Briefs
Arkansas state senator agrees to repay salary for public defender work, agency head says
State Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, has offered to repay salary he was improperly paid for work during his short stint as public defender in Union County earlier this year, the head of the state Public Defender Commission said Tuesday. Commission Executive Director Gregg Parrish told a legislative committee that Garner had reached out to […]
Arkansas DHS official chosen for Medicaid improvement fellowship
Arkansas’ Medicaid director is one of six chosen from around the country to participate in the Medicaid Leadership Institute, a fellowship program that will help improve the state’s Medicaid programs and citizens’ health outcomes, according to a Thursday news release from the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Dawn Stehle has worked for DHS since 2006 […]
Arkansas Legislature to hire outside law firm in redistricting lawsuit
Arkansas General Assembly staff plan to hire a Little Rock law firm to help with subpoenas in the lawsuit over congressional redistricting. A legislative subcommittee on Thursday authorized the Bureau of Legislative Research to negotiate a contract with the Mitchell Williams Law Firm for representation in the Pulaski County Circuit Court case challenging Arkansas new […]
Arkansas FBI office targets human trafficking suspects in national operation
FBI agents and northwest Arkansas police this week announced the arrests of four people accused of human trafficking or intending to meet underage victims for sex. The effort, which included victim advocacy organizations and a host of law enforcement agencies, began earlier this month with the identification of two victims of human trafficking, according to […]
Arkansas Silver Haired Legislative Session to meet after pandemic hiatus
Arkansas will hold its first Silver Haired Legislative Session since 2018 today and tomorrow, according to a news release from the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The non-partisan mock legislative session at the Capitol allows senior citizen “delegates” from across the state to write, discuss and vote on legislation addressing issues to older Arkansans. State […]
$50M set aside for school security grant program
Arkansas legislators last week set aside $50 million for a school-safety grant program for which the rules have yet to be written. At least one legislator said the size of the grant program could grow during next year’s General Assembly. “I don’t think $50 million is the final price tag,” Rep. Lane Jean, co-chair of […]
Arkansas COVID numbers decline, continuing trend
Active coronavirus cases continued to trend downward in Arkansas on Monday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health’s COVID-19 data portal. The department considers “active” cases to be currently infectious. The 860 fewer active cases Monday were a sharp dive after Sunday’s decline of 116 active cases, according to ADH data. Active cases totaled 11,044 […]
State attorneys general unite against robocalls
Nothing has been able to kill scam robocalls — not federal regulation, not individual state lawsuits, not private software. Each effort has made a dent, but the unwanted calls keep on coming, much to the consternation of Americans on the receiving end. Now, all 50 state attorneys general, Republicans and Democrats, have come together through […]
Arkansas adds 5 new monkeypox cases
Arkansas health officials identified five more cases of monkeypox on Monday, bringing the state’s cumulative case total to 20. A lab identified the first case of the virus, a less-severe cousin of smallpox, in July. As of Friday, the state had 15 cases. Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and a painful rash that […]