THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lawmakers propose funding plan for VFDs
LITTLE ROCK -- Two Arkansas legislators hope the state finds a way next year to distribute excess state funds to volunteer fire departments that suffer funding shortages, impacting the purchase and repair of equipment.
The Quail Creek Volunteer Fire Department, which serves 820 people, says it makes it on a $30,000 annual budget, which makes buying common pieces of equipment like a piercing nozzle difficult. Chief Stephen Feyen says that utility and fuel costs consume most of the department's budget, and the station has no running water.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that state Rep. James Ratliff and state Sen. Greg Standridge want to distribute excess state funds to departments with low ratings from insurance underwriters. The two legislators are working on a plan that would take surplus money collected from the state as a secondary source of money for fire departments and disburse among departments with an Insurance Services Rating of 9 or 10.
They have not determined the best way to fund the plan, but the money would be available to departments with dues collected on property tax bills. Standridge says that it is possible for fire departments to improve their insurance rating by two or three points with a few small changes.
About 900 of Arkansas' 1,003 fire departments are volunteer-staffed.
Governor's son arrested on drunk driving charge
LITTLE ROCK -- State Police say Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's son has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his car hit a guardrail.
A State Police spokesman said Monday that 40-year-old William Asa Hutchinson III was arrested early Sunday on Interstate 49 in Fayetteville. A trooper had responded to a single-vehicle crash and found the governor's son in the vehicle.
Hutchinson wasn't injured. Police said he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, careless driving and refusal to submit to a chemical test. The Washington County sheriff's office said he was released on a $935 bond and scheduled for a Feb. 22 court date.
Asa Hutchinson became Arkansas governor last year. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
State Desk on 01/26/2016