Arkansas tailback Michael Smith was held in the Washington County jail overnight Sunday after being arrested and charged with two felonies stemming from his alleged use of a stolen credit card. Smith is charged with second-degree forgery and theft by receiving after allegedly using the card during the early morning hours of Sept. 16, after the Razorbacks flew back from a 41-38 loss at Alabama. Arkansas defensive end Marcus Harrison was suspended indefinitely after being arrested in August on a felony drug charge and several misdemeanors.
Five decades ago, nine black students stepped onto the all-white Central High School campus, and into history. On Tuesday, the Little Rock Nine will return with more than 5,000 others to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tumultuous integration of the capital city’s flagship high school in September 1957, in a celebration of the past that organizers said was all about the future.
North Little Rock School District officials have asked a federal judge to end more than two decades of court supervision of the district’s operations. Lawyers for the 9,800-student district filed a petition in federal court asking U.S. District Judge William R. Wilson Jr. to declare the system “unitary” — fully integrated — and no longer subject to the oversight of federal court.
A proposed initiated act aims to bar unmarried couples from serving as foster parents or adopting children in Arkansas, but the restriction on foster parenting would be nothing new. Since February 2005, the state Department of Human Services has prohibited “cohabitating” couples from becoming foster parents.
The state decides the future of the fiscally distressed Bald Knob School District this morning. Last month, the State Board of Education fired Bald Knob’s superintendent, took over the district and gave it one month to raise 2.2 million dollars or risk annexation. Without counting all of Saturday’s Save Our Schools Festival money, fundraisers are at 1.4 million.
A few hurdles still remain before 19 local police officers can begin working under a federal program that will allow them to enforce some immigration laws. The officers must have additional hands-on training with a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The officers spent five weeks in Boston but did not complete training because they ran out of time.
With a moratorium on developing North Hills Country Club set to expire next month, Sherwood City Council members are expected to talk today about initiating negotiations to buy the property.
A Lonoke County woman has filed a lawsuit against CATA and CenterPoint Energy. Cyndi J. Aviles says that about Sept. 15, 2004, during installation of River Rail streetcar tracks, construction workers struck a gas line in the proximity of 500 President Clinton Ave., where Aviles worked at the time. The lawsuit says she lost consciousness from the fumes and had to receive emergency medical care. It also states that Aviles lost wages and continues to be afflicted with “chronic voice problems.”
A 7-man, 5-woman jury returned with a plaintiff’s verdict in the case of a Jonesboro attorney accused of sexual harassment. The Craighead County jury deliberated four hours and awarded Sandra Smith, who now uses Gadberry as a last name, $10,000 in her civil lawsuit against David Rees.
The Northeast Arkansas District Fair in Jonesboro closed earlier than usual Saturday night after fights broke out on the midway and someone reported that shots had been fired. At least several hundred people were at the fair when the fights began about 10:20 p.m., said Jerry Reece, the fair’s general manager.
A well known Conway businessman credited with building the Cadron Valley Country Club is free after police arrested him for assaulting a once prominent, now disbarred local attorney. James W. Miller says he had wanted to hit Guy Jones Jr. with a two-by-four for 40 years before he actually did it.
A Waldron police officer whose conduct was deemed unbecoming an officer resigned from the department. Gerald Heifner resigned after an accusation of rape was levied against him. Waldron Police Chief David Miller said an Arkansas State Police investigation found that the sexual relations Heifner had with a 21-year-old woman were consensual and not rape, as originally alleged. However, the woman is related to someone in a case Heifner was investigating.
Join me and Bill Vickery for the WEDNESDAY WAKE-UP around 6:45 every Wednesday morning on KARK TV Channel 4. We pick winners and losers from the past week and comment on the day's top news. Sometimes we play rough, but it is always a million laughs.
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