(running late) Monday news

The Arkansas Lottery Commission confirms that the sale of Arkansas lottery tickets may begin on or before Oct. 29.

The unemployment rate jumped half a percentage point to 7.0 percent in May. There has been a loss of 33,800 nonfarm jobs in Arkansas since May 2008, and the state’s labor force has shrunk by 10,500 in the past 12 months.

An attorney for groups opposing a coal-fired power plant under construction in southwest Arkansas said the facility is “not ready for prime time” as hearings concluded Thursday on challenges to the air permit issued for the project.

Nearly $130 million in federal money will be available to Arkansas cities, counties and public utilities to help pay for damage from the January ice storm that toppled trees and downed power lines in the northern third of the state.

In response to a climate report that predicts consequences for Arkansas as a result of global warming, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation is calling on U.S. Reps. Vic Snyder and Marion Berry to support a bill that would create the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

The U.S. government’s plan to increase its ethanol mandate will mean higher food prices and more harm to the environment, according to an impact study conducted for two groups that oppose the increase.

The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division is preparing for a rule change that proponents say will promote fairness in the beer industry and protect consumers.

New laws going into effect July 1 require “no smoking” signs where fireworks are sold and those businesses must be 50 feet from combustible materials. Another new law will make the selling of bootleg urine for drug tests a crime.

The recent escape of two convicted killers from a state prison unit and the prison system’s ever increasing population prompted lawmakers to summon the state Department of Correction director to the Capitol for talks.

A man wanted for failing to report to his parole officer has been fatally shot by a prison guard as the man tried to flee from a contraband checkpoint at a prison unit in Jefferson County.

Wal-Mart is gaining a greater share of the grocery market in Arkansas and neighboring states as shoppers seek to stretch their dollars in a struggling economy.

Deltic Timber Corp. will pay a 7.5 cents per share dividend to those who own stock as of Sept. 1.

The North Little Rock unmanned police surveillance helicopter has crashed during initial testing and has been returned to the factory for repairs.

Lawyers for Tony Alamo have asked a federal judge to order prosecutors to provide Alamo’s defense with details of the crimes he is accused of committing.

Three people are in custody in connection with the shooting of a Plumerville police officer.

A robbery suspect wielding a revolver with a scope mounted on top led Pine Bluff police on a chase that ended where it began after police flattened tires on his pickup truck, but a standoff ensued that lasted several hours before the man surrendered peacefully.

A Little Rock teenager who was 16 when he robbed and terrorized a couple before returning and shooting the woman during a second holdup attempt last year received a 40-year prison sentence after dropping a claim he should be prosecuted in juvenile court.

The site where a Missouri teenager jumped to his death from a bluff overlooking Norfork Lake now has a sign in memory of the youngster, which officials hope could discourage other bluff-jumpers.

It’s been six months since construction resumed on the houses at Little Rock Air Force Base, and more work has been done in that time than in the entire four years the previous developer held the contract.

The Pulaski County Special School Board narrowly approved adding a $1 million request for federal stimulus funds to design a replacement for Jacksonville Middle School during a special meeting Friday.

Filed under: Arkansas