crime

States stiffen penalties for fentanyl, despite public health concerns

BY: - July 20, 2023

As they struggle to reduce drug overdose deaths, policymakers across the United States are embroiled in a heated debate over creating and increasing criminal penalties related to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that’s up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Legislators pushing the new wave of criminal penalties say the laws will deter drug […]

Arkansas AG joins multi-state retail crimefighting alliance

BY: - July 19, 2023

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office will work with a multi-state group of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations division to fight organized retail crime, Attorney General Tim Griffin said Wednesday. “Organized retail crime is costing businesses billions of dollars in losses every year, and that affects all Arkansas businesses whether they […]

A digital illustration, in pencil and watercolor, about the mental health effects on youth who experience gun violence. A repeating pattern made out of handguns close in on a young boy, who is at the center of the drawing. He covers his face with his hand s, an anguished expression visible on his face. A line of thin red circles are layered across the horizontal center, symbolizing cycles of trauma.

Pandemic stress, gangs, and utter fear fueled a rise in teen shootings

BY: - March 12, 2023

Diego never imagined he’d carry a gun. Not as a child, when shots were fired outside his Chicago-area home. Not at age 12, when one of his friends was gunned down. Diego’s mind changed at 14, when he and his friends were getting ready to walk to midnight Mass for the feast of Our Lady […]

The Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Nashville, Tennessee, is the historic building that houses the Tennessee Supreme Court offices and where the court meets when it is in session in Nashville. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. (Getty Images)

Mandatory life sentences for juveniles unconstitutional, Tenn. high court declares

BY: - November 21, 2022

In a landmark decision, a majority panel of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday struck down as unconstitutional mandatory life sentences for juveniles. “In fulfilling our duty to decide constitutional issues, we hold that an automatic life sentence when imposed on a juvenile homicide offender with no consideration of the juvenile’s age or other circumstances […]

Incumbent Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. (right) won reelection Tuesday. Here he gives a pat on the back in passing to candidate Steve Landers Sr. at the conclusion of a candidate forum held in Little Rock. Oct. 10, 2022. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)

Frank Scott Jr. wins second term as Little Rock’s mayor

BY: - November 9, 2022

This story was updated at 4:10 p.m. Nov. 11 to reflect the latest vote tallies from the Pulaski County Election Commission’s website. Incumbent Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. won re-election Tuesday night in the city’s combative and high-dollar mayor’s race, with 49.9% of the vote according to unofficial totals on election night. Finishing second […]

Paul Pelosi, U.S. House speaker’s husband, attacked inside their San Francisco home

BY: - October 28, 2022

*This story has been updated with more information about the attack and the identity of the suspect. WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was recovering in the hospital Friday morning after a man in his 40s broke into their San Francisco home in the early morning and “violently assaulted” the 82-year-old, […]

U.S. District Court building, Little Rock

Man sentenced to life in prison in sex trafficking of 6-year-old

BY: - October 25, 2022

A Little Rock man who pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a 6-year-old child received a life sentence Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Brian Miller. DeMarcus George, 28, is one of two men charged in the case, which began in February 2018 when the 6-year-old was taken to Arkansas Children’s […]

Candidates for U.S. Senate in Arkansas participated Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in the Arkansas PBS debate at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway. The participants, from left: Libertarian candidate Kenneth Cates, Democratic candidate Natalie James, and Republican incumbent John Boozman. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate - 102122)

U.S. Senate candidates debate agriculture, immigration

BY: - October 21, 2022

Agriculture and the struggles of Arkansas’ rural communities were top of mind for U.S. Senate candidates who participated in a debate hosted by Arkansas PBS Friday afternoon. Agriculture is the state’s largest industry, adding about $16 billion to the state’s economy each year. However, farmers are struggling with higher costs this year. The war in […]

Three Little Rock mayoral candidates voice support for marijuana amendment

BY: - October 11, 2022

Three candidates for Little Rock mayor, including incumbent Frank Scott Jr., expressed full-throated support Monday night for legalizing recreational use of marijuana in Arkansas. The fourth mayoral hopeful, car dealer Steve Landers, voiced no opposition to the proposed state constitutional amendment while saying: “I will do what the people of the state of Arkansas decide […]

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in December 2021. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates her Minnesota seat as a toss-up in November's election. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The battle for control of Congress: Abortion, inflation, crime and Biden

BY: , and - October 8, 2022

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are fanning out to every district in the country, leaving the wonky floor debates on Capitol Hill behind for the campaign trail in advance of the crucial Nov. 8 midterm elections.  Democrats are fighting to hold their razor-thin majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, citing two years of […]

COMMENTARY

A tale of two missing Memphis women

BY: - September 13, 2022

I took last week off as a vacation with the intent of clearing my mind. I largely stayed off social media and limited my exposure to news, for even those of us in the news business need a ‘‘timeline cleanser,’’ to use a popular phrase. But no vacation caused me to miss the tragic events […]

A woman and a man seated at a table with TV microphones in front of them.

Crawford County residents say deputy in beating video attacked them

BY: - August 23, 2022

Two Crawford County residents on Tuesday shared details of beatings they say they received at the hands of a sheriff’s deputy who can be seen in a video taken Sunday morning of officers subduing a man at a Mulberry convenience store. During a live televised press conference, Teddy Wallace and Tammy Nelson of Rudy identified […]