Arkansas
Arkansas governor signs legislation allowing executions by nitrogen gas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation Tuesday allowing executions using nitrogen gas, making Arkansas the fifth state to adopt a method that opponents say is unconstitutional.
The measure signed into law by the Republican governor has been promoted by supporters as a way to carry out executions for the first time in eight years. Arkansas currently has 25 people on death row.
Arkansas has not had an execution since 2017, when it put four people to death before a sedative used in its lethal injection protocol expired. The attorney general’s office has said the state has been unable to purchase more lethal injection drugs because of manufacturers’ opposition to their use in executions.
“As a state we have failed to keep our promises to the friends and family of victims to execute those sentenced to death under our laws,” Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. “That ends now. Act 302 gives the state the tools needed to carry out these sentences and deliver justice.”
Under the nitrogen hypoxia execution method, an inmate is forced to breathe the gas and deprived of the oxygen needed to stay alive. Alabama, the first state to use nitrogen gas, has carried out four executions using that method since it began last year.
Three other states — Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma — have laws allowing it but have not employed the method so far. On Friday a federal appeals court said Louisiana could carry out its first nitrogen gas execution, scheduled for Tuesday.
The number of executions in the U.S. last year remained near historic lows, and they happened in a small number of states.
“The decision to use nitrogen suffocation as an execution method is a dangerous and regressive move that puts Arkansas out of step with national trends away from the death penalty,” Megan Bailey, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties of Arkansas, said in a statement.
Opponents say the method increases suffering, citing accounts from witnesses to Alabama executions who said inmates gasped and shook during executions. State officials say those are involuntary movements associated with oxygen deprivation.
Arkansas has expanded the secrecy surrounding its execution process in recent years, enacting laws shrouding the source of lethal injection drugs and other details. Critics worry that the state is not required to disclose the type or source of nitrogen gas it would use.
The law takes effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, which will happen in April at the earliest.
Arkansas
No. 1 Arkansas leads SEC Indoor after first day finals
COLLEGE STATION – A victory in the 5,000m by Nick Busienei and third place in the distance medley relay had No. 1 Arkansas leading the team score with 18 points on the first day of the SEC Indoor Championships.
The Razorbacks produced 12 of those points in the 5,000m as Nick Busienei won the race in a meet record of 13;31.86, which ranks him No. 7 on the UA all-time list. Busienei bettered the meet record of 13:37.52 set by Razorback Patrick Kiprop in 2025.
James Sankei added two more points in placing seventh with a time of 13:44.57.
Dating back to 1992 when Arkansas competed in its first SEC Indoor meet, Busienei claimed the 21st title for the program and is the 14th Razorback to win the indoor 5,000m.
Six more points were added in the distance medley relay as Arkansas posted a time of 9:30.84 from the foursome of Owan Logorodi (2:58.46), Zyaire Nuriddin (46.51), Julian Carter (1:49.10), and Brian Masai (3:56.77).
South Carolina won the race in 9:30.08 with Ole Miss runner-up in 9:30.34. Florida originally placed third in 9:30.37 but was disqualified for spiking the baton at the conclusion of the race.
Jelani Watkins led the Razorback crew in the 200m prelims as three Arkansas sprinters advanced to the final. Watkins produced an indoor career best of 20.42 rank second overall to a 20.38 by Florida’s Wayna McCoy. Watkins remains No. 2 on the UA all-time list as he improved his previous time of 20.43.
Dapriest Hogans followed with a 20.63 that equaled his career best and his No. 8 ranking on the UA all-time list. Tevijon Williams clocked 20.65 to reach the final where 20.71 was the cutoff time. Jamarion Stubbs ran 20.87 in his prelim heat.
Cooper Williams completed the first day of the heptathlon in sixth place with 2,862 points. He started with a 7.43 in the 60m (736), then added a 21-9.5 (6.64) long jump (729). In the shot put, a mark of 36-8.25 (11.18) picked up 557 points. Williams wrapped up day one by topping the field in the high jump with a clearance of 6-8.25 for 840 points.
Link Lindsey placed 15 in the long jump with a mark of 23-6.75 (7.18).
Arkansas
The wall goes back up: Arkansas embraces defiant isolation
Arkansas
Man arrested in Arkansas connected to Jan. 2026 fatal hit-and-run in Dallas
DALLAS – Authorities in Arkansas have arrested a man accused of being behind the wheel during a January car crash that left one man dead.
Suspect arrested in Arkansas for Dallas hit-and-run
What we know:
U.S. Marshals tracked down 22-year-old Enrique Hernandez in De Queen, a southwest Arkansas town about three hours away from Dallas and an hour north of Texarkana.
Hernandez has been charged with collision involving death, a second-degree felony, in connection with the case. He is currently being held in an Arkansas jail before he is transferred to a jail in Dallas County.
What we don’t know:
Dallas police haven’t said if the suspect has any ties to the victim or the area of Arkansas where he was arrested.
The backstory:
The fatal hit-and-run occurred around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 11 near W. Davis St. and N. Westmoreland Dr. in Dallas.
26-year-old Johnathan Rodriguez was dropped off by friends outside his Dallas neighborhood early Sunday morning after celebrating his birthday.
Surveillance video shows Rodriguez in the media area of the road when a dark-colored SUV hits him and drives away.
Rodriguez was left with severe head trauma, later dying from his injuries.
A bittersweet victory for the family
What they’re saying:
John Rodriguez, the victim’s father, struggled to find the words to describe the news he received.
“It’s not going to bring him back, bring my son back,” Rodriguez told FOX 4’s Peyton Yager. “It hurts every day, every minute. I wake up every morning, and he is not here. We are really going to miss him.”
The Rodriguez family worked with police to help find their son’s killer. They found more surveillance video near the scene of the accident that helped authorities find and arrest Hernandez in Arkansas.
“We are going to fight for justice. Long live Johnny, and we are going to keep on fighting,” Rodriguez said.
The Source: Information in this story came from current and previous FOX 4 reporting.
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