PAPER TRAILS: North Little Rock show by Jason Aldean is on track; Little Rock native on 'The Bachelor'

ALDEAN FULL STEAM: Country star Jason Aldean, who sang onstage at the Route 91 Harvest festival when the shooting began in last Sunday's Las Vegas massacre, canceled tour appearances through today.

"Out of respect for the victims, their families and our fans, it is the right thing to do," said the singer, who opted not to perform three California shows last week.

He'll resume touring Thursday in Tulsa, which means he's expected to perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena.

Marketing director Jana DeGeorge said, "We are looking forward to Jason Aldean, his band and his crew returning for their fourth visit to Verizon Arena."

On the subject of security, she said: "We are always finding ways to improve security and feel like we have a great system in place. ... We are not going to disclose any additional things we are doing at this time."

Kristy Parker of Conway, an Aldean fan since before he performed at Toad Suck Daze back in 2006, said she wouldn't miss this show: "I will not live in fear because of crazy people. I am a Christian, and I know God holds my future. I'm excited about the concert and having a good time."

To borrow a bold Aldean anthem title, "She's Country."

BOOK LOOK: Arkansas gets plenty of ink in the new Ripley's Believe It or Not! Shatter Your Senses! book featuring 1,500 true stories.

Included is a Sheridan cyclist who traveled 76,000 miles in a year; the Fort Chaffee barbershop that gave Elvis Presley his first Army buzz cut and performs them yearly on Elvis Haircut Day; and a Bentonville man who created a custom level in Nintendo's Super Mario Maker to propose to his girlfriend by spelling out the message in blocks.

Believe it or not, they're still printing Ripley's Believe It or Not! books.

BACHELOR CAPTURE: Now that Raven Gates of Hoxie -- who starred on both The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise -- has found love on TV (at least for now), it's another Arkansan's turn.

According to dependable Bachelor blogger Reality Steve, Gates' friend and fellow Arkansas State University graduate Tia Booth, a 26-year-old from Little Rock, has been cast to pursue the next bachelor, Arie Luyendyk Jr., the 36-year-old finalist from the 2012 Bachelorette. Season 22 of The Bachelor, which premieres in January, is being filmed now, and photos have been leaked on social media.

Steve wrote, "You're probably gonna be hearing about an ex back home when it comes to (Booth). Not sure ... how serious it was, how long, etc, but just know that people are chirping."

If a romantic relationship doesn't develop between Luyendyk and Booth, perhaps a business relationship can.

He's a race car driver; she's a physical therapist.

Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 10/08/2017

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