Mayflower-Vilonia tornado is top AP Arkansas story of 2014, gay marriage 3rd
Little Rock, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' worst natural disaster of 2014 has been selected by Associated Press members as the state's top news story of the year, edging out the Republican dominance in the midterm elections and court decisions that opened the door to marriages between same-sex couples.
Balloting among AP-member broadcasters and newspaper editors left the Mayflower-Vilonia tornado, the GOP sweep and gay marriage-related court decisions clustered at the top of the list. Political scandals finished in the middle of the pack.
The debate over Arkansas' Medicaid expansion was the top story in 2013, followed by an ExxonMobil oil pipeline spill at Mayflower.
The entire top 10 for 2014:
1. Mayflower-Vilonia tornado
Sixteen people died after a twister formed in western Pulaski County, crossed the Arkansas River at Mayflower and rolled into Vilonia. Mayflower was still recovering from the 2013 oil spill when the tornado hit April 27, and Vilonia had been hit by a killer storm in 2011.
Storm surveys conducted after the storm concluded the twister was just shy of being rated as a top-of-the-scale EF-5.
"It turned pitch black," Mark Ausbrooks said shortly after the storm hit at his parents' home in Mayflower. "I ran and got pillows to put over our heads and ... all hell broke loose."
The death toll was the highest for an Arkansas twister since 1997, when 25 people died in a series of storms that hit between Arkadelphia and the Missouri Bootheel. It was also the nation's deadliest tornado in 2014.
2. Republican sweep
With an unpopular Democratic president in the White House, Arkansas Republicans were hoping to make significant gains in the midterm elections. After all the votes were counted, the results were better than GOP leaders could have hoped for. The GOP now holds all seven constitutional offices, all seats in Arkansas' delegation to Congress and more seats in the state Legislature.
"If there's one common theme, it's the White House," outgoing Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe told reporters the day after the election. "The Republicans did a really, really good job of tying every race to the president."
3. Gay marriage
In May, Arkansas clerks issued marriage licenses to 541 same-sex couples after a Pulaski County judge voided a voter-approved ban on gay marriages. Weddings ended a week later, but the debate did not. The state Supreme Court put license distribution on hold pending its review, and a federal judge took up a separate case with similar issues.
In November, U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker said voters couldn't define marriages as being only between one man and one woman, but she gave the state time to appeal her decision. At the Supreme Court, justices fast-tracked arguments, but not a decision.
4. Ex-Treasurer convicted
Arkansas' former treasurer, Martha Shoffner, was convicted in the spring on bribery and extortion counts. Prosecutors say that, while in office, she illegally steered state business to a bond broker who had given her cash — in $6,000 increments and at times in a pie box.
The government later dropped mail fraud charges against the Democrat, after Shoffner told a judge that she hadn't intended to use campaign contributions to pay personal bills at the time she solicited the money.
5. Little Rock desegregation
A desegregation case rooted in the Little Rock Central High School crisis of 1957 began winding down significantly when a federal judge signed an order halting state payments to three Little Rock-area school districts. The payments, intended to aid desegregation efforts, have totaled more than $1 billion since 1989.
The state had argued the payments were giving the districts little incentive to solve its problems. A lawyer representing black schoolchildren said that problems remain and that he expects others to challenge the districts down the road.
6. Lieutenant Governor quits
Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, a Republican, resigned over ethics violations tied to campaign and office spending after initially resisting calls for him to leave the post with a year left on his term.
7. Voter Id Law challenges
The state Supreme Court struck down Arkansas' voter ID law, saying it amounted to a new requirement for voters. Justices said the Arkansas Constitution requires only that voters be age 18 or above, be registered to vote and be a citizen of both the United States and Arkansas.
8. More power to the Legislature
With approval of three ballot issues, voters extended term limits in return for restrictions on lobbyists, gave legislators veto power over agencies within the executive branch and made it tougher for groups to place issues on the ballot.
9. Private option
Arkansas' use of federal Medicaid dollars to buy health insurance for its poorer residents survived, but voters elected a number of legislators who vowed to fight the "private option." After being the model for other states, Arkansas could be the first in line to abandon the program, which extended coverage to thousands.
10. Arkansas steel mill
Big River Steel broke ground on a $1.3 billion mill near Osceola — the first "superproject" under a 2004 constitutional amendment that allows the state to issue bonds to boost economic development. An upriver rival challenged Big River in court and among regulators.
By Kelly P. Kissel, Associated Press. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Gayly – December 31, 2014 @ 6pm
The GOP sweep of the Arkansas Legislature and state offices was the 2nd top state story. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
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