Arkansas Times | December 2023

BUFFALO BATTLE | PERIOD POVERTY PROJECT | RESTAURANT OBITS

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023

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DECEMBER 2023

DAVID YERBY

‘ALLOWING SAFETY’: Poet Kai Coggin explains the ethos behind Wednesday Night Poetry in Hot Springs, which she’s hosted since 2019.

FEATURE

9 THE FRONT

29 BEST AND WORST

When it comes to the high points and low points of 2023, we’re grading on a curve.

By Benjamin Hardy, Austin Bailey, Mary Hennigan, Stephanie Smittle, Matt Campbell, Rhett Brinkley, Daniel Grear, Debra Hale-Shelton and Griffin Coop

Aw, Snap!: Sam Pittman’s fate comes down to wins and losses, but also dollars and cents.

From the Farm: On daffodils (and a son’s grief).

Q&A: With City Director Andrea Lewis.

Big Pic: Highlights from the 400+ entries added this year to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

17 THE TO-DO LIST

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center’s grand reopening, Rattlesnake Milk and Seratones at White Water Tavern’s Holiday Hangout, “A Very Merry Motown Christmas” at The Rep, The Arkansas Times Film Series screens “Imitation of Life,” Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ production of “Corduroy” and more.

24 NEWS ON THE COVER: Illustration by Layet Johnson.

4 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

A town hall meeting in Jasper captures the controversy over the future of the Buffalo National River.

By Debra Hale-Shelton

56 SAVVY KIDS

Meet the engine room behind the Arkansas Period Poverty Project, the group battling for menstrual equity in schools and in the Legislature.

By Tricia Larson

60 CULTURE

Hot Springs poet Kai Coggin weighs in on safety, spiders and speaking truth to power.

By Mary Ruth Taylor

68 FOOD & DRINK

Departures, arrivals, fires and revivals on the state’s food scene in 2023.

By Rhett Brinkley and Stephanie Smittle

82 CANNABIZ

The dank stank around a medical marijuana cultivator’s facility has neighbors holding their noses.

By Griffin Coop

90 THE OBSERVER New Year’s resolutions.

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PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Austin Bailey CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mandy Keener SENIOR EDITOR Max Brantley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Stephanie Smittle MANAGING EDITOR Benjamin Hardy ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rhett Brinkley CANNABIZ EDITOR Griffin Coop ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Daniel Grear REPORTER Mary Hennigan REPORTER Debra Hale-Shelton INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Matt Campbell

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H O LI DAY T R A D I T I O N S In the second episode of “Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions,” Mario Luna travels the state sharing in a tapestry of winter holiday celebrations that bring communities together. Join him to explore the magic of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s, showcasing unique traditions, decorations and delicious holiday feasts from across Arkansas.

From twinkling lights to heartwarming stories, these winter holidays remind us that family, friends and community shine the brightest!

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THE FRONT FROM THE FARM

DAFFODILS DON’T DIE EVEN IN STONY GRAVEYARD SOIL.

BY ALAN LEVERITT Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt has lived on his great-grandparents’ farm in northern Pulaski County for 41 years. This is the latest in a series of columns about day-to-day life on the land where he raises heirloom tomatoes and other crops for local restaurants and the Hillcrest Farmers Market.

I

t was November, and my mother’s grave looked like hell.

She had promised me that if I buried her in McGehee, where she was from, she would come back as a haint and take up residence in my house. It had something to do with the water table down there.

On the day she died in 2012, I’d gone over to have lunch with her in the North Little Rock house I grew up in. She had been a vibrant woman and hated that her life was getting smaller. She was 92, and she had recently stopped driving because of severe osteoporosis. She had broken both hips and fractured her back in falls. Going outside was now a major journey.

We were eating tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches in the kitchen, and I guess my mind had wandered a bit as she was talking. Suddenly she looked right at me and said, “Are you bored?”

“Oh, no ma’am!” I said.

“Well, I am,” she replied.

That night I got a call from her telling me to come over at once, that there was a stranger in the house. By this time she was in home hospice with a 24-hour nurse, and she had briefly forgotten who the nurse was or why she was there. I was driving through Hot Springs with two peacocks that I had bought in the back seat and was trying to get back to the farm. I spoke with the nurse and promised my mother I would come the next morning.

She died that night in her sleep.

Pa, my great-grandfather, bought our old farm in 1901. My grandmother was raised there, and my mother spent her summers there with her grandparents. She loved the place and so do I, so we buried her there on a hillside overlooking a mile of pasture.

When we get rain in the summer the grass

BULBS IN THE BURIAL PLOT: Hay, 5 inches deep, will allow the daffodils to come through in spring but smother out most of the summer grasses.

is tall and green, waving in the wind like water on the ocean. It is truly a beautiful spot.

Ed had cut my big yard for 30 years, splitting his time between cutting grass and pastoring a little Holiness church nearby. I learned early on that I could raise heirloom tomatoes or cut grass, but not both and still hold a full-time job. Ed would do the yard, then walk out to the hillside and touch up my mother’s grave with the weedeater.

Until he retired a few months ago.

It was stifling hot this summer, and I never once visited her grave. I did what I had to do in the fields and went straight for the air conditioner. But fall finally arrived and, with bourbon in hand, I once again headed to the grave at sunset to relax in the swing I had built above her grave and enjoy the view with my mother.

And that’s when I realized that her grave looked like hell. I had built a sturdy fence around it to keep the cows out and now the whole gravesite was covered in tall, drought-blighted switchgrass. Her stone barely peeked over the summer devastation.

She would be so pissed, I thought. And disappointed. She’d probably pack up and move down to McGehee just to be in a proper cemetery.

I am not sentimental about human remains. My father’s ashes are down in the basil plot on my farm, but I know he’s not there. Ditto with my mother up on the hill.

But nearly a dozen years after her death, she can still guilt her son without even trying.

That night, I went online and ordered a sack of 250 mixed daffodil bulbs. Thirty years ago my then-wife started ordering

100 daffodil bulbs for me every season with instructions to plant them randomly in the field fronting the peacock pens. After six years, I begged her to stop, but now every February my eyes scour the field looking for the first green tips of our returning spring daffodils. By late March, the field is solid with hundreds of yellow, orange and white blossoms, all set off by their dark green foliage. I love hiking in the Ozarks that time of the year because I can locate old homesteads by following the flowers. Even though the people and their cabins are long gone, the blooming daffodils are testimony that they once existed.

It took a full Saturday planting the bulbs in the dry, stony graveyard soil. But I was able to pack all 250 a foot apart, completely covering the gravesite. Like garlic, daffodils don’t ever die — they just divide and keep coming up. There are very few things you can do on a Saturday and be assured that the fruits of your labor will be evident come March a half-century later.

On Sunday, I got the tractor and brought over a thousand-pound roll of spoiled hay and pitched it over the fence with the hydraulic lift. I spent most of Sunday spreading the hay 5 inches deep, which will still allow the daffodils to come through in spring but smother out most of the summer grasses.

My mother had a great, somewhat selfdeprecating sense of humor. When she would come out to the farm, she would call and say she was getting on her broom and about to head my way. She taught me to garden and love flowers but probably never dreamed someday I would mulch her. I think she would have been very amused.

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 9

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EMPTY BLEACHERS

Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman walks the sidelines at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville during the Hogs’ 48-10 blowout loss to Auburn Saturday, Nov. 11. "The crowd for the game certainly wasn’t bad," Beau Wilcox wrote for the Arkansas Times, "but once the Tigers stormed to a 21-0 lead 10 minutes in, even those who had been booing seemed uncommitted to keeping it up for very long. ... Arkansas, frankly, hasn’t looked like a competent [Football Bowl Subdivision] team in that stadium in two whole seasons. Even in a big win over Ole Miss last November, the Hogs surrendered over 700 yards." Photograph by Brian Chilson.

12 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

‘CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THE CITY’

THE FRONT Q&A

A Q&A WITH LITTLE ROCK DIRECTOR ANDREA LEWIS.

monitoring and observing. It gets to a point where some stuff is just right and wrong, so let me speak up. That’s what you’re really starting to see.

You and Antwan Phillips are very young compared to the rest of the board. Can you talk about what it’s like to join the board as a young Black woman? I think it’s a great value; a great asset to add.

We’re in a different stage of life, and we’re able to remind the rest of the board that there are key points and players in this city that we need to be mindful about. I’m hoping that our positions will bring other people to think, “You know what, they did it and we can do it, too.” That’s what’s going to continue to move us forward.

BRIAN CHILSON

Only one candidate for the Little Rock Board of Directors unseated an incumbent in the November 2022 election: Andrea Hogan Lewis. She beat longtime city director Doris Wright by promising the residents of Ward 6 in west central Little Rock she would fight for a better sense of community, increased public safety and better infrastructure. Lewis, 41, brings a fresh perspective to the city’s leadership.

She’s the only Black woman on the 10-member board, the second youngest director and the only one with schoolaged children. Nearly a year into the job, Lewis said the work of a city board member extends well beyond the hour or two spent at public meetings every Tuesday. She considers her role customer service for the city: day-today communication with constituents, meeting people from all walks of life and unexpectedly connecting with someone at the grocery store. In addition to her city role, Lewis also serves as assistant vice president and a Community Reinvestment Act officer at First Security Bank.

FUN FACT: I have a twin brother.

GO-TO KARAOKE SONG: Anything Beyoncé, but probably “Upgrade U (feat.

Jay-Z).”

How do you think Little Rock, as a community, can approach crime in a proactive way? I’m still a believer in getting involved with the police department and getting to know the officers. Having the officers come to the neighborhood association meetings, having more people in general come to those meetings, that’s where you really start to form those relationships. We also have to get the kids more involved in what’s going on. I’m a big proponent of the community centers. They have great services, great athletics. There are things that we just have to get out and inform our people about.

Where does your passion for this GUILTY PLEASURE: Reality TV. “The work come from? My dad was a city Real Housewives,” “The Kardashians” councilman in Joiner [Mississippi and “Married to Medicine” are some of County]. We moved to Turrell my favorites.

[Crittenden County] and he just knows everybody there. My grandmother, his mother, people would come to her house on Sundays … and it wasn’t just for the family. If anybody What have you done since joining the board that you’re the came in and needed some socks, she’d go get ’em socks. If they most proud of? We just had the Ward 6 block party [Oct. 28] needed a plate, she got ’em a plate. I just grew up seeing it, and at the West Central Community Center. My goal is to continue I don’t think I really knew back then what it was doing to me to have it larger and move it around different parts of the ward personally. It helped shape and mold me. If you have it to give, … We have to encompass the entire ward. All of the different then why not? I give thanks to God, because I know without him neighborhoods that make up the ward are unique, and we need none of this would even be possible. to highlight all of those. More than 40 vendors signed up for free. They came and made money for free, and that’s what it’s How has it felt to take over a position where some of the all about. We can highlight these small businesses. It was just a constituents told you they felt neglected under previous great, great atmosphere to have the young people and the older leadership? It’s great. The reward is there. I didn’t know how generation mix and mingle. much of a neglect that there was. I didn’t know the void they felt. Because it [lasted for] so many years, it became “This What are you prioritizing in the new year? Cleaning up the is what it is.” And it’s like, “No, this is not what it has to be neighborhoods. If we can take care of the small stuff, it doesn’t like.” We need to take charge of our communities, get your grow into large stuff. That’s where all the [previous] neglect neighborhoods back, and you do have a voice. came from because it just piled one thing after another. We need all of Little Rock looking presentable, across the board. No How did you feel within the first few months as a city one can do it all; it takes all of us to do a little bit. I also want to director? Honestly, it was a lot of unknowns. I’m the type who focus more on what we can do to pour into our youth and help will ask questions when I don’t understand. I was quiet on with getting our seniors more involved. I used to say a lot, ‘Live, purpose because this is a new role and I’m just trying to feel my work, play and worship.’ That is literally what we need to focus way. I know it’s a lot of moving parts, so I was just sitting back, on for everybody. —Mary Hennigan ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 13

THE FRONT BIG PIC

QUARTERBOATS, QUEER ARKANSAS AND PIGEONEERS A SAMPLER PLATTER FROM THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ARKANSAS.

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, a project of the Central Arkansas Library System, added more than 400 new entries in 2023, covering some lesser known corners of the state’s history and culture. Sometimes that means catching history as it happens, as Editor Guy Lancaster and the project’s staff did with the new entry on the March 31 Tornado. Sometimes it means zooming out on Arkansas history, as the EOA did with an entry on Place Names, which covers the varied ways in which state nomenclature was developed, from early French explorers to later Dutch railroad financiers to a random encounter that left a Fulton County town called Saddle. Here, we asked Lancaster to put together a sampling of what’s been added this past year.

1. FLOATING CCC CAMP AND JACKS BAY Arkansas was the location of numerous Civilian Conservation Corps camps during the New Deal era, but the Floating CCC Camp and Jacks Bay stood out in many ways. Located in a remote section of Arkansas County, the camp consisted of African American CCC enrollees housed in floating government quarterboats, rather than the usual tents or barracks.

These men developed some of the early infrastructure of what is now the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge.

2. JEANNETTE HOWARD FOSTER Author of the 1956 classic of lesbian scholarship, “Sex Variant Women in Literature,” Jeannette Howard Foster paved the way for the study of samesex attraction between women in literature, history and more. At the time, homosexuality was still considered pathological, even criminal, and research proved an immense challenge for Foster.

But her book made her an important figure in women’s history, and Foster became a part of Arkansas history when she and her partner moved in 1974 to Pocahontas, where she lived until her death in 1981.

3. THREE CHEERS FOR THE PIGEONEERS During World War I, programs at 110 Army posts throughout the country were established for the training of homing pigeons, one of which was at Camp Pike: the 312th Field Signal Battalion’s Pigeon Department. In early 1918, the Arkansas Gazette published stories about the Army seeking “patriotic and footloose” men who had experience with pigeons.

Training these birds could actually be hazardous, as soldiers had to recreate the conditions of trench warfare in order to acclimate the pigeons to the conditions 14 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

they would encounter overseas. As the program got underway, newspapers also had to warn locals against shooting any pigeons they saw. None of the Arkansas pigeons ever saw action before the war ended, and Camp Pike (later renamed Camp Robinson) auctioned off the birds in January 1919.

4. ‘ARKANSAS SPECIAL AGENTS’ Keeping current also means keeping up with popular culture that represents Arkansas in some way or another. During the summer of 2023, renowned romance novel publisher Harlequin released a thriller-romance trilogy, “Arkansas Special Agents,” set in Northwest Arkansas. The three books feature state police and federal agents investigating crime and uncovering corruption in the fastest-growing corner of the state. The series actually has a lot to say about the growing divide between rich and poor and the effect an influx of money is having on the region, themes particularly relevant given the controversy over the future of the Buffalo River and the investment by the Walton family in Ozarks real estate.

5. ‘THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK’ Between 1936 and 1966, “The Negro Motorist Green Book” (commonly called the “Green Book”) provided African American travelers information on establishments such as hotels and restaurants that would serve Black clientele during the segregation era. Our entry on Arkansas listings in the Green Book surveys the various Arkansas businesses presented, including sites such as the Latimore Tourist Home in Russellville, which has recently been the focus of historic preservation efforts.

6. RUTH ASAWA Some people only spent a short time in Arkansas but nonetheless have become part of our history and shared story.

Ruth Asawa and her family were among the thousands of Japanese Americans interned at the Rohwer Relocation Center during World War II, but she went on to become an artist renowned for her wire sculptures. Her work was later honored in a series of U.S. postage stamps, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville holds three of her works, including two sculptures and one selfportrait.

7. BELMONT During World War I, there grew up around Camp Pike a business and entertainment hub called Belmont. But this was no raucous and rowdy venue.

As Laura Fuentes writes, “Social activist groups such as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union placed pressure on the federal government to protect the physical bodies as well as the moral well-being of soldiers and the communities they were traveling to and through.” Consequently, only nonalcoholic beverages were available at the local establishments. Little remains of this once-thriving business district save the St. Joseph Center, a Catholic orphanage appropriated by the Army for use as a hotel and restaurant.

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ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 15

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HOLIDAY HANGOUT

FRIDAY 12/1-SUNDAY 12/3. WHITE WATER TAVERN. $140 WEEKEND PASS. Scan a few posters from any of the past 14 years of Holiday Hangouts and you’ll pick up on a pattern. Hosted by Last Chance Records, Tree Of Knowledge and the White Water Tavern, the annual music festival never has an identical set of performers, but there’s always a smattering of familiar names — local and national — carried over from previous years. It might be fate or it might be loyalty, but once you’ve played one hangout, you’re bound to play another, gravity pulling each artist back at a slightly different rate. This year’s lineup includes Adam Faucett, Brent Best, Chad Price, Chris Acker, Dylan Earl, Greyhounds, Jon Snodgrass, Michael Dean Damron, Rattlesnake Milk, Seratones (pictured), Slobberbone, Thelma and the Sleaze, Tim Easton and Two Runner, with more to be announced. Get tickets at whitewatertavern.com. DG ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 17

‘A VERY MERRY MOTOWN CHRISTMAS’

DAZZMIN MURRY

WEDNESDAY 12/20-SATURDAY 12/23.

ARKANSAS REPERTORY THEATRE. 7 P.M. (3 P.M. AND 7 P.M. ON SAT.) $20-$40.

Santa skeptics, Scrooges and Bah Humbugs of all ages: I defy you to sit through a tribute concert sung by Tawanna Campbell and Bijoux (pictured) and stay mad at Christmas.

The two powerhouse vocalists are seasoned performers, regularly sitting in with the city’s more polished jazz and R&B ensembles, and to see them work a crowd is a delight worth showing off to visiting friends and family. Here, they’re joined by University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff choral director Jerron Liddell and Chicago-based composer Nygel Robinson for a Motown-spiked holiday concert inspired by Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Supremes. Get tickets at therep.org. SS

‘EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD (AND THEN SOME!)’ ‘CORDUROY’

THROUGH SATURDAY 12/23. ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. $15-$20.

Our to-do list picks rarely include events targeted at children, but it’s the holidays, for crying out loud. Even if you don’t have kids of your own, you’re probably going to be saddled with some insatiably curious little monsters for at least a couple of days while family’s in town, so why not skip the iPad and usher them to something wholesome and timeless? Adapted from the Don Freeman picture book of the same name, “Corduroy” is the story of an adorable teddy bear in green overalls who’s missing one of his buttons. Once the department store he calls home empties out for the night, he scampers around in search of the button, leaving behind a trail of disorder. Starting with a few shows at the end of November, “Corduroy” runs on the first three weekends of December, and then every day from Dec. 19-23. Get tickets at arkmfa.org. DG 18 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

FRIDAY 12/1-SATURDAY 12/16. THE WEEKEND THEATER. $18-$20.

As they so often veer from the mainstream, I wondered how The Weekend Theater would handle the winter holidays, a time of year when it’d probably be easier (and financially safer) to stage something trusty and time-honored. This December’s selection, “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!),” splits the difference perfectly. Stuffed with an abundance of recognizable characters, narratives and songs, it’s a reckless mashup of all things Christmassy, performed by just three actors in a revolving door of costumes, as if the goal is to court chaos. Though the play has been in national circulation since the 2000s, its script is notoriously flexible and improv-friendly, meaning there’s room for plenty of topical references and no two shows will be alike. Get tickets at centralarkansastickets.com. DG

AMERICAN PRINCES

In January 2004, American Princes dropped their debut album, “We Are The People,” and it still thrums with electricity nearly 20 years later. The band exploded out of the gate as a fully-formed synthesis of angular rock and Southern angst. Anchored by the dueling voices of David Slade (pictured, in sunglasses) and Collins Kilgore (pictured, at far right), the former smooth and dramatic and the latter achingly jagged, American Princes went on to become one of Central Arkansas’s most beloved bands. According to our calculations, this Christmastime reunion show at White Water will be their first performance in seven years, and word on the street is that some of their music is getting an inaugural pressing on vinyl, just in time for the gig. DG

ALYSSE GAFKJEN

FRIDAY 12/22. WHITE WATER TAVERN.

GAR HOLE-IDAYS WINTER SHOWCASE

JOSEPH WYMAN

FRIDAY 12/8-SATURDAY 12/9. GEORGE’S MAJESTIC LOUNGE, FAYETTEVILLE. $25-$30 PER DAY, $45 FOR BOTH. Lately it seems like anytime I discover a promising new folk artist from Arkansas, Gar Hole Records has already scooped them up. I don’t know if they’re especially adept at seeking out talent or if the Fayetteville-based label’s growing reputation is causing the cream of the crop to knock on their door, but the two keep finding each other. Raise a toast to this wonderful symbiosis with the second annual Gar Hole-idays Winter Showcase, featuring two consecutive nights of music by four members of the Gar Hole roster — Nick Shoulders (pictured, with band) Dylan Earl, Bonnie Montgomery and Chris Acker — as well as a handful of other acts billed as part of the label’s extended family, like The Deslondes, Esther Rose and Sabine McCalla. Get tickets at georgesmajesticlounge.com. DG

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 19

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER GRAND REOPENING

REBECCA LADER

FRIDAY 12/1-SUNDAY 12/3. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER.

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FRIDAY 12/8-SATURDAY 12/9. THE REV ROOM. $70 PER DAY. $125 FOR BOTH. Even if you pared this metal fest lineup down to the bands connected to Arkansas — say, Morbid Visionz, Second Life, Terminal Nation and Open Kasket — it’d be a memorable blockbuster of a show. Curated by Terminal Nation frontman Stan Liszewski and Evan D. Grove of Morbid Visionz, the festival takes place over the course of two evenings at the Rev Room, and brings in hardcore punk godfathers Integrity (“celebrating the end of the world since 1988!”), L.A. hardcore outfit Terror (pictured), Hudson Valley metalcore band All Out War (ringing in the 25th anniversary of their seminal album “For Those Who Were Crucified”), California hardcore septet God’s Hate and Chicago punk rockers Harm’s Way, plus sets from Judiciary, Orthodox, Outer Heaven, Gates to Hell, Enforced, Skeletal Remains, Mutually Assured Destruction, Maul, Combust, No Cure, World I Hate, Ozone, Sentenced 2 Die, Primitive Rage, Mutilatred, Defense Wound, Agony, Ritual Fog, Kill Order, Heldtight and Zashed. There will be beards, there will be beer, there will be many black T-shirts with unintelligible fonts and there will be ample opportunity to test the quality of your earplugs. Get tickets at revroom.com. SS

20 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center turned 15 back in September, but the real fanfare is coming the first weekend of December, when the museum will debut its newly updated permanent exhibition space following a $3.5 million renovation. First up is the Top 15 Trailblazers Luncheon on Friday, where a group of impactful Black Arkansans will be honored for their contributions to African American culture and their efforts to preserve its history. Things turn celebratory on Saturday night with Harlem Nights on 9th, a black-tie gala where guests will be smothered with soul food and cocktails from Jacinda Jones of Aretha’s Beverages, liquor from HelenaWest Helena’s Delta Dirt Distillery and live music by Miss Pinky and Tawanna Campbell, plus casino-themed games. Though gala attendees will be the first to see the fresh exhibition space, Sunday afternoon’s free holiday open house from 1-5 p.m. — including a photo op with Black Santa! — serves as the official ribbon cutting.

Tickets for the 11 a.m. luncheon ($75) and 7 p.m. gala ($250) are available at arkansasheritage.com. DG

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘IMITATION OF LIFE’

TUESDAY 12/19. RIVERDALE 10 VIP CINEMA. 7 P.M. $12-$14.

Best remembered for his commercially successful melodramas with outsize acting and bold Technicolor, director Douglas Sirk was initially dismissed by critics.

A reevaluation of his work, however, has brought into focus the way in which his films subversively critique American notions of race, gender and class.

“Imitation of Life” (1959), his last Hollywood picture, is no exception. After a chance encounter at Coney Island, Lora (Lana Turner), an aspiring actress and single mother to 6-year-old Susie, takes in another widow, Annie, and her daughter Sarah Jane. The first pair is white, the second is Black. But what’s supposed to be a one-night arrangement becomes permanent, as Annie is persuaded to look after the household while Lora pursues work on the stage. Eleven years later, Lora is obliviously busy with a thriving Broadway career, leaving Annie to be Susie’s surrogate mother. Annie’s relationship with Sarah Jane, though, is where the real conflict lies. Fair-skinned and struggling with her identity, Sarah Jane becomes obsessed with passing as white, driving Annie into a deep depression. Get tickets at riverdale10.com. OJ/DG

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NEWS & POLITICS

THE WALTONS, THE FIRST GENTLEMAN AND THE FUTURE OF THE BUFFALO RIVER.

BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON

I

t was a town hall fit for the movies. On Oct. 26, more than 1,000 people turned out for a community meeting at the school cafeteria in Jasper, an Ozarks town and home to about 500 residents.

Almost 2,000 more watched the meeting online. But the big names of the night were absent: two grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton and the Arkansas governor’s husband, Bryan Sanders.

The topic was the Buffalo National River, where folks have been swimming, fishing and canoeing longer than anyone can remember. Outdoor enthusiasts Steuart and Tom Walton, co-founders of the investment firm Runway Group LLC, want the beloved river preserved — but also changed. For at least 1 1/2 years, they’ve been promoting the idea of asking Congress to redesignate the area as a national park and preserve.

But those plans only became public knowledge in September, when residents of five north Arkansas counties began getting phone surveys asking them about a possible change. Runway posted survey results online, saying nearly 64% of the 412 voters polled were in favor of the idea.

Critics said the survey’s questions seemed designed to encourage participants to give just such a response.

24 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

JARED PHILLIPS

ROUGH WATERS

PUBLIC OUTCRY: More than 1,000 people turned out for a community meeting to discuss the future of the Buffalo National River, though the big names of the night were conspicuously absent.

The public outcry was so loud that Runway later told legislators it was backing off. Still, residents remain suspicious about the company’s goals.

“I don’t think this issue is going away,” said state Sen. Bryan King (R-Green Forest), whose district includes some of the Buffalo region. King said he fears Runway’s retreat is only a delay, especially considering the more than 6,000 acres Walton Enterprises owns in Madison County after a property buying spree.

Darryl Treat, executive director of the Greater Searcy County Chamber of Commerce, agreed. He cited recent newspaper editorials in support of the change and the fact that we’ve heard no definitive rejection of the idea from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders or Arkansas’s congressional delegation and the governor’s office.

What exactly would the change from a “national river” to a “national park and preserve” mean for the Buffalo? It’s not fully clear.

The current “national river” designation allows folks to fish and hunt along the 150mile river. National parks generally don’t allow hunting, but national preserves may have less stringent land use rules. Activities

such as mining and drilling may be allowed on preserves.

If the Buffalo were a “national park and preserve,” the arrangement might resemble the New River Gorge national park and preserve in West Virginia. The public lands at New River Gorge include a core 7,000acre national park and a much larger, 65,000-acre preserve.

Regardless of the name, the specific activities allowed in a particular National Park Service-administered territory are spelled out by Congress. The law authorizing the Buffalo National River specifically allows hunting and fishing and prohibits the establishment of hydropower projects.

Tina Boehle, a National Park Service spokeswoman, said mining and drilling “would currently not be allowed” in or along the Buffalo.

“Nothing in the enabling legislation of Buffalo National River explicitly mentions mining/drilling, but any activity such as that would ‘unreasonably diminish the scenic, recreational, and fish and wildlife values present in the area,’” Boehle said, referring to a phrase contained in the enabling legislation.

Asked whether mining and drilling could

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ARKANSAS TIMES

take place in a national park and preserve, Boehle said, “It centers on whether there is a valid pre-existing mineral right and the various laws and regulations that apply to the exercise of that right.”

If Congress were to change the Buffalo’s designation, it is possible that it could make other changes to land use restrictions.

Runway has said it does not support the idea of mining or drilling along the Buffalo.

The Madison County Record recently reported that gubernatorial spokeswoman Alexa Henning said Bryan Sanders “does not support nor has he even discussed the idea of drilling or mining in the Buffalo National River.”

Even if mineral exploration is not in the cards, though, many residents fear the proposed change could overwhelm the region with tourists, infrastructure and additional federal regulation. And regardless of the details, the secretive nature of the planning has many people in north Arkansas feeling suspicious of the planners’ motives.

King, Treat and state Sen. Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View) indicated residents were frustrated that neither Runway nor Bryan Sanders sought residents’ input before the September phone poll.

“It seems elementary to never try to push a major change without first engaging with the people it affects most and maintaining transparency. A lot can be accomplished with open dialog,” Treat said. “We heard the siren song of economic prosperity 51 years ago when the Buffalo became a National River. The economic claims did not come close to being realized. The local people are very wise to not trust anyone’s promises today without seeing detailed plans which we have been told do not exist.”

King said an early discussion with residents would have been tough because of lingering unhappiness with the designation of the Buffalo National River back in 1972, which displaced some people living in the area.

Still, he said “that route, even being difficult, would have been far better than the Bryan Sanders route.” As things stand now, “Any trust factor has been blown out of the water.”

Rumors of the first gentleman’s involvement surfaced months ago, though he, his chief of staff and the governor’s spokeswoman have not responded to requests for comment from the Arkansas Times.

Sanders is a friend of the Walton brothers, a fellow cycling enthusiast and the chairman of the Natural State Advisory

Council, on which Tom Walton serves.

Irvin said Sanders contacted her in May about the Buffalo.

“I told him he needed to meet directly with my constituents,” she wrote on Facebook. “At which point I reached out to ... the Searcy County Chamber of Commerce director who was ready to meet. Then we never heard back from the first gentleman’s office and no meeting ever occurred.”

In an online statement, Irvin wrote, “I stand with my constituents in opposing a change in the designation of the Buffalo National River.

“It is critically important to respect the people who have forged their lives from these mountains & who continue to live with the pain of losing their homesteads, their heritage,” she added.

Runway said it approached U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, now chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, in July 2022 about the idea of designating the river as a national park and preserve.

The Arkansas Republican has acknowledged the river discussion but said, “There has not been any legislation drafted or introduced in ... Congress to change the current designation. Currently, my top priority is hearing the thoughts of my constituents on the matter and collecting as much feedback as possible.”

Westerman said he supports “the rights of private property owners, and I do not support any forced sale of privately held lands.”

Treat, who said his family settled in Searcy County before Arkansas was a state, called it “disrespectful and paternalistic behavior” to discuss making major changes to the area without consulting local leaders. “After all, we live here and we are the reason there is infrastructure here and our tax money maintains the very roads that many people use to access the Buffalo National River.”

Treat said he believes “the vast majority of people who live here, whether from founding families or recent newcomers, are against the change.”

Runway has been publicly quiet about the proposal since the Oct. 26 town hall. A flier at the meeting said Runway representatives, the governor and her husband were all invited to the meeting but did not attend, the Arkansas Advocate reported.

Shortly before the town hall, Runway released a statement indicating it was backing off. “A designation change for the Buffalo National River is not our decision to make, but we believe it’s an idea worth exploring,” the company said.

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 27

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BY BENJAMIN HARDY, AUSTIN BAILEY, MARY HENNIGAN, STEPHANIE SMITTLE, MATT CAMPBELL, RHETT BRINKLEY, DANIEL GREAR, DEBRA HALE-SHELTON AND GRIFFIN COOP ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAYET JOHNSON

H

ere’s the thing about 2023: You have to grade it on a curve.

Yes, it was our first year of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and the new governor managed to underperform even the low expectations we had for her last November. And yes, Sanders allies at the state Capitol passed the worst corpus of legislation in living memory, bestowing upon us universal school vouchers, weaker child labor laws, less public transparency, potential criminal penalties for librarians, tax cuts for the well-to-do, various anti-woke demagoguery, a giant dollop of cash for a new prison, and on and on. Oh — and there was a tornado.

But 2023 was also the first year it felt like the clouds of the pandemic had fully lifted. COVID-19 is still with us, of course, and still a serious danger for many, but it’s declined to a slow simmer thanks to boosters and good old-fashioned natural immunity. Gathering with friends and family is no longer a novelty.

In January, if you recall, everyone was sure the U.S. was headed for recession.

Instead, the economy kept chugging. Arkansas enjoyed record-low unemployment and a hefty budget surplus (which our leaders are happily squandering on even more tax cuts). Little Rock’s alarming spike in homicides in 2022 receded back to a merely terrible baseline, reflecting national trends.

So that was 2023. A chronically broken health care system, but not a crippling pandemic. Inflation and inequality, but not economic ruin. The typical gun rampages and senseless shootings, but not the dystopian collapse of many people’s paranoid fears and fantasies. The March 31 tornado, which ravaged hundreds of homes but caused only a single death in Pulaski County, seems like a fairly good metaphor. Things weren’t great; they could have been a whole lot worse.

Now then. Brace yourselves for 2024.

ARKTIMES.COM ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 2023 29 29 DECEMBER

BRIAN CHILSON

WORST REDECORATING JOB

We find that even one Huckabee at a time is excessive. Now, visitors to the governor’s meeting room get a twofer. On Jan. 25, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders held a press conference solely to tell us she was moving her dad’s portrait from the Capitol rotunda to the wood-paneled conference chamber adjacent to her office. Mike Huckabee was there in person to thank God for his daughter’s leadership.

BEST WORST WORST POLITICAL POLITICAL INHUMANITY Larry Price Jr. starved to death in a Sebastian PRODIGY PRODIGY Jaylen Smith was 18 when he took office as Being an underage public servant has its County Jail cell in 2021, his body found in a the mayor of the Crittenden County town of Earle in January, making him one of the youngest elected officials in the country.

“Why should I have to go somewhere else to be great when I can be great right here in Earle, Arkansas?” Smith said in an interview with The New York Times.

30 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

downsides, though. In August, Hot Springs police arrested Garland County Justice of the Peace Dayton Myers, 20, after he used someone else’s Mississippi-issued ID to get into Oaklawn. Myers, a Republican, had multiple alcoholic drinks and gambled on a total of nine slot machines at the casino; police say he used an invalid Texas license to obtain a players card in 2020. No word on how much Myers won or lost during his night on the town.

pool of his own urine. His crime: pointing finger guns at Fort Smith police and not having the $100 to get free on bond. Price, a developmentally disabled and mentally ill man who stood 6-foot-2, had been locked in solitary confinement for more than a year when he died, his weight dropping from 185 pounds to 90. The case received national media attention in January, when his family filed a lawsuit against the county and a forprofit inmate medical service provider. A trial is scheduled for May 2024.

BRIAN CHILSON

BEST DRESSED Asa Hutchinson might be getting creamed

in the Republican primary, but at least he looks fly. So says Derek Guy, Twitter’s resident men’s fashion expert, who gave the former Arkansas governor props in July for his French cuffs and well-cut suits. Despite his sartorial supremacy, Hutchinson’s presidential campaign rarely broke 1% in polls of Republican voters throughout the summer and fall.

Everybody seems to like that other guy with the long neckties and the orange dye job.

BEST MENTOR

Longtime Arkansas Times Editor Max Brantley expertly tagged out of the daily journalism game right before the start of the 2023 Arkansas legislative session, a move we both resented and admired. While Brantley left us to suffer through it without him, he’s as generous as ever with advice, tips, contacts and the wisdom that comes with five decades of serving up Arkansas news.

BEST SNUB WORST BEST Little Rock Central High students poured D.C.-STYLE OPPORTUNITY out of class on a March afternoon to protest FOR FUTURE their school’s least-beloved alumna. Gov. POLITICS Sanders’ own education at Central seems to It’s an old swamp trick the new governor VANDALISM have served her well. But her signature bill, and her traveling Trumpettes brought Nevermind that the majority of Americans Arkansas LEARNS, belittles and degrades public education and gives taxpayer money to families for private schools instead.

to town this spring: Slingshot a 144page omnibus bill through the Arkansas legislature as quickly as possible, and no one has time to ask questions. Even some of the Republican supermajority balked at the shiftiness behind Arkansas LEARNS, noting they weren’t able to read the whole thing before votes were called. Of course, that was the point. LEARNS is a mishmash of mistakes and malign intent, glossed up with teacher raises. Keep the raises, repeal the rest.

— even the majority of Arkansans, by some polls — support abortion access.

The blowhards in the state legislature not only banned abortion in all instances except to save a mother’s life; they also voted to enshrine their bullying in marble and bronze. A “monument to the unborn” will be going up on the Capitol grounds, courtesy of a bill passed this spring. A giant vagina? A shiny fetus reminiscent of the Chicago Bean? Whatever design is chosen, let’s hope a Dodge Dart makes quick work of it.

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 31

University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt to buy the giant, online, for-profit University of Phoenix ended in failure and acrimony this spring when the UA System’s board narrowly rejected Bobbitt’s plans. Phoenix is now seeking a buyer in Idaho.

WORST FAMILY LOYALTY Just over a year ago, Barry Walker pleaded

guilty to raping 31 children in Pike and Clark counties since 1997. In January, reporters discovered that Walker’s niece, Jana Bradford, a prosecuting attorney in southwest Arkansas, had attempted to have Walker removed from the sex offender registry after an earlier conviction. She also worked to protect Walker from legal consequences for years, even while employed as a deputy prosecutor. Bradford and other family members who circled the wagons to protect Walker over the years were subsequently added as defendants in a civil suit filed against Walker by many of his victims.

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Rumors that arms dealer Neil Ravi Mehta escaped an FBI raid on his 6,000-square-foot Fort Smith home by fleeing through an underground tunnel proved false; rumors that he owned an orange Lamborghini with “WARLORD” vanity plates were real. Mehta was apprehended in Texas in February after a weeklong manhunt and eventually accepted a plea deal related to illegal explosives found in the FBI raid. He could face up to 18 years in prison.

BEST DISPLAY OF MUSICAL MEDIOCRITY Matt Farley, or “The Guy Who Sings

Songs About Cities & Towns” as he’s known on Spotify, has released a lengthy album about every state in the country, but we’re sure each and every track on his 50-song tribute to Arkansas is straight from the heart. The opening line of Farley’s “Beebe! Oh Yeah!” (rhymes with “dweeb,” in Farley’s world) is something the Arkansas Times editorial team is still shouting at random.

32 32 DECEMBER DECEMBER 2023 2023

ARKANSAS ARKANSASTIMES TIMES

WORST GRASP OF ARKANSAS TOPOGRAPHY The Rockies, the Ozarks — six of one, half a dozen of the other, right?

Maybe the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services thought no one would notice when they shared a stock photo of colorful Colorado in May, encouraging hikers to come enjoy Arkansas’s beautiful “trials” [sic]. Blue Hog Report blogger Matt Campbell called bullshit on the gaffe, unearthing repeat instances of Arkansas-centric captions atop photos of rugged peaks and aspen trees on the agency’s social media accounts.

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BEST/WORST USE OF A VERY GOOD GIRL In February, Special Agent K9 Lucy, the

BEST QUIET REVENGE

BRIAN CHILSON

A Valentine’s Day fundraiser at the Little Rock Zoo encouraged the heartbroken to pay $5 to name a cockroach after an ex, after which the roaches would be fed to Mayhem, a northern ground hornbill. Names included “Greasy Greg,” “Crazy Lisa,” “Stumpy and Pathetic Bob,” and, the lowest of low, “Mat with one ‘T’” Also in the mix: “Sarah S.” and “Donald T.” Wink, wink.

WORST EVENT PLANNING On Sept. 2, War Memorial Stadium hosted one of its most memorable Razorbacks games in recent years, though not in a good way. Fans not calling the Hogs in the 90-degree summer weather were likely searching for water and not finding any; on-site medical personnel saw more than 200 patients. The state, which is in charge of War Memorial, brushed off the problems and widespread complaints afterwards as the inevitable hiccups of any large-scale event.

only dog in Arkansas trained to sniff out concealed electronic devices, joined the staff at the state attorney general’s office.

Several weeks later, the yellow lab’s detective work helped lead to the arrest of North Little Rock resident Robert Vincent Lahn, who eventually pleaded guilty to 30 counts of possession of child pornography.

Apparently, there’s a coating used on most commercial hard drives, laptops and other digital doodads that Lucy’s perceptive nose can detect.

WORST DICKENSIAN THROWBACK The governor signed a bill in March

to eliminate the state’s work permit requirement for 14- and 15-year-olds.

Legislators bloviated at length about the need to instill a work ethic in the kids these days. But it’s hard not to suspect the rollback of child labor laws is more about giving companies easier access to a cheap, pliable workforce. Only a few weeks before the law passed, two Arkansas meatpacking plants were busted for using contractors that hired teenage kids to clean bloody floors and dangerous equipment with caustic chemicals.

BEST POLITICAL PROMISE, HANDS DOWN Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville)

sponsored a resolution this spring that would “encourage the United States to become a member of the Commonwealth of Nations,” an association of countries formerly ruled by the British Empire. We’re not sure why this matters to Pilkington or even what the commonwealth is, exactly, but some of his fellow Republicans feared sinister New World Order-esque intent.

When Pilkington brought his measure before a Senate committee, he was asked if it might allow other nations to strongarm the U.S. into enacting gun control. “I will tell you this: If we were to join the Commonwealth of Nations and there was even a chance that that would happen, I would cut my right hand off,” Pilkington vowed. His resolution did not pass.

ARKTIMES.COM ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2023 2023 33 33

BRIAN CHILSON DIXIE PIG BBQ

BEST WINK

In August, a white BMW Sedan crashed through the front wall of Dixie Pig, a Blytheville BBQ joint celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Fortunately, the restaurant was closed at the time, and only minor injuries were reported. Forever resilient, Dixie Pig wasn’t down long: The hole was patched within two days and the restaurant was back open in a limited capacity.

BEST REMIXABLE MIX-UP Speaking on the Senate floor in favor of the bill

to loosen child labor restrictions, Sen. Terry Rice (R-Waldron) sought to alleviate critics’ concerns. “If we need to twerk it, we’ll twerk it,” he declared. His cadence made for perfect sample material; someone call Megan Thee Stallion, stat. Later, Rice argued he was using the homophone “twirk,” which he said means to “twist and pull.” OK, boomer.

WORST FAIR BEST BEST BATS In February, after repeated bat sightings at WEATHER BENCHSLAP North Little Rock High School, the entire FRIENDS Among the nuttiest new laws of 2023 campus was cleared for three days to rid the Another thing about Asa: We learned that was Jonesboro state Sen. Dan Sullivan’s building of the flying mammals. About 100 bats were captured and released in Burns Park, administrators said.

WORST BATS Bats shutting down school for three days?

Kind of cool. A rabid bat at the Little Rock Zoo? Not cool at all. In September, the zoo euthanized a bat with rabies that was found on its grounds, but assured zoogoers that no bites or scratches of animals or humans had been reported. In October, the health department announced at least two individuals were “exposed” to a bat at the Arkansas State Fair behaving “unusually” in the horse barn.

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Arkansas Republicans kinda hate him.

That may be an exaggeration, but the hostility in the party toward a two-term governor who patiently led the Arkansas GOP during its long years in the wilderness is … well, surprising. In June, for example, when unhappy state employees confronted legislators about their lack of a cost-ofliving adjustment in 2023, GOP lawmakers pointed fingers at Hutchinson’s policies as the root of the problem. Asa’s middleof-the-road pandemic policies as governor did him no favors on the right, nor did his humane gestures toward transgender kids — let alone his ongoing criticism of Donald Trump.

plan to make it a crime for librarians and booksellers to make “harmful” materials available to minors. In July, though, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks of Fayetteville blocked Sullivan’s censorship law before it had a chance to take effect.

Brooks opened his order with a quote from Ray Bradbury’s classic “Fahrenheit 451:” “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”

KLRT-FOX 16

BEST SHARPSHOOTER

A Cleveland County jury found Timothy Sled guilty in March on two felony charges for shooting a hole through the crotch of the Johnny Cash silhouette on the Kingsland water tower in 2022, making it appear as if the Man in Black was urinating on his hometown.

BEST WIN FOR WORST BEST RATIONALITY MULLIGAN ADDITION TO In June, U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Unfortunately, the outlook for trans rights THE WHITE Jr. struck down Arkansas’s law banning beyond James Moody Jr.’s court isn’t so trans minors from receiving gender- bright. Attorney General Tim Griffin, who HOUSE affirming health care. Arkansas was the has made a career of being on the wrong CHRISTMAS first state in the nation to pass such a ban side of history, appealed the decision to the CARD LIST — though a number of other red states have 8th Circuit Court of Appeals this summer.

In June, Hunter Biden reached a child followed suit — so Moody’s permanent injunction was a historic moment. He said the overwhelming weight of scientific authority supported gender-affirming care and held that the state had failed to prove that its interests were “compelling, genuine, or even rational.”

Griffin previously lost a related appeal before a three-judge panel of the appellate court in 2022, so this time he asked the entire 11-judge court to weigh in. In October, the 8th Circuit agreed — a bad sign for the plaintiffs, a good sign for Griffin and others eager to trample the rights of transgender kids for the sake of politics.

support settlement with Lunden Roberts, an Independence County woman. And in August, President Joe Biden (finally) publicly recognized Hunter’s then-4-yearold daughter, Navy Joan Roberts, as his grandchild.

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BEST KEYBOARD WARRIOR Over the years, lawyer Matt Campbell’s

Blue Hog Report blog has helped bring down a circuit judge, a lieutenant governor and a Little Rock superintendent, among others, but nothing’s provoked a reaction like his recent digging into Gov. Sanders’ spending habits. The governor called her September special session largely because she found Campbell’s FOIA requests so offensive that she was willing to burn down the state’s open records law to block them. A Sanders spokeswoman dismissed Campbell as a “desperate radical left keyboard warrior.” Sounds kind of awesome, actually.

mysterious $19,029.25 purchase, made by the governor’s office in May, for what turned out to be a lectern. The seller was D.C.-based political consultant Virginia Beckett, who is not in the furniture peddling business but is a friend and associate of the governor’s. The lectern itself remains as elusive, and possibly as nonexistent, as a certain species of East Arkansas woodpecker. Neither Sanders nor any other state official has ever used it at a public event. The full story behind “podiumgate” has yet to emerge, but thanks to a legislative audit (and a state government whistleblower), there’s a chance it may.

BEST NEW HIRE As for Campbell, we’re proud to say he joined the Arkansas Times staff in November. Welcome aboard, Matt.

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BRIAN CHILSON

WORST WAY TO SPEND $19K Matt Campbell’s digging uncovered a

BEST UNLIKELY STATISTIC The March 31 tornado that tore through Pulaski County upended lives

and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings. But, despite the catastrophic destruction, only one storm-related death was reported in the area that day. Hospitals initially braced for a wave of trauma patients, but even serious injuries turned out to be scant. (Not everywhere was so lucky: In Wynne, a tornado bred by the same storm system killed four people later that day.)

BEST REVOLT Gov. Sarah Sanders’ September

WORST GRASP OF ARKANSAS GEOGRAPHY Melancholy pop icon Lana Del Rey thrilled

special session was a spectacular fiasco. Many GOP lawmakers who were happy to pass more tax cuts for the rich balked at Sanders’ push to gut the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Angry citizens on both the right and the left converged on the Capitol, and enough skeptical Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats to force her and her legislative allies — such as Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester — to retreat. Sanders won passage of a new FOIA exemption that allows her to conceal certain records in the name of security, but the bulk of the FOIA remains intact.

BRIAN CHILSON

Central Arkansas fans in July with a surprise Instagram post announcing tickets were going on sale for a “show in Little Rock.”

Two days later, she crushed those dreams with a post clarifying the show would be “near” Little Rock. More specifically, “in ROGERS near Little Rock.” Really?

WORST LAKE TRIP A kayaker on Beaver Lake found the body

of 49-year-old John Forsyth one afternoon in June. A recently divorced father of eight, Forsyth was an emergency room doctor from Cassville, Missouri, a small town just across the Arkansas state line. He and his brother were also the founders of a cryptocurrency company that had allegedly made Forsyth a millionaire. About a week before his body was found, Forsyth was reported missing, and his belongings — two cell phones, wallet, passport, driver’s license, work briefcase and car keys — were found left behind in his unlocked car at a Cassville city park.

CAITRIN ASSAF

WORST WHITEWASHING The Friday before the first day of school in

BEST WEATHERMAN

In August, meteorologist Todd Yakoubian announced he was leaving KATV, Channel 7 News after 18 years at the station. The departure of Little Rock’s most trusted interpreter of the weather was a frightening prospect for many in a city still reeling from an EF3 tornado, but hints soon dropped that Yakoubian may not be going far. In October, KARK-TV, Channel 4 produced an SNL-like parody of a pharmaceutical ad offering a remedy for “meteorologistosis — a rare form of anxiety after your favorite weatherman is no longer on TV,” tweeted out by Yakoubian and several members of the news station. The ad also promised a free “yak” doll for the first 44 callers.

August, the state sent word to teachers that it would not give credit for a pilot Advanced Placement African American Studies course, followed by a string of nonsensical excuses for the last-minute change. The real reason seemed obvious: Gov. Ron DeSantis pulled the same culture war stunt in Florida. Gov. Sanders and her education secretary, Florida import Jacob Oliva, seemed unbothered by charges of racism from students, Black legislators and even from members of the Little Rock Nine themselves.

BEST KEEPING THEIR COOL To their eternal credit, educators in the six

Arkansas high schools that planned to offer AP African American Studies in 2023-24 stayed focused on students, not politics, and figured out ways to keep the class on offer this year.

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BRIAN CHILSON

WORST DO-OVER

After voters soundly rejected a city sales tax proposal in 2021, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. tried again in 2023. But his last-minute sprint to put a 1-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot ran into resistance with the Little Rock City Board, and Scott ultimately backed off.

That’s 0-2 so far, mayor; better luck next year.

WORST DADA ART PIECE Where were you the first time you saw “Real

Women of Politics,” Sanders’ minute-long web ad riffing on Bud Light commercials of years past to sneer at transgender people and hawk a new line of beer koozies? There are only two genders, the spot proclaims, and real woman Sarah Sanders embodies the feminine ideal. We won’t try to describe it further for the uninitiated; such a transcendent level of cringe must be seen and heard to be believed.

WORST BEST WORST BLOW FROZEN GRASSROOTS JOB After Arkansas LEARNS steamrolled its A West Little Rock house that had been DINNERS In June, 2,717 pounds of Marie Callender’s way through the legislature, an ad hoc destroyed in the March tornado and was frozen beef shepherd’s pie meals produced at a Conagra Brands manufacturing facility in Russellville were recalled over possible contamination with “clear, flexible plastic.” Not to be outdone, Tyson Foods recalled 29,819 pounds of dinosaur-shaped “Fun Nuggets” from its Berryville plant in November after consumers reported finding small metal pieces in the chicken.

One “minor oral injury” was reported.

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volunteer group called CAPES mounted a longshot campaign to repeal the bill at the ballot box. Most professional politics watchers considered the effort all but impossible, seeing as it required collecting 54,422 voter signatures within just a couple months. But on July 31, CAPES turned in 53,444 signatures, falling short of the mark by just under a thousand.

in the process of being rebuilt was leveled for a second time in September when an uncommonly powerful thunderstorm sent “microburst” winds of up to 80 miles per hour through parts of Little Rock.

MERMAID SPARKLES VIA FACEBOOK

BEST MERMAID

Little Rock-based performer Brittany Sparkles made a big splash on the Netflix series “MerPeople” in May. Sparkles describes herself as the state’s first professional mermaid entertainer. “I can’t really grow much as a mermaid in Arkansas ’cause I feel like I’m trapped in this box,” she said in the docuseries. “I’m a landlocked mermaid.”

BEST BUG WORST TREE WORST You can get pretty much anything at TRIMMING PRE-FAB Walmart these days: milk, bread, toys, Dennis Rainey, a Christian evangelical furniture and, it turns out, Jurassic-era author who lives by Lake Maumelle, hired CONTROVERSY In June, Gov. Sanders traded barbs with the insects thought to have disappeared from large swaths of North America. Michael Skvarla, director of Penn State’s insect identification lab, inadvertently made the discovery in 2012 when he was a doctoral student at the University of ArkansasFayetteville. On his way to grab a gallon of milk from a Fayetteville Walmart, Skvarla found an interesting insect on the side of the big box store and proceeded to do his shopping while grasping it between his fingers. He brought it home, labeled it as an “antlion” and forgot about it for a decade until ­— plot twist! — the specimen raised eyebrows when he and his students gazed at it during a Zoom class on biodiversity in 2020. It was officially identified this year as a giant lacewing.

workers to cut the tops off trees so he would have a better lakeside view. But trees in the lake’s watershed are the domain of Central Arkansas Water, and the utility said Rainey did not have permission to do any chopping, lopping or trimming. Rainey faced trial this summer on a felony charge of criminal mischief, but a jury found him guilty of a lesser charge and fined him $1,000.

group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State over a giant sidewalk chalk cross that the governors’ children supposedly drew in front of the Governor’s Mansion. Skeptics wondered whether the drawing’s precisely rendered lines were really the sole work of Sanders’ young children or if they were given an assist by an adult with a love of Jesus and a strong sense of red-state public relations. If the episode was a bit of staged culture war theater, it unfurled just as planned: Liberals huffed, evangelicals rallied around Sanders, and the governor got to fire off a self-righteous letter about her faith. “We won’t let you power-wash our kids’ chalk drawings off our front steps. We won’t let you tear down Christmas decorations and stomp our traditions into the dirt,” she declared.

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WORST JOB APPLICATION FORM In April, observers noted the online form

for Arkansans to apply for a state board or commission included the following query: “What is an accomplishment of the Governor’s that you admire the most?” Applicants got 500 words to expound upon the governor’s virtues (twice the word count allotted for the next item: “What book have you read that would best define your life, and why?”) A spokeswoman for Sanders later said the question was mistakenly included and meant only for potential summer interns, which makes sense.

Who among us hasn’t accidentally required job applicants to write 500-word essays on how great we are?

WORST AROMATHERAPY In March, North Little Rock’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus was evacuated after students complained of nausea, dizziness and a strong odor. Upon investigation, the culprit turned out to be a scented wall plug-in.

town of Eagle Pass, Texas, where she had sent 80 Arkansas National Guard troops to assist with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s massive (and legally dubious) effort to deter migrants from entering the U.S. Her mission: Pose for Fox News cameras in front of the Rio Grande while lambasting “Biden’s border crisis” and praising Republican governors like herself for “stepping up.” The Arkansas guard contingent returned home a few days after Sanders’ swooped by; the deployment cost the state $1.3 million.

BEST AWESTRUCK WONDER Jonesboro city employee Terry Harris was

cutting grass in a city cemetery in October when he spotted an albino squirrel, an experience which affected him tremendously.

“We see deer, we see groundhogs, we see rabbits, but to see something like this, after 38 years of my life … It’s astonishing, man,” Harris told a local TV station crew dispatched to film the rare animal. “It was one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen in your life.”

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REBECCA WILLIAMS

WORST PHOTO OP In July, Gov. Sanders traveled to the border

BEST MUSCLES

After selling hundreds of 2023 calendars featuring Cabot’s buff, scantily clad first responders to customers across the nation, the Cabot Firefighter Calendar Association is back with another sultry offering.

The 2024 version is filled with sexy firefighters and puppy dogs from Cabot Animal Support Services, their chosen charity for 2024.

WORST SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM In November, Gov. Sanders’ attempts at

LITTLE ROCK ZOO

deflection reached new heights when she banned state agencies from using a list of words including “womyn,” “womxn,” “birth-giver,” “pregnant person,” and — oh, for fuck’s sake. You know what? We’re done here. Look: You know the governor sucks. We know the governor sucks. She did more hateful and obnoxious things in 2023 than we can catalog, she’s going to keep doing them in 2024, and we’re going to keep impotently shouting at her. Let’s just move on and enjoy some pictures of firefighters and sloths. OK? OK.

BEST ZOO ARRIVAL

Who moves slow, has two toes on each foot and is named after a nut? It’s Almond, the 2-year-old sloth who joined the Little Rock Zoo this summer.

WORST CARNIVAL PRIZE Move over, goldfish and oversized stuffed animals. A county fair worker in Washington County offered “iguanas” as prizes to visitors this summer who could land balls into glass jars. The reptiles in question, though, turned out to be baby savannah monitor lizards — carnivorous creatures that can grow up to 4 feet long.

WORST THERAPY SESSIONS Dr. Bryan Hyatt began 2023 as chair of

the Arkansas State Medical Board. By October, he’d been removed from the board, suspended from the state Medicaid program and arrested on charges of fraudulently billing insurers for care that was never provided. He’s also being sued by dozens of former patients who claim they were held against their will for days on end at the Springdale hospital where Hyatt ran a behavioral health unit. The doctor was “running a scheme … to bill their insurance as long as possible before kicking them out the door,” said Aaron Cash, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

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August and spilled a sea of #10 cans of nacho cheese across the highway, the outlook was definitely not gouda, though nobody was seriously parmed in the incident. Brie-maining calm and collected, road crews had the mess cleared by early evening and the Department of Transportation’s Twitter account breezily quipped, “Taco Tuesday, anyone?”

BEST EYE FOR AN EYE Aaron James, an electrical lineman

from Hot Springs Village who suffered a devastating injury in 2021 when his face came in contact with a live 7,200-volt line, became the recipient of the world’s first whole eye transplant in May.

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ARKANSASTIMES TIMES ARKANSAS

FRISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

BEST HIGH-WHEY HAVOC When a big rig toppled on Interstate 30 near Prescott in

WORST TYPO A Little Rock family on their way to a youth basketball tournament in July was pulled over by Dallas-area cops who mistook their Dodge Charger for a stolen vehicle.

After forcing the terrified family out of the car at gunpoint on the shoulder of a busy highway, the officers realized they’d run the license plates as Arizona, not Arkansas.

BEST FANNY WORST PACK TUNNEL The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office arrested In August, state legislators gave themselves Charles Matthew Franks, a Mountain Home-area man who also goes by Sir Charles Matthew Francke, after a chase in November. Sir Francke fled on a 2006 Suzuki motorcycle (which reached speeds of 90 mph and “briefly went airborne,” officers said) before he was apprehended, along with a fanny pack containing meth, oxycodone, syringes, psychedelic mushrooms and $12,990 in cash.

an early Christmas present: A $3.87 million underground “secured walkway” between the state Capitol and a government building about 60 yards away. That means Arkansas taxpayers will pay something on the order of $20,000 per foot for the construction, expected to be completed in early 2025.

BRIAN CHILSON

BEST DELAYED GRATIFICATION After multiple delays, the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts finally opened in April following a four-year, $160 million renovation and expansion of the former Arkansas Arts Center. Whether you’re there to wander through a first-rate exhibition, attend an Arkansas Cinema Society screening, or just admire the undulating ceiling in the massive atrium, AMFA is the world-class museum Little Rock has been missing.

BEST NEW BEST LONGWORST INDUSTRY TERM SCHISM You know that part deep in the Gospel of (MAYBE?) PLANNING South Arkansas’s oil boom is long past; Three feet of muddy sediment accrued on Matthew that gets all Revelations-y for could lithium be the future? ExxonMobil announced in November it was beginning to drill lithium-rich brine from a 10,000-footdeep well near Magnolia, presumably the first of many. The hard-to-find metal is an essential component in batteries for electric vehicles and other green energy technologies, and Exxon is betting big on a new lithium extraction method that may (or may not?) be less environmentally harmful than traditional mining techniques. In any case, it’s huge news for South Arkansas: The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Exxon had acquired 100,000 acres in Columbia County alone.

the bottom of Lake Conway in the 75 years since its creation, and the ecosystem is suffering. In June, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission shared plans to drain the lake, much to the unhappiness of some local anglers. The big bake, which will take place over five years, will allow the lakebed to dehydrate in the sun, the sediment to compact and decades of lost depth to be restored, setting the stage for a rejuvenated food chain.

a minute, declaring that “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split”? The breakup of the Methodist church was kinda like that, but about The Gays. Recognizing same-sex marriage and ordaining LGBTQ clergy was a bridge too far for the more conservative reaches of United Methodism, and in May the church rubberstamped its longsimmering decision to fracture in two. Over 6,000 congregations disaffiliated from the denomination nationwide, including 67 in Arkansas.

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With over 30 years’ experience researching, reviewing, and selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and credible healthcare research and information company. Our mission is to help people find the best healthcare by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare providers.

Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels. Its online nomination process is open to all licensed physicians in America who are able to nominate physicians in any medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well as indicate whether the nominated physician(s) is, in their opinion, among the best in their region in their medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their medical specialty. Then, Castle Connolly’s

Arkansas Dermatology

44 DECEMBER 2023

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research team thoroughly vets each physician’s professional qualifications, education, hospital and faculty appointments, research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary history and if available, outcomes data. Additionally, a physician’s interpersonal skills such as listening and communicating effectively, demonstrating empathy, and instilling trust and confidence, are also considered in the review process. The Castle Connolly Doctor Directory is the largest network of peer-nominated physicians in the nation.

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Arkansas Children’s Hospital

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www.castleconnolly.com, or in conjunction with other Castle Connolly Top Doctors databases online and/or in print.

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UAMS

Allergy & Immunology D. Melissa Graham, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Advanced Allergy & Asthma 500 South University Avenue, Doctors Building, Suite 215 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 420-1085 Asthma, Allergy Allergy & Immunology Tina Merritt, MD Allergy & Asthma Clinic of Northwest Arkansas 1900 South Walton Boulevard Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 254-9777 Allergy & Immunology Amy Scurlock, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Allergy & Immunology Tamara Perry, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Allergy & Immunology Robert D Pesek, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Allergy & Asthma, Food Allergy, Eosinophil Disorders Allergy & Immunology Stacie M Jones, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Allergy & Immunology Joshua L Kennedy, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000

Allergy & Immunology Teresa R Jeffers, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Four Seasons Allergy and Asthma Clinic 11614 Huron Lane, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 221-1956 Allergy & Asthma Allergy & Immunology Jenny M Campbell, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Hedberg Allergy & Asthma Center 1585 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 301-8887 Allergy & Immunology Matthew C. Bell, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Hedberg Allergy & Asthma Center 1585 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 464-8887 Pediatric, Allergy & Immunology, Asthma, Urticaria Allergy & Immunology Karl V Sitz, MD Little Rock Allergy & Asthma Clinic 18 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 110 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-1156 Asthma, Allergy, Clinical Trials Allergy & Immunology Stacy S Griffin, MD Little Rock Allergy & Asthma Clinic 18 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 110 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-1156 Drug Allergy, Food Allergy, Asthma, Skin Allergies Allergy & Immunology Akilah A. Jefferson, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Outpatient Center Allergy and Immunology Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1020 Pediatric, Allergy & Immunology, Asthma

Cardiac Electrophysiology Scott L Beau, MD Arkansas Heart Hospital Arkansas Heart Hospital Encore Medical Center Arkansas Heart Hospital Clinic in Little Rock 7 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 664-5860 Cardiovascular Disease Jeffrey W Holt, MD ARcare 1503 Main Street Des Arc, AR 72040 (870) 256-4178 Cardiovascular Disease Carl Leding, MD Arkansas Heart Hospital Arkansas Heart Hospital Encore Medical Center Arkansas Heart Hospital Clinic in Little Rock 7 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 664-5860 Cardiovascular Disease A. Nasser Adjei, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Cardiology Center 1500 Dodson Avenue, Suite 60 Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 709-7325 Cardiovascular Disease Charles R Caldwell, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterHeber Springs Baptist Health Heart Institute/ Arkansas Cardiology Clinic 3343 Springhill Drive, Suite 1035 North Little Rock, AR 72117 (501) 975-7676 Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiac CT Scanning, Angioplasty & Stent Placement, Echocardiography, Preventive Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease J. Lynn Davis, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI Saint Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas 10100 Kanis Road Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 255-6000

Cardiovascular Disease Muhammad Waqas, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Arkansas Heart Hospital CHI Saint Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas 10100 Kanis Road Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 255-6000 Heart Failure, Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), Transplant Medicine-Heart Cardiovascular Disease Donald E Steely, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic 525 Western Avenue, Suite 202 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 358-6905 Sports & Exercise Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease Amr G El-Shafei, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Cardiology 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 220 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-4400 Cardiovascular Disease Robert J Stuppy, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Cardiology 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 220 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-4400 Cardiovascular Disease Eumar T. Tagupa, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue, 4th Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 Cardiovascular Disease Allison M Shaw-Devine, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Cardiology Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5311

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Cardiovascular Disease David A Churchill, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Walker Heart Institute Cardiovascular Clinic 3211 North Northhills Boulevard, Suite 110 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 463-8740

Colon & Rectal Surgery Jonathan A Laryea, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8211 Laparoscopic Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery

Cardiovascular Disease B. Scott Chism, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Walker Heart Institute Cardiovascular Clinic 3211 North Northhills Boulevard, Suite 110 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 463-8740

Colon & Rectal Surgery W. Conan Mustain, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diverticulitis, Incontinence/Pelvic Floor Disorders, Anorectal Disorders

Cardiovascular Disease Zubair Ahmed, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Walker Heart Institute Cardiovascular Clinic 3211 North Northhills Boulevard, Suite 110 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 463-8740 Interventional Cardiology Colon & Rectal Surgery Irlna I. Tantchou, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 316-7746 Colon & Rectal Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery Colon & Rectal Surgery Lee C Raley, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Little Rock Surgery 701 North University Avenue, Suite 203 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-2434 Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Colon & Rectal Surgery Jason S Mizell, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute 400 Jack Stephens Drive, 7th Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8211 Colon & Rectal Cancer Dermatology John M Carney, MD 11321 Interstate 30, Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72209 (501) 455-4700 Mohs Surgery, Skin Cancer Dermatology Patrick M Hatfield, MD 299 Eagle Mountain Boulevard Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 698-9100 Medical Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Skin Cancer Dermatology Lance B Henry, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Center 1444 East Stern Street, Suite 11 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 718-7546 Dermatologic Surgery

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Dermatology Jay M Kincannon, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way, 2nd Floor Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Pediatric Dermatology, Pigmented Lesions, Acne, Vascular Malformations/ Birthmarks

Dermatology Daniel F Smith, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Dermatology Group of Arkansas 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 690 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-8422 Skin Cancer, Acne

Dermatology Scott M Dinehart, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Dermatology 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 860 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 975-7455 Skin Cancer Dermatology Randall L Breau, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Dermatology 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 860 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 975-7455 Mohs Surgery Dermatology Michael F Osleber, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Dermatology 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 860 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 975-7455 Skin Cancer, Mohs Surgery, Dermatologic Surgery Dermatology Ray Parker, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Saline Memorial Hospital Dermatology Group of Arkansas 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 690 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-8422 Skin Cancer, Dermatologic Surgery

Dermatology Matthew K Kagy, MD Little Rock Dermatology Clinic 500 South University Avenue, Suite 301 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4161 Medical Dermatology, Skin Cancer, Mohs Surgery

Dermatology Marla L Wirges, MD Pinnacle Dermatology 16115 St. Vincent Way, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 817-3923 Medical Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Cosmetic Dermatology

Dermatology Brian S Wayne, MD Little Rock Dermatology Clinic 500 South University Avenue, Suite 301 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4161 Medical Dermatology, Cosmetic Dermatology, Skin Cancer

Dermatology Andrea Mabry, MD Pinnacle Dermatology 16115 St. Vincent Way, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 817-3923 Cosmetic Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery

Dermatology Kevin St. Clair, MD Ozark Dermatology 4375 North Vantage Drive, Suite 305 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 443-5100 Mohs Surgery

Dermatology Eric E. Belin, MD Premier Dermatology 14 Riordan Road Bella Vista, AR 72714 (479) 273-3376

Dermatology Christopher P Schach, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Dermatology 4375 North Vantage Drive, Suite 305 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 443-5100 Mohs Surgery Dermatology Eric Stewart, MD Ozark Dermatology 4375 North Vantage Drive, Suite 305 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 443-5100 Medical Dermatology, Contact Dermatitis Dermatology Scott M Jackson, MD Ozark Dermatology 901 Southeast 22nd Street Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-7006

46 DECEMBER 2023

Dermatology Robert D Brown, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Dermatology 901 Southeast 22nd Street Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-7006 Medical Dermatology

ARKANSAS TIMES

Dermatology Mildred M Clifton, MD Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Avenue, Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-3376 Dermatology Blake A. Williams, MD Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Avenue, Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-3376 Dermatology Courtney Book, MD Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Avenue, Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-3376 Mohs Surgery

Dermatology Shelley White Russell, MD Conway Regional Health System Russell Dermatology of Conway 2425 Dave Ward Drive, Suite 202 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 328-5050 Medical Dermatology Dermatology Natalie Lane, MD Russell Dermatology of Conway 2425 Dave Ward Drive, Suite 202 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 328-5050 Dermatology Skin Care Dermatology P. Craig Stites, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith The Dermatology Center 7900 Dallas Street Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 242-6647 Dermatology Martin Lewis Johnson, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary National Park Medical Center The Dermatology Clinic 3633 Central Avenue, Suite North Hot Springs, AR 71913 (501) 623-6100 Autoimmune Disease, Skin Cancer, Mohs Surgery, Infectious Disease, Lupus/SLE Dermatology Stephen H Mason, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary National Park Medical Center The Dermatology Clinic 3633 Central Avenue, Suite North Hot Springs, AR 71913 (501) 623-6100 Dermatology Henry Keung Wong, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5960 Cutaneous Lymphoma, Medical Dermatology, Connective Tissue Disorders, Psoriasis/Eczema, Mycosis Fungoides

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Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Jill J Fussell, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital Dennis Developmental Center 1301 Wolfe Street Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1830 Developmental & Behavioral Disorders Diagnostic Radiology Charles A James, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1175 Pediatric Radiology Diagnostic Radiology Charles M Glasier, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1175 Pediatric Radiology Diagnostic Radiology Gwendolyn M. Bryant-Smith, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Breast Center 449 Jack Stephens Drive, 3rd Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-6100 Breast Imaging, Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer-Early Detection, Mammography Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Teresa Nimmo, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent 1 St. Vincent Circle, Suite 410 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 762-8056 Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes-Adult & Pediatric, Endocrinology Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Jonathan A Stringer, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Endocrinology 4600 Mercy Lane, Suite 210 Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 338-4600 Endocrinology

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Kevin D Ganong, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72405 (870) 936-8000 Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Donald Bodenner, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Head and Neck Oncology Clinic 4018 West Capitol Avenue Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Disorders, Parathyroid Disorders Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Joseph A Henske, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Endocrinology Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 214-2400 Diabetes, Thyroid Disorders, Parathyroid Disorders, Adrenal Disorders, Pituitary Disorders Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Robert S Weinstein, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1220 Osteoporosis, Paget’s Disease of Bone Family Medicine Larisa Kachowski, MD Jefferson Regional Medical Center 1726 West 42nd Avenue Pine Bluff, AR 71603 (870) 619-4516 Preventive Medicine Family Medicine Craig McDaniel, MD Family Physicians of Jonesboro 1670 Hill Park Cove Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 932-2499

Family Medicine Kenneth R Johnston, MD Little Rock Family Practice 4208 North Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 228-7200 Preventive Medicine Family Medicine Kevin C. Hiegel, MD Little Rock Family Practice 701 North University Avenue, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4810 Family Medicine Karl W Haws, DO, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) 4401 South Thompson Street, Springdale, (479) 756-1300, Preventive Medicine, Chronic Illness, Cardiovascular Disease, Women’s Health, Pediatrics Family Medicine Matthew G Steed, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Family Medicine and Obstetrics 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 130 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-5555 Preventive Medicine, Obstetrics Family Medicine Hugh G Donnell, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Family Medicine and Obstetrics 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 130 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-5555 Obstetrics Family Medicine Aaron Jay Mitchell, MD Mitchell Family Medicine 924 State Highway 77 Marion, AR 72364 (870) 739-8670 Family Medicine W. Scott Hoke, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Woodsprings Clinic 2205 West Parker Road Jonesboro, AR 72404 (870) 936-7612

Family Medicine David Barton Sills, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Sills Family Medicine 8101 McClure Drive, Suite 203 Fort Smith, AR 72916 (479) 242-2577 Concierge Medicine Family Medicine James B Tilley, MD Conway Regional Health System Tilley Family Medicine 495 Hogan Lane, Suite 1 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 327-1150 Family Medicine Bryan H Clardy, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health-Fort Smith UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 South E Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 785-2431 Preventive Medicine, Chronic Illness, Obstetrics Family Medicine Tabasum Imran, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health-Fort Smith UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 South E Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 785-2431 Preventive Medicine Family Medicine Katherine A Irish-Clardy, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health-Fort Smith UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 South E Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 785-2431 Preventive Medicine, Women’s Health Family Medicine David L King, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health-Fort Smith UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 South E Street Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 785-2431 Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hospital Medicine

Family Medicine Jamie D Howard, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Family Medical Center 521 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Preventive Medicine Family Medicine Toni L Middleton, MD UAMS Medical Center Jefferson Regional Medical Center UAMS Health Family Medical Center 1601 West 40th Avenue Pine Bluff, AR 71603 (870) 541-6000 Preventive Medicine Family Medicine Jason B Cobb, MD UAMS Medical Center Jefferson Regional Medical Center UAMS Health Family Medical Center 1601 West 40th Avenue Pine Bluff, AR 71603 (870) 541-6000 Primary Care

Gastroenterology M. Bruce Johnson, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Gastro Arkansas 11700 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 664-6980

Gastroenterology Robert T Wells, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Gastroenterology 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 300 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-3030

Gastroenterology J. Craig Davis, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Gastro Arkansas 11700 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 664-6980

Gastroenterology W. Chad Wigington, DO Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Gastroenterology 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite 300 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-3030 Gastrointestinal Disorders

Gastroenterology Jaymie H Pennington, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Gastro Arkansas 11700 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 664-6980 Gastrointestinal Disorders

Family Medicine Preventive, Medicine Family Medicine Daniel K Pace MD Unity Health - Searcy Medical Center 2900 Hawkins Drive Searcy, AR 72143 (501) 278-2800

Gastroenterology Angela K Nutt, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Gastro Arkansas 11700 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 664-6980 Gastrointestinal Disorders, Endoscopy

Gastroenterology Hrair Simonian, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Gastroenterology Center 1001 Towson Avenue Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 709-7430

Gastroenterology Chad E Paschall, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale GI Alliance 3901 Parkway Circle, Suite 550 Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 346-1850

Gastroenterology Otis T Gordon, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent Gastroenterology Clinic 417 North University Avenue Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 666-0249 Interventional Endoscopy

Gastroenterology Ihab Herraka, MD Liver Care Clinic 3416 Old Greenwood Road Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 242-2888

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Gastroenterology C. Brian Cross, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic Gastroenterology 6801 Rogers Avenue, 2nd Floor Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 274-3200 Gastrointestinal Disorders Gastroenterology Terence L Angtuaco, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Premier Gastroenterology 10915 North Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 747-2828 Gastroenterology R Paul Svoboda, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Premier Gastroenterology 10915 North Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 747-2828 Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Capsule Endoscopy, Colon Cancer Screening, Endoscopy & Colonoscopy, EnteroscopySmall Bowel

Gastroenterology Brian T Hughes, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Premier Gastroenterology 10915 North Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 747-2828 Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis/Crohn’s, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Inflammatory Bowel Disease Gastroenterology Angelo G. Coppola Jr., MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Premier Gastroenterology 10915 North Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 747-2828 Weight Management, Colon Cancer Screening, Endoscopy & Colonoscopy, Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, Incontinence-Fecal Gastroenterology Matthew G Deneke, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Gastroenterology Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 603-1900 Liver Disease, Steatohepatitis, Transplant Medicine-Liver Geriatric Medicine Masil George, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic 629 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-6219 Pain Management, End of Life Care Gynecologic Oncology Joseph J Ivy, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 587-1700 Gynecologic Cancers, Ovarian Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 47

Gynecologic Oncology Alexander F Burnett, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8522 Laparoscopic Surgery, Fertility Preservation in Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers Gynecologic Oncology Monique A Spillman, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute 449 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Gynecologic Cancers, Ovarian Cancer Gynecologic Oncology Randall D. Hightower, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Washington Regional Gynecologic Oncology Clinic 3 East Appleby Road, Suite 201 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 404-1070 Laparoscopic Surgery, Gynecologic Cancers Hand Surgery Brian Norton, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock OrthoArkansas 800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 (501) 500-3500 Microsurgery, Arthroscopic Surgery-Wrist Hand Surgery C Noel Henley, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Orthopaedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-2752 Hand & Wrist Surgery, Arthritis, Nerve Compression, Elbow Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery Hand Surgery Theresa Wyrick, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic 600 Autumn Road Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 320-7776 48 DECEMBER 2023

Hand Surgery G Thomas Frazier, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health Medical CenterConway UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic 600 Autumn Road Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 526-1046 Microvascular Surgery, Hand & Wrist Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery, Elbow Injuries, Fractures Hematology Peter D Emanuel, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI Saint Vincent Cancer Center 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 552-6100 Myeloproliferative Disorders, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Leukemia-Chronic Lymphocytic, Leukemia & Lymphoma Infectious Disease Mary Burgess, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Regional Infectious Disease Center 525 Western Avenue, Suite 301 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 513-5295 Transplant Medicine Infectious Disease Mallory Smith, MD Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Regional Infectious Disease Center 1429 West 43rd Avenue, Suite B Pine Bluff, AR 71603 (870) 541-6030 Infectious Disease Hazel Kathy Liverett, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Infectious Diseases Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle, Suite 2P Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS, Meningitis, Viral Infections, Lyme Disease

ARKANSAS TIMES

Infectious Disease Michael Saccente, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS, Meningitis, Endocarditis, Fungal Infections Infectious Disease Ryan K Dare, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Infectious Diseases Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Floor 2 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Clinical Trials Internal Medicine Rachel R White, MD CHI St. Vincent North CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent Family Clinic 1110 West Main Street Jacksonville, AR 72076 (501) 982-2108 Pediatrics Internal Medicine Blair Greenwood, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Regional Mayflower Medical Clinic 606 Highway 365 Mayflower, AR 72106 (501) 470-7413 Internal Medicine I. Torin Gray, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary MDVIP 500 South University Avenue, Suite 804 Little Rock, AR 72205 (866) 402-1802 Concierge Medicine, Preventive Medicine Internal Medicine Mary N Ford, MD Washington Regional Medical Center, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic, 3344 North Futrall Drive, Fayetteville, (479) 582-7350, Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension

Internal Medicine Raymond B Mahan, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Internal Medicine 1002 South 52nd Street Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-3750 Internal Medicine Kristy Lynn Jones, DO Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Primary Care 2900 Southeast Moberly Lane Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-1550 Pediatrics, Preventive Medicine Internal Medicine Anna Kendrick, MD Pinnacle Internal Medicine 1400 Kirk Road, Suite 210 Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 404-2384 Concierge Medicine, Women’s Health, Menopausal Management, Complementary Medicine Internal Medicine Robert Hopkins Jr, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Outpatient Center Internal Medicine Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Floor 2 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1000 Preventive Medicine Internal Medicine William E Golden, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Outpatient Center Internal Medicine Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Floor 2 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1000 Interventional Cardiology David G. Jones, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Baptist Health Heart Institute 9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 600 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-7596 Congenital Heart Disease, Heart Attack

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Interventional Cardiology Ernesto Ruiz-Rodriguez, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Baptist Health Heart Institute 9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 600 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-7596 Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Structural Heart Disease, Aortic Valve Replacement-Transcatheter TAVR

Medical Oncology Issam Makhoul, MD CARTI Cancer Center 8901 Carti Way Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 906-3000 Gastrointestinal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer

Interventional Cardiology F. Dwight Chrisman, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterHeber Springs Baptist Health Heart Institute/ Arkansas Cardiology Clinic 9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 600 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-7596 Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), Carotid Artery Angioplasty & Stent, Heart Attack

Medical Oncology Isam Ali Abdel-Karim, MD St. Bernards Medical Center Baptist Health-Fort Smith St. Bernard’s Cancer Center 225 East Washington Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (790) 207-8178

Interventional Cardiology Yuba R. Acharya, MD CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs CHI Saint Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas 200 Heart Center Lane Hot Springs, AR 71913 (501) 625-8400 Nuclear Cardiology Interventional Cardiology Matthew Haustein, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue, 4th Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 Maternal & Fetal Medicine Nafisa Dajani, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Women’s Center 6119 Midtown Avenue Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1000 Diabetes in Pregnancy, Prenatal Diagnosis

Medical Oncology Joseph M Beck II, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI Saint Vincent Cancer Clinic 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 552-6100

Medical Oncology Muthu Veeraputhiran, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Hematology and Oncology Clinic 449 Jack Stephens Drive, 7th Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Hematology, Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant, T-cell Immunotherapy, Leukemia & Lymphoma, Myelodysplastic Syndromes Medical Oncology Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Lung Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer, Genitourinary Cancer Medical Oncology Omar T. Atiq, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Head & Neck Cancer, Breast Cancer

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As the only health care system in the state solely dedicated to caring for children, Arkansas Children’s statewide network of care ensures children have access to pediatric health care close to home in all four corners of our state, and beyond.

Amit Agarwal M.D. Sylvia Angtuaco M.D. Erhan Ararat M.D. Travis Ayers M.D. David Becton M.D. Hannah Beene-Lowder M.D. Matthew Bell M.D. Ariel Berlinski M.D. Thomas Best M.D. Charles Bower M.D. Megan Butler M.D.

Sid Dassinger M.D. Eudice Fontenot M.D. Charles Glasier M.D. Melissa Graham M.D. Larry Hartzell M.D. Richard Jackson M.D. Charles James M.D. Adam Johnson M.D. Stacie Jones M.D. Joshua Kennedy M.D. Jay Kincannon M.D.

Corey Montgomery M.D. Michele Moss M.D. Abby Nolder M.D. Jon Oden M.D. Ashay Patel D.O. Tamara Perry M.D. Robert Pesek M.D. Alejandro Ramirez M.D. Gresham Richter M.D. Amy Scurlock M.D. Graham Strub M.D./Ph.D.

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Nephrology Charles Moussallem, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Renal Care 1500 Dodson Avenue, Suite 280 Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 709-7480 Chronic Kidney Disease, Dialysis Care, Glomerulonephritis Nephrology Dumitru Rotaru, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic Nephrology 7303 Rogers Avenue, Suite 200 Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 274-4300 Kidney Disease Nephrology James Bruton, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Renal Care Associates 1500 Dodson Avenue, Suite 280 Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 709-7476 Nephrology Michael Moulton, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Renal Specialists of Northwest Arkansas 813 Founders Park Drive, Suite 203 Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 463-2440 Nephrology Avin D Rekhi, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Renal Specialists of Northwest Arkansas 813 Founders Park Drive, Suite 203 Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 463-2440 Nephrology Aparna Sharma, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Kidney Transplant Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (800) 552-8026 Kidney Disease, Transplant Medicine-Kidney

50 DECEMBER 2023

Nephrology Sushma Bhusal, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Kidney Transplant Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (800) 552-8026 Transplant Medicine-Kidney, Kidney Disease Nephrology Manisha Singh, MD UAMS Medical Center Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System UAMS Health Renal Clinic Outpatient Center 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 661-7910 Dialysis Care, Kidney Tumors, Kidney Disease, Kidney Failure Nephrology John M Arthur, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Kidney Disease Neurological Surgery Ali F Krisht, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent North Arkansas Neuroscience Institute 6020 Warden Road, Suite 100 Sherwood, AR 72120 (501) 552-6415 Skull Base Surgery, Meningioma, Vascular Neurosurgery Neurological Surgery Tarek Abuelem, MD CHI St. Vincent North CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI Saint Vincent Arkansas Neuroscience Institute 6020 Warden Road, Suite 100 Sherwood, AR 72120 (501) 552-6428 Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Neurosurgery

ARKANSAS TIMES

Neurological Surgery Brad A. Thomas, MD Arkansas Surgical Hospital Little Rock Neurosurgery Clinic 5 Saint Vincent Circle, Suite 502 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 558-0200 Spinal Surgery, Degenerative Disc Disease, Pain-Low Back & Neck Neurological Surgery T. Glenn Pait, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5270 Knee & Shoulder Pain, Spinal Disorders-Degenerative, Spinal Cord Tumors, Spinal Trauma Neurological Surgery Analiz Rodriguez, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Neurosurgery Clinic 501 Jack Stephens Drive, 2nd Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5270 Neuro-Oncology, Clinical Trials, Brain Tumors Neurological Surgery Erika A. Petersen, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Neurosurgery Clinic 501 Jack Stephens Drive, 2nd Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5270 Neuromodulation, Deep Brain Stimulation, Pain-Chronic, Spasticity & Movement Disorders, Stereotactic Radiosurgery Neurology Timothy E Freyaldenhoven, MD/PhD Conway Regional Health System Conway Regional Neuroscience 2200 Ada Avenue, Suite 302 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 932-0352 Neurology Tonya L Phillips, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic Neurology 2713 South 74th Street, Suite 401 Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 314-7590

Neurology Rohit Dhall, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Movement Disorders Clinic 501 Jack Stephens Drive, 1st Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5838 Parkinson’s Disease/Movement Disorders, Neurodegenerative Disorders, Deep Brain Stimulation Neurology Margaret Tremwel, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Neuroscience Institute 3 East Appleby Road, Suite 402 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 404-1250 Stroke Obstetrics & Gynecology Stephen R Marks, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock 4505 East McCain Boulevard, Suite 2 North Little Rock, AR 72117 (501) 904-2904 Obstetrics & Gynecology Clinton T Hutchinson, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Women’s Center 9500 Kanis Road, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-6699 Pregnancy, Gynecologic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair Obstetrics & Gynecology Jennifer S Gregory, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Women’s Center 9500 Kanis Road, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-6699 Obstetrics & Gynecology Amy C Wiedower, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Central Clinic for Women 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 500 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-5885 Pregnancy

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Obstetrics & Gynecology Ashley Deed, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Central Clinic for Women 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 500 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-5885 Pregnancy

Obstetrics & Gynecology Jill K Jennings, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock The Woman’s Clinic 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 1200 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4131 Pregnancy

Obstetrics & Gynecology Andrew A Cole, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway OBGYN 2180 Ada Avenue, Suite 300 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 327-6547

Obstetrics & Gynecology Brian Burton, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock The Woman’s Clinic 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 1200 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4131 Pregnancy, Gynecologic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery

Obstetrics & Gynecology Kay Chandler, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Cornerstone Clinic for Women 9500 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-5500 Gynecologic Surgery, Endometriosis, Hormonal Disorders Obstetrics & Gynecology Lawrence E Schmitz, MD Northwest Medical CenterBentonville Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Lifespring Women’s Healthcare 1200 Southeast 28th Street, Suite 2 Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 271-0005 Obstetrics & Gynecology Charles Dunn, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 Gynecology Only Obstetrics & Gynecology Scott A Bailey, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterWillow Creek Women’s Hospital Parkhill The Clinic for Women 3215 North Northhills Boulevard, Suite 3 Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-4433

Obstetrics & Gynecology Mary P Hardman, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Washington Regional HerHealth Clinic 3215 North Hills Boulevard, Suite B Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 463-5500 Ophthalmology Wade Brock, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Oculoplastic Surgery 9800 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 500 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 223-2244 Oculoplastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Eyelid Surgery/ Blepharoplasty, Brow Lift Ophthalmology David L Baker Jr, MD Conway Regional Health System Baker Eye Institute 810 Merriman Street Conway, AR 72032 (501) 329-3937

Ophthalmology David R Rozas, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Central Arkansas Ophthalmology 5300 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-5354 Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma, Diabetic Eye Disease/ Retinopathy Ophthalmology Edward M Penick III, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Central Arkansas Ophthalmology 5300 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-5354 Cataract Surgery, LASIKRefractive Surgery, Intraocular Lens, Laser Surgery Ophthalmology Monica Verma, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Children’s Eye Care and Surgery of Arkansas 11825 Hinson Road, Suite 103 Little Rock, AR 72212 (501) 747-1625 Pediatric Ophthalmology Ophthalmology Christian C Hester, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock Eye Clinic 201 Executive Court, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-5658 Cataract Surgery, Laser Refractive Surgery Ophthalmology Lydia F Lane, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock Eye Clinic 201 Executive Court, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 224-5658 Glaucoma

Ophthalmology Phillip J Suffridge, MD Chambers Memorial Hospital Ophthalmology Associates of Benton 3 Medical Park Drive, Suite 300 Benton, AR 72015 (501) 778-1113 Cataract Surgery

Orthopaedic Surgery Jerry Lorio, MD Saline Memorial Hospital Arkansas Surgical Hospital Arkansas Bone & Joint 2010 Active Way Benton, AR 72019 (501) 315-0984 Knee Replacement

Ophthalmology J. David Bradford, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Retina Associates 9800 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 219-0900 Retina/Vitreous Surgery

Orthopaedic Surgery Corey O’Neal Montgomery, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Bone Cancer, Sarcoma, Pediatric Orthopaedic Cancers

Ophthalmology Serrhel G Adams Jr., MD/PhD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Retina Partners of Northwest Arkansas 601 West Maple Avenue, Suite 205A Springdale, AR 72764 (479) 326-9400 Retina/Vitreous Consultation

Orthopaedic Surgery Paul K Edwards, MD Arkansas Surgical Hospital Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Bowen Hefley Orthopedics 5 Saint Vincent Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 663-6455 Arthritis-Hip & Knee, Hip Replacement & Revision, Knee Replacement & Revision

Ophthalmology Matthew Margolis, DO St. Bernards Medical Center Southern Eye Associates 601 East Matthews Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 935-6396 LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery Ophthalmology Thomas M Stank, MD St. Bernards Medical Center Southern Eye Associates 601 East Matthews Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 935-6396 LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery, Glaucoma Ophthalmology Steven D Vold, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Vold Vision 2783 North Shiloh Drive Fayetteville, AR 72704 (479) 442-8653

Orthopaedic Surgery Christopher M Young, MD CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs CHI Saint Vincent Orthopaedics 1662 Higdon Ferry Road, Suite 300 Hot Springs, AR 71913 (501) 321-2663 Sports Injuries, Trauma, Fractures Orthopaedic Surgery Grant W Bennett, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic 550 Club Lane Conway, AR 72034 (501) 329-1510 Sports Injuries, Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery H. Scott Smith, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic 550 Club Lane Conway, AR 72034 (501) 329-1510 Hip & Knee Replacement, Shoulder Replacement

Orthopaedic Surgery James L Head, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic 550 Club Lane Conway, AR 72034 (501) 329-1510 Foot & Ankle Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery Joel N Smith, MD Arkansas Surgical Hospital Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Martin Orthopaedics 2504 McCain Boulevard, Suite 101 North Little Rock, AR 72116 (501) 406-7640 Sports Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery, Shoulder Replacement, Hip & Knee Surgery, Elbow Injuries Orthopaedic Surgery Jason C. Brandt, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 ports Medicine, Hip & Knee Replacement, Orthopaedic Surgery, D. Gordon Newbern MD, CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock, OrthoArkansas, 800 Fair Park Boulevard, Little Rock, (501) 500-3500, Hip & Knee Replacement Orthopaedic Surgery Jason A Smith, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock OrthoArkansas 800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 (501) 500-3500 Spinal Reconstructive Surgery, Scoliosis Orthopaedic Surgery Charles Kristian Hanby, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Orthopaedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-2752

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Hip & Knee Surgery Sports, Injuries Orthopaedic Surgery Jason H Pleimann MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Orthopaedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-2752 Foot & Ankle Surgery, Sports Medicine, Trauma, Reconstructive Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery Robert Bryan Benafield Jr, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Orthopaedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-2752 Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Fractures Orthopaedic Surgery Jeffrey W. Johnson, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Ozark Orthopaedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-2752 Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery Christopher Dougherty, DO Northwest Medical CenterBentonville The Agility Center 1504 Southeast 28th Street Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 273-1111 Arthroscopic Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery John L VanderShilden, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-7823 Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery C. Lowry Barnes, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic 2 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 614-2663 Hip & Knee Replacement, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Arthritis-Hip & Knee

Orthopaedic Surgery Thomas Day, MD Unity Health - Searcy Medical Center Unity Health - White County Medical Center Unity Health - Searcy Medical Center 2900 Hawkins Drive Searcy, AR 72143 (501) 278-2868 Otolaryngology Gresham T Richter, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Pediatric Otolaryngology Otolaryngology Adam Johnson, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Pediatric Otolaryngology Otolaryngology James Y Suen, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Little Rock Jack T. Stephens Spine and Neuroscience Institute 501 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Head & Neck Cancer, Vascular Lesions-Head & Neck, Laryngeal Disorders, Thyroid Cancer & Surgery Otolaryngology Stephen W Cashman, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale ENT & Allergy Center 2100 North Green Acres Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 521-0455 Sinus Disorders, Allergy Otolaryngology John R Lee, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic ENT 5204 West Redbud Street Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 636-0110 Airway Disorders

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 51

Otolaryngology Bryan K. Lansford, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue, 4th Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 Tonsil/Adenoid Disorders, Nasal & Sinus Disorders, Ear Infections, Allergy

Otolaryngology Mauricio A. Moreno, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Head and Neck Oncology Clinic 449 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery

Otolaryngology David M Lewis, MD St. Bernards Medical Center St. Bernard’s Medical Group 621 East Matthews Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 932-6799

Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery Suzanne W. Yee, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center 12600 Cantrell Road, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72223 (501) 222-7204 Cosmetic Surgery, Laser Surgery, Botox & Collagen Therapy, Facial Rejuvenation

Otolaryngology Ozlem Tulunay, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic 501 Jack Stephens Drive, Floor 3 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Head & Neck Surgery, Voice & Swallowing Disorders Otolaryngology Alissa Kanaan, MD UAMS Medical Center, UAMS Health - Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Clinic Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neuroscience Institute, 501 Jack Stephens Drive, Little Rock, (501) 686-8000, Sinusitis, Nasal Obstruction, Allergic Fungal Sinusitis, Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Otolaryngology John L Dornhoffer, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-5878 Hearing & Balance Disorders, Neurotology, Hearing Disorders/Tinnitus Otolaryngology Jumin Sunde, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Head & Neck Cancer & Surgery

52 DECEMBER 2023

Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery Lance Manning, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Washington Regional Medical Center Ear, Nose and Throat Center of the Ozarks 6823 Isaac’s Orchard Road Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 750-2080 Head & Neck Cancer & Surgery, Sleep Medicine, Facial Reconstruction, Pediatric & Adult Otolaryngology, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery Gary M Petrus, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary The Petrus Center for Aesthetic Surgery & Hair Transplantation 4137 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite A North Little Rock, AR 72116 (501) 614-3052 Cosmetic Surgery-Face & Neck, Hair Restoration/Transplant, Rhinoplasty, Botox

ARKANSAS TIMES

Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery Jennings R. Boyette, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Facial Reconstruction, Skin Cancer/Facial Reconstruction, Trauma-Face, Rhinoplasty Revision Pain Medicine Ahmed Ghaleb, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Advanced Spine and Pain Center 11220 Executive Center Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 219-1114 Pain Medicine Sameer Jain, MD Pain Treatment Centers of America 7211 Dollarway Road White Hall, AR 71602 (844) 215-0731 Interventional Pain Management, Pain-Chronic, Headache, Pain - Cancer Pediatric Cardiology Sylvia Angtuaco, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 737-3092 Echocardiography Pediatric Cardiology Thomas H Best, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Echocardiography, EchocardiographyTransesophageal, Fetal Echocardiography Pediatric Cardiology Eudice E. Fontenot, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Michele Moss, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1479 Pediatric Endocrinology Jon D Oden, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 737-4462 Diabetes Pediatric Gastroenterology Alejandro Ramirez, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Northwest Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 737-4462 Digestive Disorders Pediatric Gastroenterology Travis Ayers, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Northwest UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 737-4462 Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (VEO-IBD)

Pediatric Otolaryngology Larry Hartzell, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 508-4568 Cleft Palate/Lip, Hemangiomas, Hearing Loss, Voice Disorders Pediatric Otolaryngology Graham M Strub, MD/PhD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 263-2621 Vascular Malformations/ Birthmarks Pediatric Otolaryngology Charles Bower, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Northwest 2601 Gene George Boulevard Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 725-6880 Airway Disorders, Sleep Disorders/Apnea, Sinus Disorders/Surgery Pediatric Pulmonology Amit Agarwal, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000

Pediatric Gastroenterology Megan W Butler, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Northwest Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1100

Pediatric Pulmonology Ariel Berlinski, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000

Pediatric HematologyOncology David L Becton, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1202

Pediatric Pulmonology Erhan Ararat, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000

Pediatric Otolaryngology Abby Nolder, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Airway Disorders, Ear Infections

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Pediatric Surgery Richard J. Jackson, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1446 Pediatric Cancers, Neonatal Surgery, Robotic Surgery

Pediatric Surgery M. Sidney Dassinger III, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Neonatal Surgery Chest Wall, Deformities Minimally Invasive Surgery Surgical Oncology Congenital Anomalies Pediatric Urology Stephen Canon MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-4000 Pediatric Urology Ashay Patel, DO Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-2632 Kidney Stones Pediatrics Hannah L Beene-Lowder, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 (501) 364-1202 Pediatrics Eugene Lu, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Pediatric Clinic 500 South University Avenue, Doctors Building, Suite 317 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4117 Pediatrics, David M Weed MD, Saline Memorial Hospital, Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock, Central Arkansas Pediatric Clinic, 2301 Springhill Road, Suite 200, Benton, (501) 847-2500 Pediatrics Misty D Nolen, MD Saline Memorial Hospital Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Central Arkansas Pediatric Clinic 2301 Springhill Road, Suite 200 Benton, AR 72019 (501) 847-2500

Pediatrics David Slay, MD CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs CHI St. Vincent Primary & Community Care Clinic 1662 Higdon Ferry Road, Suite 100 Hot Springs, AR 71913 (501) 318-6199 Preventive Medicine, Vaccines, Obesity Pediatrics William Patton, MD Forrest City Medical Center East Arkansas Children’s Clinic 901 Holiday Drive Forrest City, AR 72335 (870) 633-0880 Pediatrics Julie L Tate, MD Northwest Medical CenterBentonville Living Tree Pediatrics 1110 Southeast 30 Street Bentonville, AR 72712 (479) 282-2966

Pediatrics Lance A Faddis, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Primary Care 1225 East Centerton Boulevard Centerton, AR 72719 (479) 795-1301 Pediatrics Josephine Ta Park, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Arkansas Pediatrics 3380 North Futrall Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 442-7322 Pediatrics Christopher A Schluterman, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Pediatric Partners 7303 Rogers Avenue, Suite 201 Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 478-7200

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Kevin J Collins, MD CHI St. Vincent North Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Rehabilitation Medicine Consultants of Arkansas 6020 Warden Road, Suite 200 Sherwood, AR 72120 (501) 945-1888 Spinal Rehabilitation, Electromyography (EMG), Musculoskeletal Disorders Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Kevin Means, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock UAMS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 501 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 221-1311

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Thomas Kiser, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock UAMS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 501 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 221-1311 Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Rani H Gardner, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic 801 Cottage Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 221-1311 Brain Injury-Traumatic, Stroke Rehabilitation

Plastic Surgery David H. Bauer, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Plastic Surgery 9500 Kanis Road, Suite 502 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 219-8388 Breast Augmentation, Breast Reconstruction, Liposuction & Body Contouring, Facial Rejuvenation Plastic Surgery Adam G Newman, MD Baxter Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterBentonville Newman MD Plastic Surgery 130 East 9th Street Mountain Home, AR 72653 (870) 425-6398 Cosmetic Surgery, Facial Rejuvenation, Reconstructive Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery Melanie D Prince, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Prince Plastic Surgery 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 150 Little Rock, AR 72227 (501) 225-3333 Breast Reconstruction & Augmentation, Liposuction & Body Contouring, Facial Cosmetic Surgery Plastic Surgery Kristopher B Shewmake, MD Shewmake Plastic Surgery 11220 Executive Center Drive, Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 492-8970 Psychiatry Kathryn A. Panek, MD Methodist Behavioral Hospital Methodist Family Health Counseling Clinic 74 West Sunbridge Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 582-5565

thanks for recognizing our physicians as

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Dr. Brad Thomas Neurosurgery

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DECEMBER 2023 53

Psychiatry Shona L. Ray-Griffith, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Women’s Mental Health Clinic 4224 Shuffield Drive, 4th Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-8201 Psychiatry in Pregnancy, Reproductive Psychiatry, Pregnancy & Mood Disorders, Addiction/Substance Abuse, Postpartum Depression Pulmonary Disease Arturo Meade, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Lung Center 1001 Towson Avenue Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 709-7433 Sleep Disorders Pulmonary Disease Shahla G. Naoman, MD White River Medical Center Stone County Medical Center Batesville Pulmonology Clinic 1215 Sidney Street, Suite 201 Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 262-1660 Sleep Medicine, Sleep & Snoring Disorders, Asthma & Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Pulmonary Disease Samer Homsi, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 552-0500 Pulmonary Disease Kyle Hardy, MD Washington Regional Medical Center, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic, 3344 North Futrall Drive, Fayetteville, (479) 521-8200 Pulmonary Disease Edward L Jackson, MD Washington Regional Medical Center, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic, 3344 North Futrall Drive, Fayetteville, (479) 582-7330

54 DECEMBER 2023

Pulmonary Disease M. Allen Moseley Jr., MD Washington Regional Medical Center, Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic, 3344 North Futrall Drive, Fayetteville, (479) 582-7330, Critical Care, Asthma & Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Lung Cancer, Pulmonary Infections Pulmonary Disease Jason M Mckinney, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite T20 Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-3080 Pulmonary Disease Daniel S Paul, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Clinic Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine 4600 Mercy Lane, Suite T20 Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 338-3080 Preventive Medicine, Lung Disease Pulmonary Disease Meredith M. Walker Jr., MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue, 2nd Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8000 Pulmonary Disease Emily G. Kocurek, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Pulmonary Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Floor 2 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-8000 Critical Care, Asthma, Interstitial Lung Disease Radiation Oncology Xiang Gao, MD/PhD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CARTI Cancer Center 8901 CARTI Way, 1st Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 906-3000

ARKANSAS TIMES

Radiation Oncology Christopher C Ross, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock CARTI Cancer Center 8901 CARTI Way, Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 906-3000 Lung Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Breast Cancer Radiation Oncology Richard L Crownover, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Radiation Oncology Center 4130 Shuffield Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4568 Breast Cancer Radiation Oncology Fen Xia, MD/PhD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Radiation Oncology Center 4130 Shuffield Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4568 Clinical Trials, Central Nervous System Cancer Radiation Oncology Sanjay Maraboyina, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Radiation Oncology Center 4130 Shuffield Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4568 Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Bone Cancer Radiation Oncology Leslie M. Harrell, DO UAMS Medical Center UAMS Radiation Oncology Center 4130 Shuffield Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 664-4568 Proton Beam Therapy, Pediatric Cancers, Breast Cancer, Central Nervous System Cancer, Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)

Rheumatology Charles Mills, MD ARcare 3150 East Heritage Parkway Farmington, AR 72730 (479) 400-1140 Rheumatology Leslie McCasland, MD Arthritis & Rheumatism Association 2231 Hill Park Cove Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 333-2721 Rheumatology James Abraham III, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 552-0500 Rheumatology Walton Toy, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Mercy Rheumatology Specialties 1002 South 52nd Street Rogers, AR 72758 (479) 338-3722 Rheumatology Seth Berney, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Rheumatology Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1000 Sports Medicine James C Tucker, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock OrthoArkansas 800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 (501) 500-3500 Sports Injuries, Shoulder Arthroscopic Surgery, Knee Surgery, Hip Surgery

Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility Dean M Moutos, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Fertility & Gynecology 9101 Kanis Road, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 534-3764 Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Surgery Danny G. Lister, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterHeber Springs Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Heartburn Treatment Center 1716 West Searcy Street Heber Springs, AR 72543 (501) 250-2020 Gastrointestinal Surgery, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Barrett’s Esophagus, Diverticulitis, Esophageal Surgery Surgery Nabil Akkad, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Arkansas Surgical Group 1500 Dodson Avenue, Suite 250 Fort Smith, AR 72901 (479) 573-7940 Vascular Surgery, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Melanoma, Hernia Surgery Chris M Cate, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Baptist Health Surgical Clinic of Central Arkansas 9500 Kanis Road, Suite 501 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 227-9080 Laparoscopic Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Vascular Surgery Surgery Michael J Cross, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Medical CenterWillow Creek Women’s Hospital Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 587-1700 Breast Cancer & Surgery Surgery Jonathan P. Ferrari, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic General Surgery 7001 Rogers Avenue, Suite 600 Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 274-5100

Robotic Surgery Minimally Invasive, Surgery Bariatric/Obesity Surgery Surgery Adeel A. Shamim MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic General Surgery 7001 Rogers Avenue, Suite 600 Fort Smith, AR 72903 (479) 274-5100 Bariatric/Obesity Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery Surgery Joshua E Roller, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Roller Weight Loss & Advanced Surgery 1695 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 445-6460 Bariatric/Obesity Surgery Surgery Brock King, MD Conway Regional Health System Surgical Associates of Conway 525 Western Avenue, Suite 203 Conway, AR 72034 (501) 327-4828 Surgery Ronda Henry-Tillman, MD UAMS Medical Center Arkansas Children’s Hospital UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Breast Surgery Surgery Ronald D. Robertson, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Surgery Specialties Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, 4th Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 686-6086 Trauma Surgery Daniela Ochoa, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute 449 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 296-1200 Breast Cancer & Surgery, Breast Disease

Surgery Jeffrey D Kellar, MD Washington Regional Medical Center Washington Regional General Surgery Clinic 3 East Appleby Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 (479) 404-2500 Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Esophageal Disorders, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Hernia Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery Daniel Richard Stevenson, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 936-8260 Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery Jay K Bhama, MD St. Bernards Medical Center St. Bernards Heart & Vascular 201 East Oak Avenue Jonesboro, AR 72401 (870) 935-6729 Cardiac Surgery-Adult, Heart Valve Surgery-Mitral, Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), Transplant-Heart & Lung Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery Matthew Steliga, MD UAMS Medical Center Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 526-1000 Urology Gail R Jones, MD CHI St. Vincent North Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Urology 1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 219-8900 Urology D. Keith Mooney, MD CHI St. Vincent North Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Urology 1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 219-8900

Urology Caleb B Bozeman, MD CHI St. Vincent North Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Urology 1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 219-8900 Robotic Surgery Urology Jeffrey B Marotte, MD Conway Regional Health System Arkansas Urology 1375 Superior Drive Conway, AR 72032 (501) 219-8900 Urology Nirmal K Kilambi, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Washington Regional Medical Center Northwest Arkansas Urology Associates 5401 Willow Creek Drive Springdale, AR 72762 (479) 521-8980 Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery

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BRIAN CHILSON

SAVVY

PERIOD POWER: Tarini Eswaran, Anya Choudhary, Katie Clark and Shannie Jackson of the Arkansas Period Poverty Project assemble and distribute kits to people in need.

MENSTRUAL I EQUITY IN THE MAKING TEENS AT TWO LITTLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOLS ARE LEADING THE CHARGE AGAINST PERIOD POVERTY.

BY TRICIA LARSON

56 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

n the heart of Arkansas, a group of young adults is on a mission to promote menstrual equity through donations, education and legislation.

Katie Clark, 28, founded the Arkansas Period Poverty Project (APPP) in 2018 after reading the book “Period Power” by Nadya Okamoto, aiming to increase access to affordable period products and end the silence surrounding period poverty. A study from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health says one in five students will miss class due to lack of access to period products, and that one in 10 college students struggle to afford menstrual products.

“Before picking up this book, I had never heard of period poverty,” Clark said. “It never crossed my mind that there could’ve been students in my class missing school because they didn’t have access to period products.”

Compelled to do something, Clark started a GoFundMe. With early donations from friends and family, she began purchasing period products to take to schools in Central Arkansas.

Five years later, APPP continues to fill a much-needed gap by supplying period products and providing menstrual education to young people while working to pass legislation that provides long-term solutions to period poverty.

Shannie Jackson, 28, now leads the orga-

nization, which is heavily supported by two teen volunteers. Tarini Eswaran, 17, a senior at Central High School, serves as the outreach coordinator, and Anya Choudhary, 17, a senior at Pulaski Academy, spearheads the group’s communication efforts.

Both teens began volunteering with APPP during their sophomore years, inspired to get involved because of their interest in women’s rights and equality. Choudhary said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to end the constitutional right to an abortion reinforced her commitment.

“With Roe V. Wade being overturned the summer after I joined, I understood the increasing global trend dismissing autonomy in reproductive health care, and I wanted to mobilize my background in social media and writing to fight it,” Choudhary said.

The teens are instrumental in spreading awareness, organizing donation drives, recruiting other volunteers to participate in packing parties where period product kits are assembled for distribution, and picking up and dropping off donations to and from partner schools and organizations.

It’s time-consuming work, and Eswaran says she balances her volunteering with other commitments and school by setting aside specific

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blocks of time for each obligation. “I schedule out the parts of my day outside of school in order to ensure I finish everything,” Eswaran said.

Choudhary says the organization’s mission inspires her to make time. “At the end of the day, you never truly get tired of something you have a passion for,” she said.

The students’ passion and commitment to APPP have not gone unnoticed. This year, Eswaran, Choudhary and Jackson were honored with Presidential Volunteer Service Awards recognizing their exceptional service and the hundreds of volunteer hours each spent serving the community.

While the women say they are inspired and motivated by each other, Clark and Jackson are effusive in praising the teen volunteers, noting that Eswaran and Choudhary play a pivotal role in the organization and that APPP benefits from youth engagement.

Jackson says the teens bring new perspectives and have a natural ability to connect with others — an invaluable skill for raising awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding period poverty and menstrual health.

“They are just so smart and so well-spoken and so innovative,” Clark said. “They are just far more aware of things that are happening in the world than I was at 15, 16 or 17. They are just so incredibly passionate about wanting to make a change in whatever way possible.”

The adults say the energy, creativity and ideas they bring to the organization helped APPP expand its impact — and, potentially, its longevity.

“If you want to sustain an organization for a period of time, you need people across the age spectrum who can carry that torch for you. They can do a whole lot, and organizations should encourage and let them,” Clark said.

Though APPP’s core group is small, their work has a big impact.

Clark says she routinely receives messages from school staff telling her how grateful they are for donations and how much they positively impact the lives of their students. While she finds these messages rewarding, they also remind her how much their work is needed.

To help address the root cause of period poverty, the organization is working to end a statewide tax on menstrual products. APPP aims to put a measure on the ballot in 2024 that would exempt period products — pads, tampons, and infant and adult diaper products — from state sales and use tax. By reducing costs, they hope to make period products more accessible to those who need them.

DO CARDBOARD RECYCLING According to the organization, the average lifetime cost for period products is $11,000, and one in four people who need them struggle to afford them. The group cites a recent study on period poverty that says 46% of menstruators were forced to choose between food and period products. The 2024 ballot initiative, if passed into law, would change that.

Though the signature-gathering process required to get the proposal on the ballot is daunting, the group is optimistic that given the chance to vote for the measure, Arkansans will pass it.

“We’ve been told that if we get the signatures, if we get it on the ballot, it’ll pass,” Clark said.

“There’s no reason that any citizen wouldn’t want tax-free diapers and period products.”

The ballot initiative effort is a direct response to failed attempts by the state legislature to take action. In 2021, a bill authored by state Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) died in the House Revenue and Tax Committee.

“There was a lot of sexism around it on social media,” Clark said. “Just a general lack of awareness about period poverty and, like, why they should even be talking about it — why they should be saying ‘tampon’ in the legislature.”

This past legislative session, APPP tried a different approach. Working with state Rep. Brit McKenzie (R-Rogers), they developed a plan to divert tax collections on period products into a fund controlled by the state Department of Education. Schools could then apply for funding to purchase products for students. But, a backlog among legislative staff prevented the bill from being drafted, so it was never introduced.

Then, in October, the state attorney general’s office approved the group’s second attempt at ballot language. Now that the ballot title has been approved, APPP will need to gather 72,563 signatures from registered voters across the state to get it before voters in 2024. If the measure passes, Arkansas will join 29 other states that exempt period products from sales taxes.

Because Eswaran and Choudhary have yet to turn 18, they cannot sign the ballot petition or collect signatures, but they plan on helping in other ways. Eswaran will keep educating and recruiting peers, and Choudhary will help promote the labor-intensive effort on social media.

They will each be 18 on Election Day next year and plan to cast their first votes supporting the measure.

For more information about the Arkansas Period Poverty Project, ways to donate and volunteer, and how to support the ballot initiative, visit http://bit.ly/ARPeriodProject.

RIGHT!

During the holidays, we’re using more and more cardboard boxes due to the increase in online shopping and shipping. So, this holiday, do cardboard recycling right by breaking it down, flattening it out, and fitting it inside your curbside recycling cart.

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For more information and Room Packages, call 501-623-7771 ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 59

CULTURE

HAIKUS, LIMERICKS, SONNETS: Poet Kai Coggin, the first-ever poet laureate of Hot Springs, hosts the nation’s longestrunning consecutive weekly open mic poetry night.

DAVID YERBY

W ALL OF MY EYES ARE OPEN

HOT SPRINGS POET KAI COGGIN FINDS PURPOSE IN SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER.

BY MARY RUTH TAYLOR

60 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

alk into Kollective Coffee + Tea in Hot Springs on any given Wednesday night, as I did months ago when the evenings were still warm, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a seat. The town’s poets are gathered, as they have done every single week since 1989.

Kai Coggin, Wednesday Night Poetry’s fearless leader, weaves through the crowd, greeting old friends and newcomers alike with a dazzling smile and a hug. When she addresses the room, the rules are clear: This is a safe space.

“There won’t be any racism, no homophobia, no transphobia,” Coggin says. “And no arachnophobia. Spiders are our friends.”

For the next three hours, people share poems in memoriam and in celebration. They speak of perfect days and sleepless nights. Haikus, limericks, sonnets. Songs and prayers. The sting of the outside world’s assorted calamities becomes more bearable, if just for a little while.

Such is the ritual of the nation’s longest-running consecutive weekly open mic poetry night.

Coggin — poet, teacher and master naturalist — has led the group since 2019. Since moving to Arkansas over a decade ago, she’s established herself as a literary force. The 43-year-old has

four published poetry collections, with a fifth on the way, and she’s taught poetry to K-12 students across the state via the Arkansas Arts Council and Arkansas Learning Through the Arts. For these accomplishments, she holds the title of Hot Springs’ inaugural poet laureate, two Arkansas Times “Best Poet” designations and, most recently, the Don Munro Leadership in the Arts Award, which she received in late October.

Back during her turbulent teenage years, when poetry was a solitary comfort while she came to terms with her queerness, Coggin made a vow. “My soul made a promise,” Coggin said.

“If I made it through, I’d hold space for others.”

Now she cultivates community wherever she goes.

Initially, that promise led her to teaching in Houston, where she grew up. While teaching high school English, Coggin founded the district’s first gay-straight alliance. “It was hard to be the figurehead leading that, and there was opposition — but I’ve always pushed against opposition.”

Coggin said the benefits of helping the kids far outweighed any risks to her. She wanted a place where the “outcasts” could come and be themselves, free of judgment. “Allowing safety, even if it’s just one person you can be yourself around, that is lifesaving.”

After teaching for five years, she decided to pursue writing full time. Coggin and her wife moved to Hot Springs in 2012, and it was then that she first stumbled upon Wednesday Night Poetry. From the first night she went, Coggin was transfixed.

“I started writing something new every week because I knew there’d be someone there to hear it,” Coggin said. Those weekly poems became enough for a book, and after winning a publishing contest, her first poetry collection, “Periscope Heart,” was born in 2014. “I wouldn’t have taken those chances had I not had this community.”

Her writing began as inward exploration. In “Constant Before Picture,” for example, she examines body image: “I am a swirling galaxy in human form, / cut me cross section and see the concentric circles of my orbits.” She also wrote about identity — Coggin is Filipino-American and was born in Thailand — and the trauma of moving away from her birthplace as a young girl. “When Bangkok was ripped / out of my seven-year-old hands / and my father went away with my country, / I dropped all my memories out of a tiny hatch / in the airplane headed for America,” she says in “กรงเทพมหานคร Bangkok.”

As she grew more and more aware of the world’s volatility, however, the poems evolved to be political and defiant. As a queer woman of color in a red Southern state, Coggin writes in a political landscape frequently hostile to her own identity — but that’s not a deterrent. When shit gets scary, her pen is her sword.

“Speaking up and holding light in the face of

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darkness, it became my purpose. This is why I’m here,” she said.

She wrote about school shootings, about Black boys being killed by police, about Trump’s presidency. “It was my way of making a mark in the literary canon, that someone was mad about these things. Someone was not going to be silent.”

After the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, Coggin wrote a poem in honor of “the 49 queer bodies that were massacred in a nightclub when they just wanted to dance.” She shared it the next Wednesday night. “It wasn’t just me crying for those 49 souls, it was everyone there.”

Coggin firmly believes in the power of art to facilitate change, and her lamentations tend to come coupled with a call to action, as illustrated by a poem from her third collection called “Where Are The Warriors?”: “put your warrior fist in the air, / leave it there / but take your other fist and open it, / set your four fingers and thumb stretch outward with light / to the corners of our country / covered in heavy shadows.”

Wednesday Night Poetry has served as a constant reminder that many other artists are taking a stand through their work. “We’re not isolated blue flames in a red state — there are many of us that want a better world,” Coggin said.

Coggin first met Bud Kenny — much beloved author, adventurer and the founder of Wednesday Night Poetry — when he returned for its 25th anniversary. Initially, she thought, “who’s this dude in a top hat?” But they forged a fast friendship, what Coggin calls a father-daughter poetry family. On a Wednesday night in 2019, Kenny knelt down on one knee and offered Coggin his clipboard. He wanted to sit back and relax, and asked if she’d carry their group into the future.

Coggin became the new host in February 2019, and that October, Kenny had a heart attack. It was a Wednesday when he died, and Coggin had to go to poetry night to tell their community he was gone.

Six months later, COVID-19 set in and everyone was under lockdown. “I wasn’t going to let this legacy fail when it’s in my hands. Oh hell no,” Coggin said. There was a streak to continue, so she put out a call to Arkansas poets and uploaded videos to Facebook of them reading their work.

What usually stayed within the confines of a little coffee shop became a worldwide community of poets. Through the 100 weeks of pandemic, 5,000 people from six continents sent in their work. Folks who’d never written a poem in their life shared their first writing alongside literary giants like Ada Limón and Jane Hirshfield.

Though Coggin hosts the poetry readings in person now, the second Wednesday of every month is also live-streamed. “All this time, Wednesday Night Poetry has been an anchor,” Coggin said. “A place to be in community, but also to make that community something global.”

Knowing how poetry can be a survival tool, Coggin wanted to share it with the kids of Arkansas. Since 2015, she’s taught poetry workshops to thousands of students around the state, a feat for which she won the 2021 Governor’s Arts Award. The priority when she goes into the classroom is always building trust.

“There are a lot of kids that have never had a safe space to just feel — they can’t talk about their feelings in math class or history or on the playground, but they could put it in a poem,” Coggin said. “Even if they never show it to anybody. It’s like they don’t have to carry it around

on their shoulders anymore.”

It’s fraught, though, to teach such novel concepts as empathy these days. People might get suspicious.

In May this year, shortly after the LEARNS Act was introduced, Coggin was invited to teach a workshop to fourth-graders. She read selections from “Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship” by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and “The Same Inside: Poems about Empathy and Friendship” by Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens; shared her experience as an immigrant; and then asked the kids to write and read their own poems in response. After two days, the school sent Coggin home. Two parents had called to complain that she was indoctrinating their kids with woke ideology. (Coggin declined to share at which school the incident occurred.)

“I was crying in the principal’s office because I told [the kids] they were safe with me, I told them they could write anything, and then it looked like I didn’t show up.

“The adults wage their culture wars,” Coggin said, “but it’s the children who suffer.” The May incident, heartbreaking as it was, seemed a clear sign that a realignment of energy was due.

She’s taking a step back from teaching, just for now, and leaning into rest and inspiration.

Her fifth book, “Mother of Other Kingdoms,” which she hopes will be published in the spring, takes great notice of the natural world. It’s an exploration of resistance in a new form: fighting apathy by illuminating the things which bring us joy. This shift is embodied by “I Sit with a Master,” a poem in the Spring 2023 issue of Blue Heron Review that will be included in her forthcoming collection. “All of my eyes are open,” she muses. “I try to catch all the images moving / like salmon in a stream before me, / try to hold them slippery and fleeting / in an act of poetic preservation.”

When I visited Kollective Coffee + Tea in the summer, Coggin read one of her own poems after everyone else had spoken. She’d written it that day, she said, and was met with an enthusiastic “New shit!” from the crowd. She explained it was written in mourning for an onslaught of regressive attacks from the Arkansas legislature.

“How do we fight against a darkening world?”

Coggin said. “I’m asking! How?” The coffee shop was quiet, but one small voice from the crowd answered with confidence: “Love!”

Percy Shelley (Romantic, rapscallion) once wrote that poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. Two hundred years later, the sentiment still rings true. Considering our actual, acknowledged legislators haven’t done such a bang-up job as of late, maybe it’s time the poets step in.

GLOWILD!

AZF

Arts & Culture, Inc.

ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 63

Here are some of our amazing organizations that are able to make an impact thanks to your help. Explore fundraising opportunities, learn about their missions and get involved.

LITTLE ROCK PUBLIC RADIO: KLRE AND KUAR Little Rock Public Radio, KLRE and KUAR, is a public service of UA Little Rock under the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education.

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Fundraisers: Our 2024 calendar of events and fundraisers include Tea with KLRE with a String Quartet, Pledge Drives, Coffee with KUAR, Arkansas Tiny Desk Showcase, and an Annual Gala. Full schedule and details are available online at littlerockpublicradio.org.

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ARKANSAS SHERIFFS’ YOUTH RANCHES Nancy Fulton, CEO Founded: January 1976 Mission: The ASYR’s mission is to address, remedy and prevent child abuse and neglect by creating safe, healthy and permanent homes for children.

Fundraisers: ASYR receives 20 calls per week looking for beds for foster children, and it always has a waiting list.

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Giving Opportunities: Raising children is expensive, especially when you raise as many as we do at the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches. But you can’t put a price tag on changing a child’s life. The ASYR has helped raise more than 2,200 boys and girls from every corner of the state and is 100% privately funded. Please consider investing in Arkansas’s future by supporting our most vulnerable children. Together we can help break the cycle of abuse and neglect devastating so many families.

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Established: 1979 Mission: Our mission is to help seniors meet the opportunities and challenges of aging by providing the resources and information they need to stay independent and at home.

CareLink helps homebound older people receive services that allow them to stay at home as long as possible, avoiding more costly care. We help active older people stay fit, healthy and involved through senior centers, wellness programs and volunteer opportunities, and we help family caregivers navigate the maze of available services and care for their aging loved ones.

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ARKANSAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Heather Larkin, President and CEO Established Date: Since 1976, Arkansas Community Foundation has provided more than $460 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state.

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About: The Community Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization working statewide that offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct charitable dollars while learning more about community needs.

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66 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

FOOD & DRINK

HELLO, GOODBYE

DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS ON THE STATE’S FOOD SCENE.

RHETT BRINKLEY KAT ROBINSON

BRIAN CHILSON

BY RHETT BRINKLEY AND STEPHANIE SMITTLE

“My! People come and go so quickly here.” ­— Dorothy Gayle, “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

L

ike the cyclone-tossed farmhouse that slays the Wicked Witch of the East, prefab 7 Brew coffee shops have materialized in the sky along Arkansas’s major thoroughfares this year, dangling precariously from high-powered cranes until they land their mark and unleash 850-calorie white chocolate confections on under-caffeinated Arkansans. Not all restaurant arrivals have been so dramatic (or hazelnut-driven), of course. Some, like The Bagel Shop, built a fanbase over time, gradually accruing enough buzz to make a brick-and-mortar venture feel like a sure bet. Others, like the Riverdale outpost of Wright’s BBQ, have been long pined for from afar, the smell of takeout brisket from the original Northwest Arkansas location filling southbound vehicles along Interstate 49 on its way to convert yet another Little Rocker to fanatic fervor. Here, we’ve rounded up a few restaurant comings and goings — loud and quiet, lowbrow and highfalutin, healthy and hedonistic.

68 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

COMINGS AND GOINGS: Clockwise from top left is Harlem Wilson of Certified Pies, the sweet potato pancakes with adaptogenic maple syrup at Flora Jean’s and Russellville’s original Old South Restaurant.

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RHETT BRINKLEY

PORK, PIE, HAT: From left is The Flight 3.14 at DONS Southern Social, the pits at Wright’s BBQ and the Smoked Chicken Sandwich at Sterling Market.

DEPARTURES Dave’s Place, 210 Center St., Little Rock Possibly the least pretentious place you could have a business lunch downtown, beloved Little Rock diner Dave’s Place — a diner loved for its tomato bisque and for making you feel like you’d stepped into an upscale version of your grandmother’s kitchen — closed its doors in July after 30 years in business, citing health concerns of its namesake and patriarch, Dave Williams.

Cañon Grill, 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock Hillcrest’s long-standing Tex-Mex restaurant known for its Southwestern pizza, crispy chicken nachos and boozy blue margaritas made its closure official this year after months of speculation that it would not return in a post-pandemic world.

Kream Kastle Drive Inn, 15922 U.S. Highway 70, Benton So revered it needed no roadside signage to state its name and business, this greasy spoon between I-30 and Hot Springs served up killer milkshakes and the perfect dairy bar burger, small enough not to overwhelm and topped upon request with strips of bacon curled and crisped in the hot oil of a deep fryer. Guy Lancaster, who wrote a love letter to the dairy bar for the Arkansas Times in 2019, called it a "living fossil," noting that the dense ring of pickup trucks that surrounded the drive-in was a surefire litmus test of the food’s enduring charm.

70 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Though we’ve received no reply to our inquiries about whether its closure is permanent, the drive-in’s been dark since late summer.

Betty’s Old Fashion, 1334 E. Hillsboro St., El Dorado Lines formed under the rust-streaked metal sign mounted atop the state’s oldest dairy bar, Betty’s Old Fashion, when it announced in March it would close its "Order Here" window for good. The building is slated to be razed for a highway widening. Fear not, though, ice cream lovers: The soft-serve mecca is slated for a revival at 919 E. Hillsboro St., according to its Facebook page.

Graffiti’s, 7811 Cantrell Road, Little Rock Just short of its 40th year in business, Graffiti’s announced it was closing its Cantrell location but would continue serving its menu items out of Venezuelan restaurant La Terraza Rum & Lounge in Hillcrest. The owners of La Terraza purchased Graffiti’s in 2017.

Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 301 Main St., North Little Rock After operating at the corner of Broadway and Main streets in North Little Rock since 2007, the workmanlike Irish dive bar shut its doors for good after Argenta’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.

Powerhouse Seafood & Grill, 112 N. University Ave., Fayetteville Simultaneously adored and reviled — depend-

ing on which Fayetteville resident you asked — one of Dickson Street’s most long-running party bars closed its doors in July after three decades in business. Adieu to the “Kilowatt," the Powerhouse’s signature frozen booze offering, concocted from pineapple juice, orange juice, hurricane mix, Bacardi 151 and house-made coconut rum. (Bet those Dickson Street pharmacies are selling a bit less single-serving Ibuprofens these days.)

One Eleven at the Capital, 111 W. Markham St., Little Rock Dinner service resumed at the Capital Hotel’s fine dining restaurant in October 2022 after a pandemic shutdown of more than two years.

It ended again in June of this year. Breakfast and brunch are still served in the upscale space across the lobby from the Bar and Grill.

AQ Chicken House, 1207 N. Thompson St., Springdale An iconic Springdale restaurant known for its pan-fried chicken and for hosting Bill Clinton’s 47th birthday party, AQ was demolished earlier this year to make room for a car wash. An investment group owned by the Lundstrum family, including Republican state Rep. Robin Lundstrum of Elm Springs, announced plans to revive the restaurant on land they own in Springdale.

Dog Town Pizza, 5500 MacArthur Dr., North Little Rock Located in North Little Rock’s Amboy neighborhood, Dog Town Pizza was destroyed by

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the March 31 EF3 tornado five months after it opened. The owners appealed to the public to help rebuild, raising money from T-shirt sales and an online fundraiser.

ed to be dealt with” and he was planning on shutting down to “retool and rebrand” before an opportunity to sell the restaurant presented itself. The sale fell through.

Damgoode Pies Hillcrest, 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock Damgoode Pies announced the permanent closure of its original Kavanaugh store in October after slinging stuffy pies, cheap PBR and wisecracking marquee quips in Hillcrest for more than 22 years. About three weeks later, Damgoode ended its run in Central Arkansas, closing its location on Cantrell Road. “The postCOVID restaurant life is just brutal,” owner Jeff Trine said. “And I gotta be a good dad, and I don’t think I can do that while being a restaurant owner.”

North Bar, 3812 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock A fire broke out at North Bar’s Lake Hill Shopping Center location on a Monday night in October when the restaurant was closed. The North Little Rock Fire Department had the fire contained within the hour, but the damage was extensive. It’s not gone forever, though. “We are here to stay,” owners Kyle and Snee Dismang told the Arkansas Times, “and we will rebuild.”

David Family Kitchen, 2301 S. Broadway St., Little Rock A sign taped to the front window gave notice to the permanent closure of one of the best soul food restaurants in the city, opened by the late Rev. Stoy David and Pearletha David (better known as Ms. Pearl) in 1998.

South on Main, 1304 S. Main St., Little Rock After opening restaurant/music venue South on Main in partnership with the Oxford American in 2013, chef Matt Bell sold the restaurant to Don Dugan and Tasha Stratton in the weeks leading up to the pandemic. Terrible timing aside, Dugan said there were “issues that need-

ARRIVALS (AND REVIVALS) Flora Jean’s, 433 E. Third St., Little Rock Flooded with natural light and winsome servers offering you chlorophyll-enhanced water, Flora Jean’s serves up a vegan and vegetarian menu full of delicate touches — biscuits rendered a denim blue from butterfly pea flowers, baby pink beetroot lattes with rose petals afloat on the foam, cocktails with quinoa vodka and carrot juice. Think: the "food as medicine" counterpart to its owners’ classic downtown diner, @The Corner.

BCW (Bread Cheese Wine), 1424 S. Main St., Little Rock Tapas, shareables, small plates, #girldinner: whatever you want to call it, BCW is doing it with finesse. Come for the gruyere cheese puffs and lemon herb potatoes at Nathan Miller’s SoMa newcomer; stay for the euphoric interior

9pm-2am Starts with a one-hour dance lesson.

No partner or experience required.

EVENT VENUE Corporate Events

Weddings Birthday Parties Christmas Parties And More 614 President Clinton Ave, Little Rock /club27lr /club27lr club27lr.com ARKTIMES.COM

DECEMBER 2023 71

Draft + Table, 301 Main St., North Little Rock Chef Kev Doroski, formerly of Ristorante Capeo, is bringing fine dining to the former Cregeen’s space in Argenta with “a tour of America’s greatest sandwiches” for the lunch crowd, along with a Saturday and Sunday brunch. The restaurant was not yet open by press time.

Big Bad Breakfast, 306 Main St., Little Rock Arkansas’s second outlet of James Beard Award winner John Currence’s popular breakfast franchise is open in its new downtown Main Street digs and looking fully like a nod to a mid-century New York diner.

Riviera Maya, 801 Fair Park Blvd., Little Rock Fans of Riviera Maya were once again able to order a Cheese Combo or the Enchiladas Banderas topped with chorizo and one grilled shrimp when Riviera Maya reopened its Fair Park location in October. The restaurant had been closed for a year and a half following an overnight fire in March 2022.

@BCW_LR

Sterling Market, 515 Shall Ave., Little Rock Fidel Samour of Fidel & Co opened a food hall across the street from his coffee shop in the former Sterling Paint Factory building in Little Rock’s East Village neighborhood. The 4,000-square-foot market features a butcher shop, a salad station, an artisan pizza station, a full bar, a ridiculously good bakery and a rainor-shine, temperature-controlled outdoor dining space with a retractable roof.

SMALL PLATES IN SOMA: The Board and the Lemon Herb Potatoes at Bread Cheese Wine. design, with art vibes courtesy of locals Sulac and Judson Spillyards.

Coy’s Steakhouse, 305 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs “Posh Hot Springs hotel revives vintage Spa City steakhouse (and also a Little Rock breakfast spot?)” wasn’t on our 2023 bingo card, but here we are. The Hotel Hot Springs, Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame announced ceremoniously in September that the hotel would relaunch not only Little Rock’s Satellite Cafe, which closed in 2010, but Coy’s, a Hot Springs fixture known for its steaks and its house dressing, best enjoyed with warmed saltine crackers.

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Wright’s BBQ, 1311 Rebsamen Park Road, Little Rock Pitmaster Jordan Wright’s on a roll, and the Texas-style brisket that garnered devotees at the BBQ spot’s flagship Johnson location in Northwest Arkansas has sparked an offshoot in the quonset hut-style building in Riverdale behind Town Pump. Don’t sleep on the collard greens.

The Busker, 1304 S. Main St., Little Rock After the sale of South on Main fell through, owners Don Dugan and Tasha Stratton decided to play to their strengths and reopen as a neighborhood bar, restaurant and music venue offering “approachable bar food.”

La Chingada, 313 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock Mexican restaurant La Chingada opened in November in the former Library Kitchen + Lounge space and will continue the tradition of offering music and late night weekend hours in the large River Market space. Many Facebook users commented about the name La Chingada, which appears to have some vulgar translations. The employee we spoke with said the restaurant’s name isn’t a crass one. He said it can also refer loosely to a place — in this case, one that serves really fresh food.

Old South Restaurant, 105 E. Harrell Drive, Russellville Known for having served “two presidents and a king” because Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and King of Rock ’n’ Roll Elvis Presley reportedly dined there, the historic Old South Restaurant reopened in a former Russellville Dixie Cafe after a fire in June destroyed the eatery’s iconic modular Main Street location that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Certified Pies, 9807 W. Markham St. Kreg Stewart, Samantha Stewart and Harlem Wilson opened a brick-and-mortar pizzeria in the same West Little Rock shopping center where they previously operated a ghost kitchen concept, serving pizzas and some of the best breaded wings in town out of the back door for almost three years.

DONS Southern Social, 901 Central Ave., Hot Springs You have to pass through a payphone or an art gallery to enter chef Joshua Garland’s new Hot Springs speakeasy-style restaurant. Order the deviled egg appetizer and stay for dessert with the pie flight, which comes served on a windowsill.

Ol’ Bart at Diamond Bear, 600 N. Broadway St., North Little Rock After cooking barbecue for duck lodges all over the U.S., Bart Likes opened Ol’ Bart Southern Eats in Conway and has transformed Diamond Bear Brewing’s restaurant into a barbecue joint.

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Pettaway Coffee, 406 E. 21st St., Little Rock The neighborhood-focused coffee shop in the new Pettaway small business district doubles as a mocktail bar in the afternoons and features a fantastic cold brew-based coffee soda that’s batched in kegs for about 72 hours.

Sweet Cheeks Espresso, 912 Eastline Road, Searcy Searcy finally has a drive-thru coffee shop with bikini-clad baristas.

Franks, 2511 McCain Blvd., North Little Rock A new quick service/drive-thru hot dog/burger restaurant opened in the former Church’s Chicken on McCain Boulevard to positive reviews.

Shorty Small’s (Mobile) The iconic Shorty Small’s location on Rodney Parham is now a 7 Brew, but the restaurant returned this year on wheels as the Shorty Small’s Cheese Stick Factory.

GLEN HOOKS

@THEBAGEL.SHOP

NEW NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTS: Clockwise from top left is the Smoked Trout Deviled Egg Salad from The Bagel Shop, Pettaway Coffee, and the Meatballs and Homemade Garlic Focaccia at George’s.

George’s, 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock After major renovations at the former Cafe Prego building, upscale Italian restaurant George’s opened in the Heights and features three distinct dining rooms, an outdoor patio and a separate speakeasy bar known as Barnaby.

Red Bowl Noodle & Dim Sum, 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road The city’s dim sum scene got a lift this spring when Red Bowl opened in the space previously occupied by Homer’s West.

City Silo Table + Pantry, 17701 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock A self-described "creative, clean eating establishment" with two locations in Memphis, City Silo opened in the Chenal Promenade in September. Its menu ranges “from gluten free to vegan to carnivore” and was created “with the intention of offering food that appeals to all taste buds, diets and bodies,” according to a press release.

BRIAN CHILSON

READERS CHOICE

Park Grill, 501 E 9th St., Little Rock The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ new restaurant, Park Grill, opened in May and is headed up by executive chef Patrick Herron, a Culinary Institute of America alum and former executive chef at the Governor’s Mansion.

DON’T BE INDESLICESIVE. VOTE TODAY!

Gold Bowl, 215 Center St., Little Rock It was the summer of ramen for the Eat Arkansas office when Japanese/Chinese restaurant Gold Bowl opened in August at 215 Center St. Now it’s finally soup season, and the broth in the kimchi ramen and spicy miso ramen may temporarily cure your winter doldrums.

CHAINS Whataburger Little Rock collectively lost its shit when Whataburger opened a Little Rock outlet on Chenal Parkway in April. A video posted to Reddit shows cars lined up for blocks to get a taste of the Texas-based burger chain on Arkansas soil.

Crumbl Cookies A franchise with more than 7 million followers on TikTok, Crumbl Cookies opened a store in North Little Rock’s Lakewood Village Shopping Center in February.

FROM PIZZA TO TACOS. TELL US YOUR FAVORITE. Vote for your favorite local eateries till December 11

Beef-A-Roo “Still famously delicious since 1967,” Rockford, Illinois-based Beef-A-Roo opened its first Little Rock store in the former Krispy Kreme on Shackleford Road in October.

Crazy King Burrito Originally founded in Cozumel, Mexico, Crazy King Burrito opened its first Arkansas location at 401 S. Bowman Road.

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The

NEIGHBORHOOD DINING Guide

FOUR QUARTER BAR

TACO MAMA

SARACEN RESTAURANTS

Sometimes we choose where to eat based on location. Just mention any part of town and tons of restaurants come to mind. Here’s a tidy list of standouts in Central Arkansas and beyond, including favorites in Heights/Hillcrest/Riverdale, Downtown/SoMa, Argenta, Hot Springs and Pine Bluff.

Readers Choice voting ends Dec. 11.

Vote for your favorite restaurants in Central Arkansas and around the state! vote.arktimes.com 76 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Eat Local. Eat Often.

1 Ben E. Keith Way North Little Rock, AR 72117 501-978-5000 www.benekeith.com

READERS

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT

CHOICE

A ARDS WINNER 2022 2023

BEST STEAK

DOE’S KNOWS READERS LUNCH & DINNER. CHOICE A ARDS FINALIST 2022 2023

BEST FRIES BEST BUSINESS LUNCH

HEIGHTS/HILLCREST/RIVERDALE Lunch: Mon - Fri 11am-2pm Dinner’s Cooking: Mon - Sat from 5pm-9pm Closed Sunday FULL BAR & PRIVATE PARTY ROOM 1023 West Markham • Downtown Little Rock 501-376-1195 • www.doeseatplacelr.com .

DECEMBER BEST LATE NIGHT SPOT

1 LYPSTICK HAND GRENADE 2 TBD 8 BUH JONES 9 TBD 15 & 16 DEFRANCE 22 CHRIS BAKER BAND 23 BUH JONES 29 NOMADIC PRISONER 30 THE DELTA PROJECT

BEST BAR FOR POOL, DARTS OR SHUFFLEBOARD, BEST DIVE BAR AND DRUMROLL...

EVERY TUESDAY AT 7:30 P.M. BEST PICKUP BAR! 1316 MAIN ST. • (501) 372-9990

LIVE TRIVIA

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BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT After 33 years in the business, Brave New Restaurant has continued to be an institution in Little Rock. Offering beautiful river views, remarkable service and fantastic cuisine while providing customers with an upscale yet familial dining experience. As one of the original farm-to-table restaurants in the city, Brave New uses the freshest and highest quality ingredients, including a constant rotation of adventurous and flavorful specials while continuing to feature longtime favorites. Without question, Brave New will keep you coming back for more! 2300 Cottondale Lane, 501-663-2677 THE FADED ROSE Ed David, a New Orleans native, his wife, Laurie, and their son, Zac, have been serving great New Orleans cuisine since 1982 in a casual and friendly atmosphere. They are widely known for their steaks and Creole and Cajun dishes. They blend their own spices, cut their own steaks and make their own sauces, right down to the housemade mayo. They have gladly served Arkansans and guests from around the world for over 40 years and invite you to come try The Rose tonight. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road, 501-663-9734

DOWNTOWN/SOMA

DOE’S EAT PLACE What has become a Little Rock landmark of national renown, Doe’s Eat Place has its origins in the unlikeliest of models, a no-frills diner deep in the Delta. But then, nothing about Doe’s is quite what one would expect from a world-class steakhouse — except fabulous steaks, that is. 1023 W. Markham St., 501-376-1195 MIDTOWN BILLIARDS Celebrating 83 years! This late-night favorite has Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

been operating since 1940, serving hamburgers, brats, turkey, spam and egg, grilled cheese and BLTs. Midtown’s hamburger has been voted “Best Hamburger in Arkansas.” The Burger Challenge is back by appointment on Sundays, because you need the Good Lord’s help to eat it! Happy Hour is 3-8 p.m., and Tuesday is live trivia. 1316 Main St., 501-372-9990

NORTH LITTLE ROCK/ARGENTA

FOUR QUARTER BAR This Argenta favorite doesn’t serve your average bar food. The menu features locally sourced pork, handmade sauces and famous hand-pattied burgers along with weekly specials that you won’t find anywhere else. Even better, the kitchen is open until 1:30 a.m. every night. Four Quarter also offers a great selection of rotating craft beer on draft. With great live music, a hidden patio, shuffleboard and dominoes, Four Quarter Bar has it all. 415 Main St., North Little Rock, 501313-4704 THE LOT FOOD TRUCK COURT After three years, The Lot Traffic food truck court has finally opened their bar and lounge located in the heart of North Little Rock Arkansas near the Argenta area. Not only can you enjoy a variety of food from some of the best food trucks in the state, but now you can dine in and enjoy a cold adult beverage inside a family friendly lounge with amazing ambience!

601 W. Fourth St., North Little Rock Open daily Monday through Sunday, 11-8 p.m.

HOT SPRINGS

BEST CAFE & BAR The Best Cafe officially opened its doors to visitors and locals alike in 1933. Attached to an iconic motor lodge outside downtown Hot Springs, it closed in the ‘60s. Brought back to life in 2017,

the upscale, boutique property now continues the decades of excellence in dining at Best Cafe.

Expect exemplary service and food with Proprietor/Executive Chef Joshua Garland at the helm.

This chef-driven menu changes seasonally and highlights quality ingredients and wonderful flavor profiles. 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Thu.-Mon., 632 Ouachita Ave., Hot Springs, 870-474-6350 BLEU MONKEY GRILL When it comes to world-class family dining, look no further. Bleu Monkey Grill is located in beautiful Hot Springs National Park and is open daily for your convenience. You are welcomed to browse their website to get a feel of what Bleu Monkey is all about. You can also browse their online menu and print for your convenience.

Bleu Monkey offers orders to go perfect for any express lunch or office lunch, family dinner on the go, etc. Plus, they offer catering that is second to none. No event is too large or too small.

Welcome to the world of the Bleu Monkey Grill.

Bleu Monkey will be coming to Little Rock soon at 10700 N. Rodney Parham Road in the former Gusano’s!

Come visit us at Malibu Cafe for the best breakfast, lunch, & dinner in downtown Little Rock. You’ll be glad you did!

DINNER SPECIAL: Buy One Meal and Get a Second Meal Half Off!

MILITARY DISCOUNT | Family Owned & Operated

Malibu Cafe | 402 S Louisiana St , Little Rock | (501) 615-8338

DONS SOUTHERN SOCIAL Housed in a former architecture firm, DONS Southern Social pays homage to the history of Hot Springs. Enjoy elevated Southern fare driven

by Executive Chef Joshua Garland. Get ready for adventure when you make your reservation, and follow the instructions on where to enter with the password at the ready. If you get lost, you can always ask one of the staff members at the Nine 01 Gallery. 901 Central Ave., Hot Springs, 501359-3781. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

GRATEFUL HEAD PIZZA OVEN & BEER GARDEN Originally founded and inspired by the love and fellowship of Dead Heads — Grateful Dead fans — the owners of Grateful Head Pizza have worked to share the experience of a live Dead Show via everyone’s favorite culinary delight; pizza. You can’t miss the expansive maze of decking and patio perched on the mountainside near the park. Enjoy hot pies and cold beer while jamming to the sounds of the Grateful Dead, and take in some of the best views of downtown Hot Springs. 100 Exchange St., Hot Springs, 501-7813405 PRIME TIME IN THE FOUNTAIN ROOM The Fountain Room, in The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa, features a charming tile fountain that is original to the 1924 structure. This fine-dining experience showcases prime rib carved table-side, along with exquisite appetizers, curated entrees, savory sides and delectable desserts. Prime Time is fine dining at its best!

Open Saturdays from 5:30-8 p.m., reservations are recommended. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs, 501-623-7771

HAND-CRAFTED, MEXICAN FOOD!

TACO MAMA | SIDE TOWN 510 Ouachita Ave. Hot Springs 501-781-3102

TACO MAMA 1209 Malvern Ave. Hot Springs 501-624-6262

tacomama.net | Catering inquires call or text: 501-625-1408 Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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SQZBX An accordion-decorated restaurant located in historic downtown Hot Springs, SQZBX brews craft beer on-site and creates some of the best pizza in town. The founders, two polka musicians, also opened the solar-powered radio station next door and won a historic preservation award for the work restoring the buildings containing the radio station and restaurant. 236 Ouachita Ave., Hot Springs, 501-609-0609 sqzbx.com

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Q B B e l y t kansas S

Ar

READERS

CHOICE

A ARDS WINNER 2022 2023

BEST RIBS

BEST BARBECUE

TAKEOUT AND CURBSIDE PICKUP AVAILABLE! VISIT WHOLEHOGCAFE.COM FOR OUR LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT ARKANSAS

Two food-adoring, freshness-obsessed, Margarita-loving little joints!

5923 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock 224 W. South Street, Benton

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Craft burgers. Superb wings. Loaded fries. Bourbon flights, award-winning cocktails, open-view charcuterie bar, and a Home of the “Sausage Dog.” Clever cocktails. thoughtfully created dinner menu.

Vast beer. Craveable American fare.

226 W. South Street, Benton

302 W. South Street, Benton

eatrevival.com

eatrober.com

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

TACO MAMA/TACO MAMA SIDE TOWN Hot Springs’ premiere Mexican restaurant offers a culinary experience for every taste, from green chile cheeseburgers with potato-wrapped, cream cheese-filled jalapenos to classic Mexican fare. The menu also includes an assortment of health-conscious and diet-friendly plates. Saturday brunch features favorites like Shane’s Special, two jalapeno corn cakes topped with carnitas and poached eggs. For catering inquiries, call or text 501-625-1408. 1209 Malvern Ave., 501-6246262 Taco Mama Side Town: 510 Ouachita Ave., Hot Springs, 501-781-3102 VENETIAN DINING ROOM AT THE ARLINGTON RESORT HOTEL AND SPA Original to the 1924 structure, the Venetian Dining Room is still a must-do experience, famous for the Friday Night Seafood Buffet and award-winning Sunday Brunch. The dining room is open for breakfast Thursday and Sunday, 7-9:30 a.m. and Friday and Saturday, 7-11 a.m.

Casual dining is offered Saturdays from 5-8:30 p.m. The Seafood Buffet is served Fridays from 5-8:30 p.m. and Sunday Brunch is 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

(Hours may vary based on occupancy and seasonality). 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs, 501623-7771

PINE BLUFF

SARACEN RESTAURANTS The Saracen Casino Resort puts as much emphasis on cuisine as it does gaming, as is evident in the property’s extensive offerings. At the Red Oak Steakhouse, enjoy prime-grade beef and bison from the Quapaw herd alongside a carefully curated menu in the property’s flagship restaurant.

Red Oak’s signature cuisine is presented in a class of its own, with Saracen’s focus on offering the best steaks in the South, carefully managed from pasture to plate. Legends Sports Bar includes an in-house brewery, a 25-foot video wall, a live entertainment stage and a must-try menu. The Post has four unique venues offering everything from Saracen’s own Quapaw-roasted coffee and madeto-order donuts to a gourmet taqueria. Quapaw Kitchens redefines the buffet experience, bringing fine dining to an all-you-can-eat setting. Saracen Casino Resort, 1 Saracen Resort Drive, Pine Bluff, 870-686-9001

BLEU MoNKEY GRILL

BENTON

BAJA GRILL Located in the heart of Little Rock’s Heights and downtown Benton and considered one of the state’s most popular eateries, Baja Grill’s neighborhood-friendly ambiance and chef creations make this a go-to hot spot in Central Arkansas.

Each menu item is made from scratch — even the Baja seasoning of fresh herbs and spices.

The award-winning menu, best described as “Mexi-Cali,” has just a touch of Southern fusion and flair. It also offers a full bar featuring sangrias, margaritas with fresh homemade mixes and other clever cocktails, including nonalcoholic choices.

5923 Kavanaugh Blvd., 501-722-8920 224 W. South St., Benton, 501-680-7109 RŌBER Located in downtown Benton, RŌBER dishes out delicious food and cocktails amidst an eclectic lounge and open-view charcuterie bar facing South Street. Meet with friends and enjoy highend wines by the glass/quartino/bottle/flight, cocktails (classic and signature), and whiskey flights. Peruse the thoughtfully created dinner menu by co-proprietor and chef Heather BaberRoe, and relax in the intimate 54-seat dining room located in the back of the restaurant, near the back terrace. While lounging in this outdoor area, you’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful fire table while being served the board and bar menus.

5-10 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 5-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Cocktail hour 4-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 302 W. South St., Benton.

Eatrober.com.

COMING SOON TO LITTLE ROCK! Hiring all positions!

Send resumes to julian@bleumonkeygrill.com

bleumonkeygrill

REVIVAL Treat yourself to something special at REVIVAL Restaurant + Beer Garden! Enjoy good burgers, superb wings, and loaded fries while you jam out to local music live on our stage. Sip on craft beer from local brewers, and try our clever cocktails. Enjoy our happy hour specials and craveable American fare — all located conveniently in downtown Benton. 4-9 p.m. Tue.-Wed., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thu., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 226 W. South St., Benton.

LAKEVIEW

GASTON’S RESTAURANT Gaston’s wants to make sure you experience everything in Lakeview, including their award-winning restaurant. The restaurant sits on the White River, with amazing views and a quiet atmosphere you are sure to love. The chef, Rick Gollinger, has weekly specials that start on Thursday nights and last the entire weekend. Also, there is a buffet on Sundays that you do not want to miss. Due to limited seating for the purposes of social distancing, Gaston’s Restaurant is operating on a reservation-only basis. Open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. 1777 River Road, Lakeview, 870-431-5203

EAT. CHILL. REPEAT. We got options on TheLot

Visit our comfortable dine-in and bar.

Our Lot is a food truck court where you can enjoy a variety of cuisines and cold drinks.

601 W 4th St., North Little Rock • (501) 960-5374 /theLOTfoodtruckcourt

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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DECEMBER 2023 81

CANNABIZ

‘ACTS OF GOD’: Damage from severe weather is the culprit behind foul smells emanating from a marijuana cultivation facility, the business says.

CAN’T YOU SMELL THAT SMELL?

SOMETHING STINKS AT A CANNABIS CULTIVATOR’S HEADQUARTERS, AND THE NEIGHBORS ARE CRYING FOUL.

BY GRIFFIN COOP

82 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

A

Hot Springs medical marijuana cultivator will see its fine reduced and will avoid a suspension of its license after sharing with state regulators a plan to address marijuana odors emanating from the facility at 261 Amity Road in the community of Lake Hamilton.

In August, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division issued Leafology a $15,500 fine and a 15-day suspension, the agency’s first suspension of an active marijuana cultivation facility.

Nearly 100 people who said they live near Leafology, formerly known as New Day Cultivation, signed a petition saying smells, noise and lights from the facility were having an adverse effect on nearby residents and businesses. An ABC inspection also found that the facility failed to properly use an inventory tracking system and could not locate about 20 pounds of cannabis.

Leafology appealed the fine and suspension, which automatically put the penalties on hold until an appeal could be heard by the ABC board.

On Nov. 15, the board reduced the fine to $10,500 and waived the suspension after hearing about three hours of complaints from nearby residents and testimony about the company’s attempts to contain the smells.

Residents said they worry both their property values and their health could suffer.

Phil Higdon, who lives near the facility, submitted a petition signed by about 90 neighbors who say the facility has had an adverse effect on their quality of life and health.

“We deal with this stench on a daily basis,” Higdon told the board.

Agents with ABC testified they detected marijuana smells in the area in the early morning hours on several occasions over the past two months. The agency has continued to receive complaints about the smells as recently as November.

State regulations prohibit a cultivation facility from emitting perceptible “odors, smell, fragrances or other olfactory stimulus.”

Leafology President Brent McCord testified

that the business has made an effort to contain the smells by using a system of misters in and around the facility. The system froze in December 2022, damaging pipes and a motor.

Another freeze in January further damaged the misters.

In June, the facility was hit by baseball-sized hail that caused a “total loss” of the roof, McCord said. Leafology immediately attempted to fix the roof but weather delayed the full replacement until October, McCord said.

McCord referred to the two freezes and the hail storm as “acts of God” that were to blame for his company’s problems containing the smells. McCord said he is committed to fixing the issue and insisted the cultivator has made progress in doing so.

“Our goal is to fix it completely. What that entails, we are on our way,” McCord said.

Board Chair Alex Blass told Leafology representatives it is the cultivator’s responsibility to handle the smell and that Leafology should not expect much sympathy if the issue arises again.

After the board voted unanimously to reduce Leafology’s fine and waive its suspension, Higdon asked the board what neighbors should do if they continue to notice smells. A commissioner told Higdon to continue making complaints to both ABC and Leafology if the problem persists.

ABC inspects all permitted cannabis businesses, including cultivators, dispensaries and processors, twice a year. The agency also performs inspections when it receives complaints.

After the meeting, Trent Minner of the Department of Finance and Administration — the regulatory agency that oversees ABC — said Arkansas medical marijuana facilities have an obligation to prevent any odors that might cause a public nuisance.

“We are hopeful that Leafology will take corrective action to eliminate their current problem and comply with Arkansas law. If not, we will fulfill our duty to Arkansans and take further disciplinary action,” Minner said.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST.

WORDSWORTH Have yourself a country Christmas! These premium photo-filled Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash coffee table books make perfect, personal gifts for the music lover in your life. 501-663-9198, 5920 R St., Little Rock, wordsworthbookstore.com

THE PUNCH BOWL Enjoy gifting this holiday mini pagoda votive gift set to your candle lovers this season. Stop by The Punchbowl and grab one today.

1501 Main St., Suite 300, Little Rock Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT Give your coffee lovers the perfect holiday gift! Brave New Restaurant offers a regular rotation of specialty coffee beans that are roasted in house. Coffee is available in 12-ounce bags that you can come pick up or have shipped to you. If you would like coffee shipped, please call 501-663-2677. Brave New also offers gift certificates for purchase on their website or at the restaurant. 2300 Cottondale Lane, #105, Little Rock. bravenewrestaurant.com

OZARK OUTDOOR SUPPLY Gift them warmth for their next adventure this season with Down Hut Slippers by Rab. Made with sustainable materials in trendy colors, these premier mountain footwear offer a refuge for tired feet after a full day of exploring. Don’t stop there — opt for Freshley Overalls for that Renaissance woman in your life. Made to move deftly through every activity, from bending, digging and painting, to shearing, building and creating — these overalls are all over it. 501-664-4832, 5514 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, ozarkoutdoor.com

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BOX TURTLE Celebrate the season with an Arkansas glass blown ornament that highlights all of your state favorites! 501-661-1167, 2616 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

CURATIONS HOME Light up your life and theirs this holiday with SAINT candles by Ira Dewitt.

Discover the art of antiquity at Curations Home this holiday season.

501-416-4951, 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 130, Little Rock, curationshome.com

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

GASTON’S They’ll love the gift of adventure and relaxation on a weekend excursion to Gaston’s White River Resort in Lakeview. From riverside accommodations to an award-winning restaurant to the outstanding fishing guide staff, everything at Gaston’s is first class, all the way. 870-431-5202, gastons.com

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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BANG-UP BETTY Locally made artisan jewelry makes the perfect gift, and Bang-Up Betty delivers with hundreds of unique designs, including their brand-new Anatomy Collection of jewelry inspired by medicine and the human body. Wear your heart — or your brain, or your uterus, or your bones — on the outside. Find the entire Anatomy Collection at bangupbetty.com/anatomy-collection or at their Argenta gift shop, 429 Main St., North Little Rock. 501-291-0071.

THE LITTLE ROCK ZOO Join the pride with a zoo membership! Support the conservation of the animals in our care and across the globe.

Members enjoy daily admission to the zoo for an entire year, free parking, and discounts on programs and shopping. Help support the zoo while enjoying great benefits. 501-661-7200, 1 Zoo Drive, Little Rock

RHEA DRUG This season, cozy up to the fire and share the gift of interactive storytelling with your loved ones. Read, build and play with the threein-one book and toy set featuring “Goldilocks & the Three Bears.”

501-664-4117, 2801 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, rheadrug.com 86 DECEMBER 2023

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Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

BEST CUFFS IN TOWN

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SOUL FRIEND CUFF PELICAN CUFF MISSISSIPPI RIVER CUFF

ORIGAMI SAKE Origami Sake, made with water from Hot Springs and rice from Humnoke, embodies a harmonious blend of tradition and local craftsmanship in every sip.

A Thousand Cranes: A delightful blend of ripe cantaloupe, honeydew and pear notes complemented by a subtle umami backbone, featuring a slightly higher acidity for a crisp and refreshing finish.

White Lotus: A vibrant and balanced delight with hints of citrus and pineapple, perfect as a chilled sessionable summer staple, or a soothing choice with notes of coconut, sweet potato and apple when warmed for the winter months. 501-463-6906, 2360 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs, origamisake.co

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Uniquely curated Antiques, ready to be yours

Open 11-5 Tues-SAT & 11-2 Sun|1501 Main St Suite 300, Little Rock, AR 72202 Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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DECEMBER 2023 87

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

RING IN THE NEW YEAR IN STYLE AT THE ARLINGTON

DECEMBER CANNABIS HIGHLIGHTS

BOLD’S CANNA COUGH Cannabis Infused Cough Syrup

The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa is a place of celebrated history and age-old traditions, including the New Year’s Eve Gala. This will be the 99th year for the Gala, and festivities have expanded to include a buffet and Festival Party!

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Buffet served in the Venetian Dining Room from 5:30-9:30 p.m.

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The Festival Party kicks off at 8:30 p.m. in the Conference Center with music by Parker Francis Band until 1 a.m.

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The Gala is held in the Crystal Ballroom, with doors opening at 7 p.m., and includes a five-course gourmet dinner and entertainment by the Stardust Big Band until 12:30 a.m.

BOLD's Nano-Emulsified water is created with maximum therapeutic emulsion technology to create a water soluble cannabinoid solution for fast onset and high efficacy. BOLD has modeled its Canna-Cough on the mouth feel and flavor of traditional cough syrups. Available in Cherry or Grape.

120mL, 600mg THC total.

1mL = 1 dose. 1 dose = 5mg. $30.84 per 600mg ($35 with tax) NATURAL RELIEF DISPENSARY

3107 E. Kiehl Ave. | Sherwood 501-487-6045 | naturalreliefdispensary.com

Purchase tickets or make reservations at www.ArlingtonHotel.com/NYE2023.

BIG AF GUMMY

Room packages are available by calling 501623-7771.

by Good Day Farm Is bigger better? We certainly think so, and we have the gummy to prove it. The Big AF Gummy delivers a MEGA punch of cannabis power with unique flavors like Cranberry Grape, Peach Mango, and Strawberry Pineapple. This giant gummy is scored into 10 single servings for your convenience. *Big AF is short for “Big and Fierce,” but we have been told it means something else...

Gluten-free, Vegan, and made with REAL FRUIT 100mg THC per gummy | One gummy per pack BERNER'S BY GOOD DAY FARM

11600 Chenal Parkway | Little Rock 501-441-0944 | gooddayfarmdispensary.com Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vechicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

88 DECEMBER 2023

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Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

HILLCREST LIVE SHOP & DINE BEST REALTOR

501-920-2392

Allison Pickell | Coldwell Banker RMP GROUP

Join us the first Thursday of every month!

MARKETPLACE

CHEMISTRY TEACHER

(Little Rock, AR): Teach Chemistry at secondary sch.

Bachelors in Chemistry, Chemistry Edu. or Chemical Engineering +1 yr exp as Chemistry tchr at secondary sch.

Mail res.: LISA Academy, 10825 Financial Centre Pkwy, Ste 360.

Little Rock, AR 72211, Attn: HR, Refer to Ad#YC

HAVE JOB OPPORTUNITIES OR SOMETHING TO SELL? EMAIL LUIS@ARKTIMES.COM TO ADVERTISE IN MARKETPLACE.

arktimes.com

MATH TEACHER

(Little Rock, AR): Teach Math at secondary sch.

Bachelors in Math or Math Edu. +1 yr exp as Math tchr at mid or high sch.

Mail res.: LISA Academy 10825 Financial Centre Pkwy Ste 360 Little Rock, AR 72211 Attn: HR, Refer to Ad#KA

PUBLIC NOTICE

We, Justin Isaac & Marla Isaac, are bringing forward our land patent benefit.

If interested, see the Website URL Link and/or Scan the QR Code below: Visit Website: landpatentpost.us/ lpp/18_Ar_La_ Lr_72206.html Failure of any lawful party claiming an interest to bring forward a lawful challenge to this Certificate of Acceptance of Declaration of Land Patent and the benefit of Original Land Grant/Patent, as stipulated herein, will be lached and estopped to any and all parties claiming an interest forever.

Failure to make a lawful claim, as indicated herein, within sixty (60) days of this notice, will forever bar any claimant from any claim against my/our allodial patent estate as described herein and will be a Final Judgment.

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THE OBSERVER

RESOLUTIONS 2024

A

s a public service, The Observer would like to remind you, Dear Reader, that December is not only for enfattening oneself and shrinking the wallet through purchase of the twinkling flotsam you suspect other people might need here in the postApocalypse. The last chilly month of 2023 also means we have all managed to survive another year; on hand once again, by hook or crook, to close the great door once more and open another.

Whether you’re excited or apprehensive about that prospect ­— and who can blame you if you’re in the latter camp, 2024 being an Election Year and all — try to find a way to enjoy it. You only get to turn that knob so many times, you know.

Whatever you’ve got going on, if you’ve still got eyes to read this and the sense to comprehend it, it could be a hell of a lot worse. That’s what The Observer thinks in the still watches of the night, anyway.

How can 2023 be damn near over when it feels like 2021 is still lurking in the shadows somewhere, like Freddy Krueger or Marjorie Taylor Greene? Like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop and where all that gatdamn lectern money went, the world may never know. But we digress.

The end of the year means it’s time to talk Resolutions again, those lies we tell ourselves to pretend we’ll do more with the gifts we’ve been given in the dozen months to come. Yours Truly has been known to make and break a few of those in our time. Some of them we wish we 90 DECEMBER 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

hadn’t. Without further ado, here goes: We resolve to get out and about more, especially around Arkansas. It’s weird for The Observer to say that, because we’ve been everywhere, man — usually with a photographer in tow. It’s like that Johnny Cash song, only The Observer’s version has Standard Umpstead, Fouke and the Gurdon Light in it. We’ve been all over, banned from establishments in six counties, like the Pabst Blue Ribbon version of that guy whose arm Obi Wan Kenobi cuts off in "Star Wars." But, like most sane adults, the global plague of recent years really turned Yours Truly into a homebody there for a while. We find that’s been hard to shake. Those times we have gotten out for a jaunt around the state, we find it feels like a very different place. Or maybe it’s us.

Whatever the case, we’re committed to figuring it out in 2024.

We resolve to at least think hard about going huntin’ again. It’s mostly nostalgia, we admit. At this point, The Observer hasn’t been drunk at deer camp in 25 years or more, and hasn’t sighted down the barrel at a smallerthan-a-breadbox-sized varmint or fowl in 35 years at least. Having rewatched "Bambi" a few times since then, it’s iffy we’ll actually go through with this one. To tell you the truth, we were never any good at it the first go-round — always too big and lummoxy to move, sit or hunt with anything approaching reasonable stealth. The Observer always admired our dear departed Pa in that department. Reared in the

broken heart of College Station south of Little Rock, there were many years for him when knowing what the hell he was doing while hunting literally meant eating or not. He could move through deep woods with a rifle like a ghost, never looking down but always avoiding the snapping twig that the foot of his middle son always seemed to find. On second thought, maybe we’ll just resolve to go for more walks in the woods in 2024. See how it goes.

We resolve to write more for us in 2024.

This is what nobody tells you about writing for a living: Whether you’re writing "Beloved" or dog food copy, press releases or "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," for most of us, it all comes from the same well, and the water in that well isn’t infinitely deep. If you write all day, it becomes very hard to come home and face the blank page whose worth is judged only by yourself. The Observer has found ways to do it over the years — including an epic, ongoing creative writing project with Junior that has, at times, made his Old Man consider vertical suplexing him in the front yard like Hacksaw Jim Duggan. But finding the energy for generative pursuits ain’t easy at times. Roofers’ roofs always leak and plumbers’ toilets don’t flush. But in the coming year, The Observer is determined to create more something outta nothing, which is the artist’s considerable superpower.

That last one, at least, is a solid resolution.

Feel free to steal it if you’re shopping around.

Pan roasted and spice rubbed duck breast, smoked duck sausage, finished with blood orange demi glace.

Jumbo sea scallops broiled in butter.

COME ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE DISHES AT BRAVE NEW!

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