… Circuit Judge Willard Proctor testified before the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, which is holding a hearing into 11 charges of ethical misconduct against the Pulaski County judge. Proctor told the commission that the Cycle Breakers Inc. non-profit and the Cycle Breakers program he administers from his courtroom "mirrored" one another, and that he’d [...]

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Officials are reporting the deaths of 19 head of cattle near a Chesapeake drilling site in Louisiana.  An "unidentified substance" flowed from the drill site into a nearby pasture. Authorities believe the cows ingested the mysterious fluid before dying as there were tracks leading to and from the puddles.  This mysterious substance is likely "frac [...]

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I’m thinking we’re on the edge of full-blown hysteria about swine flu. It might be justified. I don’t have a clue. But more stories like this — about 12 "probable" cases in Benton County (that does not mean confirmed by any lab test, best I can tell) — and it won’t be long before everyone [...]

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Obama administration oficials are saying some debtholders wouldn’t accept workout terms.

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I’m making a last check of e-mail on my way to the airport and find an opinion today from the Arkansas Supreme Court that finds two elements of the 2003 tort "reform" law unconstitutional. Trial lawyers are happy at that news. Here’s the opinion.

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Arkansas Business reports that the board of Lion World Services for the Blind, which offers training at a current campus on Fair Park, has removed its CEO, Ramona Sangali over what were described as philosophical differences. Story includes news that plans to relocate the nonprofit to a new facility downtown near the Clinton Library are on [...]

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I have a report this morning from a friend at UALR that a graduate student was assaulted by five men and robbed about 9:30 p.m. last night while walking home from school. He reportedly was assaulted shortly after he’d crossed Fair Park Boulevard to leave campus. My correspondent said the student was treated at UAMS [...]

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In the space of 12 hours, I’ve received two different communications complaining about the lack of information about how the city of North Little Rock plans to spend its federal stimulus money. I can’t claim any knowledge of the issue, but my correspondents complain of lack of a website, public meetings or communication from City Hall. One of [...]

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UCA Interim President Tom Courtway announced today that UCA will honor all scholarship offers made by the university admissions office to prospective students for the upcoming school year.  Seems to make sense.  What doesn’t make sense is the need for the statement in the first place.  Courtway’s announcement came in response to letters sent by [...]

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An advance man on President Obama’s security team who traveled to Mexico before the president is believed to have … guess what? … swine flu. Washington Post has story; administration quick to say the president didn’t pick anything up on April trip there. The president was in Mexico for less than 24 hours en route [...]

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