by - July 13, 2015 4:06 pm
Sebastian County’s five-year appraisal explainer
It’s that time again; unbelievably, it has been five years since we completed a countywide reappraisal, so it’s time to do it again. Those of us in the assessor’s office…
Column
by - July 12, 2015 8:59 pm
Breaking the law
The trust and transparency deficit with Fort Smith municipal government took another hit Friday (July 10) when Mayor Sandy Sanders admitted – maybe unwittingly – that the Board broke state…
by - July 12, 2015 7:37 pm
Speculating about Gosack’s departure
Ray Gosack’s sudden and unexpected resignation as Fort Smith’s City Administrator without a hint of the reason begs one to speculate as to the why. Speculation isn’t reliable in finding…
by - July 12, 2015 1:35 pm
The push for better forest management
My first bill, the Resilient Federal Forests Act, passed the House of Representatives on Thursday (July 9). It is bipartisan legislation that will give the Forest Service the tools it…
by - July 5, 2015 6:19 pm
The jobs hole
Recent numbers reflect well on the Fort Smith metro economy, but there remains a four-letter word that makes unpleasant a more in-depth conversation: Jobs. Positive economic headlines have been frequent…
by - July 5, 2015 2:02 pm
Our naïve idea about Iraq
Some Iraqis are now beginning to say the country should be divided into regions composed of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. The Kurds have pretty much gone their own way, the…
by - July 1, 2015 6:26 pm
A tough sale for Huckabee 2.0
Recent political history has it that the Democratic Party tends to “fall in love” with its presidential nominees, while the Republican Party tends to “fall in line” behind the presumptive…
by - June 30, 2015 7:25 pm
Lessons learned from a bad experience
When businesses become customers of other businesses, the interactions between the companies can be very instructive, providing each company with “how to” lessons, and many times with “how not to”…
by - June 29, 2015 5:10 pm
You should know Jack
Let’s take a moment and talk about the late Jack White and leadership and paperclips. Jack is remembered by the Jack White Legislative Golf Classic held each year by the…
by - June 28, 2015 6:16 pm
A call for judicial independence
Despite the talk radio criticism facing him today, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is a conservative justice and quickly becoming one of the greatest figures in modern…
by - June 28, 2015 6:13 pm
A tale of two flags
The murder of nine people inside Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., by a 21-year-old addict and self-identified white supremacist, has re-ignited a debate over the Confederate battle…
by - June 22, 2015 2:24 pm
Policy nightmares and political distractions
Our state has a problem. We don’t handle contract procurements very well. Recently, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has received deserved attention for mismanaging multiple eligibility contracts. It’s a…
by - June 21, 2015 5:21 pm
Celebrating Riffraff
In 2009, a 21-year-old interior design major at the University of Arkansas took a risk, trusted her gut, and started her own business on just $100. Today, that business —…
by - June 17, 2015 6:09 pm
Regulations and manufacturing productivity
Despite Arkansas’ reliance on the manufacturing industry for economic growth and jobs, manufacturing within the state has languished. According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arkansas’ manufacturing GDP…
by - June 15, 2015 6:50 pm
Rice, cigars and other notes from Cuba
The first meal I ate in Cuba included rice. So, did the last meal. As did most of the meals in between during my five-day trip to Cuba. Rice is…
by - June 14, 2015 2:10 pm
A governor in Europe
A few weeks ago, I was in Silicon Valley in California. Last week, I was in Newport and Batesville. Saturday, I leave for Paris and Germany. The locations change but…
by - June 8, 2015 6:57 pm
The clarity of ‘Open Carry’
The media in Arkansas is buzzing about how some public officials are claiming that “open carry” is legal in Arkansas, and that it has been since Act 746 passed in…
by - June 7, 2015 5:33 pm
Arkansans to the rescue
As I deliver today’s radio address, the floodwaters in our state’s rivers finally should be cresting. In the coming days, the weather forecast calls for no rain and sunny skies…
by - June 3, 2015 8:14 pm
As good as it gets
Imagine living in a place where you live within easy walking or bicycling distance to a university where you can take in first rate plays and musical performances; or a…
by - June 1, 2015 7:04 pm
The Mayor and the vision thing
The irrelevance of the office of mayor in Fort Smith is a structural deficiency that needs to be corrected. Under our current form of government the mayor’s function is designed…