Articles – Conduit News Arkansas

Congratulations Voters – Runoff Elections

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Conduit For Action

The runoff elections for several seats in the House of Representatives was held on March 31. The runoff elections were for their party’s nomination. Turnout for runoff elections are always low but with the COVID-19 pandemic no one knew what voters would do. In Craighead County some voters were also affected by the recent tornado that ripped a path of destruction through Jonesboro and nearby areas…

Can Road Tax Be Diverted?

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Conduit For Action

We saw this question on Facebook: Will the road tax be diverted to something else because of the COVID-19 pandemic and budget crisis? The question appears to refer to the proposed one-half percent (0.50%) sales tax dedicated for highways and roads. The proposal will appear on the ballot in November. In 2019, politicians decided road construction was a top priority. Circumstances have changed sign…

AR Budget Crisis Session

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Conduit For Action

Arkansas Budget Crisis Session By David Ferguson Governor Asa Hutchinson intends to call a special session of the Arkansas General Assembly to deal with Arkansas’ budget crisis caused by the Coronavirus and resulting economic shutdown. He also announced big reductions in state spending and a delay in the deadline to file individual income tax returns until July 15. If having a session of the legis…

Arkansas Income Tax Deadline – Waiting for news

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Conduit For Action

The federal government is giving Americans an additional 90 days to file and pay federal income taxes. The new federal deadline is July 15. This is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The question was asked of Governor Asa Hutchinson – What about the deadline for Arkansas income taxes? At least for now the answer is they are still due April 15, but officials are reviewing whether that is…

Chinese Gamble Cost Taxpayers

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Conduit For Action

How much did the gamble cost Arkansas taxpayers? The communist Chinese company, Shandong Sun Paper Industry, announced it has canceled its plan to build a $1.8 billion paper plant near Arkadelphia in Clark County. The plant had been projected to add 350 employees. Arkansas Commerce Secretary Mike Preston assured the public none of the previously announced incentives had been paid to Shandong Sun P…

Coronavirus, Constitution, & Governor Hutchinson

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Conduit For Action

As officials across the country try to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) more and more restrictions and guidelines are being announced on businesses and places people gather. We applaud Governor Asa Hutchinson for his concern over how restrictions may affect constitutional rights, in particular, the separation of church and state. On Thursday, March 20th, the governor announced additio…

U.S. Helped China. Now China Threatens Medical Supply

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Conduit For Action

In early February, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a gathering our nation’s governors about steps already taken to help the China because of the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Wuhan, China. Pompeo said: “Look at the nearly 18 tons of medical supplies the United States just flew to China this past week to help fight the corona virus. Yesterday we announced more than a hundred mil…

Covid-19 Virus and the Runoff Elections

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Conduit For Action

In a few areas of the state there will be runoff elections on March 31, 2020. For example, there are some runoffs for legislative races and judicial races. Runoff elections normally have lower turnout, but turnout could be much lower this time because of fear over the Covid-19 virus. That is sad news for our democracy and for the candidates who have worked so hard and who are continuing to work to…

Sen. Ballinger’s Slip of the Tongue

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Conduit For Action

The Democrat-Gazette listed the legislators who last year received the most taxpayer money in the form of payments for mileage and per diem, which is in addition to their salaries. The per diem represents a flat payment for lodging, meals, and incidentals. The top three were State Representatives Jim Dodson of Bentonville ($38,987), Johnny Rye of Truman ($32,947), and Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado…

Big Election Story You May Have Missed

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Conduit For Action

Most of the attention on Arkansas’ March 3rd elections was focused on the presidential race. There was also interest in a few hotly contested judicial races and legislative races. But, perhaps the most interesting races in the state were the quorum court races in Pope County. Local races are often decided by people just voting for the incumbent or voting for the person they know and think is a nic…

Latest Articles