Local Events
Tues., Nov. 12th at 6:30 p.m. - Democratic Party of Benton County (DPBC) November Monthly Meeting at the Arvest Conference Room behind the Arvest bank entrance on the Bentonville downtown square; come for an election recap, learn about county leadership elections for 2025, and more!
Thur., Nov. 14th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - KUAF Community Coffee Tour at Red Kite Coffee Company in Springdale (7058 W Sunset Ave); Come and meet some of the KUAF team, learn about upcoming events and opportunities to support KUAF, ask questions and give feedback
Sun., Nov. 17th from 1 - 4 p.m. - Crystal Bridges Fall Bulb Planting Day at Crystal Bridges North Forest; join the Trails & Grounds team in planting bulbs on the beautiful grounds, and take one home to watch it bloom in your own garden. While you’re there, drop into the classrooms for flower-inspired art projects and other engaging activities. Open to all!
Mon., Nov. 18th at 2 p.m. - Preventing Exploitative Child Labor in Arkansas webinar hosted by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF); In this webinar, AACF will review their forthcoming report, Preventing Exploitative Child Labor in Arkansas: Arkansas Can Once Again Lead on Child Labor Protections. They will talk about what child labor violations look like in Arkansas and how that compares to trends around the country. They will also share policy solutions that can help better ensure that children are safe in the workplace. Register to attend HERE.
Wed., Nov. 20th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - AACF Children’s Policy Symposium at the Fayetteville Public Library Event Center (401 W Mountain St); At the Kids Count Coalition Policy Symposium, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from policy experts and advocates about bills they think will be considered during the 2025 General Assembly. They will cover many different issues affecting children and families, giving you a clear picture of how the decisions made at the Capitol next year could impact Arkansas’s children. Register HERE.
Wed., Nov. 20th at 6 p.m. - League of Women Voters Benton County Meeting at Ozark Beer Company in downtown Rogers (109 N. Arkansas St.); this will be the November meeting - upstairs in the flex space
Fri., Nov. 22nd at 1 p.m. - The State of Canopy webinar; Executive Director, Joanna Krause, and Senior Director of Community and Economic Development, Khalid Ahmadzai, will lead this hour-long session. They’ll discuss the current state of refugees, Canopy’s achievements, and their commitment to prioritizing clients and delivering essential services—no matter the challenges ahead. Register HERE.
Sun., Nov. 24th from 6 - 9 p.m. - Rainbow Thanksgiving hosted by The Equality Crew, NWA Equality and other inclusive organizations at the Fayetteville Town Center; Join a warm and welcoming holiday setting for community members who cannot get home to see family, do not have a close family, whose chosen family is already here, or maybe they are just looking for an excuse to eat and socialize. This 100% chef-prepared free buffet spread with all your favorite Thanksgiving items (and favorite vegan versions) will be provided. This is a family-friendly event; kids are welcome to hang out at The Equality Crew’s kid’s table to participate in fun activities.
Community Involvement Opportunities
The Equality Crew is recruiting for their Teen Council
❤️Are you 13-18 and looking for opportunities for service and leadership?
🧡Does your school require you to get community service hours?
💛Are you interested in helping us with events like Prom?
💚Do you want to learn more about applying for college?
The first Teen Council meeting will occur in December, complete this FORM to express interest.
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - Work Session
Items of Note:
From Samuel Clanton in the NWA Dem Gazz: “The cyberattack on the city in August resulted in expenses totaling more than $132,000, but the city's cyber insurance policy through the Arkansas Municipal League is expected to cover almost half of that. The overall cost is a combination of expenses, Information Technology Director John Moeckel told the council during a work session Oct. 21. Those expenses include the cost of work performed in the immediate response to the cyberattack and the cost of corrective actions and improvements made to the city's computer systems to make them more secure, he said.” Read more HERE.
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
The City is looking for residents interested in serving on the newly-established Alternative Transportation Advisory Board. The City Council appointed board serves in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, City Staff, and City Council on policy matters pertaining to alternative transportation modalities. To learn more and submit an application by the December 20 deadline, go HERE.
The City is looking for residents interested in serving on the Utility Board. Members of the board hear from the various Bentonville Utility Departments (Electric, Water, Sewer, WRRF) concerning bid awards, contracts, policies/regulations, finances, and rate changes. In addition to making recommendations to City Council, the Utility Board Members would share information with the public concerning various benefits of a municipally owned utility system, such as local control and reliability. Submit your application by November 19th HERE.
Ozark Regional Transit has added a FREE route (#12) in the city running week days from 7:30 - 5:30 in 15 min loops from the Walmart Transportation Building to the Walmart Home Office & Culinary Innovation Center. Read more about the route HERE.
Get and update on the progress of the McAuley Place project (Bentonville Teacher Homes project) from the Excellerate Foundation HERE.
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - Work Session
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
Matt Freeman will be appointed to the Parks and Rec Advisory Board (term ending July 21, 2025) at Tuesday’s meeting
Coffee with the Mayor will be on Sat., Nov. 16th at 9 a.m. at the city Community Room (290 N Main St)
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole
Items of Note:
Join in the ribbon cutting event for the city park amphitheater (2344 Hayden Rd) on Saturday, Nov. 16th from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
Items of Note:
Springdale was featured in the October edition of Business View Magazine - Civil and Municipal; read the full article, “The City of Legacy and Economic Vision - Exploring Rapid City Development Supported by Powerful Public Services in Arkansas”
County Government Awareness
Benton County Planning Board
From Thomas Saccente’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz, “The Benton County Planning Board put a proposed expansion of a red dirt/limestone quarry on hold after residents expressed concern about how it may impact their lives. The board voted 5-0 to table the site plan for the expansion for two weeks pending an updated plan from the applicant after a public hearing Wednesday. Board member Theresa Neal was absent. The proposed expansion would take place on 117 acres spread across 12 tracts of land at 15271 Burgin Valley Road in Decatur, according to a report included in the meeting packet.” Read the full article HERE.
Benton County Quorum Court
Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:
Election Commission Meeting - Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. (at the Election Commission office in Rogers)
Finance Committee Meeting - Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Development Review Committee - Nov. 13 at 10 a.m.
Committee of the Whole - Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.
Election Commission Meeting - Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. (at the Election Commission office in Rogers)
Planning Board - Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.
Quorum Court - Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
95th General Legislative Assembly:
from Senator Greg Leding’s (D-Fayetteville) AR Leg Update newsletter:
The Senate is organized (kinda)
The Arkansas Senate of the 95th General Assembly met at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock for orientation last Wednesday evening. Last election cycle saw nearly 40 percent of the body turn over; this time, the Senate welcomed just one new member: Senator-elect Jamie Scott (D-North Little Rock). And Senator-elect Scott isn’t new to the legislature: She’s served in the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2019.
During the meeting that evening, a number of senators presented proposed rule changes for the coming session. Most caused little controversy, but two divided everybody: a rule proposed by Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs) that would make it easier for the Senate to extract an appointee from the Senate Committee on Rules, Resolutions, and Memorials, and a rule proposed by Senate Majority Leader Blake Johnson (R-Corning) that would have banned members of the minority from serving as vice chair of any committee.
Read the remainder of Senator Leding’s post in his newsletter from today HERE.
Additional reporting:
From Tess Vrbin at the Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas Senate majority bans minority party from vice-chair seats on committees - Bipartisan group of senators opposes new rule”
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders:
Late last month, Governor Sanders announced the selection of Franklin County as the home of the new 3,000 bed prison. The Board of Corrections approved the purchase of the land last week. Residents and some lawmakers are not pleased about the rollout of the announcement. They feel they were blindsided by the decision and were not provided with an opportunity to provide feedback in the decision. Read from any of the following three articles from Arkansas Advocate to learn more about the project:
“Arkansas purchases Franklin County land for new prison site - Local residents expressed concern about a lack of community input”
“Prison board will vote Friday on Arkansas prison land purchase as residents stay angry - Hundreds attend town hall in Charleston but aren’t allowed to ask questions from the floor”
“Arkansas Board of Corrections approves state’s land purchase for new prison site - Residents and some lawmakers have voiced concerns about the location”
Election Information
Turnout:
Benton County registered voter turnout for last week’s election was 67.28%. The last few presidential general elections were 70.83% in 2020, 67.89% in 2016, and 70.32% in 2012. The total votes cast grew by about 9k from 2020, but that’s to be expected with the population growth in the county. The full listing of the Benton County unofficial results can be found HERE (final official results will be approved by the Benton County Election Commission at their meeting on Friday).
Partisan Performance:
While we did not have any Democratic wins in Benton County, we did have 4 state representative districts exceed 40% of the vote (districts 10, 11, 13 & 15). We also had 3 Justice of the Peace districts exceed 40% of the vote (districts 2, 5, and 8).
The state Democratic party held every Democratic seat and gained one in Springdale! This is the first time we did not lose seats in over 20 years. A big congratulations to Dr. Diana Gonzales Worthen on her win! She will be the first Latina ever elected to the Arkansas legislature. Read more about the win from Tess Vrbin at the Arkansas Advocate HERE.
Nonpartisan Performance:
Justice Karen Baker won the chief justice position on the Arkansas Supreme Court, defeating the author of the decision to keep the Abortion Amendment off the ballot, Justice Rhonda Wood. Read more from the Sonny Albarado from the Arkansas Advocate HERE.
In Benton County, we will have a few more progressives sitting in nonpartisan positions across the county at the start of the new year. Additionally, if you live in Bella Vista, Centerton, Pea Ridge, Rogers, or Siloam Springs municipal limits, you will have runoffs to participate in on December 3rd. These races are still important and will shape the future of those cities. Look for an email from me next week with election details.
Political Training Opportunities
The training options don’t stop, because we need good leaders at all levels of government. Here is an upcoming online opportunity:
Tues., Nov. 12 from 5:30 - 7p.m. - Public School Strong Orientation - Join public school parents, family members, and supporters from across the country to learn: 1) how to show your support for well-resourced and inclusive public schools, 2) what to look for when you observe your school district's school board meeting, 3) how to form a Public School Strong team in your school district, and 4) ways to join a national movement to protect and transform public schools that serve all children.
In the Ear
I Am Northwest Arkansas - Episode 291- Building Resilient Cities: Local Efforts and Community Collaboration with Alison Sant and Megan Brown
Arkansas Times - Arkansas election roundup: The Week in Review, Nov. 9, 2024
The Bulwark Podcast episode from last week with Ben Wittes - whole episode is good, but the part that was most impactful for me to hear comes around the 43 minute mark once Tim asks Ben, “How are you coping?”
Odds & Ends
Published in Time, “Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Here’s the Plan to Fight Back”
As a mom to a high school sophomore, this was sobering from Worth Sparkman at Axios NW Arkansas, “Arkansas' costly college tuition mapped”
From She Should Run, “3 Ways to Get Involved in Local Government”
From Xochitl Gonzalez in The Atlantic, “What Can Women Do Now?”
And finally, I was sent this from a friend… And although it was aimed at last Wednesday, I think it’s still useful a week later…. from Nadia Bolz-Weber, “I got nothing for you but this shitty little prayer”