by - July 29, 2015 3:02 pm
The secret embezzler
I have a particular dislike for bookkeepers and accountants who commit fraud and embezzle from their employers. The act is vile and the person committing the fraud betrays their employer’s…
Guest Commentary
by The City Wire staff - July 27, 2015 3:16 pm
The economic benefit of the arts
Civic leaders increasingly recognize that the arts, creative place-making and arts tourism not only provide social and cultural benefits to our community but economic benefits as well. We need only…
by The City Wire staff - July 26, 2015 5:49 pm
A prologue to a farce or a tragedy
As Founding Father James Madison once said, “A Popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it is but a Prologue to a Farce or a tragedy, or…
by Luke Pruitt - July 23, 2015 11:05 pm
To a town divided: The history of the Southside Rebel
My earliest memories of Southside Rebel Pride came when I was in grade school, watching my two older brothers play football for the Rebels. My oldest brother played on the…
by The City Wire staff - 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…
by The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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 The City Wire staff - 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…