Latest news with #Bentonville-based
Axios
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
First Bentonville BBQ Fest set for this month
Pit masters from Arkansas and eight other states will be smokin' at the Bentonville BBQ Festival on May 31, an inaugural event devoted to all things barbecue. State of play: Johnson-based Wright's Barbecue and Bentonville-based marketing company Product Connections are hosting the event and are looking to make the gathering an annual festival. What they're saying: The barbecue community is close-knit, Wright's owner Jordan Wright told Axios. He participates in festivals in other states and wanted to build a similar experience in NWA, bringing friends in the industry to come participate. Zoom in: Admission will get you access to all 15 offerings. Other participating Arkansas restaurants include Bentonville-based Beach BBQ and Brothers Meethouse, plus Russellville-based Ridgewood Brothers BBQ. How it works: The festival will be divided into three sections — heritage for classic barbecue, Lonestar for Texas-style dishes and "tomorrow-Q" for innovative takes like tacos, Product Connections ' Haley Berley told Axios. The event also will include live music, face painting for kids, vendors and beer from Bentonville Brewing Company, she said. Proceeds from the event will benefit Hogs for the Cause, a nonprofit that supports families of children with brain cancer. The intrigue: While Arkansas doesn't have a specific style (like Memphis, Texas, Kansas City and Carolina styles), barbecue joints in the state can make all styles, Wright said.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas LGBTQ+ organizers crowdfund to make up for fewer Pride sponsors in time for June
(Getty Images) The inaugural SoMa Pride festivities in June 2024 brought hundreds of people to the Little Rock neighborhood to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. SoMa Pride will return this June 7 'no matter what,' organizer Elizabeth Michael said — even if a funding shortage forces it to downsize. The SoMa 501 nonprofit, of which Michael is executive director, launched a crowdfunding campaign in March with a goal of $20,000 to 'bridge the gap' after losing 'a few major funding sources.' As of Wednesday, the campaign had raised $2,320 from 42 supporters. SoMa Pride is co-hosted by Central Arkansas Pride, which also hosts LGBTQ+ events in October, and SoMa 501. Organizers for June's events are not alone in their crowdfunding efforts; NWA Equality, which runs Northwest Arkansas Pride, raised over $30,000 in early April to make up for lost event sponsors. Even so, most of Northwest Arkansas Pride's sponsors have maintained their support, which director Richard Gathright said he appreciates. 'When I started doing this in 2018, our budget was $50,000, but as we've grown and expectations have grown, the event's now a little over $300,000 to put on,' Gathright said. Michael said she won't 'point fingers' at any entities that rescinded funding, and she noted that Arkansas' situation is not unique. Pride festivities in major cities nationwide this year have lost major corporate sponsors, such as Anheuser Busch in St. Louis and Target in Minnesota's Twin Cities. The changes have come as state and federal officials have targeted LGBTQ+ rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus voices disappointment in Walmart's DEI rollback Walmart rolled back its DEI policies last year, but Gathright said the Bentonville-based retailer has never been a Northwest Arkansas Pride sponsor. Gathright and Michael both said the funding shortages are related to the current precarity of federal funds. President Donald Trump's administration has frozen the disbursement of grants for diversity initiatives and federal funding for hospitals, among other things. Gathright said Northwest Arkansas Pride regularly gets support from local hospitals. Michael called economic struggles and the political climate 'a perfect storm' for Pride organizing, but noted that several entities continue to support the cause, including the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. SoMa is short for 'South on Main' and encompasses Little Rock's business district on Main Street just south of Interstate 630. Some of those businesses are LGBTQ-owned, and a Pride flag is painted on the pavement at the intersection of Main and 12th streets. Both SoMa and Northwest Arkansas' Pride festivities will include a parade and performance art such as live music. SoMa Pride might have fewer performers than last year if it doesn't meet its fundraising goal, Michael said. The event had two stages last year but is expected to have only one this year. Even so, the organizers had booked four musical acts as of Wednesday, Michael said. She added that SoMa 501 could raise money with a Pride 'pre-party' or similar events, weather permitting, so 'all hope is not lost.' Pride events and the LGBTQ+ community nationwide have not always had the amount of support from businesses, corporations or politicians that they have had in recent years, said Evelyn Rios Stafford, a Washington County justice of the peace from Fayetteville. She is Arkansas' first and only out transgender elected official, and she said she has been attending Pride events since the early 1990s, and not just in Arkansas. 'Whether there's corporate sponsorship or not, people were able to make that happen 30 years ago,' Rios Stafford said. 'If we have to go back to that grassroots kind of organizing, I think that's still worthwhile. I think visibility today is now more important than ever.' Northwest Arkansas Pride has drawn tens of thousands of attendees each year for the past few years, and state Rep. Tippi McCullough, D-Little Rock, said the magnitude of the event gives her 'chills just thinking about it.' McCullough is the only out LGBTQ+ member of the Arkansas Legislature. She has seen support for LGBTQ+ Arkansans 'ebb and flow' over time, she said, and she appreciates the growth of Pride festivities outside Central and Northwest Arkansas, the state's most populous areas, and Eureka Springs, which is known as a haven for LGBTQ+ people. McCullough's hometown of Hot Springs will host a Pride parade June 7, and Batesville, Fort Smith and Russellville had Pride celebrations in 2024. Saline County scheduled but later canceled a Pride event last year. 'Every LGBTQ person in Arkansas should know that there is a community out there, that there are people like them and that there are people who care about them,' McCullough said. The Legislature has passed several laws in the last few sessions that McCullough and other Democrats have criticized as unfairly targeting LGBTQ+ people. One such law from the session that just ended will allow Arkansans to sue for damages if they encounter someone in a bathroom, changing room, shelter or correctional facility who does not align with the 'designated sex' of the space. Another law would protect Arkansas government employees from adverse employment action if they refuse to do something within the context of their jobs that conflicts with their 'sincerely held religious beliefs,' such as providing a marriage license to a same-sex couple. Discriminatory legislation can be 'a Catch-22,' McCullough said. 'These bills being brought up every year helps, in some ways, to fuel Pride events, because there's such a reason to make sure that we have them,' she said. Gathright and Michael agreed that persistence and togetherness in the face of adversity are not just helpful but necessary for LGBTQ+ Arkansans. 'Something that was really heartwarming for me last year was to hear stories of 16-year-olds from rural Arkansas who came to SoMa Pride and said this is the first time they've been around other people like them, and the first time they felt safe and welcome being who they are,' Michael said. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a well-known transgender advocate who lives in Little Rock, will be the grand marshal of this year's SoMa Pride parade. Griffin-Gracy was present at the 1969 Stonewall riot between LGBTQ+ people and police in New York City, a pivotal event in the LGBTQ+ rights movement that advocates say paved the way for Pride celebrations. Gathright said Pride continues to be a form of protest, especially in the current political climate. 'I'm going to keep fighting for LGBTQ rights as long as I can and keep making sure that we have Pride, that people can come to enjoy themselves, be themselves and not have to worry about much of anything,' Gathright said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blue Crane to develop Hotel Sundry in downtown Springdale
SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Bentonville-based developer Blue Crane has announced plans for a new hotel project in Downtown Springdale. The 124-room Hotel Sundry, part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection, will be located at 203 E. Emma Avenue and is expected to break ground later this month, with an anticipated opening in 2027, according to a news release. The five-story hotel will include a range of amenities, such as a modern Italian restaurant featuring wood-fired pizza, a coffee shop and café, an oversized fitness center and bike storage facilities catering to the nearby Razorback Greenway and regional mountain biking trails. Previous Blue developments in Springdale include 202 Railside and VIA Emma. Alice Walton placed on Time 100 Health 2025 list Blue Crane is the real estate arm of Walton-owned Runway Group. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Ivanka Trump unveils fresh produce access initiative in first public appearance since Trump's second term
Ivanka Trump made her return to the national stage on Thursday in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she announced her latest initiative focused on expanding access to fresh produce, an issue she had long advocated for. Having largely stayed out of the public eye during her father's second term, this marked her first significant reappearance in the spotlight. Also Read: Pope Leo XIV: Explore the books and writings of the first American pontiff For the first time in public, Ivanka opened up about her role as a co-founder of Planet Harvest, a Chicago-based 'profit-for-purpose company' established in 2023. The company claims to offer 'innovative, whole harvest solutions that resolve inefficiencies in the supply chain,' focusing on improving the way fresh produce is sourced and distributed. The summit, which spotlighted America's heartland as a centre of growth and innovation, was co-founded by Walmart heirs Olivia, Tom, and Steuart Walton. It was hosted by their Bentonville-based think tank, Heartland Forward. The interview was conducted by Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global who told Axios in a statement that the 'decision to focus on democratizing access to healthy food comes at an unprecedented moment in our country's health care journey, where we're finally recognising the scale of the crisis in chronic diseases.' The remarks seemed to be directed towards Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He recently shared the urgency to crack down on processed food for the agency, pledging to remove the 'epidemic of chronic illness' from the country and 'Make America Healthy Again,' as reported by MSNBC. On stage, Ivanka said, 'Food can be used medicinally and food can be used to heal our bodies. Food can be part of the solution.' Also Read: Power mom! Press Secy Karoline Leavitt seen working while feeding baby, netizens inspired He added that she developed 'a real passion for supporting American farmers and getting more food into communities in need' while she contributed to U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farmers to Families Food Box program amid pandemic.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ivanka Trump's fresh produce venture at odds with cuts to local food programs
Ivanka Trump on Thursday made her first major public appearance since her father's return to the White House, taking the stage at the Heartland Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, to discuss her efforts to expand access to fresh produce. For the first time in public, President Donald Trump's oldest daughter discussed her role as a co-founder of Planet Harvest, a Chicago-based 'profit-for-purpose company' created in 2023 that claims to provide 'innovative, whole harvest solutions that resolve inefficiencies in the supply chain.' Prior to her appearance, Trump, 43, told Axios in a statement that she launched Planet Harvest 'to reimagine how American produce moves — not just through the supply chain, but across communities. … By connecting fresh and surplus harvests with those who can benefit from them, we're supporting farmers, reducing food waste, expanding access and using good nutrition to improve health.' Trump told Axios she developed 'a real passion for supporting American farmers and getting more food into communities in need' while working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farmers to Families Food Box program during the pandemic. The summit, highlighting America's heartland as a hub of growth and innovation, was co-founded by Walmart heirs Olivia, Tom and Steuart Walton and hosted by their Bentonville-based think tank Heartland Forward. Trump was interviewed by Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, who told Axios that the 'decision to focus on democratizing access to healthy food comes at an unprecedented moment in our country's health care journey, where we're finally recognizing the scale of the crisis in chronic diseases.' Huffington's comments appear to refer to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said that cracking down on processed foods is a major focus for the agency. Kennedy has pledged to end the country's 'epidemic of chronic illness' and 'Make America Healthy Again.' 'Food can be used medicinally and food can be used to heal our bodies,' the president's daughter said on stage. 'Food can be part of the solution.' Republicans' current support for greater scrutiny of the American diet stands in stark contrast to the reaction former first lady Michelle Obama received from the right in 2010 when she launched her 'Let's Move!' campaign focused on childhood obesity. At the time, Fox News host Sean Hannity called the initiative a 'Obama government obesity task force' and asked, 'Does every American family need a dietician appointed by the government to tell them that this food is going to make you fat and this food is not?' While Ivanka Trump says she wants to expand access to fresh produce, the administration's budget cuts are accomplishing exactly the opposite. In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed two federal programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers. The program specifically aided some of the nation's most disadvantaged farmers. One school district said the USDA's decision will wipe out $100,000 in funding that it had planned to spend on local beef and produce for students' school meals. The cuts come as a record number of Americans continue to deal with food insecurity. According to the most recent USDA data, from 2023, 13.5% of Americans struggled at some point to secure enough food, the highest rate in nearly a decade. This article was originally published on
