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tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Tess Vrbin
@tessmvrbin.bsky.social
460 followers 100 following 70 posts
watching libraries, maternal health, other state policy issues
@arkansasadvocate.com. she/her. send tips and cat photos to tvrbin@arkansasadvocate.com. #MizzouMade #LetsGoBucs
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tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Tess Vrbin @tessmvrbin.bsky.social · Jun 16
The Mountain Pine school board voted in March 2023 to limit elementary schoolers' access to LGBTQ+ books. The state lawmakers representing the small city sponsored a new law this year that makes these restrictions mandatory for elementary schools statewide. #arpx arkansasadvocate.com/2025/06/16/l...
Law limiting access to LGBTQ books in school libraries began with rural Arkansas district | Arkansas Advocate
Lawmakers who represent Mountain Pine sponsored a new law requiring "non-age-appropriate sexual content" in K-5 schools to be locked away.
arkansasadvocate.com
tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS, wants to "march boldly forward with a business model that can work for the long term," CEO Carlton Wing said.

In the short term, viewers all over the state are cancelling their donations and PBS Passport subscriptions.
arkansasadvocate.com/2026/01/26/a...
Arkansas public television viewers, parents disillusioned with network's plan to cut ties with PBS | Arkansas Advocate
Some viewers are threatening to not just tune out, but no longer give money to the network, according to emails obtained via a records request.
arkansasadvocate.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
minnesotareformer.com
Another person in Minneapolis shot and killed by feds minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/24/a...
Another person in Minneapolis shot and killed by feds • Minnesota Reformer
Over 10 shots can be heard in the video, but it’s unclear if more than one agent fired a weapon.
minnesotareformer.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
startribune.com
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 24, 2026
January 23, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
timlambert-pa.bsky.social
Thread on the incredible work being done, under extremely trying circumstances, by our colleagues at the @minnesotareformer.com.
statesnewsroom.com States Newsroom @statesnewsroom.com · 7d
For eight weeks, our journalists at the @minnesotareformer.com have been reporting from the front lines of the federal government's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
January 23, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
acvollers.bsky.social
Some folks worry that ICE’s use of Medicaid data will cause widespread fear among immigrant families, keeping them from seeking the health care that states have said they’re eligible to receive. My latest:
January 20, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
ainsleyplatt.bsky.social
I spoke with the lead counsel on the brief Emily Suski signed that was submitted to SCOTUS, who told me that penalizing legal scholars for providing legal expertise to courts would be a loss for the justice system and society. Read more here:

#arpx
January 15, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
Polls have closed in the HD70 and SD26 special primary elections in Arkansas. The Arkansas Advocate team will be watching for the results and posting updates on the races as votes finish tallying on our website. #arpx #arleg
Election 2026 Archives | Arkansas Advocate
Voting is the way we as citizens of the United States and its component states, counties and cities express our opinions and preferences. We are periodically asked to mark our ballots for candidates…
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 1:30 AM
tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Two answers: The Good Place for comedy, The Americans for drama
redoubters.bsky.social Astreia @redoubters.bsky.social · 24d
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:

What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
ademillo.bsky.social
From @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: New and returning candidate square off in special Democratic primary for Arkansas House seat #arleg #arpx

arkansasadvocate.com/2026/01/05/n...
New and returning candidate square off in special Democratic primary for Arkansas House seat | Arkansas Advocate
A health care administrator who narrowly lost a bid for the Arkansas House last year is running once again, this time against an Air Force veteran in Tuesday’s special election.
arkansasadvocate.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
ademillo.bsky.social
Great read from @tessmvrbin.bsky.social:

Arkansas’ maternity ward shortage sometimes leads to births in ambulances, paramedics say arkansasadvocate.com/2025/12/29/a...
Arkansas' maternity ward shortage sometimes leads to births in ambulances, paramedics say | Arkansas Advocate
Long distances between hospitals that deliver babies have only been getting longer in recent years due to closures, putting an extra strain on ambulance services that transport these patients.
arkansasadvocate.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
sickoscommittee.org
Touchdown

HOWEVA
rapsheet.bsky.social Ian Rapoport @rapsheet.bsky.social · Dec 22
Here is the explanation for the Steelers dramatic and completely bizarre win.
December 22, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
ademillo.bsky.social
My first column with the @arkansasadvocate.com!

Transparency requires more eyes keeping watch. That’s why the Arkansas Advocate is here. arkansasadvocate.com/2025/12/21/t...
Transparency requires more eyes keeping watch. That's why the Arkansas Advocate is here. | Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas is a great state for politics, and benefits from readers who want to know how their tax dollars are being spent.
arkansasadvocate.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
notgabriela.bsky.social
December 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Part 3 in our Overcrowded series! I spoke to a former state parole officer who said caseloads are too heavy for parole and probation officers to get a feel for what each formerly incarcerated individual needs to keep them from reoffending.
December 18, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
Arkansas incarcerates more of its population than any other democratic country in the world, research shows. And that was before a new law made it harder for people to get parole and probation.

@ainsleyplatt.bsky.social tells the story in a new series from @arkansasadvocate.com
Overcrowded: Tighter parole, probation rules set stage for Arkansas prison population increases | Arkansas Advocate
Housing convicted offenders is an active source of consternation for legislators, counties and state corrections officials as Arkansas continues to grapple with a growing prison population, fueled by…
buff.ly
December 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
If we’ve succeeded in keeping you informed throughout the year on new state policies, please consider donating to our nonprofit this #GivingTuesday. Your gift will be doubled, up to $1,000, thanks to a matching grant from Skip Rutherford.

Thank you for your continued support!

buff.ly/9hC4cIe
December 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
grajeda.bsky.social
Via @arkansasadvocate.com: Former President Barack Obama shared his thoughts Monday on democracy, civic engagement and understanding others during the inaugural conversation of Building Bridges, a new lecture series hosted by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Obama tells Arkansas audience young people give him hope for US democracy | Arkansas Advocate
Although the country is more divided and democracy is more unstable than he’s seen in his lifetime, former President Barack Obama said young people give him hope for the future.
arkansasadvocate.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
anitawadhwani.bsky.social
30+ national organizations have signed onto a letter expressing “profound concern” about the demand by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett that libraries receiving state grants remove remove books that "promote gender ideology"

tennesseelookout.com/2025/12/01/l... @tennesseelookout.com
Library groups, publishers criticize Tennessee secretary of state’s gender identity audit • Tennessee Lookout
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is requiring libraries that receive government funds to make an “age-appropriate” review of books.
tennesseelookout.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Arkansas lawmakers returned an amended contract between the state’s child welfare agency and a California-based company to the subcommittee that reviewed it after a state representative raised concerns about the its stance on health care for transgender youth. #arpx
Arkansas panel delays contract amendment over company's stance on transgender youth | Arkansas Advocate
California-based Evident Change allegedly disagreed with Texas' classification of gender-affirming health care as child abuse.
arkansasadvocate.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
The Arkansas Advocate has big news! Andrew DeMillo, a veteran reporter who has covered Arkansas politics and policy for 23 years, will take the reins from retiring founding editor Sonny Albarado next month. Read more here:
Andrew DeMillo named top editor of Arkansas Advocate by States Newsroom • States Newsroom
States Newsroom today announces the hiring of veteran political journalist Andrew DeMillo as editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Advocate, Arkansas’ leading state government-focused nonprofit news outlet....
statesnewsroom.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:36 PM
tessmvrbin.bsky.social
Correction: Adams is running against Justice Nicholas Bronni, also a Sanders appointee, not Justice Hiland.

(Bronni and Hiland are running for each other's seats because as appointees, they can't defend their own seats.)
tessmvrbin.bsky.social Tess Vrbin @tessmvrbin.bsky.social · Nov 13
The last point in this story is worth highlighting: Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland, a Sanders appointee, will run for election against John Adams, an attorney who represented the plaintiffs against the 2023 library "obscenity" law and got it enjoined. #arpx
arkansasadvocate.com/2025/11/13/a...
Arkansas' 2026 election cycle will feature several rematches, returning candidates | Arkansas Advocate
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is fielding 75 candidates in 2026. Fewer contested races were on the ballot in 2024, when the party fielded 72 candidates.
arkansasadvocate.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:46 PM
tessmvrbin.bsky.social
The last point in this story is worth highlighting: Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland, a Sanders appointee, will run for election against John Adams, an attorney who represented the plaintiffs against the 2023 library "obscenity" law and got it enjoined. #arpx
arkansasadvocate.com/2025/11/13/a...
Arkansas' 2026 election cycle will feature several rematches, returning candidates | Arkansas Advocate
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is fielding 75 candidates in 2026. Fewer contested races were on the ballot in 2024, when the party fielded 72 candidates.
arkansasadvocate.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
Via @tessmvrbin.bsky.social: Elementary and middle school administrators in a Central Arkansas school district ordered faculty and staff to remove a book from library shelves in October after a parent complained it was “grooming” children by portraying LGBTQ+ characters. #arpx
Benton public schools hide books from students after parent's complaint, citing two Arkansas laws | Arkansas Advocate
The decision came around the same time North Little Rock School District administrators ordered dozens of LGBTQ+ books hidden from students.
arkansasadvocate.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reposted by Tess Vrbin
arkansasadvocate.com
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. Rep. French Hill and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, all Republicans, filed their paperwork with the Secretary of State to run for reelection. Democratic challengers of all three candidates also filed Monday. #arpx
✍️: @tessmvrbin.bsky.social, @ainsleyplatt.bsky.social
2026 Elections: Candidates for Arkansas' federal and state seats begin filing to run | Arkansas Advocate
Arkansas’ first candidates for next year’s elections packed the Capitol rotunda on Monday to formally declare their candidacies, kicking off the 9-day filing period and the 2026 election cycle.
arkansasadvocate.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:13 PM