Local Events

  • Monday, Mar. 13 at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County Monthly Meeting at the Arvest Conference Center or on zoom (downtown Bentonville, backside of Arvest Bank building running along side Main)

  • Tuesday, Mar. 14 from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County March Happy Hour at Bentonville Brewing (901 SW 14th St., Bentonville)

  • Sunday, Mar. 19 from 2 - 5 p.m. - Plantaplooza with NWA Girl Gang at Likewise in Fayetteville (70 N College Ave)

  • Saturday, Mar. 25 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. - Women’s History Month Celebration and Fundraiser for Emerge Arkansas - featuring Bentonville City Council Member Gayatri Agnew; at Two Friends Books in Bentonville - Tickets required

  • Tuesday, Apr. 4 from 6 - 8 p.m. - Round-table discussion on the Criminal Legal System with the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition at the Meteor Guitar Gallery (128 W Central Ave, Bentonville)

Community Involvement Opportunities

From the Chris Jones PAC, VORTEX:

NOMINATE YOUR NEIGHBOR—Tell us about that person you know who loves Arkansas and is committed to making it a better place for their family and friends. We’re looking for people rooted in Arkansas who are ready to work for real solutions to real problems in the divisive political environment that we live in. We all deserve representation that is committed to fighting for us.

While lots of great organizations are working hard to move Arkansas forward, Vortex is joining that work to recruit, train, and support four great candidates for our Congressional delegation for 2024. Help us by nominating someone you would love to have as your Representative.

Nominate Here

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, Mar. 20 at 6:30 p.m. (612 W. Lancashire) - Working Session

  • Items of Note:

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Sign up for 2023 Spring Clean the Streets Day on Sat., April 15th from 9 - noon HERE

    • Nominate someone for the Spirit of Bentonville Award here - must be a city resident

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

Centerton

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Next Monthly Coffee with the mayor will be Sat., March 18 at 9 a.m. in the Community Room located at 290 N. Main St.

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE)

  • Items of Note:

    • Coffee with Elected Officials on Tuesday from 5-5:30 before the city council meeting

    • A Computer Basics program is returning to the Gravette Public Library, beginning April 5. The nine-week series will be held in the library's Learning Center each Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 28 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole

  • Items of Note:

    • City is accepting letters of interest to serve on the City Council representing Ward 1 (must be registered voter from the ward): Email letter to the Mayor ([email protected])

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 21 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

  • Items of Note:

    • The City Board voted 4-3 to terminate the contract of city administrator, Phillip Patterson. The city’s current Finance Director, Christina Petriches, was named interim director. Read more here.

Springdale

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)

County Government Awareness

Benton County Quorum Court

  • Benton County Planning Board Meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 15; 215 E. Central Ave, Bentonville; or streamed on Facebook

Benton County Clerk’s Office

This content is from the Benton County Government Facebook post on March 10th:

Keep an eye on your mailbox! Thousands of Benton County voters will receive a blue or yellow postcard in their mailbox over the next few weeks. These mailers are sent out to verify voters’ addresses and update other voter information. Both the blue and yellow postcards are already postmarked! Simply fill it out and return to your mailbox.

A blue postcard will be sent if the resident has not voted in two years, or an attempt to communicate with the voter via mail has resulted in the mail being returned “undeliverable”.

Voters will receive a yellow postcard if they did not previously respond to a blue postcard two years ago and have not voted in any election in the last four years. This postcard is a notice of impending cancellation. If you do not send back the notice of impending cancellation within 30 days, your voter registration will be canceled and the voter will need to re-register to vote no less than 30 days prior to any election in which they wish to vote.

Residents are urged to check their voter registration and current address at any time on the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website: https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView

State Government Awareness

94th General Legislative Assembly:

Week 9 Updates:

GOP Legislators decided their priorities are to “defeat the woke agenda”:

On the “it’s a slippery slope front:”

  • HB1174 - Back from the dead, Rep. Womack’s bill “TO ADD PROTECTIONS FOR UNBORN CHILDREN BY ALLOWING PROSECUTION WHEN A PERSON CAUSES THE DEATH OF AN UNBORN CHILD; TO REPEAL LAWS THAT MAY ALLOW A PERSON TO PRESSURE A PREGNANT WOMAN TO GET AN ABORTION” - status: House Judiciary Committee Tuesday

  • SB396 - bill to regulate social media companies by requiring age verification from users on social media sites - a lawsuit waiting to happen! - status: Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee Tuesday

Good bills that need support:

  • HB1537 - Online voter registration! Arkansas is one of only 8 states that does not have online registration - status: Tabled in the House State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee

  • SB308 - Bill will provide free school meals for any child that qualifies for reduced-price meals - status: Re-referred to the Senate Education Committee following amendment

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders:

Governor Sanders signed the LEARNS Act into law last Wednesday. Learn more about the bill with this article from Antoinette Grajeda at Arkansas Advocate.

Senator Bryan King and the League of Women Voters of Arkansas filed suit Friday challenging ACT 236 (HB1419), signed by the Governor the day before. The suit claims the Act “impairs the rights of Arkansans to the initiative and referend”.

Election Information

Next election will be the annual school, NWACC special, City of Springdale and Beaver Lake Volunteer Fired Department election on May 9th. More details on the election dates, locations, and content will be coming later this month! Deadline to register to vote for this election is April 10th.

Political Training Opportunities

She Should Run Signature Curriculum:

  • Find Your Purpose,

  • Get Civically Involved,

  • Prepare for a Future Run, &

  • Connect with a Greater Ecosystem

National Democratic Training Committee:

Red, Wine & Blue, Troublemaker Training:

Odds & Ends

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