Governor Sanders Nominates Lindsay Wallace for Corrections Secretary

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Thursday (Feb. 8) named Lindsay Wallace as a nominee for Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Wallace has served as chief of staff at the department since August of 2020.

“The safety of all Arkansans is my priority. I have a responsibility as Governor to ensure our Department of Corrections operates under qualified leadership. I know that Lindsay has the experience to lead the department and will work diligently to expand prison capacity and end the failed policy of catch and early release,” said Gov. Sanders.

You can read the full article here.

Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, the RPA will be highlighting Arkansas’ Black Leaders, this week we are highlighting Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Born in Cotton Plant, she was one of gospel music’s first superstars, gaining popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The first gospel performer to record for a major record label (Decca), and an early crossover from gospel to secular music.

Tharpe was a pioneer in her guitar technique; she was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, opening the way to the rise of electric blues.

She was one of the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the Godmother of rock and roll".

Tharpe has been cited as an influence by numerous musicians, including Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Arkansan Johnny Cash.



In 2018, Tharpe was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence. She was named the 6th greatest guitarist of all time in 2023 by Rolling Stone.

"Elderly Man With A Poor Memory"

Americans should be very alarmed by the release of the special counsel report showing Joe Biden willfully broke the law. If Biden is too cognitively impaired to be charged with a crime, he is not fit to serve a second term.

What you need to know:

• This week, a special counsel found Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” — including classified documents related to national security and “sensitive intelligence sources and methods” — in his home, garage, and office for decades.
• But in a classic example of the double standard of justice, Biden won’t be charged because he’s a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
• The special counsel’s report is an abject disaster for Biden.
• According to the report, Biden “did not remember when he was vice president” or “when his son Beau died,” and exhibited “diminished faculties” and “significant limitations” during his interview with the special counsel.
• The special counsel said Biden’s handling of the classified documents — often found in “damaged” and “opened” containers — “present serious risks to national security.”
• During Thursday night's press conference Biden confused the leader of Egypt with the leader of Mexico.
• He called the response to the horrific October 7 attack on Israel, "over the top."
• Meanwhile, Biden — who has repeatedly said he bears no responsibility for those 50 years of malfeasance — celebrated the double standard.

The bottom line:

The special counsel’s report shows we have a two-tiered justice system. Voters know Joe Biden is unfit to serve in the highest office in the land. His mental decline is both sad and alarming, and putting a ‘sympathetic,’ ‘elderly’ man who can’t remember major events from his own life back in the Oval Office would undoubtedly make America less safe.