more americana...

i got the chance to visit the Little O' Oprey in west fork last weekend and it was a blast. if you are ever bored in northwest arkansas on a saturday night (and who isn't) it's really worth checking out. classic country, gospel, even a little rock and roll. i still have "peace in the valley" roaming around in my head.

the story will run as part of our progress edition in february with an online slideshow. i will post a link when it comes out.

d

Justin's Story

well, the high school football regular season is finished, and so is my story about justin tate, a senior at elkins high school, who has down's syndrome.

my focus on the story was not so much about his disability, but about his impact on the team and the town, as well as the fact that it was his senior season, and he had devoted 12 years of his life to this team as a ball boy, jv player, and finally, a senior captain. he was a great kid to work with, and although the team didn't make the play-offs (a lot of injuries...just about everyone had to ironman) they did finish the season with a win, so justin got to go out with a smile.

d

ps - to see my multimedia presentation about justin go to:

http://showtime.arkansasonline.com/e/media/mm/justin/