By Andrew DeMillo | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Advocate readers! The head of Arkansas State Police said he won’t appear at a Legislative Black Caucus meeting planned today where he was expected to face questions about a trooper punching a woman during a traffic stop. And lawmakers are also discussing prison expansion today amid mixed signals about whether the Franklin County prison project is truly dead. Watch the Advocate site here for updates from these meetings and more Arkansas government and politics news.
Arkansas State Police Director Col. Mike Hagar speaks during a legislative subcommittee meeting on Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo by Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Antoinette Grajeda
The head of Arkansas State Police said Monday he would be unable to appear before the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus to discuss a state trooper punching an 18-year-old during a traffic stop because of pending litigation.
The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management announced John Hogue had been appointed the new state fire marshal on Aug. 24, 2026. (Photo courtesy of ADEM)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Antoinette Grajeda
Longtime investigator John Hogue has been appointed the next state fire marshal, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management announced Monday.
Absentee ballots are prepared to be mailed at the Wake County Board of Elections on September 17, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By DC Bureau
WASHINGTON — With just over two months until the November midterms, the U.S. Supreme Court gave way Monday for President Donald Trump to have a hand in regulating mail-in ballots nationwide, a voting method he has falsely claimed is rife with corruption since he lost the 2020 presidential election.
MORE NEWS
Former Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Darrell Hickman dead at 91 | Arkansas Times
ACLU queries Tennessee school districts on Ten Commandments | Tennessee Lookout
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