Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Randell Shelton

Jim Parsons, a former Ecclesia instructor and board member, sought to open Ecclesia financial records to full public inspection since the private school accepted state money.
Education / Government & Politics / Legal

Ecclesia Fallout Includes Taxpayer LawsuitLock Icon

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 >
Banking & Finance / Government & Politics / Legal

Ecclesia Moves to Convert Property to Cash, Shed DebtLock Icon

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 >
Oren Paris III
Government & Politics / Legal

Updated: Oren Paris III Sentenced to 3 Years for Kickbacks

Oren Paris III, the former president of Ecclesia College in Springdale, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for his role in a corruption scandal involving kickbacks on state grants. read more >
Jon Woods
Legal

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 >
Former Rep. Micah Neal, Ecclesia College President Oren Paris III and former Sen. Jon Woods

Former State Sen. Jon Woods to Be Sentenced Wednesday

Jon Woods, the former state senator from Springdale, is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday in Fayetteville, and his co-defendant in a notorious public corruption case will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks on Thursday. read more >
Jon Woods
Government & Politics / Legal

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 >
The main building at Ecclesia College, seen behind the school's sign, serves as a multipurpose facility with classes, administration offices and more. Oren Paris III (inset) was the school's president.
Education / Government & Politics / Health Care

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 >
The main building at Ecclesia College, seen behind the school's sign, serves as a multipurpose facility with classes, administration offices and more. Oren Paris III (inset) was the school's president.
Education / Government & Politics / Legal

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 >
Jimmy Story (right) accepts a plaque recognizing his 20-year employment with the city of Farmington from Mayor Ernie Penn during an April 2015 city council meeting.
Business Services / Government & Politics / Legal

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 >
Jon Woods
Government & Politics / Legal / Nonprofits

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 >
The Arkansas Capitol building in Little Rock.
Government & Politics / Legal

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 >
Jim Parsons, a former Ecclesia instructor and board member, sought to open Ecclesia financial records to full public inspection since the private school accepted state money.
Banking & Finance / Construction / Education

Ecclesia College Woes Multiply Under Federal InvestigationLock Icon

Ecclesia, the private Christian college in Springdale, is facing yet another federal investigation, this one by the U.S. Department of Education. read more >
Jon Woods
Government & Politics / Legal

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 >
Former Rep. Micah Neal, Ecclesia College President Oren Paris III and former Sen. Jon Woods
Education / Government & Politics / Legal

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 >