It was a good week for...
ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL He revealed that he's already raised more than $1 million for his 2014 gubernatorial campaign.
REP. TRACY PENNARTZ Pennartz, of Fort Smith, running a tight race for state Senate District 9, got an endorsement from Rep. Rick Green of Van Buren, a Republican who lost in the Republican primary to Pennartz's opponent, Sen. Bruce Holland of Greenwood.
HERB RULE The Democratic candidate for the 2nd District got a PR boost from Partne Daugherty of Jacksonville, whose close examination of police videos and other records turned around a case against Surgeon General Joe Thompson after he was arrested at his own home. Daugherty has posted a lengthy video of the August DWI arrest of Rule in Fayetteville on YouTube. It does not appear to clearly depict an intoxicated man. Rule, who always maintained his innocence, was stopped for failing to signal a lane change on a four-lane street. Daugherty's commentary on the YouTube page includes discrepancies she found in reviews of police records, including a more extensive report prepared on the arrest subsequent to a brief report provided to media and the fact that it includes a statement from one officer that he didn't smell alcohol on Rule. See the video at arktimes.com/rule.
It was a bad week for...
REP. JON HUBBARD After drawing international attention for his racist views on slavery and immigration, he compared his Democratic critics, including Gov. Mike Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, to Hitler in a letter to the Jonesboro Sun. He said Democrats had "mobilized and orchestrated their army" to shut down a fundraiser for Rep. Charlie Fuqua, also in the news recently for his nutty views, at a Batesville restaurant. The restaurant owner later told Fox 16 the decision to cancel the fundraiser was his alone.
THE ARKANSAS LOTTERY Sales in September were down $9 million. That's a 23 percent drop from September 2011 sales. Lottery officials blamed the disparity on a $20 scratch-off ticket that was new and popular in September 2011.
THE INFORMATION NETWORK OF ARKANSAS The private contractor that handles state Internet structure and bill processing experienced a glitch in its online statewide system for paying property taxes by credit card, which made the scene at county treasurers' offices across the state chaotic on Monday, the deadline to pay property taxes. Twenty-three counties, including Pulaski County, reported problems with the system. Many of them extended deadlines for electronic payments a day.
