News - Monday, May 20, 2013

When Bob Trautman was announced as the Saline Memorial Hospital CEO in March of 2012 the goals for the largest employer in the county were clear. The board of directors wanted SMH to grow while it remained an independent, community hospital. 

Habitat for Humanity has a stated mission to “bring people together to build homes, community, and hope.”  In the summer of 2013, Realtors of Arkansas have partnered with Saline County Habitat for Humanity in order to build a new home. This is accomplished through tax-deductible donations of money and materials, and through volunteer labor. Each home that Habitat for Humanity builds is sold to a “partner family” for no profit at a no-interest 20-year mortgage. Partner families are required to spend a specified amount of time volunteering their labor toward the completion of the build. Because the materials and labor are donated, homeowners end up paying about $60,000, for payments of about $350 each month for a new home. All of the money is raised before the building begins, so mortgages are used to build future homes. 

Interest rates are at historic lows. But they will rise eventually. If you invest in fixed-income vehicles, such as bonds, what might higher rates mean for you?

As is almost always the case in the investment world, there’s no simple answer. First, it’s important to distinguish between short-term and long-term interest rates. The Federal Reserve is determined to keep short-term rates low until unemployment improves, but, in the meantime, longer-term rates may well rise.

The trains in Spain... 

Modern Spain boasts a sleek high-speed train, the Ave, which can whisk you from Madrid to Sevilla in a hour. It also may have Europe’s worst driving conditions (although I hear Portugal is worse).

Self-reflection is often a necessary form of self-growth that is hard to truly come by. Ron Cooper, a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, made it his goal to immerse himself in self-reflection in January of 2011. 

Cooper was looking for a real challenge and began walking the Northern Route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears National Historic Trail for his own personal adventure.

Andrea Alford of the Arkansas Real Estate Commission addressed the Jacksonville/Cabot Realtors Association last week about upcoming legislative changes. Alford also discussed Real Estate Commission guidelines for posting listings using social media. 

Saline Crossing, Inc. held an annual Rendezvous and Spring Celebration at the Old Saline County Airport the weekend of May 17. The free event included guided tours of the Future Saline Crossing Park and Recreation Area near the old river bridge. Events also included demonstrations of spinning wheel and yarn making, primitive weaving, flint knapping, fire starting, Dutch oven cooking, along with knife and hatchet throwing. There were also displays of 1800s clothing and period firearms, and history of the area back to 1813 along with story telling. People of all ages enjoyed the Candy cannon – a functioning period cannon that fired hard candy. 

Did you know that until 1950, Arkansas had no official residence for her chief executive? Today, The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, located on Center Street in downtown Little Rock is a beautiful sight to hold directly after sunset. Governor and Mrs. Sidney S. McMath were the first tenants, and instead of an official opening nearly 180,000 visitors toured the structure in January of 1950 in a week-long “open-house.”

The bathroom lines at the port-a-pottys were long, so I picked the shortest one and began my wait. 

In line next to me was a young woman who was almost to the front, and she turned around to find her boyfriend in the waiting crowd, to ask if he would hold her purse while she navigated the interior of one of the plastic restrooms, that were probably on loan from some construction site.

I recently served as a wedding coordinator for a sweet, young couple at our church. This past weekend was the wedding, which was an experience like no other - including when my daughter married. However, when my daughter was married, I was much younger!

The Kentucky Derby has come and gone – hopefully with your winner! Now we are awaiting the Preakness Stakes. To bide your time, here’s some trivia on past races. See how well you compete! And you’re off...

1. This horse was no secret when he won the Belmont Stakes in 1973. Not only did he capture the Triple Crown, he set a world record for one-and-a-half miles on dirt when he covered the distance in two minutes, 24 seconds. What was the name of this horse? Secretariat; Affirmed; Sham; Rambling Willie.

I like when a movie stays with me after I’ve seen it: When I recall certain images, or replay specific scenes in my head, or think about the performances of the actors. The Great Gatsby, however, is overstaying its welcome. Since seeing it yesterday afternoon, I’ve been unable to get it out of my mind.

Since the invention of bacterial cleaning supplies, we have become bacteria- killing-mean-machines. We attack bacteria on our hands, in the bathrooms and kitchens, and now there are so many “handy wipes,” we can take our weapons of choice on vacations with us for the bathrooms and various other “people-touching” places. Some grocery stores have even started catering to our phobia by stocking wipes close to the grocery carts so we don’t pick up any nasty little critters while shopping at their establishments.