Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · 22d

Sign the petition to demand she hold the election as soon as possible and live up to the promise this country was founded on: fair representation.

Sign, share, and follow us and
@gravelandgrit.bsky.social for more info.

2 4

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · 22d

Governor Sanders today announced she will delay the special election for State Senate District 26 until next November. This leaves the people of that district without representation for over a year when issues critical to them will be voted on.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/de...

DEMAND REPRESENTATION: Hold Senate District 26 Special Election This Spring

Governor Sanders is denying an estimated 86,000 Arkansans their right to Senatorial representation. By delaying the special election for a vacant State Senate seat until November 2026, voters in Frank...

actionnetwork.org

5 36 42

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · 24d

Surprising just about nobody, Joe Profiri met with ICE agents at the site of the proposed Franklin County mega prison.

Sarah wants to illegally detain and disappear our neighbors, it seems. This makes what was already a bad deal even worse.

forarpeople.org/ice-detentio...

Proposed Franklin County Prison Looks To Be an ICE Site - For AR People Action

According to the local sheriff, the Franklin County prison seems likely to house ICE detainees. Residents want no part in it.

forarpeople.org

6 34 40

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Jun 24

Roe v. Wade was overturned three years ago today.

Things for Arkansas families have gotten much, much worse since then, but instead of trying to fix them, the Governor and her cronies are refusing to deal with the maternal and infant mortality rates.

forarpeople.org/three-years-...

Three Years After Dobbs, Arkansas Families Still Suffer - For AR People Action

Three years ago today, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v Wade, forcing millions of families nationwide to forgo healthcare.

forarpeople.org

5 7

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Jun 20

More on the site today: onarwatch.org/house-republ...

House Republicans Refuse to Help Their Own Employees with Debt Forgiveness - On AR Watch

This morning in the Arkansas Legislative Council, House Republicans refused to review a contract to Aptus Financial, an in-state consulting firm that won a contract to help state employees determine.....

onarwatch.org

1

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Jun 20

House Republicans, led by Fran Cavenaugh, again nixed a contract for a firm that would help state employees navigate the thorny Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, despite members of their own party begging them to help their own workers. #arleg

2 2 3

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · May 21

School lunch debt in Arkansas is a looming crisis. We spoke with four nutrition directors across the state to get a sense of the problem.

It's grim.

New on the website today: The scope of our school lunch debt crisis and how we've failed students.

forarpeople.org/the-scope-of...

"One Kid Hungry is One Kid Too Many": The Scope of School Lunch Debt in Arkansas - For AR People Action

Arkansas now feeds schoolkids breakfast for free. But a lunch debt crisis looms large over the state's school nutrition programs.

forarpeople.org

3 4

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · May 19

Today we're excited to announce our participation in Protect AR Rights with other stakeholders in Arkansas. Our goal is to defend direct democracy from legislative overreach, and we've got the group to do it!

You can follow our efforts at www.protectarrights.org

8

Reposted by For AR People

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · May 14

"Two grassroots ballot question committees hoping to place measures on the 2026 ballot filed a motion Wednesday seeking to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging several laws passed by the Arkansas Legislature to restrict the initiative process." arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

Grassroots groups seek to join federal lawsuit challenging new state laws restricting initiative process - Arkansas Times

If the motion is granted, the intervenors plan to bring additional claims, including a challenge to a law that requires ballot titles to be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level.

arktimes.com

16 260 920

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · May 14

We're pleased to be supporting this effort to overturn the unconstitutional efforts of the legislature to silence the people of Arkansas and limit our right to direct democracy.

ACLU of Arkansas @acluarkansas.bsky.social · May 14

BREAKING: We’re suing the state of Arkansas over laws that silence voters and sabotage citizen-led ballot initiatives. These attacks on direct democracy violate the First Amendment.

We’re taking this fight to court — because in Arkansas, the people rule.

loom.ly/DHsAQfs

8 23

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · May 8

This story gets much worse.

Long story short? Someone basically stole $300k from the state to abuse kids, and the state didn't do anything to stop them until the person got caught running a child fight ring.

forarpeople.org/jonesboro-fi...

5 4

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · May 7

NEW on the site today: Seen the White House budget proposal? Massive cuts to essential services across the board.

But that's pretty familiar to Arkansans, who have been experiencing similar cuts for years.

forarpeople.org/arkansas-is-...

Arkansas is what happens when Government stops caring

When government stops caring, people suffer. Arkansas is living proof—and now Trump wants to take that model nationwide. It’s time to fight back.

forarpeople.org

6 8

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 29

#NEWS A few days ago, this story broke about child abuse in a special education institution in Jonesboro. www.kait8.com/2025/04/21/p...

It turns out the "Delta Institute" was receiving EFA funds.

Vouchers financed a child fight ring. #arpx

Prosecutor: School director was ‘ringleader of makeshift child fight club’

Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood said Monday that a school director was the “ringleader of a makeshift child fight club.”

www.kait8.com

5 6

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 18

Abortion bans kill people, and this is one reason why: doctors don't want to train and live in states where they cannot provide the care mandated by their oaths to "Do no harm."

Oxford American @oxfordamerican.bsky.social · Apr 18

“These life-saving points for which there’s an exception—they do exist.”

—Dr. Chad Taylor speaks on the importance of reporting vital statistics about abortions that meet the life-of-the-mother exception, in “Why Doctors are Opting Out of Arkansas.”

🔗: https://shorturl.at/ZC2

2 9

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 17

We remind ourselves of the next part of that scene a lot:

Picture of the Wizard Gandalf from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, saying "So do all who see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

1 1

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 17

Got a really beautiful sight for y’all today.

It’s so… quiet #arleg

1 9

Reposted by For AR People

Matt Campbell @bluehogreport.bsky.social · Apr 16

In a real plot twist, the Arkansas House on Wednesday voted down an anti-democracy Republican power grab to allow the legislature to change constitutional amendments initiated and passed by the people. The issue isn't going away, though. arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

One last anti-democracy bill from Arkansas Republicans dies in the House as legislative session ends

If the people pass an amendment the Legislature doesn’t like, many Republican lawmakers want to be able to amend or repeal it. Never mind that the Arkansas Supreme Court unanimously rejected that argu...

arktimes.com

5 19

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

Thank you!

2

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

And with the House in recess, the business of the 95th General Assembly is done. Thanks for following along, folks. We’ll have a roundup later this week.

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

So delighted to announce the Senate has adjourned. Almost there, y'all.

2 3 16

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

So delighted to announce the Senate has adjourned. Almost there, y'all.

5

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

#SB569 goes down in flames. Great news for democracy.

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

#SB569 is bad because it gives the legislature (again, unconstitutionally) the power to amend or even repeal citizen-initiated constitutional amendments with a 2/3 vote.

Minimum wage increase? Gone. Medical Marijuana? Gone. Term limits? Gone.

1 5 17

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

#SB569 is bad because it gives the legislature (again, unconstitutionally) the power to amend or even repeal citizen-initiated constitutional amendments with a 2/3 vote.

Minimum wage increase? Gone. Medical Marijuana? Gone. Term limits? Gone.

1 3

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

Anyway, call your House rep today to ask them to oppose #SB569.

Find your rep here: www.arkansashouse.org

and call here: (501) 682-6211

Home - Arkansas House of Representatives

Home

www.arkansashouse.org

1 2

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

The House will also be voting on #SB486, which is yet another bathroom bill targeting trans people (also unconstitutional).

#SB290 will get its final sign off from the Senate today.

1

For AR People @forarpeople.bsky.social · Apr 16

It brings us great joy to report that #arleg is on track to finish today.

It brings us great sadness to report that bad bills are still coming. #SB569, which is an unconstitutional power grab by the legislature, passed House State Agencies late last night.

1 8 17