LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- You can't have news without winners and losers, and after another busy week, here are our honorees, beginning with a loser because of a bleak future.
Loser: Social Security. Yep, the annual report earlier this week shows social security trust funds will be exhausted in 2033, three years earlier than expected. It's the government's largest single program and neither side of the aisle has offered a plan to fix it. Before we get depressed, lets go to a winner.
Winner: Your friendly neighborhood Caterpillar plant. Earlier this week, the company announced earnings were up 29 percent. And, they plan to invest more in manufacturing. Maybe we'll see some of that here. Lets hope so.
Winner: Administrative Assistants in Morrilton. This was their annual luncheon held on Administrative Assistants Day. It used to be called Secretaries day back in the madmen era. But, this was a fundraiser for Safe Place in Morrilton, which is a haven for women from abusive relationships.
Winner: The state of Maine. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, Maine is the most peaceful state in the union. But, in the process, they made Arkansas a loser. Yep. We're ranked 43rd.
Winner: Pope County. They now have their very own chapter of Habitat for Humanity, complete with a family ready top move into their first home.
And finally big big big winner: Atkins High School. The students voted Tamara Hartwick and Chase Wade as their prom king and queen, in a moment that produced tears of joy, a lasting memory, and smiles on the normally taciturn faces of the THV newsroom.