Stories by Graham Thomas

Panthers end drought at Russellville RUSSELLVILLE -- Siloam Springs' boys win at Russellville on Friday was a long time coming.Six years in fact.The Panthers picked up their first road win at Russellville since the 2016-17 season wit... January 25, 2023

Lady Panthers rally from slow start RUSSELLVILLE -- Siloam Springs' girls basketball team didn't get off to a great start in its game at Russellville on Friday, but the Lady Panthers sure enjoyed how it finished.The Lady Panther... January 25, 2023

JBU men win second straight The John Brown men's basketball team is finally healthy and the results are starting to show.The Golden Eagles won their second straight game Saturday, this time taking down Texas Wesleyan 83-79 i... January 25, 2023

Golden Eagles hand No. 17 Rams first SAC loss Tarrah Stephens and John Brown were not going to be denied on Saturday against one of the top teams in the nation.Stephens scored a season-high 29 points and the Golden Eagles rallied from a slow star... January 25, 2023

OPINION: The business of building dreams Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." While traveling a while back, we noticed a sign in a small local retail establishment conveying what I ... January 25, 2023

Panthers knock off Alma at home Over the course of the season, Siloam Springs has had different players step up, at times scoring to help basketball standouts Dalton Newman and Nate Vachon.The Panthers enjoyed one of their more bala... January 18, 2023

Lady Panthers run by Alma, Greenbrier Siloam Springs wanted to keep Alma out of system on Tuesday, Jan. 19, and the best way for the Lady Panthers to do that was to play fast.That's just what Siloam Springs did in picking up a 56-31 m... January 18, 2023

Golden Eagles fall to SCU in overtime John Brown's women rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime against Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Saturday.Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, their luck ran ou... January 18, 2023

JBU men lose close one to SCU John Brown and Southwestern Christian (Okla.) went wire-to-wire Saturday afternoon inside Bill George Arena with neither team giving the other much room for error.In the end, SCU came up with the fina... January 18, 2023

ON TAP ON TAP(Editor's Note: Area coaches, please report schedule changes and game results to the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. Phone (479) 202-9255, FAX (479) 202-9309, or e-mail sports editor Graham Th... January 18, 2023

HEALTHY LIVING: Five foods that boost immunity We all say it when we feel the first inklings of a stuffy nose, a sore throat or a slight cough – "I can't afford to get sick right now." None of us has the time or energy to take off work, stay... January 18, 2023

Community Digest Beekeeping basics class offered The Northwest Arkansas Beekeepers Association will offer a free two-part class on beekeeping basics from 6 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 in Waldrip Hall at the Don Ty... January 18, 2023

OPINION: Brick-n-mortar must become unique Graeme Simsion recently said, "There's definitely a role for online booksellers, but they can't host events, bring people together and form a personal relationship in the way a brick-and-mortar store ... January 18, 2023

Panthers outslug Bombers in 5A-West conference opener Siloam Springs got another big night from its senior scoring tandem of Dalton Newman and Nate Vachon and the result was a victory to kick off 5A-West Conference play.Newman and Vachon combined for 44 ... January 11, 2023

SSHS swimmers off to a strong start The Siloam Springs swim team is off to an exciting start to its 2022-23 season.The Panthers and Lady Panthers competed in two meets in the first semester -- Nov. 3 at Russellville and Dec. 7 at Spring... January 11, 2023

Lady Panthers fight off Mountain Home Having watched Mountain Home reel off nine straight points to start the second half and his own team turn the ball over four times in five possessions, first-year Siloam Springs coach Beau Tillery cal... January 11, 2023

Wright steps down as volleyball coach Siloam Springs' high school volleyball program will be under new leadership in 2023.Joellen Wright, head coach since 2017 and a mainstay in the Lady Panthers program since 1995, recently submitted... January 11, 2023

Ninth-grade girls win at the buzzer Reagan Bishop's buzzer-beating layup gave the Siloam Springs ninth-grade girls basketball team a 35-33 victory at Van Buren on Monday, Jan. 9.The Lady Panthers gave up a game-tying basket with 3.9... January 11, 2023

OPINION: Don’t upset mother Driving to church in the country one morning a while back, I saw an unusual sight. At first glance, it appeared to be a stampede of Black Angus cattle, something I had never seen before. But on closer... January 11, 2023

OPINION: State Cabinet picks make few ‘nervous,’ others ‘insightful’ Although I may later regret this first outpouring of positivity towards Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' cabinet level appointments, I'll stay with her to see how these individuals -- a few from out of st... January 11, 2023

Community Digest Siloam Springs Republican Women The Siloam Springs Republican Women will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the home of Laura Olson, 2303 N. Hope Lane. Julie Harris of Springdale will be the guest ... January 11, 2023

Hitting their stride GRAVETTE -- Coming off an impressive win against Bentonville in the semifinals Wednesday, Siloam Springs' girls couldn't afford a letdown Thursday.The Lady Panthers came out strong in the thir... January 4, 2023

Panthers take second at Gravette Christmas Tournament GRAVETTE -- Siloam Springs' boys didn't successfully defend their Gravette Christmas Tournament championship from a year ago, but the Panthers did take a step forward in getting ready for 5A-W... January 4, 2023

Couple to celebrate 50th anniversary Mike and Rosalinda Smith, of Siloam Springs, Ark., were married 50 years ago on Jan. 5 in Stilwell, Okla.They will celebrate this milestone with a meet-and-greet from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, bet... January 4, 2023

On Tap ON TAP (Editor's Note: Area coaches, please report schedule changes and game results to the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. Phone (479) 202-9255, FAX (479) 202-9309, or e-mail sports editor Graham Thoma... January 4, 2023

OPINION: How Wall Street extracts dollars from a community When I chose to name my weekly column, "Building Main Street, not Wall Street," I did so with the thought of providing information to small- and medium-sized communities, communities that often lack t... January 4, 2023

Community Digest A Widow's Heart A Widow's Heart will host its "Sew Happy" program on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Camp Siloam, 3600 S. Lincoln in Siloam Springs. Miriam Wolter, expert quilter, will be the guest speaker... January 4, 2023

On Tap Editor's Note: Area coaches, please report schedule changes and game results to the McDonald County Press. Phone 479-855-3724, or email Graham Thomas at [email protected] or Bennett Horne at bhorn... December 29, 2022

Hornets dominate District A-7 awards After an undefeated regular season, including a 7-0 mark in District A-7, the Colcord (Okla.) Hornets (13-1) dominated the district's postseason awards list. Eight Hornets were recognized for position... December 28, 2022

Herald-Leader obituaries for Wednesday, Dec. 28 Annis Ellen Burger Annis Ellen Burger, 75, of Gentry, Ark., died Dec. 25, 2022, at her home. She was born in Modesto, Calif., to Viola Davis Ludgate. She married Johnny Burger on Sept. 12, 1963, in Ph... December 28, 2022

Lady Panthers put up fight, fall at FS Northside The Siloam Springs girls basketball team lost 61-52 at Fort Smith Northside on Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Fort Smith. The Lady Bears (6-2) led 17-6 after the first quarter, but Siloam Springs (4-7) won the ... December 28, 2022

SSHS football players garner awards The Siloam Springs football program held its postseason awards banquet on Dec. 11 at Siloam Springs High School. The following awards were announced for the 2022 season: • 6A-West All-Conference Secon... December 28, 2022

STATE CHAMPIONS Siloam Springs' competitive cheer team has been knocking on the door of a state championship the last several years.The Panthers and Lady Panthers have had two state runner-up finishes in 2018 and... December 21, 2022

ON TAP (Editor's Note: Area coaches, please report schedule changes and game results to the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. Phone (479) 202-9255, FAX (479) 202-9309, or e-mail sports editor Graham Thomas at gt... December 21, 2022

Gravette Christmas Tournament Gravette Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-29 GIRLS Tuesday, Dec. 27 Game 1: Bentonville vs. Claremore, Okla.^10 a.m. Game 2: Siloam Springs vs. Dover^1 p.m. Game 3: Gravette vs. Lifeway Christian^4 p.m. G... December 21, 2022

Community Digest Bridge Club Siloam Springs Bridge Club meets to play bridge at 11 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month. The club is seeking new players who have a basic knowledge of the game. There ... December 21, 2022

OPINION: Christmas in uniform As Christmas Eve merges with Christmas Day, many thousands of Americans, most of them between the ages of 18 and 23, will be on watch in Arkansas, around the country and around the world. They'll be o... December 21, 2022

Lady Panthers place third in Inola, Okla. The Siloam Springs girls basketball team picked up its fourth win in the past five games with a 54-49 victory over Fort Gibson (Okla.) on Saturday in the third place game of the Jerry Oquin Invitation... December 14, 2022

Panthers edge Coweta, take third Points were hard to come by in the second half for Siloam Springs, but the Panthers managed to score just enough and got a huge defensive stop at the end for a 47-46 win over Coweta, Okla., in the thi... December 14, 2022

Mendez, Walter, Winingham earn NAIA All-America honors John Brown University women's soccer's Aubrey Mendez became the program's first-ever three-time NAIA All-America selection after earning a nod to the third team, the NAIA national office a... December 14, 2022

JBU women falter in double OT The John Brown women's basketball team can point to a number of different areas statistically that would have been the difference between winning and losing Monday night against University of Nort... December 14, 2022

Ninth-grade boys basketball team improves to 9-1 Ninth grade boysThe Siloam Springs ninth-grade boys improved to 9-1 on the season after a 31-19 win at Gravette on Monday, Dec. 12.The Panthers led 10-5 after the first quarter and 20-9 at halftime. S... December 14, 2022

Trailblazers clip JBU men in final seconds University of North Texas at Dallas guard Tariq Aman hit a fallaway jump shot with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Trailblazers to a 61-59 win over John Brown's men on Monday, Dec. 12, inside Bill Ge... December 14, 2022

Herald-Leader obituaries for Dec. 14, 2022 Teddi Gail Blagg Teddi Gail Blagg, 54, of Fayetteville, Ark., died Dec. 1, 2022, in Siloam Springs, Ark. She was born June 24, 1968, to Teddy Brown and Norma (Lemons) Brown in Pampa, Texas. She is pre... December 14, 2022

RELIGION: Herod the Great’s attempt to kill God One of the most horrific events associated with the birth of Christ was perpetrated by Herod the Great, the vassal king of Judea operating under the authority of Caesar Augustus. When the Magi showed ... December 14, 2022

Healthy Lady Panthers win second straight Injuries and illness have bit the Siloam Springs girls basketball team early in the season, but the Lady Panthers appear to be on the road to being well and healthy.That was evident on Friday as the L... December 7, 2022

Panthers flip script in fourth quarter Huntsville had Siloam Springs' boys on the ropes, leading by 10 early in the fourth quarter and appearing comfortably in control. But sometimes looks can be deceiving.Siloam Springs cranked up its... December 7, 2022

New look Langston smashes JBU The Langston men's basketball team's turnaround has been a big topic of discussion in basketball circles in recent months.John Brown got a first-hand look at the Lions on Saturday.No. 15-ranke... December 7, 2022

Stories by Graham Thomas

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