Thursday’s thumbs

Arkansas prepares for dark times

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through October in 2023. Before long, our semi-weekly thumbs will have to be wrapped in gloves to protect them from winter’s chills. Here are this week’s digits:

Well, this is just becoming a habit now. Walmart has nabbed Nathan Smith, the elected prosecutor for Benton County since 2015. Smith recently announced his approaching resignation so he can join the legal department of the world’s largest retailer, which is of course headquartered in Bentonville. It’s not the first time the county’s prosecutor departed for the retail behemoth. Van Stone stepped down as prosecutor to also join Walmart’s legal department in 2014 after nearly finishing two four-year terms in the office. Court officials, law enforcement leaders and others have had good things to say about Smith’s time in office. We’d share the assessment. He served the people of Benton County well. We can’t blame anyone for wanting a break from the sometimes gruesome and difficult cases prosecutors must delve into.

The pandemic is over, right? So why is Benton County’s Quorum Court still talking about spending $800,000 of local taxpayers’ money to cover what previously was federally funded, pandemic-related “premium pay” for public employees who, in many cases, carried a heavy burden by working through the pandemic. Public services, after all, can’t just shut the doors even when a harmful virus is making the rounds. The federal money dried up when the pandemic was officially declared over. One justice of the peace said it would be a “onetime deal,” but why does that make sense post-pandemic? If the county wants to give employees a raise, why not just do that? Or is this an example of government money becoming an entitlement once it starts?

We’re looking forward to the big total solar eclipse in 2024 and the big flow of people state officials predict will descend on Arkansas. A portion of the state is in the so-called path of totality, where the best viewing of such a heavenly event is possible, as long as the weather closer to home cooperates. Do skywatchers spend a lot of money when they descend on a location? Let’s hope they do. There is no truth, however, to claims Arkansas’ promoters will tout the event with the slogan “Welcome to Arkansas: Back to the dark ages.”