A growing region

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

No foolin’! The U.S. Census Bureau says Northwest Arkansas is swelling by at least 23 people each day, which makes it the 24th fastest-growing region in the nation.

Don’t believe it? Just venture out in your pick-em-up-truck at Joyce and U.S. 71 any weekday morning. Better still, head out along Interstate 540 about 7:30 one workday.

The rapid growth means we can predict the population will reach a half-million souls by the end of May. That equates to more jobs and an improved quality of life, says the Northwest Arkansas Council, which itself has reached 400 Internet “ambassadors” to help spread the news of regional growth and all the related opportunities.

It also means, from what I can determine anyway, that the population of Northwest Arkansas already exceeds the number of residents across the entire state a decade after the Civil War. File that in the idle-fact-tossed in department.

No shots fired

Some might call it an uneventful non-event consisting of a peaceful couple of hours filled with nothing significant or newsworthy happening.

I’m talking about that rally of sorts in Eureka Springs the other day where some 20 members of the group known as Northwest 746, after an official walk that 60 participated in, strolled through parts of town wearing holstered sidearms.They were making a public display over the state’s open-carry law, which has yet to be tested in a courtroom.

Some downtown businessfolk understandably threw up their hands, concerned that the sight of all those peaceful (yet armed) 746’ers could frighten away potential customers. Yet Eureka Springs police said they received no calls or complaints. The whole event amounted to slightly more than a collective community yawn, outside those who expressed fright over people openly carrying weapons in town.

Just over 300 people belong to the open-carry 746 group in Northwest Arkansas. The state has about 5,100 members.

Our state most assuredly is one where gun ownership and the right to protect oneself and family are liberties that snuggle near and dear to the hearts of many, many thousands.

Rev. King’s Vigil

I’ll be among the crowd this evening in my hometown of Harrison as the annual Martin Luther King candlelight vigil is held for the first time in the tranquil Ozarks community that for decades has fought an undeserved reputation as bigoted.

Thankfully and wisely, this year Arkansas’ King Commission chose Harrison over the state Capitol where the event usually is held.

Among the scheduled events is the burial of a handmade casket symbolizing the death of the stigma of racial hatred this town has endured for more than 100 years. What a great idea whose time actually came long ago.

I’m hoping an enormous crowd will turn out to show just how many share the feeling that Harrison indeed is a caring, kind community rather than the negative way a handful of white supremacists from a mountain hamlet 15 miles away have pushed so hard to portray.

Dangerous expansion

It struck deep in my very own belly last week after reading that the adult obesity rate for adults in Benton and Washington counties continued to climb since 2010. County Health Rankings said Benton County’s rate was 27 percent in 2010 and 28 percent now. Washington County’s rates were 25 percent and 29 percent.

It’s been four years since Dr. Larry Tuttle of Fayetteville told me to either drop at least 75 pounds or daily face insulin shots and likely organ failure and/or other serious health problems associated with Type II diabetes. Thankfully, I chose to quit eating nearly as much as I had been, exercise, drink plenty of water and follow that regimen faithfully for a year.

Our state “boasted” a whopper 33 percent adult obesity rate.

Relevant hog letter

Dan Coody of Fayetteville spoke for thousands with the following email to Teresa Marks, director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (cough): “As a former mayor of Fayetteville, I’m deeply concerned about the issue of hog factory farms in the Buffalo River area. Tens of thousands of NW Arkansas residents enjoy the natural beauty, serenity, and unspoiled environment of the Buffalo River on a regular basis. If this farm, and others, are allowed to operate, it’s inevitable the strong odor and water pollution will have a significant and negative impact on the quality of life of our residents and the future of the tourism businesses that rely on the river.

“Other agriculture-based states have already lost their water and air quality, experienced decreased property values and significant health problems directly related to the very farms we have allowed to come here.Is it not possible to see and learn from what every other state has lost?

“Decisions in your role as a policymaker will determine whether Arkansas’ best feature, the Buffalo National River and the incomparable Ozark natural beauty, will be preserved for future generations, or diminished without possibility of repair. Please ask yourself: Is this hog farm, and others, worth it?”

You can send your very own message as well: [email protected]. -

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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.

Editorial, Pages 15 on 04/01/2014