Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Letting the smoke clear
A firefighter puts out a fire after a Russian air-guided bomb hit a private house in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday.
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Intel nominee meets with Senate panel
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee plans to vote next week on President Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., announced Wednesday. Jay Clayton appeared Wednesday before the...
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Justice Webb recovering from May fall
Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Barbara Webb was hospitalized in early May after falling in her kitchen and hitting her head, her husband, Doyle Webb, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in an interview Tuesday. She is currently receiving care at a...
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ICE-involved shooting
BIDDEFORD, Maine — The motorist killed by ICE officers in a Maine shooting Monday was not the target of the warrant the officers were executing, Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him. It’s the second time in a week...
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Buyers, retailers differ on SNAP limit reviews
More than a week after the rollout of Arkansas’ ban on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to purchase candy and soft drinks, retailers had reported few hiccups. The reviews from at least some shoppers were less positive,...
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Housing bill championed by Hill becomes law
— U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., began this Congress with his sights on passing legislation addressing housing affordability. The Little Rock congressman led the push in the House of Representatives on a housing measure, which received overwhelming...
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Wildfire in Spain leads to deaths of at least 12
MADRID — A wildfire roared through a remote expat community in southern Spain overnight, killing at least 12 people as victims tried to flee the flames in cars and on foot, authorities said Friday. Eight people were injured and 23 missing, Andalusia’s...
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Game & Fish’s new permits take effect
Some birdwatchers have their feathers ruffled about a new permit required by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The permit, which went into effect July 1, is required for anyone age 16 and older who is using a commission-owned wildlife management...
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US again fires against Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by hitting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the...
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US education office grants state waiver
HOT SPRINGS — The U.S. Department of Education has approved Arkansas’ request to loosen federal requirements around funding and accountability, state and federal officials announced Tuesday. During a visit to Hot Springs Junior Academy alongside Gov....
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Russian barrage finds gaps in Ukraine defense, kills 22
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed waves of missiles and drones at Ukraine early Monday, killing at least 22 people in attacks that exposed widening gaps in the country’s air defenses more than four years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion, authorities...
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Iran mourns leader, students
Iran — Among the tens of thousands of mourners gathered in central Tehran for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are families of the schoolchildren from the southern city of Minab who, like the supreme leader, were killed in an airstrike on the...
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Mustang rescue comes together, step by step
SOMEWHERE NORTHEAST OF MENA — Moon Mountain Sanctuary and Rescue can’t be found in the way people are used to finding places now. Somewhere northeast of Mena, the cell signal fades. Trees and mountains resume their ancient authority. The traveler...
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Ballot group submits signatures
The group behind a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening direct democracy in Arkansas said Friday it turned in enough signatures for its measure to make the ballot. Protect AR Rights, the sponsor of an amendment that it said will...
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Russia bombards Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia hammered Kyiv in an 11-hour drone and missile attack overnight into Thursday morning, killing at least 21 civilians in the city and injuring scores more in what Moscow said was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil...
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Medicare rolls out weight loss drug program
NEW YORK — The federal government is now offering a selection of brandname weight loss medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge. Starting Wednesday, eligible...
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Supreme Court upholds blocks on trans athletes
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams in another setback for transgender people. The court’s six-justice conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled...
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Critics warn SNAP bans may hinder food access
While Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other state officials touted the upcoming start of a waiver banning the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds to buy candy, soda and certain other products, a children’s advocate said the measure...
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Tariffs take toll on bike builders
A bicycle built by Viral Bikes in Bentonville is made up of parts from all over the world, like a gearbox from Germany or a titanium frame made in Taiwan. U.S. tariffs on the parts, essentially import taxes, have had a serious effect on the company’s...
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Earthquake destruction
A woman cries next to damaged buildings Saturday, three days after an earthquake struck in La Guaira, Venezuela. Venezuela’s government said the number of people killed rose to 1,430 Saturday morning, and families reported at least 68,900 people missing.
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Bolton takes plea deal, may avoid prison time
GREENBELT, Md. — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term. Bolton, who...
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Hundreds dead after Venezuela quake
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed around 235 people and left at least 4,300 people...
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Trump holds up housing bill
WASHINGTON — One of the congressional leaders behind a bipartisan housing package remains hopeful it will become law, even as President Donald Trump demands Congress first pass a voter registration bill. U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., worked with...
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Senate OKs resolution to stop actions at Iran
WASHINGTON — The Senate for the first time approved a war powers resolution Tuesday seeking to block U.S. military action against Iran, as lawmakers warily watch President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve a conflict that the administration launched on...
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Britain’s Starmer set to resign from office
LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he will resign, forced out by his own party after missteps and mistakes soured voters’ goodwill following a landslide election victory two years ago on a promise of steady leadership and economic...
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Rice farmers face challenges from war, weather, low prices
Working on an Arkansas rice farm often requires juggling several roles. “If it’s raining you’ve got to take care of the wells, go and stop the drains, I usually get up pretty early,” said farmhand Jorge Mendoza while repairing equipment in the barn at...
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Iran says US in breach, eyes close for strait
TYRE, Lebanon — Iran on Saturday said it closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and warned that while negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks with the United States on their interim agreement, not much likely will...
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Israel, Hezbollah reach truce
JERUSALEM — Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed Friday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said....
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Sanders touted firms’ unproven China ties
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders used the attorney general’s office to assail businesses as run by Communist China despite her staff knowing those claims were unproven and the companies might be following the law, internal texts disclosed in court records...
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Trump’s pick to lead FEMA vows objectivity
WASHINGTON — Cameron Hamilton, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, pledged to senators Wednesday to be “fair and reasonable” in assessing requests for disaster aid as he seeks to run an agency roiled by the...
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Iran restates peace deal terms
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s top diplomat reiterated Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the...
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Stocks jump higher amid news of US-Iran deal
NEW YORK — Stock markets rallied worldwide Monday, and oil prices eased after the United States and Iran reached a tentative deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to get the global flow of crude going again. The S&P 500 rose...
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US, Iran reach initial deal to close conflict
ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran have reached an initial agreement to end their war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the Gulf region and global economy more than three months since fighting began. Details of the deal were not...
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Records: 4 groups funded legislators’ visits to Israel
Four organizations collectively paid more than $100,000 for overseas travel-related expenses of a dozen Arkansas state lawmakers in what they described as educational trips to Israel in 2025, state records show. The organizations that covered those...
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Peace deal wording gets OK
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister said Friday that the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal. Prime Minister...
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Trump claims Iran talks had breakthrough
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had called off new military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough in negotiations to end the war just hours after the American leader threatened to escalate the conflict by...
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US hits Iran with more strikes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military said Wednesday it has begun another round of strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said more were coming. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning...
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Israel, Iran stop firing, return to fragile truce
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel and Iran appeared to back away from further strikes Monday, hours after they traded fire for the first time since the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. Both countries warned that they were ready...
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Israel returns fire after Iran missile attack
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war. Iranian state television...
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Odors spark renewed questions
TONTITOWN — Questions about how to handle wastewater seeping out of the Eco-Vista Landfill — and whether existing permit limits are being enforced — are once again being raised in Tontitown. Kam Sardari, process team leader with the engineering,...
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Welcome home
A Ukrainian soldier speaks to his relative by phone after returning from captivity after a prisoner of war exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, on Friday.
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Arkansas TV to renew PBS ties
CONWAY — The Arkansas TV Commission voted Thursday to renew its PBS affiliation — reversing its December decision to break with the national broadcaster — after a donation drive made up for a budget shortfall. The commission’s December vote would have...
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Debate on funds for immigration agencies to begin
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate is moving forward with legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies after forcing the Trump administration to say it will drop its settlement fund for political allies and strip a separate proposal for...
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Colorful celebration
The Italian Tricolor Arrows aerobatic squadron fly over the Colosseum on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the proclamation of the Italian Republic in Rome on Tuesday.
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US, Iran unleash dual attacks
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it targeted American soldiers in Kuwait with missiles, which the U.S....
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Israeli troops seize Lebanese mountain site
BEIRUT — Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter-century, the military said Sunday. The taking of Beaufort Castle, near...
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Meth overtakes fentanyl for ’25 overdose deaths
Methamphetamine now kills more Arkansans than fentanyl, data on overdoses shows, with experts saying awareness efforts and the availability of a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses have caused fentanyl fatalities to retreat. The number of people...
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Girls State’s volunteers quit amid closing event
Controversy surrounding Arkansas Girls State continued Friday as volunteer staff quit on stage during the program’s closing ceremonies, which caused an emotional reaction from several spectators. A video posted to social media shows roughly 10 members...
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School Board passes on property purchase
FAYETTEVILLE — The School Board on Thursday opted not to pursue buying additional land for the new Ramay Junior High School, a proposal that had stirred some controversy among residents. Consideration of the purchase of 10.5 acres to the northeast of...
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Iran restores internet access
CAIRO — Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users said service was slow and spotty in some areas, with apps such as YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the...
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Video of state police car hitting geese incites rage
Video showing an Arkansas State Police trooper running over a gosling while trying to clear a group of geese from Interstate 57 on Sunday drew outrage from online commenters and a frustrated response from the head of the state police. State police...
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US says Iran sites were hit in self-defense
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were “proceeding...
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Russian drones, hypersonic missiles batter Kyiv, killing 2
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia used the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv on Sunday that killed at least two people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, marking the third time the...
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Trump: Peace deal with Iran being finalized
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran on the war, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region. “Final aspects and details of...
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Graduate’s exultation
A Naval Academy graduate celebrates after receiving her diploma during the graduation and commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Friday.
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Chief of judicial discipline body queried on delay
At a tense show-cause hearing Thursday, an attorney representing the state’s judicial discipline commission director asked for another extension for the commission to fully comply with an Arkansas Supreme Court order for records. The director of the...
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Review outlines ways to bolster athletic revenue
A consultant’s review presented Wednesday to the University of Arkansas System board of trustees outlined multiple ways the athletic department of the system’s flagship university could increase revenue, including changes to its ticketing model,...
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CEO: State’s hospital system unsustainable
CONWAY — Arkansas’ current hospital system is not sustainable because roughly 40% of the state’s hospitals operate at a net income loss, the president and chief executive officer of Conway Regional Health System warned state lawmakers on Tuesday. Matt...
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Transport workers strike
People strip parts from a burned-out vehicle during a public transport strike over fuel prices in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday.
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Sole UAE nuclear plant hit
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack.” No one was blamed, but it highlighted the risk of...
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Strike kills Hamas military official
TEL AVIV — An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death. Izz...
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Soccer game cut short after claim of racial abuse
The Class 6A boys soccer state tournament game between Fayetteville and Conway on Thursday was ended by officials with more than eight minutes remaining in regulation after Fayetteville’s players refused to continue play following a reported incident...
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Trump welcomed in China
U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday in Beijing.
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Warsh OK’d by US Senate as Fed leader
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, bringing new leadership to the world’s most powerful central bank at a fraught moment for the global economy. Warsh, 56, a former top Fed...
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Bentonville makes choice for Ward 1 seat
BENTONVILLE — The City Council decided to appoint a person on an interim basis to replace one of its members who stepped down from her position last month. The council voted 5-1 Tuesday to appoint Dan Grover to its Ward 1, Position 2 seat up until a...
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Fleeing for safety
Residents flee their homes Monday to escape clashes between armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A new wave of gang violence in Haiti’s capital forced hundreds to flee their homes over the weekend, leaving families scattered along the road to the...
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State effort to train doulas lagging
CONWAY — Due to give birth to her second child in July, Taylor Huff arrived for her appointment at the offices of the Ujima Maternity Network last month, eager for guidance she hoped would help her avoid the complications she faced toward the end of...
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Iced out
SPRINGDALE — A mother from Honduras said she is terrified to leave the home where she lives with her four children. A lifelong Springdale man said his hometown has become more welcoming and diverse during his 75 years. A woman from El Salvador...
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Flying a flag
A flag bearer and veteran stands under a French national flag during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris on Friday, marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which commemorates the end of the Second World War in Europe.
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Tennessee OKs new House map
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Amid raucous protests Thursday, Republicans in Tennessee enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to...
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Governor signs tax cut bills
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday signed into law identical bills that will trim the state’s top individual and corporate income tax rates — the fourth income tax rate cut during her nearly 3½ years at the helm of state government. The...
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State lawmakers pass tax rate cuts
Identical bills that would trim the state’s top individual and corporate tax rates zipped through the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday. The action came in the second day of the special session called by Gov. Sarah Huckabee...
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Arkansas TV gets guarantee for PBS funds
The private foundation that supports Arkansas TV will “guarantee” up to $1.5 million a year during the next three years so the station can continue to offer programming from the Public Broadcasting Service. That’s the gist of an email that Ed McClure,...
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West Bank clashes
Israeli soldiers take positions during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday.
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Dousing the blaze
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire following a Russian drone attack in Odesa region, Ukraine, on Saturday.
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Trump ‘not satisfied’ with Iran’s latest offer
ISLAMABAD — U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war between the countries, saying Friday he still was not satisfied while blaming Iran’s “fractured” leadership. Trump turned back the latest proposal almost as soon as...
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