Randy Moll | Stories

Blooming Daffodils Daffodils bloom along a roadside on March 22 in Northwest Arkansas, The annual early spring blooms in pastures and along roads often indicate the past location of a farmhouse or rural home. March 28, 2023

Spring sports in full swing at local schools WESTSIDE -- Spring sports are in full swing at schools in Decatur, Gentry and Gravette. Whether on the baseball or softball diamonds, the soccer fields, or on the track, there are ample opportunities ... March 28, 2023

RELIGION: Why are some saved and others condemned? "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that H... March 28, 2023

Gentry board rehires school administrators GENTRY -- Following a short executive session, Gentry's school board, on March 13, approved contract extensions for the school principals and administrative staff. Approved by the board was the one-ye... March 20, 2023

Gentry girls take big win over Dardanelle GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers picked up a big 12-2 win over the visiting Dardanelle Sand Lizards on Monday, March 13, in the Merrill Reynolds Memorial Sports Complex at Gentry High School. The Gentry gi... March 20, 2023

Lady Pioneers have, win, tie and loss on soccer field GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers had a win, a tie and a loss last week on the soccer field. The Gentry girls had a big 6-2 win over the Bentonville-West junior varsity team on Monday, March 13. Destiny Rei... March 20, 2023

Lions outscore Wolverines, 12-6 GRAVETTE -- The Lions stole the lead with an eight-run fifth inning for a 12-6 victory over the Wolverines of Vian, Okla., on Tuesday, March 14. Vian was up 4-3 coming into the bottom of the fifth but... March 20, 2023

Pioneers pick up baseball wins last week GENTRY -- It wasn't much of a contest for the Pioneers when they hosted the Decatur Bulldogs on the baseball diamond in Gentry on March 14. The Pioneers scored 11 runs in the first inning and another ... March 20, 2023

Lady Lions come back early to down Lady Mounties GRAVETTE -- The Lady Lions were down 1-0 after two innings of play against the visiting Lady Mounties from Rogers but plated two runners in the third and held on for a 2-1 win on March 13 at Gravette ... March 20, 2023

Some Decatur sports programs on hold, others flourishing DECATUR -- Having enough athletes to field a team has become a problem for some sports programs in Decatur. The varsity girls' basketball team ran short of players this past season and the upcoming sc... March 20, 2023

RELIGION: You must be born again! "...Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ... unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." John 3:3,5; Read John 3:1-8 When Nicodemus, a Pharis... March 20, 2023

Military equipment passes through on railcars A long trainload of military vehicles passed through Decatur on railcars on March 13. Mike Eckels/Special to the Eagle Observer Loaded on several flatcars, an M977 HEMTT (heavy expanded mobil... March 20, 2023

Ramon Frank Rigenhagen Ramon Frank Rigenhagen Ramon Frank Rigenhagen, 83, died Friday, March 10, 2023, at his home in Bella Vista, Ark. He was born June 17, 1939, in Mountain Lake, Minn, to Frank and Inga (Johnson) Rigenhag... March 14, 2023

Gravette girls take first in running events GRAVETTE -- The Gravette girls finished in first place and the boys in fourth at the Gravette Running Festival held in Lion Stadium on Friday afternoon. Gentry boys finished in sixth and the girls in ... March 14, 2023

Gentry council restricts horseback riding and through truck traffic in city GENTRY -- The city council in Gentry, at its regular meeting on March 6, passed ordinances relating to setbacks for structures in the agricultural zone, through-truck traffic on Main Street, regulatin... March 14, 2023

Lions shut out Providence, suffer three losses GRAVETTE -- After a 13-0 shutout win over Providence Academy on March 6, the Lions were shut out, 5-0, by visiting Van Buren on March 7 and lost two doubleheader games at Harrison on the weekend, 6-2 ... March 14, 2023

Pioneers down Golden Arrows GENTRY -- The Pioneers picked up a big 12-1 victory when they traveled to Lavaca on March 7 to play the Golden Arrows. Gentry scored 12 runs on 10 hits and three Lavaca errors in the game. Lavaca had ... March 14, 2023

RELIGION: Does Jesus entrust Himself to you? "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and ... March 14, 2023

Lady Lions on winning streak GRAVETTE -- The Lady Lions are off to a winning season on the softball diamond with five wins and no losses. Though some early games had to be canceled because of conflict with the state basketball to... March 14, 2023

Lady Pioneers start season with mixed results GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers have gotten off to a mixed start in the 2023 softball season with both big wins and big losses. The Lady Pioneers fell in a slugfest at Springdale on Feb. 27 by a score of ... March 14, 2023

OPINION: Don’t ‘leaf’ your health to luck With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, you may be hoping for the faith, hope, love and luck often associated with the holiday. While we wish all of those for you, your health is one thing you ... March 14, 2023

OPINION: Just how tolerant must I be? Have you noticed the big emphasis in recent years on tolerance? It's everywhere -- on the radio and TV, in print media, and it is taught to our kids in public schools. I can understand an emphasis on ... March 14, 2023

Smartt hired as principal at intermediate school GENTRY -- Following an executive session, the school board in Gentry, on Monday, Feb. 27, changed the status of Kristen Smartt from the interim principal at the intermediate school to the principal.Th... March 6, 2023

RELIGION: What would Jesus cast out of your life? Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a w... March 6, 2023

Candidates unopposed in local school board elections WESTSIDE -- The filing deadline for school board posts in Benton County was March 1, and the following candidates have filed for open positions in the Eagle Observer coverage area: Decatur School Dis... March 6, 2023

Gentry falls to Van Buren, blows out Green Forest, Cedarville GENTRY -- Crafton Beeler tallied four hits and led the Pioneers to a 14-1 win over Green Forest on Feb. 28. Beeler doubled in the first, second, and third innings and singled in the fourth. Gentry got... March 6, 2023

Lions win one, lose one by 6-5 score GRAVETTE -- The Lions got out to a six-run lead in the fourth inning and held on for a 6-5 victory over Greenwood on Feb. 28.Greenwood scored five runs in a failed comeback attempt in the fifth on a s... March 6, 2023

Highfill discusses sewer line route, police car purchase HIGHFILL -- The city council in Highfill, at its Feb. 13 meeting, rezoned lands belonging to SK Land holdings LLC, accepted the final plat of Phase 2 of the Healing Springs Subdivision and approved th... February 28, 2023

Pioneers fall to Panthers in opening game of baseball season GENTRY -- The visiting Panthers from Siloam Springs scored 19 runs on eight hits and 11 Gentry errors in order to defeat the Gentry Pioneers by a score of 19 to 6 on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Panthers sco... February 28, 2023

RELIGION: What does Jesus’ turning water into wine reveal to us? On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of J... February 28, 2023

Highfill council hears road complaint, appoints council member and city recorder/treasurer HIGHFILL -- The city council in Highfill, at its Jan. 10 meeting, heard a road complaint and filled a council seat and the recorder/treasurer post by appointment. Evan Reynolds addressed the council d... February 21, 2023

A visit to Natural Dam on a cloudy day Natural Dam is easy to access and a parking area is adjacent to the falls. Natural Dam's waterfall tumbles about 8 feet over the rock barrier at the edge of the Ozark National Forest. It's one Arkansa... February 21, 2023

RELIGION: Do you have guile in your heart? "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" John 1:47 Read John 1:43-51 When Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, saying, "We have found him,... February 21, 2023

Parker Dean Roberts Parker Dean Roberts Parker Dean Roberts was born on May 5, 1941. His parents were Raymond Roberts and Levonne (Brattain) Roberts. He married Ella Faye Shields on Dec. 20, 1959, sharing 63 years of mar... February 17, 2023

Gentry council accepts bid on drainage project, tables action on nuisance property lien GENTRY -- The city council in Gentry, at its Feb. 6 meeting, accepted a bid for the West Main Street drainage project funded by a community development block grant, tabled action on a nuisance propert... February 14, 2023

Collision occurs at T-intersection GENTRY -- A two-vehicle accident occurred at the junction of West Main Street and Arkansas Highway 12 in Gentry on Thursday morning, close to 7:30 a.m. The accident caused extensive damage to the vehi... February 14, 2023

Gentry girls defeat Shiloh Christian GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers made quick work of the Lady Saints at Shiloh Christian on Feb. 8, outscoring the Lady Saints, 23 to 4 in the first quarter, 18 to 9 in the third and 10 to 3 in the fourth f... February 14, 2023

Lady Pioneers down Lady Eagles at Huntsville GENTRY -- The Lady Pioneers ended their regular season Friday at Huntsville with a 30-point win over the Lady Eagles, 59 to 29. Gentry senior Alyssa McCarthy led her teammates in the opening quarter b... February 14, 2023

RELIGION: Yes, you can tell others about Jesus "Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. T... February 14, 2023

OPINION: A change in thinking can make winter days more enjoyable About this time of year, it's easy to catch spring fever, especially since this month's ice and snow have given way to some days of sunshine and spring-like weather. But I've made up my mind not to ru... February 14, 2023

Sleet, ice and snow close schools, businesses WESTSIDE -- A wintry mix including rain, sleet, and snow fell in the area last week, beginning on Tuesday, and forced the closing of schools and some businesses. Schools were closed Tuesday through Fr... February 7, 2023

GYO wrestlers prepare to grapple in state tournament GENTRY -- The Gentry Youth Organization's wrestling program, now in its second year, will be sending a group of your grapplers to state competition in Little Rock this weekend. On Saturday, the wrestl... February 7, 2023

Snowy Bridge Snowy bridge February 7, 2023

Birds brave icy weather at Eagle Watch Photos from Eagle Watch on cold, snowy day Randy Moll/Westside Eagle Observer A Wilson's snipe wades along the waters of the creek which runs along the Eagle Watch Nature Trail on Jan. 31, fo... February 7, 2023

Unusual animal photos from the past Unusual animal photos from the past Randy Moll/Westside Eagle Observer Before moving to Arkansas, I had plenty of opportunties to photograph horses and livestock in the fields and pastures on... February 7, 2023

Can AI apps replace newspaper reporters and editors? This past week, with my grandson having numerous AMI (alternative methods of instruction) assignments due to the closing of the schools because of ice and snow, we experimented a little with an AI (ar... February 7, 2023

RELIGION: Look to the Lamb of God! "Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." ... February 7, 2023

Jimmie Rich Jimmie Wayne Rich Jimmie Wayne Rich, 46, of Decatur, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, at his residence. He was born Sept. 20, 1976, in Stillwell, Okla., to Joyce Crisp and James Rich. He was a lifetime res... February 1, 2023

School district opens laundry facility for homeless students GENTRY -- While most parents and students take the wearing of clean clothes for granted, the opportunity to wash clothes for wear to school is not available to all. And now, the Gentry School District... January 31, 2023

New member appointed to Gentry School Board GENTRY -- A new board member was appointed and the superintendent was evaluated at the school board meeting in Gentry on Jan. 23. Chad Amos was appointed to fill the unexpired term of John Holt, the Z... January 31, 2023

Stories by Randy Moll

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