Arkansas

Tammy Curtis, Managing Editor  The countdown is on for one of northeast Arkansas’ most anticipated summer traditions. The 2026 Cave City Watermelon Festival returns tomorrow, July 23-25 at the Cave City Park, bringing three days of live entertainment, family activities, contests, food, carnival rides and, of course, some of the sweetest watermelons in the country. Watermelons have already begun filling produce stands throughout Cave City, signaling that festival week has arrived. Each…

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The Oak Ridge Boys will bring their “Front Porch Singin’ Tour” to Charlotte, Ark., as part of the annual FreedomFest at John 3:16 Ministries.“ July is the month the nation celebrates its freedom and independence, and it is also the month that the residents at John 3:16 celebrate their freedom from drug and alcohol addiction,” said camp founder and director Bryan Tuggle. Festivities get under-way Sat. July 1 with a barbecue dinner. Meal…

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There are a variety of school choice options available for many of the 721,000 children living in Arkansas. Families in Arkansas can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, and homeschooling. You can discover more information about the school choice options available for your fam-ily by reading our Arkansas School Choice Roadmap.https://schoolchoiceweek.com/guide-school-choice-ar-kansas/National School Choice Week(NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options…

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After Arkansas prisons reached the 105 percent capacity mark in the middle of September, the Department of Corrections Board voted on Sept. 23 to release nearly 400 Arkansas prisoners early due to the overcrowding issue. This release has prompted officials to address the issue within the state’s prison system.Benny Magness, Chairman of the Arkansas Board of Corrections said the department didn’t have much choice due to a four to five percent growth…

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The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has released economic data for 2021 exhibiting outdoor recreation’s powerful and positive economic impact on the U.S. economy. The outdoor recreation economy in Arkansas grew a stunning 23percent from 2020 to 2021, according to the BEA Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account. This year’s report shows that outdoor recreation creates $3.5 billion in value added for Arkansas, accounts for 2.4percent of Arkansas’s Gross Domestic…

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