Stories by Mike Masterson

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Ignore downers This life experience we share is filled with ups and downs of every shape and form. Such fluctuations go with the territory of steadily hiking through the meadows and briars. That said, perhaps, like... August 3, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Death of respect The demise of mutual respect continues spreading across this nation that once prized the invaluable quality as highly as it did integrity, honesty and the reliability of one's character. That matters.... August 1, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Androids in our future (Note: The original version of this column appeared in 2019. The topic has only become more relevant since then). Consider how technology has changed our lives in only a few decades. Online streaming... July 31, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Free to question Surely by now, everyone has noticed those in today's America who seek to further divide us to enhance their own political power and erase our constitutional right to express legitimate doubts and ques... July 27, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Popularity soars Thinking about teaching your children at home? Join the crowd. The mainstream popularity of homeschooling, largely fueled by covid disruption, growing parental concerns over politicized public school... July 25, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Objectivity unattainable? It is telling and concerning that some faculty members with the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill would have problems with the word "objectivity... July 24, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: 'Baptism' scandal Good folks in Huntsville remain angry over the way their school board failed to uphold suggested punishments for five male students involved in sexually harassing junior high athletes in their locker ... July 20, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: A judge, finally Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, his law partner Chip Sexton and UALR law professor Robert Steinbuch had the darnedest time trying to find a circuit judge to hear the Freedom of Information Act cas... July 18, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Life with Benji When last we left discussions of our 12-pound rescue, Benji was in the process of methodically claiming every room of our house as his own. After 15 months together, he's also incorporated our daily r... July 17, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: All in the name The controversy over quietly renaming an endowed professorship to honor Bill Clinton at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen Law School has provided fodder for legal blogs and now prompte... July 13, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Snake-bite savior It was a summer's afternoon more than a decade ago; 22-year-old Frankie McCroskey had grabbed his spinning rod and headed for a stream south of Springfield where he planned to enjoy tranquil hours wad... July 11, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: The world's doormat When I embraced journalism as my chosen career, the lessons repeatedly drilled into my skull involved the need for fairness, objectivity, context, perspective and disclosing truth (as best as could be... July 10, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Checker, please Attention Walmart shoppers, I believe I've experienced the future for the retail behemoth's customers. I also predict there are those who won't be all that excited. In fact, a tongue-in-cheek social ... July 6, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Seeing greens Those atop the pyramid at North Arkansas College have planted two programs destined to blossom in coming years into professionally maintained golf courses and manicured recreational fields. I realize... July 4, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Clarifying a clarification All too often in life, things aren't as simple to explain as some would have us (or themselves want to) believe, especially in our highly partisan 2021 America. Take, for instance, the brief clarific... July 3, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Honoring vets The sky was robin’s egg blue peppered with pearl clouds when Sarah Huckabee Sanders breezed in and out of Harrison last week. She’d been invited by veterans groups to address and meet the community’s ... June 29, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Tee time Watching the U.S. Open played last weekend at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif., carried me back to 1980 when I and three fellow Los Angeles Times reporters played there. Our problem was n... June 27, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Flap over 'Clinton' change In 1999 the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen Law School established an endowed professorship called the "Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy." It's since been available for a... June 26, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Ugly in Huntsville News out of Huntsville ought to make every parent of a junior-high male athlete cringe in disbelief. My son is 50 years old and it made me wince. Two junior high players admitted to performing so-cal... June 22, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Igniting reform I believe, more than ever in this troubled nation, that stories of good works--particularly by the emerging generation--should be hoisted high into the light of public awareness in hopes their deeds w... June 20, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: 'Rendezvous with destiny' Here's an abridged version of President Ronald Reagan's 1964 televised speech, "A Time for Choosing." I felt today's readers and their offspring might find relevance in what our yet-to-be president sa... June 19, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: For transparency Lock away the computers and hide your pets, city fathers. Fort Smith's bulldog barrister Joey McCutchen is back in search of transparency. This time he's filed not one suit, mind you, but two against... June 15, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Nothing to fear I'm assuming you have one, and probably your kids, too. After all, don't we all have a cell phone by now? My friend Danny Timbrook reminded me the other day that those who fear taking the vaccine to ... June 13, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Controversy vs. core values Should society continue to embrace traditional journalistic values of objectivity, accuracy and fairness, as described in the Statement of Core Values published daily in this newspaper (and 10 others ... June 12, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Exploring death We published a story the other day by Ruth Graham of The New York Times in which she quoted Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble's view of death as an opportunity to reflect on our limited lives. Headlined ... June 8, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Banking on gold It's been said that some folks' misfortune can be the risk-taking entrepreneur's gain. John Bloemeke and Jeremy McMinn are busy proving that adage with their emerging Golden Ticket movie theater chain... June 6, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Filming in Harrison My hometown of Harrison has been abuzz of late as a production company began filming the faith-based movie "Running the Bases." It's not often a film crew shows up in this community of 13,000 to fuel... June 5, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Lunker of a day Ihave always nurtured a passion for fishing, usually wading a creek or river, sometimes in a lake. There is something about watching the monofilament tighten, setting the hook, and reeling in a large ... June 1, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Fun and friends After decades of swinging golf clubs in untold tournaments, I thought I'd experienced every format. After all, there have been the scrambles, shambles, four-balls, individual stroke and match play, co... May 30, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: State can do better I thought you might find it as unfortunate yet interesting as I do that our state unfortunately fared poorly when compared with the others in personal finance website WalletHub's latest report and its... May 29, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Drawing a line It's reassuring to see a governor stand behind law enforcement and the laws of his state when it comes to cracking down on those who enter his state with plans to criminally riot, loot, burn and harm ... May 25, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: A tree in time Kenneth Hubbard Jr., O.D., a widely respected optometrist with Harrison's Heartland Eye Clinic, flicked off the overhead lights and flashed another at close range into my eyes. He was searching for po... May 23, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Back to Bull Shoals The rhythm of Bull Shoals Lake lapping against the houseboat in Coffman Cove was enough to make me drowsy, as four of us from the Harrison High School Class of 1965 reunited for our 24th spring to ann... May 22, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Keep it in wallet A movement that began in earnest five years ago in some states, seeking to move driver's licenses from our wallets into our cell phones, has since been gaining steam. What could possibly go wrong wit... May 18, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Dark into light As most of us recognize should we spend enough years on this planet, there are events in our lives that can't be explained, even by medical professionals. Readers know I've come to call these phenome... May 16, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Cheer medical innovation I've been spending considerable time lately on padded treatment recliners in dentist and dermatology clinics. It's all part of my war on the inevitable physical ailments bent on overwhelming me as I a... May 15, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Court reversal What in the name of rudimentary jurisprudence was up with Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox's initial refusal--then sudden agreement--to allow a reporter into his hearing last Friday? His reversal... May 11, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Some wisdom The wise have learned information gleaned from social media is often suspect. Yet I occasionally discover undeniable truths posted there. The deceptive allure of socialist government has increasingly... May 9, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Big peace at Big Cedar Some enjoy escaping the seemingly endless covid grind with a two-week cruise. Others prefer road trips to attractions in and around major cities, or perhaps an all-inclusive island resort with steel d... May 8, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Signaling virtue We're hearing plenty in the national media of the phrase "virtue signaling." I consider it a euphemism for a person or company that holds itself up as an example of righteous superiority over other A... May 4, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Prince of Gilbert May presents an opportunity to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. I can't imagine a more appropriate tribute than remembering the positive influences one developmentally disabled man from Gilbert... May 2, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: John Paul's legacy I happened across the following column from September 2011 about the official papers of my late uncle John Paul Hammerschmidt, the 13-term congressman from the 3rd District, having been delivered to t... May 1, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: A cruel world Little wonder I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 25 years ago. Any person who's loved bacon and sugar across a lifetime can't expect to be named the poster boy for dietary nutrition. And according ... April 27, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: How we oughta be "There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others."--Mandy Hale Imagine a family of next-door neighbors that would make the Brady Brunch, the P... April 25, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Forgoing transparency Don't the voting, taxpaying citizens of our state deserve to know who living outside our state is paying to influence who is elected to our state Supreme and Appeals courts? Of course we should know ... April 24, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Coming home During the coast-to-coast career years in cities ranging from San Diego to Phoenix, Chicago, Ohio and New Jersey, I frequently would lapse into longing for the charms of my native Arkansas. Sure, the... April 20, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Getting squirrelly Since my semi-historic bird-feeder wars of more than a decade past, I've harbored a negative impression of squirrels. I didn't appreciate the way they could outsmart me, even after I tried every imag... April 18, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Godspeed, young Conrad Jeanetta's mid-20s granddaughter, Kylie, had just started her job as a nurse in Joplin. She'd found an ideal little home to rent, and her partner, Conrad Tyrrell, was preparing to join her from Fayett... April 17, 2021

OPINION | MIKE MASTERSON: Avoiding disaster As the season for pools, rivers, creeks and beaches approaches, I feel the need to republish this cautionary piece each spring, as my mind invariably turns to that terrible June afternoon when I turne... April 13, 2021

OPINION | MASTERSON ONLINE: Abandoned truth The Bible says truth will set us free. If that's the case, I'm surprised many across the planet nowadays aren't bound in chains in the darkest dungeon. Figured that might get your attention this morn... April 11, 2021