Speaking of Arkansas

Speaking of Arkansas

By Greg HartonNewsNews CommentaryPolitics
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Speaking of Arkansas episodes

  • What's the future of the Clinton House Museum in Fayetteville?
         Bill Clinton's presidency ended more than 20 years ago, but he remains the first and only Arkansan to have made it to the political Mount Everest, the White House. Well before he and Hillary Clinton were residents at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., they got married inside a small brick house at 930 California Drive in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 
         Today, the house is the Clinton House Museum, a local effort to preserve and commemorate the place where the couple joined friends and supporters to plot out the early days of Bill Clinton's political journey. A house in Hope, Arkansas, is where William Jefferson Blythe was born, but it could be said this house in Fayetteville became the birthplace of his political success, the setting for his first successful run for public office to become Arkansas' attorney general.
         The house is owned by the University of Arkansas, which also owns a number of other older houses in the area adjacent to the UA campus. The university leases the home to the board of directors of the Clinton House Museum, which is working to ensure the property's future as a stop on the so-called "Billgramage" is preserved.
          In this episode of Speaking of Arkansas, that board's president, former UA professor Stephen Smith, discusses the museum's future, the house's place in political history and the efforts to build an endowment to fund operation of the small museum.

    For additional information, visit clintonhousemuseum.org. The museum at 930 W. Clinton Drive is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
    29 min
  • Gov. Asa Hutchinson on his final months in office
    On this episode of the "Speaking of Arkansas" podcast, Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks about:
     
    • Sarah Huckabee Sanders, viewed as his likely replacement in 2023, and her qualities as a potential governor.
    • Issues he plans to work on during his remaining months in office.
    • Jail and prison overcrowding and whether Arkansas over-incarcerates its population.
    • His advice on how to approach Ukraine and Russia.
    • Mobile sports betting's entry into Arkansas.
    • His nephew Jim Hendren's Common Ground Arkansas organization.
    • Whether anti-intellectualism is an problem in Arkansas.
    • Arkansas' positioning to be heavily involved in the future of transportation.
     
    Join hosts Greg Harton and Rusty Turner of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as the governor covers a multitude of topics, including his post-gubernatorial plans (can you say "New Hampshire?).
    47 min
  • Climate change and Fayetteville's response: Will all cities need to prepare for "climate resiliency?"
    Will climate change adversely affect Northwest Arkansas so much that cities need specific plans for the meteorological, environmental and ecological effects? Fayetteville City Council member Teresa Turk believes so, and now isn't necessarily too soon to map out a strategy. The City Council recently adopted a resolution she offered to build "climate resilience" into the city's future. It will set aside $100,000 next year for the city staff or a consultant to draft a new chapter of city code to inform future city actions that impact environmental and ecosystem issues; to expand the footprint of lands of high ecological value; and to create a permanent capital improvement project budget for the purchase of lands with high environmental or ecological value.
     
    To read a copy of Turk's resolutions, click here.
     
    Turk was our recent guest on the "Speaking of Arkansas" podcast to discuss the resolution, the plan she hopes it produces and whether anything about it might complicate new development within the city.
    30 min
  • What form of public transportation works best in Northwest Arkansas?
         As more people and businesses make Northwest Arkansas their home, regional planners and decision-makers ponder what role public transit will play. Can it become a true alternative that inspires automobile owners to leave their cars parked for the ease of letting someone else do the driving? Can a robust bus system diminish the number of vehicles on the region's crowded highways? 
         
         In this episode of "Speaking of Arkansas," host Greg Harton speaks with Joel Gardner, executive director of the Ozark Regional Transit Authority, which serves as the bus system in urban and rural areas of Washington, Benton, Carroll and Madison counties.
     
         Jeff Hatley, the authority's public information officer, also sat in on the discussion about today's mass transit system, its shortcomings and the opportunities that exist to address transportation challenges as the region grows.
     
     
    Ozark Regional Transit Authority - https://www.ozark.org/
     
    Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission 10-year transit development plan —https://www.nwarpc.org/transit/connect-northwest-arkansas/
    44 min
  • SPEAKING OF ARKANSAS - Should armed police get out of traffic enforcement?

    What will it take to reduce the number of police traffic stops that devolve into a use of force, sometimes with deadly consequences? Is there a way to overcome concerns of how race and other biases affect who gets pull over by law enforcement officers? Is there a better way to serve the public's needs for enforcement of traffic laws? In this episode of "Speaking of Arkansas," Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial editor Greg Harton visits with Dr. Jordan Blair Woods, a law professor and criminologist at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dr. Woods proposes creating local and state agencies focused solely on enforcement of traffic by unarmed "traffic monitors," eliminating the traffic stop as either a tool or an excuse for larger investigatory purposes. Doing so, he says, would at least reduce traffic stops of over-policed populations, such as racial minorities and poorer people. If you'd like to read his full 70-plus page research article, titled "Traffic Without the Police," visit http://ssrn.com/author=946203. Woods' full bio on the University of Arkansas School of Law faculty site can be found at https://law.uark.edu/directory/directory-faculty/uid/jbwoods/name/Jordan+Blair+Woods/ Questions or show suggestions for "Speaking of Arkansas" can be directed to Greg Harton at [email protected]. Follow "Speaking of Arkansas" on Twitter @SpeakingofArka1

    40 min
  • William Harris Interview

    William Harris, who lists a variety of past jobs before moving to Fayetteville and working as an author, is running for the mayor of Fayetteville. In 2016, he ran for Washington County constable in District 2. The mayor’s race also includes candidates Ron Baucom, Lioneld Jordan and Tom Terminella. Baucom did not respond to requests for an interview.

    41 min
  • Tom Terminella Interview

    Tom Terminella is a real estate developer making his second run for the office of mayor. The mayor’s race also includes candidates Ron Baucom, William Harris and Lioneld Jordan. Interviews with Harris and Jordan can be found here [insert hotlink to mayor interviews landing page]. Baucom did not respond to requests for an interview.

    33 min
  • Lioneld Jordan Interview

    Lioneld Jordan is running for a fourth consecutive term as mayor of Fayetteville, a position he’s held since he first took office in 2009. Prior to that, Jordan served as a member of the City Council, beginning with his first term in 2001. The mayor’s race also includes candidates Ron Baucom, William Harris and Tom Terminella.

    34 min
  • Hawley Woods Interview

    Hawley Woods of Johnson is a Democrat running in District 88 for the Arkansas House of Representatives in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Woods is a small business owner who operates a pet-sitting and personal assistance service. Woods is challenging Republican incumbent Clint Penzo of Springdale in the District 88 race. Penzo did not respond to our requests for a recorded interview.

    32 min
  • John Carr Interview

    John Carr of Rogers is a Republican candidate in District 94 for the Arkansas House of Representatives in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Carr is an independent information technology consultant. Carr faces Democrat Jené Huffman-Gilreath for the District 94 House seat.

    31 min

About Speaking of Arkansas

From the publisher's feed

The Speaking of Arkansas podcast features interviews with people who are driving and responding to change in Northwest Arkansas and, occasionally, the state as a whole. Its host is Greg Harton,…

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