Latest Arkansas Headlines

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

Agents Say Arkansas Earthquake Insurance Sales Up

Nov 15 2011 // Insurance agents say the recent 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma has led many Arkansans to add earthquake insurance to their homeowner policies.The Nov. 5 quake east of Oklahoma City left damage over a wide area and...

Arkansas Jury Awards $7M in Fatal Truck Accident

Nov 14 2011 // A federal jury has awarded a $7 million judgment to the family of a Farmington, Mo., truck driver killed when his vehicle collided with another semi-truck in northern Arkansas.The panel in western Arkansas found in favor...

Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor Opposes Flood Insurance Mandate Near Levees

Nov 7 2011 // Two U.S. senators are pressing to remove a federal requirement that homeowners and businesses near levees and dams purchase flood insurance.Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) are circulating a...

Arkansas Farmers Make Out OK in Harsh Weather Year

Nov 2 2011 // “It’s about over, except for the shouting,” said Craighead County Extension Agent-Staff Chairman Branon Thiesse about the 2011 crops.“I don’t know how much shouting there will be, but there...

Arkansas Rural Risk Underwriting Assoc. Assessments due Dec. 31

Oct 28 2011 // The Arkansas Department of Insurance announced that assessments from property/casualty insurers and farm mutual insurance companies for the Arkansas Rural Risk Underwriting Association are due by Dec. 31, 2011. The $200...

Back Taxes Result in More than 6,000 Vacant Properties in Arkansas

Oct 24 2011 // More than 6,000 properties are sitting vacant in Arkansas because the owners are delinquent in paying their taxes.Little Rock television station KTHV reports that state Land Commissioner John Thurston says he wants to get...

$1M in Damage Done in Arkansas Storage Fire

Oct 21 2011 // North Little Rock, Ark., fire officials say a weekend fire at a storage unit facility has caused $1 million in damage to recreational vehicles and a boat and $35,000 to the building.Firefighters responded to the blaze on...

Drought, Flooding Cause Hard Times for Farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana

Oct 18 2011 // In a year when severe drought scorched the Southwest, a hurricane drowned crops in the East, and river flooding swamped farms in the Midwest, one of the worst places to be a farmer may be just west of the Mississippi...

Analysis: Health Care Tops 2012 Debate in Arkansas

Oct 11 2011 // Democrats in Arkansas next year can’t escape the debate over the health care overhaul. They can at least try to change the conversation in their favor.The dispute between Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe’s...

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Seeks Exchange Support

Sep 28 2011 // Arkansas’ top insurance official has asked lawmakers to support the state’s application for a nearly $3.8 million grant to plan for creating an insurance marketplace under the health care law, money that Gov....

Business Moves

Sep 19 2011 // LevelFirstLevelFirst is a new diversified wholesale broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, that serves retail agents in the Southwest and across the country. President and CEO of LevelFirst, Robin...

Contractors Acting As Public Insurance Adjusters Irk States

Sep 5 2011 // Public adjusting activity is not welcome or licensed in all states and even in some where it is, the practice is coming under close scrutiny. In particular, states are cracking down on roofing and other contractors who...

Arkansas Outlines ‘Home State’ Rules for Nonadmitted Insurance

Aug 30 2011 // Arkansas has issued guidance for insurance companies and brokers on premium tax payments for nonadmitted, or excess and surplus, insurance.In Bulletin No. 5-2011, the Arkansas Insurance Department outlined the...

CEO of Arkansas-based Heifer Foundation Sues Board Members, Insurer

Aug 19 2011 // The chief executive of the foundation that supports the hunger-relief organization Heifer International has sued four foundation board members, alleging that he was suspended in retaliation for raising questions about...

Officials Warn of Arkansas Forest Fire Danger

Aug 8 2011 // The Arkansas Forestry Commission said it suppressed at least 18 wildfires so far this weekend. A spokesman says crews are still trying to contain another 12 wildfires across the state. Extreme wildfire conditions have been...

Arkansas Residents Have Two Weeks to Seek Disaster Aid

Aug 4 2011 // The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services says residents in Franklin and Johnson counties who were affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding on May 24 have about two weeks left to file disaster unemployment...

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Group Benefits of Arkansas LLC

Aug 3 2011 // Itasca, Ill.-based insurance brokerage and risk management services firm Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced it has acquired Group Benefits of Arkansas LLC in Ft. Smith, Ark.Established in 2004, Group Benefits of...

Declarations

Aug 1 2011 // A Textual Reminder“Stay Alive, Don’t Text and Drive.” —Arkansas has launched a campaign to remind motorists that it can be deadly to text while behind the wheel. Digital message boards across the state...

Contractors Acting As Public Insurance Adjusters Irk States

Jul 29 2011 // Public adjusting activity is not welcome or licensed in all states and even in some where it is, the practice is coming under close scrutiny. In particular, states are cracking down on roofing and other contractors who...

Arkansas Town Passes Ordinance Banning Dog Breeds

Jul 20 2011 // A new ordinance bans pit bull terriers and other types of dogs inside the limits of an eastern Arkansas city. Members of the Trumann City Council have approved the ordinance barring American pit bull terriers,...