Column

by The City Wire staff -

A short note on eviction law

On Jan. 20, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright, Jr. signed an order finding Arkansas’ criminal eviction statute unconstitutional. That’s been reported more than a few times over the past…

by The City Wire staff -

My ‘tax reform’ pet peeve

Any “tax reform” passed by Congress and signed by our President this year, next year, or in any future year will never change this one fact: by design, the sole…

by The City Wire staff -

Undoing the double holiday

Nate Bell of Mena is not going to quit in his efforts to dislodge the dual celebration of Robert E. Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., celebrated on the…

by The City Wire staff -

Return to the political past

From the end of the Civil War until the 1970’s, the South was solidly Democratic, thus making it the so-called “Solid South.” It’s been said that it was Democratic because…

by The City Wire staff -

The speed trap app

A story the Associated Press ran about a popular smartphone app serves as yet another reminder that technological advances often raise legal issues that courts will have to struggle with…

by The City Wire staff -

A good man

The City Wire recently asked me to write something about the person who is the new Arkansas governor – my old boss, Asa Hutchinson. I was asked to write about him…

by The City Wire staff -

The politics of ‘AsaCare’

The long awaited speech by Gov. Asa Hutchinson on his health care plans for the state “surprised many people,” said state Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, one of the few surviving…

by Michael Tilley -

Shut up and pay up

Let’s consider this mysterious and allegedly absolute cover of confidentiality under which Fort Smith and federal officials discussed the settlement of the city’s Clean Water Act violations – a settlement…

by The City Wire staff -

Reshaping the tax code

Last Saturday, news broke of President Obama’s intentions to reshape the tax code in favor of the middle class and working families, which would require raising taxes and fees on…

by The City Wire staff -

Make a legislative connection

While national political events capture the attention of the majority of our news media, Arkansas lawmakers are meeting in Little Rock writing, debating, and passing state laws that affect our…

by The City Wire staff -

Gearhart did go home again

A surprise announcement came about this past week when G. David Gearhart, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas, announced he would resign on July 31. A national search for…

by The City Wire staff -

Why would we want to do that?

Have you ever heard anyone say that it’s not easy to attract people to move to Fort Smith? Or maybe you’ve heard someone say we need more development along the…

by The City Wire staff -

Avoid the mortgage debt scam

Recently I was reading about people around the nation who take out deeds in lieu of foreclosure and wind up getting called about owing debts on their mortgages years after…

by The City Wire staff -

Beebe raised the bar

Arkansas’ political heart has recently been beating at the rhythm of Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson’s appointments of his senior staff and appointments to executive agencies, and at the rhythm of the…

by The City Wire staff -

The lottery fix (maybe)

There is always a perceived “prize” or bragging rights for the member of the Arkansas General Assembly filing the biggest and most complex bill every session of the Legislature. Forget…

by The City Wire staff -

Burning free speech rights

In a week in which the world tragically learned (again) the dangers of attaching an unwavering loyalty and willingness to kill and be a martyr for a symbol, U.S. Rep….

by Michael Tilley -

7 Fort Smith government moves

Solely for the purpose of providing a window into how Fort Smith city staff and the Board of Directors conduct public business, let’s revisit the process to name the water…