Arkansas
Arkansas family identified as victims in explosion near Whitmore Lake
NORTHFIELD TWP. — A holiday weekend explosion killed four members of an Arkansas family visiting a grandfather near Whitmore Lake.
Northfield Township Police and Fire were dispatched around 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, to a home in the 8200 block of Winters Lane. Upon arrival, they found a single-family home leveled by an explosion, leaving a debris field that covered roughly two acres of property. Only the basement remained.
More: Death toll rises to 4 in devastating Northfield Twp. house explosion
Responders learned there were six occupants in the home at the time of the explosion, and police began a search while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. By the following afternoon, four were confirmed dead and two were hospitalized.
Green Oak Township Police and Fire, Hamburg Township Fire, Ann Arbor Township Fire, Salem Township Fire, Huron Valley Ambulance, Washtenaw County Emergency Management, the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and HART Huron Valley assisted in the response.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion is expected to last several days. While police have yet to identify the victims officially, longtime family friend Michelle Bennett told The Detroit News the deceased are Hope Bragg, 51; her husband Don Bragg, 53; and their adult children, Kenny and Elizabeth Bragg. That information was confirmed in a social media post from a cousin in Nevada.
According to Bennett, a third adult child, Stephen Bragg, is expected to survive, along with Hope’s father, Rich Pruden, 72. The family was visiting Pruden at his Northfield Township home for the holidays.
A message left Tuesday with first responders regarding any potential updates to the investigation was not immediately answered.
“It’s a shock — everyone’s walking around in a daze right now,” Bennett told The News. “It’s just miraculous that Rick and Stephen survived. It looks like they’re both going to make a full physical recovery, but mentally, I have no idea what this is going to do to them.”
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Rev. Steve Hoffer, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Las Vegas, requested prayers for the family in a Facebook post the night of the explosion. Hoffer said Hope is his cousin and Pruden is his uncle.
“Please pray for the Bragg and Pruden family,” Hoffer wrote. “Also pray for your families. If you have not spoken to a family member in a while, do so today because you never know what will happen tomorrow.”
— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many Arkansans are asking the question: How much will my Thanksgiving dinner cost?
According to new data from the Arkansas Farm Bureau, your Thanksgiving meal may cost less than it did in 2024.
The Farm Bureau released its findings from its annual Thanksgiving Dinner Survey, and it found that meal prices across the board are lower than it has been since before the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“It’s about a 20% drop from last year. I think we said it was around $71 last year and $56 this year,” Director of Commodity Economics with the Arkansas Farm Bureau, Tyler Oxner, said.
According to the survey, the total average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for a family of 10 in 2025 is $56.77, which is $5.68 a person. In 2024, the total cost was $71.29, which is $7.13 a person. The pricing decrease is also evident across various items.
“The protein is what we’re seeing the biggest decrease in. We got a 7% decrease in turkeys year over year. About a third of the price of last year’s ham,” states Oxner.
A 16-pound turkey cost $15.13, or $0.94 per pound. In 2025, that same turkey may cost $14.10 and .88 a pound.
The survey also reports that a 4-pound ham cost Arkansans $21 last year. Now it’s costing $14.07, a 34% decrease.
Several classic Thanksgiving sides have also seen a decline in average cost:
- -3-pound bag of Sweet Potatoes from $3.03 to $2.40 (21% decrease)
- -5-pound bag of Russet Potatoes from $2.97 to $2.47 (17% decrease)
- -12-ounce package of Fresh Cranberries from $1.83 to $1.43 (22% decrease)
- -16-ounce package of Frozen Green Peas from $1.44 to $1.02 (29% decrease)
- -16-ounce package of Frozen Green Beans from $1.77 to $1.57 (11% decrease)
- -9-inch Frozen Pie Shells from $3.29 to $1.94 (41% decrease)
- -14-ounce package of Cube Stuffing, Herb Seasoning from $3.99 to $2.61 (35% decrease)
- -12-count package of Dinner Rolls from $4.20 to $1.68 (60% decrease)
- -30-ounce can of Pumpkin Pie Mix from $4.20 to $3.98 (5% decrease)
- -1 gallon of Whole Milk from $4.23 to $3.64 (14% decrease)
Some products did not see the same declines. The price of 1 pound of fresh carrots increased by 12%, jumping from $1.04 to $1.16. The price of 1 bunch of fresh celery jumped up by 66%, from $1.05 to $1.74. A 1/2-pint carton of whipping cream also soared by 54%, increasing from $1.92 to $2.96.
Of course, this all depends on where you shop.
“You’re going to see, depending on what grocery store you go to, what promotional deals they have going on at those stores,” says Oxner.
“Arkansas is normally cheaper, and the South in general is normally cheaper than the rest of the United States,” he adds.
These prices not only depend on what retailer you shop at, but what county you shop in.
The survey reports that prices on Thanksgiving meals range from $50.89 in Boone County to $68.36 in Garland County. All of the other counties that the Farm Bureau surveyed came in under $60:
- -Hempstead County: $51.27
- -Faulkner County: $53.58
- -Craighead County: $55.89
- -Sevier County: $56.34
- -Sharp County: $57.48
- -Carroll County: $58.46
- -Lonoke County: $58.54
Oxner credits these pricing trends to one group.
“Arkansas families may see lower prices for their traditional Thanksgiving meal, and they just need to know that this is the work of those Arkansas farmers out there that are working tirelessly to provide sustainable food.”
Oxner says that these prices have the potential to continue to decline in the coming years, but that all depends on various factors, such as changing transportation and production costs, as well as if the Avian Influenza becomes a problem again in Arkansas like it was in 2024.
The Texas Longhorns desperately needed a much better performance this week than they put together a week ago in their loss against Georgia. And the Longhorns got exactly what they needed after a dominant blowout 52-37 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks, which was the first time Texas scored 50 points in a game since 2019.
Texas won’t have the chance to linger and wait around when it comes to its opponent next weekend, with a battle against bitter rival the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies. The Lone Star Showdown returns to Austin for the first time since the rivalries’ renewal, with the undefeated Aggies looking to punch their ticket to the SEC championship game and the Longhorns trying to salvage any chance at the postseason.
Taking a closer look at the Longhorns after their comfortable win against the Razorbacks, here are this week’s position group grades.
Anytime you can be the first player ever to do something in Texas program history, you know it was a good day, as Arch Manning had a career day against the Razorbacks.
Manning finished the game 18 of 30 passing for a career high 389 yards, four touchdowns, an impressive 91.7 quarterback rating, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown, becoming the first player in Longhorns history to ever pass, run, and catch a touchdown in a single game.
Manning looked comfortable in the pocket and confident under duress finding deep shots throughout the day, the quarterback is finally playing the way people expected and at the perfect time.
It’s been a constant struggle to find any sort of rhythm and reliable running game that the Longhorns could depend on.
While the Longhorns did get a push on a few carries with leading running back Quintrevion Wisner finishing the game with 67 yards on 15 carries, the Razorbacks running defense had been one of the worst in the SEC, and the Longhorns were not able to take advantage of that fact.
After last week’s drop fest in Athens, the Longhorns’ pass catchers shone against the Arkansas secondary, with all of their main receivers having big days. Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. had his best game as a Longhorn with his three catches for 74 yards, all of which were for touchdowns. Wide receiver Parker Livingstone was a deep threat, averaging 52 yards per reception with two receptions for 104 yards and a passing touchdown on the trick play.
Receivers Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley also made themselves present, both totaling 81 receiving yards, with Wingo having six receptions and Mosley recording four. Even tight end Jack Endries got involved with two receptions for 49 yards.
The Longhorns’ offensive line has been finding a rhythm throughout the back half of the season, even while giving up three sacks last week in Athens. The protection held up, and on Saturday against the Razorbacks, the unit did more than enough to help out the offense.
For just the third time this season, the Longhorns’ offensive line kept Manning clean by not allowing a single sack throughout the matchup, and in terms of run blocking, the unit cleaned up better than it has, allowing just two tackles-for-loss.
Saturday was not the best performance out of the Longhorns’ defense, giving up a total of 512 yards of offense to the Razorbacks, 324 of the yards through the air and 188 on the ground.
While the Texas defense was able to slow down the Razorbacks’ offense in the second half before running up the score and the Longhorns brought in the backups, the first half was rough. The game started with a long 40-yard rip by the Arkansas running back on the first play from scrimmage. The Texas defense allowed 105 rushing yards just in the first quarter, the first time that happened all season. The first half ended with Arkansas totaling 253 yards of total offense, 157 of those on the ground.
However, there were bright spots; the Longhorns were able to continue creating turnovers, with an interception by Jelani McDonald that was cashed into points by the offense, and then a sack-fumble from Colin Simmons turned into a fumble return for a touchdown by Liona Lefau.
After what was a disastrous showing of special teams play a week ago, it was back to normal for the Longhorns’ special teams unit.
Kicker Mason Shipley was perfect, converting all of his kicks: one 44-yard field goal and then all seven of his extra points. Punter Jack Bouwmeester continued being a weapon with his three punts netting 109 yards and two of which were downed inside the opposing team’s 20-yard line. And return man Ryan Niblett had just one opportunity, returning a kickoff for 19 yards.
While no game-changing plays came on the third phase of the game, an outing with no mistakes on special teams will be very much welcomed after last week’s game.
Arkansas (2-8) at No. 10 Texas (7-3), Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m. EST.
How to watch: ABC
Key stats
Texas Offense
Overall: 370.7 yards per game (80th in FBS)
Passing: 246.6 yards per game (50th)
Rushing: 124.1 yards per game (103rd)
Scoring: 27.6 points per game (68th)
Texas Defense
Overall: 318.3 yards per game (23rd in FBS)
Passing: 235.1 yards per game (92nd)
Rushing: 83.2 yards per game (6th)
Scoring: 18.3 points per game (15th)
Arkansas Offense
Overall: 470.0 yards per game (13th in FBS)
Passing: 264.6 yards per game (33rd)
Rushing: 205.4 yards per game (18th)
Scoring: 34.1 points per game (25th)
Arkansas Defense
Overall: 426.5 yards per game (123rd in FBS)
Passing: 245.3 yards per game (108th)
Rushing: 181.2 yards per game (115th)
Scoring: 32.3 points per game (121st)
Texas ranks 25th in FBS in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert on 33.8% of third downs.
Arkansas is 129th in the FBS with a -10 turnover margin, compared to Texas’ 12th-ranked +8 margin.
Texas ranks 119th in the FBS with 65.3 penalty yards per game.
Arkansas ranks 114th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on % of trips.
Team leaders
Texas
Passing: Arch Manning, 2,374 yards, 19 TDs, 7 INTs, 62.7 completion percentage
Rushing: Quintrevion Wisner, 375 yards on 97 carries, 3 TDs
Receiving: Ryan Wingo, 655 yards on 40 catches, 6 TDs
Arkansas
Passing: Taylen Green, 2,537 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs, 62.1 completion percentage
Rushing: Mike Washington, 913 yards on 140 carries, 7 TDs
Receiving: O’Mega Blake, 678 yards on 51 catches, 4 TDs
Last game
Texas fell to Georgia 35-10 on Saturday, Nov. 15. Manning led Texas with 251 yards on 27-of-43 passing (62.8%) for one touchdown and one interception. Wisner had 37 rushing yards on nine carries, adding two receptions for 10 yards. DeAndre Moore Jr. recorded 75 yards on five catches.
Arkansas lost 23-22 to LSU on Saturday, Nov. 15. Green passed for 165 yards on 11-of-19 attempts (57.9%) with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards and one rushing touchdown. Washington had 85 rushing yards on 13 carries and one touchdown, adding one reception for six yards. Raylen Sharpe put up 65 yards on four catches.
Next game
Texas hosts No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 28. Arkansas hosts Missouri on Nov. 29.
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