This week may be the start of the NCAA Tournament, but I’ll remember it for something else: Very, very long press conferences. On Wednesday, the football program met with the media for more than an hour to discuss the start of spring practice. This morning, Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey held a 40-minute press conference to [...]

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All of Arkansas’ 8 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) saw a big jump in unemployment rates in January after months of steadiness, slow decreases or marginal gains. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jump in MSA unemployment was pronounced in a year-over-year comparison, but all metro regions of the state saw big jumps from [...]

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All of Arkansas’ 8 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) saw a big jump in unemployment rates in January after months of steadiness, slow decreases or marginal gains. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jump in MSA unemployment was pronounced in a year-over-year comparison, but all metro regions of the state saw big jumps from [...]

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The state Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission announced today that it had admonished two judges, including Pulaski Circuit Judge Barry Sims in a case referred by the state Supreme Court. Sharp County District Judge Mark Johnson was admonished for the dismissal of a DWI charge involving a relative. Here are the commission’s findings. Sims’ case arose from his agreement [...]

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Arkansas highway police seized an estimated $4.5 million in cocaine (shown) found in a hidden compartment during an Alma inspection of a tractor-trailer that was en route from California to Canada.

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Term-limited state Rep. Otis Davis of Earle is doing all he can to help elect Fred Smith to succeed him in District 54. That includes this endorsement letter (on state legislative stationery) mailed in a state legislative envelope containing a Fred Smith campaign card. It’s actually worse than an endorsement. It’s a solicitation for campaign contributions [...]

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Today, Sen. Blanche Lincoln will be in Forrest City, Arkansas to host a Child Nutrition Town Hall at 2:00 p.m.. Yesterday, she unveiled The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Lt. Governor Bill Halter will hold a press conference at his campaign headquarters at 11:00 a.m. to comment on the pending health care reform vote in the House [...]

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From MoveOn.org: I’ve never understood fully why Sen. Blanche Lincoln was concerned (I’d say opposed, but he campaign insists that is inaccurate) about President Barack Obama’s student loan reform bill. Here’s what she said in a news release: As Congress has moved forward on student loan reform, I have expressed my concerns – outlined in a letter [...]

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The Arkansas Election Line rates the 4th Congressional District: Safe Ross The Arkansas Election Line rates the Republican Primary: Toss up Rep. Mike Ross does not have an opponent in the Democratic Primary. Blake’s Think Tank Analysis: Unlike Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, the other Democrat positioning himself for a bid for governor in 2014, Rep. Mike Ross, will face [...]

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Prepare to choke up if you check this New York Times photo essay of the bedrooms left behind by some of the 5,000 U.S. military who’ve died in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The Shrine Down the Hall," it’s called. There’s accompanying articles, including an essay by veteran war correspondent Dexter Filkins.

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