From the State Senate

Soybean oil is used to make hundreds of foods, including mayonnaise, peanut butter, and ranch dressing.

From casseroles to rice pudding, another Arkansas crop makes its way to the Thanksgiving table every year. Arkansas ranks first among rice-producing states, accounting for more than 50 percent of U.S. rice production.

Agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry, adding around $16 billion to our state’s economy every year. There are 49,346 farms statewide and 97 percent of Arkansas’ farms are family-owned.

So, as you savor each bite of your Thanksgiving meal, remember to give thanks to the individuals who make this feast possible. Let’s make this holiday a true celebration of gratitude, not only for the food on our plates but for the hands that nurture the land.

You can help show your appreciation to our Arkansas farmers and food service workers by looking for the “Arkansas Grown” label at your local supermarket.

The Arkansas legislature has tried to apply lessons learned by other states when it enacted school safety laws over the past several years.

The legislature also applied the best practices recommended by the School Safety Commission in 2018 and 2022.

The Senate and House Committees on Education heard an update from the chair of the commission, who said that “collectively we’ve passed some of the most comprehensive school safety legislation in the country.” districts shall establish a behavioral threat assessment team, which will look for warning signs of potentially dangerous behavior and work with local law enforcement agencies. School resource officers and local law enforcement officers who work on school campuses are not to be part of routine disciplinary actions against students.

In 2021 the legislature put into law the recommendations of the school safety commission. Act 551 set standards for training of school resource officers. One component of the training is youth mental health aid.

Act 620 requires schools to have a system of emergency communication with local law enforcement, if funding is available.

Although the legislature has done much to improve school safety, there are several more actions that should be taken, the commission chair told legislators on the Education Committee. One is to provide funding for panic buttons and emergency communications.

Act 648 requires an annual lockdown drill at each school in the district. It requires all counselors to take youth mental health training, so they can better recognize the warning signs of a mental health crisis in time to prevent it, either through treatment or other types of intervention.

The school safety commission learned that many counselors were not spending a lot of time with students, and some of their main duties were to administer tests.

In 2023 the legislature enhanced school safety measures by passing Act 237, the LEARNS Act.

Another important new law passed earlier this year is Act 787 to require schools to lock exterior doors during school hours, except during transition times.

The chair of the school safety commission is the director of the Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute. She told the Education Committee that she would continue to work for passage of laws that require classroom doors and interior doors to be locked.

Also speaking to the Education Committee was the school safety coordinator for the state Education Department. He lent his support to the idea of locking interior doors, telling legislators that “locked doors save lives.”

Perpetrators have broken window panels on locked doors and fired shots through the broken glass. But a 2015 report, conducted after the mass killing in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, found that no one had ever breached a locked classroom door, he said.

The school safety officials emphasized the importance of “hard corners” in classrooms, which are areas where students and teachers are not visible from hallways, door or windows. Combined with locked classroom doors, hard corners in class rooms can save lives by allowing students and teachers to hide.

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The act extends training in youth mental health to all school staff. School

Unfortunately, this year is probably going to be a record year for school shootings, the officials said. The record was 46 in 2022, and already there have been 45 in 2023.

Eddie Gene Strother

Eddie Gene Strother, age 74, of Ink, Arkansas, went home to be with his Heavenly Father on Tuesday morning, October 31, 2023. Eddie was born on Tuesday, February 8, 1949, in Mena, Arkansas, to LD “Elgie” and Opal Strother.

Eddie, known for his strong character and leadership, was a loving family man who found delight in life’s simple pleasures. He was an extremely hard worker, always providing for his family and teaching his sons how to be good upstanding men. Eddie served proudly in the United States Army stationed overseas on the DMZ in Korea. Any job he had, his intuition, efficiency, and ability to get people to work their hardest always led him into leadership roles. His appreciation for traditional country tunes of George Jones and Johnny Cash reflected his tastes and interests.

An outdoors enthusiast, Eddie was an avid hunter who believed in the appeal of the great outdoors. His running foxhounds, always a subject of admiration, won multiple field trials in the 1970’s, later fostering his interest in training beagle hunting dogs. His favorite pastimes highlighted his love for nature; he loved fishing, camping, and spending quality time with his sons, grandsons and granddaughters in the wild, imparting his knowledge to the younger generations.

Eddie’s favorite local spots to take his family were the deer camps, where he showed his grandkids the thrill of hunting and fishing. His favorite vacation spots were anywhere he could fish, hunt, and camp. Under his stern yet self-assured demeanor lied a heart that found joy in sharing his passions with his loved ones.

Remembered by many as The Wood Hauler, his CB name, Eddie was a paragon of hard work who believed in doing things right the first time. He garnered accolades for efficiency and superior work ethic, a testament to his skillset and dedication.

Eddie’s legacy extends beyond his personal accomplishments. His family remembers him as a man who loved deeply. His children and grandchildren were his world, and he cherished every moment spent with his brothers on camping trips. His paramount joy was being surrounded by family in the heart of nature, something he considered the best life could offer.

With a life marked by love, hard work, and a devotion to simple pleasures, Eddie Strother leaves behind a legacy of strength, diligence, and family unity.

Lastly, but most importantly, at about 6 years ago, Eddie gave his life to Jesus Christ and became a born again, child of God. We know he is with Jesus.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Janice Evans; brother in law, Billy Henry; and one infant brother and one infant sister.

Eddie is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Colleen Strother of Mena; two sons, and daughtersin-law, Tim and Jewell Strother of Mena, and Stacy and Priscilla Strother of Siloam Springs; brothers and sisters-in-law, JB and Gay- le Strother of Hatfield, Freddie and Beverly Strother of Eagleton, Ronnie and Liz Strother of Yocana, Jerry and Kathy Strother of Ink; two sisters, Lou Henry of Mena, and Carolyn Marquardt of Ink; one brother-in-law, David Evans of Ink; six grandchildren, Blake Strother and wife Megan, Brock Strother, McKenzie Strother, Braxlie Bishop and husband Quinn, and Autumn Strother, Trevor Brown; two great-grandchildren, Daya Brown and Everest Bishop; several nephews and nieces and a host of other relatives and friends.

A funeral service was held on Friday, November 3, 2023, at 1:00 PM, at the Bowser Family Funeral Home Chapel in Mena, Arkansas, with Brother Stacy Strother officiating. Interment followed at the Concord Cemetery in Ink, Arkansas, under the direction of Bowser Family Funeral Home in Mena, Arkansas. A visitation was held prior to the service on Friday, November 3, 2023, from 12:00 - 1:00 PM, at the Bowser Family Funeral Home Chapel in Mena, Arkansas.

Pallbearers were Blake Strother, Brock Strother, Quinn Bishop, Adam Strother, Jacob Strother and Elgie “Razz” Evans.

Abilene, Texas.

Judy loved the Lord with all her heart, she was an active member of the Christ Community Fellowship Church in Mena. Her church family was very important to her, and she enjoyed nightly bible studies with her family. Judy had a heart of gold and was always looking for ways to make the lives of those around her better. She loved hard, and will be dearly missed by all her family, friends, and everyone who was lucky enough to know her.

She is preceded in death by her parents; and her brother, Milton Harned Jr..

Judy is survived by her loving husband of 27 years, Brien Sickler; two daughters and son in law, Jennifer and Sam Norman of Mena, and Michelle Block of Hot Springs; granddaughter, Devyn Purcell of Mena; one sister, Peggy Parkinson of California; two nieces and their families, Paula Gerhart and Christina Randall of California; mother in laws, Lynne Sickler of California, Cindy Sickler of Mena; sister in law, Wendy and husband, Buffalo Scott of Mena; brother in law, Jason and wife, Jessica Holiday of Kansas; brother, Gary Sickler of California; and best friend, Susan Patterson of Illinois; and a host of other relatives, friends, and church family.

Judy Gail Sickler, age 69, of Mena, Arkansas, went to be with the

Lord on Friday, November 10, 2023. She was born on Thursday, November 11, 1954, to Milton M. Harned Sr. and Lillian J. Davis Harned in

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 2:00 PM, at the Christ Community Fellowship in Mena, Arkansas with Brother Bobby Blasingame officiating. Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Bowser Family Funeral Home in Mena, Arkansas.

Online guestbook: bowserffh.com