Roseanne Cash on NPR

Agenda for September 10, 2009, meeting of the Washington County Quorum Court in Fayetteville, Arkansas

REGULAR MEETING OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY QUORUM COURT

Thursday, September 10, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Washington County Quorum Court Room

A G E N D A


1. CALL TO ORDER. JUDGE EDWARDS

2. PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

3. ROLL CALL.

4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA. At the beginning of each
meeting, the agenda shall be approved. Any JP may
request an item be added to the agenda subject to
approval of the Quorum Court.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. Approval of the minutes of
the August 13 regular meeting of the Quorum Court. (5.1)

6. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PAUL DOUGAN TO
SOLEMNIZE THE MARRIAGE OF DEREK DOUGAN
AND SUZANNE BAKER ON DECEMBER 19, 2009,
IN FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS. (6.1) JACK NORTON

7. FINANCE REPORT. (7.1) STEVE ZEGA

8. COUNTY JUDGE’S REPORT. JUDGE EDWARDS

9. COMMITTEE REPORTS.

10. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING WASHINGTON COUNTY
CODE 11-196 AND 11-198 CONCERNING EXPANSION
OF NONCONFORMING USES. This ordinance is on
2nd first reading. (10.1-10.3) CANDY CLARK

11. A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT AN ALTERNATIVES
ANALYSIS STUDY TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY
OF A LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM IN NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS. This resolution is being brought to the
Quorum Court by JP Gary Carnahan. (11.1-11.3) GARY CARNAHAN

12. OTHER BUSINESS.

13. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS. Fifteen-minute comment period
with a three-minute limit for each individual to comment on
items on the agenda or other items.

14. ADJOURNMENT.

Bad news for fans of excellence in reporting; end of competition could mean no chance of thorough coverage of news

UPDATED: Democrat-Gazette, Stephens Media Plan Joint Venture in Northwest Arkansas

By Lance Turner - 9/3/2009 11:05:54 AM

After suffering "significant financial losses during the current economic recession," the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Stephens Media plan a joint venture in northwest Arkansas,
the news organizations announced Thursday.
The joint venture would move forward if Stephens can't find a buyer for its flagship
newspaper, The Morning News. But Democrat-Gazette Publisher Walter Hussman says he doesn't
believe a buyer will be found.
"If someone comes along and buys it, then we’ll continue to compete with The Morning News
and this merger won’t be consummated," Hussman, CEO of Wehco Media Inc., which owns the
Democrat-Gazette, said in his newspaper's coverage of the deal. "We suspect that won’t
happen."
Both companies have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to evaluate the deal. The Justice
Department had requested that Stephens put The Morning News up for sale, the companies said.
In absence of a sale, the two firms plan to establish a joint venture, called
NorthwestArkansas Newspapers LLC, according to a news release available on Stephens'
ArkansasNews.com. The organization will be "equally owned by the parties."
"The parties will contribute the assets of their Northwest Arkansas daily newspapers
(Benton County Daily Record, the Morning News, Rogers and Springdale, the Northwest
Arkansas Times, and the Northwest Edition of the Democrat-Gazette) and weekly newspapers,
real property, plants, and equipment to the new LLC. Stephens Media will be responsible
for editorial control of the local newspapers in northwest Arkansas. Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette Inc. will control advertising, business, production and circulation
functions of the new LLC, and will be in charge of the editorial functions of the
Northwest Arkansas Edition of the Democrat-Gazette."
Jeff Jeffus, publisher for the Democrat-Gazette's northwest Arkansas operations, will be
president of the new LLC, the companies said.
In announcing the deal to employees in northwest Arkansas on Thursday, Hussman said
newspaper jobs would be cut.
If the deal goes through, it would end more than 20 years of competition in the region
between two of the state's biggest media companies and wealthiest Arkansans, Hussman and
financier Warren Stephens, who owns Stephens Media.
In northwest Arkansas, the Democrat-Gazette owns the Northwest Arkansas Times and the
Benton County Daily Record. It also publishes a zoned edition of the Democrat-Gazette for
12 counties in the region.
Stephens Media owns The Morning News and several other newspapers in the region. It also
owns several papers in central Arkansas, including the Times of North Little Rock, the
Cabot Star-Herald, Carlisle Independent, Lonoke Democrat and Sherwood Voice and the
Jacksonville Patriot.
ArkansasBusiness.com will update this story.