Daily Newscast for Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Daily Newscast for Wednesday, July 8, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec71a3e/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1485x1485+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F58%2F541e6e6741a9bf41936eb513de74%2Fnewscast-square.png] Here's the latest local and regional news from the Little Rock Public Radio Newsroom for Wednesday, July 8, 2026. - On Tuesday, Arkansas was given a Returning Education to the States Waiver - Centene, a major insurer, is set to exit Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion program - Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones says three Arkansas State Park Rangers were justified in a May fatal shooting - The 30 Crossing Park project will receive $30 million dollars from the Bezos Earth Fund, a philanthropic organization headed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - A bust of Maurice "Footsie" Britt was unveiled at the Arkansas State Capitol on Tuesday - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Steve Kueter to a seven-year term on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Listen to live newscasts from Little Rock Public Radio each weekday during NPR's Morning Edition from 6 to 9 a.m., during All Things Considered from 4 to 6 p.m., and online at littlerockpublicradio.org.

Daily Newscast for Tuesday, July 7, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec71a3e/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1485x1485+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F58%2F541e6e6741a9bf41936eb513de74%2Fnewscast-square.png] Here's the latest local and regional news from the Little Rock Public Radio Newsroom for Tuesday, July 7, 2026. - The mayor of Pine Bluff is releasing new details about a death at the city’s aquatic center - A federal judge has dismissed parts of a lawsuit over the killing of Little Rock’s former airport director by federal agents - Arkansas has one of the nation's highest rates of cesarean births among low-risk pregnancies - An Arkansas native killed in action during the Vietnam War could soon be returning home - A Central Arkansas tree removal firm remains entangled in a legal battle, even after being cleared of price-gouging claims levied by state regulators - Central Arkansas Water says two data centers in its service area would not negatively impact customers - The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is expected to receive an insurance payout to help pay for fixing damage from a flood last year - The number of international students has dropped at three Arkansas universities Listen to live newscasts from Little Rock Public Radio each weekday during NPR's Morning Edition from 6 to 9 a.m., during All Things Considered from 4 to 6 p.m., and online at littlerockpublicradio.org.

Daily Newscast for Monday, July 6, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec71a3e/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1485x1485+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F58%2F541e6e6741a9bf41936eb513de74%2Fnewscast-square.png] Here's the latest local and regional news from the Little Rock Public Radio Newsroom for Monday, July 6, 2026. - One grassroots group, Protect AR Rights, claimed they met the signature collection deadline for a ballot amendment - The ACHI says residents of rural Arkansas counties are living with fewer and fewer healthcare providers - The homicide rate in Pulaski County is 50% lower in the first half of this year, compared to 2025 - Pulaski County utilized millions of dollars in rescue plan funding that it can’t fully account for - The city of North Little Rock has canceled Monday's introduction of new police chief Hayward Finks, citing a personal family matter Listen to live newscasts from Little Rock Public Radio each weekday during NPR's Morning Edition from 6 to 9 a.m., during All Things Considered from 4 to 6 p.m., and online at littlerockpublicradio.org.

Daily Newscast for Friday, July 3, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1070cc5/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/792x446!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F87%2F699be6ba461ea80dcad55054f02d%2F4.png] Here's the latest local and regional news from the Little Rock Public Radio Newsroom for Friday, July 3, 2026. -Arkansas posts its fifth-largest budget surplus -Little Rock city officials are set to consider a new proposed moratorium on new data center projects -A Republican candidate wins his primary to fill a vacancy in the Arkansas Legislature -UA Little Rock gears up to celebrate its centennial Listen to live newscasts from Little Rock Public Radio each weekday during NPR's Morning Edition from 6 to 9 a.m., during All Things Considered from 4 to 6 p.m., and online at littlerockpublicradio.org.

Weekend Entertainment Roundup for July 2, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0ae9fc8/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1760x1056+0+0/resize/792x475!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fb3%2F14819c884a02aabc70a7296a8aa5%2Fdownload-42.png]( City of Little Rock) INDEPENDENCE DAY Independence Day festivities, particularly important this year as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday, take place across the state. Here are a couple that are taking place closest to home: A performance of patriotic and show tunes by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra with a festival-culminating fireworks finale are at the heart of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s 42nd annual Pops on the River, Saturday in the River Market/First Security Bank Amphitheater at Julius Breckling Riverfront Park, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Festivities get underway at 5 p.m. in the River Market District, with the amphitheater gates opening at the same time for pre-symphony-concert entertainment that includes Nicky Parrish, featuring the group Kemistri, and jazzman Rodney Block. Former Miss Arkansas Kennedy Holland serves as master of ceremonies. Inside the gated area, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau will set up tents to sell beer, canned mixed drinks and water. There will be children’s activities and games, including soccer activities and information on summer camps from Arkansas Rising. And food trucks will vend traditional (and not so traditional) fair food. pops.arkansasonline.com [http://pops.arkansasonline.com/]. Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Second St., Little Rock, offers its annual Frontier Fourth of July, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday. Attendees can munch on birthday cake and add their signature to a giant replica of the Declaration of Independence. There will be historic games and make-and-take activities, music by Artists United and Starr Mitchell and George West, a parade around the grounds (while the participants sing “Yankee Doodle”), a reading of the Declaration and historic toasts in lemonade and watermelon. arkansasheritage.com/events/2026/07/04/default-calendar/frontier-fourth-of-july [http://arkansasheritage.com/events/2026/07/04/default-calendar/frontier-fourth-of-july]. THEATER Middle and high school students from across Arkansas who have gathered at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education's "MT Stage: From the Bard to Broadway!” Have been examining how Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” students will examine how Shakespeare’s classic tragedy has been reimagined for Broadway and contemporary audiences before creating their own interpretation. Which they’ll show off at a Student Showcase Performance at 2 p.m. Friday in Ledbetter rooms A, B and C at the Donaghey Student Center on the UA Little Rock campus, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Actors from Actors Theatre of Little Rock mark the organization’s fourth birthday by performing hits from the TV show “Glee” for “Little Rock Sings: Glee!”, 6:30 p.m. Monday at Camp Taco, 822 E. Sixth St., Little Rock. Also part of the evening’s activities: “Sing-alongs, surprises, and all the show choir fun,” according to a news release, which suggests, “Come dressed in your best ‘Glee’-inspired look.” The theater company will also announce its lineup for its fifth season. actorstheatrelr.org [http://actorstheatrelr.org/]. And Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, opens its run of “Footloose the Musical” this week, running 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (but Wednesday matinees only July 15 and 22), 12:45 and 6:45 Sunday. Buffet opens 30 minutes before curtain time. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com [http://murrysdp.com/]. MUSIC  A brass ensemble consisting of Andrew Stadler, trumpet; Luke Sargent, trumpet; David Renfro, horn; Austin Motley, trombone; and Ed Owen, tuba, join organist Colin MacKnight for a patriotic “USA 250 Brass and Organ Pops Concert,” 7 p.m. Friday at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 W. 17th St. facebook.com/events/998159359530722 [http://facebook.com/events/998159359530722]. Bree Ogden, Bryan Copeland, Laura Caroline, Midnight South, The Big Dam Horns, The Church Fires and The Cons of Formant perform for the 34N92W Music Festival, , 10:45 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday at Southern Tail Brewing, 900 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. (501) 912-0980; southerntailbrewing.com [https://southerntailbrewing.com/] ART AND EXHIBITS “Remote Wonder: Richland Creek Wilderness,” recent photographs by Paul Caldwell centering on Richland Creek, a tributary of the Buffalo River, up through July 18 at Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (501) 224-1335; cantrellgallery.com [http://cantrellgallery.com/]. “The Art of Friendship,” watercolors by Kim Perkins and Laura Powers, is up through July 25 in the Gallery at the William F. Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org. “Thomas Hart Benton,” a traveling exhibition of original artwork created by the artist during World War II, is up through July 31 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602; littlerock.gov/macarthur [http://littlerock.gov/macarthur]. “Arkansas Black Voices: Shaping a Nation at 250,” personal histories, artifacts, photographs and stories highlighting “the lasting impact of Black Arkansans whose lives and legacies have helped shape the United States,” is on display through Aug. 29 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock. The exhibit includes. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday. (501) 683-3593; mosaictemplarscenter.com [http://mosaictemplarscenter.com/]. “The Three SoMa Sisters: History, Nature, Wellness, and Anita Davis’ Mission to Thrive in SoMa” is on display through Aug. 30 at ESSE Museum & Store, 1510 Main St. in Little Rock’s SoMa neighborhood. (501) 916-9022; essepursemuseum.com [http://essepursemuseum.com/]. “Will Barnet: Seasons of Life,” works on paper by Barnet from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection, is on display through Oct. 11 at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. amfa.org [http://amfa.org/]. “Kuimeaux’s World,” drawings and paintings by late Little Rock native Dwight “Kuimeaux” Drennan, is on display through spring 2027 at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351. “Manufacturing Victory in Arkansas: Supplying the Battlefront and Changing the Homefront During World War II,” “highlight(ing) the role and contributions of ordnance plants in Arkansas during the war,” remains on display through Dec. 31, 2027, at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.