Local Events
Thurs., Apr. 10 at noon - Arkansas’s Children and Youth Fiscal Map Financial Mapping Webinar hosted by AACF. Register HERE.
Thurs., Apr. 10 at 6:30 p.m. - RWB Civics Salon: “Government 101: Checks, Balances & Beyond” virtual learning; Join the RWB Civics Salon series and let them break down the basics of government in a fun and informative way! In this first session, they’re diving into what makes our government run including checks and balances and the rule of law, aka, why the government is (supposed to be) like a well-organized group project instead of total chaos. Register HERE.
Sat., Apr. 12 at 2 p.m. - Democratic Party of Arkansas State Committee Meeting will be held at the Petersen Auditorium at the Shewmaker Center (NWACC); this is a public business meeting of state committee members. Register to attend HERE.
Sat., Apr. 12 from 5 - 7 p.m. - Blue Friends at Two Friends Happy Hour Reception; Mix and mingle with other Democrats at Two Friends Book Store in Bentonville. Baked treats from the Two Friends bakery will be served. Tickets may sell out, purchase HERE.
Sun., Apr. 13 at 4:30 p.m. - Moms Demand Action Member Meeting; Mark your calendar and invite a friend that is passionate about safer communities. A Be SMART presentation will be shared so you can learn more about the education side of the organization. Meeting is at Waterway - FCC in Bentonville. RSVP HERE.
Mon., Apr. 14 at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County monthly meeting at the Arvest Conference Center on Legion Ln or by zoom; doors open at 6; Gennie Diaz, Founding Director of For AR People will be in attendance to provide a legislative update
Make Calls Starting Today
and set reminders to call tomorrow…
FEDERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS
Call our federal elected officials about bringing back the detainees in El Salvador and repealing the tariffs.
El Salvador Prisoners Reference Material:
From Cecilia Vega at 60 Minutes, “U.S. sent 238 migrants to Salvadoran mega-prison; documents indicate most have no apparent criminal records”
And to help get you angry, Tim Miller from the Bulwark, “BRUTAL New 60 Minutes Report Exposes Trump Admin Crimes”
In case you thought they are just making “mistakes”, from Newsweek, “Donald Trump Says He Loves Idea of Sending Americans to El Salvador Prison”
Tariffs Reference Material:
From MSNBC Columnist, “We don’t have to wait for the courts to rule on tariffs when Congress is right there - You wouldn’t necessarily know it listening to the president, but the Constitution assigns the power to impose tariffs on Congress, not the White House.”
CONTACT INFO:
Congressman Steve Womack - (202) 225-4301
Senator John Boozman - (202) 224-4843
Senator Tom Cotton - (202) 224-2353
Draft of voice message you could use:
Hi. My name is <your name> and I live in <your city>, Arkansas. I would like to leave a message for <elected official>.
I’m calling to request that <elected official> do everything possible to bring back the people who were sent to El Salvador without due process so that a judge can properly review and adjudicate each person’s situation before determining the appropriate legal immigration outcome.
I am also calling to request that congress take back its power over tariff policy. The President’s current tariff policies will devastate our local and national economy. <add any personal antidotes about your specific situation>
STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS
Call and leave a message for your Senator. Ask them to vote AGAINST SB2 and SB354.
Call and leave a message for your House Representative. Ask them to vote AGAINST SB290, SB433, SB536, HB1655, HB1908 & HB1909.
You don’t have to say more than just ask them to vote against the listed bills.
Also, this list of bills is not everything that’s terrible, and I wish we had better elected representatives whose priorities were to help not harm.
CONTACT INFO:
Arkansas State Senate 501-682-2902
Arkansas State House 501-682-6211
Reference Material:
SB2 - Fluoride Bill - repeals the statewide fluoridation program
SB290 - Buffalo River Bill - threatens protections on the Buffalo River and Lake Maumelle (which provides drinking water to Central AR) by ending the moratorium on confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Read more from Josh Snyder with NWA Dem Gazz HERE
SB354 - $1 BILLION prison budget - the bill has failed to pass the senate 3 times, but they will NOT stop running it until it either passes or the session ends.
Read Antoinette Grajeda’s reporting in the Arkansas Advocate HERE
SB433 - Requires the display of the 10 Commandments in classrooms and other state and local government buildings
Learn more from Little Rock Public Radio HERE
SB536 - allows for the dissolution of the State Library
HB1655 - Makes it a felony to transport or harbor (house, lodge, aid) someone without status
HB1936 - Defaults municipal elections to partisan elections instead of nonpartisan. Current elected council members would have to pass a resolution every two years to opt out.
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Apr. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - work session
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday night (same location and time) will cover an overview of the library project, electric cost of service study, and a sewer collection analysis presentation
During Tuesday’s meeting the mayor will request the following people be appointed to the city’s new Active Transportation Advisory Board: Ashley Calderon, Monica Diodati, Steven George, Christina Johnson, Jocelyn Lampkin, Jason McCrory, Luke Powers, Shannon Reyenga, and Evan Springer
Plan Bentonville Phase 2 - Zoning and Development Code public launch will be held at the Bentonville Public Library on Thurs., Apr. 17th at 5:30 p.m.
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - work session
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
Coffee with the Mayor will be on Sat., Apr. 19th at 9 a.m. at the Centerton Community Room
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - committee of the whole
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.)
Items of Note:
Are you searching for a secure method to dispose of your personal and confidential documents? Join the city for the Shred-it event on April 19th, where you can safely and securely shred your documents. The event will be held at City Hall and is open to Pea Ridge residents starting at 9 a.m. until capacity is reached.
From Annette Beard’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz, “Lamar and Shari Steiger announced today plans to extend their Missouri-based The 808 Ranch to a 1,000-acre plot of land near Pea Ridge held in their family since 1970. The expansion -- to be named The 808 Ranch at the Ridge -- encompasses land between Pea Ridge and Bentonville that was formerly part of Jac's Ranch on Arkansas 72.” Read more HERE.
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
County Government Awareness
Benton County Quorum Court
Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:
Finance Committee Meeting - Apr. 8 at 6 p.m.
Development Review Committee - Apr. 9 at 10 a.m.
Committee of the Whole - Apr. 15 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
95th General Legislative Assembly:
Session is scheduled to end by next Wednesday, which can’t come fast enough.
Recaps and looks forward - legislative activity:
From Antoinette Grajeda in the Arkansas Advocate, “SESSION SNAPSHOT: Arkansas lawmakers settle into longer days as session end draws near”
From Alex Golden at AXIOS NWA, “Capitol roundup: Social media, prison funding fights”
From Michael R. Wickline at the NWA Dem Gazz, “House committee endorses bills to remove last of state grocery tax, phase out soft drink tax” and “Bill to require Education Department to include human fetal development discussion passes state Senate”
From Roby Brock at Talk Business & Politics, “Economic development bills working their way through legislature”
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders:
From Sonny Albarado in the Arkansas Advocate, “Bills would amend Arkansas social media law, create right for parents to sue platforms - A federal court blocked Social Media Safety Act of 2023 on Monday as unconstitutional”
From Alex Golden at Axios NWA, “Arkansas social media age law struck down, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders seeks amended version”
Federal Impact on Arkansas
The Trump administration’s decisions over the first 70+ days will greatly impact Arkansas - to the extent and exactly how/where is still not quite clear. Here are a few reports to start following:
In a special report for the Arkansas Advocate, Mary Hennigan reports, “Arkansas food banks say they’ll lose dependable protein sources under $1 billion USDA program cuts - Local farmers brace for loss to their annual earnings”
From Alex Golden and Alex Fitzpatrick at Axios, “Arkansas losing millions in federal childhood vaccine funding”
From Allison Prang at the Arkansas Advocate, “Trump administration funding freeze of $27B clean-energy program strands local projects”
From Jacob Fischler at the Arkansas Advocate, “U.S. House Dems say NOAA cuts will harm weather forecasting, fisheries, Navy operations”
From Jonathan Cohn with the Bulwark, “Trump’s Next Target: Poverty-Stricken Kids - Head Start and other early-childhood programs are among those affected by massive cuts to HHS.”
Odds & Ends
JVL at the Bulwark has some really great/depressing content from the past week, “America is a Powder Keg” and “The American Age Is Over - The United States commits imperial suicide”
From G. Elliott Morris’s Substack, “"Hands Off!" anti-Trump/Musk protests first to rival 2017 #resistance - Donald Trump faces a low job approval rating, sinking economy, and now, harsh and mobilized public backlash”