Arkansas fans can now ramp up their level of excitement even more, realizing that as of today the start of the 2015 football season is just a week away. But as we considered our thumbs ups and thumbs downs this week, our attention turned instead to the 2015-16 Arkansas basketball team.
(Thumbs up) We give our first thumb to Jeff Long, the University of Arkansas athletic director, for speaking out in support of the Razorbacks' head coach, Mike Anderson. "He's a man of character and honor doing things the right way," Long said. What was Long talking about? Anderson, entering his fourth year as the top Hog, had to deal with some players whose behavior doesn't match up with what should be expected. He kicked three-year veteran Jacory Williams off the team after his arrest in July on charges he and two other Razorbacks were passing counterfeit money. The other two, Anton Beard and Dustin Thomas, remain on indefinite suspension. Williams also had other run-ins with the law in connection with incidents of assault.
With the departure of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls after last season to pursue professional careers, Anderson faces a challenge to field a team that keeps the program's momentum going. That can mean a lot of preasure to let players stay on the team even in the midst of controversy. Some fans no doubt would be forgiving of such behaviors in the interest of wins. But Long is right to praise Anderson for staying true to the kind of team Arkansas needs, one of character and high expectations. If the season turns out to be a challenging one, it's good to know UA leadership stands with the coach.
Perhaps the three young men involved will be able to use this as an opportunity to re-tune their moral compasses.
(Thumbs up) Law enforcement officers as a whole have taken a bit of a beating in terms of reputation in recent months based on the acts of a few bad eggs. But Lowell is definitely home to a good egg: Officer Grant Hall worked a wreck near the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport recently that involved 82-year-old Ruth Corbin of Louisiana. She flew to Northwest Arkansas to pay a visit to her dying sister in Mountain Home, but was shaken up by the accident. Hall, after getting off his shift, tracked Corbin down at the airport. She was a bit afraid to try driving again after the accident, so Hall and fellow officer Kris Spangler put her in a personal vehicle and drove her all the way to Mountain Home. Talk about going above and beyond in the service to others! Hall's actions are a testament to the kind of law enforcement officer we need to be able to see.
(Thumbs up) The Arkansas Legislative Council last week approved a five-year ban on medium and large hog farms in the watershed of the Buffalo National River, narrowly deflecting a push by Rep. Nate Bell to thwart the measure in the interest of private property rights. We agree with Gov. Asa Hutchinson: "As with any regulation, it's important to strike a balance between the rights of individual property owners and the overall health and interest of the public," the Republican governor said Friday in a written statement. "The Buffalo is a national treasure that we as Arkansans have been entrusted to protect, and I believe that we should do everything within reason to do so." Amen, governor.
(Thumbs up) The Rogers-Lowell Chamber announces creation of a new organization, Downtown Rogers Inc., to promote development downtown. "We have heard over and over again we need to have someone who will wake up and go to bed with the downtown plan," chamber President Raymond Burns said. "That is what this will be." With the investment being made in creating new energy and development in downtown Rogers, it only makes sense to have someone focused on its future.
(Thumbs down) The shortage of highway funding in two states, and at the federal level, continues to be a barrier to Northwest Arkansas' interstate connection to the north. Arkansas last week opened the newest section of the Bella Vista bypass, which is great news, but the prospects of future extensions north remain uncertain. Highway Commissioner Dick Trammell offered an optimistic outlook, though. "This is not a highway to nowhere," he said.
(Thumbs up) Bentonville, Eureka Springs and Fayetteville join forces, with hopes other communities in the region will come along, to form a Northwest Arkansas film commission to promote the region as a location for motion pictures, TV productions and the like. Our region has a lot to offer those who tell stories through visual mediums, and the region's population is always thrilled to see the area we love featured in those productions.
(Thumbs down) Martha Shoffner. Yes, we've offered our thoughts on her before, but her sentencing to 30 months in prison Friday just reminds us how she abused the public trust by accepting bribes to steer state investment to a particular broker. Her attorney argued "vilification" of Shoffner has been "unique and unprecedented." That sometimes happens when public officials use their position to enrich themselves. Shoffner can't have her pie and eat it, too.
Commentary on 08/31/2015