Oct. 26, 2009 (Arkansas Times) --

Well, daily newspaper competition is dead in NW Ark. But new media has already been helping to fill the void.

Thanks to The Iconoclast for pointing me to the work of a crusading website, foipringdale.com, which specializes in spreading public documents on the public record. Featured currently is how the Springdale Chamber of Commerce spent $177,000 in city taxpayer money provided for, cough, economic development. Get a load of some of the deluxe travel of the folks from Chickenopolis.

Perry and Rebecca Webb appear to rank high among couples doing the most traveling on Chamber funds. They had important Chickendale Cowbird business that included a $1,700 bill at the Adolphus Hotel, the Ski Train in Colorado, and numerous trips to Florida. Brian and Melonie Moore hauled in an $8,600 trip to Polynesia for something that Perry Webb approved.

Randall and Sandra Mulliken appear to be the King and Queen of Cowbird Travel Couples. They got a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, one to Oyster Bay for $3,600, and Joshua, Justin, and Kelsey Mulliken went with them on another junket. Randall got over $4,000 expenses covered for himself and an undisclosed companion to Kona, Hawaii, more than $3,350 for a Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) cruise to Barcelona, Spain, and about $3,600 for something in Amsterdam.

There is not much there about what, if anything, Perry Webb and his Merry Band of Babbitts and Bandits have done to create new jobs or save existing ones in Springdale. That's supposedly why the City pays the Chamber $177,000 a year for economic development. You would think it would mean jobs for someone other than travel agents.