Arkansas

Senator Kim Hammer advances to runoff in race for Arkansas Secretary of State

Published

3 months ago

March 12, 2026

Senator Kim Hammer advances to runoff in race for Arkansas Secretary of State

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Arkansas voters are heading toward a Republican runoff in the race for Secretary of State — the statewide office responsible for overseeing elections, maintaining voter records, and managing business filings.

Army veteran Bryan Norris and State Senator Kim Hammer emerged as the top two candidates in the Republican primary and will now face each other March 31.

For Hammer, the campaign builds on 16 years of experience in the Arkansas legislature — eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. He says that background would allow him to immediately step into the role if elected.

“I will be able to hit the ground running,” Hammer said. “Because we will come out of an election and we’re going to go right into a general session.” He says without his experience, “That is a big learning curve — you’re drinking out of a water hose.”

A central focus of Hammer’s campaign has been election security. He argues Arkansas already ranks among the strongest states in the country when it comes to protecting elections.

“We are number one in the nation as far as election integrity and security, and you don’t get that way without fighting for it,” Hammer said.

But some of Hammer’s recent legislative work has also sparked debate — particularly changes to the state’s citizen-led ballot initiative process.

During the 2025 legislative session, Hammer sponsored a package of bills that altered how ballot initiatives are placed before voters. The initiative process allows Arkansans to propose amendments to the state constitution through petition drives.

Under the new laws, petition canvassers must verify identification and read the ballot title to voters before collecting signatures.

Hammer says those changes were prompted by complaints from voters who felt they had been misled while signing petitions.

“People were being misled,” Hammer said. “People were calling the Secretary of State’s office wanting their name taken off the ballot initiative because the title was confusing and people were out there misleading others about what the initiative said.”

Hammer says the goal was to better protect Arkansas’s constitution.

“Our Constitution should be one of the most sacred documents that governs us,” he said. “Maybe the bigger question people should be asking is why some want to make it so easy to change our Constitution.”

Supporters of the legislation say the new requirements increase transparency in the petition process. But critics argue the rules could make it more difficult for grassroots organizations to place issues on the ballot — particularly proposals involving abortion rights or marijuana policy.

Hammer disagrees with that characterization.

“We didn’t make it any more difficult to change,” he said. “We just brought it to a higher standard.”

The senator has also voiced support for stronger voter verification policies similar to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, backed by former President Donald Trump.

“We have a good system in place, but it will be better when we add these other features to it,” Hammer said. “You can’t safeguard your voter rolls too much.”

If elected Secretary of State, Hammer says his goal would be to maintain stability in the office responsible for overseeing Arkansas elections.

“My job is not to come in and blow the place up,” he said. “My job is to come in and govern and make a smooth transition, because that’s what the people of Arkansas expect.”

The Republican runoff between Hammer and Norris later this month will determine who advances in the race for Arkansas Secretary of State.

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Arkansas

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

3 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026.

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.

Tom Murphy

tmurphy@wholehogsports.com

Tom Murphy is a sports reporter for WholeHogSports. A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, he is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and voter for the Heisman Trophy and AP Top 25 football poll. He was voted the 2017 Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year.

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Arkansas

Faces of Arkansas honors 4th-generation pitmaster Harold Jones of Jones Bar-B-Q Diner

Published

13 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Faces of Arkansas honors 4th-generation pitmaster Harold Jones of Jones Bar-B-Q Diner

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Faces of Arkansas, an ongoing series that highlights Arkansans each month, has selected Harold Jones, a 4th generation owner of Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the series’ newest feature Monday, June 1.

Each featured Arkansan receives a written profile, portrait photograph, and a short video as part of the installment.

Just before you approach the historical establishment, you will see a white sign with nostalgic black lettering that reads: “Jones’ Bar-B-Q Diner — Jones’ Family Business Since 1910.”

The sign is a longtime landmark, that introduces you to where many consider the best barbeque destination in the South.

Good food, coupled with familiar faces has stood the test time at the widely acclaimed diner.

The current diner location first opened in 1964 on Louisiana Street. However, traces of its existence stretch back earlier than 1910.

Despite operating in the segregated South under Jim Crow, the establishment remained upbeat. Harold makes preparations to serve the community on a consistent, timely basis.

“12. I get up at 12,” said Harold. “Come down here and set everything up. Put the meat in the warmer there. Then come 7:00, open the doors up. Do that every day.”

Nationally, the diner has gained widespread acclaim. But here in the Natural State, it garners praise from customers of all backgrounds.

“I just try to take care of whoever come in that door,” he said. “You think about what you do for folks. You think about what folks do for you. So, you know, it’s a whole lot.” That may be the real secret behind Jones’ lasting more than a century. Not the smoker. Not the sauce. Not even the recipe. It’s the feeling people leave with after walking through those doors — the feeling that, for a little while, they belonged there.

Jones Bar-B-Q Diner was recognized as the first food destination in the state to receive the James Beard Award, followed by the foundation’s America’s Classics Award in 2012.

An interview with Jones can be found here.

Click here to learn more.

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Arkansas

Hogs’ Season Ends in NCAA Lawrence Regional

Published

23 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Hogs’ Season Ends in NCAA Lawrence Regional

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 14 Arkansas (41-22) defeated Northeastern (39-22) 10-9 to escape the losers bracket and advance to the NCAA Lawrence Regional final, but ultimately saw its season end against No. 13 Kansas (45-16), the No. 15 national seed and regional host, with a 13-10 loss Sunday evening at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Hogs conclude the 2026 campaign with a 41-22 overall record, their SEC-best ninth consecutive 40-win season. Arkansas is one of two teams nationally (Southern Miss – 10) to accomplish the feat in nine or more consecutive years.

Despite the offense scoring 20 runs over two games on the day, the Razorback pitching staff struggled to post zeroes. Arkansas survived a late surge by Northeastern to pull out a win in Sunday’s elimination game and punch its ticket to the regional final, where it jumped out to a five-run lead over Kansas before allowing eight unanswered runs in its loss.

Between the two games, Arkansas belted eight home runs, including a pair of long balls by Reese Robinett in the win against Northeastern as well as a pair of homers by Ryder Helfrick in the finale against Kansas. Zack Stewart belted his 14th home run of the season against the Huskies before connecting on his 15th against the Jayhawks later in the day.

With his 15th homer of the year, Stewart became the fourth Razorback player with 15 or more home runs this season, joining Camden Kozeal (20), Helfrick (18) and TJ Pompey (15). Before 2026, Arkansas had never accomplished the feat.

Nolan Souza and Maika Niu also homered Sunday. Souza matched his career high with five RBI, including a two-run blast, against Northeastern, while Niu had career high-matching four hits, including a solo shot, and four RBI against Kansas. As a team, the Razorbacks finished the campaign with 105 home runs, good for fifth most in a season in program history.

Five Razorbacks – Helfrick, Robinett, Souza, Niu and Hunter Dietz, who struck out a career-high 14 batters in Saturday’s loss against Kansas – were named to the Lawrence Regional All-Tournament Team. Arkansas lost a road regional for the first time since 2014 at Virginia after winning its previous two road regionals at Oklahoma State in 2015 and 2022.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

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