Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
In the news
■ Jordan Anastassov calls the Roman ruins emerging from withered vegetation after a series of Swiss heat waves the richest discoveries of the past 50 years, significant enough for the archaeologist and others to redraw maps of the ancient provincial...
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Just a simulation
A member of the Iranian army demonstrates the operation of a shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missile simulator during the opening ceremony of one of the military training centers for volunteers being set up throughout squares in downtown Tehran, Iran,...
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Family in mourning
A mother surrounded by family cries while sitting by the coffin of her son Illia Honcharenko, 14 — killed by a Russian rocket strike on a residential house on Sept. 30 — during his funeral in Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Friday.
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Perilous steps
A police officer and a rescue worker carry an unexploded warhead from a Shahed drone out of a school damaged by a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday.
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Co-pilot stabs captain in flight to Israel; jetliner lands safely
TEL AVIV, Israel — A co-pilot stabbed a captain Wednesday on a flight to Israel before passengers burst into the cockpit and wrestled with the attacker as the plane descended sharply and passengers screamed, witnesses said. The jetliner was stabilized...
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Conservatives blast Sanders’ campaign ad
Right-wing commentators have taken to social media to criticize a campaign advertisement from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that touts her work requirement program for welfare recipients. The 30-second commercial, posted Monday on X, depicts a young...
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Strike damage
Rescue workers combat a fire at the National Academy of Sciences building after it was damaged by a Russian drone strike in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday.
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Defense firms ramp up hiring in Camden amid missile need
CAMDEN — Long guns aren’t allowed in the Super 1 Foods store in Camden. And cleats aren’t allowed in the administration build- ing at Southern Arkansas University Tech. At least that’s what the signs say. “They don’t take their cleats off,”...
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Deal to settle prison board case rejected
A judge on Friday rejected a proposed settlement between the Arkansas Board of Corrections and the governor’s office that would have given the governor the power to hire and fire top prison officials in the state, and nullified a section of the...
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Rural health efforts to get $54.6M
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced an additional $54.6 million in federal funding to bolster rural healthcare on Thursday, the latest distribution from Arkansas’ share of a $50 billion fund set up by Congress last year. Sanders announced $149.3...
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Trump welcomes Xi to US
WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday, where he was met with a rare plane-side greeting from President Donald Trump after their top officials agreed to extend a trade truce until January. Trump’s Treasury...
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LR district eyes school closures for budget cuts
With its operating fund balance having declined by more than 60% over the past four years, the Little Rock School District has little choice but to make major changes this school year, a district administrator told parents and teachers Tuesday...
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LR mayor orders increased patrols
Following another chaotic incident involving young people in Little Rock’s downtown area over the weekend, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Monday that he has directed police to increase patrols and officer visibility around the River Market...
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Kyiv drone strike
Boys with bicycles stand on the road as smoke rises over a warehouse that was hit by a Russian drone strike in the Kyiv region of Ukraine on Sunday.
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Ex-detainees describe life in Louisiana detention site
WINNFIELD, La. — The stillness is broken by the footsteps of two guards. They walk down a hallway and stop briefly in front of each cell. From a list, they read the names of the men who will be deported that night. Each day, between 11 p.m. and...
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Damage assessment
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A vehicle bomb exploded Friday at a mosque near police offices in northwestern Pakistan as gunmen tried to storm the compound in an attack that killed at least 21 people and wounded 80 others, police and rescue officials said....
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Letter grades for schools see improvement
Letter grades for Arkansas schools and school districts improved in the 202526 school year, with more of each receiving A’s and B’s, and fewer receiving F’s, state officials announced on Thursday. The letter grades, available on the Arkansas...
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Fencing put up to close Kennedy Center main
WASHINGTON — Fencing went up Wednesday around the main Kennedy Center building, a day after the Trump-aligned board voted to close most of the performing arts center for repairs. A Democratic congresswoman who is a trustee quickly sought an emergency...
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Wildfire in Calhoun County 35% contained, official says
EAST CAMDEN — A grass wildfire that broke out Monday in Calhoun County near an East Camden industrial park was 35% contained just before noon Tuesday. Robert Murphy, the emergency services director for the state Department of Agriculture, said there...
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Crane collapse
MIAMI — A crane towering over a construction site in an upscale Miami neighborhood toppled onto a passing vehicle Monday morning, setting it on fire and injuring the driver and three construction workers, officials said. The collapse occurred shortly...
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Ukraine asked to stop attacks
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global...
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NWA family weighs options after main provider deported
SPRINGDALE — The Chavez family’s lives changed abruptly on March 11. That is when immigration agents detained Eduardo Chavez, a Mexican immigrant described by his loved ones as a hardworking man, devoted husband, father of three and the primary...
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Houthis take Red Sea island near key strait
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen seized a key island Friday after capturing a Red Sea port, moves that threatened to further disrupt international shipping in the region. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it shut down a major oil pipeline as a...
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Church bell in LR to mark 25 years since 9/11 attacks
A quarter century after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, Arkansans will pause Friday to remember the lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field a few miles outside of Shanksville, Pa. At Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in...
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IAEA board reports Iran to UN council
VIENNA — The U.N. atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing it for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at...
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Remembering the fallen
Soldiers bow their heads during the invocation during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation event for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11, on the Ellipse near the White House on Tuesday.
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Iran vows to retaliate if US attacks its assets
Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate against any new U.S. attacks on its assets, warning that energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf, including U.S. oil and gas interests, was vulnerable. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes on a...
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US denies Iran struck vessel
U.S. military has denied Iran’s claim to have struck an unmanned American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “total lie.” A top Iranian official said Tehran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at...
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Ambassador Huckabee visits Palestinian town
TURMUS AYYA, West Bank — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday met with Palestinian Americans, including relatives of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli settlers, in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank that has been the target of...
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LRSD unveils ’27-28 school closure advice
The Little Rock School District has released a set of recommendations for school closures, with four elementary campuses and two middle schools among the possibilities. Those recommendations are detailed in a plan called LRSD Forward, which district...
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Iran military fires barrage at Kuwait
— Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday as part of its retaliation for U.S. bombardments earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Israeli police said they arrested a settler reportedly involved in an attack on Palestinians last week. Sirens sounded in Kuwait early...
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Judge denies ask to halt of data deal story
A federal judge Wednesday denied Entergy Arkansas’ request for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette from publishing details about a data center deal from Public Service Commission documents the organization...
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Arkansas aims to bring down SNAP error rate
Arkansas lawmakers and administrators are racing to find ways to cut the state’s error rate for federal food assistance, hoping to avoid a looming penalty. One state senator lamented Tuesday that Arkansas is at a disadvantage compared to larger states...
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Google to pay utility $526M as part of deal
Google will pay Entergy Arkansas $526 million to build Cypress Solar, about one-third of the $1.6 billion price tag of the solar and battery facility. That plant — a 600-megawatt solar field and 350-megawatt battery solar facility — will feed the grid...
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NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope launches
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s newest crown jewel blasted off Sunday to hunt for planets around other stars, explore secret dark energy and survey the cosmos like never before. SpaceX launched the $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope shortly after...
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Money flows despite Hogs’ losses
FAYETTEVILLE — Money will flow at the University of Arkansas even if victories do not for a football team that has posted six losing seasons in the past decade. Ticket sales at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the 2024-25 academic year hit...
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Israeli airstrikes kill 8; Iran touts Russia deal
Israeli airstrikes killed five people in Gaza and three in the West Bank on Friday, despite a fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States. Meanwhile, thousands of sailors remain stranded in the Persian Gulf by the Iran war, while Iran is touting...
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Flash floods in Nepal, China kill over 160, officials report
UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal — Flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday killed over 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt. Experts...
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Lightning strike kills 7 animals at Bee Branch farm
Alan and Angela Mahan left Rabbit Ridge Farms near Bee Branch during a lightning storm Monday morning. When they returned about 45 minutes later, seven of their animals were dead. Their legs and bellies had been burned. Alan Mahan said Tuesday that...
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Iran hit with new sanctions
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new round of sanctions aimed at Iran on Monday and warned every country that does business with the Islamic Republic to sever those financial ties or face retaliation from the United...
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Freedom 250 Grand Prix sees race cars roar through capital
WASHINGTON — Washington hosted an IndyCar race through its streets Sunday, with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicking off the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by leading a slow lap in the presidential limousine through the course. Soon...
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Panel OKs $12.4M tutoring contract for rural students
A panel of state lawmakers endorsed a nearly $12.4 million federally funded contract with a California-based virtual tutoring firm on Tues- day. The agreement requires Air Education Inc., also known as Air Reading, to provide high-impact tutoring to...
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State calls off prison project, records show
A proposal for a 3,000bed state prison in Franklin County has been canceled with corrections officials quietly working on a plan to expand existing prisons and possibly build smaller facilities across Arkansas. An April 29 state Department of...
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A-State welcomes first cohort of vet students
JONESBORO — The Arkansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine has welcomed its first class of students. The state’s first veterinary school marked the occasion Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Jonesboro in the sweltering August...
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Trump claims Iran owes US compensation
President Donald Trump on Monday scoffed at Iran’s demand for reparations for devastation caused to the country by the U.S. and Israeli bombardment over the past five months — a demand he said Tehran’s negotiators hadn’t raised until now. Trump’s...
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Infant evacuated
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes overnight that killed civilians and injured many others on both sides, local authorities reported. Large-scale Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities have become almost routine in recent weeks,...
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Grape harvest begins
Grape harvest is underway well before mid-August, marking the earliest on record date because of ongoing climate change, near Turin, Italy, on Saturday, as higher temperatures and drier summers force local winegrowers to harvest during cooler hours and...
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Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan ink new pact
ANKARA, Turkey — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday that would treat an attack on one as an attack on all three, officials said, solidifying cooperation between the three regional powers at a time of growing security...
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Firm IDs Arkansas sites as best for reactors
Locations in southwest and Central Arkansas are best suited for new nuclear reactors, according to a study presented Thursday to the legislature’s Joint Energy Committee. Brian Meadors, an attorney with Maryland-based EXCEL Services Corp., told the...
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Fighting the flames
Firefighters put out a fire after Russian missiles hit a warehouse in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday.
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Volcanic display
Lava flows and clouds of ash billow from the crater of the Fuego volcano, seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, on Tuesday. Video online at arkansasonline.com/85volcano/.
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Talks to bring conflict to end said to resume
CAIRO — After calling off a fresh round of strikes against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the two sides are resuming talks to wind down the war, even as Iranian officials claimed their diplomatic efforts were focused on neighboring...
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Wildfires in Greece
A firefighter stands and looks out as flames rise during a wildfire near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, Greece, on Sunday.
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Trump claims deal emerging to end conflict
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump in a Saturday evening social media post claimed that Mideast allies have reached the parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and said that he would hold off on ordering new strikes in the 5-monthold conflict for...
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Power demand dwarfs capacity at data center
Before California-based data center builder Serverfarm can power up the first four buildings at its $6.6 billion campus in Clarksville, it will need to find a way to supply more than 400 megawatts of electricity. Clarksville’s electric utility has a...
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Court lifts injunction on library rule
An Arkansas law aimed at prohibiting minors from obtaining books and movies with nudity or sexual contact, and allowing people to challenge the appropriateness of public library materials, can take effect after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...
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Fauci takes the Fifth in hearing
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer dozens of questions from senators in a Republican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, at least for...
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Paying respects
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, the son of pool hall owners who rose to become one of his generation’s more influential U.S. politicians at home and abroad, was eulogized Tuesday as “a true American original” during memorial services in...
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Entergy’s lines dialogue ongoing
Entergy Arkansas is negotiating with landowners for the anticipated construction of transmission lines before turning to an eminent domain option, a spokesperson for the utility said Monday. The transmission lines would service a multibillion-dollar...
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UALR building list of minors to cut after lawmakers’ push
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is compiling a list of academic minor programs to discontinue in advance of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees’ meeting in September. In April, UALR committed to initiate “the process of...
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Battling wildfires in France
LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — France sent a hulking military cargo plane to dump tons of flame retardants as it battled raging wildfires on Saturday and slashed the final stage of the Tour de France to redeploy security personnel to the blazes that forced...
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Trade partners decry Trump’s latest tariffs
President Donald Trump’s latest set of tariffs drew objections Friday from America’s trading partners including China and Japan, with Australia’s trade minister slamming them as “completely unjustified.” The administration announced tariffs of 10% to...
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Fatal shooting in Madison
A mourner visits a memorial Thursday at the site where a man was shot and killed by Madison police on Wednesday in Madison, Wis.
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US, Iran both target civilian infrastructure
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military announced Wednesday that it was conducting a 12th night of strikes against Iran as both sides increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure. U.S. Central Command said the attacks were designed to...
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After the strike
KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday fired Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces after days of mass protests in Kyiv, the country’s capital, and other cities nationwide demanding his...
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Iran hits ship in strait amid US airstrikes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship even as the United States conducted yet another round of airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic over control of the key...
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