Arkansas Times - December 25, 2014 by Arkansas Times

DECEMBER 25, 2014 / ARKTIMES.COM / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT + FOOD

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ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Will Stephenson

Saturday, December 27

The American Princes

Monday, December 29

Bonnie Montgomery (Full band)

Tuesday, December 30

Big Boss Line w/ The Suffer Jets

Wednesday, December 31

New Years Eve: Cory Branan w/ Tyler Childers

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VOLUME 41, NUMBER 16 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, Suite 200, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, 201 EAST MARKHAM STREET, SUITE 200, Little Rock, AR, 72201. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

COMMENT

Praise for Broadway I was a college professor for about 20 years at three colleges, two in Arkansas. In eight years on the Arkansas House of Representatives Education Committee in the 1970s, I observed and interacted with directors of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. In the 1980s as chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission I followed their successors with interest and some interaction. While working with USAID in four foreign countries I kept up with ADHE. Eventually, in Gov. Mike Huckabee’s administration, I went to work with ADHE as associate director for research and policy. Thus I have a little perspective to evaluate Shane Broadway in comparison with his predecessors. He is the best in a long line of capable directors. The best. Robert Johnston Little Rock

Celebrating the brave I’d like to take this time of year to celebrate all the Arkansans who have shown the courage and audacity to be themselves despite a lack of support from their local communities. To all the drag queens and bull dykes, the non-gender conforming, the weirdos and the nerds: I celebrate you! To all the un-good-ol’-boys, unRazorback fans, un-hunters and unDuck Dynasty fans: I celebrate you! To all the un-religious and irreligious: the un-Mike Huckabees, unRonnie Floyds, un-Bob Ballingers and un-Jason Raperts: I celebrate you! To all the un-white heteronormative privileged: the un-Susie Everetts and un-Mike Mastersons: I celebrate you! To all the losers, whether in love, economics or life: I celebrate you! To all those plagued by conscience, inner demons, doubt or indecision: I celebrate you! To all those who have fallen between the cracks of Arkansas society and culture: I celebrate you, wish you goodwill and raise you up to the arms of the universe and good fortune! May 2015 be your best year ever! Brad Bailey Fayetteville

Back to the Stone Age I’ve been thinking about this for some time now, and I think it’s time that America get more aggressive in our effort to rid this world of the evil embodied in ISIS, the Taliban and that little troll who runs North Korea. Even though I understand and believe 4

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as echoed by Mohandas K. Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am not a pacifist. It seems clear to me that wherever there is no separation between church and state, there is inherent evil and violence. ISIS and the Taliban’s distorted concept of Islam, as well as the beliefs of the North Korean people that their leader, that little monkey, is a God, are examples of this. When groups like ISIS, the Taliban and nations like North Korea continue to act in cruel and barbaric ways, they must be removed from this planet by any means necessary.

I hate violence, and I did not come to this conclusion overnight. But I think the time has come to consider bombing these people back to the Stone Age. As ignorant as they are, it will only set them back a few years, but it may give the rest of us decades of peace and security. Butch Stone Maumelle

From the web Re: the suggestion in the Big Ideas issue (Dec. 18) to keep graduates of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Arkansas:

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Great stuff! As an ASMSA alum (class of ’03, woot woot) and North Little Rock resident, I would love to see Arkansas foster the kind of tech environment that is pulling people to Austin. There are a lot of great things about living in Arkansas, and graduates should be able to stay here and have fulfilling and exciting careers. Dana Vickerson In response to a reader’s criticism that David Koon’s story on the availability of the explosive Tannerite (Dec. 18) was “fear mongering at its best.”: Fear mongering?!? How many U.S. citizens in the last 10 years have been arrested for building/using/threatening to use explosives? Hello! You can go to Sports Authority and buy your premade high explosive in unregulated large quantities, pack a car with it, drive it to the Capitol building or target of choice, and set it off with a cell phone from wherever the F you want! It’s not fear mongering, it’s concern that crazy people do crazy shit with high explosives all the goddamn time and we shouldn’t make it easier for them to kill indiscriminately. Any terrorist with a fake ID or less could buy this without any trouble and how would we find them after? D burn In response to an Arkansas Blog post on legislators and lobbyists ignoring the prohibitions on gifts voted in at the General Election: I doubt it can be accomplished by the first of the year but clearly we need to issue every citizen of Arkansas an electric cattle prod to use on gift whore legislators and pimping lobbyists. See any two together in public or in private and shock the living shit out of both 20 or 30 times and they just might understand what the word ETHICS means. By God, nearly every family has or had someone with a drinking or drug problem and knows of terrible times when he or she slipped out, slipped in and slipped up. Our legislators are addicted to free stuff, probably learned it from Mike Huckabee, and it is our job to make sure the car keys are hid, the doors are locked and there’s no bottles hidden in boots or pills under the mattress. What a sad chore for hardworking people having a hard enough time just keeping the lights on. Are there no honest people? Is there no one in elected office who feels like they have enough? It used to be an honor to be elected by your community. Now it’s a free ticket to free stuff and under-the-table nest feathering. … Get the cattle prods! Let’s make 2015 a year of real change! Deathbyinches

2015 ARKANSAS TIMES

MUSICIANS SHOWC ASE The search is on.

Deadline for Entry JANUARY 1

It’s the return of the annual Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase with performers competing for an array of prizes. All acts that have at least four songs of original material are encouraged to enter. All styles are welcome. ARKTIMES.COM/SHOWCASE

CASH PRIZE TO WINNING BAND! PLUS MUCH, MUCH MORE! 2014 Winner Mad Nomad

ARK ANSA S TIMES MUSICIANS SHOWC A SE ENTRY FORM

Semifinalists will compete throughout January and February at Stickyz.

NAME OF BAND

Weekly winners will then face off in the finals at the Rev Room in March.

HOMETOWN

SEND THIS ENTRY AND DEMO CD TO:

DATE BAND WAS FORMED

Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase 201 East Markham St, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72201

AGE RANGE OF MEMBERS (ALL AGES WELCOME) CONTACT PERSON

ADDRESS

Enter online and upload your music files at showcase.arktimes.com

CITY, STATE, ZIP PHONE

For more info e-mail willstephenson@arktimes.com

E-MAIL

FACEBOOK LINK HAS YOUR BAND ENTERED THE SHOWCASE BEFORE?

❏ YES

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Please attach a band photo.

IF YES, WHAT YEARS?

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

BRIAN CHILSON

EYE ON ARKANSAS

BALLING: Arkansas guard Michael Qualls looks to drive to the goal against Southeast Missouri State guard Jarekious Bradley in second-half action at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014. Arkansas defeated Southeast Missouri State 84-67.

WEEK THAT WAS

Quote of the week “It’s a silly comedy, man. Come on, brother. I hate to see something crushed that way. I hate that for the film company and for those two comedians. Unbelievable. I’d like to show it, but the choice might not be mine at this point.” — Matt Smith, owner of Riverdale 10 and other Central Arkansas theaters, on “The Interview,” the Seth Rogen comedy about killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that Sony Pictures delayed releasing after receiving threats of violence from anonymous Sony web hackers and the refusal of several large theater groups to screen it.

Don’t get it twisted Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen, who writes frequently on police-community relationships, wrote this week on his blog about the slayings of New York police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu as they sat in a patrol car. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a man with a lengthy record of crime and mental instability, left social media comments on recent highly publicized police killings of suspects. Griffen’s key point is an important one: “Brinsley’s murderous conduct was an act of injustice. Let no one mistake that fact (or as young people might say “don’t get it twisted”). Those of us who 6

DECEMBER23, OCTOBER 25,2014 2014 ARKANSAS TIMES ARKANSAS TIMES

denounce and condemn police brutality and racial profiling also denounce and condemn what Brinsley did. It is as wrong to profile and brutalize people in law enforcement as it is wrong for people in law enforcement to profile and brutalize others. All lives matter equally. “It is also wrong for law enforcement leaders (including Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City police union) to attribute Brinsley’s vicious behavior to the legitimate calls for reform and the non-violent protests and acts of civil disobedience that have occurred in recent months. Officers Ramos and Liu were murdered. Their assassination was evil. The people who are protesting abusive and homicidal conduct by police officers know this painfully well. Grief and shock at the murders of Officers Ramos and Liu are no excuse for anyone to blame people who are protesting abusive and homicidal conduct by police.”

Bringing a lot to the table What do you do with a coffee table you’ve paid nearly $4.5 million for? Place it casually in the living room? Put your feet up on it? Sources told a columnist for the online gossip column “In the Air”

By the numbers

Arkansas’s score on a 10-point scale used by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in their report assessing state’s readiness for handling threats of infectious diseases. Arkansas scored the lowest among all states.

The amount of hours, round trip, Little Rock fans of maddening-to-assemble cheap furniture will save once IKEA opens in the fall of 2016 in Germantown, Tenn., outside of Memphis. (The closest IKEA now is in Dallas.) Judging from the social media response to the news, that’s a lot to folks.

2 The number of Arkansas congressmen who condemned President Obama’s announcement on normalizing trade relations with Cuba. They were, perhaps predictably, Sen.-elect Tom Cotton and Rep. Steve Womack. Those who spoke positively of the move included Sen. John Boozman, Gov. Mike Beebe, the Delta Grassroots Caucus, the Arkansas Rice Federation, the Agricultural Council of Arkansas, Riceland Foods, Tyson Foods, Arkansas Farm Bureau and Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Butch Calhoun. on BLOUIN ARTINFO that Walmart heiress Alice Walton was the high bidder for Isamu Noguchi’s glass and laminated rosewood “The Goodyear Table, for A. Conger Goodyear” at “The Collector: Icons of Design” auction Dec. 16 at Phillips, in New York. Walton already owns a Noguchi, “Lunar Landscape,” a wall sculpture on exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. The table, manufactured in 1939, is a little too early to be appropriate for the Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that Walton bought and is moving from New Jersey to the grounds of Crys-

tal Bridges (you can see photographs of the Bachman Wilson House, built in 1954, being dismantled for shipping on the museum’s website, crystalbridges.org). Besides, the house apparently comes with furniture. However, if Walton was looking for tables to fit the style of the Wright home, maybe she also bought at Phillips the teak-veneered “Managing Committee Table,” designed by Balkrishna Doshi and Le Corbusier, 1953-54. The auction house estimated it would sell for $300,000 to $400,000, but the winning bid was $1.8 million. You would definitely not put your drink down on that table.

OPINION

Easy on the pay raises

n independent commission appointed by the governor, legislative leaders and the chief justice began work last week to fulfill part of Issue 3, the constitutional amendment that eased term limits, banned lobbyist gifts to legislators (sort of ) and provided a mechanism for pay raises. The amendment established the commission to give pay raises annually, if warranted. Their pay decisions do not require a legislative vote, thus insulating lawmakers from fallout from raising their own pay. Their recommendations on expenses are only advisory. Legislators, naturally, think they are underpaid. Don’t be so sure. And don’t be misled by official pay of $15,869. First, being a legislator isn’t supposed to be a full-time job. We have a citizen legislature, with a 60-day session (counting weekends) every odd year and a 30-day fiscal session (again counting weekends and supposedly limited to routine budgeting) every even year. There are interim committee meetings but they’ve become

the governor from $87,759 to almost $99,000; the lieutenant governor from $42,315 to $48,472; the secretary of too numerous and state, auditor, treasurer and land comserve increasingly missioner from $54,848 to $61,617; as a way for legisthe attorney general from $73,132 to lators to pad per $82,156, and legislators from $15,869 diem pay suppleto $20,539. ments. LegislaThe commission also will set judges’ MAX tors generally pay. They are already paid well. Circuit BRANTLEY draw $45,000 to judges make $140,372, for example, and maxbrantley@arktimes.com $50,000 a year in associate Supreme Court justices make combined payments. Many of them $149,589. State judge pay ranks 28th in also are drawing $1,000 a month in the U.S., not bad for a state that ranks sham “expenses” paid to spouses as 48th in per capita income. alleged office help. The median household income in The commission got off to a good the state is $40,500, which means more start with suggestions to research the than one worker contributes in many pay in other states and to also be mind- cases. So legislators already take home ful of the consumer price index. more than the median income for a In 1993, voters set pay for state offi- part-time job. Pay isn’t the only factor to be concials commensurate with what they thought elected officials should be paid. sidered. The politicians also qualify The amendment allowed for inflation- for defined benefit pensions. They ary pay adjustments, but politics and are reimbursed for mileage at a rate the economy discouraged increases. far exceeding that paid other state One simple and reasonable way to employees. The per diem payment adjust official pay would be to apply — $144 for out-of-town legislators the consumer price index inflation rate — is untaxed and need not be docuto the 1993 salaries. This would raise mented though it’s supposed to cover

Here’s to Hutchinson, McCain and American revulsion at torture

n Nov. 16, 1776, Gen. George tinental Army and Washington stood on the Jersey the new nation’s Palisades and peered across the leaders, like John Hudson River through his telescope as Adams, who had the British tortured American militiamen helped Jefferson who had surrendered and then put them write the DeclaraERNEST to the sword. Hearing the screams of his tion of IndepenDUMAS men, according to an aide, Washington dence and nomturned and sobbed “with the tenderness inated Washington as commander in of a child.” chief of the army. Adams declared that Washington, no Dick Cheney, vowed “Piety, Humanity, Honesty” were to be that Americans would be different and America’s war policy and its foreign polhe ordered that all prisoners, includ- icy forever. Human rights were the coring captured spies and the soldiers who nerstone of the new nation, the whole tortured Americans and mutilated the premise of the revolution. corpses with their bayonets, be treated One of the first acts of Congress under not as enemies but as humans. After the President Washington was the Alien Tort battle of Princeton, he ordered an offi- Claims Act of 1789, which human-rights cer to take charge of 211 British privates. victims have used ever since to hold “Treat them with humanity,” he directed, people accountable for crimes against “and Let them have no reason to Com- humanity and which bedeviled Cheney plain of our Copying the brutal example and President Bush in the wake of Abu of the British army in their Treatment of Ghraib and revelations of secret torture chambers across the Middle East. our unfortunate brethren.” That became the policy of the revoThe central idea of the Enlightenment lution, embraced by Congress, the Con- was that everyone on earth was entitled

to certain rights as humans, and the Bill of Rights and the 14th amendment said that when anyone on the planet, not just a United States citizen, set foot on American soil he would enjoy those rights. Washington’s alien act extended those rights to people abroad who might be harmed by the inhumane acts of Americans. Washington’s example illumined all our history, but such quaint idealism to many now seems outmoded, unsuited for a struggle against savage Muslim fanatics. As the Cheneys view it, in the fall of 1776 they could afford not to torture spies and combatants because nothing more was at stake than the survival of the new nation. Is it unfair to measure a leader’s patriotism today by the standards of 1776? You can bet that the whimperings of Washington, Adams and the other founders would meet their match in today’s Congress with the likes of Ted Cruz and Arkansas’s own Tom Cotton, who object to even a public discussion of the brutal interrogation of captives in the Afghan and Iraqi wars. The U.S. Senate’s report on CIA interrogation during the early stages of the wars is treated as a political tempest arranged before the new Republican Congress assumes office, but it

real expenses. Legislators also cheat on per diem, claiming it for days the legislature is in session but no one is meeting, such as on weekends. Other expenses — in addition to those nepotistic “expense” payments — can also be submitted. Many take subsidized junkets. They and their families qualify for state health insurance, a solid gold relatively low-cost plan that is generously subsidized (even for those who voted against the private option). And there’s a huge loophole in the new rule that lobbyists may not buy meals for legislators: The amendment included an exception for “scheduled activities.” Lobbyists are feeding lawmakers three meals a day when the legislature is in session and throwing cocktail parties nearly every night. Even a box lunch break for a committee last week was designated a “special event” to qualify for free grub. The commission could make this simple. Recommend that the legislature only reimburse documented official expenses. That’s the rule in private business. And pay? Give politicians precisely what they’ve produced for taxpayers. A 48th place ranking.

is more than that. It is an important way station in the evolution of the American experiment. No event in U.S. history, with the possible exception of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has so stained the image of the one nation on earth that honored individual freedom and humanity as did the graphic revelations of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison that were transmitted around the globe. Sen. Diane Feinstein, chair of the Intelligence Committee, had fought with the CIA and the Obama administration early this year over release of the report, which was the product of hundreds of interviews and a review of more than 6 million CIA documents. She said the “enhanced interrogation” of at least 119 prisoners, who were submitted to waterboarding, sleep deprivation and more violent acts, was a stain on our history and that it was important for the country to admit its wrongs and to show the world that “we really are a just and lawful society.” Eighteen months ago, a nonpartisan, independent review of the secret detentions headed jointly by Democrat James R. Jones and Asa Hutchinson, now Arkansas’s governor-elect, had reached almost identical conclusions though it got muted attention. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

A double tragedy

n another week with more than its share of race-based strain on display across the nation, an Arkansas story was one of the saddest and most frustrating. It involved allegations of wide-scale theft of public dollars by a sponsor and administrators of a summer feeding program for poor children financed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chris Thyer, the federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced last Thursday the indictments of three women involved in a scheme to steal money that should have gone to kids in a program to feed children receiving school lunches during the months that they weren’t in school. The alleged architect of the criminal plan is a former provider of such meals in Helena-West Helena. According to prosecutors, she then paid bribes to two state officials and in return they are alleged to have aided in her crimes in the 76-count indictment. As Thyer put it: “[T]hese three individuals and others were literally stealing money that was supposed to be used to feed poor and hungry children.” Over two decades ago, Thomas and Mary Edsall argued in their sadly timeless book “Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights and Taxes on American Politics” that a variety of social welfare programs became racialized during the Great Society era. Newly expanded federal programs, the taxes that paid for them, and race (because the programs were seen by whites as disproportionately benefiting African Americans) all became linked together in a “chain reaction” that drove the rise of a racial backlash culminating in Reaganism. The Obama era has seen a “chain reaction” redux as a series of social scientific analyses have found that many white voters have seen recent attempts to expand the social safety net through a racial lens, making references to “Barack Obama’s food stamp program” a political winner. The legal process will continue for the women in this case, who are innocent until proven guilty, but devastating damage has already been done as a result of the indictments and subsequent press coverage. Last Friday, it was an AfricanAmerican woman’s de facto “perp walk” down the steps of the federal courthouse that graced the front page of the statewide newspaper. The region of the state in which it occurred further saturates the summer feeding scandal with race. As one Arkansas Blog commentator about the case inelegantly put it in

referencing the president’s 2013 remarks about Trayvon Martin: “[W]hy don’t they have their JAY pictures? o yeah BARTH because their [sic] all black ...wonder if Obama will say these could have been my daughters/ sisters/cousins the $$$ is gone.” Similar comments peppered social media about the case. “Tragedy” is one of the most overused words in modern times. Every sad or violent event is labeled with the term by our 24-hour news culture. But, the events that surfaced this week in this federal indictment are worthy of the term in its classical form (a story in which the protagonist’s inevitable defeat by moral weakness leads to a sorrowful outcome). Because of greed, a transgression that crosses racial lines, racial stereotypes are reinforced just days after a new study finds evidence of persistent implicit racial bias in American whites, particularly those living in close proximity to significant AfricanAmerican populations. Adding to the sorrowful conclusion, the scandal also works to undermine public support for a vitally important summer feeding program delivered through community organizations like those in HelenaWest Helena. Arkansas arguably remains the American state most prone to hunger. According to USDA data, 21.2 percent of Arkansas households were food insecure between 2011-2013 with 8.4 percent categorized as exhibiting “very low food security”; both numbers are the highest across the 50 states. Most at risk are children who rely upon free school lunch programs for a disproportionate number of their meals each year. When those meals go away with the closing of schools for the summer, young people’s hunger becomes more pronounced. In the summer of 2014, an astonishing 3.9 million meals were provided by the 225 Arkansas providers involved in the program, easing hunger for those young people and, because the programs also provide educational programming, reducing the summer learning loss that is at the heart of much of an academic achievement gap that grows across the years for Arkansas’s students. That human avarice may threaten a program the children of Arkansas need so badly is, indeed, a tragedy.

BOOKS FROM THE ARKANSAS TIMES

THE UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS Full of interesting voices and colorful portraits of 17 Little Rock and North Little Rock neighborhoods, this book gives an intimate, block-by-block, native’s view of the place more than 250,000 Arkansans call home. Created from interviews with residents and largely written by writers who actually live in the neighborhoods they’re writing about, the book features over 90 full color photos by Little Rock photographer Brian Chilson.

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Payment: CHECK OR CREDIT CARD Order by Mail: ARKANSAS TIMES BOOKS P.O. BOX 34010, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72203 Phone: 501-375-2985 Fax: 501-375-3623 Email: JACK@ARKTIMES.COM Send _____ book(s) of The Unique Neighborhoods of Central Arkansas @ $19.95 Send _____ book(s) of A History Of Arkansas @ $10.95 Send _____ book(s) of Almanac Of Arkansas History @ $18.95 Shipping and handling $3 per book Name _________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City, State, Zip ___________________________________________ Phone ________________________________________________ Visa, MC, AMEX, Disc # ________________________ Exp. Date _______ www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

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ARKANSAS TIMES

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Hogs over Horns

owl games run the gamut, from the oddball and uninteresting to the compelling and rich (hat tip to Ron Burgundy). It’s hard to imagine how Arkansas-Texas in any scenario would be a yawner, and the AdvoCare Texas Bowl next Monday night is a sellout for the first time in the game’s relative infancy, so the appeal is unquestioned from the regional assessment and even on a broader scale will be embraced. In addition to pitting the rivals of yore against each other in the postseason for the first time since Arkansas turned back the Horns in a 2000 Cotton Bowl rout, the game brings so many subplots into play that we could exhaust all the ink in this issue on those alone. There’s the Charlie Strong factor, the Arkansas product who soldiered his way dutifully through the ranks of coaching to land a plum job, albeit one with recent bruising, and get the Longhorns into a 13th game despite numerous and pronounced hiccups on and off the field. Then you have Bret Bielema, still an unconventional and polarizing choice to helm the Hogs’ resurgence after 24 games under his belt, trying to parlay the team’s wins — Pyrrhic and actual alike — into heavy recruiting momentum and preseason buzz for 2015. Arkansas looks the part of the favorite, accreditation of the conference from which it springs and the fact that it was competitive in all but about 20 to 30 actual game minutes this fall. There again is another subplot: The Big 12, having been rudely but demonstrably walled off from the playoff picture thanks to Bob Bowlsby’s ill-conceived plan to anoint co-champions and omit a league title game, gets a shot to usurp the SEC in a lesser but nonetheless important way. The Hogs, conversely, bear the pressure of trying to exert a measure of league superiority. They had two chances this year to confirm that the West trumped the East and blew both, so now they’ve got to quash any supposition that the power conference debate is still in play. And they also have to show that their offense, which got stymied quite a bit even in victory late in the season, can recapture its most efficient moments. There’s another wrinkle now for the Hogs’ vastly improved defense in the wake of suspensions of Rohan Gaines and Carroll Washington. Josh Liddell will helm the safety spot vacated by Gaines and presumably do well, given his extended field time this fall, and while Washington was heavily relied

upon in nickel packages, he’s not irreplaceable. The more severe test will be Texas’ considerably BEAU varied offensive WILCOX approach, and the challenge that large and mobile quarterback Tyrone Swoopes presents. This is Trey Flowers’ last game-action audition for the NFL and the senior’s overall performance in his final year dictates that he will be eager to leave his stamp on this game, for program pride and longterm economics. Brandon Allen has had the chance to mend from the bangs he sustained to his midsection against Ole Miss, and the subsequent ones against Missouri, and there’s more riding on this one for him than perhaps any other player. Vastly improved from last year, he’s still not a lock to be the starter in 2015 because of the groundswell of quarterbacking talent that’s building below him. The fact is, Allen can and should thrive against the Longhorn defense if Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams can gobble up bigger chunks on the ground. As the season wore on, the 6- and 8-yard gains of September turned into 3- and 4-yard grinds and Allen was often left to convert third-and-long with a thin set of receivers. It’s worth noting that Williams also put in for a draft evaluation, and while this columnist thinks his toughness and receiving skills make him a more viable pro at present than Collins, there’s no denying he could be a tremendous beneficiary of one more year in the twopronged approach. With Korliss Marshall now officially gone, the workload on both backs in 2015 will be sufficient that any NFL team won’t shy away from their capacities as feature backs. So it’s a showcase for many and the first chance the Hogs have had in three years to close out a winning campaign. Pearls did better than expected on the prognostication front this fall, only erring on the Georgia game, so take that into consideration as you wager away your Yuletide fortune. In this one, Flowers and Deatrich Wise wreak havoc in the Longhorn backfield all day, leading to four Texas turnovers, three coming in a decisive second quarter. With Allen calmly throwing for 200 yards and a score and letting Williams and Collins split the remaining quartet, it’s a comfy and happy way back to the Ozarks. Hogs 38, Longhorns 21.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Thankful

his will be the last Observer for 2014, and The Observer has a lot of things to be thankful for in our 40th year on Planet Earth, system Sol, Milky Way Galaxy. That makes this our 40th Christmas, come to think of it, and 40th New Year’s. We’re thankful for that. We’re thankful, belatedly, for our 40th Halloween and 40th Thanksgiving, 40th Memorial Day and 40th National Pancake Day. Our 40th St. Patrick’s Day is still to come, and we plan to tie one on. A warning to local bars: Stock up on Irish whiskey and beer the exact color and viscosity of motor oil. The Observer is ready to party! We’re thankful that the sun has not up and gone supernova. We’re thankful for Junior and Spouse, the two loves of this life. We’re thankful our cat isn’t the size of a liger. Junior asked what would happen if such was the case once, and we told him he was old enough to know the truth: That if Mr. Kitty was suddenly zapped to pony size, he would soon be sleeping off a meal of us in front of the heater vent, our licked skulls scattered nearby so they can be used for paw-batting diversion between naps. Even so, The Observer is thankful for our non-liger-sized cat, unable to eat us and thus content to snore his kitty-cat dreams away on the ottoman by our feet. We’re thankful for pastrami, and spicy mustard, and pepperoncini, though our tum-tum is not. We’re thankful for never taking up smoking. We’re thankful that we don’t have the desire to hang out in opium dens, and that opium dens aren’t really a thing anymore. We’re thankful that we never watched a single, solitary episode of “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo,” from the time it premiered until it was canceled following Mama June’s dalliance with a pedo. Our lust for experience is powerful, sons and daughters, but it has limits. Tobacco, opium and hicksploitation TV shows are apparently it. The Observer is thankful for the rain on the roof of The Observatory. We’re thankful that the waist-thick oak limb that fell on the joint back during the spring delivered only a glancing blow instead of busting her in two like Moby Dick laying into the Pequod. We’re thankful for the

pink Starburst flavor, anchovies and black licorice. Not all at once, mind you. We’re thankful for the dreams of Dad from time to time, 13 years in his grave but still stopping by for a visit every once in a while. In the latest one, we were in a restaurant. He told me that he’d just been appointed a federal judge. When I went to give him a celebratory fist bump, he took my hand and opened it, then held it there on the table between us, between our sweating beers and the salt and pepper shakers, between all the long years of our lives, two fathers we. I am thankful to have known him. I am always thankful to see his face. The Observer is thankful for the following words: steamboat, hoosegow, darling, rutabaga, squirreled, thorough, jumble and poached. We are thankful for our liver, lungs, kidneys and heart, laboring on in the secret dark. We’re thankful for our bed, and the white pane of the ceiling above the bed. Thankful for morning light, and coffee, and sugar for the coffee. Thankful for the bathroom mirror, sink and the unblinking eye of the drain. We are thankful for our sight and hearing, though we know we’d get by without them. We’re thankful for liquor. We’re thankful for the days when snow is forecast, and the way everybody mentally cocks their head on those days, listening for the first flake on the roof. Thankful for seeing boats far out on the water, and for the feeling of wishing we were in those boats, just for a second, and thankful a moment later that we’re not. We’re thankful we are who we are, the sum of a thousand transactions. We’re thankful for the vocal stylings of Miss Billie Holiday and for “Norwegian Wood.” Thankful for pianissimo, for “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” “Holy Diver” and a bunch of late ’80s hair metal that’s too embarrassing to name here. We’re thankful for the inclined plane, the lever and wheel. We’re thankful we’re not one of those poor bastards who live simultaneously in the shining future and the bitter past. And The Observer is thankful for you, friend. Yes, you. The one and only. We’re thankful to be alive and above ground, so that we can say this: We’re thankful you’re still around. Best wishes in 2015.

WE KNOW THE PEOPLE. WE KNOW THE PLACES. WE ARE FLAKE & KELLEY.

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S ID ER

Hog-slopping continues Despite a new constitutional amendment that banned lobbyist freebies for legislators, special interest groups have lined up to provide three free meals a day to legislators during orientation for the 90th Arkansas General Assembly. The new law allows food or drink to be provided “at a planned activity to which a specific governmental body is invited.” The lobbyists and legislators have been using the fig leaf that these were special events and that all members of the legislature were invited. Yes, you heard right. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are now special legislative events. Last week, a lunch break was decreed a special event for purposes of pushing some free food down legislative gullets by a special interest lobby. This arose at a joint meeting of the City, County and Local Affairs Committee. Sen. Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View) was chairing the meeting. She recessed for a five-minute break so legislators could eat a boxed lunch provided by the Association of Arkansas Counties. Irvin said the serving of freebies was not her idea nor solicited by her, but worked out by the Association of Arkansas Counties, which had business before the committee (counties want more money), and the Bureau of Legislative Research. It was advice from both those entities that a free lunch was permissible, she said. Well, sure. Ask an employee of the legislature or ask somebody who wants a favor from the legislature if it is legal to give freebies to legislators and it’s predictable that they’ll find a way to say yes. The voter-approved amendment will be distorted beyond recognition unless the Ethics Commission codifies the new law in a strict way to prevent it. One way is to require advance notice of special events and to require public information about them, and perhaps to endeavor to say an event was something more than food and entertainment. Meanwhile, the social calendar for the 2015 session is already filling up rapidly: The party starts with a Propane

The Internet gap In which a state agency and the telecom industry gouge public schools for millions. BY BENJAMIN HARDY

n December, the state legislature received detailed recommendations from two separate independent consultants on the contentious issue of how best to provide fast Internet at affordable prices to Arkansas’s public schools, many of which lack sufficient bandwidth. Over the past year, that question has fueled a fight between some of the most powerful players in Arkansas’s business community. In one corner are private Internet service providers, including national telecom giants like AT&T, Windstream, Cox and CenturyLink. In the other is a group called FASTERArkansas, which includes executives of Axciom and Arvest Bank and is backed by the Walton Family Foundation. The dispute ultimately comes down to a simple matter of profit. Private providers want school districts to buy Internet access from them alone, while the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and its allies in FASTERArkansas would like to wrangle the companies into a public-private partnership that would use the purchasing power of the state to secure better prices from the providers. But the issue has been muddled by endlessly competing claims from the two sides about the facts on the ground — how bad the current broadband def-

icit is, how much schools currently pay and how much it would cost to build that public-private network. With each of the state’s 260 districts an independent entity, such questions have proved surprisingly tough to answer. That’s why the state hired the two consultants, CT&T (a firm based in North Little Rock) and EducationSuperHighway (a new nonprofit funded in part by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg) to get some clarity about the situation. One thing has indeed become clear: The Department of Information Systems (DIS), a state agency that provides Internet service and IT support to other public entities, has been charging schools outrageous prices for connectivity. However, the larger question — how to deliver enough bandwidth to all schools — is still an open one. Although

the two reports show that building a public-private network is entirely feasible for Arkansas, whether it seems like an attractive option depends on whether one feels more sympathy for schools or for telecoms. THE MESS AT DIS State public schools currently get connectivity from two sources: private providers, which sell bandwidth to districts just as they do to homes and businesses, and an antiquated state-run network named the Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN), which is managed by DIS and paid for by the Education Department. APSCN was state-of-the-art when it was built in 1992, but the network’s old copper connections are now hopelessly outdated; as a result, APSCN provides only about 5 percent of Arkansas schools’ current connectivity. Districts must meet the rest of their Internet needs — the other 95 percent — through contracts with private providers, which rely on fiber optic networks vastly superior to copper wires. The providers deliver about 54 gigabits per second (Gbps) to Arkansas school districts. APSCN only provides about 3 Gbps. However, while districts collectively pay about $8 million to providers each year, APSCN costs the state almost $12 million annually. That means APSCN costs nearly $4 million more each year to deliver about 1/18th the amount of connectivity. The CT&T report says the state should, “take immediate action to cancel the redundant APSCN connections to the districts.” A company representative told the legislature at a December meeting that if APSCN were phased out today and schools instead purchased Internet CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

THE

BIG PICTURE

Andrea Clevenger, who appeared on the reality show “Cheer Perfection,” was later sentenced to a 10-year prison term after pleading guilty. In a guest column, Damien Echols asked the state to investigate the murder of the three West Memphis children for which he was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 18 years. Her despicable tactics were ultimately successful; the ordinance was repealed after a close referendum vote. They were Libertarians Wayne Willems of Glen Rose and Eddie Moser of Bella Vista. Both lost in November. The state Libertarian Party disavowed their comments.

LISTEN UP

Most read stories on arktimes.com in 2014 What do people like to read about on the Arkansas Times’ website? Conservatives saying and doing ignorant or outlandish things. Stories of death and destruction. Gay Arkansans fighting for their rights. The continued push for justice in the West Memphis Three case. A feature on grayhairs living in wilds of Arkansas even. Here are the headlines, ranked by popularity:

1. Mom on ‘Cheer Perfection’ reality show charged with rape of 13-year-old 2. Only the guilty want closure in West Memphis Three Case 3. Michelle Duggar and the Family Council try to torpedo Fayetteville nondiscrimination ordinance with lies 4. Sandy Hook massacre a hoax? Two Arkansas candidates seem to think so 5. 3-year-old falls into Little Rock Zoo jaguar enclosure; rescued from biting cats by zoo employees

“It’s still seen as a bad thing here,” the student, Taylor Ellis, said of being gay in Sheridan. But, as he told the Times, “The world is definitely changing.” In this cover package, David Koon profiled Arkansas artists who live “off the grid.”

6. Small town Arkansas gets caricatured in ‘Clash of the Ozarks,’ locals welcome it

8. Lincoln County jury awards $145,000 in shooting of coon dog 9. Poet Maya Angelou cancels Fayetteville event, issues most eloquent cancelation letter ever 10. The question persists: Who killed the kids in West Memphis? 11. Jonesboro Sun reporter quits over tension with city police chief; his Facebook comments a factor 12. Hot Springs firing range declared a “Muslim free zone” by its owner

13. Sheridan High squelches yearbook profile of gay student 15. Still back to the land in Arkansas 16. State rep candidate Clarke Tucker: opposition research regarding his 4-year-old son’s application to pre-k by Stacy Hurst is “completely unacceptable” 17. Train derailment in Hoxie kills 2; homes evacuated 18. Marriage licenses issue to first same-sex couples in Arkansas 19. Cinemark Tandy 10 to close 20. Homicide victim identified as TC Edwards, local musician

The reporter, Sunshine Crump, returned to work after Jonesboro Police Chief Mike Yates resigned.

21. The story of Jason Woodring, the Arkansas power grid vandal 22. Readers Choice 2014 results 23. That racist Leslie Rutledge email 24. Riverfest in contract dispute with headliner CeeLo Green over length of show 25. Bench warrant issued in disappearance of Beverly Carter

INSIDER, CONT. Gas lobby party at the Wyndham on Sunday night before the session starts Jan. 12. Beer distributors have their traditional opening night revel from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the Next Level Events party room. Arkansas State University has muscled into the No. 2 night on the free party circuit. Then comes the Arkansas Environmental Association (nom de plume for the air polluting industries’ lobby). Other highlights include a free lunch from the Hunger Relief Alliance (yes, really) and a karaoke night thrown by the rural telephone companies. What’s that old Animals’ song? “Girl have you ever been hungry? So hungry that you have no pride?” Cue it.

Lucie’s Place gets another big donation

7. Rep. Josh Miller, recipient of significant government assistance, opposes Medicaid expansion in Arkansas

14. Mountain lion killed by deer hunter in South Arkansas

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday. Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

Readers voted The Pantry and The Hive as the best restaurants in Central Arkansas and beyond, respectively.

The singer played about 40 minutes at Riverfest. He was contracted to perform for 75 to 90 minutes.

Still more good news for Lucie’s Place, the small Little Rock nonprofit that works to help homeless LGBT youths. We’ve written before about how a netroots campaign sprung up to benefit Lucie’s Place as a concrete way to show displeasure with the Duggar reality TV show family for spending $10,000 to support the cause of legal discrimination against gay people in Fayetteville. The fundraising campaign raised $30,000 for Lucie’s Place (real money, it came through PayPal and credit cards, not pledges). Now this: Tom’s of Maine, a maker of natural personal care products (toothpaste, deodorant), has announced that Lucie’s Place is a winner in its 50 States for Good program for 2014. The company is distributing $500,000 to help grassroots nonprofits in 50 states, and Lucie’s is the Arkansas recipient of $10,000. So, thanks, Duggars for $40,000 and counting to show love and acceptance of LGBT people in Little Rock, if not in Fayetteville. The Duggars have been braying about their “victory” in the repeal of a Fayetteville civil rights ordinance. A petition drive to get TLC to drop their show continues to gain momentum. Attention has also been drawn to son Josh Duggar’s work as lobbyist for FRC Action, a national anti-gay organization seen as a “hate group” by some. www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

BEST & WORST 2014 BY DAVID KOON

omehow, the years seem to be getting simulta-

neously longer and shorter these days, some-

thing I blame on the gray in my beard and the

cobwebs in my skull. August will drag out like the last class before summer break, and then September will

zip by with all the impact of a mouse poot in Notre -Dame Cathedral. Halloween bleeds into Thanksgiving, which bleeds into New Year’s. I nod off on May 3 and wake up on June 29, wondering where the time has gone. The year 2014, however, has been a long one in my estimation, pouring out of the jar of our shared existence slow as Grey Poupon, full as it was of neardaily drama of all stripes: political, meteorological, legislative, criminal, social, architectural. Throughout the year, between bouts of dozing at my desk and cussing the pile of losing lotto tickets in my desk drawer, I’ve kept an eye on the local news for those incidents and anecdotes that make Arkansas such an interesting place to live. Here, then, is the Arkansas Times’ picks for the Best and Worst of the year. May Whoever or Whatever It Is That’s Driving This Ship grant us all more of the first and less of the second in 2015. 14

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

WORST REALITY Andrea Clevenger, 32, one of the stage mothers who provided the drama on the TLC reality show “Cheer Perfection,” which centered on a cheerleadingcentric gym in Sherwood, was arrested in January on charges she’d had sex with a 13-year-old boy. She was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.

dogs would be banned from the building. BEST BLUFF CALLING Pine Bluff police said that in early February, a 36-year-old man was shot twice in the legs at a Pine Bluff apartment complex after, police said, he responded to a gunman firing a handgun near his feet by saying, “Well, are you gonna hit me or not?”

SECOND WORST REALITY In February, Discovery Channel debuted the new reality show “Clash of the Ozarks,” set in Hardy. Among the recurring characters on the show: a guy named Crowbar, a mountain man who has allegedly never owned a pair of shoes, and a gun-toting old woman who is rumored to be psychic. WORST CREEPY During the Republican National Convention’s 2014 Winter Meeting in January, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Democrats were patronizing women by fighting for the right to affordable birth control, saying, “[I]f the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control, because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it.” WORST REASON FOR A MEMO In January, Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines sent out a memo telling those who frequent the Pulaski County Courthouse that if they didn’t stop allowing their dogs to crap in the hallways without cleaning it up, all canine companions other than service

WORST MUNCHIES Police said a woman was arrested on Feb. 25 for shoplifting 330 frozen pizza rolls from a Conway Walmart.

another strong tornado destroyed a large portion of the town on April 25, 2011. The 2014 tornado followed an almost identical path through Vilonia as the 2011 twister, flattening many of the same homes and businesses that had only recently been rebuilt.

WORST PREPPER In January, the political blog Natural State Report discovered that former state Rep. Linda Collins-Smith (R-Pocahontas) had issued at least two official citations of merit to civic groups in her former district in 2013 and early 2014, even though she hadn’t been a member of the General Assembly since December 2012. A call to the House of Representatives found that Collins-Smith, who was running for state Senate, requested the citations on her last day in the House in 2012, squirreled them away, then proceeded to dole them out during her most recent campaign. She was later elected to the Senate.

BEST STAY THE COURSE Despite tough odds, the state legislature renewed funding for the private option in March, preserving medical insurance for hundreds of thousands of low-income Arkansans. It took a Herculean, bipartisan effort from Democrats and Republicans and the steady lobbying pressure of hospitals and other health care providers, but in the end the Arkansas House of Representatives did the right thing. The bad news: The fight starts all over again in the upcoming 2015 session, and this time the conservative foes of the policy have gained seats in both chambers.

WORST WAY TO GO In February, a worker at a steel mill in Newport was killed when a crane malfunction caused a kettle containing 38 tons of molten steel to be poured over his body. BEST APRIL FOOL The Little Rock Police Department didn’t have to look hard for the perpetrator of a pre-dawn auto burglary in Little Rock on the morning of April 1, because they say the man was still at the scene, passed out drunk in the driver’s seat with a screwdriver in his hand. According to an incident report, the owner of the car found James Lee Barry, 31, asleep in the car when she came out around 5 a.m. to go to work. WORST RETORT The woman in the above item told police that she tried to wake Barry up, “but he gave her the finger and went back to sleep,” at which point she called the cops. He was arrested on charges of public intoxication and breaking and entering. WORST SURPRISE A guest at a Berryville motel called police in April after he found what he believed to be a stick of dynamite in the room he’d just checked into, apparently left there by a previous guest. The Bentonville bomb squad responded and found that it was, in fact, a live stick of dynamite. They successfully detonated the explosive with no injuries. WORST SIBLING In April, a Little Rock man was arrested after he allegedly confessed to burglarizing his sister’s home while she was hospitalized. As if that weren’t enough to put him in the Bad Sibling Hall of Fame, when the woman found out from a neighbor that her brother had been involved, she alleged to

WORST DREAM A Craigslist ad was posted in July seeking volunteers to move to 100 wooded acres in North Arkansas, with the goal of replicating the customs, language, mating habits and social structure of the Ewoks, the small teddy bear-like forest creatures from the movie “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”

police that he’d told her he’d “kill her and her kids and shoot up her home” if she went to the cops. She did go to the cops, and he was arrested on several counts, including residential burglary and terroristic threatening. BEST FALSE ALARM In April, a glitch in an automated warning system in Northwest Arkansas caused 250 people to be texted a warning that a giant tidal wave would soon hit the Fayetteville area.

touched down near Paron before tracking northeast for 41 miles. A large swath of the town of Mayflower was wiped out, with winds pushing dozens of cars and heavy trucks off Interstate 40 before the tornado took dead aim on the town of Vilonia. Much of Vilonia was obliterated by the twister, which was strong enough to toss a 30,000-pound fertilizer tank three quarters of a mile and which swept many homes clean to the slabs. Before the tornado lifted, near El Paso one hour after it began, 16 people had died.

WORST WEATHER On April 27, a tornado — believed to have been a mile wide at times —

WORST REPEAT The April 27 tornado struck Vilonia exactly three years and two days after

WORST HYPOCRISY Rep. Josh Miller, a Republican from Heber Springs, repeatedly voted against the private option this spring even though Miller himself has received millions in healthcare assistance from the federal government. After he suffered a devastating auto accident 11 years ago that confined him to a wheelchair (he was uninsured at the time), Medicaid and Medicare covered most of his trauma bills and health insurance in the years that followed. Providing coverage to 200,000 low-income Arkansans, though, he characterizes as a “handout.” It’s hard to know what to say to that. BEST PRUDES In March, Jim Bob Duggar of TLC’s ongoing “[A Passel of] Kids and Counting” reality show fame, announced that his family was withdrawing their political endorsement for David Sterling, a Republican running for Arkansas attorney general, because as an attorney Sterling had once represented a lingerie store in court. WORST HONESTY In May, the interim CEO of Sparks Medical System hospital in Fort Smith was removed from his job after a Q&A session with hospital employees in which he reportedly answered a question about why he wanted to move from much larger Laredo, Texas, to Fort Smith with: “Have you ever been to Laredo, Texas? It’s 97 percent Hispanic.” BEST YOUR HONOR On May 9, Pulaski Circuit Judge Chris www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

Piazza issued a ruling that struck down as unconstitutional the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, with the last lines of Piazza’s ruling reading: “It is time to let that beacon of freedom shine brighter on all our brothers and sisters. We will be stronger for it.”

WORST WINNER A tsunami of anti-Obama sentiment swept droves of Republicans into public office in Arkansas in November, including new State Treasurer Dennis Milligan, who had tried to force his primary opponent Duncan Baird out of the race at a November 2013 meeting at a Krispy Kreme donut shop in Little Rock. During that meeting, which Baird secretly taped and during which Milligan reportedly wore sunglasses, Milligan insinuated that he’d alert the press to video footage of an after-hours visit to the state Capitol building by Baird and some tipsy friends unless Baird dropped out. Baird refused, the video turned out to be nothing scandalous, and, after Baird released the recording of their meeting, Milligan was revealed to be a conniving dirtbag of the first order. Nevertheless, one year after his donut shop palaver with Baird, the voters of Arkansas — apparently believing that even a Republican blackmailer was preferable to any Democrat — voted Milligan in.

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BEST DEPUTY The day after Piazza’s ruling, the deputy county clerk at the Carroll County Courthouse in Eureka Springs — which normally issues marriage licenses on Saturdays — closed the doors on around 50 same-sex couples waiting in line, with the clerk saying her boss was out of town and she couldn’t get an opinion from the attorney general on how to proceed. Minutes later, Deputy Clerk Jane Osborn, who was only there to handle early voting that day, took her place in Arkansas history by reopening the courthouse, eventually issuing 15 marriage licenses, the first issued to same-sex couples in the state. Several hundred more would follow in the next week before a stay was issued. WORST IRONY On May 22 — a few months shy of 57 years after the 1957 Central High School crisis, which lay well within the lifetimes and memories of many of those in attendance — several dozen AfricanAmerican preachers showed up to an anti-gay marriage rally on the steps of the state Capitol thrown by the Family Council, the onionskin bigots who have worked for years to deny gays and lesbians their civil rights in Arkansas. SECOND WORST IRONY Standing arm-in-arm with the black preachers at the rally was state Sen. Jason “We’re Not Gonna Allow Minorities to Run Roughshod Over What You People Believe In!” Rapert of Conway. WORST ‘EXPERIENCE’ In May, organizers of Little Rock’s Riverfest stopped payment on a check to entertainer CeeLo Green after he sang for only about 40 minutes of what was supposed to be a 75- to 90-minute show, sending out another singer and a DJ to perform, with the stand-ins reportedly billed as part of “The CeeLo Experience.” WORST SURPLUS In June, police departments large and small all over the state, including the Benton Police Department, the Bryant Police Department, the Little Rock Police Department and the Hot Springs Police Department, took possession of military surplus armored trucks weighing 57,000-plus pounds, with enough armor

plating to drive away from a direct hit by a shoulder-fired missile. The trucks, provided by the Department of Defense, are planned to be used as transportation for police SWAT units. BEST NEARDISENFRANCHISEMENT In May, Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson — a longtime advocate of voter ID laws that require a driver’s license or other governmentissued ID to cast a ballot — forgot his driver’s license when he went to vote, and had to send a staffer across town to retrieve it. The Arkansas Supreme Court later ruled that the state’s voter ID laws were unconstitutional. Hutchinson, meanwhile, won the governor’s race, meaning he won’t be driving himself for at least the foreseeable future. BEST STORY FOR THE NURSING HOME In August, an elderly motorist in Mountain Home lost control of his sedan, raced through an elevated parking lot and jumped almost entirely over another street before hitting two parked helicopters. He was treated for minor injuries. BEST INSTANT KARMA In June, three people who police say forced their way into a Hensley man’s home before pepper-spraying and robbing him of his wallet and $400 were involved in a serious car accident literally minutes later as they sped from the scene. One of the suspects died in the crash and another had his legs crushed so severely that firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate him from the wreckage. The robbery victim’s wallet and cash were recovered at the scene by police. WORST ILLEGAL ALIEN CATCHER In June, a Bryant man was arrested for threatening a couple after he became convinced that the silver sports car they were riding in was a spaceship and that they were extraterrestrials. According to police, James Bushart, 44, followed the couple around town in his own vehicle, harassing them. After the couple called police, officers say they found methamphetamine and a pipe in Bushart’s car, with Bushart reportedly telling the police that he was concerned because the car looked so futuristic, and that “he was a very big deal and had 100,000 Asian flowers.” WORST HELICOPTER PARENTING

Charges against a woman accused of stealing relief supplies after the Mayflower/Vilonia tornado were dropped in August after the Faulkner County prosecutor discovered that the arresting officer had failed to reveal that the woman had recently broken up with the officer’s son.

two that he didn’t drink, suffered cuts to his hands and head. WORST PREDICTION A Batesville man who’d already bought a tombstone for his future burial plot was shocked to learn in mid-October that someone had gone into the cemetery where he’d placed it and carved a date of death on the stone: Jan. 15, 2012. The man told investigators he’d been in the cemetery a few days before the discovery, and the space was blank then. The carving appeared to have been done by a professional, but local police are still stumped as to why it was done.

BEST EYEWITNESSES In September, police arrested a Little Rock man who worked for a pizza restaurant in the Heights after, they say, he allegedly pushed down a co-worker in front of yet a third employee of the restaurant before telling the victim he had a gun and demanding his wallet. The suspect fled the scene, but — based on the eyewitnesses getting a pretty good look at him over the months they’d worked together — he was quickly arrested. BEST LIVE Chris Peterson, the athletic director of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, resigned shortly before it was made public that on Aug. 22, a microphone left on in the press box during a UALR women’s soccer game led to the live Internet broadcast of Peterson’s comments about a certain player’s mother, including: “She had two of ’em, and they were out there for display!” And: “We’ve got to make sure that on Parent’s Day, I’m in town for the weekend.” WORST WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK! Tense moments at the Little Rock Zoo in October, when a 3-year-old boy fell over the rail and into an enclosure that is home to two full-grown jaguars. A genuinely terrifying police report released about the incident said the jaguars bit the boy on the foot and neck but were driven back by witnesses throwing heavy objects at them and a zookeeper spraying a fire extinguisher. A ladder was lowered down, and the boy, who suffered a skull fracture, puncture wounds and lacerations, was taken to a local hospital. After a few days’ stay, he was released. BEST CANDIDATE FOR A MEDAL OF VALOR Whoever descended the ladder into the jaguar enclosure to rescue the kid. SECOND WORST WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK! A 17-year-old girl from Jonesboro was rushed to the hospital in October after a buck deer dashed out of the woods at her moving car and impaled her cheek with its antler. She’s expected to recover.

BEST KILL THE MESSENGER Little Rock TV crews trying to cover two homicides that happened near the Arkansas State Fairgrounds on the same October night were reportedly chased away from the scenes by crowds of young men wielding baseball bats.

BEST DOG Champ, an arthritic 11-year-old pit bull terrier, saved the day last January when owner Millie Fiser, 60, was pushed down and threatened by a man who demanded money as she was taking her trash to the curb near downtown Little Rock. Champ jumped a fence and accosted the man, driving him away, and then lay next to Fiser, keeping her warm until help arrived.

BEST DOG NAME Champ’s full name, as reported in news stories at the time, is Champion “Champ” Bartholomew Alewishious 3000.

BEST WHEN FAUX ANIMALS ATTACK! A woman called Bryant police in September to report that she’d seen a dead tiger on the side of the road there, but had been too afraid to approach and check on the beast’s condition. Responding officers found that it was, in fact, a tiger, but one of the stuffed variety,

much like you might win for a bull’s-eye ring toss at the State Fair. WORST PEER PRESSURE A man in Rogers told police in October that he was attacked with a knife and beaten after he declined a bottle of whiskey two friends tried to give him as a gift. The man, who said he was slashed and pummeled after politely telling the

BEST HEAVY During a win over the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Oct. 25, the Arkansas Razorbacks ran a trick play in which 6-foot, 5-inch, 350-pound Razorback offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola played the part of quarterback, throwing a perfect spiral to long snapper Alan D’Appollonio for a touchdown. The play reportedly made Tretola the new SEC record holder for the heaviest player to ever complete a touchdown pass. WORST GRATITUDE A Fayetteville police officer pulled a man from a parked car engulfed in flames on a city street there in October, saving the man’s life. In response, police say, the man threatened the officer who’d rescued him, telling the cop he had “more guns than a pawn shop” before allegedly promising to come kill him and sexually assault his mother when he got out of jail. The driver was booked on charges of DWI and resisting arrest. WORST VOCAL TIC Sen.-elect Tom Cotton was nothing if not disciplined on the Senate campaign trail, and the centerpiece of his strategy against incumbent Democrat Mark Pryor boiled down to one word: Obama. In one October debate, he said the president’s name 74 times over the course of an hour or so, which led a frustrated Pryor staffer to assemble a YouTube video stringing together every “Barack Obama” into a hypnotic, minute-long reel. What’s worse, judging from the election, it’s a plan that worked. www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

cops, “helps my dad to make bubbles.” WORST BLANKET The owner of a Hot Springs firing range announced on her website in September that she was declaring her business a “Muslim-free zone,” writing of her decision to ban almost a quarter of the world’s population: “I choose to err on the side of caution for the safety of my patrons.” SECOND WORST WINNER During the campaign for attorney general, it was revealed that while Republican candidate Leslie Rutledge was working as a lawyer at the Department of Human Services, she had forwarded an email to five co-workers that featured a white colleague writing about a black family who’d come into her office seeking help with a domestic violence issue. That might have been fine, had the writer not employed black dialect so stereotypical it would have made the writers of “Amos ’n’ Andy” tone it down a notch. Representative sample: “[H]e done been payin’ chile suppote fo 5 year cuz Jesus done sent dat baby and it doan make no diffence who be de daddy iffn Jesus want him to be de daddy.” Rutledge later defended herself by saying she didn’t find the email funny and only forwarded it to her colleagues because the situation depicted was “similar to the sort of cases we dealt with every day.” Like Milligan, she was later swept into office on the Red Tide. WORST FAILED EXAM In November, a 19-year-old was arrested after police say he drove himself to Arkansas State Police headquarters in Jonesboro to take his driver’s license test. After an examiner there told officers the would-be licensee had driven himself to the office without actually having the item he’d come there to procure, police say the teenager fled in his car, struck a patrol unit on his way out of the parking lot, and then led troopers on a highspeed chase that ended when he crashed through the wall of a house, causing around $20,000 in damage. Needless to say, he didn’t get his driver’s license. BEST BUBBLES Police responding to a Thanksgiving Day domestic violence call in the little town of Barling in Sebastian County said a 6-year-old boy swore them to secrecy before leading them to a water bong, a closet grow-room outfitted with florescent lights, and three marijuana plants — which, the boy allegedly told 18

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BEST HINT THAT HE PROBABLY GOT A LUMP OF COAL FROM SANTA FOR CHRISTMAS According to the same report, as the boy was revealing the alleged growroom to officers, an unidentified family member in the other room shouted: “Shut up! Shut the f**k up!” BEST TIPPERS Just after Thanksgiving, Gary and Roxann Tackett, a couple from Quitman who had gotten to know a Missouri Cracker Barrel restaurant waitress named Cindi Grady during their frequent trips to Branson, Mo., tipped Grady following a meal with the keys to a silver Ford Fusion. At the time, Grady — who has a disabled son — had been driving a sputtering blue compact that lacked a driver’s side window, had only one working headlight and featured a hood held on by bungee straps. WORST TAIL OF WOE A man was arrested on charges of robbery, resisting arrest and theft in December after, police said, he was caught trying to shoplift three oxtails from a Little Rock Kroger store. WORST ASSHOLES Two St. Francis County duck hunters were arrested and charged with animal cruelty in December after they posted pictures of themselves on Facebook that featured the pair decked out in their duck hunting gear and holding up two dead housecats they’d allegedly shot for sport. BEST ASSESSMENT Speaking about the two men in the above item, St. Francis County Sheriff Bobby May told a local media outlet that he was sickened by the photographs, adding: “You know, to them, they’re being brave and showing off bravado. But really, they’re just yellow cowards, because only a coward would do that.” WORST LIFE IMITATES A HORROR FILM A Little Rock filmmaker who went out for a late-night coffee while filming a low-budget horror movie at his house in early December told police he was unexpectedly stabbed in the back — possibly with a steak knife — by a man at a 24-hour gas station near 53rd Street and South University Avenue. After the assault, the filmmaker told police, his assailant demanded his keys and then

WORST CORRELATION In a column that ran in late October, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Dana Kelly argued that hooded sweatshirts are “the uniform of choice for armed thugs and a ubiquitous symbol of crime,” before closing with: “That’s reason enough to stigmatize hoodies and publically shame those who want to dress like hoodlums.” Hope he never goes to a football game on a crisp fall day, or runs into a hoodie-clad toddler on the playground. Hoodlums in hoodies everywhere! Hoodlums as far as the eye can see!

fled in his van. A 17-year-old was arrested soon after, and the filmmaker is expected to make a full recovery. BEST LIFE In December, legendary jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis came to Pine Bluff to play a private concert in the hospital room of even-more-legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry. Terry, who is 93, was mentored early on by Louis Armstrong before playing his way through the golden age of the Big Bands, performing with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Quincy Jones and eventually influencing the styles of trumpeters Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie before retiring to Pine Bluff in 2006. WORST PLAN In December, police said, an 11-yearold girl from Bryant stole $10,000 cash from her grandmother’s sock drawer, hitchhiked to Little Rock in the middle of the night and hired a taxi cab to take her to Jacksonville, Fla., reportedly to see a boy she’d met while on vacation several years before. Agreed-upon cost for the cab ride: $2,500. She got as far as Atlanta before the cab company and her parents tracked her down. The girl’s

mother and father drove all night to pick the girl up, and likely had an interesting conversation with her on the nine-hour trip back home. WORST LOST IN TRANSLATION In December, a woman and her infant daughter, both from China, flew into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport near Bentonville, which serves Fayetteville, Ark. The only problem: The woman wanted to go to Fayetteville, N.C., and only had $20 when she landed. BEST ARKANSAS TRAVELERS Seeing the woman from the above item in distress, a student waiting for a flight at the airport stepped in to translate for her. Soon, other good Samaritans bought the lost traveler and her child a meal, rented them a hotel room for the night, and paid for a plane ticket to take them on to the other Fayetteville in North Carolina the next day.

Benjamin Hardy contributed to this story.

WORST FAKE During a game between the Arkansas State University Red Wolves and the University of Miami Hurricanes in September, ASU attempted to distract the other team during a fake punt attempt by running the coachapproved “Fainting Goat Play,” which involved receiver Booker Mays clutching his chest and falling backwards as if struck dead at the moment of the snap. The ensuing pass was intercepted as Mays lay stiff as a railroad spike on the field, and ASU later lost the game 41-20.

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

Arts Entertainment AND

NICOLE C. KIBERT

2015 is your year. Maybe you’ll finally quit smoking! Maybe you’ll get an Apple Watch for Christmas so you can check your email without even moving. The world is an oyster. The world is your oyster! How does that saying go? One thing is certain about New Year’s Eve: None of us wants to spend it alone. That would be the worst. All over Little Rock people will be gathering specifically to avoid that intolerable scenario. Here is a list of those gatherings: At South on Main, see the great and indomitable Amasa Hines, who will provide a sufficiently dramatic soundtrack for the close of one of the strangest years in recent memory, $15. It will be by turns radically uplifting and distressing, with saxophones. Plus, on the restaurant end of things, there’s a special New Year’s Eve menu starting at 5 p.m.

Facebook event post, “ample, well lit, and secure parking.” The Little Rock Marriott is holding a Ballroom Bash starting at 9 p.m., $50. Dave Rasico’s Dueling Pianos will be on hand, as will the Big John Miller Band. Local sketch group The Main Thing will perform its holiday production, “A Fertile Holiday,” at The Joint’s New Year’s party, featuring a catered meal, champagne and live music, too, 8 p.m., $54.25. Willy D’s promises “THE BEST” (all caps) New Year’s Eve party in Central Arkansas, with champagne, a balloon drop and more. And at Bar Louie there’s no cover charge, but there are $2 Jell-O shots, half-off nachos and Top 40 hits from DJ Greyhound. Sway is hosting Rhiannon’s New Year’s Eve Drag Spectacular, with a $5 cover, and Alice 107.7-FM presents its New Year’s Eve Underground party at the Statehouse Convention Center with live music by Chris Henry, Almost Famous, Mid-South Revival and DJ Hipnotik, 9 p.m., $30-$40.

AMASA HINES CORY BRANAN

A GUIDE TO NEW YEAR’S EVE Amasa Hines, Cory Branan, The Big Damn Horns, DJ Sno White and more. BY WILL STEPHENSON

f you’re like me, New Year’s Eve looms large as probably the year’s most dreaded holiday, a chilling reminder of the cosmic meaninglessness and impermanence of all our accomplishments and progress. We are get-

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

ting older. This is the end of something. And the Times Square ball will drop again like the final grain of sand in an indestructible hourglass that flips year after year, ageless, indifferent, unsmiling. But maybe you’re not like me. Maybe

Singer-songwriter Cory Branan returns to White Water Tavern for the occasion, still celebrating the release of his well-received 2014 record “The No-Hit Wonder.” His label describes it as “a coming to terms with the cards life has dealt you,” and isn’t that what New Year’s Eve should be all about? Tyler Childers opens, 9:30 p.m., $10. The Big Dam Horns headline at Cajun’s Wharf, a $35 party that includes a full buffet, champagne and “complimentary party favors,” 9 p.m. Richie Johnson plays at happy hour, 5:30 p.m. Revolution’s 9th Annual Fireball New Year’s Eve concert features highenergy Fayetteville pop group Boom Kinetic and starts up at 9 p.m., $20 adv., $25 day of. Next Level Events at Union Station hosts DJs Skemaddox, CJDJ and Justin Sane for its New Year’s celebration. Wear formal attire for this one, which costs $35 and offers, according to the

SNO WHITE

Flying Saucer’s party will feature live music, beer specials and a midnight champagne toast, 9 p.m., $10. At the Loony Bin, actor and standup comedian Shaun Jones headlines two shows, at 7:30 p.m., $7, and at 10 p.m., $10. For the late-night crowd eager to spend the very first moments of a new year getting drunk, you have options: Discovery presents its OMFG! New Year’s Eve party, featuring Sno White, G-Force and Dominique Sanchez, $20, and Club Elevations hosts New Year’s Eve On Tha Hill, $20.

ROCK CANDY Check out the Times’ A&E blog arktimes.com

A&E NEWS MUSICIANS, IT’S YOUR LAST chance to sign up for the 2015 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, to be held at Stickyz throughout January and February. Performers of all genres will compete for an array of prizes (including money!) and any acts with at least four songs of original material are encouraged to enter. The finals will be held at the Rev Room in March. Our friends at KABF-FM, 88.3, will be hosting this year, and an esteemed panel of judges will be announced in coming weeks. The deadline for entry is Jan. 1, and any interested artists can apply online at showcase.arktimes.com or via snail mail by sending an entry form and a demo CD to Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase at 201 E. Markham, Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. For more information, email will@ arktimes.com.

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HERE’S WHAT IS COMING UP IN January: At White Water, John Moreland (1/8), Drag the River (1/11) and Alvin Youngblood Hart (1/30); at Stickyz, Ex Hex (1/8), Torche (1/12) and Roger Creager (1/30); at Revolution, Aaron Watson (1/15), Swoope and Christon Gray (1/24) and Shovels and Rope (1/30); at South on Main, Big Piph and Tomorrow Maybe’s album release (1/17), Bijoux and Onyx (1/28) and Peter Martin (1/29); at Juanita’s, Lance Carpenter (1/24), Sean Danielsen (1/29) and Big Smo (1/30); and at Verizon Arena, Florida Georgia Line (1/24). THE 2015 “SMALL WORKS ON Paper,” a traveling exhibition sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council, opens Jan. 9 at the William F. Laman Library in North Little Rock. The show includes 40 works by 29 artists, including eight purchase award winners: J.P. Bell of Fayetteville; Warren Criswell of Benton; Dennis McCann of Maumelle; Jennifer D. Perren of Mabelvale; Megan Snoddy of Jacksonville; Dan Snow of Springdale, and Jon Shannon Rogers and Byron Taylor of Little Rock. The show will make nine other stops in 2014. Juror was Eleana Del Rio, owner of the Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City, Calif., which represents Huge Works on Paper artist David Bailin.

www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY LINDSEY MILLAR, LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK AND WILL STEPHENSON

THURSDAY 12/25

FRIDAY 12/26

HOLIDAY ART SHOWS

Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh; 413B Main St., Argenta

OK, so you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Feeling sort of sorry for yourself? After all you did for everyone! Here’s the solution: Buy yourself some art. There are two holiday shows still up: the 20th annual “Holiday Show and Sale” at Gallery 26 and the “Holiday Art Show” of works by Artist INC fellows and the students of the Art Connection. The Gallery 26 show includes work by more than 50 artists — it’s packed in there — and stays up through Jan. 10. The gallery also sells jewelry and all kinds of comforting tchotchkes to make up for your

lousy family’s deficiencies. The Artist INC/Art Connection show at 413B Main St. (that’s the other half of John Gaudin’s Argenta Art Gallery) runs through Jan. 5. Artist INC is a yearly program for artists wanting to grow their businesses; fellows in the show participated in 2013 and 2014. Art Connection introduces high school students to all sorts of art careers and builds confidence. There are numerous works of art available in this show, including paintings, ceramics, sculpture, greeting cards and music CDs. Go on. Make someone happy: you. Gallery 26 is open 10 a.m.to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 413B Main is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. LNP

HAYES CARLL

9 p.m. Revolution. $20.

Country singer-songwriter Hayes Carll claims he writes “degenerate love songs.” That doesn’t give them enough credit for their humor, probably — songs like “Wild As a Turkey” and “She Left Me for Jesus” are funny in the way that, say, half of every John Prine record was (nondisposable novelty anthems in the tradition of “Illegal Smile”) — but otherwise it sounds fairly accurate. Carll grew up outside of Houston and somehow found himself going to Hendrix College in Conway.

He never quite got over Arkansas either, as is sometimes the case; he’s immortalized the state on his album “Little Rock” and on songs like “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart,” with its unforgettable opening line: “Arkansas, my head hurts / I’d love to stick around and maybe make it worse.” He’ll probably play that one Friday night, and the title track from the former record, too, where he admits, “To all these years of searchin’, I finally found my spot / One way or another, Lord, I’m gonna make it down to Little Rock.” Band of Heathens opens. WS

WE ARE THE PEOPLE: American Princes return to White Water Tavern 9 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 27).

SATURDAY 12/27

AMERICAN PRINCES

9 p.m. White Water Tavern.

“Holyshitholyshitholyshit!” is a representative sample of how the Internet greeted the news of the first American Princes show in two years. One fan, in sharing details of the event on Facebook, expressed reluctance to spread the word since it would make it harder for him to get into the show. It’s a sentiment a generation of local music fans probably shares. For that group, in which I’m included, Ameri22

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

can Princes were the Arkansas band of the last decade. Their first shows, in the early aughts, coincided with my arrival in Little Rock. I remember them being Jawbreaker-y, energetic and sloppy. They played a lot. They got better. Members came and went (original bassist John Beachboard went on to found a beloved local restaurant empire). Before long, a lot of people were singing along at shows. The band signed to Yep Roc Records, toured relentlessly and released an

album, “Other People,” which Magnet Magazine called the best of the year in 2008. That accolade turned out to be the beginning of the end for the band. AP played little during the nearly two years that followed as bassist Luke Hunsicker battled brain cancer. He died in 2010. It was a low point for the local scene perhaps not seen again since TC Edwards was murdered recently. Since the band went dark, there’ve been weddings and babies and graduate schools. The

Princes’ primary songwriters, Collins Kilgore and David Slade, became lawyers. Kilgore now lives in Los Angeles. Slade is about to have a second kid. The band has played twice (on the same weekend) in the last five years. So shows like this, full of nostalgia and sadness and joy, aren’t likely to happen with any regularity. Show up early if this is a can’t-miss proposition for you. Jeremy Brasher (Canehill Engagement and The Moving Front) will be hosting karaoke before the Princes play. LM

IN BRIEF

FRIDAY 12/26 Comedian Tim Gaither performs at The Loony Bin Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ($7) and 10 p.m. ($10). Ramona and Soul Rhythms play at Cajun’s Wharf at 9 p.m. Tyrannosaurus Chicken headlines at the Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7-$12.

SATURDAY 12/27

FRESCO GREY

8 p.m. Vino’s. $5.

At a certain point last year, Fresco Grey started to worry that people would forget he was a rapper. It wasn’t false modesty; it was a time management issue: He spent a huge portion of 2014 directing videos and crafting wild, unpredictable beats for other people’s songs — for his friends in the rap collective Young Gods of America and

other artists in Little Rock and around the country. His videos look sharp and he’s a great, intuitive producer, maybe even a vital one; but in the scheme of things, those are just sidelines. First and foremost, Fresco is a rapper. Now, the artist formally known as Fresco the Caveman has a new mixtape on the way, “Slump Sports,” that promises to remind the city of that fact. He’ll headline a release party of the tape at Vino’s

Saturday night, along with Vile Pack, YGOA, Jungle Juice, Keeshawn and XP, with new merch, giveaways and more. The uninitiated should check soundcloud.com/fresco-grey for a preview of his range and sense of humor (I recommend “BallaBlockin,” “Twin Turbo” and “Aquaman Grey”); he’s one of the most talented young artists in the city and it’s about time he got credit for it. WS

on a Tuesday night (natch) at the White Water Tavern with openers The Suffer Jets. It’s fate! Some reunion shows are boring, but this promises not to be one of those. Check the Big Boss Line memorial page on towncraftmovie.com (reliable repository of Little Rock’s collective punk

nostalgia): Every entry mentions cocaine and the whole run seems glorious and emotionally straining. Billboard Magazine once compared the band to Social Distortion. The group had a T-shirt that said “Legalize Heroin and Murder” on the back. Who does that anymore? WS

TUESDAY 12/30

BIG BOSS LINE

10 p.m. White Water Tavern.

Little Rock’s Big Boss Line formed exactly 20 years ago and played gritty, pummeling, blue-collar punk rock until they didn’t, going their separate ways only to finally reunite for one night only

SATURDAY 12/27 At Sway, the Andrew Christian Trophy Boys (underwear models, not a band) headlines, featuring go-go dancing, entertainment, prizes and more, all kicking off at 8 p.m., $20-$30. Local altcountry favorites Mulehead play at the Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7-$12.

SUNDAY 12/28 Vino’s hosts a tribute to TC Edwards featuring a performance by his former bandmates, the original Eddies. Other special guests are likely as well. The 34th anniversary of local music publication Nightflying is at Revolution, with performances by The Schwag, Weakness for Blondes, Jason Hale, Jason Greenlaw, FreeVerse, Stella Luss and more, 5:30 p.m., $10.

MONDAY 12/29 Dallas psychobilly trio Reverend Horton Heat plays at Juanita’s at 8 p.m., $12. Local metal group Cavort Usurp plays at Vino’s. Country singer-songwriter Bonnie Montgomery is at White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m.

TUESDAY 12/30 Vino’s Brewpub Cinema screens “Teenage Zombies” for free, 7:30 p.m. The Joint holds an end-of-the-year Hogg Roast for their Tuesday night stand-up comedy hosted by Adam Hogg, 9 p.m., $5.

SATURDAY 1/3 1 oz. Jig presents a tribute to WAR at Stickyz, $5. Juanita’s hosts Chrono Flux, music and arts showcase featuring live painters, free baked goods, dancers and live music by Wolf-e-Wolf, Fractal Sky, MidiGator and more, 5 p.m., $15. Texas Hippie Coalition plays at Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of, and Milton Patton plays at Another Round Pub, 9 p.m. Eva plays at The Lightbulb Club in Fayetteville with Weed Needles and Mudlung, 9 p.m.

TOTALLY BIASED: W. Kamau Bell performs at Juanita’s 7 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 7), $15.

WEDNESDAY 1/7

W. KAMAU BELL

7 p.m. Juanita’s. $15.

“You’re on a bit of a mission, which is to break down racial stereotypes on your show,” Conan O’Brien said to W. Kamau Bell in late 2012. “Do you feel like you’re having an effect?” Bell’s answer was complicated and the show in question, “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,” was canceled just a few months

after his “Conan” appearance,” but at the time the question felt justified (if a little hyperbolic): Bell was on a mission, and it seemed to be going well. “The show feels faintly revolutionary,” New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum wrote, “just because the man is black — ridiculous but true, given the whiteness of late-night TV.” The show was an outlet for Bell, a great comedian who came up in the alter-

native comedy scene in San Francisco, to dive into discussing race forcefully and sincerely and hilariously with a diverse group of comedians and commenters from a number of different angles. And this has always been Bell’s M.O., in his stand-up specials (“One Night Only” and “Face Full of Flour”), his podcast (“The Field Negro Guide to Arts and Culture”) and his activism. WS

WEDNESDAY 1/7 Former Congressman (and Marine Corps serviceman, and FBI special agent) Ed Bethune delivers his “Arkansas autobiography” at the Main Library’s Darragh Center at noon, free. The Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain band performs at South On Main as part of the Local Live series, 7:30 p.m., free. Local improv comedy group The Joint Venture is at The Joint at 8 p.m., $7. www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

AFTER DARK All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please email the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

The Andrew Christian Trophy Boys. Go-Go dancing, entertainment, prizes and more. Sway, 8 p.m., $20-$30. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell and Cedar Hill Roads. Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd. Historic Neighborhoods Tour. Bike tour of historic neighborhoods includes bike, guide, helmets and maps. Bobby’s Bike Hike, 9 a.m., $8-$28. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001. Pork & Bourbon Tour. Bike tour includes bicycle, guide, helmets and maps. Bobby’s Bike Hike, 11:30 a.m., $35-$45. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001.

THURSDAY, DEC. 25

MUSIC

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Open Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

FRIDAY, DEC. 26

MUSIC

All In Fridays. Club Elevations. 7200 Colonel Glenn Road. 501-562-3317. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until 2 a.m. 1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-2211620. www.1620savoy.com. Hayes Carll, Band of Heathens. Revolution, 9 p.m., $20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Ramona and the Soul Rhythms. Cajun’s Wharf, 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. Route 66. Agora Conference and Special Event Center, 6:30 p.m., $5. 705 E. Siebenmorgan, Conway. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com. Tyrannosaurus Chicken. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 9 p.m., $7-$12. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

COMEDY

Tim Gaither. The Loony Bin, Dec. 7:30 and 10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

SUNDAY, DEC. 28

MUSIC

WE THREE KINGS: Dallas psychobilly trio Reverend Horton Heat comes to Juanita’s 8 p.m. Monday (Dec. 29), $12.

Young Adult Group, 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

SATURDAY, DEC. 27

MUSIC

Almost Infamous (headliner), Chris Henry (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. American Princes. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Dec. 26. Fresco Grey (album release), Young Gods of America, Vile Pack, Jungle Juice. Vino’s, $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Karaoke. Casa Mexicana, 7 p.m. 7111 JFK Blvd., NLR. 501-835-7876. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m., free. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. All ages, on the restaurant side. Revolution, 9 p.m.-12:45 a.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090.

www.rumbarevolution.com/new. K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-492-9802. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Mulehead. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 9 p.m., $7-$12. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com. Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com.

COMEDY

Tim Gaither. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www.

DANCE

Ballroom Dancing. Free lessons begin at 7 p.m. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 8-11 p.m., $7-$13. 12th and Cleveland streets. 501221-7568. www.blsdance.org. Contra Dance. Park Hill Presbyterian Church, first and third Friday of every month, 7:30 p.m.; fourthFriday of every month, 7:30 p.m., $5. 3520 JFK Blvd., NLR. arkansascountrydance.org. “Salsa Night.” Begins with a one-hour salsa lesson. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL weekly meeting. Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. LGBTQ/SGL Youth and 24

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Now-Dec 31

Jan 13-Feb 7 murrysdp.com

562-3131

The Eddies. A tribute to T.C. Edwards, with special guests and former bandmates. Vino’s. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls.com. Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot. 501-982-1939. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Nightflying 34th Anniversary. Featuring The Schwag, Weakness for Blondes, Jason Greenlaw, Jason Hale, Freeverse, Stella Luss and more. Revolution, 5:30 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/ new.

COMEDY

Tim Gaither. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

MONDAY, DEC. 29

MUSIC

Bonnie Montgomery. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Cavort Usurp. Vino’s. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Monday Night Jazz. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com. Open Mic. The Lobby Bar. Studio Theatre, 8 p.m. 320 W. 7th St. Reverend Horton Heat. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $12. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com. Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

TUESDAY, DEC. 30

MUSIC

Big Boss Line, The Suffer Jets. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400.

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Acoustic Open Mic. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com. Amasa Hines. South on Main, 10:30 p.m., $15. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com. Big Dam Horns (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. Boom Kinetic. Revolution, 9 p.m., $20 adv., $25 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new. Cory Branan, Tyler Childers. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $10. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Karaoke. MUSE Ultra Lounge, 8:30 p.m., free. 2611 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-6398. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. New Year’s Eve at Next Level. With DJs Skemaddox, CJDJ and Justin Sane. Next Level Events, 9 p.m., $35-$55. 1400 W. Markham St. 501-376-9746. www.nextleveleventsinc.com. OMFG! New Year’s Eve. Featuring Sno White, G Force and Dominique Sanchez. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $20. 1021 Jessie Road. 501664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com. Open Mic Nite with Deuce. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-370-7013. www.capitalbarandgrill.com. Teenagers, Thunderlizards. The Lightbulb Club, 9 p.m. 21 N. Block Ave., Fayetteville. 479-4446100. The Trustees. Another Round Pub, 9 p.m. 12111 W. Markham. 501-313-2612. www.anotherroundpub.com.

MUSIC

COMEDY

www.whitewatertavern.com. Brian and Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com. Jeff Ling. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 322 President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550. willydspianobar.com/prost-2. Karaoke Tuesdays. On the patio. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 7:30 p.m., free. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Music Jam. Hosted by Elliott Griffen and Joseph Fuller. The Joint, 8-11 p.m., free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

COMEDY

Stand-Up Tuesday. Hosted by Adam Hogg. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7:30 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd. com/stores/littlerock.

FILM

“Teenage Zombies.” Vino’s, 7:30 p.m., free. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

‘FEBRUARY’: A giclee of Louis Beck’s painting, on exhibit at L&L Beck Gallery at 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd., will be given away at a drawing at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at the gallery, part of Happy Hour in the Heights.

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

AFTER DARK, CONT.

Make your reservations now for a First Class New Year’s Evening at

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Shaun Jones. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. ($12.50) and 10 p.m. ($25). 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th and Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS

In a convenient West Little Rock location $75 per person, 5 course meal offerings Featuring The Ted Ludwig Jazz Trio - 7-10 pm

1501 Merrill Dr. Little Rock, Arkansas Located in The Burgundy Hotel 501.224.2828

Mount Magazine State Park

Ballroom Bash. Featuring Dave Rasico’s Dueling Pianos and The Big John Miller Band. Little Rock Marriott, 9 p.m., $50. 3 Statehouse Plaza. 501-906-4000. www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ litpb-little-rock-marriott. “Downton Abbey” New Year’s Eve Party. A black-tie event, with dancing, entertainment, dinner and a champagne toast. The Empress of Little Rock, $250. 2120 S. Louisiana St. theempress.com/packages/offers/2014-new-yearseve. New Year’s at The Joint. With a performance of “A Fertile Holiday,” a catered meal, champagne and live music. The Joint, 8 p.m., $54.25. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. New Year’s Eve On Tha Hill. Club Elevations, 8 p.m., $20. 7200 Colonel Glenn Road. 501562-3317. New Year’s Eve Party. With live music, beer specials and a midnight champagne toast. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $10. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd.com/stores/ littlerock. NYE Underground. Hosted by Alice 107.7, with live music by Chris Henry, Almost Infamous, Midsouth South Revival and DJ Hipnotik. Statehouse Convention Center, 9 p.m., $30$40. 7 Statehouse Plaza. Rhiannon’s New Year’s Eve Drag Spectacular.

Sway, $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

POETRY

Wednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show. Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows. html.

ARTS

THEATER

“Don’t Dress for Dinner.” Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Dec. 31: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., Sun., 11 a.m., $25-$35. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse. com. “Elf.” Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through Dec. 28: Wed., Thu., Sun., 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $20-$55. 601 Main St. 501-3780405. www.therep.org.

NEW GALLERY EXHIBITS, EVENTS New exhibits, events in boldfaced type L&L BECK ART GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Religious Art,” through December; “Landscapes,” January show, with giclee drawing 7 p.m. Jan. 15. All works by Louis Beck. 660-4006. HOT SPRINGS HOT SPRINGS NATURAL PARK CULTURAL CENTER, Ozark Bathhouse: “Arkansas Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey,” colored pencil drawings by Linda Williams Palmer, panel discussion and reception 3-7 p.m. Jan. 17. Noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun. 501620-6715

CONTINUING ART EXHIBITS

(Central Arkansas) ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

DUMAS, CONT.

Enjoy a hike on

New Year’s Day

In step with America’s State Parks’ “First Day Hikes” health initiative, state parks around Arkansas will host guided hikes on January 1. It’s a great way to get outside, connect with nature, and start the new year on the right foot. Visit ArkansasStateParks.com for a participating state park near you.

My park, your park, our parks

ArkansasStateParks.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

#ARStateParks

“It is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture” and that the nation’s highest officials bore ultimate responsibility for it, the report said. At the time, Hutchinson said he was shocked at what he had learned, some of it by his own interviews, and that it was important to have an exact public record of the torture. Sounding a little like John Adams, Hutchinson said, “The United States has a historic and unique character, and part of that character is that we do not torture.” Amazingly, Hutchinson echoed the remarks last week, when virtually every Republican figure of consequence, for one reason or another, was condemning the massive Feinstein report (its heavily redacted executive summary alone ran to more than 500 pages). Cotton, the congressman soon to become senator, called the report a pack of lies. The report shot down the assertions by Cheney and a succession of CIA

officials that waterboarding and other extreme techniques had produced valuable intelligence. Hutchinson’s report also had concluded that torture never worked. The other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation (all except Sen. Mark Pryor) were only a trifle more circumspect, contending that the findings should not be made public. One other Republican joined Hutchinson: the inveterate hawk John McCain, himself the victim of torture as a POW in Vietnam. McCain said the report was true and should be exposed to the world and that it proved conclusively that torture succeeds not in reaching the truth, but only what the torturers want to hear. We all wait to see what measure of humanity Asa Hutchinson will bring to the affairs of the state; but, on this day that celebrates our benevolent impulses, Arkansans can take some pride that the man they elected stands alongside the founder of his country.

THE INTERNET GAP, CONT.

service only through private providers, the effective savings to the state would total $8.5 million annually. The report from the other consultant, EducationSuperHighway, concurs. “Redeploy ADE’s $11 million Internet access budget … [to] provide subsidies to all districts with continuing direct Internet access contracts,” it recommends. It gets worse. The report also says DIS has consistently failed to obtain matching funds via a crucial Federal Communications Commission program called E-rate, which provides generous grants to reimburse schools and libraries that invest in building Internet capacity. Because of our state’s high poverty rate, the FCC gives Arkansas schools and institutions matching rates that range as high as 5-to-1, depending on the demographics of the district applying for help. DIS is supposed to both help districts apply for E-rate and make its own requests to the FCC, but CT&T says that the agency’s track record in recent years shows it has been doing something wrong. School districts that applied for E-rate on their own received about 95 percent of their requests in 2013, yet the FCC funded only around 34 percent of DIS requests from this year. The consultants say they’re not sure why DIS so badly failed to secure E-rate money — they didn’t have access to the FCC’s information — but it amounts to tens of millions of dollars left on the table. The first question that comes to mind from all this is why one state agency has been allowed to gouge another at the cost of millions to taxpayers. Why did no one sound the alarm sooner? (The problems at DIS also extend well beyond public schools, by the way: An audit last month of DIS found underbilling problems that cost the state millions, as well as excessive travel reimbursement claims.) Incoming Speaker of the House Jeremy Gillam (R-Judsonia) said “there will be lots of questions being asked [about DIS] moving forward” but that the legislature’s focus right now was on getting schools the connectivity they need. Education Commissioner Tony Wood, who took the helm at ADE earlier this year, said he believed legislation probably would not be required to move the department away from using APSCN. At first glance, the debacle at DIS would seem to vindicate the viewpoint that public agencies tend towards inefficiency and waste while private enterprise delivers innovation and quality. Yet the fact is that the private providers themselves are the ultimate benefi-

ciaries of DIS’s grossly inefficient use of funds. That’s because the majority of the old copper wires that comprise APSCN are owned by them: DIS leases much of APSCN infrastructure from vendors, primarily AT&T, CenturyLink, Windstream and Cox. Over the past five years alone, DIS has paid private providers about $49 million on the trickle of Internet service that keeps APSCN limping along. The telecoms have been all too happy to quietly benefit from the state’s negligence in watching its own purse. LACK OF BACKBONE Nearly everyone can agree that continuing to pay for APSCN in the future would be a waste of money. That’s also about where the agreement stops. It’s clear that the current APSCN funding would be better used if it were simply given to districts to buy Internet service directly from the private providers. But there’s also reason to hesitate. For one thing, having 260 districts negotiate 260 separate contracts is inefficient. It makes intuitive sense that schools could get a better price by aggregating their purchasing on the state level. Second, as residents of small town Arkansas know, the price of broadband varies tremendously depending on where you live. A megabit (Mb) of bandwidth costs the median Arkansas school about $22, but in some places it can run upward of $200, according to a 2013 survey of districts by ADE. Providers charge much higher rates to customers in rural areas to recoup the initial cost of building fiber out to those towns, though whether those markups are in proper proportion to the investment is a matter of debate. It’s certainly cost-prohibitive to many small districts to buy as much Internet as they need, especially in places where connecting fiber infrastructure has yet to be built. Providers will be glad to invest in extending fiber to any and all rural communities in the state, true, but often at a heavy price. This is where the recommendations of the two consultants diverge. CT&T says the state should simply help districts buy Internet from private providers, a business-as-usual scenario that would still save the state significant money given the level of waste at DIS. But EducationSuperHighway recommends Arkansas pursue a different route — a “statewide Internet access aggregation network” in which ADE buys connectivity for districts en masse, via regional contracts with pro-

viders to build out their fiber networks to underserved districts. Everything would be connected with a dedicated fiber “backbone” statewide. “A well executed state network maximizes the opportunity to use economies of scale to deliver Internet access at the lowest cost,” according to the report. That’s a diplomatic way of saying that it’s a lot easier for state government to play hardball with a big telecom over a single aggregated contract than it is for the Jasper, Mulberry or Marvell school district to do so on its own terms. (CT&T disputes that, saying the potential cost savings of aggregation are overstated and possibly outweighed by the cost of maintaining a big, statewide network.) The EducationSuperHighway report also wades into the subject that frightens providers the most: allowing the statewide bidding process to include a publicly funded fiber optic network, a sort of APSCN with 21st century technology. It turns out, actually, that Arkansas has already built such infrastructure over the last decade for use by its colleges, universities and hospitals. It’s called ARE-ON, the Arkansas Research Education Optical Network. Most states have built a similar public fiber backbone for university use, and many, such as North Carolina and Oklahoma, use theirs to provide Internet to K-12 schools. Arkansas is the only state with such a network that has a law explicitly prohibiting K-12 from using it. That law, Act 1050 of 2011, passed the Arkansas legislature with little attention from anyone besides the people who forwarded it in the first place — the private providers. The bill was a cunning preemptive move on the part of providers to protect their interests. In its original form, it said that AREON could not compete with providers by selling broadband service to households and businesses, a fairly uncontroversial proposition. But a last-minute amendment to the bill also prohibits K-12 schools from attaching onto the public network. Gov. Mike Beebe has said the amendment “was sneaked in at the end of the [2011] session without any knowledge or notice to the K-12 education community.” Providers see ARE-ON as a profound threat. They look to places like Chattanooga, Tenn., where a public utility recently has begun selling faster Internet service at cheaper prices than private companies. They look overseas as well: In many European coun-

tries, cheap public broadband is the norm, and often at connection speeds rarely found in U.S. households. Allowing ARE-ON to compete with private enterprise for public school contracts, they fear, is the beginning of a slippery slope toward allowing wider public competition in Arkansas’s broadband marketplace. The providers point out that the EducationSuperHighway report commends the Internet access they deliver in much of the state. It’s true — surprisingly, 58 percent of Arkansas school districts currently meet national connectivity standards, which is significantly higher than the U.S. as a whole. The CT&T report places the figure even higher, at 65 percent. The telecoms say competition from ARE-ON would be unfair. Earlier this year, a spokesman from the industry told this reporter that “the telecommunications industry made an investment in Arkansas under the assumption that the government would not be a competitor in the market.” (Again, though, they’ve been happy to receive the inflated rates that DIS offered for APSCN.) FASTERArkansas is using the report as ammunition in its push for repeal of Act 1050. That would allow AREON to enter the bidding process if the state does indeed decide to pursue an aggregated network. That doesn’t necessarily mean ARE-ON would win the bid, but its presence would drive down prices offered by the private providers. They’re right to fear their profit margins may shrink. “While it is unclear whether ARE-ON will be the most cost-effective option for these network components,” says the EducationSuperHighway report, “it is highly likely that if ARE-ON is allowed to participate in the RFP, its availability of low-cost Internet access will undoubtedly lower the overall cost of the aggregated network and Internet access for ADE and Arkansas taxpayers.” So the legislature faces a choice in 2015. Will it change Act 1050 to allow a public entity to compete with private providers? Walton money isn’t easily ignored and the Department of Education is eager to move ahead, but the providers still seem to have the upper hand in the legislature. Gillam, the incoming speaker, said he felt repeal of the law was unlikely. “There doesn’t seem to be an appetite to pursue that option any longer,” he said. “I think we’ve been shown there are other ways to deliver broadband in a more costeffective manner.” www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW

‘THE HOBBIT’: Smaug stars

‘Hobbit’ goes ka-bloom Leaving story behind, trilogy finale overdoses on special effects. BY SAM EIFLING

arely can you call a 144-minute war saga that pits elves and dwarves and orcs and men and savage bat creatures anything other than “epic.” Yet in “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” director Peter Jackson closes his second Middle-Earth trilogy with so much digital warfare that the plot mostly just drops in every so often to check on things, like a mother poking her head out the back door to make sure the kids haven’t burned down the shed. In the case of “Five Armies,” though, everything is being broken: smashed with battle hammers, incinerated by a dragon, trampled by monsters, beheaded by elven steel, pulverized by boulders, blown apart by “Dune”-sized land worms, smashed by falling ramparts, on and on and on. It’s not an epic

so much as it’s merely a third of one, overstuffed with rock ’em and sock ’em. Somehow the film manages to keep its energy through this dead sprint. When Jackson originally envisioned adapting John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s relatively slender classic “The Hobbit,” the director aimed for two movies; that we have here a third means we pick up in media res from the cliffhanger of the predecessor. The wicked dragon Smaug (voiced and acted, in digital rendering, by Benedict Cumberbatch) sets upon the waterbound fishing village within sight of the ancient dwarf fortress in Lonely Mountain. The bowman Bard (Luke Evans) hits a million-to-one shot to slay the beast, and what seems like a proper climax becomes instead the spark for a full-on world war. The great

force that held the world in stasis is now vanquished — and like nature and cats, Middle-Earth hates a vacuum. Over in the mountain keep, the dwarf leader Thorin (Richard Armitage) has gone from the heir to a fortune to the inheritor. Smaug’s riches now his to command, Thorin comes down with a single-minded greed that observers diagnose ominously as “dragon sickness.” Drunk with power, high on gold fumes, Thorin turns into a teapot tyrant in short order. His is the only intriguing character arc in the film, perhaps: As his wealth yanks him into madness, he must confront the truth that the richer you get, the more likely you are to become a contemptible malcontent. Some of “Five Armies” is given to setting up the “Lord of the Rings” movies that, in sequence, follow the events of “The Hobbit” films. We get a glimpse of Sauron; we hear the name Strider for the first time; we set up the larger war for the realm. In fact, as a bridge to the next (that is, the previous) trilogy, Jackson could have done much worse. But as a capstone to the full series, this feels too frantic, too militant to provide a satisfying rest to one of the greatest film undertakings in the history of the medium. This plays as if Jackson

assigned a special effects platoon to envision what a couple of little boys would dream up with unlimited action figures. First, they fight. Then they fight some more. They talk for a minute. Then they fight. Look out! Dead dragon falling! At least “Five Armies” does fighting and dragon-arson wonderfully well. It sprinkles enough heart throughout to make you at least care about the characters. And in contrast to the earlier films in this series, it drives home the danger by killing off a smattering of good guys, lending some drama to the more intimate sequences of combat and carnage. With the stakes raised, you get to feel all the hoped-for emotions: fear, excitement, sympathy, a soupcon of grief. In the absence of proper story, that counts for plenty. Maybe this is the dim rush we were meandering toward from the beginning, when peaceful little Hobbitses wandered off in search of adventure. We know Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, with pluck) will make it home to the shire; we know Gandalf (Ian McKellen, now with six LOTR and five X-Men movies to his name, a septuagenarian action superstar) will survive to wizard his way to more scrapes. It’s all fizzy and busy enough. It won’t fill your belly, perhaps, but it will leave your head ringing. www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

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Park: “William Beckman: Drawings 1967-2013,” through Feb. 1; “A Sense of Balance: The Sculpture of Stoney Lamar,” through Jan. 18, “Color, an Artist’s Tale: Paintings by Virmarie DePoyster,” through Feb. 15, Museum School Gallery. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000. ARTIST INC. HOLIDAY ART SHOW, 413B St., NLR: Through Jan. 5. 993-1234. BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Of the Soil: Photography by Geoff Winningham,” through Feb. 28; “Johnny Cash: Arkansas Icon,” photographs and recorded music, Underground Gallery, through Jan. 24; “Echoes of the Ancestors: Native American Objects from the University of Arkansas Museum,” Concordia Gallery, through March 15, 2015; annual juried Arkansas League of Artists exhibition, West Gallery, through Dec. 27. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790. CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Painting,” work by Megan A. Lewis, through the end of the year. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335. CHRIST CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Mid-Southern Watercolorists’ 2014 “Special Juried Members Exhibition,” through Dec. 28. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Thu., 9 a.m.-noon Fri. sixthstreetlibrary.tumblr. com. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Chihuly,” studio glass, through Jan. 5; permanent exhibits on the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000. COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market Ave.: “Who Lives-Who Dies-Who Decides: The Art Event on Capital Punishment,” works by Kenneth Reams and Isabelle Watson, through December. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 918-3093. GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221, Pyramid Place: “Small Works,” political satire art by Charles Bragg, Mel Fowler and others. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 801-0211. GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: 20th annual “Holiday Show and Sale,”through Jan. 10. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996. HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Bitter Medicines and Sweet Poisons,” mixed media assemblages by Alfred Conteh and Charly Palmer, show through Jan. 17. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822. HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM GALLERIES, 200 E. 3rd St.: “Capturing Early Arkansas in Depth: The Stereoview Collection of Allan Gates,” through April 5; “this is the garden; colors come and go,” paintings, sculpture and mixed media by Rachel Trusty, through Feb.

2; “Under Pressure: The Arkansas Society of Printmakers Exhibition,” through Feb. 4; “The Great Arkansas Quilt Show 3,” juried exhibit of contemporary quilts, through May 3; “A Beauty on It Sells: Advertising Art from the Collection of Marsha Stone,” 13th annual Eclectic Collector exhibit, through Jan. 1; “Arkansas Made,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351. LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St., NLR: “The Rise of a Landmark: Lewis Hine and the Empire State Building,” photographs documenting the construction of New York’s famed building in 1930, through Dec. 28. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. (closed Dec. 25). 758-1720. LAMAN LIBRARY ARGENTA BRANCH, 506 Main St.: “Grand Ole Opry,” 30 gelatin silver prints taken of performers between 1952 and 1960, through Jan. 7. 687-1061. M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Shopping Center): “Laureate,” retrospective of engravings by Evan Lindquist, Arkansas’s first artist laureate; also works by Richard Sutton and Jennifer and Richard Cutshall. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 944-7155. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, 501 W. 9th St.: “Freedom! Oh, Freedom! Arkansas’s People of African Descent and the Civil War: 1881-1886”; “2014 Creativity Arkansas Collection.” 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683-3593. MUGS CAFE, 515 Main St., NLR: “Mugs Art Bunch Holiday Show.” 442-7778. RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Paula Jones, new paintings; Jim Goshorn, new sculpture; also sculpture by Joe Martin, paintings by Amy Hill-Imler, Theresa Cates and Patrick Cunningham, ornaments by D. Wharton, landscapes by James Ellis, raku by Kelly Edwards and other works. 753-5227. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. CONWAY ART ON THE GREEN, Littleton Park, 1100 Bob Courtway: Paintings by Patricia Wilkes, Harold Kraus, Nina Ruth Baker, William McClanahan, through December. 501-499-3177. HOT SPRINGS ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP GALLERY, 601 Central Ave.: Paintings by Christine Lippert, glass by Janet Kuhn, through December. 501-6236401. JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central Ave.: Work by Masatoshi Kudo, through December, also work by Taimur Cleary, Matthew Hasty, Rene Hein, Dolores Justus, Tony Saladino, Dan Thornhill and others. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335.

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

Dining

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

WHAT’S COOKIN’ HOW APT: THE ROOT CAFE WAS the viewer-chosen winner of the documentary series “Growing America: A Journey to Success,” on HLN TV. The program’s idea: that MBAs from the country’s most prestigious universities could help businesses to, well, leaf out. The win, hosted by Ty Pennington (of “Home Makeover: The Home Edition” fame) was announced Sunday night. The Root, Jack and Cory Sundell’s downtown restaurant that features locally grown food and locally brewed beer, takes home $25,000 from show sponsor Holiday Inn and a plaque from the network. The documentary series followed the teams of MBA students as they spent a week with six businesses (for the broadcast, three online). The Root’s team was from Stanford, and at the Root’s request the students (with pedigrees from such businesses as Google Analytics and Facebook India) advised on how the restaurant could improve its webpage (which the Root did) and how to target social media. More importantly for those who love The Root’s food, the team suggested, after talking to customers, that the Sundells consider serving dinner. As it turns out, they’d been thinking about that. Maybe some simple entrees and whistle-wetters from Rock Town Distillery. It’s hard to imagine cameras and boom mikes in the teacup-sized Root, but the TV crew made it happen (once asking a server if he could stop, return to the kitchen and walk back to a table again with the customer’s hamburger). Celebrity Chef Herbert Wilson paid a visit, making suggestions on how to reduce ticket time and the like. The show featured interviews with customers and scenes from the kitchen, along with a wrap-up on what changes the MBAs may have made. What did the MBAs learn from The Root? “I think they got a glimpse into the nonstop, 24/7 lifestyle of being a small-business owner,” Sundell said.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

ACADIA A jewel of a restaurant in Hillcrest. Unbelievable fixed-price, three-course dinners on Mondays and Tuesday, but food is certainly worth full price. 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-9630. D Mon.-Sat. BEST IMPRESSIONS The menu combines Asian, Italian and French sensibilities in soups, salads and meaty fare. A departure from the tearoom of yore. 501 E. Ninth St. Beer and 32

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Flight Deck

Central Flying Service at Adams Field 2301 Crisp Drive 975-9315 central.aero/flight-deck QUICK BITE You might not expect to find excellent chicken salad or a fabulous grilled veggieand-cheese sandwich at a place like the Flight Deck, but go there and you will. HOURS 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. OTHER INFO Beer and wine, all credit cards accepted

FLIGHT DECK: The Greatest Cheeseburger in Aviation History, affectionately known as “The Great.” Grilled with pepper jack cheese. Topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, mayo and mustard.

Flyover territory: Flight Deck Unless you’re in East Little Rock or hungry for a veggie sandwich.

hen our group stopped in for lunch at the Flight Deck we ran into a friend from LM Wind Power, the wind blade manufacturer with a large facility at the Port of Little Rock. There were two tables of LM folks, in fact, and our friend told us that the Flight Deck was one of only three nearby decent lunch choices for them other than Subway and McDonald’s. For thousands of other port and airport-area workers, the proximal choices indeed are limited, so we understand why they would gravitate to the Flight Deck, which is in the Central Flying Service terminal just off Bond Street on the airport grounds. The location also ensures the Flight Deck another even more logical loyal clientele: those flying out of that terminal on private flights who are hungry for a meal pre- or in-flight. But the four of us work in the River Market District, and it’s doubtful we’ll get back to the Flight Deck anytime soon given the plethora of excellent lunch options we have in walking or

short driving distance. We chose items that were marked with pilots’ wings, which denote a “hangar favorite.” Some were better than standard issue and a few weren’t. We’ll start with the bad news. The hot tamales ($6.95 for three; $11.95 for six) are smallish and listed among the appetizers, but they are substantial enough to make a meal. The problem was ours had been left in the steamer too long, and the ends that pushed beyond the husk were too tough to cut with a fork — or to eat, really. And the accompanying bowl of chili (add $2.75) was the most basic, thin, punchless version imaginable. Two other disappointments were the onion rings (straight from the foodservice bag in the freezer to the fryer) and the fries, which were so-so at best. Each is $1.99 when subbed for chips. None of the desserts is homemade, though the French silk pie still was decidedly edible. The menu listed ice cream, but that no longer is an option, we learned.

Now on to the items that rose above mediocre, starting with the best thing we had — the chicken salad plate ($8.25), which featured two large scoops of chunky chicken salad, featuring large hunks of breast meat, grapes and almond slivers. It had a nice herb zing and was accompanied by a selection of fresh fruit. Our friend also proclaimed the Garden sandwich ($7.95) fabulous — mushrooms, sunflower seeds, sprouts and a spinach-based spread, gooed up nicely with a blend of melted Swiss, cheddar and provolone, grilled on pumpernickel to a crunchy finish. She even dared say it might be as good as or better than the award-winning Garden at Jimmy’s Serious Sandwiches. That’s high praise. The cheeseburger is touted as “The Greatest Cheeseburger in Aviation History” ($7.99 with pepper jack), which reminded us of the time we saw a huge “Best Taco Salad in Bismarck” sign, titles seemingly any aviation burger or Bismarck taco salad would win by default. It is a solidly good burger, particularly in size: The large patty hangs off the not-unsubstantial bun all the way around. It just wasn’t very flavorful or juicy. We started with a large bowl of white cheese dip ($5.50), and it was smooth and tasty with a liberal dose of tomato and pepper chunks. The only issue here was that it wasn’t served very hot. The Flight Deck also serves a full breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m., and lunch specials range from gyros to fried catfish to home cooking. It’s been in business since 1983, so clearly it’s doing many things right.

BELLY UP Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-5946. L Tue.-Sun., BR Sat.-Sun. BIG ORANGE: BURGERS SALADS SHAKES Gourmet burgers manufactured according to exacting specs (humanely raised beef!) and properly fried Kennebec potatoes are the big draws, but you can get a veggie burger as well as fried chicken, curried falafel and blackened tilapia sandwiches, plus creative meal-sized salads. Shakes and floats are indulgences for all ages. 17809 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1515. LD daily. 207 N. University Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-379-8715. LD daily. BIG ROCK BISTRO Students of the Arkansas Culinary School run this restaurant at Pulaski Tech under the direction of Chef Jason Knapp. Pizza, pasta, Asian-inspired dishes and diner food, all in one stop. 3000 W. Scenic Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-812-2200. BL Mon.-Fri. BJ’S RESTAURANT AND BREWHOUSE Chain restaurant’s huge menu includes deep dish pizzas, steak, ribs, sandwiches, pasta and award-winning handcrafted beer. In Shackleford Crossing Shopping Center. 2624 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, All CC. 501-404-2000. BLACK ANGUS CAFE Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper are the big draws at this local institution. Now with lunch specials like fried shrimp. 10907 N. Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800. LD Mon.-Sat. BOBBY’S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers and tasty homemade desserts at this Levy diner. 12230 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Thu.-Fri. BOSTON’S Ribs and gourmet pizza star at this restaurant/sports bar located at the Holiday Inn by the airport. TVs in separate sports bar area. 3201 Bankhead Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-235-2000. LD daily. BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seatyourself Cajun joint in Maumelle that serves up

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all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. With particularly tasty red beans and rice, jambalaya and bread pudding. 9811 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. LD daily. BOULEVARD BREAD CO. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, wide selection of cheeses, meats, side dishes; all superb. Good coffee, too. 1920 N. Grant St. Beer and wine, All CC. $$. 501-6635951. BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer and wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1232. BLD Mon.-Sat. (close 5 p.m.), BL Sun. 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. 1417 Main St. Beer and wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5100. BL Mon.-Sat. BREWSTERS 2 CAFE & LOUNGE Down-home done right. Check out the yams, mac-andcheese, greens, purple-hull peas, cornbread, wings, catfish and all the rest. 2725 S. Arch St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-301-7728. LD Mon.-Sat. BROWN SUGAR BAKESHOP Fabulous cupcakes, brownies and cakes offered five days a week until they’re sold out. 419 E. 3rd St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4009. LD Tue.-Fri. (close at 5:30 p.m.), L Sat. BUTCHER SHOP The cook-your-own-steak option has been downplayed, and several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection. 10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-312-2748. D daily. CACHE RESTAURANT A stunning experience on the well-presented plates and in terms of atmosphere, glitz and general feel. It doesn’t feel like anyplace else in Little Rock, and it’s not priced like much of anywhere else in Little Rock, either. But there are options to keep the tab in the reasonable range. 425 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-850-0265. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CAMP DAVID Inside the Holiday Inn Presidential Conference Center, Camp David particularly pleases with its breakfast and themed buffets each day of the week. Wonderful Sunday brunch. 600 Interstate 30. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-975-2267. BLD daily, BR Sat.-Sun. CAPERS It’s never been better, with as good a wine list as any in the area, and a menu that covers a lot of ground — seafood, steaks, pasta — and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600. LD Mon.-Sat. CHEDDAR’S Large selection of somewhat standard American casual cafe choices, many of which are made from scratch. Portions are large and prices are very reasonable. 400 South University. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6147578. LD daily. CHICKEN KING Arguably Central Arkansas’s best wings. 2704 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. 501-771-5571. LD Mon.-Sat. 5213 W 65th St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-5573. LD Mon.-Sat. COAST CANTINA A variety of salads, smoothies, sandwiches and pizzas, and there’s breakfast and coffee, too. 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3710164. LD Mon.-Sat. COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny downtown bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels and the New York Times. But a lunchtime dash for sandwiches is OK, too, though it’s often packed. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. 501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BLD Mon.-Sat. BL Sun. COPELAND’S RESTAURANT OF LITTLE ROCK The full service restaurant chain started by the founder of Popeye’s delivers the same good biscuits, the same dependable frying and a New Orleans vibe in piped music and decor. You can eat red beans and rice for a price in the single digits or pay near $40 for a choice slab of ribeye, with crab, shrimp and fish in between. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-1616. LD daily. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Marketarea hotspot. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE Home-cooking with plenty of variety and big portions. Old-fashioned breakfast served all day long. 2618 S. Shackleford Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-225-7100. BLD daily. 3101 Springhill Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. 501-945-9373. BLD daily. CRUSH WINE BAR An unpretentious downtown bar/lounge with an appealing and erudite wine list. With tasty tapas, but no menu for full meals. 318 Main St. NLR. Beer and wine, All CC. $$. 501-374-9463. D Tue.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE A popular downtown soup-and-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner, which varies in theme, home cooking being the most popular. Owner Dave Williams does all the cooking and his son, Dave also, plays saxophone and fronts the band that plays most Friday nights. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3723283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food

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DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

or call it down-home country cooking. Just be sure to call us for breakfast or lunch when you go. Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. Desserts are exceptionally good. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3710141. BL Tue.-Fri., L Sun. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent breakfast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate, with a great variety of salads and soups as well. Don’t miss the bourbon pecan pie — it’s a winner. 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily. DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily. FLYING SAUCER A popular River Market hangout thanks to its almost 200 beers (including 75 on tap) and more than decent bar food. It’s nonsmoking, so families are welcome. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-8032. LD daily. FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-8300. LD daily. FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. Arkansas’ oldest continually operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-4487. LD daily. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials. The half pound burger is a two-hander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. GADWALL’S GRILL Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint. Now, under one roof, there’s mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 7311 North Hills Boulevard #12. NLR. Beer and wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-8341840. LD daily. GARDEN SQUARE CAFE & GROCERY Vegetarian soups, sandwiches and wraps just like those to be had across the street at 4Square Cafe and Gifts, plus a small grocery store. 4Square does unique and delicious wraps with such ingredients as shiitake mushrooms and the servings are ample. A small grocery accompanies the River Market cafe. River Market. No alcohol, All CC. 501-244-9964. GIGI’S CUPCAKES This Nashville-based chain’s entries into the artisan-cupcake sweetstakes are as luxurious in presentation as they are in sugar quantity. 416 S. University Ave., Suite 120. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-614-7012. BLD daily. GRAMPA’S CATFISH HOUSE A longtime local favorite for fried fish, hush puppies and good sides. 9219 Stagecoach Road. Beer and wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-407-0000. LD Tue.-Sat, L Sun. GUILLERMO’S GOURMET GROUNDS Serves gourmet coffee, lunch, loose-leaf tea, and tapas. Beans are roasted in house, and the espresso is probably the best in town. 10700 Rodney Parham Road. CC. 501-228-4448. BL daily.

Hey, do this!

JANUARY

Each Wednesday night, the Oxford American presents Local Live at South on Main. Landers FIAT of Benton sponsors the free concert series that welcomes top local and regional music talent to the South on Main stage. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. JAN. 7 – CHARLOTTE TAYLOR & GYPSY RAIN JAN. 14 – A ROWDY FAITH JAN. 21 – YTOG JAN. 28 – BIJOUX FEATURING ONYX THE BAND Also this month, South on Main hosts a special release party for the new BIG PIPH & TOMORROW MAYBE PROJECT: CELL THERAPY. Tickets are $10 at the door. On January 29, the OA continues its jazz series sponsored by UCA with a performance by Peter Martin and Romero Lubambo. Tickets are $20-$30. Doors open at 6 p.m. The concert begins at 8 p.m. For more info, visit www.southonmain.com.

Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s JAN 1-31

January is RESTAURANT MONTH in NORTH LITTLE ROCK. Get free tickets to the February 5th men’s and women’s basketball games at UALR – just by eating out at any North Little Rock restaurant. Bring your receipt to the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau in Burns Park or the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce at 100 Main Street. For every $5 on your restaurant receipt, receive a free ticket. Also, don’t forget to pick up a free copy of the 2015 North Little Rock Dining & Coupon Guide, available at various locations throughout central Arkansas.

Big Piph & Tomorrow Maybe Project

JAN. 9

ARKANSAS SOUNDS presents the VELVET KENTE ARKESTRA, an expanded version of the band Velvet Kente, led by Joshua Asante, on Fri., Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the RON ROBINSON THEATER. General admission tickets are $10 and may be purchased at arkansassounds.org and at the BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.6 p.m. Arkansas Sounds is a project of the Butler Center focusing on Arkansas music and musicians past and present. For more information, visit www. arkansassounds.org or call 501-918-3033.

JAN 15

WILDWOOD PARK FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS hosts an ART IN THE PARK RECEPTION from 6-8 p.m. to honor recent work by faculty, students and alumni of the Department of Art from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on display January 8-February 15.

JAN 30

Over the weekend, check out the new showroom displays at DISTINCTIVE KITCHENS & BATHS at 1414 Rebsamen Park Rd. in Little Rock.

JAN 31

JAN 12

RISTORANTE CAPEO hosts a MONTHLY WINE DINNER on the 2nd Monday of the month beginning at 6:30 p.m. For $55 per person, the dinner includes 3 full courses and 3 full glasses of wine. Reserve your space now by calling 501-376-3463 or visit capeo.us. n First Round of the 2015 ARKANSAS TIMES RESTAURANT READERS CHOICE voting starts January 12th and runs thru the 30th — go to arktimes.com/restaurants14 to cast your votes for your favorite restaurants all over the state. You can submit your vote only once. Final Round starts February 16 thru March 6th — your chance to vote for the top five finalists!

JAN 16-18

Take your obsession with live, talent-based realty TV shows to the next level with BALLROOM WITH A TWIST brought to you by Celebrity Attractions. Show dates are Jan. 16-18 at the MAUMELLE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER and features Cheryl Burke. It brings a frenzy of sizzling dance moves by professional dancers spanning the moves of samba, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep and jive. If the dancers aren’t enough to keep you ogling at smooth moves and high kicks, several of your favorite American Idol finalists will also be joining the bill with their powerhouse hit songs. Tickets range from $42-$63 and are available by phone at 501-244-8800 or online at www.celebrityattractions.com

THE SAINTS AND SINNERS BALL takes place at the STATEHOUSE CONVENTION CENTER in the Wally Allen Ballroom. The annual black tie gala benefiting Arkansas Repertory Theatre includes cocktails and a silent auction at 6 p.m. followed by an elegant dinner and live entertainment that only The Rep can provide. Bid on exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime live auction items and dance the night away. Tickets are $400 with tables of 10 available. For tickets, sponsorships and more info, visit www.therep.org.

JAN 20

LOST 40 BREWING TAP TAKEOVER at THE JOINT, 301 Main St. #102, 501-372-0210

FUN!

JAN 9-11

Marvel fans assemble! MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! is a mind-blowing show unlike anything you’ve seen before. Watch your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, including Spider-Man, The Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, and more, and threatening villains come to life in an action-packed extravaganza at VERIZON ARENA. Tickets are $21-$51 and available on Ticketmaster at www. ticketmaster.com.

JAN 13

Now showing through February 7 at MURRY’S DINNER PLAYHOUSE is NANA’S NAUGHTY KNICKERS. Bridget and her grandmother are about to become roommates. What Bridget thought was a fun opportunity to stay with her Nana in New York for the summer soon turns takes a hilarious turn. For show times and tickets, visit www.murrysdp.com.

JAN 22

JAN 15 – MAR 6, 2015

THE PENLAND EXPERIENCE — The Penland Experience features art objects made by current and former Penland School of Crafts instructors, resident artists, core fellowship students, and workshop participants. Gallery I: January 15 – March 6, 2015 UALR GALLERY Gallery I & II (First Floor), Gallery III (Second Floor) Fine Arts Building UALR Department of Art, 2801 S. University Avenue Gallery Hours: M – F 9am – 5 pm Saturday 10am – 1pm, Sunday 2 – 5 pm Closed Saturday and University Holidays

BLESS THE MIC, PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE presents Pooch Hall on January 22nd. Actor Pooch Hal didn’t get started with The Game, he began in commercials and then made his debut in the film “Lift” (2001). He played Derrick, a shoplifter. Pooch was in several movies including the hit film “Black cloud” (2004) written and directed by Rick Schrader. His latest acting role is playing Tyree Bailey in the new miniseries based on the book “Miracle’s Boys” (2005). 7 p.m. in the M.L. Harris Auditorium, free and open to the public - just show up! Or call 501-370-5354

JAN 23

RIVERDALE 10, the only cinema in Arkansas that serves beer and wine, invites you to enjoy free popcorn during your movie when you sign up for the theater’s weekly e-newsletter. Visit www.riverdale10. com for details and current screenings. Riverdale is located at 2600 Cantrell Road in Little Rock.

JAN 24

Catch VICKI LAWRENCE live at CHOCTAW CASINO in Pocola, Okla., at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-$40 and available online at www. ticketmaster. com.

ARKANSAS TIMES MUSICIANS SHOWCASE JAN 29 ARKANSAS TIMES annual local band and local music competition the MUSICIAN’S SHOWCASE starts at STICKYZ at 9:00. Get there early for the best seating.

Happy New Year! www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

hearsay ➥ L&L BECK GALLERY’S January exhibit will be “Landscapes”, which runs through the end of January. The giclée giveaway of the month is titled, “February, 2014”. The giclée drawing will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 15. ➥ Save the date for The Rep’s 31st annual SAINTS AND SINNERS GALA, scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 31 held at the Statehouse Convention Center Wally Allen Ballroom. Craig O’Neill will be the emcee, and the event will feature special entertainment offering a glimpse of the magic The Rep produces throughout the year. In addition to special entertainment, the evening will feature both a silent and live auction, dinner, and dancing. Tickets for the event are available starting at $400 per person. Table sales and sponsorship are also available. Funds raised at the gala will support the organization’s mission of creating a diverse body of theatrical work of the highest artistic standards. A special education donation will be taken and fund The Rep’s educational programming including its Summer Musical Theatre Intensive (SMTI) program and student matinees. To purchase tickets to Saints and Sinners, contact Ronda Lewis at (501) 378-0445, ext. 203 or rlewis@therep.org. Tickets can also be purchased online at www. therep.org. ➥ CANTRELL GALLERY is hosting a group exhibit, featuring 28 local/regional artists, and is having a 45th birthday party to kick it off. The party is from 6-8 pm. Jan. 9. This group show gives each of the artists who show at Cantrell Gallery a chance to be a part of a special exhibit, so be sure to stop by. ➥ We’ve been remiss in not letting you know that LAVENDER, a luxury lingerie and swimwear store, is now open in its new location in Pleasant Ridge Town Center. Check out their selection of lavender laundry goods, which contain no parabens, sulfates or phthalates. They have detergent, fabric softener and sachets, all perfect for any delicate underpinnings you happen to also purchase from there.

DECEMBER 25, 2014

January: S

The month to eat out and vote!

oon the holiday season will be coming to an end, and so will your seemingly endless supply of leftovers. Enjoy a meal out at ANY North Little Rock restaurant during the month of January, and you can receive free tickets to the February 5th men’s and women’s basketball games at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “North Little Rock has more dining options than many people real-

ize,” says Bob Major, Executive Director of the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau. “If you have a lunch meeting, a night out with the family or even a coffee date, we hope you will choose one of your local North Little Rock restaurants!” To redeem your free game tickets, bring your restaurant receipt to the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau off I-40 exit #150 in Burns Park or the North Little Rock Chamber of Com-

merce at 100 Main Street. For every $5 on your restaurant receipt, you will receive a free ticket. The Visitors Bureau will also be distributing its 2015 North Little Rock Dining & Coupon Guide, so don’t forget to pick up your copy at one of the various locations throughout central Arkansas.

Here's a random list of North Little Rock restaurants you should check out along with all the others; Riverfront Steakhouse, Ristorante Capeo, Good Food by Ferneau, E’s Bistro, Mugs Café and Arkansas Ale House. All conveniently located in the Argenta District.

ince we’re talking about the month long January North Little Rock Restaurant Month – it’s the perfect time mention the NEW voting rules and methods for the 2015 Arkansas Times Restaurant Readers Choice. Since 1981, Arkansas Times has asked readers to vote for their favorite restaurants. This annual restaurant contest is in its 34th year and the most renowned restaurant awards in the state. All voting is online, go to arktimes. com/restaurants14. There are 35 categories and two main areas: Central Arkansas and Around the State. Additionally you can vote for the best restaurants in these key areas:

ADVERTISING SUPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

Benton/Bryant, Conway, Eureka Springs, Hot Springs and Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers/Bentonville. You may only submit your votes once, but you can return to your ballot as often as you need during the voting period. Only online votes will be accepted. First round of voting is January 12 through January 30, you can nominate any restaurant. After January 30 we will determine the top four vote getters for each category. Those four and last year’s winner will then advance to the final round that will run February 16 through March 6. Winners will be announced in the

April 2 issue of Arkansas Times, and the award party will be held again this year at the Pulaski Technical Culinary and Hospitality Institute on April 7. Tell your friends, tell your coworkers!!! CORRECTION In last week’s Countdown to 2015 section, we listed incorrect bands and ticketing information for the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Little Rock Marriot Hotel. Bring on 2015 at Little Rock’s Newest New Year’s Eve celebration at the Marriott featuring the Big John Miller Band and Dave Rasico Dueling Pianos. Cash bars available. Tickets are $50, 21+.

2015

New Italian Chinese Japanese Mexican “Fun” Indian Other Ethnic Food Truck Vegetarian/Vegan Bakery Barbecue Sandwich Breakfast Brunch Catfish Fried Chicken Deli/Gourmet to go Hamburger Pizza

Since 1981, Arkansas Times has asked readers to vote for their favorite restaurants. Our annual Readers Choice Restaurant Awards are the first, and most renowned restaurant awards in the state. We’re introducing new rules for the survey this year: From Jan. 12 through Jan. 30, vote online at arktimes.com/ restaurants14 for your favorite restaurants in Central Arkansas and around the state in the 35 categories listed here. You may only submit your votes once, but you can return to your ballot as often as you need during the voting period. Only online votes will be accepted. After Jan. 23, we will determine the top four vote getters for each category. Those four and last year’s winner will then advance to a final round of voting that will run Feb. 16 through March 6. The winners will be announced in the April 2 issue of the Arkansas Times, and the awards party will be held on April 7 at the Pulaski Technical Culinary and Hospitality Institute. We’re excited about this new voting system and look forward to your participation and the final results.

Seafood Buffet Steak Desserts Ice Cream/Cold Treats Coffee Home Cooking Place for Kids Romantic Gluten Free Business Lunch Yogurt Wine List Server Chef Butcher

ONLINE VOTING ONLY NEW VOTING RULES

READERS CHOICE AWARDS

Overall

REST OF STATE

arktimes.com/restaurants14

LITTLE ROCK

BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE AREAS AROUND Benton/Bryant ________________________________

Conway________________________________________

Eureka Springs ________________________________

Hot Springs ____________________________________

Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers/Bentonville _________________________________________________________ www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

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UAMS HAS THE FOLLOWING OPENING:

DI G I TAL A DV E R TIS IN G SA LE S M A N AG E R / DIG ITA L G UR U Pet Obits Your Pet Passages Issue Dates: Thursdays Material Deadline: Mondays, same week of publication.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF FAMILY AND PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE

UAMS is seeking to fill one (1) position for Assistant Professor of Family and Preventative Medicine in the Little Rock, Arkansas metro area. Clinical and Teaching Position. Position includes teaching of residents and other medical students. Duties include, prescribing or administering treatment, therapy, medication, vaccinations and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease or injury. Monitor patients’ conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary. Coordinate work with nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, psychologists, and other health care provides. Must have an MD, or foreign equivalent, Arkansas State Medical License, and must be board certified or board eligible in family medicine upon hire and if board eligible must complete board certification within one (1) year of hire. Send résumé to Jamie Rankins, jlrankins@uams.edu, 501-6866606, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dept. of Family & Preventative Medicine, 4301 W. Markham, Slot 530, Little Rock, AR 72205. EOE.

UAMS is an inclusive Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and is committed to excellence.

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Feature your pet with a photo.

Arkansas Times is looking for a digital sales manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of all revenue-generating parts of our media group. Job duties include training, motivating and supervising salespeople; creating and overseeing the development of new sales products; overseeing our 5-year-old social media sales division, and providing strategic guidance for all things digital. Candidates should be fluent in analytics, social media and general web trends. Arkansas Times media includes our flagship, a 40-year-old weekly with one of the strongest web outputs in the alt-media community; El Latino, a Spanish-language weekly; Savvy, a moms-focused weekly; Arkansas Wild, a outdoors quarterly, and Food and Farm, a magazine published four times a year that matches farmers and producers with restaurants and consumers. Monetizing or growing revenue in display advertising, sponsored content/native ads, enewsletters, videos, digital subscriptions, podcasts, quizzes, surveys and archival content are among the specific areas on which the digital sales manager would focus.

ARKANSAS TIMES

Please email publisher Alan Leveritt at alan@arktimes.com and tell him about yourself.

Ad Size 1/16 1/8 1/4

Dimensions 2.12 W x 2.62 H 4.5 W x 2.62 H 4.5 W x 5.5 H

Feature your pet without photo Ad Size 1/32 1/16

Dimensions 2.12 W x 1.18 H 2.12 W x 2.62 H

Contact luis@arktimes.com 501-492-3974

NATURAL GAS COMPRESSOR MECHANIC needed in Conway/Morrilton area

Must be able to pass drug/alcohol test and have clean driving record Experience preferred Pay based on experience

Please send resumes to Stephen@otacompression.com Or fax: (479) 667-2311

Rate $70 $150 $300

C U S T O M F U R N I T U R E tommy@tommyfarrell.com ■ 501.375.7225

Rate $35 $70

2015 ARKANSAS TIMES

MUSICIANS SHOWC ASE The search is on.

Deadline for Entry JANUARY 1

CASH PRIZE TO WINNING BAND! PLUS MUCH, MUCH MORE! 2014 Winner Mad Nomad

ARK ANSA S TIMES MUSICIANS SHOWC A SE ENTRY FORM

Semifinalists will compete throughout January and February at Stickyz.

NAME OF BAND

Weekly winners will then face off in the finals at the Rev Room in March.

HOMETOWN

SEND THIS ENTRY AND DEMO CD TO:

DATE BAND WAS FORMED

Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase 201 East Markham St, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72201

AGE RANGE OF MEMBERS (ALL AGES WELCOME) CONTACT PERSON

ADDRESS

Enter online and upload your music files at showcase.arktimes.com

CITY, STATE, ZIP PHONE

For more info e-mail willstephenson@arktimes.com

E-MAIL

FACEBOOK LINK HAS YOUR BAND ENTERED THE SHOWCASE BEFORE?

❏ YES

❏ NO

Please attach a band photo.

IF YES, WHAT YEARS?

www.arktimes.com

DECEMBER 25, 2014

L i t tle Ro ck M a r r i o t t

Ballroom Bash Gu estro o m Package s s t art in g a t Ind i v idual t icke t s

$50 each

$229

G rand Ballro o m at Lit t le Rock M a r r i o tt fr o m

9pm – 2am

Entertainment: Dave Rasico Dueling Pianos and Th e Big John M ille r B a n d

Midnight Breakfast in t he Ballroom Fo ye r E V E N T O N LY T ICK E T S G o t o : w w w . t i ck e t w e b.com a n d en t e r “L i t t l e Ro ck B a l l r o o m B ash” Gu es tr o o m P ack ag e s IN CL U DIN G 2 T i cke ts Go t o : w w w . m ar r i o t t .co m / l i t p b

DECEMBER 25, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES