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UA women sprinters tipping historic scales in 400 meters | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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UA women sprinters tipping historic scales in 400 meters | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


FAYETTEVILLE — The collegiate record list for the top times in the women’s 400 meters reads like a University of Arkansas roster.

Arkansas has four of the top five collegiate marks all-time in the 400 after a 1-2-3 finish by senior Nickisha Price, freshman Kaylyn Brown and senior Amber Anning at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Florida’s Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.

Pryce won in 49.32 followed by Brown (49.47) and Anning (49.51). Arkansas senior Rosey Effiong (50.57) took fifth.

Former Razorback Britton Wilson holds the collegiate record at 49.13 she ran last year’s SEC Championships.

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Wilson is followed on the all-time list by former Texas standout Rhasidat Adeleke (49.20), Pryce, Brown and Anning.

“It kind of leaves you awestruck,” Arkansas Coach Chris Johnson said of the Razorbacks’ rankings in the 400. “Obviously you hope and dream for it, and you know they’re capable of it.

“But doing it on that day in this atmosphere [at the SEC meet], it’s quite difficult.

“These young ladies are special, they’re running well.”

Pryce and Anning also took seventh and eighth in the 200 to help the Razorbacks score 110 points and finish second to LSU, which won with 126.

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Arkansas was going for a second consecutive conference title outdoors after sweeping SEC and NCAA titles indoors earlier this year.

“Obviously we performed well,” Johnson said. “This is a tough conference, and LSU is a fantastic team.

“In some events we did well, extremely well. In some events we missed the mark. That’s a part of competition and a part of being in a very tough conference.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t pull off another win, but that comes with the territory. I think we’ll learn from this championship and figure out a way to get better going into the regional meet.”

Brown became the fastest U.S. 19-year-old ever. She just missed the 19-year-old world record in the 400 of 49.42 run by Germany’s Grit Breuer at the 1991 World Championships.

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“This young lady is special,” Johnson said of Brown. “She’s bought in. She’s gotten better.

“She’s had her little nicks here and there, but she’s continued to be persistent and work hard. Work hard on her treatment, work hard in the weight room.

“She’s growing, so there’s more to come there, and we’re very proud of her.

“But there’s a lot more to go, and we’re looking forward to her staying healthy and competing at the highest levels.”

The Razorbacks scored in 13 events, including freshman Paityn Poe taking second in the 10,000 and third in the 5,000.

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“I think the coaching staff did a fantastic job,” Johnson said. “They got the kids prepared.

“We were deep in some areas, and thin in some other areas, and obviously we’ve got to take a look at that and see what we can do to be better. We’ll figure those things out.”



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Arkansas lithium boom hits milestone with first buyer; 8,000 tonne-a-year deal signed

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Arkansas lithium boom hits milestone with first buyer; 8,000 tonne-a-year deal signed


A major milestone has been reached in Arkansas’ highly anticipated lithium boom—its first customers.

Smackover Lithium has secured the first binding offtake agreement with a commercial client for lithium extracted in Arkansas.

“So this lithium from Arkansas will find its way into global markets, ex China,” said Jesse Edmondson, Standard Lithium’s director of government relations.

Commodity trading firm Trafigura Trading has just signed a 10-year agreement to buy 8,000 metric tonnes of battery-quality lithium carbonate per year from Smackover Lithium’s South West Arkansas Project, a joint venture between Standard Lithium and Equinor, a Norwegian company.

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For context, the U.S. as a whole only produces about 5,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium a year.

“The SWA project, once in full production, will produce 22,500 tonnes per year,” Edmondson said. “So this 8,000-tonne-per-year agreement is significant, right? That’s over a third of our annual offtake.”

Last year, Standard Lithium received a $225 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance lithium extraction from the Smackover Formation, a briny aquifer beneath southern Arkansas that many hail as what could be America’s best domestic source of the critical mineral.

Beating companies like Chevron and Exxon to the punch, Standard Lithium pioneered direct lithium extraction and since 2020 has operated a demo plant in El Dorado. The company is building a larger facility in Lafayette County that is set to begin operation in 2028.

“We’ve got the only proven technology that works in the Smackover that’s been done through our commercial demonstration plant in El Dorado since May of 2020. And really that has been the proving ground which has unlocked a lot of the federal opportunities for us. So we’re the largest recipient of a DOE grant in the critical mineral space in this hemisphere,” Edmondson told KATV.

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“So [we’re] really excited to bring lithium production to the state of Arkansas and really back to the United States. The U.S. used to be a leader in lithium production 40, 50 years ago. So it’s time to reclaim that status,” he said.

The market price of a tonne of battery-grade lithium is volatile, but has recently ranged between $10,000 to $12,000, so the value of what Standard Lithium alone is expected to produce could exceed a quarter of a billion dollars annually.

That’s not counting what Exxon, Chevron, and other companies may produce once they get up and running.



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Arkansas needs balanced strategy to address educator concerns about AI

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Arkansas needs balanced strategy to address educator concerns about AI


COMMENTARY: While AI can offer transformative support for students who need it, it also risks eroding the foundational skills we are trying to help them acquire. Arkansas needs a balanced strategy that prioritizes accessibility without sacrificing rigor.



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Congressional subcommittee to hold hearing in Little Rock on ‘failures’ of local housing authority | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Congressional subcommittee to hold hearing in Little Rock on ‘failures’ of local housing authority | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


Joseph Flaherty

jflaherty@adgnewsroom.com

Joseph Flaherty covers the city of Little Rock for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A graduate of Middlebury College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, he has worked for the newspaper since 2020.

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