Arkansas Times - September 11, 2014

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT + FOOD / SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 / ARKTIMES.COM

WEIGHTED JUSTICE POWERFUL PROSECUTORS GO UNPUNISHED

by Mara Leveritt

of the

Arkansas Times A N E X H I B I T AT H I S TO R I C A R K A N S A S M U S E U M

SEPT. 12 THROUGH DEC E M B E R From a spunky monthly launched with $200 in capital assets to one of the earliest alternative w e e k l i e s, t h e A r k a n s a s Ti m e s h a s b e e n T H E e s sential voice on politics and culture since 1974.

Take a look back at the last 40 years of Arkansas history through the often-irreverent lens of the Times in a collection of archival covers, photos, art and memorabilia.

Come To The Opening Reception On Second Friday Art Night, 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 Music by, acoustic guitar duo, Finger Food: featuring Steve Davison and Micky Rigby.

www.arktimes.com www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

33

ARKANSAS’S SOURCE FOR NEWS, POLITICS & ENTERTAINMENT 201 East Markham Street, Suite 200 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 www.arktimes.com arktimes@arktimes.com @ArkTimes www.facebook.com/arkansastimes PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt

Warehouse Sale!

Saturday, Sept 27 9am-5pm Table Legs, Doors, Windows, Hardware, Light Fixtures and Lots More!

EDITOR Lindsey Millar

Oliver’s Antiques

SENIOR EDITOR Max Brantley MANAGING EDITOR Leslie Newell Peacock CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mara Leveritt ASSOCIATE EDITORS Benjamin Hardy, David Koon, David Ramsey COPY EDITOR Jim Harris ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Will Stephenson

7th & thayer, Lr

501.982.0064 1101 Burman Dr. • Jacksonville Take Main St. Exit, East on Main, Right on S. Hospital & First Left to Burman.

TUES-FRI 10-5. SAT 10-3 OR BY APPOINTMENT

Family Owned & Operated Since 1997

15% OFF ANY FOOD PURCHASE. VALID AT ALL 4 LOCATIONS. Not valid with any other offer.

Happy Hour Everyday 3-7pm 4154 E. McCain • NLR • 501-945-8010 laspalmasarkansas.com www.facebook.com/laspalmasmexican

(501) 375-8400

Friday, September 12

The Green Seed (Birmingham, AL)

Saturday, September 13

GIRLS! Night

tuesday, September 16

Frontier Circus w/ Glenn Jones

thursday, September 18

BILLY JOE SHAVER

Check out additional shows at whitewatertavern.com

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Bryan Moats PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Chilson ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Mike Spain ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Patrick Jones GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Waltermire DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Phyllis A. Britton DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS Rebekah Hardin SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tiffany Holland

2010

WARD A Y N TO ER

Nsical!

WEISN M T u B

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jo Garcia, Thanh Rasico, Carrie Sublett, Brooke Wallace ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Kelly Carr SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING DIRECTOR Kristi McKinnon SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Rose Gladner IT DIRECTOR Robert Curfman CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Susie Shelton CONTROLLER Weldon Wilson Jasmin Richardson, Courtney Blackmun, J Nycole Ralph, Tatiana H. Green in The Rep’s production of Memphis the Musical.

BILLING/COLLECTIONS Linda Phillips OFFICE MANAGER Kelly Lyles PRODUCTION MANAGER Ira Hocut (1954-2009)

association of alternative newsmedia

VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, Suite 200, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201, phone (501) 375-2985.

Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, EAST MARKHAM STREET, SUITE 200, Little Rock, AR, 72201. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited.

Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

©2014 ARKANSAS TIMES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

“Evokes the powerhouse funk of James Brown, the hot guitar riffs of Chuck Berry, the smooth harmonies of The Temptations, [and] the silken, bouncy pop of the great girl groups of the period.”

— New York Times

ARKANSAS REPERTORY THEATRE SEPTEMBER 5 — SEPTEMBER 28 | TICKETS ONLINE AT THEREP.ORg

Presented By

REmmEl T. DIckINsON

Sponsored By

FOR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE CALL: (501) 375-2985 www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

3

COMMENT

Left out I was disappointed to see I was not included in the “Visionary” issue [Aug. 28]. I think I should have gotten in on the merit of my idea for Little Rock to sponsor the first-ever Cold War Reenactment. As you recall, the events were to include: 1.) John and Jackie Kennedy looka-like contests.

2.) A good old-fashion McCarthy era book burning and weinie roast along with a fallout shelter cook-off (everything must be made from year-old canned goods).

3.) Musical desks (like musical chairs but with children ducking under old school desks when the air-raid siren sounds).

4.) Bay of Pigs BBQ cook off.

5.) Fallout shelter sports competition to include solitaire marathon, recreational sleeping and competitive hair loss.

6.) Whittaker Chambers pumpkincarving contest.

The celebration will end with the Berlin Wall Ball. Half the hall will be brightly decorated and abundantly supplied with food and drink while the other half will be in black-and-white and serve only vodka and cabbage. On the black-andwhite side, careful notations will be taken of who talks to whom and who does not eat the cabbage. Entertainment will be supplied by the percussion stylings of the Nikita Khrushchev Shoe Band, U2 and a Vaughn Meader impersonator.

David Rose Hot Springs

photograph of himself on Facebook from the Varner Unit: The Department of Correction is inept and it is a wonder worse has not happened. They are still looking for the murderer who escaped from a Pine Bluff unit, and the rumor is he was having a consensual affair with the daughter of the high prison official where he was the “houseboy.” The father found out and the felon mysteriously escaped, then disappeared. They usually surface in a few weeks after robbing a place, but not this one.

LaTasha DeShay

Monitor Protect

Distribute

Distribute

• Protecting square exceed customer180 expectations.

We ofprovide value from the miles watershed lands Monitor • Monitoring source to your tap:your water quality with 155,000 • Protecting 180 square Protect Treat testsmiles a year of watershed lands Enjoy • Monitoringwater your • Distributing water quality with 155,000 through 2,300 miles of pipe tests a yearan average • Treating • Distributing water of 60 million gallons of water through 2,300 miles of pipe Treat eachTreating day • an average of • Enjoying the service Enjoy 60 million gallons of water we provide each dayto our 400,000 consumers • Enjoying the service we provide to our 400,000 consumers

Providing Exceptional Value Providing Exceptional Value With Every Drop With Every Drop

From the web In response to an Arkansas Blog item about a convicted murderer posting a 4

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

CAW delivers high quality water and dependable service that exceed customer expectations.

We provide value from the source CAWtap: delivers high quality water to your

and dependable service that

Long gone It is now official: The old Southern concept of sportsmanship and fair play is now officially dead at the University of Arkansas. The announcement appeared in the Arkansas DemocratGazette (Sept. 2) when it was reported that the head football coach encourages his players to “go after” injured opponents. He is referring to boys just out of their teens. Many will carry their football injuries with them the rest of their lives. No doubt that tactic has always been part of the game, but to hear the coach who represents our state openly promote it was stunning and sad.

Steve Scott Maumelle

In response to an item on the Arkansas Blog about Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s advertisements of his office on Razorback radio broadcasts and the Razorback website: That’s an interesting racket. I guess the attorney general’s office has got money to burn. It would be interesting to see the Google Analytics reports from gotyourbackarkansas.org, especially the referrer stats, and calculate the cost per consumer complaint filed via the ads.

It might be comparable to the old

carkw.com

Like us on

Facebook

You

Tube

SAWER program from back in the ’70s, when the state was spending $5,750 per cord of wood.

Radical centrist In response to the Arkansas Blog’s report that Rep. Tom Cotton has reversed his position and now supported an increase in the minimum wage: Tom Cotton is something else. He currently has an ad with his mother on the air where he tells a bald-face lie about how he never has or never would do anything to harm Medicare or Social Security. I guess he is too ashamed to tell his mother about his votes in Congress that run just the opposite to everything he said in his latest ad. Really folks, if he will lie to his own mama, he will lie to all of us!

And his poor mother! I am sure she is a fine woman, but here Tom goes and drags her into yet another ad, in an effort to use her and make her an accomplice in the perpetration of his own lies. He should be ashamed of himself for using his mother to help spread his lies. How many more ads is he going to roll his parents out in? It’s probably because they are so much more likable than him, he will continue to do so. I guess it is true that parents will do just about anything for their kids.

Poison Apple

Seeks support for Huntington’s parity act I am writing to strongly urge my U.S. representative to cosponsor the Huntington’s Disease Parity Act of 2013 (H.R. 1015) and to ask my senators to co-sponsor the Senate companion, S. 723. If passed, the Huntington’s Disease Parity Act would make it easier for people with HD to receive Social Security Disability and Medicare benefits.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes an individual’s ability to walk, talk and reason. Eventually, every person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. HD profoundly affects the lives of entire families — emotionally, socially and economically.

By co-sponsoring the Huntington’s Disease Parity Act of 2013, members of Congress can show their support not only for this family, but the nearly 1 million Americans who are touched by this terrible disease.

Misty Sullivan Warren

ARKANSAS TIMES

14-CAW Visitor’s Guide Ad.indd 1

6/9/14 1:36 PM

LIVE

SIC E SALSA MU IV L • !

IC S U SA M ! • LIVE SAL IC S U M A S L SA USIC! • LIVE M A S L A S E ! • LIV ALSA MUSIC S E IV L • !

MUSIC FOOD LIVE SALSA

LATINO

& MUSIC

T

H

E

FESTIVAL AR

BENEFITING

GE

N TA A R T S D

R IST

Sat. , Se P t. 13 L at i n B e at, L at i n Food

IC

T

S FROM R O D N E V D WITH FOO TINa, N E g R a , R O El SalVaD l a, COlOMbIa, VENEzuE RaS, bRazIl. ONDu MExICO, H nD FooD A ip h s r o spons VEnDors: AbLe! tS AvAiL SoMe SPo 92-3974 501- 4 S.coM e iM t R A @ LuiS

preSenTed by:

LIve enTerTAInmenT

CaLLe SoUL Salsa de verdad

Traditional Latin dance music fused with the exiting sounds of American jazz, Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and Cha Cha Cha

SATURDAY, SEPT. 13, 2014 • 6-10 pm

To purchase tickets, go to: arktimes.com/latinofood

Argenta Farmers Market Plaza - 520 Main St, NLR $15 General Admission • $20 at the Door Free For Kids 12 and under!

food, Soft drinkS, Beer and availaBle for Sale. no CoolerS PleaSe.

SponSored by: ARKANSAS'S SOURCE FOR NEWS, POLITICS & ENTERTAINMENT

MariaChi viva JaliSCo alSo PerforMing

the 2013 Latin Food and music FestivaL

or for more information contact Arkansas Times at 501-375-2985 print your tickets and present at the door.

preSenTed by: eL LATIno And ArkAnSAS TImeS And benefITIng The ArgenTA ArTS dISTrIcT Enjoy a night of delicious Latin food, wonderful atmosphere, and even better company. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

5

EYE ON ARKANSAS

WEEK THAT WAS

Woo pig sooie, Dustin!

Why is Attorney General Dustin McDaniel advertising his office during Razorback football radio broadcasts? “It is a priority for us to make younger consumers aware of the resources available to them,” according to the AG’s office.

McDaniel has bought advertising during college athletic broadcasts in the following amounts to run through the end of this year, when his term ends: University of Arkansas: $170,000 University of Central Arkansas: $20,000 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: $22,500 Arkansas State University: $25,000

Facebook behind bars Joseph Kennedy, serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and murder of Karen Yarbrough, apparently posted a picture of himself in prison on Facebook. The picture was discovered by Yarbrough’s sister and appears to show Kennedy in the Arkansas Department of Correction’s Varner Unit, where he is held. Prison officials are investigating how Kennedy obtained a banned electronic device.

Cotton pants on fire The Washington Post awarded Tom Cotton four “Pinocchios” for his dishonest advertising about Sen. Mark Pryor’s supposed support for Social Security benefits for illegal immigrants. The Post notes that the claim was “discredited eight years ago.” But ever fresh for the sleazy Cotton campaign! Apart from the stuff about how his mama loves him, you have to hunt hard to find honest Tom Cotton ads.

Say cheese, officer A Fort Smith man won a $40,000 set6

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

tlement from a Sebastian County deputy sheriff who seized his cell phone while the man was photographing a drug bust.

The case has also inspired a new written policy that makes it clear citizens have a right to record police officers in action. The policy notes that citizens have First Amendment rights to take photographs or record video “in a lawful manner” and officers are prohibited from intimidating someone into ceasing filming or from obstructing filming.

Quote of the week “Rather than moving the facility to a region without porous karst geology, a school next door or a national river six miles downstream, Cargill has dug its heels in and offered the people of Arkansas and National Park supporters across the country mitigation measures that leave the fate of our first national river to chance. This is not the place for an experiment and we shouldn’t be rolling the dice with Arkansas’s crown jewel.

There is one solution: Remove the facility from the Buffalo River watershed.”

Buffalo River Watershed Alliance President Gordon Watkins. The mammoth food corporation Cargill, the sole buyer for the C&H Hog Farm located near a major tributary of the Buffalo River, has stated that it supports a moratorium on future large-scale hog-feeding operations in the watershed, but has every intention of continuing to support C&H.

Bosom buddies George W. Bush: “[He is an] awesome communicator. …[There is] a lot to admire about Bill Clinton.”

Bill Clinton: “I actually learned a lot watching him over the years.”

Bush and Clinton were together in Washington, D.C., on Monday announcing the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.

FINALLY: After three years, this half-sunken houseboat in the Little Maumelle River, visible from the I-430 bridge, is being cleaned up by the Commissioner of State Lands office. The cost of removal will be between $30,000 and $35,000, some of which will be footed by the houseboat’s owner.

ballot initiative up to $8.50. Profiles in courage! Cotton had doggedly refused to take a position on the state wage hike (he was “studying” the issue, he said) but as soon as the initiative was approved, Cotton’s study hall was complete and voila, he would vote for the wage hike “as a citizen.” Maybe Citizen Cotton is a more decent guy than Congressman Cotton, though voters are stuck with the latter.

there for display.” Peterson resigned.

Deadbeat Darr pays up!

Disgraced former Lt. Gov. Mark Darr repaid the state for almost $11,000 in illegal expense reimbursements he’d claimed in office, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced last week. Darr is still making $1,000 monthly payments on $11,000 in fines by the state Ethics Commission. McDaniel had previously said his office would file a lawsuit against Darr if he didn’t pay up. Darr is now on the sales staff at Crain Hyundai in Springdale.

Minimum wage shuffle

Arkansas good news, by the numbers

Republicans like Asa Hutchinson, running for governor, and Tom Cotton, running for Senate, have never been big proponents of raising the minimum wage. But the candidates have their finger to the wind and with a ballot initiative approved to raise the state minimum wage to $8.50 (and polls showing nearly three quarters of Arkansans approve), both rushed to revise their position. Hutchinson went all in for a convoluted flip-flop — he used to say he opposed a ballot initiative but might support raising the minimum wage in the legislature (where it was sure to die) and only up to $7.25. Now he supports a

$2.5 million: Amount that the state is running ahead of forecast in terms of tax revenues, after two months of the fiscal year.

26,301: Number of students enrolled at the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville (21,903 undergraduates) for the fall semester, a 3.8 percent increase from last year and another record.

37 percent: Amount UAF has grown since 2008.

205,097: Number of low-income Arkansans (and counting!) who have gained health insurance coverage via the state’s private option Medicaid expansion.

Hot mic During a livestream video broadcast of a UALR women’s soccer game, UALR Athletic Director Chris Peterson was inadvertently recorded chatting in the press box. Peterson said that one player’s mother was “much curvier” than her daughter, adding, “She had her shit hanging out, too. Remember that? ... I got to make sure I’m in town for the weekend on Parents Day.” He remarked later: “She had two of ’em and they were out

OPINION

GOP rule No. 1: Win

T

he Republican Party ’s devo t i o n t o p r i n c i p l e wa s on display last week.

After months of opposition to a proposed initiated act to raise the Arkansas minimum wage, Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson flip-flopped to say he’d vote for the measure.

Then came a GOP tidal wave, including Republican Rep. Tom Cotton, a candidate for U.S. Senate, and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford and Tim Griffin, the latter a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Two factors contributed to this sudden warmth for low-wage men and women: The measure qualified for the ballot last week. It will raise the current minimum of $6.25 to $8.50 by 2017. Significantly, the first bump, to $7.50, would put Arkansas ahead of the federal minimum wage. The state wage, which covers small businesses exempt from the federal wage, typically lags behind the federal level.

Polls show overwhelming sup-

port, even among Republican voters.

The Arkansas Democratic Party has been running MAX on its candidates’ BRANTLEY support for the maxbrantley@arktimes.com minimum wage for months.

In short, the GOP guiding principle — say anything to win — came into play.

Hutchinson had once said raising the rate beyond $7.25 could be devastating to the Arkansas economy.

Cotton had been trying to finesse the issue (he was studying it, he said for months). But he’s a devoted antiregulation Club for Growth acolyte.

He hates the federal minimum wage and any government intervention that makes life less punishing for low-paid workers.

Hutchinson attempted to cover his cave-in by saying the ballot initiative was “in line” with his support for increasing the minimum wage.

Obama vs. GOP philosophy

I

f you have followed the Arkansas election ads you know that each party faces a single challenge. Republicans must overcome a philosophy problem, Democrats an Obama problem.

Last week, the strategies to counter the problems were on stark display, ending with the amazing Republican capitulation on raising the minimum wage in Arkansas — anathema for Republicans since the first federal wage law was passed in 1933.

Republicans have the easier task sublimating their problem. Just use the strategy employed for the past two elections across the South and the Great Plains: Run pictures of the black president and say your opponent is his footman or will be if he gets in office.

For good measure, if your opponent is running for Congress or has been

there, make him also a vassal of Nancy Pelosi, the 74-year-old House minority leader and ERNEST grandmother, DUMAS and Photoshop her into the ad, too. Everyone knows she represents the city of libertines, San Francisco.

If you are Sen. Mark Pryor or gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross it doesn’t matter that you went along with the president less often than almost any other Democrat in Congress and that many of the votes with him would be viewed favorably by most Arkansans if they were severed from Obama. It suffices that Pryor voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010,

Untrue. He’d specifically objected to moving the wage beyond the federal minimum.

Cotton revealed his support in a fleeting sentence — amid the usual vituperation for President Obama — in the friendly setting of Republican Alice Stewart’s radio talk show.

“As a citizen,” he said, he’d support the measure but continue to oppose Obama’s “minimum wage economy.”

Questions: 1) When is Cotton NOT a citizen? 2) Where does he get his research? The number of minimum wage workers has declined on Obama’s watch.

Other Republicans will join the parade. I suspect the election eve conversions will be more valuable to Republicans than the justified flipflopping charge leveled by Democrats.

Credit state Rep. Bruce Westerman, the 4th District GOP nominee, for blind devotion to a flawed philosophy. He still opposes the minimum wage increase. Democratic opponent James Lee Witt endorses it.

Westerman’s clarity is the sort of extremism that Tom Cotton normally exhibits — on food stamps, Children’s Hospital money, medical research, farm supports, disaster aid and more.

I’ve saved the best for last — J. French Hill, the self-proclaimed

ninth-generation Arkansan and millionaire banker who portrays himself as a poor boy in TV ads with boasts about the old Volvo he drives to play golf at the exclusive Country Club of Little Rock or haul his kids off to an expensive blueblood summer camp in Texas.

The 2nd District congressional candidate managed to get quoted on both sides. He seemed conditionally in support of the minimum wage increase — “if he can ensure it doesn’t negatively impact Arkansas jobs” — in the Arkansas DemocratGazette. But he was opposed to the ballot measure in Stephens Media’s report. His campaign wouldn’t respond to my effort to clarify. Pat Hays, the Democrat facing Hill, supports it.

Hill couldn’t let the quote opportunity pass without hitting Obama and an economy “squeezing the middle class.”

Poor ol’ French. He just sold a bank to a bigger bank (which likely will mean a net job reduction) in a deal worth $4 million to him alone — and his capital gains and deferred compensation loot are unencumbered by the higher income tax rates paid by hourly toilers.

Imagine what he’d made if not for that turrible Obama economy.

Obamacare, and it doesn’t matter that the infamous law has made medical treatment accessible to 250,000 Arkansans, delivered $17.7 million in premium rebates to Arkansas insurance policyholders and $125 million in drug savings for Arkansas seniors or that it protects Arkansans forever from having their insurance company curtail their benefits.

For Ross, it doesn’t matter that he voted against Obamacare as a congressman and then joined Republican efforts to repeal it.

For Democrats in 2014 there may be no antidote to their Obama problem but history and time.

The Republican identity problem is proving to be more manageable for the party’s big candidates and problematical for Democrats. The philosophical problem is the common Republican view that the government of the United States is rotten because it regulates business too much and spends too much effort and money helping the down and outs at the expense of the successful people.

The Republican and libertarian antigovernment rhetoric goes over well with most voters, especially in the South, where it was government that forced civil rights and its progeny of social-justice reforms on a people who were perfectly happy with social relations as they were. Beyond that, most people don’t want major functions of government tampered with: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, cleanair and -water standards, farm support, disaster aid, food support, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, worker safety, college aid, domestic violence protections, or a tax code that once made people with wealth pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the rest.

But most people also don’t make the connection between those functions and Republican attacks on government. The Democratic strategy is to make voters see that connection.

While Republican ads dwell on Obama, Pelosi and Obamacare, Democratic CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

7

conger AR TIMES 2014.pdf

1

4/16/14

11:42 AM

Plan a New Path with Conger Wealth Management Fee-only Wealth Management Customized to Your Financial Needs Conger Wealth Management can help you plan a path to something new that fulfills your passion after retirement or any life change. Cindy’s services can help you financially, organizationally and emotionally.

C

M

Her company also offers a special MillennialGen option for clients ages 22-35 with guidance on establishing a solid financial foundation. MillenialGen features a low annual fee that includes financial planning, tax returns and asset management.

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Whether you are planning to retire or just starting to plan your financial future, call Cindy or visit her web site today.

CONGER WEALTH MANAGEMENT Pavilion Woods Building • 2300 Andover Court, Suite 560 Little Rock, AR 72227 501-374-1174

8

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

The turnout game and alcohol R ecent polls showing the divergence of “likely” and “registered” Arkansas voters clarifies that the outcome of the major 2014 races on the Arkansas ballot will be determined by turnout. If turnout veers in an exceptionally high direction for a non-presidential year, Democrats have a fair shot at winning the races at the top of the Arkansas ballot and in retaking control of the state House of Representatives. If turnout is more typical for a midterm election, Republicans will likely win these hard-fought contests with votes to spare.

This is the reason Democrats are investing such energy and dollars in creating a field campaign in key areas of the state that, for Arkansas, is unprecedented. These include segments of Northwest Arkansas where Democrats have high hopes of finding Democratic needles in the big Republican haystacks of Benton County and, along the way, picking off one or two state House seats.

The voter ID law passed by the legislature in 2013 will truncate the electorate — and do so in a manner that disproportionately affects voters that skew Democratic (such as low-income voters and persons of color). The outcome of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s review of Circuit Judge Tim Fox’s rejection of the law on state constitutional grounds has significant implications, therefore, in what may well be an incredibly close set of elections. (In other states, attempts to take away the vote of historically disenfranchised minorities can serve as a great motivator for increasing turnout to historically high rates; this motivation has not yet been the focus of Arkansas Democrats, and it may be a missed opportunity.)

Much discussed as a propellant for turnout, of course, has been the minimum wage initiative that qualified for the ballot last week.

That announcement by the Secretary of State’s office led to a flurry of Republican candidates altering

their position on the ballot measure (often with the most artful of language).

The contrast JAY between the BARTH Democratic and Republican candidates on the ballot measure was beneficial for Democrats, but the minimum wage measure’s appearance on the ballot was always as much about turnout among the Democratic base than a campaign issue. The key question now is whether money is put into the minimum wage campaign to actually pull voters to the polls — voters that will disproportionately pull the levers for Democratic candidates up and down the ticket.

Missed in the focus on field operations, voter ID rulings and the politics of the minimum wage has been the other petition-driven ballot measure: the effort to remove the crazy quilt of alcohol laws in Arkansas (literally precinct-by-precinct) and to create statewide legalization of alcohol sales. The limited polling on the alcohol amendment suggests, much like the minimum wage vote, that it has a power to drive turnout among voters that tends to drop off during midterm elections — and, as it happens, voters that skew in a decidedly Democratic direction.

In early August, Public Policy Polling released the only expansive public polling on the issue, and its results reinforced private polling on the issue. It found that the measure on statewide alcohol legalization was favored by a slight majority of Arkansans, but that traditionally low-turnout groups were most supportive of the measure. Specifically, young voters, African-American voters and Democratic identifiers were most supportive of the measure.

Tellingly, nearly seven in 10 Arkansans approving of President Obama’s job performance (admittedly a small percentage of the overall electorate) supported the measure. Those

BARTH, CONT. are exactly the groups of voter that must show up if Democrats are to win in 2014.

Several questions remain: How much are supporters of the measure for statewide alcohol sales, including Walmart, willing to invest in the campaign for the measure to actually spur voters to the polls? Will concerns about statewide alcohol sales produce an opposition campaign among religious conservative voters that counters any turnout advantage for Democrats? Finally, just as the state

Supreme Court will play a determinative role on the voter ID law, will the Court allow the measure to stay on the ballot by rejecting a lawsuit challenging the date on which the alcohol measure petitions were delivered to the Secretary of State?

As I’ve argued before, a departure from Arkansas’s archaic alcohol laws makes good policy sense. It also shows all signs of making good politics for Arkansas’s Democrats — a party that needs every break it can get in 2014.

DUMAS, CONT. ads make the link that Republicans, especially the true-believing libertarians like Senate candidate Tom Cotton, mean exactly those programs when they claim to be fighting big government. And unlike many, Cotton has pretty consistently voted his philosophy, which has cost him some of the ardor for Cotton the 2012 antigovernment candidate.

His votes against farm and nutrition aid, disaster relief, children’s medical research, student loans and protections against domestic violence and for bills that would gradually phase out Medicare as we know it gave Democrats an opening. His poll numbers went down and Pryor’s up.

His explanations helped some — his votes didn’t actually stop the funding for those things because his side lost, thanks to a stash of moderate Republican votes for the winners.

You shouldn’t worry, see, because even when Republicans have gained the presidency and both houses of Congress — briefly under Eisenhower, Reagan and George W. Bush — they didn’t deliver the coup de grâce to big government.

Eisenhower told his furious brother that Republicans would commit suicide if they scrapped the New Deal.

But the minimum-wage farce

last week showed the beauty of the Republican strategy: surrender en masse and claim victory.

Not one Republican running for major office in Arkansas favored the initiative that raises the Arkansas minimum wage until last week, when the Secretary of State finally had to certify that the petitions had far more signatures than were needed to get the act on the ballot.

French Hill, the Little Rock banker running for Congress, had said he opposed the government ever putting a wage floor at any amount.

Businesses should be able to pay people however little they will work for. Asa Hutchinson, the GOP candidate for governor, repeatedly said he opposed a wage floor set by voters. As a congressman, he had voted against the federal minimum wage. Cotton just wouldn’t say.

Polls show the initiative is hugely popular. So last week Cotton, Hutchinson, Hill and Congressmen Tim Griffin and Rick Crawford all announced they would vote for the initiated act, which will raise the Arkansas minimum wage well above the federal level, which they had formerly said would be devastating.

They’ll claim credit for bleeding for the working poor and probably get it. Democrats could only be amazed.

SEPTEMBER 12

EXHIBIT OPENING FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID ANKENY

500 President Clinton Ave, Ste 150 Little Rock www.museumofdicovery.org 501.396.7050 See the Museum of Dicovery’s Chain Reaction presentation at Cox Creative Center, 120 River Market Avenue

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

9

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

Victory at Texas Tech crucial

F

David A. Glaze, Conductor

Presents

Heart and Soul

Music

of the

CONCERT DATES & TIMES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 @ 3 PM MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 @ 7 PM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 @ 7 PM

50’s

All performances are free and open to the public.

Trinity United Methodist Church | 1101 N. Mississippi | Little Rock 501.377.1080 | rivercitymenschorus.com 10

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

or God’s sake, Hog Fans, just enjoy it!

So much social media grumbling was afoot after Arkansas obliterated Nicholls State, 73-7, on Saturday to finally kill off the damnable 10-game skid the program had been mired in. “Congrats on beating a JV team!” “Who scheduled this?” “If this is how we have to win, it’s not worth it.” “How did I get this drunk before halftime?”

Look, Nicholls State is no different than Lamar, a Southland Conference alsoran that happened to be a 70-point loser to vaunted Texas A&M in its home opener Saturday night. These FCS programs have to play cash games, and even the biggest of big-time programs are happy to oblige. See also, for reference’s sake, Alabama drumming hapless Florida Atlantic, Kentucky drumming Tennessee-Martin a week earlier, and on an on. September isn’t overflowing with competitive or even appealing games by its nature.

But Arkansas did what it didn’t do quite so well last year, which is calmly and coolly dispatch a soft foe in due course. Recall that the Razorbacks struggled mightily to upend Samford in Little Rock and then scuffled past Southern Mississippi, which has clearly assumed the rarefied position as the worst team in the FBS. On Saturday in Fayetteville, a rather lackluster home crowd assembled and offered fleeting attention to the proceedings on the field. The Hogs racked up 35 points in the opening quarter thanks to two long TD runs by Keon Hatcher and Alex Collins on their first two plays from scrimmage, then Brandon Allen got the opportunity to help out by throwing scoring passes, which is incidentally all he threw against the Colonels. Four completions in limited work led to a career-best four touchdowns, and for those keeping score at home, the universally maligned junior QB has started off the season with a six-to-one score/pick ratio, and we all know that the interception against Auburn was anything but his own error.

The offense was mighty, and a lot of unknowns got to show out a bit. Austin Allen received his first game action in backing up his brother, and did a reasonably commendable job completing a few throws. Jared Cornelius and Drew Morgan, who absolutely must be useful this fall if the team has any designs on being bowlworthy, both had their first scoring grabs.

Taiwan Johnson provided an early force on the defensive line and has the interior quickness, if still short on size, to be an imposing run stopper and pass rusher if his technique remains good. It was nice to

see John Henson confidently strike all of his PATs true, and throw in a short field goal for good measure.

BEAU It’s a win and it WILCOX was, thankfully, an emphatic one. The belief that nothing can be gained and plenty could be lost from games like this is simply mistaken. Players within this program don’t exactly have sufficient cause for egos: When you have suffered through 18 losses in the last 25 games and borne witness to staff upheaval and media scorn, you take nothing for granted and build on whatever modest achievements you can. Then there’s the great unknown: Was Nicholls State really that bad? In the second game of a long season, the Colonels sure as hell looked it, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether they will solidify and put forth a strong showing down the line.

So what kind of training did it provide for the next and arguably bigger road test of the year? As the Hogs head to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech, the defensive staff is assuredly dissecting film frantically, knowing that the Red Raiders’ strength plays to the Hogs’ weakness, and trying to exploit trends that Kliff Kingsbury’s rapidfire approach develops in game action.

There’s an argument to be made that Tech is one of the weakest 2-0 teams in the nation at this point, shaking off Central Arkansas 42-35 in the opener and then skating past UTEP 30-26 on the road last week. The Raiders put up gobs of gaudy yardage and yet, this past weekend, they only had the ball for 21 minutes and had to summon a late fourth-down stand in their own territory to keep the Miners from pinning a loss on them.

In Pearls’ season preview we pinpointed and perhaps even understated the weight of this game. A program in seeming ruins can show fortitude and resurgence in a matter of hours, or it can recoil back to the depths. Last year, the Hogs could’ve started off 4-0 with a win on the road at Rutgers, and likely would’ve set themselves up for at least a win or two in league play if they had reaped the rewards of a victory. Instead, a 17-point second half lead disappeared and the rest was tragicomic history. Arkansas needs to build a lead this weekend, hold it, and return to Fayetteville with the kind of swagger that hasn’t been present in that locker room since late 2011.

THE OBSERVER

CORPORATE TRAVEL?

NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

A tree grows in Little Rock

O

ver the Labor Day weekend, a tree quietly grew downtown.

Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro has long been a favorite restaurant of ours. The owner, Darla Huie, is good people. Wacky, but in a good way. Then again, you’ve got to be a little nuts to be in the restaurant business.

Her son, Lane, grew up in the restaurant. They propped him up on crates as a child so he could help pat out the biscuits. He mopped. He washed dishes. He worked can to can’t. But as a young man, he wound up on the treadmill of addiction and relapse. Last year, when he was just 27, they lost him.

“He had gotten sober, gotten a prescription for Xanax, [and] decided he needed to get off that,” Darla said. “He went cold turkey. I was out of town, and he told [a friend] he was having seizures.

He told her, ‘Don’t tell Mom, I don’t want to worry her.’ He had a seizure while he was driving and hit a tree. He died getting sober.”

Like a lot of young men, women had drifted in and out of Lane’s life. One of them was Kim. She and Lane were together for four years, but addiction broke that, too. “He developed a drug problem and she was like, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ ” Darla said. “I told her, ‘You’re planning on moving to go to school, so move and he’ll get his stuff together and then he’ll come find you.’

Well, he went to rehab and they never got back together.”

Eventually, Kim married an artist and filmmaker from Lake Havasu, Ariz., named John Tuba. They’ve got a good life there. A few months ago, Kim came back to Arkansas to see Darla and try to pack up her feelings about Lane. She had John in tow. “She walked in the house and started crying,” Darla said. “She looked at all the pictures and cried. She kept talking about Lane in front of him. He was real quiet ...

I thought, ‘I hope we’re not making him uncomfortable or mad.’ ” For two nights, Darla said, John sat and listened while his wife laughed and cried over her old love, a man John had never met.

Darla worried over his silences. But when they got ready to leave, John told her that he would be back on Labor Day, because he

wanted to do something for her son.

“He said, ‘What do you want me to do?’And I said, ‘I’m not going to tell you what to do. Do whatever you want, based on all the things you’ve heard.’ ” While Darla said she expected that to be the end of it, come the Labor Day weekend, John and Kim showed back up at her house after a 1,400-mile drive.

With Dizzy’s closed for the long weekend, John borrowed Darla’s car and a key to the restaurant that night. They rarely saw him for the next three days. By the time she woke up in the morning, he’d be gone. He’d slouch back to her sleeping house, covered in paint, at 2 a.m.

On Monday, when Darla and Kim were finally allowed back into Dizzy’s, a tree had grown there, on a blank, gray wall near the window. It’s a lovely thing: nine feet tall, with gnarled, spreading branches covered in delicate blue leaves; a Tree of Life, in the style of a mosaic Darla bought in Istanbul.

It’s got 40 sleepless, irreplaceable hours of John Tuba’s life sunk into it. A single, thorny rose sprouts from a knot. Fruiting the branches are Day of the Dead skulls, a nod to how Darla’s family sees death as turning the page of a bigger story, not an ending. A carefully wrought paper scroll, seemingly affixed to the trunk with a rusty nail, features a selection of lyrics from one of Lane’s favorite songs, including the line “Goodbye, my love.” And a heart.

And his name.

So much love. So much loss. So many memories and dashed hopes and all tragedy, encapsulated there, improbably made by a man who couldn’t have been faulted had he taken the low road instead, had believed that his wife’s ex was better forgotten. Ain’t that a man, then, who would make such a gesture? Not many would do that, The Observer contends.

Not half by a long shot.

When Darla talks about the tree, she calls it “he” sometimes, blurring the seam between the tree and the memory of her son. Talking to her, hearing her do that, The Observer wondered if she realized it. We thought to ask, but we let it go, mostly because there was something heartbreakingly lovely about it. Her son, some part of him, is at the restaurant again.

Do you or your staff overnight on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?

How much are you spending on hotels and lodging?

I bet it’s too much!

F

or over 42 years MSI lodging has been saving companies like yours money on overnight lodging. We work with all major hotel brands throughout North America. Today, more than ever, every dollar counts towards the bottom line.

If you, your sales team, your drivers, or your crews are on the road and staying in a hotel you owe it to yourself to call and see if we can save you money.

We save our clients on average 25 to 35 percent on all lodging costs. Give us a call and lets see how much we can save you.

www.MSILodging.com 501-666-4800

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

A lawsuit filed Sept. 5 in Crittenden County circuit court alleges that beginning in 2014, Crittenden Regional Hospital (CRH) withheld money from employees’ paychecks for health insurance premiums, but never paid claims. That would potentially leave their employees on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in medical care they were told was covered by their health insurance.

The practice may have dated back even further, said Denny Sumpter, the attorney for the plaintiffs.

Long suffering from financial problems, CRH closed Sept. 8 and is preparing to enter a Chapter 7 bankruptcy process.

Sumpter’s mother, Deloris Sumpter, was a CRH employee for 36 years, working in the medical records department.

According to Sumpter, the employees, who were laid off Sept. 5, were told at a recent meeting that no health insurance claims would be paid for 2014, despite the fact that employees had paid monthly premiums and health care providers had been told that the employees were covered. Employees were told that claims would be paid through the end of 2013, according to Sumpter.

In the case of Sumpter’s mother, she had around $28,000 that had ostensibly been billed to the insurance plan from January on. She was now being told that she would be on the hook, despite the fact that CRH withheld premiums from her paycheck throughout 2014. Sumpter filed suit with his mother (and father, who was covered by the same plan) as plaintiffs.

The suit will expand to a class-action lawsuit; Sumpter is currently representing around 50 others who will be added as plaintiffs, all of whom paid their premiums but have had none of their 2014 claims paid for, according to Sumpter.

To be clear, the lawsuit pertains not to co-pays and deductibles and the like — the employees’ portion of the bill — but specifically to the portion of the bill that the insurance plan promised to cover.

CRH was self-insured (governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA, and regulated by the federal Department of Labor), using a third party to administer the health insurance plans to employees. Starting in January of 2014, CRH brought in a new third-party administrator, Cigna. According to Sumpter, he plans to present evidence that CRH collected premiums 12

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Lawsuit suggests Crittenden Hospital employees were defrauded

CANDIDATES AND WALKER: (From left) Jody Carreiro, Norma Jean Johnson, Jim Ross and John Walker, representing candidate Joy Springer.

Trying to right the ship

Little Rock School Board candidates acknowledge quick work must be done to avoid state takeover.

BY BENJAMIN HARDY

O

n Sept. 16, if past voter turnout is any indication, several hundred ballots will decide the future direction of the Little Rock School District.

Two seats on the unpaid, seven-member Little Rock School Board are up for election, and both pit incumbents against challengers fiercely critical of district Superintendent Dexter Suggs. In the background of the election looms the very real possibility that the state may seize control of the school district in the near future if the board, and Suggs, cannot turn its academic situation around.

Though the desegregation suit that roiled the LRSD for decades is over, the district is facing new troubles. There are now six schools designated as being in “academic distress” by the Arkansas Department of Education, which means fewer than half of those schools’ students are performing on or above grade level. Three of the city’s five public high

schools (Hall, McClellan and J.A. Fair) are designated as such. Under ADE rules, a district is subject to state takeover if even one of its schools is in academic distress, although the state Board of Education has discretion about when to exercise that power.

Financial problems loom as the annual LRSD budget will soon shrink by some $37 million as state desegregation payments come to a close thanks to a final settlement earlier this year — just as a new facilities improvement plan approved by the current board calls for half a billion dollars in new construction and building improvements.

Lastly, Superintendent Suggs, after only one year on the job, is under fire from the teachers’ union and others who say he’s misled the public about major policy decisions and failed to follow due process; if he quits or is dismissed, he’ll be the fourth such superintendent to

depart in 10 years.

The storm clouds on the horizon are clear, but the solutions are not. Does the district need a stark change of direction? Or, is it the frequency of changes that’s birthed the current mess? This is largely the question before voters next week in Zone 1 (roughly, the city east of Woodrow Street and a chunk of the southwest corner of town) and Zone 5 (a swath of West Little Rock that lies south of Rodney Parham Road).

Norma Jean Johnson has served as the Zone 1 representative since 2011.

She is an employee of the state Highway and Transportation Department and mother of a Central High graduate. At a recent school board candidates’ forum she seemed sincerely pained by the perennial censure the LRSD inspires.

“I love my district. I would never, ever speak down of my district. … I think we need to be a little bit more positive,” Johnson said. She also noted progress: “The achievement gap between Caucasian and African-American students has decreased in 13 of the 15 tested categories over the past five years.”

Johnson is being challenged by Joy Springer, a paralegal who has worked for over 20 years with John Walker, the veteran civil rights attorney who virtually embodies criticism of the LRSD for its failure to educate African-American children on par with white children. Springer says she shouldn’t be judged by that assoCONTINUED ON PAGE 22

THE

BIG PICTURE

LISTEN UP

INCONSEQUENTIAL NEWS QUIZ:

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT.

PLAY AT HOME 1) It was discovered recently that a vandal had done something to cut into the enjoyment of those seeking recreation near Pinnacle Mountain. What was this person doing?

A) Strapping himself to a large rocket on wheels, waiting for the roadrunner to speed by, and promptly exploding.

B) Repeatedly shouting “I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!” from the summit, thereby inspiring others to similar douchery.

C) Seeding scenic Highway 300 — popular with bicyclists — with hundreds of upholstery tacks.

D) Playing “Dueling Banjos” from “Deliverance” and remarking on the purtyness of visitors’ mouths anytime he saw a car pull up with out-of-state plates.

2) On Sept. 5, Arkansas Times celebrated a historic milestone. What was the occasion?

A) Six-year memorial to those lost in the Great Post-Election Day Bender of 2008.

B) Tenth anniversary of Times reporter David Koon’s dominating win at the 2004 Arkansas State Fair Beef Sundae Eating Contest.

C) The Times’ 40th anniversary.

D) Purchased our first store-bought chair for the newsroom, which is way more comfortable that the old wire spools and cinderblocks we usually sit on.

3) The New York Times recently reported on a lawsuit filed by an Arkansas prison inmate that may go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. What’s the lawsuit about?

A) The inmate’s right to participate in the feast day of Our Lady of the Cake with a Hacksaw Blade Baked Inside.

B) His right to watch “The Shawshank Redemption,” which has been banned by the Arkansas Department of Correction because (SPOILERS!) the cast includes the character actor Paul McCrane, whom the warden hates because he was in “Robocop.”

C) His right to grow a beard, which the ADC currently bans on the grounds that a dense facebush might be used for smuggling contraband.

D) His right, on religious grounds, to sacrifice his cellmate to a large poster of Edward Cullen from “Twilight.”

KILL FOR ME…

4) In Fayetteville, a woman was arrested and charged with stealing a large quantity of a certain product from a health and beauty store there. What do police say she stole?

A) A garbage bag full of wigs.

B) Whatever it is that women really want when you ask them what’s wrong and they say “nothing” in that voice that lets you know: It’s something, dude. It’s something.

C) $144 worth of eye shadow.

D) An unidentified product called “Vagazzles.”

5) A woman who had been accused of stealing relief supplies following the Mayflower/Vilonia tornado recently saw the charges against her dropped after the Faulkner County prosecutor discovered that the arresting officer had failed to reveal a rather important fact. What was it?

A) That the woman did not, in fact, attempt to escape custody by tapping her shoes together three times and saying: “There’s no place like home.”

B) That the officer’s claims that the tornado was actually a Piranhanado were unfounded.

C) That the woman had recently broken up with the officer’s son.

D) That she only took cans of pickled beets, which nobody wanted anyway.

from employees throughout the year but never paid anything to Cigna, the entity that would pay the claims.

“They didn’t send a single dime,” Sumpter said. “Cigna would tell the provider, ‘Yeah, they’re covered.’ They’ve been doing this this whole time.”

If that allegation is true, all those premiums that were collected from employees weren’t used to cover the cost of the health insurance plans at all — money was withheld from paychecks with no actual benefit. The hospital allegedly never contributed its portion of the premium.

The lawsuit alleges that the hospital committed “grossly negligent acts” and “breach of fiduciary duty” and that Cigna “failed to notify Plaintiffs that their claims under the place would not be paid because the plan had not been adequately funded” by the hospital.

Named defendants in the lawsuit are the Crittenden Hospital Association, Cigna, hospital CEO Gene Cashman and hospital board president David Raines.

Cashman did not return a call requesting comment. A spokesperson for Cigna sent an email: “Cigna doesn’t comment on pending litigation, and any questions related to the hospital’s self-funded benefit plan should be directed to the hospital.”

Sumpter said that he is hoping that the lawsuit’s discovery process will turn up more information about whether CRH failed to pay claims in previous years, when a different third-party administrator was used.

According to Sumpter, he has already gathered evidence that the payment of claims in previous years was chronically late, such that some employees were turned over to collections for the portion of bills that the insurance plan was supposed to cover. For example, his mother has more than $70,000 in claims predating 2014 that have not yet been paid.

“The most frustrating part of this is that if the hospital was out of money, all they had to do was tell the employees in January they were terminating their plan and everybody could have gone and gotten health insurance,” Sumpter said. “The harm that’s resulted in not being forthright with the employees is so much greater than the harm that would have come to them if they would have just been honest. ... It just makes no sense that you would collect somebody’s premiums and not cover them. If your bill is not paid, you’re not covered.

It’s akin to theft.” www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

13

ANSWERS: C, C, C, C, C

“D

BRIAN CHILSON

LIGON: Oversees Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Conduct.

14

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

on’t get me wrong,” Dwight Brown said. “I love dogs — love hounds — when they’re out in the woods.”

But when his neighbor had five dogs, he said, two of which were hounds, and “those old squirrels would get up in the trees around their pens,” the howling became a nuisance.

Brown said it was even more aggravating that his neighbors let their three other dogs roam free, to “go around trashing yards,” and that the situation persisted for 10 years, despite complaints to city officials.

Brown lives and owns a business in Wynne. The city has a leash law, as well as an ordinance limiting the number of dogs per household to two.

Brown believes his neighbors’ professional clout kept authorities at bay.

Kathleen Talbott, Wynne’s city attorney, shares a practice in Wynne with her husband, Michael L. Ladd.

Ladd was the attorney for Cross County, and more importantly, a deputy prosecuting attorney for the state’s First Judicial District, where he served under Fletcher Long Jr., the district’s elected prosecuting attorney.

Ladd’s professional responsibilities required intense cooperation with city and county officials, courts and police.

But Brown said that, in the past, when he complained to Long about Ladd and his dogs, Long took no action.

Prosecutors have

ALL THE POWER But little oversight. Is a violation not a violation if a prosecutor says, ‘I didn’t mean to’?

BY MARA LEVERITT

“He’s the boss like I am,” Brown said.

“He’s supposed to have control of his employees — the way they represent his office to the community. I expected Mr. Long to do something, but that didn’t happen.”

Brown installed a video surveillance system at his home, hoping to gather evidence of the dogs’ running free. Last year, he got city officials to issue Ladd a citation regarding his dogs.

After that, Brown said, on Aug. 13, 2013, a car containing three men pulled into his driveway at 12:53 a.m. “They were honking and cussing,” Brown said, and when his wife opened the door, one man yelled, “You die!”

According to Brown, video from that night shows Michael Ladd, his brother, and an unidentified man in the car. The video reportedly also captured the moment when Ladd’s brother “got out of the car and mooned us.”

“Michael Ladd is just a drunk and a bully,” Brown said. Now, armed with the video, Brown wanted someone to rein his neighbor in.

Police would not do it, he said, and neither would Long. So, about 10 months ago, when it had become apparent to Brown that Long was “stonewalling,” he called the state Prosecutor Coordinator’s office in Little Rock.

“The gentleman I spoke with said they knew of Mr. Ladd,” Brown said, “but I was told that they can’t tell a local

prosecutor what to do. He said the local prosecutor, Fletcher Long, has control of his district.”

‘AUTHORITY TO INVESTIGATE’ Brown did not know at the time that he could also have reported Ladd to the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Conduct (OPC), the section established to enforce the court’s Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys.

If the OPC finds that an attorney has committed some kind of misconduct, it can refer the matter to a committee that has authority to issue the offending attorney a sanction ranging from the mildest — a caution — to something as severe as suspending or revoking of an attorney’s license.

But in this writer’s experience, complaints against prosecutors have proven problematic. Stark Ligon, the OPC’s executive director, once informed me by letter that the office had “no authority to review the discretionary actions of appointed or elected officials.”

But if neither the Prosecutor Coordinator’s office nor the Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Conduct can compel a prosecutor to obey the law, or require him to hold his subordinates accountable, who can?

I turned to Stephanie Harris, the Supreme Court’s media liaison, for clarification. Did the OPC really consider prosecutors — both elected and

appointed — off-limits? Her response contradicted what Ligon had written to me.

“I have spoken with Mr. Ligon,” Harris wrote. “He said that his office always has the authority to investigate allegations of violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, whether the attorneys are elected or appointed. The Committee’s authority does extend to the professional conduct of all attorneys.

“If the alleged conduct involves violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the Committee would investigate the attorney general, elected prosecutors, and ‘appointed’ officials who are attorneys. Elected and appointed attorneys are not exempt from professional oversight.”

The question then becomes: Is the OPC sanctioning prosecutors?

Ligon’s office began posting records of the actions it takes against attorneys online in February 2001, when it suspended President Bill Clinton’s license to practice law in Arkansas.

By now, the number of sanctions listed comes to just under 750. I could not find any prosecutor I’ve known on that list — a fact that Bob McMahan, who has been the state’s prosecutor coordinator since 1997 (and with that office since 1987), does not find surprising.

Though Arkansas currently employs CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

15

BRIAN CHILSON

NO EPIDEMIC: Jegley (left) doesn’t believe prosecutorial misconduct is widespread.

28 elected prosecutors and 245 deputy prosecutors, McMahan said that in his 25 years’ experience, he could not recall a prosecutor having been sanctioned.

In fact, the only attorney contacted for this article who thought a prosecutor might have been sanctioned was Larry Jegley, the prosecuting attorney for Central Arkansas’s Sixth Judicial District. He mentioned one of his deputies who, he thought may have once been cautioned. But no record of a sanction for that attorney appears on the OPC’s web page.

‘THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON’ Years ago, a prosecutor told me, without a trace of hubris: “I’m the most

16

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

powerful person in this county — in several counties, actually.” He noticed my surprise.

“Think about it,” he said. “When it comes to the ability to affect individual lives, no other official — not the governor, not the head of the State Police, not the chief justice of the Supreme Court — holds as much power as a prosecuting attorney.”

Brown made roughly the same observation. Asked to describe Long, Brown simply said, “He pushes a lot of buttons.”

A district’s elected prosecuting attorney and the attorneys he or she hires have the ability, as one prosecutor told me, “to get the ball rolling, merely by filing charges.” He added, “That alone is going to make a dramatic change in someone’s life.”

The decision not to file charges can have an equally great impact, as in Brown’s case, or when victims of serious crimes are upset because no one has been charged.

Charging decisions can at times be very tough calls. The prosecutor must weigh hefty issues such as the community’s safety, the rights of a person accused, and the strength of the case made by police.

Even if charges are filed and subsequently dropped, or a jury finds the defendant not guilty, the fact that the person was charged in the first place can never be undone.

But prosecutors’ powers far exceed that. They decide how many and the severity of the charges to be filed, the sentence to be sought, and the tactics to be used at trial — if there will be a trial.

The war on drugs has flipped the justice system in the past 40 years, resulting in more arrests than courts could possibly handle. As a result, more than 90 percent of all convictions are now obtained through plea deals — contracts — that prosecutors negotiate with defense attorneys.

In addition, prosecutors are responsible for seeing to it that all pertinent information obtained by the state — via police, the crime lab, witness interviews or through other powers that are only available to the state — gets conveyed to defendants’ lawyers.

So, whether a criminal case is settled in a trial or through a plea deal, rules have been established to ensure that

defendants are not handicapped in their negotiations or trials due to information the state had withheld from them.

Serving as a gatekeeper of this information may be a prosecutor’s most critical role — and the good ones take it seriously. When I spoke with Jegley, for instance, he told me he had recently made an appointment with Little Rock’s new chief of police, to stress the importance of officers’ credibility.

That’s because, if information that should be turned over to the defense is not — whether by police, crime lab officials or anyone else on the state’s side — responsibility for that failure rests with the prosecutor. As Jegley put it, “If they knew about it, I knew about it.”

That same concern led to the firing of a police officer in Mayflower last month.

Cody Hiland of Conway, the prosecutor in that district, told Mayflower’s police chief that the officer had withheld evidence that tended to exonerate a woman who’d been accused of theft.

Withholding such evidence, Hiland told the chief, “places your city and my office at risk of civil and/or criminal liability” and undermines citizens’ trust.

While prosecutors represent the state in criminal trials, state supreme courts — including ours — and the American Bar Association, require prosecutors to be more than just advocates.

They are also expected to serve the state as “ministers of justice.”

In other words, achieving justice in every case is supposed to take precedence over winning. That is a legal and ethical obligation.

In Arkansas, it is spelled out both in the Supreme Court’s Rules of Professional Conduct and in its Rules of Criminal Procedure. A prosecutor’s duty to disclose was also spelled out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fifty-one years ago, in the famous case of Brady v. Maryland, the nation’s high court laid down the law that withholding pertinent information from a criminal defendant at trial violated the defendant’s constitutional right to due process.

In other words, a prosecutor who withholds information from the defense is committing a much more serious offense than, say, violating a city’s animal control ordinances, or even harassing his neighbors.

But, though Arkansas courts have reversed several convictions due to Brady violations, the Supreme Court has never cited any of the prosecutors responsible for them with misconduct.

‘NO ONE CAN BE SUED’ For decades, it was hard for many to believe that wrongful convictions occurred in our system of justice. But now that nearly 1,500 prisoners have been exonerated through DNA evidence, reviews of several wrongful convictions have exposed prosecutor misconduct at trial.

For nearly 40 years, however, prosecutors have been protected against civil liability, thanks to another U.S. Supreme Court ruling that tried to spare prosecutors from having to worry about “shading” their charging decisions for fear of liability. But, in granting prosecutors immunity for actions performed as part of their jobs, that court presumed that state supreme courts would hold them accountable.

Writing in Imbler v. Pachtman, the U.S. Supreme Court observed that “… a prosecutor stands perhaps unique, among officials whose acts could deprive persons of constitutional rights, in their amenability to professional discipline by an association of his peers.”

Yet, despite the court’s confidence in the self-regulation, public concern about Brady violations and other forms of prosecutor misconduct have only grown.

Awareness of Brady, in particular,

intensified in 2009, after a whistle blower produced evidence that federal prosecutors had withheld exculpatory evidence at the trial of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. A jury had found Stevens guilty of corruption.

But after evidence of the prosecutors’ misconduct was confirmed, the judge in Stevens’ case vacated his conviction and held his prosecutors in contempt of court, accusing them of what he called the worst case of prosecutor misconduct he’d seen.

Two years later, however, the U.S. Supreme Court extended protections for prosecuting attorneys. In 2011, a sharply divided court ruled in Connick v.

Thompson that a Louisiana man who’d been imprisoned for more than 18 years could not sue the prosecutor whose deputy had withheld his exonerating Brady material.

The prisoner, John Thompson, had faced seven execution dates before the charges against him were dropped.

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling he wrote: “I don’t care about the money. I just want to know why the prosecutors who hid evidence, sent me to prison for something I didn’t do, and nearly had me killed are not in jail themselves.

There were no ethics charges against them, no criminal charges, no one was fired and now, according to the Supreme Court, no one can be sued.”

Critics howled that the ruling in Connick gave prosecutors almost total immunity. The Innocence Project, which had supported Thompson, said

the ruling “begged the question of what, if anything, can prosecutors be held accountable for.”

But responsible prosecutors do not rely on immunity. In 2012, the prosecuting attorney in Oklahoma City fired two deputy prosecutors a month after they had prevailed in a murder trial, when it was learned that they had withheld potentially exculpatory information.

“The gravity of their alleged ethical violation is so great,” District Attorney David Prater said, “that only one punishment equals their transgression.”

Last year, Troy Rawlings, a prosecuting attorney in Utah, fired a deputy for behavior that included a Brady violation.

The state bar association investigated and recommended that the fired attorney be sanctioned.

“This type of misconduct is aggravated,” Rawlings wrote in his deputy’s notice of termination. “It goes to the heart of the criminal justice system.

Prosecutors who engage in such are a cancer on the system and undermine public confidence.”

Similar sentiments are also being voiced on the federal level. Last year, the chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Alex Kozinski, decried what he called an “epidemic” of prosecutor misconduct “abroad in the land.”

‘HOLY-SHIT MOMENTS’ In Little Rock, Jegley acknowledges the complexities inherent in complying with Brady, especially in an office that would rank as one of the biggest law

LONG: Took no action against deputy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

14-POCOLA-10580-AT-9.11-Kansas-9.25x3.56-FC

BIG SMO TONIGHT | CENTERSTAGE TICKETS START AT $20 Tickets available at , Branches Trading Co. Gift Shop, ChoctawCasinos.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

800.590.LUCK (5825) I-540, Exit 14 | Pocola, OK | ChoctawCasinos.com See Choctaw Rewards Club for details on all promotions.

Management reserves all rights. Gambling Problem? Call 1.800.522.4700.

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

17

SULLIVAN: Prosecutorial misconduct is hard to prove.

other agencies, and guard against the kind of intense “tunnel vision” that attorneys can easily develop as they head into a challenging trial.

Even so, he said, there have been some “holy-shit moments” just before the start of a trial, when someone on his staff realized that something required had not been provided to the defense.

BRIAN CHILSON

firms in the state. Asked about an “epidemic,” he responded, “I don’t see it.”

Jegley stressed that he and his 45 deputies recognize that they “have a continuing obligation to be forthcoming” with evidence that they gather from a wide array of sources over what could be months or even years before a trial.

Because the duty to disclose falls squarely on the prosecutor, Jegley said he and his staff have to stay “hypervigilant.” That means, he said, that they have to be honest, keep careful records, maintain trustworthy relationships with

Jegley said the only option he had was to ask the court to delay the trial until matters could be set right.

But what happens if one of those moments isn’t caught? What if a Brady violation makes its way into a trial?

One answer is that the withheld information may never be discovered.

Tom Sullivan, a professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law, recently wrote: “Claims of prosecutorial misconduct in the suppression of exculpatory or impeachment evidence are among the most difficult claims to prove … in part because the very act of suppression of favorable evidence means that neither the accused nor counsel has access to the evidence.”

Even when a violation does come to light — often long after a conviction — official “remedies” rarely suffice. A prisoner may be freed from prison, as was Gyronne Buckley, who was sentenced to life in prison on testimony from an unreliable informant coached by a dirty cop, but the chunk of Buckley’s life the state had unjustly taken could never be replaced.

Many states now try to make amends with money, but Arkansas denied Buckley that, even though he had spent more than 11 years in prison due to Brady violations, and the state Claims Commission voted to award him $460,000 in compensation for its prosecutor’s misconduct. Buckley’s payment was denied, however, when the claim went to a legislative committee for approval.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, the state’s top prosecutor and top law enforcement officer, went to the senate committee authorized to pay Buckley and vigorously opposed paying Buckley by minimizing the state’s misconduct.

McDaniel said that all that was at issue in Buckley’s case was a videotape (which proved the informant had been manipulated by police) that had “wound up in a drawer somewhere or a box somewhere, and it was not disclosed to the defense, and it should have been disclosed to the defense.”

What McDaniel did not tell the legislators was that, even when the tape’s

existence was discovered, six years after Buckley’s conviction, McDaniel himself had argued against turning it over to Buckley’s lawyers — until a federal judge ordered it released.

So the prosecutor at Buckley’s trial violated Brady’s requirements, and maybe the attorney general did, too. But, as surely as Buckley never got paid, no state prosecutor ever got sanctioned for the wrongdoing that put Buckley in prison.

‘IN NO WAY INTENTIONAL’ While it is impossible to know how much other Brady material lies undiscovered in a box or a drawer “somewhere,” unmentioned and unmoved, the problem clearly persists. Buckley and the cases below may represent just the visible tip of a large judicial iceberg.

In 2011, the Arkansas Supreme Court denied an appeal by Billy Green, who was convicted of murdering a family in Northeast Arkansas. In denying that appeal, however, the court noted that the deputy prosecutor handling Green’s case had “conceded” that a potentially exculpatory statement by Green’s son “should have been provided to the defense and that a Brady violation had occurred.”

Similarly, at a hearing in Ashdown last October, Circuit Judge Charles Yeargan found that a Brady violation had occurred in the case of Tim Howard, about whom I’ve written here before.

After Howard had spent almost 15 years on death row, Yeargan vacated his conviction and ordered a new trial. That is now scheduled for March.

In ordering the new trial, Yeargan noted that the prosecutor at Howard’s trial, who is now a circuit judge, had not “intentionally” withheld the Brady material, suggesting that lack of intent meant that no misconduct had occurred.

As recently as June — and in the same vein — the state Supreme Court affirmed the Pulaski County murder conviction of Donnie Maiden. The Court acknowledged that a Brady violation had occurred in Maiden’s trial, but took pains to note that the prosecutor had apologized for his mistake

ASK US ABOUT

FREE BUSINESS CHECKING 18

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

www.iberiabank.com | Member FDIC

in court and assured the judge that his failure to disclose had been “in no way intentional.”

The prosecutor in Maiden’s case was John Hout, and Larry Jegley is his boss.

Jegley said he does not believe that Hout broke any law and added that, “the minute John realized he’d made a mistake he took action to correct it.”

Moreover, Jegley said, Hout had reported himself to the Office of Professional Conduct — and had recently been notified by Ligon’s office that no action would be taken against him.

“It was just a dumb mistake,” Jegley said. But he acknowledges that it was a serious one. “We’re using it and Connick and what happened in Oklahoma City as a wake-up call for everyone to pay extra attention,” Jegley said, “because the criminal justice system has to be fair.”

For Jegley, that duty to be fair extends beyond conviction, as when he learned shortly after winning a conviction in a drug trial that one of the state’s witnesses had “gone south on us.”

Jegley became aware of the situation when he got “a personal visit from the U.S. attorney’s office,” informing him that Sedrick Reed, an Arkansas State Police lieutenant who had testified at the trial, had just been arrested as part of a drug distribution ring. Jegley said he told his federal counterpart, “Thanks a hell of a lot.”

“I think that happened on a Thursday,” he said. “And the first thing Monday morning, we vacated the conviction.”

Was Jegley required to undo a conviction his office had won? The American Bar Association says that after a conviction, prosecutors have a duty to report any “new, credible and material evidence” creating “a reasonable likelihood” that a convicted defendant did not commit the offense.

But, while the Arkansas Supreme Court adopted most of the ABA’s rules for prosecutors, it opted not to adopt that one. As a result, a circuit judge told me, the question of what ethical responsibilities prosecutors and attorneys general have after the state has obtained a conviction remains “a gray area.”

However, Jegley said that for him, the question was a no-brainer. “Even post-conviction,” he said. “If it’s exculpatory, the answer is, ‘Yeah.’ You disclose.”

He said that that message is being repeated nationally among prosecutors these days, as Brady issues have become what he termed “top-water topics.”

In prosecutor groups he attends, Jegley said, “Everybody’s thinking about it.

Everybody’s talking about it. And everybody agrees it comes down to training, training, training.”

CONSIDERED GUILTY A NEW PLAY BASED ON THE STORIES OF FRANZ KAFKA

‘SLAP ON THE HAND’ Back in Wynne, Dwight Brown does not know what kind of training Fletcher Long requires for his deputy prosecutors regarding their conduct, in and outside of court.

But he did finally find a way to draw some legal attention to his complaint against Ladd. He did it the old-fashioned way: He hired an attorney.

According to Brown, the attorney took Brown’s video to District Judge Joe Boeckmann in Wynne, and that Boeckmann, in turn, wrote to Chief Justice Jim Hannah of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Hannah then contacted McMahan, the state’s prosecutor coordinator, whereupon Prosecuting Attorney Long and Judge Boeckmann recused.

That left McMahan, now armed with a request from the chief justice of the Supreme Court, free to appoint a special prosecutor. The special prosecutor, Jason Barrett, brought in the State Police to investigate, after which an officer wrote a report.

Barrett took that report to District Judge Jim Rhodes in DeValls Bluff, and on Aug. 12, Rhodes signed arrest warrants for Ladd and his brother, charging each with one count of harassment.

Rhodes ordered the men to appear in court on Sept. 17.

That’s a long, roundabout way to get a harassment complaint heard in court. That wasn’t Brown’s whole point, however.

“I knew if anything came of it, it would just be a slap on the hand,” he said, “but something needed to be done.”

Whatever happens in court this month, Michael Ladd’s legal troubles may not be over. The same day in August that Ladd was charged, Barrett, the special prosecutor, wrote to the State Police again, asking that its investigation of Ladd be continued.

“Other potential criminal actions have come to light,” Barrett wrote, “and my appointment as a special prosecutor has been extended to cover these other possible crimes …”

On Sept. 2, during a recess in a court proceeding, Ladd told Long that he wanted to resign as deputy prosecuting attorney, reportedly due to stress.

When asked about that news, Brown said he was not really surprised: “It was a train wreck waiting to happen.”

By Josh Sigal & John Mooney

Directed

by Josh Sigal

LIVE MUSIC BEFORE & AFTER THE SHOW Music At 7, Show At 8 TUE, SEPT 16 • WED, SEPT 17 The Studio Theater 320 W. 7th Street, Little Rock Tickets Available At Box Office $15 Adult/$12 Students, Military, Seniors 65+

Peace of mind is a mind at ease.

At Holiday, we’ve built a lifestyle with you in mind so you can spend time doing the things you love knowing things are in good hands.

So rest assured that Holiday Retirement communities have special touches with you in mind.

• • • • • •

Easy-to-maneuver floor plans Wide hallways Hand rails Emergency pull cords Live-in managers No long term commitments

Join us for lunch.

Call 877-858-7060 today to schedule your personal visit.

Andover Place

Independent Retirement Living 2601 Andover Court, Little Rock, AR 72227 877-858-7060 | andoverplace.net *ALL EVENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

©2014 HARVEST MANAGEMENT SUB LLC, HOLIDAY AL MANAGEMENT SUB LLC, HOLIDAY AL NIC MANAGEMENT LLC

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

19

Arts Entertainment AND

A Q&A WITH SHABAZZ PALACES The experimental rap duo’s Ishmael Butler talks internships, weed and Lil B.

BY WILL STEPHENSON

is so quick.

Your stuff has always been considered “alternative rap.” How has that category evolved over the years?

It’s evolved to include a wider variety of things. But, at the same time, in this age, it’s funny how things can be one thing and then also seem like the exact opposite thing. Just sonically, there’s never been more artists sounding the same as there are now — that

T

he last time Ishmael Butler came to Arkansas, it was for a basketball tournament in Pine Bluff. That was 1986. Since then he has started two acclaimed rap groups: the iconic, Borges-referencing jazz-rap trio Digable Planets (best remembered for early ’90s singles “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” and “Where I’m From”) and, more recently, the Seattle-based Shabazz Palaces, which makes jolting, dystopian hip-hop of a very different sort, and for which Butler rechristened himself Palaceer Lazaro. Shabazz Palaces’ second album, “Lese Majesty,” was released by Sub Pop earlier this summer to much praise, and the group will be at Revolution 9:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15 ($10 adv., $13 day of ).

I read somewhere that you once interned at [early ’80s hip-hop and dance label] Sleeping Bag Records.

Some of the Shabazz Palaces stuff reminds me of that era of abrasive, electro-rap, like those Arthur Russell or Mantronix records. Were they a big influence on you?

Quite, very big influence. Once I started really getting into music from a production standpoint, those were the things that I was listening to.

What was it like working there?

It was exciting. I was mostly an errand boy, a gopher, working in the mailroom. I would be out in the street delivering packages to different record labels, attorneys. Then at night there’d be record release parties and things like that. It was a cool time.

It seems like most people describe the new record as “futuristic” or “forward-thinking.” Do you consciously think of your music in those terms?

I feel like we’re looking at our instinct, and that could translate to 20

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

‘THEY COME IN GOLD’: Ishmael Butler and Shabazz Palaces will be at Revolution 9:30 p.m. Monday, $10 adv., $13 day of.

any amount of things. When we’re making a song, we’re trying to find a sound that seems good to us, and that goes back to our instinct, our taste. It’s not just for the sake of being different or anything like that. The music doesn’t really sound weird to me, but if it does to others I can accept that. It’s cool to see how people react to it. Some of the adjectives people use are pretty fascinating.

Does rap have a shorter memory than other genres?

There’s just too much shit coming out. People know their regional stuff or whatever they were into, and those timelines saturate pretty deeply into people’s consciousness and subconscious, but to have some kind of comprehensive, historical approach or context is pretty daunting. You gotta just kind of go with what you know and can remember. Plus, the turnover

ghetto-ization of the sound. The alternative-mainstream thing has evolved into something totally different than it was 20 years ago. And that makes sense.

But there are so many cadences and vocal textures and tones and sonic palettes that are pretty much identical, which takes me back to the blues, where cats would basically come over the same chord structures with little bits of personality and nuance. And there’s something to be said for being able to take a formula and write a song within that formula and have it rise above. I respect that, it’s just not something that I can really do myself.

Why do you think that is?

Your mind and your body are born with certain predilections and talents, and I don’t have those. I have them, arguably, for whatever’s in my wheelhouse. I’m not sure why, I’ve never really thought about it too much.

I read in another interview that your daughter was a Lil B fan. What do you think of his music and of that generation?

I like Lil B and Soulja Boy; they’re some of my favorite artists. I think they embody a spirit that is very early-daysof-hip-hop to me. With Lil B always freestyling, and Soulja Boy with his very dance-oriented, Doug E. Fresh feel. And even their approach to the internet has been very philanthropic, excited. They gave away a lot more than they ever received monetarily. I like their approach a lot.

Some of your Digable Planets material was included recently in Yale University’s “Anthology of Rap.” Shabazz Palaces doesn’t seem to place as much of a premium on the purely lyrical, though. Is that deliberate?

To me a song is a song. Every part of it is the same as every other part, because you hear it in its entirety. I’ve heard people say, “I’m a lyrics person.

I don’t listen to the beats,” and I don’t really know how motherfuckers can do that. I believe them, that they can, but I can’t. Clarity isn’t something that’s readily available on first listen.

Clarity develops over time, and a lot of time things that develop slower can have better clarity.

What’s your recording process like? Listening to the record, it’s hard to picture.

It’s intimate, like being with your girl or something: You guys might have a kid as a result of it, but you never really divulge how all that happens. People just assume, but nobody really knows. A lot of times the naturalness and spontaneity of things can’t really be described.

It’s like, there’s all kinds of different strains of marijuana. Maybe the one that you had that day mixed with the food that you ate, mixed with the weather outside, mixed with what you did that night and what you have on.

All of these chemical reactions conspire with every little nuance of sound.

If we only look at the surface and say, “We recorded this on Tuesday night,” we’re not really giving a full account of what happened. It can be a sound, it can be a word, and often those things lead to something where, in the end, the beginning is forgotten.

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

A&E NEWS Last week, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced that it would kick off its 23rd annual lineup with a screening of “Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me.” On Friday, the festival released more details about its program. George Takei will close the festival with a presentation of his film “To Be Takei” (about his “playful and profound trek for life, liberty, and love”) followed by a Q&A. A sidebar focusing on mockumentary shorts will feature actor and filmmaker Luke Wilson, who will show his short “Satellite Beach,” about the Space Shuttle Endeavour (shot during the actual transportation of the shuttle, starring Wilson as a “devoted and unlikely shuttle manager”). There will also be award-winners from Tribeca, Sundance and Slamdance, plus a Student Academy Award winner (“The Apothecary”) and a new film

by Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker (“The Lion’s Mouth Opens”) — in all, the festival cites over 50 shorts.

“Winter’s Bone” writer and director Debra Granik will screen her new documentary feature “Stray Dog,” about a Vietnam vet and biker named Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, who she met in Missouri on the set of the former film (Granik will be in attendance, as will Hall). YouTube celebrities and magicians highlighted on the “Tonight Show” will be featured (in “Songs for Alexis” and “An Honest Liar,” respectively), as will a film about Quidditch (“Mudbloods”), a film produced by Spike Lee (“Evolution of a Criminal,” about a 1997 armed bank robbery case in Houston) and a film based on black box transcripts from downed planes (“Charlie Victor Romeo,” which A.O. Scott has called “one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen”).

There will also be a 20th anniversary screening of the classic “Hoops Dreams,” with appearances by Arthur Agee Jr. (one of the basketball players followed in the film, who went on to play at Arkansas State) and producer Gordon Quinn, and “When We Were Kings,” with director Leon Gast alongside Muhammad Ali’s daughter and grandson. The Renaud Brothers will also be on hand to present their VICE series “Last Chance High,” and there will also be a block of familyfriendly films and programs, including an appearance by the Museum of Discovery’s Kevin Delaney, who recently appeared on “The Tonight Show.”

2600 CANTRELL RD 5 0 1 . 2 9 6 . 9 9 5 5 | R I V E R D A L E 1 0 .C O M

FEATURING DIGITAL LIGHT PROJECTION & DOLBY DIGITAL SOUND

SHOW TIMES: FRI, SEPT 12 – THUR, SEPT 18 DOLPHIN TALE 2 (DIGITAL) PG | 2:00 4:00 7:00 9:00 108 STITCHES (DIGITAL) R | 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:20 THE TRIP TO ITALY (DIGITAL) NR | 2:15 4:30 7:15 9:30 THE ONE I LOVE (DIGITAL) R | 2:15 4:30 7:15 9:30 BOYHOOD (DIGITAL) R | 1:45 4:45 7:45 MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT (DIGITAL) PG13 | 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:25

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (DIGITAL) PG | 1:45 4:15 6:45 9:15 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (DIGITAL) PG13 | 1:45 4:20 6:45 9:15 CALVARY (DIGITAL) R | 2:00 4:20 7:00 YVES SAINT LAURENT (DIGITAL) R | 2:15 7:15 LAND HO (DIGITAL) R | 4:30 9:30 THE IDENTICAL (DIGITAL) PG | 9:20

09.20.2014 JUANITA’S

LITTLE ROCK, AR WWW.BIGHEADTODD.COM WWW.JUANITAS.COM

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

21

TRYING TO RIGHT THE SHIP, CONT. ciation alone. “I will not let my personal relationship with John Walker affect any decision I’ll make about any employee of the district. I’m my own person,” she told the Arkansas Times. Still, when Springer could not be in attendance for most of the duration of the candidates’ forum, she sent Walker as her personal representative to answer questions in her stead. Springer’s core message: Bring accountability to the LRSD administration (meaning, get tough on Suggs) and rely on data to make decisions in the best interest of students.

The Zone 5 race matches incumbent Jody Carreiro against challenger Jim Ross, a history professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and former LRSD teacher who has three children attending schools in the district. Ross was an early supporter of Suggs’ candidacy but has since become a harsh critic of both the superintendent and the board that oversees him.

“The Little Rock School District is in crisis,” Ross declared at the candidates’ forum. The district’s reading scores are unacceptable and reflect a failure on the part of the current board, he said.

Asked if he thought there was a crisis in the LRSD, Carreiro defended the district’s recent record. “From a moral, here’s-our-job standpoint, any child that gets through our school system and can’t read and do enough math to get by, that’s in a sense a crisis,” he said.

“But in terms of the district, we’ve made significant progress. It’s absolutely serious, but I don’t know that I would use the word ‘crisis.’ Eight years ago, there were 10 or 12 elementary schools that were classified as having problems [by ADE]. Today only one is a distressed school. Reading has gone up as a district almost every year in all grades … to point out ‘no progress’ is an exaggeration.”

Carreiro, an actuary with two daughters who have graduated from the LRSD, has served on the board since 2008.

“When you have a seven-person board, you do not need a crusader — you need a collaborator,” he said at the forum, jabbing at Ross.

The financial, academic and governance challenges facing the LRSD will require tough decisions from the school board in the months and years ahead.

Here’s a sample of where the candidates stand on the issues:

ON THE BUDGET “The reality is that we do have to cut staff, benefits and programs,” Johnson said. “We have to go through with a finetoothed comb and think, ‘Do we really need this?’ There’s going to be a lot of upset people, but it just has to be done.”

22

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

Springer said she’d want the board to make cuts based on the recommendations of a committee that would include teachers and parents, but cited legal fees as one place to find savings. Some will see an irony there, as Springer is herself seeking some $500,000 in fees for her work on the Pulaski County desegregation suit. However, Springer clarified, she is not seeking any payments from the LRSD itself, but rather from the state. She noted that the district’s payments to other attorneys outweighed anything paid to Walker’s firm or herself.

Springer also said she has several other ideas about budget cuts, but is wary of going into much detail. “I don’t have to divulge those, because somebody else may try to steal my ideas and say they came up with it first,” she said.

The budget crunch will require “adult-sized conversations” about personnel cuts, Carreiro said, including administrative positions. But, he emphasized, “what we need to do is be more efficient in school size, and in program size, so that every child can get what they need.” The new facilities plan, he said, “will help to right-size some of our schools.”

Ross said he’d like to investigate waste and immediately freeze all new spending on technology and all new hires. “The first thing we have to do is to have a series of meetings in which we discuss every line of that 900-page budget,” he said, noting that there are 200 administrative positions that run into the six figures.

“We are going to have to make some drastic cuts at the top of this administration.”

ON THE SCHOOLS AND READING RECOVERY Springer said she is concerned that the district is moving students from one school to another to avoid the 50 percent threshold that signals academic distress to the state. “You’re committed to making sure that all kids learn,” she said, “you don’t shuffle them around and put them someplace else in order to solve the problem.” She also lambasted the district for withdrawing funding for the Reading Recovery program, which has become the biggest flash point for critics of Suggs. “Why would you change something that’s working?” she asked.

The data shows that Reading Recovery, an intensive literacy intervention for students in grades 1-3, has been highly effective in remediating kids who are behind (though some question the data).

Because it entails one-on-one instruction, it’s also very costly per student.

Suggs replaced dedicated funding for Reading Recovery with a literacy pro-

gram of his own devising, citing costs.

For some, including the teachers’ union, ditching an intervention that is capable of bringing disadvantaged kids up to grade level — that elusive and essential goal of public education — was a cardinal sin.

Johnson said schools could still choose to use Reading Recovery if they funded it out of a separate pot of money.

“It has been left up to the discretion of the principal to use their auxiliary funds if they want to keep the Reading Recovery program in their school. The principals have just recently received their funding, so I am not sure what schools have chosen to keep the program. I would say to critics to take a look at our literacy scores.” At the candidates’ forum, she and Carreiro were criticized by teachers demanding to know why the board allowed Suggs to cut the district’s budget for the program. “We get the information and we make the best decision possible with that information,” Johnson replied. “We are doing the best we can. We are not the experts; we do rely on the experts.”

Ross, an ardent supporter of the program, said that is exactly the problem.

“They’ve come up against the limits of their experience. I believe we need one or two people [on the board] who have been involved in education for years,” he said.

Carreiro noted later that “the number of students in 2013 directly assisted [by the program] was only a couple of hundred. There were a lot of other students indirectly assisted. But, what Dr. Suggs and other administrators saw was that it was not being scaled up to help enough students. Also, some schools (like Terry Elementary) were making strong improvements without the help of Reading Recovery.”

ON THE SUPERINTENDENT Springer said she’s capable of working with Suggs, but she’s also highly critical of his performance. “He’s never been a superintendent before. When you’re new and you don’t know what’s going on, you don’t come in and change things your first year,” she said. “I would rate him unsatisfactory with respect to student achievement.”

Johnson is more forgiving. “Was there ever a board or a superintendent who did things that made everybody happy?” she asked. “The role of the board is to maintain an open and working relationship with the superintendent, [and] to provide an evaluation tool that will reflect whether goals are being met.” Notably, although both incumbents defended Suggs’ record at the

candidates’ forum, neither volunteered a ringing endorsement of the superintendent’s performance.

Ross said Suggs was “the best of the four or five candidates we had.” Superintendents come and go in the LRSD, he said, and the district must embrace a model of governance in which the board takes an assertive role. “My view of a superintendent is that he’s a hired hand to get the work done. The board is responsible for personnel, policy and programs … but in the past 25 years, they’ve abdicated that responsibility.”

Carreiro said that a school board’s role should be more about setting policy and goals rather than getting into the details of administration. “I think I have a pretty good understanding of how things work by this time, but I am not a curriculum director and don’t know all of the ins and outs of how to make sure that the appropriate educational opportunity is given to each child,” he said.

ON THE NUCLEAR OPTION All four candidates agree that a state takeover, which would entail dissolving the school board entirely, must be avoided.

Both Springer and Johnson pointed out that it’s not clear the state wants to assume the burden of responsibility for the LRSD and its 25,000 students, or has the capacity to do so. “I don’t think there will be a point at which that happens,” Springer said.

“If the state takes over, they’re going to have to deal with the same issues,” Johnson said.

But a takeover is more than a hollow threat. In 2011, the Pulaski County Special School District, which encompasses Jacksonville, Maumelle, Sherwood and portions of West Little Rock, was taken over by the state. Pulaski County, which is the state’s second largest district after the LRSD, remains under state supervision today. If the LRSD troubles aren’t addressed in the coming years, a takeover might be inevitable, both Zone 5 candidates acknowledged.

“If we continue in the same direction, with the same spending, the same lack of research-based programs, and with some of the same personnel in place, we will be taken over by the state — sooner rather than later,” Ross said.

Carreiro agreed, in outline at least. “I think that if we don’t function better, if we don’t work together to make the improvements that need to be made, that’ll be their cue.”

Support for education reporting provided

by Arkanas Public Policy Panel.

g r e u r s B & , s B k a rats e t S Make Weekends That Rock!

FAMILY O AND OPE WNED R SINCE 19 ATED 59!

SCAN THIS

EDWARDS FOOD GIANT LIKE US!

AVAILABLE AT THESE LOCATIONS: 1701 MAIN STREET 501-376-3473

10320 STAGE COACH RD 501-455-3475

7507 CANTRELL RD 501-614-3477

7525 BASELINE RD 501-562-6629

AND GO TO OUR WEB SITE!

BRYANT 2203 NORTH REYNOLDS RD 501-847-9777

WWW.EDWARDSFOODGIANT.COM www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

23

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY CLAYTON GENTRY, LINDSEY MILLAR, LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK, AND WILL STEPHENSON

FRIDAY 9/12

‘40 YEARS OF THE ARKANSAS TIMES’ and more 5-8 p.m., 2nd Friday Art Night. Historic Arkansas Museum and downtown galleries. Free.

SINNERS LIKE ME: Eric Church will be at Verizon Arena 7 p.m. Friday, $37.50-$77.

FRIDAY 9/12

ERIC CHURCH

7 p.m. Verizon Arena. $37.50-$77.

On a 2010 episode of “CMT Cribs,” we are allowed a rare glimpse into the 4,000-square-foot Nashville home of country star Eric Church, who will stop at Verizon Arena on Friday on his “Outsiders” world tour (alongside Dwight Yoakam and Brothers Osborne). At the door, we are introduced to his wife, Katherine, and to his dog, Quincy Jones,

and shown into the living room. “I love the size of it,” Church says of his fireplace. “And I like to have TVs everywhere. Some people disagree.” He shows us to the kitchen — “one of my favorite parts of the house” — as Katherine emphasizes the importance of being environmentally friendly. Church demonstrates that he keeps Jack Daniel’s, curiously, in the freezer, below four stacked frozen pizzas. “I like the size

SATURDAY 9/13

KABF GIRLS! NIGHT

9 p.m. White Water Tavern. $5.

Accurately titled KABF program “GIRLS!,” a “radio show about girls, for girls and by girls,” has for a while now served as a much-needed corrective to the dull and onerous masculinity of the local music scene. This weekend they’re taking it to the stage at White Water, with a truly great and uniformly all-female lineup that will restore your faith in Little Rock culture as more than just a safe haven for self-serious men. The program includes Jamie Lou Thies, an indiefolk singer-songwriter and Yon24

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

of it,” he says of his bed and, later, his shower. In the garden he grows fresh jalapenos. He takes a bite from one and smiles. Outside his bedroom there is a portrait of Quincy, his dog.

“This is funny,” he says, holding the dog next to the painting. “This is Quincy, and this is Quincy,” he says, gesturing from one to the other, indicating the resemblance. Then he sets Quincy down by his painting and we never see him again. WS

For Friday’s after-hours gallery stroll, first you’ll want to head to the Historic Arkansas Museum to see the exhibit of Arkansas Times covers celebrating this paper’s 40th anniversary, right? The candidates for the show were taped up on the newsroom wall for judging and they’re still there — Hillary Clinton and Johnny Cash and Nolan Richardson, the counterculture ’70s, the true-crime ’90s, football, punk. It’s a kind of visual timeline, a secret history of Arkansas’s last several decades, and anyway it’s free. Then, check out the other exhibits at HAM, Hearne Fine Art, the Butler Center Galleries in the Arkansas Studies Institute and Gallery 221 and hear music by Big Silver on the lawn of the Old State House Museum.

This month’s new shows: the fifth annual “Juried Exhibition of the Arkansas League of Artists’ (Butler Center); new works by Tyler Arnold (Gallery 221); “All That I Am: A Retrospective,” artworks

by Aj Smith (Hearne), and “Disciplined Inspiration,” photographs

by Jack Kenner and art glass by Ed Pennebaker (HAM, where Finger Food will play). WS, LNP

SATURDAY 9/13 der Mountain Harvest Music Fest veteran; Divorce Horse, the horror-punk band and self-proclaimed “ritualistic goat slaughter” enthusiasts intent on resurrecting “the dead on Planet Jupiter”; Bonnie Montgomery, the opera composer and country singer who released her fantastic self-titled debut this summer, and Kari Faux, one of the hardest working and most exciting rappers to emerge locally in a long time, whose two 2014 mixtapes, “Spontaneous Generation” and “Laugh Now, Die Later,” are, taken together, among the best local albums of the year. WS

LATINO FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

6 p.m. 6th and Main streets, Argenta. $15-$20.

The second annual Latino Food and Music Festival, hosted by El Latino in partnership with the Arkansas Times, will bring plenty of home-cooked food and Cuban soul music to the Argenta Farmers Market Plaza on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Eight families representing five countries — Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Venezuela — will serve authentic recipes to the tune of Calle Soul, a salsa band founded by Cuban percussionist Fernando Sanchez and Colombian percussionist Fernando Valencia. A mix of “classically trained artists and some who learned on the streets,” according to the band’s website, the Fayette-

ville-based Calle Soul won an NWA Music Award in 2012. They’ll go on at 8, following Mariachi Viva Jalisco, who will play for the first couple of hours. Expect great food, great music and plenty of beer and sangria. Not a bad way to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, observed on Sept. 16. The event benefits the Argenta Arts District and is presented by Edwards Food Giant. Tickets — $15 in advance, $20 at the door — can be purchased at arktimes.com/latinofood.

Kids 12 and under get in free. Email festival organizer Luis Garciarossi at luis@arktimes. com or call the Times at 501-375-2985 for more information. CG

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 9/11 “Shine a Light on Literacy,” an event benefiting Literacy Action of Central Arkansas’s adult literacy and ESL programs, will be held at the Governor’s Mansion and will include live music, wine and “heavy hors d’oeuvres,” 6 p.m., $50. Comedy troupe Armadillo Rodeo will be at The Joint, 8 p.m., $8, and stand-up Todd Rexx will be at The Loony Bin through Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $7-$10. Knoxville popbluegrass group The Black Lillies will be at Stickyz, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. Poor Richard, State of Being, Project Noble and Philly group Left and Right will play Vino’s for “Fresh Blood Night,” 9 p.m., $5.

SUNDAY 9/14

DOUBLE FEATURE: ‘NORTHVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE’/’DEATH: LIVE IN L.A.’ 9 p.m. Riverdale 10. $5.

William Dear would go on to become the director of “Harry and the Hendersons” and “Angels in the Outfield,” but in 1976 he was the director of “Northville Cemetery Massacre.”

A cheap, glorious grindhouse epic full of sudden violence and sloppy camerawork, it’s a film about police brutality, long-haired bikers (featuring members of an actual Detroit motorcycle club) and vengeance, with an original score by The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith. The movie will be followed by a screening of “Death: Live in L.A.,” a concert film by the pioneering Orlando death metal band Death (est. 1983). WS

FRIDAY 9/12

SUNDAY 9/14

‘RUSHMORE’

4 p.m. Ron Robinson Theater. $8.

Several years ago there was this widely accepted idea that Wes Anderson films were gorgeously art directed but fundamentally empty, not sufficiently differentiated and maybe even politically reactionary (or racist, according to one Slate article I read half of in 2007); it wasn’t unusual in those days to see reviews with titles like, “Defending Wes Anderson.” In the past few years, though, this seems to have died down. His movies are accepted again on the only terms they ever set for themselves, as deeply stylized comedies made by a visually exacting director with good casting instincts. And this feels right, because movies like his are rarer now (for economic, not artistic reasons) and because he’s good at this. “Rushmore” is among other things a great Southern film — written by Texans and set in Houston. It has a tone that is specific to itself, and it’s the only reason most millennials know about Hal Ashby or The Faces. It’s also genuinely and oddly funny; Bill Murray’s contempt for his children is funny, as is the idea of centering a movie on an annoying high school student’s weird ambition. WS

BLACK AND WHITE: Tony Joe White will be at Juanita’s 7:30 p.m. Sunday, $10.

SUNDAY 9/14

TONY JOE WHITE

Big Silver will play a free show on the lawn of the Old State House Museum, 5:30 p.m., with two sets and free food and drinks as part of 2nd Friday Art Night downtown. At Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, museum president Don Bacigalupi and curator Chad Alligood will give the “State of the Art Spotlight Lecture” on the new exhibition at the museum, 7 p.m.

Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth will be at Stickyz with The Bootheel, 9 p.m., $6. Brothers Osborne will play an after-party to the Eric Church Verizon Arena show at Revolution (free with a ticket to the latter), $10. Alabama rap group The Green Seed with be at the White Water Tavern with LabRatz (a local collective featuring Osyrus Bolly, Big Ced Dibiase, Gadah, Duke Stigall and more), 9:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. Juanita’s. $10.

Once he turned 19, Tony Joe White left the family cotton farm in Goodwill, La., for south Texas and Corpus Christi. “I was really into it,” he told Texas Monthly in 2002. “I mean barefoot all the time and brown and fishing out on Padre Island. And playing in the clubs at night.” Soon he had some songs, and he drove through the night to Nashville, where a bouncer gave him a number for a label owner who, despite his tequila hangover, agreed to hear his songs. Two weeks later, he recorded “Black and White,” a delightfully mellow country soul album that includes “Polk Salad Annie,” a swamp rock ode to a Louisiana girl who “made the alligators look tame.” It signaled the beginning of a whirlwind of productivity and success for White: He released an

album per year from 1968 to 1973; toured with Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sly & the Family Stone and Steppenwolf, and saw his songs covered by Tom Jones, Brook Benton (who made White’s “Rainy Night in Georgia” a hit) and Elvis.

The hustle got to be too much for White, so he packed his family up and moved to a deeply rural part of the Ozarks in Arkansas. He was living there when Elvis flew him out to Las Vegas to hear the King record White’s “Poke Salad Annie.”

“I told Elvis, ‘You know, when you get tired of all this, I’ve got a place up in the Ozark Mountains that is so far back in the woods ain’t nobody even heard of you there. We can go up and fish and relax.’ ” That must be where Elvis has been all these years. LM

SATURDAY 9/13 “Thea Paves the Way,” a collaborative sidewalk chalk event sponsored by the Thea Foundation, will be held at the Clinton Presidential Library starting at 8 a.m. The family and bicycle-friendly development event “Pop Up Park Hill” will be held at Park Hill in North Little Rock starting at 10 a.m., with food trucks, brewers and local vendors.

The Arkansas State Fairgrounds will host Baconfest, with cooking and eating contests, a beer garden, a kids zone and a 5K “fun run,” 11 a.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. The Ron Robinson Theater will screen “The Muppets” (2011) at 2 p.m., $5. Juanita’s will hold a Patio Pool Party with DJs, karaoke and a bikini contest at 4 p.m., $5-$20.

Fayetteville’s Cadillac Jackson will be at Stickyz with The Machete With Love, 9 p.m. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

25

AFTER DARK Lucious Spiller. Afterthought Bistro & Bar. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Route 66. Agora Conference and Special Event Center, 6:3 0 p.m., $5. 70 5 E. Siebenmorgan, Conway.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

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

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11

COMEDY

MUSIC

The Black Lillies. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyz.com.

The Bos ton Brass. Christ Episcopal Church, 7:30 p.m., $20. 509 Scott St. 501375-2342.

Finger Food. Afterthought Bistro & Bar. 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.

Irish Traditional Music Sessions. Dugan’s Pub, 7-9 p.m. 401 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

Jazz Eureka Festival. Featuring the Fayetteville Jazz Collective, Ellis and Delfeayo Marsalis, Rodney Block and more. Downtown Eureka Springs, through Sept. 14. Eureka Springs.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m., free. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444.

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. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Mayday By Midnight (headliner), Chris DeClerk (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Michael Eubanks. Newk’s Express Cafe, 6:30 p.m. 4317 Warden Road, NLR. 501753-8559. newks.com.

Open Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

Open jam with The Port Arthur Band.

Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Poor Richard, State of Being, Project Noble, Left and Right. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 7-9 p.m.

10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2245505. www.senor-tequila.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 7:30 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-3747474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

Armadillo Rodeo. The Joint, 7 p.m., $8.

301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Todd Rex x. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m.

26

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

The Main Thing’s “Whatshisname?”. The Joint, through Oct. 25: 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Todd Rexx. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Ballroom Dancing. Free lessons begin a t 7 p. m . B e s s C h i s u m S t e p h e n s Community Center, 8-11 p.m., $7-$13.

12th & Cleveland streets. 501-221-7568. www.blsdance.org.

“Salsa Night.” Begins with a one-hour salsa lesson. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

EAGLE ROCK FIRE: Joe Purdy will be at Juanita’s 8 p.m. Wednesday, $20 adv., $25 day of. $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. w w w.loonybincomedy. com.

EVENTS

G e o c a c h i n g. T he W it t Ste phens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

BENEFITS

Shine A Light On Literacy. Governor’s Mansion, 6 p.m., $50. 1800 Center St. 501-377-1121.

BOOKS

Janis Kearney. Pulaski Technical College, 6 p.m., free. 3000 W. Scenic Drive, NLR.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 12

MUSIC

Big Silver. Old State House Museum, 5:30 p.m., free. 300 W. Markham St. 501-3249685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, The Bootheel. Stick y z Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Brothers Osborne. Free with Eric Church

ticket. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. 3 0 0 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Canvas (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.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.

Drunk Dad, Honduran, Apothecar y, Crankbait. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $7. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub. com.

Eric Church, Dwight Yoakam, Brothers Osborne. Verizon Arena, 7 p.m., $37.50$77. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-9759001. verizonarena.com.

Goldy Locks. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

The Green Seed, LabRatz. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jazz Eureka Festival. See Sept. 11.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

G e o c a c h i n g. T he W it t Ste phens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

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

LECTURES

State of the Art Spotlight Lecture. With Crystal Bridges President Don Bacigalupi and Curator Chad Alligood. Cr ystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 7 p.m.

600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-4185700. crystalbridges.org.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 13

MUSIC

B Flats. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, $7.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Cadillac Jackson, The Machete With Love. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Sept. 12.

Goldy Locks. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Jamie Lou Thies, Divorce Horse, Bonnie Montgomery, Kari Faux. KABF GIRLS! Night. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m., $5.

2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jazz Eureka Festival. See Sept. 11.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m.

110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224.

PARTY AT OUR PLACE!

www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. Casa Mexicana, 7 p.m. 6929 JFK Blvd., NLR. 501-835-7876. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m., free. 1400 S. University Ave. 501664-6444.

Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. All ages, on the restaurant side. Revolution, 9 p.m.12:45 a.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.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. 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.

The Revolutioners. Revolution, 9 p.m., $5-$7. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. revroom.com.

Shari Bales (headliner), Alex Summerlin (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

The Main Thing’s “Whatshisname?” The Joint, through Oct. 25: 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Todd Rex x. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy. com.

DANCE

Little Rock West Coast Dance Club.

Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501247-5240. www.arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

40th Annual Little Rock Farmers’ Market.

River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 25: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

A rge nt a Fa rme r s Ma rket . Argenta Farmers Market, 7 a.m. 6th and Main St., NLR. 501-831-7881. www.argentaartsdistrict.org/argenta-farmers-market/.

Baconfest. With cooking and eating contests, beer garden, kids zone, 5K fun run and local merchants. Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 11 a.m., $8 adv., $10 day of.

2600 Howard St. 501-372-8341 ext. 8206. www.arkansasstatefair.com.

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell and Cedar Hill roads.

G e oc a c h i n g. The W it t Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptis t Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 220 0 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. 4 0 0 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001.

Juanita’s Patio Pool Party. With DJs, karaoke and a bikini contest. Juanita’s, 4 p.m., $5-$20. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Latino Food and Music Festival. With live music by Calle Soul. Argenta Farmers Market, 6 p.m., $15-$20. 6th and Main St., NLR. 501-831-7881. www.argentaartsdistrict.org/argenta-farmers-market/.

Pop Up Park Hill. A family and bicyclefriendly development event with food trucks, brewers and local vendors. Park Hill, 10 a.m., free. Park Hill, NLR. Pork & Bourbon Tour. Bike tour includes bic ycle, g uid e, helmet s and maps.

Bobby’s Bike Hike, 11:30 a.m., $35-$45.

400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001.

South Main Vintage Market. Bernice Garden, 9 a.m. 1401 S. Main St. www. thebernicegarden.org.

Thea Paves the Way. A family and student-friendly collaborative sidewalk chalk event. William J. Clinton Presidential Library, 8 a.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-374-4242. www.clintonlibrary.gov.

FILM

“The Muppets.” Ron Robinson Theater, 2 p.m., $5. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater. aspx.

Book Our Party Room Today!

All American Food & Great Place to Watch Your Favorite Event

Rockin’ Mondays! $2 Off all Rock Town products after 6pm

ROCK TOWN WHISKEY NOW ON TAP! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK | 11AM - LATE % -!2+(!- s ,)44,% 2/#+ !2

(501) 324-2449

bigwhiskeyslittlerock.com

LECTURES

“The Great War: Researching World War I in Arkansas Archives.” Dickinson Hall, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 9 a.m. 2801 S. University. ualr.edu.

SPORTS

17 t h A n n u a l Te r r y P a u l T h o d e Lupus Memorial Golf Tournament.

Diamondhead Countr y Club, 1 p.m., $45-$55. 245 Independence Drive, Hot Springs.

If you’re not HERE, we’re having more fun than you are!

There’s still time, GET HERE! NEW PATIO HAPPY HOUR WED-SAT 4 PM

BENEFITS

Superhero Dash-N-Bash. Benefiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Murray Park, 9 a.m., $30. Rebsamen Park Road.

BOOKS

Courtney Miller Santo. That Bookstore in Blytheville, 1 p.m. 316 W. Main St.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 14

MUSIC

Ellis and Delfeayo Marsalis. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 7 p.m., $25. 501 W. 9th St. 501-683-3593. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

Jazz Eureka Festival. See Sept. 11.

Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764- 0604. www.shortysmalls.com.

Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot. 501-982-1939 ‎.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

A Chicago style Speakeasy & Dueling Piano Bar. This is THE premier place to party in Little Rock. “Dueling Pianos” runs seven days a week. Dance & Club music upstairs on Wed, Fri & Sat. Drink specials and more!

Do it BIGG!

Best Late Night Spot

Open 7 Days A Week • 8pm-2am Shows Start at 8:30pm

Located in the Heart of the River Market District 307 President Clinton Avenue 501.372.4782 www.erniebiggs.com

DRINK LOCAL www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

27

TV REVIEW

Cable TV is dead – long live cable TV Three new comedies from Amazon.com.

BY WILL STEPHENSON

“The Cosmopolitans,” which stars Chloe Sevigny and Adam Brody, is the strongest of the three entries here. The show centers on a crew of American expats living in Paris who talk about their relationships, go to parties and claim to be “Parisians.” Stillman is great at navigating and finding humor in razor-sharp class and social divides, and there’s plenty to find here in the hierarchies of cultural outsiders. Also every character is, in some small but not insignificant way, despicable, which only adds to the effect.

too busy to take. The husbands smoke weed in their “man caves,” complain about their wives, crack jokes about joining the “mile-high club” and are, without exception, extremely unlikeable. This includes the protagonist, played by the director, who is faced, at the end of the episode, with a predictably depressing moral quandary that will probably guide the direction of the series, which I recommend you avoid. The humor here seems imported from some hack stand-up nightmare, complete with bold new observations about

N

ot content with owning The Washington Post, a publishing imprint and at least one industry’s entire distribution infrastructure, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has lately ventured into the world of original web series programming. As with Netflix, the idea is that Amazon has become nearly monopolistic as middle-men — the consumers all already use them — so why not just cut out the producers?

For Amazon Original Series’ third “pilot season,” it’s recruited enough talent that the programming might seem like a good idea. Three of the five pilots, all of which are streaming free online, are comedies directed by big names: Little Rock native David Gordon Green (“George Washington,” “Pineapple Express”), Whit Stillman (“Metropolis,” “The Last Days of Disco”) and Broken Lizard’s Jay Chandrasekhar (“Super Troopers”). Is it time to cancel your cable? With few interesting movies out this week, the Times investigates:

‘Red Oaks’ Produced by Steven Soderbergh and directed by David Gordon Green, “Red Oaks” is a kind of amalgam of nostalgic coming-of-age comedies like “Caddyshack” and “Adventureland,” following a college student who takes a summer job as an assistant tennis pro at a country club. Much attention is paid to the 1980s period details, to finding just the right shade of pastel aerobics outfits or the right moment to be soundtracked by Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away.” The plot, though, feels like boxes being checked: Of course the star wins his tennis match, and of course the mysterious brunette turns out to be the daughter of the mean-spirited country club owner. Nobody remembers “Caddyshack” for the plot; they remember it for the absurdism and for the jokes about rich people. “Red Oaks” just feels rote.

One problem is that it isn’t very funny; there are a lot of other problems as well.

28

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

‘RED OAKS’: Craig Roberts and Gage Golightly star.

‘The Cosmopolitans’

‘Really’

Whit Stillman films have always succeeded or failed on the strength of their conversations, which actually makes him sort of well suited to this type of small-screen project. He can scale things down and not lose as much as other filmmakers, so it’s maybe not a surprise that

Where “Red Oaks” centers on the college-aged and “The Cosmopolitans” on characters in their postgraduate late-20s and 30s, Jay Chandrasekhar’s “Really” highlights their parents’ generation, who have dinner parties in suburban homes and drunkenly plan camping trips they’re

cigarettes and texting-and-driving.

The other two pilots are “The Hand of God,” about a judge turned vigilante, created by Marc Forster and starring Ron Perlman and Dana Delany; and “Hysteria,” about a doctor investigating an epidemic, created by Shaun Cassidy and starring Mena Suvari.

AFTER DARK, CONT. River City Men’s Chorus. “Heart and Soul: Music of the ‘50s.” Trinity United Methodist Church, 3 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www. tumclr.org.

Tony Joe White. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $10.

614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

EVENTS

2014 Chef Ball. Hosted by the Central A rkansas Chapter of the A meric an Culinary Federation. Pulaski Technical College South Campus, 6 p.m., $200.

Exit 128, I-30.

B e r n i c e G a r d e n Fa r m e r ’s M a r ke t .

Bernice Garden, 10 a.m. 1401 S. Main St. www.thebernicegarden.org.

G e o c a c h i n g. T he W it t Ste phens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

FILM

“Do The Math.” Presented by the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice. Vino’s, 6:30 p.m., free. 923 W. 7th St. 501-3758466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Double Feature: “Northville Cemetery Massacre” and “Death: Live in L.A.” Riverdale 10 Cinema, 9 p.m. 2600 Cantrell Road. 501-296-9955.

“Rushmore.” Ron Robinson Theater, 4 p.m., $8. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www. cals.lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

BENEFITS

Skate For The Cure. Arkansas Skatium, 2 p.m., $11. 1311 S. Bowman Road.

MONDAY, SEPT. 15

MUSIC

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Monday Night Jazz. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

River City Men’s Chorus. “Heart and Soul: Music of the ’50s.” Trinity United Methodist Church, 7 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www. tumclr.org.

Shabazz Palaces. Revolution, 9:30 p.m., $10 adv., $13 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

LECTURES

“The New Democrats and the Return to Power.” With author and former Domestic Policy Adviser for Bill Clinton, Al From. Sturgis Hall, noon, free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

CLASSES

“Say It Loud!” with Delfeayo Marsalis. A session and Q&A with the Grammy Award winner. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 1 p.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-683-3593. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 16

MUSIC

Brian and Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Frontier Circus, Glenn Jones. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jef f Ling. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www. khalilspub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 322 President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke Tuesdays. On the patio. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 7:30 p.m., free. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Music Jam. Hosted by Elliott Griffen and Joseph Fuller. The Joint, 8-11 p.m., free.

301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton.

Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

COMEDY

Stand-Up Tuesday. Hosted by Adam Hogg. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointin-

littlerock.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7:30 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 3 0 0 President Clinton Ave. 501- 823 - 0 090. w w w.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

G e o c a c h i n g. T he W it t Ste phens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

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

FILM

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17

MUSIC

Aarun Carter and Jonathan Trawick.

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m., $15 donation suggested. 20919 Denny Road.

Acoustic Open Mic. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Big John Miller Band. Local Live. South on Main, 7:30 p.m., free. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Joe Purdy. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $20 adv., $25 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m.

110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. MUSE Ultra Lounge, 8:30 p.m., free. 2611 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-6398.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

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. 501-3747474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. The Tri Tones. Riverfront Park, 6 p.m., free.

400 President Clinton Ave.

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group.

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

The Tennessee Tramp. The Loony Bin, Sept. 17-20, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 19-20, 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th and Cleveland streets. 501350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS

G e o c a c h i n g. T he W it t Ste phens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 8:30 a.m.

602 President Clinton Ave. 501-907-0636. www.centralarkansasnaturecenter.com.

LECTURES

Tomoyo Ihaya. A presentation on drawings from Dharamsala India. Ecumenical Buddhist Society, 7 p.m., free. 1015 W. 2nd St. 501-376-7056. www.ebslr.org.

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.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

More art listings can be found in the calendar at arktimes.com

NEW ART EXHIBITS

ARGENTA GALLERY, 413A-B Main St.: Works by George Dombek, Sept. 12Oct. 1. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 2255600.

BOSWELL MOUROT, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Paintings by Alex Ferrera. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: Annual juried Arkansas League CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

29

AFTER DARK, CONT. of Artists exhibition, 42 works, opens with reception 5-8 p.m. Sept. 12, 2nd Friday Art Night, show through Dec. 2; “Quapaw Quarter: Where Little Rock History Lives,” blueprints and photographs; “Home Demonstration Clubs or How Women Saved the South,” paintings by Katherine Strause, through Sept. 11. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Sat. 320-5790.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Thea Paves the Way,” sidewalk chalk art event for students, 8 a.m.-noon Sept.

13, with music, family activities; “Chihuly,” studio glass, through Jan. 5, 2015; 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.

GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221, Pyramid Place: New works by Tyler Arnold, also work by Kathi Couch, Gino Hollander, Greg Lahti, Mary Ann Stafford, Byron Taylor, sculpture by Siri Hollander, jewelry by Rae Ann Bayless, Sean LeCrone, Emile and Brenda Fowler, open 5-8 p.m. Sept. 12, 2nd Friday Art Night. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 801-0211.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “All That I Am: A Retrospective,” works on paper by Aj Smith, Sept. 10Nov. 8, artist’s talk 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12, 2nd Friday Art Night. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. 3rd St.: “Disciplined Inspiration,” photographs by Jack Kenner, art glass by Ed Pennebaker, Sept. 12-Nov. 9; “40 Years of the Arkansas Times,” Sept.

12-Dec. 9; reception 5-8 p.m. Sept.

12, 2nd Friday Art Night, with music

by Finger Food; “The Great Arkansas Quilt Show 3,” juried exhibit of contemporary quilts, through May 3; “A Beauty on It Sells: Advertising Art from the Collection of Marsha Stone,” 13th annual Eclectic Collector exhibit, through Jan. 1; “Arkansas Made,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: Music by Big Silver on the lawn, 5:30-8 p.m. Sept. 12, 2nd Friday Art Night; “Different Strokes,” the history of bicycling and places cycling in Arkansas, featuring artifacts, historical pictures and video, through February 2016; “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!”, the state’s ties to Hollywood, including costumes, scripts, film footage, photographs and more, through March 1, 2015. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 324-9685.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Shopping Center): “Laureate,” retrospective of engravings by Evan Lindquist, Arkansas’s first artist laureate, opens with reception 6-9 p.m.

Sept. 12; also works by Richard Sutton and Jennifer and Richard Cutshall. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 944-7155 STEPHANO’S FINE ART GALLERY, 1813

N. Grant St.: New work by photographer John Sindle. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Fri., 19 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 563-4218 UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Piranesi and Perspectives of Rome,” Gallery I, through Oct. 5; “Teaching a Canary to Sing,” sculptural installation by Catherine Siri Nugent, through Sept. 28, talk by Nugent 6 p.m.

Sept. 18; “Small Works on Paper,” Gallery III, through Sept. 26. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m.

Sun. 569-8977.

BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, One Museum Way: “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now,” work by more than 100 contemporary artists, Sept. 13-Jan. 5; Ghost of a Dream, Brooklyn-based artist duo, to talk about their work in “State of the Art,” 1-2 p.m. Sept. 12, adult workshop with the artists 6:308:30 p.m. Sept. 12, $15, collaborative text art project with the artists 1-4 p.m.

Sept. 13; “Spotlight Lecture: State of the Art,” lecture about assembling the exhibition, with museum President Don Bacigalupi and curator Chad Alligood, 7 p.m. Sept. 12; “Anglo-American Portraiture in an Age of Revolution,” five paintings, including works from the Musee de Louvre, the High Museum of Art and the Terra Foundation, through Sept. 15; 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., closed Tue. 479-418-5700.

CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Lecture by environmental sculptor Patrick Dougherty, 1:40 p.m. Sept. 18, McCastlain Hall 143. 501-450-5793.

EL DORADO SOUTH ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, 110 E. Fifth St.: “Clementine Hunter: The Nolan Collections,” through October.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 870-862-5474.

PINE BLUFF ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS, 701 S. Main St.: “SUB|URBAN: Work by Dennis and Jason McCann,” Sept. 11-Jan. 31; “A Deep Sense of Place: The Arkansas Delta,” the 2014 Pine Bluff Art League Juried Exhibition, through Nov. 12; “Nanotechnology: What’s the Big Deal?” through Jan. 2, with monthly 2nd Saturday Family FunDay 1-3 p.m. Sept. 13. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. 870536-3375.

CALL FOR ARTISTS

The Conway Alliance for the Arts’ ArtsFest is also taking applications for booths for the “Art in the Park” event set for Oct. 4 in Conway’s Simon Park.

Prizes will be awarded to non-student and student artists. For more information, contact kathrynoneal@gmail.com.

Benefiting Buy tickets at LittleRocktoberfest.com Facebook.com/litlerocktoberfest 30

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

StudioMAIN is taking proposals from artists for sculpture to be placed in three areas of Main Street between 12th and 17th streets. For more information contact James Meyer, south-

mainpublicart@gmail.com or 374-5300, or go to www.southmainpublicart.com.

Proposals are due by Dec. 15.

CONTINUING ART EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Poet in Copper: Engravings by Evan Lindquist,” through Oct. 26; “12th National Drawing Invitational: Outside the Lines,” through Oct. 5; “Inspiration to Illumination: Recent Work by Museum School Photography Instructors,” through Oct. 26, Museum School Gallery; 56th annual “Delta Exhibition,” works by 65 artists from Arkansas and surrounding states, through Sept. 28, “Susan Paulsen: Wilmot,” photographs, through Sept. 28. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS CAPITAL CORP. GROUP, 200 River Market Ave., Suite 400: “Bold Contrasts: Works by Tod Switch, Matt McLeod and Robert Bean.” 374-9247.

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.

THE BURGUNDY HOTEL, 1501 Merrill Drive: “The Shape of Life,” paintings

by Dan Thornhill and Matthew Gore in the atrium of the renovated Governors Suites. 960-9524.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Arkansas Traveler,” new paintings by John Deering, through Oct. 18.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Paintings by members of the Co-Op Art Group. 375-2342.

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.: A Thousand Words Gallery features artwork by CALS employees.

918-3093.

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.

ESSE, 1510 S. Main St.: “What’s Inside: A Century of Women and Handbags (1900-1999),” purses from the collection of Anita Davis, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.Sun., $10-$8. 916-9022.

GINO HOLLANDER GALLERY, 2nd and Center: Paintings and works on paper

by Gino Hollander. 801-0211.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St.: “Summer Show,” works by artists from Arkansas and the South, including Glennray Tutor, Kendall CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Join us this Saturday, Sept. 13th for a fish fry & night of family fun!

All funds raised will benefit the Arkansas Rice Depot to help feed the hungry across the state.

The fish fry, presented by Riceland, will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Dickey Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

The evening will feature bounce houses for the kids, auction items, raffle prizes and live entertainment by Elise Davis. Fish will be fried in Riceland Fish Fry Oil by Young’s Catfish and will include all the fixings.

Tickets are available online at eventbrite.com (search for event Full Plates: Be A Partner). $25 Adults, $12 children 5-13 years and FREE for tots 4 and under.

(501) 565-8855 | www.RiceDepot.org

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

31

AFTER DARK, CONT.

TUESDAY SEPT 16, 2014 Begins 7 p.m.

in the M.L. Harris Auditorium, free and open to the public.

For more information call

501-370-5354.

No tickets or RSVPs required.

2).

A

th

ws/ ive III.

A on ’s

s

na.

d

ar

with for in

Jasmine Guy

2014-2015 Lecture Schedule

Performer, director, writer and choreographer Guy became a national sensation playing iconic southern belle “White‑ ley Gilbert” on “The Cosby Show” spin‑off “A Different World,” for which she won six consecutive NAACP Awards. Her other television roles include the mini‑series “Queen” with Halle Berry, “The Vampire Diaries,” Anne Rice’s “Feast of All Saints,” “The Boy Who Painted Christ Black” All events in Snipes, the BlessTheMic with Wesley “NYPD Blue,” “Melrose Place,” “The Fresh Prince series begin at 7 p.m. in the of Bel‑Air,” “The Parkers,” “Touched by Angel,” and Showtime’s hit se‑ M.anL. Harris Auditorium, ries “Dead Like Me” with Mandy Pa‑ tinkin. On the open big screen, are free and to Guy’s the first public. film work was in Spike Lee’s ‘School For more Daze.”

Sheinformation costarred with please Eddie Murphy in “Harlem Nights” and also callin501-370-5354. starred several independent films including “Kalsh,” “Guinevere,” “Dia‑ Nomond tickets or “The RSVPs Men” and Heart required Special‑ ist” with Zoe Saldana.

k n

900 Daisy Bates Drive 900 Daisy Drive Little Rock,Bates AR 72202 Little Rock, AR 72202 www.philander.edu www.philander.edu

wn

w s

Stallings, Sheila Cotton, Robyn Horn, Ed Rice, Joseph Piccillo, William Dunlap, Guy Bell, Sammy Peters and others. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central Ave.: Mixed media paintings by Vivian Noe Griffith, also work by Taimur Cleary, Steve Griffity, Robyn Horn and others, through September. 501-321-2335.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Indigo Visions,” work by 26 emerging and established artists. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., Sunday by appointment. 372-5824.

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.

L&L BECK ART GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “14 Holes of Golf,” paintings

by Louis Beck, giclee giveaway 7 p.m.

Sept. 18, show through September.

660-4006.

LOCAL COLOUR, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Rotating work by 27 artists in collective.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 265-0422.

MUGS CAFE, 515 Main St.: “Come as Your Are,” figurative work, abstractions, portraits in a variety of media by Lilia Hernandez, Justin Bryant and Logan Hunter, through Sept. 16. 442-7778.

SEQUOYAH NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER: “Toy Tipis and Totem Poles: Native American Stereotypes in the Lives of Children,” more than 1,500 objects and documents from the Hirschfelder-Molin collection, through Dec. 19. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 5698336.

SIXTH STREET LIBRARY, Christ Church, 509 Scott St.: “Common Ground,” ceramics made from Arkansas clay paired with sites of origin by Fletcher Larkin, Beth Lambert and Jaman Matthews, through September. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Thu., 9 a.m.-noon Fri. sixthstreetlibrary. tumblr.com.

STUDIOMAIN, 1423 S. Main St.: “Community Center Design Competition.” www.facebook.com/studio.main.ar.

BENTON DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Dianne Roberts, classes. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467.

CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Illustrations on paper by Fay Ku, photographs by Kathleen Robbins, paintings by Theresa Pfarr, through Oct. 24, Baum Gallery. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., to 7 p.m. Thu.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

(Around Arkansas) 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.

FAYETTEVILLE BOTTLE ROCKET GALLERY, 1495 Finger Road: Ceramics by Ginny Sims, through Sept. 30. 479-466-3823.

LALALAND, 641 Martin Luther King Blvd.: “Women of DAPA (Drawing and Painting Association of the UA),” Raven Halfmoon, Ashley Byers, Carrie Gibson, Mia Buonaiuto, Ashley Lindsey, Jessica Lynnlani Westhafer, Emily Chase and Natalie Brown.

FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM, 1601 Rogers Ave.: 66th annual “River Valley Invitational,” through Sept. 14; “Selections from the Permanent Collection,” including work by Sandra Bermudez, William Mayes Flanagan, Louise Halsey, Jimmy Leach, Jane Osti and Peggi KrollRoberts, through Nov. 2. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479-784-2787.

HARRISON ARTISTS OF THE OZARKS, 124½ N. Willow St.: Work by Amelia Renkel, Ann Graffy, Christy Dillard, Helen McAllister, Sandy Williams and D. Savannah George. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon4 p.m. Sun. 870-429-1683.

HOT SPRINGS ALISON PARSONS GALLERY, 802 Central Ave.: Work by Kevin Chrislip, through September. 501-655-0604.

JONESBORO ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: “Legacy: Evan Lindquist,” etchings by the professor emeritus and Arkansas’s artist laureate; “Selections: From the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition,” through Oct. 1, Bradbury Gallery. 870972-2567.

ARTISTS WORKSHOP GALLERY, 610 A Central Ave.: Paintings by Nina Louton and Millie Steveken, through September. 50-623-6401.

RUSSELLVILLE THE FRAME SHOP AND GALLERY, 311 W. C St.: Dog portraiture by Beth Whitlow, through Sept. 26. 479-445-3525.

BLUE MOON GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: Final exhibit: “Eve,” mixed media

by Thad Flenniken, through September.

501-318-2787.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave. and Prospect: “Form, Color, Line,” contemporary abstraction, through Oct. 25. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 501-6240489.

32

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

HISTORY, SCIENCE EXHIBITS

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.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “First Call – American Posters of World

War I”; “Capital In Crisis: Little Rock and the Civil War”; “Through the Camera’s Eye: The Allison Collection of World War II Photographs”; Conflict and Crisis: The MacArthur-Truman Controversy.” 9 a.m.4 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, 501 W. 9th St.: Exhibits on black cultural life and entrepreneurship in Arkansas. 683-3593.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 -10:30 a.m. every Tue. Hours: 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.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. 907-0636.

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, U.S. 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. 501-2411943.

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.: “IMAGINE: A NEW Rogers Historical Museum,” conceptual designs of new exhibition areas to be built. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 479-6210-1154.

SCOTT PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $4 adults, $3 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.

of the

Arkansas Times A N E X H I B I T AT H I S TO R I C A R K A N S A S M U S E U M

SEPT. 12 THROUGH DEC E M B E R From a spunky monthly launched with $200 in capital assets to one of the earliest alternative w e e k l i e s, t h e A r k a n s a s Ti m e s h a s b e e n T H E e s sential voice on politics and culture since 1974.

Take a look back at the last 40 years of Arkansas history through the often-irreverent lens of the Times in a collection of archival covers, photos, art and memorabilia.

Come To The Opening Reception On Second Friday Art Night, 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 Music by, acoustic guitar duo, Finger Food: featuring Steve Davison and Micky Rigby.

www.arktimes.com www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

33

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’ Your Mama’s Good Food, the stick-toyour-ribs meat-and-three joint in Little Rock that was famously a hangout for Clinton campaign staffers during Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign for president, has announced it is closing after 24 years in business. A post made on the Your Mama’s Facebook page on Sept.

3 said that Friday, Sept. 12, will be the last day at Your Mama’s most recent home at 215 Center St. The Facebook notice from owners Steve Maxwell and John Gray says they have possible new owners, who would move the restaurant to a new location, “under consideration.”

Heritage Grille Steak and Fin Little Rock Marriott 3 Statehouse Plaza 658-6700 heritagegrillelittlerock.com

QUICK BITE If you’re willing to pay $13 for a decent portion for great seafood, don’t miss the crab cake and the lump crab cocktail, both epitomes of what these dishes should be.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily.

DINING CAPSULES

OTHER INFO Full bar, all credit cards accepted

LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

34

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

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.

BIG ROCK BISTRO Students of the Arkansas Culinary School run this restaurant at Pulaski Tech under the direction of Chef Jason Knapp.

Pizza, pasta, Asian-inspired dishes and diner food, all in one stop. 3000 W. Scenic Drive.

NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-812-2200. BL Mon.-Fri. 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 and tasty homemade desserts 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, it has 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 and gourmet pizza star at this restaurant/sports bar located at the Holiday Inn by the airport. TVs in separate sports bar

GO-TO SPOT: The Marriott’s new bar is inside the Heritage Grille.

High-end at Heritage Grille New Marriott restaurant impresses, but at a price.

H

eritage Grille Steak and Fin, the new restaurant inside the renovated Little Rock Marriott, by price alone has established itself as one of t he cit y ’s highest-brow restaurants. Dinner entrees are $24 to $38, and that’s a la carte. Sides are $6. Seafood appetizers are in the double-digits.

Those prices come with certain expectations — some of which Heritage Grille met three weeks after its Aug. 14 opening, some of which it didn’t. But while there were some disappointments, more were service-related than food-related, and

those would seem easier to fix as kinks get worked out.

The Marriott’s multimillion-dollar redo is stunning. The lobby bar area has been replaced by a comfortable guests/visitors lounge with massive TVs and plenty of touchdown/ charging stations for business travelers to simultaneously connect and unwind.

The vibe in the towering lobby is sleek and modern but comfortable and not over the top. That same look and feel characterize Heritage Grille Steak and Fin, but in a cozier way. The restaurant is highlighted by dark wood walls and a

nice hardwood floor. Banquettes and tall booths share space with sturdy wood tables. There is a lot of heritage Arkansas art, stunning pictures of the signature bridges and photos from the old days of downtown Little Rock.

The hotel’s bar is now inside the restaurant, and it appears on its way to becoming a popular go-to spot among hotel guests and locals alike. (It’s open until midnight daily.)

Our dinner started with an odd hiccup, particularly at a new restaurant. The dinner menus presented to us weren’t identical. The items were the same, but prices on one didn’t match prices on the other.

Our waitress had no explanation, but she knew which menu was correct and took the other one away.

We ordered a bottle of Silver Palm chardonnay, which was tasty and not exorbitantly priced, but after our glasses were poured the bottle was just set on our table rather than in an ice bucket to preserve its chill.

We started with a trio of appetizers, and though we paid fairly dearly for them, we can recommend them all. The lump crab cake ($13) is truly “lump” with minimal filler binding the crab. It’s a hefty-sized cake, too. If you want no filler at all, go for the crab cocktail ($13), which presents those same lumps in all their naked glory, accompanied by a tangy Louis sauce that 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.

BELLY UP

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

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

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. area. 3201 Bankhead Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-235-2000. LD daily.

BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seatyourself Cajun joint in Maumelle that serves up 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 and wine, All CC. $$.

501-663-5951. BLD Mon.-Sat. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer and wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-374-1232. BL Mon.-Sat. 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. 1417 Main St. Beer and wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5100. BL Mon.-Sat.; 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-5266661. BL Mon.-Fri. BREWSTERS 2 CAFE & LOUNGE Downhome done right. Check out the yams, mac-and-cheese, 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.

CACHE RESTAURANT Cache provides a stunning experience on the well-presented plates and in terms of atmosphere, glitz and general feel. It doesn’t feel like anyplace else in Little Rock, and it’s not priced like much of anywhere else in Little Rock, either. But there are options to keep the tab in the reasonable range. 425 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-850-0265. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351.

D Mon.-Sat. CAMP DAVID Inside the Holiday Inn Presidential Conference Center, Camp David particularly pleases with its breakfast

and themed buffets each day of the week.

Wonderful Sunday brunch. 600 Interstate 30.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-975-2267. BLD daily, BR Sun. CAPERS It’s never been better, with as good a wine list as any in the area, and a menu that covers a lot of ground -- seafood, steaks, pasta -- and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600.

LD Mon.-Sat. CHEDDAR’S Large selection of somewhat standard American casual cafe choices, many of which are made from scratch. Portions are large and prices are very reasonable. 400 South University. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6147578. LD daily.

COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny downtown bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels and the New York Times. But a lunchtime dash for sandwiches is OK, too, though it’s often packed. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$.

501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BLD Mon.-Sat. BL Sun. COPELAND’S RESTAURANT OF LITTLE ROCK The full service restaurant chain started by the founder of Popeye’s delivers the same good biscuits, the same dependable frying and a New Orleans vibe in piped music and decor. You can eat red beans and rice for a price in the single digits or pay near $40 for a choice slab of ribeye, with crab, shrimp and fish in between. 2602 S. Shackleford Road.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-1616. LD daily.

COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Marketarea hotspot. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. CRUSH WINE BAR An unpretentious downtown bar/lounge with an appealing and erudite wine list. With tasty tapas, but no menu for full meals. 318 Main St. NLR. Beer and wine, All CC. $$. 501-374-9463. D Tue.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE A popular downtown soupand-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner, which varies in theme, home cooking being the most popular. Owner Dave Williams does all the cooking and his son, Dave also, plays saxophone and fronts the band that plays most Friday nights. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 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

A M R A E I Y V A I R F F O 20% M E N T IO NO R F T H IS A D YO U R M E

Not Valid With Any Other Offer, Alcohol Or Tax

AL

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

1.75L SPIRITS

*

Jameson Irish Whiskey ................................

Reg $51.99..................... Sale $44.99 Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey .................

Reg $47.99......................Sale $36.97 Beefeater Gin .............................................

Reg $39.99 .................... Sale $28.99

SEPTEMBER 10 - SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

Brugal Extra Dry White Rum ........................

Reg $33.99 ..................... Sale $27.99

BEER SPECIALS

WINE BUYS 750ML

Boulevard Single Wide 12pk Bottles.............

Reg $15.99...................... Sale $13.99

Simi 2011Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reg $24.99....................... Sale $17.99

750ML CONNOISSEUR SELECTIONS

Lazy Magnolia Indian Summer 6pk Bottles ...

Reg $9.39 ......................... Sale $5.99

Flowers 2012 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ........

Reg $54.99 .................... Sale $28.99

Maker’s Mark 46 Bourbon .............................

Reg $35.99 ..................... Sale $29.99

Goose Island Ogden 4pk Bottles ..................

Reg $12.79 ........................ Sale $7.99

Rombauer 2012 Napa Valley Zinfandel .........

Reg $36.99 .................... Sale $24.99

Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin .............................

Reg $33.99 .................... Sale $28.99

Evil Twin Bikini Beer 6pk Cans .....................

Reg $11.99 .........................Sale $9.99

Cambria 2012 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir......

Reg $28.99 ..................... Sale $21.99

Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka ..........

Reg $18.49...................... Sale $14.99 Amaretto Disarrono.....................................

Reg $27.99 ...................... Sale $21.99 *In Store Only • While Supplies Last.

WE WILL MATCH ANY LOCAL, ADVERTISED PRICE! BRING IN THE AD TO SAVE.

11200 W. Markham Street · 501-223-3120 · colonialwineshop.com · facebook.com/ColonialWines CEL E B R AT E R ES P O N S I B LY.

Get Your Downward Dog On!

JOin us FOr YOga, PilaTes, Tai Chi Classes. PrivaTe insTruCTiOn alsO available.

CO M E W E E K E E N J OY O U R ND SPE CIAL

regeneration fitness

Kathleen l. Rea, Ph.D.

discover real mexican food

801 FAIR PARK BLVD. • LITTLE ROCK • 501.663.4800 1217 FERGUSON DR., SUITE 1 • BENTON • 501.776.4140

seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734.

LD daily.

FLYING SAUCER A popular River Market hangout thanks to its almost 200 beers (including 75 on tap) and more than decent bar food. It’s nonsmoking, so families are welcome. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-8032. LD daily.

FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-8300. LD daily.

FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect

(501) 324-1414 117 E broadway on the North Shore.

left to right: gir and David shropshire, instructor.

Yeah, it’s Dogtown.

Purchase Classes, Fitness Training, or Massage Therapy Online.

www.regenerationfitnessar.com www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

35

HIGH-END AT HERITAGE GRILLE, CONT.

hearsay ➥ OXFORD AMERICAN magazine and Landers Fiat will celebrate the first anniversary of the Local Live concert series at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at South on Main with a performance by the John Burnette Band. Call 501244-9660 to reserve your seat for this special show. At 10 p.m.

Sept. 27, the Oxford American and the ACANSA Arts Festival will present soul band St. Paul and The Broken Bones at South on Main. Tickets are all general admission and $20 each, available at metrotix.com. Seating is limited and available on a firstcome, first-served basis. Buying an ACANSA Festival Gold Pass also grants you entry to this concert. More information on gold passes is available by calling ACANSA at 501-663-2287. ➥ Save the date for North Little Rock’s 21st annual TASTE OF THE TOWN, scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Verizon Arena.

More than 30 North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce member restaurants, catering companies and drink distributors are expected to participate. Tickets are $15 and $20 at the door.

Visit www.nlrtasteofthetown. com for details. ➥ CROCS OF LITTLE ROCK, located in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center, is once again hosting a buy more, save more sale. Save $10 for every $50 spent, and deals include all leather A-Leigh boots for $99.

Closed-toe leather wedges are $69.99 and Blitzen 2 lined clogs are $49.99. ➥ If you haven’t checked out BEAUTY GEEK LASH AND SKINCARE LOUNGE in Hillcrest, then you’re missing out.

They offer eyebrow shaping and waxing, makeup lessons, eyelash extensions, facials and so much more for a reasonable price. Check out the website at www.beabeautygeek.com. ➥ The folks over at THE YARN MART have decided to keep their summer hours permanent: They’re open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

36

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

ARKANSAS TIMES

combines mayonnaise, chili sauce and Worcestershire. Again, the portion is generous. Finally, we passed around a crock of heavenly rich lobster bisque ($11 with a hunk of lobster claw meat lurking within). The soup had a bit of a zip and wasn’t overwhelmed by the cream.

A freshly baked loaf of sourdough (with a square of creamy butter) comes standard and was a particularly apropos accompaniment for the bisque.

We went straight for the steak and fin for our main courses — a six-ounce filet ($24; the 10-ounce is $36) and the Chilean sea bass ($32). We know this is norm at many famous steak houses, but we still aren’t used to our steak arriving completely unadorned on a large white dinner plate. We understand a la carte and know the sides come separately, but no garnish of any sort still makes for a naked looking plate; maybe a spring of parsley, a sprinkling of herbs or a drizzle of an infused oil might soften the look.

One section of the menu features eight “entree enhancements” — from $3 for green peppercorn sauce or to have your dish served

“au poivre,” to $10 for a portion of lobster. Based on our steak experience, we’d recommend stepping up to an enhancement. While the filet was cooked precisely medium rare, as ordered, it didn’t have a ton of taste. We couldn’t discern any salt, pepper or other flavoring. Same went for the 14-ounce heritage pork chop ($28) a buddy ordered.

The sea bass, however, was extremely flavorful — succulent, buttery and a bit crisp. It was a decent-sized filet, but $32 for a nice piece of fish alone still made us gulp a bit.

We shared three of the sides — au gratin potatoes, macaroni and cheese and grilled asparagus. We realized as soon as our wait team had departed that no serving utensils accompanied the sides. After we alerted our waitress she returned with teaspoons, not a tragedy but certainly not what you’d expect to use to serve side dishes.

The gooey, cheesy potatoes had an unexpectedly heavy dose of onion that added a lot to the flavor. The mac/cheese had a crunchy breadcrumb topping and was not overly saucy. We chose the $5 lobster addon, and we enjoyed the numerous

small bites we encountered. But the dish is plenty potent on its own. The asparagus spears were larger than most but were cooked perfectly and tasted fine.

There was no dessert menu, and after our waitress recited the five choices, we asked (almost in unison): “There’s nothing chocolate?” Which jogged her memory, and we ended up splitting two choices: the “chocolate bomb” and the carrot cake.

The chocolate bomb featured a hard chocolate shell drizzled with white chocolate and filled with vanilla ice cream. It was tasty in every way. We were more impressed with the thick slab of carrot cake, which had a big cinnamon kick. We thought pairing it with butter pecan ice cream sounded odd, but the flavors worked well together, and we applaud Heritage Grille for making all its desserts, including the ice cream.

We’ll be back for lunch, which offers the fabulous crab appetizer, the smaller filet and a broad selection of sandwiches and substantial-sounding starters ranging from $6 to $12, as well as some higher priced plates.

We expect the service side will improve.

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. fried chicken on Sundays. Arkansas’s oldest continually operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-225-4487. LD daily. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials.

The half-pound burger is a two-hander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. GADWALL’S GRILL Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint.

Now, under one roof, there’s mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center.

NLR. Beer and wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-8341840. LD daily. B Fri.-Sun. GIGI’S CUPCAKES This Nashville-based chain’s entries into the artisan-cupcake sweetstakes are as luxurious in presentation as they are in sugar quantity. 416 S. University Ave., Suite 120. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-614-7012.

BLD daily.

GUILLERMO’S GOURMET COFFEE Serves gourmet coffee, lunch, beer, wine and tapas.

Beans are roasted in house, and the espresso is probably the best in town. Happy hour is $1 off beer and $5 wine, from 5-8 p.m. every day.

10700 Rodney Parham Road. Beer and wine.

501-228-4448. BL daily.

HONEYBAKED HAM CO. The trademark ham is available by the sandwich, as is great smoked turkey and lots of inexpensive side items and desserts. 9112 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-227-5555. LD Mon.-Sun.

ToasT Town of The

BEST BAR BEST BARTENDER BEST WINE BAR BEST SPORTS BAR BEST PICK-UP BAR BEST GAY BAR BEST BAR FOR LIVE MUSIC BEST DIVE BAR BEST HOTEL BAR BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR BEST BAR FOR POOL, DARTS, SHUFFLEBOARD OR OTHER GAMES BEST BAR FOR FOOD BEST HAPPY HOUR BEST DRINKING BUNCH BEST PATIO OR DECK BEST BEER SELECTION COLDEST BEER

VoTe! now!

VoTing ends sePTeMBeR 19 Deadline for entry is SEPT 19.

BEST TEQUILA SELECTION

Duplicate entries, faxes, e-mail or photocopies will not be accepted. The judges reserve the right to disqualify obvious ballot-box stuffing.

BEST BLOODY MARY

Vote online at arktimes.com/toast14

BEST MARTINI

Or drop off entries or mail them to:

BEST MARGARITA

Arkansas Times, 201 E. Markham, Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201.

BEST LOCAL BREW

NAME ______________________________________________

BEST NATIONAL BREW

EMAiL* _____________________________________________

BEST LIQUOR STORE

SigNATuRE _________________________________________ * By providing your email address, you’re agreeing to allow us to add you to our daily email newsletter.

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

37

It’s the party to the party

hop on board the arKansas tIMes

BLUES BUS

TO THE KING BISCUIT BLUES FESTIVAL OCTOBER 11, 2014 · AT HELENA

with headliner

PLUS Jack Rowell, Jr.

Jimmy Vivino & the black Italians

Papa Don McMinn Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, Bob Margolin and Bob Stroger Matt Schofield

CHARGE BY PHONE

$9 9 PER PERsON 501-375-2985 (All mAjOR CREdit CARds)

38

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Andy T and Nick Nixon

Paul Rishell & Annie Raines

James Cotton

Lil Biscuit Band

Essie The Blueslady

Marquis Knox

Leo “Bud” Welch

Sonny Rhodes

Zakk Knight Band

WC Clark Band

Scott Kirby

PRiCE iNClUdEs: • ROUND-TRIP TOUR BUS TRANSPORTATION • TICKETS INTO THE GATED CONCERT AREA

OR mAil CHECk OR mONEY-ORdER tO

• LUNCH AT CRAIG’S BARBECUE IN DEVALLS BLUFF

Arkansas times Blues Bus Box 34010 · little Rock, AR · 72203

• LIVE BLUES PERFORMANCES EN ROUTE TO HELENA

ARKANSAS TIMES

• PLUS BEVERAGES ON BOARD

Bus transportation provided by

ARROw COACH liNEs

ADVERTISING SUPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

july 31, 2014

69

ARKANSAS TIMES MARKETPLACE Issue Dates: Thursdays Material Deadline: Mondays, same week of publication.

Feature your pet with a photo.

ENTRY LEVEL POLICE & FIRE EXAMINATIONS City of Maumelle The City of Maumelle, AR will be testing Saturday, October 18, 2014 for Entry Level Police & Fire Examination and will be accepting applications through 5 p.m., October 7, 2014.

NOTE: No applications will be accepted after October 7, 2014.

NOTE: A City of Maumelle Employment Application must be completed.

A job description and an application may be found at the City of Maumelle website (www.maumelle.org) Human Resources Department webpage. Completed applications should be mailed to: City of Maumelle – Human Resources Department – 550 Edgewood Drive, Suite 590 – Maumelle, Arkansas 72113.

For questions, you may contact the Human Resources office at (501) 851-2784, ext. 242 between the hours of 7AM and 5PM Monday-Friday EOE – Minority, Women, and Disabled individuals are encouraged to apply.

This ad is available from the Title VI Coordinator in large print, on audio, and in Braille at (501) 8512785, ext. 233 or at vernon@maumelle.org.

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

EntErprisE solutions & ApplicAtions AnAlyst littlE rock, Ar Contributes to planning, design, development, launch & support of efficient info systems; Applies proven analytical, problem-solving & comm. skills to identify, communicate & resolve system issues to maximize benefit of global systems. BA + 2yrs or HS + 6yrs exp. Prefer: proj mgt., vendor relations, enterprise systems exp. Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.

Pet Obits Your Pet Passages

Ad Size 1/16 1/8 1/4

Heifer international

Rate $70 $150 $300

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

Dimensions 2.12 W x 1.18 H 2.12 W x 2.62 H

Rate $35 $70

Contact luis@arktimes.com 501-492-3974

Macximize Macximize Macximize

Learn to morefrom fromyour your Learn toatget get more Mac home or office.

Learn moreorfrom your Mactoatget home office.

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER LITTLE ROCK, AR Research and develop new investment channels & raise capital to support Heifer USA Program. Fundraising, investment, grant writing & strategic business development exp. a must. BA+5yrs exp.

Data Recovery • Aid choosing the at home or office.

Recovery • AidininMac choosing the ••Data right for Hardware Installs Mac foryou youthe ••Data Recovery •right AidMac in choosing Hardware Installs and your budget and your budget right Mac for you ••Hardware Installs Harddrive drive Hard andMacBook, your budget • iMac, MacBook, • iMac, installation • Hard drive & & installation •iPad, iMac, MacBook, installation & memory expansion iPhone memory expansion iPad, iPhone memory expansion iPad, iPhone ••Organize photos, • Troubleshooting Organize photos, • Troubleshooting • Organize photos, Troubleshooting music, movies • •Wireless internet movies • Wireless internet music, movies •&Wireless internet &music, email backup email &&email & backup & backup Call Cindy Greene - Satisfaction Always Guaranteed

Cindy Greene--Satisfaction Satisfaction Always Guaranteed CallCall Cindy Greene Always Guaranteed

M OVING TTOOOM MM AC MOVING OVING T AC M AC www.movingtomac.com www.movingtomac.com www.movingtomac.com

cindy@movingtomac.com 501-681-5855 cindy@movingtomac.com •• 501-681-5855

www.heifer.org/careers Heifer Int’l is AA/EOE.

cindy@movingtomac.com • 501-681-5855

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION, CALL LUIS AT 501.375.2985

www.heifer.org/careers Heifer Int’l is AA/EOE.

The AR Public Policy Panel seeks a Communications & Information Coordinator.

Position will be responsible for coordinating communications across a variety of media, maintain database, website management, and develop quarterly newsletter.

For full job description visit wwwARPanel.org.

Competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Send resume to 1308 W 2nd, L R 72201 or email to Panel@ARPanel.org.

Apply by Sept. 17th. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

39

Changing seasons, changing lives…

Giving you peace of mind every step of the way.

RIVENDELL’S ADULT SERVICES UNIT (ASU) has a lot to offer!

The ASU team will work with you on setting goals for yourself and aid you in the healing process. Our tailored therapeutic activities will help you make important lifestyle changes.

Find the treatment that’s right for you.

DBT – DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY Designed to help deal with life’s stressors in the moment, as well as learn new skills to help you cope. Held three times a week.

Springs/Texarkana

COURAGE TO HEAL A group that focuses on healing from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. It offers hope and validation as survivors actively participate in reclaiming power in their lives. Held twice a week.

RELATIONSHIPS This group will assist you with exploring relationships in your life. How have they helped you? How have they hurt you? Held twice a week.

ght turn right onto reet on the left.

DOMESTIC PEACE A supportive group that explores issues of family and domestic abuse. Types of abuse include emotional, verbal, physical, sexual and financial. Educational information is presented on the cycle of domestic violence, signs of domestic abuse, issues of power and control, and ways to deal with abuse. Held once a week.

LIFE SKILLS Daily session covering various topics for discussion that address real-life issues you face once

treatment is completed. Held daily.

0 East

HEALTH & WELLNESS Groups designed to help you develop healthy lifestyles by looking at nutrition, exercise, dress, sleep patterns, and more. Held four times a week.

FOCUS GROUP Designed to assist you with setting a daily goal/focus for the day. Held daily.

DISCHARGE PLANNING Provides both individual and group assistance in identifying resources for your aftercare.

Held three times a week.

AA “Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others recover…” This community led group is strictly voluntary.

Held 1-2 times a week.

ons above)

5640 40

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

100 Rivendell Drive • Benton, AR www.rivendellofarkansas.com

ARKANSAS TIMES

1-800-264-5640