Lovely County Citizen: Opinion

Columnists

Beth Bartlett

Country Bookseller >>

Small, Slow and Local >>

Wisecrack Zodiac (03/10/10)
Aries: A star will zoom past this week, giving you good fortune and a few scorched trees. Ignore people running and screaming about killer asteroids; just go out to the crater and pick up your new lucky charm. OK, let it cool down first. Taurus: Avoid wormholes and time machines this week. ...

Citizen Forum (03/10/10)
Editor: Circuit Judge Crow's egregious decision to dismiss the Eureka Springs parking meter lawsuit in no way makes right the poorly thought-out, anti-tourism, anti-preservation and anti-business decision by the mayor and the city council to install ugly, modern parking meters downtown in our beautiful 19th Century Victorian village that is entirely listed on the National Register of Historic Places!...

Out of Arkansas - Toes Up (03/10/10)
The cell tower as proposed by Smith Communications, a Limited Liability Company, is 132 feet taller than the Christ of the Ozarks statue. Those who want to take home a photograph of the statue will most likely be bringing home an uninvited companion, a 185-foot cell tower...

Editorial - Spring cleansing (03/10/10)
Something diagonal caught the corner of my eye as I sat by the window at sundown on the first warm day of winter's end. Was it the tail of a deer? No. It was a large black crow performing elegant wing-overs before perching with its back to the sun on the bough of a spreading oak tree...

Wisecrack Zodiac (03/04/10)
Aries: When you shoot your mouth off, you're taking cheap shots with some expensive ammunition. Click your tongue into safety and count to 100. Not only will life be quieter, but your fourth grade math teacher will be impressed. Taurus: You're so stable, mud wasps are spackling a nest on your shoulder blade; on Friday, a bee will finally buzz into your bonnet, launching you into action with your stinger hanging out for all to see...

Another View - Welcome to an 'extraordinary' destination (03/04/10)
This year the city of Eureka Springs has the distinct pleasure of hosting the 36th annual Arkansas Governor's Conference on Tourism, March 7 through 9. The conference originated at the direction of the Governor's office to provide opportunities for tourism industry professionals to meet industry partners, to network and to gain new knowledge about the tourism industry. ...

Citizen Forum (03/04/10)

Out of Arkansas - UH OH (03/03/10)
At the expense of, and with apologies to, all blonde women in America, let's try out a "blonde joke" to set the tone of this article: A blonde is walking down a sidewalk when she suddenly sees a banana peel ahead. What does she say? "UH-OH, here we go again."...

The Butterfly Effect (03/03/10)
There is a notion cherished by those who believe in interconnectedness, that any action may produce unforeseeable consequences. Picture Darth Vader, "I sense a disturbance in the Force." The classic example is a butterfly that flaps its wings in Oregon and sets in motion a chain of events which results in a Tsunami wiping out maritime nations in the South Pacific...

Wisecrack Zodiac (02/25/10)
Aries: This weekend could be awkward when you're discovered gluing cheese slices to your thighs and doing a naked bologna dance with a well-known wiener in the back yard. Blame it all on cabin fever and enter cold cuts rehab. Taurus: There's a sparkle in your eyes and a spring in your step; you should really get that bare wire on the lamp fixed before you touch it again. On the bright side, you won't need a perm for a while...

Another View - Too many flowers? (02/25/10)
Let me thank all the people who spoke out to assure that I would receive credit for the parks in Eureka Springs. I certainly did not do it alone! My theatrical antics included getting into drag to channel a beloved lady, Dr. Bonnie Lela Crump, as "The Ghost of Water Street." I drew attention to the neglected assets of certain city-owned properties, their history and their existing beauties...

Citizen Forum (02/25/10)
Editor: Election Day, Feb. 9, was a great day for students of the Eureka Springs School District, and it was also a historic day for this community. Because of the generosity of the people of this community, our children for many years to come will be able to learn in an educational facility that will provide them with an environment that will enhance their learning experience...

Out of Arkansas - Where the maybe's live (02/25/10)
Somewhere, maybe on the far side of a nearby constellation, there is a code that can unravel the gibberish known as our native language here on planet Eureka, where our public servants treat us like mushrooms: They keep us in the dark and feed us bull...

Editorial - Let it snow (02/25/10)
As winters in Eureka Springs go, this one has been a touch tedious. Maybe the monochromatic black-and-white cityscape burns winter memories more clearly but the technicolor imagery of televised Doppler radar robs them of the exquisite mystery of anticipation...

Another View: Approval of cell tower is 'bogus' (02/25/10)
During my first term on the Eureka Springs Planning Commission, we successfully denied and rejected a proposal to build yet another cell phone tower in Eureka. With the latest special meeting called by our mayor and council, we see again how easy it is to attempt to hoodwink the citizens and drag them into begrudgingly accepting this modern monstrosity in our Historic District. The key is in the citizens not knowing the law. Citizens can't stand up for what they don't know...

Wisecrack Zodiac (02/17/10)
Aries: Into every life a little rain must fall, but you've been dodging golf-ball-size hail for a while now. A good attitude will take you far, but if you let a smile be your umbrella, some teeth could get knocked out. Stay indoors, because the storm is nearly over...

Another View - Deer -- attraction or nuisance? (02/17/10)
A Holiday Island homeowner reports that her deer are so tame that she can almost feed them by hand. This woman's neighbors complain loudly that her deer have eaten thousands of dollars worth of their landscaping. How can living in such a beautiful place be so complicated?...

Anothr View - The Doggie Shop needs you (02/17/10)
Snow days are a blast when you're in school, and for grown-ups, too, an occasional snow day can be fun. But the many snow days this winter are taking a toll on the revenues generated by the Doggie Thrift Stores, which, in turn, negatively affects the care and feeding of the county's homeless animals. The two stores, the original in Eureka Springs and the newer one in Berryville, are the primary funding sources for the Good Shepherd Humane Society Animal Shelter...

Citizen Forum (02/17/10)
Editor: To all [CAPC] commissioners, [CAPC director] Jim Williams and [Mayor] Dani Joy, it is with sadness that I must resign from the CAPC. I have enjoyed working with each of you very much. I truly hope someone will make sure the GLBT funds are not removed from the budget and used for what it was intended. There always seems to be something much more important than the GLBT community's advertising, but as wrong as it is, we are used to being treated as second-class citizens...

Out of Arkansas - Congratulations (02/17/10)
Eureka Springs School District voters, residents of the Western District of Carroll County, deserve an "A+" for their unprecedented support of building a new high school for future students who live west of the Kings River. More than 1,000 voters braved icy conditions and slogged through blowing snow to the district's lone polling station to voluntarily commit their share of a reported $20-million indebtedness that may span 30 years for a new campus, and other expenditures...

Editorial - Congraduations -- may the circle remain unbroken (02/17/10)
Eureka Springs School District voters, residents of the Western District of Carroll County, deserve an "A+" for their unprecedented support of building a new high school for future students who live west of the Kings River. More than 1,000 voters braved icy conditions and slogged through blowing snow to the district's lone polling station to voluntarily commit their share of a reported $20-million indebtedness that may span 30 years for a new campus, and other expenditures...