Local Events

  • Thurs., July 24th from 6 - 7:15 p.m. - League of Women Voters Benton County July Member Meeting at the Rotary Conference room in the Bentonville Public Library; Join for an overview of the League-sponsored ballot initiative followed by signature collection training that covers best practices, compliance, and updates on new regulations (read more about the training in the Arkansas Advocate HERE).

  • Thurs., July 24th from 7 - 8 p.m. - Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition (AJRC) Monthly Community Meeting at St. Pauls in Fayetteville (corner of College and Dickson); Dinner will be provided; Discussion items include Washington County jail potential expansion and collaborative project building

  • Fri., July 25th from 10:30 a.m. - Noon - Coffee & Conversation with Weaving NWA; join a casual come & go conversation with community members (no agenda) at the Onyx Coffee Lab at The Momentary (507 SE E St., Bentonville)

  • Sun., July 27th from 5 - 7 p.m. - July Beer & Hymns supporting Canopy NWA at Bike Rack Brewing Co. in Bentonville (801 SE 8th St.); Beer & Hymns brings people together to raise our glasses, raise our voices, and raise funds for organizations that change the world.

  • Mon., July 28th from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County Senior Dems Lunch at the Golden Corral in Rogers (2605 W Pleasant Crossing Dr.); social gathering and lunch for the first hour with the speaker portion starting at noon; This month’s guest is Matt Evans, a political science professor at NWACC. Matt will be talking about his Model UN project efforts at NWACC.

  • Thurs., Aug. 7th at 4 p.m. - Coffee & Conversation - Civic Engagement with Weaving NWA; join me in a casual come & go conversation about community building through representation and civic interactions at Red Kite Coffee Company (1401 NE John Deshields Blvd, Unit 125 in Bentonville). Coffee is on us.

Community Involvement Opportunities

Support KUAF

Last week Congress voted to rescind money already appropriated to fund public media via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The President will likely sign the bill this week, and then that previously promised federal funding will be eliminated.

For KUAF Public Radio, these funds amount to approximately $193,000 annually, or about 17% of the budget. This loss in funding comes at an already financially challenging time for the station. That puts the music, news programming, Ozarks at Large, community events, and local reporting that our community loves and relies on from KUAF in jeopardy.

Support in the past from community members like you has made possible:

  • Comprehensive coverage of Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri

  • Ozarks at Large, connecting you to local issues and culture

  • Music programming that introduces you to new artists and sounds

  • Community events that bring people together

  • Local election coverage and civic engagement

  • Emergency weather and news updates when you need them most

You put the "public" in public media, and together our community can ensure that free access to trusted reporting, inspiring music discovery and programs that stoke your curiosity continues in service of everyone throughout Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, eastern Oklahoma, southern Missouri, and the Ozarks.

Please GIVE now to continue to support KUAF and its mission.

Thanks to Clint Schaff for letting me borrow heavily from his content!

NWA Emerging Leaders Board Service Certification

NWA Emerging Leaders has developed a certification program for board service to assist emerging leaders in pursuing leadership and service positions and to create a reputable source for organizations to recruit emerging talent to serve in leadership capacities. This program is only offered in-person.

Four key areas of board service:

  1. Commitments and expectations

  2. Legal and ethical considerations

  3. Finance

  4. Fundraising

The NWAEL Board Service Certification program was formed with a vision of creating a leadership pool in order to link ready, willing, and able emerging talent to organizations, public and private boards, commissions, and other areas of leadership needed to benefit the community. NWAEL aims to prepare participants for leadership and service positions in Northwest Arkansas. Apply for the August 15th training from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Rogers Lowell Chamber HERE.

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - Work Session

  • Items of Note:

    • Applications are open for the Bella Vista Youth Council 2025-26 session for any high school juniors or seniors at the start of the school year. This year's program will last from September 2025 through April 2026, with monthly meetings covering all aspects of city government, from legislation to street repair to public library operations. Regular attendance will be required for completion of the program. Those who complete the program will be awarded certificates at the April 2026 City Council regular meeting. Apply by Friday, Aug. 1st HERE.

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 22 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • If you missed last week’s Plan Bentonville meeting covering the first draft of the Bentonville Community Code, go to this website to get up to speed and watch the presentation

    • The City is currently accepting applications for its Airport Advisory Board. This volunteer board provides guidance to the mayor, city council, and city staff on long-term planning, operations, and policies related to the Bentonville Municipal Airport. Application deadline is July 28th.

    • Check out Sam Hoisington’s latest on “City Leaders Concerned About Sewer Capacity Downtown” in the Bentonville Bulletin (paid$ - but seriously, if you live or work in Bentonville, this is an excellent bang for your buck newsletter)

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

Centerton
Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 22 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE)

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.);

  • Items of Note:

    • Former city council member and Benton County Justice of the Peace Bill Adams announced he plans to run for Lowell Mayor in 2026. More from KNWA HERE.

    • Special city council meeting has been called for July 22nd at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a salary review for Emergency Services Workers - public is welcome to attend

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole

  • Items of Note:

    • Happy 175 Years Pea Ridge! Community members are invited to celebrate the town’s Founder’s Day 175th Celebration on Aug. 9th with the parade beginning at 9 a.m.

    • The brand new fitness court at the Pea Ridge City Park is now open to the public

    • Check out this great video from NWA Planning highlighting the Bike Bus program in Pea Ridge HERE

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 22 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

  • Items of Note:

    • From Tracy Neal in the NWA Dem Gazz, “Rogers council accepts grant for bike lane project”

    • At Tuesday’s meeting the Mayor will appoint Derek Burnett, Hannah Cicioni, Ed McClure, Ezequiel Trovar, and Jorge Andrade to the Historic District Commission (terms expire July 2028)

Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

  • Items of Note:

    • The city is asking residents for their opinion on a park improvement project for Twin Springs Park. Proposed improvements include extending the landing of the gazebo, ADA access, seating, Storywalk, landscaping and more! Start the survey HERE.

Springdale

County Government Awareness

  • From Ainsley Platt in the Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas to pay $735,000 for unpaved road improvements” - $75k of the total will be for Benton County

  • Event though the following from Letters from an Arkansan is focused on Washington County, you can apply the same concerns to Benton County. Read “Kerr County Demonstrates the Importance of Paying Attention to Local Government - And the Parallels to Washington County Politics”

  • Benton and Washington Counties are considering holding a joint meeting of their Quorum Court members to discuss a regional growth strategy. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 22nd. More details will be shared as plans are confirmed.

Benton County Quorum Court

Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:

  • Development Review Committee - July 23 at 10 a.m.

  • Quorum Court - July 24 at 6 p.m.

  • Planning Board Meeting - Aug. 6 at 6 p.m.

  • Finance Committee Meeting - Aug. 12 at 6 p.m.

State Government Awareness

💫 2025 Arkansas Legislative Vote Guide💫

The folks from Arkansas Citizens First Congress (CFC) issued their Arkansas Legislative Vote Guide from the 2025 session. Think of this as a report card on multiple issues addressed in this year’s session. The report includes a review of bills impacting Civil Rights, Election Reform, Economic Justice, Education, Environmental Justice, and Direct Democracy. Read and download the entire report from HERE to see how your state representative and senator voted.

Legislative Lawsuit Updates

  • Act 573 - Requiring the Protestant version of the 10 Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries, public institutions of higher education, and public buildings and facilities maintained by taxpayer funds

    • The Federal Judge hearing the current case is set to make an initial ruling in the next two weeks. For a full recap of the case, read Antoinette Grajeda’s reporting in the Arkansas Advocate HERE.

    • If you’re wondering why more than a dozen states are suddenly hot on passing legislation tied to the 10 Commandments, read reporting on the Christian Right’s “Bill Mill” from Mark Keierleber at The 74 HERE.

  • LEARNS Act (from 2023’s legislative session) - Ban on Indoctrination; read Sonny Albarado’s reporting in the Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas can outlaw public school ‘indoctrination,’ ‘CRT,’ appeals court rules - Judges decide provisions of the state’s LEARNS Act don’t violate the U.S. Constitution”. Additional reporting by Alex Golden at Axios NWA cand be found HERE.

  • Direct Democracy Laws - The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Arkansas filed a proposed injunction to temporarily block the enforcement of multiple laws regulating the Arkansas direct democracy (ballot petitioning) process. The League argues that the laws are unconstitutional. Read more from Antoinette Grajeda in the Arkansas Advocate HERE.

Democratic Party of Arkansas

Democratic Party of Arkansas (DPA) Chair Grant Tennille resigned last week after serving four years. Chair Tennille strengthened the DPA by gaining a seat in the state legislature for the first time in 2 decades, bringing financial stability to the state party, and by being accessible and available to all. Vice Chair Jannie Cotton will serve as the interim party chair until a new chair is elected by the State Committee at their meeting on August 16th.

Read more from Talk Business and Politics HERE.

Federal Impacts on Arkansas

🚨2026 Health Insurance Rates Proposed - Weighted Average Increase is 26.2%!🚨

The following is from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI):

“Health insurers in Arkansas are seeking average rate increases of 26.2% for individual on- and off-market plans and 7.9% for small group plans for the 2026 plan year. Insurers file proposed rate adjustments each year in response to market trends, healthcare costs, and policy shifts. In addition to these typical adjustments, filings from the insurance companies attribute the high rate increases proposed for next year on individual plans to recent federal and state policy changes.

All six companies cite the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits and the pending implementation of work requirements for adults in the Medicaid expansion program, among other federal actions, as reasons for the hikes. Several Arkansas laws mandating certain benefits, limiting prior authorizations, and regulating pharmacy benefit managers, which passed in the 2025 legislative session, are also cited as major contributing factors.”

See detailed charts from ACHI HERE. Read additional reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz from Nathan Ansell HERE.

Political Training Opportunities

Fun for Something

Last week Run for Something hosted a YouTube live stream to unveil their new candidate support system. The program highlights new training tracks, a national mentorship network, and an online community space to connect, ask questions and grow your campaign. Watch the video to learn more HERE.

National Democratic Training Committee FREE Online Trainings

Click on the links below to learn more about each training and to sign up to attend.

Candidate Announcements

  • Robb Ryerse is running as a Democrat for Congress to represent District 3 (currently held by Steve Womack)

  • Hallie Shoffner officially kicked off her campaign to unseat U.S. Senator Tom Cotton

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