News 2008-05-07 Andanh.com

State Official Cautions Huntsville On Standards Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:36 -0500
An official with the Arkansas Department of Education told the president of the Huntsville School Board the school district needs to figure out a way to bring its facilities up to state standards.

E-Mail Reveals Testy Relationship In Huntsville Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:23 -0500
Former Huntsville Superintendent of Schools Alvin Lievsay thought a school board member was on the verge of resigning at the April 21 school board meeting.

Olympic Hopeful Tells Students To 'Be Hospitable' Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:41 -0500
ROGERS - Helping a competitor in need and embracing people different from you are ways to be hospitable, according to "Be Hospitable," a book read to Bellview Elementary School students Tuesday by Olympic hopeful Wallace Spearmon Jr. of Fayetteville.

Bentonville Planning Staff Members Recommend Denial To Preserve Code Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:22 -0500
BENTONVILLE - Enforcement of downtown design standards apparently is a matter of opinion.

Survey: 36 Percent Favor Sale, New Site Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:48 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - A telephone survey of likely voters in the Fayetteville School District shows more than a third of them - 36 percent - favor selling Fayetteville High School and building a school at a new location.

Program Educates Immigrants By Computer Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:35 -0500
LITTLE ROCK - A program aimed at providing Mexican immigrants and others a chance to improve their English-language skills and earn the equivalent of high school diplomas may return to Arkansas.

Presidents On 'Exhibit' At Arkansas Capitol Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:39 -0500
LITTLE ROCK - Conservative-leaning artist Chas Fagan set out 10 years ago to portray the U.S. presidency in an apolitical light and inspire patriotism when he was commissioned for a national television series to paint each of the nation's chief executives.

Fayetteville Man Sentenced In Internet Stalking Case Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:54 -0500
A Fayetteville man arrested in December in an online predator sting pleaded guilty Tuesday to Internet stalking of a child.

Sentencing Set For Bergthold Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:20 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - A Bella Vista man who pleaded guilty in federal court to having sexual contact with foster children in his care and filming the encounters will be sentenced in August.

New Trial Date Set For Former Fugitive Accused Of Rape Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:23 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - A Van Buren fitness trainer facing two counts of rape has a new trial date in Washington County.

Developer Blasts Springdale Department Head Tue, 6 May 2008 22:12:51 -0500
SPRINGDALE - The city Planning Commission granted developer Gary Combs approval of rezoning and use as a truck stop, despite his attack on the planning department.

Official: Courtroom Renovation Costs More Than Double Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:21 -0500
BENTONVILLE - Costs to renovate a downtown building for a new courtroom have more than doubled, the Benton County Finance Committee learned on Tuesday.

Commission Denies Church Request Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:24 -0500
ROGERS - The Rogers Planning Commission denied a request by a church to build in south Rogers.

Officials Want To Shine Light On Solar Panel Proposal Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:25 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - Hold off on solar panels for the county jail, a Washington County official told finance committee members Tuesday.

Greenland Slates Information Sessions On Tax Hike Tue, 6 May 2008 20:48:26 -0500
GREENLAND - A pair of public information meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks to promote a property tax increase in the Greenland School District.

Flagger Killed In Garland County Crash Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:13 -0500
PEARCY - Arkansas State Police say a man is dead after being hit by a car while flagging traffic around a tow truck pulling a tractor out of a ditch.

New Bella Vista Ordinances Take Effect Friday Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:19 -0500
Four new Bella Vista city ordinances take effect Friday.

Benton County Sheriff Unveils Mobile Command Unit Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:26 -0500
BENTONVILLE - The Benton County sheriff's office has finished the conversion of a federal travel trailer into its mobile command post.

Benton County Jail Rates To Stand Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:32 -0500
The Benton County Jail won't raise its rate for holding city prisoners anytime soon, the Finance Committee decided Tuesday.

State Police Set Academy Dates Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:51 -0500
The annual Arkansas State Police Preparatory Trooper Academy is scheduled for July 13-18 at the department's Little Rock training academy.

Pea Ridge Horse Trail Closed Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:52 -0500
The Mountain Loop horse trail at Pea Ridge National Military Park has been closed while crews remove storm debris.

Avoca Cleanup Set For Saturday Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:56 -0500
The Annual Avoca Cleanup is Saturday beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall.

Court Upholds Man's Federal Fraud Sentence Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:12 -0500
LITTLE ROCK - The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a former Pine Bluff man's nine-year prison sentence and $15.9 million restitution order for securities fraud and performing the services of a broker without a license.

Teacher Retention Increasing Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:22 -0500
LITTLE ROCK - The number of public schoolteachers leaving the profession after their first year has dropped considerably in the past six years because of a more than 20 percent hike in minimum teacher salaries in 2004, officials told legislators Tuesday.

Personnel Chief Recommends Pay Increase For State Workers Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:46 -0500
LITTLE ROCK - To lower the turnover of entry-level government workers, the state should revamp pay scales by $46.7 million, the head of Arkansas' personnel office told legislators Tuesday.

Housing Authority Announces Grants For Homeless Veterans Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:16 -0500
WASHINGTON - The Housing Authority will receive nearly $139,000 to help homeless veterans find housing.

Airport Gains Federal Grant Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:17 -0500
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $654,000 grant to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport for a fire-station expansion.

Public Meetings Tue, 6 May 2008 20:31:55 -0500
Today 5:30 p.m. Benton County Planning Board's Technical Advisory Committee - Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave., Bentonville

Rogers, Bentonville Claim Conference Track Titles Tue, 6 May 2008 22:23:48 -0500
VAN BUREN - The Rogers Mountaineers proved again Tuesday night just how good they can be in track and field.

Lincoln Cruises To Regional Title Tue, 6 May 2008 22:13:53 -0500
HARRISON - Lincoln left little doubt it has the best baseball team in the Class 3A Region 1 at Jack Williams Field on Tuesday night.

Caywood Proves Dominant Once Again Tue, 6 May 2008 22:13:49 -0500
ELKINS - Amber Caywood's no-hitter helped Elkins take care of some unfinished business on Tuesday.

PREP TRACK Tue, 6 May 2008 22:13:57 -0500
7A-West Conference Track & Field Meet At Van Buren Final Results Boys Team - 1, Rogers, 187.5; 2, Fayetteville, 163; 3, Fort Smith Southside, 115; 4, Fort Smith Northside, 70.5; 5, Bentonville, 59; 6, Van Buren, 42; 7, Springdale Har-Ber, 16; 8, Springdale High, 8.

Fayetteville Tunes Up For State Tournament Tue, 6 May 2008 22:13:56 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - If Tuesday's game can be used as a gauge, then Fayetteville is right on track to defend its Class 7A state baseball title.

Har-Ber Clinches No. 2 Seed Tue, 6 May 2008 22:14:03 -0500
SPRINGDALE - Springdale Har-Ber needed just two and a half innings to secure the No. 2 seed in the Class 7A state tournament.

Clarksville Bumps Off Farmington Tue, 6 May 2008 22:14:04 -0500
FARMINGTON - Clarksville relied on the right arm of Haley McCormick to carry the Lady Panthers to a 5-2 win Tuesday against the Farmington Lady Cardinals, securing the Class 4A North Regional Softball Championship and a No. 1 seed in the state tournament.

Union Christian Edges Gravette For 4A-North Title Tue, 6 May 2008 22:18:48 -0500
PRAIRIE GROVE - For a brief moment Union Christian could only hold its breath as they awaited the call at home plate; when the dust was cleared Union would erupt with a resounding burst, as Gravette's Tanner Daniels was called out, sealing a 4-3 win in the 4A-North Regional Championship game at Rieff Park on Tuesday.

Crowder College Enjoys Local Connection Tue, 6 May 2008 22:15:31 -0500
ROGERS - The Crowder College baseball team has a distinctive Northwest Arkansas flavor.

Naturals Rally Past Tulsa Tue, 6 May 2008 22:15:32 -0500
SPRINGDALE - Naturals manager Brian Poldberg thought long and hard before pulling the bat out of Cody Clark's hands in the bottom of the ninth inning.

NATURALS NOTES Tue, 6 May 2008 22:15:33 -0500
Springfield Cardinals at Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Local Sports Calendar Tue, 6 May 2008 22:15:35 -0500
BASEBALL • The Springdale Rotary Club T-Ball and machine pitch league baseball signups will begin Monday and run through May 17 at the Springdale Youth Center. The registration fee is $40. Call Don Eichenberger at 756-1636 or email: reddogike51@cox.net

BASEBALL: Former Razorback Ready For Return To Northwest Arkansas Tue, 6 May 2008 20:38:26 -0500
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Jess Todd's truck is sitting in a parking lot in Palm Beach, Fla.

Arkansas Athletics Tue, 6 May 2008 20:38:24 -0500
FAYETTEVILLE - All but three of Arkansas' sports teams received a passing grade Tuesday when the NCAA released its annual academic progress report.

Report Reveals Real Estate Hot Spots Tue, 6 May 2008 20:25:29 -0500
Benton County commanded four of the top five markets for 2007 home sales in the region, according to Paul Bynum, a statistician with Coldwell Banker Faucette Real Estate in Fayetteville.

Baking Company To Start Production Tue, 6 May 2008 20:25:31 -0500
FORT SMITH - Bread will begin to roll out of the Fort Smith Baking Co. in downtown Fort Smith starting next week.

Space Invaders Tue, 6 May 2008 20:28:58 -0500
Once upon a time, pantries were a collection of staples: salt, pepper, butter, sugar and eggs. But spurred by intrepid chefs, travel and a seemingly endless array of specialty products, many food lovers find their collections are spiraling out of control.

Treat Mom To A Day In France Tue, 6 May 2008 20:29:01 -0500
Has mom always dreamed of a trip to Paris? Thanks to Classical Youth Ballet, mom will have the opportunity to experience the "City of Light" here in Northwest Arkansas.

Primary Takes Back Seat Tue, 6 May 2008 20:27:51 -0500
It's hard to tell, but Arkansas' primary elections are less than two weeks away. Early voting has already begun and candidates for all manner of office in this state are sweating the closing hours of what has been a difficult year to get any attention.

Linkage: A mom jam, Cafe Press for CDs, more from Marvel Tue, 06 May 2008 15:34:48 -0600

The centerpiece of any good Mother's day mix.

The long tail finally comes around: CreateSpace is Amazon's service for creating products as customers order them. Let us spend the afternoon daydreaming about all the applications.

An earlier question answered: 2010 for Iron Man 2. 2011 for Captain America and the Avengers. Vulture discusses the speculation that Matthew McConaughey will play Cap'n A. Dude.

Surely, no one's shocked: The always reliable New York mag film critic David Edelstein has only unkind things to say about "Speed Racer."

The film is like a nightmare in which you’re trapped in an arcade with screens on all sides and no eyelids. Based on an elemental but happily streamlined Japanese cartoon (an anime precursor), it’s an eyesore, a shambles, with incoherent action and ear-buckling dialogue. The colors flatten everything: The cars and costumes look like they’ve been filled in with crayons—and not from the big 64-box but the dinky eight-pack. The plot is relatively intricate, which means the Wachowskis leap back and forth between hyperspeedy races and static scenes in which marooned actors labor to find a style as campy as the décor.

Geek out: The inaugural editon of the Arkansas Times movie club Tue, 06 May 2008 13:26:10 -0600

da da DA DA DA

Since our two regular movie critics, David Koon and Matt Reed, were super-amped for "Iron Man," and since reams of straightforward reviews have already been written, we decided to take it on discussion-style, a little more conversationally. This'll appear in Thursday's paper, but lest it be old news, I'ma go ahead and post it here. We give fair warning for spoilers.

Lindsey Millar: I know that we’ve all been anticipating "Iron Man" for months now, pouring over screencaps, sending each other links to new versions of the trailer and crossing off days our calendar. Anytime a studio teams a director with a relatively smart, offbeat track record (Favreau of "Swingers" fame) with a serious actor (Downey Jr.) and stupid-cool F/X tricks, my expectations get a little silly. But fellas, I gotta tell you, I wasn't really let down.

There's no question that "Iron Man" belongs in the pantheon with the first "Spiderman," "Batman Begins" and "The Flash" (joking). Are we all in agreement? Who deserves credit? Marvel Studios? Favreau? The writers and rewriters? Downey Jr.?

Matt Reed: I agree, this is one of the best superhero movies ever made, and Favreau and Downey and the writers deserve the lion's share of the credit. Downey was tailor-made for this sort of role. It's even better if you grew up with some of his comedies in the ’80s, like "The Pick-Up Artist." Smarmy guy with heart of gold stuff. In fact, that's "Iron Man" for me: "The Pick-Up Artist" with robot suits. And everyone knows that if there's anything better than picking up chicks, it's picking up chicks in a robot suit.

David Koon: You know, Matt, I've gotta disagree with you on RD Jr. being tailor-made for the role. The lovely part about great actors — Brando comes to mind, as does Johnny Depp — is that they have this uncanny ability to take on roles that have you scratching your head and then knock your friggin’ socks off. That was RD Jr. in Ironman. When I heard he was doing this, I honestly couldn't see him in the role. Now that he's done it, I can't see anybody else. Ditto on Christian Bale in "Batman Begins," and ditto on Ed Norton in "Incredible Hulk," which makes me think that one's going to rock as well.

Sonny Garrett's latest blog: Southern rock meets the Red Army Chorus Tue, 06 May 2008 15:24:00 EST
What do you get when you combine a Finnish rock group and the Red Army Chorus performing "Sweet Home Alabama"? One really strange, but fascinatingly cool, video. I was listening to "Moby in the Morning," and the host, Moby, told about a group called The Leningrad Cowboys performing the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic with the Red Army Chorus. He said he'd have a video of it at his MySpace page. How could I not check this out — a Finnish/Russian version of Southern rock. Read the rest of Sonny's blog, and find how you, too, can find this video at www.baxterbulletin.com/news/blogs/blog7/index.html.

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