Latest Arkansas Headlines

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

It Figures

Jan 27 2008 // $1.3 MillionArkansas will receive $1.3 million out of the $72 million in funds and assets of Martin Frankel recently seized by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Frankel was sent to...

Arkansas Wants More Time to Comply with REAL ID Law

Jan 23 2008 // Arkansas officials have asked for more time to implement post-Sept. 11 rules for new driver’s licenses.States face a May 11 deadline to comply with the REAL ID regulations, but Arkansas has requested a waiver....

Ark. Seeks to Improve Quality of Workers in State with New Program

Jan 18 2008 // Arkansas state government is promoting a new program for workers who want to improve their job security. The state Department of Workforce Services is among several state agencies that are promoting a new certification for...

Stronger Earthquake Code Rules For Ark. On Hold

Jan 13 2008 // An Arkansas legislative committee in early January 2008 put off a review of the state’s building code after lawmakers questioned costs related to making structures withstand earthquakes that come once every 2,500...

Ark. to Receive a Share of $72 Million from Seized Frankel Assets

Jan 9 2008 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman announced that Arkansas will receive part of the $72 million in funds and assets of Martin Frankel, who was sent to prison for insurance fraud committed in Arkansas...

Rules on Stronger Earthquake Codes for Ark. on Hold for Now

Jan 7 2008 // An Arkansas legislative committee has put off a review of the state’s building code after lawmakers questioned costs related to making structures withstand earthquakes that come once every 2,500 years.Firefighters...

Top Insurance Stories in 2007 in South Central

Dec 31 2007 // Weather, directly or indirectly, was a driving force in the insurance markets for the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in 2007. With the exception of Arkansas, throughout the year the South...

Declarations

Dec 23 2007 // The Worst Storm“This is without question the worst ice storm in state history, and it will require a historic response from all levels of government.” —Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, following severe ice storms...

Weather blows through top stories of 2007

Dec 23 2007 // Weather, directly or indirectly, was a driving force in the insurance markets for the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in 2007. With the exception of Arkansas, throughout the year the South...

Ark. Woman Settles with Insurer in Agent Theft Case

Dec 12 2007 // A settlement in the amount of $435,298.25 has been reached between Reba Irons of Fort Smith, Ark., and Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America in a case involving John Phillip Middleton, an insurance agent who sold...

Ark.’s Commissioner Bowman Re-elected to NAIC Position

Dec 12 2007 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman was re-elected to the position of vice chair of the Southeastern Zone of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) at the association’s...

Ark. Doctor: Children Shouldn’t Ride ATVs

Dec 5 2007 // A doctor at Arkansas Children’s Hospital reviewed files from more than 500 injury accidents in the last 10 years involving all-terrain vehicles. His conclusion is that youngsters shouldn’t be on ATVs.Dr. Cetan...

Lawsuit: Union Pacific Pressured Ark. Families Into Settlements

Oct 30 2007 // A lawsuit filed in Arkansas against Union Pacific claims company officials pressured families of those injured or killed by trains to quickly settle for amounts lower than what they may have received with a lawyer’s...

Ark. Job Injury Rate in Private Industry Lowest in 14 Years

Oct 24 2007 // The rate of job injuries and illnesses in private industry in Arkansas declined last year to 4.4 per 100 full-time workers – the lowest rate in 14 years, the Arkansas Labor Department said.The rate in 2005 was 5.0,...

Declarations

Sep 24 2007 // DeclarationsA gateway crime “Research indicates that auto theft is a gateway crime that potentially leads adolescents to more destructive behavior. … This program explores the relationship among the parties...

Declarations

Sep 24 2007 // A gateway crime “Research indicates that auto theft is a gateway crime that potentially leads adolescents to more destructive behavior. … This program explores the relationship among the parties involved when...

Ark. to Receive $224K from United Healthcare Settlement

Sep 14 2007 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman announced that Arkansas stands to receive more than $224,000 as a result of a regulatory settlement agreement between United Healthcare Insurance and 36 states and the...

Ark. Commissioner to Travel to Meet with Producers, Educate Consumers

Sep 7 2007 // Ark. Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman will head to various Arkansas communities the third week of September to field questions from insurance consumers, the Arkansas Insurance Department reported.Commissioner...

Residents in Rural Ark. Community to Enjoy Low Fire-Insurance Rates

Sep 6 2007 // The 33 residents of the Holley Mountain Airpark in rural Van Buren County, Ark., enjoy a break on their home-insurance rates that most residents of cities around the state would envy: A Class 1 rating.That rating, the...

New rules for residential contractors in Ark.

Sep 3 2007 // All must show proof of workers’ comp insuranceResidential contractors in Arkansas who own their own businesses may opt out of workers’ compensation coverage for themselves, but must purchase it for their...