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Protest concludes in Little Rock after march through downtown At about 9:45 p.m., an hour and 45 minutes after curfew, officers blocked the demonstrators marching in Little Rock, telling them that their gathering was “an unlawful assembly” and that they had to go home. The two groups then seemed to come to an understanding, allowing the protesters to get through the line of officers and into their cars. by Joseph Flaherty, William Sanders 9 hrs. ago
LIVE VIDEO: Protesters demonstrate in downtown Little Rock

Over 200 more virus infections in Arkansas; state deaths up 6 to 142 The state recorded 249 new cases of covid-19 Wednesday, including 245 among the state’s nonincarcerated population, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. The figure is lower than the daily record set a day earlier but still one of the highest single-day increases to date. by Nyssa Kruse 14 hrs. ago

Police: Russellville shooting kills 2, leaves 1 in critical condition Russellville police are investigating an early Wednesday shooting that left two males dead and a female in critical condition. by Nyssa Kruse 16 hrs. ago

Police ID man fatally shot in Little Rock Police identified Wednesday afternoon a 23-year-old homicide victim who was found Tuesday night in Little Rock. by Nyssa Kruse, William Sanders 13 hrs. ago

Prosecutors charge 3 more officers in George Floyd's death MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors filed a tougher charge Wednesday against the police officer at the center of the George Floyd case and charged three other officers, delivering a victory to protesters galvanized by a death that roused racial tensions and unleashed coast-to-coast unrest. by TIM SULLIVAN and MATT SEDENSKY, The Associated Press 10 hrs. ago

Little Rock police union passes no-confidence resolution against chief The Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police passed a resolution of no confidence against Police Chief Keith Humphrey, the union announced in a statement Tuesday evening. by Rachel Herzog 17 hrs. ago

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State virus cases top 8,000; deaths increase by 6 Updated 20 mins. ago

Arkansas virus cases up by 375 in day

Protests raise fear of covid-19 spread

State sees new single-day record in community infections; virus cases rise by 375 1 day ago

Northwest Arkansas driving covid increase, governor says 1 day ago

25% of U.S. covid-19 deaths in nursing homes 1 day ago

WATCH: Gov. Asa Hutchinson, state health officials give Wednesday coronavirus update

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Panel backs funds for hospitals' virus costs A panel appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to recommend the state's best uses of $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds on Wednesday endorsed the state Department of Human Services' request for $109.6 million to reimburse Arkansas hospitals for covid-19 expenses. by Michael R. Wickline Updated 23 mins. ago

N.C. to get GOP events, but not Trump The Republican National Committee on Wednesday unveiled plans to proceed with certain convention activities in Charlotte, even though President Donald Trump will deliver his nomination acceptance speech somewhere else. by BRYAN ANDERSON The Associated Press 28 mins. ago

5 firms tagged for virus vaccine The Trump administration has selected five companies as the most likely candidates to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus, senior officials said, a critical step in the White House's effort to deliver on its promise of being able to start widespread inoculation of Americans by the end of the year. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 29 mins. ago

S. Africa court strikes reopening rules A South African court ruled that revised lockdown regulations implemented by the government as part of a phased reopening of the economy are unconstitutional and invalid, giving the state two weeks to amend them. by Paul Richardson Bloomberg News 47 mins. ago

Street dog helps see Chinese nurse through virus traumas Zhang Dan was among the first to respond to the call for help in China's coronavirus epicenter. The 36-year-old nurse worked through grueling days, ministering to patients who needed assistance from breathing to merely eating. by The Associated Press 50 mins. ago

Names and faces From an empty movie theater in Paris, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday announced the films that would have played there in May had it not been canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. Two films by 12 Years a Slave filmmaker Steve McQueen -- Mangrove and Lover's Rock -- had been headed to Cannes, said festival director Thierry Fremaux, as was Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch and Pete Docter's Pixar film Soul. by The Associated Press Updated 1 hr. ago

In the news Jimmy Carter, 95, the former president, called on Americans in positions of power and influence to fight racial injustice, saying "silence can be as deadly as violence," adding that "we need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this." Updated 1 hr. ago

Union airs concerns over UA reopening plan A union representing about 45 faculty and staff members at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville said in a statement the campus reopening plan released Monday "does little to clarify a confusing and potentially dangerous situation for the Fall 2020 semester" given the coronavirus pandemic. by Jaime Adame 1 hr. ago

Agency's ex-chiefs advise on spending With the economy still reeling and tens of millions out of work, additional federal spending shouldn't be ruled out, two former Congressional Budget Office directors told the House Budget Committee on Wednesday. by Frank E. Lockwood Updated 1 hr. ago

Walmart hosts shareholders online Walmart Inc. has continued to pursue its long-term strategy and effectively manage the business despite current health and economic challenges, Doug McMillon, president and chief executive, said Wednesday at the company's shareholders meeting. by Serenah McKay Updated 2 hrs. ago

Layoffs in May put at 2.8 million U.S. businesses shed 2.8 million jobs in May, significantly less than the 9.3 million job losses that were expected. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 2 hrs. ago

Tourist localities gauge reopening As the coronavirus raced across America, the quaint seaside town of Cannon Beach did what would normally be unthinkable for a tourist destination. by GILLIAN FLACCUS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 hrs. ago

Pre-virus attendance policy back at Tyson Tyson Foods Inc., the largest U.S. meat processor, reverted to a policy this week that penalizes absentee workers, with an exception for those with coronavirus symptoms. by Nathan Owens 3 hrs. ago

S&P logs 4th-straight gain as market rally rolls on Stocks bubbled even higher on Wednesday, vaulting Wall Street back to where it was just one week after it set its all-time high earlier this year as optimism builds that the economy can climb out of its current hole relatively quickly. by STAN CHOE AND DAMIAN J. TROISE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 hrs. ago

Virus forces service sector to shrink for 2nd month The U.S. services sector shrank for a second month in May as the coronavirus pandemic triggered shutdowns and layoffs around the country. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 3 hrs. ago

AMC fearful for its survival Movie theater chain AMC warned Wednesday that it may not survive the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered its theaters and led film studios to explore releasing more movies directly to viewers over the internet. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 3 hrs. ago

Doctor confirms Trump’s use of malaria drug, describes monitoring The White House medical team kept a close eye on President Donald Trump’s heart rhythms, including at least one electrocardiogram, to watch for potential side effects when he took a two-week course of a malaria drug to try to prevent the coronavirus, his doctor reported Wednesday. by KEVIN FREKING, The Associated Press 7 hrs. ago

World Health Organization to resume hydroxychloroquine tests The director-general of the World Health Organization said its experts have reviewed the safety data on experimental covid-19 drugs and recommended restarting the tests of hydroxychloroquine with no changes. 13 hrs. ago

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Protesters honor curfew, say they back LR leaders A couple of hundred demonstrators rallied Wednesday for the fifth night in a row at the state Capitol, but the vast majority of them left around 7 p.m., an hour before Little Rock's curfew, at the urging of organizers. by Joseph Flaherty, Rachel Herzog and William Sanders Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 13 mins. ago

Full autopsy out on Floyd, lists injuries George Floyd, the black man whose death last week at the hands of police in Minneapolis prompted widespread protests in the U.S. and abroad, had tested positive for covid-19 on April 3, according to a full autopsy released Wednesday night. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports Updated 16 mins. ago

Ex-deputy AG defends Mueller appointment Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein defended during congressional testimony on Wednesday his decision to appoint a special counsel for the Trump-Russia investigation. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports Updated 25 mins. ago

U.S. to ban Chinese airlines in response to Beijing's move The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will ban all commercial passenger flights by Chinese carriers beginning later this month. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 30 mins. ago

Esper rethinks military call In an abrupt reversal, Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday overturned an earlier Pentagon decision to send a couple of hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region, as tensions mounted with the White House over the military response to the protests. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports Updated 37 mins. ago

Do more, demand Floyd protesters; rally violence on wane Protesters who have filled the streets from coast to coast to call attention to police brutality and racial injustice were given a victory Wednesday with the announcement that three more police officers will be charged in the death of George Floyd and that a new, tougher charge against the officer at the center of the case has been filed. by AMY FORLITI, STEVE KARNOWSKI and TIM SULLIVAN The Associated Press Updated 39 mins. ago

Protests more peaceful after order, governor says A combined force of federal, state and local police agencies monitoring protesters Tuesday night in Little Rock arrested 79 people after a window was shattered at a McDonald's, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday. by John Moritz 42 mins. ago

Hong Kong step draws U.K. vow British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged Wednesday to overhaul immigration rules to grant almost 3 million Hong Kong residents a pathway to British citizenship, a response to Beijing's move to impose a far-reaching security law that many fear will dismantle Hong Kong's political freedoms. by Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports 46 mins. ago

Mumbai spared worst of cyclone damage The first cyclone in more than a century to hit India's financial capital, Mumbai, appeared to have largely spared the metropolis on Wednesday. by RAFIQ MAQBOOL, EMILY SCHMALL and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL The Associated Press 48 mins. ago

Reevaluation filed on effect of I-30 project A Federal Highway Administration reevaluation of the environmental effects of the nearly $1 billion 30 Crossing project found that all previous findings "remain valid" and that the work has "no new or additional significant impacts" since its initial approval more than a year ago, according to the 68-page document filed in U.S. District Court. by Noel Oman 1 hr. ago

Rutledge appoints Fletcher to panel Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has ended her search and appointed attorney Denese Fletcher of Little Rock to the Arkansas Ethics Commission, succeeding Sybil Jordan Hampton of Little Rock, whose term ended Dec. 31, 2018. by Michael R. Wickline 1 hr. ago

Jacksonville district's state-aid appeal denied A state commission on Wednesday denied an appeal from the Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District for financial help in meeting the district's construction promises in Pulaski County's 37-year-old federal school desegregation lawsuit. by Cynthia Howell 1 hr. ago

Drive to get coin-operated entertainment-machines issue on ballot ends Amid the covid-19 pandemic, the Arcade Arkansas committee has ended its bid to qualify for the Nov. 3 general election ballot its proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize coin-operated amusement machines. by Michael R. Wickline 1 hr. ago

Pipe bomb possessor gets 5-year term A 49-year-old Pulaski County man, James Patrick Huff, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly five years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device -- a pipe bomb. by Linda Satter 1 hr. ago

Indictment alleges child-buy attempt A Little Rock man was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on charges of trying to purchase a child, as well as two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. by Linda Satter 1 hr. ago

FBI IDs man killed in Fayetteville The FBI has identified a man shot and killed Monday in a Fayetteville parking lot as Ryan E. Moore. by Tom Sissom 2 hrs. ago

Man found shot dies at LR hospital A 19-year-old man who was injured in a shooting Tuesday night died Wednesday afternoon, according to a Little Rock police Twitter post. by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2 hrs. ago

Investigation on after LR slaying Police are investigating a slaying Tuesday night at an apartment complex in west Little Rock, according to a police report. by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2 hrs. ago

Marianna slayings lead to two arrests A man accused of fatally shooting two people in Marianna over the weekend was arrested Monday, authorities said. by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2 hrs. ago

Majors factor at UA Johnny Majors picked the right time to become a University of Arkansas football assistant coach. by Bob Holt 2 hrs. ago

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Crime in Arkansas

Victim in double shooting dies, Little Rock police say A 19-year-old victim in a Little Rock double shooting died Wednesday afternoon, police said. by Nyssa Kruse

Man arrested in Marianna double homicide, authorities say A man accused of fatally shooting two people in east Arkansas over the weekend was arrested Monday, authorities said. by Nyssa Kruse