Category: US State of Arkansas

Source: US State of Arkansas

Steve Kueter is a lifelong resident of Greene County and earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from Arkansas State University. He owns and operates Kueter’s Fish Company, Inc., a third-generation catfish and baitfish farm in Paragould.

An avid hunter and fisherman since childhood, Kueter developed a lifelong appreciation for Arkansas’ outdoors through time spent hunting and fishing alongside his father, grandfather, and extended family. Today, he continues that tradition with his wife, Emily, their three children, and two grandchildren.

Kueter currently serves on the Board of Directors for Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation and is president of the Eight Mile Drainage District. He also serves on the Arkansas Catfish Promotion Board, the Greene County Farm Bureau Board, and the Arkansas Bait and Ornamental Fish Growers Association. Previously, he served on the boards of Catfish Farmers of Arkansas and Catfish Farmers of America.

A recognized leader in Arkansas aquaculture, Kueter has represented the state nationally as a two-time Catfish Farmer of the Year and previously served as chairman of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Aquaculture Committee.

Source: US State of Arkansas

Sanders Calls for Special Election to Fill Vacancy in Office for State Senator for District 1

Source: US State of Arkansas

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced the eighth installment of Faces of Arkansas, a monthly series highlighting Arkansans whose portraits and stories are displayed at the entrance to the Governor’s office as a reminder of who the Governor and her team serve every day: the people of Arkansas. The series was launched to keep the focus of public service rooted in the individuals and communities that make the state what it is.

Each month, a different Arkansan is featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video, with their framed photo hanging inside the Capitol. Selections are based on individuals who make Arkansas function — whether by serving as the heartbeat of their local communities, overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams, or playing an essential role in their industry. 

This installment features Collin Whittington, founder of Roasties in Bentonville, whose entrepreneurial spirit transformed an overlooked byproduct into an Arkansas-made business rooted in innovation, sustainability, and the outdoors.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH HIS INTERVIEW

Collin Whittington – The Second Look

Every industry has something it throws away. Manufacturing has scrap metal. Lumber mills have sawdust. Coffee has chaff—the thin, papery skin that separates from every bean during roasting. Most people never see it. Coffee roasters do. Every day, they sweep it into bags headed for the landfill before doing the exact same thing tomorrow. Eventually, even waste becomes routine. For nearly everyone, that’s where the story ends, but for Collin Whittington, it was where one began.

“It just had to have a use,” he said.

That thought stayed with him longer than he expected. Long before his company, Roasties – an all-natural fire starter made from recycled coffee chaff and beeswax – found its way into outdoor outfitters, Arkansas State Park gift shops, and retailers across the region, Collin was roasting coffee in Fort Smith. The work became second nature – the timing, the temperatures, the rhythm of each batch. So did cleaning up afterward. “When you roast coffee at 400 degrees, the skin comes off and it’s collected in the coffee roaster,” he explained. “Ninety-nine percent of coffee roasters throw it away.” He couldn’t stop wondering why.

Not because coffee chaff looked particularly valuable. It didn’t. It was light enough to float through the air, messy enough to become a nuisance, and combustible enough to be considered a fire hazard inside the roastery. “So we actually turned the problem into the solution,” Collin said with a grin. “Made it something that’s supposed to be caught on fire.”

Some businesses begin with a market analysis. Others begin with a question that refuses to leave you alone. For Collin, the idea arrived in 2021. Then it waited. For nearly three years, it lived quietly in the back of his mind until a road trip through the Pacific Northwest gave him something entrepreneurs rarely have enough of: time.

“At some point,” he said, “I was like, let’s just do it.” So, he walked into Onyx Coffee and asked if he could take bags of coffee chaff home. “They said, ‘Sure…okay…whatever,’” he laughed. The experiments started in his kitchen. His roommate tolerated them. Barely.

Later, when he married Hannah, the operation moved into their house, where she inherited the dust, the mess, and eventually an order for 2,000 fire starters that transformed their home into a small manufacturing shop almost overnight. “She also wasn’t thrilled,” he joked. Like most overnight successes, Roasties looked anything but glamorous in the beginning. It was coffee chaff. Beeswax. Trial and error.

Some mixtures burned too quickly. Others wouldn’t stay lit long enough to matter. Space disappeared almost as quickly as time did. Then, one worked. The little puck burned just long enough to catch kindling. Roasties was born.

Good ideas have a funny way of changing how you see ordinary things. After that, coffee chaff wasn’t just coffee chaff anymore. It was possibility. Arkansas has always had people like that. People who fix before they replace. People who build businesses around kitchen tables and workshops. People who see potential where someone else sees inconvenience. Resourcefulness has never really been a trend here, it’s simply part of the culture, and Roasties feels like it belongs because that mindset already did. For Collin, keeping the company in Arkansas was never much of a question.

“We’ve gotten tons of people that have tried to produce the product for us as we’ve grown,” he said. “But I do want to stay here manufacturing in Arkansas.” Born and raised here, he credits much of the company’s growth to the people around him. “We felt really supported,” he said. “Especially in the Northwest Arkansas outdoor recreation scene. Man, they’re like the best community of all time.”

That support came through programs like the University of Arkansas 
Office of Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP), where Collin first learned something every entrepreneur eventually has to figure out: a good product isn’t enough if you can’t explain why it matters. “I could never have said my story in one sentence before GORP,” he said. “They really challenge you to figure out what your story actually is.”

Today, his answer is remarkably simple. Roasties is an all-natural fire starter made from a byproduct of the coffee roasting process. Simple, clear, memorable. Behind that one sentence, though, is something much bigger.

Each year, billions of pounds of coffee chaff are discarded around the world. Most people don’t even know it exists. “They don’t even know what’s being thrown away,” Collin said. He hopes they start paying attention, not just to coffee, to everything. “I think throughout the process I’ve realized that if you look at even a task that seems mundane—like throwing away a bag of waste—and challenge those things you don’t think about every day…” He paused. “…what’s the task that I don’t like doing the most? And how can I make that better?”

That’s a different way of looking at the world. Not every overlooked thing deserves a second life. But maybe more of them do than we realize.

What started in a kitchen has since grown into a company carried in more than 100 stores. Roasties has earned recognition through Arkansas’ outdoor recreation community, won pitch competitions, and continues expanding production. Collin still sounds surprised by most of it.

“There was a brief period of, ‘Oh wow, we did it,’” he said. Then his mind moved somewhere else. “‘Wow, we’re in 100 stores…I need more boxes. I need more chaff.’” His wife reminds him to celebrate. When asked what it means to be selected as a Face of Arkansas, Collin didn’t talk about himself for very long. “It’s surreal,” he said. Then he started talking about the community instead. That seems to happen a lot.

Recognition has a way of circling back to gratitude. Awards eventually become work again. Even now, after the growth, the retailers, and the recognition, his evening plans remain refreshingly ordinary. “Tonight,” he said, “I’m going to be making fire starters by myself in this room.”

The best ideas rarely arrive fully formed. They begin with curiosity, grow through persistence, and succeed because someone cared enough to keep asking one more question after everyone else stopped.

Every Roastie eventually burns away, exactly what it was designed to do. But long before it catches fire, it has already done something else. It gave new purpose to something the rest of the world had already decided was finished.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced the second installment of Faces of Arkansas, a monthly series highlighting Arkansans whose portraits and stories are displayed at the entrance to the Governor’s office as a reminder of who the Governor and her team serve every day: the people of Arkansas. The series was launched to keep the focus of public service rooted in the individuals and communities that make the state what it is.

Each month, a different Arkansan is featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video, with their framed photo hanging inside the Capitol. Selections are based on individuals who make Arkansas function — whether by serving as the heartbeat of their local communities, overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams, or playing an essential role in their industry. 

This installment features Michael Kornegay of El Dorado, whose work reminds us that some of the biggest connections often begin in the smallest places.

Michael Kornegay – Small Towns, Big Connections

In small towns, connection doesn’t require effort; it requires attention. You learn names quickly. You don’t disappear easily. Community isn’t something you schedule; it happens whether you’re ready or not.

Michael Kornegay understands this kind of pace. As Connections Pastor at El Dorado First Assembly, his role is about noticing who’s there: who just walked up, who might need a hand, who’s looking for a way in.

That instinct is central to the 10:33 Initiative, a statewide pilot program launched by Governor Sanders in October to unite government agencies, community partners, and local churches. Union County is one of three pilot counties selected for the initiative’s first year, alongside Pulaski and Pope counties. For Kornegay and El Dorado First Assembly, the work feels like a continuation of what they’ve always done: showing up, working alongside people, and meeting long-term needs.

Kornegay didn’t plan on becoming a pastor. He studied photography and videography, preparing for a career behind the camera. But in 2013, just before finishing his bachelor’s degree at Southern Arkansas University, he felt a calling toward ministry without clear instructions.

“I felt like the Lord wanted me to go into ministry,” Kornegay said. “And my first thought was, how do you do that without a ministry degree?”
When he brought that feeling to his pastor at the time, the response surprised him. He was told not to do it. Ministry, he was warned, is hard. People don’t come to pastors when life is smooth; they come when there’s crisis and chaos.

Rather than rushing into something he wasn’t prepared for, Kornegay waited. Seven years passed before he stepped into ministry, a stretch he now realizes was preparation. That clarity arrived in March of 2020, the same day the world shut down.

Everything changed at once. Churches moved online overnight. Community became fragile. Connection had to be intentional. Kornegay’s media background became unexpectedly useful.

Today, his work is rooted in helping people find their place, often from the day they walk through the church doors. He builds systems so no one gets lost in the crowd, then points them toward life groups, where faith and community are practiced beyond church pews.

“We’ll never be able to pastor everyone,” Kornegay said. “That happens in small groups, people doing life together.”

That same model of relationship-driven care sits at the heart of the 10:33 Initiative, which uses Restore Hope’s HopeHub, a collaborative case-management and data-sharing platform active in 19 Arkansas counties. Through HopeHub, individuals connect with a community advocate who mobilizes faith and community partners to address immediate needs while building long-term stability in housing, healthcare, and employment, then are guided to Arkansas LAUNCH for job opportunities, training, and career support.

Pastor Daniel Egger of El Dorado First Assembly describes this work as deeply rooted in faith, a core mission of the church. For Kornegay, the initiative reflects a belief he’s lived out locally and globally: connection changes lives. Through relationships formed organically, he has traveled from South Arkansas to South Africa and parts of Asia, walking alongside church leaders and helping new believers grow into roles they didn’t yet feel ready for.

Each trip began with conversation, a relationship, an open door. In one instance, a connection led overseas, unknowingly fulfilling a vision prayed over long before the opportunity appeared. El Dorado, in this way, becomes more than a dot on the map. It functions as a hub, where resources, relationships, and people move outward into South Arkansas and beyond, big connections rooted in a small place.

Kornegay doesn’t describe these opportunities as goals he pursued. He talks about them as doors that opened. For him, the guiding philosophy is simple: availability. “The light’s always green until it’s red,” he said. “If it fits the mission, we say yes.”

When opportunities arise, whether through the 10:33 Initiative, a local partnership, or a conversation across the world, the mission doesn’t shift with scale or geography. It’s about making God known, pointing people toward faith, and taking responsibility for each opportunity.

Rooted in his own Arkansas story, Kornegay was raised in Hot Springs and shaped by years in Magnolia, where he fell in love with small-town life – how everyone feels like family.

In a small Arkansas town with global reach, Michael Kornegay has learned that the biggest connections often begin with a simple willingness to say yes.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today launched the Arkansas Forward Dashboard, giving Arkansans a transparent, real-time look at how state government is cutting costs, improving services, and delivering results for taxpayers.

The dashboard tracks Arkansas Forward’s progress toward its goal of delivering at least $300 million in taxpayer savings and cost avoidance by the end of 2030. It will continue to be updated as new opportunities are identified and implemented across state government. Since Arkansas Forward launched in 2024, the initiative has already identified an estimated $188 million in taxpayer savings and cost avoidance.

“Arkansans deserve a government that’s accountable for every tax dollar it spends,” said Governor Sanders. “The Arkansas Forward Dashboard gives taxpayers a front-row seat to the progress we’re making to cut waste, improve services, and deliver better results. Transparency is how we continue making Arkansas the best place to live, work, and do business.”

“Arkansas Forward has been a team effort across the Governor’s 15 cabinet-level departments,” said Department of Shared Administrative Services Secretary Leslie Fisken. “It demonstrates Governor Sanders’ commitment to efficient and accountable government operations. We’re happy to share our results with the people of Arkansas, who, ultimately, benefit from this initiative.”

Since its launch, Arkansas Forward has identified more than 300 opportunities to reduce costs and improve government services across the executive branch’s 15 cabinet-level departments. Those efforts span five key areas of state government: information technology, procurement, fleet management, personnel, and real estate.

The Arkansas Forward Dashboard gives taxpayers the ability to follow that progress in real time through a downloadable public dataset, making it easier than ever to see where state government is becoming more efficient and where taxpayer dollars are being saved.

Earlier this year, Governor Sanders expanded Arkansas Forward by signing an Executive Order to make it faster and easier to do business in Arkansas. The order requires every cabinet-level agency that issues permits, licenses, certifications, or other regulatory approvals to review how those processes work and identify ways to make them faster, simpler, and more transparent.

Within 180 days, agencies must submit improvement plans outlining how they will reduce unnecessary delays and improve customer service. Where possible, agencies will establish clear permitting timelines, create one-stop online application portals, provide applicants with real-time status updates, and designate a single point of contact to guide them through the process.

The Arkansas Forward Dashboard is available here. The Arkansas Forward Progress Report is available here.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

Sanders Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Remembrance of Marked Tree Police Department Officer Trevor Howard 

Source: US State of Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ waiver to ban soft drinks and candy from Arkansas’ Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), also referred to as food stamps, will go into effect on July 1, 2026. The waiver was submitted to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in April 2025 and signed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in June 2025.

“It is crazy that hardworking taxpayers pay for the soft drinks and junk food that make people unhealthy and then pay for the healthcare those people need to get better. Arkansas is fixing that broken system,” said Governor Sanders. “Government programs need to recognize the link between nutrition and health, which is why Arkansas is leading with common sense and making this long overdue change to our food stamp program.”

“This program will help SNAP beneficiaries make more nutritious choices, and that’s a key step toward improving health outcomes all across our state,” said Department of Human Services Secretary Janet Mann. “Bettering the health of our citizens is an essential part of our mission, and we are grateful to Governor Sanders and the partners who have helped us implement this important program.”

Arkansas’ comprehensive reform plan is among the first in the nation to restore food stamps’ focus on nutrition. Under the waiver, SNAP benefits can no longer be used to purchase soft drinks, including low- and no-calorie sodas, fruit and vegetable drinks containing less than 50% natural juice, candy, and other unhealthy beverages.

To help participants navigate these changes and streamline the purchase process, DHS has launched a mobile application that allows food stamp recipients to scan products while shopping and instantly determine whether an item is eligible for purchase using SNAP benefits. The application is available for both Apple and Android devices.

Nationally, soft drinks, desserts, candy, and other unhealthy products account for 23% of all SNAP purchases, totaling $27 billion annually. Studies have consistently found a strong correlation between the consumption of junk food and poor health, linking these purchasing patterns to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a wide range of chronic health conditions in Arkansas and across the nation.

The consequences are especially significant in Arkansas. More than one-third of Arkansans have diabetes or pre-diabetes, the state has the second-highest diabetes mortality rate in the country, and roughly 40% of adults struggle with obesity. These chronic health conditions disproportionately impact low-income families – the very populations SNAP was designed to support. The costs extend beyond individual health outcomes. Arkansas Medicaid alone spends at least $300 million annually treating chronic conditions.

Research from Stanford University found that restricting sugary beverages from SNAP purchases could prevent approximately 141,000 cases of childhood obesity and 240,000 cases of Type 2 diabetes among adults nationwide.

Governor Sanders has prioritized improving health outcomes across Arkansas through a broader set of nutrition-focused initiatives. Last year, the Governor signed legislation providing every Arkansas student with free school breakfast and later launched the Arkansas Plate Initiative, connecting schools with Arkansas farmers and producers to expand access to nutritious, locally sourced foods. These efforts complement the Arkansas Rice in Schools program, strengthening the connection between Arkansas agriculture, student nutrition, and healthier communities.

Earlier this year, Governor Sanders launched the #RazorbackReady2026 challenge to promote the Presidential Fitness Test and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles among Arkansas students. President Donald J. Trump’s executive order reestablishing the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and restoring the Presidential Fitness Test renewed a national focus on improving the health and well-being of America’s youth, building on the work of the Make America Healthy Again Commission.

One of the commission’s primary initiatives is the ‘Eat Real Food’ campaign, built around a simple principle: real food restores health.

A copy of the waiver is linked here, and a copy of the Governor’s letter accompanying the waiver is linked here.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

The soft launch of Arkansas’ Medicaid work requirement begins July 1, with full implementation going into effect January 1, 2027

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced that Arkansas’ welfare to work requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries will begin its soft launch on July 1, 2026, with full implementation of the program going into effect January 1, 2027.
 
“Most Arkansans work hard to pay for their health insurance – and they shouldn’t have to subsidize healthy adults who choose to stay on the sidelines. If you’re young, healthy, and get government assistance, you should work, go to school, or volunteer,” said Governor Sanders. “I’m thankful to President Trump and congressional Republicans for paving the way for this commonsense solution and allowing us to put our welfare work requirement in place.” 
 
“Finding a job brings purpose, meaning, and economic independence, which we know leads to better health,” said DHS Secretary Janet Mann. “The ARHOME Community Engagement and Work Requirement is a key program that will help our beneficiaries advance their careers and become self-sufficient, and we look forward to a successful implementation.” 
 
Under the welfare to work requirement, healthy adults enrolled in the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Medicaid program must work, volunteer, or go to school for at least 80 hours per month. The requirement will apply to Arkansans aged 19 to 64 enrolled in ARHOME unless they are exempt. Exempt categories include pregnant and postpartum women, disabled veterans, caregivers, and those with special medical needs. Approximately 210,000 Arkansans are enrolled in ARHOME as of May 1.
 
States that have expanded Medicaid are required under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill to implement work and community engagement programs by January 1, 2027. Arkansans who are not exempt and who do not comply with the welfare to work requirement will lose their coverage or be denied their application beginning on that date.
 
Nationally, the new Medicaid welfare to work requirement is expected to save taxpayers $326 billion over the next ten years.
 
Under the soft launch that begins on July 1, DHS will begin running automated processes to determine if beneficiaries are exempt, meeting, or not meeting the work and community engagement requirement. While no penalties will be in place for 2026, beneficiaries will be notified of their status based on those automated checks so they are positioned to meet the requirement in 2027. Starting on January 1, 2027, beneficiaries who do not meet the requirement will have 30 days to show compliance before their Medicaid benefits are suspended.
 
Prior to the soft launch, DHS hosted five in-person town halls across Arkansas, including one that was also streamed virtually, to inform beneficiaries of the new work requirement. Beginning July 1, DHS will reemphasize the rollout of the work requirement to beneficiaries via notices, emails, and texts.
 
In January of last year, DHS announced plans to implement a work requirement program called Pathway to Prosperity. That waiver was pending with CMS when the new requirements from the One, Big, Beautiful Bill were signed into law. This new approach preserves the overall goal of Pathway to Prosperity to help Medicaid beneficiaries attain economic independence while also meeting all the requirements outlined in federal law.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) today announced that nearly $20 million, including fringe benefits, will be awarded to educators through the LEARNS Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program. This year, nearly 5,000 outstanding educators will receive up to $10,000 in merit pay – an increase of nearly 2,000 educators since the program’s first year in 2024.

“From day one, my administration has been committed to making Arkansas the best state in the nation to teach and learn,” said Governor Sanders. “Every student deserves a great teacher in the classroom, and every great teacher deserves to be recognized for the difference they make. Our educators are helping students reach higher standards, and this investment both rewards excellence and helps retain top talent in Arkansas.”

“The nearly 5,000 educators receiving merit pay this year represent the strength of the LEARNS Act,” Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said. “High-quality teachers are the backbone of student success, and this program is one of the ways we are elevating and celebrating the profession. We applaud the educators who go above and beyond to make sure students are ready to enlist, enroll, or be employed after high school, and we look forward to recognizing even more exceptional teachers in the years ahead.”

The Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program was created under the LEARNS Act to elevate the teaching profession by rewarding excellence in the classroom. Eligible licensed educators include all classroom teachers, library media specialists, and school counselors recognized for exceptional student growth, mentoring aspiring teachers participating in yearlong residencies, or serving in critical shortage areas. 

The 2025-2026 school year’s average bonus is approximately $3,300, with nearly 900 educators earning more than $5,000 and 80 receiving the maximum award of $10,000. The bonuses will be available for districts to distribute by the end of the month.

Since Governor Sanders signed the LEARNS Act in 2023, Arkansas has increased minimum teacher pay from $36,000 to $50,000, provided every teacher at least a $2,000 raise, and become one of two states in the nation to expand paid maternity leave to 12 weeks. Over the last three years, the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program has awarded more than $50 million in merit pay for over 12,000 educators statewide. Arkansas now leads the nation in teacher satisfaction with a rate of 89%. This year, Arkansas students also posted gains in every subject and in every grade level on the ATLAS exam – real academic progress driven by the LEARNS Act’s focus on teacher excellence, accountability, and student achievement.

Learn more about the Merit Teacher Incentive Fund Program here.

Click here to hear more from a merit pay recipient.

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Source: US State of Arkansas

 TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME – GREETINGS:
 
WHEREAS:  Siloam Springs, located in the bootheel of Benton County and a thriving city in Northwest Arkansas, receives its name from the Pool of Siloam mentioned in John 9:6, after early settlers believed the waters in and around the area had medicinal properties;
 
WHEREAS:  In 1881, just days before Christmas, Siloam Springs was incorporated in hopes that the St. Louis—San Francisco Railway would eventually pass through the town and trade with the surrounding Cherokee Nation would continue to thrive;
 
WHEREAS:  Today, Siloam Springs offers residents and visitors a variety of unique experiences and outdoor recreation, including navigating the rapids at the nearby Kayak Park, exploring the art galleries throughout town, and admiring the beauty of Sager Creek on a walk downtown;
 
WHEREAS:  Siloam Springs is also home to John Brown University, the Kansas City Southern railroad, Simmons Foods – an Arkansas-founded company – and the Siloam Springs Museum, which has been preserving the city’s history since 1969;
 
WHEREAS:  Governor Sanders’ “Capital for a Day” program highlights great cities around Arkansas like Siloam Springs and brings senior state government officials into town to meet with their local counterparts; and
 
WHEREAS:  Siloam Springs will serve as the eighteenth “Capital for a Day” under Governor Sanders and will momentarily serve as Arkansas’ seat of government.
 
NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, do hereby name Siloam Springs, Arkansas, our Capital for a Day on June 30, 2026, and invite our senior state government officials to join me in a visit to the city.
 
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 25th day of June, in the year of our Lord 2026.

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