Doug Thompson | Stories

NW conservation authority OKs panel to weigh hiring, staff issues BENTONVILLE -- The Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority started a search Thursday to determine whether to hire a new executive director, a consultant, a lobbyist or make other staff changes, the ... April 16, 2021

Benton County rejects business loan idea, saves federal money for projects BENTONVILLE -- More than $3.6 million in federal covid relief money should go for projects such as jail improvements and bridge repair, a Benton County Quorum Court subcommittee decided Tuesday. Cong... April 8, 2021

Development dilemma Not in my backyard," a slang expression for neighborhood resistance to development projects, hinders efforts to curb escalating housing costs, according to developers and city officials in Northwest A... April 5, 2021

Earmarks helpful, Womack tells meeting in Springdale SPRINGDALE -- Congress needs earmarked federal spending to complete projects like Interstate 49, Rep. Steve Womack told the Springdale Kiwanis Club on Thursday. "If we're going to complete I-49 in ou... April 2, 2021

Northwest Arkansas following urban sprawl pattern, housing squeeze Editor’s note: This story is first in a four-part series exploring the challenges and possible solutions for providing affordable housing in the region’s larger cities. People in Northwest Arkansas'... March 28, 2021

City doubles Downtown Springdale Alliance contract to $100,000 SPRINGDALE -- The City Council agreed to double the yearly amount paid to the Downtown Springdale Alliance to $100,000, but on the condition any other requests for an increase from the alliance come d... March 24, 2021

Regional wastewater plant receives $55 million state loan to expand The state has approved a $55 million loan to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority in Benton County. The loan will pay to double the regional waste water treatment facility's capacity and rep... March 19, 2021

Authority OK'd for $55M loan BENTONVILLE -- The state has approved a $55 million loan to the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority in Benton County. The loan will pay to double the regional wastewater treatment facility's ca... March 19, 2021

Patient-rights bill advancing on to Senate A bill to guarantee visits to lonely, pandemic-restricted patients has prompted more calls of support from constituents than any other, a Northwest Arkansas lawmaker said. Precautions against the yea... March 8, 2021

Bill to relieve patient isolation draws strong support, Arkansas lawmakers say A bill to guarantee visits to lonely, pandemic-restricted patients has prompted more calls of support from constituents than any other, a Northwest Arkansas lawmaker said. Precautions against the yea... March 7, 2021

Online registration proposed for voters Online voter registration could come to Arkansas, in part, through the efforts of a Girl Scout, the sponsor of a bill to authorize the change said Friday. “This started when Anna Claire Tilley made a... February 27, 2021

Census delays to rush Arkansas redistricting The delay of U.S. census numbers this year is crimping the redrawing of Arkansas legislative district boundaries, which is causing ripple effects for every level of government in the state and even ne... February 21, 2021

Law enforcement agencies embrace letting Marshallese residents serve Marshallese residents can serve in local law enforcement agencies if the state Department of Public Safety changes its rules, the agency said. Northwest Arkansas law enforcement agencies welcomed the... February 21, 2021

State hate crimes bill under revision Supporters of hate crime legislation are revising the bill to allay concerns of opponents in the Legislature, the president of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce said Thursday. The governor’s off... February 20, 2021

New hate crime bill in the works, state chamber leader tells NWA Council Supporters of hate crime legislation are revising the bill to allay concerns of opponents in the Legislature, the president of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce said Thursday. The governor's off... February 19, 2021

A rule change will allow Marshallese into local police, state confirms Marshallese residents can serve in local law enforcement agencies if the state Department of Public Safety changes its rules, the agency said. Northwest Arkansas law enforcement agencies welcomed the... February 18, 2021

Lawmakers vow re-try on allowing Marshallese lawmen Arkansans can expect a renewed effort to make Marshallese citizens eligible to serve as law enforcement officers, lawmakers say. "It's going to get done and get done right one way or the other," said... February 15, 2021

Drawing Arkansas congressional districts will require special session because of census delay, lawmaker says A special legislative session to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries now appears unavoidable, Sen. Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, said at a legislative forum Saturday. The U.S. Cens... February 14, 2021

Trial date set in lawsuit challenging voter-assistance limit FAYETTEVILLE -- Whether the state can limit the number of times a person helps others vote goes to trial Nov. 15, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Arkansas United, a Springdale-based immigrant-rights g... February 11, 2021

Trial date set for challenge to a state law limiting assistance to voters FAYETTEVILLE -- Whether the state can limit the number of times one person helps others vote goes to trial Nov. 15, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Arkansas United, a Springdale-based immigrant rights... February 10, 2021

Walton Family Foundation renews diversity commitment Making Northwest Arkansas one of the "most vibrant and inclusive regions in the nation" ranks as a major goal of the Walton Family Foundation's latest five-year plan, which was unveiled Monday. "When... February 9, 2021

Program to help area homeowners repair, replace septic systems Owners of homes in Northwest Arkansas that have septic tanks will soon have help repairing and replacing them as part of an effort to protect the region's watersheds. One-third of the state's populat... February 7, 2021

Scholarship legislation still unchallenged, lawmaker says SPRINGDALE -- A bill to make Northwest Technical Institute students eligible for a state scholarship program faces no opposition so far, its sponsor said. The institute is a state-supported school of... February 5, 2021

Biden won election, Rutledge says BENTONVILLE -- President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Tuesday. "I think it is absolutely accurate to say that Joe Biden won the 202... February 3, 2021

Infant's death at heart of state bill A hospitalized child in Missouri died in 2010 after being placed under a "do not resuscitate" order by a doctor without either parent's permission. Now, a bill before the Arkansas Legislature would f... February 1, 2021

Hate crimes bill faces committee challenges, sponsor says ROGERS -- Getting a hate crimes bill out of legislative committees is the toughest challenge such a bill faces, the Senate sponsor of one of those bills said Saturday. Minutes later, a sister of his ... January 31, 2021

Parent's permission for "end of life" treatment of minors called for in bill A hospitalized child in Missouri died in 2010 after being placed under a "do not resuscitate" order by a doctor without either parents' permission. A bill before the Legislature would forbid that in ... January 30, 2021

Veterans care system pathologist sentenced FAYETTEVILLE -- Judy Gibbs Velosky dropped plans for a November wedding so she could marry in her father's hospital room while John Ray Gibbs still lived. Gibbs died days later at 61 on July 26, 2014... January 23, 2021

Drunk VA pathologist gets 20 years in veteran’s death FAYETTEVILLE — Judy Gibbs Velosky of Fort Smith, a self-described daddy’s girl, dropped plans for a November wedding so she and her groom could marry in her father’s hospital room while John Ray Gibbs... January 22, 2021

Veterans system pathologist draws 20-year prison sentence for manslaughter FAYETTEVILLE -- Judy Gibbs Velosky dropped plans for a November wedding so she could marry in her father's hospital room while John Ray Gibbs still lived. Gibbs died days later at 61 on July 26, 2014 ... January 22, 2021

Hidden errors of doctor told in courtroom FAYETTEVILLE -- The errors of a former pathologist at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks who now faces sentencing for involuntary manslaughter went undiscovered for years, in part, because ... January 22, 2021

Sentencing underway for former VA pathologist in manslaughter charge FAYETTEVILLE -- Sentencing is under way Thursday morning for a former pathologist at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks who plead guilty to being drunk when he misdiagnosed a man who later ... January 21, 2021

Attorney in Marshallese adoption scheme to head to prison An attorney convicted in an illegal adoption scheme in Arkansas and two other states states involving pregnant women from the Marshall Islands must report to prison by midday today to begin serving th... January 20, 2021

Springdale Advertising and Promotion Board authorizes spending reserve money if needed SPRINGDALE -- The city's Advertising and Promotion Commission authorized the use of reserve money if needed in its 2021 budget, the first time it's taken such a step in at least 22 years. The covid-1... January 20, 2021

Colleges fret over accuracy of virus-interrupted census count FAYETTEVILLE -- Experts fear a serious undercount in college and university towns in the 2020 U.S. Census because covid-19 sent students scurrying home just as the decennial survey started in March, a... January 17, 2021

National Guardsmen from region to join presidential inauguration security Five hundred members of the Arkansas National Guard will join forces protecting President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, the guard confirmed Thursday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson approved the mission, accor... January 14, 2021

Dotson predicts push for higher rural teacher pay Expect a serious attempt in the legislative session that started Monday to redirect state education spending for teacher salaries to smaller, rural school districts and away from Northwest Arkansas, w... January 12, 2021

"Stand your ground" gun law's support is strong enough to override any committee vote, sponsor claims Its author confidently predicts the Legislature will pass a revised version of his "stand your ground" bill this year. Opponents of the bill by Sen. Bob Ballinger, R-Berryville, hope he is wrong, but... January 10, 2021

Bentonville state Senate race nearly breaks the region's spending record State Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, and Democratic challenger Ronetta Francis of Bentonville spent $262,260 in the race for Bentonville's Senate District 1, just short of breaking the record for s... January 10, 2021

Renewing 'Arkansas Works' health care will pose a challenge, lawmakers say Expect the fight to renew the "Arkansas Works" health care program in this year's legislative session to be tougher than in 2019, said the incoming chairwoman of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and ... January 10, 2021

Gravette man occupies Pelosi’s office Richard "Bigo" Barnett of Gravette stood outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, his shirt ripped open and his chest bared to the cold, bragging about how he had gotten into the office of House Speaker... January 7, 2021

District lines on legislators’ minds Northwest Arkansas lawmakers have no formal say in the redrawing of legislative district boundaries but they say that will be a top-of-mind issue for all legislators when they convene in session Jan. ... January 3, 2021

Most parents confident in school safety from covid, but Black families less so Parents of Black students feel less assured than their white counterparts that Arkansas schools will keep their children safe from covid-19, according to the results of a recent poll. Parents in gene... December 28, 2020

Adoption lawyer gets 6 years FAYETTEVILLE -- Adoption attorney Paul Petersen on Tuesday was sentenced in federal court for running a human trafficking ring in which he paid pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to come to the ... December 2, 2020

Petersen sentenced to 6 years, 2 months in human trafficking case involving Marshallese adoptions UPDATE: FAYETTEVILLE — Arizona adoption attorney Paul Petersen received a federal prison sentence of six years and two months Tuesday in federal court for a human trafficking case that spanned three ... December 1, 2020

Officials: Preparation helped election go smoothly FAYETTEVILLE -- A record-breaking general election turnout -- during a pandemic -- proved absentee voting can go smoothly when given enough time for the labor-intensive process of verifying ballots, l... November 30, 2020

Stories by Doug Thompson