Ode to an insect. A feature of the recent Conway Symphony Orchestra concert was La Cucaracha, the well-known Mexican song that was Pancho Villa’s anthem about a century ago. Many Americans know the melody but not the lyrics, which can vary. And what does La Cucaracha mean in English? The Cockroach.

Keep a focus. Another public black eye for the University of Central Arkansas was a report about some scholarships being awarded on a who-you-know basis instead of need and academic qualification. This is another area for tightening up at UCA. But awarding scholarships should and will have at least a small degree of the personal decision element.

Geography. Faulkner County high school basketball teams are playing in state tournaments at Fayetteville, Pine Bluff, Marmaduke and Bradley. For teams and fans, road maps are essential. But would you want to return to the old days of all tournaments in Barton Coliseum in Little Rock? Not us. Seeing different places is one appealing factor of these events.

Nearby acclaim? An Internet project has ended in anointing Harding University and its Rhodes Field House the top travel destination in college basketball. Harding came out ahead of Indiana University, ahead of UCLA and Pauley Pavilion. The project was one of those Facebook voting things.

Where is the substance? Headlines about the current Arkansas legislative session continue to be on guns, fetuses and the lottery. Absent is any focus on such things as people who misuse guns, personal choice in abortions and effective use of scholarship money from the lottery. And where is concern over our economy, probably the top issue for most Arkansans?

Just too much. Can’t we have a short reprieve from political candidate speculation? Our example is the Arkansas governor race in the November 2014 election. At this time it is fruit basket turnover. Surely, hopefully, a couple of strong figures will emerge from the current mixture and give us a race with interest and substance.

“Parents can rest assured that the campuses of the Conway Public Schools are a very safe place for their children to be. We have been and continue to be vigilant in making sure that they remain that way.”

— Dr. Greg Murry,

Conway superintendent of schools.