Local Events
Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. - ONLINE event - Project 2025 and Its Impact on Public Education hosted by Red, Wine and Blue; As the new Administration begins to implement Project 2025, what will it mean for our local schools? What will the impact be on students, teachers and families? Join Jillian Gaeta of Roots to Revolution for answers to these important questions and help spread this information to others in our communities. Register HERE.
Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. - Monthly Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) membership meeting at the Arvest Conference Room behind the Arvest on the Bentonville Square. We will be electing DPBC party leadership for 2025-26 and need a quorum of members to vote, so please consider attending this meeting in person.
Community Involvement Opportunities
Northwest Arkansas Soup Sunday 2025!
Don’t miss this family-friendly event with the BIGGEST selection of soups in town on Feb. 2nd from 4-7 p.m. at the Rogers Convention Center! Sample soups from local restaurants, bring your kiddos, bid on auction items, and support a good cause. It’s my family’s favorite annual fundraising event. Bring your muffin tins and an empty stomach.
Purchase sponsorships or tickets HERE.
LBJ Women’s Campaign School Application Period OPEN
The LBJ Women's Campaign School is a nonpartisan training program for women who plan to run for office or manage a political campaign. The program (which is mostly online) will begin on May 21, 2025, with the intention of training potential candidates and campaign staff for the elections of 2026, 2027, and 2028.
There is no fee to apply and applications for the 2025 class are due on Feb. 10th. Learn more HERE. If you have additional questions, reach out to me. I did this program a few years ago and found it to be beneficial.
Ozark Circle for Choice Abortion Support Training
Ozark Circle for Choice will be hosting two abortion support trainings this month. Email [email protected] to request more information.
For Women: Jan. 19th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
For Allies (men): Jan. 26th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - Work Session
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
Applications are open for the Bentonville Police Citizen’s Academy, more information HERE
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - Work Session
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole
Items of Note:
Water costs and payroll changes will go into effect for the city in 2025: Customers using city water will see a rate increase from a min of $19 to $19.25 for the first 2k gallons of usage; City employees hourly wages were increased $1.50 an hour for a cost-of-living adjustment; and planning commission members will now make $200 per meeting (up from $175)
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Items of Note:
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Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 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 - Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.
Planning Board Meeting - Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.
Committee of the Whole - Jan. 21 at 6 p.m.
Quorum Court - Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
95th General Legislative Assembly:
From Tess Vrbin at the Arkansas Advocate, “Education, maternal health, mental health will spark debate among Arkansas lawmakers in 2025 - Some of Democrats’ proposals would roll back GOP-sponsored laws passed in 2023”
Learn more about the freshman class of legislators from Antoinette Grajecda in the Arkansas Advocate, “Freshman class of Arkansas lawmakers includes educators and ranchers”
Arkansas Appleseed Legal Justice Center has been tracking the bills that have been filed to date for the 2025 Legislative Session, you can access their resources throughout the session HERE
General Arkansas News:
Read Tess Vrbin’s reporting in the Arkansas Advocate, “Challenges to public library funding throughout Arkansas meet frustration, some resistance - Citizens of four counties have put forth ballot initiatives to reduce their libraries’ sources of tax funding; Republican state officials have content-based concerns”
Read Tess Vrbin’s reporting on the drama with the Arkansas Supreme Court in the Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas Supreme Court majority blocks chief justice’s attempt to fire 10 judiciary employees - Chief Justice Karen Baker does not have the authority to fire certain employees, five justices said, calling her actions ‘retaliatory’”
Election Information
Spring School Board Elections
Spring school board elections for at least one position in all school districts in Benton County (except Bentonville) will be held May 13, 2025. Candidates are eligible to file to run from noon on Feb. 24 - noon on Mar. 3. Candidates must be registered to vote in the school zone, collect 20 signatures from voters in that same zone, and not work for the school district. More details HERE.
All positions (unless indicated otherwise) will serve 5 years and are unpaid. Positions up for election in 2025: Decatur Zone 1, Decatur Zone 4 (term exp. 2029), Gentry Zone 1, Gravette Zone 2, Gravette Zone 4, Pea Ridge Zone 2, Pea Ridge Zone 3 (exp. 2026), Rogers Zone 3, Rogers Zone 5, and Siloam Springs Zone 5
Political Training Opportunities
National Democratic Training Committee FREE online virtual trainings:
So You Want to Run for Office? - Thurs., Jan. 9 at noon
Fundraising In Action: How to Ask for Money - Wed., Jan. 22 at 5 p.m.
How to Raise Money Through Candidate Call Time - Thurs., Jan. 23 at noon
How to Connect with Voters Through Personal Stories - Fri., Jan. 24 at noon
In the Ear
Arkansas Times’ Week in Review:
An uproar over an EPA grant in Fort Smith and Gov. Sanders’ FOIA plans: The Week in Review, Dec. 21, 2024
A threat to Arkansas Medicaid and updates on the Franklin County prison: The Week in Review, Dec. 14, 2024
I am Northwest Arkansas episode 299, “Empowering Women’s Health: Elizabeth Prenger’s Journey with Assicle and Femme Health Founders”
Odds & Ends
Canopy NWA released their 2024 Impact Report, you can read the report HERE.
Read Sherrilyn Ifill’s blog post, “This Is It: Facing Trump 2.0” - look for her suggestions on getting engaged locally.
Read Mariel Padilla’s reporting in The 19th, “The women reliving January 6 while preparing for Trump’s return - Eighteen women in Congress discuss their remaining trauma, their concern about the normalization of violence and their sense of duty to combat efforts to whitewash that day.”
And finally, in remembrance of my first president, read Chris Geidner’s blog post, “Jimmy Carter's life gives us a framework for living humanely in this moment”