A historical marker commemorating Black soldiers who fought for the Union in Arkansas during the Civil War was dedicated Saturday in the presence of several descendants of Union fighters at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock.
Arkansas
Arkansas Senate approves bill to prohibit discrimination despite concerns it would impede minorities • Arkansas Advocate
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After more than an hour of sometimes impassioned debate, the Arkansas Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would “prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment” by public entities.
Senate Bill 3 would repeal language in state procurement proposals that encourage minority participation or require bidders to adopt an equal opportunity hiring program designed to increase the percentage of minority employees. The bill would also eliminate required minority recruitment and retention plans and reports from public school districts and higher education institutions.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, is the bill’s primary sponsor and told his colleagues that “racism will never cure racism.” He also said the bill would make merit the primary reason Arkansans receive jobs and scholarships at state-funded institutions.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from employment discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Senate Bill 3 has similar language but replaces “religion” with “ethnicity.”
All six Senate Democrats spoke against SB 3, saying it would reduce or eliminate opportunities for historically underrepresented groups, particularly Black Americans.
“Considering someone’s sex, race and background when providing them an opportunity is not a handout or an unfair advantage,” said Sen. Jamie Scott, D-North Little Rock. “It’s about a chance to break down barriers… [This bill] hinders progress while denying Arkansas the full potential of its talent as a state. Diversity isn’t just a moral imperative. It’s a practical necessity.”
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The bill contains similar language to Senate Bill 71 of 2023, which Sullivan also sponsored. SB 71 passed the Senate almost two years ago with the minimum of 18 senators in favor, all white male Republicans.
Some GOP senators who voted for SB 3 voted against SB 71, voted present, did not vote or were absent from the chamber that day. Sen. Alan Clark of Lonsdale was the only Republican to join the Democrats in voting against both SB 3 and SB 71.
Clark said he supported most of the bill because “there’s got to be a time that we’re just all equal,” but he could not vote for amending a scholarship designed to attract qualified minority teachers to the Delta, a rural area with a significant Black population and a known teacher shortage.
Clark said he opposed making it more difficult to hire Black male teachers because they could help Black male students improve their educational outcomes. He expressed the same concern Tuesday before voting against the bill in the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs.
Sen. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, also voted against SB 3 in committee Tuesday. He said Wednesday that the bill does not define “preferential treatment,” but the programs the bill would change provide context for the meaning of the phrase.
In addition to eliminating minority recruitment and retention structures in K-12 and higher education, the bill would change the Equity Assistance Center in the state’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to the Equality Assistance Center. Its purpose would be to assist the state’s public school districts with “desegregation and nondiscrimination” instead of “affirmative action, program accessibility, human relations, awareness, and desegregation” as currently required.
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“These programs were created surgically to where they could have the most impact. This bill is not surgical,” Tucker said. “This bill, to Sen. Clark’s point, is a blunt instrument, and we have no idea what the impact of this bill will be.”
Tucker said the bill would discourage Arkansans from participation or employment in entities that focus on the lived experiences of minorities, such as the Arkansas Minority Health Commission within the state Department of Health, or the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, an African-American history museum in Little Rock.
“I don’t see how you can celebrate African-American history and have items in your gift shop created by African Americans in Arkansas without giving preferential treatment,” Tucker said.
Knowingly violating the bill would result in a Class A misdemeanor. Additionally, the text of the bill would allow anyone “who believes his or her rights have been impacted under this section” to file a civil lawsuit and allow a judge who sides with the plaintiff to issue an injunction and allow the plaintiff to recover court costs and attorneys’ fees.
Sen. Reginald Murdock, D-Marianna, said white Americans don’t need help obtaining educational and economic opportunities and that “it’s an insult to even have this conversation.”
Scott and Murdock both said programs aimed at minorities helped them attend college and complete their degrees. Sullivan claimed SB 3 would not eliminate such programs, but “more people will be able to affect those scholarships than fewer.”
The Legislature is composed mostly of white men, and only four of the 35 state senators are Black, including Scott and Murdock. The other two, Democratic Sens. Stephanie Flowers of Pine Bluff and Fredrick Love of Mabelvale, also spoke against the bill.
Republican Sens. Breanne Davis of Russellville and Missy Irvin of Mountain View both voted against SB 71 in 2023 but voted for SB 3 on Tuesday.
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Davis said in an interview that SB 3’s narrower focus, particularly on “equal opportunity” hiring practices, earned her support.
“I think it’s important to be merit-based and hire the best people for the job,” she said.
Irvin said she believes “it’s a choice whether you feel marginalized or not” and “we should all view each other as Americans” in order to achieve “healing in our nation.”
Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, voted present on SB 71 and voted for SB 3. Republican Sens. Blake Johnson of Corning and Jim Petty of Van Buren did not vote on SB 71 and voted for SB 3.
Additionally, Republican Sens. Steve Crowell of Magnolia and Terry Rice of Waldron did not vote on SB 3. Rice supported SB 71 in 2023 while Crowell did not vote on it.
Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, voted against SB 71 and voted present on SB 3. She said in an interview that she was not comfortable voting for SB 3 without “a little more clarification” about its impact on hiring practices and certain programs.
The bill will next be considered by the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs. SB 71 made it to the House floor in 2023 but was voted down after several passionate speeches from members of both parties.
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Arkansas
Top 25 Arkansas high school girls basketball rankings (2/24/2025)
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It was all but assured it would happen, and winter weather did end up forcing about two-thirds of the state — from mostly central Arkansas up through north Arkansas — to push games to this week.
While all 25 squads from last week nearly held on to their exact spot from the previous week — which would have been the first time this season that occurred — the only changes are some shifting in the Top 10. There was a major headliner as there is a new No. 1 for the first time since the rankings dropped during the first week of January.
Class 5A and 6A will wrap up their regular seasons this week, and Class 1A-4A will play regional tournaments as we are right around the corner from tipping off state tournaments.
See the full Top 25 below.
February 24, 2025
Last week: 2
They did not play last week, but the Cardinals enter this week as the new top-ranked squad. They’ll finish the regular season with a three-game slate that includes Russellville, No. 12 Mountain Home and Van Buren.
Last week: 1
Trailing for the majority of the contest, the Wampus Cats kept finding ways to claw their way back in it but ultimately came up short as Little Rock Central snapped their 21-game win streak. They take on Jonesboro and Bryant this week looking to wrap up the 6A-Central outright title.
Last week: 3
The Eagles sealed their second consecutive 5A-East conference title and head to the final week of the regular season on a 19-game win streak. They are at home for both games this week — against Batesville and No. 23 Marion.
Last week: 4
The Wildcats were hardly pushed in their previous two contests, but they have a very challenging week ahead as they head to play a fifth-ranked Fort Smith Northside team with redemption on its mind before hosting crosstown foe and No. 6 Springdale on Senior Night.
Last week: 5
Fort Smith Northside hardly broke a sweat in a Monday rout of Fort Smith Southside in its lone game of the week. The team will wrap up the regular season with Rogers Heritage and No. 4 Springdale Har-Ber.
Last week: 6
The previous time the Red Dogs played a rescheduled game, they had one of their poorest showings of the season, but they were not about to let that happen again as they slipped past rival Fayetteville on Saturday. Leading the 6A-West race by a single game, they look to secure the title with final regular-season games against No. 17 Bentonville and No. 4 Springdale Har-Ber.
Last week: 8
The defending Class 6A state champion notched its biggest win of the season over top-ranked Conway at Buzz Bolding Arena on Friday night. With the 6A-Central’s No. 2 state tournament seed appearing to be their fate, the Tigers take on Little Rock Southwest and Jonesboro this week.
Last week: 7
North Little Rock did not play last week. The Charging Wildcats wrap up the regular season this week with Bryant and Cabot.
Last week: 9
After finishing conference play with an early-week win over Heber Springs, the Bruins completed the first unblemished regular season in school history with a sportsmanship rule-invoking triumph over Class 5A Hot Springs Lakeside. They will be the 4A-5 North’s top seed in this week’ 4A-3 Regional Tournament in Clinton.
Last week: 10
Vilonia’s Saturday win over Parkview not only all but sealed an outright 5A-Central championship, but the star backcourt duo of senior Sidni Middleton and junior Maddie Mannion hit career milestones, surpassing 1,600 and 1,000 points, respectively. The Eagles now aim to finish league play unblemished with this week’s favorable three-game slate before making another state final run.
Last week: 11
The team did not play last week. Currently tied for the 5A-Central’s No. 2 seed with Beebe, Little Rock Christian has the Badgers, Mount St. Mary, Maumelle and Jacksonville remaining on the regular-season schedule.
Last week: 12
They have had a few recent close calls, but the Bombers were not affected by the Alma game being moved to Saturday as they handled the Airedales in their final game of the season at The Hangar. They will get as good of a test, twice, before making a state tournament run as they head to play top-ranked Farmington and No. 18 Greenwood.
Last week: 13
The Leopards earned a share of the 4A-7 conference title after wrapping up the regular season with a win over Magnolia to increase their current win streak to eight. Their sights are now set on the 4A-4 Regional Tournament, where they will be their conference’s top seed.
Last week: 14
A convincing win over Camden Fairview secured the Scrapperettes as a co-4A-7 regular-season conference champion. They will be their conference’s No. 2 seed in this week’s 4A-4 Regional Tournament in Monticello.
Last week: 15
Dover did not play last week. The Pirates will be the No. 1 seed in this week’s 3A-3 Regional Tournament at Bald Knob.
Last week: 16
Although it was a much more competitive matchup this time, the Blazers fell short against No. 3 Greene County Tech on Friday. They will finish the regular season with crucial Top 25 matchups against No. 23 Marion and No. 24 Nettleton as they look to wrap up the 5A-East’s No. 2 seed.
Last week: 17
The Tigers needed to handle their business last week, and they did with convincing wins over Rogers and crosstown rival Bentonville West. Their best-case postseason scenario is the 6A-West’s No. 4 seed as they look to secure it this week against No. 6 Springdale and No. 19 Fayetteville.
Last week: 18
Greenwood did not play last week. The final regular-season three-game slate includes matchups with Siloam Springs, Russellville and No. 12 Mountain Home.
Last week: 19
It certainly was not for a lack of effort, but the Purple Dogs fell short in another tight finish with Springdale. The talented young squad currently holds the 6A-West’s No. 5 state tournament seed, but it could move up to fourth with victories over Fort Smith Southside and No. 17 Bentonville.
Last week: 20
The Eagles handled Norfork in the semifinal round of the 1A-2 District Tournament. They will face Rural Special in the championship round Monday, with the winner earning the top spot in the Regional Tournament later this week.
Last week: 21
Many expected the Badgers to be one of the top three teams out of the 5A-Central, and they have lived up to that. Currently sitting in third, they have a chance to claim the No. 2 seed with wins this week over No. 11 Little Rock Christian and Parkview.
Last week: 22
The Pointers picked up a crucial Saturday victory over Harrison to clinch the fourth and final 5A-West state tournament seed. Their regular season concludes with Alma and top-ranked Farmington.
Last week: 23
The Patriots are on a three-game win streak after a rollercoaster stretch and still have a prime opportunity to earn the 5A-East’s No. 2 seed. Their final week will be a challenging one, though, as they take on No. 16 Valley View and No. 3 Greene County Tech to finish the regular season.
Last week: 24
The Raiders bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to third-ranked Greene County Tech with a victory over Batesville. It’s a massive week ahead as they try to secure the fourth and final state tournament seed and can do so with a win Monday over No. 25 West Memphis.
Last week: 25
While the Blue Devils have dropped three of their past four contests — all losses to Top 25 opposition — they can take some positivity to this week’s three-game slate after coming up just three points short to No. 3 Greene County Tech last Monday. They start the week with No. 24 Nettleton, followed by Searcy and Paragould.
None
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Arkansas
Looking back: Arkansas Part 2
Looking back: Arkansas Part 2
Here’s a look at some numbers and thoughts that didn’t get into the initial thoughts after last night’s game against Arkansas.
Mark Mitchell
He didn’t play as incredible as his career-high setting performances against Oklahoma or Alabama, but Mark Mitchell produced a team-high 17 points and a game-high seven rebounds to go with three assists.
He also had six of the Tigers’ 18 turnovers, so not all good.
It was the fourth consecutive game that Mitchell has outscored his season average (now 13.7), while his seven rebounds made the performance the third time this season that Mitchell has led the Tigers in both points and rebounds.
Turnovers
Missouri had 18 turnovers, a high through the SEC schedule.
And those extra opportunities led to 30 Arkansas points.
The Tigers had been very good at holding onto the ball recently, they committed only three turnovers against Tennessee, 14 against Texas A&M, 12 against Oklahoma, three against Georgia and eight against Alabama.
The Tigers hadn’t surpassed 15 in a game since the home win against Ole Miss.
But they were a major issue Saturday night, led by Mitchell with six and Tony Perkins with four.
Dennis Gates’ favorite stat to hit on in press conference’s in assist to turnover ratio, and the Tigers had a negative one for the first time since Oklahoma (11 assists to 12 turnovers that game), and the first with more than a one-turnover difference since Texas A&M.
“We had a lot of turnovers to begin the game,” Gates said. “They obviously did a great job. We had five turnovers on the first nine possessions and they built a 10-4 lead. You can’t win on the road like that and we’ve got to do a better job.”
3-point shooting
The Tigers attempted 36 shots from beyond the arc Saturday, a season high. And they made 12 (33.33 percent) which is not terribly far behind their season average (36.9 percent), but Caleb Grill was certainly behind his average at just 2-of-12 (16.67 percent), which dropped him to 43.3 percent for the year as he attempts to reach 50 percent shooting from deep.
He was at 49-of-100 for the season recently, but since then is just 12-of-41 (29.26 percent) as teams have changed how they guard him.
He would have to hit his next 19 attempts consecutively to get to 50 percent for the year.
Defense
Going into Saturday, the Tigers were 15-1 this season when scoring 80 points because Missouri had allowed more than 80 just seven times this season.
After allowing 83 to Memphis, Missouri didn’t allow 80 again until Cal when both teams reached 90. For the most part, when Missouri scores 80 points, its defense responds and holds the opponent to less than 80, there’s only been five Missouri games this season (including Saturday) where both teams scored 80 or more points.
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Arkansas
Little Rock museum dedicates historical marker to Black soldiers who fought for Union in Civil War | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
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