Arkansas
Pulaski County officials reject resolution to support ceasefire in the Middle East • Arkansas Advocate
The Pulaski County Quorum Court in Central Arkansas on Tuesday rejected a resolution to “support permanent ceasefire and prevent further loss of human life in the Middle East.”
The Justices of the Peace also voted to table the matter indefinitely upon a motion from Justice Phil Stowers.
The resolution stated a desire to save lives regardless of faith or ethnicity, urged national leaders to end the crisis and noted that “harassment, discrimination and violence towards the Muslim and Jewish communities are contradictory to the values that define Pulaski County.”
Several legislative bodies across the country have considered resolutions that call for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Activists brought such a proposal to a Little Rock Board of Directors meeting in April, though officials haven’t acted on it. The Fayetteville city council shut down its own ceasefire resolution in May.
Stowers’ motion to table the matter indefinitely prohibited justices from voting on the resolution directly. When given the opportunity to discuss the motion of tabling, only Justice Lillie McMullen spoke, and she questioned why Stowers or others would want to do so.
“Why on earth would we want to table it?” McMullen asked. “Why would we not go forward with it at this point? What is it that we are afraid of or want to avoid?”
Stowers quickly called for immediate consideration, which passed unanimously. Four justices then voted against tabling the resolution indefinitely: McMullen, Diane Curry, Curtis Keith and resolution sponsor Donna Massey.
“Honestly speaking, [the resolution] is not picking sides,” Massey told the Arkansas Advocate ahead of the vote last week. “Of course we could, but it’s just asking for a ceasefire to save lives on all sides. Me, personally, I don’t see how that could be that political. It’s just asking them to stop for the sake of humanity.”
Stowers was escorted out of the meeting room quickly upon adjournment. During a phone interview afterward, Stowers said he was proud of his motion and his colleagues who voted with him.
“The people who elected us to serve Pulaski County elected us to take care of their business as it relates to Pulaski County,” Stowers said. “I feel that we have congressional representation on the national level that I certainly personally believe in and rely on.”
Stowers also said he believes Hamas was the aggressor and Israel has the right to protect itself. He said he “believes in peace.”
Three community members spoke in favor of the ceasefire during the quorum court meeting, and staff read one written comment in opposition to the resolution.
Supporters shared statistics of the ongoing violence and referenced residents in Pulaski County who have family that are directly affected. The resident in opposition wrote that the resolution was not appropriate for county-level involvement and the language was not equitable.
After the vote, about two dozen supporters in attendance stood and chanted “Shame” and “Justices, where is the peace?” toward the quorum court. Massey extended her apologies to the supporters as she left.
Among those community members was Anika Whitfield, who told the Arkansas Advocate that she has people in her life who have been directly affected by the violence in the Middle East. Whitfield said the quorum court tabling the resolution indefinitely was an “obvious work of not allowing direct democracy to happen.”
Whitfield said it seemed like the justices’ decision was already finalized before the meeting started.
When Massey talked with the Advocate last week, her confidence that the resolution would pass was wavering based on secondhand communications about what her colleagues might do. Following Tuesday’s vote, Massey noted that there was “no validity” to her colleagues’ reasons to vote against the resolution.
“They don’t feel that we should get involved in international affairs, but we are involved,” Massey said during a previous interview. “We are involved whether we like it or not. Some just don’t want to get into anything too political during election season. I’m just keeping it real.”
The Pulaski County Quorum Court is made up of 15 Justices of the Peace, each of whom represents a designated district for two-year terms. Two are up for election this November, Kathy Lewison of District 3 and Julie Blackwood of District 4. Three seats were determined during the primary election, and those justices will take office in January.
In total, the legislative body serves approximately 380,000 residents. Massey was first elected in 1999. She currently represents District 6, which covers downtown Little Rock and a western portion of the city.
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Arkansas
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Arkansas
Arkansas plan to implement SNAP junk food restrictions ‘not feasible,’ lawmaker says
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas’ prohibition on the use of SNAP benefits for unhealthy food items like soda and candy takes effect next year, and state lawmakers and retailers are questioning how it can realistically be implemented.
At an Arkansas Legislative Council meeting Tuesday, State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, (R) District 18, expressed concerns about the lack of clarity from the state on what food items are banned.
“I have started getting concerns from retailers on how we’re going to implement the nutrition side of the program,” Dismang said.
There’s not a clear list of SNAP-prohibited junk food products Arkansas has named in its new ban, which only says that “soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50 percent natural juice, unhealthy drinks, and candy” are now ineligible for SNAP.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has planned to put the burden of defining what is or isn’t eligible on retailers rather than creating its own list.
The plan was for retailers to refer to GS1 U.S. food product classifications as a guide, but very few retailers actually use that. The state has two other options.
“If they choose to use a third party to help take that GS1 framework and apply it to their own individual product array that they sell, that’s an option as well… the third option is take the broad definitions that we are providing through the GS1 framework and apply it in good faith to their own product array,” said Mary Franklin, director of the DHS Division of County Operations, at Tuesday’s ALC Peer meeting.
“Your three options are not workable options for retailers. That may be the easiest thing for DHS to do, but it is not feasible for every grocer or retailer in the state to maintain their own list,” Dismang responded, “we’re going to be asking our retailers to make those judgment calls at their own peril if they do it incorrectly.”
The senator expressed concern that it may discourage retailers from participating in SNAP, potentially costing recipients their access to benefits, particularly in rural areas.
“What I’m scared you’re going to do is create a scenario where entities, probably in areas that they need it the most, are not going to be able to offer SNAP because of the risk associated with not appropriately categorizing an item,” Dismang said.
“We want to make sure that the rules don’t unintentionally reduce access across communities that already face barriers,” Claire Tiffin, director of community engagement with the Arkansas Food Bank, told KATV.
Dismang has asked that DHS establish its own list of SNAP-ineligible food items that retailers can rely on.
Arkansas
Arkansas basketball win vs Winthrop marred by scuffle between players
John Calipari explains why Arkansas hoops couldn’t blow away Samford
Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari explains why the Hogs had trouble landing a knockout punch vs Samford.
Arkansas men’s basketball mounted a large surge to erase a five-point deficit in the final 1:15 and avoid what would have been a massive upset against Winthrop in an 84-83 victory at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The comeback might not have even been the most notable event from the game’s waning moments.
Trailing by one with 15 seconds remaining, Arkansas’s Meleek Thomas got a steal and initiated a fast break, which ended with a Nick Pringle layup with 11.9 seconds left to give the Razorbacks what would ultimately prove to be the game-winning basket.
After the bucket, Pringle turned around to head back to get on defense, but had his head caught between the arms of Winthrop center Logan Duncomb, who caught the ball after it went through the basket. The two tangled players fell to the court, after which Pringle lifted Duncomb up by the front of his jersey before pushing him back down on the ground.
Coaches and players from both teams sprinted on the court to break the players up before the situation could escalate into a fight.
Both Pringle and Duncomb were issued Class A technical fouls. Duncomb’s foul was his fifth of the game, removing him from the contest. Two players from each team were ejected from the game for running onto the court from the bench.
After the game, Pringle said he apologized to his teammates in the huddle for the altercation.
“I can’t have my team in those type of scenarios, no matter what happens,” Pringle said. “So, you know, just gotta be smarter. I shouldn’t react. I should have just, you know, took it as it was, and let it slide. Big games, that can cost us.”
Winthrop’s Daylen Berry missed a contested 3-pointer on the other end, allowing the No. 22 Razorbacks to hold on for a win in a game in which they were favored by 23.
Pringle, a 6-foot-10 senior, is in his first season at Arkansas after transferring over from South Carolina after the 2024-25 season. He entered the game against Winthrop averaging 5.8 points and six rebounds per game this season.
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