Fraternal Order of Police sends letter urging directors to deny citizens review board ordinance; federal judge hears arguments challenging three Arkansas abortion laws; Governor names Nathan Smith broadband manager for state Broadband Office & “Safe Haven Baby Box” comes to Benton.

For any new mothers in Arkansas wishing to surrender their newborns in Saline County, there’s now a box for that. This week, the Benton City Council approved a “Safe Haven Baby Box” to be installed on an outside wall at the city’s Fire Station No. 3, KATV reports. The intention is to give mothers a safe and anonymous place other than hospitals and police stations to surrender their babies to the state.

A lawyer for the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police sent a letter to the board of directors on Monday morning, urging the board to vote against the citizens review board ordinance that Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and Chief of Police Keith Humphrey presented to directors last Tuesday. In the letter, the FOP disagrees with the creation of a citizens review board at all, saying several avenues for police review already exist, and it insists that the existing citizens review board ordinance does not give "appropriate power" to the board of directors. 

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Vox has more on the state's "truth in labeling" law that bans companies selling plant-based meat alternatives from using words like "burger" to refer to anything other than "the flesh of a domesticated bovine," etc.

Governor Hutchinson today announced the appointment of Dr. Nathan Smith as the state's first broadband manager for the Arkansas Broadband Office.

In a hearing on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Kristine Baker heard arguments from Little Rock Family Planning Services, Arkansas' only surgical abortion clinic, and Planned Parenthood challenging three abortion laws passed during the Legislative session this year. One of the laws would require doctors performing abortions in the state to be board-certified or eligible in obstetrics and gynecology; if Baker doesn't block the law from taking effect by Wednesday, the director of Little Rock Family Planning said the clinic could close within a month. 

ACLU, Tofurky challenge new Arkansas "truth-in-labeling" law; mayor announces task force to plan future of Little Rock Zoo; Rapert fundraises for his nonprofit, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers & Arkansas Democrats announce Beto O'Rourke as keynote speaker at Clinton Dinner this summer.

Politico with yet more scuttlebutt on a possible run for Arkansas governor by Trump apparatchik Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Chelsea Clinton announced this morning that she gave birth to Jasper Clinton Mezvinsky, her third child with husband Marc Mezvinsky.

Eddie Murphy will potray Fort Smith native and pioneering comedian Rudy Ray “Dolomite” Moore in an upcoming biopic on Netflix, Deadline reports. Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock and Keegan-Michael Key also star.

Our photographer Brian Chilson was onsite to catch California scientist Greg Leyh's creation in action. 

Quan "Jason" Ho was the art director at the Arkansas Times from 2017 to 2018 after graduating from UA Fort Smith. We knew him as a quiet, talented designer, who dressed way cooler than any of us. Now, he's a reality star in Vietnam.

Valerie Hegarty’s melted image of Bridal Veil Falls (“Fallen Bierstadt,” 2007) that hangs next to Albert Bierstadt’s painting of the Yosemite landmark (Bridal Veil Falls, ca. 1871-73) serves as a not so abstract abstract for the message of “Nature’s Nation: American Art and the Environment.”

Rather than trying to reunite sans their frontman Victor Wiley, the group decided to turn the release show into a listening party, with sets from the formidable The Moving Front, Congrats and Stifft Beat.

It's official: Downtown Little Rock is getting an axe-throwing place.

Artist Justin Bryant has been named a fellow of the Mid-America Arts Alliance's inaugural Interchange program, which supports artists' projects focused on social impact. The fellowship includes a grant of $20,000, which Bryant will use to create the "Holman: A Living Archive" project to revitalize of the historically black Holman HIgh School in Stuttgart. 

The Walton family's latest artistic venture in Bentonville, the Momentary, a multidisciplinary venue for contemporary art modeled on Mass Moca, will open on 2/22/20.

The Argenta Arts District will be the beneficiary of a special production of "A Chorus Line" at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at the Argenta Community Theater.

This year, ACS brings in two-time Academy Award winner and Pixar architect Andrew Stanton, who's worked on films like "Finding Nemo," "Wall-E" and "Toy Story 4," and who directed two episodes of the second season of "Stranger Things."

Along the Arkansas River Valley in Altus, there is a wine trail rich in history, rooted in family and eclectic in presentation.

Indian Kitchen drops the pretense of fine dining in favor of Indo-Pak comfort food with a focus on catering.

After much speculation and petitioning, Arkansas Business confirms today that Trader Joe's is indeed setting up shop at the former Toys 'R Us in West Little Rock, at 11500 Financial Center Parkway. 

While Panini & Co. supports vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, general manager Benjamin Hoanzl says the goal is to “provide variety for everybody.”

King Kone’s large menu, a dictionary book of flavors, covers the entire front of the purple cinder-block building. But if you’re here, you probably have some variation of ice cream and/or burgers on your mind.

Don’t take this as a full-fledged restaurant review from Arkansas Times: We’re just letting you know what we loved and what might need that aforementioned improvement (very little, we’ll tell you now!).

We got buds in the oven.

Hard to pick a favorite at That Ramen Place.

Shirley Temple’s got some company.

Calling all bourbon lovers! The Arkansas Times' 3rd annual Pig & Swig event on Friday, June 14, at the River Market Pavilions will feature five Knob Creek whiskeys.