PAPER TRAILS: Actress Jennifer Garner visits Arkansas; update on newspaper carrier shot during carjacking

GARNER ARDOR: Actress Jennifer Garner has 3.5 million Instagram followers and 1 million Facebook followers.

But Thursday, the Hollywood star played a reverse-psychology game of "Don't Follow Me" with kids at the ARcare Center for Education and Wellness in Augusta in Woodruff County.

"Don't follow me," instructed a walking Garner, who was wearing jeans with her hair in a bun, while laughing kids did exactly the opposite, as seen in the video on her social media pages.

Garner, a mother of four, came to Arkansas in her role as an ambassador for Save the Children. She also visited the state Capitol.

On Facebook, a member of the Arkansas governor's office staff posted a picture with Garner -- who looked more glam in a sleeveless black dress for that appearance -- with this caption followed by a laugh emoji: "She introduced herself, as if I didn't know."

HOWARD EMPOWERED: Some news about newspaper carrier Howard Shelton.

Back in August, Shelton -- who had never missed a day of work in 20 years as an independent contractor for the Democrat-Gazette -- was carjacked and shot on the job. A bullet ricocheted off the pavement, hitting his leg. He also suffered wounds after being dragged about 10 feet along with his vehicle that thieves made off with.

Two months later, he finally has possession of his wrecked car; he's still waiting to find out if it's fixable.

But he's all fixed, the 60-year-old Howard assures me during a recent phone chat: "Physically, I feel good. ... I still have a couple bandages. ... There's no pain involved at all."

Though there might be a twinge of emotional pain. Howard informed subscribers in a letter last Sunday that he is giving up his route.

"Unfortunately it is my mother's wishes that I don't return," he wrote. After all, it was his mother who was on his mind during the August incident: "I thought to myself, 'Howard, your mom just turned 93. She needs you. You can't let yourself get killed out here.'"

Instead, he'll continue to work at his other job, as an inventory control specialist at Park Hill Collection in Little Rock.

And Howard has the assistance of $10,000 that Arkansans generously donated to him via GoFundMe. He says, "I had no idea that I was loved that much ... that I meant so much to people."

And they mean a lot to him too. Which the former paper deliverer expressed in his letter with thoughtful and poetic delivery:

To all my friends I've met face to face and the many others on the other side of the door, a bond was created beyond belief, just by being a paper carrier. ...

Through my ordeal

I was truly blessed from heaven above

But to my regret I must leave you all

That I've respectfully grown to LOVE!!!

Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 10/21/2018

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