Preparing for the eclipse and a population boom

By Ethan Nahté

Mena hosted its second Eclipse Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 19, holding the gathering at the Ouachita Center on the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain campus. The meeting was an opportunity for the community, businesspeople and citizens alike, to learn more about the eclipse and how Mena and surrounding areas can plan for an influx of visitors to the state, as nearly two-thirds of Arkansas will be within the path of totality for The 2024 Great North American Solar Eclipse.

Local public leaders and Chris Thode and Carl Freyaldenhoven of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society (CAAS) were present to discuss what to expect and answer questions.

If the celestial event is anything like the 2017 event, the number of tourists could number in the high thousands when Apr. 8, 2024, comes around. Mena/Polk Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melanie Wade reported that a study suggested the 2017 event was “the largest mass migration of humans in the planet’s history.” The 2024 event is expected to be an even bigger migration.

One of the interesting things about this next total solar eclipse is that Arkansas’ time of total darkness will be nearly twice that of the 2017 event. The eclipse will begin at 12:30 p.m. in Mena. After 77 minutes, totality will commence at 1:47 p.m. and last 4:04 as the moon makes its way between the sun and earth. That will give onlookers and those taking photos in a safe manner with the proper protective equipment to get a good look if the weather cooperates. At 1:51 p.m. the totality will end. For another 78 minutes, the moon will con- tinue onward. The eclipse will end at 3:09 p.m.

The next total solar eclipse across the United States won’t be until Aug. 23, 2045. Many scientists believe the 2024 eclipse will be the most viewed eclipse in history with the entire continental U.S. having at least 16% coverage of the sun. Arkansas will have between 94%-100% coverage.

The impact will be more than just additional people in Polk County. It will require preparation for more lodging, eateries, sanitation and restroom facilities, and vendors, of course. Gas stations will more than likely be doing stellar business, as will the charging station for electric vehicles. Some hotels, such as Queen

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It seems to me there is a reasonable solution to the “Slaughter Culture” we are experiencing in America. Unless I’m way off base the Insurance Industry holds the key. They certainly have the funding to buy off the politicians and even Justice Thomas and the rest of his ilk. They can easily get legislation passed to require all firearms be licensed and insured. That will solve the issue of the people with gun fetishes buying hundreds of guns unless they can afford the liability insurance. This would no doubt deter hundreds of thousands of guns being nonchalantly added to their collections for their toddlers and using guns for raffles at church. Make it make sense! And this way the crooks in office won’t feel the pain in their pocketbooks.

That being said, I am a gun owner and would use one if I felt that I would die if I didn’t. That doesn’t mean I would shoot a delivery person or someone who is lost and trying to get directions. Girl Scouts would survive knocking on my door.

I was married to an avid gun collector for several years and watched his interest turn into compulsion and separate him from reality. Years after our divorce he became unable to function and took his own life with one of his guns.

I have family members who own lots of guns and they are very responsible. I have a favorite cousin who gives me venison every year. All this does not mean that we should ignore the fact that we don’t have proper gun laws in place to protect everyone’s freedom to live in a country with reasonable protections against being slaughtered in church, school, parades, fairs clubs, knocking on a door needing assistance, or not liking the way someone is driving.

I’m surprised that some responsible gun-owning Americans haven’t formed a new organization for us that practices Safety and Responsibility with firearms. The NRA is no longer doing what they said they would do. They are only about their bottom line now. And unfortunately, we keep sending people to D.C. whose sole purpose is to take bribes and become wealthy.

My hope lies in those young people who are reaching voting age now and recently.

Respectfully,

Jan Titsworth, Mena Letter to the Editor

In my news feed recently was an article about church closings. I went to Google to find more on the subject. The amount of information was eye opening, as well as the reasons for the closings.

As a general rule the churches in the U.S. were closing at a rate of roughly 4,500 per year. New churches were opening at a rate of roughly 3,000 yearly. The biggest demographic experiencing closings were minority communities. The biggest decline in attendees were younger people. Of those surveyed the most common reason for their absence was the church not being in line with their social values. I can only imagine what that might be, but figure young people felt the church should align with their values, even if they conflict with the teachings of the Bible.

Most articles mentioned COVID-19 as a one cause for the drop in attendance. I think at this point more people are out and about, yet attendance seems to have not rebounded.

There has to be a correlation between young people leaving the church and the uptick in violent crime in minority neighborhoods. It is hard to remember the last time I watched the local evening news only to see yet another homicide in Little Rock or North Little Rock. The biggest demographic of victims seems to be minorities and the same for suspects, many young.

Admittedly, my church attendance has stopped for some time. A good friend sends me a daily devotional and reading them helps me navigate life’s many challenges. We share that devotional with our friends. I am not sure if we will go back to church in a conventional sense, but we worship and give thanks in our own way every day.

My letter is not meant to judge anyone. I am trying to understand how we got to this point and is it where we want to be? Can we be better, or are we lost and need to find our way again? I do not have the answers to those questions, only for what is right for my spiritual life and actions towards others.

If our young people are our future, what does that look like? If it is violence, emotional detachment, anger, entitlement, laziness, being self-centered, social media, no personal interaction, or accountability, then we are in trouble. How does a 6-year-old want to set his teacher on fire to watch her burn then takes a gun to school and shoots her, and his parents did not notice his anger?

Sadly, this was not an anomaly, but an almost daily occurrence in our society. It is not recent but has been festering for some time. Hopefully we are not beyond saving and can find our way back to better times.

Thank you for a forum to express my thoughts though we may peacefully disagree.

With respect and kindest regards,

Ronald Goss, retired, Mena

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