by - April 2, 2026 7:12 pm
Riff Raff: Observations from a geek
Editor’s note: This essay was first published Feb 1, 2004. It is reposted with a few edits to mark the April 1 successful launch of Artemis II, which will send…
Riff Raff
by - March 1, 2026 11:20 am
Riff Raff: Calling for a data center pause
States and communities around the country have paused or are moving to pause data center developments. Such moves come from growing concerns about electricity demands, water use, water pollution, noise,…
by - June 14, 2025 1:45 pm
Riff Raff: Garage sale guidance, redux
Editor’s note: This essay, with a few minor edits, was first published in 2005. There comes a time to sell stuff long ago tucked away in closets, kitchen cabinets, attic,…
by - August 11, 2024 6:08 pm
Riff Raff: The Hotz hot seat
It might be easy to have some empathy for Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz in having the full responsibility for the general election fall hard in his lap less than…
by - July 27, 2024 9:02 am
Riff Raff: ‘Symbols matter’
One will encounter a good number of jerks in this journalism work, especially if you do it long enough. Or maybe even if you do it for a day or…
by - July 14, 2024 2:24 pm
Riff Raff: Water, money, and lawyers
It’s safe to say a majority of frustration with a water rate hike for Fort Smith residents and tens of thousands of residents in nearby cities is the size of…
by - June 2, 2024 11:47 am
Riff Raff: Opaque transparency
One might think dissolution of a public organization that has since 1997 been a key actor in the development of Chaffee Crossing – the most impactful growth area of the…
by - April 28, 2024 4:28 pm
Riff Raff: It’s more than just a medical school
More than 11 years ago this fella told me about a new Fort Smith-based organization of which he was certain would do great and transformative things. One of the few…
by - April 14, 2024 5:58 pm
Riff Raff: Seeking a responsible dissolution solution
It is now time, if not yesterday, for the responsible persons in our local governments and authorities to be responsible and take responsible actions toward the responsible dissolution of the…
by - April 7, 2024 4:13 pm
Riff Raff: A strange report
“This seems strange …” That’s how a rep with Turn Key construction began a sentence about his thoughts on a report attempting to reveal the causes of flooding at the…
by - October 2, 2023 5:38 pm
Riff Raff: Extension suspension
Infrastructure is, mostly, good. Roads, utilities, runways, bridges, drainage, water systems. All that and more. Most officials of any city want smart, robust infrastructure at all levels. As do most…
by - May 4, 2023 6:17 pm
Riff Raff: Watch your step
An outline of planned pay raises for more than 1,100 teachers was presented during a Fort Smith Public Schools Board meeting in late April. There was little board discussion about…
by - December 17, 2022 9:50 am
Riff Raff: Recipe support
Dr. Seidensticker, a college professor, made me a cassette tape of recordings of music by composers Haydn, Stravinsky, Wagner, and others, although he said Wagner could be tough to follow…
by - June 28, 2022 1:52 pm
Riff Raff: A cash and culture change in Russellville
About three decades ago, Arkansas Tech University let me graduate. My attendance was problematic for a few ATU leaders, and, likely, I was not the only person celebrating my graduation….
by - May 9, 2022 11:05 am
Riff Raff: A note about David
A specific item is why most attend a voting or study meeting of the Fort Smith Board of Directors. A zoning change. Proposed policy opposition. Or support. A not-in-my-back-yard issue….
by - March 16, 2022 9:59 am
Riff Raff: The dumb cycle
The television ad for an Arkansas GOP candidate for a federal office blasts, “Babies, Borders, Bullets.” The complex is oversimplified because, you know, don’t think; be enraged. Be alarmed. And…
by - February 27, 2022 3:18 pm
Riff Raff: A welcome pivot
Self-recognizing a hubris-induced mistake and turning to humility-driven corrective collaboration often results in a better outcome. So it is with the Fort Smith Board of Directors and their collective pivot…
by - December 12, 2021 8:45 pm
Riff Raff: Private votes on the public’s business
Here we go again with the city of Fort Smith and its inability and/or unwillingness to conduct the public’s business in public. City directors and administrators come and go, but…
by - November 22, 2020 5:37 pm
Riff Raff: The big ask
It was a sudden and surprising move, if not a perplexing pick that remains an enigma despite an explanation from the Fort Smith Public School Board president. Deputy Superintendent Dr….
by - August 16, 2020 4:18 pm
Riff Raff: Local problems
The Fort Smith Public School Board on June 22 rejected a bid recommendation by a Texas-based company managing the district’s $120 million millage construction and instead gave the work to…