Cheerleading is highly competitive at Louisiana Tech, and another trip to nationals Jan. 13-17 proves that. The squad is looking to represent Louisiana Tech and the Ruston community well this year, as they did last year.
The cheerleaders, like sophomore Katy Crain, take pride in going to nationals and representing the Ruston community. They especially like being role models for the young girls they meet from the community.
“The best part of being a Tech cheerleader are the little girls who look up to us because that used to be us in their position and thinking about it like that is so special to me,” said Crain.
The UCA collegiate nationals are held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The cheer team has been practicing all year for the competition, adding hours upon hours of extra work to master their craft.
“In addition to our normal practice days, we are required to go to 6 a.m. workouts during the week to build stamina and strength for the season. We are also always putting in work outside of practice to train individually,” said Crain.
The chance to even go to nationals is a huge accomplishment in itself. Competing in front of other squads from all over the nation can be nerve racking for some, but Louisiana Tech’s team is ready.
“Being able to compete at nationals is an amazing experience and last year we made so many memories and I loved competing in Orlando with my team,” said second year cheerleader Skylee Warner. “The adrenaline rush you get from competing on the floor is crazy and exciting.”
Jamie Gressett is currently in the midst of year 21 at Ruston High School where she teaches English in the Freshman Academy.
Gressett comes from a family of educators but initially thought she wanted to do something different. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English from Louisiana Tech University, Gressett worked a few different jobs before reconsidering education as a career path.
Just as Gressett was enrolling in graduate school for education, her mom helped facilitate her first teaching position. Gressett’s mother was teaching at Haughton High School when a position teaching ninth-grade English suddenly opened there just a couple weeks before school started.
Although she had thought she would pursue teaching elementary students, Gressett accepted the position teaching ninth graders and has been teaching high school ever since.
“I realized really fast that it was the right choice for me,” she said. “This definitely is the age I click the best with, and I like the content.”
Gressett became certified through an alternative certification program and earned a master’s degree while teaching as well.
Gressett has now been teaching freshmen at Ruston High for nearly ten years. “I really like helping with the transition to high school,” she said. “They usually end up really liking the school and getting involved.”
The Freshman Academy is key to smoothing their transition from junior high. “It’s all about getting the kids acquainted with the high school and getting them set up for success,” Gressett said. “I feel like that’s really where I’m supposed to be. I get to help them more, and I really like all the initiatives we have.”
When it comes to teaching English, Gressett’s favorite topics are Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “Anthem,” a dystopian novel by Ayn Rand.
When they read “Romeo and Juliet,” Gressett said they also learn about the development of the teenage brain, and they examine the characters’ reckless decisions and their lack of parental guidance.
“I feel like the kids realize it’s not really a love story,” Gressett said. At the same time, the characters’ behaviors are relatable, even to teenagers today. Gressett said the same is true of “Anthem,” and there are a lot of lessons to be learned from that book. “All the units are really good,” she said.
In addition to teaching, Gressett, along with fellow English teacher Ashlee Bell, serves as a sponsor for the student council. This role means Gressett helps facilitate planning of projects and events, such as the school’s annual Christmas service project.
Gressett also maintains the social media for the student council and for the school, which means using platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to raise public awareness of school-related happenings and to promote the school.
Because of her roles, Gressett said students seem to feel comfortable approaching her with new ideas and questions. She hopes that in her service to the school and the students, they see how much she loves Ruston High School.
Gressett’s dad modeled how to build relationships with students, and she said she tries to do the same. “I feel like the relationships are important,” she said. “I want every kid to know that they’re important and that they matter.”
Gressett said she also hopes they choose to get involved in the school somehow. “There’s something for everybody here,” she said, “and that’s one thing I love the most.”
Choudrant’s Eli Callender looked more like a fullback than a basketball guard on this drive toward the basket against Oak Grove Tuesday night. (Photo by T. Scott Boatright)
By T. Scott Boatright
Oak Grove is coming off a Division IV Nonselect School State Championship less than two weeks ago.
On Tuesday night, the Tigers looked like they were still in pigskin-mode as they played a basketball game at Choudrant High School.
And during a game that seemed to feature more gridiron-like grinding than basketball finesse, Choudrant showed that physical play can be overcome as the Aggies took control in the second quarter and held on for a 60-33 win over Oak Grove at the CHS Gym.
Aggies coach Ryan Smith was proud of the way his team played tough against the obviously bigger Tigers.
“We knew they had some size and had real athletes,” Smith said. “I think the whole transitioning from football players to basketball players came into effect tonight with their physicality and aggressive play — just used to getting away with some bumps and stuff that as they go on the next few games they’ll adjust to.
“I thought the first half was a straight football game. We were sluggish coming out. This game is up there in terms of the most physical I’ve coached. It’s not like they had just one or two guys — their guards are physical and their forwards are huge and physical.”
Choudrant parlayed a 9-6 advantage at the end of the first stanza into a 24-11 halftime lead, with Oak Grove’s power forward duo both getting into early foul trouble with their physical play.
Smith said he and his assistants made sure to let the Aggies know no to get caught up in the aggressive mentality but to instead play what he called Choudrant basketball.
“That was our halftime message – to slow down the ball and make (Oak Grove) adjust and see that they can’t just speed up the ball, because if we got into a track meet or they’d run all over us,” Smith said. “But thankfully we settled down and played our kind of game.”
Smith praised the physical play of a pair of Aggies for not allowing Oak Grove to outmuscle and overpower his team.
“Mike Jones and Lawson Stephens love that,” Smith said. “That’s how they practice with each other. That was right up their alley. But the physicality of Oak Grove’s guards is something you don’t see often, so I’m proud of our guys.”
A pair of quick Oak Grove baskets only 28 seconds into the second half made it look like the Tigers were going to scratch and claw their way back into the contest trailing 24-16, but the Aggies went on a 7-0 run and helped on to lead 36-19 heading into the fourth quarter.
Choudrant moved out by as many as 25 points at 50-25 with 4:32 left in the final stanza on a short jumper by Tucker Batterton, who also hit a 3-pointer with 1:33 to give the Aggies their biggest lead in the contest — 27 points — at 57-30.
Jones led Choudrant with 18 points while Lachlan Thompson added 17 and Batterton and Trendon Cage chipped in with 10 points each for the Aggies.
“I’m proud of Lachlan and Eli and Tucker for coming out and stepping up big tonight, especially Tucker with his brother (senior Parker Batterton) still being hurt,” Smith said. “Tucker being only a sophomore and coming out and filling those shoes was quite impressive for someone who’s still just trying to gain experience.”
Smith admitted that despite losing major talent off of last year’s team, the Aggies’ 16-4 record to begin this season, it may be a sign that while this team is different, it could just be better.
“Based on what we lost last year, I think most people would be surprised with all the talent we had and lost,” Smith said. “But as we got into the preseason we saw that Lawson is big and physical, Mike’s come a long way and Laughlin’s come a long way.
“All we kept saying is, ‘Man, we’re going to be good defensively.’ We had some talent last year but we’re going to be a lot tougher this season. We’re more physical and able to adjust. It’s different styles. I’m just super proud of them.”
Smith said he team is now officially off until after Christmas.
“I just told them I don’t know of anyone who deserves more of a break after playing 20 games in what feels like the first half of the season,” Smith said. “To be 16-4 is pretty awesome. We have Calvin on (Dec. 27). We played them in their tournament and got by them by a few points, but they’ve got a good team. It’ll be a good power-point game so hopefully we can pull that one off.
“But I told our guys in the locker room that I don’t want them even thinking about basketball and to go have a good time with their families. I may try to get them back on the 26th. But they’ve done really well in school and had no discipline problems, so I told them I just want this to be time with the family to chill out and enjoy that, too.”
Various programs from Ruston High reported success at respective competitions this past week.
Ruston High cheerleaders took second place at the UCA Louisiana Regional competition and will begin preparations for nationals in Orlando.
Ruston’s choir program also had 18 members selected for the 2023 District 1 Choral Directors Association Honor Choir this week. These students will be traveling to Monroe Jan. 26 and 27 to rehearse for a performance on Jan. 28 with students from neighboring parishes.
Finally, Ruston’s FFA Parliamentary Procedure team placed fourth at the state competition.
A Dubach man who was arrested Saturday afternoon after reports of his alleged reckless driving was found to have drugs in his possession
The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office received four phone calls reporting a reckless driver on Louisiana Highway 33. Callers said when the vehicle turned from La. Highway 3072 onto La. 33, it swerved across the center line of the highway and almost caused a head-on collision. The vehicle also ran off the road onto the shoulder and crossed the centerline, according to callers.
Deputy J. Burnham spotted a vehicle matching the description and saw it swerve into the center turning lane while its right turn signal was on.
The driver, James M. Gilmore, 61, of Dubach was stopped. Gilmore said the brake caliper on the Ford Bronco was locked up, causing it to pull to the right. He reportedly admitted to swerving across the centerline.
During booking at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, a small plastic bag containing alprazolam (Xanax) was found in Gilmore’s pants pocket. He was booked for possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, reckless operation of a vehicle, improper lane usage and operating an unsafe vehicle.
Bail was set at $10,000.
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.
Although the answer seems a paradox, the debate over Santa’s best reindeer is easy: it’s Rudolph, by a nose.
Deciding the best Christmastime movie, that’s a whole other sleigh full of toys.
Any sane person would of course say the warm but comedic Scrooged from 1988 is the best. It stars Bill Murray as a rotten, entitled TV exec, a modern-day Scrooge who sees the light after experiences with three unforgettable spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future.
But then any person with Christmas truly in his heart would say that’s not even the best movie based on Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol. That spots belongs to The Muppet Christmas Carol from 1992, the brilliant comedy musical starring Michael Caine as Scrooge, Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as his wife, and you get the picture. (The Rats stole the show. I love a funny Muppet rat. In a top hat. And a scarf.)
But then a person with anything more than figgy pudding for brains would agree that even the 1984 made-for-TV drama A Christmas Carol starring a George C. Scott as Scrooge was the best — unless you go another route entirely and raise your hand for A Christmas Story from 1983, now a Christmas classic thanks to Ralphie and his quest for the Red Ryder, and thanks to the late Jean Shepherd, who wrote the story in his 1966 book, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.
And we haven’t even mentioned The Grinch or Charlie Brown yet. Gee whiz …
To each his own in Christmas movies. One man’s Top Gun: Maverick (good!) is another man’s Top Gun (the original: booo!). If we’re choosing reels for reals, I shouldn’t even be given a vote since I’m the only American living or dead who has never seen Christmas Vacation or Home Alone or Die Hard all the way through.
Maybe one of these lonely days …
But maybe on this we can agree. Our favorite movies, should we think about it, were lacking in production value, were grainy and hardly in sharp color, and had no script. They weren’t pretty, but they were authentic. My favorites were filmed in the 1960s, a less-than-celebrated decade marked by indoor wood paneling and shag rugs and shaggy hair and bright colors. The ’60s put the “T” in “Tacky.”
But boy, did it turn out some great Christmas movies. All filmed live.
Dad in the T-shirt with “the camera,” a projector with two-big bulbs. Looked like he was filming with a giant insect. In nearly every shot, the “actors and actresses” — us and our aunts and uncles and cousins and Christmas morning friends — are shielding our eyes from the double deadly bright Lumen Rays of Death emitted from this contraption our father was shooting us with. (The smarter children of that era decided early on to become eye doctors and specialize in the treatment of “Holiday Retina Burn” — and they’re retired today and have no clue how much money they have stashed, all because of those torturing Christmas bulbs.)
In those filmed-at-home movies, I see in my mind the old scene with a 4-year-old boy and the bike. My baby sister holding a doll, and big sis, Sissy, with combs and a pink dress. A chihuahua dragging wrapping paper across the wood floor.
That archaic filming machine captured us with magic sets and footballs and Hot Wheels and Barbies and E-Z-Bakes. Captured Christmases cold and Christmases warm and Christmases wet. Scenes around the table with grandmothers and grandfathers, year after year, older as we grew, but still grainy, shading our eyes, as if trying to squint into the future, with no idea as to how much these movies would mean to us when we finally got there.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu or on Twitter @MamaLuvsManning
Choudrant girls basketball head coach Geoffrey Underwood is still looking to help his Lady Aggies pick up their scoring as they head into the Christmas break. (Photo by T. Scott Boatright)
By T. Scott Boatright
The Oak Grove Lady Tigers ran fast and hard Tuesday night at the Choudrant High School Gym, taking control from the get-go en route to a 57-20 win over the Lady Aggies.
Oak Grove led 20-7 at the end of the opening stanza and pushed their advantage to 36-15 by halftime.
Losing last year’s star player — Kylee Portilloz, who is having an outstanding true freshman season at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado, Arkansas, and is averaging double figures as a true freshman for the Lady Stars with 17.4 points and 11.8 rebounds -— have presented some big shoes Underwood is still looking for his team to fill.
That showed when the Lady Aggies managed only one point in the third quarter with Oak Grove building a 51-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We don’t have one person we can depend on – we’ve got to do it as a team,” Underwood said. “But that’s what this team does. They work together, they love each other, they play hard for each other and for me. We’re just trying to find ways to win ball games, and we’re going to keep trying until we get there.
Brelyn Pyle led the Lady Aggies with five points while Heather Murphey and Abby Frazier hit for four points each while Mattie Johnson added three for CHS.
“We’re just having a hard time putting the ball in the hole,” Underwood said. “We’re a small team and a young team, and we’re just trying to find a way to score buckets.”
Underwood said that desire and determination have nothing to do with his team’s early-season struggles that have left them at 3-13 heading into the Christmas break.
“We’ve got all the heart and grit and energy in the world,” Underwood said. “But we just haven’t been able to find a way to get our offense going yet.”
The Lady Aggies will return to CHS Gym at 5 p.m. Dec. 27 when they play host to Calvin.
Louisiana Tech closes out non-conference play on Wednesday when they host Jarvis Christian at noon inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
GAME INFORMATION Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 12 p.m. CT Location: Thomas Assembly Center (Ruston, La.) TV/Stream: CUSA.tv Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics App Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (6-5) LA Tech suffered its third straight loss this past Saturday, falling on the road to UTEP by a score of 60-55 in the Conference USA opener. The Bulldogs had their worst offensive performance of the season, registering season lows in points (55), field goal percentage (29.6), and three-point field goal percentage (16.0).
The Bulldogs did enough defensively, forcing 18 turnovers which is right around their season average of 18.36 per game. That statistic ranks second in C-USA behind only UTEP as well as ranking 16th nationally. LA Tech has forced 15+ turnovers in eight of its 11 games.
LA Tech combined for 11 steals as well, bringing its season total of double-digit steals to five (four times in the last five games). Five of those came courtesy of Cobe Williams who now has a team-high 28, which ranks 17th in the country.
Williams also anchored the ‘Dogs offensively with a game-high 18 points, the fifth time this season he has been the team’s leading scorer. He stayed put with his average of 17.9 points, which ranks third in C-USA.
The Bulldogs look to avoid their fourth straight loss, something that has only happened once in the last decade. They are also looking to avoid their second straight home defeat, which is also a rarity as it has happened just twice in the last 10 years.
ABOUT JARVIS CHRISTIAN (3-7) Jarvis Christian started the season at 3-4 before suffering three straight narrow losses to Our Lady of the Lake (67-66), Texas College (83-78), and most recently to Southwest which was a 116-111 double overtime loss.
JCU has also played four exhibition games this season against Nicholls State, Chadron State College, Texas-Permian Basin, and Rice. The Bulldogs faced the Owls in Houston this past Monday, falling 109-64. The matchup with LA Tech will be their fifth and final exhibition of the season.
Five Bulldogs are averaging at least eight points per game, led by James Phillip Russell at 12.6. He is followed closely by Jakobe Dill who is averaging 11.6 points per game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc (averages 2.5 three-pointers a game). The two combined for 46 points in their OT loss against Southwest.
THE SERIES LA Tech defeated Jarvis Christian, 91-61, last season in Ruston in what was the first ever meeting between the two programs. LA Tech had five players score in double figures, led by Keaston Willis who tallied 19 points.
Ruston Police arrested a man for his third marijuana offense in less than a year after a citizen’s complaint of a suspicious vehicle at Cinnamon Place Apartments Sunday.
Officers responded to the report on Apple Drive about 3:30 a.m. and found the vehicle described by the caller. The driver attempted to hide by turning off his vehicle lights. The driver was located and during a patdown for weapons, an officer felt a large lump and asked Robert Grisby, 31, what it was. Grisby said it was marijuana.
Additional searching of Grisby located a bottle full of small bags of suspected marijuana. A weight scale was found in Grisby’s car.
Grisby said he was on probation for drug possession. A records check showed previous possession charges in April and August.
Grisby was booked for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute-third offense. Bail was set at $30,000.
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.
Ruston City Hall and the Utility Billing Office will be closed for the Christmas holidays on Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26.
Garbage pickup for Monday’s residential routes will be picked up next Wednesday, December 28.
Recycle pickup for Friday’s routes will be picked up Wednesday, December 21. There will be self-serve single stream recycling dumpsters at 2609 S. Farmerville St. for excess recycling while the City is closed from Friday, December 23 to Monday, December 26.
There will be no commercial garbage and trash collection during these closures. For emergency utility services, contact 318-255-1316.
This is a magical time of year. We are kinder. We smile more. We give and love to see the joy our gifts bring to those we love. We say Merry Christmas freely and without fear of offense. I do at least. I’m telling people Merry Christmas at 12:01 am after Thanksgiving Day. We stop being so consumed with our work and put family and friends first if only for a little while.
During this time of year, we are more than our jobs and what the government and our bosses, and a fickle society tell us to be. Rather we are the best of what we can be. We are men and women who want to see good in the world, and for a little while, just a sliver of a moment in the seemingly eternal struggle, we say there is more to the world than work and money and arguments and deadlines and commitments.
There is good and there is God and in the smiling faces of our friends, our husbands, and wives, and our children, we can see Him beaming back at us.
I’m reminded of my favorite Christmas song:
Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in Heavenly peace! sleep in Heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from Heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia, Christ, the Saviour, is born! Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, Love’s pure light radiant, beams from Thy Holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
That last bit – the part about Love’s pure light – resonates with me. God speaks directly to our hearts every day. But it seems like it’s only at Christmas that we take the time to listen. On that Silent Night, after the redeeming grace, we can truly know that our hope and faith in humanity can be reborn, just like hope for the world was redeemed 2,000 years ago with the birth of the Once and Future King.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence we hear Him a bit more this time of year. I don’t believe that at all. Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men during this time of year.
So, if I have one hope for this Christmas it would be the same hope I have for every Christmas. I hope that more of us can carry on the spirit of Christmas throughout the year. I hope that the people in charge will care a little bit less about power and more about what’s right. I hope the people with the money will care a little bit less about profit and a little bit more about humanity. And I hope the people with hate in their hearts will smother those flames under a blanket of love from the one above us and the ones around us.
Hate in the heart poisons the soul. I’ve been there. And I never want to go back, so I try to live every day like it’s Christmas Day. I fail a lot. But the point that matters is I keep trying. I won’t let the difficult people in this world – the cruel, the greedy, the politicians, the panderers, the schemers, and the fake folks who surround us – keep me from trying to make this place just a little bit better than it was before I entered it. I hope you too can find yourself working toward that goal. Stop worrying about gaining political points in a world that’s rigged against you. Stop worrying about what others think of you. God doesn’t care. So, neither should you.
Merry Christmas, my friends, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Find peace in the promise and excitement of your own chance to be reborn.
Josh Beavers is a teacher and a writer. He has been recognized five times for excellence in opinion writing by the Louisiana Press Association.
With Week 16 of the NFL season brings another opportunity for our readers to try to win $150 of cash and prizes in this week’s Karl Malone Toyota NFL Pick’em Contest presented by 511 and BRCC.
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.
A Memorial Visitation for Robert Dale Slack will be held Thursday, December 22, 2022 at Mineral Springs Baptist Church in Dubach, LA., from 5:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
Robert was born on February 16, 44 in Springhill, LA to Hugh and Ethaleen Slack. He passed from this life on December 18, 2022 at his residence in Dubach, LA. Robert was a truck driver for The City of Ruston, and a member of Mineral Springs Baptist Church, in Dubach, LA. He is preceded in death by his parents, Hugh and Ethaleen Slack, and his wife, Patsy Slack.
Robert is survived by daughter, Dianne Evans and husband Ronnie of Dubach, LA; his grandchildren, Christina Gates, Cassie Eppinette and husband Nathan of Eros, LA, and Aaron Evans and wife Maria of Lorena, TX; great grandchildren, Lila Jordan, Brady Evans, Connor Evans, and Luke Evans; and his brother, Billy Slack and wife Barbara of Okmulgee, OK.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Mineral Springs Baptist Church Building Fund.
Dr. Harold Doyle Burford passed away peacefully on Friday, December 16, at the age of 90 at Stoneybrook Senior Care Center in West Monroe, Louisiana. He was born on January 17, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Agnes Holmes Burford and Doyle Ray Burford. Dr. Burford grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and was a graduate of Memphis Tech High School. He then enlisted in the United States Navy and served for four years during the Korean War. Afterward, he attended Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (Louisiana Tech University) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering. He was also a graduate of the University of Tennessee Dental School, earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery. Following graduation, he moved his family to Ruston where he had a successful dental practice.
Dr Burford enjoyed farming, and on his “days off”, he could be found at his cattle and chicken farm in Claiborne Parish. He loved sailing and experienced many adventurous trips throughout the Caribbean on his sailboat “The Greywood” named for his birthplace home in Arkansas. He was an avid reader and lifelong learner – a quiet man known for his intellect and good advice, and his grandchildren were known to say, “Papa was Google before there was Google!”
Dr. Burford was predeceased by his parents, his brother Dr. Richard S. Burford, and his former wife and dear friend, Frances Platt Burford. He is survived by his daughters Gail Cado and her husband Dan of Flowood, MS, Kathy Melican and her husband John of Encinitas, CA, son Hal Burford of New Orleans, LA, and daughter-in-law Pamela Burford of New Orleans, LA. Also left to cherish his memory are his six grandchildren: Sara Sullivan and her husband Ben Herring of Jackson, MS, Cole Sullivan and his wife Cecilia of Monroe, LA, Molly Melican of Seattle, WA, Jack Melican of New York, NY, Samuel and Sophia Burford of New Orleans, LA, and two great-grandsons: Joseph and Luke Sullivan of Monroe, LA, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
There are not enough words to express the family’s appreciation for the compassionate care and love given to him by his nurse, Sophronia Sims Pringle. The family would also like to thank the wonderful staff at Stoneybrook Senior Care Center, and both Ascend and Premier Hospice.
The family will have a private memorial service in Bernice, Louisiana
Nita Jean Libby August 11, 1933 – December 17, 2022 Memorial Service: Wednesday, December 21, 2022, 10:00 AM, Christ Church Ruston, 1701 Celebrity Drive, Ruston
Robert Dale Slack February 16, 1944 – December 18, 2022 Visitation: Mineral Springs Baptist Church, 4599 Hwy 822, Dubach, Thursday 12/22, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The chances of North Louisiana seeing a white Christmas aren’t the only thing that is plummeting this week.
According to Jarod Floyd, Chief Meteorologist for NBC10/FOX 14 News, our area most likely will not see any of the winter precipitation this week according to the most recent weather models.
But it will see sub-freezing temperatures, including a possible stretch of almost three full days where the temperature won’t move above 32 degrees.
Late last week, some weather models were calling for higher-than-normal chances of snow for Christmas. However, that has not held up as we get closer to Santa’s impending visit.
“The precipitation chances are low,” said Floyd Monday. “In theory, we could see see a few flakes late Thursday night… but, nothing that would accumulate. The main headline is the fact that many locations will drop below freezing on Thursday night and not get above freezing until Sunday.”
According to the forecast, temperatures later this week will drop down to as low as 11 degrees Thursday night and may not creep back above freezing until Christmas day (Sunday) when they call for the high in the upper 30s.
People are encouraged to prepare for the freezing temperatures by covering their exterior pipes in their homes. For more tips on how to protect your home, family and pets, search the internet as there is plenty of helpful information in regards to the subject.
A Ruston man has been sentenced to prison for threatening a member of the United States Congress.
United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced Chase Levi Thibodeaux, 39, of Ruston was recently sentenced by U.S District Judge Terry A. Doughty to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
The charges stem from an incident which occurred about October 12, 2021, when Thibodeaux placed a telephone call to the office of a member of the United States Congress located in New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had earlier identified the member as “A.O.C.,” a reference to New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In the voicemail, Thibodeaux stated he would buy an Uzi and gun Ocasio-Cortez down in the streets. He also stated he would buy a Walther PPK with a silencer and the Congress member would “never know what hit her.”
The United States Capitol Police began an investigation into the threats and learned Thibodeaux hadplaced the phone call and left the threatening voicemail. In addition, agents learned Thibodeaux had made over 100 calls to the Congressional Office in the previous two months and left voicemails directly for the Member of Congress.
Thibodeaux could have received up to ten 10 years in prison on the charge of threatening a federal official, not more than 5 years on the transmitting threats in interstate commerce charge, 2 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the United States Capitol Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg.
Josh Perot of Louisiana National Bank in Ruston has been named membership chair of the Louisiana Bankers Education Council.
The Louisiana Bankers Education Council was started in 1957 and serves as the educational outreach arm of the Louisiana Bankers Association.
The mission of the Louisiana Bankers Education Council is to facilitate banker development and promote financial literacy outreach to Louisiana bankers by:
Elementary school financial literacy education, i.e. Bank-at-School
High school financial literacy education, i.e. Simply Banking
College Freshman Scholarships
365 to Rich Bank Shadow Day
Louisiana JumpStart Coalition – partnering with others to promote financial literacy throughout Louisiana
LBA Leadership School
Professional development for bankers
Manage the Louisiana Bankers Education Foundation which funds the above programs
Mallie Bowers of First Federal Bank of Louisiana in Lake Charles has been installed as president of the Louisiana Bankers Education Council. Bowers succeeds Chad Burgess of Citizens National Bank, N.A., in Bossier City. Burgess will serve as immediate past president on the LBEC executive council for the next year. Other council members other than Perot and Bowers elected were:
President-Elect Kathryn Richard of Bank of Zachary
Secretary/Treasurer Robbin Hardee of Crescent Bank in New Orleans
Education Chairman Blaine Hodges of Community Bank of Louisiana in Mansfield
Councilman at Large Hunter Creed of United Community Bank in Raceland
Councilman at Large Ashley Hebert of Farmers-Merchants Bank and Trust in Breaux Bridge
Councilman at Large Chelsea Higginbotham of b1BANK in Rayville
Councilman at Large Janna LeBlanc of Community First Bank in New Iberia
Councilman at Large Jeff Lee of Home Federal Bank in Shreveport
Councilman at Large Minh Luu of Peoples Bank and Trust in New Roads
Councilman at Large Dustin Parker of Caldwell Bank and Trust in Winnsboro
Councilman at Large Donald Quintana of Gulf Coast Bank and Trust in Mandeville
Councilman at Large Amber Smith of First Guaranty Bank in Bossier City
Two men are in custody at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center in connection with a drive-by shooting that occurred on Garden Street.
Jaylon C. Reynolds, 18, of Grambling, and Ethan M. Johnson, 21, of Ruston, were arrested Saturday after a second shooting at the EZ Mart at 1500 S. Vienna Street in Ruston.
In the Garden Street shooting, two adults were standing outside, and two children were inside the residence when a suspect in a vehicle fired several shots and left the scene.
About 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Ruston officers responded to the EZ Mart in response to a report of another drive-by shooting. The suspect vehicle was described as a red Mitsubishi.
An officer spotted a vehicle matching the description nearby on West Charlotte Avenue. The car was stopped, and four occupants were taken into custody. An AR-15 style .22 rifle and several spent cartridge casings similar to casings found at the Garden Street shooting were found in the car.
The occupants were taken to the Ruston Police Department for questioning. Two witnesses identified Johnson as the driver of the vehicle at the Garden Street shooting. Reynolds was identified as the shooter.
Reynolds and Johnson were booked for four counts of attempted second degree murder in connection with the Garden Street incident. Bail was set at $800,000 for each man.
Another man, Morrick D. Kimble, Jr., 18, of Monroe, was arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm. A victim from Garden Street said she passed by the West Charlotte Avenue residence where Kimble flashed a handgun he was concealing in his waistband. The victim said she drove back through West Charlotte and Kimble told her he would “hit up her car” but did not because police were nearby.
The West Charlotte residence where the incident allegedly occurred is the same location where officers first saw the red Mitsubishi.
Kimble’s bail was set at $50,000.
The Garden Street location is about one block from the Edgewood Square Apartments on McDonald Avenue where Willie Winzer was shot and killed last Monday afternoon.
Willie Winzer, 19, of Ruston, is believed to have been killed during a confrontation with an unknown suspect. No arrests have been made in the case.
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.
Above: BP executive and 1991 alumnus Mark Crawford speaks to graduates and attendees at Commencement exercises for the Fall 2022 class on December 15 inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. At the conclusion of his speech, he presented a check for $50,000 from BP to benefit student scholarships. Photo credit: Carlton Hamlin/GSU Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing
British Petroleum (bp) Senior Vice President Mark A. Crawford brought much in his role serving as the keynote speaker for Grambling State University’s (GSU) Commencement Ceremony held Friday morning at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Crawford graduated from GSU in 1991 with a BA in history before going on to become a 1995 graduate of the Southern University Law Center (SULC). He was inducted into the SULC Hall of Fame in 2015. Not only did Crawford bring words of wisdom to GSU’s newest graduates during the commencement ceremony, but he also brought a $50,000 donation from BP to be used for college scholarships. “I think BP is supporting an alum who has given a lot to the company, and I think they wanted to make sure that they were supportive of me coming here to give the commencement speech as well,” Crawford said of BP’s donation. “They understand the mission, they know the quality of students this university produces, and they wanted to invest in all of the great work that President (Rick) Gallot and his faculty are doing here and wanted to be a part of helping them with the mission of educating the African American community.” Gallot expressed the university’s appreciation of BP’s gift. “I think it’s a testament to an alum who has gone out and done well and the fact that his company is supporting him today,” Gallot said. “I think they believe they’re making a good investment in our students. Not only did Mr. Crawford deliver an inspiring message, he also left a big investment for students to benefit from.” That message praised the new GSU graduates for making it to graduation while also challenging them to aim high as they continue the walk of life into the future. “Earning your degree does not tell the entire, complete story,” Crawford said. “You made it through COVID and wearing the masks and forced online classes. You made it through the emotional roller coaster during your time as students at Grambling following the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.” “You made it through cuts in higher education that I know threatened your financial aid, but you’ve made it across the finish line and should be extremely proud. You’ve endured hardship, hard times, sometimes late nights, and some even late flights and you’ve come out the other side thanking God that you got through it.” Crawford then turned toward the future. “You need to have confidence in your ability to deliver,” Crawford said. “You’re prepared to go to greater heights, and you’re part of the 120-plus year history of Grambling State University and now carry on the proud legacy of Grambling alums across Louisiana, the United States, and, indeed, across the world.” “Aim high. We want high expectations. If you join a company, plan to be CEO. If you start a business, plan to dominate the market. Don’t let anybody else’s limitations on you, based on where you are from — family background, race, gender, age. And by no means place limitations on yourself. I’m here today as a living witness of what Grambling is capable of producing. You’ve already shown that you can overcome and overachieve.” Crawford then asked the graduates to remember one thing. “You’re young, you’re gifted, you’re talented, you’re black and you can do anything that you want to do,” Crawford said. “You have a great life ahead of you and I look forward to hearing about the great things you’ll accomplish in the years to come and how you’ve helped others along the way.”
Joran Parker scored 11 of his game-high 15 points in the first quarter to lead Ruston to a 66-31 win over Gibsland-Coleman Monday night at the RHS Gym.
Ruston (14-1) saw four players score in double figures as Zhy Scott (14), Aiden Anding (14) and Braylan McNeal (11) all hit the mark despite a shortened-game as a running clock was utilized for the majority of the third quarter and all of the fourth quarter once the Bearcats built a 30-point lead.
“We were really sharp to start the game,” said RHS coach Ryan Bond. “Our ball movement was really crisp. We were really locked in on what we needed to do. When you make shots after good ball movement it looks a whole lot better too.”
Gibsland-Coleman (13-3) lost for only the third time this season. The Bulldogs other two losses came to Rayville (69-60) and Calvary Baptist (75-71).
“We knew they were without a couple of their players,” said Bond. “We have such a great group of guys, a bunch of fine young men. I liked our intensity. Our defensive intensity was there. We did what we needed to do to win the game.”
Parker hit three trifectas in the opening eight minutes of play as Ruston built a 21-9 advantage. The Bearcats kept the defensive pressure on in the second quarter, holding Gibsland-Coleman to only two points as RHS took a 39-11 lead into halftime. The game was never in jeopardy in the second half as Ruston extended its lead to as many as 41.
The 14-1 start is the best by the Bearcats in the last decade. Ruston has won seven straight since a 54-46 loss to Madison Prep on Dec. 3.
“I am happy for the guys,” said Bond. “They do all of the work. They should feel good about themselves. I told them to celebrate Christmas and enjoy spending time with their family. But we have a bigger goal (than a 14-1 start). The football set the standard high. Ultimately that is the goal, but we know we have to continue to improve.”
Bond said that the Bearcats would take a break for the Christmas holidays before returning to action. He said they had pulled out of the Sterlington Tournament and would instead play two days at the West Monroe Tournament. Ruston will face Wossman Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. and Calvary Baptist Dec. 30 at 3 p.m.
“It’s good and bad that we are having this break,” said Bond. “We are playing well. Sometimes its good to keep playing, but we are going to take six or seven days off and then come back and get ready for a tough Wossman team and a tough Calvary Baptist team over at the West Monroe Tournament.”
A Grambling man was arrested by West Monroe Police Sunday after a traffic stop led to the recovery of drugs.
About 11:50 p.m. Sunday night, West Monroe Police stopped a 2012 Ford F-150 pickup bearing a switched license plate on Thomas Road. When officers approached the truck, they smelled a strong odor of marijuana from inside.
Police searched the vehicle and located marijuana, Adderall, hydrocodone, a loaded handgun, and $29,238 in cash.
The driver, Devontree M. Jackson, 29, of Grambling, denied any knowledge of the drugs, the handgun, or the cash found in the vehicle. He said he was unaware the truck’s license plate had been switched.
A passenger, Samuel J. Nicholas, 33, of Baton Rouge, also denied knowledge of the contraband.
Jackson and Nicholas were arrested. Jackson was booked for possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, illegal carrying a weapon in the presence of narcotics, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Bail was set at $46,000 for each man.
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.
