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Tips for Driving Safely Around Large Trucks

Whether you’re new to driving or a veteran on the road, driving around giant semi-trucks on the highway is a stressful ordeal. Their size makes them intimidating, and they get into more accidents than standard vehicles. However, you can use these tips for driving safely around large trucks to keep everybody safe on the road.

Keep Your Distance

The worst thing you can do for yourself is get too close to a semi-truck on the highway. Many drivers try to pressure cars they feel are going too slow by decreasing the following distance, but that’s not a great idea with semi-trucks.

Many trucks don’t even have rearview mirrors due to the giant trailers they haul, so at best, you’re putting unnecessary pressure on them, and at best, the driver can’t even see you, which puts undue risk on yourself. When it comes to trucks, it’s better to maintain a safe and respectable following distance.

Avoid Their Blind Spots

As already mentioned, many trucks don’t have rearview mirrors, so drivers rely heavily on the side mirrors attached to the leading truck for vision. Due to their reduced visibility, an essential tip for driving safely around large trucks is to stay in their blind spots as little as possible. A common way to know if you’re in the blind spot is to remind yourself that if you can’t see the truck driver, they can’t see you.

Know Where the Truck Will Be

When it comes to maneuvering around large trucks, it helps to keep their space in mind. Trucks make incredibly wide turns, so when you see a truck slowing down or putting on its blinker, give them room to turn. When you see one attempting to merge onto the highway, getting into another lane and allowing them to get in is safer for all parties involved.

Know What To Do if an Accident Happens

Accidents are something everyone actively tries to avoid. However, understanding the necessary actions to take in the event of an accident is just as important and potentially lifesaving as knowing how to prevent them. Ensuring that everyone can get immediate medical attention is vital, and contacting law enforcement allows them to provide a detailed report of the incident. Once you and everybody else involved in the accident is OK, you can collect the information from the authorities for any legal issues that may arise after the truck wreck.

How to Dry Flowers

Spring is the time for flowers! A dear friend suggested I preserve the flowers my boys pick me in resin (thank you Cassie Coben!). I researched how to do it and found the flowers have to be dried. 

I turned the boys loose with a pan and asked them to pick whatever kind of flower they wanted out of the yard. Then I tried 3 drying methods to see what worked best.

First was air drying- I didn’t press these, I simply left them out in the house in a metal pan. It took about a week, but they dried and look okay. The colors aren’t very vibrant and some of the dandelions turned into the white fluffy kind. It required no effort, though.

The result of leaving the flowers alone in the pan they were picked into.

Then I did some in the microwave- 4 minutes in paper towels with a plate under and a plate on top. This provided the most vibrant of color! It also made them flat which seemed to keep the petals intact the best.

Flowers after being dried in the microwave.

Last I did the oven- 1 hour at 200*. I laid everything on a pan and set it in. I was least impressed by this method. It turned out so crunchy and I lost the most petals with this method. I wouldn’t do it again, or recommend it.

Flowers after being dried in the oven.

I haven’t yet used any resin as I decided we could still give fresh flowers gifts right now and I would rather wait until Christmas. So for now, I have dried flowers and the knowledge of how to do it again- in the microwave!

Obituary – Jerry Keith Parish (1977-2022)

Jerry Keith Parish, 45, departed this life for his eternal home on Friday, April 22, 2022. Jerry was born April 11, 1977 to Jerry and Janie Parish of Mansfield.
Jerry was a 1995 graduate of Mansfield, a proud uncle, beloved son and brother. He had an amazing heart, sweet spirit and gave teddy bear hugs. He was a quiet man, much like his father whom he lost at an early age.

Bub, as he was so lovingly called, was diligent to call daily to check on his mother who resides at Pink Bud Nursing Center in Greenwood. He visited her as often as he could.

He spent many summers babysitting his niece and nephew, simply to ensure he was as much a part of their lives as he could be. Jerry enjoyed the company of his family, especially the morning hugs from his great-nephew. He also enjoyed the company of his cousin, Mike Parish, who was always faithful to help in any way.

He is survived by his mother, Janie Parish; a sister and her husband, Joy and Kevin Jolley; two nieces, Tiffany Gateley (Michael) and Harper Jolley; a nephew, Cody Jolley (Emily); a great-nephew Conner Reed Jolley; Cousin, Mike Parish and a host of family, and friends.

He is preceded in death by his father, Jerry Parish and a brother, Gary Parish.

The Celebration of Jerry’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Bro. Justin Weaver officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.

Reasons To Get a Golf Cart for Your Farm

With farm vehicles, you can enjoy driving to the top of a hill and admiring the sunset with your loved ones after a hard day’s work. Life on the farm has its challenges, but picking the right vehicles to help get you around can make completing every daily chore fun. Explore these reasons to get a golf cart for your farm and discover how upgrading your transportation can improve your operation.

No Need To Walk All Day

Walking is good for you, but too much can cause pain and drain you faster than driving around on a buggy. The first reason to get a golf cart is that it gives you more opportunities to rest your legs while going around the property to get things done.

A golf cart makes doing chores effortless, especially if you need to work the entire day on the pasture or in your garden. It even helps if you have a mailbox along the highway or across the street.

Ditch the Gas Fumes

The best part about vehicles on the farm is they can get you to where you need to go. However, to prevent toxic fumes from entering the atmosphere, you can opt for an electric automobile to get around and avoid creating harmful gases that affect your produce or animals.

Since they don’t emit fumes, you don’t need to worry about how your cart usage impacts anything, like soil health or livestock well-being. Also, you no longer have to trek back and forth from the gas station for fuel. Simply plugging your cart into an outlet charges it for use the following day.

Golf Carts Aren’t Complex

Golf carts are a better vehicle choice because they don’t require much work. For example, you only need to charge your electric vehicle once every few days to keep going. There’s a lot of longevity as well, especially with many batteries operating close to 90 hours a charge. Ultimately, operating and maintaining a golf cart is simple.

Buggies are Completely Customizable

Farms have many rugged areas that are difficult to operate on. Even with the problematic nature of these roads, many farmers find it challenging to purchase reasonably priced equipment. By investing in a golf cart, you can solve many of these issues. You can avoid making costly repairs by installing a lift kit, which allows you to drive over rough terrain without worry.

You can check if your golf cart needs a lift kit by looking at the size of your tires and analyzing the type of surfacing you have to traverse each day. It’s good to have a lift kit on most farms so that you don’t accidentally trap your vehicle in mud or a ditch.

There are many reasons to have a golf cart on your farm, from expediting the work you do to adding a touch of character to your farm as a whole. If you’re ready to make farm life even better, consider adding a golf cart to your equipment collection!

The Great Depression and Mayo

Mayonnaise cake sounds crazy. The thought of mayonnaise, which is delicious on a sandwich or in potato salad, in a sweet like cake is just… bizarre. But during the Great Depression simple and easy to find ingredients for us, oil and eggs had rations placed on them.

When you think about what’s in Mayo- eggs, vinegar, and oil it makes sense that it was used in cake. It’s like combining the ingredients into one and shortening the recipe. Most cakes call for eggs and oil, and some call for buttermilk which is similar to vinegar in a recipe. It’s important to also note the no salt in the recipe is due to the salt in mayonnaise. A fun fact is during the Great Depression this recipe could be found on the Mayo jar!

When I told my husband I was making this he snarled his nose like I had lost my mind. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I had but I knew I wanted to try. The result was the most moist chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The topping was extremely rich, but delicious. 

Ingredients

Cake

-2 cup flour

-1 cup sugar 

-6 tablespoons cocoa powder

-2 teaspoons baking soda

-1 cup water

-1 cup mayonnaise

-1 teaspoon vanilla

Fudge Sauce

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix together dry ingredients, add in water, mayonnaise, and vanilla. Mix until evenly combined.
  3. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Fudge sauce

  1. Heat heavy whipping cream, dump chocolate chips in and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir together until smooth.
  2. Pour over cake while warm, and serve warm. Excellent served with vanilla ice cream!

Obituary – Christopher “Scott” Dillard (1975-2022)

Christopher “Scott” Dillard, age 46, of Rogers, Arkansas, was eternally healed on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was born July 28, 1975, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Johnny and Debbie (North) Dillard. Scott was preceded in death by his Father, Johnny, paternal Grandparents Loyd “Chief” and Claudine Dillard, and his maternal Grandparents Jeff and Naomi (North) McElroy.

 Scott was an honorable and passionate individual who will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife Jennifer (Sinele) of twenty-one years; his children Kristen, Madden and Kaitlyn Dillard; his mother Debbie North of Fort Smith; his sister, Jennifer Ham (Joseph) of Fort Smith; his half-brother, Patrick Dillard (Rachel) of Rogers; and his half-sister, Elizabeth Cain (Cameron) of Alexandria, Virginia. He also has five nieces Reagan, Addison, Madelyn, Zoey and Piper; and three nephews Landry, Luke and Connor.

Scott graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1998 with a degree in Management and Leadership. He also earned a Master’s degree in Business Management and Leadership from Webster University in 2000. He worked as a government contractor, having founded Central Research Inc., with his father in 2002 and most recently served as its Executive Chairman. In 2019, he was honored to be the Graham/Tucker Award recipient from the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce for his contribution to the betterment of the Lowell community.

Most of all, Scott took great joy and pride in his role as a husband and a Dad. His oldest daughter, Kristen, will cherish marathoning tv shows and movies and going on dinner dates with him. His son, Madden, will remember his Dad cheering him on at every game he played and their shared love of baseball. His youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, will miss the bedtime snuggles and reading stories with her Dad. Scott also enjoyed biking on trails, was a big music fan, and was a sports enthusiast. He was a member of Cross Church Pinnacle Hills. 

Visitation with the family will take place at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, with a funeral service beginning at 2:00 p.m. A private burial will take place at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens under the direction of Nelson-Berna Funeral Home Rogers. To leave an online tribute please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com

April Showers Tigers In Titles

Pictured are Braxton Byers and Alyson Edwards

The month of April has been good to the diamond Tigers and Lady Tigers. Very good. So good that the Tigers and Lady Tigers have showered in winning streaks, metals, and championships on the diamond as they continue to set the bar higher for the 2A-4 competition. Their latest accomplishment was defeating JC Westside to win both of the Conference Championships for the second year in a row.

The Lady Tigers softball team cleaned house in the 2A-4 also as they finished regular season play by sweeping JC Westside in a double header on Friday, April 22nd. Alyson Edwards solidified the final game against the Lady Rebels by hitting a home run over the fence and possibly into Mansfield City Lake earning the Lady Tigers two scores. Mansfield completed a perfect 10-0 record against conference opponents and their win Friday night earned them the 2A-4 Conference Championship for the second consecutive year.

“The team played great in both games last night to finish out the regular season,” said Head Coach Donnie Eveld. “Cole Smith stepped up big time for us by giving us some awesome pitching in both games. Our defense has really picked up and been playing well lately. Alyson Edwards hit two big shots for runs to get the offense fired up in the second. The girls are playing really good right now and we hope to keep our momentum up going to districts.” 

Mansfield’s Baseball team caught the final trophy shower by defeating JC Westside Friday, April 22nd. Braxton “Boomer” Byers and Trey Vaughan signed JC Westside’s pitchers up for the Navy as Byers sailed a home run out of the park and Vaughan sent a missile to the back of the park’s fence. The Tigers went undefeated against conference opponents going 10-0 and finished the regular season with an 18-4 overall record.

Head Coach Layton Robinson had nothing but praise for his team after the game. “Last night we got 2 great pitching performances from Zayne Dugan and Drew Elmore. Both threw complete game shut outs for us. Our defense stepped up big time and played smart baseball. We started off a little slow offensively but when Westside did a couple of things to get our guys fired up, then we came alive and put them away.”

Peyton Martin

“It’s been a great year so far,” Robinson continued. ”The guys come out and work every day looking to get better than the day before. We finished 18-4 while playing some good non-conference opponents. The team knows what it takes to win and feels like we have a chance to win every time we step on the field. We’ve been battle-tested for sure but never get our heads down when we fall behind early. They’ve proved that never give up attitude by going 5-1 in two run games and coming back from behind to win 8 games. We’re excited to start postseason play and see where the chips fall.”

Mansfield will load up the buses next week and travel to Magazine as both teams hope to keep their winning streak alive at the District Tournament. The tournament begins on Wednesday, April 27th and Mansfield will face all of the same familiar foes from the 2A-4. With both teams being the #1 Seed in the tournament, both will play the winner of the #5 and #4 Seed game as their Game1 on Thursday, April 28th. This isn’t the Tigers and Lady Tigers’ first rodeo though. The Lady Tigers won District, Regionals and finished as State Runner-Up Last year while the Tigers earned the District and Regional Titles in 2021. They’ll be ready to take on all comers at the District Tournament.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Thomas

Obituary – Hubert Lawson (1954-2022)

Hubert Lawson of Booth, Arkansas passed from this life, Thursday, April 21, 2022 in Booth with loved ones by his side. Hubert was born January 23, 1954 in Riverside County, California to Donald Lawson and Thelma O. (Lang) Lawson. He was 68 years old.

Hubert Lawson was from the old school of “a man is only as good as his word”. If he gave you his word, consider it done. A man of few words, Hubert strived daily to pass on a legacy of hard work, determination and following through with the task at hand to his family. He loved his family and enjoyed time with them.


Hubert leaves behind to cherish his memory, his sons: Seth Lawson of Booth, Arkansas and Phillip Nolen of Greenwood, AR. Grandpa will forever remain in the heart of his grandson Colton Scott Lawson. Hubert will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of extended family and friends.

Hubert was preceded in death by his parents: Donald and Thelma Lawson, his wife , Cindy Jo Lawson, one daughter, Jessica Lawson and two brothers: Bill Lawson and Randy Lawson.

Hubert’s life celebration will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at Cedar Grove Cemetery with Donny Hamilton officiating. Interment will follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Booth, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Hubert’s pallbearers will be Dustin Clopton, Austin Coe, Justin Johnson, Derek Elmore, Kenny Williams and Cody Robles.

Hubert’s visitation will be Monday, April 25, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Booneville Survives Late Paris Rally, Defeats Eagles 8-7

It has been said many times before, and it still holds true. Regardless of sport, anytime Paris and Booneville get together for a contest, it is going to be hotly contested. And Friday’s game at Paris was no exception. It was a game that was well-played by both schools, and the quality of play was exceptional. Both teams are very good and should go far in the weeks to follow in post-season play.

And if it were not enough to play Booneville in the final regular season game for the Eagles, it was Senior Day in which seven outstanding Paris seniors were honored. The 2022 class of Eagles have made significant impacts in the sports of football, basketball, and baseball, and as a result, have been one of the most successful senior classes in recent memory for Paris athletics. Each senior is an outstanding person as well as athlete, and they will all be sorely missed next season. The Paris seniors have set a high bar of expectations for Eagles athletics, and it will be a challenge for future classes of athletes.

Paris trailed for most of the game until Eagles junior Mason Bradley tied the game with a deep, two-run home run over the left field fence. Bradley’s blast tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning at 5-5. Bradley had a big week, pitching over five innings of stellar relief on Wednesday to give the Eagles a chance to win over Dover, and then contributing offensively on Friday against the Beaarcats. Booneville answered with three runs to re-take the lead at 8-7. But the Eagles would not quit, and that has been their signature all season.

The Eagles scratched for two more runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run aboard when the inning and the game came to a close. Booneville would hold on to win the game, 8-7. It was a tremendous game by both teams, and considering the competitiveness that both schools have for each other, it was well-played with minimal fireworks from either team.

Resident News Network will have more next week on the upcoming 3A-4 district baseball tournament that will be held next week at Cedarville. Stay with RNN Sports for the best coverage of the high school baseball playoffs!

“Just Roll with It” Serving Up Recipes and Humor

By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor

Hello everyone! Such a beautiful spring day this Friday, birds are singing, and the sun is shining. Our heavenly Father sure made us a beautiful place to live. I believe it was back in 1982, give or take, that I worked in Fort Smith at an engineering company. Curtis Feimster also worked there and we rode to work together. Fun is not a strong enough word to describe our time at that establishment. I have a story or two to tell on Curtis, but I will wait for another time.

One day while there, I was reading the paper and spotted an advertisement for a trip to Nashville. It was going with a group on a tour bus, and it was like a three-day trip. I called Lisa Smith Favela and asked her if she wanted to go. We paid our money and could not wait till the time to leave. We hadn’t been anywhere so we were so excited. We were to meet the bus at Central Mall and leave from there. Guess what? Lisa and I were late getting there. Thankfully they didn’t run off and leave us. They were not happy when we got there. They loaded our luggage and we went to get on the bus and this is the kicker. The bus was loaded with senior citizens. Now here we are two teenagers and a bus full of senior citizens.

While we were getting on the bus they all acted mad at us for being late and they were giving us the snake eye. We go on our fun-filled weekend with a busload of senior citizens. There was only one other young couple maybe in their early 20s on the bus. They were on their honeymoon of all things on this bus. I love elderly people and I am now one of those elderly. We loaded up and decided to make the best of it. Needless to say, we ended up having a blast. We went to the Grand Ole Opry, Twitty City, Opryland theme park, we met Johnny Cash’s mother, toured Elvis Presley’s airplane–the Lisa Marie, saw Graceland from the road, and went down one of the famous strips in Nashville. We didn’t let them old folks slow us down. We were late for almost everything but they decided to just deal with us. Even the bus driver liked us before it was over. I will never forget that trip, it was so much fun. Lots of laughs for sure.

Y’all know I am on a poke cake kick. I love a good ole poke cake. They are easy and quick to take somewhere. This week we are doing a coconut one. Coconut is my favorite. When I was a kid I always requested a coconut cake for my birthday.

COCONUT POKE CAKE
1 White Cake Mix (if you can find it, use a coconut flavored cake mix)
1 Can Cream of Coconut (this is not alcohol, but is found with the drink mixes)
Sweetened flaked coconut
Make the cake mix according to the package directions. Poke holes in it and pour the cream of coconut on top. When the cake is cooled, spread Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with flaked coconut. Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Enjoy the cake and have a blessed week.