of Emergency was Declared. They would be the Chief Deputy, CID Lieutenant and the Patrol Lieutenant. 3. An Ordinance creating the New Position of "Office of Emergency Management" as a Full-Time Position. The Ordinance failed after much discussion. The next meeting of the Court will be Monday, August 16th at 5pm at Southern Heights Baptist Church.
Berryville School Board Report (Unofficial Minutes)The Beryville Board of Education met Monday for their regular meeting. The Board approved Chad Hipps as President; Kristi Howerton for Vice President and Jeff Tanksley for Secretary.Linda Boyer has more from the Board meeting...........
UAMS Releases Latest Covid-19 Models
As new numbers are reported by the Arkansas Department of Health, UAMS released its latest COVID-19 models that show the state could have 30,000 more cases in the next few weeks. These projections say the state of Arkansas will see 15,000 new COVID-19 cases by July 26th. Many of these new cases in young adults and children, but they hope these latest numbers will encourage vaccinations. UAMS Associate Dean for research, Ben Amick is reminding people it’s not time to relax on wearing masks, washing your hands and social distancing, and he said that the delta variant is making things worse than before. “40 percent of Arkansans are fully vaccinated, maybe it’s close to 50 now. Half our state is not, so this is a big problem,” Amick said. Health experts predict Arkansans between the age of 35-59 will still be the most affected, but adults 18-34 and those who are 17 and younger will continue to catch the virus. “This is not like the original alpha variant which was more likely to go after older adults and those with underlying health issues,” Amick said. The main message Amick said to take from these projections is to get vaccinated. “Get vaccinated, that’s the single most important thing right? If you’re not vaccinated, you’re the person that’s at risk right now,” Amick said. “For whom there still is not a vaccine, then you really have to just think about making sure they understand the importance of wearing a mask, washing their hands.” Amick also said this is a virus no one wants to get, so when thinking about vaccines, you get vaccinated and can help protect those kids who can’t.
Senate Mitch McConnell Implores Americans to Get Vaccinated
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell implored unvaccinated Americans Tuesday to take the COVID-19 shot, issuing a stark and grave warning of a repeat of last year's shutdowns if people refuse to protect themselves from the coronavirus. McConnell urged Americans to ignore the “demonstrably bad advice” coming from pundits and others against the vaccines. As caseloads skyrocket, he noted that nearly all the new virus hospitalizations in the U.S. are among people who have not been vaccinated. “If there is anybody out there willing to listen: Get vaccinated,” McConnell, R-Ky., said at his weekly press conference at the Capitol. “These shots need to get in everybody's arms as rapidly as possible or we’re going to be back in a situation in the fall that we don't yearn for — that we went through last year,” he said. “This is not complicated.” McConnell has been one of the most outspoken members of his party in urging vaccinations to stop the virus spread, speaking often in his home state of Kentucky of the need for people to get the shot. Without criticizing prominent Republicans who refuse the vaccine or mock the severity of the virus, including members of Congress, he has expressed dismay at those who choose to go unvaccinated. As a survivor of childhood polio, McConnell often draws on his own experience of having endured that disease and he has spoken publicly of the relief that eventually came with the development of vaccines. On Tuesday he said “it never occurred to me” that after the COVID-19 vaccines that were quickly developed for use in the U.S., “we'd have difficulty getting Americans to get the shot.”
State Submits Proposed Waiver for Medicaid Expansion
Arkansas has given the federal government its proposal to overhaul the state’s Medicaid expansion. The state on Tuesday submitted its proposed waiver for the expansion program, and officials have said they hope to win approval by November or December. As with the current program, the overhauled expansion would continue using Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents. It would include incentives aimed at encouraging participants to work or meet certain health goals. Arkansas unveiled the proposal after President Joe Biden’s administration moved to roll back work requirements in Arkansas and other states that courts had blocked.
Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Banning Nearly All Abortions
A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas law banning nearly all abortions from taking effect this month. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law’s enforcement while she considers a challenge to its constitutionality. The measure passed by the majority-Republican Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson was set to take effect July 28. The ban allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated in an act of rape or incest.
U.S. Life Expectancy Falls
U.S. life expectancy fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since World War II. The decrease for both Black Americans and Hispanic Americans was even worse: three years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the calculations for 2020 early Wednesday. The drop is due mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, which health officials say is responsible for close to 74% of the overall life expectancy decline. But killers other than COVID-19 played a role. Drug overdoses pushed life expectancy down, and rising homicides were a small but significant reason for the decline for Black Americans.

07/20/2021

Covid-19 Cases Surge
Arkansas passed a grim milestone over the weekend in the now year and a half long fight against COVID-19. Health officials also reported 2,552 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, pushing the active case count to 10,505 and the total case count to 365,132. The Arkansas Department of Health reported 15 new deaths from the virus since Friday, moving the total during the pandemic to 6,007. 766 Arkansans are now hospitalized, which is an increase of 85 from Friday. There are also 124 on ventilators, which is an increase of 5 from Friday. Dr. Jennifer Dillaha said that several hospitals across the state are reporting that they are working at full capacity. Dr. Dillaha nsaid over the previous 24 hours there was a 79 patient increase in hospitalizations which she said is the largest one-day increase since the beginning of the pandemic. The latest number from Arkansas came on the same day that the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation that everyone over the age of 2 heading back to schools this fall should be wearing masks inside buildings, regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson released a statement regarding the numbers reported from over the weekend:We saw good vaccine numbers over the weekend, with an increase of nearly 16,000 doses administered. Unfortunately, we also saw an increase of over 100 hospitalizations. Nearly all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been fully vaccinated, so get your shot today.
Ragball Tournament Saturday to Benefit Grandma's House CAC
Grandma's House Children's Advocacy Center has been helping abused children for many years. They rely on fundraisers throughout the year to implement the programs they need to continue their work. On Saturday, at A.L. Carter Field, a Ragball Tournament will be held. Kaleigh Evans with Grandma's House has details of this very popular event...... Again, Kaleigh's phone number is 870-517-1681

American Academy of Pediatrics Issue New Guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics' new guidance recommends students, staff, and teachers over the age of 2 wear masks indoors even if they are fully vaccinated. They also recommend potentially requiring COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine proof. Pediatrician Dr. Gary Wheeler is with the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He says mask-wearing is the sensible thing to do with the situation our state is in right now. “If you wanted to keep your kids safe at school, you would make sure everyone around your child is vaccinated, but there is no way to guarantee that or validate that, so the easiest thing to do to keep everyone safe, particular at this time is to recommend universal masking,” he said. A newly enacted state law makes it where school districts cannot force students or staff to wear masks, but that doesn’t mean they can’t encourage it. The Springdale School District says to keep everyone safe, they plan to continue their health and protocols from last school year with deep cleaning and hand sanitizer readily available. The Arkansas Education Association executive director, Tracey-Ann Nelson, says they agree with everyone wearing masks and thinks we should all be encouraging others who can get vaccinated. “I think everybody needs to do what it takes to mitigate it," she said. "So, if it’s wearing masks, let’s do it. We don’t need a law to tell us to do that. Let’s do what’s right for ourselves, for families, and for students." The CDC recommends students and teachers who aren’t fully vaccinated continue to wear masks but say fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks inside.
Police Units Held Up in Supply Chain Problems
Northwest Arkansas law enforcement is ready to roll, but the pace at which it can replace patrol vehicles has slowed. Law enforcement agencies are caught in the same supply chain woes as others wanting to purchase new and used cars. Don Clark, fleet manager for a Siloam Springs dealership, said the dealership is waiting for delivery on more than 100 orders placed for police vehicles in October, December and January. Superior supplies vehicles locally, statewide and even to some out-of-state law enforcement agencies, he said. "It's all because of the semiconductors," he said. Almost everything contains silicon chips, according to news service reports. An insufficient supply is a problem not just for producers of computers and smartphones. Just about all world's durable goods require silicon semiconductor chips, including cars. The shortage is caused by uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and manufacturers stockpiling chips, the reports continue. Many departments will keep using the vehicles they have, although a vehicle's reliability will diminish and the cost of repairing it will increase, he said. He noted all vehicles in Springdale's order for 2021 have arrived.
Texas Man Wins $1M Lottery Scratch Off Ticket
When Gary Smith crossed state lines from Texas to Arkansas, he didn't know he was making a $1 million decision. Smith is the first $1 million winner of the vaccine lottery, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery announced Monday. The lottery, in which the state uses the prospect of winning cash to incentivize vaccination, is one of several perks offered in an attempt to increase Arkansas' low vaccination numbers. Smith entered the lottery after getting his second shot Friday while visiting family in the state, according to a news release from the lottery. He was given the choice between a $20 scratch-off ticket or two Arkansas Game and Fish Commission gift certificates worth a total of $21. After Smith scratched off his ticket Friday, he saw that he won. Smith, who works with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, said he will use his winnings to help pay his bills. For those looking to win big bucks, there still is one $1 million prize and a $50,000 ticket in circulation, according to Tiffany McNeal, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. The vaccine lottery is a recent incentive intended to raise the state's lagging vaccination numbers. With Arkansas ranking near the bottom of the U.S. in its percentage of the population that's fully vaccinated, the state in May announced that it would give free lottery tickets or Game and Fish Commission gift cards for those who got the inoculations. Since the program started, there have been 4,946 lottery tickets given out and 2,001 Game and Fish Commission gift certificates, according to Katie White, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health. While Smith is the first $1 million winner, 1,428 people have claimed smaller prizes of $500 or less.
Gas Prices Unchanged in Arkansas
With gas prices remaining unchanged, one analyst suggests that the national average may have peaked. According to GasBuddy.com’s daily survey of 1,826 stations in Arkansas, the average cost for a gallon of gas remains at $2.84. The cheapest gas in the state is selling at $2.63/gallon, while the most expensive is going for $3.29. While Arkansas prices remain unchanged, the national average rose 1.3 cents a gallon in the last week to $3.16. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, says prices “have been a bit sideways.” “Overall, the national average hasn’t seen much meaningful direction as oil prices remain under their early-July levels thus far thanks to OPEC coming to an agreement on production over the weekend,” he said. De Haan said OPEC plans to raise oil production by 400,000 bpd each month until 2022, which will return it to pre-COVID levels. “It’s a positive development in light of U.S. gasoline demand which last week rose nearly 2 percent, which should act as a loose ceiling on the price of oil,” De Haan said. “And could mean we’re even closer to seeing a peak in the national average if we haven’t already.”
Walmart Adopting Automated Pallet Packing System
Walmart Inc. is adopting an automated pallet-packing system that it has been testing in 25 of its 42 regional distribution centers. The Bentonville-based retailer has used the technology since 2017 at a warehouse in Florida. Walmart is now integrating the system into its regional network, the company said Wednesday. High-speed, mobile bots will sort, store, retrieve and pack freight onto pallets. A complex algorithm enables them to organize and load the freight in a dense, modular fashion that makes full use of storage capacity. Using robotics to organize and optimize freight "creates custom store- and aisle-ready pallets, which take the guesswork out of unloading trucks," said Joe Metzger, executive vice president of supply chain operations for Walmart U.S. "In short, this is a game changer," Metzger said. "This move will fundamentally alter how products get to stores." Benefits of the new system include saving time, limiting out-of-stocks and increasing the speed of stocking and unloading, he said. It also lets workers learn new skills and decreases the need for them to handle heavy freight.
650,000 Acres Lost to Dicamba Damage
An estimated 650,000 acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba in Arkansas this summer and dicamba complaints filed with the state have increased at a clip not seen since 2017. The estimate by the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture is based on the collective experiences of extension agents, weed scientists and crop consultants who have been inspecting soybean fields across the state's eastern third the past few weeks. About 400,000 of the affected acres are in Arkansas, Prairie, Poinsett, Cross and St. Francis counties, the division said. Of the state's estimated 3 million acres of soybeans, about 1 million are of varieties that aren't tolerant of the herbicide. The other 2 million acres are soybeans genetically modified by Monsanto to be tolerant of dicamba and released commercially in 2016 as part of its Xtend crop system. The 650,000 damaged acres equate to 1,106 square miles, more than Union County, the state's largest county at 1,039 square miles. Arkansas farmers this year had a June 30 cutoff on spraying federally licensed dicamba formulations across the top of their dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. By calendar days, it was their longest legal spray season yet for the herbicide, although heavy and persistent rainfall in late May and early June disrupted spray schedules. Sen. Ron Caldwell, R-Wynne, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Forestry and Economic Development, on Wednesday organized a dicamba-damage tour consisting of a half dozen stops at farms along a 100-mile loop from Stutttgart south to DeWitt, east to Holly Grove and Marianna and north to Forrest City and Wynne. Some 50 farmers and others were at the stops in Stuttgart and Wynne; there were fewer participants in the caravan tour as it progressed east.
Black Bears Making Comeback in Arkansas
In a state that was once known as "the bear state," black bears continue to make a comeback in Arkansas after a long-term reintroduction effort. Myron Means, coordinator of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's large carnivore program and a leading bear biologist, discussed those efforts and the state's black bear harvest as the guest speaker at Wednesday's Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club meeting at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa. According to a Game and Fish Commission report in February, bear hunters in the state in 2020 broke 2018's record of 577 with 665 black bears. Means said this was due to the fact that there was a sparse mast crop across the state and the fact that the commission increased the bear zone quota from 345 bears to 500 bears. He said the project Game and Fish managed from 1958 to 1968 reintroduced 254 bears from Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. They were put in two sites in the Ozarks and one site in the Ouachita National Forest. "And that reintroduction effort is still, to this day, considered the most successful reintroduction of large carnivores in history in the world," he said. "So that's something that Game and Fish is really proud of. It's kind of a flagship species for the Game and Fish. Their reintroduction effort was so successful that in 1980 we actually reopened bear season in the state. So this marked the 41st bear season we've had in modern-day bear season." Means said that of the current bear zones in the state, 98% of the harvest comes from Zones 1 and 2 -- the Ozarks and the Ouachitas.
Razorback Tix On Sale Now to Razorback Foundation Members
Tickets to Arkansas football games this Fall are now available to Razorback Foundation members. Through the season ticket sales leading up to this week, the University of Arkansas said it saw an increase of 5,000 season ticket purchasesPete Heim, Associate Athletics Director of Ticket Operations and Sales, tells 40/29 that 1,500 mini game plans were sold today. Mini game plans include any slate of three home games with lower level tickets at a premium. Next Monday, single game tickets will be available to the general public. When purchasing tickets, Heim recommends purchasing directly through the University Ticket Office to avoid ticket scams and to ensure that your purchase goes directly back to the Arkansas student-athletes. The Razorbacks open up the second season under head coach Sam Pittman on Sept. 4 when the Hogs host the Rice Owls. The following weekend, Sept. 11, Arkansas will welcome another old Southwest Conference foe in Texas.

07/19/2021

Governor Reports Encouraging Vaccine News
Governor Asa Hutchinson took to Twitter Saturday to give encouraging news on Arkansas vaccination efforts. Hutchinson says that efforts exceeded previous weeks with 8,869 doses were given out as of Friday’s reporting.
Toddler Drowns in Table Rock Lake
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports a 3-year-old boy from Nixa drowned in Table Rock Lake Sunday night. The patrol says the boy was left alone and went into the water at the Mill Creek Park Swim Area just before 9:00 p.m. The boy was later found floating in the water. The child was flown to Cox Hospital in Branson where he was pronounced dead. The name of the boy hasn’t been released. This is Troop D’s 12th drowning for 2021.
Thousands Gather for Buckin' in the Ozarks
Thousands of fans gathered inside Parsons Stadium for day two of Buckin’ in the Ozarks despite rain in the area. Gates opened at 7 p.m. Saturday (July 17) for night two of the Professional Bull Riders (PBF) rodeo. At the same time, showers moved through. However, fans still said they had a good time. Davi Henrique de Lima of Cândido Mota, São Paulo in Brazil, was declared the $10,000 grand prize winner. During the event, one bull rider was taken from the stadium by stretcher to an ambulance. According to event organizers, the rider has sustained serious injuries and is at Washington Regional Hospital receiving care. Saturday night, Parsons Stadium did operate at full capacity. With fans filling up ¾ of the stadium.
USDA Adds More Tyson Chicken Products to Recall
The USDA is adding more products to the Tyson Chicken recall. Tyson foods has recalled 8.9 million pounds of its precooked chicken product due to a possible listeria outbreak. The warning now includes Simple Bites chicken fajita burritos sold at Whole Foods as well as chicken pizzas from brands including Picasso’s Pizza, Firehouse Pizza and Randy’s Foods. These products are all suspected of containing the contaminated chicken. So far, one person has died and two have been hospitalized due to the recalled chicken.
Student 2021 ACT Aspire Tests Surprise Educators
The drop in the student scores on the 2021 ACT Aspire tests was surprising in its consistency across the state and in its disconnect from any easily identifiable demographic characteristics, a statistician and researcher said last week. "Just about everybody took a hit," said Sarah McKenzie, executive director of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Office for Education Policy. The decline was steepest in math. In her review, McKenzie "collapsed" the grade-by-grade percentages of students who scored at "ready" or "exceeds ready" to one percentage result per subject per district, and compared 2021 results to 2019 results. "We're 11 percentage points lower in math, 5 percentage points lower in English, five points lower in reading and 6 percentage points lower in science,"she said. Looking at the state's regions also revealed few differences, with the southeast sector being slightly lower than the rest of the state, McKenzie said. The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education last week released the results of the ACT Aspire tests given last spring to students in grades three through 10 in literacy, math and science. The 2021 tests were the first since 2019, as the 2020 state-required tests were canceled when Arkansas schools were closed in March to on-campus instruction. That was done in the early days of the global coronavirus pandemic in an effort to stem the spread of the highly contagious and potentially fatal virus. Arkansas schools were opened for all of the 2020-21 school year, but it was a year disrupted by illnesses, quarantine and online instruction for some 97,000, or 21%, of the state's 470,000 students who chose to learn away from the traditional classrooms.
U.S. Surgeon General Blames Misinformation for Many Problems
U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy raised the alarm on Thursday over a growing wave of misinformation about COVID-19 and related vaccines that threatens efforts to quell the pandemic and save lives, urging technology companies and others to act. In his first advisory as the nation’s top doctor under President Joe Biden, Murthy called on tech companies to tweak their algorithms to further demote false information and share more data with researchers and the government to help teachers, healthcare workers and the media fight misinformation. “Misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health,” Murthy said during remarks Thursday at the White House. “We must confront misinformation as a nation. Lives are depending on it.” Given the role the internet plays in spreading health misinformation, Murthy said technology companies and social media platforms must make meaningful changes to their products and software to reduce the spread of misinformation while increasing access to authoritative, fact-based sources. Too often, he said, the platforms are built to encourage, not counter, the spread of misinformation. As for everyday Americans, Murthy urged them to verify questionable health information with trusted sources like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to exercise critical thinking when exposed to unverified claims. If people have loved ones or friends who believe or spread misinformation, he said, it’s best to engage by listening and asking questions rather than by confronting them. False information can lead to hesitancy to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, leading to preventable deaths, Murthy said, noting misinformation can affect other health conditions and is a worldwide problem. The advisory also urges people not to spread questionable information online, something the head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a group that tracks COVID-19 misinformation online, said will not be enough.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Raises Record Amount for Race
Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders raised $4.2 million in contributions in the second quarter of this year, including more than $1.5 million from Arkansans, she announced on Thursday. Sanders said that has increased the total amount of contributions that she has received to $9.1 million from over 67,000 donors and represents a record for the most money raised by any candidate for governor in state history. She announced her bid for governor in 2022 in late January. Sanders said in a written statement that “it’s clear Arkansans want a leader who will defend our freedom and stand up to the radical left, grow our economy and create jobs, and increase access to quality education and opportunity for a brighter, more prosperous future." She is a former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump and the daughter of former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman Taking Two Players to SEC MEdia Days
University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman will be accompanied by a pair of bonus-year seniors on his first trip to SEC Media Days this week. Pittman will be joined by linebacker Grant Morgan and offensive lineman Myron Cunningham when the Razorbacks face the media next Thursday on the final day of the four-day event in Hoover, Ala. SEC Media Days were canceled in Pittman's debut season last year. SEC schools had been bringing three players to the sessions since 2010. However, in an effort to reduce congestion this year with covid-19 regaining traction in some areas of the country, each school will bring two players. Arkansas will appear with cross-division rival Missouri and SEC West rival Auburn on the final day. Pittman led the Razorbacks to a 3-7 record and the program's first bowl invitation since 2015 in his debut season. Arkansas was scheduled to face TCU in the Texas Bowl before covid-19 issues within the Horned Frogs' football program led to the game's cancellation. Cunningham, a native of Warren, Ohio, started all 10 games at left tackle in 2020 and played a team-high 705 offensive snaps. He allowed two sacks and had four penalties last year. Morgan led the nation with 12.3 tackles per game, notching 111 stops in 9 games en route to first-team All-SEC honors by league coaches and The Associated Press. He was the 16th Razorback to earn Walter Camp All-America honors as a second-teamer. The Greenwood native was also a second-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association and third-team All-America by Phil Steele.
State Capitol Week in Review
From Senator Bob Ballinger
July 16, 2021 LITTLE ROCK
In the regular session of 2021 the legislature approved at least 25 new election laws that will go into effect on July 28. Some of the new laws will affect poll workers, county election commissioners and county clerks’ office. Others will affect voters the next time they cast a ballot. For example, Act 249 of 2021 tightens the current photo ID requirement. It eliminates the option that allowed voters to have their ballot counted, even though they did not bring a photo ID to the polling place, if they filled out a sworn statement that they were registered to vote. Under Act 249, if they cannot present a photo ID they must cast a provisional ballot and it will not be counted unless they appear in person and present an ID to the county clerk, or the county board of election commissioners, by noon on the Monday following the election. Act 728 of 2021 restricts loitering within 100 feet outside the main entrance to a polling site. You can stand in line if you are waiting to vote, but you cannot stay within 100 feet unless you intend to go inside and vote, or if you have a lawful purpose. Act 736 of 2021 changes the law on absentee ballots. Under the act, if someone has five or more absentee ballots in their possession, it will be presumed that the person intends to commit voter fraud. Previously, a person could possess 10 absentee ballots without triggering a presumption of fraud. The law exempts mail carriers, people who deliver for commercial carriers and administrators of residential care facilities. Under Act 736 county clerks may make absentee ballot applications readily available online, or in paper form, but they may not send them unsolicited to voters. County clerks must maintain a daily count of absentee ballot applications received, and report the totals to the county board of election commissioners weekly. Voters must use their residential address when applying for an absentee ballot. If an absentee ballot fails to declare the voter’s residential address, it will not be counted. Act 973 of 2021 moves up the deadline for delivering an absentee ballot in person to the county clerk’s office, from the regular close of business on the Monday before election day to the regular close of business on the previous Friday. Act 756 of 2021 broadens the jurisdiction of the state Board of Election Commissioners, for example it authorizes the board to “institute corrective actions” in response to a complaint about voting procedures. It allows the board to use local law enforcement officers to enforce subpoenas of public records being withheld. Act 1022 of 2021 requires county boards of election commissioners to create reports on the total number of provisional ballots, absentee ballots and in-person ballots cast in early voting and on election day. The reports must include the number of ballots rejected, and the reasons for rejecting them. Act 974 of 2021 requires the state Attorney General to set up a hotline for complaints about violations of election law. Complaints will be sent to the legislative Joint Performance Review Committee, and to local prosecutors if necessary. The legislative committee may investigate allegations. Act 974 also empowers the state board to decertify county election officials. The state board take over the conducting of elections in the county if it discovers severe violations that threaten free, fair and impartial elections in that county.