Embattled MLK Commission preps for overhaul (UALR Public Radio) - Arkansas's Martin Luther King Commission is about to undergo an overhaul after its members' public squabbles prompted the governor to call it an embarrassment.

A new law that takes effect Wednesday will cut the size of the commission in half, from 26 members to 13, and gives the governor authority to hire and fire the panel's executive director.

Gov. Mike Beebe said he doesn't yet know who he will appoint to the commission, or whether all current members will be tossed off. But his office said he plans to keep its current executive director.

Beebe and legislative leaders have 60 days to name their new appointees to the King Commission, which was formed in 1994 to promote racial harmony through leadership workshops, youth programs and other initiatives.

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