Frank Lockwood
Stories by Frank
CHRISTMAS THE NATURAL (STATE) WAY: LR school’s ornaments hang out in Washington, D.C.
posted: 12/25/2012 5:06 a.m. Discuss
Some gifted young Little Rock artists are sharing handmade holiday ornaments and a brief Arkansas history lesson with the nation’s capital this month.
Electoral College tie possible — what then?
posted: 10/29/2012 1:49 a.m. Comments 3
The 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were nail biters, but statisticians say there’s an outside chance the United States will have an even closer contest this year.
Church to honor expelled minister
posted: 09/15/2012 3:04 a.m. Discuss
A minister who was defrocked long ago for performing same-sex union ceremonies will be honored by a Sherwood church on Friday. Open Door Community Church’s openly gay pastor, Randy McCain, said his congregation will recognize former United Methodist Church minister Jimmy Creech for being one of the leading “straight allies of gay and lesbian people who give love, support and a voice to the misunderstood children of God.”
U.S. debt raises cry economic end is near
posted: 09/08/2012 4:01 a.m. Comments 9
When a nation’s debt gets too big, there are sometimes disastrous consequences.
‘Perfect’ chance for GOP
posted: 08/31/2012 6:01 a.m. Discuss
Arkansas Republicans said Thursday they’ve nominated a presidential candidate who can unseat Barack Obama and unharness the struggling American economy.
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION NOTEBOOK: Others from Arkansas in Tampa: Democrats, buses, blogger
posted: 08/31/2012 5:59 a.m. Discuss
Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation got a pep talk Thursday morning from U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, founder of the Congressional Prayer Caucus and a self-described “recovering attorney.” A member of the Armed Services Committee, Forbes represents a southern Virginia congressional district that is a stone’s throw from Virginia Beach, Va., and includes several military installations.
For Arkansans in Tampa, lots of nice distractions
posted: 08/30/2012 5:27 a.m. Comments 2
Some Americans — particularly delegates — attend presidential nominating conventions because they genuinely enjoy listening to dozens and dozens and dozens of partisan political speeches.
State delegates back Romney
posted: 08/29/2012 5:30 a.m. Comments 3
TAMPA, Fla. — Arkansas Republican delegates unanimously endorsed Mitt Romney Tuesday afternoon, helping the former Massachusetts governor clinch the Republican presidential nomination and take a key step toward the White House.
Arkansas few in GOP delegation: Paul preferred
posted: 08/29/2012 1:13 a.m. Comments 4
They all signed sworn affidavits promising to cast their Republican National Convention ballots for the winner of the Arkansas presidential primary, and they all kept their word Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean they’re all crazy about former Gov. Mitt Romney or plan to vote for him in November.
Party conventions more a pep rally than arm twisting
posted: 08/28/2012 5:07 a.m. Comment 1
When the world — or at least television — was more black and white, Republican and Democratic national conventions used to be sweaty, smoky, slow-paced, suspense-filled summer conclaves, with presidential and vice presidential nominations up for grabs and party platforms unresolved.
Huckabee’s pace brisk as he talks up Romney
posted: 08/28/2012 1:18 a.m. Discuss
His wife stayed in the Florida panhandle weather-proofing the family’s $3 million oceanfront home and his jam session with Lynyrd Skynyrd was rained out — both because of Tropical Storm Isaac.
Arkansans shuffle plans as leaders cancel first day of GOP convention
posted: 08/27/2012 1:47 a.m. Discuss
Arkansas delegates to the Republican National Convention are buying umbrellas and rain ponchos and bracing for the effects of Tropical Storm Isaac.
Mormons tout Romney
posted: 08/26/2012 4:22 a.m. Comment 1
As a Republican-leaning lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jim Griffin, 66, is watching the rise of presidential candidate Mitt Romney with pride and wonder.
Rep. Griffin to speak at GOP convention
posted: 08/21/2012 4:36 a.m. Discuss
An Arkansas congressman will speak on the first day of the Republican National Convention Monday in Tampa, Fla.
State GOP leaders see Ryan as strong choice for ticket
posted: 08/12/2012 3:26 a.m. Discuss
Arkansas Republican leaders said U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan will be a strong vice-presidential nominee and praised their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, for adding Ryan to the ticket.
State’s GOP decides on 21 for convention
posted: 06/24/2012 5:40 a.m. Discuss
The Republican Party of Arkansas elected 21 at large delegates Saturday to attend the 2012 Republican National Convention, all but one of whom had been recommended as delegates or alternates by the campaign of presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Baptists let ‘Southern’ be a choice
posted: 06/21/2012 5:56 a.m. Comment 1
Baptists who like the “Southern Baptist” message but not the “Southern Baptist” name should call themselves “Great Commission Baptists,” the nation’s largest Protestant body decided after vigorous debate.
Black to lead Southern Baptists
posted: 06/20/2012 5:12 a.m. Comments 5
Thousands of Southern Baptists, most of them whites from states of the old Confederacy, chose a black pastor Tuesday for the first time ever to serve as president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
In state, all party delegates Obama’s
posted: 06/17/2012 5:01 a.m. Comment 1
Although he won just 58 percent of the vote in the state Democratic primary, President Barack Obama claimed 100 percent of the delegates chosen at Saturday’s special state convention of the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
When the roll is called ...
posted: 06/16/2012 4:43 a.m. Discuss
The Southern Baptist Convention, Dixie’s predominant religious body for more than 150 years, is expected to make history Tuesday by electing a black Louisiana megachurch minister as its president.
Church surprises priest with Mexico trip
posted: 03/24/2012 4:39 a.m. Discuss
Pope Benedict XVI is headed to Guanajuato, Mexico, this week, and at least one Roman Catholic from Arkansas has traveled there to see the pontiff.
Gospel singer releases patriotic CD
posted: 03/10/2012 3:38 a.m. Discuss
Best-selling Christian recording artist Twila Paris, 53, says the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed state-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in the public schools in 1963, but that Northwest Arkansas didn’t necessarily rush to obey the court’s mandate.
NLR church turns 100, gives $100,000 to schools, charities
posted: 03/05/2012 5:42 a.m. Comments 6
A North Little Rock church celebrated its 100th birthday by giving away $100,000 Sunday to central Arkansas schools and charities. Then it collected $160,000 in offerings to build Assemblies of God churches across communist Vietnam.
Itinerant museum
posted: 03/03/2012 3:24 a.m. Discuss
Wideman’s old Methodist tabernacle closed years ago, its congregation scattered and its sanctuary silent.
Huckabee’s campaigning, in Holy Land
posted: 02/25/2012 3:08 a.m. Discuss
This week, while the 2012 Republican presidential candidates are trudging across Michigan, 2008 GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is enjoying the view from Mount Zion.
Partisanship has U.S. stuck, Huckabee says
posted: 02/16/2012 6:13 a.m. Discuss
Four years after his own long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination, former Gov. Mike Huckabee told the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday evening that there’s too much partisanship and not enough problem solving in American politics.
Catholic bishop calls health plan attack on religion
posted: 02/04/2012 4:07 a.m. Discuss
The state’s top Roman Catholic official is denouncing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for requiring the church’s schools, hospitals, adoption agencies and other charities to begin offering free contraceptive services as part of their health-care plans.
Adjusting vision
posted: 01/21/2012 3:55 a.m. Discuss
Longtime Little Rock eye doctor Bert Miller, 79, has shifted his focus from eye charts to evangelism. On Sunday, as friends and family look on, he’ll bow his head, make his vows and become an ordained minister at the Little Rock Community Church.
Most pastors to hold Christmas services
posted: 12/17/2011 4:20 a.m. Comments 3
This year, Dec. 25 falls on a Sunday, and most Protestant churches will be opening their doors that day to mark the holiday, a survey shows.
Pryor calls on Congress to help Arkansas widow
posted: 11/29/2011 11:46 a.m. Comments 2
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor took to the floor of the U.S. Senate today to argue for congressional relief for the family of a dead Arkansas serviceman. Samson T. Luke, a captain in the Arkansas Army National Guard and a father of four, was undergoing military training at Fort Chaffee the weekend he died in early 2010.
WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: There’s still a campaign for Huckabee daughter
posted: 10/30/2011 5:25 a.m. Discuss
Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ choice for president, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, dropped out of the 2012 contest in August, but Sanders is still at work in key primary and caucus states.
Treasury eases row over aid
posted: 10/22/2011 5:06 a.m. Comments 3
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said he cleared the way early Friday morning for two Treasury Department nominees to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, after the department made “good-faith efforts” to help a couple of Arkansas flood victims who erroneously received about $27,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.
Arkansans: Best it’s over
posted: 10/21/2011 5:19 a.m.
Comment 1
Former dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s death is a victory for the Libyan people and a warning sign for Syrian President Bashar Assad, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark said.
Pryor: No FEMA halt, no confirmations
posted: 10/20/2011 4:30 a.m. Comments 3
Unhappy with penalties the federal government is trying to impose on two Stone County flood victims, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor stood Wednesday on the floor of the Senate and said he would block confirmation of all Treasury Department officials until the dispute is resolved.
Democrat sues over D.C. arrest
posted: 10/19/2011 5:16 a.m. Comments 3
Former Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Jason Willett faces second-degree theft and unlawful entry charges after he allegedly failed to pay a $71.50 bar tab at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill during a 2010 lobbying trip.
Laffer backs Cain’s ‘9-9-9’ tax plan
posted: 10/18/2011 5:30 a.m. Comment 1
A prominent economist and former member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Advisory Board has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s “9-9-9 ” tax plan, saying it will help revive the nation’s economy, encouraging investment, creating jobs and eliminating the need for most tax lawyers and accountants.
Arkansans bus to D.C. for King memorial debut
posted: 10/17/2011 5:53 a.m. Comments 6
When President Barack Obama dedicated the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial Sunday, paying tribute to the slain civil-rights martyr, a busload of Arkansans joined in the celebration.
Cain visit to state comes as star rises
posted: 10/16/2011 6:03 a.m. Comment 1
Herman Cain’s surge from a blip in the presidential primary polls of August to leader of the Republican pack has made him the hottest ticket in the history of the Washington County GOP’s Lincoln Day dinner.
88 veterans of WWII treated to D.C. visit
posted: 10/16/2011 5:59 a.m. Discuss
They crushed the Nazis, liberated Europe and saved the world.
WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: Arkansas redistricting map called good for GOP
posted: 10/16/2011 5:33 a.m. Discuss
Roll Call, a leading Capitol Hill newspaper, says Arkansas was the first state in the nation to wrap up the congressional redistricting process in 2011 — and the new map is good for Republicans. According to Roll Call: “All of the seats will be an uphill climb for Democrats to win.” Arkansas voters didn’t send him to Congress in 2010, but Patrick Kennedy has discovered another route to the nation’s capital.
Senate confirms Hickey as federal judge for state
posted: 10/14/2011 4:46 a.m. Comment 1
The U.S. Senate voted 83-8 Thursday to confirm the nomination of Susan Owens Hickey to serve as a federal district judge for the Western District of Arkansas, despite objections by an Iowa senator that she lacked sufficient experience to merit approval.
Online sales tax focus of new bill
posted: 10/13/2011 3:45 a.m. Comments 2
A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Steve Womack would empower all 50 states to collect sales taxes from Amazon. com Inc. and other major online retailers.
‘Values Voters’ favor Ron Paul
posted: 10/09/2011 3:47 a.m. Discuss
Voters in a leading Christian conservative straw poll overwhelmingly rejected the Republican establishment’s presidential front-runners Saturday, despite receiving personal appeals from former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: USO honors Arkansan as Soldier of the Year
posted: 10/09/2011 3:45 a.m. Discuss
The USO paid tribute to U.S. Army Cpl. David Bixler on Thursday, naming him its Soldier of the Year during its $1,000-a-plate gala fundraiser in downtown Washington.
Darr, Griffin endorse Romney
posted: 10/06/2011 4:45 a.m. Discuss
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr and U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Wednesday, saying the former Massachusetts governor can beat Barack Obama and help America’s economy recover.
Griffin, Darr backing Romney for GOP nomination
updated: 10/05/2011 12:55 p.m. Comments 17
U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin will formally announce later today that he's endorsing Mitt Romney for president.
All are safer, Clinton says
posted: 10/01/2011 4:57 a.m.
Discuss
The death in Yemen of an American-born imamturned-al-Qaida terrorist means “we are all safer,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a Little Rock audience Friday.
WASHINGTON NEWS IN BRIEF: Pryor seeks National Jobs Day
posted: 09/25/2011 5:06 a.m. Comment 1
Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, introduced a Senate resolution calling for Nov. 1, 2011, to be designated National Jobs Day.
Pryor bill adds hurdles for expensive regulations
posted: 09/23/2011 4:28 a.m. Discuss
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor introduced legislation Thursday aimed at making the federal regulatory process “better, cheaper and faster,” and immediately drew fire from critics who said the measure would favor corporations over consumers.
Arkansans in Congress oppose Palestinian bid
posted: 09/22/2011 5:02 a.m. Discuss
President Barack Obama and members of the Arkansas congressional delegation were on the same page this week, vigorously opposing any move by the United Nations to recognize Palestinian statehood.
