By Andrew DeMillo | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning, Advocate readers! A new report shows how much longer the drive to hospitals to give birth is getting throughout Arkansas. And this week’s editor’s commentary looks at how secret agreements with private companies are chipping away at transparency in the state. Read more Arkansas government and politics news at the Advocate site here.

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GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

By Tess Vrbin

Rural Arkansans face increasingly long drives to hospitals that deliver babies as more labor and delivery units have closed due to financial strain, according to new data from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.

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COMMENTARY

By Andrew DeMillo

The recent court fight over the nondisclosure agreement Fayetteville signed with a military-grade drone manufacturer is highlighting the prevalence of secrecy surrounding economic deals at the local and state level.

Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins Arkansas congressional candidate Chris Jones on Friday, June 19, 2026 at the Dreamland Ballroom in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Katie Adkins/Arkansas Advocate)

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

By Andrew DeMillo

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday Arkansas voters can issue a rebuke to President Donald Trump by flipping a Republican-held House seat.  

MORE NEWS

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