Photos for December 4, 2022

Junction City's Karla Castillo tries to score over Smackover's Jasmin Nelson. The Lady Dragons open conference play at Ouachita on Tuesday. The Lady Bucks travel to Drew Central.

Published on December 4, 2022

Richard Mason, columnist, El Dorado

Published on December 4, 2022

Early cold has caught this hydrangea before its leaves formed the abscission layer that lets them drop off the tree. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Published on December 4, 2022

Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus) is a deciduous plant with tiny, whitish green blooms in the summer followed by pink fruits that pop open to show red seeds. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Published on December 4, 2022

The earlier than usual onset of freezing weather could account for this gingko's having green leaves in November. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Published on December 4, 2022

This photo shows Charles Graves dressed as Santa Claus in Austin, Texas on on Sept. 3, 2022. Graves is a rare Deaf Santa in his first year donning the red suit as a professional. (Michael J. Samaripa via AP)

Published on December 4, 2022

This photo shows Eric Elliott and his wife, Moeisha Elliott, at home in Killeen, Texas, on Oct. 29, 2022. The Elliotts have invested in months of professional training to play Santa and Mrs. Claus but said some prospective clients aren’t looking for Black performers. (Eric Rex Elliott via AP)

Published on December 4, 2022

Arkansas State Police public information officer Bill Sadler in the ASP Hall of Honor on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, at the Arkansas State Police headquarters in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

Published on December 4, 2022

Arkansas State Police public information officer Bill Sadler (center) talks with Maj. Forrest Marks (left) and Col. Bill Bryant (right) on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, at the Arkansas State Police headquarters in Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

Published on December 4, 2022

The Kid Laroi appears at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022, left, and Justin Bieber appears at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on Sept. 13, 2021. “Stay,” the smash hit by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2022. (AP Photo)

Published on December 4, 2022

Baked Ricotta with blistered red peppers (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant)

Published on December 4, 2022

In this June 9, 2021, file photo, a sign announces that a Goodwill store is open in Santa Monica, Calif. Thrifting is hot, and Goodwill finds are cool again. But while we’re thrilled to find the perfect throwback tee for our own closet, gifting used goods still carries a stigma for some. It shouldn’t. Secondhand gifts are better for your wallet, your community and the environment. Buying a thrifted sweatshirt, jacket or vase keeps it from landing in a heap at the dump. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

Gas lamps illuminate St. Louis' Gaslight Square on April 2, 1962. "Gaslighting" — mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is Merriam-Webster's word of 2022. (AP Photo/JMH, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

(Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

(Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

(Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

(Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

(Matt Hutcheson/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

From left, Dianne Hammond, Jaren Books, Joanna Benson, Steve Leverette , Yancey Kyle, Vickie Pesnell, Michael O'Connell, Evan Covas, Gail Cole, Cindy Leverette, Wade Leverette, Lindsie Leverette, Bryan Hamilton, Tara Mason, Marcus Smith, Janice Hicks and Bill Luther are pictured. (Tandi Gill/News-Times)

Published on December 4, 2022

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Nov. 3, 2022, in Washington. The U.S. is at a pivotal point with China and will need military strength to ensure that American values, not Beijing's, set global norms in the 21st century, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Austin’s speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum capped a week where the Pentagon was squarely focused on China’s rise and what that might mean for America’s position in the world. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

Web designer Lorie Smith is shown in her office on Nov. 7, 2022, in the southwest part of Littleton, Colo. The Supreme Court is being warned about the potentially dire consequences of a case next week involving Smith, a Christian graphic artist, who objects to designing wedding websites for same-sex couples. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

A worker rides a rail car at a BNSF rail crossing in Saginaw, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Most railroad workers weren't surprised that Congress intervened this week to block a railroad strike, but they were disappointed because they say the deals lawmakers imposed didn't do enough to address their quality of life concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

Voters wait in line to make corrections to their ballots for the midterm elections at City Hall in Philadelphia, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. According to data from AP VoteCast, voters with no religious affiliation supported Democratic candidates and abortion rights by staggering percentages in the 2022 midterm elections. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Published on December 4, 2022

American soldiers patrol near prison that was attacked on Jan. 20 by the Islamic State militants in Hassakeh, Syria, Feb. 8, 2022. U.S. forces have stopped joint military patrols in northern Syria to counter Islamic State extremists, as Turkish threats of a ground invasion stymie those missions with Kurdish forces. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

John Duarte, a Republican candidate in California's 13th Congressional District, arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Duarte defeated Democrat Adam Gray in a new California U.S. House district in the Central Valley farm belt that produced the closest congressional contest in the state this year. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

French President Emmanuel Macron greets the crowd in New Orleans, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Published on December 4, 2022

A vehicle drives past the Jefferson oil drill site located in the residential area in Los Angeles, June 2, 2021. The Los Angeles City Council voted on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, unanimously to ban new oil and gas drill sites and phase out existing ones over the next 20 years on Friday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Published on December 4, 2022

Soldiers arrive in Soyapango, El Salvador, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The government of El Salvador sent 10,000 soldiers and police to seal off Soyapango, on the outskirts of the nation’s capital Saturday to search for gang members. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)

Published on December 4, 2022

Women stand by a marble statue of a naked youth thought to represent Greek god Dionysos, center, from the east pediment of the Parthenon, on display during a media photo opportunity to promote a forthcoming exhibition on the human body in ancient Greek art at the British Museum in London, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

Published on December 4, 2022