News

Arkansas lawmakers are considering boosting funding for public schools and Medicaid while also giving state employees a 2 percent cost-of-living raise under legislation outlining the state's proposed $4.9 billion budget for the coming year.  

Legislators were handed copies Thursday night of the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, the budget bill for the state. The measure prioritizes spending based on expected revenue and is scheduled to go before the Joint Budget Committee Friday. 

A proposed constitutional amendment that would, among other things, prohibit state legislators and constitutional officers from accepting gifts from lobbyists is closer to being on the 2014 ballot after passing the Senate Thursday.

An Arkansas legislative panel has advanced an effort to outlaw most lobbyist gifts to elected officials, ban corporate campaign contributions and loosen term limits for state lawmakers.  

The Joint Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Thursday approved a proposal to let voters decide on adding a package of ethics and campaign finance rules to the state's constitution.

A previous version of the proposal cleared the House earlier this month, but was rejected earlier this week when the backers sought to make several minor changes to the bill.  

A spokesman says Gov. Mike Beebe will sign legislation next week that authorizes Arkansas to accept federal Medicaid funds and use them to buy private insurance for low-income residents.  

Beebe will sign the bills at a ceremony next Monday at 9:30 a.m. The Legislature gave final approval to the plan Wednesday night.  

In a press conference Thursday, officials heading the Mayflower Oil Spill clean up efforts say the air and water qualities in the affected area remain at safe levels for residents.  6,750 cubic yards of solid waste materials have been removed from the site, but more decontamination must be done to remove the 5,000 barrels of oil spilled.  

Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson, the local on-scene coordinator, assures residents that the Mayflower Incident United Command team has experts and trained staff to handle all aspects of the clean up.

The Arkansas Earth Day Foundation, is inviting the public to its an annual festival.

“The whole point of the Earth Day Festival is to help teach the community about living a greener, more sustainable life,” said Christy Askea, the foundation’s president.

The festival is free and is being held on the grounds of Heifer International in Little Rock on Friday at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Severe storms are expected Thursday throughout Arkansas as a storm system and cold front gradually make their way through the state. 

The National Weather Service says isolated tornadoes and damaging winds are possible ahead of and along the cold front. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., says western Arkansas is at a slight risk for severe weather, while the central and eastern parts of the state are at a moderate risk.

The state is opening a call center for residents in Van Buren, Izard and Lincoln counties who have damage to their homes as a result of the April 10 storms and tornadoes that struck Arkansas. 

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management says the call center will open Thursday and will be open until May 1st. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Tyson Foods has donated more than 27,000 pounds of chicken to the Arkansas Rice Depot. 

The donation to the statewide food bank arrived Wednesday. Arkansas Rice Depot President and CEO Laura Rhea says the donation is essential to help the food bank support dozens of pantries and thousands of people in every Arkansas county. She says the group distributes 9 million pounds of food each year.

Arkansas will await federal approval of a plan to provide private health insurance to roughly 250,000 of the state’s working poor with federal money after the state Senate approved a bill allowing the plan to be funded Wednesday night.