Latest Arkansas Headlines

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

No Depreciation of Labor in ACV Claim, Arkansas High Court Says

Dec 14 2015 // An insurer can’t depreciate labor in calculating the actual cash value (ACV) of an insured property in the event of a covered loss, Arkansas high court justices have determined.In an opinion delivered on Dec. 10,...

Appeals Court: Arkansas Checkpoint Unconstitutional, DUI Conviction Dismissed

Dec 11 2015 // Arkansas appeals court judges have reversed and dismissed a drunken-driving conviction, ruling that it resulted from an unconstitutional sobriety checkpoint.The Little Rock Democrat-Gazette reports that Jeremy Whalen was...

Arkansas Gov. Replaces Health Insurance Exchanges Board Members

Dec 3 2015 // Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has replaced the chairman and one other member of a state board that establishes health insurance exchanges for small-business employees and individual consumers.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette...

Claiming Fictitious Charges, Arkansas Residents Sue Energy Firms

Nov 24 2015 // Residents of Faulkner, Conway and Van Buren counties have filed a class action lawsuit against five energy companies claiming they made fictitious deductions and charges against royalty owners.The Log Cabin Democrat...

Health Insurers in Arkansas Owed More than $7.1M in Rebates for 2014

Nov 23 2015 // Arkansas consumers and businesses are owed more than $7.1 million from health insurers because those companies collected too much in premiums last year than what they spent on medical care, according to federal...

Arkansas Man Who Had Surgery on Wrong Side of Brain Awarded $2M

Nov 20 2015 // The family of an Arkansas man left in an impaired state after an operation on the wrong side of his brain has been awarded $2 million by the state’s claims commission.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the...

Oil Company Prevails in Suit Against Insurers over Pipeline Rupture

Nov 16 2015 // An Arkansas federal jury has awarded an oil company nearly $72 million in damages from lost income and expenses stemming from the breach of a pipeline carrying oil from Louisiana to Arkansas.In litigation heard in federal...

Arkansas Sets Workers’ Comp Benefits for 2016

Nov 13 2015 // The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission has determined that the maximum weekly workers’ comp rates for 2016 for covered accidents will be $646 for total disability (TD) and $485 for permanent partial...

Bus Hits Bridge in Arkansas; 6 Migrant Farmworkers Killed

Nov 8 2015 // A bus ferrying migrant farmworkers from Michigan to Texas ran off a highway and hit an overpass in Arkansas on Nov. 6, ripping off the roof and ejecting passengers onto the interstate. Six people were killed and six...

Oil Company Prevails in Suit Against Insurers over Pipeline Rupture

Nov 5 2015 // An Arkansas federal jury has awarded an oil company nearly $72 million in damages from lost income and expenses stemming from a 2012 breach of a pipeline carrying oil from Louisiana to Arkansas.In litigation heard in...

Hormel Recalls Peanut Butter Made in Arkansas Factory

Nov 3 2015 // Hormel Foods Sales LLC is recalling 153 cases of peanut butter made at its Little Rock, Arkansas, factory because of the potential for metal shavings in the jars. The company issued a statement saying 153 cases of reduced...

Arkansas Panel Wants Definition of ‘Small Business’ Expanded

Oct 26 2015 // A legislative panel has asked Arkansas’ insurance commissioner to expand the definition of small businesses so more companies can purchase coverage for their employees through a marketplace.But state Insurance...

Arkansas Appeals Court Upholds Bulk of $2.75M Award for Family Dollar Ex-Workers

Oct 23 2015 // The Arkansas Court of Appeals has upheld $2.75 million in damages awarded to two former employees of Family Dollar whom the business falsely accused of theft. The court upheld the damages a Crittenden County jury awarded...

Large Feral Hog Population a Big Pain for Arkansas Farmers

Oct 22 2015 // Federal and state officials say a large population of wild hogs in Arkansas is causing problems for farmers across the state.State officials estimate there are roughly 200,000 fast-breeding feral hogs spread across the...

Arkansas Drought Heightens Fire Risk, Lowers Lake Levels

Oct 21 2015 // The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says boaters should be careful on Arkansas lakes as a drought lowers water levels, and foresters say outdoor burning should be avoided to reduce the risk of wildfires.The Corps said water...

People – South Central

Oct 19 2015 // The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers elected Bill Henry as the group’s 2016 chairman. Henry is CEO and chairman of Dallas-based MHBT, a Marsh & McLennan Agency company.Henry succeeds Steve Brockmeyer,...

Arkansas to Realign Highway for Crash Reduction

Oct 14 2015 // An intersection on U.S. 65 in southeastern Arkansas is getting realigned in an effort to give drivers better sight lines and reduce fatal crashes.An estimated $500,000 and $750,000 will be spent to redevelop the...

Arkansas’ Health Plan Should Move People Upward, Consultants Say

Oct 9 2015 // Consultants hired by Arkansas legislators to review the state’s “private option” Medicaid plan have recommended that the program continue but suggested changes that would move participants into jobs and...

Fortner Named NAMIC’s Professional Farm Mutual Manager of the Year

Sep 30 2015 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies presented James Bradley (Brad) Fortner, chief operating office of Farmers Protective Mutual Insurance Company in Rogers, Ark., with its Professional Farm Mutual...

Arkansas Mutual Insurance Co. Rated ‘A’ by A.M. Best

Sep 29 2015 // A.M. Best has assigned a financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “a” to Arkansas Mutual Insurance Company (AMIC) in Little Rock, Ark. The outlook assigned to both...