Tag: riff raff

by Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - 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 Michael Tilley - November 21, 2021 7:10 pm

Riff Raff: No public, no problem

The who-drew-the-map? game a few folks have played with Sebastian County Quorum Court redistricting is disturbing, disappointing and would be comically clumsy if transparency weren’t such an important part of…

by Michael Tilley - 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…

by Michael Tilley - June 28, 2020 6:44 pm

Riff Raff: Starting from tourism scratch

Moments presenting an opportunity for change are maximized when considering all options to change opportunities. Which is why we should assess new directions for the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors…

by Michael Tilley - April 10, 2020 5:47 pm

Riff Raff: Dear John

It wasn’t supposed to get to John. With little guilt, a subdued conscience and the shallow anger of the bitter, I’d submit the names of others this goddamned coronavirus should…

by Michael Tilley - March 24, 2020 6:14 pm

Riff Raff: Hallelujah

“Maybe there’s a God above but all I’ve ever learned from love was how to shoot at someone who outdrew ya. “But it’s not a cry that you hear tonight….

by Michael Tilley - December 13, 2019 1:11 pm

Riff Raff: Color me impressed

Not sure if he created The Unexpected to change how we look at downtown Fort Smith or how we look at ourselves; that maybe it was less about murals on…

by Michael Tilley - November 24, 2019 8:04 pm

Riff Raff: Thanking the academy …

(Portions of this essay were first posted on Facebook. Apologies to Facebook friends for the partial plagiarism of myself.) It doesn’t take long. When the awards shows – Oscars, Grammy’s,…

by Michael Tilley - November 17, 2019 12:08 pm

Riff Raff: Life, Luck and –30–

Editor’s note: What follows is an updated version of a commentary about Jack Moseley first published Oct. 16, 2005. Moseley passed away Nov. 15. It was August 1992 when, against…