Red Wing Daily: April 18, 2025
State
No reason given: Arkansas PBS says Executive Director and CEO Courtney Pledger will leave the job next month. Rep. Wayne Long and State Senator Dan Sullivan sponsored failed SB184 that called for the removal of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission along with the State Library Board, pressuring Pledger and other PBS officials to defend their operational budgets to the Arkansas Legislature. The Legislature eventually passed a replacement bill sponsored by Rep. Howard Beaty and Senator Jonathan Dismang (SB640) that reconstitutes the Library Board only.
Perfect Family Council scores: “Arkansas’ four congressmen and two U.S. senators each earned a perfect score on a report card” from FRC Action in Washington, D.C., the legislative affiliate of Family Research Council; scorecard topics deal “primarily with abortion, the right to life, bioethics, LGBT issues, and marijuana.”
On the walls: Lawmakers passed Rep. Alyssa Brown and Senator Jim Dotson’s SB433 that mandates the display of the national motto (“In God We Trust”) and a specified version of the “10 Commandments” on school walls, to be funded by donations or “purchased solely with funds made available through voluntary contributions to the local school boards, local building governing entity, or the Building Authority Division” — and, of course, the Left objects.
She says NO: Governor Sarah Sanders issued two vetoes as the 95th General Assembly concluded it business Wednesday April 16. In a line-item veto, the Governor denied funding the Institute on Race & Ethnicity Director at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. She also vetoed HB1889, which (among other items) would have allowed delivery service and drive-through windows for something it calls “usable marijuana.” HB1889 barely passed the House 51-31 (11 not voting and 7 voting present) and passed in the Senate 19-15 (one voting present).
On your November ballot: Arkansas law allows the Legislature to refer up to three constitutional amendment questions to the voters during each legislative session. These three Republican-led measures are the proposals the 95th General Assembly approved to appear on your November 2026 ballot:
— SJR11 would affirm that the right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment “is a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.”
— SJR15 would grant the Legislature power to create economic development districts
— HJR1018, “The Citizens Only Voting Amendment,” would affirm that only U.S. citizens can vote in Arkansas (already is the law)
National
250th Anniversary: “This Saturday is the 250th anniversary of the first day of the 3,059-day war that birthed the modern world. Commemorating the April 19, 1775, skirmishes at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge begins a celebration” that ends with America’s glorious 250th birthday party on July 4, 2026. Steve Bannon will host a special live broadcast of his WarRoom on Saturday to commemorate the beginning of America’s 250th birthday party; catch it on Real America’s Voice or Rumble.
Is “gender dysphoria” a disability? “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will remove gender dysphoria from disabilities protected under federal law.” AG Tim Griffin is one of 17 Republican state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit being criticized by disability advocates; they say overturning the entire “Section 504” that includes that language could dismantle disability protections for all disabled individuals.
Sleep in your car? A new California proposal would let students sleep in their cars on campus lots as a way to address the state’s housing shortage
Making telehealth permanent: Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton joined a bipartisan group of 58 senators sponsoring legislation to expand telehealth access across the country, set to expire September 30 unless Congress acts. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act permanently expands COVID telehealth programs and permanent coverage of telehealth services through Medicare.
Tech
It’s not just your data: Shopping on ultra-cheap Chinese app Temu is not just supporting that country’s economy while providing you with low-quality items — that cheap clothing you bought could be jeopardizing your health. “Testing by the South Korean government … revealed unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, and phthalate plasticizers in clothing sold by Temu.”
