Opinion

A call to action: Vote!

Overheard recently in the Craighead County office of the DF&A — or what most of us would call the state revenue office: Clerk: “Ma’am, are you registered to vote?” Customer…

Know your one thing

I saw a good friend over Easter, and he mentioned a recent accident that taught him an important lesson. He had stepped on a tenpenny nail that went deep in…

Driving growth begins with IP and girl power

After almost 20 years in intellectual property law, I’ve worked in and for everything from startups to conglomerates. All companies face the same pressures to stand out and create something…

Input sought for sales tax exemption report

On March 20, the Arkansas Legislative Tax Reform and Relief Task Force released 43 sales tax exemptions chosen for additional study. The exemptions on the list are being examined to…

Assessing the Democratic field for Congressional District 2

On April 4th, Talk Business & Politics and KATV gave voters their first opportunity to assess the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District….

Wind Catcher will benefit Arkansas customers, economy

Seven months after Southwestern Electric Power Company announced the Wind Catcher Energy Connection project, a couple of unknown groups have popped up to oppose lower electric rates and more renewable…

Riff Raff: A marijuana farm, a clown show, and a phrase factory

Golden Living has placed on the market its 318.000-square-foot Class A office building in Fort Smith. Would be an economic blow to Fort Smith and the state if the jobs…

Remember economic basics in the midst of trade turbulence

U.S. agricultural trade is being threatened by a storm of policy challenges and political rhetoric. As the political discussions continue, it’s important to not lose sight of the basic economic principles…

Connecting the scenery with the dollars

Twenty years ago, some expressed surprise when a route along Crowley’s Ridge in Eastern Arkansas was designated as the state’s first National Scenic Byway through the U.S. Department of Transportation….

Restaurants, guns and signs

During the 2017 legislative session, Arkansas enacted two new acts concerning public and private places and concealed handguns. While the act concerning concealed handguns on college campuses received much attention,…

Riff Raff: A burning bush, Jan and Andy, and the United States of Acquisitions

Much paperwork has been involved in this ongoing Charlie Foxtrot to implement medical marijuana use in Arkansas. Unfortunately, none of the paper is of the rolling variety. Not sure if…

Hacking your vote from inside your head

We recently learned some important lessons about the dangers inherent to losing control of your customer data, either through hacking, internal theft, or from poorly designed controls governing what your…

A note on the history of Arkansas female legislators

This year was the first year the share of female legislators nationwide reached 25%. There are now 1,866 women serving in legislatures nationwide, 18 of them serve in the Arkansas…

Prepare for the coming ‘silver’ storm

Most successful businesses have policies in place to address potential inclement weather. A business may encourage telecommuting in the event of a winter storm, or it might conduct emergency drills…

Developments intersect agri production, urban living

With the Trump administration’s rollback of federal regulations proceeding at a steady pace, and with new federal tax policy firmly established, and with the next federal Farm Bill promised by…

Riff Raff: Federal idiots, Oprah, slippery slopes, and channel changes

Encouraging more STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is great, but should it result in less education in communication skills? The best engineer in the world is no good…

Papa, J.R. and the Ol’ Man

Had there been any doubt among our delegation about the primary engines powering Northwest Arkansas’ strong economy, a stop in Springdale on our way to Tulsa about 15 years ago…

How many lawyers does it take?

I grew up riding horses. Like all great horse people my trainer had a knack for distilling wisdom into short statements that left no room for argument and little doubt…

A hint of clarity on Arkansas’ sovereign immunity issue

The Arkansas Supreme Court recently issued another opinion related to the state’s sovereign immunity dilemma and it provides some measure of clarity on the issue. Maybe. Sort of. As noted…

Why Oklahoma’s Wind Catcher is a bad deal for Arkansas

I’ve spent a portion of the past decade engaged in various efforts to encourage development of alternative energy resources in Arkansas, motivated by two factors – a belief that climate…