The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Check Cashers Act violated the state constitution, according to the Associated Press.

In a 6-0 decision, the court overturned a Pulaski County judge who last year ruled that the act was constitutional after justices sent the case back to his court without ruling on the law itself.

Clark County has received a $70,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Rural Services to help fund a regional emergency and fire training center, State Senator Percy Malone and Phil Baldwin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Bancorp, announced today.

The $70,000 Community Enhancement Grant will be combined with local funding sources to finance the facility. Clark County in applying for the state grant noted that the county lacked appropriate space to conduct training sessions for emergency responders. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in October 2008.

Nick and Gina Redford of Mabelvale are caught in the middle. Her salary is too high to qualify for public assistance but does not cover the bills associated with his liver disease and the rising cost of gasoline and food.

The passage of a ½-cent sales tax last summer is the greatest accomplishment of the economic development subcommittee, said Bill Wright, an advisory member. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the county citizens, that money is now being used to bring new business and jobs into Clark County.

…Miller is a product of the Helena-West Helena School District. He graduated from the University of Central Arkansas is 992 and earned his law degree from Vanderbuilt University.

Participants kicked off Leadership Clark County at Camp Winnamocka Thursday. A total of 24 individuals from throughout the county were recently selected to participate in the course as the Inaugural Class.

This inaugural group started their day with LCC chairman Billy Tarpley providing some words of encouragement and State Rep. Johnnie Roebuck facilitating exercises on leadership styles.

KIPP Delta College Preparatory School of Helena announced Tuesday that the Charter School Growth Fund has awarded the school a $2.6 grant, which will be used for expansion.

Officials from KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, say the award is the largest the school has received to date.

Hot summer in a struggling economy has left more elderly and disabled customers than normal unable to pay their energy bills, nearly depleting the funds available to low-income Arkansans through Entergy Arkansas’s Power to Care program.

The Community of Ruleville, Mississippi, commemorated the launch of the Ruleville community plan with a song written especially for the occasion, “Take Me to Ruleville.”

Phillips County’s newest industry Delta Yams is already getting ready for an expansion and this comes after only a year of operation.

Over a million dollars has been made available through a grant of $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce-Economic Development Administration and another $300,000 from the state Department of Economic Development for the expansion of Delta Yams, located on Highway 49, just west of Barton. However, that expansion’s success depends on the participation of six additional new sweet potato growers.