Local Events

  • Monday, Feb. 10th from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) Monthly Meeting <NEW LOCATION THIS MONTH> at the Rogers Lowell Chamber building in Rogers (317 W. Walnut St.); hear from former candidate and renters’ rights advocate, Billy Cook and get an update on the state legislature bills

  • Tuesday, Feb. 11th starting at 5:30 p.m. - DPBC Monthly Happy Hour at Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant (1889 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista) all ages welcome

  • Friday, Feb. 14th at 1 p.m. - Canopy - The State of Canopy online webinar; Executive Director, Joanna Krause, and Senior Director of Community and Economic Development, Khalid Ahmadzai, will lead this session, sharing insights on the current state of refugee resettlement, Canopy’s recent achievements, and our unwavering commitment to serving our clients—despite the challenges ahead. This webinar is an opportunity to ask questions, gain deeper insight, and learn how you can support our mission of welcoming and equipping our new neighbors. Register to attend HERE.

Community Involvement Opportunities

Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission

The NWA Complete Streets Design Guide (CSDG) is nearing completion, and they need your help to get it to the finish line. To provide your comments on the CSDG, view the public notice and final draft HERE. Then EMAIL any comments by February 14th, 2025.

This Guide will provide decision-makers, planners, and designers with a framework to create balanced streets that accommodate all modes of transportation, supporting the region’s transportation goals, encouraging collaboration, and enhancing safety and accessibility for all users.

Learn more about the commission’s Safety Action Planning work HERE.

2025 Girls of Promise Conference Applications Open

The 2025 annual Girls of Promise Conference, presented by Acxiom, is a one day conference open to 8th-grade girls who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math in Arkansas! Students will learn about various STEAM careers, gain new skills, and meet women mentors excelling in their fields. APPLICATIONS DUE: FEB 14TH!! Learn more and apply HERE.

The Equality Crew is Seeking an Experienced Facilitator

The Equality Crew’s Rainbow Families program invites the family/parents of LGBTQ+ youth under 12 to come together and share resources and experiences in a welcoming, moderated environment. The Equality Crew is on the search for a Rockstar facilitator who is committed and interested in diving in to support queer families in 2025. The next Rainbow Families Meet-Up will occur when once a new facilitator has been trained. 

Preferences:

  • Lived experience as parent or guardian of a LGBTQ+ child.

  • Social Work, Counseling, or Education background.

Does this sound like you? Reach out to [email protected]

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - Work Session

  • Items of Note:

    • Read the OZ Trails Chairlift-Served Mountain Bike Park press release from last week HERE

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Appointments for approval at Tuesday’s meeting:

      • August Martin to the NWA National Airport Authority Board (term expires 12/31/30)

      • Cara Osborne to the Airport Advisory Board (term expires 9/30/27)

    • Final approval of the new Bentonville Land Use Plan is the last agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting

    • Learn more about the new ORT bus routes in Bentonville from Heather McCombs with The Bentonville Bulletin HERE

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • From Thomas Saccente’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz, “The city Planning Commission voted 4-0 Monday to approve a site development plan for the New Islamic Center of Bentonville with conditions… The project is set to be built on an approximately 5-acre tract at 848 Elk Road.” Read more about the plans HERE.

Centerton

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Appointments for approval at Tuesday’s meeting:

      • Nick Jewett to the Planning Commission (term expires 6/30/27)

      • Melvin Coffelt to the Water and Sewer Commission (term expires 3/31/33)

    • Coffee with Mayor will be this Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. at the Centerton Community Room (290 N Main)

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • City announced the Lowell Mudtown Days festival on June 6 & 7th will be moving to the Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park (to accommodate for growth and safety)

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole

  • Items of Note:

    • The city’s planning director position is open to applications due to the previous director’s resignation.

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

  • Items of Note:

    • The City of Siloam Springs invites residents, developers, builders, and other community stakeholders to participate in a public input session on the proposed Unified Development Code (UDC) draft. This open-house event will take place on Thursday, February 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Siloam Springs Public Library. Read more HERE.

Springdale

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Feb. 11 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 - Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.

  • Development Review Committee - Feb. 12 at 10 a.m.

  • Benton County Historical Commission - Feb. 13 at noon

  • Committee of the Whole - Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.

  • Planning Board - Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.

County Constable Positions

Thomas Saccente from the NWA Dem Gazz published a really good article this weekend about the elected County Constable positions.

“Constables are elected law enforcement for the townships they represent. Constables have the power to arrest people, write citations and respond to accidents as a sheriff can. However, Arkansas Code 14-14-1314 states a constable has to complete the constable certification course provided by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training to have access to the Arkansas Crime Information Center, a database accessible to law enforcement officers that includes criminal information and other details. [A Constable] has to complete 16 hours of commission-certified training each year after completing the certification course to keep that privilege. A constable similarly has to attend 16 hours of firearms training to carry a gun and satisfy the firearm qualification standards for a law enforcement official every year afterward, the law states. The law also lays out the uniform a constable has to wear when performing his [or her] official duties, as well as how they have to mark the vehicles they use to do so.” Read the full piece HERE.

State Government Awareness

95th General Legislative Assembly:

Recaps from last week’s legislative activity:

Bills of note in committees this week:

  • Senate State Agencies Committee - Tuesday (Feb. 11 at 10 a.m.);

    🚨  ACTION ITEM!!! 🚨  Before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, email Sen. Jim Dotson (R - Bentonville) to vote against bills HB1221, SB3, and SB207-212.More details about the bills below.

    • 👎️ HB1221 - Rep. D. Ray (Maumelle) - Bill will make it more cumbersome for grassroots citizens--who don’t have powerful law firms at their disposal--to find the right legal language for a possible ballot measure. It will also shorten the time citizens have to collect signatures, making grassroots campaigns more expensive and even more challenging. Learn more from Antoinette Grajeda’s reporting on the bill in the Arkansas Advocate HERE.

    • 👎️ SB3 - Sen. D. Sullivan (R - Jonesboro) - This anti-affirmative action bill was amended in the house so it’s back to the Senate for a final review before a full vote. Rumor is the governor may not be a fan of this bill, so NOW is the time to act to voice your concern. A specific email about this bill alone may be worth sending. You can use the email WFA has developed HERE.

    • 👎️ Senator Kim Hammer (R - Benton) filed the following SIX bills on Thursday tied to Arkansas’s ballot initiative process, all of which will significantly harm the ability for any Arkansan to participate in our democracy. REMEMBER, signing a petition doesn’t mean the Ballot Initiative will become law - it just allows the initiative to potentially be put forth to voters across the state to decide. A person who signs a petition can easily vote FOR or AGAINST the proposal when it actually appears on the ballot. What is Senator Hammer attempting to really prevent with these bills?????

      • SB207 will require canvassers to tell potential petitioners that petition fraud is a Class A misdemeanor <CEJ - this is to scare citizens from signing>

      • SB208 will require canvassers to view photo identification before obtaining a signature <CEJ - this is to create additional hurdles in the signature collection process>

      • SB209 will allow the Secretary of State (SoS) to not count signatures collected and witnessed by a canvasser if the SoS finds a “preponderance of evidence” that the canvasser violated Arkansas law <CEJ - highly suspect that this essentially allows SoS to call their own “balls and strikes” instead of the judicial system>

      • SB210 will require petitioner to read the ballot title prior to signing <CEJ - this is highly onerous and if you looked at the marijuana amendment from 2024, it would be impossible to collect signatures at any reasonable rate of time>

      • SB211 will require VOLUNTEER canvassers to submit an affidavit with the SoS <CEJ - more paperwork for ABSOLUTELY no reason; info on volunteer canvassers are already collected on the signature forms>

      • SB212 will create a Document Validity Division law enforcement agency under the SoS office, allowing the SoS to designate any members of their staff as “investigators” <CEJ - waste of resources, time, and tax payer money>

  • Senate Committee on Public Health - Special Order of Business on Feb. 12th

    • 👎️ SB2 - C. Penzo (R - Springdale) - this is the bill that would REPEAL the statewide fluoridation program. ACTION ITEM!!! Email the committee members (listed HERE) and ask them to vote NO.

Recently filed bills to be aware of for future activity:

  • From Worth Sparkman with Axios NWA, read about Sen. King’s (R - Green Forest) six bills to thwart the Franklin County prison project HERE

  • Follow along for more bill information with Arkansas Appleseed’s resource page - including links to bills and legislator contact information HERE

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders:

Last Thursday, Governor Sanders announced the “Healthy Moms Healthy Babies” omnibus bill (SB213) led in the state legislature by Sen. Irvin (R - Mountain View). Reporting about the bill can be found below:

Give Your Opinion on What’s Going on in the Federal Government

Save this website: https://5calls.org/

5 Calls makes it easy for you to reach your members of Congress and make your voice heard. They research issues, write scripts that clearly articulate a progressive position, figure out the most influential decision-makers, and collect phone numbers for their offices.

All you have to do is call! Put a reminder on your phone to call every week. Let’s get loud.

Election Information

From the amazing folks at the Public Policy Center at the UA System Division of Agriculture:

Deadline Looms For Filing Ballot Proposals

Feb. 12 is the deadline for legislators to file proposed constitutional amendments for the 2026 statewide ballot.

As of this week, Arkansas legislators have filed 20 different proposed constitutional amendments for consideration for the 2026 ballot.

The topics so far include:

  • Amending Casino and Medical Marijuana Amendments

  • Elections

  • Government Transparency

  • Lobbying

  • Redistricting

  • Repealing the Lt. Governor position

  • Right to bear arms

  • Slavery

  • State Highway Commission

  • Taxes

The Public Policy Center launched a website in November to track proposed constitutional amendments filed by the Arkansas legislature, organized by topic.

Want to learn more about this type of information in Arkansas? Subscribe HERE.

In the Ear

  • Hear from Ezequiel Tovar, a Rogers Planning Commissioner, on Fayetteville Forward Episode 29

  • Celebrate black history month with I Am Northwest Arkansas’s interview with Mal Goode, the first black network newscaster in the U.S.

  • Learn more about tort reform and maternal health legislation in the Arkansas Times week in review

Odds & Ends

  • Consider subscribing to Letters from an Arkansan from Fayetteville’s Wendy Finn, MPH, RN. She’s an Arkansan spurred into political activism by anger at our loss of bodily autonomy, loss of education, and politicians using our taxpayer money for financial and political gain. Learning political process, reclaiming democracy.

  • Read Steve Brawner’s feature on Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families’ NWA Director Laura Kellams in Talk Business & Politics HERE

  • Take heart with Sherrilyn Ifill, “Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything? - Yes. And You Can Too.”

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