Today’s headlines from KASU News for Wednesday, June 18, 2025, include an Arkansas prison escapee pleading not guilty, Jonesboro moving ahead with a sports complex and downtown street changes, a rural Dollar General closing, potential impacts of Medicaid and SNAP changes, Governor Sanders’s trade mission comments, efforts to lower Arkansas’s high maternal mortality rate, and a new leader for the state’s Department of Human Services.
00:00 — Intro
00:30 — Prison escapee pleads not guilty
Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer, pleads not guilty to escaping from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock last month. He was caught two weeks later.
00:53 — Jonesboro sports complex updates and downtown lane reduction study
Jonesboro’s Ridge Athletic Center pool construction may begin in late July. Officials also discuss lowering Race Street’s speed limit and consider reducing Main Street downtown to one lane to improve pedestrian safety.
03:20 — Wrightsville Dollar General to close
Wrightsville’s only local store, a Dollar General, will close July 14, leaving residents without nearby grocery or convenience options.
04:28 — Debate over Medicaid work requirements and SNAP funding
Arkansas applies for a Medicaid waiver requiring work searches. An advocate warns this could limit Medicaid access and increase SNAP costs for the state if federal cuts pass.
06:13 — Governor Sanders criticizes treatment of Israeli defense contractors
During a European trade mission, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls out restrictions placed on Israeli companies at the Paris Air Show.
06:50 — Philanthropic effort to lower maternal mortality rates
Olivia Walton discusses how the Heartland Whole Health Institute will study economic and healthcare factors to help reduce Arkansas’s high maternal mortality rate.
08:19 — New Arkansas DHS Secretary named
Governor Sanders appoints Medicaid Director Janet Mann to lead the Arkansas Department of Human Services, succeeding Kristi Putnam at the end of July.
