Arkansas governor pushes Biden to have policies where people can live with COVID-19
At a meeting of the National Governors Association hosted by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson asked Biden to push the CDC for standards that will make it easier for the public to live with COVID-19, saying, “We want to go from today, to more normal.”
news.yahoo.comArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said January 6 was 'interference with the lawful transfer of power using violence' — the definition of an insurrection — but refrains from using the word
"I call it interference with the lawful transfer of power using violence, and that's wrong," Hutchinson told CNN's Jake Tapper.
news.yahoo.comArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said January 6 was 'interference with the lawful transfer of power using violence' — the definition of an insurrection — but refrains from using the word
"I call it interference with the lawful transfer of power using violence, and that's wrong," Hutchinson told CNN's Jake Tapper.
news.yahoo.comKentucky tornado toll in dozens; less than feared at factory
Eight people are confirmed dead at a Kentucky candle factory that was hit by a tornado and another eight remain missing, but dozens more have been accounted for, a company spokesman said Sunday, raising hope that the toll from a Midwest twister outbreak won’t be as high as first feared.
Arkansas governor says no more ICU beds available for COVID-19 patients
There are no more intensive care unit beds available for coronavirus patients due to a surge in cases driven by the Delta variant, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said during a press conference on Tuesday.Why it matters: It is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that ICU beds are full in the state, AP reports. The state reached a new record on Monday for the amount of coronavirus patients currently on ventilators, according to government data.Stay on top of the latest market tren
news.yahoo.comThousands of Students, Teachers in Quarantine
As the new school year gets underway, thousands of students and educators in multiple states are quarantining as COVID cases erupt in schools. Many of the outbreaks have occurred in places with low vaccination rates and no requirement that masks be worn in school. In Florida’s Palm Beach County, some 440 students are in quarantine […]
news.yahoo.comArkansas reports new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations
Arkansas on Monday set a new record for the number of people in the state hospitalized because of COVID-19 as its coronavirus surge continued. The state reported its COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 103, its biggest one-day increase, to 1,376. The state's previous record during the pandemic for COVID-19 hospitalizations was in January when it reported 1,371 virus patients in the hospital.
news.yahoo.comArkansas judge blocks statewide ban on mask mandates
An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates, AP reports.Driving the news: Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against a law signed in April by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson that banned governmental entities from implementing mask mandates.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeFox ruled against the measure on multiple grounds, including that it disc
news.yahoo.comArkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban
An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates after lawmakers left the prohibition in place despite a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox issued a preliminary injunction against the law that Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed in April banning mask requirements by governmental entities. The ban was being challenged by two lawsuits, including one from an east Arkansas school district where more than 900 staff and students are quarantining because of a coronavirus outbreak.
news.yahoo.comArkansas governor asks legislature to reconsider ban on mask mandates
Gov. Asa Hutchinson reinstated Arkansas' public health emergency Thursday, and announced he is calling a special session of the legislature to amend the law banning mask mandates to allow more flexibility for schools.What's happening: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are out of control in the state. And Act 1002 prohibits school districts from requiring masks when classes start again in a few weeks.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Hutchinson stressed
news.yahoo.comNew CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates
States and businesses scrambled Wednesday to change course after the federal government issued new guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations nationwide.
myrgv.comGOP governor's vaccination tour reveals depths of distrust
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas has hit the road, meeting face-to-face with residents to try to overcome vaccine resistance at a time when the state has the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the nation but is near the very bottom in dispensing shots.
Treasury says state tax cuts OK if separated from virus aid
The nonprofit Tax Foundation said in an analysis last week that state tax cuts financed by natural growth in state revenue or new tax hikes likely are fine under the federal law. The Republican-led Oklahoma House last week passed bills to reduce the corporate and individual income tax rates and restore the ability for a refund of the earned income tax credit. AdThe Republican-controlled Mississippi House has passed legislation that would phase out the state income tax, cut the grocery tax in half and increase the sales tax on most items. Laura Kelly, who vetoed two GOP tax-cutting bills in 2019, welcomed the restrictions on using federal pandemic aid to offset tax cuts. “I’m glad that we can’t use this money for tax cuts," Kelly said.
Anti-abortion bills abound; their fate in court is unknown
It's not clear if or when the Supreme Court might consider any of them, or take some other path. In addition to three appointments to the Supreme Court, giving it a 6-3 conservative majority, Trump made scores of appointments to federal district and appellate courts. “This is a decision that the Supreme Court is going to need to make,” he said. “It is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law,” he said. AdNancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said it would be “shocking” if the Supreme Court agreed to consider the Mississippi case.
Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban into law
Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year. The bans were pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Another measure Hutchinson signed in 2019 banning abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy is on hold due to a legal challenge. Another sweeping abortion ban was signed into law by South Carolina’s governor last month but was quickly blocked by a federal judge due to a legal challenge by Planned Parenthood. Alabama enacted a near-total ban on abortions in 2019 that has been blocked because of court challenges.
The Latest: Navajo Nation new virus cases on downward trend
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases. Canada regulators have approved AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. Addition of the J&J vaccine would come as California is seeing dramatic drops in virus cases and hospitalizations after record highs in early January. While they only comprise about 48% of coronavirus cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.
Officials: 2 dead in Texas as subfreezing cold sweeps US
State officials said surging demand, driven by people trying to keep their homes warm, and cold weather knocking some power stations offline had pushed Texas' system beyond the limits. “This event was well beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even an extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for. At DFW, the temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) — 3 degrees (-16 degrees) colder than Moscow. In Houston, officials said Bush Intercontinental Airport runways would remain closed until at least 1 p.m. Tuesday, a day longer than previously expected. The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend.