May 4-10
It was a good week for…
GAMBLERS After many casinos along the Mississippi River closed due to flooding, the Arkansas Racing Commission granted the Southland racino in West Memphis “emergency status” to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
GRETCHEN HALL The interim director of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau was chosen to be the new director. Her name was added for consideration by the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission by Mayor Mark Stodola after a search committee initially produced two candidates from other cities.
THE RIVER MARKET Juanita’s Cafe and Bar, one of Little Rock’s oldest restaurant/venues, announced that it will move from South Main Street to a space on the eastern end of Clinton Avenue in June. More details on page 34.
CIRCUIT JUDGE L.T. SIMES The Arkansas Supreme Court decided, for the second time, not to go along with a recommendation by the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission to remove the Phillips County circuit judge from the bench for ethical violations. He got a reprimand instead.
It was a bad week for…
FLOODING Creeks and rivers — especially the Mississippi and the White Rivers — continued to rise, leaving communities inundated throughout the eastern half of the state. High waters forced I-40 to close in both directions, forcing lengthy detours.
REPUBLICAN U.S. REP. RICK CRAWFORD During his congressional campaign, he said he’d paid off health care debts from his 1998 bankruptcy. The Arkansas-Democrat Gazette has apparently uncovered evidence that suggests that was lie. But rather than answer the question of whether he settled the debts in 2010 for campaign reasons, Crawford blamed the predicament on his opponents and asked for an FBI investigation into the leak of his credit history.
THE LITTLE ROCK ZOO Mary, the Little Rock Zoo’s 60-year-old elephant, died after a bout with terminal cancer. An animal interest group has called on the zoo to send its remaining elephant, Ellen, to a sanctuary for her final years.