Call me an old fogey, but I don?t put much stock in the newfangled Internet communication tools known as weblogs, or ?blogs.?That doesn?t mean there are not some excellent blogs out there, but it?s sometimes difficult to tell the good from the bad. Some blogs have provided tips for insightful news stories in the so-called [...]

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Sports and politics are so very similar, as I’ve told friends who question how I could spend a career writing about the very thing that some so deeply detest.Whether sports or politics, the comparison of up-and-comers to those who have cleared a path are inevitable.Sports color commentators tend to overdo.“Wow, Vern, John Doe sprinted past [...]

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There was so much to know about Jack Stephens; I personally knew only a small part.He loved to talk politics, golf and newspapers, loves we shared. He didn’t like to give interviews, though.A few years ago, a specialty publication made call after call to Stephens’ office in hopes of getting an interview about what it [...]

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Arkansas was forever changed, politically speaking, in 1992.It was evident to a large degree when it was happening, but a folded 8 1/2-by-11 printed program tucked away in a side pocket of a notebook provided a clearer picture than my brain could instantly recall.The assignment editor on that Sept. 12 dispatched me to cover the [...]

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The TV tuned to CNN, my son and namesake casually mentioned retirement.I did a double-take; after all he was gainfully employed in one profession and working toward certification in another. With Dad still a good decade away from calling it quits, it took a few seconds for son’s remark to register. Even then it took [...]

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The test case turned out in favor of undocumented immigrants being allowed to pay in-state tuition rates to attend state colleges and universities.No, it was not in Arkansas because the Arkansas Legislature attempted but failed this year to pass legislation that would have allowed immigrants not here legally – sans “papers” in other words – [...]

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Ben Allen is a name I’ve known all my life.Before my days as a regular at the state Legislature, first Rep. and then Sen. Ben Allen held his own kind of court there, standing up for the rights of ordinary folks, not special interests. He was a fighter who often thought he was right and [...]

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Anybody looking for a silver lining in Arkansas’ far-too-short limit on the time a person can serve in the state Legislature may find it this election season.Next year’s primary and general election ballots will be sprinkled with more than the usual number of lawmakers and former lawmakers vying for statewide offices.Most obvious among those is [...]

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A lot has been written about Mike Beebe in the last week; he has made up considerable ground in the name-recognition arena while announcing as a gubernatorial candidate.Although he’s been attorney general for the last three years and was a state senator for 20 years before that, his isn’t a household name, especially up against [...]

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When Fayetteville and Pine Bluff are mentioned in the same sentence, it usually involves contrast.Fayetteville is in Northwest Arkansas; Pine Bluff, Southeast. Mountains, Delta. Low unemployment, high unemployment. Population growth, population decline. Economic boom, economic woes. You get the picture.But now comes Pine Bluff joining Fayetteville in a progressive move to limit public smoking. The [...]

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