Opinion

Near Rochester, N.Y., a prominent, cliff-like ridge erupts from the landscape and runs west for hundreds of miles: through New York, across parts of Ontario, into the upper peninsula of Michigan, hugging the coastline of three of the Great Lakes, and finally terminating in Wisconsin, just north of Chicago...

We have lost some of our most beloved celebrities to suicide, from comedy genius Robin Williams to rock legend Chris Cornell. Just last week, fashion designer Kate Spade wrote a letter to her 13-year-old daughter before hanging herself with a scarf at her home. ...

Carroll County Sheriff’s Office would like to give their sincere thanks to everyone for assisting with Carroll County Law Enforcement Appreciation Week. The outpouring of support and donations was amazing. So many times our law enforcement goes unrecognized for all they do and how they put their lives on the line daily for the Carroll County community...

When Jesus spoke to his disciples for the last time, he spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, the reign of God’s love in the world. True to form, they misunderstood him. Their thoughts went immediately, not to love, but self-preservation. “Lord, has the time come for you to free us and restore our kingdom?” they asked...

By the time most of you read this column, I hope to be away from the office with not a single thought of work in my head as I enjoy some quality time with my oldest son. Ronnie and his family live in North Little Rock, and we don’t get to spend as much time together as I would like. But he’s due in Berryville later today and I am looking forward to his arrival...

Dear Carroll County Newspaper, Thanks to you and your donation of a free listing, Carroll County Law Enforcement Appreciation Week was a complete success. So many times, our law enforcement goes unrecognized for all they do and how they put their lives on the line daily for the Carroll County community...

Dear Editor, There is a new top dog in my house named Frankie who insists on twice daily walks. This mandate has caused me to discover and use Berryville’s city parks. It has been a happy discovery, especially the Mill Creek Wildlife Park adjacent to the Berryville Community Center...

This first week of June the Eastern Orthodox Church will celebrate the annual Feast Day of St. Philip the Deacon, also known as Philip the Evangelist. He was an influential and powerful leader in the early church, and is most often remembered for his role in the conversion of an individual known simply as “The Ethiopian Eunuch.”...

Each year on Memorial Day, I attend American Legion Post 9’s morning service. The service has got to be one of the most patriotic events in our county, featuring a rifle salute, performances of patriotic songs and guest speakers who know what they’re talking about...

Tuesday’s primary results I believe were pretty mixed but sent a clear message about Arkansas politics. Voters of this state would rather the establishment continue to lord over them rather than have the courage to choose someone who would give them the freedom to live their lives with minimal government interference.  While the tax happy corrupt governor won by a landslide, sending a clear message to border states like Missouri and Oklahoma that their businesses are safe because citizens of this state will continue to pour across their borders in search of lower taxes and costs.. ...

Twelve Step programs use a terrific phrase that I have adapted for my own spiritual journey. It is found in Step Three: “I make the decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of the God of my understanding.” If Meister Eckhart is correct (and I think he is) that the “only spiritual discipline is surrender,” then this deliberate act of “letting go” holds the key to our personal well-being...

A few weeks ago, I interviewed some Eureka Springs students involved in the high school’s Rotary Interact Club. All three were seniors, and I knew each of them by name. I have worked with them over the past four years, covering school plays, choir performances and countless special projects...

Five hundred years ago there was a group of Christians living in Europe known as Anabaptists. These are not to be confused with today’s Baptists, though the groups do share some points of common history. The name Anabaptist was not so much a description as it was a condemnation...

While Bob Ballinger is out campaigning, Bryan King is out slandering his opponent and literally begging voters to give him his retirement term, a term he absolutely does not deserve for his divisive, factually inaccurate tactics. At the end of the day, one thing is certain as far as public records go, one state representative showed up to do the job he was elected to do and another state senator has not.  Bryan King has ghosted voters for far too long on the important issues facing Arkansas.  As a farmer, Bryan King only cares about one farmer and that’s Bryan King.  If elected, Bob Ballinger will serve the people who he was privileged to be elected by, not dodge votes that end up resulting in excuses being made.  If I stopped showing up for work as many times as Bryan King has in his career, I’d be fired. ...

During the (2017) Arkansas General Assembly we were constantly told to, “telephone your congressman,” “write your legislator,” “talk to your senator.” So, on Wednesday, March 15, I got in my car and headed to the Capitol at 5:00 o’clock in the morning. On that day, a legislative house committee was scheduled to vote on a “do pass” or “don’t pass” on SB373...

Bob Ballinger will tell you — and anyone else who will listen without taking the time to do a little homework and check his facts — that the “liberal media” is ganging up to pick on him. Well, I’m a member of the media and I’m a liberal on an awful lot of issues — like not hating my neighbor because of whom he chooses to love and not treating poor people like subhumans because they have committed the sin of being poor. ...

When the final studio album by the Beatles was released this week in 1970, the band had already broken up. As fans know well, the years of grueling tours, their widening creative differences and the suffering from their own successes finally finished them off (I have no comment on Yoko). “Finally,” is a strong word, though, as none of the men were yet 30 years of age...

Last night, Gideon and I were scrolling through Netflix as usual. It seems there’s never anything to watch when you have so much media at your fingertips. We eventually settled on a documentary about animal hoarders, described as a glimpse into the lives of pet owners who open up about their “obsessive love of animals.” I put that in quotations because I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with a good obsession...

The average American watches 30 hours of television or recorded programing each week. He or she spends 16 hours of the week dedicated exclusively to social media. Add these numbers to the hours spent listening to radio, downloaded music, YouTube and other forms of communication, and Americans spend a whopping 85 hours a week consuming media...

Sometimes I stay up all night on Sunday, so I drink a bunch of coffee on Monday to stay awake and end up sleepless yet another night. That’s when I start thinking about everything that has ever happened in the world. It’s the important things that keep me up at night, like the federal budget, the rights of minority groups and, of course, the age-old dilemma most of us face this time of the year. Should I cut my hair for summer?...

Announced just days ago, later this year, Pope Francis will lead a canonization mass that will declare Father Oscar Romero a saint. Being a fussy Protestant, I have little to say about the official policies the Roman church follows to arrive at such conclusions. But as a longtime admirer of Romero, I am pleased...

My name is Don Offenbaker, and I am the founder and president of the Committee To Stop the Holiday Island Incorporation Committee. In perusing your current article from 4/10/2018, I have noticed the Committee for Incorporation has made several misstatements...

Maurice Sendak, the late writer and illustrator of “Where the Wild Things Are,” often received mail from children who read his books. He attempted to personally thank each child by returning a quick note. Once a boy, named Jim, sent Sendak a card with a cute drawing of his own on it...

I don’t know about you guys, but I am great at discounting myself. It’s one of my best talents. I’ll write a poem and erase it because it’s not good enough. I’ll create a weird painting and stow it in the closet with the litter box, just to show exactly how I feel about it. Everything I do feels flawed...

Stephen Hawking was the greatest physicist of his generation. His name will be whispered in the pantheon of science, along with the hallowed icons of Einstein, Newton, Galileo and Copernicus. Yet, his brilliance was the object of much scorn in the church, and while the response has not been universal, many faith leaders have reacted to Hawking’s death with snarkiness and dark mockery...

This past Saturday, I didn’t have any plans. It was the first time in a while that’s been true. I figured I’d sleep in and catch up on some TV. Mostly, I planned to watch it rain with the cat, who loves staring out the window on overcast days. That’s one thing we have in common...

Dear Community, On behalf of People Helping People (P.H.P.), I want to thank you for your generous support with our Fall Letter Campaign. We celebrated 25 years of P.H.P. and are grateful to those who have enabled us to assist people needing help with the purchase of prescription medicine. ...

In 2016, I met Wajeeh Nuseibeh. He is the “Door Keeper of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.” Every morning, as he has done for decades, he takes a great, iron key and unlocks the church that holds the tomb of Jesus, a building shared by multiple Christian denominations...

Two weeks ago, I sat with five Eureka Springs High School students in the cafeteria. That wasn’t out of the ordinary. I’ve been in that same cafeteria many times interviewing students about an upcoming school play or special events. It would have been normal to me, but this wasn’t your average day...

Now that the reign of tyranny under the dictation of corrupt Sheriff Mayfield will be officially over, consider voting for a real Sheriff, one with a proven track record of accountability and leadership. Sheriff Mayfield chose not to run because his delusions of a grand reputation are finally starting to fall apart. ...

Opinion, Today I would like to share and the sharing is given freely with no expectations of acknowledgment. We here at the moment have choices. We are free to choose as we want but sometimes just attempting to make the choice we are putting ourselves at the risk of being labeled by others who fear to make choices and would do anything to prevent our free will to be expressed.  Here in Eureka Springs I been experiencing a unique situation that is in my experience does not happen unless we cause it to happen. ...

The last military parades in the United States came at the end of the Gulf War and the conclusion of “Operation Desert Storm.” This parade followed in the tradition of the great victory parades from the World Wars, and the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. Both men had served with distinction in the military, the latter a decorated Naval officer, and the former was the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II...