For those of you who can’t wait another day, Stars Cinema will be one of the theaters showing Iron Man starting on May 1 instead of May 2, the projected opening date. While I won’t be able to make it tomorrow, I’ll be there with bells on come Friday night.
Tickets are available at Stars.
One, nine, 18, 28, 30, 40 — these are numbers that Patrick Stamper will most likely never forget. Stamper, of El Dorado, won more than $1.6 million on April 19 in the Louisiana Lottery with these lucky digits. After taxes, Stamper received more than $1.1 million. He purchased his winning ticket at Harde’ Mart No. 227 on S. Main St. in Junction City, according to lottery officials.
What a lucky guy. Click here for more.
The northern snakehead
State officials have confirmed the presence of the northern snakehead, an invasive species of fish, in Lee County. The snakehead, which is not native to Arkansas waters, was banned in Arkansas in 2002, but officials say the fish may have been brought into the state before the ban and cultivated as an Asian food species.
While there are no snakehead sightings on record for Union County or the rest of South Arkansas, other examples of areas where the species has reared its head indicate that population control is difficult, to say the least. According the Associated Press, Arkansas biologists are killing every confirmed northern snakehead they find, but officials say eradication will be difficult.
The fish is described by Game and Fish officials as a “top shelf predator” in Arkansas fisheries, with a fast reproductive cycle and the ability to survive outside of water for short periods of time, allowing the animals to move small distances over land.
“But they’re not some ‘Frankenfish’ that will attack people or chase them on land,” said Mark Oliver, assistant chief of fisheries for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in an interview with the AP.
For information on the northern snakehead in Arkansas, head over to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s website.
The Associated Press is reporting that Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, along with a state trooper and a member of his staff, helped a woman in a wheelchair off the porch of a burning home.
Halter, on his way to a meeting with Paragould’s mayor Wednesday, told a reporter for the Paragould Daily Press that he saw smoke rising from the house fire about 10:30 a.m., according to the AP. Family members for the unidentified woman needed the help to lift the woman away to safety after she fell out of her wheelchair.
Halter spokesman Garry Hoffmann told The Associated Press that after the men got the woman into the front yard, flames shot out of a doorway. Hoffmann said Trooper Ramey Lovan suffered a slight burn to his arm. Halter apparently escaped unscathed.
Halter said he was “just glad all these people are going to be fine.”
Today’s signing day at El Dorado High School. And, no, this has nothing to do with sports. For once, someone is focusing on education as the sole purpose for going to college, and I think that’s refreshing. More than 200 students from El Dorado High School plan to take advantage of the El Dorado Promise today by signing their intent to attend college next fall.
God speed, students, and may you all succeed.
By Larry Singer
For Between Editions
On Wednesday, April 24, a photograph I took appeared at the top of the front page of the El Dorado News-Times. It featured an El Dorado police officer, Andrew Russell, checking on the welfare of a homeless man, Richard Smith, who was resting on the grass at the intersection of Washington and East Center.
The next day a letter from one of our readers, who was critical of the photo, appeared on the editorial page.
The reader felt that the photograph was inappropriate.
I am both grateful and honored that this reader (a) looked at the picture, (b) thought about the picture quite a bit and (c) was so affected she actually sat down and wrote my editor a letter about the picture.
I don’t agree that the picture was unsuitable or improper for several reasons.
As a photojournalist, I believe my job is to tell stories with photographs, and this picture really did tell a story.
While, at first glance, the image seems to show a police officer harassing a homeless person, nothing, as the caption explains, could be farther from the truth.
I had no idea Richard Smith was at the intersection until someone, who did not identify himself, called me and said a photographer from the paper really needed to capture Mr. Smith on film.
Shortly after I arrived, Officer Russell pulled up in his police cruiser, got out and, to my surprise, the first words out of his mouth were, “Hi Richard, how are you doing today?”
After a brief conversation, during which Officer Russell determined that Mr. Smith, who has chronic, long term physical medical problems, did not require transport to a medical facility, he told Smith to try and take care of himself and drove off to serve and protect elsewhere.
That was the story.
A kind, caring police officer took the time to care about someone who some might say has fallen between the cracks.
When I asked Richard Smith if he had any problems with his picture being in the paper, he said he did not.
While seeing a man laying in the grass on a rainy day may make some people uncomfortable, I believe the kindness shown by one human being to another far outweighs any possible discomfort some readers may feel about the plight of the homeless.
Pictures of the homeless are never fun to look at, but in this case, they can be really worthwhile.
Larry Singer is a photographer for the El Dorado News-Times.
Murphy CEO Claiborne Deming is getting pretty good at making stunning announcements. First the Murphy Promise, and now news that El Dorado will soon be home to the world’s tallest building.
Deming, flanked by executives from the multi-million dollar corporation, smiled and drew applause as he announced his company’s plans to construct a massive 150 story building dubbed “Boomtown Tower.” The building will be located in the center of downtown El Dorado, Deming said.
“What an exciting day for us; what a great day for El Dorado,” Deming told a crowd of more than 300 gathered on the steps of the Union County Courthouse, which will soon be torn down to make way for construction of the $5 billion Boomtown Tower.
Deming said the company has planned for some time to construct a large building that will “better represent” Murphy’s status in the oil and gas world. And what better time than now, when profits are high as a result of record oil prices, he said.
The first four floors of the tower will house a new Union County Courthouse, followed by 50 floors of apartments, condos and retail space. The remainder of the building will be dedicated to Murphy Oil and their worldwide operations.
The top five floors will feature penthouse suites for Deming and other high-level executives.
Deming said that with the El Dorado Promise, “enough interest has been generated from our other corporate offices throughout the world that they all want to move here to El Dorado, so that’s what we are doing.”
More than 4,000 of Murphy’s employees will relocate to El Dorado and live in Boomtown Tower, Deming said.
Connecting the tower with a major airport was a “huge concern” for company officials, so plans call for building a subway that will link Boomtown Tower with a new high speed rail system to be constructed between El Dorado and Dallas.
“This will really give us an international connection,” Deming said. “We can have our people depart a plane at Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport, board a high speed train, and be in El Dorado within two hours.”
News of the Boomtown Tower quickly spread around El Dorado and the world.
Union County Judge Bobby Edmonds, whose office will soon be reduced to rubble and temporarily relocated across town to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, called Deming’s announcement “remarkable.”
“We really don’t know what to make of this right now,” Edmonds said.
Of course Edmonds and the Union County Quorum Court must approve plans for the demolition and temporary relocation of the courthouse. But “that will not be a problem,” Edmonds said. “There is no way we would stand in the way of something this massive.”
Some aren’t as happy about Murphy’s plans for downtown. Prominent businessman and El Dorado City Council candidate Richard Mason said it’s an “outrage to rid the city of such a historical structure.”
Richard and his wife, Vertis, own many historic buildings in downtown El Dorado, including the Rialto Theater. Both attended Murphy’s press conference on Wednesday.
After Deming spoke, Vertis Mason approached the CEO and told him that he “should be ashamed of himself” for planning to locate the building in the center of downtown.
“Why can’t you build it on Peach Street at your current headquarters?” Mason quipped.
Deming replied, “You’re just jealous because our building will look better than anything else downtown, and because you won’t own it.”
The Masons said they may counter Deming’s construction plan with one of their own, although they did not cite specifics.
“Sure, we have our plans, and we will have our own announcement very soon,” Vertis Mason said. “Expect something really big.”
Demolition of the courthouse is scheduled to begin at the end of July, Deming said. All offices will be temporarily relocated to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Murphy has purchased 20 portable trailers from FEMA, which are currently en route to Union County, to be used as office space there. Construction on Boomtown Tower will begin in mid-August.
It’s Wednesday, and what better day to introduce a new addition to Between Editions: Satire. I hope you enjoy our first installment, and for the future, every Wednesday we will feature some type of satirical article. The article will appear as a normal post, save for the ending, which will include a little tag line about satire, just in case some folks may think it’s real. Thanks, and enjoy today’s forthcoming satirical piece.
According to a new article, New Zealand scientists have performed several autopsies on a colossal squid specimen found in February. This thing weighs over 1,000 pounds and has an eye the size of a soccer ball.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I love news like this. It gives me a great feeling to think that there are still things left to discover about our planet.
Learn more here.
It’s been a slow Blog-related news day, but around the office it seems like everyone’s been neck-deep in election-related this & that. Be sure to check out our election guide to stay informed and updated on who’s running for what in El Dorado, Union County, and beyond…
Photo credit: Larry Singer. News-Times employee Linda Rothwell lets it all hang out.
It seems like every car I’ve passed today had the windows rolled down to let in some of this wonderful cooler air we’ve enjoyed. And, to me, it’s been hotter than usual during the last couple weeks or so. Weather.com says it’ll get down in the mid-40’s tonight. I love cold weather, so I’ll be doing whatever I can to get outside tonight and enjoy a cool evening for what might be the last time until September or so. But, then again… this is Arkansas.
Look to the right of your screen for all your weather needs…
I spotted a Smart car in town last week puttering down main street toward the First Baptist Church. It’s called “Smart,” but it’s manufactured by the good folks at Mercedes Benz. Sprechen Sie Deutche?
If anyone knows who owns this car, send them my way, please.
With gas prices skyrocketing, we may be seeing more and more small cars on area roadways. To me, though, this is a little too small. Can you imagine what this thing would look like in a wreck with an SUV?
According to the Smart company, the car has a 1 liter, in-line three cylinder engine with a top speed of 90 miles per hour. As for gas mileage? Not as good as you might expect. City 40/45 (EPA 2007); Highway 33/41 (EPA 2008).
The Smart “fortwo” pure coupe starts at $11,590, the Smart “fortwo” passion coupe starts at $13,590, and the Smart “fortwo” passion cabriolet starts at $16,590.
Update: Here’s more on the safety of the Smart car. It sounds good, but…. This thing still isn’t much larger than a purple hull pea pod.
From Smart:
The safety management system of the smart fortwo will set new standards in its class.
The highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from steel, half of which is high-strength material, especially in highly stressed areas. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected.
The reinforced steel and the design of the car allow for the displacement of impact and redistribution of crash energy. Because of the size of the vehicle, most crashes will also involve one of the wheel bases which also displaces energy.
Both doors are also designed for easy access during rescue.
The smart fortwo comes standard with four airbags (two full-sized front and two side for head and thorax protection). Other safety features such as esp® (electronic stability program) and ABS brakes are also standard.
Dear readers,
I’m afraid I may have led some of you astray with a blog posting last week promising a Saturday article on Pilgrim’s Pride. That didn’t quite work out, but rest assured, there is an update coming this week. I spoke with Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, as well as some of the state’s top economists. What they had to say seems promising, although all agree that it may be out of anyone’s hands at this point.
Still, at least the state is trying to save more than 1,600 jobs here. Let’s hope they can.
According to CNN.com, the federal government on Monday started depositing checks into the bank accounts of 800,000 Americans in the first installment in a weeks-long effort to boost the economy. These stimulus checks will be distributed to most tax-paying Americans. The U.S. Treasury will distribute more than $110 billion to 130 million taxpayers by July.
The government hopes to stimulate the economy by putting some extra cash in people’s pockets. Like you, I’m counting the days until my cash flow gets stimulated by the government. And, also probably like you, I’m wondering exactly how long I’ll have to wait before said stimulation shows up in my mail box.
According to the CNN article, the order in which tax filers will receive their rebates will be based on the last two digits of their Social Security numbers, when they filed their ‘07 tax forms and whether they opt for direct deposit. The Treasury Department said it hopes to get the first $50 billion out by the end of May. People who use direct deposit will get their payments soonest. By the end of next week, checks will have been deposited into the bank accounts of 7.4 million people. Most people will get their payments by July 11.
Sounds like a good way to start the summer…
I’ve seen several signs up across town, and I’m guessing everyone else has seen at least one, letting the public know that the South Arkansas Arts Center will be holding auditions for its summer musical, South Pacific, on May 19 & 20.
I’ve already done a preliminary interview with the show’s director, Clay Callaway, for a future feature piece, and, while the show is still a good ways off, he’s got some pretty cool ideas on the visual aspects of his version of South Pacific. A good friend of mine is also choreographing the show, and while she and I haven’t gotten into the particulars of what she has in mind, I know that the choreography is in very capable hands.
So, for those who are interested and haven’t seen a sign yet, auditions are May 19-20 at 6 p.m. at the SAAC.
For more information, contact the Arts Center at (870) 862-5474.
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