In the last episode of Arkansas Week that I hosted while working at Arkansas PBS, discussions delved into two aspects of the criminal justice system: prison recidivism and drug addiction.
Joining me in the first segment of the Oct. 31 program were state Sen. Ben Gilmore, a Republican of Crossett, and Jim Bell, the owner of a reentry facility in Little Rock. Gilmore has sponsored prison-related legislation in recent years while Bell works to prepare inmates for their return to society.
Arkansas has one of the highest recidivism rates in the country, with data showing within three years of their release, about half of all state prison inmates end up back behind bars for new offenses or violating the terms of their release. The pattern is not only bad for inmates who don’t get the support needed to change their lives, but expensive for the state, costing about $2,200 a month per inmate.
Arkansas’s prison population is growing, with projections indicating an average annual increase of about 2% through 2035. State prisons have been at capacity for years, with about 1,500 inmates currently backed up in county jails. To accommodate the situation, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a plan in October 2024 to construct a 3,000-bed prison in rural Franklin County.
Local residents were surprised by the announcement and to learn land had already been purchased by the state. Among their complaints were a lack of transparency and poor site selection. Test wells showed there isn’t enough water in the area to support the needs of a prison. Meanwhile the cost, which was initially said to be $470 million, has quickly grown to be about twice that.
In the second segment, state Attorney General Tim Griffin shared the story of addiction that eventually took the life of his brother Daniel. He’s working to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids through the “One Pill Can Kill” initiative, in which he has been speaking at college campuses across the state.
Arkansas PBS streamed several of those events, and I had been moved by hearing him describe what happened to his brother. After a botched back surgery 15 years ago, Griffin said his brother was prescribed powerful painkillers and quickly became addicted. While there were plenty of other unrelated issues I could have asked Griffin about, including the prison-related topics discussed in the first segment of the program, I wanted to limit our discussion to addiction and what he’s trying to accomplish now.
A few final thoughts on Arkansas PBS, added Dec. 14
My last day of work as Director of Public Affairs for Arkansas PBS was Nov. 12. Maybe I’ll discuss more about the circumstances of the end of my employment in the future, but it wouldn’t be appropriate now. I really enjoyed the past three years, which were filled with a lot of challenges and opportunities. In addition to overseeing Arkansas Week, I appeared on camera for pledge drives and organized our 2024 congressional debates. The staff of nearly 80 people really was like a family with employees being very supportive and protective of one another. Also, the level of talent in the building was amazing.
The key challenge in my department was not having editorial independence while attempting to produce a public affairs program with journalistic integrity. Being a state agency, my bosses at Arkansas PBS lived in fear of upsetting the governor’s administration or state legislators. The General Assembly has control over the station’s budget allocation and lawmakers often grilled managers during public hearings, sometimes with rather petty grievances. Also, the commission which has oversight over Arkansas PBS is made up of appointees of the governor, each serving eight-year terms. While this has always been the structure the station has operated under in its nearly 60-year existence, the sharply partisan tone of politics in 2025 has made it harder to function.
While leading weekly editorial meetings to discuss potential topics for Arkansas Week, top leadership often instructed us not to include some controversial issues, even if they were huge legitimate news stories. The episode above, for example, was the first time we had been allowed to question a state lawmaker about the proposed Franklin County prison, which had been one of the most discussed ongoing issues for the previous 13 months. When I began appearing on Arkansas Week in 2010 as one of the journalists taking part in roundtable discussions, there were no such restrictions or topics that were out of bounds.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
A veteran broadcaster and five-term state legislator is the new head of Arkansas PBS. Carlton Wing started as Executive Director/CEO on Sept. 30, the same day he submitted his resignation for the district 70 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
After less than two weeks on the job, Wing sat down with me on Arkansas Week to discuss his background and how he’s meeting with each member of the staff to prepare a plan for our future. While the end of federal funding has made this a challenging time for public broadcasting, there are immense opportunities ahead, Wing said.
In another segment of the program, I discussed the ongoing federal government shutdown and the impact it was having on agriculture. An economic support package was expected to have been announced that week by the White House, but was delayed, with administration officials blaming the shutdown. Joining me to talk about that were Dr. Hunter Biram, an agriculture economist with the UA Division of Agriculture, and Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl, director of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics at UCA.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
With a Sept. 30 deadline to avert a federal government shutdown, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack is urging Congress to pass a new government funding bill for the coming fiscal year. Republican leaders, however, have been backing a stopgap spending bill, which is what ultimately passed in the House.
Speaking with me on Arkansas Week, which aired Sept. 19 on Arkansas PBS, Womack (R-District 3), expressed frustration with the short-term fix which would only extend funding through mid-November. He’s a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee which in the previous week passed the 12 bills needed for a new funding plan. He had called on the full House to consider the bills
“I’m a bit at odds with my own leadership team on this subject because continuing resolutions are not the answer to America’s fiscal problems,” Womack said. “And once again, here we are at the very end, right on a cliff of a potential lapse in government funding and we don’t have a plan for how we’re going to fund today’s urgent priorities.”
The legislation moved to the Senate, but with Republicans and Democrats locked in a standoff and neither side showing a willingness to compromise, a government shutdown now looks likely. Republicans hold only a small margin in their majority and will need the support of at least a few Democrats to get the bill passed.
During the interview, Womack also spoke about the need for the federal government to help farmers facing their worst financial situation in decades. It’s estimated that about one-third of all farmers won’t survive to plant another crop next season. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited Womack’s district earlier in the week, saying direct financial assistance was in the works and would soon be presented to Congress, though Womack said he didn’t know details of what was being planned. We also talked about legislation he sponsored to ensure veterans get continued access to telemedicine, which was passed last week by the House and now advances to the Senate.
In the second segment of the program, I was joined by Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association. The industry — which is one of the largest in the state, employing about 100,000 people — is in the third year of a freight recession. Trucking companies had expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to address problems with the nation’s supply chain, but as life returned to normal, they needed to scale back their operations.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
Several important matters are pending in Congress, including negotiations for a new government funding bill and calls for the federal government to provide assistance to farmers who are facing their worst financial crisis in decades. Joining me on Friday’s “Arkansas Week” to discuss the latest was Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Washington Correspondent Alex Thomas.
With just over two weeks left in the federal fiscal year, a spending plan will need to be passed by that deadline to avoid a government shutdown or the need for a short-term fix. The White House is encouraging Congress to pass a stopgap spending bill to extend funding through the end of January. But U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-District 3) wants a spending plan to be passed this month.
He sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which on Wednesday voted to advance the 12 funding bills needed for the plan. In a statement later that day, Womack said, “It’s now time for the rest of Congress to finish the job, leave Biden-Harris funding levels in the past, and pass the FY26 appropriations bills that are attuned to the current needs of the American people. This Congress has already shown it can exceed expectations and meet tough deadlines. I strongly urge my colleagues to bring that same energy and commitment to funding the government through regular order.”
In the second segment of the program, Arkansas State Broadband Office Director Glen Howie spoke with me about the state’s application for a federal grant which aims to achieve universal high-speed internet service throughout the state. After years of work to develop the extensive proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, it was submitted on Sept. 4. He’s confident on the prospects for the proposal.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
An amazing project to honor many Arkansas musicians who were influential across a broad range of genres is being planned for North Little Rock. Artist Kevin Kresse, best known for sculpting an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Johnny Cash that was unveiled last year in the U.S. Capitol, is planning to make busts of 19 additional musicians, along with one of industry executive Al Bell.
The busts, which are scheduled to be completed in 2029, will be displayed in the ATG Pavilion in Argenta Plaza. They will be anchored by a full-size replica of the Cash statue, to be made using the same mold that created the statue for the Capitol. I discussed what’s being planned with Kresse and project Campaign Chair John Gaudin on “Arkansas Week,” which aired Friday, August 29 on Arkansas PBS.
In addition to the busts being placed in the pavilion, replica busts will be provided to the hometowns of each musician. Fans travel from around the world to see the places where Cash, Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and others grew up. This will help those communities honor their legacies.
Below is a complete list of the Arkansans being honored and the towns that will receive busts:
Johnny Cash — Kingsland
Louis Jordan — Brinkley
Al Green — Forrest City
Levon Helm — Marvell
Glen Campbell — Delight
Florence Price — Little Rock
Pharoah Sanders — North Little Rock
Lefty Frizzell — El Dorado
William Grant Still — Little Rock
Charlie Rich — Colt
Sonny Boy Williamson — Helena
Scott Joplin — Texarkana
Big Bill Broonzy — Pine Bluff
Jimmy Driftwood — Mountain View
Conway Twitty — Helena
Sister Rosetta Tharpe — Cotton Plant
Granny Almeda Riddle — Heber Springs
Al Bell — North Little Rock
Albert King — Osceola
Ronnie Hawkins — Fayetteville
Howlin Wolf — West Memphis
In the second segment of the program, I talked with Dr. Pearl McElfish, director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institute for Community Health Innovation about efforts to improve maternal health. She provided an assessment of postpartum care, which is especially dire in rural areas. The institute is working to reach new mothers through a combination of telemedicine, mobile clinics and remote monitoring, she said.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
The U.S. House of Representatives began its traditional August recess one day earlier than planned this week. Amid divisions among Republicans over the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned on Wednesday. When members reconvene on Sept. 2, a key priority will be reaching a government funding agreement by the end of the month to avert a government shutdown or the need for a short-term continuing resolution.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Washington Correspondent Alex Thomas joined me on Arkansas PBS to discuss the key roles played by two members of the state’s congressional delegation. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Rogers) is chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, and Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is chair of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Congress will need to get through 12 bills before the Sept. 30 deadline. Thomas said Womack told him last week he wants both chambers to pass the appropriation measures in that time rather than a continuing resolution, which would maintain current government funding levels.
We also discussed Thomas’ recent reporting on legislation by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs) to reform the National Environmental Policy Act, Rep. French Hill’s (R-Little Rock) bills to regulate digital assets like cryptocurrency, and agricultural provisions included in the recently-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act which would normally be part of a Farm Bill.
In the second segment of “Arkansas Week,” I was joined by the leaders of two projects under construction in Little Rock to create villages for people experiencing homelessness. Both will feature tiny homes and offer support services, but with different long-term goals for residents.
Errin Stanger is founder and CEO of Providence Park, which is being built in partnership with Pulaski County and will offer a permanent place to live for those who have been struggling with chronic homelessness. Residents will be expected to pay rent, though there will be work opportunities there. The other project is the Little Rock Micro Home Village, which is being overseen by Kevin Howard, director of the city’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs. It will provide transitional housing, with 80 units for individuals and families, along with a 32-bed emergency shelter.
Veteran news reporter, editor and manager spanning more than 30 years at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas and hosting a podcast of the same name.
This is the online home of news veteran Michael Hibblen. I've worked as a reporter, editor and manager for newspapers, radio and TV stations around the country, with this website telling the story of my career. Also featured are outside interests I've researched, primarily about radio and railroads. The views expressed here are my own and might not reflect those of my employers.
Preserving the Rock Island Depot at Perry
Since 2017, I've been part of a group working to preserve the former Rock Island Depot at Perry, Arkansas. To keep it from being demolished, we raised money to move the depot to an adjacent lot, still alongside the tracks, which is now owned by the city. The building has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and our group has become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRESERVATION OF THE DEPOT.
My Book
Released by Arcadia Publishing in 2017, Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas delves into the history of the railroad, which once had a huge footprint in Arkansas. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE ABOUT MY BOOK.
For 13 years, from May 2009 to December 2022, I worked for NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That included 10 years as News Director while continuing to anchor and report. You can read and hear reports from that time on Little Rock Public Radio's website.
