Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications

The Grambling State University women’s soccer program announced its 2023 recruiting class, unveiling 11 talented incoming players that hail from four different countries and five different states.

The class features nine freshmen and two mid-year transfers. GSU’s soccer team went 12-8-3 on the year making it to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament Championship game before falling to Jackson State in overtime, narrowly missing an NCAA Tournament berth. 

“I’m excited about this recruiting class and what it means for our team in the future,” said head coach Justin Wagar. “We had a strong team this year, and I believe with some key additions we can be even more competitive going forward. I’m looking forward to seeing what Gram soccer can do in the future.” 

Sophia Lezizidis is a speedy forward and outside midfielder from Toronto, Canada. She was a league leading scorer with 24 goals for Whitecaps Academy this year. In addition, she was also a national center of excellence invitee.

Dori Johnson is a versatile outside defender that plays for Prime ECNL Club in Florida. Dori is fast, aggressive and quick to get on the attack.

MaKyla Peterson is a center back from Rush National Select team and San Antonio SC Girls Academy team. She was a team captain and two-time first team All-District selection.

Lauren Baylor is a shot stopping goalkeeper who played for the Mississippi Rush United team that won two consecutive state titles. She is the captain for her high school and club teams.

Kennedy Farr is a crafty play-making striker and outside midfielder that plays for the Nationals Girls Academy team in Michigan. She also played for the Hawks ECNL team and is a creative dribbler.

Mya Joseph is a skilled technical forward and attacking midfielder from Seattle ECRL. She’s also a Trinidad and Tobago National team selection for U-17 World Cup Qualifiers. In addition, she was a captain at Hazen HS and earned all-league honors

Taiya Mitchell is a solid center back transfer from University of Houston and Blinn CC. Taiya hails from Houston, Texas and was also a memeber of the Suthbelt Chargers Club team.

Tiaona Henderson is an athletic goalkeeper from Orlando, Fla., who was the Goalkeeper of the Year and team MVP her sophomore year. She also plays club ball for Florida Kraze Krush ECNL-R team.

Freja Vestred is a skilled outside defender with great technical skill and attacking ability on the flanks from the Netherlands. She plays for Ballerup-Skovlunde-Fodbold in Fredensborg, Denmark.

Morgan Johnson is a speedy play-making outside midfielder from Dallas Sting ECNL who is a junior college transfer from Rich Mountain Community College where she was a two-time All-Conference player.

Aimee Benton is a shot stopping well rounded goalkeeper from Australia who is the starting keeper for Modbury Vista SC Women’s Premier League in Australia. Also she is a U-18 SA NTC member. 

Mario Diamond 
Saturday 11/29/1980 — Saturday 11/19/2022  
Visitation: Friday 11/25/2022 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home 
Family Gathering: Saturday 11/26/2022 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home 
Funeral Service: Saturday 11/26/2022 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home 
Interment: Saturday 11/26/2022 at George Washington Carver Memorial Park. Martin Luther King Drive, Ruston 

So last week members of the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and some others within the Ruston community road around in squad cars in search of minor traffic violations.

The siren lights went on. The violators were pulled over. However, instead of receiving a traffic ticket, they received a smile and a free turkey.

By Malcolm Butler

WATCH – WKRP TURKEY DROP SCENE

I’m not sure we can ever have enough laughter in our lives.

Especially in this day and age.

It’s funny — not haha funny; just more funny .. you know — that when Thanksgiving rolls around each year, one of the things that makes me laugh is thinking of my maternal grandfather Roland Abegg watching one of his favorite shows.

WKRP in Cincinnati.

It was an old sitcom that premiered in 1978 and ran until 1982. Ninety episodes of pure stupid comedy.

It was your typical, harmless, sometimes hilarious, 30-minute show about the misadventures of a staff at a struggling radio station in — you guessed it — Cincinnati, Ohio. The creator Hugh Wilson once told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he selected the WKRP as the call sign to stand for C-R-A-P.

You can see he had a sense of humor.

The series received 10 Emmy Award nominations during its four-year TV lifespan, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. It was pretty comical. Kind of stupid funny, but funny nonetheless.

I will always remember sitting in my grandparents living room watching the show with my grandfather. He sure thought it was funny; much more than I did at the time. But I was only 9 years old when it launched so a lot of the humor was lost on me at the time.

However, one episode was not.

The entire premise of the episode was about a Thanksgiving promotion that WKRP was doing for the station. A promotion that went south, quickly.

As live turkeys were literally dropped from the helicopter by station manager manager Arthur Carlson and his sidekick Herb Tarlek (you don’t see this in the actual show), WKRP reporter Les Nessman is on the scene at a shopping mall, giving a live play-by-play of the “turkey drop” over the air.

Poor Les had no clue of the actual promotion he would be covering that day, until the first turkey made landfall … with a thud.

“The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement,” screams a distraught Les.”The crowd is running for their lives … I can’t stand here and watch this any longer.”

It’s really one of the all-time great scenes in any sitcom.

Once Carlson, Tarlek and Les return to the station — their clothes tattered and hair a mess looking like they just went 10 rounds with an angry mob of turkeys — Carlson utters a line to the rest of the WKRP station staff that goes down in the lore of great sitcom writing.

“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

Between Les’ first-hand, on-the-scene account of the well-intended promotion turned bird fiasco and Carlson’s scene-ending one-liner back at the station, my grandfather was rolling in his chair. Tears were flowing. It was one of those laughs we all need sometimes.

I think at age nine I was laughing more at his reaction than the actual show.

Over the decades, the episode has become an almost cultural phenomenon, even for those who may not have seen it originally aired way back on October 30, 1978. In all honesty, a Thanksgiving doesn’t go by without me going to YouTube and watching the four minutes of turkey chaos.

It makes me laugh now the way my grandfather did back then. That I’m always thankful for.

But even more importantly, it makes me smile thinking about my grandfather’s pure joy watching Les panic-stricken voice yelling out … “Oh the humanity!”

Ruston High School students are able to reserve spots on a spectator bus for Friday’s quarterfinal playoff matchup with Denham Springs.

The ride is specifically limited to Ruston students only and will cost $15 per student for the ride. Students will still be responsible for $10 ticket to the game, which will require a student ID.

Students that have had any suspensions this year will not be eligible to ride.

The bus will stop along the way to eat before the game, so students will be required to bring money for that, as well.

A Ruston High teacher has offered to chaperone. The bus will depart from the Freshman Lot at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

Students can reserve spots at this link.

By Malcolm Butler

A jumper by Anna Larr Roberson with 6:43 to play in the fourth quarter Tuesday evening at Moody Coliseum put the former Cedar Creek School star in elite company.

Roberson’s bucket in an eventual 63-59 loss to SMU Tuesday made her the 45th player in the storied history of Lady Techster basketball to join the 1,000-point club.

It’s elite company and the names are the who’s who of Techster basketball.

“It’s always a big accomplishment for a player to reach the 1,000th career point milestone,” said Tech head coach Brooke Stoehr. “Anna Larr has been an incredible teammate and competitor. I’m really proud of her growth over the last three years and excited about what’s to come this season. She has worked hard to help our team grow and has expanded her individual game in the process. I love coaching her and am proud of how she shows up to compete consistently for our group.”

Roberson, a preseason all-Conference USA selection by the league coaches, finished the game with 9 points and four rebounds despite battling foul trouble most of the game.

As a true freshman, Roberson scored 201 points in 29 games. She followed that up with 271 points in 24 games as a sophomore before breaking out with 485 points in 31 games as a junior. She has 43 points in four games thus far this season to put her at exactly 1,000 points.

Roberson already owns the program record with 20 made field goals in a game when she scored 44 points in a double overtime win over Rice in 2021-22. The 44 points are the fifth most in program history.

While Roberson was joining the elite group Tuesday, teammate Keiunna Walker scored a game-high 22 points for the Lady Techsters who built a 10-point first quarter lead but couldn’t pick up the road win against the Mustangs.

Walker and Roberson both battled foul trouble throughout the game. Tech held a 29-28 halftime lead and the two teams were tied 46-46 entering the final stanza.

After SMU built a seven-point lead late, Tech closed to within one and had two opportunities to win it but three-point attempts by Walker and Gabbie Green were off the mark and SMU hit two free throws in the final second to seal the win.

“This one is a tough one to swallow,” said Stoehr. “We knew it would be a battle against a tough SMU team on the road. I thought we got off to a great start and really shared and moved the ball for easy shots in the first quarter. We had a number of players in foul trouble and faced some adversity all night, but our group battled and had some good moments.”

Louisiana Tech will head to Las Vegas, Nev. for a three-day Thanksgiving tournament hosted by UNLV. The Techsters will face Stetson at 6 p.m. CT inside the Thomas and Mack Center. There will be no live stream for the tournament, but the game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network app. 

By April Clark Honaker

After Adam Novak graduated from high school, he served eight years in the U.S. Army before studying pre-Nursing at the University of Louisiana in Monroe. Novak said the day he received his acceptance letter to the nursing program, he decided nursing wasn’t really where his heart was and changed course to pursue teaching instead. 

Novak’s seventh grade history teacher, who also happened to be his football coach, had sparked his interest in teaching at a young age. The way this teacher taught and explained things inspired Novak. “Seventh grade history was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken,” Novak said. 

Then, as a medic in the Army, Novak found that he always enjoyed teaching others. “My wife picked up on that,” he said, “and it helped guide my decision.” After switching majors, Novak earned his Bachelor of Science in secondary education with a concentration in social studies. 

Not long after graduation, Novak was hired to teach and coach full time at Ruston Junior High School, where he is now in his sixth year. Novak teaches seventh grade social studies and is the assistant football and track coach, as well as the assistant girls’ basketball coach. 

As a teacher and a coach, Novak prioritizes forming relationships with the students. “Getting to know them, seeing them come out of their shells, and helping them grow academically is the best part for me,” Novak said. “I also think that being a coach gives me an extra chance to develop those relationships with the student athletes.”

At the end of the year, Novak said it’s really rewarding to look back and see how much knowledge the students have gained and how much they’ve increased their academic skills. His favorite topic to teach about is government. “I believe that’s an important topic to get them involved in as early as possible,” he said.

Novak said his experience in the Army has given him a deeper appreciation for being able to teach a subject he’s passionate about. He’s also able to draw on some of his past experiences to enrich his teaching and help the students better understand certain topics. “I think it sometimes makes it more interesting for them,” he said, “and I also think it puts it on a personal level.” 

Novak’s excellence in teaching has garnered recognition from his students and the district this year. Earlier this year, he was recognized as “Apple of the Month,” which is a school-wide teacher of the month award selected by the students, and he was also selected as the junior high teacher of the month for the district. Then, earlier this month, he was selected as one of Lincoln Parish Schools’ Teachers of the Year. 

Novak said, “It’s really humbling because you get up every day, and you do your best, and being recognized for that and having the hard work pay off, it’s awesome. It really is.” 

Novak was also very grateful to his family for their support in helping him achieve this recognition. “I put in a lot of time at the school,” he said. “It’s a lot of time away from home, and my wife is very understanding of that.” Sometimes Novak said he misses his own kids’ games to fulfill the responsibilities of his job, but they, too, are understanding. 

“I definitely could not have done it without a supportive wife and family,” he said. “They’re really understanding and really patient. Whatever way they can offer me support, they’re always there for me.”     

By T. Scott Boatright

Cedar Creek stormed out to a big lead early on against West Ouachita at the Brickhouse.

Then the Lady Cougars had to weather the storm when the Lady Chiefs heated up in the third stanza.

But Cedar Creek settled down in the final stanza to hold on for a 55-38 win over West Ouachita to move to 2-1 on the young season.

The Lady Cougars dominated the first quarter, with Elli Dickerson driving to the basket and either drawing the foul or dishing off to Lizzie McAdams, who stopped and popped the nets nine points in the first eight minutes.

Dickerson also had a big first quarter, totaling five points after hitting five-of-six free throw attempts as the Lady Cougars led 18-6 heading into the second stanza.

“In the first half, we made it really hard for them to make shots, and when they got a shot it was only one shot because we were rebounding really well,” said Cedar Creek coach Gene Vandenlangenberg. “And we were giving ourselves second and third chances off of offensive boards.”

The Lady Cougars maintained that intensity in the second quarter, taking a 19-point advantage into the locker room at halftime with a 32-11 advantage capped off with a short jumper by Dickerson off a pass from Olivia Underwood with three seconds left before intermission.

But then the wind kind of left the Lady Cougars’ sails in the third quarter, as the Lady Chiefs outscored Cedar Creek 13-9 in the stanza to trim their deficit to 41-25 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

“It happens,” Vandenlangenberg said. “It’s hard to keep that intensity going a whole game. That drop in intensity caused some gaps in our defense as we started  playing with our  arms down because of  that lack of intensity.

“But in the fourth quarter I thought we picked it back up. We lost our composure for a brief bit because we had some things that didn’t go our way. But to turn it back around at the end there in only our third game of the season, I thought the girls played a really good game. We’re still trying to find ourselves.”

Vandenlangenberg said it was a matter of countering halftime adjustments made by the Lady Chiefs.

“In the third quarter they extended their defense and started reading what we were trying to do — they were reading and anticipating our passes,” Vandenlangenberg said. “They clamped down on our inside game and we couldn’t get through them. So it got a little hairy at times, but we figured it out and extended our offense and made work a little more and made them tired.”

Vandenlengberg said he was especially proud of the way his girls weathered that third quarter in light of being shorthanded.

“We’re preaching  consistency,” Vandenlangenberg said. “And we played three good quarters. We’re still working on conditioning. We were without a couple of subs we could have rotated in and got a little tired. We didn’t have to go as deep as we thought we might have to. We probably had four girls play 32 minutes.”

He was also proud of the way the Lady Cougars dominated the glass.

“West Ouachita is an excellent rebounding team,” Vandenlangenberg said. “We scrimmaged them twice and they worked us over on the board pretty good. But tonight I thought we flipped that and controlled the boards in the first half, got the lead and then we held on.”

Underwood led the Lady Cougars with 14 points while Allie Furr added 12. McAdams chipped in with 10 and Dickerson and Lillian Soto hitting for nine each. 

“Our biggest concern coming into the season was finding points — scoring points,” Vandenlangenberg said. “But for these first few games we’ve been able to find points, so I’m not complaining. I can’t remember the last time we had balanced scoring like that.

“We had three girls score in and two more sniffing double figures,” Vandenlangenberg said. “That’s pretty balanced. And we got good inside points from Elli and Allie, and that’s a great sign. If they start scoring, that will be big for us.”

But most of all, he said he was pleased with the way his team responded in the fourth quarter after struggling some in the third.

“That’s the kind of thing we kind of hang our hat on,” Vandenlandenberg said. “We kind of bent but didn’t and were able to get back on the upside. And it got hairy for a little bit there. 

“We’re getting there. We’re going to be a hard-working team and see what happens. But I’m proud of this win and proud of the way our girls played.”

By Judith Roberts

To celebrate the holiday season, The Lincoln Parish Journal has made a donation to 4Paws Rescue Animal Shelter. 

4Paws is currently searching for contributions to keep the doors open at its no-kill shelter. 

“We have 67 dogs,” said Sue Martin, director of 4Paws. “We keep 65 to 70, and this is one of our problems. We had around 55. That was about normal. Then Ouachita Parish quit taking in animals from other parishes. That has been a crisis. People don’t understand it. Now we’re having to feed and care for 20 more.” 

Martin said she doesn’t think people realize what will happen if 4Paws closes. 

“People are saying, ‘But Ruston is building a new shelter.’ Yes, but it’s for the city,” she said. “We take in Lincoln, Bienville, Claiborne, Union, Ouachita, Jackson and we’ve had to stop. And the dogs are languishing. They’re just out there. We’re turning away a dozen a day. It’s hard because the people say, ‘This dog just showed up in my yard and I have five. I can’t keep him.’ And we used to say, we’ll bring you some food, but now we can’t even do that.” 

Currently, the biggest need is financial, Martin said. 

“Right now, we need money,” Martin said. “We’re seeking 200 people to give $20 a month. That would give us $2,000 a month, which is what we need. We are sending out letters to former donors and I’m visiting area businesses, looking for corporate sponsors.” 

All donations are tax deductible, and an automated draft can be set up from a donor’s bank account. 

“We have a new website,” Martin said. “A marketing class at Tech made us a website, and it’s wonderful. On the site is the (donation form). It’ll bring that form out. All of (the volunteers) – we don’t get a paid a dime, and we give. It’s automatically deducted. This way it’s done for you.” 

Another way to increase awareness is through events, such as the Pictures with Santa, scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the 4Paws Dog Park. 

“We’re going to have an ugly sweater contest – for the dogs and the people,” Martin said.  

Additionally the 4Paws Dog Park is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

To assist with 4Paws, visit https://www.4pawsrescueinc.org/donate.   

Ruston High will host a pep rally Thanksgiving evening, at 6 p.m. in the Auxiliary Gym on the campus of the school and has invited the community to come take part to cheer on the Bearcats.

The top-seeded Bearcats will be playing a road playoff game Friday night against No. 9 Denham Springs at 7 p.m. for a chance to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1999. Denham Springs miraculously beat Benton with a last second field goal after Benton failed to run the clock out being up by two points in the final seconds.

Ruston has advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth straight season after a Round 2 win over No. 17 Ouachita by a final score of 36-17.

With the Pilgrims held up as our example, we learned early to “be grateful.” 

As they dragged us to various in-laws’ in assorted neighborhoods for turkey and pumpkin pie and secondhand smoke, our parents reminded us that at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 (give or take), the settlers of the New World had it much tougher than we do. They had to eat outside. They didn’t have potatoes over here yet. The yeast rolls didn’t rise. William Bradford forgot to pick up a Marie Callender’s Apple Crumb Cobbler at the store, and the cable went out halfway through the Detroit Lions-Chicago Cardinals football game. 

“And they didn’t even complain,” our parents said. 

“Bet they got drunk then,” I said. 

“No, they most certainly did not!” 

The Pilgrims really WERE tough; I would have complained if there’d been no potatoes. Loud and clear. They could have heard me back over in England.  

But to hear our parents testify, no one 40 years ago ever complained about anything, especially on Thanksgiving. When you are spoiled like I am, that is setting the bar sort of high. But hey, I’m old school too and really not much of a complainer – as long as everything goes right. That’s just me. 

This week, complaining is a given. This week is about the pre-Thanksgiving misgivings about “where we’re going for Thanksgiving.” Do you know where you’re going yet? Or what you’re bringing? Or the order in which you’re going to whomever’s house when? Are we all on the same page? 

It can be dicey. 

“Are we going to grandmama’s?” 

“Not this year. But we’re not sure. We might.” 

“When will we know?” 

“I don’t know. Who are you, Dan Rather? We’ll know when we hear from everybody and decide.” 

“It’s Tuesday.” 

“Then good! Since Thanksgiving is on Thursday, as it usually is, that means we don’t have to know yet.” 

“We’re cutting it close.” 

“I’ll show you what cutting it close is, mister!” 

“I was just asking…” 

“Well just quit just asking, mister man. Your grandmother might meet us at Big Aunty’s. We might go there.” 

“Not to Big Aunty’s! Big Aunty can’t cook, momma. Big Aunty won’t have nothing even done until supper. We’ll starve.” 

“She most certainly will have and you most certainly will not starve. I’ll make you a pimento cheese to hold you over. We might just all bring different things.” 

“What do you mean, ‘we all?’ Who all is coming?” 

“Aunt Jean will bring the macaroni and cheese and we’ll bring the bean casserole and…” 

“Momma that means Uncle Lester is coming. He’s a professional smoker. We’ll all smell like something burnt. They’ll be ashes in the macaroni.” 

“No there will not!” 

“There was last year.” 

“You’ll think last year if you don’t shut up! Now I mean it!” 

“Can we just stay home and make hamburgers?” 

“NO! We can be thankful and not complain about gummy rice and ashes in the food and Jello with nuts in it and getting your picture taken. And if I hear one word, ONE MORE WORD….” 

Precious memories. And Happy Thanksgiving; I hope you get where you’re going. 

(Originally ran Nov. 20, 2009) 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu 

By Kyle Roberts

Ruston High’s girls soccer team fought Haughton to a draw on Monday night with a final score of 1-1 after scoring the tying goal within the last few minutes of the match.

“Haughton is a team we enjoy playing,” Ruston head coach Jacquelyn Bean said. “They are competitive and similar in style of play. “We played them less than a week ago in their tournament, and it’s not always preferable to rematch a team with this quick of a turnaround.”

The match saw a lot of fouls in the first half on both sides as the teams went into the half 0-0. Ruston had an opportunity in the second half with a penalty kick after a handball, but unfortunately, missed high. Haughton responded with a fast break goal shortly after to a take a 1-0 lead.

“My girls kept going and never quit,” Bean said. “We felt that if we could get a couple more chances, we could find a goal and get the draw. Both teams had been pretty equal all night. You get this feeling that there’s another goal left in the match.”

Bean’s gut feeling proved true. With less than three minutes remaining, Ruston responded after a corner kick across the box to senior Raegan Smith, who passed perfectly to freshman Layla Smith. Smith then connected with sophomore Morgan Foster who put a perfect ball into the net from 11 yards out.

“It was electrifying,” Bean said. “It’s nice to see your team keep pushing and fighting for a result. This is a draw that feels like a win.”

Both Ruston soccer teams will return to action Tuesday, Nov. 29, against North DeSoto.

Participation is very simple. Just click on this link below. No entry fee. It’s FREE to play. One entry per contestant.

CLICK HERE: WEEK 12

Doc Hoefler is the Week 11 winner of the Karl Malone Toyota NFL Pickem Contest presented by 511 and Black Rifle Coffee Company.

He won $150 in cash and prizes. How would you like to join the winners circle?

It’s easy. Each week pick the 10 NFL games that we list and have a chance to win cash and gift cards.

One lucky (or smart) pick’em guru will walk away with $150 worth of cash and prizes. The weekly deadline is Saturday at 10 a.m. (prior to Sunday’s NFL games). 

Anyone is eligible to participate (only one entry per contestant). Each week the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 10 selected NFL games (ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two of our weekly contests).

There is no entry fee, just like there is no cost to subscribe to the Lincoln Parish Journal. 

It takes 20-30 seconds to sign up and not much longer than that to make your picks.

All contest decisions by LPJ management are final. Weekly winners will be notified Monday and are will be requested to take a photo that will run in the following week’s LPJ.

Every participant will receive a FREE subscription to the Journal, if you’re not already signed up for the easily-navigated, convenient 6:55 a.m. daily e-mail.

Weekly Winners

Week 1: Barry Morales

Week 2: Zoe Collum

Week 3: Joe Peel

Week 4: Linda Fowler

Week 5: John Wakeman

Week 6: Lee Garrett

Week 7: Shawn Payton

Week 8: Don Griffin

Week 9: Charlton Garrett

Week 10: Kevin Watson

Week 11: Doc Hoefler

A Jackson, Miss., man was arrested Friday afternoon after he was stopped for speeding and a stolen rifle was found in his vehicle.

Deputy D. Johnston of the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office stopped a SUV eastbound on Interstate 20 clocked on radar at 84 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone. After approaching the vehicle, Deputy Johnston detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside. 

When asked if there were any weapons in the car, a passenger said no. The driver, Devore T. Johnson, 36, was directed out of the vehicle and asked about the presence of narcotics. Johnson stated they had smoked marijuana earlier but there was none in the vehicle but then he had a firearm inside his purse.

The deputy returned to the vehicle and observed the passenger with Johnson’s purse now in his lap. When the passenger was asked to step out of the vehicle, the deputy saw a firearm underneath his legs.

The two men were detained while a search recovered the pistol on the seat under the passenger, the pistol in Johnson’s purse, and an AR-style rifle from behind the driver’s seat. Johnson stated all the firearms belonged to him.

A records check indicated the rifle had been reported stolen.

Johnson was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for speeding 84 in a 70 zone and illegal possession of a stolen firearm. 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. 

A Grambling man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly choked a woman, threw her belongings out and then dragged her outside.

The victim told Grambling Police that Aaron Aings, 28, had abused her. She said she was at Aings’s residence on Dunn Road, and they had been arguing. As she was gathering her belongings to leave, Aings grabbed her, slammed her on the sofa and choked her. He then threw the victim’s belongings outside and dragged her out. She called a taxi to come pick her up.

Officers saw the victim had bruising to her eye, arm, wrist, neck, and a burst lip.

Aings was questioned at Grambling PD. He said the victim kept trying to take his cell phone. He pushed her away and she jumped on his back to try to take the phone.

Aings was arrested and booked for domestic abuse battery involving strangulation.

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. 

In order for our staff to spend time with friends and family on Thanksgiving, we will not publish tomorrow. We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving as you are able with your loved ones as well.  

The Lincoln Parish Journal will proudly resume publishing on Friday morning at 6:55 a.m. 

Make sure to get your news at 6:55 a.m. every day of the week in the fall by subscribing for FREE by clicking HERE. All LPJ articles are free and always will be free! 

Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs head to the state of Alabama to play three games in four days as part of a Multi-Team Event as they will first take on Alabama A&M in Huntsville tonight at 7 p.m. followed by match-ups against Samford (2 p.m.) and Tennessee-Southern (3 p.m.) in Birmingham on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Tonight and Friday’s games can be heard on the 107.5 FM while Saturday’s game can be accessed on the LA Tech Athletics app only.

The Bulldogs (2-2) continued their winning ways against the ULM Warhawks, defeating their I-20 neighbor by a final score of 79-58 on Monday night. It was the 10th straight win for LA Tech in the series as well as the 30th consecutive home non-conference victory.

LA Tech got balanced scoring as five different players – Isaiah Crawford, Keaston Willis, Quandre Bullock, Kenny Hunter, and Terran Williams – reached double-digit points in the 21-point victory. There has now been seven different Bulldogs score 10+ points in a single game at least once this season.

Crawford continued his comeback effort by stuffing the stat sheet against ULM, recording 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He has scored in double figures in three of the first four games, averaging 13.3 points per contest.

The ‘Dogs went 17-of-19 from the foul line against the Warhawks, upping their free throw percentage to 84.7, which currently ranks second in the country. They have made 40 of their last 46 free throw attempts.

Denny Jones 
October 7, 1945 – November 21, 2022 
Memorial Service: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 2:00 PM, Dubach United Methodist Church. 405 Main St., Dubach 

Thomas Davis, Jr.   
Saturday 02/15/1947  — Wednesday 11/16/2022     
Funeral Service: Wednesday 11/23/2022 11:00am, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, 446 Bowden Road, Ruston (Clay)   
Interment: Wednesday 11/23/2022 at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Bowden Road, Ruston (Clay), LA 

Queen Dixie Gem Peach LXXI Emma Kathryn Carter has been invited by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser to ride in the Tournament of Roses Parade with him on the Louisiana float Jan. 2, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. 

Other state parade riders include a former patient of the Shriners Hospital in Shreveport and 20 Louisiana queens from around the state.  

Carter, a senior at Quitman High School, said she could not wait for this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

“I’ve never done anything like this before, so I was in complete shock,” Carter said. “I have never been to California before. I’m super excited to get to go to a new state and experience some new opportunities. My mom, Jennifer, as well as my sister Kailee will be joining me for this cool experience.” 

Carter said she was honored to be this year’s Queen Dixie Gem Peach and receive this opportunity. 

“Louisiana entered a float in the Rose Parade last year for the very first time,” Carter said. “The float this year is showcasing all different parts of Louisiana and things we produce, grow and celebrate, so they picked festivals in different areas of the state and invited some of the festival queens to ride the float. The Peach Festival was selected, along with several other festivals, to ride on the float with the lieutenant governor.” 

Carter said she believes this is a great way to represent the parish, the Peach Festival and the Dixie Gem Pageant through this big opportunity. 

“The purpose of the float is to generate more tourism, and with Ruston being represented, hopefully more people will come to experience our great town,” she said. “I’m so honored to be able to represent Ruston and the Peache Festival, as well as Louisiana. I appreciate all the support along the way.” 

Carter is the daughter of Billy Carter and Jennifer Giddens and plays basketball and track.  

The Rose Parade will be aired on TV on Jan. 2 on ABC and NBC. The Louisiana float will be highlighted and Louisiana’s own country music singer Lainey Wilson will perform as well. 

A Winnsboro man was arrested Friday morning after Lincoln Parish deputies responded to a disturbance at a U.S. 80 residence.

The victim told deputies Patrick Spencer, 28, had hit her in the mouth during an argument. She had a small cut and blood inside her mouth. She stated Spencer ran out the back door when he heard deputies approach. 

A search of the area located Spencer hiding behind a trailer nearby. He was arrested and booked for domestic abuse battery, felony violation of a protective order—third  offense, and three warrants charging him with violation of a protective order, resisting an officer, and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling.

Bail was set at $53,500.

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. 

Grambling State University Police arrested a student early Friday morning after executing a search warrant on his dorm room and recovering a gun, ammunition, and other paraphernalia.

Thursday night GSU housing staff was conducting a walkthrough of a Wheatley Hall dorm room after receiving a tip through the university’s G-Safe app. The staffer saw a box of ammunition on a table in the room. GSU police were alerted of the finding.

When officers responded, Max Pierre, Jr., 21, of New Orleans, was detained while a search warrant was acquired from 3rd District Court.

During execution of the warrant, two boxes of ammunition and a loaded handgun were located. The stock from a AR-15 rifle with a tripod, a tracer round, and two empty Glock gun cases were also recovered. The guns connected to the cases were not located during the search.

During questioning, Pierre admitted owning the items, saying he brought them on campus with knowledge they were prohibited.

Pierre was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of a firearm in a firearm free zone (school campus) and illegal carrying of a weapon.

Bail was set at $65,000.

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.