Arkansas

Football, volleyball athletes compete in All-Star games | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

2 years ago

July 7, 2024

Football, volleyball athletes compete in All-Star games | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Pictured are River Valley football all-stars (from left) Matt O’Bar (Booneville), Bryce Perkins (Van Buren), L.J. Robins (Greenwood), Reese Merechka (Charleston), M.J. Parker (Ozark), Braden Hunt (Ozark) and Charlie VanDenBerg (Ozark) at the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game at Estes Stadium on the campus of University of Central Arkansas in Conway on June 22. (Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Reese Merechka of Charleston (left) and M.J. Parker of Ozark line up defensively for the West All-Stars in the AHSCA all-star football game on June 22 at Estes Stadium in Conway. (Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Van Buren’s Bryce Perkins receives his MVP ring from the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star football game on June 22 at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. (Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Van Buren’s Bryce Perkins drops back to pass during the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star football game on June 22 in Conway. (Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Hackett’s Aubree Ruggles (left) and Prairie Vaughn) poses for a photo after the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star volleyball game on June 21 in Conway. (Submitted photo/Bridget Freeman)

Emerson Schaefer of Lavaca played for the West All-Stars in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star volleyball game on June 21 in Conway. (Submitted photo/Shannon Todaro)

Reese Merechka of Charleston (left) and M.J. Parker of Ozark line up defensively for the West All-Stars in the AHSCA all-star football game on June 22 at Estes Stadium in Conway.
(Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Van Buren’s Bryce Perkins receives his MVP ring from the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star football game on June 22 at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
(Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Van Buren’s Bryce Perkins drops back to pass during the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star football game on June 22 in Conway.
(Special to River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)

Emerson Schaefer of Lavaca played for the West All-Stars in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star volleyball game on June 21 in Conway.
(Submitted photo/Shannon Todaro)

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Arkansas

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

Published

6 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has joined a new national artificial intelligence initiative that launched Thursday, June 25.

RAISE US, started by former Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Gina Raimondo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce is a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers and training organizations to help the workforce transition to an AI economy.

“As artificial intelligence transforms America’s economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them. By leveraging our Arkansas LAUNCH initiative, and with the resources and expertise provided by RAISE US, Arkansas will turn that mission into reality. We want the Natural State to be a leader on education, workforce training, and up-skilling, and this new partnership gives us the tools we need to build a model for the entire nation.”

The organization will design and pilot incentives to retrain workers, new approaches to support job transitions, and training models tied to employer demand.

RAISE US launches with more than two dozen American companies and philanthropies and initial state partnerships in Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy — and we cannot lead without one,” Raimondo, who will serve as CEO of RAISE US, said.

“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway. We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity. We’ve assembled the country’s top companies, best economists, and bipartisan governors at a scale rarely seen — all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”

Governor Sanders is partnering with RAISE US to support Arkansas LAUNCH, an AI-powered career navigation platform that connects students and jobseekers to personalized learning and employer-linked career pathways.

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