Local Events

  • Mon., June 23rd at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) June Meeting at NWACC featuring Richard Gathright of the NWA Equality Center; doors will open at 6 at the Walmart Auditorium (Shewmaker Center at 1000 SE Eagle Way)

  • Thurs., June 26 from 4 - 6 p.m. - Blooming with Pride hosted by NextUp at the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville; This event will feature insightful discussions (panel includes local superstar, Chelsea Miller) on the importance of being an ally and the significance of Safe Spaces where individuals can truly be themselves. Attendees will also have the opportunity to create beautiful floral arrangements inspired by the Pride Flag, in collaboration with Kindred Collective and Sunshine Bouquet. Register ($) HERE.

  • Fri., June 27 at 6 p.m. - Trans March/Rally in Fayetteville at the Upper Ramble/Dickson St.

  • Sat. June 28 - Pride Festival and Parade; Festival will run from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. in the Fayetteville Entertainment District and the parade will start at 5 p.m. - Join the DPBC for the march, parade, or to work the booth at the festival HERE.

Community Involvement Opportunities

NWARPC Transit Study

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) is developing a study to improve public transportation in the region. You can get involved by sharing your opinions about the types of transit amenities and services that are important. Please comment and encourage others to do the same through June 30, 2025. Link to survey is HERE.

Bentonville School Board Openings

Last week two Bentonville School Board officers announced they will be resigning from their positions due to moving out of the district. The officials resigning are Kelly Carlson (at-large) and Joel Dunning (zone 1).

The district is currently taking applications (form HERE) to fill both positions. Applications must be completed and submitted by close of business on Wednesday, June 25th.

To replace Joel Dunning, the applicant must be a current registered voter living in zone 1 (see district map HERE). To replace Kelly Carlson, the applicant must be a current registered voter living anywhere in the school district. Note, applicants CANNOT be a current employee of the Bentonville School District.

All applications will be reviewed and two will be appointed by board members during a special board meeting on Thursday, June 26th. The appointed members will serve out the remainder of the original terms (March 2026). If the appointed members wish to continue serving, they will need to formally run for their positions in the March 2026 elections (filing in early Nov. 2025).

Read additional reporting from Sam Hoisington at the Bentonville Bulletin HERE.

Bentonville Area Chamber Resident Survey

The Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, along with its partners including the City of Bentonville, Downtown Bentonville, and Visit Bentonville, engaged Boyette Strategic Advisors to lead the development of the Bentonville Blueprint 2.0, a five-year Economic Development Strategic Plan. For purposes of taking this survey, the chamber is looking for responses from residents in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Centerton and Pea Ridge. Survey link is HERE.

Arkansas Block Captain Program

Are you passionate about making a real difference in our community and electing Democrats? The Arkansas Block Captain Program equips and empowers individuals like you to build relationships with your neighbors and become a trusted point of contact during election season. Block Captains are instrumental in:

  • ACTIVATING Democrats

  • BUILDING the base

  • CANVASSING to mobilize communities

As an Arkansas Block Captain, you would "own a turf"—a specific geographic area of about 50 households in a neighborhood or community you care about (for the length of the canvass). Your commitment would involve contacting Democrats and likely Democrats in the area to remind them of upcoming elections and the issues that matter most.

The next Arkansas Block Captain meeting is taking place on July 8th in-person in Springdale or via Zoom. Sign up HERE.

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, June 23 at 6 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd)

  • Items of Note:

    • Council Member Wendy Hughes is hosting an open discussion Sat., June 28 from 10:15 to noon at the Bella Vista Public Library. Email Wendy to have your item added to the discussion list.

    • The annual City of Bella Vista Fireworks display will be on Thur., July 3rd. Parking begins at 5:30 p.m. at the park below Loch Lomond dam on Glasgow Road, fireworks at dark.

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Good news, the city council did vote to keep the All All Bike(r)s Welcome mural near Coler as is. Read Sam Hoisington’s suggestions for “6 Ways The City of Bentonville Could Improve Public Art Processes” in the Bentonville Bulletin - as a follow-up to the ‘controversy’

    • The city of Bentonville, in cooperation with ARDOT & the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will conduct a public involvement meeting to present and discuss proposed plans to improve the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 279. The meeting will be held Thurs., June 26th from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at City of Bentonville Municipal Building (3200 SW Municipal Dr). This is an “open house” meeting with no formal presentations. Public comment will be accepted from the 26th through Fri., July 11th.

    • Mayor Board Appointments for this week’s meeting:

      • Eric Hipp and Reginald Wright will be reappointed to the Bentonville Planning Commission for five-year terms expiring in 2030

      • Newly created Construction Board of Appeals will consist of Truman “Taylor” Sizemore (1 year), Douglas Bryant (2 years), and David Cox (3 years)

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

Centerton

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 8 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)

  • Items of Note:

    • From Thomas Saccente in the NWA Dem Gazz, “Walmart preparing plan for Centerton Supercenter for Planning Commission approval this summer” - Just south of McDonald’s off the corner of Main and East Centerton

    • Through a partnership with the University of Central Arkansas and Thrive, Inc., the city is going to develop a new brand and logo for Centerton. The first step in this process is to convene a focus group of Centerton leaders and citizens to participate in a Branding Workshop. The Branding Workshop will be held on Thurs., June 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (dinner will be provided). RSVP HERE.

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE)

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 15 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • The City is looking for citizens 16 and older to join their team of volunteers to help support city programs. If you are interested, complete the form HERE.

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

  • Items of Note:

    • “The Rogers Waterworks and Sewer Commission unanimously recommended water and sewer rate increases to pay for a variety of system expansions to keep up with city growth… The higher rates would go to paying for more than $100 million in water system and sewer collection projects over the next five years plus $160 million in wastewater treatment plant improvements.” Read more from Doug Thompson’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz HERE.

    • U.S. News named Rogers the 26th best place to live (#1 in Arkansas and #18 best small cities)

Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

  • Items of Note:

    • City will be hosting a community town hall to learn more about the city’s Unified Development Code updates on Tues., June 24th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Board Room. Learn more HERE.

Springdale

County Government Awareness

Benton County Quorum Court

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

  • Development Review Committee - June 25 at 10 a.m.

  • Quorum Court - June 26 at 6 p.m.

  • Planning Board Meeting - July 2 at 6 p.m.

  • Finance Committee Meeting - July 8 at 6 p.m.

State Government Awareness

Federal Impacts on Arkansas

The Trump administration & Congress’s decisions/proposals continue to greatly impact Arkansas - to the extent and exactly how/where is still not quite clear. Here are a few reports to follow:

Election Information

  • The folks at Talk Business & Politics are tracking all announced candidates for state-level and federal positions up for election in 2026. They will continue to update the webpage HERE as candidates announce. Here’s an announcement from earlier today:

  • From Worth Sparkman at Axios NWA, “Direct democracy ballot reform push launches in Arkansas” - Check out the group’s website and Facebook page to learn more about how you can support their work.

  • From Ainsley Platt at the Arkansas Advocate, reporting on the other direct democracy ballot issue, “Arkansas group refiles direct democracy ballot measure after AG rejection” - expect to have a response from the AG on the updated proposal by July 1st.

  • Democratic Party of Arkansas Notes:

    • Let the party know you are interested in running for office in Arkansas by completing this FORM

    • Filing fees to run as a Democrat have been decided for the 2026 - Note, there will be a method to avoid paying the fee by collecting signatures for state legislative offices that are not currently held by Democrats -rules for the signature gathering option are coming soon

Political Training Opportunities

National Democratic Training Committee

FREE training opportunities:

Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO) Candidate Camp

DMO Candidate Camp is a free, one-day, 100% virtual training course that will provide candidates and campaign staffers the skills they need to execute successful campaigns at the local level. This training course is tailored towards Democratic candidates for local office and their staff, but all those interested in helping elect Democrats to local office are welcome to participate!

DMO Candidate Camp trainings will cover everything from fundraising to communications, organizing to data, and more. Sign up for the Saturday, July 12th training HERE.

In the Ear

From Ozarks at Large, “Northwest Arkansans attend the Congress for New Urbanism conference” - City and regional planners from Northwest Arkansas are attending the Congress for the New Urbanism in Providence, Rhode Island. Ozarks at Large's Daniel Caruth reports from the conference.

Odds & Ends

  • Just in case you are interested in learning more about the guests the Benton County Republican Party host at their monthly meetings… read Tom Sissom’s coverage in the NWA Dem Gazz of Dr. Karas’ discussion in June HERE. Yes, that’s the same doctor who was sued by the ACLU for treating detainees at the Washington County jail with ivermectin without their knowledge or consent. And yes, he still stands by his decisions and recommends not vaccinating young children…

  • From Letters from An Arkansan blog this week, “Juneteenth in Elaine, Arkansas 2025 - 106 years after the massacre”

  • And finally… Go THUNDER!!!!

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