Milton Friedman, arguably the best known and most influential free-market economist in the world for the last 40 years, died last week at age 94. Friedman advised presidents, prime ministers and helped foreign countries set up market economies. But more important to the everyday American, he was a major popularizer of the moral and practical benefits of freedom and capitalism. On March 26, 2001 -- as the dot-com crash continued, the country's economy was slowing and President Bush was planning a major tax cut -- I talked to Friedman by telephone from his home in San Francisco: [continues 1043 words]
A group that persuaded Eureka Springs voters to pass a pro-marijuana initiative plans to continue its efforts by proposing a similar ordinance in at least one other town, a spokesman said. The ordinance, which passed in Tuesday's general election, makes arrests and prosecution of adults for misdemeanor marijuana possession of an ounce or less and paraphernalia possession, a low law-enforcement priority. In September, Fayetteville NORML collected 156 petition signatures in Eureka Springs, a dozen more than needed to put the question to voters. [continues 527 words]
Having an Ounce or Less Would Be Akin to a Traffic Violation EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. Here in the heart of the Bible Belt, where local laws often restrict the sale of liquor, grassroots campaigns to decriminalize marijuana have gone nowhere. But to the surprise of enthusiasts across the state, residents in the small tourist town of Eureka Springs will vote Nov. 7 on whether to make misdemeanor marijuana arrests the city's lowest law-enforcement priority. Local leaders of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the group that collected the signatures needed to get the initiative on the ballot, hardly can believe their day has come. [continues 746 words]
BENTONVILLE -- People must make decisions every day about what they do and who they spend time with, Joe Falcon told students Friday at Spring Hill Middle School. Falcon is a corporal with the Bentonville Police Department and a Bentonville Board of Education member. He shared perspectives from both entities about how important it is to keep students away from drugs. His talk closed a week of drug awareness throughout the country called Red Ribbon Week. " Every day you have to make choices about who you're with, " Falcon said of spending time with people who might do drugs or drink alcohol. " Don't put yourself in a situation where you suffer repercussions for their poor choices. " [continues 90 words]
Teachers, Counselors Use Games, Programs, Prizes To Help Get The Drug-Free Message Across For the state-wide Red Ribbon Week, a program designed to prevent or stop drug and alcohol abuse among students, schools in the Russellville School District acknowledged the week in a variety of ways. Although it is not tied to the state Red Ribbon Week, the secondary school's Alcohol Reduction Grant from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the United States Department of Education provides funding to promote drug-free activities all year, according to Jenny Barber, federal programs coordinator at the district. [continues 1052 words]
University of Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt told area fifth-graders on Thursday that the secret to success is to stay drug free. " As you get older, there's going to be more temptation, " Nutt said. " One day, someone's going to ask you to ' drink this' or ' smoke this' or ' take this pill' because it will make you feel better. Well, I'm here to tell you that's a lie. " Nutt was one of three speakers during the 10 th annual Red Ribbon Rally at Bud Walton Arena. [continues 575 words]
Rhetoric was high but attendance was low Saturday morning during a candidate forum sponsored by the White County Farm Bureau. Only 50 were in attendance, including Asa Hutchinson, the Republican candidate for governor, and Andy Mayberry, the Republican candidate for the third Congressional district. Ginger Beebe represented her husband, Mike Beebe, the Democratic candidate for governor, while Ed Fry represented Congressman Vic Snyder, the Democratic incumbent. Stanley Hill with the Farm Bureau spoke for Preferred Question One, saying the investment of $250 in Arkansas' higher education was necessary. The states of Mississippi and Tennessee have invested $600 million and $1 billion respectively in recent years, Hill said. [continues 854 words]
COTTER -- Cotter Police Chief Joe Robison resigned Tuesday, Mayor Mo Mosley said. "It was more than he was willing to contend with," Mosley said. Mosley asked Robison to take a drug test; and after Robison consulted with his attorney, he declined to take the drug test and resigned, Mosley said. Robison could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Mosley, who was contacted after business hours, said The Baxter Bulletin could receive a copy of the resignation letter Wednesday. Robison was hired as Cotter police chief April 17. [continues 111 words]
In a few weeks, Eureka Springs voters will have an opportunity to make an important statement. While some believe voting to make enforcement of marijuana laws in the city a low priority is pointless because state and federal laws trump city ordinances, the point is to make a long overdue point. The point of voting for this measure is to announce to the world that the people are wise to the hoax of this war on marijuana, and that they are no longer going to sit by quietly and allow the government to squander resources and ruin lives for no actual purpose. [continues 711 words]
Misdemeanor Arrests For Marijuana Might Sink Low On The List For The Eureka Springs Police. EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. -- Here in the heart of the Bible Belt, where local laws often restrict the sale of liquor, grass-roots campaigns to decriminalize marijuana have gone nowhere. But to the surprise of pot enthusiasts across the state, residents in the small tourist town of Eureka Springs will vote next month on whether to make misdemeanor marijuana arrests the city's lowest law enforcement priority. [continues 1062 words]
BENTONVILLE -- You are the meth solution. That's the simple message members of the Benton County Methamphetamine Task Force and Drug Free Rogers-Lowell want to spread as they recognize October as Methamphetamine Awareness Month. " This is a terrible problem in our community, and we have to do something about it, " Bentonville Police Chief James Allen said Tuesday. " It's a community problem, and it will take the community to solve it. " Allen and Congressman John Boozman, R-Ark., were the two speakers during Monday's kickoff ceremony to focus on methamphetamine abuse during the month. [continues 351 words]
BERRYVILLE - A countywide initiative to abolish the jail tax failed to make it to the November election ballot but three Eureka Springs issues did. They included: an initiative to abolish the two-cent City Advertising nd Promotion Commission tax; continuation of a Parks and Recreation tax; and a marijuana initiative aimed at making adult misdemeanor possession the lowest law enforcement priority. The jail tax initiative to abolish the half-cent tax failed to make it tothe November ballot because the petition was 409 signatures shy of the mark. [continues 451 words]
Eureka Springs A Fayetteville pro-marijuana group has collected enough signatures for a November ballot initiative seeking to make marijuana arrests in Eureka Springs a low law enforcement priority. Fayetteville NORML collected the required number of signatures to put the question to Eureka Springs voters during the Nov. 7 general election, said Ryan Denham, the group's president. The Carroll County Election Commission approved the ballot measure Monday, election coordinator Cathy Ellis said. The initiative seeks to make arrests and prosecution of misdemeanor marijuana possession of 1 ounce or less a low priority, Denham said. [continues 335 words]
Members of the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force are warning parents about the dangers their teens could face at rave parties. " It's basically a place where everyone gets together and listens to techno music while waving light sticks around, " said Sgt. Doug Pope, of the Fayetteville Police Department. " The drug of choice associated with raves is typically ecstasy, psilocybin mushrooms, acid and marijuana. " Last week, Fayetteville police joined with the Washington County Sheriff's Office to make several arrests at a rave east of Fayetteville on Hog Ridge Hollow. [continues 404 words]
Members of Project Right Choice on Thursday discussed an upcoming methamphetamine awareness presentation aimed at school staff. The meeting, which is set for 9 a. m. on Sept. 14, will be held at the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Co-op in Farmington. The program will highlight the effects of methamphetamine abuse, how it's produced and what it looks like. Also discussed will be meth labs and the quantity that's imported. The meeting will target nurses, counselors, resource officers and teachers. [continues 282 words]
Clemency For Meth Manufacturer Sends Wrong Message Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has decided to grant executive clemency to Larry Sadler, a Little River County man who is serving 15 years for making methamphetamine. Sadler, 58, was arrested in December 2000 after eluding authorities since a raid on his house in June of that year. Authorities say Sadler ran a lab capable of producing 20 pounds of meth, a fairly good-sized operation. Now, after serving a few years of his sentence, Sadler wants out. And apparently the state parole board and the governor are, for some reason, willing to go along. [continues 262 words]
County law enforcement officials across 44 states recently reported methamphetamine as the No. 1 drug problem in their county, according to a survey released last Tuesday by the National Association of Counties (NACo). Almost half of the counties surveyed reported meth has caused more problems than cocaine, marijuana, and heroin combined. But despite proposals from the Bush administration to eliminate the grant that funds drug task forces around the country, local and national public officials have proved they are willing to take a stand. [continues 650 words]
Methamphetamine use has hit rural communities the hardest, and those also are areas where treatment programs are most limited, experts told Congress on Wednesday. A common, but untrue, myth is that meth users can't overcome their addictions, said Richard Rawson, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. Rawson said his UCLA clinic treats people addicted to alcohol, cocaine, heroin and meth. Meth users have similar success rates. But those addicts who most need help can't get to it, said Leah Heaston, a director of treatment centers in rural Indiana, told the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources. [continues 462 words]
The Pangburn School District board voted in their May meeting to begin drug testing in grades seven through 12. Students who are found to be using drugs will not be allowed to participate in extra curricular activities. Superintendent Rick Wood said Friday the policy will begin with the 2006-2007 school year this fall. "We don't think we have a problem with drugs, but in White County it's growing, so we thought we'd be proactive," Wood said. Riverview School District has an almost identical policy, Wood said. [continues 490 words]
Now that Rush Limbaugh has managed to keep himself out of prison, the punishment he once advocated for drug abusers, let me suggest a new cause for him: speaking out for people who can handle their OxyContin. Like Limbaugh, Richard Paey suffers from back pain, which in his case is so severe that he's confined to a wheelchair. Also like Limbaugh, he was accused of illegally obtaining large quantities of painkillers. Although there was no evidence that either man sold drugs illegally, the authorities in Florida zealously pursued each of them for years. [continues 654 words]
Groups Out To Change Federal Law In the past five years, almost 1,900 students or prospective students at Arkansas colleges and universities have been denied federal student aid because they admitted to a drug conviction, according to recently released data from the U.S. Department of Education. Arkansas had the eighthhighest rate -- 0.27 percent -- of post-secondary students denied aid among all states, the data show. Nationally, nearly 190,000 students, or about 1 per 400, lost out on funding because of a provision to the Higher Education Act signed into law by President Clinton. Most federal student aid is awarded through Pell Grants, which contribute up to $3,125 per year to an undergraduate, according to the Education Department. The release of a state-bystate breakdown in late April has added steam to the effort of student groups, educators and legislators -- including U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark. -- to repeal the law. On March 22, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based group that "educates on the harm caused by the war on drugs," filed a class-action lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union against the Education Department, calling for aid to be given to students who were denied it because of drug convictions. There are three plaintiffs so far, none from Arkansas. Snyder is co-sponsoring a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the provision. "Here's the problem: These are people who are being candid about their past," Snyder said of denied students. "They've been accepted into school. [continues 887 words]
Are your kids more distant than they used to be? Do they seem tired all the time and moody, yet when asked if something is wrong, insist they're okay and storm off? If so, they may be dealing with more than just growing pains. They could be abusing drugs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 50 percent of students will have tried an illicit drug by the time they finish high school. Statistics show that in 2005, 6.9 percent of 8th graders, 11.4 percent of 10th graders and 13.9 percent of 12th graders had used sedatives, tranquilizers or narcotic drugs other than heroin in the past 12 months. [continues 395 words]
Arkansas Ranks High In Penalizing Drug-Offender Students But Snyder Wants To End The Penalty Arkansas ranks eighth among the states in the percentage of college applicants who are denied federal financial aid because they've been convicted of drug offenses. Congressman Vic Snyder, a Democrat, is a co-sponsor of legislation to end the aid penalty. A group called Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), headquartered in Washington, said last week that 1,858 Arkansans had been denied federal college aid because of drug convictions since the penalty was enacted as part of the Higher Education Act of 2000. That's .27 percent of federal-aid applicants. Nationwide, nearly 200,000 would-be students have been denied, a percentage of .25. Indiana had the highest percentage of denials among the states, .50. [continues 486 words]
The River Valley Methamphetamine Project of Pope County was one of three community projects honored Monday at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock for its efforts in combating the drug epidemic. Nine local members of the meth project received awards in the governor's conference room "due to the ongoing front-line work that our community is doing in combating the meth problem," according to Marti Wilkerson, RVMP lead facilitator. The local meth project -- designed in 2004 to curb meth use, manufacturing, and distribution -- is comprised of local law enforcement officials, court personnel, drug treatment and rehabilitation services, schools administrators, business/industry managers, child protective services, Realtors, and the media. [continues 534 words]
Through a joint effort of the River Valley Meth Project and two Arkansas Tech University sociology classes, Pope and surrounding counties are expected to soon know more about the meth epidemic sweeping the state and the nation. Within in next several months, the two Tech classes will be conducting research, developing surveys, collecting data and writing reports on the effects of methamphetamine in the Arkansas River Valley. "We want to alert the community that a survey related to substance abuse in Pope County will be coming out, and we would like a response to it to better understand this problem," said Marti Wilkerson, lead facilitator for the River Valley Meth Project (RVMP) and associate professor of Rehabilitation Science at Tech. [continues 582 words]
Dear Editor, The persistent county jail problems should be no surprise. What do you expect when an intolerant majority makes criminals out of substantial parts of the populace? I am speaking of course, about the unjust and outright racist marijuana laws of the state of Arkansas. These laws make simple possession of the leafs of an herb a contraband crime punishable by 1-10 years, depending on priors. Although few are in county jail for this type crime, there must be thousands in state prisons, taking up space and causing the local backlogs. [continues 175 words]
WEST FORK -- Members of a group seeking to legalize the medical use of marijuana by people suffering the severe, chronic pain of cancer or other diseases will soon be making some phone calls all around the state and, in the process, moving toward a decision to be made by the group this year, said Denele Campbell, executive director of Arkansans for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas, as well as executive director of the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana. "We're in the process of making telephone calls to hundreds of supporters across the state to see if we can get a commitment from people to contact their legislators. If people are not going to contact their legislators and ask them to support a bill, then we're not going to push for a bill. It can't come from us. It has to come from the people. The primary objective is to see if they're willing to contact their elected representatives in the state of Arkansas and federally. You know, the federal government could save us all a whole lot of trouble and take some action on this issue," Campbell said. "We are in the process of doing that. It's probably going to take us a couple of months, with our team of volunteers, to make all these phone calls, but that's what we're working on. What we're asking people is, No. 1, will you call your legislators? And then, No. 2, will people work in teams in your part of the state to turn out other people and generate phone calls (to lawmakers)?" she said. [continues 147 words]
An average of one newborn a week has been placed in state custody because of a new state law that requires medical staff members to report mothers suspected of using illegal drugs. Before the law's passage, the state's child-abuse hot line did not accept reports of newborns affected by illegal drugs as abuse or neglect, leaving physicians frustrated by the prospect of sending a newborn home with a drug-abusing mother, said Sen. Tim Wooldridge, DParagould, who sponsored the legislation, Act 1176 of 2005. [continues 1895 words]
Oxycontin Is Not the Problem, He Says. 'The DEA Is the Problem.' FORT SMITH - This is Dr. Robert Kale discussing the drug problem in America: "The drug problem has gotten worse since the inception of the DEA [federal Drug Enforcement Administration]. The pressure they put on caused an increase in price. When that happened, a whole bunch of entrepreneurs got in the business, just like Prohibition. Drugs hadn't been rampant in the schools before the DEA. In the '60s, amphetamines were widely available, but they weren't used recreationally. They were used to lose weight. Truck drivers used them to stay awake. [So did college students cramming for tests.] [continues 1909 words]
Former Saline County Prosecutor Dan Harmon was convicted in June 1997 of one count of racketeering, three counts of conspiring to commit extortion and one count of conspiring to possess and distribute marijuana. He was recently released after eight years in federal prison and will live in a halfway house for several months. The racketeering charge alleged that Harmon used his 7th Judicial District prosecuting attorney's office - his jurisdiction included Saline, Grant and Hot Spring counties - as an illegal crime organization to obtain money and drugs. [continues 384 words]
Funds for the South Central Arkansas Drug Task Force were earmarked in the Fiscal Year 2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce Appropriations Conference Report, U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., announced this week. That $110,000 in funding is part of a spending bill approved last week by the U.S. House and expected to pass the Senate later this week. "I am pleased to have secured this funding for our growing law enforcement needs throughout the state and am grateful to both Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor for their assistance," Ross said in a statement. [continues 180 words]
The week of October 24-28 was devoted to living the drug-free life at Tuckerman High School. Students had fun every day promoting a quite serious subject: the drug problem in our culture and how to make it better by encouraging others to choose to be "drug-free." Each day had a theme, and there were drawings for prizes, also. The drug-free armband had to be worn at all times in order to compete. Monday was the "kick-off" contest to see how many targets students could hit with a kick ball. Winners of the contest were Ashton Calhoun, Sam Porter, and Derek King. Prize drawing winners were Crystopher Jones, Matthew Emery & Chris Clark. [continues 238 words]
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A motel manager had the right to call police when he discovered that a suspicious guest who paid cash in advance for a room had ingredients for making methamphetamine, a jury said. The Benton County Circuit Court rejected Daniel T. Burch's claim that David Trapp violated his privacy when he entered his room at the Comfort Inn in Bentonville. Burch, 25, of Springdale, is serving a 10-year sentence for manufacturing meth and possessing it with the intent to deliver. [continues 274 words]
Asa Hutchinson, former DEA director and current candidate for Arkansas governor, is on the right track when he says the law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions should be scaled back ("Don't withhold student loans for past drug offenses, former DEA Director says" -- Oct. 22). But while the partial reform he proposes would help some students with past convictions, it would leave behind tens of thousands of others who get convicted while in college. Blocking access to education to people who have been in trouble with drugs is a bad idea, regardless of when convictions occur. Pulling students out of school won't do anything to keep them away from drugs; instead, it causes more drug abuse. [continues 69 words]
Students at Mountain Home and Norfork high schools are celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week. During the week, said Mountain Home Counselor Orene Traylor, the school will take a visible stand against drugs and show a personal commitment for a drug-free lifestyle. Any student who comes by the counselor's office during the week will receive a Red Ribbon pen. The schedule of events is as follows: Today -- The theme is "Turn your back on drugs." Students and teachers will wear their clothes backwards. [continues 158 words]
Students Encouraged To Participate In Variety Of Events To Encourage Drug-Free Lifestyles Schools throughout the Arkansas River Valley are encouraging students to choose drug-free lifestyles this week as they celebrate Red Ribbon Week, seven days coordinated throughout the country by the National Family Partnership. According to information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Web site, National Red Ribbon week serves as a tribute to Special Agent Enrique Camarena, who was kidnapped and brutally tortured and murdered by drug traffickers in Mexico. [continues 454 words]
Stoners and squares alike packed the Alltel Ballroom Thursday night as the heads battled the feds in a debate over the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, with as many as 600 people in attendance, according to Matt Heath, the University Programs Cultures and Concepts Committee chairman. Bob Stutman, who had been one of America's top drug busters, represented the side of the Feds, arguing against the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. Steve Hager, former Editor of High Times magazine, represented the heads and called for an immediate end to the United States' war on pot. [continues 744 words]
A marijuana eradication attempt Wednesday was a real barnburner for members of the Cleburne County Sheriff's Department, Van Buren County Sheriff's Department, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Greers Ferry Police Department. After several hours of searching, officers found several marijuana plants in a barn and the home at 4110 Libby Road (Hwy 337). A helicopter search crew of two officers located the plants in the open barn during a flyover of the property. The crew landed the chopper next to the barn in an attempt to find a resident of the home. During the attempted contact of a resident, someone lit the barn on fire, burning most everything inside. The chopper, a $100,000 machine, was sitting next to the barn and was nearly burned before the pilot could retreat. [continues 290 words]
A 16-year-old boy is caught stealing compact music discs from neighborhood vehicles. A 14-year-old girl repeatedly ditches school to meet with her 18-year-old boyfriend. Police raid a meth lab and remove three toddlers from the home. According to Circuit Court Judge Gary Isbell, 90 percent of children like these who come before him in the District Juvenile Division are there because of their parents' failures. "The simple answer is you can't be friends to your children. You have to be a parent," Isbell said. [continues 873 words]
Dealers And Users Trade Artifacts Among Themselves, Suspect Says SEARCY, Ark. - The time-consuming and methodical motion of searching for arrowheads on farmland and in riverbeds seems to appeal to methamphetamine addicts, a sheriff says. White County Sheriff Pat Garrett said that after more than 100 search warrants, he has come to expect arrowheads, many thousands of years old, when he storms the home of suspected meth makers. "I noticed it when I first started. It just seemed there were always Indian arrowheads, and I couldn't figure it out," Sheriff Garrett said. [continues 339 words]
AMAGON, Ark. - Arkansas' new law limiting access to the legal cold medicine ingredients of methamphetamine has worked in some respects, but not in others, state authorities say. Methamphetamine-possession cases have increased in the state, even though the new law has sharply reduced the number of meth labs authorities are finding here. The key, they say, is the law has given pharmacies nearly total control over the distribution of previously over-the-counter cold medicines and effectively cut off the supply chain for Arkansas' meth producers. But, at the same time, meth users and dealers have developed new sources for the drugs among gangs, particularly those based in Mexico. [continues 380 words]
Circuit Court Judge Mary Ann Gunn addressed the difference that drug court has made in people's lives during a meeting of the Washington County Women's Club meeting Tuesday. The drug court has an 85 percent retention rate, Gunn said. Those who wish to participate in the program, she said, must be committed. "It's a privilege to be in drug court," she said. "They have to change their life style. If they complete the program, I will drop the charges." [continues 336 words]
SEARCY, Ark. - The time consuming and methodical motion of searching for arrowheads on farmland and in river beds seems to appeal to methamphetamine addicts, a sheriff says. White County Sheriff Pat Garrett says after more than 100 search warrants, he has come to expect arrowheads, many thousands of years old, when he storms the home of suspected meth makers. "I noticed it when I first started. It just seemed there were always Indian arrowheads and I couldn't figure it out," Garrett said. [continues 332 words]
I'm writing about Louise Tempelmeier's thoughtful letter: "Marijuana operation was serious overkill" published Aug. 4. Instead of wasting taxpayer money by sending 50 law enforcement personnel members to dig up 78 marijuana plants, why don't we just tax marijuana? It seems to me that non-marijuana users would be very much in favor of taxing a product that they don't use. Around here, taxing other people's vices is very popular. If marijuana were regulated, taxed and sold in licensed business establishments like tobacco products, countless millions, if not billions, of dollars would flow into our nation's tax coffers. [continues 102 words]
TRUMANN -- Police officers' efforts in going after drug dealers and users have paid off for Poinsett County, according to the Trumann police chief. Sitting in his office Monday, Chief Larry Blagg said his department, along with county and state law enforcement, has worked on a series of drug interdiction programs in recent months that saturate an entire area and place the community's drug offenders on notice. Last Thursday, with little or no advance warning, the department went to work on drug interdiction for a period of 8 to 9 hours. Officers were joined by members of the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force and the Poinsett County Sheriff's Department [continues 303 words]
BENTONVILLE -- Ronnie Lee Smith may be one of the last people in Benton County to be required to serve 70 percent of his prison sentence for committing methamphetamine-related offenses. In July, a jury found Smith guilty of possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent to manufacture, a class B felony punishable with five to 20 years in prison. The jury recommended that Smith serve 15 years. He would be required to serve 70 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. "He (Smith) will be one of the last people sentenced under the 70 percent law," Deputy Prosecutor Drew Ledbetter said. "There will be a few more, but he's one of the last major ones." [continues 343 words]
Troop J Officers Are Recognized By DEA For Work In War On Drugs CLARKSVILLE - Whether they find a small bag of marijuana in the front seat or several hundred pounds of the drug stashed in the trunk, the Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Troopers at the Troop J Headquarters in Clarksville take each case seriously and do what they can to keep narcotics off the state's highways and interstates. Last week, four of Troop J's troopers were recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration in a special ceremony for their work involving the seizure of illegal drugs in the six-county area (Pope, Johnson, Yell, Conway, Perry, and Van Buren counties). They are Sgt. Keith Eremea, Cpl. Harry Smith, Trooper First Class (TFC) Roby Rhoads, and TFC George Summerlin. [continues 433 words]
BENTON COUNTY -- A member of the Arkansas Realtors Association hopes a legislative committee will set some standards that will protect property owners when it comes to the issue of who pays to clean up houses where controlled substances have been manufactured. "The Arkansas Realtors Association is the conscience for property rights on this committee," said Larry Kelly, a member of the association's Legislative Committee and a Bentonville Realtor. Kelly and Arkansas Realtors Association President Sharla Lau of Fort Smith will represent the association in the state General Assembly's Manufactured Drug Inspection and Cleanup Study Committee. The committee was formed under Act 1996, which was introduced in the 2005 regular session by State Sen. Shane Broadway (D-Bryant). [continues 184 words]
Attorney General Speaks To Police At State Convention Incarceration of methamphetamine users is central to beating Arkansas' drug problem, Attorney General Mike Beebe said Thursday. Beebe's comments followed his speech to the Arkansas Municipal Police Association's convention held in Searcy, during which Beebe said Arkansas was making headway in the ongoing struggle with methamphetamine. Beebe, who is a candidate for governor in 2006, said that since a law restricting the availability of cold medications used to cook meth went in effect this spring, the number of meth labs in Arkansas has decreased by half. [continues 81 words]
A week or so ago our county judge, Mr. Hall, announced personnel layoffs because of a money shortage in county funds. He did say things may improve though before year's end. Seventy-eight marijuana plants were pulled from two plots on Tuesday, July 26. If you read the whole article and not just the headlines, you were either shocked or amused. Not the fact that 78 plants were confiscated but what it took to complete this large eradication of this evil menace. [continues 297 words]
Inside Arkansas
