FAYETTEVILLE- Game one of the NCAA Softball Tournament Fayetteville Regional is in a rain delay. Notre Dame and Oregon are delayed in the bottom of the fourth inning with Oregon batting with two outs. Notre Dame trails Oregon 5-1 due to a five-run Oregon half of the second inning.
Arkansas was scheduled to play Harvard at 6:30 p.m. local time, and that game’s start time will be pushed back to a time to be determined later.
Stay with RNN Sports for the latest updates as they become available.
“You are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey”
Kason Andrew Jacob Dedmon was born with GRIN1 disorder, among other things. Despite his difficulties, Kason was often seen with the biggest smile. His mother shared she sang “You are my sunshine” to him often.
And a ray of sunshine he was in the life of his parents, and the lives of everyone who knew him- because of that big grin of his. Kason passed from this life and on to the arms of Jesus on August 22, 2022.
In memory of the sweet life Kason lived his parents, Kimberlee and Keith Allen Dedmon, set up a memorial scholarship “Kason’s Big GRIN Memorial Scholarship”. The scholarship is open to high school seniors from Mansfield and Waldron high schools who are going into the medical field, but any senior is welcome to apply. Seniors must also have a 3.0 GPA.
The 2023 recipients were Serenity Chick from Mansfield and Payton “Petey” Justice, each received a $500 scholarship.
Kimberlee says she would love to be able to give more scholarships, and has events planned to make that possible. Anyone wishing to donate and continue spreading the sunshine Kason brought can do so in person or by mail at Today’s Bank P.O. Box 387 Mansfield, AR 72944.
Since its first observation in May 1868, we as a nation have taken a moment each year to remember the men and women who have served our country and who died in the line of duty while serving in the military. And as we think about everything that has changed throughout our lives, this year’s Memorial Day holiday takes on an increased significance.
Memorial Day will be celebrated in 2023 on May 29. For many, it is a day off work, a day with family, a day to go out, shop, etc. If we took an informal poll of how many of us actually take a moment to reflect on those who have given their lives to protect our great nation, well, it would probably be very upsetting to a lot of us.
Originally known as “Decoration Day”, the current Memorial Day designation wasn’t formalized by Congress until 1971. The Memorial Day holiday joined Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day among the federal holidays that recognized the service and sacrifice of current and past service members.
As a writer, I would argue that everyday should be a day of remembrance. And when you think of the current state of worldwide affairs and the current state of our nation, the service of military members in the protection of our nation may be on the precipitous of imminent need. Combat readiness, cyber security, international trade security, and the protection of the mainland all seem to be issues on the horizon in our current state of affairs.
It is rare that I inject my opinions into my writing. In fact, as a sports director, writer, and photojournalist, I enjoy covering positive things that young people do every day in the sports world. But as both a citizen and a writer, I cannot help but to express my concern of the current state of our nation and the younger generation’s view of military service.
As a matter of full disclosure, I never served in the military. It is something I am not proud of, but the fact remains that my age fell in a time when the draft had ended for the war in Vietnam, and our nation was not at war when I graduated from high school and entered college. I have family members who proudly served in the military, and I have revered their service. And for the many young people that I have known as a school administrator who made the choice, and for those today who continue to make the choice to serve, I extend my utmost respect and appreciation to all of them.
But when I see reports on national media that our younger generation purportedly values their social media access more than service to the military, or they are not proud of our nation and would not defend her, then it concerns me.
That is all that I am going to say on that topic, but suffice it to say, the Memorial Day holiday is an opportunity to reflect on where we are as a nation, and where we will go.
And let us not forget the ultimate sacrifices that so many men and women over the past and current generations have and are making for the protection of our country. For them, I extend my most heartfelt love and appreciation to them all. Thank God for their service. Because of them, all of us have the protected right to express our opinions.
Thank you for your service, and on behalf of RNN, I wish all of you a very happy and safe Memorial Day holiday weekend.
In one of the most special occasions of the school year, Paris Elementary School conducted its annual kindergarten graduation ceremony last week. In a symbolic gesture of students transitioning to the first grade and the formal start of their educations, a large crowd of parents, family, and friends watched the kindergarteners receive their diplomas.
In a touching tribute, Mrs. Tiffany Parker, mother of Eden Parker, who passed away this school year, accepted her daughter’s diploma posthumously. It was an emotional moment in the ceremony, and the large Paris Gymnasium crowd gave her a standing ovation.
At ceremony’s end, 75 students received their diplomas and will now move on to the first grade in the fall. It was a night that celebrated the hopes and dreams of young people who have their lives ahead of them.
Congratulations to the 2023 Class of kindergarten graduates…. next stop…. high school graduation in 2035!
By Sheri Hopkins, Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! Hope all the mothers had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I enjoyed the day with my son Jacob, my E’s, my brother and his wife. We had a good dinner and fellowship. I got a text from my daughter, daughter-in-law, Jimmy and Jessica. Jacob text me also, but I told him Buff Jimmy beat him to it. I love picking on Jacob. Then he has the nerve to tell me he wants a motorcycle. Noooooo, over my dead body. When I die, I guess he can get one on my dime and I won’t know anything about it. Thank the Lord for his sweet wife, she told him no! He loves to get me all worked up. So thankful for my children and grandchildren.
All this rain we have been having brought back a falling memory I had. It was about this time of year and late one night I decided to take some trash to the dumpster and the ground was wet. I stepped off the driveway onto the dirt and that’s the last I remember. I must have hit my head, I was covered in mud, the neighbor’s cat was nuzzling me and now I had to try to figure out how to get up. I was flat of my back. I guess I hit my head on the concrete driveway when I fell. I know Mansfield thought they felt a tremor from an earthquake, but it was just me. I was like a turtle on its back. I finally wallered around till I got up. Walked back to the house covered in mud and had to shower and clean up. That’s just one of many. One time there was a big snow on the ground and when that happened Janie Graves would work in Mansfield instead of Waldron. When we got off work, Glenda Hurt and Meagan Clark picked us up in a four-wheel drive pickup to take us home. They get to my house and I get out of truck to walk to the house and down I go. I could hear them talking and saying, “where’s Sheri?” “Where did she go?” They all got out of the truck to find me underneath the truck where I slid. It took all three of them to get me up and mobile. I can laugh now but at the time it’s not too funny. Some of my friends like to make jokes like Curtis and ask me if I’m using a walker or a cane. If I used a cane, I’d be too tempted to whack someone with it. Just kidding, not really, I probably would.
This week’s recipe is lemon cobbler. I feel about cobbler the same way I do about dump cakes. I love, love them.
LEMON COBBLER
1 stick butter (if you use real butter it just tastes better)
1 cup flour all-purpose
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
21 oz. can of lemon pie filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the stick of butter in a 9×9 baking dish and place in the oven till melted. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Pour the buttermilk, vanilla extract and lemon extract and whisk just until combined. Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter, do not stir. Spoon the lemon pie filing over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown. Ovens vary so keep an eye on this, you don’t want it to get too brown. You may have to lower the time. Serve with some vanilla ice cream or whip cream and enjoy. Have a blessed week and remember kindness is one thing you can’t give away; it always comes back.
FAYETTEVILLE- The Arkansas Razorbacks softball program will again host the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The Fayetteville regional will start at 5 p.m. and will continue through Sunday.
The schedule for the Fayetteville regional is as follows (all times are Eastern time):
Friday, May 19
GAME 1: Notre Dame vs Oregon, 5 p.m. (ESPN 2)
GAME 2: Arkansas vs Harvard, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Tournament is double elimination, and the losers on Friday will play on Saturday to stay alive in the tournament.
Saturday, May 20
GAME 3: Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
GAME 4: Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
GAME 5: Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 3, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
Sunday, May 21
GAME 6: Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 5, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
GAME 7 (If Necessary): Rematch of Game 6, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
NASHVILLE, TN– No. 2 Arkansas (39-13, 20-8 SEC) put up a four-spot in the top half of the first inning and never looked back, sinking No. 12 Vanderbilt (35-17, 17-11 SEC), 8-2, on Thursday night at Hawkins Field.
With the win, Arkansas moved one step closer to clinching an SEC regular-season championship. The Razorbacks can secure at least a share of the title tomorrow with a win against the Commodores or if Florida loses at Kentucky.
The Razorbacks also earned their 20th SEC win of the season on Thursday night. It marks just the fourth time that Arkansas has won 20 or more SEC games since 1992, the team’s first season competing in the SEC.
All nine Arkansas batters came to the plate in the top of the first inning as the Hogs tagged Commodore starter Patrick Reilly for four runs on one hit, four walks, one hit batsman and two errors in the frame. A pair of runs scored on a two-out error by Vanderbilt second baseman RJ Austin before Brady Slavens’ massive two-out, two-run shot to right.
Slavens’ blast, his ninth of the season and 39th of his Razorback career, gave Arkansas a comfortable 4-0 cushion in the first inning. The ball traveled 398 feet and left Slavens’ bat at 105 miles per hour, clearing the right field wall in a hurry.
Caleb Cali’s two-out RBI single in the second extended Arkansas’ lead to 5-0. Peyton Holt’s two-out single in the fourth brought home two more runs as the Hogs took advantage of one of Vanderbilt’s four errors to open a 7-0 edge.
On the mound, starter Hagen Smith made the most of the early run support. The left-hander, who improved to 8-1 with the win, spun five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts before turning the ball over to Will McEntire.
The veteran righty took over in the bottom of the sixth with a 7-2 lead to protect and did exactly that. McEntire struck out six over four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit in a dominant relief effort to earn his second save of the season.
Arkansas’ eighth and final run of the ballgame came via a two-out wild pitch in the top of the seventh, which allowed Holt to scamper home from third. Six of the Razorbacks’ eight runs in Thursday night’s win were scored with two outs.
Holt finished with a team-leading three hits, recording his second three-hit game of the season. Cali and Slavens each drove in a team-leading two runs, while Jared Wegner played in his first game since April 14 and scored two runs.
Right-hander Brady Tygart will get the start on the mound tomorrow as the Hogs look to clinch both a series win as well as their fourth regular-season conference championship in history. First pitch is 7 p.m. Friday, May 19, on SEC Network.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
– ArkansasRazorbacks.com || On Twitter @ArkRazorbacks || Facebook.com/ArkansasRazorbacks
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Oliver Grigg.
By Brandy Young
The “Flame of Hope” made its way across Logan County on Wednesday, May 17. The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Arkansas is a four-day relay that covers more than 1200 miles and includes over 700 runners, eventually bringing the flame to the Opening Ceremonies of the Sumer Games on May 18. It is the largest awareness vehicle for Special Olympics, and Logan County Chief Deputy and Magazine Mayor Josh Scott is proud to spearhead this event.
“The main goal is to raise awareness for our athletes in Logan County,” said Scott, who was instrumental in bringing the run to the area. Magazine, Booneville, and Paris Police Departments and the Logan County Sherriff’s Office participated in the Torch Run this year, and Scott hopes to grow the event to include the Arkansas State Police and the Arkansas Game and Fish Wildlife Officers in the future.
This year’s Logan County Torch Run was kicked-off by the staff and clients of the Booneville Human Development Center and continued in the City of Magazine, Mount Magazine State Park, and the City of Paris. At each location, crowds cheered on the participants to show their support for the athletes and officers.
The Special Olympics Arkansas Summer Games are held each year at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. The event brings together over 2,000 athletes and 500 coaches from across the state. The Summer Games features competition in athletics, bocce, flag football, powerlifting, swimming and team softball. Every race, every game, and every competition held at the Summer Games represents many weeks of training, preparation and dedication by the athletes, coaches, and volunteers.
This year’s Summer Games take place on May 19-20 following the Opening Ceremonies on May 18. Good luck to all of the athletes!
Arresting agency – Greenwood Police Department:
Sherry Lea Adams of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 12 at 9:15 a.m. and remains at the SCADC. Adams was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Misdemeanor, and Driving While Intoxicated 3rd offense.
Ricky Steven Gaines of Van Buren was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 9 at 12:23 a.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 9 at 9:12 a.m. Gaines was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Minor in the Second Degree, and Driving While Intoxicated 1st Offense.
Kent Gustin of Fort Smith was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 13 at 9:04 p.m. and remains at the SCADC as a parole hold with charges. Gustin was charged with Parole Violation,
Kent Gustin of Fort Smith was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 13 at 9:04 p.m. and remains at the SCADC as a parole hold with charges. Gustin was charged with Parole Violation, Absconding, Possession of Controlled Substance – Schedule VI Misdemeanor <4oz., and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Ingest Meth/Cocaine.
Kenneth Wayne Slusher of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 8 at 12:57 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 12 at 11:22 p.m. Slusher was charged with Failure to Appear – Class A Misdemeanor, and failure to Appear – Class C Misdemeanor.
Ivy Lakota Smith of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 8 at 1 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Smith was charged with two counts of Failure to Appear – Class C Felony.
Arresting agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office:
Courtney Wanda Bridges of Paris was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 12 at 2:56 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 12 at 4:32 p.m. Bridges was charged with Theft of Property <$1k.
Scottie Don Graham of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 9 at 12:26 a.m. and remains at the SCADC. Graham was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 2nd offense.
Zachary Troy Mason of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 8 at 11:18 a.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 11 at 8:37 p.m. Mason was charged with Failure to Appear – Class C Felony.
Justen Robert Reynolds of Lavaca was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 9 at 2:56 p.m. and released on May 9 at 8:37 p.m. Reynolds was charged with Petition to Show Cause.
Deborah Jean Penix of Lavaca was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 10 at 2:33 p.m. and remains at the SCADC as an ADC commitment hold.
Brandon Stone of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 11 at 4:06 p.m. and remains at the SCADC without bond. Stone was charged as an ADC commitment hold.
Johnnie Lee Witt of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 17 at 9:55 a.m. and is scheduled to be released May 19 at 9:40 a.m. Witt was charged with Contempt-willful disobedience (Failure to Pay Fine).
Arresting agency – Fort Smith Police Department:
Thomas Robert Capo of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 11 at 10:42 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 16 at 8:30 p.m. Capo was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance – Schedule I/II 2-28g Felony, and Possession Drug Paraphernalia – Felony.
Daniel John Qualls of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 13 at 1:46 a.m. and released on signature bond May 13 at 12:19 p.m. Qualls was charged with Public Intoxication – Danger to self or others.
Bradley Scott Willbanks of Booneville was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 10 at 2:53 p.m. and released to an outside agency on May 10 at 11:54 a.m. Willbanks was charged with Assist Outside Agency-Felony, Assist Outside Agency-Misd., and Public Intoxication – Danger to self or others.
Arresting agency – Hackett Police Department:
Cassie Marie Chancellor of Ozark was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 11 at 8:24 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 12 at 4:37 p.m. Chancellor was charged with Possession Drug Paraphernalia – Felony, and Possession of Cocaine <2g.
Arresting agency – Arkansas State Police Troop H:
Caylee Garner of Subiaco was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 7 at 2:27 a.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 7 at 4:49 a.m. Garner was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 2nd offense, and Improper Lane Change/Usage/Left of Center.
Arresting agency – Bonanza Police Department:
Staci Leann Neu of Bonanza was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 12 at 1:32 p.m. and released on legally sufficient bond May 13 at 1:27 p.m. Neu was charged with Failure to Appear – Class C Felony.
Arresting agency – Barling Police Department:
Matthew Ryan Romero of Magazine was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on May 12 at 9:03 p.m. and released to an outside agency on May 14 at 7:09 a.m. Romero was charged with Assist Outside Agency-Misd.
Arresting agency – Logan County Sheriff’s Office:
April Page, 28 of Joshua, TX, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on May 10 at 5:38 p.m. Page was charged with failure to appear.
Zachary Hatton, 31 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on May 11 at 9:08 p.m. Hatton was charged with failure to appear and failure to pay.
Ryder Wheat, 33 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on May 12 at 2:20 p.m. Wheat was charged with body attachment.
Peggy Goudy, 44 of Booneville, was booked into the Logan County Detention Center on May 13 at 8:02 p.m. Goudy was charged with failure to pay.
**The charges against those arrested are allegations and the cases are still pending in the courts.**
The 2022 season was a historic season for the Charleston Tigers football program that Tigers fans will never forget. A large and talented senior class led the Tigers to just a few points shy of going undefeated, annihilated everyone in their path in the state playoffs on their way to the state title.
But as fun as that was, 2022 is over, and for head football coach Ricky May and his staff, the rebuilding process started in mid-December and continues now into spring football practice.
The heavy graduation of the seniors on last season’s team have left the program with a very young and inexperienced roster for 2023. Make no mistake, there is talent on this team, but most of them have not played a down of varsity football.
And with all of the success next season’s team had in junior high, playing at the senior high level is a completely different game. Charleston has always faced a long history of opposing teams circling them on their schedules and playing their best games against the Tigers. It is something that Charleston players know and have understood over the years. But coming off of last year’s state title, it is assured that all of Charleston’s common opponents from last year will be out to even the score this year against the Tigers.
And that factor will begin early in the schedule next fall with the traditional tough non-conference portion of their schedule. It will be important, regardless of the outcome of those non-conference games, for the Tigers to emerge as injury-free as possible before they begin conference play for another spot in the state playoffs. It will be a little like the 2019 season where Coach Ricky May, in his first season as head coach, faced a slew of injuries that decimated his team. He did a masterful job that year keeping the team together in his first season and getting players ready for conference play. The Tigers made the playoffs that year and that will again be the goal in 2023.
The 2019 team was more experienced going into the season that year than the 2023 team will be, but the 2019 team quickly started racking up the injuries, even before the season started that year. In fact, as good as last year’s Tigers were in winning a state championship, the 2019 season, in my opinion, may have been Coach May’s best job of coaching and managing his team to date.
RNN Sports was on campus earlier in the week to observe and photograph the day’s spring practice workout at Alumni Stadium. The Tigers coaches are excellent teachers, and I observed a lot of that taking place, especially in the early portion of the practice. The practice, with players dressed in pads, gradually picked up in intensity with a short, two-minute style scrimmage held in the final period of the practice.
Each team is different, and the culture of each team is equally different. The senior class that graduated in 2022 had a reputation of “bringing it” every day in practice, and especially on game days. I don’t recall Charleston coaches having to motivate them much to play hard, fast, and continuously on every down. That, in my opinion, is in part what made them state champions.
But as is the case with a lot of programs that are coaching kids coming up from junior high to play senior high ball for the first year, the intensity and speed of both practices and games are different to the young players. Openly, I observed that this may be a young group of Tigers that may have to learn and make the step-up to senior high level intensity. I believe they most certainly will. The championship culture at Charleston will motivate them, and the coaching staff will certainly push them.
After the day’s workout, I asked Coach May for any comments he may have on this team and where they stand at this early point in spring practice. Coach May responded by saying, “We are struggling right now. A lot of youth and inexperience in a lot of key spots right now. We have had a few bright spots to build on.”
Coach May and his excellent staff of assistant coaches will have the Tigers ready to play in Week One of the 2023 season, and it is my opinion that the team may struggle a little bit early against a tough, 4A non-conference schedule, but I believe Tigers fans will see their team improve each week during conference play and be in the running for a state playoff berth at the end of the regular season.
If you have not already done so, more pictures from the Tigers’ spring practice are available now on Facebook at Charleston Tigers Sports.
Spring practices will continue for this week until summer workouts begin around May 31. Charleston will host football camps at Alumni Field starting in June. Stay with RNN Sports for the latest on Charleston football this summer and into the fall 2023 season!
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