Arkansas
Residents of an east Arkansas town have been without water for the past 2 weeks due to below-freezing temps
HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. — Residents of an east Arkansas town have been without running water for the past two weeks after the state was hit by below-freezing temperatures, and the outage has forced them to line up for bottled water, fill up jugs or take showers at a truck brought in by the state.
The outage affecting about 1,400 residents of Helena-West Helena is the second in the past year for the small town 52 miles (84 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, located along the Mississippi River.
The town faced a similar crisis last summer, when the same part of the city was without water in June.
Local officials are racing to fix leaks throughout the city and restore water to residents, but they say they’re facing the longer term challenge of overhauling a system with an infrastructure that dates back decades.
“The issues we’re facing now have been building up for decades,” said John Edwards, a former state lawmaker and executive director of an industrial park who’s been tapped by the mayor to assist in responding to the water crisis.
The outages are affecting one of two water systems for Helena-West Helena, which was two separate cities until 2006. One of the wells serving the system failed during the winter weather that hit the state, under pressure from leaks and dripping pipes.
“It’s hit or miss,” Russell Hall, director of the Phillips County Office of Emergency Management said. “One house might have halfway decent pressure, and another house might have a trickle, depending on gravity and other things.”
The state National Guard has brought in a water truck to provide potable water, and a 16-stall portable shower was brought in for residents to use. Each day, distribution sites for the water have seen a steady line of people filling up on water to use for their homes.
“It’s very difficult when you get up in the morning and you can’t take a bath, you can’t shower,” Mack Williams, 59, said as he picked up bottled water from a county distribution site. “You’ve got five, six, seven, eight people in the house, it’s very difficult.”
Gerald Jennings has been using a yellow bucket to catch rainwater to boil, then use to bathe and flush toilets. He said he knows of others doing the same thing.
“I’ve got to use what nature gave me, which was the rain,” the 58-year-old retiree said as he stood outside his home. “We got lucky that it was raining during this particular time.”
Laprece Stayton, a 40-year-old beautician, was picking up water at a distribution site. She said she had running water at her house, but it was low pressure and coming out “a little yellow, a little discolored.” She’s boiling water or not using it at all.
She said she was doing ok because she feels she is not affected as badly as other people and that she did not blame any single person for the issues.
“It’s no one’s fault,” she said. “If you have a car, you can’t keep a car for 60 years without having wear and tear on it. Pipes are going to have wear and tear on them.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week urged a state commission to expedite a $100,000 emergency loan for the city to refurbish two wells and replace valves in the city’s water system. The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission has since approved what is the second $100,000 loan the panel has issued the city since last year’s crisis.
Sanders called the loan “part of my administration’s larger efforts to help the city refurbish its water system and prevent future system failures.”
Hall, the county’s Emergency Management director, said he doesn’t know when the water will be restored. He said citizens in general have been understanding of the emergency water distribution process.
“I’m sure that people are frustrated,” Hall said. “Three-quarters of my 911 dispatchers do not have water at their house right now. They have to come to work and still have to go through with their daily lives.”
The bigger question facing the city is how much the long-term fix to its water system will cost, and who will pay for it. Edwards said it would cost about $5 million to fix the failed well and make fixes to the water plant and other wells that would help keep the city from landing in the same crisis in six months.
The city’s water outage comes as other towns face problems with their aging water infrastructures. Several other cities faced water shortages in Arkansas during the winter storm. And in neighboring Tennessee, the rural town of Mason was without water for a week after freezing temperatures broke pipes and caused leaks in its neglected system.
Residents in three rural communities in far eastern Kentucky along the Virginia border have also been without water for more than a week after freezing weather.
“What’s happening here can and will happen in other places,” said Edwards, the director of an industrial park assisting during the water crisis. “We’ve got a lot of utilities in this state that have aging problems, and I hope this will be a cautionary tale for what officials in other communities can do to avoid being in this circumstance.”
Texas lawmaker challenges Ten Commandments bill on the ‘Sabbath’
A Texas state bill that would require public schools to post donated placards of the Ten Commandments created an “ironic” moment in debate.
Seven Arkansas families have filed a federal lawsuit to block a new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state, arguing that the law will infringe on their constitutional rights.
In the complaint, filed June 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, the families challenged an upcoming state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be “prominently” displayed in every public classroom and library. The law, which takes effect in August, was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in April.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a multifaith group of families by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The defendants include four school districts — Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs — in northwest Arkansas.
Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, or non-religious, said the law “violates longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.”
The attorneys are asking a federal judge to declare the state requirement unconstitutional. In addition to the complaint, the attorneys are planning to file a motion for a preliminary and permanent injunction to block the implementation of the law while the suit is pending.
“By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children,” Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The lawsuit was publicly released by the AU on June 11 and viewed by USA TODAY. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on June 11.
Lawsuit: Ten Commandments law interferes with religious freedom
According to the complaint, the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and libraries will interfere with parents’ right to direct their children’s religious education and upbringing. The lawsuit further argues that the state requirement will create a “religiously coercive” school environment for children.
Under the state law, each classroom and library will be required to post the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place,” the lawsuit states. The display of the text must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and be printed in a “typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the room,” according to the complaint.
The law also mandates that schools and libraries display a specific version of the Ten Commandments, which the suit states is associated with Protestant faiths and conflicts with the version followed by many Jews and Catholics.
“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library—rendering them unavoidable—unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture,” the complaint states.
“It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments … do not belong in their own school community and pressures them to refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences,” the complaint added.
Republican-led states push for religion in public classrooms
Authorities in Republican-led states across the country have been pushing to spread religious teachings into public school classrooms, including incorporating the Bible into lessons and requiring schools to post state-selected versions of the Ten Commandments.
School administrators and civil rights advocates have expressed opposition to the mandates, saying they violate students’ constitutional rights.
“Our Constitution’s guarantee of church-state separation means that families – not politicians – get to decide if, when and how public-school children engage with religion,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the AU, said in a statement on June 11.
“This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion — in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch. We’re proud to defend the religious freedom of Arkansas schoolchildren and their families,” Laser continued.
The Arkansas law is similar to a Louisiana requirement that was signed in June 2024 by Gov. Jeff Landry. The Louisiana law was later blocked by a federal judge who declared it unconstitutional. The case, which is currently on appeal, is also being represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, attorneys said.
In November 2024, Texas officials proposed a curriculum that includes teachings from the Bible. The state legislature also recently passed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure, which would take effect in September.
In July 2024, Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools to teach the Bible, which large state school districts have largely ignored. Despite the state’s Republican-controlled legislature’s rejection of his $3 million request to fund the effort, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has insisted classrooms would all have Bibles by fall 2025.
Contributing: Murray Evans, The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network
The Battle Line Trophy has had an extended stay in Columbia.
Missouri football won its third straight game in its series over Arkansas in a rare snow game on Faurot Field last season, as Brady Cook provided the game-winner to cap his final home game as a Tiger with a 30-yard rushing touchdown with 1:53 left on the clock.
The Tigers have won eight of their last nine games against Arkansas, and MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz is 4-1 since taking over in Columbia.
Both teams will look significantly different from the 2024 matchup — and so, presumably, will the playing conditions. But who has handled their turnover better?
The Tribune is analyzing the offseason of each of Mizzou’s 2025 opponents to get you up to speed with the new rosters and coaching staff changes after a busy offseason.
Here’s what to know about Arkansas in 2025, including key additions, coaching changes and playmakers to keep an eye on when the Tigers visit the Razorbacks to close the regular season:
Who are opposing names to know when Missouri football visits Arkansas?
Quarterback: Taylen Green is back for a second season under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. The 6-foot-6 QB passed for 3,154 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he rushed for 602 yards and eight scores. But, he was one of the most sacked and most fumble-prone quarterbacks in college football last season, taking 32 hits in the backfield over 13 games and coughing up the ball eight times — both bottom-15 marks in the FBS.
Offensive playmaker: O’Mega Blake isn’t likely to be a name you’re too familiar with, but the Charlotte transfer at wide receiver is a solid, somewhat under-the-radar pickup for the Razorbacks. He caught 795 yards and nine touchdowns worth of passes for a woebegone Charlotte squad last season, and at 24.8 yards per catch, he gives Green a true deep ball threat.
Defensive playmaker: The Southwest Times Record reported that Arkansas likely will run a 3-3-5 base defense, and that’s because of the anticipated quality it has at linebacker. That group is led by Xavian Sorey, who led the Razorbacks with 99 total tackles, including two sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He ought to be considered for some preseason All-SEC recognition.
What did the offseason look like for the Razorbacks?
Notable additions: Corey Robinson II (LT, Georgia Tech); Blake (WR, Charlotte); Shaq McRoy (RT; Oregon); Caden Kitler (C; UCF); Phillip Lee (DE, Troy); Jordan Young (CB, Cincinnati); Courtney Crutchfield (WR, Missouri)
Notable losses: Landon Jackson (DE, NFL); Isaac TeSlaa (WR, NFL); Andrew Armstrong (WR, UDFA); Ja’Quinden Jackson (RB, UDFA); Doneiko Slaughter (DE, UDFA); Hudson Clark (DB, UDFA); Brad Spence (LB, Texas); TJ Metcalf (S, Michigan)
Notable coaching changes: N/A
The biggest difference on Arkansas’ 2025 team will be its offensive line. Green was constantly in a battle to stay upright last season.
With Robinson in from Georgia Tech at left tackle and last season’s LT, Fernando Carmona, moving inside, the Razorbacks look improved on that side of the line. McRoy and Kitler are transfers who appear to be on track for starting roles, too.
That’s where the Razorbacks could use the most year-over-year improvement. Green’s a good athlete at QB, and the offseason focus appears to have been directed toward giving him more time to show that.
Beyond the O-line, there aren’t many SEC teams that lost as much as Arkansas did this offseason. The Razorbacks had 39 outgoing players via the transfer portal, with a not-insignificant number of those players among their two-deep in the 2024 campaign.
Spence and Metcalf stand out from the outgoing group, and combined with some graduated NFL talent, the Razorbacks have 54% of their defensive production from last season returning. That ranks outside the top half in the FBS, per ESPN.
The Razorbacks also got caught in the crossfire of the Tennessee-Nico Iamaleavea saga, as the quarterback’s younger brother — four-star QB Madden Iamaleavea — followed his sibling to UCLA after spring camp in Fayetteville. That shouldn’t impact the 2025 roster, but it is worth mentioning.
One of the more surprising notes here is the lack of coaching turnover. There wasn’t overflowing optimism for Sam Pittman to retain his job at this time last year, but he is back for his sixth season in charge of the program. There likely needs to be tangible signs of improvement for Pittman to reach Year 7.
Early forecast for Mizzou at Arkansas
Missouri has been dominant in this series, and the early indications suggest the Tigers, even on the road, will be favored heading into the regular-season finale in 2025.
Arkansas standouts like Landon Jackson, TeSlaa and Armstrong were impactful players and will be missed. Losing as many players as the Razorbacks did in the transfer portal is not necessarily a great sign for depth, either. Arkansas has attacked the portal well, but there are a number of questions for them to answer this year.
To get to where it wants to go, this is one of those must-wins for Mizzou.
There’s always the possibility that Arkansas is better than the preseason prognostications suggest, and the regular-season finale proves to be a tricky road trip, but pound for pound, the Tigers look deeper and like the more rounded roster.
While the Arkansas baseball team punched its ticket to the College World Series for the 12th time in school history down the street at Baum-Walker Stadium, Sam Pittman and the football squad hosted its second consecutive week of June official visits.
Four of the nine visitors were four-star prospects, including one who gave his pledge to Arkansas on Monday, plus a three-star Razorback offensive lineman commit was in Fayetteville. Arkansas will host official visits for the next two weekends until the dead period kicks in on June 23 and it will conclude on July 31.
Daylen Green and Blair Irvin III commitments
Stay tuned to HawgBeat for more football recruiting updates.
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