It is that time of year when corporately owned media outlets make clear their bias when it comes to telling their readers and listeners how they should vote. This is not a practice our publication will follow suit on. However, we will continue to follow the golden rule in journalism: We report the facts, you make the decision.
In fact, it is a guideline we take pride in adhering to. Many times reporting on unpopular topics or ones that people are very opinionated about can be difficult. Certainly just because we work to be unbiased does not mean we do not have a personal opinion. It’s a rule of professionalism, and a line I’ve personally drawn for myself over the years working at various news outlets. Even in an editorial setting, publications jeopardize their independence and integrity. Why pledge 364 days of unbiased reporting only to run political endorsements only days before?
We encourage you to vote and let your voice be heard. It’s a privilege to have a say in our government. Do your part and know that we will continue to do ours, report facts.
T. Franklin Boyd award winners Ryan Hayslip and Kiara Thomas.
The 2021-2022 sports season is still ongoing but the Mansfield Tiger Booster Club completed its year end sports awards show nonetheless. Before a very large crowd of athletes and family, the top Tigers of each sport were announced along with the T. Franklin Boyd award winners and the freshmen Rising Stars.
The highlight of the show was the announcement of this year’s anticipated T. Franklin Boyd award winners. Recognized in honor of the late Mr. Boyd, an avade Tiger fan, the female and male recipients were Kiara Thomas and Ryan Hayslip.
Thomas was honored as the senior class valedictorian as well as an accomplished athlete from the school’s state championship volleyball team, cheer squad, and softball team. Hayslip was a top 10 graduate that starred as an All-State pole vaulter and college bound All-Star cheerleader.
Freshman Rising Stars Trinity Triska and Trey Powell.
This year’s Rising Stars were Trinity Triska and Trey Powell. The two recipients received the prestigious coaches award as the top freshmen athletes.
Triska was a five sport star with All-State credits from two of those this past school year. She leads her class in academics as well. Powell was an All-State track athlete that shined on the football field as well as the classroom.
Among the many statistical, district, and state awards; the coaches of each sport had their Player of the Year candidates introduced.
In chronological order by sport season, the following Mansfield athletes took Player of the Year honors: Cross Country – Darby Jones. Golf – Skylynn Harris. Cheer – Breeanna Benavides and Ryan Hayslip. Football – Tyler Turnipseed. Volleyball – Natalie Allison. Basketball – Alyson Edwards and Tyler Escalante. Track – Jadelynn Wood and Ryan Hayslip.
The only sports that did not issue their POY recipients were baseball and softball. Those two sports have not concluded their seasons. The two conference championship teams will move into state tournament play this week.
MHS coaches Ethan Bowman, Donnie Eveld, John Mackey, and Layton Robinson were recognized as Coach of the Year recipients from the 2A-4 District.
Bowman was awarded for his work with the conference’s top Lady Tiger basketball team. Eveld for his leadership directing the championship softball squad. Mackey took a pair of plaques for winning both the cross country conference and track conference for senior girls. Robinson landed the top mentor prize for his undefeated conference baseball season.
Tracey Barnette was also recognized as a retiring member of the Mansfield staff. Barnette was a two time state championship cheer coach. She served the district for over 18 years.
Master of Ceremony Travis Pettus led the night’s festivities. Sophomore Trey Vaughan, a FCA huddle leader, gave the welcome address and blessed the meal. Senior All-State track star Faith Rainwater gave a speech on the value of athletics as a family affair.
Mansfield athletes share their success at the 2021-2022 Mansfield Booster Club Awards banquet.
The Paris Eagles continue to play their best baseball of the season. The Eagles are peaking during post-season play, and now they can add a 3-0 regional tournament semifinal win over Booneville to their post-season drive to the state playoffs. The win over Booneville propels the Eagles into Monday’s regional final game versus the winner of Danville and Elkins. Additionally, Paris is now guaranteed no worse than a #2 seed in next week’s state tournament.
Duke Walker was virtually unhittable in his complete game outing against Booneville (Resident News Network Photo / Jim Best)
Paris senior Duke Walker got the start against the Bearcats and responded with a complete game shut-out over Booneville. Walker was dominant for most of the game and had velocity on his pitches that seemed to improve as the game wore on in the increasing temperatures on the spring afternoon in Greenland. Defensively, the Eagles continued to play well in both the infield and outfield. After the game, Paris coach Josh Hart was pleased with his team’s continued good play during the post-season. Coach Hart said, “What a game. Duke was lights out today on the bump. Our defense was stellar. While our bats never really got going, a hit from Konnor Edwards driving in two runs in the fourth inning came in a clutch. We have had awesome defense and awesome pitching thus far in the tournament. With diving plays in both the infield and outfield to just making heads up, high baseball IQ plays. Coach Devine and I are super proud of the boys and their heart and hunger they are showing right now.”
Paris senior Jude Simmons made another outstanding play for an Eagles outfield that has made a big difference in the Eagles post-season success (Resident News Network Sports Photo / Jim Best)
Paris, now having had two complete games from its pitching staff, has all of its pitchers available for Monday’s championship game. With the teams also having Mothers Day off tomorrow, everyone is available for the Eagles. Paris will be able to ride the hottest pitcher of the day that should give them an excellent shot a securing their second straight post-season tournament championship. Both starting pitching and relief pitching are all available to the Eagles, and they will need it against either Danville or Elkins.
Congratulations to Paris, and good luck on Monday as the Eagles take the field to win a regional tournament and a top seed in the state tournament!
Happy Mothers Day to all of our mothers in the River Valley, and from Resident News Network, we hope you enjoy your special day on Sunday!
In the outdoor game, the number of events increase and the number of participants typically decrease. So it was for Mansfield as they took a portion of their high school track team to the Quitman hosted state track meet on May 3.
Despite the differences compared to indoor track, Mansfield was quite competitive. Although not the same result as winning the class 1A-2A state indoor title in February, the Lady Tigers finished a very respectable fourth in the class 2A state outdoor championships.
Powered by 15 All-District players, Mansfield picked up 65.5 for their top five team finish. The steady production of points by the MHS senior girls put them in the hunt but wasn’t enough to get them to the big prize.
Mansfield’s Faith Rainwater, Jadelynn Wood, Laney Wood, and Trinity Triska show their All-State 4x400m relay medals from the class 2A state track championships.
Yellville-Summit, the defending state champs, had enough experience and depth to reach the day’s number one spot. The Panthers put up 103.5 points to claim the state title. Bigelow came in second with 82 points while Melbourne closed with 75 points for third.
“You have to qualify to outdoor state rather than take your whole team like in indoor,” noted Mansfield head coach John Mackey. “We had a pretty good squad assembled for tonight’s state championships but the depth and points just weren’t enough.”
What Mansfield did have was All-State credentials in the form of Seven Sanderson, Faith Rainwater, Trinity Triska, Laney Wood, and Jadelynn Wood. The five posted high enough marks to give the team its largest boost.
MHS Tigers Tyler Turnipseed, Peyton Martin, Axel Ravsnborg, and Tyler Escalante exit the track after the sprint relays at the Quitman hosted state track meet.
“Seven was determined and confident,” expressed Mackey. “She set two personal records by winning the discus with a 100 foot even throw and taking second in the shot with a throw of 32’ 10.7”. Her 18 points put us into contention right away. She’s our only Meet of Champions qualifier.”
The other four Lady Tigers teamed up to take second place in the women’s 4x400m relay. Because of their second place finish, the entire relay squad earned AAA All-State honors.
“Faith (Rainwater) gave us a fast start in the four by four,” said the Mansfield mentor. “The lead went back and forth from there between us and Yellville. Jadelynn (Wood) regained the lead as the anchor through the first 300 meters but she just ran out of gas from a very long day of competition.”
Junior Jadelynn Wood, the Lady Tiger’s MVP, is exhausted after running the final race at state.
Wood had the longest schedule of any of the Mansfield entries. The team’s recently named Player of theYear qualified to state in 6 events. Two of those she had to run prelims. That put the star track junior in 6 actual races and 2 field events.
Wood produced in 5 of her 6 events. Three amounted to personal records.
Wood broke the 18 second barrier in the 100m hurdles for the first time. Her 17.99 mark was good for fourth place.
She dipped under 51 seconds for the first time in the 300m hurdles for another fourth place. That time was a career best 50.79.
The triple jump was her only event to not score. However, it was her third PR of the day with a lifetime best 31’ 0.5”.
Wood will advance to the state heptathlon on May 18-19 for a two day, seven event individual meet.
Mansfield’s Seven Sanderson is shown at the shot put ring at Quitman. Sanderson was the 2022 state champion in the discus, and the runner-up in women’s shot put.
Rainwater and Wood also kicked into high gear in the 4x100m relay. Senior Sadie Roberts rounded the back corner as the third leg. Freshman Carter Whiley brought the stick home as the anchor in a season best collective time of 54.27.
“I think we had an opportunity to run even faster but our anchor (Carter Whiley) had to rerun a prelim earlier in the meet,” commented the frustrated coach. “The meet’s timing system failed once all night. It just so happened to be when our 200m girl was in the prelims. She ended up running the race three times. That extra race had to take its toll.”
Manfield saw scoring events for their team pop up like recent rain showers. However, none flooded their team standing like the throws and 4x400m relay.
Rainwater and Laney Wood did combine for two quality places in the pole vault. Brooklyn Adams scored in the discus. Shelby Cole picked up a pair in the 100m hurdles. All of those contributed to the MHS total.
MHS senior Ryan Hayslip flies over the state pole vault bar. Hayslip was one of 5 Tigers to score in the pole vault at the state finals. Boston Elmore, Peyton Martin, Faith Rainwater, and Laney Wood were the others.
Darby Jones scored in 3 of 4 distance races. Triska was top 8 in the 400m dash while Whiley got two points from her marathon trials in the 200m dash. Roberts and Jadelynn Wood combined for 4 points out of the high jump. McKenzie Griffin joined Triska, Jones and Rainwater in the sixth place 4x800m team. That summed up the Lady Tiger scoring for the day long state meet.
Trey Powell and Tyler Escalante did the bulk of the scoring for the Tiger men. The freshman and senior sprinter respectively placed in some combination of sprint relays, 100m dash, 200m dash, and 300m hurdles.
“The boys worked hard and gave a good account of themselves,” commented Mansfield men’s coach Joshua Brown. “I’m proud of the 12 players that we took for the men’s team. They gave a great effort and represented Mansfield well.”
MHS senior Darby Jones stays inside the pack of 1600m runners at the state finals. Jones was in second place after the first lap.
In the men’s pole vault, the Tigers qualified four jumpers. After one dropped out due to an off the field injury, Mansfield still had 3 players placed in the top 8 standings.
Peyton Martin, Boston Elmore, and Ryan Hayslip went sixth, seventh, and eighth for six team points.
Mansfield scored in both the 4x100m relay and 4x200m relay. The longer of the two races was Mansfield’s best relay finish at fourth place.
John Branche, Tyler Turnipseed, and Axel Ravnsborg along with Powell, Escalante, and Martin rostered those relay combinations.
Sammy Sellers joined the men’s squad as a qualifier in the discus. Hope Rainwater, Raine Hecox, Addie Bowman, and Azlynn Stover made the trip in the women’s 4x200m relay.
If you have read my articles much you probably know I like natural things when possible, and I love a good DIY. I’m also extremely passionate about frugal options for everything. These homemade baby wipes hit all the marks! The container is even recycled, we hit all the high points today.
I’ve cloth diapered off and on since I had my first baby 4.5 years ago. And then having two in diapers it became an even bigger money savings, but through it all I kept my throw away, store bought wipes. I’m really only scrunchy, not full on crunchy.
After I saw Parents Choice was recalling some of their wipes I realized I need to be making my wipes also. All three of my kids still use baby wipes. It’s important I keep them safe anyway I can. Plus these are cheap.
Something to note, also. I was looking at other recipes when I got ready to do this and every single one mentioned adding an essential oil. To water and soap. *insert bug eyes here* Oils aren’t going to dilute in this mixture! Not enough to use on a baby’s sensitive bottom! Please do not use essential oils in wipes. Why do you need scented wipes? Fragrances need not be applied to your baby’s privates and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.
Okay, now I will tell you how to make your own wipes and save money, plus be more natural!
Grab quilted, cloth-like paper towels; Viva or Bounty have the thick absorbable kind we need. I was able to buy just one roll of this. Using a serrated knife cut your paper towel roll in half. It will take a little muscle, but you can do it! I have faith in you.
Add two cups of distilled water, 1 Tbsp baby soap, & 1 Tbsp coconut oil to your storage container. A pop top wipe box works here, or you can be like me and use a plastic coffee can. Mix around and add your paper towels. Pull up from the middle to make it easier to get one at a time.
If using for cloth wipes, you can submerge in the mixture or put the mixture in a spray bottle and wet as needed.
Homemade baby wipes are less than a dollar a container which is a big savings compared to other “natural” brands! Castile soap is always a healthy choice for baby soap, or do your own research to find the best kind for your family.
Building a lasagna garden is like getting the results from composting even faster. It also helps with saving money on potting soil right now. And if you are curious, it has nothing to do with what you are growing, but rather the method in which you plant your garden.
I’ll be the first to say I don’t actually garden properly most of the time. My plants are either over watered or on the more neglected side. It’s just who I am, stuff has to be tough to hang around… or talk a lot like my kids. I kid.
I’ll share the proper lasagna gardening techniques and then explain what I do, which is the not technical side. Maybe you can find a happy ground somewhere here.
To begin, your garden needs a boundary. Cinder blocks, lots, stones, or whatever else creates built up sides works here. I used tires. You can completely ignore the ground underneath.
Start with some newspaper flat on the ground, cardboard works too. Then alternate “browns and greens”, this means anything you could compost can go straight into your garden. Browns are things like newspaper, cardboard, small sticks and limbs, rabbit or cow poop, etc. Greens are grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, etc. It is not recommended to use any scraps that would attract animals digging around.
Just like with a compost during the early stages it’s best to keep the mixture damp, but not wet. This allows them all to blend together and provide the most rich soil.
Here is where I just began probably not how recommended. To be proper, you should let the layers condense down before proceeding to plant. Ideally, wait until the soil is more settled together. If there isn’t time, add a layer of potting soil and go ahead and begin planting.
When using a deep pot or container lasagna gardening uses far less store bought potting soil and overtime can yield even richer soil.
Hello everyone! As I write this, the sun is shining and the rain is gone. Everyone is tired of the rain, but I try not to complain because the good Lord knows what we need and when we need it. Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Children and grandchildren are a blessing from God.
I love my family and my siblings, but I am going to confess I was mean as a dog to my sister Pam. Yes, you read it right, mean as a dog. I’m sure if she’s on nerve pills, it’s my fault. That being said, she tolerated me and she loves me, or at least I think she does. Sometimes when I think about the things I did to her I can’t help but laugh out loud about it. When we were kids, Pam did not ever go without socks and shoes. She always had socks and shoes on, even if it was 110 in Arkansas. Our neighbor friend, Mari Niblett and I would get her down and take off her socks and shoes. She would be so mad at us. Why in the world did we do that? Who knows? I would also tell her that her eyes were crossed because that would upset her so bad. I would say, “your eyes are crossed.” And, “don’t look at me with those crossed eyes. Keep your eyes closed.” She would cry till momma would tell her they were not crossed. Why did our mother not give me a whipping is beyond me and mine. I deserved it for sure. I even chased her with a knife one time. Thank the good Lord I couldn’t catch her. I guess I finally matured and we ended up being good friends. If she never spoke to me again, I deserved it.
I have lots of fond childhood memories. We used to play house, and we even smoked fake cigarettes. Neither one of us ever smoked. We also played church and I always got to play the organ. We always had a whole bunch of babies, and one of them was always named Lesley. We also had a few babies with haircuts that were not done by a professional, if you know what I mean. Oh, the good ole days. Such good times. I have two beautiful sisters, Pam and Elaine, I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but I bet they would trade me. My sister Pam couldn’t boil water when she got married, but she is one of the best cooks I know now. She makes the best iced sugar cookies I’ve ever ate. My grandson Ethan can eat a plate full. They are so good. I have yet to get that recipe. This week’s recipe is her banana pudding recipe. There are several variations. She makes it for every family get-together.
BANANA PUDDING 2 small boxes of banana cream pudding 1/2 8 oz. cream cheese softened 1 regular size Cool Whip 5-6 bananas 1 box of vanilla wafers Mix the pudding according to package directions. Mix in the cream cheese until all lumps are out. Add Cool Whip and mix real good. Chop up bananas and stir them into the mixture. Layer your cookies first, then add the pudding mixture. You can make two layers, top with pudding and decorate with vanilla wafers. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
After rain on Thursday forced the postponement of the Region 1 Tournament hosted by Greenland High School, action kicked-off this morning with the top seed Paris Eagles playing the four seed Greenland Pirates. The 3A-4 district tournament champion Eagles were playing to not only advance to the second round of the regional tournament, but to also secure a bid to next week’s state tournament that will be held in Harrison. So, on a cold, windy, and misty day in Greenland, Paris came out swinging with a first inning Duke Walker home run in the bottom of the first inning. Paris never trailed in the game, and behind a complete game pitching performance by Cooper Haley, the Eagles went on to win 8-1. Paris will now play the winner of the game between #2 seed Bergman and the #3 seed Booneville Bearcats. With today’s win, Paris is now playing to increase their seed in next week’s state tournament. The Eagles currently sit as no lower than a #4 seed, and a win in tomorrow’s 12 p.m. second round game will guarantee the Eagles a state seed of no lower than #2.
Paris’s Duke Walker goes deep with a first inning home run that set the offensive tone for the Eagles’ win over Greenland (Resident News Network Sports Photo / Jim Best)
Another Paris senior, Cooper Haley, took the ball and pitched a complete game in the Eagles victory. Haley struggled a little with control at times, but was able to pitch out of trouble for most of the day. Haley was also the beneficiary of great defense. Paris senior Blake Martines made acrobatic plays in a very wet outfield that proved to be huge for the Eagles.
With Haley’ complete game win, the Eagles now have all of their pitching available for tomorrow’s semifinal game as well as a possible regional championship game. Coach Josh Hart has handled his pitching rotation masterfully dating back to both the district tournament and now the regional tournament. He has plenty of quality pitching left to both secure a #2 seed in state and possibly to secure the regional championship and the top seed in state. Haley’s performance has positioned the Eagles to make a run at the regional tournament championship and spare other pitchers along the way.
Cooper Haley’s complete game win was huge for the pitching rotation for the remainder of the regional tournament (Resident News Network Sports Photo / Jim Best)
After the game, Eagles coach Josh Hart said, “We came out fighting today. Cooper Haley threw a gem, pitching a complete game and only allowing one run. Duke led us off hitting a solo bomb which helped wake up the bats. We hit the ball well today and had a big fourth inning, scoring five to help extend Cooper. The boys are hungry and you can tell by the way they are playing. Super proud of the boys punching their ticket to the state tournament!”
The path to the state championship doesn’t get easier for Paris and the other teams in the tournament. But the Eagles will have all of their pitching available tomorrow when they take the field in the regional semis tomorrow at Greenland. Stay with Resident News Network Sports for complete coverage of the Eagles’ post-season run!
The River Valley Film Society presents Borderlands, a monthly film series, which showcases some of the 132 movies screened at the 2021 Fort Smith International Film Festival. “Come enjoy a Movie Night,” Brandon Chase Goldsmith, executive director Fort Smith International Film Festival explains, “Experience independent, international and local film that you won’t see at the big movie chains. Grab some popcorn, a drink and bring your friends and family out for a theatrical event.”
May 14: Blue Air Training is opening up their hangar for a FREE movie night featuring The Rock of Gibraltar, which chronicles the police manhunt for criminal mastermind Deacon Marsh in 1930s Fort Smith. It won top prize in two film festivals and audience favorite in the Made in Arkansas Film Festival and Fayetteville Film Fest. Come see the movie that won the Fort Smith in Film award at the 2021 Fort Smith International Film Festival. Airplane hangar doors open at 5pm with food, drinks, and short films, with the main movie starting at 7pm.
Blue Air Training provides high quality Close Air Support training to Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and Warfighters, from across the world. At the simplest level, JTAC is the person who calls in air strikes and surface fires like artillery and mortars. “At our Blue Air Training’s Fort Smith base, we support every Air National Guard JTAC in the country on Ft Chaffee at Razorback Range,” states Slick Wright, Fort Smith Site Lead. “We are hosting this event to let the community know we are here, what we do, and how we are impacting the local community. The relationship with the 188th and Razorback range staff has been fantastic. We want to celebrate Fort Smith while also supporting local businesses.” Come out for a FREE movie, munchies, and a unique evening in an airplane hangar.
May 14 (FREE – Doors 5pm, Movie 7pm) Blue Air Training 5404 Airport BLVD, Ft Smith, 72903
Old homes are quaint and charming. While their age makes them stand apart from more modern homes, they also come with a few unfortunate side effects. Let’s check out the most common problems with older homes and specific hazards to look out for.
Foundation Problems
Foundations settle over time, and this can lead to various problems, including uneven floors, cracks and crumbling, and more. If you notice cracks in the walls or floor, crumbling foundation walls, or water spots around the home, have a professional inspect the foundation.
Deteriorating Plumbing
If an old home still has its original plumbing, there’s a good chance you’ll need to replace it, whether because of deterioration or incompatibility with modern standards and fixtures. Things to look for include galvanized pipes (which provide poor water pressure and quality), polybutylene pipes (which don’t meet modern building codes), deteriorated valves and washers (which can leak), and clogged shower or sink drains.
Hazardous Materials
Back in the day, we used materials we didn’t know much about indiscriminately. Mercury? Eh, that’s fine. Lead? Put it in everything! Of course, now that we know these materials are harmful, we’re a lot more careful with how we use them. That said, traces of materials like asbestos, lead-based paint, VOC, and radon can still be found in older homes.
Bad Mortar
Mortar is a paste that binds bricks and stones together. Mortar is a great material, but it’s also hard to use correctly. Mortars need to be porous and softer than the brick and stone they’re binding; otherwise, issues can quickly crop up. Back when these homes were made, lime mortar was the mortar of choice. But lately, Portland cement, a hard and less breathable mortar, has risen in popularity. This hard cement doesn’t mesh well with old homes. Using it can lead to moisture problems and structural deterioration.
Those are four of the most common problems with older homes. Older homes have good bones that are worth saving, but if you live in or plan to buy an older home, keep these common issues in mind, so you and your family can stay safe.
