*UPDATE: Joe Smith has been elected mayor of North Little Rock. He beat state Rep. Tracy Steele, who nearly avoided a run-off in the general election with 48.2 percent of the vote. Smith won the run-off 55 percent to 45 percent, 7,535 to 6,234.

*LET’S GAMBLE: Or at least try to predict the outcome of the NLR mayor’s race and the Arkansas coaching search. The latter has gotten plumb ridiculous. Les Miles to Arkansas for $5 million? Jim Harris over at the new Sporting Life Arkansas is predicting Vanderbilt’s James Franklin. But he’s just guessing.

Advertisement

*UAMS GRANT: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher Nalini Bora was awarded a three-year, $1.1 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to study an inflammatory eye disease that causes 20 percent of all blindness. Bora is the director of research for the Pat and Willard Walker Eye Research Center and will use the grant to find a treatment for idiopathic anterior uveitis (IAU), an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Arkansas Times: Your voice in the fight

Are you tired of watered-down news and biased reporting? The Arkansas Times has been fighting for truth and justice for 50 years. As an alternative newspaper in Little Rock, we are tough, determined, and unafraid to take on powerful forces. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, we are making a difference. But we can't do it without you. Join the 3,400 paid subscribers who support our great journalism and help us hire more writers. Sign up for a subscription today or make a donation of as little as $1 and help keep the Arkansas Times feisty for years to come.

Previous article The morning report Next article Medicaid expansion could save Arkansas $700 million