David Wallace

During an election night where many governors’ races across the country were considered toss-ups, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson enjoyed a comfortable lead going into Tuesday's election. He easily won re-election against Democratic opponent Jared Henderson.

Hutchinson’s victory was declared early in the evening, winning 65 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Arkansas Secretary of State.

In an interview with KUAR News, Hutchinson outlined a few policies he will be focusing on going forward.

Former President Bill Clinton brought his co-author James Patterson through Little Rock Saturday on the latest leg of a book tour; one that has generated headlines for reasons unrelated to the book.

Clinton and Patterson, a best-selling thriller novelist, came to the UA Little Rock Jack Stephens Center to discuss their novel “The President Is Missing” in a panel moderated by actress and Arkansas native Mary Steenburgen.

Voters gave a resounding "No" to the Little Rock School District's proposal to extend a tax millage an additional 14 years to fund improvements to schools and the construction of a new high school in southwest Little Rock. 

The vote was 3,938 (35.5 percent) for, 7,167 (64.5 percent) against.

Only a little more than 11,000 of the 110,676 registered voters in the district went to the polls.

The extension of the 12.4-mill tax from the current expiration date of 2033 to 2047 would have generated $160 million for the improvements.

A new era dawns for the Arkansas Travelers when baseball returns this week for the 2017 season.

After 16 seasons as the class AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim, the Travelers debut Thursday in the Seattle Mariners' organization.

The club has almost upgraded Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock to enhance fan safety. The protective netting behind home plate has been extended 70 feet down each foul line.

Travs General Manager Paul Allen said the ubiquitous smart phone is to blame.

The Fire Prevention office of the Little Rock Rock Fire Department is initiating the "Keep the Wreath Green" campaign to raise awareness of the danger of house fires during the holidays.

The campaign centers around five wreaths with green light bulbs scattered at various locations around the city.

"We want to give our community the visual of how well they’re doing with fire prevention during the holiday season," says Bo Hagar, Little Rock firefighter and Fire Prevention educator.

Almost 20,000 marshal-arts aficionados in their brightly colored uniforms have once again descended on downtown Little Rock for the 26th annual American Taekwondo Association World Expo. 

Jenny O'Conner of ATA International estimates up to 20 nations are represented at the organization's biggest event of the year, which includes the crowning of champions for the just concluded competition year and the opening competitions of the new year.

Little Rock's Bike Polo club is hosting its third Summer Solstice Slam at McArthur Park this weekend, featuring 22 teams from around the region, including four from Little Rock.

Bike polo is just like it sounds—the classic game played by aristocracy on horseback converted to bicycles on a hard surface.

Jared Rickman, one of a core group of players who have made Little Rock something of a hub of bike polo events over the last few years, said the public is invited to watch the tournament, which was expected to run into the early evening Sunday.

A two-percent increase in Little Rock's hotel tax will fund improvements to McArthur Park and two of the city's cultural centers housed in the park, provided voters approve designating the revenue from the tax increase accordingly.

The Little Rock Board of Directors Tuesday night (Dec. 1) approved two separate one-penny hotel tax increases and a Feb. 9, 2016 special election related to the increase.

When you sit down to that Thanksgiving meal later this week, among the things to express gratitude for is the cost of the meal itself.

An Arkansas Farm Bureau survey shows it will cost about a dollar less than last year to prepare that meal. For a family of ten, that’s down from $46.23 a year ago to $45.25 this year.  

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee entered the first presidential primary debate of the 2016 race in fourth position in a Fox News aggregate of national polls. 

Judging by reaction to his debate performance, he likely solidified--if not improved--his position Thursday night.

Huckabee was one of 10 Republicans on the Quicken Loans Arena stage in Cleveland, Ohio, chosen out of a field of 17 for the prime-time debate because of their positions in the most recent polls. The other seven candidates took the same stage a few hours earlier.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton struck a familiar campaign theme in a speech to partisans in North Little Rock Saturday night.

"Democrats are in the future business," the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race said. "(Republicans) may have fresh faces, but they are a party of the past."

Clinton spoke before a crowd of close to 2,000 at the state Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at Verizon Arena. The $200-a-plate dinner was expected to raise about $450,000 for the state party.

 The library tax for the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will both decrease and go on longer after voters approved a bond refinancing plan by an 86-14 percent margin.

The week-long voting period ended yesterday. Only about 4,400 went to the polls.

The library tax will drop by one-tenth-of-one-mil to .9 mil, but revenue is expected to increase by $15 million to $17 million because the life of the tax is extended by four years.

 Drivers who use their cell phones for texting, email or surfing the internet while driving will be targeted by the Arkansas State Police beginning Monday.

ASP is taking part in a national law enforcement campaign called, "U Drive. U Text. U Pay." 

Stepped-up, intense patrols will use "low-pro," unmarked vehicles. Officers will look for the effects of distracted driving, such as crossing the center line or following too closely.

They'll try to ease up beside motorists exhibiting those traits to see if they're using their phones or hand-held devices. 

Travelers who access or exit the Broadway Bridge from the south side of the river will have to adjust their travel plans, starting Monday. 

The ramps to and from the bridge on that side—as well as a portion of the Arkansas River Trail—are being closed in preparation for replacement of the bridge.

The work is just part one of the first parts of a project to replace the venerable structure that will take until late 2016 to complete at an estimated cost of $98.4-mil. 

New speed limits for big-rig trucks take effect Monday when Highway Department crews fan out around the state to take down the old signs.

The speed limit for trucks will now be the same as it is for cars in Arkansas—70 miles-an-hour on most interstates. Since 1996, trucks traveling in Arkansas have had a speed limit of 65 miles-an-hour, five miles-an-hour slower than passenger vehicles. 

Highway Department Spokesman Danny Straesle said that caused congestion because trucks were unable to pass one another, stacking up cars wanting to go faster behind them. 

The Federal Aviation Administration is making an installment payment of nearly $2-mil. to Clinton National Airport to reimburse the purchase of land for future development.

The purchase of property north of Dassault Falcon Jet began in 2006 and totaled $10.6-mil. The payment is just one installment in what will amount to a total reimbursement of $8.7-mil.