Northwest Arkansas newspapers to unveil new website on Tuesday

Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC is giving us an early holiday present on Tuesday when they unveil their redesigned Web site and new Internet address for their five daily newspapers and 12 other publications. Rog will be camped out at the NAN offices waiting to be first among many to report on the new website. Unfortunately, readers from across the world wanting to learn more about Northwest Arkansas must purchase most content on their current website. This strategy has been a huge boost for free blogs popping up across the region. Now, people are learning about what is going on in our hometown from some fairly biased news sources, including this one. Few blogs, except those targeting mommies, seldom paint a rosy picture of life in Northwest Arkansas. P.S. Access is free for print subscribers who register, but Online-only subscriptions are also available.

Will the Northwest Arkansas Eastern Corridor save downtown Rogers?

Dick Trammel’s favorite road project will connect Arkansas 16 to U.S. 62 in Rogers. The five-lane eastern corridor has been on the regional planning map for more than a decade. Rog says it is one plan that could re-energize downtown Rogers – if done right. The City of Rogers will add the corridor to the master street plan in 2010. The question is whether the plan will incorporate lifestyle-enhancing design elements. Or, will it serve as yet another road filled with uninspired businesses from Hardee’s, EZ-Marts, dollar stores, and strip centers. The proposed roadway would follow Arkansas 265 to Lowell, through unincorporated Benton County, entering Rogers at the Pleasant Grove Road-First Street intersection. The recently improved five-lane section of First Street between Pleasant Grove and Olrich Street would serve as part of the corridor. The new Eastern Corridor would follow Oak Street then north across Walnut and Locust streets. The final section of the route would use “D” Street before connecting with U.S. 62 east of Second Street. A great deal of imminent domain and realignment will complete the corridor through Rogers. Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department engineers are finishing the feasibility study on the eastern corridor, which is due next year. Read more in Sunday’s ADG

The most urgent time for feeding in our lifetime

“This is the most urgent time for our feeding programs in our lifetime, with the exception of the Depression. It’s time for us to face up to the fact that in this country of plenty, there are hungry people,” KEVIN CONCANNON, an under secretary of agriculture, on the rapid increase in food stamp use across Arkansas.

Bond set for Rogers, Arkansas Murder Suspect

NWA News reports that bond was set Friday at $300,000 for Aristeo Chavez Jr. of Rogers, who was being held Friday at the Benton County Jail after police arrested him in connection with felony capital murder, aggravated robbery and residential burglary. The crime took place near the Rainbow Cycle and Marine on Hudson Street in Rogers, scene of many a crime and another murder recently. Seems like the Rogers Police is having a tough time with illegal drug dealing, murder, and felony mayhem these days.

Benton County Health Department Relocating to Center for Nonprofits in Rogers

The Benton County Health Department will be relocating to the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers after 10 out of 13 Benton County justices voted for the plan on Tuesday. The Center for Nonprofits (formerly St. Mary’s Hospital) is on Walnut Street near downtown Rogers. The Center for Nonprofits will sell 24,000 square feet to the County Health Department for about $2 million. The move will not likely reinvigorate the neighborhood, but should do a good job at serving the swelling ranks of the poor and aging seniors who live in Rogers.

Booze lights up Northwest Arkansas shopper spirits

Now that gun-toters have killed all the wildlife living in my quiet Northwest Arkansas residential neighborhood in quaint little Rogers, and all the cheap Chinese TVs have cleared off the shelves at Walmart, drinking season has officially begun in Rog’s house!   Vendor holiday parties are looming in Shadow Valley, the B.S. is already flowing in Pinnacle, and kids are going hungry in Springdale. But we don’t fret! We’ve started drinking to be sure we stay in the festive holiday mood. Mom has a whole host of of holiday-themed drinks to liven up our next Northwest Arkansas soiree. Check out a few of her favs’ – named after her favorite locals (you figure out who they are). The Walton Rise 1 ounce Zacapa 23 Year-Old Rum 3/4 ounce lime juice 1/2 ounce cinnamon bark In a cocktail shaker, combine Zacapa 23 Year-Old Rum, lime juice, and cinnamon bark. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. The Old Corner Store (Gone and forgotten) 2 parts Beefeater 24 1 part Black and Brown Syrup* ½ part Orange juice 1 Black Mission Fig 2 Sprigs of Thyme Muddle 2 sprigs worth of thyme leaves and 1 black mission fig. Shake ingredients heavily and double strain over ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a smacked thyme sprig stuck in half a fig set on the rim of the glass. *To make syrup: Combine 2 cups water and 5 crushed cinnamon sticks and bring to boil for 10 min. Let steep for 10 more min and strain off cinnamon. Add ¾ cup of white sugar and stir until dissolved. Then steep 12 black tea bags for 20 minutes. Cool and use. The Governor’s Pear Margarita 1 ½ oz. D’Anjou Pear Puree 1 ½ oz. El Jimador Blanco ½ oz. Lemon ¾ oz. Simple Syrup Shake together all ingredients with ice. Pour into a nine ounce bucket and garnish with a thin slice of pear on top. The Mayor’s Mulled Gin / Hot Gin Punch 1 part Beefeater 24TM 2 parts full bodied red wine 1 teaspoon honey Orange slice Lemon slice Orange peel stuck with cloves 1 cinnamon stick Heat all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer till honey has dissolved. Pour into a toddy glass and drink whilst still warm. *The above recipe serves 1. For greater numbers just multiply the ingredients by the number of people you wish to serve. Razorback Wet Dream 1 oz OCEAN Vodka 1oz Baileys 1oz Tuaca 2oz heavy cream Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice, bruise and pour into a martini glass rimmed with caramel syrup The Judge’s Seasonal Greetings 1 ½ oz OCEAN Vodka 1 oz pear nectar Splash of fresh orange juice Place all ingredients into a shaker with ice, bruise and garnish with an orange twist

More brawls at Walmart over $3 pajamas and cheap Chinese TVs

A little over an hour after fighting broke out at a Walmart in Upland, California, authorities were called to a Wal-Mart in Rancho Cucamonga, California when a fight broke out in the electronics section. No arrests were made as the cops got the disturbance under control. This time, the store manager refused to talk to the media.

Wal-Mart temporarily closes after ‘Black Friday fighting inside’

Black Friday brought out the rowdy side of Wal-Mart shoppers early this morning when their Upland, California location shut down for hours after customers caused a ruckus inside. Walmart management called local police at 2:44 a.m., asking for assistance in dealing with customers who were “fighting inside,” said Lt. Jim Etchason. About 300 people were in the store, which had remained open all night as a security precaution after a Wal-Mart worker on Long Island, N.Y., was trampled to death last year on Black Friday when a surging, impatient crowd rushed the doors after the store opened. But in Upland, employees said, customers began tearing into merchandise that had been shrink-wrapped and were supposed to be opened at 5 a.m. “This was without a doubt the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said one employee, who said she has worked a dozen Black Fridays. Several officers were sent and stood by as shoppers were kicked out and the store closed down, Etchason said. Meanwhile, outside people began “yelling and screaming,” pounding on the glass doors and trying to sneak into the store through the lawn and garden section. Police and store managers had to be sent outside to try to calm the crowd, workers said. “It was scary,” one said. In the words of Rodney King, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

Happy Thanksgiving from all the editors and writers who call Roger’s blog “home”

Tyson Foods Acquired by Chinese! Walmart Faulters in New Economy! More “What if” Scenarios

What would happen if Tyson Foods was gobbled-up by a Chinese investor and moved offices to someplace else? What would happen if Walmart fell out of fashion and failed to survive in a new American economy where low prices was just another so-what feature in the internet-equalizing shopping isles. The question is, what would happen to Northwest Arkansas if the bottom fell out of these two big companies that make up our lives? We turned to Pontiac, Michigan for the answer. Once upon a time, Pontiac, Michigan seemed like the perfect sister-city to any of our towns in Northwest Arkansas. Not anymore. For the past few years, Pontiac has been a laggard in Detroit’s prosperous northwestern suburbs. The city of 66,000 fell under state financial oversight in March after local officials failed to balance its budget. Many of the once-well-paying jobs that supported the local economy have disappeared with the hard-hit U.S. auto industry. Pontiac once had about 20,000 General Motors workers, but plant closures have wiped almost all of them out. Pontiac had nearly 1,100 homes in foreclosure last month, according to RealtyTrac. In nearby Detroit, the most depressed major city in America, $183,000, the average price of a home in NWA, is enough to buy a bakers-dozen of single-family homes. Could the same fate hitting Pontiac, Michigan ever come home to roost in NWA. Some forecasters say never. Let’s hope so,