As I sat down to write this week’s editorial, I instinctively reached for my stash of potato chips and popped the top on a soda.

The only heron that can be found over most of the U.S. is the great blue heron. It breeds in all the contiguous states with exceptions only in parts of some western states and some areas of California. It also breeds in much of Canada, and is a year-round resident in much of its U.S. range.

The numbers of STDs —  sexually transmitted diseases — and teen pregnancies being reported among the 15 to 25 age group in Clark County is prompting parents to call for a renewed emphasis on sex education in the public schools. Other than a week in fifth grade, said one mother, children are not receiving this information in their classes. So, the “education” kids are receiving today is largely what they hear in school bathrooms and parties.

Turner Whitson, owner and operator of the Whitson-Morgan Ford and Chrysler dealerships in Clarksville, concludes our interview on what has happened to the Big Three auto makers and what lies ahead for them.

With all the wet fields around, we thought we’d find some migrating shorebirds last Saturday. We headed to the oxidation ponds, and the first thing we saw was that there were birds flying over the ponds.

I am a parent of a senior baseball player at OBU. I witnessed what I believe is a great human interest story. This is intended to shed light on the player who acted with honor and friendship in this day and age where a lot of athletes are self-centered and selfish, where sportsmanship is at best in jeopardy.

Just eight months after being named president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County, Paul Harvel announced last month that he had accepted an offer to lead the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce.

Continuing my conversation with Dr. Joe Jeffers regarding stem-cell research, I asked for his reaction to a statement by Dr. James Thomson, the discoverer of embryonic stem cells: “If human embryonic stem-cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough.”

Obviously, this is a serious matter that deserves our full attention, but I don’t think anyone should panic yet. I would appreciate it if the national media — just about any television news network — would STOP throwing around words like “plague” and “apocalypse.” No one is talking about plague or apocalypse. This is the flu, and there are things that governments and plain ole people can do to combat it.

In this concluding interview with Bryan Hendricks, the outdoor editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, he shares his views on why he objected to the release by Arkansas Times of the names of 58,000 Arkansans who have concealed-carry weapon permits.

In the midst of a financial crisis said to be the worst since the Great Depression, another nationwide concern among music teachers is the declining number of young people who are taking piano lessons.

In this second part of my interview with Bryan Hendricks, the outdoor editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, we discussed the controversy surrounding the concealed-carry weapon permits and his objections to the Arkansas Times’ decision to release the names of 58,000 Arkansans who have such permits.

The church has historically placed the disciples of Jesus in positions of honor, even referring to them as saints. Yet, when we read the Gospels, and particularly the Gospel of Mark, we find a somewhat different picture of them.

When I graduated from Ouachita in May 2007, I was excited to find a job in a town that I was comfortable in and had grown accustomed to. I had friends here and relieved at not having to say goodbye. I was also scared at the idea of jumping into the world of sports, a world that I was not quite sure I could handle.

Although I’m not a hunter — I had a very bad experience when I fell through the ice during a pre-dawn duck hunt some 20 years ago — I admire those who are, which is why I don’t like to hear about threats to our Second Amendment freedoms.

To the dismay of many broadcasters, the “Fairness Doctrine,” which was abolished by the Federal Communications Commission in 1987, may be coming back, but perhaps under another name.

Todd Turner of Arkadelphia, who was recently named as chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, is a partner in the Arnold, Batson, Turner and Turner law firm.  I visited with him last week to see how things were going.

The Arkansas Legislature is considering a bill that would lift a ban on guns being carried into houses of worship.  At the time I am writing these words, the Associated Press reports that the Arkansas House has passed the bill and that the measure would be heading to the Senate for a vote.

I just think is ironic, in a “gee ain’t it a shame?” kind of way, that all of a sudden, my enemy has become everybody else’s enemy. Their mortal enemy.

OMG! What will Arkansans do in our spare time if we can’t use text messaging while driving? Does this mean we will have to actually watch the road? I’m getting nauseous just thinking about it.