Resident News Network

Greenwood Boys Win Bill Frye Invitational

Ross Fujibayashi

-

1:06 am

Greenwood Boys Win Bill Frye Invitational

It was Greenwood’s first trip to the Bill Frye Invitational, and the Bulldogs took home the hardware with a 58-43 win over the Hackett Hornets.

In Friday and Saturday action against Booneville and Heavener, the ‘Dogs started out fast then let up in the second period, then came out roaring after halftime. “It almost looks like my halftime speeches are unbelievable!” Head Coach B.J. Ross said after the 68-44 victory against Heavener on Saturday night. Senior Forward Jack Scott came out firing on all cylinders, netting 17 points in just the second half.

In the Championship game, Hackett would jump out on the Bulldogs early 8-2 before back-to-back baskets from Senior Grant Karnes and Junior Kane Archer. Archer’s basket coming off a turnaround jumper. At the end of the first period Greenwood led 18-13. Kane Archer had seven points at the end of the period, Grant Karnes with four points, Jack Scott with three points, and Jayden Garnes and Hudson Clark with 2 points.

Physical play filled up the second period of play, the Bulldogs were able to add to their lead outscoring the Hornets 8-3. With .3 seconds left, Sophomore Ty Holt fouled Hackett Senior Draden Best sending Best to the foul line for 3 shots. The Senior went 0-3 at the line as the buzzer sounded for halftime.

The physical style carried over into the second half with Hackett Hornets Hayden Foster and Matthew Rodgers going to the foul line going 3-4. Greenwood went on to score 8 unanswered points from Archer, Karnes, and Garnes. Greenwood’s swarming defense stifled the Hornets to just nine points, while the offense was able to hit another gear by putting up 14 points to put the lead at 40-25.

A nifty play from Kane Archer to Grant Karnes opened the fourth period with an Archer pass to a leaping Karnes for the basket. The Hornet offense would not stop as they rattled off eight unanswered points themselves with baskets from Juniors Kanon Fisher and Matthew Garner. Down 17 at the start of the fourth period, Hackett pulled within nine points trading baskets back and forth with their Sebastian County neighbor Greenwood. Hackett tried to slow the Bulldogs down using the foul line where Greenwood went 4-10 on four consecutive trips. A foul than a technical foul on Hackett had Jayden Garnes attempting four shots on one trip. Despite a run late, Greenwood was able to pull out the win 58-43.

Senior Grant Karnes earned the Tournament MVP for his effort on the night with 14-points and a double-double.

“It’s a big deal for these kids. That’s what I keep getting lost in.” Head Coach B.J. Ross said after the win. “I have got to understand that it is a big deal. Because it’s been a while since they’ve won eight.” While the Bulldogs have seen quite a bit of success on the football field, they have not always translated to the basketball court. This is the fastest the Bulldogs have reached 8 wins since the 2017-2018 season, when Greenwood reached 8 wins by January 2nd, 2018. That season they went 16-13. 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 the Bulldogs had 9 wins and 11 win seasons.

“Great environment, that’s what these kids, that’s what they enjoy.”

Greenwood has one more non-conference game against Cabot on Friday before the conference play starts on January 7th against Van Buren. It will be back-to-back home games for the Bulldogs. The Lady Bulldogs will be facing Bryant on Friday at home as well.

Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Dudes Of The Year Team

Ross Fujibayashi

-

11:26 pm

0

Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Dudes Of The Year Team

This was an incredible year of football in the Resident News Coverage area. New Coaches, new athletes, School, State, and National records broken. Communities separated by district lines coming together. Surprising upsets. So much went on from the last week of August until the first week of December.

Coach of The Year

Midway through the year Mansfield Head Coach Whit Overton, about sealed up this title with a win over Booneville. The Tigers had not defeated the Bearcats in 30+ years. Then four days later, the unthinkable happened. A housefire claimed the lives of three people in the Greenwood community. Senior Wide Receiver Isaiah Arrington, his mother Wendy Medrano, and sister Vivian Medrano. What happened next for the community, the school, and the Greenwood Bulldogs football team is hard to put into words, but I will give it a good effort.

When a tragedy happens, there is always a search for how we get back to normal. For this writer I have seen this occur twice, my junior year we lost a teammate in the middle of two-a-days before the season. The second being 9-11 when I was a volunteer at the school. Sports are always that glue that helps us get put back together when we are broken. And on October 30th, there were a lot of us broken. Rising up and standing at the forefront of it all was Greenwood Head Coach and Athletic Director Chris Young. The night of the tragedy, he rallied the coaches at 2am to plan the next steps, how to help the kids affected. Most certainly a tough situation for anyone to be in. A vote with the Seniors was taken on whether to play that Fridays game against Fort Smith Southside, and the vote was yes. At the prayer vigil the first night, Coach Young spoke about the community wrapping their arms around the team and the families affected. Something he would mention several times throughout the remainder of the season. The gluing had begun.

Support for the Bulldogs came from all over, local schools Hackett, Mansfield, Fort Smith Southside, and Lavaca served a pre-game meal the first Friday. President-elect Donald Trump sent a letter later in the season as well. As the Bulldogs took the field at Jim Rowland Stadium at Fort Smith Southside, it was time to heal just a little more. The opening kick-off was ran back by Arrington’s classmate Grant Karnes and Coach Young was the first one down to grab him up. Touchdown dances ensued, something Coach Young spoke about at the Celebration of Life service for Isaiah, Wendy, and Vivian. “At Siloam Springs, Isaiah makes this catch then this move on the sideline where he’s got the ball in the air and the guy misses. Then he gets the Touchdown and does a dance. I know I was hard on him for not having the ball high and tight, but you know he made the right move. I would give anything to see him do a touchdown dance again.”

The next Friday against Mountain Home for the Conference Championship, Greenwood in a first half downpour won 42-0 on Senior night. The next two games Greenwood outscored their opponents 90-0 to earn their 18th State Title appearance. At War Memorial Stadium the Bulldogs won their 12th State Title in Football defeating Shiloh Christian 61-35. Along the way they broke school, State and National records. Most importantly, Coach Young and his staff let the kids be kids and have fun on Friday night and take the time they needed. The broken hearts and minds may never be fully glued back together, but for six weeks the team and the community tried hard to make it happen. For his leadership at a time when it was needed most, Greenwood Head Football Coach Chris Young is the 2024 Stone Cold Lock of the Week: Dudes Of The Year – Coach of the Year.

The Extras

Near the end of the regular season, there was a curiosity as to what place had cannot miss concession stand food, spirit squads, band. While suggestions were rather light on the latter two, who had the great food, garnered the best response. Band was the Hackett Marching Band. I will throw in Greenwood’s band for their rendition of 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop” which well…. caught me off guard on how good it was. Their train percussion in the 4th quarter is fun. Spirit Squads back to Hackett again, their cheer team finished 3rd in state this past weekend. Greenwood’s Cheer and Dance teams added to the trophy cases with State Championships of their own. Finally, food. Last season the Greenwood Band Concession set the bar with their Crinkle Cut Fries, but did not bring them back this year. But! It got us thinking, what else is out there? Magazine has Outdoor Grilling that received high marks. Mansfield has pulled pork nachos, which on my trip for the first round of the playoffs I forgot to try. There was a shout out for the burgers at Lamar. Nachos made an appearance again in Cedarville for their Apple Nachos. I am intrigued to see what those are. Then Hackett has State Fair Food with their take on Funnel Cakes and Deep-Fried Oreos.

The Team

Offense

QB – Kane Archer – Greenwood

RB – Daniel Burton – Mansfield

RB – Kolton McCubbin – Magazine

OL – Christian Fleming – Greenwood

OL – Cody Taylor – Greenwood

OL – Akira Fujibayashi – Greenwood

OL – Sam Hicks – Booneville

OL – David McKamie – Charleston

WR – Grant Karnes – Greenwood

WR – Champ Davis – Greenwood

WR – Emiliano Gaona – Charleston

ATH – Isaiah Arrington – Greenwood

Defense

DL – Caiden Ore – Mansfield

DL – Eddy Castelo – Greenwood

DL – Dakota Deer – Mansfield

DL – Aiden Fox – Booneville

LB – Cash Archer – Greenwood

LB – Jaxson Brown – Waldron

LB – Maddix Terry – Charleston

LB – Cole Bailey – Waldron

DB – Jayden Carter – Paris

DB – Kaylor Jasna – Greenwood

DB – Andrew Burton – Mansfield

One Dead, Two Injured in Sebastian County Crash

News

-

4:04 pm

0

One Dead, Two Injured in Sebastian County Crash

A fatal crash in Sebastian County on Thursday, December 26, left one dead and two others injured. The accident occurred at 3:10 p.m. on Highway 71 and Palestine Road in Huntington.

According to the Arkansas State Police report, Chloe Walters, 19 of Huntington, was traveling north on Highway 71 in a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. Daran Stovall, 58 of El Paso, was traveling south on Highway 71 in a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500. Walters reportedly lost control and traveled into the southbound lane and was struck by Stovall.

Both Walters and Stovall were transported to Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith. A minor passenger in Walter’s vehicle was pronounced dead.

The Moral and Ethical Thin Line of Need to Know and Entitlement

Featured

Tammy Teague

-

3:52 pm

0

The Moral and Ethical Thin Line of Need to Know and Entitlement

More than once we have had to remove comments on our social media posts that were related to a tragic event. Responses that included names or details of an incident not even yet known to the effected family. So, how much information is needed to know, and how much of it is self-entitlement?

Most of the time we will include a statement asking that responses exclude names, especially in the cases involving minors. I always find it astounding that we have to do this, as to me, that is just a courtesy and respect to those effected. Maybe I have been in this business too long and have witnessed the faces and horrific scream of a parent who has just lost a child.

In any event, we as journalists face a moral and ethical dilemma, differentiating what our readers need to know in that moment and what information should be withheld until such time as appropriate. I have been fortunate to have formulated many trusted relationships throughout the years where information was given that both parties rested in knowing what would be reported would be appropriate and in the appropriate time.

At the same time people, in the day and age of social media, are spoiled to the instant gratification of knowing what’s going on around them. A siren sounds or flashing lights are sure to light up any of our community pages. In truth, I understand that desire for information. That’s why I do what I do. More often than not, it’s a residential medical emergency or an agency assisting another. So, is that really need to know?

I think somehow, we have become so desensitized to life behind a screen that we have forgotten how that what we do, albeit in online, affects other people. Maybe the fact you do not observe their emotional reaction or feel their hurt but trust me the effect is there.

This is where I propose the moral and ethical thin line exists. It is something I feel a strong conviction of. We will always be committed to reporting the news and events that effect you. A driver should be aware of accidents that affects their route. However, that line is crossed the moment information about someone’s mother, father, child, sister or brother becomes public before a coroner is even enroute.

Be respectful, be responsible and remember it could be you one day on the tragic end.

Timepiece: Mail Routes

Featured

Tammy Teague

-

3:24 pm

0

By Dr. Curtis Varnell

The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for the U.S. Postal service and most of that delivery is Christmas cards. Going to the mailbox to pick up the letters, mail orders, newspapers, and catalogs was once a high point of the day. Since the advent of the internet and messaging, fewer and fewer letters arrive in the mail and most of those are bills and unsolicited trash. Most of our children little recognize the joy of receiving a hand-written message from a relative or friend nor how important letters were to connecting us to the outside world.

Even before we became a county, the founding fathers realized the necessity of establishing a means of communication between the various colonies. In 1775, during the meeting of the Second Continental Congress, Benjamin Franklin was elected as postmaster general with the express duty of developing routes to deliver information across what was to become the United States. From the earliest days of our history, mail was to be delivered at a reasonable rate by wagon and horseback to various established mail stations which would serve as a center where locals could pick-up letters. Newspapers, felt to be vital to protecting our democratic system, was delivered as a lesser rate.

Mail routes developed as the country grew westward. Early in our nation’s history, the mail system proved to be primitive, slow, and unpredictable. Roads were often just muddy paths and swollen streams and unpredictable weather often caused delay, yet, living up to their motto, the mail would eventually be delivered. In 1831, Alex de Tocqueville described his experiences while traveling on a mail wagon;

“We traveled through part of the frontier districts of the United States in a sort of open cart called the mail coach. We went at a great pace day and night along roads that had only just been cleared through immense forests of green trees; when the darkness became impenetrable, our driver set fire to branches of larch, by whose light we continued our way. From time to time we came to a hut in the forest; that was the post office. The courier dropped an enormous bundle of letters at the door of this isolated dwelling, and we went galloping on again, leaving each inhabitant of the neighborhood to come and fetch his share of that treasure.”

The first post office in Arkansas was established in 1817 at Davidsonville, just south of modern-day Pocahontas. Mail went back and forth on a regular basis from Monroe. Louisiana through Davidsonville and on to the territorial capital at St. Louis. From there, the mail entered the national route which would deliver it to the east coast and Washington D.C. Adam Ritchey, the first postmaster, had the mail delivered directly to his home and people would come to his home, pick up their mail, and pay the post fee.

As Arkansas grew, additional routes developed. One of the first was along the Old Southwest Trail which ran along the edge of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains and southwest to Texarkana. Searcy, Little Rock, Malvern, and Arkadelphia were some of the major towns along the path. Another major route was the old military road, established in 1836, which ran from Little Rock along the Arkansas River to Fort Gipson, Oklahoma. Later the route was expanded to Memphis and became the southern route followed by the famous Butterfield stage and mail company.

As the population of the state grew, other side routes were developed to service the smaller towns along the way. Virtually every small community had a store or business that served as the post office where locals could pick up their mail. Frederick Morshbach of Magazine Mountain would walk six miles to the Millard post-office and six-miles back up hill several times a week to pick up his mail and his German newspaper. Before television, radio, and telephone, mail was the only communication with the outside world.

Rural Post office direct delivery to the home was first established in Clarksville, AR., 10/19/1896, Russellville03/15/1900, Dardanelle 08/15/1900, Springdale 08/15/1900,Stuttgart 08/15/1900 Newport 10/15/1900, and Fort Smith 10/01/1901. By 1904, rural service was established across the state. Today, there are 577 post offices in the state and countless dedicated employees delivering the mail to every home within the state.

GO-AR Hosts Meet the Legislators Event

Tammy Teague

-

10:02 am

0

By Cassie Coben

If you have never been to our beautiful Capitol building in Little Rock, the perfect opportunity to visit is coming up. On Tuesday, January 14, Gun Owners of Arkansas will be hosting their Meet the Legislators event.

The day will start off at 11am in room 151 in the Capitol. Gun Owners of Arkansas (GO-AR) members will be on hand to answer questions and conduct tours of the Capitol building. There will even be several chances to meet some of Arkansas’ lawmakers.

This is a great educational event for young and old alike, parents are encouraged to bring their children.

Don’t miss out on this amazing day!

State Capitol Week in Review from Senator Terry Rice

News

Tammy Teague

-

10:01 am

0

State Capitol Week in Review from Senator Terry Rice

LITTLE ROCK – The legislature’s list of accomplishments in 2024 was highlighted by a $438 reduction in income taxes for Arkansas families and businesses.

Individual income taxes for about 1.1 million Arkansas taxpayers will go down because the legislature lowered the top rate from 4.4 percent to 3.9 percent.

The legislature also lowered corporate income taxes by changing the top rate from 4.8 percent to 4.3 percent, saving about $66.2 million every fiscal year. An estimated 7,800 corporations will benefit from the tax reduction.

The tax cuts were passed in a June special session.

In addition to lowering income taxes, the legislature also lowered property taxes. For assessment years beginning January 1, 2024, the homestead property tax credit will go up from $425 to $500, saving homeowners $46 million a year. The second full year it is in effect it will save homeowners about $47 million.

The legislature also met in fiscal session in 2024, approving a budget for the current fiscal year of $6.31 billion. That is an increase of only 1.76 percent over the previous year. Arkansas legislators have always been fiscally conservative, and the 2025 budget is one of the most conservative in the state’s history.

During the fiscal session lawmakers passed laws to tighten regulations of data centers and the newly emerging crypto mining industry. The laws protect homeowners from excessive noise near the data centers. Another goal is to ensure that their energy consumption doesn’t cause power failures.

In August more than 3,000 additional families applied for Education Freedom Accounts, bringing the total number of families in the program to about 15,000 this school year. The accounts were created in 2023 to promote greater school choice for families who choose to send their children to private or parochial schools.

In its first year the program funded 5,548 accounts, each providing $6,672 for help with tuition.

The same legislation that created Education Freedom Accounts also raised teacher salaries. Arkansas teacher salaries went up 3.2 percent last year, to an average of $54,309. The LEARNS Act set a minimum salary of $50,000. It will dramatically affect teacher salary figures in coming years.

The Legislature approved rules to implement a provision in the LEARNS Act that helps families pay for literacy tutors for children who have difficulties learning to read. The families of about 20,000 elementary students are eligible for a $500 grant to pay tutors to help their children move up to grade level. The students are in kindergarten through the third grade.

During the current school year the state Education Department began making grants available to Arkansas school districts to help implement cell phone restrictions in the classroom.

The grants can be used to pay for mental health services, via telehealth technology. It also is being used for secure pouches in which students lock away their cell phones during the day. Each pouch costs about $30. Teachers and other school personnel will have special magnets that unlock them.

When the legislature convenes in regular session in January, they likely will consider further restrictions on students’ cell phone use.

Buggy Hill Cemetery Association Meets to Elect New Board

Resident News Network

-

8:05 am

0

On December 21, 2024, the Buggy Hill Cemetery Association board of trustees held their annual meeting.

In the meeting. current members Ricky, and Renea Bryan, and John Byers elected John, and Angela Byers, Brad, and Bonita Byers, and Jason, and Lesli Baggett as the Buggy Hill Cemetery Association Board of Trustees for the incoming year, 2025.

All elected members will serve as purposed to maintain the integrity of Buggy Hill Cemetery grounds through by-laws, rules and regulations all supported through the Arkansas Heritage.

Board unanimously voted to pass the following:

Transfer of management of care (mowing, abandoned flowers, et cetera.) to new board of trustees
Derive, implement and enforce rules and regulations pertaining to the care, management and integrity of the overall well being of Buggy Hill cemetery
Derive, implement and enforce Buggy Hill Cemetery Association by-laws, rules and regulations, et cetera, beginning date of creation
Cemetery rules and regulations will be publicly available as stated on a sign placed on fence, near entrance with contact information.
Local funeral homes will be given copy of by-laws, with contact information as reference

Arrest Reports 12/15

Police Reports

Tammy Teague

-

4:51 pm

0

Arresting agency – Arkansas State Police Troop H:
Billie Lynn Albertson of Hartford was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 21 at 6:46 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with cash bond. Albertson was charged with two counts of Failure to Appear – Class B Misdemeanor.

Alaina Dawn Hernandez of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 18 at 4:48 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with cash bond. Hernandez was charged with Failure to Appear – Class C Felony.

Arresting agency – Hartford Police Department:
Scotty Eugene Escalante of Hartford was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 19 at 7:22 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with cash bond. Escalante was charged with Failure to Appear – Class B Misdemeanor.

Arresting agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Department:
Stephen Austin Hill Lee of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 16 at 8:15 p.m. and released on bond December 17 at 4:27 p.m. Hill was charged with two counts of Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine), and Failure to Appear – Class C Misdemeanor.

Anthony Terrell Maloy of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 18 at 11:04 a.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 18 at 5:40 p.m. Maloy was charged with Petition to Revoke – Felony.

Randy Shane Mathis of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 21 at 8:02 p.m. and remains at the SCADC on cash bond. Mathis was charged with Failure to Appear – Class A Misdemeanor.

Jeffery Thomas Vansandt of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 19 at 9:08 p.m. and released on bond December 20 at 12:49 a.m. Vansandt was charged with three counts of Domestic Battering in the Third Degree – Purposely.

Dusty Alan Waymire of Hartford was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 21 at 7:35 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with legally sufficient bond. Waymire was charged with Domestic Battering in the Third Degree – Purposely.

Arresting agency – Fort Smith Police Department:
Austin Dean Jones of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 16 at 2:08 a.m. and released on bond December 18 at 3:33 p.m. Jones was charged with Possession Of Firearm By Certain Persons Felony, Public Intoxication – Danger to self or others, Possession of Controlled Substance – Schedule I/II Felony <2g, Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms-Firearm, and Petition to Revoke – Felony.

Tation Mitchell of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 16 at 2:09 a.m. and released on bond December 16 at 10:04 a.m. Mitchell was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 1st Offense, and Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test-adult.

Annett Lee Smith of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 19 at 1:55 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with cash bond. Smith was charged with Failure to Appear – Class B Misdemeanor.

Corey Justin Turner of Bonanza was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 15 at 5:18 p.m. and released on cash bond December 15 at 10:11 p.m. Turner was charged with Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine).

Arresting agency – Hackett Police Department:
Edward Hayden Thornburg of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 18 at 12:53 p.m. and released on signature bond December 20 at 3:18 p.m. Thornburg was charged with Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine), and Failure to Appear – Class C Misdemeanor.

Arresting agency – Logan County Sheriff’s Department:
Diamond Weaver, 23 of Paris, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 18 at 6:29 p.m. Weaver was charged with breaking or entering, theft of property, possession of methamphetamine, heroin, or cocaine with the purpose to deliver, possession of a controlled substance, breaking or entering, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Andrew Brewer, 33 of Subiaco, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 20 at 5:45 p.m. Brewer was charged with body attachment and contempt of court.

Steven Goodson, 32 of Paris, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 20 at 10:50 p.m. Goodson was charged with contempt of court, driving while driver’s license cancelled, suspended or revoked, and no insurance.

Billy Catlett, 48 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 21 at 2:17 p.m. Catlett was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and public intoxication – drinking in public.

Arresting agency – Franklin County Sheriff’s Department:
Devon Dority, 24 of Charleston, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 18 at 12:34 p.m. Dority was charged with cruelty to animals, obstructing governmental operations, and failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

John Alvin Vaughan, 48 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 18 at 5:52 p.m. Vaughan was charged with failure to appear.

Jason Ray Johnson, 46 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 19 at 9:46 a.m. Johnson was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Austin Jones, 26 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 19 at 11:19 a.m. Jones was charged with absconding / white warrant.

Kevin Kelley, 47, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 19 at 11:39 a.m. Kelley was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Johnny Aviles, 35 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 20 at 5:09 p.m. Aviles was charged with domestic battering – 3rd degree / purpose of causing injury, causes serious injury, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct.

Amy Cathaleen Pierce, 49 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 20 at 7:11 p.m. Pierce was charged with domestic battering – 3rd degree/purpose of causing injury, causes serious injury, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental operations, battery – 2nd degree / purpose of causing injury, causes serious injury.

Phyllis Jean Romano, 49 of Holiday, FL, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 21 at 9:39 p.m. Romano was charged with driving while intoxicated – DWI 1st drugs, reckless driving, fictitious tags, no proof of liability insurance, resisting arrest – refusal to submit to arrest / active or passive refusal, and possession of drug paraphernalia meth/cocaine.

**The charges against those arrested are allegations and the cases are still pending in the courts.**

Obituary: Anthony “Tony” Lee Widmer (1953-2024)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

-

3:07 pm

0

Obituary: Anthony “Tony” Lee Widmer (1953-2024)

A graveside service will be held for Anthony “Tony” Lee Widmer, age 71, at Arlington Cemetery, in Homer, LA, on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., with Rev. Jerry Gill, officiating. Visitation will be at the graveside from 1-2 p.m., prior to the service.

Tony was born August 14, 1953, in El Dorado, AR, to F. L. “Leroy” and Frances “Doodle” Jones Widmer. He entered into rest on December 18, 2024, in Waldron, AR. Tony was a member and served as a deacon at Ruple Baptist Church for many years. He was an avid lover of animals and always had a dog. Tony was a motorcycle enthusiast and mechanic who would rebuild old Harleys and traveled the United States. He enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. Tony was a kind person who would give anyone in need the shirt off his back.

He is preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his brother, Andy Widmer and wife Julie of Homer, LA; sister, Tea’ Heard and husband Richard of Homer, LA; six nieces and nephews, Leah Walker and husband James, Lori Thurmon and husband Henry, Mitzi Koeppl and husband Chris, Drew Widmer and wife Christie, Kim Stanberry and husband Brady, and Briana Pental and husband Chad; numerous great-nieces and great-nephews, as well as great-great nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends; and his baby dog, B.B.

Tony’s family would like to express their gratitude to Carla Hodson, Pastor Larry Free, Tracy Bradford, the director of Gentiva Hospice and Mercy Hospital along with their staffs for the care and compassion shown him during his final days.

Pallbearers will be nephews and great-nephews, Chad Pental, James Walker, Henry Thurmon, Ethan Harvey, and Jackson Bailey.

In lieu of flowers honoring Tony, his family suggests memorials be made to Samaritans’ Purse or The Gideons.

R

RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK