Opinion

Carroll County students will be heading back to school this weekend, and while some of them may not be happy about it, I sure am. Covering our local schools is a priority for both of our newspapers — the Carroll County News and the Lovely County Citizen. We’ve made it a priority because we believe it’s important, and because we know folks want to read about their children’s accomplishments...

Despite the unbearable heat, this week marks the end of summer break for our students, teachers and school administrators. Some kids are experiencing their very first day of school and all the excitement and fear that comes with that. My husband Gideon has something in common with those kids...

At the end of the school year, Karen Johnson resigned as librarian at Eureka Springs Elementary. She’ll leave some very big shoes to fill. When I worked for Carroll County Newspapers in the late 1990s, we had the luxury of spending more time covering school news. That gave me a chance to see teachers in action, especially in the elementary school. My kids went to Berryville schools, so I also knew something about teachers from my kids and their friends...

Another day, another mass shooting. Scratch that. Another day, another couple of mass shootings. This past Saturday, a man wrote a racist, anti-Hispanic manifesto before opening fire at Walmart in El Paso, Texas. More than 24 people were injured and at least 20 people were killed in the shooting. Less than 24 hours later, a gunman murdered nine people and injured 27 others in a popular nightlife district in downtown Dayton, Ohio...

A co-worker told me earlier today that I should write about the mass shootings that occurred over the weekend in Texas and Ohio. I agree. I should. The problem with that is, I don’t know what I can say that I haven’t already said. I don’t know what I can say that will be productive. I don’t know what I can say that will change one mind. I don’t know what I can say that will change a single thing. I don’t know what I can say that will make any difference...

Kudos to Superintendent Matt Summers and the Green Forest Public School System for fully honoring the “free” in Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). While Public Law 94-142, passed in 1975, established FAPE to ensure that children with disabilities would have the same access to a free education as their non-disabled peers, the implication is that a public education for any child is, in fact, free. ...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with reality shows. It started with Survivor in 2001. I still remember watching when Richard Hatch was named the very first sole survivor. And I wasn’t the only one — the finale of Survivor: Borneo had an average of 50 million viewers, the most of any episode of Survivor to date. (Yes, that show is still on and going strong, depending on whom you ask.)...

Some people think politics has no place in everyday conversation, that it shouldn’t be discussed on social media or even on the Opinion pages of this newspaper. I’m not one of those people. I believe it’s important that everyone who lives in this country pay attention to what’s going on around them — whether that be at the local, state or federal level. ...

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to speak to the Holiday Island Rotary Club. They served me breakfast, gave me a new pen and were great company. I talked too long as always, but the best part of my presentation was hearing from the Rotary members about the kind of coverage they’d like to see in their community newspaper...

I was finishing my book, “I Can and I Will,” when we were discussing how to promote the book. Some wanted to aggrandize the self-help category, but I saw it as a “success” story. I was born poor, raised in a mobile home until I was 10 years old, and from there we moved into a one-bedroom, one-bath home. I wanted to succeed, and frankly, would do anything it took...

Hopefully, by the time this column is published I’ll be disconnected from the rest of the world, cruising around the Caribbean on a large boat. I say hopefully because the weather has thrown a prospective monkey wrench into my travel plans. As I write this, on a Friday, New Orleans is bracing for the impact of Tropical Storm Barry, which is expected to hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday...

The United States Women's National Soccer Team has been a hot topic over the past couple of weeks. The team won the Women's World Cup on July 7, just four months after suing the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination. In the lawsuit, the team alleges its parent organization pays the women's team less, gives them unequal playing conditions and does not promote their games as much as the men's team...

I’m not afraid of flying, but I’d be just fine if I never do it again. I especially wouldn’t be broken-hearted if I never fly in a small airplane again. My apprehension about small planes is rooted in the one time I’ve actually flown in one. I was a college sophomore at the University of Central Arkansas when a friend who had gotten his pilot’s license offered to take a small group of us for a flight around the area...

Five years ago, Gideon and I were at a crossroads. I had just graduated from college and he was finishing up his degree. We lived in a dilapidated former bed and breakfast at the top of Kessler Mountain in Fayetteville with way too many roommates. When the plumbing went out, we used the bathroom in a hole in the back yard. It was pure luxury, folks...

I’ll celebrate my 50th birthday in September. I suppose for some people that’s not necessarily a pleasant milestone, but I’m not fretting about it. I don’t feel (nearly) 50 most of the time, arthritis notwithstanding. I still listen to that infernal rock and roll music — although these days they call it “classic rock” — and I’m still a big kid at heart. I still like to laugh and joke and I almost always roll out of bed excited about the day — or at least excited about the first cup of coffee...

After nearly a month of extended spring, the inevitable has happened. Shave your head and slap on some hot pants, because summer is here. Not only is it here, it is thriving. We are expected to experience 80-degree weather the rest of the week, and that’s with rain in the forecast. ...

Sunday was a dreary sort of day in Carroll County, but it was also a milestone day for me. It was the five-year anniversary of my first day here at Carroll County Newspapers. The time has passed quickly, but I’ve enjoyed almost every day of it. Before I came here, I was managing editor of the daily newspaper in Pine Bluff. ...

Welcome to my world, Arkansas Razorbacks fans.

Editor’s Note: This column was originally published on June 25, 2017, in the Lovely County Citizen. It is the story of my dad’s redemption, and I hope it inspires love and forgiveness. Growing up, I knew my dad was an alcoholic. I knew that from an early age. My mom raised me on her own and didn’t try to keep things from me, including the reason why my dad wasn’t around very much. I still saw him on holidays or when I’d visit my grandparents, but he certainly wasn’t a regular fixture in my life...

It is always a pleasure to recognize a Good Neighbor. We at CARE Community Center would like to acknowledge a member of the Holiday Island community, Tom Dees.

The forgotten election: Eureka Springs School Board. Do school boards seem boring and irrelevant? Not so fast. The voting public elects their board of education, which in turn votes on the academic, legal and financial viability of a school district’s policies and budgets. The decisions that school boards make have repercussions far beyond our schools, and impact our local taxes, home values and school quality...

Have you ever stopped during the middle of your day and asked yourself, “How in the world did I end up here?” I’m a self-diagnosed overthinker and anyone who knows me will agree; I overthink everything! This is one personality trait I have been cursed/blessed with and it got worse after law school. I analyze every situation and examine all possible consequences. I listen to each word that is spoken, trying to figure out what can be done to help the person with whom I’m speaking. Most of the time, they just need to be heard.

I came to Carroll County five years ago after spending several years working in Pine Bluff. That was actually my third stint at the paper in Pine Bluff: I served as sports editor there in the mid-1990s, then was a night editor and city hall reporter from 2001-2004 before serving as managing editor from 2010-2014...

Three years. Nine semesters. Countless dollars and trips to Conway. That’s what it took for my husband Gideon to get his master’s degree in teaching, and now he is gearing up to put that degree into action. I am overjoyed to announce he will be teaching social studies and language arts at Eureka Springs Middle School beginning in August...

If you’re gentle, compassionate and loving, many today will view you as weak. This could not be further from the truth. As a state trooper, I always initiated each contact with complete respect. Although this was the way I was raised, many I stopped saw this as a possible path to escape, so my attitude got me into scuffles with criminals. ...

Editor’s Note: This column was originally published on May 30, 2017. It is one of my favorites, and its message is more important than ever. As I write this column, it’s Memorial Day. Across Carroll County — and across the country — ceremonies are being held to honor and remember those men and women who gave their lives in military service...

By Kelby Newcomb My last week with the Carroll County News is coming to a close, and I can hardly believe it. I started working here as a reporter a little over three years ago. It was my first full-time writing job, and I’m so grateful to my editors, Scott Loftis and Samantha Jones, for bringing me on board. ...

Dear Editor: A few days ago I was deeply honored and humbled as the recipient of the Carroll County Community Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. I was humbled by the knowledge that there were many other volunteers in our county who have worked equally hard and perhaps even harder who have gone unrecognized. ...