Veterinary Workforce Pipeline: Southern Arkansas University says three students—Cade Browning, Katelyn McKeehan and Katelyn Mason—were accepted into the inaugural Arkansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine class, a competitive doctoral launch that could expand local livestock and pet care capacity. Ag Tech & Food Processing: University of Arkansas researchers backed by a $1M USDA-NIFA/NSF grant unveiled ChicGrasp, an AI-powered robotic gripper designed to handle chickens by learning from human movements—aimed at easing poultry labor strain. Local Economy & Jobs: The Little Rock metro hit a record employment level, topping 385,000 employed residents and 400,000 in the labor force for the first time, with growth tied to manufacturing, logistics and tech-adjacent work. Power Reliability: The DOE issued an emergency order for the Southwest Power Pool, including Arkansas, to add generation and use backup resources through Aug. 3 as extreme heat raises outage risk. Utility Scrutiny: Entergy Arkansas faced questions at public hearings over a proposed rate increase and whether future data-center costs could land on customers. Logistics & CDL Access: Trump’s “Freedom Haulers” initiative expands a veteran CDL skills-test waiver window to two years and adds Arkansas to a broader Even Exchange program. Retail Delivery Expansion: Uber Eats added regional grocers, including Hays (Arkansas/Missouri), to expand on-demand grocery options. Education & Research: UA Little Rock climbed 749 spots in the 2026 AD Scientific Index, highlighting rising research output and visibility.