This weekend I was among the panelists on AETN’s “Arkansas Week” discussing the ongoing impeachment trial of President Trump in the U.S. Senate. I also talked about covering presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg’s visit to Little Rock on Monday, Jan. 20. He entered the race too late to take part in the first four states holding primary elections and is focusing efforts on Super Tuesday states like Arkansas.
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.
While the impeachment of President Trump dominates national news, the roundtable discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week opened with us discussing a new report regarding the state’s child welfare system. A few years ago officials described the system as being in crisis and began major reforms. On Wednesday I covered leaders of the state Department of Human Services discussing a report that suggests major improvements have been made, though much more work still needs to be done. The state says over the past three years the number of kids in foster care is down, as is the average caseload for frontline workers.
We also talked about the announcement Thursday that after 63 years of greyhound racing at Southland in West Memphis, the races will be phased out over the next three years. It comes after Arkansas voters last year approved a constitutional amendment allowing Southland and Oaklawn in Hot Springs to become full-fledged casinos. Finally, we talked about the different reactions from members of the state’s congressional delegation to the ongoing impeachment of President Trump.
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.
Six years after a large-scale hog farm opened near the Buffalo National River, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that C&H Hog Farm would receive $6.2 million to shut down. That was the top story on AETN’s Arkansas Week. I joined reporter Benji Hardy for the round-table segment that opened the show. By chance I had made my first visit in 35 years to the Buffalo River the previous weekend. As a Boy Scout, I used to canoe the river once a year. Seeing it again, I was reminded of the river’s grandeur with the incredible bluffs and pristine water. I normally try not to express my opinions on radio or television, but I couldn’t help but share that I was happy that the hog farm and the risk it posed to contaminate the watershed would be going away. As Hutchinson noted, the farm’s operators never did anything wrong, but said the state never should have granted a permit for the facility to open.
Another key story I had reported on that week was an ethics complaint being dropped against Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen. The often outspoken judge had sparked controversy in 2017 by taking part in an anti-death penalty demonstration just hours after blocking the state from using a lethal injection drug. The Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission said too much time had passed between the complaint being filed and the case being heard. In an exclusive interview with me, Judge Griffen said the action showed the complaint was “baseless, cowardly, malicious and utterly political.” So I also discussed that on the program.
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 gurney inside the Arkansas Death Chamber which inmates are strapped into for lethal injections at the Cummins Unit. Credit: Arkansas Department of Correction.
For almost two weeks I covered a federal trial with a judge considering a lawsuit by 18 Arkansas death row inmates challenging the state’s use of the sedative midazolam in lethal injections. Attorneys representing the inmates argued the drug doesn’t do enough to keep inmates unconscious when subsequent drugs paralyze the muscles and stop the heart. The plaintiffs’ attorneys suggested inmates suffer excruciating pain, but that’s masked by the paralytic.
Attorneys for the state countered that there is no legitimate proof to back up the claims. Much of the arguments and testimony focused on the execution of Kenneth Williams, one of four inmates Arkansas put to death in 2017. He lurched repeatedly for about 10 seconds during his lethal injection. But depending on which side the witness was testifying for was a factor in whether it was described as Williams violently hitting against the restraints of the gurney or was simply an involuntary muscle spasm.
In federal court, reporters are not allowed to record audio for broadcast, so much of my reporting went into detailed online stories. I also recorded longer than normal radio reports and joined KUAR’s local All Things Considered host a couple of times to talk about the proceedings. I also spoke about the trial on AETN’s Arkansas Week. Below are links to my reports and segments from the television program.
At the end of the trial, Judge Baker said she will consider the arguments and testimony. She did not give a time frame for when a written ruling will be issued. I spoke the following day, Friday, May 3 on AETN’s Arkansas Week about trial.
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.
I took part in the panel discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week on Friday, April 26, with the top item being the formal adjournment of this year’s session of the Arkansas Legislature. I also discussed the federal trial I’ve been covering with 18 Arkansas death row inmates suing the state over the use of the drug midazolam as the first drug in lethal injections. Their attorneys argue it doesn’t sufficiently knock out inmates before the second and third drugs are administered, which paralyze the muscles and stop the heart, leading to unconstitutional pain and suffering.
Also joining the round table conversation was Arkansas Times reporter Rebekah Hall talking about Little Rock City Hall. She had been an intern at KUAR five or six years ago while still in high school and I was proud to see how well she did on the TV program.
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 ruling by a federal judge has halted Arkansas’s work requirement for some recipients of the state’s Medicaid expansion program. That was the top story this week, which led the roundtable discussion on AETN’s Arkansas Week. I joined reporters Benji Hardy of the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network and independent journalist Steve Brawner to talk about that with host Steve Barnes. The ruling came down just as lawmakers are considering funding for Medicaid and this is expected to complicate the debate.
We also discussed school voucher proposals, the withdrawal of a bill concerning waste from a hog farm in north Arkansas, a term limits proposal that appears on track to go before voters, and as Steve was starting to wrap up the show, I had to toss in my favorite bill of this legislative session, which is now headed to the governor’s desk. Every state has two statues in the U.S. Capitol and legislation approved by the House this week would replace Arkansas’s with singer Johnny Cash and civil rights leader Daisy Bates.
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 on this site 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. Today I work for Newsroom Ventures as an editor and reporter for its six newspapers.
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.
