Stories from Thursday, January 2, 2025

The Arkansas State University family mourns the loss of one of its all-time football greats, Bill Bergey, who has passed away at the age of 79. During his time on the gridiron in Jonesboro, Bergey helped A-State to a 24-13-1 record and consecutive appearances in the Pecan Bowl. ...

The New Year always makes us humans want to lose weight. Many of our pets are over -weight and need to do the same. Here are some tips to help you get Fido on the road to less waddle and more wiggle. Your Veterinarian is the first place to start. They can prescribe a healthy diet for weight loss and provide many valuable tips to help shed the pounds safely. ...

Cold Weather Pet Tips: With the snow and frigid temperatures lately, we should be thinking about trying to make our outside pets more comfortable during the frosty weather. If your pet spends a lot of time outdoors, you should let him get acclimated gradually to dropping temperatures. ...

When people think about the job of a U.S. Senator, they often picture what we see on C-SPAN with hearings, votes and eye-catching debates. But that work in the Capitol is only part of the job, because Members of Congress need to know what is happening at home and how federal agencies are working for their constituents before voting on legislation and policies in Washington...

Jaxon Smith takes first place in spelling bee.

Marked Tree senior Ryan Wages was selected to the Class 2A All-State football team for the second year in a row as EPC juniors Dee Buchanan and Jacob Gaines were both selected for the first time. Wages helped lead the Indians to a 6-5 overall record and a trip to the state playoffs. Wages 84 tackles and a fumble recovery on the defensive side while recording 18 pin blocks on the offensive line...

Harrisburg surged back from an eight point deficit at halftime to cut the lead to two at the end of the third quarter only to get out outscored 17-12 in the fourth quarter in a 68-61 loss to Southside in the NEA Invitational Tournament being played in Jonesboro...

Marked Tree got 22 points from Journi Versie and 13 points from Zyonna Anderson as the Lady Indians beat Bay 51-23 in the NEA Invitational Tournament in Jonesboro. The Lady Indians opened the game with an 11-0 run as Versie and Anderson scored back to back baskets before Versie hit two free throws and a jumper in the lane as Anderson canned a three-pointer to make it 11-0 with 2:24 left. ...

Marked Tree let a six point lead in the fourth quarter slip away as Tuckerman held on for a 38-38 win the quarter-final round of the NEA Division 1 girls tournament. The Lady Bulldogs got on the board first to lead 2-0 before Journi Versie hit one of two free throws to make it 2-1. ...

Marked Tree built a 45-17 lead first half lead on their way to an 84-42 win over Hillcrest to advance to the semi-final round of the NEA Invitational Tournament. The Indians led 22-15 after the first quarter as the reporter was late getting to the game...

Trumann couldn’t find a way to stop Valley View early as the Blazers jumped out an 18-0 lead in the first quarter before going on to beat the Wildcats 69-28 in the opening round of the NEA Invitational Tournament in Jonesboro. Braxton Cook stopped the Blazers’ run with a stick back basket to make it 18-2 Valley View with less than a minute left in the opening quarter. The Blazers scored in the paint as Jalen Elrod hit one of two free throws to make the score 20-3 Valley View at the end on one...

After a 12-12 first quarter, Riverside outscored the Lady Greyhounds 50-19 over the next three quarters to take a 62-31 win to advance to the semi-finals of the NEA Invitational Tournament being played in Jonesboro. The Lady Greyhounds took the early 3-0 lead with a three-pointer before Riverside got three of four free throws from Arden Vaughn, a three-pointer from Briley Travis and a basket in the paint from Vaughn to go up 8-3 with 3:48 left. ...

Riverside outscored the Tigers 22-7 in the second quarter to lead by 19 at halftime on their way to a 68-33 win to advance to semi-finals of the NEA Invitational Tournament being played at First National Bank Arena. Maynard hit a jumper to start the game for their only lead as Thatcher Durham scored the next six points of the game for Riverside with a steal and layup, a jumper in the lane and another steal and layup to make it 6-2 Rebels with 3:30 left in the quarter. ...