Time to begin healing process

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Sidney Nicole Randall, the 14-year-old Walnut Ridge girl whose body was found by a fisherman Saturday evening in the Black River. It had been 10 weeks since she was reported missing March 10, the day. . .

It may not be Paris, but springtime in NEA is divine

Having lived in Jonesboro for more than a year, I consider myself a “resident” and have come to appreciate the city and Northeast Arkansas more and more. Now that winter has finally gone — dragging and kicking — and spring is in full bloom, my attitude. . .

Political scandal is state's first in a decade

“Further affiant sayeth not,” concluded the affiant, using the language of the law; though the affiant, Special Agent Richard S. McClain of the FBI, had sayeth, had affirmed, plenty in the preceding seven pages — the affidavit upon which was based the arrest. . .

Wait over for one foster child

The 11-year-old stood before the stage at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock on May 18 and waited to hear her name, Hannah Cranford. On July 5, 2011, she had waited to hear a judge say the same thing. That was the day she learned that her name had. . .

In Florida, timely injustice

At great political peril, George Ryan did the right thing. Not to canonize the man. After all, the then-governor of Illinois was later imprisoned on corruption charges. But that doesn’t change the fact that, in 2000, stung that 13 inmates had been exonerated. . .

Mideast conflicts have brought U.S. dishonor, pain

Americans are instinctively wiser than their leaders when it comes to foreign policy, at least until their emotions are manipulated to support mindless war. A poll early this month showed that only 5 percent of Americans support sending troops to overthrow the. . .

It’s testing time for Syria’s rebels

It’s a rule of thumb in Middle East conflicts that whenever peace talks are announced, each side steps up the fighting so it can grab as much territory as possible before the cease-fire lines are drawn. This struggle for position is happening now in Syria, in. . .

Shoffner’s troubles highlight need for qualified officeholder

The arrest of state Treasurer Martha Shoffner on federal extortion charges was not a complete surprise, although the process and new allegations were unexpected. Shoffner had endured countless claims of mismanagement of her office, including a scathing. . .

Tyranny is no longer ‘lurking;’ it’s here

Given last week’s revelation that the IRS targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, it’s worth recalling President Obama’s Ohio State University commencement address. The president decried “voices” warning “that tyranny is always lurking. . .

How Mitzie got her gate

It was only when they put the cuffs on her and led her out of the Cincinnati Federal Office Building that she finally realized how much trouble she was in. Her husband, in one of his rare sober moments, had urged her to get a lawyer, and her neighbor, the. . .

UA board asks chancellors to support tuition, fee hikes

A committee of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees will make recommendations this week after conducting an unusual hearing in which chancellors of the various campuses were asked to justify proposed increases in tuition and fees. For too many years. . .

GOP moderate’s decision will impact governor’s race

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas House Speaker Davy Carter’s decision against a run for governor next year is a boost for Republicans hoping to avoid a messy fight for the party’s nomination next year. It also offers a warning sign for the GOP’s future. After. . .

Individualized learning is key to independent power

Children have a natural desire to learn as much as they can. From prenatal to 2 or 3 years of age their learning curve is steep. They have to learn language, how to control their body motions and even how to eat. They have to learn how to recognize faces and. . .

Confessions of a Word Wopper

I’m stuck on Word Warp, or Word Wop, depending on whom you ask. It’s the best part of my new smartphone. I got it only at my husband’s and daughter’s insistence. I really didn’t want to text, and I dreaded voicemail. I just prefer a call — I talk to. . .

Redacted truth, subjunctive outrage

Note to GOP re Benghazi: Stop calling it Watergate, Iran-contra, bigger than both, etc. First, it might well be, but we don’t know. History will judge. Second, over-hyping will only diminish the importance of the scandal if it doesn’t meet presidency-breaking. . .