Opinion

Open Letter to County Judge Sam Barr and County Road Foreman Jim Kelly:

This is a big week in the Jones-Keas household. After six years of living in a two-bedroom apartment, more than a month of working with a realtor and four long days of sorting, moving and cleaning, Gideon and I have moved into our first home together. Would you all collectively pinch me? It still doesn’t feel real!...

It’s early August — typically the dog days of summer in Arkansas. The forecast calls for temperatures in the low to mid-90s next weekend, which seems about right. This past weekend, however, was a different story. The weather was much cooler and absolutely beautiful, and I took full advantage...

The family of Klaus Kupfersberger (AKA “Tom”) wishes to express their gratitude to all those who attended the memorial in celebration of his life. They appreciated every gift of food, the beautiful flowers, the cards and memories shared. A special thanks to Michael Bolin, pastor of the Green Forest United Methodist Church, and all the church members who helped with refreshments and encouraging words. We are blessed to be part of such a caring community. ...

Being a journalist isn’t easy. You are constantly exposed to new situations that your formal education did not prepare you for. You have to think on your feet, question everything and keep a cool head at all times. If you look below the surface, you often discover a story hidden in the weeds. But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar — the trick is knowing what’s real and what’s not...

I’ve been spending some time in the office on Sunday afternoons lately, partly because it gives me a chance to get a head start on the week and partly because it gets me out of the house. I’ve been doing my best to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, which means that I spend a lot of time at home. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone a little differently, with many of us changing the way we work. Some of us began working from home, while others had their hours cut. I am one of the lucky folks who continued to work full time during the pandemic, but I did much of that work from my kitchen table. ...

Since I became managing editor for Carroll County Newspapers six years ago, I’ve made coverage of education a priority. I believe schools are an important part of the community — a source of pride and a vital element in building our future. For the past two years or so, I’ve also been responsible for high school sports coverage. ...

Last Thursday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that Arkansans will be required to wear masks in public places starting Monday, July 20. It didn’t take long for state Sen. Bob Ballinger to issue his own statement on the mask mandate, posting a video on Facebook in the midst of a vacation to Florida...

We have learned so much in these past few months about our community. With early trauma in March and a full shutdown in April, I was proud that our business community rallied together and supported one another. What has followed is interesting and uplifting. Specifically, when most were called back into this hyper difficult environment to re-open and operate their business the leaders of our established tourism infrastructure continued their efforts to move Eureka Springs interests to the forefront.. ...

It blows my mind to think that there are people out there that are so greedy that they sit and just think of ways to steal money. I could have not paid my taxes and the $18 fee, or in my case it was $72. I was promised if they won I would get it back. Now they are trying to figure a way to get the $18 fee. I am a widow but I can stand it, but it is a disgrace that we have people in America that try to pull stunts as they are doing...

For much of the past two weeks, I have been working on our upcoming edition of Currents Magazine. Currents is one of the fun things we do at Carroll County Newspapers. The stories have more flair than what we’d write for the weekly paper, the photographs are beautiful and they marry to form a glossy, high-quality publication every time...

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in Carroll County, I believe it’s safe to say — if not directly, at least indirectly. I should note at the outset that five Carroll County residents have died from the virus, and those deaths are not something to take lightly. My heart goes out to those five people, and to the families and friends they left behind...

Like many of you, I am a creature of habit. I enjoy a version of the same lunch every day, follow the same workout video five days a week and constantly find myself binging TV shows I’ve seen a hundred times already. Consistency is comforting. It’s safe...

Even though it shouldn’t be, I have a feeling this column will be unpopular with some  of our readers. That’s why I want to state the facts right out of the gate. Here it goes. We are living in the middle of a deadly pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. The number of deaths has decreased in many countries but continues to increase in the United States. Northwest Arkansas, the region in which we live, is a national hot spot for COVID-19 deaths...

Asa Hutchinson’s almost-daily updates on COVID-19, aired live via YouTube, have become required viewing since the pandemic began in March. I’ve been generally pleased, for what it’s worth, with Hutchinson’s performance as governor. As a conservative Republican, he has managed to find enough common ground with Democratic legislators to function fairly successfully as the state’s chief executive. ...

This column is being written on Friday morning, which is an anomaly. Typically, it’s more like Monday morning. I’m a procrastinator by nature — something I’ve learned to guard against since I work in a deadline-based business. Sometimes, it’s difficult deciding on a topic. Sometimes I write about politics. Sometimes I write about sports. Sometimes I write about what’s most important to me, and that’s my family. This is one of those times...

Pretty much every year since I was born, I have dreaded summer. I grew up in Texas where you start sweating just thinking about going outside in July. In Texas, the seasons are hot summer, moderate summer, cool summer and moderate summer all over again. Texans sweat year round, even on Christmas...

I was shocked and horrified by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and I stand by my opinion that racism is still a scourge in America that won’t go away without honest introspection, open dialogue and a greater effort toward mutual understanding...

Three years ago, I wrote a column about the power of forgiveness in regard to my relationship with my dad. Regular readers know that I didn’t grow up playing catch with my dad after school or taking him to father-daughter dances. Some years he would come see me on my birthday, and other years he’d seemingly forget altogether. I learned to fear the moments he paid any attention to me, because there was no guarantee they would last longer than a moment...

Growing up, you’d be hard pressed to find me without some kind of writing utensil in my hand. I have loved to read and write for as long as I can remember, especially when it comes to poetry. Like any art, my writing is inspired by the writers that came before me. This week, I’d like to share my favorite poem by Langston Hughes. It was written in 1935 and is very much relevant today...

For a while, it seemed as if Carroll County might go unscathed in the COVID-19 pandemic. The first local case of the virus wasn’t reported until April 1, and as recently as May 18 there were no active cases reported in the county. This, of course, served as fuel for some folks to argue that the entire pandemic was nothing more than an exaggeration at best or a hoax at worst...

I grew up in Oklahoma City during the Civil Rights era. I remember when de-segregation happened. Happily, the women that raised and influenced me taught me that ethnic hatred was wrong. The first time I saw a black person in Berryville was in 1983; he was walking down the sidewalk. I didn’t break stride and I didn’t stare as if I’d seen Bigfoot. I could tell you many more stories and even defend myself, which many white people are now falling over each other to do...

F our years ago, I wrote a column about the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Sterling and Castile were killed by cops one day apart, one on the sidewalk and the other in his car. Both men complied with police officers but were killed anyway. If you remember, both men were black...

It’s human nature, I suppose, to form opinions and make judgments based upon our own life experiences and circumstances without considering the experiences and circumstances of others. For white Americans who have never had a frightening experience with police, it might be difficult to understand why black Americans react so strongly to instances of police brutality. It might be difficult to empathize with their emotions, simply because we’ve never been in their position...

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.

Earlier today, a friend sent me a message saying it’s been 10 years since our high school graduation. I remember one of my teachers saying life goes by fast after the graduation ceremony and I’m starting to believe it. Where did the time go? When you haven’t been released into the real world yet, there’s a burning desire to get out and establish yourself — to get a taste of the unknown. ...

How, exactly, was an Arkansas prison parolee carrying the COVID-19 virus released from state custody? It depends on whom you ask, and that inconsistency may be the most disturbing aspect of a very disturbing scenario. So many facts are in question regarding parolee Jad Perkins. We know he was released from the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ Cummins Unit in Lincoln County on April 20. We know that he came to Carroll County and that he tested positive for COVID-19 after his arrival here...

One of my biggest pet peeves is when somebody uses the word “adulting” to describe completing a task like paying the bills on time or making a list for the grocery store. Most often, people use it in a negative way. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen the T-shirts and mugs and bumper stickers that say something along the lines of, “I hate adulting,” or “I can’t adult today.” It’s understandable coming from a brand-new high school graduate or college student, but I’ve noticed that very grown adults have adopted the word into their vocabulary, too. ...