Sr Hornets Take Flight To Regionals
The Sr High Hackett Hornets are lacing up their Jordans and preparing for their match in the 2A West Regional Basketball Tournament. The Hornets will get their time to shine on Thursday, February 21 at 8:30 p.m. The tournament is being held in Danville and will run Wednesday through Saturday.
Hackett, who is sitting in the #2 seed from the 4, will take on the #3 seed from the 1, the Flippin Bobcats. The last time these two teams faced each other was early in the season at the Border Classic. Flippin is 21-14 in their total season play and 8-2 in conference. If Hackett wins this match, they will qualify for State.
Sr Bulldogs Cookin’ Up “Swish” Kebabs
The Sr High Waldron Bulldogs gave it their all in Friday nights 3A-1 District Tournament. Making it to the semi-finals, Waldron went to war with the Charleston Tigers but ended up losing the battle.
Head Coach, Joshua Brown, said “I felt our guys played hard and never gave in. Some things did not go our way but we have to bounce back and get ready for regionals.” The Bulldogs are 21-7 in total season play.
The #3 Waldron Bulldogs will play the #2 Clinton Yellowjackets in the 3A-1 Regional Basketball Tournament on Thursday, February 21 at 8:30 p.m. Clinton is 20-8 on the season and 10-2 in conference play. The tournament is being played in Mountain View starting on Wednesday and ending on Saturday.
Sr Hornets District Runner-Up
In last nights Sr District Championship, the Hackett Hornets went hoop for hoop against the Mountainburg Dragons. Both teams fiercely battled through opponents to be where they were in the tournament. After an intense and competitive basketball match, the Hornets wrapped up the week as District Runner-Ups.
Hackett ended their Championship game with a final score of 51-33 Mountainburg. After
Next up for the Hornets is Regionals. They will play this Thursday the 21st in Danville against Flippin at 8:30 p.m.
MVFD Gets Crucial Equipment Updates
The Mansfield Fire Department recently received crucial equipment updates, including new self-contained breathing apparatuses.
The department received five new masks, five new Drager tanks and five packs. The SCBA’s are breathing devices worn by rescue workers,
2A West Regional Bracket.
The crowd was electric for the 2A-4 District finals girls game in Danville on Friday night. Lavaca High School is asking for their Golden Arrows fans to come out and support both our teams durning regionals. The Girls are the one seed and will play Decatur, Wednesday night at 4pm. The Boys are the three seed and will play Yellville-Summit on Thursday at 5:30.
Today Coach Wyles is still excited about the Championship game against Danville, he said, “Friday was definitely a fun atmosphere. The crowd was awesome Friday night!!” He then turned his focus on this week’s first game against Decatur saying, “Decatur is a very scrappy team. They’re quick, athletic, and play tough man defense. Our keys to success in the regional tournament will be to continue playing with the great defensive intensity that we had last week. In our two games of the district tournament we only gave up 27 and 28 points. We have to maintain that mindset. We’ll also have to be very efficient on offense. Decatur is going to try to turn us over. We’re going to have to take care of the ball and execute well on offense.”
For the boys, They are coming off of the worst loss they have had. The expectation was that Lavaca boys would run the table at District and that loss has left a bitter taste in their mouths. Look for them to come out playing at the high level of play that has become their signature. They feel like they have something to prove. Coach Reed explained the loss and the teams focus moving forward, “Obviously last week was a rough one, but we didn’t run from it, we owned it and we are moving on. You’re going to have ups and downs in a long season, hopefully we will mature from it. This week we are going to practice with a chip on our shoulder and do what we have to do to move on. Yellville is the biggest team we will face this year and will put numerous guys on the floor that can score. We will have to control the paint and rebound well. I expect a physical game.”
Both of these two Lavaca teams have worked extremely hard to get here and would appreciate having their fan base show up in great numbers. Arrow fans always travel well. Make sure not to miss the chance to watch them as they make their run for an State Championship.
Lavaca City Council Meets
The Lavaca City Council met for a regular monthly meeting on Monday February 11, at city hall. Board members present were Mayor Hugh Hardgrave; Aldermen: Mike Ray, Rick Edgerton, Lorie Robertson, Benny Hunter, Attorney John Verkamp and Recorder Shelly Hockaday. Dale Teague was absent. Visitors present were Ken VanDusen, Chris White, Paul Sanders, Butch Maness, Nola Hunter, Jim Webb and Rene Myers.
The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. Ray led the Pledge of Allegiance and Mayor Hardgrave led the prayer.
After the council approved the minutes from the January meeting, they reviewed the report from the police department. The department answered 411 calls in January and made five arrests. Additionally, seven traffic tickets, four criminal tickets and 25 warnings were issued.
Next, the council members reviewed the report from the Fire Department. The department responded to 21 first responder calls and three fire calls.
A motion was made to appoint Gerald Schaefer to fill the unexpired term for Ward 2 position 1.
A motion was made to allow Police Chief Randy Toon to proceed with the application process for a DOT grant that would equip the police vehicles with computers, scanners and printers.
After the council voted to pay the bills for the month of February, Myers from the library, advised that the open house event was well attended and there are plans to extend hours. The Lavaca Library will be extending hours from 12-7 p.m. instead of 12-5 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month starting in March.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
Arkansas Wildlife Fishing Report
This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fishing report for Feb. 13, 2019. If there is a body of water you would like included in this report, please email [email protected] with information on possible sources for reports about that lake or river. Reports are updated weekly, although some reports might be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
(updated 2-13-2019) Sharon at Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) says clarity is very muddy and the lake is back to a high level, up 4.5 feet over las week. No surface temperature was recorded. No fishing reports came in over the past week.
Lake Catherine
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.
No report.
Lake Catherine (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.
(updated 2-13-2019) Shane Goodner, owner of Catcher All Guide Service, reports that recent area flooding has caused Lake Ouachita to rise up into the flood pool. Open flood gates and very heavy generation have been the norm this week in an effort to rid area lakes of excess water. No quality fishing has taken place below Carpenter Dam as dangerous conditions exist in the tailrace. Fast flows and high water have forced boaters and bank fishermen to forgo any effort to fish this week. These conditions will persist until Lake Ouachita falls out of flood pool. This process will most likely last all of this week and possibly longer. Until stable conditions return to Lake Catherine, all boating and wade fishing should be curtailed for safety reasons.
(updated 1-30-2019) Charles Morrison at Classic Catch Guide Service (479-647-9945) said water temperature is 46 degrees. The river is muddy. Creeks are starting to clear. All species have been slow due to the high and dirty water conditions. But as the creeks start to clear there will be opportunity. Jerkbaits, and Alabama rigs will play a role in catching you some largemouth bass. A jig and Bamboozie will also play a role; make sure the jig is small, and shorten up the Bamboozie and dragged it very slow on bottom without picking it up. The bite is really light and you should be ready for it. The striped bass have also been good on jerkbaits and Alabama rigs. The best bite has been early. A single swimbait will work, also. White bass have been with the stripers. Jerkbaits and spoons will catch you some good white bass. Crappie have been hit-and-miss due to the current in the creeks. The clarity is getting good with the current, it’s been just a tad bit swift to keep the jig where the crappie are. Chartreuse, black/chartreuse, Bobby Garland Monkey Milk and Cajun Cricket have been working well if you can keep the jig in front of the fish.
Lake Hamilton
(updated 2-13-2019) Greeson Marine, hometown dealer of the Arkansas born-and-bred Xpress all-welded aluminum fishing boats in Hot Springs, reports Lake levels up dramatically over the last 48 hours. With almost 5 inches of rain over the last few days, the lake is the color of chocolate milk throughout. Lake temps should still be around 50 degrees even with the cold rains. The best bets for these conditions while bass fishing are going to be brightly colored spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and crankbaits in chartreuse or orange. With the sun reappearing, the dirty water up in feeder creeks will heat up a little quicker and fish should be semi-aggressive now that they aren’t hunkered down dodging the big currents. No crappie report. “Please use extreme caution out there, folks! Lake Hamilton is notorious for large pieces of debris after rains and when the lake is on the rise, so slow down and trim up. Good luck (you’ll need it for a few days) and Go Greeson!”
(updated 1-30-2019) Capt. Darryl Morris at Family Fishing Trips said the pattern has been the same for several weeks here. Vertical-jigging spoons at a range of 35-55 feet depth will produce plenty of catches. Work deeper channels and the deep end of points.
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 355.33 feet msl (full pool: 342.00 feet msl).
(updated 2-13-2019) Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) said the amount of rainfall that fell on Lake Nimrod last weekend means anglers may need to wait about two weeks for any decent fishing at Nimrod. The clarity is muddy and the level is high and on the rise, they say. Called on Monday, they said there was a period when the lake rose 5 inches in an hour. Crappie are biting well, though. Most of the crappie are being found in Porter Creek, but the bridge is already underwater. Crappie will bite minnows as well as black/chartreuse jigs. They are in about 3 feet depth. Black bass are fair on spinnnerbaits. Catfishing is fair. Bream are poor.
(updated 2-13-2019) Good Ole Boys Trading Post (479-272-4710) said the lake is muddy and high, and they heard no fishing reports.
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 578.44 feet msl (full pool: 578.00 feet msl).
(updated 2-6-2019) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out of state) said black bass are fair. Alabama rigs, jigs or spoons fished on main lake points or in creek channels are working OK at this time. No report on walleye. Stripers are still fair on live bait and Bama rigs. Major creek mouths and main lake points on the western and central parts of the lake are the best for these fish. No report on bream. Crappie are slow and being caught with jigs or minnows in 20-30 feet of water near brush. Catfish produced no reports. Water temperature is ranging 46-50 degrees. The clarity is clear. Lake level is at 576.08 feet msl. Contact the Mountain Harbor guides – Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717; Chris Darby, 870-867-7822; and Jerry Bean, 501-282-6104 – for more information.
Blue Mountain Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 400.24 feet msl (full pool: 384.00 feet msl).
No reports.
Sebastian County Conservation Awarded Outstanding District for 2019
The Sebastian County Conservation in partnership with the Crawford County Conservation District has been awarded Arkansas Outstanding Conservation District for 2019.
This award was given at the 2019 AACD Annual Awards Presentation in Little Rock on Wednesday, February 13.
The Sebastian County Conservation District is managed by a Board of Directors, who by law, must be landowners in the county. Three directors are elected by the public, and two are appointed by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. The district currently employs a Water Quality Technician, a Soil Technician, and a Conservation Technical Assistant to perform its conservation and education activities.
According to their website, their mission is “to work with the citizens of Sebastian County to conserve our natural resources – soil, water, forest, wildlife – through partnerships with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. We assist Sebastian County landowners to implement voluntary conservation practices on farms and in urban or backyard environments. Founded in 1945, the district has been working to help Sebastian County landowners implement the newest, scientifically founded conservation practices to improve the sustainability and profitability of farming operations and land management systems.”
Congratulations to the Sebastian County Conservation District on being recognized with this prestigious honor.
U of A Students Visit West Fraser
Architecture students from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville
The group of seniors were eager to learn about the timber industry, and the inner workings of the mill. Instructor Tahar Messadi along
Mill manager James Travis and Procurement Manager John McLellan led the group throughout the sawmill, explaining the process of taking raw timber to finished, graded lumber.
West Fraser is an industry leader. The jobs and resources they put back into the community are vital. The local mill has been extremely successful in producing specialty timbers, which have been shipped all over the United States and abroad, including Asia and the Caribbean. The high demand has given way to some highly skilled positions within the company and multi-level job opportunities. “I feel like the young people graduate and just drive right past here and never give it a second thought, but there are a lot of opportunities to climb the ladder here,” stated Travis.
