DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Audit Questions Purchase of $19,000 Lectern by Arkansas Governor’s Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Legislative auditors in Arkansas found that the purchase last year of a $19,000 lectern by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s office potentially violated state laws, according to a report released on Monday. But the findings may be moot after the state attorney general, Tim Griffin, said last week that state purchasing laws do not apply to the governor or other executive branch officials. Ms. Sanders, a Republican, faced sharp scrutiny for the purchase, even from members of her own party. The legislative auditors said that their report would be forwarded to the Sixth Judicial District prosecuting attorney and to Mr. Griffin’s office.

Persons: Sarah Huckabee, Tim Griffin, Sanders Organizations: Republican, Sixth Judicial Locations: Arkansas

Circuit Court of appeals denied the request for the case to go before the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a panel ruled 2-1 last year that only the U.S. attorney general can enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe 8th Circuit ruling applies only to federal courts covered by the district, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. “The decision by the Eighth Circuit to not revisit the case is a serious blow to the rights of Arkansas voters," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement. The Arkansas lawsuit challenges the state House redistricting plan, which was approved in 2021 by the all-Republican state Board of Apportionment.

Persons: weren't, ”, David Stras, Donald Trump, Holly Dickson, ’, Tim Griffin, “, Arkansans, Griffin, Steven Colloton, Colloton, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, ” Colloton, Lavenski Smith Organizations: —, U.S, Supreme, Circuit, The, Arkansas State Conference NAACP, Republicans, American Civil Liberties Union, Eighth Circuit, Black, Republican Locations: The Arkansas, Arkansas, Arkansas , Iowa, Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Southern

☆ Arkansas orders Chinese-owned seed producer Syngenta to sell US farmland
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CHICAGO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 160 acres (65 hectares) of farmland in the U.S. state within two years on Tuesday because the company is Chinese-owned, drawing a sharp rebuke from the global seeds producer. U.S. farm groups and lawmakers are increasingly scrutinizing foreign land ownership due to concerns about national security. "Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers," Das said. The state also fined Syngenta $280,000 for failure to report foreign ownership in a timely manner. "All Syngenta land holdings have been examined by the U.S. government, through two administrations, as Syngenta was transitioning to ChemChina ownership," Das said.

Persons: Syngenta, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Saswato Das, Das, Tim Griffin, Griffin, Northrup, Huckabee Sanders, Tom Polansek, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: BASF, Bayer, Sinochem Holdings Corp, Northrup King Seed, Syngenta, U.S . Department of Agriculture, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Arkansas, U.S, Craighead County, China, ChemChina, Shanghai

Northrup is a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds, which is owned by China National Chemical Company, or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned company. Concern has been growing in many states about foreign ownership of farmland. Prior to this year, 14 states had laws prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership and investments in private farmland. Under the Arkansas law, if a company doesn’t divest of the land, the state can take action in court. The surge in state laws targeting land ownership by certain foreigners represents a “a political flashpoint” that Brown says stems from some highly publicized cases of Chinese-connected entities purchasing land near military bases in North Dakota and Texas.

Persons: Tim Griffin, Northrup King, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Northrup, ” Sanders, Griffin, Syngenta, Micah Brown, ”, Brown, David Lieb Organizations: —, Northrup King Seed, Republican, GOP Gov, Syngenta, China National Chemical Company, National Agriculture Law Center, University of Arkansas, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Associated Locations: — Arkansas, Craighead County, Arkansas, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, North Dakota, Texas, Jefferson City , Missouri

☆ Arkansas Attorney General says a widely-used political fundraising ploy is a 'scam' that's 'potentially illegal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin called out a common political fundraising tactic as a "scam" that is possibly illegal. Griffin attacked the practice of campaigns telling supporters they will "match" donations in sometimes crazy amounts. "Politicians who use it may find themselves under legal scrutiny," Griffin wrote in Politico Magazine. "This scam is not only unethical, it's also potentially illegal — and politicians who use it may find themselves under legal scrutiny," Griffin wrote in Politico Magazine. "In Arkansas, political campaigns and consultants who use this tactic should know that I will inform Arkansans and take appropriate legal action."

Persons: Tim Griffin, Griffin, —, it's, Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi's, that's, Arkansans Organizations: Politico, Service, Politico Magazine, Department Locations: Arkansas

June 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery to transgender minors, a victory for families that had sued to challenge the law. Moody had last year blocked enforcement of the law in a preliminary order while he considered the case. Arkansas in 2021 became the first U.S. state to ban gender-affirming care for minors. The measures have been challenged in court, and have so far been fully or partially blocked in states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana and Florida. Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James Moody, Moody, Dylan Brandt, Brandt, Tim Griffin, Griffin, Asa Hutchinson, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Sandra Maler Organizations: District, American Civil Liberties Union, Republican, Thomson Locations: U.S, Arkansas, Little, . Arkansas, Oklahoma , Arkansas , Alabama, Indiana, Florida, New York

Search resuls for: "Tim Griffin"

6 mentions found