Friday, August 18, 2006
Fretting Friday
Alex Daniels of the Democrat-Gazette reports that Arkansas’ Sen. Mark Pryor remains steadfast in his support of Lieberman’s independent candidacy. During a Jonesboro event Wednesday, Pryor was asked how he squared his support of Lieberman with his position as a regional vice chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “You're asking me to be consistent,” Pryor answered, smiling and drawing a laugh.
Last week’s rainfall across Arkansas eased the 20-month drought in the state but it’ll take a lot more of that to end the dry spell, according to the National Weather Service. “To improve long-term, we would need steady rain periodically for a series of weeks” for the state to escape the drought, said Chris Buonanno, science and operations officer for the weather service’s Little Rock office.
State health officials have announced the first confirmed human cases of West Nile virus of the season in Arkansas, in Jefferson, Pulaski and Sebastian counties. The Department of Health and Human Services reported four human cases of the virus - two cases in Pulaski County, and one case each in Jefferson and Sebastian counties.
Federal judge George Howard has promised to decide “one day next week, no later than Thursday,” whether the state must recognize the Green Party of Arkansas as a valid political party and place its gubernatorial candidate, Jim Lendall, on the November general-election ballot.
Over Parole Board Secretery Bill Walker’s strenuous objections, including attempts to adjourn the meeting, four commissioners voted to replace him by electing Commissioner John Felts as vice chairman. Chairman Leroy Brownlee entered the hospital over the weekend. With Brownlee ill and the post of vice chairman vacant since Lary Zeno’s resignation from the board in May, Commissioner John Belken said, a vote needed to be taken imme- diately to pick a vice chairman to run the board in Brownlee’s absence. Walker had been acting chairman because, as its secretary, he is the third-ranking member of the board.
A parody ad for a non-existent gentlemen’s club called “Joel’s House of Dolls” was shown to jurors Wednesday on the third day of a federal court trial in a former instructor’s lawsuit against the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Lawyers for the plaintiff, Diana Payne, continued to question witnesses in an effort to show that late Chancellor Joel Stubblefield discriminated against women and retaliated against employees who raised complaints.
A Memphis woman who fell from a roller coaster at a Hot Springs amusement park on July 29 was improperly seated by a park employee, according to an Arkansas Department of Labor investigation report released Thursday. “The patron was extremely large, improperly seated and this allowed for the patron’s center of gravity to move to a position above the restraining bar during the course of the ride. If the patron was too large to sit in the seat properly with the restraint bar in place, access should have been denied,” the report states.
Entergy Nuclear has selected Burns and Roe Enterprises, an international engineering consulting firm, to assist with future decisions regarding new nuclear plant development. Entergy is on track to receive the first early site permit in the nation from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the first quarter of 2007, qualifying the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson as an acceptable site for a new nuclear unit.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has approved a 60-day duck season with three segments and a single statewide zone Thursday at its monthly meeting in Little Rock. Commission dumped a proposal to divide the state into two duck hunting zones and adopted season dates similar to past years - three segments beginning in mid-November and running to the latest date allowed by federal authorities.
The owners of The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs are putting together a condominium project that would add up to 51 new suites to the historic hotel’s property.
Northwest Arkansas’ growth has the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality preparing to measure the region’s air quality.
Former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson continues to be listed fourth on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart. However, for Saturday night’s game at Pittsburgh the rookie will play with the second team.
Last week’s rainfall across Arkansas eased the 20-month drought in the state but it’ll take a lot more of that to end the dry spell, according to the National Weather Service. “To improve long-term, we would need steady rain periodically for a series of weeks” for the state to escape the drought, said Chris Buonanno, science and operations officer for the weather service’s Little Rock office.
State health officials have announced the first confirmed human cases of West Nile virus of the season in Arkansas, in Jefferson, Pulaski and Sebastian counties. The Department of Health and Human Services reported four human cases of the virus - two cases in Pulaski County, and one case each in Jefferson and Sebastian counties.
Federal judge George Howard has promised to decide “one day next week, no later than Thursday,” whether the state must recognize the Green Party of Arkansas as a valid political party and place its gubernatorial candidate, Jim Lendall, on the November general-election ballot.
Over Parole Board Secretery Bill Walker’s strenuous objections, including attempts to adjourn the meeting, four commissioners voted to replace him by electing Commissioner John Felts as vice chairman. Chairman Leroy Brownlee entered the hospital over the weekend. With Brownlee ill and the post of vice chairman vacant since Lary Zeno’s resignation from the board in May, Commissioner John Belken said, a vote needed to be taken imme- diately to pick a vice chairman to run the board in Brownlee’s absence. Walker had been acting chairman because, as its secretary, he is the third-ranking member of the board.
A parody ad for a non-existent gentlemen’s club called “Joel’s House of Dolls” was shown to jurors Wednesday on the third day of a federal court trial in a former instructor’s lawsuit against the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Lawyers for the plaintiff, Diana Payne, continued to question witnesses in an effort to show that late Chancellor Joel Stubblefield discriminated against women and retaliated against employees who raised complaints.
A Memphis woman who fell from a roller coaster at a Hot Springs amusement park on July 29 was improperly seated by a park employee, according to an Arkansas Department of Labor investigation report released Thursday. “The patron was extremely large, improperly seated and this allowed for the patron’s center of gravity to move to a position above the restraining bar during the course of the ride. If the patron was too large to sit in the seat properly with the restraint bar in place, access should have been denied,” the report states.
Entergy Nuclear has selected Burns and Roe Enterprises, an international engineering consulting firm, to assist with future decisions regarding new nuclear plant development. Entergy is on track to receive the first early site permit in the nation from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the first quarter of 2007, qualifying the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson as an acceptable site for a new nuclear unit.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has approved a 60-day duck season with three segments and a single statewide zone Thursday at its monthly meeting in Little Rock. Commission dumped a proposal to divide the state into two duck hunting zones and adopted season dates similar to past years - three segments beginning in mid-November and running to the latest date allowed by federal authorities.
The owners of The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs are putting together a condominium project that would add up to 51 new suites to the historic hotel’s property.
Northwest Arkansas’ growth has the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality preparing to measure the region’s air quality.
Former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson continues to be listed fourth on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart. However, for Saturday night’s game at Pittsburgh the rookie will play with the second team.
