Stories for November 20, 2009

Gaines resigns as NLR alderman

Cary Gaines resigned from the North Little Rock City Council on Friday, four days after being tied to a scheme to defraud the city that was revealed in a federal indictment of a Cabot man.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Clinton tours his library with schoolchildren

Former President Bill Clinton was joined by a couple of busloads of school children Friday when he toured the exhibits in the museum at his presidential library.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Authorities shoot, kill suspect in 5 Pearcy deaths

A man sought as a suspect in last week’s shooting deaths of five people near Pearcy was shot and killed as police tried to arrest him at a Hot Springs hotel, sheriff’s officials say.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

PB probation office set aflame

Authorities are investigating an apparent arson at a probation office in Pine Bluff.
» Read story. | Share | 2 comments

FBI investigating taser use on 10-year-old

The FBI has dispatched investigators to Arkansas to look into a police officer’s use of a stun gun on a 10-year-old girl who refused to take a shower.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

CDC: Swine flu cases seem to be dropping in US

Health officials say swine flu cases appear to be declining throughout most of the U.S., but the specter of Thanksgiving gatherings makes it hard to predict what will happen next.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Elton John-Billy Joel concert canceled

The Elton John & Billy Joel Face 2 Face concert scheduled for Nov. 28 at Verizon Arena won't take place as planned.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Floods devastate Britain’s Lake District, parts of Ireland

Military helicopters winched dozens of people to safety and emergency workers in inflatable boats rescued scores more as floods on Friday swamped northern England’s picturesque Lake District. One police officer died after a bridge was swept away by the surging waters.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Arkansas jobless rate hits 7.6 percent in October

Arkansas’ unemployment rate rose half a percentage point to 7.6 percent in October, the highest joblessness rate in more than 21 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

New boss to take over Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command is getting a new boss Friday, with Lt. Gen. Raymond Johns replacing Gen. Arthur Lichte.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Going green the right way for Christmas decor

The use of greenery in Christmas decorations is traditional, as Helaine R. Williams writes in Saturday’s HomeStyle section
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Floods devastate UK Lake District; much of Ireland

Military helicopters winched dozens of people to safety and emergency workers in inflatable boats rescued scores more as floods on Friday swamped northern England’s picturesque Lake District. One police officer was missing and feared dead after a bridge was swept away.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Russian ship frees itself from ice in Antarctic

A Russian cruise ship that has been struggling through a huge mass of sea ice for days has finally reached open water off Antarctica.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

6 world powers meet about Iran nuclear issue

Representatives of six world powers met in Brussels on Friday to discuss possible measures against Tehran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment activities.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

UA fraternity chapter under investigation

An alcohol incident involving a pledge has led to an investigation of a fraternity chapter at the University of Arkansas.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Karzai vows war on crooks

2 from U.S. die in suicide attack

President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated Thursday for a second term, pledging that Afghanistan will prosecute corrupt officials and control its own security within five years.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Bill seen as deficit easer

Senate health-care measure’s backers hail report

Congressional budget crunchers said Thursday that the Democrats’ latest health-care plan would hold down federal red ink for at least 20 years, an assessment that gave supporters hope as the Senate moved toward a historic debate.
» Read story. | Share | 1 comment

Foreclosures on prime loans surge

Job losses seen overtaking risky lending as top cause of defaults

Rising unemployment led to a spike in foreclosures on prime fixed-rate mortgage loans in the third quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Thursday.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Ruling allows utility to exit Entergy pact

Savings forecast for state; Louisiana appeal expected

Entergy Arkansas Inc. can withdraw from the costly “system agreement” it shares with five other Entergy Corp. subsidiaries, federal regulators ruled Thursday.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss

Homegrown extremism on the rise, panel hears

Terrorist episodes over the past 12 months show that Islamic extremists within the U.S. increasingly are launching attacks against targets such as military bases, anti-terrorist experts said Thursday.
» Read story. | Share | Discuss