Stories by Amy Schlesing

  • Sequester cuts will hurt, Arkansas officials say

    Less than a week before automatic federal spending cuts are scheduled to take place, the White House released a snapshot showing how the reductions will be fel…

    by Amy Schlesing February 26, 2013

  • Veterans home bids sought

    The Arkansas Building Authority is accepting bids for the purchase of the former Little Rock Veterans Home at 4701 Charles Bussey Ave.

    by Amy Schlesing February 2, 2013

  • Ex-vets official is paid, cleared

    The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs paid the former administrator of the Little Rock Veterans Home $150,000 late Monday and released a letter exonerati…

    by Amy Schlesing January 30, 2013

  • Pact relaxes rules on kids of servicemen

    The state Senate passed a bill last week that would add Arkansas to a 43-state compact that waives state-specific academic requirements for the children of act…

    by Amy Schlesing January 28, 2013

  • 188th’s A-10 loss all set, Arkansans hear

    Air Force Chief of Staff Mark Welsh confirmed Friday that the Arkansas National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing will trade its A-10 jets for two drone missions — on…

    by Amy Schlesing January 19, 2013

  • Air Force base in Jacksonville told to set cuts

    Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has ordered sweeping operational cuts at all active-duty bases that will reduce flying time and freeze building maintenance, …

    by Amy Schlesing January 12, 2013

  • Afghan mud season a Guard challenge

    As snow and ice pounded the state last week, blowing out lights and dimming holiday spirits, Arkansas National Guardsmen halfway around the world continued to …

    by Amy Schlesing December 31, 2012

  • In state, lights out to 265,000

    A storm system covered most of Arkansas with heavy snow and ice that snapped utility lines and knocked out power stations, leaving nearly 265,000 homes and bus…

    by Amy Schlesing , Kenneth Heard , John Worthen December 27, 2012

  • Defense bill passes, not all as state wanted

    The 2013 defense authorization bill headed to the president’s desk Friday after Congress passed the $633 billion compromise measure, which includes more than $…

    by Amy Schlesing December 22, 2012

  • Panel quizzes state VA chief

    A legislative committee quizzed the director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday about more than $288,000 in improper expenditures appro…

    by Amy Schlesing December 14, 2012

  • Ex-vets official, state end lawsuit

    The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs settled a wrongful termination lawsuit Tuesday with the former administrator of the Little Rock Veterans Home.

    by Amy Schlesing December 12, 2012

  • Bill filed to establish new veterans home in state

    A bill filed Wednesday in advance of next month’s 2013 legislative session opens the door for a new state veterans home, which state officials say they are not…

    by Amy Schlesing December 6, 2012

  • State pleads case to Air Force chief

    Arkansas’ congressional delegation on Tuesday asked the Air Force chief of staff to visit the state in the latest move to save two Arkansas National Guard prog…

    by Amy Schlesing November 28, 2012

  • County workers’ bonuses on track

    The Pulaski County Quorum Court Services and Administration committees each approved a proposal Tuesday night to give one-time, longevity-based bonuses to all …

    by Amy Schlesing November 14, 2012

  • Rx ‘pot’ measure narrowly trailing

    The ballot issue to legalize marijuana for medical use in Arkansas remained close to a 50 percent split as the first results rolled in from across the state Tu…

    by Amy Schlesing November 7, 2012

  • VA releases $1.1 million for cemetery

    The Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery has been awarded a $1.1 million federal grant to pay for ongoing work to expand the columbariums and realign headstones.

    by Amy Schlesing October 31, 2012

  • Murderer loose after escape from Tucker

    A convicted murderer remained at large in central Arkansas late Monday after he and another inmate escaped from the Tucker Unit in Jefferson County.

    by Amy Schlesing October 30, 2012

  • Vets-home ex-official suing state

    The former administrator of the Little Rock Veterans Home is suing the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs and its former director, his former deputy and c…

    by Amy Schlesing October 25, 2012

  • $114,000 lost to vets home in billing slip

    The Fayetteville Veterans Home staff failed to file for federal Medicare reimbursement on $114,000 in services last year, according to internal audit findings.

    by Amy Schlesing October 23, 2012

  • Final vet set to exit home by November

    All 70 men who were residents of the Little Rock Veterans Home in June, when the home’s closing was announced, have found new places to live.

    by Amy Schlesing October 17, 2012

  • Work starts on veterans-home plan

    The Arkansas Veterans Commission on Tuesday worked on a recommendation to build a state veterans nursing home that will be forwarded to the governor next month.

    by Amy Schlesing October 3, 2012

  • Soldier killed in Afghan war is laid to rest

    Hundreds of people lined a mile-long stretch of U.S. 64 Saturday waving flags and holding signs of support for the family of Sgt. Jason Michael Swindle, who di…

    by Amy Schlesing September 30, 2012

  • Vets-home chief’s firing stands

    The director of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration on Thursday upheld the firing of former Little Rock Veterans Home administrator Janet Lev…

    by Amy Schlesing September 28, 2012

  • One-third of Jonesboro meth-ring indictees freed

    About a third of the 30 people indicted in a Jonesboro-based methamphetamine ring were released Thursday on their own recognizance, in most cases to undergo co…

    by Amy Schlesing September 14, 2012

  • Reinstatement is appealed

    The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs late Tuesday appealed the reinstatement of the fired administrator of the Little Rock Veterans Home.

    by Amy Schlesing September 12, 2012

  • On and on, Isaac pelts Arkansas

    Hours of torrential rain — much of it falling on the last day of the month — made this the wettest August that Pine Bluff has seen since 1911.

    by Amy Schlesing , Cathy Frye , John Worthen September 1, 2012

  • Ex-manager of vets’ home is reinstated

    A state panel this week reinstated the former administrator of the Little Rock Veterans Home, finding that her firing this spring was based on false findings a…

    by Amy Schlesing August 30, 2012

  • Cargo plane settles into home atop hill

    Ralph Bemis stood on a hill overlooking U.S. 67 at the entrance to Little Rock Air Force Base on Sunday morning and watched an Air Force crew slowly pull a C-1…

    by Amy Schlesing August 27, 2012

  • 39th on road to Afghan task

    Arkansas troops left the state Friday to begin an Afghanistan deployment where they will watch over NATO troops training Afghan police and soldiers in the wake…

    by Amy Schlesing August 11, 2012

  • Panel OKs bill with Fort Smith jets

    The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $604.5 billion defense bill Thursday that reverses cuts recommended for the Air National Guard and Reserve, includ…

    by Amy Schlesing August 3, 2012

  • Governor shifts cash to refund veterans

    Gov. Mike Beebe transferred $580,000 from his “Rainy Day Fund” last week to the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs to pay refunds to some residents and fa…

    by Amy Schlesing August 2, 2012

  • Proposal keeps Fort Smith jets

    The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee approved a $604 billion defense bill Tuesday that halts proposed Air Force cuts that would strip the Arkansas Na…

    by Amy Schlesing August 1, 2012

  • LR Veterans Home showing age, decay

    The state-run Little Rock Veterans Home has for years hidden its age behind closed doors and under its concrete foundation, where crumbling, water-damaged wall…

    by Amy Schlesing August 1, 2012

  • Guard unit going to Afghanistan

    A small contingent of the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade is headed to Afghanistan on quick notice to oversee a small battalion of U.S. securit…

    by Amy Schlesing July 13, 2012

  • Frustrations rise on veterans panel

    The governor-appointed Veterans Commission — created as an advisory agency for the state’s veterans homes — spent about three hours Tuesday discussing everythi…

    by Amy Schlesing July 11, 2012

  • Firefighters battle blazes in 15 counties

    Wildfires blazed across the state Wednesday as fire crews and National Guard soldiers prepared for even more to ignite because of people celebrating the holida…

    by Amy Schlesing , Aprille Hanson July 5, 2012

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