ArklatexPolitics.com

Posted 1 day 19 hours 50 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe's campaign
says he's raised more than $1.3 million for his re-election bid and
has more than $1.2 million in the bank.
His campaign announced Monday that Beebe raised $313,615 in
February. That reflects more than $1.3 million he's raised since
starting his re-election campaign. Beebe had raised more than $1
million in January when he began the campaign.
Beebe is a Democrat seeking a second term. Former state
legislator Jim Keet is the only Republican running against him.
Monday is the deadline for state candidates to file their
monthly fundraising reports.

Posted 1 day 19 hours 52 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- A Republican candidate for governor in
Arkansas says that if elected he would urge lawmakers to approve
legislation refusing to pay for costs associated with a proposed
national health care overhaul.
Former state legislator Jim Keet said Monday he would push for a
measure similar to a bill recently approved in Virginia this month
that rejected health insurance mandates.
The legality of bills like Virginia's is questionable because
courts generally rule that federal laws supersede those of the
states.
Keet says he doesn't know if such a proposal would be
constitutional, but he would be willing to defend it in court.
Keet is the only Republican running against Gov. Mike Beebe, a
Democrat seeking a second term.
Beebe says he's concerned about the impact that any proposed
health care reforms would have on Arkansas' budget.

Posted 1 day 19 hours 53 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has declared
three counties disaster areas because of damage caused by tornadoes
and severe storms last week.
Monday's declaration covers Cleburne, Saline and White counties,
which were hit by tornadoes and high winds during a severe weather
outbreak on Wednesday. A Pearson man died, three others were
injured and homes and businesses were damaged during the storms.
The counties are now eligible for funds from the Public
Assistance Program, which helps local governments defray costs
related to storm response and clean up.
Officials say updated reports continue to come in, but they
don't expect to reach the required thresholds to qualify for
federal assistance for this round of severe weather.

Posted 4 days 21 hours 40 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- An Arkansas congressman says a bill
he's offering would reduce health-care costs so that insurance
coverage would be cheaper and thus available to millions more
Americans.
Congressman Marion Berry said Thursday his measure would also
cut the costs of the federal government's Medicare and Medicaid
programs.
The Democrat who represents the 1st District in east Arkansas
said he was offering his measure as an alternative to the bill
being promoted by President Obama. He said that bill's
anti-abortion provisions aren't strong enough.
Berry said his measure would not require health-insurance
coverage to be offered or provided to any more people, but would
make that more likely as costs go down.

Posted 4 days 21 hours 43 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas officials are launching a new
campaign encouraging people to keep track of what's in their
medicine cabinets in the hopes of combating prescription drug
abuse.
The "Monitor, Secure, Dispose" campaign asks people to keep
track of how many pills they have, secure medications in a safe
place and safely dispose of unneeded and expired medications.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says the state has warned teens
about the dangers of underage drinking and illegal drug abuse, and
now it's time to focus on pharmaceuticals.
McDaniel says the campaign will also include town-hall meetings
to educate parents, teachers and others about the dangers of
prescription drugs.

Posted 6 days 22 hours 19 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Democratic Senate candidate Bill Halter
says if elected he wouldn't accept any cost-of-living pay raises as
long as there's a federal budget deficit.
Halter on Tuesday said he would oppose any automatic pay raises
and would donate the money to charity if any were approved in
Congress. The Arkansas lieutenant governor is challenging
Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the May 18 primary.
Members of the House and Senate under current federal law
receive automatic cost-of-living raises each year, unless they pass
legislation rejecting the raise. Congress rejected a pay raise for
this year.
Halter also said that if elected he'd hold town hall meetings in
all 75 counties, make his schedules available to the public online
and never become a lobbyist after serving in the Senate.

Posted 6 days 22 hours 21 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor says he's
open to passing health care reforms with a simple majority in the
Senate -- but says it's not his first choice.
The Arkansas senator told reporters Wednesday that he's not
ruling out supporting passing the proposed health care overhauls in
a process known as reconciliation.
Democratic leaders are looking at a two-step approach in which
the House approves a Senate-passed bill from last year, despite
House Democrats' opposition to several provisions. Both houses then
would follow by approving a companion measure to make changes in
the first bill.
Fellow Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas on Tuesday
insisted she is opposed to the simple majority vote, despite saying
she wanted to see what is in the legislation.

Posted 1 week 16 hours 40 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Democratic Senate candidate Bill Halter
says if elected he wouldn't accept any cost-of-living pay raises as
long as there's a federal budget deficit.
Halter on Tuesday said he would oppose any automatic pay raises
and would donate the money to charity if any were approved in
Congress. The Arkansas lieutenant governor is challenging
Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the May 18 primary.
Members of the House and Senate under current federal law
receive automatic cost-of-living raises each year, unless they pass
legislation rejecting the raise. Congress rejected a pay raise for
this year.
Halter also said that if elected he'd hold town hall meetings in
all 75 counties, make his schedules available to the public online
and never become a lobbyist after serving in the Senate.

Posted 1 week 22 hours 24 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Long before the Whitewater scandal
ended his governorship, Jim Guy Tucker was an officer in the Marine
Corps Reserve who couldn't go to Vietnam because he had a liver
disease.
So he went on his own as a civilian correspondent, documenting
the war for Asian and U.S. media outlets.
Tucker's photos from his two trips to Vietnam are featured in a
new exhibit alongside work from his Hall High School classmate,
Bruce Wesson. "Warriors: Vietnam Portraits By Two Guys From
Hall," opened Friday and runs through Aug. 8 at the MacArthur
Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock.
Tucker says photography became a new passion of his as he
traveled throughout Vietnam. His black-and-white photographs depict
Arkansans at war -- sometimes relaxing, other times responding to
attack.
Tucker's former classmate, Wesson, says he hopes the exhibit
honors Vietnam veterans and makes them proud of their service.

Posted 1 week 22 hours 27 minutes ago
Posted In: Home, Arkansas

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senator Blanche Lincoln says she is still
opposed to pushing a health care bill through the Senate with a
simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what was in
the legislation.
Lincoln, a Democrat who faces more liberal challenger in the
party primary plus GOP opposition, said Tuesday her earlier comment
should not be taken as a change of heart. Lincoln says she is still
opposed to the controversial majority-vote procedure known as
"reconciliation."
Reconciliation could put a health care reform measure up for a
simple-majority vote.
Lincoln told reporters outside the Senate floor Tuesday, "I
don't support reconciliation! All I said was I want to see what's
in it."