State briefs

Arkansas jobless rate unchanged in May

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ unemployment rate for May is unchanged from April’s figure.

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services reported Friday that the jobless rate for May remained at 3.8 percent.

The department reported that the number of people with a job fell by nearly 1,200, but the number was offset by a drop of more than 1,600 in the civilian labor force and a decline of more than 400 people who were unemployed.

Nationwide, the jobless rate fell from 3.9 percent to 3.8 percent.

Health Department says 36 have contracted hepatitis A

JONESBORO — Three dozen people have contracted hepatitis A amid a series of exposures in northeastern Arkansas this year, according to state health officials.

Last year, only seven cases were reported statewide.

The Arkansas Health Department issued a warning after a Jonesboro restaurant employee tested positive for hepatitis A, department spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said. The agency said anyone who ate at the Steak ‘n Shake on June 3 between 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. — and had never been vaccinated against the virus — should seek immediate care.

Department inspectors didn’t believe the restaurant’s food was involved in spreading the illness, Mirivel said.

“It’s unfortunate for the restaurant,” she said. “It’s no fault of theirs. Employees there all wear gloves when serving food and have hand-washing protocol.”

Mirivel said the employee had contracted hepatitis A by coming in contact with other food industry workers in the region who tested positive for the virus earlier this year.

The Craighead County Local Health Unit had already vaccinated more than 230 people before a free walk-in vaccination clinic Friday, the Jonesboro Sun reported.

The department declared an outbreak after 15 workers at three restaurants in Clay and Lawrence counties got the virus. A total of 36 people have contracted the virus as of Friday, according to the agency.

Hepatitis A symptoms develop between two and seven weeks after contact, according to the department. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dark urine, and joint and abdominal pain.

Mirivel said it’s generally too late to receive vaccinations if a person is already experiencing symptoms of the virus.

Man accused of making ricin released from custody

LITTLE ROCK — A Little Rock man has been released from federal custody months after he was arrested and accused of manufacturing the deadly toxin ricin at his home.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Judge Beth Deere granted a request by Alexander Jordan’s attorney to re-

lease him Thursday. The 21-year-old was released into his parents’ custody on several conditions, including that probation officers monitor his internet use and that he continues receiving mental health treatment.

Deere says a recent psychological evaluation shows Jordan is mentally competent to stand trial on a charge of possession of an unregistered agent. She says the evaluation shows Jordan had major depression in February when he manufactured the ricin using an internet recipe, and then called 911 thinking he ingested it.

Jordan’s trial is scheduled for July 23.