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Axios NW Arkansas Deep Dive

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Northwest Arkansas, written by local reporters.

Axios Northwest Arkansas Thought Bubble

Axios Northwest Arkansas

Civilization was built on moving goods and people. Now — with electric vehicles, autonomous tech and the green economy — mobility is undergoing a revolution akin to when horses and trains were eclipsed by cars and planes.

What's happening: A report out Tuesday from investment firm UP.Partners is a compendium of research underlining important trends in the rapidly evolving mobility industry.

Why it matters: The global transportation and logistics sector is valued at about $10 trillion dollars annually. Emerging tech like flying cars and public-sector space travel are estimated to each reach $1 trillion by 2040.

"Ginormous isn't an overstatement," Cyrus Sigari told Axios. The co-founder of UP.Partners splits his time between Santa Monica, California and Bentonville, and he chaired the Arkansas Council on Future Mobility, established by former Gov. Asa Hutchinson. 

Flashback: A year ago, Hutchinson and a coalition of businesses including Walmart, J.B. Hunt and FedEx said they intend to collaborate to make the state a leader in "next-generation transportation" by 2030. 

The council filed its final report in December 2022 to serve as a roadmap to help hit that goal. 

Catch up quick: In addition to an optimistic view of the industry, UP.Partners' research highlights how shortcomings — lack of resources and infrastructure — could be cliffs for various mobility industries. Takeaways include: 

1. Environment — Despite advances in technology, the transportation sector is responsible for 37% of CO2 emissions in the U.S.

Getting to net-zero by 2050, means reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22%, but the authors estimate they're growing by 11%. 

2. Batteries — Demand to power EVs, bikes, drones and planes is expected to increase tenfold in the next seven years.

Shortages of raw materials are raising prices, so advancements in recycling tech are critical.

Researchers say the U.S. needs its own supply chain to avoid dependence on other nations. 

3. Investments — 12% of venture capital invested since 2013 has gone toward mobility, the report states. That's an estimated $375 billion.

"Last mile" delivery and EVs account for 50% of the dollars invested since 2020.

4. Air and space — There's an estimated shortage of 18,000 pilots now, but that gap is expected to jump to 65,000 by 2030, or nearly 80,000 by 2032.

Tech innovations are reducing the cost of space travel and Sigari predicts an eventual lunar economy built around supporting life on the moon.

What to watch: Sigari sees the report as "open source research."

He hopes policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors use it as a compass.

Report explores trends in rapidly evolving mobility industry

Last February, the governor and a coalition of businesses said they intend to make Arkansas a leader in "next-generation transportation" by 2030.

Illustration a sign post with three signs: “Robo-taxis,” “Trucks” and “Private Cars”.

Northwest Arkansas

Civilization was built on moving goods and people. Now — with electric vehicles, autonomous tech and the green economy — mobility is undergoing a revolution akin to when horses and trains were eclipsed by cars and planes.What&#x27;s happening: A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report out Tuesday" data-vars-click-url="https://up.partners/movingworld/" data-vars-content-id="2a1e6eca-0e06-489a-b046-db141ef66e74" data-vars-headline="Report explores trends in rapidly evolving mobility industry" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://up.partners/movingworld/" target="_blank">report out Tuesday</a> from investment firm UP.Partners is a compendium of research underlining important trends in the rapidly evolving mobility industry.

Business

If "learn something new" was on your list of New Year's resolutions but you're not sure how to start or are feeling discouraged with February on the horizon, here are a few ideas:  

Bicycle maintenance — Novice cyclists who want to learn more about bike upkeep can check out workshops at Northwest Arkansas Community College. 

Two sets of classes are coming up: Feb. 7-March 9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and March 27-April 19 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Class hours are 6-8pm; cost is $500 plus about $100 in supplies. 

Honeycomb Kitchen Shop — Aspiring cooks can take one-night courses and learn how to perfect a single dish from area chefs. 

These are popular — in the near term, only Soppin' Stews on Feb. 23 and Brunswick Stew on March 7 have openings. Classes cost $60-$100 and take place in Rogers.

Fermentation — Learn how chemistry brings nutrition and flavor to food from James Beard Award-winning food writer Sandor Katz. 

On Feb. 24, Katz will lecture ($45) from 6-8pm. If that's not enough, on Feb. 25 from 11am-1:30pm,  join him in a workshop and learn how to make food like sauerkraut and kimchi ($60). Both events are at The Momentary in Bentonville. 

Learn by doing at these upcoming NWA events

If "learn something new" was on your list of New Year's resolutions, but you're not sure how to start, here are a few ideas.

Illustration of a chalkboard in the shape of an upward arrow.

Food

If &quot;learn something new&quot; was on your list of New Year&#x27;s resolutions but you&#x27;re not sure how to start or are feeling discouraged with February on the horizon, here are a few ideas: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bicycle maintenance " data-vars-click-url="https://www.nwacc.edu/workforce/bicycletechnician/workshops.aspx" data-vars-content-id="7e0aaa54-dd8e-4639-bfc0-8e2705edccd3" data-vars-headline="Learn by doing at these upcoming NWA events" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nwacc.edu/workforce/bicycletechnician/workshops.aspx" target="_blank">Bicycle maintenance </a>— Novice cyclists who want to learn more about bike upkeep can check out workshops at Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Food and Drink

Things to Do

U.S. Sen. John Boozman hopes to champion passage of a farm bill this year, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. 

The Arkansas Republican is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. 

Why it matters: Farm bills cover a variety of programs affecting agriculture, rural development and conservation. The bill impacts the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, as well as how economically viable it is to produce food in the U.S. over the next several years. 

With nearly 50,000 farms, agriculture is Arkansas' largest single industry, bringing in about $16 billion annually.

Context: It's estimated the 10-year baseline — funding for mandatory programs in the bill — will be about $1.3 trillion.

The nutrition portion of the bill, which includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), accounts for about $1 trillion of the estimate.

Between the lines: Farm bill legislation can be contentious due to the large amounts of money involved, which historically conservatives would aim to trim while liberals would seek to expand.

There's also a wide variety of agriculture needs across the nation, which can create friction when prioritizing funds.

Flashback: The last bill was passed in 2018 and expires this year. Federal lawmakers have through the end of September to pass new legislation or extend the current law.

The bottom line: "I'm very optimistic that we can get it done because we can make the case that this is all about rural America," Boozman told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Sen. John Boozman cultivates support for farm bill

Farm bills cover a variety of programs affecting agriculture, rural development and conservation.

Illustration of a pitchfork with money on the end. 

Farming

U.S. Sen. John Boozman hopes to champion passage of a farm bill this year, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/30/arkansas-lawmakers-confident-they-can-pass-farm/" data-vars-content-id="7f716bf9-b252-4fed-81d0-22d267623ded" data-vars-headline="Sen. John Boozman cultivates support for farm bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/30/arkansas-lawmakers-confident-they-can-pass-farm/" target="_blank">reports</a>. <ul><li>The Arkansas Republican is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. </li></ul>

Politics

News

The College Board on Wednesday released the curriculum for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, excluding some of the content that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had criticized in recent weeks.

Driving the news: Before the revisions were announced, Arkansas' Division of Elementary and Secondary Education asked the board for information about  course content — a reaction to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' executive order to "prohibit indoctrination and critical race theory" in the state's public schools.

Why it matters: Arkansas' Department of Education's concern and Desantis' outrage over the curriculum underscores the ongoing battles against critical race theory — a topic often conflated with teachings on systemic racism, Axios' Erin Dorherty and Ivana Saric write. 

Reality check: There's no indication the college-level framework of critical race theory is taught in any Arkansas K-12 public school.

Context: The Advanced Placement course is in pilot phase, being taught at 60 U.S. districts this school year. Only two schools in Arkansas — Little Rock Central High and The Academies at Jonesboro High — offer the class.

What they're saying: "AP African American Studies does not violate [Sanders'] executive order by any stretch of the imagination," Ruthie Walls, a Central High teacher, told the student-run Tiger News Online this week.

The course doesn't "teach CRT. I just teach history. I don't add anything, I don't take anything away. History will stand by itself," Walls told the Tiger News.

Between the lines: The College Board's revised curriculum, effective for the 2023-24 school year, does not require teaching on topics including Black Lives Matter or the case for reparations, two topics opposed by DeSantis.

The "reparations debates in the U.S./the Americas" is listed as a sample project topic on the curriculum but is not a required lesson plan, nor is it part of the final exam.

The curriculum on slavery, reconstruction and the civil rights movement remains relatively unchanged.

The bottom line: "We will review the information, including the recent changes, and assess the course at the end of this year’s pilot to ensure students are taught factual history and that participation articulates into college credit that is beneficial to students," a spokesperson for the education department told Axios in an email.

Go deeper: Revised curriculum ... Key cuts from the AP's African American Studies curriculum

Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies

The College Board released the curriculum for its new AP African American Studies course earlier this week.

Illustration of two people divided by a school notebook, one black student pointing one while the white student looks up with arms on her hips

Education

The College Board on Wednesday released the curriculum for its new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Advanced Placement African American Studies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/20/desantis-florida-ap-african-american-studies" data-vars-content-id="b41bfefb-6ad3-4fa9-abea-aa28c2a4527f" data-vars-headline="Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/20/desantis-florida-ap-african-american-studies" target="_self">Advanced Placement African American Studies</a> course, excluding some of the content that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/20/desantis-florida-ap-african-american-studies" data-vars-content-id="b41bfefb-6ad3-4fa9-abea-aa28c2a4527f" data-vars-headline="Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/20/desantis-florida-ap-african-american-studies" target="_self">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</a> (R) had criticized in recent weeks.Driving the news: Before the revisions were announced, Arkansas&#x27; Division of Elementary and Secondary Education asked the board for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="information about course content" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/02/01/arkansas-review-advanced-african-american-studies" data-vars-content-id="b41bfefb-6ad3-4fa9-abea-aa28c2a4527f" data-vars-headline="Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/02/01/arkansas-review-advanced-african-american-studies" target="_self">information about course content</a> — a reaction to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="executive order" data-vars-click-url="https://governor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/EO-23-05-Prohibit-Indoctrination.pdf" data-vars-content-id="b41bfefb-6ad3-4fa9-abea-aa28c2a4527f" data-vars-headline="Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://governor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/EO-23-05-Prohibit-Indoctrination.pdf" target="_blank">executive order</a> to &quot;prohibit indoctrination and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="critical race theory" data-vars-click-url="https://charlotte.axios.com/261520/explainer-critical-race-theory-and-why-it-matters-now-in-charlotte-and-north-carolina/#_ga=2.133566542.1770436205.1675091200-635048406.1657036203" data-vars-content-id="b41bfefb-6ad3-4fa9-abea-aa28c2a4527f" data-vars-headline="Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://charlotte.axios.com/261520/explainer-critical-race-theory-and-why-it-matters-now-in-charlotte-and-north-carolina/#_ga=2.133566542.1770436205.1675091200-635048406.1657036203" target="_blank">critical race theory</a>&quot; in the state&#x27;s public schools.

The state's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking information about the content of an Advanced Placement course on African American studies, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

The class is being piloted in 60 U.S. high schools, including two in Arkansas. 

The curriculum includes "events, experiences, and individuals crucial to a study of African American history and culture," Education Week reports. 

Driving the news: The Arkansas inquiries come in reaction to Executive Order 23-05 to "prohibit indoctrination and critical race theory in [public] schools," signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Jan. 10.  

Context: The AP courses are only offered at Little Rock Central High and The Academies at Jonesboro High, per the Democrat-Gazette. 

Sanders' order doesn't specifically take aim at the AP courses, but empowers the secretary of education to review and change any materials that "purposely or otherwise, promote teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as CRT…" 

Neither school district responded to inquiries from Axios about the benefits of the AP studies.

Zoom out: On Jan. 12, the Florida Department of Education told the College Board, the nonprofit overseeing the AP program, that its content is "contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."

Of note: Arkansas' new secretary of education, Jacob Oliva, came here from Florida's education department. 

Reality check: There's no indication the college-level framework of critical race theory — which holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in our legal, financial and education systems — is taught in any Arkansas public school.

What we're watching: The College Board plans to release revisions to the AP course on African American studies today, the first day of Black History Month. 

The updated course would be available for the 2023-24 school year to an expanded group of pilot schools before being offered at all schools beginning with the 2024-25 school year. 

Arkansas to review advanced African American studies

The state's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking information about an AP course on African American studies.

Illustration of an apple core with faces silhouetted on each side.

Race

The state&#x27;s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking information about the content of an Advanced Placement course on African American studies, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/29/state-looking-into-content-of-ap-course/" data-vars-content-id="f7eb33f1-1e59-4239-931e-31b75020cfe0" data-vars-headline="Arkansas to review advanced African American studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jan/29/state-looking-into-content-of-ap-course/" target="_blank">reports</a>.<ul><li>The class is being piloted in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="60 U.S. high schools" data-vars-click-url="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/08/30/school-ap-african-american-studies/7941650001/" data-vars-content-id="f7eb33f1-1e59-4239-931e-31b75020cfe0" data-vars-headline="Arkansas to review advanced African American studies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/08/30/school-ap-african-american-studies/7941650001/" target="_blank">60 U.S. high schools</a>, including two in Arkansas. </li></ul>

Worth Sparkman

Featured stories

Report explores trends in rapidly evolving mobility industry

Arkansas educators plan to review revised AP African American Studies

Arkansas to review advanced African American studies

Sen. John Boozman cultivates support for farm bill

Learn by doing at these upcoming NWA events