Pulse THE POLK COUNTY
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August 17, 2022
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Jones walks a mile in Mena
INSIDE:
Winning a toxic battle for vets
By Ethan Nahté
Polk County Rodeo
Pages 12-13
AGFC Hunting Guidebook
Page 16
School Zone & Bus Safety
Page 22
Chris Jones accepts a campaign donation from Linda Johnson and the Polk County Democratic Party. (Ethan Nahté/Pulse) Chris Jones, the gubernatorial democratic nominee, stopped by The Polk County Democratic Party “Bean and Jeans” fundraiser dinner to discuss some key campaign issues he is passionate about to a room full of people at The Daisy Room on Monday evening, August 15 . He discussed his background, with his family coming from south-
ern Arkansas and how he grew up in Pine Bluff, which he explained has a stigma of being a bad place to live and nicknamed “Crime” Bluff. Jones knows Pine Bluff as a great place to call home, seeing it from a viewpoint non-residents are unaware of for the most part. He also spoke to both the crowd, and to Pulse Multi-Media earlier in the day, about flipping the narra-
See JONES continued on page 2
WASHINGTON (August 10, 2022) — President Joe Biden signed landmark legislation championed by U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) to deliver all eras of toxic-exposed veterans their earned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits into law. “Providing generations of men and women who served in uniform the benefits they deserve honors the promise our nation made for their service and sacrifice. This is a long overdue day for veterans and their families living with illnesses as a result of toxic exposure who will now be able to get the care they earned,” Boozman said. The “Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022” includes a Boozman-authored provision to expand benefits to Vietnam War-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange during their service in Thailand after Arkansas veteran Bill Rhodes shared his benefits were denied because the VA didn’t allow him to prove toxic exposure based on his service location. Agent Orange was an herbicide mixture used by the U.S. military in jungle-type environments. It contained a chemical known as dioxin, a dangerous contaminant. “When I first heard the story on Agent
See PACT continued on page 5