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Arkansas saw one of the sharpest declines in fatal drug overdoses from spring 2023 to spring 2024, according to preliminary CDC data.

Why it matters: Overdoses kill more than 100,000 people a year in the U.S. but the number appears to be dropping rapidly. The rate of deaths fell last year for the first time since before the pandemic.

Flashback: Arkansas legislators last year passed the Fentanyl Enforcement and Accountability Act that makes delivering a controlled substance that kills another person a death by delivery felony offense and penalizes fentanyl trafficking with 25 to 60 years or life imprisonment and a $1 million fine.

The law also decriminalized fentanyl testing strips, which were considered drug paraphernalia as they're used to detect whether there's fentanyl in other drugs.

Legislators also passed a law last year requiring public high schools and colleges to have naloxone on campus.

By the numbers: In the 12 months ending in April, there was a 10% decline from the same period a year before.

In Arkansas, it was a 16% decline. This comes after the number of fatal drug overdoses in Benton and Washington counties nearly doubled from 42 in 2020 to 74 in 2022.

Between the lines: We need more data and more research to determine what's driving the decline in deaths, but experts have theories.

Naloxone is more widely available, and more drug users carry the medication with them for safety.

Many of the pandemic-era circumstances — like social isolation, increased stress, and people using drugs alone — are no longer factors.

Fentanyl Enforcement and Accountability Act

Drug overdose deaths drop in Arkansas

Nationally, overdose deaths have declined in the past year.

Northwest Arkansas

Arkansas saw one of the sharpest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="declines in fatal drug overdoses" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/19/opioid-overdose-deaths-falling" data-vars-content-id="6853ef01-d3ca-4595-b29d-d2ca2bfa3d1a" data-vars-headline="Drug overdose deaths drop in Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/19/opioid-overdose-deaths-falling" target="_self">declines in fatal drug overdoses</a> from spring 2023 to spring 2024, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to preliminary CDC data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" data-vars-content-id="6853ef01-d3ca-4595-b29d-d2ca2bfa3d1a" data-vars-headline="Drug overdose deaths drop in Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank">according to preliminary CDC data</a>.Why it matters: Overdoses kill more than 100,000 people a year in the U.S. but the number appears to be dropping rapidly. The rate of deaths <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fell" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/15/drug-overdoses-decline-fentanyl" data-vars-content-id="6853ef01-d3ca-4595-b29d-d2ca2bfa3d1a" data-vars-headline="Drug overdose deaths drop in Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/15/drug-overdoses-decline-fentanyl" target="_self">fell</a> last year for the first time since before the pandemic.

News

America's grocery squeeze has been most painfully felt in a few expensive categories, like beef, coffee and chocolate.

Now, the forces pushing up food prices are starting to pile up: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.

Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and much wider.

The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it.

The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate farm equipment for harvesting and to truck food from suppliers to stores.

The war in Iran has also disrupted fertilizer supply and price, as a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Corn and wheat prices are surging, this week hitting their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports. 

Zoom in: Arkansas led the nation in farm bankruptcies last year. The state is the No. 1 grower of rice and the third-largest producer of poultry, so stress, like that described by Arkansas farmers to Axios this spring, can impact the national food supply and ultimately grocery prices. 

Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples and corn is a major animal feed, so as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs.

The intrigue: Don't assume those soaring commodity prices are a bonanza for farmers, either. They're still getting squeezed by all the other crises.

Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items:

Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%.

In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, about three-quarters of people said grocery prices are still rising where they live.

Threat level: There's reason to believe it's only going to get worse.

In a widely cited report earlier this month, J.P. Morgan analysts warned that global food inflation would hit 5% in the first half of 2027, nearly double what it was in the first half of 2026.

The bottom line: These forces don't drive up your grocery budget overnight, but the compounding strain on the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting food is poised to make an already expensive grocery run even worse.

Arkansas plays a role in national grocery squeeze

Arkansas is the No. 1 grower of rice and the third-largest producer of poultry in the country.

Illustration of a large red arrow breaking up through grocery shelves and knocking items off. 

America&#x27;s grocery squeeze has been most painfully felt in a few expensive categories, like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="beef" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/meat-processing-trump-beef-cattle-farmer" data-vars-content-id="82a49bfd-3c5c-4251-9447-bf409e4c689a" data-vars-headline="Arkansas plays a role in national grocery squeeze" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/meat-processing-trump-beef-cattle-farmer" target="_self">beef</a>, coffee and chocolate.<ul><li>Now, the forces pushing up food prices are starting to pile up: expensive grain, soaring <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fertilizer and fuel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/16/farmers-agriculture-crops-iran-energy-prices" data-vars-content-id="82a49bfd-3c5c-4251-9447-bf409e4c689a" data-vars-headline="Arkansas plays a role in national grocery squeeze" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/16/farmers-agriculture-crops-iran-energy-prices" target="_self">fertilizer and fuel</a>, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars.</li></ul>

Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Chart: Axios Visuals

Most Americans want to retire, but only half feel they're able to save for the future.

The big picture: Many people in the U.S. say they are unprepared for retirement, unsure how to prepare and unsure if they even want to fully retire, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll.

One in 5 say they don't think they will ever retire.

Just 36% of those 55 and older — nearing typical retirement age — say they'll be able to retire as planned.

By the numbers: 30% of people still working plan to use a pension to help fund their retirement, compared to 54% of retirees who say they're using pension money, Axios' Erica Pandey writes.

On top of that, "roughly half the workforce — we're talking 50-plus million people — work for an employer that doesn't offer a retirement plan," David John, a senior policy advisor at AARP, tells Axios. That could mean a small business or gig work.

What they're saying: Survey responses from NWA readers indicated those  doing well in retirement have multiple income sources.

Terry, 73, of Rogers told Axios they're doing well because they have rental income to supplement Social Security.

"I don't feel like I have to maintain the same lifestyle," says Kate B., 65, of Bentonville. "I have paid off all my debt, including my house, so my expenses will be low.  I don't really plan to live an extravagant retirement — my garden, grandkids, and some domestic travel is good enough. I will have Social Security and a part-time job — I plan to work part time for another five years or so until 70.  Then, (I) will draw on my 401k to make up the difference."

Zoom in: While Americans say retirement is on their minds, they're not likely to talk about it with others.

60% say they consider how they might be able to afford retirement often or sometimes, but 41% have never discussed saving for retirement with friends and 57% have never spoken about it with a financial planner.

The bottom line: Retirement remains a goal for most Americans. Of those who have retired, 68% say they feel better than ever.

Retirement anxieties in Northwest Arkansas

Most Americans want to retire, but only half feel like they're able to save for the future.

Most Americans want to retire, but only half feel they&#x27;re able to save for the future.The big picture: Many people in the U.S. say they are unprepared for<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" retirement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/retirement-income-us-401k" data-vars-content-id="e4c02f1e-c5fa-47be-b1c4-8619fe7d5185" data-vars-headline="Retirement anxieties in Northwest Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/retirement-income-us-401k" target="_self"> retirement</a>, unsure how to prepare and unsure if they even want to fully retire, according to<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" a new Axios-Ipsos poll" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-ipsos-retirement-survey" data-vars-content-id="e4c02f1e-c5fa-47be-b1c4-8619fe7d5185" data-vars-headline="Retirement anxieties in Northwest Arkansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-ipsos-retirement-survey" target="_blank"> a new Axios-Ipsos poll</a>.

America's next grocery shock is brewing

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Axios Kansas City

Americans are hanging out less. KC feels it too.

Kansas City

A grid of line charts displaying the average hours per day spent socializing by age group from 2005 to 2025. Each age group shows a general decline in socializing hours, with the 15-24 age group starting at nearly 1 hour and decreasing to around 0.6 hours, while other age groups trend similarly downward.

Erica Pandey

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Arkansas plays a role in national grocery squeeze

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