Opinion

Legislative Auditor Roger Norman told lawmakers on March 27 that he expected Legislative Audit to issue its report regarding the lectern audit in early April. At that time, he noted that the Governor’s Office faced a March 29 deadline to submit its management response to auditors’ draft report.

The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, captured the attention of Arkansans and visitors alike. The path of totality stretched over 100 miles across The Natural State, extending from the southwest to the northeast.

LITTLE ROCK – Several state agencies prepared for increased traffic from out-of-state tourists who would drive to Arkansas on Monday, April 8, to view the solar eclipse. They planned for traffic disruptions even in parts of the state that would not experience the full effect of the eclipse.

Last Tuesday, I wrote Legislative Auditor Roger Norman to ask if he still hoped to issue Legislative Audit’s final report regarding the lectern purchase by the end of March. That was the timeline he’d laid out for lawmakers at February’s Legislative Joint Auditing meeting.

I am constantly amazed at how Sarah Sanders will consistently appear on national TV to tout being a champion for all Arkansans, while enacting policies and taking actions that diverge significantly from the needs and aspirations of working- class, low-wage, and disadvantaged Arkansans. Here is a clear example… The Stark Reality: Arkansas ranks as the worst state in the nation for maternal health. Women, especially Black women, are more likely to die during pregnancy here than in any other state.

It is not that I have difficulty finding things to write about for my column, but rather the difficulty in choosing what I think might be beneficial to both you and myself. The complexity of the world we live in offers no ends of ready subjects rife for discussion. Let’s just start with the recent news making events. You will find, upon opening the discussion, that we have an overabundance of armchair analysts and experts, many without ready credentials to back up their opinions. Let’s try the recent horrible incident with the bridge in Baltimore that was struck with the container ship. I had just finished my nightly reading of a wonderful book and had opened Tik-Tok to let my mind un-focus. If you wish to un-focus your mind, TikTok is the place to go, lol! It must have been a bit past 12:30 a.m. CST when a clip came across my feed from a security camera somewhere of the bridge falling in, and the ship against it. That fast it was on the air. Within 24 hours the absurdity was already flowing, everything from ‘the Russians did it,’ to ‘it was Joe Biden’s fault.’ I dare say the President was deep in slumber at the time, and I doubt he would have wanted to add another fallen bridge to his already heavy load of repairing infrastructure. One guy said that the Democrats did it. Nah, that didn’t fly either. There were a few more, most too stupid to list. Then there is the solar eclipse that is going to turn parts of the country from bright day light to starry bright nighttime on April 8th. By the time you read this that will have come to pass.

This week’s column is about something I know little about. I have little idea how to read the stats on it, or much of anything else. That being said, I am fascinated by it. What is it? It is DNA. Again, this came from something I have been reading, and as you know that covers a very wide spectrum of subjects. I think that as study continues on the subject, we are going to be astounded by the findings. We already know that many of our illnesses are passed through families by DNA.

Colorectal cancer stands as one of the leading causes of cancer- related deaths in the United States. However, the stark reality is that it doesn’t have to be.