Greg Leding

Beautiful morning for the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:20:32 -0500

Beautiful morning for the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market.

I was elected House Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Sustainable Building Design and Practices...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:14:34 -0500

I was elected House Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Sustainable Building Design and Practices at the group’s first meeting of the new biennium yesterday. We elected Sen. David Johnson (D-Little Rock) to serve as Senate Chair. I was also recently named to serve the newly-created position of Communications Chair for the House Democratic Caucus.

This is happening.

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:41:24 -0500

This is happening.

From the Arkansas Times: Arkansas last year had the highest...

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:45:39 -0500

From the Arkansas Times:

Arkansas last year had the highest hunger in the nation among children under 18, according to Feeding America. This year, though the percentage of hungry children has grown — from 24.4 percent last year to 28.6 percent this year — in Arkansas, other states have outpaced that rate, leaving Arkansas the third highest behind Oregon and Arizona (and the District of Columbia).

So the Naturals are behind two eight heading into the eighth...

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:07:38 -0500

So the Naturals are behind two eight heading into the eighth inning, but at least I got to present Strike with this citation after he wandered into the box.

This is happening. Travelers are up five one over the Naturals.

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:56:39 -0500

This is happening. Travelers are up five one over the Naturals.

So these came today. I’m pretty excited.

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:57:42 -0500

So these came today. I’m pretty excited.

From PBS: In 2009, 31 million kids were living in familieswith...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:55:10 -0500

From PBS:

In 2009, 31 million kids were living in familieswith incomes below twice the federal poverty threshold.

That’s 42 percent of the kids in the United States who are just a few of mom’s or dad’s paychecks away from economic catastrophe, says Patrick McCarthy, CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released the statistics this week as part of its latest Kids Count study.

Nearly 8 million children in 2010 were living with at least one parent who was unemployed.

Human Trafficking

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:47:04 -0500

Listening to Mira Sorvino discuss human trafficking in a session at the 2011 National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit. I’m posting live updates over on Twitter.

Stuttgart

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:59:40 -0500

I’m on the road for fifteen days in August. At the moment I’m in Stuttgart, Arkansas, for two days of joint meetings between the Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development Committee and the Joint Committee on Energy. The meetings are being held on the campus of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.

A few quick notes about Stuttgart, Arkansas: home to Riceland Foods, the city of about 9,300 bills itself as the “Rice and Duck Capital of the World.” A German-born reverend named Adam Bürkle founded the city in the late 1800s. Rice farming was introduced in 1904. The city serves as one of two county seats for Arkansas County, the oldest county in Arkansas and the site of the only American Revolution battle fought west of the Mississippi River. As such, many of the oldest documents in Arkansas are housed in the Stuttgart Courthouse. A number of them are dated as far back as 1796 and are written in Spanish.

And you can’t escape the ducks. They’re everywhere: duck statues, duck decoys, stuffed ducks, paintings of ducks; I’m staying at the Best Western Duck Inn.

Friday morning I head farther south to Warren, Arkansas, to tour the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center. I’ve already toured similar centers in Jonesboro and Conway. I’m scheduled to visit the Arkadelphia Human Development Center on the morning of August 17 before heading to Hot Springs that afternoon for a joint meeting of Public Health, Welfare, and Labor. I’ve enjoyed the opportunities to travel across the state this summer. It’s been great to reconnect with communities I haven’t visited since childhood and to visit new places.

I missed this Mashable piece on people with Twitter’s...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:11:52 -0500

I missed this Mashable piece on people with Twitter’s shortest usernames that ran about a month ago.

Arkansas: Disposal Well Is Ordered Closed

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:47:54 -0500

Arkansas: Disposal Well Is Ordered Closed:

From The New York Times:

The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission voted Wednesday to close a well used to dispose of natural gas fluids and ban the drilling of others in an area north of Conway where hundreds of earthquakes have struck. The well between Greenbrier and Enola is operated by Deep-Six Water Disposal Services, a subsidiary of Hurst Oil Investments Inc. The moratorium would not affect the drilling of natural gas wells, but it would change how fluids from the process are disposed. Gas companies have tapped natural gas by injecting water and chemicals under high pressure to fracture the shale, a process known as fracking. Those fluids are injected into separate wells for disposal. The commission pinpointed four wells that it said needed to be closed. Operators of three of the wells agreed to close them by Sept. 30. Deep-Six, which operates the fourth, says its disposal well does not cause any seismic activity.

Contact Your Representative

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:46:27 -0500

For those in Arkansas, you can contact Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR3) by calling 202-225-4301. The office of Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR1) can be contacted at 202-225-4076. Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR2) can be reached at 202-225-2506. If those numbers fail, call the switchboard at the US House of Representatives at 202-224-3121. Urge these gentlemen to act responsibly by agreeing to compromise in the matter of raising our country’s debt ceiling.

I was asked to speak about the important of young leaders at...

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:44:26 -0500

I was asked to speak about the important of young leaders at this year’s Fourth Annual Jefferson-Jackson After Dark event, hosted by the Young Democrats of Arkansas. I stole a quote from Robert Kennedy:

This world demands the qualities of youth. Not a time of life, but a state of mind; a temper of the will; a quality of the imagination; a predominance of courage over timidity; an appetite of adventure over a love of ease.

Arkansas Company Cited for Reportedly Dumping Toxic Waste in White County

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 06:53:38 -0500

Arkansas Company Cited for Reportedly Dumping Toxic Waste in White County :

From KARK:

KARK has learned an Arkansas company has been cited for reportedly dumping toxic waste into the ground in White County.

Photos obtained exclusively by KARK show illegal disposal sites used by Poseidon Energy Services, which has a facility near Pangburn.

According to a report by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, sludge used in natural gas drilling was being dumped in the ground in seven different locations near Pangburn and Searcy.

The company has not been fined and is said to be working with state agencies.

A Deeper Look At Child Hunger in Arkansas

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:09:59 -0500

A Deeper Look At Child Hunger in Arkansas:

Our state, unfortunately, leads the country in the number of people living meal to meal. Data suggests that one in four children go hungry each day.

Here’s more from KATV:

Empty shelves at food pantries and freezers tell the sad story. The Hunger Relief Alliance reports, demand for food banks is soaring, but less than 30 percent of those who get help from food banks receive benefits from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and formerly known as food stamps.

“Some people don’t because of pride, they don’t want to feel like they can’t make it on their own,” said Galyean.

The Director of the Growth and Development Clinic at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Dr. Patrick Casey said, “We believe that families who take advantage of these programs, there are benefits to their children that are measurable.”

He continued, “If malnutrition occurs in the first 3 years of life, it increases the chance that the brain may be injured and if the brain is injured it sets the child up with long-term developmental problems.”

He sees about 5 children a week that are underweight come into his clinic. He said people do not use the programs because of the red tape.

Not gonna lie: I kinda miss looking up at this every afternoon....

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:52:23 -0500

Not gonna lie: I kinda miss looking up at this every afternoon. (Taken with instagram)

Here Comes the Sun (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:28:33 -0500

Here Comes the Sun (Taken with instagram)

City Fragments (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:27:13 -0500

City Fragments (Taken with instagram)

Out on the Farm (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:57:38 -0500

Out on the Farm (Taken with instagram)