We were saddened to hear about the passing of legendary lawman Al Harris, who during our newspaper time served as Arkadelphia’s police chief. One of our very first assignments as a student reporter was to write about crime in Arkadelphia. We were nervous to interview such an important figure, but soon discovered that Al was easy to talk to. One quote he gave during our first visit — one that will forever stick with us — was that “Arkadelphia is a lot like Mayberry.” Al was great at giving candid interviews, and he was chock full of great soundbites that added color to an otherwise drab news story. There were occasions when the news didn’t reflect well on his department, and even then Al would provide an off-the-cuff comment, even if it meant catching hell from the city manager for his brutal honesty. But that was Al, and we loved him for it. Last time we saw Al was at one of his favorite downtown haunts, several months after we had started our own news publication, albeit online. He’d heard of The Arkadelphian, he said, but in retirement he was living “off the grid.” By that he meant no Internet, no social media, no mindless scrolling on a cell phone. Therefore, he wouldn’t be reading the news we provided. In essence, he was living John Prine’s Spanish Pipedream. It didn’t bother us a bit. We could all use a little Mayberry livin’.
We love a good segue. It’s been nearly two months since we’ve posted an article on Facebook. We’ll have to at some point, but now, quite frankly, we’re worried how our audience there will react to the lengthy absence. We still find ourselves scrolling, but it’s a waste of time. There’s so much junk out there, and, frankly, we don’t want to be a part of it.
We did agree with the comments under a recent post by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. In the days ahead of the upcoming “alternative firearms” deer season, the AGFC posted a friendly reminder of the do’s and don’t’s of what bullets hunters can use. It’s a bit too much to keep up with, and fellow hunters aired their frustrations with the new regulations. Glad we’re not alone in our vexation, but didn’t give into the temptation of adding to the conversation.
No frost observed Thursday morning.
It never fails: the moment we step away from the news desk to cross the county line, big news happens. Past examples include a high school student bringing a gun on campus; the announcement of a new Henderson chancellor; the FBI nabbing an area sheriff; the list goes on. Yesterday, while we were out of town, a preacher in Delight was arrested for multiple counts of child porn possession. By the time we returned, it was old news. Expect big news to happen on Friday, too.
Hours after this column is published, we will have thought of something we forgot to include. We blame a condition we call the C-HORS disease: Can’t Hear Or Remember (you fill in the blank).
Arkadelphia Lions Club is holding its fall pancake breakfast fundraiser at the senior activity center from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door. Hope to see you there.
Happy birthday to us: A deluxe edition of the “Long After Dark” album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will be released on Oct. 18.
An average of 2,500 people visit this website each day. How many people are looking at your Facebook page or having a poke around your store? At this writing, 21 advertisements and a handful of generous donors are powering this news publication.
Joel Phelps is editor of arkadelphian.com. Opinions expressed in this column are his own. Contact him at editor@arkadelphian.com. Except you, NC: Feel free to text.
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