I joined the panel on AETN’s Arkansas Week today with the key topic being the proposed budget from Gov. Asa Hutchinson which will be considered by legislators in the session that begins in January. In includes tax cuts that will largely benefit the state’s top earners, but Hutchinson said would also help the state as a whole by drawing more businesses, residents and investments. We also discussed the rising number of people being dropped from the state’s Medicaid expansion program for not meeting the recently-enacted work requirement.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
With just over two weeks before Election Day, I took part in AETN’s Arkansas Week largely to discuss actions taken by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Five of the seven judges are challenging charges by the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission which said the court failed to give notice or an opportunity to respond to Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen when they said he could no longer hear execution-related cases. The drama started in April 2017 when Griffen was photographed taking part in an anti-death penalty demonstration outside the Governor’s Mansion. We also discussed a ruling by the state’s high court disqualifying a tort reform proposal which was to be considered by voters next month.
The first half of the program featured a debate with a supporter and an opponent of a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage. Then I joined Hoyt Purvis and Heather Yates for the round-table discussion. The embedded video below is set to start at the second half of the program.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
After a debate between those for and against Issue 4, which would allow full-fledged casino gambling in Arkansas, I joined the panel on Arkansas Week about 12 minutes into the program to discuss Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s proposal to extensively reorganize state government operations. We also discuss rising revenue and the fierce battle over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
After years of debate and public hearings, a controversial project to widen Interstate 30 through the downtowns of Little Rock and North Little Rock is getting closer to beginning. On the deadline for comments about an environmental assessment, 30 Crossing Project Director Ben Browning joined me on AETN’s “Arkansas Week” to take questions about the $632 million project. A 6.7 mile stretch of the interstate is to be remade, including replacing the Arkansas River Bridge.
I used quotes from Browning and added comments from an opponent of the project in my version of the story for KUAR, which you can read here. Submission of the proposal to the Federal Highway Administration for approval comes at the same time as construction is getting underway on a separate project to add an additional lane in each direction to I-630 in Little Rock.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
The most recent school shooting hit home for me as it happened in Broward County, Florida, where I lived for 12 years and where my ex-wife still works for the school district. Reaction to it and the creation of the Arkansas School Safety Commission by Gov. Asa Hutchinson dominated discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week, with me serving as one of the panelists for the second half of the broadcast. The first segment featured state Sen. Missy Irvin and state Rep. Douglas House, then the second segment begins 12:35 into the program, which you can watch below.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson called it a good week for Arkansas, with an announcement of a big reduction in the number of people on the state’s Medicaid rolls and revenue coming in above forecast. The positive economic indicators could help him see passage of priorities during the fiscal session of the state legislature which begins next month. Also, an announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding the enforcement of federal marijuana laws has some scratching their heads as Arkansas works to implement a voter-approved medical marijuana amendment. I was a panelist on this episode of Arkansas Week, alongside political science professor Hal Bass of Ouachita Baptist University and reporter Lance Turner with Arkansas Business. The program airs on AETN, which is the local PBS outlet.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
On the web since 2002, this is the online home of broadcasting news veteran Michael Hibblen. I've worked for newspapers, radio and TV stations around the country, with this website telling the story of my career, including audio, photos and videos. Also featured are various interests I've researched, primarily about radio and railroads. Today I'm Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, overseeing production of "Arkansas Week" and the streaming of events on the Arkansas Citizens Access Network. The posts on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arkansas PBS or my former employers.
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, as well as other states in the middle of the U.S. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE
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.
