2006 November 10 « Lynch at Large

November 10, 2006 • 10:13 pm 0

Audio file update

The epic interview with political consultant Bud Jackson is now in the Audio Highlights section of my home page, lyncho.com.

LYNCHED! has a new segment (3 min.) on Wal Mart’s decision to ditch “Happy Holidays” in favor of “Merry Christmas.” It’s all good clean fun, but bound to make somebody mad,

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• 12:46 pm 0

Rockin’ Friday summary

Revenue officials project that the state surplus will reach $843 million by June 30, up $122 million from the previous forecast four months ago.

The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday gave conditional approval to an Arkansas proposal to alter the state’s system of measuring school and student progress on the yearly Benchmark Exams.

The director of the Little Rock School District office that is responsible for getting the district into compliance with federal court desegregation orders says top-level administrators are undermining the work of her office and putting the School Board in jeopardy of violating court directives. The board will receive the results of an independent investigation at its’ next meeting.

The greyhound racetrack in West Memphis sports a new look, a new name and a new set of toys – more than 900 electronic gambling machines that patrons began playing Thursday evening.

Four northwest Arkansas counties report problems counting votes. In Benton County, new election results changed the outcomes in several races, including one Quorum Court race, seven aldermen contests and a city clerk election. Carroll, Newton and Johnson Counties experienced delays in getting results.

A convicted murderer who claims he killed his family on the orders of his former Boy Scout leader will be granted a clemency hearing, perhaps as early as January. Heath Stocks testified at the rape trial of former Boy Scout leader Charles “Jack” Walls III that Walls started sexually assaulting him when he was 10, and the abuse continued up until he killed his family.

Gov. Mike Huckabee has granted Keith Richards, famed lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones, a pardon for a 1975 reckless driving conviction in Fordyce, the governor’s office said Thursday.

Wal-Mart heir John Walton improperly installed equipment on his experimental aircraft, causing his fatal crash in 2005, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled in a report released Oct. 31.

Pine Bluff city officials must determine the legal impact of a living wage measure approved by voters Tuesday, Assistant City Attorney Joe Childers told the Pine Bluff Commercial. Mayor Carl Redus Jr. says he would try to find the best way to implement the living wage issue with a minimum of impact on the city’s budget.

Two Jackson, Mississippi City Council members are among the defense witnesses subpoenaed for Jackson Mayor Frank Melton’s trials starting Tuesday. Melton will stand trial first on a felony charge that he violated state law by bringing a gun onto the campus of the Mississippi College School of Law.

Wal-Mart hopes to avoid the so-called “war on Christmas” during this year’s heaviest shopping season. The company intends to make widespread use of “Christmas,” rather than broader terms such as “holiday” or “season’s greetings,” in its television advertising and in-store displays.

Arkansas has the lowest recurring industrial costs among 12 southeastern states, according to a report from a prominent site-selection firm. That’s the most important monetary factor for businesses looking for a superproject site, observers say.

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• 5:08 am 0

No psycic on duty here

If you paid any attention to my election predictions, I can only say, “I told ya’ so.” That crystal ball is just plain busted and I should give up on it. Another thing I plan on doing a lot less of is getting into the strategic aspects of politics, unless I really know what is going on. There are guys and gals who do that stuff and make really good bucks.

But honestly, I thought the governor’s race was close. I had no idea it would be 14 percentage points of separation. I really thought Woody Anderson and Stubby Stumbaugh would be more potent. Wrong again. I was right about Halter and McDaniel, but that is just following the pack. In the race of the buddies,

I thought Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines was in for a nasty surprise. Color me stupid. If I did not mention it here, I thought the Little Rock Mayor’s raace would go to a runoff, but I don’t guess any of us expected Mark Stodola to put away a tidy victory in just one day’s work.

I certainly had no idea that Democrats would show the kind of strength they mustered in the national elections. In the future, I will restrict myself to weighty constitutional and theological questions, and advice for Houston Nutt. We spend too much time on the horse race, and I am among the guiltiest.

(Broadcast November 9, 2006)

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• 12:39 am 0