by - December 16, 2014 4:53 pm
Legislators Consider Insurance Subsidy For New Teachers
Arkansas lawmakers are considering an idea to encourage healthier, younger teachers into a troubled insurance system that is showing signs of improvement.
Author: Steve Brawner
by - December 12, 2014 12:35 pm
Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson Will Search For New Education Chief
Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson plans for current Arkansas Education Commissioner Tony Wood to remain in that post “for some time,” but will look to hire someone else over the longer term,…
by - December 10, 2014 2:20 pm
DHS Receives $60 Million Pre-K Grant
The pre-kindergarten Arkansas Better Chance program will receive nearly $15 million a year over four years in federal dollars for programs in 10 counties, the state Department of Human Services’…
by - December 9, 2014 11:58 am
Cong.-elect French Hill Says Think Narrowly, Not Comprehensively, To Pass Reforms
Cong.-elect French Hill doesn’t think there’s much chance for comprehensive tax reform in the upcoming Congress, but he believes smaller changes can occur. Speaking to community leaders at the Benton…
by - December 8, 2014 5:05 pm
State Plan: Divert Surface Water To Make Up For Groundwater Loss
A state water plan suggests billions of dollars should be invested in the infrastructure needed to help Arkansas take advantage of surface water to make up for depleting groundwater sources. Could it work?
by - December 5, 2014 11:06 pm
Report Details School Broadband Fix, ARE-ON Optional
Arkansas is ahead of the national average when it comes to school broadband access and can meet its goals without additional state dollars, the nonprofit EducationSuperHighway reported Friday.
by - December 2, 2014 10:38 pm
County Jails Over Capacity, Legislators Told
County jails are so full of state inmates that they can’t function properly, and they’re further harmed by the state’s method of reimbursing them, legislators were told Tuesday. So could…
by - December 2, 2014 2:50 pm
Report To Legislature Offers Ways To Curb Inmate Rise
To reduce a rising prison recidivism rate, the state of Arkansas should hire more parole officers, create a “pay for success” program where investors receive a return when private providers…
by - December 1, 2014 9:03 pm
College Athletes Will Be Paid, Agent Says
Paying college athletes a small stipend in addition to their scholarships is inevitable, the sports agent for former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett said during a speech before the Clinton School of Public Service.
by - November 25, 2014 2:50 pm
Selig To Stay At DHS, Hutchinson Says
John Selig, director of the state Department of Human Services, will remain in that position on at least a short-term basis, while Dr. Joe Thompson, Arkansas’ surgeon general, has been…
by - November 21, 2014 5:44 pm
Hill Gets Assignment, Griffin Gets Desk
At the risk of sounding a little cold-hearted – it’s out with the old, in with the new. While Second District U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin was vacating his office, his…
by - November 19, 2014 4:08 pm
Rally Opposing Gay Marriage Draws Cheers, Jeers
Supporters of Arkansas’ anti-gay marriage amendment rallied at the Capitol Wednesday, the day before the Arkansas Supreme Court and a U.S. district judge were to hear oral arguments on Judge…
by - November 13, 2014 8:01 pm
Economist Notes Arkansas’ Big Gains In Construction Jobs
Arkansas had the nation’s sixth highest increase in construction employment from September 2013 to September 2014, according to one of the top national economists for the industry.
by - November 13, 2014 7:26 pm
Hutchinson Discusses Budget Needs With Contractors, Launches Transition Web Site
While the rest of the state learned that Asa Hutchinson was the next governor of Arkansas by watching the news last Tuesday, Hutchinson himself was learning it from New Jersey…
by - November 12, 2014 6:48 am
Regnat Populus Heads Campaign Finance Reform Coalition
Regnat Populus, the citizens group whose 2012 ethics initiative led to the passage of a voter-approved ethics amendment last Tuesday, is one of three groups forming the Arkansas Democracy Coalition…
by - November 9, 2014 1:36 pm
Clinicpass To Help Doctors Track Gifts From Drug Reps
An online app created by a Searcy company will help medical providers track gifts and other “transfers of value” from drug companies. Founder Tracy Simpson created Clinicpass in response to…
by - November 6, 2014 11:34 pm
What To Do About Turner Grain?
Editor’s note: This article appears in the latest magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics, which you can read here. The loss by Arkansas farmers of millions of dollars unpaid by Brinkley-based…
by - November 6, 2014 2:18 pm
Hutchinson Names Transition Team, Private Option Will Wait Until January
Standing in front of a portrait of Republican governor Frank White in the Capitol Rotunda, Gov.-Elect Asa Hutchinson announced his transition team’s steering committee and said he would not decide…
by - November 5, 2014 8:36 pm
Republicans Rode A Wave To Victory, Beebe Says
Gov. Mike Beebe, GOP chairman Doyle Webb and Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford assess the state’s political landscape in the wake of historic and unprecedented gains by Arkansas Republicans.
by - November 5, 2014 12:50 am
Asa Hutchinson Wins Arkansas Governor’s Race, GOP Becomes Majority Party
Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson won his fourth try at a statewide office as Republicans swept all the state and federal races as well as dominating control of the Arkansas statehouse.