Arkansas
Arkansas bars use of ‘X’ as substitute for male or female classification on driver’s licenses and IDs

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced Tuesday a proposed emergency rule that would disallow the use of “X” as a substitute for male or female on state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.
In its filing, the DRA asserted that the emergency rule is necessary for the Office of Driver Services (Office) to meet its responsibilities under state law. As per Arkansas Code § 27-16-1104(3), the Office is required to include a person’s gender on their driver’s license or identification card. Prior to Tuesday, the Office’s standard practice allowed license and identification card holders to use “X” in lieu of male or female gender classifications.
Under the proposed rule, the Office would also be barred from issuing or renewing driver’s licenses or identification cards that use “X” instead of a male or female classification. It also grants the Office the power “to modify gender information to correspond with the person’s birth certificate, passport [] or DHS identity document contained in the records of the Office.” According to the DRA’s filing:
The purpose of this rule to ensure that individuals and organizations that rely upon identifying information contained within a driver’s license or identification card are provided with the most accurate and complete gender information that reflects the person’s gender information stated within the holder’s birth certificate, passport [] or Homeland Security document.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed her support for the proposed emergency rule. She wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Only women give birth, men shouldn’t play women’s sports [] and there are only two genders … As long as I’m Governor, Arkansas state government will not endorse nonsense.
The ACLU of Arkansas released a statement in opposition, stating that the proposed emergency rule “seeks to erase the existence of non-binary and intersex Arkansans by denying them identity documents that reflect their true selves, forcing them into categories that do not represent their identities.”
This proposed rule is one of several recent moves across the US to suppress the identity rights of transgender people. On February 8, Attorney General of Kansas Kris Kobach issued a statement condemning public schools for allegedly allowing teachers to conceal children’s transgender status from their parents. On January 10, West Virginia State Senator Mike Azinger introduced bills classifying transgender people as “obscene matter” and banning gender-affirming care for people under the age of 21.

Arkansas
Tennessee vs Arkansas Game Two Betting Odds – Fayetteville Super Regional

A look at the betting odds for game two between Tennessee and Arkansas.
The Tennessee Volunteers lost a close one against Arkansas on Saturday in game one of the Super Regional. The Razorbacks took an early lead but a two-run shot from Dean Curley gave Tennessee the lead in the top of the fifth. Unfortunately for the Vols, Arkansas smacked a two-run home run of their own in the inning and added on another run in the sixth inning to make it a 4-2 ball game. Andrew Fischer added another run in the ninth but that was all Tennessee scored.
Tennessee will now have to win game two on Sunday in order to keep their season alive. If Arkansas wins, they will advance to the College World Series. Tennessee and Virginia are the only two programs that have appeared in three of the last four Men’s College World Series.
According to Vegas, Tennessee is in good shape heading into Sunday. The Volunteers are a 1.5-run favorite over Arkansas and the moneyline is set at -130 in favor of Tennessee, according to Draft Kings. The over/under is set at 10.
The Volunteers have not named a starter yet but it is expected that Liam Doyle will be the man on the mound in this crucial matchup.
First pitch is set for 3 PM ET and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN for thos who want to watch.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Follow Our Social Media Pages:
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Twitter: @VolsOnSI
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Facebook: @VOLS on SI
Follow Our Staff:
Follow Our Website
Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.
OTHER TENNESSEE NEWS
Arkansas
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello has funny apology on ESPN at super regional vs Arkansas

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello only talked for a short time when being interviewed during his team’s Super Regional showdown against Arkansas, but he got a big laugh.
Vitello spoke with ESPN broadcaster Tom Hart and the broadcast crew before the fourth inning of the Vols’ Game 1 at Arkansas. The interview did not start immediately after the commercial break, for which Vitello apologized.
“Sorry for the delay,” Vitello said. “I have a small bladder.”
Vitello also commented on pitcher Marcus Phillips’ outing. Phillips has allowed one run. He got out of trouble in the bottom of the third by stranding three Arkansas runners with a double play ball.
“A couple of two-strike mistakes,” Vitello said. “A couple of pitch out mistakes. I don’t know if you guys can see that from the camera angle. A couple pitch outs that were mislocated and a couple two-strike pitches that weren’t located.”
Sam Hutchens covers sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Arkansas
‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive captured after 12-day Arkansas manhunt

Ex-Arkansas police chief imprisoned for murder escapes prison
Grant Hardin, a former Gateway, Arkansas, police chief serving time for murder and rape, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock on May 25.
unbranded – Newsworthy
A former Arkansas police chief who escaped from a prison where he was serving decades-long sentences for murder and rape was captured June 6 after a 12-day manhunt involving federal, state and local law enforcement.
Grant Hardin, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was caught around 3 p.m. local time just a mile and a half from the prison he escaped nearly two weeks earlier, according to Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. Hardin, 56, was thought to have fled the state.
Tracking dogs picked up Hardin’s scent west of the prison near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, according to Champion. Photos of Hardin’s arrest show him wearing a sullied shirt. His face appears thinner than in earlier mugshots.
“Thanks to the great work of local, state and federal law enforcement Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief and I can confirm that violent criminal Grant Hardin is back in custody,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I am grateful for all law enforcement who contributed to his capture and give special thanks to the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, who sent a team from Border Patrol that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.”
Arkansas law enforcement authorities and U.S. Border Patrol agents participated in the arrest, according to Champion.
“This was a great joint operation by a number of agencies, and I’m so thankful for their tireless efforts,” said Dexter Payne, director of the Arkansas Division of Correction. “The Arkansas State Police, U.S. Marshals, FBI, Border Patrol, Game and Fish, all the state and local agencies, along with the dedication of our Department employees, all played an indispensable role and I express my extreme gratitude.”
Hardin had gained notoriety as the subject of the 2023 documentary “Devil in the Ozarks’’ about his 1997 rape of a school teacher and 2017 murder of a water department worker.
Hardin fled the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, through a secure entryway on May 25 wearing a fake law enforcement uniform. His disguise caused a corrections officer to open a gate and let him walk out of the medium-security facility.
Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more
The escape followed the May 16 jailbreak of 10 inmates in New Orleans – several of them charged with murder – which drew national attention and caused consternation in area communities.
Hardin was regarded as no less dangerous a fugitive. In 2017 he was convicted of killing James Appleton, an employee of the northwest Arkansas town of Gateway whose brother-in-law, Andrew Tillman, was the mayor. Tillman told investigators they were talking on the phone when Appleton was shot to death in his pickup truck.
A DNA test conducted following the murder connected Hardin to an unresolved 1997 rape in Rogers, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. The teacher was attacked at gunpoint after leaving her classroom to go to a restroom near the teacher’s lounge, according to the affidavit.
Like true crime? Check out Witness: A library of true crime stories
Where did Hardin work in law enforcement?
Hardin’s combined convictions, including two counts of rape, added up to 80 years in prison sentences.
“He’s a sociopath,’’ former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS/KHOG. “Prison’s not full of people who are all bad. It’s full of a lot of people who just do bad things. Grant’s different.’’
Hardin had an erratic career in Arkansas law enforcement starting in 1990, working for police departments in Fayetteville, Huntsville and Eureka Springs before briefly serving as Gateway’s police chief in 2016.
He was fired from the Fayetteville job after less than a year because of subpar performance and failure to accept constructive criticism, according to KHBS/KHOG. In Huntsville, where he worked from April 1993 to October 1996, the former police chief told the TV station Hardin used excessive force and made poor decisions.
Escaping from prison, for which he now faces charges, may be just the latest one.
Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Michael Loria and James Powel, USA TODAY
-
News1 week ago
Video: Faizan Zaki Wins Spelling Bee
-
Politics1 week ago
Michelle Obama facing backlash over claim about women's reproductive health
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be a ‘super assistant’ for every part of your life
-
Technology1 week ago
SEC drops Binance lawsuit in yet another gift to crypto
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
The Verdict Movie Review: When manipulation meets its match
-
Technology1 week ago
Why do SpaceX rockets keep exploding?
-
World1 week ago
Two killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine before possible talks in Turkiye
-
Finance1 week ago
Here's what will boost your feeling of financial well-being the most, researchers say