Ecclesia College
Ecclesia Fallout Includes Taxpayer Lawsuit
Three years after its president resigned on his way to federal prison after participating in a state grant kickback scheme, Ecclesia College continues to deal with the repercussions. read more >
by Mark Friedman -
Ecclesia Moves to Convert Property to Cash, Shed Debt
New leadership at Ecclesia College plans to sell Benton County acreage linked with a grant kickback scandal that ensnared the president of Ecclesia College, two state legislators and a lobbyist middleman. read more >
by George Waldon -
How Quapaw Is Picking Up Preferred Family Healthcare’s Pieces
The end of Preferred Family Healthcare’s implosion in Arkansas, which jolted the state’s Medicaid service industry and scarred its political landscape, came not with a bang, but with a text. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Chocolate and Peanut Butter (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
I have a couple of favorite topics: white-collar crime and personal finance. A story that combines the two is as irresistible as chocolate and peanut butter. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Update: Judge Grants Ex-Lawmaker’s ‘Pipe Dream’ of Probation
Former state Rep. Micah Neal, who pleaded guilty last year to a corruption charge related to a kickbacks scheme involving Ecclesia College in Springdale, was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation. "I threw it all away, there are no excuses on my part," Neal told the court. read more >
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Update: Jon Woods Sentenced to 220 Months in Prison for Kickback Scheme
Jon Woods, the former state senator from Springdale, was sentenced Wednesday to 220 months in prison for what U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks called “bastardization” of the legislative process. read more >
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Jon Woods, Randell Shelton Found Guilty in Kickback Scheme
Former state Sen. Jon Woods and his co-defendant, Randell Shelton Jr., have been found guilty of a dozen or more counts each of fraud, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. read more >
Gavel-to-Gavel Obsession (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
The public corruption being described in fascinating, horrifying detail in a federal courtroom in Fayetteville illustrates how public officials counted on public money and conspired to get it. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
No Guarantees (Editorial)
There are no guarantees in life, and there are especially no guarantees in the life of a business. read more >
Oren Paris III of Ecclesia College Pleads Guilty to Fraud
Oren Paris III, the president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of fraud in a corruption scandal involving kickbacks on state grants. read more >
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What Would Jesus Rationalize? (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
I hope I never get accustomed to public officials being on the take, but it’s especially disheartening when they use religion as part of their rationalization. And I’m detecting a pattern. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Trust But Verify (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
I’m weary of the trope about running government like a business, but both honest government and honest business require enough employees to segregate duties and create internal controls. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
No Easy Path For Arkansas-backed Local Projects (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
The Arkansas Supreme Court's ruling striking down a grant system used to fund local projects didn't necessarily kill outright lawmakers' efforts to divert surplus money to pet needs in their districts. read more >
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Gravy Train Stops Here (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
With the Supreme Court’s latest action, the state's General Improvement Fund is presumably a thing of the past. That’s probably cold comfort to legislators who are still being investigated. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Indictment Thoughts, Probes Grip Arkansas Capitol (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
The worst-kept secret at Arkansas' Capitol over the past several months is the waiting game lawmakers, lobbyists and others play as they eye federal probes into local project money that have already targeted two former legislators. read more >
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Arkansas Court Takes New Look at Local Projects (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
The state Supreme Court on Thursday will hear oral arguments in a case challenging $2.9 million in state surplus money that went toward the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District in 2015. read more >
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Fighting For Information (Editorial)
Fort Smith lawyer Joey McCutchen is doing right in his fight for open government. read more >
Ecclesia College Woes Multiply Under Federal Investigation
Ecclesia, the private Christian college in Springdale, is facing yet another federal investigation, this one by the U.S. Department of Education. read more >
by George Waldon -
Updated: Former State Sen. Jon Woods, Ecclesia College President Oren Paris III Indicted
Randell Shelton Jr., a mutual friend of Woods and Paris is also charged in the 13-count indictment that represents the second phase of a corruption scandal that came to light with a guilty plea in January by former state Rep. Micah Neal. read more >
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More Indictments Expected in Ecclesia Kickback Case
Federal prosecutors may soon take more action in the kickback case involving former Rep. Micah Neal, who pleaded guilty to a federal felony in January. read more >
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