John D. and Michelle Green Jimmerson of Ruston are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lilla Mary Elise Jimmerson, to Christopher Scott McGuire of Bossier City, LA.

Chris is the son of Scott K. and Sharon Pugh McGuire of Benton, LA. Lilla is the granddaughter of Francelia B. Jimmerson of Dubach; J. Knighten Gunnels of Magnolia, AR; the late John E. Jimmerson; the late Mary A. Green Gunnels; and the late David Maxwell Green. Chris is the grandson of Dorothy C. McGuire of Oviedo, FL; Sherman Pugh of Haughton, LA; the late Daniel W. McGuire; and the late Sarah N. Pugh.

Lilla graduated from Cedar Creek School in 2013. She earned a B. A. in Speech-Language Pathology with an Audiology concentration from Louisiana Tech University in 2017. She earned her M. A. in English with a concentration in Technical Writing in 2020. At Louisiana Tech, Lilla was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, Student Recruiters, and Sigma Tau Delta English honor society. Lilla is employed as a technical writer by General Dynamics Information Technology. Chris graduated from Benton High School in 2012. He attended Bossier Parish Community College, where he played on the baseball team, before transferring to Louisiana Tech University. He graduated from Tech in 2012 with a B. S. in Marketing. He works an agent for New York Life.

Lilla and Chris will be married on November 26, 2022, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston.

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Join the nation’s celebration of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 4, at Poverty Point World Heritage Site. There will be a ranger-led hike showcasing the mounds, earthworks, and nature found at this ancient site. This event begins at 10 a.m. with an introductory video shown in the museum followed by an approximately 2-hour hike.

June 4 is also World Atlatl Day. Have you heard of an atlatl? Rangers will demonstrate the use of this ancient spear-throwing device from 2 p.m. through 3 p.m. that afternoon. Visitors are encouraged to try it out for themselves. Both activities are outdoors and will be available weather permitting.

Poverty Point World Heritage Site offers visitors the unique opportunity to experience and learn about the earthworks and those individuals who raised them from the ground between the years of 1700 and 1100 BCE. The $4 admission fee provides access to the museum, film theatre, hiking trail, driving tour, seasonal tram tour, and any interpretive events taking place at the site. Children (3 and under) and senior citizens (62 and over) are admitted free of charge.

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Patrick Louis Thomas 
July 15, 1985 – May 21, 2022 
Service: Thursday 5/26, 2:00 pm, J.C. Love Field, Pat Patterson Park, Ruston  

Susan “Susie” Lynn Turner 
February 22, 1968 – May 22, 2022 
Service: 2:00PM, Friday, May 27, 2022 at Rock Corner Baptist Church in Dubach 
Burial: Friday, May 27, 2022 at Mineral Springs Cemetery in Dubach  

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By Wesley Harris

Eighty-eight years ago this week, outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were ambushed and killed by a team of law enforcement officers a few miles south of Gibsland. While it spelled the end to a reign of terror across the South and Midwest, the notorious legacy of the partners in crime endures.

The 29^th Authentic Bonnie and Clyde Festival is slated for this weekend. Friday night at 6:00 p.m., a presentation by historians will be held in the Gibsland Bank Annex. The event is $15 and includes a jambalaya supper. Free events are scheduled all day Saturday from recreated shootouts, live entertainment, bingo, a look-a-like contest, and a parade.

Not that interest in the pair had waned, a 2019 motion picture spurred renewed fascination with the Depression Era bank robbers and spree killers. After debuting in theaters, “The Highwaymen” became available on Netflix. While the 1967 classic film “Bonnie and Clyde” focused on the outlaw lovers, the new movie portrays the efforts of former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) to stop the gang’s binge of robbery and murder. The film aimed to do dramatic and historical justice to the moment the posse opened fire on the duo a few miles south of Gibsland in Bienville Parish on May 23, 1934.

Dozens of north Louisiana banks were robbed during the Depression but there is no evidence Barrow and Parker were responsible for any of the heists.

Not for lack of trying. On April 27, 1933, the Barrow gang sat for most of the morning in front of the Ruston State Bank. After their surveillance, they decided to steal another car to use in the getaway.

Sophie Stone lived a room at the Brooks Boarding House three blocks from the bank on North Trenton Street. The young woman, Lincoln Parish’s home demonstration agent, was home for lunch when she saw a man get into another boarder’s car. She alerted Mr. Dillard Darby who was inside eating with his family.

Darby ran out of the house and tried to jump on the running board of his car as it pulled away. Unsuccessful at stopping the thief, Darby ran back into the boarding house and told L. K. Brooks to telephone the sheriff that his car had been stolen.

Stone suggested they take her car and try to catch the thief. They took off north headed out of Ruston and finally spotted Darby’s car in Dubach as it turned west toward Hico.

In a statement, Darby said, “We followed the car to about a quarter of a mile the other side of Hico and decided to abandon the chase, turned around and headed back toward Hico and Dubach. A car with four persons in it flagged us down and asked us if we had seen a black Chevrolet coach. I jumped out of Miss Stone’s car and ran toward the other car. When I approached the car, the man driving threw a gun on me and asked me why I had been following that car. I told him it was my car, and this seemed to infuriate him, and he struck me with the butt of his pistol on the back of the head knocking me over Miss Stone’s car. One of the two women in the car got out and jerked Miss Stone out of the car and slugged her in the back of the head and told her to get into their car. 

“One of the men jerked me up and made me get into the car also; the car had a man and one woman in the front seat. And in the back also. They turned off on a gravel road toward Bernice as the driver said he was going to kill us.”

The driver who slugged Darby was Clyde Barrow. Stone was pistol whipped by a smelly, dirty Bonnie Parker. The back seat occupants were Clyde’s brother and sister-in-law, Buck and Blanche Barrow.

Clyde and Buck argued about killing or releasing them. They cursed Darby and Stone for spoiling their plans. They only wanted to “borrow” Darby’s car for the bank holdup and would have driven it only about 150 miles.

“As we approached Bernice,” Darby continued, “they told us to make no sound as they had to buy some gasoline, and they didn’t want to kill us there or to kill anyone anybody at the station. At the station they inquired after my car and headed back toward Dubach to look for it. Just as we were leaving the filling station at Bernice, [Ruston] Mayor [C.C.] Goyne and [Town Marshal] W.D. Risinger passed us and the man said, ‘There goes two Ruston laws. I hope they try to stop us, I would like to fill both of them full of lead!’

“When the bandits found out that my car and the driver wasn’t between Bernice and Dubach they went toward Junction City, and then on toward El Dorado. At El Dorado they bought gas and oil and had it put in a can. About five to six miles out of El Dorado they stopped the car and put the gas and oil in it.”

Clyde and Buck again got out of the car to discuss the fate of their hostages. They eventually let Darby and Stone out of the car. “They started to drive off and then stopped,” Darby said. “One of the men got out and threw a $5 bill down on the road telling me that they had probably carried us further away from home than we had planned on going. And there was a money to use to telephone the sheriff, who would be glad to come and get us and take us home.”

Darby and Stone flagged down a motorist, paying him the five dollars to take them to the nearest town. Darby telephoned Lincoln Parish Sheriff A. J. Thigpen to report the crime. Darby’s brother-in-law picked up the stranded victims returned them to Ruston.

Darby saw one submachine gun, three automatic rifles, three sawed off shotguns, six automatic pistols, a revolver, and plenty of ammunition piled in the back of the car. Darby’s car, which had been stolen by young gang member W. D. Jones, was found abandoned at McGee, Arkansas the next morning.

At the time of the kidnapping, Darby and Stone had no idea who had grabbed them. The driver said if they were to recognize their pictures anywhere and it led to their capture, it would mean the electric chair for them. Darby and Stone viewed photographs a day later and identified Bonnie Parker and Blanche Barrow as the two women. A day later, they were shown additional photos and identified the Barrow brothers.

Stone, later Mrs. W. H. Cook, was horrified by the 1967 Hollywood movie starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Asked about the film, Cook said, “That was just terrible. It was the biggest lot of nonsense I ever saw. I couldn’t believe it. They made those people look like heroes when they were really just common criminals.”

Cook was also incensed that the scene depicting her and Darby at the boarding house featured them smooching on the front porch swing. “Why, he was married and inside eating lunch with his wife when that car was stolen!” she said in an interview. “I was sitting [alone] in the swing on the front porch.”

Perhaps Sophie Stone Cook can now rest in peace knowing a more accurate portrayal of Bonnie and Clyde’s last days has been produced. “The Highwaymen” ambush scene was shot in the exact spot on the road in Bienville Parish south of Gibsland where the final showdown took place. The now-paved state highway was covered in dirt to replicate the original look.

The film recreated the town of Arcadia, where the bullet-riddled car, still containing the duo’s bodies, was towed to a furniture store with a morgue in the back room. The startling scenes of the crowd mobbing the dead criminals in the moving car are accurate, with the director noting he actually had to tone down that visual.

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Louisiana Tech opens play at the 2022 Conference USA Championships today when the Bulldogs face Charlotte at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg.

First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. and every game this week (except Sunday’s title game) is on ESPN+ and can be heard on KNBB 97.7 FM and on the LA Tech Athletics app.

The Bulldogs (38-18, 20-10 C-USA) are the No. 2 seed in this week’s eight-team, five-day event while the 49ers (35-20, 17-13 C-USA) are the No. 7 seed.

Head coach Lane Burroughs team just won two out of three against Charlotte this past weekend as the two teams will face off for the fourth time in the last seven days.

Mother Nature could have an impact on start times Wednesday as the forecast calls for rain in Hattiesburg. Fans can keep up with all the updates on start times through social media by following @LATechBSB on Twitter.

The tournament boasts a field that includes eight teams all ranked in the top 100 of the most recent RPI with Southern Miss, LA Tech, Old Dominion and UTSA all ranked in the top 50.

Current projects have all four teams making the field of 64, but the results over the next five days could have an impact on who is in and who is out when the NCAA field is released Monday.

The Bulldogs and 49ers will meet for the 21^st time on Wednesday afternoon with Charlotte leading the all-time series 13-7. Charlotte won the first game of last week’s series 11-3 before LA Tech bounced back to win 8-3 and 14-5 in seven innings.

LA Tech is 8-10 all-time in the C-USA Baseball Championship having put together their best performance a year ago at J.C. Love Field falling to ODU in extra innings in the title game.

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The Louisiana Tech University Division of Nursing held a Pinning Ceremony for the Spring 2022 graduates on May 20. Twenty-eight students received their degrees at Spring 2022 Commencement.

Graduates are as follows:  

• Brandy Boyd* of Ruston
• Chelsea Breed* of Farmerville
• Camille Calhoun of West Monroe
• Layla Dupuy* of Alexandria
• Mary Kathryn Eastman* of Bartonville, Texas
• Kaitlyn Elliott of Medford, Oregon
• Brinley Farque of Cypress, Texas
• Megan Gallagher* of Ruston
• Katelyn Gaskin of Shreveport            
• Anna Goodwin of Alexandria
• Abigail Hanks* of Ruston
• Natalie Houston of El Dorado, Arkansas               
• Kallie Kieffer* of Winnfield
• Lauren Kirkland* of Chatham
• Shaniah Lewis of Monroe
• Rosey Lindsey* of Ruston
• Tripp Martin of West Monroe
• Abbey Matejowsky of Ruston
• Brittney McLelland of Benton
• Eric McNeal of Alexandria
• Chance Montgomery of Alexandria
• Madison Reeves of Shreveport
• Hailey Roberts* of Alexandria
• Brylie Stewart of West Monroe
• Reagan Todd of Shreveport
• Wes Wilkerson-Spence* of DeLeon, Texas
• Jameelah Wilson of Monroe
• Kennedy Worman of McKinney, Texas                                

Members of the Alpha Delta Nu Nursing Honor Society are noted with an asterisk beside their names. Graduates who were members of the Student Nurses’ Association were recognized with the presentation of cords.

The following awards were also presented:

• Academic Excellence: Megan Gallagher
• Pennington Visionary Leader Award:  Mary Kathryn Eastman
• Tenets of Tech Award:  Lauren Kirkland
• Spirit of Patient Care Awards:  Megan Gallagher and Shaniah Lewis
• Teamwork and Collaboration Peer Award: Kennedy Worman
• Military Veteran Recognition: Eric McNeal and Wes Wilkerson-Spence

Each graduate was also presented a commemorative Nightingale Lamp provided by Northern Louisiana Medical Center. Following successful completion of the NCLEX-RN National licensing Exam, the graduates will be Registered Nurses.

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By T. Scott Boatright

A winning goal in a soccer match often takes patience and timing for a perfectly aligned shot.

Sometimes the same formula is also needed for a winning soccer coach hire.

That’s good news for Ruston High School, with athletics director Jerrod Baugh and new RHS girls soccer coach Jacquelyn Bean both saying the stars finally aligned at the right time for Bean to take over the Lady Bearcats’ girls soccer program.

“Jacquelyn was already on staff here as a French teacher,” Baugh said. “Her daughter Morgan graduated a couple of years ago and is now playing soccer for Louisiana Tech. We’ve tried to talk to Jacqueline about at least helping with our soccer program over the years, but she had so much going on with her daughter and her son, who just graduated this spring, We were fortunate that she finally decided she wanted to get back into coaching. The timing finally just worked out right.”

Bean, who served as girls soccer coach at Ruston Junior High School for 10 years starting in 2010, agreed that the timing finally felt right.

“The stars finally just perfectly aligned and made it the right time for me to do this,” Bean said. “I didn’t realize until Monday when we were holding tryouts how much I had missed coaching. Part of what excites me is having the summer to develop the team. And part of it was seeing a need and filling that need.

“But the biggest part is probably that I’ve missed coaching after coaching both boys and girls at the junior high for 10 years. I just wanted to get back to doing something I love, and the timing is right.”

A big part of the reason Bean stepped down from her coaching role at RJHS was because after 24 years of teaching math, she accepted the Lincoln Parish School Board’s offer to teach French at RHS in 2019.

“After I moved to the high school to coach French, I continued coaching soccer at the junior high for a year,” Bean said. “The going back and forth between the two schools made it really difficult. So I decided to pass the torch and ‘quote’ retire from coaching, if that’s the right word. I stepped down from coaching. Morgan was graduating high school and I wanted to see her last season and not miss anything, because it makes it tough when you’re coaching one team and your kid is on another team.

“So now that everybody is out of the house after our son J graduated this year, and seeing the need at the high school, and having the summer to develop the team, it was like the planets aligned. Everything fell into place. I had told (RHS Principal Dan Gressett) last year that if there was a need next fall that we could visit the idea. And everything just worked out.”

Bean had added motivation to help make the timing right to accept the job.

“Wanted to give back to the program that helped Morgan become who she is. She had such a successful junior year that led to her really being recruited and then having to go through double knee surgery and still moving on to the Division I (collegiate soccer) level. It made me want to not see the program falter any more than it had. They had struggled to find a coach last season and to be able to give back under the right circumstances is really exciting.”

But Morgan isn’t the only reason Bean decided the time was right to give back to the RHS girls soccer program.

“I coached the girls on the (RHS) team now when they were in junior high,” Bean said. “So taking over a team with players that I have already developed at the junior high level makes it an easy transition. It just felt like the right time.”

Bean said her familiarity with the program and many of the current team members makes her feel the program can make a quick turnaround in the right direction.

“It wasn’t long ago at all where the Ruston girls soccer program was a playoff team and one that was one one of the up and coming teams in Louisiana,” Bean said. “And we can get there again.

“The players know me and I know them, for the most part. It won’t be like I’ll have to coax them into buying into what it will take to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish. It won’t happen overnight, but it all feels right. The time feels right. And we’re ready to get to work and start building this summer the team we want to be next season.”

Photo credit: Photo by T. Scott Boatright

 

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A Bernice woman was arrested early Saturday morning after a Lincoln Parish deputy found her apparently passed out behind the wheel of her car.

At about 1:30 a.m., Deputy S. Anunciation-Taylor came upon a vehicle stopped in the westbound lane of La. Highway 146 (White Lightning Road). The driver had her hands in her lap, head on her chest, eyes closed, and did not respond to the deputy.

After many attempts to arouse the driver, deputies broke the right rear window to enter the vehicle. After shaking the driver, she seemed confused and said she wasn’t sure where she was. She was arrested and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for a breath test with a result of .122g%, well over the legal limit of .08g%.

During a subsequent interview, the driver, Marissa Lamonica Marie Singleton, 25, said she had taken hydroxyzine prior to consuming alcohol. She also failed several field sobriety tests.

Singleton was booked for operating a vehicle first offense and illegally stopping in a roadway. Bail was set at $1,500.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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Former Ruston High hurler Cade Gibson was named a Conference USA second team honoree Tuesday, leading seven Bulldogs who earned postseason honors.

For the second straight year, Louisiana Tech also boasts the best defensive player in Conference USA.

Bulldog third baseman Logan McLeod was named the 2022 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Tuesday as the league office revealed the postseason award winners.

Tech added six honorees on the all-conference team — three on the first and three on the second — as the Bulldogs enter this week’s Conference USA Tournament in Hattiesburg as the No. 2 seed.

Infielder Taylor Young, outfielder Cole McConnell and reliever Kyle Crigger was all named first team all-Conference USA while catcher Jorge Corona, starting pitcher Gibson and reliever Ryan Harland were all voted second team.

McLeod follows teammate Taylor Young, who was named the 2021 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.

In his first year manning the hot corner with LA Tech, McLeod saw a total of 128 chances while making just three errors and starting in all 56 games. The sophomore remained sure-handed at the position as he made numerous game-changing plays. McLeod was a part of seven double plays turned and sports a .977 fielding percentage. The Sour Lake, Texas native has not recorded an error since April 5 in a midweek game against UL-Lafayette.

In his fifth year as a Bulldog, Young concludes the regular season leading the nation with 81 runs scored. The West Monroe native started all 56 games at shortstop and has played in 222 consecutive games dating back to April 6, 2018. The senior shortstop recorded a .351 batting average and places second in the conference with a .500 on-base percentage. He leads the ball club with 20 doubles, leads the conference with 51 walks and has 23 multi-hit games.

McConnell, a third-year sophomore, sits second in the conference and 10^th in the nation with 71 RBI. The Beaumont, Texas native leads the squad with 24 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games while also holding the longest reached-base streak this year at 26 straight. The center fielder started in all 56 games and hit .341 during the regular season.

Crigger rounds out the first-team honors. Crigger has appeared in a team-leading 30 games while tossing in 56.2 innings. The senior right-hander holds a 1.43 ERA ranking him the fourth best in the country. The Corinth, Mississippi native has held opponents to a .211 batting average and ranks tied for first in the conference.

Corona was the first of three Bulldogs named to the second-team. The sophomore catcher started behind the dish in 53 of the 56 games played in the regular season hitting .296 and is tied for first on the team with 13 homers. Corona ranks first amongst the conference in putouts with 467 and runners caught stealing at 17. The Miami native currently takes a seven-game hitting streak into the tournament and his hitting an impressive .600 in that span.

Gibson also earned second-team All-Conference honors in 2022. The left-hander has made 12 starts and holds a 5-4 record. In 78 innings pitched he boasts an outstanding 86 to 18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and his fifth in the conference in punchouts. Gibson recorded career-highs in strikeouts, fanning eight LSU Tigers, nine Golden Eagles and 10 Rice Owls.

Harland, the true freshman out of Baton Rouge, earned himself a spot on the second-team All-Conference and the exclusive All-Freshman team. The left-handed reliever capped off the regular season with a 2.56 ERA in 38.2 innings. He has a 43 to six strikeout-to-walk ratio and went 24 consecutive innings this year without allowing an earned run.

 

All-Conference – First Team

C – Brock Gagliardi, Old Dominion

INF – Matt Coutney, Old Dominion

INF – Nolan Schanuel, Florida Atlantic

INF – Taylor Young, LA Tech

INF – Jack Dragum, Charlotte

OF – Andy Garriola, Old Dominion

OF – Cole McConnell, LA Tech

OF – Gabriel Rincones, Jr., Florida Atlantic

P – Tanner Hall, Southern Miss

P – Blake Morgan, Old Dominion

P – Hurston Waldrep, Southern Miss

P – Luke Malone, UTSA

RP – Kyle Crigger, LA Tech

RP – Landon Harper, Southern Miss

DH – David McCabe, Charlotte

UTIL – Luke Edwards, Marshall

All-Conference – Second Team

C – Jorge Corona, LA Tech

INF – Leyton Barry, UTSA

INF – Nate Furman, Charlotte

INF – Dustin Dickerson, Southern Miss

INF – JT Mabry, Middle Tennessee

OF – Carter Trice, Old Dominion

OF – Cam Fisher, Charlotte

OF – Dylan Goldstein, Florida Atlantic

P – Hunter Cooley, Florida Atlantic

P – Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee

P – Trent Seibert, Middle Tennessee

P – Cade Gibson, LA Tech

RP – Ryan Harland, LA Tech

RP – Collin Taylor, UAB

DH – Christian Hall, UAB

UTIL – Jonathan Tapia, UTSA

All-Freshman Team

P – Blake Morgan, Old Dominion

OF – Carson Paetow, Southern Miss

OF – Cam Fisher, Charlotte

P – Ryan Harland, LA Tech

C/DH – Ty Batusich, WKU

P – Collin Kramer, Charlotte

P – James Sells, Middle Tennessee

INF – Aaron Smigelski, Rice

C – Henry Hunter, UAB

INF – Matt King, UTSA

P – Thomas Ballard, UAB

 

Player of the Year – Old Dominion INF Matt Coutney

Pitcher of the Year – Southern Miss RHP Tanner Hall

Newcomer of the Year – Florida Atlantic OF Gabriel Rincones, Jr.

Defensive Player of the Year – LA Tech INF Logan McLeod

Freshman of the Year – Old Dominion LHP Blake Morgan

Assistant Coach of the Year – Southern Miss’ Christian Ostrander

Keith LeClair Coach of the Year – Southern Miss’ Scott Berry

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Louisiana Tech’s baseball team, proud of its “rally trains” that often opportunistically chug across the tracks beyond J.C. Love Field’s outfield fence, found itself last weekend in need of a rally bus.

Or two.

Or more.

The 12-hour one-way trip to play Charlotte in North Carolina in the final three-game series of the regular season began mid-morning Tuesday aboard a pair of busses. This happens at a school Tech’s size many times each season. Few charter flights at mid-majors.

Most people don’t appreciate the grind of sports travel. You just think it’s hard getting to the family reunion and not losing your mind or getting in a fistfight once you’re there. That’s a ride for a quarter on a drugstore pony compared to moving an entire team from Point Home to Point Lord-Help-Us-All.

Flying commercial with a baseball team is stressful for lots of reasons — cost, long layovers or delayed flights, and mainly airport check-in folk who, God love them, are not usually prepared for the amount of equipment a team needs to transport.

You can get through a line faster at the world’s worst DMV. But say what you will about the DMV, they don’t make you take your shoes off to walk inside.

The friendly skies my ass.

But a bus, you can control. Until you can’t.

And that’s what happened.

I was tagging along with the team and, having driven to Carolina and back many times, knew my butt would be numb. Didn’t know my mind would be too.

Tech’s first leg was to Hoover, Alabama. Six hours, practice, sleep, Wednesday ride the next six hours, practice, sleep, play Thursday and Friday, play Saturday morning and ride all night the 12 hours back to Ruston.

It worked out that way and wasn’t bad, most things considered — unless you consider what should have been a Silver Streak-like, stop-at-Cracker-Barrel-for-lunch, Straight Shot to Hoover.

Unfortunately, you do have to consider it, and it was stupefying.

Our drivers stopped in Tallulah for an emergency kidney transplant. (Check that: for a soda pop.) Then we stopped an hour after lunch and only 80 minutes from Hoover because one of the busses needed to rest for 15 minutes or it might “explode.” Something about calibration or restoration but more likely a fabrication, which in this case was driver talk for “I need a heater and another soda pop.”

We were eastbound, but down. Uneasy riders.

Because there were too many hitches in too many git-a-longs, we finally worked out a compromise with the drivers. It was something like, “Can we borrow the keys?” They drove and there were no more unscheduled stops. Probably just a misunderstanding.

Probably.

The Bulldogs lost to Charlotte’s 49ers, the hottest team in the league at 11-1 against Conference USA opponents in their most recent four series, in Game 1, 11-3. Most things considered, semi-embarrassing. But as they’ve done all season, the ’Dogs rebounded to win the next two, 8-3 and 14-5, making the ride home much less painful.

The busses might have stopped, but they didn’t slow Tech down. Pretty resilient, these Bulldogs.

Funny thing about a baseball team. On the road, they stumble into a restaurant or truck stop and fan out in their street shorts and tees and the people inside don’t know if the carnival is in town, if the roadies for Motley Crue are hungry, or if the church men’s group is stopping for gas and a Peanut Pattie on the way to help clean up after a hurricane. All shapes and sizes, these baseball guys.

But on the field, if you’ve watched them play, who they’ve become is easy to recognize. Tech bussed to Hattiesburg, Miss., Tuesday — you get the feeling they’d have walked if necessary, so eager are they to play — to begin the Conference USA tournament today. They’re 38-18 overall, 20-10, and second place in the league. A tournament title is on the line, maybe a berth in next week’s regionals.

Their coach says his guys are just ready to get the show back on the road.

“This time of year, you need to be playing loose, having fun, and we seem to be doing that,” Lane Burroughs said. “I don’t know how we’ll do this week. But I can assure you of this: these guys aren’t ready for the season to end.”

They don’t want to stop anymore.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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A Grambling man was arrested Monday after he called police regarding a theft.

About 5:00 a.m., Grambling Police responded to a call from College Avenue regarding a theft. Wilford L. Paige, Jr., 49, told the responding officer a friend he met online was visiting and when she left the house, he noticed $100 was missing from his wallet. 

During the investigation, Paige was told he had outstanding warrants with Grambling. He was arrested and later booked at the Lincoln Parish detention Center for bench warrants for criminal mischief, aggravated obstruction of a highway, and disturbing the peace. 

Bail was set at $36,000.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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Dr. Roy I. Jones, executive director of the Call Me MiSTER program and Provost Distinguished Professor for Clemson University’s College of Education, will serve as keynote for Grambling State University’s Call Me MiSTER Conference. The first event of its kind in Louisiana, the conference will be held on June 30 in the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. 

The Call Me MiSTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role models) program was founded originally at Clemson University in 2000. The program strives to increase the pool of available teachers from a more diverse background, particularly among the lowest-performing elementary schools. A partnership with Clemson in August 2020 brought the Call Me MiSTER program to Grambling State University. Earlier this year, the GSU program received a historic 2M in federal funding, the largest one-time gift since the inception of the program at Clemson. 

The Call Me MiSTER program is the most recognized collaborative in the nation for recruiting, retaining, and developing fully certified, career-minded African American male elementary- and middle school-level teachers. It currently represents 25 colleges and universities in South Carolina and 10 institutions in nine other states. 

MiSTER has more than doubled the number of African American males teaching in public elementary school classrooms with a 85 percent retention rate of program graduates still teaching, while 14 percent are leading schools in administrative roles. Through numerous journal articles, citations and awards for both Jones and the program, MiSTER has demonstrated success in diverse academic environments. 

A lifelong educator who has served in South Carolina institutions for nearly 40 years, Jones is a fierce advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities as early pioneers in producing Black educators. Under Jones’ leadership, the Call Me MiSTER program has generated millions of dollars in revenue, much of which supports students attending HBCUs. The Association of Blacks in Higher Education awarded him with their Pacesetter Award in recognition of his service. 

Jones previously served as a department chair at Claflin University and was instrumental in it becoming the first historically black, private institution in the state to become accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Jones has also served as director of employment for the Charleston County School District. 

Dr. Jones is a 2020 inductee in the South Carolina African American History calendar, a recipient of The Ohio State University Mac A. Stewart Distinguished Award for Service and the South Carolina Education Association Walker E. Solomon Award for Call Me MiSTER “In Recognition of Outstanding Support of Public Education in South Carolina.”

Dr. Jones earned his Ed.D. in higher education from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in educational psychology from Atlanta University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Student registration for the conference is $50 while individual registration is $125. Registration is available online at gram.edu/callmemisterconference. 

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September 3, 1954 – May 16, 2022

Krista Kay “Kristy” Cathey Salter, age 67, of Natchitoches, Louisiana, peacefully passed away on May 16, 2022, after a long battle with liver and kidney disease.  A private funeral for family and close friends was held to honor her life at Aulds Funeral Home in Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 18, 2022.

Kristy was born on September 3, 1954, to Laris and Era Pullig Cathey. She grew up in Hodge, Louisiana, and graduated from Jonesboro-Hodge High School in 1972. She went on to attend Louisiana Tech University where she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.

She is survived by many including her loving and devoted companion, Richard Mutter, of Shreveport, Louisiana; her 93-year-old aunt, Jimmie Lou Carse of Orlando, Florida; her son, Rob Harrell and wife Heather of Marshall, Texas; her daughter, Mary Beth Fair and husband Jack of Natchitoches, Louisiana; her step-children, Lita Hopkins and Scotty Mutter of Shreveport, Louisiana; her favorite cousin, Vicki Carse Rodriguez and husband Jimmie of Orlando, Florida; her sister, Ann Martin and husband Hadley of Ruston, Louisiana; her grandsons, Austin Harrell, Luke Fair, and Beau Fair; and granddaughter, Halle Harrell.

Kristy is preceded in death by her parents; her high school sweetheart and first husband, Robert Ardle Harrell; her second husband of 35 years, John Thomas Salter; her sister, Terri Cathey; and her brother, David Cathey.

Kristy owned and operated her own business for over 35 years which gave her the opportunity to do a great deal of traveling throughout her life.  She had many talents and an innate ability to make things around her more beautiful.  Whether it was hair styling, applying make-up, painting, crafting, monogramming, sewing, wreath making, or interior decorating, she could do it all.

Kristy loved all things pageants.  She assumed the title of Miss Jackson Parish in 1972 and became actively involved in the Miss Louisiana Organization for nearly four decades. She helped contestants prepare for competition, directed many preliminaries including the Miss Super Derby Pageant, and chaperoned several Miss Louisiana winners at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Kristy was also an avid collector of antiques.  Some of her most memorable times were with her mother at flea markets, estate sales, and auctions buying Depression glass, vintage treasures, bric-a-brac, and her beloved cookie jars.

Kristy would do anything for those she cherished as family and friends. Her four greatest loves in life were her grandchildren, Austin, Halle, Luke, and Beau, who affectionately referred to her a G-Momma.  

Kristy will be fondly remembered for her quick wit and dry humor.  Anyone who knew her always had a funny story to tell about their time together.

The family would like to thank the physicians who took wonderful care of her at the John C. McDonald Regional Transplant Center at Willis Knighton in Shreveport, especially her two favorite, Dr. Gazi Zibari and Dr. Veron D. Browne.  In honor of her life, please register to be an organ donor in Louisiana at lopa.org or donatelifela.org.

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Patrick Louis Thomas 
July 15, 1985 – May 21, 2022 
Service: Thursday 5/26, 2:00 pm, J.C. Love Field, Pat Patterson Park, Ruston 

Wayne Buchan 
June 13, 1948 – May 22, 2022 
Service: 2: p.m., Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at Center Point Baptist Church in Jonesboro 

Claude McMillan 
July 27, 1930 – May 22, 2022 
Arrangements pending 

Susan “Susie” Lynn Turner 
February 22, 1968 – May 22, 2022 
Service: 2:00PM, Friday, May 27, 2022 at Rock Corner Baptist Church in Dubach 
Burial: Friday, May 27, 2022 at Mineral Springs Cemetery in Dubach 

Martha Britt   
February 3, 1926 – May 18, 2022   
Visitation: 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 25 at Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Ruston   
Funeral: 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 25 at Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Ruston   
Cemetery committal: Wednesday, May 25 at Unionville Cemetery, 6598 Hwy 822, Dubach 

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The North Central Louisiana Master Gardener’s Association and the City of Ruston will celebrate the opening of the Butterfly Garden on the corner of 167 North and Highway 80 East with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. today.

This project was a collaboration of the North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners and the City of Ruston to bring beautification and education to the public on the life cycle of butterflies.

“I want to thank North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners’ Association for our beautiful Butterfly Garden” said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker. “What was once a vacant corner in the heart of our city, is now a home to gorgeous flowers, wonderful butterflies, and a fabulous gazebo.  This is a perfect example of partnerships with the City of Ruston.”

The garden is home to native plants like zinnias, dianthus, “Texas Star” hibiscus, vitex, milkweed, button bush, blackberry holly, and salvia in a variety of colors.  These pollinator plants bring butterflies to the garden and provide a beautiful space in Downtown Ruston. The butterfly at the top of the gazebo structure is a gift from the gardeners in memory of Kathy Davis, who served as president of the organization. 

The members of the Master Gardeners would like to thank the many businesses and individuals who contributed to this garden. Additionally, they would like to thank the City of Ruston for the use of this space and for their interest in educating the public on pollinators in the area as well as their commitment to beautification in the City of Ruston. They would also like to give special thanks goes to all the Master Gardeners who have donated time, efforts and finances to make this garden possible. 

For more information about how to become a Master Gardener, please visit the LSU Ag Center’s website at https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/lawn_garden/master%20gardener.

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A Madisonville man with a long history of DWI arrests was arrested at the front gate of the Lincoln Parish Detention Center Sunday evening.

It’s unclear if Brian E. Gitz, 46, was trying to enter the detention center, but he was given a tour of the building, courtesy of Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies.

At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, personnel at the detention center notified LPSO dispatch of a gray sedan at the front gate and the driver appeared to be intoxicated.

Deputy S. Anunciation-Taylor responded and found Gitz in the driver’s seat of the car attempting to talk to the detention center over the intercom. Gitz smelled heavily of an alcoholic beverage and had red watery eyes. He admitted he had started drinking two hours earlier. 

Gitz was very unsteady on his feet and was moved to the detention center sally port where he began vomiting and increasingly unsteady. He was moved to the booking area where he was no longer able to stand and complained of breathing problems. He refused a breath test.

Gitz was transported to the North Louisiana Medical Center emergency room. Testing at the ER showed a blood alcohol content of .213g%.

Prior to being discharged, Gitz became agitated, rolled out of his bed onto the floor, claiming no one would help him. He refused to get off the floor. After being discharged, he became non-compliant and refused to be handcuffed. When escorted out of the ER, Gitz caused two deputies to run into the sliding exit doors. The doors were dislodged and no longer worked properly. One deputy had to return to the ER for an injury sustained when he struck the door.

A criminal history showed Gitz was convicted of his fourth DWI in Covington in 2019.

Gitz was returned to the detention center and booked for 4^th offense DWI, resisting an officer, and simple criminal damage to property.

Bail was set at $35,000.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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Former Louisiana Tech star Kenneth Lofton, Jr., was one of seven players participating in the NBA’s Elite Camp that was extended an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine.

Lofton entered the transfer portal following the completion of the 2021-22 season. And although there were plenty of reports of numerous colleges pursuing Lofton, the power forward has spent his offseason preparing for the next level.

On Monday, Lofton tweeted out “See ya’ll June 23. 100% staying in the draft.”

Following an all-conference season for the Bulldogs, the 6-foot-7-inch Lofton announced via social media on March 22 that he was entering his name in the transfer portal and thanked the University, coaches and fans for their support over the past two seasons.

Lofton has drawn rave reviews during his time at the NBA’s Elite Camp, a three-day event that was held May 15-17 in Chicago that provided draft prospects an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NBA and NBA G League scouts, coaches and front office executives.

He has continued to impress at the NBA Draft Combine.

“After attempting 20 total 3s in college, his release has been on display at the combine, which shows his potential to thrive from NBA distance. Lofton’s athleticism limits his ceiling, but he compensates for it with really smooth footwork and good IQ. If his 3-point shot can translate, he could become a sneaky-good candidate in the second round. He turns 20 in August and is reminiscent of a faster version of Zach Randolph.” – Sanjesh Singh, NBCSports.com

The 2022 NBA Draft is set for June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

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A Saline man was taken into custody at the North Louisiana Medical Center early Sunday morning after he allegedly refused to leave.

A Lincoln Parish deputy sheriff at the hospital on another call was approached by the staff regarding an emergency room patient who refused to leave the building. The man, Marcus Henry, 54, of Saline, was reportedly uncooperative and had been instructed to leave the emergency room. 

The deputy instructed Henry to leave but he refused multiple times. Henry was talking incoherently and showing signs of impairment. After repeated attempts to get Henry to leave, deputies had to physically pick him up and take him into custody.

He was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for disturbing the peace, resisting an officer, and remaining after being forbidden (trespassing).

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

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By Judith Roberts, publisher

Over the years, I’ve been to countless graduations — my own, my husband’s, my friends, and all the ones I have covered over the years. Most of the time, graduation speakers echo similar sentiments: be thankful for the education you received; remember, you didn’t get here without help; give back to your community. I wholeheartedly agree. I would not have received my diplomas without help from family, teachers and friends. I am overwhelmed frequently by my education and from the knowledge my teachers and professors imparted to me. And I very much want to help our community and teach that sense of service to my children.

But that leads me to my main point for this column — learning and teaching don’t end in a classroom.

If I could impart any of my limited wisdom to graduates, it would be to cultivate lifelong learning and teach others what you know. Your education didn’t end when you earned your degree; it just got started.

I would hate to think that I quit learning when my doctorate professor hooded me in 2013. In fact, I think the most I gained during my years as what I liked to call as my “professional student” time is how to learn. We have an immense amount of knowledge at our fingertips. And yes, while there is definitely a time and place for TikTok (which my husband refers to as “digital potato chips”), there is also a time to expand our knowledge. 

And as you’re learning and growing every day (because, yes, learning should occur daily), share that knowledge with others. I heard years ago that you should always have an older person mentoring you and you should always be mentoring someone younger than you. Who are you helping? Who is helping you? What can you learn from that person? What can someone learn from you?

One last word of caution from someone who has experienced a few extra decades of life than most of our recent graduates — don’t agree 100 percent with anyone either. No one is perfect. You should never agree with someone completely; you’re not thinking for yourself if that’s the case. My husband and I get along really well, and we generally agree on most things — but not all of them. And that’s okay. You can disagree with someone and still like that person, still get along.

Your education is just beginning. Don’t let it stay just with you.

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Three Louisiana Tech students from Ruston were recently inducted into the College of Engineering and Science’s Order of the Engineer, an honorary organization dedicated to upholding the standards and dignity of the engineering professions.

The three Ruston students were Justin Griffin, a chemical engineering major; James Henry, a cyber engineering major; and Brandon Vessel, a cyber engineering major.

The COES inducted 104 students and professionals into the Order of the Engineer. This ceremony took place  at the University’s Integrated Engineering and Science Building (IESB) earlier this month.. 

During the ceremony, initiates received Engineer’s Rings, stainless steel rings placed on the fifth finger of the working hand as a visible symbol and reminder of their dedication to high ethical and professional standards. At the same ceremony, they voluntarily signed the Obligation of an Engineer and vowed to use their skills as engineers to serve the public with integrity and honesty. 

“The Order of the Engineer is dedicated to fostering a sense of responsibility and community among professionals,” Dr. Hisham Hegab, COES Dean, said. “I’m pleased that so many of our students pledged to uphold the high standards that Louisiana Tech sets for its engineering and science graduates throughout their careers.” 

“Induction into the Order of the Engineer is an important step in an engineer’s career,” Dr. Heath Tims, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the College of Engineering and Science, added. “That so many of these students were willing to take the oath is a testament to the high educational standards and the sense of community that Tech COES graduates carry with them after their undergraduate education ends.” 

The Order of the Engineer has been inducting members for more than 50 years and is open to engineering seniors. Graduates from colleges with ABET-accredited curricula registered professional engineers and exceptional engineers throughout the United States. 

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The national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement effort will take place now through June 5.  Troopers will join forces with other law enforcement agencies to provide increased seat belt enforcement, especially at state borders.  This is an effort to get motorists to wear seat belts and understand wearing a seat belt is the best defense against injury in the event of a crash.  

Fatal and serious injury crashes have increased dramatically over the last year.  Nearly 60% of the fatalities on Louisiana’s roads involved unrestrained drivers and passengers.  75% of unrestrained child passengers under the age of 6 were killed and nearly 65% over the age of 6 were killed.  Fatal crashes involving our young adults (ages 15-24) increased by 32%.  These statistics are troubling and simply buckling up can save your life in a motor vehicle crash.

Studies also show that seat belt usage rates decline during nighttime driving hours, in the rear seat and in pick-up trucks.  Troopers will be vigilant and citing those individuals who fail to buckle up. Louisiana law requires vehicle occupants be properly restrained in all seating positions, day or night.

Seat belts protect the body in several ways.  During a crash, the seat belt will lock the occupant in the seat and prevent ejection.  It then spreads the crash forces across the strong bones of the body when worn properly.  The seat belt also allows the body to slow down during the crash, decreasing the chance of internal injuries to the brain and spinal cord.  Motorists are encouraged to take a moment to buckle up—every trip, every time.

Motorists who observe impaired or reckless drivers are encouraged to dial *LSP (*577) to reach the nearest troop location or to dial 911.

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Now before you start looking for ways to respond and tell me how wrong I am for that title, let me explain.  Goals and objectives have a place in everyone’s life.  They are an important factor in the business world, for athletic teams, for non-profit service organizations, and in personal development and growth.  The use and focus of goals are where the problem lies for many of us.  

First, goals in and of themselves don’t accomplish anything.  Daily habits, committed effort, and focused actions drive long-term results.  While goals may provide direction and temporary motivation, long-term achievement is driven by consistent behavior not a goal statement.  Repetitive actions develop habits which lead to a lifestyle and ultimately an identity.  In the midst of that process, we set goals as evaluation points to monitor our progress.  These evaluation points indicate whether we need to make adjustments or not.

Secondly, I would encourage everyone to start with purpose before setting goals.  Purpose allows us to think long-term and broader in our view of what we are looking to accomplish.  Here again, goals can be used as mile markers along the way to gauge our progress and identify when adjustments are needed.  Goals support the purpose, not the reversal.

For example, several years ago I decided that I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle.  I changed my eating habits and started an early morning workout routine every day.  I set goals within that workout routine from time to time to monitor progress. I even monitor my run times at different mile markers to check my pace and make adjustment where needed.  The goals though are just evaluation points and not the ultimate purpose. 

Goals are often finite and have an ending.  Purpose should not end. Purpose continues even when goals are not met.  Purpose continues when the run time is not what you wanted, the scales don’t provide the number you want, or the scoreboard proclaims another the winner.  While goals can be motivating to some, they can demotivate others if used improperly.  

Start with purpose to frame an identity.  Develop a lifestyle to shape that identity.  Commit to habits to lead to that lifestyle.   Take regular actions to develop those habits.  Set some goals along the way that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (SMART), but keep in mind, these are mile markers only.  Those regular actions are more important than achieving a temporary goal.  Those actions, habits, lifestyle, and identity lead to sustainable results and a purposeful life.

The progression above is relevant for individuals, organizations, teams, and governments.  We should all be known for our purpose(s).  What’s your purpose?  What’s your organization’s purpose?  What’s your team’s purpose?  Give it some thought and go live a purposeful life!

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