Editor Rex Nelson News Today

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As towns across rural Arkansas continue to bleed population, the most obvious victims often are the churches. I recently saw an online plea for funds to help keep up a Presbyterian church building at Helena, a once-beautiful city on the banks of the Mississippi River that has been losing residents for decades.

I met Eric Jackson in the winter of 1979. I was a college student at the time. I was also sports editor of the Daily Siftings Herald at Arkadelphia. That meant I could spend race days at Oaklawn Park in the press box. It was a dream assignment for a 19-year-old aspiring journalist from just down the road.

Today at 3:16 a.m.

In a letter to the editor back in February, one writer had this to say about me: "I dont resent his commentary about Gov. Sarah Sanders, former President Donald Trump or any other Republican. But I do resent his negative comments while giving the impression hes writing from a Republican perspective. Rex, youre now a Democrat. Its time to quit pretending."

The New York Times focused on our state last month due to the ongoing disaster known as the Arkansas Legislature. It published a major story about Bitcoin operations popping up across the state, the problems theyre causing and the fact that Arkansas residents have little recourse thanks to dupes in the Legislature.

Bald Knob is a surprisingly good place to dine for a town of 2,500 residents. Theres the Bulldog, a past inductee into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Theres Market Cafe, which has been around since 1946. Eating there is like stepping back in time. Theres Who Dats, which has my favorite Cajun cooking in the state. Theres Farmhouse Cafe, which has solid country cooking.

It was cold and spitting snow that day in December 1992 when the cab driver dropped me off at Maya Angelous house in Winston-Salem, N.C. I was political editor of this newspaper and was taking a short break from writing and editing stories about Bill Clinton, who had been elected president a month earlier.

In 1974, Mississippi County residents voted for a tax increase to pay for construction of Mississippi County Community College. The county still had a population of more than 60,000, and the U.S. Air Forces base near Blytheville was going strong. Harry Smith was selected as the colleges first president, and the school was accredited the next year by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

By Rex Nelson | October 21, 2023 at 3:57 a.m.