From The Front...

Welcome to my weekly newsletter

April 10, 2026

Welcome to my weekly newsletter, From the Front, where I provide a quick update on what I've been working on in Washington, D.C., and back home in Arkansas's Third Congressional District.

COMMENT FROM THE CAPITOL

In this special edition of Comment from the Capitol (CFTC), I welcomed Gary Vernon, general manager of OZ Trails Bike Park in Bella Vista. Together, we discuss what’s ahead for the bike park, including a new chairlift system, that will attract mountain bikers from across the nation. Listen HERE or click below.

HAPPENING IN THE DISTRICT

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter weekend celebrating with family and loved ones. It was a busy week in the Third District, where I had the opportunity to meet and speak with many constituents—from our brave Arkansas National Guardsmen preparing for deployment to leaders in education and industry experts.

Scroll down to photo highlights to see who I met with this week.

In other exciting news, Northwest Arkansas ranked as the nation’s ninth fastest-growing metro area in 2025, marking the first time since at least 2020 that the region has landed in the top 10, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro grew 2.4 percent to 622,177 residents, while Benton County remained Arkansas’ fastest-growing county and Madison County posted the state’s second-fastest growth rate.

ART COMPETITION WINNERS

This week, I announced Keily Diaz, a junior at Berryville High School, as the winner of the 2026 Congressional Art Competition for Arkansas’s Third Congressional District.

Keily’s strong artistic skills are on full display in her artwork entitled, “Paciencia y Fe,” that depicts her grandmother. This art will soon be headed to the U.S. Capitol where it will hang for the next year.

This year’s competition featured 62 pieces of art created by students attending 11 different high schools and homeschools in the Third District. Entries were reviewed by a panel of local judges, including Bentonville Public Library Director Hadi Dudley, Curatorial Assistant for Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Jaiha Lee, and Ken Francis, a retired art teacher at Siloam Springs High School.

I’d also like to recognize our other finalists for this year’s competition:

2nd Place: Evan Brown of Haas Hall Academy – Rogers, “Abandoned Truck”
3rd Place: Lila Eisele of Haas Hall Academy – Fayetteville, “Green Girl”
4th Place: Haven Hardy of Haas Hall Academy at the Jones Center, “Patch Cat”
5th Place: Ann Feutcha of Bentonville West High School, “Peek-A-Boo!”

In addition, submissions were considered for the Patriot Award, which honors a piece that celebrates and artfully represents American ideals. This recognition was presented to Jude Martinez, a senior at Bentonville West High School, for his, “Humility in Pursuit of Success” artwork. This year’s winner of the People’s Choice Award, which was decided by the public via online vote, went to Tyler Quinn for her piece, “Paw Paw.”

A huge congratulations again to all our finalists! Read more HERE.

CONSTITUENT SPOTLIGHT

This week’s constituent spotlight goes to Hayley Shea of Fort Smith.

Hayley is a telecommunicator at the River Valley Communications Center (RVCC) and was recently named the Fort Smith Police Department’s 2025 Dispatcher of the Year. This recognition highlights her unwavering dedication to public safety in our district.

Since joining the RVCC in 2023, Hayley has consistently gone above and beyond for the citizens of Fort Smith and Sebastian County. Her passion for service is remarkable, whether she's assisting someone in a moment of crisis or helping with a non-emergency call. Hayley’s calm and reassuring demeanor with callers in tremendous stress or pain ensures that police, fire, and other emergency services are dispatched quickly and accurately.

After graduating from Northern Arizona University in 2013, Hayley began her emergency communications career at the university’s police department. Her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice further reinforces her knowledge and dedication to public safety. She later moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

When asked about her role as a 911 Telecommunicator at RVCC, she says she loves the job just as much as she did when she began it. She also commended her colleagues at the RVCC for their camaraderie and dedication to the safety of residents and visitors in the River Valley.

Congratulations to Hayley on her well-deserved recognition, and I thank her for her tireless work to keep Third District Arkansans safe.

This week, I had the privilege of touring RVCC to learn more about their operations. See more below.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

As I discussed in this week’s CFTC, I got a sneak peak of the new bike chair lift at OZ Trails Bike Park. When it opens this summer, it will be the only bike chair lift in the state.

This year’s Service Academy Day was a success! High school students from across the Third District had the opportunity to learn more about what it means to attend a Service Academy, join the National Guard, or pursue an ROTC path. Thank you to everyone who participated.

It was a privilege to attend the send‑off ceremony for the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, Arkansas National Guard, as they deploy to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. Once again, Arkansas National Guardsmen are answering their nation’s call to protect our interests abroad. They are trained and ready to execute their duties in keeping with the highest standards of military excellence. It is up to those of us at home to support their families and give these soldiers the confidence they need to fulfill their obligation knowing all is well on the home front.

In Siloam Springs, I had the chance to tour Gates Corporation’s manufacturing facility where industrial and automotive belts are produced. While I was there, I met with Mike Haen, Nino Pucci, and Eva Roberts Green to discuss the current supply chain pressures affecting their industry and opportunities for growth.

I spoke to Dr. Daniel Bennett’s political science class at John Brown University. I shared how our government’s legislative and executive branches interact and how that relationship has evolved over my time in Congress. These students are curious and well-informed, and I was grateful to have this thoughtful conversation with them. While I was there, I stopped by the re-opening of the Mabee Learning Resource Center. I was even one of the first to try a cup of coffee at the student-run coffee shop, Ground Floor, on their first day open.

I enjoyed visiting Action, Inc. in Barling, where I got a behind-the-scenes look at their operations as one of the largest mechanical contractors in the state. During our visit, we also discussed how Biden-era policies have affected their work on major projects in the Third District. Thank you to Eric Robbins, Jamie Wright, and Alan Wright for giving me the grand tour of the facility.

At the River Valley Communications Center (RVCC), I saw where 911 operators work around the clock to ensure that Sebastian County residents have access to vital emergency services. Though they often work behind the scenes, their work is essential to the safety and security of the community. I also heard from RVCC Director Wes Milam about some of the challenges that the center is facing as they work to improve the county’s emergency response.

It is always a pleasure to sit down with the next generation of leaders in Fort Smith who are dedicated to fostering growth across the city. We discussed how infrastructure and economic development are affecting their roles as business professionals. With these young people at the helm, I have no doubt that Fort Smith will be well equipped to succeed in the coming years.

I had the opportunity to speak at the first-ever joint conference between the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arkansas (ACECA) and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT). The Third District’s tremendous growth increases the need for improved transportation infrastructure, and I was encouraged to meet so many leaders dedicated to developing our region.

Our region has some of the best mountain bike trails in the nation, and thanks to the Northwest Arkansas Community College, we’ll have more skilled workers who can develop and maintain this growing industry through the college’s bikes, trails, and construction management programs. Thanks to NWACC President Dr. Dennis Rittle and NWACC’s Trails and Trades Executive Director Dr. Megan Bolinder for showing me around.

WHAT DO YOU THINK

In case you missed it, I spoke at the Northwest Arkansas Health Summit last week about the work I am doing in Congress to increase access to quality healthcare for Third District Arkansans, especially those in rural areas. I want to hear from you.

What is the biggest challenge you face when accessing quality healthcare in the Third District?