Rural Health Funding: Arkansas is rolling out major rural health support, including Mercy’s $19M Rural Health Transformation award and other recipients tied to the state’s nearly $150M rural health grants push. Substance Use Prevention: UALR is expanding campus wellness and substance-use prevention with a $27,200 grant for movement-based coping, overdose education, and peer-led support. Child Safety Tragedy: A Hempstead County 4-year-old died from injuries after alleged severe abuse; a suspect is jailed on capital rape and related charges. Public Health Alerts (Water): A massive sewage spill in Colorado’s Arkansas River system has triggered downstream water-contact advisories near John Martin Reservoir, raising concerns for communities along the river corridor. Allergy Watch: Alpha-gal syndrome appears to be spreading fast, with Arkansas cases nearly doubling year-over-year in recent reporting. Food Safety: The FDA issued a Class I recall for salsa and pico de gallo distributed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas due to possible salmonella contamination. Opioid Oversight: Walmart agreed to a $50M federal settlement and tighter pharmacy controlled-substance oversight in a long-running opioid dispensing case. SNAP Policy: SNAP food-purchase restrictions were delayed in South Carolina and North Dakota after legal challenges. Health Coverage Policy: A federal appeals court upheld Arkansas pharmacy reimbursement rules tied to dispensing-fee requirements for PBMs.