• In a meeting on Tuesday, the Springdale City Council approved a $56 million operating budget for the 2021 calendar year. The city increased salary for elected officials and decreased the amount Washington County charges Springdale to house prisoners in the county jail. -Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
• The City of Fayetteville also adopted its annual budget that shows allocation of funds for all personnel, operating, and capital expenditures in budgeted funds for Fiscal Year 2021.

With the holidays quickly approaching, Governor Asa Hutchinson expressed concern over the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the state in a press release on Wednesday.

• Top counties for new cases are Washington, 272; Pulaski, 265; Benton, 260; Faulkner, 123; and Craighead, 109.
• The Arkansas Department of Health reported 2,893 new cases; 22,516 active cases; 1,110 hospitalized, 174 on ventilators. 38 deaths added yesterday, a total of 3,376; a total of 207,941 cases; 155,447 recoveries; PCR tests, 8,604; antigen tests, 3,697.
• Governor Hutchinson encouraged Arkansans to avoid gathering in large groups this holiday season in order to protect yourself and family.

• Both Benton and Washington Counties have released their official city holiday schedules for 2021.
• The City of Fayetteville published its tentative schedule for the 2021 calendar year, and the City of Rogers updated its curbside pickup holiday schedule.
• For questions about Bentonville's trash and recycling procedures, visit HERE.

Arkansas Children's Hospital Northwest is expanding its staff and adding additional resources in order to make health care more accessible to the youth of NWA.

• The hospital recently added a pediatric cardiologist and pediatric neurologist, a total of two each. The region has seen a growing need for pediatric cardiology and neurology, which often leads to patients traveling out-of-state to receive treatment.
• Children's Northwest will move its primary care services such as general preventive care into one floor of a new medical office building to free up space for more services at the hospital. -Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
• The hospital will also collaborate with the UAMS Orthopedics Northwest to start a pediatric sports medicine program for high school athletes.