The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) released a statement today regarding the possible resumption of contact sports this fall in Arkansas high schools. As you know, the AAA has allowed contact sports to resume workouts under very strict conditions, but has not allowed the full resumption of practices and games for contact sports. The restrictions so far have been applied to sports such as football, volleyball, basketball, and martial arts. Today’s announcement opens the door for possible resumption of contact sports on the contingency that guidelines set forth by the Arkansas governor’s office, and the Arkansas Department of Health are followed.
The announcement does not indicate that contact sports will resume, but is an all important first step. Governor Asa Hutchinson will still have to make a decision to allow the sports to continue. Included in the announcements are several options that Arkansas and its contiguous states are considering, such as amending schedules, that may occur before the final decision to play is made.
So, Arkansas high school fans can be “cautiously optimistic” at this point, but, it is a positive first step for all who want to see contact sports played in the fall.
Stay with Resident Press for more information on this and all high school sports in the River Valley and across Arkansas.
Gwendal Long of Hon, Arkansas, passed from this life on Sunday, July 5, 2020, in Columbia, Missouri. He was born May 7, 1948, in Hon to the late M.G. and Frances Long. He was 72 years old.
Gwendal was a retired truck driver and member of Hon Baptist Church. He graduated Waldron High School in 1966 and served in the United States Army as a Sergeant E-5 in Berlin, Germany, from 1968-1970. He loved his family and animals. In his younger years, he enjoyed the outdoors, books, movies, music, motorcycles and fast cars. He is survived by his daughter, Susan Scott and her husband Travis of Columbia, Missouri; two grandchildren, Lauren and Sarah Scott of Columbia, Missouri; a brother, M.G. Long Jr. and his wife Linda of Hon, Arkansas; a sister, Carol Lane and her husband Collins of Russellville, Arkansas. He is preceded in death by his parents M.G. and Frances Long. Visitation will be held at Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Saturday, July 11, from noon to 1:00 p.m. , followed by the funeral service at Heritage Memorial Funeral Home chapel at 1:00 p.m. with Cameron Lane officiating. Intement will follow in the Hon Cemetery. Pallbearers will be M.G. Long, Jr., David Long, James Long, Justin Long, Cameron Lane and Travis Scott. Honorary pallbearers are Collins Lane, Chad Lane, Courtney Lane, Clark Lane and Collin Lane. Family and friends are welcome to attend the service but everyone must wear a mask and maintain a social distance of 6 feet apart.
Waldron High School has recently hired a new band director. Usually, that means getting to know a new director, but not this time. Waldron School District promoted Shanice McFerran to be their new High School Band Director. McFerran previously served as the Middle School Director.
Shanice grew up in Greenwood, Arkansas, and graduated in 2011. She then went on to attend the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
After graduating college, Shanice spent her first two years of teaching at Hartford. In 2018, she moved to the Mulberry School District for a year. Then in 2019, she became the Middle School Director at Waldron. Her main instrument is the clarinet. McFerran said she also enjoys playing and teaching all the woodwind instruments.
Shanice credits her Band Directors at Greenwood as her motivation for becoming a band director. When she entered Junior High Band, she saw how much fun they were having and she wanted to be just like them.
Shanice looks forward to getting back to school and seeing her students following the coronavirus hiatus. She’s excited to get back and start making music. McFerran said that many of the students have been asking, “When are we going to start summer band? They are ready to get going.” A goal she has for this upcoming year is to grow the band community in the school and to work on musicianship within the band.
An interesting fact about Waldron, it is the only school in Scott County. So the students are pulled in a lot of different ways and involved in many activities. McFerran said, “The school makes it a priority to allow students to be involved in as many things as they want.”
A fun fact about Shanice is that she has a dog named Lola.
While interviewing Shanice, I asked a series of questions in a Q & A segment called, “ARVBands’ Quick 5”. For this segment, we ask five questions that are funny and allow the readers to get to know the individual being interviewed.
What is your favorite Marching Show ever? Greenwood High School Marching Band “Shrek”
What is the best meal that you have ever eaten? Marketplace – Pineapple Grilled Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Flamin Queso
What is your biggest pet peeve in teaching? When students say, “What if… followed by a question” because nothing good ever comes out after a “what if question”.
If you could pick another profession, what would it be? News Anchor
What is your favorite memory from your music career? The bucket percussion ensemble at Hartford
Shanice is excited for the opportunity to be teaching at Waldron School District and to be the new Band Director at Waldron High School. She is looking forward to the upcoming school year and cannot wait to see her students this fall.
The Greenwood City Council met in a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, July 6.
One matter of business before them, an ordinance which would require masks in the City of Greenwood.
“The City of Greenwood respectfully voted against an ordinance to require mask wearing in Greenwood,” stated Alderman Tim Terry. “We opted that the fine folks of Greenwood would adhere to the state mandates set out by the governor and continue to wear masks where businesses ask them to.”
This comes as Governor Asa Hutchinson announced last week that municipalities have the option of enacting mandatory mask ordinances.
Hutchinson stated that Executive Order 20-41 “provides a local option for cities to give them more flexibility if they have a community in which they might have a surge in cases. This model ordinance, from the Municipal League, provides a consistency in approach across the state.”
Chairman of the Economic Recovery Task Force Steuart Walton added, “Governor Hutchinson’s balanced approach of giving cities the option to enact mask ordinances where most needed helps us protect the health of Arkansans and ensure the economy can continue to recover.”
This executive order allows for:
Local law enforcement and other city officials to enforce the use of face coverings upon the business’ premises in accordance with public health guidelines.
Local law enforcement and other city officials to act in a support capacity, through enforcement, to educate and encourage members of the public who decline to wear a face covering about the efficacy of wearing such coverings.
Local law enforcement and other city officials to assist in enforcement through education of individuals who decline to comply with the face covering requirement of any local business that the individual must abide by the local business’ mandate or leave the premises.
Municipal League General Counsel John Wilkerson said, “Consistency is incredibly important and that is why this model ordinance says that the city is going to require the usage of masks in accordance with the guidelines of the Department of Health.”
Living in a rural area often requires you to rely on yourself for many basic services. You may cook your own food most nights, mow your own grass, or fix your own car or truck. You may even need to renovate your own house when the time comes. This can be daunting, but this guide on common exterior home repairs to know will help you learn what can happen if you neglect basic home repair.
Roofing
The roof is one of the most fundamental parts of a home. A solid roof should last twenty to thirty years. However, poor treatment or maintenance can lead to serious breakage, water leaks, stains, or mold. Water pooling and leaks can weaken your home’s structural integrity, and mold can trigger respiratory issues within your body. Therefore, consider roof repairs as crucial to increasing the longevity of your structure.
When repairing a roof, check the necessary materials. Protect your roof with new shingles, vent flashing, seal valley joints, and power-washing. These projects will further protect your roof for many years.
Siding
Your home’s siding serves many purposes. In addition to increasing curb appeal, it insulates the interior, shields against external moisture, and protects against weather. Theoretically, siding should last indefinitely, usually only needing minor repairs. However, major damage such as mold or a weak structural frame could indicate the need for serious siding repairs. Perform regular inspections to spot any signs of necessary renovations, such as cracked or sagging paneling, water stains, or mold.
Paint
Painting the exterior of your home is a cheap, time-efficient project. It might not seem like a common exterior home repair to know about, but paint has many roles other than beautification. Paint prevents moisture from penetrating your home’s structure. It also seals small cracks and hides stains. You can repaint anytime, but you should periodically inspect for bubbling or peeling paint, as this indicates signs of wear on your home.
Gutters
Lastly, don’t forget your gutters. They have several important uses, but rain gutters remain an often-neglected exterior home component. Gutter maintenance should rank highly on your list of exterior home repairs. They transport rainwater from your roof to the ground through piping and downspouts. This prevents water pooling, which can weaken your house’s frame and lead to mold growth. Aside from regular cleaning, you should know how to maintain your gutters, too. Make sure to avoid these common DIY installation mistakes so that your rain gutters perform accordingly.
Before the modern chain food stores, we had the local corner groceries. Found in almost every community, the stores offered a little bit of everything, including a fast meal.
Woodard Mosley and the Scrudders’ both had stores at Midway and both offered animal feed, groceries, gas products, and even sold huge blocks of ice for use in the home. In the early morning, customers came in and sit on scattered chairs, coke crates, and benches and told tall tales and repeated community news (sometimes gossip). During the winter, the potbellied coal stoves glowed dull red, people sat close together, and drank cup after cup of dark coffee.
As kids, we would visit as often as we had a nickel or dime. Kit candy, double bubble, and hard candy sold for a penny a package. If you had a quarter, you could get a three dip dime ice cream, a ten-cent coke, and candy.
As my world expanded, I would visit Rollan’s store at New Blane, Widner’s at Prairie View, and Geel’s grocery at Subiaco. I remember well going with my dad to George Widener’s store, a tumble-down building full of every imaginable item a person could want. Ask for a product, George would turn on one of the two or three hanging lights in the store and wander about searching for the product, often followed by one or more of the tabby cats that stayed underfoot while you were shopping. Ask for a sandwich, he would pull out a stick of bologna; whack off a half-inch thick slice, throw it between two pieces of bread, and let you put on mayonnaise or mustard and you had a fast lunch.
One of my favorite hang-outs as a teenager was Ahne gulf and Needham’s store at Scranton. Lila Needham was one-of-a-kind individual. Rickey Miller, David Rhineheart, and my uncle Danny would visit with her and she would offer us advice and try to match us up with the lovely young eligible gals found in Scranton, but even Lila could work only so many miracles. She made some of the best sandwiches and burgers ever. One of those, a package of chips, and an RC Cola cost less than a dollar and all the friendship and kind words came free. Lillie was a wonderful person and an icon to the entire region.
Similar stores were found at Charleston, Booneville, Caulksville, Lavaca, and every other small community. They were the town centers, the meeting place, a place for neighbors to meet and greet. Today, we go through the drive through and get our food and drink in a hurry. We say hi to a waiter we don’t know, hand our dollars through a window, and drive off. We are faster but our life is much poorer than the days of a bologna sandwich and a RC cola.
Two young fishermen are headed to represent the state of Arkansas and looking to “school” their competition in the upcoming National Junior Championship. Eli Kluthe and Levi Brown of Waldron, Arkansas will travel to Mosquito Creek Lake in Warren, Ohio to fish against some of the best youth anglers in the country for the July 25th – August 1st tournament. The duo is “hooked” on success after acquiring the title of Arkansas Junior State Champions on June 21st at Lake Millwood which is located just outside of Ashdown.
“I am just extremely happy that we won the state championship and excited to move on to the National tournament in Ohio,” Levi Brown stated with enthusiasm. Eli Kluthe shared the same positive intensity by saying, “I am very excited to have the chance to represent the state of Arkansas and our Waldron Waterdogs at the National level after winning the State championship. I would like to thank all of the members of our team that worked hard for us and continues to work hard to make all of this possible.” The Resident Press staff and coverage area are very proud of these two young men and can’t “bait” for them to bring home the gold!!
River Valley and Razorbacks fans will not want to miss tomorrow’s special Razorbacks edition of the Sports Brew Show at 4 p.m. The show will be streamed live from the El Parian restaurant in Paris from 4 – 6 p.m., July 7. Fans can simply click on thesportsbrew.net tomorrow at 4 p.m. to hear live interviews with former Paris Eagles and Arkansas Razorbacks Ronnie Trusty and Grant Freeman, along with former Danville High School and Razorbacks quarterback Brad Taylor.
After a huge start for the show, tomorrow’s show promises to attract even more listeners as Arkansas fans across the state can click on the internet to hear the show that will be streamed live from Paris.
So, mark your calendars for tomorrow, and we will see all of you Razorbacks fans along with Brad Taylor, Ronnie Trusty, and Grant Freeman at the El Parian restaurant. Better yet, if you are in Paris, stop by and enjoy some great food and meet the former Razorbacks!
Something to Eat Farm, is a little gem tucked away on a quiet Scott County dirt road. Although the farm has humble roots, it has gained popularity over the years, and has yielded highly sought after farm goods.
Owners Bryson and Jill VanCleve started the farm in 2016 on about 20 acres of land. For the last four and a half years they have raised non-GMO vegetables, free of harmful chemicals and pesticides, as well as beautiful flowers for bouquets.
They have always taken great pride in their product, “everything is grown outside in rows, no greenhouses,” said Jill VanCleve. “Recently we made a decision to no longer grow veggies for the public, due to long, hot hours and at less than minimum wage. It took a toll on us, especially on Bryson.”
Byson, the head farmer, has faced heat exhaustion over the past few years, and battled subsequent health issues. “He is better now, thank God,” added Jill VanCleve, but this summer, after around 100 of our tomato plants died for no logical reason, he finally threw the towel in on veggie farming.”
The VanCleves are finishing out the season selling their beautiful flower bouquets and their remaining produce at both locations of Olde Fashioned Foods in Fort Smith. The couple have been vendors for years at the Fort Smith Farmers Market. It was there they developed a relationship with Olde Fashioned Foods. “Our Bouquets are especially popular with them. Recently, they sold out of our bouquets in less than 24 hours!”
Over the course of the past few years, the VanCleves have begun raising blueberry and blackberry plants. In fact, they are currently considering the possibility of a future “U-Pick.” Their recent certificate of nursery licensure from the Arkansas State Plant Board will allow them to sell blueberry plants locally.
Lastly, the local farmers have begun raising cattle and plan to add more next year.
No doubt Bryson and Jill have seen great success with their farming products, and are looking to build on that for the future. “Success is having your needs taken care of with food, water and shelter, and also time with the ones you love! Success is being able to stop and smell the roses and taking time daily to be thankful. For years we’d set a goal financially and something always happened where it didn’t work out. Now we are simply staying focused on the Call … What we are here for and Who are we serving. There is a really good Proverb that pretty much sums it up… “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted calf with strife.” – Proverbs 15:17. If Love is in it, then we are too! We are thankful for all the farming education we have obtained through experience, the numerous relationships we have made and are excited for the journey ahead, with so much more to learn!”
If you are interested in learning more about Something to Eat Farm, or their farming products, you can contact them through their Facebook page. You can also text message them about their berry plants and flowers in season at 501-218-5478. They plan to launch a website in the near future at www.somethingtoeatfarm.com, where they will accept online orders for berry plants and naturally grown garlic seed bulbs.
6/29 On June 29 at approximately 7:10 p.m., a Greenwood officer made a traffic stop on a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser on US 71 North near its intersection with State Highway 10 Spur for having no brake light. The officer made contact with the driver, Amy Jenkins, 41 of Fort Smith. After asking Jenkins for her driver’s license, insurance, and registration, she advised that the vehicle was her daughter’s, Destiny Burkhardt. Burkhardt, who was sitting in the backseat, provided an expired insurance card and an expired registration. The officer advised them of the issues with their paperwork and returned to his vehicle. The officer discovered Jenkins had one confirmed warrant. The officer had Jenkins exit the car, and she was placed under arrest. While completing paperwork, Jenkins advised that there were some “roaches” in the vehicle and that they were hers. The officer asked Burkhardt to exit the car so he could speak with her. He explained to Burkhardt that her mother advised him of the marijuana in the vehicle and sought consent to search, which she granted. During the search of the vehicle, the officer discovered a very small amount of marijuana in a partially burnt hand rolled cigarette. The officer asked Jenkins if she had anything on her person and she advised that she had “dope” in her bra. Jenkins was transported to the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center without incident. Upon arrival, the officer advised the detention deputies that Jenkins needed to be searched for contraband. The search turned up a small plastic bag containing two smaller plastic bags with a white crystal like substance believed to be methamphetamine. After recovering the contraband, Jenkins was charged with possession of schedule I or II controlled substance and the outstanding warrant.
7/2 On July 2, at approximately 10:30 p.m., while conducting neighborhood patrol on West Dogwood Street, a Greenwood office noticed an individual known to him as Spencer Kite, 18 of Greenwood. After seeing Kite in the apartment complex around the 200 Block of West Dogwood Street, the officer asked Sebastian County Dispatch if Kite had any outstanding warrants. Dispatch advised him that they were showing three possible warrants for Kite’s arrest. The officer parked his patrol vehicle and approached the apartments located at 220 West Dogwood Street. The officer saw Kite near the front door of the apartment and asked if he would provide him with his name and date of birth, which he provided. After dispatch confirmed the three outstanding warrants, Kite was placed under arrest and transported to the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center and booked on the warrants without incident. Warrant #2020-WCG-397352 ($10,000.00 Legally Sufficient) Warrant #2020-WCG-397362 ($5,000.00 Legally Sufficient) Warrant #2020-WDG-187225 ($400.00 Cash)
7/3 On July 3 at approximately 10:02 p.m., a Greenwood officer was traveling west on West Center Street behind a gold Chevrolet Impala with tags that expired in March of 2020. After observing the violation, the officer initiated a traffic stop at West Center Street, near its intersection with Park. The officer made contact with the driver, Haylie Reese 21 of Fort Smith. Reese was advised of the reason for the stop, and she responded that she knew her tags were expired, but that she was waiting on her insurance card to come in so she could tag the vehicle. The officer took Reese’s driver’s license and returned to his vehicle. A confirmed warrant was discovered for Reese’s arrest for theft of property. After returning to the vehicle, Reese was placed under arrest and transported to the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center without incident. The vehicle was driven from the scene by a passenger in the vehicle who was a licensed driver.
7/5 On July 5 at approximately 10 p.m., a Greenwood officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle at West Center Street near its intersection with Timberland Drive. The driver, Melissa Catlett, was the registered owner of the vehicle. The officer asked Catlett for her driver’s license, insurance, and registration. Catlett provided him with the information. The officer asked Catlett to exit the vehicle and she was advised that there was an outstanding warrant for her arrest. Also in the vehicle, Billy Catlett. The officer asked Melissa Catlett for consent to search the vehicle, which she granted. The officer had Billy Catlett exit the vehicle. Billy Catlett advised another officer on scene that he had marijuana on his person. The marijuana was then recovered from him. While searching the vehicle, dispatch advised that Logan County confirmed the warrant within extradition for Melissa Catlett, but that they would not extradite at this time. After searching the vehicle, Melissa Catlett received a warning for not having the required mirrors on her vehicle. Billy Catlett was issued a citation for possession of schedule VI controlled substance.
