Judge rules funding legal for lawmakers' projects

A $2.9 million state-funded economic development program is legal, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ruled Tuesday, as he dismissed a lawsuit that accused Arkansas legislators of using the 47-year-old program as a "money-laundering machine" to fund pet projects. Piazza said he has the authority to decide only whether the program conforms to requirements established in the state constitution on how the General Assembly spends public money.