Opinion

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo National River’s designation as our country’s first national river. Enjoying wildlife and the outdoors is a way of life for residents of The Natural State and the Buffalo National River has helped countless Arkansans do just that. As we commemorate National Park Week, we celebrate this milestone and all of Arkansas’s national treasures.

A Day of Debates, featuring Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidates, will be held on Thursday, April 21 at Little Rock Union Station, lower level. A luncheon will also be part of the day’s schedule. The event is hosted by Arkansas Press Association and sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R- AR) announced he will vote against the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. He released the following statement:

We are delighted to welcome our 14th association and 16th state to be represented in the Column Partner Program — the Arkansas Press Association. The Column team will be working with the APA on a redesign of their statewide public notice website, making critical improvements to the accessibility of their site as well as adding improved search and alert functionality for the public.

50 years ago, the citizens of sovereign Republics known as the Counties of Baxter, Marion, Newton, & Searcy within the sovereign Republic of the State of Arkansas advocated the release of land along the banks of what is known as the Buffalo River. It was done in the hopes of stopping the creation of dams along the river and impacting private property owners not just along the river bottom, but many who owned property that would evidentially be covered in the body of water created by this river blockage. The result was the creation of the Buffalo River National Park (BRNP) with the promises of job creation and national recognition of the pristine area with the main objective of protecting the Buffalo River and providing a pristine outdoor experience with nature in its natural setting. The area would be under federal protection and what could possibility be wrong with that. 50 years later, everything is wrong with this decision.

LITTLE ROCK - National Work Zone Awareness Week (WZAW) is April 11-15 and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is pleading for drivers to slow down in work zones. This national safety campaign is observed each spring, the traditional start of construction season, to encourage safe driving through highway work zones.

Cover crops more effective than insecticides for managing pests, study suggests. Did that catch your attention? Promoting early season plant cover, primarily using cover crops, can be more effective at reducing pest density and crop damage than insecticide applications, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers.

Fayetteville — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Foods’ 2022 Beginner Farmer Classes are available online through Oct. 31.