Resident News Network

Lady Eagles Defeat Perryville 56-44 to Earn First Round Bye in District Tournament

Sports

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5:14 pm

Lady Eagles Defeat Perryville 56-44 to Earn First Round Bye in District Tournament

It is the time of the year when the regular season comes to an end, and teams are looking to enter post-season play with momentum from a strong finish to the season. This past week, the Paris Lady Eagles have won their last two conference games, including a win last night over Perryville, to enter next week’s district tournament on a two-game win streak. The Lady Eagles finished the season in fourth place in the conference and will enter the district tournament as a four seed. By finishing fourth, Paris avoids playing on Monday night and will get an extra day of rest before tournament play begins for the Lady Eagles on Tuesday in Lamar. The Lady Eagles defeated Perryville 56-44, avenging a previous 26-point loss to the Lady Mustangs on December 13.

Lady Eagles coach Dustin Williams said after the game, “It was back and forth for the first three quarters, but our team was able to break away in the fourth, outscoring Perryville 19-6. I thought our defensive intensity, toughness on the boards and the ability to match up late in the game really helped. We spent a lot of time the past two days going over their sets and our girls were able to call them out and shift while it was happening. Our transition game was there and that really helped put it away. I think we are getting hot at the right time heading into Tuesday (first district tournament game).

For Paris, Jadyn Hart was the leading scorer with 18 points. Harley Watts had 17 points for Paris, and Brailey Forst added 7 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Eagles was Jayden Wells with 5 points and Karsyn Tencleve with one point.

After Friday night’s games, the final girls conference standings are:

Lamar 14-0

Perryville 9-5

Jessieville 9-5

Paris 7-7

Atkins 6-8

Two Rivers 5-9

Booneville 4-10

Fountain Lake 2-12

In conference play this year, it was Lamar and the rest of the league. The Lady Warriors finished a perfect, undefeated conference season. A tie for second between Perryville and Jessieville was a distant five games behind first place Lamar. In fact, at 7-7, one can look back to a one point, upset loss at home to Booneville who had previously won just two conference games, and a road loss late in the season at Jessieville when the Lady Eagles were tagged with deep foul trouble to the extent that they finished the last five minutes of the game with just four players on the court. Even under such extreme circumstances, the Lady Eagles narrowly lost to Jessieville. So, in the could of, would of category, if the Lady Eagles had those two games back, the Paris team that started the season with very little varsity basketball experience would have finished this year in a tie for second place in the conference. Overall, the Lady Eagles tooks some early season losses as the team searched for the right chemistry and gained varsity experience with every game. I know Coach Williams would love to have some of those games back now that his team has improved so much since the start of the season in November. Much is owed to senior Paiton Forbis who brought her volleyball championship experience and work ethic to the team and locker room this year. The Lady Eagles were a very young team this year, and Forbis’s contributions cannot be overlooked. She is an outstanding person and athlete, and the Lady Eagles were fortunate to have her play this year.

The Lady Eagles are a team that has performed well, and coach Dustin Williams and his staff deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the team’s performance this season that was far and beyond what several people silently expected for this team. In fact, if you have followed my column this year, I have made the case for Dustin Williams to be considered for Coach of the Year honors in the conference. Unfortunately, conferences tend to automatically give the honor to the coach of a team that wins the conference. I have never agreed with this, as it does not leave room for a coach of a team to be considered when he or she has led a team with low expectations from coaches and sports writers to finish high in the conference standings. There is no room for “Cinderella” who crashes the party with a team that is not expected to do well. But, for whatever it is worth, Dustin Williams is my coach of the year, and I think there are many Paris fans who share my opinion.

Paris has a legitimate chance to win games in the district tournament and advance to the regional tournament. Quite a feat for this team. And now Paris is playing with an expanded roster that will give the Lady Eagles much-needed depth as they enter the tournament to keep themselves out of a potential Jessieville situation when foul trouble became a major factor in the Lady Eagles’ chance to win the game.

The Lady Eagles will play Tuesday afternoon in the second round of the district tournament at 4 p.m. at Lamar High School. Paris will play the winner of the play-in game between the #8 seed Fountain Lake Lady Cobras and the #5 seed Atkins Lady Red Devils. Paris had success against both teams during the regular season. The first game in the tournament is always the toughest as players have to adjust to the pressure of a “one and done” tournament where every game can be your last. No player wants to experience the suddenness of losing that last game, and cleaning out your locker for the last time this season. And certainly, once the tournament starts, anything can happen. But Paris has fought hard all year, and has faced adversity all season. They are battle-tested. and regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, the one thing that is assured is this team will play their hearts out for the entire game.

For the Eagles, the 2019-20 season has been an uphill struggle all year. Like their Lady Eagles counterparts, the boys senior team entered this season as an inexperienced team in varsity basketball. It was also a rebuilding year for the Eagles, and each week, the team played hard and with a determination to win. And each week, the Eagles’ effort would often find themselves in games late, but seem to struggle to find enough offense to close-out close games late with a win. Seniors Nick Bazyck and Luke Trusty provided senior leadership for the team that was instrumental in the team being in games each night. But in the end, in a conference that was loaded with good guard play and experienced rosters, the Eagles found themselves on the short end of games in conference play. No player or person connected to the program wants to hear the word “rebuilding”, especially seniors. But the Eagles young varsity team gained valuable playing experience this season, and now, with the expanded roster including freshman from a junior high team that were runner-ups in the junior high district tournament, the Eagles have more depth, and will give the younger players a chance to get valuable court experience before they are counted on next season.

The expanded rosters on both teams may play a factor in next week’s district tournament. Of course, Paris is not the only school that will move freshman up to their varsity teams now that junior high season is over. And it is a very difficult thing for an upperclassman to see his or her position filled by a freshman. It is a call that coaches make, and each coach will do so using their own logic and justification. But one thing is for sure, all coaches will do whatever they believe will give their teams the best chance to win, and, ultimately, whatever is in the best interest of the players involved. It can be an emotional issue, and I certainly do not envy any coach who makes such a decision.

The Eagles will play on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. in Lamar in the first round of the district tournament. Paris finished the season in seventh place in the conference. So, the Eagles and their fans will have the last game of the night on Monday as Paris will have to win the play-in game to advance to the second round on Tuesday. As of the publication time of this story, the Monday night opponent has not been confirmed, but it is believed that the opponent may be Booneville. When the opponent is confirmed, Resident Press will publish an update for our readers.

The final boys standings in the regular conference season are:

Fountain Lake 12-2

Lamar 10-4

Atkins 8-6

Perryville 8-6

Jessieville 8-6

Booneville 7-7

Paris 3-11

Two Rivers 0-14

It has been an exciting season of Paris basketball as fans watched the development of two young teams throughout the year. Many of the players for both the Eagles and Lady Eagles were either playing just their first or second years of varsity basketball. Much is owed to the seniors on both teams for their leadership and contributions to the rebuilding of the programs and the future of Paris basketball. They deserve the Paris fan base to make the trips to Lamar to support them in the district tournament.

With the players on both teams, there is no telling what may happen in Lamar. They will play hard, and with a few breaks…who knows? Anything can happen in the post-season!

Jr Bulldogs Sweep West Fork For Championship Bid

Sports

Megan Hecox

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10:02 am

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Jr Bulldogs Sweep West Fork For Championship Bid

In the semi-final round of the Jr High District Tournament, the #2 seeded Waldron Jr Bulldogs faced-off with the #3 seeded West Fork Tigers in an all-out in yo face back and forth hardwood battle. The Bulldogs managed to pull ahead with a 31-17 win upgrading the Jr Dogs to a total season record of 23-4. Lidge Stinson rolled in 16 points with six of those coming from two over the top three-pointers along with five rebounds and five steals.

Trenton Hunt brought in 11 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Petey Justice and Trevor Hunt earned two points each. Kason Davis netted three rebounds. And Chris Lopez scored two rebounds and one steal. “A championship has been our goal all year and these dudes are one step closer to that goal,” stated coach, Josh Atchley. “I’m proud of the drive to add value from every player, parent, and supporter this year. Make plans to catch the game in Lincoln on Saturday!”

The Jr Bulldogs will take on the #5 seeded Elkins Elks in the championship round of Districts on Saturday, February 15 in Lincoln at 6:15 p.m.

Greenwood Bulldog Football Coach Rick Jones Leaving High School Football

Tammy Teague

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3:41 pm

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Greenwood Bulldog Football Coach Rick Jones Leaving High School Football

After 16 years of being the top dog for the Greenwood Bulldogs, Head Coach Rick Jones has announced that he is leaving high school football. Coach Jones led the Greenwood Bulldogs to unprecedented success since taking over the program in 2004. He has amassed an incredible 186-26 record in his time in Greenwood, including leading the team to 14 state semifinals births and 8 state championships in his 16 seasons at the helm.

Jones also garnered numerous individual coaching awards and honors during his time as a high school coach, both in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The most recent recognition was the 2018 Power of Influence Award given by the AFCA and AFCF.

Greenwood Athletic Director Dr. Dustin Smith stated that “Rick has long been the standard in the state among football coaches. I can never put into words the impact he has made in so many lives, including my own. Rick has been an incredible ambassador for the Greenwood Bulldogs and it will be impossible to totally measure his successes. He has been a friend, a mentor, a coach, and a voice of reason to so many. He will certainly be missed in Greenwood, but I am excited to follow this next chapter of his life.”

Mr. John Ciesla, Superintendent of Greenwood Schools added, “On behalf of the Greenwood School District, we are incredibly proud of the contributions that Rick and Mona have made to our football program, our school, and our community. We are excited for Coach Jones and his family and know he will make an immediate impact in his new position.

Jr Lady Hornets Flying To District Finals

Sports

Megan Hecox

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3:40 pm

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Jr Lady Hornets Flying To District Finals

In the semi-final round of the Jr High Districts, the #3 seeded Hackett Jr High Lady Hornets sped ahead of the #2 seeded Lavaca Lady Golden Arrows to take the 25-20 victory. This win upgrades Hackett to a 17-5 season record. “We were down 20-9 in the 4th and with pure determination, we came back,” expressed coach Broc Adams. “The girls played as hard as we have all year! I told them when we got to the 4th to just go out, work hard together, and leave it all on the floor! They never gave up and I am very proud of how well they stuck together. Proud would be an understatement!”

Alex Bunch led the Lady Hornets with 16 points followed by Teonna Best with six, Kyleigh Hill with two which came from two free-throws with only 16 seconds left in the game, and Lilly Slavens with one. “True proof that when you stick together and never quite, good things will happen!” Next, the Lady Hornets will be facing the Hector Lady Wildcats in the championship round of District on Saturday, February, 15 at 2 p.m.

Paris Suffers Heart-breaking OT Loss to Perryville in Jr. High District Tournament Championship Game

Resident News Network

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1:25 pm

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Paris Suffers Heart-breaking OT Loss to Perryville in Jr. High District Tournament Championship Game

As Elvis Presley used to sing, it was heart break hotel Thursday night for the Paris Jr. Eagles. After a gallant effort in the junior high district tournament, the Eagles fell to Perryville 47-43 in overtime of the tournament championship game. Paris, the tournament’s number four seed, and after having upset the tournament’s top seeded Fountain Lake Cobras on Monday night, was bidding to win the tournament over the home-standing and second seed Perryville Mustangs.

Paris led for most of the game. After jumping out to a 11-1 lead in the first quarter, the Eagles saw their lead evaporate to a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter. The game went back in forth with the Eagles hitting clutch shots against the pressure of the Perryville defense.

As the game progressed in the second half, the Eagles maintained a small lead, but were never able to put away the inspired Mustangs who were playing in front of a near-capacity home crowd. With 3:52 remaining in regulation time, the Eagles had a five point lead and were looking to close out the tournament championship. But then, the turnover bug struck, and Perryville battled back to tie the game and send it into overtime.

The Eagles started the overtime period strong, and with 1:57 remaining in overtime, Paris had a two point lead. At the 1:22 mark, Sam Muldrow hits a crucial shot, and the Paris bench erupted with the Eagles leading 43-39.

But Perryville moved down the court quickly and hit a three point shot at 1:22 remaining in overtime to pull the Mustangs within one point, 43-42.

With 32 seconds remaining in the game, Perryville took the lead, 44-43. And then, a few moments in the overtime that were not clear, as a technical foul was assessed against Paris, sending Perryville to the line with 17 seconds remaining in the overtime period. As the Perryville shooter prepared to go to the line, the Paris coaching staff argued with the officials over the foul and the assessed technical.

Perryville missed the first free throw and then hit the next two, and the result was a two point Perryville lead, 45-43 with 17 seconds remaining in overtime.

In the next possession, Paris’s Sam Muldrow was fouled, sending him to the line with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Muldrow missed the first free throw, and then hit the second. The Perryville lead was one point with 9.2 seconds remaining. Perryville then added a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three with 9.2 seconds remaining. Paris hurried down court, only to turn the ball over. The Eagles were able to get a last possession with 2.6 seconds remaining. Jesse Wells drove down the court and launched a three point attempt that just missed, bouncing off the back of the rim. The game was over, and Perryville had won the junior high district basketball tournament championship.

Basketball can be a cruel game at times. Players who have great games can find themselves isolated at a crucial moment in the game. Sam Muldrow found himself in that position has he had the opportunity to make two free throws to tie the game. Muldrow missed the first free throw. I make this point to say that Sam Muldrow played a great game, and basketball, like any other team sport, is not won or lost by one player. Sam played a great game, and the team missed multiple opportunities to win the game, despite the great effort of Sam and the entire team. All of the Eagles have much to be proud of. They upset the number one seed in the tournament, and few people thought they would be in the final with a shot to win. The entire community can be proud of everyone on this team and their performance on Thursday night. The represented themselves, their school, and their community with pride. Although it was a dejected team that accepted the tournament runner-up trophy, they can all hold their heads high for what they have accomplished in junior high school. And for the freshmen on this team, it is on to the senior high roster as they suit up for their first senior high school game tonight in Paris. Ironically, that first game will also be against Perryville.

Sam Muldrow led all Paris scorers with 14 points and added 10 rebounds, Jesse Wells had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Konnor Edwards had 10 points. Paris coach Mike Foster said after the game, “Our boys played a great game but just fell a little short. I am so proud to coach these type of hard-working young men. The team finished the season at 18-6 and district tournament runner-ups.”

So, the freshman Eagles move on to tonight’s senior high game with Perryville at Paris Gymnasium. Paris will play senior high girls and boys games that are make-up games in the schedule from an earlier cancellation by Perryville due to the closure of their school due to the flu epidemic. Tonight is the last regular season senior high game before the start of next week’s senior high district tournament that will be held at Lamar High School.

As of the publication time of this story, we know that the Paris senior boys will open the district tournament on Monday night in Lamar at 8:30 p.m. Their opponent will not be known until the completion of tonight’s games around the conference. The Paris Lady Eagles will finish as the tournament’s four seed tonight if they can defeat the Perryville Lady Mustangs. As a four seed, the Lady Eagles would play on Tuesday at 4 p.m. against the tournament winner of the Fountain Lake versus Atkins game.

If Paris cannot win tonight, they too will play on Monday at Lamar in the first round of the district tournament. The Lady Eagles would then play at 4 p.m. So, for the Lady Eagles, tonight’s game in Paris is crucial to finish as a four seed, and get an extra day of rest before playing in the tournament. With the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday and school closure on Monday, the Lady Eagles would have a good rest day opportunity before facing the prospect of playing multiple games next week in the district tournament.

Any way you look at it, tonight is critical for both senior high teams. It could also be the first opportunity to see the teams with the expanded freshman rosters that will now be available to both coaches. Paris needs a big home crowd tonight to support the Eagles and Lady Eagles and to cheer them both to victory. Paris will be looking to gain momentum tonight that will hopefully carryover to next week’s district tournament.

And like always, Resident Press will be there to bring you all of the action on the way to the state tournament. Stay with Resident Press for complete Paris basketball coverage!

Jr Lady Tigers Headed To District Finals

Sports

Megan Hecox

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12:01 pm

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Jr Lady Tigers Headed To District Finals

By definition, “Close” is a short distance away or apart in space or time. After the 3A Jr Girls’ District semifinals game on Thursday, February 13, Webster’s Dictionary may wind up changing that definition to “Mansfield vs Elkins” as the Jr Lady Tigers edged out the Lady Elks 29-23. But who cares about “close”. We all know that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers are now Championship bound.

These two teams split their regular-season games with Mansfield dominating the Lady Elks at home 45-29 and Elkins returning the favor by flooring the Lady Tigers 33-25 later in the season in Elkins. This time, the two squads squared off on a neutral court in Lincoln for a chance to move on to the District championship game. From the tip-off of the game, the stands scooted up on the edges of their seats for this highly anticipated and sure to be high scoring match-up. Both teams gave the fans exactly what they expected as the game was truly a nail biter. The high scoring part on the other hand…….

The Lady Tigers couldn’t seem to get their high octane offense in gear against the Lady Elks. At the same time, Mansfield refused to give Elkins a chance to put points up. At the end of the first quarter, the score stood at a teeny tiny 7-5 Mansfield lead. Knowing their offense wasn’t clicking, the Lady Tigers doubled down on their defensive efforts. Mansfield held Elkins to five points in the second quarter, but the Lady Elks, unfortunately, stepped up their defense too by holding Mansfield to merely three points sending the teams into halftime tied 10-10.

The Lady Tigers stepped back out on the court full of confidence with their chins up and chests out. You could see the focus and determination in their eyes. They would NOT lose this game. Mansfield’s dominant defense continued to stuff the Lady Elks in the second half with one highlight being a huge blocked shot by Skylynn Harris. With the quarter coming to an end, an Elkins player went up for an easy short shot to extend the Elks to a 15-14 third-quarter lead. Quickly noticing this, Harris flew up and spiked the ball with a perfect volleyball form sending the basketball into the stands. The oxygen in the gym was very thin as fans were trying to catch their breath going into the fourth quarter down 15-14 to Elkins.

Something had to either pick up or give in at some point. For the Lady Tigers, it was their offense that picked up, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter. It was the Lady Elks that gave in as Mansfield’s defense pressured Elkins so much you could can a full bushel of green beans. The count down towards the end was ticking. With 1:36 in the game, the Tigers were up 25-21. With 1:02 left Elkins was back in it only down 25-23. The Lady Tigers forced Elkins to start fouling to stop the clock which in the end was just what they wanted. Sinking their shots the Lady Tigers defeated a tough Elkins team 29-23 to punch their ticket to the Championship game.

Harlie Fuller and Alyson Edwards tied in points with eight each followed by Natalie Allison with seven, Harris with four, and Kynslee Ward with two. The Jr District Championship will be held in Lincoln on Saturday, February 15. The #1 seeded Lady Tigers will go head-to-head against the #2 seeded Cedarville Lady Pirates at 5 p.m.

Waldron Misses Trophy Shot At Elks

Sports

Megan Hecox

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11:32 am

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Both Waldron Sr High Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs took a road loss recently when they faced Elkins. The Lady Bulldogs “Epic Eight” played rough an tough against the Lady Elks but fell short 37-22. With the conclusion of this battle, the Lady Bulldogs sit 10-16 in total season play and 4-9 in conference. The Bulldogs made a late run in their face-off with the Elks but missed the mark 54-49. The boys are now 22-5 on the year and 11-2 in conference.

Waldron will next play Greenland at home on Friday, February 14 to wrap up conference season. Games will start at 6 p.m. with the Lady Bulldogs taking on the (1-12) Lady Pirates and the Bulldogs taking on the (5-8) Pirates. This will also be senior night for five Bulldogs, one Lady Bulldog, and six cheerleaders. Senior Night activities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with coaches asking fans to come and “Pack the WAC” for the seniors.

Sr Lady Tigers Tripped-Up In Charleston Loss

Sports

Megan Hecox

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10:53 am

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Sr Lady Tigers Tripped-Up In Charleston Loss

The Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers recently took a conference fall to the undefeated Charleston Lady Tigers 57-28. “The Lady Tigers have been working on beating their zone and did so with ease. Charleston had to burn a timeout to switch to man in order to keep us off the scoreboard,” explained coach, Joshua Bryan. “We struggled against their man-to-man defense which is something we have been working on this season and will be a main focus of ours the rest of the season along with this summer.”

Makayla Strutton (who has been out on concussion precautions) was back in the game Tuesday night and led the team with seven points. Danielle Lillie and Sadie Roberts brought in six points each, Chloe Creekmore made three, and with two points apiece were Mikayla Harrison, Amber Elmore, and Brooke Wright. The Lady Tigers also ended the game with 20 total rebounds and nine steals. Mansfield now sits 6-16 in total season play and 2-11 in conference.

For their last regular conference game of the season, the Lady Tigers will travel to Cedarville on Friday, February 14 to take on the (5-8) Lady Pirates at 6 p.m.

Photos by Raine Hecox

Sr Lady Hornets Get Scorched By Dragons

Sports

Megan Hecox

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9:46 am

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Although the Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets have lost three games in a row, the girls are really starting to come together at the right time. Recently the Lady Hornets hosted the Mountainburg Lady Dragons to a hard-fought hoops fest. It was a slow struggle by both teams in the first half of the game with Hackett leaving the first quarter down 14-2. The Lady Hornets did battle back to take the lead in the fourth quarter but unfortunately, time ran out and Hackett took a fall 56-48.

Kayla Richardson led the team with 12 points followed by Madi Taylor with 11, Rain Vaughn with eight, Faith Thomas with seven, and Kandace Byrd and Autum Neal five apiece. Coach Broc Adams filled us in with his thoughts on the game. “I thought we played as hard and as well as we have all year. Hopefully it will give us the confidence we need going into tonight’s last regular-season game and into the district tournament next week!”

The Hackett Lady Hornets are sitting 5-16 in total season play and 1-10 in conference. On Friday, February 14, the Lady Hornets will host the (3-8) Westside Lady Rebels in their last conference game of the season starting at 6 p.m.

DYS Confirms: YOI to Discontinue Youth Services

Tammy Teague

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9:59 pm

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DYS Confirms: YOI to Discontinue Youth Services

Employees at the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center had not gotten the official word before the news broke statewide. Youth Opportunity Investments announced, and the Department of Youth Services confirmed, that they will no longer provide services after June 30, 2020.

Since July of 2019, YOI has managed the four facilities across Arkansas. The takeover had a rocky start after a competitive bidder, Rite of Passage, filed a lawsuit against state officials. ROP was initially awarded the $15 million contract, but was disqualified after YOI protested the award.

The Department of Human Services Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer, Amy Webb, stated that “DHS appreciates that YOI gave the state a four-month notice because that will help us ensure an orderly transition to a new vendor for both employees of the centers and youth and their families. Since learning of YOI’s decision, we have begun discussing options for the transition. DHS expects to have more details about our path forward to a new vendor next week. YOI and DHS continue to work together, and YOI will continue to run the centers and pay staff as they have done since taking over July 1, 2019.”

The company signaled fiscal concerns early on when they cut teacher salaries in August. Security concerns and the severance of long-time employees proved problematic for the facility.

“We understand that having centers that are not at capacity has a financial impact on YOI,” Webb added. “However, DHS has prioritized having youth treated in their communities when it is safe to do so because it is the right thing to do.”

Webb also stated that DHS will continue to work with stakeholders and community partners to make improvements to the juvenile justice system in Arkansas. That work includes “…finding ways to safely reduce lengths of stay and work with judges to ensure only youth who need residential treatment go to these centers. That work has been a significant factor in the decline in the number of youths at our residential treatment centers,” concluded Webb.

We will have more on the response from YOI following the announcement made on Wednesday afternoon, February 12.

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RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK