Arkansas

FILE - Students make their way into Little Rock Central High School on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, for the first day of classes in the Little Rock School District. A federal judge ruled, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, that Arkansas cannot prevent two high school teachers from discussing critical race theory in the classroom, but stopped short of more broadly blocking the state from enforcing its ban on “indoctrination” in public schools. The prohibition is being challenged by two teachers and two students at Little Rock Central High School, site of the 1957 desegregation crisis.(Tommy Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, FIle)

Arkansas cannot prevent 2 teachers from discussing critical race theory in classroom, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled Arkansas cannot prevent two high school teachers from discussing critical race theory in the classroom but is stopping short of more broadly blocking the state from enforcing its ban on so-called indoctrination in public schools.

Artist Kevin Kresse, is shown with a clay bust of Johnny Cash, April 23, 2024 in Little Rock, Ark. Kresse's full sculpture of Cash will be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol as part of the Statuary Hall collection, later this year. (AP Photo/Mike Pesoli)

Civil rights leader Daisy Bates and singer Johnny Cash to replace Arkansas statues at the US Capitol

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at a news conference next to former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, May 2, 2024. Sanders spoke before signing an executive order stating that Arkansas won't comply with new federal regulations intended to protect the rights of transgender students. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Arkansas governor says state won’t comply with new federal rules on treatment of trans students

FILE - President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the CHIPS and Science Act at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Syracuse, N.Y. Twenty-six Republican attorneys general filed lawsuits Wednesday, May 1, challenging a new Biden administration rule requiring firearms dealers across the United States to run background checks on buyers at gun shows and other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

26 Republican attorneys general sue to block Biden rule requiring background checks at gun shows

FILE - Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is interviewed in his office at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Jan. 16, 2015. Several transgender, intersex and nonbinary Arkansas residents sued the state on Tuesday over its decision to no longer allow "X” to be listed instead of male or female and to make it more difficult to change the sex listed on state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Arkansas’ elimination of ‘X’ for sex on driver’s licenses spurs lawsuit

Statues of Johnny Cash and Daisy Bates to replace controversial statues in US Capitol

Statues of civil rights leader Daisy Bates and country singer Johnny Cash — two of Arkansas’ most celebrated icons — are headed to Washington, D.C., to represent the state in a U.S. Capitol display. (AP Video by MIke Pesoli)

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Arkansas lawmakers approve $6.3 billion budget bill as session wraps up

Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to legislation outlining the state’s $6.3 billion budget for the coming year.

Arkansas lawmakers approve new restrictions on cryptocurrency mines after backlash over ’23 law

Arkansas lawmakers have approved new restrictions on cryptocurrency mining operations in the wake of a 2023 law that prompted backlash from some communities.

FILE - The Supreme Court of the United States is seen in Washington, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

Supreme Court leaves in place a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages

The Supreme Court has refused to block a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify the age of their users.

Barbara Pryor, the widow of former Arkansas governor and U.S. Sen. David Pryor, stands before Pryor's casket with their great-grandson Raven at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday, April 26, 2024. David Pryor died in Little Rock on April 20, 2024. Pryor, a Democrat, remained active in public service long after he left public office. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

David Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, is remembered

Former Arkansas Gov. and U.S. Sen. David Pryor is being remembered. Funeral services were held Saturday for family, friends and colleagues, including former Arkansas governor and President Bill Clinton.

FILE - An exam room is seen inside Planned Parenthood on March 10, 2023. Republican attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit Thursday, April 25, 2024, challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions, calling the rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion

Seventeen states are challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions.

FILE - Attorney Jack Wagoner is interviewed after a hearing in the Pulaski County Court House in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, April 17, 2014. Jack Wagoner, an attorney who represented same-sex couples who successfully challenged Arkansas' ban on gay marriage before state and federal courts, has died, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. He was 62. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Jack Wagoner, attorney who challenged Arkansas’ same-sex marriage ban, dies

Attorney Jack Wagoner, who helped successfully challenged Arkansas’ ban on same-sex marriage, has died. He was 62.

Arkansas woman pleads guilty to selling 24 boxes of body parts stolen from cadavers

A former Arkansas mortuary worker has pleaded guilty to charges that she sold 24 boxes of stolen body parts from medical school cadavers to a Pennsylvania man.

This undated photo released by the Cassville Missouri Police Dept., shows a portrait of Dr. John Forsyth. The death of the Missouri doctor who was found 11 months ago in a northwest Arkansas lake has been ruled a suicide, Arkansas authorities said Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Cassville Missouri Police via AP)

Arkansas officials say a Missouri doctor whose body was found in a lake died by suicide

Arkansas authorities say the death of a Missouri doctor who was found 11 months ago in a northwest Arkansas lake has been ruled a suicide.

Arkansas panel bans electronic signatures on voter registration forms

An Arkansas panel has prohibited election officials from accepting voter registration forms signed with an electronic signatures.

FILE - David Pryor, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, poses, Jan. 24, 2006, at the school in Little Rock, Ark. Former Arkansas governor and U.S. Sen. David Pryor, a Democrat who was one of the state’s most beloved political figures and remained active in public service in the state long after he left office, has died. He was 89. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Sanders orders US and Arkansas flags flown at half-staff in honor of former governor

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office says the U.S. and state flags will be flown at half-staff to honor former U.S. Sen.

US House Judiciary Committee chair seeks details from ATF on airport director shooting

The head of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to provide answers about the fatal raid at the home of the Little Rock airport director last month.

Arkansas teen held on murder charge after fatal shooting outside party after high school prom

An Arkansas teen is in custody on a first-degree murder charge after the fatal shooting of a high school senior outside a party following a high school prom.

FILE - Randal Worcester departs from the Crawford County, Ark., Justice Center in Van Buren, Ark., Aug. 22, 2022. A second former Arkansas law enforcement officer has pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the man he repeatedly punched during a violent arrest in 2022 that was caught on video and shared widely. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

2nd former Arkansas officer pleads guilty to civil rights charge from violent arrest caught on video

A second former law enforcement officer from Arkansas has pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a man he repeatedly punched during a violent arrest that was caught on video.

FILE - David Pryor, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, poses, Jan. 24, 2006, at the school in Little Rock, Ark. Former Arkansas governor and U.S. Sen. David Pryor, a Democrat who was one of the state’s most beloved political figures and remained active in public service in the state long after he left office, has died. He was 89. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

David Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, dies at age 89

David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator who was one of the state’s most beloved and active political figures, has died at the age of 89.

FILE - Trainer Bob Baffert stands for a photo ahead of the Breeders' Cup horse races at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., Oct. 27, 2023. A judge has denied a request by the owner of Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth for the colt to run in next month’s 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Jefferson County (Ky.) Circuit Judge Mitch Perry declined Thursday, April 18, to grant a temporary injunction to Zedan Racing Stables, which had argued that the ban of Baffert was “illegal.” (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Judge denies request for Bob Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth to run in Kentucky Derby

A judge has denied a request by the owner of Bob Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth for the colt to run in next month’s 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

FILE - Former Arkansas death row inmate Damien Echols speaks at rally opposing the state's upcoming executions, on the front steps of Arkansas' Capitol, Friday, April 14, 2017, in Little Rock, Ark. The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday, April 18, 2024, said a judge wrongly denied a request from Echols for new genetic testing of crime scene evidence from the killing of three boys nearly 30 years ago. (Stephen B. Thornton/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

Arkansas Supreme Court says new DNA testing can be sought in ‘West Memphis 3' case

The Arkansas Supreme Court is clearing the way for new DNA testing to be sought in the killing of three boys nearly 30 years ago.

A blue and wood-paneled lectern sits in the governor's conference room at the Arkansas State Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. An audit requested by lawmakers said the $19,000 lectern purchased for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office potentially violated several state laws. Sanders' office has disputed the audit's findings and called the audit deeply flawed. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Arkansas lawmakers question governor’s staff about purchase of $19,000 lectern cited by audit

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office is facing pointed questions from lawmakers about a $19,000 lectern purchase that was the focus of a legislative audit.

Former Arkansas officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in violent arrest caught on video

A former Arkansas law enforcement officer who was caught on video kicking and hitting a man during a violent arrest has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge.

FILE - The lectern purchased by the Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders administration in June 2023 sits in a corner in the Governor's Conference Room at the state Capitol, Sept. 26, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. Sanders' office potentially violated state laws on purchasing state property and government records when it purchased a $19,000 lectern for the Republican governor that's prompted nationwide scrutiny, an audit requested by lawmakers said Monday, April 15, 2024. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

Audit says Arkansas governor’s office potentially violated laws with $19,000 lectern purchase

A long-awaited audit on a $19,000 lectern bought for Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee cites multiples potential violations of state law in the item’s purchase.

Man killed, 9 others injured in shooting during Arkansas block party

Authorities are investigating a shooting that left one man dead and at least nine others injured at a block party in Arkansas.

Arkansas will have Thursday night opener when it faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Aug. 29

Arkansas will open its 2024 season on a Thursday night when it faces Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Aug. 29 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, right, and actor Elliot Page leave the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a hearing Thursday, April 11, 2024, in St. Louis. The Federal appeals court is hearing arguments over Arkansas' first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Page was at the hearing in support of the ACLU’s challenge to the law. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)

Federal appeals court hears arguments on nation’s first ban on gender-affirming care for minors

A federal appeals court is considering whether to reinstate Arkansas’ first-in the-nation ban on gender affirming care for minors after hearing arguments.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders gives the State of the State address, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders urges lawmakers to pass budget as session kicks off

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is urging lawmakers to pass her $6.3 billion budget proposal that boosts spending on a new school voucher program.

City of Marshall getting $1.7M infrastructure grant to boost Arkansas manufacturing jobs

A rural Arkansas city has been tapped to get a $1.7 million federal infrastructure grant designed to boost manufacturing jobs in the state. KARK-TV reports the U.S.

FILE - The lectern purchased by the Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders administration in June 2023 sits in a corner in the Governor's Conference Room at the state Capitol, Sept. 26, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. The co-chairman of a legislative committee that ordered the audit of a $19,000 lectern bought for Sanders said Tuesday, April 9, 2024, that he expects the report on the purchase to be released to the public within the next 10 days. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

Audit on Arkansas governor’s $19,000 lectern to be released within next 10 days, lawmaker says

A top lawmaker says he expects the audit report on the $19,000 lectern purchased for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be released in the next 10 days. Republican Rep.

FILE - Arkansas lawmakers gather in the House of Representatives chamber at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Arkansas lawmakers are convening at the Capitol and their top agenda item is taking up Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' $6.3 billion proposed budget for the coming year. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

Things to know when the Arkansas Legislature convenes to take up a budget and other issues

Arkansas lawmakers are meeting at the Capitol for a session that will focus on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ $6.3 billion proposed budget for the coming year.

Police respond to an incident in the Lewis Crossing Shopping Center on Saturday, April 6, 2024 in Conway, Ark. Shots were fired, although it wasn’t immediately clear where the shots came from. Arkansas State Police were investigating the incident as an “officer-involved shooting,” KATV-TV reported. (KATV via AP)

SWAT team responding to Arkansas shopping mall

Police in central Arkansas say they shot a man after he fired at officers from inside a business at a shopping mall.

Damage is seen on a barge after it struck a bridge on the Arkansas River in Sallisaw, Ark., Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Oklahoma State Patrol said Saturday that it closed a highway south of Sallisaw after the collision. (Dayton Holland via AP)

Oklahoma highway reopens following shutdown after a barge hit a bridge

An Oklahoma highway has been reopened following its closure for a few hours on Saturday after a bridge over the Arkansas River was struck by a barge.

Rubble remains at a home destroyed by a 2023 tornado in the Walnut Valley neighborhood in Little Rock, Ark., Friday, March 29, 2024. Many homes are being rebuilt or repaired in the neighborhood after the March 31, 2023, tornadoes that hit the state. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Arkansas, local officials mark anniversary of tornadoes that killed four and destroyed homes

Arkansas and local officials are marking the one-year anniversary of tornadoes that devastated the state and killed four people. Gov.

FILE - The Arkansas state Capitol building is seen on May 29, 2015, in Little Rock, Ark. Voters in three Arkansas state House districts will return to the polls Tuesday, April 2, 2024, to complete some unfinished business from the March 5 primaries. The top two finishers from primaries where no candidate received a majority will compete in runoff elections for a spot on the November ballot. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Arkansas’ state house primary runoffs

Voters in three Arkansas state House districts are returning to the polls to complete some unfinished business from the March 5 primaries.