Monday, January 05, 2009 - 16:15:02
The ACLU of Arkansas filed a motion for temporary injunction today in Pulaski circuit court asking that the state be prohibited from using Act 1 to separate children in state care from family members until its challenge of the law has been settled. The ACLU filed suit last week challenging the constitutionality of the new law, which prohibits unmarried couples (read GAY) from fostering or adopting children; director Rita Sklar said part of the motion was under seal but that it would apply to a child facing possible removal from the care of a grandmother.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 15:34:18
Photos by Brian Chilson
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 14:03:40
Former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta is Obama's pick to head the CIA, the New York Times is reporting. The Times says Panetta is an "unusual choice to lead the C.I.A., an agency that has been unwelcoming to previous directors perceived as outsiders, such as Stansfield M. Turner and John M. Deutch. But his selection points up the difficulty Mr. Obama had in finding a C.I.A. director with no connection to controversial counterterrorism programs of the Bush era."
lnp
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 13:42:12
News director Dave Elswick over at KARN (FM 102.9, AM 920) says the station will carry The Huckabee Report, which premiered today at 35 stations. It will be a couple of weeks before the show is picked up; the Huckster will be piped in at the less-than-prime time of 8:30 a.m., a slot now occupied by Paul Harvey reruns.
(lnp)
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 12:53:20
The 20 Arkansas counties that
sued cold-medicine manufacturers because the ingredients in their products could be used to make methamphetamines
lost their case at the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals today. The court said their logic -- that their claim paralled those against gun manufacturers -- wouldn't necessarily be true under Arkansas law.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 10:55:17
More to come, but I just caught news that a Caterpillar motor grader production plan is slated for the vacant video plant in North Little Rock.
Not long ago, Caterpillar (which has had contentious relationships with a union representing assembly employees) announced layoffs elsewhere in the company.
Big jobs for Arkansas, about 600 of them.
Caterpillar talked about a new motor grader plant back in June, but an existing facility in Illinois was mentioned then as a front-runner. The back story ought to be interesting on the final location. Jobs were cut in Decatur last month. There has been nervousness there, the local newspaper reports, about loss of motor grader jobs, said to be part of an increase in production of larger mining machines in Decatur.
UPDATE: Jon Harrison, who spoke on behalf of Caterpillar, said one of the deciding factors in bringing the plant to North Little Rock was Arkansas’ “friendly business climate.” Part of what made the business climate so friendly was no doubt the incentives package given to the company. The state gave CAT $3 million from the governor’s quick-action closing fund which will be used to develop a test track, an outside storage area and an entrance road. The state also offered training assistance for new hires and three performance-based incentives including:
Tax Back – provides a sales tax refund on eligible construction materials.
Advantage Arkansas – provides income tax credits based on payroll of new employees (credit earned each tax year for a period of five years).
Create Rebate – provides a cash rebate equal to five percent of payroll for 10 years.
During the press conference, neither Harrison nor Gov. Beebe went into more detail on exactly why NLR was chosen over other possible locations.
UPDATE UPDATE: Arkansas Business sheds more light on city (not state) incentives to Caterpillar including reduced electricity bills, a new power substation, a water treatment facility, the waiver of building permit fees and carbon offsets. -- GPM.
Continue Reading »
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 10:12:11
Bulldoze Ray Winder and the Little Rock Zoo and turn the land into a "high-tech" corridor that includes a joined UCA-? D.S. Bob Johnson makes that suggestion in Q and A with Roby Brock on his Talk Business website.
Take that whole strip of highway and create a truly high-tech corridor that folds healthcare and the technology that [UALR’s Dr.] Mary Good is doing at the cyber college together, combined with the strengths of central Arkansas’ intellectual property, namely their student body. ... [I]t may be patently unpopular to talk about getting rid of Ray Winder Field, getting rid of the zoo, getting rid of some of what’s there that’s frankly a drain on budgets. ... Look at that zoo over there, we’ve done everything in the world from Friends of the Zoo to dumping legislator money in there to everything in the world and still, it falls short of what I think a zoo ought to be.
PS FROM MAX: This is the kinder, gentler Death Star, toting baggage for UAMS' parking lot needs while obliterating LR's scarce parkland? Thanks, but no thanks. And when he comes carrying gifts for Central Arkansas Water, I'd urge the leaders over there to look inside whatever Trojan Horse he pulls up to THEIR door.
You want a sci-tech corridor? There's plenty of vacant land along that corridor available for the purpose, including a healthy strip along the eastern side of the UAMS campus. What UAMS wants is more handy parking where the ballpark sits.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 09:56:01
Hussman shoveled a quarter-page of "Missouri Briefs" into the last page of the Little Rock daily's Arkansas section this morning.
What's next? High Profile Neosho?
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 09:28:06
Dick Bond, president and chief executive officer of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN), announced today he is leaving the company, effective immediately. Leland Tollett, former chairman and CEO of the company, has agreed to return to the company as President and CEO on an interim basis until a permanent successor has been chosen.
"After seven years of helping lead or leading the world's largest meat company, I have decided it is in both my best interest personally, and the best interest of the company for me to move on and pursue other interests," Bond said. "I have a lot of both my time and personal finances invested in Tyson Foods, so I wish the company all the best for future success."
Additionally, Donnie Smith, longtime Tyson executive, is being named senior group vice president of Poultry and Prepared Foods, and will have overall responsibility for those divisions of the company.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 08:55:39
Arkansas Higher Ed director Jim Purcell makes the argument to Arkansas Business that the caps on public college scholarships needs to lowered to ease the burden on non-scholarship students.
He gave an example of a hypothetical college - he called it "Floyd University" - with an enrollment of 6,000 full-time students and an annual budget of $27 million in income from tuition and fees.
If none of those 6,000 students had a scholarship, the school could charge each student only $4,500 per year to meet its budget. If the college, however, gives full scholarships to 30 percent of those hypothetical students, that leaves only 4,200 students to carry the financial load. Those 4,200 would have to pay $6,429 per year, an increase of almost 43 percent in their tuition.
Arkansas is poor; he says; its college tuition is too high. (As a parent who'll be paying that tuition in a couple of years, I say Amen to that, unless someone can set me straight.)
lnp
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 08:00:55
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson wasn't forthcoming with Obama's transition team about the seriousness of a grand jury investigation into a contract awarded a supporter, Politico's Jonathan Martin writes, but critics say the team should have vetted him more carefully. NBC Nightly News says once they figured it out, they put on the pressure for him to withdraw from the Commerce Secretary appointment. One pay-to-play scandal is enough.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 01:59:27
Those 500 jobs to be announced today in NLR, said to be related to "utility vehicles." Here's an uninformed guess: it's a maker of the mini-trucks that are popular in agricultural and commercial uses worldwide. Generally, they are not allowed on highways. Legislation is expected this session to allow them on Arkansas roads.
UPDATE: Forget about this speculation. It's much bigger stuff -- a Caterpillar grader plant.
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 01:53:11
I'm with Brummett. Odious as the governor of Illinois may be, I don't see how they can justify blocking his legal appointment to fill Obama's U.S. Senate seat.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 20:01:27
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are reporting tonight that Obama is thinking about a $351 billion tax cut to stimulate the economy.
His reason? To mollify trolls like Boehner and Mitch McConnell who have taken to the airwaves this weekend to threaten to stymie the original economic stimulus plan centered on infrastructure spending in the various states, energy innovations and education spending.
Bipartisanship goes a long way, but maybe it's time the incoming president listens to guys like Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who said this weekend he'll never again listen to a word any Republican says about fear of deficits.
Obama will soon learn -- or should have learned during his days in the Senate -- that punks like Boehner and McConnell can't be mollified.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 17:55:34
Let's open it up. I hope you all had a good weekend...
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 17:03:17
Arkansas's resident Queen of the Undead, Charlaine Harris -- the Magnolia native whose vampire-themed mystery series was adapted into the well received HBO show "True Blood" -- is headed to the Houston Public Library for a talk on Tuesday.
In recognition, the
Houston Chronicle has this very enlightening piece on how Harris' first book "Dead Until Dark" found a publisher, including comments from the writer, and some nice stuff from a Houston bookstore owner and friend who championed her work before she hit it big.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 16:28:50
to stop natural gas drilling. A University of Utah student, Tim DeChristopher, strolled into a Bureau of Land Management auction in Utah and bid $1.8 million for 13 parcels of land in order to keep those tracts safe from drilling. He now faces felony charges. DeChristopher never intended to actually pay for the land. Now he's looking to raise $45,000 to hold onto it and keep it safe from drilling until Obama gets into office and there's a personnel change in the BLM. Three websites are trying to help him out: www.wateradvocacy.org, oneutah.org, www.bidder70.org. I wouldn't put it past the Conservation Alliance's Rod Bryan to try something similar. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 16:17:18
A power outage has left part of downtown in the dark. Worker at the Stephens Building said the power's been out for a while and that he was told by Entergy that things may be screwy for the next six hours. He said the Capitol Hotel is affected as well, but when we called to confirm we got a message that all circuits are busy. Good night for a candlelight dinner -- if the oven is working.
Several computers at the Arkansas Times are affected as well. Wonder if we'll have to go to hot type to get the paper out?
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 15:38:57
Bush I would like to see a Bush III in the White House, he told Fox News today. A KTVH report on the statement added:
The former President admitted right now would probably be a bad time" for another Bush in the White House, given the low public opinion rankings for the current President Bush.
No kidding.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 15:29:39
Numerous news outlets (including KATV) are reporting that the new business Gov. Beebe will announce tomorrow is a utility vehicle plant in a former video production plant in North Little Rock. Not sure what utility vehicle means -- surely not SUVs! The new business is supposed to add 500 jobs to LR/NLR.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 15:11:28
According to the Associated Press, the US blocked a security council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Arab nations demanded that the council adopt a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire following Israel's launch of a ground offensive in Gaza earlier Saturday, a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Libya's U.N. Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi, the only Arab member of the council, said the United States objected to "any outcome" during the closed council discussions on the proposed statement.
In other news, the NYT describes the latest occurrences better than I can summarize them for you here and notes the growing resentment and condemnation of the Israeli offensive.
The Israeli military said that they had “hit” dozens of armed Hamas operatives during exchanges of fire overnight. But Palestinian hospital officials said that only about six Hamas fighters had been killed since the start of the ground invasion, a figure that could not be confirmed. Hospital officials said that more than 30 civilians had been killed by Sunday afternoon and more than 100 wounded since Israeli troops had begun advancing...
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Israel’s incursion into Gaza came in “brazen defiance” of international calls to end the offensive, according to Agence France-Presse.
“The Security Council’s silence and its failure to take a decision to stop Israel’s aggression since it began was interpreted by Israel as a green light,” he said in a statement.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 14:38:41
Hunting's never been my thing, though I come from a hunting family. It is extremely popular in this state with some even taking holidays to start off deer season. On the weekends, hordes of Arkansans head out to the deer camp to sit in the freezing cold for hours on end in the hopes of landing a big buck. I'd rather sleep. I did come across this interesting piece in Newsweek, though, about the evolutionary impact of hunting. As it turns out, hunting is kind of like natural selection in reverse.
Researchers describe what's happening as none other than the selection process that Darwin made famous: the fittest of a species survive to reproduce and pass along their traits to succeeding generations, while the traits of the unfit gradually disappear. Selective hunting—picking out individuals with the best horns or antlers, or the largest piece of hide—works in reverse: the evolutionary loser is not the small and defenseless, but the biggest and best-equipped to win mates or fend off attackers.
When hunting is severe enough to outstrip other threats to survival, the unsought, middling individuals make out better than the alpha animals, and the species changes.
It's an interesting piece, and something to think about.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 11:06:31
Enough talk about our own legislature.
David Broder offers a piece on the faces that will be missing when Congress reconvenes this week. Among the most notable are
Obama and
Biden, of course. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Ken Salazar will also be off to fill major cabinet positions. I think most notably though, Nebraska Senator
Chuck Hagel will be gone. Hagel was never afraid to stand up to the Bush administration and his common sense and independence would have served this Congress, and the new administration, well.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 10:32:57
Andrew DeMillo says Bob "Death Star" Johnson is looking at ways to soften his image and strengthen his legacy as the new session approaches. Top priorities for the senator will include working out the details for the lottery and helping Central Arkansas Water buy land in the Maumelle watershed to protect it from development. Johnson actually did the opposite in 2005, when he sought to allow construction of large homes in the area.
Johnson also talks about leaving "The Brotherhood" at the door when it's time to get to work.
"This stuff about the brotherhood and otherhood has its place in the media culture but when I put my game face on and get ready for the session, I leave it at the door," Johnson said.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 07:55:42
The counting is done and it looks like Franken by 225 votes; the winner will be declared tomorrow. Then more legal action, and a move by the Repubs to keep Franken from being seated.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 04:48:43
Stephens Media has a variety of legislative advance stories today, including a roundup of the ever-popular social issues. Abortion is back, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court (thank you Mark Pryor for your damaging work in this area.)
But I had to utter a mordant chuckle at this quote from Jerry Cox, of the adoption-limiting Act 1 lobby. Whodda thunk someone would think adoption is harder in Ark.? He'll be busy, too, protecting hate and holding down women.
Some Arkansans who wish to adopt find it easier to do so overseas than at home, Cox said.
“There must be something wrong with our system here if we’ve got willing parents and kids that need a home but somehow we can’t make it happen,” he said.
Cox said the Family Council likely will spend the majority of its time during the session on “the defensive side of things” — opposing any efforts to pass hate crime legislation, broadly structure a voter-approved state lottery, which the group opposed, or ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 02:02:11
John Brummett reintroduces his readers to Rod Bryan, a regular contributor here, and his participation in a new conservation alliance aimed in part at keeping the state from giving away its natural birthright in the exploration for natural gas. Rod's been a fringe political player, Brummett notes. The fringes -- advocates, politicians, blogs -- are not voiceless, however. In these many voices rests a power greater than their hoarded gold, as the union anthem goes.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 01:56:18
Frank Rich has written a devastating summary of the Bush years. It forgets to mention one thing -- how he and others in the big city press helped Bush ascend with their sneering putdowns of Al Gore. The one Bush strong point that Rich cites -- an ability to spin propaganda -- gulled Rich, too, back in the day. Love Story, Love Canal, earth tone clothing, inventing the Internet. Rich dutifully regurgitated it all, making a carciature of a far better man.
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 01:49:53
Thanks to
The Arkansas Project for the genealogy on Colorado's new U.S. senator, the former Denver school super. His wife, the former
Susan Daggett, hails from Marianna.
Saturday, January 03, 2009 - 18:56:34
Why won't the Bushes let the Obamas move into Blair House before the inauguration? Brian Goldsmith poses the question. (Wonder if the Bushes are going to take anything with them, a la the Huckabees?)
Plus: Blago is stripped of his federal security clearance, leaving him "flying in the dark."