Arkansas

Arkansas delegation opposes House daylight saving time measure

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2026

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Arkansas delegation opposes House daylight saving time measure

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent.
Former President Donald Trump has previously voiced support for the proposal.
All four members of Arkansas’ House delegation voted against the measure, citing potential new problems.
Opponents argue permanent daylight saving time would create late winter sunrises, posing safety risks for students.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 308-117 on July 14 to approve the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide and send the measure to the U.S. Senate.

President Donald Trump has voiced support for the proposal, which would end the twice-yearly clock changes if approved by the Senate and signed into law.

All four members of Arkansas’ House delegation — including Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers — voted against the measure.

Arkansas’ congressional delegation also issued a joint statement opposing the legislation, arguing that while most Americans dislike changing clocks twice a year, making daylight saving time permanent would create new problems.

“While no one likes changing clocks twice per year or shorter winter days, mandating permanent daylight saving time would create its own challenges,” the delegation said. “Congress tried this in 1974, and it was so unpopular that it was reversed within 10 months. It poses serious safety risks to kids and imposes significant productivity burdens nationwide.

“The Arkansas Delegation agrees that the Sunshine Protection Act is not the right solution and will continue to fight for the well-being of our working families, our students, and our businesses across The Natural State.”

Sen. Tom Cotton has previously outlined similar concerns in a 2025 Senate speech, warning that permanent daylight saving time would delay winter sunrises across Arkansas.

“For many Arkansans, permanent Daylight Savings Time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until after 8 or even 8:30 a.m. during the dead of winter,” Cotton said in a 2025 Senate floor speech. “Three months out of the year, kids in towns like Bentonville, Fayetteville and Fort Smith would start school ahead of the sun.”

The debate over year-round daylight saving time is not new in Arkansas. In 2019, the Arkansas House adopted a nonbinding resolution urging Congress to allow states to observe daylight saving time year-round. Because federal law governs daylight saving time, the resolution did not change Arkansas law but expressed support for congressional action.

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Arkansas

FRONT BURNER | OPINION: Pinto Bean Cakes With Avocado Salsa | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

5 hours ago

September 15, 2026

Press Room

FRONT BURNER | OPINION: Pinto Bean Cakes With Avocado Salsa | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Can you believe we’re already halfway through September? For me this month, so far, has been a blur and a slog. A whirlwind of change, goodbyes, unscheduled obligations, surprise social engagements with loved ones from afar, a wildlife rescue that led to an invasion of parasites, a whole night (really) spent waiting in a Little Rock hospital emergency room to eventually get good news (thank goodness! ) the following morning, and a very welcomed rainy day.

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Arkansas

Arkansas early kick vs. No. 2 Georgia comes after late night loss at Utah

Published

15 hours ago

September 15, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas early kick vs. No. 2 Georgia comes after late night loss at Utah

Arkansas has a tough enough task on its hands Saturday facing No. 2 Georgia football under any circumstances.

The Bulldogs have obliterated its first two overmatched opponents, Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, by an average of 55 points.

The Razorbacks are in rebuild mode under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield and looked like a team that could be headed for another 2-10 season or something close to that when it was pummeled at Utah 43-10 Saturday night.

Then there’s the whole travel thing that Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek railed against when the kickoff time for the Utah and Georgia games were announced during the SEC meetings in May.

Saturday’s game is an 11 a.m. CT kick, noon ET.

The Utah game kicked off at 9:15 p.m. CT and ended at 12:56 a.m. CT and the team landed back in Arkansas at approximately 6 a.m. CT, a team spokesman told the Athens Banner-Herald.

“I wouldn’t like it either,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s a tough situation to be in.”

Yurachek wrote on X after the game time was announced: “The assigned schedule will cost our student-athletes nearly a full day of rest and recovery. This is not simply a competitive disadvantage — it is a genuine welfare issue for the young men who represent our program and contribute greatly to the bottom line of our television partners.”

Smart, in his 11th season as Georgia’s head coach, said of having to deal with travel and kickoff times that schools don’t control depends on the program.

“To each his own in terms the way you manuever the week and how you manage the week from a standpoint of recovery,” Smart said. “Everyone’s going to play pretty much the same number of away games. Everybody’s going to play the same number of home games for the most part within one or two. Yo have to navigate that. It’s certainly challenging.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at the SEC meeting that the league communicated Arkansas’ ‘displeasure,’ with ESPN and he wasn’t “thrilled about,” the turnaround time, but the kickoff time remained.

Silverfield at least has a team that should be highly motivated simply by wanting to show it’s better than its last game.

“Guys in the locker room were frustrated, they’re pissed off,” he said Saturday night. “They’re angry and I said, ‘Those are feelings you’re supposed to have, but we have to find a way to quickly learn from this game and bounce back.’”

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Arkansas

Central AR Water goes 2 weeks without fluoride as Iran War disrupts supply chain

Published

1 day ago

September 14, 2026

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Central AR Water goes 2 weeks without fluoride as Iran War disrupts supply chain

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — If you’re a Central Arkansas Water customer, you’ve been drinking fluoride-free water for the past two weeks.

CAW, the state’s largest water utility, ran out of the chemical used to add tooth-decay-fighting fluoride to water.

It’s not just gas prices that the Iran war is affecting… It could cause cavities… Its impact on global supply chains has made it harder to source the fluoride-laden chemical used by many large water utilities, hydrofluorosilicic acid, or HFS.

“August 31 was the last day that we actually had fluoride to put in the water and then we’ve been without since,” Central Arkansas Water Public Affairs Officer Douglas Shackelford told KATV.

It’s the longest time Central Arkansas Water, which is required by state law to fluoridate its water, has gone without doing so. There’s no need to panic and start boiling water though, fluoride isn’t what’s used to clean water, that’s chlorine.

“Fluoride as a chemical and drinking water is not required for the safety of the drinking water. It is strictly there as a tool to assist with tooth decay and dental health issues,” Shackelford said.

And it’s not just CAW. Utilities in other states have also run out or reduced fluoride dosages.

Israel is one of the world’s top exporters of the fluoride-compound HFS. Amid wars engulfing the Middle East, at least one Israeli supplier of the chemical has faced workforce issues because of how many employees have been called into military service. Pair that with disrupted trade routes and the cost of fuel and it’s led to decreased production of HFS and supply shortages for the U.S. market.

“Most of this fluoride comes from overseas and as we’ve seen this conflict in the Middle East, some of those ships that are carrying the supply over are struggling to get to the US,” Shackelford said.

Central Arkansas Water did receive a shipment of fluoride Monday morning, but its supplier was only able to provide half the usually full tanker truck. For that reason and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding availability of the chemical, the water utility is reducing the fluoride dosage to make it last.

“From like a 0.7 milliliters per liter down to a 0.6…just to make it stretch out a little further so that we can try to, you know, keep the fluoride in the water until we get our next shipment. And I think that’s really kind of the question that’s in the air right now is when will the next shipment be made available to us? Are we looking at, you know, longer gaps between deliveries than what we were used to seeing? Or are we going to continue to also see maybe just half loads or whatever is available,” Shackelford said.

That half a tanker of fluoride Central Arkansas Water got Monday morning will only last about a month.

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