Local Events

  • Mon., May 12 at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) Monthly Meeting at ***NEW LOCATION*** Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) Peterson Auditorium in the Shewmaker Center (900 SE Eagle Way); doors open at 6 and meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. or join by zoom HERE; special guest is Chris Sweeny from the Ozark Chapter of Freedom From Religion Foundation

  • Tues., May 13 at 5:30 p.m. - Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families (AACF) Town Hall: Federal Budget Cuts Threaten Critical Services at the Jones Center in Springdale (922 E. Emma); Join AACF to learn more about how federal budget cuts will effect services for Northwest Arkansas families, from Medicaid and SNAP to housing and Head Start; register to attend HERE

  • Wed., May 14 at 6:30 p.m. - NWA Democratic Socialists of Arkansas May Monthly Meeting held in person at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville (2925 Old Missouri Rd) or via zoom (RSVP HERE)

  • Mon. May 19 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Benton County Senior Dems Monthly Lunch at the Golden Corral in Rogers (2605 W Pleasant Crossing); I’ll be one of the guests speaking during the meeting portion that begins at noon

  • Tues., May 20 starting at 5:30 p.m. - DPBC May Social Hour at the Centerton Food Trucks Park (700 W Centerton Blvd); join for a family friendly happy hour and enjoy the options of this local food truck location

  • Thurs., May 22 at 6:30 p.m. - League of Women Voters Benton County Annual Meeting at the Arvest Conference Room behind the Arvest Bank on the Bentonville Square. Join for an evening of good food, community connection and democratic action. Sign up to attend HERE.

Support KUAF

From Clint Schaff, General Manager of KUAF:

“[On May 1st], President Trump signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding to public media. While many national news outlets have framed this as just affecting NPR and PBS, the reality is this action will directly impact local stations like KUAF that serve communities across Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, eastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri.

What's Happening

There are currently three major threats to public media funding:

  1. The Executive Order prohibits PBS and NPR from receiving any federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) – directly or indirectly, including through federal funds used to pay membership dues.

  2. The FY2026 Budget Request proposes to defund public media entirely.

  3. A Proposed Rescissions Package would claw back $1.1 billion in already approved public media funding – immediately jeopardizing stations' essential local services.

What This Means for Your Station

For KUAF, federal funding represents approximately 17% of our operating budget – $192,701 per year. If we lost this funding, we'd need to find an additional $264,000 to maintain the same level of service you've come to expect from us. That's because we benefit from CPB's collective purchasing power – kind of like buying in bulk saves money at the grocery store.

What You Can Do

Here's how you can help right now:

  1. Speak up. Tell Congress you support federal funding for public media through protectmypublicmedia.org. It takes just a minute, but it makes a real difference.

  2. Support your station. Make a donation at supportkuaf.com. Whether it's $5 or $500, every contribution helps keep local public radio strong. Even better, do it monthly.

  3. Spread the word. Let your friends, family, and coworkers know what's happening. Share our posts on social media or forward this email.

To learn more about this situation, please visit the FAQ page HERE or read Clint’s article HERE.

Democratic Party of Arkansas Fundraiser - The Annual Fisher Shackelford Dinner

On Saturday, May 31st, at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock, the Democratic Party of Arkansas (and friends) will gather to recognize three inspirational women who have made exceptional contributions to our state and the party. This signature annual event honors the legacies of two Democratic legends, Jimmie Lou Fisher and Lottie Shackelford, and celebrating the following three women who are continuing their tradition of leadership and service.

Honorees:

  • Bettina Brownstein is a co-founder of the Progressive Arkansas Women PAC, an organization that champions women in politics and has supported countless women as they seek public office. As an attorney, she has dedicated herself to advancing justice with ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and other progressive organizations.

  • Senator Jamie Scott made history as the youngest African-American woman ever elected to both the Arkansas State House and State Senate. She is a champion for criminal justice reform, youth empowerment, civil rights, and education.

  • Barbara Moody has devoted herself to serving others, as an educator, campaign staffer, Democratic party leader, volunteer, and artist. From her leadership within our party to her heart for service, Barbara has been a cornerstone of our party for decades.

The Party is also delighted to welcome Jane Kleeb, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and President of the Association of State Democratic Committees, as the featured keynote speaker for the dinner.

Support the event and/or purchase tickets HERE. Need a hotel room? Book via the exclusive rate HERE.

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, May 19 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - work session

  • Items of Note:

    • The city invites those in the building community to attend an informational session for a brief review of the state’s recently passed Act 591 and a question-and-answer session regarding the city’s new building submittal document requirements, which begin June 1, 2025. Meeting will be from 2-4 p.m. on Mon., May 19th at the Bella Vista Police Department Training Room (2483 Forest Hills Blvd)

    • Ward 1 Bella Vista Councilmembers Hughes and Harp will be hosting a roundtable discussion at the Library from 5:30 - 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 29th. Use the form HERE to provide the councilmembers with discussion items.

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • Coffee with the Mayor virtual conversation about the Bentonville Public Library and the Bentonville History Museum will be held on Tues., May 20th at 8 a.m. - register HERE. The city also announced they will utilize their web-based Notify Me system to announce future Coffee with the Mayor events. If you do not currently receive notifications, just sign up with your email address HERE.

    • From Worth Sparkman and Mike Allen at Axios NWA, “Waltons launching STEM university in former Walmart headquarters”

    • From Sam Hoisington with The Bentonville Bulletin, “$103 Million Needed to Upgrade Bentonville’s Sewer System — And That’s Just the Beginning Development already slowed in parts of the city due to sewer capacity issues”

    • The City of Bentonville is seeking residents interested in serving on the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is a quasi-judicial board that reviews and approves development plans, makes recommendations to city council on zoning matters, and serves in an advisory capacity for long-range planning. Application deadline is May 26th, apply HERE.

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

Centerton

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)

  • Items of Note:

    • From Sam Hoisington at the Bentonville Bulletin, “Centerton Hopes to Turn Empty Fields Into a New Downtown”

    • City invites residents to participate in a public engagement opportunity regarding the proposed Centerton Recreation Center on Thursday, May 29th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at 210 Municipal Dr.

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole

  • Items of Note:

    • City has a new Parks & Rec Facebook page which you can join HERE

Rogers
Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

Springdale

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • From Tom Sissom with the NWA Dem Gazz, “Officials endorsed a request to spend $574,000 to buy one new ambulance and remount one in the Springdale Fire Department's existing vehicle fleet. The City Council's Police and Fire Committee discussed the expenditures at Monday's City Council Committee meeting and recommended they be approved. The full council will consider the resolutions at its May 13 meeting.” Read full article HERE.

County Government Awareness

Heartland Forward

From the organization’s press release on May 8th, “Heartland Forward, a policy think-and-do tank dedicated to serving states and local communities in the middle of the country, today launched the Maternal and Child Health Center for Policy and Practice (MCH CPP). By applying the National Governors Association’s (NGA) proven playbook in partnership with policymakers, providers and community organizations, the Center aims to advance maternal health and improve outcomes for families across the heartland.” Read the entire press release HERE. Read Alex Golden’s recap in Axios NWA HERE.

Benton County Quorum Court

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

  • Finance Committee Meeting - May 13 at 6 p.m.

  • Election Commission Meeting - May 13 at 6 p.m. (at the Rogers Election Commission building)

  • Development Review Committee - May 14 at 10 a.m.

  • Committee of the Whole - May 20 at 6 p.m.

  • Planning Board Meeting - May 21 at 6 p.m.

  • Quorum Court - May 22 at 6 p.m.

State Government Awareness

95th General Legislative Assembly:

From Tess Vrbin and Ainsley Platt at the Arkansas Advocate:

“The Arkansas House and Senate adjourned sine die Monday morning, marking the end of the nearly four-month 2025 legislative session.

Sine die — a Latin phrase for “without day” — means the Legislature isn’t scheduled to convene again this year unless Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls for a special session. The next scheduled session will be the 2026 fiscal session early next year.

The Legislature ended the business portion of the session on April 16 after considering more than 1,600 bills. Sanders signed 1,026 bills into law and vetoed four others.

Lawmakers can override the governor’s vetoes with a simple majority vote in both chambers before sine die adjournment. Both chambers convened briefly Monday but did not vote to override Sanders’ vetoes; leaders in both chambers said there was not enough support for this option.” Read the full recap HERE.

Additional Notes:

Arkansas Department of Education:

From Lena Miano in the NWA Dem Gazz:

“The Arkansas Board of Education voted Thursday [May 8] to release two legal rules governing the state's implementation of its new school accountability system for public comment.

Under the accountability system, schools and districts are given state-assigned letter grades from A to F based on student assessment scores, grade-level proficiency data and additional metrics designed to measure how schools fare with Arkansas' educational priorities.

How students in grades three through 10 perform on the Arkansas Teacher, Learning and Assessment System, or ATLAS, statewide test in English/language arts, math and science is also a component of the letter grades.” Read more HERE.

Federal Impacts on Arkansas

The Trump administration’s decisions continue to 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

May 13th - Arkansas Spring Election

Do you have an election to participate in on May 13th? Check www.arvotes.org to review ballot related information.

Candidate Announcements for 2026

  • Hallie Shoffner, sixth-generation Arkansas farmer from the Delta, has announced she will run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat in the hopes of defeating U.S. Senator Tom Cotton next November - read more from Alex Thomas with NWA Dem Gazz HERE

  • Democratic State Rep. Denise Garner (HD20) has announced her plan to run for State Senate District 30, currently represented by term-limited Democratic State Senator Greg Leding. According to reporting in the Fayetteville Flyer, Washington County Election Commissioner Max Deitchler is considering running as a Democrat to fill Rep. Garner’s open seat.

  • Democratic State Rep. Nicole Clowney will seek reelection for her current seat in Fayetteville (HD21)

  • Secretary of State Cole Jester will be running for Commissioner of State Lands - Jester was appointed to his current role by the Governor and cannot run for the same position in 2026

Political Training Opportunities

National Democratic Training Committee

For potential future candidates or support campaign staff/volunteers:

Join the National Democratic Training Committee on Saturday, May 17th at 10 a.m. for a free virtual live training on Field Bootcamp: Improve Your Ground Game So You Can Win. Join to learn the following:

  • Developing your field strategy – vote goal implications, precinct identification and prioritization

  • Program tactics – distributed, digital, and constituency organizing

  • Volunteer recruitment and training – identifying volunteer needs and best practices

  • Data management – data and collection systems for effective voter contact efforts

Register for this FREE event HERE.

Red Wine & Blue (RWB) Virtual Education Sessions

  • “What Does Congress Even Do? Let’s Talk About the Legislative Branch” on Wed., May 21st at 6:30 p.m. - They’ll pull back the curtain on both the House and the Senate—who’s in charge of what, how decisions get made (or don’t), and how all this affects your life. Register HERE.

  • “Finding Trusted New Sources in the Disinformation Era” on Thurs., May 22 at 5:30 p.m. - It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s noise in this era of disinformation. With AI, deepfakes, and flat out lies spreading widely online, how do we determine what is reliable and what to avoid? Join the conversation with veteran journalist and Stanford professor Janine Zacharia to learn how to spot trustworthy news, why facts matter more than ever, and how this all plays a role in protecting our democracy. Register HERE.

People to Follow

  • Dr. Chris Jones, who ran for governor in 2022, has a new Substack and a new podcast series. In Good Faith with Dr. Chris Jones is a weekly series unpacking the written and invisible agreements that hold our society together — and what happens when those agreements breaks…or are intentionally broken. Learn more HERE and listen to the podcast trailer HERE.

  • G. Elliott Morris, who last led FiveThirtyEight before the site was closed down by Disney/ABC, has a new Substack, “Strength in Numbers”. His goal is to make readers smarter about the news by using data. Read today’s announcement HERE to learn more about his goals and to geek out on data.

Odds & Ends

  • From JVL at the Bulwark, “MAGA and the American Pope - Seven things to know about Pope Leo XIV”

  • From Julie Kohl at Only in Arkansas, enjoy a tour through “Arkansas Tamales” - I dare you to not come away hungry!

  • Looking for your next favorite Farmer’s Market? Check out NWA Daily’s listing HERE.

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