Resident News Network

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

Ross Fujibayashi

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7:22 am

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

In the 2023 season we saw a lot of surprises.

RNN Sports Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Coach of the Year

Whit Overton

When looking at the coaching candidates, you begin to get a grasp of how good football is here in the River Valley. Chris Young is no stranger to the lights of War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, getting his 16th visit of Greenwood’s 17. Along the way, got Greenwood’s 11th State Championship. Ricky May always has the Charleston Tigers ready to pounce and were looking to defend their State Championship. Doc Crawley has the hardnosed Booneville Bearcats setting records and bulldozing opponents and winning the 2023 Class 3A State Championship. Out of all those coaches and their illustrious resume’s, one name stood out to all of us at the RNN Sports Department. Whit Overton.

Coach Overton bleeds Mansfield Red and White through and through. Aa a graduate of the Mansfield School District, Coach Overton took over a program that had not seen much playoff success and was overshadowed by the neighboring Powerhouse teams. This year…. all that changed. The Tigers got off to a fast start averaging over a 50-points per game, while holding true to their team first culture. Back-to-back losses to Charleston and Booneville, did not spoil the Mansfield season. The Tigers rolled into the playoffs the number 3 seed out of the 3A-1 Conference. After a very convincing win over Centerpoint in the first round, Mansfield traveled to Hoxie and pulled an upset. Then went on the road again the next week to Salem and knocked off the Greyhounds. The historic Mansfield run would come to a close at the hands of the Prescott Curley Wolves in the Semi-Finals. With the success and amazing season your RNN Sports Stone Cold Lock of The Week Coach of the Year is Whit Overton

RNN Sports Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Dudes of the Year Team

This was a hard choice, some were obvious and stood out. Some we had to make tough choices, are they offense or are they defense. Do we do a 2nd team? Where can we get stats. To the coaches we reached out to, thank you for your help on names and stats on Dudes of the Year.

Offense

QB – Kane Archer – Soph – Greenwood – All-State, 6A State Championship Game MVP, 6A West Offensive Player of the year, 8th Nationally in scoring with 49 total touchdowns. Holds several Power 5 Offers

RB – Dax Goff – Sr – Booneville – All-State, 3A State Championship Game MVP, 3A-1 Offensive Player of the year, Booneville career yardage leader with 5,961 yards. 266 Carries for 2,691 yards 39 Touchdowns. Committed to Harding University

RB – Daniel Burton – Jr – Mansfield – All-State 115 Carries for 1,519 yards 18 Touchdowns.

RB – Brayedan Davis – Sr – Greenwood – All-State 237 Carries for 1,584 yards 23 Touchdowns

OL – Ryan Shortes – Sr – Greenwood – 6A Burlsworth Award winner, 6A West All-Conference

OL – Matt O’Bar – Sr – Booneville – All-State, 3A Burlsworth Award winner. Was part of an offense that gained 6,331 yards. 45 tackles

OL – Lance Sims – Sr – Booneville – 3A-1 All-Conference. With Matt O’Bar, part of an offense that gained 6,331 yards. 31 tackles.

OL – Cody Taylor – Soph – Greenwood – 6A West All-Conference. Holds several Power 5 offers.

OL – Turner Wright – Sr – Mansfield – All-State

WR – L.J. Robins – Sr – Greenwood – All-State 79 receptions for 1,015 yards 17 Touchdowns. Back to Back 1000 yard seasons. Holds several offers to play in college.

WR – Grant Karnes – Jr – Greenwood – All-State 72 receptions for 990 yards 13 Touchdowns. 10 yards shy of back to back 1000 yard seasons.

Defense

DL – Cash Archer – Jr – Greenwood – All-State, 6A West Defensive Player of the Year, 20 sacks, 38 hurries, 78 total tackles. Holds several Power 5 Offers

DL – Dakota Deer – Jr – Mansfield – 3A-1 All-Conference, 3 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, 38 total tackles

DL – Maddix Terry – Soph – Charleston – 44 Total Tackles, 5 Tackles for a loss, 8 sacks and 4 fumble recoveries

LB – Zander Walters – Soph – Mansfield – 3A-1 All-Conference, 61 total tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles

LB – Hunter Warren – Soph – Booneville – 3A-1 All-Conference, 87 tackles, 4 sacks

LB – Reese Merechka – Sr – Charleston – 3A All-State, 3A-1 and Farm Bureau Insurance 3A- Defensive Player of the year.

LB – Hunter Little – Sr – Charleston – All-State, 93 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception.

LB – Kason Davis – Sr – Waldron – 4A-7 All-Conference 2nd Team, 21 total tackles

DB – Brady Mackey – Sr – Greenwood – All-State, Farm Bureau 6A Defensive Player of the Year, 82 total tackles, 7 Interceptions

DB – Payton Martin – Sr – Mansfield – 3A-1 All-Conference, 23 total tackles, Committed to play baseball at University of Arkansas – Rich Mountain.

DB – Cole Bailey – Jr – Waldron – 4A-7 All Conference, 72 total tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 sack.

K – Andrea Emilini – Charleston – 46 points, 44/47 on extra points, 2/4 Field Goals, 12 Touchbacks on Kickoffs

(RNN sports photo / Shelly2 Photography Videography and Design)

RNN Sports Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Some More Dudes Of The Year – Honorable Mention

QB – Jace Washburn – Booneville

QB – Jeremy Strozier – Mansfield

QB – Eli Huck – Charleston

QB – Noah Patrick – Waldron

RB – Rylen Ray – Booneville

RB – Conner Lentz – Booneville

RB – Chakong Vang – Magazine

RB – Steve Grano – Waldron

RB/DB – Tyler Turnipseed – Mansfield

RB/DB – Andrew Burton – Mansfield

OL – Mathew Crosby – Booneville

OL – Sam Hicks – Booneville

OL/DL – Caiden Ore – Mansfield

OL/DL – Logan Ore – Mansfield

WR – Isaiah Arrington – Greenwood

WR/FS – Emiliano Gaona – Charleston

LB – Kolton McCubbin – Magazine

LB – Eli Whitaker – Greenwood

LB – Sam Ehler – Waldron

DB/P – Landon Nelms – Greenwood

DB – Braden Skaggs – Greenwood

K – Bodey Steinfeldt – Greenwood

LS- Jack Edwards – Greenwood

Elephant In The Room: 2024 Classifications and the Competitive Equity Factor

Ross Fujibayashi

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4:47 am

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Elephant In The Room: 2024 Classifications and the Competitive Equity Factor

This past week, the Arkansas Activities Association announced the approval of the classifications for the next two school years. A hot topic within of the last two years has been that of the Competitive Equity Factor. For local public schools it does not effect them as much as it does the private schools in the larger metro areas. I know what you’re thinking, “The private schools can recruit!” Sure, it is a rumor I know I have heard for 25 years of being around Arkansas High School Football. Heck, there was an article in the late 90’s in the Times Record covering recruiting and it’s possibility. So what got us to here?

Since the late 90’s the discussion of Private schools in the state of Arkansas has been everyone’s go to point in football every year. Then Gus Malzahn took the Cross Church owned Shiloh Christian to great heights and almost instantly rumors circulated regarding recruiting. Of course at the same time, another team in Arkansas was on the rise and accused of the same. Was it that Greenwood and Shiloh were recruiting or was it that they changed the game that much and no one had caught up? At the time powerhouses were Wynne and Alma, both running the highly effective Wing-T, three yards and cloud of dust offenses. For Greenwood and Shiloh, it was 3000 yards through the air. In the article mentioned above, former Greenwood Head Coach Ronnie Peacock said “We do not recruit, our program and it’s success does that.”

Here we are 25 years later. Greenwood and Shiloh are still topics of discussion, but what Kevin Kelley did with Pulaski Academy and their down the street neighbor Little Rock Christian are now added to the fold. The state and Arkansas Activities Association have done just about everything they can to slow down the non-public schools just short of telling them to play in their own classification. For this Resident News Sports writer, why should they? Currently, if a non-public school accepts a student-athlete from another district within a 25-mile radius, they must sit out the next athletic season. A few years ago, the AAA introduced a attendance multiplier to ensure a private school were in a classification on par with the area. That cycle had Shiloh Christian playing in the 5A. On the flip side of that, in 2015 the State of Arkansas passed a School Choice bill allowing public school students and their parents the opportunity of going to the school one district over. It is interesting to see public schools do ads on TV and Social Media that rival the collegiate ones we see watching sporting events. Now we are to the Competitive Equity Factor, if a non-public school team wins or is a runner-up in a State Championship, playoff victory, and/or has a winning conference record the school is to move up a Classification. If the team accumulates less than 2 points in a cycle they can move down a classification. This next cycle sees Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian Academy moving to the 7A. Shiloh Christian to the 6A. Harding Academy moves to the 5A.

Make no mistake, I am for the Competitive Equity Factor, but I feel it needs an adjustment. If the teams slated to move up are beat in their conference by a Public school mulitple times they should be able to stay in that classification. There are examples of this in this cycle with Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian and Shiloh Christian. I firmly believe for those three schools the Competitive Equity Factor got them to the Classification their program is competitive and not just dominating, which was the complaint for the last 25 years. Maybe, even extending out the period to which they earn points from 2 years to 4 years. Depending on how things go for all the non-public schools moving up, it is extremely possible that most of the non-public schools in Arkansas could be in the 6A for the 2026 season. I am certain by time that cycle rolls around there will be another AAA proposition, bill, or resolution passed trying to once again slow down the non-public schools. But, I think they finally got it right, they just have to go a step further in refining it.

One social media opinion pitched is the same factor used on public schools. For a school like Booneville, for example, that would place them in the 4A this coming year. Greenwood in the 7A, Little Rock Parkview back in the 6A. Could those teams fair well in those classifications? Maybe, I know Greenwood since 2004 is 31-9 against schools in the state’s largest classification in non-conference and in the hybrid 6A/7A conferences they tried.

While we try to make heads or tails as to what is next for Arkansas High School football, the view for any team should be what Shiloh Christian put on their Facebook regarding the move to the 6A West, “Just put the ball down and we’ll be there.”

Arrest Reports 12/10

Police Reports

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1:42 am

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Arresting agency – Hackett Police Department:
Kenneth Wayne Basinger of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 13 at 6:36 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 13 at 8:58 p.m. Basinger was charged with petition to revoke – felony.

Arresting agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office:
Paul Darin Black of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 12 at 8:57 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 13 at 8:42 a.m. Black was charged with driving while intoxicated – 2nd offense.

Christopher Wayne Grigsby of Paris was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 12 at 1:47 a.m. and remains at the SCADC with $50k legally sufficient bond. Grigsby was charged with Negligent Homicide – Intox.

Emily Nicole Jordan of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 11 at 10:32 a.m. and released on signature bond December 11 at 11:39 a.m. Jordan was charged with assault in the 2nd degree.

Clay Ledbetter of Midland was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 12 at 7:52 p.m. and released on signature bond December 13 at 2:04 a.m. Ledbetter was charged with public intoxication – danger to self or others.

Robert P Page of Lavaca was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 10 at 7:47 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with $75k legally sufficient bond. Page was charged with Sexual Assault in the Second Degree <14.

Bobby Allen Rowe of Bonanza was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 12 at 9:44 p.m. and remains at the SCADC without bond. Rowe was charged with ADC Commitment Hold and return to testify.

Christina Nicole Wibbing of Lavaca was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 11 at 8:14 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 12 at 9:53 a.m. Wibbing was charged with Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card or Debit Card-Stolen->5k.

Arresting agency – Fort Smith Police Department:
Amber R Castro of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 16 at 3:51 p.m. and remains at the SCADC with bond. Castro was charged with Possession of [Schedule I/II Controlled Substance] with the Purpose to Deliver <2g, Possession of [Schedule VI Controlled Substance] with the Purpose to Deliver >4oz, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia C Felony.

Amanda Lynn Taylor of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 16 at 8 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 17 at 10:46 a.m. Taylor was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Ingest Meth/Cocaine, and Possession of Controlled Substance – Schedule I/II Felony <2g.

Arresting agency – Greenwood Police Department:
John Ross Connor of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 10 at 9:34 a.m. and transferred to an outside agency on December 11 at 5:20 p.m. Connor was charged with Assist Outside Agency-Felony.

Emily Meryl Foote of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 11 at 3:16 a.m. and released on cash bond December 11 at 9:23 a.m. Foote was charged with Contempt of Court–(child support), FTAS, FTRespond Subpoena, FTComply WCO.

Kurt Douglas Gammill of Fort Smith was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 10 at 6:02 p.m. and remains at the SCADC without bond. Gammill was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance – Schedule VI Misdemeanor <4oz, Driving While License Cancelled/Suspended/Revoked, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Ingest Meth/Cocaine, and Assist Outside Agency-Felony.

Amanda Gayle Meeker of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 13 at 1:10 p.m. and transferred to an outside agency on December 14 at 1:06 p.m. Meeker was charged with fugitive from justice – out of state.

Landon Keith Wagner of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 14 at 6:51 p.m. and released on signature bond December 15 at 4:53 a.m. Wagner was charged with Criminal Trespass – Premises.

Arresting agency – Arkansas Parole:
David William Howell of Waldron was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 14 at 12:52 p.m. and remains at the SCADC without bond. Howell was charged with absconding and parole violation.

Arresting agency – Bonanza Police Department:
Christopher Hugh Mclaughlin of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 13 at 9:08 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond December 14 at 12:12 a.m. Mclaughlin was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 2nd offense.

Arresting agency – Lavaca Police Department:
Tasha Jean Munson of Midland was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on December 11 at 9:37 p.m. and released on signature bond December 12 at 12:51 a.m. Munson was charged with Reckless Driving 1st Offense, Disorderly Conduct – Excessive Noise, Possession of open container, and Public Intoxication – Danger to self or others.

Arresting agency – Franklin County Sheriff’s Office:
Jared R Munoz, 44 of Altus, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 15 at 12:05 p.m. Munoz was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Santana Lashea Catlett, 22, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 15 at 3:25 a.m. Catlett was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia meth/cocaine, possession of meth or cocaine GT 10GM but LT 200GM, possession of a controlled substance schedule VI <4 oz., possession of meth or cocaine with the purpose to deliver GT 10GM but LT 200GM, driving while license suspended, improper display of license tags, no liability insurance, possession of schedule I or II 28GM or more but less than 200GM with purpose to deliver, and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.

Mark A. Duke, 62 of Odessa, TX, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 14 at 11:23 p.m. Duke was charged with failure to comply with conditions of suspended sentence or probation.

Michael Dewayne Carson, 55 of Alma, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 14 at 10:53 p.m. Carson was charged with possession of meth or cocaine GT 10GM but LT 200GM, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of SCH VI LT 4 oz., possession of meth or cocaine with the purpose to deliver GT 10GM but LT 200 GM, obstructing governmental operations, possession of SCH I or II GT 2GM but LT 10GM, tampering with physical evidence – obstruct prosecution/defense felony, possession of a firearm by certain persons, and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.

Trey Allen Johnson, 26 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 14 at 3:01 p.m. Johnson was charged with theft by receiving.

Alexis Long, 25 of Grove Hill, AL was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 14 at 1:10 p.m. Long was charged with theft by receiving.

Michael Wayne Cook, 40 of Huntsville, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 12 at 5:58 p.m. Cook was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Chey Wynn, 26 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 12 at 12:15 p.m. Wynn was charged with failure to comply with conditions of suspended sentence or probation.

Jason Edward Miller, 41 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on December 10 at 3:53 p.m. Miller was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Arresting agency – Logan County Sheriff’s Office:
Christopher Kampmann, 33 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 10 at 6:15 p.m. Kampmann was charged with failure to appear.

Robert Leftwich, 37 of Greenwood, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 13 at 6:45 p.m. Leftwich was charged with failure to pay.

Thomas Phillips, 57 of Subiaco, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 14 at 6 p.m. Phillips was charged with failure to pay.

Anthony Reno, 39 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 14 at 6:28 p.m. Reno was charged with body attachment.

Larry Bryant, 41 of Magazine, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 15 at 10:47 a.m. Bryant was charged with failure to appear.

Evelyn Heath-Jones, 32 of Hartman, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 15 at 3:32 p.m. Jones was charged with failure to appear.

Hailen Midwell, 38 of Delaware, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 15 at 9:23 p.m. Midwell was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.

Haskell Swanson, 33 of Paris, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 16 at 11:18 a.m. Swanson was charged with aggravated assault on a family or household member, and domestic battering in the 3rd degree.

Benjamin Barbee, 45, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on December 16 at 7:55 p.m. Barbee was charged with parole violation, possession with the purpose to deliver meth/cocaine GT 10GM LT 200GM, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a schedule VI-controlled substance with the purpose to deliver.

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

Christmas Morning Sanity Saver Basket

Madison VanRavensway

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9:46 pm

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Christmas morning goes so quickly! Maybe running around gathering supplies for all the new goodies makes it last longer, but it certainly doesn’t add to the magic. Now is the time to prep your “Christmas Morning Sanity Saver Basket”. What a name, right?

Despite the crazy name I’ve assigned for it, it’s not complicated. This will also give you an idea of anything else you need to pick up at the store- think batteries!

Grab you a basket (or any other container looks don’t matter unless you want them to)

Hopefully you are reading this with time to prepare your box ahead of the big day! I sure hope you are because I think this is gonna be great for my brain to have all ready to go on Monday morning!

Scissors. Who designed these packages? We are gonna need scissors to get in them!
Pocket knife- sometimes you need a knife rather than scissors. Maybe this is a me situation?
Flat head and Phillips head screwdriver- if you only have one you will need the opposite, it’s scientific.
Pen/marker- this seems like a good thing to already know where is so I’m not wanting one and scrambling.
Batteries! Nothing comes with batteries anymore! Make sure you have AA and AAA, and if you bought a kid’s metal detector maybe a set of 9V. I was glad I checked that before orderin batteries.
Bonus- extra wrapping paper and tape! Sometimes we get a little overzealous and open gifts that aren’t supposed to be opened by us, woops!

Most of all I hope you have the merriest of Christmases this year!

Know the key benefits of Roth IRA

Business

Tammy Teague

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6:17 pm

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As you save for retirement, you’ll want to take full advantage of the investment vehicles available to you —and one of the best is a Roth IRA. But what sets it apart from other accounts?

Three key factors distinguish the Roth IRA:

• Tax-free earnings – When you invest in a Roth IRA, your earnings can grow tax free, provided you don’t begintaking withdrawals until you’re 59½ and you’ve had your account at least five years. If you don’t meet these criteria, withdrawals of earnings will be subject to taxes and apossible 10% penalty.

• No penalties on withdrawals of contributions – You fund a Roth IRA with after-tax dollars, which means you can withdraw your contributions — not the earnings — at any time for any reason, without facing taxes or penalties. So, you could use some of your Roth IRA money for non-retirement purposes, such as helping pay for a child’s college education.

• No required withdrawals at age 73 – With a traditional IRA or a 401(k), you must start taking withdrawals — called required minimum distributions, or RMDs — once you reach 73. But this rule doesn’t apply to a Roth IRA — you can keep it intact as long as you like. You may need to tap into it for some of your retirement income, but if you don’t use it all, the remainder could benefit your beneficiaries.

A Roth IRA does share one similarity to a traditional IRA: It can be funded with virtually any type of investment, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certificates of deposit (CDs) and so on.

However, unlike a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA does have income limits.

For the 2023 tax year, if your modified adjusted gross income was less than $138,000 (for a single filer) or $218,000 (married filing jointly), you can put in the full amount of $6,500 and an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution if you’re 50 or older. The amounts you can contribute will gradually decline at higher income levelsand are phased out entirely at $153,000 for single filers and $228,000 if you’re married and file jointly. These income ranges will likely change for the 2024 tax year, so you’ll want to consult with your tax advisor for details.

Still, even if you’ve contributed to a traditional IRA or a 401(k) for many years, you may have a chance to eventually “convert” some, or all, of these funds to a Roth IRA and gain its benefits. It’s not hard to do this conversion — it involves minimal paperwork from your traditional IRA or 401(k) provider — but it does come with tax issues. Any money that’s converted from a traditional IRA or 401(k) to a Roth IRA will be treated as ordinary taxable income. This can trigger a large tax bill, so, unless you have the money available from other accounts to pay the taxes, the conversion may or may not make sense for you. But you don’t have to convert all the funds at once. By spreading the conversion over several years, you could reduce the effect of a large tax hit in any single year. You may want to consult with your tax advisor before converting any funds to a Roth IRA.

If you can find a way to contribute to a Roth IRA, either directly or through a conversion, consider it carefully — you’ll find a lot of upsides to this investment account.

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

Can I sell this salsa?

Lifestyle

Tammy Teague

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6:16 pm

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By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture

The Arkansas Food Freedom Act opens increased opportunities for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, but those who create food and drink items must be sure they’re legal to sell under the act.

The popularity of homemade goods, also known as “cottage foods,” has seen a significant uptick in the last two decades, according to the Food Law and Policy Clinic at the Harvard Law School.

“The rising demand for locally produced food in the United States has fueled a dramatic increase in small-scale food production in recent years,” the clinic said in its publication “Cottage Food Laws in the United States.” “Locally produced food sales totaled at least $12 billion in 2014, up from $5 billion in 2008, and are expected to continue to grow to $20 billion by 2019. Much of this locally produced food is sold at farmers markets, which have also increased dramatically, by 134 percent between 2004 and 2016.”

“Arkansas producers are able to sell certain home-processed food items to the public without inspection from the Arkansas Department of Health,” said Jeff Jackson, public health section chief II with the Arkansas Department of Health. “While this will present opportunities for Arkansas producers, the details of the Arkansas Food Freedom Act should be clearly understood to ensure that food entrepreneurs know which items are eligible for sale and which are not.”

Act 1040 of 2021, which became known as the Arkansas Food Freedom Act, allows Arkansas residents to sell more types of homemade food and drink products in more locations than before, and allows direct sales of certain homemade food and drink products that do not require time or temperature controls to remain safe. Some products, such as pickles, salsas, and canned vegetables, may require pH testing or preapproved recipes.

Understanding the Law

On Jan. 10, Jackson will present “An Overview of the Arkansas Food Freedom Act.” The webinar will be held at 11 a.m. Central/noon Eastern. Registration is free.

The webinar is the second in a three-part series called “Plan. Produce. Profit,” which provides needed information to specialty crop producers on how to operate within the Arkansas Food Freedom Act.

The third “Plan. Produce. Profit.” webinar will be held on Feb. 14. Renee Threlfall of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering at the Division of Agriculture will present the webinar, titled “Creating and Processing Value-Added Food Products in Arkansas.” Registration is available online.

The first webinar, “Liability Issues with Food Processing Under the Arkansas Food Freedom Act,” was presented by NALC Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley. The recording of the presentation is available online.

The National Agricultural Law Center and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are facilitating the webinars which are designed for Arkansas specialty crop producers.

The series is funded by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on X. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For updates on agricultural law and policy developments, subscribe free of charge to The Feed, the NALC’s newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture, which issues twice a month.

About the National Agricultural Law Center

The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.

The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.

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. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.

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 dviguet@uark.edu as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.

The Vault Gives New Life to Old Bank

Madison VanRavensway

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3:34 pm

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Waldron in 1901 was home to two banks, one being the Bank of Waldron on the corner of Main and Danville streets. The second story was home to doctor’s offices and the first library. The building is rich with history as is all of downtown.

Walmart leaving left Waldron with a big hole. So many necessities now required a drive out of town, a minimum of a half hour one way. Ashley Imperialli saw the need for clothing in Waldron following the closure of Walmart in 2017, she began thinking on a consignment clothing shop.

Imperialli shares she knew someone needed to do better, “In March 2022, the Boys & Girls Club was having a Spring Fling Dance. I was shopping in town that afternoon when a woman and two young girls (probably a mother and her daughters, ages 6-8) were frantically looking for outfits for the dance. Later that evening, at the dance, I saw the same little girls wearing what looked like their mother’s clothing; probably 10 sizes too big for them, tied with rubber bands and in knots in attempt to make it somewhat fit. Her shoes were likely 10 sizes too big as well. Their outfit didn’t seem to bother them one bit, as they were having a blast, but it bothered me that our community had no options for this mother.”

Ashley says those that know her know she doesn’t complain without trying to find a solution. So she began the search for a building on Main Street for her vision.

After looking at a few places and not finding exactly what she wanted, she enlisted the help of everyone she could think of who might be able to assist her search.

Just before she gave up, she said her best friend told her she had found the perfect building, calling it fate. Imperialli said she didn’t know the owners, which is almost unheard of in Waldron. She formed a friendship with the sellers, and the old Bank of Waldron building began its journey into restoration.

The original Bank tiles are right outside the door, stepping through the original door customers are met with original tiling on the floor. The logo for The Vault pays homage to the rosette on the Bank of Waldron inlay on the outside of the building. Original marble is still on the walls, and the bathroom is untouched.

After taking ownership of the building in October 2022 the restoration began. The original vault, now a changing room, had some interesting additions added to it by previous owners. Imperialli said they had to spend about half their time in the small room due to the condition. On one side she described a rock tub or possible koi pond being built into the building. A sledge hammer was needed to remove it. The other side was home to some sort of bird cage, which was removed by the sellers. Now a nicely lit, spacious changing area, it has been given new life and new purpose with the original brick restored to its former beauty.

The beauty and history of the building was kept intact wherever possible. Ashley’s vision was to bring the building back to life with this new venture.

The Vault opened to customers on 12/9/2023. The customer who made the first purchase remembered going in when the building was a bank.

“The Vault’s goal is to provide high quality clothing and accessories for women, men, and children at an affordable price. Our community can, once again, enjoy affordable options for clothing and accessories without driving out of town.”, Imperialli explained.

Currently there are about 60 consignors working with The Vault, the floor is full and ready for shoppers. For the month of December the new business is doing a soft launch. Their hours are Thursday and Friday 11:00am – 7:00pm, Saturday 9:00am – 7:00pm, and Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm.

The days of walking down Main Street and checking out the businesses are coming back, be sure to give this place a visit and get ready for your next event or add to your every day wardrobe.

From Ashley “I’m extremely excited to bring a much needed business to the residents of Waldron. I’m equally excited to breathe life into a building of such historical significance in our town!”

Ashley Imperialli is the owner of the Vault, her daughter Summer, will be operating it. The completed the restoration with help of friends and family. There are plans to restore the second floor and use it as two Airbnb units.

The Rosette designed to pay homage to the one on the front of the building.

Timepiece: Very Much Alive

Featured

Tammy Teague

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9:53 pm

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By Dr. Curtis Varnell

Magazine Mountain has more than its share of stories to be told. One of the most unusual involved an airplane crash that occurred right after WWII.

With the mountain rising abruptly 2,500 foot above the surrounding countryside, Magazine has had its fair share of airplane accidents. Flying by altimeter, pilots feel safe at flying 2,000 foot above sea level only to discover, often fatally, that the mountain has an elevation topping 2,800 foot.

On the night of November 17, 1947 a B-25 flying out of Camp Barksdale, Louisiana departed on a relatively short trip to Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Herbert Lindroth, an air force mechanic, was given leave to travel along in order to visit his parents who lived in a Chicago suburb.

November of that year was unusually cold and it was sleeting and foggy as the crew reached Arkansas. Residents in Havana reported that the plane was seen circling and apparently lost at about 6 P.M. Shortly afterward, Mr. Lee Apple, who lived on Magazine, heard a crash and saw flames in the distance. He and a passing motorist rushed to the scene as quickly as possible- a difficult task since the terrain was very rugged and steep. They were soon joined by several farmers and businessmen from Havana. It was a scene of nearly total destruction with parts of the large plane scattered and burning across a wide area. Sheriff Earl Ladd and the State Police arrived shortly afterward and a search for the bodies began. It was noted that the crash occurred only a few hundred yards from the site of a fatal crash that occurred two years previously.

The plane struck the mountain with such force that it had sheared off a huge oak tree and had rooted up two others. Parts of the plane, clothing, and bodies were scattered over an area more than one-hundred yards in length. Two bodies were quickly discovered, burned beyond recognition. Three others were discovered soon afterward, the watches on their arms frozen in time at 7:15, the presumed time of the crash. It was assumed the sixth body must have been thrown a great distance away and the men gave up the search for it until morning

Newspapers across the nation reported the information and sent photographers to the site. The bodies were left in place on the mountain until Air Force personnel arrived the next day and the search for the sixth man continued without success.

Forced to work late on Friday at his job as aircraft mechanic, Herbert Lindroth arrived at Barksdale just in time to see the plane on the runway. Realizing that the military craft was not going to wait on him, he left to enjoy his weekend of in Shreveport. When he returned to barracks on Sunday, he scared the daylights out of his friends who thought he was an apparition. His squadron officer quickly figured out the details and got the search in Arkansas called off. The names of those killed were: Capt. William F. Wilson, 29, Strong City, Kansas, Capt. Albert C. Frese Jr., 27. Brunswick, Georgia, Lt. Robert O. Pabst, 24, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2nd Lt. Ed D. Ward, 27, Chicago, Illinois, Pf. James H. Miershma, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pfc. William E. Wesley, Muskegon, Michigan.

The sixth man, Mr. Herbert Lindroth is still very much alive and today (2015) lives in Bland, Missouri where he loves to repeat the story of his demise complete with the newspaper clippings of his own obituary from November, 1947.

Memorial Service to be held for Prominent Logan County Educator

Tammy Teague

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8:25 pm

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Memorial Service to be held for Prominent Logan County Educator

Dr. Glenda Ezell, a well-known college educator and public school teacher passed from this life on Dec. 11. 2023. Dr. Ezell began her career teaching elementary school at Paris. Later, she served as both Alternative Education and Special Education teacher for the district. While teaching, she received first a Master’s in Special Education and later, a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Glenda than taught in the education department and later, after receiving her doctorate in education at the University of Arkansas, served as Dean of Education at the University of the Ozarks. She finished her career as Dean of Education at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Glenda was very active in community affairs and served on many boards and as a member of many organizations. She was an advisor and frequent contributor to the State Board of Higher Education, the president of the Logan County Retired teacher’s organization, served on the Logan County Library board, and the Smith Memorial group. Her doctoral research was in the alternative licensure teacher program, a program which is instrumental in getting more teachers into the classroom, and she is viewed as a pioneer and expert in the success of the program.

Glenda was an accomplished singer and, over the years, sang at many community and regional events. A writer and a poet, she co-authored Songs of the Mountain, a collection of poems of the Ouachita Mountain region. Her poems reflect her love of God, family, and her students.

A great loss education and to the region, her life achievements were celebrated with a memorial service at rural Mt. Salem School after her graveside service on Friday, December 15. Logan County Library at Paris and several other business were closed to honor her lifetime achievements and work.

Lawsuit Filed Over Sexual Abuse Claims; Defendant Volunteered at Local Preschool

Resident News Network

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4:23 pm

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Lawsuit Filed Over Sexual Abuse Claims; Defendant Volunteered at Local Preschool

Miss Tina’s Preschool in Greenwood has had a lawsuit filed against them alleging that they knowingly allowed a known child predator to volunteer at the preschool. Jamie Speaks is the husband of Wanda Speaks, an employee of Miss Tina’s preschool.

In a civil suit filed December 12th, 2023 it is alleged that Jamie Leon Speaks, who had been previously prosecuted and found guilty of multiple child sexual abuse cases and other charges such as false imprisonment and aggravated assault, was allowed to volunteer at the preschool.

Speaks’ volunteering included helping small children use the bathroom unattended by other adults, which had previously resulted in the repeated molestation of at least one child, possibly others.

While the abuse incidents outlined in the suit happened years ago at a preschool run by the defendant’s wife Wanda, the known sex offender was able to continue to be present at Miss Tina’s preschool functions as recently as this year.

The lawsuit indicates that in 2012, Speaks was convicted of child molestation, was required to register as a sex offender, yet regardless of this status was allowed to remain present at Miss Tina’s preschool, located at 508 S. Coker st.

Greenwood Police Department Chief Brad Hobbs states that they have submitted a report to local prosecutor’s office and have been asked to perform follow up interviews with more possible victims. This case is still open and ongoing.

We will be continuing to follow this case and bring you more information as it becomes available.

State v. Jamie Speaks: Docket Report Results – Not an Official Document (arcourts.gov)

Doe v. Miss Tina’s Preschool, Inc. Et Al: Docket Report Results – Not an Official Document (arcourts.gov)

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