Stories by Will Langhorne

Hundreds of Arkansas National Guard members miss vaccination deadline Roughly 1,000 Arkansas National Guard members risk losing federal pay after failing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or apply for an exemption, according to preliminary data.About 83% of the ... July 2, 2022

Arkansas sees highest increase in covid cases since February Coronavirus cases across Arkansas continued to rise Thursday, with the highest number of new cases in a single day since February.For the third day in a row, the increase in covid-19 cases reported by... July 1, 2022

Arkansas adds 1,437 covid cases, topping last week's 4-month daily record The Arkansas Department of Health on Thursday tallied 1,437 new coronavirus cases in the state. The report comes exactly one week after the agency reported a spike of 1,434 cases, which was then the f... June 30, 2022

Arkansans seeking abortions must travel long distances after Supreme Court ruling Arkansans now must travel hundreds of miles for abortion care after Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling.The out-of-state trips compound other hurdles to abortion access for Arkansans, including tak... June 25, 2022

Staff at Arkansas veterans cemetery placed body in wrong grave, officials say A woman supposed to be buried with her spouse at the state-run veterans cemetery in North Little Rock was interred with the wrong person for six months before staff realized and corrected the error.Wo... June 12, 2022

Arkansas Sen. Trent Garner resigns as public defender over claims elected officials can’t also work as state employees A state senator accused of violating Arkansas law by working for a state agency quit his job as a public defender last week.State Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, submitted his resignation as a Union C... June 9, 2022

Facing transparency gripes, Little Rock police plan expanded social media footprint Little Rock police are addressing how they release information about major crimes, a spokesman said, as the department faces mounting questions about transparency."We have to get better -- and we... June 5, 2022

Little Rock police name suspect in fatal shooting of Pine Bluff 7-year-old Little Rock police were searching for Kenjata Daniels, Jr. on Monday in connection with a shooting that left a 7-year-old Pine Bluff girl dead over the weekend.Daniels is wanted for capital murder and... May 31, 2022

Little Rock police name suspect in fatal shooting of Pine Bluff 7-year-old Little Rock police are searching for Kenjata Daniels, Jr. in connection with a shooting that left a 7-year-old Pine Bluff girl dead over the weekend.Daniels is wanted for capital murder and ... May 30, 2022

Grave errors: Mismarked tombs, offset headstones among nagging problems at North Little Rock veterans cemetery At least two graves were marked with the wrong headstones for more than four years at the state-run veterans cemetery in North Little Rock before the errors were recently noticed and corrected.Arkansa... May 30, 2022

Bill Clinton welcomes medical tech firm to Central Arkansas where it will deploy opioid withdrawal device Former President Bill Clinton joined community organizers in welcoming a medical technology company focused on tackling the opioid crisis to Central Arkansas on Thursday.Executives with Masimo unveile... May 6, 2022

Hutchinson says 2024 presidential bid remains option whether Trump runs or not Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he was considering a presidential run in 2024 after criticizing another potential Republican candidate and other GOP leaders during a CNN interview Sunday.Days after ... May 2, 2022

Arkansas reports 59 new covid cases Sunday; total active cases only increase by 10 In a break with a recent trend, Arkansas officials reported Sunday less than half the number of new cases recorded daily during the past five days.Arkansas saw 59 new cases, down from a recent daily h... May 2, 2022

Meteorologists: Arkansas should prepare for more impactful tornadoes in coming decades Climate change will likely drive an increase in severe tornadoes in Arkansas by the end of the century, emerging research suggests.Researchers from Northern Illinois University concluded in a recently... May 1, 2022

Arkansas covid markers increase for second day after plateau Arkansas' active coronavirus case count rose for the second day in a row Thursday, reaching its highest level this month.After weeks of decline or low increases, some of Arkansas' covid-19 met... April 22, 2022

Arkansas' active covid case numbers return to March levels Arkansas’ count of active coronavirus cases, or cases that are still considered infectious, rose for the second consecutive day on Thursday, reaching its highest level this month.The number of n... April 21, 2022

Suspected tornadoes hit Arkansas, but no reports of injuries Suspected tornadoes, hail and high winds stretched across much of Arkansas on Monday, causing minor structural damage, flash flooding and power failures, but no injuries were reported as of late eveni... April 12, 2022

State officials: Arkansas able to use $7M in federal covid relief funds to hire prosecutors, public defenders State officials have confirmed that Arkansas can use $7 million in coronavirus aid to bolster the ranks of overburdened public defenders and prosecutors.The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administ... April 3, 2022

Arkansas reports 21 new covid cases, lowest one-day increase since early pandemic The Arkansas Department of Health reported 21 new covid-19 cases on Monday, one of the lowest daily totals reported since the beginning of the pandemic.The additional cases brought the state's cum... March 29, 2022

Arkansas reports 21 new covid cases, one of the smallest daily increases since early pandemic The Arkansas Department of Health reported 21 new covid-19 cases on Monday, one of the lowest daily totals reported by the state since the beginning of the pandemic.The additional cases brought the st... March 28, 2022

North Arkansas facility reduces toxic gas emissions following elevated cancer risk estimates A north Arkansas industrial facility is cutting emissions of a cancer-causing chemical after reporting some of the highest releases of ethylene oxide nationwide in recent years.Baxter International re... March 21, 2022

Central Arkansas public defenders to continue accepting new cases despite earlier threats Public defenders in Central Arkansas won't begin refusing new cases today, averting for now a crisis in local courts.Court-appointed attorneys in Pulaski County reversed course, satisfied with sta... March 1, 2022

Shooter arrested in Saline County; no injuries A 41-year-old man who was firing shots in Shannon Hills on Monday morning was taken into custody, authorities said.Stephen W. Lockwood of 10207 Laddie Drive was arrested on preliminary charges of atte... March 1, 2022

Suspect in custody after shots fired in Saline County, authorities say A man who was firing shots near downtown Shannon Hills on Monday morning was taken into custody, authorities said.Capt. Ronald Parsons with the Saline County sheriff’s office said that deputies,... February 28, 2022

Arkansans flee Ukraine, seek loved ones after Russian invasion Within less than 24 hours, Chris Loux, a Little Rock-born missionary, saw his life upended as Russian troops stormed into Ukraine.On Wednesday, Loux was living in Lviv with his Ukrainian fiancee. The ... February 25, 2022

Arkansas regulators propose emission rule change after federal intervention Arkansas environmental regulators are taking steps to repeal one of two emission policies federal officials claimed the state failed to address in a timely manner and environmentalists have worried co... February 21, 2022

Arkansas officials working on solutions to mounting caseloads for public defenders, prosecutors The Arkansas Senate unanimously approved a slight increase in spending authority for the state Public Defender Commission on Wednesday while court officials met across town to discuss the growing prob... February 17, 2022

Arkansas public defenders, strained by rising caseloads, won't see significant funding help under proposal advanced by lawmakers State lawmakers advanced a proposal on Tuesday without a significant increase in funding for Arkansas' public defenders, who are facing caseloads that exceed ethical levels.The Joint Budget Commit... February 16, 2022

Virtual hearings, case backlogs add to problems facing public defenders, other court officials Pulaski County public defender Lou Marczuk had everything he needed for his next hearing -- except his client.Tied to his desk while attending court by videoconference Monday, Marczuk could only call ... February 13, 2022

Covid, chronic underfunding pose ethical dilemmas for Arkansas' public defenders Unprecedented caseloads are pushing already-strained public defenders in Arkansas beyond ethical standards.The increased workload, spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, has laid bare long-standing flaw... February 6, 2022

Northeast Arkansans begin to rebuild after tornadoes; residents await FEMA aid, insurance adjustments Nearly three weeks after a tornado tore the roof off her Northeast Arkansas mobile home, Edith Thacker was still unsure if she'd ever be able to move back in.Patched with tarps and leaning on unce... January 2, 2022