Despite public outcry about a lack of transparency, the Arkansas Board of Corrections will vote Friday morning on the state’s $2.95 million purchase of 815 acres in Franklin County for a prison.

Board Chairman Benny Magness confirmed the board’s meeting agenda during a town hall Thursday night in Charleston, where residents defiantly opposed locating a prison in their community. 

“As chairman I’m calling the vote tomorrow, and I’m not going to be a part anymore of being put in a position to defend ourselves that we’re stalling the building of a 3,000-bed prison,” Magness told reporters following the meeting. 

State officials for years have pursued construction of a new prison to alleviate overcrowding in existing facilities and county jails. The state spends roughly $30 million a year to house about 3,000 inmates in county facilities, according to the governor’s office. More prison beds also likely will be needed in the future due to the Protect Arkansas Act. Backed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the 2023 law overhauls the state’s parole system and eliminates the possibility of parole for the most serious offenders.

“The process we started in ‘22 was not getting the results we needed, so they, and I say they, the governor’s office, chose to do this process,” Magness told reporters.

Hundreds of local residents seeking answers about the state’s decision to purchase land for the prison in the Vesta community north of Charleston packed the local middle school’s gymnasium Thursday evening. 

Community members as well as state and local officials said they were not involved in the decision-making process and were blindsided by the governor’s formal announcement about the purchase last Thursday.

The governor’s office touted the prison as an investment in public safety and economic development. The prison is expected to create several hundred construction jobs and employ 800 once it’s operational, according to a press release. 

A few hours prior to the town hall, Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace emailed the media letters from the mayors of Calico Rock and Malvern citing the positive aspects of having prisons in their communities.

Security and safety, especially for their children and grandchildren, are major concerns for Jo Stubblefield and her son and daughter-in-law, Brandan and Rosa Cummings, who live on property that shares a fence line with the proposed prison site. Jo Stubblefield, whose husband is a cousin of Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, told the Advocate they “were all very upset, very upset” about the proposed prison site.

The trio questioned how the state could pay for and staff a new prison when other local businesses are struggling to find employees.

“They can’t even pave the roads around here, yet you can buy a bunch of land without nobody knowing? I mean that just blows my mind,” Brandan Cummings said.

Rosa Cummings said a new prison isn’t needed and that releasing nonviolent criminals, like people who’ve been arrested for drugs, would free up bed space. While she hoped that state officials would listen to the community’s concerns Thursday, she said it wasn’t likely.

“I mean it’s the government. We don’t feel too confident obviously, that’s why we heard about it just the other day,” she said. 

State legislators and members of the Department of Corrections and Board of Corrections attended the town hall Thursday. Local residents submitted questions ahead of time that were read by a moderator, including questions about costs and why the community wasn’t notified sooner.

Former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri said the land purchase was not made public sooner because of concerns over a bidding war. Profiri was hired as a senior adviser to the governor after the prison board fired him in January.

“Ultimately what we were looking at was to make sure that the price of the land didn’t escalate and that we were good stewards of the taxpayer dollars to make sure that we didn’t pay more than the land was worth,” he said. 

Profiri said the cost of the prison will depend on what design is ultimately selected, but he noted $330 million has been set aside by the Legislature and there’s another $75 million in reserves. Officials said they looked at a number of sites over several months. Profiri said they chose to purchase the Franklin County property about three months ago. 

Magness said he learned about the decision two weeks ago, while state lawmakers like Rep. John Eubanks, R- Subiaco, and Stubblefield said they received word just a few days prior to last week’s formal announcement. 

Stubblefield criticized the lack of transparency and said he was going to explore pursuing legal action because he believed officials broke state law by not notifying the public sooner. Wallace said lawyers she spoke with who reviewed the statute in question believed it didn’t apply to the Department of Corrections. 

While community members were not allowed to ask questions Thursday night or bring signs, attendees made their opinions known by cheering or booing, and shouting phrases like “we don’t want it,” ‘we don’t consent,” “disrespect” and “liar.”

The town hall concluded after about an hour and a half, and Jo Stubblefield left unsatisfied with state officials’ responses. 

“I feel like the governor’s office didn’t answer any questions they were asked,” she said.

The Board of Corrections’ special meeting on Zoom is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Friday. The agenda includes hiring a public information officer and voting on the Franklin County land. 

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Nov. 7, 2024 | UAMS is committed to supporting growth in Northwest Arkansas, UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, told the Rogers Rotary at its regular meeting Oct. 28.

“Since we opened our campus in Northwest Arkansas in 2007, we have added new patient care services, research and educational programs as we work to be a part of the exceptional growth happening in this region,” Patterson said. “We are here to stay. Our intention is to work alongside health care providers and business leaders in this area so that we are making meaningful contributions to the quality of life for this area and its residents.”

Joined at the meeting by Michael Manley, UAMS chief of staff, Ryan Cork, vice chancellor for the UAMS Northwest Arkansas Region, and Tim Dockery, UAMS associate vice chancellor for development, Patterson began the meeting by commending the city of Rogers for how the community came together to rebuild after tornadoes ripped through the heart of the city in May.

“That was a terrible time,” Patterson said, “and our hearts went out to everyone in this area who was affected. I know there’s still work to be done, but this city will persevere. I’m so proud of the heart that Arkansans have for each other, which is one of the reasons I’m glad I moved to this beautiful state.”

“UAMS has enjoyed generous support from business leaders and others throughout this city,” Patterson said. “Rogers is growing, and we want to support that growth by working with community and health care leaders here to help promote this city and Northwest Arkansas as a health care hub.”

One of the most visible examples of UAMS’ commitment to Northwest Arkansas is the construction of the UAMS Health Orthopaedics and Sports Performance Center, which is scheduled for completion in 2027. The 115,000-square-foot facility will be the home for all UAMS Health orthopaedic clinics in Northwest Arkansas, as well as sports performance and therapy. Patterson said the center’s goal is to serve patients in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

“I suspect we will see patients from all over the country come to Northwest Arkansas to get their care here,” Patterson said. “Our orthopaedic and sports medicine specialists are already highly regarded nationally and internationally. With this new innovative facility, this reputation will continue to grow.”

Patterson also spoke about the need for a new campus location to house the expanding clinical, academic and research programs that serve the region.

“Over the last 17 years, our programs, like this region, have grown exponentially,” Patterson said. “We now have programs in 14 different locations in this region, including our main campus building, the old Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville. We have been very grateful for this facility, but we have outgrown it, and it has several challenges including its age and lack of space and parking.”

UAMS acquired 48 acres of land in 2021 near Interstate 49 in Rogers, a portion of which was gifted to the university by Don, Joe, Doug and Mike Mills. Last year, Johnelle Hunt made a gift to support activities at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, including funding a feasibility study for the development of operations on the land.

“We are currently in the second phase of the feasibility study of that property that will allow us to have a real campus,” Patterson said. “Our goals include creating a space that is inviting and welcoming, where we can increase collaboration among multiple areas and stakeholders and have the newest technology in all spaces.”

The total square footage of the new building will be more than 326,000 square feet and will feature a modern design that incorporates natural light and materials throughout, includes an outdoor space central to the building and a shared collaborative space for the entire campus. Phase two of the feasibility study should be completed by Jan. 1, 2025.

Patterson also pointed out several advancements in the educational arm of its mission in Northwest Arkansas, which includes a variety of programs including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy and occupational therapy, which is a partnership with the University of Arkansas.

For example, what began as a medical school program in which UAMS College of Medicine students spent two years in Little Rock and then finished their last two years at the Northwest Arkansas campus has expanded to medical students spending their entire four years in Northwest Arkansas. What’s more, UAMS initiated an accelerated three-year M.D. program that is unique to the Fayetteville campus. The first student from that program graduated in May.

After the pandemic highlighted the nursing shortage in Arkansas, UAMS started an accelerated BSN program on the Northwest campus. The accelerated BSN program is aimed at people who have pursued other careers and make a switch to become nurses. They have completed their prerequisites and so their course of study is shorter. There are currently 24 students in that 18-month program.

“UAMS is proud to be a part of the transformation of health care here in Northwest Arkansas,” Patterson said. “We are excited about increasing collaborations with you to ensure that we are building the health care workforce of tomorrow, ensuring that everyone in this region and across the state has access to exceptional care continually transformed through the benefit of laboratory discoveries.”

FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas football Coach Sam Pittman confirmed quarterback Taylen Green’s injury from last Saturday as a knee sprain during Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.

Pittman added Green and tailback Ja’Quinden Jackson would be questionable at this point as to their availability for next Saturday’s 11 a.m. game against No. 5 Texas. The Razorbacks (5-4, 3-3 SEC) are currently going through their second open week and hoping to have their top two total offense leaders back on the field to face the Longhorns.

Both Green and Jackson were at the Hogs’ walkthrough practice Tuesday, but their participation in Wednesday’s practice looked iffy, Pittman said on the morning teleconference.

“I still think we’re a few days away from both those guys, determining what their ability to play against Texas would be,” Pittman said. “I can tell you this: I don’t know if either one of them would be able to play if we were playing Saturday.”

Jackson, who ranks fourth in SEC rushing with 83.8 yards per game, has missed the past two games — a 58-25 road win at Mississippi State and a 63-31 home loss to No. 19 Ole Miss — with an ankle injury he has been batting since training camp. The senior transfer from Utah has 592 rushing yards to rank fifth in the SEC.

Green suffered the knee injury when both of his legs were rolled over by 320-pound Zxavian Harris at the end of a 14-yard run in the first quarter against Ole Miss. Green returned on the next series but his day was done after halftime.

“I think we still have to wait until probably a Monday of next week to see exactly where we’re at with those two guys,” Pittman said.

“Taylen’s got a sprained knee, and certainly JJ’s got that ankle. They were out in the walkthrough yesterday (Tuesday), but I don’t know that they’ll be available really for practice today (Wednesday).”

Green has been recovering from a knee issue during both of the Hogs’ open weeks. He had a bone bruise on an illegal low hit by Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott during Arkansas’ 19-14 upset of No. 4 Tennessee on Oct. 5 and was not at full speed for the Razorbacks’ 34-10 home loss to LSU on Oct. 19.

Green is fourth in SEC passing (246.0 yards per game) and total offense (291.7 ypg) and 10th in efficiency (140.41) with a rate that has been on the rise since a Week 5 loss to Texas A&M. The redshirt junior has completed 161 of 263 passes (61.2%) for 2,214 yards with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Green’s replacement, redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton, has completed 21 of 28 passes (75%) for 358 yards with 1 touchdown and no interceptions and has an efficiency rating of 194.2. The bulk of Singleton’s playing time has come in the season-opening 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the fourth quarter of the Hogs’ win over Tennessee and the second half last week against Ole Miss.

In Jackson’s absence, true freshman Braylen Russell powered for 175 yards in the landslide win at Mississippi State. Rashod Dubinion rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown in that same game, then added 12 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown against the Rebels with Russell limited to 4 carries for 2 yards.

Additionally, Rodney Hill returned from a three-game absence against Ole Miss to add 16 rushing yards on three carries.