Column

Not a big deal, but …

It’s not a big deal, and may possibly be a minor waste of time when considering all the important things on which folks in this region are or should be…

Enough already about what I’m thinking. Let’s pick your brain using the following multiple choice exercise. The national economy will improve: 1. as the housing and commercial building inventories reach…

Opportunities possible

Might we consider that the 2010 Census numbers released Thursday (Feb. 10) are more than just numbers tracking population growth and shifts. They may also contain insight into opportunities missed…

All bark

They call a recent bill designed to nip the temptation of nefarious activity among Arkansas legislators an ethics reform bill, which was, after reading the bill, a piece of literature…

Billy and the Senator

Billy, the college friend from thousands of years ago, called this week. He’s equal parts amused and alarmed about the driving habits of a certain Arkansas Senator. Also, Billy continues…

Do the 1%. Now.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors should by ordinance enact a 1% prepared food tax to support the operations and maintenance of the Fort Smith Convention Center. It is part…

Miss Eady’s reminder

They say she was robbed. Don’t know much about that, but it’s safe to say Alyse Eady was deserving of the crown. Also know she was a dang sight prettier…

Improved chances of not screwing up

Back in December 2009 it was noted in this space that we don’t want to screw this up. The “this” was and continues to be a growing consensus among the…

Continuing the SOB watch

Editor’s note: This essay first appeared Dec. 28, 2008, on The City Wire. It continues to be an appropriate note to begin a new year. It’s just another day, really….

More or less

Here’s to hoping our 2011 is better than 2010. And following are a few specific hopes, more or less, for the next year. More active recruitment of jobs and companies…

Wiki worries

This thing with Wikileaks hits close to home. As you may know, Julian Assange and Wikileaks have published hundreds of thousands of documents that reveal often embarrassing information about the…

Dear Santa:

Dear Santa: Consider me back among those who believe. And, knowing that to return I must have once departed the faithful, forgive the years of not sharing in the Ho,…

12,000, again

Editor’s note: Following is a repeat of an essay first published Dec. 13, 2009, following the overwhelming success of the first Christmas Honors. The essay is republished here as a…

Dear Fort Smith regional legislators:

Dear Fort Smith regional legislators: Having given up a few years ago on Santa Claus (apparently, the North Pole logistics folks can’t hook a believer up with a few cases…

Seeking salvation

The thing with this regional economic development alliance thing is that I’m not feeling the religion. You’ll find me on the back pew working hard to suppress my cynicism as…

Wants, needs and ditches

A debate possibly best captured by English historian Edmund Burke is one we might consider in our pondering about the future governance of more than 80,000 Fort Smith citizens in…

Remembering Raymond

Editor’s note: This essay about my grandfather, Raymond Evans, was first published November 2002 when I was business editor of the Times Record. A version of that essay can be…

Tuesday’s on with the spin

Tuesday’s coming. The smart people who wear the smart suits and say smart things about election day politics say Tuesday will replace one set of folks previously thought to be…

Healthy honesty

Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker says the mayor’s job is largely ceremonial, with little to no authority to govern or provide leadership. His opponent, Mr. Sandy Sanders, sees it different,…

Strange women and other options

King Arthur: I am your king. Woman: Well I didn’t vote for you. King Arthur: You don’t vote for kings. Woman: Well how’d you become king then? King Arthur: The…