Disaster recovery centers will open in Howard and Jefferson counties at noon on Wednesday, July 8 to help those whose homes or businesses were affected by the severe storms of late spring. Representatives from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration and other agencies will be at the centers to explain disaster assistance programs and help survivors apply for aid.

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, along with Congressmen Rick Crawford and Bruce Westerman, today announced that five Arkansas airports will receive over $1.8 million from the Department of Transportation to support facility upgrades and expansions.

Jason Woodring, 38, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 15 years in prison today on charges related to his attacks on Central Arkansas’ power grid between August and October 2013. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Woodring will be required to pay $4,792,224 in restitution to Entergy for his attacks on the power lines and electrical tower near Cabot, Arkansas, and a switching station in Scott, Arkansas. Woodring will also pay $48,729 to First Electric Cooperative for damage to the downed power lines and poles in Jacksonville

At its most recent meeting, the Highway Commission opened bids on two construction projects - one to replace a bridge on Interstate 30 in southwest Arkansas and another to widen Interstate 49 in northwest Arkansas.

This year, the Arkansas History Commission marks 110 years of collecting and preserving the source materials of the history of Arkansas with an online exhibit, “Tales From the Vault,” showcasing these state treasures.  The Capitol’s summer exhibit, of the same name, brings visitors face to face with some of these documentary gems, chosen by the Commission archivists themselves.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.25 million grant to Independence County in Arkansas to upgrade critical infrastructure that will support the expansion of the poultry industry.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2353, Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, by a vote of 387-35. H.R. 2353 is a short-term extension through the end of July to authorize funding to the Highway Trust Fund. Currently, the Highway Trust Fund is scheduled to run out at the end of this month. Following passage of the bill, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) released the below statement:

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General (VAOIG) notified U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Congressman French Hill (AR-02) that it will add the Little Rock Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) to its national project on VA’s Green Management Program Solar Panel Projects after the lawmakers detailed problems with the facility’s renewable energy program.

Governor Asa Hutchinson today issued a proclamation declaring Franklin, Garland, Howard, Izard, Johnson, Montgomery, Newton, Pike, Pope and Searcy counties a disaster area. Severe storms, flooding and tornadoes that began May 8 killed two Arkansans and damaged private property and public facilities in these counties. The governor issued the proclamation upon touring the affected areas Monday afternoon

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) has added his support to legislation that would protect our nation’s waters and the rights of landowners against overly burdensome and costly regulatory power-grab by Washington.

The House of Representatives has adopted Congressman Scott Tipton’s (R-CO) amendment to direct $2 million in additional resources to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for ongoing water delivery projects including the Arkansas Valley Conduit, which once completed would provide a reliable supply of clean drinking water to Southeast Colorado. The amendment, which was attached to H.R. 2028, the FY2016 Energy & Water Appropriations Act, does not create any new federal spending. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) joined Tipton in support of the amendment. The House is expected to pass H.R. 2028 this week.

An innovative and useful new product designed to greatly simplify a variety of gardening tasks, the Moonruver, has been developed by inventor John Moore of Newport, Arkansas. The invention’s unique design serves to greatly enhance the versatility and utility of a conventional riding mower.

Governor Asa Hutchinson has launched a new website for governor.arkansas.gov. This new site design is intended to reach beyond the Little Rock bubble and into the homes and offices of all Arkansans. It features all areas of our great state and highlights Governor Hutchinson’s focus on job creation, economic development, computer science, and a whole lot more

Retired long-haul truck driver Kenneth Hinkston, 62, has had his lower back fused, a metal rod put in his neck, and screws in his right ankle from "years of sitting and being pounded going across the road." When his home needed repairs, he was limited by finances and physical ability. Through Universal Housing Development Corporation, Mr. Hinkston learned about the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas)