The Hub

Predicting the Hogs in 2010.

September 2nd, 2010

Ryan Mallett will lead the Hogs in 2010.

No one needs to be told the Arkansas Razorbacks begin their football season this Saturday against Tennessee Tech. And no one needs to be told expectations are high for the Razorbacks in 2010, especially with Heisman Trophy-candidate Ryan Mallett leading the team’s explosive offense.

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Changing of the bell

August 26th, 2010

Children waiting on the early-morning school bus.

On Wednesday, attorneys for the Pulaski County Special School District and the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers agreed to a six-hour-and-45-minute elementary-school day. It’s the same school-day schedule used by the district before it revised and lengthened the current school-day schedule at the district’s 39 elementary, middle and high school campuses. The new schedule will go into effect by Sept. 13.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the current school-day schedule had led to many complaints from district parents who thought the “restructured elementary-school day too long, and that middle- and high school students have to catch school buses at or before dawn.” Some district teachers had complained because teachers’ planning time had been incorporated into the current school-day schedule. The new school-day schedule set for Sept. 13 calls for “a teacher workday that includes 45 minutes of planning time either before or after the students’ day,” according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Gulf seafood: Safe to eat?

August 19th, 2010

Fisheries are back to work in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although the Deepwater Horizon oil leak has been plugged, Americans still have their doubts over the safety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. According to an Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday, a survey of 1,007 adults nationwide between Aug. 11-16 found that 54 percent did not trust the safety of Gulf seafood.

Gulf fisheries are reopening more than three months after the BP oil leak began, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states seafood from reopened areas or those unaffected by the spill are ready for public consumption.

“There’s nothing wrong with Gulf seafood, because it’s tested probably more than any seafood that’s being removed right now,” retired Coast Guard admiral Thad Allen told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday.

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Steven Slater: 21st century hero?

August 12th, 2010

Steven Slater: Hero or villain?

JetBlue airline attendant Steven Slater made headlines earlier this week (and continues to make headlines) after his freakout aboard a just-landed JetBlue flight in New York City.

After a Monday flight from Pittsburgh to New York City had landed and was at the airport gate, but before the captain had said it was okay for passengers to remove their seat belts, Slater got into a dispute with a passenger when the passenger ignored instructions and started removing luggage from an overhead compartment. The passenger cursed at Slater, resulting in Slater getting on the intercom, unleashing an expletive-filled tirade, deploying the plane’s exit chute and sliding onto the tarmac. During his exit, Slater grabbed a beer from the beverage cart.

Slater was later arrested at his house and charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. The felony charges could result in up to seven years in prison if Slater is convicted.

The media attention has made Slater a 15-minute celebrity. More than 150,000 people are fans on his Facebook page, and Slater is trying for 1 million by the end of the week.

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Paying more for certain Internet content

August 5th, 2010

Verizon and Google: The evil empire?

According to Thursday’s The New York Times, Google and Verizon are close to an agreement that would speed online content to Verizon users more quickly, if the content’s creators will pay more for the privilege.

In a nutshell, a company such as YouTube, which is owned by Google, would pay Verizon to ensure its content receives a priority in reaching consumers. The agreement might lead to higher Internet usage charges for Verizon customers, a leading Internet service provider. The agreement could end “net neutrality” and introduce a tiered pay system for Internet use, similar to cable TV, which places higher fees on premium channels. But by paying more, users would receive certain content more quickly.

Opponents of the possible agreement claim the Google and Verizon deal would hand control of a “what to date has been a free and open Internet system,” with consumers deciding which companies are successful, over to just a few corporations.

“The point of a network neutrality rule is to prevent big companies from dividing the Internet between them,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president and a founder of Public Knowledge, a consumer advocacy group. “The fate of the Internet is too large a matter to be decided by negotiations involving two companies, even companies as big as Verizon and Google.”

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Stop commuters in state-owned vehicles?

July 29th, 2010

Keet: Questioning the number of commuters in state-owned vehicles.

According to data received by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the state of Arkansas owns 8,653 vehicles. Approximately 1,000 of the vehicles are used for commuting, according to the data from the state Department of Finance and Administration, and the state Highway and Transportation Department.

Republican Jim Keet, a restaurant owner from Little Rock who is running against Gov. Mike Beebe in this year’s election, has called for a ban on elected officials and state employees’ use of state vehicles to commute.

“It’s inexcusable this had gone on for 3 1 /2 years under the governor’s watch,” Keet said at a recent news conference. “In the Keet administration, these abuses would be brought to a screeching halt. Period.”

But Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the state allowing people to drive vehicles home doesn’t equate to abuse, and that 4,603 vehicles are from entities not under the governor’s direction — agencies such as colleges and universities, the Game and Fish Commission, the Highway Department, and the Legislature and elected officials.

State law allows only 7,771 state-owned vehicles, but the law also allows agencies to exceed the limits through a governor declaration. Beebe has issued 21 such declarations allowing agencies to purchase more vehicles than the limit.

From April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, it cost $17.3 million to maintain, repair, fuel and insure the state fleet.

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The poor economy

July 22nd, 2010

The economy continues to struggle.

According to just released job numbers, the U.S. economy continues to struggle with the Labor Department stating today that new claims for unemployment insurance jumped by 37,000 last week. The jobless claims jump was the most since February. The Associated Press reported that analysts expected a smaller rise. The weekly claims are considered a gauge of layoffs and an indication of employers’ willingness to hire.

A total of nearly 4.5 million people continued claiming unemployment aid, the department said. The nation’s unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in June while Arkansas’ unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in June.

Other economic indicators were poor as well: Sales of previously occupied homes fell in June nationwide and a gauge of future economic activity dropped in June.

With consumers cautious about spending, the housing market slumping and the effect of last year’s $787 billion stimulus package fading, what are your thoughts about the economy?

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Hot weather

July 15th, 2010

A red map means hot weather.

It’s July and, of course, it’s hot out. Bad hot. According to Weather.com, temperatures in the Little Rock area will hover in the mid to high 90s through next weekend. High temps and high humidity equals heat advisories, including one for Thursday through 7 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, the recent rains have resulted in high humidity values which in turn produce high heat indexes, including up to 110 degrees Thursday afternoon. The high temps and humidity can lead to heat-related illnesses so people outdoors are advised to exercise caution and be prepared for the heat by drinking fluids, staying in the air conditioning and staying out of the sun.

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Lohan in jail

July 8th, 2010

Lindsay Lohan

Actress Lindsay Lohan was recently sentenced to 90 days in a Los Angeles County jail cell after violating her probation in a DUI case by missing weekly alcohol-education classes.

Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel sentenced a shocked and tearful Lohan to 90 days in jail and also ordered Lohan to rehab for another three months after she leaves jail. After rehab, Lohan will be forbidden from consuming alcohol till her probation term ends August 2011.

Lohan will enter the women’s Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif., on July 20. It’s the same jail where she previously served just 84 minutes of a 24-hour sentence nearly three years ago.

“I did everything I was told to do, I thought I was being compliant,” Lohan told the judge. “I’m not taking this as a joke, it’s my life and career. I don’t want you to think I don’t respect you and your terms.”

While in court, Lohan sported a explicit fingernail message she later said was not directed at the judge. The actress also later Tweeted: “It is clearly stated in Article 5 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights that … No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

So, Lohan’s going to prison: What’s your reaction?

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Hankering for grilled meat?

July 1st, 2010

Fourth of July is a weekend of grilling.

Sync’s barbecue issue is on the stands now. And after extensive “research” (really just eating mouth-watering pulled pork sandwiches for a month), Sync has named the best pulled pork sandwich in our readership area, along with several contenders. Capitol Smokehouse and Grill in downtown Little Rock came in first, followed by Conway’s Smokehouse and Maumelle’s Smoke Shack and several other delicious barbecue finalists.

The Fourth of July is probably the apex of the summer barbecue season, with families lighting up their backyard grills and smokers for a weekend of cooking outdoors. All this talk of barbecue got us wondering: What do you plan on grilling this weekend?

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