Practice Patience

thekruthtalks

amber kruth

Fayetteville is a destination for holiday shoppers from around the area, so be prepared for heavy traffic and longer waits at intersections. Practice patience and courtesy this holiday season. If you have problems in north Fayetteville, remember that there’s a police substation in the Sears wing of the Northwest Arkansas Mall.

Circuit Track

The Lake Fayetteville Park Trail will soon be a completed 4.3-mile loop. Two steel alloy bridges have been installed, one over Clear Creek and one just south of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. The new sections of trail are scheduled to open next month.

Vend And Scratch

The Arkansas Lottery is expected to expand into vending machines next spring. One hundred vending machines will be placed in retail stores, supermarkets and airports and will offer up to $500 in scratch-off winnings. A swipe of a valid driver’s license will be required to discourage underage sales. A growing market, vending machine lottery sales were $2.3 billion in 2007.

Second Amendment

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is defending the Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although protected by our state constitution, some high crime cities, such as Chicago and Washington, D.C., prohibit the possession of handguns. Although this is not apparently necessary in NWA, Little Rock would certainly be affected by this ordinance if it catches flame.

Talking Turkey

A safety report that resurfaces every holiday season is back in the headlines again. Consumer Report’s investigation into the presence of salmonella and other potentially harmful bacteria rated more than two-thirds of store bought poultry as contaminated. Organic poultry, and Purdue specifically, faired better at just below 50 percent. Truth be told, however, with proper handling (washing of utensils, thawing pans, knives, etc., in hot soapy water) and cooking (165 degrees internally and until the juices run clear) the bacteria is eliminated.

Hornor Gets Honored

Congratulations to Specialist Justyn Hornor of Lowell for earning the Distinguished Honor Graduate title at the Fort Jackson, S.C., Paralegal Specialist School. In addition, Hornor received the Army Achievement Medal and the JAG Core Regimental Coin of Excellence. He will served in the Arkansas National Guard with the 39th Infantry Brigade.