Arkansas House chamber to get $1.25M update

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers are planning a $1.25 million renovation of the state’s House chamber.

The House Management Committee authorized Little Rock architect Gary Clements on Tuesday to seek bids on the project. The work would begin after the 2018 fiscal session, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

Project leaders plan to replace the old desks, chairs and carpet in the chamber. Clements said the desks date back to the

1960s, and the chairs and carpet are from the mid-1980s.

“Our goal was to reconstruct the desks as the 1914 design that was never implemented in the House,” he said.

Project leaders also expect to upgrade electrical and voting equipment in time for the 2019 regular session. It would cost about $240,000 to upgrade the voting hardware, including new individual voting switches, integrating with the existing voting software and replacing the current system controls, said David Ward, operations manager for the voting equipment vendor International Roll-Call.

The project will be financed out of the House’s maintenance and operations budget, said Roy Ragland, House chief of staff. He said the House plans to put the project up for bid to contractors next month and to open bids and award a contract in February.

The 2018 fiscal session starts Feb. 12. The contractor would have from April to October to complete the project.

Subpoena notes link among senator, co-defendants

LITTLE ROCK — Public records, including a federal subpoena, show that a legislative act sponsored by a former state senator established a fund that could have benefited shingle recyclers, including his two co-defendants in a public corruption case.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the subpoena seeks details on bills tied to former Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale.

Woods faces an April 9 trial with co-defendants Randell Shelton Jr. and Oren Paris III. The government says Paris paid kickbacks through Shelton to Woods and a now-former state representative in return for state grants to Ecclesia College. The newspaper reported Thursday that Shelton and Paris own a shingle-recycling business headquartered at an address owned by Ecclesia College.

Shelton’s lawyer says the recycling account was never funded and that any company could have applied for its benefits.

Kees confirmed as US Attorney for western Ark.

FORT SMITH — An executive at Wal- Mart Stores Inc. has been confirmed as the U.S. Attorney for western Arkansas.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Duane Kees, who goes by the nickname “Dak.” Kees is 42 and has been the director of global ethics and compliance at Wal-Mart.

U. S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton recommended Kees, and President Donald Trump nominated Kees in September. The Senate Judiciary Committee gave its approval last week.

Kees is an Army veteran who in his military career has served as a brigade judge advocate and a senior defense attorney.

His district is roughly west of a line from Hamburg to Russellville to Mountain Home.

Lawsuit over dicamba ban moot, state says in filing

LITTLE ROCK — Attorneys for the state of Arkansas say a lawsuit challenging a ban on the herbicide dicamba is now moot because the ban is no longer in place.

Monsanto has asked for preliminary and permanent injunctions as part of a lawsuit against the state Plant Board, which voted in November to prohibit the in- crop use of dicamba from April 16 through Oct. 31 next year.

The Arkansas Legislative Council last week delayed considering the Plant Board’s proposal and sent it back to the board for further consideration.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Plant Board is to meet Jan. 3.

Arkansas has received nearly 1,000 complaints this year about dicamba, which can damage soybean and cotton crops and other vegetation when it drifts off its intended target.

Former judge sentenced to probation on tax charge

BENTON — A former Saline County circuit judge has been sentenced to four years of probation after pleading no contest to an accusation that he failed to file a tax return.

Court records show that

53-year-old Bobby McCallister must pay a $1,500 fine and file state tax returns for 2012, 2013,

2014 and 2016 within the next four months.

McCallister initially had been accused of four counts of failing to file a tax return. His trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday, but be pleaded no contest to one count instead. He faced up to six years in prison on each count.

Records show he had earned $160,000 annually.