Latest Arkansas Headlines
All the headlines from our Arkansas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Suspicious Fires in Arkansas Targeting Police, Firefighter Properties
May 25 2017 // Authorities in a small Arkansas town say local police and firefighters are being targeted by suspicious fires and vandalism. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the incidents in Cotton Plant began in February, when a...
Agricultural Flood Damage in Arkansas Estimated at $175M
May 18 2017 // Officials say the estimated impact of agricultural flood damage in Arkansas due to recent severe weather is about $175 million. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture says the April flooding affected...
Storm-Related Arkansas Crop Losses Estimated at $64.5M
May 15 2017 // Flooding and severe weather this year have caused an estimated $64.5 million in damage to Arkansas croplands, according to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Some 937,000 acres of cropland have been...
Arkansas Woman Pleads Guilty in Fake U-Haul Crash Case
May 8 2017 // An Little Rock woman has negotiated a plea in an insurance fraud case involving a 2015 reported car accident involving a U-Haul rental vehicle and fraudulent insurance claims, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr...
Arkansas Crop Damage from Floods Pegged at $64.5M
May 8 2017 // Preliminary estimates show that flooding and severe weather have affected more than 900,000 acres of farmland in Arkansas. A report released by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture puts preliminary...
Arkansas Implements 60-Day Premium Payment Extension for Flood Victims
May 8 2017 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr announced a 60-day moratorium on the cancellation/non-renewal of insurance policies for the non-payment of premiums by Arkansans residing in counties declared a disaster by Gov....
Midwest Flood Crisis Remains as Officials Warn of Floodwater Risks
May 5 2017 // River levels fell on May 4 after record and near-record flooding in parts of the Midwest, but the crisis is far from over. Officials have not said when hundreds of residents displaced from flooded properties in suburban...
Number of Arkansas Storm-Related Fatalities Rises to 5
May 2 2017 // A north-central Arkansas volunteer fire chief died after being struck by a vehicle early on April 30 while working as heavy thunderstorms moved through, one of five confirmed storm-related fatalities in the state, an...
Storms Leave Trail of Destruction in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas
May 1 2017 // Severe storms including tornadoes have swept through several small towns in East Texas, leaving a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes. Authorities believe as many as five people were killed and...
NFP Acquires Arkansas’ Thomas Insurance Agency
Apr 10 2017 // National insurance broker and consultant, NFP, has acquired The Thomas Insurance Agency of Benton Inc. in Benton, Ark. Thomas Insurance Agency is a property/casualty insurance broker that provides commercial and personal...
Arkansas Health Plan Panel Recommends Limits on Coverage for Opioids
Apr 6 2017 // An Arkansas health panel has recommended limiting coverage of opioid prescriptions in health plans that cover tens of thousands of state employees and teachers. The recommendations, which are aimed at curbing drug...
Analysis: Uncertainty Helps Keep Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Alive
Apr 3 2017 // One of the biggest accomplishments of the Arkansas legislative session that’s wrapping up is what didn’t happen. For the first time since the program was created four years ago, there was little to no drama...
USGS Forecasts Lower Overall Seismic Hazard for Oklahoma in 2017
Apr 3 2017 // Oklahoma experienced fewer earthquakes last year compared with 2015 and a recent study of human-induced earthquakes predicts another year of reduced seismicity for the state in 2017. The U.S. Geological Survey warns,...
USGS Lowers Seismic Hazard Forecast for Oklahoma in 2017
Mar 31 2017 // Oklahoma experienced fewer earthquakes last year compared with 2015 and a recent study of human-induced earthquakes predicts another year of reduced seismicity for the state in 2017. The U.S. Geological Survey warns,...
Shell Bill Filed in Arkansas Would Allow Alternate Workers’ Comp System
Mar 29 2017 // An Arkansas state senator has filed a bill that would create an alternate system for benefits to injured workers. As yet, SB 653 by Sen. David J. Sanders contains no specifics beyond a statement of purpose, which is...
Little Rock, Arkansas, Now Offers DWI Sobriety Court Option
Mar 29 2017 // Little Rock, Ark., has started a sobriety court program that treats certain people charged with driving while intoxicated. The yearlong intensive program allows “hardcore DWI offenders” to choose that option...
New Arkansas Law Expands Where Concealed Guns Allowed
Mar 23 2017 // Arkansas’ governor has signed a sweeping gun rights measure into law that will allow concealed handguns at state colleges, some bars, government buildings and even the state Capitol. The measure approved by...
How Senate Republicans Are Split Over Obamacare Replacement Bill
Mar 21 2017 // The House is racing to find enough votes for its health-care bill this week, but even if it passes, prospects in the Senate have only darkened. More than enough Senate Republicans oppose the House bill to kill it —...
Hot Springs, Arkansas, Settles $300K Discrimination Lawsuit
Mar 16 2017 // The city of Hot Springs, Ark., has settled a $300,000 federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee of the city’s solid waste department. The Sentinel-Record reports the settlement was reached on March...
Workers’ Comp Insurance Costs in Arkansas Going Down
Mar 13 2017 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr has approved a decrease in workers’ compensation cost of 8.4 percent in overall loss in the voluntary market and a 10.6 percent rate decrease in overall average assigned...
