WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club posted the following news release: * * * Arkansas PSC Opens Door For Higher Electricity Bills * Little Rock, Ark. - Today, as the region focuses on an impending winter storm, the Arkansas Public Service Commission approved a move to raise customers' electricity costs in much of Northwest Arkansas. With the go-ahead from the three governor-appointed PSC commissioners, SWEPCO will increase bills by 23% at current fuel costs, in par  more

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Jan. 23 -- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the following news: * * * Attorney General Alan Wilson stands up to woke ideology in the classroom * (COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Attorney General Alan Wilson is leading a 21-state friend-of-the-court brief to defend a South Carolina legal provision prohibiting public schools from teaching students that one race or sex is inherently superior to another, or that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026: * * * Chairman Crawford: The U.S. Is Not at War with Venezuela Today, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (AR-01) spoke on the House floor in opposition to Democrats' misguided, illogical War Powers Resolution in reference to a law enforcement mission to execute an arrest warrant on ille  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Joins Rounds to Introduce the Life at Conception Act * Washington, D.C.- On the day of the annual March for Life, U.S. Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo, along with 10 of his Republican Seante colleagues, joined U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) to introduce the Life at Conception Act, which would legally recognize the right to life by extending 14th Amendment protections to unborn children.   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: * * * CRAWFORD, BARRETT INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT LIFE, OVERTURN D.C. ASSISTED SUICIDE EFFORTS This week, Congressmen Tom Barrett (MI-07) and Rick Crawford (AR-01) introduced H.R. 7196 to protect life at all stages by ending assisted suicide in Washington, D.C. Specifically, the bill would repeal a District of Columbia law known as the Death with Dignity Act, which legalized physician-assisted suicide.   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule approving revisions to the Arkansas state implementation plan. The update involves the transfer of Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission Rule 19 and Regulations 9, 26, and 31 into the Code of Arkansas Rules. These changes consist of non-substantive formatting edits and do not relax existing requirements or introduce additional regulations to the air quality plan. During the public process, a  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF11140) on Jan. 21, 2026, by economic development policy analyst Julie M. Lawhorn: * * * Federal Regional Commissions and Authorities: Overview of Structure and Activities Federal regional commissions and authorities (FRCAs) address perceived regional economic underdevelopment. These organizations accommodate multileveled and multijurisdictional participation in and implementati  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Rep. French Hill, R-Arkansas, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Financial Services Advances 6 Bills and a Resolution The House Committee on Financial Services, led by Chairman French Hill (AR-02), successfully reported 6 bills and one resolution to the House of Representatives. "Cumulatively, these bills take steps toward reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens to allow businesses to focus on their core operati  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis issued the following news release: * * * Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 3rd Quarter 2025 * Today, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released new quarterly statistics on gross domestic product and personal income for all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the third quarter of 2025 (July, August, and September). Gross domestic product (GDP) highlights Real GDP incre  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Jan. 24 -- Little Rock School District issued the following news: * * * Little Rock School District Invites Community to FY27 Budget Conversations LRSD The Little Rock School District (LRSD) is inviting parents, students, staff, and community members to participate in upcoming community meetings as part of the District's Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget development process. These meetings will give the community an opportunity to learn more about LRSD's financial priori  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news: * * * Hospital Crisis Watch: American Health Care in Free Fall as 700 Providers at Risk or Closing Amid Trump-GOP Medicaid Cuts Protect Our Care's Hospital Crisis Watch Map Now Tracks 700 Providers at Risk or Closing Due to the Trump-GOP Health Care Crisis * While billionaires and big corporations bask in the GOP-engineered bonanza of wealth created for the top 1%, the American health care system is in free fall. In Kansas,   more

LOS ANGELES, California, Jan. 23 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary: * * * How public schools measure capacity for K-12 open enrollment transfers Far too many public school districts are blocking transfer students they could easily accommodate. By Jude Schwalbach, Senior Policy Analyst With the vast majority of K-12 students attending public schools, it's crucial to continue expanding school choice in ways that benefit them. Since 2020, states have significantly expand  more

RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas, Jan. 23 -- Arkansas Tech University issued the following news: * * * Study in Hawaii Provides Pool With New Perspectives * Oaken Pool grew up in central Arkansas, but those closest to him have long known that his soul belongs near the ocean. They called him "Surfer Boy" growing up, but it wasn't until Pool pursued a study away opportunity as an Arkansas Tech University student that he had a chance to live out his coastal aspirations. Pool spent the fall 2025 semes  more

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas, Jan. 23 -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff posted the following news: * * * UAPB Staff Members and Alumna Named 2026 New Leaders Council Arkansas Fellows * Two staff members and an alumna of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) have been named 2026 New Leaders Council (NLC) Arkansas Fellows. Angela Howard, an Extension Program Aide in Agriculture & Family and Consumer Sciences, Jermaine L. Ramos, a Student Involvement Analyst in the Office of Student  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, Jan. 23 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Little Rock District issued the following news release: * * * USACE prepares hydropower plants for peak winter energy demand The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District is preparing to bring all district operated hydropower plants online to help meet expected peak energy demand as a winter storm moves into the region this weekend. In keeping with USACE's commitment to maximizing the ability to deliver national infr  more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Jan. 24 -- The West Virginia Attorney General John B. McCuskey issued the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026: * * * West Virginia joins coalition to protect Section 504 Rule by removing woke Biden-era language that threatened disability funding Today West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey is delivering on a promise to protect and return Section 504 to its true purpose--supporting children and adults with disabilities. McCuskey joined a coalition of attorne  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 -- Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: * * * WESTERMAN APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF APPROPRIATIONS BILLS THROUGH REGULAR ORDER * Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass the final four appropriations bills: Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2026; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, (THUD) And Related  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026: * * * Westerman Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of House Passage of the Fix Our Forests Act Today, January 23, is the one-year anniversary of the House of Representatives' passage of H.R. 471, the "Fix Our Forests Act." House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) made the following statement marking the  more