‘Observation Post’ Category
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Woody Allen Has Never Been to West Fork
1February 15, 2013 by wcobserver
Woody Allen never met Michael “Butch” Bartholomew. If he had he might not have offered up his often repeated quip, “80% of success is showing up.” In the little town of West Fork, Arkansas, Mr. Bartholomew is surely counted among the successful. He has a nice home in a nice neighborhood, has real estate investments, serves on various boards and is known throughout the region as the face of West Fork. But his most salient sign of success is his job. As head of water and sewer and almost every other city function, he has managed, over his forty year career, to install himself in a position that is beyond review or evaluation. He is untouchable.
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The Politics of Nostalgia
0February 14, 2013 by wcobserver
Observation Post by Steve Winkler The Politics of Nostalgia Every town has a past, not every town has a future. West Fork may not have a website or digital storage of public records, but by golly, we have social media in town. Last fall a facebook page appeared called West Fork Politics. Used as a vehicle for candidates for office and as a discussion forum for issues the group grew to over 150 members, most of whom were spectators. The dozen or so active commentators act as both entertainers for the majority and occasionally provide something …
Read More...Category Observation Post, West Fork | Tags: Caroline Smity, facebook, politics
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The Sweet Comfort of Validation
0May 8, 2012 by Steve Winkler
We used to be suspicious of online articles. Who knows where they’ve been? Print media was the bulwark of journalistic legitimacy, we opined. Then we suspended our print edition and became a digital only publication. Now, we’re suggesting that online articles really aren’t as suspect as we thought. Funny how that works.
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Leaders Lawyer Up
0February 23, 2012 by Steve Winkler
My wife and I enjoy watching teevee police dramas on DVD. We like to give sections of the show a second viewing to find that visual clue that can be overlooked. The shows all stick pretty close to the same formula; find the body, introduce suspects, investigate, throw in a plot twist, have a chase and put the bad guys away. One of the standard scenes for these shows is the interrogation of a suspect. The detectives are sweating the suspect when he/she suddenly realizes they may be in bigger trouble than they thought and ask for an attorney. This is when Brisco exits the interrogation room and tells Lt. Van Buren “they lawyered up.” Sophisticated police drama fans know what this means; suspect can no longer be questioned. Darn. (But this of course pushes the story forward). This was the mental image I got when the Observer asked West Fork council members to explain their vote granting spot zoning for Mike Landa’s residential property in a residential zone which created a two acre commercial zone. Here’s what Observer reporter Renee Reed encountered. Email inquiries were sent to the six aldermen and alderwomen who voted for overriding the planning commission. …
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Rezoning Vetoed
0February 20, 2012 by Steve Winkler
The West Fork rezoning saga isn’t over. Mayor Frances Hime filed a letter today with City Clerk, Kristie Drymon notifying her of the mayor’s veto of the city council’s “decision in favor of Mr. Michael Landa’s Appeal of the West Fork Planning Commission’s denial of his application for rezoning of 997 McKnight from residential to commercial. In her letter Mayor Hime said she has placed Mr. Landa’s appeal on the March Council Agenda “where a discussion of any legal basis for the Council’s decision may have been contrary to the public interest.” Mayor Hime was not in attendance, recusing herself from the appeal because of her litigation with Landa. Charlie Rossetti, who served as mayor pro tem during the meeting, is currently engaged in a real estate deal with Landa. The appeal passed 6-0. Councilman John Foster was not in attendance. Read the Observer’s previous coverage of the rezoning issue here and here.
Read More...Category Observation Post | Tags: Mayor Frances Hime, Mike Landa, rezoning, West Fork City Council
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