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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-3459-J Application 2AP/NAM Y. HUH e President Joe Biden and Sasha, did not attend. The ;r momentous speeches, ading his 2004 keynote at Democratic National Con - tion and his 2008 speech r losing the New Hamp- e primary to Hillary Clin- They also revisited his i address in Selma, Ala., both honored America's :ptionalism and acknowl- ed its painful history on . rights. brmer aides were brought ; to consult on the speech, iding advisers David Axel - and Robert Gibbs, and for - speechwriter Jon Favreau, the officials, who request- inonymity because they not authorized to publicly ass the private discussions. Vith his impending exit, ma is ramping up plan- ; for his post -presidency. tired his White House po- al director, David Simas, ie chief executive officer is foundation. His foun- an has said that a training er for grassroots organiz- will be part of his pres- ttial library, and he also s to partner with .Former itney General Eric.Hold7 promote an overhaul of �ressional redistricting. oe administration officials also join the president's :ago -based political com- t e, Organizing for Action, `h grew out ofhis success- iresidentiai campaigns. a his hometown of Chica- he prospect of witnessing • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11. 2017. 7A Millage • Continued from Page 1A rus and Mr. Poore, it became clear to me that significant needs exist for the construc- tion and renovation of district facilities in order to provide world-class educational op- portunities for LRSD stu- dents," Key said in an email statement. Key said a bond issue based on the extended tax mills, coupled with the state desegregation aid in 2017-18 that is restricted specifically for school construction costs, will help make the improved school buildings "a reality.,, Key acts in place of the school board in the 24,000 -student district that has been operating under state control — without a locally elected school board — since Jan- uary 2015 be- + cause six of 91 the district's 48 schools at that time Ke were labeled y as being in academic distress. Typically, an elected school board decides wheth- er to ask voters for changes in property taxes for a school system. The Little Rock district's special -election plan would not increase the existing 46.4 -mill property -tax rate, but would result in taxpayers continuing to pay the same rate for additional years. If the Little Rock district proposal is approved by vot- ers, the 12.4 mills of the total 46.4 -mill rate would be ex- tended by 14 years to 2047. Those 12.4 debt service mills will otherwise expire in 2033. The district also levies 32 mills for maintenance and operation of the district — the revenue from which is used to pay salaries and bills, and 2 mills for dedicated maintenance and operation, the money from which is used for upkeep of technol- ogy systems. The refinancing of ex- isting debt -service bonds, coupled with the extension of the debt -service mills, would enable the district to ;ccna V)rn 6,as nnn in naui vations to enhance instruc- tion. The district will announce additional, more specific plans for the millage cam- paign and the use of the possible new revenue in the coming few days, Poore also said. The special election comes at a time when the Little Rock district is not only operating under state control but is also cutting expenses to offset the end. of $37 million a year in special state desegregation aid after the 2017-18 school year. Poore and his staff have proposed closing as many as three el- ementary schools and an al- ternative school in 2016-17 to save on costs. Jim Ross, a member of the Little Rock School Board at the time it was disbanded by the state, said recently that he would vehemently oppose any extension of the debt -ser- vice mills if adding to the district's debt load will jeop- ardize the district's solvency and prevent its release from state control. Poore said Tuesday that the purpose of asking voters to extend the existing tax mills is to improve the dis- trict. "We are trying to be as ag- gressive as we possibly can to be a better district." Poore said. "The expectation is that we are going to get better to- morrow and we are going to get better next year, and we are going to take every means we have known to us to serve kids well and serve the com- munity well," he said. "We have an option here to create cap- ital by extend- ing the debt to generate $160 million, which will allow us to follow up .. on apromise that was made Poore — to build a high school in the southwest — and do a lot of other capital projects that will enhance learning environments. And it isn't a situation where someone has to vote to give us additional mills," he said. "It would be an extension of our debt." To hold a special election on March 14. Ke.v had to an- seized bags of leaf marijua- na as well as a variety of marijuana -infused products including cough syrup and hot sauce, most packaged and priced as if ready for a retail store. ■ Kurt Schrader, an Ore- gon congressman who just returned from his honey- moon after marrying Su- san Mora on New Year's Eve, was sworn into office Tuesday, a week after other members of Congress took the oath on Jan. 3. ■ Dwayne Herbert, 39, of Pierre Part, La., faces drug and other counts after he accidentally texted a sher- iff's deputy to arrange a crystal methamphetamine delivery, Assumption Parish Sheriff' Leland Falcon said. ■ Courtney Gelinas,10, of Windsor, Ontario, was able to give Rufus, a teddy bear given to her by her dying grandfather a decade ago, a tight hug Tuesday as airport officials in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., returned about 25,000 items dropped by fleeing passengers when deadly shots were fired Friday in the airport terminal. WEATHER LITTLE ROCK Today Cloudy, breezy and warm. { High 71, south winds 10 to 20 Inph. - TotflghtA chance of showers. LOW 61. Home delivery 378.3456 Outside Pulaski County 1-800-482.1121 , 38333 00050 dEIN�V, Ixr�Lca� vii iucauay LnaL he would be an indepen- dent -minded attorney gen- eral who would stand up to the president. He promised to aggressively enforce the nation's laws — even in areas such as torture, abortion, gay rignrs, surveulance and 1 crimes, where he has in his opposition well know Sessions laid out a sh, ly conservative vision the Justice Department would oversee, pledging crack down on illegal im On taxes, govemoi calls for wider loot Form panel on cuts, legislators urge( MICHAEL R. WICKLINE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT -GAZETTE With state lawmakers split about how deeply to cut taxes, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday called on them to support the creation of a blue-ribbon legislative task force to recommend a com- prehensive plan to reduce Arkansas' individual income tax rates. La this year's regular ses- sion, the Republican gover- nor also wants the GOP -con- trolled Legislature to enact his proposal to cut rates for Arkansans with taxable in- comes below $21,000, which state officials said would re - LR schools set March vote on tax CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT -GAZETTE The Little Rock School District will ask voters at a special election March 14 to approve an extension of ex- isting property -tax mills to finance a new high school and make improvements at other campuses. Superintendent Mike Poore submitted a request to hold the special elec- tion to Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key. Key said Tuesday that he has approved the plan for the special election. "Over the last two school years, working with [former Superintendent Baker] Kur- See JILLAGE, Page 7A HOUSE TO VOTE on new rules for committee posts. Page 3A. AUDITORS QUESTION wisdom c lottery consultant's contract wit state. Page 1 B. duce general revenue by $� million in fiscal 2019 and $5 million a year thereafter. B also wants lawmakers to er act his proposal to no longe levy state income taxes o military retirement benefit. part of a larger, $19 million a -year plan to cut two taxe and modify three tax exemp tions. See TAXES, Page 31 Fire devastates Ozark Regional Transit staff rr strayed in a fire early Tuesday the agency's fleet, which cove 2'n3ZU61 :.!.A err-11nTITai-r epenw,T 7 INDEX Arkansas 10 Police beat 28 Business A S orts Ic Classifieds IF Stocks 30 Comics 6E St !fie 1E Crossword 5E Television 2E Deaths 4B Voices 76 Editorials 68 Weather Q Home delivery 378.3456 Outside Pulaski County 1-800-482.1121 , 38333 00050 dEIN�V, Ixr�Lca� vii iucauay LnaL he would be an indepen- dent -minded attorney gen- eral who would stand up to the president. He promised to aggressively enforce the nation's laws — even in areas such as torture, abortion, gay rignrs, surveulance and 1 crimes, where he has in his opposition well know Sessions laid out a sh, ly conservative vision the Justice Department would oversee, pledging crack down on illegal im On taxes, govemoi calls for wider loot Form panel on cuts, legislators urge( MICHAEL R. WICKLINE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT -GAZETTE With state lawmakers split about how deeply to cut taxes, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday called on them to support the creation of a blue-ribbon legislative task force to recommend a com- prehensive plan to reduce Arkansas' individual income tax rates. La this year's regular ses- sion, the Republican gover- nor also wants the GOP -con- trolled Legislature to enact his proposal to cut rates for Arkansans with taxable in- comes below $21,000, which state officials said would re - LR schools set March vote on tax CYNTHIA HOWELL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT -GAZETTE The Little Rock School District will ask voters at a special election March 14 to approve an extension of ex- isting property -tax mills to finance a new high school and make improvements at other campuses. Superintendent Mike Poore submitted a request to hold the special elec- tion to Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key. Key said Tuesday that he has approved the plan for the special election. 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