State Capitol Week in Review From Senator Terry Rice
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) has secured more than a billion dollars in research funding since it was created about 25 years ago, its directors announced at a recent meeting.
They emphasized that the billion dollars did not come from a government appropriation or a large grant that designated a portion to every state. The total amount was secured through competitive applications made by Arkansas researchers to the national organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, or grants from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Arkansas had been one of 46 states that sued the country’s four major tobacco companies, seeking compensation for the costs of treating people whose health was harmed by smoking. In 1998 a settlement was announced that restricted cigarette advertising, marketing and sponsorships. Also, the tobacco companies agreed to pay the states $206 billion over 25 years.
Arkansas received about $62 million a year at the beginning of the settlement. Last year Arkansas received $47 million, bringing the state’s total proceeds of settling the lawsuit to more than $1.4 billion. ABI receives from $10 million to $12 million a year from the settlement, which was not counted toward the billion dollars in total research grants.
Officials calculate that for every dollar invested in ABI, the institute generates a return of about five dollars. For example, in fiscal 2024 the institute had a budget of $11.5 million and it brought in $61 million in research funding from out of state.
Arkansas citizens approved the creation of ABI when they passed a referendum in 2000 by a vote of 64 percent in favor of the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act. Of all the states that received settlement money from the tobacco companies, Arkansas was unique in how it chose to spend the funds in that we voted to dedicate all the proceeds to health-related programs.
In 2001 the legislature appropriated money from the tobacco settlement for seven health-related programs, including for operations of the newly-created ABI. In addition to the research institute, other programs benefit minority, elderly and under-served populations. Revenue went to an expansion of Medicaid.
The goal of ABI is to promote public health through biomedical and agricultural research. Five campuses have a role. They are Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
ABI conducts agricultural research with medical implications, as well as bioengineering research that expands genetic knowledge in medical fields. Some research is tobacco-related with applications in behavioral, diagnostic and therapeutic fields. Other research focuses on nutrition, and other projects are aimed at preventing and treating cancer.
At the annual meeting the institute’s director remarked on the importance of surpassing a billion dollars in research funding, saying “this milestone is about honoring the vision of Arkansas voters who overwhelmingly supported this initiative.”
He said the milestone indicated that the institute was committed to being good stewards of the trust shown by Arkansas voters in 2000 when they approved funding of biomedical research.
Charleston Turnovers Lead To Tough Loss At Mansfield
The Charleston Tigers are a premier program in the state of Arkansas. Considered a serious contender going into the 2025 season, Charleston cut through their nonconference schedule like a samurai sword through warm butter. Outscoring their first three opponents 150-41, the Tigers looked unstoppable. When play conference started, Charleston continued their dominance by blowing out West Fork 45-8. But the first real test came on Friday, October 3rd, when Charleston traveled south to Mansfield for a tiger tussle that the Tigers had circled since last year.
Manfield had played Charleston in a 1-1 split over the past two seasons, with both games being at Charleston. This game would be the tie breaker and, even more importantly, a game loaded with conference and state implications. Charleston and Mansfield entered the game with two distinct styles of offense. The Tigers ran a high-octane spread offense that can score quickly and often, while Mansfield played a ground-and-pound, physical game that wears teams down. Although the offenses were polar opposites, their defenses were all about delivering pain. Both teams were ranked one and two in the 3A-1 in points allowed, which meant that their matchup would be one that wouldn’t make it easy for either team to score. So how could fans decipher which team was better? Well, for starters, watch it play out.
Charleston started off the game returning the opening kickoff, but the catch was muffed, which gave Mansfield the ball and an early taste of momentum. Charleston’s defense stepped onto the field with full intent to show Mansfield what physical football really is. The Tigers did well in that area, too, as they only allowed Mansfield a yard or two here and there as players like Lukas Burleson, Finn Schmalz, and Deegan Todd found a way to slow down Mansfield’s power run game. But those yards began to add up, and Mansfield eventually crossed into the endzone at the 9:20 mark of the first quarter. Mansfield converted the two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead in the game.
Once Charleston’s offense got onto the field, every Manfield fan held their breath. This Charleston team averaged 48 points per game leading up to the matchup, so it was well known how quickly the Tigers could score. Charleston started on the 32-yard line and went to work. Mansfield was called for a defensive holding penalty on the first play, and Garred Smithson darted for 15 yards on the second snap to cross midfield. Carter Little completed back-to-back passes on hitch routes to quickly put Charleston at the 27-yard line. Little then kept the ball himself to get down to the 20-yard line as the endzone was getting closer and closer for Charleston.
In just a few plays, the Tigers found themselves at the 2-yard line with the goal line in reach. But right when everything was looking bright, Mansfield’s defense turned off the light switch on Charleston with an interception. With 4:47 left in the first quarter, Mansfield began to methodically make their way downfield and eventually got into the endzone again. Charleston found themselves on the outside looking in at the end of the opening quarter as they stared a 16-0 score in Mansfield’s favor.
A game consists of four quarters, and with Charleston’s offense, 16 points is a mere drop in the bucket. Now with the early game jitters behind them and a brand-new quarter in front, Charleston went on the hunt. Carter Little hit Deegan Todd with a short pass to pull Mansfield’s defense outside which allowed Garred Smithson to run the ball up the middle on the next play for a 13-yard gain. Smithson then gained 11 yards on a run before breaking out with a 29-yard catch from Carter Little. The catch set Charleston at the 9-yard line, and Carter Little strolled into the endzone on the next play. The Tigers went for a two-point conversion but failed on the attempt to set the score at 16-6 with 10:09 remaining in the second quarter.
Charleston’s defense learned from its first-quarter mistakes and began shutting down Mansfield’s ground game. The Tigers were the first team this season to force Mansfield into a punting situation, but the punt wasn’t a punt; it was a fake. Even though fake punts might work on some teams, they don’t on Charleston, as Matteo Gaona sniffed out the trick play to cause a turnover on downs. Now with great field position at the 33-yard line, Charleston had a chance to put Manfield on the ropes. Carter Little zipped a pass to Maddix Terry and then handed the ball off to Garred Smithson to get the Tigers down to the 5-yard line. Little called his own number from 5 yards out to get into the endzone on the fifth play of the drive. The extra point kick was good, which closed the scoring gap to 16-13. Charleston took the lead drive as Carter Little found a wide-open Deegan Todd for a 27-yard touchdown. The extra point was good as Charleston took a 20-16 lead over Mansfield going into halftime.
Mansfield scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter while Charleston put up 20 unanswered points in the second quarter, which made it seem like the team with the ball on the final possession would be the game’s winner. When the teams came out of the locker rooms after halftime, it was Charleston who had the lead and all of the momentum. Mansfield started the second half with the ball and wasted no time scoring with a 45-yard run to retake the lead. With the two-point conversion added on, Charleston saw themselves down 22-20. The Tigers’ steaming hot offense was cooled down on their first possession of the second half as Mansfield forced them to punt.
The punt set Mansfield at the 10-yard line, which was good for Charleston, but what wasn’t good was Mansfield driving 90 yards in eight plays for another touchdown. Another two-point conversion put Charleston down 32-20 with 3:54 left in the third quarter. That would be the score at the end of the third quarter as Mansfield flipped the momentum heading into the fourth and final quarter of play. Neither team’s offense showed up for most of the fourth quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued between the defenses. Charleston got into the endzone with a 7-yard pass from Carter Little to Deegan Todd, but the score happened with just 1:04 left in the game as Mansfield settled into victory formation on the ensuing possession to beat Charleston with a 32-27 final score.
The loss was a tough one, no doubt. But this Charleston team is a far cry from being done with football for the season. Sure, a close loss can get under a team’s skin, but it also tends to give them a focused chip on their shoulder. Turnovers can be fixed, plays can be adjusted, and Charleston Tiger football can and will win many more games in 2025. Expect Charleston to rebound like never before and set their sights on the next team up. That next up program will be the Hackett Hornets on Friday, October 10th, in Hackett.
Mansfield Fire Seeking Signatures to Place Fire Dues on Property Tax Statement
A new state law passed in the last legislative session could change how rural fire dues are collected for volunteer fire departments across Arkansas. House Bill 1416, sponsored by Rep. L. Johnson and Sen. K. Hammer, was signed into law as Act 673, giving volunteer fire departments that serve unincorporated areas of the county the authority to levy dues through property tax bills.
For the past several months, Mansfield Fire Chief Michael Smith has reported on the issue, noting that the city is losing significant funds due to the majority of rural residents not paying their annual fire dues. Mayor Buddy Black estimated the loss at around $50,000 each year.
According to data provided by Shannon R. Scott, GISP, CFM with the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD), the Mansfield Fire District includes 371 residential structures in rural areas, not including the Juvenile Camp. Based on 2019–2023 U.S. Census data, which shows an average household size of 2.44 people, that would equal an estimated rural population of about 905 residents in the Mansfield Fire District, outside the city limits.
However, the amount of dues collected could vary, as property taxes are typically collected on a per-property basis, not per person or household composition.
Sebastian County Emergency Management Director Travis Cooper explained that the process for implementing the change requires a majority of rural district residents to agree. Once a majority of signatures is collected, they must be verified by the county clerk before being presented to the quorum court for approval.
If approved, annual fire dues would then be added to rural residents’ personal property tax bills. Cooper emphasized that any funds collected through this process should be designated strictly for the fire department.
Act 673 also provides that volunteer firefighters living within the rural district may be exempt from paying dues, though it is not yet clear if Mansfield will apply that exemption.
This year, Mansfield increased its annual fire dues from $40 to $50.
If Mansfield gathers enough valid signatures and receives quorum court approval, the change will establish a new method of funding for rural fire protection.
Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Week 5
We are at the midpoint of the season, and the conference race is about to get interesting in the 3A-1. Looking across the region there are great games on tap for Week 5. In Oklahoma there is Ada, OK traveling to Poteau in a match-up of unbeatens. Pocola, Ok hosts Rejoice Christian out of Owasso, OK. In Arkansas we have Rogers traveling to Fayetteville. Shiloh hosts Mountain Home, which could very well decide the 6A West number two seed in the playoffs. Quitman goes to Melbourne, after Melbourne took a 34-7 loss to Salem. In Class 4A Bauxite takes on defending State Champion Arkadelphia.
Before I forget! Go vote for Dierks High School in the T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights Sweepstakes. They are a Top 25 School and at the time publishing, were leading in the voting.
Stone Cold Lock of the Week
Charleston vs Mansfield
Another week and another top match-up in the area with conference championship implications. Two unbeatens. Two teams that have rolled opponents leading up to this point. It is the kind of game that IS small town football, two programs with varying success, and games that date back to 1937. Currently Charleston leads the series 37-14, but Mansfield has not found a lot of success beating Charleston two times in a row. Could that stout offensive and defensive lines with Burton family power roll over the Tigers in back-to-back season for the first time since 2018 and 2019? Charleston’s Senior duo of Quarterback Carter Little and WR Maddix Terry will test the Mansfield secondary. Brothers Andrew and Jeremiah Burton and Cousin Jubal Parks ran over Hackett with more than one hundred yards each.
The Rest
Dardanelle vs Waldron
The Sand Lizards led by Air Force Quarterback Commit Creed Vega, have been taking care of business this season. Sitting at 4-0, Dardanelle is sitting at the top of the 4A with several Top Ten teams looking to halt their run. Waldron has not found their stride yet, scoring just thirty-four points this season while giving up 176.
Lavaca vs West Fork
In last week’s action, the Golden Arrows moved to 3-1 in the season with a 28-20 win over Greenland. Lavaca could very well get into the playoffs as a four seed in the 3A playoffs, but they will have to take care of West Fork, Cedarville, and Hackett in the coming weeks. It will place them exactly where Hooten’s picked them in the preseason. In even earlier predictions, it will have Lavaca playing the number two seed out of the 3A-1 which maybe Bismarck, Smackover, or Prescott.
Greenwood vs Russellville
I heard on a video that the Arkansas Razorbacks are a sleeping giant in college football. Due to there being a large amount of money surrounding the program. If I were to pick a sleeping giant in Arkansas High School football it would be Russellville and Van Buren. Facilities and businesses in proximity to the two districts make it a shock that they are not more successful. Like challenging the Greenwood’s and the Benton’s year in and year out. After a tough game against Shiloh Christian does Greenwood have enough in the tank for another week. The same can be said about Russellville after going toe-to-toe with Van Buren last week.
Southside vs Lake Hamilton
The Mavericks challenged Mountain Home for the whole game before falling 39-21. This week they will travel to Lake Hamilton in another game with playoff implications. The talk has been centered around Greenwood, Shiloh, and Mountain Home, but semi-perennial playoff contender Lake Hamilton has been quietly doing what they do best. Southside has had issues stopping the run in the past weeks, and Lake Hamilton runs that tried a true Wing T offense to give Southside issues.
Hackett vs Booneville
The Hornets have an absolute gauntlet of a schedule with Mansfield, Booneville, and Charleston in a row. If you want to see how your team could stack up, they are playing a playoff type of schedule for three weeks. Booneville has Hackett, Greenland, and West Fork to tune up and get guys healthy for back-to-back games with Mansfield and Charleston.
Magazine vs Mountainburg
Could this have been a Stone Cold Lock Of The Week, quite possibly. The Dragons took defending State Champion, Conway Christian to the wire losing by only seven points. In fact, Mountainburg has been knocking on the door of success all season. Sitting at 2-2, they may give the rest of the 2A-1 fits. Magazine got their first loss of the season to Bigelow 43-24.
Cedarville vs Greenland
The two Pirates find themselves in similar waters. Does the Cedarville Pirates get their second win on the season, or does Greenland break into the win column. Side note: How is this not a cool rivalry game? One with a Pirate Ship trophy, especially after the popularity of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise. Make the trophy a treasure chest, seriously, someone reading this from either town, this needs to happen. I can see it now, game is over and the trophy is wheeled out to midfield for one of the schools to hold it in their facilities.
Cutter Morning Star vs Paris
Both teams are 3-1 in the season. Both offenses put up 30-plus points last week. Last year was the first meeting of the two 3A-4 schools. The Eagles soared 46-42 in that game.
Smackover vs Bismarck
Remember seven of these little descriptions ago when I stated there was a three-team race in the 3A-7? So, this game clears it up a little bit, like Charleston and Mansfield and a few others this has playoff implications.
| Games | Ross’ Picks | Adam’s Picks |
| LOTW – Charleston vs Mansfield | Charleston | Mansfield |
| Dardanelle vs Waldron | Dardanelle | Dardanelle |
| Lavaca vs West Fork | Lavaca | Lavaca |
| Greenwood vs Russellville | Greenwood | Greenwood |
| FS Southside vs Lake Hamilton | Lake Hamilton | FS Southside |
| Hackett vs Booneville | Booneville | Booneville |
| Magazine vs Mountainburg | Mountainburg | Magazine |
| Cedarville vs Greenland | Greenland | Greenland |
| Cutter Morning Star vs Paris | Paris | Paris |
| Smackover vs Bismarck | Bismarck | Bismarck |
JR Tigers Hit Hard In Impactful Win At Charleston
Mansfield and Charleston. These two programs have been the dominant pair over the past few years. Charleston has a history of success to back it, but the Mansfield Tigers have quickly made their presence known by running roughshod over the competition with their powerful, old-school football tactics. So, when Mansfield’s undefeated junior high went to Charleston on Thursday, October 2nd, they knew that this was going to be more than a game; it was going to be a fight for respect.
The Tigers started the game kicking off to Charleston, which gave their defense a chance to see what they were made of against a spread offense. On Charleston’s first offensive snap, defensive linemen Easton Foley and Thomas Boyd breezed past the line and took down Charleston’s quarterback. It was a big play for the Tigers defense, but Charleston came right back with a 43-yard pass to get the Black Tigers into scoring territory. Charleston’s big play capabilities were shut down in the short field though as Mansfield forced a turnover on downs soon after.
Mansfield ushered their physical offense onto the field with 93 yards in front of them. Just as soon as the snap was made, a flag was thrown. Fortunately for Mansfield, the penalty was against Charleston which gave the Tigers offense a little more breathing room. The next five plays went to four different Tigers as Layton Pyles, Colton Moore, Seth Burton, Isaac Carson, and Elijah Burton plowed ahead to get Mansfield to the 34-yard line. With Charleston’s defences head spinning trying to figure out who had the ball, Layton Pyles broke loose and gained 16 yards and a Tiger first down at midfield. With only a handful of seconds left in the opening quarter, Elijah Burton pitched the ball to Isaac Carson, who screamed 50 yards downfield for a Mansfield Tiger touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving the Tigers with a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Charleston put together a pretty good drive on the Tigers defense, but again Mansfield bowed up when it counted most. On fourth down and seven to go, the Tigers secondary covered Charleston’s wide receivers like glue to force an incomplete pass and another turnover on downs against Charleston. The Tigers defense did their job, but Charleston’s drive ran the clock down to 2:08 left in the half leaving little time for the Tigers to drive 74-yards ahead to score again. Colton Moore ran up the gut for 6-yards to start Mansfield’s new possession and was followed up by Isaac Carson, who took to the edge of the field and darted for a 29-yard gain. Just like that the Tigers were in Charleston territory and knocking on the scoreboard’s door. But the Tigers fumbled after a time out which set them back to face a fourth and fifteen with 0:42 seconds left in the second quarter. Mansfield couldn’t convert and turned the ball back over on downs to Charleston at the 34-yard line. The Tigers defense kept Charleston in check for the remainder of the half as Mansfield headed into halftime with a 6-0 lead.
Each team only had two offensive drives in the first half as both of the Tigers ate up the clock to make up what seemed to be the fastest first half on record. Mansfield’s offense started the second half and aimed to slow the game down a little bit to their tempo. Colton Moore took back-to-back handoffs to get Mansfield their first first down of the half and the Tigers were rolling early. Quarterback, Elijah Burton, baited Charleston’s defense with a third handoff but pulled the ball and flew downfield for a big 27-yard gain. Isaac Carson put the cherry on top with a 32-yard Tiger touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, but the Tigers still extended their lead 12-0 over Charleston with 5:43 left in the third quarter.
Manfield’s defense continued to punish Charleston in the backfield which caused Charleston to begin hearing footsteps. Those footsteps were from the big feet of Keaton Welch as Charleston’s quarterback fumbled the ball and Welch pulled off a 25-yard scoop and score for the Tigers defense. Layton Pyles added on the two-point conversion to give Mansfield a 20-0 lead. The scoop and score was awesome, but it put the Tigers defense right back on the field with a minimal break. Break? They don’t need no stinkin’ break and just like that, the Tigers had Charleston with their backs to the wall on fourth down again. An odd yellow object found its way onto the field, which awarded Charleston a first down. Easton Foley batted down Charleston’s first pass which brought those booming footsteps back. Charleston jumped the gun and snapped the ball high to push Charleston even further back. Payton James shut down a third down attempt which forced Charleston to punt the ball. The third quarter ended with that punt as Mansfield held a commanding lead on Charleston with a 20-0 score going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth and final quarter saw Elijah Burton, Layton Pyles and Colton Moore chewing their way past Charleston’s defense to the 39-yard line on the first drive, but Charleston caught a break by intercepting a Mansfield pass. Charleston’s offense made some decent yardage to get down to the Tigers 25-yard line with a couple of passes. Mansfield’s defense again stepped up as Colton Moore picked off Charleston on a fourth down pass. Moore made his was down inside Charleston’s 30-yard line, but a penalty brought the ball back to the opposite 12-yard line. Colton Moore would not be denied though as he took the ensuing handoff for 57-yards back to the 31-yard line again. Layton Pyles broke five tackles on the next play and capped off the run for a 31-yard Tiger touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, but the Tigers boosted their lead to 26-0 with 2:24 left in the game.
With 2:24 left in the game, Mansfield wasn’t going to lose, but they wanted to do more than merely win, they wanted to shut out Charleston on their home field. Charleston assisted the Tigers with that as they fumbled the ball on their next possession. Ryder Pennington picked up the fumble and went 45-yards for another defensive Tiger touchdown. Mansfield’s two-point conversion was good to set the score at 34-0. The Tigers left Charleston’s high-powered offense with a goose egg on the scoreboard as Mansfield was victorious over Charleston with a 34-0 final score. The Tigers will keep their undefeated record at home next week as they host the Lavaca Golden Arrows on Thursday, October 9th.