Dennis Byrd: Some big stories in 1999 and 2000

Dennis Byrd

With ho, ho, ho's already fading from memory and a new millennium (or the last year of the current one, depending on your perspective) on the horizon, some major stories promise to make the jump into 2000.

This is not an attempt to rank any stories -- The Associated Press handles that -- but a look at some stories that have created a lot of interest this year, and could create even more in the next one.

The so-called Y2K bug and the fears -- both real and imagined -- surrounding it dominated 1999 news. Potential computer glitches and whether they were "fixed" in 1999 remain a mystery.

For many who stay at home on New Year's Eve, the answer will come when they awaken the next morning, flip the light switch, plug in the coffee pot, turn on the water faucet, make sure the newspaper is in the driveway, then rush to check their bank balance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dennis A. Byrd is chief of the Little Rock News Bureau for Donrey Media Group. His e-mail address is dbyrd@donreynews.com; his telephone number is 501-374-0699.

If all turns out well, the next step will be to fire up the home computer and make sure all files are still there. If the phone hasn't rung yet, it will mean either it doesn't work or nobody wants to talk to you. Check the dial tone.

For some people, next on the agenda will be to make sure everything is working at the office or job site. In some cases (state government, for example) that was checked at midnight as calendars turned over to the dreaded two zeroes at the end of 2000.

Finally, Arkansans will want to make sure the television signal for the station carrying that morning's Cotton Bowl is functioning.

Hopefully, that is where the Y2K story will end.

And, where the Razorback victory over the Longhorns will begin.

Woo Pigs, Sooie!

Stadium flap

And, speaking of the Razorbacks, the story that many Arkansans will consider the most important in years culminates with the Jan. 28 vote of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees. The board will decide whether to move one of three football games from Little Rock to Fayetteville.

Consultant Chuck Neinas was in Little Rock last week telling all who would listen why it makes good sense to play five games in Fayetteville and two in Little Rock.

Neinas may have heard some other definitions of "good sense" during his visit, however. For example, he may have heard that some lawmakers believe it would make good sense to mandate that one of those two Little Rock games pit Arkansas against Arkansas State.

That's a scenario that UA Athletic Director Frank Broyles has vehemently opposed for years; such a mandate eventually could split the support of fans.

There's another issue of power: Will board members side with Broyles (and his old friend, Neinas) or with the governor, who appoints (and reappoints) the board?

Governor

Gov. Mike Huckabee had a good 1999, politically speaking, but faces a couple of major hurdles in 2000. His biggest victory was the "let's work together" attitude both Huckabee and legislative leaders displayed during the session.

A lawsuit over questionable expenditures of the Governors Mansion Fund could cause further embarrassment for the governor next year, although he likely won't suffer much, if any, politically. Feigning ignorance of the need to provide documentation of how the $5,000 per month was to be spent played well in 1999, but may not fare as positively from a legal standpoint.

To his credit, Huckabee instituted new rules for use of the account, including documentation, which he says goes above and beyond the law.

The other potential problem area for the governor in 2000 is the state Ethics Commission, which he openly criticizes at every opportunity. The commission likely will issue a ruling on gift limits next year.

Huckabee comes down on the side of disclosure, rather than limits. He has been the recipient of some well-documented gifts since becoming governor. The governor says the key is that they are well-documented.

After a rocky 2000 between the commission and the governor, look for legislation in 2001 considerably limiting the commission's responsibility. The success of such legislation may depend on who sponsors it.

Corruption

The biggest political story in Arkansas in 1999, at least from this vantage point, was the indictment of state Sen. Nick Wilson and others on charges of government corruption.

Wilson and a former law partner were convicted of fraud and conspiracy, but the big trial is still on for 2000.

Unless a deal is struck, which isn't out of the question, Wilson, some past associates and former lawmakers will stand trial on a 133-count federal indictment, beginning Feb. 28. Wilson personally is named in 129 counts.

If it goes to trial, it may well be the biggest political story again in 2000, even considering it's an election year.