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Obituary- William “Mac” Edward McKusker (1943-2020)

Obituaries

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9:17 am

Obituary- William “Mac” Edward McKusker (1943-2020)

William “Mac” Edward McKusker, 76, of Topeka, passed away Monday, January 27, 2020.

He was born April 25, 1943, in San Francisco, California, the son of Richard E. and Mildred Mae (Scroggins) McKusker. He was a graduate of Mansfield High School, Mansfield, Arkansas and later served in the U.S. Air Force.

Mac was employed by Julius Rebeck and later owned and operated Mac’s Painting in Topeka for over 40 years until retiring. He and his business partner, Joe Pinter, were well known throughout the area for their quality work.

He was a member of Countryside United Methodist Church in Topeka.

Mac married Betty Jean Hillebert on June 8, 1963 in Topeka. She preceded him in death on July 26, 1998. He married Nancy A. Bartee on June 10, 2000 in Topeka. She survives. Other survivors include four children, Susan (Mike) Treiber of Topeka, Jim (Rebecca) McKusker of Wichita, KS, Leslie Ritchlin of Denver, CO and Janie Bartee of Auburn, KS; seven grandchildren, Michelle (Lucas) Arnold, Luke Treiber, Kylie and Mykenzie McKusker, Cameron and Shelby Ritchlin, Lauren (Todd) Kendrick; and four great-grandchildren, Blake and Everett Arnold and Kash and Briar Kendrick.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Donald and John Dewey.

Mac enjoyed spending time with family, especially his grandchildren. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and archer who was instrumental in establishing the Topeka Bow Hunters Club. Mac was a quiet competitor in running, biking, snow and water skiing, as well as arm wrestling. In addition to his sporting activities, Mac also enjoyed restoring classic cars, riding American Saddle Bred horses, gardening and collecting John Wayne memorabilia. The Kansas Jayhawks certainly had a passionate supporter in Mac!

Honoring his request, cremation is planned. The family will receive friends from 11:30 a.m. until the celebration of Mac’s life begins at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 2020 at Countryside United Methodist Church, 3221 SW Burlingame Rd, Topeka, KS 66611.

Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.

Memorial contributions may be made to Countryside United Methodist Church or to Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism (William McKusker Memorial), 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, KS 67124.

To leave a special message for Mac’s family, you can visit the funeral home’s website.

Services & Gatherings
Visitation:
Saturday, February 1, 2020 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Countryside United Methodist Church, 3221 SW Burlingame Rd, Topeka, KS 66611
Service:
Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Countryside United Methodist Church, 3221 SW Burlingame Rd, Topeka, KS 66611

Waldron Bulldogs: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Sports

Megan Hecox

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2:16 pm

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Waldron Bulldogs: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

The Waldron Sr High Bulldogs are more than just a basketball team. They are a family. A family consisting of not only the players but the coaches and fans as well. Head Coach, Joshua Brown has even said that the never disappointing home crowd is a true 6th man. The Bulldog Nation recently got together for an always entertaining rivalry game against the Mansfield Tigers and boy was it something to talk about.

Gada Wagner was first to kick things off for the Bulldogs with a beautiful nothin’ but net three-pointer that was like music to the ears. The end of the first quarter ended with Mason Ford comin’ in hot with a world-class lay up at the sound of the buzzer setting the score to 27-12 Waldron. The entire game was kept close with the Tigers consistently on the Bulldog’s heels. When time was up, the lights on the scoreboard read 88-75 Waldron and the Bulldogs saw themselves sitting 19-4 in total play and 8-1 in conference.

Payton Brown finished the night with 49 points and hot on Brown’s heels was Isaac “The Real” Villarreal with 20. Jacob Avila put up seven points, Wagner made six, and with two points apiece was Ford, Bryson Bailey, and Braden Williams. “I’m super proud of our guys and want to give thanks to all of the fans who come out and support the Bulldogs!” The Waldron Bulldogs will travel to Cedarville to take on the Pirates in a conference game on Thursday, January 30. Waldron was victorious 73-50 the last time they took on Cedarville and this time they aren’t expecting any other outcome.

MSD Extends Superintendent’s Contract

News

Tammy Teague

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1:05 pm

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The Mansfield School Board met in a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, January 20, 2020. All members were present including: Rick Nicodemus, Mark Barton, Michael Gipson, Dewayne Ward and Trent Hayslip. Also present, Superintendent Joe Staton and Secretary Carol Reano.

After the meeting was called to order, and consent agenda items approved, Staton thanked each member of the board by giving them a copy of the State of Arkansas Proclamation and a certificate from the Arkansas State Board of Education. He thanked them for serving as board members. Also, for serving the kids and community.

Next on the agenda, the approval of school board hours. A motion was made by Ward, seconded by Gipson, to approve the hours of each school board member as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

The board also approved the following:

An overnight trip request for FCCLA State Convention in Hot Springs on March 3,4.
Renewal of the School Board Legal Liability Insurance and general liability coverage outside of Arkansas with BXS Insurance. The policy term is from February 1, 2020 until February 1, 2021.

Next, the hiring of an elementary part-time dishwasher. The board voted unanimously to hire Tammi Derr for that position.

At 6:12 p.m. the motion was made to go into executive session to discuss the superintendent’s evaluation and contract renewal. The board reconvened at 7:07 p.m. A motion was made by Nicodemus, seconded by Gipson, to extend the contract of Joe Staton as Superintendent at the salary of $102,690.65 per year on a 240 day contract through 2021-2022 school year. That motion passed 5-0.

In the superintendent’s report, and other board communication, the lighting outside the ticket booth at the high school was discussed. Also, how hard the sidewalk and curb are to locate in that area.

With no other items of business, the motion was made by Ward to adjourn the meeting.

Sr Hornets Stagger Against Wildcats

Sports

Megan Hecox

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12:53 pm

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Coming off of a huge conference win last week against Danville along with two other conference wins before that, the Hackett Sr High Hornets were flyin’ high and feelin’ good. But then on January 28, the Hornets flew hard into a wall known as the Hector Wildcats. Hackett took one on the chin and walked away with a final score of 51-23. The Hornets now sit 5-13 in total season play and are 3-5 in conference.

Cash Oliver led the Hornets with 11 points while Austin Cowell earned four and Zach Gragg, Ethan Slavens, Dylan Kats, and Jesse Esparza brought in two points apiece. Head Coach, Kent Elmore filled us in on what happened during the game. “Our guys came out and were flat the entire me night. Credit to Hector for playing an outstanding basketball game. We couldn’t get anything going offensively and defensively made some mistakes that need to be cleaned up. We will bounce back and look to battle our local rivals Lavaca on Friday night.”

The Hackett Sr Hornets will be back on the court to face the undefeated 8-0 Golden Arrows on January 31 at Lavaca.

Photos courtesy of Mandy Foster

Sr Lady Bulldogs Tell Lady Tigers Toodeloo

Sports

Megan Hecox

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11:55 am

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Sr Lady Bulldogs Tell Lady Tigers Toodeloo

The Waldron Sr High Lady Bulldogs have broken their losing streak. On Tuesday, January 28, in a hardcore fight to the finish, the “Epic Eight” Lady Bulldogs were not only able to secure a 61-46 win against the Mansfield Lady Tigers, but they did it with ease. The end of the first quarter saw the Lady Bulldogs on the wrong side of the scoreboard with the Lady Tigers up 15-14. The girls continued to fight with fury and at the half, Waldron was up 30-26.

Coach Josh Atchley must have had one persuasive halftime speech because when the Lady Bulldogs hit the court for the second half of the game, they looked like a brand new team. Waldron found their second wind leaving Mansfield unable to keep up. The Lady Bulldogs finished with a 61-46 win and proved that even if you struggle at the beginning of something make sure you finish it with a bang.

Ending the game in double digits was Hailey Stidman with 22 points followed by Rheagan Sanford with 17. Chelsea Stidman earned nine, Jessica Ozuna netted six, Molly Richmond scored five, and Kadance Espinoza brought in two. The Waldron Lady Bulldogs upgrade to 9-13 on their season and 3-6 in conference. The Lady Bulldogs hit the court again on January 30 at Cedarville against the (8-12) Lady Pirates.

Third Ranked Arkansas Women’s Track & Field to Host Razorback Invitational

Sports

Resident News Network

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10:38 am

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Third Ranked Arkansas Women’s Track & Field to Host Razorback Invitational

The third-ranked Arkansas women’s track and field team is set to host their second meet in three weeks when it entertains six ranked schools for the Razorback Invitational to be held January 31 – February 1. Prime time on Friday begins at 6 p.m., and featured events on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m. and will run through 4 p.m.

Arkansas set four top-25 marks nationally in its last outing at the Red Raider Invitational at Texas Tech University. On the track, the 4 x 400 relay team set the 13th-best time in the NCAA this season with a time of 3:38:60 while sophomore Paris Peoples dropped a new PR in the 400 meters with a time of 53:80. Pole vaulter Lauren Martinez cleared 4.29m (14’0.75″) in Lubbock which ranks sixth in the NCAA. G’Auna Edwards jumped for a mark of 6.34m (20’9.75″) in the long jump for a top-10 mark.

Ranked squads coming to Fayetteville include #2 Georgia, #4 Texas, #6 LSU, #11Florida, #17 Oregon, and #19 Stanford.

The #15 Razorbacks mens team have dropped seven top-25 marks nationally this indoor season, including three that were set last week at the Red Raider Invitational. Carl Elliott took first place in Lubbock, setting a new PR of 7.80 in the 60mH, junior Kieran Taylor set the 11th-best time (1:49.63) in the NCAA this year in the 800 meters. Senior Laquan Naim jumped for a mark of 7.69m (22′ 2.75″) in the long jump. His jump places him at the #11 spot in the NCAA this season.

Ranked mens teams coming to the Razorback Invitational include #2 LSU, #4 Texas, #7 Florida, #17 Oregon, and #24 Missouri.

I-40 Speed and Distracted Driving Enforcement Operation Scheduled

Tammy Teague

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6:50 pm

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I-40 Speed and Distracted Driving Enforcement Operation Scheduled

State Troopers of the Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Division will join forces tomorrow (Thursday, January 30th) with officers of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Highway Police, in a coordinated speed enforcement and distracted driving patrol saturation along Interstate 40 from West Memphis to Fort Smith.

Between 7AM – 4PM nearly 100 law enforcement officers will concentrate their patrols along I-40. The state troopers will be using conventional radar speed detection equipment onboard their patrol vehicles, however the operation will also include the use of LIDAR (light detection and ranging) speed detection equipment that will be operated along or near the highway right-of-way. Motorists may see troopers and officers using the handheld specialized equipment at overpasses across I-40 or at unusual locations near or off the highway.

Aircraft from the Arkansas State Police Aviation Section will be incorporated into the operation and used to detect speed from aerial observations. Conventional high profile trucks will also be used as a mobile platforms to detect distracted driving.

The Arkansas State Police routinely uses relatively small numbers of troopers in pre-selected portions of the interstate during localized speed enforcement operations. Thursday’s coordinated enforcement operation with ArDOT Highway Police joined by state troopers along the entire east-west interstate highway will be one of the largest operations the two law enforcement agencies have participated in as a team.

Tenacious Defense Leads Charleston Girls Route of Greenland

Sports

Resident News Network

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4:41 pm

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Tenacious Defense Leads Charleston Girls Route of Greenland

With approximately two weeks remaining in the conference regular season, the Charleston Lady Tigers are soundly defeating almost all opponents in their schedule. With the exception of a close win over Elkins, the Lady Tigers have not had a close game for almost the entire month of January. Coaches want their teams to peak at the end of the regular season, and that is exactly where the Lady Tigers appear to be heading. If so, that is bad news for their future opponents. Charleston may be playing the best basketball of anyone is Class 3A at this point in the season. Last evening, the Lady Tigers continued their torrid march to the playoffs with a sound defeat of the Greenland Lady Tigers by the score of 52-21. Charleston lead by as much as 34, but mass substituted in the second half.

In the second game, the Charleston boys team, who previously won a close, buzzer-beater game against the Pirates in Greenland, defeated the Pirates at Tiger Center by the score of 47-41. The Tigers overcame a tall and talented Greenland team who were very athletic in the paint and took the game to Charleston early on.

In the girls game, the Lady Tigers created multiple scoring opportunities from their pressure defense. Charleston was devastating with their three point shooting. Charleston held the Lady Pirates off of the scoreboard until less than one minute remaining in the first quarter. Charleston coach Jason Rucker was pleased with the way his Lady Tigers continue to play. “I thought we played fast and shared the ball well with balanced scoring.” Payton Rucker led all Charleston scorers with 13 points in reduced playing time for the Charleston starters.

Charleston coach B. J. Ross was pleased with his team’s ability to stay in the game early when Greenland took the game to Charleston early. “Greenland did a great job of limiting our possessions. I thought we did a good job of staying in the game and making things happen defensively. Really proud of the toughness we showed last night. We shot our best percentage from the field for the season going 15 of 31, and we went 10 of 11 from the free throw line. Anytime you only get 31 shots you better be efficient or you will get your tail kicked. We had a great team effort last night defensively. I thought that Trenton Goodson played his best and most complete basketball game of the year so far. Brayden Ross eclipsed the 1500 career points mark and 750 career rebounds mark last night. He (Ross) has averaged a double-double for his high school career so far.”

Brayden Ross led the Tigers with 28 points, and Trenton Goodson added 9 points in the Charleston win. The gritty Tigers, once again, found a way to win.

The Lady Tigers improved their record to 18-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in league play. Charleston is in first place in their conference and has a two game lead over second place Lincoln. Lincoln is 7-2 and is tied in the loss column with Elkins who is 6-2. Greenland drops to 1-8 in league play after the loss to Charleston. The Lincoln Lady Wolves come to Tiger Center on Friday to play another conference game with Charleston.

The Charleston boys win over Greenland moves the Tigers record to 11-5 overall and 8-0 in conference play. The Tigers are in first place in the conference and have a one game lead over Waldron who is 8-1. The Tigers will go on the road next week for a very important game at Waldron that should be another barn burner for the conference lead. The Tigers will host Lincoln on Friday night.

Update: Paris Drops Pair of Road Conference Games at Atkins

Sports

Resident News Network

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3:23 pm

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Update: Paris Drops Pair of Road Conference Games at Atkins

The Paris Eagles and Lady Eagles teams dropped a pair of important conference games last evening at Atkins. The Eagles lost to the Red Devils by a score of 59-43, and the Lady Eagles dropped an important game in their race to finish the season in third place by losing at Atkins by a score of 61-43.

Paris struggled on the defensive end in the loss to Atkins, and coach Dustin Williams was disappointed in the lack of intensity from a team that has played lights-out the past several weeks. “The game was closer than the score but we tried to foul late in the game. Our defensive intensity was not on the same level it has been and we didn’t do a good job of keeping Atkins off the offensive glass. We failed to get a lot of second chance points on our end, as well. We hung in there and fought. Just didn’t have the same energy level we have had.”

Jadyn Hart led Paris with 23 points, and Harlie Watts had 12 points. Jacee Hart had 5 points and Paiton Forbis and Karsyn Tencleve added 2 points and 1 point, respectively.

The Lady Eagles host Perryville Friday night at Paris Gymnasium in a conference game that now takes on even more importance in the conference standings. The Lady Eagles cannot afford to look ahead to next week when they have games with Booneville and third place Jessieville.

I expect both the Eagles and Lady Eagles to come out with great energy and intensity when they take the floor on Friday night for Winter Court night and their games with Perryville.

Jr Hornets Stay Airborne Against Hector

Sports

Megan Hecox

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2:19 pm

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The Hackett Jr High Hornets are leaving conference play in style. After putting the Hector Wildcats to bed 34-28, the Hornets have finished with a 4-2 conference record and are hopeful for a #2 seeding in the District Tournament which will remain unknown until after next week. “I am very proud of my junior high boys,” stated Coach Kent Elmore. “We faced a brutal non-conference schedule against some great Jr High teams. We never stopped battling and looked to get better in practice every day. I look forward to making a run for a district championship!”

Cole Ketchum was the top Hornet in the match-up against the Wildcats as he led his team with 18 points. Eli Slavens was hot on his tail as he pulled in eight points on the night. Jacob Garner netted four points. And with two points apiece was Wyatt Hester and Seth Crone. The Jr High Hornets will take a small break from the court and get back into action on Monday, February 3 when they take on the Waldron Bulldogs.

Photos courtesy of Mandy Foster

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