The Associated Press reported earlier this month that, as more outsiders migrate to the U.S. South, Southern accents are in danger of disappearing. While we don’t speak with the slow drawl common of most Arkansans, and use a lexicon that may seem alien to many, we’re proud Southerners with an uncanny ability to pinpoint one’s locale based on their regional dialect. In general, Arkansans sound different than Alabamians, and so forth. One of our more peculiar habits during vacation is to eavesdrop and stop a conversation to guess where the individual is from. We digress: what we found most startling in the AP’s report was that, in the past five years, some 5.8 million people have moved into the South from other parts of the country (or from other countries). Assuming we can agree that “the South” consists of 13 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Texas and the Virginias) and that each state has an average of 98 counties (we did the math), that means each of the 1,279 counties in the South had a population increase of 59,183 residents since 2020. That there’s a buncha folks, y’all. However, the growth hasn’t been divided equally, and each state likely has one or two booming metropolitans (Arkansas, for instance, has Fayettedalerogersville). Still, these outsiders are putting down roots somewhere, and assuming they’re buying property, Southerners are losing more than their accents: they’re selling off generational homesites and acreage (from this point forward we’ll be taking more copious notes at the courthouse when we record real estate transactions). This land hasn’t always been ours, but knowing that our heritage could become a thing of the past in a generation or two — well, that’s a jagged pill to swallow. Hold on to what you’ve got. Whatcha reckon?
Sure is quiet in town now that the college students have returned home for the summer. University parking lots are void of vehicles, and there appears to be far fewer cars with annoyingly loud exhaust traversing the streets. This is our favorite part of the year in Arkadelphia. The two universities collectively graduated more than 700 seniors this past weekend, and AHS is preparing to send off 122 more this weekend. Some will stay, some will go — it’s a natural part of the ebb and flow of any community. From our estimation, about 30% of this year’s Arkadelphia Promise Scholarship recipients will be attending Henderson State University this fall, and about 9% will be at Ouachita Baptist University.
Tomorrow, we’re going to get our act together.
A Memorial Day ceremony has been set for Monday, May 26, 2025 at 11 a.m. at the Clark County Courthouse Gazebo, 419 Clay St. Brown Hardman will be the keynote speaker. We’ll publish the full program once it’s finalized and comes across the news desk. (Editor’s note: This bit was updated to correct the day of the ceremony.)
Revisiting the proposed new slogan for Arkadelphia, we think “It Ain’t Like Anywhere Else” would be a good fit. It’s true. Here’s where we got the idea:
Swap out the five-syllable title with “Arkadelphia” and sing along.
Ozzy the Chocolate Chihuahua sez: Me don’ts knows all my neighbors’ names, but I knows their dawgs’ names: Coco, Sadie, Lily, Theo and Leia. Dare’s anudder one up the hill, keeps runnin’ away. Somebody keeps yellin’ for Abby.
Lots of people are quick to comment negatively about ideas or actions of our community leaders. We would argue that they deserve credit for not sitting idly, and for being progressive. It’s no fun to watch keyboard warriors tear down our city. We should all try to find the good in people and keep our focus on the positive. Admittedly, that’s a tall order given the status quo. Criticism is fine, but argue with dignity. Remember, prospective businesses and/or residents could be paying attention to your Facebook comments.
Hey, P: Hurry up with that marijuana-scented soap. Oh, my, my.
In our years of community journalism, we’ve gotten some strange questions and requests. As a central hub of information, citizens expect us to know everything. This week, we helped connect a Kansas City man with his distant, long-lost cousin in Gum Springs. We were happy to help. As our late father-in-law used to say, “Do a little good, get a little good out of every day.” We live by that philosophy.
About 22 years ago, in 2003, a Little Rock man walked into the Taco Bell in Caddo Valley donning nothing but a Speedo and a T-shirt. The head-turning encounter led to criminal charges against the individual, and the incident made headlines. We imagine that hardly a soul would bat an eye at such a thing in 2025. Weird times.
President Trump finally said something we agree with: Bruce Springsteen sucks.
Joel Phelps is publisher and editor of arkadelphian.com. Opinions in this column are his own. Contact Phelps at editor@arkadelphian.com. How many Tom Petty references did you count in this column?