This weekend’s celebration started early on Thursday night as a reception celebrating the jersey retirement of former Grambling State baseball coach and Baseball Coaches of America Hall of Famer Wilbert Ellis was held at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant.

The No. 30 jersey of former Grambling State President and baseball coach Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones and Ellis’ No. 30 jersey was retired during a pregame ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Friday before the start of the Tigers’ three-game baseball series against Southern.

On Thursday night, friends of Ellis gathered to offer congratulations and stories about their relationship with the coach who led GSU to three SWAC Championships and also guided the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances en route to a 740–462–1 career record after assuming the head coaching role upon Jones’ retirement in 1977.

Leading off was local businessman James Davison, whose friendship with Ellis goes back to their childhoods.

“Both of us came into this world in 1937 and it’s just good for both of us to still be here in the world,” Davison said. “We lived great lives and a friendship that couldn’t have been any better. 

“We go back a long time. My mother and his mother were good friends and I’ve known this rascal ever since we were about 12 years old, so we’ve been together more than 70 years now. It’s been a good run. I love him and I appreciate so much y’all honoring him in this way. Let’s keep on taking good care of him.”

Lincoln and Union Parish District Attorney John Belton, a longtime friend who also works alongside Ellis with the Friends of the Eddie Robinson Museum, called Ellis both a friend and a father-figure.

“I don’t just call him ‘Coach,’ I call him ‘Dad’ as well,” Belton said. “I am so blessed in so many ways, because outside of my parents, he has played a big role in making the man I am today. Without him I don’t think I’d be where I am today.”

Belton also spoke of the No. 31 jersey Ellis wore.

“That number is significant in so many ways,” Belton said. “For one, Moses is mentioned in 31 of the 66 books of the Bible. Moses is one of the greatest leaders that ever walked the face of this Earth. But he and Coach Ellis have a lot in common – both are servant leaders. Coach is very humble just like Moses. Coach, you don’t boast or brag, you just walk the walk and talk the talk …

“Coach, I strive to be like you. I strive to be a man worth respecting, a man worth imitating and a man worth following. I’m not there yet, but I’m following you, and you’re there. So I thank God for you, and I love you.”

Former Jackson State coach Robert Braddy was also on hand to honor his old rival

“Mr. Belton threw me off for a minute when he said Coach Ellis didn’t brag or boast,” Braddy joked as he started his turn at the microphone. I know better. I’ll have to tell y’all about that sometime.”

“They say that Coach says that he’s an ordinary guy just like everyone else,” Braddy said. “But I can assure you that he certainly is not an ordinary man and has certainly made an impact on a lot of individuals, especially myself. 

“I began coaching at Jackson State in 1973 and I remember you telling me that the biggest room in a house is the room for improvement,” Braddy said. “My brother was my assistant coach in 1973 and we came to play Grambling and my brother, who had asthma, got ill. 

“And I called Coach Ellis, and he came over and took my brother to the doctor. And that certainly made an impact on me. The next day Prez (Jones) found out and told Coach Rob (Eddie Robinson, who was GSU’s athletics director at the time). And he asked why I didn’t call him. I could see right then that they all cared about people. And that had a lasting impact on my life.”

Current GSU baseballer Trevor Hatton came up and expressed his thanks for the words of encouragement talking to the team as often as he does.

Ellis’ sister Resie Lampkin spoke, revealing the family’s insight on the Grambling Legend Hall of Famer.

“Very rarely in life do you meet and rub shoulders with true leaders of men,” Lampkin said. “Coach, you are one of those men. He has impacted the lives of thousands of young men aspiring for greatness in the baseball talent arena. And I must say, he continues to do so, even today. 

“Any of those men would tell you that Coach, or Cap, whatever you choose to call him, was about developing their character first, their skills second and doing so, acknowledging God as the main focus. 

“And any of those players would tell you that at the start of every season, Coach would start the season off with a quote from Martin Luther King (Jr.) – ‘The time is always right’ – a quote that many never forgot.”

She closed with a personal message to her brother.

“We want everybody to know that we are proud of what you did,” Lampkin said. “And that baseball was not your life and is not who you are. Who you are is a statue of a man of God. Was Wilbert a perfect man? By no means, no. But to the critics and naysayers, they don’t name a baseball field after a critic, do they? 

“Wilbert, we’re all proud of you and the path that you have taken. I am honored to say that I am your sister.”

Current GSU baseball coach Davin Pierre heaped his praises on Ellis before the legendary coach himself took the mic.

Ellis told a story about learning he had been named baseball coach at Grambling over the phone from a friend who read it in the news while Ellis was out on a baseball recruiting trip for GSU.

“That’s how I found out, I was out recruiting for Grambling,” Ellis said. “It didn’t matter whether I was going to get the job or not because I was doing it for Grambling.

And as he closed out his turn at the mic, Ellis offered thanks to God for bringing everyone together to honor him.

“I want to thank God for all of you being here tonight,” Ellis said. “It makes me feel real good to have so many friends to come out and honor me as Grambling retires No. 30 for Prez and my No. 31. Prez asked me to wear his No. 30 for a while when I became head coach and I did for a while, because I always listened to what Prez said because he signed my check.

“Thank you all for being here. God bless America. God bless Grambling and Lincoln Parish, and God bless you.”

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By Judith Roberts

The Crawl is for all. 

The second annual Beer Crawl again had a sellout crowd as area residents celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Ruston. 

Amy Stegall, Main Street director and community coordinator, said all 500 tickets available for the St. Patrick’s Day event were sold out days before the event. 

“We love when people are smiling the whole night – and it was great to see so many people enjoying our downtown,” Stegall said. “With a sellout crowd, live music throughout the district and yard games at several spots, this was one of the best nights of the year in downtown Ruston.” 

While the event helps build community, Stegall said another benefit is residents visiting merchant shops. 

“These events in particular are laid back and so much fun to enjoy with friends,” she said. “It brings a crowd that we see visiting on the sidewalks and in stores – who oftentimes have never met before. And it’s great for our merchants – if I hear it once, I hear it 20 times, ‘I didn’t know this store was here!’ This is a fantastic way to introduce people to all the things we offer in downtown.” 

And while the Beer Crawl is not typically a St. Patrick’s Day event, having it fall on the holiday just made it more special, Stegall said, with people dressing up. 

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“We love any reason for people to dress up. So lots of green – but some cute hats, tutus and lederhosen,” Stegall said. “Our merchants showed out with 17% off sales, several of live musicians, snacks, artworks, temporary tattoos and lots more.” 

While the Beer Crawl won’t return for another year, Stegall said residents who are eager for a similar event can look forward to the fall. 

“We love this event and its sister event, the Wine Walk. It is such a fun night of getting to relax and have so much fun with our friends,” she said. “It wouldn’t be possible without our Friends of Ruston Main Street Board and our awesome merchants and businesses downtown who are always up for fun.” 

By Brandon Ramsey

My mom only told me one lie when I was growing up, that I know of.  It is one of the most wide spread lies in the world.  If I were a betting man, I would even bet that your saint of a mother told you the same old tale.  I would be willing to stake my salary on the fact that she told you: 

“Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt you.”

Most of you are now nodding your head in agreement with me.  We have all been force fed that line our whole lives.  It is so far from the truth it isn’t even funny.  There have been many times in my life that I would have gladly taken a stick across the back of the head instead of the words that someone was spewing my way.

Words can be one of the most destructive forces known to man.  They can start wars, cause divorces (sometimes seen as the same thing), or cause someone to take their own life.  There are not many things that have that kind of power.  But how does it get its power.  Unfortunately the answer is “us.”  The only way words get power is by our reaction to them.

Ed Young Jr., pastor of Fellowship Church in Dallas, once made a very inspired statement in his series “The Real F-word” about people who use words to hurt others.  He said, “Most of the time when you are stewing and hurting over a statement someone made, you are the only one feeling that way.  The person who made that statement has moved on and probably does not remember that they made it.  Or at least won’t admit to you that they remember.”

I find this to be very true in my counseling office.  If you think about an argument that you have had recently with your spouse, family member, or friend about hurt feelings, you will probably agree with me.  How many times have you heard those famous words, “I don’t remember saying that,” only to be devastated because it has kept you awake for a week thinking about it?

This is a huge problem currently in our society and definitely in our schools, but it is not just a recent phenomenon.  Check out 2 Cor. 6:8 or Acts 13:45.  It was also an epidemic two thousand years ago.

Many people let the faulty beliefs of others cloud our perception of ourselves.  If we are truly honest with ourselves, we let ourselves start taking slander, gossip, and just rude behavior to heart when we would usually tell others not to pay attention to that type of talk.  We tend to give that person and the things they say so much power that it begins to affect us emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

As Ed Young said, the real f-word (forgiveness) is more for us than for the person we are forgiving.

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One of the new features we are implementing in this article is to take article ideas from the readers.  This would be a great way for readers to get questions about general topics answered by a professional.  We will do our best to cover every topic throughout the year.  You can submit your topic ideas by email , counselorbrandon1@gmail.com, or send them in writing to Faith in the Family, 200 South Trenton Street, Ruston, LA, 71270.  For more specific individual topics, please take a risk and call for an appointment.

A man wanted for shooting at Monroe Police officers in a January ambush was arrested in Lincoln Parish Thursday.

Morrick D. Kimble, Jr., 18, was taken into custody at a residence in the Peachland Mobile Home Park off U.S. 80 west of Ruston Thursday morning.

The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the home after information was received indicating Kimble was staying there. He was wanted by Monroe Police for attempting to murder police officers.

Also arrested was Inetta Denise Lillard, 44, the resident who said she knew Kimble was wanted in connection with a shooting in Monroe. Lillard told investigators Kimble had been staying at her house off and on for several days.  

According to Monroe Police, officers responded to reports of gunfire at Kingsway Apartments near the Monroe airport on January 28. When they arrived, four gunmen ambushed them, firing about 25 shots at the MPD officers. 

MPD arrested Ralph Singleton, E’marion Graham and Montrese Plater during the investigation for their roles in the shooting. Kimble were identified as one of the shooters through information recovered from phone records, according to reports.

MPD said a drive-by shooting occurred prior to officers’ arrival at the apartments. During the investigation, detectives learned  the suspects believed the individuals who initiated the drive-by would return. One of the suspects said they thought the police were “the opps” so they shot first.  

Kimble was arrested on warrants for three counts of attempted second degree murder. He was transferred to the Ouachita Correctional Center with bail set at $150,000.

Lillard was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for accessory after the fact to attempted second degree murder. Her bail was set at $50,000. 

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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. 

By MaryBelle Tuten

If you enjoy entertainment that is just fun and makes you laugh until you think you cannot laugh any more…..but you do, then don’t miss The Play That Goes Wrong, that opens Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the Dixie Center for the Arts and is produced by Ruston Community Theatre (RCT). This may be the most unusual production RCT has ever presented to the north Louisiana community.

A play within a play, the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has received a substantial bequest and is putting on
a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor. With a murder (and a moving corpse) established from the beginning, the murder mystery gets into full flow as the props start to disappear and the set begins to crumble. The Play That Goes Wrong was
a Broadway hit with reviews that called it the funniest smash hit and an international phenomenon.

The play has also been touring the country for the last two years with rave reviews and we are excited to present this challenging show. The play is written by Henry Lewis, Johnathan Sayer and Henry Shields and is directed by Mary Watkins and sponsored by Century Next Bank. The intricately designed set falls apart each performance and is back together again for the next show day. A first for RCT, the set was purchased from a theater in Georgia and transported back to the stage at the Dixie and reassembled for our use.

A plethora of disasters befall the cast comprised of the following: Robyn Jennings, Kaden Brunson, Carrick Inabnett, Hunter McFadden, Benjamin Gross, Anky Kiremire, Britton Kilpatrick, and Amy Houck. The Cornley Polytechnic stage crew consists of Katie Peters, Amanda Willis, Alex Copes, Emily Tooke, Robbie Cunningham, Wyatt Terry, Sawyer Cunningham, Maddie Cunningham and Beth Holland. Westley Terry is stage manager, Sandee Sledge is costumer, publicity person is Danielle Huddleston, sound is coordinated by Brent Gay, and Monika Locke and Lainey Roberts are designing and running the lights for the production.

The stage set transportation and assembly is under the direction of Mark Graham, and aided by the cast and crew.

The Play That Goes Wrong show dates are March 23-25 at 7:00 pm and March 26 at 2:00 pm. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and seniors and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on-line at rctruston.org or by calling or texting (318) 595-
0872.

This Olivier Award winning comedy is a hilarious, “gut busting” hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. This play is SO WRONG IT’S RIGHT!!!!! See you at the theater.

An Alabama man was arrested for his second DWI within a year after numerous motorists called law enforcement to report his driving behavior.

Tuesday evening the Louisiana State Police, Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Ruston Police fielded calls from Interstate 20 motorists reporting a Dodge pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed and running others off the road.

Ruston Police spotted the truck on I-20 and observed it driving down the center of the roadway taking up both westbound lanes. Officers stopped it on Tarbutton Road.

A Lincoln Parish deputy arrived on the scene and saw indications the driver, James L. Shores, 62, of Birmingham, was impaired. A half-empty pint of vodka was found in his pocket and several empty beers were on the truck’s floorboard.

Shores was arrested by the Sheriff’s Office and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center by deputies for a breath test. Shores refused to provide a breath sample.

A criminal history indicated a prior conviction for DWI in the past year.

Shores was booked for second offense DWI.  Bail was set at $2,500.

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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. 

By Malcolm Butler

Softball

The Lady Cougars (10-7) posted a 1-2 record during the Caroline Menzina Memorial Softball Tournament hosted by Cedar Creek over the weekend at Lady Cougar Field.

Creek defeated Winnfield 11-1 before falling to West Ouachita 12-6 and to Benton 14-13.

“We played well Friday night in all areas of the game,” said head coach Julie Riser. “Saturday our bats did really well. We were very productive at the plate. We made a few mistakes in the field and are going to have to work to get better on defense. I was glad that we had a great turnout for the Caroline Menzina Memorial Tournament.”

In the victory over Winnfield, Allie Furr (3-4, 3 runs, 2 RBI), Peyton Muse (3-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI) Chloe Brashear (3-3), Mallory Smith (2-2, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Lillian Soto (3-3, 1 run, 4 RBI) led the way for Creek at the plate.

Brashear got the win in the circle, allowing just one run on six hits and one walk over 4.2 innings of action.

In Saturday’s loss to West Ouachita, Soto (2-4, run, 3 RBI), Olivia Underwood (1-2, 2 runs, RBI) and Muse (2-4, RBI) were the offensive leaders for the Lady Cougars. Lizzie McAdams took the loss in the circle, allowing nine runs on 12 hits in 5.2 innings of work.

Muse (2-3, 2 runs, 4 RBI), Soto (1-3, 2 runs, 4 RBI), Furr (3 runs) and Olivia Salter (1-4, run, 2 RBI) paved the way at the plate.

Creek hosts Lincoln Prep Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

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Baseball

The Cougars (3-13) picked up a pair of wins over the weekend, defeating Southwood 9-4 and Many 3-0 while falling to Northwood 12-0.

“It was a relief to go out and win two out of three this weekend,” said head coach Trey Long. “We have played several good games this year and either didn’t finish the game the way we wanted to or made a mistake late that cost us a couple more wins. Our starting pitching was good all weekend.

“In our two wins we played solid defense, got some timely hits, and took advantage of our opponents mistakes. Jackson Mock’s outing against St. Mary was incredible and gave us a spark after the loss to Northwood. In our win over Southwood, Ladd Thompson had a good game at the plate with four RBIs.”

In the win over Southwood, the score was tied at 4-4 through three innings before the Cougars scored one in the fourth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to pull away.

Ladd Thompson (2-2, run, 4 RBI) led the Cougars in the win while Brady Wade (2-4, run, RBI), JR Moak (1-3, 3 runs) and Max Brister (1-3, 2 RBI) contributed to the win.

Wade picked up the win on the mound, tossing a complete-game while allowing four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

In the Cougars 3-0 win over Many, Mock tossed 6.2 scoreless innings allowing just three hits and four walks while striking out seven batters.

Offensively, Wade (2-2), Jordan Vail (1-3, 2 RBI), Moak (1-2, run) Davis Long (1-2) led the way in the win.

Brister recorded the lone hit of the contest for Creek.

The Cougars will host OCS Tuesday.

I’m allergic to cats. 

I’m allergic to cats, but I love them. They’re hilarious. They’re so full of spunk and personality, and I love the way they purr and how they are so independent and how they’re so so fluffy. They’re fabulous. I love dogs equally, for slightly different reasons, but I have always loved cats. 

However, asthma and cats do not often get along. 

So instead of any indoor cats, I have often had outdoor cats, or what many people refer to as “barn cats” or “farm cats.” I grew up in (very) rural north Louisiana, and cats were often necessary to keep snakes and other unwanted creatures away. I had outdoor cats for most of my high school, and I remember one time in particular when we were looking for a couple of cats – two, just two, because two was plenty and could be together for each other.  

I reached out to my friend Brandi, who had mentioned that she had some kittens – four, actually – that needed homes. I said that we would take two, and she said that was great, she’d put them in a kennel for me to take home. 

Now, I’m not saying this was purposeful, but she happened to arrange this handoff at a time when she and her family were leaving that morning on vacation. The plan was for her to get the kittens together in the kennel before they left that morning, and I’d come pick them up soon after. 

I drove up to her house and found the kennel in the carport. I could hear the mewing inside, and I was so excited to see my two new kittens to love and care for. As I got closer to the kennel, though, I noticed that – boy, that was a lot of mewing.  

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I peered in the cage and amid the hissing (because they were not happy about being cooped up) and mewing, I saw definitely more than two sets of eyes. 

That’s right. I saw four sets of eyes staring right back at me. 

For a moment, I was stumped. I couldn’t open the kennel because they would all escape and I’d be back at square one. No, if I wanted kittens, there was only one option available. 

I was going home with four. Kudos to my friend and her family for managing to find homes for all four kittens simultaneously. 

In the end, the kittens flourished at our house. We ended up with two males and two females, and they lived long, comfortable lives (especially after my dad built a house in a tree for them, complete with a balcony – I kid you not), keeping our home safe from snakes, birds, lizards and the like and, other than a trip to the vet for spaying/neutering, never seeing the inside of a kennel again. 

Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications

Softball

The Lady Techsters (18-9, 3-3 C-USA) traveled to south Florida and took two out of three games from FIU, winning game one 12-3 and game three 10-2 while falling 1-0 in game two.

“I was disappointed in our offense in game one (of Saturday’s DH),” said Josh Taylor. “The same kid that shut us down in game one is the one we scored seven runs on in the seventh of game two. Brook Melnychuk pitched fantastic in game one but we couldn’t give her any run support. In game two we were struggling for a while before we finally exploded (in the seventh) after making adjustments. The takeaway from the weekend is our girls have to learn how to adjust better from at bat to at bat and pitch to pitch. As soon as we can do that the better our offense will be to give our pitchers a lead to work with.”

In Friday night’s 12-3 win, Brooke Diaz hit a grand slam to cap a 5-run second inning and KB Briley added a three-run shot in the top of the seventh as the Lady Techsters cruised to the 12-3 win. Allie Floyd and Lauren Menzina combined to toss seven solid innings in the victory.

In Saturday’s 1-0 loss, Melnychuk tossed 6.0 innings, allowing just five hits and one controversial unearned run. In a scoreless game in the bottom of the third with two outs, an FIU baserunner made contact with Tech shortstop Amanda Gonzalez on a ground ball to short. The umpiring crew decided not to call what is considered textbook obstruction which would have been the final out, thus allowing the run to score on the play.

It proved to be the lone run of the game. Tech managed just five hits and stranded seven baserunners in the loss, something Taylor said he was just as upset about as the lack of the ruling by the umpires on what proved to be the game-deciding run.

Tech bounced back in game three. Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, KB Briley tied the game on a RBI double to left center and then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Sierra Sacco. Tech added seven runs on seven hits in the top of the seventh — including a three-run home run by Diaz. Mary Martinez (6-1) picked up the win while Emma Hutchinson recorded the save.

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Tennis

The Louisiana Tech tennis team remained undefeated at home this season, riding strong singles play to defeat Incarnate Word, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the LA Tech Tennis Complex.

LA Tech (12-4) did all of its damage in singles, getting victories on courts two, three, four, five, and six to extend their home winning streak to eight.

“It was a good weekend for us at home,” said head coach Amanda Stone. “There was a lot of good energy today with the track meet going on and that was fun to see our team feed off of that. We are at a point now where teams are gearing up for our matches and playing their best tennis against us. We really stepped up the intensity in singles after losing the doubles point. We showed this weekend that we are becoming really tough throughout our lineup.”

Incarnate Word (8-5) struck first though in doubles, securing wins of 6-2 and 6-3 on courts one and three, respectively.  The lone doubles win for the Lady Techsters came from the duo of Olga Bienzobas/Alexia Romero who won 6-2 on court two, playing together for the first time this season.

And just like Friday against Northwestern State, LA Tech got two quick points in singles to grab the momentum.

Tiffani Nash needed only an hour to give the Lady Techsters their first point, taking care of business on court four with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Estefania Gonzalez.  Just a few minutes later, Olga Bienzobas gave LA Tech a 2-1 edge after she proved too much for her opponent, Gargi Pawar, in a 6-0, 6-0 win on court three.

Making it 3-1 was Ilana Tetruashvili as the veteran disposed of Sophia Kermet on court six by a score of 6-3, 6-1.  The wins kept coming as Najah Dawson provided the clincher with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Amelie Montalvo on court two.  The fifth point came from Ana Rodrigues who outlasted Lyric Bonilla on court five 6-3, 7-6 (4). 

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Track and Field

The Louisiana Tech men’s and women’s Track & Field team began their outdoor seasons this weekend as hosts of the annual Jim Mize Invitational at the Jim Mize Track & Field Complex in Ruston. LA Tech also used the home meet as an opportunity to recognize 14 senior student-athletes and their accomplishments over their respective careers.

In Friday’s opening-day action, the LA Tech women set three PRs in the 200m, with Faith Tarver taking first place with a PR of 24.89, Chanel Honeywell grabbing a top-five finish with a personal best of 25.59, and Nike Praetzel ran her best 200 with a 26.31. In the men’s 200m, Jamie Sancho grabbed a bronze finish in his first collegiate 200m race with a 21.36.

In the hammer throw, Nemoy Cockett took first place on the men’s side with a throw of 53.02m (173′ 11”), and Elizabeth Sebera (47.53m, 155′ 11”) and Shania Parkinson (46.10m, 151′ 3”) grabbed second and third place, respectively, on the women’s side. Parkinson also threw her personal best on her fourth attempt of the evening. Parkinson also earned a second-place finish in the women’s discus with a personal best of 41.32m (135′ 6”), while Natalie Moten threw her personal best (39.30m, 128′ 11”) to take third in the event.

Jacquelin LaBerteaux (20:54:76) ran the best time in the women’s 5000m, while Hayes Gill did the same on the men’s side with a run of 16:58.64.

In Saturday’s field events, Henry Terral got things started by picking up his fourth career event win in the javelin with a throw of 60.32 (197′ 10”), while Tyler O’con (57.66m, 189′ 2”) grabbed second place in the event. Johnie Jean-Jacques picked up his fifth career gold in the men’s shot put with a throw of 15.77m (51′ 9”), his best throw since April of 2022. 

In the women’s javelin, Maria Ferreiro Pena topped her personal best from last year’s Jim Mize on two throws to earn second place with a throw of 45.10m (147′ 11″).

In the women’s long jump, DaLoria Boone missed her personal best by just 0.25” but grabbed first place with a leap of 5.73m (18′ 9.75”) as the LA Tech women took four of the top five spots with Pleasant Harris (5.46m, 17′ 11”), Leah Ellis (5.46m, 17′ 11”), and Tia Reder (5.43m, 17′ 9.75”) grabbing spots three through five. 

Mateo Smith made it a men’s and women’s sweep in the long jump, grabbing the top podium spot with a leap of 7.23m (23′ 8.75”), while Javion Canna (6.59m, 21′ 7.50”) and Aidan Holland (6.13m, 20′ 1.50”) earned PRs in the event. Jiana Stewartburgess took second place in the women’s high jump with a leap of 1.65m (5′ 5”), her fourth career jump of at least 1.65m. 

On the track, Rebecca Quebedeaux won her first collegiate 1500m race with a 5:17.66, while Kayla Watson won the 100H with a 14.43, and Nike Praetzel registered her personal best in the event running a 14.58 and grabbing third. 

In the men’s distance races, Hayes Gill registered a PR in the 3000m with a run of 10:03.36, while Rebecca Quebedeaux took third in the women’s 3000m with a time of 11:47.65. Jacquelin LaBerteaux (20:54.76) and Hayes Gill (16:58.65) grabbed the top in the women’s and men’s 5000m, respectively.

LA Tech picked up three of the top four spots in the Women’s 400m, with Faith Tarver taking gold on a 56.52, Jenaia Williams claiming silver in her first collegiate 400m, and Nariah Parks (58.60) grabbing fourth. On the men’s side, Laeden Tucker claimed his first career outdoor 400m title with a personal best of 48.28.

In the 100m, the women and men claimed silver medals, with Kaylyn Heath picking up second in her first race as a Lady Techster, running an 11.98. Marshall Ellis also grabbed second with a personal best of 10.60, and Mateo Smith ran his personal best of 19.71 for a top-five finish. 

Baseball

The rubber match between Louisiana Tech and Charlotte had a cold, late-morning Sunday start that saw cold bats produce no runs in a 9-0 loss for the Bulldogs at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

Tech won Friday night’s opener 2-1 behind a strong pitching effort from Jonathan Fincher, Landon Tompkins and Ethan Bates before dropping Saturday’s second game 14-6.

Then came Sunday’s rubber match.

LA Tech (10-10, 1-2 C-USA) would not get its first hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. The Bulldogs kept things close with the 49ers (8-11, 2-1 C-USA) through those five innings, however, with Alec Sparks (1-1) carrying a 2-0 game into the top of the sixth. It was here that Charlotte slugged out multiple doubles and a home run to make it 7-0. A couple more runs in the eighth and ninth innings for the visitors went unanswered and ultimately resulted in the conference series loss.

Tech would collect just three hits in total, all of them singles from Jorge Corona, Adarius Myers, and Logan McLeod. McLeod managed to reach base in all his appearances, drawing two walks and being hit by a pitch in addition to his single.

Head coach Lane Burroughs says it’s players like McLeod who this program “means something to,” and he’s looking for indicators that leaders on this team who carry the weight of Louisiana Tech Baseball’s recent years.

“This thing took a toll on a lot of people when we were rebuilding it,” Coach Burroughs said. “Right now, it’s not in a good place. I’ve been coaching 27 years.I haven’t felt like this too often in my career. So, we’re going to figure out who this means something to.”

Over the weekend, the Bulldogs hit .180 as a team, a number that Burroughs believes signifies the struggles of the series.

“It’s amazing we won a game,” he said. “We got a win, so I guess that’s a positive. It’s a bad vibe going, and we got to figure it out. We’re going to come to work and keep practicing and keep working, and we’ll figure it out. It’s not going to be cause we’re not out here working, I can assure you.”

Bowling

The Louisiana Tech women’s bowling team claim fourth at the Vanderbilt-hosted Music City Classic on Sunday.

LA Tech began the tournament with five Baker matches on Friday morning. In match one, the Lady Techsters defeated Carthage 993-820. Facing No. 10, Maryland Eastern Shore in match two, Tech collected a big 1,033-938 win. The Lady Techsters went on with an undefeated day with a 1,078-852 win over Lewis, followed by a 1,059-1,033 win over No. 11 Sam Houston. The Techsters finished Baker play by defeating Wright State 1.038-9674. 

Day two consisted of five traditional matches. The Lady Techsters began with another win over Sam Houston 1,017-965 followed by a 1.027-835 victory against Kentucky Wesleyan. LA Tech faced off with St. Francis in match three, defeating them 1,144-810 before tying with UAB 1,019. For the first time on the weekend, the Lady Techsters fell to Maryville 1,038-959.

Going into bracket play as the No. 4 seed, the Lady Techsters began with a game against the No. 3 seed, Vanderbilt but fell short 1-4 (204-220, 263-204, 231-185, 204-181, 213-209). Tech then faced off against Arkansas State and was able to defeat the Red Wolves 5-2 (16 3-214, 218-219, 241-194, 168-224, 222-191, 248-230, 214-175). With a chance to claim 3rd, the Lady Techsters battled with Vanderbilt once again but came up short 3-4 (216-233, 208-245, 220-170, 219-213, 221-226, 193-186) to earn the 4th place title. 

With 1,111 total pins and a 222.2 average, Patricia Rosales places 5th individually to earn her way onto the All-Tournament team.

By Emma Stone

With Easter approaching around the corner, the Ruston Sports Complex is hosting its second ‘Egg’stravaganza.

The festivities will be held on the Green Clinic Soccer Fields from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, March 30. Entry is free for families with children 12 and under. 

The Easter Egg Hunt will begin at 6 p.m. with 20,000 eggs hidden across the fields. Each egg contains a toy, sticker or candy. Families are required to bring their own Easter basket to collect the eggs.

Along with the egg hunt, Ruston Photography will offer free pictures with the Easter Bunny. Ice cream sandwiches will be available for children along with face painting by Sigma Kappa from Louisiana Tech University.

Two bounce houses will be running for children to play in. The Ruston Sports Complex asks that families park across the street as the parking lot is holding the bounce houses.

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Amanda Lonadier, RPAR upervisor, worked to coordinate the activities.

“Last year, our egg hunt was spread across eight fields,” Lonadier said, “But this year we expect a larger turnout.”

This year, the egg hunt will take place across a couple of soccer fields, but there will be more eggs for kids to find.

All children 12 and under must register for a free ticket by clicking HERE. The event is limited to the first 1,000 children who are registered. Parents and siblings over 12 years old do not need to register for a ticket. 

Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications

Softball

he Grambling State University softball team picked up their seventh straight win on Sunday afternoon, defeating UAPB 7-2 at the Torii Hunter Softball Complex.

The Tigers swept Saturday’s doubleheader against Arkansas Pine-Bluff 10-1 and 12-6. The seven-game winning streak is GSU’s longest since the 2018-19 campaign. 

The Lady Tigers outhit UAPB 7-5 on Sunday with Tytianna Robinson accounting for two of GSU’s hits. Robinson went 2-for-3 wit a triple, a double and two RBI 

Grambling State (18-8-1, 6-0 SWAC) got on the board in the top of the first inning when India Wells scored Kaytlyn Moore a sacrifice fly 

In the top of the fourth, Nyah Jones reached second on an error and was brought in to score by an RBI single from Ta’mya Johnson. With Grambling State leading 2-0, Johnson scored on a UAPB wild pitch extending its lead to 3-0.

GSU scored four more runs in the fifth inning, building a commanding 7-0 lead. Jayda Williams stroked an RBI single to left field to make it 4-0. Robinson drove in two runs with a double to the right, scoring Jones and Asli Strozier. Robinson came around to score after stealing third and reaching home on an error. 

UAPB(5-21,1-5) plated two runs in the bottom of the frame, but a comeback wasn’t in the cards for the Golden Lions. The Tigers walked away with the 7-2 win over UAPB.

As a team, the Lady Tigers recorded seven hits. Robinson went 2-for-3 at the plate, drove in one run and picked up two RBI’s.

GSU starting pitcher Dacia Richard (5-2) picked up her fifth win of the season, tossing 7.0 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. She also fanned two batters. 

LeeAnn Raney (0-6) was saddled with the loss for UAPB after surrendering five runs on four hits and five walks in 4.1 innings of work. 

Track and Field

The Grambling State University men’s and women’s track and field teams took part in the Jim Mize Invitational hosted by Louisiana Tech’s this weekend an racked up on strong finishes. 

The highlight of day one came from sprinter Amari Wrightsil placing second and landing a personal-best in the women’s 200m with a final time of 25.08. Sophomore CJ Guidry also placed second in the men’s 200m with a time of 21.32.

Jordyn Wyatt had a good day in the field placing sixth overall in the women’s discus with a throw of 115’2″.

GSU  continued to build on its momentum on Saturday with several Tigers earning top eight finishes.

Dior Nicholson started the day with an impressive performance in the women’s shot put. Nicholson placed third overall and notched a season best with a toss of 12.85m.On the men’s side, Terrance Bell Jr. wrapped up the shot put in seventh place with a PR of 13.92m .

Lawrence Lambert jumped to second place in the men’s long jump. Lambert recorded a distance of 7.15m, finishing behind Mateo Smith of Louisiana Tech (7.23m).

Serena Jimerson clinched seventh place for the Tigers in the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.32m.

Jamie Richardson notched a first place win in the women’s high jump with 1.65m. Teammate Pearl Moss placed third and recorded her season’s best with a jump of 1.53m. Anaya Jones placed seventh and achieved a PR with a distance of 1.45m.

Jahorous Turner and Anthony Davis both notched top 5 results in the men’s high jump. Turner placed second (1.85m) while Davis followed behind coming in third (1.79m).

Grambling State looked solid in the women’s 4×100 meter relay. Sterling,Davis, Wrightsil, and Glasco had a strong run finishing second with a time of 48.17.

Guidry claimed fourth place in the men’s 100m dash with a time of 10.68. Nicholas Williams sprinted into eighth place (10.86).

Miciah Myles finished fifth in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:58.36.

Ivory Davis continued to be a force for the Tigers in the women’s 400m hurdles, coming in second with a time of 1:05.36.

Ruth Kibet, Mercy Kwambai and Lillian Thou competed for the Tigers in the women’s 3000m. Kibet paced the the ladies with a first place finish, clocking in at 11:30.79. Kwambai finished second, with a time of 11:39.15, and Thou notched fifth (12:05.15).

Mathias Cheboi wrapped up the day with a first place result in the men’s 3000 with a time of 9:02.26

Baseball

The Grambling State University baseball team overpowered Southern on Sunday afternoon at Wilbert Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park, pummeling the Jaguars 16-6 in 7 innings to earn an early season Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series win. 

The Tigers won Friday’s game 8-7 in 12 innings before falling in Saturday’s game by an identical score of 8-7 in 12 innings.

In the rubber match on Sunday Cameron Bufford drove in four runs for GSU (6-13 overall, 2-1 SWAC), going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single and a walk. Keylon Mack was also a tough out, going 4-for-5 with four singles and an RBI. As a team, Grambling State totaled 17 hits, while the Tigers’ pitching staff limited Southern (5-13, 1-2) to just six hits.

Jacorey Boudreaux got the start on the mound for GSU, going 3.1 innings, surrendering three runs on three hits and six walks. Brett Washington (1-0) was credited with the win in relief, going 2.0 innings, fanning two batters and allowing three runs on two hits and a pair of walks. 

Bufford got the Tigers on the board first with an RBI single into left field. Mack followed that with a run scoring base knock of his own to make it 2-0 in the first inning. Jose Vargas picked up the third RBI single in row for GSU, bringing Mack around to score. A wild pitch plated Grambling State’s fourth run off the frame, extending the advantage to 4-0.

Bufford continued to punish Jaguar pitching in the second inning, stroking an RBI double to the right centerfield wall, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. 

Southern cut into the lead in the top of the third, bringing a pair of runs around to score, making it 5-2 in favor of GSU. SU’s Jaylen Armstrong pulled the Jaguars slightly closer in the fourth with a RBI single through the right side of the infield.

In the bottom of the fifth, Daylon Ardoin drew a bases loaded walk with one out, giving the Tigers a three-run cushion at 6-3. Terry Burrell III came through with a huge two-RBI double to left field. Ardoin was thrown out at third after getting caught in a run down, but Burrell advanced to third on the play. 

Tiger Borom scored Burrell on a double through the right side of the infield that skipped the first baseman, growing GSU’s lead top 9-3.

Southern tried to make a game of it in the sixth, adding three runs to make it 9-6. 

In the seventh inning, Grambling State put the Jaguars away scoring seven runs to enact the 10-run rule. What was even more impressive was that GSU scored all seven runs with two outs. 

Kendrick Bershell earned his first save of the year, suppressing Southern’s bats for 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two batters. 

Christian Davis (0-1) was saddled with the loss after going 2.0 innings and giving up five runs on five hits and a walk. 

Each Monday and Friday, the Lincoln Parish Journal will post a list of non-for-profit upcoming events happening in the parish. If you would like to add your event to this list or advertise your for-profit events, please email us at lpjnewsla@gmail.com. 

Monday, March 20
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
5:30 p.m.: Ruston Planning and Zoning meeting 

Tuesday, March 21
7 p.m.: Flute and piano recital by Shayla Blake (Temple Baptist Church)

Wednesday, March 22
7-8 a.m.: Veterans Coffee Club (PJ’s Coffee)
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome

Friday, March 24
6 p.m.: LA Tech softball v. Middle Tennessee
7 p.m.: RCT Presents: The Play that Goes Wrong (Dixie Theatre)

Saturday, March 25
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
Noon to 4 p.m.: Edible Art interactive art experience (Ruston Art Encounter)
2 p.m.: LA Tech softball v. Middle Tennessee
7 p.m.: RCT Presents: The Play that Goes Wrong (Dixie Theatre)

Sunday, March 26
1 p.m.: LA Tech softball v. Middle Tennessee
2 p.m.: RCT Presents: The Play that Goes Wrong (Dixie Theatre)

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The Ruston Rotary Club will host a Jambalaya Fundraiser in the Super 1 Parking lot, March 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Funds raised will be used for Rotary Club community related service. Some of these projects include Coats for Kids, dictionaries for third graders, student scholarships and backpacks for needy students.

The Ruston Rotary Coats for Kids program donated 170 coats for elementary students in Lincoln and Jackson parishes in coordination with Ruston Walmart and Jonesboro State Bank. This year the club will give out four $2,000 scholarships for high school students attending college in the fall.

Rotarians pick up food backpacks every Thursday during the school year at Super 1 and drop them off at Hillcrest Elementary for needy students to take home on Friday for meals over the weekend. During the fall, Rotarians give Lincoln Parish third grade students their very own dictionary to keep for in the classroom or at home. Rotarians are also involved in the Med-Camp Fall Halloween Bash held at Camp Alabama in the Douglas community every year the Saturday before Halloween.

This year the Ruston Rotary club formed a Interact Club at Choudrant High School and assisted with Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) for high school students at the Outdoor Wilderness Learning Center (OWL) in Dubach the last week in June. Approximately 75 high school sophomore and juniors attend from around North Louisiana each year for the week-long event. The Jambalaya Fundraiser will help full these local projects for Ruston and the surrounding area.

Tickets are $10 for per meal, that features jambalaya, corn and green beans.  Jambalaya trays can be ordered for delivery to your business or organization between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 30. Cost is $100 for 10 servings of jambalaya or $200 for 20 servings of jambalaya. Trays may also be picked at the Super 1 parking lot from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You can order ahead by calling Rusty Wilfong at 318-265-0985 or Jerry Pye at 318-282-5278 or any Ruston Rotary member. You may also buy a plate to go for $10 or a quart container of Jambalaya for $15 the day of the event.

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NORTHERN LOUISIANA MEDICAL CENTER

Position: Case Management LPN

Description: Responsible for the administration of pharmacological, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents related to respiratory care procedures necessary to implement treatment, disease prevention, pulmonary rehabilitative, or diagnostic regimen prescribed by a physician. Provides proper assessment and monitoring of respiratory care treatments. Collaborates with other professional disciplines to ensure effective and efficient patient care delivery to achieve desired patient outcomes. Population: provides cardiac diagnostic and respiratory therapy services for the in-patient and out-patient population 24 hours per day. The patient population served by Respiratory Care Department consists of newborn, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients requiring cardiac, respiratory care, services, treatment of testing to maintain optimum physiological maintenance of the cardiac and respiratory systems.

Benefits: Competitive salaries, 401k, benefits

Apply: NorthernLouisianaMedicalCenter.com go to ABOUT US and click on CAREERS

This is a paid Job Posting

To get rates to advertise your businesses job posting, email lpjnewsla@gmail.com.

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Charles Wayne Terry 
October 8, 1966 – March 16, 2023 
Visitation: First Baptist Church, Ruston, Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm 
Service: First Baptist Church, Ruston, Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 2:00 pm 

Bennie Loflin, Sr. 
June 18, 1929 – March 17, 2023 
Services pending 

Thuyen Do 
December 10, 1968 – March 16, 2023 
Services pending 

 

 

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By T. Scott Boatright

It was all discussion with no actions as the Lincoln Parish Library Board of Control met Thursday in the Community Room of the LPL.

Committees reports played a big role in those discussions, and LPL Events Center committee chair Bill Jones began the meeting talking about a potential team-up with the Ruston Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau to take the Events Center in a different and more lucrative direction.

During January’s Board of Control meeting, Jones told memes that preliminary talks have been held with CVB Director Amanda Quimby about the two entities teaming to manage the Events Center with a goal of increasing usage to bring in more revenue from rentals.

But before making a decision, both entities have agreed to wait until after the March 25 alcohol referendum election.

There are five alcohol referendums on the March 25 ballot, three that are currently allowed in propositions 1, 2 and 5.

It’s Proposition No. 3, not currently allowed in Ruston city limits, that is the crux behind the plan of that potential team-up between the LPL Board of Control and the CVB to manage the LPL Events Center. 

If Proposition 3 passes, it would allow the sale of beverage alcohol containing one-half of 1% alcohol by volume and above for consumption on the premises in the city, meaning that with other building usage guidelines being amended, such alcohol sales could be allowed during private parties being held at the Events Center.

The hopes of the CVB, and the LPL Board of Control, is that such an ordinance change could result in a significant increase in rentals at the Event Center.

“We’ve continued talking with the CVB, and hopefully the election will go in such a way that we’ll be able to move forward with a plan to share management of the Events Center in hopes the CVB can help bring in more usage of the building,” Jones said.

During January’s meeting, Jones said the main thing agreed on before any decision is made is that such an agreement should be made for only one year in order to see how the partnership would work out for both entities.

Jones also talked to fellow board members about House Bill 25 and Senate Bill 7, which have been prefiled before the start of the upcoming state legislative session that begins on April 10.

During a special meeting held earlier this month, the Board of Control voted to oppose and request amendments to those two bills.

Jones’ concerns are that as it stands now, HB 25 reads that Board members would serve at the pleasure of the governing authority, which, in the library’s case, is the Lincoln Parish Police Jury, meaning the LPPJ  could remove any or all Board members at any time, for any reason  or no reason and that Board members could continue serving unlimited terms.  

Another of Jones’ concerns is that if passed as they currently read, police juries  would have the ability to regulate and oversee the Board, its officers, employees and the library itself and that the LPL Board of Control could not go against any ordinance the police jury should choose to enact, even those involving the library and Events Center.

“In their current form, these bills would seriously damage our library as well as every other public library in the state,” Jones said.

Jones said he’s moving proactively to try and keep that from happening, saying that  he has meetings scheduled with state Rep. Chris Turner, state Sen. Jay Morris and state Sen. Stewart Cathey to express his views and concerns regarding the potential legislation.

“This is all unfortunate because the library and Lincoln Parish Police Jury have had a great relationship for more than 50 years,” Jones said. “I’ll have a better feel about what it all could mean and what direction it might be headed once I talk to our legislators.”

During his reports to the Board, LPL Director Jeremy Bolom told members that the library has already received $850 from 16 memorial donations made at the request of the family of John Chris Stephenson following his death.

Bolom also told the Board that foot traffic at the LPL continues to increase after seeing a major dropoff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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By Emma Stone 

Nearly 3,300 signatures: that was the number of Ruston citizens who signed a petition to decide on expanding alcohol sales to grocery retailers last fall.

The signatures met the 2454 minimum requirement and now gives the opportunity for citizens to vote on five propositions in the upcoming election on March 25.  

Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker held a town hall meeting last night to open the floor for questions and comments concerning the propositions. Despite the pre-meeting publicity surrounding the event, only an estimated 40 to 50 residents showed up for the meeting.

The five state required alcohol propositions listed at the meeting are:

Proposition 1 – CURRENTLY ALLOWED (Passed in 2002) 
Grocery/convenience stores will continue to be allowed to sell low-alcohol beverages. 

Proposition 2 – CURRENTLY ALLOWED (Passed in 2002) 
Authority to sell beverages of alcoholic content containing not more than 6% alcohol by volume for consumption on the premises in the city.

Proposition 3 – NOT CURRENTLY ALLOWED 
Authority to sell beverage alcohol containing one-half of 1% alcohol by volume and above for consumption on the premises in the city.

Proposition 4 – NOT CURRENTLY ALLOWED 
Retail stores* will be allowed to sell packaged high-alcohol content beverages only for off-site consumption. (*over 15,000 square feet)  

Proposition 5 – CURRENTLY ALLOWED (Passed in 2002) 
Restaurants will continue to be allowed to sell both high and low-alcohol beverages. 

Walker was also joined with City Attorney Bill Carter and Planning and Zoning Director Jim Hayes to introduce a new zoning plan.  

The plan requires that any stand-alone bar to be constructed in Ruston must be 1,320 feet from another.

“Truly, in the entire city of Ruston, you could have three, maybe four, bars if they are strategically placed,” said Walker. “I don’t believe we will have any [bars] if this passes. But the guidelines are in place to prevent it.”

Walker detailed the possible figures for sales income to lie between $1.5 million to $1.6 million a year from liquor sales if the propositions were to pass. 

The number was derived from the southern city of Pineville, which enacted the same propositions in 2018. 

From 2018, Pineville received $1.2 million in sales tax income and in 2019, the income was raised to $2.298 million. 2021 profited a total of $2.68 million for Pineville. Walker outlined the process in which he and his team formed the sales income expected from the propositions passing.  

“Their number showed (an)…increase each year from before they had sales in stores,” said Walker, “So, I took that and did an average based on their population, and our population which is where we got our $1.5 number.” 

Harriet Jones, a Ruston citizen, spoke out about the high amount of revenue that businesses profit from liquor sales.

“It seems like to me, if there was that much money that we make in liquor sales, then the person that owns the package store would be sailing off in a yacht,” said Jones. 

Restaurants are required to have 50% of their products be nonalcoholic to have an “R” permit.   

“We have 19 restaurants with bars in them. The competition is just too strong for stand-alone bars, in my opinion,” said Walker. “If we have not put that rule in place, then every convenience store in our city could be a package liquor store.” 

Restaurants that would be affected if the propositions did not pass would be Utility Brewing, Log Cabin, Dawghouse and most to all Mexican restaurants. 

Challenges appeared as some citizens received conflicting messages about the petition.

With misinformation being spread, others expressed worry that some Ruston citizens may not show up to the polls.

However, Bill Campbell, a Ruston citizen, felt that the alcohol propositions could be a good thing.

“I think that the people who live here have the right to vote,” said Campbell. “I don’t think we want people telling us ‘We don’t like this’ or ‘We don’t favor this’, so ‘You can’t have it either.’ That is not right.” 

While citizens spoke up, Walker stated that he and his team were comfortable with the zoning strategies in place. 

“We have the strongest regulations of any city in the state as far as package stores and bars. We want to be sure to keep our city like it is,” said Walker.  

The election date is set to March 25 and early voting takes place through Saturday. Ruston citizens can vote yes or no to any or all of the alcohol propositions.   

Grambling State University Police arrested a 21-year-old Shreveport man Wednesday on drug and gun charges after he ran from officers conducting an investigation.

Carl H. Little, II, was seen leaving Jones Hall, a campus dorm, wearing a backpack and entering a car police detectives had already determined was the source of a strong marijuana odor. While police were talking with the car’s occupants, they noticed Little making furtive movements in the backseat. He was asked to step out of the car.

Little exited the car still wearing the backpack. He was directed to stand behind the car but instead, walked away, saying he needed to go to his car. He ignored several commands to stop and began running away. 

Little was chased into Jones Hall where he ran up to the third floor, climbed over a guard rail, threw the backpack and jumped to the second floor. He was apprehended on the first floor and the backpack was retrieved from a tree.

Inside the backpack, officers found bags of marijuana and a loaded Glock 23 9mm pistol with an extended magazine, and cash.

Additional marijuana was found in the car where Little had been sitting.

While Little was being questioned at the GSU Police station, his phone received text message on his screen asking, “Hey, can I get a 5?” Further check of the revealed several text messages asking for narcotics.

Little was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in a school zone, illegal possession of a firearm on a school campus, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer, and obstruction of justice.

GSU asked that Little be barred from the campus as a condition of his bail. His bail was set at $200,000.

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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 Ruston woman was arrested at a Bonita Street residence after she refused numerous directions to leave the property.

Jyone Cottingham, 33, had reportedly been causing a disturbance at the location. Cottingham told officers she had been attempting to gather her belongings and leave the house all day. She stated she had been given permission to stay there. That individual told officers Cottingham needed to leave.

Officers remained on the scene as Cottingham gathered her belongings. After about 30 minutes, Cottingham had made little progress in collecting her belongings. She was given warnings in repeated attempts to encourage her to leave.

Officers eventually told her to move to the edge of the street and let others gather her belongings and bring them to her. She was given over 30 warnings to stay off the property. She was given all her packed belongings and told the rest would be moved to the street. She was told she was banned from the property and could not return. When she stepped back on the property and attempted to go into the house, she was placed under arrest.

Cottingham reportedly resisted officers’ attempts to handcuff her. She was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for remaining on premises when forbidden (trespass) and resisting an officer.

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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. 

 

It’s March. Which means it’s time for the madness.

Day 1 of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament saw upsets, buzzer beaters and beat downs that are typical of the greatest sporting event of the year.

It also saw the start to the $1,000 winner-take-all Karl Malone Toyota Bracket Contest presented by Martin Presence.

One lucky participant will win a grand when the dust settles in early April and the 2023 national champion is crowned.

It will be one shining moment in more ways than one.

The field of 68 was announced Sunday night and the road to the Final Four began this week.

It’s free. It’s fun. It’s March basketball.

To see the update standings, go to HERE

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Notice: Just one winner of the $1,000.00. The Rules can change without notice. The contest can be canceled without notice to participants. Not responsible for any technical failures. All decisions by Management are final. If you have any questions or feedback, please send an email to: LPJNewsLa@gmail.com

There are some things that happen to me that I can’t figure out how to work into a sermon. They are illustrative and funny but decorum would suggest they are better suited for other media than for the pulpit. I have a much different purpose here than I have on Sunday morning. Although I should warn you that one of my favorite books is Elton Trueblood’s The Humor of Christ. I don’t believe that preaching should bore you into a state of utter mind-numbing confusion, so I tend to use humor when I preach. But this one I can’t work into a sermon, not yet anyway. I will tell you the story if you promise not to tell anyone at Trinity in Ruston that I wrote this, ok?

Here goes.

I was having a medical procedure done a while ago. It was one of those things that you had to spend the day before “getting your system cleaned out for the test.” There is a whole comedy routine on the cleansing process, but I will spare you that.

I showed up all cleansed for the test and the nice nurse got me all “prepped.” In other words, she gave me a blanket and told me to create some “southern exposure.” There I am not very clothed, except for my sweatshirt and she proceeds to give me “controlled substances.” The test went off without a hitch.  On that day, I was “clean as a whistle.” It was what happened after the test that has me snickering.

Have you been in a darkened room with a woman to whom you are not married and she says, “Preacher, I have your jeans around your ankles but you will have to pull them the rest of the way up?” I didn’t think so! Last December it happened to me. I remember thinking; I have never heard anyone say that to me before!

The event has no theological purpose, nor can I make a great sermon illustration of out if. It is simply something that you don’t hear said to you every day as a preacher.

I wanted to share the joy by sharing the strange thing said to me in that darkened room. It was really no stranger than for some of you to say, “Preacher, I’ll see you in church on Sunday.” That would make me really smile!

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Not only did Louisiana Tech’s future foresters host the 64th Association of Southern Forestry Clubs (ASFC) Conclave this weekend at Lincoln Parish Park, they also competed and finished a solid third overall against 12 other teams.

An annual event that draws schools from across the Southeast to compete in forestry-related physical and technical events, the Conclave is hosted by a different school each year and helps students develop team building, camaraderie, and social skills through diverse competition and lumberjack contests.

Tech finished third to SFA and Mississippi State in Technical Events, fourth to SFA, Clemson, and Virginia Tech in Physical Events, and a strong third overall to champion SFA and runner-up Clemson in Total Overall, the culmination of a weekend that “went spectacularly,” Forestry Program Chair in Tech’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences Dr. Joshua Adams said.

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The weather was perfect for Tech to host the event for its first time in 17 years.

Also notable was the addition of a large job/company fair on Thursday. Many of Tech’s forestry program sponsors brought their corporate executives to watch and mingle with the students.

“Specifically to Tech, our students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the program pulled together over the past year to pull this off,” Adams said. “The most praise should be given to the students who really ran the show with faculty supporting and guiding them. Tech should be proud of these young men and women; it points to a bright future for Tech Forestry.”