Agency: Use care shooting fireworks
Arkansas Department of Health officials say residents should take special care if using fireworks this weekend.
Fireworks can cause injuries and deaths if used improperly, officials said in a news release. Burns, cuts and eye injuries are possible.
A list of safety tips provided by the agency says that people should read instructions carefully before igniting fireworks, and adults should never give fireworks to children.
Use any fireworks in open areas, away from buildings, cars and pets, officials said.
Also, wet used fireworks before discarding and dispose of them in metal receptacles.
At least five people had parts of their hands blown off in a 2019 "fireworks fight" in Little Rock, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.
2 groups receive funds to fight HIV
Two Arkansas organizations were among 29 that received grant funding to fight HIV in the South, a news release said last week.
The Gilead Compass Initiative -- a partnership with Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, the Southern AIDS Coalition, the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and Wake Forest University School of Divinity -- announced $2.9 million in such awards for groups across 13 states.
The Black Gay Men's Forum and Engaging Arkansas Communities, both based in Little Rock, were among the beneficiaries. It wasn't immediately clear how much each group received.
It's the first time Arkansas groups received funding through this project, an announcement said. Oklahoma and Kentucky groups also were included for the first time.
The awards are intended to help groups combat HIV in rural communities, according to the same release.
Abortion fund put on pause for July
The Arkansas Abortion Support Network has suspended its abortion fund for the month of July, the group said in a Wednesday social media post.
The group, which advocates for abortion rights, said "unprecedented need" over the past six months forced the pause and that its organizers hope to resume the assistance program in August.
Other operations such as clinic escorting will continue, the post said.
Abortion funds typically offer cash grants to pregnant people who want to obtain abortions but can't afford them.