Early voting numbers as of Friday afternoon

Statewide:
314,740 early voters
26,224 absentee ballots returnes for a total of 340,964 (20% of the registered voters)

From Miller County Clerk Ann Nicholas:
4,566 early voters and long lines waiting
456 absentee ballots mailed

You can vote from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday.

BREAKING: Miller County Sheriff Linda Rambo resigns

Sheriff Linda Rambo has resigned effective 1 p.m. Monday after receiving an ultimatum to resign or face criminal charges for allowing a jailer to use a county truck and an inmate held at the jail to move the jailer’s sister. The Miller County Quorum Court will appoint an interim sheriff until recently elected Sheriff Ron Stovall can take over Jan 1.

Governor supports rainy-day fund

Governor Beebe mentioned the potential for a "rainy-day fund" this morning on his monthly call-in radio show as a way to protect essential services in the event of an economic downturn. Rep. Bruce Maloch filed legislation last session to set aside some of the surplus for a rainy-day fund, and even though it was enacted, it was not funded. Such a mechanism would help stave off tax hikes if we find ourselves with a shortfall, but setting aside part of the surplus would also reduce the amount available for meaningful tax relief (assuming there is a surplus once we convene on January 12). We'll know much more of the governor's fiscal recommendations for the next biennium once he presents his budget proposal on November 13.

Legislative advocacy

I sat on a panel moderated by Arkansas Business Publisher Jeff Hankins and alongside Speaker-designate Robbie Wills and Rep. Bruce Maloch this morning at UALR. Today's seminar also included Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and panels of senators and staff from the governor's office. We covered an array of topics that should arise in the next legislative session and some that may be introduced, depending on the outcome of some of the ballot issues (lottery, annual sessions).

Chairman of ATRS Board of Trustees resigns post

Robin Nichols, head of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System board of trustees, resigned her chairmanship yesterday after defending her travel to conferences and meetings last week. The board also voted yesterday to accept the resignation of Executive Director Paul Doane, appoint Chief Operating Officer Gail Bolden as interim executive director, and begin advertising for a permanent executive director.

Also on the resignation front today, Miller County Sheriff Linda Rambo was told earlier this week to resign by Friday or face criminal charges for misfeasance in office. She's accused of allowing a county truck and an Arkansas Department of Correction inmate to be used to move the sister of a jail official (also a relative of the sheriff's). 8th Judicial District South Prosecuting Attorney Brent Haltom tells the Texarkana Gazette that if she resigns today, he won't file criminal charges.

Issues facing seniors with Jimmie Lou Fisher

Former state treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher was in Texarkana Thursday discussing issues facing Arkansas seniors in today's economic climate. Fisher is now heading up the "Senior Caucus" in Arkansas. Among the issues discussed were health care, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. While everyone wants to control spending, it's important that no cuts take place in state programs for public health, especially now that we're seeing the Medicaid Trust Fund being spent down right here in Arkansas. Fisher urged that state and federal budgets be balanced to avoid detriment to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and veterans’ programs. A hallmark of Medicare, she said, is that all beneficiaries, even those in rural or underserved communities, have real access to dependable health care. While the ultimate goal, she said, is to ensure that all Arkansans have the opportunity to obtain affordable and accessible healthcare, it's critical that no senior citizen in this state be in the position to have to choose between medically necessary drugs and food or other necessities.

Hard-hitting ads in NC Senate race

Polls are showing the North Carolina Senate race to be among the nation's most competitive, and the ads are getting as much print on op-ed pages over there as the candidates themselves. Here are a few of them:

States with largest percentage of uncontested state legislative races?

Arkansas is ranked second nationally in terms of uncontested legislative seats this year, which I think can be attributed directly to term limits. 80.5% of our legislative seats have already been determined. Massachusetts is first with 84% of its legislative seats having no contested election. Contrast that with Minnesota, where 99.3% of the legislative seats are contested.

Few legislative chambers could change
While the Arkansas and federal legislative chambers will be Democratically-controlled after Tuesday, there are a few chambers around the country that are in play:

• Alaska Senate: It's currently 9D/11R, and there are a few competitive races.
• Ohio House: Currently 46D/53R, and the Democrats are outspending the Republican counterparts in the legislative races. With it being a battleground, just about every candidate has stumped alongside the presidential ticket in the state.
• North Dakota Senate: Currently 21D/26R, and three of the four open seats are Republican-held.

Here's a map showing the current control of state legislative chambers:

Red: Both chambers controlled by Republicans
Blue: Both controlled by Democrats
Purple: One party controls one chamber and the other party controls the other
Nebraska has a unicameral, non-partisan legislature

Over 10% of registered voters in Arkansas have already been to the polls

With a few days of early voting left, over 200,000 Arkansans have already voted. If you're going to risk it and wait until election day to vote, click here to confirm your polling site.

Supreme Court adopts minor changes to Ark. Rules of Civil Procedure

The Arkansas Supreme Court published a per curiam late last week that made some minor modifications to the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure, Administrative Orders, Rules of Appellate Procedure—Civil, and Rules of The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The changes are centered around a recent Adminstrative Order that requires the redaction of certain information from filings. There's a delicate balance that must be struck in order to maintain the public’s right to know versus litigants’ rights to keep confidential information private.

The changes are obviously readying the Arkansas court system for the electronic publishing and recording of pleadings and other documents, thanks in large part to the efforts of Justice Paul Danielson. Hopefully, Arkansas will employ the same electronic system used in federal courts to allow people to access any public documents from their home or office. Here's a link to the per curiam.

You can take the dog out of the fight...

I was going to wait until after the election to write about David Pryor's energy on the campaign trail, but after attending yesterday's rally in Fayetteville, I decided to go ahead and post it now. When my grandfather ran for governor in '52, he was defeated by Francis Cherry. Pryor ended up being Cherry's driver two years later in his bid for re-election. That was normally enough to take you off grandaddy's A-list with most pols, but not with Pryor. We were a Pryor family from the time he was elected to Congress.

As an aside, you just had to know my grandfather, who was from the old school in politics. With him, it was all black and white. Whether it was a campaign or an issue, you were with him or against him -- there was no gray area (if an opponent said they were leaning one way or another or were "inclined to oppose" an issue, he'd call them out on it on stage. "Either be for it or against it").

If you haven't read Pryor's book, read it. Regardless of your ideology, you'll love it. Like few others, it's one of those inspring books about Arkansas politics that'll make you want to make this a better state. Even spending time at Harvard this summer, I was surprised at the influence he still has on the Kennedy School after serving as the Director of the Institute of Politics there. The faculty talked about him daily.

There's no doubt why Governor Beebe tapped Pryor to fill this role. He doesn't do anything halfway. He's done us a tremendous favor by taking on this position, but after seeing him again on the trail yesterday, I think we've done him a big favor as well -- we've given him an excuse to get back at doing what he loves best. Here he is in his element:

Here's Doug Thompson's report from yesterday's rally

No. 1 lottery retailer in the state of Texas

Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter was in town this morning to discuss the proposed Scholarship Lottery Amendment. The store over his shoulder, which is just across State Line Avenue in Texas, sells more lottery tickets than any of the other 16,000 locations in the entire state. That's quite a feat when you consider the size of other Texas cities (including three of the nation's ten most populous). That store alone sold $3.625 million in lottery tickets just last year. While there, many Arkansans purchase other items and are sending all the tax revenue to Austin to educate Texans. Vote FOR proposed Amendment No. 3.

Mark Pryor stumps in Texarkana

Sen. Mark Pryor was in town this morning working on his re-election efforts. Here he is talking with Julie Parr of KTBS-3, the local ABC affiliate. National polls show that Democrats could pick up enough seats to have a filibuster-proof Senate, but 57-58 looks more likely.

Never give up

That's what House District 70 candidate J.P. Bewley is telling his supporters. Bewley's brother gave him this necklace with the same message before being deployed to Iraq. He'll never come back -- Kevin Bewley was killed while on duty with an elite Navy Special Operations unit in Iraq on November 7, 2007. His legacy inspired this run for the State House.

Bewley completed his graduate studies at Harvard Business School and studied Nuclear Physics at Arkansas Tech. Read his blog here.

Signs don't vote

...But I still like to count the signs for candidates when I travel around Arkansas. I come from an area of the state where the worth of your candidacy is based to some on whose yards your signs are in. People here will tell you you're losing because your opponent's signs outnumber yours on a specific street 10-8. It wasn't until Mary Anne Salmon gave me a break and hired me for the Clinton/Gore '96 campaign did I realize that campaigns didn't revolve solely around signs and field work. On the Arkansas bus tour that year, I pointed out to Bill Paschall how many signs one particular candidate had, and he said "signs don't vote." Of course, he's of the thoery that a candidate should spend most of his/her money on radio, television or direct mail, but he's right.

Still, while it's no secret that Obama isn't going to win Polk and Scott counties, driving from Texarkana to Fayetteville yesterday, I only saw two clusters of Obama signs from the time I hit the Sevier County line until I got to Sebastian County. I say clusters because the people that had Obama signs in their yard didn't have just one. The entire perimeter of their property was fortified with signs from front to back as if to say "yeah, I'm for him -- what about it?" You have to admire that type -- they're exactly the people you want to enlist in your campaign. They're the ones that'll go directly to the supporters of your opponent and either try to talk them out of their support or, at the very least, neutralize them.

One final observation about yard signs and stickers: they can absolutely demoralize candidates. While riding in a parade one year, about 70% of the people in the crowd were wearing my opponent's sticker. Later that campaign, though, I spent most of one Saturday knocking on doors and putting signs out in the yards of his neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods. I wondered what the expression on his face would be when he drove home that night -- probably the same as mine when I saw that crowd at the parade. On the other hand, when my uncle opposed Jim Gunter for prosecuting attorney down here, Gunter told someone that he thought he was going to "Tackett," not Nashville, because of all the Tackett signs he saw on the drive up to Howard County. Gunter won that race. My God I love campaign season.

Nothing beats retail politics and knocking on doors, but while signs don't vote, to a lot of Arkanans, they're the central part of local campaigns.

Corruption in my home county

The headline in today's Texarkana Gazette reveals that a jail official here in Miller County allowed a county-owned truck and inmate labor from the Arkansas Dept. of Correction to be used to assist her sister in a move. Prosecuting Attorney Brent Haltom tells the sheriff to quit or face charges.

The final stretch

With one week out, there are several Arkansas legislative races that remain toss-ups, with several others being close enough that turnout will likely determine the winner. The current composition of the House is 75D, 25R, and the Senate is 27D, 8R. Here's a rundown of the most competitive House races:

Closest races: HD29: Scott Smith (D) vs. Ann Clemmer (R) (seat currently D) HD42: Val Yagos (D) vs. Jane English (R) (currently D) HD43: Jim Nickels(D) vs. Steven Meckfessel (R) (currently D) HD49: Keith Williams (D) vs. Jonathan Dismang (R) (currently D) HD50: Monty Betts (D) vs. Kyle Reeves (R) (currently D) HD62: Bill Walters (D) vs. Terry Rice (R) (currently R) HD64: Mike Bock (D) vs. Stephanie Malone (R) (currently R) HD67: Rep. Steve Breedlove (D) vs. John VanGorder(R) (curr. D) HD68: Thomas Akin (D) vs. Andrea Lea (R) & 1other (curr. R) HD87: Earl Hunton (D) vs. Rep. Mark Martin (R) (currently R)

Races that remain too competitive to call: HD38: John Edwards (D) vs. Kelly Eichler (R) (seat currently D) HD81: Danny Rowe (D) vs. Karen Hopper (R) & 1 other (curr. R) HD70: J.P. Bewley (D) vs. Robert Dale (R) & 2 others (curr. R) HD85: Bill Witty (D) vs. John Burris (R) (currently R) HD89: Rep. Jim House (D) vs. Gene Long (R) (currently D) HD91: David Stoppel (D) vs. Rep. Bryan King (R) (currently R)

The only competitive senate race (SD 30) is too close to call. I'm off to Fayetteville to take some depositions and will be away for most of the day. Click the districts below for a profile of each House race:

What say you?

No campaigning in SD30 today

A joint statement from Joe White and Gil Baker says that both campaigns will cease activity today in light of the shooting that claimed the lives of two last night on campus at UCA. Classes have also been suspended at UCA today.

AP: Election will test Ark. streak in picking winner

The Associated Press looks at the winning streak Arkansas has delivering its electoral votes for the winner in presidential elections (we haven't missed since 1968). The second poll in a week was released showing McCain with a double digit lead in Arkansas. The Research 2000 poll was conducted from October 21 through October 22, 2008 and shows McCain with a 52%-41% lead in the state. Here's a look at Arkansas results in the presidential election going back to 1960:

Swing for a cure

I'm chairing today's Swing for a Cure golf tournament benefiting the Arkansas Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Proceeds from the tournament will go 100% towards finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. The tournament is taking place at Eagle Hill Golf Club in Little Rock, so I'll be away from the blog for a good part of the day.

Marine Corps Marathon

Just finished running the Marine Corps Marathon here in Washington, DC. Great race -- best one I've done. I ran a 4:06:08 (9:23 pace) after running 1:51:58 at the half (8:30 pace). The first few miles in Arlington (and through Georgetown) were scenic but hilly.

I'll finish up reading the final chapters of David Pryor's autobiography, "A Pryor Commitment," on the flight home. It's a must read.

Finisher's Medal At Mile 17

Finish Line at Iwo Jima

Thank You NAACP

I was presented with the President's Award by the Twin City Branches of the NAACP Saturday night. Unfortunately, I made a commitment back in May to run the Marine Corps Marathon and raise money for the Injured Marines Fund this weekend in Washington, DC. Therefore, I created this message, which was projected from Under the Dome to those in attendance at the Freedom Fund Banquet. Thank you for all of your hard work and sacrifice.

Pressly dies from injuries

Anne Pressly, the KATV anchorwoman found beaten at her home Monday, died last night from her injuries, hospital officials at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center said. She was 26.

Track my progress live during the marathon

This is mainly for my mom and dad, but if you're over the top bored on Sunday morning, click the icon to track my progress live during the marathon for free. Each of the 30,000 runners will be wearing an RFID tag to give race officials the ability to keep track of each runner. You can sign up and receive an e-mail or text message as I cross the start and for every three miles until I cross the finish line.

Lunch with the Leader

Well, not really. I did have lunch with Stephens Media DC Bureau reporter Aaron Sadler today at Ollie's Trolley on L Street. While there, former Majority Leader and pres. candidate Dick Gephardt strolled in, so here you are:

Billy Lavender just e-mailed this picture from the end of the runway in Texarkana en route to the Ole Miss game in Fayetteville -- I'll post game pictures as he sends them:


Update: Razorback approach:

Whereistand.com -- Arkansas version

Take a stand and see where your views line up with other Arkansans and the presidential candidates. This site has a comparison wizard that will ask you a series of questions about the issues and let you know whether these public figures agree or disagree with you after each one:

Arkansans: Bill Clinton Mike Huckabee Mark Pryor Blanche Lincoln Marion Berry Vic Snyder John Boozman Mike Ross

Pres/VP candidates: Barack Obama John McCain Joe Biden Sarah Palin

Also, you've probably seen (or seen reference to) the new Obama ad that sends readers to taxcutfacts.org. Plug in your income, filing status and other particulars at that site, and it'll compare your tax savings with the proposals of the two presidential candidates (assuming they'd be able to push their tax proposals through Congress).

Major economic development announcement in Jonesboro today -- UPDATE

The governor will take part in an economic development announcement this morning at 11:30 in Jonesboro (St. Bernard's Medical Center Auditorium, 505 East Washington Street). This announcement comes just 10 days after the announcement that Nice-Pak Products will open a $40 million plant, bringing 300 jobs to Jonesboro.

I'm catching one of the early flights from DFW to DC, so I have to drive on over there early this morning. I'll be away from the blog for much of the day.

Update: German-based Nordex USA Inc., a wind turbine manufacturer, will bring 700 jobs to Jonesboro at a $100 million plant it plans to build there.

Thursday pictures

Check presentation A check in the amount of over $5,000 was presented to Partnership for the Pathway for their work to provide walking trails city-wide in Texarkana.

Cpt. Ron Stovall's retirement Ron Stovall retires after 15 years as the commander of Troop G of the Arkansas State Police. He served 36 years total with the ASP. He'll be sworn in as Miller County Sheriff in January after winning a five-way sheriff's race (that included an incumbent) without a runoff.

I also spoke to the Cornerstone Retirement Community late yesterday afternoon, and even though the crowd there was made up mainly of Texas residents, we spent most of the hour discussing the results of the Arkansas Poll.

Results from the Arkansas Poll

Here's a summary:

• 2008 Presidential Election: McCain 49, Obama 36
• 2008 Presidential Election Registered Voters: McCain 51, Obama 36
• Most important issue facing Arkansas today: Economy (56%)

• Gov. Beebe approval rating: 74%
• Sen. Lincoln approval rating: 54%
• Sen. Pryor approval rating: 56%
• Congressman Berry approval rating: 50%
• Congressman Snyder approval rating: 57%
• Congressman Boozman approval rating: 52%
• Congressman Ross approval rating: 62%
• President Bush approval rating: 27%

• If Hillary Clinton were on the ballot, would you vote for her for Pres? Yes 54%
• What is Obama's religion: 44% Christian, 20% Muslim
• Do you favor proposed constitutional amendment no. 3 (lottery)? Yes 65%
• Are you for Init. Act No. 1 (preventing cohabiting couples from adopting/fostering a child)? Oppose 55%

Read the entire poll here

Today at the Capitol -- UPDATE

The State Agencies subcommittee of the Legislative Joint Auditing committee will convene today at 1:30 to further discuss the audit of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. Today's meeting comes amid news that system director Paul Doane offered to resign his position after the last legislative meeting over the audit report for a "lack of familiarity with state regs." He made the offer in an e-mail to my former classmate Christa Clark, who's now the system's chief legal counsel.

The audit Doane was reimbursed for travel out of state on 115 of 246 workdays over 13 months and received reimbursement for 18 trips to Boston (his home) and three to New Mexico. Doane will appear at today's committee. Today's Democrat-Gazette also reports that Doane’s administrative assistant had expressed frustration over his compliance with system travel rules.

Also at the Capitol today: The Department of Arkansas Heritage will present budget requests.

Update: Doane resigns.

Hay's in the barn

Candidates shift focus from fundraising and ad buying to getting out the vote

With less than two weeks until election day, most media purchases have been made, and candidates have likely been chained to the phone and/or knocking on doors for the last several weeks. It's all for naught if voters don't get to the polls, which is where the focus is now. Arkansas saw almost 22,000 show up at the polls on the first day, and we're at 450 here in Miller County. With 88,000 new Arkansans on the voter registry, we're likely to see a record turnout.

Cooper Tire likely to close one U.S. plant

I just received a fax from Cooper Tire HQ in Findlay, Ohio announcing a 90-day "capacity study" in which it will likely close one of its four U.S. plants or otherwise substantially modify its operations. Cooper has tire manufacturing plants in Albany, Georgia (1,300 employees), Findlay, Ohio (1,100 employees), Tupelo, Mississippi (1,200 employees), and Texarkana, Arkansas (1,400 employees).

Cooper Tire is the largest employer in my legislative district. According to a news release from the company, two plants have union labor (ours and the oldest plant in Findlay, OH), and the other two are non-union. Texarkana plant manager John Bodart discussed the matter with chamber officials on Tuesday, and we're in contact with Cooper VP Steve Schroeder. The AP is also reporting.

Wednesday update: Here's today's Texarkana Gazette article.

Texarkana Chamber hosts legislative forum

The Texarkana Chamber of Commerce hosted a legisltive forum this morning for both Arkansas and Texas legislators. Like Arkansas, Texas is one of the few states currently enjoying a budget surplus, and they're tackling many of the same issues we're facing. Arkansas-specific issues that were discussed include the grocery tax, tort reform, immigration, and infrastructure needs in this area of the Ark-La-Tex.

Update: Here's Wednesday's article in the Texarkana Gazette.

Also in Texarkana today: DPA Chairman David Pryor will hold an early vote rally this afternoon at the Miller County Democratic Party HQ. The event will take place at 5:00 p.m. at 300 State Line Avenue in downtown Texarkana.

Train roll on

The local Amtrak station in Texarkana will remain staffed with one full-time and one part-time staff person covering the morning and evening shift for trains traveling in both directions. We received the word yesterday. We're glad to continue having a staffed ticket counter here and will continue working towards making the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor a reality between Memphis and San Antonio. Here's more from today's Texarkana Gazette.

Sample Ballot

October, 2012 Update: This is old. Click here for a link to the 2012 ballot.

By request -- here's a sample ballot that includes the contests and ballot issues as they appear on the Miller County ballot:

Click here for an actual ballot
(opens a .pdf document in a new window)

Presidential Election:
· Baldwin/Castle (Constitution)
· McKinney/Clemente (Green)
· Barr/Root (Libertarian)
· McCain/Palin (Republican)
· Nader/Gonzales (Independent)
· La Riva/Puryear (Socialist)
· Obama/Biden (Democratic)

U.S. Senate:
· Mark Pryor (D)
· Rebekah Kennedy (Green)

U.S. House of Representatives:
· Mike Ross (D)
· Joshua Drake (Green)

Miller County Quorum Court (Fouke area only):
· John Burgess (D)
· Jimmy Cowart (R)

Ballot issues

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1:
This proposal removes archaic language from the Arkansas Constitution and allows the legislature to define the qualifications necessary for poll workers. It also gives the legislature the authority to set the time of holding general elections.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2:
In a nutshell, this proposal provides for annual sessions of the legislature. One session would be held specifically for fiscal legislation unless two-thirds of both chambers approve.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3:
This is the Scholarship Lottery Amendment. Passage would allow for a state-run lottery with proceeds funding scholarships for Arkansas students.

Initiated Act No. 1:
This measure prevents an individual from adopting or becoming a foster parent if he or she is cohabiting outside of a valid marriage.

Referred Question No. 1:
Passage of this question would give the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission the authority to issue up to $300 million in bonds for a variety of water, sewer, and waste disposal projects.

I'll only editorialize on one of the ballot questions, since I'm asked frequently what I think about annual sessions -- I think I've posted items on all the others. I'm against annual sessions. I voted against referring the issue to the people. I've always considered Arkansas (and Texas) to have a true citizen legislature, where we have people from all walks of life serve and represent the interest of all Arkansans. Meeting every year would prevent otherwise good candidates from being able to leave their jobs and families and serve in a full-time general assembly. If an issue is important enough to convene the legislature, the governor has the power to do so.

DPA Chairman David Pryor on McCain's economic platform

Here's the first in a series of radio clips from former Senator David Pryor on an array of topics facing Arkansans between now and election day:

Governor leaves for NYC tomorrow

Governor Beebe will travel with Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Arkansas Parks and Tourism officials to New York City tomorrow to promote Arkansas and meet with economic-development prospects. Lt. Governor Bill Halter will serve as acting governor in Beebe's absence. The governor will return on Thursday.

DHS legislative agenda

Director John Selig and other DHS administrators came to Texarkana to discuss their legislative package for the upcoming session today. Main topics covered include the Division of Children and Family Services, Medicaid numbers, and the proposed DHS pay plan. DHS has more than 7,500 employees and serves more than one million people annually. In 2007, there were $37,747,342 in Medicaid expenditures for Miller County ($1,000,655 specifically for ARKids B).

KATV reporter attacked

Anne Pressly, 26, a news reporter for KATV, was assaulted in her home on Club Road in the Country Club of Little Rock neighborhood last night and suffered serious wounds. A police spokesman said Pressly was "beaten and stabbed" and that her injuries were "life-threatening." A police report notes that she was bleeding from the head. The police do not have a suspect.

She was on her Facebook page last night at 9:51 thanking those who went to see her 30 second part in the movie "W." Pressly has been with KATV since June, 2004.

Update (4:45 p.m.): She may not have been stabbed. She was beaten severely enough, apparently, to tear the skin. Her injuries are said to include blunt force trauma.

Update (Wednesday): Pressly remains in critical but stable condition.

Halters have a new baby girl

Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and his wife, Shanti, celebrate the birth of a baby girl, Julia Nancy Halter, today at Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock. Julia Nancy Halter weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces at birth and is 19.5 inches long. Mom and daughter are doing fine.

H2Overdrawn: Biennial Arkansas water conference

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Public Policy Center and the UALR Bowen School of Law will present the biennial water conference on November 7, 2008 in Ferndale. H2Overdrawn: A Forum on Water Policy, Law, Science and Technology will look at the past, present and, most importantly, the future of water resources in Arkansas. Click here for more.

Vietnam Veterans

I was the speaker at Sunday's meeing of the 278th Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America at the American Legion Post here in Texarkana. Among other things that included topics on the November ballot and in the upcoming session, we continued a discussion we've had of the Texas Veterans' Land Board and whether a similar "land bank" is feasible in Arkansas. Camille joined me for the meeting.

Arkansas House candidate arrested

Green Party Candidate Brian Barnett of Searcy, a candidate in the House District 50 race, was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with disorderly conduct. Barnett is unhappy that the other two candidates in the race have refused to debate him, so he decided to picket a Searcy streetcorner with a sign that contained profanity. Here's more from the Searcy Daily Citizen. Barnett is running against Democrat Monty Betts and Republican Kyle Reeves for the seat being vacated by term-limited David Evans (D-Searcy). The race is considered to be one of the tightest legislative races in the state.

Searcy Daily Citizen photo

More Sunday endorsements

I'll keep a running list of endorsements from area news outlets and other organizations. Here are today's endorsements:

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (removing archaic language/poll worker qualifications):
AGAINST: Harrison Daily Times

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (annual sessions):
AGAINST: Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Harrison Daily Times

Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 (lottery):
FOR: Harrison Daily Times
AGAINST: Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Initiated Act No. 1 (prohibiting unmarried cohabitants from adopting/serving as foster parents):
AGAINST: Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Endorsements from newspapers in the presidential race now stand at 76 for Obama and 18 for McCain. So far, 16 newspapers who have endorsed Obama endorsed Bush in 2004. The readership of the newspapers backing Obama now stands at about 10 million vs. McCain's just over 2 million.

Here are today's big endorsements:

Obama:
Colin Powell
Idaho Statesman
Kansas City Star
Sacramento Bee
Miami Herald

McCain:
Dallas Morning News
Tampa Tribune

Carroll County courthouse(s) main topic of HD91 legislative forums

Incumbent Bryan King (R-Green Forest) is being challenged by David Stoppel (D-Eureka Springs) in House District 91 (candidates pictured right courtesy of Harrison Daily Times). The two met twice last week to discuss their position on various issues -- once in Green Forest and once in Berryville.

Republican County Judge Richard Williams has proposed constructing a new courthouse on the edge of Berryville. The county now has two courthouses: one in Berryville and one in Eureka Springs. The courthouse issue was the main topic of both meetings. Today's Harrison Daily Times has more.

Also in today's Harrison Daily Times: endorsements of some ballot issues
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 (lottery): FOR
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 1 (removing archaic language/poll worker qualifications): AGAINST
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 2 (annual sessions): AGAINST

King	Stoppel
Hometown: Green Forest Age: 39 Occupation: State Rep./Cattle farmer Party: Republican Total raised: $9,165 (as of 8/31) Cash on hand: $16,248 (as of 8/31) Website	Hometown: Eureka Springs Age: 50 Occupation: Retired Fire Chief Party: Democrat Total Raised: $15,024 (as of 9/30) Cash on hand: $5,272 (as of 9/30) Website

House District 91

Obama draws largest political crowd in US history today

100,000 in St. Louis. From the Wall Street Journal.

Race for the Cure -- Texarkana

My marathon's next weekend, so I took today's race off and stood on the sidelines. Here's a picture showing a few of the 8,000 runners/walkers:

Miller County candidates' forum

Here are a couple of pictures from last night's local candidates forum sponsored by the NAACP, where issues ranged from I-49 to the proposed Turk Plant. Pictured are Lisa McDermott and city board candidates Dwayne Hall, Ruth Penney Davis, and Laney Harris. Here's a link to the Texarkana Gazette article.

Analyzing the 2008 House Races: District 68

2008 Legislative Races:

House District 68

---

Thomas Akin (D-Russellville) and Andrea Lea (R-Russellville) are running for the seat being vacated by term-limited Rep. Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville). Akin has owned and operated Thomas Akin Contractor, Inc, a poultry services company now based in Russellville. Lea is a three-time member of the Pope County Quorum Court. Both parties have targeted this seat, and it looks to be one of the most competitive legislative races in the state this year.

A word about Lamoureux

I served two terms with Rep. Lamoureaux, and we graduated from law school together. A former minority leader in the House during the Huckabee administration, Lamoureux has been one of the most effective legislators in the chamber. We were both part of a coalition cited by the Arkansas Times for our votes on particular legislation. Although he's term limited from the House, most suspect that Lamoureux will remain active in Arkansas politics and may be drafted for higher office at some point.

I've only seen him act remotely partisan once, and even then he had a good point. He ran a bill in the last session to make the election of prosecutors non-partisan. "How can you be a Republican prosecutor?" he asked in committee. You got me. Of course, the undercurrent in that legislation is that filing fees paid by the candidates go into the party coffers, and Democrats have been a much larger beneficiary in the prosecutors' column.

Endorsements

Lamoureux and Sen. Sharon Trusty (R-Russellville) are among those supporting Andrea Lea. Former Representative Olin Cook (D-Russellville) is chairing Akin's campaign. Akin has received the endorsement of the Arkansas Realtors Association, the Independent Insurance Agents Association, the AFL-CIO, and other labor organizations. Lea has received the nod from Arkansas Right To Life, the NRA, and the Police Benevolent Association.

Governor Beebe and AG Dustin McDaniel have both been to Pope County to help Akin, and Lea has help from Congressman John Boozman and Russellville Mayor Tyrone Williamson.

Demographics/Landscape of the District

The biggest employers in District 68 include Arkansas Tech University, Nuclear One, ConAgra, and Tyson.

• Percentage in the legislative district with a high school diploma or higher: 80.7% (state percentage is 75.3%)
• Percentage in the legislative district with a bachelor's or higher: 24.3% (state percentage is 16.7%)
• District 68 median household income: $31,235 (state average is $32,182)
• District 68 median family income: $39,695 (state average is $38,663)
• Percentage of families in the legislative district below poverty: 11.4% (state percentage is 12%)

History

While Pope County has long trended Republican in statewide and presidential elections, it still splits tickets at the local level. All county officers are Democrats except for the treasurer and the coroner, and Democrats hold a narrow 7-5 advantage on the quorum court. Lamoureux is the first Republican to have held the House seat there. It was previously held by Democrat Olin Cook, and before that, Doc Bryan (D-Russellville), the former speaker of the House, held the seat for several years.

Other than 1996, Pope County has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980. In 2006, the county voted for Asa Hutchinson over Mike Beebe for Governor, and in 2004, the county voted for Republican Jim Holt over Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln for the U.S. Senate.

The money race

Both candidates have enough money to get their message to the voters, and both are using mail, radio, and television. As of the end of August, Akin had raised a total of $66,863, and he had $21,526 on hand.

As of the end of August, Lea had raised a total of $30,610, and she had $26,269 on hand.

TV ads

Thomas Akin (D)

Andrea Lea (R)

Questionnaires

Neither candidate filled out the Political Courage Test from Project Vote Smart

Turnout

There is a sheriff's race that, along with the presidential race, will drive turnout. It's the first sheriff's race in the county in 14 years and is hotly contested.

Polling

They've not been made public, but it's apparent that both campaigns/parties have polls that show them in the lead.

Akin	Lea
Hometown: Russellville Age: 54 Occupation: Self-employed Party: Democrat Website	Hometown: Russellville Age: 51 Occupation: Political consultant Party: Republican Website

Here's a map of the district:

House District 68

Arkansas Works 2008

Governor's Summit on Education and Economic Development

The 80th Annual State Chamber/AIA Meeting was held yesterday in conjunction with Arkansas Works 2008, the two-day summit on education and economic development. The governor spoke at lunch, and I took part in a legislative panel afterwards that included Senators Johnson, Baker, and Smith and Representatives Wills and Saunders (pictured above). Events continue today with a host of speakers that include Governor Beebe, Fmr. Governor Roy Romer of Colorado, and Mack McLarty.

Lottery remains on the ballot -- Arkansas Sup. Ct. hands down unanimous decision

Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter will respond to the 6-0 decision at 1:30 p.m today at the Capitol. The opinion was written by Associate Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber, and newly-appointed Associate Justice Elana Wills recused since she reviewed the certification language as assistant attorney general Deputy Attorney General for the Opinions Department (sorry for the unintentional demotion) prior to being named to the court.

Click here for the opinion.

Awaiting the weekly decisions from the Arkansas Supreme Court

It would be a quick turnaround, but it's very possible that the decision on the lottery could be included in this morning's batch of opinions that are delivered from the Arkansas Supreme Court weekly on Thursdays. Keep an eye on this link for the opinion later this morning.

Governor: Educational funding proposals may be difficult to implement

The governor responded to a legislative panel's recommendation to increase funding for scool transportation costs and helping shoulder more of teachers' health insurance premiums by saying that such funding increases may be difficult with the current economic situation. The main problem with the recommendation is the lack of confidence that transportation costs and teachers' health insurance will be treated as part of the definition of "adequacy" (and with good reason, per the Lake View IV opinion).

Here are yesterday's articles on the legislative recommendation:
Arkansas News Bureau
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Hearing on Dobbins' challenge set for Friday

Former lawmaker Dwayne Dobbins filed suit last Friday seeking to be certified as a candidate on the November 4 ballot. Even though service was only perfected over the weekend, a hearing was scheduled for this Friday despite the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure allowing a Defendant 20 days in which to file a formal responsive pleading. Dobbins is the topic of an editorial in today's Democrat Gazette. The Democractic Party of Arkansas voted at its convention three months ago to certify all candidates for the November ballot except for Dobbins. Here's video of that vote (ff to 45 seconds):

Lonesome whistle

The editorial in today's Texarkana Gazette looks at the possiibility of an Amtrak station in Texarkana without a service counter. The latest word is that Texarkana is in the process of being moved from Amtrak's Central Division jurisdiction to Southwest Division jurisdiction. The SW division plans to reopen Texarkana but is currently seeking a waiver from the union to allow a split shift, so that both the morning and evening trains could be covered by one person. It is my hope that the restaffing of Texarkana could take place within a few weeks.

A partial look at the 2009 Arkansas House leadership

Incoming Speaker of the House Robbie Wills will appoint Rep. Curren Everett (D-Salem) as House Speaker Pro Tempore for the 87th General Assembly and will recommend Rep. Bruce Maloch (D-Magnolia) as House co-chair of Joint Budget Committee. Wills has hired Jamie Gates of Conway as an administrative aide to the speaker's office.