My family traditionally spends a lot of time driving here and there during the Christmas Season. And our experience on the highway is that the same season which inspires the best human traits everywhere else seems to bring out the worst behavior behind the wheel, with excessive speeding, dangerous lane-changing and inattention a holiday recipe for disaster. So it's a good time to remember the basics. Obey the laws and don't do anything that will put your passengers or anyone else in danger. Drive friendly. Use your blinkers when turning, changing lanes or entering a highway. Make sure your car or truck is in good mechanical shape and buckle up. And if you drink at all while celebrating over the holidays, please let someone else drive. Finally, a big thanks to all our law enforcement officers for providing the thin blue line out there. If not for their vigilance, the roads would be even more dangerous. If you see those blue lights in your rear view mirror, find a safe place to pull off the road and give them some room to maneuver. And if you come across an officer making a traffic stop, be sure and give them some room as you drive by. Folks, we hate covering traffic accidents on the news. Even one highway death is too many. Make this a joyful and safe holiday season on the highways and get there in one piece. It will surely make this a Better Region 8.
Economic Development
December 15, 2009
August 13, 2007
Indian Mall
It is a shame to drive down the major thoroughfares of some of the cities and towns in Region 8 and see empty storefronts where thriving businesses used to be. In some of our smallest cities, we will never see viable retail storefronts return. If we aren't careful, the same thing could happen in Jonesboro. Now I think anyone would be hard pressed to deny that Jonesboro is the economic capital of Region 8. Businesses are opening every week and the city seems to be somewhat insulated from the economic hardships that have befallen other areas of our country. But there is one area of Jonesboro that has fallen on hard times. Specifically, the corner of Highland and Caraway. Yes I am talking about Indian Mall. For decades, Indian Mall was the biggest retail draw in Region 8. Folks would come from miles around to enjoy the best shopping available. But as the mall aged, we all wished for something bigger and better. The Mall at Turtle Creek was the answer. There is no doubt that Jonesboro now has one of the best shopping venues in the state and even the mid-south. But look at what has happened on Caraway road. The demise of Indian Mall is the first step in the demise of the entire Caraway Road corridor. If we can't reinvent that space, Caraway Road may soon become just like so many main streets in Region 8. Empty storefronts where thriving businesses once stood. Enter into the equation Bruce Burrow. Mr. Burrow has done great things in developing in Jonesboro. He has a plan to revamp the old Indian Mall and restore some retail luster to Caraway Road. However, Mr. Burrow has run into some challenges in the past and he has asked the City of Jonesboro to give him some assurances that they will be as committed as he is to reinventing the area. With some of the problems that have happened in the past, I can't blame him one bit. So I would like to issue a challenge to both the Mayor and the City Council. You must work together and make this happen. Let's not find ourselves in the years to come looking at a faltering retail corridor and still pointing fingers at each other for not making it happen. Your decisions to further this project along will make for a better Jonesboro, and a better Region 8.
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