Halter promotes the lottery

Lt. Governor Bill Halter spoke to the Magnolia Rotarians for lunch today. This was the latest stop on his statewide tour to pitch the proposed Scholarship Lottery Amendment. A couple of questions raised concerns on whether the Legislature could divert revenue from the lottery for other purposes, and one person questioned whether southern Arkansas would lose its best students to "Jonesboro and Fayetteville" with the resulting scholarships.

Halter discussed Georgia's Hope Scholarship Program, and he's now armed with UCA poll numbers showing 64% of Arkansans in favor of the measure. Elsewhere, the Associated Press is reporting concerns by Oklahoma lottery officials this week that an Arkansas lottery could cost that state $10 million annually.