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Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan and challenger Molly Rawn are headed to a runoff election in December.

Why it matters: Fayetteville voters will head to the polls again on Dec. 3 after no candidate secured an outright victory.

By the numbers: Jordan took about 46.9% of the vote, followed by Rawn with about 36.9%, Tom Terminella with about 12.4% and Adam Fire Cat with nearly 3.8%, according to final but unofficial results from Washington County.

Lioneld Jordan, challenger Molly Rawn head to runoff in Fayetteville mayor's race

Voters will head to the polls again on Dec. 3.

Animated illustration of a location pin at the top of an org chart over a purple background, which spins to reveal a checkmark.

Arkansas

Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan and challenger Molly Rawn are headed to a runoff election in December.Why it matters: Fayetteville voters will head to the polls again on Dec. 3 after no candidate secured an outright victory.By the numbers: Jordan took about 46.9% of the vote, followed by Rawn with about 36.9%, Tom Terminella with about 12.4% and Adam Fire Cat with nearly 3.8%, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="final but unofficial results" data-vars-click-url="https://www.washingtoncountyar.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/31302" data-vars-content-id="1a3c96ad-3522-4008-b48c-7873648109af" data-vars-headline="Lioneld Jordan, challenger Molly Rawn head to runoff in Fayetteville mayor&#x27;s race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.washingtoncountyar.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/31302" target="_blank">final but unofficial results</a> from Washington County.

Politics

Your friendly neighborhood Axios reporters each placed first at Arkansas Press Association over the weekend.

The verdict: Worth Sparkman's story on Arkansas' lithium-mining industry  won for business story in the online media category. Alex Golden's story on how school choice policies would work in the state took first place for education story in the online media category.

Zoom out: Alex also took second place in the education writing section for her explainer on the LEARNS Act. Worth's story on the 2023 Heartland Summit bringing big names to NWA like Boris Johnson and Matthew McConaughey took second place for business story.

Worth also got honorable mention in general interest column for his write-up on Spudnuts as part of the "What we're eating" series and third place in single feature photo for "Woody" — as seen above.

Alex took second place in health and medical for how Arkansas is dealing with the fentanyl crisis.

Axios Northwest Arkansas took third place for general excellence for online media.

The bottom line: Arkansas is home to journalists doing excellent work all over the state. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to the Arkansas Press Association.

Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards

Worth Sparkman and Alex Golden both placed first at the Arkansas Press Association awards.

This photo of a red-bellied woodpecker placed third in single feature photo for online media. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

Northwest Arkansas

Your friendly neighborhood Axios reporters each placed first at Arkansas Press Association over the weekend.The verdict: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Worth Sparkman" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/authors/wsparkman" data-vars-content-id="547982af-f79d-4241-ba7f-7e67f5f16f18" data-vars-headline="Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/authors/wsparkman" target="_self">Worth Sparkman</a>&#x27;s story on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Arkansas&#x27; lithium-mining industry" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/06/15/electric-vehicle-lithium-land-grab-arkansas" data-vars-content-id="547982af-f79d-4241-ba7f-7e67f5f16f18" data-vars-headline="Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/06/15/electric-vehicle-lithium-land-grab-arkansas" target="_self">Arkansas&#x27; lithium-mining industry</a> won for business story in the online media category. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Alex Golden" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/authors/agolden" data-vars-content-id="547982af-f79d-4241-ba7f-7e67f5f16f18" data-vars-headline="Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/authors/agolden" target="_self">Alex Golden</a>&#x27;s story on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="how school choice policies would work" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/01/30/school-choice-educational-policy-change-arkansas" data-vars-content-id="547982af-f79d-4241-ba7f-7e67f5f16f18" data-vars-headline="Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/01/30/school-choice-educational-policy-change-arkansas" target="_self">how school choice policies would work</a> in the state took first place for education story in the online media category.

News

A revised, more expansive definition of "infertility" could lead to more help for hopeful LGBTQ+ or single parents in Arkansas, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes.

Why it matters: The decision by an influential organization of reproductive health providers to redefine the condition could lead to broader insurance coverage of fertility services like egg freezing and in vitro fertilization for all people who need help starting families — not just heterosexual couples.

Context: Infertility was previously defined by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) as when a man and woman can't get pregnant after a year of unprotected intercourse or intrauterine insemination. For women 35 and older, the time period is six months.

The group's revised definition also includes:

The inability to get pregnant because of the patient's medical, sexual and reproductive history, age, physical findings and diagnostic testing.

The need for medical intervention, such as donor eggs or sperm, to achieve pregnancy.

Between the lines: The updated language applies to anyone who needs help having children, regardless of relationship status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

State of play: "There's been a real issue with getting access to treatment for certain causes of infertility including for single people [and] people in same-sex relationships … so it became clear that we need to explicitly address that," ASRM spokesperson Sean Tipton tells Axios.

Despite the growing interest in fertility care — and more employers like Walmart offering fertility benefits to stay competitive in the labor market — insurance coverage of the often-pricey services remains limited.

As of now, Arkansas offers IVF coverage, according to infertility advocacy group Resolve. Insurance policies that provide maternity benefits must cover IVF. Employers who self-insure are exempt.

What they're saying: A more inclusive definition of infertility — which ASRM considers a disease, condition or status — is "a game changer" because some insurance plans rely on the ASRM definition of a disease to determine coverage, infertility specialist Lucky Sekhon tells Axios.

With this update, "insurance companies can't discriminate. … It gives people ammunition to fight policies for more coverage," she says.

New infertility definition could broaden coverage in Arkansas

The updated language applies to anyone who needs help having children, regardless of relationship status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

A revised, more expansive definition of &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="infertility" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/03/global-infertility-report-who" data-vars-content-id="b7630ae1-4d1f-4816-ad63-2bcf180c915e" data-vars-headline="New infertility definition could broaden coverage in Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/03/global-infertility-report-who" target="_self">infertility</a>&quot; could lead to more help for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hopeful LGBTQ+ or single parents" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/admin/eden/editor/story/1b6b4aef-999f-4285-b140-18e47131dc27/content" data-vars-content-id="b7630ae1-4d1f-4816-ad63-2bcf180c915e" data-vars-headline="New infertility definition could broaden coverage in Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/admin/eden/editor/story/1b6b4aef-999f-4285-b140-18e47131dc27/content" target="_self">hopeful LGBTQ+ or single parents</a> in Arkansas, Axios&#x27; Carly Mallenbaum writes.Why it matters: The decision by an influential organization of reproductive health providers to redefine the condition could lead to broader insurance coverage of fertility services like egg freezing and in vitro fertilization for all people who need help starting families — not just heterosexual couples.

Axios NW Arkansas

Featured stories

Lioneld Jordan, challenger Molly Rawn head to runoff in Fayetteville mayor's race

Axios Northwest Arkansas lands prizes at state awards

New infertility definition could broaden coverage in Arkansas