Arkansas’s timber industry contributes $6.4 billion to our economy, and today I’d like to talk about the many benefits of the forests to our state and also the effect of the ongoing trade war.

A 2017 study titled “Indicators of School Crime and Safety,” published by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Department of Education, reported that 20% of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the previous school year.

There are millions and millions of things that people can be nice to one another and they are free of charge. One good example is to greet people with a friendly smile with people we know or people we don’t know. How about work together as a team to accomplish our goal. Many simple things ca…

Standing by himself, he tugged at his clothing trying somehow to just disappear. Abandoned and alone, fear choked out faith and depression robbed him of reason. He had fled a defeated foe and was hiding from an imagined fate. He was running from the Queen. The prophet of old was hiding in a cave.

Governor Hutchinson brings this week’s address from Mumbai while on his economic trade mission to India and the United Arab Emirates. 

This is an interesting title and topic, and you might be wondering what I am going to write about... well, I am talking about a small town like WALDRON of Scott County.  90 to 95% of people know each other more or less in small towns. People are very friendly and nice to one another. Yes, th…

Last flu season, 113 influenza related deaths were reported in Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), 71% of the adults who died were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccine history.

The state Board of Correction has voted to pursue an agreement with Bradley and Drew Counties in southeast Arkansas to set up a private prison.

In 2016 in Arkansas, a total of 2,226 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 400 women died from the disease.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, and today I’d like to talk about the progress we’ve made and about the opportunities the scholarships have provided for many of our young people.

Whenever I hear the song, “What a wonderful world!” on the radio by Louis Armstrong, my heart just bursts. The song’s lyrics has a very powerful meaning. No one can deny that the song is a classic and is sung by a legendary singer. However, when I think about what is happening around the wor…

Tourism in Arkansas grew at a healthy rate last year, whether it’s measured in total spending or how many people visited the state or how many jobs are supported by the travel industry.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, made his third official visit to Arkansas this week, and today I’m going to discuss the Shared Stewardship agreement we signed during his visit.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received a grant of $4.6 million to boost its program to encourage primary care physicians to practice in rural areas.

In the United States, someone dies by suicide every 11.1 minutes. In Arkansas, someone dies by suicide, on average, every 14 hours.

Almost three years ago a task force of Arkansas legislators submitted its final report on how to control the growing costs of the state Medicaid program.

During the 2019 Regular Session, the General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation concerning our elections.

Today I’d like to talk about the importance of participating in the U.S. Census and about the ways we are already preparing for Census Day, which is April 1, 2020.

How important is it to have a good first impression on people when we first meet? My score will be about 50% to finish line. Let’s say you go for a job interview, you must groom yourself to build some confidence to give a good first impression. Otherwise, your resume will probably be meaning…

Last year 426 Arkansas residents died from a drug overdose, according to death certificates filed with the state Health Department. That is an increase in fatal drug overdoses from 2017, when 417 people in Arkansas died from drugs.

As a parent, we have a tremendous responsibility and obligation to raise our children because we as human beings are the toughest compared to any animal kingdom in the world to raise kids. But when we do have children, we have to do what’s right and what’s the best for them because they’re o…

Arkansas recently set a new record low for unemployment. The unemployment rate for July was 3.4 %, breaking the previous record of 3.5% last month. There are 19,200 more jobs in our state than this time last year.

Today I want to talk about what we are doing in Arkansas to expand access to mental health services and for those in need of drug-addiction counseling.

During any given day in the school year, there are 350,000 children riding a bus on Arkansas roadways.

More doctors are getting their education in Arkansas than ever before. The openings in recent years of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith and the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine in Jonesboro add to the well-established College of Medicine at the University of Ark…

With the opening of the 2019-2020 school year, there are 26 open enrollment charter schools in Arkansas.

Waldron Nursing Center Residents are still very busy with all of the scheduled activities of Sunday afternoon singing with Winfield Baptist group, dominoes in the day room, these games have become quiet popular with several of our residents who like to play in between scheduled events and in…

Arkansas is approaching the centennial of a historic vote in the House chamber.  On July 28, 1919, then Governor Charles Brough called a special session for the purpose of ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment.

Many of the bills approved by lawmakers earlier this year become effective on July 24, which is the 91st day after the legislature adjourned.

Today I’d like to highlight the work of the Arkansas Army National Guard’s Aviation Team.

Waldron Nursing Center Residents have continued to be very busy with all of the scheduled group events of Sunday afternoon singing service with Winfield Baptist Group, Monday morning reminiscence with Diane Miller, bingo on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon with Volunteer Doyle Wayne Di…

A few weeks back I was traveling along US Highway 71 and suddenly realized I was in trouble. My eyelids were getting heavy and my head was beginning to nod, and I knew I needed a pick me up. However, along this lonesome stretch of highway where telephone lines are made of barb wire and WIFI …

The state Human Services Department is reviewing every case this year in which people have been denied assisted living or home care services in the Living Choices and ARChoices programs.

Today I want to share the good news that we ended the 2019 budget year with a $295 million surplus.

The number of Arkansas children in foster care has fallen by more than 700 since reaching an all-time high in 2016.  That information was part of an annual report presented a legislative committee this week.

All of us have gone through pain uncounted times in our lives. Pains come in different forms, ways, and times. No one likes pain but we should treat pain as a learning lesson to avoid repeating. Therefore, No Pain-No Gain.

Waldron Nursing Center residents have continued to enjoy going outside to sit in the patio area on the nice weather days despite the many rain showers. Many are still talking about the great time they had at the Fireworks show that Alex put on. 

The past is history; the present is reality, and the future is mystery.  Perhaps none of us can do much about our past except put it behind and move on to our present.  Whatever happened in the past, we just have to move forward and keep on moving in the present.  Moving on doesn’t mean you …

This year, we each enjoyed the 243rd anniversary of our nation’s independence. In addition to the nation’s celebration, I’d like to note a few other reasons that July 4 is significant in Arkansas.

Arkansas had one of the most productive, if not most productive, legislative sessions in the country with regard to addressing occupational regulations. Occupational regulations are licensures, certifications, or registrations required for workers in certain occupations. A few examples of li…

The state Division of Youth Services (DYS) closed a secure facility at Dermott, which was the second closing of a juvenile lockup this year.

How are your bones? 

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

I love to watch NFL and NBA games on TV since my High School years. They make me very happy when my team wins, but it can also raise my blood pressure level way up when my team loses, especially when the plays do not go the way I wanted. That’s part of the game and the coaches and players tr…

State officials announced that school nurses will be provided with kits containing naloxone nasal spray, which helps keep alive people alive when they have overdosed on painkillers known as opioids.

Today I’d like to talk about steps we took this week to deal with the damage from recent flooding. We also want to do all we can to minimize destruction from future floods.

Arkansas is home to more than 600,000 acres of lakes and more than 90,000 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks. As this is a popular time of the year for Arkansans to enjoy the waterways, we wanted to highlight boating safety in the state.

Today I am in the Czech Republic as I conclude a week of work in Europe selling Arkansas to international companies looking to expand in the United States.

The legislature updated Arkansas school choice laws when it approved Act 754 of 2019 earlier this year.

One of my biggest mistakes that I made in life was not to ask when I had questions. I have come to realize that there are no excuses for being shy or afraid to ask. And there is no such thing as a silly or stupid question.  Let other people laugh if they think the questions are funny, but yo…