Thursday, January 18, 2007
Thursday summary at sunrise
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s political action committee raised more than $500,000 in the last quarter of 2006, including $100,000 each from real estate magnate and University of Arkansas Trustee Jim Lindsey of Fayetteville, and investment firm Stephens Group of Little Rock.
Being forced to urinate for a drug test in front of four people, including two members of the opposite sex, is good cause to quit a job and remain eligible for unemployment benefits, a three-judge panel of the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. The decision overturned an Arkansas Department of Workforce Services board of review decision denying unemployment compensation benefits to Arthur D. Holsing, a former cabinet fabricator at Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. in Little Rock.
Little Rock physician Janet Cathey has settled her lawsuit against Baptist Health over the system’s “economic credentialing policy.” The settlement does not end litigation over the policy. Baptist Health, the largest hospital system in Arkansas, has a policy that bars doctors from serving on staff if they or an immediate family member have a financial interest in a competing facility.
The Arkansas State Police will pay more than $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a group of people who say their automobiles were wrongly seized during a police investigation nine years ago. The car owners had argued that two state troopers and a Phillips County sheriff’s deputy seized their vehicles as part of a larger investigation into stolen cars. But no criminal charges were ever filed, and plaintiffs said some of the seized vehicles were never returned.
Crews continue working to restore electricity in parts of Benton County, where a Bella Vista couple died trying to heat their home. Gov. Mike Beebe has declared Benton and six other counties state disaster areas because of the ice and flooding. The other counties are Cross, Greene, Jackson, Miller, Scott and White.
State colleges and universities are big gainers in the state budget Gov. Mike Beebe proposed Wednesday. Beebe is calling for a 10 percent increase in state funding for institutions of higher education as part of a $4.36 billion general revenue budget for fiscal 2008 and $4.54 billion for fiscal 2009.
The Arkansas Board of Education has removed Dierks, Flippin and Western Yell County school districts from the state’s “fiscal distress” list. Nine districts remain on the state’s financially troubled list. They include the Helena-West Helena and Midland school districts, which the state took over during the 2005-06 school year. Also on the list are the Cross County, Dollarway, Hughes, Lead Hill, Omaha, Turrell and Pulaski County Special school districts.
Both sides in the lingering Lake View school funding lawsuit said Wednesday that they’d like to settle their differences by the end of the current legislative session. Lawyers for the state and school districts agreed in a hearing that they’ll report to special court masters overseeing the case by Feb. 9 on any unresolved issues they may have.
The Board of Education has rejected five applications and delayed action on two. At the same meeting, it voted 7-1 to grant a charter to the Northwest Academy of Fine Arts in Rogers. Last month, the board approved one charter school and rejected two applicants.
Three days before a federal court hearing to determine whether the Little Rock School District has met its desegregation obligations and is entitled to be released from court supervision, the School Board voted 5-1 Wednesday to join in a request to U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson to delay the court session.
A decision on whether to introduce a Bible class as an elective course in Fort Smith high schools was tabled by the Curriculum Committee of the Fort Smith School Three local men, who have previous ties to the school district, requested that the committee consider offering the Bible in history and literature from a secular aspect as an elective course beginning with the 2007-08 school year.
The Conway School Board has voted to officially move forward with a timeline for a second high school. Because building a second high school will take a significant amount of money, around $55 million, a 3.40 millage increase would be necessary. The vote for this would take place in September 2009, and if all goes as planned the new high school would be ready no earlier than 2011.
The Jonesboro Sun is running a major story about the observance of Arkansas State University’s receiving University status 40 years ago this week.
Despite approval in November of a constitutional amendment that allows charitable bingo and raffles in Arkansas, it will be July 1 before people can legally begin playing the games, according to a bill filed Wednesday in the Legislature. Senate Bill 87 by Sen. Steve Faris of Malvern, would create a five-member Charitable Bingo and Raffles Oversight Commission.
With little discussion, the House approved legislation Wednesday designed to toughen the penalties for indecent exposure and Internet stalking convictions.
Rep. Dan Greenberg has delayed a committee vote on a bill that would prevent the naming of public buildings for living people. Lawmakers had expressed fears that the bill would keep the government from honoring people who deserve it.
A veteran employee of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. production plant in Texarkana died Tuesday of injuries suffered when a machine fell on him, the plant manager said.
The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee will hear from Arkansas farmers Jan. 25 in a town hall-style meeting in Pine Bluff. Reps. Mike Rossand Marion Berry are hosting the committee chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota.
A minor earthquake centered in a rural area north of Ash Flat early Wednesday morning apparently went unfelt, authorities said. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a quake registering 2.5 in magnitude at 5:06 a.m. near the Agnos community, about three miles north of Ash Flat in Sharp County.
Being forced to urinate for a drug test in front of four people, including two members of the opposite sex, is good cause to quit a job and remain eligible for unemployment benefits, a three-judge panel of the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. The decision overturned an Arkansas Department of Workforce Services board of review decision denying unemployment compensation benefits to Arthur D. Holsing, a former cabinet fabricator at Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. in Little Rock.
Little Rock physician Janet Cathey has settled her lawsuit against Baptist Health over the system’s “economic credentialing policy.” The settlement does not end litigation over the policy. Baptist Health, the largest hospital system in Arkansas, has a policy that bars doctors from serving on staff if they or an immediate family member have a financial interest in a competing facility.
The Arkansas State Police will pay more than $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a group of people who say their automobiles were wrongly seized during a police investigation nine years ago. The car owners had argued that two state troopers and a Phillips County sheriff’s deputy seized their vehicles as part of a larger investigation into stolen cars. But no criminal charges were ever filed, and plaintiffs said some of the seized vehicles were never returned.
Crews continue working to restore electricity in parts of Benton County, where a Bella Vista couple died trying to heat their home. Gov. Mike Beebe has declared Benton and six other counties state disaster areas because of the ice and flooding. The other counties are Cross, Greene, Jackson, Miller, Scott and White.
State colleges and universities are big gainers in the state budget Gov. Mike Beebe proposed Wednesday. Beebe is calling for a 10 percent increase in state funding for institutions of higher education as part of a $4.36 billion general revenue budget for fiscal 2008 and $4.54 billion for fiscal 2009.
The Arkansas Board of Education has removed Dierks, Flippin and Western Yell County school districts from the state’s “fiscal distress” list. Nine districts remain on the state’s financially troubled list. They include the Helena-West Helena and Midland school districts, which the state took over during the 2005-06 school year. Also on the list are the Cross County, Dollarway, Hughes, Lead Hill, Omaha, Turrell and Pulaski County Special school districts.
Both sides in the lingering Lake View school funding lawsuit said Wednesday that they’d like to settle their differences by the end of the current legislative session. Lawyers for the state and school districts agreed in a hearing that they’ll report to special court masters overseeing the case by Feb. 9 on any unresolved issues they may have.
The Board of Education has rejected five applications and delayed action on two. At the same meeting, it voted 7-1 to grant a charter to the Northwest Academy of Fine Arts in Rogers. Last month, the board approved one charter school and rejected two applicants.
Three days before a federal court hearing to determine whether the Little Rock School District has met its desegregation obligations and is entitled to be released from court supervision, the School Board voted 5-1 Wednesday to join in a request to U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson to delay the court session.
A decision on whether to introduce a Bible class as an elective course in Fort Smith high schools was tabled by the Curriculum Committee of the Fort Smith School Three local men, who have previous ties to the school district, requested that the committee consider offering the Bible in history and literature from a secular aspect as an elective course beginning with the 2007-08 school year.
The Conway School Board has voted to officially move forward with a timeline for a second high school. Because building a second high school will take a significant amount of money, around $55 million, a 3.40 millage increase would be necessary. The vote for this would take place in September 2009, and if all goes as planned the new high school would be ready no earlier than 2011.
The Jonesboro Sun is running a major story about the observance of Arkansas State University’s receiving University status 40 years ago this week.
Despite approval in November of a constitutional amendment that allows charitable bingo and raffles in Arkansas, it will be July 1 before people can legally begin playing the games, according to a bill filed Wednesday in the Legislature. Senate Bill 87 by Sen. Steve Faris of Malvern, would create a five-member Charitable Bingo and Raffles Oversight Commission.
With little discussion, the House approved legislation Wednesday designed to toughen the penalties for indecent exposure and Internet stalking convictions.
Rep. Dan Greenberg has delayed a committee vote on a bill that would prevent the naming of public buildings for living people. Lawmakers had expressed fears that the bill would keep the government from honoring people who deserve it.
A veteran employee of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. production plant in Texarkana died Tuesday of injuries suffered when a machine fell on him, the plant manager said.
The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee will hear from Arkansas farmers Jan. 25 in a town hall-style meeting in Pine Bluff. Reps. Mike Rossand Marion Berry are hosting the committee chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota.
A minor earthquake centered in a rural area north of Ash Flat early Wednesday morning apparently went unfelt, authorities said. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a quake registering 2.5 in magnitude at 5:06 a.m. near the Agnos community, about three miles north of Ash Flat in Sharp County.
