Monday’s first Arkansas headlines

Filing for statewide offices begins at noon today at the State Capitol, and other filings begin at county courthouses.

Glenn Gallas of Hot Springs will challenge Rep. Mike Ross in the Fourth Congressional District. Gallas is the leader of the Garland County Tea Party and past chairman of the Garland County Republican Committee.

A former Pulaski County circuit judge removed from the bench by the state Supreme Court asked a federal judge to reinstate him in time to file for re-election this week.

Gov. Mike Beebe says he will announce today whether he will veto a portion of the budget dealing with how to pay for redistricting.

Two Arkansas two-year colleges will split $7.4 million in federal stimulus funds to provide training in jobs related to energy efficiency.

Pine Bluff’s new District Court Building will open today.

Van Buren City Attorney Don Jenkins will continue to be paid even though he won’t be performing his duties for three months. That will cost $14,000 Mayor Bob Freeman says. City Attorney is an elected position in Van Buren.

Representatives of the U.S. rice industry, including some based in Arkansas, tell the European Commission that domestic rice in 2009 was free of the genetically modified strain that severely restricted the exporting of the American crop to the continent.

Increased sales and the ability to charge a higher interest rate on Arkansas used-car loans helped America’s Car-Mart Inc. post strong third quarter 2010 results. New federal legislation allows an interest rate of 17%, although Car-Mart says it only charges 12%.

A correctional officer at the Jack Jones Juvenile Detention Center was killed and a second injured Saturday night during an escape from the facility. Two of the three people accused in the death were arrested Sunday afternoon in Fort Smith.

Too many babies and children die without a formal investigation and input from a professional forensic pathologist, Faulkner County Coroner Patrick Moore says. One in four infant deaths in Arkansas goes unexplained – and incompletely investigated

Friday Arkansas news and stuff

The legislature is in recess until next week when the fiscal session is expected to be officially wrapped up and a new House Speaker will be elected.

Jim Keet, a former Arkansas lawmaker and Little Rock business owner, says he’s likely to run for the Republican nomination for governor.

Arkansas Times blog reports Justice Department officials have interviewed Susan Hickey of El Dorado, who is a law clerk to retiring federal Judge Harry Barnes. That suggests that she may be the pick for the judicial opening in the western district of Arkansas.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer and poultry producers are calling for stricter labeling so that consumers know when their chicken is stuffed with salt water. It is directed at Tyson and Pilgrim’s Pride.

The Southwest Power Pool is to announce plans to build a $63 million office in Little Rock that will employ 150 people.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, wants its suppliers to reduce 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015.

America’s Car-Mart of Bentonville reported total third-quarter revenue up 14 percent to $83.8 million. Same-store sales rose 11 percent.

AT&T will invest about $2 million in capital spending for the wireless network. The plans for 2010 include the addition of nearly 50 new cell sites and upgrades to 200 additional cell sites to 3G.

The state Supreme Court has agreed to consider a circuit judge’s ruling that the state must pay the legal bills of a man accused of fatally shooting one soldier and wounding another outside a Little Rock recruiting center.

A judge has overturned a 1989 capital murder conviction in a Hot Spring County double slaying because a deal with a key witness was not disclosed to the defense until after trial by then-Prosecutor Dan Harmon, later sent to prison on corruption charges.

In a 5-2 decision, the state Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Roderick Williams and life plus 72 year sentence on capital murder and other charges, finding that a mistrial should have been granted after a witness at the Desha County trial said erroneously that Williams had been convicted previously of terroristic threatening.

Early Thursday Arkansas headlines

The House and Senate have approved identical versions of Gov. Mike Beebe’s $4.5 billion spending plan for the coming year. The Revenue Stabilization Act should be ready Friday.

Gov. Mike Beebe scolded the legislature for hanging onto $3 million in local pork project money, rather than spending it on statewide needs. The state supreme court has ruled on this kind of thing already

The Public Defenders Commission says it will not pay for the private attorney representing the man accused of a double shooting at a Little Rock Army recruiting station.

Nine fire departments are getting nearly $900,000 for first-responder training and equipment as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s “Assistance to Firefighters” grants program.

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels is bringing in Oaklawn’s race announcer Terry Wallace to make the call for the start of the “political horse race season.” That will be noon Monday, when filing begins for the May primaries.

A hard drive containing personal information on current and former National Guard soldiers has turned up missing.

Arkansas Best reports a net loss of $127.9 million in 2009 compared with net income of $29.2 million in 2008.

Deltic Timber’s sales and net income slumped in 2009. The company recorded a $3.7 million annual profit compared to $4.4 million the previous year.  A strong commercial real estate market helped the numbers.

New York Times reports that Conway’s Kris Allen has made at least $650,000 so far from his win on American Idol.

Dan Harmon, the former Saline County prosecutor who served nearly a decade in prison for drug and corruption convictions, has pleaded not guilty to drug distribution charges.

The four men charged with two counts each capital murder in the University of Central Arkansas campus shooting will stand trial on June 14, barring further delays.

A North Little Rock alderman and a Cabot man who federal authorities allege is a member of the New York mafia will be tried together on weapons charges.