Local News
in Little Rock, AR (showing 1 - 9 out of 9)

School was about to start. Doctors at a Pennsylvania pediatric practice wanted to remind parents to get their children vaccinated against human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause a variety of cancers. The doctors produced a 90-second video and posted it to the practice&39s Facebook page.

Pope Francis on Saturday replaced Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati as archbishop of Santiago, Chile, after he was placed under criminal investigation in the country&39s spiraling church sex-abuse and cover-up scandal.

In a remote stretch of New Mexico desert, the U.S. government put in motion an experiment aimed at proving to the world that radioactive waste could be safely disposed of deep underground, rendering it less of a threat to the environment.

Heres the open line, plus a neighborhood food note. I made a visit to Heights Corner Market this morning and learned from owner Eric Herget that, as early as next week, theyll be using a portion of the store for a new partership with another business with roots dating back 70 years or so, Community Bakery.The downtown institution is going to supply and serve croissants, doughnuts, breakfast items and a range of specialty breads at tables in the center of the store and for takeout.PS: Yes of course the Racing Commission today approved real casino licenses for the existing electronic casinos at Oaklawn Park and Southland Park. They take effect April 1 and sports bookmaking will be soon to follow. The Commission takes p casino applications for Jefferson and Pope Counties in May.Worst thing to watch on the innertubes today: A Viking cruise ship that lost power in heavy seas off the coast of Norway. It was able to anchor before running around, but the 1,300 passengers are being lifted off the ship by helicopter, one by one and dangling in high winds in the process. Five helicopters are available. It will take a while unless efforts to get the engine going are successful. Lots of passenger video of stuff sliding all over the ship and people in life jackets at muster stations waiting for rescue

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazettes Rachel Herzog reports this morning on a new policy instituted by Mayor Frank Scott Jr. to require all media requests for information to be routed through the mayors office and his senior adviser Kendra Pruitt and part-time city employee Stephanie Jackson, who handled PR for Scott in his mayoral campaign. This is problematic. I encountered the leading edge of this new policy last week when I made a Freedom of Information Act request to City Attorney Tom Carpenter for a draft of the ordinance requested by Scott to create a citizen police review board. None is available I was told in an e-mail on which Pruitt and Jackson were copied. Hmmmm, I thought. Heres the problem, apart from the aroma of autocracy. Of course any city employee can be expected to let the boss know when the media is inquiring about a subject with any degree of controversy. But Little Rock city government is a sprawling $300 million enterprise. Must every call to a police information officer for a detail on a crime report be routed through the mayor When D-G columnist Frank Fellone asks the traffic department about a new stoplight, must it first go through the mayor My frequent calls to the Planning Department about this or that item on the Board of Adjust agenda Must they, too, first be routed through Stephanie Jackson and Kendra Pruitt for processing Must my inquiries about Scotts outstanding bill in the campaign for Jacksons work and the still-pending question of who paid for his inaugural party go through them first It goes on and on from my question to Public Works about my garbage pickup to Luke Skrables many inquiries about code enforcement to election-year calls to the city clerk for election filings to the Zoo director about a new anteater. As a practical matter, the mayor doesnt or shouldnt need to take this on. Its a delay in service to those seeking information and a time-waster for the mayor and staff. Politically, the action is more ominous. Ominous, too, is Herzogs indication that the office will be slow to respond to FOI requests, such as hers on the new media policy. There is, by the way, no FOI exemption for draft versions of city paperwork such as documents that have undoubtedly been produced as Scott moves toward a proposal on a police review board. Scotts responses to questions about this and other matters, such as the media policy, will tell us a lot about his vow to be transparent. Note to the mayor: Your texts and e-mails to Jackson, Pruitt and other advisers ARE public information.

Former Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission members have released a statement opposing SB 550, the bill intended to make it easier for operators of factory farms to dispose of, particularly, pig manure.The billtransfers regulation of disposal of liquid animal waste from the Department of Environmental Quality to the farmer-friendly Natural Resources Commission, effectively negating any past regulation of, among others, the Buffalo River watershed and perhaps even the C and H factory hog farm near Mount Judea,though backers of the bill dispute that. The bill is so bad that Gov. Asa Hutchinson has spoken out against the Farm Bureau-backed measure, part of a national Farm Bureau effort to ease environmental regulations. In addition to threatening water through percolation though limestone formations, the massive land application of the waste is building up tremendous amounts of phosphorous that can wash into waterways.The statement:, sent to leaders of the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee, where the Senate-passed bill goes next week: We the undersigned who are former members of the Arkansas Pollution Control & Ecology Commission write to express our opposition to SB550. The development of Regulation 5, which this act would negate, was a careful process. It involved negotiations with appropriate state agencies, the Arkansas Attorney General, critical stakeholders including the Arkansas Pork Producers, the Farm Bureau, the Arkansas Poultry Federation, various environmental organizations, the general public, and the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, there were public hearings held across the state. The regulatory framework that the Commission established through that process provided all interested parties the right to participate in the permitting process and to appeal final decisions on permits for the management of liquid animal waste. Furthermore, we do not see the necessity to transfer this authority from ADEQ and the PC&E Commission or how this change will improve the regulatory process or the protections in place for the environment or those affected by decisions regarding these facilities. Eliminating ADEQsprogram has the potential to result in heightened scrutiny and additional regulation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The bill that is under consideration which would replace the current regulatory program lacks the components of the existing program discussed above and may be rife with unintende consequences as the attached letter suggests. In closing, we believe that ADEQ and the PC&E Commission are uniquely qualified to administer the liquid animal waste permitting program in a manner to satisfy federal requirements for public participation and appeal rights. For these reasons, we urge you to vote against SB550. Tom Schueck Dr. John Simpson Allen Carter Dr. Joseph Bates Randy Wilbourn John Chamberlin Julia Mobley Tri Watkins Ann HenryThe Farm Bureau and the rural members of the legislature are a powerful combination. They dont have much fear of environmentalists. Absent the passion for the algae-clogged Buffalo River, this probably would be no debate at all.

Historic county courthouses stand as iconic symbols of Arkansass development as a state, elegant testaments to justice and important sentries to the history of the state. Explore these relics in AETN original documentary History on the Line: Preserving County Courthouses premiering Thursday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m. or join us for a free preview screening Sunday, March 17, at 3 p.m. at Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock.

Were counting down the the tip-off of the 2019 1A-6A boys and girls high school basketball state finals Watch our live coverage - held in partnership with the Arkansas Activities Association - from the Hot Springs Convention Center Bank OZK Arena March 7-9.

Its that time of year again AETN is now accepting entries for the AETN PBS KIDS Writers Contest through Friday, April 5. Learn more about this contest designed to promote the advancement of childrens literacy skills through hands-on, active learning and rules for kindergarten through third grade students after the jump.

According to the Little Rock Police Department, officers are currently on the scene of a homicide at Spanish Jon Apartments.

Officers find victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

The body of Senior Airman Shawn Mckeough is now back home in Maine. He was shot and killed trying to stop a robbery at a North Little Rock gas station on Friday, March 15.

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