Latest Arkansas Headlines

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

Arkansas Law Increases Penalties for Boating While Intoxicated

Sep 9 2015 // A new Arkansas law prompted by the deaths of two University of Arkansas students makes driving a boat while intoxicated as serious as driving a car while impaired.The law, which went into effect this summer, was enacted...

Arkansas AG: State Law Bars Local LGBT Protections

Sep 3 2015 // Five local measures prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity cannot be enforced because of a new Arkansas law barring such protections, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge wrote in a...

Arkansas to See Max 7.15% Rate Hike in Health Marketplace in 2016

Aug 27 2015 // Arkansas’ insurance commissioner says health insurance rates on the state’s marketplace will increase by no more than 7.15 percent next year.The Arkansas Insurance Department approved the 2016 rates for...

Judge OKs Agreement in Arkansas ExxonMobile Oil Leak Suit

Aug 13 2015 // A federal judge has signed an agreement among the operators of an oil pipeline and state and federal governments to end a lawsuit filed over a pipeline rupture that soiled land and water in central Arkansas in 2013. U.S....

FEMA Disaster Aid to Arkansas Tops $2M

Aug 5 2015 // Federal officials say the government has provided more than $2 million in aid to help Arkansas recover from storms that hit in May and June.Tornadoes, high winds and flooding ravaged the state between May 7 and June 15....

Former Arkansas Insurance Company Exec Sentenced for Embezzlement

Aug 3 2015 // The former president of a Little Rock, Ark.-based insurance company was sentenced in July to one year and one day in prison for embezzlement.John Mathis “Matt” Lile, III, of Little Rock, the former president of...

Former Arkansas Insurance Exec Sentenced for Embezzlement

Jul 28 2015 // The former president of a Little Rock, Ark.-based insurance company has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for embezzlement.United States District Judge Susan Webber Wright sentenced John Mathis...

One Month Left to Register for Arkansas Disaster Aid: FEMA

Jul 27 2015 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says residents of nine Arkansas counties have just one month left to register for disaster assistance for damage from severe storms in May and June. FEMA said Friday Arkansans who...

FEMA Aid Tops $1M for Arkansas Storm Recovery

Jul 21 2015 // Financial aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has reached more than $1 million for Arkansas residents in nine counties who were hit by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 7 to June 15. The agency...

Arkansas Cities Back Anti-Discrimination Measures Despite New Law

Jul 21 2015 // Most Arkansas municipalities that have adopted broader anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians say they’ll keep enforcing the measures despite a new law taking effect this week intended to prohibit such...

Arkansas Utility Objects to Planned Exxon Oil Pipeline Spill Settlement

Jul 20 2015 // An Arkansas water utility has expressed objection to the Justice Department’s proposed settlement with Exxon Mobil over a 2013 pipeline spill in the Mayflower neighborhood.Central Arkansas Water’s opposition to...

People – South Central

Jul 20 2015 // Dale Randol has been promoted to president and CEO of San Antonio-based IBC Insurance. He replaces his father, Edwin “Eddie” Randol, who becomes chairman of the agency.Both men joined IBC in 2000 when IBC...

Tornado-Torn Arkansas Town to Build Shelter with Grant Money

Jul 17 2015 // An Arkansas town damaged by an April 2014 tornado will receive more than $1 million in federal grant money to build a safe room that will shelter more than a thousand people.Arkansas Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton and...

Flood Damage in Arkansas County Exceeds $14M: Report

Jul 15 2015 // Recent floods caused more than $14 million in damages in a southwest Arkansas county, according to a report by county officials and the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.Around half of the land in Little...

Arkansas AG Launches Metal Theft Enforcement Program

Jul 15 2015 // Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge recently announced a new initiative from the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Division to combat the problem of metal theft.During a press conference at the state...

Flooding Hampers Commerce on Arkansas River System

Jul 14 2015 // Drenching rains and flooding over the past two months have greatly reduced barge traffic along the 455-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and dented the finances of companies that depend on the...

Claiming Musical-Chairs Injury Arkansas Woman Sues for $75K

Jul 12 2015 // A former student of a Malvern college wants the state of Arkansas to pay her $75,000 in damages after she said she broke two fingers during a classroom game of musical chairs.Robin Earnest of Saline County said she and two...

Western National Approved to Offer Insurance in Arkansas

Jul 1 2015 // The Arkansas Insurance Department announced that Western National Mutual Insurance Co. (WNIC) has been approved to conduct business in Arkansas.WNIC is the parent company of the Western National Insurance Group with more...

Disaster Declared in 9 Arkansas Counties Following Storms

Jun 29 2015 // President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for nine Arkansas counties because of recent storms, tornadoes and flooding.The declaration makes federal funds available for temporary housing and home repairs,...

Arkansas Lawmaker: Flooding Highlights Need for Levee Standards

Jun 26 2015 // Changes to Arkansas’ levee system after recent flooding in the state should be on the agenda if the Legislature is called back into a special session , a key lawmaker said.Republican Sen. Jason Rapert, who chairs the...