Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday soaked summary
Chris Morris, the Republican nominee for state treasurer, is no longer working for Gov. Mike Huckabee after an investigation into use of Morris’ state computer.
A University of Arkansas poll shows that Arkansans overwhelmingly disapprove of homosexuals serving as foster parents. Two-thirds of respondents say they disapprove. But when those same people were asked if they approved or disapproved “of a law that would prevent gays and lesbians from serving as foster parents,” only 46 percent approved. Forty-eight percent disapproved.
The chancellor of the University of Arkansas' flagship campus got down on his knees Wednesday and begged state legislators to fully fund his budget request and those of the other state colleges and universities. The UA-Fayetteville campus would be $36 million short of its funding needs even under state higher education funding formula, and state higher education institutions will still need more money for capital improvements if voters approve a $250 million bond issue on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, UA Chancellor John White said.
North Little Rock has the title to the historic tugboat USS Hoga, and for $395,000 it can have it delivered. The expenditure, if approved, comes at a time when Mayor Pat Hays has been warning of high costs and spending cutbacks. The city faces having to spend an extra $40 million annually to buy electricity for its city-owned utility over the next three years.
Jonesboro Westside Superintendent James Best says that there is only one new confirmed case of staph at the school, and the better news is that of the four students suspected of having staph Tuesday - all four of those cases tested negative for the illness.
Police are hopeful that DNA evidence discovered inside the apartment where10 year-old Emiti Freddy lived will lead them to her killer. Police say the girl was strangled and had been sexually assaulted.
A Rogers detective shot Friday while serving a warrant was also injured in 2000 at the same address when he responded to a domestic disturbance involving the same family. In Friday's incident, Detective Brian Culpepper was shot in the leg after a struggle between a man and a Benton County deputy when the deputy's firearm went off.
Arkansas free safety Michael Grant has turned himself into authorities in Washington County for allegedly failing to take care of a traffic ticket. Grant was booked Monday night and released on a bond of $1,280.
A vicious dog ordinance Fort Smith directors are considering would not target a specific dog breed. Interim Police Chief Jeff Barrows said the ordinance simply would address dog behavior and the responsibility, or irresponsibility, of its owner
Conway may be getting an addition to the family soon - a sister city. Sherman Banks, president of Sister Cities International, gave a presentation at Tuesday's Conway City Council meeting about a program that would "partner" Conway with an international city.
Because of an error in programming voting machines, Stuttgart will need a special election to decide the fate of a local tax to fund Advertising and Promotion.
Crittenden County will not make its June goal of meeting federal Environmental Protection Agency air-quality standards because of high ozone readings in Marion last summer. But the county probably will maintain its economic development zone designation, which allows it to recruit major manufacturing plants, according to Jeff Robinson, acting section chief for the EPA’s air-permit section in Dallas.
In its first quarterly report after the end of its proxy fight with ValueAct Capital Partners in August, Acxiom Corp. beat the average per-share earnings expectations of analysts, even as revenue came up short of projections.
A Mississippi Pharmacy Board employee suspected of being a whistleblower in a probe of possible misspending has been suspended and told she'll be fired. Penny Woodberry, an enforcement agent for the board, was given a 10-day suspension and "pending termination" notice. Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said he is pushing for a state and federal investigation into the issue.
A University of Arkansas poll shows that Arkansans overwhelmingly disapprove of homosexuals serving as foster parents. Two-thirds of respondents say they disapprove. But when those same people were asked if they approved or disapproved “of a law that would prevent gays and lesbians from serving as foster parents,” only 46 percent approved. Forty-eight percent disapproved.
The chancellor of the University of Arkansas' flagship campus got down on his knees Wednesday and begged state legislators to fully fund his budget request and those of the other state colleges and universities. The UA-Fayetteville campus would be $36 million short of its funding needs even under state higher education funding formula, and state higher education institutions will still need more money for capital improvements if voters approve a $250 million bond issue on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, UA Chancellor John White said.
North Little Rock has the title to the historic tugboat USS Hoga, and for $395,000 it can have it delivered. The expenditure, if approved, comes at a time when Mayor Pat Hays has been warning of high costs and spending cutbacks. The city faces having to spend an extra $40 million annually to buy electricity for its city-owned utility over the next three years.
Jonesboro Westside Superintendent James Best says that there is only one new confirmed case of staph at the school, and the better news is that of the four students suspected of having staph Tuesday - all four of those cases tested negative for the illness.
Police are hopeful that DNA evidence discovered inside the apartment where10 year-old Emiti Freddy lived will lead them to her killer. Police say the girl was strangled and had been sexually assaulted.
A Rogers detective shot Friday while serving a warrant was also injured in 2000 at the same address when he responded to a domestic disturbance involving the same family. In Friday's incident, Detective Brian Culpepper was shot in the leg after a struggle between a man and a Benton County deputy when the deputy's firearm went off.
Arkansas free safety Michael Grant has turned himself into authorities in Washington County for allegedly failing to take care of a traffic ticket. Grant was booked Monday night and released on a bond of $1,280.
A vicious dog ordinance Fort Smith directors are considering would not target a specific dog breed. Interim Police Chief Jeff Barrows said the ordinance simply would address dog behavior and the responsibility, or irresponsibility, of its owner
Conway may be getting an addition to the family soon - a sister city. Sherman Banks, president of Sister Cities International, gave a presentation at Tuesday's Conway City Council meeting about a program that would "partner" Conway with an international city.
Because of an error in programming voting machines, Stuttgart will need a special election to decide the fate of a local tax to fund Advertising and Promotion.
Crittenden County will not make its June goal of meeting federal Environmental Protection Agency air-quality standards because of high ozone readings in Marion last summer. But the county probably will maintain its economic development zone designation, which allows it to recruit major manufacturing plants, according to Jeff Robinson, acting section chief for the EPA’s air-permit section in Dallas.
In its first quarterly report after the end of its proxy fight with ValueAct Capital Partners in August, Acxiom Corp. beat the average per-share earnings expectations of analysts, even as revenue came up short of projections.
A Mississippi Pharmacy Board employee suspected of being a whistleblower in a probe of possible misspending has been suspended and told she'll be fired. Penny Woodberry, an enforcement agent for the board, was given a 10-day suspension and "pending termination" notice. Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said he is pushing for a state and federal investigation into the issue.
