Arkansas

Arkansas Judge Kills Social Media Age Verification Law, Says It Violates the First Amendment

Published

2 months ago

April 1, 2025

Arkansas Judge Kills Social Media Age Verification Law, Says It Violates the First Amendment

A judge in Arkansas has shut down the state’s law requiring some social networks to verify the ages of those in the state to create an account and ensure that minors have parental permission. Judge Timothy L. Brooks ruled the law, dubbed the Social Media Safety Act, was too broad as to violate the First Amendment rights of internet users and was so vague it was unclear which social networks the law would cover.

“Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults’ and minors’ protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel,” the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas wrote in an opinion issued Monday.

Lawmakers across the United States and abroad have sought to protect minors against the potential long-term harms posed by social media, and smartphone access writ large. Utah recently passed a law that requires app stores from Apple and Google to verify the ages of users before they can download apps and requires minors to have accounts connected to their parents. Meta was in favor of this law because it put the onus on other companies to verify users; it was opposed to Arkansas’ law. States and school districts across the country have also been implementing laws that prohibit students from accessing their phones during the school day to eliminate distractions and potentially combat bullying.

While social media has been linked to increased mental health risks in adolescents, many teens have reported benefits to using the services, such as finding like-minded communities where they feel belonging. Moreover, critics of age-verification laws say while there are risks to minors using social media, these types of laws infringe on everyone’s right to privacy—in states like Florida and Texas, where laws have passed requiring porn sites to verify the ages of users, major services including PornHub have chosen to shut down rather than make users hand over personally identifiable information. In an age when the White House is willing to retaliate against individuals over their free expression, the risks of requiring users to verify their identities are clear.

“Rather than targeting content that is harmful to minors, Act 689 [the Social Media Safety Act] simply impedes access to content writ large,” Brooks said.

There are effectively no federal privacy laws concerning internet platforms, with the recent collapse of 23andMe highlighting the problem. It was recently announced that as part of the DNA testing company’s bankruptcy, genetic data from customers could be sold off, potentially to be used against individuals.

Judge Brooks also noted the law was too vague, pointing out that the state’s attorney general believed Snapchat was exempt from the requirements, while the law’s co-sponsor thought it was covered.

“I respect the court’s decision, and we are evaluating our options,” Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement.

Social media companies have continued to implement tools to combat bullying, such as by allowing users to restrict others’ access to their content. During the Biden administration, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended social networks should display warning labels highlighting the potential harms for adolescents, and potentially redesign their apps to address problems like insecurity that can be caused by beauty filters and other tools.

Some who believe social media is harmful to adolescents argue that laws like age verification and smartphone bans during the school day are not addressing the actual problem. Teenagers will get around age checks, and if they cannot use their phone during the school day, they will just use it more after class. These laws do not address the root cause, they argue, which is the inherent design of social media apps.

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Arkansas

Tennessee vs Arkansas Game Two Betting Odds – Fayetteville Super Regional

Published

1 hour ago

June 8, 2025

Press Room

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.

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Arkansas

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello has funny apology on ESPN at super regional vs Arkansas

Published

21 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

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_

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Arkansas

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive captured after 12-day Arkansas manhunt

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive captured after 12-day Arkansas manhunt

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.

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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.

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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

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