WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump signed the Flatside Wilderness Enhancement Act on Thursday, adding 640 acres to the 9,541-acre site northwest of Little Rock.
U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, had sponsored the legislation, which expands the popular recreation spot.
The U.S. Forest Service favored the expansion, saying it "would establish more logical and manageable boundaries for these areas."
The extra acreage will be known as the Bethune Woods-Flatside Wilderness, in honor of former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune.
While representing the 2nd Congressional District, Bethune, a Republican, championed the creation of the original Flatside Wilderness and fought to preserve 91,100 acres of wilderness across the state.
President Ronald Reagan signed the Arkansas Wilderness Act into law on Oct. 19, 1984.
The Flatside Wilderness, which is in Perry and Saline counties, is now a popular destination for thousands of Arkansas outdoors enthusiasts.
In a news release Friday, Hill said the new law would "enhance one of Arkansas's most unspoiled landscapes."
"Arkansans and visitors now have the opportunity to enjoy more of Arkansas's natural and wild qualities, all while boosting the state's economy," he said.
Hill thanked U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, for helping to guide the legislation through the Senate, and U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, for championing the bill in the House.
Cotton to U.S.: Back Israel on Golan gain
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton says it's time for the U.S. government to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The land, which borders Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, once belonged to Syria. Israel captured most of the area during the Six-Day War and continues to control it.
The Republican from Dardanelle has visited the site, which touches the Sea of Galilee. The occupied portion includes Mount Hermon's southern slopes.
"It's high ground for that territory. It's militarily vital. Israel has held that ground since 1967. It's inconceivable that they would ever return that ground because of its military value to Syria under any conditions, but especially under the conditions that Syria's faced over the last seven years," Cotton said in an interview Thursday.
Syria has been engaged in a bloody civil war in recent years.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a resolution "expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights." Cotton was the resolution's co-sponsor.
"The reality on the ground is that the Golan Heights are part of Israel and they're going to be part of Israel for as long as there is a nation of Israel. We should recognize that as a fact," Cotton said.
"As you saw with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of our embassy there it did not provoke widespread backlash. It has been a productive step forward because it allows all the various parties in the Middle East to focus on the issues that actually are in dispute and the Golan status is not in dispute as a factual matter."
State retail group warns of tariff harm
The Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association has signed a letter warning of "the negative impacts that indiscriminate tariffs will continue to have on U.S. businesses, workers and consumers."
Addressed to members of the 116th Congress, it urges them to exercise their "oversight role on trade policy matters to prevent further harm to U.S. workers, consumers and families."
Dated Wednesday, it was signed by more than 150 organizations from across the country, including the American Petroleum Institute, National Association of Home Builders and the National Retail Federation.
Since President Donald Trump announced new tariffs last year, China and other nations have responded with retaliatory tariffs.
Trump's original steel and aluminum tariffs and other tariffs that followed are "harming U.S. companies of all sizes," the letter stated.
Iowan's words draw rebukes in House
U.S. Rep. Steve King, who is critical of multiculturalism, was sharply criticized by some House colleagues after asking The New York Times, "white nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization -- how did that language become offensive?"
The quote appeared in the Times last week.
In a House speech Friday, King did not deny uttering the words, but said that the Times had selectively edited a 56-minute-long interview in a way that created a false impression.
"The New York Times is suggesting that I'm an advocate for white nationalism and white supremacy. I want to make one thing abundantly clear. I reject those labels and the evil ideology that they define," King said, reading a written statement he had issued on Thursday.
In a written statement, U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., also denounced racially offensive ideology.
"It was right for Rep. Steve King to condemn the evil ideology of white supremacy and white nationalism. These racist ideas go against what we stand for as Americans and have no place in our rhetoric or society."
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said the Republican from Rogers "condemns hate and bigotry of any kind."
The offices of Arkansas' U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman and Rick Crawford did not respond Friday morning to a request for comment.
Previous statements by the Republican from Iowa have also sparked controversy. In October, U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, tweeted: "Congressman Steve King's recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate. We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior."
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.
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