By DENNIS BYRD
Cabin Columnist

The investigation into alleged public corruption in state government is far from over.

There are indications that a federal grand jury will be empaneled in Little Rock as soon as February to begin deciding who, if anyone, will be indicted, and for what.

The $3-million contract awarded last year to political insiders has been the big headline grabber in the scandal at the state Capitol. The joint state-federal investigation goes much deeper. Lawmakers -- that's plural -- could be indicted.

The FBI and state law enforcement officials conducted a series of raids last year on offices of attorneys with state child support enforcement contracts. They also raided offices of Sen. Nick Wilson, D-Pocahontas, whose former law partner and friend has one such contract. One of the first raids was in Batesville, at the office of T.J. Hively, the prosecuting attorney.

The grand jury probe is likely to begin at the same places where the raids were conducted.

Although open discussions about the state-federal investigation have dropped off, the rumor mill has been generating speculation aplenty. Some people once considered targets may be playing ball with authorities.

If the rumors are true, it will become obvious when the grand jury is convened...

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The state Ethics Commission has been under considerable scrutiny lately, bringing into question whether the commission operates ethically.

Two recent events create more questions.

First, Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed Tom Alexander of Rogers to the panel. Alexander was himself a candidate before moving from Little Rock to Rogers and was given a warning by the commission for wrongly contributing money from his campaign to that of a fellow party member.

Alexander may have all the qualifications to be a good commissioner, but his past association with the commission will always create questions.

Then, commissioner Candi Russell of Fort Smith resigned from the panel, citing a need to get back to her business as a political consultant. Within days, however, she accepted a temporary state job, which could pay her $22,500 for six months of work.

She had been talking to the Department of Human Services about employment since March, when she says she was first considering resigning. She took the job about three weeks after helping the commission clumsily dispense of an ethics complaint against Huckabee.

How ethical is that?...

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Rep. Pat Flanagin of Forrest City must be part pit bull. When he gets hold of something, he doesn't let go.

Flanagin, a foe of Huckabee's since the governor interfered in the case of convicted rapist Wayne Dumond, managed to milk his ethics complaint against the governor into three news stories.

First, he contends during a legislative meeting that the Ethics Commission should look into whether Huckabee claimed $43,000-plus for airplane rentals back to his campaign as income on his statement of financial interest. Second, he sends the news media an outline of the complaints he intends to file, along with a request for the commission's help in closing certain campaign-finance ''loopholes.'' Then, the next day, he files it. Three stories.

After politics, perhaps Flanagin should consider a public relations job with an ad agency.

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Dennis A. Byrd is chief of Donrey Media Group's Little Rock News Bureau.)

Copyright 1997 The Log Cabin Democrat