Arkansas
Miss Arkansas wins Miss America’s Teen 2025; Miss Alabama is first runner-up
Peyton Bolling was crowned Miss America’s Teen 2025 on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
Bolling, who competed as Miss Arkansas’ Teen, is from Rogers and attends Bentonville High School. She performed a jazz dance in the pageant’s talent competition on Saturday. The teen pageant — which includes talent, evening gown and on-stage question segments — is part of the Miss America organization.
Along with the title of Miss America’s Teen, Bolling will receive $50,000 in scholarship money and a yearlong reign, according to the Miss America organization. During her year as Miss America’s Teen, Bolling will travel across the country and use her platform to raise awareness about her philanthropic effort, known as Simple Acts of Citizenship. She’ll also serve as a role model for young girls and a brand ambassador for the Miss America’s Teen program.
Ali Mims, Miss Alabama’s Teen, was named first-runner up for Miss America’s Teen on Saturday and earned $10,000 in scholarship money. Mims, from Harpersville, was featured throughout the finals event and performed a soprano aria during the talent competition, singing “O Mio Babbino Caro” (“Oh, my Dear Papa”) from Giacomo Puccini’s 1918 opera “Gianni Schicchi.”
Also, Mims was one of three winners in Tuesday’s evening gown preliminary for Miss America’s Teen, earning a $3,000 scholarship.
Mims is a student at Chelsea High School. Her philanthropic platform for Miss Alabama’s Teen is the Joyful Noise Foundation: Music Education for the Special Needs Community, It raises money to put musical instruments in special needs classes.
A total of 51 teens were in the running for 2025, competing in preliminary events this week and the finals on Saturday at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando. All had previously been crowned at pageants in their home states or Puerto Rico.
Aside from Bolling and Mims, the top five finalists were:
- Brooke Bumgarner, Miss Mississippi’s Teen 2024 (second-runner up)
- Abigail Mignucci, Miss New Jersey’s Teen 2024 (third runner-up)
- Macie Krause, Miss Texas’ Teen 2024 (fourth runner-up)
As runners-up, Bumgarner, Mignucci and Krause each earned $10,000 in scholarship money, according to the Miss America organization. The finals were livestreamed on the Miss America YouTube channel and PageantVision.com.
The top 11 contestants for Miss America’s Teen were:
- Ali Mims, Miss Alabama’s Teen 2024
- Keira Bixler, Miss California’s Teen 2024
- Melissa Le, Miss Louisiana’s Teen 2024
- Peyton Bolling, Miss Arkansas’ Teen 2024
- Nicole McClain, Miss Hawaii’s Teen 2024
- Kynlee Schultheis, Miss Oklahoma’s Teen 2024
- Macie Krause, Miss Texas’ Teen 2024
- Abigail Mignucci, Miss New Jersey’s Teen 2024
- Carrington Manous, Miss Georgia’s Teen 2024
- Avery Bradley, Miss Iowa’s Teen 2024
- Brooke Bumgarner, Miss Mississippi’s Teen 2024
Arkansas
Arkansas basketball drops back out of AP Top 25
The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-3, 0-1 SEC) fell back out of the AP College Basketball Top 25 on Monday.
The drop out of the rankings comes after Arkansas split its games last week. The Hogs took a 92-62 win over Oakland to finish the non-conference slate, but were thrashed 76-52 on the road by No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday to open conference play.
The Razorbacks did, however, receive the second-most votes of unranked teams.
This week isn’t much easier for the Hogs, who will face two teams ranked in the Top 25, though the two games come at home. No. 23 Ole Miss comes to Fayetteville on Wednesday and the Hogs will face No. 8 Florida on Saturday.
All told, there are nine SEC teams in the AP Poll: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 8 Florida, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 23 Ole Miss.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Razorbacks rank 40th overall (12.5 BPI, 11th in SEC) with a 5.6 offensive and 7.0 defensive rating. Arkansas is projected to finish with an 18.8-12.2 (7.8-10.2 SEC) overall record and it has a 0.2% chance to win the SEC.
Despite the blowout loss on Saturday, Arkansas’ NET ranking actually improved one spot from last Monday. The Razorbacks sit at No. 40, up from No. 43 last week. The Hogs are 1-3 in Quad 1 games, 1-0 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4.
Here is the full AP Top 25 from Monday:
Arkansas
3 area athletes, 1 coach selected for All-Arkansas Preps football team
Arkansas
Texarkana, Arkansas, Board of Directors to appoint assistant mayor, consider runway project | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
TEXARKANA, Ark. — A long-serving city leader will be installed as assistant mayor Monday at the Board of Directors’ first regular meeting of 2025.
Ward 2 Director Laney Harris will take the oath of office in line with a 2023 ordinance that lays out the order directors are appointed to the one-year term of assistant mayor.
The rotation, which began in 2023, is Ward 1, Ward 6, Ward 2, Ward 4, Ward 5 and Ward 3.
Ward 6 Director Jeff Hart, who did not seek reelection in November, was the assistant mayor in 2024.
Harris represented Ward 2 for two terms until 2005 and has been re-elected every four years since 2008.
In other business, the board will consider a resolution authorizing Airport Executive Director Paul Mehrlich to enter a contract with McClelland Engineering for a runway strengthening project at Texarkana Regional Airport. The project is for the 6,602-foot asphalt runway designated as 4-22.
McClelland has given a cost of $502,203.20 for engineering and design. The state of Arkansas will cover $451,982.88 of the fee, with the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, absorbing $22,503.73. The city of Texarkana, Texas, will be left with the remaining $27,716.59.
The two Texarkanas jointly own the airport.
The Arkansas side’s share of the expense was part of its budget for fiscal year 2024, according to meeting documents.
In August 2024, the Arkansas Legislative Council approved $16.7 million for upgrades at the nearly 100-year-old airfield.
“The infrastructure improvements will include the expansion of the runway and taxiways that will enable the airport to take on cargo and maintenance repair overhaul work. The improvements will also equip the airport to support larger aircraft, including the Boeing 777,” according to a news release.
The Board of Directors meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 216 Walnut St.
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