Stories by Greg Harton
RSSCOMMENTARY: A Tripwire In Race For The Cure
SUSAN G. KOMEN GROUP RELENTS AFTER COMING UNDER FIRE WITH ABORTION RIGHTS ADVOCATES
FAYETTEVILLE — The poor Susan G. Komen for the Cure folks seemed a bit shell-shocked last week.
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Drive-By Shooting Reported
SPRINGDALE — Police are investigating a drive-by shooting reported on Braxton Drive on Friday night.
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COMMENTARY: Obama Teeters On Pedestal
PRESIDENT HAS SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DESCENT SINCE ELECTION
FAYETTEVILLE — Just ask President Barack Obama. When he was elected president of the United States, it was easy to recognize the historic nature of his ascendancy. He broke the color barrier that until 2008 preserved the highest office in the land as an all-white boys club. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Local Races Need Roots In Community
CANDIDATES SHOULD HAVE IDEAS FOR FUTURE, VISION FOR ACCOMPLISHING GOALS
FAYETTEVILLE — Newt Gingrich hit a proverbial home run among GOP voters Thursday night with his response to a debate moderator’s question about his ex-wife’s claim he wanted an “open marriage.” Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Newt, Rick, Mitt, Barack Want Our Votes
HOLIDAYS ARE PAST, IT’S A NEW YEAR AND IT’S TIME TO DEVOTE ENERGY TO LEARNING ABOUT CANDIDATES
FAYETTEVILLE — It’s 2012, so whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to start paying attention to presidential politics if you care about the direction of our country. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Dog Brings New Experience To Home
ADDITION OF SPANIEL, CASINO, TO FAMILY MAKES BAD DAYS BETTER AND GOOD DAYS GREAT
FAYETTEVILLE — I can’t tell if my recollection of the little puppies my brothers had when I was a toddler comes from memory or from the photos of them I’ve seen through the years. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: New Year To Be Filled With News
COLUMNIST OFFERS NOSTRADAMUS-LIKE PROJECTIONS FOR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS IN 2012
FAYETTEVILLE — With Christmas now past and the new year approaching, one can readily expect local residents to begin the longtime tradition of making predictions for the coming year. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Group Targets Preschool
USE OF PUBLIC MONEY WITHIN FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS DEBATED
FAYETTEVILLE — How much faith is too much? That’s a question facing the Arkansas Department of Human Services as it reacts to the folks from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Anonymity Often Unnecessary
LETTER WRITERS SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID TO SHARE THEIR VIEWS — AND THEIR NAMES
FAYETTEVILLE — When I went to my office mailbox one day last week, inside sat one of those mysterious envelopes I almost always guess contains a rant of some sort.
I’m usually right. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Can We Be Friends With People Who Oppress?
FINDING COMMONALITY IS ONLY WAY THAT CAN LEAD TO CIVIL TALKS ABOUT SERIOUS DIFFERENCES
FAYETTEVILLE — More times than I can count, I’ve gotten a call from a local school or an organization at the University of Arkansas seeking newspaper coverage of a planned international festival or cultural fair. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Let’s Not Forget Sportsmanship
TRY TO HOLD YOUR BOOS; GOOD BEHAVIOR OFTEN ABOUT RESPECTFULLY DISAGREEING WITH EACH OTHER
FAYETTEVILLE — For some reason, shows such as “American Idol” and its Simon Cowell fraternal twin “The X Factor” draw me in every season.
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COMMENTARY: Being Different Is Dirty Job
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS REQUIRE SACRIFICE, DETERMINATION
FAYETTEVILLE — A great aspect of being dad to a couple of boys is the opportunity to be involved again with the Boy Scouts of America.
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COMMENTARY: ASU Visit Opportunity For Feedback
ADVICE TO STUDENTS: ENJOY RIDE
FAYETTEVILLE — The opportunity to visit the ol’ alma mater had come up once or twice before, but the trip to Jonesboro just never seemed to work out until last week. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Smoother Sailing Ahead
CITY BEGINNING TO SEE EVIDENCE OF BRIGHTER ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
FAYETTEVILLE — Last Monday, I spotted an army of gremlins and goblins skulking around my neighborhood looking for their ration of candy. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Perfect Halloween Costume Search Elusive
STATE OF THE ECONOMY, APOCALYPSE, POLITICS INSPIRE IDEAS FOR SPOOKY HOLIDAY DRESS
FAYETTEVILLE — Like everyone else, I’ve thought a lot lately about what I wanted to be for Halloween. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Congress Should Move Toward Solutions
COUNTRY NEEDS POLITICAL LEADERS READY TO DISMANTLE SOME OF THE BROKEN SYSTEM
FAYETTEVILLE — Few people in Northwest Arkansas have heard of Dennis Cardoza. He’s a Democratic congressman from California, so it’s easy for him to get lost in the sheer volume of lawmakers in that state.
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COMMENTARY: Slogans Don’t Make Good Government
PEOPLE SHOULD GO BEYOND A SIMPLE CATCH PHRASE IN ORDER TO ADVANCE THEIR CAUSE
Protect the rainforests.
Abortion kills.
Jesus saves.
Save the environment.
War is terrorism. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Sport Adores Its Decades Of History
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DELIVERS GREAT MOMENTS OF VICTORY, REFUELS OUR OWN EXPECTATIONS
FAYETTEVILLE — Anyone who follows Major League Baseball, even from the periphery, knows that it’s a sport that adores its history. Continue reading...
PEOPLE & PLACES
Williams Marks 98th Birthday Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Finding Leadership Difficult
LESS NOISE, MORE GRACE NEEDED IN THE AGE OF INTERNET CONVERSATION
FAYETTEVILLE — At least once every few days — and sometimes it seems with increasing frequency — someone in our newsroom gets a message through a social media site or email that is unnecessarily nasty. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Science, Religion Often Seek Same Answers
PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM SHOULD TEACH STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY, INDEPENDENTLY
FAYETTEVILLE — I miss Pluto. Now wait. Before anyone gets all upset that something tragic happened to Mickey’s dog, rest assured he’s just as lovable as ever. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: How Should We Remember 9/11?
REAL TESTAMENT TO FALLEN IS DEVOTING OURSELVES TO MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE
FAYETTEVILLE — If you’re honest about it, would you say that you’re sick of Sept. 11? In the last week or two, the nation has been bombarded with 10-year-anniversary shows and newspaper packages to mark the terrible events many of us witnessed via television a decade ago. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Library Board Casts Shadow Over City Gem
CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESIGNATION LEAVE MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
FAYETTEVILLE — The book that tells the glorious story of the Fayetteville Public Library has, at least for the moment, been misfiled under “mysteries.”
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COMMENTARY: Justice Still In Question
WEST MEMPHIS THREE CASE STILL LEAVES SOME SEEKING ANSWERS
FAYETTEVILLE — The press conferences in Jonesboro about the West Memphis Three case Friday didn’t provide the answer everyone wanted to hear. Did the three men released from prison kill three 8-year-old boys back in 1993? Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: The Salesman Can’t Find Buyers
OBAMA’S BEST DAY AS PRESIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN THE DAY OF HIS INAUGURATION
FAYETTEVILLE — President Barack Obama may be right when he says Americans voted for divided government, not dysfunctional government. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Middle Ground Hard To Spot
CONSERVATIVE-TO-LIBERAL SPECTRUM NOT FULL DESCRIPTION
FAYETTEVILLE — It had long perplexed me that the conventional wisdom developed in the political world over the years didn’t quite add up to my own experiences. The notion, advanced by those who had their own political goals, was that people on the conservative end of the political spectrum were closed-minded ideologues. The folks on the opposite end, the idea went, were refreshing in their open-minded acceptance of varied viewpoints. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Simple Questions Have Value In Public Arena
POLITICIANS COULD LEARN MUCH BY ASKING FOR EVEN THE MOST BASIC INFORMATION
FAYETTEVILLE — The other day, Fayetteville city staff leaders approached the City Council with a pre-emptive strike of sorts.
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COMMENTARY: Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
PUBLIC DISPLAYS CAN BE A CHALLENGE, LEAD TO POLITICALLY TREACHEROUS TERRITORY
FAYETTEVILLE — There, in a nicely landscaped public area in Burien, Wash., she squats. Made of bronze, the woman in contemplation peers downward in an area visited by kids and adults. Until recently, her nude form was displayed in an art gallery. Now, her fully-exposed anatomical form greets visitors to a privately-owned but open-to-the-public property just next door to the community’s new library. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Murder Becomes Entertainment
WHEN DID ANTHONY TRIAL BECOME A NATION’S ENJOYMENT?
FAYETTEVILLE — Sometimes Google provides a little more insight than its complex algorithms and data classifications likely intend.
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COMMENTARY: Youth Baseball A Teaching Tool
HARTON KIDS JOIN A LONG TRADITION OF SPORTS PARTICIPATION
FAYETTEVILLE — As Chico Escuela used to tell Jane Curtain, “baseball been bery, bery good to me.” Continue reading...
Politicians Play Blame Game
FAILURE EVIDENT ON BOTH SIDES
FAYETTEVILLE — Now we know why budget-cutting isn’t something government does so well. The prime example was last week’s melee over the cut in funding to foster parents across Arkansas who take in children who have special needs. Continue reading...
Motorists Get Attention
POLICE POSITION TRAFFIC PATROLS IN KEY AREAS IN CITY
When it comes to automobiles and driving in Fayetteville, there was a time in the not-too-distant past in which I never really worried about being pulled over during the course of a normal day. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Palin Email Released
REQUEST FOR MESSAGES FROM STATE OF ALASKA DATES BACK TO 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — I’m so glad I had never heard of Sarah Palin before John McCain plucked her from relative obscurity to become his vice presidential candidate in 2008. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Baseball Gives Back Much
LOVE OF GAME, CARDINALS TRANSCENDS JUST A SPORTING EVENT
FAYETTEVILLE — A little more than a week ago, I ventured to Kansas City to catch one of the greatest teams in all of baseball in action. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Dalai Lama Raises Questions
TIBETAN LEADER’S ANSWERS PROMPT DESIRE FOR MORE DEPTH
FAYETTEVILLE — I’m no Buddhist, but it certainly appeared during the Dalai Lama’s short time in Fayetteville last week that his presence was very meaningful to those who practice the religion, while others appreciated the opportunity to see the major figure in Buddhism today right here in Northwest Arkansas.
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COMMENTARY: The Hunt For Bin Laden
FILLING IN THE BLANKS OF TERRORIST NETWORK LEADER’S DEATH
FAYETTEVILLE — We’ll perhaps never know precisely how the entire episode surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden went down. President Barack Obama has now declared he will not release photographs of the slain leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network, and no doubt many other details will have to wait for the passage of time before the general public gets to fully understand what happened.
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COMMENTARY: Mothers Give So Much
RECENT EVENTS PROMPT REFLECTION ON MATERNAL IMPACT
FAYETTEVILLE — Mother’s Day is Sunday, but events last week put me in a frame of mind to think a lot about moms. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: US Can’t Continue Boundless Spending
TRAIL FUNDING’S TIMING HIGHLIGHTS GOVERNMENT’S FREE-WHEELING APPROACH
FAYETTEVILLE — What if Mayor Lioneld Jordan called a press conference and announced that Fayetteville’s city government would immediately begin building 200 miles of trails, pave every city street and add curbs and gutters to those lacking them, give all city workers $5,000 raises, pay for the health and dental bills of the city’s poorest residents, establish sculptures at all major street intersections, expand the library’s collection by 300,000 volumes, and buy up all properties within 50 feet of waterways so the city could establish riparian zones to protect the drinking supply? Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Is There Cash In Tiny Town Of Dyess
FAMED SINGER’S BOYHOOD HOME IN ARKANSAS WORTH PRESERVING; BENEFIT CONCERT SET FOR AUG. 4
FAYETTEVILLE — If you ever want to get to Dyess, just go to Lepanto and turn east. What? OK, perhaps those directions aren’t quite enough to get you there. For most of us, Dyess is one of those locations never seen because it’s not on a major federal or state highway. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Can We Shut Down Politicians?
POLITICAL MANIPULATION REFLECTION OF COLOSSAL FAILURE
FAYETTEVILLE — Are you worried about the federal government shutting down? If you are, maybe that’s a bit of an indication that you rely too much on the government. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Spring Break Trip A New Adventure
VACATION ATTEMPT TURNS INTO ARKANSAN REUNION
FAYETTEVILLE — Sometimes, no matter how far one travels, home has a way of finding you. I suppose that’s particularly true on spring break, when a good many folks from around Fayetteville ventured across the country for their own versions of fun. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Boys Explore Great Outdoors
DANGEROUS ADVENTURE COMES TO HARTON FAMILY’S BACKYARD
A couple of years back, a friend of mine who is the proud dad to a couple of great little girls introduced me to a book he found entertaining.
It is called “The Dangerous Book for Boys.” Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Defining An Icon Not An Easy Task
FAYETTEVILLE LOSES SOME OF ITS UNIQUE FLAVOR WITH BUSINESSMAN’S DEATH
FAYETTEVILLE — What makes an icon?
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COMMENTARY: A River Ran Through It
STREAMSIDE ORDINANCE DEBATE REFLECTS DEEPER CURRENTS, DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES
FAYETTEVILLE — By the 7-1 vote, it might be hard to tell the Fayetteville City Council represents a population fairly evenly split on how far the mayor and aldermen should go when imposing the will of government on the people they’re elected to serve. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Sticking With ‘Go Hogs’ Makes Sense
FERVENT, YET IRRATIONAL, RAZORBACKS FANS CRY ABOUT STATE OF PELPHREY’S TEAM
FAYETTEVILLE — Some of Arkansas' most fervent, though not necessarily rational, Razorback fans are pumping themselves up for the Big Game.
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COMMENTARY: Athletes Move On After Games Are Done
SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL CAREERS SOMETHING TO CHEER
FAYETTEVILLE — Most of us have seen the commercial.
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COMMENTARY: Economy Gets A Snow-Covered Boost
RETAILERS, TOWING COMPANIES BENEFIT FROM WEATHER
FAYETTEVILLE — All in all, the winter storm of 2011 wasn't too bad.
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COMMENTARY: Fayetteville’s Got A Square Deal
PROTESTS AROUND THE WORLD FIND A COMMON HOME IN CITIES’ HEART AND SOUL
FAYETTEVILLE — Last week's winter weather made for a kind of disjointed week. For everyone, best-laid plans got turned upside down. People who are usually interviewed for reporters' stories were not at work. Meetings that were scheduled at one point were canceled hours later because of road conditions.
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COMMENTARY: Let’s Not Outlaw Compassion
A BAN ON PUBLIC SERVICES WON’T END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, DESPITE ATTEMPTS
FAYETTEVILLE — It comes as no surprise that when the elected lawmakers of Arkansas get together in Little Rock, someone is going to start in on the illegal immigrants in the state. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Hacking Exposes Moral Breach
FAYETTEVILLE MAN ACCUSED IN AT&T SECURITY THEFT INCIDENT
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville in a small way last week momentarily became the front line of the battle against online thievery.
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