by - April 26, 2015 5:30 pm
Grading the new Governor
While the 90th General Assembly finally ended this past week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson quietly celebrated his 100th day as Arkansas’ 46th Governor. He appears this month on the cover of…
Guest Commentary
by - April 21, 2015 10:59 am
Fort Smith: A great place for all
The Fort Smith area, as noted in a recent commentary, has many great attributes for retirees, but Fort Smith also is a great place to live for families and community…
by - April 19, 2015 7:21 pm
Another view of the ‘Hanging Judge’ heritage
Fort Smith embraced selling its frontier heritage to tourists in 1955 when Mayor H. R. “Happy” Hestand appointed Judge Paul Wolfe to lead a committee to restore the Parker courtroom…
by - April 19, 2015 7:05 pm
Fort Smith: A great place to die
I recently had an “Aha!” moment. I’ve worried about the Greater Fort Smith Region’s lack of economic growth, the loss of our youth to other cities and states in order…
by - April 15, 2015 7:26 pm
A nice bump for Gov. Hutchinson
The latest poll out from Talk Business & Politics, Hendrix College and Impact Management Group give Gov. Asa Hutchinson a significant 11% jump to a 63% approval rating. The 11%…
by - April 13, 2015 3:33 pm
More to do for the Arkansas Legislature
The 90th Generally Assembly has ended, at least the part of it that occurred in the regular session. There’s probably not a more unique feeling in the world. It’s just…
by - April 12, 2015 7:44 pm
Narrowing the skills gap
This week I signed into law three bills that form our workforce-training plan. Afterwards, a Little Rock television station ran a story about a fellow named Lawrence Aaron. A student…
by - April 9, 2015 9:51 pm
Anxiety about legal anxiety
According to the Stanford News, a law professor at that particular college is working on his doctorate in psychology and is putting his training to use by putting together a…
by - April 6, 2015 4:35 pm
High hopes for Arkansas’ new task forces
The five appointed Task Forces created by Gov. Asa Hutchinson may indeed change Arkansas governance. This Task Force governance procedure is also a bold political and policy venture. It is…
by - April 5, 2015 7:49 pm
Christians need to quit whining about religious freedom
Freedom. Good word. Who doesn’t love “freedom” … at least in the abstract? Conceptually, “freedom” flourishes as an abstraction. After all, who’s for “captivity,” “confinement” or “oppression?” Freedom wins by not being…
by - April 5, 2015 7:24 pm
Notes on the grumpy season
It’s that time of year again. It arrives the same time each year. A sign this time is here is the number of usually smiling people you see with scowls….
by - April 5, 2015 7:08 pm
Clinton’s ‘dare to compete’
“Dare to compete” is the title of one the chapters in Secretary Hillary Clinton’s best-selling autobiography, “Living History.” In that chapter of the book, then U.S. First Lady Clinton recalls…
by - March 29, 2015 2:23 pm
A chance for no vetoes
Despite several versions of on-line petitions and even a harsh rebuke from the chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson will not issue a “veto” this session….
by - March 26, 2015 11:59 am
Congrats on addressing ‘re-homing’
One of the big issues in this year’s Legislative session had to do with “re-homing” of adopted children. It seems that plenty of Arkansas lawmakers decided that practice is a…
by - March 24, 2015 2:49 pm
Arkansas budget facts v. budget opinions
John Burris, a political consultant and former Arkansas legislator, recently opined about how Arkansas’ budget has changed for the better. That heading caught my attention, as I am disappointed with…
by - March 23, 2015 8:24 pm
Arkansas’ budget changes for the better
Change is hard to see while it’s happening. I don’t know how my hairline got so high and thin. I just know I looked up one day, and there it…
by - March 22, 2015 10:58 pm
The language of ‘vision’
Much of our thought process is language-based. As a consequence, our vocabulary and understanding of language can determine the quality of our thinking and understanding about life. The risk of…
by - March 22, 2015 10:45 pm
No amendments for the 2016 ballot?
Startling word leaked out of the state Capitol this past week. Arkansas voters in November 2016 may not face a referred Constitutional Amendment submitted by the Legislature of the 90th…
by - March 16, 2015 6:09 pm
In defense of Sen. Cotton
United States Senator Tom Cotton last week wrote a letter to the Iranian Ayatollah, stating that the President’s on-going nuclear negotiations with the terrorist state are ill conceived and non-binding….
by - March 15, 2015 10:46 am
The U.S. Constitution: A contested document
In a recent address for the U.S. Marshals Museums lecture series, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was quoted as saying “The Constitution means what it meant when our fathers…