It was a good week for …

REGAINING SENSES. At the request of the parents, a federal court in St. Louis dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Little Rock School District over a student’s failure to make the Central High School cheerleading squad.

Advertisement

EQUITABLE TAXATION. Gov. Mike Beebe called the legislature into special session to raise the puny severance tax on natural gas and use the proceeds to improve highways.

EMPLOYMENT. Unemployment in the state fell from 5.6 percent in January to 5 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced. It was the largest one-month drop in unemployment in 30 years. No one seemed to know why it happened.

Advertisement

STAYING EVEN. Arkansas’s per capita income kept up with the national average in 2007, but its growth rate of 5.6 percent was higher than that of only two other states, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

REMEMBRANCE. At a meeting in Carroll County, Mormon leaders agreed to seek National Historic Landmark status for the Utah site where 120 Arkansans were killed by Mormons and Indians in 1857. Descendants of the victims had for years been seeking such commemoration of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Advertisement

It was a bad week for …

Advertisement

FIRE. Five sisters, aged 5 through 13, died in a fire at their Bentonville home. Authorities suspected a faulty space heater.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS TUITION. The Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition and fees at most campuses, the increases ranging from 3.9 percent at Pine Bluff to 8.6 percent at Fort Smith.

Advertisement

PROCTOR’S PROBATION PLAN. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued an opinion saying the Pulaski County clerk’s office had improperly collected fees for a nonprofit probation program founded by Circuit Judge Willard Proctor Jr. Proctor said fees would be collected another way. The program has been troubled by questions of ethics violations.

Help to Keep Great Journalism Alive in Arkansas

Join the fight for truth and become a subscriber of the Arkansas Times. We've been battling powerful forces for 50 years through our tough, determined, and feisty journalism. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, our readers value great journalism. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing and supporting our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage. Together, we can continue to hold the powerful accountable and bring important stories to light. Subscribe now or donate for as little as $1 and be a part of the Arkansas Times community.

Previous article The severance tax aftermath Next article Word on the street