Arkansas dignitaries respond to Biden dropping out of presidential race
LITTLE ROCK — In a historic move, incumbent President Joe Biden announced Sunday afternoon that he would not be seeking a second term in office this November.
The announcement on social media also created buzz on social media among Arkansas political leaders and has made an already historic election season even more historic.
Biden, who served as a Senator and Vice President before taking office in 2021, said he plans to finish his term in office and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
A decision on whether or not to drop out of the presidential race began to go at breakneck speed in recent weeks after criticism over Biden’s performance in a June 27 debate created questions about his ability to serve. This year’s election is the first since 1968 for an incumbent President to say they are not seeking another term, while it is also the first since 1976 in which a Biden, Clinton or Bush has not been on the ballot.
Rep. French Hill (R-Little Rock) said in a statement that he believed Biden’s exit from the race does not change the debate.
“President Biden can run from the campaign trail, but Democrats cannot escape their record of failure. They have failed at fixing the chaos at our border, failed at reining in the high inflation hurting families and failed at leading on the world stage,” Rep. Hill said. “Biden’s exit was the worst kept secret during this election, and it changes nothing about the dynamics of this campaign. Republicans have a positive vision to unite our nation, while Democrats make eleventh hour plays to cover up their failures. It won’t work. November is coming.”
Arkansas Democrats thanked Biden for his service.
“Arkansas Democrats are incredibly proud of President Joe Biden today, not only for his responsive and selfless decision to step aside, but also for his steadfast leadership and historic accomplishments as our President for the past four years,” a statement from the Democratic Party of Arkansas said.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also thanked Biden and endorsed Harris Sunday afternoon.
“President Biden has capped his extraordinary career of service with a Presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy and restored our standing in the world. By any measure, he has advanced our founders’ charge to build a more perfect union and his own stated goal of restored the soul of our nation,” the statement said. “We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished, standing up for America time and again, with his North Star always being what’s best for the country.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she believes the election now changes from Biden to Harris, as the prospective Democratic nominee.
“Trump saved America from Hillary and will now save America from Kamala,” Gov.
Sanders said on social media.
Sen. Tom Cotton said on social media that he believes Harris would continue many of the same policies if elected in November.
“Democrats can take Joe Biden out of the White House, but they can’t take their radical policies out of the Democratic Party. Whoever runs for the Democrats will have the
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same failed ideas that have hurt the country under Joe Biden,' Sen. Cotton said on social media.
The Democratic convention starts Aug. 19 in Chicago, while the general election is set for Nov. 5.
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Leaders of drug ring get 200-months in prison
LITTLE ROCK — The two leaders of a large-scale methamphetamine organization have been sentenced to a combined 400 months in federal prison.
Adan Mendoza, 36, of Dallas, Texas, and Brian I. Wilson, 37, of Little Rock, each received 200-month prison sentences – which equals 16 years, 8 months – from United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr. Judge Moody sentenced Mendoza on Friday, and Wilson on July 12, 2024. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentences.
Wilson and Mendoza were the two lead defendants in a 20count, nine-defendant indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury on September 8, 2022. Both Wilson and Mendoza pleaded guilty in March 2024 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine. In their plea agreements, each defendant was held responsible for distribution of between 5-15 kilograms of methamphetamine, a range which carried a 10-year minimum sentence.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Moody sentenced each defendant to five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
All nine defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. In addition to the sentences handed out to Wilson and Mendoza, Judge Moody sentenced David Chad Lane, 47, of North Little Rock, to 96 months in prison, and Samuel L. Johnson, 37, of Little Rock, to 65 months in prison.
Judge Moody will sentence the remaining defendants at a later date.
In this case, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a methamphetamine trafficking ring in central Arkansas in late 2021. The ring was headed locally Wilson, and supplied by Mendoza, out of Dallas. Wilson acquired methamphetamine from Mendoza in Texas and either personally transported it by car, or had associates transport it for him, to central Arkansas weekly. Wilson and others then distributed the methamphetamine to numerous people in Arkansas.
On two different occasions, the DEA used a confidential informant to purchase a kilogram of methamphetamine directly from Wilson. Also, in February 2022, the DEA seized approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of cocaine from Wilson following a traffic stop when Wilson was returning from a trip to Dallas.
Mendoza is also implicated in a separate federal conspiracy in Texas that began in 2019.
While DEA was conducting surveillance on Mendoza in Dallas, agents observed Wilson meeting with him. During additional surveillance operations in Dallas, DEA agents observed an associate of Wilson (co-defendant Michael Odom) arrive at Mendoza’s house in a Corvette, meet with Mendoza, and then leave with a large bag. Following a high-speed chase with police, local law enforcement eventually arrested Odom and recovered 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine that Odom received from Mendoza.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, with assistance from the Arkansas State Police, North Little Rock Police Department, Little Rock Police Department, Lonoke Sheriff’s Office, and Arkansas Community Correction.
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Coalition addresses child care challenges in state
JONESBORO — Members of the Excel by Eight Business Coalition convened Wednesday at St. Bernards Healthcare in Jonesboro to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing Arkansas parents and businesses: the shortage of affordable, high-quality child care.
With 85 percent of Arkansas parents reporting difficulties in finding adequate care for their infants and toddlers, the meeting represented a pivotal opportunity to address these challenges.
The Excel by Eight Business Coalition, which consists of 60 members from across the state, focused on developing policy and workplace solutions to support working parents in building successful careers. Members of the coalition heard from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the Arkansas Early Childhood Association and Fifty for the Future (Little Rock) in a discussion that included the framework of tax credit proposals to benefit families and businesses investing in child care.
“Affordable and high-quality child care is not just a necessity for parents but a crucial element in the development of our future workforce,” said Angela Duran, executive director of Excel by Eight. “Our coalition is dedicated to addressing this significant gap and ensuring that every child in Arkansas has the opportunity to thrive from the earliest stages of life.”
The Coalition has more than doubled in size the last six months.
Liz Smith, head of the Mississippi County Regional Chamber of Commerce, also stressed the economic implications of inadequate child care. Working parents are often forced to leave the workforce, which costs the state roughly $793 million in lost earnings, productivity and revenue every year.
“It’s crucial that businesses and state leaders recognize the innumerable effects of child care on the broader economic health of our state,” Smith said. “For example, in Mississippi County, dominated by steel industry jobs, shifts are often 12 hours at a time. We need specialized and creative care options that will allow better access to the workplace. We have a number of high-quality, high-paying jobs that go unfilled because parents, often women, can’t find consistent and adequate childcare.”