Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Strike aftermath
Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia on Sunday, killing at least six people in one of Kyiv’s largest aerial attacks of the war. Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones targeting...
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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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Keeping it cool
People walk under a misting device at the Gwangmyeong Cave tourist site in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, on Thursday.
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Fighting the flames
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian attacks on Kyiv and its surrounding region killed 17 people and wounded dozens, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, as Ukraine’s depleted air defenses failed to stop any of Moscow’s incoming missiles overnight. The...
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Volcanic display
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala remained on alert Tuesday after evacuating hundreds of people following an eruption the day before of the Fuego volcano, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and one of Central America’s most active volcanoes. The...
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Western wildfires spread
SPOKANE, Wash. — Authorities say they have arrested a 37-year-old man suspected of starting one of the devastating wildfires burning around Spokane, Wash. The Spokane County sheriff’s office said Monday they arrested Aaron F. Farinacci for arson. He’s...
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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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Meta’s Louisiana deal shrouded
HOLLY RIDGE, La. — A Louisiana state legislative committee was about to consider a bill in April 2024 when Richard Nelson, then the state’s revenue secretary, received an urgent message from Gov. Jeff Landry. Get the bill passed, the newly elected...
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Cultural celebration
People dressed in costumes perform during the mask festival in Porto-Novo, Benin, on Sunday.
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One year after killings, visitors still enjoy park
WEST FORK — One year after two people were fatally stabbed at Devil’s Den State Park, the incident sticks in the minds of some who visit this outdoors destination. Clinton David Brink and Cristen Amanda Brink were found stabbed to death on a hiking...
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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
KABUL, Afghanistan — Rescue crews in Afghanistan searched Tuesday for survivors and bodies in the rubble of houses destroyed by devastating flash floods that authorities said have killed at least 23 people and left more than 100 missing. The...
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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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Visit Bentonville moving to implement tourism plan
BENTONVILLE — New facilities and programs may be coming to the city as part of a plan Visit Bentonville is preparing to grow and guide tourism. Kalene Griffith, president and CEO of Visit Bentonville, said via email her organization is organizing task...
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US strikes Iran after 2 troops killed in attack
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military said Sunday that it launched new airstrikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, left one missing and...
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Kids served by program drop by 32% after cuts
A Cabot daycare center on Friday joined the dozens of Arkansas childcare facilities that have closed down since the Arkansas Department of Education cut payments last fall for a program serving low-income families. Beth Flippo, the executive director...
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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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