Bits & Pieces: I always go backwards when I’m backin’ up

We’ve got something in common with Rooster Cogburn: we have testified in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas. OK, OK — our testimony wasn’t given in a gravelly voice before Hangin’ Judge Parker in his Fort Smith courtroom. But it was in a federal courtroom in Fayetteville. Unlike our fictional US marshal, we attested to facts in support of Bryan Norris’s lawsuit against Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin over a state law regulating exit polling within the 100-foot buffer zone of polling locations. Long story short: We conducted exit polls in 2024 within the 100-foot buffer zone, not knowing we could face arrest (it most definitely wasn’t electioneering). One of the two exit pollers Griffin had arrested in October 2025 discovered our online article and gave us a call, asking us to join their plight. We gladly accepted. Although the judge didn’t rule in our favor, it was well worth our travels and time. Oh, well. As Rooster would say, “Looking back is a bad habit.”

Norris faces state Sen. Kim Hammer in a March 31 runoff election for Arkansas Secretary of State, and he has our endorsement. We learned this week that he has come under attack by his opponents who unearthed some foul language he used toward U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton on social media. Norris, a Republican himself, owned up to the language in his own post, and offered a backstory. To those who condemn Norris’s language but turn a blind eye to the undignified ways of our p****-grabbing, bird-flipping, foul-mouthed president, we’d say you have some double standards. 

To say we’ve been busy lately would be an understatement. Onboarding an ad sales rep. Car shopping. Installing cabinets. Federal court. Installing a countertop. Felling and sawing a tree. Primary election. Installing a sink. Numerous pre-surgery appointments before The Spouse’s surgery this Monday. The post-care involved. Hopefully our readers have been happy with the news we are able to produce when our personal matters take center stage.

It dawned on us that she deserves a less clinical monicker than The Spouse. Our Better Half, perhaps?

If you ever find yourself in a CHI St. Vincent waiting room, don’t bother with a crossword puzzle with a handwritten note promising a prize, upon completion, from someone named Belinda the Activity Director. We spent the better part of two hours working on a meticulous puzzle only to discover there was no Belinda, and there was no prize. Humph!

Thanks for trying, Shanequa.

We’re growing tired of organizations stealing our copyrighted intellectual property. In recent weeks, a Pine Bluff outfit called Deltaplex News stole our news report on a suspect accused of kidnapping his ex and their child. It’s worth mentioning that Deltaplex News is co-owned by the Mike Huckabee. We emailed the manager and asked to remove the content or give us attribution. No response, and our story is still on their page. Just this morning, it was brought to our attention that a Facebook page called Chat AI (Arkansas Insider) used our story on Wednesday’s police pursuit — again, without permission or attribution, and this time our photo was stolen. We’ve made Facebook aware of this thievery, and we will not tolerate it. Do we republish news? We most certainly do, but from places where it is acceptable to do so, and always with permission and proper attribution.

Mike, they’re stealing your work, too.

In our many recent trips to doctor appointments in Hot Springs, one day we noted a gaggle of geese dawdling down a stretch of new pedestrian sidewalk alongside Arkansas Highway 7 south of Lake Hamilton. It’s good to see the geese have a safe place to walk. Farther north, on the side of town where people start looking twitchy, we observed an actual pedestrian purposely walking on Central Avenue as opposed to the completely empty sidewalk whose curb was scraping the side of her sole. Bless her soul.

Joel Phelps is publisher and editor of arkadelphian.com. The Arkadelphian LLC is registered with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office, and is a legitimate news source. Contact Phelps by email at editor@arkadelphian.com.