It’s too hot to exert a great deal of energy introducing our weekly approvals and disapprovals regarding the news of the day. So let’s dispense with the formalities and offer this week’s version of our sweaty thumbs.
(down thumb) Those of us of a certain age remember a series of television commercials in which an actor portraying Mother Nature gets upset when the taste of a certain kind of margarine fools her into thinking it’s actually natural butter. When she realizes the deception, she says, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!” This was followed by a loud thunder clap or some other implied natural disaster.
The gag was that when Mother Nature gets upset, look out.
We won’t comment on the veracity of the implied claim about the taste of margarine , but we do recall chuckling at the concept of a ticked off Mother Nature taking it out on us poor humans over such a ridiculous perceived slight.
Whatever it is that’s got the old gal so riled up right now is neither ridiculous nor perceived. The threat of the continuing heat wave and drought punishing much of the U.S. is very real. From heat-related illness and death to stressed power grids to crippling droughts, no American seems immune to Mother Nature’s wrath.
Her anger now seems to include Europe, where heat waves are wreaking a special kind of havoc we in the states have become all too familiar with. And the news reports this week also point out that extreme and lasting drought conditions threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions on the horn of Africa and other parts of the continent.
Any glance at a long-term weather forecast brings little hope that she’s about to calm down any time soon.
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(up thumb) Successful families in Northwest Arkansas continue to give back to the communities here in significant and positive ways. The latest good news comes from the Hunt family, scions of J.B. Hunt, the founder of the Fortune 500 trucking, transportation and logistics business of the same name based in Lowell. A $750,000 endowment to the Salvation Army announced this week will create a new source of income that will support staff salaries and training and programs to aid homeless individuals and others experiencing hardships.
In addition, Jane Hunt, daughter of Johnelle Hunt and the late J.B. Hunt, gave the Salvation Army $250,000 for its area command headquarters and shelter expansion in Fayetteville.
This follows Jane Hunt’s $1 million gift last year to the capital campaign of New Beginnings, a microshelter housing project in Fayetteville consisting of 20 prefabricated homes and a service building for clients experiencing chronic homelessness.
By the way, the Salvation Army’s $1.2 million shelter expansion has also received support from some other prominent folks, such as the Alice L. Walton Foundation, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, the Tyson Family Foundation and the Roberts Family Fund.
Many others also support these worthy causes as well. It says a lot about a community when so many are willing to help friends and neighbors in need.
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(up thumb) Betty Hinshaw’s 25-acre donation to the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust is for the birds — and for the people, too.
The land Hinshaw so generously gave will be restored to its native grassland habitat as a sanctuary for birds such as bald eagles, American goldfinches, Cooper’s hawks, red-tailed hawks and eastern bluebirds. There will be opportunities for hikers to visit the site and see the birds for themselves. Plans are for it to open this fall.
The sanctuary will, appropriately, bear Betty Hinshaw’s name.
It is yet another generous gift that helps preserve the quality of life for residents of the area by protecting its natural wonder and beauty. Marson Nance, director of land stewardship and research for the land trust, had this to say about the Betty Hinshaw Bird Sanctuary:
“I can’t overstate the importance of what Mrs. Betty has done by donating this land … Not only has she preserved a piece of her family legacy, but she has also preserved our natural legacy.”
We agree.
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(up thumb) In yet another act of community support, the Walton Family Foundation donated 60 acres of land in Benton County that could be the location of a new veterans home for the region.
The current Northwest Arkansas veterans home is located in the old Washington Regional Medical Center site at North Street and College Avenue in Fayetteville. It has had its challenges, most recently a one-out-of-five star rating from federal Medicaid regulators. Add to that its less than ideal location: a six-story building, which makes it difficult for residents to move around. It also has no kitchen of its own. Staffing has also been a consistent headache.
That location was the best option when the home was created in 2006, but a new facility designed as a nursing home would serve the residents far better. Enter the Walton Family Foundation with its land donation at the intersection of Stoney Brook Road and Rainbow Road in west Rogers. While the proposed new home would be located in Benton County, it would serve the entire region.
Officials are hoping to secure a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to go along with $15 million pledged from the state to build a 96-bed home on the site. It could be open sometime in 2026 if all goes well. That’s about the time the lease on the current home location is up.
Too often we don’t live up to our obligations to our aging veterans. This would be one way to ensure better care for them and peace of mind for their families.
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(down thumb) Covid just won’t let go. Hospitalization numbers keep climbing as more and more of us fall victim to yet another highly contagious variant of that damnable virus. Vaccines remain the best way to combat covid-19 because, even though it may not prevent all infections, it significantly reduces the severity of the symptoms. Masks in public — especially for those who may have been exposed or who may be susceptible to serious health consequences if infected — are still a good idea even if they’re no longer required.
If there’s any good news in this, it’s that the number of deaths remain relatively low during this latest surge of infections and hospitalizations. The number of vaccinated folks in the world, or folks who acquired immunity after fighting off the blasted thing, contribute to that one good statistic.
So, if you haven’t gotten the shot, you can still be part of the solution.
GIVE ‘EM A THUMB: want to give some brief feedback on the news? Someone who deserves a pat on the back? An idea that needs a dose of common sense? Recommend a “Thursday’s thumb” by calling Greg Harton at (479) 872-5026 or by email at [email protected].