I was a panelist for a segment on “Arkansas Week” last Friday on Arkansas PBS. It came one day after the Arkansas Supreme Court said voters can consider a proposal on the November ballot to legalize recreational marijuana. The state Board of Election Commissioners had rejected the proposed amendment suggesting the ballot title didn’t fully explain the impact it would have. But the court overturned that decision, saying all of the possible ramifications can’t be detailed in the ballot language.
I also previewed Tuesday’s meeting of the Arkansas Senate to consider a recommendation that Sen. Alan Clark be sanctioned for making what was determined to be a frivolous complaint against another lawmaker. I had covered three of the hearings by the Senate Ethics Committee, including the final one on the matter when members announced the complaint against Sen. Stephanie Flowers was without merit. They also recommended that Clark be punished for making was said to be a retaliatory filing after being punished himself in July for a separate issue and vowing “to burn the house down.”
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.
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.
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. 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.
