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.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 35-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.
