News - Friday, January 27, 2012

A member of the Rose Law Firm for 62 of its 191 years, many of Phillip Carroll’s days prior to practicing law were more about trying to survive by any means possible during World War II. Carroll, 86, talked to the Daily Record about escaping as a prisoner of war, stealing bicycles in the process – acts that may very well have saved his life.

Little Rock School District v. Lorene Joshua, No. 11-2130 (8th Cir. Dec. 28, 2011).
In Little Rock School District v. Lorene Joshua, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the recent decisions of the district court in the continuing desegregation efforts in the Little Rock metropolitan area; specifically the Court overruled the district court’s denial of the North Little Rock School District’s petition for a declaration of unitary status, affirmed the district court’s denial of the Pulaski County Special School District’s petition for declaration of unitary status, and vacated the district court’s decision to terminate certain funding obligations of the State of Arkansas to the Little Rock-area districts.

ADR, Inc. founder Sid McCollum has announced that attorneys Scotty Shively and Rick Ramsey have joined his firm. “We very pleased to bring Rick Ramsay and Scotty Shively into the organization to help expand our area of expertise and to provide even more services to our clientele. They are both well-respected attorneys and accomplished mediators and arbitrators.”

Stadler v. Warren, 2012 Ark. App. 65, January 18, 2012. This appeal comes from the Johnson County Circuit Court, the Honorable Bill Pearson presiding. Stadler filed a petition for declaratory judgment and injunction against the Warrens to establish the boundary line between the parties’ respective property. Stadler argued that the boundary line was properly reflected by a survey of the property line described in the parties’ deeds, not by a longstanding fence between the two properties. Stadler petitioned for an injunction to enjoin the Warrens from moving, disturbing, or destroying any markers or fences erected by Stadler. The trial court ruled in favor of the Warrens, finding that the fence line had been in existence for over fifty years and that the general understanding in the community was that the fence was the boundary line. The trial court found that the Warrens and their predecessors had satisfied the elements of adverse possession for the statutory time period. Stadler appealed.

I came to the Levison Towers this weekend – not to get work done, but to get dry. I live in an older house, and the plumbing poltergeist seems to plague me. We had the septic system cleaned about a year ago. We’ve had the pipes snaked on numerous occasions. Yet, for reasons that only the house knows (I would say only God knows, but rumor is he was a carpenter, not a plumber), the plumbing acts funny on occasion (funny “peculiar”, not funny “ha-ha”).

What is it in your current life that inspires you? What was it in your past life that inspired you? Are they the same thing? In times of low inspiration, where do you go to become inspired? Was it easier for you to become inspired when you were younger? Is there an age, which once passed, we can no longer be inspired? Is it easier to be inspired in good times or in bad? If you are honest, would you say you were inspired today? What exactly is inspiration?

A 27-minute video which includes information about who can Medicare, how to enroll, Medicare benefits, and programs to help with costs for people with limited incomes is now available in American Sign Language (ASL) via a link on the Arkansas Insurance Department’s Web site. The video is designed to be helpful to a variety of audiences beyond those who use ASL.

In the last two weeks’ columns, I’ve let it be known that I am reading the novels of David Rosenfelt in order. I’ve provided teaser-type blurbs for the first five: “Open and Shut,” “First Degree,” “Bury the Lead,” “Sudden Death,” and “Dead Center.” Since last week’s column, I’ve read no. 6, “Play Dead” (2007), and started “New Tricks (2009).

Psoriasis. For some sufferers, it is irritating, embarrassing, depressing and difficult to deal with. However, it is a very common skin condition, that affects almost 7.5 million Americans in some form. Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It can affect most any age, but onset is usually starts between the ages 15-35. Although it looks as if it is contagious, it isn’t. It is usually a genetic factor passed down in families.

1. I have crossed the Mississippi River and visited the towns of Amana, Grand Junction, Fort Dodge and Dubuque. This state has been referred to as “America’s Heartland.” Where am I? Iowa; Minnesota; Colorado; Nebraska.

2. Interstate 40 begins in this west coast state and ends in this east coast state. Which two states are they? Washington, Georgia; Oregon, Pennsylvania; California, North Carolina; California, Virginia.

Ever heard the old saying - one bad apple spoils the whole barrel? Well, when it comes to your crisper drawer that is not just a saying. It really is true. As example, think of the mess it creates when you accidentally leave a head of lettuce or some sliced tomatoes in the crisper a little too long.

Sunday, I watched as depression set in for a Ravens’ kicker and for a Niners’ kick-returner. So we get a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, the Giants and the Patriots. I will pull for Eli and company, even though they knocked out my Cowboys late in the year. There’s just something about the dark force that is New England, that has never let me root for them.