There are some hastily scribbled notes found in the 2016 political notebook still worth mentioning as we prepare for a quickly approaching 2017.
So here we go in short bursts on some nagging notes to be mentioned before 2017 beings.
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As previously mentioned in this space, two of the state's largest counties -- Benton and Washington -- are prepping for a new county judge.
Both Barry Moehring of Bentonville and Joseph Wood of Springdale have said little since winning the seats on Nov. 8.
One of the better ideas, which Moehring has championed since announcing his candidacy over a year ago, was for a "press office" to be established in Benton County. Not such a bad idea.
Finding out information on events, meetings, and public offerings in Benton County, is at best -- haphazard. Some divisions handle the press and public information well. Other divisions of county government are not so well versed in how to relay information to the public.
Let's hope County-Judge-elect Moehring gets this promised fulfilled.
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Wood, the new Washington County judge, has not said publicly much about his new staff or a new direction for the judge's office.
The majority of Republican justices of the peace in Washington County, it seems, have helped him with budget matters by providing more tax money for roads. But these GOP JP members have done so by cutting out the two largest cities -- Springdale and Fayetteville -- from sharing the road money -- presumably for past maintenance of county roads that are inside city limits.
This abrupt change in tax policy seems orchestrated far from the public's eyes and ears of Quorum Court meetings. Never was this likelihood made a possibility and reeks of having been concocted and agreed upon in an illegal clandestine type of meeting by a possible majority of the GOP members who guided this complex procedure swiftly through the court.
Watch and see if this type of leadership of one-upmanship will be the norm in the new administration.
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A federal judge's ruling on Arkansas' loitering laws has some folks in Northwest Arkansas shaking their heads. Federal Judge Billy Roy Wilson ruled that a section of the state's loitering law that forbids begging for money, food or other charity violates the First Amendment.
And folks that know Judge Wilson know he is as keen on the First Amendment as anyone on the bench today.
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The drawing for seniority and committee assignments in the state House of Representatives caused some sharp criticism lately as 11 Democrats collected a one-vote majority on the Revenue and Tax Committee. Even as a dwindling minority, Democrats could block bills coming to that committee, making the sponsor go to the full House for an extraction process to pull the bills through by a majority of all members.
More on this later as the Jan. 9 legislative startup nears for 2017.
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Will he or won't he?
Can Arkansas' hawkish Junior U.S. Senator, Tom Cotton, land a job in the in-coming Trump administration?
Only time will tell.
One public statement by Cotton this past week upon the death of avowed Communist leader Fidel Castro will probably hurt Cotton's chances.
Cotton's press office released this statement: "Fidel Castro created hell on earth for the Cuban people. He will now become intimately familiar with what he wrought."
Cotton likes to brag about his Harvard education and his momma who taught him faith-based values.
Both alumnae of Harvard and the senator's momma might want to tell Tom it's not his place to judge folks -- even the Fidel Castro's of this world -- about where their final resting place may be.
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Best news found in the notebook: UA plant scientist Dr. John Rebuen Clark has developed a new peach tree named "Souvenirs."
For all of you wondering, the Latin scientific name is "Prunus persica."
I'll bet the peaches will be sweet and tasty.
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Just some scraps of paper found in a political notebook nearing the end of 2016.
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Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several northwest Arkansas publications. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 12/07/2016