With confidence, we can say we truly believe that most everybody in the region is at least somewhat familiar with the health care debate that dominated news coverage throughout all of 2009. Although the Senate passed its health care bill on Christmas Eve, and the house had already passed its version, there is still much work to be done.

There’s no denying that the state of the economy, both nationally and locally, had to be on the forefront of everyone’s mind at some point in 2009. 

The 2008 vote for Arkansas to implement a lottery was seen through to fruition in Sept. 2009 when the first lottery tickets were sold at vendors across the state. The lottery was up and running 95 days earlier than was predicted.

It didn’t take a month into 2009 when something that would affect — and change the landscape of nearly all of northeast Arkansas came falling from the sky... in the form of freezing rain.  The devastating January ice storm, the worst in at least half a century, left virtually everyone in the area without power for days, and in some outlying areas weeks.

2009 saw the pandemic of H1N1, more commonly known as the “swine flu”, stir fear around the globe and send our nations Center for Disease Control scrambling to insure enough vaccines would be manufactured to stave off any major U.S. outbreak.  Typically, short of catastrophic consequences locally, a story about an anticipated virus outbreak wouldn’t constitute a year-end top ten finish.

Businesses and institutions that stand the test of time celebrate milestones.  But when an institution or entity that has the kind of impact on a regional economy that Arkansas State University has celebrates a milestone; more times that not it’s news.

Arkansas State University had a big year in 2009 with its centennial celebration and the opening of the Delta Center for Economic Development.  But another event is of such magnitude that it stands solely on its own; the opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences. The new health sciences facility was dedicated during a special ceremony in September. The grant received for the project was the largest ASU has ever received.

In 2009 the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department celebrated the opening of a long awaited project with the completion of the Highway 67 project.  And when say “long awaited”…we mean it.

The City of Jonesboro had a big year in 2009 with the celebration of its 150th anniversary celebration. Several businesses and organizations took the occasion throughout the year to tie the Sesquicentennial theme into their events, and it all culminated in late September/early October with a week long series of city-sponsored events that included a free outdoor concert in downtown Jonesboro by the band Night Ranger. 

In 2009 Congress passed Act 181 establishing Paul’s Law, prohibiting drivers of motor vehicles from using handheld cellular telephones to engage in text messaging. The new law went into effect in October.