LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday he would consider calling legislators into special session to remove embattled state Treasurer Martha Shoffner from office but wants to give her a chance to step down on her own.After Shoffner’s appearance in federal court Monday on extortion charges, Beebe said she should resign immediately. On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, asked the governor to call a special session to remove Shoffner from office.
LITTLE ROCK — A federal lawsuit filed by parents and grandparents of children in the Blytheville School District alleges the district has denied the constitutional rights of students by opting out of the state’s new school choice law.Blytheville was one of 22 school districts that notified the state Department of Education by Friday’s deadline that they planned to opt of Act 1227 of 2013...
LITTLE ROCK — State Treasurer Martha Shoffner took thousands of dollars in kickbacks, delivered covertly in a pie box, for directing the bulk of bond transactions made by her office to a single broker, federal authorities allege in a complaint filed Monday.After spending two nights in the Pulaski County Jail, Shoffner appeared in U.S...
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe led a chorus of officials from both sides of the political aisle Monday in calling for embattled state Treasurer Martha Shoffner to resign in the face of federal extortion charges.In a criminal complaint Monday, federal prosecutors accused the two-term treasurer of taking thousands of dollars in kickbacks for allegedly steering the bulk of the bond business in her office to a single broker. Shoffner was arrested Saturday, appeared Monday in U.S. District Court and was released on her on recognizance.
LITTLE ROCK — In the aftermath of Arkansas Martha Shoffner’s court appearance Monday on a federal extortion charge, authorities announced creation of a new task force to investigate complaints of public corruption.U.S...
LITTLE ROCK — A Powerball jackpot that reached a record $590 million last week boosted revenue for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, though not as much as lottery officials had hoped.State Lottery Director Bishop Woosley told the Arkansas Lottery Commission on Monday that Powerball ticket sales in the state totaled about $2.4 million on Saturday, the day the jackpot was hit by a ticket purchased in Florida...
LITTLE ROCK — In explaining his decision last week not to enter the governor’s race, House Speaker Davy Carter, R-Cabot, said one of the factors he considered was whether “a guy like me” — meaning a moderate Republican — could win the GOP primary.Political observers say that’s a good question, but unless another moderate throws his or her hat into the ring on the Republican side, it’s one that won’t get answered in 2014.
LITTLE ROCK —So far, colleges and universities are opting out of a law that would allow faculty and staff with concealed carry permits to bring weapons on campus.The sponsor, Rep...
LITTLE ROCK — State Treasurer Martha Shoffner was being held in the Pulaski County jail late Saturday following her arrested on federal charges, the FBI said.Shoffner, who was known for months to be the subject of a state audit and federal investigation related to her handling of bonds sales by her office, was booked under the federal Hobbs Act, said Kim Brunell with the FBI field office in Little Rock...
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ unemployment was 7.1 percent in April, down slightly from 7.2 percent in March, according to labor statistics released Friday.The state jobless rate was 0.4 percentage points below the national rate, which dropped from 7.6 percent in March to 7.5 percent last month.
