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Hartford’s Tobey Harvests Gator

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5:48 pm

The 15th annual Arkansas alligator season came to a close early Monday morning, September 27, with a nearly full ticket. Hunters harvested 161 alligators during this year’s two-weekend season.

Eric Tobey from Hartford was among those who had a successful hunt. “It was awesome,” shared Tobey. “We had trouble getting close to them in the beginning, so we changed our tactics the second weekend and were finally able to get within range…We got the boat about five yards from the one I killed. He was floating on the surface and he started to go under so I threw the harpoon and luckily stuck him in the back! He swam around with my buoy for about 20 minutes before we could catch up to him and pull him up close enough for me to take a shot. Anyone who loves to hunt and be on the water at night I’d recommend them putting in for a tag. It’s not easy but it’s well worth the preparation and trouble it takes to get one in the boat!”

Pictured from left: Eric Tobey, Tyler Hearron, and Beau Olive

Tobey’s alligator was 7’9″ in length. He is also having the head mounted. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my buddies.” Tobey added. “It’s definitely not a one man job!”

Mark Barbee, AGFC wildlife assistant regional supervisor in southeast Arkansas who coordinates the alligator hunts, said the hunt went very smoothly, and for hunters in the private land zones, it went very quickly.

The harvest falls short of last year’s 174-alligator record, but that was primarily by design. This year’s quota on private land was reduced to continue managing the alligator population with an eye on conserving the species as well as controlling nuisance issues and providing hunting opportunities.

“This was the second year of the new private land quota system, and it was the second time in a row that the private land zones reached their quota by the end of the opening weekend,” Barbee said. “I imagine quite a few of the gators taken on private land are landowners wanting to remove an alligator for nuisance purposes, so they’re ready that first weekend and have the animal pretty well patterned by the time the hunt begins.”

Public land zones did see a few tags go unfilled by the end of the hunt, but Barbee says nearly everyone he’s talked to had good opportunities for an alligator.

“Some people in the public land hunts hold out a little for a bigger gator,” Barbee said. “With only two weekends to seal the deal, some of those hunters don’t find a gator they want to take or wait too late to go back and get one of the smaller alligators.”

Barbee said one hunter unfortunately was not able to take advantage of his harvested alligator.

“We had one incident where a hunter harpooned an alligator, but it submerged and hung up underneath a bunch of logs and limbs,” Barbee said. “The hunter thought he had lost it, but it floated to the surface a couple of days later. They were able to recover the head for taxidermy and check the gator, but the meat and skin had already begun to decompose. I really appreciate them calling and checking the animal even if they didn’t get to use it. It’s a great example of the sportsmanship and ethics we see in our hunters here in Arkansas.”

The harvest by zone was as follows:

Alligator Zone 1

Public Land — 5

Private Land — 62

Alligator Zone 2

Private Land — 5

Alligator Zone 3

Public Land — 10

Private Land — 79

In 1973 the American alligator was listed as a federally endangered species, but thanks to the efforts of biologists in many states, healthy populations now exist in many Southeastern states. The AGFC was involved in the reintroduction of alligators in southern Arkansas from 1972 to 1984, relocating more than 2,800 alligators to repopulate wetland areas along the Arkansas River and Red River in the southern corners of the state.

Modern-day alligator hunting began in 2007 under the guidance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain alligator populations at healthy levels and offer additional hunting opportunities to Arkansas sportsmen and sportswomen. During that first season, 32 permits were issued to hunt, and 21 alligators were harvested.

Visit www.agfc.com/alligator for more information on alligators and alligator hunting in Arkansas.

Six Local UAFS Students Awarded Alumni Legacy Scholarships

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5:09 pm

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This semester, six area students attending UAFS will receive $1,000 in financial aid from the Alumni Legacy Scholarship for the 2021-2022 academic year. This is the most scholarships granted from the fund in one year.

“We are proud to be able to help these students because we understand how important a college education can be,” said newly appointed Alumni Director Jasmine Smith. “As a UAFS graduate, I have a special insight into what a UAFS education means.”

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship Endowment was established in 2015 to encourage the children or other immediate family members of alumni of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith to attend the university.

This year’s scholarship students are Hannah Green, Katelyn Sosebee, Jillian Cochran, Raquel Spencer, Mary Roberts, and Hannah Michiala Deaver. Green, Cochran, Roberts, and Deaver received the scholarship last year as well.

The Alumni Association’s annual fundraiser for the scholarship endowment is the Roarin’ on the River Low Country Shrimp Boil. The June event traditionally offers delicious low-country food and all the entertainment guests can experience, but the last two years have been hard on traditions. The 2020 Shrimp Boil was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 feast was a drive-thru event.

“We were glad to see all our friends as they came by to pick up their dinners,” Smith said. “But I sure hope we can have this event in person in the summer of 2022.”

Here are the scholarship awardees.

Hannah Green, who graduated from Magazine High School as valedictorian, is a sophomore in the Bachelor of Nursing program. Her father, Lyndol Green, is a member of the Class of ’81 from Westark Community College. Her mother, Alisa Green, was an Alumni Scholarship recipient in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and is now a fourth-grade teacher. “This scholarship is special because of the people it represents – people like my family who have worked hard to better themselves by graduating as a UAFS Lion,” Hannah said. “I am grateful for what I already have been given and will be glad to continue to represent the UAFS Alumni Association.”

Katelyn Sosebee, a graduate of Greenwood High School, is a junior Media Communication major whose heart lies in the theater. Sosebee began her college career as a theater major, but the pandemic helped her decide to increase her employment options with a Media Comm degree. Her mother and brother are both alumni and, she said, her biggest supporters even though switching majors required her to pick up extra course hours. That’s why the financial support of the Alumni Legacy Scholarship matters. “Help from generous donors and the university means I don’t have to have a full-time job to pay for tuition, and that means I can continue to be a stage manager.”

Jillian Cochran, who graduated from Poteau Senior High School, is a sophomore Biology major. She is following both her parents and her sister in attending UAFS. She works as a pharmacy tech while attending school full-time and hopes to become a doctor of osteopathic medicine and return to her community to practice rural medicine. “My goal is to come back to this area and help residents build happier and healthier lives,” Cochran said.

Raquel Spencer, a graduate of Southside High School, is a sophomore Chemistry major. She, too, hopes to become a doctor. When Spencer was in high school, she volunteered at the Mercy Health summer program, and she has taken part in extra-curricular activities and research. Working in the Mercy summer program gave her insight into her future, as did some medical procedures she recently underwent. “With this experience, I understood the importance of the assistance medical professionals give to patients,” Spencer said.

Mary Roberts is a senior Business Administration major and Northside High School graduate. Roberts said she grew up watching her father take many steps to provide for his family, including completing his Associate of Applied Science in Electronics Technology from Westark College. She sees her own college experience in the same light as she works to complete her degree while working and raising a family. Her time at UAFS has given her not just “a new skill set but also with a fresh outlook.” Although she has not decided if she wants to attend graduate school or if she should keep on her current career path or change industries, she is sure of one thing: “I know that my experience at UAFS will help me with any direction I decide to go.”

Hannah Michiala Deaver is a senior in the Bachelor of Nursing Science program. She was homeschooled and is the sixth of her siblings to graduate from UAFS, and she has a little brother close behind. She and her siblings have studied Biology, Automotive Technologies and Electrical Engineering, Math Education, Nursing, Legal Studies, and Radiography. Receiving the scholarship means she can quit her job and work full-time studying for her nursing boards and finishing her last year in nursing strong.

Obituary – Hazel Kathleen Ferguson (1935-2021)

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4:45 pm

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Obituary – Hazel Kathleen Ferguson (1935-2021)

Hazel K. Ferguson, 86, of Alma, Arkansas passed away October 8, 2021. On September 7, 1935, she was born in Danville, Arkansas to Lee and Jewell (Damon) Havner. She was then raised in Dutch Creek with her five brothers Kenneth (the late June) Havner and Warren (Leana) Havner of Kansas City, Missouri, Floyd (Jeanette) Havner of Modesto, California and the late Waco and Daniel Havner. She graduated from Waldron High School in 1953.

Kansas City soon became her home. She later married her loving husband of 66 years, John Ferguson, on June 18, 1955. They lived in Kansas City where she worked as an operator and then sales representative at Southwestern Bell and raised their daughter Marilyn Ferguson, of Alma, Arkansas. They returned to Waldron in 1972 where she worked at REA Electric Company until she retired in 1997.

Hazel’s free time was spent cooking for others, attending church where she was a member at Trinity Baptist Church in Alma and loving her grandchildren, Laura (Seth) Hollenbach of Hot Springs and Ross (Maegan) White of Benton, and later her great-grandchildren Kate and Idaleigh White and Eliza, Meredith and Madelynn Hollenbach. She also loved visiting with her brothers and other family and watching the Grand Ole Opry.

Visitation will be Sunday, October 10th at 3:00 p.m., and a celebration of her life will be Monday, October 11th at 2:00 p.m. both in Waldron, Arkansas at Heritage Memorial Funeral Home with Bro. Scott Teague officiating. Pallbearers will be Randy Beard, Seth Hollenbach, Myrtie Owens, Mark Tally, Gary Taylor and Nathan Teaff. Grandma Hazel, as she was known to her family, will be laid to rest following the service in Harvey, Arkansas at the Monroe Cemetery.

The family respectfully asks that all guests wear masks to the indoor services.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Hazel Kathleen Ferguson, please visit our floral store.

Paris Improves to 6-0 on the Season with 24-14 Homecoming Win Over LR Baptist Prep

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10:50 am

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Paris Improves to 6-0 on the Season with 24-14 Homecoming Win Over LR Baptist Prep

It was “mission accomplished” for the Paris Eagles who defeated a much-improved Baptist Preps Eagles team on homecoming day. And in a week filled with distractions as it always is during high school homecoming, the top priority for Paris was to maintain focus and not lose a valuable conference game. Combine all of this with the fact that the Paris starters had not completed a game all year due to having big leads in games, Eagles fans were quietly concerned that the team needed someone to “push” them before their tough upcoming stretch with Atkins, Perryville, and Booneville. Paris won the game by the score of 24-14, and in doing so, improved their overall record to 6-0 for the second consecutive season. Paris is 3-0 in the 3A-4 conference, also for the second consecutive season.

For the first time this season, the game went scoreless in the first quarter. Paris had been used to scoring quickly and building big first quarter leads, but Friday night was different with a determined Baptist Prep team who wanted to avenge last year’s loss.

The game remained scoreless in the second until Paris was able to move the ball down field with big plays culminating in a Chase Watts quarterback keeper from approximately two yards out for the first score of the game. Later on in the quarter, Watts would scramble and hit Nate Henderson for a touchdown pass and run of approximately 40 yards. With 9:24 remaining in the second half, Paris led Baptist 14-0.

Paris held Baptist on their next offensive possession, and with 2:39 remaining in the first half, the Paris drive stalled, and Jeff Weaver called upon junior kicker James Yang for a rare field goal attempt. Yang hit a 37-yard field goal with plenty of distance to go on the kick, increasing the lead to 17-0. Baptist moved the ball on offense, and on the last play of the first half, Paris sophomore Maddox Watts intercepted a deep Baptist pass to end the scoring threat and the first half of play.

Paris put the game out of reach in the third quarter when Paris senior running back Duke Walker took a delayed hand off and sprinted to the goal line from approximately 35 yards out. The Walker touchdown increased the Paris lead to 24-0 with 8:44 remaining in the game.

But Baptist was not going to quit. They are a well-coached team, and the Prep Eagles continued to fight and compete for the entire game. On the next drive, Prep moved the ball down field and ended their drive with a 9 yard pass for a touchdown. The Eagles went for two but did not convert, and the score became 24-6 Paris with approximately 3 minutes to play in the third quarter.

The remainder of the game saw Paris go to the run to use the remaining time in the game. Baptist mounted one last drive that ended in a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The final score was Paris 24, Baptist 14.

Paris now turns its attention to a huge home conference game next week with Atkins. It is the first of a critical three game stretch that will see Paris hosts top conference contenders Atkins and Perryville, and ending with a trip to South Logan County to play Booneville at the end of October. It is “one game at a time” for Paris, and Jeff Weaver and his Eagles will be solely focused on a dangerous Atkins team this week in practice.

After Friday’s game, Paris coach Jeff Weaver commented, “First game we had to play a full game and it showed. Prep did a good job making things tough on us but our defense dominated most of the night. We got tired but made enough plays to get it done.”

Photos from this game will be posted on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports on Sunday night. Watch for a preview of next week’s game with Atkins in Resident Press on Tuesday.

Congratulations to Paris for their homecoming victory, and I look forward to seeing you at the stadium again next Friday for another beautiful night for football at Eagles Stadium!

Emotional Pink Out Game for Hackett Seniors

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8:13 am

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Emotional Pink Out Game for Hackett Seniors

By Lindsey Hester

On Thursday, October 7th the Hackett Lady Hornets hosted the Booneville Lady Bearcats for their annual Pink Out game that honors those who have battled Cancer.

Hornet and Bearcat fans and teams shared a moment of silence prior to the start of the game. With emotions already high this would also be the last night seniors Madeline Freeman, Shayla Foster, Sarah White, and Kenadi Wright would take the court in the Hackett High School Gymnasium.

Freeman said “It was definitely an emotional night, and while it was our last game at Hackett, it’s nowhere near our actual last game, and the best part of the season is yet to come!” These four seniors played on both the 2019 2A and the 2020 3A State Championship teams and they have played important roles in the success of what is quickly becoming the Hackett Volleyball dynasty. “It was a bittersweet thing to do. We all knew it would be here eventually, so we were kind of ready for it, but knowing that it was the last game we will ever play here makes it sad. I’m excited to go to state though and win another ring!” said Foster.

The Lady Hornets came out strong taking the lead early on in the first set winning 25-16. But the Lady Bearcats came back for round two with a new fire, and while the battle was close, the Lady Bearcats pulled ahead for a 25-23 win in the second set. Up to serve first in the 3rd set was a determined Madeline Freeman who helped to quickly give the Lady Hornets a 6-1 lead on their ultimate 25-10 win. The fourth and final set of the night saw the Lady Hornets finish 25-13 over the Lady Bearcats. Junior Mackenzie Mendenhall led the team in kills with 12, followed by sophomore Alona Rothwell and senior Madeline Freeman with 10 each. Rothwell and Freeman also had 3 blocks a piece. Rothwell led the team in aces with 4 followed by Foster with 2. And Foster led in digs with 25. The final home game of the season for the Hackett Lady Hornets finished with another win under their belts.

“It is sad that this is our last home game, but at the same time, I am excited to see what the future has in store for all of us! It also helps that it wasn’t our last game ever. We still have a full season and I’m super excited for the rest of the season and where it takes us!” said White.

The Lady Hornets volleyball program currently has 98 wins since it started 6 years ago. Next week they travel to West Fork on October 12th and Charleston on the 14th, where Head Coach Bridget Freeman is looking for her 100 win for the program.

Timepiece: Monuments and Road Markers

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4:16 pm

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By Dr. Curtis Varnell

My kids groan every time we pass a civil war battlefield or see a historical marker along the road. Never knowing what may be discovered, they know we are about to take a short side trip to discover our history.

One such marker is found near the small Logan County town of Grey Rock. The Byrd memorial sits adjacent to the old Grey Rock Methodist Episcopal church and is a tribute to former slaves; Allen and Sarah Byrd.

Allen was born into slavery on the Titsworth’s Plantation near Roseville in 1815. One of the oldest pioneers in western Arkansas, he and his family assisted the Titsworth’s in creating the prosperous river port and agricultural area now known as Mcclean Bottoms. Owned as slaves by Jack Titsworth, Allen would have little realized the influence his life would have on future generations.

Sweetie Ivery Wagoner, another slave on the plantation, later recalled in her memoirs what life was like for the slaves on the Titsworth’s plantation.

Master Titsworth’s house was a pretty good frame place; the slave families sleep in their own cabins, but all their eating was done together in a long house made of rough brick, and the eating was plentiful with fresh killed beef or pork, plenty of corn pone made of meal ground by the old rock mills, with potatoes and vegetables seasoned high with the meats.”

“The old master was good to the slaves my mammy always said; never whipped them, but if they got mean and worthless he would sell them. “Lots of the slaves never learn to read or write, but the mistress teach my own mammy after the day’s work was done. They set in the house long after dark and the mistress teach her, and then on Sunday, every Sunday too, they would go a little church for the preaching. My mammy would set back over on one side of the seat rows.”

Allen would have much of the same experiences; his life one of a servant to the people that owned and controlled his life. Byrd must have been extremely talented, possibly a carpenter, basket maker, or blacksmith. Family history indicates that he worked on the side and was able to purchase his own freedom and that of his wife Sarah by 1863. Allen was known to be the first free black man to own land in Logan county, either given or purchased eighty acres of prime bottom farmland. Other freed slaves joined them to form the town of Grey Rock, a community that predates the formation of Logan County or Paris, the county seat.

Allen and Sarah had sixteen children, all but three who survived into adulthood. Most of them remained in the area and raised families. As former slaves, many of the residents of Grey Rock were eager to start their own school and church. Allen and Sarah donated an acre of land upon which would be established the first African Methodist Church in the region. The church became the center of the community for the sharecroppers and landowners in the community. It served as a school, church, community, and recreation center.

The once former slave became a prosperous property owner and community leader, accumulating more and more and more land. On his death in Nov. 1886, the former slave had enough property to deed each of his twelve remaining children forty acres of the land upon which he had been a former slave. Today, the main road in rural Paris is known as Byrd Lane and a Byrd family memorial monument sits in Grey Rock as a testimony to the life of this remarkable man and woman. Another stop, another lesson learned. It’s not how we start life that matters, it’s the quality of life and how we spend it that counts.

Obituary – Jama Elizabeth Sanderson (1969-2021)

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12:04 pm

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Obituary – Jama Elizabeth Sanderson (1969-2021)

Jama Elizabeth Sanderson, age 52, of Booneville, Arkansas passed away October 6, 2021. She was born May 25, 1969, in Muskogee, Oklahoma to James and Nancy Newberry. She was a graduate of Greenwood High School in 1987 and attended UAFS in Ft. Smith. Jama was an integral part of many churches and ministries over the years; however, in recent years, she was primarily involved at Huntington First Assembly of God and Fortress House of Prayer.

Jama is preceded in death by her father James Newberry and sister Sara Cruz.

She is survived by her husband Brian Sanderson and children Bri and Seven Sanderson of the home, her mother Nancy Kremers of Greenwood, brother Corey Newberry and wife Calissa, sister Sydney Breaker and husband Brian, brother-in-law Chris Sanderson and wife Brandi, and sister-in-law Dana Buckner and husband Jeff, along with many beloved nieces and nephews, family, and friends.

Jama was a devoted Christian mother and worship leader. She enjoyed singing praises to her Savior Jesus Christ. She invested greatly in homeschooling her children, especially teaching them the importance of Jesus and the salvation He has to offer.

Cremation will be under the direction of Martin Funeral Home in Mansfield. Visitation with the family will be Friday, October 8th, from 5:00-8:00 pm and the funeral service will be Saturday, October 9th, at 2:00 pm. Both services will be at Huntington First Assembly of God.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Huntington First Assembly of God youth building project. Online condolences may be sent at http://www.martinfuneralhomes.com

Undefeated Charleston Hosts Mansfield Tonight in Battle of Tigers at Alumni Field

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6:17 am

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Undefeated Charleston Hosts Mansfield Tonight in Battle of Tigers at Alumni Field

After sweeping the non-conference portion of their schedule against 4A schools, and then winning its first two 3A conference games against Greenland and Cedarville, the undefeated Charleston Tigers are in the driver’s seat as they look toward a second consecutive conference championship. Charleston coach Ricky May will tell you like any other coach that a lot can happen and it is very much a week-by-week matter, but Charleston has earned its way into prime position to win a championship and a top seed in next month’s state playoffs.

Tonight’s game is a battle of the Tigers as the proud Mansfield Tigers will visit Alumni Field to take on the undefeated Charleston Tigers. This is a classic game in which records for both teams are thrown out and anything can happen. In fact, that point was clearly illustrated in 2019 when Mansfield last played at Charleston. Charleston was methodically driving late in the fourth quarter of the game, leading by six points and seemed on their way to victory. The Tigers were chewing up the clock and getting three or four yards on every running play. Mansfield was out of time outs, and Charleston had moved the ball inside the Mansfield ten yard line with less than two minutes to play. On third down, Charleston was inside the five….when lightning struck! On third down, anticipating an all-out blitz from the Mansfield defense, Charleston threw a pass that was intercepted three yards deep in the end zone. And as I have dubbed him ever since, “the Immortal Layton Howard” of Mansfield took the interception and ran it back 103 yards for the winning touchdown. Howard’s touchdown run took place down the Mansfield sideline with the crowd erupting, and just like that, Mansfield pulled out a tough victory at Charleston.

Since that season, Mansfield has graduated a very talented class and is now rebuilding. That same year, Charleston coach Ricky May was in his first year as the Tigers’ coach, and was doing a miraculous job keeping a team together that had been devastated by injuries and eventually led them to the playoffs. Since that season, May and Charleston have won an undefeated conference title in 2020 and look to be favored to do the same in 2021.

So, this should be a good one; better than the records may indicate. It will be a tough call for Mansfield to go into Charleston tonight and defeat a Charleston team that is now ranked sixth in Arkansas in Class 3A. But, rest assured, the Mansfield Tigers will show up tonight and they will give it everything they have.

Tonight should be a beautiful night of football weather across Arkansas for high school football, and fans from both communities will not want to miss this one. It’s Tigers versus Tigers! It’s high school football on a perfect night for football!

Obituary – Sharon Amelia (Cherry) Newborn (1937-2021)

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5:20 pm

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Obituary – Sharon Amelia (Cherry) Newborn (1937-2021)

Sharon Amelia Cherry Newborn, 84, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, in Springdale, Arkansas. Sharon was born on August 20, 1937, to Herbert and Irene (Rodgers) Cherry in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She married Paul Newborn on September 20, 1959 and they were married for almost 54 years.

Sharon graduated from Waldron High School and attended Ouachita Baptist University. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Waldron, Arkansas, owner of Sharon’s Book Nook, also known as Sharon’s Etc. in Waldron, directed Children’s Choirs, directed Senior Adult Choir, and directed music at First Baptist, as needed. She hosted numerous youth activities in her home and was involved with Women’s Missionary Union (WMU). Sharon taught women’s Bible study for many years and transformed the lives of thousands of people through sharing her faith at Global Mission Outreach for over nine years. She founded Mom’s Morning at First Baptist Church (an organization specializing in meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of women in the community). She was also a substitute teacher at Waldron Elementary School for music classes.

Sharon loved her children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter with all her heart. She leaves the following family members behind to cherish her memory: Jalene Casias and husband, Philip Casias; Shannon Hodge and husband, Bill Hodge, of Springdale, Arkansas; five grandchildren that called her Grandy: Maegan Hodge, Tori (Hodge) Ledbetter, Jon-Paul Casias, Carter Casias, and David Hodge. Her grandchildren-in-love are Ben Ledbetter and Hannah Hodge. Grandy has spent many hours with her precious great-granddaughter, Olive Ledbetter, reading to her and rocking her to sleep. Sharon also loved her brother, Neil Cherry, deeply. He was her rock and best friend. Trisha Rose was like a sister to Sharon and a cherished life-long friend. Sharon will be missed by all who knew her and the many whose lives she impacted, including numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and loved ones.

As we reflect on Grandy’s life, we remember she was a faithful follower of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, prayer warrior, Bible teacher, writer, artist, unwavering and strong voice for the sanctity of life, devoted teacher for her Sunday school class at First Baptist Church in Waldron as she helped others grow in Christ, but probably her most ambitious and global influence was serving as a Global Mission Outreach counselor, which gave her the opportunity to share and lead others to Christ in numerous countries. Sharon was an active listener who knew her family and friends well and remembered their
communication styles, love languages, and personalities to ultimately love them better.

Sharon is preceded in death by her husband, Paul Newborn; parents, Herbert and Irene (Rodgers) Cherry, and sister, Carolyn Rebecca Cherry.

The family will receive friends for visitation on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Waldron, Arkansas. Sharon’s life celebration will follow at the First Baptist Church at 2:00 p.m., officiated by Pastor Ken Overturf. Burial will immediately follow at the Pilot Prairie Cemetery in Waldron. Arrangements are entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sharon Amelia (Cherry) Newborn, please visit our floral store.

Local Departments Partner for National Fire Prevention Week

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5:07 pm

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Local Departments Partner for National Fire Prevention Week

The Mansfield and Huntington Fire Departments teamed up to host a fire prevention program for students at Mansfield Elementary and ABC Preschool on Thursday, October 7.

Mansfield Fire Chief Michael Smith speaks to MES students about being fire safe.

This, in observation of National Fire Prevention Week.

Students learned they should make a fire escape plan and speak with their parents about a safe meeting place in case of a fire.

“I know we look scary, but I promise you, we are here to help,” stated Mansfield’s Chief Michael Smith. Huntington Fire Assistant Chief Gary Lawrence added, “never go back into building once you have escaped. Ninety percent of those who go back inside never come back out.”

Huntington Assistant Chief Lawrence and Firemen Kameron Delp and Jason Teague

The two departments boast over 100 years of firefighting experience. Volunteer firefighters Jason Teague and Kameron Delp assisted in the demonstration.

Students at the elementary and preschool were able to explore both the tanker truck and special operations unit.

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