LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (BNO NEWS) – An Arkansas private banking system bank was barred from operating for helping customers avoid taxes, prosecutors said Thursday.

Wayne Hicks, who owned and operated My Icis Inc., a private banking system in Berryville, Arkansas, helped customers set up purportedly anonymous bank accounts to hide their identities, income and other financial transactions, including deposits, wire transfers and bill payments in order to avoid taxes from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). From 2003 through 2006, Hicks’ customers deposited approximately $100 million in his banking system

Hicks admitted that My Icis helped customers “get out of the traditional banking system and successfully shield their financial transactions from the government, more specifically the IRS, and thereby avoid paying federal income taxes.”

Hicks promoted his scheme through Web sites, online newsletters, and seminars such as the Pinnacle Quest International (PQI) seminars held in the Mexican resorts of Cancun and Ixtapa in 2005.

On March 31, 2010, eight people associated with PQI were convicted of tax, wire fraud and money laundering charges by a federal jury following a month-long trial in Pensacola, Florida. The United States also obtained a civil injunction against PQI and its principals on May 16, 2008.

In addition to the barring of My Icis Inc., Hicks is serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — A U.S. Navy SEAL (SEa, Air, and Land) team member was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln said on Friday.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Lee Brown, 36, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was killed in Afghanistan. “My heart goes out to the family of Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Lee Brown, who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation,” Lincoln said. “Along with all Arkansans, I am grateful for his service and for the service and sacrifice of all of our military service members and their families.”

Lincoln also praised other service members who serve or have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. “These men and women have shown tremendous courage and perseverance through the most difficult of times,” Lincoln said. “As neighbors, as Arkansans, and as Americans, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to honor their service and to provide for them and their families, not only when they are in harm’s way but also when they return home. It is the least we can do for those whom we owe so much.”

Lincoln did not provide further details on how Brown, who was based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, died.

A total of 117 service members have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, most of whom were from the United States and the United Kingdom. Brown was the 74th U.S. service member to have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

The last U.S. Navy service member killed in Afghanistan was Sailor Xin Qi, 25, who died as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in southern Afghanistan on January 23.

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LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (BNO NEWS) – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe vetoed a bill that would have cost $1.6 million on Monday, the Governor’s Office announced.

Gov. Beebe vetoed the bill in accordance with Article 6, Section 15 of the Arkansas Constitution. He later addressed the Senate with a letter accompanying the veto.

“I believe that we cannot, in good conscience, set a precedent of taking funding from a tenuous source, such as the State Central Services Fund, in order to protect local projects,” expressed Gov. Beebe in his letter.

“The State Central Services Fund supports the core functions of our government, and if it falls short of funding, the needed money is drawn from the rest of our revenue, essentially creating an automatic budget cut for other state services.”

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WEST FORK, ARKANSAS (BNO NEWS) — Four people were killed when their Beechcraft A36 single-engine plane crashed in a field near West Fork, Arkansas on Saturday, officials said.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a witness that a small plane had crashed in the Brentwood Mountain area south of West Fork around 11.45 a.m. local time. When deputies and medical personnel arrived on scene, they discovered the aircraft.

The single-engine airplane left the Hot Springs Airport in Hot Springs around 11 a.m. en-route to Drake Field Airport in Fayetteville. It went down near Oak Grove Road in south Washington County.

The four fatalities were identified as 16-year-old Mary Cooper, 14-year-old Elizabeth Cooper, 57-year-old Martin Draper and 46-year-old pilot Edward Cooper. They were all from Hot Springs.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on scene to investigate the crash. The bodies of the victims were released to the Washington County Coroner’s Office.

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WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) – President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Arkansas on Thursday, the White House said.

President Obama declared that there is a major disaster in Arkansas and ordered Federal aid to support State and local efforts in the recovery of the affected area.

Arkansas has been struck with severe storms and flooding in the period of December 29, 2009 to January 2, 2010.

Many counties will benefit from Federal funding that has been assigned to local governments and private non-profit organizations for the repair or replacement of facilities affected in such communities.

Kevin L. Hannes has been assigned as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that more designations could be made if they are requested by the State.

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BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS (BNO NEWS) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced layoffs at the home office, mostly in corporate support, in order to make home office operations “more efficient,” the company said Wednesday.

“This was a difficult decision, but I believe that if we ask our operations to be leaner and more customer-focused, we must ask the same of our support teams at the Home Office,” Wal-Mart President and CEO Mike Duke said.

On January 23, the company announced plans to cut more than 11,000 jobs at its Sam’s Club division.

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LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (BNO NEWS) — Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Bill Bowen will resign from his appointment due to his deteriorating health condition, Governor Mike Beebe said on Tuesday.

Bowen informed Governor Beebe of his plans to resign on Tuesday. Beebe appointed Bowen to serve on the court for 2010 after Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber resigned.

“While this news is a disappointment, my thoughts are first and foremost focused on Bill’s health and well-being,” Governor Beebe said. “A dedicated and honorable public servant, Justice Bowen expressed to me his regret in not being able to serve his full appointment. We will work quickly to fill this vacancy with another qualified jurist.”

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