This post was updated on 3/16/23 to delete a paragraph about a meeting that has already occurred.

By JOEL PHELPS | The Arkadelphian

Arkadelphia’s Sonic Drive-In is set to reopen this Thursday, March 16, at 8 a.m.

Kudos to the City of Benton for the decision to invest in its parks and buy 511 acres of undeveloped land along the Saline River. Our counterpart in Saline County, mysaline.com, reports it to be the largest single land acquisition in the city’s history. Let’s hope our local officials are taking note of the growth in central Arkansas’ southernmost city and planning to capitalize on what should hopefully continue trickling in a southerly direction. If you haven’t visited a local park lately, get out soon and do so — we recommend taking a leisurely stroll along the shaded Feaster Trail between 26th and 15th streets. City parks are an important facet of a community’s quality of life.

April Fools’ Day is upon us. Watch out.

Of the 189 people who commented on a recent question we posed — “What do you call the final meal of the day? — an overwhelming majority of our readers agree that the evening-time meal is called “supper.” I won’t be having dinner with any of them anytime soon!

The 94th General Assembly is apt to push Senate Bill 358 through efficiently and without conducting much research of their own about Delta 8 THC. One Little Rock TV news station sensationalized “the issue” and conducted an interview with the smartest person they could find on a street outside a gas station. At least the reporter talked to someone —in the moments before his pants caught on fire, state Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) said he had talked to at least a hundred librarians about Senate Bill 81. As for the proposed Delta 8 bill, it should be regulated and praised as a source of tax revenue, not banned as a result of fear-mongering.

Joel Phelps is editor and publisher of The Arkadelphian. Don’t need that wealth or fame/Just want enough to play the game! He can be reached by phone at 501-304-2134 or by email at editor@arkadelphian.com.