The state in brief

UA System sets up racial equity panel

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas System has named members of a task force that will examine racial equity across the system, the system announced last week.UA System board of trustees chairman John Goodson appointed Trustee Stephen Broughton as chairman of the task force and appointed Trustee Ted Dickey to the task force. The 14-member task force includes at least one person associated with each of the university’s five traditional universities and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and two people currently associated with a system community college. The members are:

• Broughton, UA System trustee, committee chairman.

• Ted Dickey, UA System trustee.

• Robert Carr, provost, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

• Mark Cochran, vice president, UA System Division of Agriculture.

• Deacue Fields, dean, University of Arkansas.

• Marvin Caston, senior director of development, Razorback Foundation.

• Moses Goldman, vice chancellor, University of Arkansas at Monticello.

• Georgia Hale, provost, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

• Keith Pinchback, chancellor, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.

• Terisa Riley, chancellor, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

• Charles Robinson, provost, University of Arkansas.

• Chris Smith, dean, University of Arkansas Community College at Hope-Texarkana.

• Kristi Smith, director, UA Little Rock Alumni Association.

• Christina Clark, vice chancellor/COO, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

— ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Lane closings required for projects

JONESBORO — Several road construction projects will cause lane closings in Jonesboro, the Arkansas Department of Transportation said. Bridge work over Interstate 555 will require closings about three weeks, according to the agency. Construction crews began applying a polymer overlay to the bridge decks and replacing the joint sealant on the bridges over I-555 on Tuesday. The bridges included in the work are Willow Road, Red Wolf Boulevard, Caraway Road, Harrisburg Road and Southwest Drive. Lanes will be closed from 6 p.m.-6 a.m. until the work is completed. The three-week schedule could be affected by inclement weather. The work is part of a $33.8 million project to reconstruct 4.7 miles of I-555, between U.S. 63B and Arkansas 18 in Jonesboro. The estimated completion date of the overall project is mid-2021. In a separate area project, construction work to resurface 6 miles of U.S. 49 will require lane closings in southwest Jonesboro for about five weeks, weather permitting, the Department of Transportation said. Traffic for the projects will be controlled by traffic drums, flaggers and signs, the agency said.

— ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Car-theft case filed after arrest

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — A man is facing a charge regarding possession of a stolen vehicle after an arrest Tuesday. Officers spotted a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of the Burlington Coat Factory at 4220 McCain Blvd. about 4 p.m. The passenger in the vehicle described Jobani Rodriguez, who was found in the store with the keys and detained, a report said. According to the report, Rodriguez gave the name of a family member who faced a Massachusetts warrant but told officers he lied about his identity as they arrived at the station. Rodriguez was taken to the Pulaski County jail where he is being held without bail and is charged with felony theft by receiving and misdemeanor obstructing governmental operations.

— ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Gift to help UAPB pay for virus costs

PINE BLUFF — A $200,000 private gift will help the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff cover the unanticipated costs of the coronavirus pandemic, the university announced Thursday. The money comes from the Windgate Foundation, which has donated tens of millions of dollars to Arkansas institutions of higher education in recent years for art programs and facilities. The funding will help the university hire additional security, improve campus cleanliness, upgrade software for online course delivery and help provide emergency aid to students who need it, according to the university’s announcement. In the news release, UAPB Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement George Cotton Sr. said the university needed additional money to realign its operations during the pandemic.

— ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Boy on trial in 2017 slaying of clerk

TEXARKANA — A trial is underway in Miller County for a boy accused of shooting a convenience store clerk to death in 2017. Because the accused was only 12 when 21-year-old Christa Shockley was shot, the proceeding is closed and in-person media coverage prohibited. Shockley was found dead on the floor of the E-Z Mart in Fouke by a Texarkana Gazette news carrier in the early hours of Feb. 2, 2017. The suspect was arrested just a few hours later at a Fouke public school. Arkansas law doesn’t allow for adult certification of children as young as the boy charged with capital murder in Shockley’s death, Prosecutor Stephanie Potter Barrett said. The boy faces 10 to 40 years or life in prison with parole possible, Barrett said. Young offenders sentenced to life are eligible for parole after serving 30 years but parole isn’t guaranteed.

— TEXARKANA GAZETTE

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