Opinion: Daddy Warbucks

Gas prices and foreclosures still big news in NWA

PLUS:Hookah lounge coming to Dickson Street

While the $100 a barrel price for oil didn’t happen in 2007, the new year was not very old when that high-water mark was reached. And Daddy W. says it will be surpassed in 2008 especially if things on the world scene don’t settle down.

While there’s lots of turmoil right now on the international scene, we’ll see the price of oil and exportation here at home continues to skyrocket. Daddy W. hates to predict it, but here it comes…get ready for $3.50 to $4 a gallon for gas in the new year. How, one may ask, can that be? Just watch.

Missouri has gone to the ethanol mixture for all its gasoline outlets. Will the Arkansas Legislature follow suit? We shall see. It would take a full-body effort and the blessing of the Farm Bureau, Highway Commission and lots of movers and shakers to make that happen.

One rumor is that Gov. Mike Beebe could be persuaded to follow such a move if the state’s new and developing alternative fuel industry could really benefit from the move and if the motoring public (aka voters) demand it.

Another alarming fact in NWA these days is the number of high profile developers who are being sued. Let’s face it, when the local banks file lawsuits against their customers, this foreclosure drama is hitting home. No longer is the worry that someone else, somewhere else will work out this foreclosure problem. When you see local folks backing out on projects and then being sued by local banks it can and will have an effect on the local economy. The economic downturn is indeed having an effect on us locally. If you don’t think so now,  just watch gentle reader, it is coming.

OPENING TODAY
Chick-Fil-A will open its Sixth Street location (on Sixth nd Razorback Road) today. There no doubt will be camping out all night, as the first 10 customers will get Chick-Fil-A for a year.

HOOKAH COMING
One of two new tenants coming to the old Frisco Train Depot on Dickson Street is Habbi, a Middle Eastern eatery with a full bar and hookah lounge for hookah devotees. How they are going to do that with food is beside me. The other occupant will be Wow a Japanese style restaurant. Good luck and checkout that smoking ordinance while you still have time to do so.

DRAKE MISS
How did Mayor Coody and his airport commissioners let this one slip past them? That’s what people have to be asking after all the $$ spent on Drake Field while meanwhile Rogers snapped up an ultra-light assembly plant from some Germans recently. While the start-up may be small, Rogers Airport officials are crowing over the Remos Aircraft GmbH coming to town. An estimated 80 employees may be employed in the future. Why not Drake?