Ark. Lt. Gov. Mark Darr to resign

Giving in to pressure from both Democrats and fellow Republicans, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr has announced he will resign Feb. 1.

Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe and Republican members of the state's congressional delegation had begun calling for Darr to resign on Dec. 31, a day after he agreed to pay $11,000 in fines imposed by the state Ethics Commission for 11 separate violations, including making personal use of more than $30,000 of his campaign funds, according to the Associated Press.

"Politics can be a toxic business. I will no longer subject my family to its hard lessons," Darr said in a statement released late last week.

Read more from the Associated Press.