Be it resolved

It’s a couple of weeks late, admittedly, for a column outlining my New Year’s resolutions, but I’ve been busy and this list says nothing about getting things done in a timely manner.

In that spirit, then, here are some things I’d like to do in 2026. Some are serious, some not so much. I’ll leave it up to you to guess which is which.

First on my list is to try to spend more quality time with my family: my sons, Ronnie and Ryan; their wives, Christi and Harlie; and my grandsons, Hayden and Liam. We’re spread out from Siloam Springs to Berryville to North Little Rock, which can make it difficult to get together, but it’s always more than worth the effort.

Next up, I’m past due for a visit to Wrigley Field. If you know anything about me, you know I live and breathe Chicago Cubs baseball. The past couple of years, I’ve watched the Cubs play on the road in my quest to visit every major league stadium, but there’s nothing like a day at Wrigley. I’ll be back there this summer, as soon as the calendar reaches a point where I can reasonably hope for good weather.

Third, I want to see the Cubs win another World Series this fall. I believe the Cubs can be a legitimate contender in 2026, unless of course the Dodgers decide to just skip the formalities and pay for the trophy outright. It’s past time for a salary cap in baseball.

Next, I resolve to keep producing quality newspapers for the people of Carroll County. That requires a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love. I’m proud of both the Carroll County News and the Eureka Springs Times-Echo — which, by the way, is now the only weekly newspaper focused on covering Eureka Springs — and I don’t take either for granted. Thanks to all who’ve supported us in any small way, or any big one for that matter. Call me about advertising!

Another resolution is to get my lazy self into the Berryville Community Center and take advantage of the growing list of amenities it has to offer. If you’ve never lived anywhere else (and really, why would you?), you might not realize what an asset the community center is. But take my word for it, there are cities across the state that would love to have that kind of facility to serve their communities. The same goes for the Eureka Springs Community Center.

I hereby resolve not to climb Mount Everest this year. This is a perennial on my list and it’s one resolution I’ve managed to keep every year, despite that close call back in 2017.

I resolve to vote in the Republican primary, if for no other purpose than to vote against any candidate who engages in ridiculous and hyperbolic mudslinging against an opponent, all the while claiming to have no knowledge of it. I’ve never met a “farmer” so concerned with keeping his hands clean.

I resolve to keep asking hard questions and keep printing stories that other folks might prefer be kept quiet. My job is to keep our community informed about what’s happening, and that’s what I intend to do. This one should probably be higher on the list.

••• Scott Loftis is editor and publisher of the Carroll County News. His email address is SLoftis@Carroll-CoNews.com.