Fayetteville's free, five-week esports season begins Aug. 20. Each week, teams of two will be scheduled for two matches and each match will be played in a best-two-of-three format. The season will wrap up with a single elimination tournament. Registration ends Aug. 14.

As the state's cumulative COVID-19 case count climbs over 40,000 with 734 new cases of the virus, Governor Asa Hutchinson also announced 12 additional hospitalizations bringing that total to 501, an all-time high. There were also 20 deaths reported to the Arkansas Department of Health in the last 24-hour monitoring period bring that total to 428. The governor noted today's numbers were not good. The lag in testing results also continues, but Hutchinson said contact tracing is still an effective

According to statistics from a coalition of Northwest Arkansas healthcare providers , at last check, there were 57 patients in the region's COVID-19 Units. Those patients are being cared for by nurses like Zenobia Taylor, who has been working in one of Washington Regional Medical Center's COVID-19 Units since March.

The petition initiative to dissolve the Eureka Springs Historic District Commission, which appears to have enough signatures for the November 3 ballot once validated, is authored by resident Paul Minze. He claims commissioners rule unfairly in deciding certain restoration and renovation requests and that historic district residents and business owners can instead follow neutral preservation guidelines published by the city and state.

With November’s election on the horizon, Roby Brock from Talk Business and Politics , and John Brummett, political writer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette , discuss the presidential race, as well as the race for the state’s 2nd Congressional District.

Aging doesn't mean people cease being productive, but older adults can be subject to biases that can affect their lives. We discuss ageism with Dr. Randy Shinn, the medical director at Washington Regional Senior Center and director of geriatric medicine at the Schmieding Center in Springdale , and the impact it can have on people.

Governor Asa Hutchinson started today's briefing by announcing 824 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hour monitoring period. There were nine more hospitalizations and seven more deaths related to the virus bringing those totals to 489 and 408, respectively. Nearly 6,000 tests were completed in the last monitoring period bringing the total for the month so far to about 164,000. There are 6,674 total active cases, of which 6,299 are in the community. Governor Hutchinson also announced $10

The governor, lawmakers and community leaders are urging the Arkansas Legislative Council to meet and approve nearly $7 million in funding for a COVID-19 response plan specifically targeting the state's Latinx and Marshallese communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the outbreak. The plan includes testing, contact tracing and enhanced case management.

According to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, more than 150,000 Arkansans are estimated to be newly food insecure since the COVID-19 pandemic began and state policies are making it more difficult for families to access nutritional support from programs like SNAP during the crisis.

Applications open today for a new, supplemental crisis program that will assist low-income Arkansans with their utility bills. Households can apply by contacting their local Community Action Agency .