It was a good week for …

APPROVING A SETTLEMENT. Federal Judge Price Marshall accepted terms of the settlement of the long-running Pulaski desegregation lawsuit. Tweeted Attorney General Dustin McDaniel after the ruling: “Settlement approved! Case closed!”

Advertisement

ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S OFFICE. Disgraced Lt. Gov. Mark Darr finally succumbed to pressure and announced that he would resign. His self-pitying statement initially said, “I submit that resignation to the people of Arkansas, not an elected official,” but on this, too, he caved, stating this week that he would “comply with all formal protocols.”

JAY BARTH. The Times columnist and Hendrix politics professor received the Diane Blair Award from the Southern Political Science Association, which goes to a political scientist who has played an outstanding role in politics or government. 

Advertisement

It was a bad week for …

20-WEEK ABORTION BAN. The United States Supreme Court declined to review a lower court decision that invalidated Arizona’s state law prohibiting most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, far in advance of when a fetus can live outside the womb. This will likely tee up a challenge to invalidate the 20-week ban passed by the Arkansas legislature in a bill by Rep. Andy Mayberry.

Advertisement

MAYOR JILL DABBS. Dennis Edwards resigned as finance director amidst thorny questions over city finances in Bryant, a city that has been no stranger to controversy since Mayor Jill Dabbs’ self-directed pay raise without city council approval earned her a reprimand from the Ethics Commission in 2011. A $1 million certificate of deposit was cashed before its maturity date — on orders of the mayor, according to a former alderman, to cover payment for police vehicles and fire department air packs that the mayor and police forgot to include in the 2013 budget.

SICKNESS According to the state Health Department, 15 Arkansans have died from the flu this season and many more have been hospitalized. The department urges people to get flu shots and see a doctor if they have flu-like symptoms.

Advertisement

CHEERLEADER MOMS A rape charge was filed against Andrea Clevenger of Sherwood for having sex with a 13-year-old boy. Clevenger is one of the moms featured on TLC’s “Cheer Perfection,” a reality TV show about a team of young competitive cheerleaders at Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood. 

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article The working man’s open line, with a hit of pot Next article Remember the Mexican breakfast