I'll have to admit it surprised me. It was something I've never noticed or seen before, but I'll bet many of you are familiar with such a sight. It happened one day recently as I was driving down Main Street in Gravette. Heading west, I could see the Brick Park, a project of dedicated bricks just on the east side of the KCS railroad tracks. Driving west you have to be attentive to the traffic on Highway 59. It's unbelievably heavy at times, not just at the intersection but up and down the highway which needs widening from the Missouri state line south to Gentry. Now is the time to make such an improvement. It'll only cost more, much more, just a few years from now.
But I've changed the subject and it's "get back to the topic that's on my mind." Would you have guessed it? It's more about white pickup trucks, a topic mentioned in the cuff several issues ago noting the unbelievable number of such vehicles on the streets and highways. Truthfully, this is not about all those white pickups; it's about a particular one. It was my surprise to see it speeding backward, seemingly without a care in the world. As I glanced west, there it went hightailing down the rails heading to who knows where. As noted, you have probably noticed vehicles on the rail tracks heading in many directions, but backward? At a speed that must have been ??? miles per hour.
To make this long story short, here goes: I cruised around the block and stopped in front of Austin Drug where quite a few tale-tellers enjoy a cup of coffee together. It was in for this old geezer to partake and listen; honestly, there aren't many tales of ??? from gray cells. Sometime later, departing the drugstore, I headed west and, just as I pulled up to the Highway 59 intersection, what do you suppose appeared? That's right. It came from the north on the rails. Was it the same white pickup? Your guess is as good as mine was. And was it now going south on the rails, engine first? Confession is good for the soul they say, but I'm not sure. Those wheels were speeding so fast, I'm sure the driver (unless it was one of those robot vehicles) was heading for a place to get off the rails. Surely a whistle would be sounding pretty soon; they seem to blow those horns, four, five, six and sometimes ??? times daily as they sail through town. But the same is true in sister cities Decatur and Gentry and, of course, Sulphur Springs and Siloam Springs.
Well, that's that for today, as a comic strip many years ago always ended with those four words, "That's that for today." So it's time to get on another subject: A missing line in a recent 'cuff that made it sound like we get our greatly welcomed daily paper, The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in the evening. It was a simple error, probably made on the old Smith-Corona that was supposed to say, after about 10 minutes of a political debate, "I blackened the tube and picked up the paper that had arrived as always that morning and filled in the evening" ... with reports I cherish in that morning paper."
The state-wide Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is in the process to stop printing a daily morning paper except on Sundays (I think). It will be available on the tablet. That's bad news for the rest of the state but that is occurring throughout the nation as people, particularly advertisers, use that obnoxious tube or other cyber outlets. And those reports, all too often, are incomplete or just downright wrong or are so filled with opinions of some so-called self-appointed expert.
The good news is that Walter E. Hussman, Jr., publisher of the Dem-Gazette, is continuing the daily publication of the paper in Northwest Arkansas. WEHCO Media is also the owner of the Westside Eagle Observer, and we are very fortunate publications are continuing. It should be very important to all of the region to support the continuation of one of the best daily newspapers in the nation. It has its editorial and opinion pages, but it is filled every day with national and world news and especially all the ongoings of the political activities in Little Rock that affect all of us. The legislative session is now in recess but, during the past months, the paper was filled with all the pro and con arguments on the many actions taken and which were summarized several weeks ago with condensed information about many of the newly approved laws. Did you see them? Do you know what many of them are? You sure didn't get much info on the tube. That's enough of that.
The reason I wanted that morning delivery corrected is because the carrier, Marie, has been throwing copies of the paper in the driveway for more years than I can count on my fingers and toes combined. Come rain or shine or snow or ice, she hasn't missed a day or even been late when weather delayed delivery of the papers to her. It's a six o'clock in the morning ritual at the 'cuff house to get that paper, look at the national and state news, the area news, the sports reports, yes, the comics and a try at one of the several crossword puzzles that appear every day. And a section that would surprise even ??? is the legal section which, by glancing through it, can fill you with some very interesting information.
Thank you, Mr. H. It is my wish that we, as a people and a region, will make it possible to retrieve that morning gem every morning. Oh yes, it'll be available to read on a tablet, but that just "ain't the same" to this old newspaper-loving geezer. 'Nuff for now. What'll it be next time? Time will tell ... that is, if the old gray can be stirred up. And, as an extra, "Thank you, Marie!"
Dodie Evans is the former owner and long-time editor of the Gravette News Herald. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/28/2019