Accounts of the Accused

Arron Michael Lewis was born in 1981 on a colder than average Tuesday in Ruston, Louisiana. He was the only child of Ivan and Marjorie Lewis, a couple who had been married for less than two years at the time of his birth. They divorced seven years later. In January of this year, Lewis described … Continue reading Accounts of the Accused

Culturally Connected

Adrian Alvarez legally immigrated to the United States in 1982, and although he came here in search of a better life for his family, he came here alone. His wife, Reyna, and two sons remained behind in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. They joined him three years later. It is a story played over and over in … Continue reading Culturally Connected

The Time is Now

Braelond Simmons could have been the perfect statistic. The J.A. Fair High School graduate’s father died 12 days after his sixth birthday. He and his two younger siblings were raised by a single working mother in Little Rock’s John Barrow neighborhood. His family lived in poverty. Their house was burglarized repeatedly. “We saw things, and … Continue reading The Time is Now

Looking Like Spring

The winter of 1947-48 was long and miserable in Northwest Arkansas. It was the season the Razorbacks tied 0-0 with the LSU Tigers in what would later be dubbed the Ice Bowl. Temperatures dropped to 14 below in Gentry, and March brought over a foot of snow instead of spring rains and flowers. By the … Continue reading Looking Like Spring

Dinner for Two

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation, and according to Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow, 53 pilgrims and about 90 Wampanoag Indians took part in the event. The feast lasted three days and was a time of thanksgiving and prayer. And those who attended had a lot to appreciate. The pilgrims landed in … Continue reading Dinner for Two

Celebration of 125 years

There was something magical in the snow that night. It fell straight down and gently. Without so much as a breeze, the white flakes flurried from the late night sky and caught in his mother's lamplight. He sat snuggling in the night air atop his father's shoulders as they walked home across the field. It … Continue reading Celebration of 125 years