Mid-South joins ASU system
WEST MEMPHIS -- Mid-South Community College officially became the newest member of the ASU System -- Arkansas State University Mid-South -- on Thursday after approval by the Higher Learning Commission, System President Chuck Welch announced.
Barbara Baxter, previously the executive vice president of Mid-South, is serving as interim chancellor after the departure of the institution's only president, Glen Fenter. Fenter is the new chief executive officer of the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce.
Debra West will assume leadership of the campus Aug. 1 as the new chancellor of ASU Mid-South.
ASU trustees and the Mid-South board approved the merger Jan. 9.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
McDonald's labor hearing set
LITTLE ROCK -- The National Labor Relations Board wants a federal judge Monday to direct the operators of the downtown McDonald's restaurant to "cease and desist from committing unfair labor practices" against employees supporting unionizing efforts.
Kathleen McKinney -- director of the board's Region 15 -- also wants Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Miller to order the franchisee, The Retzer Group, to rehire Kevin "Jay" Harris, a maintenance employee who the board said was fired illegally for leading union organizing efforts.
McKinney filed a petition for an injunction against the franchisee -- which owns several McDonald's restaurants, including the one at 701 S. Broadway -- in response to substantiated complaints she said the board received from the Mid-South Workers Organizing Committee.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Benton mayor announces raises
BENTON -- Mayor David Mattingly knows how to get a round of applause from city employees: Give them a pay raise.
During a Thursday meeting, Mattingly announced a 3.5 percent cost-of-living pay raise for employees paid from the city's general fund. The raise affects about 155 full- and part-time employees.
City employees, including members of Benton's fire and police departments, crowded into the City Council chambers for Mattingly's announcement. "As I look around at other communities and other counties ... this is something to be very, very proud of because there are some that are struggling," Mattingly said.
The pay increase, which went into effect Wednesday, is the third pay raise for city employees since 2012.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Attorney general reorganizes
LITTLE ROCK --
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said Wednesday she reorganized the part of her office representing state agencies and named an attorney to head the department.
The State Agencies Division, which formerly operated under the umbrella of the attorney general's Civil Department, will now be its own department. Meredith Rebsamen, who has worked at the office for nearly six years, was promoted to deputy attorney general and will lead the new department.
The new department will do legal work for more than 200 state agencies, commissions, boards and two-year colleges. But when those entities are sued, the Civil Department will represent them in court.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Chief catches robbery suspect
LITTLE ROCK -- Police Chief Kenton Buckner arrested a man Thursday morning in downtown Little Rock after the man stole a woman's cellphone, police said.
According to police spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan, Buckner was sitting in an unmarked police vehicle in the 400 block of West Capitol Avenue about 11:45 a.m. waiting for a lunch meeting. Buckner heard a woman scream and saw a man running. The woman said the man stole her cellphone.
Buckner, who wasn't in uniform, followed the man and arrested him near Fourth and Louisiana streets without incident, McClanahan said.
Carl Dotson, 33, was charged with robbery and theft of property, according to the Pulaski County jail roster. He was being held in the jail Thursday night in lieu of a $16,000 bond.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Restoration group weighs depot effort
TEXARKANA -- Friends of Union Station is seeking to formulate and iron out plans to restore the vintage 1929 Union Station building to its former grandeur.
At a recent meeting at the Lindsey Railroad Museum on East Broad Street, Beverly Rowe, one of the group's members, presented information she collected while visiting with officials in Hope who worked on restoring that city's passenger train depot.
Rowe said she collected government grant information, as well some contact information for restoration expertise. However, she added in order for any historical restoration to occur, the station would have to be publicly owned. Presently, it's owned by Texarkana resident Jeff Sandefur.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Housing chief appeals conviction
LITTLE ROCK -- The director of the city's Metropolitan Housing Alliance appealed his conviction of failing to comply with the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
The appeal was filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court for alliance director Rodney Forte. Hayden Shurgar, an attorney filed the documents.
Judge Alice Lightle ruled on June 4 that Forte was "negligent" in not responding to requests for records from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette within three working days, as mandated by law. Lightle sentenced Forte to pay a $100 fine and another $140 in court costs.
Separate from Forte's appeal, the alliance filed a complaint June 24 seeking a declaratory judgment in the ongoing dispute with the Democrat-Gazette over the requests for documents.
The complaint, which names the Democrat-Gazette as the defendant, asks the court to determine what services the Freedom of Information Act permits a public agency to bill a requester for in readying documents for release.
-- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
NW News on 07/04/2015