Washington news in brief

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack

Womack offering coffee in Missouri

Residents of Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District who don't mind stepping across the state line are invited to have coffee with their congressman on Monday.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers, is stopping by to see constituents who live in Peel and on the north shore of Bull Shoals Lake, which brushes up against the border with Missouri.

Many of the areas in northernmost Marion County can be reached only by driving into the Show Me State.

The free caffeine and the conversation take place 2:45-3:45 p.m. in the community room at the Lazy Acres Fire Department in Protem, Mo.

Griffin says statues reminder of history

Statues of secessionists were removed last week in Baltimore and efforts are underway to remove them in several other American cities.

There's also a push to remove similar artwork from the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere.

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, who served two terms in Congress, said he hopes Confederate statues will continue to be displayed.

"There is no one -- except my Lord -- represented by a statue in Arkansas I would agree with on everything, but that's not a reason to take them down," he said. "We can and must learn from our past, not attempt to erase it."

Crawford bill a bid to cut opioid deaths

With opioid overdoses claiming tens of thousands of lives each year, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford says more must be done to combat the problem.

The Republican from Jonesboro is co-sponsoring the Addiction Recovery for Rural Communities Act, which would shift federal resources to help address the problem.

The bill would "set aside 20 percent of the [U.S. Department of Agriculture's] Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program grant funding for substance abuse treatment. It would also prioritize USDA Community and Facilities Direct Loan and Grant applications focused on substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services. ... Finally, it will prioritize USDA Rural Health and Safety Education grant funding for applicants seeking to improve education and outreach on opioids and other substance abuse issues," Crawford announced in a news release.

The legislation would help "ensure that folks in small towns have access to the health care, education and tools they need to combat the drug abuse and overdoses that are devastating too many of our families and communities," it said.

Drug overdoses claimed more than 50,000 American lives in 2015. For Americans under the age of 50, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death, Crawford's release noted.

An article in the American Journal of Public Health called opioid abuse "a rapidly escalating public health problem" and said it is hitting rural America hardest.

Huckabee to lead Mediterranean trip

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has been leading tours of Israel for years. Next year, he'll be overseeing a Mediterranean cruise as well.

Huckabee, who served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention before entering politics, will take his clients to several of the places where the apostle Paul preached: Athens and Corinth in Greece and Ephesus, Turkey. There'll even be a stop at the Isle of Patmos where, according to Christian tradition, the book of Revelation was written.

photo

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin

photo

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee

photo

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.

SundayMonday on 08/20/2017

Upcoming Events