BITS & PIECES: Oops, we did it again

By JOEL PHELPS | The Arkadelphian

We goofed on our latest report on local real estate transactions. We erroneously reported Friday that Arkadelphia Physical Therapy had sold to the Arkansas Highway Commission. That afternoon, we got a call from the proprietor who kindly informed us that only a portion of the acreage was being sold to make way for street and subsequent intersection where the Arkadelphia Bypass will terminate on West Pine Street. We regret the error, and we also admit it was an easy mistake to make given the dollar amount awarded for a piece of the property. We should have paid closer attention.

We took the dog out early Saturday morning for a pre-dawn potty, and got a strong whiff of skunk. Either Pepé Le Pew was on the hunt for romance or Snoop Dogg moved into the neighborhood. We checked the time: a little after 4:20 AM. Yeah, it was probably a skunk.

Attendance at the second annual End of Summer Blowout was reported to be slimmer this year than in 2022, its inaugural year. We didn’t cover it. Instead we spent the evening calming a frightened calico kitten that hitched a ride from the parking lot of a fast food establishment to our home. Alerted that it was behind our tire, we made attempts to shoo it from the vehicle, and thought it had scrammed as we watched it head toward some landscaping. Instead, it found refuge in a tiny nook in the front bumper, clinging to the headlight plug (and whatever else it could) for a scary ride across town. After a meal and a warm bath in the sink, we sat outside combing out the dying fleas as the Feaster Park festival’s fireworks boomed for several minutes.

The entertainment was long gone before the wet/dry vote.

Kudos to Henderson State University for its addition of two degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences and Bachelor of Science in Education. Considering the liberal arts programs are gone and the new push for preparing students for available jobs in the area, why not include a degree program aimed at the industry that fuels South Arkansas’s economy: forestry. Yes, we said it. Believe it or not, it takes quite a bit of knowledge — dare we say, science even! — to turn a tree into a piece of lumber or paper. Besides, why should the University of Arkansas at Monticello get all the forestry action? We admit, though, that we have absolutely no knowledge of what prerequisites or courses such a study program would require. It’s just an idea we’ve been sitting on for some time now. We could go on and on about our own experience in lumber production and the knowledge of forestry we gained from it — and perhaps we will in a future column — but take our word for it: there is a need in the field for intelligent, skilled workers.

Say it all, Say it all, Say, Somebody has got to say it all.

Joel Phelps is editor of arkadelphian.com. Opinions expressed in Bits & Pieces are his own. Get in touch with him at 501-304-2134 or editor@arkadelphian.com. That’s good Cake.