The Weekly Vista

News

Further trafalgar fire test results Further test results for the Trafalgar Road fire have been released by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. by Keith Bryant

Hebrides Circle home burned Bella Vista firefighters responded to a structure fire at 14 Hebrides Circle Friday morning. by Keith Bryant

Twenty-two cars broken into in one night Numerous vehicle break-ins were reported in the area surrounding Cooper Road last Thursday morning. by Keith Bryant

Zoning board approves Sunset Drive retaining wall The Board of Zoning Adjustments approved a variance to build a retaining wall adjacent to Sunset Drive at the Hull Dermatology construction site. by Keith Bryant

Changes coming to Wishing Spring When the Bella Vista Arts and Crafts Fair moved their office into Wishing Spring Art Gallery, it was just one of several changes for the long standing Village Art Club. One change is their name which is now Arts Alliance at Wishing Spring. by Lynn Atkins

Women leading local clubs Clubs in Bella Vista are quietly making history this year with female presidents elected to two traditionally male clubs. On Thursdays, two of the larger clubs in Bella Vista take turns using the large craft room in Riordan Hall. This year, both clubs are led by women. by Lynn Atkins

Seeking solutions everywhere Perhaps you were there at the Crystal Bridges Distinguished Lecture Series in December when attorney, author of Just Mercy and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson delivered his powerful message in favor of finding solutions rather than dwelling on all the problems in our society. The event sold out in advance. Nearly every day since, I think about the four call-to-action items he laid out for us. I took notes and give him full credit for this list: by SARA MILFORD Faith Matters

AARP Smart Driver course offered A new AARP Smart Driver course is being offered designed for drivers older than age 50 to assist them in becoming safer drivers. by Staff report

Sports and Recreation

Fairway Notes Tournaments by Staff Reports

Scoreboard Thursday Morning Mixed 2018-19 by Staff Reports

Cards and Games Tuesday Women's Bridge Group by Staff Reports

Fairway Notes Tournaments by Staff Reports

Nonprofit to help kids go fishing The roots of a new nonprofit, Fish It Forward, are in Jason Adams longtime love of fishing. Adams, who was born in Texarkana, learned to fish on trips with his great grandfather, but both his parents were competitive bass anglers. by Lynn Atkins

The Association of Golf Merchandisers award Country Club Pro Shop At the PGA Merchandise Show held in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 22, the Association of Golf Merchandisers presented a platinum award to the Bella Vista Country Club Pro Shop, making it the first ever win in Arkansas history. by Staff Report

Hole-in-one Kenneth Merritt made a hole-in-one on Jan. 16 on hole No. 10 at the Kingswood Golf Course. by Staff Report

Scoreboard Thursday Morning Mixed 2018-19 by Staff Reports

Opinion

'At what cost?' At What Cost? by Kevin Dooley Bella Vista

Valentine's Day every day The first time ever I saw her face, I was mesmerized. She lit up the room with her big smile and her effervescent personality. I was smitten, dumbfounded. She was animated, glowing. I was a skinny kid wearing white socks and penny loafers, a white shirt with a pocket protector, and black-framed eyeglasses. I was frozen in place like a young calf looking at a new gate, paralyzed like a deer in the headlights, caught like a kid with his hand stuck in a candy jar. by Ron Wood

Perception of 'tax cut' equals win for Governor By the time this missive gets into ink and printed on the newsprint page you hold in front of you, Gentle Readers, the planned 2, 4, 5.9 tax plan conceived by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and staff, will likely be implemented. by Maylon T. Rice Columnist

Valentine's Day thoughts Contrary to popular belief, Valentine's Day is not a celebration of romantic love, nor is it to commemorate the third century killing of St. Valentine by Roman authorities. There were actually at least three different St. Valentines, so those stories can get confusing. No, my theory is that Valentine's Day was invented to more sharply define the differences between men and women as to what constitutes love. Or, more simply, to prove that men stand no chance in winning the battle of the sexes. by Devin Houston Write On

Waiting to be patient I had the bright idea on the coldest morning of the winter to go to the Arkansas driver's license office (Revenue Dept.) in Fayetteville to obtain my new photo ID, the one with the star. It can be used for federal identification while boarding an airplane. I figured, with the extreme cold (15 degrees), the wait wouldn't be long, right? Unfortunately, some other people had the same idea. As I took ticket number 84, I glanced at the board. They were serving number 44. Groan! by Ron Wood

Are you scared yet? Once again, my son tells me of a movie he is certain will terrify me to no end. This latest cinematic gem is titled Hereditary. I finally watch it on Amazon Prime and, once again, I am nowhere close to being frightened. I laughed at some scenes. I thought the editing was bad. Continuity issues were prominent. The characters were unlikable. My son was miffed when I told him my thoughts and accused me of watching it with the lights on. I didn't, but now wish I had, maybe I would have stopped dozing off. by Devin Houston Write On

A campaign promise A campaign promise by James Linder Bella Vista

The 'big' thing is reorganization of state agencies If recent history is any indicator when it comes to the legislative legacy of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the state's chief executive's plan to reduce/realign/reformat state agencies will be dealt with sooner rather than later in this new 92nd General Assembly. by Maylon T. Rice Columnist

Religion

Church News Unity Church of the Ozarks by Staff Reports

Valentine's Day As a child in elementary school, Valentine's Day wasn't a big event for me. In third grade I liked a girl named Nancy. I didn't like her very long because when I told her I liked her, she kicked me. End of liking Nancy. by Gene Linzey

What does 'Walking with God' mean? Several people have asked that question, but everyone in the world should be interested in knowing the answer. I'll start with Billy Graham's response. The following Q & A is from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association "Answers" blog, Feb. 13, 2017. by Gene Linzey

Church News Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista by Staff Reports

Stay vigilant in your life I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of people trying to invade my life through the so-called "Ro-Bo" telephone calls. Most of these calls are originated from another country through a switching device somewhere in the United States. The problem is our local law enforcement personnel can do nothing about them since they involve inter-country laws and are subject to federal jurisdiction but not local control. And, since the federal government has too many other things on its plate, apparently no one is doing anything to control these irritating calls. by Chaplain Robert A. Box Columnist