Arkansas Times | December 2022

Saturdays are for Oaklawn. We start at the track. Nothing beats the stretch run. Cash an exacta. Then, on to the casino. Blackjack, slots, drinks and a few high fives. Dinner reservations at 8. After that, live music and more good times. This is my Oaklawn. What’s yours?

RACING / CASINO / HOTEL / SPA / EVENT CENTER / DINING / OAKLAWN.COM

Congratulations to the Top Doctors in Arkansas

At UAMS, we are honored to work alongside these expert UAMS College of Medicine physicians who practice at the UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Baptist Health.

In addition to Castle Connolly Top Doctors recognition by their peers, our doctors are highly rated by the patients they serve. Using our online tool, you can see reviews and comments from UAMS patients. Providing information to help you choose the best doctor is one of the ways we are ensuring you have what you need to make informed decisions about your health care.

From common injuries and illnesses to the most complex conditions, our specialists are highly trained and skilled to provide the best in medical care.

To find a doctor using our online search tool, visit UAMS.Health/TopDocs22 or call 501-686-8000.

DECEMBER 2022

FEATURE 29 THE BEST AND WORST

Our annual rundown of the year in news.

By

Austin Bailey, Rhett Brinkley, Mary Hennigan and Lindsey Millar

8 THE FRONT

From the Farm: Shrooming.

Q&A: With David Couch on the future of marijuana legalization efforts.

Big Pic: Verboten license plates.

17 THE TO-DO LIST

Joshua Ray Walker at White Water Tavern, The Reverend Horton Heat at The Hall, "Guys and Dolls" at The Rep, Douglas Brinkley at the Clinton Center and more.

23 NEWS & POLITICS

Trump hoaxes. We're stuck with them.

By

Ernest Dumas

47 SAVVY KIDS

Seamstress Rachel Lovelace educates and empowers kids.

By Katherine

Wyrick

71 CULTURE

Talking style and survival with Princeaus.

By Correne Spero

74 FOOD & DRINK

The story of Rafael Rios, the man behind the burgeoning Yeyo's mini-restaurant empire.

By

Brian Sorensen

96 CANNABIZ

Take a tour of Dark Horse Medicinals, a medical marijuana processor that works with many of the state's cultivators and dispensaries.

By Griffin Coop

106 THE OBSERVER

Acting right for up-and-coming directors.

ON THE COVER: Illustration by Layet Johnson.

SPICE BAE: Chef Rafael Rios of Yeyo's rolls the freshest Mexican fare into Bentonville.

Enjoy a full month of

HOLIDAY CHEER

from Arkansas PBS

Friday, Dec. 9

8 p.m. Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas 9 p.m. Christmas at Belmont

Sunday, Dec. 11

5:30 p.m. Great Performances (Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles)

Tuesday, Dec. 13

7 p.m. O Holy Night: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir

Saturday, Dec. 17

11 a.m. P. Allen Smith Garden Home Christmas 4 p.m. America’s Test Kitchen: Home For The Holidays

Monday, Dec. 19

7 p.m. Antiques Roadshow: Naughty or Nice 8 p.m. Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas

Tuesday, Dec. 20

2:30 p.m. Antiques Roadshow: Naughty or Nice 3:30 p.m. Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas 8 p.m. Rick Steves European Christmas 9 p.m. Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas

Wednesday, Dec. 21 3:30 p.m. Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Chirstmas

Friday, Dec. 23 8 p.m. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Saturday, Dec. 24

2 p.m. Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas 11 p.m. Crane Candelight Concert: Peace and Love 2021

Sunday, Dec. 25

Noon Christmas at Belmont 1 p.m. O Holy NIght: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir 2 p.m. The Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas Show 3 p.m. Rick Steves European Christmas 4 p.m. Lucy Worsley’s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas 7 p.m. All Creatures Great and Small (The Perfect Christmas) 8 p.m. Call the Midwife Holiday Special 11 p.m. Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas

See the complete schedule myarpbs.org/schedule

In this season of gratitude, we are thankful for our 23,500+ donors who help us to …

 shine a light on the people, places and stories that make life in our state so remarkable

 support educational success for Arkansas students

 celebrate lifelong learning and entertain and inspire all Arkansans

Join Arkansas PBS as a member today to continue bringing thoughtful and thoughtprovoking programming to every home.

Scan or visit myarpbs.org/donate to join today!

THE JOYS OF WILD MUSHROOMS

GROWING AND FORAGING MORELS, CHANTERELLES AND MORE.

BY ALAN LEVERITT

Editor’s note: Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt has lived on his great-grandparents’ farm in north Pulaski County for 40 years. This is a new column about day-to-day life on the land where he raises heirloom tomatoes and other crops for local restaurants and the Hillcrest Farmers Market.

Andre Simon was an irascible Swiss baker and chef who came to Little Rock with the Jacques & Suzanne’s crew in the late 1970s. He operated Andre’s restaurant until he was fatally shot in a botched robbery involving an ex-employee at what is now Ciao Baci.

But before all that he nearly died one night after picking mushrooms.

In what may be an apocryphal story, Simon had been foraging mushrooms out near Lake Maumelle and accidentally got a destroying angel mixed in with his culinary mushrooms. Before he started back to Little Rock he ate it, and on the way, became sick, pulled over and fell out of his car onto the pavement. A Good Samaritan got him to the ER where they prepared to pump his stomach. Suddenly, his eyes flew open and in his heavy French/Swiss accent, he shouted out to no one in particular, “I am Andre the chef! Murdered by a mushroom!” And then he went unconscious but was saved by the stomach pump.

For decades I have raised shiitake mushrooms on my farm, foraged for oyster mushrooms in November and December, morels the week that the dogwoods bloom, orange chanterelles in June and lion’s mane or bear’s paws in early fall. Nothing else looks like these mushrooms. Stick to these varieties and you will never have an Andre moment. I can assure you they are foolproof, as my continued survival can attest.

SHIITAKES: Ready to harvest.

the only color in the woods is varying shades of tree bark, it feels like I am a kid again hunting Easter eggs. My eyes are scanning dead tree trunks and windfalls, until out of the corner of my left eye I notice splashes of white and tan against dark, dead wood. Oysters! I have found the golden egg. There may be a pound or two or 200 pounds depending on the host log, moisture and who knows what else. They will have gills underneath and will be tender to the touch. If they are tough and leathery with pores underneath instead of gills, it is a wood fungi that, while not poisonous, is inedible. Once you see a photo of oysters, you’ll realize there is nothing in the forest growing on dead wood that resembles them.

And here is the coolest thing about oysters. They are one of the very few carnivorous mushrooms, feeding on nematodes. They poison and paralyze these tiny roundworms and then inject their filaments into the corpses and dissolve them.

Think about it. Oysters mushrooms are one of the only vegan foods that eat meat.

Sautee them in garlic butter. Grill them, smoke ’em, add them to stews — they are very versatile. I get amused sometimes when wine lovers start talking about “hints of blueberries and nutmeg,” trying to describe how the wine smells. With oysters, think “fish and earth,” or at least that’s my take. They’re delicious.

FROM THE

On a cold, wet early December morning when

When you can see your breath, the sap is down and the leaves are off the trees, it’s time to get your chainsaw and start cutting oaks and sweet

gums for shiitake logs. Oaks will last longer, but sometimes sweet gums are more plentiful and they work fine. I cut live logs only, 3-5 inches in diameter and about 3-4 feet long. This is heavy, rough work. Three winters ago my girlfriend, Suzanne Boscarolo, and our friends Alan and Diana New inoculated over 100 logs using several 5-pound bags of sawdust impregnated with white shiitake mycelium. Using a special collared drill bit and a brass inoculating tool, we drilled about 60 holes in each log, injected the mycelium with the brass inoculator and sealed the hole with hot wax. In four or five months, the mycelium will have colonized the length of the log to the point you might notice white fungus on the log ends. Maybe in late spring but more probably in the fall when the rains come and the temperature changes, you will come out one morning and damn if it isn’t Christmas! If you are lucky and you kept your logs damp during the hot, dry weather and the squirrels didn’t scratch the wax off, you may have 20 or 30 beautiful shiitakes on each log, ready to pick for dinner. It will take three to five years for the shiitake mycelium to turn the log into sawdust and you can expect two or three flushes per year for the life of the log. I buy my spawn and all the needed equipment from Field and Forest Products out of Wisconsin, but there are many other reputable suppliers on the internet.

The week that the wild dogwoods bloom usually finds me squatting in my field or hoop houses planting hundreds of heirloom tomatoes — with

help if I am lucky. But that is also, depending on the rains, the week that the morels will come out in a particular section of my bottomland bordering the headwaters of Bayou Meto in north Pulaski County. One time at the farmers market in Portland, Oregon, I saw a huge woven basket with perhaps 50 pounds of morels. I will be lucky to find a dozen and then only on this one place on the farm. I think morels are far and away the best-tasting mushroom on earth, though I admit to having never tasted a truffle mushroom, which is on my culinary bucket list. Slice your morel vertically so you have two pieces shaped like a boat. Give them a little olive oil, stuff them with prosciutto and ricotta cheese and bake briefly. Heaven. And like oysters, once you see one you won’t mistake anything else for a morel. ***

Last June found me at the Hillcrest Farmers Market peddling 50 pounds of chanterelle mushrooms that a friend and I had found in the bottoms near my morel patch and in the woods off Highway 107. Bright orange, flat and gilled, chanterelles can cover the forest floor. When you find a patch, you can be there an hour picking. Allsopp Park is locally famous in Little Rock for chanterelle picking. With the first rain in June, head for the woods! I like to convert my haul into duxelles, sauteeing the mushrooms with butter, onion or shallots, garlic and dry vermouth or white wine. I freeze them in pint Ziplocs and use them all winter to stuff chicken thighs, make a cream sauce or whip up a mushroom soup — the possibilities are practically endless.

***

Here is one mushroom that I prize but don’t recommend you collect it unless you have a very knowledgeable companion.

I have lived on my farm for 40 years, and

during the hot, dry month of August, mushrooms disappear down in the woods. But during an unusual and very wet August several years ago I encountered dozens of beautiful red/orange mushrooms while walking along Bayou Meto that had pushed up through the leaves. I assumed they were the poisonous amanita muscaria or fly agaric. There are many different kinds of amanitas, including the destroying angel, which may have been what Andre got into. Amanitas account for 95% of mushroom fatalities. But these mushrooms were solid red with no white flecks, typical of the fly agaric. Curious, I texted a photo of the mushrooms to my friend and mushroom expert Tim Jones, asking if it might be edible. He replied something to the effect, “Well, it won’t kill you.”

It was actually an amanita caesarea, or Caesar’s mushroom, a delicious North American variant of a similar mushroom popular in Italy. Legend has it that the Roman Emperor Claudius loved this mushroom and was murdered by his wife, Agrippina, after she mixed in some fly agaric mushrooms into his Caesar’s mushrooms.

That night I sliced the Caesar’s mushrooms very thin, tossed them in olive oil with some rosemary and lemon juice. Caesar’s mushrooms, unlike most, are eaten raw as they lose texture and some of their nutty flavor when cooked. That said, I called Suzanne to let her know what I was doing in case things went south. I confess my throat literally contracted just before I took my first bite, then it was bliss. Next to stuffed morels, these were the best mushrooms I have ever tasted. I waited a few minutes just in case and then I went through the whole sack.

is the moving force behind the society, and he is the best person to contact to learn about the next excursion.

One fall day I went with them to Woolly Hollow State Park north of Greenbrier and, with the help of a member, came across my first bear’s paw or lion’s mane. It was about the size of a baseball and really looks like a bear’s paw, with an almost furry surface made up of little teeth-like filaments. I’ve seen pictures that look more like icicles hanging off a tree, but the ones I have found do not have long tendrils. Bear’s paw or lion’s mane always grows on a wound on a live tree. Once, I noticed a hardwood by the road that had been rammed by a car and had a huge bear’s paw growing out of the wound.

Delighted by my find at Woolly Hollow, I drove home that afternoon, and as I pulled into my house I noticed a huge bear’s paw on a tree directly across from my driveway. It had been damaged years ago and the fungus was growing where the bark had been permanently knocked off. I was blind to what was right in front of me until my ramble that day. I harvested bear’s paw from that tree for almost 20 years, with five- to 10-pound fungus common. They are not my favorite mushroom in that they are pretty mild and tend to soak up whatever flavors are in the pot. But they are most prized for their supposed healing properties, particularly with dementia and other cognitive diseases.

One of the best ways to learn about wild mushrooms is to go with experts at the Arkansas Mycological Society on one of their mushroom rambles. Jay Justice (mushman.jj@gmail.com)

Arkansas is a culinary wonderland when it comes to mushrooms. There are so many more delicious, edible mushrooms in the woods and in your yard than what I have described here. I spend too much time in the field and not enough in the forest or I would know more. Mushroom hunting is a great excuse to get out into the woods yearround and I promise, when you find a flush, it truly is like Christmas morning for adults.

INOCULATING SHIITAKE LOGS: (From left) Alan Leveritt bores holes into oak logs. Alan New, Diana New and Suzanne Boscarolo inject the mycelium.

A MARIJUANA POST-MORTEM

TALKING WITH ADVOCATE DAVID COUCH.

David Couch wrote the amendment voters approved in 2016 to legalize medical marijuana in Arkansas, but he opposed the recent effort to legalize recreational marijuana, even aligning himself with antimarijuana conservative stalwart Jerry Cox. We caught up with Couch to get his thoughts on the election, why he thinks the amendment failed and the prospects for a recreational marijuana amendment in the future.

What was your reaction to the outcome of the election?

I’m not surprised. There are 30% of the people who are not in favor of legalization of marijuana in Arkansas under any circumstances and Issue 4 was written in such a manner that the 30% of the remaining 70% had a very good excuse not to vote for it. It really established a closed market for the industry and really addressed none of the social issues that it should have addressed.

Do you think that was a rejection of recreational marijuana or a rejection of this particular amendment? Why?

It was 100% a rejection of this particular amendment. I believe that substantially more than 50% of the people, probably near 60% of the people, would vote for recreational marijuana if done in a fair and responsible manner. The numbers are there.

Why was it important to you to oppose this measure rather than support it even if it’s imperfect in your mind?

HOMETOWN: Newport

FAMILY: I’m not married. I have two chil dren, Justin (31) who lives in Rogers and Claire (4) who still lives at home. “Yep, 31 and 4, no typo,” Couch said.

DAILY READING: I grew up reading three or four newspapers a day and Twitter is now my newspaper.

DO YOU HAVE A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD?: I do not have a card. Fortunately, I do not have a qualifying condition.

Because no policy is better than a bad policy and this is a policy that could not have been fixed very easily, if at all, if it passed. It was my opinion that it was better that it not pass and let’s work on one that everybody could get around in the future.

What were your thoughts about aligning yourself with Jerry Cox on this particular issue?

I’ve worked with Jerry in the past on other issues, such as tort reform. I have no problem working with people that I generally disagree with if I agree with them on a particular issue. I think that’s what we all should do. We should work together when we can and oppose each other when we need to do that as well.

What about this amendment do you think was a turnoff to people who are generally supportive of recreational marijuana?

I think the number one issue was, for lack of a better way to describe it, the greed of industry. The fact that there were really no new cultivators and the fact that the existing dispensaries got another free license, I think was the killer. And the other thing that really bothered me was, either through poor drafting or intentionality, the cannibalization of the hemp market. I think those were the three things that really turned it.

And the fourth issue would have been that there was no reason they shouldn't have forgiven past offenses or at least provided a pathway to do so.

Do you have any hope that something positive in terms of cannabis reform can happen through the state legislature?

No. They are not in favor of it. If they did anything at all, it would be as some sort of attempt to try to ward off a good proposal in 2024. I don’t think anything good will come out of the General Assembly. You’ve got 17% Democrats in each house.

Do you envision any more changes to the petitioning process?

Yeah, I do think they’ll do something. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down some South Dakota laws that were very similar, if not identical, to some of the laws that the General Assembly has passed lately. They may try to address that specifically. I don’t know what they’re going to do with respect to ballot titles. It was the attorney general’s purview to review those and approve those in the past. They took that away from the attorney general and gave it to the Board of Election Commissioners and, not a surprise to me, the state Supreme Court declared the Board of Election Commissioners’ authority in that regard to be unconstitutional. That was the correct decision. There’s no process now by which a ballot title is vetted by any public official. I really don’t think it needs to be, but that’s the one area that I think they’ll try to do some sort of reform on.

How can you mend fences with the existing medical marijuana industry to work together going forward?

I didn’t take it personally. I worked with Jerry Cox. I can work with anybody. I really believe you could, with a fair amendment, spend less than half the money they spent on this one, and you could hit 60% in 2024. It’s a presidential election year, turnout is bigger, progressive turnout is substantially larger.

Do you

think we’ll see a recreational marijuana amendment on the ballot in 2024? Will you be involved in that effort?

The answer to that is yes, and the way I’ll be involved is in the way anyone wants me to be involved. I did medical marijuana pro bono because I just thought it should be done. This is a passion for me. If there were 1,000 people in Arkansas that will dedicate themselves to collecting 90 signatures each, then you’re on the ballot. You wouldn't have to spend the $2 million that the recreational people spent collecting signatures. Start soon. Start now. Don’t wait.

2HOT4U2C

ARKANSAS BUREAUCRATS RUIN ALL THE FUN.

BY MARY HENNIGAN

Some 50,000 vehicles in Arkansas have personalized license plates, but drivers can’t just put anything they want on there. Customizations get checked against about 10,000 letter combinations the state considers offensive and vulgar. You may have seen some approved customizations on the road: first names, sports references or clever car puns. But by the subjective will of the motor vehicle team that checks for profanities, you won’t ever see these. It’s obvious why most made the cut, but some letter+number combos on the banned list have us stumped. If you were hoping to of get anything about marijuana, sex, drugs, boobs or balls on your rig, you’ll have to go a different route. The letter Q isn’t allowed on the plate either, so if your name is Quinn, you love quilting or you’re a famed equestrian — maybe try one of those window decals instead. Here’s a collection of restricted plates that made us giggle and question our sanity.

0BALLS OKNBED OLFART 1BADAZZ 1HATEU 1MAHOE 2FKNFST 420GIRL 4NJUNK AFETUS AHSHIT AUSTIN B0000B B1GASS BARF BIRDO BITE BJUICY BOINK BOSSHOG BOOTAY BRIOCHE BYEFELCA CAMILLE CAMLTOE CARSUX CHORIZO CHUBBY CLAM CLUNKER COCAINE COFFEE CORNHUB CUNT CYAP1G DAAAAM DAFUQ DAMNDOG EARGASM EGGROLL EV1L F0CK1T FAIRY FNUGLY GONADS GAUCHOS GRMMA GRMPA GUNS69 H0T14U

H8R HELLYEA HUMPER JOY2FU JR8R JU1CEE JUGS JUULME K1DS(1099) K9STYL KANABIS KAWGRL KILL4U KINKY L0VE69 L1CK1T L1LBCH L1LPEE L8RBISH LAZSOB LEFTNUT LMFAO LUV2FSH M00NME MAD MANURE MFGOAT MILKAS MINIHOE MRBIGD MRBUNS MRSKEG MUDSLUT MURDER MYMY69 N24PL8Y N269RU NIPLZ NO5HIT NUDIST O0O0O0O O2BWET ONDRUG OTHER OXIES P0L1CE P0RKER P1GD0G P1MPLE

P3CK3R PATMDWN PAZGAS PEA PED0(1-9) PEESHY PERVY PHUCKET PIGRAT PLAYAZ POOT4U PPLSUCK PUBES PU55Y RATEDX RDMYHOG REEFER RUASLUT RUNAKED SAFESEX SAMMY

BY DANIEL GREAR, LINDSEY MILLAR AND CHRIS TERRY

JOSHUA RAY WALKER

THURSDAY 12/15. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 8 P.M. $12.

When Texas-based country artist Joshua Ray Walker made his late-night television debut on “Jimmy Fallon” in February, he was accompanied by eight other musicians, including a threepiece brass section. Behind the drummer, a custom neon sign proclaiming the words “I Feel Sexy After Dark” glowed on. His swagger was completed with a bedazzled suit jacket, white embroidered flowers blooming up the shoulders. “My conscience finds it hard to see. I’ll share pieces of my heart,” he sang, getting heady and vulnerable right after confidently leading with the aforementioned message written in light. Within seconds, it was clear that Walker was working against the musical, lyrical and aesthetic cliches that stud the belt of mainstream Nashville pop country in exchange for something simultaneously more in line with traditional, character-driven singer-songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and contemporary stars who challenge how male performers should dress and emote. This deft triangulation has not gone unnoticed; his album “Glad You Made It” was included in Rolling Stone’s Best Country and Americana Albums of 2020. Walker performed at the White Water Tavern back in July, but this time around he’ll be solo. How might his words feel different when sung on their own? Will they sound sadder or will they shine brighter? Could it somehow be both? DG

CHAD WINDHAM

THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT

FRIDAY 12/9. THE HALL. 8 P.M. $20-$25.

When The Reverend Horton Heat got their start in Deep Ellum in the late 1980s, lead singer James Heath would take on the persona of a drunk preacher, spouting off crude cautions about eternal damnation. Though this parodic shtick was eventually abandoned, the urgency of their psychobilly anthems remains. Throughout a three-decade tenure, they’ve pumped out albums that are known for their speed, conviction and rebellious spirit, as if still animated by something perversely divine. Come out to The Hall to hear Heath’s spooky baritone float above guitar riffs that glide chromatically and drums that shuffle to the time of their own manic whims. DG

‘IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY)’

FRIDAY 12/2-SUNDAY 12/18. THE WEEKEND THEATER. 7:30 P.M. FRI.SAT.; 2:30 P.M. SUN. $18-$20.

The staging of “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)” is simple, tailor made for a modest venue like The Weekend Theater. Two adjacent rooms in an 1880s Victorian home, a doctor’s office and the neighboring parlor, remain visible to the audience throughout the entirety of the play. While Dr. Givings experiments with a new electrical invention designed to cure hysteria, an early approximation of the vibrator, his wife, Catherine, takes care of their newborn daughter just a wall away, eavesdropping with jealousy and confusion while struggling to breastfeed. As more patients, their spouses, a midwife and a wet nurse enter the house, every possible arrangement of desire, pleasure and partnership is given a chance in the spotlight. An almost-Shakespearean instinct for compulsive coupling abounds.

Written by Sarah Ruhl, winner of the 2006 MacArthur Genius Grant, this play was nominated for three Tonys. DG

‘GUYS AND DOLLS’

WEDNESDAY 11/30-SATURDAY 12/31. ARKANSAS

REPERTORY THEATRE.

In the 72 years since it premiered on Broadway, musical theater aficionados and laypeople alike have yet to lose their zeal for “Guys and Dolls.” Forget about the present for an evening and get transported to a world of cigarette smoke, pinstripe suits and tumbling dice. Debauchery and piousness collide when Sky Masterson, a risky crapshooter, falls for the devout Sarah Brown. Freedom and domesticity are at odds as Adelaide reaches the end of her patience after a 14-year engagement to Nathan Detroit, another notorious gambler. Which lifestyle will win out for these two couples? If you want to prove your undying love for “Guys and Dolls,” consider reserving a spot for the New Year’s Eve Extravaganza, a package deal that includes tickets to both the final night of the performance and a wild after-party that’ll last until the clock strikes midnight. DG

THOM JACKSON

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY

TUESDAY 12/13. 6 P.M. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER. FREE. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Douglas Brinkey, a New York Times bestselling author and celebrated historian, has written entire books about Hurricane Katrina, Walter Cronkite, American Catholicism, Henry Ford, Rosa Parks and a slew of United States presidents and moments. If anyone is qualified to make sense of America, it’s Brinkley. His latest book, “Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening,” takes an 856-page look at the 1960s and ’70s leaders responsible for nudging the national and political consciousness away from protecting aesthetic beauty and toward a critique of corporate excess and a stoic reverence for the existential threat of climate change. Moderated by Dr. Jay Barth, whose calling card includes being an Arkansas Times contributor, a former Hendrix College professor, the current director of the Clinton Presidential Library, and a lifelong stalwart of Arkansas politics, this conversation should be rigorous and finely tuned. DG

NATE BARGATZE

SATURDAY 12/3. SIMMONS BANK ARENA. 7 P.M. $39.75-$79.75.

Nate Bargatze isn’t the kind of comedian who laughs at his own jokes. Vulture described his demeanor as that of “an average guy who somehow found himself standing up on this stage with a mic in his hand.” His delivery is lethargic and casual, bordering on deadpan, lulling you into believing that he’s about as clever as the next-door neighbor who’s always subjecting you to stories about his in-laws. And then you start listening closely and realize that he’s wildly funny. A frustrating and entirely mundane situation with Delta Airlines forces him to wonder if this is why people call their senators. An argument with his wife becomes a hilarious rumination on how absurd and imprecise the phrase “one fell swoop” is. When he starts to get worried about becoming a parent too late, he has the audacity to consider that maybe teen pregnancy isn’t such a big deal, and might just be an enviable alternative. This extremely wholesome comic from Nashville is sure to make for a healthy diversion from the heaviness of modern life. DG

Creeping Death

BANGIN’ IN THE ROCK

FRIDAY 12/9-SATURDAY 12/10. REV ROOM. 6 P.M. FRIDAY, 3 P.M. SATURDAY. SINGLE-DAY PASS $45, WEEKEND PASS $80.

A brave alliance of underground musicians active in death metal, hardcore and power violence are beginning to appear in the Central Arkansas area in rapid numbers, and one spawn from this small slice of subculture is the Bangin’ In The Rock Fest, curated by Stan Liszewski, Evan D. Grove and friends. The fest brings in some of the heaviest hitters in the country (Racetraitor, Genocide Pact and Dead Heat, just to name a few), but it’s not solely about the music. Old and new friendships are evolving, and the heavy music momentum that’s been simmering during the pandemic promises that buzz about Arkansas among metal critics and bloggers is not an ephemeral phenomenon. Led by Liszewski’s group Terminal Nation, alongside Grove’s newest group, Morbid Visionz, festival organizers are playing host to 23 of the nation's most extreme artists. Expect sets from Xibalba, Creeping Death, Fugitive, Brat and Fuming Mouth, and from Arkansas outfits like Second Life, Scorched Earth, Open Kasket and more. CT

ADAM CEDILLO

EVERYONE ASKED ABOUT YOU

WEDNESDAY 12/28. WHITE WATER TAVERN 6 P.M. AND 8 P.M.

For years, the meta narrative of the Little Rock music scene was that we punched above our weight with an unparalleled talent-to-population ratio. But with few exceptions, our brilliance was largely unheralded beyond our borders. Because of bad luck. Because folks couldn’t break through the ties that bind (family, work, drinking beer weekly at Vino’s and White Water Tavern). I don’t know if that’s true anymore — lots of Little Rock folks have lately found national success at least in a niche way — or ever was. But if you subscribe to the “we were amazing and people should recognize” theory, the revival of Everyone Asked About You represents a tantalizing possibility: a redo. Formed just after the Towncraft era, in the late ’90s, the emo band featured several folks you’ve probably heard of: Lee Buford (drums) of The Body, Collins Kilgore (guitar) of The American Princes and restaurateur John Beachboard (keys). Hannah Vogan (vocals) and Chris Sheppard (guitar) round out the lineup. The Promise Ring and The Rentals are touchstones. I wasn’t around during the band’s heyday, but various folks on the scene report that, while Everyone Asked About You had a following, it wasn’t exactly massive. The group put out a handful of 7-inches and recorded an album that wasn’t released. That was it. Then in 2012 a Minnesota label, 25 Diamonds, did a small pressing of the album. It and the 7-inches fetched outrageous prices on Discogs. Evidence of a Japanese cover band popped up on YouTube. Then this year Numero Group, perhaps the preeminent miner of forgetten musical gems, started reissuing the band. You can even buy Everyone Asked About You T-shirts on the label’s website. These shows, including one catered to folks who like to go to bed early, come ahead of the band playing Numero’s 20th anniversary show in L.A. in February with the likes of Unwound and Karate. LM

‘Y ENTONCES EL MAR TE HABLA’

TUESDAY 12/6-SATURDAY 12/24. THE MOMENTARY,

BENTONVILLE. FREE.

When was the last time you watched a 45-minute experimental video installation from the irritating, mass-produced black rubber of an inner tube, the camera’s point-of-view splashing above and below the waterline of the Caribbean Sea? Now imagine that you’re sitting atop a similar raft, but it’s makeshift and sagging, and you’re actually traversing the treacherous, shark-infested waters between Cuba and Florida, attempting to emigrate to the United States among the mid-’90s exodus of nearly 35,000 Cubans. This juxtaposition, between cushy, simulated struggle and legitimate strife, is what Coco Fusco’s “Y entonces el mar te habla,” which translates to “And the Sea Will Talk to You,” endeavors to cultivate for its participants. Overlaid with the harrowing audio testimonies of two opposing journeys, one from a family making that exact trek and the other from a woman who’s returning to Cuba with her mother’s ashes, this immersive film is played on a loop at The Momentary. Even when you leave the theater and return home, the images keep on going.

DG

ARKANSAS VS. BRADLEY

SATURDAY 12/17. SIMMONS BANK ARENA. 3 P.M. $25-$35.

I don’t know if Arkansas Basketball Coach Eric Musselman is going to take us to the promised land this year with the most talented recruiting class the Hogs have ever seen, but the early evidence, despite very sloppy play, is that we’re at least going to be incredibly fun to watch. Trevon Brazile, the 6-foot-10-inch Missouri transfer, is already in the running for dunk of the year with an incredibly vicious one-handed slam against South Dakota State. He’s good for at least a couple of eye-popping highlights every game (also guaranteed to look like a newborn giraffe still learning to navigate his impossibly lanky frame here and there). Anthony Black, our 6-foot-7-inch freshman point guard, has Sideshow Bob hair and a flair for delivering alley-oops. Nick Smith Jr., the heralded guard from North Little Rock, seems likely to be a generational talent. That should be enough to reel in those in your life who don’t live and breathe Hog ball — and it’s just scratching the surface. LM

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE’

TUESDAY 12/20. RIVERDALE 10 CINEMA. 7 P.M. $5.99.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” (1983), directed by Nagisa Oshima, is a war movie that’s all about relationships. Known as the Japanese Jean-Luc Godard, Oshima plumbs the identities of four interconnected men, two British and two Japanese, whose lives collide in a POW camp in World War II Japan. Power dynamics, clashing mores between the East and West and sexual tension waft through this prisoner vs. captor drama starring two famous musicians: David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto. If the cultural differences between these characters weren’t enough, the incompatibility between English and Japanese acting styles — the former more realist and the latter histrionic, exacerbated by a language barrier — gives the film a surreal quality that either carries important thematic weight or is a campy distraction. The same could be said for the soundtrack, a synth-heavy and strangely anachronistic score by Sakamoto himself. A critic for the magazine Little White Lies described the film as a slot machine that spits out “a random combination of actors, plot and setting.” Despite or because of this fact, “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” is counted among the favorite films of directors as diverse as Christopher Nolan and Akira Kurosawa. DG

UNBOXING RALPH ARMSTRONG: A COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECT

THROUGH JANUARY 2023. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. TUESDAY-SATURDAY 9 A.M.-5 P.M. FREE.

If you were a part of the Black community in Little Rock from 1951 to 2006, there’s a good chance you had your picture taken by Ralph Waldo Armstrong III. Upon first entering the curation of work set up in his honor, you’ll notice a dozen or so formal photographs lining the walls, documenting civic organizations as well as important political and cultural figures like Jesse Jackson, Isaac Hayes and Jerry Jewell, the first Black Arkansas state senator of the 20th century. The real magic of the show, however, resides in the boxes of unidentified photographs that visitors are invited to peruse. Looking at these pictures is like fingering through an old collection of household memories that just happen to be taken by a masterful photographer. In one arresting shot, a family is arranged around a framed photo on a tall stand that depicts a man looking off in the distance. Is he wearing a clerical collar? What happened to him?

In another, a young girl playing piano in a luminously white dress is captured from the side and at a low angle so that she takes up most of the frame. Who is she? What was the occasion? I ask these questions out of sheer curiosity, but the exhibit is designed to have the viewer aid with the archival process. Bring your relatives when they come to town for the holidays and make sure to fill out a form if they recognize anyone. DG

The BridgeWay is more than a hospital-it’s a place of hope and recovery from substance use disorders and mental illness. With the belief that each person can change and heal, we offer a program and treatment plan unique to each patient. Our outpatient treatment represents our least restrictive and most flexible care options. Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) offer either day or evening schedules. These options allow patients to receive recovery-focused treatment that addresses a full range of psychiatric and addictive issues while attending to daily family and work obligations. In addition, our outpatient programs provide specialized group therapy for adults 18 and older with specific mental health or substance use disorder needs.

TRUMP CONSPIRACIES

THE FORMER PRESIDENT MIGHT BE HISTORY, BUT THE HOAXES HE PROMOTED WON’T DIE EASILY.

BY ERNEST DUMAS

By a margin of 7 million votes in 2020, American voters tossed Donald Trump into the trash bin of history. Lest there was any doubt, on Nov. 8 voters sent Trump on to the dump. Nothing good will ever happen again for or to Trump aside perhaps from a split Supreme Court decision or two that will delay for a while longer his final reckoning with the law. History will record his single term as the most disastrous ever, from both domestic and international vantages: record job losses, debt explosions, trade deficits and surrenders to the country’s old communist enemies, Putin and Kim Jong-Un, and his toiling to accommodate the Saudi oil autocrats whose terrorists attacked America on 9/11.

Actually, nothing good ever happened by or to Trump from the moment he took office, unless you count the multiple times his attorney general or a Republican minority in Congress saved him from having to pay for his crimes and stupidity, starting with obstructing justice in the Russia investigation in the spring after taking office. Even the new special counsel apparently will not resurrect the crime that Trump bragged about and that independent counsel Robert Mueller acknowledged had occurred — trying to stop the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Just because it did with Spiro T. Agnew and Richard M. Nixon, justice does not always prevail with

the rich and powerful.

But this is about the hopes that many of us have from time to time — that the end of Trump also means the end of the nutty conspiracy theories that defined Trump’s time in the limelight and that have caused so many sicknesses and deaths from a disease that he ridiculed and so much violence against hated minorities — nearly 700 mass killings in America this year alone, a frightening surge that started in 2019 and that continues near daily.

We have to acknowledge, nonetheless, that Trump didn’t start most of those absurd conspiracies. (OK, massive voter fraud that cost him the White House is an obvious exception.) From Hillary’s running a child sex ring in the basement of a Washington pizza parlor and getting State Department messages on her private email server (how dare the woman?) to rampaging Latinos criminalizing the land, Trump and his shills merely gave the crazy yarns cover, a measure of approbation from the most powerful man on the planet.

The conspiracies that Trump and his minions, including the next governor of Arkansas, promoted urged us all to fear and hate the leftist gun confiscators, Blacks, immigrants, sex perverts, socialists and other radicals who are all out to destroy America, or at least to capture it for the spoils. Most of the conspiracies preceded Donald Trump. Remember the Clinton

Body Counts — the wild yarns that spread to the national press about Bill and Hillary Clinton murdering a score or more people, including their friend, the head of the state’s largest law firm, by somehow causing his single-engine plane to miss the little runway as he tried to land on his Faulkner County farm after dusk? Some of the conspiracy hoaxes have been around for a hundred years, although none ever gained much credibility until Trump and his spongers like the Huckabees talked them up.

Let’s consider a few.

*The Socialists. Trump — and nearly the whole Republican Party — has claimed that the Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists/the radical left led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They are scheming to impose a leftist agenda that will soon destroy the country. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ first priority as governor, according to all her ads and her victory speech, is to stop Biden from trying to wreck Arkansas with his socialist agenda.

No sign of a radical left in either Congress or the White House has emerged since Biden took office. In 36 years in the Senate, Biden was a pragmatic centrist, well to the right of Northern Republicans like Lowell Weicker, Jacob Javits, Hugh Scott and Charles Percy, and he was on the right flank of the field in the Democratic race for president in 2020. The most liberal Democratic president in history and far, far to the left of

HE'S DONE: But hoaxes he made mainstream live on.

Biden, was Harry S. Truman, who integrated the armed forces when integration was an unutterable word, tried to pass a sweeping civil rights law, fought to enact a universal health care bill, worked to expand the rights of unionizing workers, and developed the Truman Doctrine to finance the reconstruction of war-torn Europe and ally with European democracies to protect them from Russian dictators. Trump took an exactly opposite course.

Trump, Sanders and her daddy all condemned President Obama’s health care law — socialized medicine, they called it. The only socialized medicine in America is at VA hospitals.

Sarah’s daddy, you may remember, once promised government-guaranteed medical care for every Arkansan before he left the governor’s office. Then in 2009 as the new president, Barack Obama, was taking up the issue, Huckabee said that every American should be guaranteed the same medical care that was available to U.S. senators — an ultraliberal idea that matched Truman’s. Then when Obama passed a more modest plan, Huckabee joined Republicans in calling it socialized medicine. Trump promised to repeal it when he got in office but never produced a bill. Obamacare brought health security to hundreds of thousands of needy Arkansans, stimulated the state’s moribund economy and filled the state treasury. Presumably, daughter Sarah will ask the legislature in January to curtail Arkansas’s expansion of Medicaid benefits to the needy.

Long before Trump, the Huckabees and Tom Cotton, the socialist bugbear roiled Arkansas politics, although it never amounted to anything. In 1917, hillbilly farmer Sam Faubus and his radical pal Arch Cornett formed the Mill Creek Local of the Socialist Party and tramped over the hills of Madison County to St. Paul to circulate Socialist Party flyers opposing the United States’ entry in World War I. The flyers said the country shouldn’t risk American lives by taking sides in a war between European oligarchies. Sam’s and Arch’s arrests for sedition made the state papers (the war ended before their trials so they never went to jail). When Sam’s son, Orval, was running for governor in 1954 he was attacked as a socialist for having attended a tiny socialist self-help school near Mena during the Depression and getting elected president of the student body. Orval actually gained some sympathy for the attacks, but he was not averse to throwing the socialist label at his own woke critics during the school integration crisis that he fomented. An old friend of mine published a book in 1962 laying the blame for the tumult over racial integration in Arkansas on an old socialist plot that he said Faubus furthered to create chaos and internecine war in American society.

Trump is gone, but we are doomed to live in fear of the socialists and libs for the rest of our lives.

*Vaccines and masks: While we are on socialized medicine, you’ve noticed Sanders’ promise to prevent any vaccine or mask mandates after she takes office in January. Presumably, she won’t even strongly recommend that kids and adults get vaccinated and take other precautions, as Asa Hutchinson did. Regrettably, or perhaps thankfully, there was no Sanders around when people like me were forced by law to get shots to go to school or serve in the armed forces. Sanders might expand her Arkansas history education by reading the Arkansas Supreme Court decision in Cude v. State, when the arch-conservative Justice Sam Robinson, speaking for the Supreme Court, told Archie Cude that he could not hold his children out of school simply because God had ordered him not to have his children vaccinated against smallpox. The law required them to go to school and also to be vaccinated. Numerous federal and state court decisions going back a century said vaccination mandates were proper and necessary to protect public health and that no one could claim the religious freedom to ignore public health laws. Orval Faubus, who later confided to me some admiration for the causes of socialism but not so much for the religious freedom claims, took Archie Cude’s side and made the front pages in Arkansas and New York.

*Guns. Gun worship and its conspiracy elements are a more recent phenomenon. For 185 years, the Second Amendment was interpreted as the founders from the Carolinas and Virginia intended it to be, that guns could be regulated by the government but that states were allowed to form militias of gun owners to fight off insurrections by slaves or Indians, some foreign power like Haiti or Cuba or even an oppressive federal government. In 1923, the Arkansas legislature, bowing to the demands of the Ku Klux Klan and a derivative of the National Rifle Association, passed a law requiring owners of pistols to get permission from the county clerk to own one and to pay an annual tax for it. The clerks, of course, were expected to refuse to give Blacks a permit to have a pistol. The law was universally ignored and the legislature repealed it.

The NRA was mainly a gun-safety organization and a proponent of strict regulation. When the radical Black Panthers, including Arkansas native Eldredge Cleaver of Wabbaseka, brandished .357 Magnums, shotguns and .45 caliber pistols on the statehouse steps to warn against efforts to stop them from carrying firearms in public places, the NRA and its future leader Charlton Heston supported tough laws against open carry and concealed weapons. California and its governor, Ronald Reagan, enacted the first of them. In the ’70s and ’80s, gun makers and right-wingers, eventually led by Heston, took over the NRA and it became a champion of gun liberty. If it did not start it, the NRA embraced the conspiracy theory

that socialists and their allies, Black people, intended to ban gun ownership, confiscate weapons and take over the country. Men like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the Oklahoma City bombers, who were enraged at the courtesies the Army seemed to give Black soldiers, toured gun shows and collaborated with white supremacist groups in Arkansas and elsewhere to accumulate weapons to strike the government they believed had been taken over by socialist plotters and Black schemers. Prosecutor Asa Hutchinson made a name for himself prosecuting the white-supremacist gun nuts in the Ozarks.

The turning point was the election of Barack Obama, which flipped Arkansas overnight from the most solidly Democratic state in the country to a solidly Republican state. The NRA warned that if Obama was elected he would ban the sale of guns. At a table next to me at a barbecue joint after the election, two men exchanged warnings about the coming event. One said he had taken his new son-in-law to a gun store so that both could stock up with weapons before Obama shut down gun sales and began to confiscate them.

The legislature, as we all know, passed laws prohibiting local governments, colleges or any public institution from restricting anyone’s right to carry guns anywhere they wished to go. We are taught by our lawmakers, television and movies that whatever your problems and whether they stem from a parent, a neighbor, rude classmates or an unsympathetic society, an arsenal of weapons is your best or only way out.

Sanders had a neat way of explaining that God gave us guns to solve our problems. “We have guns because it’s our God-given right enshrined in the Constitution,” she tweeted. You probably remember this from history class. When he drafted the Second Amendment, Madison cited God’s commandment in the Ninth Beatitude — “Blessed are the white guys, for they shall inherit all the guns and ammo they want.”

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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND — WHO ARE WE KIDDING? IT WAS PRETTY MUCH ALL BAD.

BY AUSTIN BAILEY, RHETT BRINKLEY, MARY HENNIGAN AND LINDSEY MILLAR

Arkansas, we’re really on a tear lately. Looking back on the past 12 months, it’s immediately clear 2022 sucked just as much as 2021. The bright side is that we’ve gotten so used to Arkansas’s regression that we hardly noticed.

There were a few standout stomach-churning moments. Remember when a tearful Leslie Rutledge sniveled about motherhood as she signed Arkansas’s ban on almost all abortion care? Attorneys from her office defended the state’s hateful and anti-science ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. No-show Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders clinched the win easily thanks to out-of-state donors and her penchant for unapologetic cruelty. After cheerleading for

Donald Trump’s xenophobic, racist and seditious administration, Sanders brought her snarling vitriol back to Arkansas. During her campaign, Sanders directed her fire at public school teachers (indoctrinators), the state’s conservative daily newspaper (liberal media), and any Arkansan not in thrall to Donald Trump (radical left). Now that you’re sad, let us at least try to perk you back up with the bright spots: Hogs fans made us all proud in 2022. A shirtless Eric Musselman led a storming of the court in Bud Walton Arena, a rousing show of school spirit well worth the $250,000 fine. Baseball Hogs showed out too, enduring rabies shots after ridding Baum Walker of an errant raccoon and enduring untold suffering after downing a record number of Jell-O shots at the College

World Series.

There were notable acts of humanity and kindness, too. An Arkansas couple escaped Ukraine on foot with their newborn when bombs started falling, caring souls donated $16 million to help their unhoused neighbors in Little Rock, and Dolly Parton graced us with a visit to the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. No law enforcement officers lost their lives trying to defend the U.S. Capitol from bloodthirsty redneck traitors.

So, 2022. A lot like 2021, but sub out monkeypox for COVID-19 and add a few especially egregious mass shootings. Punch it up with pink pineapples and behemoth catfish and call it a year.

Better luck in 2023.

Best Back on Track

Head Hog Sam Pittman topped off a glorious return to form with a 24-10 New Year’s Day Outback Bowl victory over Penn State and a 9-4 record. The turnaround followed three consecutive seasons where the Arkansas Razorbacks won three or fewer games.

Worst NYE Gunfire

Then-Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey took one for the team, donning a uniform and going on patrol on the last night of 2021. As with so many of Humphrey’s efforts, his choice to help out that night drew criticism after the chief shot at an armed suspect in a convenience store parking lot. Humphrey was not using a bodycam at the time. Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley’s investigation into the incident cleared Humphrey of any wrongdoing, but not before Humphrey had already washed his hands of this place. After three tumultuous years as chief during which he was the subject of lawsuits and racially charged whisper campaigns, Humphrey retired in May of 2022.

Worst Cop-Out

State Sen. Breanne Davis (R-Russellville), put out by daycare and school closures, proposed a novel approach to COVID-19 guidelines. Ignore them if you want to, she told her constituents via Facebook, saying quarantine protocols aren’t legally enforceable. Her advice came near the end of January, when home test kits were hard to come by and case numbers in Arkansas were on an upswing.

BEST REASON TO STRIKE UP THE BAND

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra announced that it would be moving from its 25-year home in Byrne Hall to a new facility on the grounds of the Heifer International campus in downtown Little Rock. The $9 million project, slated to open in the summer of 2023, will be named after Stella Boyle Smith, who in 1923 founded the group that would become the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

WORST INFESTATION

More than 1,100 dead rats were found in a West Memphis Family Dollar distribution facility in February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported. Inspectors also found live rodents, rodent poop, dead birds and bird droppings. Products in 85 Arkansas Family Dollar stores were affected.

BEST TOPLESS DANCER

Razorback basketball coach Eric Musselman, already beloved for returning the Hogs to national prominence, won the month of February by leading his team to a victory over No. 1 ranked Auburn in Bud Walton Arena and celebrating by taking off his shirt but keeping on his arm sling (necessitated by rotator cuff surgery). Footage of topless Muss whooping it up went viral. Bonus points for sharp-eyed Little Rockers: Prominent developer Rett Tucker was improbably stuck right beside Musselman and looked deeply uncomfortable. The Hogs would go on to reach a second straight Elite Eight before bowing out to Duke.

WORST DEFENSE OF WHITE NATIONALISM

There’s no doubt the redistricting process in Arkansas, headed up by three white Republicans and resulting in a net loss of representation for Black voters, will only make it harder for minority voices to be heard. But that’s somehow none of U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rudofsky’s concern. State’s attorneys argued, to Arkansas’s eternal shame, that crafting a map to give Black voters a share of political power proportional to their population would be the real gerrymandering, because that would mean we were paying too much attention to race. The state paid more than $15,000 for their expert witness in the trial, a conservative who’s worked for committees to elect both Trump and DeSantis, and who said Black candidates can win anywhere if they just work hard enough. Rudofsky’s dubious assertion that none of the facts mattered because voters don’t have standing to sue over their voting rights being trampled was patently false and also pretty outrageous.

Best Balls Out

Little Rock mom Michelle Herrera is not lacking in balls, and some of her neighbors are apparently intimidated by that. Herrera and family, who live on Azalea Drive in Southwest Little Rock, were cited for “excessive balls” in January after someone without the balls to confront her in person complained to the city about toys and sports paraphernalia in Herrera’s yard.

Worst Turn of Phrase

Amid a debate about the city of Little Rock spending money on prevention, intervention and treatment programs aimed at helping at-risk youth and reducing crime, city Director Lance Hines criticized the program. “[T]his holistic approach — and this is going to offend some — the hug-a-thug does not work; it has never worked," he said, before calling for “a little bit of a police state to get control of our streets.” He apologized for the “hug-a-thug” comment the next day.

His mother loved thunderstorms, and gave birth on a stormy night. But the people who cast votes online declined to name the Little Rock Zoo’s baby rhino “Thunder.” They also passed up on cool-sounding Swahili names, going for Kevin instead. It’s nice that the baby eastern black rhino is named for a conservationist who’s done lots of work to save rhinos from extinction, but c’mon! Kevin?!?

WORST FAMILY NAME

BEST SHOW OF CONFIDENCE

On filing day for the November election, gubernatorial candidates Chris Jones and Sarah Huckabee Sanders showed up at the state Capitol at the same time. The two exchanged friendly greetings and Jones asked Sanders for her vote. Alas, the election didn’t go his way.

Surprisingly Best Hot Pockets Burn

A major fire broke out in March at a Nestle plant in Jonesboro where Hot Pockets were produced. No one was injured, which is remarkable considering Hot Pockets fresh out of the microwave cause untold suffering daily.

Worst Attack on Civil Rights

Never trust anyone who cites the Federalist Papers for any reason. Why can’t Arkansans learn this? The Founding Fathers fan club contingent in the Arkansas legislature worked overtime in 2021 to limit access to the ballot. Their attack on democracy was illegal, of course. Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ruled as such in March, striking down four new laws: a signaturematching requirement, confusing new mail-in ballot deadlines, a prohibition on the affidavit fail-safe option for people without government-issued IDs, and the ban on groups providing snacks and water to people in line to vote. On appeal, the Arkansas Supreme Court allowed the voter suppression measures to stay in place.

Worst Loss to Documentary Storytelling

Renowned documentarian Brent Renaud was killed on March 13 while reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Along with brother Craig, the Renaud brothers of Arkansas gained renown for their daring storytelling from inhospitable places.

A brave and very stylish Philander Smith College alum with a one-of-a-kind perspective was on the ground covering the Russia-Ukraine war. Prolific tweeter Terrell Starr gained new followers as he simultaneously reported the news and helped people in need of medical care escape the fighting. You might have seen his updates on MSNBC. The host of the Black Diplomats podcast and a senior reporter at The Root, Starr knows his way around Eastern Europe. He traveled to Russia at age 21, worked as a Peace Corps volunteer, earned a master’s degree in Russian studies and another in journalism, and was a Fulbright scholar in Ukraine.

Worst Fluffing of a Russian Autocrat

Most of us would call an autocrat who violently invaded another country a brute; Sherwood state Rep. Karilyn Brown called him a “savvy genius,” parroting Trump’s controversial take. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton was next on the bandwagon, refusing to condemn Trump’s fawning. Complimenting Russian aggression is not very patriotic, if you ask us.

Greatest Escape

A California couple with Arkansas roots were in Kiev to meet their adopted newborn daughter when bombs started falling. Jessie Boeckmann shared the story on social media, recounting a 27-hour ordeal with her husband and their 4-day-old baby. The couple and their newborn hiked 8 miles in freezing weather and called on the Arkansas congressional delegation to help extract them when they reached the border.

Best New Start

Dr. Jermall Wright became the Little Rock School District’s newest superintendent, following the retirement of Michael Poore. Wright’s history of boosting graduation rates, valuing teachers and creating equitable opportunities for all kids is just what we need around here, so y’all act right.

BEST UKRAINIAN BLACK SANTA

Worst Bathroom Blunder

In August, Little Rock mayoral candidate Steve Landers confessed to the Arkansas Times that he’d left his loaded handgun in the bathroom of The Root Cafe. Landers said he’d had a concealed carry license for years because he often worked odd hours and had to move money around, and that it’s his practice to remove the gun from his holster when he uses public restrooms. He put the gun on the back of the sink at The Root and forgot to retrieve it. By the time he called to arrange to pick it up, The Root had turned it over to Little Rock police, who returned the gun to Landers. Twitter sleuths joked that the only way Landers could forget his gun on the sink of the one-person bathroom at The Root was if he didn’t wash his hands.

Worst Virtue Signaling

Days before heading out for New Hampshire to test the waters for a presidential bid, Governor Hutchinson took the opportunity to prove his uncompassionate conservative bona fides by turning down $146 million in federal rent assistance. Only one other state, red Nebraska, turned down the money. Arkansas is desperately poor and needs blue state welfare to keep the lights on, but Asa was proud to decline handouts, especially since his rent is already paid. Get a job, was his message to Arkansans struggling to pay bills in the pandemic’s aftermath. The governor also frowned on student loan relief, but seemed to have no trouble with the PPP payments for business owners. Welfare in Arkansas is only for the wealthy, of course.

Worst Performance Art

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ditched the Standing Red sculpture during the multiyear renovation, but didn’t come clean about the structure’s fate for weeks. The cost to repair the public art piece was estimated at more than $30,000, so they trashed it instead.

BEST RECIPE FOR DISASTER

White people seriously tried to headline an Arkansas Juneteenth soul food event, but people of all skin colors came together to mock and ridicule until organizers pulled the plug. Muskie Harris, a Black former Razorback football player who went on to become a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and the owner of a string of drug rehabs, was a good sport about the brutal onslaught of public shaming that came his way. “I got a rope around my neck and I’m tarred and feathered over an event that’s already dead,” Harris said between hearty guffaws.

Worst F U to Poor People

Keep marijuana illegal and keep insulin too expensive to afford. Such were the votes of the Arkansas congressional delegation.

WORST BUSTS

Helena-West Helena rapper Bankroll Freddie — lover of his five kids, God and homemade banana pudding — was arrested in Marion after a traffic stop and subsequent search of his car. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said police found a gun, 21 pounds of marijuana and 171 grams of promethazine, a prescription sedative. In November, he was arrested again and faced multiple federal gun and drug charges.

Worst Excuse for Being Racist

Everybody does it. So said Prairie County Sheriff Rick Hickman, who admitted to using racial slurs. Hickman survived a Republican primary challenge to hold on to his office in 2022.

Best Reason to Go On an Adventure

The ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct, but maybe not? Arkansans have held on to high hopes about the survival of this prehistoriclooking swamp bird for decades. Ornithologists who scoured Arkansas’s Bayou DeView came up empty handed, but Louisiana birdwatchers report they’re having better luck. Maybe it’s still out there after all, so grab some binoculars and go see what you can find.

Best Annual Visitors

A doorbell cam captured a black bear roaming around North Little Rock’s Lakeview neighborhood in April. Nothing to worry about, the experts at Arkansas Game and Fish report. These travelers are usually young males newly pushed out of the den by their mama bears, and they show up every year.

GUNNER STAHL

Our Good Lady of Literacy and Comedic Timing, Dolly Parton, gave a private performance at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion to celebrate the country music legend’s work through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the Arkansas chapter of which got a $24,000 boost from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan ACT of 2021.

Best Backdoor Compliment

“Find me a school in Arkansas that does not have a lunatic Marxist teacher pushing critical race theory,” defeated right-wing congressional candidate Neal Kumar said. “As anyone who has known a silver-tongued homosexual knows, the anti-white and propedophile activists embedded in our school systems have done their dishonest best to hide anti-white CRT within all manner of other terminologies, slogans and acronyms."

Silver-tongued?

Worst Fake News

In August, gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders tried to manufacture outrage with a Twitter thread in which she tried to frame the notoriously conservative editorial page of the Arkansas DemocratGazette as the biased “liberal media” after it rejected a guest column submission from her that editors found to be too much of an advertisement. Unsurprisingly, the DemocratGazette still endorsed Sanders for governor.

Best Gifts

Thanks to the donations by many big and small — including an adorable blondeheaded 5-year-old — Our House of Little Rock announced a $16 million expansion in September to better serve the homeless. Our House helps provide the unsheltered with shelter, and guides and supports people as they reenter the workforce.

Worst ‘As Seen on TV’ Campaign Platform

Little Rock mayoral candidate Steve Landers never came up with much policy substance in his campaign. He ran hard on crime, and announced a plan that largely mirrored efforts already underway with the Little Rock Police Department. Pressed for more specifics, he talked repeatedly about the prowess of police dogs and suggested Little Rock should dramatically expand its K9 force. And employ drones. Maybe they could’ve worked together?

BEST BOOK CLUB

The Worst Return

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, now back in Arkansas and ready for round two of “The Huckabees Wreak Havoc at the Governor’s Mansion,” of course campaigned for his daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but also unwelcomely inserted himself into other Arkansas political issues: campaigning against marijuana legalization and pouring tens of thousands of dollars from his political action committee to oppose the reelection of Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. Huckabee lives in Maumelle.

Best Borat tribute

White Hall United Methodist Church Pastor Doug Phillips pulled a fast one at the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, posing as a pro-gun guy because all the slots for his pro-safety stance in the debate were already claimed. The conference took place right after the deadly rampage at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and Phillips wanted to weigh in on a resolution being considered that would urge lawmakers to support gun restrictions. He used some of the blasphemous lingo about the Second Amendment right to bear arms being given to us by God that we hear so often in the Arkansas state Senate. His sign-off was the real kicker, though: “I have four children and I would sacrifice any one of them to be able to keep my guns,” he said. Missing the sarcasm, people flipped out and Phillips later apologized. Wish he hadn’t. Highlighting the hypocrisy that enables repeated massacres in our streets and schools is the lord’s work.

BEST BOOK CLUB

Best Critter Control

The crowd at Baum-Walker Stadium on the University of Arkansas campus went wild when Arkansas everyman Grant Harmon picked up an errant raccoon by the scruff and walked it out of the stands. Sadly, Harmon had to finish watching the game from the hospital, where he was getting a rabies shot. The Hogs lost 9-6, but Harmon secured the coolest Twitter profile picture in the history of ever.

Prairie Grove senior Hailey Skoch stupefied in a brilliant prom dress handcrafted from fan-folded pages of her beloved Harry Potter books. Skoch set off the floor-length strapless number with bewitchingly intricate eye makeup that even Professor Trelawney could accurately predict would be copied far and wide.

In a fascinating 15-chapter narrative on the website Humans of New York, the world was introduced to Detra, a preacher’s wife who was voted “most naive” at her Baptist college in Arkansas three years in a row and spent many tortured months figuring out how to be a sufficiently submissive wife to her pastor husband. Detra peaced out on her Arkansas life and carved out her post-marriage identity in New York City, where she found a sense of belonging, a sense of family and a place she and her 14-foot sectional couch can call home.

Best Pro Tip

Arkansas pro golfer John Daly's secret to peak performance is out of the bag. CBS journalist Will Brinson took to Twitter this year to reminisce about a day in 2008 spent watching Daly play a nearly perfect 18 holes, fueled along the way by 21 cigarettes, 12 Diet Cokes, six packs of Peanut M&M's and 0.0 ounces of water.

Best Leak

Some sharpshooter took aim at the Kingsland water tower in May, leaving a bullet hole that made it look like the profile of Johnny Cash painted on the tank was taking a leak. It’s all fun and games until you realize the hole was costing the taxpayers of Cash’s birthplace $200 a day in leaked water, not to mention repair costs.

Worst Joke/Jake

The name of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jake Bequette was misspelled on ballots in Craighead and Phillips counties, where he was listed as Jack Bequette. The candidate filed a lawsuit, linking these ballot typos to 2020 election conspiracies. “Now we’re seeing the establishment political machine try and steal another election here in Arkansas,” he said. Bequette lost badly to incumbent Sen. John Boozman in the primary.

BEST COMEBACK STORY

The antique well-drilling truck that hovered above the Shorty Small’s parking lot for years was removed by a crane in June, marking the end of an era on Rodney Parham. A Facebook user spotted the truck later that night and uploaded a photo of it parked outside Bass Pro Shops. The Facebook poster wrote a eulogy of sorts: “Shorty stopped at Bass Pro on the way home.” Shorty Small’s was demolished in July.

Best Fruit Craze

K. Hall & Sons Produce started a frenzy this summer by announcing on social media that shipments of pink pineapples from “Uncle Clifford” would be arriving soon at the store. Long lines began to form for the elusive “pank” pineapples, and the store started selling out within hours. Eventually, they had to put a limit on how many customers could buy. When things calmed down the pineapples became a popular burger addition at the venerable produce store/restaurant on Wright Avenue.

Worst Beatdown+Best Citizen Journalism

Three Crawford County law officers brutally beat a mentally disturbed man outside a Mulberry gas station in August. None of us would be the wiser were it not for two women who saw what was happening, knew it wasn’t right and captured footage for all the world to see. The two sheriff’s deputies involved got canned, and we’re still waiting to hear the fate of the Mulberry police officer involved.

Worst racist, dimwitted and entitled state lawmaker

There are more than one who fit this genre, but Sen. Alan Clark (R-Hot Springs/Lonsdale) is without a doubt the standout shithead of 2022. Clark got busted trying to claim per diem expenses for a meeting he didn’t actually attend. Instead of taking his lumps, Clark strung a scarlet “E” around his neck (for ethics? Ego? Egregious?) and yukked it up at a Republican Party function. Clark later attempted to weaponize the Senate Ethics Committee by falsely accusing Sen. Stephanie Flowers (D-Pine Bluff) of accepting expense payments she didn’t earn. In fact, those payments were the result of a clerical error Flowers had nothing to do with, and Clark knew it. His clownish attempts to defend himself on the Senate floor were embarrassing for all involved. Resign.

BEST ANTIQUE TRUCK ON RODNEY PARHAM REMOVED FROM ITS POST

JAY ORSI

BEST RECOVERIES

Little Rock City Director Ken Richardson got into some pretty tight spots in 2022, but seems to have come through all right. He was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing government operations in August when he crashed his Subaru after a meeting of the Little Rock City Board. A disoriented Richardson made a grab for the responding officer’s upper thigh before he was taken to a hospital. Richardson suggested his history of epilepsy might have caused the crash and the confusion that followed. Bad luck came for Richardson again in November, when blogger Matt Campbell of Blue Hog Report revealed someone using Richardson’s Twitter account had been liking posts featuring porn and photos of women with big bottoms for years. The phantom tweeter more recently took up liking antiSemitic posts. Richardson expressed gratitude to Campbell for alerting him to the egregious hack, then changed his settings to private.

Worst Rash

Monkeypox hit Arkansas in July. Luckily the numbers remained relatively low.

Best Memorial

On New Year’s Eve in 2010, 4,000 or more redwinged blackbirds were found dead around the town of Beebe. Tests by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission found that the birds died of blunt-force trauma and that loud noises (also known as fireworks) had probably disturbed the birds. Thanks to a surprisingly attractive mural of dead birds by artists Thomas and Irina Fernandez, the memory of our fallen feathered friends lives on.

Best Pizza Delivery/Best Strange Bedfellows

From his North Carolina prison cell, a lovestruck Joe Exotic of “Tiger King” fame vowed to settle down in Fort Smith where his boyfriend, Seth Posey, resides — and where Joe enlisted help from a local Domino’s Pizza to send cheesy (!) love notes along with their pie deliveries. Joe, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, hoped to receive a special pardon from Congressman Steve Womack, the Republican U.S. representative for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district.

BEST SHOT

Hogs baseball didn’t bring home the College World Series trophy, but Hogs fans broke the Jell-O shot record at Rocco’s Pizza in Omaha, Nebraska. The restaurant tallies the number of shots downed by each team’s fans, and Arkansas’s dominance could not be denied.

Worst Disrespect

Fellow Republicans scoffed when Governor Hutchinson shared a plan to raise teacher salaries at least enough to make us competitive with Mississippi. The state had plenty of money to cover it. No way, the public education-hating Republican supermajority legislature said. Tax breaks for the already well-to-do took priority, even as educators across the state protested. Schools did get an additional $50 million from the summer legislative special session, but that’s earmarked for armed guards, bulletproof vests and other defenses campuses need because lawmakers refuse to address the gun violence epidemic.

Best Way to Piss Us Off

Little Rock Family Planning Services closed its doors in September after Arkansas’s trigger law to ban pretty much all abortions in the state went into effect in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. The West Little Rock clinic had been the only place in the state to access surgical abortion care.

Worst 'L' for the Arkansas Travelers

A Central Arkansas Pride event at an Arkansas Travelers game was canceled after the Travs reportedly refused to allow a drag queen to throw the first pitch. The Travs had offered to let a member of the LGBTQ+ community throw the first ball at a special Out Days event at the ballpark, but when the Travs found out the pitcher would be a drag queen, they told Central Arkansas Pride organizers they weren’t ready for all that, Pride organizers Zack Baker and Dolores Wilk said. “If they want to come to the table and include everyone in our community, we’re open to that,” Wilk said. “We’re not gonna go back in the closet to appease anyone.”

Best Real Estate Development

BEST BALLS OUT (PART TWO)

Has Cammack Village not suffered enough? The tiny borough erupted in controversy in spring 2022 when a Baker Park neighbor took to tossing balls into the public space for kids to play with. Cammack Mayor Dave Graf and his wife took to removing the balls, which they said were cheap and unsightly. The Pulaski County prosecutor’s office declined to file any charges, and we thought we’d seen the end of the Baker Park bickering. How wrong we were! A new controversy pitted neighbor against neighbor in the summer, as Cammack Village officials were set to consider installing pickleball courts in the space once occupied by basketball courts. Outrage ensued. All the yard signs, petition signatures and calls to city council members worked, and Baker Park emerged from yet another ball-related scandal. We shudder to think what might happen over there next.

The Little Rock-based Windgate Foundation and Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, announced plans for the Artspace Windgate Campus — a $36 million, 94,000-square-foot, 60-unit facility coming to 1102 E. Eighth St. in the East Village area of Little Rock. Fifty such projects have been launched elsewhere, all with the goal of using “the tools of real estate development to construct or restore places where artists can affordably live and work” to provide 60 live/work units affordable for residents earning between 30-60% of the area median income.

Best For-Now Victory

So far, plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’s first-in-thenation ban on gender affirming care have stopped the law from going into effect. A federal judge in Little Rock granted a temporary injunction, which the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has so far upheld.

(Second) Best Reason Not to Swim in Lake Conway

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported that a night fishing expedition by brother-and-sister duo Logan and Haylee Applegate yielded two giant flathead catfish that weighed in at around the 50-pound mark. The big catch followed a June sighting by a kayak angler of an alligator lounging in the lake’s murky waters.

Best Wrinkle in Challenge to Anti-Trans Law

Chase Strangio, one of the ACLU lawyers representing the plaintiffs and a trans man, absolutely obliterated lawyers for the state in the courtroom. So did the rest of the cool kids’ table on the plaintiffs’ side in U.S. District Judge James Moody’s courtroom during the October portion of a trial challenging Arkansas’s SAFE Act. The squad from Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office gave a lackluster performance. To be fair, state’s attorneys didn’t have much to work with; the ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth is so clearly discriminatory and unconstitutional.

BEST DISPLAY OF EXORBITANT WEALTH

Sam’s millennial grandkids Steuart and Tom Walton, and their OZ Brands venture, pulled off FORMAT Fest, an event that was at once completely novel, psychically unmoored from any known reality, and yet could have only existed in Northwest Arkansas, where middle-of-the-road curatorial tastes meet Mariana Trench-deep pockets.

Worst symptom of iron deficiency

Beyond Meat COO Doug Ramsey, an executive with the plant-based meat substitute company, was charged with taking a bite out of another man’s nose in a parking lot fight after a September Razorback football game. By October, Ramsey had left the company.

LITFest never got lit in 2022. Ethical and legal questions about the planning process shut the whole thing down, and legal challenges about failures to release public information about the LITFest contract were ongoing in November. Mayor Frank Scott secured a W over challenger Steve Landers anyway.

Best Album Launch

To mark the release of her album “Lindeville,” country superstar and Arkansas native Ashley McBryde created a series of videos advertising the fictional town’s greasy spoon, the Dandelion Diner, and its pawn shop, Ronnie’s: “We don’t ask, we don’t tell, we just buy, we just sell.” Both fictional businesses came complete with working phone numbers in the 479 area code.

Best Timing

Governor Hutchinson whipped up a press release attacking President Biden’s announcement that he would issue pardons for some marijuana offenses. Hutchinson sent out his criticism on Oct. 6 at exactly 4:20 p.m.

Worst AntiIntellectualism

For a place that touts itself as the city of colleges, Conway is increasingly stupid. Voters there installed a trio of “patriots” to the school board, and free thinking has been under fire ever since. Small-minded board members joined the national know-nothing trend of attacking defenseless transgender youth who never hurt anybody. They passed a bathroom policy nobody needed, since the district had zero complaints on file about who was peeing where. The board also banned books about queer youth. The Conway School District should have gay and trans students' backs. Instead, board members are isolating, shaming and attacking them.

Worst Up in Smoke

The campaign to legalize marijuana in Arkansas, funded almost entirely by medical marijuana cultivators, raised more than $13 million in an attempt to pass the measure. The amendment got creamed at the ballot box with 56% of Arkansans opposing it. They’ll undoubtedly try again in 2024, hopefully with a proposal that’s less monopolistic.

WORST EVENT PLANNING

A crowd of a couple of dozen onlookers and press gathered in an alley in late October for the dedication of Little Rock’s newest official public art mural, honoring singer/guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The Cotton Plant, Arkansas, native deemed “the godmother of rock ’n’ roll” was depicted in the mural — painted by Conway artist Jessica Jones — holding her gold top Gibson guitar.

BEST PUBLIC ART

In the early days of the college and professional basketball seasons, no less an authority than Magic Johnson declared Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile’s high-flying dunk over a hapless South Dakota State player “the dunk of the year” in all of basketball. A still shot of Brazile rising to the rafters showed his head even with the rim.

Best Escape Attempt

A man on the run from White County authorities led them on a chase into a field before jumping from the stolen vehicle and initiating hand-tohand combat. The suspect, 42-year-old Jonathan Roth, wrestled with a sheriff’s deputy as the two plummeted down an embankment into water. Roth allegedly punched the deputy in the face before dashing out of sight. Search dogs arrived and eventually found Roth hiding high up in a tree. He climbed down and was arrested without further incident.

Best Fictional Arkansas PBS Show

After both Snoop Dogg and travel guru Rick Steves weighed in favorably on Arkansas's Issue 4 ballot initiative, which ultimately failed to legalize recreational marijuana in The Natural State, we decided this is the travel show co-host ing duo we wanna see on our TV screens. Maybe they’ll be on the air in time for 2024.

Best First

In November, after weeks of public and private jockeying, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted to hire Charles Robinson as chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Robinson, a former provost who had been leading the campus on an interim basis since the abrupt departure of Joe Steinmetz more than a year ago, is the state’s flagship campus’ first Black leader. And he got the job even though UA System President Donald Bobbitt and the powerful Walton family favored another candidate with a computer science background.

Best Reading the Room

Sen. Tom Cotton, perennially discussed as a presidential candidate by pundits who seem to forget that charisma and human emotion are necessary qualities for successful presidential candidates, told supporters in the fall that he wouldn’t run in 2024.

Worst Reading the Room

Governor Hutchinson, term-limited but still politically ambitious, has been testing the waters for a presidential campaign as an anti-Trump, commonsense and family values conservative. He’d never get our vote. While it’s nice to imagine the party of Trump might do an about-face, there’s no chance Hutchinson breaks through.

Rachel’s Workshop

SOWING — AND SEWING — JOY DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND

Nutritious & Delicious

The Pulaski County Special School District is committed to providing well-rounded and nutritious meals to our students. Part of ensuring that all of our students receive breakfast and lunch is making sure families know all of their options to pay for these meals.

Completing your application can help in many areas beyond just free or reduced price meals. These include:

• Increased funding for schools to ensure students received the support they need and deserve

• Discounts on fees associated with applying for college

• Discounts on fees associated with academic tests such as the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement (AP)

• Discount on fees associated with participating in athletics programs in the district

• Increased technology funds to improve internet access, wireless and network services

• Receive discount on fees associated with some Pulaski County Community Education courses

PCSSD accepts Free and Reduced Lunch applications throughout the year. The application is available online at bit.ly/PCSSD_FRLApp. Once the application is received, a determination of eligibility will be made within 10 days. Until you receive a written notification letter from the Student Nutrition Department that your student is eligible for free or reduced prices meals, full payment must be made for each meal received. Notification from any other source, or any means other than written, is not valid.

“Families have a lot of stressors in their lives,” said Student Nutrition Director Regena English. “We want to eliminate the stress of trying to figure out what to pack for your kids lunch box or how to afford a school lunch. The dollar doesn’t quite go as far as it used to, but one thing that should not be in jeopardy is a student’s opportunity to get a healthy school meal. We are here to help you and we want to help you make sure your student is fueled to learn.”

A dozen PCSSD schools have qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program for the 2022-2023 school year. CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas that allows high poverty schools to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting free and reduced

lunch applications. The participating schools this year include Cato Elementary, College Station Elementary, Crystal Hill Elementary, Daisy Bates Elementary, Harris Elementary, Joe T. Robinson Middle, Landmark Elementary, Lawson Elementary, Mills University Studies High, Mills Middle, Oak Grove Elementary, William Jefferson Clinton Elementary.

ABOUT PCSSD

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

DECEMBER 2022 NEWS & NOTES

L I V I N G N AT I V I T I E S

Two options: drive-thru or interactive event

A F E R N C L I F F C H R I S T M AS Dec. 9 11

A Ferncliff Christmas is back! This event offers a chance to experience the Nativity Story in a whole new way. Enjoy an interactive Nativity Trail, Alternative Gift Market, festive food and drink and more! You’ll even have the chance to feed Mary’s tired donkey — and you know that donkey is tired!

Admission is free; parking is $5; purchase a ticket to reserve a time slot at eventbrite.com.

Ferncliff is also offering a Winter Camp for campers in 3rd8th grade Dec. 21-23.

ferncliff.org/about-camp/winter-camp/ for info.

D R I V E - T H R U L I V E N AT I V I T Y Dec. 18, 6-8 p.m.

Pinnacle View United Methodist Church, 20100 Cantrell Road Experience the Nativity Story from the comfort of your car. The whole gang will be there: shepherds, donkeys, sheep, angels, wise men, baby Jesus and more. There will also be treats from therapy dogs and music. The event is free, but donations for the Community Pet Ministry are appreciated. The live animals will be provided by Cockrills Country Critters.

G LO W I L D

S A N TA

S U N DAYS

Dec. 4, 11 & 18, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Meet Mr. Claus at Cafe Africa at the Little Rock Zoo! There will also be live music, food and drink.

B R E A K FAS T W I T H S A N TA

Dec 10, 10-11:30 a.m.

Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

What does Santa eat for breakfast? Donut hos! (original joke BTW). Santa looks forward to hearing all those wellrehearsed Christmas lists during this nonpartisan event.

D O U B L E T H E F U N ( R

Park

J I N G L E B E L L R U N

Dec. 3, 9-11:30 a.m.

Wear your favorite holiday costume and spread good cheer for a great cause. Benefiting the Arthritis Foundation, this 5K fun run is for the whole family. Jingle all the way to find a cure for arthritis and have a jolly good time! Run, walk, skip or prance. Dogs and reindeer welcome.

U G LY SW E AT E R R AC E & E L F

DAS H Dec. 17, 9-11 a.m.

The kids’ portion of this event, The Elf Dash, is an untimed race for children 10 and under. The course is less than one-fourth mile, and parents are welcome to run with their children.

Participants will receive a long-sleeved cotton shirt, official race number and treat-filled stocking.

H O L I DAY L I G H T S

Sherwood’s Enchanted Forest Trail of Lights is a mile-long, drive-thru trail guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit. Pro-tip: Due to its popularity, the line can be really long. We suggest packing a picnic to enjoy while waiting in the car. Otherwise, you’ll hear more whining than jingle bells. Some of us learned the hard way. Sherwood Sports Complex, 420 Dee Jay Hudson Drive; runs from 6-9:30 p.m. through Dec. 30; admission is free, donations are appreciated.

Garvan Woodland Gardens’ magical, wildly popular Holiday Lights are back! A cherished tradition for many, Holiday Lights transitioned to a pared-down daytime version for the past couple of years but has now returned in all its glory. Purchase tickets online. Runs from 4-9 p.m. through Dec. 31; closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. garvangardens.org.

H O L I DAY S H O WS

T H E N U T C R AC K E R S P E C TAC U L A R Dec 9-11 Robinson Center

The largest and longest running holiday production in Arkansas, the “Nutcracker Spectacular” features live music by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a cast and crew of nearly 400. Shop the Nutcracker Boutique in the lobby and take home a memento. tickets@balletarkansas.org.

C H A R L I E B R O W N C H R I S T M AS L I V E

Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.

Reynolds Performance Hall, Conway

A fresh take on the timeless animated classic that gives the audience a completely new way of experiencing it. Rediscover the true meaning of Christmas as Linus, that blanket-wielding sage, expounds upon the essence of the holiday.

U N ) Two Rivers

By Katherine Wyrick

Photos by Brian Chilson

Mama, entrepreneur, artist, artisan, business owner — these are some of the descriptors that apply to Rachel Lovelace. What they fail to capture, however, are her strength, passion and beauty — and the creative spark that drives her many pursuits. Put simply, Lovelace shines.

As founder of RayLoveThreads, a custom bag business, and the Young Designers Academy, Lovelace now shares her passion — and light — with others.

Creativity is threaded through the generations of Lovelace’s family. Her grandmother taught her to quilt and crochet as a child; her mother is a beautician, seamstress and Jill of all trades; and her father is a musician, singer and artist. They all encouraged Lovelace in her artistic endeavors, whether it was playing the clarinet or drawing. “My grandmother was a big influence,” she said. So were both of her parents. Lovelace’s mom is a self-taught seamstress who learned by working from patterns — no easy task. “Now that is real talent,” Lovelace said.

As a child, Lovelace explored her place in the world through art. “I used to draw myself in all these different cultures. I’ve always had a big imagination and wanted to do things differently, my own way,” she said. When she was older, she would deconstruct clothes but couldn’t figure out how to put them back together. All that changed

when she took a sewing class in college and made her first bag.

At YDA, which she founded in 2021, Lovelace offers beginning and intermediate six-week courses for kids ages 7-15 at The Studio Downtown in Conway. Students get to select fabrics and create their own designs from start to finish. This year, they’ll get to show them off from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at YDA’s Pop and Color Fashion Show, part of Conway Art Walk.

Never short on ideas for new projects, Lovelace has also taught themed classes like a one-nightonly daddy-daughter event where they made a sweet keepsake — pillows crafted out of dads’ old button-down shirts. She has also hosted a ladies’ night where they made wine tote bags. Lovelace hopes to expand YDA’s reach to Little Rock and also include classes for young adults in the near future. This month she is holding a workshop at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (keep reading for details).

In addition to creativity, Lovelace’s family instilled in her faith, civic mindedness and a

desire to give back to her community. Lovelace has worked with Cutwell 4 Kids in Hot Springs — a nonprofit that promotes artistic expression — and led an afterschool program with the Hot Springs School District. She offers scholarships for YDA and has partnered with the juvenile court system to teach kids the art of sewing. In recognition of her achievements, she was just nominated for The Women’s Leadership Academy in Conway.

“YDA is about more than just sewing to me. It’s about giving kids the opportunity to express themselves,” Lovelace said. She also noted its other benefits, like improving fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination and boosting confidence and self-esteem.

Lovelace’s daughters, Skylen, age 10, and Forever, age 3, are already distinguishing themselves as artists in their own right. A budding designer, Skylen has made her own pajama pants and bags. They come from a long line of creators, and their mama is there to guide and support them, every step — and stitch — of the way.

rachel’s

A R K A N S A S D E PA R T M E N T O F H E R I TAG E

H O L I DAY H A P P E N I N G S

What’s the holiday season without a bit of frolicking? The Historic Arkansas Museum is hosting its Annual Frolic from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Get ready for some oldfashioned fun.

The Old State House Museum will hold an open house, details TBD.

The Arkansas Arts Council is partnering with the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center to celebrate the holidays for MTCC’s Holiday Open House from 4-5 p.m. Dec. 4. Kids ages 10-12 are invited to take part in a free sewing workshop with Rachel Lovelace. They’ll get to create and take home a special holiday gift. Registration required.

F R E E H O L I DAY FA M I LY F U N I D E A S

F R O M CA L S

With out-of-town visitors and kids out of school, you may be looking for things to do. Thankfully, the Central Arkansas Library System — with its 15 branches — has plenty! Your library card is your ticket to FREE holiday fun.

Movies

CALS has an extensive DVD collection, including Binge Boxes. Each box contains four to six DVDs that center around a theme (holiday, actor, director, you name it) enough to knock out an entire afternoon or weekend. If the library is closed, you can log on to one of the many streaming platforms, including Kanopy or Hoopla (great for all those Hallmark movies). All you need is your library card.

Library of Things

Some items are available at any branch while others live at a specific location. At Nixon you can borrow toys and puzzles for kids; fishing poles, bird-watching kits and telescopes can be picked up at any location; and Dee Brown has all the tools that Santa needs to assemble new toys.

Cookbooks

Whether you’re hosting a holiday celebration or just looking for something new to bake, CALS has a full collection of new and classic cookbooks. With more than 6,000 books to choose from, you’re bound to find your next favorite festive recipe.

Grab & Go Activities

Originally developed during the pandemic as a way to have library craft time at home, Grab & Go bags became such a huge hit that the library made them a permanent fixture. Swing by your local branch and pick up some Grab & Ho-ho-ho fun.

Curl Up With a Good Book

Of course, you can always just don your PJs and enjoy a laidback storytime with a favorite book.

SAVVY kids

two-story climber now open!

Museum of Discovery's two-story, three-tower climber has finally opened to explorers of all ages! Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? A museum membership provides a year of educational, hands-on fun!

With over 25 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

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.

In addition to Top Doctors, Castle Connolly’s research team also identifies Rising Stars, early career doctors who are emerging leaders in the medical community.

Physicians selected for inclusion in this magazine’s “Top Doctors” and “Rising Stars”

feature may also appear online at www. castleconnolly.com, or in in conjunction with other Castle Connolly Top Doctors databases online and/or in print.

Castle Connolly is part of Everyday Health Group, a recognized leader in patient and provider education, attracting an engaged audience of over 74 million health consumers and over 890,000 U.S. practicing physicians and clinicians to its premier health and wellness digital properties. Our mission is to drive better clinical and health outcomes through decision-making informed by highly relevant information, data, and analytics. We empower healthcare providers and consumers with trusted content and services delivered through Everyday Health Group’s world-class brands.

Arkansas Dermatology

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Ozark Dermatology Methodist Family Health

Conway Regional Medical Center

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

CHI St. Vincent UAMS

Arkansas Surgical Hospital

ALLERGY AND

IMMUNOLOGY

Matthew C. Bell, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Hedberg Allergy and Asthma Center

1585 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-464-8887

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Asthma, Urticaria

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Jenny M. Campbell, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Hedberg Allergy and Asthma Center

1585 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-301-8887

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

D. Melissa Graham, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Advanced Allergy and Asthma 500 South University Ave. Doctors Building, Suite 215 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-420-1085 Asthma, Allergy

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Stacy S. Griffin, MD Little Rock Allergy and Asthma Clinic

18 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 110 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-1156

Drug Allergy, Food Allergy, Asthma, Skin Allergies

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Teresa R. Jeffers, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Four Seasons Allergy and Asthma Clinic 11614 Huron Lane, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72211 501-221-1956 Allergy and Asthma

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Akilah A. Jefferson, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Allergy and Immunology Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1020 Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Asthma

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Stacie M. Jones, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Joshua L. Kennedy, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1100

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Tina Merritt, MD

Allergy and Asthma Clinic of NW Arkansas 1900 South Walton Boulevard Bentonville, AR 72712 479-254-9777

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Tamara Perry, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Robert D. Pesek, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

Allergy and Asthma, Food Allergy, Eosinophil Disorders

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Amy Scurlock, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

Karl V. Sitz, MD

Little Rock Allergy and Asthma Clinic

18 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 110

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-1156 Asthma, Allergy Clinical Trials

CARDIAC ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY

Scott L. Beau, MD

Arkansas Heart Hospital Arkansas Heart Hospital Clinic in Little Rock

7 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 501-326-6868

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

A. Nasser Adjei, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Cardiology Center

1500 Dodson Ave., Suite 60 Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-709-7325

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

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

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

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

J. Lynn Davis, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas

10100 Kanis Road Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-6841

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

Carl Leding MD Arkansas Heart Hospital Arkansas Heart Hospital Clinic in Little Rock

7 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 501-326-6868

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

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Donald E. Steely, MD Conway Regional Health System Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic 525 Western Ave., Suite 202 Conway, AR 72034 501-358-6905 Sports MedicineCardiology

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 Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Jeffrey G. Tauth, MD

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

Hot Springs Heart and Vascular 110 Crackerbox Lane Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-767-4278

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Muhammad Waqas, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic

Arkansas

10100 Kanis Road

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-255-6000

Heart Failure, Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD),Transplant Medicine-Heart

CHILD NEUROLOGY

Freedom F. Perkins Jr., MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000 Epilepsy, Autism, Spectrum Disorders

COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY

Jonathan A. Laryea, MD

UAMS Medical Center

4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8211

Laparoscopic Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Colon and Rectal Cancer and Surgery

COLON AND 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 and Rectal Cancer

COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY

W. Conan Mustain, MD

UAMS Medical Center

4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200

Colon and Rectal Cancer and Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diverticulitis, Incontinence/Pelvic Floor Disorders

COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY

Lee C. Raley, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock Surgery 701 North University Ave., Suite 203 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-2434

Colon and Rectal Cancer and Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY

Irlna I. Tantchou, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 479-316-7746

Colon and Rectal Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery

DERMATOLOGY

Eric E. Belin, MD

Premier Dermatology 14 Riordan Road Bella Vista, AR 72714 479-273-3376

DERMATOLOGY

Courtney Book, MD

Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Ave., Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 479-273-3376

Mohs Surgery

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

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DERMATOLOGY

Robert D. Brown, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Dermatology

901 Southeast 22nd St. Bentonville, AR 72712 479-273-7006

Medical Dermatology

DERMATOLOGY

John M. Carney, MD 11321 Interstate 30, Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72209 501-455-4700 Mohs Surgery, Skin Cancer

DERMATOLOGY

Mildred M. Clifton, MD

Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Ave., Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 479-273-3376

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

Gregory A. Dwyer, MD

Little Rock Dermatology Clinic 500 South University Ave., Suite 301 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-4161 Skin Cancer, Psoriasis, Acne

DERMATOLOGY

Patrick M. Hatfield, MD

White River Medical Center 299 Eagle Mountain Blvd. Batesville, AR 72501 870-698-9100

Medical Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery, Skin Cancer

DERMATOLOGY

Lance B. Henry, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Advanced Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center 1444 East Stern St., Suite 11 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-718-7546

Dermatologic Surgery

DERMATOLOGY

Scott M. Jackson, MD Ozark Dermatology 901 Southeast 22nd St. Bentonville, AR 72712 479-273-7006

DERMATOLOGY

Martin Lewis Johnson, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

The Dermatology Clinic 3633 Central Ave., Suite North Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-623-6100 Autoimmune Disease, Skin Cancer, Mohs Surgery, Infectious Disease

DERMATOLOGY

Matthew K. Kagy, MD Little Rock Dermatology Clinic 500 South University Ave., Suite 301 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-4161

Medical Dermatology, Skin Cancer, Mohs Surgery

DERMATOLOGY

Jay M. Kincannon, MD

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

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

Cosmetic Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery

DERMATOLOGY

Stephen H. Mason, MD CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

The Dermatology Clinic 3633 Central Ave., Suite North Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-623-6100

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

Dermatology Group of Arkansas

9601 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 690 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-227-8422

Skin Cancer, Dermatologic 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

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

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

Kevin St. Clair, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Dermatology 4375 North Vantage Drive, Suite 305 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-443-5100

Mohs Surgery

DERMATOLOGY

P. Craig Stites, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith The Dermatology Center 7900 Dallas St. Fort Smith, AR 72903 479-242-6647

DERMATOLOGY

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

DERMATOLOGY

Blake A. Williams, MD Premier Dermatology 901 Southeast Plaza Ave., Suite 5 Bentonville, AR 72712 479-273-3376

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

Henry Keung Wong, MD/PhD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-5960

Cutaneous Lymphoma, Medical Dermatology, Connective Tissue Disorders, Psoriasis/ Eczema

DEVELOPMENTALBEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS

Jill J. Fussell, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Dennis Developmental Center 1301 Wolfe St. Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1830 Developmental and Behavioral Disorders

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

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Charles M. Glasier, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1175 Pediatric Radiology

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Danna Grear, MD

The Breast Center 55 West Sunbridge Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-442-6266

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Charles A. James, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1175

Pediatric Radiology

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES AND METABOLISM

Donald Bodenner, MD/PhD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Head and Neck Oncology Clinic

4018 West Capitol Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200

Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Disorders, Parathyroid Disorders

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES AND METABOLISM

Kevin D. Ganong, MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital

NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72405 870-936-8000

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES AND METABOLISM

Robert S. Weinstein, MD

UAMS Medical Center

4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1220

Osteoporosis, Paget’s Disease of Bone

FAMILY MEDICINE

Bryan H. Clardy, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Family Medical Center

1301 Southeast St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-785-2431

Preventive Medicine, Chronic Illness, 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

Kevin C. Hiegel, MD

Little Rock Family Practice 701 North University Ave., Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-4810

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

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

Tabasum Imran, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 Southeast St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-785-2431

Preventive Medicine

FAMILY MEDICINE

Katherine A. Irish-Clardy, MD UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 Southeast St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-785-2431

Preventive Medicine, Women’s Health

FAMILY MEDICINE

David L. King, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Family Medical Center 1301 Southeast St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-785-2431

Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension

FAMILY MEDICINE

Douglas Maglothin, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Windover Family Clinic

1111 Windsor Drive Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-7140

FAMILY MEDICINE

Craig McDaniel, MD

Family Physicians of Jonesboro 1670 Hill Park Cove Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-932-2499

FAMILY MEDICINE

Aaron Jay Mitchell, MD Mitchell Family Medicine 924 State Highway 77 Marion AR, 72364 870-739-8670

FAMILY MEDICINE

Daniel K. Pace, MD Unity Health-Searcy Medical Center

2900 Hawkins Drive Searcy, AR 72143 501-278-2800

FAMILY MEDICINE

David Barton Sills, MD Baptist Health-Fort Smith Sills Family Medicine 8101 McClure Drive, Suite 203 Fort Smith, AR 72916 479-242-2577

Concierge Medicine

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

James B. Tilley, MD Conway Regional Health System

Tilley Family Medicine 495 Hogan Lane, Suite 1 Conway, AR 72034 501-327-1150

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

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 and Colonoscopy, Endoscopic Retrograde, Cholangiopancreatography

GASTROENTEROLOGY

J. Craig Davis, MD

CHI St. Vincent North

Gastro Arkansas

409 North University Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-6980

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Otis T. Gordon, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

CHI St. Vincent Gastroenterology Clinic 417 North University Ave. 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

GASTROENTEROLOGY

M. Bruce Johnson, MD

CHI St. Vincent North

Gastro Arkansas

409 North University Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-6980

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Angela K. Nutt, MD

CHI St. Vincent North

Gastro Arkansas

409 North University Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-6980

Gastrointestinal Disorders, Endoscopy

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Chad E. Paschall, MD Washington Regional Medical Center

GI Alliance

3901 Parkway Circle, Suite 550 Springdale, AR 72762 479-346-1850

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Jaymie H. Pennington, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

Gastro Arkansas

409 North University Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-6980

Gastrointestinal Disorders

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GASTROENTEROLOGY

Hrair Simonian, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Gastroenterology Center 1001 Towson Ave. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-709-7430

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 and Colonoscopy

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

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

Alexander F. Burnett, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8522

Laparoscopic, Surgery, Fertility, Preservation in Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers

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

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY

Joseph J. Ivy, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 479-587-1700

Gynecologic Cancers, Ovarian Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery

HAND SURGERY

G. Thomas Frazier, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Orthopedic Clinic 600 Autumn Road Little Rock, AR 72211 501-526-1046

Microvascular Surgery, Hand and Wrist Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery, Elbow Injuries

HAND SURGERY

C. Noe Henley, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Orthopedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-2752

Hand and Wrist Surgery, Elbow Surgery, Arthritis, Reconstructive Surgery

HAND SURGERY

Brian Norton, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary OrthoArkansas 800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 501-500-3500

Microsurgery, Arthroscopic Surgery-Wrist

HAND SURGERY

Theresa Wyrick, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Orthopedic Clinic 600 Autumn Road Little Rock, AR 72211 501-320-7776

HEMATOLOGY

Peter D. Emanuel, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

CHI St. Vincent Cancer Center 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 501-552-6100

Myeloproliferative Disorders, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Leukemia-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Lymphoma

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Mary Burgess, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway Regional Infectious Disease Center

525 Western Ave., Suite 301 Conway, AR 72034 501-513-5295

Transplant Medicine

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Ryan K. Dare, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Outpatient Center

Infectious Diseases Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, 2nd Floor

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8000

Clinical Trials

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Mallory Smith, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway Regional Infectious Disease Center

525 Western Ave., Suite 301 Conway, AR 72034 501-513-5295

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Mary N. Ford, MD Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA)

Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic 3344 North Futrall Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-582-7350

Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension

INTERNAL MEDICINE

William E. Golden, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Outpatient Center

Internal Medicine Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Suite 2508

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000

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

Robert Hopkins Jr.,MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Outpatient Center

Internal Medicine Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Suite 2508

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000

Preventive Medicine

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Raymond B. Mahan, MD

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Mercy Clinic Internal Medicine 1002 South 52nd St. Rogers, AR 72758 479-338-3750

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Sara G. Tariq, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Outpatient Center

Internal Medicine Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Suite 2508 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Rachel R. White, MD

CHI St. Vincent North

CHI St. Vincent Family Clinic 1110 West Main St. Jacksonville, AR 72076 501-982-2108

Pediatrics

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Yuba R. Acharya, MD

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas

200 Heartcenter 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 Ave., 2nd Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

David G. Jones, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Baptist Health Heart Institute

9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 900 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-227-7596

Congenital Heart Disease, Heart Attack

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Ernesto Ruiz-Rodriguez, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Baptist Health Heart Institute 9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 900 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-227-7596

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Structural Heart Disease, Aortic Valve, Replacement-Transcatheter TAVR

MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE

Nafisa Dajani, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Health Women’s Center 6119 Midtown Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000 Diabetes in Pregnancy, Prenatal Diagnosis

MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE

Paul Wendel, MD

UAMS Medical Center UAMS Health Women’s Center 6119 Midtown Ave. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1800

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Isam Ali Abdel-Karim, MD St. Bernards Medical Center St. Bernard’s Cancer Center 225 East Washington Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 790-207-8178

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Konstantinos Arnaoutakis, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200

Lung Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer,Genitourinary Cancer

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Omar T. Atiq, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200

Head and Neck Cancer, Breast Cancer

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Joseph M. Beck II, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary CHI St. Vincent Cancer Clinic 10001 Lile Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 501-552-6100

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

Issam Makhoul, MD

CARTI Cancer Center 8901 Carti Way Little Rock, AR 72205 501-906-3000

Gastrointestinal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer

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 and Stem Cell Transplant, T-cell Immunotherapy, Leukemia and Lymphoma

NEPHROLOGY

James Bruton, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Renal Care Associates

1500 Dodson Ave., Suite 280 Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-709-7480

NEPHROLOGY

James Henry, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Renal Care Associates

1500 Dodson Ave., Suite 280 Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-709-7480

NEPHROLOGY

Michael Moulton, MD Washington Regional Medical Center

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

Renal Specialists of Northwest Arkansas

813 Founders Park Drive, Suite 203 Springdale, AR 72762 479-463-2440

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

Tarek Abuelem, MD

CHI St. Vincent North

CHI St. Vincent Arkansas

Neuroscience Institute 6020 Warden Road, Suite 100 Sherwood, AR 72120 501-552-6400

Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Neurosurgery

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

John Diaz Day, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Neurosurgery Clinic 501 Jack Stephens Drive, 2nd Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-5270

Cerebrovascular Surgery, Skull Base Tumors and Surgery, Aneurysm

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

Ali F. Krisht, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

Arkansas Neuroscience Institute 6020 Warden Road, Suite 100 Sherwood, AR 72120 501-552-6400

Skull Base Surgery, Meningioma, Vascular Neurosurgery

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

T. Glenn Pait, MD

UAMS Medical Center

4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-5270

Knee and Shoulder Pain, Spinal Disorders-Degenerative, Spinal Cord Tumors, Spinal Trauma

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 and Movement Disorders

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

Brad A. Thomas, MD

Arkansas Surgical Hospital

Little Rock Neurosurgery Clinic 5 St. Vincent Circle, Suite 502 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-558-0200

Spinal Surgery, Degenerative Disc Disease,Pain-Low Back and Neck

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

Timothy E. Freyaldenhoven, MD/PhD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway Regional Neuroscience 2200 Ada Ave., Suite 305 Conway, AR 72034 501-932-0352

Congratulations to our 14 physicians who have been selected as 2022 Top Doctors in Arkansas. Conway Regional has been the community’s hospital for more than 100 years, providing high-quality, compassionate care. When your family needs medical care, you can trust our award-winning team to provide the comprehensive care you deserve. Learn more at ConwayRegional.org.

John Mark Green

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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

NEURORADIOLOGY

Adewumi D. Amole, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-5745 Interventional Neuroradiology, Brain Aneurysm, Stroke

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Scott A. Bailey, MD

Parkhill The Clinic for Women 3215 North Northhills Boulevard, Suite 3 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-4433

OBSTETRICS AND 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 AND GYNECOLOGY

Kay Chandler, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Cornerstone Clinic for Women 9500 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-5500 Gynecologic Surgery, Endometriosis Hormonal Disorders

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Andrew A. Cole, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway OBGYN 2180 Ada Ave., Suite 300 Conway, AR 72034 501-327-6547

OBSTETRICS AND 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 AND GYNECOLOGY

Charles Dunn, MD NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000 Gynecology Only

OBSTETRICS AND 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 AND 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

OBSTETRICS AND 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

OBSTETRICS AND 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 AND 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 AND GYNECOLOGY

Michael E. Potts, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Mercy Clinic ObGyn 3333 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Suite 600 Rogers, AR 72758 479-338-4000

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Lawrence E. Schmitz, MD Northwest Medical CenterBentonville Lifespring Women’s Healthcare 1200 Southeast 28th St., Suite 2 Bentonville, AR 72712 479-271-0005

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Roger Scow, MD Magnolia Regional Medical Center

Magnolia Women’s Center 707 North Washington Magnolia, AR 71753 870-235-3608

OBSTETRICS AND 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

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Serrhel G. Adams Jr., MD/PhD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale

Retina Partners of Northwest Arkansas

601 West Maple Ave., Suite 205A

Springdale, AR 72764 479-326-9400 Retina/Vitreous Consultation

OPHTHALMOLOGY

David L. Baker Jr, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Baker Eye Institute 810 Merriman St. Conway, AR 72032 501-329-3937

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

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 and Reconstructive Surgery, Eyelid Surgery/Blepharoplasty, Brow Lift

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Christian C. Hester, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Little Rock Eye Clinic 201 Executive Court, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-5658

Cataract Surgery, Laser Refractive Surgery

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Robert B. Knox, MD

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Eye Group MD 7901 Dallas St. Fort Smith, AR 72903 479-782-8892

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Lydia F. Lane, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Little Rock Eye Clinic 201 Executive Court, Suite A Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-5658 Glaucoma

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Matthew Margolis, DO St. Bernards Medical Center Southern Eye Associates 601 East Matthews Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-935-6396

LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Sharon M. Napier, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital Vold Vision 2783 North Shiloh Drive Fayetteville, AR 72704 479-442-8653

Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus-Adult and Pediatric, Botox

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Edward M. Penick III, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Central Arkansas Ophthalmology

5300 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-5354

Cataract Surgery, LASIKRefractive Surgery Intraocular Lens, Laser Surgery

OPHTHALMOLOGY

David R. Rozas, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Central Arkansas Ophthalmology

5300 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-5354

Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma, Diabetic Eye Disease/ Retinopathy

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Thomas M. Stank, MD St. Bernards Medical Center Southern Eye Associates

601 East Matthews Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-935-6396

LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery 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

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

Steven D. Vold, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Vold Vision

2783 North Shiloh Drive Fayetteville, AR 72704 479-442-8653

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

C. Lowry Barnes, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Orthopedic Clinic 2 Shackleford West Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72211 501-614-2663

Hip and Knee Replacement, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Arthritis-Hip and Knee

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Robert Bryan Benafield Jr., MD Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Orthopedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-2752

Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Fractures

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Grant W. Bennett, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic 550 Club Lane Conway, AR 72034 501-329-1510

Sports Injuries, Sports Medicine

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Jason C. Brandt, MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital

NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

Sports Medicine, Hip and Knee Replacement

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Thomas Day, MD

Unity Health-Searcy Medical Center Unity Health Searcy Medical Center 2900 Hawkins Drive Searcy, AR 72143 501-278-2868

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Christopher Dougherty, DO Northwest Medical CenterBentonville

The Agility Center 1504 South East 28th St.

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Paul K. Edwards, MD

Arkansas Surgical Hospital Bowen Hefley Orthopedics 5 St. Vincent Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 501-663-6455

Arthritis-Hip and Knee,Hip Replacement and Revision, Knee Replacement and Revision

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Charles Kristian Hanby, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Orthopedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-2752

Hip and Knee Surgery, Sports Injuries

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

James L. Head, MD

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Jeffrey W. Johnson, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Orthopedics

3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-2752

Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Jerry Lorio, MD

Saline Memorial Hospital

Arkansas Bone and Joint 2010 Active Way Benton, AR 72019 501-315-0984

Knee Replacement

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Corey O’Neal Montgomery, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

D. Gordon Newbern, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary OrthoArkansas

800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 501-500-3500

Hip and Knee Replacement

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Jason H. Pleimann, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Orthopedics 3317 North Wimberly Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-2752

Foot and Ankle Surgery, Sports Medicine, Trauma, Reconstructive Surgery

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Jason A Smith, MD

Jefferson Regional Medical Center

Jefferson Regional Orthopedic and Spine Center

1609 West 40th Ave., Suite 501 Pine Bluff, AR 71603 870-534-3449

Spinal Reconstructive Surgery, Scoliosis

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Joel N. Smith, MD

Arkansas Surgical Hospital

Martin Orthopedics 2504 McCain Boulevard, Suite 101 North Little Rock, AR 72116 501-406-7640

Sports Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery, Shoulder Replacement, Hip and Knee Surgery

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

H. Scott Smith, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Conway Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic

550 Club Lane Conway, AR 72034 501-329-1510

Hip and Knee Replacement, Shoulder Replacement

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

John L. VanderShilden, MD

UAMS Medical Center

4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-7823

Sports Medicine

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Christopher M. Young, MD

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

CHI St. Vincent Orthopedics 1662 Higdon Ferry Road,

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Dr. Jerry Lorio Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Brad Thomas Spine Surgeon

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Stephen W. Cashman, MD Washington Regional Medical Center

ENT and Allergy Center

2100 North Green Acres Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-0455 Sinus Disorders, Allergy

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

John L. Dornhoffer, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-5878

Hearing and Balance Disorders, Neurotology, Hearing Disorders/Tinnitus

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Gary R. Highfill, MD

Select Specialty Hospital-Fort Smith

Baptist Health Ear, Nose and Throat Center

520 Towson Ave., Suite A Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-573-7985

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Adam Johnson, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1225 Pediatric Otolaryngology

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Bryan K. Lansford, MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave., 4th Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

Tonsil/Adenoid Disorders, Nasal and Sinus Disorders, Ear Infections Allergy

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

John R. Lee, MD

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Mercy Clinic ENT 5204 West Redbud St. Rogers, AR 72758 479-636-0110

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

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

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Gresham T. Richter, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000 Pediatric Otolaryngology

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Jumin Sunde, MD UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200 Head and Neck Cancer and Surgery

OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Ozlem Tulunay, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic

501 Jack Stephens Drive, 3rd Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8000 Head and Neck Surgery

OTOLARYNGOLOGY/FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

Jennings R. Boyette, MD UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8000 Facial Reconstruction, Skin Cancer/Facial Reconstruction, Trauma-Face,Rhinoplasty Revision

OTOLARYNGOLOGY/FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

Lance Manning, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Ear, Nose and Throat Center of the Ozarks 6823 Isaac’s Orchard Road Springdale, AR 72762 479-750-2080

Head and Neck Cancer and Surgery, Sleep Medicine, Facial Reconstruction, Pediatric and Adult Otolaryngology

OTOLARYNGOLOGY/FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

Gary M. Petrus, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock

The Petrus Center for Aesthetic Surgery and Hair Transplantation

4137 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite A North Little Rock, AR 72116 501-614-3052

Cosmetic Surgery-Face and Neck, Hair Restoration/ Transplant, Rhinoplasty Botox

OTOLARYNGOLOGY/FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

Suzanne W. Yee, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock

Cosmetic and Laser Surgery Center

12600 Cantrell Road, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72223 501-224-1044

Cosmetic Surgery, Laser Surgery, Botox and Collagen Therapy, Facial Rejuvenation

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

Stephen A Irwin, MD

Northwest Health Physicians’ Specialty Hospital NWA Interventional Pain 5302 West Village Parkway, Suite 1 Rogers, AR 72758 479-268-6090

Pain Management, Interventional Pain Management

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Thomas H. Best, MD

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

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Sam M. Lee, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Arkansas Children’s Jonesboro Clinic

520 Carson St. Jonesboro, AR 72401 501-263-2026 Exercise Physiology

PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE

Michele Moss, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1479

PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGYONCOLOGY

David L. Becton, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1202

PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGYONCOLOGY

Kimo C. Stine, MD Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000 Hemophilia

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 OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Abby Nolder, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way

Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

Airway Disorders, Ear Infections

PEDIATRIC OTOLARYNGOLOGY

Graham M. Strub, MD/PhD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-263-2621

Vascular Malformations/ Birthmarks

PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY

Amit Agarwal, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY

Ariel Berlinski, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

M. Sidney Dassinger III, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

Neonatal Surgery, Chest Wall Deformities, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Cancer Surgery

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

Richard J. Jackson, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1446

Pediatric Cancers, Neonatal Surgery, Robotic Surgery

PEDIATRIC UROLOGY

Stephen Canon, MD

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-4000

PEDIATRIC UROLOGY

Ashay Patel, DO 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

1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-364-1202

PEDIATRICS

Eugene Lu, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

Arkansas Pediatric Clinic 500 South University Ave. Doctors Building, Suite 317 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-664-4117

PEDIATRICS

Misty D. Nolen, MD

Saline Memorial Hospital

Central Arkansas Pediatric Clinic 2301 Springhill Road, Suite 200 Benton, AR 72019 501-847-2500

PEDIATRICS

Josephine Ta Park, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Northwest Arkansas Pediatrics 3380 North Futrall Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-442-7322

PEDIATRICS

William Patton, MD

Forrest City Medical Center

East Arkansas Children’s Clinic 901 Holiday Drive Forrest City, AR 72335 870-633-0880

PEDIATRICS

Christopher A. Schluterman, MD

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Pediatric Partners 7303 Rogers Ave., Suite 201 Fort Smith, AR 72903 479-478-7200

PEDIATRICS

Julie L. Tate, MD

Northwest Medical CenterBentonville Living Tree Pediatrics 1110 Southeast 30 St. Bentonville, AR 72712 479-282-2966

PEDIATRICS

David M. Weed, MD

Saline Memorial Hospital Central Arkansas Pediatric Clinic

2301 Springhill Road, Suite 200 Benton, AR 72019 501-847-2500

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Kevin J. Collins, MD

CHI St. Vincent North Rehabilitation Medicine Consultants of Arkansas 6020 Warden Road, Suite 200 Sherwood, AR 72120 501-945-1888

Spinal Rehabilitation, Electromyography EMG), Musculoskeletal Disorders

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Thomas Kiser, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 501 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 501-221-1311

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Rani Haley Lindberg, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Orthopedic Clinic 10815 Colonel Glenn Road Little Rock, AR 72204 501-686-8000

Brain Injury-Traumatic Stroke Rehabilitation

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Kevin Means, MD

UAMS Medical Center

UAMS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 501 Jack Stephens Drive Little Rock, AR 72205 501-221-1311

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 and Body Contouring, Facial Rejuvenation

PLASTIC SURGERY

Adam G. Newman, MD

Baxter Regional Medical Center Newman MD Plastic Surgery 130 East 9th St. 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

Prince Plastic Surgery 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 150 Little Rock, AR 72227 501-225-3333

Breast Reconstruction and Augmentation, Liposuction and 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

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 and Mood Disorders, Addiction/Substance Abuse

PULMONARY DISEASE

Kyle Hardy, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas MANA)

Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic 3344 North Futrall Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-8200

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

Edward L. Jackson, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas MANA) Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic 3344 North Futrall Drive Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-582-7330

PULMONARY DISEASE

Emily G. Kocurek, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Pulmonary Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle, Suite 2H Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8000

PULMONARY DISEASE

Arturo Meade, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Baptist Health Lung Center 1001 Towson Ave. Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-709-7433

Sleep Disorders

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, AR 72703 479-582-7330

Critical Care, Asthma and Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Lung Cancer

PULMONARY DISEASE

Shahla G. Naoman, MD

White River Medical Center

Batesville Pulmonology Clinic 1215 Sidney St., Suite 201 Batesville, AR 72501 870-262-1660

Sleep Medicine, Sleep and Snoring Disorders Asthma and Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease COPD)

PULMONARY DISEASE

Daniel S. Paul, MD

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Where did you grow up and where did you receive your nursing education? I grew up in Beebe and I went to nursing school at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, graduating in 1994. I’ve been a nurse for 28 years now and have worked for CHI St. Vincent my entire career.

What is your current role and what does your job entail? I’m the chief nurse executive, and I’m primarily responsible for patient care for our four campuses. In my current role, I’m not the one who provides hands-on patient care, but I did when I started my career at our Morrilton campus. I was a labor and delivery nurse, worked med-surg, worked emergency department and worked intensive care. That sounds like very good training for the leadership role you’re in now. It was. Morrilton is a smaller facility, so I was able to learn many different nursing disciplines. It was a place where I was taught a lot and I learned a lot. I will always value my time there.

Mercy Clinic Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite T20 Rogers, AR 72758 479-338-3080

I am a St. Vincent Nurse.

Preventive Medicine, Lung Disease

Brett provides care for patients in the Emergency Room.

What is the most common “rude awakening” for new nurses? I think the intensity, the pace, the demands on you and the demands on your family all take adjustment. The direction that we have tried to go is supporting new nurses in a different way. When I started, you went through orientation for a few weeks and then there you go. Nowadays, you have nurse residency programs that devote a good six months to a year to new nurses, pairing them with a mentor for guidance. It’s much different than it was 28 years ago.

“When you join my team, you have joined a family. We support each other, teach each other and encourage each other. And if one of our family members is hurting, we all are hurting. But like all families, we work through it together!”

Critical Care, Asthma, Interstitial Lung Disease

PULMONARY DISEASE

PULMONARY DISEASE

Meredith M. Walker Jr., MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital

Join Brett and become part of our work family. Sign-on bonuses and higher pay for all RNs + increased pay for clinical ladder! chistvincent.com/nurses

Jason M. Mckinney, MD

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Mercy Clinic Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine 2708 South Rife Medical Lane, Suite T20

NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave., 2nd Floor Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

What skills or attributes are foundational to being a good nurse? A nurse is someone who wants to take care of others; you have to have that in you. You have to be that person with the right combination of personality, professionalism and a compassionate heart. And for me personally, I always try to choose a positive attitude when I’m going into work or any situation I deal with. The best decision you can make in the day is your attitude.

MEET ANGIE LONGING OF CHI ST. VINCENT

Angie Longing, MHSM, BSN, RN, NE-BC INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN NURSING?

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

Xiang Gao, MD/PhD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary

CARTI Cancer Center 8901 CARTI Way, 1st Floor Little Rock, AR 72205 501-906-3000

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

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

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

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

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY/ INFERTILITY

Michael M. Miller, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterNorth Little Rock Fertility and Gynecology Care Center

9501 Baptist Health Drive, Suite 940 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-812-3458

Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, InfertilityIVF, Infertility

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY/ INFERTILITY

Dean M. Moutos, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Fertility and Gynecology 9101 Kanis Road, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72205 501-534-3764

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

Seth Berney, MD

UAMS Medical Center UAMS Outpatient Center Rheumatology Clinic 4110 Outpatient Circle Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000

RHEUMATOLOGY

Leslie McCasland, MD Arthritis and Rheumatism Association 2231 Hill Park Cove Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-333-2721

RHEUMATOLOGY

Charles Mills, MD ARcare 3150 East Heritage Parkway Farmington, AR 72730 479-400-1140

RHEUMATOLOGY

Walton Toy, MD Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

Mercy Rheumatology Specialties 1002 South 52nd St. Rogers, AR 72758 479-338-3722

SLEEP MEDICINE

Caris Talburt Fitzgerald, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Sleep Clinic 11300 Financial Centre Parkway Little Rock, AR 72211 501-296-1220

Sleep Disorders

SPORTS MEDICINE

James C. Tucker, MD

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary OrthoArkansas 800 Fair Park Boulevard Little Rock, AR 72204 501-500-3500

Sports Injuries, Shoulder Arthroscopic Surgery, Knee Surgery, Hip Surgery

SURGERY

Nabil Akkad, MD

Baptist Health-Fort Smith Arkansas Surgical Group 1500 Dodson Ave., Suite 250 Fort Smith, AR 72901 479-573-7940

Vascular Surgery, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Melanoma

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 Highlands Oncology 3901 Parkway Circle Springdale, AR 72762 479-582-1000 Breast Cancer and Surgery

SURGERY

Russell Degges, MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8000

SURGERY

Ronda Henry-Tillman, MD UAMS Medical Center UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-296-1200 Breast Surgery

SURGERY

Jeffrey D. Kellar, MD

Washington Regional Medical Center

Ozark Surgical Associates 3017 Bob Younkin Drive, Suite 101 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-521-1484

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD), Esophageal Disorders, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Hernia

SURGERY

Brock King, MD Conway Regional Health System

Surgical Associates of Conway 525 Western Ave., Suite 203 Conway, AR 72034 501-327-4828

SURGERY

Danny G. Lister, MD Baptist Health Medical CenterHeber Springs

Arkansas Heartburn Treatment Center 1716 West Searcy St. Heber Springs, AR 72543 501-250-2020

Gastrointestinal Surgery, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Barrett’s Esophagus, Diverticulitis

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 and Surgery, Breast Disease

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

Joshua E. Roller, MD Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale Roller Weight Loss and Advanced Surgery 1695 East Rainforest Road Fayetteville, AR 72703 479-445-6460

Bariatric/Obesity Surgery

SURGERY

AdeelA. Shamim, MD Mercy Hospital Fort Smith Mercy Clinic General Surgery 7001 Rogers Ave., Suite 600 Fort Smith, AR 72903 479-274-5100 Bariatric/Obesity Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery

THORACIC AND CARDIAC SURGERY

Matthew Steliga, MD

UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-526-1000

THORACIC AND CARDIAC SURGERY

Daniel Richard Stevenson, MD

NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital NEA Baptist Clinic 4802 East Johnson Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401 870-936-8260

UROLOGY

Caleb B. Bozeman, MD

Baptist Health Medical CenterLittle Rock Arkansas Urology 1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 501-219-8900 Robotic Surgery

UROLOGY

Gail R. Jones, MD

CHI St. Vincent North Arkansas Urology

1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 501-219-8900

UROLOGY

Nirmal K. Kilambi, MD

Northwest Medical CenterSpringdale

Northwest Arkansas Urology Associates

5401 Willow Creek Drive Springdale, AR 72762 479-521-8980

Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery

UROLOGY

Timothy D. Langford, MD UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-8000

Prostate Benign Disease BPH), Prostate Cancer-Cryosurgery, Robotic Surgery

UROLOGY

Jeffrey B. Marotte, MD

Conway Regional Health System

Arkansas Urology 1375 Superior Drive Conway, AR 72032 501-219-8900

UROLOGY

D. Keith Mooney, MD

CHI St. Vincent North Arkansas Urology 1300 Centerview Drive Little Rock, AR 72211 501-219-8900

VASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

James C. Meek, DO UAMS Medical Center 4301 West Markham St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-686-6124

INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

VASCULAR SURGERY

Mohammed M. Moursi, MD UAMS Medical Center

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System 4300 West 7th St. Little Rock, AR 72205 501-257-6917

ARKANSAS SURGICAL HOSPITAL

Arkansas Surgical Hospital was founded by surgeons seeking a more direct and rewarding experience for their patients The hospital contin ues to be physician-owned, meaning surgeons are the decision-makers. This allows them to control their patients’ care at a greater level and have direct input over the best course of treatment.

The surgeons at Arkansas Surgical Hospital have extensive experience, and their specialties range from orthopedic and spine treatments to breast oncology and interventional pain management. No matter how involved a procedure is or what area of the body is affected, the goal of every surgeon is to help patients improve their quality of life so they can get back to doing the things they love.

Arkansas Surgical Hospital is one of the only 5-star hospitals in the state, and for good reason. Patients consistently rate the hospital highly for its overall care experience. Private suites, catered room service and spaces for loved ones to rest all complement the outstanding level of surgical and nursing care patients receive in the hospital’s stateof-the-art operating rooms.

Arkansas Surgical Hospital takes pride in its disciplined focus on safety and comfort, and every surgeon, nurse and staff member is committed to excellent outcomes for patients and their families.

To learn more about Arkansas Surgical Hospital and the orthopedic, spine and pain management procedures performed by its award-winning physi cians, visit www.ArkSurgicalHospital.com.

UAMS: A DIFFERENT TYPE OF WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM

The UAMS Health Medical Weight Management Clinic emphasizes medically sound, individualized weight loss programs. All visits are with a physi cian or an APRN trained in obesity medicine, and weight-loss plans are personalized to the patient’s unique needs, health conditions and goals.

Led by endocrinologist Dinesh L. Edem, M.D., our program focuses on medically sound techniques, including collaboration with Baptist Health’s bariatric surgery group. Patients must have a body mass index of at least 30 to qualify for treatment in our program; a doctor’s referral is required.

Patients won’t find fad diets here. Instead, we provide extensive nutrition counseling with a physician or APRN, as well as with a registered di etician trained in weight-related health conditions. We prescribe medications specific to each patient’s unique needs and weight-related health conditions, using laboratory results to help guide care and medication options. We recommend commercially available supplements to help our patients reach their nutrition goals, and we encourage increased activity based on each patient’s ability and circum stance.

Weight loss isn’t easy. It requires hard work and a willingness to make lifestyle and eating changes. Our team is ready and willing to help our patients reach a healthy weight — and stay there.

We are located at:

UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic, 11300 Financial Centre Parkway, Little Rock

UAMS Health Endocrinology Clinic in the UAMS Outpatient Center, 4110 Outpatient Circle, Little Rock

ARKANSAS DERMATOLOGY AND SKIN CANCER CENTER

Arkansas Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, with locations in Little Rock, Conway, North Little Rock, Heber Springs, Cabot, Stuttgart, Searcy and Russellville, provides the highest level of exper tise in both general dermatology and skin cancer treatment.

Whether we are addressing your skin cancer concerns or informing you of the latest skin care tips, our top priority is to ensure that your experi ence with our practice is second-to-none. Our tal ented team of physicians and physician assistants recognize that every patient has different needs, and we pride ourselves in the courteous service we deliver to each person who walks through our doors. With a wide range of medical and cosmetic dermatology procedures delivered by a team of skilled and experienced professionals, our patients can be confident they are receiving the highest standard of care available.

We are committed to patient education and will take the time necessary to ensure you are thoroughly informed of your treatment/procedure details and the results you can expect. We work together to provide quality care for our patients. Your skin deserves the best, and we thank you for choosing us to keep your skin healthy and beauti ful for years to come! For more information, go to arkansasdermatology.com.

RHEA DRUG

After you drop off your prescription, browse for great gifts you won't find anywhere else: You never know what you'll find! As a traditional pharmacy since 1922, we take care of all of your prescription needs, including curbside pick-up and delivery. We accept all major insurance coverage and Medicare Part D plans. As a neighborhood gift shop, we have something for everyone. We even throw in free gift wrapping! facebook.com/RheaDrug

CARELINK

With 10,000 people turning 65 every day in the United States, more people are finding them selves taking on the role of caregiver for an aging family member. CareLink knows the challenges that come with caregiving, especially for a family member, which is why it strives to alleviate the stress and worry many people experience. Wheth er it’s assisting with the needs of an older person through Meals on Wheels or allowing a caregiver to focus on their own health needs through respite care and fitness classes, CareLink is here for care givers and their families.

Headquartered in North Little Rock since 1979, Carelink, Central Arkansas’s Area Agency on Aging, helps older people and their families overcome the challenges of aging by connecting with the older community when and where they need it most.

For more information about helping a family member, call 501-372-5300 or visit CareLink.org.

500 S. University Ave., Ste. 708 Little Rock, AR 72205

midtown@arkansasdermatology.com

AVENIR MEMORY CARE

If you have a loved one impacted by Alzheimer’s or another dementia-related disease, we at Avenir Memory Care Little Rock are here to help. Avenir has been serving the seniors of Little Rock for eight years and brings a proven track record and strong reputation for specializing in dementia care. Avenir features 59 private suites, each with its own private bathroom, that are purposely designed to create a warm and homey environment.

What makes Avenir unique is our Cognitive Lifestyle program and Round Table Discovery service.

The Cognitive Lifestyle program groups resi dents with others with similar cognitive health. This helps residents feel a sense of familiarity even as they move through stages of memory loss. Through this program we also provide a full slate of life-enriching activities and social events that encourage residents to challenge themselves, find purpose in their days and have some fun.

Our Round Table Discovery meeting happens with each new family prior to a resident moving in. Family members meet the department managers who will now be supporting and caring for their loved one. Managers have the opportunity to learn about each resident’s history, likes, dislikes and needs, helping us develop a personalized plan of care.

To learn more about how Avenir Memory Care Little Rock can assist you, your family and your loved one, schedule a private tour by calling 501868-6270, or visit us online at www.avenirsenior living.com .

METHODIST FAMILY HEALTH

Since 1899, when we began our legacy of care as the Arkansas Methodist Orphanage, Method ist Family Health has helped rebuild the lives of Arkansas children and families who have been abandoned, abused or neglected, or who strug gle with psychiatric, behavioral, emotional and spiritual issues. Today, Methodist Family Health’s statewide continuum of care includes the Method ist Behavioral Hospital in Maumelle; psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Bono and Little Rock; qualified residential treatment program homes throughout the state; a therapeutic day treatment program in Little Rock; Arkansas Center for Addictions Research, Education and Services (Arkansas CARES) in Little Rock; community- and school-based counseling clinics throughout the state; and the Kaleidoscope Grief Center, focused on helping grieving children and their families. Our mission is to provide the best possible care to those who may need it. If you or someone you know needs help, call us at 866-813-3388 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or email Info@Method istFamily.org or visit MethodistFamily.org.

USE OF BICYCLES OR ANIMALS

Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability.

OVERTAKING A BICYCLE

The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceed ing in the same direction on a roadway shall exercise due care and pass to the left at a safe distance of not less than three feet (3’) and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken bicycle.

Beginning in 2019 with the “Idaho Stop” law, cyclists may treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs.

AND CYCLISTS, PLEASE REMEMBER...

Your bike is a vehicle on the road just like any other vehicle and you must also obey traffic laws as applicable — use turning and slowing hand signals, ride on right and yield to traffic as if driving. Be sure to establish eye contact with drivers. Remain visible and predictable at all times.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

p.m.-1a.m.

Cliff & Susan Band Dec. 9 9 p.m.-1a.m.

DJ Doug Kramer Dec. 29 7 p.m.-11 p.m.

Parker Francis Band Dec. 30 9 p.m.-1a.m.

Dueling Pianos Dec.10 9 p.m.-1a.m.

Dusty Rose Band Dec. 16-17 9 p.m.-1a.m.

Jacob

Jacob Flores Dec. 31 5p.m., 7p.m., 9p.m. Oaklawn Event Center New Year's Eve Dinner Parties (Ticket for event must be purchased. See oaklawn.com for details.)

Luna Jamz Dec. 23 9 p.m.-1a.m.

Luna Jamz Dec. 24 7 p.m.-11 p.m.

Cliff & Susan Band Dec. 31 4p.m.-8p.m.

Parker Francis Band Dec. 31 9p.m.-2a.m. *Ring in the New Year at Oaklawn*

Cliff & Susan Band Jan.1 4p.m.-8p.m.

Dino D & The D Train Jan. 1 9p.m.-12a.m.

Cliff & Susan Band

Parker Francis Band

‘GLITTERY, GLAMOROUS, GRUNGY’

PRINCEAUS ON CHAOS, SEQUINS AND THE JOYS OF BEING A CHOIR KID.

BY CORRENE SPERO

PRINCEAUS: She's repping "for the choir kids who are afraid to step out of their choir."

STEPHEN DOUGLAS

- see - aus \

Princeaus, brainchild of Nora B., was hatched in 2017 and released their debut album, “Unni, I’m Sad,” that same year. Their genre-straddling compositions in clude treks through jagged electronic sound scapes, intimate confessions that careen from whispers to screams, and cinematic instrumen tals like 2022’s “Keanu Reeves’s Puff Cereal.” (Nora uses they/them pronouns and asked that we only use a last initial for privacy reasons.)

Cutting a grungy glam figure on stage, Princeaus is a little bit classical, a little bit punk, and most likely the only musician in Central Ar kansas citing in the same breath “witch house, ambient horror, and Asian instrumentals” as inspiration.

Nora B. has survived congenital cancer and been diagnosed as schizoaffective bipolar, which they have addressed in songs such as “Medicine.” They have also been open about their diagnosis of functional movement disor der, which causes tremors and frailty, showing up on stage exactly as they are for each power ful performance. Wielding honesty and vulner ability, Princeaus is ever the diva in their own ambient opera.

Nora B., the Clark Kent behind Princeaus, sat down with the Arkansas Times along with their feline “grumpy mascot” Yoshi to discuss life as an affable choir kid with an affinity for “nasty, harsh beats” in a music scene that can be chal lenging at times, even for a superhero.

good at bringing out the best in each other. He likes things that are softer and poppy and I like things that are way darker.

I'm a bizarre perfectionist. I purposely make chaotic music, but I like refined chaos.

There are certain things about being a pianist where, if I let this note slide, I'll think about it for the rest of my life. I’m trying to prevent as much future cringe as possible. I have to remind myself to take breathers, because after a certain time, I'm only hearing what I want to hear and not hearing the whole.

It feels brave and important to me to see you up there making electronic music in Central Arkansas while representing for trans and Asian folks in the South. Do you feel that way?

TJ DEETER

Nora, I’m always impressed by the theatrics and drama of your show. You are just one person up there, but you command every one’s attention. Where does that confidence come from?

A lot of the energy and the passion I bring to Princeaus is based in my music education. I grew up in amazing madrigal choirs at Little Rock Christian Academy. The people in the mu sic program cared. … My piano and voice teach er and my choir director were two of the world’s greatest eccentrics. My choir teacher stomped a lot when she got really into it, and she had the most amazing energy. A lot of what I do with my hands onstage I think is conducting, really. The conductor holds the whole orchestra’s atten tion … I just consider myself a product of strong choir directors.

Are there any specific influences that come to mind in terms of your vocal style?

I love Yoko Ono. I think her ability to make wild sounds come out of her little body is just amaz ing, and her ability to belt. She thinks of doing things with her voice that other people would not think of. People say she sings off key, but I see her as someone who skirts in between notes with her vibrato.

I also listen to a lot of rap. BROCKHAMPTON songs are my warm-ups because they have so many different vocalists, so I can do each part in different voices.

Walk me through the beginning of the cre ation of a Princeaus track. I know you work with a collaborator, Andrew McClain? Andrew gives me drum parts and we work on them together, and I do everything else. We’re

Yeah, there are certain moments in my life where I have to take a step back and be like, “Not only did you do this, but you did this in the South.” After I got home from getting the (Idle Class) Black Apple award, my friend was like, “Do you realize you're the first Asian and trans person to win that?” I put my Black Apple award in a shrine, which I realized later is such an Asian thing to do.

At the [Arkansas Times’] Central Arkansas Music Awards, I was about to go onstage and thought, “You are the only Asian or trans per son to go out there tonight. A year ago you would have been terrified for them to introduce you with your pronouns. This has grown bigger than you in your bedroom just beepin’ around.” That was a turning point.

I saw a post on your Instagram a few months back that said something like you were not wanting to play music live in Little Rock any more? I hope that’s not true?

Sometimes I do get frustrated because I’ll go through periods where I’ll try to book places and won’t get answers, but whenever I get in little moods like that I remind myself I’m work ing on music other than just playing shows. I'm working on soundtrack stuff and other stuff.

A lot of people tend to put me on bills where I can tell the reason they are putting me on there is because I’m trans and not because they think I'll be a good mix. Or, like, when I'm on a bill with all white performers, I feel like maybe I was the lightest shade of a person of color they felt comfortable putting on this bill.

I have to keep in mind when I go places, “Are they going to respect my pronouns? Are they going to say things about the China flu?” I am done having people misgender me in the arts. I am done with people acting like my identity is a burden. There are certain things you have to keep in mind for your own safety or mental safe ty. If a booker at a venue continuously misgen ders me, that's a place I'm not gonna play again.

Princeaus \ Pronunciation: Prin

A performance persona created by Nora B., 26, of Little Rock, Arkansas.

MAGNETIC: Princeaus' stage show is always compelling.

I’m so curious about how you pull togeth er your stage looks. What’s the vibe in Princeau’s dressing room before a show? I tend to pick out something the night before and when I wake up I'm like, “NOOO!” My room before a show sometimes looks like a fashion montage, all this stuff with sequins thrown about the room.

With Princeaus, I try to be sure to go with things that are comfortable. If I can’t have full range of motion with my arms, then I don't wear it. The type of songs I’m performing will inform the outfit. For an ambient night, I wore a pink velvet cape. For Halloween, black mesh.

The makeup is basically: I’m in my bathroom and I have three minutes left and that’s why it's always so colorful. I put colors on three fingers on each hand and just [makes smearing motion across face].

I wear things to Princeaus shows that I would not wear in my day to day life, and that feels like a healthy separation. Princeaus is a glit tery glamorous grungy creature. Nora is in a big sweater and slippers. The first time I made over $100 at a show, the first thing I bought was a $75 pair of L.L. Bean slippers.

I know you are a congenital cancer survivor, and that you’ve been diagnosed with func tional movement disorder. How do these challenges show up in your creative work? Well, my scar being visible onstage is very inten tional. I'm a prenatal cancer survivor so I went YEARS not showing my midriff because of my scar. That was the part of me I hid the most. I didn't want to be “the cancer kid” growing up. When I posted the song “Reach Out,” I didn't realize my scar was visible in the album artwork and when I saw it, I texted my mom, “My cancer scar is on Spotify.”

The fact that I hid it for so long felt like I was hiding a piece of myself. So me having it out was me telling myself, “You can be honest about this, and also this is a thing of beauty. This scar is the reason you exist.” It’s hard to explain survivor's guilt when it starts the day you were born.

A lot of the things I was scared to share about myself and felt shame or stigma about, as soon as I get that mic, I don’t feel shame, I don't feel stigma. I feel freedom. I don’t feel like a survi vor. I feel like a warrior.

There’s a power in not hiding, especially in a place like Arkansas. I love Arkansas despite the issues that people like me face, and whenever I think about who I am really representing, I think I'm repping all the Arkansan kids who feel they have to hide things that could make them feel beautiful and powerful. The choir kids who are afraid to step out of their choir.

HEY YO, YEYO'S

CHEF RAFAEL RIOS ISN’T YOUR AVERAGE, EVERYDAY SUCCESS STORY.

BY BRIAN SORENSEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVO STUDIO

The face of Yeyo’s Mexican street tacos was born to migrant farmers in California, raised in Michoacán, Mexico, and is now happy at home in Northwest Arkansas. The 52-year-old father of three is farming with family and wowing people with tastes tied to his deeply held heritage.

Chef Rafael Rios has grown to prominence since moving to the area 16 years ago. He and his family started farming in Northwest Arkansas in 2006. They were selling produce at local farmers markets, but didn’t open their first food truck until 2012. Just a few years down the road, Rios has been nominated for two James Beard Awards for best chef in the south region. Talk about a rising star!

“The yellow food truck in downtown Bentonville is the beginning of our story,” Rios told me during a recent interview. “It’s how the restaurant business started for us. It’s the truck that put us on the map.”

He holds that truck dear, but those first few years were hard. Rios said tears were shed daily. He and his wife weren’t sure the business would survive. “Nobody knew us back then,” he said. “Then people started seeing us at the farmers markets and figured out what we were trying to do with our food. It got better quickly.”

What were they doing with their food? What was the magic behind those delightful tacos and beautiful burritos? It was simple, really. The Rios family was using old world techniques and locally grown produce and meats to create a premium product that their customers found delicious.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNING A MEXICAN FOOD EMPIRE IS EMERGING

The success of the food truck spurred expansion. In 2017, Yeyo’s El Alma de Mexico opened inside the bustling culinary enclave known as 8th Street Market in Bentonville. Nextdoor neighbors include a brewery, a chocolatier and a culinary school. It’s a bull’s-eye on the region’s culinary map, which has most certainly helped Rios get noticed.

El Alma de Mexico is translated as “the soul of Mexico.” Rios said the name fits the place because it embodies the best of Mexican

TASTE MAKER: Two-time James Beard nominee Rafael Rios.

ON THE MENU: (Clockwise from top left) Chef Rios garnishes pozole; a banana leaf topped with a chicken tamale and mole negro; pozole fully dressed; Vanilla Dream ice cream and churros; and enmoladas.

the foreign food he was exposed to while on assignment. Turkish cuisine was particularly enlightening. Already a veteran of farming and agriculture, he got a bit of an itch for cooking during his service.

Rios returned to California upon exiting the Army. Eventually the fast pace and lack of space in The Golden State started to wear on the entire Rios family. “The cars, the trucks, the people, the music — it was almost like being in a science-fiction movie,” he said.

So, with criteria in mind, they began searching for a new place to call home. “We were looking for happiness,” said Rios. “We were looking for a place where you could get up in the morning and ride your horse.”

great gifts for fans of the outdoors

The Rios family had connections in Northwest Arkansas. Upon closer inspection they found space, affordability and a chance to be, as Rios put it, “normal people with chickens and cows.” It was the complete package.

“This is my home now,” he said. “I call Arkansas my home.”

FAMILY-BASED LEADERSHIP AND GROWING LOCAL TALENT

Spend a few minutes with Rios — or in one of the Yeyo’s restaurants — and you will quickly discover that family is a top priority. The patriarch of the Rios family is Hector Rios. He is known as Don Yeyo, the namesake of the restaurant business. Brothers and sisters are involved in the business. Rios has three kids of his own — ages 21, 17 and 8. Having everyone within arm’s reach is important.

“We come from a family that has really strong ties to simple values,” Rios said. “Character and working hard are important to us. We feel that it is in the best interest of the

family to be together, so the nephews and the nieces get to know each other.”

This strong family orientation extends to employees as well.

“I have a leadership style that is linked to family,” Rios said. “Hopefully, our employees see Yeyo’s as their family business, too. If they see it as their own, they will care more about what happens here. They will take better care of our customers.”

Rios has become a mentor to many of his employees. “We have a lot of younger kids working here, especially in the front of the house,” he said. “They probably see me as a father figure.”

Rios looks at the younger generation as a key to the success of the local culinary scene. There isn’t enough outside talent — people who are willing to stay in Northwest Arkansas long-term — to make the engine run. Growing local talent for back- and frontof-house operations is important to creating a sustainable industry. He points to one of his

HERE TO STAY: Yeyo's El Alma De Mexico opened inside the bustling culinary enclave known as 8th Street Market in 2017.

neighbors at 8th Street Market — Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food — as a sign of hope. The school gives local talent a chance to sharpen their skills and prepare for future employment in the food industry.

QUALITY JUSTIFIES PRICE

The tacos, burritos and other menu items at Yeyo’s are not the cheapest in the world. Sometimes customers look at the menu, or their final bills, and wonder what is going on with the prices. For Rios, the prices he charges reflect the quality of the food.

“We are here to change the perception that Mexican food is cheap,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to me to serve great food at a cost that has a great value based on the processes we use to make the product.”

Quality is important, but so too is the way the food is made. Painstaking care is taken to recreate food in the image of Mexico. Handmade tortillas, rich mole sauce aged over time, produce picked at the peak of ripeness — all of it makes a difference in the final product.

“We pay special attention to our ancestral ways of cooking, and we’ve never let down on

the quality of our products,” Rios said. “We source locally as much as we can. Plus, we have our own farms, so mom and dad and other family members are bringing in fresh produce every day.”

As with most consumables in this age of inflation, prices are up for ingredients and supplies used at Yeyo’s. Rios estimates costs have increased between 15-35% in the last year alone. Rios said he has raised menu prices to keep up with inflation, but also to keep paying a living wage to his employees. “It doesn’t help me or our customers if employees go home at night worried about how they’re going to pay their rent.”

Fortunately, Yeyo’s customers see great value in the product despite increasing prices. Not only do they keep coming back for more, but the number of new customers coming through the door continues to swell. They have accepted higher menu prices because their taste buds tell them it’s worth it.

“We are here to value our work,” Rios said. “We don’t just give away things for free.”

A ROLE MODEL FOR THOSE THAT FOLLOW

The Rios family isn’t the first with Mexican heritage to move to Northwest Arkansas. That trend has been in full swing for over three decades now. Rios said he appreciates the groundwork laid by those that arrived before him.

“My experience has been 99% great here in Northwest Arkansas,” he said. “The work around inclusion was largely done before we got here. The early arrivals were the true pioneers. We are breaking ground in other ways.”

While community acceptance was largely felt upon arrival, there were some obstacles to getting his business up and running. He points to a lengthy permitting process that could have gone much faster. Although the Latinx community was well established by then, a farm-to-table taco truck run by one of its members was a peculiarity. Those in power were skeptical that someone like Rios could find success in downtown Bentonville.

“We are here to change that perception,” Rios said. “That’s why it’s so important to me to serve great food at a cost that has a great value based on what we do and the processes we use to make the product.”

Skepticism has drained as recognition ramps up. The James Beard Award nominations have certainly raised Rios’ profile, even if he hasn’t yet taken one home.

What would it mean to Rios if he were to eventually win the coveted prize?

“It would be a way to make another groundbreaking step that can empower the Latinx community to do great things,” he said. “To be a role model for them sends a very strong message to those that are here, and those that are moving here, as to the good we can do in this region.”

DINING NEIGHBORHOOD The Guide

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 the Heights/Hillcrest/Riverdale, Downtown/SoMa, West Little Rock, Argenta, Hot Springs and Pine Bluff.

Readers Choice voting ends Dec. 11. Vote for your favorite restaurants in Central Arkansas and around the state!

THE FADED ROSE

CIAO BACI

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT

KEMURI

SARACEN RESTAURANTS

THE BUGLER AT OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT

HEIGHTS/HILLCREST/RIVERDALE BAJA GRILL

Located in the heart of the 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

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT

After 32 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 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

CIAO BACI

Tucked into the heart of Hillcrest and serving award-winning food, wine and cocktails for over 20 years, Ciao Baci is a proven gem in our neighborhood and city, and it’s here to stay. The restaurant is carved from a turn-of-thecentury bungalow with a columned patio, eclectic garden and a spacious, wraparound deck. Rain or shine, diners eat well outside, as most of the seating is covered — and near heaters if need be. The executive chef takes great pains to select the best ingredients from around the community and craft them into seasonally appropriate dishes. The culinary style is "new American," or perhaps "global fusion," but always with a clear Southern underpinning. Ciao Baci is very proud of its wine collection, boasting the largest half bottle selection in town. The restaurant’s impeccable

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 house-made 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

KEMURI

Kemuri is the most creative restaurant to hit the Little Rock scene in decades. It’s not just a sushi lover's paradise, but a full-scale restaurant serving exciting and delicious dishes of the sort you would expect to find in New York, Tokyo and L.A. Located in the Hillcrest business district, Kemuri specializes in providing guests the ultimate dining experience. The restaurant has a party room that seats 60, great patios and amazing brunch on Sunday.

2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., 501-660-4100 17200 Chenal Parkway, Suite 100 Open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 4:30-9:30pm. 501-821-7272

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., 501-3761195

MIDTOWN BILLIARDS

Celebrating 82 years! This late-night favorite has 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., 501-3729990

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

BIG WHISKEY'S

Big Whiskey's has been serving Little Rock for almost 12 years. Since day one in 2009, they have strived to offer great food, from burgers, salads and wraps to fresh salmon and handcut steaks. Their ever-changing bar menu always includes a great selection of drafts and wines, as well as one of the largest varieties of bourbons and whiskeys you'll find. All of this keeps locals and tourists coming back for business lunches, events downtown and on Game Day, and we don't see that stopping any time soon. 225 E. Markham St., 501-324-2449

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, 501-313-4704

WEST LITTLE ROCK

BUFFALO WILD WINGS

It’s the Great American Sports Bar where fans meet up, let loose and bond over saucy wings, flavorful food, spirited drinks and celebrated moments. The neighborhood favorite boasts an awesome lunch lineup starting at $11 and a $3-$6 happy hour menu from 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays are BOGO 50% off traditional wings,

FOUR QUARTER BAR

Thursdays are BOGO boneless wings, and both are offered dine-in or carry-out. The rotating tap list and custom-crafted cocktails pair well with new menu additions, like boneless bar pizzas and bird dawgs. So don’t spend this season on the couch. Clear your schedule and get to Buffalo Wild Wings. 14800 Cantrell Road, 501-868-5299; 4600 Silver Creek Drive, Sherwood, 501-819-5299; 675 Amity Road, Conway, 501-205-1940; 6550 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, 479-222-6700; 7206 Alcoa Road, Bryant, 501-778-9464; 1503 Stadium Blvd., Jonesboro, 870-336-3920

MURRY'S DINNER PLAYHOUSE

Since 1967, Murry's Dinner Playhouse has been serving up food, fun and fabulous live entertainment. The Playhouse takes pride in offering a complete evening with dinner and a show all for one low price. For less than the price of dinner and a movie, you can experience the wonderful world of live theater! The buffet menu changes every show, to go along with the shows' theme. 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, 501562-3131

TRIOS

Traditional and innovative menu. Stalwart entrees dating from the 1940s Sam Peck Hotel. Ever evolving culinary expression from the owners' extensive travel. Daily lunch specials, bimonthly dinner specials. Creative cocktails. Grand slam wine list. Sourcing local, organic produce since 1986. Best dessert selection in the state. Pavilion in the Park, 8201 Cantrell Road, Suite 100, 501-221-3330

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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 primegrade 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 Quapawroasted coffee and made-to-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

HOT SPRINGS 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

TACO MAMA/TACO MAMA SIDE TOWN

Hot Springs’ premiere Mexican restaurant offers a culinary experience for every taste, from green chile cheeseburgers with potatowrapped, cream cheese-filled jalapenos to classic Mexican fare. The menu also includes an assortment of health-conscious and dietfriendly plates. Saturday brunch features favorites like Shane’s Special, two jalapeno corn cakes topped with carnitas and poached eggs. 1209 Malvern Ave., 501-624-6262 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 Toom 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.-1p.m. (Hours may vary based on occupancy and seasonality). 239 Central Ave, Hot Springs, 501-623-7771

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 other 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

THE BUGLER AT OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT

The Bugler overlooks Oaklawn’s legendary racetrack and offers a fine-dining experience featuring an array of American cuisine, including classics and carefully selected seafood and steak dishes. Reservations recommended — call 501-363-4790 or use the OpenTable app. Private parties can be booked at 501-363-4611. 2705 Central Ave. Hot Springs.

THE OAK ROOM AT OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT

Enjoy Oaklawn’s newest dining experience inside the casino. You’ll delight in menu items such as the OAK room gumbo, truffle risotto or classic steak cuts with choice of creole or OAK room steak dust seasoning. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs, oaklawn.com/dining/theoak-room-bar

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 site 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.

BENTON VALHALLA

Located in the Old Palace Theater in Historic Downtown Benton, Valhalla offers pizza with a New York-style crust and fresh toppings, made-to-order salads and sandwiches, as well as award-winning wings! Imbibe on our handmade cocktails and 12 rotating beers on tap. And have fun on our large patio and yard filled with games and live music! 224 W South St., Benton, 501-316-4082

RŌBER

As one of the most anticipated new restaurant openings, RŌBER, located in Downtown Benton, plans to bring you delicious food & cocktails, an open-view charcuterie bar, an eclectic lounge facing South St. to meet with friends, enjoy high-end wines by the glass/ quartino/bottle/flight, cocktails (classic and signature), and whiskey flights. A thoughtfully created dinner menu by their co-proprietor and chef, Heather Baber-Roe, will be served in their 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.

LAKEVIEW GASTON’S RESTAURANT

(Lakeview @Gaston’s White River Resort) Gaston’s wants to make sure you experience everything in Lakeview, including their awardwinning 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

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Here are some of our amazing organizations that are in need of your help more than ever because of the pandemic that has affected so many fundraising opportunities this year.

UA LITTLE ROCK PUBLIC RADIO STATIONS KLRE AND KUAR

UA Little Rock Public Radio stations KLRE and KUAR are a public service department of the UA Little Rock College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education

Founded: KLRE: 1973, KUAR: 1986. Both stations became UALR (now UA Little Rock) Public Radio in 1995

Mission: The mission of UA Little Rock Public Radio is to deepen insight into the human experience, empower decision-making and enrich the lives of those we serve through quality news and cultural programs.

Fundraisers: UA Little Rock Public Radio conducts fundraisers in the spring and fall, on #GivingTuesday, and for the end of the year. End of Year Kickoff Fund Drive: On Dec. 12, help us raise $50,000 and gain 50 new members to finish the year strong! We'll have giveaway tickets and merchandise to a few lucky donors. Donate online at donate.kuar.org or call 501-916-6400.

Giving opportunities:

$200: Support “Morning Edition” for a day!

$1,500: Support locally produced program with Southern voices and contemporary arts, “Arts & Letters”

$6,000: Support KLRE classical favorites with a modern spin, “Performance Today”

$20,000: Sponsor the broadcasting tower costs for a year, an integral part of the entire operation.

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: The Arkansas Children's Award Dinner is the ASYR's largest annual fundraiser honoring Arkansans who have made outstanding contributions to create better opportunities for Arkansas children. These Arkansans personify in word and deed the ideals of the Ranch, and hundreds have gathered each year to pay tribute to their dedication at the Arkansas Children’s Award Dinner.

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. Donate online at YouthRanches.com or mail your gift to:

Arkansas Sheriffs' Youth Ranches P.O. Box 3964 Batesville, AR 72503

METHODIST FAMILY HEALTH

Health Foundation

Established: 1899 as the Arkansas Methodist Orphanage

Mission: To provide the best possible care to those who may need our help.

Fundraisers: Get Up & Give, Southern Silks Stakes, Share the Light, Compassion Fund.

Giving Opportunities: Online at MethodistFamily.org/Donate; PayPal@ MethodistFamily; Venmo @MFHFoundation; call 501-906-4201 to make a secure donation with debit or credit card; mail cash or check to Methodist Family Health Foundation, 1600 Aldersgate Road, Suite 100, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205; make a contribution at any Arkansas Methodist Church and note Methodist Family Health on check or offering envelope.

About Us: Methodist Family Health is a complete, statewide continuum of care for Arkansas children and families who are abandoned, abused, neglected and struggling with psychiatric, behavioral, emotional and spiritual issues. In our statewide continuum of care is Methodist Behavioral Hospital, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, qualified residential treatment programs, a supervised independent living home, outpatient and school-based counseling clinics, therapeutic day treatment, the Kaleidoscope Grief Center for children and families, and Arkansas Centers for Addiction Research, Education and Services (Arkansas CARES).

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

Andy Altom, MBA, CEO and president Amanda Smith, CFRE, executive director of Methodist Family

THE STUDIO THEATRE

Kayle Jenkins, executive director Justin A. Pike, artistic director

Established: 2014

Mission: The Studio Theatre exists to enrich the Central Arkansas community by providing quality theater experiences that utilize local talent to challenge and grow every person that sits in our audience.

The Studio Theatre believes the heartbeat of artistic expression is providing transformative experiences that challenge your emotions, intellect and worldview. The Studio guarantees local artists and audiences a chance to participate in something truly unique. This occurs in our unique multi-use downtown space that is filled with laughter, music and creative energy, where all Arkansans can walk in and feel embraced and welcome.

Fundraisers: The Studio Theatre is hosting an ongoing "Stuff the Stocking" Fundraiser to assist in an audio, visual and lighting upgrade as well as provide signage for the front of the building. In conjunction with this fundraiser, the studio will also have an in person silent auction Nov. 25-Dec. 17 during showtimes. Audience members can win experiences, services, goods and performing arts tickets in the silent auction while helping to raise funds for The Studio Theatre.

Giving Opportunities: To volunteer email info@studiotheatrelr.com.

To Donate: Visit The Studio Theatre website at tudiotheatrelr.com or scan QR code below. Cash App $thestudiotheatre. By mail: 320 W. 7th St. Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-374-2615.

To purchase annual season passes, memberships or ad space for playbills, or to sponsor a show, email executivedirector@studiotheatrelr.com. In-kind donations are also accepted for needed production materials.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS REPERTORY THEATRE

Will Trice, executive director

Established:

1976

Mission: A fundamental anchor for the quality of life in Central Arkansas, The Rep creates vibrant and engaging theatrical experiences that are accessible to everyone in our community. With our work, The Rep seeks to make lives more full, more interesting and more joyful.

The Rep’s core programming is a year-long season of five to six productions, freshly created for our audiences in an intimate, 340-seat theater in downtown Little Rock. We tell stories that provide entertainment and escape, that help us process the world around us, and that foster a sense of mutual understanding. Unlike most of an ever-present electronic media, the live experiences of The Rep are distinctly theatrical-immersive and shared by the community in a public space outside of individual homes. As the state’s most established professional theater since its founding in 1976, we maintain the highest artistic standards, featuring award-winning artists, both local and from across the country, particularly celebrating artists and works with connections to our community.

Through free student performances, curriculum creation and in-school workshops, classes and camps, and youth-driven productions, The Rep also strives to engage our young community members in the appreciation and creation of theater, often providing them with their first exposure to the artform.

Fundraising: The Arkansas Repertory Theatre is excited to announce that tickets are on sale for its New Year’s Eve Extravaganza, a fun and exciting evening at The Rep featuring a special performance of “Guys & Dolls” and wonderful after-party to ring in the New Year. Tickets can be purchased online at TheRep.org or by calling the box office at 501378-0405. Season subscribers and StageDoor Social Members can upgrade their “Guys & Dolls” tickets for this event by calling the box office. The festivities will feature a premium raffle for unique items and Rep experiences, as well as surprise performances, all counting down to 2023! “Full House” ticket packages include an exclusive pre-show reception, VIP access to the private open bar all evening, premium seating at the exclusive performance of “Guys & Dolls,” and the VIP experience at a debaucherous after-party to ring in the New Year. “Snake Eyes” ticket packages include a ticket for the exclusive performance of “Guys & Dolls” and entrance and drink tickets for the afterparty.

Giving Opportunities: To volunteer email volunteers@therep.org. To donate visit therep.org or send a check to 601 Main Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. To purchases season subscriptions and memberships, ad space for playbills and show sponsorship, please email the director of development and marketing at jowensbuie@therep.org.

CARELINK

Luke Mattingly, CEO and president

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.

Fundraisers: Back for its eighth year, CareLink’s Cupcakes for Goodness Sake challenges professional and amateur bakers to create unique sweets and cupcake enthusiasts can come out to try them all. This year’s theme: summertime! Dive in as bakers find inspiration in everyone’s favorite season! Sample fresh, themed cupcakes, shop local vendors and kick off summer time while helping raise funds and friends for CareLink. Save the Date: 4-7 p.m. May 20, 2023, at Argenta Plaza.

Giving Opportunities:

Meals on Wheels: Provides nutritious, home-delivered meals to seniors in Central Arkansas.

Urgent Needs Fund: Helps older homeowners live safely, providing emergency repairs and assistance.

Greatest Need: Used where needed most, providing resources for older people and their families.

Monthly Giving: Recurring gifts provide consistent support to seniors in need.

Charitable Donations PO Box 3140 Little Rock, AR 72203 501-372-5300 Carelink.org

CENTERS FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES THE CENTERS

Melissa Dawson, president and CEO

Established: 1884

Mission: The Centers is committed to meeting the unique and evolving needs of individuals by providing comprehensive, integrated care that promotes physical, emotional and social wellness for all. A designated Community Mental Health Center, The Centers provides child and adolescent residential care, therapeutic foster care, day treatment programming, substance use treatment, prevention services, outpatient counseling for all ages, pharmacy services, primary care services, human trafficking treatment and a free 24/7/365 crisis hotline.

Fundraisers: The Evolve Gala honoring Del Boyette, April 15, 2023; BrunchFest, June 10, 2023; Centers Classic Golf Tournament, October 2023.

Giving Opportunities: Your gifts and support are critical to changing lives of people of all ages who come to The Centers for healing mental and behavioral health services.

Online: TheCentersAR.com/donate Phone: 501-666-9436

Venmo: @TheCentersArkansas Mail: Centers for Youth and Families Foundation, PO Box 251801 Little Rock, AR 72225

The Centers PO Box 251801 Little Rock, AR 72225 501-666-9436 TheCentersAR.com

A CareLink Homecare client stands proudly in front of her home

HometheHolidays for HometheHolidays

PROVIDING LOVING

HOMES

FOR ARKANSAS BOYS AND GIRLS SINCE 1976.

ARKANSAS EMPLOYMENT CAREER CENTER

Carla L. Daniels, MPA

Established: Sept. 11, 2017

To provide opportunities to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through higher education, vocational, apprenticeships,

Save the date for YOTTABYTE Data Con 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Darragh Center, 101 Rock St., Little Rock. It’ll feature discussion about technopreneurship,

Learning is our focus; student success

The National Park College Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the college. Partnering with leaders, businesses and organizations in the region, the National Park College Foundation has an opportunity to provide opportunities through private donations for scholarships, program development, endowments and campus improvements, all in the name of student success. Remaining steadfast in its purpose, the NPC Foundation works to improve our region's workforce by encouragement to connect with your community, invest in your students and grow together for a better Garland County tomorrow, np.edu/connectinvestgrow

National Park College Foundation

Nicole Herndon, executive director 101 College Drive Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-760-4300

JoAnn, a CareLink Homecare client, stands proudly in front of her home

A MARIJUANA DARK HORSE

TOURING THE LITTLE ROCK-BASED MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROCESSOR.

BY GRIFFIN COOP PHOTOGRAPY BY BRIAN CHILSON

At the back of a quiet, unassuming business park in West Little Rock lies an Arkansas weed business that is likely unknown to most outside the industry.

It’s not a cultivator. And it’s not a dispensary.

Dark Horse Medicinals is a marijuana processor, meaning they take raw materials produced by cultivators (and dispensaries that grow their own plants) and turn them into products like gummies, concentrates, chocolates and vape cartridges.

In most cases, Dark Horse sends its finished products back to the originators who sell them under their own brand names. For instance, Dark Horse makes vape cartridges for the ReLeaf Center Dispensary and Farm in Bentonville and gummies for Fiddler’s Green dispensary in Mountain View.

In other cases, Dark Horse purchases materials from the cultivators or dispensaries and processes them into products that they sell under their own Dark Horse name. These products include vape cartridges,

TOUR TIME: (Top left) Dark Horse Medicinals' Chief Executive Officer Casey Flippo leads a tour of the company's West Little Rock processing facility. (Top right) Vape cartridges are filled in the Dark Horse lab. (Bottom right) Dark Horse Chief Scientific Officer Lucas Haley offers insight on the science behind the company's extraction methods.

Meet Chad:

SINCE 2019

“I have PTSD, and because of it, I can't sleep. Cannabis helps me relax and clear my mind so that I can.”

WHY CHOOSE HARVEST?

It’s the environment Amy (the general manager) has helped create. When I walk in, everyone knows my name, and it is a personalized experience every time I come.

harvest_ar

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 vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

HarvestCannabisArkansas.com

A LOYAL HARVEST PATIENT

QUALITY CONTROL: Dark Horse Medicinals employees fill vape cartridges and look over products in the lab. The company's facility recently underwent a $1.5 million expansion that includes a bigger lab.

gummies and chocolates. Products under the Dark Horse label appear on shelves in 36 of the state’s 38 dispensaries.

Dark Horse has worked with four of the state’s eight cultivators and eight of the 38 dispensaries. It’s the exclusive processor for one of the cultivators, although Dark Horse co-founder Casey Flippo declined to name the grower.

Dark Horse was started by college friends Flippo and Sean Clarkson, who devised a plan for a cannabis business in Arkansas before the state had even made it legal. Their business started by processing hemp into products in a small town near Stuttgart (Roe, to be exact).

Last year, the state Medical Marijuana Commission approved Dark Horse as a medical marijuana processor, which allows the company to use similar processes as its hemp business but on marijuana plants.

Today, Dark Horse brings in up to $500,000 a month in gross revenues.

While the outside of the Little Rock facility seems like any other business, the inside is all about science, technology and, yes, weed.

Visitors must sign in using an iPad that takes their photo and creates a name tag, and that’s just the beginning of the security measures at the facility. The facility’s first office, called “HQ” by the company’s founders, features a bank of video monitors showing nearly every square foot of the facility.

The only areas not covered by the approximately 46 cameras are generally the small areas directly beneath the cameras or areas that could only be reached by passing another camera. The system sends updates to Flippo similar to the way a homeowner gets updates from his Ring doorbell.

The facility is undergoing a $1.5 million expansion that will take the square footage from 3,500 to 10,000. The expansion includes $120,000 in security and that doesn’t include the cost of the new vault, one of Flippo’s favorite parts of the facility.

The vault is a fortified bunker made with concrete that includes rebar every six inches in the wall. The vault, which will hold all of the business’ cannabis materials and products, includes seismic readers that can detect a disturbance like a break-in or the use of a jackhammer.

There have been no reports of large-scale attempts at break-ins at Arkansas facilities, Flippo said, because of security requirements in place by the state’s marijuana regulatory agency, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. It’s generally well known that the state’s cannabis facilities are well-protected, he said.

“If you can get in the door, that’s about one-

BEST DISPENSARY IN ARKANSAS

When you have the opportunity to help a neighbor, that’s exactly what you do. And that’s exactly what we did. This local family-run company in Sherwood, Arkansas is setting out to assist our neighbors in finding the comfort and relief they need. Our focus is not only on the product, but the experience. The warm and inviting environment allows a person to feel at ease. The friendly and professional team members allow you to connect. The quality of our product allows you to care for your needs at the highest standards.

Have an Impact… That’s what we’re setting out to do.

(501) 487-6045 • 3107 E Kiehl Ave, Sherwood www.naturalreliefdispensary.com Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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 vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE® STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION

1. Publication Title: Arkansas Times. 2. Publication Number: 454-190. 3. Filing Date: 10-01-2022

4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $60.00. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock, Pulaski County, AR 72201. Contact Robert Curfman (501) 375-2985. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (not printer): 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock AR 72201 9. Publisher: Alan Leveritt, 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock, AR 72201. Editor: Lindsey Millar, 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock, AR 72201. Managing Editor: Austin Bailey, 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock, AR 72201. 10. Owner: Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham, Ste. 150, Little Rock, AR 72201. 11. Known Beholders, Mortgagees, and Other Securities: None. 12a. Tax Status Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Arkansas Times Newspaper. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: 9/01/2022. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. 15a, Total Number of Copies (Net press run): 20,200; 20,200. 15b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail): (1) Outside County/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies): 133; 134. (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies): 43; 40. (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS®; 12,522; 12,770 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®):0;0. 15c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)):12,698; 12,944 15d. Non-requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail): (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0;0. (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541(include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0;0. (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, nonrequestor copies mailed in excess of 10% limit mailed at Standard Mail® or Package Service Rates): 0;0. (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (include pickup stands, trade shows, showrooms and other sources): 6,848; 6,964. 15e. Total Nonrequested Distribution [Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)]: 6,848; 6,964 15f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e): 19,546; 19,908 15g. Copies not Distributed 654; 292 15h. Total (Sum of 15f and g): 20,200; 20,200. 15i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100): 64.96%; 65.02%. 16. Electronic Copy Circulation 16a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies 0;0 16b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line16a) 12,698; 12,944 16c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 19,546; 19,908 16d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100) 64.96%; 65.02%. I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies. 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the 12/1/2022 issue of this publication. 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Alan Leveritt, Publisher. Date: 10/1/2022. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

fiftieth of the challenge to actually get to the stuff you're trying to get to,” Flippo said while standing in the vault. “This is quite literally a bunker.”

The old vault had a lot of the same features as the new one, but it was only 100 square feet, while the new one is nearly 500 square feet.

All of the cannabis materials must be placed into the vault each day and taken back out for work the next morning. So, the size of the vault limits how much business the company can do and the smaller vault required the company to move product in and out in 12 days.

While standing in the old vault, Flippo held up a jar filled with a honey-colored liquid called distillate that is rendered through the cannabisextraction process. That single jar held enough distillate to make 17,500 marijuana-infusued gummies, Flippo said.

While Flippo and Clarkson, the chief strategy officer and general counsel, handle the business side of things, the actual business of turning cannabis plants into finished goods falls in the hands of Lucas Haley, the team’s chief scientific officer, who holds a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Missouri.

Haley and the Dark Horse team describe their butane- and ethanol-based extraction methods in great scientific detail. In layman’s terms, Dark Horse uses two different extraction methods: Butane and ethanol. In the butane method, in a secure and sealed room, Haley introduces very cold butane (around -60 degrees) to the plant material, which causes the plant’s components to separate. The desirable cannabinoids are sent to a collection vessel and undesirable fats, waxes and chlorophylls are left behind. In the ethanol method, Haley introduces ethanol (at about -40 degrees) to the plant material that is then sent through a centrifuge that spins off the desired cannabinoids. The raw extracts are

further refined to be prepped for finished goods. The butane and ethanol used in the process are also sent away, so consumers don’t have to worry about ingesting butane when they grab a gummy or chocolate.

While the team’s processing capacity is limited, the expansion will change that. Under the current system, Dark Horse can process 27 pounds a day, but the new system will allow them to produce 27 pounds every half hour.

“When you talk about the scale of the extraction efforts we conduct here at the facility, we're very proud to say we are now one of the very highest-producing labs in the state, and that does include cultivators, by implementation of some of these expansion efforts,” Flippo said.

The expansion will also grow the size of the kitchen, allowing the company to produce about 12,500 gummies and 800 chocolate bars a day. The new kitchen setup will be good for the business, Flippo said, because it will allow the kitchen staff to spend time doing other things like filling vape cartridges when they are stocked up on gummies and chocolates.

That’s important for a margin-based business like a processor, Flippo said.

“We don’t control our cogs from start to finish,” he said. “What we have to focus on is we have to mitigate our overhead to be able to be competitive on the open market.”

Flippo said the business’ expansion allowed them to be well-positioned if Arkansas voters had legalized recreational marijuana in November, but it also helps them in an exclusively medical market. The expansion will allow Dark Horse to operate “exceedingly efficiently” and improve some of its turn-around times for clients, from three weeks to as fast as six days.

“That’s a massive strategic advantage for us when it comes to securing new business,” he said.

IT'S SCIENCE: Dark Horse staff test and measure their products.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

FIND SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST!

For every $25 in holiday gift cards purchased Nov. 7-Dec. 31, 2022, both in sports bars and online, guests will receive one $5 Bonus Card or eBonus for themselves. Rules apply, see our ad for details. Buffalo Wild Wings, 14800 Cantrell Road, 501-868-5299; 4600 Silver Creek Drive, Sherwood, 501-819-5299; 675 Amity Road, Conway, 501-205-1940; 6550 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, 479-222-6700; 7206 Alcoa Road, Bryant, 501-778-9464; 1503 Stadium Blvd., Jonesboro, 870-336-3920.

BELLA VITA

This bronze moon charm is cast by hand from molds of antique buttons collected over the years. Each one is unique and no two are alike, which makes for a special gift! Bella Vita Jewlery, 501-396-9146, 108 W. 6th St. Suite A, Little Rock, bellavitajewelry.net

BOULEVARD BREAD COMPANY

Create and curate an imaginative holiday gift basket this year from Boulevard Bread. Find those special treats for your special someone at 1920 N. Grant St. B, Little Rock, 501-663-5951.

RHEA DRUG

Who doesn’t love to entertain around the holidays? Whether this is for yourself or a great hostess gift, this wooden board is perfect for those holiday sweet treats. Rhea Drug, 501-664-4117, 2801 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock.

Rock on this holiday season, by gifting your favorites with the coolest ring holder ever. Box Turtle, 501-661-1167, 2616 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, shopboxturtle.com.

WORDSWORTH

Give a gift they can open again and again! WordsWorth has plenty of gift books and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list this holiday season. Wordsworth Bookstore, 501-663-9198, 5920 R St., Little Rock, Wordsworthbookstore.com.

OUACHITA FARMS

Be the favorite guest at the holiday festivities by bringing the Lark Sparkling Water, which is infused with 10mg of Delta 8 THC and free of sugar, carbs and alcohol. Flavors include grapefruit, strawberryguava, mango and berry. The flat shipping rate for each lark four pack is only $4.95. Available at ouachitafarms.com.

BANG-UP BETTY

Bang-Up Betty was voted Arkansas’s best gift shop, best artisan, and best jeweler by Arkansas Times readers in 2022. This creative shop carries locally made jewelry, all crafted in-house, as well as tons of locally made gifts, and more clever, hilarious and affordable gifts you won’t find elsewhere, like lots of Dolly Parton gear, "Someone in Arkansas Loves You" ornaments, "Keep Out" uterus ornaments, women author pencil sets, and RBG "I Dissent" necklaces. Bring your sense of humor to this delightful, rainbow-covered shop in the historic Argenta Arts District. 0071, 429 Main St. (upstairs), North Little Rock, bangupbetty.com.

BOSWELL MOUROT FINE ART

Join us for our Holiday Showcase, Dec. 3 from 6-9 p.m., featuring artists of Boswell Mourot Fine Art. Music by The Real Thing Jazz Trio. Show runs through Jan. 7. Come grab one of a kind gifts. Boswell Mourot, 501-664-0030, 1501 South Main St.

This SHINE necklace (available in bronze and silver), designed by Bang-Up Betty’s Stacey Bowers, reflects the Methodist Family Health’s call to action to encourage people to let their light shine so others can be inspired to do the same. BangUpBetty.com. For more information about Methodist Family Health, call 501-661-0720, email Info@MethodistFamily.org or visit MethodistFamily.org.

Comfy + Cozy is our favorite stocking stuffer! Bundle up this holiday season with these toasty treats! 501-664-4832, 5514 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock.

RING IN THE NEW YEAR IN STYLE AT THE ARLINGTON

It is no secret that The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa in downtown Hot Springs is a place of storied history and age-old traditions. The New Year’s Eve Gala is one of the oldest of those traditions, with the first held in 1924! Today, the New Year’s Eve festivities have expanded to also include a NYE Buffet, Festival Party, and a New Year’s Day Brunch.

• The NYE Buffet will be served in the Venetian Dining Room from 5:30-9:30pm.

• The NYE Festival Party will kick off at 8:30 pm in the Conference Center with Just Sayin’ providing entertainment until 1 am.

• The Gala takes place in the Crystal Ballroom, with doors opening at 7 pm, 5-course gourmet dinner served at 7:30 pm, and entertainment by Stardust Big Band from 8:30 pm – 12:30 am.

• The New Year’s Day Brunch is held in the Venetian Dining Room from 7 am – 1pm.

Tickets for the Festival and Gala can be purchased by calling 501-623-7771.

Dining Reservations can be made on our website. For room packages visit www.ArlingtonHotel.com/specials. For more information email info@ arlingtonhotel.com.

A Special Advertising Section

YOUNG STORYTELLERS

On The Observer’s second day of work at the Arkansas Times, while still clueless about such necessities as the location of the office bathroom, I was tasked with covering something called Young Storytellers, which sounded innocuous enough. However, what was quickly revealed by The Observer’s boss, through a grin so tiny it almost didn’t register as mischievous, was that this would be an immersive — nay, participatory — opportunity. Instead of just cozying up in the corner of an elementary school cafeteria while a bunch of adult buffoons acted out screenplays written by fifth graders, notebook sprawled elegantly over my tightly crossed legs, I would, in fact, be one of the adult buffoons. Did my boss owe someone a favor? Was this just standard hazing? Or perhaps this was a test of my amenability? Was my employment at stake? Had my tendency to concede been something they considered during the application process? Regardless, I said yes.

For all my moaning and groaning, Young Storytellers, a project of the Arkansas Cinema Society, is sweet and remarkable. Over the course of nine weeks, nine students from the Little Rock School District’s Gibbs International Magnet Elementary, hand-selected for creative and leadership aptitude, got to work with their own mentor to develop a professionally formatted script with scene descriptions, stage directions and shot lists. All the smiley and approachable mentors have legitimate experience in the filmmaking industry, either locally or nationally. This is an impressive undertaking, and it’s obvious that the kids

love it, too. When they walked into the library a couple of hours before the performance, one of the mentors exclaimed “the stars have arrived” and everyone subsequently clapped and whooped, the students looking bashful and proud.

OK, back to my woes. The most awkward part of an altogether awkward day was the casting tryout. To make sure we gave these 10-year-olds the full Hollywood rigamarole, we auditioned for them. The other actors all had a shtick. There was a fit, Chuck Norris-esque grandpa wearing a Buc-ees Christmas sweater who facetiously claimed he could speak multiple languages. There was a woman with an outsized personality and a sharp soprano who said she often stars in “happy, bubbly and young” roles. She’s “been in movies” but wouldn’t tell us which ones. There was a bigger guy who’d obviously done a lot of improv and was used to being typecast as a “bad guy” because of his deep, booming voice and long, curly hair. And then there was me, a lowly Observer, who hadn’t set foot on a stage since his senior year of high school. In an attempt to seem humble, I said I was good at “serious” roles, like people who are dealing with “heartbreak” or need to “deliver hard truths.” In other words, I accidentally made myself as uncastable as possible.

Lucky for me, the actor-to-character ratio was chasmic, so I was still given several parts. As we broke for lunch and began to eat our pro bono Chick-fil-A sandwiches, the other actors buried their noses in their scripts, scrawling notes to their future acting selves. “These pretentious local theater types take themselves

so seriously,” I thought smugly to myself.

Fifteen minutes passed, and I wondered when we might start rehearsing. And then another 15 minutes escaped us and we still hadn’t done that thing you should always do before you get up in front of people to perform, even if the audience members are just third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. After the clock ticked for another quarter-hour, I decided it was probably time for me to ask when we might get a chance to all get together and practice our acting, as, you know, actors do, and I discovered that there had never been a plan to do a rehearsal. All that pretentiousness I’d so skillfully identified in the other actors was just honest preparation.

As I sat on a kid-sized stool on the cafeteria stage, feverishly flipping through the six scripts I was responsible for being familiar with, the scriptwriters walked down a homemade red carpet, phone cameras flashing. They were happy and I was stressed, as it should be.

My first role was procedural, just a meek cashier handing something to the main character. I watched in awe as the other actors destroyed their lines, knowing precisely how much pageantry (heaps of it) to bring to the table. By the time I stepped into a substantive part, I had learned my lesson and rejected self-effacing humility in the name of showstopping drama. I wasn’t good, but at least I was energetic. I did my most inspired work as a “smart, undercover hero” who has to convince a loner, hellbent on turning everyone into zombies, that “science isn’t about destroying mankind for your own personal uses.” The kids are alright.