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Lindsey Millar — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:29:18 -0500

Have at it.

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Jury in Hastings trial seated

Lindsey Millar — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:16:00 -0500

The jury has been seated in the trial of Josh Hastings, the former Little Rock Police Department officer charged with manslaughter for the August 2012 shooting death of a 15-year-old boy during a burglary call at a West Little Rock apartment complex.

Hastings shot Bobby Moore, Jr. as Moore and two other teens attempted to flee in a Honda Civic from the parking lot of the Shadow Lake Apartments complex at 13111 W. Markham, where Hastings had been dispatched to investigate a car burglary.

Hastings told investigators he fired because the car was speeding to him and he feared for his life, but further investigation produced discrepancies between Hastings' account and the evidence.

David Koon reports that nine women and three men make up the jury. Opening statements are scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday.

After the jury was dismissed, Judge Wendell Griffen reveresed his ruling from yesterday that attorneys wouldn't be allowed to cross examine the two juveniles who were in the car with Moore when he was killed regarding the fact that they were on probation at the time. Griffen said attorneys can cross examine the witnesses on their probation, but can only refer to their probation to challenge credibility and on issues of "bias or motive." He said attorneys can't use their probation to establish state of mind at the time of the shooting or establish character. Why the juveniles were on probation or prior offenses they may have been convicted of are off limites too, Griffen said.

Opening arguments were thought to be starting this afternoon, but the trial was slowed when chief deputy prosecutor John Johnson requested striking one of the jurors after he'd been selected during the alternate selection. Koon reports that victim Bobby Moore's father approached the Victim Witness Coordinator and told her that one of the jurors and his brother worked with him for the city of Little Rock. Moore's father claimed that the juror's brother had made racially charged statements. After recessing to deliberate on whether a juror could be struck after being chosen but before being sworn, Griffen allowed lawyers to question the juror to determine if he should be struck. The juror denied knowing Moore's relatives. He was dismissed.

Griffen said he didn't dismiss him for cause, explaining that just because relatives might say things that are "intolerant and abhorrent," doesn't mean a relative holds those views. Griffen said he allowed Johnson to exercise the last of his preemptory challenges. Defense attorney Bill James objected to the juror's dismissal.

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Curry: Darr's Mayflower comments are "shameful" and "wrong"

David Ramsey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:40:28 -0500

Little Rock School Board member Dianne Curry, who is running for lieutenant governor, said that current Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr was "using the misery of the people, the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas, to garner feel good press." Darr made comments, reported by KUAR, that "as far as the clean-up goes it looks like that's been pretty well taken care of" and "they've kind of made this area even better than it was before."

"It's shameful, it's wrong, and it's what is wrong with politics," Curry said. Her press release is after the jump.

*Reading Curry's release, a point of clarification: the image of Mark Darr used in the post earlier today is a file photo. I didn't choose it, but I apologize if it caused confusion: none of the folks in the picture were with Darr when he made his Mayflower comments.

Dianne Curry disagrees with Lt. Governor Mark Darr's assertion about the Mayflower cleanup.

"When Lt. Governor Darr talks about the cleanup in Mayflower, I wonder what he is talking about," says Curry. "He is holding a press conference that's partisan in it's nature because was he surrounded by the citizens of Mayflower? No, he is surrounded by the Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, a Republican State Senator, and a Republican Secretary of State. So these men are using the misery of the people, the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas to garner feel good press for their own political advancement. It's shameful, it's wrong, and it's what is wrong with politics."

Curry says were she Lt. Governor she would be meeting with the families and the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas.

"I would want to hear what they have to say. I want to hear if they have cleaned up from this tragedy yet. I want to know if they have recovered. When it's all said and done, it's how it affects the people and then how it affects the land, not how it affects the profits or the campaign contributions that matter," said Curry.

Curry also is skeptical of the cleanup from her limited view.

"I think we need to see more of an effort to preserve the land and to preserve the people," says Curry. "But once again, I am at a loss what the Lt. Governor has to do with this cleanup constitutionally?"

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Long-term health effects after the Mayflower oil spill

David Ramsey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:31:00 -0500

Lisa Song of InsideClimate News has a great piece today exploring the complicated question of the long-term health impacts of oil spills. The short answer is that we really don't know. There are no clear federal guidelines on what to do when a spill happens in a populated area and it's often left up to local officials to make decisions, with results varying from place to place. Song notes the differences in response to three oil spills in U.S. neighborhoods since 2010, including the Pegasus pipeline in Mayflower.

In Mayflower, Ark. authorities quickly evacuated 22 families after a broken pipeline leaked about 200,000 gallons of heavy crude on March 29, 2013. But people living in the same subdivision, just a few blocks away, were not asked to leave. Neither were the residents of the lakeside community where the oil eventually pooled and where the cleanup continues today.

After each of these spills, people complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory problems—short-term symptoms that health experts say are common after any chemical spill and usually disappear as the air clears.

What health experts don't know, however, is whether the fumes could also trigger long-term health problems that become evident only years or decades later. That gap will be increasingly important, because over the next few years the industry plans to build or expand more than 10,000 miles of oil pipelines—including the Keystone XL.

Despite all the new building, Song notes that "there are no plans to conduct long-term health studies in Mayflower, Marshall or Salt Lake City. There also doesn't appear to be any momentum to set federal guidelines for chemical exposures at oil spills, so health officials will be better equipped for future emergencies."

The article takes a close look at the policy response to the Mayflower spill from state health officials:

In Arkansas, health officials decided that Mayflower residents could return to their subdivision when benzene levels in and around their homes dropped to below 50 ppb. (Most of the 22 evacuated homes have been cleared for re-entry, although none of the families have returned.) But people nearby complained of headaches, nausea and other health problems even after officials announced online that contaminants in the air were "below levels likely to cause health effects for the general population." ...

After oil spills, public health decisions usually fall to county or state officials. In Mayflower, those decisions were made by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), which set a benzene threshold of 50 ppb.

Lori Simmons, who heads the agency's environmental epidemiology section, said the ADH calculated that a member of the general public could be exposed to air with up to 50 ppb of benzene for up to six months without long-term health effects.

InsideClimate News tried to compare that 50 ppb guideline with guidelines established by other agencies, but found that it was virtually impossible to make a direct comparison. Some guidelines were designed to protect people from certain health effects but not others. Many, like the ATSDR guidelines, come with disclaimers saying they aren't supposed to be used to define what's safe and not safe.

Song notes that "Arkansas' benzene threshold is also considerably higher than the guidelines used in Alberta, Canada, where the heavy crude oil that spilled in Arkansas and Michigan was extracted."

Read the whole thing.

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David Sanders: Planned Parenthood contract "not going to happen"

David Ramsey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:58:00 -0500

We noted yesterday that, as Republicans lob attacks on Planned Parenthood, Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford met with an official from the group on Friday to discuss their application to participate in the Affordable Care Act's "guides" program. They explored the possibility of coming up with explicit language to define the scope of the work if Planned Parenthood potentially contracts to hire the guides, who will help people sign up for subsidized health insurance. Bradford, who stressed that there was no agreement with the group at this point, said Planned Parenthood would "submit some more specific wording on what their mission would be."

However, Sen. David Sanders said that a Planned Parenthood contract was a non-starter no matter how explicit the rules.

It's not going to happen. The legislature has a clear role to play in this, and it's just not going to happen. ...

My hope is that Planned Parenthood will realize that and withdraw. They obviously know who they are and they know the controversy that they carry. I would think that if they're thinking of the greater good — their involvement is unnecessary.

When I asked whether an even more tightly worded contract would make any difference, he said, "No, that moves beyond my premise that it's completely unnecessary. By engaging it you're literally injecting controversy into something that shouldn't be controversial."

The state would be opening itself up to a potential viewpoint discrimination lawsuit if it denies a contract to Planned Parenthood, which the Office of State Procurement has already certified as a qualified vendor. But Sanders is skeptical that Planned Parenthood would actually sue the state.

"Would they really do that?" he asked. "That seems kind of silly."

Planned Parenthood told the Times yesterday that they will continue to pursue a contract to be a vendor in the guides program; they were mum on the legal ramifications if that contract is denied.

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Huff Post on CBM's Judd

Leslie Newell Peacock — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:35:00 -0500

Crystal Bridges Museum president Don Bacigalupi has written a come-hither piece about the Donald Judd work that has been installed on the grounds of the Bentonville museum in the Huffington Post. Bacigalupi says the work at CBM, "Untitled, 1989 (Bernstein 89 24), is what Judd called a "specific object."

Judd called these mature works "specific objects" rather than sculptures or works of art, to indicate their distance from traditional ways of making sculptural art. These were "specific" because the artist carefully orchestrated their shape, scale, proportions, and materiality. And they were "objects" because they were fabricated — rather than sculpted — by the artist.

The Judd was acquired along with Andy Warhol's "Hammer and Sickle" at an auction at Sotheby's.

Here's a link to the Judd Foundation website, where you can learn more about the "specific objects."

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Mark Darr: "looks like they've done a good job" on Mayflower cleanup

David Ramsey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:08:00 -0500

KUAR reports on Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr's visit to Mayflower, where he toured cleanup efforts with Mayor Randy Holland.

They say questions persist — like what caused the pipeline to rupture — but both officials seem to echo a sentiment common among many local officials and even some residents who don’t live in the immediate area of the spill: That the area is actually more desirable than it was before the spill and that Exxon has been cooperative.

"To me the clean-up looks like they've done a good job. But I didn't just do that from my visual. I did that from speaking to the mayor, hearing his opinions, local businesses, and also local citizens that they've kind of made this area even better than what it was before. I definitely think there's some unanswered questions, but as far as the clean-up goes it looks like that's been pretty well taken care of," says Darr.

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Josh Duggar named Exec. Dir. of Family Research Council's lobbying arm in D.C.

David Koon — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:58:00 -0500

Josh Duggar — the eldest child of Michelle and Jim Bob — announced last night on Twitter that he's taken a job as the Executive Director of FRC Action, the Family Research Council's lobbying arm. Duggar, 25, moved to D.C. with his growing family in May.

Current "alerts" on the FRC Action website: Abolish the IRS! Soldier punished for serving Chik-fil-A in support of DOMA! Horrors of the late-term abortion industry! FCC seeks to allow nudity on the TV! You get the picture.

Meanwhile, some blogs are already asking: how comfortable will Americans — via TLC's reality show TV cameras — be while following Josh around as he helps spread the good word for an organization that's been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center?

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Robbery at the Kappa Sig house

Leslie Newell Peacock — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:17:00 -0500

A man with a gun robbed one of three students sitting in front of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house at UALR of an iphone last night, campus police report.

Policed were called at 10:42 p.m. to the fraternity house. Police said one of the students told the gunman she had no money; he robbed a second student of the phone. Students said there may have been another person with the gunman. They said he ran east from the frat house toward Fair Park.

The gunman was described as a black male in his early 20s wearing a white shirt with red lettering on the front and dark pants.

Witnesses are asked to contact the Department of Public Safety dispatch office at 569-3400.

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Forrest City native Cara McCollum wins Miss New Jersey

Lindsey Millar — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:11:00 -0500

Princeton student Cara McCollum, a Forrest City native, won the Miss New Jersey pageant over the weekend. She'll compete for the Miss America crown in September. McCollum's platform, youth literacy, isn't one that she arrived at overnight. Here's an excerpt from our profile of McCollum in our 2010 Academic All-Stars issue:

Cara says her achievement started with a love of reading. She wrote in her All-Star application essay that books have taken her around the world, from Sierra Leone with child soldiers to California with Dust Bowl Okies. More concretely, the learning they inspired took her to the Duke Talent Identification Program, where she studied dystopian literature, and to the Interlochen Summer Academy, where she worked on creative writing.

Reading isn't a selfish pursuit. Cara started a monthly story time at the Boys and Girls Club. She donated more than 1,000 books to a children's library. She started a countywide Birthday Book program for poor children aged 5-10, an outgrowth of the Christmas-time Toys for Tots campaign. Parents who registered for toys also were provided a book. She later expanded the birthday book program to a local elementary school, with a gift book for every child. Cara's work made her a finalist in the annual Daniel Cayce Award competition for youth volunteerism.

In an interview with the Daily Princetonian, McCollum said she got into the pageant world so she could continue her Birthday Book program.

I'm originally from Arkansas, and pageants are really huge down there, so it's kind of bizarre that I didn't get involved until I moved up north. But I had a charity that I started my junior year of high school called the Birthday Book Project, and I wanted to bring it with me to New Jersey, and I just didn't have the connections within the community. And so the Miss New Jersey organization, you know — you have a platform that you promote throughout your reign, and so they literally gave me a platform to stand on. I had my support team, and I was able to get into schools and read to kids and start back my charity. It was just a really excellent way to get involved in the community.

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J. Gumbo's is a spicy success

Daniel Walker — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:33:00 -0500

Arkansas has seen its fair share of chain restaurants. It’s probably easy to brush them aside when they arrive for the first time—burgers, tacos, sandwiches are all expected offerings at most of these operations. But it’s not every day that you see a Cajun/Creole chain make its way to our state. I don’t know of many such chains in general, so I was intrigued when I heard about the arrival of J. Gumbo’s to West Little Rock, the first branch of this nationwide operation to hit Arkansas. I’m usually a little dubious as to quality and personality of menus at most chains, but I’d passed the roadside signs proclaiming the place to be “Now Open” enough times to sufficiently lure me in this last weekend. Located just off Cantrell Road, this small restaurant is situated in a strip mall just west of the Pleasant Ridge shopping complex. We stopped in for a quick dinner and walked out pleasantly surprised by the wonderful food coming out of that kitchen.

The restaurant is a fast casual joint—the inside in clean and comfortable. Diners walk up to a long counter (much like something you’d find at Chipotle or Subway) housing all the different entrée options simmering under a row of heated metal containers. The nearby wall is plastered with a large menu listing all the various options. You order at one end, they assemble your food in front of you, to-order, as you move down the line, you pick up your food and pay at the opposite end—a quick and seamless system. The menu is a good size, not overly complicated but with a substantial list of diverse options. There’s a list of appetizers on one end, rice based stews, gumbo, and soups under the entrée section, and a list of po’ boys and wraps at the other end. There are also a number of gluten-free and vegetarian dishes for those so inclined to order such a thing.

We passed up the appetizers this visit, though it was hard to do so. These included various dips including a “Crawfish Cheese Dip” with cheddar cheese and red chili served with tortilla chips. “Voodoo Nachos” were another option which came smothered in spicy chicken, cheese, sour cream, and jalapeños.

We elected to sample a few of their more popular entrees based on the recommendations of the kindly staff behind the counter. The majority of these dishes are various forms of stews served over rice with a side of soft French bread. One of the attractive things about their setup is that they’ll literally let you sample every dish available before you decide what to order (so long as the line permits). There was no one else in line as we walked up to the counter, so we were able to sample at least a half dozen options.

I was most impressed with their “spicier” options, which they’ve arranged down one column of the menu. I was quite tempted by the “Voodoo Chicken,” a shredded chicken mixture cooked in garlic and olive oil and a spicy tomato sauce blend. This was a deep, brownish red, and was as spicy as advertised, really lighting up the tongue, but not to a painful extent. It was lovely, but the “Drunken Chicken” won me over. This was also quite spicy, with a nice steady burn throughout the devouring of the dish. This was also shredded chicken, but this time it had been slowly stewed in beer and a blend of classically Cajun spices including cayenne, oregano, paprika, and black pepper.
The beer imparts a faint sweetness that blended beautifully with the spiced meat. I topped this with a heap of gooey cheddar cheese and cool sour cream—the entire mixture resting on a bed of fluffy, white rice. The whole thing was surprisingly splendid—exciting flavors, served hot and fresh.

We sampled another chicken dish, supposedly one of the most popular items on the menu—the “Bourbon Street Chicken.” This was much milder and sweeter than one might expect based on the reference to the legendarily raucous New Orleans landmark strip of road. The chicken comes soaked in a sweet, almost fruity hoisin-like sauce, tempered by the flavors or butter and a mild, salty seasoning. It honestly wasn’t much to look at, but the taste was fantastic. Once again, we topped this one with sour cream and cheddar and found it to be a completely delightful dish. We were intrigued by the highly recommended “Bumblebee Stew.” This vegetarian-friendly mix of yellow corn, onion, black beans, and stewed tomatoes was wonderful on its own, but it was suggested we grab a little to mix with our other entrees. This was a brilliant decision and we were pleased with the combination of vegetables and sweet corn that went so well with our other chicken dishes.

I've only got good things to report from our experience with J. Gumbo's. The portions are generous and many items are under $7. My only regret is that I didn’t have the stomach space to nab some of their crawfish and shrimp dishes such as their golden-hued etoufee or gumbo with smoked sausage. Truthfully, I’ve been dreaming up a return visit since we walked out of J. Gumbo’s doors. If their quality and consistency remain at this level, I’m afraid they’ve just gained a couple of repeat customers.

J. Gumbo’s: 12911 Cantrell Rd., Ste. 18, Little Rock. Open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday — Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday. You can follow their Facebook page here.

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June 19 episode of SyFy's 'Ghost Hunters' set in Little Rock

Robert Bell — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:30:00 -0500

"Whoa! What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That! Do you hear it? It sounds like... An episode of SyFy's hit series "Ghost Hunters."

"You mean, here in Little Rock?"

"Exactly, I'm getting a reading that tells me the upcoming new episode on Wednesday, June 19 will include a ghost-hunting expedition to a home once owned by prominent early 20th century banker Edward Cornish."

"Whoa."

"Yes, it airs at 8 p.m. and it's called "Ghost Friends Forever."

"Spooky. What else can you tell me?"

"Well, here goes...

On this episode of Ghost Hunters, TAPS is called to Little Rock, Arkansas where a family has inherited a bungalow next door to their home that they believe to be cursed. The bungalow has a tragic history of death, robberies and murder dating back to the 1800s. Paranormal activity has been terrifying their bungalow tenants for years and now activity seems to have spread over to the family’s main house. Have the bungalow spirits traveled next door to the family’s home? Are the family’s deceased close friends, who willed the bungalow to them, to blame for this activity? TAPS is being brought in to get answers for this family in desperate need of answers.

"So where can I watch a very brief preview for this episode?"

"After the jump!"

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Monday line

Lindsey Millar — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:09:00 -0500

Rep. Andrea Lea (R-Russellville) says she'll run for state auditor. Benton's Ken Yang is also running for the Republican nomination. Current Auditor Charlie Daniels has said he won't seek reelection. No Democrat has announced.

What else is going on out there?

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ACLU's session report: Good and bad

Leslie Newell Peacock — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:03:00 -0500

The ACLU of Arkansas has issued its 2013 Legislative Session Summary, and it's not all bad, though the bad bills were so bad that the good didn't really rise to the surface to buoy spirits.

Looking on the sunny side, the ACLU noted several good outcomes, include three privacy protection bills by Rep. Nate Steel, D-Nashville, to prohibit private and public employers (HB1901) and institutions of higher learning (HB1902, now Act 1480) from requiring employees to disclose passwords on social media accounts and restrictions on data kept by license plate readers (HB1996. now Act 998); and Rep. John Edwards' bill (HB1484, now Act 506) to cut down on red tape and the time the mentally ill are held in jail before adjudication.

Also on the positive side: Bad bills that the ACLU opposed and failed or were never. These include (but are not limited to) the so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, and Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs), which would have allowed people to discriminate based on their own religious beliefs, and another to undo state Education Department rules that require that preschools receiving state funding do not violate the First Amendment by providing religious teachings (Sen. Cecile ~~Rogers~~ Bledsoe, R-Rogers, and Rep. Deborah Ferguson, D-West Memphis).

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Employees sue state Veterans Affairs department

Leslie Newell Peacock — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:09:00 -0500

Employees and former employees of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs have filed suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court alleging wage and hour violations at the now-closed Little Rock Veterans Home and the incident-plagued Fayetteville Veterans Home.

The numbers of people in the class could exceed 50, lawyer John Holleman said today. Holleman represents named plaintiffs Darlene Okeke, Debra Jackson, Rita Culberson, Patricia Burton, Sandra Stewart, Linda Hopkins and Peggy Johnson in the suit against ADVA. Their complaint, filed June 18 12 in Pulaski County Circuit Court, makes several allegations: That they were required to work off the clock and then falsify records to indicate they had not, were not always allowed to take promised compensatory time, and that comp time was awarded on an hour per hour basis rather than the hour and a half that is the rate of pay for overtime. The complaint says the “policy of failing to compensate Plaintiffs for all hours worked” had been in place for more than three years and “is continuing and ongoing.” Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages equal to the unpaid back wages at the overtime rates as well going back three years as well as “liquidated damages” (back pay).

Holleman said one of the plaintiffs, for example, had accumulated 400 hours of comp time but was not allowed to take a day off to go to her child’s wedding. Management was also deducting a half hour from pay for lunch, he said, though employees had to work through lunch to get their jobs done. He said the facilities were understaffed and “mismanaged.”

Holleman said he already has “40 or 50 total plaintiffs,” including a “huge number” from Fayetteville, though the plaintiffs named in the complaint live in Central Arkansas. He said he’ll file a motion for class certification with Circuit Judge Jay Moody, who has been assigned the case.

Kelly Ferguson, a spokesperson for the ADVA, said that none of the employees ever filed a complaint at work about the wage issues. Holleman said that employees had complained to supervisors and were not required to file formal complaints.

ADVA will be represented by the state Attorney General’s Office.

The Fayetteville Veterans Home has been the subject of controversy since at least 2011, when an Office of Long-Term Care report cited numerous violations of standard care, including failure to do wound care, a 26.3 percent medication error rate, failure to treat bedsores, failure to do background checks on 10 employees, failure to provide enough food to a veteran, and so forth. In April of this year, four employees were fired for making false statements to the OTLC; they’d alleged a dementia patient had broken her own arm resisting nurse assistants trying to take a blood sample. At the time, Ferguson was quoted in the Northwest Arkansas Times as saying employees were fearful about speaking up about violations because “If you reported an issue before, sometimes you were put on unpaid leave, no matter what was being investigated.”

The Fayetteville home lost its Medicaid and Medicare qualification for a time, but it has been reinstated. The Little Rock home was closed last year after numerous health care and building code violations were found and after several financial irregularities, including an illegal charge to veterans for maintenance fees that totaled nearly $600,000, was discovered.

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Planned Parenthood comments on Obamacare guides contract

David Ramsey — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:38:00 -0500

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland — which serves patients in Arkansas as well as Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa — sent the following responses to our questions on the Affordable Care Act's guides program. The group applied to the Arkansas Insurance Department to provide seven outreach workers to help people sign up for health insurance and was found to be a qualified vendor by the Office of State Procurement, but the contract has been delayed due to objections from Republican lawmakers.

On why the group wants to participate in the guides program and believes they would be qualified to do so:

This program will increase access to the ACA and reduce the number of uninsured Arkansans. Planned Parenthood plays a critical role in reaching the families who need affordable health care the most. We reach a number of young, low income adults who will be seeking health insurance in the exchange. It’s vital to provide outreach, education and enrollment information to Arkansans to ensure the Affordable Care Act is implemented in an effective, meaningful way.

On constitutional issues if the contract is denied:

We cannot speculate about the legal ramifications of a decision that may or may not be made. We are working to the best of our ability to provide any and all information needed so that we will be approved as a vendor.

On where things stand with the contract now:

We believe that Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is a qualified contractor in the state of Arkansas. We sent our Legal & Public Policy director to Arkansas on Friday to meet with the insurance commissioner to discuss any questions about our application. We will continue to provide information as best we can to move this process forward. We cannot speculate about the status of the contract, however, so suggest you contact the insurance commissioner's office.

Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford said Planned Parenthood will "submit some more specific wording on what their mission would be," in an attempt to make it as explicit as possible that guide activities won't be connected to abortion in any way. He noted that guides will not be current employees of the vendors but new, temporary hires "employed specifically for that mission."

Bradford said it was unclear whether AID would go forward with a contract with Planned Parenthood or not. "We haven't made any agreement at this stage," he said. "We'll see what they submit."

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Republicans continue attacks on Planned Parenthood

David Ramsey — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:55:00 -0500

Hiring "navigators" and Planned Parenthood to help spend more of our Grandkid's money. #Obamacare #selfish
— Jim Hendren (@JimHendren1) June 16, 2013

There is plenty of political profit for Republicans in slamming Planned Parenthood, so expect more of the above. If there's an opportunity to grandstand on this issue, we know who will be first in line... Sen. Jason Rapert took to Twitter yesterday to say, "I have advised Ins. Comm. Bradford that if he pushes for funding of Planned Parenthood as navigators — all momentum will stop" and "I am sick and tired of taxpayer dollars being funneled to the number one abortion provider in our nation. It is wrong." (Of course, it doesn't stop with Planned Parenthood — Rep. Kim Hammer told the D-G that he had a problem with Living and Affected Corp., an HIV-prevention group, "if they are in the business of promoting a free and open lifestyle, with no consequences for actions." Here's the group's website if you'd like to attempt to parse Hammer's objections.)

The contract for Planned Parenthood to provide guides to help people sign up for health insurance is currently in limbo as state officials seek to appease Rapert and company. The guides have nothing to do with abortion and in fact would not be providing any of the organization's various health services, any more than guides hired by the Central Arkansas Library (a vendor that has been awarded a contract) will be shelving books. Max noted as much in his volley from across the pond yesterday on this kerfuffle, and also pointed out that the state will be on shaky legal footing if it denies a qualified organization a contract because the legislature doesn't like their point of view.

Two quick points I'd like to add: The Arkansas Insurance Department reached out to seven thousand organizations in an attempt to find vendors, including churches, health clinics, not-for-profits, libraries, rotary clubs, and (though John Brummett didn't get the memo on this) businesses and chambers of commerce. They held information and recruitment sessions and advertised across the state. In response, 30 vendors applied; three have since dropped out, including the state Chamber. It's not easy to find groups willing to take this on — there's no profit in it and it could potentially soak up resources away from a group's regular activities. As Exchange Director Cynthia Crone told me, the motivation really has to come down to groups "committed to the mission of getting people enrolled." If Republicans get their way on Planned Parenthood, we'd be losing one of those relatively rare entities.

The second point is that the population that Planned Parenthood serves are precisely the people that the guides program aims to target. While the guides have an important role in helping people navigate the sign-up process, their most important role is really just letting people know they're eligible. Tens of thousands of people have contact with Planned Parenthood both at clinics and at outreach programs in the community — half of them are at or below the federal poverty level, and another 14 percent are between 100 and 200 percent of FPL. Planned Parenthood spends around $300,000 a year in uncompensated care here in Arkansas. They will continue to serve these folks whether they become a guides vendor or not — the question is whether the state wants to do outreach to the many low-income uninsured people that use Planned Parenthood for care.

Will implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Arkansas, or the "private option" in particular, fall apart if Planned Parenthood doesn't contract to provide seven guides? No. But given the population they serve, that would be a worse policy outcome at the margins. Of course, this isn't really about policy.

I had a similar chat with Sen. David Sanders that, apparently, Brummett did. Sanders said I couldn't be surprised by the way this has played out; indeed I'm not. He said it was a "needless injection of controversy" — where he and I disagree is on who's doing the injecting.

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Oh, what can possibly go wrong with increasing our involvement in Syria? Really?

Richard Drake — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:52:00 -0500

“We start carrying semi automatics, they buy automatics, we start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor piercing rounds . . .” - Commissioner James Gordon/Batmen Begins

Glad am I that the United States learned the lessons the French were taught in Southeast Asia, and wisely passed on the opportunity to take part in a war which might consume thousands of American lives, cost millions of dollars over the years, and split a country so far apart that people would still debate what should have been done decades after we pulled out . . . if we ever got involved in the first place. Which of course we didn’t, of course.

Happier yet am I that we didn’t get involved with Afghanistan with the struggles against Russia in the 1980s, foolishly believing the comic book concept that, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

And I am especially glad that we checked the O-Rings on the space shuttle Challenger before it took off that on bright sunny morning, taking America’s first teacher into space.

Oh? What?

None of what I believe is true? But . . . but . . . but if none of the above is true, then what am I to make of the claims that our involvement with the Syrian rebels will be minimal, and that they will be friends to America (whatever the hell that means) once the present regime topples - or just decides to shuffle off to Buffalo, saving a lot of lives and money for all concerned.

Granted, we live in a day when we give songs like “Give Peace a Chance” . . . well, the chance to be ignored, actually, but I’m sort of wondering if anyone - other than arms dealers and their political handmaidens, have given much thought to the possibility that, well, this might not go so well? That just perhaps the war will escalate, and we will see even more horrors on the news and the Internet?

In which case, of course, we may have no choice but to escalate our involvement . . . just a little, of course.

Perhaps a military adviser or two?

Of course, it isn’t as though we really need to learn from history (which thanks to the glories of the Internet, is constantly being rewritten anyway) but should instead rely upon what some call “American Exceptionalism” - the childlike belief that somehow, just by being Americans, we are, well, exceptional.

The belief in American exceptionalism has rewritten on of our old beliefs, that God is on our side. Now, we claim, we are on God’s side.

I once loved a woman who loaned me a futuristic novel about an American/Russian conflict taking place in Syria, bringing about what many call the End Times. Is it too cold-bloodedly cynical to question whether or not the support of some of our mnore conservative politicians (who seem to have emerged from ever more radical pits these days) may be prompted by their religious beliefs?

At any rate, if any of the above has made it seem that I in the same camp as those happy campers who stick their heads in the sand and proclaim it’s none of our business, nothing could be further from the truth. While I am horrified at the very thought of nerve gas, I do think it was foolhardy of Western powers to draw a line in the ground, when it came to issue of nerve gas - especially as there is strong suspicion that both sides in this conflict may have used Sarin gas.

Sarin gas. As well as that old horror of World War I - “the war to end all wars” - Mustard gas.

But is throwing more weapons - which will inevitably escalate into sending even more, even bigger weapons - the answer in Syria?

******

Living by the Ten Commandments . . . wild applause - until the one Commandment that didn’t go down quite so well

I was watching Daystar Television the other night (I watch all sorts of TV, just to keep abreast of what folks are thinking) and a minster in a Mega-Church was giving a sermon which was, basically, what would be so bad if the government got back to governing by the Ten Commandments?

Cuz in Fantasy Land, there actually was a time when we did. Not just the joyless folks who hanged witches, but in some folks minds, perhaps even the Founding Fathers themselves.

At any rate, this fellow was going down the list:

What if we went back to only worshiping just one God? No pretenders need apply, I suppose.

Applause.

What if we lived a life where we didn’t covert, or steal?

Applause.

But my favorite moment came when the wealthy minister said to his flock:

“And what if we went back to working six days a week and worshiped God on the seventh?”

Dead silence. No applause, not even from folks who were retired, and no longer had to worry about somebody cracking the whip over them on a Saturday.

A look of confusion crossed the young man’s face, and then he blithely went on the next Commandment, as if he had not uttered those deadly words at all.

Applause.

*****

Quote of the Day

The experience of strolling by one’s self through the vast multitudes of a strange city is one of the most wonderful in life. I suppose there is nothing quite like it this side of heaven. - Gamaliel Bradford

rsdrake@cox.net

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DCC director called in to Beebe office: UPDATE

Leslie Newell Peacock — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:51:00 -0500

Gov. Mike Beebe summoned Department of Community Corrections Director David Eberhard to his office this morning after an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story outlined the outrageous failure, with tragic results, to jail felon and parole absconder Darrell Dennis, who is being held in the May 10 kidnapping and murder of an 18-year-old Fayetteville man.

Beebe spokesperson Stacey Hall said the governor was "concerned and irritated." UPDATE: Hall released this statement at 4 p.m.:

The Department of Community Corrections and the Arkansas Parole Board will do a thorough review of the specific case in question. They will also focus on whether current practices and procedures need to be restructured. Governor Beebe wants a investigation of the current system to discern whether this is an isolated incident or a systemic problem.

According to the Democrat-Gazette story, by Spencer Willems, (sorry about misspelling in original post)Dennis had never had a hearing on the eight parole absconder warrants he's racked up since his 2008 release from prison, where he'd served 19 years for aggravated robbery and theft of property as well for violating parole on earlier convictions on theft, drug and kidnapping charges that sent him to prison for three years.

Since his release, the D-G reports, he's been arrested 14 times and had 21 charges filed against him excluding parole violations. He did not show up for two parole revocation hearings in 2010, but was finally picked up May 1 for absconding. However, he was released from the Pulaski County jail on May 8, and Dennis, despite his long record of parole violations, was told that he needed to report to a parole officer within 24 hours. He did not. Forrest Abrams was kidnapped, robbed and killed, his body dumped at 11th and South Woodrow, 32 hours after Dennis' release.

Director Eberhard had inquired into Dennis' release, the Democrat-Gazette reported, and was told that the jail did not hold persons who would be sent to the Department of Correction technical violator center, where it was believed Dennis would be sent.

ADDED COMMENT FROM MAX: It is past time for the Community Corrections Department to be more forthcoming about its failures, or at least role in crimes by people under its supervision. If the state isn't given full explanations soon, what is a governor for?

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An unexpected treat at the Crown Shop

Daniel Walker — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:22:00 -0500

I’ve mentioned this before, but there is certainly no shortage of surprising, unique, and often unexpected food findings for anyone who likes to go digging around Arkansas for such experiences. I’ve recently puzzled over why there aren’t any local, small-batch chocolatiers in central Arkansas. Ever since the departure of Carmen Portillo’s Cocoa Belle, the River Market chocolate shop selling hand-crafted treats, central Arkansas has been a dearth of fine chocolates. While one can only hope that this will be remedied in the near future, I’ve been searching for an adequate, locally-produced substitute for some time now. It was suggested to me, by my friend Kevin of The Mighty Rib, that I take a peek in the Crown Shop just off Rodney Parham Rd (near Whole Foods) in West Little Rock. I had (wrongly) assumed that the Crown Shop was simply a branch of the Hallmark greeting cards franchise, and I was skeptical. Turns out the Crown Shop is a locally owned gift shop that’s been in business over 40 years, selling everything from jewelry to cutlery to sports paraphernalia and stationary. But Kevin happened to spot a display case full of hand-made fudge within the store, and it was not long before I made my way there to bask in the sugary glow of the sweet handiwork of some of the wonderful women behind the fudge operation of the Crown Shop.

All of the fudge the store sells is made on-site in a basement kitchen. While not made on a daily basis (the large batches don’t sell that quickly for now), the friendly staff keep a regularly rotating stock of fudge on hand at all times, frequently changing up the flavors and coming up with new creations all the time. They’re even utilizing local, seasonal ingredients when possible. Clearly, this is not your average card shop.

Unless for some reason this is your first time at a fudge purveyor, you’re probably familiar with the set-up. A well-lit, long display case houses long blocks of house-made fudge, all sold by weight, coming in around $12 per pound. The ladies behind the counter are happy to slice you off a tiny sample of whatever flavor you’d like to taste, and a few pre-cut samples rest on the counter-top as well. There’s a half-dozen daily flavors to choose from—chocolate-based, vanilla or white chocolate-based, and fruit flavors such as strawberry or orange cream. Many are loaded with nuts—pecans being a clear favorite in most flavors—which I’m quite happy about, being a big supporter of nuts in all their splendor.

I was partial to their caramel praline fudge which was a thick, nutty, praline-flavored fudge with a gooey, sticky ribbon of caramel running through the center. It’s sweet, very sweet, and eating a large helping at one time is rather difficult, but it makes for a great nibble throughout the day. Their maple nut fudge is also a thing of beauty, but I could love practically anything flavored with maple. The peanut butter fudge was simply done, little more than a block of peanut-flavored sugar, but it was lovely in its simplicity—smooth, soft, and creamy. They also do a nice orange and cream swirl that’s reminiscent of an Orange Julius or Creamsicle. It’s got a nice citrus note which works well with the creamy vanilla-flavored sugar.

On a return visit, I was graced with a new batch of fudge with even greater variety of flavors, all were great but some were especially good. Their blueberry cheesecake fudge was something special. Here a top sheet of bright purple-blue fudge, speckled with blueberry sat on a base of fudge flavored with cream cheese. It was lovely and bright and tasted like summer. The strawberry was equally great—made with real strawberries, this fudge was lighter than the others, but refreshing and sweet. Their toffee flavor should not be missed either and I’d say it was the best of the non-fruit fudges. The entire thing is flaked with toffee bits, with faint butter undertones and rich caramel notes throughout.

Little Rock continues to surprise me with its wonderful hidden gems, and the fudge shop inside the Crown Shop is no exception. Besides their housemade fudge, they’re selling a variety of other gifts and boxed chocolates for anyone with a sweet tooth including Sweet Shop USA’s truffles and brittle (which I reported on previously) and an assortment of Godiva products. It’s a small shop that’s probably not on most people’s radar for delightful sweet treats, but I’d definitely check them out next time you’ve got a hankering for fudge.

The Crown Shop: 10700 N Rodney Parham Rd, Little Rock. Monday-Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm.

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Father's day line

Lindsey Millar — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:04:00 -0500

I got ribs and a purple shirt and a toddler telling me his stomach "was sad" (it got better) for Father's Day. What'd you get up to?

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Strawberry fields forever; then I read the paper

Max Brantley — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:58:17 -0500

i'm slowly turning toward home and, now that I'm in London and no longer restricted by cruise ship Interet limitations, able to catch up on mail and newspapers. Sigh.

But pleasure first. We walked several miles through the Marylebone neighborhood of London this morning on a self-guided walk in one of the many books that offer step-by-step commentary with insight on the
historic piles around every corner. Luck had it that today was a street fair for the Marylebone neighborhood association, where the strawberry-and-cream stand above was one of just dozens of enticing offerings.

Strawberries have arrived in Surrey. Raspberries are in season. The fruit is available everywhere. And good. Better than Arkansas strawberries in a good year? Can't say that.

Every other pub or restaurant seemed to be offering a British summer favorite — Pimms cocktails (a sweet, fruity booze mixed with soda, lemon, more sugar, fruit, mint and !cucumber slices!) — as the drink of the day. So I bought one just to show you what they look like.

Sunday is also the day that many British have Sunday roast for a midday meal — roast beef and trimmings. We had ours at a restaurant appropriately named Roast, in the Borough Market by the London Bridge. Good, rare beef with a giant Yorkshire pudding sitting alongside in a pool of pan drippings. Those same drippings were used to roast skinned new potatoes, enough for a meal on their own. Eaton mess — the concoction of crumbled meringue, raspberries and cream — came for dessert. Father's Day in England is apparently observed by treating dad to a slab of bloody beef.

The restaurant was jammed with families. I celebrated with a pre-lunch pint of the Market Porter pub's "best bitter.'

Talk about bitter.

Now it's time for more serious matters. The Sunday Democrat-Gazette had a number of noteworthy articles, but a pub crawl awaits so I'll just mention two:

* SLOPPING THE HOGS: Michael Wickline did another fine piece of notable labor in tallying the $1 million or so lobbyists spent on the 2013 legislature. As ever, several lobby groups "forgot" to properly report their expenditures. Like Julie Mullenix, who just simply overlooked reporting $21,000 in legislative hog slopping at a realtors-paid Capital Hotel soiree. You need to know that the Mullenix firm was the single strongest opponent to legislative efforts to stiffen ethics laws, including the Regnat Populus proposed amendment that will nominally outlaw individual legislative hog slopping but still allow group hog slops such as the one Mullenix "forgot" to report. She laments her style of lobbying could get more expensive under the Regnat Populus amendment, because she'll have to invite all legislators to the wine-and-dines, not just the critical lawmakers who do the heavy lifting. Poor thing. Not to worry. There are plenty like the realtors to pay the bill. And that presumes lobbyists will obey that new law any better than they obey the current porous and rarely enforced ethics laws. Ethics Commission Graham Sloan admitted the general meaninglessness of the filings to the D-G today. The amendment will be no different unless the enforcement agency is strengthened. With the legislature in charge of the appropriation, good luck with that.

* SHAME ON JOHN BRUMMETT: The Democrat-Gazette includes further reporting by Andy Davis on the groups to be hired to get out the word on signing up for the Obamacare Medicaid expansion approved by the 2013 legislature. There's more there on legislative resistance to allowing Planned Parenthood, a health delivery organization, to hire workers to provide information about getting health care coverage to Arkansas people. Over on the op-ed page, John Brummett, a stenographer for Rep. John Burris and Sen. David Sanders' view of how the legislature should be run, laments that a state agency director, Jay Bradford, didn't accede to private directions from Burris and Sanders not to allow Planned Parenthood to take part in the outreach.

A reminder: Planned Parenthood is a legal organization. It provides a variety of legal services. It will not be providing abortions in this outreach nor even talking about it. It will be advising Arkansas people how to get basic health coverage.

Brummett thinks it's fine for legislators to prevent state contracts from going to agencies that hold beliefs with which Burris and Sanders disapprove. Otherwise, he says, we'll fight about abortion again. Why can't Planned Parenthood just shut up? To Brummett, it is Planned Parenthood's fault and not that of the bullies Burris and Sanders that we're having this divisive discussion.

Why sure.

Maybe I could quietly ask Education Director Tom Kimbrell to quietly veto applications for state dollars that go to daycares run by Sen. Johnny Key and Rep. Justin Harris because, hey, they proselytize on tax dollars at their church schools. If we give them money, it just sets up another one of those tiresome no-win battles on the establishment clause, right? Rather than fight that battle, couldn't we just get them to go away?

Of course they shouldn't go away. But they should abide by the Constitution and keep religion out of their classes, just as Planned Parenthood should and will keep abortion out of helping people sign up for health insurance. It is unconstitutional to deny state participation to an agency qualified to do work on account of that agency's viewpoint (which happens to be a legal viewpoint as well). It is more repugnant that it could be denied in secret by veto-wielding legislators and that a newspaper columnist, nominally a 1st Amendment advocate, would side with coercion of unpopular beliefs. Appeasement is not a winning strategy against bullies.The D-G noted today that Rep. Kim Hammer has some gay coddlers in his crosshairs now, too. Brummett presumably would tell them to also shut up and go away. If anyone thinks this kind of tactic by Burris and Sanders starts and stops with Planned Parenthood and women's medical autonomy, they haven't been paying attention.

PS — Brummett's condescending habit of referring to an unnamed "liberal blog" as a nuisance in his continuing glorification of the Bully Boys and on other topics also grows a bit tiresome.

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Monday: Bob Dorough at The Afterthought

Robert Bell — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:40:11 -0500

Jazz legend and "Schoolhouse Rock!" composer Bob Dorough will perform at The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5.

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Arkansas Democrats raise money, expand on jobs theme

Max Brantley — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 01:04:44 -0500

Arkansas Democrats gathered Saturday night for their annual Jefferson-Jackson Day event. They raised $600,000 and heard former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm expand on the jobs theme candidates Mike Ross and John Burkhalter pushed earlier in the day. Gov. Mike Beebe and other speakers also worked on the theme.

Jobs. Will that message trump another cycle in which rising Republicans remain focused on the foreign black man in the White House, the evils of universal health care and taxes and government and the usual array of social issues?

What do you think?

Democratic Party news release follows. Also a release from Will Bond who injected a note of Democratic style inclusiveness in the course of listing big financial contributors. In the new dissent-intolerant world of the Republican legislative majority, you can bet they WILL be noted. And punished. Or shaken down for greater tribute.

Arkansas Democrats gathered tonight for the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner held at the State House Convention Center. Special guest speaker and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm joined Governor Mike Beebe, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, and Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Will Bond in kicking off the 2014 election cycle with a commitment to re-elect Senator Pryor, hold the governor’s office, take back Congressional seats, and win a majority in the state legislature.

“We are at a pivotal crossroads in our state’s history,” Governor Beebe said. “We can either continue to move Arkansas forward or allow all we’ve worked for to be dismantled.”

Governor Beebe and U.S. Senator Mark Pryor emphasized the need to focus on issues that speak to all Arkansans like creating good-paying jobs and strengthening education.

“We're fighting for Arkansas everyday," said U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. “Arkansans deserve responsible policies that fix issues rather than push agendas. But some people in Washington believe the way forward is to cut the nation’s bottom line at the expense of her citizens by slashing Social Security, Medicare and Veterans benefits. Join me as I stand up against Washington and special interests in my fight to keep Arkansas strong and secure.”

Former Governor Jennifer Granholm echoed Governor Beebe’s and Senator Pryor’s remarks by congratulating them on creating Arkansas jobs even during difficult economic times. Granholm’s speech focused on growing the American economy in a global world.

Arkansas Democrats congratulated seven award recipients recognized at the ceremony:

Harold Jinks Democratic Man of the Year: Tyler Clark of Fayetteville
Gressie Carnes Democratic Woman of the Year: Jean Wallace of Little Rock
Jeffrey Ledbetter Young Democrat of the Year: Jessica DeLoach Sabin of Little Rock
Ed Fry Democrat of the Year — Vince Insalaco of North Little Rock
Chairman's Heritage Awards: Richard Simmons of Rector, Dawne Benafield Vandiver of Little Rock, and Lamar Davis of Little Rock.

The Jefferson Jackson Dinner is the annual celebration of the Democratic Party of Arkansas’s accomplishments as well as the party’s largest fundraiser. This year’s event was attended by over 1,300 Arkansas Democrats and nearly $600,000 — more than any previous year in the history of the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

Will Bond release:

Dear fellow Democrat,,

Wow! What a night. Moments ago, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner came to a close. I walked out of the Statehouse Convention Center beyond ready to rally behind our great candidates. Thank you, Arkansas Democrats and Governor Granholm.

In my remarks to the sold out crowd of Arkansas Democrats, I stressed our need to fight for those who are committed to making sure our future is better than our past. We need to fight for “get it done” Democrats like Senator Mark Pryor who understand that partisan bickering is no foundation on which to build a brighter future.

I am an Arkansas Democrat because I believe in the Golden Rule and that I am my brother’s keeper. I believe we all have an obligation to make sure every child has an opportunity to fulfill their dreams, every family has an opportunity for a brighter future, and that Arkansas is left to the next generation better than we found it.

The 2013 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was a huge success thanks to our wonderful line up of sponsors, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank those who have supported us and kept us in the fight.

We at the Democratic Party of Arkansas offer our gratitude to the following:

Presenting Sponsors
Governor Mike Beebe
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel
US Senator Mark Pryor
Walmart

Presidential Sponsors
Arkansas Health Care Association
Entergy
Southland Park Gaming & Racing

Majority Sponsors
Arkansas Hospital Association, Mike Ross for Governor, Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield, EZ Mart, The McLarty Companies, Keil and Goodson Law Firm, and AT&T

Leadership Sponsors
Acxiom, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Arkansas Trucking Association, Tyson, Murphy Oil Company, Glazer's, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Hewlett Packard, Oaklawn Racing & Gaming, Windstream, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Southern States Millwright Regional Council, Rick Fleetwood, Trinity Lighting, and Penny and Commissioner John Burkhalter

Click here for a complete list of our 2013 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner sponsors.

Again, thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters for making this year’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner the best yet. Now let’s turn our enthusiasm into action. On to 2014!

With warmest regards,

Will Bond
Chairman

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Open Line

David Ramsey — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 19:05:00 -0500

*PROJECT LOON: Internet-beaming, giant helium balloons: Google's plan to get the entire planet online.

*DARR FOR THE COURSE: Our current lieutenant governor joins candidate Dianne Curry (that's two n's) in condemning John Burkhalter for not attending the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival.

At least Diane Curry cared enough to come to south Arkansas today....., and wore a nice hat.
— Mark Darr (@markdarr) June 15, 2013

Line is open. What else you got?

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