Arkansas: David Koon

David Koon's story about the West Fork fifth grader, Will Phillips, who had his reasons not to join a Pledge of Allegiance recitation at school and resisted official coercion to do so has continued to circle the globe.

We've received more than 140 comments on a couple of versions of the story, most of them here. Pros far outweigh cons. Publicity on other websites has drawn comments from all over.

Will's mother tells us he'll have some TV time as a result, with interviews scheduled Monday morning on CNN Newsroom and on Keith Olbermann's show on MSNBC Monday night.

Noted reading:

* An extensive obit today in the New York Times on Donald Harington.

Also, root around the Arkansas Times site for things you might have missed:

* Late last night, David Koon posted details on testimony on whether Curtis Vance should receive the death penalty for killing Anne Pressly.

* Historian Michael Dougan pays tribute to heirloom Arkansas apples, particularly the Arkansas Black.

* Bill Clinton laid out his optimistic view of the health care debate in an interview with us yesterday. Speaking of which, Ernest Dumas explains why now is precisely the time to take a bold, even expensive step, and he gives U.S. Rep.

The morning mail is full of tips on interesting Arkansas info. Among them:

* A progressive blog has set up a page to encourage campaign contributions to U.S. Reps. Marion Berry and Vic Snyder for their critical votes in favor of House health legislation.

* A local blogger has written -- unhappily -- that Pulaski Academy won't send its band to a football playoff game in Helena-West Helena.

* David Koon's story about the brave young West Fork student who's declined to join in the daily Pledge of Allegiance exercise at his school, despite coercision from teacher and other students, has gone viral, judging by email from England and an outpouring of comments, pro and con, on the story.

From David Koon: The murder trial of Curtis Vance in the slaying of KATV news anchor Anne Pressly continued this morning with testimony by LRPD crime scene specialist Stuart Bartlett, who showed the jury grisly photographs taken at Pressly's home Oct. 20, 2008, the day of the slaying. Bartlett was one of three in the crime scene search unit that gathered evidence, including prints and hair samples, at the house.

Vance's defense team, on cross examination, asked Bartlett about the method used in gathering fingerprints at the house.

Testimony didn't begin until 10:15 a.m. because one juror had trouble finding a parking place near the courthouse (there's a teacher curriculum meeting going on).

Circuit Judge Chris Piazza admonished the jury to get in earlier "because it's going to take us until Christmas [to hear the case] if we don't get started on time."