There are few that answers the call to serve, even fewer who serve in multiple areas of emergency services. Jeffrey Robert Reaves of Hackett is one of those few.
Reaves, 26, works at the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher, serves Fire Chief for the City of Hackett, and also as a county reserve deputy.
While juggling the duties of his profession, Reaves always finds the time to spend with his infant twins, Mollie and Jeffrey.
Reaves is undoubtedly one of the most devoted individuals, to his family, his friends and his work. Regardless of his schedule, Reaves continually works to find ways to improve emergency services. Moreover, he wants to help other departments do the same.
“When I think of Jeff, I think of a calm, collected individual with a servants heart,” shared lifelong friend and former co-worker, Renee Flesher. “Whether it’s fighting fires, first responding, dispatching or dealing with individuals that others choose not to deal with, he does it with grace and purpose.”
Reaves’ former Fire Chief James McCutcheon agrees. “Jeffrey has been on the department for ten years, give or take a year, including his time as a junior firefighter. He has always played an active role in the department and has served in several positions, such as emergency medical responder, equipment manager, and trainer. All of these in addition to firefighting, and has excelled beyond expectations as Assistant Chief. Jeffrey is one of the most dependable people I know and shows it in his service to the Hackett Community as well as the County. Even on his days off he is always doing something to help with the department and community. He is one of a few individuals that are in my circle that I trust my life with. Jeffrey serves and conducts himself with great integrity, making sure everyone around him knows where he stands. Always doing the right thing even when doing the right thing is the hard thing to do. He loves his family, his friends and his community and he shows it with his actions. I’m very proud of Jeffrey and what he has accomplished in the time I’ve known him and just as proud to call him a friend.”
This selfless son, brother, father and friend has certainly earned a place in the Hometown Highlight! We congratulate him on being nominated for this honor.
If you know of an ordinary citizen doing extraordinary things, we want to feature them!
Update: Since the publication time of this article, Valley Springs has defeated Rose Bud in the second semifinal game to advance to Saturday’s championship game versus Mountain View. Charleston will play Rose Bud Saturday at 12 p.m. in the third place game and for a #3 seed in the state tournament.
The Mountain View Lady Jackets did something on Friday that no Charleston opponent has been able to do since December; that is to defeat the Lady Tigers. The Lady Jackets defeated Charleston in dominant fashion by defeating the Lady Tigers 44-24 in the Class 3A-1 regional tournament semifinal. Mountain View advances to the regional championship game and will face the winner of the second semifinal game between Valley Springs and Rose Bud. Charleston will play in the third place game on Saturday at 12 noon versus the loser of the Valley Springs / Rose Bud semifinal game.
The winner of the regional championship game will advance to the state tournament next week as a #1 seed in the tournament. The loser will go as a #2 seed. The winner of the third place game on Saturday will go to the state tournament as a #3 seed, and the loser will go as a #4 seed.
Mountain View entered today’s game ranked number one in Class 3A by Max Preps. The Lady Jackets looked like the top team as they completely took apart Charleston’s ability to score. The Lady Tigers were unable to penetrate the middle that was heavily guarded by the big Mountain View low post players. Combined with a very poor shooting night for Charleston, both from the field and from the free throw line, and the result was a lopsided Mountain View victory.
In many respects, it was just a bad day for the Lady Tigers. Playing against the top team in the state, it was a bad day to have a bad day. Charleston uncharacteristically could not hit shots and could not contain the Lady Jackets on the offensive end of the floor with their normally devastating and swarming defense.
If Charleston was due for a bad day, today was the time to get it out of the way. From this point forward, each game becomes a must-win for the Lady Tigers. No one wants to have a poor shooting day like today in the state tournament. Every opponent in the tournament is good, and there is simply no room for a poor shooting performance.
It will be interesting to see how this team bounces back tomorrow against another quality opponent. The third place game is very important with respect to Charleston’s seeding in the tournament next week. It seems like forever since the Lady Tigers have played at home. In fact, Charleston has played a little more than two weeks in Waldron having ended the regular season there and playing in the district and regional tournaments there. I expect to see this outstanding group of Charleston seniors bounce back strong tomorrow, earn the third seed, and then return home to play on their home court and in front of their home fans. All of this could be huge for Charleston, but the Lady Tigers have to quickly forget today and focus on a very important game in less than 24 hours. The seasoning and experience of this team should help this team handle the challenge, and I expect Charleston to quickly put today’s game behind them tomorrow afternoon.
Resident Press will have more coverage on Sunday with the results of Saturday’s game and the final results of the regional tournament. RP will publish the qualifying teams from the other Class 3A regionals that have been played this week and that will be traveling to Charleston next week for the state tournament.
And, of course, Resident Press will bring all of the Class 3A championship action to you, all the way to the crowning of a new state champion in Hot Springs. Stay with Resident Press for the best coverage of Charleston basketball.
Talk about a whirlwind of a season for the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs. From breaking records to earning championships, the Bulldogs have spent the 2019-2020 basketball season doing it all. Waldron will be closing shop on their season after their February 27 Regional match-up against the Clinton Yellowjackets in which the Bulldogs took a 70-60 loss. Payton Brown led the team with 26 points followed by Jacob Avila and Gada Wagner with 16 points apiece, Braden Williams with two, and Mason Ford finished with five defensive rebounds.
The Bulldogs finish the year with a 24-7 total play record, 12-2 in conference, and racked up a grand total of 2079 points. Coach Joshua Brown gives us his last Bulldogs report of the year. “We had a great season and our players, coaches, and community have a lot to be proud of. We set a school record for wins in a season with 23 in the 2018-19 season and then exceeded that this year with 24 wins. Payton Brown broke the school record this year for points in a game with 60 in December. I’m sure that he also broke the record for points in a season and career.”
“I really like this group of guys and we are going to miss our seniors.” Saying goodbye will be Mason Ford, Jacob Avila, Payton Brown, Ruben Valdez, and Kennedy Rice. “They played their hearts out night in and night out. We were the one seed in the conference tournament and won a conference championship for the first time in school history (I think) as I have not seen any plaques or banners to suggest otherwise for Sr Boys. We will return eight juniors, two sophomores and will move up several 9th graders for next year’s team.Thank you to the Bulldog Nation for making the WAC a special place to play for our kids!”
Think it won’t hurt if you set out the primary race, and wait until November’s General Election to vote? Think again! The Tuesday, March 3 election will determine many vital races.
Non-partisan judicial races are crucial. For example, one judge has the ability to rule on issues from legislators across the state. The importance of picking the right candidate for judge is critical in ensuring that current and future legislation is upheld or struck, depending on the constitutionality of the law.
The preferential primary will determine who takes the bench. Candidates include: State Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 4 Barbara Womack Webb Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch Court of Appeals Associate Judge District 04, Position 02 Emily White Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett
Two state representative races will also be determined in the primary: State Representative District 21 (I) Representative Marcus Richmond Jim Reynolds State Representative District 74 (I) Representative Jon S. Eubanks Curtis J. Varnell Shawn Bates
Scott County Election Commissioner Steve Holland stated, “with only two more days of early voting left I decided to check with the Scott County Clerk’s Office this morning to get an idea as to what kind of voter participation they were seeing. As of noon today (Friday) 253 voters had cast early ballots. That compares to roughly 1,000 early votes that had been cast prior to the 2018 General Election. The obvious conclusion to be drawn here is that most voters do not seem to view Preferential Primary Elections as important as the General Election.” Holland went on to add that “whether it stems from a lack of understanding of the purpose and process of primary elections or simply a disinterest in candidates or issues viewed as unimportant to them personally, a very large percentage of voters do not participate in the Preferential Primary. To ignore the primary is not only a disservice to the candidates whom have devoted a great deal of time (and in many cases personal finances) but in essence that voter is forfeiting his or her right to have a say in who will be placed on the ballot in the General Election in November. Non-partisan judicial races are a good example of contests that typically generate very little interest on the local level yet can ultimately have a far reaching impact on controversial legal issues.”
The candidates have done their part, now it is up to you, the voter, to do yours. You still have the rest of today, tomorrow, and Monday to vote early. Tuesday is election day, and the last day to cast your ballot.
Early voting in Sebastian County continues Saturday, February 29 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. until Monday, March 2 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Locations for early voting:
Sebastian County Courthouse
Room G8
35 South 6th Street
Fort Smith, AR
Greenwood City Hall
Council Room
30 Bell Road
Greenwood, AR
Elm Grove Community Center
1901 N. Greenwood Avenue
Fort Smith, AR
Rye Hill Baptist Church
11512 Old Hwy 71
Fort Smith, AR
Creekmore Community Center
3301 S. “M” Street
Fort Smith, AR
Ben Geren Park Tornado Shelter
7200 Zero Street
Fort Smith, AR
Early voting in Scott County continues Saturday, February 29 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. until Monday, March 2 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Locations for early voting: Scott County Courthouse in the County and Circuit Clerk’s Office, 190 West First Street, Waldron Arkansas.
Tuesday, March 3 is election day. All eligible voters in Sebastian County will be able to cast their vote at any Vote Center listed below. Voting Centers will be open from 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on election day
Location
Address
Grand Avenue Baptist Church
3900 Grand Ave., FSM
American Legion
4901 Midland Blvd, FSM
St. Luke Lutheran Church
5401 Free Ferry Rd, FSM
Elm Grove Community Center,
1901 N. Greenwood Ave, FSM
Creekmore Park Rec Bldg
3301 South “M” St., FSM
St. Bartholomew Episcopal
2701 Old Greenwood Rd., FSM
St. John Episcopal Church
215 North 6th St., FSM
Nelson-Hall Beckman Center
2100 North 31st St., FSM
Windsor Library
4701 Windsor Dr., FSM
Ramsey JH Tornado Shelter
3201 Jenny Lind Rd., FSM
Orr Elem School Tornado Shelter
3609 Phoenix Ave., FSM
Southside Senior Center
2700 Cavanaugh Rd., FSM
Forefront Church
(formerly Fianna Baptist)
10300 Jenny Lind, FSM
East Side Baptist Church
2710 Massard Rd., FSM
Cliff Terrace Assembly of God
3301 S. 66th St., FSM
Ben Geren Park Tornado Shelter
7200 Zero St., FSM
Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church
1301 Frank St, Barling,
Rye Hill Baptist
11512 Old Hwy 71 South, FSM
Grace Lutheran Church
Highway 71 South, Greenwood
Union Baptist Church
8300 N. Hwy 252, Lavaca
Lavaca First Baptist Church
100 W Main St, Lavaca
Cornerstone Freewill Baptist
29201 AR-22, Charleston
Greenwood City Hall
30 Bell Road Greenwood
Hackett Fire Dept.
205 Hwy 10 SW, Hackett
Huntington City Hall
223 E. Broadway, Huntington
Hartford Fire Center
201 S. Broadway, Hartford
Midland City Hall
204 N. 3rd St., Midland
Bonanza Assembly of God
701 McConnell St., Bonanza
First Southern Baptist Central City
12 W. Central Ave., Central City
Witcherville Community Bldg
18 Buckner Way, Huntington
Milltown-Washburn Fire Dept
6573 E. Hwy 252, Greenwood
Mansfield City Hall
200 N. Sebascott St., Mansfield
The following polling places have been set up throughout Scott County. The polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Listed are the voting precincts with the corresponding polling sites: Blackfork: Blackfork Fire Station. Blansett: Shiloh Baptist Church Brawley: Lake Hinkle Fire Dept Cauthron/Oliver: Bates Baptist Church Cedar Creek: Cedar Creek Community Center Coal/Lafayette: Bates Baptist Church Denton: Winfield Church Hickman Ward I and Hickman Rural West: Living Word Church Hickman Ward II and Hickman Rural East: First United Methodist Church Hickman Ward III: First Baptist Church Hon: Hon Baptist Church Hunt: Tatetown Pentecostal Church of God James: Mt. Moriah Church Jones/Little Texas: Harvey Nola Fire Dept. Keener: Keener Freewill Baptist Church Lamb: Friendship Pentecostal Church Lafave: Harvey Assembly of God Church Lewis 1: Abbott Generation Building Lewis 2: Mansfield City Hall Mill Creek: Solid Rock Pentecostal Church of God Mountain: Boles Community Building Mt. Pleasant: Mt. Pleasant Community Bldg. Parks: Parks Methodist Church Tomlinson/Tate: Packsaddle Church
The Bergman Panthers defeated the Charleston Tigers Thursday afternoon in the boys side of the Class 3A-1 regional tournament by a score of 62-52. The game featured the second-seeded Panthers and the third-seeded Tigers. Bergman will now move on to play #1 seed Elkins who defeated #4 seed Mountain View 59-31. Elkins will play Bergman today at 5:30 p.m.
In other boys action on Thursday, the #3 seed Clinton Yellowjackets pulled the mild upset over the #2 seed Waldron Bulldogs by the score of 70-60. Clinton will now move on to play #1 Valley Springs tonight at 8:30 p.m. Elkins is the only remaining team of the Class 3A-1 conference’s tri-champions who is still alive to compete for a regional championship and the state tournament next week.
Charleston fought hard for the entire game, but struggled to get shots to go down, and seemingly had no answer for the Panthers quick transition game that frequently resulted in easy points at close range to the basket. Bergman has tall, athletic player that run the court well, and as a team, the Panthers play hard-nosed, pressure defense, contesting every pass and shot. By the end of the first half, Charleston found itself down 29-15.
But the Tigers came out of the halftime locker room determined to get back into the game. As the intensity went to an even higher level in the third quarter, Charleston began to claw their way back into the game. A few more shots began to fall, and it was the Tiger who were now getting the best of Bergman on the defensive end of the court. By the end of the third quarter, Charleston had reduced the lead to nine points and was riding momentum going into the fourth quarter.
But during the time out between quarters, a bench technical foul was assessed against Charleston. Both coaches had been unhappy with the officiating up to that point. Bergman was awarded two technical free throws. Bergman hit one of two attempts, and the lead was back to double-digits to start the fourth quarter.
Charleston continued to fight and was able to reduce the lead a few more times to single digits, but in the end, time ran out, and the Tigers could never quite get over the hump to complete the comeback. The result was a ten-point regional loss that ended the state tournament hopes of the Tigers, and ended the high school playing careers of the Charleston seniors.
Charleston was a team of over-achievers all season, and they were a lot of fun to watch. Very few people picked Charleston to win a share of the conference title and to be in contention this far into regional tournament play. The seniors on this team are hurting now, but they will soon look back and take pride in a conference championship and leading their team to a bright future. As a reporter that covered this team all season, I want to congratulate not only the seniors, but the entire team and coaching staff for a great season. And now, the focus will be on the Lady Tigers as they continue play in the regional and into next week’s state tournament.
The Lady Tigers will play today at 4 p.m. in the second round of the regional tournament. Charleston, one of the tournament’s #1 seeds, will play #2 seed Mountain View. The winner of this game will advance to the regional final on Saturday at 6 p.m. If the Lady Tigers were to lose today, they would play in the consolation game to determine the #3 seed in next week’s state tournament. The consolation game will be played on Saturday at 12 p.m. So, Charleston fans, the Lady Tigers will play today and tomorrow, and the stakes are high with respect to seeding in next week’s state tournament. The Lady Tigers need their fans to show up big today as Charleston will be playing the top teams in the state the next two days.
Mountain View is ranked number one in Arkansas in Class 3A by Max Preps. The Yellowjackets regular season record was 23-4 overall and 11-1 in conference play. Their only conference loss of the year was to Valley Springs on February 22 in their district tournament. Valley Springs defeated Mountain View 60-31.
In today’s other girls semifinal game, #1 seed Valley Springs will play #3 seed Rose Bud at 7 p.m.
The regional tournament is now down to teams that will be playing in next week’s state tournament field. A victory today and tomorrow can position a team well with a favorable path to Hot Springs. If you are a fan of high school basketball, you will not want to miss the quality teams that will be playing today and tomorrow in Waldron.
Congratulations to all of the tournament teams, and congratulations to coach B.J. Ross and the Charleston Tigers boys for a great season!
For the first time since 2010, the Hackett Sr High Hornets will be making an appearance in the State Basketball Tournament. “To be able to make the state tournament my first year here is such a blessing but more importantly I’m so happy for my guys,” expressed first-year Hackett coach, Kent Elmore. “They bought into a new system and have given me a lot of joy this season. A decade is too long to stay away from the big dance and we plan to make the state tournament a standard for Hackett basketball.”
The Hornets have come a long way in their basketball season facing many ups and downs but now the cards are starting to fall beautifully into place. Hackett got a big win in their Regional match-up with Yellville Thursday night by pulling away from the Panthers at the end for a final score of 48-42. Helping to punch their ticket to State was Cash Oliver with 16 points followed by Dylan Kats with 12, Zach Gragg with 11, Jake Fisher with four, Austin Cowell with three, and Tyler Satterfield with two.
“The game prep we were able to have after last week was a huge help for us. We were able to break down a lot of game film and have a plan put in place for us to be successful. Coach Adams did a great job helping me find weaknesses in their game. Our guys don’t want the season to end and that’s a great attitude to have this part of the season. When I walked in the locker room after the win my senior captain, Dylan Kats, wasn’t satisfied. That’s the attitude I love to see. We struggled early last night and late in the game we had seniors step up on both sides of the floor. Cash Oliver gave us a huge spark. He was a pest on the defensive end and was able to boost us offensively. I have three sophomores on the floor a majority of the time and no one would ever be able to tell. They have stepped up in their roles and play very maturely.”
The Hornets will continue Regional play in the semi-finals at Eureka Springs tonight, February 28 at 8:30 p.m. against rivals the Lavaca Arrows. “I have always liked our match-ups against Lavaca. We have given them two great games and I fully intend the third game being in our favor. We have to stay composed and limit their second chance opportunities. The offense will come to us throughout the game. We have to win this game on the defensive side of the ball.” The winner of tonight’s game will go on to face either Flippin or Hector in the championship round on Saturday at 7:30. The loser will rally for a third-place victory on Saturday at 1:30.
The office of Daniel Shue, the Sebastian County Prosecutor, issued a statement on Thursday afternoon following the death investigation of Roger Dale Robinson.
On November 26, 2019, Robinson, an inmate at the Sebastian County Detention Center, began having breathing issues and notified jailers by beating on his cell door. At approximately 2 a.m., Sebastian County Detention Center deputies responded and attempted medical intervention.
Robinson was transported to Baptist Health Hospital and at approximately 3 a.m., was pronounced dead.
“I have personally reviewed the entire Arkansas State Police investigation file, which includes interviews with the Detention Center staff, Sebastian County Sheriff deputies, inmates within the Sebastian County Detention Center, and the autopsy report before making this decision,” stated Shue. “It is the opinion of this office that no criminal charges can be filed against any person with regard to this death.
Robinson had been incarcerated at the SCDC since November 6, 2019, on charges of domestic battery in the third degree. While in the jail, Robinson had been receiving medical treatment.
The autopsy performed on December 1, 2019, ruled Robinson’s cause of death was “hemopericardium due to Acute Aortic Dissection due to Hypertensive Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease” with a contributory cause of “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” Robinson’s death was ruled as natural. “In layman’s terms, this is an accumulation of blood in the pericardial sac, which leads to reduced cardiac output. In turn, this was caused by a rupture of the aorta resulting in a sudden, unexpected death. Lastly, contributing to the death was Mr. Robinson’s high blood pressure and the plaque build-up in his arteries. Considering the totality of the circumstances and the applicable law, no criminal offense has been committed,” concluded Shue.
The Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers have ended their 2019-2020 basketball season with a 6-18 total play record which was a “two win improvement from last year”, 2-12 in conference play, and a first-round bid in the Sr District Tournament. Coach Joshua Bryan gives us the rundown of the season. “Even though we didn’t increase in the win column as we wanted, we showed improvement in many areas this season. During the 2019-2020 season, we missed three wins by less than five points including a double-overtime loss at Cedarville. From where we were a year ago, that’s a nice leap forward from last season.”
#33 Amber Elmore
Proving that the Lady Tigers have grown in their outside scoring ability, the girls went from 41 made three-pointers in 2018 to 85 one season later. “We had four different Lady Tigers score over 100 points this season, and two of them had over 200. Another improvement was only having two girls score 100 points last season and one over 200. We scored just 45 points shy of 1000 points for the season, after only scoring 627 points last season.”
Danielle Lillie
Another area of improvement for the Lady Tigers was their ability to steal the ball. “We had a total of 240 steals for the season which was an increase of 91 from last year. Our greatest growth was something we stressed a lot during the season; rebounds. We rebounded much better this year, increasing our rebounding total for the season by 208 total rebounds from 2018. These areas of increase in a single season speak volumes about the hard work our Lady Tigers put in since last year. We will continue to grow and get better for the 2020-2021 season.”
Brooke Wright
Some stand out performances this season from the Sr Lady Tigers were: Brooke Wright who set the single-game record for blocked shots with seven in their game against Hackett. She ended the season with 33 blocked shots. Makayla Strutton ended with 233 points and 120 rebounds. Danielle Lillie tied the single-game record for steals in a game with nine against Hackett. She ended the season with 50 total steals and 243 points including 40 made three-pointers. Chloe Creekmore ended with 107 points and 106 rebounds. And Sadie Roberts ended with 71 deflections, 54 steals, and 145 points.
Makayla Strutton
The Lady Tigers will be moving to a new conference and division next season as they join the 2A with the following conference opponents: Lavaca, Acorn, Mountainburg, JC Westside, Magazine, and The Future School of Fort Smith. “We will be getting back to the grind with summer basketball as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Lady Tigers this season!”
Behind a dominant third quarter explosion, the Charleston Lady Tiger defeated the Bergman Lady Panthers in the first round of the girls 3A-1 regional tournament held at Waldron High School. The Lady Tigers defeated Bergman 44-32, and in doing so, earned a birth in the Class 3A state tournament that will be held on their home floor next week. After leading 16-15 at the half, Charleston went on an 18-4 run in the third quarter to break the game open.
The game featured great defense by both teams. As has been the trend over the past few weeks, Charleston again started the game cold from the field, having difficulty getting shots to go down. At some points, it appeared that the Lady Tigers forced the ball inside when the opportunity was not there, and put itself in foul trouble with charging violations. The officials appeared to call the game close on the perimeter as the Lady Tigers guards were called for contact fouls as they played aggressively against the Bergman guards.
But has also been the case all season, the Lady Tigers have made great adjustments at the half and have gone on to shut down opposing teams’ offenses and go on big scoring runs in the third quarter to put their opponents away. Such was the case on Wednesday. Charleston outscored the Lady Panthers 18-4 to increase their lead to 34-19 by the end of the third quarter. The run forced Bergman to play extremely agressively on defense, taking chances to get themselves back into the game. Bergman had to foul to stop the clock, and Charleston took advantage by hitting their free throws. Bergman struggled from the field and seemingly could not get shots to go down, and the result was a 44-32 win for Charleston and a date on Friday with Valley Springs. Valley Springs defeated Waldron 73-31 in their first round game.
Valley Springs, the tournament’s other number one seed, is currently ranked #23 in Arkansas across all classifications, and #3 in the state in Class 3A. Friday’s game will feature #3 ranked Valley Springs versus #4 ranked Charleston. Both teams will play in the state tournament next week in Charleston, and both teams want to win this game to have the higher seed in next week’s state tournament. The outcome of this game could have a profound effect on the pathway to the state semifinal and a shot at playing in Hot Springs in the final.
For an updated regional tournament bracket, click here to be redirected to Max Preps to view or download a copy.
The Charleston boys open regional tournament play today at 5:30 p.m., also against Bergman. The Tigers are a #3 seed in the tournament, and the Panthers are a #2 seed. The winner of this game will play Elkins on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Elkins defeated Mountain View by the score of 59-31 on Wednesday. On the opposite side of the bracket, #1 seed Valley Springs defeated Greenland 69-48 and will await the winner of the #2 seed Waldron Bulldogs and Clinton. Waldron and Clinton play tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Charleston must win today against Bergman to secure a spot in the state tournament next week. A win today will set up an interesting match-up against Elkins who Charleston defeated early in the season, but has lost its last three to the Elks.
Click here to be redirected to Max Preps to view or download an updated copy of the boys Class 3A-1 regional bracket.
The Charleston boys and girls teams have had great seasons, and now they are playing for state championships. Both teams need Charleston fans to show up in big numbers in Waldron to cheer their team to victory. Both teams are capable of winning and going on to great heights next week. Bergman, over three hours away, brought a large contingent of fans to their game yesterday, and their boys team, a #2 seed in the tournament, is expected by their fans to do well in the regionals. I expect Bergman to again have another large crowd, and Charleston needs the same from its fan base.
Wow, if you weren’t there then you just missed out! Our growing political forum, Meet the Candidates, was an amazing success. In fact, we have already been asked about the next one!
This year’s forum was different from the one we hosted last year. We had a town hall style forum, co-hosted by the Arkansas Liberty Coalition.
It was so exciting to see members of the community come out and ask the hard hitting questions. One of the candidates for circuit judge stated, “…the evening was great. Tough group, yet informed and passionate. Honestly, that is the only way our system of government can succeed. Keep up the good work!”
The discussions were passionate and real. It was a great opportunity for community members to ask about issues important to them, and they did. Schools, taxes, Second Amendment, and the Constitution all dominated the afternoon meeting, which went well beyond its two hour allotment.
I want to thank the ALC again for their assistance, particularly Don Cloud Davis, who did a tremendous job moderating.
Also, I appreciate the candidates who took a few hours out of their busy schedules to attend our forum.
Attending candidates: Judge Emily White, candidate for Arkansas Court of Appeals; District 74 State Representative (I) Jon Eubanks, District 74 Representative candidates Curtis Varnell, and Shawn Bates; Scott County JP candidate Dee Parker; District 21 State Representative Marcus Richmond (I), District 21 State Representative candidate Jim Reynolds; Circuit Judge Division VI candidates Phil Milligan, Rita Howard Watkins, and Greg Magness; Circuit Judge Division VII candidate Dianna Ladd.
Candidates who either declined or did not respond to our invitation: Candidate for Arkansas Court of Appeals, Stephanie Potter Barrett; Scott County JP incumbent Bill Bates; Circuit Judge Division VII candidate Judge Sam Terry; Supreme Court Associate Justice, Position 4 candidate Barbara Womack Webb, and Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch.
Lastly, to the members of our community, thank you for showing up, for making your voice heard and for making a difference!
As most of you know, Resident Press does NOT endorse candidates. It is not our job to tell you who we think you should vote for. Our job is simply to provide a means for voters to educate themselves on the candidates and issues.
We will be providing election coverage on Tuesday, March 3, online, and also in next week’s newspaper!
