Michael Hibblen

Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. is introducing a new course for students this Spring: beer fermentation. The class, a liberal arts hybrid laboratory offered to students 21 years and older, is taught by biology professor Dr. Alexander Beeser. He saw a need to offer more opportunities to inspire students to take science classes, beyond the credits needed for graduation.

As the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump gets underway in the U.S. Senate, Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas said he and his colleagues recognize the gravity of the situation. The Republican also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the chamber eventually votes to allow witnesses to testify

The state’s senior senator spoke with KUAR News about the impeachment trial, sharing his thoughts and expectations.

MICHAEL HIBBLEN: First off, how do you feel as this begins given everything that has happened leading up to this in the House and now coming to the Senate?

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg returned to Arkansas Monday, the second time he has visited the state since announcing he was running for the nation's highest office. The former New York City mayor walked near the front of Little Rock’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. parade, surrounded by supporters wearing "I Like Mike" shirts and waving signs.

An event taking place Friday in Helena will delve into the role Arkansas played in helping women get the right to vote in the U.S. The 19th Amendment was adopted in 1920 and the Delta Cultural Center is marking the 100th anniversary with a discussion of the women’s suffrage movement in the state.

Center Curator Drew Ulrich says it’s a complex history that eventually led to Arkansas ratifying the federal amendment. But, as was the case elsewhere in the country, there were racial and economic overtones.

A Pulaski County circuit judge has ruled a Little Rock police officer who shot and killed a suspect in a stolen car should not have been fired for his actions. In a written opinion issued Thursday, Judge Timothy Fox said a 30-day suspension was "clearly warranted" and a reduction in pay to that of an entry-level officer was "appropriate," but that Starks didn't deserve any additional penalties.

Arkansans have spent $25.7 million for medical marijuana since the state’s first dispensary opened its doors in May, the Department of Finance and Administration reported Tuesday. The sales figure was released on the eve of the expected opening of the state’s 14th dispensary on Wednesday.

"We are really experiencing a busy December," said department spokesman Scott Hardin.

A funeral service is scheduled Thursday for Fayetteville Police Officer Stephen Carr. Authorities say he was shot and killed Saturday night while sitting in his patrol car by a gunman who was then killed by responding officers. The service begins at 1 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena.

The suspect has been identified as 35-year-old London Phillips. The two officers who shot and killed him after a short chase are on administrative leave while an investigation into the shooting is being conducted.

As Little Rock works to implement a community schools model which has been endorsed by the state, the city's first chief education officer was named Friday. Former Arkansas State Board of Education Chair Jay Barth will begin the new position next month.

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. made the announcement, calling Barth "a tried and tested leader." Scott advocated for the community schools model in October rather than a controversial plan that would have divided the Little Rock School District. A resolution was subsequently approved by the state board.

While Little Rock’s homicide rate for 2019 has now exceeded last year, the city’s police chief is touting the number of cases cleared. On Wednesday he sat down with reporters to talk about the issue.

The Little Rock Police Department reports that, as of Wednesday, it had investigated 40 homicides this year, an increase of eight percent from last year. Chief Keith Humphrey says 80 percent of those cases have had a suspect arrested and charged, compared to the national average of 62.5 percent.

A federal judge has ruled a drug recovery program and a company owned by an Arkansas state lawmaker violated labor laws by requiring participants to work full-time without getting paid. It’s considered an alternative to jail time, but U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks said the two entities manipulated the labor market for their own benefit.

Arkasnas Business reporter Mark Friedman wrote about that in this week's issue:

Over the next week we’ll learn who will be running for political office in Arkansas during the 2020 elections. The candidate filing period begins Monday at 12 p.m. in the state Capitol Rotunda, running through Tuesday of next week.

Among the races to be decided next year are all four of the state's representatives in the U.S. House, as well as Sen. Tom Cotton’s seat. In the Arkansas legislature, 17 seats in the Senate will be decided along with all 100 members of the House.

Arkansas civil rights attorney and state lawmaker John Walker has died. He was 82. The Pulaski County Coroner’s Office says he died Monday at his home in Little Rock. A cause was not immediately reported.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been awarded a $5.6 million grant to advance technology with the potential to regenerate bones. The funding from the U.S. Department of Defense goes toward work on an implantable medical device known as NuCress scaffold, which has been in development since 2006.

It holds the promise of helping people with what have been considered untreatable injuries experience bone regeneration in places where parts of a bone are missing. In particular, researchers say it could help people avoid having limbs amputated because of injuries.

A new report from the state says Arkansas is making major progress toward improving its child welfare system, which drew praise from Gov. Asa Hutchinson Wednesday. A few years ago the state had a disproportionate number kids in foster care, workers with unmanageable caseloads and partners who said they weren’t getting the support needed.