Chuck Banks

We didn’t know then — how could we? — that Dr. Ben Burris put then-state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson on a $5,000-a-month retainer to champion Burris’ orthodontic agenda. That, needless to say, is not how representative democracy is supposed to work, even if the goal is worthy. read more >

With a pretrial hearing scheduled for Thursday and trial set to start Sept. 5, the filings are flying in the federal criminal case of R. Alan Hope and Mikel C. Kullander. read more >

An Arkansas panel has approved a 2 percent pay raise for all of the state's top elected officials except the lieutenant governor, who has said he didn't want the bump in salary. read more >

Paula Casey retired on June 30 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she was the interim vice provost for research and dean of the graduate school. She had held that position since 2013. read more >

The former state treasurer, convicted in March 2014 of six counts of extortion, one count of attempted extortion and seven counts of bribery, is scheduled to begin her 30-month sentence in federal prison next Monday. read more >

Prosecutors scored point after point Friday, but U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes sentenced former State Treasurer Martha Shoffner to 30 months in federal prison — less than half the time that the U.S. Attorney's office sought. read more >

U.S. District Court Judge Leon Holmes on Friday sentenced former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner to 30 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. read more >

The subject of a federal law enforcement search at a North Little Rock office on Wednesday was DAV Construction Co., according to a statement issued Thursday afternoon by Powers of Arkansas. read more >

Federal prosecutors are being given more time to respond to a filing by the attorney for convicted ex-Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner. read more >

An attorney for former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner is objecting to a presentencing report that suggests she spend at least 15 years in prison for bribery and extortion convictions. read more >

A Little Rock man who sued a pharmaceutical company for firing him in 2010 after reporting a health care fraud continues to fight to get his old job back. read more >

Members of a newly formed panel say they're unlikely to say whether Arkansas' elected officials deserve a pay raise in an initial review that's due in less than two months. read more >

The seven appointments for the Independent Citizens Commission, which will decide the salaries for all elected state officials, were announced Wednesday morning. read more >

A federal judge on Monday rejected Martha Shoffner's plea of guilty to a single count of mail fraud because the former state treasurer could not admit that she raised campaign funds with the intention of spending the money on personal expenses. read more >

Former Arkansas treasurer Martha Shoffner is asking a federal judge to declare her unable to pay for legal representation and to appoint counsel for her. read more >

The defense attorney for former Arkansas treasurer Martha Shoffner has revealed the name of the bond broker who has immunity to testify in Shoffner's federal bribery trial. read more >

Former State Treasurer Martha Shoffner pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to 10 counts of mail fraud, charges that were added earlier this month to a pending indictment for bribery and extortion. read more >

Former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner, already awaiting trial on the bribery and extortion charges that prompted her resignation last year, was indicted Thursday on 10 counts of mail fraud. The indictment alleges that Shoffner used $9,800 in campaign funds from her treasurer re-election campaign for personal expenses, including clothing and cosmetics. read more >

Brandon Barber’s story is a sad one: A supercharged business career fueled by pride, family connections and bank fraud that flamed out before he was 35. Gambling debts, hot checks, DWIs, divorce, bankruptcy. It would make a dandy Greek tragedy if the protagonist had shown more potential for true greatness, rather than reckless opportunism, in the first place. read more >

Former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner, who last week withdrew a planned guilty plea to a single federal charge of extortion, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 14 counts. read more >