Arkansas’ most populous city centers have received $100 million in grants to reduce climate pollution. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, or CPRGs, were announced Monday morning. It’s the largest environment-focused grant won by Arkansas.

The funding is distributed by the Environmental Protection Agency and will be split between Central Arkansas, the Fort Smith area, and Northwest Arkansas. Over $48 million of the total will go to Central Arkansas projects, just over $36 million will go to Northwest Arkansas, and over $18 million will go to the Fort Smith metro area.

Casey Covington is the Executive Director of Metroplan, which led the grant application effort and represents Central Arkansas’ stake in the funding. He says each area has different priorities, but share a common goal.

“What you see in all the regions is an emphasis in preserving our natural areas and conserving those areas,” Covington said, adding that land restoration and pedestrian-bicycle infrastructure improvements are also key focus areas.

Covington says Central Arkansas’ funding will go towards converting street lights into LEDs to save energy and updating areas without lighting. The money will also go toward helping public entities and small businesses transition and invest in energy efficient projects, and building more bike and pedestrian trails.

Tim Conklin is the executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. He said the grant will fund 18 projects across the region, but emphasizes that every step of the grant cycle–from writing the proposal to finishing the projects–has been a collaborative effort.

“It’s not one entity in Northwest Arkansas or any of the other metro areas that’s actually implementing the complete grant of a hundred million dollars, it is over 50 planning partners that supported the grant and numerous entities implementing the grant,” Conklin said. “It’ll be quite the accomplishment over the next five years here in the state of Arkansas.”

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants are designed to help local communities transition to clean energy and reduce pollution. The projects outlined in the grant proposal align with goals set out by the state Department of Energy and Environment Innovation Priority Action Plan, which was submitted to the EPA earlier this year. The EPA awarded similar grants to 24 other projects across the nation.

Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken has watched temperatures and severe weather increase over the past two decades. For him, that’s a sign that something needs to change.

“This is a way that we can help slow that progression. And if we can do more of this and open opportunities economic and otherwise, for our residents, for our cities, our counties, and the state, then it’s a win-win,” Geffken said.

Cities and towns in the Fort Smith area will use their funding for projects such as re-designing unused alleyways, building electric vehicle charging stations, and adding solar panels to public buildings. Geffken called the grant “transformational.”

“It will also show that no one should consider Arkansas a flyover state, because that’s doing a huge disservice to us,” Geffken said.

Casey Covington from Metroplan agrees–he recognizes the benefits of having clean air and a state where people want to spend time outside.

“Being able to maintain that quality air and be able to provide our residents and visitors with high quality experience in our outdoors is what this program is gonna help us do,” Covington said. “And as part of that it’s gonna have long term benefits to our climate and our environment.”

And anything that helps preserve the beauty of the Natural State, Covington thinks, will likewise boost Arkansas’ economy, tourism, and development as a whole.

There is a quiet confidence surrounding the Arkansas State University football program as it prepares to embark on the 2024 season.

Coach Butch Jones, quarterback Jaylen Raynor and linebacker Charles Willekes were in New Orleans on Wednesday representing Arkansas State at the 2024 Sun Belt media days and talked about the upcoming season.

“We probably have the most competitive roster we’ve had to date,” Jones said during his news conference on Wednesday. “We’re still not completely balanced at all nine position groups, but we continue to make great improvements in the nine position areas. Our leadership is much more distributed.”

Coming off a 6-6 record in the 2023 season that saw the Red Wolves make their first bowl game appearance (Camellia Bowl) since 2019, the team enters Year 4 of the Butch Jones era with eight returning starters earning preseason All-Sun Belt honors. Fifteen starters overall are expected to return to the lineup, including four of the five members of the offensive line.

Offensive linemen Makilan Thomas and Jacob Bayer were both placed on the first-team, along with defensive lineman Nate Martey. Raynor, Willekes, running back Ja’Quez Cross and wide receivers Corey Rucker and Courtney Jackson were all named to the second-team.

Arkansas State was selected to finish fourth in the Sun Belt West Division in the preseason coaches poll, but the team is confident it can exceed those expectations with the wealth of talent returning, combined with a highly touted recruiting class.

Raynor had a breakout year in 2023 as a true freshman, throwing for 2,543 yards and 17 touchdowns compared to 7 interceptions. Raynor made his debut against Stony Brook in the fourth game last season and became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Arkansas State since 2001 the next week against Southern Miss.

He went 11 of 21 passing with 3 touchdowns and an interception while rushing for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 attempts in his first start. The next week at UMass, Raynor tied the program record with six passing touchdowns.

“Looking back on last year, seeing all the things I can fix and how much better I can be, it gets me so excited,” Raynor said. “Just being able to put the ball in play, take what the defense gives me, not always trying to take the top off the defense … just get the playmakers the ball, take the stress off my O-line to give them confidence and really just score some touchdowns.”

While optimism is high, the Red Wolves will be up against a difficult schedule as they try to follow up on and continue their improvement in the 2023 season. Outside of the challenge of Sun Belt Conference play, Arkansas State will travel to take on the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 14.

“You can’t put too much emphasis on any individual game,” said Willekes, who started his career at Michigan State and made his college debut on special teams against Michigan in 2019. “As Coach Jones said, I’m also from Michigan, so that’ll be a cool experience, but you can’t take anything other than just the individual game week-to-week.”

One week later, the team will take on another Power 4 opponent on the road in Iowa State.

“If you look at our entire schedule, it’s a great challenge,” Jones said. “You are a byproduct of your experiences. That’s what makes you who you are. We have to be able to take the three years of what we’ve experienced and (figure out) how can we apply it moving forward into this season and learn from it.”

One of those experiences was the 73-0 loss Arkansas State suffered at Oklahoma in the first contest of the 2023 season. Jones believes the humiliation of that loss was a learning experience and will be motivation for his players to perform better against the stiff competition his Red Wolves will be up against this upcoming season.

“I knew going into the season last year that the University of Oklahoma was going to be an extremely talented football team,” Jones said. “We experienced after the first game that they were a really good football team, and to be honest with you, these (players) will tell you we got embarrassed. As the season progressed, you could see our culture get stronger and stronger.”

Practices begin for Arkansas State on July 31 with several intrasquad scrimmages expected to be included in the lead up to regular season. The Red Wolves open the season on Aug. 31 when they welcome in-state rival Central Arkansas, which is ranked 11th nationally in the Hero Sports FCS Preseason Top 25, to Jonesboro.

“Last year our players were finally able to experience and finally able to really understand and feel what winning football looks like,” Jones said. “We still have 42 newcomers under scholarship so you can’t assume anything.

“For our entire team the message has been this: Even with our youthfulness, we just can’t be a year older, we have to be a year better as we continue to build this program.”

    Charles Willekes
  

RISON – The Arkansas Nurses Honor Guard is pleased to announce it is now serving the Cleveland County area. The Arkansas Nurses Honor Guard started with three nurses coming together to honor and fulfill the dream of a friend and coworker and has blossomed into a statewide nonprofit organization and public charity. To date this organization has 25 chapters across the state serving over 50 counties and has collectively paid tribute to over 300 amazing Arkansas Nurses. Every chapter is made up of nurses who volunteer their time and pay tribute at the passing of a nurse at the funeral, during visitation, or at the graveside with the family’s permission. The Lincoln County Chapter officially began January 4, 2024, with a vision from Dr. Brandy Haley, PhD, RN, to bring this tribute to the men and women nurses who live, serve, or have strong ties to Lincoln County. In June, the Lincoln County Chapter officially expanded to include Cleveland County. “The Lincoln and Cleveland County chapter is actively recruiting new nurse volunteers to join our organization and help us fulfill our mission,” said Haley.For a tribute service, chapter members will attend the funeral, visitation, or graveside service dressed all in white scrubs, traditional nursing caps and nurs-ing capes. Along with performing the Nightingale Tribute, a lamp is lit and extinguished in honor of the nurse and presented to the family along with a white rose. Our tribute ends with a final roll call for the nurse, who is then officially released from their nursing duties. Each tribute service is tailored to honor the nurse as an individual and to highlight that nurse’s career and typically takes less than 10 minutes. “Our service is completely free to any nurse; LPN, RN or APRN upon their passing,” Haley said.If you are a nurse interested in participating, please visit www.anhg.info to find all current chapters including the Lincoln and Cleveland County Chapter. There is a $25 annual due membership upon joining…