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River Valley Beef Cattle Webinar Scheduled for Feb. 23

Outdoors

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7:55 am

River Valley Beef Cattle Webinar Scheduled for Feb. 23

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture

The River Valley Beef Cattle Conference, a mainstay event brought to Arkansas cattle producers by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is moving online for 2021.

The webinar is scheduled for Feb. 23, from 1-3:30 p.m. (CST). There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit http://bit.ly/2021-RiverValley-Beef-Webinar.

Bob Harper, staff chair for the Logan County Cooperative Extension office, said this year’s conference will present several unique discussions, some of which are tied directly to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on beef market demand.

Janeal Yancey, a program associate with the Division of Agriculture’s animal science program, will discuss the growing popularity of “freezer beef” among consumers. “Freezer beef” refers to the purchase of all or part of a live animal for slaughter, rather than purchasing finished beef cuts at a grocery store, for example.

“Before COVID, you could call a slaughterhouse and get an appointment within a month,” Harper said. “Now it’s like a year.

“A lot of people don’t understand how much meat to expect from that process,” he said. “There’s a formula to it.”

Heidi Ward, extension veterinarian with the Division of Agriculture, will report on the state-wide anaplasmosis survey launched in late 2019. Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne pathogen that can be lethal to cattle and other animals.

Most of the conference’s presentations will be pre-recorded, but there will be a live Q&A session afterward, in which Harper will participate. Shane Gadberry, professor of ruminant nutrition for the Division of Agriculture, will moderate the conference, and a representative from Farm Credit of West Arkansas will deliver the conference’s introduction.

The conference’s presentations include:

Shane Gadberry – Go Green conditioning program
James Mitchell, assistant professor of livestock marketing and management for the Division of Agriculture – Economics
Heidi Ward – Anaplasmosis survey
John Boyd, visiting assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental science – New herbicides
Janelle Yancey – Freezer beef yields

To learn more about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.

Live Free

Networks

Tammy Teague

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7:43 am

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By Tom Brown – Minister, Public Speaker, Radio Personality

Reading the book of Revelation as 2020 was drawing to a close sharpened my focus. The beginning of 2021 made me dig even deeper to try and identify what I was feeling about what I read and compare that to what I was seeing in the world around me. Social Media, a great communication vehicle when properly applied, currently is acting like more of an emotional megaphone granting unfiltered reactions and opinions to the world that would never have made it out of the house just a few decades ago. Nearly instant and world-wide notifications of every calamity, tragedy, and travesty lends itself to heightened anxiety over the state of the world. Combine these two technologies and the deceiver has just what he needs to cause conflict, depression, and dissention almost on demand. It would be very easy to throw up our hands and run screaming into the night screaming “all is lost!” or “the end is near!” Especially if you take some of the Revelation scripture out of context or just focus on the End Time Prophecy and ignore what John teaches us about victory and faith in Christ.

If you are a follower of Christ, you have all that you need for victory. Now this victory is not the worlds view of victory, it is God’s. Our time here is always coming to an end but our time with the heavenly Father is assured. In John’s vision he saw and heard this from a voice in heaven; “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” As a Christ follower you have the covering of the blood of the Lamb and you have your testimony. These two in combination assure victory. The deceiver is angry in his defeat and he will do everything he can to try to make you forget that you are victorious. I pray that today you will live out the freedom granted to you by the blood of the Lamb and that you will remember your testimony of His salvation.

With victory assured, are we acting like it? When people look at us, or our social media, what do they see? Do they see peace, hope, and inspiration? Do they see love for others? I certainly need work in that area. When Paul wrote to the Galatian followers of Christ he exhorted them to live in the freedom they had been granted; “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”

In these times, as a follower of Christ, I have an opportunity to be light in a dark world where shouting, posturing, and finger pointing are the new normal. I can read Revelation and not allow the deceiver to draw me into fear. I have an assurance that gives me a freedom to rise above the din and be a peace-monger. (We already have more than enough fear-mongers!) I can choose to love those that I do not agree with. I don’t have to TYPE IN ALL CAPS TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS MY OPINION IS REALLY VALID! I just don’t think Christ went to the cross for us to be miserable, angry, or fearful. Jesus would love first, forgive completely, and restore fully.

So, with that, let me encourage YOU. You are loved, fully and completely, by the Creator of all that was, is, and ever will be. No matter what happened to you, what you have done or even what you have thought, you can be restored. A relationship with Christ is not about getting yourself presentable, it is about Jesus coming for your heart so that you can experience the joy of being loved unconditionally and without hesitation. Don’t let the deceiver steal your joy or play on your emotions. God IS STILL ON THE THRONE!

The Question For Our Day…?

Networks

Tammy Teague

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7:33 am

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By Vestal Hutchens

It would seem that our country, our society and culture, even civilization and the entire world, has problems beyond solution. There is political division and animus; divisive social, economic, and religious issues; wars; rioting, looting, and burning; all resulting in the loss of life and property.

What is the answer?

Perhaps, before we will be able to find the right answer, we need to find and ask the right question.

I propose that there is a “Question For Our Day.” For the question to be the right question, its scope would have to cover the entire spectrum, from the individual to the group (family, community, church, job), even to our national identity as Americans.

Before I reveal what I think the question for our day IS, I will share what I believe the question for our day is NOT.

The question for our day is not: Do black lives matter? It is not: Do white lives matter? It is not: Do blue lives matter? It is not even does my life or your life matter.

I believe the “Question For Our Day” is:

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH MY (YOUR) LIFE?

(The answer is, if you don’t know Jesus, then everything. If you do know Him, and aren’t obeying His Word and the directing influence of His Holy Spirit, then still plenty.)

Look inward, examine yourself, follow the Biblical example of confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Your “life” will be better in all circumstances (even the difficult ones,) and will influence those in all areas of contact with your life.

The question for our day? What is the matter with my life?

Hackett City Park to Receive New Playground Equipment

News

Tammy Teague

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7:14 am

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Hackett City Park to Receive New Playground Equipment

The Hackett City Park is enjoyed by many residents and their families year-round. But according to Hackett Mayor Trini Harper, there is a need for additional playground equipment.

“We don’t have anything for the 2-5 age group,” Harper shared. “We really needed this addition to our park.”

The new equipment purchase has been approved and will be installed soon. Additionally, Harper stated she is working to add additional amenities.

UAFS Employee Clinic Provides COVID Vaccines to Nearly 300

Networks

Tammy Teague

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6:07 am

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UAFS Employee Clinic Provides COVID Vaccines to Nearly 300

Close to 300 University of Arkansas – Fort Smith employees received their first COVID-19 vaccination on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, thanks to a partnership clinic between the university and Mercy Fort Smith.

Spirits were high throughout the morning at the Ben Geren Park tornado shelter as colleagues shared distanced congratulations and sighs of relief, knowing they were one step closer to beating the virus and doing their part to protect their Lion pride.

“I want to help our campus and River Valley community, and I want to get back to safe face-to-face teaching,” shared Dr. Laura Witherington, associate professor of English. “And after reading ‘Station Eleven’ for our NEA Big Read Event,<https://news.uafs.edu/news/5064> I want to end this virus and avoid the apocalypse!” she added with a laugh. Emily Saint John Mandel, acclaimed author of “Station Eleven” visited UAFS in 2019, sharing conversations across campus about her best-selling novel which is set 20 years after a flu pandemic destroys most of civilization.

Tommye Robinson, assistant athletic director for compliance and senior woman administrator, also received her vaccination at the clinic. “Our staff has done an excellent job working to keep our student-athletes safe, and this is another way we can ensure the safety of our students and our colleagues,” she said.

Close to 140 staff and nearly 100 faculty members of the university, along with more than 30 student workers who serve in public-facing roles, received their first dose of the two-part Pfizer vaccination Friday morning as part of the Arkansas Department of Health’s Phase 1B classification.

A drive-through clinic was initially intended to take place on the UAFS campus Monday, Feb. 1, in tandem with the UAFS College of Health Sciences’ second-dose clinic held that afternoon, but due to a state-wide shortage of first vaccine doses, the open employee clinic was postponed.

Students, faculty, and staff of the College of Health Sciences who serve in clinical roles across the River Valley in conjunction with their coursework were eligible for vaccinations under ADH Phase 1A and received their first doses Jan. 11. Almost 100 members of that college were vaccinated on campus in partnership with Coleman Pharmacy.

In addition to the two clinics, UAFS employees have also sought the vaccine at area pharmacies and attended open clinics at Baptist and Mercy hospitals, helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 on an individual basis.

The university intends to continue working to provide additional clinics as often as supply allows until all members of the UAFS community who wish to be vaccinated are able to receive their vaccines.

Shandreka McCullough, a UAFS senior who works in the UAFS housing office as a resident assistant and the UAFS Marketing Department as a communications assistant receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, and hangs a poster on the wall of the clinic sharing why she chose to be vaccinated.

Used Decoys? Consider Donating Them to AGFC

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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6:14 pm

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Used Decoys? Consider Donating Them to AGFC

Now that the regular duck season has come to a close, have you got some duck decoys that are ready for retirement? Don’t just toss them for the trash heap. There’s a place waiting for them that could help younger hunters down the road.

Eric Maynard, the AGFC’s assistant chief of education, has devised a solution to the situation of old decoys just sitting around or in need of a new home — the AGFC decoy adoption center.

Maynard’s “center” is really the bed of a pickup serving for a dropoff location, but thanks to volunteers who have donated their used decoys, Maynard and other members of the AGFC’s Education Division have been able to rehome these “outdated” dekes in the hands of aspiring duck hunters and birders participating in educational programs.

“We’ve done programs involving decoys for years, from duck identification to conservation and hunting techniques, and decoy painting always is a hit with new hunters and conservationists,” Maynard said. “We are always on the lookout for used decoys our participants can paint and take home with them.”

Anyone interested in donating their old decoys to the AGFC for educational purposes is encouraged to contact Maynard at eric.maynard@agfc.ar.gov, and he can make arrangements to have them picked up.

Full-Time Hackett Officer Resigns

Jason Baggett

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1:46 pm

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On Wednesday, February 3, we reported on the new prospective full-time officer for the City of Hackett.

Tyler Wagner was scheduled and did report for his first day on the job today, Friday, February 5. However, Wagner has resigned from that position.

“I felt like they placed unrealistic expectations on me and misrepresented the position,” Wagner stated. “The mayor wanted to maintain control of the department, and I felt she was assuming the role of chief rather than trusting me to do the job. I was initially told I would be on a 90-day probationary period before being made chief. This morning she told me I would have to apply for that position after 90-days. I was never told that before I accepted the job. I had a quarterly plan with goals, she was not interested in seeing those. It was my hope to get to work today and begin building the department back.”

Mayor Harper has issued no comment statements regarding personnel matters.

Captain Philip Pevehouse with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office stated that the department will continue their patrols for the city.

Kitchen Hazards That Can Cause Injury

Lifestyle

Resident News Network

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11:54 am

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With so many things that can go wrong, there are many kitchen hazards that can cause injury without proper care or caution. These injuries can range anywhere from minor cuts that need a bandage to major burns that require a doctor’s care.

Fire Dangers

One of the most common sources of home fires is kitchen cooking equipment. This danger is due in large part to leaving the stovetop on and unattended. Stay near the kitchen at all times when fire is in use, even if it seems as though everything would be under control if you stepped away for a minute. You never know what can go wrong or what you overlooked before leaving.

Flammable Objects

Be cautious of anything that may catch on fire. Take care not to leave any objects that can catch fire too close to the flame. Even clothing can ignite if you do not properly roll up your sleeves when close to the flame.

Burns

On a similar topic to fire, be aware of any burning hazards while cooking. Always have a pair of reliable oven mitts around for handling heated pots. If you are straining water, keep it at a safe distance and wear your mitts; you never know if it will splash back and burn you. This sudden burn may lead you to drop the pot and splash boiling water everywhere.

Food Burns

Know the temperature of food when it is done and ready to be served. Something that looks ready to eat could be searing hot to the touch without any obvious signs. Putting these foods in your mouth without realizing the temperature can lead to severe burns in the mouth that will need medical treatment.

Hazardous Fumes

When cooking on the stove, there are several sources of potentially poisonous fumes you could inhale. One hazardous gas is nitrogen dioxide, a chemical that can be released from gas stovetops. If inhaled, it has been known to inflame the lining of the lungs, which will cause respiratory problems.

Proper Ventilation

Having a reliable ventilation system above your stovetop will combat these harmful fumes. Make sure they are sucked away from your kitchen before they have a chance to invade your body and cause severe harm.

Proactive Problem Solving

Go into a cooking session aware of what you are using and the potential kitchen hazards that can cause injury as a result. Neglecting even one aspect—whether it be food temperature, fumes, fire, or any other situational specific danger—has the potential to end in disaster.

Sr Rattlers And Tigers Take Each Other To The Extreme

Sports

Megan Hecox

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9:25 am

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Sr Rattlers And Tigers Take Each Other To The Extreme

Pictured is Tiger Codi Chick and Rattler Cameron “Raging” Raggio

Mansfield and Magazine are two old school programs who haven’t played against each other in conference in years. But when Mansfield dropped from 3A to the 2A-4, both teams set aim at each other from the get-go. It was Magazine this season who pulled off a sweep of the Tigers with a 42-39 victory on Tuesday, February 2^nd but it wasn’t without a fight from Mansfield.

You could go into deep play by play detail as to how the Tigers and Rattlers tore into each other with sweep scores and dominating defenses, but here’s all you need to know about how even the teams were in the first half. It can be simplified in two sentences. At the end of the first quarter, the score was a narrow 11-10 Mansfield lead over the Rattlers. At halftime, the score was a 20-20 tied ball game. Yeah, it was that kind of immovable object versus indestructible force battle.

With the fans on both sides of the court exploding with excitement and anxiety, Mansfield and Magazine came out of halftime with new game plans to win. The Tigers sped the game up offensively, but so did the Rattlers. The Rattlers stiffened up their defense, but the Tigers did the same. The Rattlers were able to find a tiny chink in Mansfield’s defensive armor and the 3^rd quarter was closed with a slim 30-27 lead Mansfield. The fourth quarter remained the same ol song and dance for both programs up until the winding minutes of the game. As the game drew to an end, Mansfield was running out of time as Magazine maintained their small lead. To stop the clock, the Tigers were forced to foul sending the Rattlers to the free-throw line. Luckily for Magazine, they were able to sink their shot which wound up being the defining factor leading to a 42-39 victory over Mansfield.

“I felt like our guys competed well,” expressed Magazine Coach Justin Mackey. “There were two different occasions where we were down 8 in the game and we just kept grinding and stuck to our game plan. Our guys hit some clutch shots down the stretch and really buckled down on defense forcing stops through the 4th quarter.” Magazine’s Cameron Raggio led with 14 points followed by Ashton Droemer with 13, Brady Watson with 8, Haden Littleton with 5, and Jackson Oliver 2. Mansfield’s Ethan Pettus took the lead for the Tigers with 12 points trailed by Codi Chick with 10, Zayne Dugan with 6, JoJo Bailey with 5, Tyler Escalante with 4, and Bri Sanderson 2.

As intense as the game was for both sets of teams and fans, one can’t help but wonder if this could be the beginning of a solid rivalry in the future. The Tigers are deep in talent for years to come as are the Rattlers. The two schools might even consider making a Snakes and Stripes basketball trophy for the game in the future. The season isn’t over for either team though as the Tigers travel to battle Mountainburg on Friday, February 5, and Magazine heads to JC Westside to take a strike at the Rebels. “We are holding onto the 4 seed and will lock it up with a win at Westside tonight. I’m super proud of my guys. They have fully committed to the program and each other and those decisions are leading to improvement on the court,” concluded Coach Mackey.

Tiger JoJo Bailey and Rattler Brady Watson

Sr Lady Pirates Hammer Down Hackett

Sports

Megan Hecox

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7:22 am

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On Tuesday night, the Cedarville Sr Lady Pirates squared off against the Hackett Lady Hornets for the second time this season. In their first hardwood hustle, the Lady Pirates won 53-26. Not wanting to stray from what works, Cedarville stuck to their game plan and again walked away victorious 51-24. The Sr Lady Pirates took a big 23-0 lead in the first half and never looked back. Hackett Coach Broc Adams stated, “They were on fire early and got us in a big hole. After we finally scored, we competed with them the next 3 quarters.”

Lady Pirate #4 Katelynn Oden and Lady Hornet #20 Madeline Freeman

With Cedarville Point Guard, Chloe Morrow, out with a stomach bug, the rest of the Lady Pirates stepped up to get the job done. McKenzie Marion boogied away with 13 points. Katie McBroom knocked down 12. Emily Wood and Anna Hightower each took home a pair of 7’s. MaKayla Pearcy netted 5. Audrey wells logged 3. And Sierra Hurst and Katelynn Oden scooped up 2 apiece. The Cedarville Lady Pirates are 17-3 on their season and 9-2 in conference play. They will travel to Danville tonight to face the Lady Little Johns. The Lady Hornets will stay home and host Booneville.

Lady Pirate #5 Makayla Pearcy and Lady Hornet Olivia Bouse

Photos courtesy of Bridget Freeman

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Fire Dangers

Flammable Objects

Burns

Food Burns

Hazardous Fumes

Proper Ventilation

Proactive Problem Solving

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