The mid-week line commences. Closing out:

* VOTE SUPPRESSION RULES: The Senate this afternoon overrode Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of the Voter ID bill, aimed at depressing turnout of traditional Democratic voting constituencies. The party line vote was 21-12, with Democratic Sens. Burnett and Teague not voting. Beebe said it will create cost for the state and obstacles to voting with no evidence that there’s been voter impersonation to combat. Republicans have cited, dishonestly, an absentee vote buying scheme in East Arkansas as justification when the ID would have had no impact on the case. The House votes next.

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* LES WYATT BACK AT ARKANSAS STATE: Les Wyatt, the former president of Arkansas State University, went back to work Jan. 1 at ASU as a $115,000-a-year professor of higher education. He went on leave in 2010 after a period of controversy over his work as a consultant for a company that works with universities to deliver online degree programs. Some faculty saw that as a conflict of interest. As the documents produced by an FOI request show, he’s severed his relationship with that company now.

* FLY LIT TO ORLANDO: Allegiant Airlines announced today twice-weekly flights from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport to Orlando, effective June 6. Fares will be as low as $59.99 one way.

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* EX-CON TO POLICE CHIEF: 40/29 reports here on the hiring of a new Sulphur Springs police chief, a fired Bella Vista cop who did jail time for negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of a suspect after a high-speed chase. This is terrible folks. This guy shot a suspect multiple times. The scandal precedes his hiring in Sulphur Springs. An examination is needed for why the state law enforcement standards commission certified a guy who’d served time for killing over the objections of the attorney general’s office.

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