Daily Newscast for Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Daily Newscast for Friday, June 19, 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 Friday, June 19, 2026. - State agriculture officials are imposing new restrictions to help prevent the spread of the new world screwworm - A judge has ruled a wrongful death lawsuit over the killing of Little Rock’s former airport director can move forward - Little Rock’s 17th annual “Juneteenth in Da Rock” is this weekend - A central Arkansas music venue is hosting a fundraiser to benefit central Arkansas’ LGBTQ+ community on Saturday - Applications for the Arkansas Community Assistance Grant Program will open on July 1st - Nine Arkansas organ transplant recipients are in Denver this month to compete in the 2026 Transplant Games of America - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced $25.5 million in grant funding for wastewater technical assistance programs 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 June 18, 2026

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e61fd5e/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1500x900+0+0/resize/792x475!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1d%2F23%2F5d7f18044e09a987c881ccca2bd0%2Fcolr-mp-hero-01.png]( City of Little Rock) FUN Little Rock’s Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., anchors the 17th annual Juneteenth in Da Rock street festival, all day Saturday on Little Rock’s West Ninth Street, anchored on the east by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Headliners are multiplatinum-selling singer Lloyd and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Keri Hilson; there will also be performances by Malik Oliver, The Big John Miller Band, Crissy P, Keith Savage, SynrG, Bijoux, Nia Renee, Genine LaTrice Perez, Big Piph, Boundless Creative Art Styles, Alma Brown and the A1 Gospel Singers, JT Line Dancers and the Westwind School of Performing Arts. The festival also features local vendors, food trucks and activities “designed to highlight the rich history and significance of Juneteenth” and an expanded Kids Zone. www.JuneteenthLittleRock.com [http://www.juneteenthlittlerock.com/] Musical satirist “Weird Al” Yankovic brings his “Bigger & Weirder” Tour to North Little Rock’s Simmons Bank Arena at 8 p.m. Saturday for what is being billed as a “super-sized comedy rock spectacle.” “Special guest” (aka the opening act) is Puddles Pity Party. simmonsbankarena.com [http://simmonsbankarena.com/]. MUSIC  Multi-instrumentalist and multilingual singer-songwriter Leyla McCalla performs under the aegis of The Oxford American at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the University of Central Arkansas’ Windgate Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce St. at Donaghey Avenue, Conway. The publication will announce the 2026 theme of its annual Music Issue at the event. ci.ovationtix.com/36631. THEATER The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock, is staging “Ain’t Misbehavin’ — The Fats Waller Musical,” 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday through June 28. TheRep.org. The University of Central Arkansas Summer Theatre stages “Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Ludwig’s “theatrical reimagining” of the tale of the legendary outlaw and his Merry Men, 7 p.m. Friday, June 25 and 26 and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and June 27 and 28 at UCA’s Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts in Conway. (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012; ci.ovationtix.com/36631 [http://ci.ovationtix.com/36631]. Stage 13 is staging “Legally Blonde Jr.,” 2 and 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock. The cast of more than 100 from 34 different schools across Central Arkansas is participating in the organization’s inaugural summer musical theater camp. stage13.org [http://stage13.org/]. Actors Theatre of Little Rock wraps up its run Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-“Hamilton” Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical “In the Heights!,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday through June 27 at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 Louisiana St., Little Rock. The production is “immersive,” meaning the performers will be making contact with some audience members throughout the show. actorstheatrelr.org/tickets [http://actorstheatrelr.org/tickets]. A young woman sets out to discover her past, which could include a connection to the former Russian royal family, in the musical “Anastasia,” onstage, 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton. our.show/the-royal-theatre/anastasia. The Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St. at Chester Street, wraps up its run of a gender-bending adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20, $18 for students, senior citizens and members of the military. centralarkansastickets.com [http://centralarkansastickets.com/]. And onstage through June 27 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock: A conservative radio host announces that he and his wife will renew their vows in Sin City and all the residents of Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas (and all played by only two actors) come along for the ride in “Tuna Does Vegas,” the latest in the “Greater Tuna” series. Buffet opens 30 minutes before curtain time — 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 12:45 and 6:45 Sunday. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com [http://murrysdp.com/]. ART AND EXHIBITS “Disfarmer: Portraits of Rural Arkansas,” early 20th-century black-and-white portraits of Arkansans by Mike Disfarmer, is up through the month of June, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. (501) 324-9685. “Katie Adkins/Queen,” Adkins’ photographs of drag queens prepping for performance, is on display through July 3 at Boswell-Mourot Fine Art, 1501 Main St., Little Rock. Adkins will give an artist talk, 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday June 23. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. (501) 454-6969; boswellmourot.com [http://boswellmourot.com/]. “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/]. “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 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. “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/]. “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]. “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.

Daily Newscast for Thursday, June 18, 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 Thursday, June 18, 2026. - The design for a ‘monument to the unborn’ at the Arkansas State Capitol has gained final approval - State regulators have approved a new $2.6 billion natural gas power plant - $500,000 in state funding for Arkansas TV is moving toward final approval in the state legislature - The Fayetteville City Council has passed new regulations on data centers - Two attorneys are suing Central Arkansas Judge Tim Fox, alleging he violated open records laws - A new rebate program offered to some central Arkansas residents would provide significant rebates for the purchase of qualifying E-bikes - The City of Little Rock is rolling out a new mini-food pantry initiative in an effort to fight hunger - The head of the North Little Rock Police Department is stepping down after just over 30 years on the job - Little Rock city officials have agreed to issue bonds to finance the renovation of a downtown food hall 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.

As climate change affects rice crops, researchers in Arkansas work to make more resilient variety

Christian De Guzman, a plant breeding expert, examines the grains of a rice crop being tested in a chamber meant to mimic high temperature conditions in at a rice research facility in Stuttgart. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f0cad98/2147483647/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa3%2F3b%2Fd3777c1d487096e7e4fca0f3ca93%2Fimg-0378.JPG] Christian De Guzman, a plant breeding expert, examines the grains of a rice crop being tested in a chamber meant to mimic high temperature conditions in at a rice research facility in Stuttgart.(Amir Mahmoud/Little Rock Public Radio) Arkansans have heard it all before — rice, for a number of reasons, is an important crop for our state. But don’t take my word for it — just listen to the experts. “Arkansas is the largest rice producer in the United States. We plant rice for more than a million acres every year. A lot of the rice industries are here, the milling industries. And also, it employs a lot of people in the agricultural sector,” said Christian De Guzman, an expert on plant breeding and genetics at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center. De Guzman and a team of other researchers are working to breed a rice crop that is more suited for Arkansas’ changing climate. De Guzman’s work is two-pronged. Part of his job is selective plant breeding. The other part is conducting research on stressors that can affect rice. “I’m involved in working on abiotic stress tolerance; that is primarily heat, high nighttime temperature and drought,” he said. These abiotic, or environmental, factors are affecting rice crops right now, according to De Guzman. Because of this, it’s up to people like him to breed a more resilient crop. “All of those are actually happening in relation to climate change,” he said. “Our high nighttime temperature is increasing, and it’s not just for rice. The high nighttime temperature affects all other crops.” This photo shows rice crops that are being grown at a greenhouse at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart. These crops will be tested under certain conditions once they're ready. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e62a7e4/2147483647/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd0%2F13%2F6bdd61714bba98b19b7d0960bd28%2Fimg-0365.JPG] This photo shows rice crops that are being grown at a greenhouse at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart. These crops will be tested under certain conditions once they're ready.(Amir Mahmoud/Little Rock Public Radio) Arkansas’ agriculture industry is feeling the impact of climate change, but maybe not in the way you’d think — especially if you’ve lived through one of those hot, sticky Southern summers. “For the Southeast, we haven’t seen the large increases in daytime high temperatures that they’ve seen in the western U.S., or the really fast warming wintertime temperatures like they’ve seen in the northern Plains, where I’m from. What it looks like is it’s warming up over time,” said B.J. Baule, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University and the Southern Regional Climate Center. “So, when we look at the seasons and break it down, summer and fall we’re really not seeing the high temperatures go up that much. Most of the increases we’re seeing are in the winter and springtime months and then the overnight lows." A warmer climate can also lead to more water in the atmosphere, Baule said. This doesn’t necessarily mean more rain, but heavier rain events and a faster water cycle. Along with carbon emissions from human activity, La Niña and El Niño, natural cycles that affect the temperature of the Pacific Ocean, also play a role in climate change. “We had pretty substantial drought across the southern Plains region in the last couple of years and, I know, extended to Arkansas,” Baule said. Rice crops are in a chamber that is meant to mimic high temperatures at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c4caba5/2147483647/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd5%2Fa4%2F490be67441de99317b529844a2a6%2Fimg-0374.JPG] Rice crops are in a chamber that is meant to mimic high temperatures at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart.(Amir Mahmoud/Little Rock Public Radio) Environmental factors associated with climate change often have a negative effect on rice yields. For example, high nighttime temperatures or extreme heat can result in rice that’s more likely to break during the milling process. Any kernel that is less than 75% of its original length is considered broken rice. "Brokens," as they’re called in the industry, are used in beer production, pet food and you can often buy it as-is at the grocery store. Of course, broken rice is cheaper than whole-kernel rice. “Some years we have low whole-kernel yields, and unfortunately for us in the rice industry, it seems like the low milling yield crops [for whole-kernel rice] are coming more frequently,” Keith Glover, the head of Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart, said. Glover is concerned about what more low whole-kernel rice yields mean for farmers. “When you have high milling for whole-kernels, the price gap between a hundred pounds of whole-kernel versus brokens could be as narrow as $3 to $5 a hundredweight. In years like we've seen recently… you could widen that number up to $10, $15 a hundredweight,” Glover said. The higher prevalence of broken rice is one of the issues De Guzman is trying to solve through selective rice breeding. Because of the many genes that might affect a single trait, it’s kind of like a puzzle for De Guzman and his team. “So our preliminary studies show that, for example, high nighttime temperature, just for a single trait... there might be more than three genes,” De Guzman said. “And other traits, for example, related to chalk, there might be more than five.” De Guzman says solving this puzzle is cutting edge work, as there are no varieties that are currently resistant to heat, high nighttime temperatures or drought. There are other universities around the world researching and breeding rice crops to be more resilient to climate change, but Arkansas has a distinct advantage. Because many stakeholders in the rice business are located within the state, researchers like De Guzman are doing applied work with the industry’s support. The creation of a rice crop better suited to withstand environmental stressors is “several years” away, but the data is promising, said De Guzman. “Plant breeding is still a numbers game. That means we have to plant a lot of plants, make a lot of crosses and selections. And as in other [research and development] it takes time. It will take several years for any plant variety or rice variety to be released,” De Guzman said. “But we are very hopeful because our preliminary results are showing promise.” With rice farmers' financial returns declining from 2023 to 2025, according to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Research and Extension, many will have to weather the storm and find workarounds until the science catches up. But there is hope that a tougher rice crop is coming. Christian De Guzman with the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center looks out over a rice field. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eb1de81/2147483647/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F32%2F66%2F07810de74dc0b44ce2a67f45ee80%2Fimg-0391.JPG] Christian De Guzman with the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center looks out over a rice field.(Amir Mahmoud/Little Rock Public Radio)

Daily Newscast for Wednesday, June 17, 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, June 17, 2026. - State lawmakers have endorsed new changes to Arkansas’ school voucher program, including restrictions on athletics expenditures and year-to-year carryover - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas is urging the state to walk back newly proposed rules regarding library funding - A lawsuit against central Arkansas marijuana company, Good Day Farms, has been moved to federal court - The largest teacher’s union in the US is helping to fund an Arkansas grassroots amendment initiative to enshrine the direct democracy process in the state Constitution - The Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport’s new executive director, Suzanne Peyton, spoke about the current state of the airport at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Little Rock on Tuesday - A new grant aims to help train a new generation of clinician-scientists in Arkansas 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.