News

The Arkansas Education Board has agreed to allow the Bradley School District in southwest Arkansas to merge with the adjacent Emerson-Taylor School District.

The Bradley School Board sought the change because it is hovering near the 350-student minimum that the state requires districts maintain to continue operating independently.

Bradley Superintendent Gammye Moore said merging with the Emerson-Taylor School District would bring no major changes, such as closed schools.

The Little Rock Film Festival enters its seventh year this week. Viewers, critics, and directors will descend onto Main Street for over one hundred films, panels, and events from May 15th to 19th. 

Justin Nickels (note: not Nichols), a programmer with the festival says the festival dates are especially advantageous to Arkansans wishing to preview films before they reach wider audiences,

Rep. Debra Hobbs says she's seeking the Republican nomination for Arkansas governor next year.

The third-term lawmaker from Rogers on Monday said she'll formally launch her bid for the state's top office after June 17, but said she's already decided to run. Hobbs is the third Republican to announce a bid for governor next year.

Hobbs has served in the state House since 2009 and hasn't faced a primary or general election opponent for her seat. Hobbs said she hoped to initially raise at least $500,000 for her bid.

Arkansas State Police say a 64-year-old man was struck and killed while riding his bicycle on a state highway in Yell County.

State police say the collision happened Sunday night on Arkansas 27 in Danville. A preliminary report says Bobby Wayne Gist was riding his bike northbound when he was struck from behind by a man driving a pickup truck.

Police say the driver told authorities he did not see Gist on the bicycle. The driver was not injured in the collision.

A University of Arkansas Board of Trustees committee is meeting this week to review proposed tuition and fee increases at its campuses across the state.

The Fiscal Affairs Committee meeting begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Little Rock.

Institutions that have proposed tuition and fee increases exceeding 3.5 percent have been asked to appear. They include the University of Arkansas-Little Rock; UA-Fort Smith; UA-Monticello; and UA-Pine Bluff. The proposed increases range from 4.9 percent at UALR and UAPB and 5.4 percent at UAM to 10 percent at UAFS.

Another Arkansas college has opted out of a new state law that allows faculty and staff members to carry concealed guns on campus.

East Arkansas Community College's board of trustees voted last week to opt out of the law, passed this year by the Legislature. The Times-Herald reports that the board decided that hiring extra armed security officers would be a better option for the two-year school in Forrest City.

The $1.1 billion Big River Steel mill that's planned for Osceola could be under construction later this year, but a number of things have to happen before dirt can be turned for the superproject. 

The plant is awaiting rulings from two state regulators and it still must get signatures from financial backers and state officials before work can start.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will be hosting a public meeting on the permitting process for entities dealing waste tires in the state.

On Wednesday, representatives from regional governments, businesses and individuals are expected to attend and discuss the two types of permits: one for collection centers and one for waste tire processors.