Friday, May 16, 2008 - 20:51:43
John Brummett has been covering that Court of Appeals race in NWA where Ron Williams, member of the Hutchinson extended family, is facing a well-funded and politically astute opponent in Courtney Henry. Williams made a critical mistake in hiring wackjob Sen. Jim Holt to help him campaign. Maybe that's a sign of bad judgment; maybe Holt just knows where to stick campaign signs.
In any case, the Brummett attack has brought a fierce response -- not from Holt, but from his wife. Read on the jump.
(Why do I think John will get another column about this?)

Oh, that Mike Huckabee. Such a kidder. First it was fart jokes and yukking it up about financing his campaign with convenience store stick-ups. Then today, while speaking before a gathering of the National Rifle Association in Louisville, Kentucky, Huck finally got around to riffing on the laff-riot subject of political assassination.
During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.
“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”
Max here: The governor's loose lips just shot him in the butt. This is the kind of thing with long legs. Here's the video. Dead silence followed the second sentence. Even the wild and wacky gunmen of the NRA were stunned. Perhaps Tim Russert can play the clip this Sunday on Meet the Press. Huckabee is a guest.
UPDATE: He apologized. Sort of. Be sure to read Huckabites' comments.
More rumblings today in the matter of Circuit Judge Willard Proctor, whose operation of the Cycle Breakers probation program has been the subject of a critical state audit. It figures, according to sources, in an ongoing investigation of Proctor's court by the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission. Multiple sources have told of testimony by couthouse workers to the commission. The commission does not comment on incomplete investigations.
My source said the matter is also the subject of a rare sealed proceeding before the Arkansas Supreme Court. Supreme Court Clerk Leslie Steen confirmed for me today that there had been a proceeding of an unspecified nature filed at the Court and a subsequent court response had also been filed under seal. He said he could give no other information, including the date of the filings. He did not confirm that it related to Proctor.
My source, however, said Proctor received a communication from the court today and that he was heard to express happiness about it.
I asked Proctor's lawyer, Blake Hendrix, whether Proctor was the subject of the sealed proceedings and whether he'd comment on that or the reports of a Judicial Commission investigation. After conferring with the judge, Hendrix said he'd have no comment.
Slow day. I think I'm going to play hooky and catch the 4 p.m. Little Rock Film Festival showing of "Silhouette City," the documentary on religious extremism that features people and places of Arkansas interest, including the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord encampment and the leader of that Christian militia group, Kerry Noble, who went to prison after a raid of the CSA's North Arkansas compound in 1985. Mike Huckabee makes an appearance in the movie, too. Noble will participate in a panel on the movie at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Chamber of Commerce following a 5 p.m. screening.
This weekend, look for an essay on-line on the topic by Michael Wilson, (I had his name wrong in the original post) a Little Rock Central and Hendrix graduate, who wrote and edited the film and who also will be on Sunday's panel.
If you haven't been doing it already, you'll want to turn to Lindsey Millar's Rock Candy blog for this and other continuing coverage of the Film Festival. Heckuva turnout Thursday night for "War Eagle, Arkansas."

Virgin Galactic, which is promising to be the first commercial carrier of travelers into space, will be in Little Rock Sunday for a program at 3 p.m. at the Aerospace Education Center planetarium. "Space Agent" Tony Poe of Poe Travel is arranging the event. More on the jump.
NOTE: A deposit to make one of the flights is $20,000. The flight will cost $200,000. Save your pennies.