# Arkansas Advocate – Home

## Featured Stories

### [Arkansas amendment would allow local economic development districts](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/arkansas-amendment-would-allow-local-economic-development-districts/)

By [Antoinette Grajeda](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/antoinette-grajeda/) - October 23, 2026

### [Arkansas Democrats look to make election gains in fast-changing Washington County](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/arkansas-democrats-look-to-make-election-gains-in-fast-changing-washington-county/)

By [Phillip Powell](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/phillippowell/) - October 22, 2026

### [Democrats demand tougher standards for companies running Medicaid systems](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/24/democrats-demand-tougher-standards-for-companies-running-medicaid-systems/)

By [Samantha Liss, KFF Health News](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/samantha-liss/) and [Rachana Prahan, KFF Health News](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/rachana-prahan/) - October 24, 2026

## Latest From The Newsroom

The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote.

[Arkansas Votes: 2026](https://arkansasadvocate.com/voter-guides/2026-general-election/)

### [Domestic fertilizer production to see $1.3B investment with USDA program](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/24/repub/domestic-fertilizer-production-to-see-1-3b-investment-with-usda-program/)

BY [Cami Koons](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/cami-koons/) - October 24, 2026

### [E-bikes now rival motorcycles for speed. State and city laws haven’t caught up.](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/24/repub/e-bikes-now-rival-motorcycles-for-speed-state-and-city-laws-havent-caught-up/)

BY [Anna Claire Vollers](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/anna-claire-vollers/) - October 24, 2026

### [Voters want the next Congress to focus on costs and Iran, not on Trump, a new AP-NORC poll shows](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/24/voters-want-the-next-congress-to-focus-on-costs-and-iran-not-on-trump-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/)

BY [The Associated Press](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/theassociatedpress/) - October 24, 2026

### [Trump’s DOJ sues over Alaska Senate race, expanding preelection legal fights](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/trumps-doj-sues-over-alaska-senate-race-expanding-preelection-legal-fights/)

BY [Jonathan Shorman](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/jonathan-shorman/) - October 23, 2026

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[Commentary](https://arkansasadvocate.com/section/commentary/)

### [Why secretary of state races this year matter more than they did before Trump](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/why-secretary-of-state-races-this-year-matter-more-than-they-did-before-trump/)

BY [Thom Reilly, The Conversation](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/thomreilly/) - October 22, 2026

SPONSORED

### [The Cost of ‘I Do’ in the Disability Community](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/21/the-cost-of-i-do-in-the-disability-community/)

BY [Ford Foundation](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/ford-foundation/) - October 21, 2026

### [Arkansas’ candidates for governor ignore warning from botched execution](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/18/arkansas-candidates-for-governor-ignore-warning-from-botched-execution/)

BY [Andrew DeMillo](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/ademillo/) - October 18, 2026

### [Criminalizing reproductive healthcare makes pregnancy more dangerous](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/13/repub/criminalizing-reproductive-healthcare-makes-pregnancy-more-dangerous/)

BY [Deon Haywood](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/deon-haywood/) - October 13, 2026

[READ MORE COMMENTARY](https://arkansasadvocate.com/section/commentary/)

[AR Briefly](https://arkansasadvocate.com/section/briefs/)

### [Second lady Usha Vance visits Arkansas to promote childhood literacy efforts](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/20/second-lady-usha-vance-visits-arkansas-to-promote-childhood-literacy-efforts/)

BY [Tess Vrbin](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/tess-vrbin/) - October 20, 2026

### [Arkansas rotates National Guard members deployed to Washington](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/20/arkansas-rotates-national-guard-members-deployed-to-washington/)

BY [Ainsley Platt](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/aplatt/) - October 20, 2026

### [Arkansas US Rep. French Hill seeks classified briefing on Trump waiving Russia sanctions](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/17/arkansas-us-rep-french-hill-seeks-classified-briefing-on-trump-waiving-russia-sanctions/)

BY [Andrew DeMillo](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/ademillo/) - October 17, 2026

### [Arkansas lawmakers OK contract for center to field questions on Medicaid, other services](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/16/arkansas-lawmakers-ok-contract-for-center-to-field-questions-on-medicaid-other-services/)

BY [Tess Vrbin](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/tess-vrbin/) - October 16, 2026

[READ MORE AR BRIEFLY](https://arkansasadvocate.com/section/briefs/)

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### A NEW FOUR-PART SERIES

[![Jailed in Crisis](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/JailedInCrisisLogoResize-e1787335112314.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/tag/jailed-in-crisis/)

#### *[A collaboration between the Arkansas Advocate and the Investigative Reporting Lab at Yale](https://arkansasadvocate.com/tag/jailed-in-crisis/)*

The four-part series explores Arkansas’ overburdened criminal justice system, the role of private health care providers in jails and the lack of transparency about jail systems.

## More News

[![The Organ Transplant Service teams at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center started using robotic surgery for kidney transplants in 2018. Nationwide, more than 109,000 people are on waiting lists for organ procurement. (Photo courtesy of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/230322-D-AB123-1000A-1024x683-1.jpeg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/federal-regulators-crack-down-on-organ-donation-groups/)

### [Federal regulators crack down on organ donation groups](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/federal-regulators-crack-down-on-organ-donation-groups/)

BY [Nada Hassanein](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/nada-hassanein/) - October 23, 2026

[![Dr. Navdeep Lehga sets up equipment in the exam room of a mobile clinic in Mendota, California in 2025. The percentage of working-age adults without health insurance has grown in the past two years, according to a new report. (Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/commonwealth-photo.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/the-percentage-of-people-without-health-insurance-is-growing/)

### [The percentage of people without health insurance is growing](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/the-percentage-of-people-without-health-insurance-is-growing/)

BY [Shalina Chatlani](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/shalina-chatlani/) - October 23, 2026

### [Democrats’ faith in election results is falling but still exceeds Republicans’, AP-NORC poll finds](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/democrats-faith-in-election-results-is-falling-but-still-exceeds-republicans-ap-norc-poll-finds/)

BY [The Associated Press](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/theassociatedpress/) - October 23, 2026

[![An Avelo Airlines jet in October 2025 in Mesa, Ariz., for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation and detainee transfers. The second Trump administration deported nearly a million people as of July 31, according to a new analysis. (Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ICE-Air-plane-2048x1521-1-1024x761-1.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/analysis-trump-deportations-near-1m-but-few-are-criminals/)

### [Analysis: Trump deportations near 1M, but few are criminals](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/23/repub/analysis-trump-deportations-near-1m-but-few-are-criminals/)

BY [Tim Henderson](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/tim-henderson/) - October 23, 2026

[![Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, right, speaks at a rally with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. House candidate William Lawrence in Lansing, Michigan, on July 19, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/bernieelsayedmichigan-1024x683.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/why-the-new-progressive-democrats-in-congress-might-unite-with-the-old-dems-for-now/)

### [Why the new progressive Democrats in Congress might unite with the old Dems, for now](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/why-the-new-progressive-democrats-in-congress-might-unite-with-the-old-dems-for-now/)

BY [Jacob Fischler](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/jacob-fischler/) - October 22, 2026

[![Virginia Sen. Mark Warner speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/markwarner2025-1024x768.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/dems-in-congress-say-theyre-wary-trump-wont-accept-results-of-election/)

### [Dems in Congress say they’re wary Trump won’t accept results of election](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/dems-in-congress-say-theyre-wary-trump-wont-accept-results-of-election/)

BY [Jonathan Shorman](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/jonathan-shorman/) - October 22, 2026

[![The price health insurance companies charge for employer-sponsored plans increased again this year, according to a survey by KFF. (Photo by krisanapong detraphiphat/Getty Images)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/healthinsuranceclaimform-1024x683.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/cost-of-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-plans-rises-again-nonpartisan-survey-finds/)

### [Cost of employer-sponsored health insurance plans rises again, nonpartisan survey finds](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/cost-of-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-plans-rises-again-nonpartisan-survey-finds/)

BY [Jennifer Shutt](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/jennifer-shutt/) - October 22, 2026

[![Voters line up outside Shiloh Hills Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, on primary Election Day, May 19, 2026. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/dsc_3253-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg)](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/judge-blocks-homeland-security-from-conducting-election-related-sweeps-in-9-states/)

### [Judge blocks Homeland Security from conducting election-related sweeps in 9 states](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/10/22/repub/judge-blocks-homeland-security-from-conducting-election-related-sweeps-in-9-states/)

BY [Jonathan Shorman](https://arkansasadvocate.com/author/jonathan-shorman/) - October 22, 2026

[READ MORE NEWS](https://arkansasadvocate.com/news)