While casually scrolling through Twitter on Sunday, I came across a post with a graphic video showing police officers pummeling someone who was on the ground. One officer was repeatedly striking the man in the head with a closed fist while another was repeatedly kneeing the man’s body. But the first post I saw wasn’t from a source I was familiar with which caused some doubts about whether it was indeed in Arkansas or even new. Then a tweet from Gov. Asa Hutchinson that evening confirmed its authenticity with the governor saying he had spoken with the head of the Arkansas State Police which would conduct an investigation.
The video spread quickly on social media, getting national attention. NPR soon contacted me, not only interested in me filing a report for its newscasts, but also to join Rachel Martin the following morning for a live four-minute segment on “Morning Edition.”
Interest only intensified as the day progressed and officials reacted to the news. During a press conference that day, Gov. Hutchinson announced a federal civil rights investigation would be conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
I would again go live on NPR, this time talking with Ari Shapiro during a four-minute segment on “All Things Considered.”
At this point, the cell phone video captured by a bystander is the only image we have of the beating. What kind of additional footage is available is not known publicly at this point. Body cameras worn by the officers or perhaps dash camera footage from patrol vehicles might help put this in perspective, especially the moments before the beating occurred.
An attorney for the suspect, who had allegedly been making threats in front of a convenience store in the western Arkansas city of Mulberry, says other complaints about one of the two Crawford County sheriff’s deputies had been filed in the month before this dramatic arrest. I’m sure we will continue learning more.
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.
This past week, the Arkansas Legislature was called into a special session by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to determine how to spend a $1.6 billion budget surplus from the fiscal year that ended in June. In addition to my regular duties reporting on the session from the state Capitol, I also discussed what happened on Arkansas PBS’ program “Arkansas Week.”
At the start of the session, Hutchinson urged lawmakers to accelerate the implementation of tax cuts that had been approved the previous year. He also backed the allocation of $50 million to go toward school safety improvements that had yet to be determined, but are expected to be announced after a final report is issued by the Arkansas School Safety Commission.
One topic that was not addressed was raising the minimum salaries for teachers in the state. Hutchinson had expressed support for increasing pay, but did not include it in his call to lawmakers because he said it lacked support from legislative leaders who argued it should be addressed during next year’s regular session of the legislature after an adequacy study was completed. Democrats tried to bring a proposal up for debate, but lacked the two-thirds support needed for consideration of anything outside of the governor’s formal call.
Teachers had held rallies outside the Capitol on the two Sundays before the session began. They also lined the hallways leading up to the House and Senate chambers hoping to sway lawmakers, but with no success. On Wednesday, August 10, the second day of the session, both chambers easily passed the tax and school safety proposals and did not consider anything else.
One new thing the KUAR News staff experimented with during the special session was recording our radio reports on camera for Arkansas PBS, which was mixed with graphics and images. Below is my report from the second day of the session, as approval was expected the following morning. Two other reporters on my staff produced reports on the first and third days of the session.
On Thursday, August 11, the governor held a bill signing ceremony with legislators at his side. Afterward, Hutchinson took questions from reporters. I asked whether he had any regrets about the legislature not being able to consider any kind of teacher pay raises. You can watch his response below.
Hutchinson’s two terms in office will end in January with this likely to be the last time he signs any legislation into law. As he is considering a run for president, I spoke with UCA political science professor Dr. Heather Yates about his legacy leaving office with a large state budget surplus that was used primarily to accelerate tax cuts.
AUDIO: A KUAR News segment aired on August 13, 2022 discussing Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s legacy in the aftermath of the special session with UCA political scientist Dr. Heather Yates.
Hutchinson has said he’ll announce in November whether he will actually launch a campaign for president. Given the current political climate, it remains to be seen whether he can gain support among his fellow Republicans. He has said it is time for the party to move forward without former President Trump. The November elections and how Trump-backed candidates fare in general elections will likely be an indicator of the political mood of the country and whether a tradition Republican like Hutchinson can complete.
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.
Any presidential election year draws a lot of attention, but with this year’s especially bitter fight between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, mixed with concerns about voting during the pandemic, there are a lot of questions from voters. Ahead of the November election, I hosted the latest edition of Issues That Matter, a periodic series hosted by KUAR, the Central Arkansas Library System and the League of Women Voters. Previous forums have been held in-person at libraries, but given the pandemic, for the first time this one was done virtually.
This forum was focused on ballot questions to be decided by voters. There were initially six questions to be put before voters, but one was knocked off the ballot by the Arkansas Supreme Court just hours before we held the program. Two others were also disqualified. The three proposals left for Arkansas voters to consider are:
Issue 1: Continues a 0.5 percent sales tax for transportation
Issue 2: Changes term limits to twelve consecutive years for state legislators with the opportunity to return after a four-year break
Issue 3: Changes initiative process and legislative referral requirements
Also featured was a member of the Pulaski County Election Commission who spoke about concerns from voters about getting absentee ballots and safety while voting at in-person polling locations.
The Issues That Matter program was streamed live on Facebook on Sept. 17, and we took questions from viewers. The forum was also broadcast on KUAR this past week.
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 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.
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.
Healthcare coverage, an ongoing corruption investigation involving state legislators and a major reorganization of state government were among the key topics in the only debate for governor of Arkansas that featured all three candidates. I was one of three journalists who questioned candidates during the AETN debate on Friday, October 12, joined by Lance Turner of Arkansas Business and Yuma Lee of KHBS-KHOG television.
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 the program "Arkansas Week" and the streaming of events on the Arkansas Citizens Access Network.
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.
