© 2024 WKNO FM
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Week-In-Review: Legislature Recesses As Debate Rages Over Medicaid Expansion

Michael Hibblen

Hear KUAR's Week-In-Review podcast for April 15, 2016.

Credit Michael Hibblen

The battle over the future of Gov. Asa Hutchinson's Medicaid expansion plan takes center stage on KUAR's podcast, with lawmakers recessed until Tuesday amid a standoff about funding. Jacob Kauffman reports on developments he's covered this week at the Capitol, while Chris Hickey speaks with state agency heads about the impacts to them if the healthcare plan for low income Arkansans isn't renewed.    

The news staff also discusses developments in education this week, the state's jobless rate dropping to an all-time low, and the death of longtime Congressman Ray Thornton.

You can listen to the podcast above or Subscribe on iTunes.

Copyright 2016 KUAR

Michael Hibblen
As News Director, Michael Hibblen oversees daily news coverage for KUAR. He handles assignments for the news staff, helps develop story ideas and edits copy. Michael isresponsible for starting a news-sharing partnership between public radio stations in Arkansas in 2009 which laid the foundation for what became Arkansas Public Media. He is also a regular panelist and fill-in host on AETN's Arkansas Week, where journalists discuss issues in the news.
Jacob Kauffman is a reporter and anchor for KUAR. He primarily covers the state legislature and politics beat while juggling anchoring Morning Edition Monday through Friday.
Sarah Whites-Koditschek is a Little Rock-based reporter for Arkansas Public Media covering education, healthcare, state politics, and criminal justice issues. Formerly she worked as a reporter and producer for WHYY in Philadelphia, and was an intern and editorial assistant for Morning Edition at National Public Radio in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
Chris Hickey was born and raised in Houston, Texas, spending his teenage years in Camden, Ohio. He graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, majoring in English. He got his start in public radio working as a board operator at WMUB in Oxford, Ohio during his summer and winter breaks from school. Since graduating, he has made Little Rock home. He joined KUAR in September 2011 as a production intern and has since enjoyed producing, anchoring and reporting for the station. He is the composer of KUAR's Week-In-Review Podcast theme music and the associate producer of Arts & Letters.