Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced an increase of only 94 new COVID-19 cases Monday, two months after the New Year’s Day increase was 4,304. He reported seven new deaths, compared to 66 reported December 29.

In early December, I quoted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saying after a World War II victory in 1942, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

The Arkansas Legislature’s former Republican Senate leader is no longer a Republican.

Bryant High School wrestling coach Shane Clancy did not wrestle with his decision to be vaccinated for COVID-19. After his big right arm was stuck with a small needle at the River Center gym in Benton on February 13, he explained, “I’m ready to ditch the mask and just be normal.”

As Congress and President Biden debate yet again how much to spend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, one detail is missing: How are we going to pay all this borrowed money back?

A few years back, my wife and I got a letter from the IRS.

I’m a big proponent of third parties, so why do I like a bill making it harder for third party candidates to run for president in Arkansas?

It seems far too early to be talking about a governor’s election that won’t occur for another 15 months. But this may be our last chance.

Remarkably, the state of Arkansas has $422 million more in revenues than it thought it would. But the Senate chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee – and a bean counter in his other job – says it should act like it doesn’t.

Will the nation’s most pro-life state ban almost all abortions? It at least will pass laws meant to reduce the amount of them.

How should schools teach about history? And who should decide? The answer to the second question helps determine the answer to the first.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders ended months of speculation Monday by announcing she is running for governor in 2022, which means the Republican Party primary race so far pits a national political celebrity against non-celebrity regular elected officials.

You may be a little nervous about your investments considering the recent events in D.C., up to and including a new administration taking over. Well, let’s roll the clock back for one year to the first half of January 2020. Assume you receive the following information, which you deem to be c…

The status quo is the most powerful force in politics, but when something does change, then there’s a powerful new status quo that keeps the old one from coming back.

When President John F. Kennedy was running for president in 1960, he had to overcome some voters’ distrust of his being a Catholic.

Should hospitals allow patient visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic? Should the government require them to do so?

It’s been a challenging 12 months for all of us. For the Brawner family, it’s also been full of Hope.

Wednesday was a dark day in American political history, but it also was somewhat liberating for Arkansas’ congressional delegation.

Dr. David Ashby, special to magnoliareporter.com

I’m not an expert in infectious disease epidemiology now, any more than I was an expert in presidential impeachment law a year ago. But I can tell you what the people who are experts are saying: This is going to be a rough stretch in the pandemic in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Razorbacks finished the season 3-7, but they were 10 points from being 6-4. For Coach Sam Pittman’s long-term job security, it was better that they were 3-7.

The year 2020 is ending, thank goodness, and a new year begins. Here’s what we can expect in Arkansas politics.

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1897, The Sun of New York City published an editorial response to a young reader's question. "Is There a Santa Claus?" The editorial written by Francis Pharcellus Church has since become a Christmas classic. magnoliareporter.com is pleased to republish that editorial today.

In 2022, the high-profile offices in Arkansas – governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor – will come open for the first time in eight years, and perhaps for the last time in eight years.

If the first Gulf War in 1990-91 was when Americans relearned respect for military service personnel, and the attacks of September 11, 2001 reminded us of the bravery of firefighters, then 2020 is the year to appreciate doctors and nurses who are battling the COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines.

Time magazine annually names its “Person of the Year,” or “Persons,” and in that spirit I write a little column about my Arkansan of the Year. This year, Time chose President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, wrongly. This was not the year to name an elected official.

The glass-half-empty perspective is that the past 12 months have stretched this democracy kind of thin. The glass-half-full perspective is that it’s still pretty strong.

This year is weird. There, I said it. Nothing has been normal, and as the numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to climb, normal doesn’t seem to be coming back in the near future. Many of us had hoped the pandemic would be under control by the fall and winter holidays so we could see family and…

In the years before World War II, Americans were aware of the conflicts that were happening overseas, but they were determined to stay out of them. George Washington had urged the nation to avoid taking sides in international affairs, and that sentiment had endured. The country’s involvement…

When Trey Oguin has the chance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, he’ll take it. Why is he so confident? Because he helped develop it.

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning,” Prime Minister Winston Churchill said after a British World War II victory in 1942.

If you cannot imagine why half the country voted differently than you did this presidential election, get used to it. They will probably vote that way again.

You know what Benjamin Franklin said about nothing in this world being certain except death and taxes? In Arkansas come legislative session time, you probably could add “tax cut proposals” to the list.

The 2021 legislative session won’t be the “greatest of all time,” or “GOAT,” as Gov. Asa Hutchinson described the one in 2019. But it will be one of the weirdest, and probably one of the briefest – or maybe the longest.

I’m tired of hearing what politicians, media blowhards, and self-appointed experts think about COVID-19. I want to hear what doctors have to say. This week, they spoke.

The fall semester ends Friday at Southern Arkansas University, with commencement on Saturday. There will be a 52-day break before the start of the spring semester on January 13 with spring commencement on April 30. There will be no spring break except for one extended weekend starting April …

Does money buy happiness?

Thanksgiving is coming, for which not everyone is thankful – certainly not the governor and some of the state’s medical and epidemiological professionals who have been trying to keep you-know-what under control.

Even though votes are still being counted for the 2020 presidential election, the 2024 race has already begun. It’s ramping up even sooner than normal because the presumed president-elect, Joe Biden, is almost 78 years old and may not run for re-election.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has had to perform a balancing act as a pragmatic, business-focused governor working with some of his more conservative legislators in a state with increasing Trumpian leanings. That balancing act became a little easier and a little harder last week.

Regardless of what happens in the presidential race, Republicans had a good week in Arkansas, and Rep. French Hill had a great one.

On March 20, 1854, a group of anti-slavery activists met in a one-room schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin. They formed a new political party at that meeting and called themselves Republicans.

A presidential election has come and almost gone, and the two major party candidates have not campaigned in Arkansas or given the state much thought. President Trump is assured of winning here, so both candidates placed it in his column and forgot about it.

If you want to buy a car here in the U.S. that is made in Korea, you can. Korea makes Hyundai and Kia, brands that have gone from relative obscurity some years back to now capturing roughly six percent of the U.S. car market. Korea also makes toasters, vacuum cleaners, hard drives and smartp…

With so many Arkansans already voting, is it too late for a column about the three proposed constitutional amendments that were submitted by legislators? For those who haven’t voted, here’s a fair and balanced review, with a bone to pick at the end.

A 10-foot-tall “trojan horse” will stop in Texarkana, El Dorado and Magnolia on Friday as part of a campaign to defeat Issue 2 and Issue 3 on the general election ballot.

Let’s look at the bright side in this year filled with hardship, sorrow and acrimony. People are voting peacefully in high numbers, while two candidates in Utah are showing it’s still possible to treat an opponent – and the process – with respect.

The votes have yet to be counted in the 2020 elections, but in Arkansas, the 2022 campaign has already started.

For the fourth time, Arkansans will vote on legislative term limits. The big difference with Issue 2 this November is that it would remove the current lifetime ban.