LITTLE ROCK– Friday, in the face of Hurricane Ike, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel raised concerns about price gouging at the gas pumps. In an effort to address that concern, General McDaniel asked Arkansans to send his office photographs and other documentation of what they believe to be unreasonable gas prices. Arkansans quickly responded to the call to action.

Since Friday, the Attorney General’s office has received over 1450…[more]

Ike delivered a fresh blow to Arkansas producers trying to pick up the pieces left by the remnants of Hurricane Gustav.

“We need some sun,” said Scott Monfort, extension plant pathologist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Rice, corn and some soybeans are ready to be harvested, but Ike “is doing nothing but slowing that down.”

Hurricane Ike was downgraded to a tropical storm…[more]

Arkansas, the nation’s number one rice producer with about 1.3 million acres planted this year, could have up to a fourth of its crop damaged as remnants of hurricanes Gustav and Ike blew through the state.

Gustav affected large swaths of rice fields south of Interstate 40, while Ike seemed to save its worst impact north of that highway.

According to rice experts at the University…[more]

LITTLE ROCK - While continuing to monitor the impact of Hurricane Ike on Arkansas, Governor Mike Beebe has requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for damage to Arkansas crops caused by the remnants of Hurricane Gustav.

In his letter to Secretary Ed Schaefer, Governor Beebe asked for a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for 45 Arkansas counties: Ashley, Baxter, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford,…[more]

After a five-week vacation, Congress has 14 working days left to pass a comprehensive energy plan that provides relief to Arkansans suffering from the high cost of fuel.

I reaffirmed my commitment for H.R. 6566, the American Energy Act, by signing a pledge from the grassroots organization, Making Congress Accountable. This group is persuading my colleagues to work together to pass this important piece of legislation with NO…[more]

REYDEL, Ark. - About 30 percent to 40 percent of the state’s rice crop in southeast Arkansas has been hit hard by remnants of Hurricane Gustav, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

High winds and rain pelted the crop and blew over the plants, a condition called lodging, according to Ralph Mazzanti, an extension rice research verification coordinator.
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Seth Russell, age 15 of Crossett, Arkansas, was being pulled along in an inner tube behind a boat in Lake Chicot when a Silver Asian carp leaped from the water, hitting young Seth square in the face.

The blow knocked Seth unconscious and he was rushed to a nearby hospital. Seth said he does not remember the fish, only waking up at the hospital. But the collision was…[more]

Little Rock --Power is being restored to parts of Louisiana, but Entergy crews from Arkansas have been forced to return home to help restore power here, and evacuees are being told that they are still facing a wait of seven to fourteen days before they can return home. That leaves Arkansas healthcare providers with the job of keeping the displaced population healthy.

“We are determined to give the…[more]

As rains continue to soak the White River Basin, officials of the Army Corps of Engineers are hard at work using federal lakes to minimize flooding of cropland in the White River valley. Meanwhile, officials continue to urge those living near the rivers downstream of these dams to remain on guard should large releases become necessary.

The National Weather Service has forecast the river stage at Newport to…[more]

LITTLE ROCK - The unusually mild summer coupled with preparations for back-to-school have kept our minds preoccupied, but the clean-up and rebuilding from the spring tornadoes, wind storms and floods continues.

Gov. Mike Beebe declared 10 Arkansas counties disaster areas after tornadoes killed more than a dozen Arkansans and injured about 150 more. Clean-up from the late spring and summer floods is still causing issues for homeowners, farmers…[more]