Jake Files
Afco Metals, Red Lobster Highlight Recent Real Estate Deals
Industrial property in east Little Rock and a North Little Rock restaurant lead off this week’s short parade of million-dollar transactions. read more >
Neither a Borrower nor A Lender Be (Editorial)
Although no state law appears to forbid lawmakers from lending money to each other, taxpayers should not have to worry whether legislators have leverage over or obligations to each other that might influence their votes. read more >
Former State Sen. Jake Files Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison
Former State. Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Monday for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with money routed to him from the state General Improvement Fund and an unrelated charge of bank fraud. read more >
Governor, Ex-Prosecutor, Uncle: What Does Asa Hutchinson Do? (Analysis)
Every minute of every day, Asa Hutchinson is a governor, a former federal prosecutor and an uncle. With a nephew implicated in a bribery and corruption case, holding all three roles cannot be easy for him. read more >
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A Fish Rots From The Head (Editorial)
Leadership, like expectations, matters. It matters greatly. read more >
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 -
From Skeptic To Cynic (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
Has government corruption become the rule rather than the exception? read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Where Cooper Meets Neal, Woods (Analysis)
Like a Russian novel, overlapping federal criminal investigations in Missouri and Arkansas may need a cast of characters, and it's getting hard to identify either hero or victim. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Jake Files’ Fall Could Imperil Arkansas Medicaid Plan (Andrew DeMillo Analysis)
An Arkansas lawmaker's guilty plea for pocketing thousands of state dollars intended for a sports complex created a black eye for the Capitol, but it may have caused an even bigger obstacle for supporters of a hybrid Medicaid expansion that already faced an uncertain future. read more >
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On Passing, And Failing, Civics (Editorial)
Arkansas students are required to pass a civics test, the same test immigrants must pass to become naturalized American citizens, to be eligible for high school diplomas or General Educational Development certificates. If only legislators had to take it too. read more >
State Sen. Jake Files Pleads Guilty to Federal Crimes in GIF Scandal
The Fort Smith Republican waived indictment and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud in connection with money routed to him from the state General Improvement Fund. read more >
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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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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‘In His Pocket’ (Editorial)
In a sworn affidavit in support of a search warrant, the FBI offered probable cause that state Sen. Jake Files had committed both wire fraud and money laundering. And a big part of that evidence was an interview with the subcontractor/employee, Dianna Gonzalez. read more >
Back Local Business (Editorial)
The struggle over requiring out-of-state companies to collect sales taxes on online purchases by Arkansans is a prime example of making the perfect the enemy of the good. read more >
Online Tax Effort Revived at Last Minute in Arkansas
A House committee endorsed a proposal forcing online retailers to collect Arkansas sales taxes, reviving the effort days after a lawmaker behind the bill declared it dead for this year's session. read more >
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The Trouble With Transparency (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
Would it be OK if every taxpayer-funded construction bid was let based on fake bids? I’m pretty sure that even Jake Files knows the answer to that. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Arkansas Senate Panel Approves Effort to Collect Online Sales Taxes
A state Senate committee has endorsed legislation requiring online retailers who don't collect Arkansas sales taxes to provide a list of purchases made by state residents. read more >
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House Panel Rejects Effort to Collect Online Taxes
An effort to collect sales taxes in Arkansas from online retailers has failed before a House committee, days after Amazon announced it would begin collecting taxes on purchases in the state. read more >
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