Resident News Network

The United Way of Fort Smith Area Goes Live With 2-1-1

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6:42 pm

The United Way of Fort Smith Area Goes Live With 2-1-1

The United Way of Fort Smith Area in partnership with the United Way of Northwest Arkansas, has implemented a 2-1-1 call center for Sebastian, Crawford, Logan, Franklin, and Scott Counties.

The 2-1-1 call center will be an incredible resource for local citizens to have access to speak live to a well-trained information and referral operator to get needed information 24 hours a day. The United Way of Fort Smith Area has had an outstanding Community Resource Guide in printed copy and online and now the River Valley community will have access to the nation’s largest health and human service resource call center locally. 2-1-1 can be accessed by simply dialing 2-1-1 or going to www.arkansas211.org. You can also reach 211 in Arkansas by texting your zip code to 898-211 or by calling 866-489-6983. The 211 service is also available to the counties we serve in Oklahoma. Again, simply call 211 or text 211OK to 898211. They are also available online at https://www.211oklahoma.org/

“We are extremely excited to partner with the United Way of Northwest Arkansas to make 2-1-1 possible for our local community. 2-1-1 will allow our citizens to be one phone call away from vital information. We are also excited to help take a load off our 9-1-1 call centers for non-life threatening questions about health and human services. In times of crisis like the flood or COVID 19, vital resources will be made available and easily accessible 24 hours a day” commented Eddie Lee Herndon, President and CEO of United Way of Fort Smith Area.

211 is a vital service leveraged by millions of people across North America. Every day, clients contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services and childcare and family services. No matter the situation, the specialists at 211 listen, identify underlying problems, and connect people in need with resources and services in their community that improve their lives. In 2018 alone, 211s in the US answered more than 11 million calls and almost 1 million texts, chats and emails, helping millions with life-changing support. There is no other network in the country that has a similar pulse on America’s needs.

For updates and information about 211 and COVID-19 visit unitedwayfortsmith.org

Winters Serves 20 Years as Volunteer Fireman

Networks

Tammy Teague

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4:45 pm

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Winters Serves 20 Years as Volunteer Fireman

Mansfield resident Mike Winters recently retired from the Mansfield Fire Department after serving the past 20 years as a volunteer.

Winters began serving on the Huntington Fire Department in 1990, under the leadership of then Chief Gary Lawrence. After Winters moved to the Spur Lake area near Mansfield, he sought to join the Mansfield Department. “They were a strong and full department then, and because I lived further than three miles, I wasn’t able to join right away,” shared Winters.

However, in 2016, Mayor Larry Austin added Winters onto the department. “I enjoy it,” added Winters. “It gets the heart racing when that pager goes off! I would really like to see more young people get involved. ”

His passion to serve as a volunteer fireman is supported by his wife of 36 years, Sandy Winters. Mike Winters is employed by the Mansfield School District as a school bus driver. He enjoys fishing, and gardening.

Although Winters has stepped away from the department, he hasn’t ruled out coming back to volunteer again!

“I want to thank Mike Winters for his years of service to the City of Mansfield and the Fire Department,” shared Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black. “He is a good man, and a tremendous asset to this community.”

Longtime Coach and Administrator Passes

News

Megan Hecox

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1:37 pm

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Bill T. Fox, a beloved coach and administrator at both Mansfield and Hartford Schools has passed.

Fox left a legacy throughout this area, and he will be remembered as a “good man and coach.”

He was a 1960 graduate of Arkansas Tech University, and held a Masters Degree From the University of Arkansas.

Fox coached for the Hartford School District for more than two decades, from 1973-1992. One former player said, “Bill was my basketball coach my senior year. We had a very good team. Lost one game going into the state tourney. He was easy to play for. He never yelled at us, but we gave him all we had because we really liked him.”

News of Fox’ passing on March 17 spread quickly throughout the small community. Since that time, hundreds have expressed their love and sympathy towards his wife Sharon and their three children, Leigha, Justin and Jessica.

OBITUARY

Bill T. Fox was born on February 21, 1938 in Huntington, Arkansas to Audra and Flossie Ann (Hampton) Fox. He passed away on March 17, 2020 in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the age of 82.

He is survived by:

His wife Sharon Fox of the home

Three children:

Leigha Fox of Florida Keys

Justin Fox and wife, Sue, of Fargo, ND
Jessica Bailey and husband, Aaron, of Stigler, OK

Grandchildren:

Jake and Kate Fox

Andrew and Audra Bailey

Numerous other relatives

Bill was preceded in death by one sister and brother-in-law, Linda and C.B. Carter and his parents.

He loved hunting, fishing, coaching, St. Louis Cardinals Baseball; and family.

Memorial Services will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at Stigler First United Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Jim Hill officiating.

Wanted Texas Man Shoots at Waldron Police Officer

Tammy Teague

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10:09 am

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Wanted Texas Man Shoots at Waldron Police Officer

The Waldron Police Department has released photos of Texas man who shot at a Waldron Police officer on Tuesday night.

Waldron Police Officer Brittney Fletcher was checking on a male and female on Tuesday evening, March 17. The male fled, and Fletcher chased the man. At one point during the foot chase, according to Waldron Police Chief Jeremy Hunt, the man fired a shot at Officer Fletcher. Fletcher was not harmed, however.

Renee Bulduc has warrants in Texas for escape, aggravated assault and violating parole.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Game and Fish, Mansfield Police Department and the Highway Patrol are all assisting in the search for Bulduc, who was last seen in the apartment complex near 8th Street in Waldron.

If you have seen him, you are asked to call 911. Bulduc is considered armed and dangerous. He is described as a white male, 6’3″ tall, 198 pounds, hazel eyes and brown hair. Bulduc has tattoos on his face and his hands.

Residents are being asked to keep their homes, cars and outbuildings locked.

Obituary- James D Hughes (1942-2020)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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8:52 am

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James Dale Hughes passed from this life Monday, March 16, 2020, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was born June 18, 1942 in the Square Rock community north of Waldron, to John J. and Aughtie Hughes. He was 77 years, 8 months and 27 days old.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, L. Wayne Swaim and G. Aldon Hughes, and a nephew Randy Swaim. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Clydene DeWitt Hughes, one daughter, Jamie LeAnn Bettinardi (Matt), three grandchildren, Maebrie Jean, Anleigh Grace and James Alexander Bettinardi, a brother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and several nieces and nephews.

After high school he earned a degree in body and fender repair from a trade school in Kansas City, Missouri. He then returned home to Waldron to work several years for Denton Motor Company. During that time, he earned the certification as Master Automobile Technician. He moved on to work as a truck mechanic at Tyson Foods from where he retired.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Waldron, Arkansas. He enjoyed working on his family cattle farm, mowing and baling hay, fixing fence, and doing anything else required to keep the place running. Farm work led to one of his favorite hobbies: working on and restoring antique tractors. He and his brother, Aldon, passed many hours rebuilding tractors together. He also loved hunting and enjoyed spending time with his friends and cohorts at the Muddy Creek deer camp.

James’ celebration of life service will be Thursday, March 19, 2020 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Ken Overturf, officiating. Interment will be in the Square Rock Cemetery near Waldron, AR. Arrangments are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Pallbearers are Butch Sims, Rick Sims, Jerry DeWitt, Darrell DeWitt Jr., Eric Sims, and Jeffrey Sims.

Honorary Pallbearers are “The Herman Moore Muddy Creek Deer Hunting Camp” and Arkansas Valley Antique Tractor Club.

Obituary- Lonnie Ray Taff (1953-2020)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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5:29 pm

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Lonnie Ray Taff of Waldron Arkansas passed from this life on March 12, 2020. He was born on November 4, 1953, to John D Taff and Kelsie Taff in Ventura, California. Lonnie was 66 years old.

Lonnie was married to the love of his life, Debbie for 44 years. He worked and retired from the telephone company. Lonnie enjoyed fly fishing, and spending time at his cabin. But he really loved spending time with his grandchildren and his family.

Lonnie leaves behind to cherish his memory, his loving wife, Debbie Taff of the home, a daughter April Nelson and husband Wes, one son Travis Taff all of Waldron, Arkansas. Lonnie will forever remain in the hearts of his grandchildren: Jasmine Marie Nelson, Easton Hoyt Nelson, Trenton Keener and Taylor Keener all of Waldron, Arkansas. Lonnie is also survived by his mother Kelsie Taff, one brother David Taff and wife Anita, one brother in law David Lawson and wife Gay, sister in law Judy Self all of Waldron, Arkansas. Lonnie will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of friends, hunting and fishing buddies and neighbors.

Lonnie is preceded in death by his father, John D. Taff.

Lonnie’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Konnor McKay officiating. Interment will follow in the Sehorn Cemetery near Waldron.

Lonnie’s pallbearers will be Travis Taff, Wesley Nelson, Trenton Keener, Taylor Keener, Brett McConnell and David Lawson. Honorary pallbearers will be Blake Wright, Phillip Oliver, Danny Hitchcock, Buddy Slater, Michael Ray, Troy Aynes, Larry Rose, Ronald Parks, Robert Williams, Brad Lemaster and little Danny Richmond.

Lonnie’s visitation will be Wednesday, March 18, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lonnie Ray Taff, please visit our floral store.

Temporary Changes Set for Driver License Testing Operations

Megan Hecox

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4:54 pm

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Temporary Changes Set for Driver License Testing Operations

The Arkansas State Police will implement a temporary and limited adjustment in Class D (conventional motor vehicle) driver license testing effective Wednesday, March 18th.

There is no change in any testing procedures at this time for commercial driver license applicants.

As a result of decisions this week by local government officials across the state to temporarily close or limit public access to city and county owned buildings where the state police uses space to administer driver license knowledge tests, the state police will continue to offer the testing services, but the knowledge testing will be limited to Arkansas State Police Troop Headquarters. Driver license knowledge testing in the River Valley region of the state will be administered at 765 Hob Knob Road in Russellville. The change in schedule begins at 8 AM tomorrow. A directory of Arkansas State Police Headquarters with addresses and telephone numbers can be found at https://asp.arkansas.gov/divisions/highway-patrol/

As a result of an anticipated increase in the number of knowledge testing applicants inside troop headquarters, testing agents will limit the total number of applicants to five at any given time.

The temporary change in driver license testing operations will continue through March 27th, at which time state police commanders will re-assess the changes.

Additionally, no skills testing will occur for Class D license applicants.

Being conscientious of the growing concerns among Arkansans to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19, the state police testing agents will be using sterilizing wipes to clean the computer keyboards at the testing sites after every test is completed.

Area Senior Centers Close

Tammy Teague

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2:45 pm

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The Sebastian County Senior Centers, including the one in Mansfield, Greenwood and Hartford will be closed beginning Thursday, March 19 for two weeks.

SRCA Executive Director Deanna Rice said “The Sebastian Retired Citizens Association, Inc. is doing all we can to keep our patrons and staff safe, however we have had to make some difficult decisions regarding our Senior Centers in Sebastian County, and with that being said, here is our plan going forward these next few weeks.” Rice noted that another decision will be made on March 31, 2020.

Buildings will be closed to the public – only staff will be allowed into the facilities
Suspending all socialization services
Suspending all congregate site services
Suspending all transportation (as in social trips)

SRCA will continue to provide:

Home delivered meals
Transportation to grocery store and pharmacies. Non-essential transportation will not be conducted (to be determined by director.) If a patron is ill and running a fever then the patron WILL NOT be transported.

Added Service:
The congregate meal clients that are truly in need of a meal will be able to use curbside service for pick up meals. This service will start on Thursday, March 19, 2020 in all Sebastian County Senior Centers. The curbside service will be offered from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. during normal lunch service times.

“I am asking that if you are planning on doing curbside, you call the day before so that we may prepare enough food to hand out to our elderly patrons,” added Rice.

Contact numbers for senior centers in our area:
Barling Senior Center 479-452-1187
Lavaca Senior Center 479-647-5577
Betty Wilkinson Senior Center 479-996-6581
Mansfield Senior Center 479-928-4429
Hartford/Midland Senior Center 479-639-2816

“We will continue to make announcements as information becomes available. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself or any of the senior center directors for any concerns, questions, or needs. We truly love our patrons and care about their well-being,” Rice concluded.

City of Mansfield Notice to Residents

Tammy Teague

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2:17 pm

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Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black is notifying residents of a postponement in the regularly scheduled city council meeting. That meeting was set for Thursday evening, March 19. However due to CDC guidelines of limiting congregations of 10 people or less, Mayor Black is postponing the council meeting for two weeks.

“We will revisit it before then, but tentatively, we will have our Mansfield City Council meeting on April 2 at 7 p.m.” Additionally, the planning commission’s public hearing, which was also scheduled for Thursday, has also been moved to April 7, beginning at 6 p.m.

Additionally, the Library has closed its doors. However, anyone who wishes to check out a book from the library can do so by calling 479-269-2037. When you call, you can let the librarian know which book you want, and it will be brought out to you.

Lastly, Mayor Black shared that city water users will not have their water cutoff, however any bills not paid by the 20th, the traditional shutoff date, will have a $25 reconnect fee added to their next bill.

MES Principal’s List and Honor Roll

Headlines

Megan Hecox

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12:55 pm

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Mansfield Elementary School releases third quarter Honor Roll and Principal’s List.

3^rd Grade:

Mrs. Davis-Honor Roll

Trenton Clay, Caiden Elmore, Hannah Elmore, Natalie Fields, Cole Jackson, JonMark Lennon, Makenzie Robinson, Everleigh Smith, Kynady Thomas, and Londynn Turnipseed.

Mrs. Henson-Honor Roll

Kinsey Boatright, Abigale Downs, Jalee Edwards, Bentley Hoover, Natalee Moore, Bethany Mounts, Elexis Powell, and Bryson Wingate.

Principal’s List: Thomas Boyd

Mrs. Lawrence-Honor Roll

Tucker Brown, Kyle Frasher, Ellah Heydenreich, Colton Moore, Rylie Moore, Hadley Shores, and John Michael Slaughter.

Principal’s List: Lily Dyer

4th Grade:

Mrs. Beran-Honor Roll

Clayton Garrison, Haley Kunkel, and Alivia Wilson.

Mr. Brewer-Honor Roll

Michael Carter, Travis Gilmre, Bella Graham, Madilyn Henderson, Ryan LeBrun, Jagger Pollard, Colton Pruitt, and Hunter Whittaker.

Principal’s List: Mary Burton, Phineas Brown, Treven Hattabaugh, Rylan Jones, Alisa Lasavath, Bailey Quick, Kerrington Quick, Eric Rassasombath, Kamryn Rempfer, and Cosmo Whiley.

Mrs. Holland-Honor Roll

Drake Brunson, Khloie Graham, Dalton Harris, Hunter Holsted, Addison Howard, Zipporah McMichael, and Jakob Morris.

Principal’s List: Lincoln Allison and Lilly Young.

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