State News

State News

Report: Arkansas Tops in Nation in ‘Binge Drinking’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas is number one in the country in terms of the level of binge drinking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and new research indicates old habits die hard.

Research at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis has found that binge drinking increases after age 21, versus subsiding as previously believed. For a man, binge drinking is considered five alcoholic beverages within a short period of time; for women it is four. It's associated with many social and health problems including violence, unintentional injuries, sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy.

The study also found that 18- to 21-year-old college students were more prone to binge drinking than those not enrolled. However, getting married and having children reduced the risk of binge drinking.

'Help our youth to cope better with stressors because we have seen that stressors can be a risk factor for engaging in binge drinking,' suggests Marion Greene, with the Center for Health Policy at the IUPUI School of Public Health. 'And teach them life skills, coping skills, how to say 'no' when it comes to peers who may be drinking or using other substances.'

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Changes to Power Plan Bad for Arkansas, Say Critics

LITTLE ROCK – There are five coal-fired power plants in Arkansas and the carbon emissions released from them could increase if a proposal from the Trump administration is allowed to replace the Clean Power Plan.

The public comments period is now open for people to weigh in on what the administration is terming the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. Glen Hooks, director of the Arkansas Sierra Club, says the CPP represented economic potential for the state.

'The Clean Power Plan in Arkansas was going to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by more than 36 percent and our analysis would show that it was going to create a whole bunch of new jobs in the clean energy industry and the energy efficiency industry and lead to more solar and wind here,' says Hooks.

The new rule would place restrictions on emission in the hands of states, which supporters say is a more fair process. Opponents argue that air doesn't stop at state borders and it would be difficult to maintain a standard to successfully reduce emissions.