Budget bill boosts money for schools, prisonsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' public schools, prisons and Medicaid programs are set to receive boosts in funding while most other state agencies will see a 1 percent cut under a nearly $5.2 billion proposed state budget unveiled Friday afternoon. House and Senate leaders released the proposed Revenue Stabilization Act, the budget bill that's set to go before a legislative committee Monday as lawmakers near the end of this year's session. The pr...

Blytheville police search for suspect in murder plotBLYTHEVILLE (AP) — Blytheville police are searching for a man who is suspected of being involved in a murder plot. The Blytheville Courier News reported a man is wanted for conspiracy to commit murder. According to police, the man is suspected of being the intended hitman in a plot created by a Mississippi County inmate Tylon Calvin King, 28, to kill his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Harris. Police say that calls made between King and the suspect ind...

Bill signed clearing path for Cotton presidential bidLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas has cleared the way for Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton to run for re-election and president in five years, even though the freshman senator hasn't expressed any interest in a White House bid. A spokesman said Friday Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation that would allow U.S. Senate and congressional candidates to simultaneously run for president or vice president. Republican Bart Hester, who proposed the ...

House endorses Dave & Buster's restaurant billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas House has advanced a bill to allow the entertainment restaurant Dave & Buster's to move to the state where it began. Lawmakers voted 73-0 Friday to change the way the state regulates coin-operated games. Arkansas currently restricts the value of prizes in single-play games to $5 or less. In games where players can accumulate multiple winning tickets, the prize value is restricted to $12.50. The restaurant chain ...

Senate approves religious protection billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas inched closer Friday toward becoming the second state this year to adopt a law that critics say would sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians, with the state Senate approving a religious protection bill. The bill, approved by the Senate 24-7, prevents state and local government from taking any action that substantially burdens someone's religious beliefs unless a "compelling" interest is proven. The measur...

House panel advances Ten Commandments display billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Efforts to erect a Ten Commandments monument on the Arkansas Capitol grounds cleared a key hurdle Friday when some House members rejected objections that such a display would be unconstitutional. The bill would allow for a privately funded monument to be placed on the grounds, with its design and location to be approved by the secretary of state. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 upheld a challenge to a similar Texas monument —...

Federal judge tosses ex-ATU softball coach's bias lawsuitLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit by a former college women's softball coach that accused the university of gender and sexual orientation discrimination. The judge dismissed the case Thursday without prejudice, meaning Gidget Pambianchi can't refile it. Pambianchi had coached for Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Pambianchi, who is a lesbian, says she was fired in April 2012 after she moved to fire a male assistan...

Lawsuit against ousted circuit judge is dismissedCONWAY (AP) — A lawsuit over a former Central Arkansas circuit judge's handling of a negligence case has been dismissed by Special Judge David Laser, who called his own decision to do so distasteful. The lawsuit against Michael Maggio was dismissed Friday after Laser ruled Maggio is protected by judicial immunity. Laser said his ruling is "personally distasteful," but said Maggio was performing a judicial function. Maggio was sued by the famil...

Juvenile offenders to be returned to Yell County lockupArkansas' Youth Services Division will resume placing juvenile offenders in the Yell County Juvenile Detention Center in Danville, where it had stopped sending youths after learning of improper actions by guards and staff. The agency announced the decision Friday, about three months after it had stopped sending juveniles to the center in December following the discovery that guards improperly used a mechanical restraint chair, handcuffs or loc...

Governor says there's no room for more tax cutsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that there's no room in his proposed budget for additional tax cuts, despite a renewed push to find funding for a tax exemption for military veterans. Hutchinson told reporters that a $102 million middle class income tax cut he signed into law last month and an effort to restore a capital gains tax break that was scaled back to help pay for that reduction are all that his proposed b...

Senate backs ban on informal transfers of adopteesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Senate unanimously approved measures Thursday banning the informal transfer of adopted children known as "re-homing" — proposals prompted by a lawmaker who gave away his adopted daughters to a man who later admitted to sexually assaulting one of them. With no debate, senators approved a proposal criminalizing the practice of giving an adopted child to an unrelated family without state oversight and another propo...

Key part of Arkansas prison plan given final OKLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A central part of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plan to ease prison overcrowding by clearing the way for the state to partner with counties on regional facilities and expanding alternative sentencing has been given final approval by lawmakers. The bill approved on a 33-0 vote by the Senate on Thursday is aimed at helping clear the backlog of more than 2,600 state inmates at county jails. It allows inmates to apply for Medic...

House: Please drop the egg ban, coo-coo-ca-chooLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas state representative says if California places a "substantial burden" on the Arkansas egg industry, he wants to do the same to California wines. The Arkansas House voted 57-19 Thursday to bar California wine imports. Republican Rep. Dan Douglas of Bentonville says he drafted his bill to protest a voter-approved California law blocking imports of eggs from hens kept in cages so small the animals cannot turn around...

Texarkana city manager resigns, cites health issuesTEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — The city manager of Texarkana has announced his resignation, citing ongoing health issues. City Manager Harold Boldt said Wednesday at a press conference that he will begin dialysis soon, and will likely need a kidney transplant. "In my life right now, stress is a big deal, and it's a part of being a city manager," Boldt said. "When I'm in a meeting and you see me, you don't know what I'm thinking. I have to sit on my em...

House supports overhaul to lottery scholarshipLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' lottery-funded scholarships would be awarded based on the number of credit hours earned by college students under a proposal endorsed by the House. The bill advanced to the Senate on Thursday in a 77-0 vote. Republican Rep. Dwight Tosh of Jonesboro says the change would begin in 2016 and require the Department of Higher Education to award scholarships based on credit hours instead of academic year. Tosh says the ch...

Lawmakers OK cutting funding to Planned ParenthoodLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to cutting off any public funding to abortion providers and entities that refer women to abortion providers, a move that's aimed at blocking money Planned Parenthood has received for sex education programs. By a 70-8 vote, the Republican-controlled House backed the prohibition, which would also apply to "affiliates" of entities that perform abortions or referrals. The measure now ...

Senate backs limit on Common Core test contractLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Senate has voted to limit the length of the state's contract with a testing company whose assessments are based on Common Core education standards. The bill approved by the Senate on a 22-2 vote Thursday prevents the state from entering into a contract for more than a year with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. The measure requires the state to consider the recommendations from...

House rejects ending life sentences for juvenilesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Juvenile offenders in Arkansas will continue to be sentenced to life without parole for certain crimes after the state House rejected a bill to end the practice. House members voted 53-29 Thursday against the proposal to eliminate the sentence for future offenders who are under the age of 18 when they commit a crime. The bill would not have been retroactive but would have required the families of victims be notified of parol...

Senate rejects Medicaid plan freeze proposalLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An effort to stop signing people up for Arkansas' compromise Medicaid expansion has failed in the state Senate. The Senate voted 15-13 Thursday against the bill to require the state to seek approval from the federal government to freeze enrollment in the "private option," which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for the poor. The program was crafted as an alternative to the Medicaid expansion envisioned under t...

Governor says he'd sign religious protection billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday he would sign into law a religious protection measure that opponents have said amounts to a license to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the state. The Republican governor said he supports the latest version of a bill prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a "compelling government interest." The Senate is expected to t...