Louisiana Tech looks to carry its momentum from a three-game conference sweep into its midweek match-up against No. 25 Southern Miss tonight at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on C-USA.tv.
It begins a challenging 5-game stretch for Tech which will travel to face Dallas Baptist Friday thru Sunday and then will head to Hattiesburg next week for a rematch with the Golden Eagles.
The Bulldogs (19-18) collected their first conference series sweep of the season, winning all three versus the Panthers. LA Tech jumped out to a six-run lead and took game one, 7-5. They followed that up by tying game two in the bottom of the ninth and then Philip Matulia walked it off in the 11th with a solo home run. And the ‘Dogs hit three homers on Sunday, holding as much as a seven-run lead to break out the brooms with a 10-5 win.
Southern Miss (22-12), who is ranked in the top 25 in three separate polls, is in a stretch of 12 of 16 road games, but the Golden Eagles are coming off a conference home sweep of their own by taking all three games from James Madison in Hattiesburg.
LA Tech and Southern Miss will meet for the 48th time (on record since 1972). This will be the first time since 2010 that the two programs are facing each other in a non-conference game. The Golden Eagles took two of three in a C-USA series last season in Hattiesburg.
In 2021, the two squads played 11 times including three that came in Ruston at the C-USA Tournament. The Bulldogs memorably walked off the Golden Eagles twice (11-10 and 6-5).
Louisiana Tech fans are invited to attend the groundbreaking of the Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza, which will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. prior to the start of the Bulldogs annual spring game.
The plaza, named in honor of former Louisiana Tech student-athlete and football coach A.L. Williams and his wife, Sarah, will include recognition of the most highly-decorated student-athletes and teams in the University’s history, including statues of Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Karl Malone, Kim Mulkey, Willie Roaf, and Teresa Weatherspoon.
Champions Plaza will be located in the northeast corner outside of Joe Aillet Stadium. It is part of a redesign of the north end zone entrance of the facility that will also include a new student-athlete success center in the near future.
Former LA Tech football standout Chris Richardson, who is the nephew of A.L. and Sarah Williams, provided the philanthropic gift that will fund the construction of the plaza.
Larry Wayne Ginn October 20, 1938 – April 12, 2023 Visitation: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Ruston, Monday, April 17, 2023, 10:00 am – 11:30 am Service: Bernice Cemetery, Monday, April 17, 2023, 12:00 pm Cemetery: Bernice Cemetery, Monday, April 17, 2023
Charles V Crawford, Sr. Friday 11/03/1978 — Wednesday 04/12/2023 Visitation: Monday 04/24/2023 9:00am to 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Monday 04/24/2023 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Monday 04/24/2023 Following Service, China Grove Cemetery, 699 Mondy Road, Grambling
Belinda D Williams Scott Tuesday 06/20/1961 — Thursday 04/13/2023 Memorial Service: Saturday 04/22/2023 11:00am, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston
With the vote for the Lincoln Parish School Board capital outlay bond proposal less than two weeks away, parties from both sides continue to try to get their points across.
If the April 29 vote passes it would mean an existing 17.5 millage would be extended thus generating $65 million, the majority of that earmarked to restructure existing elementary schools within the Parish (see Capital Outlay Plan below).
This plan would combine Hillcrest Elementary and Glen View Elementary back into K-5 schools and would repurpose the two Ruston elementary schools on the south side of the city – Ruston Elementary and Cypress Springs. Both buildings would be utilized for other purposes, including preliminary plans to move the LPSB central office to Cypress Springs.
Lincoln Parish School Board Superintendent Ricky Durrett said his main goal is to arm voters with the facts as April 29 approaches.
“We simply want the voters to have all the information of how we came up with the plan, what the plan is, and what it could mean for our students and our families in the Ruston school district,” said Durrett. “If they are for it, then we appreciate that. If they aren’t and they vote it down, then we certainly understand that. But our goal is to get all of the information out to the voters, so they have a thorough understanding of what they are voting for or against.”
Durrett said he believes that the overriding sentiment within the Ruston school district is that the thought process for combining the schools into K-5 is
“I think from the conversations that I have had the biggest push back is both schools are north of the interstate, but I believe for the most part, people agree that putting K through fifth on one campus is what is best for students,” said Durrett.
He said he has done everything he can to help educate voters on what the gameplan means for the schools.
“I have spoken to groups that have asked me to speak to them,” said Durrett. “I have not turned anyone down or not gone to a meeting that I was invited to. I have had some parent groups that wanted to meet with me. I have been to a couple of community meetings. I’ve been to some open houses at schools. I have been to retired teachers. I am going to Rotary to speak.
“We have given the teachers the information. What I have heard from most is they support the plan and believe this is what is best for kids as far as giving them a strong foundation in the early grades.”
The Lincoln Parish Journal sat down with Durrett on Thursday to ask him to clarify some of the information.
LPJ: What is the current configuration of elementary schools in Lincoln Parish?
Durrett: Right now we have Ruston Elementary and Cypress Springs are third through fifth grade. Hillcrest and Glen View are kindergarten through second grade schools. You would be surprised at how many people think that they are all still K through fifth grade schools. This change was made back after the 2011-12 school year. We are not changing the attendance zones for either school whether we pass this or don’t pass it. So the demographics for each – whether it’s one school or two – will stay the same as they are today.
LPJ: Is this a renewal (extension) or a new tax?
Durrett: What we are doing is selling bonds that will total up to $65 million that will be used to complete the construction projects that were approved in our capital outlay plan which is very detailed with what we are doing with the money. This will be paid for by not raising any millages but by keeping the 17.75 mills that we have now. Some of those millages will roll off in the coming 12 to 15 years as other bonds are being paid off that were passed in past years. It is not an increase in anybody’s taxes. It is continuing to pay what you are paying now going forward. If property values go up, the millages will go down. We cannot raise more money with this millage just because property values go up. There will be some mills that go off in 2024, but even if we don’t pass this, the whole 17.75 mills is not going off.
LPJ: Will this help or hurt the safety of our schools?
Durrett: We believe right now that we are protecting four different campuses in Ruston Elementary, Cypress Springs, Hillcrest and Glen View. If we merge two of the schools on each side together, then we add more students to the campuses, but it is just two campuses that we are securing; making sure that people have controlled access to get into, providing Student Resource Officers (SROs) to protect them. Also with any new construction, we must build storm shelters that will withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour. So, we feel like moving forward, schools will be safer and will improve with some of the storm shelters that much be provided with any new construction. None of our current schools have storm shelters. This was passed by the state legislature about three or four years ago.
LPJ: What is the No. 1 reason you are asking for this bond proposal?
Durrett: We wanted to provide consistency for students and families and not as many transitions for kids. We know that if we can keep kids at one school from kindergarten through fifth grade – which is early years, foundations are established educationally to set them up for success later – we know that if we can do that from K through five, we have much greater success like we have seen at other schools in the district like at Simsboro and Choudrant that are K-5 or K-6 configuration. That is our No. 1 goal … to provide a better foundation and better education for our students in K thru 5 without transitioning to different schools.
LPJ: How would this impact the amount of time kids spend on the bus?
Durrett: If you think about no matter if you live in the north, the south, the east or the west, if a bus driver has to pick up kids and take them to two different schools that are 10 to 15 minutes a part, that is going to take longer. We have to pick up earlier to get to both of those stops. So if we are going to one stop and we take one of those out no matter which direction you are coming from, it’s going to take 15 to 20 minutes off of that route time. We will be able to pick kids up 15 to 20 minutes later in the morning and we will get them home 15 to 20 minutes earlier in the afternoon. It shortens the time a kid spends going to and from school.
LPJ: What options were explored before settling on this capital outlay plan?
Durrett: We looked at several things. We looked at changing Cypress Springs to a K through five school. Traffic flow, road frontage there, the terrain behind it, made it not a good option. We would need more land to make a different car line and bus line there and I’m not even sure how we would do that there. We also looked at building two brand new schools. That became way more expensive than we felt like taxpayers would be willing to pay for. We looked at everything we could, and this is the plan we came up with that we think is best for kids but also using the financial resource that we have without asking taxpayers to pay more money … just keeping it level at what they are used to paying now.
LPJ: What will be done with Cypress Springs and Ruston Elementary?
Durrett: Cypress Springs would not be closed and allowed to just fall apart. We will repurpose that as the new (Lincoln Parish School Board) central office so we could all be in one building. And we would work with Boys and Girls Club to transition Ruston Elementary into something they can use for junior high and high school kids. It wouldn’t be shuttered and closed. We have not worked out whether that would be an MOU or a lease or a sale, but we do know they are interested in it. We would work something out with them to use that facility. The Boys and Girls Club enhances our educational experience for kids in Ruston so that’s a natural fit for us to partner with.
LPJ: What would improvements mean for Ruston High School?
Durrett: The Ruston High School baseball field backstop has been messed up since we had the tornados come through in 2019. We will upgrade the stands and press box to match what is already down there at the city complex and align with what we have at the softball field. I think it makes for a better experience for fans to go to the ball games, and it addresses some of the issues we have had since the tornado. The multi-purpose covered facility at Ruston High School would be used by soccer, football, band, cheerleaders, baseball and softball; we would have batting cages in them. It’s right there on the campus. It’s covered, which would keep the temperatures down for them in the summer when we are trying to have band camp or practices and football practices. It will make it safer for the kids to do things in the heat of the summer.
LPJ: Will the demographics of the schools change in any way?
Durrett: No, they will not change. We are not changing any of the attendance zones. Kids that normally attend our elementary schools on the east side of 167 will stay the same and those on the west side will stay the same.
Tragedy struck Calvin High School Saturday as head softball coach Chad Camp was shot and killed just two days prior to the team’s first round playoff game.
Camp, 51, was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound by the Winn Parish Coroners Office Saturday according to a press release from the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The press release said a 911 call came in Saturday from a shooting at 4985 LA 501 north of Calvin.
Deputies arrested a 17-year-old male. The name of the shooter has not been released as of press time and the teenager was charged with manslaughter and is being held at the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Camp and the No. 10 seeded Cougars (14-15) were set to defend their 2022 Class C state title today against No. 23 seed Castor in the opening round of the Non-Select School Division V Playoffs.
After a stellar 2022-23 season that saw Ruston’s first run to the quarterfinals in 35 years, Bearcats Braylan McNeal and Aidan Anding both earned All-State honors by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association over the weekend.
“Braylan and Aidan were certainly two of the best players in the state this year,” Ruston head coach Ryan Bond said. “I’m very happy that they were recognized for their hard work and dedication to Ruston basketball. They played vital roles in our successful season.”
McNeal was named as first-team for 5A, while Anding was named honorable mention. McNeal averaged 15.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game for the Bearcats over the season.
On the girls’ side, junior Lady Bearcat Jaliyah McWain was named second-team after averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game and was previously named the Offensive MVP of District 2-5A
“I’m really happy for Jaliyah to get recognized in this way and on this level,” Ruston head coach Meredith Graf said. “It speaks to her ability and the work she has put in. I appreciate the LSWA for giving her this honor. I hope this inspires her and her teammates to strive for even greater things.”
The full list:
BOYS
FIRST TEAM
Player School Ht. Cl. Avg.
Braylan McNeal Ruston 6-5 Sr. 15.2
Dorian Booker Scotlandville 6-11 Sr. 22.1
Brandon Hardy Zachary 6-3 Sr. 21.9
Allen Graves Ponchatoula 6-9 Jr. 19.0
Kohen Rowbatham Northshore 6-1 Jr. 24.0
SECOND TEAM
Player School Ht. Cl. Avg.
Jonathan Bradshaw Ouachita 6-3 Sr. 15.0
Christian Walker New Iberia 6-0 Sr. 14.6
Warren Young Jr. Walker 6-2 Sr. 17.7
Dennis Hebert Catholic 6-2 Sr. 14.0
Jeremiah Evans Southwood 6-10 Jr. 24.0
OUTSTANDING PLAYER: DORIAN BOOKER, SCOTLANDVILLE
COACH OF THE YEAR: DERRICK JONES, CATHOLIC
HONORABLE MENTION: Jabbari Barry, Barbe; John Kelly, John Ehret; Turner Duncan, St. Augustine; Jyrin Sowell, Captain Shreve; Colby O’glee, Airline; Trevon Jackson, Airline; Cam Lumar, Hahnville; Jordan Davis, Ouachita; Evyn Goree, Pineville; Ja’quise Richmond, Barbe; Chris Coleman, H.L. Bourgeois; Kylan Billiot, Terrebonne; Evan Griffin, Central Lafourche; Aidan Anding, Ruston; Reese Seichshnaydre, St. Paul’s; Letavian Crockett, St. Amant; C’Zavian Teasett, Scotlandville; Howard Gaskins, Liberty.
GIRLS
FIRST TEAM
Player School Ht. Cl. Avg.
Mikaylah Manley Barbe 5-8 Sr. 19.1
Mikayah Williams Parkway 6-1 Sr. 19.0
Taylor Jackson Ponchatoula 5-9 Sr. 19.3
Chrysta Narcisse Lafayette 5-9 Sr. 22.5
Caitlin Travis Walker 5-7 Sr. 16.8
SECOND TEAM
Player School Ht. Cl. Avg.
Jasmine Matthews East St. John 5-11 Sr. 25.0
Chloe Larry Parkway 5-9 Jr. 15.0
Jaliyah McWain Ruston 5-5 Jr. 20.0
Imani Daniel John Curtis 5-8 So. 15.9
Whitney Hart Liberty 6-3 Jr. 18.2
OUTSTANDING PLAYER: MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS, PARKWAY
COACH OF THE YEAR: GLORIA WILLIAMS, PARKWAY
HONORABLE MENTION: Marissa Schoth, Benton; Makayla Gallien, Natchitoches Central; Kaysha Hurd, Alexandria; Heaven Jordan, John Curtis; Elizabeth Thompson, Ponchatoula; Chikae Desdunes, John Curtis; Kameira McDonald, Scotlandville; Jade Spikes, Ouachita; Areil Williams, Barbe; Aryana Peak, Thibodaux; Caroline Loupe, Central Lafourche; Alissa O’Dell, Zachary; Thamerin Balthazar, Alexandria; Morgan Elie, Pineville; Deniya Thornton, St. Amant; Alissa O’Dell, Zachary; Kira Johnson, Lafayette High; Sara White, Haughton; Paige Marshall, Airline; Morgan Young, Byrd; Jania Holmes, John Curtis; Baylie Carroll, Chapelle; Nya Miller, Dutchtown; Ja’Miya Vann, Walker.
Starting as a Keep Louisiana Beautiful Initiative of Lt. Gov. Bill Nungesser’s office, Love the Boot Week celebrates keeping Louisiana’s environment clean.
Louisiana Tech University’s Sci-Tec is planning to host its own Love the Boot event in the Quad at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 18.
Those who attend will be picking up trash in the center of campus and working together to plant flowers in the flower beds outside the Lady of the Mist statue.
Dr. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, associate dean for research, outreach and innovation and director of Sci-Tec at Louisiana Tech, planned the event and spoke about the need for hosting.
“If we want to recruit and retain the best and brightest, we must make our campus and our state a place people want to visit and be a part of,” said Keith-Vincent.
Sci-Tec collaborated with Zach Mays from Building and Grounds at Louisiana Tech to be given permission to plant.
The Lt. Governor’s office allowed Sci-Tec to request a kit for materials and are offering free t-shirts for those who attend.
“We wanted to make sure our team was sharing the message even through attire,” said Keith-Vincent. “And to keep this place we call home in the best condition possible for our guests.”
Those interested in being part of the activities such as organizations, families and individuals were able to register online.
“We are excited that we get to be a part of the effort and help host an event right here in Ruston on our Louisiana Tech campus,” said Keith-Vincent.
The event is open to the public and t-shirts are a first-come first-serve basis.
“Our hope is that others will want to follow suit and commit to improving the spaces in which we live, learn and work,” said Keith-Vincent.
A Ruston man was arrested just after midnight Tuesday morning after parish deputies found marijuana on him during an investigation.
Deputies responded to a residence on Water Tank Road concerning a report of a disturbance. When deputies arrived no one matching the description of the parties involved were seen and no disturbance was found.
While leaving the area, a deputy saw a man matching the description of one of the parties. The man who had been described as Lamont Rogers gave his name as “James Clark.” A records check failed to reveal anyone by that name.
It was determined that Clark was a fake name and Rogers, 35, was arrested. A search revealed four bags of suspected marijuana, two of which Rogers said he got from a dispensary and two he stated were “real weed.”
A warrant check showed a failure to appear warrant for Roger for no driver’s license.
Rogers was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for resisting an officer by providing false information, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and the warrant.
Bail was set at $4,500.
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 15th annual Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office Senior Expo will be held tomorrow (Thursday, April 20) from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Ruston Sports Complex (Indoor Complex) at 2103 Champion Way.
The event will include speakers, age-related information, entertainment, great food and prizes (must be 55 years or older and present to be eligible to win a door prize).
“This is an event that our senior citizens deserve as an expression of our gratitude for playing such a crucial role in our community and parish life,” said Sgt. Iris Winston, Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office Community Services Division. “The main objective of this event is to pass along beneficial information that could help impact our senior citizens every day lives.”
Winston said pass expo’s have included speakers talking on subjects such as fraud/scams, medicare/medicaid, funeral information and more. This year’s speakers and topics include JoAnn Deal with the Better Business Bureau speaking on Scams Targeting Seniors; Dr. Aaron Marquardt for Northern Louisiana Medical Center speaking on Staying Active After Fifty; Ruston City Marshal, Curtis Hawkins speaking on Civil Lawsuits, Evictions and Getting Affairs in Order; and Dr. Jerry Yarborough with Fyzical speaking on Back Pain and Balance.
“We have four speakers that talk about senior citizen relations,” said Winston. “Everything at is senior citizen related. It gives them an idea of what Lincoln Parish has to offer for senior citizens. We have been doing this for 15 years. We have a lot of senior citizens that really look forward to coming to this event every year.”
Last year’s event was the first in two years due to Covid-19 shutting it down for two years, but Sgt. Winston said that the numbers of attendees did not drop off as interest remained high.
“We waited two years and by that point everybody was anxious to get out and resume,” said Winston. “People loved the new location out at the Ruston Sports Complex in the Indoor Complex. We had outgrown the other locations and parking was always tight. At the Sports Complex we have plenty of room and plenty of parking.”
Platinum sponsors for the event include Kilpatrick Funeral Home, Origin Bank, Entergy, Weyerhaeuser, and Statewide Health Advisors.
For more information, please contact Sgt. Iris Winston at 318-251-6440 or email iwinston@lpsheriff.org.
This is a paid Advertorial
For more information and rates on paid advertorials or any advertising in the LPJ, email lpjnewsla@gmail.com.
The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a Minden man Tuesday morning after his vehicle was stopped following a report of a domestic disturbance.
Multiple calls were received from citizens reporting an altercation occurring inside a Chevrolet pickup. A deputy spotted it and stopped it on Cartwright Drive in Ruston.
The driver, Stephan M. Stuckey, 41, smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage and displayed signs of intoxication. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was arrested.
At the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, Stuckey refused to provide a breath sample. A records check showed a previous DWI and that his driver’s license was under suspension.
Stuckey was booked for second offense DWI and driving under suspension. Bail was set at $5,000.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Our family Corgi turned two earlier this week. It was a monumental occasion in the household for everyone except the dog.
She got a scrambled egg for breakfast and lots of cuddles and a nice long walk, but her birthday wasn’t really celebrated for her – it was for us having her in our family.
Two years ago this summer, our sweet little Chihuahua named Vicki passed away after being my companion for 15 years. I was devastated. My children were mourning. My older daughter’s first word was, “Vicki.” My husband and I took Christmas card photos with the dog regularly.
I’ve always had a dog, always grown up with at least one furry companion. But it felt odd looking for another dog just a few weeks after Vicki passed. It felt disloyal – until my daughters’ art teacher told me these wise words: “If you know you want a dog, just get a dog. A day without a dog is a day wasted.”
A week later, we got our Corgi.
My husband and I had a long-standing joke that he got to pick the next family dog. When we married, he wanted a Siberian Husky and I wanted a Chihuahua, so we obviously compromised and got a Chihuahua. For several years, he had heard about Corgis and what good dogs they are – active, smart, full of spunk and personality. Plus they’re adorable. So we found us a Corgi and brought her home.
Y’all. That was a bad puppy.
Those words Kyle had heard about Corgis? Active = wild, chaotic. Smart = able to outsmart humans on many occasions and have a mind of their own. Full of spunk and personality = will not listen but will bite. True, absolutely adorable, but she was driving us crazy.
Vicki, even though stereotypically Chihuahuas are known as biters, never bit anyone, not even the girls. She was an easy dog, one who my little daughter carried around like an accessory from the time she got home from school until the time she went to bed. This new puppy was not like that.
She bit constantly. She chewed everything. She hated walking – hated it. Kyle and I joked about the “Corgi rug” we’d pull behind us because she would just lay on the ground until someone picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.
We took her to Sharon St. Andre with Sexton Animal Clinic and had her professionally trained because we needed help. We weren’t going to give up on our new dog, but she was wearing us out.
It didn’t take Sharon long to put our pup in her place and teach us some valuable lessons in how to train her and get her to behave. Now, at two years old, she is our constant companion, going often on vacation with us, cuddling with us – and yes, even enjoying long walks.
So as she turned two this past week, it was not just a celebration of the day itself but a celebration of our puppy herself – of how far she’s come and what a wonderful companion she is in our family.
The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council is excited to announce that nominations for the 38th annual Northeast Louisiana Arts Awards are now open. The event is to be held on Thursday, June 8, 2023.Nominated artists, businesses, volunteers and educators in the arts community are recognized during this program.Categories receiving nominations this year include Performing Artist of the Year, Visual Artist of the Year, BART Award, Volunteer of the Year, Emerging Artist, and the Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year.
Recognizing the importance of the performing arts, the Performing Artist of the Year Award was created in 2019 to mirror the Edmund Williamson Visual Artist of the Year.Nominees are professional artists who have excelled in their chosen field and enriched Region 8 through their art form.
The Business Art (BART) Award was the first Award established in 1985.Nominees are businesses that have made significant contributions impacting the success of the cultural programs of organizations in northeast Louisiana.
Established in 1988, the Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individual personal involvement in the development of the cultural arts in northeast Louisiana.
Introduced in 2022, Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year award recognizes an arts educator who is making a difference in our region through their dedication to Arts Education.
Arts organizations in Region 8 and current members of the Arts Council are eligible to nominate in all categories.The general public is invited to submit nominations for Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year.To nominate an Arts Educator, visit the Arts Council website at https://nelaarts.org/nela-arts-events/arts-awards.html. To submit a nomination for other categories, you must email the Arts Council office at abigail@nelaarts.org and request Arts Awards nomination portal credentials.Nominations close at noon, Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Membership of the Arts Council and invited guests will celebrate the nominees with the winners being announced at the Arts Council’s Annual Arts Awards ceremony and Membership Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 8, 2023.
The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council seeks to nurture a vibrant regional arts culture through support, promotion, and education. The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council strives to be a transformative force for the community by encouraging a passion for the arts, promoting partnerships and collaboration, and ensuring access to the arts for all. Activities of the Arts Council are supported, in part, by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.
Preston Parker is the son of Jeff and Shelley Parker and older brother to John Cole.
Preston is in 8th grade at Ruston Junior High School and has given over 100+ hours of his time with Trinity Methodist Church, Louisiana Tech, RJHS, Downtown Ruston, the School Board, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Preston is very talented with the piano and has entertained residents at Princeton Place Nursing Home several times as well. Thank you Preston for your willingness to serve others!
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Gregg Phillips State Farm Insurance Agency … treating you like we would our own family since 1999.
When I began to plan what I was going to write about in this article I started to ask some of the people a question. What are some issues that people might face on a day to day basis? One of the ladies said, “How about difficult co-workers or a stressful work environment.” That really struck me as a great topic, until I started to wonder if she was trying to tell me something. I mean she does work in my office. She no longer works for us….no, no just kidding, but it is a very important topic.
The truth is that many of today’s society spends as much if not more waking hours of our time in our office and with coworkers than we do at home or with our family. That is a sad statistic, but I’ll leave that for a future article. We all know that the interactions we have with others plays a huge part in our mental health. Negative interactions can cause your personal stress, anxiety, and frustration levels to skyrocket. Not to mention the effects it has on the quality of time we do spend at home. We are more likely to take our work home with us than we are to take our home to work with us.
So with this many side effects to a poor work environment, why do we neglect or just accept it as something that can not be changed. The truth is that it can be changed. Many organizations are paying much more attention to the effectiveness and functionality of the office environment. They are starting to invest more in structured staff retreats and it has become regular procedure to do staff effectiveness evaluations to better the work environment.
Structured staff retreats are consisting of team building exercises such as ropes courses, adventure hikes, strategy exercises, competitions. These types of activities are a three pronged attack. The first effect is to build a team comradery. People will tend to reach out to someone because of the feeling that they have struggled through something before. The second is to push parts of the team to do things they did not see possible. People tend to push themselves harder if they are being spurred on by others. The last is to build a social structure that is positive in nature. Once individuals are put together as teammates they tend to carry that on into other parts of their life.
A staff effectiveness evaluation is a positive thing despite what it sounds like. It is a regularly (quarterly or yearly) evaluation to see if a worker is being given the jobs that they are most effective doing. The organization understands that the worker is a benefit to the office, but understands that over time tasks can filter to people that they are not effective doing. Too many of these wrongly assigned tasks can slow productivity for and diminish positivity for a worker in the organization.
So next time you want to “go postal,” my apologies to all the postal workers out there, think about approaching your boss and suggesting a staff retreat. Not only would it benefit the production of the organization, but it would make your work environment much more enjoyable.
And Have A Nice Day!!
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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.
District 2B champion Choudrant had little problem in its first round playoff game as the Aggies defeated No. 24 seed Doyline 20-0 Friday to advance to the second round of the Non-Select School Division V playoffs.
The No. 9 seed Lady Aggies now wait to face the winner of No. 8 Harrisonburg and No. 25 Lacassine who play tonight.
The Simsboro Lady Tigers were not as fortunate, falling 10-3 to No. 15 seed Starks on Friday.
The 18th seeded Lady Tigers see their season come to an end with the loss.
No. 4 seed Cedar Creek, who earned a first round bye, will host No. 13 seed Ouachita Christian Tuesday at 5 p.m. Ouachita Christian defeated No. 20 seed River Oaks 12-3 on Friday.
LA Tech walked it off with a 3-2 win in 11 innings on Saturday. (photo courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Comm).
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Bulldog Baseball
Louisiana Tech scored in each of the first five innings and never trailed in a 10-5 win over FIU that gave the Bulldogs a three-game series sweep of the Panthers before 1,797 on a breezy blue-skied Sunday afternoon at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
The sweep came on the heels of a worrisome 2-6 streak, including a pair of lackluster midweek performances. Tech won Friday’s opener 7-5 and then prevailed 3-2 in 11 innings on Saturday.
“As bad as we’ve been, we’re 9-6 in (Conference USA) and all we set out to do is right in front of us,” Tech coach Lane Burroughs said. “Proud of how our guys responded. We needed this; we’ve got a tough week ahead and need to keep it going.”
The Bulldogs, 19-18, host old rival Southern Miss Tuesday at 6 p.m. before going to Dallas Baptist for games Friday (6:30 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Against FIU and a program from their hometown, Miami natives Nick Fraginals (1-1), a freshman righthander, and junior catcher Jorge Corona enjoyed memorable afternoons. Fraginals pitched 1.1 innings and picked up the first win of his Bulldog career, and Corona, who was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, knocked in two runs and threw out a baserunner.
Tech starter Alec Sparks gave up two runs in 3.2 innings, Fraginals gave up one, Ryan Harland gave up a pair of runs in two innings and Landon Tomkins pitched the final two scoreless innings. Tomkins got the final out in the ninth when he punched out the Panthers cleanup hitter with runners at the corners.
“I know they’re sore and we asked a lot of them, but with the wind blowing out, we had to ride them and they posted,” Burroughs said of Harland and Tomkins. “We went all in and it paid off.”
Corona got things going. His two-out double scored Dalton Davis, who’d reached after getting hit by a pitch, to give Tech a 1-0 lead in the first.
“I thought we were locked in offensively from the start,” Burroughs said.
Tech added three in the second. The Bulldogs loaded the bases when Ethan Bates reached on an infield error and Panther righthanded starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez, who injured his elbow on the pitch to Bates, gave way to righty reliever Richie Pena, who walked Adarius Myers and gave up a single to Walker Burchfield. Will Safford and Logan McLeod knocked in a run apiece with sacrifice flies, and Davis doubled to score Burchfield for a 4-0 lead.
Corona and Bates each homered to right in the third to push the lead to 6-0.
Sparks ran into trouble in the fourth. The junior righty (3-1) gave up a homer, two doubles and two runs before Fraginals came in to get a fly ball out – “He calmed the storm,” Burroughs said – and send the Dogs to the bottom of the inning leading 6-2.
Tech immediately got a run back to make it 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth. McLeod was plunked for a team-leading 12th time this season and Davis doubled him home, the first baseman’s second RBI double of the game.
The Panthers made it 7-3 in the fifth on two singles and a sacrifice fly by Alec Sanchez, who homered in each game of the series.
But Tech answered again, this time with three in the bottom of the inning, all with two outs. Burchfield hit his third homer of the year, a bomb to dead center, to score Myers, who’d walked. Safford reached on an error and scored when McLeod hit his first triple of the season for a 10-3 Tech lead.
Harland, who threw a six-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth, gave up two runs on a double and homer in the seventh as FIU cut the lead to 10-5 before Tomkins came in to nail down the Bulldogs first sweep of the spring since they won three straight in The Love Shack against Northwestern of the Big 10 the first week of March.
Softball
Behind dominant pitching from Allie Floyd and Emma Hutchinson and a 10th-inning walk-off sacrifice fly from Kylie Neel, the Louisiana Tech Softball team defeated UTSA, 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field, completing a series sweep of the Roadrunners.
Tech (26-18, 8-7 C-USA) won Friday’s game 1-0 and then prevailed Saturday 3-0.
The Lady Techster pitching staff combined to throw 24 scoreless innings against UTSA. It marks the first time in program history that Tech has held the opponent scoreless during a 3-game league series. Tech now has 11 shutouts on the season.
Tech got the only run it would need with one out in the bottom of the 10th when Kylie Neel sent a 1-1 pitch from the Roadrunners’ Jamie Gilbert to centerfield, allowing Bailey Wright to race home for the game’s only run. Wright led off the inning with a single through the right side before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Sierra Sacco and reaching third courtesy of an Amanda Gonzalez single through the left side.
The Lady Techsters’ pitching staff was dominant, as usual. Allie Floyd got the start, pitching five scoreless innings in which she struck out three UTSA batters and allowed just two hits. Emma Hutchinson picked up the win by spinning five shutout innings in relief, allowing five hits while striking out two.
LA Tech is now 26-18 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA play. The Lady Techsters sit a half-game back of Western Kentucky in sixth place in the Conference USA standings.
Tech travels to El Paso this weekend for a 3-game series against UTEP.
Tech Tennis
No. 65 Louisiana Tech closes out the regular season on Monday as they face No. 45 Charlotte today at 2 p.m. at the LA Tech Tennis Complex in a battle of nationally ranked teams.
LA Tech (19-4, 2-0) extended a pair of winning streak this past Thursday in its doubleheader sweep of Grambling State. The Lady Techsters have won 11 straight matches, tied for the second longest in program history, and have won 13 straight home matches, which set a new program record.
The 19 overall victories surpassed last season’s total of 18, and is now the second most ever at LA Tech (behind only the 21 matches won in 1982).
LA Tech claimed its 10th and 11th shutout victories of the spring, defeating GSU by scores of 5-0 and 4-0.
No. 45 Charlotte (20-5, 1-1) comes to Ruston for the very first time while riding a six-match winning streak. The 49ers are having a historic season of their own, reaching 20 victories for just the fourth time in program history.
Charlotte, who has been nationally ranked for seven straight weeks, is coming off its third victory over a nationally ranked team after defeating No. 75 Tulsa on the road, 4-0.
The 49ers are an incredible 92-26 in dual singles this spring, led by Lucie Petruzelova and Lucia Quiterio who have each won 17 matches and are a combined 34-4. Quiterio was the C-USA Newcomer of the Year last season after transferring from Texas A&M.
Charlotte leads the all-time series over LA Tech, 2-1. All three matches have come in the Conference USA Tournament. The Lady Techsters won the first ever meeting, 5-2, at the 2016 C-USA Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The 49ers have taken the last two matchups though, winning 4-3 in 2017 and 4-0 in 2021 in the league tourney.
The Grambling State University baseball team opened up a seven run lead in the first inning, breezing past Alcorn State 10-4 at McGowan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
GSU won Friday’s first game 17-0 and Sunday’s finale was postponed due to weather.
GSU (16-18 overall, 11-3 SWAC) used a quick start to jump on ASU early, leading 7-0 heading into the bottom of the first. Trey Burrell III smoked a lead off, bit was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Kyle Walker followed that with a double of his own.
Trevor Hatton stroked a single up the middle, scoring Walker from second and giving GSU a 1-0 advantage. After GSU loaded the bases. Chris Marcellus singled in a run to make it 2-0. Following a strikeout, Jose Vargas smacked a two-RBI single into left field, extending the lead to 4-0. After wild pitch plated another run, Burrell returned to plate and spanked a two RBI triple to right center field.
Alcorn State (5-26, 2,12) never recovered from the early onslaught and wasn’t able to threaten the Tigers the rest of the way.
Hatton and Vargas led GSU at the plate, as both players notched three-hit games. Hatton went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Vargas went 3-for-4 with two runs driven in.
Connor Rudy (3-1) earned the win, pitching seven innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. He also struck out eight batters.
Kewan Braziel (0-1) was charged with the loss for the Braves. He pitched four innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits.
Lady Tigers Softball
The Grambling State University softball team split its doubleheader at Prairie View A&M on Saturday, dropping game one 3-0 and winning 9-1 in the second game.
GSU now sits at 25-16-1 overall, and 11-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Prairie View A&M moves to 21-16, 17-1 in the SWAC.
Grambling State struggled to get anything going at the plate in Game 1, only scratching out one hit in the contest. That hit was a single from Jayda Williams in the fourth inning.
Starting pitcher Dacia Richard (8-5) had a solid outing for the Lady Tigers, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits. She also struck out four batters and walked three.
Prairie View A&M grabbed the lead in the third inning, bring two runs around to score. The first run came courtesy of a fielding error, while a one-out RBI single by Jaylyn Davis made it 2-0.
A sacrifice fly pushed PVAMU’s lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth.
Jerrica Rojas (6-0) got the complete game win for the Lady Panthers, striking out seven batters and walking two.
Grambling State bounced back in a major way in the second contest, handing Prairie View A&M its first loss in conference play.
The Lady Tigers hit the ball much better, tallying 13 hits. Four GSU batters had multi-hit games. Cadashia Collins went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Jayda Williams and Leighton Krushall also both went 2-for-4, with Krushall driving in three runs. Ta’Mya Johnson was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Trailing 1-0 at the end of the first inning, a pair of errors and a walk allowed GSU to load the bases. An RBI single into centerfield by Krushall brought Tytianna Robinson in to score and tie the game 1-1.
GSU grew its lead in the third winning. After loading the bases again, Ta’Mya Johnson legged out a single to second base, scoring Collins. Krushall stretched the lead to 4-1 with two-RBI single to right centerfield.
After adding another run in the fifth, the Lady Tigers put up another three spot in the sixth. Collins singled in two runs, giving GSU a 7-1 advantage. Collins scored on a double play at the end of the inning to make it 8-1.
Khahli Mason notched RBI single in the top of seventh to score GSU’s final run of the day.
Sherrell Matthews (3-2) notched her third win of the season, working 6.2 innings ion relief, holding PVAMU scoreless on three hits. She also struck out tow and issued three walks.
Peyton Shells got the start for GSU, surrendering one run on three hits.
Breanna Reyes (2-4) was charged with the loss. She gave up four runs on five hits.
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, April 17 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 (Ruston City Hall) 5:30 p.m.: Lincoln Parish and Region 8: Informational Meeting and Q&A (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 7 p.m.: LCTA presents “The Tallis Scholars: 50th anniversary tour” (Howard Auditorium)
Tuesday, April 18 10 a.m.: Ribbon cutting for Northeast Appliance Repair (311 E. Georgia, Ruston) 10 a.m.: Louisiana Master Gardener Series “Rose Pruning for More Blooms” (Lincoln Parish Library) 10 a.m.: Family storytime (Lincoln Parish Library)
Wednesday, April 19 7-8 a.m.: Veterans Coffee Club (PJ’s Coffee) 8 a.m. to noon: Succession Planning Workshop (Squire Creek Country Club, Choudrant) 11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome 2 p.m.: Ribbon Cutting for White Oak venue (515 Hwy. 3072)
Thursday, April 20 7 p.m.: Flute choir concert (La Tech, Howard Auditorium)
Friday, April 21 3 p.m.: Grambling v. Arkansas-Pine Bluff softball
Saturday, April 22 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale (The Bridge Church) 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market Noon: Grambling v. Arkansas-Pine Bluff softball
Sunday, April 23 2:30 p.m.: Grambling softball v. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 p.m.: India Night (Student Center, Louisiana Tech; call 856-803-6595 for ticket information)
Larry Wayne Ginn, 84, passed away April 12, 2023. Visitation will be from 10 A.M. until 11:30 A.M., Monday, April 17, 2023 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston. Graveside services will be at noon, Monday, April 17, 2023 at Bernice Cemetery in Bernice, Louisiana under the care and direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home-Ruston. Rev. Dale Oden will officiate.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents, A.W. and Aldena Ginn and brother, David Lynton Ginn. He is survived by his wife of almost 55 years, Wanda Paine Ginn of Ruston; children, Chad Ginn of Ruston and Mandy Galloway and Josh of North Richland Hills, Texas; granddaughters, Reanne Ginn and Jaisle Bailey; sister, Anita Hicks; and sister-in-law, Peggy Ginn, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Chris Barr, Jesse Culbertson, Kenneth Culbertson, Keith Ginn, and D.J. Odom. Honorary pallbearers are Josh Galloway, Kenny Ginn, Ray Harris, Donny Odom, and Johnny Paine.
Larry graduated from Downsville High School as salutatorian of his class. After serving in the Army, he worked at Bernice Manufacturing as a supervisor, and then worked for Lewis’ and Company as Assistant Manager/Buyer of Lewis’ Stagg Shop for 34 years. He was a prolific cruciverbalist, enjoying the most challenging crossword puzzles, especially during his illness. Making birthdays and Christmas special for his family brought him great joy. Larry was a kind, God-fearing person with quiet deep faith in our Lord, and a strong love for his family. He read his Bible through several times, and for over 40 years enjoyed teaching Sunday School to Temple Baptist Church fifth graders. When he no longer had the energy to read his devotional and Bible each day, he asked his wife to read aloud to him, even up until his last days. He listened intently, always asking, “just read one more?” God was faithful to Larry throughout his illness. He and Wanda often talked about the blessings that came from his illness.
Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Disease robbed him of his health but he kept his sense of humor, often chiding his wife for losing hers. His amazing neurologist, Dr. Meghan Harris of Shreveport, helped Larry have almost three years of better health following his diagnosis. The family wants to thank Haven Home Health physical therapists Tonya McCulloch and Lyndsey Pyles, for their loving persistence in helping him stay mobile, as well as Allegiance Hospice for their love, support, and care during this very difficult time. A special thank you to Pam Kennedy who only got to sit with him for the last three weeks, but he bonded with her immediately. We greatly appreciate his sister Anita who spent many hours keeping him company.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Parkinson Resource Center, fund #0809, at Louisiana Tech University Foundation, P.O. Box 3183, Ruston, LA 71272, in memory of Larry W Ginn.
Tamar Clothylde Read, 101, of Ruston, formerly of Farmerville, Louisiana and of Grand Forks, North Dakota, passed away Monday, April 10, 2023 in Ruston, Louisiana.
Tamar (or, Cloty to family) was born in Olla, Louisiana, the daughter of Paul L. Read and Willow Roane Read, both educators and administrators in the public school system. They moved to Farmerville when Tamar was in her early childhood, and she graduated from high school there in 1938. She received a bachelor’s degree in music from LSU in 1942 and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1945.
After a few years in New York studying violin and choral music, she taught at South Dakota State University then moved to a position at the University of North Dakota in 1959. She obtained her doctorate in musical arts from the University of Southern California in 1969 then returned to the University of North Dakota where she remained until her retirement in 1988. While there she founded the Collegium Musicum, whose members study and perform medieval, baroque, and renaissance music. She was instrumental in bringing music of many ethnic cultures to include in the music program at UND. She also supported music education with numerous endowments and scholarships and started the Lotus Meditation Center in Grand Forks.
In 2021 she relocated back to her home state of Louisiana to be near family. She is survived by her nieces Frances Read Grafton (Lloyd) of Ruston, Louisiana, Rebecca Read Burton (Kevin) of Oregon, Wisconsin, and Mary Willow Read Veazey of Metairie, Louisiana and her nephew Cecil Stanley Read, Jr. (Judy) of Farmerville, Louisiana. A graveside service for family and friends will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 3 P.M. at the Farmerville Cemetery, under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Ruston.
Online condolences may be extended to the family at http://www.kilpatrick funeralhomes.com
Larry Wayne Ginn October 20, 1938 – April 12, 2023 Visitation: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Ruston, Monday, April 17, 2023, 10:00 am – 11:30 am Service: Bernice Cemetery, Monday, April 17, 2023, 12:00 pm Cemetery: Bernice Cemetery, Monday, April 17, 2023
Charles V Crawford, Sr. Friday 11/03/1978 — Wednesday 04/12/2023 Visitation: Monday 04/24/2023 9:00am to 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Monday 04/24/2023 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Monday 04/24/2023 Following Service, China Grove Cemetery, 699 Mondy Road, Grambling
Belinda D Williams Scott Tuesday 06/20/1961 — Thursday 04/13/2023 Memorial Service: Saturday 04/22/2023 11:00am, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston
Former Louisiana Tech hurler Braden Bristo earned a save Thursday after getting called up to the Major Leagues by Tampa Bay that morning. (Courtesy Photo)
By Malcolm Butler
Thursday was a whirlwind for Braden Bristo.
The former Louisiana Tech Bulldog earned a call up to the Major Leagues by the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday morning — his first call to the Big Leagues since being selected in the 23rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.
And if that wasn’t enough?
Bristo wasn’t eased into his new role with his new team. Nope.
The righty earned a save in Tampa Bay’s 9-3 win over Boston, throwing 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing no hits and just one walk with four strikeouts. Twenty-nine of his 42 pitches were strikes.
And if that wasn’t enough … the win moved Tampa Bay to 13-0, tying the modern day Major League record for best start by a franchise.
“Today was a dream come true,” said Bristo via text Thursday evening following his Major League debut. “It was the culmination of years of hard work and trusting that God has me doing this for a reason. My wife and family have been there every step of the way. I wouldn’t be here without them.
“The Lord has used this game to help shape and mold me into the man he wants me to be, and I’m grateful that being a big leaguer is where it has led. I felt like I had 100 people on the mound with me today, and it is surreal to look back on all of the sacrifices people have made to help me get here.”
Bristo, who spent seven years in the Yankees organization, entered free agency in 2022 and signed with Tampa Bay. In 5.0 innings this year with their Triple A affiliate Durham, Bristo allowed three runs on six hits with seven K’s and one walk.
During his collegiate playing days in Ruston, Bristo appeared in 52 games while making 26 starts on the mound for the Bulldogs. The former OCS prep star and Monroe native struck out 115 batters in 143.0 innings pitched while earning 10 wins on the bump.
In 2016, Bristo helped the Bulldogs earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional, going 5-6 with 62 strikeouts, the third most on the team.
