Arkansas: Little Rock

The Arkansas Supreme Court docket shows that Circuit Judge L.T. Simes' request for a rehearing of the order suspending him from the bench was denied Tuesday and the mandate was sent to the clerk.

The effect is that Simes is now suspended without pay through 2010 under terms of the court's order resolving an effort to remove him from the bench by the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission. Other disciplinary complaints pend against Simes. He could run for the office again under terms of the last Supreme Court order.

Ben Story, the administrative judge for the judicial district in which Simes sits, has notified attorneys on cases there of the change, which will require schedule and judge changes.

Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA insurance executive who's traveling the country to talk about what's wrong with the health insurance system, visited Little Rock Monday.

He gave an interview to the liberal Blue Arkansas blog.

It's vibrant in NW Ark.

* A new Rogers, Ark. blog is up and running. Top item currently is about a proposal to prohibit use of cell phones in school zones. How about everywhere in traffic?

* Thanks to Ozarks Unbound, I learned about The Dogood Letters. It's been busy for a month or more. Mission: "Keeping Benton County's newspapers honest when they don't give an honest effort." Dogood's recent posts razz: 1) Crystal Bridges media hype; 2) undue flackery for Arvest Bank, and 3) the poor quality of the Stephens-Hussman monopoly newspaper arrangement. An independent spirit, in other words.

* And speaking of independent spirits:

Some 1,500 uninsured people are expected to seek medical attention at a free mass clinic at the Statehouse Convention center from noon to 7 p.m. today.

It might be that, sometime during the clinic, Sen. Blanche Lincoln will cast a deciding vote on whether to let the Senate debate health reform legislation. She's been quoted as saying that the free clinic in Little Rock is a nice thing, but no solution to the country's health care problems. Indeed. But it's better than doing nothing. Remember that your friends at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce have vigorously advocated the do-nothing course in pressing Lincoln to filibuster even the motion to open debate.

Here's a fact sheet on today's clinic that might be of interest.