March 2024

This week, several members attended a Maternal Health Roundtable at UAMS. The roundtable included Arkansas medical professionals discussing maternal health alongside Governor Sanders, Senator John Boozman, and Congressman French Hill.

In a state rich with history, one organization stands out for its enduring commitment to democracy: the League of Women Voters of Arkansas (LWVA). Celebrating its 104th anniversary, this formidable group remains as vibrant and influential as ever.

LITTLE ROCK –The legislature has been working on a long-term, sustainable solution to the spike in property insurance costs of Arkansas schools. A consultant hired last year will submit his report in March.

Using a globe, tennis ball and flashlight is a great way to demonstrate exactly how a solar eclipse works. Just turn off the lights and show how the flashlight can cast a shadow on the globe when the tennis ball passes in front of it like the moon passes in front of the sun.

After several years of pause on paying federal student loan payments, borrowers were required to resume payments with interest accrual in October 2023. If you or family members who owe student loans haven’t already done so, be sure to check if student loan forgiveness might be a good fit for your situation. No matter where you are in the student loan repayment process, reevaluating your options at least once a year is the best financial practice.

What is it? Is it just the process that we wrap our learning process into, or is it more? There are many reasons they say for getting an education, such as amassing a large amount of knowledge to help for future benefits. It is usually regarded as the reason for attending higher centers of schooling such as colleges and universities. It often is the center of conjecture of political powers or governmental attention. It seems to be directed at the youth of a community, city or state for the early maturing years – age 13 to mid 20’s. It once was a matter of time to spend to attain that required learning, it has slowly grown into a business and high finance. Even families with high schoolers feel the pinch with books and clothes and all the other little things that go with that coming of age. So many of these kids then don’t think about this being education, and how it can shape their later lives. They are busy learning the intricate dance of social activities. That has a place too, but I think perhaps that our centers of education have too much concentration placed on that. I know a young father who was homeschooled from the fourth grade through high school. It wasn’t a religious or social issue, it stemmed from the needs of the family. But in this case, it worked out for him as when he hit the later teens he found part time jobs in that community, and learned work ethics from professional entrepreneurial business people. Those work ethics followed him through his growing up years, until he had such a reputation that people sought him for their business. Also, since his homeschooling taught him to find answers and problem solve himself, and since he was not distracted by the petri- dish of hormonal activity that is the public school, he began early to further his career. Now he has a daughter that is following in his footsteps and looks to be a force of her own as she progresses into her teenage years. I know other young people that have grown up in that manne