KUAR

Arkansas House Votes 88-4 To Expel Rep. Mickey Gates

By Sarah Kellogg • Oct 11, 2019

The Arkansas House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to expel Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs, after he pleaded no contest to not paying state taxes. With a vote of 88-4, Gates becomes the first member in over 100 years to be expelled from the House.

State Board Of Education Votes To Restore Local Control Of LRSD, Strips Power Of Teacher's Union

By Sarah Kellogg • Oct 11, 2019

The Arkansas State Board of Education has unanimously passed a motion to place the Little Rock School District back under local control after an eight-hour meeting that ended in anger for many attendees.

Arkansas State Fair To Begin Friday With Rides, Games, And Of Course, Food

By Michael Hibblen & Latosha Newman • Oct 10, 2019

The 2019 Arkansas State Fair kicks off Friday, running through Sunday, Oct. 20. At the fairgrounds along Roosevelt Road in Little Rock, rides are being assembled and game booths set up. General Manager Doug White says several new rides will be among the more than 60 rides on the midway.

Last year, six days of rain hurt attendance, he said. The fair typically averages 400,000 to 450,000 people each year. This year, White is hoping to exceed that.

More Schools Get A’s, Fewer Get F’s In Latest School Scores

By Steve Brawner / Talk Business & Politics • Oct 9, 2019

Arkansas saw an 11% increase in public schools earning an A and a 14% decrease in schools earning an F on accountability reports released by the Arkansas Department of Education Wednesday. Meanwhile, eight Little Rock schools scored an F. It was the same number as last year, but not the same eight schools.

Those scores had been reported Oct. 4 by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette after it obtained them from the Little Rock School District via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Arkansas Doctor Charged With Overprescribing Opiates

By Associated Press • Oct 9, 2019

A doctor from southwest Arkansas has been arrested on charges of overprescribing opiates and other drugs.

Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday the arrest of Dr. Lonnie Joseph Parker and unsealed a grand jury indictment charging the Texarkana, Arkansas, physician with nine counts of prescribing without a legitimate medical purpose. Jordan is to appear in court Wednesday.

Arkansas Governor Says Trump Impeachment Questions Need To Be Answered

By Michael Hibblen • Oct 8, 2019

As President Donald Trump’s administration blocked a U.S. diplomat from testifying in the impeachment investigation regarding Ukraine, Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson reiterated Tuesday that there are "legitimate questions that have been asked based upon a whistleblower’s complaint."

Hutchinson served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1990s and was one of the Republican impeachment managers who led the investigation of President Bill Clinton.

As Temperatures Drop, Arkansas Families Encouraged To Create Fire Escape Plans

By Kelly Connelly • Oct 8, 2019

An abandoned convent burning in Massueville, Quebec, Canada. — Sypecom / Wiki Media Commons

With the coolest weather so far this fall, many Arkansas residents are turning their heaters on for the first time this season. This is timely because Oct. 6 to Oct. 12 is National Fire Prevention Week. This year’s campaign encourages people to develop a fire escape plan for their home.

Little Rock Proposes Plans To Return Little Rock School District to Local Control

By Sarah Kellogg • Oct 7, 2019

The city of Little Rock is presenting a proposal to the Arkansas State Board of Education that would establish a temporary school board before eventually returning the Little Rock School District back to local control.

Summit Meeting Held To Address Rise In Vaping Among Arkansas Youth

By David Monteith • Oct 7, 2019

The Arkansas Attorney General's office is hosting summit meetings to discuss the rise in vaping by the state's young people. On Monday, over 100 educators, lawmakers, and health professionals met at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, to hear the latest news on vaping.

Paragould School Superintendent Debbie Smith said having current facts from some of the state's leading medical professionals will help when talking to teens and parents.

Arkansas AG Organizes Summits To Address Vaping Concerns

By Kelly Connelly • Oct 6, 2019

Arkansas’s first vaping summits are being planned for this week in partnership with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge will host the two events, with the first scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday at Children’s Hall on the Arkansas Children’s Hospital campus.