It was a good week for...
THE ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS After four consecutive losses, the football Hogs finally managed a victory. That it occurred over hapless Auburn didn't do much to relieve the collective angst gripping the state.
ETHICS Paul Spencer, the Catholic High teacher who led the truncated petition drive for a state ethics law, has submitted a new ballot proposal to the attorney general's office for approval. It's identical to the earlier petition — which bans corporate and union contributions to political campaigns of those covered, ends gifts by lobbyists to public officials and imposes a two-year waiting period before covered politicians can become lobbyists — but adds state constitutional officers to the measure, which had applied only to state legislators. Spencer hopes the measure will be certified in time to gather signatures at November election polls. He hopes to see the measure on the 2014 ballot.
It was a bad week for...
THE ARKANSAS REPUBLICAN PARTY It had to answer for racist and nutty statements made by three state House candidates — Charlie Fuqua, Rep. Jon Hubbard and Rep. Loy Mauch — that drew national attention (more on pages 7 and 13). Republicans tried to distance themselves from the statements, while supporting the candidates' First Amendment protection, but stopped short of suggesting any of the men should withdraw. Control of the House of Representatives is expected to come down to a handful of races.
JACK GILLEAN Faulkner County authorities charged the former chief of staff at the University of Central Arkansas with four felonies, including commercial burglary. A cooperating student witness has allegedly said Gillean gave him a master key that allowed him to enter faculty offices and steal tests.
THE LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT The family suing Little Rock police over the fatal shooting of an elderly man in his apartment has asked the U.S. Justice Department to mount a civil rights investigation of the death and the department's use of deadly force. Eugene Ellison, 67, the father of one current and one former Little Rock officer, was fatally shot in his apartment in December 2010 after two off-duty officers — Donna Lesher and Tabitha McCrillis — working as security guards entered the apartment to check on Ellison. They say he reacted violently. The shooting was ruled justified. The family has contended that the internal investigation was flawed because the homicide division that did the work was under supervision of one of the officer's husband and that evidence is inconsistent with the accounts given by officers.