The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is investigating the city's housing authority, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported yesterday.

What's happening: The agency will assess whether the housing authority was compliant with rules and regulations from the beginning of 2019 up until this month.

Why it matters: The housing authority receives most of its funding from the federal government. It manages public housing complexes and is responsible for helping navigate housing for some of the city's most vulnerable residents.

Context: This isn't exactly out of the blue. The housing authority — which has staff, a board, and a nonprofit arm called FHA Development — has been under scrutiny at least since February.

• The board fired its director, Angela Belford, in March after public housing residents and staff made complaints against her.
• The housing authority's administrative staff sent a letter to Mayor Lioneld Jordan's chief of staff on May 11 expressing concern over possible misconduct, inefficiency and negligence by the authority's board.
• In the letter, interim executive director John Berry accused the board of misusing public housing money to subsidize FHA Development, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Berry resigned Wednesday, citing board members' treatment of him and the staff and a health scare brought on by the stress of the job.

What's next: HUD submitted 20 records requests (such as bank statements, information on employees and board members) that it wants by Aug. 30.

Go deeper: Read the letter from HUD.

The state registered 3,549 new COVID-19 cases within a 24-hour period, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during a news conference Thursday. That's among the highest, if not the highest, number of cases the state has seen in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

• This month has seen two other 24-hour periods with more than 3,000 cases: 3,037 cases on Aug. 6 and 3,023 on Aug. 13, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

Driving the news: Hutchinson attributed the spike in part to schools restarting after the summer break.

• Of 262 school districts in Arkansas, 118 have adopted mask mandates, 87 have said no to mask mandates, and 57 have not taken action on the matter, Hutchinson says.

Downtown Rogers, Inc. — the nonprofit responsible for fun stuff like the farmers market — will host the 36th annual Frisco Festival, which is set to take over downtown this evening through tomorrow.

What's happening: Live music at Butterfield Stage, a short film festival, a car show, food and craft vendors, train rides, and a whole zone for kids with games and a bike course.

• Check out the full event schedule here.

Details: 5 to 10pm tonight and 8am to 8pm tomorrow. It's free!

• Keep in mind that various streets in downtown Rogers will be shut down.

The share of nonwhite populations in Benton and Washington counties jumped significantly in the past decade.

By the numbers: As of 2020, Benton and Washington counties were 32.6% and 34.7% nonwhite respectively, according to census data released last week.

• Those figures are up from 23.4% (Benton) and nearly 26% (Washington) in 2010.

Keep reading.

♻️ The Northwest Arkansas Council is making it easier for residents to learn about each city's recycling programs and best practices with a single source of comprehensive information at NWA Recycles. (The Northwest Arkansas Council)

⚕️ Fayetteville's public health officer, Marti Sharkey, says that people at crowded, outdoor gatherings in the city should wear masks. The recommendation comes ahead of the first Razorback football game scheduled for Sept. 4 and Bikes, Blues and BBQ scheduled for Sept. 22. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

💉 Venue operators for upcoming live shows from Arkansauce, The Dave Matthews Band and Counting Crows are going to require proof of vaccination before ticket holders will be admitted. (Fayetteville Flyer and Walmart AMP).

🌮 Arkansas-based restaurateurs are facing inflation on commodity food items as the pandemic has squeezed the supply chain and made it harder to find workers. (Arkansas Business)

🎒 The University of Arkansas can't require vaccines, so it's offering incentives: All students who've received the jab can enter to win $500 scholarships, parking credits, football tickets and even a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon. (KUAF-FM)

😷 Parents are suing the Bentonville school district over its mask mandate. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

👋 Worth here. The theory that the global pandemic is a hoax continues to persist among some.

• I was struck not so much by this protestor's message as by his commitment to expressing it, per his rights.

• Asked to be identified only as "Rainbow Man," he took to the street and stood in the sun yesterday rather than posting memes on Facebook.
• Though, not using a name makes it easier to avoid his accountability for spreading misinformation.

🍔 You didn't think we were done writing about burgers, did you?

• Hint: We'll never be done writing about burgers.

Worth tried out Mess Hall 45 in east Fayetteville. While there's an eclectic menu of sandwiches, the third-pound house burger sounded like the right pick on this trip.

• What's there to say — it's a burger with all the regular fixings, plus your choice of cheese.
• Pro tip: Try the smoked cheddar.

The verdict: What's the mark of a good burger? One that when you're done eating, you wish there was still more.