News

Randolph County authorities say they're still searching for a man who posed as a police officer and stopped a driver near Pocahontas.  

Sheriff Gary Tribble told The Jonesboro Sun Thursday that authorities have determined the man who made the stop on April 2 was not a police officer.  

Tribble says the imposter first stopped the driver inside the Pocahontas city limits and directed the person to a location outside the city.

U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is defending passage of the federal health care overhaul  while on a visit to Arkansas.

Pelosi spoke in Little Rock Thursday at an event organized by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.  

She received a standing ovation when she took the stage, shortly before she praised the passage of the Affordable Care Act as a momentous achievement.  

The Arkansas finance office says higher than expected growth in individual income tax collections  boosted the state's revenue above expectation and above last year's numbers in April.  

The Department of Finance and Administration said Thursday the state's net available revenues for April totaled $642.8 million. That's $84 million above last year and $79.8 million above forecast.

The state's year-to-date revenues total $4.1 billion, which is $163.9 million above forecast.

Authorities in Randolph County say a blind man was shot in the face while walking on a gravel road near Dalton.  

Officials say 38-year-old Timothy King, who was blinded by a gunshot 10 years ago, is in a Memphis, Tenn., hospital, where his jaw is wired shut.  

The man's mother, Judy King, told The Jonesboro Sun that Timothy King knew the Rock Glade Trail road well and liked to go for long walks.  

Randolph County Sheriff Gary Tribble says Arkansas State Police are assisting in the investigation.

The Little Rock School District's advisory committee to its anti-bullying effort is to meet to discuss how to reduce student harassment.

The panel has scheduled a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the district administration building at 810 West Markham.    

Members of the committee include parents, students, district staff and other community members. The panel is conducting studies, identifying problems and developing recommendations on solutions.  

The committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

Organizers say a film screening Wednesday on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock could be the start of an initiative to empower women in the state through educational opportunities. 

The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas partnered with officials from the University of Central Arkansas and UALR to show a documentary titled “Girl Rising.”

The National Weather Service in Little Rock says a strong cold front is heading for the state and is expected to bring precipitation and cold temperatures. 

The front is expected to move across the region on Thursday, but meteorologists say no severe storms are in the immediate forecast. Temperatures are forecast to drop by as much as 35 degrees behind the front on Friday.

The Arkansas Health Department is reminding residents that tick season is starting and people should be mindful that the insects can carry diseases. 

The agency said Wednesday that more than 900 cases of tick-borne diseases were reported in 2012 and that many more went unreported. Five people died as a result.

Officials say four diseases are most commonly spread by ticks - anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia. Some of the infections can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system if left untreated.

The Little Rock School District's advisory committee to its anti-bullying effort is to meet to discuss how to reduce student harassment. 

The panel has scheduled a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the district administration building at 810 West Markham.

Members of the committee include parents, students, district staff and other community members. The panel is conducting studies, identifying problems and developing recommendations on solutions.

The committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.  

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the current Democratic leader and former Speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington, will participate in a lunchtime Clinton School discussion of current political issues Thursday.

Nicolai DiPippa, director of public programs at the Clinton School, says to expect a wide range of topics of current importance.