LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 8 -- The American Civil Liberties Union, a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release on May 7: A federal court denied a motion to block an Arkansas directive that is preventing patients from obtaining abortion care. The ruling comes in response to a request filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arkansas, Lit  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 7 -- Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas issued the following news release: Governor Hutchinson opened by saying he signed a proclamation to extend the state's emergency for 45 more days. This means we are not yet finished with our work. His first emergency order was set to expire on May 21. He considered extending by 60 days but decided to just do 45 days. This means all of the directives previously issued are reaffirmed. Yesterd  more

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, May 9 -- Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas issued the following news release on May 8: Thanks to General Assembly and Legislative council for increasing funding for Ready for Business grants up to $147 million. They also approved the payments to medical workers who are directly involved in Covid cases. Yesterday we had 3,365 cases. Today we have 82 new cases for a total of 3,747. Hospitalizations decreased by four to 64. 2,355 tests  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- The Justice Action Network issued the following news: In order to protect the safety of correctional officers and incarcerated people, the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) paroled over 380 inmates of the more than 1,200 individuals who had non-violent offenses and were due for release within the next six months following Governor Asa Hutchinson's executive order. With concern for public safety at the forefront, each of these individuals has been thoroughly vetted by  more

NEW YORK, May 8 -- The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund issued the following news release on May 7: Yesterday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson requesting he implement a statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to protect Arkansas's most vulnerable households facing extreme economic distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Arkansas is one of only a handful of states that has yet to impose such a mo  more