Dear Readers,
As you may have realized by now if you've been keeping up, we left Substack, we now have our own independent website that we control. We are not longer at the whims of change of a platform.
It's been a long few weeks, and we are still working out some issues.
Another reason we moved? We can monitor our domain against cyber attacks and other nefarious activities.
We are incredibly grateful for our loyal readers. We have a favor to ask. If you like what we do, we would love for you to drop us a line about why you are supporting South Arkansas Reckoning. Your answers will help us and possibly inspire other readers to check out South Arkansas Reckoning. Email us: southarkansasreckoning@proton.me
Another ask, please share our work on your social media. You can use the social media icons that are in each story. Sharing to social media helps get the word out!
The weather has kept the lights flickering in South Arkansas. We've had one eye on the radar and the other on the Reckoning. There's a lot of stuff to unpack in the months to come. Trust us when we say we are going to unpack it all!
Why Little Rock?
You may have missed our story on the historic Hornibrook House in Little Rock. It's up for sale. Suzi happened upon the real estate listing. No other media outlet reported it so she jumped on it.
Suzi Parker
You may ask why would we cover Little Rock? Most of you probably avoid the city.
But let's also be honest.
Many of us in South Arkansas have no choice but to travel to Little Rock for one reason or another. It's our capitol. If you have a business or non-profit organization, chances are you have to go to Little Rock for meetings, luncheons, galas, etc. You likely have to go to doctor appointments in the city at some point or another. You may go shopping there, attend a play or concert or eat at a restaurant. So Little Rock will remain on our radar.
Flashback ICYMI
We know some of you may have missed some of our previous investigations.
We are pulling a few of our stories from behind the paywall so you can read them. We don't really like the paywall but using a paywall generates a little funding to help keep us going.
Suzi Parker
Suzi Parker
Richard Owens
Nutshell Nuggets 🐿️
- Gary Epperson of Gun Owners of Arkansas points our attention to HB1504 that will be heard Monday. The bill aims "To create the offense of manufacturing, modifying, selling, transferring, or operating a robotics device or an uncrewed aircraft that is equipped or mounted with a weapon." So if this bill passes and you were thinking of engineering a attack drone you may want to rethink that decision. But keep in mind if HB1504 passes, law enforcement and bomb squads will be afforded complete immunity. For instance, if they launched a weaponized drone on your neighbor's house and it hit your house instead blowing it up, you would have no recourse for damages. Epperson says, "Does the Arkansas legislature really want to model a law after one in Massachusetts? Bills like this aren't what you should be fighting Republicans for." Like most of this year's general session HB1504 appears to be a pet project of sorts. There doesn't appear to be any reports of citizens arming robots or drones in Arkansas. We will follow.
Here's the bill that will be heard Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the House Chamber.
- If you have followed us for a minute you know we follow the House Select Committee on China. That committee sent out a press release Friday stating they "stand united to reaffirm their commitment to protecting national security and ensuring American data remains secure upon the announcement regarding a TikTok deal." In a statement, the members said: "As members of the Select Committee on China, we continue to prioritize the protection of national security and American data. We look forward to working with the Administration on addressing the national security concerns surrounding TikTok’s ownership. Any resolution must ensure that U.S. law is followed, and that the Chinese Communist Party does not have access to American user data or the ability to manipulate the content consumed by Americans. We remain committed to enforcing the framework established by Congress to safeguard the American people. We stand firm in our position and look forward to more details from the Administration to ensure that any deal aligns with national security and U.S. law."
This from Governor Sarah Sanders Saturday morning.
Weather Tip
Flooding is happening all over the state. Remember turn around don't drown. Never hesitate to call 911 if you find yourself in a situation with water rising.
The storm systems have generated concerns for community storm shelters. Sadly, South Arkansas remains mostly rural with little emergency infrastructure.
Gravel roads throughout South Arkansas are washing out, too. Let us know how things are in your neck of the woods. Send us you photos and video.
That Legislature
Back to the legislature for a minute, state Senators Ben Gilmore of Crossett and Breanne Davis of Russellville want to increase the cost of a court transcript of court proceedings from $4.10 to $8.00 per page for the original. Then there are more costs!
Do you know who that will affect? The citizens. Negatively. No one wants to go to court and paying for a court transcript is already very expensive. One has to wonder if any legislator understands that they are supposed to represent the people that elected them. Read the bill here.
We leave you with this video.
