Red Wing Daily: December 5, 2024
"the more you know..."
State
Books again: After Crawford County parents lost their lawsuit over LGBTQ+ books in the County Library (the Court ordered books put back on general circulation shelves), the County Library says that Crawford County must pay its attorney fees of $118,000 from the lawsuit. The County, which says the Library fund should pay, has shelled out over $240,000 in legal expenses, is now saying the County general fund cannot afford this financial hit. And now the Library is represented by the County attorney its independent counsel withdrew due to “irreconcilable differences … which have materially impacted …[our] ability to represent” the Library. All about which entity will pay those fees.
Dictatorial Governor? After Saline County Republicans’ pleas for help from Governor Sanders were ignored — as they asked for her intervention before the RPA summarily dissolved the entire Republican County Committee — we can’t say we disagree with the Arkansas Advocate’s lede in an opinion piece pointing out similar problems with Sanders’ purchase of prison land in Franklin County without informing local citizens or elected officials:
Gov. Sarah Sanders’ decision to impose a 3,000-bed prison on tiny Franklin County is a metaphor for the first two years of her administration: Top-down decision making, lack of transparency, an unwillingness to consider viewpoints other than her own and artful dodging about actual costs.
Arkansas crypto woes continue: Federal Chief Judge Karen Baker has granted a temporary restraining order in the 2023 Jones Digital (now Jones Eagle) DeWitt crypto mine lawsuit, saying Jones is likely to prevail. Her Order temporarily stops enforcement of Acts 636 and 174, passed in 2024 to ban foreign entities from owning agricultural land and prohibit foreign-party-controlled businesses in Arkansas.
Make a note: After four terms in the State House, Representative Grant Hodges (R-Centerton) joins Chase Dugger’s JCD Consulting firm in 2025 to “leverage his extensive experience to assist clients in navigating the political process and to expand the firm’s political business” — but, “due to legal restrictions, he will not be eligible to lobby until 2027.” Right. Explain again how that actually works in real life.
Dems in the Arkansas Legislature: The 25 Democrats in the Arkansas Legislature say they want to address maternal health, “democracy,” mental health, and public education issues in the 95th General Assembly that begins January 13. It’s widely anticipated that the supermajority Republicans will again chip away on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as well as adjust budgets for the LEARNS project and medical services for prisons, among other possibilities, including cuts to property taxes and grocery taxes.
Senator Jonathan Dismang, co-chair of the Joint Budget Committee, discussed the upcoming session on Capitol View:
No cryptomine right now in Lonoke County: The Lonoke County Judge has put a restraining order on Interstate Holdings Blockchain, owned by Steven Landers Jr., as they “began construction without having acquired the proper permits” for a new new cryptomine that is drawing criticism for its “proximity to Little Rock Air Force Base—less than five miles.”
National
A trucker with 25 years experience is very publicly asking DOGE to dig into why the trucking industry, “the most critical link in the nation’s supply chain,” is being undermined by foreign actors, while pointing out that the Arkansas-founded advocacy organization called American Truckers United
… has begun to analyze crash data and connect the dots between ever-increasing truck collision numbers on American roads with the use of overseas laborers who, again, are often not trained properly or even licensed at all.
Tech
Lining up against the CCP / TikTok: After a national security review, Canada ordered TikTok to close its offices there “in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may be injurious to Canada’s national security.”
