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SCSO Search for Missing Woman

On Monday, January 14, the mother of Connie Sue Ritter contacted the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Smith to report her missing. According to Ritter’s mom, the 20 year old lived in Pocola Oklahoma, but believed her daughter may be somewhere in Sebastian County.

​Ritter’s mother has not heard from her since late November of 2018, and believes she might be staying with someone in Fort Smith. “Though Ritter has lived with her mother in Pocola, she is not always at home,” stated Captain Pevehouse with the SCSO. “The mother said, Ritter would call every couple of days to check in as Ritter’s daughter stays with her mother.  The last time Ritter was heard from was 11-29-18.  Since that time the family has been seeking Ritter but to no avail.”

​SCSO investigators have followed up on several leads in this matter.  They have made contact with the subjects in Fort Smith, but no one has seen Ritter.  Investigators are concerned for her safety and wellbeing.  Ritter is not in any trouble, but investigators do need to speak to her.

​Anyone with information is asked to call FSSO at 479-783-1051.  

Walker Receives 911 Hero Award

On Monday afternoon, January 14, 10 year old Mansfield Elementary student, Skylar Walker received the 911 Hero Award.

The award was presented by Corporal Tom Garrison of the Mansfield Police Department. Garrison and Huntington Police Officer Mark Harris responded to a 911 call on October 17, 2018. The call was from a young girl who told dispatch “someone is hurting my mom.”

Authorities would soon learn the name of this young hero. She thought and acted quickly, retrieving her mom’s phone and retreated to a safe place to make the 911 call. She did not retreat alone, however. She bravely gathered her siblings and together they found a safe spot to hide.

After responding to the domestic dispute and upon investigation, Garrison and Harris placed a male subject under arrest.

Garrison spoke to Walker’s peers sharing “her brave actions are why we are here today. Your fellow student that acted so bravely, Skyler Walker.”

Walker made the emotional trek to the stage, and with tear filled eyes hugged the officer who came to her family’s aid that night. Her mother, who was in the audience, proudly looked on.

The award was presented on behalf of the Mansfield and Huntington Police Department, Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office and 911 dispatchers, Jeffrey Reaves and Dawn Perez. A special thanks to Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black and the Mansfield School District for their participation in the ceremony.

Mansfield Football Spring Meeting

The Mansfield Athletic Department will have a Spring parent meeting this Thursday, January 17th in the MHS cafeteria at 6:00 PM. This meeting will mainly focus on the Spring/Summer football calendar. It is very important for all guardians to attend if possible. This will be for incoming 7th-grade parents through next years Seniors. The players will be handed a calendar this week and there will be extra copies at the meeting. All of the Mansfield Coaches are excited for the upcoming season and look forward to seeing everyone.

SCSO Investigating Death Near Hackett

The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a death at a farm near Hackett.

The SCSO responded to the call this morning on County Road 51 near Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Captain Phillip Pevehouse said initially they believed the death was due to a tractor accident, but upon further investigation, believe the man had a medical emergency while on the tractor.

That man was reportedly feeding cattle at the time. Authorities have not yet released the name of the deceased.

Bulldogs Plan To Shoot And Score

The Waldron Bulldogs will be ready for the Greenland Pirates when they come to town for their home conference match-up. The (1-5) Lady Bulldogs are preparing for any scenario that the (4-2) Lady Pirates might throw at them. The Lady Bulldogs are averaging around 35 points a game while the Lady Pirates are averaging around 49 points in a game.

The (4-2) Bulldogs are used to hitting the court firing on all cylinders and their game against the (1-5) Pirates won’t be any different. “We have been getting ready for Greenland and we need to get back to playing tough-nosed defense,” Head Coach Joshua Brown said. “I love my guys and know that they are capable of being a special team.” The Bulldogs are averaging about 63 points a game and the Pirates are bringing in around 42.

The Jr High along with the Sr High will be hosting the Greenland Pirates on Tuesday January 15th at 4 pm.

Obituary – Kellow Spencer Holland (1917 – 2019)

Kellow Spencer Holland of Waldron, Arkansas passed from this life, Saturday, January 12, 2019 in Waldron Arkansas surrounded by his loving family. Kellow was born July 1, 1917 in Waldron, Arkansas to George Ollie Holland and Savilla Jane (May) Holland. He was 101 years old. Kellow was a member of Pilot Prairie Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Waldron and served as a deacon.

Kellow wore many hats throughout the years. He started as a young man serving as deputy Sheriff to his father who was the Sheriff for Scott County. He loved riding shotgun with his dad while he would deliver the payroll checks to Forrester. He worked on the road crew, was the Scott County Assessor for many years and also served as the Office of Emergency Management officer. But with all the experience Kellow had in public service, nothing compared to his service for his family. Kellow was a loving family man and he treasured time with his loved ones. His legacy is being handed down for generations to come.

Kellow leaves behind to cherish his memory, sons: Lyndy Holland and wife Charlotte and Randy Holland all of Waldron, Arkansas and one sister Wynell Ray of Bahalia, Mississippi. Grandpa will forever remain in the hearts of his 8 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren. Kellow will be missed by all that knew him and the many whose lives he impacted over the years including a host of extended family, friends, neighbors and loved ones dear to his heart.

Kellow was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita Holland, his parents, George and Savilla Holland, one daughter, Savilla Ann Hansard, one brother, Bird Holland and two sisters: Opal McManus and Dona Mae Burns.

Kellow’s life celebration will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Rev. Diane Miller officiating. Interment will follow in the Pilot Prairie Cemetery in Waldron, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

Kellow’s pallbearers will be grandson and great grandsons.

Kellow’s visitation will be Monday, January 14, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas. You may leave words of remembrance for Kellow’s family by visiting: http://www.heritagememorialfh.com.

Crafton Tull Engineers to Open Office in Chaffee Crosssing

FORT SMITH, Ark. (January 14, 2019) – Crafton Tull is a civil engineering, surveying, architecture, landscape architecture, and planning firm with more than 200 employees working out of seven offices across Arkansas and Oklahoma—until now. The firm announces the early 2019 opening of their eighth office in Chaffee Crossing at One McClure Place, 8101 McClure Drive, Fort Smith, AR.
 
One McClure Place developer ERC courted Crafton Tull for the available space because ERC and many other organizations, including Fort Chaffee Redevelopment authority and city of Fort Smith, work with the firm regularly. ERC chairman Rod Coleman says, “It is time for a major firm like Crafton Tull to have a presence in Arkansas’ second largest city. Their work is influencing new development, city planning, and landscape architecture all across the region. We both agree that Fort Smith is the next logical place for them to be established.”
 
Crafton Tull has consistently been recognized as a leader in the built environment field for more than 50 years. The firm has embraced cutting edge software and advanced technology while staying abreast of leading trends and training in planning and engineering. Currently, the firm has Arkansas offices in Conway, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Rogers, and Russellville, and Oklahoma offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. More information about Crafton Tull can be found on their website.

Chaffee Crossing is Arkansas’ premiere economic development project located within the cities of Fort Smith and Barling. Since 1995, the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority trust has overseen development of 7,000 acres, creating a “community on the rise” with a distinct lifestyle that contributes to the entire western Arkansas economy. For more information, visit the Chaffee Crossing website.

Jr Tigers Plan To Ship Off Pirates

It was a hard defeat to swallow when the Mansfield Jr High Tigers battled against the Charleston Tigers in last weeks away game. So after some heavy duty practices, the Tigers are ready to taste victory when the Cedarville Pirates sail into town for tonight’s game.

The (3-5) Lady Tigers and the (5-3) Tigers, don’t take kindly to other teams coming into their home turf and trying to steal a win. The Tigers will attempt to do everything it takes to ensure that their opponents don’t walk away victorious. Boys Head Coach Kent Elmore said of this seasons Tigers, “This year we have hit a good positive stride in conference play and I hope to continue that. All in all, we have much more depth this year and it’s nice having 4 freshmen on the floor at one time.” The Jr Tigers and the Jr Pirates will face off tonight in Mansfield at 4:30 pm.

 

7th Grade Bulldogs Lead The Pack

It was heart and dedication that the Waldron 7th Grade Bulldogs showed up with during this past Saturdays Jamboree. Both boys and girls teams show great promise for next seasons Jr High squad and most definitely will not want to be messed with.

Katie Stringer and Reagan Adams

The Lady Bulldogs went to battle with the Cedarville Pirates and the Mansfield Tigers. Although the girls lost both of their games, they did come out nicely, in the end, making a combined total of 21 rebounds. Katie Stringer brought in 6 points combined for the Lady Bulldogs while Erin Robertson secured 2. The final scores of the day were Waldron vs Mansfield 48-4 and Waldron vs Cedarville 15-4.

Photo by Jennie Davis

The Bulldogs traveled to Cedarville to play their games against the Pirates and the Mansfield Tigers. The boys’ team was victorious in both of their match-ups in the Jamboree. Head Coach, Josh Atchley had this to say about his Bulldogs games, “We hit tons of shots against Mansfield in the first game to pull away from them and held Cedarville to 16 in the second game on the defensive end.”

The 7th Grade Bulldogs will host the Waldron Jamboree this Saturday starting at 9 am.

 

7th Grade Tigers Full Court Press

The Mansfield 7th Grade teams kicked off their Jamboree with a bang. Both teams faced off against the Cedarville Pirates and the Waldron Bulldogs in Saturday’s tournament. The results of those games could easily be titled as “Future State Champs” for both of the Mansfield boys and the girls’ teams.

The Undefeated Lady Tigers stayed at home Saturday to defend their court. To say that they dominated the Cedarville Pirates and the Waldron Bulldogs would be an understatement. The Lady Tigers started their day off against Cedarville pouring out the Seven Seas on the Pirates in the first half and going into halftime up 22-0. Mansfield was able to get all of their players in action and come out with a 28-13 victory in game one. The Lady Tigers then took the Waldron Bulldogs for a ride. Mansfield showed near perfection as a team in steals, rebounds, points, and passes. Basically if its a basketball stat, they owned it. The Lady Tigers jumped out early on the Bulldogs and never looked back beating Waldron 48-4.

Kynslee Ward led the Lady Tigers in scoring knocking out 26 points in the two games. Alyson Edwards gave the Lady Tigers 17 points in both games backed up by Harlie Fuller putting up 14 points combined. Raine Hecox led the team in rebounds snatching 12 off the boards while Alyson Edwards took away 8. In the two games total, the Lady Tigers outscored their opponents 76-17 and had 34 rebounds.

The Tigers traveled to Cedarville to tend to business Saturday facing off against Cedarville and Waldron. The Tigers started out with a thriller against the Cedarville Pirates. From the tip-off to the final buzzer the Tigers and Pirates both took turns setting the hardwood on fire. Never backing down, it was the Tigers who came out on top defeating the Pirates in overtime 31-29. No sooner than the Tigers left the court a talented Waldron team stepped up to take on the weary Tigers. Tired but unrelenting with pride, the Tigers gave it their all. The Bulldogs were sharpshooters from the perimeter sinking shots at will and wore the Tigers out handing Mansfield a defeat.

Travis Tobey

Coach Keith Dake said “We did well. Every starter contributed on the scorebook for the first time this year in our win over Cedarville. Then we got beat by Waldron. We struggled heavily from the free throw line, while Waldron knocked down a barrage of 3s. Today’s games where a huge step in the right direction for our team, and we continue to grow as a whole and gain some much-needed experience.”

The 7th Grade Tigers will play in the Waldron Jamboree on Saturday, January 19th with the Lady Tigers starting at 9 am.