(Reuters) – Jaylen Smith, who counts his highschool commencement earlier this yr amongst his prime accomplishments, can now add yet one more: election as mayor of small-town Earle, Arkansas, on the age of 18.
Smith beat out Nemi Matthews, superintendent of sanitation and streets in Earle, by a margin of 235 to 183 votes on Tuesday, in line with native media.
The city, situated in japanese Arkansas, about 30 miles west of the Mississippi River and Memphis, Tennessee, has a inhabitants of 1,831, in line with the 2020 census.
“It’s Time to Construct a Higher Chapter of Earle, Arkansas,” Smith stated on his Fb web page following the Election Evening victory, echoing his marketing campaign slogan and thanking his supporters.
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“My mother cannot cease crying,” Smith instructed the Washington Publish on Wednesday.
Through the marketing campaign Smith, who graduated from Earle Excessive College in Might, referred to as for enhancing public security, restoring or eradicating deserted properties and buildings and implementing new emergency preparedness plans.
“Why ought to I’ve to be nice someplace else once I could possibly be nice in Earle, Arkansas?” he instructed the Publish.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Enhancing by Invoice Berkrot)
Former Arkansas offensive tackle Ty’Kieast Crawford has changed his mind on his destination for this fall and is transferring to West Virginia, his agents told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pounder had originally committed to play for UCLA in 2025, but now the mammoth tackle has pivoted and has decided to play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown this fall. Crawford started 9 games along the Razorbacks’ offensive line.
Crawford’s collegiate journey has already taken him to multiple schools. He began his career at Charlotte, choosing to play there over the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Purdue, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC and, ironically, West Virginia. So Crawford will now have played for 2 of the schools he originally spurned, in Arkansas and West Virginia.
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But Crawford didn’t last long at Charlotte, playing just 1 season for the 49ers. He entered the transfer portal and ended up at Arkansas after spurning the Razorbacks in his original recruiting process. Crawford appeared in 33 games for the Razorbacks over the course of 4 seasons, making 9 starts.
He will have 1 more year of eligibility left when he arrives in Morgantown to play for Rodriguez this fall.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
After last week’s winter storm, several Arkansas school districts have announced that they will remain closed or will open late on Monday because of icy road conditions in neighborhoods and secondary streets:
* Benton School District: Closed.
* Booneville School District: Closed.
* Bryant School District: Closed.
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* Cabot School District: Schools will have a 2-hour delayed start.
* Conway School District: School will start at 10 a.m. after a 2-hour delay. Snow bus routes will be in effect.
* Greenbrier School District: Closed.
* Hot Springs School District: Closed.
* Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District: Closed. District offices and departments will open.
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* Little Rock School District: Closed. However, all 12-month employees, school administration and custodians should report to work at regularly scheduled times.
* North Little Rock School District: Closed. District Central Office sites will open at 10 a.m. Monday.
* Pulaski County Special School District: Closed. District offices will be open for those who can safely report to work, including auxiliary offices. School staff who are 244-day employees will be expected to report to work as well.
* Sheridan School District: Closed.
This list is based on school district news releases and social media posts, and it is not comprehensive. For information on other Arkansas school districts, patrons are asked to consult their school’s website or district app.
While the Arkansas Razorbacks have been hitting the transfer portal hard, it is partially as a result of having more than 20 scholarship players decide to enter the portal after a 6-6 regular season that was capped off with a Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech on Dec. 27.
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The transfer portal officially opened Dec. 9 and it was open for a 30 day window through Dec. 28. There is also an additional five-day window for players to enter once their season is over, plus there will be an additional 10-day portal window from April 16-25.
ALSO READ: Arkansas Football 2025 Roster Tracker
HawgBeat provides a look at where former Razorbacks have transferred so far…
Note: “GP” denotes games played. Even if a player appears on special teams, that counts as a game played.
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OL Patrick Kutas – Ole Miss
From: Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, TN)