‘This is very real redlining’: outrage in Little Rock as two datacenters loom

Critics decry proposed hyperscale projects, fearing overuse of water and electricity, and ‘appropriating rural, Black-owned land for industrial purposes’…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/07/datacenters-little-rock-arkansas

 

Arkansas Knew This Private School Harmed Students but Kept Sending Funds — ProPublica

Private School Abuse: At an Arkansas school, a boy was hit by the school’s founder and attacked by classmates in a group session the founder led, prompting a complaint and her arrest. 

State Money Still Flows: Despite a jail term for the school’s founder, The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain continues to operate and Arkansas still sends it public funds. 

Unregulated and Growing: By design, private schools get little oversight in Arkansas even as new opportunities to receive state money have spurred a boom in openings since 2023...

 https://www.propublica.org/article/arkansas-private-schools-vouchers-delta-institute-developing-brain-autism-harm

 

In Arkansas, Emily Waldorf Nearly Died After Being Denied Miscarriage Care — ProPublica

Treated as a Liability: Emily Waldorf was denied care for a risky miscarriage due to Arkansas’ abortion ban, even after she met the hospital’s CEO, called the governor’s office and got a lawyer. 

Lawyers, Not Doctors: Medical standards say it’s necessary for doctors to offer abortion. Women have died without it. But in states with bans, lawyers often decide if patients get care. 

An Isolated Fix: Texas recently provided guidance that says doctors don’t need to wait for miscarrying patients to get sicker before intervening. Arkansas and other states have not... 

https://www.propublica.org/article/arkansas-abortion-ban-miscarriage-care 

 

HUGE Legal Win in Arkansas!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4d_mIChI02I

 

Arkansas police arrest Kendra Duggar on child abuse charges

Arkansas police have arrested Kendra Duggar, the wife of reality TV personality Joseph Duggar, on misdemeanor child abuse charges, in the latest scandal to envelop the family featured on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. 

 Kendra Duggar faces four counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment, according to the Washington county sheriff's office in Arkansas. She has a hearing scheduled for Monday...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/arkansas-kendra-dugger-child-abuse-charges

 

Permanent Injunction (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

After we cover state/church news in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Maryland, FFRF attorney Chris Line dissects the so-called “Religious Liberty Commission” and FFRF attorney Nancy Noet tells us about this week’s decision by an Arkansas court permanently enjoining the state from displaying the Ten Commandments in public classrooms.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-march-19-2026/

 

Christian Candidate Too Extreme for Australia (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #627)

— Federal judge blocks Arkansas law forcing Ten Commandments displays in public schools. (0:37)

— South Australia political party dumps Christian candidate over anti-gay, anti-feminist rants. (14:47)

— Nebraska “prophet” says God needs him to have access to a private jet. (26:28)

— Indiana judge says state’s abortion ban violates religious freedom of those seeking abortions. (40:08)

— A Utah lawmaker didn’t try to codify the Mormon “Word of Wisdom.” He was just making a point. (51:30)

— Extremist pastor plots comeback campaign in deep-red Oklahoma district. (1:06:55)

— Alabama House passes bill forcing public schools to begin day with student-led prayer. (1:17:50)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2026/03/19/christian-candidate-too-extreme-for-australia/

‘I was violated and put in extreme danger’: women denied abortions sue over Arkansas ban

It argues that the laws banning abortion in Arkansas – there are two virtually identical laws on the books – must be struck down because they violate the state constitution and its guarantee that people have the right to equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These anti-abortion laws, the lawsuit alleges, not only infringe on people's right to choose how to build their families, but also threaten their lives, fertility and economic wellbeing…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/arkansas-lawsuit-abortion-ban-miscarriage

 

‘I have never been as worried as I am now’: Arkansas farmers gather to share concerns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VYtabeCROY

Oklahoma’s Scammy PragerU Teacher ”Test” (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #599)

— Oklahoma’s meaningless “America First” teacher test is just a PragerU ad campaign. (1:45)

— New Jersey town sues mall for ignoring Blue Laws and selling merch on Sundays. (34:49)

— Mormon columnist who preached “traditional values” busted for alleged child exploitation. (48:55)

— Judge orders Arkansas school district to remove illegal Ten Commandments posters. (1:02:15)

— 25% of Texas districts are using Bible-heavy reading lessons in public elementary schools. (1:11:20)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/09/03/oklahomas-scammy-prageru-teacher-test/

Inside the ‘Whites Only’ Community in Arkansas | WIRED

A GROUP OF Americans are building a "whites only" community in rural Arkansas they call the Return to the Land. They believe that white people and Western culture are facing extinction due to an influx of immigrants and minorities, and according to the group's founder, access to the community is open only to people of white European ancestry who share common views on topics such as segregation, abortion, and gender identity… 

Though the organization claims that Return to the Land is nothing more than a peaceful settlement of like-minded people, the online histories of the group's leaders tell a different story. Members have espoused virulently racist and antisemitic views and repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. One of the leaders says he is currently under criminal investigation in Ecuador. Orwoll himself has spoken about the coming of a second Hitler and praised KKK leader David Duke. He is also closely aligned to an international network of far-right influencers, extremists, and white supremacists, including Thomas Sewell, a neo-Nazi living in Australia who was the founder of a group that influenced the Christchurch, New Zealand, shooter…

https://www.wired.com/story/whites-only-community-arkansas/

 

Federal judge blocks Arkansas law forcing the Ten Commandments in schools from talking full effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiBYdRohHlE

 

Trump denies aid for Arkansas after storms that killed more than 40 people

Latest denial of disaster funding comes as Trump has repeatedly stated he wants to eliminate Fema…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/24/trump-denies-aid-arkansas-tornados

 

Washington Closes Confession Admission Loophole (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #579)

— Washington bill ends clergy loophole: Confessions no longer shield child abusers. (0:30)

— Catholic hospital ditches “pro-life” rhetoric to avoid malpractice lawsuit payout. (16:25)

— Arkansas Republicans just fired the state’s Library Board to please one Christian Nationalist. (30:20)

— Tennessee’s “Success Sequence” law ignores what really makes kids successful. (48:08)

— Sen. James Lankford knows the IRS isn’t targeting churches—he just hopes you don’t. (1:00:23)

— See something, snitch something: The State Department’s “anti-Christian bias” witch hunt begins. (1:13:12)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/04/17/washington-closes-confession-admission-loophole/

Wait, What?!? Republicans are Trying to BAN CERTAIN HAIRCUTS FOR KIDS!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYT42JL7lXo

 

Arkansas Pastor Sentenced to 50 Yrs for Raping His Minor Children (The Roys Report)

A former Arkansas pastor has pleaded guilty to three counts of rape involving his minor children and been sentenced to 50 years in prison, according to a statement released yesterday by Arkansas authorities...

https://julieroys.com/arkansas-pastor-sentenced-to-50-years-for-raping-his-minor-children/

Voting Rights Victories in Montana, Arkansas and Pennsylvania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHb4Q04oJDY

Arkansas petition to vote on abortion rights amendment is rejected - The Washington Post

"Asserting now that we didn't provide required documentation regarding paid canvassers is absurd and demonstrably, undeniably incorrect," the group said. 

Arkansans for Limited Government said it had emailed the required signed statement to the office "more than a dozen times."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/11/arkansas-abortion-amendment-petition-rejected/

Arkansas election officials reject petitions submitted to put abortion rights on 2024 ballot | PBS News

The secretary of state's office rejected the petitions submitted on Friday by supporters of the proposal, saying the group didn't submit statements required regarding paid signature gatherers…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/arkansas-election-officials-reject-petitions-submitted-to-put-abortion-rights-on-2024-ballot

Fordyce, Arkansas shooting: 3 dead, 10 injured following grocery store shooting | CNN

At least 234 mass shootings have taken place in the United States in 2024, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter...

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/21/us/fordyce-arkansas-shooting/index.html