By Tammy Moore Teague
Fred Potter, a former resident of Waldron, AR, received an award from Secretary of State Mark Martin this week. The award was presented to Potter from Alma Mayor, Keith Greene and recognized Potter’s service in the Marine Corps and Army during the Korean War.
The award also recognized him for “…his continuing inspiration to all Americans for what is Right and Just. Thank you for your service.
Additionally, Mayor Greene also presented Fred’s nephew, Allen, with the Arkansas Travelers Award from Governor Asa Hutchinson. That award commissions its recipient to “…serve as Ambassador of God’s Will from Arkansas to the people of other states, of people of nations beyond the borders of the United States or wherever this Ambassador of Arkansas hereafter travel or reside.”
These awards were originally scheduled to be given out during a ceremony at Waldron’s High School auditorium on Saturday afternoon. That event has since been cancelled.
The Potter family and the Walking Veteran, Thomas Hudson will be attending the City of Waldron’s Christmas parade on Saturday evening. The parade is set to begin at 6 p.m.
Potter remains in a civil dispute over a family trust, and will return to a Scott County Courtroom next week.
Secretary of State Honors Fred Potter
Early Morning Crash Leaves One Dead
By Tammy Moore Teague
An early morning head-on collision on Highway 71, south of Poteau Mountain Road has left one man dead.
Scott County Sheriff Randy Shores said he got the call around 7:30 a.m. Shores stated that two SUV’s were involved in the head-on collision, and that one “had to be cut out of the vehicle.”
Shores also stated that the other driver was taken to a local hospital and that their condition is unknown. They are not releasing the name of the man who was killed at this time.
We will continue to monitor this breaking news story, and bring you further developments.
Tigers Take Aim At Arrows
By Megan Hecox
The Mansfield Jr High Tigers are just getting their season started but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t ready to wreak havoc on the hardwood in tonight’s game against Lavaca. The Tigers are looking forward to facing the Arrows for their first home game of the season. Having only played 5 games between both the boys and girls teams, the Tigers are anxious to show off their skills against stiff competition.
The boys have been working hard in preparation for their game against Lavaca. “We have had three good days of practice and have continued to get better on the offensive side of the ball. We have installed about 80% of our set plays and I believe it will help us get into a better rhythm offensively,” explained Head Boys Coach Kent Elmore.
The Lady Tigers are going to be bringing strength and stamina to the table for tonight’s match-up. The girls have been spending their practice time tying up some loose ends and polishing their form and teamwork. Head Girls Coach, Erica McKay, says her girls are quick and will compete against every team they face.
Coach Elmore tells us what we can expect from the Tigers tonight against Lavaca. “Lavaca is a tough opponent and very well coached. If we come out and play sound defense and execute in key situations, I believe we can come out on top. Our defensive help and closing out has to be flawless against this good shooting team. I think we will bring a lot of defensive intensity and a lot of pressure that hopefully will get Lavaca out of their shooting rhythm.”
The Tigers will host the Arrows tonight at Mansfield High Scool starting at 4:30 pm.
Bulldogs Sailing Through Sensational Season
By Megan Hecox
Scoring their second win in the Booneville Invitational, the (7-1) Bulldogs are starting to give opponents cause for concern. After dominating Danville earlier in the week, the Sr High Bulldogs went back Thursday night to steal the win from Dover 53-49. Although it was a hard fought victory, it was enough to push Waldron through to the Championship round.
Head Coach Joshua Brown said “We were down 8 points early in the game but by halftime, we took a 6 point lead. By the 4th quarter, we were down by 10 with about 4 minutes remaining but we battled back and found a way to win. The guys overcame some adversity tonight and I am extremely proud of them.” The Bulldogs will wrap up the Booneville Invitational on Saturday, Dec 1st at 12:30 pm when they face Booneville for the Championship.
The Waldron Bulldogs sit with 7 other teams that make up the 3A-1 West Division. Making up the 8 team conference along with the Bulldogs are Elkins, West Fork, Cedarville, Greenland, Lincoln, Charleston, and Mansfield. As it stands at the moment in overall season play, Waldron places 2nd behind Elkins. This is a great start for the Bulldogs who are looking to make a clean sweep all the way to the top.
Sebastian County Inmate Found Unresponsive, Transported to Local Hospital
By Tammy Moore Teague
This afternoon, Thursday, November 29 at approximately 2:15 p.m., Lewis Shores, 19, of Fort Smith was found unresponsive in his cell at Sebastian County Adult Detention Center.
The sheriff’s office said Shores was in an isolated cell by himself and was found with a plastic bag over his head. CPR was administered by detention personnel. Fort Smith EMS transported Shores to Baptist Hospital in Fort Smith.
At the time of this release Shores is still alive, but his condition is grave and very serious. We reached out to Captain Pevehouse with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office at 7:30 p.m., Thursday evening, and there has been no reports on updates regarding Shores condition.
The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Arkansas State Police, Criminal Investigations Division. That agency will be handling the investigation. Additionally, the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal review in relation to jail policies.
Shores was in jail for Aggravated Residential Burglary and Theft of Property. He also has pending charges out of Logan County.
*photo courtesy of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office
Sebastian County Inmate Found Unresponsive, Transported to Local Hospital
By Tammy Moore Teague
This afternoon, Thursday, November 29 at approximately 2:15 p.m., Lewis Shores, 19, of Fort Smith was found unresponsive in his cell at Sebastian County Adult Detention Center.
The sheriff’s office said Shores was in an isolated cell by himself and was found with a plastic bag over his head. CPR was administered by detention personnel. Fort Smith EMS transported Shores to Baptist Hospital in Fort Smith.
At the time of this release Shores is still alive, but his condition is grave and very serious. We reached out to Captain Pevehouse with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office at 7:30 p.m., Thursday evening, and there has been no reports on updates regarding Shores condition.
The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Arkansas State Police, Criminal Investigations Division. That agency will be handling the investigation. Additionally, the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal review in relation to jail policies.
Shores was in jail for Aggravated Residential Burglary and Theft of Property. He also has pending charges out of Logan County.
*photo courtesy of the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office
3/4 Grade Tigers Recognized At School
By Megan Hecox
The Mansfield 3rd and 4th grade Little League Football players had an awesome surprise waiting for them when they got to school on Thursday morning. The players were recognized by their principle, teachers, and peers for being the WCFL Champions. The Tigers earned their superstar status by beating the 3rd and 4th grade Hackett Hornets in the end of season Championship game. Their trophy was presented to the Mansfield Elementary School where it will be on display in the library.
Thank you, Kimberly Boyd, for the picture of the players!
MES Students Compete in Chess Tournament
By Tammy Moore Teague
The third and fourth grade Mansfield Elementary chess team recently competed against six schools at the Greenwood Invitational chess tournament.
Although they did not bring home a medal, they learned more about the game and all made new friendships!
Team members are:
Kamryn Rempfer, Kerrington Quick, Chloe Hattabaugh, Phineas Brown, Caiden Whittaker
Sixth Grade Chess Team Take Home Medals
By Tammy Moore Teague
The Mansfield sixth grade chess team competed against 109 students from seven schools at the Greenwood Invitational. They managed to bring home third and first place medals! They had a total of 23.5 points for the five game tournament.
Team members are:
Braeden Woodard, Alyssa Black, Cole Swanger, Eli Garner, Zach Chapman, Drew Holland, Cameron Pettus
First place was taken by one of Mansfield’s team members along with third place winner, Cameron Pettus.
Congratulations to the Mansfield Tigers sixth grade chess team!
Lavaca Library Expansion Complete
By Tammy Moore Teague
The City of Lavaca’s public library has completed an expansion project, which doubled its square footage.
This space was left vacant when the police station relocated. The renovated library now consists of a children’s section, young adult books, a computer and activities area.
“We are so excited,” said library clerk Sara Meredith McCormick. “I’d like to thank Rene Wilson Myers, Cadie Brown, Mack McCormick, and the awesome group of students that worked so hard. I could not have done it without you all. Additionally, I would like to thank our Mayor, Hugh Hardgrave for making the expansion possible!”
The ongoing effort began on November 7, and concluded last Saturday. The Lavaca Library is one of the branches in the Scott Sebastian Country Regional Library System.