Resident News Network

Mansfield Coach Craig Bentley Is Headed Home

Sports

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10:21 am

Mansfield Coach Craig Bentley Is Headed Home

On Tuesday, June 18, as news broke that Mansfield Head Football Coach Craig Bentley would be hanging up his Tigers coaching hat, a quiet sadness spread across the town. After three incredible roller-coaster seasons, Craig and Sarah Bentley would be going back home to Mena.

Coach Bentley has accepted the head coaching position at his Alma Mater after the Bearcats recently lost three of their football coaches including head coach Tim Harper. Before becoming a Mansfield Tiger, Bentley had been the Bearcats defensive coordinator for five seasons.

During his first two seasons in Mansfield 3A football, Coach Bentley ended both years with a 2-8 record. But it was the 2018-2019 football season that Craig Bentley put the Tigers on the map. Not only was Mansfield having their best football season in years, but they were also securing a name for themselves in high school football. The Tigers ended the season with an 8-4 record and Bentley taking his team to the second round of State.

Mena has always been home for Craig and Sarah Bentley with both of them growing up together in the quiet little town. After high school graduation in 2003, Craig headed off the Henderson State in Arkadelphia while Sara took route to Arkansas Tech in Russellville. But it didn’t take long for the two to find themselves longing for home. Sarah made her way back to Mena in 2006 with Craig following suite in 2008.

It wasn’t long before the Bentleys found themselves packing their bags again as Sarah moved to Fort Smith to finish school and Craig took his first coaching job in Pea Ridge as their defensive coordinator. In 2009, Craig spent two seasons with Springdale High School before he and Sarah returned yet again to Bearcat Country.

Craig Bentley-Mansfield-Football-Mena-Arkansas — Coach Bentley and player Bri Sanderson

As odd as it sounds, the town of Manfield is in a sense of mourning. Coach Bentley stepped into a position that not very many other candidates were breaking the door down to take. He took on a sports program that was down and out on itself and brought it back to life. Slowly but surely through hard work and perseverance, Coach Bentley was able to bring school spirit back into the homes of Tiger fans and paint the town red again.

“Even though I am extremely sad to see all of the Bentley’s go, I am very excited for them to have the opportunity to go home,” said Cheer Coach, Allie Dake. “Those types of opportunities don’t come around often, but if anyone deserves it, it is them. I wish them the very best of luck and am thankful for everything they have done for our school and myself personally. We were all blessed to have them for the short time that we did.”

Friends inside and outside of the gym, Joshua Bryan, had this to say about his fellow coach. “My funniest memory of Coach Bentley is when we had a coaches vs. students basketball game and he bit the dust like a toddler that tried to run before he could walk. It still makes me laugh from time to time. Coach Bentley brought a lot of school spirit to our community. He is a great administrator and someone who anyone could easily work under. He is always willing to do whatever it takes to help kids and peers alike to be successful. I’m happy he’s able to go back home but he will surely be missed around here.”

One senior high football player had this to say about his coach. “The best thing about Coach Bentley coming here, was that he immediately got to work and started getting things done for the football team. He got us new weights and weight benches and even got us upgraded lockers. One thing is for sure. The upcoming football season just won’t be the same without seeing him throw his headset at almost every game. I really appreciate everything he did for us.”

Fellow Mansfield Coach, Keith Dake, had this to say about the recent news of his friend. “When Coach Bentley was hired and we first met, I knew he was a guy that was passionate about his job, sport, and kids. Something that honestly helped bring us closer together as a staff. Throughout the years we formed an unbreakable bond filled with lots of fun and plenty of shenanigans. Whether we were finishing each other’s sentences, critiquing superhero movies, or repeating iconic movie one-liners that the kids never understood, we always had a good time doing what we loved.”

“Often times, I would sneak into his office, where he would have plays drawn on his whiteboard and of course I would have to draw a few of my own, being the football mastermind that I am,” Coach Dake exclaims with a smile. “Needless to say he never did use my plays. Coach Bentley did a lot more than just coach football. He helped bring the town of Mansfield together in a way that I haven’t seen in well over a decade. Attendance is up at all events, community pride in the schools and students is on a steady rise, and Coach Bentley was leading the force, challenging staff, community members, and athletes to be steadily involved.”

Craig Bentley addresses the Mansfield Tigers regarding his departure — Tiger Tyler Holmes and Coach Craig Bentley

Very few people actually know just how much this man has done for our schools and our kids. During his time with the Tigers, Coach Bentley has been the ray of hope that was much needed while also blessing the many lives of the people that he came in contact with, including my own. Although it will be tough to watch the Bentleys go, in the end, home is where the heart is.

In one last Mansfield Tiger final statement, Coach Craig Bentley had this to say. “My family and I would like to thank the entire Mansfield community for welcoming us in and supporting our mission to make Red Tiger football the best it can be. Thank you to our administrators and school board for the vision and support to help the program grow and continue to grow. Thank you to Coach Stovall, Coach Payne, and Coach Cothran. Those guys have worked tirelessly for the betterment of the kids. They have been supportive and are great leaders and Christian examples for the kids to follow. Most of all, thank you to the players…past and present…for your dedication to the program! Without great kids, the growth our program has had in these past three years isn’t possible. The future is bright, the standard is set and Red Tiger football will continue to be on the rise. Thank you, Mansfield!”

Livestock and Poultry Commission Approves Proposed Rules

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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9:54 am

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Livestock and Poultry Commission Approves Proposed Rules

The Arkansas Agriculture Department’s Livestock and Poultry Commission met today and took the following actions:

The commission approved proposed rules that would allow the issuance of permits for the use of aircraft in the eradication of feral hogs. Feral hog airborne eradication permits may only be used for the protection of land, water, wildlife, livestock, domestic animals, timber, human life or crops.

The commission approved proposed rule changes to the disbursement of state funds for fairs and livestock shows program. The rule changes include moving the deadline for submission of application forms from May 30 to March 1, and authorizing a method of allocating surplus construction funds.

The AAD is dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture and forestry to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while ensuring safe food, fiber, and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation.

Bentley Hired as Bearcat Head Coach

Megan Hecox

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8:30 pm

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Mansfield Co-Athletic Director, and Sr. High Head football coach has been named Head Coach of the Mena Bearcats.

In this late breaking series of events, we will have more on this tomorrow in a full length article.

School Board Makes Progress in Superintendent Appointment

Headlines

Tammy Teague

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6:42 pm

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School Board Makes Progress in Superintendent Appointment

On Tuesday evening, the Mansfield School Board met in a special session to begin the interviewing process for the position of superintendent.

Board President Rick Nicodemus said they had narrowed the list down from 25 to eight candidates and that they are now beginning the interviewing process. “We will interview two tonight, and more the rest of the week.”

Ideally, they would like to have a decision reached by the end of the month. “We’ve got to make sure we pick the right person for the job,” he added.

We will continue to follow this story, and keep you up to date on the decision by the board.

Scott County Quorum Court Meets, Discusses Outstanding Fees and Fines

Headlines

Tammy Teague

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4:35 pm

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Scott County Quorum Court Meets, Discusses Outstanding Fees and Fines

The members of the Scott County Quorum Court met in a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, June 17. All members of the court were present for the meeting. After approving the minutes of the May meeting, the court moved on to new items of business.

In the first item on the agenda, public comments, a representative from the Boles Community Center was present to speak about improvements and additions to the park. “We are looking at the possibility of putting in a playground, and then revamping some of the facilities that are already there like the basketball court.”

The judge’s report followed, as well as reports from the treasurer, sheriff and assessor.

Sheriff Randy Shores reported the following monthly activity report:

23 felony warrants
11 misdemeanor warrants
2 warrants from other jurisdictions
36 civil papers
9 traffic citations
20 criminal citations
3 DWI
2 juvenile citations
8 accident reports
35 offense and arrest reports
4 incident reports
Prisoner transport miles (not USMS) 2144
Prisoner transport hours (not USMS) 76

Shores added that during the month of May, 113 people were held in the county jail, 31 of which were women. Also that 90 detainees were held for the Scott County Sheriff’s Department for a total of 809 days. Thirty one detainees were held for the Waldron Police Department for a total of 58 days, four detainees were held for the Marshal’s Service for a total of 120 days, two Arkansas Department of Corrections inmates were held for a total of 29 days, one inmate was sentenced to the Arkansas Department of Corrections, one inmate was sentenced to Arkansas Community Corrections and three was sentenced for a total of 90 days probation and parole.

The County Corner, Dana Anderson was also present and reported that the office’s coolers should arrive within two weeks. Also that the coroner’s office is completely set up and that they are fully staffed. “We’ve had approximately 21 deaths since I took office,” she added. “Everything is going pretty smoothly for the norm. We’ve had some issues with some local agencies, just communication issues. I want to set up a meeting and get things squared away there, but other than that, we’re doing good. The morgue is functional and we won’t have to rely on Sebastian County. They’ve been wonderful.”

Judge Forbes added that the only thing that is lacking in the corner’s facility is some things for the office area. Those include an electrical outlet and a vent hole. “We should have that done either this week or early next week,” added Forbes.

In other items of business, Forbes asked the court to amend the agenda to add a revision to a previously passed ordinance.

Next, the court voted to pass resolution number two, which read:

Whereas, Scott County, Arkansas recognizes the need to provide public recreation facilities for its local citizens and visitors; and Whereas, the county wishes to apply for FUN Park grant funds through the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism to develop a public park at the following park or location: Boles Community Center; and Whereas, the county judge and the quorum court understands that if granted funds for park development, they must provide land, by lease or ownership, to develop park facilities on; and Whereas, Scott County, Arkansas will sign a contract agreeing to provide the necessary resources to maintain this park and facilities for a period of 25 years; Now, therefore, be it resolved the quorum court of Scott County, Arkansas hereby authorizes the county judge to submit an application for grant funding to the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism to develop a public park.

The next item of business was the discussion and ultimate passage of appropriation ordinance 2019-16 of unanticipated revenue for 2019, appropriation ordinance 2019-17, the 2019 budget line item transfer for the sheriff’s department and appropriation ordinance 2019-18 to amend ordinance 2019-14.

Judge Forbes shared with the court the issues of collecting fines and fees. “We’ve got to come up with a solution to collect fines and fees.” A proposal was presented to the court on collecting those fines and fees. “I reached out to the clerk in Clark County, and there is a probation program we can sign up for and it is totally free…it’s a good idea, and cost efficient,” added DesiRae Hall, a clerk with the Scott County Court. Sheriff Randy Shores said he didn’t have an opinion on how the court should proceed in recouping the outstanding $678,630.25 in district court fees and fines. With additional court automation charges, the total come to more than 1.6 million dollars.

Ultimately, the court decided community service was an option to look at. A JP pointed out that this money is not funds lost, but rather, funds not yet collected, and if the court employs someone to collect the funds, then there is a potential for loss. Justice of the Peace, Bob Hattabaugh asked that the clerk look into the proposed firm and find out what procedures they take to recover fines and fees.

With no other items of business, the meeting of the Scott County Quorum Court was adjourned.

Walmart Donates to Lavaca Fire Department

Networks

Resident News Network

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2:35 pm

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Walmart Donates to Lavaca Fire Department

On June 3, the Lavaca Fire Department received a donation from the Wal-Mart Corporation. Fire Chief Steve Helms reported that the donation, through Walmart’s Disaster Relief Program, was in the form of an eGift Card valued at $500.

Lavaca firefighter Holly Hill, who is also an employee of Walmart, secured the grant for the fire station. When the flooding occurred, local departments were doing and giving all they could to take care of the citizens of Lavaca and the surrounding area. This donation will help replace and stock important cleaning items such as detergents, bleach, gloves, paper towels, and bottled water. With this grant, those products can be purchased at any Walmart or Sam’s Club

Chief Helms was praising all the departments, citizen volunteers, church groups, and other organizations for stepping in and helping. “I’ve never seen folks pull together like they did. They moved people out, fed people and filled sand bags! There were people filling sandbags that I had never met in my life!” Helms added, “I want to let Walmart and Sam’s Club know how deeply appreciated this grant is to us, especially in this hard time.” When asked if the department was in need of anything else, he joked, “More gift cards!”

Helms did report that the fire department had recruited five more volunteers, and that they always have room for more.

Hartford City Council Meets, Discusses Mayoral Vacancy

Headlines

Tammy Teague

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11:04 am

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Hartford City Council Meets, Discusses Mayoral Vacancy

The Hartford City Council met on Monday evening, June 17. All members of the council were present. After approving the minutes and financial statements from the previous month, the council moved on to new items of business.

City employee Rich Galyen gave the water report, highlighting all the issues the department is facing with extreme water loss. –See related story.

Next, Fire Chief Richard Hartsfield reported to the council that they are having to get major repairs done to the pumper truck. Also, that he will the instructor for an upcoming first responder course.

The resolution for the fun park grant was the next item on the agenda. The council voted to approve the resolution to move forward on the application. The grant, if awarded, would be used to add another pavilion, electrical outlets and more playground equipment.

Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black and Mansfield Public Works Director Charlie Little were also present at the meeting. Mayor Black presented the council with a proposal for trash pickup. The City of Hartford’s contract with Altes Sanitation will be up next month. The City of Mansfield, according to Black, currently services the outskirts of the city and the addition of the in-town customers would not be problematic. After reviewing the proposal, the council voted to approve the City of Mansfield as their provider.

The next item on the agenda was the mayoral vacancy. After much discussion, the council decided to appoint a mayor, rather than spend $5,000 and hold a special election. “Not allowing the people to pick seems questionable, but using the people’s money to pay for a special election also seems questionable…pick your poison,” said Alderman Lanny Woodhull.

In a vote of five-to-one, with alderman Karen Griffin voting against, the motion passed to appoint a mayor at the next meeting scheduled for July 15. Resumes for the position will be accepted until noon on Thursday, July 11. The city council will meet in special session that evening at 5 p.m. to interview mayoral candidates. Three individuals have already expressed interest in the position: Alderman Raye Morgan, Larry Hall and Joe Gish.

Next, the council heard from a representative of Hartford Pride, Damon Yates. Yates and the organization will be reopening the activity center. The hours of operation will be 6-9 p.m. The City’s Recorder/Treasurer Judy Adair thanked Winnie Hale and Karen Griffin for their work in keeping the center going in the past.

The council then discussed the recent and passed issues with vandalism at the city’s park. Woodhull asked that a proposal be drawn up for the next meeting on purchasing more surveillance cameras and security equipment.

At 7:17 p.m., the council voted to go into executive session. After reconvening at 8:15 p.m., the council voted to hire Michael Fildes as the water clerk. That motion passed in a five-to-one vote, with Karen Griffin voting against, noting, “it’s nothing personal, I just think it’s a conflict of interest.”

The council approved the water clerk’s job description, and the work hours. Fildes will work 16-20 hours a week at the rate of $12 per hour.

Adair shared with the council a letter the city had received from former water clerk, Lisa Buckley. Buckley was terminated by former Mayor, Mary Radley. Buckley had sought an attorney who issued a letter to the city. In that letter, Buckley’s attorney alleged that her termination was wrongful under an exception to the state’s at-will employment law. Buckley sought the following recourse: 1. To be reinstated or 2. To be paid a sum of $6,000. The city was to respond to Buckley’s request by Tuesday, June 18.

With no other items of business to discuss, the meeting of the Hartford City Council was adjourned.

Continued Water Woes Prove Problematic for the City of Hartford

Headlines

Tammy Teague

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9:19 am

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Continued Water Woes Prove Problematic for the City of Hartford

The City of Hartford has continually faced issues with their water department. At a meeting held on June 17, members of the city council heard from city employee Rich Galyen just how bad it is.

“It is a nightmare,” said Galyen. “With the old water line system and the water loss, it’s bad.”

According to Galyen, the city never received a map of the final water line system from contractors due to a disagreement with the city. Therefore, making the job near impossible to locate the source of the massive water loss.

The city is loosing more water than is being used. The loss is just over fifty percent, or one million gallons of water in just one month.

“We talk about this a lot, but finding the problem really should be our first priority,” said City Recorder/Treasurer, Judy Adair. Galyen said he will continue working towards locating and addressing the water loss.

Obituary – Anna Perkins Tankersley (1932 – 2019)

Obituaries

Resident News Network

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7:43 pm

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Obituary – Anna Perkins Tankersley (1932 – 2019)

Anna Perkins Tankersley was born on August 29, 1932 in Pocola, Oklahoma and passed away on June 16, 2019 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Viewing will be at the McConnell Funeral Home on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with visitation from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Funeral service will be on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at the Rock Island Community Free Will Baptist Church in Rock Island, Oklahoma at 10:00 am.

To sign an online guestbook, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com.

Obituary – Terry Lee Winer (1952 – 2019)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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4:16 pm

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Obituary – Terry Lee Winer (1952 – 2019)

Terry Lee Winer, of Boles, Arkansas passed from this life Sunday, June 16, 2019 in Waldron, Arkansas. He was born May 24, 1952 in Lakeview, OR. to the late Leo Jackson and Mary Katherine (Peck) Winer. He was 67 years old.

Terry just retired from Tyson Foods in Waldron, Arkansas.

Terry leaves behind to cherish his memory one daughter, Brandi Nichole Woodard and husband Johnathan of Boles, Arkansas. Grandpa also leaves two granddaughters, Heather and Madisyn Woodard of Boles, Arkansas. Two sisters, Bette White and husband Danny of Dierks, Arkansas and Susie Thompson of Lockesburg, Arkansas; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Terry’s family will hold a memorial service at a later date. Cremation and arrangements are being entrusted by Heritage Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory in Waldron, Arkansas.

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