Thursday, January 04, 2007
Thursday summary
The Wall Street Journal this morning is reporting that Marion, Ark., is one of two sites being considered for a new Toyota automobile assembly plant.
A Little Rock man wanted in the killing of a bank teller during a robbery two days before Christmas is under arrest in California, in part on the basis of information supplied by his own mother. Grover Evans Jr. was arrested by Los Angeles police on a capital-murder warrant. The arrest affidavit, which was ordered sealed by a Little Rock judge, was mistakenly released Wednesday.
A police officer fired the shot that killed a bystander during a gun battle Dec. 12, a Fort Smith police investigation indicates But neither of the officers involved in the shootout was at fault for the death of Olivia Stewart, the investigation determined.
Charges against Deanna Boobo, a former Greenwood teacher accused of having sexual contact with a student, have been dropped at the accuser’s request, court records show. A circuit court jury in Greenwood convicted Bobo in a separate case in September of two counts of first-degree sexual assault. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Student gains on national math and reading tests and a better-than-average high school graduation rate rank Arkansas 29th in the country in public school student performance, according to a study published by the Washington based Education Week newspaper.
Levi Foster, a junior at Haas Hall Academy in Farmington, has scored a perfect 800 on the SAT math section, a perfect 800 on the critical reading portion and a near perfect 780 out of a possible 800 on the writing portion. That's a score of 2380 out of 2400 possible points.
New Supreme Court Justice Paul Danielson was sworn in Wednesday in the Supreme Court courtroom. Taking the oath for new eight-year terms were veteran justices Robert Brown, Donald Corbin and Annabelle Clinton Imber. They returned to the bench after winning re-election in May.
In December, for the first time since February 2004, the state’s monthly gross general revenue collections fell below the state forecast. December’s collections - $427.4 million - lagged 0.9 percent behind the forecast for the month.
Collections of Little Rock’s 2 percent tax on hotels and restaurants increased by 5.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2006 - including a one-month record in November - but hotel occupancy rates declined more than 3.5 percent.
Pulaski County officials expect to turn over a $234,241.23 check today to the state Department of Finance and Administration, settling the county’s debt and paying interest on back sales tax the county collected but never remitted for thousands of trash bills.
James Badami, the executive director of the state body that punishes wayward judges, said Wednesday that he will retire at the end of June, but he said his departure won’t affect a high profile case against Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen.
The 110th Congress convenes today with Republican John Boozman looking for ways to stay relevant in his first stint as a member of the minority party.
Fort Smith Ward 2 Director Velvet Medlock is renting a home in her ward so she may continue to represent Ward 2 after selling her north side residence. Medlock and her husband, interim Police Chief Jeff Barrows, purchased a home in Riley Farm for about $800,000 in October, according to records from the Sebastian County Assessor’s Office.
Higher prices across the board for farm commodities are making crop planning for 2007 a little easier as farmers begin to look at their planned production. Most of the increases in commodity prices are caused by increased production of alternative fuels, according to the Cooperative Extension Service.
Fearful that two Memphis strip clubs, closed by police last month, might relocate to their town, West Memphis aldermen are redefining the city’s regulation of adult-entertainment businesses.
In a special-called meeting of the Dover City Council, aldermen voted to undo the first official action taken by Mayor Alan Bradley. Bradley was sworn in Monday morning at the Pope County Courthouse and quickly removed long-time Police Chief Rod Pfeifer from his position and appoint Dover resident Donald Ramirez as the new chief.
New Russellville Mayor Tyrone Williamson he did not hesitate to make changes. Interim Police Chief Chris Ridenhour was released from the position Tuesday morning. Williamson appointed Maj. Tom McMillen, who has been with the Russellville Police Department for 24 years, to take over the interim seat until a permanent chief is appointed.
Taxpayers planning to take deductions for charity donations will need to keep better records in 2007. Beginning this year, the Internal Revenue Service requires a bank record or written documentation from the charity for the giver to take any charitable deduction on next year’s tax returns.
John Schenck and Robert Loyd of Conway will appear on "The Judge Alex Show" at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Schenck and Loyd took a Hendrix College student to court over nonpayment of rent and were contacted by an agent, Loyd said. Loyd said the show pays for the defendant's judgment in cases in which the plaintiffs win.
A Little Rock man wanted in the killing of a bank teller during a robbery two days before Christmas is under arrest in California, in part on the basis of information supplied by his own mother. Grover Evans Jr. was arrested by Los Angeles police on a capital-murder warrant. The arrest affidavit, which was ordered sealed by a Little Rock judge, was mistakenly released Wednesday.
A police officer fired the shot that killed a bystander during a gun battle Dec. 12, a Fort Smith police investigation indicates But neither of the officers involved in the shootout was at fault for the death of Olivia Stewart, the investigation determined.
Charges against Deanna Boobo, a former Greenwood teacher accused of having sexual contact with a student, have been dropped at the accuser’s request, court records show. A circuit court jury in Greenwood convicted Bobo in a separate case in September of two counts of first-degree sexual assault. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Student gains on national math and reading tests and a better-than-average high school graduation rate rank Arkansas 29th in the country in public school student performance, according to a study published by the Washington based Education Week newspaper.
Levi Foster, a junior at Haas Hall Academy in Farmington, has scored a perfect 800 on the SAT math section, a perfect 800 on the critical reading portion and a near perfect 780 out of a possible 800 on the writing portion. That's a score of 2380 out of 2400 possible points.
New Supreme Court Justice Paul Danielson was sworn in Wednesday in the Supreme Court courtroom. Taking the oath for new eight-year terms were veteran justices Robert Brown, Donald Corbin and Annabelle Clinton Imber. They returned to the bench after winning re-election in May.
In December, for the first time since February 2004, the state’s monthly gross general revenue collections fell below the state forecast. December’s collections - $427.4 million - lagged 0.9 percent behind the forecast for the month.
Collections of Little Rock’s 2 percent tax on hotels and restaurants increased by 5.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2006 - including a one-month record in November - but hotel occupancy rates declined more than 3.5 percent.
Pulaski County officials expect to turn over a $234,241.23 check today to the state Department of Finance and Administration, settling the county’s debt and paying interest on back sales tax the county collected but never remitted for thousands of trash bills.
James Badami, the executive director of the state body that punishes wayward judges, said Wednesday that he will retire at the end of June, but he said his departure won’t affect a high profile case against Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen.
The 110th Congress convenes today with Republican John Boozman looking for ways to stay relevant in his first stint as a member of the minority party.
Fort Smith Ward 2 Director Velvet Medlock is renting a home in her ward so she may continue to represent Ward 2 after selling her north side residence. Medlock and her husband, interim Police Chief Jeff Barrows, purchased a home in Riley Farm for about $800,000 in October, according to records from the Sebastian County Assessor’s Office.
Higher prices across the board for farm commodities are making crop planning for 2007 a little easier as farmers begin to look at their planned production. Most of the increases in commodity prices are caused by increased production of alternative fuels, according to the Cooperative Extension Service.
Fearful that two Memphis strip clubs, closed by police last month, might relocate to their town, West Memphis aldermen are redefining the city’s regulation of adult-entertainment businesses.
In a special-called meeting of the Dover City Council, aldermen voted to undo the first official action taken by Mayor Alan Bradley. Bradley was sworn in Monday morning at the Pope County Courthouse and quickly removed long-time Police Chief Rod Pfeifer from his position and appoint Dover resident Donald Ramirez as the new chief.
New Russellville Mayor Tyrone Williamson he did not hesitate to make changes. Interim Police Chief Chris Ridenhour was released from the position Tuesday morning. Williamson appointed Maj. Tom McMillen, who has been with the Russellville Police Department for 24 years, to take over the interim seat until a permanent chief is appointed.
Taxpayers planning to take deductions for charity donations will need to keep better records in 2007. Beginning this year, the Internal Revenue Service requires a bank record or written documentation from the charity for the giver to take any charitable deduction on next year’s tax returns.
John Schenck and Robert Loyd of Conway will appear on "The Judge Alex Show" at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Schenck and Loyd took a Hendrix College student to court over nonpayment of rent and were contacted by an agent, Loyd said. Loyd said the show pays for the defendant's judgment in cases in which the plaintiffs win.
