Weather and roads permitting, trash pickup for this week is being rescheduled as follows:
–Monday trash will be collected on Saturday (Feb. 20).
–Tuesday trash will be collected on Sunday (Feb. 21).
All cans should be placed outside on the night before pickup.
There will be no recycling or out-of-city-limits collection for this week.
Commercial service will be provided where possible.
Normal residential and commercial trash collection will resume on Monday (Feb. 22).
Making Babies
For a bass angler, this is the best time of the year to fish. The early spring and warming water temperatures bring big bass shallow in order to make babies. This is a time of year known by bass anglers as the “spawn.” It’s when bass come out of their deep water winter haunts and start the process of producing young fry (baby bass). Many an angler has laid awake at night dreaming of catching that fish of a lifetime during the months of late February, March and April. While there are some fish that live shallow year around, there’s also a group of bass that live deep all year long until Mother Nature says “go make babies.” This is when your bigger female bass pull into the shallow waters and become more susceptible to being caught while making beds and laying their eggs when conditions are right.
Now some northern states have rules that prevent anglers from fishing during the spawning season and will actually close their lakes during this time of year. This is mainly due to the fact that northern states have a much shorter growing season. It’s also a way to ensure the bass has a better opportunity to spawn without interruption or being caught and taken off the bed. But here in the south, anglers take full advantage of this opportunity by what we call “sight fishing.” Sight fishing is where an angler attempts to see and catch a bass in shallow water while it’s sitting on a bed. Now for the most part, the male bass (anglers call a buck) will come in days before the females and actually look for a place to build the nest (or bed). The females bass sit just off the first drop out in deeper water waiting for the water to warm up. Now it varies on what is the exact water temp for bass to spawn but it can range from 58 up to 65 degrees. This is what I consider stage one of three.
The second stage is where the female pulls up into the shallow water pairing up with a male and continuing to prepare the bed. But once the female commits to coming in and laying her eggs, there’s not much that will cause her to pull off the bed other than a major cold front or hard falling water. It’s truly amazing how resilient bass are and how Mother Nature herself will make sure conditions are right.
Stage three is when the female is now ready to lay her eggs. She literally starts to rock and roll from side to side while the buck bass hits her on her side in order to loosen up her eggs as she deposits them into the bed. It’s at this point the male will fertilize the eggs and the female will leave and pull out to first drop off and recover. Sometimes they will head for the nearest cover like a brush top or maybe a boat dock as they go through recovery mode. The male will hang around and protect the eggs even after they turn into fry (baby bass). This protection period by the male only lasts so long, as at some point they will actually turn against and feed on the fry themselves. So how can the fry protect themselves? Well they need good cover like brush or good thick vegetation like hydrilla (grass) where they can hide from the bigger fish which allows them to reach a size where they can fend for themselves.
Once again, I hope you learned something from all this spawning talk and I hope you have a better understanding of how Mother Nature works. The spawn really is an amazing process that keeps our lakes and rivers stock with good quantities of fish. Tune in every Monday on our Facebook page at 12:30 CST. for Tackle Talk Live as we discuss the latest news and tournament results from Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn and other great bodies of water found right here in the Ark-La-Tex region. Until next time, don’t forget to set the hook!!!
Steve Graf
Tackle Talk Live &
The Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show
Although the start of the two-game series has been pushed back a day due to the weather, Louisiana Tech is set to host Middle Tennessee in a pair of Conference USA women’s basketball contests Saturday and Sunday at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday’s contest is set for 12 p.m. Both games can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 99.3 FM. Saturday’s tilt can be seen on CUSA.tv while Sunday’s finale will be on ESPN+ with Bill Hazen and Katie Hall providing the call of the action.
This weekend will be Senior Recognition Weekend as Techsters Monette Bolden, Amber Dixon and Raizel Guinto will all be honored prior to Sunday’s tipoff.
Middle Tennessee (12-5, 10-2) enters the weekend leading the East Division of Conference USA and boasts the nation’s leading scorer in guard Anastasia Hayes, who is averaging 28.2 points per contest for the Blue Raiders.
“They are good,” said LA Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr. “They have the nation’s leading scorer. Everything goes through her, but they are very balanced. They have very capable scorers at other positions. Their perimeter attack is really solid.
“They have a four and a five that can step out and shoot the three as well. They can spread you out. They play fast and want to score a lot of points. It is going to have to be another solid defensive performance by our team. We have our hands full. We have to control tempo and force them to guard us in order to be successful.”
Hayes scores from just about anywhere on the floor. She has hit 20 three-pointers on the year and leads Conference USA in free throws made (123) and free throws attempted (194).
She is joined in double figures by younger sister Aislynn Hayes (15.5 ppg, 29 three-pointers) as well as Deja Cage (12.8 ppg, 48 three-pointers) and Courtney Whitson (10.6 ppg, 32 three-pointer). Middle Tennessee ranks No. 1 in C-USA in scoring and three-pointers made per game.
On the other hand, LA Tech (13-7, 8-6) ranks No. 2 in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. The Lady Techsters have held 13 of their 14 C-USA opponents to 63 points or less this season, including six straight.
“Defensively, I think it starts with our focus towards what our defensive principles are and not getting caught up in our opponent, who they are and what their strengths are,” said Stoehr. “It is about who we are. It starts with our interior and works out to our perimeter.
“I think we have done a much better job of keeping people off the free throw line this year and then limiting them to one shot. When we can get all five of them rebounding on the defensive end, it allows us to start our transition. I think it has been about commitment and them buying into what we are asking them to do.”
Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series 7-6, although LA Tech won last year’s meeting 78-60 in Ruston.
Photo: Techsters seniors group — photo by Emerald McIntyre
Seniors Monette Bolden, Amber Dixon and Raizel Guinto
On the wall in his office, Grambling Tigers head football coach Broderick Fobbs has a large photograph of the greatest Tiger of all, coach Eddie Robinson.
Since Fobbs came home to Grambling as head coach in 2014, when contemplating a difficult situation, he has looked at that picture and struck up a conversation with Coach Rob.
“I’ll ask him what he did, or would have done, to address the particular problem, and I always feel I come away with the right answer,” said Fobbs, who played for the legend from 1992-96, just like his father before him did two decades earlier.
But the current set of circumstances, which have led to the 2020 season being played this spring, have been the most perplexing.
“This is one question he hasn’t been able to answer for me,” Fobbs said Thursday. “Covid-19, not playing in the fall, playing a spring schedule, these are things that haven’t been seen before.”
The 46-year-old Monroe native is eight years and two months into his time carrying forward the Grambling football legacy. Thanks to the pandemic delaying the 2020 campaign, he will finally begin his seventh season leading the Tigers next Saturday in Dallas against Prairie View A&M, in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl. Grambling is 51-21 under Fobbs, an even more impressive 40-8 in Southwestern Athletic Conference games.
Grambling’s triumphs in that span are highlighted by the 2016 Black college national championship in a 12-1 season, two SWAC championships (2016, 2017) and SWAC West Division titles from 2015-17. The past two seasons, the Tigers have gone 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
The state of the Grambling football program is strong, infinitely moreso than when Fobbs took the helm after the program collapsed to a 2-22 record in 2012 and 2013.
While the Tigers have made many trailblazing strides and landmark accomplishments through their history, they’ve never faced playing 20 games in a year. No football team has.
That’s the big picture Fobbs sees. He plans accordingly.
“I look at it holistically. It’s not just about the spring season, when we can hopefully play seven games. We will play in the fall and hope to play 13 games (including the SWAC Championship Game and Celebration Bowl). That’s 20 football games in the year 2021, something that’s never been done,” he said.
“It’s a spring season, but it’s also a spring practice. We have seven opportunities to compete with other teams and that makes it unique. It does build toward the complete fall 2021 season. You want to be sure that you are developing the players as you typically would during the spring, and try to win games while we’re doing that.”
Development came to a screeching halt after last Saturday’s scrimmage. Obviously, there’s been no chance for workouts this week, but the forecast is improving and the Tigers will be back on the field soon.
“It’s taken seven from the 25 units of practice we’re provided to prepare for the season. Now we’re down to 18 total and as a coach you want more.”
But he has been very pleased with the Tigers’ progress and talent level. He expects the team to knock off the rust quickly with the excitement of outside competition approaching for the first time since the 2019 Bayou Classic, two days after Thanksgiving.
Photo: by Carlton Hamlin
On Wednesday, I drove from Gibsland to Arcadia. My excuse was to buy gas for the generator. How thirty gallons of gas could evaporate is a mystery understood by science and my yard guy. This will be a petroleum assumption illustration from this time forth. Bottom line, always check your fuel. As you say, “Don’t assume.”
What I really wanted were the ingredients for cabbage soup. Have you noticed that you are craving food in this cold weather? Have you also noticed that you eat with impunity as long as you can wear your sweatpants? It was an interesting trip. Highway 80 was the chosen route. I saw only one car, both ways. The roads were slick but not treacherous. Today they are treacherous.
The grocery store was opened. Many of the shelves revealed the needs and desires of the snowbound. There was no milk. The ice cream was running low. There was no ground beef and very little chicken. I managed to purchase the last two cabbages in the produce section and the other ingredients for the soup. Two things caught my eye. I was the only person in the parking lot not driving a truck. Our SUV is AWD, that is partial credit. For probably the only time in the lifetime of the vehicle I used the snow traction setting. The other thing, I must give kudos to the folks shopping. Everyone was masked up. One could not tell if it was Covid or Cold related.
This winter storm has been enlightening.
It is possible for a Louisiana snow to last beyond noon. This snow is now hard as concrete. I’m a big guy and I can walk and leave no footprints in the snow. It is beautiful. It is now dangerous too. I made a discovery in my thirties that one should not fall down. I am twice that now and one should still not fall down. Getting up, with dignity, on the slippery stuff is not easy.
The silence has been soothing. I enjoy solitude and silence. It seems that even KCS has changed the train schedule. Train whistles in the distance are comforting, but in this weather they are absent. The only sound heard consistently is the sound of children playing in the snow.
I continue to enjoy your social media posts and pictures about your snow experiences. I’m glad that most of you have power and at least have a trickle of water. At one point I found myself under the house looking at the pipes. As I was laying there, I wondered why people back when this house was built were so much smaller than today. It must be evolution or all that comfort food I’ve been eating. I wondered who would pull me out if I got stuck.
What have you done with this snow time off? Did you relax or nap? Did you use it to post and comment? Did you play with your children or grandchildren? Did you read a book? Did you interrupt your habits?
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, was snowed out. Lent is a time when we look at ourselves honestly in the light of Jesus. We journey with Him to Jerusalem. We try to figure out what it means to “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.” Lent is a time of reflection and honest assessment of where we are compared to where Jesus created us to be.
Lent is like these past days, a time when you get out of your habits and do something different.
New game times. Same goal.
Due to all that white stuff outside, Louisiana Tech’s two-game series at Middle Tennessee has been pushed back a day. The two teams will face off on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
LA Tech (17-6 overall) remains in third in the West Division standings with a 10-4 conference record, but made up ground after sweeping previous division leader UAB this past weekend in Ruston.
Thanks to these two victories, the preseason goals of winning a division title and/or claiming a first-round bye in the C-USA Tournament are very much alive.
“These series have been a real challenge, especially on the road,” said head coach Eric Konkol. These games are tough, to be able to turn it around physically and mentally regardless of the outcome on the first night. This league is really deep. We are seeing great teams from top to bottom.”
The Bulldogs are plenty road-tested. They have played 10 games on the road this season and have a 4-3 mark in C-USA road games, tied for the most such wins with Marshall and WKU.
There are some impressive road victories too among those four. The ‘Dogs are the only team this season to win in Bowling Green, Kentucky versus the Hilltoppers. And they are the only team to win in Denton, Texas against the Mean Green.
In large part, it has been the play of their three underclassmen starters – sophomores Isaiah Crawford and Cobe Williams and seven-time C-USA Freshman of the Week honoree Kenneth Lofton, Jr.
The trio make up almost 50 percent of the team’s scoring during C-USA play and are three of the top four scorers during league action. Crawford paces the team with an average of 13.1 points per contest.
As for LA Tech’s next opponent Middle Tennessee, coach Konkol said you have to take their record (5-13 overall and 3-9 in C-USA play) and throw it out the window because the Blue Raiders are playing well as of late.
“You take a look at what they have done at home,” said Konkol. “Their last home stand, they swept Charlotte who is a very good team. They went to Marshall this past weekend and scored the ball well. They are playing with great balance and have a lot of versatility.”
The Blue Raiders are really good at a couple of things – defending the three (allowing opponents to shoot just 30.9 percent from deep) and taking the ball away (average 7.5 steals per contest).
They are led by Jordan Davis who has played and started in all 18 games. The Dayton transfer is averaging 11.7 points and has a team-high 33 assists and 29 steals.
Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Dave Nitz and Jack Thigpen will call the action on the LA Tech Sports Network.
Photo: credit Darrell James
BOIL ADVISORY
Grambling University Water System
PWS ID# LA1061005/LA1061016
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Effective: 2/18/2021
Due to record freezing temperatures, the Grambling University Water System is experiencing problems with the water supply system for the following location: Stadium Facility.
Because of this problem, the water produced by our water supply system is of questionable microbiological quality.
Therefore, as a precaution, the Grambling University Water System is issuing a BOIL ADVISORY effective immediately. This BOIL ADVISORY is to remain in effect until rescinded by the Grambling University Water System.
It is recommended that all consumers disinfect their water before consuming it (including fountain drinks), making ice, brushing teeth, or using it for food preparation or rinsing of foods by the following means:
Boil water for one (1) full minute in a clean container. The one minute starts after the water has been brought to a rolling boil. (The flat taste can be eliminated by shaking the water in a clean bottle or pouring it from one clean container to another).
Again, please be sure to disinfect your own water prior to consumption until you have been advised otherwise.
Upon notification from the Office of Public Health’s State Regional Laboratory that the samples collected from our water supply have been found to be safe, the State Health Department will notify the water supply of the sample results. Upon such notification, the Grambling University Water System will then rescind the Boil Advisory and notify its customers that the water has been found to be safe.
If you have any questions, please email mediarelations@gram.edu.
Grambling’s basketball teams are staying home this weekend.
But it will be worth the wait.
Monday afternoon, both Grambling squads will be showcased on NBA TV as they play a doubleheader at Jackson State.
The women were initially slated to play at Grambling, but that shifted to everyone’s advantage Thursday evening. The schedule revisions were announced on Twitter late Thursday night.
Games set for Saturday were pushed back to Monday in deference to the winter storm and its consequences, including travel issues along I-20 and water and power supplies in Jackson.
Pregame coverage on NBA TV begins at 1:30 CST with tip time for the women’s matchup at Jackson State set for 2 o’clock. The men’s contest tips at 4:30.
It will be nine days between games for both Grambling teams, who last played at home against Texas Southern last Saturday. They will face Jackson State teams firmly in contention for Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.
On the men’s side, Jackson State (6-5) shares the league lead with Prairie View, both 6-0 in the SWAC. Grambling (9-9, 7-4) has wins in four of the last five games and stands fourth in the conference.
Texas Southern (7-7, 4-2) jumped ahead of GSU by virtue of its 75-73 victory at Grambling last Saturday afternoon.
The G-Men hope to reverse a 75-61 homecourt loss to Jackson State on Jan. 23.
The Lady Tigers (7-7, 6-4) cruised to a 65-46 victory over Texas Southern last Saturday.
They will line up against the league’s second-place team. The JSU squad is 8-1 in SWAC play and 9-5 overall.
Grambling’s basketball teams are staying home this weekend.
But it will be worth the wait.
Monday afternoon, both Grambling squads will be showcased on NBA TV as they play a doubleheader at Jackson State.
The women were initially slated to play at Grambling, but that shifted to everyone’s advantage Thursday evening. The schedule revisions were announced on Twitter late Thursday night.
Games set for Saturday were pushed back to Monday in deference to the winter storm and its consequences, including travel issues along I-20 and water and power supplies in Jackson.
Pregame coverage on NBA TV begins at 1:30 CST with tip time for the women’s matchup at Jackson State set for 2 o’clock. The men’s contest tips at 4:30.
It will be nine days between games for both Grambling teams, who last played at home against Texas Southern last Saturday. They will face Jackson State teams firmly in contention for Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.
On the men’s side, Jackson State (6-5) shares the league lead with Prairie View, both 6-0 in the SWAC. Grambling (9-9, 7-4) has wins in four of the last five games and stands fourth in the conference.
Texas Southern (7-7, 4-2) jumped ahead of GSU by virtue of its 75-73 victory at Grambling last Saturday afternoon.
The G-Men hope to reverse a 75-61 homecourt loss to Jackson State on Jan. 23.
The Lady Tigers (7-7, 6-4) cruised to a 65-46 victory over Texas Southern last Saturday.
They will line up against the league’s second-place team. The JSU squad is 8-1 in SWAC play and 9-5 overall.
Photo: by TayTapes870/GSUTigers
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced on Feb. 18 that beginning Monday, Feb. 22, an additional group of Louisianans – K-12 teachers, school support staff, day care staff, those who are pregnant and Louisianans aged 55 to 64 with certain health conditions – are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This group represents around 475,000 Louisianans and will bring the total population eligible in Louisiana to nearly 1.65 million people. Louisiana is currently vaccinating people in Priority Group 1B-Tier One.
Louisiana’s COVID vaccination strategy relies on making vaccine doses available across the state through community clinics, pharmacies, hospitals and other health care providers. So far 812,962 total vaccine doses have been administered in Louisiana, with 271,216 Louisianans receiving both doses.
As dose allocations of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines from the federal government have increased week over week through direct allocations to the states and to a federal pharmacy program Louisiana opted in to, the Governor decided to expand the population that is eligible for the vaccine.
“Teachers, school support staff and daycare employees have played a critical role throughout this pandemic and their safety is important to our continued recovery. We also know that those people with certain underlying health issues are more likely to have severe or devastating outcomes from COVID, which is why we are expanding vaccine access to people ages 55 to 64 with certain health conditions as outlined by the CDC,” Gov. Edwards said. “Thanks to continued increases in the availability of vaccine doses to the state of Louisiana from our federal partners, I am confident that now is the right time to continue to expand eligibility. People will still have to be patient and the vaccine doses are still limited, but this is a positive step forward for our state. It is my hope that soon even more people will be able to get these safe and effective vaccines in Louisiana.”
The Louisiana Dept. of Health has published the list of participating providers on its website: covidvaccine.la.gov. In addition, residents can call 211 to find a vaccine provider near them.
Eligible residents must contact a participating provider to make an appointment. Patients who arrive without an appointment will not be vaccinated. LDH cannot make appointments for patients; only providers can.
Patients should receive their second dose of the COVID vaccine at the same location where they received their first dose. Second-dose appointments should be made during the administration of the first dose.
There are some expected delays associated with vaccine delivery this week because of extreme winter weather. Some providers may have to reschedule vaccine appointments for both first and second doses. The CDC guidance states that the second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval, which is 21 or 28 days between doses, as possible, but the shot will still be effective if there is a delay in getting the second dose. There is no need for people to restart the vaccination series if the second dose must be delayed because of weather, but people should contact their providers to reschedule.
PRIORITY GROUPS IN LOUISIANA
Within priority groups and tiers there is no particular sequencing. Participating providers must make available vaccine available to anyone who is eligible. Failure to do so will inform future decisions about distribution.
Priority Group 1-A: Ongoing (around 249,000 eligible people)
Health care workers at Tier 1 and Tier 2 hospitals
Staff and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
First responders to serve as vaccinators (Emergency Medical Services, fire personnel, law enforcement)
Priority Group 1-B, Tier One: As of Monday, February 22, 2021 (around 1,391,000 eligible people)
Dialysis providers and patients
Ambulatory and outpatient providers and staff
Behavioral health providers and staff
Urgent care clinic providers and staff
Community care providers and staff
Dental providers and staff
Nonemergency Medical Transportation staff
Professional home care providers (including hospice workers) and home care recipients (including older and younger people with disabilities over the age of 16 who receive community or home-based care, as well as clients of home health agencies)
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and Support Service Providers (SSPs) working in community and clinic-based settings, and clients who are both deaf and blind
Health-related support personnel (lab staff, mortuary staff who have contact with corpses, pharmacy staff)
Schools of allied health students, residents and staff
Law enforcement and other first responders
Persons 65 years old and older
Louisiana Unified Command Group
State and local essential COVID emergency response personnel
Some elections staff ahead of March and April elections
Teachers and any other support staff working onsite in K-12 or daycare
Individuals aged 55-64 with at least one of the conditions listed by the CDC as placing them at an “increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19.” The CDC list of conditions can be found here.
Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
Down Syndrome
Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30kg/m2 or higher but < 40kg/m2)
Severe obesity (BMIC >40kg/m2)
Pregnancy
Sickle Cell Disease
Smoking
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
All pregnant persons, regardless of age.
Due to ongoing inclement weather, and for the safety of our employees, all City of Ruston offices will again be closed on Friday, Feb. 19. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, Feb. 22.
President Biden Approves Gov. Edwards’ Request for Federal Emergency Declaration Due to Impact of Historic Winter Storms
President Joseph R. Biden approved Governor John Bel Edwards’ request for a federal emergency declaration for all 64 Louisiana parishes impacted by the severe and historic winter weather on Feb. 18. Specifically, FEMA will provide emergency protective measures (Category B) for mass care and sheltering and direct federal assistance from federal agencies.
“I’m thankful to the Biden administration for a swift response to my request as our state continues to deal with the bitterly cold temperatures as well as power and water outages that are causing extreme challenges for so many of our citizens and have already claimed three lives,” said Gov. Edwards. “While the second storm has passed through our state, unfortunately, some areas are still facing freeze warnings and we will not begin to truly thaw out until the latter part of the weekend. That is why this assistance from our federal partners is critical. It will help provide much needed relief. This has been a very tough week. In addition to dealing with the historic weather, we are still battling the pandemic. Although our resilience is being tested once again, we are going to get through this. I want to encourage everyone to continue to heed the warnings of your local officials, be very careful in supplementing heat to your homes, be vigilant when you get on the roadways and pay close attention to the weather forecasts where you live.”
Yesterday, Gov. Edwards sent a letter requesting direct federal assistance, specifically commodities and supplies in response to the extended power outage and also Emergency Protective measures under the FEMA Public Assistance program.
Severe weather started in Louisiana on February 11, 2021, with a second round of storms beginning on February 17, 2021. More than 200,000 people were without power on the morning of February 16, 2021 and as of noon on Thursday, February 18, 124,738 Louisiana households were still without power. In addition, there are 98 water outages impacting 245,676 people. In addition, more than 956,000 Louisianans live in areas with boil water advisories.
All Lincoln Parish Police Jury offices and facilities will be closed Friday, Feb. 19 due to weather conditions. This includes the Lincoln Parish Library. We strongly encourage all citizens that are not required to travel to stay off the roads. We would also like to thank all our first responders and other personnel that are out there providing essential services for Lincoln Parish and our surrounding area.
Louisiana Tech University’s College of Engineering and Science has received an anonymous gift to endow a professorship in memory of 1951 Tech graduate Charles G. Tullis. Pending approval of matching funds from the University of Louisiana System Foundation, the professorship will support STEM education within the College of Engineering and Science.
“Charles Tullis’ life was marked by hard work, generosity, and loyalty to Louisiana Tech and the College of Engineering and Science,” said Dr. Hisham Hegab, Dean of the College. “We are grateful to the friend of the University for making such a generous gift in Charles’ honor and to the UL System Foundation for their investment in STEM education.”
Tullis remained a committed and generous supporter of Louisiana Tech until his death in March 2020. After earning a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, he began a successful career including assisting with the formation of Southwest Industries, where he served as vice president and chief engineer. He went on to acquire KingTool Co. in Longview, Texas, which designed and marketed oil and gas separation equipment. During Tullis’ 55 years as president, the company enjoyed great success with its line of innovative oil and gas separation equipment they supplied to the rapidly expanding off-shore oil and gas industry.
“This award will serve to further empower future recipients to continue to provide outstanding educational opportunities for the engineers and scientists who are following in Charles’ footsteps through their studies at Louisiana Tech,” Hegab said.
Tullis served on the Tech Engineering Foundation Board in its early years and helped to recruit aspiring engineering and science students. In 2010, he was honored as the College of Engineering and Science Alumnus of the Year. As his obituary noted, “His greatest passion was creating opportunities for future generations to learn. Grow. And make positive contributions to our society.”
Plans have been made, and adjusted.
The latest updates on the LHSAA girls basketball playoff first-round games involving Lincoln Parish teams:
Ruston, seeded ninth in Class 5A, will host No. 24 Sulphur Sunday at 2. Admission is $10 at the door. The game as initially set for Saturday.
Cedar Creek, No. 3 in Division IV, will be at home Monday at 6 p.m. welcoming No. 14 Vermilion Catholic.
Lincoln Prep, 12th in Class A, hosts No 21 Centerville on Saturday at New Living Word. Tipoff is 3 p.m.
Choudrant, No. 12 in Class B, is at home against 21st-ranked Monterey at 2 Saturday.
Simsboro, 17th in Class B, heads down the road to No. 16 Castor for a 2 p.m. tip Saturday.
Ruston coach Meredith Graf has had plenty of time to scout the Lady Golden Tors since last Friday’s smashing win over West Ouachita wrapped up the regular season. Now that the LHSAA has pushed back its window for first-round games to be completed, she’s expecting to get in at least one practice Saturday.
The keys to a first-round win?
“Half court defense is our calling card,” she said. “We also need to take advantage of our height and speed.”
The Lady Bearcats, District 2-5A co-champions, are 21-7. Sulphur, listed with an 11-12 record, has won its last four games.
Photo: By Ruston HS
The Claiborne Electric Cooperative posted this photo on Feb. 18 of one of several restoration efforts in Lincoln Parish near Grambling. Several crews are working on multiple outages in this area, along with crews in the rest of the service area where outages remain.
With 13 of Louisiana Tech’s 16 NCAA sanctioned programs playing in-season competitions in late February, plenty of Bulldog and Lady Techster sporting events have been scrambled, mostly due to weather, as they head into the weekend.
BASEBALL: Lane Burroughs’ Bulldogs are set to open its season in Baton Rouge this weekend, although the schedule has seen some edits to it over the past 48 hours.
Tech was originally to open Friday and play Notre Dame, Air Force and LSU in consecutive days, but the slate is down to two games and won’t start until Sunday. The Fighting Irish had to drop out due to Covid-19 issues in their program.
The Diamond Dogs will still open their season in LSU’s Alex Box Stadium Sunday at 4 p.m. against Air Force. That presumes Air Force can get out of Colorado Springs, which was in doubt Thursday evening, according to LSU coach Paul Mainieri.
Tech will doubtlessly (barring rain) close out its stay in Baton Rouge with a contest against LSU on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in a game that will be on SEC Network+.
Both games can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network 99.3 FM with Teddy Allen providing the call of the action.
SOFTBALL: The Lady Techsters travel to Lake Charles this weekend to play four games in two days against Arkansas and McNeese State.
Interim coach Bianca Duran and Co. will face Arkansas at 12 p.m. and McNeese State at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Joe Miller Field. Tech will then face the Razorbacks Sunday at 10 a.m. and the Cowgirls at 3 p.m.
All four games can be seen through an on demand subscription to Cowboy Insider at mcneesesports.com.
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: The Bulldog and Lady Techsters will be competing in the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday and Sunday at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.
VOLLEYBALL: The Lady Techsters will host a pair of Conference USA matches against Southern Miss on Sunday and Monday at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Due to the women’s basketball game moving to Sunday at noon, the Lady Techster volleyball match against the Golden Eagles will start at 5 p.m.
Monday’s match will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free.
It will be Senior Day on Sunday as the program will honor eight seniors following the match.
Fans can watch both matches through a paid subscription to CUSA.tv.
SOCCER: The Lady Techsters’ scheduled match at Mississippi Women’s University Saturday is cancelled.
Winners of four straight matches, LA Tech will open Conference USA action next Sunday when they travel to El Pace to face UTEP. Tech will return home to host UTSA March 5 at 7 p.m.
TENNIS: Tech is postponing its match at McNeese State that was scheduled for Saturday in Lake Charles. No makeup date has been determined.
There are a couple more schedule changes for the Lady Techsters. The team will no longer host Missouri State on March 13. Instead, the two teams will play at a neutral site in Jonesboro, Arkansas on the same date. First serve is set for 10 a.m.
LA Tech will turn around the following day on March 14 and face Arkansas State at 10 a.m.
GOLF: After capturing the team title of the LaTour Intercollegiate hosted by Nicholls last weekend, the Bulldog golf team has seen its match-play event against Ole Miss that was scheduled for Saturday postponed.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Baton Rouge to compete in the LSU Invitational next Friday through Sunday.
Photo: by Darrell James
For the eighth consecutive year, Louisiana Tech University has been named a Military Friendly School, earning the 2021-22 Military Friendly® designation from Victory Media.
“Our University is honored to have the opportunity to give back to the veterans who have served our country,” said Dr. Dickie Crawford, Tech’s Associate Vice President for Student Advancement. “Over many decades, the Louisiana Tech family has been enhanced by the experiences of veterans, active duty members of the military, and their families. Louisiana Tech is dedicated to continuing to serve our veterans and providing them with an unparalleled educational experience.”
In the Veterans Resource Center, a partnership between Louisiana Tech and Bossier Parish Community College, veterans and their families can receive services and information. This collaboration increases veterans’ ability to earn two- and four-year degrees – as well as graduate degrees – close to home.
“Louisiana Tech has been serving military-affiliated students for decades, and while COVID has caused changes in the face-to-face support and services we offer to this student population, Tech Barksdale and our Veterans Resource Center at the Academic Success Center in Bossier have adapted operations to be responsive to student needs regardless of their physical location,” said Dr. Donna Johnson, who leads initiatives in Shreveport and Bossier City, including the Tech Barksdale instructional site and the Veterans Resource Center. “Because of these alterations—such as electronic submission of documents, remote advising, and online course scheduling—we are better positioned than ever before to serve even more military-affiliated students both locally and abroad. These distance capabilities fit the needs of the often transient population of military students. Supporting military-affiliated students as they pursue their academic goals will continue to be a major priority for Tech.”
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school.
The Military Friendly rankings list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven survey from participating institutions. The survey questions, methodology, criteria and weighting were developed with the assistance of an independent research firm and an advisory council of educators and employers.
The 2021-22 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found online.
Thomas Hess “Tommy” Robinson
November 24, 1954 – February 13, 2021
Visitation: First United Methodist Church of Monroe Saturday, February 20, 2021
Service: First United Methodist Church of Monroe Saturday, February 20, 2021, 1:00 pm
Wanda Smith
July 26, 1942 – February 13, 2021
Visitation: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Monroe Sunday, February 21, 2021, 1:00 pm
Service: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Monroe Sunday, February 21, 2021, 2:00 pm
Cemetery: Wilhite Community Cemetery Sunday, February 21, 2021
Mr. Steve Mason
Died: Monday 02/15/2021
Location: King’s Funeral Home, 1511 W. California Avenue, Ruston LA 71270
Arrangements Pending
The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office reminds all residents to not be fooled by the sunshine! The roads are worse now than they have been this entire event. Please stay off the roadways unless absolutely necessary.
Due to ongoing inclement weather, and for the safety of our employees, all City of Ruston offices will again be closed on Wednesday, February 17. We are continuing to ask all citizens to do their part to remain safe and ensure the safety of their neighbors by conserving electricity and staying off of roads at this time.
Grambling State University (GSU) student Steven D. Wilson was recently awarded an internship in Operations with the House Democratic Caucus in Washington, D.C. Now through May, Wilson’s duties will include providing outreach support to Democratic Member offices, managing logistics, assisting with team projects, attending remote congressional briefings and hearings, conducting research, and drafting internal documents. The senior biology pre-med major said he was in total shock when he learned about being selected. To his surprise, he discovered several medical doctors and PhDs serving in Congress.
“I hope to gain knowledge and exposure on how the Democratic Caucus works and how certain decisions are made along party lines,” Wilson said. “I also want to learn the due process on how bills are crafted, the democrats take on the current global pandemic that we are living in, and what processes that they are taking to get us back to a close sense of normalcy.”
While he aspires to attend medical school and pursue a specialty in anesthesiology, the internship will help fuel Wilson’s other goal of becoming a politician with a primary focus on healthcare.
The third generation in his family to attend Grambling State University, Wilson is also a member of Kappa Alpha psi Fraternity, Inc. and is actively involved in over 15 other organizations that include 2019-2020 SGA President, student member on the Grambling University Foundation board, and a student member of the University of Louisiana system student advisory council.
Wilson found the opportunity by working with the Office of Career Services at Grambling State University. Their services include: resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, career assessments, internship, and job search strategies.
“I am passionate about helping students find their dream job or internship,” said Kellye Blackburn, director of Career Services at GSU. “It was my pleasure to assist Steven with his cover letter and resume, and documents he needed to complete his application for the Operations Internship. Through our partnership with Handshake, students have access to more than 8,500 opportunities across several majors.”
For more information about Career Services at Grambling State University, email Kellye Blackburn at blackburnk@gram.edu.
As of now. Or, I wish I knew.
Those are the standard answers to any question about upcoming activities for miles around, and they certainly apply to sports schedules.
It’s not just the uncertainty of when games will be played. Coaches have only their most hopeful intentions when it comes to conducting their next practices.
With the LHSAA state girls basketball playoffs scheduled to begin later this week, the very real possibility exists that teams will play their most important games yet without having practiced since last week.
For boys teams, pardon the expression, everything is on ice, but there’s not as much urgency. The state playoffs aren’t scheduled to start until later next week, when no snow, ice storms or hurricanes are approaching. “I wish I knew” is the stock answer to projecting when practice resumes, let alone about next week’s schedule. Nobody has hope for any boys action this week.
Here’s what is known: Saturday is the target to begin playoff action involving parish girls teams. As of now ….
Ruston, seeded ninth in Class 5A, will host No. 24 Sulphur at 3 Saturday.
Cedar Creek, No. 3 in Division IV, will be at home, on a day and time to be determined, against No. 14 Vermilion Catholic.
Lincoln Prep, 12th in Class A, hosts No 21 Centerville on Saturday at a time to be determined.
Choudrant, No. 12 in Class B, is at home against 21st-ranked Monterey at 2 Saturday.
Simsboro, 17th in Class B, heads down the road to No. 16 Castor for a 2 p.m. tip.
Possibly. Pending consequences of the next 36-48 hours. It’s all Etch-a-Sketch at this point.
While on standby, Lady Bearcats coach Meredith Graf knows her District 2-5A champs aren’t alone. They’re not completely idled, either, thanks to technology.
“We have been unable to practice and haven’t been able to do anything since our game last Friday,” she said. “It’s a difficult situation for the state with the playoffs starting, and everyone is pretty much in the same boat and will have to make the most of it.
“My girls have done that, and have been given film to watch in preparation. At this point, we hope we will be able to have one practice before playing.”
This week is a test of fortitude, and Graf believes her 21-7 squad has plenty in stock.
“Our team has faced several challenges, and challengers, throughout the course of the year that I believe have helped us grow and take shape into who we are now. Every game from here on out will be a test of all the things we have worked on internally and in execution. I believe my young ladies are going to give their absolute best during this postseason, and that’s all any coach can ask for.”
Photo: Coach Meredith Graf – Ruston HS credit