Resident News Network

Clarksville fruit station to host March 6 pruning workshop for fruit, pecan growers

-

12:17 pm

Clarksville fruit station to host March 6 pruning workshop for fruit, pecan growers

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

The art of pruning — knowing what and how to cut — is a key component to growing healthy, productive fruits, nuts and berries.

Horticulture experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will be demonstrating proper pruning techniques on March 6 during a half-day workshop at the Fruit Research Station, 1749 State Highway 818, near Clarksville. The workshop runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $20 and registration deadline is March 1.

For more info contact Meredith Crawford at mcrawford@uada.edu or (479) 754-2406. Participants may register online.

“Nutrients and protection from pests are only part of the equation for growing healthy and productive specialty crops,” said Jackie Lee, resident director of the Fruit Research Station, part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “Our hands-on workshop is for fruit and pecan growers who want to sharpen their pruning skills for better plant growth and yields.”

The workshop will demonstrate pruning techniques for peaches, blackberries, muscadines/grapes, blueberries and pecans.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact (479) 754-2406 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

Benefits of Fixed-Income Investments

Business

Tammy Teague

-

12:05 pm

0

When many people think about investing, the first thing that comes to mind is the stock market. And that’s not surprising, as the rise and fall of stock prices is constantly in the news. But if you’re going to achieve your financial goals, you may well need to look beyond stocks and include fixed-income investments in your portfolio.

Fixed-income investments offer three important benefits:

• Income – When you invest in fixed-income vehicles, such as bonds, Treasury securities and certificates of deposit (CDs), you receive regular income in the form of interest payments. And you continue to receive this income until your investment matures or you sell it, no matter what’s happening in the financial markets. Of course, the income you can receive fromfixed-income investments will always depend on the interest rates at which these investments were issued. But if you own a mix of long-term and short-term fixed-income investments, you can gain some protection against fluctuating rates. When market rates are low, you can get greater income from yourlonger-term bonds, which typically — although not always —pay higher rates. And when market rates rise, you can benefitby reinvesting the proceeds from your shorter-term bonds.

• Diversification – If you were only to own stocks, or stock-based mutual funds, your portfolio would be susceptible tohigher risks, especially with market downturns. But you may be able to reduce the impact of market volatility by adding fixed-income investments to your holdings. Bond prices often move in a different direction from stocks, so if stock prices are falling, you might find that the value of your bonds is rising. You can also diversify within the fixed-income portion of your portfolio by owning a mix of corporate and Treasury bonds, as well as CDs,just to name a few.

• Stability – As mentioned, you will always receive interest payments from your bonds if you hold them until maturity. But if you wanted to sell your bonds before they mature, you could get more, or less, than what you originally paid for them. When market interest rates rise, the price of your current bonds will likely fall, as no one will pay you the full price for them when they get newer ones that pay more — this is what’s known as interest-rate risk. Conversely, when market rates fall, the prices of your current bonds will probably rise. But here’s the key point to remember: Bond prices generally don’t fluctuate as much asstock prices. In other words, bonds are typically less volatile than stocks. Consequently, owning bonds can add diversification to your portfolio. And to maximize the stabilizing effects of bonds, you may want to stick with high-quality bonds rated as “investment grade” by independent bond-rating agencies.

How much of your portfolio should consist of fixed-incomeinvestments? There’s no one right answer for everyone. And over time, your interest in these types of investments may well change — for example, as you near retirement, you may want to consider shifting some of your growth-oriented investments into income-producing ones, though you’ll still need some growth potential to keep up with inflation. In any case, the combination of income, diversification and stability provided by bonds and similar securities should be compelling enough for you to find a place for them in your investment mix.

This article is provided by Jeffrey O’Neal, Financial Advisor

Edward Jones

20 N Express St, Paris, AR 72855

479-963-1321

jeffrey.o’neal@edwardjones.com

edwardjones.com/jeffrey-o’neal

Edward Jones, Member SIPC

National survey sheds new light on outdoor participation

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

-

6:43 pm

0

National survey sheds new light on outdoor participation

By Jeff Williams

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has followed trends in the outdoors since 1955 by conducting the National Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Survey about every five years. It’s a massive, continuous effort.

Public conservation and wildlife agencies across the U.S. – including the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission – and commercial enterprises rely on the survey to reveal peaks and valleys in the numbers of hunters, anglers and others who participate in outdoor-related endeavors. The latest version, the 2022 edition, marks a departure from methods used in the past.

“Though the intent of the survey remains the same, because of changes in the sampling design and how questions were asked, the USFWS is adamant that we not compare the results from the 2022 survey to previous iterations,” Jessica Feltz, an AGFC conservation social scientist, said. “The 2022 survey is now serving as the new baseline for estimates of outdoor recreation in the United States.”

The survey is paid for by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Multistate Conservation Grant Program.

“Starting with the 1985 survey, individual state-level reports became available,” Feltz said. “On top of the national survey, every state automatically got results of a subsample from those who took the survey from their state.”

These state reports were no longer automatic with the 2022 survey, although Arkansas was one of 15 states that opted for a state-specific report. Fighting the urge to make comparisons with previous surveys isn’t easy, although changes in the way the latest survey was conducted make a clear case that such comparisons would not be valid.

According to the latest survey, about 15 percent of Americans 16 and older fished an average of 20 days during 2022. Sixty-seven percent of them were male, seventy-five percent were White and 36 percent were in the 25-44 age group.

“The average expenditure per angler in 2022 was about $2,500,” Feltz said. “This could have been trip expenditures, equipment, license fees or other expenses.” Feltz pointed out that among ethnic groups, Asian-Americans had the highest rate of fishing participation at 20 percent.

In Arkansas, 516,000 people 16 and older fished, or about 28 percent of residents 16-34. Thirty percent of men and 15 percent of women in Arkansas fished; they spent $3.8 billion in 2022. Hispanics led all ethnicities in participation rate at 28 percent. About 391,000 people came to Arkansas to go fishing.

About 5.5 percent of Americans hunted in 2022, and 80 percent of those pursued big game such as elk, deer, bear or wild turkey. They averaged 12 days hunting big game and eight days chasing migratory birds, and spent an average of $857 on hunting-related costs. Seventy-seven percent of hunters were male and 35 percent were 55 or older. About 270,000 Arkansans hunted, or 19 percent of residents 16-34. Eighteen percent of men and 6 percent of women hunted; they spent about $1.7 billion. About 127,000 people came from other states to pursue game in Arkansas.

The survey defined wildlife watching as “closely observing, feeding or photographing wildlife, visiting public spaces to view wildlife, and maintaining plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of wildlife.” Trips were captured as either being done around the home or greater than one mile away from the home.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans fit the definition. Birding was the most popular activity among wildlife watchers; birders averaged 78 days in 2022, and 44 percent of them traveled to observe birds. Each wildlife watcher spent an average of $2,188.

Sixty-four percent (1.5 million) of Arkansans 16 and older were wildlife watchers, including 69 percent of men and 60 percent of women. About 1.2 million people came to see wildlife in Arkansas. Wildlife watchers in the state spent $7.1 billion during the year. Sport-shooting statistics were included in the survey for the first time, revealing that 47 million Americans participated in target shooting in 2021 (579,000 Arkansans). Nineteen million people participated in target archery (248,000 Arkansans) and 48 million (499,000 Arkansans) took part in motorized pleasure boating (not fishing). These figures are just a glimpse of the statistics captured within the revamped national and state surveys, which will stand up to comparison in the future.

Visit the USFWS survey site to learn more about the results of the survey on a national level.

Catholic School Week in Logan County

News

Tammy Teague

-

7:33 pm

0

By Dr. Curtis Varnell

Paris Saint Joseph’s Catholic school celebrated the National Catholic Schools week on Jan. 28^th to Feb. 4^th. The school organized a week of special events to celebrate the role and importance of Catholic education to the community. The week began with a proclamation by Mayor Daniel Rogers followed by a special science program presented by the Doctor of Science; Curtis Varnell, science specialist at the Guy Fenter Education Service Coop. All students dressed up in sports jerseys for the ‘Souper Bowl” canned soup drive to benefit the community Outreach of Logan County. On Tuesday, it was teacher dress day with students dressing as teachers for a day. During the day, the living Rosary was presented in the church hall and the kids enjoyed a day of fun with a movie and a trip to Daddio’s arcade with games, pizza and snacks.

The Kinders music group, presented a 45-minute concert on Wednesday. Supported, in part, by the Arkansas Art Council, the group were a big hit with the students.

Other events were conducted throughout the week with special mass services, singing, guest speakers from the community, and a grandparents visit.

St. Joseph’s school and church has been a big part of the community for more than 100 years. The first St. Joseph’s was built at the present site in 1881. It consisted of a white frame building with an “onion” steeple with no bells. Bells were later added when a platform was built on the west side of the church and daily tolling of the hours became a part of downtown Paris.

A four room house and a one room school eventually were added south of the main building. Over the years, the facilities have been improved and expanded to include the present day campus. The church is now a large beautiful building, a bell tower, and an expansive chapel and organ. The school is located directly behind the church and consist of several classrooms, a basement cafeteria, and a new two room building that houses pre-school and kindergarten. School days began daily with a visit to the church followed by every student meeting at the flagpole for the pledge. The goal has always been a quality education in a Christian environment and St. Joseph’s has, and continues, to provide this for the students of North Logan County.

Lions to continue home slate against UT Tyler, DBU

Sports

Tammy Teague

-

7:22 pm

0

Lions to continue home slate against UT Tyler, DBU

FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men’s Basketball continues its stretch of four straight home games this week by hosting UT Tyler and No. 5 Dallas Baptist at Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lions will host UT Tyler at 7:30 p.m. Thursdayand then No. 5 DBU Saturday at 3 p.m.

Both games will be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network and broadcast on Fox Sports Radio 103.5. Live stats will be available at uafortsmithlions.com.

NOTES:

LAST WEEK: The Lions came up short at home in defeats to Midwestern State and Cameron.

RECORD WATCH: Guard Payton Brown ranks sixth with 1,095 points and fifth with 152 career made threes. Guard Cameron Bush ranks ninth with 172 assists and sixth with 87 steals.

SEASON BESTS: Guards Kobe Campbell and Tyler Frederick each tallied season bests in points against Cameron with 19 and 15 points, respectively.

THE LAST TIME: The last time UAFS faced DBU as a ranked opponent at the Stubblefield Center, the Lions defeated the Patriots, 72-70, in February 2021.

SCOUTING UTT: The Patriots have lost six in a row and are 2-16, 1-11 LSC. UT Tyler is currently winless on the road this season at 0-7. The Patriots are last in the league in scoring at 66.3 points per game, with only guard Bryce Roberts averaging double figures at 12.9 points per game.

SCOUTING DBU: The Patriots had their eight-game win streak snapped last week before bouncing back to enter this week 16-2, 10-2 LSC and are No. 5 in the NABC Top 25. DBU leads the LSC in scoring at 91.1 points per game and is second with a 49.8 percent shooting percentage. Guard Cameron Kahn is second in the LSC averaging 20.6 points per contest.

THE SERIES: UAFS is 5-3 all-time versus UT Tyler and 14-16 against Dallas Baptist.

Raptors offer exciting winter wildlife-watching opportunities

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

-

6:51 pm

0

Raptors offer exciting winter wildlife-watching opportunities

By Kirsten Bartlow

Waterfowl dominate a person’s view on any drive through the Delta in winter – blanketing an agricultural field, bobbing in shallow water or traveling high in the sky in formation. But sharp eyes may also spot two other migratory birds taking advantage of Arkansas’s open country.

The northern harrier and the short-eared owl arrive in Arkansas during fall and depart each spring. While one is a hawk and the other an owl, they are sometimes mistaken for one another. Both birds regularly hunt the same areas and fly close to the ground in pursuit of prey. While in their breeding territory in the northern U.S. and Canada, both also nest on the ground.

Northern harrier adult male. Photo by Jerry Liguori, Macaulay Library.

Distinct even from a distance, northern harriers hunt from the wing and fly stealth missions low over grasslands and fields. With long wings and long tails, males are grayish above with black wingtips while females are brown above and pale below with brown streaking. Both sexes sport a white patch on their rump – an obvious field mark while in flight. Watch for outstretched wings held in a V-shape, similar to a turkey vulture, as they teeter side to side in flight.

An up-close look reveals an owlish face with stiff feathers to funnel sounds to their ears. Unlike other hawks, northern harriers use their sense of hearing along with sight to capture prey, small mammals and birds like cotton rats, house mice, harvest mice, rice rats, shrews, meadowlarks, cardinals, blackbirds and sparrows. They also are capable of taking bigger prey like rabbits and ducks.

Watch for these graceful raptors in eastern Arkansas, along the Arkansas River Valley and bit less regularly in the western Ozarks.

Short-eared owl. Photo by Tim Lenz, Macaulay Library.

Short-eared owls, unlike most owls in The Natural State, regularly hunt in the middle of the day. And unlike other Arkansas owls, they roost on the ground as well as on fence posts and low brush. They are most common in the open croplands and fields of Arkansas’s Grand Prairie. They’re often spotted along with large flocks of blackbirds that congregate in these areas.

When vole populations erupt in an area, short-eared owls arrive on the scene to dine upon the plump, little rodent. Their dissected owl pellets also often show the bones of grackles, red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks and starlings.

Look for short-eared owls flying over fields in search of prey. While sometimes confused with the northern harrier, they have a different flight pattern – a bit like a large, tipsy moth. They are slightly smaller than a crow and are a streaked, tawny-brown color. Watch for light spots on their upper wing and dark spots at the bend of the wing on the underside.

Timepiece: Mail and Postcards

Featured

Tammy Teague

-

1:02 am

0

By Dr. Curtis Varnell

Going to the mailbox was once a much anticipated event. Living in a rural area, the postman would arrive in the early afternoon and stuff the mailbox with advertisements, newspaper, letters and postcards. Letters and postcards were our ties to our relatives and friends that did not live in the immediate community. The pages of flowing cursive described the lives of those we loved; things as important as marriages and deaths or as mundane as going to visit Aunt Clara at her home on Sunday.

Special events and vacations required pictorial postcards. Traveling to California, we purchased cards depicting the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, and even the tepee constructed motel we stayed in overnight. Many small town photographers would even take your photo in front of a local historical site and construct you a special pictorial card on site. Letters, cards, and newspapers were the way of keeping in touch with the world and what was happening outside one’s small community.

The written word has always been of prime importance to our country and democracy itself. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775 and Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first Postmaster General. George Washington and other founders felt communication between people and colonies was a necessity for the maintenance of democracy and the unification of the country. Postal routes were established with mailmen making regular delivery to central locations called post offices. These offices were located along rivers or existing primary roads. People from surrounding areas would them come to these offices and receive their mail.

Even before Arkansas became a state, mail was delivered by steamboat along the White, Ouachita, and Arkansas River. Land routes existed on the old Southwest Trail and the Military roads with stops at Batesville, Texarkana, Little Rock, Conway, Fort Smith and smaller towns in between. As the state grew, smaller “postal” roads were built to connect outlying areas and “offices” were established in areas where people congregated. The job of area postmaster became a preferred government position and many appointments were handed out as political favors.

For generations, people preserved those old letters and cards. Stacked into small collections separated by rubber bands, they were stored in cardboard boxes or old cedar chests; a treasure trove of information about the past. Many of the old letters are just items that allow you to connect with your ancestors but some have much greater value. Letters from our country founders provide the basis for much of our history. They describe the foundations of democracy, establish our bill of rights, and tell us of the struggle to maintain the integrity of our country. Where would we be without the letters between Jefferson and Washington, notes from Lincoln and his cabinet, or Martin L. Kings letters from the Birmingham jail? Letters allow us to delve into private conversations, thoughts, and relationships.

I recently received a trove of letters from the Civil War. I now know what it was like for the wife left behind while the husband was away. The terrible loneliness, the despair of trying to care and feed your children, and the terror created by the bushwhackers. Another, more recent letter from Vietnam expressed the fear of dying and concluded with, “what if they gave a war, and nobody came.” Poignant words from a poignant time!

After a week of snow, my mailbox is completely empty. Messages from my family by phone or email may inconvenience a lot of electrons but there is little or no evidence of their occurrence. Post-offices are closing, there is even talk of moving our mail distribution from Fayetteville to a larger city. Just not enough volume to warrant the expense. Today, we are overwhelmed with the spew of information from mass media, virtually all of which involves the movers and shakers of the world. Without the written word, we are losing the thoughts, hopes, desires of the common people who make up our world.

Timepiece: Arkansas Food Riots

Featured

Tammy Teague

-

12:59 am

0

By Dr. Curtis Varnell

The date was January 3, 1931 and times were hard across the South. Months after the stock market collapsed, drought hit the mid-west. Dust clouds blew the plowed soil into the air creating billows of dark grit in the sky. Thousands of people packed up and moved from the parched lands of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. Those remaining faced hard times as the crops that they relied on for food and income produced such meager fare that there was nothing to eat and no money to buy more.

England, Arkansas, a small town located just east of the state capitol in Lonoke County, was destitute. The cotton crop they depended on had failed, the bank they borrowed money from had collapsed, and the aid they were receiving from the Red Cross was cut-off due to not having the correct paperwork.

H.C. Coney, a local farmer, described the situation. “We all gotpretty low on food out there, and some was a starving. A woman came over to me crying. Her kids had not eat in two-dayand wanted to know what we were going to do.” Coney said he got in his truck, picked up neighbors, and began the short trip into town. More men joined as they approached town, some with weapons. Most of the men were known as hard-working farmers, blue-collar men who were desperate to feed their families. The local Red Cross, said to already be feeding over 100,000 starving Arkansan’s had no food to give and lacked the needed paperwork for the men to apply for help from the food bank in St. Louis.

The New York Times reported that 500 or more men, half of whom were armed, stormed the business section of town and demanded food or threatened to take it by force. Having little choice, local merchants opened the doors to their business and handed out what supplies they had, hoping that the Red Cross or the federal government would repay them for their loss. The food and supplies were enough to last only a few days but the actions of the disgruntled farmers had far-reaching implications. Alarmed as well as embarrassed by the national press which characterized the Hoover administration as being “fat cats” enjoying the good life while the population starved, began to look at options to help. Joe T. Robinson, Arkansas Senator, agreed to supply loans to assist the poor.

Hearing of the plight, Will Rogers wrote, “It took a little band of 500 simple country people … to demand food for their wives and children to hit the heart of the American people more than all of your Senatorial pleas and government investigations.” He traveled to Washington to ask Hoover for direct aid to the region. Turned down, he travelled to England, Pine Bluff, and the region and see the conditions for himself. He organized a relief program on his own, went on a 19 stop tour, and gave the proceeds to assist farmers. His national radio pleas raised over $3 million dollars for the poor.

Rogers, raised poor in a small central Oklahoma town, understood the plight of the poverty stricken and, with his home-spun humor and national popularity, used his celebrity as a platform to attack the wealthy. “It wasn’t the working class that brought this condition on. It was the big boys themselves who thought that this financial drunk we are going through was going to last forever. They over-merged and over-Capitalized, and over-everything else. That’s the fix we are in now.”

The actions of a few hundred hungry farmers is said to be the impetus for the election of FDR and the beginning of the New Deal. When asked what Arkansas owed for his part in assisting their plight, Rogers replied in his old shucks manner, “Arkansas gave me much more than I gave them when I got Betty.” Rogers was married to Betty Blake of Rogers, Arkansas in 1908. The fall after the riot, Arkansas had a bumper crop. Seeing the plight of the coal miners in central Oklahoma, farmers in the England area, sent 13 truckloads of food to the struggling miners. Rogers wrote, “Now, that’s remembering, ain’t it?”

Tennis has four named as Players to Watch

Sports

Tammy Teague

-

9:33 pm

0

Tennis has four named as Players to Watch

University of Arkansas – Fort Smith men’s and women’s tennis placed four on the Lone Star Conference Tennis Preseason Players to Watch List, announced Tuesday by the league office.

Anis Ramchane and Killian Darneaux were the representatives for the men’s program while Petra Csizmadia and Camila Romero were selected for the women.

Ramchane and Darneaux teamed at No. 1 doubles for a Lions squad that won its first Lone Star Conference Tournament match last season. The duo posted a 10-7 overall mark, including 5-3 in conference play.

In singles, Ramchane went 7-11 at No. 1 singles last season and had a pair of regionally ranked wins. Darneaux went 5-13 at No. 4 and picked up a win in the LSC Quarterfinals against Lubbock Christian.

Csizmadia posted a 5-13 mark at No. 2 singles for the Lions last season and is expected to move up to the top flight this year. In doubles, she paired with Isabella Serrano at No. 2 a year ago.

Romero returns to the lineup after missing the 2022-23 season due to injury. In her first two seasons, Romero recorded an 11-18 record at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. She went 7-7 at No. 3 doubles in 2021-22.

Women’s tennis begins the season February 9 at Henderson State while the men start their season Feb. 13 at the University of the Ozarks.

Conference teams face each of their LSC opponents in a single round-robin schedule format starting in mid-March and continuing through the month of April. The men’s and women’s team with the best winning percentage over the conference matches is the LSC champion.

The 2024 LSC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Tournaments will be played concurrently April 25-26-27 at the Arlington (Texas) Tennis Center. Winners of the two tournaments earn the LSC automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tennis Championships. Regional play in the national tournaments May 10-11 for the women and May 13-14 for the men. National finals are scheduled May 20-25 in Altamonte Springs, Fla., as part of the spring NCAA Division II Championship Festival.

UAFS places 73 on LSC Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Sports

Tammy Teague

-

9:32 pm

0

UAFS places 73 on LSC Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll

The Lone Star Conference announced its Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fall 2023 semester, with University of Arkansas – Fort Smith having 73 student-athletes honored.

The Commissioner’s Honor Roll is announced at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters with student-athletes qualifying based on grade point average for the specified semester. To be eligible for the recognition, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.30 grade-point average for the semester and be on the sport roster. Participants on all 19 LSC championship sports, three non-conference sports, and athletic training student staff were included among the fall 2023 honorees.

UAFS had 22 4.0s last fall, as well.

For the full list of UAFS honorees, click here.

R

RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK