Daddy Warbucks

Daddy Warbucks
Gearing Up
Bikes, Blues & BBQ just around the corner

Quietly, city officials in hushed tones, have been noticing a rise in the sales taxes. Some say it’s the Sam’s Club finally coming on line in a big way. Others say it’s the annual influx of college students. And even others hint that the Pinnacle Mall “newness” has indeed worn off. Maybe it is all three or a combination thereof.
The Razorback football season and the upcoming Bikes, Blues & Barbecue — earlier than it has ever been, will no doubt raise the conscious of all the economic downturn we’ve seen of late. Let’s hope it does.

BIG QUESTION: What percentage of young American women say they met their current boyfriend in a bar?

GRADES DO COUNTY
Congratulations to Fayetteville High for taking top academic honors in Washington County on a list compiled from the Arkansas Policy Foundation. The group awarded A,B,C, letter grades, for performance and academic rankings. Fayetteville got an A-. Greenland got the next highest grade, a B. Schools in Prairie Grove, Elkins, Springdale (including Har-Ber) received at B-. Lincoln was rated C+, while Farmington and West Fork, both received C’s.

CNBC HOG CALLER
A big Woo Pig Sooie goes out to Corey Scott, an MBA student in the Sam M. Walton College of Business up on the hill. Scott appeared on the CNBC program, Squawk on the Street, broadcast from the New York Stock Exchange, on last Tuesday. He’s a member of the Shollmier MBA Fund portfolio management class that recently won first place in the Graduate Hybrid Funds Class in a student-run portfolio competition. More Woo Pig Sooies for this too. See there are winners all over the campus — off the field and in the classroom. Good job Corey Scott.

BIG HONOR
What did you expect? The Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, home of the Arkansas Naturals, won the Best Ballpark in America award this year. They well should have. They are the newest ballpark and it is, in all honesty, a nice, very nice venue. Too bad the sales taxes show a slide for Springdale, in spite of the park opening. Hmmm, how is that possible? Maybe the loss of Sam’s Club?

ARKIES WORSE OFF
National income statistics tell us that we here in Arkansas are not better off than we were last year. In fact, most of the poverty level folks are worse off. Rising gas prices are to blame. If you didn’t know it, in this rural state, folks have to drive further to get good, paying jobs than almost anywhere.

-NO MO CLARK
The Arkansas ad firm Sells-Clark is now just Sells. Mike Sells has bought out the interest of Brian Clark. The agency will become Sells and billings in the $10 million range. The NWA location is expected to stay active.

JUST DUCKY
The folks at AERT were in need of some good news, and good publicity and a duck blind provided it. The AERT folks are quacking about winning first place in the Boats and Blinds Category of Wildfowl Magazine. A St. Louis pair built an entire duck blind out of the composite materials to claim the top prize.

VEGAN OUT WEST
In Farmington, Coffee Creations Café has been distributing door hangers touting its new Vegetarian Day every Tuesday. And a Green Thursday’s where one buck comes off their “large, fantastic salads.” They say they’re more than just a coffeehouse now. Check it out.

IS IT CLOSING?
Chambers Bank on Joyce Blvd. has made an application with the State Banking Dept., to merge its charter into and with Chambers Bank of Danville (Pope County) Arkansas.  Does this mean that all the Chambers Banks will be under one umbrella? Or is the bank moving back to Danville?

BOND NEEDS
Looks like the City of Fayetteville is advertising for a bond counsel and bond underwriting services. Hmmm.. Does Mayor Dan be pitching a bond issue to the voters? Does he want to pass a bond to fix the big hole in the downtown? Inquiring minds want to know. Remember, the mayor wanted to raise the millage rate, but the City Council said “no.”

JUNE EATING
The summertime blues showed in June’s tax collection numbers, but the top 10 restaurant revenue generators looks about the same. Golden Corral was No. 1 followed by Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chick-Fil-A, and TGI Friday. Six to 10 were: McDoanld’s, Penguin Ed’s, Shogun, Chick-Fil-A on Razorback Road and The Catfish Hole.

HOTELS DOWN
Hotel traffic was off in June, too. Here are the top five. No. 1 was the Clarion Inn, followed by Hampton Inn, Inn at Carnall Hall, Courtyard by Marriott and the Holiday Inn Express.

BIG ANSWER: In a survey some 19 percent said that is where they met the current boyfriend.