mparent7777_1

Gunman shoots Arkansas Democratic party chairman

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer  8 minutes ago

A gunman entered the Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters Wednesday and shot the party chairman, who was hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said.

The gunman asked to speak to the party chairman, Bill Gwatney, and fired three shots at the office near the state Capitol.

"He came in and went into this office and started shooting," police Lt. Terry Hastings told reporters near the party headquarters.

--MORE--

Leaders in Helena-West Helena have come up with a new plan after criticism by the ACLU of the mayor's recent curfew on a particular part of town.

This past weekend, Mayor James Valley issued a mandatory curfew for Second Street and the surrounding blocks -- a place he considers to be a "hot spot" for crime.

The curfew applied to anyone of any age at any time of day.

On Tuesday, city leaders devised a plan that divides Helena-West Helena into six zones for better population control.

--MORE--

Part of Helena-West Helena Under Lockdown

Posted By: Ebone' Mone't 1 day ago


Authorities say in an attempt to stop the violence, a neighborhood on the Westside of Helena-West Helena is under a 24-hour, non-stop curfew that could be extended for days.

It's a tale of two cities. The result of what police are calling a small gang turf war. Neighbors Mary Stevens, Flora Commons and Antone Johnson live in the middle of it. "They've been shooting for three or four nights," says Commons. "It's time to put a stop to all the crime. You can't sleep at night because people are shooting and you want to know where the bullet is going to go next," says Johnson. Mayor James Valley says the impacted area is violence-prone. So from South Sebastian to Fourth Street and Anderson to Garland Street, no one is allowed out. He says it's, "...to curtail some of the general mayhem we've been experiencing, particularly the gun shots," says Valley. "Nobody can walk down the street and be safe, that is, be free from police interference," says Valley.

"I don't think it's right," expresses Stevens. Some neighbors say they're being unfairly punished for the crimes other people have committed. "They know exactly who's doing the shooting, the robbery, but it seems like we're never going to get any justice around here," says Stevens. "We got kids down here. They should lock up these young folks that have been doing the shooting; don't put us hostage or on lockdown," complains Commons.

--MORE--

Winner rejoices, then deflated

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 10:48 PM CDT

Recount of votes reveals Hughes tops Derrick

By Warren Watkins

The Daily Citizen

A major inconsistency in unofficial election results, brought to light by a candidate Wednesday, resulted in a change in the results for the circuit judge's race in Tuesday's election.

The first tallies released at 1 a.m. Wednesday showed Mark Derrick had been elected as the new circuit judge for the 17th Judicial District, including White and Prairie counties, by 91 votes. But later Wednesday, district judge candidate Robert Hudgins came to the courthouse to point out a wide disparity in number of votes cast in his race and the circuit judge's race.

A 3,954-vote disparity was reported for ballots cast in the circuit judge's race (11,567) compared to the number of ballots cast in the district judge's race (7,613) concerning only White County voters.

--MORE--