Resident News Network

Bulldogs Play Gone With The Win Against Hackett

Sports

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10:45 am

Bulldogs Play Gone With The Win Against Hackett

It’s no secret that the Waldron Bulldogs have had a rough start to their baseball season. But as everyone knows, it’s not how you start the race that matters, it’s how you finish. The Bulldogs started last week with a match against Charleston on Tuesday, March 16. Although the game didn’t go in the Bulldog’s favor ending with a final score of 6-1 Tigers, Waldron still gave a good showing. Blake Owens was the starting pitcher playing in three innings. Owens only gave up five runs and struck out five players while picking off one runner.

Matt Brigance and Caden Fuller hit the mound where they pitched for a combined three innings. Brigance earned one strikeout and gave up one run while Fuller also secured a strikeout. “Hitting for the Bulldogs was scarce,” explained head coach, Mark Brigance. “We only had 4 strikeouts but failed to get hits to score runs. Almost every kid in the line-up hit a hardball somewhere but unfortunately, most were right at someone. The positive side is defense didn’t commit an error, which is a great sign of the work the kids have put in.”

On Thursday, the Bulldogs turned around and gave Pottsville a run for their money only allowing the Apaches to take home an 11-9 victory. For this match-up, the starting pitcher was Caden Fuller who ended the night with three strikeouts and three hits. “The hits came at the right time for Pottsville after a three-run home run from Carothers. Caden had trouble in the first inning but went three up and three down in the next two innings.” Payton Justice relieved Fuller for two innings scoring three strikeouts and only allowing three hits leading to four runs.

“Fuller and Justice were in basketball and have had limited work in the past couple of weeks. They continue to improve daily and will be fine pitchers for us.” And freshman, Noah Patrick, also got some mound time pitching two innings for the Bulldogs. Hitting was much more positive for the Bulldogs during this go-around. Carnley finished with one single, a stolen base, and a score. Matthew Brigance earned two walks, one hit by pitch, a stolen base, and a score.

Caden Fuller was 2 for 4 with two singles and two scores. Jesse Dees had one walk. Payton Justice was hit by the pitch and earned an RBI. And Jaden Hutchens reached on an error to centerfield that scored two runs, and also made a single and scored. Catching for Waldron was Braden Williams who got two walks, put the ball in play twice reaching on errors, and scored twice. “We had our chances to score more runners but failed in the first three innings or it might have been a different outcome. We are still struggling to plate runners when given the opportunity, however, for half of my lineup, this is their first week of games.”

The final game of the week was where all the magic happened. After being dealt two hard blows, the Diamond Dogs pulled together as a team and bagged an 8-2 conference win over the Hackett Hornets placing them with a 2-6 overall record and 1-1 in conference play. “We came out with a great mentality of meeting a goal of scoring one run per inning plus one. We got out eight runs and it was very sufficient.” Starting pitcher for the Bulldogs was Matthew Brigance with Logan Young doing the catching. Matthew pitched six scoreless innings with 10 K’s and allowed four hits.

“One of the highlights of the game was a baserunner for Hackett reached on an error with one out in the 2nd inning. We have struggled in this situation before. Brigance allowed back-to-back hits and with the bases loaded, struck out the next two batters on seven pitches. Blake Owens got the save in the seventh inning by striking out the first batter, walking the next, and striking out the final batter on a wild pitch. That led to them tacking on two runs but some great defense by Jaden Hutchens at second base and Braden Williams at third base ended the scoring.”

Hitting for the Diamond Dogs was Drake Carnley who concluded the match with a single, a stolen base, and a score. Matthew Brigance got hit twice and walked once with three stolen bases scoring three times. Caden Fuller went four for four with all four being singles, two stolen bases, and scored three times. Blake Owens made a single. Payton Justice landed a single and scored. Drew Owens secured a single, advanced a runner, and was hit by a pitch. Kaden Rogers went three for three with all three being singles while also earning an RBI and advanced the runners. And Braden Williams did not record a hit but moved runners at all four times to the plate.

The next Diamond Dogs game is a rain-suspended game on Monday, March 29 vs Cedarville at home. The game is currently at the bottom of the second with the Bulldogs up 5-0. They have a runner at 2nd base and Bladyn Mays will be up to bat with a 1-2 count and 2 outs. The game will resume in that position. There will be a JV game to follow.

Photo courtesy of Sandy Tull

Jr Pirates and Lady Pirates Leave Competitors Running Scared

Sports

Megan Hecox

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8:57 am

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Jr Pirates and Lady Pirates Leave Competitors Running Scared

Pictured is Colton Arnold

On March 15, the 3A Cedarville Jr High Pirates Track Team had no problem stepping up to compete against a group of schools whose majority came from 5A conferences and higher. The Jr Pirates and Lady Pirates competed against Alma, Fort Smith, Mansfield, Greenland, Greenwood, Ozark, Russellville, and Van Buren at the Van Buren Jr Relays and they did it with ease.

With over a dozen girls earning marks in multiple track and field events, the Lady Pirates placed in the Top 15 of a dozen of those. Out of 13 teams registered, the Jr Lady Pirates ended the evening in 9th place. For their relay races, the girls scored 4th in the 4×200, 7th in the 4×400 and 4×800, and 9th in the 4×100.

Makalie Carter threw her way to a 12th place finish in Discus with a 60-8 while also earning 19th in the 100m. Teammates Rose Lalonde and Jaclyn Almanza also set fire to their arms with Rose making 20th in Shot Put with a 23-6 and Jaclyn picking up 14th in Shot Put with 27-2 and 19th in Discus with 48-11.

Having no problems clearing the competition was Olivia McGill who got 5th in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 58.13 and Katelyn Moore-Guerra who earned 7th with a time of 1:00.64. Kicking up sand in the Long Jump was Caroline Morrow who landed in 12th with a distance of 13-0 and McGill who at 22-8.5 snagged 14th in Triple Jump. And blazing across the sky like a shooting star was Hayley Langley who brought home 8th in Pole Vault with a height of 5-0.

Rounding out the scores for the Lady Pirates by burning rubber so bad they left their opponents gasping for air was Carlie Burris taking 7th in the 200m, Kaleigh Bremner in 18th with the 100m, Morrow in 11th for the 200m, Autumn Wheeler in 21st for the 400m, Lily Ming taking 9th in the 1600m, and Paige Cluck taking home 7th in the 1600m and 11th in the 800m. Girls head coach, Jarod Remer expressed, “We beat Greenland, Darby, and Kimmons in total points on the girls’ side and were competitive with the other big schools! I’m very proud of how our girls performed!”

When it comes to the boys, where they lack in numbers, they make up for in size and strength. Cedarville brought with them the “Eminent Eight” consisting of Colton Arnold, Easton Malone, Eli Weber, Luke Buckner, Noah Easley, Chasyn Oden, Braxton Bentley, and Alex Heaton who went on to score big for the Pirates. As a whole, Cedarville placed 8th overall out of 12 total teams.

Screaming down the track faster than the bus in the movie Speed was Arnold scoring 4th in the 200m with a time of 25.45 and 7th in the 100m with a time of 12.31. Malone grabbed 24th in the 200m. Weber earned 18th in the 400m. And Buckner snagged 18th in the 800m. While others came to play in the sand like a day at the beach, Arnold meant business taking 6th in the Triple Jump with a distance of 35-7 and 17th in the Long Jump at 14-3.

Jumping higher than a fish out of water was Easley who got 7th in the 300m Hurdles with a time of 50.98 and sealing a new personal record was Oden at 16th in the 300 Hurdles with a time of 55.46. Easley also flew to 2nd place in Pole Vault with a height of 9-6 while Oden picked-up 10th at 6-6.

Chasyn Oden. Picture by Jeannie Keomoungkhoune

And bringing in the big guns to lay down the law was Bentley and Heaton who each set personal records in both of their events. Bentley landed in 10th place in Shot Put with a distance of 35-10.7 and 11th in Discus with a 95-7 while Heaton slammed down 15th in Discus with an 80-3 and 21st in Shot Put with a 29-6.5.

Dollar Tree Must Buys

Madison VanRavensway

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6:38 pm

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When it comes to the Dollar Tree it should come as no surprise that some items are not a good buy. While it seems like items for $1 would be better than items at say Walmart for more, it’s important to remember quality and price per ounce. With that being said there are fifteen things that are always excellent to pick up from the dollar tree!

1. Party supplies- the selection of solid color table cloths, plates, cups, and decorations is excellent and at only $1 each you can outfit the whole shindig without breaking the bank! That’s worth partying in itself.

2. Books- not all books are worth reading, but there are often popular books waiting on the shelves of the Dollar Tree. Kids board books at only a dollar is a bargain also! Compare to $3-5 at other stores!

3. Greeting cards- flip a card over at the Dollar Tree and expect it to say $2-6, but that’s not what you will pay! Find the perfect card for a great percentage off here.

4. LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner- this cleaner is an all purpose cleaner that can get a wide variety of stains out, it is a must have in your supply closet. And yes, it is $1, but it really does work.

5. Seasonal items- there is bound to be a large selection of seasonal items in your local store, the decor is a great buy to spruce up your home on the cheap.

6. Makeup brushes- often times DT will carry brand name items such as ELF. The brushes that are regularly $3+ are just $1! It’s a perfect time for the makeup gurus to stock up.

7. Storage containers- there are multiple options for baskets and plastic top containers. Ready to do some organizing? Dollar tree will be your best friend!

8. Craft supplies- in recent times there has been a massive increase in what DT has labeled their “Crafter’s Corner”. There is now a good variety, if you have a project you want to complete check here first to get the most bang for your buck.

9. Puzzles- there are lots of licensed character puzzles that are good quality and lots of fun!

10. Pregnancy tests- yes they are cheap, and yes they work. Skip the more expensive brands and stock up from DT.

11. Diaper trash bags- when your child goes #2 and there is no trash can around, or even if there is, somewhere to put that stinky diaper is essential. Dollar Tree has handy bags that come in packs of 70! Great to have in your diaper bag so you aren’t stinking up your relative’s house (speaking from experience).

12. Glassware- mugs, plates, drinking glasses, and bowls are just some good buys when looking in this section! No more buying whole sets you don’t need.

13. Picture frames- there is always a good selection of frames, check DT before heading to a more expensive store.

14. Gift bags- the price of the bag really doesn’t matter so why spend more? Grab you a cheap bag and some tissue paper for your next present.

15. Sunglasses- with a good variety of sunglasses for kids and adults you really can’t go long checking here.

There are so many products in the Dollar Tree. It really is a fun experience just to walk the aisles and see what you can find.

Turkey Guidebook Highlights New Zones, Substantial Harvest Changes

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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4:18 pm

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Turkey Guidebook Highlights New Zones, Substantial Harvest Changes

Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

LITTLE ROCK — With one month until the opening day of Arkansas’s turkey season, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is finishing up printing of the 2021 Arkansas Turkey Hunting Guidebook, which contains all regulations for this year’s hunt. The guidebooks will be distributed in the next week, but for those wanting a copy now, a digital download is available at www.agfc.com.

Arkansas turkey hunters will see some major changes in their season this April, all focused to help recover the state’s eastern wild turkey population, which has seen some concerning declines during the last decade.

Jeremy Wood, AGFC wild turkey program coordinator, says the changes are an effort to balance the needs of the turkey population with the desires of hunters. Wood, who’s in his third year with the agency, says he worked closely with biologists who have been on staff at the AGFC for years and combined their knowledge with recent research to develop a plan that enables hunters to still enjoy their sport while regulating turkey harvest to benefit the birds as much as possible.

“The turkey team at the AGFC took a broad look at all of the regulations in the book to see what needed to be updated, done away with or changed to make the best use of research being conducted throughout the Southeast,” Wood said. “We discussed those proposals in several small focus groups composed of a broad spectrum of turkey hunters from around the state. We refined the proposals based on their input, and presented them to the public through regulations surveys last year.”

Two main zones
One of the most visible changes is the revamping of the state’s private land turkey hunting zones beginning in the 2021 season. Eighteen turkey zones have been condensed to two, and all zone boundaries will be based on county lines.

“It may seem like a lot, but it really is not a big change once you look at it,” Wood said. “In reality, all those zones really only had two season structures. Now if you know what county you’re in, you know you’re either in Zone 1 or Zone 2.”

Wood says the season structures for the zones are similar to last year, with Zone 1 being a nine-day season with a one-bird bag limit and Zone 2 being a 21-day season with a two-bird bag limit.

“County lines were easy to match up fairly closely with previous boundaries, but we did have a few places where we had to make some decisions on which zone a county should fall under,” Wood said. “In those cases, we always took the more conservative option, hoping any population increases in sections with better habitat would be able to spread into the other portions of the county.”

Wood also stresses that public land hunters remember that each wildlife management area and national wildlife refuge is its own zone with separate regs and zone numbers.

Let Them Lay
This year’s season opener is one of the latest opening days for Arkansas’s turkey season in recent history — April 19. This coincides with the long-term average peak nest initiation (egg-laying) date in Arkansas. The delay is an effort to let more reproduction take place before hunters begin to remove mature gobblers from the landscape.

Although gobblers are sounding off a month or more before the season begins, research has shown the vast majority of hens are not ready to breed that early, and removal of dominant males can negatively impact or delay breeding activity.

“Looking at our brood survey data, only about 40 percent of the hens were bred by opening day,” Wood said. “With this delay, we may see 50 to 60 percent of hens bred. This may improve reproduction and it also means more hens will have started to lay their clutch, and males will increase gobbling as they look for receptive hens again.”

Wood said the delay also will give the birds time to rest between the youth hunt, scheduled for April 10-11, and the regular season opener.

“We have had some hunters complain that the season opener being the day after the youth hunt hurt some gobbling activity,” Wood said. “Many hunters like the Monday opener to spread out pressure, but they want some space between the youth hunt and the regular season. Any hunting pressure has an immediate effect on gobbling activity. Spreading the hunt out will allow some of that gobbling activity to rebound before opening day.”

Seven-Day Cooldown
Another new regulation also will distribute some of the hunting success among the growing number of hunters taking up turkey hunting. Much of the state still has a two-turkey seasonal limit, but all hunters will only be able to take one turkey during the first seven days of regular turkey season, regardless of zone.

“Almost 70 percent of the harvest happens between the youth hunt and the first seven days of the season,” Wood said. “Although a very small percentage of hunters actually take two birds in a season, we’re hoping that this restriction will lessen some of the overall pressure in the woods opening week. Turkey behavior is highly linked to hunting pressure, so this will let some hunters get in, enjoy their hunt and get a bird, then be gone for a few days to let the woods cool down a little.”

Wood says similar regulations have been in place in Missouri and South Carolina with good results. He also believes the restriction may help encourage hunters to play more of a mentoring role to young hunters and newcomers.

“If they get a bird in the first few days, this restriction may prompt them to bring someone else to the woods and call for them or help them out in other ways,” Wood said. “Most turkey hunters are hooked on the chase more than the actual harvest, so they can still enjoy being part of someone else’s hunt and help recruit the next generation of hunters.”

No Bearded Hens
Another change hunters will see next season is the prohibition against shooting bearded hens. Though the number of bearded hens harvested each year is small, bearded hens account for as much as 10-12 percent of the female population on average. Wood believes the turkey population may see some benefit at local levels if they are still in the population at season’s end.

“I don’t think it will make a big difference on a statewide or landscape level,” Wood said. “But on a local level you might see a little difference. Every hen that’s out there has the potential to pull off a clutch, and with our recent history of bad hatches, it can’t hurt to have these hens nesting as well.”

Wood says the genetic trait causing a hen to grow a beard may be more prevalent in some areas compared to others. In those local cases, protecting those hens may make a difference in producing the mature gobblers people want to chase.

One and Done on Each WMA
According to Wood about 35 percent of Arkansas’s turkey hunters pursue birds on public land, but only 10 percent of the state’s landmass is open to public hunting. This can make for some crowded woods on opening day of turkey season in some of the state’s more popular wildlife management areas. Not only does that pressure equal less enjoyment for hunters, but it can also severely impact gobbling activity on these WMAs.

“In reality, we probably won’t see a drop in overall harvest on our WMAs or statewide numbers as a result of this regulation,” Wood said. “What it will do is spread out that harvest among a few more hunters on individual WMAs. The birds that would have been a hunter’s second of the season likely will be harvested by another hunter on the area. The goal is to spread out the pressure a little bit and allow for more hunters to have a higher-quality hunt.”

Wood explains that current limits and seasons are set with the mindset that very few hunters are going to tag out, and a majority of the state’s hunters may not even take their first bird each year.

“Our turkey population simply can’t handle that sort of harvest, and probably never could,” Wood said. “Even if we only had 35,000 hunters pursuing turkeys, the state’s turkey population could never satisfy the idea of 35,000 mature gobblers taken every year. It’s just not sustainable. So our limits and seasons have to be set for what gives the best balance of hunter opportunity and what’s best for the turkey population so we have turkeys to hunt now as well as the future.”

Wood says many factors play into the decline of turkeys taking place across all southeastern states, and season dates and limits are only a small component of the overall picture.

“At the end of the day, limits and season dates can only impact overall population growth so much,” Wood said. “The implementation of the no-jakes rule probably had the largest impact we could have on turkey populations and the overall harvest; there aren’t many more ways to increase gobbler carryover and survival left in the toolbox. We’re trying our best to balance hunting opportunities while providing every opportunity to let these birds do what they need to do before hunters enter the woods. There’s no quick fix, and even these changes aren’t going to produce an immediate rebound in the population. Turkey populations didn’t decline overnight, and they likely aren’t going to rebound overnight either.”

New Owner Looks to Place Historic Huntington Bank on Registry

News

Tammy Teague

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4:11 pm

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New Owner Looks to Place Historic Huntington Bank on Registry

Brenton Townsend spent last week closing on the historic bank property in Huntington. He is adamant about preserving the building’s history and will be working towards getting it placed on the state’s registry of historic preservations.

The building, located on Broadway Street in Huntington, was once a part of a booming economy in the coal-mining city. “The building in my eyes should be known whether it’s the bank or the church, but the bank was what it was originally,” stated Townsend. “If it is registered then you can attempt to get grants to maintain it. Going that route would be great to have to actually bring it back to its first days.”

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program works with the people of Arkansas to identify, document, register and protect the cultural resources of the state. The AHPP provides financial assistance, education and guidance in statewide and local preservation efforts, and seeks to instill a preservation ethic as part of community development in Arkansas.

Arkansas’s historic homes, neighborhoods, courthouses, battlefields, archeological sites, and commercial districts are visible reminders of our shared cultural heritage. The preservation, restoration, and protection of these historic and cultural resources are the main concerns of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The agency provides financial, educational, and technical assistance, manages the Main Street Arkansas program, and directs the National Register of Historic Places program for the state.

Every year, the AHPP awards $1.5 million in grants for the rehabilitation of historic structures. These grants provide assistance to historic properties, county courthouses, and downtown areas, as well as funding projects that further an understanding of Arkansas history and historic preservation. The agency also administers the 20 percent federal and 25 percent state income tax credit programs to encourage the rehabilitation and reuse of historic properties to foster economic development.

The AHPP staff can assist with technical questions. Whether it’s advice about a period-appropriate color scheme or how to repair broken ironwork or crumbling plaster walls, every year thousands of people and organizations find answers to their questions about preserving historic structures.

Through educational outreach, AHPP works with students and teachers to instill a preservation ethic in young Arkansans. In addition, it pursues preservation outreach in the form of heritage tourism programs and presentations to organizations around Arkansas. The agency’s programs, including the popular Walks Through History and Sandwiching in History, promote the value of historic preservation and the connection of historic buildings to the state’s past and its communities. The monthly walking tours are open to the general public and are free of charge.

The AHPP offers extensive research and heritage tourism resources online, including databases of historic properties and technical assistance resources, numerous publications about Arkansas history and historic preservation, and driving tour maps of the state’s historic properties.

“I’ve been going round and round and I think this building is way too much of a local memory for me to enjoy all to myself,” stated Townsend. Adding that he would like to restore the building, and rent it out for meetings, weddings, and parties. “It… lets me always enjoy it but allows others to enjoy it by the hour or day. It would keep all the worry of not making the funds to keep the doors open because I’ll be doing this for other reasons.”

EAST Project Provides Stuffed Animal Therapy

Networks

Resident News Network

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3:27 pm

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EAST Project Provides Stuffed Animal Therapy

Regan Neal and Kirsten Garner, Juniors at Cedarville High School, wanted to help people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. They took action by starting an EAST project called Li’l Cuddles (Stuffed Animal Therapy).

Regan and Kirsten have been involved in EAST for three years. “EAST stands for education accelerated by service and technology. This is a program offered in school where we use technology to solve community problems. We often do this through sophisticated projects where we partner with different people in the community and different companies.”

The girls started their project at the beginning of the school year. “Because of the coronavirus still affecting the entire world, we decided to do some research to see if there was anything we could do to help. Through research, we found that the depression and anxiety rates in the elderly in nursing homes and kids in hospitals were enormously high. We decided that one way we could help was making personalized stuffed animals for anyone who wanted one.”

Regan and Kirsten have big plans for the Li’l Cuddles Project. “One of the main things that we hope to accomplish with this project is helping the anxiety and depression ratings go down for the people who do not get to see their family during these hard times. We are also hoping to continue this project for the rest of high school (including when COVID is over) and pass it on to our underclassmen so that they can carry on our project and continue to help those who need it.”

The girls have made great strides during the school year. “We have been able to do many things so far. We first started out our project by starting a PayPal account that people can donate to and also making our own facebook group called LIL CUDDLES (Stuffed Animal Therapy). Anyone is able to join this group and donate to our PayPal. After a few generous donations and the Points of Light Grant , we got $700 to start with. With that money we bought stuffed animals and voice recorders for three of the elderly in our community. We also made each of them personalized books and calming scent packs. We have gotten to deliver one of these stuffed animal packs to the father of Mrs. Stacy Stephens (the special education teacher at Cedarville High School). Our other two are going to two of the other elderly in our community.”

Mrs. Stacy Stephens and Mrs. Nikki Barber

The industrious EAST students are asking the community for help. “After we deliver those three stuffed animal packs, we will not have any elderly or children to help. So something that the community can do is give us people to give packs to. Something else they could do is join our facebook group and/or donating to our PayPal. You can also sponsor a kid/elderly for $50. If you would rather donate you can do that on our PayPal.”

Regan and Kirsten hope to expand their reach. “From this project, we have helped some of the elderly in our community gain some happiness through a voice recording of their loved ones and a personalized book about their lives. So far we have only done this for elderly, but we soon hope to also give this same happiness and feeling of security to children in the hospital.”

To learn more about the project or make a donation, visit Li’l Cuddles (Stuffed Animal Therapy).

Whitney Armer Named Cedarville High School Teacher of the Year

Networks

Resident News Network

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2:01 pm

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Whitney Armer Named Cedarville High School Teacher of the Year

Cedarville High School recently recognized Whitney Armer, who teaches Social Studies, as 2021 Cedarville High School Teacher of the Year.

Armer shared her reaction to the award in a Facebook post. “Y’all it’s been a rough year for me both personally and then add in the pandemic. This is going to sound very trite but it is the absolute truth! Many days my students were the only thing that made me get out of bed. I could not be more shocked or honored than to receive this award. Teaching in a pandemic is hard but TOTALLY worth every second!” She later clarifies her “rough year” statement for this article by adding, “As far as when I refer to my personal life being rough… I lost my father and [my son] Noah was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Whitney with her husband Daniel and son Noah

Treva Rice, Distance Learning Director and Cheer Coach at Cedarville High School, reflects on the uncertainty of the school year and describes Whitney as a leader during the pandemic. “One of my dearest lifelong friends was that teacher this year. The one who despite all the things she faced in her personal life came to school every day and helped lead us through this pandemic. She has pulled us along (sometimes dragging us while we were kicking and screaming) in her Whitney way as we have all tried to navigate the unknown. One memory that sticks out in my mind is when we were trying to get work from the students during lockdown. Her father in law made a box to deposit papers. It is outside the front door to the high school. She would call kids and their parents, text them, send up smoke signals whatever it took to make sure they all had and did what they needed to do to finish the school year successfully. That is just the beginning of all she has done this year.”

Congratulations Mrs. Armer!

The Day the Lady Eagles Flew: Paris Defeats Cossatot River, 14-3

Sports

Resident News Network

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2:46 pm

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The Day the Lady Eagles Flew: Paris Defeats Cossatot River, 14-3

In a battle of the Lady Eagles, the Paris Lady Eagles softball team defeated the Cossatot River Lady Eagles by the score of 14-3 in a run-shortened game that ended with Paris batting in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was the final game for Paris before spring break and it was good for the Lady Eagles to end the week with a conference win.

Several Paris players contributed to the offensive explosion for the Lady Eagles. In the circle, senior pitcher Jadyn Hart continued her dominance with another complete-game win. Several players contributed offensively, but the continued outstanding play by sophomore Jadyn Wells, both at the plate and defensively in the infield continues to be huge for the Lady Eagles. Wells has tremendous power at the plate and has a cannon for a throwing arm to match from anywhere in the infield. The combination of Hart leading off and Wells coming to the plate with Hart in scoring position has been a big factor so far in the young season. In fact, it is easy to say that if the Lady Eagles have Hart in the circle and Wells at the plate, Paris has a chance to win against any team they play.

Several Paris players had good offensive games that contributed to the lopsided Lady Eagles win. Karsen Hart may have had her best game so far this season by going four for four at the plate. The very athletic Karsyn Tencleve may have also had her best day, as well. Tencleve had a triple, two singles, and went three for four with a walk. Jadyn Wells continues to hit well and is a threat on the base path anytime she gets on. In short, the Lady Eagles offense came to life on Friday, and their production against Cossatot River is what I expect to continue now that Paris is in the conference portion of their schedule.

The Lady Eagles have played a tough early season schedule with Fort Smith Southside, Morrilton, and an early conference game with Booneville on their schedule. Paris, by choosing to play a tough non-conference schedule, has challenged the Lady Eagles early and Paris fans should see this pay off for their favorite team as the season moves into the middle of conference play and into the post-season. Any coach can probably put a schedule together that would give them a chance to win more games or perhaps go undefeated on the season. But if that team gets into trouble in the post-season for the first time and has not yet experienced adversity and overcoming it to win, it could be bad timing in a “one and done” loss scenario in post-season. This is a philosophy shared by neighboring school districts who have been very successful, and I think it will prove to be beneficial to the Lady Eagles as they move into April and May.

Paris fans can find scheduling information for both the Lady Eagles and the Eagles baseball teams on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. Both teams will not play again until the May 29 when the baseball Eagles host Mulberry. Photos from the Lady Eagles victory over Cossatot River are now available at Paris Eagles Sports, as well. Fans from both teams can copy the photos at no charge.

So, enjoy your spring break, and Resident Press will see you at the ball park on Monday, May 29 for the baseball Eagles’ game with Mulberry. Coverage of the Mulberry game will be in the Tuesday evening, May 30, online edition of Resident Press.

Enjoy the break, March Madness, and the great weather!

Whistle-Stop Campaign

Networks

Tammy Teague

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5:28 pm

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It was a very hot July day in 1938. Thousands of people surrounded the Booneville train depot, sweltering in the hot sunshine while trying to inch closer and closer to the track. The train whistled in the distance and slowed to the cheers of the crowd.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, accompanied by Senators Hattie Caraway and John Miller, emerged from the rear of the train. Standing on the ramp at the back of the train, Caraway introduced the president who then gave a short speech to the waiting crowd. In the speech, Roosevelt praised the local leaders, acknowledged the beauty of Magazine Mountain, and spoke about the future of western Arkansas. The campaign was a part of the whistle-stop train campaign for the President. During the heyday of train travel, it became quite popular for politicians to board a train, stop at each station, and present a short speech to supporters.

In his third campaign for president, FDR realized the importance of gathering support from the solidly Democratic South. Facing a tough campaign and running for an unheard-of third term, he needed solid support for his reelection and for his economic recovery act. His campaign committee had announced his plans to travel across the state on a trip that would eventually terminate on the west coast.

Hearing about the president’s plan, local civic groups and politicians sent an invitation to his campaign committee and became one of the four-stop locations in the state. Local newspapers reported that the president appeared in a light grey suit and appeared tanned and trim as he addressed the crowd.

Little did most people know that FDR was afflicted by polio and required a wheelchair. To stand, he used canes to push himself up and to get into position to deliver his speech. After his short speech, of which I have a copy, he was presented a bouquet of flowers by the local garden club.

As the train pulled away, the Booneville high school band accompanied his departure with a rendition of “America.” Even greater than the kind words by the President, the two senators remained behind and meet with the county judge and other local politicians.

Through their efforts and that of FDR, the area received $1,004,000 dollars for the WPA to construct to assist in the 2-million-dollar construction of the state sanatorium. FDR went on to win the election, followed by his fourth election during WWII. He became the only president to serve more than two terms. He died during the fourth term, leaving his final years in office to VP Harry Truman.

Whistlestop campaigns are no more, the train station, as well as the tracks, has disappeared. Small town America no longer attracts big-city politicians. On a positive side, the sanatorium still stands, the band still sounds great, and local politicians and businessmen still work to make their community thrive.

Old Time Preacher

Networks

Tammy Teague

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5:12 pm

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By Dr. Curtis Varnell

On Sunday mornings, his deep, sonorous voice could be heard throughout the Gray Rock community as he expounded upon the word of God. Rolling across the flat bottomland, his bass tones resonated with the congregation who joined with him in worship. The Gray Rock church really just got going about the time church services concluded in surrounding towns. Worship usually consisted of warming up for an hour or so with Sunday school, congregational singing, special songs, and testimonies, and then letting Brother Logan preach till he got tired. As he warmed up, he would take his suit coat off, wipe his glistening face with the handkerchief from his back pocket, and exhort the crowd to live in a manner pleasing to God.

Accompanied by amen’s, hallelujah’s, and hand-clapping, he delivered the word of God to his congregation. Born in Logan County in 1906, he was eventually able to acquire several acres of prime farmland near Cotton Town and produced some of the best cotton crops in the region. An August 17, 1954, Paris Express photo shows him and Mayor Guy Conley at the Conley gin where Buford had just produced the first bale of cotton for the year. The week before, he had delivered a load of cotton to Dardanelle, the first bale produced in Yell County. At that time, he expected to produce a half-bale of cotton per acre on his farm. During the 1950’s, he employed many area farmworkers who helped weed the cotton in the spring and harvest it in the fall. As he grew older, in addition to preaching, he worked part-time at several jobs in Paris. He ran his own business cleaning several stores including Dillon’s grocery and Warehouse Market after hours. He also assisted in running the produce market and other general jobs around the store. Customers loved him and would catch him the aisles to chat.

Dennis Baltz of Warehouse Market enjoyed having him to work simply because he was the ideal greeter and brought in customers who enjoyed visiting with him. He was a very jumpy person. Employees loved to slip up behind him and “goose” him in the ribs. In his seventies, he would still jump straight into the air and oomph in his loud voice. Good-natured, he would smile from ear to ear, “I’m a gonna watch out for you son,” he would state with a big smile, “can’t let you be slipping up on me like that.” Buford Logan was an esteemed man of God and did much to bridge the gap between the black and white communities of the region. His bright smile would light up his entire face and he beamed with the joys of life. With his warm heart, positive attitude, and sense of humor, he influenced generations. Every community has these individuals. People who accentuate the positives and find good in others. Let us celebrate the contributions of the Buford Logan’s’ in our midst.

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RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK