State News

State News

Presidential Alert Similar to State Emergency System

LITTLE ROCK – On Wednesday afternoon, almost every cellphone in the U.S. lit up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's first-ever presidential alert test message. It allows authorities to send emergency messages to mobile devices. The Natural State has a similar system run by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. It also has the capability to send out mobile alerts anywhere in the state, warning Arkansans and any visitors of natural disasters or threats.

The agency said it already communicates to a lot of Arkansans through television and radio, but mobile devices are becoming the most effective way to get alerts out. The agency said it's working to address how to reach out to those who don't have cellphones.

The department said people can opt out of getting alerts at the state level, but not on the federal level.

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State Senator Blocks Atheists on Social Media, Gets Sued

LITTLE ROCK – Afederal lawsuit was filed Tuesday against State Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow) by members of an atheist group who say the Arkansas lawmaker violated their constitutional rights by blocking them on social media.

Betty Jo Fernau, Catherine Shoshone, Robert Barringer and Karen Dempsey, all members of American Atheists Inc., filed the civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas against the Faulkner County Republican lawmaker for violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and Arkansas state law.

They say they were unconstitutionally blocked from Rapert’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts after they expressed viewpoints different than his on several issues. According to the complaint, Rapert also blocked the plaintiffs due to their atheist views. The four plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial and seeking a court order to participate on the Arkansas senator’s social media forums. The suit is also requesting nominal and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees.

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‘Wild’Winter on the Way?

Yes, according to the 2018 edition of the Farmers' Almanac. The trusted publication predicts a rough winter ahead for Arkansas. The publication described the upcoming 2018-18 winter season as 'cold, dry, wet and wild' in its winter outlook page, with residents warned to “expect more snow than usual and normal winter temperatures.”