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NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT + FOOD / JANUARY 16, 2014 / ARKTIMES.COM

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COMMENT

Immigration, income inequality Noticeably absent from your commentaries on immigration is any mention of the effect of flooding our labor market with over 30,000,000 new unskilled laborers on the Democrat’s latest topic du jour: income inequality. We should all beware of any issue on which the Democratic Party, SEIU, La Raza and the Chamber of Commerce are in agreement. The Democratic Party wants a new supply of voters who will be dependent on government largesse. The unions are forfeiting any pretense that they represent the working class. They are interested only in political power and a new supply of dues-paying members. The Chamber of Commerce and Big Business want cheap labor. Meanwhile, we have record-high, structural unemployment, with no end in sight. Adding this many unskilled workers will keep unemployment of American workers unacceptably high and further depress the wages and earnings of those Americans who have jobs. The demagogues notwithstanding, this is not a false choice between amnesty and mass deportation, which no one — left or right — advocates. Our immigration system is not broken. We allow more legal immigrants than any other country on earth, and are far more lenient than the Mexico these immigrants are so anxious to flee. We need only insist on respect for our laws and our national border. The Republican Party has a wonderful opportunity to be the party of legal immigration and the working man, but is completely missing the boat. Michael Emerson Little Rock

around the entire campus. Smokers already take the time to distance themselves in public areas while smoking, and would have no problem being obligated to smoke only in designated areas. Low-maintenance outdoor ashtrays reduce fire risk and keep facilities clean. Outdoor ashtrays retail for just $25, come in a variety of styles and sizes, and can hold up to 14,000 cigarette butts. They feature an interlocking, flame retardant and polyethylene housing to keep out rain and airflow to extinguish butts and fight odors. To improve aesthetic appearance, prevent fire hazards and to keep facilities clean,

I think that every public area should have at least one designated smoking area and conveniently accessible disposals for cigarette butts. Alaska Kessel Little Rock

From the web In response to an Arkansas Blog reference to an editorial by Ernest Dumas suggesting the state bypass a special election to replace Lt. Gov. Mark Darr: As much as I’d love for the State of Arkansas to save $1M, I think it IS a dangerous precedent to simply ignore the vacancy.

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Cigarette butt litter Today, I can’t recall a public area that isn’t littered with cigarette butts. Ironically, littered cigarette butts are seemingly more prevalent in non-smoking areas. I am a student at Pulaski Technical College, South. There, you will be fined $100 if caught smoking on campus. Although students and staff are not provided with designated smoking areas, and threatened not to smoke, there are littered cigarette butts all around the campus. I’ve witnessed fellow students walking far away from the school to stand along the service road on I-30 and smoke, and smokers simply breaking the rules. There is currently caution tape surrounding an area of trees — a smokers paradise — along the back entrance of the school to prevent smokers from loitering and littering. At my previous community college, there were two designated smoking areas with cigarette disposals conveniently located within them. There, I witnessed a substantial decrease of litter 4

JANUARY 16, 2014

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And I don’t see how the legislature can act to preclude a constitutional requirement. It was said earlier on the blog that it is important for the heir to the governor’s chair to be elected by the people of the entire state, not just one state Senate District. I agree. It may seem like an unnecessary job, but it’s not. It simply is not like teats on a boar hog. There’s simply no way to be completely certain that Gov. Beebe won’t be incapacitated in some way. Life is simply too tenuous. Heaven forbid that a health issue should strike him, but it could happen and we should always be prepared for it. If something happened today, we’d have boy-child Darr in the governor’s chair — at least until Feb. 1. If something happened after that, we’d have Gov. Lamoureux. Lamoureux may or may not be qualified to be governor. But regardless, the people of the entire state have not elected him to that office, even temporarily. Things happen outside legislative sessions that require us having a qualified governor who has been elected by all the people. We shouldn’t take the risk of not having a properly vetted backup. If you don’t like spending money on a statewide special election, blame the Republican Party for nominating and the people of Arkansas for electing an unqualified candidate. Maybe we’ll learn better this way. To have people in the legislature and the administration looking for ways around the constitutional requirements of filling this post gives me a chill. And the fact that pundits and others are encouraging it, is both remarkable and regrettable. Perplexed In response to an item on the Arkansas Blog about Sen. Mark Pryor’s campaign fundraising: If money was all it took then Pryor would be re-elected now. Of course, the votes for the liberal agenda of Obama can not be ignored in Arkansas. When Obama was elected in 2008 we had a few Democrats from Arkansas in Washington and now it is time for Pryor to face the voters. He will be the last to go and he will do better than Lincoln and lose by only 5 points instead of over 20. Every Thursday I email him more spending cut suggestions just like he requested but yet I don’t think he has taken me up on any of the 90 suggestions I have given him. Saline Republican

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail. The address is arktimes@arktimes.com. Please include name and hometown.


WORD S

Skinface “Later that evening, Varick approached “It is no coinciArnold with a letter he had just received from dence that the great an aide to the governor of New York con- nations of ancient firming the fact that Joshua Smith had told history were all a bald-faced lie about the passes ... .” prolific in the art of A reader asks whether a brazen lie war at sea.” — Blurb DOUG SMITH is bald-faced or boldfaced. He’s posed a on the cover of a dougsmith@arktimes.com tougher question than he knows; authori- DVD documentary, ties vary. The website World Wide Words “Ancient Ships: Early Naval Warfare.” says that the original form, and still the most Michael Klossner writes: “Instead commonly used in Britain, is barefaced. “In of prolific, they mean proficient.” I think the latter part of the 19th century, Ameri- he’s right. cans started to use bald-faced lie instead, which has become the more common Gain altitude quick! And keep in step: form in today’s US newspapers.” The third “The Federal Aviation Administration form, bold-faced, is sometimes considered announced Monday that six states, Alaska, an error, WWW says, but a researcher Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas found it used in the early 19th century. and Virginia, will develop test sites for Garner’s Modern American Usage is one drones, a critical next step for the march that rejects bold-faced in this sense, saying of the unmanned aircraft into U.S. skies.” “The general sense of both bald-faced and barefaced is that something is shameless; the “The issue with Latvia is that you have gist of boldface is that something is empha- a pretty permissible political environment, sized [as with big black type].” and you have quite efficient infrastructure I use bald-faced. I probably picked it up for managing these funds from the East. The from the newspapers: question is, why wouldn’t you want to go to “This time I won’t move the football, Latvia?” Charlie Brown.” I haven’t been to Latvia, but I’ll bet that “I know that’s a bald-faced lie.” political environment is permissive.

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WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for ...

APPROVING A SETTLEMENT. Federal Judge Price Marshall accepted terms of the settlement of the long-running Pulaski desegregation lawsuit. Tweeted Attorney General Dustin McDaniel after the ruling: “Settlement approved! Case closed!”

prohibiting most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, far in advance of when a fetus can live outside the womb. This will likely tee up a challenge to invalidate the 20-week ban passed by the Arkansas legislature in a bill by Rep. Andy Mayberry.

ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S OFFICE. Disgraced Lt. Gov. Mark Darr finally succumbed to pressure and announced that he would resign. His self-pitying statement initially said, “I submit that resignation to the people of Arkansas, not an elected official,” but on this, too, he caved, stating this week that he would “comply with all formal protocols.”

MAYOR JILL DABBS. Dennis Edwards resigned as finance director amidst thorny questions over city finances in Bryant, a city that has been no stranger to controversy since Mayor Jill Dabbs’ self-directed pay raise without city council approval earned her a reprimand from the Ethics Commission in 2011. A $1 million certificate of deposit was cashed before its maturity date — on orders of the mayor, according to a former alderman, to cover payment for police vehicles and fire department air packs that the mayor and police forgot to include in the 2013 budget.

JAY BARTH. The Times columnist and Hendrix politics professor received the Diane Blair Award from the Southern Political Science Association, which goes to a political scientist who has played an outstanding role in politics or government.

SICKNESS According to the state Health Department, 15 Arkansans have died from the flu this season and many more have been hospitalized. The department urges people to get flu shots and see a doctor if they have flu-like symptoms.

It was a bad week for ...

20-WEEK ABORTION BAN. The United States Supreme Court declined to review a lower court decision that invalidated Arizona’s state law

CHEERLEADER MOMS A rape charge was filed against Andrea Clevenger of Sherwood for having sex with a 13-yearold boy. Clevenger is one of the moms featured on TLC’s “Cheer Perfection,” a reality TV show about a team of young competitive cheerleaders at Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood.

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5


EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Little sister is watching

6

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

M

ost of us hear of the Little Sisters of the Poor only in joking reference to the weakness of opponents scheduled by major-college athletic teams: “We couldn’t run the ball against the Little Sisters of the Poor.” The real Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, don’t field a football team, so far as we know. But they make big plans. Scary ones. The Sisters are out to destroy religious freedom in America, to establish their own religion as the nation’s. Exactly what the country’s founders intended to prevent. The Sisters have filed suit in federal court, alleging that they are above secular law. Their suit may go all the way up to the Supreme Court, where the sisters would stand a very good chance of winning. Six of the nine Supreme Court justices are Catholic. The Court has already made an unprecedented ruling that corporations have free speech. If the Constitution can be so distorted to benefit corporations, why not special favors for Catholics? The Sisters are challenging a provision of the federal Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The law requires that health-care plans cover birth control. It does not require that the Sisters practice birth control, nor any employee of the institutions operated by the Sisters, nor that birth control for employees be approved by the Sisters. The law merely requires that birth-control coverage be available to employees who want it. But even this is too much for the Sisters. The rights of ordinary workers are inferior to those of nuns, they argue, and what is impermissible for nuns must be impermissible for nuns’ employees too, regardless of whether the employees are Catholic or not. The Sisters have found powerful Protestant allies. Several Protestant-owned corporations, strengthened by the Supreme Court’s earlier decision in their favor, have filed suits similar to the Sisters’, challenging the requirement that birth control be included in their health-care plans. Hobby Lobby, owned by fundamentalist Baptists, is among the best-known of these pious and chatty corporations. It places full-page ads in newspapers across the country attacking church-state separation and insisting that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation. David Green, Hobby Lobby’s founder, believes his right to force his faith on others supersedes government mandates. Workers are free to believe as their boss tells them, in other words. Presumably a boss who was a Christian Scientist could prohibit his employees from participating in any health-care plan. Another might pass out poisonous snakes to his employees. Please Sisters, let the First Amendment alone.

QUIET IN THE RIVER MARKET: A lone pedestrian braves a rainy morning in the River Market last Friday. WHERE IN ARKANSAS WINNER: Holly Hope correctly guessed the location of last week’s Where In Arkansas photo, which was Boxley Valley on the Buffalo River.

An unpalatable week

I

t was an appropriate week for the annual Gillett Coon Supper, a hoary political rite full of fake bipartisan bonhomie and bad food. Coon manages to make wild duck, one of the night’s side dishes, look good, particularly if the duck is wrapped in bacon and stuffed with jalapeno. Field dress these “duck bites” and you’re left with something palatable (I say as a veteran of Southwest Louisiana duck blinds and the ensuing gumbo of gamey, heavy metal-laden waterfowl.) The bipartisanship is so insincere that Republicans feigned dismay that Sen. Mark Pryor wished for passage of a farm bill when greeting the farmer-heavy crowd. He made no dig at opponent Tom Cotton, lurking nearby. It was unnecessary; Cotton has distinguished himself as a singular foe of farm legislation broadly supported in Arkansas. Pryor’s cheer for farmers couldn’t have been less controversial in this setting. The only thing more welcome would have been an honest politician proclaiming he preferred a Tyson’s Buffalo wing to a coon haunch. The coon supper came amid a backdrop of uncountable social media photos from Arkansas politicians blasting away with shotguns and displaying their duck slaughters — birds soon to add to the archaeological layers of uneaten birds in many an Arkansas deep freeze. Coon and duck are just about as palatable as the week’s political news. Lt. Gov. Mark Darr did say he was going to resign Feb. 1 for illegal expense account and campaign spending. But he hasn’t gone yet. And he blamed his predicament on politics. Meaning, I guess, that Arkansas isn’t yet sufficiently in control of Republicans to excuse GOP plunderers. Republicans manipulated the messaging. They managed to sound like good government advocates in saying Gov. Mike Beebe should ignore the law and work with them to avoid an expensive special election to

fill Darr’s seat this year. Yes, it would be to Democrats’ political advantage to have a special election that could be won by their general election candidate John Burkhalter. Leading Republican MAX candidates, as legislators, may not BRANTLEY run in a special election. But this maxbrantley@arktimes.com only means Republicans opposing the election also have political advantage in mind. Last Friday, the state Board of Education approved a taxpayer-funded middle school for a white upper class neighborhood in Chenal Valley where parents don’t want to go to school with poor black kids in other Little Rock middle schools. Why not approve it? The highest court in the land has made it clear race no longer matters in school enrollment in post-racial America. If schools are separate in terms of race and class and unequal in terms of achievement, well, that’s just freedom of choice. Three days later, a federal judge signed off on an end to the Pulaski County school desegregation case. In four years, a 1989 agreement that caused the state to spend a cumulative $1 billion will be officially over. The state had to pay for encouraging white flight school to the Pulaski County Special School District that surrounds Little Rock and other segregative actions. The lawsuit didn’t end racial disparity in test scores nor did it end white flight. North Little Rock is now majority black and Pulaski County has grown ever blacker and smaller as whites have fled to more distant suburbs. And how’s this for irony? The much-lauded “historic” settlement doesn’t really end the case. Pulaski County and eternal civil rights champion John Walker will continue to wrangle over the county’s continuing effort, after 24 years, to end disparities in disciplining of black children and equality of school facilities. PS: The state will spend another quarter-billion before it’s done. Pass the coon.


OPINION

Christie, Darr blew apologies

C

hris Christie and Mark Darr are loudmouthed, corn-fed politicians whose unbridled ambitions took a dive last week owing to failures that they considered trifling to the point of silliness. Do they have anything else in common other than enjoying the honorific “Governor,” a shared political party and the fact that by week’s end they seemed to offer mournful apologies for the misdeeds? Darr lost a minor state job in a state on the margins of the political universe while Christie is fighting to keep his job as governor of a seaboard state and as the leading contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. But they are in sync on this: their bungled apologias for what had happened to or by them. And they had many, many examples from recent political history to draw lessons from. Christie knew the big lesson — be totally honest and repentant — but he just couldn’t do it. He may yet survive — he will for sure in New Jersey, where bluff and swagger are admired — to confront Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2016 election, but I doubt it.

As a politician who once got into trouble explained it to me, here is one lesson from political scandals ERNEST big and small: If DUMAS the average guy can imagine himself under some conditions doing what you did, he will forgive you if you are straight up and sorry about it. That includes robbing a bank. Darr got caught cheating on his campaign and government accounts to the tune of about $40,000. He apparently needed the money but he couldn’t explain it that way. He said that he was not smart enough to know that he was violating the law, which was entirely credible, but he blamed others for not telling him and whined that the people who exposed his cheating were the bad guys for treating him so shabbily. Christie or his friends shut down a whole city, Fort Lee, for four days to pay back one or two local officials who had not supported him, stalling workers, schoolchildren and

ambulances for hours each day at the foot of the world’s busiest bridge and then chortled over their plight. The children stranded for hours on frigid buses were just the spawn of Democrats. Few people can imagine themselves ever doing anything that callous. Many are the politicians who perished for trifling misdeeds and few who survived. The other party offers instructive examples. In 1988, Sen. Joe Biden, a rising candidate for president, was caught plagiarizing a speech by the British Labor Party leader. He apologized and withdrew, returning 20 years later for another race, which won him the vice presidency. Sen. Gary Hart, after a lot of hectoring by the press about his suspected womanizing in 1988, got caught and quit presidential politics, for good. And there’s Bill Clinton. When a nightclub singer announced in the middle of his presidential campaign in 1992 that she had once had a fling with him, he appeared on television with his wife deeply penitent and she pronounced him forgiven. Voters did, too. When the whole play, this time with a White House intern, was re-enacted, including the penitence, at the end of his presidency, Clinton left office with soaring approval ratings. The George Washington Bridge caper is not so easily forgiven as Gennifer Flowers, or whoever Bill Clinton had dalliances with, although the Clinton and Christie foul-ups

both seemed to be personality patterns. Christie is famous, even admired, in New Jersey for swagger and hardball politics. Political enemies, even mild public critics, are made to pay. The stories about Christie employing the power of government for political payback are legion. He repeatedly vetoed a small line-item appropriation from the health budget for post-partum depression treatment because a sufferer of the ailment, the wife of a political opponent, had championed it. For months after the bridge donnybrook, while reports circulated that the governor’s office had ordered the lane closures on the bridge to punish Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor for refusing to endorse Christie for re-election, Christie scoffed and said it was much ado about nothing. When emails surfaced showing that his deputy chief of staff, his friends at the Port Authority and his campaign manager, adviser and candidate for Republican state chairman were all involved in the intentional traffic snarl, Christie changed. He held a tearful press conference and apologized profusely, but it was not a Clinton performance. He said he did nothing wrong and, indeed, he was the victim. Two friends at the Port Authority had already quit and he severed his association with his campaign manager and fired his deputy chief of staff,

heard testimony from medical professionals that it’s time to end the lifetime ban on gay men’s blood donaJAY tion. This follows BARTH the announcement last year that the American Medical Association (AMA) favors a shift in the policy “to ensure blood donation bans … are applied to donors according to their individual level of risk and are not based on sexual orientation alone.” At the grassroots level, boycotts of blood drives are growing on college campuses — key venues for the Red Cross to collect large amounts of blood and recruit new generations of donors each year — in response to the persistent ban. Activists and health professionals alike are right: It’s time for the archaic policy — reaffirmed regularly across the last three decades by the FDA — to go. It’s a change that’s right in terms of both public health and social equality. In the early days of the AIDS crisis, when so little was known about the ori-

gins and transmission of HIV and when the health crisis was centered in the gay male community, limiting gay males’ blood donation made public health sense. Many longtime donors stopped giving blood because out of fear they would come in contact with a contaminated needle. Even more problematic, those most dependent upon the nation’s blood supply, such as hemophiliacs, were susceptible to the introduction of HIV into the system. One famous early victim of the tainted blood supply was Arthur Ashe, the tennis champion who became infected from a transfusion during heart surgery. So, a short-term ban on men who’d had sex with other men made sense to respond to this still-mysterious crisis. However, fairly quickly, ways of ascertaining HIV status were developed, we became more knowledgeable about the how the virus was (and was not) spread, and it became clear that HIV/AIDS was not a crisis facing just the gay male community. Despite these changes, the lifetime ban on gay men stayed in place even as a strict regimen for testing all blood was established and it became clear that other groups in American society also had elevated rates of HIV transmission.

What now makes more sense, as last year’s AMA statement emphasized, is to respond to the risky activity of individuals rather than on barring donations for life by an entire group of Americans. No matter one’s sexual orientation, those who engage in risky behavior should be barred from donating blood for a period. (At present, those who are straight but have had sex with an HIV-positive opposite-sex partner or with a prostitute or who have used IV drugs are eligible to give blood as long as they wait a year.) Gay men who are monogamous or engage in safe activity should be encouraged to donate to enlarge the pool of donors and to remove one of the last vestiges of a once prevalent view that gay individuals are “sick” and an inherent risk to the broader community. Particularly during times of crisis such as a natural disaster or an event like 9/11, giving blood provides an important practical role in making it possible for more to survive. But, it also plays a crucial symbolic role in reasserting the vibrancy of a community when it feels under assault. One group of Americans has been overtly excluded from this expression of community for too long. It’s time to welcome them into the fold.

Bad blood

J

ust after the events of 9/11, a woman waiting on me in a department store saw the telltale signs of blood having been drawn from my arm and thanked me for giving blood in response to the call for rank-and-file citizens to serve others with the “gift of life.” But, I had not given blood that day. Indeed, despite the fact that I have a particularly desirable blood type, I’ve never given blood. For my entire adult life, the blood of all gay men has been rejected — initially by the Red Cross and then, starting in 1985, by a policy of the Food and Drug Administration — for the fear of HIV contamination of the blood supply. This is despite the fact that all blood is now strenuously tested for a variety of infectious diseases before entering the blood supply. Over time, as other signs of anti-gay discrimination have faded in American society, the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood remains a glaring reminder of historical antipathy. Last month, however, the first steps towards overturning the policy were taken when members of the federal Department of Health and Human Service’s advisory committee on blood safety

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

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JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Resisting the urge to quit on the Hogs

O

h, those wily, expectation-killing spotlight in a fine Razorbacks! Lest you think for a 17-point showing moment that signs of The Great for the lowly Ags. Then Alandise Pall Over Basketball lifting are real and Harris lost his tangible, we give you the new Hogs of old. Newest verse, same maudlin dirge. footing against the BEAU WILCOX Hate to start off so bleak, but after Mike Gators, making a Anderson’s third iteration of the Fastest number of critical Forty Minutes blazed to a commendable, and largely unforced gaffes. It’s ironic that if still cautionary, 11-2 start, you had to be Rashad Madden, whose confidence used to lulled into believing, and maybe even enterbe easily shaken, had a couple of steady if taining obscenely grandiose thoughts of not electric efforts in the losses. I would’ve miracle Final Four runs. You just felt like at pegged him as most susceptible to backlong last, this was a well-machined bunch, sliding, but the kid has earned the right to one that could not only reliably obliterate take the reins of this shaky bunch and try to coax resurgence from it. all the non-conference weaklings but then seamlessly transition to If you are scorSEC play with swaging at home, the Hogs’ ger. It would not have 53-point “effort” against Not jumping off been folly to think that A&M was a mere twothe cliff just yet, the 2013-14 team, deep point “improvement” but after the Hogs from the 69-51 a year and athletic and buoyed hacked away two before in the same by rapid improvement winnable games from key returnees, was cavern. They played a in a four-day closer to legit than anyhideous game against coughing fit well a team that, amazthing we’ve seen postsuited for cold Richardson. ingly, they might have and flu season, Not jumping off the regarded lightly. How you start tiptoeing cliff just yet, but after does a team with no nearer the edge NCAA berths in six the Hogs hacked away two winnable games in years do that? than you wanted a four-day coughing fit The smug answer to to in January, and well suited for cold and the rhetorical question certainly you didn’t flu season, you start tipmay sadly be “coachanticipate a deadtoeing nearer the edge ing.” And it may not legged showing fall entirely or even than you wanted to in again in College principally on AnderJanuary, and certainly Station followed son. His staff is culpayou didn’t anticipate a by the bitter end of ble. Practices, we can dead-legged showing a 23-game home again in College Stasurmise, aren’t producwinning streak tion followed by the tive when a team is so against Top 10 bitter end of a 23-game grossly erratic in game Florida. situations. It’s nice that home winning streak against Top 10 Florida. Arkansas was able to Texas A&M just isn’t respond to the first loss very good — a 20-point home loss to North by giving a fair amount of commitment Texas preceded the Aggies’ 69-53 beating against a far better team, but it still ended of the Hogs — and Florida trailed most of on the wrong side of the hyphen because the Hogs failed to do numerous and seemthe second half at Bud Walton Arena before the Hogs started missing dunks and suringly routine things that would’ve secured rendering back-breaking threes in a fashion a key win. Instead, it’s an 0-2 start for a team that that was so very 2012-13 (or really, 2002-13, if we’re being fair). cannot be historically counted upon to The galling part of it is that people who brush back adverse results, especially when had gotten dependable suddenly became traveling abroad. The schedule toughens troublingly inefficient. Michael Qualls had from here and the framework of another two largely horrible efforts after weeks of struggle is in place. How do they resist the solid play. Bobby Portis was simply terrible urge to quit? at A&M while a much less touted frosh And incidentally, how do we as fans named Davonte Fitzgerald snatched the resist the urge to quit on them?


THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Weird neighbors A BEAUTIFUL, SUNLIT AFTERNOON was had last Sunday at The Observatory, a memorable afternoon of light, warmth and laughter after a week of frigid days when the sky looked like an old wool sock and The Observer was forced to break out the BIG coat and gloves. Yeesh. If we didn’t love this state so much, we would have high-tailed it for Florida around the time the thermometer hit 15. A bit of set up: The Observer was strolling around the new Goodwill in far-west Little Rock weekend before last when we came across a piece of questionable history. It’s called the massaging roller, a sort of low sawhorse, filled with belts and pulleys and the world’s heaviest electric motor, all capped with a truly terrifying cylinder made of turned maple rods. Plug it in, and in addition to the smell of burning ozone, you get a crazy mechanical whirring, the knobbed rods spinning in a way that just makes you want to stick your finger in there and see what fresh hell would result, along with a trip to the emergency room. A little online digging later found that it was the invention of Dr. John Kellogg of Battle Creek Michigan, the famous quack who invented Kellogg’s corn flakes and prescribed all kinds of wacky and pointless treatments to late-19th-century hypochondriacs. (Ever seen “The Road to Wellville”? He’s the guy played by Anthony Hopkins.) Back in 1963, we learned, the thing sold for the equivalent of over $1,400, guaranteed to do everything from increase circulation to melt fat. The contraption was $10 at Goodwill, though, and The Observer really needs a new high-torque electric motor for our belt sander, so we couldn’t pass it up. And so, with Spouse looking on incredulously, we paid our sawbuck and lugged it into the back of her Honda. There the beast sat all week, waiting for the weather to break. On Sunday, the sun shining and the day glowing and May-like, our friend Amy came down to visit Spouse. Amy’s a singular, lovely soul, one of the few non-relative people The Observer has allowed to breach the dome of awkwardness and questionable humor that scares off most people long before they

become our friend. She used to work at the Arkansas Times a long time ago. Before that, she was one of the first non-AfricanAmerican waitresses to work at a certain famous local barbecue joint, DJ’ed a blues radio show, got a large tattoo of a rooster, got married under an honest-toGod maypole (which the Observer built), and generally has excelled at being one of those people who spends her life being as non-normal as possible. Spouse and I love her like a sister, her tendency to drink all The Observer’s medicinal whiskey, a sip at a time, not withstanding. Amy had her ukulele with her on Sunday — yes, she’s learning to play the ukulele, and ain’t doing half bad at it — and she and Spouse sat on the porch of The Observatory in our red chairs, and talked, and laughed, and generally acted like people who hadn’t seen the sun in a week, which they were. Meanwhile, with daylight burning, we went over to Spouse’s Honda and lugged out Dr. Kellogg’s machine, meaning to cut the contraption up with our reciprocating saw, keep the motor and haul the rest to the curb. It says a lot about Amy that when she saw the thing, she had to try it. Protest we did about dismemberment and long hair caught in the belts, but nothing doing. Before long, The Observer squinted, plugged it in, and grimaced as the digit shredding cylinder whirred to life. Just as quick, ol’ Amy had the machine dragged over to one of the chairs, where she proceeded to use it as a footstool (“IT FEELS AH-MAY-ZING ON MY CALVES!”) while playing the ukulele, working her way through “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” and “Amazing Grace,” and a serviceable rendition of “Tiny Bubbles” while The Observer’s good scotch from the top of the fridge flowed and the January sunlight came down through the bare trees, gold as whiskey. When she left a few hours later, Amy made us promise to spare the beast, a piece of history she contended, too valuable to sore ankles and legs to kill for its guts. We reluctantly complied, lugging to back over to the back of our van and tumping it in, where it remains. Ukulele is clearly our weakness.

If you support the rights of all Arkansans to… •Have children, to not have children, and to raise the children we have in safe and healthy environments. •Access the full range of affordable, confidential reproductive health services and age-appropriate, medically accurate sexual health education. •Make intensely personal and private decisions about our own reproductive health, free from shame, religious dogma and interference by politicians…

Join us for the 4th Annual Reproductive Justice Rally! Saturday, January 18th, 1:00 pm Steps of the Arkansas State Capitol Rain or shine facebook.com/ACforRJ

@ACforRJ

tinyurl.com/ACRJ2014

Additional support from the following groups: •Arkansas…Stop the War on Women •Arkansas for the Immediate Passage of the ERA •PFLAG Little Rock www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 16, 2014

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Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

The Sherwood police announced Tuesday that a rape charge had been filed against Andrea Clevenger, 34, of Sherwood, for having sex with a 13-yearold boy. Clevenger is one of the moms featured on TLC’s “Cheer Perfection,” a reality TV show about a team of young competitive cheerleaders at Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood. She has been charged with one count of rape, a Y felony, and one count of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in a visual or print medium, a B felony. Warrants were issued in the case Monday and she surrendered with her attorney in district court Tuesday. She was released on her own recognizance, but was ordered to wear an ankle bracelet for electronic monitoring of her whereabouts. The affidavit of her arrest recounts multiple incidents of sex between Clevenger and the boy and says she also sent him sexual explicit images by phone of herself and others. The boy’s parents discovered the relationship and that led to the report to authorities, according to the affidavit. Evidence includes a statement from the victim’s mother that Clevenger had admitted the relationship to her, apologized and vowed to seek rehabilitation. She reportedly told the boy’s mother that he “doesn’t act 13.” The affidavit on transmission of photographs essentially parallels the allegations in the affidavit seeking the rape charge. Sherwood police said they received got a complaint Nov. 27 from the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline relative to an alleged sexual assault. Authorities said the victim is a friend of Clevenger’s daughter. “Cheer Perfection” debuted on Dec. 19, 2012, for an eight-episode run. The most recent season ended in October, but the show continues in TLC rotation and you can find Clevenger in several of the videos on the show website. There’s drama among the parents as well as the participants in the activity. TV reviewer David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote: “TLC’s ‘Cheer Perfection’ is a sad look at the mental games adults play in their drive to get daughters to succeed.” He added: “The producers don’t even pretend to focus on the girls, however. They focus on the parents, a not very endearing bunch whose ongoing mental games with each other and whose drive to push their daughters creates the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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An uneventful year Few complaints over veterans’ center on Main. BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

T

wo years ago, the Veterans Administration’s plan to move its Day Treatment Center for homeless veterans to a building at 1000 Main St. caused quite a stir. Downtown residents, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Congressman Tim Griffin and Mayor Mark Stodola protested that the move, from a cramped building on Second Street, had been sprung on them, though the VA had advertised in the newspaper its desire to purchase property to house the center. The newspaper called it “unacceptable” that the VA had bought the property without consulting the community. Griffin asked the VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to suspend the move and seek more input from neighbors and local leaders. Stodola called the idea to place the drop-in clinic across the street from a liquor store in business at 10th and Main was “idiotic,” and hurried up an ordinance to require conditional use permits for businesses that address for substance abuse or mental health issues. (As it turned out, the ordinance as drafted did not apply to the VA center.) The Downtown Neighborhood Association, after a three-hour meeting that verged on ugly as residents expressed their fears of mentally ill vets wandering the neighborhood, loitering in businesses, buying booze and scaring children walking to school, voted not to support the move. The VA apologized to the mayor for not notifying him personally. Shinseki wrote Griffin that the VA had followed the law and he hoped that communication between the VA and the community would improve. The Day Treatment Center went ahead. In March 2013, the VA moved in to the spacious, 12,000-square-foot building, a revamped former Jeep dealership that quadrupled the size of the treatment center at 1101 2nd St. In the past year, 2,100 vets, about 600 of them new, have used the center. (Many are repeat clients who need several tries to get back on track, and even those who have found homes still have access to the center’s medical and

BRIAN CHILSON

‘Cheer’ mom charged with rape

HAROLD JACKSON

life skills programs.) Veterans and staff no longer have to share a single bathroom; no longer do vets seeking to get off the streets and into jobs have use of only “one pitiful shower,” Dr. Estella L. Morris, director of the treatment center, said. The new center has separate showers and bathrooms for both men and women clients as well as staff. The veterans no longer have to eat their meals in three 20-minute shifts, 12 at a time; now there’s one shift, serving breakfast and lunch to up to 28 clients. Now there are rooms for social work staff and the many programs offered the vets, classes the vets must sign up for and attend to be fed and helped to end their life on the streets. Now services that once were offered at three places — 1100 Second St., a 500-square-foot space across the street from 1100, and St. Francis House — are under one roof, and there is still space for more. The building can house a HUDVASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) staff that has doubled, thanks to the VA’s investment in the “Opening Doors” program to prevent end homelessness by 2015. A staff of 42 includes outreach workers who work with incarcerated veterans, previously not considered homeless and unprepared for the free world. The Day Treatment Center is open to vets from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and staff shifts run to 7 p.m. to make sure all vets have a place to sleep at night. It runs shuttles to the North Little Rock and Little Rock

VA hospitals every 30 minutes for vets with acute needs; the city provides shuttles to and from its Homeless Day Resource Center on Confederate Boulevard and various shelters. A psychiatrist sees vets on Tuesdays; there is an advanced practice nurse at the center weekdays. The VA has been able to increase its staff because of its success, VA spokesman Miles Brown said, and “the fact that it’s working” has made more federal dollars available to Little Rock’s facility. It may not work right away, but though Harold Jackson, 51, relapsed several times into drugs and homeless, he’s been clean now for six years and is enrolled in occupational therapy classes at Pulaski Technical College. Jackson, a Navy vet, said he lapsed into drugs after several trips through the VA system because he could not bring himself to go to Alcoholics Anonymous or other programs for help to stay clean. “I thought I would be less than a man,” he said, to talk to other men about his failings. But the last time he fell off the wagon, he had a “bad altercation” with his brother. “He had stole my drugs. I hurt him kind of bad. I messed up his leg. It was hard to tell my mom” that he’d hurt his brother fighting over dope, he said. “I called the VA and asked if they’d give me one more time.” (The VA limits the times it will take a vet into its programs so they don’t abuse the system.) CONTINUED ON PAGE 21


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ASK THE TIMES

INSIDER, CONT. drama TV cares about.” Robert Bell wrote about the show for our Rock Candy blog in 2012 after ABC News did a feature on the program. He called it “a harrowing glimpse into the nightmarish hell-scape that is the children’s competitive cheerleading.”

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY/OAKLAWN

Undeterred

Q:

Somebody told me that you can now bet online on races run at Oaklawn. Is that true? And if so, how is that legal?

A:

While the term “off-track betting” is sure to conjure up images of portly dudes in leisure suits milling around in greasy betting parlors while TVs blare out races overhead, betting on the ponies while not actually at the track has gone high tech all over the country in recent years. It’s called “Advanced Deposit Wagering,” and because of a law passed last year, something similar has made its way to Arkansas. Act 350 of 2013 allows Arkansas residents to create and deposit money into an online account for wagers by phone or computer on live races or simulcast races at Oaklawn in Hot Springs and Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis. While the Oaklawn system is up and running at this writing, available 24 hours a day at OaklawnAnywhere.com, the Arkansas Racing Commission said that Southland hasn’t set up its system yet. OaklawnAnywhere.com is an updated take on Oaklawn’s previous online system, MyOaklawn.com, which allowed Arkansas residents with at least $20 on account with the track to bet on races using smartphones or computers while at Oaklawn. According to the Frequently Asked Questions page at OaklawnAnywhere.com, there is no minimum deposit

required to register and create an account on the site. Registration requires a would-be bettor to input information such as name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. Once the registration is processed, Arkansas residents registered with the site can place bets on Oaklawn’s live or simulcast racing from anywhere in the world by telephone (1-844-OAK-BETS), or by using a smartphone or computer. There are no fees to register or bet, though bettors are required to have deposited enough money in their account to cover any wager they make. Racing Commission Director Ron Oliver said the change in the law ensures that Oaklawn and the state get a share of the online betting on Oaklawn races that was already occurring. In terms of the taxes collected by state and local governments, wagers made at OaklawnAnywhere.com will be treated exactly like bets made in person at the window. While an online bet will never replace the experience of going to the track and watching the fillies prance, Oliver believes the new system will benefit the state. “My best guess is that it would probably increase the state’s take,” Oliver said. “There are people who may bet that couldn’t get to the track that day.”

The Times asked Rep. Andy Mayberry for his reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent refusal to take up a lower court ruling invalidating an Arizona law that essentially prohibits abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, the same as a law Mayberry passed over Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto in Arkansas last year. The Arkansas law included a lot of language, modeled after antiabortion strategy everywhere, aimed at lifting concern for the fetus and a contested theory of fetal pain above the woman’s medical interests in making abortion decisions. A federal judge on the Arizona case had indicated some sympathy to this point of view, but offered the opinion that to be successful in making a case for a legal limitation based on a theory of fetal pain, Arizona perhaps could have crafted a constitutional bill by requiring anesthetization of the fetus before abortion. The issue continues to work through other courts. Mayberry remains undeterred. Here’s his take on the effect of the ruling on state law: “I am certainly disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision today. However, there are some significant differences in the Arizona law and the ‘Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act’ we passed in Arkansas earlier this year. Perhaps chief among those is the emphasis on the pain-capability of the unborn child as a compelling interest of the state to protect that life. Arkansas’ legislation is based on Nebraska law developed by the National Right to Life organization; Arizona’s was not. As I understand it, the ruling today does not affect the ‘Pain Capable’ law that was passed in Arkansas and nine other states that have laws based on similar model legislation. I still firmly believe that Arkansas’ law protecting most unborn children past 20 weeks post-fertilization is constitutional, and I continue to be hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that way if reviewed by that body. In the meantime, I’m happy we’re still saving additional babies’ lives in Arkansas.” www.arktimes.com

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BRIAN CHILSON

AT THE LIBRARY: The whole family came to town for a Clinton Presidential Center exhibit on the former president and first lady’s mothers.

CLINTON INC. STILL MAKES ARKANSAS GO For their work in Arkansas and abroad, the Clintons are our pick for Arkansans of the Year. BY ERNEST DUMAS

W

hen Bill Clinton left the White House 13 years ago and repaired to New York with his family, Arkansas was left with the legacy of seven years of investigations and ruined reputations instead of the vast dividend of public works and national good will that some had expected of a favorite-son presidency. It was some recompense when a presidential library and a graduate school of public service, loosely affiliated with the new William J. Clinton Foundation, settled on the south bank of

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the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock. The library became a major tourist attraction (in 2013 its visitors surpassed three million) and the adjoining institutions bearing his name became a magnet for upscale development all along the old riverfront street that was renamed President Clinton Avenue. Besides the hotels, restaurants and museums, the attractions include one of the nation’s most advanced urban library systems, built by longtime Clinton adviser Bobby Roberts; riverside parks, a state wildlife center and a new international headquarters and nature park for Heifer

Project, the global hunger-relief group run at the time by Clinton’s former state parks director. Clinton’s foundation became the world’s fastest-growing nongovernmental organization, and the globetrotting former president won international acclaim for his foundation’s work to combat sickness, poverty and the fruits of climate change in the third world and parts of the United States. Even the billionaire scion of the Mellon fortune who had bankrolled the Arkansas scandal industry when Clinton was president converted to admirer and said he never meant any harm.


A few dividends for Arkansas after all? Then, in 2013, Clinton seemed to turn more of his personal attention to his native state, some of it celebratory and some of it political, like advancing the political careers of a generation of Clinton acolytes and the former first lady of Arkansas and carrying the torch for an unpopular president’s health initiative in one of the unhealthiest states in the union. So it is as good a year as any to recognize the accumulation of all those works, whether they were for good or ill, with the Times’ designation as the 2013 Arkansan of the Year — if not Clinton individually then the whole family, whose names now adorn the foundation, and the coterie of friends and followers who are involved in all those enterprises. Let’s call the honoree Clinton Inc.

★★★

STILL AT THE SWITCH: The former president was invited to the illumination ceremony that would light up three bridges across the Arkansas River.

another Clinton initiative. But the special Clinton genius was to get others — rich people, business and government leaders around the world and the like — to join him in whatever he wanted to do. In 2005 and 2006 he persuaded 2,300 people, companies and organizations to commit $73.5 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative, which would try to implement the Clinton ideas about improving the world. His library at Little Rock, the Clinton Pres-

NELSON CHENAULT

There was opposition to renaming the old East Markham Street for Clinton from enemies who thought the impeached president had disgraced the city and state and also churlish criticism that, once he was a private citizen again, Clinton had shown his true colors by shunning Arkansas for the lights of the big city so that his wife could run for senator in New York. In spite of his impeachment, though, Clinton enjoyed extraordinary national popularity for a departing president, and it would rise ever higher as he and his foundation undertook the work of combating AIDS and poverty in Africa, Asia and South America while other ex-presidents (except Jimmy Carter) shuffled into quiescence or padded their bank accounts with big consulting and speaking fees. The Clinton Foundation — it was renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation last year to recognize their initiatives; Chelsea, especially, is said to have taken a more active role in the direction and management of the foundation — started as an effort to build a health-care system in Africa that would bring down the prohibitive cost of drugs for HIV/ AIDS and generally address the pandemic. That broadened into the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which was to improve access to medicine and treatment globally — in the developing world initially and eventually communities in the United States, as well. Every year, following Clinton’s life pattern, he saw something else the foundation could be doing and started an initiative to address it in some way: climate change, poverty, underdevelopment, the Haiti disaster, women’s rights and female health. After his own heart bypass surgery, he said, “Hey, we ought to do something about childhood obesity,” and joined with the American Heart Association to start the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. So began

idential Center, played some role, hosting symposiums and other events that advanced the causes, a few of which began to focus on Arkansas. Last March, Clinton came to town to announce still another Clinton initiative, Kiva City Little Rock, an undertaking with Visa to increase the availability of microloans to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Central Arkansas through a type of crowdfunding, where CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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people pool their money through the Internet to capitalize new or expanding businesses in exchange for a small share of the equity. The JOBS Act, signed by President Obama in 2012, described the idea. In December, Clinton was back to announce that another Clinton initiative, Health Matters, was going to focus on the Little Rock area. Partnering with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and other groups, Health Matters is supposed to induce people, especially the poor, to abandon their unhealthy lifestyles — don’t smoke, eat better, exercise, get insured, etc. — to end the disparity in the health status of communities. The Clinton School of Public Service, a graduate program affiliated with the University of Arkansas, is sort of a field station for all the Clinton ideas about helping the poor and benighted of the world bootstrap themselves to a better life. Housed in the remodeled Choctaw Station that Rock Island built in 1899, the school selects 40 to 50 college graduates every year,

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BRIAN CHILSON

CELEBRATING 1991: Clinton addresses a crowd at the 20th anniversary of his announcement that he would run for president.

typically idealistic young men and women who want to devote their lives to the kind of service all those Clinton initiatives envision. The school talks about building leaders through civic engagement — “academics for the real world,” it proclaims — and it sends students into the surrounding community, east Arkansas, Africa and Latin America for laboratory work, in places like orphanages, homeless shelters, African villages, schools and community centers. Last summer, its 44 students worked in 20 countries. The school has accumulated no debt for buildings, using for auditoriums, classrooms and research the nearby Central Arkansas Library campus that librarian and Clinton friend Bobby Roberts has expanded in recent years to include a theater (opening this week) and the architecturally eclectic Arkansas Studies Institute, an archive and center for Arkansas history research. Aside from its mission, the Clinton School has won a big following in Central Arkansas with its lecture series, begun for the students

but widened for many of the lectures to anyone from the community who will make a reservation, or who doesn’t. Statesmen, thinkers and authors, owing to the Clinton name, are eager to go to the Clinton School to lecture at little or no expense. Among the speakers have been nine former presidents or prime ministers, 19 Pulitzer Prize winners, six Nobel Prize winners and 37 ambassadors. The lectures, about 100 a year, are often so popular that the school has to move them to the big convention auditoriums a few blocks west of the school.

★★★ Since leaving Washington, the Clintons — mostly Bill but occasionally Hillary or Chelsea — have spent 10 to 20 days a year in Arkansas, speaking at dedications, book promotions and conferences and, for Clinton, the funerals of old friends. Last year, he flew back to deliver eulogies for Rudy Moore Jr. of Fayetteville, his longtime


friend and chief of staff, and Michael Cornwell of Danville, an early supporter whom he appointed to the Game and Fish Commission. In April, Chelsea Clinton came to town to pitch in on Global Youth Services Day at the Rice Depot and to participate in a fundraiser for Ballet Arkansas, which she performed with as a girl. In May, her parents were down for the renaming ceremony for the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport and the opening reception for Clinton friend Oscar de la Renta and his fashion exhibit at the Presidential Center. They returned in July for the dedication of Bobby Roberts’ newest library, the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center, a glassy building with a theater, reading and computer rooms and a teaching kitchen centered in a nature park on the blighted side of the interstate that divides midtown from the mostly poor and racially mixed neighborhoods to the south. The library’s name recognized Hillary’s contributions to Arkansas children by drafting the education CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Chelsea Clinton’s name, like Hillary’s, has been added to the Clinton Foundation name.

BRIAN CHILSON

BRIAN CHILSON

A SUPPORTER OF CHILDREN: Hillary Clinton reads “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to children at the new library for them and named for the former first lady.

www.arktimes.com

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flict, spoke at the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s dedication of the Greers Ferry Dam at Heber Springs and spoke at a jobs fair for Arkansas veterans.

★★★

reforms of 1983, founding Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and working for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Defense Fund. In September, Clinton obliged a request from President Obama and undertook a campaign to promote the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. He chose to begin in his home state, where the president’s approval rating was near the lowest in the country but where the Republican legislature had implemented the one big part of

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BRIAN CHILSON

EMBRACING: Could Arkansas voters embrace Hillary as a presidential candidate?

the law that states could reject. The hour-long nationally televised speech was a tour de force but it was soon neutered by the technological disaster in the initial signup. Although as a young senator in 2006 Obama had come to Arkansas to campaign for Beebe, he had avoided returning to a state where polls showed he was widely hated. On Oct. 1 and 2, Clinton presided at a symposium at the Presidential Center on the Bosnian war, timed for the Central Intelligence Agency’s release of confidential intelligence on the con-

During the White House years and afterward, Clinton was often on the telephone with old Arkansas friends. Governor Beebe, who was his floor leader in the state Senate for much of Clinton’s gubernatorial reign, says Clinton calls every couple of months. Dale Bumpers and David Pryor, who retired from the U.S. Senate in his last term, continue to get calls from Clinton to talk about his problems or Arkansas politics or, it seems, just to reminisce. The calls are never brief. When he was in town last month for the celebratory lighting of the presidential bridge and two other downtown bridges, Clinton summoned his early campaign driver, Mike Ross, to his apartment in the Presidential Center to strategize Ross’ campaign for governor. Ross was elected to the state Senate with Clinton’s help in 1990 and was an ally for Clinton’s final legislative session. He was elected to Congress in 2000 and took office just as Clinton was leaving. Aside from friendship, Clinton has a special reason for raising money and laboring in other ways for Ross in 2014, as he had for Beebe in 2006: their Republican opponent, Asa Hutchinson (presuming Hutchinson wins the Republican nomination for governor). Hutchinson, then a congressman from the district where Clinton got his start, prosecuted Clinton in his impeachment trial in the Senate in 1998 for not being forthright about his Oval Office dalliance with an intern. Clinton has a lifelong urge to appease his enemies, but not that one, or Kenneth Starr, the Whitewater independent counsel. In fact, the 2014 election in Arkansas is shaping up as sort of a Clinton plebiscite. He came to Little Rock for Sen. Mark Pryor’s campaign opener and fund-raiser. Like Ross, Pryor served in Clinton’s last state legislature and his father was perhaps Clinton’s closest confidante during his presidency. When New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg began running ads in Arkansas last summer attacking Pryor for voting against a nationally popular gun-control bill, Clinton called a close Bloomberg associate to stop the ads. They continued for a while. John Burkhalter, the leading candidate for lieutenant governor, is an old friend and supporter. He helped persuade James Lee Witt, a star in both his Little Rock and Washington administrations, to run for the House of Representatives from the 4th District. Witt, a former Yell County county judge, reorganized Arkansas’s emergency services and did the same in Washington. The Federal Energy Management Agency became a


BRIAN CHILSON

BACK IN LITTLE ROCK, AGAIN: The Clintons arrive at the airport newly named for them.

showcase for government that worked. Pat Hays, the only announced Democratic candidate for Congress from the 2nd District, served in the state House of Representatives before he became mayor of North Little Rock and was part of the team of Clinton friends who campaigned in presidential primary states for Clinton in 1992. Clinton flew to Little Rock last January for the opening of an exhibition on the work of Hays and other FOBs (Friends of Bill) in that election. Two former aides of the president went to work last year for the Southern Progress Fund,

an effort led by former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to balance the scales of money flowing into Arkansas and other Deep South states for Republican candidates for state offices. Another pair of Arkansas politicos with associations with the Clintons recently joined an offshoot of the super PAC American Bridge called “Correct the Record,” an effort to push back against attacks against Democratic presidential candidates, yet another sign that Hillary Clinton will indeed run in 2016. Early campaign efforts in the state are already quietly underway, led by old Clinton friends like Sheila Bronfman and former

Gen. Wes Clark. There’s some hope of Arkansas being one of the few winnable states for Hillary. That’s a proposition many Arkansas Democrats are sure to allude to on the campaign trail. One national journal said the 2014 Arkansas elections would be a test of Clinton’s lingering popularity and influence in a state he left 22 years ago. That was when Arkansas was still strongly Democratic — before the election of Barack Obama. Arkansas voters have never grasped at coattails, but they’ve proved since 2008 that associations sometimes matter deeply, if they happen to be with a black president. 14-POCOLA-00047-AT-1.16-175,000-Total-9.25x3.56-v2

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OTHER ARKANSANS OF THE YEAR They, too, stood out.

JOHN BURRIS, JONATHAN DISMANG AND DAVID SANDERS Medicaid expansion was the story of the year and the most momentous decision facing the General Assembly in decades, with billions of dollars and health coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income Arkansans at stake. Arkansas pursued a unique approach that became known as the “private option,” earning national attention and flipping enough Republican votes to secure (just barely) passage. Lots of people deserve credit — Gov. Mike Beebe, creative officials at the Department of Human Services in Arkansas and federal agencies in Washington, Democratic lawmakers who never wavered, tireless advocacy groups. But in the end, passage was only possible with Republicans on board, which never would have happened without a trio of young conservative legislators who sought an innovative solution that was best for the state rather than ideological rigidity. Sens. Dismang and Sanders and Rep. Burris outhustled and out-argued all comers and put their own stamp on a policy likely to have an outsized impact on the state for decades.

MIKE BEEBE He remains perhaps the most widely beloved governor in the country, and he had a triumphant legislative session for Beebe, adding the “private option” Medicaid expansion and the Big River Steel super project to his legacy. We’ll miss him when he’s gone. JEFF LONG Last year’s Arkansan of the Year hired the least successful Razorbacks football coach in recent memory and managed to secure a nice raise for his trouble. He’s likely to make the national sports pages next year — in October he was named the first chairman of the new College Football Playoff selection committee.

TIPPI MCCULLOUGH Warned through the grapevine that her employer was going to fire the 15-year English teacher at Mount St. Mary if she went through with marrying her long-time partner Barbara Mariani in October, McCullough went ahead with the ceremony. Less than an hour later, she and Mariani got the phone call that McCullough had been fired. As with the struggle for equality for other groups throughout American history, progress for gays and lesbians requires a few good people to take a beating so 18

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

everybody else can finally see how unjust the system is.

NATE POWELL The award-winning artist and North Little Rock native illustrated “March,” an acclaimed graphic novel published by Top Shelf this summer, the first in a trilogy telling the story of civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked closely with Powell on the project. DAVY CARTER The first Republican Speaker of the House in Arkansas since Reconstruction, Carter got some of the tax cuts for the wealthy he craved and was another key player in securing passage of the “private option.” G. DAVID GEARHART The University of Arkansas hit record enrollment, a number of its colleges drew high praises and qualifications of entering freshmen are better than ever. But it was nevertheless a sour year for Gearhart, who got bogged down in a controversy over deficit spending in the university’s Advancement Division, leading to public fights with fired officials, a tough grilling from legislative committees and ongoing questions about transparency and accountability at the University. CODY WILSON Former UCA Student Government President Cody Wilson, 25, could have ended up on Wall Street or practicing generic corporate law from a corner office. Instead, the self-described “Crypto-Anarchist” headed the team that created and fired the first 3D-printed plastic gun back in May. THE CORRUPT POLITICIAN Bribes in a pie box! Gasstation fundraisers! Campaign shopping sprees! Treasurer Martha Shoffner, state Sen. Paul Bookout and Lt. Gov. Mark Darr resigned in disgrace, but not before embarrassing the state with comically shady ethics.

JIMMY JOE JOHNSON On the morning of March 29, the morning ExxonMobil’s Pegasus Pipeline ruptured in Mayflower, Jimmy Joe Johnson was just a plain ol’ superintendent of the Mayflower Streets Department. By sundown, however, he was one of the unsung heroes of the worst environmental disaster in Arkansas history. It was Johnson’s quick work — blocking two 48-inch metal culverts that run under Highway 89 that connect the soon-tobe-devastated cove area to the main body of the lake with sheets of plywood, dirt and 1,000 tons of

gravel — that saved Lake Conway, one of Central Arkansas’s more popular fishing lakes, from far worse destruction.

LEONARD COOPER The 17-year-old won the $75,000 Jeopardy Teen Tournament in February. LAUREN STROTHER Ballet Arkansas’s executive director has, since her hiring in 2011, made the company financially stable, increased its budget and raised money to allow the ballet to lease space in the Creative Corridor downtown, in the Arkansas Building at Sixth and Main, the first rehearsal space of its own the ballet has ever had. GRANT TENNILLE The director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission stood up against ignorance, announcing at a press conference for the Human Rights Campaign that he believed that it would be a smart economic move if Arkansas would lead the South by legalizing marriage by people of the same gender. “Companies look for locations where all of their employees can be welcomed,” Tennille said. Meanwhile, Tennille’s marathon session of testimony before the Arkansas General Assembly helped assure approval of the state’s first “super project,” bringing the $1 billion Big River Steel to Mississippi County. BOBBY ROBERTS The latest star in the Central Arkansas Library System director’s crown is the Arcade, a joint project between CALS and private developers at the corner of President Clinton and River Market Avenue, which features a state-ofthe-art theater to be used both for CALS programming and as the home of the Little Rock Film Festival. The building will also hold additional archival space for the library, and brings more fine dining to the River Market district with Cache Restaurant. JASON RAPERT His law to make abortion illegal after 12 weeks (which has been stayed by a federal judge) brought scorn on Arkansas as the leader in American misogyny, but at least the state’s people were awakened to the fact that our legislators are more than willing to ignore the law of the land and require that women bear children.

DUSTIN MCDANIEL The attorney general began the year as the heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination for governor, but dropped out after news broke of an extramarital affair. If McDaniel’s year was marked only scandal and political gossip, he wouldn’t make this list, but he went on to have arguably the most successful year of any politician in the state. He earned acclaim as the state’s toughest advocate holding Exxon accountable in the wake of the Mayflower oil spill, for his adept handling of the successful negotiation of the school desegregation case and for several big settlements for the state.


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Closing time City Board could put an end to 5 a.m. clubs. BY DAVID RAMSEY

L

ittle Rock might not quite be a “city that never sleeps,” but for decades the city’s night owls have had a scattering of options for late-night socializing thanks to licenses that allowed private clubs to operate until 5 a.m. That could be coming to an end, with the Little Rock Board of Directors likely to consider a city ordinance cutting off alcohol sales at 2 a.m. The issue came before the board multiple times toward the end of last year, with several city directors requesting an ordinance be drawn up for discussion. City Manager Bruce Moore said that the board could take up an ordinance in the first quarter of 2014. “We don’t have a specific time table at this point,” Moore said. “We’re doing some research on the various impacts, and I expect at least to have that discussion in the next 30 to 60 days.” Moore said that the city is investigating what the overall economic impact would be and examining the experience of other cities that have adopted an ordinance enforcing a 2 a.m. closing time, as well as collecting crime and public-safety statistics. “We’re also looking at whether there are other options out there to consider besides just a blanket 2 a.m. closing,” he said. “Could there be some additional security requirements? We’re taking a comprehensive look at the issue and then we’ll bring forward some recommendations. “At the end of the day,” Moore added, “the public safety issue is the main issue that we’ll be considering.” To stay open until 5 a.m., a club must have a Class B private club license. In 2001,

the state Alcohol Beverage Control board stopped issuing Class B licenses and quit allowing the transfer of license between counties. If a license remains inactive for 18 months, it disappears forever. In effect, these rulings grandfathered in existing late-night private clubs. However, several cities and counties, including Fayetteville and North Little Rock, have passed local ordinances forcing clubs to close at 2 a.m. In Little Rock, there are only 13 Class B licenses, 11 of which are in active use. Three of those 11 — the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Little Rock Association of the Deaf and the Otter Creek Homeowners Association — are not operating a nightclub open to the general public. That leaves these 5 a.m. clubs in the city: Discovery, Electric Cowboy, Club Elevations, Jazzi’s, Midtown Billiars, Paper Moon, Salut and Triniti. Owners of 5 a.m. clubs say that an ordinance forcing them to shut down at 2 a.m. would be devastating to their business. “Ours is a late-night business,” said Norman Jones, owner of Discovery for more than 30 years. “We’ve always been a latenight business. I open at 9, but the first customers usually walk in at 12. By 1, I have maybe 100 people. By 2, I might have 400 people. Then the service industry gets off work at 2 and that’s a big part of who we target. Service workers and other people that work late nights — nurses, late-night lab technicians, Falcon Jet employees, military from Jacksonville. If everyone shuts down at 2 — you’re shutting out a whole part of our community here. It would be devastating to the morale of the community.”

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CLOSING TIME, CONT. Continued from page 19

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Jones said he would likely go out of business if he had to close at 2 a.m., a sentiment echoed by Club Elevations owner J.D. Lipscomb. “We just wouldn’t make it,” Lipscomb said. “Most of our money is made after 2.” Discovery and Elevations — along with Electric Cowboy, Midtown and Triniti — form the Arkansas Licensed Beverage Association, an advocacy group for latenight clubs. In December, in response to murmurs from the board of a possible ordinance, ALBA launched a website and Facebook page to “save Little Rock’s late night entertainment and clubs.” According to ALBA, the 5 a.m. clubs would lose between 60 to 75 percent of their business if forced to close at 2. In a recent press release, ALBA offered other estimates about the economic impact. The clubs would immediately be forced to lay off more than 150 employees, representing more than $1 million in salaries, with more jobs in danger if clubs went out of business. Currently, according to ALBA, the five largest private clubs (Electric Cowboy, Midtown Billiards, Discovery, Elevations and Triniti) pay around $100,000 annually in city taxes and nearly $500,000 in state taxes, in addition to around $17,000 annually in fees and permits to the city and state. The clubs purchase more than $1 million in goods, services and advertising from local and state vendors. “At the very time that Little Rock is searching diligently for revenue sources to augment shrinking budgets,” ALBA argued in its press release, “it does not seem prudent to force the loss of over 150 jobs and deplete a valuable source of revenue.” The Times spoke with four city directors — Stacey Hurst from Ward 3, Brad Cazort from Ward 4, and at-large city directors Gene Fortson and Joan Adcock — all of whom said they were awaiting more information before reaching a firm decision. Fortson said he was leaning against a blanket ban on 5 a.m. clubs. “My philosophy is I don’t like to do blanket bans on much of anything,” he said. “I do know the police chief is concerned that there’s an incidence of criminal activity in some of those places. I’ve thought about it some — if you ban them, what you might do is just export the 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. party group to out in the county and still have them on the streets. I’m not ready to say, ‘throw them all out’ right now until I know more. I’d like to hear more about what we might do to … increase security or supervision of those places.” Adcock, on the other hand, said her first instinct was “that we need to reduce them all, and have all the same closing hours of 2 o’clock. Because right now some have 5,

some have 2 — I think we should be fair to everyone, have a time and that’s when everybody has to close.” Regarding concerns about late-night clubs losing business, she said, “I think the customer is still going to be out there, it’s just the time that we’d be changing.” Adcock said she was interested in seeing the numbers regarding crime at that time of the morning, and added that she wanted to look at the issue from a “social and family” angle. “Lots of people, when you go out and drink until 5 a.m., then you go home and you’re not very willing, probably, to get up and get the kids off to school or visit and spend time with the family. One thing we desperately need in this city and this state and this country is more family time.” Jones and Lipscomb said that they hire off-duty police officers to handle any issues that arise at their clubs. “If anything were to happen, they’re right there,” Jones said. “We’re bearing the cost of that, not the city.” Jones said that without the 5 a.m. clubs, people might turn to private house parties, putting more pressure on police resources. “The streets don’t fold up at midnight anymore,” he said. “The streets don’t fold up at 2. There are so many people that we service. So many people that work so many different hours, people have to relax and unwind and they like good entertainment. That is what I try to provide.” Lipscomb agreed. “If you turn everything in the city off at 2, your neighborhoods will go crazy. Nobody wants that. We have a nice safe place for them to go and have a good time.” Jones and Lipscomb also argued that ending 5 a.m. permits would put pressure on the 2 a.m. clubs. “Right now, we’re not trying to compete with the 2 a.m. clubs,” Jones said. “If we were to have to close at 2, we would go hard and heavy with our entertainment roster to try to pull the people earlier. That would pull people out of the River Market and the 2 a.m. clubs earlier.” “Either we would go out of business or we would push a lot of the 2 a.m. clubs out of business,” Lipscomb said. “It’s a no-win situation. Right now, we feed off the 2 a.m. clubs. You can’t push us all back to 2 without someone losing. There’s no reason to do that. People will lose jobs, the city will lose taxes.” Lipscomb said that despite the rumblings from the board last year, he was hopeful that the city would listen to the concerns of the late-night club owners. “I’ve been in the club business for 37 years,” he said. “I think the city will protect us all, the 2 a.m. clubs and the 5 a.m. clubs. I think the directors will be fair to everybody.”


AN UNEVENTFUL YEAR, CONT. Continued from page 10

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“These people have bent over backwards, man,� Jackson said, nodding at Dr. Morris. “They spend more time with us than with their family.� The day a reporter met with Jackson, he had his granddaughter with him. He also has an 11-year-old daughter who lives with him. “It was always about me,� Jackson said of his time on the street. Now it’s about them. Frank Smith, 50, an Army veteran who will have been straight for four years in April, spoke at the 2012 DNA meeting about the help the Day Treatment Center had given him to overcome a substance abuse problem and to work out a repayment schedule for fines he’d incurred. Today, Smith is involved in the VA’s Project S.T.A.Y., a peer support group that helps vets stay clean and includes community volunteer work; he carries a notebook with his schedule for the day and has an apartment at the East Side Lofts. Smith said he went through the VA program four times, starting in 1995, before “the light came on for me.� He nodded in the direction of Warehouse Liquor across the street. “Is that calling my name?� he asked. “No. I’m stronger now.� Inberjid Singh, who owns Warehouse Liquor, said he had not seen any difference in his business, new customers crossing the street from the center. He said he’d had the “occasional run-in� with panhandlers, but noted the business’ proximity to the Stew Pot, a soup kitchen at 800 Scott St. in First Presbyterian Church. But another downtown resident said there has been an increase in panhandling and homeless people along Main Street and “hanging out in the Bernice Gardens� at Daisy Bates and Main, though she could not say that the VA center was the source. She did say that veterans linger to smoke outside the center and she remains critical of the Veterans Administration for choosing to locate on Main Street in the midst of redevelopment efforts on south Main and nearby residential areas. (She declined to be quoted by name.) But Joe Fox, who earlier had expressed

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fears the center’s hours would bring homeless loiterers to his business, Community Bakery, before and after closing times, said that had not happened. He said there was the usual “coterie of panhandlers� but he didn’t think they were veterans. His only complaint: He wished the VA had made the building and lot more aesthetically pleasing. Kathy Wells, an officer with the Downtown Neighborhood Association in 2012 and until recently, said the vet center has fallen off the DNA radar. “It has not been a topic of discussion at monthly membership meetings,� she said. She has attended the VA center’s open monthly meetings to which the neighborhood is invited, and said that initially Warehouse Liquor’s Singh had complained that his employees were being panhandled after work on their way to their cars. The vet center was responsive, Wells said, and director Morris asked the store to call the vet center whenever they were accosted so they could send people to check on it. If it’s a veteran who is panhandling, the center wants to help. If it’s not a veteran but someone claiming to be one — as Morris says is common — the center wants to know that as well. (Morris said she recently asked a man who was holding a sign outside a Dollar Tree store saying he was a vet and asking for money where he was getting his veteran services. He told her he was going to the Main Street center. She told him she was the director and she knew he

was not. “You are misrepresenting yourself,â€? she told the beggar, adding “the VA does not solicit funds.â€? She said outreach workers at the Day Treatment Center have approached vet pretenders near the Day Treatment Center and the signs, if not the panhandlers, have gone away.) Morris said the center enjoys good relationships with other institutions in the community, noting a program that the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Center has initiated to teach vets how to “cook smart and eat smartâ€? on $10 a day, along with social skills like setting a table. “That is really good and the veterans enjoy it,â€? Morris said. The Wolfe Street Center for alcoholics also allows the VA to use some of its parking. Even Mayor Stodola has paid a call on the vet center, Morris said. “He wasn’t a big fan of this move,â€? Morris said, but he initiated the city shuttle to and from VA center to help it handle veterans who chose to leave rather than stay and work with center staff. “We’re making it work,â€? Stodola said. “My initial objection had nothing to do with the owner, but the land use planning issue ‌ for long-term redevelopment purposes.â€? He said none of the neighborhood people had come to him — with “one mild exceptionâ€? — since the center opened. “I think Estella and her people are doing a good job trying to make sure that whatever concerns there are minimized,â€? the mayor said. “They’re doing God’s work.â€?

DUMAS, CONT. Continued from page 7 a mother of four who had sent the message to the Port Authority that it was time to implement the plan to punish the people of Fort Lee. Christie called her “stupid� and “deceitful.� Christie was credited in the media with a bravura performance but most viewers, I think, sensed that he, not Bridget Anne Kelly, was the deceitful one. He said that

when he realized his office was involved he worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of it. But he clearly had done nothing to get to the bottom of it besides making a blanket request one day for staff members to volunteer within one hour if they knew what the Fort Lee problem was all about. He refused to even talk to any of the four friends and associates who clearly were involved because he did not want to be reminded of how things worked. It is the

standard rule of leadership. The man at the top must be able to preserve deniability. If Kelly or any of the others, under oath, ever decide to betray their loyalty and explain how things worked, Christie can be shocked. People remember the class bully from school. No matter how smart he is, they don’t want him to be president. Christie’s many foes in his party will have no trouble putting Chris Christie’s face on the bully.

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Arts Entertainment AND

STANDING PROUD: CALS’ Angie Stoffer and Bobby Roberts.

THE LIBRARY GOES TO THE MOVIES CALS new Ron Robinson Theater to offer all stripes of programming. BY LINDSEY MILLAR

W

hat’s the Central Arkansas Library System doing opening a state-of-the-art movie theater? Books, long the sole province of the library, continue to be lent as much as ever, CALS director Bobby Roberts reports, but like forward-thinking librarians everywhere, he’s long seen the mission of the library as one of broader community outreach. Unlike librarians everywhere, however, Roberts had the foresight and political skill to get legislation passed that tied library funding to voter-approved millages, instead of to the fortunes of local or state government. Where many libraries elsewhere have been hit hard by the recession, on Friday, CALS will celebrate the culmination of a spree of building projects in Little Rock with the opening of one of its most impressive developments, the $2.8 million Ron Robinson Theater in the new Arcade Building in the River Market. CALS has no interest in running a 22

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

typical movie theater, according Roberts. Instead, he and CALS aspire for the 315seat theater to serve as a true community space, with not just movies, but concerts, lectures, conferences, theater and ballet, too. The library will use it to host big names during its annual Arkansas Literary Festival and Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, and it will as serve as the home theater for the Little Rock Film Festival and its offshoot festivals — the Little Rock Horror Picture Show and the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. During the day, there’ll be children’s programming and the occasional lecture from the Clinton School and UALR. The opening week schedule hints at the sort of programming sweet spot library officials say they’re going for. The public gets its first look on Friday with a screening “Ain’t in It for My Health,” an excellent documentary about the late Levon Helm, a Turkey Scratch native. After the movie, Helm’s daughter, Amy Helm, will take part

in a Q&A and then give a concert with her band, Amy Helm and Handsome Strangers. Skip ahead to next Thursday, Jan. 23, and the day is filled with a lecture on the design of the Arcade Building by UALR professors, a performance by a pair of UALR dancers and a showing of an episode of the acclaimed Sundance series “Rectify,” followed by a Q&A with one of the show’s writers, Little Rock screenwriter Graham Gordy. See the full schedule in this week’s calendar. By all accounts from those who’ve watched or heard something in the new theater, it’s unmatched in Central Arkansas and maybe even in the region. Craig Renaud, co-founder of the Little Rock Film Festival, an official partner in the theater, said he doesn’t know if he’s been in a nicer one. The sound is Dolby 7.1 surround sound, and it’s a certified digital cinema projector (DCP) theater, which means studios and distributors have the ability to make their films available to the library’s system in a matter of minutes. Moreover, it means that the theater is in position to book first-run features, as distributors now often refuse to work with theaters that still exclusively use 35mm film projectors. Angela Stoffer, the longtime volunteer operations manager for the Little Rock Film Festival, joined CALS to manage the theater (she said she’ll continue to volunteer with the festival). She said distributors had responded positively in early conversations. “We’re going to do first-

run features,” she said. “We’re not going to do blockbusters. They’re not going to be ‘Iron Man.’ ” But, had the theater been ready to open a week earlier, she said they would’ve pushed to screen the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” or Spike Jonze’s “Her.” Stoffer said initially she hopes to have regular weekend films, likely with Saturday and Sunday matinees. Programming may vary a lot in the early days. “We’ll gauge what the reactions from audiences are ... and adjust as we’re going along,” said Craig Renaud. For his part, Roberts hopes to see the theater in steady use. “I’d like to see it going as much as we can. If it’s sitting there, it’s not doing us any good or the public any good.” Many of the events will be free (all programs through Jan. 25 are free) and those that do cost will be moderately priced. Even concessions will be moderately priced. “We don’t want to lose money, but we’re not going to be like some of the other locations that have to make their money on concessions,” said Stoffer. Expect local coffee; soft drinks made from simple syrups from Pink House Alchemy in Fayetteville; popcorn with spice options dreamed up by Dandelion, an herb and tea shop that’s also in the Arcade, and occasionally pastries from Cache Restaurant, another Arcade neighbor. The library named the theater in honor of longtime adman Ron Robinson, who’s donating his vast collection of Arkansas memorabilia to the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. As Robinson Center Music Hall is currently closed for renovations, maybe a nickname will emerge for the new theater to differentiate it from its neighbor down on Broadway. Another potential early stumbling block that’s sure to be swiftly overcome: The official address for the theater, One Count Pulaski Way, is impossible to map online. That’s because it’s a newly created ally between the Arkansas Studies Institute and the Arcade Building. Access to the theater is in the rear of the alley, near the Main Library parking lot. CALS partnered with private developers to build the 66,000-square-foot Arcade Building. The library owns 52 percent of the building, which includes the theater, office space and storage space for the Arkansas Studies Institute. All told, the library’s costs in the project were in the range of $6.6 million, Roberts said. That was paid for out of a bond refinance that voters approved in 2012.


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Market Ave., four semifinalists will play 30-minute sets of original material for five judges, who will assess each act’s musicianship, originality, songwriting and showmanship. There will also be points awarded from the audience, so bands, make sure to bring lots of your friends with you. Each semifinal round will begin at 9 p.m. The final round will be held at Revolution on March 7. This year’s judges are “Big� John Miller, local soul man extraordinaire and festival coordinator of the Arkansas Sounds Music Festival; Stephen Neeper, frontman of local rock ’n’ roll

outfit Stephen Neeper & The Wild Hearts; Stacie Mack, longtime woman about the music scene and hairdresser to the stars, and Bryan Frazier, pop singer/songwriter and assistant station manager at KABF 88.3 FM. Band schedules will be announced next week. Here are the finalists: Basement Brew Bombay Harambee

# ! % $ ! " # # "# " " $ # # # $ & ! ""$ " ! $# & ! % $ "$! ! ! $ $# # $ # (" "# !' ! &# ! # !' # " # ! # ! % % " $ " ! # # ! "# #! $# " & # ! ! " # $ # (" $#$! # $ # & " ! # !' " # $ # ! " # # (" "# !' #

Crash Meadows Chris Alan Craig Band Dead End Drive Flameing Daeth Fearies Flight Machine John Neal Rock & Roll John Willis Mad Nomad My Brother My Friend Peckerwolf Peoples Republic of Casio Tones Shawn James & the Shape Shifters Second Hand Cannons The Supporting Cast The Machete with Love The Talking Liberties The Vail The Fox Blossom Venture www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 16, 2014

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THE TO-DO

LIST

BY JEREMY GLOVER & DAVID KOON

THURSDAY 1/16

‘HELLO, DOLLY!’

7:30 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $26.50–$64.50.

Thursday night is your last chance to see the latest national tour of the 10-time Tony Award winning musical “Hello, Dolly.” This incarnation stars Sally Struthers, famous as Meathead’s wife in “All in the Family” and for stumping for the Christian Children’s Fund, in the titular role. You know the basic pitch: Some of Broadway’s best loved songs highlight the musical misadventures of the vivacious Dolly as she sets her sights on the gruff half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, a client she quickly decides is her perfect match. JG CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP: Don’t Stop Please play White Water on Friday.

RON ROBINSON THEATER GRAND OPENING

7 p.m. Arcade Building. Free.

It’s only fitting that the grand opening of the Central Arkansas Library System’s 315-seat Ron Robinson Theater in the new Arcade Building in the River Market district celebrates one of our state’s greatest native sons, Levon Helm. The night starts with a screening of the documentary “Ain’t In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm.” It’s a must-see for fans. As Lindsey Millar wrote of it during the Little Rock Film Festival, where it screened this year, “it’s a portrait of a warm, gregarious man with a gift for telling stories and singing songs. It’s filmed almost entirely in Woodstock, but Levon’s Turkey Scratch roots always show.” Helm’s daughter, Amy Helm, will be on hand for a question and answer session following the screening. After that, she and her band, The Handsome Strangers, will perform. Expect the folk-rockers to play at least a few songs you know. JG 24

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

FRIDAY 1/17

DON’T STOP PLEASE

9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern. $6.

The Conway band Don’t Stop Please is hard to pin down in the best possible way. Fusing folk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, chamber pop and various Latin styles, Don’t Stop Please seems gleefully oblivious to any labels. Crowded with multiinstrumentalists, the band’s self-titled album bounces from genre to genre. Anna

Horton’s voice shines with a very in-themoment quality and delivery. “Luca” is the perfect showcase for her voice — jazzy and tropical with plenty of space for her words to bleed out. Album highlight “Missed Echo” plays like a funeral dirge full of sorrow and misplaced optimism. A gently plucked, wandering guitar line accompanies a mournful cello before Joel Ludford details the universal themes of loss and longing, with some drinking

thrown in for good measure, “sing me the song, the one you know about, how it all went wrong in your head and made you useless.” The night gets started with opener Joe Sundell, formerly of popular local band Damn Bullets, as well as a slew of Austin, Texas, bands, including Sad Daddy and the Austin Steamers. Sundell’s Americana sound is steeped in folk, bluegrass, hot jazz, and a jaunty shade of country. JG

SATURDAY 1/18

BENEFIT FOR FREDDY SOLLEDER FEATURING HOLY SHAKES

8 p.m. Delucas Pizzeria, Hot Springs. $10.

BRIAN CHILSON

FRIDAY 1/17

SHAKE FOR A CAUSE: The Holy Shakes reunite for a benefit for Freddy Solleder on Saturday at Delucas Pizzeria in Hot Springs.

You might remember that Holy Shakes won the 2012 Arkansas Times Musician Showcase with a raucous set of Dischord Records-era punk rock. Soon after, Holy Shakes released the terse, menacing album “Feast or Famine” and then, like so many bands are wont to do, they suddenly broke up. They come together one more time this Saturday night at a benefit show for frontman Bill Solleder’s brother, Freddy

Solleder. A staple of Maxine’s and the Hot Springs music scene, Freddy has recently been diagnosed with cancer. All proceeds from the show will go to pay for his medical bills. If you have never seen them live, Holy Shakes traffic in a swaggering, often ferocious strain of punk. Little Rockers take note: This is a one-off show with no future plans for any more Holy Shakes shows, so a weekend trek to the Spa City to see a great live band and support a mainstay of the local music scene is in order. Rounding out what’s sure to be a special night are White Glove Test, Brian Martin, Healer, Opportunist and Amanda Avery. JG


IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 1/16

SATURDAY 1/18

FOURTH ANNUAL REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE RALLY

1 p.m. Arkansas State Capitol.

Here is the hard truth of the fight to keep abortion legal in Arkansas: all the signs, rallies and speeches in the world are never going to change the minds of the entrenched gang of zealots at the state Capitol who are intent on pushing women’s right to reproductive choices back to the 1950s, a time when this writer’s father could recall a dark old house down near

Sweet Home where pregnant, unwed teenagers disappeared in shame for six or seven months. That said, what a rally can do is make people understand that they’re not alone; that, even in a state that seems sometimes to be teetering on the edge of theocracy (we’re looking in your direction, Sen. Rapert), there are still those who will fight for a woman’s right to make choices about her own body. If that person is still you, brave soul, be sure to turn out and shout loud this Saturday at the Arkansas Coalition for Reproductive Justice’s fourth-annual Reproductive Justice Rally,

to be held on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol. Those scheduled to appear include Bowen School of Law prof. Adjoa Aiyetoro, state Rep. Fred Love, ACLU staff attorney Holly Dickson, Rabbi Barry Block of Temple B’nai Israel, and UCA Feminist Union president Greer Williams. There will be an after-party and silent auction at Vino’s (923 W. 7th St., Little Rock) from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Seriously: Show up. Bring a sign. If you’ve got them, bring your kids. Show them what bravery and determination in the face of adversity looks like. It’s important. DK

taking place throughout the South and Midwest where each attendee is given a raffle ticket to vote on one of five bands you want to see on Mulberry Mountain playing to the dancing, unwashed masses. The lineup, which leans decidedly to the jam band side of good-time rock, includes Ice Cold Fatty, Ameri-

can Lions, Little Buffalo River Band, Freeverse and The Sound of the Mountain, the 2013 Arkansas Times Musician Showcase Winners. There will be a drawing at the beginning of the night to see the order of the bands playing, so get there early if you have a favorite. JG

remains mostly unsympathetic to gay, lesbian and transgender folks. The film “Gen Silent” follows six elder LGBTQ people as they face a hostile system of caregivers, family members and fellow seniors that may force them back into the closet in order to have

a more livable existence. A discussion will follow with doctors from UAMS who are interested in the issue. The film will be preceded by refreshments at 1:30 p.m. A support group has also been set up on Facebook, Arkansas LGBTQ Elders. JG

SATURDAY 1/18

WAKA WINTER CLASSIC 8 p.m. Stick Fingerz. $5.

The fate of a band’s spot on the 2014 Wakarusa Music Festival lineup is in your hands. Well, you and however many other people who attend the Waka Winter Classic. This is the Little Rock edition of a series of shows

SUNDAY 1/19

‘GEN SILENT’

2 p.m. Darragh Center, Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library. Free.

It’s hard enough growing old without having to deal with a system that

TUESDAY 1/21

BROADWAY ON ICE

GET ROWDY: At White Water, with Dirty Streets on Tuesday.

TUESDAY 1/21

THE DIRTY STREETS

10 p.m. White Water Tavern.

There’s been a steady proliferation of bands coming out of Memphis in recent years that capture the early spirit of rock ’n’ roll. The Dirty Streets have carved out their niche as a band well-versed in all of the permutations of classic rock. Their recent

third album “Blades of Grass” has a blues backbone, a soulful stride, and psychedelic flourishes that push toward the dance floor. Tuesdays at White Water Tavern have traditionally been a night for things to get rowdy enough to disrupt your Wednesday. This night should be no different with The Dirty Streets holding court. JG

7:30 p.m. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, Conway. $30-$40.

Reynolds Performance Hall promises that even its Steinway grand piano will be on ice for the venue’s first-ever figure-skating program. Champion skaters will perform some of Broadway’s greatest productions, such as “Rent,” “Gypsy,” “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “A Chorus Line” and “West Side Story” on the ice. This event is tailor-made for families looking for an escape from the winter doldrums. The show also comes to Baum Walker Hall in Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center Jan. 17-19. JG

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s chamber orchestra performs selections from Dvorak, Vanhal and Mozart at St. James United Methodist Church as part of ASO’s Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concert Series, 7 p.m., $10-$29. After the show, the audience is invited to mix and mingle with the orchestra. Everyone’s favorite big-voiced singer/songwriter Adam Faucett returns to White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. Local rockers The P-47s play The Joint, 9:30 p.m., $5.

FRIDAY 1/17 Area homebrewers compete to have their beer crowned “The Official Beer of Kickball” and have it brewed and served by Stone’s Throw Brewing at the Big Red Ball Homebrew Contest at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. Those who just want to sample the brews can pay $20 for admission and a tasting glass (or $30 for early admission, line-cutting privileges and a bigger tasting glass) and food, 7 p.m. All proceeds go to Our House. The Weekend Theater continues its run of “Blu,” a play about a queer Chicana family struggling to deal with the loss of a family member to the Iraq War, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. Psychedelic folk duo Tyrannosaurus Chicken returns to Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $7-$10. It’s salsa night at Juanita’s, with instruction during the first hour, 9 p.m., $8. Hot Springs pop-rockers Crash Meadows play West End, 10 p.m., $5. Revolution hosts a showcase of metal featuring Sychosys, This Tragic Day, The Vail and Playing with Karma, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12.

SATURDAY 1/18 Onetime Geto Boy and Rap-A-Lot hero Big Mike comes to Discovery for a show scheduled to get going around 2:30 a.m., $10-$15. Trapper the Rapper, 1504, Billy Gene Smith, gforce, Joel Allenbaugh and Sleepy Genius will also perform at the club. Despite his father’s recent anti-gay comments, something tells us plenty of Arkansans will still turn out to see “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie Robertson and his wife, Korie Robertson, at the Jack Stephens Center for a fundraiser for Spark of Life, a foundation that focuses on grief recovery. Nashville country musician Bobby Cool will perform and there’ll be a silent auction, too, 7 p.m., $10-$100. Local hardcore favorites R.I.O.T.S. play White Water Tavern with GG Earth, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY 1/19 Classic rocker Eddie Money will have your “Two Tickets to Paradise” at Juanita’s, with Searcy’s The Fable & The Fury opening, 7:30 p.m., $30 adv., $35 day of the show. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 16, 2014

25


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

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

MUSIC

Adam Faucett. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Alize (headliner), Chris Long (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. ASO Intimate Neighborhood Series: “Bohemian Festival.” Featuring works by Dvorak, Mozart and more. St. James United Methodist Church, 7 p.m., $10-$35. 321 Pleasant Valley Drive. 501-225-7372. www. stjames-umc.org. Ben Byers. Russo’s, 6 p.m., free. 2490 Sanders Road, Conway. 501-205-8369. Finger Food: American Finger Style Guitar. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., $8. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. “Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Jamie Lynn Spears. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Jan. 30: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Krush Thursdays with DJ Kavaleer. Club Climax, free before 11 p.m. 824 W. Capitol. 501-554-3437. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Liverpool Legends Beatles Tribute Band. Lily Peter Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., free. 1000 Campus Drive, Helena. Michael Eubanks. Newk’s Express Cafe, 6:30 p.m. 4317 Warden Road, NLR. 501-7538559. newks.com. Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994. The P-47s, Michael Leonard Whitham. The Joint, 9:30 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 7-9 p.m. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505. www.senor-tequila.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

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

EVENTS

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, third Thursday of every month, 4 p.m., free. “Providing Optimal Health Care for LGBT 26

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

GONE COUNTRY: After lying low for the last five years, Jamie Lynn Spears is back in the music biz again, this time as a country singer. She plays Juanita’s at 8 p.m. Thursday, $10 advance, $12 day of show. Patients.” Featuring keynote speaker Harvey Makadon, director of the National LGBT Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute in Boston. To register and for a schedule, visit cda.uams.edu. UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, 8 a.m., free, registration required. 4301 W. Markham St., #623.

FILM

Between Stage and Screen: “A Raisin in the Sun.” Laman Library, 6 p.m. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org.

POETRY

POETluck. Literary salon and potluck. The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow, third Thursday of every month, 6 p.m. 515 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-7444.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, through April 11: 1:30 p.m., $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn. com.

FRIDAY, JAN. 17

MUSIC

Almost Infamous (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. Canvas. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until

2 a.m. 1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-221-1620. www.1620savoy.com. Crash Meadows. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net. Don’t Stop Please, Joe Sundell. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $6. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Jeff Coleman. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Jan. 17-18, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Sychosys, This Tragic Day, The Vail, Playing with Karma. All ages, Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. revroom.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Terrapin Flyer with Melvin Seals. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9:30 p.m., $18. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226. Tyrannosaurus Chicken. 18-and-older Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $7-$10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

COMEDY

Ms. Pat. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com. “Winter Sucks.” Original sketch comedy by The Main Thing. Call to make reservations. The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

DANCE

“Broadway on Ice.” Walton Arts Center, Jan. 17, 8 p.m., $29-$63. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. Salsa Night. Begins with a one-hour salsa lesson. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group. Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

FILM

“Ain’t In It for My Health.” Opening night at Ron Robinson Theater. After documentary on Levon Helm, his daughter, Amy Helm, will participate in a Q&A and her band, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers, will perform. Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals. lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, through April 11: 1:30 p.m., $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn. com.

BENEFITS

The Big Red Ball Homebrew Contest. Homebrewed-beer competition presented by the Big Red Ball Charitable Foundation,


If you’re not HERE, we’re having more fun than you are! the charitable arm of the Little Rock Kickball Association. Admission includes a tasting glass to sample participants’ brews and food. All proceeds benefit Our House. MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 7 p.m., $20-$30. 503 E. 9th St. 3764602. www.arkmilitaryheritage.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

MUSIC

Adrenaline. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net. Best of the 48 Hour Film Project. Ron Robinson Theater, 3 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ronrobinson-theater.aspx. Big Mike, Trapper the Rapper, 1504 and Billy Gene Smith, gforce, Joel Allenbaugh and Sleepy Genius. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10-$15. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-6644784. www.latenightdisco.com. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Jan. 17. Cons of Formant. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Jeff Coleman. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Jim Mills (headliner) Trey Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www. khalilspub.com. Karaoke. Casa Mexicana, 7 p.m. 6929 JFK Blvd., NLR. 501-835-7876. Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. All-ages, on the restaurant side. Revolution, 9 p.m.-12:45 a.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. revroom.com. Katmandu. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www. thirst-n-howl.com. K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-492-9802. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-3277482. www.fcl.org. R.I.O.T.S., GG Earth. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com. Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994. “Sleepy LaBeef Rides Again.” Documentary film followed by Q&A and performance by Sleepy LaBeef and Dave Pomeroy. Ron Robinson Theater, 8:30 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ronrobinson-theater.aspx. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Waka Winter Classic. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz. com.

COMEDY

Ms. Pat. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com. “Winter Sucks.” See Jan. 17.

DANCE

“Broadway on Ice.” Walton Arts Center, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $29-$63. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. Little Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www.arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

“Faith, Famiy, and Ducks! An Evening with ‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Willie and Korie Robertson. Also featuring country musician Bobby Cool, a live on-stage painting by Trey McCarley and a silent auction of “Duck Dynasty” items. All proceeds go towards Spark of Life Grief Recovery Retreat. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $10-$100. 2801 S. University Ave. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads. Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd. Historic Neighborhoods Tour. Bike tour of historic neighborhoods includes bike, guide, helmets and maps. Bobby’s Bike Hike, 9 a.m., $8-$28. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001. Pork & Bourbon Tour. Bike tour includes bicycle, guide, helmets and maps. Bobby’s Bike Hike, 11:30 a.m., $35-$45. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001. Reproductive Justice Rally. The Arkansas Coalition for Reproductive Justice hosts. Featured speakers include Adjoa Aiyetoro, Rep. Fred Love and ACLU attorney Holly Dickson. Arkansas State Capitol, 1 p.m., free. 5th and Woodlane.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, 1:30 p.m., $2.50$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

BOOKS

“The Odds Against U.S.: Urban Statistics” book release. Featuring author Chris James. Book available for $13. Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing, 4-6 p.m. 1001 Wright Ave. 501-366-3793.

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

MUSIC

C e l e b r a t i o n o f Wo r s h i p – Yo u t h Empowerment Summit. With guest speaker Kel Mitchell. St. James United Methodist Church of Pine Bluff, 5 p.m. 900 University Drive, Pine Bluff. 870-536-6366. stjamespinebluff.org/. Eddie Money, The Fable & The Fury. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $30 adv., $35 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com. Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot. 501-982-1939 . Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. The Young Africans. Levy Baptist Church, 6 p.m., free, donations accepted. 3501 Pike Ave., NLR. 501-753-7347. www.levybaptist. com/.

There’s still time, GET HERE!

DANCE

“Broadway on Ice.” Walton Arts Center, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $29-$63. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

EVENTS

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show. With P. Allen Smith. Statehouse Convention Center, 12:30 p.m., $7-$30. 7 Statehouse Plaza. “Live from the Back Room.” Spoken word event. Vino’s, 7 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-3758466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

FILM

“Gen Silent.” Main Library, 1 p.m., free, donations accepted. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals. lib.ar.us.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, 1:30 p.m., $2.50$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 20

MUSIC

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Monday Night Jazz: The Goat Band. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

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EVENTS

2014 King Holiday Celebration: “A Day of Service – A Day On, Not A Day Off.” With guest speaker Isaac Farris. Pine Bluff Convention Center, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 500 E. 8th Ave., Pine Bluff. AMLKC Prayer Breakfast. Shorter College, 7:30-9 a.m. 604 Locust St., NLR. 501-3746305. www.shortercollege.4t.com. MLK Community Empowerment Summit and Carnival. Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club, 2-5 p.m. 1 Boys Club Drive, Jacksonville. 501-982-4316.

All American Food & Great Place to Watch Your Favorite Event

FILM

“Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley.” An HBO documentary about legendary comedian Jackie “Moms” Mabley. Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ronrobinson-theater.aspx.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, through April 11: 1:30 p.m., $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com. CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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JANUARY 16, 2014

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AFTER DARK, CONT.

Social Media We can help you use it.

Businesses in Arkansas Businesses in Arkansas, large and small, use social media to connect with customers and sell their products and services.

Get Noticed Running a successful social media campaign takes time and a unique combination of marketing, communication and customer service skills.

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

MUSIC

Ben Coulter. Russo’s, 6 p.m., free. 2490 Sanders Road, Conway. 501-205-8369. The Dirty Streets. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Jan. 30: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 322 President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.com. Music Jam. Hosted by Elliott Griffen and Joseph Fuller. The Joint, 8-11 p.m., free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Railroad Earth. George’s Majestic Lounge, 7 p.m., $20. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226. Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. UALR Jazz Ensemble and Guitar Ensemble. Ron Robinson Theater, 5:15 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

DANCE

That’s where we come in. Arkansas Times Social Media is staffed by experienced professionals who know how to get maximum benefit from social media engagement. Our services are priced affordably for Arkansas small businesses.

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

EVENTS

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations. Starving Artist Cafe, 5 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net. Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

FILM

“Locals Rule.” Showcase of locally produced short films from the Little Rock Film Festival. Ron Robinson Theater, 7:30 p.m., free. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

LECTURES

To find out more, contact Monika Rued, Director of Arkansas Times Social Media

“Chinese Girl in the Ghetto” with author Ying Ma. Ma, the policy advisor at the Heartland Institute in Chicago, discusses her memoir, which explores her life in Oakland after growing up in China. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

MUSIC

501-375-2985 28

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

monika@arktimes.com

Acoustic Open Mic. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Bart Crow Band. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Brian and Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, through Jan. 29: 5:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Jan. 30: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www. khalilspub.com. Kentucky Knife Fight, Catskill Kids. 18-andolder. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com. Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs, ongoing. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Local Live: Neff and (R.n.B.) – Rock Nation Band. South on Main, 7:30 p.m., free. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. https://www.facebook.com/SouthonMainLR. Open Mic Nite with Deuce. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

DANCE

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

FILM

“Contracted,” “One Please.” Films from Arkansas-born director Eric England, who will be in attendance along with stars Najarra Townshed and Matt Mercer. Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

LECTURES

“Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up,” with author Paul Schmitz. The CEO of Public Allies, a leadership training program for young adults, talks about diversity, civic leadership, social innovation and more. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

POETRY

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

SPORTS

UALR Women’s Trojans vs. Texas State. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

THEATER

“Blu.” Virginia Grise’s play explores the lives of a queer Chicana family in the aftermath of losing a family member in the Iraq war. The Weekend Theater, through Jan. 25: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.


AFTER DARK, CONT.

‘WHISPERS FROM THE SEA’: An exhibition of photographs by Deb Schwedhelm of Florida, including “Inner Tube,” goes on exhibit Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Baum Gallery of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Also opening that day at the gallery: “Kristen Kindler: Cut Paper Sculpture”; “Drawing Blood and Guts: The Best of Contemporary Medical Illustration”; and “A Place for All Bad Memories,” an interactive art installation. The opening reception is 5-7 p.m. “Clybourne Park.” The winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, “Clybourne Park” examines the intersection of race and real estate with biting humor and sharp social commentary. Contains adult language. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through Feb. 9: Wed., Jan. 22, 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Wed., Thu., Sun., 7 p.m., $35. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org. “Footloose: The Musical.” Presented by The Young Players. Royal Theatre, Jan. 16-18, 7 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 19, 2 p.m., $5-$12. 111 S. Market St., Benton. “Hello, Dolly!” Robinson Center Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $27-$65. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/ robinson. “Mama Won’t Fly.” Comedy in which a woman must transport her mother from Alabama to California in time for her brother’s wedding, but her mother refuses to fly. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Feb. 2: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.; Sun., 5:30 p.m., $15-$35. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: Christopher Rothko and Todd Herman, discussion of exhibition “Mark Rothko in the 1940s: The Decisive Decade,” Fine Arts Club Lecture Series, 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. lecture Jan. 16; $10 non-members, free to AAC members, galleries, restaurant open late; reserve at 372-4000 for restaurant; Museum School Workshop: “This is Not a Selfie,” self-portrait class with Rob Matthews, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 18-19, $119 members, $149 nonmembers. CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Work by Scotty Shively, Herb and Patty Monoson, Glenda Josephson, Dr. L.P. Fraiser, Dee Schulten, Judy Johnson, Susie Henley and Maka Parnell, through March. CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America,” from the International Spy Museum in

Washington, D.C., Jan. 18-April 27; permanent exhibits on the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000. CO-OP ART, Tanglewood Shopping Center, 7509 Cantrell Road: Open studio 3-6 p.m. Jan. 16 for January featured artist Susie Henley. GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Finishing Touches,” recent works by Erin Lorenzen, Jan. 18-March 8, opening reception 7-10 p.m. Jan. 18 with music by John Willis. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996. L&L BECK ART GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Landscapes,” work by Louis Beck, giclee giveaway 5:15 p.m. Jan. 18. 660-4006. MUGS CAFE, 515 Main St., NLR: Buddhist paintings by Ruth Pasquine, reception 5-8 p.m. Jan. 17, Argenta ArtWalk. BENTONVILLE C RY S TA L B R I D G E S M U S E U M O F AMERICAN ART, One Museum Way: “At First Sight,” watercolors from the personal collection of museum founder Alice Walton, Jan. 18-April 21; “Edward Hopper: Journey to Blackwell’s Island,” preliminary sketches on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, the finished painting and other watercolors by Hopper, Jan. 18-April 21; “The Artists’ Eye,” Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz collection, including works by O’Keeffe, Stieglitz, Arthur Dove, John Marin and others, shared collection with Fisk University, through Feb. 3; permanent collection of American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed., Fri.; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.Sun. 479-418-5700. CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: “Deb Schwedhelm: Whispers from the Sea,” black and white photographs; “Kristen Kindler: Cut Paper Sculpture”; “Drawing Blood and Guts: The Best of Contemporary Medical Illustration,” top U.S. medical illustrators selected by Alexandra Baker; “A CONTINUED ON PAGE 31 www.arktimes.com

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2014 ARKANSAS TIMES

MUSICIANS SHOWC A SE

!

Announcing THE semi - finalists! Check back ne x t wee k for pe rformance times .

A Showcase first!

5 Rounds · 20 Competing Bands · 1 Winner JOHN WILLIS

Artists are competing for cash (and other prizes)

THE SUPPORTING CAST

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VA E TH FL AM EIN G DA ET H FE AR IES

2013 Winner The Sound of the Mountain FLI GH T MA CH INE

Photos, Video, & Artist Info!

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Finals Friday March 7 at The Rev Room

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Showcase News,

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Every Thursday starting January 30 at 9 p.m. at Stickyz

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Round 1

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Watch this page For weekly ResultS or Visit arktimes.com/showcase

FRI


AFTER DARK, CONT. Place for All Bad Memories,” interactive art installation inspired by Miranda July’s website “Learning to Love You More,” Baum Gallery, all Jan. 16-Feb. 20. Opening reception 5-7 p.m. Jan. 16. FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM, 1601 Rogers Ave.: “Valentines: The Art of Romance,” 100 cards, postcards and foldouts from the early 19th century to 1930s, opens with reception 6-8 p.m. Jan. 16, show through April. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479-784-2787. PINE BLUFF ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS, 701 Main St.: 2014 “Small Works on Paper,” through Jan. 30, artists reception and talks 5-7 p.m. Jan. 16; “Glazed with Fire,” ceramics by Joe Bruhin, through Feb. 24. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. 870-536-3375. SPRINGDALE ARTS CENTER OF THE OZARKS, 214 S. Main St.: “Momentary Responses,” work by Sharon Killian, through January. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 479-751-5441.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Face to Face: Artists’ Self-Portraits from the Collection of Jackye and Curtis Finch Jr.,” through Feb. 9; “Mark Rothko in the 1940s: The Decisive Decade,” Winthrop Rockefeller Gallery, show through Feb. 9; “Portraiture Now: Drawing on the Edge,” Jeannette Rockefeller Gallery, through Feb. 9; “The People There: Paintings by Emily Moll Wood,” through Feb. 23. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000. ART GROUP GALLERY, Pleasant Ridge Town Center: “Holiday Art Sale,” work by Ron Almond, Matt Coburn, Louise Harris, Ned Perme, Ann Presley, Vickie HendrixSiebenmorgen and Holly Tilley. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 690-2193. BOSWELL-MOUROT, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Paintings by Dennis McCann, sculpture by Michael Warrick, gouache by Astrid Sohn, oils by Ron McGehee. 664-0030. BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Unusual Portraits: New Works by Michael Warrick and David O’Brien,” through March 22; “Reflections in Pastel,” through Feb. 22, main gallery; “Native Arkansas,” early Arkansas through the writings of early explorers and Native American artifacts, including Mississippian period, Caddoan and Carden Bottoms objects, Concordia Hall, through Feb. 22. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790. CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Music, Myth & The Hard Travelin’ Man,” linoleum cut prints by Neal Harrington, through March 1. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335. CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Paintings from the Arkansas League of Artists and Local Colour. CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0880. COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market Ave.: “Equinox,” works by artists published in UALR’s journal of literature and art. 9183093. THE EDGE, 301B President Clinton Ave.:

Paintings by Avila (Fernando Gomez), Eric Freeman, James Hayes, Jerry Colburn, St. Joseph Thomason and Stephen Drive. 992-1099. ELLEN GOLDEN ANTIQUES, 5701 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Paintings by Barry Thomas and Arden Boyce. 664-7746. GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221, Pyramid Place: Artists cooperative, plus gallery of work by Gino Hollander. 801-0211. GINO HOLLANDER GALLERY, 2nd and Center: Paintings and works on paper by Gino Hollander. 801-0211. GOOD WEATHER GALLERY, 4400 Edgemere, NLR: Photographs by Trisha Holt. www.goodweathergallery.com GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: Work by Southern artists. 664-2787. HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Evolu- tion,” exhibit celebrating the gallery’s 25th anniversary, with work by Lawrence Finney, Mario Robinson, Kevin Cole, Adger Cowans, Samella Lewis, Paul Goodnight and others, through Feb. 2. 372-6822. LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St., NLR: “George Fisher: The Presidents Exhibit,” 30 drawings from the Arkansas Arts Center Library Collection, through Jan. 19. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Conundrum,” recent work by David Clemons, multimedia work, through Feb. 26, Gallery II; “Co-opt,” work created in class experiment by Taimur Cleary, Mesilla Camille Smith and Jennifer Perren, Gallery III, through Jan. 29.

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EL DORADO SOUTH ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, 110 E. 5th St.: “Arts in the Hearts for Decades,” retrospective of Artists in Education projects, through Feb. 7, Merkle, Price and Lobby galleries. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 870-862-5474.

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BENTON DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellott, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467. CALICO ROCK CALICO ROCK ARTISTS COOPERATIVE, Hwy. 5 at White River Bridge: Paintings, photographs, jewelry, fiber art, wood, ceramics and other crafts. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. calicorocket.org/artists.

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FAYETTEVILLE BOTTLE ROCKET GALLERY, 1495 Finger Road: “Makeshift Theatre,” photographs by Logan Rollins. 479-466-7406. WALTON ARTS CENTER, 495 W. Dickson St.: “Linking the Past to the Present: Recent Works by Anita Fields and Tony Tiger,” textiles and paintings by Oklahoma artists, through Jan. 25, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat. 479-443-5600. FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM, 1601 Rogers Ave.: “RE: History,” 25 two- and three-dimensional works by James Volkert, through Feb. 16. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479784-2787. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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HOT SPRINGS ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP GALLERY, 610a Central Ave.: Watercolors by Terry O’Dell, paintings by Christine Lippert. 501-623-6401. BLUE MOON GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: Work by Suzi Dennis , Caren Garner, Randall M. Good and Thad Flenniken. 501-318-2787. FINE ARTS CENTER OF HOT SPRINGS, 626 Central Ave.: “2013 National Diamond Art Competition,” juror Katherine Strause, through Feb. 1. 501-624-0489. GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Glass by James Hayes. JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central Ave.: Work by Dolores Justus, Kari Albright, Steve Griffith, Robyn Horn, V. Noe, Rebecca Thompson, Dan Thornhill and others. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335. PERRYVILLE SUDS GALLERY, Courthouse Square: Paintings by Dottie Morrissey, Alma Gipson, Al Garrett Jr., Phyllis Loftin, Alene Otts, Mauretta Frantz, Raylene Finkbeiner, Kathy Williams and Evelyn Garrett. Noon-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri, noon-4 p.m. Sat. 501-766-7584.

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RUSSELLVILLE RIVER VALLEY ARTS CENTER, 1001 E. B St.: Korean folk painting by Hye-Young Go, through January. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. 479-968-2452.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, North Little Rock: 371-8320. ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME MUSEUM, Verizon Arena, NLR: 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 663-4328. CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957. ESSE, 1510 S. Main St.: “What’s Inside: A Century of Women and Handbags (19001999),” purses from the collection of Anita Davis, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sun., $10-$8. 9169022. HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. 3rd St.: “Chasing the Light,” photography of Brian Chilson, through March 10; “A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America,” through June 22; “Dream and Imagery Entailed: Kerrick Hartman and LaToya Hobbs,” sculpture and printmaking, through Feb. 9; “Arkansas Made,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351. MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS M I L I TA R Y H I S T O R Y , M a c A r t h u r Park: “American Posters of World War I”; permanent exhibits. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602. MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Robots and Us,” interactive exhibit on robotics, through Jan. 26; “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Tue., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., $10 ages 13 and older, $8 ages 1-12, free to members and children under 1. 396-7050. 32

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!”, the state’s ties to Hollywood, including costumes, scripts, film footage, photographs and more, through March 1, 2015; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure, through March 2014. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685. WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. CALICO ROCK CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www. calicorockmuseum.com. ENGLAND TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12. 961-9442. JACKSONVILLE JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943. JONESBORO ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, 320 University Loop West Circle: “Shaping Our World,” science exhibit developed by Arkansas Discovery Network, through Feb. 16, 2014. 870-972-2074. MORRILTON MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days. 501-727-5427. POTTSVILLE POTTS INN, 25 E. Ash St.: Preserved 1850s stagecoach station on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, with period furnishings, log structures, hat museum, doll museum, doctor’s office, antique farm equipment. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Sat. $5 adults, $2 students, 5 and under free. 479-968-9369. ROGERS ROGERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, 322 S. Second St.: “Art from the Earth: A Pottery Exhibit,” prehistoric, historic and contemporary ceramics, through Feb. 22. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 479621-1154. SCOTT PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409. SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www.scottconnections.org.


MOVIE REVIEW

‘LONE SURVIVOR’: Taylor Kitsch, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch star.

War torn ‘Lone Survivor’ a real white-knuckler. BY SAM EIFLING

“L

one Survivor” underscores the boldness of its title in the first scene, in which Mark Wahlberg, playing the real-life Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, appears bloody and mangled on an operating room table, flatlining. This, it turns out, is your lone survivor: The guy who’s borderline dead. One of the grittiest, most grueling war movies ever committed, “Lone Survivor” follows Luttrell’s memoir of the same name, about the catastrophic Operation Red Wings that saw several

American servicemen killed in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan in 2005. To say how many would constitute a spoiler of sorts, but it’s not going out of bounds to say things don’t go well for the Luttrell and the three other SEALs spearheading the mission to kill a Taliban leader named Shah (Yousuf Azami). The screenplay and direction, both by Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights”), diverges in some meaningful ways from Luttrell’s memoir, but the outline of the story is faithful, and could be summarized as online clickbait: “Four

SEALs were pinned on a mountainside and picked apart by Taliban forces. How one of them survived will restore your faith in humanity.” The battle scenes attain the kind of feel-it-in-your-kidneys realism that made the first 15 minutes of “Saving Private Ryan” such a workout. It’s not just that our heroes are taking bullets from all sides and to all parts — fingers, feet, shoulders, bellies — but that, on more than one occasion, their only sensible choice among several terrible ones is to fling themselves heedlessly down the side of the mountain. The stunt work and filming here are uncommonly convincing, and even if Berg has a tendency to linger almost pornographically on sputtering blood and slow death, the whole mess looks frighteningly real. Where “Lone Survivor” transcends

a military procedural, though, is in the practical moral dilemma that propels the action. Luttrell and the other SEALs — played by Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster — are discovered on the mountainside above a Taliban encampment not by soldiers, but by wandering goatherds. The SEALs tie up the three goatherds and discuss, in frank and heated terms, the relative merits of killing them versus letting them go. Again, there are no good choices available, only less-worse ones. That American troops should be put in such physical and moral peril underscores the case that Afghanistan was from the start a jumbled, imperialistic misadventure. But Taliban atrocities, depicted in “Lone Survivor” by an impromptu public beheading, illustrate the humanitarian imperative of American military intervention. So which was it? The film elides the political discussion as so many war movies have: by focusing on the lives and the sacrifice of soldiers. The advantage “Lone Survivor” has, of course, is its nonfiction source material. The opening credits, rendered as a sort of home-movie montage of SEALs completing their hellish training, shows us the makings of these unbreakable hombres. The end credits begin with more footage and snapshots of the men depicted in the film. At times the snare-heavy score settles on a bit thick, but otherwise the tone is spot-on. “Lone Survivor” depicts war in micro, in which each man’s life is a tragedy, not a statistic. The action, gripping throughout, serves a real purpose here. We’re left hoping the same goes for the men we see killed.

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Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’ CORNERSTONE PUB AND GRILL, the restaurant, bar and music venue that has been a fixture in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District since it opened in 2003 at 314 Main, has closed. A posting on the Cornerstone Facebook page from Jan. 2 says simply: “After ten years, we, the management of the Cornerstone Pub and Grill, have decided to close business operations in pursuit of alternative ventures. We would like to thank the Argenta Community, the City of North Little Rock, and all of our patrons over the years for their loyalty and support. We wish you nothing but continued success in the New Year and beyond. Cheers! Please private message us if you have any questions about leasing the property.” Several attempts to reach Cornerstone owners Mike and Chris Kent were unsuccessful at press time. Donna Hardcastle, executive director of the Argenta Downtown Council, said that she doesn’t know why the business closed. She said she believes that given its location, the former Cornerstone location will be able to be leased relatively easily, which will hopefully be a benefit to both the owners and Argenta. “It’s a great building, it’s two story, there’s a lot of space,” she said. “Obviously we’re very optimistic that something else will come in there that’ll be another asset for the Argenta Arts District.”

DINING CAPSULES

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK

AMERICAN

ACADIA A jewel of a restaurant in Hillcrest. Unbelievable fixed-price, three-course dinners on Mondays and Tuesday, but food is certainly worth full price. 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-9630. D Mon.-Sat. BIG ORANGE: BURGERS SALADS SHAKES Gourmet burgers manufactured according to exacting specs (humanely raised beef!) and properly fried Kennebec potatoes are the big draws, but you can get a veggie burger as well as fried chicken, curried falafel and blackened tilapia sandwiches, plus creative meal-sized salads. Shakes and floats are indulgences for all ages. 17809 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1515. LD daily. 207 N. University Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-379-8715. LD daily. BLACK ANGUS CAFE Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper are the big draws at this local institution. 10907 N. Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800. LD Mon.-Sat. BOBBY’S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers 34

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BEEFY: The Hot Dawg from Asher Dairy Bar.

Good blast from the past Asher Dairy Bar serves up cheap, tasty burgers and shakes.

L

iving in the past is not necessarily a bad thing. Nowhere is this more evident than at Asher Dairy Bar. On the outside, this Colonel Glenn fixture may not be much to look at anymore, merely a shadow of its former self. The paint’s fading on the once bright blue, red, and white sign featuring an oversized frosty milkshake. Inside, seemingly not much has changed either. But it’s still just as welcoming to any passerby looking for a fast, tasty meal. The food and shakes taste as classic as ever, accompanied by attentive and friendly service, and prices even your grandparents would be pleased with. Most likely, beyond the milkshakes, you’re going to want to head to Asher Dairy Bar for a burger. Sure, there are a number of other available menu items, which you may be inclined to venture

towards from time to time. But when you’re craving a thin-patty, grease ball of a burger — the kind that leaves you constantly checking over your shoulder to make sure your cardiologist doesn’t catch you in the forbidden act — Asher Dairy Bar is your place. The burger offerings on Asher’s menu are a tad confusing. There’s the regular burger, the jumbo burger, the regular double burger, the jumbo double burger, the “over the hill” burger, and the “over the hill” double burger. If you’ve got 20 minutes for them to explain the whole menu, you may begin to get to the bottom of it all, but allow us to simplify: Just get the regular double cheeseburger ($3.39). It seems to really hit that sweet spot of proper beef to grease proportions, adequate cheese coverage, and

Asher Dairy Bar

7505 Colonel Glenn Road 562-1085 QUICK BITE It’s easy to get lunch from Asher Dairy Bar for under $7. It may well be the best value in the city. During summer months, there’s no finer place to be than at a dairy bar. The bar does shakes, soft-serve vanilla ice cream with all the fixings, chocolate dipped cones, banana splits, and sundaes. As the slogan says, it’s the “best lick in Little Rock.” HOURS 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. OTHER INFO Credit cards accepted, no alcohol.

proper consistency and texture despite being, essentially, a well-done burger. Each patty is thin — about an eighth of a pound each — but they manage to remain juicy and tender due to their lovely fatty properties. The dairy bar grinds its beef fresh every morning, never resorting to frozen patties. The cheese is generously portioned and the bun is slightly toasted on one side. It’s a cheeseburger seen a million times, in a million places, but it’s done right here. And at around $3, no one is complaining CONTINUED ON PAGE 36


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

and tasty homemade deserts at this Levy diner. 12230 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Fri. BOSCOS RESTAURANT & BREWERY CO. This River Market brewery does food well, too. Along with the tried and true, like sandwiches, burgers, steaks and big salads, they have entrees like black bean and goat cheese tamales, open hearth pizza ovens and muffalettas. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-907-1881. LD daily. BOSTON’S Ribs, gourmet pizza star at this restaurant/sports bar located at the Holiday Inn by the airport. TVs in separate sports bar area. 3201 Bankhead Dr. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-235-2000. LD daily. BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seatyourself Cajun joint in Maumelle that serves up all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. With particularly tasty red beans and rice, jambalaya and bread pudding. 9811 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. L Sat., D Mon.-Sat. BOULEVARD BREAD CO. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, wide selection of cheeses, meats, side dishes; all superb. Good coffee, too. 1920 N. Grant St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-6635951. BLD Mon.-Sat. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1232. BL Mon.-Sat. 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. 1417 Main St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5100. BL Mon.-Sat. BREWSTERS 2 CAFE & LOUNGE Down-home done right. Check out the yams, mac-andcheese, greens, purple-hull peas, cornbread, wings, catfish and all the rest. 2725 S. Arch St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-301-7728. LD Mon.-Sat. BROWN SUGAR BAKESHOP Fabulous cupcakes, brownies and cakes offered five days a week until they’re sold out. 419 E. 3rd St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4009. LD Tue.-Sat. (close at 5:30 p.m.). BUTCHER SHOP The cook-your-own-steak option has been downplayed, and several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection. 10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-312-2748. D daily. CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. D Mon.-Sat. CAPERS It’s never been better, with as good a wine list as any in the area, and a menu that covers a lot of ground — seafood, steaks, pasta — and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600. LD Mon.-Sat. CHEDDAR’S Large selection of somewhat standard American casual cafe choices, many of which are made from scratch. Portions are large and prices are very reasonable. 400 South University. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-614-7578. LD daily. COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny downtown bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels

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

and The New York Times. But a lunchtime dash for sandwiches is OK, too, though it’s often packed. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. 501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BLD Mon.-Sat. BL Sun. COPELAND’S RESTAURANT OF LITTLE ROCK The full service restaurant chain started by the founder of Popeye’s delivers the same good biscuits, the same dependable frying and a New Orleans vibe in piped music and decor. You can eat red beans and rice for a price in the single digits or pay near $40 for a choice slab of ribeye, with crab, shrimp and fish in between. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-1616. LD daily. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Marketarea hotspot. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. CRUSH WINE BAR An unpretentious downtown bar/lounge with an appealing and erudite wine list. With tasty tapas, but no menu for full meals. 318 Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-374-9463. D Tue.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE A popular downtown soupand-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner, which varies in theme, home cooking being the most popular. Owner Dave Williams does all the cooking and his son, Dave also, plays saxophone and fronts the band that plays most Friday nights. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-3283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food or call it down-home country cooking. Just be sure to call us for breakfast or lunch when you go. Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. Desserts are exceptionally good. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3710141. BL Mon.-Fri., L Sun. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent breakfast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate, with a great variety of salads and soups as well. Don’t miss the bourbon pecan pie — it’s a winner. 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily. DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily. FLYING SAUCER A popular River Market hangout thanks to its almost 200 beers (including 75 on tap) and more than decent bar food. It’s now non-smoking, so families are welcome. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-8032. LD daily. FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-8300. LD daily. FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. Arkansas’ oldest continuCONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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35


DINING REVIEW, CONT. about its rather commonplace components. We also sampled the larger “jumbo” cheeseburger ($3.09), a single quarter-pound slab of beef, but we found the regular version superior — more flavorful and a tad juicier. You could easily pass on the regular fries ($1.49): They’re under-seasoned and clearly from prebagged, frozen potatoes. You’re better off going with the tater tots ($1.49), since they’re sufficiently hot and crispy and go down well after a quick swim in ketchup. We’ve also ventured into hot dog territory, and settled on the fully loaded regular “Hot Dawg” ($2.59). More adventurous souls may have gravitated towards the foot-long, 1-pound “Royal Dawg” ($4.49) or perhaps the foot-long Polish sausage ($4.49), but on this day, we showed a bit of restraint and got a more reasonably sized hot link. We were served a plump, all-beef dog, decorated with yellow mustard, chili, cheese, grilled onion, jalapeño, and slaw. While the chili was nothing more than the canned variety, and the slaw likely from a pre-made tub, the dog was flavorful, nicely charred on the grill. The onions were nice too, caramelized and soft, and the jalapeños were finely diced and brought a nice element of heat to the mix. We didn’t feel right about leaving a dairy bar without sampling one of the shakes. After perusing through the 20 or so shake flavors, we settled on a small strawberry shake ($2.69), one of the dairy bar’s most popular flavors, and were overall pleased with the results. It probably could have benefited from a little more strawberry flavor, but we had no problem polishing it off.

CHEESEBURGER DONE RIGHT: Asher Dairy Bar’s regular double cheeseburger.

Asher Dairy Bar boasts a sizable breakfast menu that includes expected diner classics such as biscuits and gravy, French toast, omelets, and pancakes. Its self-proclaimed “famous” breakfast toaster sandwich ($3.69) is substantial — two thick slices of Texas toast, grilled on the flattop, two eggs, melted American cheese, and your choice of sausage, bacon or ham — and large enough to keep an average stomach satisfied for a good six hours.

FILLING: The famous breakfast toaster sandwich at Asher Dairy Bar.

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. ally operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2254487. LD daily. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials. The half pound burger is a two-hander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. GADWALL’S GRILL Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint. Now, under one roof, there’s mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-834-1840. LD daily. B Fri.-Sun. IZZY’S It’s bright, clean and casual, with snappy team service of all the standbys — sandwiches and fries, lots of fresh salads, pasta about a dozen ways, hand-rolled tamales and brick oven pizzas. 5601 Ranch Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-868-4311. LD Mon.-Sat. 36

JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

LITTLEFIELD’S CAFE The owners of the Starlite Diner have moved their cafe to the Kroger Shopping Center on JFK, where they are still serving breakfast all day, as well as plate lunches, burgers and sandwiches. 6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol. 501-771-2036. BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun. MARKHAM STREET GRILL AND PUB The menu has something for everyone, including mahi-mahi and wings. Try the burgers, which are juicy, big and fine. 11321 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2010. LD daily. MCBRIDE’S CAFE AND BAKERY Owners Chet and Vicki McBride have been serving up delicious breakfast and lunch specials based on their family recipes for two decades in this popular eatery at Baptist Health’s Little Rock campus. The desserts and barbecue sandwiches are not to be missed. 9501 Lile Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-340-3833. BL Mon.-Fri. MOOYAH BURGERS Kid-friendly, fast-casual restaurant with beef, veggie and turkey burgers, a burger bar and shakes. 10825 Kanis Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-313-4905. LD daily.; 14810 Cantrell Road, Suite 190. No alcohol, All

CC. $-$$. 501-868-1091 10825 Kanis Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-313-4905. LD daily. OLD MILL BREAD AND FLOUR CO. CAFE The popular take-out bakery has an eat-in restaurant and friendly operators. It’s self-service, simple and good with sandwiches built with a changing lineup of the bakery’s 40 different breads, along with soups, salads and cookies. 12111 W. Markham St. #366. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-4677. BL Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches from restaurateur Mark Abernathy. Smart wine list. 3701 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482. BL Tue.-Fri. D daily. BR Sat. RENO’S ARGENTA CAFE Sandwiches, gyros and gourmet pizzas by day and music and drinks by night in downtown Argenta. 312 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-3762900. LD Mon.-Sat. RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately to your specifications, finished with butter and served sizzling hot. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full

bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. ROBERT’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL If you’re looking for a burger, you won’t find it here. This establishment specializes in fried chicken dinners, served with their own special trimmings. 7212 Geyer Springs Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-568-2566. LD Tue.-Sat., D Mon., Sun. ROUTE 66 DINER Kid-friendly ‘50s diner with a menu of classics, including chicken and waffles. 7710 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-223-3366. BLD Mon.-Sat. RUDY’S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Quesadillas and chili cheese dip are tasty and ultra-hearty. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-771-0808. LD Mon.-Sat. SHARKS FISH & CHICKEN This Southwest Little Rock restaurant specializes in seafood, frog legs and catfish, all served with the traditional fixings. 8824 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-0300. LD daily. SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish. The wine selection is broad and choice. Free


DINING CAPSULES, CONT. valet parking. Use it and save yourself a headache. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1464. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. STICKYZ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK Fingers any way you can imagine, plus sandwiches and burgers, and a fun setting for music and happy hour gatherings. 107 Commerce St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-7707. LD daily. TOWN PUMP A dependable burger, good wings, great fries, other bar food, plate lunches, full bar. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9802. LD daily. TRIO’S Fresh, creative and satisfying lunches; even better at night, when the chefs take flight. Best array of fresh desserts in town. 8201 Cantrell Road Suite 100. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-3330. LD Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. WILLY D’S DUELING PIANO BAR Willy D’s serves up a decent dinner of pastas and salads as a lead-in to its nightly sing-along piano show. Go when you’re in a good mood. 322 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-9550. D Tue.-Sat. W.T. BUBBA’S COUNTRY TAVERN Sloppy Joes, a fried bologna sandwich, a nacho bar and burgers and such feature on the menu of this bubba-themed River Market bar. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-2528. LD daily. YANCEY’S CAFETERIA Soul food served with a Southern attitude. 1523 Martin Luther King Ave. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-372-9292. LD Tue.-Sat. YOUR MAMA’S GOOD FOOD Offering simple and satisfying cafeteria food, with burgers and more hot off the grill, plate lunches and pies. 215 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-3721811. L Mon.-Fri. ZACK’S PLACE Expertly prepared home cooking and huge, smoky burgers. 1400 S. University Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6646444. LD Mon.-Sat. ZIN URBAN WINE & BEER BAR It’s cosmopolitan yet comfortable, a relaxed place to enjoy fine wines and beers while noshing on superb meats, cheeses and amazing goat cheesestuffed figs. 300 River Market Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-246-4876. D daily.

ASIAN

CHI’S CHINESE CUISINE No longer owned by Chi’s founder Lulu Chi, this Chinese mainstay still offers a broad menu that spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings. 5110 W. Markham St. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-604-7777. LD Mon.-Sat. CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL The folks that own Chi’s and Sekisui offer their best in a three-inone: tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-8129888. LD daily. FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect, the decor bright. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-8999. LD daily. GENGHIS GRILL This chain restaurant takes the Mongolian grill idea to its inevitable, Subwaystyle conclusion. 12318 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-223-2695. LD daily. LILLY’S DIMSUM THEN SOME Innovative dishes inspired by Asian cuisine, utilizing local and fresh ingredients. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-716-2700. LD Tue.-Sun. MT. FUJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT The dean of Little Rock sushi bars offers a fabulous lunch special and great Monday night deals. 10301 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-227-6498. LD daily. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-227-6498.

OSAKA JAPANESE RESTAURANT Veteran operator of several local Asian buffets has brought fine-dining Japanese dishes and a well-stocked sushi bar to way-out-west Little Rock, near Chenal off Highway 10. 5501 Ranch Dr. $$-$$$. 501-868-3688. L Tue.-Sat., D Tue.-Sun. SKY MODERN JAPANESE Excellent, ambitious menu filled with sushi and other Japanese fare and Continental-style dishes. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 917. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 501-224-4300. LD daily. SUSHI CAFE Impressive, upscale sushi menu with other delectable house specialties like tuna tataki, fried soft shell crab, Kobe beef and, believe it or not, the Tokyo cowboy burger. 5823 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9888. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

BARBECUE

CHATZ CAFE ‘Cue and catfish joint that does heavy catering business. Try the slow-smoked, meaty ribs. 8801 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-4949. LD Mon.-Sat. CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. Maybe the best dry ribs in the area. 12005 Westhaven Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-954-7427. LD daily. 2947 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-3737. LD daily, B Sat.-Sun. PIT STOP BAR AND GRILL A working-man’s bar and grill, with barbecue, burgers, breakfast and bologna sandwiches, plus live music on Friday and Saturday nights. 5506 Baseline Road. Full bar, No CC. $$. 501-562-9635. BLD daily. WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. Side orders — from fries to potato salad to beans and slaw — are superb, as are the fried pies. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat. WHOLE HOG CAFE The pulled pork shoulder is a classic, the back ribs are worthy of their many blue ribbons, and there’s a six-pack of sauces for all tastes. A real find is the beef brisket, cooked the way Texans like it. 516 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-5025. LD Mon.-Sat. 12111 W. Markham. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-6124. LD daily. 150 E. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-513-0600. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. 5107 Warden Road. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-753-9227.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

ALADDIN KABAB Persian and Mexican cuisines sound like an odd pairing, but they work fairly well together here. Particularly if you’re ordering something that features charred meat, like a kabab or gyros. 9112 N Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-219-8787. LD daily. CAFE BOSSA NOVA A South American approach to sandwiches, salads and desserts, all quite good, as well as an array of refreshing South American teas and coffees. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-614-6682. LD Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. DUGAN’S PUB Serves up Irish fare like fish and chips and corned beef and cabbage alongside classic bar food. The chicken fingers and burgers stand out. Irish breakfast all day. 401 E. 3rd St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-0542. LD daily. GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection, plus burgers and the like. 2933 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-5090. LD Mon.-Sat. HIBERNIA IRISH TAVERN This traditional Irish

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pub has its own traditional Irish cook from, where else, Ireland. Broad beverage menu, Irish and Southern food favorites and a crowd that likes to sing. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-246-4340. D Mon.-Sat., L Sun. LAYLA’S GYROS AND PIZZERIA Delicious Mediterranean fare — gyros, falafel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus and babaganush — that has a devoted following. All meat is slaughtered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.). TAJ MAHAL The third Indian restaurant in a onemile span of West Little Rock, Taj Mahal offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an extensive menu. Dishes range on the spicy side. 1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. 501-8814796. LD daily. TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE Fast casual chain that offers gyros, grilled meats and veggies, hummus and pimento cheese. 8200 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-8291. LD daily. 12800 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-225-1829. LD daily. THE TERRACE MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN A broad selection of Mediterranean delights that include a very affordable collection of starters, salads, sandwiches, burgers, chicken and fish at lunch and a more upscale dining experience with top-notch table service at dinner. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-217-9393. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. YA YA’S EURO BISTRO The first eatery to open in the Promenade at Chenal is a date-night affair, translating comfort food into beautiful cuisine. Best bet is lunch, where you can explore the menu through soup, salad or half a sandwich. 17711 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1144. LD daily, BR Sun.

ITALIAN

BRAVO! CUCINA ITALIANA This upscale Italian chain offers delicious and sometimes inventive dishes. 17815 Chenal Pkwy. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-821-2485. LD daily. BR Sun. BRUNO’S LITTLE ITALY Traditional Italian antipastos, appetizers, entrees and desserts. Extensive, delicious menu from Little Rock standby. 310 Main St. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-7866. D Tue.-Sat. GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italian-flavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2249079. D Mon.-Sat. JIM’S RAZORBACK PIZZA Great pizza served up in a family-friendly, sports-themed environment. Special Saturday and Sunday brunch served from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 16101 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-868-3250. LD daily. OLD CHICAGO PASTA & PIZZA This national chain offers lots of pizzas, pastas and beer. 4305 Warden Road. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-6262. LD daily. 1010 Main St. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-6262. LD daily. PIZZA CAFE Thin, crunchy pizza with just a dab of tomato sauce but plenty of chunks of stuff, topped with gooey cheese. Draft beer is appealing on the open-air deck — frosty and generous. 1517 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6133. LD daily 14710 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-2600. LD daily. PIZZA D’ACTION Some of the best pizza in town, a marriage of thin, crispy crust with a hefty ingredient load. Also, good appetizers and salads, pasta, sandwiches and killer plate lunches. 2919 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-5403. LD daily. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

hearsay ➥ DANDELION

HERBS, SPICES AND TEAS recently

announced new operating hours: the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-5 p.m. Sundays. Their hours will change seasonally, so check their Facebook page for updates. ➥ Speaking of Dandelion, you can get the locally made fruit and vegetable juice line GARDEN PRESS there, as well as at GREEN COR-

NER GROCERY, THE HILLCREST FARMERS MARKET and THE LOCALS in downtown Conway. These cold-pressed, fresh juices are growing in popularity, and with blends like Kale Force 5 (kale, sorrel, green apple, carrot and ginger), it’s not hard to see why. You can also order full (12 pints) or half shares (6 pints) of juice online that will be delivered fresh the next day. To order online, visit gardenpress.squarespace.com. ➥ After unveiling their gorgeous, newly renovated space, TULIPS has announced a massive sale: select items are 75 percent off. ➥ In other sale news, BEYOND COTTON has items marked down 40-75 percent, and the SHOPPES AT WOODLAWN have items at 50 percent off in the “red room”, as well as other deals. ➥ It looks like a projected early February opening for MOXY MERCANTILE, the vintage and antique store setting up shop on South Main Street. ➥ On the other side of town in west Little Rock, THE PAINT AND CARPET DEPOT will close its doors at the end of the month, so go check out the amazing deals they’re offering on paint, carpet, tile and other types of flooring. ➥ Planning on running in the Little Rock marathon or maybe just getting into running? Complement your training with the runner’s yoga workshop at THE FLOATING LOTUS. This sixweek series of classes focuses on opening all areas of the runner’s body with attention to the hamstrings and quadriceps. Classes are from 1:45-3 p.m. Sundays from Jan. 19 to Feb. 23. Cost of the class is $75 and preregistration is required. Visit www.floatinglotusyogastudio. com for more information. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 16, 2014

37


DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

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JANUARY 16, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

THE PIZZA JOINT Cracker-thin crusts with a tempting variety of traditional or nontraditional toppings. Just off Cantrell Road. 6100 Stones Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-9108. D daily. RISTORANTE CAPEO Authentic cooking from the boot of Italy is the draw at this cozy, brickwalled restaurant on North Little Rock’s Main Street. Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners, but let the chef, who works in an open kitchen, entertain you with some more exotic stuff, too, like crispy veal sweetbreads. They make their own mozzarella fresh daily. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKY’S PUB Rocking sandwiches an Arkie used to have to head way northeast to find and a fine selection of homemade Italian entrees, including as fine a lasagna as there is. 6909 JFK Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine. $$. 501-833-1077. LD Mon.-Sat. SHOTGUN DAN’S PIZZA Hearty pizza and sandwiches with a decent salad bar. Multiple locations, at 4020 E. Broadway, NLR, 945-0606; 4203 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, 835-0606, and 10923 W. Markham St. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-2249519. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. VINO’S Great rock ‘n’ roll club also is a fantastic pizzeria with huge calzones and always improving home-brewed beers. 923 W. 7th St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-8466. LD daily. ZAZA Here’s where you get wood-fired pizza with gorgeous blistered crusts and a light topping of choice and tempting ingredients, great gelato in a multitude of flavors, call-yourown ingredient salads and other treats. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-661-9292. LD daily. 1050 Ellis Ave. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-9292. LD daily.

LATINO

CANTINA LAREDO This is gourmet Mexican food, a step up from what you’d expect from a real cantina, from the modern minimal decor to the well-prepared entrees. We can vouch for the enchilada Veracruz and the carne asada y huevos, both with tasty sauces and high quality ingredients perfectly cooked. 207 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-280-0407. LD daily, BR Sun. CHUY’S Good Tex-Mex. We’re especially fond of the enchiladas, and always appreciate restaurants that make their own tortillas. 16001 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-2489. LD daily. JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices — enchiladas, tacos, flautas, shrimp burritos and such — plus creative salads and other dishes. And of course the “Blue Mesa” cheese dip. 614 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1228. LD Tue.-Sat. LA SALSA MEXICAN & PERUVIAN CUISINE Mexican and Peruvian dishes, beer and margaritas. 3824 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-753-1101. LD daily. LOCAL LIME Tasty gourmet Mex from the folks who brought you Big Orange and ZaZa. 17815 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-448-2226. LD daily. ROSALINDA RESTAURANT HONDURENO A Honduran cafe that specializes in pollo con frito tajada (fried chicken and fried plaintains). With breakfast, too. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-771-5559. BLD daily. SENOR TEQUILA Typical cheap Mexican dishes with great service. Good margaritas. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-5505. LD daily. 9847 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. 501-758-4432; 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-868-7642. LD daily.

TACO MEXICO Tacos have to be ordered at least two at a time, but that’s not an impediment. These are some of the best and some of the cheapest tacos in Little Rock. 7101 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-4167002. LD Wed.-Sun. TACOS GUANAJUATO Pork, beef, adobado, chicharron and cabeza tacos and tortas at this mobile truck. 6920 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Wed.-Mon. TAQUERIA EL PALENQUE Solid authentic Mexican food. Try the al pastor burrito. 9501 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-3120045. Serving BLD Tue.-Sun. TAQUERIA THALIA Try this taco truck on the weekends, when the special could be anything from posole to menudo to shrimp cocktail. 4500 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-563-3679. LD Wed.-Mon.

AROUND ARKANSAS

BENTON

DAN’S I-30 DINER Home cooking and blue plate specials are the best things to choose at this Benton diner. Check out the daily special board for a meat-and-two-veg lunch — and if chicken stuffing’s on the menu, GET IT. 17018 Interstate 30. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-778-4116. BL Tue.-Sat. LA VALENTINA There are touches of authenticity on La Valentina’s “real Mexican” menu, including specialties like palmadas meat pies, but otherwise you’ll find tacos, burritos, chimichangas and the like here. 1217 Ferguson Drive. Benton. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-776-1113. LD daily. SULLIVAN’S DINER Tasty chicken fried steak and other home cookin’ standards paired with well-executed Thai dishes. 520 Lillian St. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-778-4630. BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun.

BENTONVILLE

RIVER GRILLE Great steaks, fresh seafood flown in daily, and some out-of-this-world creme brulee. But though some offerings are splendid, others are just average. Service is outstanding. Prices are outrageous. 1003 McClain Road. Bentonville. Full bar. $$$-$$$$. 479-271-4141. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

BRYANT

STRAW HAT PIZZA Pizza chain that bills itself as “genuine California pizza,” with a daily lunch buffet. 209 B St. Bryant. Beer, Wine, CC. $$. 501-847-1400. LD daily.

CONWAY

DOMOYAKI Hibachi grill and sushi bar near the interstate. Now serving bubble tea. 505 E. Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-764-0074. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. THE FISH HOUSE The other entrees and the many side orders are decent, but this place is all about catfish. 116 S. Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. 501-327-9901. LD Mon.-Sun. GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicagostyle deep-dish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait. 2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-1100. LD daily. JADE CHINA Traditional Chinese fare, some with a surprising application of ham. 559 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-329-5121. LD Mon.-Sat. LAS PALMAS IV “Authentic” Mexican chain with a massive menu of choices. 786 Elsinger Boulevard. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-3295010. LD Mon-Sat.


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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. SHORTY’S` Burgers, dogs and shake joint. 1101 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-329-9213. LD Mon.-Sat. STOBY’S Great homemade cheese dip and big, sloppy Stoby sandwiches with umpteen choices of meats, cheeses and breads. 805 Donaghey. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-327-5447. BLD Mon.-Sat. 405 W. Parkway. Russellville. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-9683816. BLD Mon.-Sat. STROMBOLI’S Locally owned purveyor of NY style pizzas and strombolis. 605 Salem Rd., Suite 9. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-327-3700. LD daily. U.S. PIZZA CO. CONWAY Part of the U.S. Pizza Co. chain. 710 Front Street. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-450-9700. LD Mon.-Sun.

FAYETTEVILLE

36 CLUB Diverse menu — more than 80 items — of good food, ranging from grilled shrimp salad to spicy tandoori chicken, in a lively setting. Next door, sister restaurant Bistro V, offers a quieter atmosphere. 300 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, CC. 479-442-9682. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. AQ CHICKEN HOUSE Great chicken — fried,

grilled and rotisserie — at great prices. 1925 North College Ave. Fayetteville. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD daily. 1206 N. Thompson St. Springdale. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD. BORDINOS Exquisite Italian food, great wines and great service in a boisterous setting. Now serving Nova Scotia mussels. 310 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-527-6795. D. ELENITA’S MEXICAN CAFE Some of the most flavorful and reasonably priced authentic Mexican food in town. 1120 N. Lindell Ave. Fayetteville. No alcohol, All CC. 479-442-9978. LD. GRUB’S BAR AND GRILLE A commendable menu that includes pub fare and vegetarian both is full of tasty offerings. The Hippie Sandwich and the Santa Fe burger come to mind. But what’s really great about Grub’s is the fact that kids under 12 (with their parents) eat free, and there’s no stale smoke to fill their little lungs, thanks to good ventilation. 220 N. West Ave. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-9734782. LD.

HOT SPRINGS

BELLE ARTI RISTORANTE Ambitious menu

of lavish delights in a film-noir setting; excellent desserts. 719 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-624-7474. LD. DON JUAN’S Mex-style enchiladas, runny white cheese dip, great guacamole and great service in strip-mall locale. 1311 Albert Pike Road No. A. Hot Springs. No alcohol, All CC. 501-321-0766. LD. FISHERMAN’S WHARF Reminiscent of a coastal seafood joint, complete with large menu and fish nets adorning the wall. Boisterous, family style place. 5101 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-5257437. LD. HAWGS PIZZA PUB Good pizza and other Italian food, a wide selection of appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches in an allRazorback motif. 1442 Airport Road. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-767-4240. LD. HUNAN PALACE Dependable Chinese cuisine, good soups, nice priced combos for two or three. 4737 Central Ave. No. 104. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-525-3344. LD. MCCLARD’S Considered by many to be the best barbecue in Arkansas — ribs, pork, beef and great tamales, too. 505 Albert Pike. Hot Springs. Beer, No CC. 501-624-9586. LD.

NOM NOMS MEXICAN GRILL-N-CHILL More than 50 flavors of delicious ice cream, with many exotic options (Avocado Cream, Tamarind Sorbet). Plus, excellent fresh and authentic Mexican fare. 3371 Central Ave. Hot Springs. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-6238588. OAKLAWN LAGNIAPPE’S BUFFET Small, overpriced and with an underwhelming variety of bland choices, the buffet in Oaklawn’s expanded gaming complex leaves a lot to be desired. If you’re hungry, hit the shops under the race track grandstands instead. 2705 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-623-4411. BLD daily. ROCKY’S CORNER Knock-out pizza at a hopping eatery across the street from Oaklawn Park. 2600 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Beer, All CC. 501-624-0199. LD. SAM’S PIZZA PUB & RESTAURANT A cozy, inviting spot decked out in Christmas lights and offering several tasty styles of pizza (try the Sam’s special) and other dinner specials. Accessible by boat or car. Often rocks at night with lake locals. 401 Burchwood Bay Road. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-5250780. LD daily. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 16, 2014

39


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