Saturday’s open line includes two items of note:

* FBI INTERVIEW: Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spent 3.5 hours today being interviewed by the FBI in the e-mail investigation. She issued a brief statement saying the appearance was voluntary, she was happy to cooperate and she wouldn’t say more because of the ongoing investigation.

Advertisement

* FAREWELL TO A FRIEND:  Many of the newspaper employees, alumni and devotees who visit here will be sad to learn if they haven’t already of the death last night at UAMS of Ed Gray, who was 69. We worked together for years at the Arkansas Gazette, where he was a copy editor in the days when copy editors were a large and valued part of news operations. He was a good one. These days, many newspaper chains have pared copy editing considerably and even consolidated operations for multiple papers in editing “centers” far removed from newspapers they serve (far removed, too, from the regional quirks and customs and spellings important for editors to know).  He later was editor of the Sunday Perspective section in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and a dedicated book lover. I remember Ed for his humor, his days as a runner, his intellect, his love of the work of Charles Portis and the time he brought a 5-gallon tub of Haagen-Dazs rum raisin ice cream to a Gazette Christmas pot luck. Of the sad news, he probably would have said, quoting as he often did an oath favored by the Portis character Norwood: “Dog my cats.”

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Tony Blair coming to Little Rock Next article Alice Walton cuts price on Texas ranches by $10 million