Latest Arkansas Headlines

All the headlines from our Arkansas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Hilb Group Acquires Arkansas’ Walker Brothers Insurance

Apr 16 2019 // The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Arkansas-based Walker Brothers Insurance Inc. (WBI), effective April 1, 2019. Formed in 1932, WBI is a full-service retail agency primarily focused on commercial property/casualty...

Arkansas Judge Refuses to Dismiss Claims Against Opioid Drug Makers

Apr 7 2019 // An Arkansas judge has rejected a request to dismiss the state’s lawsuit against three drugmakers that alleges they made false marketing claims about the benefits and risks of opioids, contributing to an increase in...

Update: Truck That Exploded in Arkansas Was Carrying Ammonium Nitrate

Mar 29 2019 // A commercial truck hauling a chemical commonly used as fertilizer exploded Wednesday on a highway in Arkansas, killing the driver and creating a massive crater in the road, authorities said.The explosion happened west of...

1 Killed When Truck Carrying Chemical Explodes on Arkansas Highway

Mar 28 2019 // Authorities say a commercial truck carrying an unknown chemical has exploded on a highway in south Arkansas, killing one person and creating a massive crater in the road. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management...

Arkansas Insurance Department Warns of Fake Auto Policy Scam

Mar 26 2019 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr is warning consumers in his state to be wary of individuals posing as car insurance agents to sell fraudulent policies at car dealerships.In a media release, Kerr said the...

Normandy Insurance Expands Workers’ Comp Coverage to Arkansas

Mar 26 2019 // Deerfield Beach, Florida-based workers’ compensation carrier Normandy Insurance Co. is now offering workers’ compensation insurance to small, mid-size and large businesses in Arkansas. The company said it has...

Arkansas Plant Board Bans Older Dicamba Formulas After Mid-April

Mar 25 2019 // A state panel has voted to ban use of older versions of an herbicide, clarifying rules it previously agreed upon in February.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the state Plant Board on Friday unanimously approved an...

Arkansas ‘Truth in Labeling’ Bill Signed by Governor

Mar 22 2019 // Food manufacturers will soon have to comply with “truth in labeling” legislation that aims to protect Arkansas’ meat and rice producers from outlets who, the bill’s sponsor says, mislead consumers...

Insurance Department Takes Over Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace

Mar 19 2019 // The Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace has become part of the state’s insurance department after Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed legislation dissolving the marketplace board as a separate entity.The state Legislature...

Arkansas Legislature Passes Bill Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Cars

Mar 14 2019 // The Arkansas Legislature has approved a bill that allows pilot programs to test fully autonomous vehicles on state roads.The measure will let organizations submit operation and safety plans for up to three autonomous...

Arkansas Wildlife Safari Pays $75K to Settle Animal Welfare Complaint

Mar 12 2019 // The Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari in northwestern Arkansas has agreed to pay a $75,000 fine and plans to reopen this weekend after taking action to resolve a U.S. Department of Agriculture complaint that it violated...

Arkansas Panel Approves Rules for Use of Previously Banned Herbicide

Feb 22 2019 // An Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 91/2-hour public hearing on...

Winter Weather Advisories in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas

Feb 19 2019 // A storm system could yield snow and ice in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS issued a winter weather advisory for Tuesday through Wednesday morning for parts of western Texas,...

Insurance Department Recovered $12.8 M for Arkansans in 2018

Feb 11 2019 // The Arkansas Insurance Department in 2018 secured an additional $12,836,501 in recoveries and restitution for insurance consumers, Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr announced. The Consumer Services Division (CSD) recovered...

Number of Licensed Agents, Agencies Grew in Arkansas Last Year

Jan 21 2019 // There was a 10.8 percent increase in insurance agent licensure in Arkansas in 2018 over the previous year, as well as an uptick in the licensing of insurance businesses, the state insurance department announced. At the end...

Arkansas Town Installs Safe Rooms in All Classrooms

Jan 14 2019 // A school district in a small Arkansas city has installed steel safe rooms in every classroom.KTHV television station reports that installing the safe rooms cost Quitman Public Schools almost $1 million. The safe rooms can...

Arkansas Closes in on Medical Pot Program Launch

Jan 11 2019 // Arkansas panel on Jan. 9 named 32 companies it intends to license to sell medical marijuana, two years after voters approved its legalization and following a series of delays that have frustrated patients and advocates.The...

Arkansas Issues First Pharmacy Benefits Manager Licenses

Jan 9 2019 // The Arkansas Insurance Department has issued the first two licenses under the 2018 Arkansas Pharmacy Benefits Manager Licensure Act —one to Aetna Health Management LLC and one to CaremarkPCS Health LLC.Aetna Health...

Police Report Shows Speed a Factor in Fatal Arkansas Bus Crash

Jan 8 2019 // An initial police report indicates a charter bus carrying elementary school-age football players from Tennessee was going too fast when it rolled off an Arkansas interstate last month and overturned, killing a 9-year-old...

Arkansas Sees Uptick in the Number of Insurance Agents/Agencies

Jan 4 2019 // There was a 10.8 percent increase in insurance agent licensure in Arkansas in 2018 over the previous year, as well as an uptick in the licensing of insurance businesses, the state insurance department announced. At the end...