Arkansas

Pope County Judge’s Letter Backs Cherokee Casino

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2023

Pope County Judge’s Letter Backs Cherokee Casino

We were unable to send the article.

Pope County Judge Ben Cross is doubling down on his support for a casino planned near Russellville by Cherokee Nation Businesses of Catoosa, Oklahoma.

An Arkansas Supreme Court decision last week threw doubt on those plans; the ruling upheld a lower court decision that voided CNB’s gaming license granted by the Arkansas Racing Commission.

The 5-2 ruling found that the commission acted beyond its legal authority in granting the license to two entities, CNB and Legends Resort and Casino LLC. CNB has bought about $35 million worth of land to develop the casino, a $225 million project.

Cross issued a statement Monday saying he had issued an updated, exclusive letter of support for the project.

“Upon learning the conclusions of the split decision of the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding the casino litigation affecting Pope County, I issued an updated exclusive letter of support as required by Amendment 100 to Cherokee Nation Businesses in the name of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, with the technical issues identified by the Court resolved,” Cross stated.

More: Click here to read Cross’ letter.

Amendment 100 of the Arkansas Constitution legalized casino gambling in Hot Springs, West Memphis, Pine Bluff and Pope County.

After four years, Pope County still has no casino, and CNB is competing with other companies for a new gaming license from the Racing Commission.

One of those competitors will be Gulfside Casino Partnership of Mississippi, which had held the Pope County casino license before the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against it in previous litigation. Gulfside was on the winning side of last week’s ruling.

In the case that was appealed, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox had ruled that Legends Resort and Casino LLC, the Cherokee Nation entity listed on the license, was not a qualified applicant under the language of Amendment 100.

Cross told Arkansas Business in a telephone interview Monday that he and members of the Pope County Quorum Court open to the idea of a local casino favor the Cherokee project exclusively. “We still have some [justices of the peace] who are adamantly opposed to any casino,” Cross said.

“I’ve talked to all the parties involved,” he said. “The Supreme Court ruling kind of throws it back to the Racing Commission to square one.”

The commission will open a 30-day application period just as it did in 2019, Cross said.

“They’ll have to accept any applicants that apply that have the requisite support found in Amendment 100, which is either a letter from me or a resolution of the Quorum Court. And so, to let the commission know that we want this to move as expeditiously as possible, we went ahead and issued the letter the day the ruling came out,” Cross said, noting he sent the letter on Oct. 26 “so the commission would have it in hand and know that there is a viable applicant waiting in the wings.”

The land CNB bought for the casino is along Interstate 40 outside the city limits of Russellville.

“Obviously, we would appreciate quick action and quick resolution through the Racing Commission,” Cross said. “It is my sincere hope the commission views this as a measure of quick resolve and finalizes what has been an exhausting process to the citizens of Pope County.”

Next Steps

While details have not been determined, the Department of Finance & Administration, which oversees the Racing Commission, said it expects the commission to launch a new application period in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court decision.

A DF&A spokesman said Monday that based on Amendment 100 and associated rules, casino license applications to the commission must be accompanied by a letter of support from the Pope County judge or a resolution of support from the Pope County Quorum Court (either option qualifies). If an application is not accompanied by letter or resolution, it does not proceed to review.

“Overall, questions will be answered when the Commission meets to consider this issue,” said the spokesman, Scott Hardin. “We do not have a meeting time yet.”

Trent Minner, administrator of DF&A’s regulatory division, said the department will work with the Racing Commission to open a new application window soon.

“We will work with the commission to ensure all legal requirements of Amendment 100 are fulfilled and that the process is carried out in compliance with Arkansas law,” Minner said.

Source link

Arkansas

Mizzou, Arkansas Official Availability Report Ahead of Week 14 Game

Published

56 mins ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Mizzou, Arkansas Official Availability Report Ahead of Week 14 Game

The No. 21 Missouri Tigers enter their final regular season game with the least injury questions than they have had for most other games since the beginning of November.

But, there was a few new additions to the team’s availability report ahead of the Week 14 game against Arkansas. Below is the full availability report for the Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

This post will be updated throughout the week with new availability reports posted Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before the 3:15 p.m. kick off.

Missouri Initial Availability Report:

Note: Missouri players with injuries previously reported to be season-ending are not listed on this post.

• DB Shamar McNeil – OUT
• LS Brett Le Blanc – OUT
• OL Logan Reichert – OUT
• RB Kewan Lacy – QUESTIONABLE

True freshman running back Kewan Lacy took one carry against Mississippi State in Week 13 before exiting the game with injury. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in the week leading up to that game that he would expect Lacy to see more opportunities going forward.

Le Blanc handles punting long snapping duties for Missouri, while Trey Flint takes care of field goals and extra points. Expect Flint to slide in for Le Blanc Saturday.

Arkansas Initial Availability Report:

• DL Nico Dalliver – OUT
• DB Jaylon Braxton – OUT
• K Kyle Ramsey – OUT
• DL Anton Juncaj – DOUBTFUL
• RB Braylen Russel – QUESTIONABLE
• DB Anthony Switzer – QUESTIONABLE

Passion and Patience Fuel a Fairytale Ending to Drake Heismeyer’s Mizzou Career
Brady Cook Reflects on Legacy Ahead of Senior Day
Mizzou Receiver Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

Source link

Arkansas

Arkansas Children's enhances care with Press Ganey partnership

Published

9 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Arkansas Children's enhances care with Press Ganey partnership

The partnership will improve Arkansas Children’s service and care for patients and their families. Credit: Vita Monart/Shutterstock.

Arkansas Children’s, a private, non-profit paediatric care organisation, has partnered with Press Ganey to improve paediatric patient experience.

Beginning 1 January 2025, this collaboration is aimed at bolstering the paediatric care organisation’s commitment to improving service and care for patients and their families.

Arkansas Children’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer Jamie Wiggins said: “We believe that every interaction with our patients is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

“By leveraging Press Ganey’s expertise and industry-leading pediatric benchmarks, we will gain valuable insights that will empower our teams to continuously improve and innovate in delivering compassionate care.”

Press Ganey will offer its patient experience and provider star-rating solutions to help Arkansas Children’s monitor feedback and enhance care quality.

The partnership will enable Arkansas Children’s to leverage Press Ganey’s AI-powered text analytics.

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles
on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free
sample

Your download email will arrive shortly

We are confident about the
unique
quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most
beneficial
decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by
submitting the below form

By GlobalData

Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Hospital Management.

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

This will help analyse open-ended feedback from online reviews and post-visit surveys, providing an understanding of patient and family perspectives.

The goal is to gain actionable insights that can further improve the patient experience.

Press Ganey provides experience measurement, data analytics and insights to health systems and caters to more than 65% of all freestanding paediatric hospitals.

This partnership will allow Arkansas Children’s to benefit from shared learning and innovation within Press Ganey’s network of institutions.

Press Ganey CEO and chairman Patrick Ryan said: “Families trust Arkansas Children’s to provide the highest quality care for their children.

“This partnership reflects their dedication to listening to families, responding to their needs, and innovating to create a world-class paediatric healthcare experience.”

Arkansas Children’s network includes two paediatric hospitals, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, a research institute, a USDA nutrition centre, and numerous education and outreach programmes.

Source link

Arkansas

Homicide suspect causes barricade situation in east Arkansas jail

Published

16 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Homicide suspect causes barricade situation in east Arkansas jail

PHILLIPS COUNTY, Ark. — A suspect in a Helena-West Helena homicide caused a barricade situation Tuesday as he was being processed in the Phillips County Detention Center.

Authorities said a prisoner who was being processed at the jail was able to get hold of some type of instrument and cause harm to himself.

He barricaded himself in the processing area and pepper spray was used to subdue him.

The prisoner was taken to the local emergency room for treatment. No one else was injured.

Helena-West Helena Police Chief Vincent Bell said he doesn’t know much more about what happened at the jail, but said the inmate is connected to a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon.

The suspect was being held in connection to an incident where a man was shot dead in the doorway of O’Reilly Auto Parts in West Helena.

The shooting was the result of a disagreement that started in front of a motel, and the victim ran to the front of O’Reilly’s where he was fatally shot.

Chief Bell offered no details on a motive or the name of the victim.

Source link