82 F
Fort Smith
Monday, July 6, 2026
Home Blog Page 610

Mayoral Candidates for the City of Hartford: Allen Tabor

In a series of profiles of candidates for Mayor of the City of Hartford, we will highlight each one who submitted their information to us.

Allen Tabor-
Combat veteran with 14 years in the military, Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, 25 years of supervisory experience in the engineering divisions of the Department of Defense and the Arkansas Military Department.

Current projects:

  • As a private citizen, I am working with other concerned citizens to acquire the school campus for business
  • Develop an economic development plan to attract new businesses
  • Design/research-alternative solutions to the upcoming water tower expense
  • Design/research a plan for the local clinic research-low income assisted living facility behind the senior center

“As your mayor, I will continue to work on cleaning the city property and residences, work on much needed street repairs, work on the water department shortfalls, and continue to improve the transparency between administration and the citizens of this town.”

AAA Considering Two Possible Brackets for Class 3A State Football Playoffs

It started out as a season that was severely impacted by the COVID pandemic, and that is the way the season will apparently end. The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) is currently considering how it will bracket playoff match-ups in the upcoming Class 3A state football playoffs that are scheduled to begin November 13. Compounding this year’s playoff configuration are the cancellations of games due to the virus and the question of how to fairly seed teams and determine their eligibility for the state playoffs. This has been an issue that I, as a reporter, have questioned with respect to how the AAA has managed high school volleyball, and now, football is in question.

Earlier in the season, the AAA released a policy for this year in response to the COVID pandemic and how playoffs would be determined. Resident Press reported on this policy and included the policy in its story. In short, the policy stated that if any team or teams in a conference were not able to make up games, then everyone in the conference affected would become eligible for the playoffs. This was as much of a surprise in the football world as that of not requiring all volleyball games to be made up in the conference season, and using the loss of game opportunities as losses and lowering seeded teams going into the state tournament. Now, with football playoffs on the horizon, the AAA is considering two possible brackets for the state playoffs. Each bracket has been drafted to adjust to the actual numbers of non-seeded teams that elect to participate in the state football playoffs.

Originally, per the policy of the AAA, superintendents of the affected, non-seeded schools had until today to declare their intentions to play or not play in the state playoffs. But as a recent memo, obtained by Resident Press, indicates, schools are having multiple issues with scheduling, and the deadline to declare for the playoffs has been extended to Saturday, 8 a.m., November 7. Per the AAA memo, there have been “108 games cancelled. We have played 616.”

The memo goes on to say, “Below are two examples of possible bracket scenarios. One is for the 16 team bracket and the other for the 32 team bracket.” A meeting with conference chairs will be held on Wednesday, October 28 to “discuss seeding responsibilities.” There are opinions among some coaches that the AAA may try to “talk teams out of participating” in the tournament if they would not have traditionally qualified as a 1-5 seed in their conferences.

Below is the sixteen team state playoff bracket that is under consideration by the AAA.

16 Team Football Playoff Bracket Being Considered by AAA (Credit: Resident Press / Arkansas Activities Association)

Depending on the total number of non-seeded, or, “wild card teams” as termed by the AAA that elect to participate in the state playoffs, the AAA is also considering the 32-team bracket below:

32 Team Bracket Under Consideration by the AAA for the State Football Playoffs (Credit: Resident Press / Arkansas Activities Association)

The conjecture by some coaches I have talked to privately is that the AAA has made a mistake by letting everyone be eligible for the playoffs, and now it has presented a huge problem with respect to ensuring fair play for everyone. Much like the volleyball playoff controversy, football is affected as well, and it will be very interesting to see what the feedback is in the Wednesday conference chairs’ meeting from some traditional football powers that are being adversely affected by the cancellation of games.

Whatever the outcome, a fair solution has to be found now for football, and the issue must be settled with respect to making up games and determining seeding for the basketball regional and state playoffs before the season starts. Both football and basketball popularity around the state will demand this, and it will be very interesting to see what happens when the AAA makes its final decision. In the eyes of football and basketball fans across the state, they will be watching to see that the AAA gets the issue fixed and makes it right with respect to cancellations, make-up games, and the seeding of state playoff teams.

Thinking back to the summer months when all was in doubt as to if football would be played, the common theme that was heard around the state was if we could just play, that would be great. Now that football is entering week nine of the season and the playoffs are just two weeks away, the focus has seemingly shifted to playoff seedings and advantages and disadvantages that teams may or may not face going into the playoffs. Unfortunately, some one, at some point in the state playoffs, will be affected by the virus and will be forced to quarantine players. The potential affect of the quarantine could adversely affect a favored team in the playoffs, and, it could give a team who would not have been given much of a chance to advance in the playoffs, a huge break in their quest to win a championship. No one knows at this point how it will happen, when it will happen, or to whom it will happen, but if it does, there will be virtually no way to make up a game. Here lies the tragedy for the players, in particularly the seniors, who could be affected.

Football is a unique sport from the stand point of the physical nature of the games. Football games are very difficult to make up, and seedings cannot be determined in a conference tournament. Players require recovery time between games, further complicating the issue. Volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball games can be easily rescheduled, so football has the biggest opportunity to be adversely affected.

The AAA has a daunting task this year. They and the athletic administrators across the state are doing the best they can to make everything fair for everyone. But one step that must be taken is making sure that in the process of trying to make everything as fair as possible, that another problem or opportunity is not created and has the opportunity to be taken advantage of to gain a strategical advantage over other schools. That is the AAA’s task, and the meeting on Wednesday should be a good one.

Resident Press will have more on this issue as information becomes available.

Magazine Grounds And Pounds Panthers

In their fourth straight conference win of the season, the Magazine Sr High Rattlers sent the Panthers tails tucked yelling back to Yellville with a score of 41-14 last Friday night. With 35 of those Rattler winning points accumulated in the first half of the match, it’s evident that Magazine football continues to be on the rise. This victory upgrades the Rattler’s records to 4-1 in conference and 5-2 overall. During the game, Magazine held possession of the ball for 35:31 minutes while holding Yellville to just 12:29 of ball time.

Offensively, the Sr Rattlers earned 51 passing yards, 262 rushing yards, and 20 first downs. QB, Tatum Scott catapulted 2 passes for 51 yards and 1 TD. In rushing, Kobe Faughn made 15 carries for 88 yards and 1 TD. Ashton Droemer had 8 carries for 83 yards and 4 TDs and 1 35 yard reception for a touchdown. Cameron Mattson got 8 carries for 34 yards. Tatum Scott carried 6 times for 32 yards. Brad Price made 3 carries for 18 yards. Ethan Vasquez earned 3 carries for 8 yards. Connor Ryan got 2 carries for 1 yard. And Cameron Raggio made one 16 yard reception.

Defensively, the “Diamondback D” forced 3 turnovers in the game. Faughn snagged 10 tackles. Mattson obtained 6 tackles and 1 TFL. Droemer scored 4 tackles and 1 INT. Trace Nichols grabbed 3 tackles. Scott 3 tackles and 1 TFL. Price 3 tackles. William King 2 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 TFL. Raggio and Terrence Thurman had 2 tackles each. Austin Krigbaum had 1 INT. And with one tackle a piece was A.J. Malouf, Ethan Vasquez, Connor Ryan, Landon Cox, and Dakota Pack.

“For these last two games we are focusing on developing depth with the few guys we have on the sidelines,” explained coach, Ryan Chambers. “We have some young guys that could give us some quality minutes, they just need some game reps. Kobe Faughn will be the 8th player in school history to run for over 1000 yards.”

The Rattlers will host the Conway Christian Eagles on Friday, October, 30. “We will prepare for our game against Conway Christian like any other game. This game is just as important as any this season. They have a lot of really solid athletes on the field. Their running back has put up some good numbers this year so we’ll work hard on stopping him. He’s a good athlete that can make people miss in space.”

Photo courtesy of Magazine School District

Cedarville Goes Under As Pirates Collide

In just five short years, Coach Max Washausen and his awesome coaching staff, have taken the Cedarville Pirate’s football program from a sinking ship to a greatly sought after vessel. Historically, the program has only had 5 winning seasons. But over the last few years, the Pirates have started becoming well known to the public. So far this season, Cedarville sits 3-2 in conference play, 6-2 overall and holds 312 total points while leaving their competitors to just 171. Between the 2015-2018 seasons, the Pirates held 5 conference wins. But from 2018-present, Cedarville has already almost doubled that at 9 conference wins with 2 conference games left on the season.

Last Friday night’s football game was a hard pill for the Pirates to swallow. Taking on the Greenland Pirates at Greenland, Cedarville ended the match falling short 28-26. “It was tough Friday night,” expressed Coach Washausen. “But I told my guys after the game, we are still a very good team and I was proud of them. We have lost two conference games by 2 points each on the road. That’s only 4 points away from being undefeated. If we win the last two games, we will tie the school record for most wins in a regular-season with 8 and was set in 1999. We can also host a playoff game for the 2nd time in school history with the first one held in 1999 as well.”

Offensively, QB, Cody Dickens launched 4 passes for 74 yards. Darryl Kattich rushed 19 times for 128 yards and 1 TD and earned 2 receptions for 43 yards. Hayden Partain made 10 carries for 48 yards and 1 reception for 4 yards. Hayden Morton scored big on the night with 5 rushes for 113 yards and 3 TDs. Bruce Turney grabbed 1 reception for 27 yards. And Tommy Metcalf earned a 2-yard rush. Defensively, Hayden Partain got 15 tackles. Max McGill scored 17 tackles and a sack. Darryl Kattich made 12 tackles. Hayden Morton gained 14 tackles. And Landon Hopewell finished with 12 tackles and 1 sack.

Next up for the Cedarville Sr High Pirates will be the 0-5 Mansfield Tigers whom they will host on Friday, October, 30. “Mansfield has turned into a rivalry game it seems like over the past 5 years. We have to prepare well because we get every team’s best effort. We need to continue to improve and we will be a threat in the playoffs.”

Photo courtesy of Starla Armstrong-Heaton

Charleston Remains Undefeated in Conference Play with 49-33 Win at Lincoln

Note to Our Readers: We were unable to include photos in today’s story on the Tigers victory at Lincoln due to our photographer being in quarantine. We do hope to have pictures resuming again next week. Thank you for reading Resident Press.

It is something that every athlete who has played for Charleston knows and understands. And it is something that is embraced by every Tiger who has ever worn the uniform…when you play for Charleston, everyone brings their best game of the year against you. It is a tribute to the success of the Charleston athletic program, and everyone they play knows that they have to play well against the Tigers. Charleston coaches and their players embrace this as part of the Tiger tradition of excellence. And in Lincoln last Friday night, the Wolves gave Charleston everything that they had until they eventually succumbed to a 49-33 victory for Charleston.

Charleston (6-2, 5-0) remains in first place in the 3A-1 conference. Combined with a Greenland win over Cedarville last night, the Tigers now have a two game lead over Cedarville, and Greenland moves into second place in the conference behind Charleston. With two games to go in the conference season, Charleston can clinch the conference title this week with a win over West Fork, having the head-to-head tie breaker win over Greenland. A win this week and a win next week will give the Tigers the outright conference championship and the number one seed from the conference going into the state playoffs. This is quite an accomplishment for a very young Charleston team and their coach, Ricky May.

In my weekly Sunday interview with Coach May, he reflected on the Tigers performance at Lincoln. “Offensively, we played well. Didn’t turn the ball over. That was probably the difference in game, we didn’t (turn the ball over) and they did. They onside kicked the first two or three times, so we didn’t have very far to go. Really and truly, we just didn’t play very well on defense. After watching the film…after the game, I was a little bit upset…but after watching the film I was disappointed. Early on, we were up 15-0 and had them in a third and ten on their end and the wind was blowing like crazy. So, they were going to have to punt into that, and then we give up a big pass play on third down. I really felt like that if we hadn’t given up the pass we were getting ready to “mercy rule” them. But, we did. We gave up two big passes, right down the middle of the field. Just out of position. The first one we should have picked off, but their player jumped up and took it away from us. So, it comes down to us, and we did not play very good on defense Friday. Lincoln took advantage of some things we were not doing right, and hats off to those guys. We did have a fourth down stop right before the half, which was big. And we actually drove it back all the way to their thirty, but just ran out of time. The biggest issue was just giving up too many plays. We did, and they didn’t (give up big plays).”

Sometimes you have to find a way to win a game when you are not necessarily playing your best football. Charleston found a way to win, and that is encouraging for a young team playing late in the season on the road. “It worked out for us ok. We ended up winning the game. They always say an ugly win is better than an ugly loss. And that is definitely true. It was cold, and the conditions were a little different than we were used to, so that may have played into it a little bit.”

Lincoln is a former Class 4A program who has dropped in classification to Class 3A. The Wolves look like a team that can compete for and in the state playoffs. “No doubt that they can. They gave us their best shot, and I think they end up playing Cedarville in a couple of weeks and that is going to be a heck of a ballgame. If they play like they did last Friday, and they don’t always play like that. Like you said, they always play their best against us.”

After last Friday’s games in the conference, Greenland moved into second place with a big win over Cedarville. So the 3A-1 conference standings going into week nine are:

Charleston 5-0

Greenland 4-1

Cedarville 3-2

West Fork 3-2

Lincoln 2-2

Hackett 1-3

Lavaca 1-3

Mansfield 0-5

Week nine games in the conference include:

Charleston vs. West Fork

Greenland at Hackett

Mansfield at Cedarville

Lincoln at Lavaca

The biggest game in the conference will be Charleston hosting West Fork at Alumni Field. Charleston has head-to-head wins over everyone in the conference, and a win over West Fork will complete the sweep by Charleston over the top contenders in the conference. And again, a Tiger victory guarantees a share of the conference title, and a win against West Fork and in their final game with Lavaca gives the Tigers the outright conference championship.

West Fork runs the flexbone offense and has a massive offensive line. The West Fork Tigers want to run right at you, starting with their battering ram fullback, and gain three or four yards on every play. The want to control time of possession and control the clock. For Charleston fans who watch the preseason scrimmage against Booneville, the West Fork version of the flexbone is different than what the Bearcats run. West Fork runs a slow, methodical, and physical version of the offense, whereas Booneville has explosive speed and runs the option, particularly the outside pitch, to perfection.

West Fork’s Physical Flexbone Rushing Attack (Resident Press File Photo)

West Fork is currently fourth in the conference standings, but has a head-to-head loss with Lincoln. But, in the year of the COVID virus and its effect on high school football, the West Fork Tigers also have more conference wins than Lincoln due to a cancelled game that Lincoln had with a conference opponent earlier in the year. So, the West Fork Tigers need a win in Charleston Friday night. If they don’t get it, it will be very interesting to see how the conference awards the fourth seed in the playoffs. From Charleston’s perspective, they have to get ready to play a team that has their backs to the wall with the respect of being a seeded team in the playoffs. In the words of Coach May, every game matters.

I asked Coach May for his thoughts about West Fork as he enters the week of practice and preparation for this important conference game. Coach May said, “The run the ball really, really well. It all starts with their big fullback guy (all-conference fullback Brenan Cash), he’s a stud. They’ve got a kid named Ivy (wing back Ross Ivy, 4.7 speed) can really fly. If you watch film, you see them play-action pass people, and that has been what we have been struggling with defensively. Hopefully, we can get ours (defense) fixed and cover the pass. But they present some good problems. They have a lot of returners on the line. If you remember, we struggled with them a little bit up there at their place.”

The weather Friday night is supposed to be beautiful in Charleston for the Tigers’ final regular season home game. The 2020 edition of the Charleston Tigers is on the verge of winning a conference championship, but the Tigers need their fans to show up as they always do to cheer the Tigers to victory! A Charleston win this Friday brings yet another conference title to the proud Charleston football tradition, and most likely, home field advantage in the state playoffs.

Bonanza Police Department Receives USDSA Cash Grant

The Bonanza Police Department was recently notified of a $5,000 cash grant award from the United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

Chief Mike Barber received the notice, and the accompanying check last week. Chief Barber stated he plans to install a computer system in the last remaining patrol car and possibly purchase a new handheld radio with the grant money.

Congratulations to the Bonanza Police Department on being chosen to receive this cash grant award!

Runners Going Distance As Post-Season Begins

Pictured: Mansfield Lady Tigers start post-season tour. Participating at the Southwest Regionals are cross country runners Cassidy Carlton, Faith Rainwater, Jadelynn Wood, Katlynn Moore, Darby Jones, and Alyssa James

Pre-season began in July. The regular season just ended. Now, Mansfield High School’s long-distance runners have entered phase three of their 2020 cross country season. It’s postseason time for the Tigers and they are working to go the distance.

Mansfield started the opening round of postseason play with a trip to Mena’s Lion Club for the Tom Stuthard Top 25 Southwest Regional on October 21. Hosted by Acorn, the regional meet gathered teams from class 4A through 1A. 

It was the first stop of a three-pronged schedule the Tigers and Lady Tigers will enter in a 15-day span. The other two legs include the 2A-4 Conference meet and the Class 2A State Championships.

Because of their quality finish at the Stuthard Top 25, Mansfield could have added to their postseason plans. An invitation to the Southern District’s 1A-2A Regional on October 28 was on the table but declined. According to Mansfield coach John Mackey, the high school squad did not want to tackle such a compact schedule.

“It was flattering to get another meet,” said Mackey on the team’s invite. “For the high school runners, that would mean three meets in nine days. We already have a quick turnaround from district to state. The recovery time just wasn’t there. Our focus has to stay on the state prize.”

Mansfield’s junior high will however attend the Southern District Championship. As the coach explained, the junior high race is a much shorter distance. According to him, they would have run the 1.5-mile marker or more anyway on a normal practice day. Therefore, they decided to attend with a chance to pick up extra hardware.

The senior high Lady Tigers earned a lion’s share of the awards at the Lion’s Club race to start their season-ending tour. Five of the MHS girls landed inside the top 25. Because of their placement, Faith Rainwater (9), Jadelynn Wood (10), Darby Jones (13), Alyssa James (23), and Katlynn Moore (24) walked away with regional medals.

Darby Jones, Jadelynn Wood, Alyssa James, Faith Rainwater, and Katlynn Moore display their regional medals at the Mena’s Lions Club

As a group, the Mansfield 5K runners secured third place in the team standings. Only Class 3A Waldron and Class 4A Clarksville bettered the class 2A Tigers.

“The results were close to expectations,” confessed Mackey. “Waldron and Clarksville have two of the top runners in the state. Their supporting cast is pretty good as well. Waldron Is the defending 3A state champs, and Clarksville’s Chloe Weathers made the Arkansas-Oklahoma All-Star meet last season.”

“I’m proud of our progress however,” continued the coach. “Even DeQueen’s coach complimented our girls. He basically said he didn’t notice us much in the early season but now he thinks we are one of the hottest teams around, headed to the finish.”

Rainwater as she has done for much of the season was the Tigers’ lead runner. The junior held steady among a crowded field of contenders. She crossed the 5K finish in 23:50.0. It was her third fastest time of the season.

“Faith has been taking the lead by voice as well,” announced Mansfield’s head coach. “She has been imploring her teammates to stay with her. You can hear her calling for the team to stay in a pack and come with her when making a move. She knows that means one of them could potentially beat her. But more importantly, she knows that means the team can win.”

One of those connected teammates is Wood. Remarkably, Wood seems to be recovering from a car accident she had a few weeks ago. The sophomore runner is slowly shedding the soreness left by a passenger seatbelt and airbag to gain ground in the last few races. She went a season-best 24:01.0 at the Stuthard Top 25.

Another is Jones. Jones, at the 2019 Top 25 Regionals, started making strides as a reliable runner for the Lady Tigers. That finish which happened to be her personal best at the time seemed to push the junior runner to a different level.

Fast forward to this year’s regional championship, Jones once again landed as a top tier Lady Tiger trying to stay connected to the pack. She clocked in at 24:42.9 at the Mena course. It was one of her top three times of the season.

James was a pack runner at least for the first portion of the race. She stepped up her game in a large way especially in the absence of Hope Rainwater and McKenzie Griffin. Two Lady Tigers the team hopes to have back Monday. 

James pulled off a personal record of 26:03.3 at Mena. It elevated her to the team’s number four runner on the night and gave her a regional medal. With the new standard, the sophomore has cut a minute to a minute and a half off her time over the last three consecutive meets.

Moore, a typical top-five performer for Mansfield, fell behind her usual pace this past week. Not feeling well, the junior could only muster a 26:17.9. It was good enough for a top 25 medal but off her season-best eight days earlier at 24:53.0.

For the Tiger men, John Branche reduced his time again. The junior cross country athlete who also plays football during the week ran a time of 21:04.7. That bettered his previous season-best by 37 seconds.

Ethan Streets and Cassidy Carlton also participated in the Mansfield men and women’s teams respectively at the Tom Stuthard Top 25 Southwest Regionals.

Mansfield will now focus on the 2A-4 Conference Championship as phase two of their postseason tour. It will be held at Magazine on October 31 at 10 AM. From there the Tigers go into phase three, the Class 2A State Finals in Hot Springs on November 5 at 11:30 AM.

Bulldogs Stay Perfect Sending Panthers Packing

The Bulldogs started the game with a strong defensive stand and forcing Benton into a quick punt. The offense would take over and Sr. LD Richmond would go to work. Richmond went 5 of 6 for 48 yards on the opening drive. One of the top targets of the drive was Sr. Jase Strozier who caught 2 passes for 29 yards. With the offense set up at the Panther half yard line, Sr. Hunter Wilkinson would take the hand-off and dive across the goal line. The Bulldogs would go up 7-0 with 8:58 left in the first quarter.

After a Benton score, the Bulldog offense takes over again with game tied 7-7. Richmond would work both sides of the field while mixing in run and pass. The Benton Panther defense could not stop them. Jase Strozier would make a catch, turn up field, and quite literally stiff-arm his defender into the ground. This would continue a drive that ended up with another 7 points. Hunter Wilkinson would score up the middle again for his 2nd touchdown of the night. The Bulldogs go up 14-7 with 3:19 left in the first quarter.

With 10:04 left in the 2nd quarter, Richmond would find Sr. Peyton Carter for a 15-yard touchdown catch and throw. Carter would catch the ball at the Panther one-yard line and use his strength to fight through contact and score. It would be a 12 play, 63-yard drive and the Bulldogs would go up 21-7.

With 2:30 left in the 2nd quarter, the Bulldog offense is near field holding on to a 21-14 lead. Wilkinson takes a counter play and had plenty of room to run with the Bulldog offensive line creating nothing less than canyons for him to run through. Wilkinson would use his speed to get into the secondary and out run the defensive backs all the way to the end zone. Wilkinson would grab his 3rd rushing touchdown of the half on the 48-yard scamper. With just over 2 minutes left to go before half, the Bulldogs lead 28-14.

The Bulldog offense starts the half by dominating the ground game and getting on the board again. Greenwood’s offensive line had their way with the Panther defense and Hunter Wilkinson and JD Richmond had lanes to run in the whole drive. Wilkinson would take a Richmond hand off from the Panther 2-yard line and walk in to the end zone untouched for his 4th rushing touchdown of the night. Greenwood would lead 35-14 with 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

With less than a minute to go in the 3rd quarter, Greenwood would have the ball again with the score 35-20. The ground game continues to pay dividends for the Dogs as they break run after run on the Panther defense. With Benton moving into the box to stop the run, Richmond makes them pay over the top. Richmond would connect with Sr. Caden Brown on a post route for a 27-yard touchdown. Richmond’s second touchdown pass of the night brings the score to 42-20 over the Panthers.

The Panthers would get 1 more score but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the Greenwood Bulldogs from their number 1 ranking. The final score would end as 42-28 in favor of the home team.

The player of the game was Sr. running back Hunter Wilkinson who finished the night with 31 carries for 193 yards and 4 touchdowns. The senior averaged more than 6 yards per carry. Sr. quarterback LD Richmond had 15 carries for 113 yards for a 7.5 yards per carry average. Richmond would also finish 22 of 33 passing for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. The leading bulldog receiver was Jase Strozier with 9 catches for 61 yards, followed by Peyton Carter with 5 catches for 60 yards and 1 touchdown. Jordan Hanna of the ferocious Bulldog Defense led the way with more than double digit tackles. Sr. Jayden Jasna came up big in key moments of the game with 2 pass break ups and 5 tackles.

The top ranked Bulldogs will travel to Van Buren next week carrying their 8-0 record. Van Buren is 3-5 on the year.

Obituary- Ricky Lynn Himes (1959 – 2020)

Ricky Lynn Himes of Parks, Arkansas passed from this life, Wednesday October 21, 2020 at his home in Parks, Arkansas. Ricky was born May 19, 1959 in Mena, Arkansas to J.E. Himes and Betty Faye (Rath) Himes. He was 61 years old.

Ricky was married to Marilyn Kay (Atchley) Himes. Ricky loved to hunt and fish in the Arkansas wilderness. Ricky served in the Navy for 2 years, from 1977 to 1979. Ricky then worked in construction for over 44 years, owning Himes Construction for 38 of those years, where he dealt with both residential and commercial projects. He was a hard worker. He was a man that was proud of his family, especially his grandchildren.

Ricky leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife Marilyn Kay (Atchely) Himes, his son Chris Himes and wife Leeann Himes, their kids Kinzie, Gabe, and Abby of Greenwood, Arkansas, his son Bob Himes and wife Rachel Himes, their children, Dalton, Ridge, and Aaron of Parks, Arkansas, 3 brothers and a sister, Bill and Marie Himes, Jim and Sara Himes, Russell Himes, and also Jenny and Kent Stone. Ricky also leaves behind numerous nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a multitude of friends that he made throughout his life, with Mark Pierce and Jimmy Ray Sims being mentioned as his best friends.

Ricky was preceded in death by his mother and father, Betty Faye (Rath) Himes and J.E. Himes.

Ricky’s memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday October 24, 2020 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Konnor Mckay officiating.

Ricky’s pallbearers will be Tyler Himes, J.T. Atchely, Nathan Franklin, William Himes, and E.J. Himes, and Gracie Himes. Honorary pallbearers will be his best friends, Mark Pierce and Jimmy Ray Sims.

The family wanted to give a special thanks to Dr. Patrick Fox and Elite Home Health & Hospice.

During these trying and difficult times, we must follow the guidelines we have been given to do our part to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. Family and friends that do attend the service must wear a mask and maintain a social distance of 6 feet apart. 

Obituary- Carrol Joan (Horn) Ison (1943 – 2020)

Carrol Joan (Horn) Ison of Greenwood, Arkansas, formerly of Waldron, Arkansas went to be with her Lord and Savior Tuesday, October 20, 2020 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Carrol was born on September 24,1943 to Ule Horn and Gean (Lawson) Horn, in Waldron, Arkansas.

Carrol was married to her husband, Preston Ison for 48 years. They would have celebrated another year together on November 11th. After graduation from Waldron High School, she attended Draughon’s Business School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, afterwards working as a secretary for many years.

Carrol was the quiet one in the family but always called to check on those that she hadn’t heard from recently. She loved spending time with all of her family including her siblings, nieces and nephews, many great nieces and nephews, as well as her extended family. Carrol is remembered to be gentle, kind, and friendly to all she met, this resulted in a large circle of friends. Carrol loved listening to country music and blue grass, especially at Turkey Track. She loved to read, go shopping, and visit the casinos. Carrol was a great cook, learning the talent from her mother. She also loved to travel with both family and friends. Carrol also was a lover of all animals, especially her cats, Peanut and Kitty Kitty. The memories made with her loved ones will forever be treasured by each of them.

Carrol leaves behind to cherish her memory, her husband Preston, sister Denise Nutley and husband Tim, brother Randy Horn and Paula, brother Darrell Horn, nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and nephews. Carrol will be missed by all that knew her and the many whose lives were impacted by her holding them dear to her heart.

Carrol was preceded in death by her parents, Ule and Gean (Lawson) Horn, and her brother Larry Horn and sister-in-law Deloras Horn.

Carrol’s graveside memorial life celebration will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at the Duncan Cemetery Pavillion in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Pat Ray Biggs officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

During these trying and difficult times, we must follow the guidelines we have been given to do our part to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. Family and friends that do attend the service must wear a mask and maintain a social distance of 6 feet apart.