Stories by Mike Masterson

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: More death by pit I reassure readers that I'll not be dissuaded from continuing to write about people and their gentle pets being maimed and killed by dangerous unrestrained large dogs. I'll never understand an... October 1, 2023

OPINION I MIKE MASTERSON: Hunters benefit hungry About 24 years ago, an idea began to percolate in Bob Barringer's brain. Isn't that how all great visions begin?To Barringer it made sense for his group, Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry (A... September 30, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Slobs in Senate I awoke the other day thinking of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's decree last week that senators could dress on the Senate floor like garage mechanics, sanitation workers or perhaps summer... September 26, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Teachers claim defamation A Jonesboro couple who accused conservative local public school teachers Nancy Best and Cindi Talbot of treasonous and criminal behavior (along with much more) after the teachers attended the Jan. 6. ... September 23, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: UK bans breed After public outrage following a series of savage and sometimes fatal attacks, American XL bully dogs bred from pit bulls soon will be banned in the United Kingdom because of their "danger to our... September 19, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: The public spoke The rushed "emergency" attempt by members of our Republican-led Legislature last week to demolish much of the state's venerable Freedom of Information Act of 1967 was only partially succ... September 17, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Faking ‘systemic racism’ It doesn't take many stories like this to make me wonder about studies that flow from so-called experts. And that's a shame.Eric Stewart was a star criminology professor at Florida State Unive... September 16, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Nice walk spoiled Mary Barren, who lives in the Hillsborough area of west Little Rock, decided to take a walk through her neighborhood one pleasant evening a while back, something she'd done many times before.She h... September 10, 2023

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Costly ‘Goon Squad’ I'll begin this morning by emphasizing that I'm a strong supporter of police and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to enforce our laws and keep us safe. We rely heavi... September 9, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Close encounter Editor's note: Mike Masterson is taking the day off. The original version of this column was published Nov. 01, 2014.The death of former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee triggered vivi... September 5, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: The people’s law My favorite FOIA attorney "bulldog" Joey McCutchen of Fort Smith recently penned an opinion piece for Talk Business and Politics. With their permission, I'm sharing much of it with you t... September 3, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: The master of her fate Daughter Anna turned 46 last week after a difficult and troublesome life during her high-hormone teenage years. After dropping out of high school and having a child while she was still one herself, al... September 2, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Growing trend There's a chance in the not-too-distant future, if you're hanging around a major Southern city or on the open highway one evening, you'll happen across a mile-long caravan of low-slung, th... August 29, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: In her own yard Jeane Bennett of Blytheville went into her backyard on June 3 about 6:15 p.m., just as she had done countless times over the decades.The 93-year-old great-grandmother who loved gardening and mowing he... August 27, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON:TWA 800 and a dream After watching a story last week about the mysterious crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 27 years ago and recalling my brother's strange and detailed dream about that disaster, I decided to ... August 26, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: On vicious dogs I heard from a slew of voices statewide about my recent column about a Pulaski County court awarding Marcus and Jo Ann Higgins of Maumelle $1.2 million after he was attacked and mauled in his own fro... August 22, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Ill-advised raid A First Amendment dispute between the Marion County Record weekly newspaper in the small community of Marion, Kan., and its police chief who raided the paper's newsroom and publisher's home Au... August 20, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: An expensive lesson A Maumelle man learned how expensive it can be to set his pit bull mixes free to maim a neighbor and kill the family's beloved Jack Russell terrier mix.Court records show Paul Stehley was ordered ... August 19, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Disparate voices Mayors and city councils alike across our state should take heed of a First Amendment lawsuit resolved in Paragould recently. It's illegal for city government to prevent a citizen from addressing ... August 15, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Struggling for survival Some of my favorite restaurant chains have either cut back or shuttered many of their locations over the past three years thanks to the covid pandemic and bad fortune. I have many fond memories of goo... August 12, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: For good or ill Editor's note: Mike Masterson is taking the day off. The original version of this column was published Dec. 28, 2013.It's interesting in this craft of publishing facts and opinions how printed... August 8, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Farewell, friend I liked Lou Ann Moles from the day I met her as a sophomore at Harrison High School.Born on Nov. 2, 1946, she was five weeks older than me, and although she was a year ahead in school, you'd never... August 6, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Witnesses validate UFOs It took 66 years, but I've lived long enough to have my mid-1950s experience validated, and under oath.Testimony by three military veterans appearing last week before Congress to validate the exis... August 5, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Doctors sued This was bound to happen when children and young people are either subject to the misguided decisions of their parents or are too young to understand the possible tragically consequences of undergoing... August 1, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: In the ‘Heartland’ If you're anything like us, you enjoy binge-watching an entertaining television series through a streaming service. I'm sure our age has a lot to do with our preferences.Over the years we'... July 30, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Beware the alpha-gal Most of us know we can suffer for a lifetime with Lyme Disease after being bitten once by an infected tick.But I doubt many readers know that tick (and now even suspected chigger) bites also are causi... July 29, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Appeals to God An insistent reader is $5 poorer today after betting me our founding documents made no reference to faith or God.I'd told him that wasn't how I recalled it. So I re-read the Declaration of Ind... July 25, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Troubled nation Ever wonder how we separate truth from untruth in this troubled society? How do we know the sky is blue and clouds are white without looking? But what if every human except for one among us couldn&#39... July 23, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Pit bull savagery A 6-year-old Florida boy died earlier this month after being mauled by his family's pit bull mix; doctors at two hospitals had labored in vain to save him.The child, from North Port in Sarasota Co... July 22, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Some perspective We packed our bags and left the Ozarks bound for UAMS in Little Rock last week where I experienced three sessions of swallow therapy with Dr. James Suen, the surgeon who saved my life with a seven-hou... July 18, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Déjà vu, again Some readers may recall my previous column about the investigative series we published at the Arizona Republic in 1988 about how many sane elderly residents of nursing homes across America were regula... July 16, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: The unlikely blockbuster It took two days, but we finally were able to purchase a couple of seats against the rear wall of the sold-out Golden Ticket theater in Harrison.I'll bet half of Boone County began lining up to se... July 15, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: A reader speaks I appreciate readers who recognize the value to public transparency of our Freedom of Information Act. One recent transplant to Fayetteville from Texarkana, where he served on the Texarkana, Ark., Boa... July 11, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: FOIA issue solved Attorney General Tim Griffin is bound to be be one happy fella when he learns of changes to our state's Freedom of Information Act last session. Last month Griffin said he'd organized an advis... July 9, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Memories of a journey How can 47 years possibly have passed since I bid the newsroom staff at the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record farewell in the parking lot, climbed behind the wheel of the Coachmen Motor Home, tuned the key ... July 8, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Our values crisis A crisis in values and morality occurs when the practices of a society depart from long-cherished values. When there is a general acceptance of lies, rudeness, corrupt practices and unethical activiti... July 4, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: A dying art Editor's note: A version of this column was originally published July 28, 2013.I regret to report that I believe society has all but lost the art of carrying on something as simple as genuine con... July 2, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Behind closed doors In following up on Attorney General Tim Griffin's recent announcement that he's appointed an informal "advisory group" to meet secretly before offering suggestions for "moderniz... July 1, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Colorful peddler Editor's note: The original version of this column was published Sept. 28, 2013.It was all but impossible to stroll past Rev. Ray Masterson and his assistance dog, Dawson, on the streets of Santa ... June 27, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Extending lives The upside to having a dog is they become part of your family. In some ways, the love we experience for them as we nurture their lives is akin to what we feel for a child. Plus, it's true they pro... June 25, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: FOIA meetings in secret Attorney General Tim Griffin's recent announcement that he's creating an advisory "bipartisan working group" to make suggestions to him for modernizing, updating and improving our Fr... June 24, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Basia’s courage There are likely none alive today with the incredible history of 93-year-old Barbara "Basia" Berner of Bella Vista, who was born in Poland and living with her family in Warsaw on Sept. 1, 19... June 20, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Keeping my cool That time of the year has rolled around again. Storms blow through on short notice, triggering erratic weather and tornado warnings, grass seems to grow two inches every other day, and air conditionin... June 18, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: ‘Blow them away’ News of thieves openly ransacking retail clothing stores and larger drug stores in America's big cities without being stopped or arrested in today's chaotic society reminded me of January 1982... June 17, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Personal growth I was able to learn many life lessons between the late teen years and becoming a good-timing grandpa.In the process I slowly morphed from being a largely self-centered young man into realizing that ev... June 13, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: A vet’s odyssey It's May 25, 2003. Eighty-one-year-old World War II veteran Joseph Plachy straps on a backpack, grabs his walking cane and gently latches his front door for his planned 670-mile walk to visit his ... June 11, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Back on the outside A few months back, a 71-year-old Michigan man was released from a life sentence without parole after serving decades in prison for a 1990 double murder he didn't commit.Thus continued the constant... June 10, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Feeling peevish I unleashed torrents of feelings a while back by asking readers to share their pet peeves. It began by listing a several of my own and asking who else had some to offer.So today, here are some of my v... June 6, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: In memories, life On Memorial Day weekend I wrote about honoring family members and veterans laid to rest in the scenic and historic Maplewood Cemetery above Harrison.The hour I spent wandering alone among the thousand... June 4, 2023

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Crypto mine caves in Members of the Harrison Planning Commission tossed the hot potato that was Green Digital's application for a crypto-mining conditional use permit to the City Council the other day, only to have th... June 3, 2023