Category Archives: State government

Ex-legislator crossed the bright red line

Politics, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 25, 2019

I’ve long believed that most legislators, like most people, try to do mostly the right thing most of the time.

I still believe it, but it’s becoming harder to make that argument – particularly this week after former Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock, the governor’s nephew, decided to plead guilty to federal corruption charges in Arkansas and Missouri.

Hutchinson had pleaded innocent to corruption charges over the past nine months, but he ended his fight after federal prosecutors filed a new bribery charge Monday saying he accepted $157,000 to try to change state law in order to allow orthodontists to practice dentistry. With the walls closing in, he pleaded guilty to three charges with a maximum sentence of 13 years.

Hutchinson becomes the sixth recent legislator to plead guilty or be convicted of corruption charges. In addition, a current legislator, Rep. Mickey Gates R-Hot Springs, was arrested after being accused of not paying taxes, and not filing state tax returns from 2003-17. He didn’t deny not paying taxes but said he was working through the problem, and he’s still in office. In fact, last year he was re-elected. Continue reading Ex-legislator crossed the bright red line →

With that big hog farm, it was time to fold ‘em

Business and economics, State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 20, 2019

If you’re a red-blooded Arkansan, you know what words follow these: “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to …”

In “The Gambler,” it’s “fold ‘em.” In politics and the legal environment, it sometimes is “settle,” as I’m sure Gov. Asa Hutchinson knows, along with the owners of C&H Farms.

Hutchinson and the farm owners realized it was time to walk away before it came time to run. So that’s what both sides did with an agreement to close that big hog farm near the Buffalo National River.

Hutchinson announced June 13 that the state would pay Richard and Phillip Campbell (the “C”) and Jason Henson (the “H”) $6.2 million to close the concentrated animal feeding operation located 6.6 miles from Big Creek, which flows into the Buffalo National River. Of that, at least $5.2 million will come from the taxpayers, with the rest coming from private donations through The Nature Conservancy. Continue reading With that big hog farm, it was time to fold ‘em →

So, Hutchinson’s coding push is a big deal for Arkansas

Education, State government

By Steve Brawner

© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

June 11, 2019

At first glance, Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s initiative requiring high schools to teach a computer science course seemed more like a single than a home run. It seemed nice, but small.

But the results have been big for Arkansas.

When the initiative started in 2015, fewer than 1,100 high school students were taking a computer science course, and fewer than 20 teachers were trained to teach it. This past school year, more than 8,000 students took a course – more than 2,400 of them females – and the state now has more than 370 trained teachers.

On June 10, education leaders from 30 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada met at the Governor’s Mansion for the National Computer Science Summit for State Leaders. Participants discussed increasing computer science education opportunities, and meanwhile sang Arkansas’ and Hutchinson’s praises. Continue reading So, Hutchinson’s coding push is a big deal for Arkansas →

‘A flood of historic magnitude’

State government

By Steve Brawner

© 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

May 30, 2019

When your state’s governor can make this statement – “This is a flood of historic magnitude. It surpasses all Arkansas River flooding in our recorded history” – then that’s what you write about, even on the opinion page.

If you live in one of the affected areas, or if you’ve seen any of the pictures or footage, you know why Gov. Asa Hutchinson is calling the flooding “historic.” It brings to mind the Flood of 1927, when the Mississippi River overflowed and the state was hit with tumultuous rainfall. Thirty-six counties were affected, and some areas were 30 feet underwater, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

The amount of damage this year isn’t known because the damage is still being done. We’ll have to wait for the water to recede. As of this writing Thursday, the river isn’t even finished cresting. Continue reading ‘A flood of historic magnitude’ →