Friday, September 29, 2006
Friday fun
A McGehee man is under arrest and charged with capital murder and kidnapping in the Aug. 27 murder of 17-year-old Casey Crowder of Pine Bluff. Officers of the FBI, the Arkansas State Police and the Desha County sheriff’s office pulled over Kenneth A. Osburn just north of McGehee around 3:50 p.m. Osburn is a truck driver, said Desha County Sheriff-elect Jim Snyder. Authorities are not saying how Crowder was killed or whether she was sexually assaulted.
Most Arkansans who use natural gas to heat their homes can expect slightly lower bills this winter, state regulators said Thursday. Natural gas producers also project that much of the nation will see a similar outcome, ending three years of escalating bills.
This Sunday those Arkansas Workers who are employed at minimum wage will be getting a raise thanks to the new minimum wage increase that will go into effect Oct. 1, 2006. Workers will now begin to receive $6.25 an hour as opposed to the previous rate of 5.15 per hour.
The Senate endorsed President Bush’s plans to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects, all but sealing its congressional approval. The 65-34 vote means the bill could reach the president’s desk by week’s end. Arkansas’ Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat, voted against the bill; Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor supported it.
The Saline County sheriff’s office arrested more than 20 men on charges of stalking children over the Internet in the past three months, including eight men who were arrested in this week’s sex sting operation in Shannon Hills. That sting drew suspects to a newly built home in Shannon Hills where they thought a 14-year-old girl was waiting.
Benton County Coroner Kimberly Scott has agreed not to attend death scenes until a criminal case against her is resolved, she announced Thursday. Meanwhile, she'll continue her administrative duties with full pay.
A Little Rock fire captain was reprimanded Thursday for calling another city employee a derogatory name, and the body that hears city personnel matters suggested that firefighters, from the chief on down, need to clean up their language. The issue arose from an internal affairs investigation of a claim made by another firefighter that the work environment at the station included racial discrimination.
Angela Floyd, who gave a child up for adoption in the 1980s, is suing a Fort Smith doctor who she claims disclosed confidential information about her to the child’s adoptive parents. Floyd alleges she was contacted by the girl’s adoptive father in March 2006, after Dr. Samuel Koenig wrongfully disclosed Floyd’s confidential patient information to the adoptive father.
A boycott of businesses within the Watson Chapel School District is being considered by FED UP (Fighting Education Depriving Uniform Policies), a group opposing the district’s student dress code and its enforcement measures. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is reportedly in conference with Little Rock civil rights attorney John Walker on the possibility of initiating legal action on behalf of FED UP against the district and its board, which established the district’s uniform policy.
The Jonesboro Sun reports flooding along the Black and Cache rivers downstream from the heavy rain areas in Sharp, Randolph and Clay counties has not been as bad as many have feared. According to Lawrence County Judge Alex Latham, county roads and crops fared much better than he thought they would. Randolph County Agent Mike Andrews said two broiler houses in north central Randolph County were flooded, killing about 40,000 broilers. Some damage to rice and soybean crops has been reported, much hay lost, and several cows drowned.
Linda Calliouette reports in the Democrat-Gazette’s “Paper Trails” that on Oct. 31, Arkansas’ literary world takes a hit as August House, a Little Rock-based publishing company closes. The firm, founded in 1979 by Ted and Liz Parkhurst, has - in the course of nearly three decades - published more than 600 titles and garnered such praise as being named one of the 100 best independent publishers in the nation.
Most Arkansans who use natural gas to heat their homes can expect slightly lower bills this winter, state regulators said Thursday. Natural gas producers also project that much of the nation will see a similar outcome, ending three years of escalating bills.
This Sunday those Arkansas Workers who are employed at minimum wage will be getting a raise thanks to the new minimum wage increase that will go into effect Oct. 1, 2006. Workers will now begin to receive $6.25 an hour as opposed to the previous rate of 5.15 per hour.
The Senate endorsed President Bush’s plans to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects, all but sealing its congressional approval. The 65-34 vote means the bill could reach the president’s desk by week’s end. Arkansas’ Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat, voted against the bill; Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor supported it.
The Saline County sheriff’s office arrested more than 20 men on charges of stalking children over the Internet in the past three months, including eight men who were arrested in this week’s sex sting operation in Shannon Hills. That sting drew suspects to a newly built home in Shannon Hills where they thought a 14-year-old girl was waiting.
Benton County Coroner Kimberly Scott has agreed not to attend death scenes until a criminal case against her is resolved, she announced Thursday. Meanwhile, she'll continue her administrative duties with full pay.
A Little Rock fire captain was reprimanded Thursday for calling another city employee a derogatory name, and the body that hears city personnel matters suggested that firefighters, from the chief on down, need to clean up their language. The issue arose from an internal affairs investigation of a claim made by another firefighter that the work environment at the station included racial discrimination.
Angela Floyd, who gave a child up for adoption in the 1980s, is suing a Fort Smith doctor who she claims disclosed confidential information about her to the child’s adoptive parents. Floyd alleges she was contacted by the girl’s adoptive father in March 2006, after Dr. Samuel Koenig wrongfully disclosed Floyd’s confidential patient information to the adoptive father.
A boycott of businesses within the Watson Chapel School District is being considered by FED UP (Fighting Education Depriving Uniform Policies), a group opposing the district’s student dress code and its enforcement measures. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is reportedly in conference with Little Rock civil rights attorney John Walker on the possibility of initiating legal action on behalf of FED UP against the district and its board, which established the district’s uniform policy.
The Jonesboro Sun reports flooding along the Black and Cache rivers downstream from the heavy rain areas in Sharp, Randolph and Clay counties has not been as bad as many have feared. According to Lawrence County Judge Alex Latham, county roads and crops fared much better than he thought they would. Randolph County Agent Mike Andrews said two broiler houses in north central Randolph County were flooded, killing about 40,000 broilers. Some damage to rice and soybean crops has been reported, much hay lost, and several cows drowned.
Linda Calliouette reports in the Democrat-Gazette’s “Paper Trails” that on Oct. 31, Arkansas’ literary world takes a hit as August House, a Little Rock-based publishing company closes. The firm, founded in 1979 by Ted and Liz Parkhurst, has - in the course of nearly three decades - published more than 600 titles and garnered such praise as being named one of the 100 best independent publishers in the nation.
