Local Events
Monday, Dec. 9th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) Monthly Meeting at the Arvest Conference Center (behind the Arvest bank on the Bentonville Square); Meeting will include a review of the runoff, information from party members interested in leadership roles, and a celebration/thank you to our candidates and volunteers in 2024
Thursday, Dec. 12th from 5:30 - 7 p.m. - Women of the Ozarks Poetry Workshop hosted at Two Friends Bookstore in Bentonville (801 SE 8th St) by NWA Poetry Connection; participants will use the Women of the Ozarks “Feminine Nature” art exhibit as inspiration for creative writing
Monday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. - Vision 2030: Roadmap for Health Care Transformation zoom event by Onward Ozarks; This session explores the strategic plan to address the challenges and opportunities of a growing region. Register to attend HERE.
Monday, Dec. 23 from 8 - 10 a.m. - Weaving NWA Coffee and Conversations at Red Kite Coffee in Bentonville (1401 NE John Deshields Blvd); Whether you’re looking for moments of laughter, a listening ear, or the warmth of connection with someone new, Weaving NWA is here for you! Enjoy coffee or tea on us while we make this season one of togetherness. Stop in for 15 minutes or an hour or two! Register HERE.
Celebrate the Holidays
Free Events (with donations appreciated) for the NW Arkansas community:
Community Awareness
Northwest Arkansas Soup Sunday 2025!
Don’t miss this family-friendly event with the BIGGEST selection of soups in town! Sample soups from local restaurants, bring your kiddos, bid on auction items, and support a good cause. It’s my favorite annual fundraising event. Bring your muffin tins and an empty stomach.
Purchase sponsorships or tickets HERE.
Two Friends Community Books
Two Friends bookstore in Bentonville recently announced the creation of their nonprofit arm of Two Friends with a mission to increase access to literary arts and foster a love of reading in Northwest Arkansas. Some of their current projects:
Donation-Based Bookstore in Springdale - the keystone project for Two Friends located inside Casa Magnolia, a new cafe and art space developed by the Rios Family. Here, people can peruse, read, discover something new, and pay-what-they-can to take it home. The goal is to decrease barriers to book ownership and foster a sense of community through programs like children’s story times, book clubs, and writers’ groups.
Author Speaker Series - By hosting more author events, they plan to maximize access to nationally recognized authors and creative thinkers, sparking a shared love of reading and belonging. In keeping with their mission to increase book ownership, their author speaker series will include a book giveaway component.
Book Donations to Schools and Rural Libraries - They will partner with schools and rural libraries in Northwest Arkansas to give away books. These can be used to give to patrons and students, or to be placed in lending collections or classroom libraries.
If you’re interested in supporting their mission, you can donate or reach out to Two Friends directly at [email protected].
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - working session
Items of Note:
On Monday’s agenda, the council is expected to review the final 2025 city budget draft (should be voted on at the following Monday’s meeting). Also, the mayor is seeking approval to reappoint Barbara Knots, Susan Santos, and Sally Benson to the Bella Vista Public Library Advisory Board (terms will end 12/31/28).
From Samuel Clanton at the NWA Dem Gazz, “Homeowners seeking to repair an existing septic system or to install a new one in Bella Vista will now have to get septic plumbing permits first… Property owners, their representatives or licensed installers will now be required to obtain the septic plumbing permits prior to installation, repairs or replacements of any part of a septic system not accompanying a residential or commercial building permit for new construction, according to the updated city code. It defines a septic system as a tank and leach field.” Read more HERE.
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.); Committee of the Whole Meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 9th at 6 p.m.
Items of Note:
The city will approve the final budget proposal for 2025 during the Tuesday meeting. Additionally, the mayor will request approval for the following boards/committees:
Tree & Landscape: Reappoint Jeannie McIntire & Ralph Weber (new terms expire 12/31/27) and appoint Helen Lampkin (term expires 12/31/25)
Active Transportation: Appoint Gayatri Agnew as the City Council Rep on the board
Utility Board: Reappoint Ani Marathe (expires 12/31/27) and appoint Aaron Boehmler (expires 12/31/27)
Read Heather McCombs reporting in The Bentonville Bulletin about the last city council meeting: “City Council Highlights: Echelon Development Stalls, Trail Repair Work”
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - Work Session; next meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Items of Note:
City council will review and approve the 2025 budget in the next meetings
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
City council will approve the final 2025 budget at the next meeting
Centerton Christmas parade will on Friday, Dec. 13th starting at 6 p.m. - more details are posted to the city’s Facebook page
From Thomas Saccente at the NWA Dem Gazz, “Centerton reviewing possible implementation of impact fees for new construction”. The city will host public forums about any proposal in January.
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) for a Committee of the Whole, next council meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 17th at 5:30 p.m.
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.)
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Items of Note:
Rogers approved their 2025 budget; read about the details from Alex Golden at Axios NW Arkansas, “Rogers' 2025 budget to fund staff raises, police fleet and more”
At this week’s council meeting, the mayor will request approval for the following boards/committees:
Planning Commission: Appointment of Kevin Jensen, Ezequiel Tovar, and Isaac Stevens (terms expiring 12/10/30)
Parks & Rec: Appointment of Ryan Neal (term expires 12/10/29)
Library Board of Trustees: Cyndall Hill (term expires 12/10/29)
Historic District Commission: Paul Herrera (term expires 12/10/27)
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Items of Note:
Directors approved the appointments of Bernadette Keck and Clara Carlos to the Utility Commission at the Dec. 3rd meeting
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
County Government Awareness
Bentonville School District
From Jamie Smith at The Bentonville Bulletin, “Bentonville School District to Introduce New Parent Choice Schools”
From Sam Hoisington & Heather McCombs at The Bentonville Bulletin, “Bentonville School District Reports 92 Incidents of Drivers Running Bus Stop Signs Over Three-Month Period”
Benton County Quorum Court
The Quorum Court approved the 2025 annual operating budget for Benton County at the November meeting. They also approved bringing all elected county officials annual salaries to the maximums under state law.
Starting in 2025, all elected official pay will be as follows (note, every single elected official is Republican):
County Judge (the County Executive) and County Sherriff: $165,094
County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Treasurer, Collector, Assessor, and Coroner: $155,410
Quorum Court Justices of the Peace: $1,050.25 for the monthly quorum court meetings and $275 for all other meetings (up to 25) - total maximum annual earning potential: $19,118
Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:
Election Commission Meeting - Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. (at the Election Commission office in Rogers)
Finance Committee Meeting - Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.
Committee of the Whole - Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.
Election Commission Meeting - Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. (at the Election Commission office in Rogers)
Quorum Court - Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.
Planning Board Meeting - Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
95th General Legislative Assembly:
Alex Golden at Axios NW Arkansas has a good list of the initial bills filed for the next legislative session that they are planning on keeping an eye on. Read the list HERE.
The following State Legislative Committees (from the 94th general assembly) will meet this week:
Senate Ethics Committee - Dec. 13 at 9 a.m.
Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee - Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.
State Senator Greg Leding:
In his AR Leg Update email from today, State Senator Leding (D-Fayetteville) reviewed the work Franklin County citizens and some elected officials are doing to fight the Governor’s plan to build a new state prison in their county. I highly recommend reading his recap and subscribing to his newsletter. Do both HERE.
Election Information
Runoff results are in and will be officially finalized by the Benton County Election Commission on Friday. You can see the details on the preliminary results HERE. A big THANK YOU to everyone who either ran for office, helped on a campaign or went out and voted! A couple of notes of interest:
In Bella Vista, both incumbent city council members were defeated by their challengers, Travis Harp (ward 1) and Anna Isbell (ward 3). With this election, Bella Vista’s six council members will be evenly split by gender and have 4 members under the age of 50.
In Rogers, Marge Wolf will serve another term representing Ward 2 (she’s been in the role since 2010), and retired Rogers Police Chief Hayes Minor will join the council representing Ward 3.
Political Training Opportunities
Free online training opportunities for anyone interested in running for office or helping with campaigns in 2025 and 2026:
So You Want to Run for Office? - Thurs., Jan. 9 at noon
Three Steps to Establishing Your Campaign - Mon., Jan. 13 at noon
Calculating Your Vote Goal - Tues., Jan. 14 at 5 p.m.
Using Power Mapping to Target Key Community Stakeholders - Wed., Jan. 15 at noon
Developing Your Campaign’s Core Message - Thurs., Jan. 16 at noon
In the Ear
Arkansas Times: Equestrian vouchers, Huckabee to Israel, the stinky lagoon and more: The Week in Review Saturday Dec 07, 2024
I Am Northwest Arkansas episode 294 - Addressing Homelessness in Northwest Arkansas: A Community Effort
I keep going back to this interview Chris Hayes had on his podcast Why Is This Happening? with Anna Galland (former Exec Dir of MoveOn Civic Action) shortly after the election.
I just keep thinking like, we’re going to be digesting the results of that election for the next four, five, 10 years to really fully understand it. So we should have strong opinions loosely held and make some decisions on them and also not neglect the work of standing up right now to fight back. Because that actually, if we get too preoccupied and navel gazing into what we just did wrong, we might actually undermine the work of confidently, powerfully standing up and resisting the very scary stuff that’s coming at us.
Odds & Ends
Read Antoinette Grajeda’s reporting in the Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas nonprofits prep for anticipated challenges serving immigrants during Trump administration”
Read Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American published on Sunday. It covers former President Obama’s lecture focused on Pluralism, which he gave at his foundation’s Democracy Forum on Dec. 5th .