Tag Archives: Arkansas

Flash flood watches issued in four Southern states ahead of thunderstorms

Portions of four Southern states are bracing for the possibility of flash flooding later this week.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued flash flood watches for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana ahead of a series of thunderstorms that is expected to bring anywhere between three and 10 inches of rain to those regions between Tuesday and Thursday.

The flash flood watch states the heaviest rains are expected in eastern Texas, western Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas, increasing the risk of flash flooding in those communities.

The storms are expected to bring lighter precipitation totals across the Great Plains, South and Midwest over the next three days, and National Weather Service forecasts indicate that some parts of Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi could all receive three or more inches of rain.

Residents of all of the affected states are encouraged to monitor their local forecasts.

The service also said there is a slight chance of severe thunderstorms across the Southern Plains tonight, but had yet to issue any watches or warnings for those storms as of 1 p.m. Central time.

The flash flood watches come after California was hit with heavy rains over the weekend.

The National Weather Service’s unofficial totals show more than 10 inches of rain fell in parts of Monterey, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties between Friday morning and Monday morning.

The weekend storms also brought more than two feet of snow and wind gusts that topped 60 mph to some mountainous areas, the service said, including an 88-mph gust near Mount Diablo.

Those topped trees and power lines, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.

Utility company PG&E said reported more than 265,000 of its customers in the Bay Area lost power during the storm, though all but 8,700 had their service restored as of Sunday morning.

Radar showed some California communities were receiving additional rain and snow Monday, and the National Weather Service warned that some areas could see another 10 inches of snow.

Satanic Statue Unveiled in Detroit

In what is being called the “largest public satanic ceremony in history”, a 8 1/2 foot tall satanic monument has been displayed in Detroit, Michigan.

The statue of Baphomet was unveiled at a ticketed special event before midnight on July 25th.  The crowd cheered at the unveiling chanting “hail satan.”  The statue features two children, one boy and one girl, looking up adoringly at the satanic creature.

About 100 protesters showed up to challenge the placement of the statue saying it was disrespectful to religions.

“Baphomet contains binary elements symbolizing a reconciliation of opposites, emblematic of the willingness to embrace, and even celebrate differences,” Jex Blackmore, who organized the unveiling, told TIME.  Blackmore admits his name is a pseudonym for “safety reasons.”

The statue was originally part of the Satanic Temple’s plan to place a satanic statue on the grounds of the Oklahoma State House grounds where a Ten Commandments monument was placed.  The group now plans to take the statue to Arkansas after the governor approved a Ten Commandments monument for that state’s Capitol grounds.

Officers Step In When Deputy Dies Before Son’s Graduation

When a Johnson County Arkansas deputy was shot and killed pursuing a burglary suspect the day before his son’s graduation, no one knew the way the brotherhood of officers would take care of his son.

Hours after the shooting, Dakota Smith walked across the stage at Clarksville High School to pick up his diploma.  When his name was announced, a dozen officers who had rushed to the school stood up, snapped to attention and saluted the young man in place of his late father.

“There was also a standing ovation for him and a round of applause. The moment they said his name until the moment he sat so you…definitely felt a moment there of support and love for that family,” said youth minister Chad Race.

The graduating class also showed their support for Dakota by wearing black ribbons on their graduation gowns.

“There was a lot of outpouring emotion… he received a lot of applause and rightfully so,” School Superintendent David Hopkins told KARK News.  “It took a lot of courage for him and his family to be here tonight and I know that’s where their dad would want them to be.”

Huckabee Officially Announces Run For President

Mike Huckabee made it official Tuesday.

Huckabee made his announcement in front of a crowd in Hope, Arkansas, where he was raised.  He said that he wanted to take America “from hope to higher ground.”

Huckabee was unashamed of his Christian upbringing and love for the Lord in his announcement.

“We prayed at the start of each day [in school], and we prayed again before lunch,” Huckabee recalled. “And I learned that this exceptional country could only be explained by the providence of almighty God.”

Huckabee said that Americans have generally lost their way morally and that government leaders have made judges their God rather than the Lord.

“We’ve lost our way morally,” he said. “We’ve witnessed the slaughter of over 55 million babies in the name of choice, and we are now threatening our religious liberty by criminalizing Christianity and demanding that we abandon biblical principals of natural marriage.”

“Many of our politicians have surrendered to the false god of judicial supremacy, which would allow black-robed and unelected judges the power to make law as well as enforce it,” Huckabee continued, “upending the equality of our three branches of government as well as the separation of powers so central to the Constitution.”

Huckabee said that the Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being.

“My friends, the Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being and they cannot overturn the laws of nature or of nature’s God,” Huckabee proclaimed, receiving applause.

Arkansas Lawmakers Vote For Ten Commandments Monument At Capitol

Arkansas lawmakers have passed a proposal to place a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitol and Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to sign the bill.

As we previously reported, State Senator Jason Rapert proposed the moument, which will be funded by private citizens.  The senator referenced other monuments in Texas and Oklahoma, which courts have found as Constitutional.

“The Secretary of State shall permit and arrange for the placement on the State Capitol grounds of a suitable monument commemorating the Ten Commandments,” SB 939 reads in part. “The Secretary of State shall arrange for the monument to be designed, constructed, and placed on the State Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the State of Arkansas.”

“The placement of the monument under this section shall not be construed to mean that the State of Arkansas favors any particular religion or denomination over others,” it continues.

The bill passed the Arkansas House 72-7 on Wednesday.

“The 10 Commandments monument is a visible reminder intended to keep us focused outside of ourselves, just as the founders looked outside of themselves for guidance,” Rep. Kim Hammer said, according to the Arkansas News.

Arkansas Governor Refuses To Sign Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has refused to sign the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The governor said that he wants the bill to mirror the federal Religious Freedom Restoration act so that the state is known “as a state that does not discriminate but understands tolerance.”

“The issue has become divisive because our nation remains split on how to balance the diversity of our culture with the traditions and firmly held religious convictions,” Hutchinson said. “It has divided families, and there is clearly a generational gap on this issue.”

Governor Hutchinson is the latest to back away from a bill to protect religious freedom after anti-faith activists in Indiana launched an attack on the state’s governor for signing a religious freedom law in his state.  North Carolina’s governor is also backing away from a bill to protect religious freedom saying the law “makes no sense.”

Fourteen states are considering similar legislation this year.

Arkansas Considering Ten Commandments Monument On State Grounds

If some Arkansas legislators have their way, a monument to the Ten Commandments will be placed on the grounds of the state capitol building.

The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the proposal of Senator Jason Rapert and sent the matter to a full Senate vote.

“The Secretary of State shall permit and arrange for the placement on the State Capitol grounds of a suitable monument commemorating the Ten Commandments,” SB939 reads in part. “The Secretary of State shall arrange for the monument to be designed, constructed, and placed on the State Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the State of Arkansas.”

“The placement of the monument under this section shall not be construed to mean that the State of Arkansas favors any particular religion or denomination over others,” it continues.

Senator Rapert says the monument will be modeled after those in Oklahoma and Texas that have been declared Constitutional by the courts.

“I think as part of our state capitol, it would make a nice addition and give a nice honor to the fact that this is a part of the foundation of American jurisprudence,” Rapert stated. “We have room for many more, and we don’t have anything in particular that honored that aspect of the moral foundation of American law.”

State Takes Custody of Christian Family’s Children

A Christian family in Hot Springs, Arkansas had their home invaded by police and their children taken from them because of a “miracle supplement.”

State police and Garland County officers were looking for MMS, or Miracle Mineral Solution.  The product is completely illegal and can be legally purchased online but the FDA believes there could be health concerns related to the product.

The officers were claiming that the children were being placed at risk because of the MMS in drinking water.

Hal Stanley said that he is the only member of the family that takes MMS and that it’s mostly used as a water purifier for his garden.

The couple, who homeschools their children, were kept away from their children while they were questioned by officers.  Michelle Stanley told KARZ-TV that an officer said the kids looked great and the situation would be ending soon.

Then fully armed sheriffs came into the home and took the children away from their parents.

The family considers themselves “self-reliant” and avoids contact with the government.  Sources close to the family say this is the motivation behind the police harassment.  A court hearing is being held on January 21st to determine if the state can continue to hold the family’s children.

The Garland County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement after the media heard of their actions, claiming that the MMS story is “false.”  They claim two residents close to the family who are unnamed made claims of child abuse.

Arkansas State University Allows Players To Wear Crosses

In a victory for the religious freedom of Christians, Arkansas State University has announced they will allow players to continue to have cross shaped stickers on their helmets to pay tribute to fallen classmates.

The only condition from the school is that the players pay for the stickers themselves and that they personally place them on the helmets.

The stickers, which bare the initials of classmates Markel Owens and Barry Weyer who died in the last year, had been placed on all the helmets as a way for the team to pay tribute.  An anti-Christian attorney in Jonesboro, Louis Nisenbaum, saw one of the players on TV with a cross on his helmet and sent a threatening letter to the school.

After initially saying they would remove the crosses in response to the anti-Christianist, the school relented after student athletes contacted various religious freedom organizations to defend their religious freedom.

“In the interest of allowing our student-athletes to memorialize their fallen colleagues, Markel Owens and Barry Weyer, it is the university’s position that any player who wishes to voluntarily place an NCAA-compliant sticker on their helmet to memorialize these individuals will be able to do so,” University attorney Linda McDaniel wrote.

“This is a great victory for the players of Arkansas State University,” Liberty Institute litigation director Hiram Sasser remarked following the decision. “The university officials and the Arkansas attorney general did the right thing restoring the religious liberty and free speech rights of the players to have the original cross sticker design if they so choose and we commend them for doing so.”

Arkansas State University Player Fights Back Against Anti-Christianist

A member of the Arkansas State University football is standing up against an anti-Christianist who demanded a cross emblem on the team’s helmets remembering slain classmates be removed.

The cross emblem was used because both of the slain students, Markel Owens and Barry Weyer, were open and practicing Christians.  The team thought that a cross was appropriate to fit both young men.

Jonesboro attorney Louis Nisenbaum decided that the team shouldn’t be able to honor their fallen classmates that way and sent a demand to the school.

“That is a clear violation of the Establishment Clause as a state endorsement of the Christian religion,” the anti-Christianist wrote. “Please advise whether you agree and whether ASU will continue this practice.”

The school then said they would remove the crosses even though they saw no legal grounds to require it to avoid litigation.

One football player, who is remaining anonymous out of fear of the wrath of anti-Christianists, has obtained legal assistance from the Liberty Institute to fight the decision.

“ASU’s actions in defacing the students’ memorial stickers to remove their religious viewpoint is illegal viewpoint discrimination against the students’ free speech. As these stickers were designed by and adopted by the students on their own, they constitute protected student speech,” the letter, written by Director of Strategic Litigation Hiram Sasser, stated. “Furthermore, ASU’s actions evince that hostility to religion that the Supreme Court has stated is a violation of the Establishment Clause.”

The Liberty Institute has demanded an answer by Wednesday as to whether or not the school will affirm the players have the right to voluntarily put the crosses on their helmets.