Kali Hardig, 12, went swimming in a Little Rock, Ark., lake earlier this month—and, in a nightmare scenario, she’s now battling a brain-eating parasite . Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba that gets to the brain through the nose, typically infecting people who go swimming in freshwater, CNN reports. But… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Health
A fatal police shooting in Little Rock, Ark. sparked local protests Monday, in the midst of national controversy over the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.
FOX16 reported that Little Rock police officer Terry McDaniel killed 26-year-old Deon Williams by firing at least two shots from his service weapon at around 11:30 a.m. Monday. The department said in a statement that Williams was fleeing on foot from McDaniel when a handgun dropped out of his waistband. The statement said that Williams looked toward the police officer, picked up the handgun, and started to get to his feet. At that point, McDaniel fired his weapon. Williams was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The pursuit had begun when Williams fled the Chevrolet Suburban he was driving as McDaniel and another officer approached the car. According to the statement from police, the officers thought the vehicle matched a description of a stolen car that had been reported, and also had an expired license plate.
Shemedia Shelton, a friend of Williams, told FOX16 that the vehicle belonged to her and had not been stolen.
Little Rock police said that McDaniel, who is black, and his partner had been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated to determine whether a crime was committed and whether departmental policies were followed.
An impromptu protest formed near the investigation scene, and many participants called the shooting unjust and cited their frustration about Zimmerman’s acquittal Saturday in Florida in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin.
“It was an outrage what they just did in Florida with Trayvon Martin,” said Dominique Neal, 25. “I’m still mad about that. Then … this right here in our city, it’s an outrage.”
One protester carried a sign that called for justice for a teen killed by Little Rock police last year.
At a vigil hours later on the state Capitol steps that was organized in response to the Zimmerman verdict, several hundred attendees chanted “No justice, no peace,” and called for an end to police profiling of black males and an end to black-on-black violence.
Will McClinton, of Little Rock, said he also took part in the street protest following Williams’ shooting and that it felt empowering.
“We gave [police] a very good message,” he said. “We organized a peaceful little protest. We stood strong and didn’t move.”
Brody Johnson held a sign that read, “LRPD, We demand answers,” but he said he doubted the department would respond.
“They never do,” Johnson said.
“People have a right to express their opinions and ideas and we’re going to protect that right,” Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. “By the same token, we have an obligation to follow through with what we have to do at the scene.”
State Rep. Fred Love, D-Little Rock, president of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he wanted the vigil to be a starting point for a conversation about ending profiling of black males.
“How do we turn this tragedy into something that will honor Trayvon’s life?” Love asked, and then provided his own answer. “We must stop the …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By Barry M. Bloom No matter when he pitches and for how long, the Midsummer Classic will be special for Travis Wood because he’s teammates with his childhood buddy Cliff Lee, the hard-throwing Phillies left-hander who is an All-Star for the fourth time. The two live about five minutes apart near Little Rock, Ark., and they train and hunt together in the offseason. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
Filed under: Health Care, U.S. Government, Barack Obama, Health Insurance, People
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
WASHINGTON — Rejecting the Medicaid expansion in the federal health care law could have unexpected consequences for states where Republican lawmakers remain steadfastly opposed to what they scorn as “Obamacare.”
It could mean exposing businesses to Internal Revenue Service penalties and leaving low-income citizens unable to afford coverage even as legal immigrants get financial aid for their premiums. For the poorest people, it could virtually guarantee that they will remain uninsured and dependent on the emergency room at local hospitals that already face federal cutbacks.
Concern about such consequences helped forge a deal in Arkansas last week. The Republican-controlled Legislature endorsed a plan by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe to accept additional Medicaid money under the federal law, but to use the new dollars to buy private insurance for eligible residents.
One of the main arguments for the private option was that it would help businesses avoid tax penalties.
The Obama administration hasn’t signed off on the Arkansas deal, and it’s unclear how many other states will use it as a model. But it reflects a pragmatic streak in American politics that’s still the exception in the polarized health care debate.
“The biggest lesson out of Arkansas is not so much the exact structure of what they are doing,” said Alan Weil, executive director of the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy. “Part of it is just a message of creativity, that they can look at it and say, ‘How can we do this in a way that works for us?'”
About half the nearly 30 million uninsured people expected to gain coverage under President Barack Obama‘s health care overhaul would do so through Medicaid. Its expansion would cover low-income people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about $15,860 for an individual.
Middle-class people who don’t have coverage at their jobs will be able to purchase private insurance in new state markets, helped by new federal tax credits. The big push to sign up the uninsured starts this fall, and coverage takes effect Jan. 1.
As originally written, the Affordable Care Act required states to accept the Medicaid expansion as a condition of staying in the program. Last summer’s Supreme Court decision gave each state the right to decide. While that pleased many governors, it also created complications by opening the door to unintended consequences.
So far, 20 mostly blue states, plus the District of Columbia, have accepted the expansion.
Thirteen GOP-led states have declined. They say Medicaid already is too costly, and they don’t trust Washington to keep its promise of generous funding for
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/22/medicaid-expansion/
Arkansas officials are recommending blood tests for about 100 young patients of a dentist who sedated them with a drug possibly contaminated with infectious material.
The Department of Health is contacting patients treated by the now deceased Dr. William Jarrod Stewart at several clinics between Nov. 20, 2011, and Feb. 20, 2012. Officials said patients of other clinic doctors, or patients who did not receive intravenous sedation, are not believed to be at risk.
The clinics are the Ocean Dental clinics in Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Jonesboro and Little Rock and the Bevans Pediatric Dentistry in Little Rock.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the transmission of infectious diseases in dental offices is rare. State officials said Tuesday they were not aware of any illnesses linked to the clinics.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. Announces First Quarter Earnings Release Date and Conference Call
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (NAS: OZRK) expects to report first quarter earnings at the close of business Thursday, April 11, 2013. Management plans to conduct a conference call to review this information at 10:00 a.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. EDT) on Friday, April 12, 2013. Interested parties may listen to this call by dialing 1-888-438-5524 (United States and Canada only) and asking for the Bank of the Ozarks conference call. A recorded playback of the call will be available for one week following the call at 1-888-203-1112 (U.S. and Canada) or 719-457-0820 (internationally). The passcode for this playback is 9306467. The call will be available live or in a recorded version on the Company’s website www.bankozarks.com under “Investor Relations.”
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. is a bank holding company with $4.04 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2012 and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OZRK.” The Company owns a state-chartered subsidiary bank that conducts banking operations through 117 offices in Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Company may be contacted at (501) 978-2265 or P. O. Box 8811, Little Rock, Arkansas 72231-8811. The Company’s website is: www.bankozarks.com.
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.
Susan Blair, 501-978-2217
KEYWORDS: United States North America Arkansas
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:
The article Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. Announces First Quarter Earnings Release Date and Conference Call originally appeared on Fool.com.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Arjun Sreekumar, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
In the energy industry, oil spills are more common than one might think. Though media attention tends to focus primarily on the most devastating ones, smaller ones do happen from time to time, despite the industry’s renewed focus on safety measures since the infamous BP Deepwater Horizon incident – the worst accidental oil spill in history.
Just ask ExxonMobil .
ExxonMobil pipeline ruptures
On March 29, ExxonMobil’s 940-mile Pegasus crude oil pipeline ruptured near Mayflower, Ark. – a town some 25 miles northwest of Little Rock. According to the Mayflower Incident Unified Command Joint Information Center, the spill has been classified as a major one by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The pipeline, which starts in Patoka, Ill., transports some 95,000 barrels per day of mainly heavy Canadian crude oil to a terminal in Nederland, Texas, that is operated by Sunoco Logistics, now part of Energy Transfer Partners . Exxon reversed the line’s flow in 2006 in order to transport crude to the Gulf Coast refining hub.
Pegasus, which is 20 inches in diameter, serves refineries in the Port Arthur and Beaumont regions. According to Bloomberg, there are four major plants near Nederland – operated by Exxon, Valero , Total, and Motiva Enterprises – that are capable of processing some 1.4 million barrels of crude a day.
At the time it ruptured, the line was transporting Wabasca Heavy Crude from western Canada. Wabasca Heavy is a blend of heavy crude oil produced in Alberta’s oil sands by Cenovus Energy, Canadian Natural Resources , and Suncor Energy. Due to its physical qualities, it is in high demand by U.S. Gulf Coast refiners.
Effect on benchmark crude prices
The line’s temporary closure, which will reduce the supply of crude from western Canada and the U.S. Midwest, is likely to worsen the glut of oil in those regions. Due to limited transportation options, crude oil in those two regions has been trading at a substantial discount to the global crude oil benchmark, Brent.
In fact, Western Canada Select (WCS) – the benchmark for western Canadian crude – had been trading at a discount more than $30 even to West Texas Intermediate (WTI) – the primarily U.S. crude oil benchmark – until very recently, due to severe limitations in outbound pipeline capacity from Alberta.
WTI‘s discount to Brent, which narrowed to its lowest level since July on March 28, increased to $14.01 on Monday, as WTI fell $1.22. Meanwhile, WCS slipped by $0.65 a barrel on Monday and was trading at a roughly $15 discount to WTI toward the end of the day.
Exxon’s response
Exxon is currently under way with an excavation and removal plan for the damaged portion of the pipeline. In an announcement yesterday, the company said it gathered roughly 12,000 barrels of oil and water from the spill.
It also reportedly deployed fifteen vacuum trucks and 33 storage tanks to the area where the spill occurred. According to a statement by …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Arkansas’ attorney general on Tuesday asked ExxonMobil to preserve records pending a state investigation into a crude oil spill that, while small, has generated broader questions about the safety of cross-country pipelines.
Clean-up crews have recovered about 12,000 barrels of crude oil and water since a leak on Friday soiled a neighborhood in Mayflower, about 25 miles northwest of Little Rock, and almost threatened nearby Lake Conway.
“There are many questions and concerns remaining as to the long-term impacts, environmental or otherwise, from this spill,” Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel wrote to ExxonMobil executives Tuesday while launching a probe into the leak’s cause and impact. The company said it will cooperate.
Investigators were still working to determine what caused the spill, which led authorities to evacuate nearly two dozen homes.
“It’s obvious that the rupture was not the fault of the state and the state has been damaged in addition to the private property owners,” McDaniel told reporters Tuesday.
The Arkansas spill comes days after a train carrying crude from Canada derailed last week in western Minnesota, leaking thousands of gallons of oil onto the frozen ground.
While the Minnesota spill appeared to be under control from an ecological standpoint, it stood to play a role in the politics surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil from tar sands in Canada to refineries in Texas.
Environmentalists have criticized the Keystone XL proposal, though a recent State Department report seemed to knock down one of their arguments by saying that when it comes to global warming, shipping the oil by pipeline would release less pollution than using rail.
Still, some environmentalists pointed to the recent Arkansas spill to highlight their concerns about the Keystone XL pipeline.
“It’s not a question of whether pipelines leak. It’s when,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.
A spokesman for TransCanada, the Keystone pipeline builder, said the environmentalists’ arguments aren’t so much about a particular pipeline as they are about a larger campaign to end the use of fossil fuels.
“The problem with that is you can’t sit there and lead the public to believe that if one …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By The Huffington Post News Editors
MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) — The environmental impacts of an oil spill in central Arkansas began to come into focus Monday as officials said a couple of dead ducks and 10 live oily birds were found after an ExxonMobil Corp. pipeline ruptured last week.
“I’m an animal lover, a wildlife lover, as probably most of the people here are,” Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson told reporters. “We don’t like to see that. No one does.”
Officials are urging people in Mayflower, a small city about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock, not to touch any injured or oiled animals as crews clean up Friday’s spill.
The environmental impacts of an oil spill in central Arkansas began to come into focus Monday as officials said a couple of dead ducks and 10 live oily birds were found after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week.
“I’m an animal lover, a wildlife lover, as probably most of the people here are,” Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson told reporters. “We don’t like to see that. No one does.”
Officials are urging people in Mayflower, a small city about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock, not to touch any injured or oiled animals as crews clean up Friday’s spill.
About 12,000 barrels of oil and water have been recovered since ExxonMobil’s Pegasus pipeline sprung a leak, spewing oil onto lawns and roadways and nearly fouling a nearby lake.
Dodson said he expects a few more oily birds to turn up in the coming days.
“I don’t expect a great number of them,” he said. “I’ll be thoroughly disappointed if there are.”
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the spill, which led authorities to evacuate nearly two dozen homes in a subdivision.
It’s not clear when residents will be able to return to their homes, but Dodson said it could be within days for some people.
“Our focus is to protect the community,” said Karen Tyrone, vice president of operations for ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. “We have air monitoring going on seven days a week, 24 hours a day … and to date, we have no indication that there’s a health impact on the community.”
Still, the air smells like oil, and area residents say it has for days.
“We live five miles out in the country and we’ve had the smell out there,” Karen Lewis, 54, said outside a local grocery store. Its parking lot, like much of this small city, is teeming with cleanup crews and their trucks.
Meanwhile, in the neighborhood where the pipeline burst, workers in yellow suits waded in an oil-soaked lawn Monday as they tried to clean up part of the area where the spill began.
The pipeline that ruptured dates back to the 1940s, according to ExxonMobil, and is part of the Pegasus pipeline that carries crude oil from the Midwest to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Exxon spokesman Charlie Engelmann said the oil is conventionally produced Canadian heavy crude.
“Crude oil is crude oil,” Dodson said. “None of it is real good to touch.”
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. Announces Increased Regular Quarterly Dividend
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. (NAS: OZRK) announced its Board of Directors has approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per common share payable April 19, 2013 to shareholders of record as of April 12, 2013. The dividend of $0.17 per share represents an increase of $0.02 per share, or 13.3%, over the dividend paid in the previous quarter. The Company has increased its quarterly dividend in thirteen of the last fourteen quarters, including the past eleven consecutive quarters.
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. is a bank holding company with $4.04 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2012 and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OZRK.” The Company owns a state-chartered subsidiary bank that conducts banking operations through 117 offices in Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Company may be contacted at (501) 978-2265 or P. O. Box 8811, Little Rock, Arkansas 72231-8811. The Company’s website is: www.bankozarks.com.
Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.
Susan Blair, 501-978-2217
KEYWORDS: United States North America Arkansas
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:
The article Bank of the Ozarks, Inc. Announces Increased Regular Quarterly Dividend originally appeared on Fool.com.
Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
One worker died and three others were injured this morning when a heavy piece of equipment fell on them at an Arkansas nuclear plant, officials said. The workers were moving the equipment from the turbine building at an Entergy Arkansas plant in Russellville, about 70 miles northwest of Little Rock…. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Entergy Arkansas says a worker was killed and three others injured when a heavy piece of equipment fell at a nuclear plant.
The utility says the public is not a risk after the industrial accident Sunday morning at its Arkansas Nuclear One plant in Russellville, about 70 miles northwest of Little Rock. Entergy says the workers were moving the equipment from the plant’s turbine building.
Entergy and the Arkansas Department of Health say the accident did not affect the plant’s reactors. They also say radiation wasn’t involved. The reactors have been shut down, and the company says they are stable.
The company stress that there is no danger to the public.
Chief nuclear officer Jeff Forbes says Entergy is “deeply saddened” by the accident.
The poster has been revealed for Zombieland, Amazon’s new TV take on the hit movie. The writers of the hit film, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, have returned to write and executive produce this new take on their story, which picks up just a couple of weeks after the events of the film, with Kirk Ward, Maiara Walsh, Tyler Ross and Izabela Vidovic playing Tallahassee, Wichita, Columbus and Little Rock – the characters played in the film by Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin.
HuffPost TV debuted the poster for Zombieland, which will be made available for free as a standalone pilot on Amazon in April, along with several other new pilots. Viewer feedback will determine which of the pilots gets picked up to series.
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Movies
By The Huffington Post News Editors
The long rumored sequel to the surprise 2009 hit “Zombieland” seems to be dead at this point. (Not zombie dead. Really dead.) The reason — and the good news for fans of the film — is that Amazon has ordered a 13-episode series that continues the adventures of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock as they make their way through the zombified wasteland of the United States.
Now, adapting a film into a television series isn’t too much of a stretch in this case, considering that the original film was supposed to be a series in the first place. We spoke to the two writers of the new “Zombieland” pilot, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also wrote the film and are currently on a press tour to promote their new film, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” Reese and Wernick explained the process of adapting the film and talked about replacing its stars, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.
The “Zombieland” series with Amazon sounds really interesting. But at the same time, does this kill any chance of a sequel?
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Amazon has officially ordered a “Zombieland” pilot and HuffPost TV has the exclusive first look at what the series could look like.
Like the movie of the same name on which the pilot is based, Amazon’s “Zombieland” will follow four survivors as they attempt to outwit the walkers and find a place to make their home. Kirk Ward will play Tallahassee (originated by Woody Harrelson), Maiara Walsh will star as Wichita (originated by Emma Stone), Tyler Ross is set to play Columbus (originated by Jesse Eisenberg) and Izabela Vidovic takes over as Little Rock (originated by Abigail Breslin).
Take a look at the quartet in Amazon’s “Zombieland” key art below.
Read More…
More on Zombie Apocalypse
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
WhiteHorse Finance Provides Financing for Advanced Tissue
MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. (or the “Company”) (NAS: WHF) announced today that it has provided a $17 million Senior Secured Financing Facility for Comprehensive Decubitus Therapy, Inc. (also known as “Advanced Tissue“). WhiteHorse Finance’s investment includes a revolving credit facility and a senior secured term loan.
Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Advanced Tissue is a leading supplier of wound care products to individuals, clinics, and senior care facilities. Advanced Tissue offers a broad array of products for the treatment of wounds arising from diabetes and other chronic conditions. FirstSouthwest, a diversified investment bank, acted as financial advisor to Advanced Tissue in this transaction.
WhiteHorse Finance has extensive experience investing in healthcare companies, including past investments in acute care providers, senior care and pharmaceutical companies.
About WhiteHorse Finance, Inc.
WhiteHorse Finance, Inc. is a business development company that originates and invests in loans to privately held small-cap companies across a broad range of industries. The Company’s investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, H.I.G. WhiteHorse Advisers, LLC, an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, L.L.C. (“H.I.G. Capital”). H.I.G. Capital is a leading global alternative asset manager managing approximately $11 billion of capital as of December 31, 2012 across a number of funds focused on the small-cap market. For more information about H.I.G. Capital, please visit http://www.higcapital.com. For more information about the Company, please visit http://www.whitehorsefinance.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
Alastair Merrick<br …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Arkansas State Board of Nursing Launches New Online Tool
Online application system streamlines the application process
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) recently launched a new online Licensure application system. The program is the first in the state to integrate the Criminal Background Check process into the online application process. To access the application, visit https://www.ark.org/bon/licensure/index.php.
“We are excited to introduce this valuable and efficient new online service,” said ASBN Director Sue Tedford. “The new automated process is expected to significantly reduce the application approval time. This system will replace the previous manual process for 24 nursing license types.”
Previously, nurses and students completed and submitted paper applications by mail or in person. ASBN staff manually entered and submitted each application through the Criminal Back Ground Check process for license review. With over 3,000 new licenses processed annually, the cost savings in paper and time for both nurses and students and the ASBN will be extraordinary. A key feature of the new application process incorporates an application “Status Check” which allows the board to communicate directly with the applicant regarding the applicant’s application and allows the applicant to view their application as it moves through the phases of processing.
About Arkansas.gov
Arkansas.gov is the official Web site of the state of Arkansas (http://www.arkansas.gov) and a service of the Information Network of Arkansas offering more than 1100 state and local online services. The Information Network of Arkansas is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of eGovernment firm NIC‘s (NAS: EGOV) family of companies.
About NIC
NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation’s leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company’s …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Chicot County, Arkansas, Launches an Online Tax Payment Service
Property owners can now pay their Property and Real Estate tax with a credit/debit card online, by phone, and in Collector’s office
CHICOT COUNTY, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Chicot County Tax Collector, Gail Seamans, announces four new convenient ways for property owners to pay Property and Real Estate tax using a credit/debit card. “We’re very excited to provide property owners in Chicot County the ability to pay their taxes online through the new payment services we now offer. Our goal is to offer property owners easy and accessible options for payment of taxes.”
Property owners can pay their Property and Real Estate taxes the following ways:
Property tax collections are used to fund a variety of county services including public education, libraries, police and fire, local infrastructure and emergency medical services. It is important that citizens meet the October 15 deadline to stay compliant with the county rules and avoid penalty late fees.
To use the online personal property and real estate tax payment services, taxpayers may enter the parcel number provided on their tax statements, or search the database by name or address for specific parcels. The property tax system guides the user through a series of entry screens, and provides a confirmation and printable receipt page for recordkeeping.
For a complete list of services provided by the county visit http://chicotcounty.arkansas.gov/services.
About Arkansas.gov
Arkansas.gov is the official Web site of the state of Arkansas (http://www.arkansas.gov) and a service of the Information Network of Arkansas offering more than 1100 state and local online services. The Information Network of Arkansas is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of eGovernment firm NIC‘s (NAS: EGOV) family …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Little Rock may not be a likely terrorism target or a gang crime hotspot, but the Arkansas capital has decided to follow the example of high-security cities by expanding electronic surveillance of its streets.
A police car with a device that photographs license plates moves through the city and scans the traffic on the streets, relaying the data it collects to a computer for sifting. Police say the surveillance helps identify stolen cars and drivers with outstanding arrest warrants.
It also allows authorities to monitor where average citizens might be at any particular time. That bothers some residents, as well as groups that oppose public intrusions into individual privacy. The groups are becoming more alarmed about license plate tracking as a growing number of police departments acquire the technology.
Though authorities in Washington, D.C., London and Chicago conduct extensive electronic surveillance of public areas to detect security threats or deter gang crime, “Today, increasingly, even towns without stoplights have license plate readers,” said Catherine Crump, a New York-based staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.
In Little Rock, even some city officials wonder about keeping data on drivers’ movements.
“It bothered me particularly if someone wasn’t guilty of a crime or didn’t have any active warrants or hadn’t committed a crime,” city director Ken Richardson said.
However, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said the law enforcement benefits outweigh any concerns about possible abuse of the information, which, as a public record, is legally available for anyone to see. He said the department may get more of the devices.
“Should that potential of misuse therefore eliminate the capacity of law enforcement to collect data which has a legitimate purpose for the safety of our officers or the appropriateness of enforcement actions? I don’t think so,” he said.
Little Rock police bought the tracker last year for about $14,000, as interest in the technology began spreading in law enforcement circles. The purchase didn’t require city council approval and didn’t attract much attention in town.
“There was no public notice or anything,” police spokeswoman Sgt. Cassandra Davis said.
Richardson said he didn’t hear about the device until after it had been collecting data for months. He said he said he hasn’t heard many complaints.
“It’s hard for you to have a problem with something if you don’t know it’s going on,” he said.
Many Little Rock residents apparently still haven’t heard about the surveillance. Angel Weston, 45, said she’s glad to hear that police are looking for stolen cars and people with warrants but wondered about keeping logs of citizens’ movements.
“I don’t feel like they should keep the data for six or 12 months,” Weston said.
Lawmakers in several states, including Minnesota and Utah, have suggested setting a time limit for their departments, but Little Rock has no policy yet. The department now has a growing archive of license plate photos, along with time stamps and the locations, showing where motorists were at certain times.
Privacy advocates worry about the potential uses for such outside law enforcement, from snooping by stalkers and private investigators to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
