It’s the kind of friendship with a bond that endures the miles and generations. Three friends who came to know one another throughout their time in the Air Force recently reunited after 50 years.
Beverly Boatright Lyons was stationed at Brooks Air Force Base/School of Aerospace medicine during the late 1960s. It is there she met now friends, Leslie Brocato and Judy Seldow. Brocato was assigned to the same Dental Research facility and served as Lyon’s trainee. Seldow was assigned to the same base, but served at a different facility.
“My time was split between the Dental Clinic and the School of Aerospace Medicine,” shared Lyons. “Judy and I worked on research readiness projects for the astronauts.”
The bond of friendship and those memories have endured the test of time. The trio has stayed in touch through the mail and by phone.
“I had not seen either one since 1971.” stated Lyons. “I just got the urge earlier this year that I needed to get together with them. So I just started researching vacation packages. My husband didn’t want to go so I talked my daughters into going with me. We flew into Baltimore, which is close to my friend’s house. My friend Judy drove down from her home in Massachusetts.”
The three-day reunion was sweet. They toured several sights, including Washington D.C., the Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, and Hampton Mansion. Lyons noted that everyone should make time to visit Arlington National Cemetery.
“Both of these girls are special to me,” concluded Lyons. “Leslie was the Bridesmaid at my wedding. Judy made my wedding dress, which I still have.”
Here’s to many more beautiful memories ahead for these three Air Force Veterans!
FORT SMITH, Ark. (October 18, 2021) – Longtime Sebastian County resident and career accountant Lora Rice has announced her intent to seek election for Sebastian County Treasurer/Collector. The election is scheduled for November 8, 2022.
Rice currently serves as Controller for SPF America, a precision metal fabrication and finishing facility, having held that position since 2020. She also served for 13 years as Controller at Umarex USA and Walther Arms, 14 years as a Public Accountant with Landmark (formerly Beall & Company) and as a staff accountant with The Merit Group, Dallas, Texas, for seven years. She routinely performs financial functions related to the collection, accuracy, recording, analysis, and presentation of the company’s financial operations, dealing with multiple high-level entities requiring account reconciliations, budgets, and financial decisions.
Rice studied at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, John Brown University, and Dallas County Community College. She has volunteered extensively throughout the community, including serving on the Sebastian County Republican Committee as Secretary, Board Member of the Fort Smith Little Theatre and Sunday School Teacher at First Baptist Church in Greenwood.
“Serving as the Treasurer/Collector for the county requires well-rounded experience, a strong work ethic, and a philosophy to work with community members from all walks of life,” said Rice. “I’ll use my proven ability to streamline processes, advocating best practices for the most effective and economical use of resources. I care about this county and the people who live here and want to see good things for all our communities. I’m excited for the opportunity to serve.”
Arkansas Blood Institute is bringing the fun Halloween spirit to blood donation this October with its “Vein Drain” campaign.
Join Waldron High School at a blood drive with Arkansas Blood Institute from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Tuesday, October 26 on the bloodmobile.
Successful blood donors will receive a free limited-edition, glow-in-in-the-dark, “Vein Drain” t-shirt, displaying a skeleton bone theme and one free admission to the award-winning Little Rock Zoo.
In addition, for a limited time only, all donors will receive free COVID-19 antibody testing and Hemoglobin A1c blood sugar testing, which can help monitor diabetes risk.*
“Vein Drain is all about having fun with Halloween, but the reality is, every two seconds someone needs blood to survive,” said John Armitage, President, and CEO of Arkansas Blood Institute. “With an hour of your time, you can save the lives of up to three patients facing trauma or ongoing treatment at our local hospitals. You’ll not only help others, but also can find out more about your health through COVID antibody screening and blood sugar testing.”
Arkansas Blood Institute is the local, non-profit blood supplier, supporting the inventory for patients in more than 40 hospitals, medical facilities and air ambulances statewide. Anyone who is healthy and 16 years old* or older can give blood. Blood can be donated every 56 days. Platelets can be given as often as every seven days, up to 24 times a year.
Appointments to donate can be made online at arkbi.org or by calling 877-340-8777. COVID-19 vaccination does not affect your eligibility to donate blood.
*16-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17-year-olds must weigh at least 125 pounds; 18+ year olds must weigh at least 110 pounds. Photo ID required. While supplies last. Donors ages 16 or 17-years old need parental consent to be screened for COVID-19 antibodies. This test has not been FDA cleared or approved. It has been authorized by the FDA under an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) for use by authorized laboratories. The test has been authorized only for the detection of the antibody IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. Test results will be made available post-donation on the donor portal.
When it comes to parenting, it doesn’t matter if you just started or have been at it for years; there will be many things that keep you up at night. We’re here to tell you that there’s nothing wrong with that, and you’re not alone. If you’re curious about whether you stress out about the same things as everyone else, here’s a list of the top things parents worry about involving their kids that will help you.
Health and Safety
When it comes to potential worries, the fear of how healthy and safe your children are is easily the most common. It’s a primal instinct hardwired into all of us. As a result, it’s almost impossible not to worry about how your child is feeling or if they’re in a safe environment.
Problems at School
Another classic fear is if they’re having problems at school. Many things could go wrong in this category, whether it’s bullying, struggling in class, not making any friends, or getting taken on their way to school. Fortunately, with that last example, there are certain things you can do to make their trip to school safer, but the other ones are up to the school’s staff and your child.
The Friends They Have
If your kid successfully makes friends at school, the next worry that usually comes up is if they will be a good influence on them or not. Sure, you can do everything you can to raise your child correctly, but friends leave a massive impact on each other, and if they’re a group of bad kids, all your hard work can come tumbling to the ground.
How You’re Raising Them
All of this hinges on the fact that you are raising them correctly in the first place. While it’s easy to tell people that you’re proud of how you’re doing with your son or daughter, deep down, you might wonder if there’s more that you could do.
Dangers of the Internet
In the modern age, there are cases where the things you teach them or what they learn from their friends get washed away by the things they see on the internet. While the freedom of the internet is great in most cases, it has its downsides, especially when considering children. Social media can be horrible for young children, and it’s difficult to stop them from accessing it.
Their Future
All of these things parents worry about involving their kids come together to culminate into one last fear: how it will all affect their future. Any choice you make could be the turning point for your kid to head down the wrong road in life.
However, that’s not a healthy way to think about any of this. It’s OK to worry about your children and their futures, but don’t let it be the thing that drives you. Instead, focus on the good things in both of your lives and focus on those. You’ll never get rid of all the bad, but you can strengthen and better develop the good if you take the time and effort to do so.
There is no doubt that there is pressure playing for a program such as Paris that has a championship tradition and expects to be in the state title hunt every year. That’s just the way it is, and in programs that are successful most years, it is a factor that is embraced by championship teams. Championship teams do not shy away from the expectations. In fact, they welcome the expectations and know that is why they like to play in programs that have a chance to be special every year. And for perhaps one of the most talented senior classes in program history, NOW is the time for the Lady Eagles to bring a state title to Paris.
The Lady Eagles have a very high win percentage both statewide and within the 3A West over the past five years or so. But none of that matters this time of year. Starting next week with conference tournament play, each game could be a player’s last, and for this Paris senior class, they do not want that day to come until October 30 in Hot Springs for the Class 3A state championship.
Two seasons ago, Paris entered the quarterfinals on their home court in the state tournament and were upset by the eventual tournament champion, Little Rock Episcopal. In 2020, after a roller coaster year that saw a young team win big games and fight their way through a long COVID quarantine, the Lady Eagles played magnificently in the first three rounds of the state tournament, only to have a bad day against the eventual 2020 Class 3A Hackett Lady Hornets in the state finals. This year, Paris has dropped both regular season matches to Hackett, and has had a little bit of an up and down year that has seen Paris play lights out at times, and only to struggle in losses at others. So for this year’s senior class that has been looked to over the past three years as being a class that could bring home a title, it is time to bring home the title NOW.
Paris is one of the few programs in the state that can feel like it failed by bringing home a state runner-up trophy in the state tournament. To most programs, a second place finish at state is something that would be revered for years at most schools. But not Paris; not for a program that has higher expectations, and not for a fan base that expects titles every year.
The 2021 Lady Eagles senior class is full of outstanding student-athletes who are very personable and are just great kids. But they have high expectations for themselves, as well as what the fans expect and hope for them as Paris athletes. And now, the second season begins with the district tournament that will take place next week in Booneville. Both Paris and Hackett have byes to the semifinals, and a semifinal win by both will guarantee them of no lower than a #2 seed going into the state tournament, and with the winner being a top seed and the district tournament champion. Additionally, the first three rounds of the state tournament will be at Paris, and the Lady Eagles will be playing to erase the memories of the devastating quarterfinals loss at Paris in 2019.
So any way you slice it, the time is NOW for Paris and their senior class. No more time for experimentation; no more time for any distractions. The time is NOW to play six games at the best of their abilities. NOW is the time to leave everything on the floor, and NOW is the time that will determine the legacy of this year’s Lady Eagles seniors.
We wish Paris and all teams the best of luck during post-season play, and Resident Press will be there to bring you all of the action!
Within seconds past the start of the Van Buren Classic, a sarcastic “Thanks sister” could be heard from Mansfield cross country runner Hope Rainwater. The senior runner was given the business end of her twin sister’s fast start off the muddy line, and she was motivated to respond out loud.
The quicker of the two siblings, Faith Rainwater, flung mud from her feet like the tire spray of a 4-wheeler stuck in muck. Within seconds of the senior girls’ 5K race on Mansfield’s most recent road trip, Hope felt the unwelcome splatter of water and mud on her face, arms, and legs. It hardly mattered though as the Mansfield sisters along with everyone else that ran the soggy bottoms along Van Buren’s Pointer Trail found a free mud bath.
The Rainwater girls and Tiger teammates entered the two-day meet located just below the Van Buren High School campus at the Freshman Academy. On Friday, October 15, the opening rounds began with the junior high divisions running just after the afternoon rains stopped. The next morning on Saturday, the meet continued with the senior high pairings privileged with ripened puddles from the previous day.
Three of Mansfield’s seniors and one junior all made the awards announcements on day two. A freshman and an eighth-grader made the medal roll call on day one.
Darby Jones
Darby Jones near the Van Buren finish.
Darby Jones, as she has done all season, was the Lady Tiger’s top finisher for the senior high. Faith Rainwater and McKenzie Griffin were also among the top in the small school rankings. Junior Jadelynn Wood was the group’s fourth medal recipient.
Jones climbed into contention versus all participants early in the race. She worked the pack passing players from both big and small school divisions. The senior peaked at number three in the 1A-4A grouping and fifth place overall.
Only Ella Gray of Episcopal Collegiate and Julia Whorton of Gravette crossed the small school finish before Mansfield’s Jones. Gray was listed as the state’s second-ranked runner among all class 3A runners. Whorton sported the number one ranking among the state’s class 4A participants.
Jones earned her tenth consecutive medal of the season. Her mark of 21:45.97 for the bronze medallion at Van Buren wrapped up Mansfield’s regular-season schedule.
Faith Rainwater finished ninth for the Lady Tigers. It was her eighth award winner in ten tries this season. The senior closed fast posting a time of 23:34.06 for the soupy sludge 5K course.
Wood bounced back with a 13th place finish after missing some training time in recent weeks. Her 3 loop measurement was 24:02.50.
Griffin took the last of the Top 15 medals. The senior forged ahead of most with a mark just five seconds behind Wood.
Hope Rainwater made it past in 23rd place to secure the team score. Together the Mansfield top five posted a combined score of 50. That put the Lady Tigers into third place among scoring teams.
Episcopal won the small school title with 46 points. Gravette came in second with 49 points as the top three teams were within a four-point range.
Mansfield freshman Laney Wood was third at Friday’s junior high 2-mile race. The prep team’s top performer was eighth overall. Her time was 13:57.57.
Wood will join the older high school team at the Southwest Regional next on October 20 in preparation for the state meet on November 4.
Mansfield medal winners at Van Buren.
Laney Wood wraps up the regular season with her tenth medal.
Tiger eighth-grader Joey Fildes was fourth in the junior boys’ race. The Mansfield marquee runner has medaled in every meet this season. His Van Buren time was 12:15.77.
Mansfield’s top five junior boys were Fildes, Rylan Nichols, Jonah Martin, Braxton Bartlett, and Joseph Carter. Collectively the group placed fourth as a team behind Waldron, West Fork, and Pottsville.
Joey Fildes take another medal home.
The top five for the Mansfield junior girls were Laney Wood, Aidan Fildes, Addie Bowman, Ashley Martin, and Danielle Lowery. They were third as a team behind Pottsville and West Fork.
Mansfield senior girls wear the mud from Saturday’s cross country meet.
Fall has arrived and with it all the beauty attached to the changing colors of tree leaves, fall pumpkin patches, and huge fields covered with bales of hay for the winter. The mountain slopes are a kaleidoscope of colors ranging from dark red, orange, yellows, and perpetual green of the pines.
During my grandparent’s time, crops were put by, summer canning was done, and it was time to harvest the sorghum cane to make, what is called in Arkansas, sorghum molasses. Much of the south never has a long or hot enough summer to produce sugar cane and, needing a cheap and available source of sweetener, had long-before learned to make a syrupy mixture from sorghum.
The process had begun back in late May or early June when the sorghum seeds were planted. Usually, a farmer only planted eight or ten long rows, just enough to make a plentiful supply of cane for the ten gallons of sorghum the family would consume. Come October, the top of the plant containing the seed was cut off along with all of the leaves. The stalk was then cut off at ground level and allowed to sit for a day or so while the sorghum mill was cleaned and ready. The needed machinery was expensive so one person usually owned and operated the mill for the surrounding community. The mill consists of a series of rollers through which the stalks are pressed, extracting the juices contained in the plant. Powered by a horse or mule moving slowly in a circle turning the gears, the mill exerted tremendous pressure on the stalks. Unfortunately, many accidents occurred while feeding the stalks into the mill. My grandfather’s cousin, John Rhinehart got his hand entangled in the mill. He died a few days later from a gangrene infection. Others lost arms and legs as they tried to push the stalks through the mill, a dangerous job.
Once the juice is extracted, it was poured into boiling pans set over a wood-burning fire. Almost ten gallons of juice was needed to make one gallon of sorghum molasses. Mixed with water, the juice was moved up a large copper or iron vat that was divided into a series of trays. As the juice was paddled upward through these trays, materials were boiled away and the greenish scum that formed on the syrup was removed. After a number of hours, the sorghum reached perfection at just the right consistency, slightly thicker than syrup. The left-over stalks and materials skimmed from the juice were fed to the pigs, preparing them for their harvest day which would arrive after the first frost.
Refined sugar was relatively expensive and a luxury item to cash-starved people of the mountains. Another and easier source of sweetener was to rob a honey tree but extraction was not always without pain or risk. Locating a hollow tree where the bees were encamped was often the easy part, robbing the bees was another thing entirely. My Oklahoma relatives located a tree near our house in the Ellsworth community. Convinced they were going to get several gallons of honey from the active hive, they covered themselves with every available piece of clothing they owned. My uncle Ed, a large man, found a heavy black suit made of some sort of rubberized material. I watched from a nearby hill as they carefully approached the tree and began using the chainsaw to open the trunk. The bees swarmed, covering my uncles. Some managed to find an opening into Ed’s costume and, trapped between skin and suit, began to extract vengeance on his body. Bellowing, he began to run, removing and flinging pieces of his clothing as he circled the hill, thousands of more bees in hot pursuit. A three-hundred-pound naked man covered with red whelps is not a pretty sight.
Slather a hot cat-head biscuit with fresh butter, apply a liberal dose of molasses or golden honey, now that, my friends, is a pretty sight!
For the second consecutive season, the Paris Eagles (7-0, 4-0) handed the Atkins Red Devils a 42-6 defeat. But last night’s game did not include the first drive, quick strike pass by the Paris offense. But instead, saw the Eagles play dominating offense and stout defense in going away with the big win at Eagles Stadium. The rain held off for the game, but the field was saturated from heavy rains earlier in the week and on the morning of game day. The wet field did not seem to hinder any team, but it was Paris who was able to make big plays, convert on third downs, and see their playmakers, Chase Watts and Duke Walker make big play after big play.
The Paris defense was put to the test, particularly in the third quarter when Atkins, trailing big, fought hard to get back into the game. The Red Devils had the ball for most of the quarter, but the defense held Atkins scoreless in the second half. The defensive effort for Paris was highlighted by a big fourth down stop, deep in Paris territory, Following the stop, the Eagles outstanding player, Duke Walker, took a hand-off and raced around the left end and up the Paris sideline for an 80 yard touchdown run that put the clincher on another 3A-4 conference win for the Eagles.
Paris, who is currently in the midst of a three-game home stand, will be at home again next Friday against the Perryville Mustangs. The game with Perryville will be the final conference game before a possible showdown in Booneville for the conference championship on October 29. But first, the Eagles must focus on a very good Perryville team who will come to Paris seeking revenge for a loss to the Eagles last season at Perryville. Paris cannot afford to overlook the game with the Mustangs, and coach Jeff Weaver and his staff will be counting on an outstanding Eagles senior class to help keep the team’s focus on Perryville and not overlooking the Mustangs with Booneville two weeks away.
Photos from the Eagles victory over Atkins will be available this weekend on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and get ready for another big conference next week at Eagles Stadium!
So, Paris fans, don’t look now, but for the second season in a row, your Eagles are off to a 7-0 start!
SPRINGDALE — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is asking anyone who harvests a bear in the Ouachita Mountains or Ozarks to consider helping collect valuable samples from their bear to help research an increased occurrence of mange in the Ozark bear population.
According to Myron Means, bears in Arkansas have not had any reported cases of mange until 2018. That year, four cases were documented in Ozarks bears. In 2019, 15 cases of mange were reported, and in 2020 that number rose to 40 reported cases. All of these cases were in bears in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma.
“This year, we’ve already received 40 reports from hunters, biologists and wildlife watchers,” Means said. “So far, it’s only in the Ozarks, so we’re developing a plan to research possible factors that may be contributing to the problem.”
Means says the mites that cause mange in bears are common on bears, but they rarely cause any issues.
“Sarcoptes scabies is the mite that causes bear mange, and it’s been around ever since bears have been around,” Means said. “The bear’s immune response usually allows it to live without seeing too many harmful effects from the mites, but something seems to have changed with some bears in the Ozarks.”
Dr. Jenn Ballard, state wildlife veterinarian for the AGFC, says research is needed to determine any underlying cause contributing to the apparent increase in cases seen recently.
“Toxins, viruses and other environmental factors may be increasing the frequency of clinical mange, or it could be a new form of the mite,” Ballard said. “In the west, bobcats that are exposed to rodenticides in the animals they eat have been documented as having increased occurrence of clinical mange.”
Similar toxins responsible for weakening the bear’s immune system could be detected in samples of livers from bears taken by hunters. Hunters who take a bear, whether it has mange or not, can submit a 3-inch by 3-inch square of the bear’s liver to help with this research. The sample can be placed in aluminum foil or a zip-sealed bag and kept in a freezer until arrangements can be made to drop it off at an AGFC regional office.
Not only do Ballard and Means want samples from bears that have mange, they also want samples from bears that do not exhibit the parasite. Bears from the Ozarks as well as the Ouachitas also are important for the study.
“So far the Ouachita population has not exhibited the same rate of mange, so we want hunter-harvested bear samples from there as well to compare to the Ozarks bears,” Ballard said. “Other states, namely Pennsylvania and Virginia, have had studies on bears with mange as well, but we are looking to see if what is happening here is similar.”
Samples of skin taken from bears with obvious mange also are needed for analysis.
“We want to do genetic analysis of the mites that cause mange in different species,” Ballard said. “If a hunter harvests a bear with obvious mange, they can collect a 3-inch square of the skin at the edge of the affected area, close it in a zip-sealed bag and submit it for testing as well.”
Anyone who sees a bear with obvious mange or any bear in poor condition also may report it to the AGFC’s wildlife health email at agfc.health@agfc.ar.gov with a location. Even if biologists cannot find the bear after the initial sighting, they can keep a record of these locations to watch for future outbreaks of mange and act accordingly.
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 20 million Americans misused prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers or sedatives that year. A majority of these misused prescription drugs came from family and friends’ home medicine cabinets.
Clearly our nation continues to battle an epidemic of substance abuse – particularly the misuse of prescription medications. The results have been tragic.
In Arkansas, we are intimately familiar with the consequences.
In 2020, over 500 Arkansans died from drug overdoses, an increase of 195 from the previous year. Drug overdoses have been the second leading cause of accidental deaths in Arkansas since 2010, and many of those overdoses can be attributed to opioid misuse. Last year, for the first time in our state’s history, fentanyl surpassed methamphetamine to become the deadliest drug.
Thankfully, there are multiple efforts underway to combat this crisis, bring overdose deaths down, and treat and prevent substance abuse.
One such initiative is a partnership between the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and state and local law enforcement agencies called National Drug Take Back Day. Twice per year, a concerted campaign is organized and promoted by DEA along with state and local partners to encourage Americans to properly dispose of prescription drugs and curb their abuse.
The Natural State has fully embraced this approach to ridding homes of expired and unused prescription medications. Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane has mobilized support for Arkansas Take Back, which each spring and fall facilitates numerous collection sites in communities across the state. Here Arkansans can bring their surplus medicines and have confidence they will be safely discarded instead of winding up in the wrong hands. To date, Arkansas has collected 442,162 pounds (221 tons) of prescription drugs through Take Back events.
In recent years, we had actually been reducing overdose deaths through a combination of prevention and addiction treatment services, as well as widespread deployment of Naloxone, sometimes referred to as Narcan, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid-induced overdose.
The second Drug Take Back Day in 2021 is quickly approaching and presents an opportunity to once again clean out our homes and medicine cabinets. On Saturday, October 23, over 250 locations will be collecting expired and unneeded medications. If you need to find the closest collection site to your home, just visit artakeback.org.
I’ve been proud to back federal efforts to help combat the opioid epidemic, including increasing resources for law enforcement, allocating money to grant programs that help state and local governments offset the costs of opioid abuse and providing funds for research into opioid addiction and alternative treatments.
We all have a part to play in getting these medications off the streets and out of the hands of our family, friends and neighbors who might misuse them accidentally or intentionally. I will continue to support policies and programs that offer solutions to help get this crisis under control, save lives, and restore families and communities that have suffered so deeply from the effects of these drugs.
There’s no doubt our state and the country suffered a setback in drug abuse because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that does not mean we can’t get back on the right track. The first step will be to join together and commit to safely, securely disposing of potentially dangerous medications at the upcoming Arkansas Take Back events. I encourage all Arkansans to take that step.
