Friday, July 21, 2006
Friday free-for-all
The statewide smoking ban begins today. There will be no cigarettes in most public places, although there are exceptions for places that do no serve persons under 21, small hotels, and some small businesses.
A $319 million project to pump water out of the White River to irrigate farmland in eastern Arkansas was halted by federal judge Bill Wilson. He ordered a more thorough assessment of the project’s effect on the ivory-billed woodpecker.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality filed suit Thursday against three former owners of a chemical plant site in Helena-West Helena, saying they should reimburse the state for what it’s spent on site cleanup and cover all remaining costs.
Although the deadline for consultants to report on how much money the state must spend to provide an “adequate” public school education is September 1, consultants have tentatively suggested that the increase for the next school year might be around $341 million.
Lawmakers expressed fear that the state's school funding formula rewards districts for hiring the least-experienced, least-qualified teachers. They note that spending less money on teacher pay leaves more money for other purposes.
The state has petitioned the Arkansas Supreme Court to throw out a circuit judge's order that temporarily prevents the state from approving the closure of tiny Paron High School, the state education commissioner said Thursday.
Rep. Mike Ross and three state legislators are headed to Minnesota this weekend to explore how Arkansas can increase its use of fuels made from soybeans and other farm products. State Sen. Jimmy Jeffress of Crossett and Representatives. Allen Maxwell of Monticello and Scott Sullivan of DeQueen, will accompany Ross.
A bill that would allow for channels of the McClellan-Kerr waterway to be dredged to 12 feet or deeper has won Senate approval. The Water Resources Development Act contained the go-ahead for a handful of Arkansas water projects among dozens around the country.
Former Republican Congressman Tommy Robinson and his son, Greg Robinson, are free on $1,300 bond while they appeal a five-day jail sentence and $600 in fines handed down after both pleaded no contest to charges arising from an assault at a Brinkley restaurant last week.
A man subdued by Russellville police during a weekend arrest died Thursday at a Little Rock hospital, and the police chief requested an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas reports Benton County needs to expand its 6-year-old jail, but adding a minimum of 250 beds will cost more than the building's original $12 million. The 482-bed jail isn't keeping up with the county's booming population.
Little Rock police are investigating a suspicious death which may become homicide number 38.
Two Tyson Foods plants in the Russellville area will be closing this year, eliminating about 50 jobs in the Arkansas River Valley, said Gary Mickelson, a Tyson spokesman.
A $319 million project to pump water out of the White River to irrigate farmland in eastern Arkansas was halted by federal judge Bill Wilson. He ordered a more thorough assessment of the project’s effect on the ivory-billed woodpecker.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality filed suit Thursday against three former owners of a chemical plant site in Helena-West Helena, saying they should reimburse the state for what it’s spent on site cleanup and cover all remaining costs.
Although the deadline for consultants to report on how much money the state must spend to provide an “adequate” public school education is September 1, consultants have tentatively suggested that the increase for the next school year might be around $341 million.
Lawmakers expressed fear that the state's school funding formula rewards districts for hiring the least-experienced, least-qualified teachers. They note that spending less money on teacher pay leaves more money for other purposes.
The state has petitioned the Arkansas Supreme Court to throw out a circuit judge's order that temporarily prevents the state from approving the closure of tiny Paron High School, the state education commissioner said Thursday.
Rep. Mike Ross and three state legislators are headed to Minnesota this weekend to explore how Arkansas can increase its use of fuels made from soybeans and other farm products. State Sen. Jimmy Jeffress of Crossett and Representatives. Allen Maxwell of Monticello and Scott Sullivan of DeQueen, will accompany Ross.
A bill that would allow for channels of the McClellan-Kerr waterway to be dredged to 12 feet or deeper has won Senate approval. The Water Resources Development Act contained the go-ahead for a handful of Arkansas water projects among dozens around the country.
Former Republican Congressman Tommy Robinson and his son, Greg Robinson, are free on $1,300 bond while they appeal a five-day jail sentence and $600 in fines handed down after both pleaded no contest to charges arising from an assault at a Brinkley restaurant last week.
A man subdued by Russellville police during a weekend arrest died Thursday at a Little Rock hospital, and the police chief requested an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas reports Benton County needs to expand its 6-year-old jail, but adding a minimum of 250 beds will cost more than the building's original $12 million. The 482-bed jail isn't keeping up with the county's booming population.
Little Rock police are investigating a suspicious death which may become homicide number 38.
Two Tyson Foods plants in the Russellville area will be closing this year, eliminating about 50 jobs in the Arkansas River Valley, said Gary Mickelson, a Tyson spokesman.
