Resident News Network

Jefferson on Preseason O’Brien Watchlist

Sports

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7:53 pm

Jefferson on Preseason O’Brien Watchlist

FAYETTEVILLE– Arkansas signal-caller KJ Jefferson is one of 35 of the nation’s top quarterbacks named to the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Compiled by a subset of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, this year’s preseason watch list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2023 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution.

Jefferson is poised to rewrite a large portion of the Arkansas record book this fall as he heads into his third season as the Hogs’ full-time starter. The Sardis, Miss., native sits inside the career top 10 in school history in completions (436 – 7th), yards (5816 – 7th), touchdown passes (48 – 6th), 300-yard passing games (5 – 3rd), total plays (1028 – 6th), total yards (7245 – 5th) and touchdown responsibility (67 – 4th). Jefferson’s name is dotted throughout the school record book for numerous single-season records, including twice for completion percentage in 2021 (.673 – 3rd) and 2022 (.680 – 2nd).

Jefferson, who passed for 2,648 yards and 24 touchdowns with 640 yards and nine rushing scores on the ground in 2022, is the first Arkansas quarterback to earn preseason All-SEC accolades since 2012. He was also named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the best player in college football.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 47th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Arkansas kicks off the season at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, against FCS foe Western Carolina at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at (479) 575-5151.

Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Oliver Grigg.

Arrest Reports 8/1

Police Reports

Tammy Teague

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11:44 pm

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Arresting agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office:
Megan Nicole Billy of Waldron was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 2 at 6:39 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Billy was charged with Failure to Appear – Class C Felony.

Justin Ray Cowell of Hartford was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 2 at 5:19 p.m. and transferred to an outside agency on August 7 at 3:43 p.m. Cowell was charged with Fugitive from Justice Out of State, and Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine).

Ashley Marie Douglas of Charleston was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 3 at 8:47 p.m. and released on cash bond August 3 at 9:47 p.m. Douglas was charged with Petition to Revoke – Felony.

Promise Chyanne Hill of Hartford was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 4 at 10:45 a.m. and released on signature bond August 4 at 11:50 a.m. Hill was charged with Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine).

Melisa Carol McBride of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 3 at 12:51 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond August 3 at 2:25 p.m. McBride was charged with Assault On Family Or Household Member-2nd Degree.

Charles David Miner of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 2 at 11:39 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Miner was charged with Fleeing – By Vehicle-Misd.

Arresting agency – Greenwood Police Department:
Joshua David Drummond of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 2 at 9:20 p.m. and released on bond August 3 at 9:18 a.m. Drummond was charged with Failure to Appear – Class A Misdemeanor, and Failure to Appear – Class B Misdemeanor.

Dustin David Johnson of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 3 at 2:05 a.m. and released on August 3 at 11:14 a.m. Johnson was charged with two counts of Failure to Appear – Class B Misdemeanor, and Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine).

Arresting agency – Arkansas State Police Troop H:
Brandon Michael Moore of Paris was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on August 3 at 2:20 a.m. and released on signature bond August 3 at 10:27 a.m. Moore was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 1st Offense, and Improper Lane Change/Usage/Left of Center.

Arresting agency – Logan County Sheriff’s Office:
Don William Core, 46 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on August 1 at 2:40 p.m. Core was charged with three counts of failure to appear, and failure to pay.

Mark Smith, 45, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on August 3 at 7:41 p.m. Smith is a parole hold.

Mark Miller, 25 of Ozark, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on August 5 at 3:25 a.m. Miller was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while license suspended or revoked for DWI, refusal to submit to a chemical test DWI, possession of open container containing alcohol in a moto vehicle, speeding, and careless and prohibited driving.

Melissa Cundiff, 42 of Magazine, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on August 5 at 6:39 p.m. Cundiff was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arresting agency – Franklin County Sheriff’s Office:
Ivan Prentup, 45 of Billings, MT, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 2 at 10:03 a.m. Prentup was charged with failure to comply with conditions of pre-trail release.

Roy Lee Murphy, 60 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 3 at 3:35 p.m. Murphy was charged with two counts of sentence to ADC.

Donna Edwards, 47 of Russellville, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 4 at 11:21 a.m. Edwards was charged with failure to comply with conditions of suspended sentence or probation.

Trudy Ann Pectol, 48 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 4 at 5:44 p.m. Pectol was charged with two counts of failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Agustin Palacios, 26 of Clarksville, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 4 at 7:41 p.m. and released on August 6 at 9:57 p.m. Palacios was charged with failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

Joseph Gaery Lindsey, 36 of Ozark, was booked into the Franklin County Detention Center on August 5 at 4:37 p.m. and released on August 6 at 9:14 a.m. Lindsey was charged with two counts of failure to appear on unclassified misdemeanor (FTA).

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

Tiger Skills And Community Support Shines In Midnight Scrimmage

Adam Hecox

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10:24 pm

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Tiger Skills And Community Support Shines In Midnight Scrimmage

In most cases, a scrimmage is met with little to no enthusiasm from fan bases. There’s no scoreboard, no real opponent, and nothing on the line in a scrimmage so many people chalk it up to a “why bother” mentality. Now chalk up hosting a scrimmage at midnight on a Friday after fans have had a long work week in the scorching Arkansas heat and odds are very few will show up. The Mansfield Tigers are used to beating the odds though and so are the Tiger faithful as a hoard of fans entered the Jungle just before midnight on Friday, August 4^th to catch an early glimpse of the Tigers in action.

Mansfield’s football program has had a lot of changes in the past couple of months. They have seen a new head coach, new defensive coordinator, and unlike last season, Mansfield has twice as many sophomores as they do juniors and seniors combined. With all of the newness and inexperience, speculation as to what the fans would see was at an all-time high. There may have been speculation from some fans, but the Tigers knew what they had all along and showcased it under the bright lights in the dead of the night. With strength and conditioning being one of Coach Overton’s main focuses, Mansfield started off their night in the weight room hyping up each other and racking up maxes before heading to the field.

The scrimmage was set at ten play series for both the first-string and second-string offense against their counterpart defense. The label of first string and second string may sound like one is greater or less than another, but it’s more of a play on words in the scrimmage as multiple players rotated in and out often allowing the coaches to see things from players that might have been missed in practices. The field was set to give the groups 30 yards to score while spotting the ball on downs along the way. The Tigers first string offense scored three times in the first four plays in the scrimmage using both the pass and run game along the way. Not bad for a group of young men learning an entirely new offense in just a couple of months. Although this feat was pulled off against their own teammates, it was still impressive as Mansfield’s second defense isn’t a slouch. After the first ten plays, the squads swapped sides of the ball but the on-field action didn’t skip a beat. The Tigers first-string defense only allowed one score in their ten plays showing that their defensive prowess is still fully intact.

While the Tigers did their job of impressing on the field, the fans definitely pulled their weight impressing the players and coaches as roughly half of the home stands were full of spectators. Not a bad turnout for a midnight scrimmage, not bad at all. The Tigers will have one more scrimmage, but this time it will not be against themselves. The bar will be raised as Mansfield hosts Mena on August 15^th for a final preseason showdown with the 4A Bearcats.

Paris Schools Faculty & Staff Kickoff New School Year with District Meetings

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Resident News Network

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3:22 pm

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Paris Schools Faculty & Staff Kickoff New School Year with District Meetings

PARIS- On a rainy and stormy morning that symbolically represented the transition from summer to fall, members of the Paris school district started their transition from summer to the new school year this morning with a district-wide breakfast. Paris superintendent of schools, Mr. Jim Loyd, welcomed employees back to the district for the new school year, along with new hires to the district. The breakfast was held at the Community Center at First National Bank in Paris.

Several personnel and positions changes have occurred this summer leading into the new school year. Mr. Loyd expressed his enthusiasm and optimism for the new school year that begins on August 14 when the district welcomes its students back to school.

Meetings will continue today and throughout the week as teachers and staff members make final planning and organizational preparations to start classes next week.

Several school districts throughout the River Valley will have similar schedules this week and will also welcome their students back to school on Monday.

RNN will be here for our readers all year to keep you updated on events that occur in the schools throughout the area. On behalf of everyone at RNN, we wish all of the students, teachers, and staff members a great 2023-24 school year!

The PAC 12’s Summer of Demise

Sports

Resident News Network

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2:27 am

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SAN FRANCISCO- Sports historians will look back on the date of August 4, 2023, as the possible day when the Pacific 12 (PAC 12) Conference may have unofficially collapsed. On Friday, Oregon and Washington announced their move to the BIG TEN Conference, joining their former PAC 12 Conference members, USC and UCLA. Just a few weeks earlier, Colorado announced that it was also leaving and moving back to the BIG 12 conference. Arizona has also announced it is leaving for the Big 12.

And if that was not worse enough, Arizona State and Utah announced they were also moving to the BIG 12. That leaves the PAC 12 just a shell of itself with the remaining schools of Stanford, Oregon State, California, and Washington State left to keep the dying conference alive. To make matters worse, some have joked that Stanford might want to seek admission to the Ivy League; after all, geography doesn’t seem to matter anymore looking at the moves of schools to more eastern conferences from the west.

The fire sale of the PAC 12 that has been the summer of 2023 has been caused by a series of bad decisions and lack of vision and willingness to change over the years. Couple all of this with a time zone problem that makes it difficult for the majority of the country to watch PAC 12 sports with a two and three hour time difference between the east and west coasts, and it became all too much for the conference to seek a television contract that would pay its member schools along the same level as the BIG TEN and the SEC.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is going through a similar problem as the PAC 12, but for different reasons. At stake in the conference is competing for the dollar value of television contracts as they attempt to compete with the SEC and the BIG TEN. Member schools are reportedly at odds over the distribution of revenue among schools. Case in point is Florida State who has recently been the most vocal. So vocal, in fact, that the FSU Board of Trustees has openly threatened to leave the ACC if a deal could not be reached. On Friday, FSU announced it has hired J.P. Morgan & Chase Bank to analyze their financial position and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on options that may exist financially to seek membership in another conference. In doing so, ACC television contracts and agreements are in place and if broken, will force FSU or any other member school who seeks to leave the conference pay a big fine for breaking their contract(s).

In a related note, the University of North Carolina announced on Friday that they have no intentions to leave the ACC.

All of this is not new to college athletics. One could argue that it began thirty years ago when Arkansas left the old Southwest Conference (SWC) for the SEC. A wise financial move for the Razorbacks that was envisioned by the late Arkansas athletic director, Frank Broyles, but ultimately led to the demise of the SWC.

If this reporter were to make a guess, the conference realignments are not done, and more may occur over the next year. The conference commissioners appear to be exerting their power and influence to make moves that are in the financial best interests of their schools, and the NCAA appears to be less and less of a factor in the decisions that are being made.

On a final note, the newly adopted expanded football playoff system that increased playoff teams from four to twelve for the national football playoff starting in 2024 also appears to be affected. The new format was predicated on five power conferences, and if the PAC 12 conference folds, there will be only four remaining. So, will another conference be dubbed as a power conference, or will the format be reduced to four power conferences?

Regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen, it should be an interesting year ahead in college athletics. But for now, we may have been watching the demise of the once proud PAC 12 conference before our very eyes this summer.

No. 2 Gianna Clemente and No. 7 Miles Russell Win 47th Junior PGA Championships in Hot Springs on Friday

Sports

Resident News Network

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11:27 pm

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No. 2 Gianna Clemente and No. 7 Miles Russell Win 47th Junior PGA Championships in Hot Springs on Friday

No. 2 Ranked Girls Jr. Golfer Gianna Clemente won the girls division of the 2023 Jr. PGA Championships (RNN Sports Photo / Jim Best)

HOT SPRINGS ー Out of a field that started with 312 of the top juniors in the country, two of the youngest competitors won the 47th Junior PGA Championships at Hot Springs Country Club.

Fifteen-year-old Gianna Clemente won the Girls Division by three strokes after a hard-fought final round while 14-year-old Miles Russell cruised to a seven-shot victory among the Boys.

Clemente, who led after round one and never left the top five all week, finished 9-under 275 after shooting 3-under 68 in the final round to take home the Patty Berg Trophy. “It’s a huge win for me,” said Clemente. “Definitely kind of a rollercoaster day starting off with a double. Not an ideal start. But I just grinded it out all day and tried to make as many birdies as possible. It’s really, really special for sure.”

Clemente entered the day two strokes off the lead and double-bogeyed her opening hole Friday, but the No. 2-ranked junior on the Rolex AJGA Rankings knew there was “a lot of time to make birdies.” The Estero, Florida native’s focus paid off as she carded five birdies the rest of the way, including back-to-back on holes 16 and 17 to secure the win. “I knew it was just the first hole,” said Clemente. “There were 17 holes left. Just kind of tried to focus on the front on getting it back to even, which I did pretty quickly. I knew I could go super low on the back. Just getting it back to even and finally making a birdie to get it to red numbers was really important.”

Russell rode the momentum of his two-day lead, turning in a final round 4-under 67 to finish with a score of 18-under 266 to add his name to the Jack Nicklaus Trophy. It was his second time in the winner’s circle at a national PGA event, having won the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship as part of Team North Carolina in 2022.“It’s what you practice for all year,” said Russell, the No. 7-ranked junior. “[The Junior PGA Championship] is a great tournament and I’m proud to be the winner of it. I hit my irons and wedges pretty darn good and made putts when I needed to.”

The Jacksonville, Florida, native carded four birdies to increase his lead and closed out the day with his third eagle of the championship. It was his second on the 18th hole at the Arlington Course following an eagle to close out day one. “It was totally different [today],” said Russell. “The first day was driver, wood to 15-20 feet and I made the putt. Today, it was a bad drive right with a 5-iron that somehow got around the bunker. I had a buried lie and just kind of chopped at it. It ran on up to the green and hit the flag and went in.”

Three players tied for second in the Girls Division at 6-under 278: No. 4-ranked junior Yana Wilson from Henderson, Nevada (2-under 69); Zixin Ni from Wuhan, China (1-under 70); and Kylie Chong from Torrance, California (5-under 66). Kylee Choi from Murrieta, California, who led the Girls following the second and third rounds, finished in fifth place at 3-under 281.

Chong’s bogey-free 5-under 66 was the low-round of the day across both divisions and continued the 17-year-old’s steady climb up the leaderboard after a tough opening day. “I honestly don’t believe it,” said Chong. “I started off the tournament in 88th place because I shot 4-over the first day. Then the second day, I came back and shot 3-under and moved up 70 places. I kept going up the leaderboard and so I’m really happy I didn’t give up.”

No. 9-ranked junior Billy Davis from Spring Valley, California (3-under 68) and Jackson Byrd from Saint Simons Island, Georgia (4-under 67) tied for second among the Boys at 11-under 273. Kihei Akina from Alpine, Utah was fourth at 9-under 275 ahead of three players tied for fifth at 8-under 276: Will Hartman (Marvin, North Carolina), No. 3-ranked Jay Leng (San Diego, California); and No. 14 Wheaton Ennis (Eagle, Idaho).

In addition to winning the Junior PGA Championships, Clemente and Russell secured their spots on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team, which will travel to play in Rome September 26-28. Play will begin at Golf Nazionale before moving to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club for the final day as the juniors will get to showcase their skills on the same course that will host the Pros when the Ryder Cup begins the following day on September 29.“ I’ve been thinking about it for years,” said Clemente. “I’m pretty sure I put up a piece of paper three years ago that said Ryder Cup on it because I wanted to make the team so bad. I was probably 12 or 13 when I did that. I’ve been looking forward to it forever. It’s super important to me. It’s going to be really fun.

” I can’t wait,” added Russell. “It was a thought a little while ago, but I had to go do something good at Junior PGA [to get there]. It’s an honor to be on that team with some of the top juniors to hang out with and play with. “The other two spots on the U.S. Team were decided by playoffs between the eligible runners-up who were tied in the Girls and Boys divisions. Kylie Chong defeated Yana Wilson to qualify for the second spot for the Girls. “It means everything to me,” said Chong. “It’s one of the reasons why I started golf. It’s such a good opportunity to be representing your country. It just feels so surreal right now, I can’t really believe it.”

Jackson Byrd, the son of five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, birdied his final hole of the championship to force the playoff against Billy Davis, which he won to earn the second spot for the Boys. “That was a goal this year,” said Byrd. “That was my main goal coming into this summer. At my first few events I played awful and didn’t think I had a chance now with two events left: U.S. Junior and Junior PGA. U.S. Junior, you win and you get in and then at the Junior PGA, the top two [get in]. I played really good the first couple days at U.S. Junior and then lost the first round in match play. So to then come here and finish top two is really cool. It’s really awesome.”The final U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Team will be announced by the end of August and include six girls and six boys.

The Junior PGA Championships hold special meaning to PGA Board Member Barry Howard, the General Manager and Director of Golf at Hot Springs Country Club since 2002. He played in the event in 1979, and he was excited to welcome 312 of the top junior golfers and their families to his home state of Arkansas.“It’s really hard to describe,” said an emotional Howard. “Just to be able to host this year is extremely special to me because of how much I love the PGA of America. I think now that it’s over, the membership has realized what it was. I’ve told them all along that they’re not going to believe how big this championship is.”

Howard was instrumental not only in bringing the championships to Hot Springs Country Club, but also with operations leading up to and during the event. He was quick to credit his membership and staff, including Head Golf Professional Philip Holley, PGA, and Assistant Professionals Brice Howard and Jordan Roper, for making it a success. “First, obviously seeing the kids with the smiles on their faces,” Howard said. “How the golf course has stood up. How our staff and everybody stepped up and the members have stepped up with the volunteering. All that is what I’ll remember the most, just how special it was to everybody.”

A PGA Member since 1992, Howard has served Hot Springs Country Club in some capacity since 1990, first as an Assistant Golf Professional before becoming the Head Golf Professional from 1992-2002. “Golf has given me everything I have,” said Howard, a member of the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame. “The PGA of America has meant everything to me because of what it’s done for my life.”

The 48th Jr. PGA Championships will be held in 2024 at the Herndon Centennial Golf Course in Herndon, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. It should be another exciting tournament in the colorful history of the championships that have produced some of the biggest stars on the PGA and LPGA Tours.

RNN Sports would like to thank PGA of America and Miss Chelesa Sandler for her help and accommodations for us at the tournament. Photos from the final round of the tournament may be found on RNN Sports’ “Team Press Pass” page on Facebook.

Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly from PGA of America, Alan Cox.

Timepiece: Parley Pratt

Featured

Tammy Teague

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10:22 pm

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By Dr. Curtis Varnell

Observing a tour bus parked at a small rural cemetery enlivens the curiosity; especially of historians who regularly trace genealogy by visiting such locations. Following up on my inquisitive nature lead to unraveling one of the most intriguing and unusual stories of early Arkansas.

The cemetery contained a large monument and stone dedicated to Parley P Pratt, one of the original twelve apostles of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Being a member of the Quorum meant that Pratt was one of the original founders and followers of Joseph Smith and an equivalent to eventual church leader Brigham Young. So, why was he buried in Alma?

Pratt, born in New York, was an early convert of the LDS church and was involved in several missionary journeys. During that period of time, he became noted as an author and published several books, poems, and pamphlets. He undertook one of the original journeys to establish the faith in Utah and served on the Legislative Council of the Utah Territory.

In 1855, he served as a missionary to San Francisco. While there, he encountered and befriended a young convert by the name of Eleanor McLean. Eleanor was married and had two children. Her husband Hector, described by some as violent and other as just jealous, was opposed to Eleanor joining the Mormon faith. Eventually, Eleanor fled the home and journeyed to the Utah territory to join others of like faith. Her two children were placed in the home of her parents who lived in New Orleans.

By late 1855, Eleanor, although still legally married to Hector, had married Parley Pratt. Pratt practiced polygamy and had eleven other wives and a total of thirty children, a fact that probably inflamed her husband and his friends even more.

In 1857, while Pratt was away on a missionary journey to the East Coast, Eleanor travelled to New Orleans in an attempt to recover her children. The plan was to get the children, meet Parley as he returned from his missionary trip, and return by wagon to Utah.

Hector, discovering her plans, filed criminal charges against Pratt and Eleanor, and chased the two across the Southwest. Pratt was arrested near Fort Gibson by the military while crossing Indian Territory and he was brought to Van Buren for trial. Hector, hot on Pratts trail, was in Van Buren for the trial.

Judge John Ogden listened to the testimony of both Pratt and Eleanor and determined there was lack of evidence for conviction. Pratt was released from jail where he had been placed, perhaps for his own safety since Hector’s plight had enflamed the passion of several locals. Hector was waiting for Pratt’s release. He and several cronies waited until Pratt was out of Van Buren and then gave chase. Hector emptied his gun at Pratt but failed to bring him down. Eventually McLean cornered Pratt in a small groove of trees near Alma. Hector then stabbed Pratt twice in the chest with a bowie knife and shot him with a derringer. Members of the Wynn family witnessed the shooting and attempted to help Pratt but he died two and a half hours later. Even though his wishes were to be buried in Utah, the situation required his internment in the small cemetery near Alma.

The great –grandfather of Massachusetts governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney still remains on the lonely hillside near Alma, Arkansas. The memorial stone with the beautiful poem written by Mr. Pratt describes the daily hopes of each of us:

The Morning Breaks, the Shadow Flee, The Dawning of a Brighter Day, Majestic Rises on the World.

Obituary – Thurman Lee McDaniel Jr. (1958-2023)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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10:17 pm

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Obituary – Thurman Lee McDaniel Jr. (1958-2023)

Thurman Lee McDaniel Jr., better known as Junior, passed from this life, Thursday, August 3, 2023 in Waldron, Arkansas. Junior was born October 7, 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Thurman (Bo) McDaniel Sr. and Wanda (Abbott) McDaniel. He was 64 years old.

Junior grew up in and around the Waldron area. He enjoyed being outdoors, everything from fishing to gardening to tinkering on cars. Anything that took him in the fresh air and sunshine. In his downtime, Junior would spoil his 3 dogs, but what Junior loved most was spending time with his children and grandchildren. Family brought Junior much happiness and filled his heart with joy.

Junior leaves behind to cherish his memory, one daughter, Jillian Franklin and husband Chad of Fayetteville, Arkansas, his mother Wanda McDaniel of Waldron, Arkansas and two sisters: Pamela Mason and husband James of Greenland, Arkansas and Debra Kesterson and husband Keith of Waldron, Arkansas. Papa will forever remain in the hearts of his grandchildren: Heaven McDaniel, Paige Shores, Noah McDaniel, Mathew Franklin and Aveline Franklin. Junior will be missed by all who knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a large extended family and a host of friends and neighbors he loved dearly.

Junior was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy McDaniel, his father Thurman McDaniel and one son, Trenton McDaniel.

Juniors’ memorial celebration of life will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas with Travis May officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.

2A & 3A West Volleyball Preseason Predictions

Networks

Resident News Network

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9:15 pm

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2A & 3A West Volleyball Preseason Predictions

HACKETT- The start of the 2023 high school volleyball season is just around the corner, and it should be another strong year for volleyball in western Arkansas.

In classes 2A and 3A, the Mansfield Lady Tigers and the Hackett Lady Hornets are expected to continue their dominance both within their respective conferences and in the state playoffs for both classifications.

RNN Sports has taken a look at the upcoming seasons in Class 2A & 3A West conferences, and we have made our predictions in this story. Four teams from each conference will advance to the state tournament, and we have made our predictions below for the four teams we believe will make the state tournament from their conferences.

The Mansfield Lady Tigers should be playing for another 2A state championship this year before their move to Class 3A in 2024 (Image Credit: Scorebooklive)

2A WEST

The Mansfield Lady Tigers, winners of the past three state volleyball championships in Class 2A will again be favored to win the 2A West conference. Challenging Mansfield again will be the Lavaca Lady Arrows.

POSSIBLE PLAYOFF TEAMS FROM THE 2A WEST:

Mansfield

Lavaca

Life Way Christian

Thaden

3A WEST

The Hackett Lady Hornets, state finalists from 2022, should make another run deep into the 2023 state playoffs. Challenging Hackett this year could be an upstarting Booneville Lady Bearcats team led by their 2022 sophomore All-State libero, Lilly Downs. According to Booneville coach Bailey Stringer, “It’s very rare that a sophomore comes in and makes All-state in a year because it’s a huge transition going form the ninth grade to playing with 18-year-olds.”

POSSIBLE PLAYOFF TEAMS FROM THE 3A WEST:

Hackett

Booneville

Paris

Charleston

The Paris Lady Eagles have lost experience due to graduation and the transfer of a key senior to Greenwood for 2023. But Lady Eagles coach Josh Hart is happy with the Lady Eagles’ work and progress this summer. Speaking of his team’s progress, Coach Hart said, “We have had a good summer. I feel like we have gotten better with each camp we have played in. In our last camp at Greenwood, we dropped only one match all day.”

The 2023 season will be the last year in the current classification cycle for Hackett in Class 3A. The Lady Hornets will play in 2A in 2024, and Mansfield will move to 3A. Also moving to 3A in 2024 will be the Lavaca Lady Arrows.

All in all, it should be another exciting season of high school volleyball, and RNN Sports will be there to bring you all of the action!

And once again, if you have not already done so, now is a good time to subscribe to the RNN weekly newspapers just before the start of volleyball and football seasons! Just go to residentnewsnetwork.com/subscribe to get your subscription started today! We have print, weekly papers featuring LOCAL sports for west Arkansas, Greenwood, and Logan / Franklin counties!

Thanks for reading RNN Sports, and we will see you at a stadium or gymnasium near you!

COSL announces regional tax auction results

News

Tammy Teague

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12:11 am

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COSL announces regional tax auction results

The recent auction of tax-delinquent properties in Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott and Sebastian counties raised over $1.6 million; the Commissioner of State Lands announced.

The regional auction drew 188 registered bidders, who purchased 85 of 104 parcels for $1,645,154.43. Results were as follows:

Crawford County: 15 parcels offered; 14 parcels sold; $171,402.31 total; $21,097.27 taxes collected

Franklin County: 5 parcels offered; 4 parcels sold; $65,500.00total; $3,712.53 taxes collected

Logan County: 10 parcels offered; 9 parcels sold; $101,309.78total; $5,391.88 taxes collected

Scott County: 27 parcels offered; 26 parcels sold; $419,350.00 total; $20,178.34 taxes collected Sebastian County: 47 parcels offered; 32 parcels sold; $887,592.34 total; $72,096.18 taxes collected

The Land Commissioner’s office is holding regional auctions to offer real estate parcels delinquent since 2018.

“Just a small portion of property certified to our office goes to auction,” Commissioner Tommy Land said. “The vast majority of owners redeem their property by paying the delinquent taxes. Of course, we always prefer that property be redeemed if the owners want to keep it, but it is vital that the parcels return to the county’s active tax rolls.”

The COSL office forwards taxes and interest to the county, whether that money is collected through redemption or sale.

“Last year, this office sent more than $23 million to school districts and county governments,” Land said. “Of that, $1,206,549.03 went to these five counties, helping fund everything from roads to schools.”

Those turnback amounts were:

Crawford County: $341,487.03.

Franklin County: $83,414.80.

Logan County: $74,049.42.

Scott County: $17,616.78.

Sebastian County: $689,981.00.

Auction sales are final.

Unsold parcels may be redeemed online at www.cosl.org, using a credit or debit card, or owners can call 501-324-9422 to request a Petition to Redeem. Redemption does not grant ownership; it simply makes the taxes current.

Parcels that did not sell at the public auction will be available after 30 days and can be purchased through an online auction by viewing the Post-Auction Sales List at www.cosl.org.

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RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK