Nathan Treece

1 week ago | redriverradio.org | Jeff Ferrell |Nathan Treece

Food banks and schools in Arkansas are facing decreased funding after the USDA canceled nearly one billion dollars in programs. The local food and schools program helped school cafeterias create meals using fresh produce from local farmers – and known as the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement Program. As Little Rock Public Radio reports, Marlene Schwartz is the director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut.

2 weeks ago | redriverradio.org | Jeff Ferrell |Nathan Treece

Roughly 40% of rural births are covered under Medicaid. That’s according to a new study out of the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. Senior fellow Elisabeth Wright Burak says nearly 1-in-4 women in rural Arkansas are covered by Medicaid.

1 month ago | redriverradio.org | Jeff Ferrell |Nathan Treece

Researchers have confirmed that microplastics are making their way into freshwater streams. That’s the conclusion from scientists at the University of Arkansas who say the plastic harms both water quality and living organisms. Study co-author Shannon Speirs, an assistant professor of water quality, says microplastics tend to build up. As Professor Spears explains, “That tends to be downstream of something like a wastewater treatment plant because it’s taking all the water from our homes.