State Digest
White man guilty in severe beating of black man at rally
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A white Arkansas man charged in the beating of a black man during a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been found guilty of malicious wounding.
News outlets report 23-year-old Jacob Scott Goodwin was found guilty Tuesday for the August attack on 20-year-old DeAndre Harris.
The jury recommended a sentence of 10 years, with the option of suspending some time and a $20,000 fine.
Harris suffered a spinal injury, a broken arm and head lacerations that required eight staples after the parking garage assault. Three others were arrested.
Goodwin claimed self-defense. However, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nina-Alice Antony says it was Goodwin who wanted to square off.
The rally was held to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a city park.
Report: Tax refunds keep Arkansas revenue down in April
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas finance officials say a higher than expected amount of tax refunds paid out kept the state's revenue in April below forecast and below the same month last year.
The state Department of Finance and Administration said Wednesday the state's net available revenue in April totaled $657.1 million, which is $3.8 million below the same month last year and $15.7 million below forecast. The state's net revenue for the fiscal year that began July 1 totals nearly $4.6 billion, which is $53.8 million above forecast.
The state paid out $119.1 million in individual income tax refunds last month, $20.9 million more than April 2017 and $19.1 million higher than forecast.
State sales tax collections in April were above forecast and the same month a year ago.
Record number of flu deaths in Arkansas rises to 222
LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The record number of deaths due to the flu in Arkansas during the current season has increased by three to now stand at 222.
The Arkansas Department of Health reported Tuesday that the number includes 217 deaths of adults and five deaths of those 18 or younger.
The department also says about 850 people have been hospitalized due to the illness.
The previous record of 110 flu-related deaths was set during the 2014-2015 flu season. The department began tracking the deaths in 2000.
The health department notes that it receives reports on only a portion of flu cases and believes many more people have actually been affected by the illness.
Court: Rape lawsuit OK'd against University of Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — A federal appeals court says a former athlete at the University of Arkansas who reported being raped by another student can continue her lawsuit against the school.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis said Wednesday that, by accepting federal dollars, the university waived immunity from lawsuits under certain federal anti-discrimination laws.
The woman says school officials acted with "deliberate indifference" after she reported the assault in 2014. The school said the perpetrator was expelled and that it assisted her after her report. An Arkansas federal judge had said the lawsuit could continue.
Attorneys general in seven states, including Arkansas' Leslie Rutledge, had sided with the school over sovereign immunity issues. Rutledge says the case was difficult for all parties and that she disagrees with the court.