Resident News Network

Obituary – Dana J. Magill (1971-2022)

Obituaries

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4:47 pm

Dana J. Magill of Waldron, Arkansas passed from this life, Tuesday, August 16, 2022 in Ft. Smith, Arkansas surrounded by her loving family. Dana was born November 19, 1971 in Ventura, California to Ronald G. Sasse and Jo Ann (Sales) Farley. She was 50 years old.

Dana was married to the love of her life Ted for 30 years. Together they raised their children and enjoyed life as grandparents. She was always up for camping and fishing. Dana’s favorite pastime was going to concerts of any kind. While Dana enjoyed many things including cooking, her true passion was taking care of her family and being surrounded by those she loved and being a Gammy. Her bond with each family member was unique and special in it’s own way.

Dana leaves behind to cherish her memory, her devoted husband, Ted Magill of the home, one daughter, Tandra Jewell and husband Archie, three sons: Tyler Magill, Devin Magill and Gage Nichols as well as her parents, JoAnn Farley of Waldron, Arkansas and Ron Sasse of Mulberry, Arkansas and siblings: Redonna Stafford and husband Gary and Kenny Lynch and wife Nancy all of Waldron, Arkansas. Gammy will forever remain in the hearts of her grandchildren, Adasha and Elijah. Dana will be missed by all that knew her and the many whose lives she impacted including a host of extended family and friends dear to her heart.

Dana’s graveside life celebration will be 10:00 a.m, Saturday, August 20, 2022 at the Pleasant Grove #3 Cemetery near Waldron with Rev. Konnor McKay officiating. Interment will follow. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Dana’s visitation will be Friday, August 19, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas.

Paris Perfect at Preview Party

Resident News Network

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11:15 pm

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The Paris Lady Eagles faced five teams from last year’s state volleyball tournament in a series of five, one-set, exhibition matches as the final preseason match-ups for the 2022 season. On the day, Paris faced Atkins, Walnut Ridge, Little Rock Episcopal, Hoxie, and Little Rock Christian. And when the day was over, Paris had defeated all five schools in their one-set matches.

The young Paris Lady Eagles continue to make great progress each week and will now get ready to host the Russellville Lady Cyclones at Paris Gymnasium on Tuesday, August 23.

RNN Sports will have a recap of the day’s events tomorrow night on its online platform at residentnewsnetwork.com . Readers will be able to access this story free of charge.

And watch for photos from the day on Monday night on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports!

Congratulations to the young Lady Eagles on a great day at the AAA’s Preview Party!

Timepiece: Arbuckle Island

Featured

Tammy Teague

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4:08 am

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By Dr. Curtis Varnell

Wandering north of Lavaca on highway 96, I observed the sign directing toward Arbuckle Island. The name at once conjured up images of John Wayne, Indian raids, and wagon trains. Arbuckle was the man referred to when the military was needed to ride to the rescue of settlers, put down rebellions, or escort wagon trains headed to the gold field.

General Matthew Arbuckle was a career soldier and the son of a Revolutionary War hero by the same name. Born in 1778, he entered the military at an early age and is said to have been present with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. By the early 1820’s, he became commanding officer at Fort Smith and was in charge of maintaining peace between the natives and the settlers who were flooding into Arkansas. Deciding it would be easier to do his job further west, he established Fort Gibson and Fort Towson in Oklahoma Territory.

Arbuckle’s job not only included maintaining peace in the region but also in establishing roads and assisting wagon trains as they traveled to Santa Fe and later to the California gold rush. Locally, the military road that runs from Ft. Gibson, through Fort Smith and on to Dardanelle and Little Rock was built under his direction and with the assistance of his troops. For more than thirty years, he was the controlling military force on the frontier. For his service, he was awarded twenty thousand acres of land in Arkansas, most of it in Sebastian County. Arbuckle island comprised a large portion of that property. The family, Arbuckle never married but had numerous nephews and nieces, constructed a large two-story clapboard house, a slave quarters, and a cook house on what was known as the Arbuckle Plantation. The Crawford County courthouse, later moved to Van Buren, stood nearby. Many famous people, on their way westward, was said to have spent the night on the island.

Upon Arbuckle’s death in 1852, he was buried on the island and the property was shared between relatives and later sold and divided into several independent farms. By 1925, there were 75 homes, a school, a store, and several other businesses on the island. Rich farm land produced abundant produce and cotton. Picnics and events held on the island drew hundreds of people from communities in the area.

The problem with living on the island was the persistent flooding that occurred as the water levels of the river rose and subsided. One could reach the island by crossing a bridge on the east end or by catching a ferry to Mulberry or Dyer. When river levels rose to high, the slough under the bridge covered the road and made travel impossible. In 1916, the Arkansas river topped out at over ten foot above the flood stage. A big part of the island was inundated with water and boats had to evacuate the residents. Sand covered much of the land. Those that returned faced additional floods in 1923, 1926, and 1927. In 1926, the river cut a new channel through the middle of the island and left huge cliffs on the north side of the island. The eventual final nail in the coffin occurred in 1943 when the island was completely flooded and everything except a few foundations were destroyed.

Today, little is left on the island and much of the land is controlled by the Corps of Engineers. Former residents and family return to the cemetery on Decoration Days and recall the lives and times they once enjoyed. General Arbuckle, one of the most colorful and famous residents of Arkansas, resides, virtually unknown, under a nearby monument.

New Book Being Compiled on the “True Grit” Trail

Featured

Tammy Teague

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3:18 am

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New Book Being Compiled on the “True Grit” Trail

The Yell County Historical Society in Dardanelle is sponsoring a new coffee-table book that will document the popular True Grit Trail along AR 22 between Dardanelle and Fort Smith.

The forthcoming book will feature spectacular new photography of the scenic beauty along the trail and historic sites. It will also serve as a practical guide to the trail for tourists.

Paying tribute to the 1968 novel, the original film production starring John Wayne, and the 2010 remake, The Trail represents the path fictional character, Mattie Ross, might have taken in “True Grit.”

Tom Shay and Bob Gray, creators of the True Grit Trail concept and program, have wanted a book like this for years fully documenting the scenic wonders along the historic highway.

Acclaim Press of Sikeston, Missouri, will be publishing the book, which will be available nationwide upon its release.

(photo credit: Arkansas.com)

Lady Eagles Volleyball to Host Three Matches Next Week at Paris Gymnasium

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Resident News Network

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2:13 am

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Lady Eagles Volleyball to Host Three Matches Next Week at Paris Gymnasium

The Paris Lady Eagles will welcome three schools to Paris Gymnasium as part of next week’s slate of non-conference and conference matches. At publication time for this story, Paris is concluding its first week of the new season. RNN Sports will have post-week volleyball stories that will be featured on its online platform at residentnewsnetwork.com. Look for a story on the first week of action this weekend on RNN Sports online.

On Monday, August 29, Paris will play a non-conference match with Alma at Paris Gymnasium. The first match will begin at 4:30 p.m. On Tuesday, August 30, Paris will host the Green Forest Lady Tigers in the first 3A West conference match-up for both schools. The first match on Tuesday will also begin at 4:30 p.m. After a short break on Wednesday, the Lady Eagles will host the Booneville Lady Bearcats in another conference match-up. The match with the much-improved Lady Bearcats will begin at 4:30 p.m. on September 1.

Stay with RNN Sports for the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of 3A West volleyball!

Financial Focus: What should you know about IRA rollovers?

Business

Tammy Teague

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2:11 am

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Financial Focus: What should you know about IRA rollovers?

By Jeffery O’Neal
Financial Advisor

If you’ve been contributing to an IRA, you’ve chosen a great way to save and invest for retirement. All IRAs have potential tax benefits and a range of investment possibilities, but not all IRA providers offer the same features. So, if you decide that your current IRA provider is charging higher fees than you’d like, or perhaps doesn’t offer as many investment choices as you want, then you might choose to move your IRA assets to another provider. How should you go about making this switch?

Here are some options to consider:

• Trustee-to-trustee transfer or direct rollover – You can ask the financial institution holding your IRA to move the money directly to another IRA. No taxes will be withheld from the amount transferred at the time of the transfer. This method is generally hassle-free, but some IRA sponsors will still only mail the check to your address of record, so you’d have to forward it to your new IRA.

• Indirect rollover – If you take an indirect rollover, also known as a 60-day rollover, the assets from your existing IRA will be liquidated and the custodian or plan sponsor will send you a check or deposit the funds directly into your bank or brokerage account. This payment may be subject to withholding for federal taxes, and possibly state taxes, unless you opt out of withholding. You have 60 calendar days from the time the funds were withdrawn to deposit the money, including any amount withheld, into a new IRA. If you miss this 60-day deadline, the withdrawal may be taxable at your personal income tax rate, and it could also be subject to an early withdrawal penalty if you’re younger than 59 ½.

Given the immediate withholding and the possibility of further taxes if you don’t move the money into a new IRA before the 60 days are up, you’ve got much to consider before initiating an indirect rollover. Consequently, you should consult with a financial advisor and tax professional before you make this type of move.

In addition to a rollover from an existing IRA, you may someday want to move the money from your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan to an IRA. This can occur when you retire or change jobs, although if you do take on another job, you might have the options of leaving your 401(k) with your former employer or rolling it over into your new employer’s plan. However, if you do want to move your 401(k) funds into an IRA, you can make what’s known as a direct rollover, in which the administrator of your old retirement plan will send you a check made payable to the custodian of your IRA. No taxes will be withheld, but you need to get the funds transferred within 60 days to avoid any potential tax issues.

You spend years contributing to your IRA and 401(k) — and for good reason. So, when it’s time to move that money, be careful and consider getting help from your financial and tax professionals. These funds can play a big role in your retirement income, so manage them wisely.

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

Eagles Open the 2022 Football Season on Friday at Waldron

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Resident News Network

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2:06 am

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Eagles Open the 2022 Football Season on Friday at Waldron

All of the off-season and summer workouts are now complete, and it is time to play football. On Friday, August 26, the Paris Eagles will travel to Scott County to play at Waldron. Kickoff for the Eagles game with the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The game will be a profile of two teams that are in rebuilding mode in their respective programs. Waldron, coming off of a one win conference season a year ago, will play in a new 4A conference that will feature just six teams: Arkadelphia, Malvern, Mena, Nashville, Ashdown, and the Waldron Bulldogs. A “murder’s row” of conference teams, but, on the bright side, one conference victory will put any team in the 4A-7 conference into the playoffs as no worse than a number five seed. But finding that win will be tough.

The Paris Eagles enter the 2022 season having won 23 games in the past two seasons. But the majority of players who won those games have now graduated, and Paris is just left with a total of five starters combined on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. There are several players who received some playing time last year in mop-up roles during blow-out wins for Paris, so, they will not be taking the field for the first time in varsity football. But it is a different proposition starting a game as compared to entering a game with a big lead and very little pressure.

Waldron is coached by Doug Powell and the Bulldogs were 2-7 a year ago with wins over Atkins and Dover, both away from Bulldogs Stadium. The Bulldogs return five starters on each side of the ball and have decent depth on the line of scrimmage. They must improve defensively in the secondary to have a chance to hold opponents this season.

Paris had a good showing in its scrimmage game versus Magazine, but as all scrimmage games go, there is very little that one can ascertain from their outcomes. With that said, Waldron will be a first test for a very young Eagles team. A road win against the Bulldogs would be huge for this team. The Eagles return home next week on September 2 for another non-conference match-up with former conference member school, Mansfield.

So Eagles fans, travel safely and get there early to get a seat. The long, hot, and tumultuous summer is over for the most part, and football season is finally here!

Watch for a post-game story on the Waldron match-up on Sunday at residentnewsnetwork.com. This story will be on RNN’s online platform and will free for anyone to access.

RNN Sports is excited to bring you high school football action all season, so stay with us for complete coverage!

Booneville Travels to Pine Bluff on Friday for a Tough Non-conference Opener with Dollarway

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Resident News Network

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2:05 am

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Booneville Travels to Pine Bluff on Friday for a Tough Non-conference Opener with Dollarway

Note to Our Readers: This story was sourced in its entirety by Mr. Glenn Parrish, Director of Communications, Booneville Schools. Mr. Parrish is a RNN Sports contributor.

If Booneville at Dollarway sounds like a playoff game, that’s because it has been. Twice actually.

Between them Booneville and Dollarway have won nine state titles and 60 conference titles. They have combined for 132 postseason wins.

The Bearcats and Cardinals, who will battle it out Friday night at Cardinal Stadium in Pine Bluff in the season opener for both teams, last met in the semifinals of the 2013 playoffs, a year in which both won their respective leagues.

Booneville played at Dardanelle last week in its final preseason scrimmage (Booneville Schools / Glenn Parrish)

In that game, which was played at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff’s Simmons Field, current Bearcat assistant Cody Harrel ran for 167 yards and the Bearcats won 43-12 then went on to win the Class 4A state title the following weekend over Warren. The other meeting between the two schools occurred in 2005, also a semifinal game played at Cardinal Stadium, Dollarway claimed a 22-21decision.

The Bearcats prepared for this year’s game by blasting Dardanelle 30-14 in two quarters of football on Tuesday as Trace Hall ran for 172 yards and scored on all three of his carries.

Dax Goff also ran for 61 yards and a touchdown Tuesday.

Booneville is coming off a 13-2 season in which they reached the Class 3A semifinals. Dollarway was also a playoff team in 2021, finishing 5-5 overall with a first round loss to Glen Rose.

Dollarway is projected as a Conference 3A-6 playoff team again in 2022 and Booneville is eyed as a state title contender.

“Just Roll with It” Serving up Recipes and Humor

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Tammy Teague

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2:04 am

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“Just Roll with It” Serving up Recipes and Humor

By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor

Hello everyone! Just wanted to welcome my new Logan County readers. I have family in Booneville and close to Paris. Welcome to Resident Press. Hello to all my family and friends down that way.

This week’s story is about me again. I have done a lot of crazy things in my day, but this is at the top of the list. By the way, my birthday list of things I had planned for the year are not going too well. I have lost no weight, nor have I got one thing organized. But, on the upside, I have done a couple of good deeds.

Here we go, I drowned one time. I was telling Ella this story and she says ”you couldn’t have drowned Nana, you’re still here.” Ok, so I don’t like water at all. I can barely take a bath. I’m scared of water, I take showers. Swimming is out for me.

Ella does not know what she’s talking about. I drowned one time back around 2002 at the Muskogee Water Park. One summer my brother Larry, niece Kelly and girls, Jacob and Tanner, and maybe a few other boys all loaded up and headed to the Muskogee Water Park. Everyone is having a great time, lazy river, slides, all kinds of water fun. Everyone is going down these water slides. I still to this day don’t know how Larry and Kelly talked me into going down a water slide, but they did. I get to the top and I wanted to back out real bad. I’m under pressure, all the kids are doing it…how bad could it be? The water at the end is only around four feet deep. I finally get up the nerve. The poor lifeguard is helping me and down I go. I literally screamed from the minute I left the top till I plunged into the four-foot pool at the bottom. My mouth was wide open, I went under and I had a mouth and nose full of water. I was spitting and sputtering when I finally came up. I looked up and there was a lady video taping me. I’m sure I won her family $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos. I just knew I had drowned. Scared me to death, and scarred me for life.

Jacob and Tanner were in another area of the park and Jacob says ”what’s that noise?” Tanner said ”it sounds like your mom!” They look up just in time to see me drown. You could hear me screaming for miles. They got a big hoot out of it. It was not funny to me. That, my friend, is the day Sheri Hopkins didn’t jump off the Tallahatchie Bridge, but the day I went down the water slide in Muskogee, OK. Never have I ever tried it again. I will just stick to my showers and foot soaks. That’s enough for me.

My husband’s favorite pie was peanut butter. He loved anything with peanut butter. This recipe is an easy peanut butter pie recipe.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE
8 oz. of cream cheese softened
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. of Cool Whip
19″ chocolate ready-made pie crust
1 cup mini peanut butter cups (chopped)

In a bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup of peanut butter and the powdered sugar. Beat with a mixer until smooth, fold in the Cool Whip. Pour this mixture into the chocolate crust and chill until firm. Decorate the top with chopped peanut butter cups. Use the peanut butter that’s left and melt it (I like to put a little powdered sugar and milk in it). Mix it good and drizzle over the pie. Keep in the refrigerator.

JR Tigers Slip Up In Mena Scrimmage

Sports

Adam Hecox

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10:26 pm

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The Mansfield JR High football team is no doubt a very talented group of young men. With a stud-filled stable in the offensive backfield, a powerful line, and a hardnosed defense it’s hard to think of anything but success. Those positives are merely on paper though. Being able to mesh all of that talent into one cohesive unit is the key ingredient. The Tigers found out that even with all of the numbers and skills they may have, they still have work to do as they opened their 2022 season with a 22-8 scrimmage loss to the Mena Bearcats.

The scrimmage was set up with a simple layout. The teams would play one half of football like a regular game then follow that with each team getting ten plays on offense and ten plays on defense to finish. The Tigers started things off on offense and did what they do best, run the ball. Mansfield’s offensive bread and butter play calling of ground and pound football with powerful runs by running backs Zander Walters, Ethan Martin, and Dawson Robinson were successful early in the matchup. The terrific trio rotated in and out like clockwork to keep the ball in fresh hands at all times. Mansfield marched downfield seemingly with ease and Zander Walters finished the drive off as he jackhammered his way into the end zone for a Tiger touchdown. Cooper Edwards tacked on a two-point conversion giving Mansfield an early 8-0 lead.

Mansfield’s defense hit the field eager to sink their teeth into the high-flying Mena offense. Defensive end Alex Hecox rolled up the Bearcats first play from the line setting the tone early. With Hecox and Ethan Martin shutting down the corners the Bearcats tried to steal a page from the Tigers playbook by running up the middle. Unfortunately for Mena, they ran right into the claws of defensive linemen Logan and Cadien Ore. The “Brothers of Destruction” gave no quarters to anyone who attempted to pass through. No matter where the bearcats chose to go, they were immediately met with red and white Mansfield jersey’s as the Tigers swarmed the ball on each play. The Tigers defense stood strong and forced Mena to give the ball back to Mansfield’s offense.

The Tigers began to drive the field again, mixing up their power runs with speedy passes along the way. Quarterback Cooper Edwards was spot on with his reads and precise with his passes while the trio of running backs kept pounding the ball in Mena’s facemask. Neither team backed down though as both traded massive blows back and forth. Mena would stack the box with their defense and Mansfield would just keep slamming them for a hand full of yards per play. Unfortunately, disaster struck for the Tigers as they were gaining momentum. Edwards lasered a pass to one of his receivers, but right when the pass was caught, a Mena defender stripped the ball away and took it back for a Bearcat touchdown. Mena tacked on a two-point conversion to tie the game up at 8-8.

The momentum Mansfield had shifted quickly and indefinitely after the turnover as the Tigers couldn’t gather themselves beyond that point. Although Mansfield continued to have success offensively with great plays by Walters, Robinson, and Martin on the ground along with Edwards still able to find a few receivers on short passes, the Tigers couldn’t cross the goal line anymore. Mena would tack on one more score before the half scrimmage ended handing Mansfield a 14-8 loss. Both teams sent out their reserve players to round out the ten plays of offense and defense. Although Mansfield’s backup players showed promise, Mena was just too deep with skill players for the Tigers to hold on. The Bearcats would add one more score in the ten for ten series to finish the JR High scrimmage with an overall final score of 22-8.

Even though they didn’t perform perfectly against Mena, Head Coach Tim Cothran remains optimistic about the possibilities of this Junior High group. “These guys are still learning the game. With 19 freshmen, the potential for this group is very high. It’s the largest group of Freshmen we’ve ever had since I’ve been here. They’re good kids that work hard and put forth great effort. When it starts clicking and they figure things out, they’ll be a really good team this season and in the future”.

Although Mansfield fell in the scrimmage, the Tigers have plenty to build off of before going into the season. Mansfield coaches saw quite a few players step up in the scrimmage which will surely assist in player placements and rotations in the future. As with any young team, the Tigers have to brush the scrimmage loss off and find a way to mesh together to obtain success. They need to get a big broom and brush off quickly though because their Week0 game against the Magazine Rattlers will not be a cakewalk. The JR High matchup between the Tigers and Rattlers will be a rematch of the teams little league football days where Magazine defeated Mansfield for the WCFL Championship in 2019. Neither teams roster has forgotten that little league classic and both are eager to hit the replay button. Mansfield will host Magazine on Thursday, August 25^th.

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