It is almost hard to take the press release today from the Democratic Party of Arkansas on the poll I commissioned on the their proposed redistricting map seriously.  Unable to dispute the findings that almost 82 percent of Fayetteville voters oppose the plan to move them from their current Congressional district consisting primarily of northwest [...]

Read the full story

One of the biggest tools that the minority party (currently Republicans) have in the Arkansas House of Representatives is to block appropriation as these bills need 75 votes to pass. Today, Republicans flexed their muscles by blocking the appropriation for the State Insurance Department largely on a party line vote – 53 to 41 roll [...]

Read the full story

The Arkansas General Assembly is currently considering a Congressional redistricting proposal that would move Fayetteville from the Third Congressional District of northwest Arkansas into the Fourth Congressional District that historically has included primarily south Arkansas.  However, a poll commissioned by the Tolbert Report and conducted by Diamond State Consulting shows overwhelming opposition to the proposal [...]

Read the full story

Without further ado, here is the Revenue Stabilization Act unveiled today in Joint Budget Committee. It’s the big deal the session. There is a lot to go through but some highlights are $50 million in General Improvement Fund (GIF) of which $10 million will be directed by the state legislature and $40 million by Gov. [...]

Read the full story

The legislature faces what will most definitely be a busy week and could possibly be the last week of the session.  Speaker Moore still holds that they intend to wrap everything up by Friday.  I wonder if this talk of finishing on that day is really just an elaborate April Fools’ Day joke, but we [...]

Read the full story

I recommend a nice bit of Saturday reading over on the Log Cabin Democrat.  They take a look at the effect our income tax structure is having on the state’s ability to attract businesses.  Both Joe Ford – founder of Alltel – and Charles Morgan – founder of Acxiom – have moved to Texas to [...]

Read the full story

I spoke to several Democratic state representatives at the state capitol today that are still on the fence on their vote on the proposed Congressional redistricting map HB1836 – the Pig Trail Gerrymander – which passed out of House State Agencies Committee on Wednesday One of the swing votes is Rep. Greg Leding (D-Fayetteville) who [...]

Read the full story

Let the comments commence: * MARRIAGE BLOWUP: Sangeeta Mann filed for divorce Tuesday from Dr. Randeep Mann, convicted in a plot to bomb the chairman of the state Medical Board. He’s serving a life prison term. Sangeeta Mann is free while appealing convictions for obstructing the prosecution. Mann seeks a no-fault divorce on ground of 18 [...]

Read the full story

WALTER KIMBROUGH Had to happen. Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College, is one of 10 names submitted by a search firm for a commitee’s consideration for the job of chancellor of Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. DHR Executive Vice President Robert Clayton described some of the applicants as rising “superstars,” including Philander Smith College [...]

Read the full story

LITTLE ROCK — A divorce lawsuit has been filed between Sangeeta and Randeep Mann - the Indian-born physician convicted in a bombing that nearly killed the Arkansas Medical Board's chief.

Read the full story