Friday, September 30, 2011
The Friday night line
Your comments are welcome. Final words:
* A FAT PRESIDENT: Chris Christie's weight. Is it an issue? For some, no doubt. Good column in The Atlantic on whether obesity is a character flaw or measure of potential for achievement. Oprah, anyone?
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (48)
Week in Review Podcast The Follow the Rules Edition
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Arkansas Culture and Characters Clinton family opens Little Rock footbridge
- Brian Chilson
- A BRIDGE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: Clinton family does the honors.
I can't remember the last time the entire Clinton family — the former president, the secretary of state and their daughter Chelsea — were together in Little Rock.
But there they were today, on a brilliant early fall afternoon, strolling across the new 21st century footbridge from the Clinton Presidential Center across the Arkansas River to North Little Rock. The Clintons actually made the stroll from the North Little Rock side with Gov. Mike Beebe. On the right in photo is John Fernandez, assistant Commerce secretary for Economic Development. His department was a major contributor to the $10.5 million reconstruction of the old Rock Island railroad bridge. About 1,750 attended the ceremony.
It's part of two days of festivities marking the 20th anniversary of Clinton's announcement of his presidential candidacy. The big event is a gathering Saturday afternoon with music by Chicago on the grounds of the Old Statehouse, where his announcement was made.
The bridge closed after the ceremony. It will open to the public Sunday.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (22)
Law Judges discuss funding shortage
Arkansas judges are meeting this afternoon to discuss a money shortage in the fund that pays their administrative assistants, the people who manage dockets, handle phones and do other duties. The developing shortage, which nobody has yet explained, could mean a 17 percent cut in their pay the rest of the year if money isn't found or another alternative comes forward.
I've been getting some notes on the meeting (no, not from my wife, who was to preside at a trial today). I'm reluctant to mention the issue at all given my conflict of interest, but I can relay notes: Chief Justice Jim Hannah has said he'll talk to Gov. Mike Beebe about potential emergency help. One judge has suggested spreading the pain among all aspects of court operation (judges' pay, too, presumably) rather than letting one type of employee bear the brunt. A number of questions have been directed at the administrative office of the courts for failing to pick up on the declining fund, when the problem began seven months ago, and asking why it's happening since the number of cases on which fees are based hasn't declined. In fact, figures show an increase.
The judges, meeting as the Judicial Council, according to my source: Voted for Hannah to ask the governor to shift revenues to cover or to call a special session; favored a pro rata pay reduction rather than 19 days of furlough if the assistants have to shoulder the shortfall.
The Legislative Council, in response to a request from Sen. Michael Lamoureux, came up with these ideas to cover the $786,000 shortfall in assistants' pay.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (2)
Mike Huckabee / Presidential politics Huckabee balloon floats, then pops
Undoubtedly encouraged by my remarks that he towers over the current field (of midgets), Mike Huckabee is reportedly telling unnamed confidantes that he might get in the presidential race after all.
The web frenzy lasted until 3:11 p.m. CDT when Huck appeared on his home channel, via the Neil Cavuto show.
From Huffington Post: "I do not see a path for me, either financially or organizationally." He stressed that the fundamentals favored candidates who got in early and stayed faithful to the task of running for President.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (10)
Law Pine Bluff doctor gets probation in IUD case
Dr. Kelly Dean Shrum, who once practiced in Pine Bluff ob/gyn, has received a probationary sentence for providing women with a birth control device not approved for sale in the U.S. by the FDA but making claims for payment for the similar Mirena brand IUD. He was assessed $279,000 in restitution and forfeitures and ordered to perform community service. Federal Judge James Moody sentenced Shrum.
Here's the government news release.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (4)
Police beat Motorcyclist killed in University Ave. crash
Robert Birdsong, 68, of Little Rock was fatally injured shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday when his motorycycle slid into a turning car in the 2100 block of North University Avenue.
Little Rock police said Birdsong, who lived nearby on Hawthorne and was southbound, tried to stop when a northbound station wagon driven by Nancy Jackman, 33, of Little Rock, turned left in front of him toward Beacon Street. Police said she told officers she'd misjudged the speed of the oncoming rider and stopped. Birdsong layed his motorcycle down, but was unable to stop before sliding into her car.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (30)
Arkansas Politics State costs increased in Capitol Ave. building deal
Walker and Mays have not returned my calls. But Anne Laidlaw, director of the Arkansas Building Authority, has now provided me more history on the lease arrangement, which dates back to 2009, and the costs. She reveals that circumstances about the original deal raised questions with her sufficient that the state broke off negotiations until questions about ownership were resolved. In the end, she said, she believes the state made a good deal and that, as a result, "Bill Walker wasn't very happy with me for a while."
Bottom line remains the same, if appearances matter: Bill Walker's agency negotiated a long-term lease on space in a building that he knew Richard Mays intended to buy. And Richard Mays knew he was buying a building that had a pre-committed state tenant.
Laidlaw said the purchase was intended to consolidate two locations of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. Walker believed it was inefficient not to have the locations combined. That is a decision the Building Authority doesn't review, Laidlaw said. Its job is to make the best deal possible on leases and purchases.
The first lease between the state and Capitol Place LLC was entered Nov. 19, 2009 (this lease actually was with a previous building owner but taken over by Capitol Place) for 28,964 square feet of the old Arkansas Baptist Convention headquarters on Capitol Avenue. The Mays-led Capitol Place LLC bought the building a month later for $3.2 million. This relocated staff from 1616 Brookwood. Cost comparison:
Capitol Avenue: $405,510 annual rent for 28,964 square feet and a six-year lease.
Brookwood: $207,615 for 21,035 square feet.
The Building Authority notes that the state received $1 million for improvements to the new quarters and 100 parking spaces, valuable in downtown Little Rock. In December 2009, the state leased an additional 1,524 square feet of storage in the basement for $9,525 a year.
In May, the state agreed to increase the Capitol Avenue space to 48,963 square feet, with rent beginning at $782,444. This included $1.1 million for tenant improvements. The building will add a third floor. Costs above the allowance will be amortized in the six-year lease. The expansion will bring staff from 26 Corporate Hill Drive, currently costing $538,000 for 30,000 square feet.
SUMMARY:
1616 Brookwood & 26 Corporate Hill = 51,035 s.f. @ $745,615.45 combined annual rent (at time of relocation)
525 West Capitol Avenue (after expansion) = 48,963 s.f. @ $782,444.72 annual rent + $9,525.00 for storage
So the move means at least 6.2 percent increase in leasing costs for 2,000 square feet less space, but achieves Walker's aim of consolidation. I don't have figures yet on what building the improvement costs into the lease will cost the state. Laidlaw said the expansion is being priced now and a final figure on amortized costs isn't known yet, though it's expected to increase the lease cost because the expansion will exceed the allowance. If it's too expense, the state can terminate the contract before construction begins, she said.
The negotiating road wasn't easy. Laidlaw acknowledges that she looked askance at appearances when she learned during original lease negotiations that the building was to be changing hands to a business headed by someone associated with Walker. Here's her account of events:
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (4)
Education NLR Schools seek to reassure parents after rape
The North Little Rock School District has issued a statement to reassure everyone following the reported rape of a female student by a male West Campus high school student this week while they were alone in an office. Deundre Womack, 17, has been charged with the attack. It's a tough situation for the district. Realistically, it's impossible to guarantee students will never be outside the presence of adults. Questions remain to be answered about the juvenile and disciplinary record of the suspect and whether he was a good candidate for a general school setting.
The statement, distributed by Shara Brazear:
The North Little Rock School District is deeply concerned about the incident that occurred at North Little Rock High School West Campus on Wednesday involving two West Campus students. Counseling services have been available to students and staff on site this week. Students, parents, staff and the community can be assured the safety and security of our children is most important to all of us. To ensure we are providing the most safe and secure environment at the West Campus, we have investigated the incident and are evaluating the procedures to determine ways to improve security. Steve Canady, the District's Safe Schools Coordinator, is working with Brian Brown, NLR High School West Campus principal, and the West Campus staff in reviewing the current crisis response. The review will include meeting with students, staff, and parents immediately to address concerns and solutions as well as North Little Rock Police Department School Resource Officers and the North Little Rock Police Department. Any parent, student or staff member interested in participating in the review should contact Brian Brown, principal at NLRHS West Campus, at brownb@nlrsd.org. Additional policies, training, procedures or other recommendations will have the support of the Superintendent of Schools and the North Little Rock Board of Education. A report will be presented to the Superintendent of Schools and the North Little Rock Board of Education prior to the October 20, 2011 school board meeting.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Police beat State Police Commission rapped for reinstating Rhew
A tough column this week by Steve Barnes on the case of Andrew Rhew, the trooper who resigned after a DWI in Missouri last weekend. He'd been fired earlier as a result of a fatal crash while on duty, but reinstated by the State Police Commission at the instigation of Wallace Fowler, the powerful and wealthy Jonesboro banker.
So now it's the seven Arkansas State Police commissioners with egg on their faces, one, I suspect, in particular. Having twice engineered the reinstatement of a trooper fired by two consecutive directors of the agency, he and his compatriots might consider the possibility that the ASP's commanders had it right all along.Alas, they probably won't. They will be too busy polishing the badges they should not be carrying and chatting on the State Police radios they should never have been issued.
... The unanimous vote by the commission to overturn a personnel decision by its top executive was not merely a countermand but a reprimand, effectively a vote of no-confidence in the judgment and managerial skills of a leader who had assumed his position only weeks earlier. Howard's 30-plus years as a certified law enforcement officer and the decades of experience of his deputy commanders — not to mention state law, the ASP's manual of rules and regulations and the testimony of the agency's investigators — were deemed unconvincing when pitted against the territorial prerogatives ASP commissioners have traditionally claimed.
Minutes of the commission's meetings make clear that the driving force behind Rhew's reinstatement was Commissioner Wallace Fowler of Jonesboro, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, who represents what was Rhew's district. Indeed, the documents show Fowler, an appointee of Gov. Beebe, was perturbed that Rhew was even suspended with pay, notwithstanding the felony charges then pending against him. "He should never have been fired," Fowler declared in a February session.
Barnes suggests the commissioners resign. They'll get another moment in the light when, by lawsuit or state claim, the family of the woman killed in the crash with Rhew wins a seven-figure verdict in the case.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (12)
Arkansas Media Paranoia runs deep: Dustin McDaniel edition
Can't link it because it's behind a pay wall, but the Hot Spring Sentinel Record carried an interesting report today on remarks by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.
He told county officials that changes in the state Freedom of Information Act might be in order. Why? Because free access to public records could serve as a deterrent to counties compiling reports on courthouse security, as many did after the Sept. 13 shooting at the Crawford County Courthouse.
“If you know that it’s going to be released to anyone who might have ill intent, it might cause you to not do the assessment in the first place,” he said.County officials might decide, “Let’s not write it up if it’s going to be a how-to manual in how to attack ourcourthouse,” he said.
I think this is fantasyland thinking, the sort of disproportionate response that has become symptomatic of our age of fear. But let's not debate the question of whether evildoers will be FOIing courthouse security documents to get the lay of the land before hauling out their AK-47s to go on mass killing sprees. The real risk is an overly secretive government obsessed with security. I don't think you can tailor an exception to the FOI for "security" reasons that would not be abused and expanded.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (10)
Police beat Truck sticks under Broadway bridge in NLR
I'd like to see a count of the number of times trucks have failed to pass under this railroad bridge on Broadway in North Little Rock. This is a Channel 11 photo of the latest, currently blocking traffic on Broadway.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (12)
Police beat Facebook hacker posts nude photos
Strange story from Baxter County. Perv computer hacker got into a Mountain Home teen's Facebook page and posted photoshopped pix of her face atop nude bodies. Suspect from Mountain View has been arrested.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (7)
Is Chris Christie the answer?
And if he is, what was the question?
Anyway, the latest reporting detects presidential movement by the obnoxious New Jersey governor.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (23)
Charter schools Charter school failures in St. Louis
Another day, another report on failing charter schools, these in St. Louis. But wait. I thought if you just invoked the magic word "charter" they HAD to be better than public schools.
Oh, and about that Arne Duncan Chicago miracle? Forget about it.
Another result that contradicts state data is a consortium finding of a widening achievement gap, especially during the Duncan administration. Over all, schools in more advantaged areas had stronger gains, while schools in disadvantaged areas tended to show less growth.
This happens in public schools and it is also what the charter and voucher movements are about. Skimming those kids most likely to make it — on account of family income, parental commitment, individual talent and motivation — and not worrying much about the remnants (except to use them as a handy foil for the "success" stories.) It will be the ruination of egalitarian American public education, once the country's great leveler. The emphasis needs to be about making all better, not merely creating escape hatches that widen the divide between haves and have nots.
Posted by Max Brantley on | Permalink | Comments (2)
Event Calendar
-
Re: Yarnell's scooping again; reveals flavor list
I couldn't agree more! But the flavor I love the most is Death by Chocolate!…
- on May 25, 2012
-
Re: Riverfest eve open line UPDATE
I think about this print stuff a lot and believe I see the future though…
- on May 25, 2012
-
Re: Riverfest eve open line UPDATE
It is indeed sad to see the Times-Picayune in such a reduced state. The depressing…
- on May 25, 2012
Top Commenters
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
Slideshows
-
Police close the Occupy Little Rock camp, perhaps the last Occupy encampment on public land.
Fox16 Local News and Weather
-
200-300 votes not counted in Lonoke County
May 24, 2012Winners of more than half a dozen races could change when missing votes are added. fox16.com /more/ -
Two LR police officers arrested on federal drug charges
May 24, 2012Two Little Rock police officers were arrested Thursday on federal drug charges, accusing them of helping possess and distribute 1,400 pounds of marijuana. fox16.com /more/
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
