Suspect Caught after Attack on Deputy

(EVENING SHADE, Ark.) -- A man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with beating and injuring a sheriff’s deputy last week.

Officials say Deputy Gary Mitchell responded to a call about an argument at a home in Evening Shade. Mitchell talked with two men and asked them for their identification cards. One of the men said he had to retrieve the card from his house. When the man did not return, Deputy Mitchell went to look for him and saw John W. Smith running away.

Mitchell gave chase and caught up with Smith who allegedly resisted arrest and struck Mitchell several times in the head while the officer attempted to taser him. Smith escaped and was caught on Wednesday.

Deputy Mitchell was released from hospital and is recovering from the incident.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Group Calls for Ban on Internet Assisted Abortions

(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) -- The group Arkansas Right to Life says it plans to ask state lawmakers to ban Internet assisted abortions.

The executive director of the group, Rose Mimms, informed the audience  at press conference that she drafted legislation that seeks to make it illegal for doctors to oversee chemical abortions via Internet.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio



Speed Enforcement Campaign Launched

(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) -- The Arkansas State Police announced a new campaign to curb speeders on Tuesday.

Colonel J.R. Howard, Director of the Arkansas State Police, launched the “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine” campaign, which will run from July 10 to July 17. He said in statement that speed contributed to deaths.

“It also greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object in the street or highway, or safely negotiate an unexpected curve. Speeding drivers put themselves, their passengers and other drivers at tremendous risk,” said Colonel Howard.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Zoo's Long Time Resident, Ellen the Elephant, Dies

(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) -- Little Rock Zoo's Ellen the Elephant, a resident of the zoo since 1954, died suddenly Tuesday. She was 60.

The cause of death was either a heart attack or stroke, according to zoo officials.

The zoo remained closed until the afternoon while officials removed Ellen from the zoo.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

UAB Study Links Decline in Cognitive Functions to Geography

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) -- Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have found evidence of a link between memory loss and geography.

According to a recent study by the university, people living in eight southeastern states are at an 18 percent higher risk of developing cognitive decline than the rest of the nation. Specifically, the study identified Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee as states at the highest risk.

The researchers found that 8.1 percent of overall participants in the 24,000 person study experienced cognitive decline over a four-year period.

While the study failed to account for the link in geographical placement, researchers point to the eight-state region's disproportionate risk of strokes and other health problems as being a factor. The eight-state region, also known as the "stroke belt", has a 50 percent greater risk of stroke than the rest of the county.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio