Arkansas Times

Mr. Smith goes everywhere

Radio. TV. Books. A new partnership to produce content for YouTube. 'Lifestyle' guru P. Allen Smith on his media empire, the dreaded "black thumb," and why people are terrified to create.

• by David Koon
• Tags: Cover Stories, P. Allen Smith

Weed lot or natural area?

City says the former, mows down 'Wildlife Habitat.'

• by Abigail Nixon
• Tags: Arkansas Reporter, National Wildlife Federation, Certified Wildlife Habitat, Ryan Denham, David Anderson

The future of Arkansas Democrats

It's one thing to duke it out and lose. It's quite another to not even put up a fight when it comes to these important congressional races.

Rice Depot celebrates 30 years

This year, the Arkansas Rice Depot honors its 30th anniversary of feeding Arkansas's hungry.

Home-state shill

Walmart is helping to promote a new ideological film, "Won't Back Down," aimed at supporting "trigger laws" that give parents of schoolchildren a vote to convert a conventional public school (preferably one with a union workforce) into a non-union charter school.

Boobies and silence

The Observer — whose knowledge of birds declines sharply once you get past "crispy" or "original" — was recently informed by our avid birdwatching deputy that a mysterious and never-before-seen visitor to these parts has birdwatchers flocking to Lake Norrell, way out near the end of Col. Glenn Road, a few miles over the line in Saline County.

It was a good week for the North Little Rock City Council

It was also a good week for Little Rock's Main Street and medical marijuana. It was a bad week for Herb Rule and Alex Reed. And RIP Helen Gurley Brown.

Herb Rule isn't going anywhere

Following DWI arrest, candidate pledges to stay in the race.

• by Brian Chilson

Lyons: If Paul Ryan is 'America's accountant,' we're screwed

Widely suspected of believing in nothing, Mitt Romney's choice of a True Believer as his running mate plays well as public theater. As a TV performer, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan is as winsome as Sarah Palin, and far better at faking sincerity.

• by Gene Lyons
• Tags: Gene Lyons, Paul Ryan, James B. Stewart

Romney mum on boson

I didn't like it when the scientists demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet, but the Higgs boson is OK by me. I'm studying ways to work it into a sentence. "Mitt Romney wasn't president when the Higgs boson was discovered," is one I'm looking at.

• by Doug Smith

Frack me running

I was talking with Cold Dead Hand down at the House of Dominoes the other morning about climate change, Paul Ryan, and some of the other ponderable contemporary threats to human existence, and he mentioned fracking.

• by Bob Lancaster

First impressions of Ryan are everything

Before Saturday, when House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan was announced as Mitt Romney's running mate, fewer than half of American voters knew enough of him to have an opinion.

• by Jay Barth
• Tags: Jay Barth, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney

Little Rock's golden rule

In less than four weeks — in an election city officials hope is noticed only by those identified as reliable supporters of city government — Little Rock voters will be asked to vote for a 3-mill property tax to finance street and drainage work.

• by Max Brantley

No quarter

If anything can convince hard-shell Republicans that the wavery Mitt Romney is a Republican, Romney's choice of a running mate should do it.

• Tags: Editorials, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan

Smiting the weak

Mitt Romney's bold selection of Paul Ryan, the author of the Ryan budget, as his running mate raises the question: Does that put Arkansas and its six electoral votes in play?

• by Ernest Dumas
• Tags: Ernest Dumas, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan

Same type

Secretary of State Mark Martin is the same sort of slobbery partisan as Paul Ryan. One of Martin's deputies was in El Dorado the other day proclaiming that only Republicans should be elected county clerks, because Democratic clerks allowed "illegal immigrants" (i.e., Latinos) to vote. Pressed for proof that Democrats permit illegal voting, and Republicans don't, Martin and his staff fell back into their Capitol office.

• Tags: Editorials, Mark Martin, Alex Reed

Miss Gay Arkansas America set to crown 2012 winner

Whoever wins Miss Gay Arkansas America 2012 will have some pretty big high heels to fill.

• by Sandy Sarlo

Argenta Film Series screens 'Warrior Champions'

Also Iron Tongue, Pallbearer and Windhand at White Water; Keep the Garden Growing at White Water; Otis at Cajun's Wharf; Shonen Knife at Stickyz; the Uproar Festival at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

• by Robert Bell

Audrey Dean Kelley to Markham Street

And War Chief at Stickyz.

Razorback football preview, part two

The ongoing month-by-month season preview for the 2012 Hogs reaches Stage Two, AKA October. It is a light month, on volume (three games and one bye that, for a change, is well-timed) and strength of opposition (one preseason Top 50 opponent).

• by Beau Wilcox
• Tags: Pearls About Swine, Knile Davis

Redneck security

On 'Small Town Security' and 'The Regular Show.'

• by David Koon

Born of 'Bourne'

But 'Legacy' is Bourne-less. Got it?

• by Sam Eifling

Eat their catfish

Food truck moves to permanent location, maintains catfish supremacy.

The Nominee

• by Tom Tomorrow

The taming of the Wild West

• by Tommy Durham