In what was probably the game of the season, the Waldron Lady Bulldogs were able to get the job done in just three innings. Facing the Cedarville Lady Pirates, the Lady Bulldogs completely crushed Cedarville on their own home turf, not even allowing one run to come in. In the blink of an eye, the game ended with a final score of 18-0 Waldron.
At three runs each were Mackinzie Callahan, Rheagan Sanford, and Saige Mahar. At two runs apiece were Bayleigh Lipham, Taylor Stacy, and Jayden Manning. And with one run each was Whitney Richmond, Ashton Young, and Kelsey Yother.
Mackinzie made three hits batting in four runners. Rheagan earned three hits, three runners batted in and one steal. Taylor made one hit, one steal and two runners batted in. Ashton Young brought one runner in and stole one base. Jayden Manning earned two RBI and one steal. And with one steal each was Bayleigh, Saige, and Kelsey. Molly Richmond also brought one runner in.
Jayden had one putout and one assist. Whitney made one putout. Saige secured two assists. Bayleigh claimed two putouts. Rheagan had one assist. Mackinzie led with three putouts. And Kadance Espinoza earned two putouts and one assist.
The Lady Bulldogs were able to get three pitchers some time on the mound. Ashton Young made six pitches to three batters striking out one. Saige Mahar threw out 20 pitches to four batters striking out one. And Rheagan Sanford had 15 pitches to four batters striking out one as well.
The Waldron Lady Bulldogs not only talk the talk. But they can walk the walk. The girls are able to take on any opponent with confidence in their softball skills knowing that no task is too big. Waldron now sits 10-5 on the season and 6-1 in conference play. Up next for the girls are the Mansfield Lady Tigers at Mansfield on April 9 at 4:30 p.m.
Ozark, Ark. – Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Corporation (AVECC) is proud to announce the creation of Wave Rural Connect, LLC., a 100% owned telecommunications subsidiary. Wave Rural Connect will be offering high-speed internet, television, and telephone services to the entire membership of AVECC, which covers 13 counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Ben Roe has been named General Manager of Wave Rural Connect, while AVECC’s Barret Ewing has been named the Fiber Project Coordinator. Both are overseeing operations, including construction and ongoing management of the business.
AVECC was incorporated July 13, 1937, pursuant to the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation Act. The Act was adopted by the State of Arkansas after being drafted by the Rural Electrification Administration, which was created in 1935 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to bring electricity and telephone service to all people residing and working in Rural America. By 1938, AVECC had constructed 57 miles of electric line that provided electricity to 214 members. Today, AVECC has 6,628 miles of line that serve over 59,000 meters.
In 2018, AVECC’s Board of Directors approved phase one of a six-phase smart grid system buildout that will improve communication to all devices on AVECC’s electric grid. The excess fiber capacity of the smart grid system will be used by Wave Rural Connect to provide broadband services to all AVECC members.
“To remain competitive in today’s world, our rural areas must have access to high-speed internet service,” said Al Simpson, CEO of Arkansas Valley Electric. “Our children depend on this technology for their educational needs. Our seniors can utilize this technology to gain easier access to world class health professionals. Our members can now experience the benefits of working from home, a luxury that they haven’t been afforded in the past.”
Simpson continued, “The lack of access to electricity following the depression is like the lack of access to broadband internet rural America is experiencing today. The passion we have for our members and rural America is why we are bringing fiber to AVECC’s membership, just like we did with electricity 80 years ago. Because of AVECC’s smart grid project, Wave Rural Connect will be able to continue the fiber buildout into the homes of our members, fulfilling a need that is long overdue.”
Wave will offer 100mbps service for $49.95 or a gigabit of service for $79.95, both with symmetrical upload and download speeds. In addition to internet, Wave will also provide television and phone services. For more information about which phase you are on or to sign-up for service, visit: www.waveruralconnect.com.
The contract award for state ran juvenile treatment centers remains in limbo with less than 90 days until that transition is slated to take place.
After the state procurement’s office disqualified Rite of Passage, one of two vendors who bid on the contract, they moved forward with the alternative,Youth Opportunity Investments. Officials deemed that decision as final, with no recourse except through a circuit court appeal.
Surprisingly, however, last week the state procurement’s office handed over that decision to the Arkansas Attorney General’s office for a review.
ROP is asking for reconsideration in the decision that found them “ineligible due to nonperformance.” Their attorney admonished the action and threatened legal recourse.
State officials are finding themselves in a familiar quandary. In 2016 lawmakers failed to approve a contract. This ultimately led to the state takeover of the Youth Services Division.
Amy Webb, spokesman for the Department of Human Services, said the plan remains to make the transition to a private vendor on July 1.
The
one thing that has helped me the most is talking to other people that raise
gardens.
I use to always
stake my tomato plants, I did this for years and it worked well. Then I
was talking to a man that raised a large garden and he used cattle panels to
support his tomato plants. He used the panels like a trellis. The
next year I tried the cattle panels, and liked it way better than the
stakes I had always used. So I changed to cattle panels. He had
a better way to support the tomato plants.
One person told me to remove all the suckers off my tomato plants. He said the suckers were just using water and nutrients that could be going to help the main plant. Another person told me to leave them alone. That year I had planted thirty tomato plants and removed the suckers from half of the plants to see if it made any difference. I could not see any difference between the plants with suckers and the ones without the suckers.
Several years ago, I had a problem with the sun blistering my tomatoes. To try and solve this, I planted two plants in the same hole. I thought this would give me more leaves to provide extra shade. This worked very well and I do this all the time now.
I like to plant my vegetables from seeds when I can. I have always bought tomato and pepper plants. This year I am trying to raise my own tomato and pepper plants from seeds in the house. Starting your plants from seeds is cheaper than buying the plants and you have a larger variety to choose from.
When you buy plants they have to be transplanted into the garden. Transplanting a plant will disturb the root system. This can also slow down the growth of the plant, or put it into shock for a while. When you plant the seeds directly in your garden you never have to bother the roots and, I believe, your plants will do much better.
Talking to other
gardeners will give you some new ideas to try. You will find
some ideas that work really well. Other ideas may not seem to help
very much. Use the ones that work best for you. Keep an open mind to new
ideas.
There are a lot
of vegetables that I have not tried to grow. All I can do is tell you about
what I have worked with, and share my experiences with you. Even what I do in
the garden may not be the best way to do it, but it works best for me.
My advice may
not work best for you, but at least it should give you some idea of
how to get started. I still talk to other gardeners when I get the opportunity.
I am always looking for new and better ways to have a successful crop, or a
different way of making gardening easier.
The track teams counted at the Greenwood
Seventh Grade Relays on April 2 numbered eight. That in itself was a bit of a
problem for the Mansfield prep squads that joined in the event.
Mansfield’s seventh grade squads are
lower in numbers than they have been in decades. There just aren’t many seventh
grade athletes across all sport lines for the Tigers this season.
The younger Tiger teams have done well
for most of this season thanks in part to relied upon rest provided by large
overall attendance at those meets. The Greenwood Bull Pup playground was no
such advantage.
Greenwood started the field events at 4
PM and then went immediately into the races by 4:15 PM. With a maximum of two
heats per race, the event schedule flew by as many of the Tigers struggled to
get to their predesignated events.
With Mansfield’s limited roster, that
meant maxed out players had little time to recover before toeing yet another
starting line.
Through it all Lady Tiger Kynslee Ward
still had a productive night. The true seventh grader scored in four individual
events and two relays. She won the high jump at 4’ 4” and placed second in the
long jump with a 13’ 11.5” mark.
Ward was fourth and fifth in the two
hurdle races. Similarly, she was fourth and fifth as well as a member of the
4x400m and 4x100m relays.
Harlie Fuller had the next best success
for Mansfield. She placed well in both hurdle events at third and seventh
places. She took second among all pole vaulters and was a member for those same
relays as team member Ward.
Kalie Sysakayavong joined Fuller, Ward
and Eden Mounts on the 4x100m team. She was also the third fastest 200m girl at
Smith-Robinson Stadium as well as the sixth best long jumper.
Mounts took third in the 100m sprint.
She was the lead leg in the 4x400m relay with Fuller, Ward, and Katelyn Corson.
Corson took fifth in the 400m run.
Teammate Emilie Nelson grabbed seventh in the same one lap race.
Nelson, Rachel Johnson, Trinity Scott,
and Raine Hecox combined to place fifth in the 4x800m relay.
Trinity Scott makes the lap in the 800m run.
For the boys, Mansfield received much
action from twins Donovan and Ethan Walker. The pair covered most of the
sprints, the horizontal jumps, and two relays.
Peyton Martin did much of the rest. The
multi-talented Tiger participated in the pole vault, long jump, high jump, two
hurdle races, and a relay. His best finish was third in the pole vault.
Dakota Langford and Sammy Sellers both
placed in the shot put. Zach Hayslip and Jonathon Norris completed the 4x400m
relay team with the Walker boys for seventh place.
Is was a busy two days for the Mansfield
junior high track teams. Consecutive meets at Greenwood and Booneville put the
Tigers to the test. When the marks came in, you could find the two Mansfield
squads in the advanced range.
The Lady Tigers took the championship
plaque at the Booneville Bearcat Meet. The Tiger men set two new school records
at the Greenwood Bulldog Invitational.
Junior Tigers celebrate victory at Booneville.
The two gender squads first stopped at
Greenwood on April 1. Because the teams were going to the Bearcats the next
night, the Tiger athletes reduced their load for the back to back competition.
Because Greenwood was a chance to
concentrate on speciality events, the teams’ scores suffered but the individual
accolades flourished.
Mansfield freshmen Ethan Chapman and
Steven Perez both found their way onto the MJH school record book.
Picture: New Mansfield record holders Steven Perez and Ethan Chapman make history at Greenwood.
Chapman had just reached the prestigious
position a week earlier in the 1600m run. He bettered that time four days
later. Meanwhile, Perez had been eyeing the pole vault record of 10’ 6”
established by Brandon Carver last season. He took that down with a winning
jump at the Greenwood Invitational.
Chapman’s new official mark in the 1600m
run is now 5:13.06. Perez’s new school mark in the pole vault is 10’ 9”.
At Greenwood, Lady Tiger Madelyn Jones
continued to shine in the hurdle races. The Mansfield eighth grader was top
three in both the 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles. A few nights later she cruised
to victory in the 100m hurdles with a near season best 17.96 at Booneville.
Teammate Harleigh Mars pushed her
teammate in the 300m style hurdles to take first at Booneville with a mark of
54.14. She was fourth in the 300’s at Greenwood.
Mars was also a part of the women’s
4x400m relay team that won first place at the Booneville Relays. The victory
helped seal the overall championship for the Lady Tigers as they edged
Clarksville 132 to 101 for the title.
Jadelynn Wood, Shelby Cole, and Olivia
Bouse joined Mars for the four lap cooperative in 4:55.20.
Jadelynn Wood, Shelby Cole, Olivia Bouse, and Harleigh Mars enjoy 4x400m victory.
Logan Yoss, Dru Buckner, Tommy Phang,
and John Branche made the final relay at Booneville an exciting race as well.
The Tiger foursome rounded out the 4x400m race in 4:13.27 for second place just
hairs behind host Booneville.
Tommy Phang, John Branche, Logan Yoss, and Dru Buckner run the 4x400m relay.
The Tigers ended the entire meet in
third place behind winner Booneville and Runner-Up Ozark.
Skylynn Harris continued to dominate the
shot put event. The eighth grader crushed the competition both nights for
consecutive victories.
Brooklyn Adams and Seven Sanderson
supported the throws team in the discus event with point production on separate
nights. Teammate Alyssa Frasher was registered as a non-scoring athlete but
tossed a personal record 71’ 0” throw in the discus anyway.
Hope Rainwater, McKenzie Griffin, Olivia
Bouse, and Faith Rainwater won the Bearcat 4x800m relay in 12:04.31. Faith
Rainwater also scored in 1600m and 800m runs.
Cole was solid at both venues in the
100m hurdles. The ninth grader took second with a time of 17.87 at Booneville
and fifth at Greenwood with a measure of 18.72.
Fellow ninth grader Sadie Roberts won
four events over the two day schedule. She won both the high jump and
pole vault on the consecutive nights.
Shawn Brown went large in the throws for
the Tiger men. He scored second place at Booneville in the discus toss with a
mark of 119’ 4”. He was third at Greenwood with a measure of 116’ 7”.
Buckner and Yoss capped a good night in
the hurdles. The pair of freshmen caught second and fifth places respectively
with 49.00 and 50.64 times in the 300m hurdles at the Bearcat event.
Mansfield has been scratching it’s way
through the 2019 track season. Depleted by graduation, injuries, and off the
field discipline issues, the pair of senior high teams have continued to move
forward.
The close of a busy week gave evidence
that the MHS squads are making progress despite the stacked against odds of a
small team.
Both the men and women finished in third
place overall in the team points race at their second hosted meet of the season
on April 4. The ladies also took fourth at the Bearcat relays on the previous
Monday. The Tiger men were sixth at that meet.
Tiger Artem Zirka again pulled the heavy
load for the Tigers. The exchange student ran 3.5 miles or more at both meets
to earn valuable points.
At Mansfield, Zirka medaled twice. He
went 5:26.85 in the 1600m for second place. He went 2:24.62 in the 800m for
third.
Zirka proved his conditioning by
completing the 3200m Mansfield run for fourth place before running anchor on
the 4x400m relay moments later.
Renden Emery and Jaicy Griffin produced
as well taking care of business in the many of the other events. Emery handled
the high jump, triple jump, both hurdles, and two relays. Griffin covered the
sprints, long jump, and two relays as well.
Emery had scoring marks in all of his
events over both nights. Griffin did well at Booneville but suffered another
set back in his on going knee issues to register a DNP at Mansfield.
Jacob Brown took his first winner’s
medal with a 111’ 1” toss of the discus. The Tiger junior has been consistently
pushing beyond the 100 foot barrier for solid marks this season. This was his
first gold medal of his career.
Bri Sanderson nearly made it a sweep in
the men throws with a second place position in the shot put. The tenth grader
sent the 12 pound implement 41’ 6”.
Senior Sara Willadsen broke through in
the sprint department for the Lady Tigers. The Hartford transfer was all Tiger
as she scored in the 100m and 200m dashes in consecutive meets. She was also
part of the 4x100m and 4x400m scoring relays for Mansfield.
Makayla Strutton, Delilah McKusker, and
Lennon Woods joined Willadsen for those relay encounters. Addison Goetz also
joined the baton passing party at the Mansfield hosted 4x400m relay.
Strutton went 18.44 in the 100m hurdles
at Mansfield. She went 18.40 in the same barrier race at Booneville. The two
times knocked out fourth and fifth places respectively.
McKusker ran her season best in the 300m
hurdles with a time of 56.03 in front of the home crowd. Woods was the fastest
Lady Tiger over the same style hurdles at the Bearcat in 55.90.
Lady Tiger Delilah McKusker makes ready to run the 4x400m relay at home.
Senior Haylee Buckner continued her
string of scoring in the women’s high jump. She placed third at BHS and second
at MHS. Her top bar was 4’ 9” at the home meet.
Mansfield senior Haylee Buckner poses at the Bearcat high jump.
Sophomores Randall Claude and Victor
Steffen picked up their first individual ribbons of the season. Claude’s
success came in the 200m dash while Steffen’s came over the 300m hurdles.
Mansfield senior high track athletes Renden Emery, Randall Claude, Jaicy Griffin, and Victor Steffen prepare for the 4x400m relay at Booneville.
Senior Hailey Byers also found her first
individual accolades with top eight marks in the 200m and 400mm dashes.
Freshman Darby Jones who recently moved up to support a thin Lady Tiger
distance unit also scored her first ribbons.
Alyssa Berry saw her first action since
the Tiger Relays on March 26. The senior scored in the pole vault, 1600m, and
3200m runs.
Janna Coplin, Hailey Burns, and Miracle
Pettigrew each contributed points in one or both meets of the past week.
Coplin has been a discus specialist most
of the year. Burns and Pettigrew have been throwing both shot and discus. The
later two both set personal throwing records this past week.
Young people in Hackett will soon have a place to go after school and in the summer. Earlier this week, plans were finalized to lease a building from Hackett United Methodist Church.
The building, located on Williams Street in Hackett, formerly housed the Hackett museum. While no opening date has been announced, work is proceeding at a fast pace to get the building up and going for summer.
According to volunteer Kim Henry, they have already acquired two pool tables and monetary donations. The group is also seeking out grant opportunities to help with the cost of operation. Volunteer Todd Johnson also noted that they are also in search of an air hockey, ping pong, or other games.
Volunteers are currently accepting monetary donations through GoFundMe as well as a donation jar at Hugs and Biscuits in Hackett. While the need for funding is crucial, what’s more crucial is the need for volunteers. A background check will be conducted on all volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Kim Henry at 479-650-8444
On Saturday, April 6, members of the Mansfield Volunteer Fire Department paired with the Sebastian County Emergency Management and Public Facility, EAST initiative students, Sebastian County Youth Preparedness Council and the American Red Cross to participate in a community service project.
Members from each group partnered to deliver and install fire alarms. The group of volunteers and emergency service providers divided up into three teams to deliver approximately 75 alarms to 26 area homes. The alarms were provided by the American Red Cross as part of the Home Fire Campaign.
According to the Red Cross, “everyday seven people die in home fires and tragically, most victims die in homes that don’t have working smoke alarms. The Red Cross wants to do everything we can to prevent these needless tragedies – that’s why we launched our Home Fire Campaign. Volunteer participants work alongside fire departments and other local groups, canvassing at-risk neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms, educate families about fire prevention and safety, and fundraise for this lifesaving mission.” In just four years, these efforts have saved hundreds of lives and made hundreds of thousands of households safer.
Each team delegated three leaders:
Smoke Alarm Installer
Educator
Documenter
Students from Mansfield’s EAST Initiative and instructor, Annette Smith, reached out to community members, seeking those who were in need of the service. They came prepared with a map of each address. “We’ve never been this organized,” said Red Cross volunteer, Joe Horton. Horton added that the precise mapping made the delivery and installation process much more effective.
Rebecca Brumley, Disaster Program Specialist of the American Red Cross, stated that a total of 1600 fire alarms have been installed throughout Northwest Arkansas. “Fire alarms save lives,” added Brumley.
The office of the Sebastian County Emergency Management and Public Facility served as a liaison for the project. Deputy Director Travis Cooper commented that the external partnerships , such as these with the American Red Cross and school, can really make an impact in the lives of the community.
If you are interested in learning more about the American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, you can visit their website.
The smoke alarms and installation are free of charge. According to Horton, “I’d rather come out and install a fire alarm in someone’s home than to come after a fire and learn of a tragedy.”
