The state Department of Human Services’ chief counsel, Mitch Rouse, has been promoted to chief of staff at the department, department Secretary Kristi Putnam announced Monday.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared a disaster in several Arkansas counties after severe storms and straight-line winds caused damage on June 25.
Statewide restoration and cleanup efforts will continue into the week after high-velocity winds Sunday killed two people, injured one and left thousands of Arkansans without power during a week of record high temperatures in the forecast, according to Willie Gilmore with the National Weather Service in Little Rock.
In an executive order declaring the state of emergency, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders exempted vehicles that are responding to the power outages, such as electric utility vehicles and bucket trucks, from having to stop at highway weigh stations in Arkansas until July 1.