Jan. 14-20, 2009
It was a GOOD week for …
The UNITED STATES. Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty we’re free at last of the Bush administration. But enough with him. Up with hope for Barack Obama. What kind of person could not be moved by the historic inauguration of an African-American as president?
UAMS MEDICAL CENTER. It opened a new hospital, replacing a core facility that was more than 50 years old.
LEIFEL JACKSON. The former Little Rock drug dealer who claimed to have founded the Original Gangster Crips may receive a pardon from Gov. Mike Beebe. Since release from prison, Jackson has worked to combat youth violence.
DUE PROCESS. Because of publicity on the Arkansas Times Blog, among others, University of Arkansas trustee Jim Lindsey dropped an effort to have his friend, business partner and outgoing Farm Bureau president Stanley Reed tapped to succeed UA President B. Alan Sugg when Sugg retires. There now will be a national search when the time comes. Supposedly.
The NORTH LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL BOARD. It has objected, but never sued before over Mayor Pat Hays‘ efforts to set up tax increment finance districts to divert school tax revenues to developers. But his latest scheme went too far when it tried to claim money from an already completed apartment project that got no benefits from tax increment financing. The Board voted to sue to stop it. (See Max Brantley’s column.)
It was a BAD week for …
The HOGS. The SEC continues to be inhospitable to the men’s basketball team, which lost three conference games in a row. Southwest Conference, anyone?
ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JIM GUNTER. He received a letter of reprimand arising from a criminal complaint by his sister that the judge had shoved and hit her in a dispute over family papers. He issued a public apology following the first-ever reprimand of a sitting justice.