8th Circuit upholds Oren Paris’ conviction in Ecclesia kickback/bribe case

"The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the conviction of Oren Paris III, former president of Ecclesia College, in the kickback/bribery scheme involving state money funneled by two then-legislators, Micah Neal and Jon Woods.

The decision doesn’t appear to be a hopeful sign for two others convicted in the case  — Randell Shelton and Woods. Shelton was a friend of Woods and “consultant” to the college who was a middleman in the deal that sent state General Improvement Fund money to the college. Some of it was kicked back to the legislators. The court specifically declined the argument Woods and Shelton have pressed over the actions of an FBI agent in wiping his laptop with evidence in the case because, he said, he’d stored some personal information there."
https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/03/31/8th-circuit-upholds-oren-parris-conviction-in-ecclesia-kickback-bribe-case

If Only It Would Rain After the Roses Are Planted

Hosta is loved by Prince Charles, but I grow it anyway. Hummingbirds enjoy sipping from the flowers. My neighbor got me started in growing hordes of them. Slugs eat holes in them in rainy weather.

Our weather reports are consistent - always wrong. Hardly any rain was predicted after the sunny Sunday planting date. However, the rain began and continued, a long slow rain - two inches deep in the wheelbarrow. The greening of older roses was consoling.

Some easy plants are also good for pollinators - bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The same also like nectar, and some plants (like sunflowers) are prolific nectar producers and rich in fragrance.

Hostas do not have the best flowers, but they tolerate shade and attract hummingbirds. They multiply and can be separated to increase their coverage.

Shasta daisies are so reliable and productive that we take them for granted.

Likewise, the humble daisy produces flowers for beneficial insects and grow their roots for easy division and greater numbers of flowers. Many new varieties of Shasta daisies can be found.

Sunflowers are effortless to grow, unless the gardens are overpopulated with squirrels who eat the flowers and bunnies who eat the sprouts.

 Falling in Love is pink and white, fragrant, and extremely thorny. We removed all the English Ivy behind, which was trying to engulf the house and invade the window frames.

The Kindle Version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress Is Available for 99 cents

The Kindle version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.

The print version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.

The free PDF of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.