Karas Correctional Health provides health care at the Washington County jail but reportedly has prescribed ivermectin to inmates for COVID-19. Ivermectin is not approved for treating COVID-19.

Why it matters: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned against using the drug for the virus. However, as discussed during a quorum court meeting Tuesday — and reported Wednesday morning in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette — the jail's health provider had been prescribing ivermectin to inmates.

Context: Veterinary ivermectin is used to treat parasites in animals. Despite warnings from health officials, people have been taking it to treat COVID-19, resulting in an increase in calls to poison control.

• The Arkansas Poison Center has received 27 calls this year related to ivermectin, spokesperson Leslie Taylor told Axios.
• Some forms of ivermectin are approved for use in humans, such as treating parasitic worms and head lice, and physicians have the ability to prescribe medications for off-label use, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

What they're saying: "I think we need to reevaluate who we are using to provide medical care if they are disregarding FDA guidelines and giving dewormer to detainees at our county jail," Eva Madison, justice of the peace, said during the quorum court meeting this week.

• Karas asked for a 10% raise from the county, which was a discussion item at the meeting.

The other side: Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said during the meeting Karas has been "amazing partners" during the pandemic. He said out of more than 500 positive COVID-19 cases at the jail, one person had been admitted to the hospital, and no one had died.

• "We may have disagreements on treatment, but you know what? Doctors prescribe. They've been to medical school. I haven't," Helder said.

Read the full story.

Arkansas' secretary of health, Jose Romero, plans to ask the Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Steering Committee for $18.2 million to fund additional intensive care unit beds.

Context: As we reported earlier this week, the state is out of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients.

What happened: At a committee meeting yesterday, Romero outlined a proposal for 54 additional staffed COVID-19 ICU beds at hospitals across the state.

• The proposal was not officially presented to the group for a vote — that will happen in a special meeting that's not yet scheduled.

Romero said he expects the official request will include:

• Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff: 8 ICU beds, $2.73 million
• St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro: 10 ICU beds, $3 million
• CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock: 24 ICU beds, $8.28 million
• CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs: 12 ICU beds, $4.14 million

Context: This proposal is based on a cost between $5,000 and $5,750 per bed, per day.

• A similar proposal for 157 beds in the Baptist Health system earlier this month valued each bed at $4,000.
• The price has gone up due to the demand for nurses. "The longer we wait, the more the price will go up," Romero said.

Flashback: Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed the ARPA steering committee to make recommendations on the distribution of nearly $1.6 billion in Arkansas ARPA funding.

What to watch: The committee did not settle on a date for a special meeting to vote on the proposal, but all agreed that time is of the essence.

🍻 The Bentonville City Council approved the formation of an entertainment district at 8th Street Market. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

💦 Siloam Springs recently formed the Sager Creek Advisory Committee and appointed five members. It's dedicated to the conservation of the creek that runs through town. (Siloam Springs Herald-Leader)

⚖️ An assistant U.S. attorney asked for an extension in Richard Barnett's case to give federal prosecutors more time to look at the evidence. Barnett is the Gravette man photographed in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the Jan. 6 insurrection. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

📰 The Chronicle of Higher Education says it did not misquote Lyon College president Joseph King in an article that paints Batesville as racist. (Arkansas Times)

The Windgate Foundation awarded a $30 million partial matching grant to the University of Arkansas for the second phase of the Windgate Art and Design District.

• The project is under construction in south Fayetteville near the U of A campus.

What's happening: Windgate will award the full $30 million if U of A raises $7 million in matching funds. The university plans to raise more than $15 million.

Why it matters: The district will expand the reach of the university's School of Art, which is the first and only accredited collegiate school of art in Arkansas.

• Due in part to the investment made by Alice Walton in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, NWA increasingly attracts artists of all genres and media, adding diversity and enrichment to our area's culture.

Flashback: The School of Art was established in 2017 with a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

• The $30 million grant follows Windgate's $40 million investment in 2017, which established the site for the district's Windgate Studio and Design Center.
• The center, which is Phase I of the project, is set to open in late 2022.

Today is National Dog Day (who decides these things?), so we thought you might like to see some pics of Worth's dog, Mack — and what he did this summer.

Please take care of your pets. Keep 'em inside and well-watered.

• And please, please keep 'em out of your car in this weather.