Huey Lee Simmons 02/19/1958 — Tuesday 09/27/2022 Visitation: Wednesday 10/05/2022 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Funeral Service: Thursday 10/06/2022 1:00pm, Lane Chapel Baptist Church, LA-151, Downsville Burial: Thursday 10/06/2022, Lanes Chapel Cemetery, Downsville
Harold E. Goree 07/09/1932 — Wednesday 09/28/2022 Family Gathering: Friday 10/07/2022 2:00pm to 3:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Visitation: Friday 10/07/2022 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Saturday 10/08/2022 11:00am Following Service, Springhill Baptist Church, 727 Dicks Store Road, Grambling Interment: Springhill Church Cemetery, Dicks Store Road, Grambling/Simsboro
Bertha Jackson Jones 05/04/1947 — Wednesday 09/28/2022 Visitation: Friday 10/07/2022 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Saturday 10/08/2022 10:00am at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 10/08/2022 Following Service at China Grove Cemetery, 699 Mondy Road, Grambling
Dariea Gibson Wokomah Friday 11/11/1960 — Monday 09/26/2022 Wake: Friday 10/07/2022 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Funeral Service: Saturday 10/08/2022 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 10/08/2022, George Washington Carver Memorial Park, Martin Luther King Drive, Ruston
Ruston City Council met Monday night for its October session.
By T. Scott Boatright
The facts of life.
Sometimes they’re hard.
There are hard decisions the Ruston Board of Aldermen will be making next month after introducing an ordinance during Monday night’s monthly meeting — a meeting that took approximately 10 minutes at City Hall.
At stake is utility prices for city of Ruston consumers, who could see rate increases in the near future.
During the meeting in the Ruston City Hall Courtroom, Ruston’s City Council introduced a motion that will likely lead to utility price increases.
Ruston Council member Bruce Siegmund, jokingly, and reluctantly, introduced the measure by saying, “I’d love to,” but later admitted what Ruston’s Board of Aldermen are really having to face.
“I think about all the parish roads and state roads I drive, that are all torn up and nobody wants to see them updated and maintained,” Siegmund said. “I don’t want it to happen to our city, where it’s just breaking down.
“And then we have some big crisis years from now, where everything’s going to have to be replaced will cost twice as much. I don’t work it. But the people who do work it say it needs to be done. And I think they have a good track record since I’ve been here.”
The anticipated rate increase is expected to be around $26 monthly ($312 annually) for the average Ruston household.
That ordinance will be discussed and open for public discussion during November’s City Council meeting.
In other business during Monday’s quick meeting, Ruston’s City Council postponed a potential authorization to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Lincoln Parish School Board to negotiate length and price parameters, passed an ordinance authorizing the lease of property at the Ruston Regional A(irport for Origin Bank to build a company hangar, and approved an ordinance authorizing the sale of surplus light poles as movable property.
City Julie Sphier reported that total sales tax collected for the month of August was $1,799.000, an increase of $9,000 (.005%) from August of 2021.
Ruston citizens can sign at both Walmart locations and at Super One Foods. Residents will need to identify which ward and precinct they reside in with staff at the petition area will be able to help residents with the process.
The citizens of the city of Ruston have an opportunity to sign a petition that would lead to a March vote on expanded sales of liquor in local grocery stores.
According to John Hatch, President of Hatch Consulting Group which has been charged with collecting the signatures for a petition to call for an election to allow for expanded alcohol sales within the city limits, the endeavor has reached just over 1,500 verified signatures.
The Louisiana Economic Growth Committee working closely with Walmart and Brookshires Grocery Company is currently seeking signatures from registered voters within the city of Ruston. The petition began Sept. 15 and has 60 days to obtain the Louisiana state law required-minimum of 25% of the registered voters (2,454 signatures) in order to get the proposition on a ballot.
Hatch said they would like to reach 2,900-plus signatures.
Currently Ruston stores can only sell beer and low volume wine, with less than 6 percent alcohol by volume.
“I think the main thing I want to emphasize today is that this is something that gives the people of Ruston the opportunity to make the decision about what they want as far as alcohol,” said Ruston mayor Ronny Walker during a press conference a few weeks ago.
Ruston citizens can sign at both Walmart locations and at Super One Foods. Residents will need to identify which ward and precinct they reside in with staff at the petition area will be able to help residents with the process.
Lincoln Parish residents that live outside the Ruston city limits will not be able to sign, regardless of whether or not they have a Ruston address.
Currently, there are three of five propositions involving alcohol sales that passed in 2002 and that are currently in place. However, the other two propositions failed in 2002, the two allowing for the sale of hard liquor in grocery stores and in bars within the city limits.
Walker said if the 25% goal is reached that the ordinances will be presented and any additional questions will be answered during the December 5th Ruston City Council meeting. He said he felt there was no need to address them until it’s known that the citizens want to vote on the alcohol propositions.
The petition may only be signed by individuals who are registered voters within the city of Ruston, including college students. Anyone who is not registered to vote in the city of Ruston may not sign the petition. If they do, their signature would be deleted by the Register of Voters which will verify all of the signatures following the 60-day petition window.
One thing to note is that if the 25% goal is reached, the City Council must set an election date (March 25, 2023) and that all five of the alcohol propositions (even the three that passed in 2002) would go back on the ballot.
The Louisiana Economic Growth Committee is a state registered political action committee, which has been supported by retailers like Walmart and Brookshire’s who recently supported the successful election in Bossier Parish Police Jury District 2, Pineville, Minden, Springhill, Oak Grove, and Haughton.
Lincoln Parish, Ruston and Louisiana Tech are known all over the United States for attracting, nurturing and producing exceptional people. In the case of Dr. Kenneth Robbins, Professor Emeritus Liberal Arts at Louisiana Tech, exceptional is an understatement.
Robbins, an award-winning novelist and playwright, grew up on a chicken farm in Northwest Georgia. He attended school in a three-room schoolhouse through the seventh grade. When he was 12 years old, Robbins discovered Jack Schaefer’s novella, “Shane,” and fell in love with the joy of reading.
That love of reading morphed into a love of writing and at the age of 17 he published his first short story in the Beta Club Journal for which he earned $50 and writing became his passion.
His first novel, “Buttermilk Bottoms,” received the Associated Writing Programs Novel Award and was published by the University of Iowa Press. That novel was also presented the Toni Morrison Prize for Fiction. Robbins is at heart a playwright having written over 100 scripts for the stage with most of those receiving world premieres. He has also published a short story collection, “Christmas Brittle,” published by Adelaide Books. His most recent novel, “Three Hiroshimas,” was just released in July.
“Three Hiroshimas” is family saga which weaves into the story of the Japanese-American Yamamoto family, memorable details of Hiroshima before World War II and in the devastating fallout that war rained upon Japan.
Robbins’ book touches on themes of prejudice and acceptance, conflict and forgiveness, the nature of family, and the search for home.
“My father died of lung cancer in 1984 and while rummaging through his life’s collection, I found a small cedar box filled with photo proofs from his time spent aboard the USS Circe, a cargo ship attached to the Northern Fleet and participated in the Okinawa invasion,” said Robbins.
Among those images, Robbins found a photo of his father in uniform standing with a comrade near a telephone pole. On that telephone pole was a hand-painted sign that read, “Atomic Field.”
“Alas, I discovered too late that my dad had actually visited Nagasaki immediately after the war ended. This led me to research the bombings and write my award-winning play, Atomic Field, which was produced at Tech in 2005,” said Robbins. “I was hooked on the subject. I read everything I could find and I visited both Hiroshima and Nagasaki several times. I actually lived in Hiroshima for three months,” he said.
Since his discovery of his father’s photograph, Robbins has been researching and writing about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki since 1994. As a recipient of a of a Japan Foundation Artists Fellowship, Robbins was provided with the support necessary to support extensive stays in Hiroshima where he worked with local enterprises and created a number of published and produced works, including “Atomic Field,” a drama in two acts, “Three Hiroshimas,” “In The Shelter of the Fold,” “Barnone” and many other works.
Robbins holds and Associate of Arts degree from Young Harris College, a Bachelor of Science from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Georgia and a Doctor of Philosophy in Speech from Southern Illinois University. His 48-year career in teaching included stints as the Director of the School of Performing Arts, Louisiana Tech University, and the Chair of the Department of Speech and Theater, Newberry College in South Carolina. He and his wife, Dorothy Dodge Robbins have co-edited four collections of literary works including “Christmas Stories from Louisiana.”
“Three Hiroshimas is the culmination of my research and writing about Japan,” said Robbins, “and as such, brings that part of my life to a close. I like this book very much and feel that it would benefit everyone to read it.”
Right now in Northeast Louisiana, over 150 children in foster care are waiting for a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
CASA of NELA, a division of the Center for Children and Families, will be holding training classes beginning on Oct. 6, 2022, in efforts to find more community members who will change a child’s story. Below is a success story of a CASA volunteer right here in Northeast Louisiana as told through the perspective of an advocate supervisor.
“The children were in a certified foster home. The advocate saw problems with the house including a house ‘guest’ that was always there but had not been checked out by caseworker. The advocate also found that the home was dirty, overcrowded, and the children did not have beds to sleep in.
“The foster mother was older and not able to keep up with the children. They did not go out and play and were in the home all day after school. The children would laugh easily with interaction from the CASA volunteer but otherwise would sit solemnly when the rest of the house members would be around.
“The CASA volunteer made sure the judge understood what the children were experiencing the house and advocated for the children to remain together through any placement process in three separate court reports. Because of this, the children were moved into an adoptive placement in Monroe and have now been officially adopted. All development and social issues have been addressed, and the adoptive family continues to give updates to their CASA advocate.”
CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge to help ensure that each abused or neglected child finds a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. The role of a CASA is to act as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the court system, collecting information through observation and interviews with key people in the child’s life and then reporting back to the judge.
Since its inception, CASA of Northeast Louisiana has advocated for approximately 1,900 children in need of care and has trained nearly 800 community volunteers. These CASA volunteers come from all walks of life and are a powerful voice for a child in need, making a lifelong difference, one child at a time.
Visit www.casaofnela.org to learn more information or call 318.398.0945 to talk with someone today about how to become a CASA.
Ruston Police arrested a man Friday on multiple domestic abuse charges after he allegedly attacked his wife and pushed down two children.
Officers responded to a Lexington Street residence about 7:30 p.m. Friday. The victim said her husband punched her multiple times with a closed fist, strangled her to unconsciousness, and dragged her across the ground by her hair. She added he pushed down two of her children during the incident.
Officers saw obvious injuries to the victim’s face and marks on the face of one of the children.
The victim’s brother stated when he arrived, he saw the victim on the ground with Edward Sturgis, 34, straddling her and punching her in the face with closed fists. He said he tried to separate them, but Sturgis pushed him against a wall and threatened to kill the victim and the children.
The brother was able to grab three of the children at the scene and flee to a neighbor’s house. When he returned, Sturgis was dragging the victim by her hair across the carport trying to get her back in the house. She was able to escape and run to a neighbor’s house.
When interviewed, the neighbor said Sturgis was yelling and cursing at him.
Officers found Sturgis smelled of alcoholic beverages. He refused to give a statement.
Sturgis was arrested and booked for three counts of domestic abuse battery, simple battery, and disturbing the peace.
In April, Sturgis was arrested at the same residence for domestic abuse. The status of those charges was not immediately available.
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.
State police arrested a man early Friday morning after the driver was stopped for speeding by Ruston Police.
A state trooper was called to the scene of a traffic stop about 2 a.m. Friday after a Ruston police officer suspected the driver was impaired.
The trooper administered field sobriety tests to Federico F. Acosta II, 28, of Ruston and based on his performance was arrested for DWI.
Acosta allegedly refused to be handcuffed and the trooper and a RPD officer had to forcibly place him in a position where he could be restrained.
Acosta was taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center where the chemical breath test was explained. Acosta would not sign the rights form related to the test, but stated he was not refusing to sign. For approximately 45 minutes, Acosta stated he was reading the form. He was given two opportunities to provide a breath sample. The first time he refused to provide a breath sample. On the second attempt, he feigned providing a sample and did not blow into the instrument.
While the trooper was preparing a search warrant to draw bodily fluid for testing, Acosta told detention center officials he wanted to take the breath test. The trooper returned to the detention center and administered the test.
Acosta was booked for DWI-first offense, no taillights, and resisting an officer. 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.
The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs is currently reaching out to all Louisiana World War II women veterans.
They will be honoring this special group of heroes during a June ceremony in Baton Rouge. They are currently preparing to hold a luncheon which will include a guest speaker and a ceremony in which we will present Louisiana honor medals, women veteran lapel pins and #LDVA challenge coins.
If you are a Louisiana WWII woman veteran, or you know a Louisiana WWII woman veteran, please reach out to LDVA Director of Outreach Larry Williams at larry.williams@la.gov or 225.276.8626.
If the veteran is not able to attend the luncheon and presentation of awards, the LDVA will mail them their awards.
A Ruston man stopped for an improper blue light on his vehicle was charged with resisting and battering sheriff’s deputies after he allegedly defied efforts to arrest and book him into the detention center.
Jeremy Caldwell, 35, was stopped on the South Service Road at Tech Drive about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning when a Lincoln Parish deputy saw an illegal blue light emitting from the vehicle’s front grill. Caldwell allegedly left his vehicle, questioning why he was stopped. Caldwell was directed numerous times to re-enter his vehicle for safety, but he refused.
Caldwell was arrested and began resisting by pulling away when the deputy attempted to apply handcuffs and place him in a patrol car. Once in the patrol car, Caldwell began yelling loudly and kicking the vehicle. The deputy’s affidavit said Caldwell declared numerous times that “he knew who I was and that he would pray for my family because [they are] going to need it after this.”
At the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, Caldwell threatened several staff members. He was booked for special restriction on lamps (illegal blue light), modified exhaust, resisting an officer, and public intimidation.
During the booking process, Caldwell was combative and kicked a detention officer in the lower abdomen and later punched him in the eye. An additional charge of battery of a police officer was added.
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 free Forestry Wildlife Field Day is scheduled for October 14 at 232 Brooks Road near Choudrant to give forest landowners an opportunity to meet foresters, and learn about forest health, managing forestland for wildlife, harvesting, and more.
This workshop will offer something for everyone, whether they own a few acres or a few hundred acres of trees. The field day is sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Trailblazer RC&D.
On October 14 on-site sign-in begins at 232 Brooks Road, Choudrant at 8:30 a.m. Field day activities begin at 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided, and the field day will conclude at 2:00 p.m.
Please pre-register to attend the field day. Registration and lunch are free of charge, but because lunch will be served, field day organizers need to know how many people will attend. To pre-register or for more information on the field day, call or text (318) 237-8350 and leave your name and contact information plus the name/date of the event.
This workshop is provided free to the public by the partnership and support of Energy Transfer; Hunt Forest Products, LLC; Mudd & Holland Consulting Foresters, LLC; Weyerhaeuser; Allstate Land & Timber Co., Inc; National Wild Turkey Federation; Burnham Construction; Canfor Southern Pine; Louisiana Forestry Association; Lincoln Parish Police Jury; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Trailblazer RC&D.
Trailblazer RC&D is a nonprofit organization that provides leadership, coordination, partnership development, and technical assistance projects to encourage strong communities, sustainable agriculture, and a healthy environment.
While studying pre-veterinary medicine at Louisiana Tech University, Elizabeth Speights opted to prioritize her childhood dream to become a teacher. Like many young adults, Speights was encouraged to be practical and choose a major that would allow her to make more money.
Speights said she followed that advice for a year but began to struggle more with her decision. At the time, Speights had started dating her husband Robby who encouraged her to follow her heart, which meant becoming a teacher. Speights had wanted to be a teacher since she was in kindergarten and attempted to cut her own hair to match that of Mrs. Jenkins.
With Robby’s encouragement, she pursued that dream of becoming a teacher and graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in pre-K to 3 education.
After graduation, Speights did not get hired immediately. She attended a job fair for Lincoln Parish Schools where she said she found herself unexpectedly competing for jobs against teachers with 20 years of experience. When she wasn’t hired in the job fair, Speights didn’t give up, and Robby’s aunt encouraged her to apply for a short-term paraprofessional position for Grades 7-8 in Simsboro.
Although the job wasn’t what she had initially hoped for, Robby’s aunt reminded her how important it was to just get her foot in the door. She was right. That first job led to other opportunities within Lincoln Parish, including two additional short-term opportunities, one teaching fourth grade math at Hico Elementary and a second teaching first grade at Cypress Springs Elementary.
The following year Speights was offered a full-time position teaching kindergarten, and she’s been in the kindergarten classroom ever since. “Kindergarten is just my life now,” she said.
Speights loves this age and said, “Kindergarteners still look at you like everything you say is the truth, and they light up at the slightest compliment.”
Speights considers herself a big kid and likes to bring that spirit into the classroom, but at the same time, she also appreciates order. “I want kids to have fun, but I want them to have the foundation they need to be successful in school,” she said. “It’s a very fine balance.”
Finding that balance has taken some trial and error, but Speights said she feels she’s found it.
“I tell them this is their job,” she said, “but we need to be working together, so I can do my job, and they can do theirs.”
At the same time, it’s important for Speights to bring a little drama and silliness into the classroom.
“You can’t go in all deadpan and monotone,” she said.
They won’t absorb what you’re saying. Over time, Speights said she’s learned to come out of her shell more and really be herself in the classroom.
“I feel like I’ve started to find my joy,” she said. “I try to go into every day with a clean slate and not carry the day before with me. I’m here for the kids and not anyone else, and I’m making my own unique way.”
One of Speights’ favorite things about being a teacher is seeing her former students blossom into adults. Speights has begun carrying a binder with her class pictures from the last 14 years with her in her car. When she sees a student she recognizes, she approaches them to catch up and ask if they mind taking a new photo with the class picture.
“It’s exciting to see them as grown people out in the world doing things,” she said. “I just love watching kids learn and grow, and I want to be their biggest cheerleader, and I want them to remember and carry that with them.”
This week offers two days that officially celebrate being nice to others.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 5) is National Do Something Nice Day, and Friday is World Smile Day (celebrated the first Friday in October).
So what better time to review some ways to practice the Golden Rule?
Oh, I know a great variety of other days and weeks exist to encourage us to show love to our fellowman. We’ve got World Kindness Day, Pay It Forward Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, Make a Difference Day, Be Kind to Humankind Week, Good Deeds Day, Good Neighbor Day and others. They’re sprinkled throughout the year.
But the fact of the matter is – and I think we all know this in our hearts – we should practice kindness every single day. Sometimes, though, I think I need a primer in order to accomplish this mission.
With that in mind, I performed one of my trusty web searches and found an abundance of helpful suggestions. In case you might benefit from them, too, I’ll share ideas from “75 Tiny But Nice Things You Can Do To Brighten Someone’s Day” and “100 Ways To Make Someone Smile Today”:
– Ask someone how their day is going and genuinely listen to their response. – Do a chore that you know no one else wants to do. – Let the person behind you in line go first. – Hold the door open for someone. – Hold the elevator. – Email someone who you haven’t talked to in a while who made a difference in your life. – Let someone in your lane. – Buy flowers for your friend who’s going through a break up. – Text someone you know is going through a hard time. – Tell someone all the things you love about them. – Say “thank you” more. – Cheer someone on. – Talk to someone who often gets ignored. – Ask for someone’s opinion. It will make them feel valuable. – Share with someone something that surprised you about them or made you proud. – Tell someone how they inspired you. – Snail mail a handwritten letter. Yes, they still exist! – On the flip side – send someone an e-card. – Tell someone they have a nice smile. – Repeat something nice you heard about someone else. – Offer to return the shopping cart for an older person or a busy mother. – Empathize with someone, especially a person who’s known to be grouchy. Maybe they need an empathic ear for a change. – Surprise a family member or friend with their favorite dessert. – Ask someone about their children. – Let your child win the board game. Or your parent. Or your friend, if they always lose. – Sing and dance in your car at stoplights. When people ogle you, look straight at them, smile and continue. It will catch them off guard, and they will smile. – Ask someone, anyone, how you can help. – Encourage someone. – Forgive someone.
All of which leads me to the verse I mentioned earlier and the one that I’m re-memorizing this month:
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, New American Standard Version).
————————————————————————————
Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
Ruston, Louisiana native Steven Brent Napper (age 65) died peacefully at his home in Dauphin Island, AL on September 30, 2022. He was the youngest child of Harry and Dot Napper.
At the age of 16, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Steve graduated with honors from Ruston High School in 1975 and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University in 1978. Steve spent his early career in the oil industry, later worked in forest product logistics, and was a successful small business owner.
Steve was married to the love of his life and high school sweetheart Cissy Herrmann Napper for 48 years. Steve and Cissy raised their daughters in Ruston, and while there they were active members of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. Steve was an outdoorsman and loved hunting and fishing in the piney hills of North Louisiana, especially on his family land in Hico.
Steve and Cissy retired to Dauphin Island, Alabama, in 2013. He lived his best life on the island making new friends, fishing in the Gulf, and helping his neighbors with any need. Steve was handy, meticulous, and selfless. He was a quiet mentor and a loyal friend.
Steve was preceded in death by his father Harry Dean Napper and his grandson, Alexander Benson Spector. Steve is survived by his mother, Dorothy Colvin Napper of Ruston, his wife, Cissy Herrmann Napper of Dauphin Island, AL, their daughters, Stephanie Napper Spector (Jason) of Brentwood, TN, and Tiffany Napper of Nashville, TN; two grandsons Adam Spector and Andrew Spector of Brentwood, TN; sisters Barbara Napper Lyon (Chad) of Watkinsville, GA, and Deana Napper Mitchell of Georgetown, TX; sisters-in-law Carol Herrmann Phillips (Bob) of Haughton, LA, and Connie Herrmann McConathy (Mike) of Natchitoches, LA, and many nieces and nephews.
The family will gather privately to celebrate his life and spread his ashes. Memorials can be made to St. Francis Episcopal Church, 401 Key Street, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 or Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 504 Tech Drive, Ruston, LA 71270.
Ricky Reeveas August 31, 1966 – September 29, 2022 Funeral Service: Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 10:00 AM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Cemetery Committal: Tuesday, October 4, 2022, Mineral Springs Cemetery, Highway 822, Dubach
During the National HBCU Week Conference convened by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House, Grambling State University announced a collaboration with IBM to help establish a virtual GSU Cybersecurity Leadership Center.
Grambling State is one of 20 schools working with IBM to create Cybersecurity Leadership Centers.
With 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., the need for expertise is critical: According to a recent IBM Security study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored and analyzed by IBM, insufficiently staffed organizations average $550,000 more in breach costs than those that state they are sufficiently staffed.
“The Department of Computer Science and Digital Technologies at Grambling State University is proud to partner with IBM in a collaboration that will offer training in new security technologies and skills to our students and thereby produce well-trained Cybersecurity professionals,” said Dr. Prasanthi Sreekumari, interim chair of the Department of Computer Science and Cloud Technologies at Grambling State.
Through IBM’s collaboration, faculty and students at participating schools will have access to coursework, lectures, immersive training experiences, certifications, IBM cloud, and professional development resources, all at no cost to them.
This includes access to:
• Cybersecurity curricula: IBM will develop for each participating HBCU, a customized IBM Security Learning Academy portal – an IBM client offering – including courses designed to help the university enhance its cybersecurity education portfolio. In addition, IBM will continue to give access to IBM SkillsBuild.
• Immersive learning experience: HBCUs will have an opportunity to benefit from IBM Security’s Command Center, through which they can experience a highly realistic, simulated cyberattack, designed to prepare them and train them on response techniques. Moreover, HBCUs’ faculty will have access to consultation sessions with IBM technical personnel on cybersecurity.
• Software: Multiple IBM Security premier enterprise security products hosted in the IBM Cloud
• Professional development: Forums to exchange best practices, learn from IBM experts, and discover IBM internships and job openings
“Collaborations between academia and the private sector can help students prepare for success. That’s especially true for HBCUs because their mission is so vital,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG. “The Cybersecurity Leadership Centers we’re co-creating with Historically Black College and Universities epitomize our commitment to the Black community and STEM education; it also builds on our pledge to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years.”
Here are the latest Power Ratings for the Non-Select Division I football schools. These are used to determine playoff seedings at the end of the regular season.
Click HERE to see the complete list for each Select and Non-Select Division, including where Ruston (Non-Select Division I), Cedar Creek (Select Division IV) and Lincoln Preparatory (Select Division IV) are ranked.
________________________________________
ABOUT THE POWER RATINGS
The changes the LHSAA made to the Power Ratings formula a few years back will have coaches and fans alike wondering why your calculations do not match GeauxPreps.
The top reason for mismatches is calculating Opponents’ Win points. Win Points are no longer just a straight up number of Wins by teams you have played. Points are now based on the number of wins vs number of games played. This was done to make up for playing opponents who did not play a full 10-game schedule.
See the summary below on how PR is calculated:
Result of Game: If you win, you get 10 Power Points. If you lose, you get none.
Classification: If your opponent is in a higher class, you get 2 points for each class higher
Opponents Wins: To calculate opponents wins: divide the number of wins by total games played, and multiple by 10.
Add these three components, and this is the PR for that specific game played.
Do this for all games played, add them all up, and then divide that total by the number of games you played.
You can compare your calculations with ours by looking at the Team Schedules Pages, there you will see how many points we calculated for each matchup.
Another major factor that causes mismatches, is Out of State opponents. We strive to make sure that we have to most accurate Win/Loss record for each out of state opponent. Since schools enter the W/L records for their OOS opponents, and because we don’t know how the schools get their record, we often are off on several matchups.
In addition, a team’s strength factor shall be determined by adding the sum of the opponent’s class to the sum of the opponent’s wins and dividing the result by the total number of games played. The strength factor is used when a tie exists between two or more teams and a head-to-head matchup does not exist.
GeauxPreps.com auto-generates its Power Ratings every two hours for football. If you think that you have seen an error or have any other questions, please contact hbower@geauxpreps.com.
Inside Tech Football with Sonny Cumbie will be live at the Dawghouse tonight at 6 p.m.
Paid Advertorial
After a summer without one of the local favorite eating establishments, Lincoln Parish residents were able to grace the doors of the new and improved Dawghouse Sports Grill last week as it re-opened — sporting its brand new atmosphere.
Owner Danielle Davis and Co. now have a week under their belt with a newly trained staff … but the same old tasty menu, including some of the best burgers, quesadillas and fan favorite paw claws around.
After 25 years of service, the old building was torn down in March and the new Dawghouse began taking shape over the summer.
Not only patrons enjoy some of the favorite food and beverages, but each and every Monday night for the next eight weeks they can enjoy Inside Tech Football with head coach Sonny Cumbie and the Voice of the Bulldogs Malcolm Butler (6 to 7 p.m.).
The interior of the new Dawghouse includes big screen televisions throughout the building, including a 3-by-3 video wall composed of 55-inch TVs in the dining room area.
Danielle and the Dawghouse gang are ready to serve Lincoln Parish residents and friends at the new and improved restaurant which now has an increased seating capacity of around 225.
Cedar Creek’s boys and girls cross country teams had an impressive showing at the CE Byrd Invitational Saturday.
By Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek’s varsity boys claimed the top spot at the CE Byrd Invitational at the South Bossier Sports Complex Saturday morning.
While the Cougars were claiming first on the boys side, the Lady Cougars had an impressive showing of their own, finishing as the runner up to the host Yellow Jackets.
“It was a gorgeous morning and the temperature set up well for running well this morning,” said head coach Craig Moss. “Our runners were excited to run the same course as they ran earlier in the year. I feel it is a great mental course that will help prepare them mentally for our state meet.”
Myles Carpenter Head (17:03.3) and Ethan McCarthy (17:26.2) finished fifth and sixth overall in the individual competition as the Cougars totaled 60 points, besting runner-up Loyola Prep (68 points). Anderson Maxwell (11th/ 18:00.5), John Abram Earle (17th/ 18:38.3) and Connor Johnson (21st/ 18:49.8) all scored for the Cougars in the meet.
“Ethan ran an incredibly smart race, running negative splits, and finished strong,” said Moss. “Anderson ran a PR this morning and is having a tremendous year. I am so happy for him and the time and effort he is putting in.
“It is great to have John Abram back, healthy and running well. Our boys were solid across the board and had our best overall team composite times for the second week in a row. They packed up run extremely well. These guys are getting stronger each and every week.”
On the girls side, Caroline James (5th/ 20:29.5), Taylor Ramsey (6th/ 20:31.3) and Madison Morris (8th/ 21:15.8) all recorded Top 10 finishes to pace the Lady Cougars to the second-place team finish. Anna Grace Lee (11th/ 21:58.6) and Catherine Mcadams (13th/ 22:24.9) also scored for Creek, who defeated eight other varsity teams.
“Our girls ran stronger today and it was good to see Caroline rebound and run stronger,” said Moss. “Madison also rebounded nicely as she and Caroline are both rebounding from upper respiratory illnesses. They are getting stronger and happy for them. I believe they have some great low times ahead of them.
“Cat also had a tremendous outing, and I am so proud of her. She is getting better every week. A few of our girls are still suffering from upper respiratory infections so how they performed was outstanding. We also had homecoming this past week, so I know they were a little tired. Leah and Julieanne had their best times of the year, and I am glad to see them running so well.”
Moss also said the Creek middle school girls and boys both finished second this weekend in their respective meets, citing strong performances from Kendal Ramsey (2nd overall), Georgia Dugdale and Kennedy Hall (both top 10 finishes) on the girls side, and Luke Alexander (1st) and closely by teammate Joshua McCarthy (2nd).
A call regarding a runaway juvenile Thursday evening led to the arrest of a Ruston woman for aggravated battery.
Ruston Police responded to a call of a juvenile who had run away from a Miranda Drive residence. The juvenile was located about a block away with a stab wound. Binitra A. Wright, 42, of Ruston, told officers an altercation occurred between her and the juvenile. She said she had a knife in her hand during the altercation and it was possible the knife made impact and caused the injury.
Wright was arrested for aggravated battery and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
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.
Destini Walker was named the LA Tech Chief of Staff by Dr. Eric Wood.
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Eric A. Wood announced the hiring of Destini Walker as his Chief of Staff.
Walker enters the position as the second recipient of the George “Petey Thornton Minority Initiative, an initiative named in honor of Thornton who was the first African American student-athlete to play at LA Tech.
“I am thrilled to have Destini join our LA Tech family in a work capacity, “said Wood. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in working at Division I institutions and will be a strong addition to our athletics department.”
Over the last seven years, Walker has spent time at Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas Tech, and most recently Stephen F. Austin. She also owns a consulting business, specializing in student-athlete and professional development and has worked with athletic and corporate clients including the NCAA and McDonald’s.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Bulldog family and work under the leadership of Dr. Wood. I am excited to work with a department that holds deep values in culture, class, and competitive excellence and I look forward to being a part of its impact.”
While at SFA, Walker planned and executed 10 annual career fairs, providing career opportunities from 500+ employers for students and alumni. She helped cultivate relationships with employers as main points of contact and strategize new opportunities for innovation in career programming to maximize the impact on students.
Prior to her time in Nacogdoches, Texas, Walker spent over two years as assistant director of career and student-athlete development at Texas Tech where she partnered with athletics development, the Red Raider Club, to connect donors and alumni to student-athletes.
She had a similar role at Arkansas working as an assistant for student-athlete development where she was a co-advisor for SAAC, organized the inaugural First and 10 Club, planned and executed the HOGSPY’s awards show, and helped with career development initiatives for student-athletes.
Her prior stops include a summer of working at the Cape Cod Baseball League and spending two season as a football recruiting assistant at Oklahoma.
Walker is part of the National Association for Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A), Women Leaders in College Sports, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE).
She received her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Oklahoma and her masters in Sport Administration from Arkansas State. Walker is married to Marcus Walker, cornerbacks coach for LA Tech Football.
