Arkansas

Crowell: Arkansas lawmakers working to curb insurance spikes put on schools – Daily News in Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2024

Crowell: Arkansas lawmakers working to curb insurance spikes put on schools – Daily News in Arkadelphia, Arkansas

From SEN. STEVE CROWELL

The legislature has been working on a long-term, sustainable solution to the spike in property insurance costs of Arkansas schools.

A consultant hired last year will submit his report in March. The legislature will meet in fiscal session in April.

Schools are experiencing the same dramatic increases in property insurance that homeowners are going through. For example, last year legislators learned that premiums went up 114 percent, or $21 million, for 170 school districts in a program managed by the Arkansas School Boards Association.

Another 68 schools in a program managed by the state Insurance Department saw rates go up by $15 million, or 154 percent.

The Bentonville School District, which purchases property insurance through the open market, saw an increase of about $393,000, which amounts to a 50 percent increase in premiums.

After hearing about the increases, legislators and the governor agreed to provide almost $11 million to partially offset the cost to schools.

However, that was a one-time fix to a problem that has been getting worse, so the legislature also voted to contract with a consultant to recommend long-term solutions.

During a recent meeting of the Legislative Council’s Executive Committee, the consultant told lawmakers that the increase in insurance costs was “not going to be an inexpensive problem to fix.”

One proposal would be to increase retention, they suggested. That is very similar to an individual holding down the costs of an insurance policy by choosing a higher deductible.

The consultant said that if schools agreed to a retention of $25,000, it would go a long way toward holding down costs.

Greater retention would allow schools to afford higher limits on coverage. Some schools may want to increase the limits of their coverage because of recent inflation driving up the cost of construction.

Also, to be eligible to participate in a state insurance partnership and qualify for the advantages of being in a larger risk pool, school districts must be insured for 100 percent of replacement costs.

The consultants said they would probably recommend that the Arkansas Insurance Department set up a “captive” company to provide coverage for schools. It would operate like a state-owned insurance company, and would fall under existing law that is 26 pages long in the statutes. There would be no ambiguity and no need to change existing state insurance regulations.

Currently, schools have insurance under trust companies, which are regulated under three pages in the law books. The consultants said they prefer property insurance coverage through captives, rather than trusts, because they are more highly regulated.

The combination of factors driving up insurance prices have created “a pretty big problem,” and the current insurance plan for Arkansas schools is not sustainable, they said.

Their final recommendations will be for “building something that is self-sustaining,” they said, adding that they would recommend long-term solutions rather than ideas that would merely patch potholes.

It is possible that they recommend combining the two programs into one plan operated by the state Insurance Department.

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Arkansas

Arkansas Lottery Powerball, Cash 3 winning numbers for Dec. 15, 2025

Published

6 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

23-35-59-63-68, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 2-3-5

Evening: 7-2-6

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 0-1-9-4

Evening: 8-3-6-1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

12-16-27-34-41, Lucky Ball: 12

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

16-18-25-27-36

Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Arkansas

College Basketball AP Top 25: Vanderbilt, Arkansas lead SEC’s 7 ranked squads

Published

19 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

College Basketball AP Top 25: Vanderbilt, Arkansas lead SEC’s 7 ranked squads

The Week 7 college basketball AP Top 25 came out on Monday morning. Like it did much of last season, the SEC again paces the nation in ranked teams (7). The order and composition of those respective schools, though, is a bit non-traditional.

Vanderbilt (No. 13) is the conference’s highest-ranked team. The Commodores, under head coach Mark Byington, are 10-0 following a victory over Central Arkansas on Saturday. They won the Battle 4 Atlantic during Feast Week and are the SEC’s last unbeaten squad. Arkansas (No. 14) slots right behind Vandy following an impressive 93-85 triumph over then-No. 16 Texas Tech. The Razorbacks had the second-biggest jump (+3) of any team in the AP poll, worse than only Nebraska (+8).

Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida all remain in the top 25. They were joined by Georgia, who snared the No. 25 spot. The Bulldogs (9-1) are ranked in back-to-back seasons for the second time this century (2001-02 & 2002-03) after an 84-65 drubbing of Cincinnati. You can see the full AP poll below:

No. 1 – Arizona
No. 2 – Michigan
No. 3 – Duke
No. 4 – Iowa State
No. 5 – UCONN
No. 6 – Purdue
No. 7 – Gonzaga
No. 8 – Houston
No. 9 – Michigan State
No. 10 – BYU
No. 11 – Louisville
No. 12 – North Carolina
No. 13 – Vanderbilt
No. 14 – Arkansas
No. 15 – Nebraska
No. 16 – Alabama
No. 17 – Kansas
No. 18 – Illinois
No. 19 – Texas Tech
No. 20 – Tennessee
No. 21 – Auburn
No. 22 – St. John’s
No. 23 (Tied) – Florida
No. 23 (Tied) – Virginia
No. 25 Georgia

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Arkansas

Arkansas Lottery Cash 3, Cash 4 winning numbers for Dec. 14, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 14 drawing

Evening: 0-8-3

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 14 drawing

Evening: 7-8-7-9

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 14 drawing

08-23-32-33-34, Lucky Ball: 15

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from Dec. 14 drawing

06-11-17-18-37

Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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