Obituary: Jimmy Lovett (1952 – 2025)
Jimmy Lee Lovett of Waldron, Arkansas passed from this life, Friday, June 20, 2025 in Fort Smith, Arkansas with his loving wife at his side. Jimmy was born January 12, 1952 in Waldron, Arkansas to Gaylord “Buck” Lovett and Jewelene Lovett. He was 73 years old.
Jimmy was from a large family of siblings and and a beloved Uncle to an even larger group of nieces and nephews. He was a hard worker and working in the log woods allowed him to spend time outdoors, where he really wanted to be. He looked forward to spending time in the deer woods, in a tree stand and most recently just going to camp and visiting, sharing stories and enjoying the good meals. Twice a year, Jimmy could be found down at Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival enjoying the music and all things that accompanied the warm and inviting environment. He loved taking care of his family. If Jimmy loved you, you knew it. In his later years, Jimmy began to do genealogy for his family. He had recorded years of family history. Jimmy was not bashful, if he didn’t know you, he would ask “Who Are You?” Jimmy was one of a kind and his aggravating and onriness will be missed by everyone.
Jimmy leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Connie (King) Lovett of the home, one daughter Angie Nicole Crane (D.J.) of Mt. George and his siblings: Gayla Hudson (Rick), Barbara Isham (Jerry), Bill Lovett (Linda), Brenda Coffey (Tim) and Bob Lovett (Vicky), sister in law Teri Lovett all of Waldron and daughter in law Hanna Johnson and husband Caleb. Jimmy will be missed by all those whose lives he impacted including a large extended family of nieces, nephews, neighbors and friends he loved dearly.
Jimmy was preceded in death by one son Brian Lovett, his parents Buck and Jewelene Lovett and one brother Hershel.
Jimmy’s life celebration will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 23, 2025 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Konnor McKay officiating. Interment will follow in the Lamb Cemetery near Waldron. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Jimmy’s pallbearers will be Gatlyn Lovett, Dusty Lovett, Bruce Isham, Mark Isham, Amanda Hudson and Pam Brown.
Jimmy’s visitation will be Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas.
State Capitol Week in Review from Senator Terry Rice
LITTLE ROCK – Due to its growing popularity, legislators allocated an additional $90 million to Educational Freedom Accounts.
The chief financial officer of the Education Department said that without the additional funds the state would not be able to make first quarter payments before the upcoming school year.
The governor proposed and the legislature approved the creation of Education Freedom Accounts in 2023, phasing in the program over three years. The 2025-2026 school year will be the first in which all students are eligible, and the number of families applying for the accounts shows that it is very popular.
Education Freedom Accounts provide families who home school, or who send their children to a private school, with 90 percent of the amount that state government and local school districts would spend for each pupil enrolled in public schools. In the 2025-2026 school year that will be $6,864 for each student who is eligible for an Education Freedom Account.
According to the state Education Department, it has received applications for more than 44,000 students, and almost 40,000 have already been approved. About 28,000 applications are from families who send their children to private schools and 16,000 are from families who home school their children.
The legislature anticipated higher demand for Education Freedom Accounts and earlier this year approved Act 1017, which set aside the additional $90 million for the program.
Earlier this year the legislature increased funding for Education Freedom Accounts from about $97 million to about $187 million. Last week’s allocation of $90 million will bring the total amount of funding to $277 million for the upcoming school year.
School Insurance
In the 2025 regular session the legislature created a sustainable, new system of property insurance for schools, higher education institutions and state agencies. It was the result of several years of work.
A legislative subcommittee approved the creation of a captive insurance plan last week that would hold rates unchanged next year. Deductibles next year for schools will be $25,000 if they have less than $100 million in insured assets. For school districts with more assets the deductible will be $50,000.
State agencies will have a deductible of $250,000. A consultant’s report cautioned that schools and state agencies can expect deductibles to increase the following year.
The state Board of Finance has approved the plan. Another state agency, the Department of Shared Administrative Services, will operate the insurance program, known as a captive plan. The state will operate the program as if it were its own insurance company.
The governor and lawmakers have been shoring up school finances with one-time disbursements, after they had experienced rising costs for property insurance. Last fiscal year the state provided $11 million to help pay for higher insurance premiums that were driven up by claims after severe storms. Consultants reported to lawmakers that rates had tripled from 2021 to 2024, in large part due to wind and hail damage.
Obituary: Ethel Marie Hutchens Horn (1929-2025)
Ethel Marie Hutchens Horn, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt,
passed away peacefully on June 7, 2025, at the age of 96. She was born on March 17,1929, in Waldron, Arkansas. Ethel was a godly woman who loved the Lord and her family and set an example for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will lead them all of their lives.
Ethel was born in Waldron, Arkansas on March 17, 1929, to the late Lewis Stanley Hutchens and Bessie Isabell Self Hutchens. She was married for 67 years to the late Wayne Marion Horn. Ethel lived in Waldron and Scott County all of her life before moving to Edmond, Oklahoma in 2016.
Ethel was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, in 2016, her parents, her siblings Lester (Callie) Hutchens, Frank (Willene) Hutchens, Floyd Hutchens, Alta Pearl Hutchens, her half-siblings Lora (Vestal) Williams, Leonard (Thelma) Hutchens, Elsie (Orval) Glass, Ruth Taylor and two grandchildren Wesley Horn and Kimberly Taff. She is survived by her children Ruth (Gary) Karraker, Mike (Luann) Horn, Philip (Leigh) Horn, and Trish Horn (Roger Farrell). She is survived by her grandchildren Lincoln Karraker, Eric (Lora) Karraker, Heath (Lacey) Horn, Tanner (Abby) Horn, Sam (Megan) Horn, Nathanael Horn, Evan Horn, Kurstin Thomas, Lily (Bryce) Gfeller, great-grandchildren Eli, Oliver, Barrett, Judge, Navy, Halle and step-grandchildren Cameron, Carrie and Collin Farrell. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Vetra Hutchens and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Ethel loved her Savior, the Lord Jesus, with all her heart, and she loved God’s Word.Though she was a humble, gentle woman, Ethel was a powerful prayer warrior and servant for Christ. Only heaven knows what a wonderful and eternal impact her many years of faithful living, witnessing and prayer have had on her family, her friends and those she met.
Ethel was known for her strong work ethic as well as her kindness, generosity and strength. She was an excellent student in school, graduating valedictorian of her 1946 graduating class at Waldron High School. She was an active member of the Waldron Nazarene Church, joining at an early age. She loved children and served in the church nursery, bringing along the next generation. In her working career, she held positions at the Bank of Waldron and Waldron Public Schools, and retired in 1991 as the Treasurer of Waldron Public Schools. To her family, no one could out-sew, out-cook, out-garden or out-work her with her talented and relentless determination.
Ethel was a special mom, grandmother, great-grandmother. She took a positive approach to life’s deepest challenges and guided her children in love. She supported them in their endeavors and encouraged them that anything was possible with God by their side. She truly exemplified what unconditional love was and what the power of God’s grace could accomplish. Her legacy is woven into the very fabric of their lives. Through her work, her laughter, and her love, she remains with us in countless ways, each a reminder of the full, beautiful life she led. She will be deeply missed, but her spirit will live on in every place and person she touched.
The family would like to extend special appreciation to the caring staff at Tealridge Memory Care and Trinity Hospice for their compassion and loving care.
A celebration of Ethel’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at the Waldron First Church of the Nazarene in Waldron, Arkansas. The family will receive friends and family following the service in the reception hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Ethel’s home church, Waldron First Church of the Nazarene,1816 Rice St, Waldron, AR 72958.
A decade in, Arkansas Diamonds program continues to shine
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Ten years later, the Arkansas Diamonds program is doubling down on its plant trials as it continues to parse the best plants for Natural State Gardens. The program is a partnership between the Arkansas Green Industry Association, the Cooperative Extension Service, local growers and independent garden centers. The emphasis has generally been on plants with vibrant blooms and foliage that fare well in Arkansas’ soils and climate.
Anthony Bowden, extension ornamental specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that instead of a one-year trial period, new selections for the Arkansas Diamond program will have a two-year trial period.
The longer period allows “for a more comprehensive and reliable picture of the performance across variable environmental conditions,” Bowden said. “A single growing season may not capture the full range of stressors that influence plant health and ornamental value, such as unusually mild or extreme weather, pest outbreaks, or inconsistent rainfall.”
Reflecting the variety in Arkansas’ soils and microclimates, Bowden has 37 trial plots in 32 counties including plots at and Hope and Little Rock.
“Plant selection for trial purposes is a strategic process that prioritizes species and cultivars with demonstrated regional adaptability, commercial availability, and potential horticultural value,” Bowden said. “Preference is given to plants readily available from wholesale nurseries or breeding programs to ensure accessibility for growers and retailers if the trial results are favorable.”
Candidate plants are evaluated for durability under such stressors as heat, drought, poor soil fertility and their ability to resist insects and disease. Of course, aesthetic appeal and overall landscape performance are big factors too, he said.
“Feedback from industry stakeholders, including growers, extension agents, and retail garden centers, also informs plant selection to ensure the trials remain relevant to market needs and consumer preferences,” he said.
Bowden said Arkansas Diamonds are ones that can withstand the state’s high summer temperatures, varied rainfall patterns and soil types ranging from sandy loams to heavy clay.
These are plants selected to be brown-thumb-proof.
“Because the trials are designed to reflect low-input residential and public landscapes, plants are evaluated for performance with minimal irrigation, fertilization, or pest control beyond standard cultural practices,” he said. “Preference is given to plants that maintain ornamental value and vigor throughout the growing season under these conditions.”
So how does a plant reach candidate-hood for this program?
“Personally, I like selecting plants for the trial program that have performed well in the All-American Selection trial program across the country,” Bowden said. “That is about a rigorous process as it can get.
Bowden is currently testing four plants: an impatiens called ‘Solarscape XL Salmon Glow,’ a French marigold ‘Bonanza Flame,’ an ornamental pepper called ‘Quick Fire,’ and a ‘Pink Delicious’ tomato.
“For example, the impatiens that is in this year’s trial is an AAS winner from 2024 and it was an absolute showstopper in the garden at Hope last year as well as other trial gardens I visited at our neighboring universities, so I knew it needed to be evaluated on a statewide basis,” he said. “There hasn’t been a marigold Diamond selection in 10 years, so there was a need to evaluate a popular industry variety to see if it would make sense to be an Arkansas Diamond.”
Bowden has a new set of fact sheets about the four selections deemed “Best of the Decade,” are available for download from the Cooperative Extension Service site.
- Arkansas Diamonds Plants: Polka Dot, FSA6169
- Flamethrower Series Coleus, FSA6170.
- Arkansas Diamonds Plants: Silver Falls, FSA671
- Arkansas Diamonds Plants: Bubblegum®, FSA6172
The full list of Arkansas Diamonds can be found online.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
