Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM / APRIL 18, 2012 / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT

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COMMENT

Petrino firing a good sign It is encouraging that the University of Arkansas fired football coach Bobby Petrino.

It shows that the personal conduct of a coach is just as important as his performance on the football field.

Though Petrino has been been highly successful as the school’s football coach, his disgraceful conduct, such as an illicit extramarital affair with a woman half his age, inappropriately hiring her in a high-paying position, and then lying about his recent motorcycle accident and countless other things, far outweighed this.

In this day of a strong emphasis on winning it is refreshing that the University of Arkansas believes that the character and integrity of its coach is just as important as that of winning.

Kenneth Zimmerman Huntington Beach, Calif.

else, and never will be. The isotopic concentration of the high-burnup fuel is all wrong, and so is the defueling design of the reactor vessel to get ready and regular access to it. So let’s not continue to pile onto the huge mountain of misinformation that is already so rife on this topic.

Atomikrabbit In response to “Ticked-off at tech talks,” an April 11 post on the Arkansas Blog: My in-laws lived in one of the neighborhoods affected and they

had paid off their 2 percent loan on their home, and I would imagine that many, if not most, who live in any of the areas being considered, have been there a long time, have either paid off their home mortgages or are near, and shouldn’t have to face the possibility that they will now have to make house payments at this time in their lives when money is tight and they had already planned on how they would make it on retirement pay levels far below what any of the characters involved will be making, so that a bunch of bigwigs who think so much of themselves that they

Save Your Money.

Save ur Water.

From the web In response to David Koon’s story on Rick Martin’s book “Super Fuel: Thorium, the green energy source for the future”: If I have one pet peeve about the energy from thorium advocates, aside from their sometimes not-quitetechnically-accurate enthusiasm, is their (inadvertent?) libel of the Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology that has served us well for over 60 years (if you count the submarine prototypes).

The author says “uranium eventually won out as America’s nuclear fuel of choice, largely due to one very deadly factor: uranium-powered reactors produce the plutonium needed for nuclear bombs,” and talks about “a nationwide grid of constantly-bubbling plutonium stills.”

That’s only true in that the AEC’s military reactors at Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Savannah River — machines designed expressly for plutonium and not power production. Necessarily contained, the U238 that would be converted into suitably pure Pu239, the preferred material for conveniently sized weapons.

The choice of commercial power reactors fueled by uranium enriched in U235 and cooled with light water came about largely because that was the favored technology chosen in the early ’50s for naval vessels, especially submarines, and the US already had ample enrichment facilities in place.

As for “a grid of bubbling plutonium stills,” let’s be absolutely clear: no weapon was ever built from material from commercial nuclear power plant LWRs, in the US or anywhere 4

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

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can’t be inconvenienced to drive 10-15 minutes down the freeway to the east side of I-30 where there are large blocks of vacant property but would rather uproot people who are their parents’ age for their egos. This is pure BS! Just as a point of reference, the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina had two early large research centers — IBM, whose headquarters are located in New York, and Glaxo, whose corporate headquarters were located in England — and they seemed to be able to handle distances (and communications) well enough to be successful. Don’t these people use technology?

This whole thing ought to be brought up again by the citizens for a repeat vote and let’s see if the citizens really want it knowing that it is tearing up the center of the city. Notice that it didn’t get located in the moneyed parts of town and they could certainly locate some open blocks in Chenal that wouldn’t require moving so many people. couldn’t be better In response to a post April 16 on the Arkansas Blog on the death of longtime North Little Rock Mayor Casey Laman: When Casey Laman won election to the school board in North Little Rock, he forced the board to allow reporters to attend all meetings except when in executive session. This was before the FOI bill was passed. Before being allowed to attend the meetings the reporters sat outside in the lobby and at the end of the meeting the chairman would meet with the reporters and tell them what had occurred during the meeting. During Casey’s first school board meeting he began taking copious notes. The chairman asked him what we was doing. He responded that he was going to write down everything that was said and give his notes to the reporters at the end of the meeting and he might make a mistake. He told the chairman it would probably be better for the reporters to be allowed into the meeting to take their own notes.

From that day forward reporters were allowed into the NLR School Board meetings. Over the years Casey had his problems with certain reporters as most politicians do. I know, because I was one of those reporters. He was a great man and one of the finest public servants to ever be elected in Arkansas.

He gave his heart, mind, body and sole to NLR. There will never be another Mayor Laman.

Turrialbaguy

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APRIL 18, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Sacked

HAS ANYTHING ELSE been going on? In the U.S. Senate, Republicans and Mark Pryor defeated a bill to make rich people pay a fairer share of taxes. They could do this because the Senate now operates under procedures that deem a majority vote insufficient for passage. Thank goodness football is played under more honest rules. Touchdowns are still worth six points, no matter who scores.

6

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MICHELLE MILLER

U

ntil last week, Razorback fans were anticipating this year’s team winning the western division of the Southeastern Conference, tantamount to a national championship. That enthusiasm has now been sharply and sadly curbed. Does the Independence Bowl await?

On the other hand, nobody we know foresaw that the University of Arkansas would suddenly gain great esteem by openly valuing duty and honor more highly than success on the football field. Cynics, in fact, would have bet that the UA would go the other way, given a choice. But then cynics don’t know value.

Coach Bobby Petrino brought Arkansas back into the national rankings, after a comparatively unfruitful period, and still greater heights seemed within reach. Then Petrino had a wreck on his motorcycle, lied that he was traveling alone when in fact a blonde athletic department employee half his age was on the back seat, and made the UA complicitous through the institution’s issuance of public statements relying on Petrino’s account. The coach, who is married, eventually confessed his fabrication, just before it would have been exposed by the State Police anyway, and he further owned up to having carried on an “inappropriate relationship” with the young woman. Further investigation revealed that he’d even overridden the university’s normal employment procedures to get her a job with the athletic department. In his letter of dismissal to Petrino, UA athletic director Jeff Long said the woman would not have been hired had he known of her relationship with Petrino, which included a $20,000 gift from the coach so she could buy a car. Petrino, Long said, had been guilty of “a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior.”

Though it may have been surprising, Long’s decision was plainly correct; he and his superiors in the UA administration are to be commended.

And they are being commended, both in-state and out. Even the most loyal Hog fans seem to agree. An on-campus rally to support Petrino drew more reporters than students.

And all is not lost on the football field, not yet. The players seem a level-headed and dedicated bunch, promising the same effort without Petrino as they gave with him, and it’s still true that players, not coaches, do the heavy lifting, or “blocking” and “tackling” in football terminology.

Older fans remember the “do right” rule of Lou Holtz, and the famous victory that followed. It could happen again, surely. Even in the SEC. God is a Hog fan, now more than ever.

TRIBUTE: Balloons are released Saturday at the beginning of the NWA Heart Walk in Fayetteville in memory of Razorback football player Garrett Uekman, who died of an undiagnosed heart condition this past fall.

I was wrong about UA

I

wrote last week that I expected Bobby Petrino to retain his job as football coach at the University of Arkansas. I was wrong. No buts.

Jeff Long, athletic director at the UA, fired him not long after we went to press with my prediction. He did so effectively. Long’s systematic and sometimes emotional explanation for the firing instantly destroyed a Save Bobby movement. It made Long a newly minted icon for integrity in athletics.

My column did note correctly the core problems.

Petrino not only behaved recklessly in his private life, he brought it into his public job when he recommended the hiring of his girlfriend (current or former is in some dispute) for a $55,700 job on the football staff. Neither he nor the woman, Jessica Dorrell, informed the university of this appearance of potential conflict, in violation of university rules.

Petrino also lied to Long when he told him, and media, that he was alone in a motorcycle wreck April 1.

Dorrell was aboard.

Let’s not beatify UA administrators just yet.

They hired Petrino, who had established a record of inconstancy at two previous jobs. Long was sufficiently aware of that to handcuff Petrino to UA — and the UA to Petrino — with an $18 million buyout clause now deemed unenforceable.

They continued to treat the coach deferentially.

When Petrino cursed a ref or opposing coach, the UA didn’t remonstrate. He was allowed to hire his brother for $475,000 a year. Bro. Petrino might be a great coach, but employing extended family is sticky, as the Houston Nutt reign proved.

Petrino’s son was added to the football staff in a non-paying role, with sideline access and a jumbo Cotton Bowl ring to go with the other perks. Petrino’s daughter once got a job in the athletic department.

Don’t forget the university’s first response after a serious wreck involving its $4 million man. It

regurgitated his dishonest statement, which urged press to give the man some privacy.

Since then, it has been selective in response to Freedom of Information Act requests — MAX quick to release those that tar BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com Petrino, not so fast on those related to other administrative actions.

It’s no wonder Petrino thought he was invincible.

Much of his money and perks come from the secretive Razorback Foundation. Its millions wouldn’t exist without the franchise of the public university and premiums charged on tickets, but it answers to no one. Why should Petrino expect any less deference?

The university’s fiction about the foundation persists. The human resources officer who participated in the expedited waiver of hiring rules so Petrino could install his gal pal quickly on his staff is daughter of a former Razorback baseball coach who now works for the Razorback Foundation. That is not a conflict, I was informed, because the Razorback Foundation and UA are unrelated. Except that one raises essential money for the other, including that HR person’s salary.

In this incestuous world, where demigods such as winning football coaches have celebrity status, it’s somewhat surprising that Petrino’s tomcatting was unsuspected by anyone until the release of a State Police report April 5. (Well, except maybe by those sportswriters who’ve long bounced the rumors around in off-the-record bull sessions.)

So, yes. Jeff Long made a tough call and did so heroically. I was wrong to think wins and losses and money would dictate otherwise. But let’s not kid ourselves that we’ve fully fumigated the UA playing fields against current or future infestation.

OPINION

WR, the progressive

S

hould we try to settle the question “What would Winthrop Rockefeller do?”

Would the liberal Republican have mutated into a tea-party Republican if he had lived another 40 years to see the revolution in the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Javits and Rockefellers?

The celebrations of the centennial of Winthrop Rockefeller’s birth raise those questions as Republicans embrace the former governor, whose four races and two elections transformed Arkansas politics, almost as if he were the father of contemporary Republicanism.

Former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune wrote an op-ed Saturday for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in which he rebuked Democrats — by name former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, state party chairman Will Bond and Hendrix College political science professor and Arkansas Times columnist Jay Barth — for implying that Rockefeller would not be a tea-party Republican today. He called it a dirty trick, “a ghoulish attempt to rewrite history for political purposes.”

Who can say? Make your own educated guess.

In 1969, Rockefeller laid out the most

ambitious program in Arkansas history. It was, he said, what he entered politics to do.

ERNEST Arkansas had DUMAS the lowest level of state and local taxes in the country, the toughest anti-union laws and one of the lowest degrees of unionization in the country — a model business climate, in other words. By current Republican theology, Arkansas should have been a paradise of prosperity.

Instead, Arkansas and Mississippi were dead last in per-capita income, average wages and (with West Virginia) the level of poverty; in education spending, teacher pay and the percentage of adults with college educations (we’re still last there); in infant deaths, low-birthweight babies and the general index of child and maternal health, and in so many other measures of well being. Rockefeller said he intended to change that with a massive investment in education and public health, the latter by starting to match the available Medicaid money for health and social services bequeathed by Lyndon Johnson’s Great

The ‘science’ on conservatism

H

ere’s the latest alarming dispatch from the frontiers of knowledge: Scientists say that Republicanism may be a congenital problem. Well, not scientists, exactly, but journalist Chris Mooney, whose latest treatise, “The Republican Brain, The Science of Why They Deny Science — and Reality,” has got suggestible Democratic brains all atwitter.

Explaining his findings in Mother Jones magazine, Mooney writes that, bewildered by right-wing irrationality, he found it “impossible to ignore a mounting body of evidence — from political science, social psychology, evolutionary psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and genetics — that points to a key conclusion. Political conservatives seem to be very different from political liberals at the level of psychology and personality.”

Wow! You think? Almost needless to say, the professors who study these things credit liberals with personality traits tending to make one popular at say, an art gallery cocktail party, while

conservatives are made of sterner stuff. “The evidence here is quite strong,” Mooney insists.

GENE “[L]iberals tend LYONS to be more open, flexible, curious and nuanced — and conservatives tend to be more closed, fixed and certain in their views.”

He appears not to notice that these are loaded terms.

So here’s my first question: How do evolutionary psychologists explain why such different human types evolved in Mississippi, say, as opposed to Massachusetts? And if all the creative, intuitive types inhabit New England, then how come Mississippi (Southern chauvinism alert) has produced far more than its share of great writers and musicians over the years?

The answer, of course, is that psychologists make no such claim. No evidence exists that would assign different personality types to different parts

Society. So Rockefeller proposed a package of tax increases, easily the largest ever in Arkansas — bigger even than the cumulative tax increases of Mike Huckabee. It would have boosted revenues by 50 percent, equivalent to a tax increase of nearly $3 billion today.

The key was an overhaul of personal income tax rates, raising the top marginal rate from 5 to 12 percent, on incomes above $100,000, and eliminating taxes on the very poorest taxpayers. Is there a Republican lawmaker anywhere in the land who would support that today? In the Arkansas Senate, his bill went down 3 to 31. The sponsor, Jim Caldwell, the only Republican in the Senate, voted for it, along with two Democrats. The only four Republicans in the House and seven Democrats voted for the bill. It failed there 11 to 73.

The same or worse fate awaited the rest of his program: an increase in the corporate income tax from a graduated rate of 5 percent to a flat rate of 7 percent; an increase in the sales tax from 3 to 4 percent; expansion of the sales tax to cover services like accountants, lawyers, doctors, dentists and architects and to cover purchases by utilities, transportation companies and communications companies; a 5-cents-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax; a new tax on cigars and tobacco; an increase in beer and liquor taxes and on

mixed drinks; and an increase in the tax on real-estate transfers.

What about unions and teacher organizations, the bane of the current GOP? He called the legislature into special session in 1968 to enact the first minimum-wage law. The next year, he demanded that the legislature enact a law giving public school teachers tenure, protection from casual dismissal. It refused.

One of his last acts was to commute the death sentences of all 15 men on death row to life. The harshest attack on him came from Ed Bethune, whom Rockefeller had appointed as a prosecuting attorney. Bethune asked the attorney general, Democrat Joe Purcell, to declare Rockefeller’s commutations illegal, but Purcell said the governor had that constitutional power.

If a Republican officeholder in Arkansas, or anywhere, supports even one of all those initiatives, let him or her speak up.

Linwood Holton of Virginia, who like his friend Rockefeller in the late 1960s stood against the rising GOP tide in the South represented by Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms and Claude Roy Kirk, and who was elected governor anyway, surprised his old party in 2008 by supporting Barack Obama.

Would Winthrop Rockefeller do likewise? It’s anybody’s guess, but I think so.

of the country. It follows that such insights as Mooney produces about the cognitive styles of Republicans vs. Democrats are far less useful than he thinks.

Debating Mooney on his blog, Kevin Drum makes a related objection, observing that “temperament is universal, but Republicans are Americans. And it’s Republicans who deny global warming and evolution. European conservatives don’t. In fact, as near as I can tell, European conservatives don’t generally hold anti-science views any more strongly than European progressives.”

Of course, British Tories don’t call for abolishing the National Health Service, either. Across international borders, words like “conservative” and “liberal” are so broadly defined as to be practically meaningless. Context is all.

Broadly speaking, we’re pretty much all classical liberals in the USA — almost universally assenting to the U.S. Constitution, to First Amendment guarantees of free speech and religious liberty, to one-man-one-vote, etc.

So while it’s noteworthy to learn from Mooney that a study in American Sociological Review “finds that while overall trust in science has been relatively stable since 1974, among self-

identified conservatives it is at an alltime low,” it’s also less alarming than it might appear. What the data seem to reflect isn’t a change in public opinion broadly, but the growing concentration of churchgoing Evangelicals within the GOP — particularly in the South and rural Midwest.

Fundamentalist Christians have always rejected evolutionary science; but they haven’t always called themselves “conservatives.” Even at that, most don’t reject evolution altogether, only what they mistakenly believe to be its atheistic implications.

Mooney thinks that liberals resistant to his views just can’t handle the truth. Refusing to recognize the irrational, tribal aspects of political identity, he contends, “leads [liberals] to a place that terrifies them: an antiEnlightenment world in which evidence and argument don’t work to change people’s minds.”

So I suppose my question would be: When have they ever?

Editor’s note: Gene Lyons, who has appeared weekly at arktimes.com since last October, will now also appear in print every other week. Read Lyons online at arktimes.com/lyons. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

7

BRIAN CHILSON

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

FIERY AND FLAWED: Petrino at work.

Petrino falls as Hogs rise

O

n the evening of Tuesday, April 10, 2012, Jeff Long stepped to the dais to reveal what had fast become Arkansas’s worst-kept secret.

The Razorbacks’ athletic director had already been usurped by Twitter, ESPN and any number of other sources, all disclosing that Bobby Petrino’s charmed four-year run as the Hogs’ fiery football coach was ending. A full hour before the press conference began, one of Petrino’s sons had thumbed out the words “soooo pissed” on his Twitter account, a fitting epithet for all interested parties if one ever existed.

So it wasn’t much of a newsflash when Long finally read the fateful word “terminated” from his wellcrafted statement. In fact, having seen Long’s customary stoicism recede a few nights earlier when he placed Petrino 8

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

on administrative leave, we all had the sense that a man so seemingly principled would not allow his subordinate to BEAU WILCOX become his overlord. This was, in short, one angry man.

And why wouldn’t he be? Petrino had done wonders for the Razorback program over four seasons, to say nothing of the subtle makeover he had performed on his own self-image. The perceived ruthless nomad of the coaching world was giving six-figure gifts to hospitals, publicly demonstrating sentiment at the memorial service of Garrett Uekman and, every so often, breaking into a smile. As the seats at Reynolds Razorback Stadium filled, so

did the coffers of the Razorback Foundation. The state was Bobby Petrino’s oyster, and he was our pearl.

That is, of course, the trap of bigtime college athletics: when you become the most recognizable fish in the bowl, your focus tends to wane at the worst possible time. The scandal at Penn State isn’t particularly instructive here, but what it did demonstrate is that Joe Paterno’s ascension at once rendered him myopic as to in-house affairs. For Paterno, it was an apparent absence of diligence when a prized former assistant was accused of unspeakable acts; Petrino’s misstep was personnel-related as well, but it may have been pardonable without the duplicity that shrouded it.

The great misfortune is that Bobby Petrino finally seemed at home after a life on the road, but he went out of his way to wreck that home. The aftermath was pitiful, as a man who commanded this state’s sympathy days earlier was now reduced to issuing written mea culpas and forgoing his right to appeal the termination through his spokesperson. Twenty-one wins in two seasons, as it turns out, does not

come close to absolving a grown man of childish deceit, nor does years of cultivating goodwill relieve him of an obligation to apologize to an entire state.

Arkansas fans have been predictably stung by this, but regardless of who is selected to succeed Petrino, the program is on its best footing nationally in decades. The oddity of this melodrama is that Petrino enhanced Razorback football’s profile even as he was destroying his own. This may or may not mean that a first-class hire is on the way, of course. You’ll doubtless recall that in late 2007, we seemed resigned to the fact that Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe or Clemson’s Tommy Bowden was on his way to Fayetteville, a fact that continues to be trumpeted in the post-Petrino era without necessary context. The program was in ruin then, and only the likes of Grobe or Bowden seemed willing to take on that kind of rebuilding job. Petrino, fortunately, longed to escape the NFL at any cost, and did so without hesitating and without any regard for his own reputation.

The Razorback brand is stronger

than it has ever been, and while the timing of this could not be worse, the product that Long is trying to sell could not be better. This team is led by a homegrown senior quarterback who is, in a word, unflappable. An All-SEC tailback is returning from injury with Heisman Trophy designs of his own.

A beleaguered defensive unit is slowly improving, and its outlook is brightened by virtue of Petrino making right, proper hires (contrasted with his last one in late March) to fix what ailed it. The prevailing theory from pundits inside and outside this state’s borders is that any coach would relish the opportunity to take the reins of this team now, even if he might be hesitant to hold onto them beyond January.

What the 2012 season will bring is a mystery only because it’s impossible to project how a disciplined and experienced team can cope with upheaval above it. The Petrino “system,” as it were, will presumably be ingrained for the time being because these guys operate well within it, and because recruiting has been obviously geared toward maintaining it. When Nutt left in 2007, so went the McFadden-JonesHillis trio, and thus the occasion was ripe for Long to recast the program through his first hire as Frank Bro-

BRIAN CHILSON

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

The oddity of this melodrama is that Petrino enhanced Razorback football’s profile even as he was destroying his own. yles’ successor. These circumstances do not afford Long as much latitude, although in fairness, he does not seem at all inclined to discard the pro-style offense simply due to the innovator’s

personal gaffes.

Thus explains the players’ apparent endorsement of Paul Petrino as either an interim or permanent option, as the younger Petrino, his lack of head coach

chops aside, seems to be every bit the thinker that his brother is but with more of a penchant for building relationships. It is yet to be seen whether Long will or will not be comfortable with elevating Bobby’s brother to this position, and I could hardly fault him one way or the other. If you believe that coaching acumen courses through the Petrino veins, though, do you summarily assume that lapses in judgment will also be part of the genetic makeup?

It hardly seems fair to make that leap, but it is arguably just as illogical to think that Paul can be Bobby’s equal as a game manager and playcaller.

The other staffers have their pros and cons as well, as Tim Horton, Paul Haynes or Taver Johnson all have virtues — and nary a minute of head coaching experience to speak of. And therein lies the Gordian knot with which Long has to wrestle. He can hardly justify hiring a middling head coach away from a lesser school if it’s going to spoil 2012 without cause, and yet he can scarcely feel comfortable with the stopgap solution for the risk it entails far down the chronological road. It’s a position that is somehow even more strenuous than the one he was in a week ago on the platform at Bud Walton Arena.

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Dept. of Urbane Affairs “One of the things I’d say Little Rock has is a much better climate than anywhere in Texas and great scenery. That’s an asset the city should use. You don’t want people to have to choose between an urbane setting and green space.”

He was right about the climate and the scenery, but I suspect the speaker meant to refer to an urban setting. Urban means “of, pertaining to, or designating a city or town.”

Urbane is “suave, debonair.” We usually think of people, not settings, as urbane.

“Arkansas’s governor is more urbane than the rube in Austin.”

“A renown New Orleans chef speaks at the Clinton School … “ “Basketball coach Eddie Sutton built from nothing a nationally renown basketball program … “ As Jan Cottingham points out, the adjective renowned (“famous”) is what’s needed here. Renown (“fame”) is a noun. I wonder how many people remember Les Brown and His Band of Renown. About as many as remember “Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye,” I suppose.

Excessive pluralization still on a rampage. Petrino was our last hope to stop it: “Medicare, Medicaid and other insurances accepted.” Will its never end?

We talked about “illegal aliens” vs. “undocumented aliens” last week. Here is Robert Jensen DOUG writing in Extra!

SMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com magazine about “loaded” terminology, and the difficulty of avoiding it. “Neutrality is an illusion. … Even the language we use conveys judgments; think of the difference between describing waterboarding as ‘enhanced interrogation’ or ‘torture.’ Neither term is neutral, nor is any other term. The use of language to describe the world always involves judgments.”

“Bigfoot hunter finds a fine, not a creature … At first they were very concerned that we were filming, that we were trying to get away with commercial filming without a permit. Once those concerns were satiated, there were other concerns.”

They’d probably wanted only simple satisfaction for their concerns, not satiation.

Satiated is “satisfied to the point of boredom; gorged.” Only creatures of lower intelligence, like the governor of Texas, go there. “Arkansas’s Bigfoot is more urbane than the rube in Austin.”

Call us today to make an appointment.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for…

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS Athletic Director Jeff Long received nothing but plaudits from local and national media for firing football coach Bobby Petrino. Long was also honored for his “courage” in handling the controversy by $1.25 million in gifts to a facility for university athletes. The Donald Reynolds Foundation has given $1 million and Board chair Fred Smith has given a separate $250,000 in support of the planned Student-Athlete Success Center, a study center and dining hall for athletes.

Smith’s gift also went to rename an existing program the Jeff Long Student-Athlete Development Program.

ICE CREAM FANS Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company, the new owners of Yarnell’s Ice Cream, announced that it will celebrate the ice cream coming back into production with an event at the State Capitol on Thursday.

It was a bad week for…

THE LITTLE ROCK TECHNICAL PARK AUTHORITY BOARD Pressed by State Sen. Joyce Elliott to study the demographics of potential locations for the proposed $50

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ARKANSAS TIMES

million park, board member Mary Good suggested that the authority commission a study after the location was chosen.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON A jury found the company and a subsidiary liable for deceptive trade practices and Medicaid fraud in dispensing the anti-psychotic medication Risperdal in Arkansas without adequate warning of side effects. Judge Tim Fox set a $1.1 billion penalty.

MARK PRYOR Needing 60 votes to stop a filibuster, the Obama administration could only muster 51 and thus failed on the Buffett rule to put a higher tax on millionaires — 30 percent minimum on those making that amount in taxable income, which means a good deal more income for most after deductions and adjustments. Pryor was the lone Democrat in the Senate to vote with Republicans.

By way of explanation, he said, “There is no disputing that the wealthy should pay their fair share in taxes. This inequity should be fixed as part of broad tax reform, not as a political ploy meant to score points.”

ALSO: William “Casey” Laman, former North Little Rock mayor, died at 98.

He served four terms as mayor, his last ending in 1980. But that didn’t end his political involvement. A library bears his name and an unparalleled park system, the crown jewel being Burns Park, also bears his indelible stamp.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Crack and crochet THE OBSERVER AND FRIEND were

dining out at their favorite local pizza and beer joint over the weekend and were unfortunately seated at the least desirable table in the house, directly across from the restrooms. Generally not one to complain about such indignities, we were much more bothered by the sight of the doughy lower back and butt crack of the man seated across the aisle. Now, we’re no strangers to ladies wearing low-slung jeans, sometimes with a wide swath of underpants concealing the portion of torso that jeans these days just aren’t cut to cover, but it’s rare to see a gentleman sporting that look. It was unsettling to see a man so laissez-faire about his midsection being exposed. Somewhere along the way, it seems, clothing has deviated from its original purpose of covering our bodies for protection and warmth, and fashion has become art.

Maybe The Observer has gotten a bit long in the tooth, but the outfits we see young people wearing just don’t make sense. We’ve seen skirts you can’t sit down in without risking obscenity charges, dresses made of sheer mesh and held together with nothing but sequins and prayer. We have marveled at the persistence of jorts — those ridiculously long shorts made of jeans that seem to be some disturbing form of capris for men. Who thinks these “styles” are fashionable? Do consumers blindly follow media superstars like the Kardashians and the cast of “Jersey Shore?” We wish that more folks around here took their fashion cues from “Mad Men.” The last few years have brought about a resurgence of vintage and retro clothing for the ladies, and basically what we’re saying is that we wouldn’t be opposed to a similar restructuring of men’s fashion as well.

In short: kids, pull up your darn pants and get off of my lawn.

STROLLING TO THE FORTRESS OF EMPLOYMENT through the spring

dawn the other day, The Observer was cutting through the parking lot of the Main Library to hit the ATM

when we came upon it: a little circle of joy. Someone — hopefully a group of someones, because it looked like a lot of work — had knitted cozies for everything in a fifteen-foot circle near the Cox Center: two benches, trees, a wire planter, all of it swathed in lovely, smushy softness.

The parking lot was empty enough that The Observer actually looked around to make sure somebody else was seeing this too; that it wasn’t some hallucination brought on by a ministroke or a late reaction to something we ingested in college. One bench was a diamond-patterned rainbow. Four feet of each tree trunk was straight out of Dr. Seuss. A line of thick, bright flags about the size of drink coasters hung on a length of yarn.

We had no idea where it came from or who did it (perhaps, we thought, it was leftovers from the Arkansas Literary Festival concluded two days earlier), but we were sure glad they did. On a morning when we were dreading the desk — yes, even Your Hero has those — it made The Observer smile. There is not enough simple beauty out there, it seems, not enough things done just for the sheer joy of it, and to beautify and warm this all-too-often cold and ugly world.

We lingered, might have stayed all morning had duty not called. We wanted to touch it all, feel the textures, poke our fingers through the careful weave, dream of spring birds plucking at the yarn and filling the dark hollows of the city with wildly-colored nests. Standing there, we imagined a new breed of superhero: a vigilante armed with knitting needles, swinging through downtown on a strand of angora, struggling not against the forces of evil, but against the oppressive gray of Portland cement. Call him: The Midnight Knitter. The Hook-andLooper. The Clandestine Crocheter.

She’s all around in the dark like Tom Joad. He’s everywhere. And she’s got a homemade blankie — nine parts yarn, one part love — to make you feel better.

Thanks, whoever you are. Keep up the good work. A fellow Anonymite appreciates your efforts.

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APRIL 18, 2012

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Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

Employees fear for future of Hope hospital

Doctors at Medical Park Hospital in Hope have issued a desperate plea to state officials, including the governor, a prosecutor and the U.S. attorney for help in keeping the hospital from bankruptcy or closure.

Medical Park Hospital, which is a Level 4 trauma center with 79 beds, is the only hospital between Arkadelphia and Texarkana for people who live along the Interstate 30 corridor. It was purchased in 2008 by James A. Cheek, who was convicted with partner Herschel Breig in February for failure to pay $1.8 million in payroll taxes for employees at a bankrupt hospital they owned at Lubbock, Texas.

The letter was sent by seven Medical Park Hospital doctors to Gov. Mike Beebe, Health Department chief Paul K. Halverson, U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, 8th district prosecutor Christy McQeen, state Sen. Larry Teague and Ann Roberts, assistant U.S. attorney in Lubbock. The doctors wrote that they fear that a pattern they see in Cheek’s other operations — “purchasing, bankrupting and/or closing hospitals shortly after he becomes affiliated with or purchases them” — is being repeated in Hope.

“In recent months, the obstetrical unit was closed, layoffs have occurred, hospital employees have experienced delinquent paychecks or paychecks returned for insufficient funds, premiums on employee health insurance is not being paid, creditors and vendors are not being paid, property taxes have not been paid. In fact, MPH is scheduled to be certified to the State of Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands in May 24, 2012 for failure to pay property taxes. Presently, MPH owes some $3 million in unpaid federal and state employment taxes.”

Hospital executive director Marc Caton, who was hired by Cheek last June and is also the chief executive officer of Carraway Medical Systems, said the company is “working on all those financial issues.” (Carraway purchased MPH last year from Cheek company Shiloh.)

Cheek and Breig were indicted in Texas in August. Caton declined to comment on whether he knew his employer was facing indictment at the time of his hiring.

Doctors at the hospital, who would not speak publicly for fear of retribution, say they have concerns about use of insurance reimbursements.

They cite problems with getting lab work done because of unpaid bills, and note the hospital recently limited its surgical service to weekdays only.

They also believe hospital supplies have been shuttled to other, better functioning, hospitals.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

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ARKANSAS TIMES

CHUGGABUGS: Trisha Parker, Chase Green, Joseph Vance (not shown, Alyx VanNess).

To adventure!

Arkansas team to take on grueling Mongol Rally

BY DAVID KOON

W

e’ve become accustomed these days to doing our globe hopping the safe, sanitary way: colorfully encapsulated under glass, behind a television screen. Satisfying two senses isn’t enough for at least four young Arkansans, however. This summer, they plan on heading to London to participate in the Mongol Rally, a 10,000 kilometer, six-week jaunt that will take them across Eurasia in a secondhand car.

The rally, which has been run since 2004, has a number of stipulations, each of which can make completing the rally (which organizers call “an adventure” instead of a race, pointing out that there’s no official recognition for finishing first, second or third) exponentially more difficult. Rally participants will begin in London on July 14, and must arrive in Ulan Bator, Mongolia within six weeks, but there is no set course for

them to follow. Racers must drive a car with an engine size of less than 1,200 cubic centimeters (that’s 400cc smaller, for example, than the engine found in a late-1960s VW Beetle), and are forbidden from using GPS or electronic navigation, limiting them to paper map, compass and prayer. Racers must raise money for two charities, one selected by the race organizers, the other by their team.

Alyx VanNess of Little Rock, along with Chase Green, Trisha Parker and Joseph Vance of Fayetteville, make up The Arkansas Chuggabugs. If all goes well and their efforts at fundraising work out, they’ll be the first Arkansas team ever to take on the Mongol Rally. They’ve selected Heifer Project International as their team’s charity.

Unlike a lot of the European rally participants who have the luxury of getting their chariot together over the course of months, the Chuggabugs will have to send a teammate to Lon-

don a few weeks in advance to try and buy a car.

A tiny car.

A tiny car that has to stand up to 10,000 kilometers of abuse in the harshest conditions imaginable.

A tiny car which — barring a very generous Chuggabugs patron yet to be revealed — will have to be purchased for little more than scrap prices.

Alyx VanNess, 21, said she had several opportunities to travel in college, including a chance to backpack across Europe, but could never bring herself to do it. “I’d always provide myself with these justifications of why I couldn’t go,” she said.

A few months back, though, after a friend announced he was moving to Poland, VanNess made herself a promise. “The night he announced it, I thought: Okay, the next opportunity I get to travel, I’m going to take it,” she said. “No excuses allowed.” That night, her friend Chase Cooper, who was putting together a team to participate in the Mongol Rally, posted on his Facebook page that a team member had dropped out.

“I was like, ‘I guess this is it!’ ” VanNess said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

LISTEN UP

THE

BIG PICTURE

THE SILLY SIDE OF RAZORBACK APOCALYPSE A month ago Razorback fans were praying for the health of Knile Davis’ ankle and ordering BMFP T-shirts online. Today, they’re talking about Republican bikini models, Taiwanese video takedowns and whether Petrino “Farvred” himself. Below, the most absurd revelations and reactions to Bobby Petrino’s quick fall from grace in Razorbackland.

APRIL 5 Tweets from the day the state police released its report that Jessica Dorrell was also on the motorcycle at the time of the accident.

APRIL 11 Known for animating current new stories where no video exists, the Taiwanese Next Media Animation (NMA) website offered its take on Petrino’s crash and “inappropriate relationship” with Jessica Dorrell. The NMA video includes animation of public displays of X-rated affection, Dorell morphing into an elephant during a press conference and a Razorback head-butting Petrino out of a window.

APRIL 12 Analysis of Petrino’s cell-phone records uncovered over 200 text messages with a cell phone registered to Alison Melder, a 26-year-old bikini model who has worked for the Arkansas Republican Party. Online, Melder identifies herself as winner of the 2008 Miss Bikini USA and Miss Motorcycle Mania competitions. A cached version of the Arkansas Young Republicans website from March 29 lists Melder as National Committee Woman. Today, there’s no National Committee Woman on the AYR site.

APRIL 16 To fully understand the Petrino meltdown, writes George Schroeder in Sports Illustrated, you have to understand the full context of the Razorback saga. In other words, you must go back to The Big Shootout in 1969.

To understand THAT, you have to know that Frank Broyles’ dog caused the loss to Texas by biting Billy Graham’s son on the morning of the big game. He is not making this up.

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

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT. Hope Mayor Dennis Ramsey said there has been concern about the future of the hospital for a couple of years, as rumors about a sale and knowledge of liens against the hospital and late payrolls have become known. The hospital is one of the largest employers in Hope, and the town has “a vested economic interest as well as health and welfare” interests.

Ramsey praised the doctors at the hospital, citing a recent incident in which a friend in the emergency room got “treatment as good as you’d find anywhere.” But the cuts in staffing, including a pediatrician, an internist and emergency room physicians, have caused stress, he said.

Cheek and his brothers, Teddy and Wayne (now deceased), whose companies own hospitals in several states, have been cited in news stories about hospital shutdowns for several years. An Illinois newspaper reported in 2003 that James Cheek “has a track record of buying troubled inner-city hospitals and making them profitable by slashing jobs and asking creditors to write off massive amounts of debt.”

That paper, writing about concerns about Cheek’s management of St. Mary’s Hospital in Belleville, noted that in 1989, Cheek, doing business as Gateway Medical Systems, signed a consent order with the Securities and Exchange Commission after the SEC cited him for violations of federal securities laws. Gateway Medical Systems had bought a hospital in East St. Louis that eventually had to close because of unpaid taxes and delinquent payments on bond debt.

In 2008, Cheek’s Shiloh Health Services took over a hospital in Plaquemine, La., and laid off half the 200 employees there. The hospital went bankrupt in May 2009.

Cheek and Breig were indicted in 2011 on charges of failing to pay payroll taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and one count of theft or embezzlement in connection with health care. A news release on the indictment said that between March 2006 and May 2008 “Breig and Cheek caused HMC to make thousands of dollars of expenditures for their personal benefit, while at the same time, failed to pay over to the U.S. payroll taxes withheld from HMC’s employees’ paychecks and failed to remit monies withheld from HMC’s employees’ paychecks for various employee benefits, including health insurance, dental coverage and group life insurance.” The indictment also alleged that the two embezzled $135,079 from Shiloh Health Services Medical and Drug Plans, by not forwarding employees’ premiums withheld from their pay. They agreed to plead guilty in February to one count of failing to account for or remit $337,470 in payroll withholding to the IRS. They are due to be sentenced this week.

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

13

THE GHOST OF ERNIE PASSAILLAIGUE

Deals made by the former lottery chief cost Arkansas millions.

I

n September 2011, Arkansas Lottery Internal Auditor Michael Hyde told Lottery Commissioner Bruce Engstrom and Lottery Director Bishop Woosley, who at the time served as legal counsel, that he had uncovered some inconsistencies in a deal with the lottery’s largest vendor, which could cost the lottery $20 million and possibly much more. According to Engstrom, when Hyde began discussing looking further into how the contract was awarded and if it should have gone to another vendor Woosley said, “If this gets out, we’re all going to lose our jobs.” (Woosley has said he doesn’t remember saying that, but if he did, the context was, if an inaccurate report gets out, people could lose their jobs.)

Shortly thereafter, Hyde and Woosley met with former Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue to discuss the contract and why a week after it was signed Passailaigue amended it to make the terms more favorable to the vendor. The day after the meeting, Passailaigue tendered his resignation.

For more than a year, whether Passailaigue

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ARKANSAS TIMES

adhered to the law when he amended the contract was a matter of fierce debate between lottery staff, the state legislative oversight committee of the lottery and the division of legislative audit. Ultimately, the three settled the matter by agreeing that the lottery would operate differently in the future. Hyde’s investigation, which became public last month following a Freedom of Information request from the Arkansas Times, rehashed that argument but also considered a more salient question: Why did Passailaigue sign off on a contract that gained the lottery nothing and cost it millions?

It’s a question no one has been able to answer satisfactorily, including Passailaigue. Reached at his home in Isle of Palms, S.C., last week, Passailaigue wouldn’t discuss why he altered the contract. “If it comes to a court of law, I will set the record straight,” he said.

Pressed on why it would come to a court, he said, “Contracts are subject to dispute or misinterpretation.”

“It doesn’t take any legal analysis to see that what he did was wrong,” Gov. Mike Beebe said of Passailaigue on the March 30 edition of “Arkansans Ask: Gover-

B Y L IND SE Y MI L L A R nor Mike Beebe” on AETN. “It was wrong for him to do that. That in and of itself would have amounted to a firing offense. Does that render the contract as changed illegal? I don’t know the answer.”

Pressed by host Steve Barnes as to his sense of the deal, Beebe said, “My initial sense is that if it was wrong to do it, then it’s illegal.”

Beebe said he’d asked his in-house counsel to look into it and that settling the question of its validity could take an attorney general’s opinion. Like the speaker of the House and the Senate pro tempore, Beebe controls three appointments to the commission, but otherwise has no authority over the lottery.

On April 11, Hyde made his official recommendation to the lottery commission: seek outside legal counsel to determine the validity of the contract and, should it be deemed invalid, seek financial redress.

Seven commissioners, including two appointed by Beebe — Chair Dianne Lamberth and Secretary Treasurer Ben Pickard — voted to ignore the auditor’s advice and reaffirm their commitment to the vendor, Scientific Games International (SGI). Engstrom and

BRIAN CHILSON

George Hammons, another Beebe appointee, voted against reaffirming the deal. After the vote, the commission went into executive session for almost an hour to evaluate Woosley and Hyde. It reconvened without taking any formal action, promising to pick up the evaluation in May. Engstrom said after the meeting he feared the commission might vote to fire Hyde. “I’ve always thought his job is in jeopardy and there’s nothing that happened today that changed that,” he said.

Before the April 11 meeting, Engstrom said the issue boiled down to two questions, “Did we get screwed?

And, if we got screwed, are we stuck with it?” The vote to reaffirm may mean that the lottery is stuck with the contract, though a citizen may yet file a lawsuit against the lottery. Engstrom’s other question — whether the lottery got screwed in the deal — hints at a larger concern that’s easily answered, but not so easily remedied.

♦♦♦

When Ernie Passailaigue found himself in a tough spot as Arkansas Lottery director — which happened almost continuously during his two years at the job — he was always ready with one of two lines, which went something like this: “You don’t understand gaming” and “Look at all this money we’ve made for kids to go to college.” Both of which were fairly brilliant, as verbal sparring goes. The former, an easy cudgel to wield for a man with a decade of experience in an arcane world. The latter, an effective smokescreen to cover most management mistakes since Passailaigue could typically point to seven-figure numbers.

That, broadly speaking, Passailaigue screwed the lottery — that his decisions cost the state money that otherwise could have gone to gamblers and scholarships — has been well documented. He paid exorbitant salaries to people who were later demonstrated to be unqualified. (His successor makes half what he made; there have been no direct replacements for two $225,000 assistants Passailaigue brought with him, now departed.) He cost the lottery thousands in undocumented travel reimbursement (a case Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley is still investigating).

Under his watch, the IRS fined the lottery $100,000 for non-payment of taxes.

But what kind of man was Passailaigue? A pretender, who knew nothing except how to talk the talk? Or a craftier sort?

What Hyde uncovered suggests the latter. While performing a scheduled audit last year on SGI, the vendor that provides the lottery with instant tickets, he discovered that in the bidding process SGI offered the lottery two pricing options — one rate based on a percentage of sales, or another based on a smaller percentage provided the lottery would agree to pay for a collection of extra services out of its prize fund.

Despite initially agreeing to the discounted rate, lottery management ultimately signed a contract for the regular rate. Shortly thereafter, Passailaigue altered the terms of the contract — without approval from the Lottery Commission or the Lottery Legislative Oversight Committee — to pay more than either of the rates SGI initially offered, even though the altered terms included services that were included in the discounted offer.

WOOSLEY: Not questioning controversial deal was a “business decision.”

“It’s like going into Burger King and ordering a value meal, and then when they start ringing you up, saying, ‘No, ring up everything separately, so I can pay more,’ ” said Engstrom. “It doesn’t make sense.”

In the meeting with Hyde and Woosley the day before he resigned, the only benefit to the lottery following the change that Passailaigue could name was Tel-Sell, a sales and customer service operation that SGI operates solely on behalf of the Arkansas Lottery to support retail outlets that sell instant tickets. The operation includes four people operating phones. In the meeting, Passailaigue’s lieutenant David Barden, who would also soon resign, estimated that Tel-Sell would cost the lottery $750,000 to $800,000 to run in-house. With SGI running it, he said it would provide $3.21 million for scholarship recipients. Hyde contends that Tel-Sell should have been included in SGI’s original discounted offer.

Passailaigue also changed the contract to make SGI the lottery’s exclusive instant ticket vendor, an alteration that greatly benefited the vendor. Twentytwo state lotteries use multiple instant ticket vendors, according to the 2011 edition of La Fleur’s World Lottery Almanac.

In his meeting with Hyde, Passailague said SGI would not protest if the lottery later negotiated with another instant ticket printer. In a March 16 email from Scientific Games Vice President and Corporate Counsel Philip J. Bauer to Woosley, Bauer offered the lottery a $2 million credit, “in order to avoid an unnecessary and unproductive dispute” and “not in the performance of any obligation or as an admission of any kind of liability.” He also said that, among other considerations, SGI would be willing to amend the exclusivity contract clause with language suggested

by SGI. On April 11, when the commission agreed to reaffirm the contract and accept the settlement, SGI had not agreed to change the exclusive term.

♦♦♦

Most state lotteries have five major expenses. The prize fund through which winners are paid is always the largest. Commissions paid to retailers and vendor costs usually fall next, followed by money spent on advertising and marketing and salaries. Considered as a percentage of total sales, last year Arkansas spent CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 www.arktimes.com

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invalidate a contract, and suspend sales for three or four months to six months, when we’re making nine or $10 million or $11 million a month in scholarship money? If the allegation is that we should sue to collect $20 million dollars — which I disagree with — but if it’s true, you invalidate the contract, it’s going to take you four to six months to get a new instant ticket vendor, you’re going to lose $40 million in the process and you’re going to lose customers and sales and you’re going to cost people sales. It’s a business decision. It’s not cut and dried. It’s very grey.”

“Anything that was questionable to me was done by our previous administration,” said Commissioner Ben Pickard. “They are no longer here. We’ve been working under this contract for two and a half years. It is in my mind an ongoing contract. The ramifications for us not continuing are somewhat mindboggling.”

Asked why the commission did not follow Hyde’s recommendation and seek outside counsel, Commission Chair Dianne Lamberth said, “This was not an outside counsel issue at the time. We just wanted to affirm because we knew that the contract we were under — we’d been paying them as they were supposed to be paid, they’d been performing as they were supposed to be performing.”

Pressed further on the value of an internal auditor if the commission is going to ignore his recommendations, Lamberth said, “Sometimes you can agree to disagree about the audit. We don’t have to always accept the audit.

They bring things to us and at that point we made an educated decision on whether to accept it or not accept it. We do it very, very thoughtfully and very, very thoroughly.”

♦♦♦

The lottery commission does not pay its commissioners.

Many live away from Little Rock, where the commission typically meets. Because of the money involved, the lottery is always in the news. When the news is negative, the commission sometimes bears the blame.

That said, there is some indication that the commission has not always acted thoughtfully or thoroughly.

Take for instance the lottery’s other major vendor contract with Intralot, a Greek company that provides and services the lottery with the technological infrastructure to administer both instant ticket and so-called draw games, like Mega-Millions and BRIAN CHILSON

less than or about the same as four other lotteries that

started in the 2000s — North Carolina, Oklahoma, In his presentation to the lottery commission on South Carolina and Tennessee — in all those categoMarch 27, Lottery Director Bishop Woosley conries except for one: vendor costs. In fact, a review of tended that a document signed by officials from the the annual reports from the 2011 fiscal year of more lottery and Scientific Games that indicates that the than half of the state lotteries in the country reveals lottery would pay the discounted rate was a mistake that Arkansas pays considerably more, as a percentand not an actual contract. He argued that the comage of total sales, to its vendors than all other lottermission had authorized Passailaigue’s amendments ies except for one (North Dakota, one of the smallto the contract through acquiescence, a legal term est lotteries in the country and one that can’t sell instant tickets according to its constitution).

Where vendor expense represents less than 3 percent of sales in most lotteries, it’s 5.19 percent in Arkansas. That means that the Arkansas Lottery, with total sales of $464 million last year, pays more to its vendors than lotteries with well over a billion dollars in sales. Take North Carolina, which sold almost $1.5 billion last year — more than three times Arkansas’s sales. It paid its vendors $23.48 million. Arkansas paid its vendors $24.06 million.

As a consequence, despite the amount of money it has generated in its first two years — more than $800 million in sales and nearly $177 million to scholarship payments — the Arkansas Lottery grossly underperformed.

In the last two fiscal years, considered as a percentage of sales, Arkansas netted less than any other lottery in the country save Massachusetts, according to figures provided by the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.

In other words, the lottery did what it was designed to do — in Arkansas’s case, to fund scholarships — worse than all but one other lottery in the country.

It might be reasonable to assume that Arkansas is merely going through some growing pains associated with being a brand new lottery. But when compared to the first and second fiscal years of the other newer lotteries, the Arkansas Lottery looks pathetic. In the first fiscal year of five new state lotteries, Arkansas’s net as a percentage INTERNAL AUDITOR MICHAEL HYDE: Commission ignored his report. of sales was nearly six percentage points lower than the second lowest-performing state lottery (North Dakota) and that means agreeing by not voicing objection. He 15 percentage points lower than the best performing asked the commission if it was prepared to lodge a (Oklahoma). In the second fiscal year, the gap only multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Scientific Games widened. Arkansas was seven and a half percentage based on the discounted rate, which he said was never points behind the Tennessee Education Lottery and formally approved or in force. at least 10 percentage points behind the other four.

After the commission voted to reaffirm the contract,

Woosley defended the pragmatism of the move. “You ♦♦♦ have to weigh, do you want to cancel a contract and

BRIAN CHILSON

TO ADVENTURE, CONT.

ENGSTROM: Contract “doesn’t make sense.”

Powerball, where winners are selected after players purchase their tickets. Arkansas pays 2.45 percent of its total sales to Intralot. In the minutes to a legislative oversight committee hearing on Aug. 11, 2009, then Lottery Commission Chair Ray Thornton notes that Intralot’s rate is “extremely low and beneficial to Arkansans.” He cited the 2008 La Fleur’s World Lottery Almanac listings of the rates paid by all of Arkansas’s neighbors as higher — aside from the rate Tennessee pays — than Intralot’s bid to the Arkansas Lottery. But apparently Thornton — and the lottery commission and legislative oversight committee — failed to read the fine print. Arkansas Lottery staff doesn’t still have a copy of the 2008 almanac, but Freedom of Information requests and the 2011 edition of the almanac show that Arkansas, by virtue of paying a percentage of total sales, pays far more than its neighbors, which largely pay a percentage of only online draw game sales. For example, last year Louisiana had online sales of $236.38 million and paid Intralot a total of $10.65 million. Meanwhile, Arkansas had online sales of $73.9 million and paid Intralot $11.4 million. That’s the cost difference of 4.5 percent and 15.43 percent of online sales, respectively.

That Louisiana runs one of the most successful lotteries in the country, when its net is considered as a percentage of sales, owes to its success in selling draw games, which cost less to run. The Arkansas Lottery, in its rush to start selling tickets as quickly as possible,

didn’t introduce online draw games until six weeks after the lottery began. Sales of online games have since greatly lagged those of instant games, though the lottery did enjoy record sales of draw games in March, following the excitement surrounding the record Mega-Millions jackpot. Woosley thinks that all the first-time players who were inspired to buy Mega-Millions tickets could now easily become regular players, providing a significant boon to sales.

But until 2016, when the contracts with SGI and Intralot expire, the Arkansas Lottery will be laden with high fees that will cost Arkansas students scholarships. Until then, there are questions not likely to be answered. Like, why Arkansas couldn’t negotiate a flat-rate with Intralot as South Carolina did? Or why Arkansas couldn’t structure contingencies into its vendor contracts, where certain sales figures trigger percentage reductions in the cost, as Louisiana did?

Or why Arkansas signed seven-year contracts when many states signed much shorter terms? No doubt when the time for contract renegotiation comes, SGI and Intralot will have answers. They’ve got support from several connected lobbyists. Mitchell Berry, son of former congressman Marion Berry and a past hunting buddy of Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and Bishop Woosley, represents Scientific Games.

And former state Rep. Robbie Wills, the lead sponsor and self-proclaimed architect of the Arkansas Lottery, now represents Intralot.

Chuggabugs teammate Joseph Vance seems to be experiencing some of the same butterflies as VanNess, admitting that the prospect of trusting a car bought almost sight unseen to take him a third of the way around the world is “a little bit terrifying.”

Though most of the participants survive to rally again another day, it isn’t without risk. A 24-year-old member of a British Mongol Rally team died in August 2010 after a serious car crash in Iran. Still, Green seems to have a Zen calm about the potential dangers of the road, not to mention a pretty good argument for why he’s doing it.

“We have a tendency to live through pictures,” he said. “We read about places, we watch television about it or something, but very rarely do we take the initiative to go and experience something. I want to go out and see what the world is like.”

VanNess said that Green, who knows how to read both a compass and a topographical map, will be the official navigator for the trip. The team plans on taking a “southern route” which should weave through 13 counties (though not, VanNess pointed out, through Iraq or Afghanistan).

All that’s in the future, though.

Right now, the Chuggabugs are looking for sponsors, scouring eBay UK for a good deal on a solid Fiat (“The cars get absolutely torn to pieces,” VanNess said. “We’ve seen pictures of cars being held together with duct tape by the end of it.”) and struggling to raise the money they need for their charity donations, airfare, and six weeks of food and travel.

Given they’ll have to buy the car and almost everything else they’ll need for the trip once they get to London, VanNess figures they’ll need about $10,000 to $12,000. They’ve already held some fundraisers in Little Rock and Fayetteville (find out more at their website: www.wix.com/ chuggabugs/mongolrally), and plan to hold more between now and this summer. If they don’t reach the mark before July, VanNess said, it’ll mean cleaning out their respective savings accounts. They don’t particularly want to do that, she said. But what, after all, is money when compared against six weeks of high adventure?

That thought is apparently pushing out all other fears.

“I moved to Little Rock a couple months ago,” VanNess said, “and I still get lost in Little Rock... My mom keeps asking me, ‘Why are you doing this?’ My response has just been, ‘Why not?’ ” www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

17

Arts Entertainment AND

‘HIS TRUTH’ BIG BILL BROONZY’S COMPLICATED HISTORY.

BY JEREMY GLOVER

“Well, I was born in Mississippi, in the year 18 and 93. I was born on a plantation and I stayed there until I was eight years old. Then my daddy and mother, they brought us — me and my twin sister and about eight more of us — to Arkansas — that was Langdale — Langdale, Arkansas.”

— Big Bill Broonzy, from Alan Lomax’s “The Land Where the Blues Began”

T

he only true parts of that origin story are “born on a plantation” and “Arkansas.” In fact, Langdale doesn’t appear to exist anymore, if it was ever an actual place at all. And the sister he spoke of wasn’t his twin, but the closest sibling by birth and sheer love, which in his interpretation and expression would pretty much make them twins.

Inventing a hometown, moving your birthplace to a neighboring state, and setting your birthday a decade earlier in another century takes a real character — like the one Lee Conley Bradley created for himself: Big Bill Broonzy.

One of the quintessential blues artists of the 20th century and a key link in the chain from the early blues of the 1920s to the folk revival of the 1950s, Broonzy’s contributions to American popular music cannot be overstated.

For an artist that remains relatively unknown today by even casual blues fans, his influence is staggering. This list includes, but is not limited to, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies, who to this day never misses an opportunity to offer up praise and point out how The Kinks calling card “You Really Got Me” was his attempt at a great rhythm and blues song — something Big Bill Broonzy would play.

But before there was a Big Bill Broonzy, there was Lee Conley Bradley, who was born June 26, 1903, in Jefferson County, Arkansas, where he was raised with his nine siblings on a sharecropper plantation. That’s just one of the revelations in Chicago-based author Bob Riesman’s meticulously researched biography, “I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy” (The University of Chicago Press, 2011).

18

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Riesman peels back the layers on a life story that may have been light on facts, but always had an essence of the truth. What emerges is an enlightening and highly enjoyable portrait of a man who seemingly always knew exactly who he was and where his trajectory lay in his immediate scene, in the lineage of roots music, and in the plight of rural, Southern African Americans.

Broonzy was blessed with a unique, emotive voice that could nimbly shift from a meditative, brooding drawl to rollicking, boisterous twang depending on the mood and the melody. His inimitable guitar playing functioned as an extension of his warm, expansive personality, creating a seamless presence with his skills as well as his look, manner and words. His affable nature and musical malleability would serve him well throughout his career.

Like most African Americans growing up in the segregated South under Jim Crow laws, Broonzy’s early life was marked by blistering hard work, commitment to the church and little formal education. The education he did receive away from church and the schoolhouse was his earliest musical influence, Uncle Jerry Belcher, who was likely an amalgamation of older relatives and family friends since no historical records of him exist. Broonzy learned his earliest songs from listening to the decidedly non-church going Uncle Jerry play instruments created out of tubs, brooms and other household items. This might have inspired Broonzy’s first instrument, a fiddle fashioned out of cornstalks brought back from the cotton fields where he toiled.

The young Broonzy joined up with like-minded friends, who played homeCONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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

PHILLIPS COUNTY NATIVE AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LEGEND LEVON HELM “is in the final stages of his

battle with cancer,” according to his wife Sandy Helm and daughter Amy Helm. “Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey,” they wrote.

“Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage... We appreciate all the love and support and concern,” they wrote.

Helm had recently canceled several concert dates, including a headlining spot at Jazz Fest in New Orleans and several Midnight Rambles — the intimate shows he hosted over the years at his home studio in Woodstock, N.Y. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night, Robbie Robertson — Helm’s former bandmate from The Hawks and The Band — sent “love and prayers” to Helm, according to Jambands.com.

THOSE OF YOU WHO’VE BEEN ITCHING for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre to stage an outdoor production of one of the Bard’s works in Little Rock, are in luck.

The company will present an hour-long version of “The Tempest,” which it has described as being tailored “specifically for families and those less familiar with Shakespeare to enjoy together.”

The play will be staged at Rivermarket Pavilion at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29. Tickets are $3-$5 and will only be sold at the door.

The company’s season begins June 7, with “Twelfth Night” at Hendrix College, and continues through July 1 with productions of that play, as well as “Richard III,” “The Tempest” and “Big River,” which is based on Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The shows take place at Hendrix, UCA’s Reynolds Performance Hall and Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts.

IF YOU MISSED DAUGHTRY’S MARCH 28 concert at Robinson Center Music Hall, you’ll get another chance to check out the shiny-domed modern rocker at the Arkansas Music Pavilion in Fayetteville on Tuesday, June 19. Tickets, which went on sale Friday, will set you back somewhere between $27 and $102.

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APRIL 18, 2012

19

Judiciary Sytem: good at some things, bad at others

Michel Leidermann Moderator

EL LATINO Program AETN-TV 10:30 pm, Sunday, April 22 Broadcast in Spanish

Where the Mississippi River meets the River Thames Our sixth season begins June 8th!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

866-810-0012 • arkshakes.com 20 April 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

PHILANTHROPY

AT ITS BEST THE VISION AND LEGACY OF WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

Service and Philanthropy THE PHILANTHROPY OF WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER

A

rkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller once put down all he believed in a book-length letter of advice to his son Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, the state’s future lieutenant governor.

“I have enjoyed the personal use of money,” wrote the elder Rockefeller. “But I have gotten the greatest satisfaction from using it to advance my beliefs in human relations, human values.”

Winthrop Rockefeller’s many accomplishments are receiving a fresh look during the 100th anniversary of his birth. But perhaps the most impressive of them is Governor Rockefeller’s demonstrated devotion to the priorities he described to his son and his vision for Arkansas.

Throughout his life in Arkansas, Winthrop Rockefeller chose to make long-term investments in the state’s most precious resources - its future and its people. His service and philanthropy are still felt long after his 1973 death, and will continue its beneficial influence well into Arkansas’ future through the nonprofit institutions formed through his estate.

Governor Rockefeller’s ambitious vision of dignity, equity, education and prosperity for all Arkansans transformed the state. Through his own activism as a private citizen and through his work later as Governor, he brought about a change for the better in Arkansas - in politics; education; race relations; economic development; prisons; culture, and in the very way Arkansans live and regard themselves.

Though a child of wealth and privilege, Winthrop Rockefeller learned early about duty and service.

“From my earliest recollection we were taught to respect the value of a dollar,” Governor Rockefeller recalled in a 1964 speech, “and to recognize that inherited wealth was in a sense given to us in trust — that we were stewards — that while we would live comfortably with what we inherited and earned, we had the responsibility to see that these resources were used wisely in the service of our fellow man.”

Governor Rockefeller came to Arkansas near mid-life, but he loved the state as much as any native-born Arkansan. From the top of Petit Jean Mountain where he built his home and cattle ranch, Governor Rockefeller saw in Arkansas a million possibilities and a bright future.

“He saw this as a place where he could make a difference,” longtime associate Marion Burton once said of the Governor.

He went to work almost immediately after his arrival in the state in 1953, studying and learning all he could about Arkansas and its people. From the start, he wanted

to help Arkansans make lasting changes and constantly sought ways for his contributions to multiply themselves over and over for sustained impact.

Arkansas was then mired in a quicksand of crooked politics, segregation, poverty, broken institutions, and limited opportunities for its people. But Governor Rockefeller also recognized and appreciated the state’s natural beauty, its wealth of resources, and the rich character of its people.

He railed, sometimes angrily, against what he saw as the state’s “vast inferiority complex.” He couldn’t understand why people stubbornly clung to defeatist attitudes and the foregone conclusion that nothing could change.

And Arkansans listened.

When Governor Rockefeller arrived in Arkansas, a single party controlled the state, as it had since 1872. He revived the Republican Party, and brought an end to Arkansas’ one-party politics. That in turn pushed the Democratic Party into its own resurrection.

As governor, Rockefeller dismantled a rigged state government apparatus that benefitted only insiders and influential businesses. And he set the state on a course of good government that inspired the state’s future leaders, including future President Bill Clinton.

Before Rockefeller, there was Governor Orval Faubus, notorious for his role in the 1957 Central High School desegregation crisis. After Rockefeller, came Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, Clinton and other far-sighted leaders.

Winthrop Rockefeller began close to home in his work to improve Arkansas education. After consultation with state officials and education experts, he supported through his own philanthropy a new model elementary school in Morrilton and led efforts to raise teacher salaries. As governor, he increased state funds for education, renovated many of the state’s schools and boosted pay for teachers. He brought about widespread improvement in Arkansas schools, colleges and universities.

Governor Rockefeller displayed great empathy and a keen sense of justice in reaching out to the poor and addressing age-old barriers that kept many in poverty.

At a time when other Southern governors excluded African-Americans from government, Rockefeller embraced African-American citizens in Arkansas and placed many in important decision-making roles. After Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin’s bullet, Governor Rockefeller held a memorial service, attended by both blacks and whites, on the steps of the State Capitol.

He was the only Southern governor to do so.

As the first chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, Rockefeller introduced to the state modern methods of economic development. He brought manufacturing industries to Arkansas, creating thousands of well-paying jobs.

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Timeline 1912 — Winthrop Rockefeller born on May 1.

1934 — Withdraws from Yale University, becomes an apprentice in the Texas oil fields.

1941 — Enlists in the U.S. Army as a private.

1942-1946 — Takes part in battles on Guam and Okinawa, leaves the Army as a lieutenant colonel with a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters and a Purple Heart.

1953 — Accepts an invitation from war buddy

Frank Newell and settles in Arkansas atop Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton.

1955 — Appointed the first chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission bringing 600 new industrial plants, 90,000 new jobs and an 88 percent increase in manufacturing wages.

1956 — Established Morrilton Elementary School and led the effort for increased teacher salaries.

1959 — Demonstrates his passion for the arts

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION • www.wrfoundation.org

Governor Rockefeller instituted sweeping reforms when he learned that Arkansas prison inmates lived under a brutal system where food was unsanitary and in short supply; health care was largely unavailable, and violence ruled. “Trusty” inmates served as prison guards and meted out beatings and electric shock to inmates as punishment.

The Governor rooted out the corruption and abuses of the Arkansas prison system, establishing the state’s first Department of Correction and hiring the state’s first penologist to manage the prison system.

Governor Rockefeller wanted Arkansans to look beyond self-imposed limitations. He wanted people to dream, creatively and collectively and to put their dreams into action.

When Junior League members approached him about their dream of a Little Rock community arts center, he told them that if they were going to do it, they should do it right.

“That opened up whole new vistas for us,” said stepdaughter Anne Bartley. “We made an executive decision — not to build a Little Rock arts center, but to make it an Arkansas Arts Center.”

Rockefeller contributed more than just money.

Certainly, he could have written a check for the entire Arts Center effort. But he wanted other Arkansans to earn it and to own it themselves. So he launched a statewide capital campaign and encouraged others to pitch in with contributions.

In the end, Rockefeller contributed a third of the total amount for the Arkansas Arts Center. But by involving others, he created a corps of dedicated leaders and constituents that has taken pride in service to the institution for generations.

By his own design, Rockefeller’s vision lives on after his death. The Governor left most of his estate to the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust with instructions to work toward balanced economic growth and development of the state’s human resources.

Over time, the Trust formed three institutions - the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and Winrock International.

Through the Foundation, Governor Rockefeller’s legacy continues to create and nurture a wide range of cultural, economic and community organizations. In keeping with Governor Rockefeller’s unique vision, the Foundation works to reduce poverty, increase graduation rates, strengthen communities and build partnerships among organizations to increase their capacity for making changes for the better in Arkansas.

Foundation President and CEO Dr. Sherece Y. West said Governor Rockefeller’s commitment to service, his stubborn optimism and his willingness to make tough decisions continues to inspire the realization of his legacy.

“Governor Rockefeller’s vision for Arkansas’ future was far brighter than that of many Arkansans of his day,” Dr. West said. “If there’s one voice that guides us in hard choices, it’s his.”

by helping to launch a statewide capital campaign to enlarge the Little Rock’s art museum and dramatically expand programs. The private drawing collection he donated to the Arkansas Arts Center is among the nation’s finest.

1966 — Elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction.

1967 — Signs into law the first minimum-wage act in Arkansas history.

1968 — Holds a multiracial public ceremony on the capitol steps to mourn Martin Luther King Jr. after the civil rights leader’s assassination, becom-

ing the only Southern governor to do so.

1970 — Initiates reform of the Arkansas prison system and establishes the state Department of Correction, and hires the state’s first penologist to manage the prisons.

1973 — Dies of pancreatic cancer, leaving most of his estate to the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust with instructions to work toward balanced economic growth and development of the state’s human resources.

1974 — Estate trustees rename the Rockwin Fund to the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation: The Governor’s gift to Arkansas

BY CO RY S . A N D E R S O N

P

overty has no place in Arkansas. At least that’s the credo the late Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller embraced as he grew to love his adopted state. He believed this so strongly that he left a significant portion of his estate to establish a foundation that would move his beloved Arkansas out of poverty and into prosperity.

“The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation is the late Governor’s perpetual gift to the state he loved,” said Dr. Sherece Y. West, CEO of the Foundation. “He left instructions to be bold, creative and devoted to a more comprehensive approach to balanced economic growth and human resource development in Arkansas and the immediate region.”

The Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of all Arkansans in three inter-related areas — education, economic development and racial, social and economic justice. Starting with a gift of $9.3 million 37 years ago (and subsequent gifts of nearly $40 million), the Foundation has invested more than $136 million through grants to Arkansas nonprofits and other types of support to communities and local and state government entities.

In its early years, the Foundation was instrumental in establishing many of the state’s most prominent public institutions such as the Arkansas Arts Center, the Arkansas Community Foundation, what would become the Arkansas Rice Depot and the Repertory Theater. There were also gifts to establish organizations such as Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and Southern Bancorp that laid that groundwork for the Foundation’s continued role in public policy and economic development.

Arkansas Advocates and other nonprofits assisted by the Foundation are profiled elsewhere in this publication.

To support his dreams for his state, Governor Rockefeller made sure there was no doubt as to what his foundation was intended to do.

“Built into the DNA of this foundation is an imperative around positive change,” said West. “The Governor realized that lasting impact would only be achieved by building just and caring communities that nurture people spur enterprise, bridge differences and foster fairness.”

Having evolved from this legacy, the Foundation is currently in the 4th year of its 5-year “Moving the Needle” strategic plan. Developed in consultation with public and private leaders from around the state, the strategic plan was formulated to concentrate the Foundation’s grantmaking, communications, and other support strategies on a set of outcomes to move Arkansas from poverty to prosperity. Each of those outcomes, in the areas of pov-

broaden its education focus to include economic development and justice.

Winthrop Rockefeller transformed Arkansas by building the state’s industrial infrastructure; making Arkansas a twoparty state; bringing African-Americans into state government in positions of influence; seeing that public schools were peacefully integrated, reforming prisons, and bringing integrity and independence to the office of governor.

erty, educational attainment, community development, and non-profit infrastructure, are tied inextricably to the Foundation’s original mission.

“If the needle is going to move on poverty and economic opportunity in Arkansas, we must have a coordinated approach that starts in communities and is inclusive of the business sector and public policy makers,” said West. “The Foundation’s role is to serve as a catalyst for change and advocate for policy reform to make possible a brighter future for all Arkansans.”

Each year, the Foundation makes 20-25 grants and distributes an average of $6 million. Grantees range from the small nonprofits needing help in becoming stronger organizations to the state’s major educational and economic development institutions. However, grantmaking is only one aspect of the Foundation’s contribution to the state.

“We take seriously our role as an unbiased voice and a neutral convener on issues that are central to our mission,” said West. “We have the unique position in the state to be able to call together a wide range of critical stakeholders, starting with community residents to develop solutions. We believe in working with people, particularly in low-wealth communities, to shape their own destiny.”

The Foundation is best understood through its leadership on issues such as early literacy. Last year, they launched the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, part of a national initiative to ensure that every child is reading proficiently by the end of third grade. The Arkansas campaign is tied to a national initiative supported by dozens of national foundations.

“On the issue of grade-level reading we’re supporting Arkansas Advocates to produce the research we need, we’re exploring community-based approaches to the inherent challenges of chronic absence, early learning and summer learning loss. We want to increase reading proficiency among 3rd graders in our state by 50 percent by 2015,” said West. “It is an ambitious goal. We know we’re going to need lots of partners, both public and private to make this happen, but that’s our basic approach to this and every issue.”

Education reform is also an example of the Foundation’s role in attracting additional philanthropic investments to the state. Over the last several years, major funders such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the U.S. Depart-

AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1973, Winthrop Rockefeller left the bulk of his estate to the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust. Over time, the Trust founded nonprofit organizations that have become the: • Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation • Winthrop Rockefeller Institute • Winrock International The three are independent, private institutions that are not formally or legally affiliated with each other. They share a common origin and connection to the late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and occasionally partner on issues of common concern in Arkansas.

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation for more than 35 years, has worked to build and sustain organizations that serve and strengthen Arkansas through grants and strategic partnerships. The Foundation seeks to close the economic and educational gaps contributing to persistent poverty among Arkansas families. www. wrfoundation.org The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s 188-acre campus on Petit Jean Mountain was once part of the home and cattle farm of Governor Rockefeller. After his death, the charitable trust created the Winrock International Livestock Research and Training Center. In 2005, the trust created the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute of the University of Arkansas to bring together people with diverse ideas and interests to tackle issues of state, regional, national and international importance and to act as a force of change. www.uawri.org Winrock International, formed in 1985, is a nonprofit organization that works in agriculture with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources. www.winrock.org

ment of Labor have looked to WRF and its allies as funding partners for large grants within the state.

“We can show that Arkansas is a great place to invest your time, your knowledge and your money,” said West.

“We know we can’t do it by ourselves. We spend a lot of time making sure that people around the country, whether it is national philanthropy or our partners in the federal government, are paying attention to the opportunities in our state.”

And that approach is paying off. Over the last decade Arkansas has made progress on issues such as early childhood education, where the state now ranks in the top 10 in the country and economic development where the state has made slow but steady progress on per capita income rankings. WRF investments in strategies such as expanding access to the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2011 led to over $2 million dollars in refunds for low-income families. WRF support for the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science, has meant an overall increase of 32 percent in students taking an AP exam and a 46 percent increase in students receiving qualifying scores.

“When you tie educational progress and economic develop together, you see impact in communities. We’re seeing lives change and progress being made but we know that for the overall data to start looking differently, we need systems to change,” said West. “Our role is to invest in organizations and programs that empower citizens, particularly low-income citizens, to achieve greater economic and social justice in Arkansas. We are committed to making the Governor’s vision for Arkansas real.”

www.wrfoundation.org • A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

McGehee community center emphasizes education, college prep, new horizons

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potting rusty, broken and abandoned bicycles in McGehee one day, Rubye Graham Emerson came up with an idea for resurrecting the old bikes — and preparing children for college at the same time.

The retired educator and entrepreneur started the Bicycle Factory, an enterprise of the nonprofit McGehee Desha Alumni Community Center.

“We take the good parts of rusty old bicycles, and put them together to make a good, useful bicycle,” said Graham, the community center’s executive director. She’s known locally as Ms. Rubye.

Local students do the mechanical work. To become

members of the Bicycle Factory each student must submit a wallet-sized photo; a Social Security card; applications and other forms signed by a parent or legal guardian, and a report card.

“We want kids to come in, have fun and learn to work with their hands, but we also want them to keep their grades up,” Ms. Rubye said.

The McGehee community center works to expand educational opportunities for youth and adults, offering a smorgasbord of programs and activities, such as the Bicycle Factory; college preparation and computer literacy classes; tutoring; workforce training, and social services

Justice workers fight silent epidemic of wage theft

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ost American workers take for granted that they’ll get a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work, but for many others, theft of their wages by unscrupulous employers is an all-too-common occurrence.

Jose-Luis Aguayo, director of the Northwest Arkansas Worker’s Justice Center, says Latinos who come to work in Northwest Arkansas are often victims of what his organization calls a “silent epidemic” of wage theft.

Vulnerability and poor English language skills among newly arrived Latinos sometimes makes employers think they can get away without paying workers’ wages.

“There is a lot of exploitation,” Aguayo said. “Victims of wage theft are individuals who have been partially paid, or not paid at all, for the work they’ve done. Sometimes people aren’t paid the minimum wage or don’t receive overtime pay.”

Statistics on wage theft are hard to come by because it often goes unreported by vulnerable workers.

The Workers Justice Center, which receives support from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, works to stop wage theft and to improve conditions for low-wage workers in Northwest Arkansas by educating, organizing and mobilizing workers to help themselves find work-

places that are safe and fair.

“We want to make sure our members understand what is involved in making a legal claim and understand the process,” Aguayo said. “And we want them to be aware of their rights, to educate them on what they can do to tackle not only wage theft cases, but also any other issues that they have from a labor standpoint.”

The Northwest Arkansas center is one of 25 such organizations nationwide and part of the Global Workers Justice Alliance, which focuses on the same issues and on international problems such as human trafficking.

“We are not a union,” Aguayo said. “We are a nonprofit organization that concentrates on labor rights.

We have a network of attorneys that assists us. But we try to assist people and find solutions before they go into the legal realm.”

Northwest Arkansas’ poultry industry employs thousands of low-wage Latino workers, but the center’s work goes beyond a single group in a single industry.

“It’s a mixed crowd,” Aguayo said. “When we deal with wage theft, we get people from construction, cleaning services and restaurants. When we get issues of workers comp, discrimination and OSHA violations, they often

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION • www.wrfoundation.org

come from the poultry industry.”

Although the majority of the center’s members are Latino, the staff tries to help everyone with a labor problem who comes in the door.

Jose-Luis Aguayo conducts a “Know Your Rights” class.

“We have African-Americans, and we also have Marshallese who come in with issues of OSHA safety and health violations, injuries at work, workers compensation, unemployment assistance and any of the other issues as we see in the community,” Aguayo said.

The staff doesn’t ask — and isn’t required by law to ask — about a worker’s immigration status. But regardless of legal status, undocumented workers who don’t speak English are often the most vulnerable, he said.

“Because of their poor English language skills, they are also most likely to be targets for retaliation by their employers. They come to us for advice, not for legal advice, but for referrals,” he said. “We want people to step out of the shadows and go from being vulnerable workers to being more conscious ones who know they are entitled to the same rights as anyone else.” www.nwawjc.org MEREDITH MASHBURN

BRIAN CHILSON

Rubye Graham Emerson, known locally as Ms. Rubye, tries to reach students while they are still in elementary school to plant the seeds of a college education.

in Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha and Drew counties.

The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation provides partial funding as part of its emphasis on education programs.

In the heart of the Arkansas Delta, the center began with five friends and a donated building.

“All five of us graduated from McGehee High School at about the same time,” Ms. Rubye said.

The five set about seeking grants and donated equipment to get the community center up and going.

“I just get on the phone, find out about grants and deadlines, and then I just apply,” she said.

Ms. Rubye is a classic grassroots community organizer — energetic, informed, ingenious, plain spoken, resourceful and adaptable.

She’s a force of nature, letting few opportunities slip by.

She collects names and phone numbers, and establishes an informal partnership with almost everyone she meets.

At the community center, education is always the focus of activity. Ms. Rubye says she wants children to look beyond their current circumstances.

“We want to get them thinking about college,” she said.

Many area students have never been outside of the Arkansas Delta, and can’t yet see the opportunities that await them as college-age students and adults. Ms. Rubye said she tries to reach children as early as 6th grade to prepare them for college. A dozen 6th-to-8th grade students now attend the early college prep program.

“Once I had a group and I asked them, ‘Who wants to go to Harvard or Yale?’ ” she recalled. “No one raised their hand.”

Students said they didn’t want to venture that far from home, most had never been on an airplane, and none had set their sights that high.

On another occasion, Ms.Rubye raised money to take a group of children with good grades to Washington D.C. She dressed them in donated matching blue jackets, and took them on a White House tour.

“Every one of them graduated,” Ms. Rubye said proudly. www.deshaalumniassociation.org

MEREDITH MASHBURN

Director Frank Head Jr. says CCIS helps immigrants travel the long, complicated road to U.S. citizenship.

New Americans

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he road to becoming a U.S. citizen is long, complicated and often difficult, and the laws surrounding immigration can befuddle citizenship applicants.

But immigrant families have a guide and advisor in Catholic Charities Immigration Services in Springdale, which helps immigrant families through the years-long citizenship process.

“Last year we helped people from 32 different countries. But the majority come from Latin American countries – Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras,” Frank Head Jr., the agency’s director, said.

Arkansas is home to the nation’s fastest growing immigrant population, and many recent immigrants live in the state’s northwest corner.

CCIS is the only nonprofit provider of immigration services in the state accredited by the Federal Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Springdale organization helps immigrants start the citizenship process, and it provides referrals for training on preparation to enter the workforce. The organization also refers immigrants to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and provides other critical supports.

No dreams deferred

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The immigration services organization receives support from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. By preparing immigrants to become economically successful members of American society, CCIS serves the Foundation’s overarching goal of reducing the number of Arkansas families in poverty.

Frank Head said the Foundation assistance has had a dramatic effect.

“The grant has helped us increase our intake by 20 percent,” he said. Many people assisted by CCIS since receiving a 2011 Foundation grant are approaching the final steps toward naturalization – tests on U.S. history and the American political system, and finally the swearing-in ceremony, capping what for many has been a lifelong journey.

Five staff members, including Head, are certified to act as immigrants’ legal representatives before the federal Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation’s highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws.

Among other kinds of immigration cases, the appeals board considers petitions to classify the status of family members’ relatives still abroad for preference immigrant visas. Often immigrants come to the United States alone, and seek citizenship to bring their families to the United States through an arduous years-long process.

“Our primary mission — and the reason why the Catholic Diocese works on these issues — is family reunification,” he said. “We help people through the paperwork and the process so they can bring their families here and reunite.” www.dolr.org/offices/catholiccharities/ immigration-springdale.php

“Once you get them through those remedial courses, they can go on to get their associate degree or transfer to a university,” he said.” If you don’t get them out of remediation, there’s no way they can succeed.”

The other participating Arkansas colleges are the College of the Ouachitas in Malvern and National Park Community College in Hot Springs. PCCUA has three campuses in Helena-West Helena, Stuttgart and DeWitt.

Murray said PCCUA’s work requires administrative innovation and a reexamination of instruction methods.

any community college students across Ar- especially with students of color and with economically kansas bring more than books to school. disadvantaged students. Almost all of our students fit into Often they also carry the weight of their that category,” he said.

The five rural Delta counties that PCCUA serves are upbringing in low-wealth, rural households and of general unfamiliarity with higher education processes. These bar- among the nation’s 100 poorest.

And at PCCUA, the results have been dramatic. riers sometimes hamper the students’ success and block their path to graduation.

“We more than doubled our graduation rate since Four Arkansas community colleges, with the help of 2005,” said Deborah King, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with PCCUA’s vice chancellor the Lumina Foundation, are working to bring down these for instruction. barriers through an initiative called Achieving the Dream.

Both colleges have gone The initiative’s goal is to enable colleges to improve through a sea change — evaluating previous sucoutcomes for students by improving their ability to: • Successfully complete the courses they take cesses and failures, setting • Advance from remedial to credit-bearing courses goals for improving rates • Enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper courses of retention and gradu• Enroll from one semester to the next and earn degrees ation, establishing new and certificates standards, improving data Two of the colleges, Phillips County Community Col- collection, rethinking acalege of the University of Arkansas and Pulaski Techni- demic advising, revising cal College in North Little Rock, have been honored as curricula, and developing Faculty and administrators work together to help students Achieve the Dream of graduation. national leaders in efforts to provide more effective devel- new student orientation opmental education. procedures.

The schools are officially designated “leader colleges” Dan Baake, the Pulaski Tech president, echoed Mur- The effort requires active participation from adminiswithin the national Achieving the Dream initiative. They ray’s remarks. trators and faculty. It also requires a frank examination are among only 52 colleges nationally to be so recognized.

“We have really geared up all across the college for the of race, class, gender, and poverty in relation to student performance.

Chancellor Steve Murray of the Phillips County Com- Achieving the Dream initiative” Baake said.

“We take ownership of the barriers to success and no munity College of the University of Arkansas (PCCUA) “It’s helped us form an entirely new culture — how we longer just see them as nonacademic issues that aren’t says the program has helped change the school’s culture. think, how we do things, how we operate.”

Where once the college may have focused on boosting Pulaski Tech, he said, concentrates on helping Achieve our responsibility, “ said Murray. “It’s changed the way enrollment, it now focuses on student success, he said. the Dream students get past gatekeeper courses, on reme- we see ourselves.” www.achievingthedream.org “The purpose of this initiative is to achieve success, dial math, English and writing. www.wrfoundation.org • A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

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or the Arkansas United Community Coalition (AUCC,) partnership is powerful.

“Everything we do, we do in partnership. We’re really about bringing people together,” said AUCC director Mireya Reith.

AUCC is an immigrants’ rights nonprofit organization founded in 2010 to bring together Arkansas-based organizations and people across sectors to empower immigrants in Arkansas through organizing, coalition building, and promotion of civic engagement.

AUCC supports immigrants and other multicultural communities to be agents of positive change in Arkansas through grassroots programs that help immigrants to integrate into the Arkansas community and the state economy.

In its initial stages AUCC concentrated on organizing, making contact with immigrant communities across the state and identifying potential partners. By now, Reith said, AUCC has 24 partner organizations across Arkansas, about 75 volunteers, and another 18 organizers who are immigrants themselves.

The coalition currently has a presence in areas with a high concentration of immigrants in Springdale, Rogers, Fort Smith, Little Rock, Jonesboro and DeQueen.

“For us it’s really about bringing different stakeholders together so they can identify principles and determine what path we’ll take collectively,” the director said.

AUCC is affiliated with three national organizations, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FAIR), Reform Immigration for America (RI4A), and the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network (SEIRN).

The 18 immigrant organizers are part of AUCC’s flagship program, known as Change Agents, which is supported by a grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

Through the Change Agents program, the coalition hopes to activate Arkansas immigrants to lead commu-

nity-building efforts. The Change Agents themselves are people from low-income backgrounds who haven’t previously served in leadership positions, but whose neighbors and colleagues identify them as having strong leadership potential.

The coalition offers three organizer training sessions a year for Change Agents — one in their own communities, one at the state level, and one where each organizer goes outside the state to see how others work to support immigrants.

The Change Agents training is hands-on.

“This isn’t the kind of thing you learn in a classroom.

You learn by doing it,” Reith said.

Program participants develop local grassroots groups and implement immigrant-driven community projects.

Most of AUCC’s partners are nonprofit organizations.

But the coalition also has partnerships with some government agencies. One such partner is the office of Governor Mike Beebe, which works with AUCC in providing citizenship workshops.

Other coalition partners are in law enforcement. They work together to identify needs in the immigrant communities and to assess the impact on immigrants of local and federally mandated law enforcement programs. By comparing notes, Reith said, partners learn about needs they didn’t know about previously.

“One of the needs we see is information focusing on the impact of these law enforcement programs,” Reith said.

“For example we could establish a hot line for families that find themselves facing deportation or a family member facing deportation as a result of these programs.”

AUCC also works in voter registration, voter education and voter mobilization. And the coalition is gearing up to study and report on federal immigration policies, Reith said.

Eighty percent of AUCC’s work is with Latino immi-

BRIAN CHILSON

Communities united for change

AUCC director Mireya Reith says partnerships get results on immigration issues.

grants, Reith said, but the coalition is constantly reaching out to other groups.

“We’ve been in touch with the Marshallese community in Springdale, the Vietnamese community in Fort Smith.

We’ve been involved with the people of the African diaspora around the state, and we’ve also made efforts to reach out to the Asian community and the Arab community in Little Rock,” she said.

Reith said the time is right for helping immigrant leaders to emerge.

“The immigrant communities have been here long enough that it’s perfect timing for this kind of work,” the AUCC director said. “They’ve established homes here, are raising their kids here, and very much see themselves as residents of Arkansas. They want to see Arkansas reach its full potential, which is what all of us want to see.” www.arkansascoalition.org

Light bulbs come on at academy for nonprofit leaders

ENLACE LATINO

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hen two different Arkansas nonprofit groups learned each was planning separate training for new nonprofit leaders, they found a way to make one-plus-one equal much more than just two.

One Community Una Communidad! and Arkansas Communities of Excellence (ACE) came together with help from Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation President and CEO Dr. Sherece West, and together they crafted a plan for leadership training to have broad impact on Arkansas communities.

The result was the annual Arkansas Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy, which is now helping to develop new leaders in communities of color around the state and to find new partnerships committed to achieving racial and economic justice.

In 2011, the Academy’s first class included some 26 Latino and Marshallese leaders from 14 Arkansas groups such as LULAC 761 and New Latino Movement, both of Fayetteville; Hispanic Community Services of Jonesboro; the Association of Women of Arkansas in Little Rock and others.

“This was a really diverse group of people to work with,” said Al Lopez of Una Communidad! “We brought together people from all over the state, and it was really interest-

The Latino nonprofit Leadership Academy gives new leaders a suite of new skills in nonprofit management.

ing to see what they were all doing in their communities.”

The Academy, partly funded by the Foundation, gives new leaders a suite of skills in fundraising, programming, nonprofit management and more through workshops, coaching and interaction among the Arkansas nonprofit leaders.

ACE and Una Communidad! were co-training part-

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION • www.wrfoundation.org

ners and community advisors, and the Maryland-based Center for Leadership Innovation served as the training resource. Academy graduates and their organizations will continue to receive mentoring and technical assistance as needed.

Planning for the second class of the Academy in 2012 is currently underway.

Lopez, a longtime community advocate in Northwest Arkansas, said the Academy was a life-changing experience for many, including himself. As the first class began the training, many participants weren’t sure where it would take them.

“In the beginning, we were all a little hesitant. We didn’t know each other, and we were wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into,” Lopez said, laughing.

But as the participants began to find common ground, they also began to come up with a wealth of ideas for organizing and partnerships.

“You could almost see the light bulbs coming on over our heads,” Lopez said. “I think people really learned a lot from the experience because it was something we really needed.” http://www.centerforleadershipinnovation.org/programs/latino-academies/arkansas

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ne of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation’s investments more than three decades ago has continued year after year to demonstrate the wisdom of investing in people.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) received its first investment from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in 1977 to support AACF’s work of ensuring that all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to realize their full potential.

In its decades of success in education-oriented social action, one recent Arkansas Advocates example illustrates the benefit to Arkansans of the early investment.

Beginning in 2003, AACF and others convinced the Arkansas legislature to expand, by $10 million annually, funding for pre-kindergarten. As a result, the state now serves all of Arkansas’ at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds. AACF is now seeking to expand the rich benefits of pre-K attendance to more children from low-income families.

“We have been a leader in the fight to make quality preschool available to at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds in the state,” said AACF senior analyst Paul Kelly.

But still more must be done to engage children younger than age 3, said Kelly.

“We just aren’t reaching those kids, particularly those in extreme poverty,” he said. “If we don’t have some interventions and supports early in their brain development, we are really going to be facing the consequences of that for a long time to come.”

AACF currently leads a coalition fighting for highquality after-school and summer programs for Arkansas children of all ages.

The Foundation seed money and continuing investments in Arkansas Advocates made it possible for AACF to conduct a range of activities that have put the most vulnerable children and families on the policy change agenda, ensuring an independent voice and advocate at the state capitol.

Arkansas Advocates seeks long-term changes in policies on health care, education, juvenile justice, child welfare, and economic support for poor children and families. The organization creates collaborations with officials inside and outside of state government and the state legislature.

AACF also provides data-driven research and hard facts to policymakers on issues affecting children and families.

One recent report examined in detail how uninsured children are faring in Arkansas. Another showed that the state is losing up to $113 million a year in

What You Can Do • Actively support nonprofit organizations in your community. Take time to educate yourself on the challenges facing Arkansas families and find your own

BRIAN CHILSON

BRIAN CHILSON

Ensuring children and families reach their full potential

Senior analyst Paul Kelly of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families says early investments in children’s education have long-term benefits to Arkansas.

sales tax revenue on Internet purchases. (Although Arkansans are required to pay sales taxes on Internet and catalogue sales, few consumers pay these taxes because retailers are not forced to collect them at the point of sale.) The millions in lost revenue could have been used to support public services, AACF contended in the report.

Arkansas Advocates over time has changed with changing needs. In the last decade, the organization has increased involvement in tax and budget issues, with added attention to the minimum wage and a fair tax system that doesn’t penalize middle- and lowerincome children and families.

“If you don’t understand the tax and budget systems of child welfare, you cannot advocate for the programs,” says AACF deputy director Jennifer Ferguson.

The organization played an important role in the 2009 closing of “payday lender” operators in Arkansas.

Payday lenders are a major source of instant cash for Arkansas’ low-income working families and consumers with heavy debt burdens and poor credit histories.

Payday loans often trap consumers in high-cost debt. To qualify for a payday loan, borrowers only need a bank account and a steady income. They write a post-dated personal check in exchange for cash

from the lender who then holds the check for the loan term, typically one to four weeks or until the borrower’s next payday.

But the entire loan is due in full on payday and is not repaid in smaller installments like most auto loans, home mortgage loans, and loans for furniture. Most borrowers are unable to pay back the loan within the term.

In order to avoid default, customers renew the loan and pay the interest fee for another pay period.

Payday loan borrowers become trapped in this cycle of debt, forced to pay interest every pay period often for months or years.

Arkansas brought the curtain down on payday lenders after the overturn of a 1999 Arkansas Supreme Court decision that allowed them to do business in the state.

The Southern Good Faith Fund was one of the organization’s that collaborated with AACF in the effort.

“Payday lending is history in Arkansas, and it is a triumph of both conscience and constitutionality,” Michael Rowett of the Southern Good Faith Fund said at the time. “Arkansas consumers and the rule of law-are the ultimate victors.”

ways to promote social justice and economic development in your community. Give generously of your time and talents.

• Advocate for positive change in your community. Create opportunities to connect with your friends, family

and local policymakers around the issues that you care about. Be a voice for someone who may not have one.

• Be an Ambassador for progress in our state. Wherever you go, promote the positive, encourage innovation, and be an active problem solver.

www.wrfoundation.org • A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

Forging success for small business loans in amounts banks consider too small. tance on writing a business plan, marketing and financial Loan amounts range from $500 to $70,000. FORGE management. FORGE offers the assistance to current charges a one-time membership fee of $35, and offers and prospective borrowers and to the general public. loans at a lower fixed rate than banks. Current borrowers FORGE can provide mentors for owners of new or include a goat farmer, a graphic artist, a backhoe operastruggling businesses. Through its contacts, the orgator, a florist, a midwife, a bakery owner, an adventure nization can put owners in touch with professionals to camping operator, several small manufacturers and help with legal, financial or strategic issues. others.

A group of organic farmers from Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma founded FORGE in 1989.

They believed that a lack of affordable capital hindered farmers who wanted to incorporate sustainable agricultural practices into their farming systems. The organic farmers formed the revolving loan fund to meet the needs of small Deanna Dickey of Dickey Farm near Tontitown is a FORGE loan recipient. farmers.

Over the years, FORGE Stockton said that because of its size and the kinds members realized that agriculture was only one need of rural communities. They also realized that the loan of loans it makes, FORGE offers no competition to conprogram should include businesses that provide serventional banks. vices and stable job opportunities to rural families. So “They are not proponents of what we do, and they FORGE became an SBA Microlender in 1998 and now are not opponents of what we do,” he said. “We live in also offers technical assistance to start-up businesses. different worlds.”

FORGE provides business-specific technical assiswww.forgeonline.com

FORGE

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he 2008 Recession brought a mixed blessing to nonprofit Financing Rural Growth and Economy, Inc. or FORGE. The economic crisis has been bad for almost everybody’s business. But it squeezed small businesses and others out of the loan markets served by conventional banks. And as a result, the FORGE revolving fund has attracted new business and has made more loans and expanded its assets.

“We’ve had the most successful years we’ve ever had,” said FORGE director Charlie Stockton. “It all started in 2009 when the banks stopped making loans to people.”

FORGE is a community-based membership organization that operates a revolving loan fund, primarily serving start-up businesses, farmers, homeowners and other nonprofits in Northwest Arkansas.

FORGE receives support from individual members, trusts, businesses, corporations, and foundations, including the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. The Foundation’s support comes as part of its efforts to boost the state’s economy by supporting the development of small businesses. Small businesses employ about half of the state’s private workforce.

The Huntsville-based nonprofit borrows from the federal Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, charities, foundations and individual investors. FORGE then loans the money to start-up businesses, small farmers and individuals who’ve been denied credit by conventional banks, to businesses that banks consider too nontraditional and to people seeking

Helping marginalized male students to graduate

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ollege challenges every student, but often it’s especially challenging for marginalized males — men whose ethnicity, socio-economic background or poor preparation for college pushes them to the margins and leaves them at a dramatic disadvantage.

“The research is clear,” said Kareem Moody of Pulaski Technical College. “Males, particularly males of color and low-income males, are lagging in terms of graduation rates in higher education.”

Studies have produced some alarming results, finding that: • African-American males account for only 2.8 percent of undergraduate students.

• In Arkansas only 4 percent of the Latino population has an associate’s degree or higher.

• College completion rates for African American males in Arkansas are below 15 percent, often due to a lack of resources and guidance.

Arkansas colleges, universities and nonprofit community groups are paying increased attention to such students through the Marginalized Males Workforce and Education Consortium, an initiative linking higher education and community groups focused on increasing graduation rates for marginalized males. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation funds and facilitates the consortium.

Among the institutions participating in the initiative are Pulaski Technical College; the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Arkansas Baptist College; Phillips County Community College of the University of Arkansas; Henderson State University and Arkansas State University.

Also participating are community organizations P.A.R.K.

(Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids) of Little Rock, City Youth Ministries in Jonesboro and the STAND Foundation Inc. of North Little Rock.

Pulaski Tech operates the Network for Student Success, a campus-based, male-focused recruitment BAKKE and retention program.

“Our program and others like it are working hard to create the social and academic supports needed to ensure that once [marginalized male students] get here, they don’t leave until they have the credentials necessary to move themselves and their families forward economically,” said Network director Moody.

The North Little Rock two-year college offers educational programs and services for technical career education; workforce development; university transfer education; general education; adult education and continuing education.

Students’ ability to succeed in these areas depends on achieving the credits to qualify for graduation or for transferring to a university, said retiring Pulaski Tech president Dan Bakke.

Without assistance and support, minority, lowincome and often rural — male students may be more vulnerable to falling behind and dropping out of college. Pulaski Tech’s campus-wide support system includes in-depth academic counseling, subject-

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION • www.wrfoundation.org

specific coaching and mentoring.

Like other Arkansas colleges Pulaski Tech uses techniques such as “intrusive counseling,” where advisors, counselors or academic coaches keep close tabs on marginalized students, looking for any sign — from disheveled clothing to tardiness or poor class attendance — that shows the student may be falling behind.

Advisors address the behavior with the student immediately to find out what’s going on and to provide support. If there is a problem, advisors and the student work out ways to resolve it right away.

Bakke said Pulaski Tech learned from its experience in another retention and graduation program, Achieving the Dream, and uses the same techniques in its work with marginalized males.

“Once you help them get through the remedial and required courses, they get on track and streamline right on through,” Bakke said.

He said a number of marginalized male students have gone on to earn university degrees.

“We’ve got one student graduating this spring from the University of Arkansas with an engineering degree,” Bakke said.

Improved retention and graduation rates are indicators of the college’s success with marginalized male students and lay the groundwork for Pulaski Tech to assist future students, he said.

“Every time you improve your retention and graduation rate, you move the ball, Bakke said. “And when you move the ball, you’re on the road to success.”

HIS TRUTH, CONT.

JEREMY GLOVER

made fiddles and guitars, to form a string band. They from all walks of life in a very profound and simple way is spent their teenage years learning to play a variety of evident throughout his life, whether in the blues circuit styles to satisfy the segregated audiences at weekend-long of depression-era Chicago or playing with folk artists like picnics and black audiences at stifling, packed juke joints.

Pete Seeger at colleges and summer camps in the 1940s or In Broonzy’s account of his formative years, he joined in the final years of his life spreading the gospel of blues to foreign audiences and admirers throughout Europe. the U.S. Army in 1917 and fought in France during World When Riesman first got the idea to write a book on War I. In the various versions of these events he presented in writings and interviews, Broonzy described blues or folk music, he admits he was not very familthe often degrading, humiliating experience faced by iar with Broonzy, but the name kept popping up in his black soldiers who were subjected to the most menial research. He soon discovered he had selected a beguiling, jobs and received harsh punishment for any perceived confounding subject. slight. These stories he told not only detail the conditions “Studs Terkel said about Bill that he is telling the truth during war, but also what a black man in uniform had — his truth,” Riesman said. “That turned out to be a chalto endure once he returned home where he was often lenge I didn’t know I’d be faced with but was a cenviewed as a threat because of the respect he would likely tral challenge for a would-be biographer.” As Riesman dug deeper into his initial research, he was puzzled by be accorded. Broonzy described his initial return from battle when he was met in the street by a former employer the incongruities in the life and timeline that Broonzy who told him not to be parading around in “Uncle Sam’s described and what historical records actually showed. uniform.” When he pleaded that he had no other clothes, “Finally, I concluded, in the words of Winnie the Pooh, the old boss told Broonzy that he still owed money and ‘The more I looked for it the more it wasn’t there,’ ” Riesthe only thing he could have was some overalls to work man said. in so he could pay off his debt. It was an episode Broonzy The first clue to Broonzy’s origin was found in a box of would revisit in stark detail in his song, “When Will I Get old letters in Amsterdam. While digging into the exploits to Be Called a Man?” and relationships Broonzy had experienced in Europe, The facts that he would have been 14 at the start of the war, and that no draft registration card exists for him like there does for his brother, lead Riesman to conclude Broonzy never joined the military despite his richly detailed stories, which were most likely fabricated from the accounts of returning veterans. Yet, the episodes he shared were brutally accurate as they relate to the harrowing experience of black soldiers during and after the war.

“He made a decision to use himself, his family and others in the world that he grew up in and came from in Jefferson County, Arkansas, as ways of conveying to primarily white audiences the story of the African American experience in this country, particularly in the first half of the 20th century,” Riesman told the Arkansas Times.

BILL’S KIN: Jo Ann Jackson (left) and Rosie Tolbert.

“He used his exceptional way with words both in songwriting and in other writings to speak out against racial injustice at a time Riesman interviewed Pim van Isveldt, who was Broonzy’s when that was taking a significant professional risk for any Dutch girlfriend and the father of his only son. musician and particularly an African American musician.”

“When Pim showed me an envelope containing a In the mid-1920s, Broonzy joined the migration of hunletter that Bill had sent to her, and the return address dreds of thousands of African Americans traveling north displayed in his handwriting the last name Wesley and a street address in North Little Rock, that was the first to Chicago for the possibility of a better life. He quickly time I had come across any documentation that directly realized that playing a guitar would get you more work connected Bill with Arkansas,” Riesman said. than being a country fiddle player, making a transition A few months later, Riesman traveled to Little Rock that would see him become one of the most gifted and prolific session musicians in the robust Chicago music where he scoured the Arkansas History Commission for scene of the 1930s. As he would at many other points in new leads. He was able to locate the obituary of Lannie his life, Broonzy made connections to influential people Bradley Wesley, who Riesman had recently learned was that could provide recording opportunities with a variBroonzy’s sister. A resourceful employee then suggested ety of musicians and ensembles, including Georgia Tom he attend the bible class held that evening at the church Dorsey, Jazz Gillum, Lil Green, State Street Boys, Washmentioned in the obituary. After asking a few people board Sam and Memphis Nighthawks. at the church about the family, he was soon handed a “I think what Big Bill did extraordinarily well is chart phone to speak with Broonzy’s grandniece, Rosie Tolbert. his own course, even before he began his 30-year record“My first thought was he’s pulling my leg,” Tolbert told ing career in the late 1920s. At no point was there anyone the Times. “When they called me from down at church and said ‘Rosie, there’s this guy down here and he’s writthat was formally his manager or in a position to say, ‘I ing a book about your uncle,’ I said, ‘Yeah right.’ ” think you should go in this direction or play in this style,’ ” Riesman said. “He was able to identify the next musical It didn’t take Riesman long to convince Tolbert and her trend, and he did so numerous times.” sister Jo Ann Jackson that he was sincere in his efforts.

The capacity Broonzy had for connecting with people The sisters would spend the next several years sharing

their family history with Riesman, in particular, a key document dating back to the late 1800s chronicling the Bradley family births, marriages and deaths, which clearly shows Lee Conley Bradley born in Arkansas in 1903.

“We always knew he was born here,” Tolbert said. “I didn’t know why he did the Mississippi thing, but he did grow up near Scott, Ark., and it probably just popped into his mind to say Mississippi.”

Even though Tolbert and Jackson were young, they both have fond memories of the excitement that always surrounded their uncle’s visits to North Little Rock.

“When Uncle Bill came home it was really a treat,” Jackson said. “We’d party — I’d guess you would call it that. My grandmother would cook, Uncle Bill would play and we’d dance and have a good time.”

The way Tolbert and Jackson described their uncle reflects the sentiments of his friends, associates and acolytes, including Muddy Waters who once described Broonzy as “the nicest guy I ever met in my life.”

“He was the happiest person I think I’ve ever seen,” Tolbert said. “He was just always happy, and he loved kids.”

The success and notoriety Broonzy experienced in the latter part of his life as an ambassador bringing blues music and culture to international audiences was, in Riesman’s view, perhaps his most powerful and lasting contribution. From the very beginning, Broonzy told his new audience that the only people who can sing the real blues are those who come from the kinds of rural conditions with mules, cotton fields and the types of circumstances he describes in his songs.

“The more I look at interviews he gave and articles written about him, particularly those first experiences in foreign countries, the more struck I was and am now at how masterfully he took on that role from the very beginning,” Riesman said.

“This was something there was no template for — he was not following in anybody’s footsteps. There’s no evidence as he was doing this that there was anything but a clear-sighted and resolute awareness of himself as someone who could do several things simultaneously and very well. Namely, he sets foot in England and he presents himself not just as a musician but as someone who could guide the listener to an understanding of the world the music came from — the world whose conditions produced the blues, and he’s quite eloquent on that subject.”

When Broonzy died from cancer in August of 1958, he was a very prominent figure, who rated an obituary in the New York Times, an article in Time, and a two-page spread and editorial in Ebony. Three years later, the first full LP compilation of Robert Johnson recordings was released to a rapturous response. What followed was a renewed appreciation and resurgence in blues music with many of the retired artists finding new touring and recording opportunities and even greater international acclaim.

While his stature in the pantheon of American blues and folk music might have declined over the years, Riesman sees a place for Big Bill Broonzy in the rich musical tradition of his home state.

“I think it would be wonderful if the state and people in the state and friends of the state could claim him as one of the many exceptional musicians to have come from Arkansas.” www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

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THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

WEDNESDAY 4/18

THURSDAY 4/19

UMPHREY’S MCGEE

50TH ANNUAL ARKANSAS FOLK FESTIVAL

8 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge. $29.

Of all the many, many wisdom nuggets contained in Joe Boyd’s fascinating autobiography “White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s,” my favorite is this: “The stoned ear loves complexity.” Does it ever. Boyd was referring to Scottish acid-folkies The Incredible String Band, one of the groups he produced back in the heyday of the hippies. But his observation rings true still and could certainly apply to Umphrey’s McGee, a Chicago six-piece that’s been one of the bigger bands on the jam circuit for several years now.

These are the kind of guys who in middle school worshipped Metallica and Maiden and then in high school they got into Zappa and Santana and then they went to college and somebody hipped ’em to Gong and PFM and every spare minute they had they spent hunched over their guitars or drum kits playing

6 p.m. Downtown Mountain View and Ozark Folk Center. Free.

UMPHREAKS REJOICE: Because Umphrey’s McGee is playing Wednesday and Thursday night at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.

scales and rudiments. Then they started a band that took all those influences and countless hours of practice and put ’em in a giant blender. While UM general falls into the jam-band milieu, they’re not as classic rock-oriented as peers like The String Cheese Incident and not as electronically inclined as bands like STS9 or The Disco Biscuits.

They have, however, earned that most coveted jam-band distinction, which is a fan base big enough to justify having its own name. In this case, it would be the Umphreaks, who will likely be out in force for these shows. The band plays at the same time and place Thursday night. Tickets are apparently going fast, so get on it, Umphreaks.

The Arkansas Folk Festival isn’t your typical music fest, with giant stages and $9 Bud Lights and merch booths and endless rows of port-a-potties. It’s a much more down-to-earth affair, with impromptu performances taking place at venues all over Mountain View. Of course, there will be some scheduled events, including a young musicians concert Thursday night, a fiddlers showcase at 2 p.m. and a talent show at 5 p.m. on Friday, a parade downtown at 10 a.m. and a matinee program at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Old Gym. Throughout, there will be tons of arts and crafts demonstrations at the Ozark Folk Center state park, which will be offering shuttles to and from downtown on Friday and Saturday.

The artisans market will feature the handiwork of scores of craftspeople.

SATURDAY 4/21

COLOUR REVOLT

8 p.m. Stickyz. $10 adv., $12 d.o.s.

COLLEGE ROCK: Sara Bareilles plays the First Thaw Festival at Harding University on Friday night.

FRIDAY 4/20

FIRST THAW FESTIVAL

8 p.m. Harding University. $20-$25.

When it comes to booking quality concerts, the college campuses of Arkansas have been killing it over the last few years. Of course, many of these performances are only open to students. It’s kind of annoying when you hear about some awesome upcoming show by your favorite band of all time, but you can’t go see it no matter what. Frustrating!

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ARKANSAS TIMES

Anyways, the second annual First Thaw Festival at Harding University is billed as being “designed to bring music, art and film to the student body and surrounding community.” Nice. This year’s festivities start on Friday night, with singer/ songwriters Sara Bareilles and Katie Herzig.

On Saturday, things get rolling at 11 a.m. with a bazaar and performances from Brett Vanderzee, The Shindiggers, Brianna Gaither, The Sheriffs of Nottingham and The Coasts.

Colour Revolt is a Mississippi outfit that has been at it for a few years, though in a different configuration than it was at the outset.

Early in the band’s life, they signed to Interscope, which released their first EP on one of its subsidiaries. That release got quite a bit of interest, including the attentions of Oxford label Fat Possum, which released the group’s 2008 full-length debut, “Plunder, Beg, And Curse.” While “Plucky Mississippi indie label snatches hot up-and-coming band from the jaws of the majors” makes for a compelling storyline, the relationship wasn’t to endure. Three of the five band members quit and Fat Possum dropped the band.

Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick could’ve just called it a day, but they opted to forge ahead, finding replacements for their erstwhile band mates, recording a sophomore album and creating their own imprint, New Fear. In a press release, Coppenbarger said New Fear was the result of “a collapse of interest between the band and Fat Possum. We fell apart. We felt that no one was representing us but us. We lost some brothers, survived and came out feeling like we could do this on our own and better. ‘The Cradle’ will prove that.” So does it? I think so. Whereas “Plunder” seemed plodding to these ears, “The Cradle” charges out of the gate with “8 Years,” which documents the travails and pitfalls of playing music and touring and partying hard with your best friends. The rest of the album doesn’t quite live up to the righteous raucousness of that tune, but its themes of loss and trouble are maintained for the duration of the album, which has a more proggy feel than anything the band has done before, and points to the possibility of things to come. Opening the show is the intense local rockers Velvet Kente.

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 4/19

SATURDAY 4/21

RECORD STORE DAY

11 a.m. Arkansas Record & CD Exchange.

Man, for some of us, this recently minted observance is bigger than Christmas, New Year’s Day, Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Diwali, Halloween, Earth Day, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day, Easter and International Talk Like a Pirate Day all put together. It’s a celebration of that most hallowed space, that spiritual refuge from the disposable

world of Facebook and Twitter and instant gratification and 24/7 nonstop irritating BS that is modern life in America. I’m speaking, of course, of the record store. Now, if you don’t really care about music or if you’re perfectly content listening to tinny mp3s you got from BitTorrent then this won’t apply to you. But for the true music lovers, nothing beats an afternoon spent sifting through stack after stack of LPs, 45s and 78s looking for vinyl gold. This year, Bill Eginton over at Arkansas

Record & CD Exchange will have a good number of the exclusive, limitededition releases put out on Record Store Day. He said he won’t know exactly which titles he’ll have until Friday night, and many people have already called dibs on some. But with more than 250 releases, there’s sure to be something to tickle your ears. And while Been Around Records won’t have any of the RSD exclusives this year, owner John Harris told the Times that “every day is Record Store Day.”

where he asks about where and when you’ve made love? “Have you ever made love just before breakfast? Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show? Have you ever made love on a couch?” It’s a classic, for sure, but lately I’ve been digging on his late ’60s Atlantic albums. Their stirring blend of blues and R&B sound utterly timeless.

But Carter’s still got his pipes nowadays,

his voice as rich and powerful as it ever was. This will be a big time, for sure. Some of the other performers include Sweet Angel, from Memphis, Bigg Robb, T.K. Soul, Donnie Ray and more. You can get advance tickets at Butler Furniture, Roger’s Furniture, Lindsey’s Barbecue, Uncle T’s Food Mart, Ugly Mike’s and The Record Rack in Pine Bluff or by calling 501-401-0200.

SATURDAY 4/21

BLUES ON THE RIVER

3 p.m. Riverfest Amphitheatre. $25-$35.

One thing is for certain: with this lineup, there’s gonna be some lovemaking going on in Little Rock Saturday night. Blues on the River is one for the grown folks, with living legend Clarence Carter headlining.

I first heard Carter on a cassingle of his ’90s hit “Strokin.” Remember that one,

If your Thursday night calls for charmingly self-deprecating, unkempt indie rock then don’t miss The Hidden Rex, playing with William Krzeszinski at The Afterthought, 8 p.m. free. Downtown Music Hall has a night of highoctane rock with Johnny Rocket and The Real Deal, Hollywood Rockafella and Belair, 8 p.m., $6. Blues rock wunderkind Steven Neeper and his band play the Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free.

Austin, Texas favorites Band of Heathens swing through town for some rootsy singer/songwriter rock, with The Delta Saints, Stickyz, all-ages, 9 p.m., $10. Modern hard-rockers Hurt play an 18-and-older show at Revolution with Kingsdown, 9 p.m., $14 adv., $16 d.o.s. The Chamber Music Society of Little Rock features Michael Brown, performing works by Albeniz, Debussy, Schubert, and Brown’s own composition, “Constellations and Toccata,” St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 7:30 p.m., $25. Argenta Community Theater’s first anniversary gala honors Rick Fleetwood with the inaugural Arkansas Patron Award, cocktail attire is appropriate, Clinton Presidential Center, 7 p.m., $200.

FRIDAY 4/20

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra features soloist Tatiana Rotman at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild, Woodlands Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $35. Singer/ songwriter and Hendrix alum Graham Wilkinson returns to White Water Tavern, with Fayetteville’s Sarah Hughes, 10 p.m., $5. For a guaranteed good time, check out The Crescent City’s Dirty Dozen Brass Band, playing an 18-and-older show with FreeVerse at Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

Renowned actor, writer, musician and funnyman Mike Epps does standup at Robinson Center Music Hall, 8 p.m., $42-$51. Afterward, Twelve Modern Lounge hosts an after party starting at 10 p.m., which is free with a ticket stub from Epps’ performance. The Arkansas Travelers take on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Dickey-Stephens park at 7:10 p.m., $6-$12.

SATURDAY 4/21

THE WAITING: Is almost over, for those of you who’ve been looking forward to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, who play Verizon Arena Saturday night.

SATURDAY 4/21

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

7:30 p.m. Verizon Arena. $28-$100.

More than any other rock ’n’ rollers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers bridge the gap between the halcyon days of rock and whatever it is we’re living through now. What can you say about Petty? Both solo and with The Heartbreakers and the Traveling Wilburys, he’s got one of the strongest

catalogs in all of music, with a string of absolute, stone-cold classic hits that sound as good now as when they were released. He was in a band with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. No disrespect to Matthew McConaughey, but Petty possesses the greatest easygoing southern drawl of all-time (e.g., his work as Elroy “Lucky” Kleinschmidt on “King of the Hill.”) His SiriusXM radio show, “Buried Treasure,” is pure rock ’n’

roll heaven, blasting out the deep tracks and obscurities and telling tales and anecdotes that sometimes veer off onto hilarious stoner tangents. I don’t know what else to say: he’s one of the greatest rockers ever and he’s coming to Little Rock and I am beyond psyched about it. As his opener on this tour, Petty’s bringing Regina Spektor, a critically adored singer/songwriter whose fans are probably pretty different from your typical Tom Petty followers.

Get crafty at Etsy Little Rock’s 2nd Annual Indie Arts & Music Festival, featuring booths from local Etsy sellers, food trucks and music from Mike Mullins, Michael Leonard Witham, Isaac Alexander and Mandy McBryde, Shoppes on Woodlawn, 10 a.m. The Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue is back at Juanita’s, with Red Snapper and Mr. Snapper, Cinnamon Twirl and Siss E. Sassafrass and music from the excellent Tulsa garage-punkers Broncho, 9:30 p.m. The Foul Play Cabaret comes to Maxine’s, with Rosa Lee Bloom & Raven Rose, Amanda Avery and AmyJo Savannah, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. Women’s fulltackle pro football is what’s in store as the Arkansas Bansheess take on the Kansas Phoenix at J.A. Fair Magnet High School, 6 p.m., $5. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

31

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

Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m., free.

201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. 501-450-5018.

COMEDY

The Sandman. The Loony Bin, through April 20, 8 p.m.; April 20, 10:30 p.m.; April 21, 7, 9 and 11 p.m.; April 22, 8 p.m., $8-$12. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18

MUSIC

Annual Bluegrass Jam Session. Camping fee is $12 per night, with full hook-ups available.

Cypress Creek Park, through April 21. Cypress Creek Avenue, Adona. 501-662-4918.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Chris Henry. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m.; April 25, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-8302100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

KABF 88.3 benefit show. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Missing Cats. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

The Pickoids. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl. com.

A Plea for Purging, Legions Await, Distiller.

Downtown Music Hall, 6:30 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Umphrey’s McGee. George’s Majestic Lounge, 8 p.m., $29. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-442-4226.

Wedding, Satellites and Sirens, Wavorly, Pioneer. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $10. 923 W. 7th St. 501375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

COMEDY

The Sandman. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

2012 Arkansas Arts Summit. Conference focused on building and maintaining strong arts organizations, featuring Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser and keynote speaker President Bill Clinton. Clinton Presidential Center, $95. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-9766. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

LECTURES

George Srour and Joseph Bagambaki. Srour and Bagambaki, of education nonprofit Building Tomorrow, present “Re-imagining Rural Education in East Africa.” Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool. uasys.edu.

BENEFITS

2012 Bolo Bash luncheon. Fundraiser for Baptist Health includes special guest Kathryn Stockett, author of “The Help.” Baptist Health Center, 12 p.m. 9601 I-30. 501-202-1827.

CLASSES

Making Nutritious Delicious: Rice, Grains, &

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APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

DANCE

“Body Works.” Spring Dance Concert from UALR’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

UALR, April 19-21, 8 p.m.; April 22, 2:30 p.m., $5-$7. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-3456.

EVENTS

GOING THE DISTANCE: Central Valley Cali weirdos Cake bring their bone-dry humor and kaleidoscopic pop sensibility to the Arkansas Music Pavilion in Fayetteville, Thursday, 8 p.m., $25-$87 Beans. Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 10 a.m. p.m., $35. 1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton. 7275435. www.uawri.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19

MUSIC

50th Annual Arkansas Folk Festival. Includes a variety of events and live music at several venues, including the Ozark Folk Center. Mountain View square, April 19; April 20; April 21; April 22.

Mountain View, Mountain View. 870-269-8068.

Annual Bluegrass Jam Session. See April 18.

Band of Heathens, The Delta Saints. All-ages show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Cake. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 6 p.m. 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

Chamber Music Society of Little Rock: Michael Brown. Includes works by Albeniz, Debussy, Schubert, and Brown’s own composition, “Constellations and Toccata.” St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 7:30 p.m., $25. 1000 N. Mississippi Ave. 501-661-0520.

The Gettys (headliner), Darril Edwards (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

The Hidden Rex, William Krzeszinski. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Hurt. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.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.

Jeni and Billy. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Johnny Rocket and The Real Deal, Hollywood Rockafella, Belair. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $6. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Rusty White. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

Steven Neeper Band. All-ages. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

University of Central Arkansas Concert Choir.

Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

University of Central Arkansas jazz ensemble.

The jazz ensemble’s final performance for the semester. University of Central Arkansas, Snow

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, 4-8 p.m., free. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

Argenta Community Theater first anniversary gala. Honoring Rick Fleetwood with the inaugural Arkansas Patron Award. Cocktail attire.

Clinton Presidential Center, 7 p.m., $200. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Earth Day BioBlitz. Audubon Arkansas, 9 a.m.

4500 Springer Blvd. 501-244-2229. ar.audubon. org.

Fringe Benefits Salon Fifth Anniversary.

Donors of nonperishable food items for Arkansas Foodbank will be entered into a drawing for a $500 Fringe Benefits gift card.

Fringe Benefits, 5 p.m. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-664-1515. www.fringebenefitssalon.com.

Wine Tasting with Bruce Cochran. The Afterthought, 5:30 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

LECTURES

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: “Grandiose Schemes, Harsh Realities: The Civil War in Arkansas in 1862.” Old State House Museum, 12 p.m. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www. oldstatehouse.com.

Condoleezza Rice. Harding University, 7:30 p.m., $15. 900 E. Center Ave., Searcy. www. hardingtickets.com/.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Dickey-Stephens Park, 7:10 p.m. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 20

MUSIC

420 Party with Changus B. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $15. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

50th Annual Arkansas Folk Festival. See April 19.

Annual Bluegrass Jam Session. See April 18.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Includes soloist Tatiana Rotman at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild. Woodlands Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $35. 1101 De Soto Blvd., Hot Springs Village. 501-922-0036. www.hsvwoodlands.com.

Bluesboy Jag and His Cigar Box Guitars.

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, 6 p.m., free.

6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd., NLR. 501-833-3850. www.facebook.com/pages/Dogtown-Coffeeand-Cookery/221280641229600.

Brian Mullen. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150

50% OFF 2ND ENTREE *

WITH PURCHASE OF FULL ENTRÉe Half off least expensive entrée

COMEDY

Mike Epps. Robinson Center Music Hall, 8 p.m., $42-$51. Markham and Broadway. 800745-3000. www.littlerockmeetings.com/convcenters/robinson.

The Sandman. The Loony Bin, 10:30 p.m. $8-$12. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-

228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

“Body Works.” See April 19.

EVENTS

Food Truck Fridays. Includes three food trucks on the corner of Main Street and Capitol Avenue in Little Rock, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 501375-0121.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. MIke Epps after party. Twelve Modern Lounge, 10 p.m., Free with Mike Epps ticket stub. 1900 W. Third St. Pastel on Paper: Painting Dry with visiting artist Dan Massad. Advanced course on pastel mark-making and layering techniques.

Arkansas Arts Center, April 20-21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., $170-$213. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

Red Hat Society Day. Patrick Henry Hays Center, 1 p.m., $8. 401 W. Pershing, NLR. 501-753-8672. www.northlr.org/departments/senior-citizens.asp.

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Dine in • Take Out • Patio • full Bar Mon. -Fri. 10-10 • Sat. 9-10 Sun. 9-9

400 President Clinton Ave. (In the River Market)

Hours: 8 am 5:30 pm Mon - Sat 501-280-9888 372-6637 6820 Cantrell • 9am -10 pm The BesT AuThenTic MexicAn seAfood in Town Full Bar • Take out • Dine in For Gourmet Seafood lovers

501-868-8822 Monday • Friday: 10-10 • 18321 Cantrell Rd. • Hwy. 10 Saturday: 9-10 • Sunday: 9-9 *Must present coupon. One per party.

Not valid with any other offers. Offer Expires 4/30/12.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Dickey-Stephens Park, 7:10 p.m.; 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www. travs.com.

BOOKS

J.P. Cunningham. The author discusses his new book, “The Emerald Amulet.” Faulkner County Library, 3 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway.

501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Closing Date: 4/11/12 QC: CS

2012 Blues on the River. Featuring Clarence Carter, Bigg Robb, TK Soul, Donnie Ray, Sweet Angel and more. Riverfest Amphitheatre, 3 p.m., 501-433-0102. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-433-0102 or 501-433-0292. www.koky.com/.

50th Annual Arkansas Folk Festival. See April 19.

Annual Bluegrass Jam Session. See April 18.

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam fundraiser. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Big Gigantic. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 6 p.m.

2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville. www. arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

Butterfly with Irie Soul. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Cee Cee James. The Drop Zone, 7:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 221 Oak St., Leslie.

Chasing Daylight. Flying DD, 9 p.m. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

Colour Revolt, Velvet Kente. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue. Featuring Red Snapper and Mr. Snapper, Cinnamon Twirl and Siss E. Sassafrass, with after party music from Broncho. Juanita’s, 9:30 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-3721228. www.juanitas.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Pub: Arkansas Times

Trim: 2.125x12 Bleed: none Live: 1.875x11.75

MUSIC

Ad Name: Bud Light with a Twist Item #: PLB201110112 Job/Order #: 239105

Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Cool Shoes - 420 Party. All-ages show with DJs Wolf-E-Wolf, GDash, SpencerX and Gubernaculum. Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m.

211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Copper Road Band. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9 p.m., $5. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www. shooterslittlerock.com.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band, FreeVerse. 18-andolder show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

First Thaw Festival. Featuring Sara Bareilles and Katie Herzig. Harding University, 8 p.m., $25. 900 E. Center Ave., Searcy. 501-279-4106. www.firstthaw.com/.

“The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. Foul Play Cabaret, Red Napper & Mr. Snapper, Booyah! Dad. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Gas Station Disco. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, April 20-21, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Graham Wilkinson, Sarah Hughes. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jeff Coleman & The Feeders. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Lydia Can’t Breathe, Nailin David Down, Poet Fury, Burning the Past. Vino’s, 10 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Mother Hubbard & The Regulators.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Mr. Happy. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock. aspx.

Ramona & The Soul Rhythms (headliner) Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Rodge Arnold. The Tavern Sports Grill, 8 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Sean Austin. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

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

Thread. All-ages. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

UCA Jazz Band: “Moonlight Serenade.” The Ford Theater, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $15 door. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com.

The Woodies. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-2242010. www.markhamst.com.

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

33

AFTER DARK, CONT.

LAMBERT: Brought a diverse show to Verizon Arena.

Miranda Lambert

April 13, Verizon Arena

BY BILL PADDACK

M

before-I-leave ode. It’s a classic country theme with lines like “but tonight I’m going to love you like there’s no tomorrow,” but he freshens it up and delivers it with the right blend of pain and determination.

Niemann, perhaps until now known more for writing than singing, included a rockin’ version of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy” in his seven-song opening set. He also had fun with “One More Drinkin’ Song,” showcased his No. 1 hit “Lover, Lover” and showed he could slow it down with the tender, well-received “What Do You Want.” Following the applause for the latter, he responded wryly, “It’s good to know my pain is your pleasure.”

We won’t try to say the three singers saved the best for last, but we did love the encore. Lambert served up Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman” then brought the guys back out — drinks in hand — for a rollicking “Honky Tonk Heroes” that ol’ Waylon himself probably would have enjoyed.

Arkansas Largest Wrap... EVER At over 12,000 square feet it’s not just BIG... It’s MASSIVE Checkout the entire process facebook.com/RockCityWraps

34

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

We Wrap... Rock City

.com

iranda Lambert isn’t afraid to speak her mind and sing the songs she wants to sing.

Armed with a big voice, a feisty personality and a pink guitar, she did just that Friday night as she brought her On Fire Tour to Verizon Arena. Lambert — accompanied this time out by Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann — put on a high-energy show that featured her top hits plus covers ranging from Lady Gaga to Waylon Jennings.

With a crowd of 8,681 roaring their approval, she played the woman-out-forrevenge part to the hilt with such trademark hits as “Gunpowder and Lead” and “Kerosene.” Nobody in country music today can do it better. But while you’re watching her toss her hair with the best of ’em and whip out a threatening line or two with that strong voice, just don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s all she can do.

She sings about real people in an authentic way, covering a range of emotions. Her pairing of “Famous in a Small Town” and “Only Prettier” back to back was a highlight for us, as was the poignant “The House That Built Me” and her take on John Prine’s “That’s the Way That the World Goes ’Round.”

Lambert has enough country-rockers, ballads and anthems of her own to more than fill a concert set, but she seems to enjoy putting her “country girl version” out there to see what folks think on songs like Lady Gaga’s “You and I,” which she said she’d always thought would make “an awesome country song.” We have to admit, she proved her point.

With an easy smile and a nice stage presence, it’s not hard to see why Young has had five straight No. 1 singles. The 2006 winner of TV’s “Nashville Star” country talent show opened his portion of the show with his good-time tune “Save Water, Drink Beer” and the popular “Getting You Home,” but really shined on “Tomorrow,” his giving-it-one-more-shot-

First Thaw Festival. Featuring Brett Vanderzee, The Shindiggers, Brianna Gaither, The Sheriffs of Nottingham and The Coasts. Harding University, 11 a.m., $25. 900 E. Center Ave., Searcy.

Foul Play Cabaret, Rosa Lee Bloom & Raven Rose, Amanda Avery, AmyJo Savannah.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Gas Station Disco. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

The Hidden Rex. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8:30 p.m.

301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

Jason Meadows. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 10 p.m., $10 adv., $15 d.o.s. 9500 I-30. 501-5654003. www.shooterslittlerock.com.

Josh Green. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

“KISS Saturdays” with DJs Deja Blu, Greyhound and Silky Slim. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Michael Carenbauer Trio. Maxine’s, 5:30 p.m., $5.

700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Peter Fletcher. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

Praise & Raise Lupus Gospel Concert. First Church of the Nazarene, 6 p.m., free, donations accepted. 3802 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501525-1343. firstnaz.tv/.

Red Light District. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

Rip Van Shizzle. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

Ryan Couron. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Saturday night at Discovery. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Road. 501664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

Shannon Boshears (headliner), Steve Bates (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

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

501-291-0858

BRIAN CHILSON

MUSIC REVIEW

AFTER DARK, CONT. Through the Looking Glass, Seamless, My Hands to War, The Front Line, Achaia, Words Like Waves, Pose No Threat. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., $5 adv., $7 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall. com.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Regina Spektor. Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $28-$100.

1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Tyrannosaurus Chicken. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com.

COMEDY

The Sandman. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $8-$12. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

“Body Works.” See April 19.

EVENTS

The 3rd Greatest Lobster Party Ever. Purchase live, cooked and frozen lobsters, $10-$19. Orders must be turned in by April 16. Includes live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, 3 p.m. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-815-2939.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Main Street, NLR. Arkansas Earth Day Festival. Includes booths, hands-on demonstrations, activities for kids and more. Heifer Village, 11 a.m., free. 1 World Ave. 501-376-6836. heifer.org/heifervillage.

Art Travel: Art Trip to Italy Question & Answer Session. Arkansas Arts Center, 2 p.m. 501 E. 9th

APRil 20 iN THE ARGENTA DiSTRiCT

5-8Pm THE THiRD fRiDAY Of EACH mONTH ARGENTA ARTWAlk PRESENTED BY

St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

Ashley Yingling’s Love for Fashion 2012. The Ford Theater, 6 p.m., $20-$30. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com.

Digital Dialogues Family Festival. Family event focusing on the intersection of technology and art. The exhibition “The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft” will be on view. Arkansas Arts Center, 1 p.m., $5 (single), $20 (family). 501 E. 9th St. 501372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

Etsy Little Rock presents: 2nd Annual Indie Arts & Music Festival. Booths from a variety of local Etsy sellers, with food trucks and music from Mike Mullins, Michael Leonard Witham, Isaac Alexander and Mandy McBryde. Shoppes on Woodlawn, 10 a.m. p.m. 4523 Woodlawn. 501666-3600. woodlawnshoppes.blogspot.com.

m

m

SPONSORED BY

m

Make a Wristlet! $2

“Memories & Visions” Featuring Local Artist Sheryl Kee of CopperKey Art April 20 – May 10 Reception Fri, April 20, 5-8pm Caren Garner’s “All Things Wild” Now – May 10

Ketz Gallery

705 Main in Argenta • 529-6330 • ketzgallery.com

Featured artists Craig Flowers MiChael Barden PieCes oF arkansas Quartz 703 N. MaiN St. • North LittLe rock 501.537.0928

argentabead.com

(501) 244-0447 419 Main Street, No. Little Rock

Argenta Branch 506 Main Street North Little Rock (501) 687-1061

www.lamanlibrary.org

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happy hour 4-7 Come enjoy the patio! eveRy tueSdAy Any Bottle of wine $40 and under is just $20 All Night eveRy WedNeSdAy $2 off all Tapas eveRy thuRSdAy Happy Hour all night tueS thRu SAt 4pM-7pM $5 House wine(2 wines off the list) $1 off Beer (Import and Domestic)

Crush Wine Bar Joseph St. Ana owner/ Sommelier 318 North Main Street • Argenta • 501-374-9463

HHHHH

– Arkansas Times

Open Kitchen • Wine cellar Full Bar Dinner Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

425 Main St. • north little rock 5th & Main • argenta historic District

– Arkansas Times HHHHH (501) 376-3463

www.capeo.us Open Kitchen • Wine cellar Full Bar Dinner Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

Join Us During Artwalk! stop by to meet Artist susAn strAuss

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Garland County CASA Children’s Spring Festival. Includes carnival games, pony rides, bounce houses, and a silent auction of local schoolchildren’s artwork, along with a petting zoo, belly dance troupe and eat-a-bug club. Hot Springs National Park Memorial Field Airport, 10 a.m., free. 525 Airport Road, Hot Springs. 501-321-9269.

Give Earth a Dance. Earth Day celebration and benefit of the Arkansas Sustainability Network, featuring live music from The Greasy Greens. Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock, 7 p.m., $10 adv., $15 door.

1818 Reservoir Road. www.giveearthadance. org.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

425 Main St. • north little rock ItalIan WInner 5thBest & Main • argenta– historic District

Hosting Artist Steve (501) 376-3463 www.capeo.us Spencer

Most roMantIc – runner up – Arkansas Times HHHHH

(501) 376-3463 www.capeo.us Open Kitchen • Wine cellar Full Bar Dinner Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

425 Main St. • north little rock 5thBest & Main • argenta– historic District ItalIan WInner

Most roMantIc – runner up

potteRy gALLeRy/Studio 417 MAiN ARgeNtA 501-374-3515

After the Artwalk, Experience Artistic Dining With Us! 411 Main St. • North Little Rock 501-372-7976 www.starvingartistcafe.net

Best ItalIan – WInner Most roMantIc 322 maIn– runner Streetup

501.375.5555 www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

35

AFTER DARK, CONT.

ROCK CANDY TO-DO LIST

WEEKEND PLANS EVERY WEDNESDAY IN YOUR INBOX. MADE EASY

SIGN UP TODAY IT’S FREE. arktimes.com/enews

The Great Cloth Diaper Change. Family event to raise awareness about the benefits of cloth diapers, with an attempt to break last year’s record for most cloth diapers changed simultaneously.

Heifer Village, 11 a.m., free. 1 World Ave. 501376-6836. heifer.org/heifervillage.

Pastel on Paper: Painting Dry with visiting artist Dan Massad. Advanced course on pastel mark-making and layering techniques. Arkansas Arts Center, 9 a.m. p.m., $170-$213. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

Record Store Day. Arkansas Record-CD Exchange, 11 a.m. 4212 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 501-753-7877. www.arcd.com.

POETRY

Foreign Tounges Poetry Group. Featuring Osyrus, Chris James, Apollo, RON MC, Coffy and Tru Poet. Vino’s, 9 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

THE ARKANSAS SCHOLARSHIP LOTTERY HAS HELPED FUND

64,708 SCHOLARSHIPS

SPORTS

Arkansas Banshees vs. Kansas Phoenix.

Women’s full-tackle pro football. J.A. Fair Magnet High School, 6 p.m., $5. 13240 David O. Dodd. 501-447-1701.

Arkansas Travelers vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Dickey-Stephens Park, through April 21, 7:10 p.m.; April 22, 2 p.m. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

“Oscars on Ice.” Features ice skating to Oscarnominated film music. Arkansas Skatium, April 21-22, 5 p.m., $7. 1311 S. Bowman Road.

BENEFITS

2nd Annual EWI Fashion Show & Luncheon.

With food, prizes and more, emceed by David Bazzel with proceeds benefiting Executive Women International of Little Rock. Embassy Suites, 10:45 a.m.:30 p.m., $50. 11301 Financial Centre. 501-376-4567. www.executivewomenlittlerock.org/23.html.

Aldersgate After Dark. Fundraiser for Camp Aldersgate, with silent auction, drinks, dinner and entertainment from Barrett Baber. Rock Town Distillery, 7 p.m., $50. 1216 E. Sixth St. 501225-1444. www.campaldersgate.net/.

ArtWorks XXIV. Includes live and silent auctions of artworks from more than 100 Central Arkansas artists. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 6:30 p.m.

601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org.

CAR’s Eighth Annual Corazón Heart-Art Silent Auction. Includes hors d’oeuvres and beverages available for donation. Mediums Art Lounge, 6 p.m., $5. 521 Center St. 501-244-9690.

Central Arkansas Heart Walk. Walk, run or bicycle. A 50-mile ride starts at 7 a.m. and a 20-mile ride starts at 8 a.m. Register online. Burns Park, 9 a.m. 2700 Willow St., NLR. 501-791-8537. www. centralarkansasheartwalk.org.

Walk for the Animals. Benefit for the Humane Society of Pulaski County. Includes kids activities and more. Clinton Presidential Center, 9 a.m., $25. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www. clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

I want to teach high school or middle school and help young people get involved with a positive outlet like music.

I am able to live in the dorms because of the [Arkansas] Academic Challenge Scholarship.”

Mandi Carreiro Little Rock

Find us on: Facebook.com/ArkansasScholarshipLottery

This is just one of the many great stories about the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. There have been 8,846 scholarships awarded in Pulaski County alone, making a difference forever in Arkansas education. To apply for a scholarship, visit adhe.edu. Deadline is June 1.

Find out more about lottery-funded scholarships by visiting

myarkansaslottery.com/scholarships 36

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

or scan the code

SUNDAY, APRIL 22

MUSIC

50th Annual Arkansas Folk Festival. See April 19.

Afton Presents. Juanita’s, 5 p.m., $10 adv., $13 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Little Rock Wind Symphony: “American Voices.” Includes works by Aaron Copland, Scott Joplin and others. Second Presbyterian Church, 3 p.m., $8-$10. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive.

Monophonics. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Muck Sticky, Taco & Da Mofos. 18-and-older

show. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

River City Men’s Chorus: “Life is a Cabaret.”

Trinity United Methodist Church, April 22; April 23, free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www.tumclr.org.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

COMEDY

The Sandman. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m., $8-$12.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Tim Kidd. UARK Bowl, 7:30 p.m., $5-$7. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www. uarkballroom.com.

DANCE

“Body Works.” See April 19.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Dickey-Stephens Park, 2 p.m. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www. travs.com.

“Oscars on Ice.” Features ice skating to Oscarnominated film music. Arkansas Skatium, 5 p.m., $7. 1311 S. Bowman Road.

MONDAY, APRIL 23

MUSIC

Chamber Orchestra Spring Concert. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. www.hendrix.edu.

Crowbar, Prong, Witchburn, Iron Tongue, Knee Deep. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $15 adv., $17 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Dave Williams Project. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Foxy Shazam. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $14 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Khalil’s Pub, Fourth and second Monday of every month, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Mickey Hart Band. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $35. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-442-4226.

Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501-3767777. www.facebook.com/pleazures.bargrill.

River City Men’s Chorus: “Life is a Cabaret.”

Trinity United Methodist Church, free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www.tumclr.org.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and University Band.

Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, April 23-24, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

LECTURES

“Shakespeare on Trial.” Presentation from the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool. uasys.edu.

TUESDAY, APRIL 24

MUSIC

Audrey Dean Kelley, Linwood. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

AFTER DARK, CONT. Brian Martin. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

The Dirty Streets, Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.

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

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

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

University of Central Arkansas Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and University Band.

Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

Just Communities of Arkansas Annual Gathering of Friends. Benefit for Just Communities of Arkansas, honoring Anna Cox, Rev. Logan Hampton and Susan May for their work for social justice. Main Library, 5:30 p.m., $50. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

Little Rock Farmers’ Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 27: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-375-2552. rivermarket.info/.

Wiggle Worms: “Local Foods.” Pre-K program about local foods, featuring Argenta Market.

Museum of Discovery, 10 a.m. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

LECTURES

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.. Holder will discuss the work of the Department of Justice in combating human trafficking and assisting its victims. Clinton Presidential Center, 6 p.m.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www. clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Donald Tong. Presentation from the Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs to the United States. Clinton School of Public Service, 12 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys. edu.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“The Country Club.” Douglas Carter Beane (“To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar”) comedy skewers country club culture. Hendrix College, April 18-21, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., April 21, 2 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-1343. www.hendrix.edu.

“Murder at the Howard Johnson’s.” Starring director Glen Gilbert in a comedic tale of a love triangle gone wrong. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through May 20: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Next Fall.” In Geoffrey Nauffts’ play, a gay couple — one a fervent atheist and the other a devout Christian —must reconcile their convictions and confront family members after an accident complicates their lives. The Weekend Theater, through April 21: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www. weekendtheater.org.

“The Red Velvet Cake Wars.” This comedy from the trio of Jones, Hope and Wooten concerns the three Verdeen cousins, Gaynelle,

Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette, and the mishaps that occur when they plan a family reunion.

Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through April 22: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Secrets of a Soccer Mom.” A humorous look at the gossip, secrets and goings-on in the world of soccer moms. Cast includes Libbi Whitehurst, Cindy DeRosa, and Ashley Carnahan, under the direction of Liz Parker with stage management by Christa Ward. Lantern Theatre, April 19-21, 7:30 p.m.; April 26-28, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 29, 2:30 p.m., $12. 1021 Van Ronkle, Conway. 501-733-6220. www.conwayarts.org/index.html.

“The Taming of the Shrew.” Shakespeare’s comedy. University of Central Arkansas, through April 20, 7:30 p.m., $10. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. 501-450-3265. www.uca.edu.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: “11th National Drawing Invitational: New York, Singular Drawings,” April 20-Sept. 9, curated by Charlotta Kotik; “Young Artists 51st Annual Exhibition,” April 20-May 27; “Still Lifes of Daniel Massad,” through June 10; “The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft,” through Aug. 5; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARTGROUP, 10840 Maumelle Blvd.: “Spring Show,” 6-9 p.m. April 19, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. April 20-21, noon-4 p.m. April 22, with live entertainment, wine and food, children’s activities.

680-9484.

MEDIUMS ART LOUNGE, 521 Center St.: “Corazon,” auction of artist-transformed wooden hearts to benefit Center for Artistic Revolution, 7 p.m. April 21, tickets $5 advance, $7 at door. 244-9690 or artchangesu@yahoo. com.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Grandiose Schemes, Harsh Realities: The Civil War in Arkansas in 1862,” Brown Bag Lunch Lecture by Thomas A. DeBlack, noon April 19; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: “Metal Art,” work by Carolyn Hendrix and Amanda Wyman,” April 19-May 4, 3rd Friday Argenta ArtWalk reception 5:30-8 p.m. April 20; 4th annual “Caleb Everly Memorial Show,” artwork by students from NLR elementary schools, April 23-May 2, reception 5-7 p.m. April 24.

379-9512.

THE REP, 601 Main St.: “Artworks XXIV,” live and silent art auctions benefiting the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 6:30 p.m. April 21, tickets $50. 378-0405.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “UALR Student Competitive,” Rebecca Sittler Schrock, juror, through mid-May, Gallery I; “Exhibit D,” student exhibition by Cyrene Quiamco (paintings/ceramics); Heather Harmon (ceramics) and Carrie Crooker (metals), April 23-May 6, Gallery II; “Exhibit B,” student exhibition by Leslie Romine (sculpture/painting), Elizabeth Campbell (painting), Sandi Eoff (graphic design), Christin Byrd (graphic design) and Gary Grantham (sculpture), through April 24, Gallery III. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977.

More gallery and museum listings at www.arktimes.com.

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

37

MOVIE LISTINGS

APRIL 20-21

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: In “The Lucky One,” Zac Efron is an Iraq war vet who finds a photo of a woman, becomes infatuated with her, finds out who she is and against all odds, they fall in love and probably make out and stuff.

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only. Chenal 9, Lakewood 8 and Riverdale showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES Bully (PG-13) – This is probably a good documentary about bullying and all, but you’d be wise to go see it just in case you bump into Harvey Weinstein and he starts asking you about it.

Rave: 10:30 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25.

Chimpanzee (G) – Beautifully shot documentary footage of majestic primates, but it’s narrated by Tim Allen. Rave: 12:05, 2:15, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20, 11:45.

Coriolanus (R) – Ralph Fiennes stars in and directs this Roman Empire-era piece about politics, war and revenge. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15.

Deadline (PG-13) – A reporter gets to the bottom of a story about the murder of an African American youth in rural Alabama. Market Street: 2:15, 6:45.

The Diary of Preston Plummer (NR) – A recent college grad falls for a beautiful girl with a dark family history. Market Street: 4:25, 9:00.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (PG) – Documentary about a tiny yet prestigious sushi restaurant and the family who runs it. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

The Lucky One (PG-13) – Zac Efron as an Iraq war vet who becomes infatuated with a stranger.

Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:10, 7:30, 10:05. Rave: 10:35 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 1:15, 2:25, 4:25, 5:25, 7:10, 8:10, 10:00, 11:00.

Think Like a Man (PG-13) – Based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book. Breckenridge: 1:45, 4:35, 7:25, 10:10. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 4:45, 5:30, 6:30, 7:45, 8:30, 9:40, 01:45, 11:30, midnight.

Undefeated (PG-13) – Documentary about the dramatic turnaround of the Manassas Tigers high school football team of Memphis. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:00.

RETURNING THIS WEEK 21 Jump Street (R) – Buddy cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and former male stripper Channing Tatum. Breckenridge: 1:50, 4:25, 7:20, 10:05.

Rave: 11:45 a.m., 2:35, 5:35, 8:35, 11:25.

Act of Valor (R) – This action thriller stars real-life U.S. Navy SEALs. Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (G) – That rascally Alvin is at it again, driving Dave crazy and making him scream “ALVIN!” Only

38

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

this time it’s on a cruise ship. Also, Alvin raps.

Movies 10: 3:15.

American Reunion (R) – The old crew from “American Pie” is back together to stare into the gaping chasm of suicidal depression and imminent middle-aged irrelevance.

Breckenridge: 1:05, 4:05, 7:10, 9:45. Rave: 11:15 a.m., 2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 11:15.

The Cabin in the Woods (R) – Bad things happen to attractive young people when they go to a cabin in the woods, from producer Joss Whedon. Breckenridge: 1:40, 4:40, 7:35, 9:50.

Rave: 11:00 a.m., 1:34, 4:40, 5:40, 7:20, 8:20, 10:00, 11:00, midnight.

Chronicle (PG-13) – A trio of teen-agers gain mysterious superpowers from a meteorite, but will they use their newfound abilities wisely? Movies 10: 12:50, 3:05, 5:35, 7:55, 10:00.

Contraband (R) – Marky Mark has to return to his life of drug-running to save his boneheaded brother-in-law from gangsters. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13) – Starring Nicolas Cage in a reprisal of his role as Marvel’s Ghost Rider. Also starring Idris “Stringer Bell” Elba. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:30, 4:45, 7:10, 9:35.

The Hunger Games (PG-13) – Teen-lit version of “The Running Man,” starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Breckenridge: 1:00, 1:30, 4:00, 4:45, 7:00, 7:45, 10:00. Rave: 10:40 a.m., 12:20, 2:00, 3:45, 5:20, 7:15, 8:40, 10:30.

In Darkness (R) – Based on the true story of a sewer worker who hides Jews in the underground tunnels of Nazi-occupied Poland, from director Agnieszka Holland. Market Street: 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (PG) – When you were watching “Land of the Lost,” did you find yourself wishing they’d cast The Rock instead of Will Farrell? Well, here you go. Movies 10: noon, 2:20, 4:40, 8:00, 10:20 (2D), 1:10, 7:00 (3D).

Lockout (PG-13) – With the president’s daughter trapped on a prison space station, there’s only one man for the job: a ruggedly handsome loose cannon falsely convicted ex-government agent. Breckenridge: 1:25 (open caption), 4:30, 7:40, 10:15. Rave: 11:50 a.m., 2:35, 5:10, 8:00, 10:40.

Mirror Mirror (PG) – Retelling of “Snow White” with Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen.

Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:20, 7:25, 9:55.

Project X (R) – Millennial brats throw a rager that gets out of hand, from producer Todd Phillips of “The Hangover” and “Hated: G.G. Allin and The Murder Junkies” renown. Movies 10: 12:40,

3:00, 5:30, 7:45, 9:55.

The Raid: Redemption (R) – Martial-arts action flick about a rookie cop who must survive a raid on a crime boss’s headquarters. Breckenridge: 3:50, 9:35. Rave: 11:55 p.m.

The Secret World of Arrietty (G) – Animated tale about a family of tiny fairies who must survive the challenges and dangers of the suburban garden in which they dwell. Movies 10: 12:20, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15.

Silent House (R) – Elizabeth Olson gets locked in her family’s lake house, and then some terror happens. Movies 10: 12:45, 5:25, 7:30, 9:50.

Star Wars: Episode 1 (PG) – Again? Really? Sigh.

Movies 10: 3:45, 9:40 (3D).

The Three Stooges (PG) – Yup, starring three guys you’ve never heard of. Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:40. Rave: 11:10 a.m., 12:20, 1:55, 2:45, 4:20, 7:05, 9:35.

Titanic 3D (PG-13) – Cameron’s really rubbing our noses in it this time, huh? Just wait ’til they come out with 4D. You’ll be able to smell Leo’s greasy locks. Breckenridge: 1:00, 5:00, 9:00.

Rave: 10:40 a.m., 2:50, 7:00, 11:10.

The Vow (PG-13) – Something sad and beautiful and sadly beautiful happens to the sad, beautiful Rachel McAdams and the former male stripper Channing Tatum. Movies 10: 12:25, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:15.

War Horse (PG-13) – A horse named Joey and a young man called Albert form an unbreakable bond that carries them through the battlefields of World War I. Movies 10: 9:45 p.m.

Woman in Black (R) – Man, now they’ve got that Harry Potter dude starring in horror movies about creepy old castles haunted by old-lady ghosts. Movies 10: 12:15, 2:35, 4:50, 7:05, 9:30.

Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) – A.k.a., “Is this a movie or a really long ad for a video game?”

Starring Liam Neeson as Zeus, because duh.

Breckenridge: 1:20, 7:05. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 5:00, 10:15 (2D), 2:20, 7:40 (3D).

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, www.fandango.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

Homeless with children?

MOVIE REVIEW

Living in a car?

Do you know someone who is: Homeless children?

Sleepingwith Outside?

Living in a car?

Sleeping Outside?

youaknow a homeless family If you If know homeless family with children, with children, we may be ablewetomay help.be able to help.

‘THE CABIN IN THE WOODS’: Fran Krantz, Chris Hemsworth and Anna Hutchison star.

A transcendent horror flick

Call at

501-374-7383 501-374-7383 dial11 for for help dial help

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ gets wonderfully weird.

BY SAM EIFLING

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THE UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS in your car?

OF Living CENTRAL ARKANSAS Full of interesting voices and colorful portraits of 17 Little Rock and North Little Rock neighborhoods, this book gives an intimate, block-by-block, native’s view of the place more than 250,000 Arkansans call home. Created from interviews with residents and largely written by writers who actually live in the neighborhoods they’re writing about, the book features over 90 full color photos by Little Rock photographer Brian Chilson.

Payment: check or credit card Order by Mail: arkansas times Books, P.o. Box 34010, LittLe rock, ar 72203 Phone: 501-375-2985 Fax: 501-375-3623 Email: anitra@arktimes.com Send _______ book(s) of The Unique Neighborhoods of Central Arkansas @ $19.95

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sion incarnations of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The best parts of “Cabin” draw amply from the spirit of those juggernauts — all the conspiratorial weirdness of “Lost,” without the meandering, and the gory jollies of “Buffy.” Throughout its breakneck 95 minutes, “Cabin” dares you to take it too seriously or too lightly.

Mostly “Cabin” is precisely as weird as you want it. There’s a certain three-word English-language phrase popularly abbreviated with the acronym WTF. By the time Marty exclaims it halfway through the movie, you will already have muttered it a dozen times yourself. It’s that sort of ride.

By the end “Cabin” pulls an impressive double: It salts the earth against its own sequelization while making hash of vast swaths of scare-culture. That’s no easy task, given that horror has become the most meta genre in cinema. Alas, audiences who attend horror films have become too savvy to be seduced any more; while there may be infinite ways to get a laugh out of someone, the vocabulary of fear is substantially shallower. The film industry has grappled with this in three ways: in-joke films (“Scream,” etc.), gimmicks in perspective (“Blair Witch” and “Paranormal Activity” flicks) and tortureporn (“Saw” and its ilk) that double- and triple-down on the usual formula of darkness, sharp objects, sadism, claustrophobia and all the other basic elements of film-fright. The true genius of “Cabin” is that it co-opts and subverts the first two versions of that response while avoiding the cynicism of the third. The result is a genre-exploding film in a genre that already has sub-genres devoted to exploding the genre. The greatest risk in seeing it is that you may never look at horror the same way again.

✁

I

n the long, fabled history of stuck-inthe-boonies slasher flicks, there has never been, nor will there ever again be, another quite like “The Cabin in the Woods.” To confine it to the horror genre, in fact, may be too constricting, in the same way that “Evil Dead 2” and “Men in Black” blended comedy with the occult and sci-fi, respectively. Rather, “Cabin” charts a bizarre, hilarious and, most of all, smart path toward one of the most exhilarating overall results of recent memory.

Only rarely do big-budget productions so successfully stake out a patch of turf and defend it with this much aplomb.

There’s not much else to be said without dropping a few light spoilers, so be warned. Five college-age friends load up an RV and head to the woods for a weekend of swimming, snogging and smoking up. A zippy bottle blonde named Jules (Anna Hutchison) and her side-of-beef boyfriend (Chris Hemsworth, of “Thor” fame) hope to hook up the good-girl Dana (Kristen Connolly) with the new-to-town nice guy (Jesse Williams), while stonerjester Marty (Fran Kranz) operates as a Shaggy minus the Scooby. They have no way of guessing that their drive deep into the mountains to a dilapidated, eerie cabin is being monitored by functionaries spirited away in a concrete-walled hightech bunker. (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are droll and delightful as two of the white-coated observers.) The reasons for this are not immediately clear, and to reveal them really would defang the surprises that lie in store. Suffice it that a certain degree of horror-carnage ensues, spliced with a ludicrous dark humor.

First-time director and “Lost” writer/ producer Drew Goddard shares the writing credit with Joss Whedon, whose bona fides include the cinematic and televi-

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APRIL 18, 2012

39

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’

business in Searcy under new owners, the Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company. A publicity event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 19, in the State Capitol rotunda.

They’re calling it a “sqroundbreaking.” They’ll be rolling out a new container. Out are the familiar round containers. In is a square container with rounded corners — sqround. Some consumers believe it’s a better fit in freezers. It eliminates corners and thus eases digging out the payload.

It will be bigger — holding 56 ounces of ice cream versus 1.5 quarts, or 48 ounces, in the old round containers. Still not quite a half-gallon.

RICHARD GLASGOW — a white guy

from a small town in northern Louisiana — studied economics at LSU, finished law school in Washington, D.C., practiced law a few years in Little Rock, and then opened a food cart specializing in Bangkokstyle curry. Yep, you read that right. And just for kicks, he calls his cart kBird, which is a family nickname for his five-year-old daughter, Kate. Glasgow first grew interested in Southeast Asian cuisine while working as a green grocer at Washington, D.C.’s renowned Eastern Market. Many of his co-workers were Southeast Asian. He watched, ate and learned, and soon Glasgow was making Pad Thai like a pro.

“That’s what started this all,” he said. “I loved Pad Thai so much, I had to learn to cook it for myself.” Soon he was cooking for his friends’ parties. After a few years of practicing law, he realized that he preferred working with food to working with briefs, so he consulted a friend in Portland who runs a food cart, went up there for a week to learn the ropes, took a pilgrimage to Bangkok with his wife Aimee, ate loads of street food and took notes (this is something he’d done a few times in the past, as well), and came home to commission a food cart.

Like many food entrepreneurs, he figured the low start-up costs made a mobile restaurant a safer bet than a brick and mortar establishment, and the freedom lets Glasgow jump-start operations, even as he’s still making arrangements. Kbird officially debuted at April’s Sip and Shop in Hillcrest, and Glasgow plans to be at the May 3 Sip and Shop, as well. He’s done a few events, has a few in the pipe and is looking for a steady place to park somewhere along Kavanaugh.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 41 40

APRIL 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

YARNELL’S ICE CREAM is back in

FULL OF FLAVOR: Pepe’s chicken chimichanga.

Pepe’s: a welcome addition Despite some misses, Mexican restaurant still manages to stand out.

W

ith its abundance of taco trucks, authentic-fare restaurants and Tex-Mex standbys, Little Rock isn’t hurting for Mexican dining, and we’ve always thought that it must be hard for a Mexican place to really stand out from the crowd. But for us, the first thing that helped separate Pepe’s from the crowd was learning that the owner is Jose Rivera, whose now-closed Cancun restaurant in Arkadelphia was always a favorite stopover along trips down I-30. Curious to find out if some of our menu favorites from Cancun had made it over to the Pepe’s menu, we recently stopped in at the bright yellow building on 12th street for a meal that was, with only one notable exception, very enjoyable.

The parking lot was crowded when we pulled up (which we always take as a good sign), and despite there being only one person working the dining room, we were seated quickly. We started our meal with the Queso Flameado ($5.95), a cheese dish that was offered with beef, chicken, vegetables or chorizo. Always a fan of the salty, oily sausage, we went for the chorizo and were treated to a huge bowl of warm melted cheese topped with a generous portion of subtly spiced chorizo and a bowl of very fresh pico de gallo. The appetizer also came with three flour tortillas — which wasn’t nearly enough to take on all that cheese.

Lucky for us, our server kept the warm tortilla chips coming and so we were

Pepe’s

5900 W. 12th Street 296-9494

QUICK BITE Still to try: a Cheese Cake Chimichanga ($4.95) and the catfish tacos plate ($8.85).

HOURS 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. OTHER INFO Credit cards accepted, full bar.

able to make do.

In addition to the queso, we also started our meal with an order of three pork tamales from the a la carte menu ($5.55), and it was here that our meal hit its most major snag. When the plate came to us, we weren’t even sure if we had tamales, since everything was buried under a glop-y red sauce that was far too sweet. The tamales themselves were loaded with tender pork, but the flavor of the corn shells tasted sour and old, and the meat was bland and flavorless. All told, a mushy plate of flavors that couldn’t have been worse.

The arrival of our main entrees made us forget all about the tamales soon enough, though, especially the chicken chimichanga ($7.55), a dish for which we have a decided weakness. Pepe’s version of the Tex-Mex classic came loaded with juicy marinated chicken,

tomatoes and onions and was as flavorful as the tamales were bland. The deepfried shell was crisp and covered with just enough white cheese sauce to add flavor without overpowering the dish.

The Mexican rice served to the side was forgettable, but the refried beans were rich and had the luscious, creamy texture that so many restaurants can’t seem to coax from their beans.

Equally satisfying were the carne asada tacos ($7.95), three corn tortillas filled with well-seasoned beef flavored nicely by the grill and served with a bowl of perfectly sauteed onions, more of those excellent beans and salsa that is some of the hottest we’ve ever tried. An odd combination of salsa verde and tomato salsa, it added a nice kick of heat and complexity to the steak. The onions were a tasty addition to the meat as well, although we found ourselves wishing for something like guacamole or sour cream to balance and contrast with all the spice.

Our mouths still burning, we found relief in a dish of Pepe’s Vanilla Flan ($3.95), which soothed us with its cold, creamy texture and smooth vanilla flavor. The thin, sweet caramelized sugar topping added just the right amount of deep flavor to the light egg custard, and our biggest regret was that we had only ordered one dish to share.

The flan was one of the best versions of the dish we’d ever tasted, and we ate it slowly in order to savor every bite.

BRIAN CHILSON

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.

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

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

DINING CAPSULES

LITTLE ROCK/NORTH LITTLE ROCK

AMERICAN

4 SQUARE CAFE AND GIFTS Vegetarian salads, soups, wraps and paninis and a daily selection of desserts in an Arkansas products gift shop. 405 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-2622. L daily.

D Mon.-Sat. APPLE SPICE JUNCTION A chain sandwich and salad spot with sit-down lunch space and a vibrant box lunch catering business.

With a wide range of options and quick service. Order online via applespice.com.

2000 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-663-7008.

ARGENTA MARKET The Argenta District’s neighborhood grocery store offers a deli featuring a daily selection of big sandwiches along with fresh fish and meats and salads.

Emphasis here is on Arkansas-farmed foods and organic products. 521 N. Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-9980. L daily, D Mon.-Sat., B Sat., BR Sun. ARKANSAS BURGER CO. Good burgers, fries and shakes, plus salads and other entrees. Try the cheese dip. 7410 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-0600.

LD Tue.-Sat. ASHLEY’S The premier fine dining restaurant in Little Rock marries Southern traditionalism and haute cuisine. The menu is often daring and always delicious. 111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-374-7474. BLD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. BELWOOD DINER Traditional breakfasts and plate lunch specials are the norm at this lostin-time hole in the wall. 3815 MacArthur Drive.

NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-753-1012.

BL Mon.-Fri. BONEFISH GRILL A half-dozen or more types of fresh fish filets are offered daily at this upscale chain. 11525 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-228-0356. D daily.

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT The food’s great, portions huge, prices reasonable. Diners can look into the open kitchen and watch the culinary geniuses at work slicing and dicing and

WHAT’S COOKIN’, CONT. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday (April 19-21), kBird will be at 611 Beechwood, in the parking lot behind Mrs. Polka Dot. Thursday and Friday hours will be 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Eventually, Glasgow envisions a longterm evening gig, Wednesdays through Saturdays, where people can call in orders or just drop by on their way home from work or after shopping in the neighborhood. Right now the menu has four items — Pad Thai, Thai-fried rice, and red and green curry. Anything can go vegan (there’s even dedicated cooking utensils for such purposes), and some items can go gluten-free.

Get more information at kBird’s Facebook page or by calling 352-3549.

sauteeing. It’s great fun, and the fish is special.

2300 Cottondale Lane. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-2677. LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat. BUFFALO WILD WINGS A sports bar on steroids with numerous humongous TVs and a menu full of thirst-inducing items. The wings, which can be slathered with one of 14 sauces, are the staring attraction and will undoubtedly have fans. 14800 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-868-5279. LD daily.

BURGER MAMA’S Big burgers and oversized onion rings headline the menu at this downhome joint. 10721 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2495. LD daily.

BY THE GLASS A broad but not ridiculously large wine list is studded with interesting, diverse selections, and prices are uniformly

reasonable. The food focus is on high-end items that pair well with wine — olives, hummus, cheese, bread, and some meats and sausages. Happy hour daily from 4 -6 p.m.

5713 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-663-9463. D Mon.-Sat. CAFE HEIFER Philly cheesesteak, turkey clubs, pizza and other American fare in the Heifer Village. With one of the nicest patios in town.

1 World Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-9078801. BL Mon.-Fri., L Sat. CAPITAL BAR AND GRILL Big hearty sandwiches, daily lunch specials and fine evening dining all rolled up into one at this landing spot downtown. Surprisingly inexpensive with a great bar staff and a good selection of unique desserts. 111 Markham St. Full bar, All

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501.663.9956

5805 kavanaugh browningsmexicangrill.com

CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-7474. LD daily.

CAPITOL BISTRO Formerly a Sufficient Grounds, now operated by Lisa and Tom Drogo, who moved from Delaware. They offer breakfast and lunch items, including quiche, sandwiches, coffees and the like. 1401 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3719575. BL Mon.-Fri. CATERING TO YOU Painstakingly prepared entrees and great appetizers in this gourmetto-go location, attached to a gift shop. Caters everything from family dinners to weddings and large corporate events. 8121 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-0627. L Mon.-Sat. CATFISH HOLE Downhome place for wellcooked catfish and tasty hushpuppies. 603 E. Spriggs. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-3516.

D Tue.-Sat. CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER Premium black Angus cheeseburgers, with five different sizes, ranging from the Classic (5.5 ounces) to the pounder (20 ounces), and nine cheese options.

For sides, milkshakes and golden-fried onion rings are the way to go. 11525 Cantrell Rd. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-490-2433. LD daily.

CIAO BACI The focus is on fine dining in this casually elegant Hillcrest bungalow, though tapas are also available, and many come for the comfortable lounge that serves specialty drinks until late. Happy hour all night Wednesday.

605 N. Beechwood St. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-603-0238. D Mon.-Sat. CRAZEE’S COOL CAFE Good burgers, daily plate specials and bar food amid pool tables and TVs. 7626 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9696. LD Mon.-Sat. CUPCAKES ON KAVANAUGH Gourmet cupcakes and coffee, indoor seating. 5625 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-664-2253. LD Tue.-Sat. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2253.

LD Tue.-Sat. DEMPSEY BAKERY Bakery with sit down area, serving coffee and specializing in gluten-, nutand soy-free baked goods. 323 Cross St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-2257.

DIVERSION TAPAS RESTAURANT Hillcrest wine bar with diverse tapas menu. From the people behind Crush. 2611 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 200. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-4140409. D Mon.-Sat. DOE’S EAT PLACE A skid-row dive turned power brokers’ watering hole with huge steaks, great tamales and broiled shrimp, and killer burgers at lunch. 1023 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-1195. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. DOUBLETREE PLAZA BAR & GRILL The lobby restaurant in the Doubletree is elegantly comfortable, but you’ll find no airs put on at heaping breakfast and lunch buffets. 424 West Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-4311.

BLD daily.

EJ’S EATS AND DRINKS The friendly neighborhood hoagie shop downtown serves at a handful of tables and by delivery. The sandwiches are generous, the soup homemade and the salads cold. Vegetarians can craft any number of acceptable meals from the flexible menu. The housemade potato chips are da bomb. 523 Center St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-666-3700. LD Mon.-Fri. CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

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CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ Across 1 Hit 1942 film with the song “Love Is a Song” 6 Pack (down) 10 Maybe too smooth 14 Starter of a 58Down 15 Many a cut, eventually 16 Page, e.g.

17 Dagger’s partner 18 Like some sloths 20 Legal deadlock 22 Relatives of aardwolves 23 Pollution watchdog org.

24 Bank list 25 Bookie’s concern 30 Pink-slip 33 Carnival attractions 34 Dissolve with acid, say 35 Acid neutralizer

36 War, famine, etc. 64 Trick-taking card game 37 They’re crossed 65 Mid-March by bridges celebration … or 39 Give a thumbsa hint to the up on Facebook starts of 18-, 2540 Nappers catch , 44- and 57them Across 41 Bobby of the rink 42 Shaved 43 Goof 44 Most stand-up comedy acts 47 Stroked 48 Farm abode 49 Sagittarius, with “the” 52 Bush cabinet member 57 1863 speech opener

Down 1 “Brandenburg Concertos” composer 2 Censorshipfighting org.

3 Natural satellite 4 Egotist’s comment 5 Some printers 6 Feature of some high heels 7 Hurting 59 Do like some 8 Disrupt, say birds and bees 9 Gets ready, as 60 90° from norte an oven 61 Mop, say 10 Bush cabinet 62 Confederate member 63 Do some 11 Symbol on Sri Lanka’s flag gardening 12 Word exclaimed after “no” or ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE “good” H T M L B B C E V A N 13 Hospital capacity A R I E A U R A E C A G E 19 Inspected D A N C E C L A S S O L A V 21 DHL competitor H O T M E S S F I V E 24 Guinness Book L I N E N O N O R D E R entry O R O S I R E A T E A 25 Cherish B E T A N O T A H A T E S 26 Titan, once O N E T W O T H R E E K I C K 27 Loiterer S A L L Y C E C E S O L I 28 Lake of L E N D L O N G N A M cryptozoological D O M I N O S M A S T S interest E S O S W E I R D A L 29 Violate a peace E T T U S E R P E N T I N E treaty, maybe D E E R E D A M S A T N O 30 Tahrir Square’s S O L E D Y S R O W E locale

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Puzzle by Dave Sarpola

31 Catawampus

42 Get pumped 44 Is in the hole 35 Snooze-inducing 45 Declare 46 Highest degree 37 Kansas City ___, 47 Bit of evidence Negro Leagues 49 More than one team with Satchel Paige, 50 Levitated Jackie Robinson 51 Buttonlike? and Ernie Banks 52 “Nessun dorma,” for one 38 Utah city 32 Budget priorities

53 Pasta, in product names 54 He wrote “Jupiter from on high laughs at lovers’ perjuries” 55 Greek cheese 56 Long shot, in hoops 58 See 14-Across

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

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Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

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FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES Nationwide burger chain with emphasis on freshly made fries and patties. 2923 Lakewood Village Dr. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-246-5295. LD daily. 13000 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-1100. LD daily.

FLYING FISH The fried seafood is fresh and crunchy and there are plenty of raw, boiled and grilled offerings, too. The hamburgers are a hit, too.

It’s self-service; wander on through the screen door and you’ll find a slick team of cooks and servers doing a creditable job of serving big crowds.

511 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-375-3474. LD daily.

GRUMPY’S TOO Music venue and sports bar with lots of TVs, pub grub and regular drink specials. 1801 Green Mountain Drive. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-3768. LD Mon.-Sat. HOMER’S Great vegetables, huge yeast rolls and killer cobblers. Follow the mobs. 2001 E. Roosevelt Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3741400. BL Mon.-Fri. THE HOUSE A comfortable gastropub in Hillcrest, where you’ll find traditional fare like burgers and fish and chips alongside Thai green curry and gumbo. 722 N. Palm St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4501. D daily, BR and L Sat.-Sun. JIMMY’S SERIOUS SANDWICHES Consistently fine sandwiches, side orders and desserts for 30 years. Chicken salad’s among the best in town, and there are fun specialty sandwiches such as Thai One On and The. Garden Get there early for lunch. 5116 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3354. L Mon.-Sat. KRAZY MIKE’S Po’Boys, catfish and shrimp and other fishes, fried chicken wings and all the expected sides served up fresh and hot to order on demand. 200 N. Bowman Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-907-6453. LD daily.

LOCA LUNA Grilled meats, seafood and pasta dishes that never stray far from country roots, whether Italian, Spanish or Arkie. “Gourmet plate lunches” are good, as is Sunday brunch. 3519 Old Cantrell Rd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4666. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

LULAV Comfortably chic downtown bistro with continental and Asian fare.

220 A W. 6th St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-5100. BL Mon.-Fri., D daily.

MILFORD TRACK Healthy and tasty are the key words at this deli/grill that serves breakfast and lunch. Hot entrees change daily and there are soups, sandwiches, salads and killer desserts. Bread is baked in-house, and there are several veggie options. 10809 Executive Center Drive, Searcy Building.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-223-2257. BL Mon.-Sat. OYSTER BAR Gumbo, red beans and rice (all you can eat on Mondays), peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters on the half shell, addictive po’ boys. Killer jukebox. 3003 W. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7100.

LD Mon.-Sat. OZARK COUNTRY RESTAURANT A long-standing favorite with many Little Rock residents, the eatery specializes in big country breakfasts and pancakes plus sandwiches and several meat-and-two options for lunch and dinner. Try the pancakes and don’t leave without some sort of smoked meat. 202 Keightley Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7319. B daily, L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. PLAYTIME PIZZA Tons of fun isn’t rained out by lackluster eats at the new Playtime Pizza, the $11 million, 65,000 square foot kidtopia near the Rave theater. While the buffet is only so-so, features like indoor mini-golf, laser tag, go karts, arcade games and bumper cars make it a winner for both kids and adults. 600 Colonel Glenn Plaza Loop. All CC. 501-227-7529. LD Thu.-Sun., D Mon.-Wed. PURPLE COW DINER 1950s fare — cheeseburgers, chili dogs, thick milk shakes — in a ‘50s setting at today’s prices. Also at 11602 Chenal Parkway. 8026 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-221-3555. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun 11602 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-4433. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun. 1419 Higden Ferry Road. Hot Springs. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-625-7999. LD daily, B Sun. SALUT BISTRO This bistro/late-night hangout does upscale Italian for dinner and pub grub until the wee hours. But there’s no late-night food on Wednesday! 1501 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4200.

L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. SBIP’S RESTAURANT Casual fine dining with sandwich and salads on its lunch menu. Sunday brunch, too. Try the Cro Que Monsieur sandwich or the weekend prime ribs. 700 E. Ninth St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3727247. LD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. SCALLIONS Reliably good food, great desserts, pleasant atmosphere, able servers — a solid lunch spot. 5110 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-6468. L Mon.-Sat. SCOOP DOG 5508 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. (501) 753-5407. LD daily.

SHIPLEY DO-NUTS With locations just about everywhere in Central Arkansas, it’s hard to miss Shipley’s. Their signature smooth glazed doughnuts and dozen or so varieties of fills are well known. 7514 Cantrell Rd. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-664-5353. B daily.

SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM Steaks, chicken and seafood in a wonderful setting in the River Market. Steak gets pricey, though. Menu is seasonal, changes every few months. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-324-2999. D Mon.-Sat. STAGECOACH GROCERY AND DELI Fine po’ boys and muffalettas

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. — and cheap. 6024 Stagecoach Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-455-4157. BL daily. D Mon.-Fri. TERRI-LYNN’S BAR-B-Q AND DELI Highquality meats served on large sandwiches and good tamales served with chili or without (the better bargain). 10102 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-6371.

LD Tue.-Sat. (10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.).

UNION BISTRO Casual upscale bistro and lounge with a new American menu of tapas and entrees. Try the chicken and waffles.

3421 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-353-0360.

WEST END SMOKEHOUSE AND TAVERN Its primary focus is a sports bar with 50-plus TVs, but the dinner entrees (grilled chicken, steaks and such) are plentiful and the bar food is upper quality. 215 N. Shackleford. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-7665. L Fri.-Sun., D daily.

ASIAN

CHINA INN Massive Chinese buffet overflows with meaty and fresh dishes, augmented at dinner by boiled shrimp, oysters on the half shell and snow crab legs, all you want cheap.

2629 Lakewood Village Place. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-771-2288. LD daily.

CURRY IN A HURRY Home-style Indian food with a focus on fresh ingredients and spices.

11121 North Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-4567. LD Tue.-Sat. FU XING Chinese buffet. 9120 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-223-0888. LD daily.

HANAROO SUSHI BAR Under its second owner, it’s one of the few spots in downtown Little Rock to serve sushi. With an expansive menu, featuring largely Japanese fare. 205 W. Capitol Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-3017900. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. LEMONGRASS ASIA BISTRO Fairly solid Thai bistro. Try the Tom Kha Kai and white wine alligator. They don’t have a full bar, but you can order beer, wine and sake. 4629 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-945-4638.

LD Mon.-Sun. NEW CHINA A burgeoning line of massive buffets, with hibachi grill, sushi, mounds of Chinese food and soft serve ice cream. 4617 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-8988. LD daily. 2104 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-764-1888. LD Mon.-Sun. PHO THANH MY It says “Vietnamese noodle soup” on the sign out front, and that’s what you should order. The pho comes in outrageously large portions with bean sprouts and fresh herbs. Traditional pork dishes, spring rolls and bubble tea also available. 302 N. Shackleford Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-312-7498.

ROYAL BUFFET A big buffet of Chinese fare, with other Asian tastes as well. 109 E. Pershing.

NLR. Beer, All CC. 501-753-8885. LD daily.

SEKISUI Fresh-tasting sushi chain with fun hibachi grill and an overwhelming assortment of traditional entrees. Nice wine selection, also serves sake and specialty drinks. 219 N. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-221-7070. LD daily.

SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE The chefs will dazzle you, as will the variety of tasty stir-fry combinations and the sushi bar. Usually crowded at night. 2815 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-7070. D daily.

TOKYO HOUSE Defying stereotypes, this Japanese buffet serves up a broad range of fresh, slightly exotic fare — grilled calamari, octopus salad, dozens of varieties of fresh sushi — as well as more standard shrimp and steak options. 11 Shackleford Drive. Beer,

Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-219-4286. LD daily.

WASABI Downtown sushi and Japanese cuisine. For lunch, there’s quick and hearty sushi samplers. 101 Main St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-0777. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

BARBECUE

CHIP’S BARBECUE Tasty, if a little pricey, barbecue piled high on sandwiches generously doused with the original tangy sauce or one of five other sauces. Better known for the incredible family recipe pies and cheesecakes, which come tall and wide. 9801 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-4346. LD Mon.-Sat. DIXIE PIG Pig salad is tough to beat. It comes with loads of chopped pork atop crisp iceberg, doused with that wonderful vinegar-based sauce. The sandwiches are basic, and the sweet, thick sauce is fine. Serving Little Rock since 1923. 900 West 35th St. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-9650. LD Mon.-Sat.

kids EAT

FREE s!

On Thursday

Join Us Via social Media to Get saVinGs, specials & More!

13924 Cantrell Rd.

Little Rock • 501-217-0700

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

ARABICA HOOKAH CAFE This eatery and grocery store offers kebabs and salads along with just about any sort of Middle Eastern fare you might want, along with what might be the best kefte kebab in Central Arkansas. Halal butcher on duty. 3400 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-8011. LD daily.

CREGEEN’S IRISH PUB Irish-themed pub with a large selection of on-tap and bottled British beers and ales, an Irish inspired menu and lots of nooks and crannies to meet in.

Specialties include fish ‘n’ chips and Guinness beef stew. Live music on weekends and $5 cover on Saturdays. 301 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-376-7468. LD daily.

ISTANBUL MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE This Turkish eatery offers decent kebabs and great starters. The red pepper hummus is a winner.

So are Cigar Pastries. Possibly the best Turkish coffee in Central Arkansas. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2239332. LD daily.

LEO’S GREEK CASTLE Wonderful Mediterranean food — gyro sandwiches or platters, falafel and tabouleh — plus dependable hamburgers, ham sandwiches, steak platters and BLTs. Breakfast offerings are expanded with gyro meat, pitas and triple berry pancakes. 2925 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7414. BLD daily.

SILVEK’S EUROPEAN BAKERY Fine pastries, chocolate creations, breads and cakes done in the classical European style. 1900 Polk St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-661-9699. BLD daily.

ZOGI’S EURO ASIAN BISTRO From the part of the world “where Europe meets Asia,” the menu says, and adventurous if not widely traveled diners will want to find out for themselves whether they like this fare or not. Our reviewers were impressed by soups, including the borscht (beets, beef, carrots, sour cream), and some of the main courses, including the Tsuivan — steamed wheat noodles stir-fried with beef, fried potatoes and veggies. Well worth a visit. 11321 W. Markham St. All CC. $-$$. 501-246-4597. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun.

11406 W. Markham St.

Mex-To-Go • 501-217-0647

4511 Camp Robinson Rd.

North Little Rock • 501-771-1604

1524 W. Main St.

Jacksonville • 501-982-0533 501.375.350 0 FACEBOOK.COM/DIZZYSGYPSYBISTRO DIZZYSGYPSYBISTRO.NET 200 S. RIVER MARKET AVE, STE. 150 TUE - THU: 11AM - 9PM FRI - SAT: 11AM - 10PM

1135 Skyline Dr.

Conway • 501-205-1985

Kids eat free on Thursday at dine-in locations

mexicochiquito.net

ITALIAN

CAFE PREGO Dependable entrees of pasta, pork, seafood, steak and the like, plus great sauces, fresh mixed greens and delicious dressings, crisp-crunchy-cold gazpacho and tempting desserts in a comfy bistro setting.

Little Rock standard for 18 years. 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-5355. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 47

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 18, 2012

43

Earth Da y

hearsay

Earth Day is coming up on Sunday, April 22, and there are plenty of eco-friendly ways to celebrate! Here are a few of our favorites. v RECYCLE This tip may be obvious, but it’s one of the best ways to make a positive impact on Mother Nature. And with Little Rock, North Little Rock and Sherwood’s new recycling program that kicked off earlier this month, it’s also one of the easiest. All residents should have received a new green-and-yellow 64-gallon bin—now all you have to do is toss your cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, metal and other recyclables into the can. And you don’t even have to sort the different materials. Too easy. v SHOP SEASONAL MARKETS April is the perfect time to get a taste of Arkansas’ bounty. Farmers Markets featuring locallygrown produce start setting up shop this month. NORTH LITTLE ROCK’S ARGENTA FARMERS MARKET officially opened on Saturday, April 14 from 7 a.m.-noon to sell Arkansas-harvested strawberries and greens, as well as free-range chicken and pork products. Across the river in Little Rock, shoppers can purchase produce fresh from the farm at the RIVER MARKET FARMERS MARKET every Tuesday and Saturday from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. starting Tuesday, April 24. v EAT LOCAL Speaking of food, stocking up on fruits and veggies at the farmers market isn’t the only way you can support Arkansas’ farms. Restaurants like SoMa’s THE ROOT source most of their ingredients from growers around the state (you can even see a list of the café’s suppliers on their website therootcafe. com). And the end result is one you’ll gladly gobble down. v BUY LOCAL You can shop locally for more than just good eats. BOX TURTLE and THE GREEN CORNER STORE offers customers organic, eco-friendly and locally-made items in clothing and accessories, home and garden décor, and bath and personal care products. This weekend, Little Rock can also support its local craft and artist scene at the ETSY LITTLE ROCK PRESENTS: 2ND ANNUAL INDIE ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL at the SHOPPES ON WOODLAWN. On Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., shoppers can seek out vintage accessories and clothing, aprons made from up-cycled fabrics, jewelry made from re-purposed materials and more. v UP-CYCLE Before you donate your unwanted belongings to resale stores, think creatively about how you might salvage your goods. One simple example: Outdated cushions and pillows can easily be spruced up with help from the selection of colorful textiles and advice from expert re-upholsterers at CYNTHIA EAST FABRICS. v RE-USE One of our favorite ways to “recycle” is to scout out antiques or junktiques instead of buying brand-new items.

Browse the fine American, English and French pieces at MORRIS ANTIQUES in Keo, just a 30-minute drive from Little Rock. Or stop by the best thrifting spot in town, MID-TOWNE ANTIQUE MALL for an eclectic array of furnishings, dinnerware, décor and more. v GET GREEN Literally green up your life with nature’s most abundant color! We hear that RHEA DRUG has plenty of cute green-hued gift ideas to share with customers this month, as well as helpful items for the garden. And of course, the folks at the THE GREEN EARTH GARDEN CENTER can assist gardening novices fix up the lawn with blooming plants, landscaping and other products and services. On Saturday, April 21, DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO in the River Market will offer the first 50 tables at lunch or dinner a complimentary native pecan tree seedling. v CELEBRATE THE EARTH The Arkansas Earth Day Foundation hosts the 2012 EARTH DAY FESTIVAL on Saturday, April 21 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Heifer International campus.

Learn about eco-minded topics like raw food and yoga, drop off your e-waste (such as old cell phones and chargers) and unwanted household goods, and say hello to the farm animals brought in from Heifer’s ranch in Perryville.

44

APRIL 18, 2012

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

APRIL 18, 2012

Find this cool fare at MR. WICK’S along with other fine menswear perfect for summer weather.

ALL THAT

SEERSUCKER

BY BLAIR TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

L

adies sip mint juleps and fan themselves in the sticky Southern heat, and dandy gentlemen don cotton seersucker suits while playing lawn croquet. It’s not the 1920s jazz age, but the OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM’s Seersucker Social might convince you otherwise. On Saturday, April 28 from 6-9 p.m., the museum hosts its annual fundraiser, featuring southern-style appetizers from Trio’s and refreshing libations, as well as games like musical chairs and the aforementioned lawn croquet. Attendees will also kick up their heels to live swing jazz from Jeremy Shrader’s Hot Memphis Four.

Most notably, the social event always brings out fabulous vintage costumes that harken back

to the glamorous era. Prizes are even awarded to the most fashionable male and female. Who has the perfect seersucker suit? Mr. Wick’s, of course.

The men’s clothing retailer carries the cool menswear in lots of colors and sizes. The store put together a complete look for the Museum’s social, suggesting a cotton button oxford to keep the look crisp. The pros also suggest complementing the blue stripes with a pink-and-blue printed tie from Southern Tide (look closely and you’ll see that the blue dots are actually small whales).

Finish the look with a pair of Nubuck shoes and statement-making color blocked socks.

Tickets to the Seersucker Social are $25 in advance or $30 at the door; visit oldstatehouse. com or call (501) 324-9685 to make reservations.

Arkansas All-Stars

BY BLAIR TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

F

ashion fans in central Arkansas flocked to the fifth annual Designers Choice Fashion Preview on Saturday, April 7 at the Metroplex Event Center. Billed as the All Star Show, this year’s event brought back designers who have presented their work at the showcase in previous years.

Fox 16 news anchor Donna Terrell, glowing in a gold-andblack, floor-grazing gown, hosted the evening alongside actor, designer—and yes—model Boris Kodjoe, who most recently starred in the J.J. Abrams-created TV series Undercovers. The duo introduced fashion lines created by local designers, as well as a few far-away guests. Jerell Scott, of Project Runway fame, showed off his gorgeous creations, mixing in a few of his signature flowing, asymmetrical sweater dresses with a collection of striking, structural garments. The dark palette of fitted minidresses wowed with fish-scale sequins, intergalactic collars and coral-shaped sleeves.

New York-based designer Ocie Collins showed off his military-inspired looks for men and women; another guest designer, Candace Lock of Dallas, made a special appear-

ance with a modern line of women’s wear, full of casual, sleek dresses in maxi lengths, as well as white baby doll frock that we loved.

Another Project Runway alum, Arkansan and DCFP staple, Korto Momolu, debuted a children’s line I Fish II Fish, with co-creator Erica Warren. Attendees also saw Snee Dismang’s meticulously tailored garments made from upcycled fabrics; Phalon Montgomery’s hefty jewelry crafted from a variety of stones, wood and metals; skull-emblazoned, punk and metallic ensembles from Kata Mari; a covetable denim and black lace mini dress with bold, but feminine ruffles from Nicole McGehee; as well as looks from Brandi Tate and Krista Smith.

Of all the diverse designs we saw, we’re crushing hardest on Leslie Pennel’s cohesive collection. From the first black-andwhite vertical stripe jumpsuit, paired with a skinny red belt and black and wide-brimmed hat, we were in lust. Our other favorites include Pennel’s sheer black dotted floor-length skirt and her final, show-stopping look: a fitted, black-and-white stripe mermaid tail skirt, which revealed a whimsical hint of red tulle when the model kicked up her heels. Swoon.

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Clockwise from left: The final look from Leslie Pennel; children’s clothing from I Fish II Fish; chic design by Candace Locke; Jerrell Scott wowed with structural sleeves; psychedelic skirt and top from Snee Dismang.

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

APRIL 18, 2012

45

Dick Cheney is a demon.

Not demon-possessed, mind you, but the real mccoy.

A demon inside him would only hold him back.

The Beebe blackbirds were flying along uneventfully at about 5,000 feet — some of them listening to music with earplugs, some chatting about current events or the beauty of the night sky — when they crossed paths with a streaming demon that possessed them briefly, just passing through, the extra weight causing them to kamikaze down, killed by the fall, but the demon unhurt by it, gathering himself up and cruising on up to Dardanelle to have possession sport with a big school of drum fish.

We drive you AND your car home!

belief that demonic possession is a plausible answer to some of the race’s longstanding unanswered questions.

I think it was demons rather than extraterrestrials who performed all the cattle mutilations a few years back, for instance.

Just for the hell of it.

It was a demon that thought up the concept of gnarliness.

Dick Cheney is a demon. Not demonpossessed, mind you, but the real mccoy.

A demon inside him would only hold him back.

Yeah, we’re a little different.

dling on “The 700 Club” allowed his ancient doddering pencil-shinned self to leg-press weight that exceeded the BOB standing world LANCASTER record by several hundred pounds.

• The recent tornado deaths in Missouri were the result of insufficient praying — indicative of demonic possession — by the victims as the cyclones bore down on them.

• Only the demon-possessed would suggest anything untoward in Bro. Pat’s championing of African dictators who in parlous times allowed him to go on gouging gold nuggets and diamonds out of his private Dark Continent mines and spiriting them off in his personal fleet of cargo planes.

• Plastic surgery is a sign of demonic possession, and Bro. Pat advocated divorcing your spouse if he or she developed Alzheimer’s, which he called “a kind of death” that he seemed to equate with zombieism, which, as we all know, is just

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e learned last week that Bro. Pat Robertson blames homoism on demonic possession.

Hardly a surprise since, over the years, Bro. Pat has fingered demonic possession as the root cause of, or a smoking-gun contributing factor in, all manner of revolting developments.

According to the gospel of Bro. Pat — • Demonic possession was behind a crack that appeared in the Washington Monument a few years ago • The big earthquake in Haiti was the demonic aftershock of a pact with the Devil made more than 200 years ago by a cadre of Port-au-Prince voodoo coupplotters.

• It was obviously the demonic possession of some of the Denver Broncos management that caused them to trade away St. Tim Tebow.

• Demonic possession inspired the “Twilight” movie series and the romanticizing of vampirism by the giggly set.

• Demonic possession prompted the laughter that greeted Bro. Pat’s claim that a miracle anti-aging drink mix he was ped-

A demon and you named SmackWe founded drive AND over, andyour gave it itscar feng shuihome! and savoir faire.

Beecause youtaught (and A demon named Barbarino L. your car) have Ron Hubbard the principles of Scientolplaces to be in ogy. the morning.

It was a demon named Moroni — not an angel as he thought — that led Joseph Smith to those golden plates and helped him translate them into leaden prose.

The reason we haven’t been back to the moon is we found out it was crawling with demons.

It’s a penal colony for demons 501-765-LRDD(5733) www.bumblebeetransportation.com that couldn’t or didn’t get the job done.

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Demons out the wazoo

demonic possession by another name.

Muslims, Hindus, Walt Disney World, the ACLU, feminists, liberals, people who’ve given, had, or advocated abortions, 9/11, evolutionists, pagans, Methodists, hurricanes — all characteristic of demonic possession, all predictable consequences of same.

Nothing about demons causing volcanic eruptions — I guess because in the Roberstonian view it goes without saying.

This is all pretty funny, I suppose, in a televangelical moronic kind of way. But I haven’t been able to enjoy it as I might if I didn’t cleave to an embarrassingly similar

ARKANSAS TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Public Notice

Pursuant to Act 163 of the 1993 Legislative Session, the Arkansas Department of Environment Quality gives the following notice: Waste Management of Arkansas d/b/a Two Pine Landfill (AFIN: 60-00438) has submitted an application for a renewal of the air permit under the Department’s Regulation 26 (Title V). This is a solid waste landfill facility that is located a 100 Two Pine Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72117.

This application was declared administraticely complete on 4/09/2012, and is undergoing technical review by the Air Division for compliance with State and Federal regulations. This facilitys mailing address is: 100 Two Pine Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72117 Citizens wishing to examine the permit application may do so by contacting the ADEQ, Air Permits Branch, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72118, (501) 682-0730.

Interested or affected persons may reuest a hearing on the proposed permit by giving the Department a written request within ten (10) business days of publication of this notice. The request shall be in writing to the above address - Attention: Air Permits Branch and state the reasons for the necessity of a public hearing. The Department shall have the discretion to decide whether to hold a public hearing, unless otherwise required by law or regulation. If a hearing is scheduled, adequate public notice will be given in this newspaper. Teresa Marks, Director 4618, 2012 APRILARKANSAS TIMES 18, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES 46 April

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Apply in person at 2000 Reservoir Road or apply online at www.warrenproperties.com Warren Properties Inc., is an Equal Employment Opportunity Provider

IMAGE ANALYSIS SPECIALIST The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR is seeking a Research Associate (Image Analysis Specialist) who will be responsible for maintaining the infrastructure and integrity of MRI data collected for the Brain Imaging Research Center. They will be involved in acquisition, processing, and statistical analysis of MRI data; assist in the preparation of MRI experiments and in troubleshooting errors in the data analysis. Duties include acquiring imaging data, performing processing and statistical analysis of MRI data, and preparing presentations describing results of statistical analyses. Other minor duties include transferring MRI data to central servers, conduct quality assurance inspections of MRI scanner and acquired data, and maintain data infrastructure. The candidate will also assist with subject scheduling, serve as liaison with researchers outside of the Brain Imaging Research Center, and attend weekly research conference/grand rounds. Master Degree in Statistics/Math plus 3 years of research experience OR Bachelor Degree in Statistics/Math plus 5 years of research experience required.

Send all correspondence to: Jill Gregory, MBA 4301 W. Markham St., #554 Little Rock, AR 72205 Jagregory@uams.edu

Employment

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Own a car? Earn $7K per year renting out your car. RelayRides provides insurance and support. You set the price and who rents your car. www.RelayRides.com/ list-your-car

steel Buildings 33 1/3 to 50% off Complete for Assembly Ex. 20x24 Reg $6,792 Disc. $5,660 (Quantity 1) 50x100 Reg $42,500 Disc. $29,000 (Quantity 2) Call for Others Source#1OM 866-609-4321

FieldwOrkers 3 tempOrary positions; approx 7 1/2 months; Duties: to clean culvert pipes with shovel, to dig out Johnson grass in cane fields with shovel, to dig quarter drain ditches with shovel for water management. To plant cane by hand. $9.30 per hour; 40+ hours a week, hours varies. Job to begin on 06/1/12 through 1/15/13. Must have 1months experienced required in job offered. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; subsistence expenses to the worksite will be provided by the employer upon completion of 50% of the work contract, or earlier, if appropriate; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by M.J. Naquin, Inc. located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at 985447-3296 or contact their nearest SWA office at 501-682-7719 and use job order number 413301.

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nOtice OF Filing Application For permit to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises. Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has filed an application with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the State of Arkansas for a permit to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises described as: 11601 Pleasant Ridge Rd Suite 300. Little Rock AR 72212. Said application was filed on March 12, 2012. the undersigned state that he/she is resident of Arkansas, of good moral character; that he/she never been convicted of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitude; that no license to sell alcoholic beverages by the undersigned has been revoked within five (5) years last past; and, that the undersigned has never been convicted of violating the law of this State, or any other State, relative to the sale of controlled beverages. Name of applicant: Jose Guadalupe Perez with SC HWY 10 COMPANY INC dba: Santo Coyote Tequila Bar

Real Estate 7220 pOntiac driVe, NLR - $163,900.

3BR/2BA home in Indian Hills, approx. 1738 SF plus approx. 200 SF workshop. Lush landscaping, many energy efficient updates including HVAC system, roof, flooring.

Granite counters in kitchen. FSBO 501-4162820 OPEN SUNDAY, 2-4 PM!

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The Arkansas Banshees, a women's full contact football team will be playing their first home game on 4/21 at JA Fair Stadium on David O. Dodd Rd. at 6 pm. They face the Kansas Pheonix. Tickets are $5, 6 and under are free.

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Friend us on facebook/arbanshees or go to our website at arbanshees.com.

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Apricot Girls!

AppArel • H Andb Ags • Accessories

boutique & party studio

9871 Brockington Rd • Sherwood AR 501.833.1000

apricotgirlsboutique TU-FR 10am-6pm • SAT 10am-5pm

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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. CIAO Don’t forget about this casual yet elegant bistro tucked into a downtown storefront.

The fine pasta and seafood dishes, ambiance and overall charm combine to make it a relaxing, enjoyable, affordable choice. 405 W. Seventh St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-0238.

L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. GRADY’S PIZZAS AND SUBS Pizza features a pleasing blend of cheeses rather than straight mozzarella. The grinder is a classic, the chef’s salad huge and tasty. 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-1918. LD daily.

IRIANA’S PIZZA Unbelievably generous handtossed New York style pizza with unmatched zest. Good salads, too; grinders are great, particularly the Italian sausage. 201 E. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-3656. LD Mon.-Sat. PIERRE’S GOURMET PIZZA CO. EXPRESS KITCHEN Chef/owner Michael Ayers has reinvented his pizzeria, once located on JFK in North Little Rock, as the first RV entry into mobile food truck scene. With a broad menu of pizza, calzones, salads and subs. 760 C Edgewood Drive. No alcohol, No CC. $$.

501-410-0377. L Mon.-Fri. U.S. PIZZA Crispy thin-crust pizzas, frosty beers and heaping salads drowned in creamy dressing. Count on being here for awhile. It takes half an hour to get your pizza, since it’s cooked in an old fashioned stone hearth oven.

2710 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-2198. LD daily. 5524 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-7071. LD daily.

9300 North Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-224-6300. LD daily. 3307 Fair Park Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-565-6580 ý. LD daily. 650 Edgewood Dr. Maumelle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-8510880. LD daily. 3324 Pike Avenue. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-758-5997. LD daily.

4001 McCain Park Drive. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-2900. LD daily. 5524

John F Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-975-5524 ý. LD daily.

ZAFFINO’S BY NORI A high-quality Italian dining experience. Pastas, entrees (don’t miss the veal marsala) and salads are all outstanding.

2001 E. Kiehl Ave. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-834-7530. D Tue.-Sat.

LATINO

BROWNING’S MEXICAN FOOD New rendition of a 65-year institution in Little Rock is a totally different experience. Large, renovated space is a Heights hangout with a huge bar, sports on TV and live music on weekends.

Some holdover items in name only but recast fresher and tastier. Large menu with some hits and some misses. 5805 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9956. LD daily.

CANON GRILL Tex-Mex, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Creative appetizers come in huge quantities, and the varied main-course menu rarely disappoints, though it’s not as spicy as competitors’. Happy hour from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Sat. and Sun. 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-6642068. LD daily.

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL Burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads are the four main courses of choice — and there are four meats and several other options for filling them. Sizes are uniformly massive, quality is uniformly strong, and prices are uniformly low. 11525 Cantrell Road. All CC. $-$$. 501-221-0018. LD daily.

COTIJA’S A branch off the famed La Hacienda family tree downtown, with a massive menu of tasty lunch and dinner specials, the familiar white cheese dip and sweet red and fieryhot green salsas, and friendly service. 406 S. Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-0733.

L Mon.-Sat. EL JALAPENO 9203 Chicot Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-772-7471. LD Mon.-Fri. EL JALAPENO TEX-MEX GRILL Tex-Mex, with

a lunch buffet 220 W 4th St. 501-244-0001.

LAS MARGARITAS Sparse offerings at this taco truck. No chicken, for instance. Try the veggie quesadilla. 7308 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Tue.-Thu. LA REGIONAL A full-service grocery store catering to SWLR’s Latino community, it’s the small grill tucked away in the back corner that should excite lovers of adventurous cuisine.

The menu offers a whirlwind trip through Latin America, with delicacies from all across the Spanish-speaking world (try the El Salvadorian papusas, they’re great). Bring your Spanish/ English dictionary. 7414 Baseline Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-4440. BLD daily.

TAQUERIA KARINA AND CAFE A real Mexican neighborhood cantina from the owners, to freshly baked pan dulce, to Mexican-bottled Cokes, to first-rate guacamole, to inexpensive tacos, burritos, quesadillas and a broad selection of Mexican-style seafood. 5309 W. 65th St. Beer, No CC. $.

501-562-3951. LD Tue.-Thu. TAQUERIA SAMANTHA II Stand out taco truck fare, with meat options standard and exotic. 7521 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-744-0680. LD Tue.-Sun.

AROUND ARKANSAS

CONWAY

BLACKWOOD’S GYROS AND GRILL A wide variety of salads, sandwiches, gyros and burgers dot the menu at this quarter-century veteran of Conway’s downtown district. 803 Harkrider Ave. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. 501-329-3924. LD Mon.-Sat. BOB’S GRILL This popular spot for local diners features a meat-and-two-veg cafeteria style lunch and a decently large made-to-order breakfast menu. Service is friendly. 1112 W. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3799760. BL Mon.-Sat. DUE AMICHE Stromboli, pasta, pizza, calzones

and other Italian favorites. 1600 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-3360976. LD Mon.-Sun. FABY’S RESTAURANT Unheralded MexicanContinental fusion focuses on handmade sauces and tortillas. 1023 Front Street. Conway.

No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-513-1199. L daily, D Mon.-Sat. 2915 Dave Ward. Conway.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-5151. LD Mon.-Sun. FU LIN RESTAURANT Japanese steakhouse, seafood and sushi. Good variety, including items such as yam tempura, Karashi conch, Uzuzukuri and a nice selection of udon. 195 Farris. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-329-1415. LD Mon.-Sun. HOG PEN BBQ Barbecue, fish, chicken 800 Walnut. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-326-5177. LD Tue.-Sat. HOLLY’S COUNTRY COOKING Southern plate lunch specials weekdays. 120 Harkrider.

Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-328-9738.

L Mon.-Fri. LOS 3 POTRILLOS A big menu and lots of reasonably priced choices set this Mexican restaurant apart. The cheese dip is white, the servings are large, and the frozen margaritas are sweet. Try the Enchiladas Mexicanas, three different enchiladas in three different sauces.

1090 Skyline Dr. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-327-1144. LD Mon.-Sun. MICHELANGELO’S ITALIAN RISTORANTE Fine Italian dining in downtown Conway. Menu features brick oven pizzas, handmade sauces and pasta, salads, fish and seafood, steaks.

Serves up champagne brunch on Sundays.

Try the Italian Nachos, wonton chips topped with Italian sausage and vegetables coated in Asiago Cheese Sauce. 1117 Oak St. Conway.

Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-329-7278. LD daily.

PITZA 42 You’ll find pizza made on pita bread and a broad salad menu here. 2235 Dave Ward Dr. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-2051380.

www.arktimes.com April 18,47 2012 47 www.arktimes.com APRIL 18, 2012

w

What beer do we drink when we’re done making beer?

The one you’re about to enjoy in Shift. Canning this Nelson Sauvin hopped pale lager means everyone gets to reward their work. Or play. Or, if you’re like us, combine the two and surround yourself with drinking buddies. Clock out and crack one open.

shift pale lager is brewed by new belgium brewing fort collins co