Wednesday, February 14, 2007
National Chick Day Summary
The Arkansas Senate has sent to Gov. Mike Beebe the largest tax cut in the state’s history, one of the governor’s top priorities. Senate Bill 185 will reduce the state sales tax on groceries from 6 percent to 3 percent, effective July 1. Local sales taxes would remain. Prepared food, such as that served in restaurants, would continue to be taxed as well as would tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.
Legislative leaders Tuesday threw their support behind Gov. Mike Beebe's tentative plans for a highway program. House Speaker Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, and Sen. Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, the Senate president pro tem, also said court-ordered public school facility improvements would take a big chunk out of the state's anticipated $843 million budget surplus.
A leaked company report suggests that a narrowing North American profit margin has Toyota looking to match wages more closely to manufacturing wages in states where the company has manufacturing plants. Arkansas and Tennessee are said to be finalists for Toyota's next North American plant. Among the two, Arkansas has the lowest average manufacturing wage at $16.45, compared to $20.60 in Tennessee, according to Labor Bureau statistics.
Legislators plan to introduce a variety of bills that would affect the way wineries sell their products to Arkansas wholesalers, package stores and consumers. Lawmakers and alcohol-law experts say that in order to bring Arkansas’ law into compliance with the high court decision, either Arkansas wineries must be prohibited from selling directly to consumers or out-of-state wineries must be permitted to do so.
Allow greater competition in textbook sales from off-campus, private sellers or the Legislature will, legislators told University of Arkansas System staff Tuesday.The Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee put off a vote on a pair of bills aimed at promoting competition in textbook sales.
A Rogers man with a lengthy history of driving while intoxicated -- including causing a 1992 accident that killed his sister -- has appealed a judge's decision to send him to jail for one year on his latest drunken-driving arrest. Charles Edward Perry has been arrested for drunken driving at least 10 times since 1999. He was arrested again in April.
Three people are dead and two injured after a man who had recently been served divorce papers allegedly opened fire on the family of his estranged wife at their home south of Palestine. Police arrested Gordon Randall Gwathney in Lardeo, Texas.
The Helena -West Helena Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division is investigating an alleged sexual attack on a 14-year-old ninth grade student at Central High School. The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, Feb. 5. The victim told police at the Helena Regional Medical Center emergency room last week that several male students came behind the 11th grade gym and sexually assaulted her.
Former interim superintendent of the Helena-West Helena School District, Shirley "T.J." Graham was arrested in Memphis. The arrest came weeks after a special called grand jury handed down 20 indictments for her alleged involvement in "questionable" financial activities within the district. She became the eighth person indicted by the grand jury.
A committee of Cabot City Council members Thursday night approved paying $250,000 to open the new county road between Highway 5 and the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The money will come from the $2 million in bond money that taxpayers approved when they extended an existing one-cent sales tax more than a year ago. Wal Mart reportedly refused a county request to help pay for the road.
The Kohler Company may soon begin to hire replacement workers to cross the picket line set up by over 220 striking workers at their Searcy sink factory, according to a union leader. United Autoworkers Union 1000 has been on strike against Kohler for 67 days, carrying signs at both entrances to the plant since Dec. 9. The union president is David Smith.
Members of the levee district charged with maintaining the White River Levee say that they are unsure how they will come up with the roughly $955,000 needed to repair a 38-mile stretch of the levee.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center has delayed elective surgeries in the last few weeks because of a shortage of blood, Lisa Rowland, a spokesman for the hospital, confirms to the Pine Bluff Commercial.
It may be a trend for Russellville police, who are investigating a pair of incidents in which men were seen in public without pants. Citations were issued in one instance. In the second, the alleged perpetrators could not be located.
Legislative leaders Tuesday threw their support behind Gov. Mike Beebe's tentative plans for a highway program. House Speaker Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, and Sen. Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, the Senate president pro tem, also said court-ordered public school facility improvements would take a big chunk out of the state's anticipated $843 million budget surplus.
A leaked company report suggests that a narrowing North American profit margin has Toyota looking to match wages more closely to manufacturing wages in states where the company has manufacturing plants. Arkansas and Tennessee are said to be finalists for Toyota's next North American plant. Among the two, Arkansas has the lowest average manufacturing wage at $16.45, compared to $20.60 in Tennessee, according to Labor Bureau statistics.
Legislators plan to introduce a variety of bills that would affect the way wineries sell their products to Arkansas wholesalers, package stores and consumers. Lawmakers and alcohol-law experts say that in order to bring Arkansas’ law into compliance with the high court decision, either Arkansas wineries must be prohibited from selling directly to consumers or out-of-state wineries must be permitted to do so.
Allow greater competition in textbook sales from off-campus, private sellers or the Legislature will, legislators told University of Arkansas System staff Tuesday.The Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee put off a vote on a pair of bills aimed at promoting competition in textbook sales.
A Rogers man with a lengthy history of driving while intoxicated -- including causing a 1992 accident that killed his sister -- has appealed a judge's decision to send him to jail for one year on his latest drunken-driving arrest. Charles Edward Perry has been arrested for drunken driving at least 10 times since 1999. He was arrested again in April.
Three people are dead and two injured after a man who had recently been served divorce papers allegedly opened fire on the family of his estranged wife at their home south of Palestine. Police arrested Gordon Randall Gwathney in Lardeo, Texas.
The Helena -West Helena Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division is investigating an alleged sexual attack on a 14-year-old ninth grade student at Central High School. The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, Feb. 5. The victim told police at the Helena Regional Medical Center emergency room last week that several male students came behind the 11th grade gym and sexually assaulted her.
Former interim superintendent of the Helena-West Helena School District, Shirley "T.J." Graham was arrested in Memphis. The arrest came weeks after a special called grand jury handed down 20 indictments for her alleged involvement in "questionable" financial activities within the district. She became the eighth person indicted by the grand jury.
A committee of Cabot City Council members Thursday night approved paying $250,000 to open the new county road between Highway 5 and the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The money will come from the $2 million in bond money that taxpayers approved when they extended an existing one-cent sales tax more than a year ago. Wal Mart reportedly refused a county request to help pay for the road.
The Kohler Company may soon begin to hire replacement workers to cross the picket line set up by over 220 striking workers at their Searcy sink factory, according to a union leader. United Autoworkers Union 1000 has been on strike against Kohler for 67 days, carrying signs at both entrances to the plant since Dec. 9. The union president is David Smith.
Members of the levee district charged with maintaining the White River Levee say that they are unsure how they will come up with the roughly $955,000 needed to repair a 38-mile stretch of the levee.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center has delayed elective surgeries in the last few weeks because of a shortage of blood, Lisa Rowland, a spokesman for the hospital, confirms to the Pine Bluff Commercial.
It may be a trend for Russellville police, who are investigating a pair of incidents in which men were seen in public without pants. Citations were issued in one instance. In the second, the alleged perpetrators could not be located.
