“Just Roll with It” Serving up Recipes and Humor
Hello everyone!!! Such wonderful weather in the River Valley!! Christmas is over, decorations are put away, and we are on to a new year. I decided to cook dinner for my family on New Year’s Day. The menu was meatloaf, cabbage and smoked sausage, black-eyed peas, fried potatoes, ham, mac and cheese, and for dessert we had coconut cake and peach angel food cake.
The family starts arriving, and keep in mind it is warm on New Year’s Day and I have the air on. Here comes the nephew with a coat on, zipped all the way up under his chin, and a pair of shorts. I say, “Get that coat off—are you crazy?” I’m telling y’all, he does the craziest things.
Then we decided to relive the Nashville trip where we all stopped to go to the bathroom and my nephew decided to flush the toilet with his foot. His foot slipped and he ended up tearing the whole seat off the toilet. You could hear all the noise coming from that bathroom—we thought someone was in a fight. We laughed and laughed over that. He didn’t want to touch that toilet and ended up having to fix it.
The rest of this is about me. Most of y’all know me, and I look like a woman most of the time. Sometimes I have a mustache and partial beard. Ha ha!! The first time I went to Cane’s Chicken was in Fayetteville, and there was a group of us women that went. They always ask your name, and a few of us women were standing there close to the counter waiting on our food. The young man working looks right at me and yells, “David!” None of us say a word, so he looks at me again and says, “Are you David?” I’m thinking, for real? I respond, “No, I am not David, I am Sheri.” He acted like I was lying.
The kids and I went to Cane’s in Fort Smith—we love it—and ordered our food and got my senior citizen discount. The young man says, “Can I get your name?” I respond and say, “Sheri.” He says, “Cherry?” I repeat, “Sheri.” He says, “Cherry?” again. I said, “Sheri.” It took about four tries for him to get my name right. I might as well wear a sign on my back that says, “Kick me!”
I’m telling y’all, we have crazy stuff happening to us all the time. But life would be so boring if something wild and crazy wasn’t going on. Y’all have a nice week and hug your loved ones.
Butterfinger Poke Cake
1 yellow cake mix (you can also use devil’s food or chocolate)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping (around 12 ounces or so)
8 ounces of Cool Whip
4 full-size Butterfinger candy bars (crushed)
Mix cake according to box directions and bake in a 9×13 pan. While the cake is baking, mix the sweetened condensed milk and caramel ice cream topping together. When the cake is done and still hot, poke holes in the top and pour the milk mixture over the cake. Allow to cool completely.
Sprinkle two of the crushed candy bars over the cake. Spread the Cool Whip on top and sprinkle the remaining crushed candy bars over that. Keep in the refrigerator.
Yummy! And if you want to use another candy bar, just go right ahead.
State Capitol Week in Review from Senator Terry Rice
LITTLE ROCK – Most laws from the regular 2025 legislative session become effective 90 days after the Legislature adjourns sine die, some include language that make them effective on a certain date, and some officially became law on January 1st.
One of the most impactful new laws is Act 1008, the removal of 0.125% sales tax on groceries. This removes language regarding the tax from state laws; however, local sales taxes will remain unchanged.
Another law, Act 631 allows for those using SNAP benefits to meet work requirements by volunteering at any public entity that receives state funding.
Act 708 changes an unemployment benefits law that requires a person receiving benefits to report at least five work search contacts weekly and the state job board should match open jobs with those on benefits.
Legislators also passed, Act 427, the Strengthen Arkansas Homes Program. This allows state officials to provide financial grants to certain property owners and nonprofit organizations to assist with and promote the mitigation of losses to insurable dwellings due to catastrophic wind events.
Act 875 increases the disability onset age to 46 years old instead of 26 years of age. This means that if the disability occurred before that age, they can be eligible for the Achieving a Better Life Experience Program. That program allows individuals to create a “tax-advantaged savings account” to cover qualified expenses.
Act 748 allows for a law enforcement agency that trains an officer to seek reimbursement from each law enforcement agency that subsequently employs the law enforcement officer within 24 months after the completion of the training.
Act 880 allows for property owned by a trust or limited liability company to qualify as a homestead for purposes of the property tax exemption for disabled veterans and surviving spouses and minor dependent children of disabled veterans in certain circumstances.
Another new law creates an income tax credit to encourage corporations to relocate their headquarters to Arkansas. Act 881 allows for a corporation that relocates with an income tax credit of up to 50% of the payroll for new full-time permanent employees. The corporation would have to meet certain requirements to be eligible. The director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission may also offer a tax credit of up to 10% to the company.
Several new changes to healthcare laws will also be effective January 1, 2026, including:
Act 866 mandates coverage for baby deliveries in a licensed birthing center under a health benefit plan.
Another law, Act 424, mandates coverage for all modalities, types, and techniques of healthcare services provided for breast reconstruction surgeries.
Legislators approved Act 628, which mandates coverage for treatment of diseases and conditions caused by severe obesity under a health benefit plan on and after January 1, 2026, and establishes requirements for a covered person to qualify for coverage. The law applies to those 18 years old or older.
CWD-positive deer found in Grant, Sevier counties
by Randy Zellers
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Tuesday confirmed that white-tailed deer from Grant and Sevier counties have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
Two hunter-harvested deer from Grant County were identified by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory through the AGFC’s free CWD surveillance network and were confirmed positive for the disease after a more thorough test was performed by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison last week.
One of these deer, a 2½-year-old buck, was taken southwest of Sheridan. The second deer, a 3½-year-old buck, was killed by a hunter near Grapevine. Both were taken during the modern gun portion of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.
One hunter-harvested 4½-year-old buck tested positive in Sevier County. The deer was taken on the north side of De Queen Lake in De Queen Lake WMA, about 4 miles from the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line.
These are the first cases of CWD in Grant and Sevier counties, and the source of these infections is unknown. The nearest known positive case in Arkansas to these new cases is more than 80 miles away.
According to AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, 470 CWD samples were submitted in Grant County before these first positive cases, and 403 CWD samples were submitted in Sevier County before its first positive case.
According to Cory Gray, chief of the AGFC’s Research Division, all hunters who harvested these CWD-positive deer have been notified, and arrangements are being made to dispose of the meat.
“We are stepping up surveillance efforts in these two counties and are asking for hunters’ help by submitting any harvested deer in these areas to one of our CWD testing locations,” Gray said. “In keeping with the AGFC’s CWD Management and Response Plan, we will not change any regulations regarding these findings before the end of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.”
AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock says the agency will evaluate the need for any expansion of the CWD Management Zone and regulations concerning deer hunting during the hunting regulations-setting process once the season is over.
“The best way hunters can help is to get their deer tested for CWD each time they are successful in the woods,” Schoenrock said. “It’s 100 percent voluntary and 100 percent free. You just bring the animal’s head to one of our testing locations with about 6 inches of neck still attached and follow the instructions to label and bag it before placing it in the cooler. That’s it. We’re committed to getting in touch with any hunter whose deer tests positive for the disease and we can make arrangements to dispose of the meat for you.”
A list of CWD-testing facilities is available at www.agfc.com/hunting/deer/
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, caribou and moose. It was first detected in Arkansas Feb. 23, 2016. Since the first detection, AGFC has tested more than 68,293 deer and elk from across the state. To date, 2,218 deer and 60 elk have tested positive for the disease in Arkansas.
Research indicates that CWD is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion that is transmitted through feces, urine and saliva. Prions can survive for years in soil and plants. CWD can have an incubation period of at least 16 months, which means infected animals may not show immediate signs of disease. CWD prions accumulate throughout the body and affect an animal’s nervous system. The diseased prions cause normal cellular proteins to misfold into abnormal shapes, which accumulate until neural cells cease to function. Infected animals begin to lose weight, lose their appetite and develop an insatiable thirst. They may separate from their herds, walk in repetitive patterns, carry their head low, salivate, urinate frequently and grind their teeth. Research conducted in Arkansas has demonstrated that CWD can have a negative impact on white-tailed deer populations in areas with high disease prevalence.
Visit www.agfc.com/cwd for more information.
Mansfield Town Hall Draws Citizens, Fire Department, City Leaders for Two-Hour Discussion on Training, Equipment, and Accountability
Concerned citizens and Mansfield Fire Department volunteers joined Mayor Buddy Black, the city attorney, and a majority of the Mansfield City Council for a town hall meeting Thursday evening at Mansfield City Hall. The meeting began at 6 p.m. and lasted approximately two hours.
Mayor Black opened the meeting by stating the purpose was to address recent social media posts concerning the Mansfield Fire Department and to allow citizens the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns. He specifically addressed criticism regarding a responder unit being parked at a first responder’s residence, stating that he had personally granted permission for the arrangement.
Following an opening prayer, Mayor Black outlined the rules for public comment, limiting speakers to two minutes and requiring them to state their name and place of residence.
The first speaker was Hunter Pyles, a current Paris resident and Mansfield native. Pyles said his concerns stemmed from the fact that much of his family and many friends still reside in Mansfield. He posed several questions to city leadership.
The first question referred to the number of active fire fighters. Pyles asked why of 12, that only two were current on their AFTA-certified training. “Why are the minimum state standards of 16 hours of training not being consistently met?”
The second question related to active, AFTA certified trained members and funding. “Why are we filing for state grant money through Act 833 stating that we are meeting standards when we are not?”
Fire Chief Jesse Keeth was not present due to illness but was reached by phone. Keeth stated he was unsure about the certifications and would need to review the records.
Huntington Fire Chief and Nationally Registered EMT Duane Logsdon was present and addressed a correction related to a previously published Resident News article regarding an “ambulance” at a football game.
In the January 7, 2026, article, a quote stated that “Allen questioned why the nearby onsite first-response unit, located across the street, did not respond during the medical emergency on November 28.” Logsdon clarified that the vehicle referenced was an air truck, not a first-response unit. He explained that the air truck is used exclusively to refill SCBA tanks and to provide a warm, dry shelter for injured players, and that it is not equipped or staffed to respond to medical emergencies.
Logsdon also explained that Act 833 funding is not a grant. Pyles responded that there are still requirements tied to the funding. During discussion, Pyles stated the requirement is six firefighters with a minimum of 16 hours of training, while Logsdon said he believed the requirement to be 12 hours.
Adam Hecox addressed the council, expressing concern that neither the mayor nor council members had readily available documentation related to the issues citizens came to hear about. He also raised concerns about city conditions, including odors and what he described as a “dying downtown.”
Bobby Musgrove spoke about his years of service with the volunteer fire department. Steven Moore spoke emotionally about the night his father passed away, describing performing CPR for 27 minutes.
“If my daughter went down on the sidelines and your EMT stayed in the ambulance and didn’t get out to perform chest compressions,” Moore said, “then he does not need to be in that ambulance. EMTs and firefighters — why would you not come help?”
Kevin Jones, a paramedic firefighter, stated the department’s primary issue was not funding, but manpower. “We need volunteers — people willing to complete 30 hours of training per year, and at least 15 hours for EMR,” Jones said.
Jovaughn Ross also directed questions to the fire chief. Pyles later asked Mayor Black whether anything could be done about expired SCBA equipment. Black responded that the city could apply for grants, noting that grant season was approaching.
Mansfield firefighter David Thomas questioned Pyles directly, prompting Pyles to ask Thomas about his own certifications. Thomas said he had completed a water shuttle class and a ropes class. Pyles then questioned whether the city was in violation of his FOIA request if those training certificates had not been provided.
City Attorney Travis Plummer questioned Pyles about his profession and asked whether he was familiar with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. Pyles responded affirmatively. Plummer asked, “What is the point of all of this?” Pyles replied, “I just want better training. That is my whole goal. I’m not here to shame anybody. We have a lack of training, but we can do better.”
Councilwoman Julie Thomas encouraged residents to reach out to council members directly, stating that citizens can contact council members, or attend meetings if they have genuine concerns. Firefighter David Thomas later asked for mutual cooperation with Pyles regarding future training efforts, to which Pyles agreed.
Mayor Black addressed concerns regarding photos of a rescue unit parked at a church. He explained that the ambulance had been on a call earlier that evening and that responder John Cochran attended church nearby. “He does not drive the rig to personal places,” Black said.
Ivanna Ross expressed appreciation for the volunteer fire department but criticized the tone of the city’s response to citizen concerns. “When citizens express concerns, it creates apprehension to speak up,” she said. “This was mishandled, but it educated a lot of people.”
Mayor Black stated that housing the rescue unit at a private residence is allowed as long as it remains within city limits and helps shorten response times.
Jeremy Pennington, who lives near Cochran’s residence, raised concerns about the vehicle being stored outdoors, citing potential risks such as theft, damage, and animals. Firefighter David Thomas responded that the time saved is critical. Pennington disputed claims that the unit is always returned to the station when Cochran leaves town.
Cochran addressed the concerns, stating that while he is not on duty 24/7, he carries his response gear with him at all times and often responds using his personal vehicle and fuel. “The year before, I spent over $2,000 of my own money on gas responding to calls,” Cochran said.
Billy Coplin, Cochran’s neighbor, stated that the rescue unit is monitored by multiple cameras. Dylan Thomas spoke in defense of the department, encouraging citizens to assist through volunteering or donations and expressing support for the fire chief’s efforts to implement changes.
Before adjourning the meeting, Mayor Black praised Cochran’s dedication, stating that the department responded to 333 medical calls last year and that Cochran missed very few.
Dana Adkins, wife of Northwest Scott Fire Chief Donnie Adkins, spoke about the strong relationship and mutual aid between departments. Danielle Woodard, Hartford city recorder and Mansfield firefighter, addressed questions regarding fire dues.
With no further comments or questions, the town hall meeting was adjourned.
Timekeeper: Migrant Life
The ’56 Ford pickup was our rolling home. Light blue and shiny, my father had constructed a frame covered by tarpaulin over the bed of the truck and my younger sister, brother, and I traveled in comfort on the mattress on the floor.
In the early spring, we departed from our home near Scranton, Arkansas. My dad had picked up odd jobs working at the saw mill owned by his uncle or working at the rock quarry pulling and cutting sandstone rock. Both were similar in that they were sporadic, hard labor, and offered poor pay of less than fifty dollars per week. Better salary awaited in Lonoke County working in the cotton fields but it meant finding a new home, going to a new school, and long hours plowing and preparing the fields for the cotton crop.
Dad had experience. From an early age, my grandfather had made the same circuit; traveling to the delta to work the cotton fields and uprooting his large family of boys to accompany him. The first few years, a flat-bed truck owned by the farm manager came to New Blaine and picked up willing workers and drove them to England AR. to work as field hands. One year, my grandfather took, not only his family, but his jersey cow who had just had a calf. Not wanting to leave the source of milk and butter, the cow was pulled upon the bed of the truck, tied down, and journeyed several hours east. They must have presented quite the spectacle as they passed through Little Rock with ten boys, my grandparents, their earthly belongings and a lone Jersey cow. A row house on the large farm awaited them when they arrived. My father was a good driver and could lay out a straight row with the tractor so he was given the job of plowing. Rows of cotton, some stretching out a distance of a half mile or more, were planted in the spring, hoed and weeded during the summer, and picked during the fall.
All was not work and toil. On the weekends, my dad was given the responsibility of taking the cotton wagon loaded with workers into town to spend the day visiting, buying groceries, or perhaps watching a movie. One year, my grandfather bought a section of sheet iron each week. When the harvest was over, the sheet metal was loaded back on the truck for the reverse trip home and the sheet metal used to roof the house and cover the old shingles that no longer prevented leaks.
This year was different. My dad plowed the fields, I started school in England, AR., but as summer arrived, posters started appearing around town. Good paying jobs were available at Del Monte’s canneries in Rochelle, Illinois. The pay was good and one could work lots of overtime when the harvest came in. My dad and several of his brothers were ready for something new so off we traveled, each brother with their family and vehicle following each other like the wagon trains of the past. With limited funds, there were no restaurants or hotels. In fact, the first hotel I ever spent the night in occurred years later when employed as a teacher and sent to a conference. Meals were sandwiches and soft drinks at road-side parks with the rest stops also serving as places to rest and sleep.
Arriving in Rochelle, all three of the men and two of the wives were immediately hired. My youngest aunt was the baby-sitter for the entire group. Getting a job before finding a home, we spent a couple nights in the park until one home was rented. All three families stayed in it until
two more homes opened up at the cannery row houses. Called Peter’s camp, camp was a pretty good description of the homes available. Clumped close together, poor migrants learned to function as a community and to work together.
For the next several years that was the cycle of life. Start to school in Paris, Arkansas, journey to England, Arkansas and a new school in the spring, and then spend part of the school year in Illinois. By the second year, we found a home in a nearby rural area of Flag Center, Illinois and Glenda and I went to a two-room, two teacher school that taught first through eighth grade. Later, the brothers found work in Garden City, Kansas which added another stop, another school, and new experience to our life.
Eventually, my father found his calling and was a very successful car salesman as were several of his brothers. My siblings and I became a part of the Midway community and the Paris schools where I found teachers that, not only taught me subject matter, but also cared enough about us to assist in developing each of us into the person we became. Two doctorate degrees, a registered nurse, a successful businessman, and a beautician came from that family of migrant kids. Ask me why I can identify and teach kids from migrant and poor background- I was one of them! Ask me why I teach, look at the teachers and friends that shaped my life and tell me what better calling a person could have!
Rain Needed on the Landscape
The weather forecast calls for some rainfall, but it won’t come close to what is probably needed to give waterfowl the best conditions on the Arkansas Delta. That big, 6- to 8-inch deluge that typically arrives in late winter in recent years to finally drench the landscape and give the waterfowl a lot more options has yet to show up in 2025-26.
Trey Reid, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s host of “Arkansas Wildlife TV” and the voice on a variety of weekly radio and TV appearances for the agency, said Wednesday morning on an appearance on KABZ-FM, 103.7 “The Buzz” that there are ducks being harvested, but there just isn’t enough water around to spread the ducks out and make it a good harvest all over. Ducks have been concentrated in pockets in the Delta, as was evident to the AGFC’s aerial survey crew of biologists for the December estimate of the state, which wasn’t completed until Dec. 23 due to weather and equipment issues.
Central Arkansas may see less than a half-inch of rainfall over the two days, according to the National Weather Service. Of course, amounts could vary from the north end of the Delta to the south.
There are anecdotal signs of hunting success, just by checking out social media. And one telltale sign that hunters are enjoying some success, at least on a scale better than last year, is the lack of complaining we’re seeing on social media these days about the hunting. Actually, there seems to be a lot of quiet on the prairie these days.
Migration maps that indicate waterfowl observations based on biologist reports and other data showed a strong amount of ducks counted and/or estimated in eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River, which falls in line with the aerial survey results that were released last week by Brett Leach, the AGFC’s waterfowl program coordinator.
Speaking of surveys, Leach and other agency waterfowl biologists were scheduled to fly this week for the annual mid-winter waterfowl survey. Those results could be available later next week, though any flying still needed this week might have to wait if the weather turns bad on Thursday and Friday.
The late December estimate of mallards in the Delta by the aerial count was nearly 500,000 birds, a big jump over the December 2024 estimate. January’s midwinter survey is when the mallard numbers typically peak in Arkansas. Leach noted in his report, published last week, that birds were clumped in areas around limited water sources, and that this introduced greater uncertainty into the estimate.
Four areas contained the most significant number of mallards seen: the Bayou Meto-Lower Arkansas River, Big Creek in eastern Arkansas, the Cache River and the L’Anguille River areas. These survey zones accounted for 79 percent of the Arkansas Delta mallard estimate and 76 percent of the total duck estimate. Also, the Black River-Upper White River survey area had a relatively high total duck estimate of 106,953 birds. And, most notably, the Big Creek zone in eastern Arkansas had 429,157 total ducks, which made up 29 percent of the total duck estimate.
Total ducks in the Delta were 1.4 million. Arctic geese were estimated at more than 2 million.
This is all within a region classified as in moderate to severe drought. Observed rainfall totals in November and December were about 62 percent below normal in central Arkansas, and it’s still dry a week into January.
To see the latest survey and the maps of duck distribution around the state, click HERE.
