Hemp firm partners with UA researchers

FAYETTEVILLE — A northwest Arkansas company plans to work with the University of Arkansas to grow, research and process hemp flowers for the budding cannabis oil industry.

Fayetteville-based Arkansas Hemp Genetics LLC says it has secured a partnership with the university’s horticulture department to research industrial hemp for the first time since its prohibition after World War II.

Bill Morgan, chief operations officer of Hemp Genetics, tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that hemp could be a viable crop again, specifically for Arkansas, thanks to increased cannabis product demand and support from businesses and politicians. The 2019 Farm Bill passed by Congress last month effectively legalized industrial hemp.

Cannabidiol is used to treat medical issues like epileptic seizures, anxiety, inflammation and sleeplessness although experts say there’s little research to show it’s an effective treatment.

Dozens of Air Jordans stolen in LR robbery

LITTLE ROCK — Police in Little Rock say a man armed with a pistol forced his way into a home and stole dozens of pairs of Air Jordan sneakers.

The robbery was reported Friday at a home in Little Rock. According to Little Rock TV station KATV, a man told police that he was getting out of his car when he was approached by a man who hit him with a pistol and forced him to open the door of the home.

According to police, the armed man took about 50 pairs of sneakers worth a total of $8,750, as well as two cellphones, a pair of earrings and a Rolex watch. He also stole a vehicle, but that was later found abandoned.

Snail once found in Ark., Mo., presumed extinct

COTTER — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a small snail native to Arkansas and Missouri is now presumed extinct.

The Ozark pyrg was originally found more than 100 years ago in the White River near Cotter and in the North Fork White River near Norfork extending into Missouri. But officials say the snail hasn’t been confirmed in surveys since 1915.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says scientists believe construction of the Norfork Dam and the Beaver Fork Dam in the 1940s likely played a role in the snail’s demise. Officials say the snail likely needed shallow, flowing water to survive and the dams drastically changed its habitat.

Officials say the Ozark pyrg will no longer be listed under the Endangered Species Act following a review that began several years ago.