Arkansas
ABHOF awards $50,000 in grants to benefit under-served Arkansas communities – Daily News in Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation (ABHOF) awarded $50,000 in grants to projects benefiting minority and under-served communities in an online grant presentation May 30. These grants support projects focused on education, health and wellness, youth development, strengthening families and economic development in Arkansas.
“We are pleased to support the efforts of grassroots and other nonprofit organizations in Arkansas through our grant program,” said Charles Stewart, ABHOF Foundation chairman. “Their work validates the mission of Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation. We are proud of our partnership with these great Arkansas institutions.”
Over the past 20 years, ABHOF has made $767,000 in grants to Arkansas nonprofits. This year’s grant recipients:
Arkansas Repertory Theater – Celebrating African Americans’ Journey Through an Artistic Lens
This performance will incorporate classical literature, and music, along with other artistic contributions of African American artists and historical excerpts.
CASA of the Ouachita Region – Ouachita Children’s Coalition
This organizationserves abused and neglected children in Polk, Montgomery, Scott, and Sevier Counties. With this grant, they will offer bilingual advocates to help with resource navigation for their clients.
City Connections – Operation Restore “Back to Work Kits”
Operation Restore (OR) is a temporary employment agency serving those emerging from incarceration or drug/alcohol rehabilitation programs in central Arkansas.
Conway Cradle Care – Adolescent Parent Mentoring Program
This program focuses on educating young parents on child development, birth, and childcare as well as helping advance their education and potential through tutoring and individualized life plans.
Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas – Scholarships for Superstars
This grant will enable Girls on the Run to deliver their after-school program to 15 girls at the Dalton Whetstone Boys and Girls Club.
Goodwill Arkansas Education Initiative – Excel Center
The first and only tuition-free adult high school in the state, this grant will help students overcome the barriers they face to earn their high school diploma. Barriers like transportation and access to healthy food for children who are cared for in Goodwill’s childcare center.
Haven of Northeast Arkansas
The only safehouse for victims of domestic abuse in Mississippi County, this organization collaborates with several programs in the community to initiate services to help their clientele.
Hispanic Community Services/El Centro Hispano – Emprendiendo, “Entrepreneurship”
This is the second year of the 9-week bilingual course for Hispanic and immigrant individuals interested in opening businesses.
Jamison’s Center of Kindness – ENRICHing the Weak Links
This project involves purchasing materials to expand the existing E.N.R.I.C.H. (Educate-Nurture-Reach-Instruct-Coach-Help) Community Garden with fresh fruits and vegetables. It serves the Pinehurst neighborhood, a low-income, food-insecurity community in Texarkana.
Lee Street Community Center
This grant will be used to purchase supplies and pay a small stipend to tutors. Because of the distance from Elaine to school – 30 miles away – most students do not have an opportunity to attend after-school programs or participate in tutoring offered after school.
Life Skills for Youth – Summer STEAM Academy
These funds will support the LSY STEAM Academy expanding to Harrison Elementary School in North Little Rock.
Little Rock Diamond Foundation – Kappa League/Huddle Up
Hosting two main programs, the Little Rock Kappa League and HuddleUP, both programs are in Little Rock and primarily serve minority African American students from lower-income families.
OneCommunity – Feed Your Brain, Alimenta Tu Cerebro
This organization offers a bilingual family literacy program designed to increase reading, reduce summer learning loss, and provide families with bilingual and culturally responsive books.
Prevention Education Programs – Grand Prairie Healthy Families
Focusing on single, pregnant first-time mothers under the age of 25, this program enrolls mothers during the pre-natal period, or before their child is 3-months old. Once enrolled they continue to receive services until the child turns three. The program primarily serving residents who reside in Arkansas County or the southern area of Prairie County or Monroe County.
Second Baptist Church – Healthy Highrise
This program was developed to address three key challenges faced by low-income residents in three downtown Little Rock high-rises close to the church. The goals are to improve access to healthy and diverse food options by providing transportation weekly to a grocery store; provide quarterly Lunch & Learn programming on health and wellness; and build connections to health-related community services and programs.
Village Place – The Experiential Learning Lab
Serving the South End community and surrounding areas, the lab provides hands-on opportunities for middle and high school students to learn trade skills like carpentry, masonry, beekeeping, welding, farming, plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC repair, and pathways to trade careers.
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation aims to provide an environment in which future generations of African American achievers with Arkansas roots will thrive and succeed. Arkansas Black Hall of Fame honors the contributions of African Americans through its annual Black Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and awards grants to support charitable endeavors in underserved communities. Learn more at www.arblackhalloffame.org.
Arkansas Community Foundation, a statewide nonprofit organization, provides resources, insight and inspiration to build stronger Arkansas communities – communities where our kids will want to raise their kids. The Community Foundation is the largest grantmaker in the state in the number of grants made each year. Since 1976, the Foundation has provided more than $460 million in grants to nonprofits. The Foundation staff works directly with donors, professional advisors and nonprofits to help strengthen Arkansas communities through strategic philanthropy and focusing on local needs. Its assets rank among the top 60 out of more than 900 community foundations in the United States. Serving statewide and local initiatives, the Community Foundation helps connect those who want to give to the causes they care about. Contributions to Arkansas Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 29 affiliates are fully tax deductible.
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DeMarkco Butler is leaving Kent State after one season to become chief of staff for Arkansas State Football, sources tell FootballScoop.
Butler joined the Golden Flashes on Aug. 28, 2025, as assistant general manager and director of player personnel under then-interim head coach Mark Carney. In that role, he oversaw key aspects of football operations and player personnel management for a Kent State program that competed in the Mid-American Conference. His arrival came as the Flashes looked to stabilize and build infrastructure following coaching transitions.
A veteran of college football operations, Butler most recently served as assistant athletic director for football operations and player personnel at the University of Central Missouri, a role he held since joining the Mules in 2022. There, he managed day-to-day program logistics, player personnel duties, and acted as a liaison between the football team and university departments and external partners. His experience also includes director of football operations positions at Western Illinois University and a brief stint at Baylor University earlier in his career.
Butler played college football at Monmouth College (Ill.), earning his bachelor’s degree in communications and business with a minor in Spanish in 2010. He went on to earn a master’s degree in sport management from Western Illinois in 2016, where he began his administrative career as a graduate assistant in facilities, events, and game-day operations before advancing to an operations assistant role from 2014-15.
The move to Arkansas State represents a step up in responsibility and conference profile. As chief of staff under head coach Butch Jones, Butler will support high-level program operations in the Sun Belt Conference, working closely with the head coach on staff coordination, strategic planning, and day-to-day execution. The Red Wolves have been active in reshaping their support staff entering the 2026 season, and Butler’s background in player personnel and operations makes him a natural fit to help provide continuity and efficiency behind the scenes.
Butler’s quick ascent through operations and personnel roles highlights a career built on logistics, recruiting support, travel coordination, and building program infrastructure at multiple levels. His time at Kent State, though brief, added FBS experience to a resume that previously featured strong work at the Division II level.
Arkansas State, coming off recent staff adjustments, now adds a proven operator in Butler as it pushes forward under Jones. Sources tell FootballScoop Butler is on the job and is working with Jones in hiring additional support staff.
The move continues a trend of experienced operations and personnel specialists moving between Group of Five programs seeking greater stability and support-staff depth. Butler’s track record positions him well to contribute immediately in Jonesboro as the Red Wolves prepare for spring practices and the 2026 campaign.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Gas prices are climbing again across Arkansas, and AAA says the main driver is higher crude oil costs tied to global uncertainty.
The statewide average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Arkansas is $3.52, according to the AAA Arkansas Weekend Gas Watch. That’s three cents more than this day last week and 68 cents more per gallon than this day last year.
Among the major metro areas surveyed in Arkansas, Texarkana currently has the highest average at $3.80 per gallon, while Fort Smith has the lowest at $3.25 per gallon.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $4.08, according to AAA Gas Prices. That’s 10 cents more compared to this day last week and 84 cents more per gallon than at this same time last year.
AAA says instability in global energy markets is pushing crude oil prices higher, which is the biggest factor in what drivers pay at the pump. Heightened tensions in the Middle East and concerns about possible supply disruptions through key shipping routes have added upward pressure to crude oil.
While current pump prices are the highest Arkansas drivers have seen since 2022, the statewide average is still below the record high of $4.54 per gallon set on June 14, 2022.
“Drivers across Arkansas are continuing to see gas prices move higher, and the main reason is the rising cost of crude oil,” said AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria.
“With road trip travel increasing, now is a good time for drivers to build higher fuel costs into their travel budgets. The AAA Gas Cost Calculator can help motorists estimate fuel expenses before they hit the road and make it easier to plan ahead.”
AAA also shared a few fuel-saving tips for drivers looking to stretch each tank a little further:
– Drive smoothly and avoid aggressive driving, since rapid acceleration and hard braking can significantly reduce fuel economy.
– Slow down and follow the speed limit; fuel efficiency typically drops quickly at speeds above 50 mph.
– Keep tires properly inflated, because underinflated tires create more resistance and reduce fuel efficiency.
– Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicle, as extra cargo makes the engine work harder and lowers fuel economy.
– Use the AAA mobile app to find cheaper gas by locating the lowest prices nearby.
– Use AAA tools like TripTik and the AAA Gas Cost Calculator to map your trip and estimate fuel costs.
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Dr. Shirin Saeidi, former director of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s Center for Middle East Studies, has officially been fired following alleged pro-Iranian regime stances and anti-Israel remarks.
Saeidi was given a warning letter in July from the Dean of the Fulbright College, Brian Raines, after she allegedly used the school’s letterhead to campaign for the release of Hamid Nouri, who was convicted by a Swedish court in 2022 for ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners at Gohardasht Prison in 1988.
Saeidi was suspended in December 2025 following posts on X in support of Palestine and former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referenced in the letter sent to Saeidi.
Raines expressed that her posts could be harmful to the university, especially its Israeli and Jewish students.
I am very concerned by your repeated statement that Israel, a nation recognized by the United States, must be ‘dismantled’, including being ‘dismantled by international forces,’” Raines wrote. “This could be taken as advocacy for a military invasion and destruction of a U.S. ally, which is not similar to criticism that would be voiced against any other nation.
Such statements are likely to create a chilling effect on many Israelis or Jews considering involvement with our Middle East Studies Program, and others, as well,” Raines added. “It also undermines any perception of our program as a scholarly and objective source of research and information rather than indoctrination.
I am also concerned that your actions reflect lack of judgement and are requiring repreated involvement from my office, creating unnecessary controversy and distracting from other university priorities.
Saeidi’s X account is suspended, and previous posts cannot be found.
Raines said that her actions could “undercut any notion of diverse intellectual opportunity when it comes to one of the most important political issues in the Middle East.”
In February 2026, the University of Arkansas Faculty Committee on Appointment, Promotion and Tenure voted unanimously to restore Saeidi to her position as associate professor of political science at the university.
Despite the unanimous vote, on March 30, UofA President, Dr. Jay Silveria, overruled the unanimous decision, terminating Saeidi effective immediately.
In his written response, Silveria cited concerns that the university could lose funding as a result of Saeidi’s comments.
I am also concerned that the University could suffer a reduction or elimination of funding under Ark. Code Ann. 6-16-2004 if its responses to antisemitism are determined to be inadequate,” Silveria wrote. “Moreover, other institutions of higher education have endured funding losses at the federal level due to their insufficient responses to antisemitism under Title VI. Such an outcome could be devastating to the University of Arkansas—not just disruptive.
Saeidi and her legal team are expected to appeal the decision.
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