Local Events

  • Wed., Apr. 2 at 5:30 p.m. - League of Women Voters Drinks & Dialogue at Crisis Brewing in Fayetteville; hear from local immigration attorney Ellen M. Weintraut; event is free and open to the public

  • Thurs., Apr. 3 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. - Northwest Arkansas Legislative Town Hall at the Fayetteville Public Library (401 W Mountain St); hosted by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel; They’ll share insight into the 2025 state legislative session, providing an opportunity for constituents to ask questions and get answers about policies being filed and passed in this year’s Assembly. Facebook link HERE

  • Sat., Apr. 5 from 12 - 3 p.m. - We the People Veto Project 2025/ Hands Off! March from Fayetteville courthouse to the town center; From the organizers: “This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.” Sign up for alerts HERE

  • Sun., Apr. 6 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. - Holi Festival at the Momentary; Presented in partnership with the Indian Cultural Association of NWA (ICANWA), the Holi Festival, also known as the Festival of Colors and the Festival of Love, marks the start of spring with vibrant colors, food, music, dancing, and more. Open to all, this festival traditionally celebrates the vibrancy of life and the love of Radha Krishna, and has been observed in India for thousands of years. No tickets required and drop-in at anytime!

  • Tues., Apr. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Arkansans for Autonomy SolidARity Day at the capitol in Little Rock; join a coalition partners to fight for our right to bodily autonomy! This is a perfect chance to hear from powerful speakers in the movement and speak directly with your legislators. Partners include ACLU of Arkansas, Arkansas Abortion Support Network, Central Arkansas Harm Reduction, Emerge Arkansas, Indivisible, Little Rock Freedom Fund, Progressive Arkansas Women PAC, Queertonomy, and Intransitive; learn more HERE

  • Tues., Apr. 8 at 1 p.m. - From Groundwork, join a discussion about The ADU Advantage: More Homes, More Options - Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) offer smart, flexible solutions to the region’s growing housing needs. But how do you navigate the process of building one? Join Derek Sherell, “The ADU Guy,” for an in-depth webinar where he’ll cover everything from zoning and permitting to design, financing and maximizing your investment. Register to attend the zoom event HERE.

Community Donation Opportunity

It’s NWA Gives this week! From now through April 3rd, you can participate in the annual NWA Gives donation event for local nonprofits. Here’s a few of my favorite orgs that you could choose to support (most of which have matching components):

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, Apr. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - work session

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • The Bentonville Bulletin toured the Bentonville Wastewater Treatment plant last week, read what they learned HERE

    • If you appreciate the hyper-local reporting The Bentonville Bulletin provides, please consider joining me as monthly subscriber to help maintain their work HERE

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - work session

  • Items of Note:

    • At last week’s meeting, the city approved Emily Westphal to position 6 on the planning commission

Centerton

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

  • Items of Note:

    • From Thomas Saccente at the NWA Dem Gazz: “Craig Corder, chief engineer for the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Section, sent a letter to Decatur Mayor Bob Tharp dated Dec. 19 stating the department will not approve any more projects that will increase the flow of wastewater to Decatur's wastewater treatment plant until there is capacity available at the facility. This includes any projects in Decatur, Centerton and Highfill that are proposed to use the facility for wastewater treatment.” Read more HERE.

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - committee of whole

Lowell

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

  • Items of Note:

    • The City of Lowell will host their annual Easter Egg Hunt at 2 p.m. on Sat., April 19th, with more than 12,000 eggs hidden in Ward Nail Park. There is an area set aside for children with disabilities. A sensory friendly area is also available.

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - committee of the whole

  • Items of Note:

    • The Pea Ridge Spring Tree Giveaway will be April 11th starting at 9 a.m. at City Hall (while supplies last). One tree per household with proof of residency (utility bill, driver’s license, etc.). More HERE.

    • Join the community for Second Saturday on Saturday, April 12th, from 5 to 9 p.m. for an evening filled with local booths featuring delicious food and handcrafted goods, live music, and fun inflatables for the kids! The Swade Diablos will kick off their performance at 7:00pm at the new amphitheater, and residents are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs or blankets.

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

  • Items of Note:

    • The City of Rogers is giving away FREE trees to residents through the Foresting the Future program on April 12th from 8 - noon at the Rogers Aquatics Center (1707 S 26th St). Registration Required HERE. Rogers residents can request up to 2 trees per household. A confirmation email will be sent with your reservation and pickup time.

Siloam Springs

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

  • Items of Note:

    • Join Siloam Springs Parks and Recreation for Kite Day at beautiful City Lake Park (22700 Dawn Hill East Road, Siloam Springs) on Saturday, April 5! This free family event will take place from 9 to 11 AM and is open to all ages.

Springdale

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Apr. 8 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)

County Government Awareness

  • The county is getting in on the email newsletter action. Go HERE to review this month’s and sign up to receive future notices.

  • The University of Arkansas Agriculture Extension Office and Benton County Sheriff’s Office, alongside the Walton Foundation, are giving away 260 trees to residents of unincorporated Benton County on Saturday, April 26th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Road Yard (1206 SW 14th St). Trees must be reserved in advance using the form HERE. This giveaway is for residents of unincorporated Benton County only. One tree per household is allowed. Trees are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Benton County Quorum Court

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

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

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

  • Development Review Committee - Apr. 9 at 10 a.m.

  • Committee of the Whole - Apr. 15 at 6 p.m.

State Government Awareness

95th General Legislative Assembly:

An update on timing of the end <can’t come soon enough> of this year’s legislative session from Senator Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville):

  • “If all goes according to plan, there are just 11 working days left in the 2025 Regular Session.

  • Lawmakers hope to cast final votes on Wednesday, April 16.

  • To hit that goal will require long days and, more than likely, suspension of some rules. And they might even have to work on a Friday.

  • Basically, to quote the inimitable Samuel L. Jackson from 1993’s original motion picture Jurassic Park: ‘Hold onto your butts.’”

Recaps and looks forward - legislative activity:
Bills of note in committees this week:

There are more terrible bills than I can list out fully - please take time to check the state legislature site for your topics of concern HERE.

  • 👎SB394 - Sen. J. Bryant (R - Rogers); proposed law allows county government to refer to voters a change in the allocation/distribution of revenues from county sales and use taxes for capital improvements… The NWA Dem Gazz has an excellent editorial from Sunday discussing what really is going on with this bill, “NWA EDITORIAL | Benton County, with the help of a legislator, tries to gain an edge - Is deck stacked against Benton County?”

  • 👎 SB536 - Sen. Sullivan (R - Jonesboro); Dan’s back again trying to abolish and transfer the Arkansas State Library & Board - Scheduled to be in the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m.

  • 👎HB1705 - Rep. Duke (R - Gravette); This bill would create new requirements for 6th-12th grade social studies standards and courses in public schools and open-enrollment public charter schools. It would require information about the founding fathers' religious and political beliefs and how their religious beliefs influenced the United States’ founding documents, like the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This passed the house on March 19th and passed out of the Senate committee today and will head to the full Senate to vote on as early as tomorrow. ACTION ITEM!!! Email/call your state senator and ask them to vote NO.

Bills of note signed by the governor:

  • Act 313 - from Rep. Nicole Clowney’s (D- Fayetteville) newsletter: “This new law makes it easier for Arkansans to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—small, independent living spaces like garage apartments or backyard cottages. ADUs enable homeowners to more fully utilize their property’s potential, while also helping to tackle the housing shortage by offering additional housing options for seniors, young people, and those priced out of the traditional market.”

  • Act 396 - from Josh Snyder with the NWA Dem Gazz, “Ivermectin access bill signed into state law, but pharmacists warn of conflicts with federal law” - allows Ivermectin to be sold for human use without a prescription <because you can’t stop stupid>

  • Act 405 - read Michael R. Wickline’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz, “New law moves state’s May primaries to March, pushes Legislature’s fiscal sessions to April”

  • Act 416 - also from Rep. Nicole Clowney’s newsletter: “This law ensures that firefighters who die from certain occupational cancers will be recognized as having died in the line of duty… This means that surviving spouses will now receive the full benefits owed to families of those who make the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities.”

Federal Impact on Arkansas

The Trump administration’s decisions over the first 70+ days will greatly impact Arkansas - to the extent and exactly how/where is still not quite clear. Here are a few reports to start following:

Election Information

Act 405 has tightened the timeline for people to decide to run for office in 2026. Filing for the election in 2026 will occur from noon, November 3, 2025 - noon, November 11, 2025. Yes, for most positions, this will be a WHOLE YEAR before the actual election date.

What positions will file during this period?

  • Federal (U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate <Cotton’s seat>)

  • State Executives (e.g., Governor, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, etc.)

  • State House Members (all 100)

  • State Senators (1/2 of the 35)

  • County Executives (e.g., Judge, Sheriff, Clerk, Coroner, etc.)

  • County JPs and Constables

  • Circuit Court positions and county prosecuting attorneys (nonpartisan - general is in March and runoff is in Nov)

  • Spring 2026 School Board Positions (in Benton County, at least one from every district except Bentonville)

How many candidates would you need to run to cover all positions in Benton County?

MORE THAN 50!

I have a lot of coffee meet-ups in my future. Let me know if you want to chat.

What about city positions?

Good news, those are still nonpartisan positions in Benton County, and their filing period will remain the same (late July/early August 2026).

Political Training Opportunities

Online from the National Democratic Training Committee:

Odds & Ends

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