A woman who was released on a court summons for shoplifting Wednesday was later arrested after it was determined she had provided a false identity.
Ruston Police responded to the Walmart Supercenter Wednesday to investigate a theft by shoplifting. A Walmart employee said he witnessed two women swap price tags on several items. One of the women identified herself as Mercedes Buggs. Both women were issued court summons for theft.
Due to some question of Buggs’s identity, an officer investigated further and suspected the alleged shoplifter was not Mercedes Buggs. The officer was able to contact Mercedes and learned the shoplifting suspect was actually Leandra Buggs, 22, of Ruston.
Leandra Buggs was later spotted by police and taken into custody. She was booked for theft by shoplifting, resisting an officer by providing a false name, and warrants for failure to appear in court on charges of disturbing the peace, improper supervision of a minor, and two counts of resisting an officer.
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.
These days it often seems like the coronavirus was also the start to the death knell to common courtesy, which more and more seems to be becoming a thing of the past.
It can be seen on our roads and highways. It can be seen in the stores we shop in and businesses we patronize. I’m not saying it’s everyone, but the fact of the matter remains — simple politeness no longer exists at the levels it did before COVID.
Not even close.
Did so much time living and working in a virtual and remote world cause people to forget how to use a simple turn signal? Did driving rules change during the pandemic so that drivers no longer feel they should move from the inside lane of an interstate when another vehicle is attempting to merge into traffic from an onramp, even when there is no traffic for hundreds of yards on the passing lane preventing them from doing so?
Apparently they must have, because many times in recent weeks I’ve had to drive past the end of a merge lane onto the shoulder of I-20 simply because a driver refused to give me room to pull out onto the interstate, even when they had plenty of room to do so.
And about those passing lanes — didn’t Louisiana create a law saying it is illegal for a slower moving vehicle to impede any other vehicle that is traveling in the same lane and behind that vehicle and obviously wanting to drive at a higher rate of speed than the impeding, slower-moving vehicle?
That law was actually enacted in Louisiana in 2011. Yet you see vehicles causing I-20 “logjams” all the time these days because the drivers seemingly believe they own all rights to the passing lane, even when they are driving 45 mph or slower.
I’ve seen it happen hundreds if not thousands of times over the past 12 years, yet I have never seen a vehicle pulled over for blocking left-lane traffic with a line of cars behind it wanting to move faster.
And let’s not talk about driving through downtown Ruston, where many drivers apparently feel it’s perfectly OK to make a right-hand turn from the left-hand lane, or vice-versa, even if they force you to lock up your brakes to keep from hitting them.
How about trying to make a left-hand turn onto the Cooktown overpass (if anyone is brave enough to have their vehicle take the beating from driving on its road surface)? Even when it looks like it’s wide-open to do so, if there’s a vehicle driving northboard in the right lane that’s supposed to allow them to enter the I-20 onramp, many times that vehicle might wait until the last minute before jumping across the thick, white no-cross line dividing the lanes in order to continue driving northbound on Cooktown Road.
And then many times you hear a horn blast and get a one-finger salute in your rearview mirror because you didn’t realize that vehicle was going to make that sudden, and illegal, jump to the left lane.
But such can happen even when you’re not actually driving. I waited for around 10 minutes earlier this week in a line to get gasoline only to have another vehicle suddenly jump in and pull to the pump just as the vehicle in front of me that had just finished filling up pulled away. I raised my arms in a questioning way at that driver who jumped in and cut me off only to be cussed and “saluted” that time, too.
Moving through our stores can be just as dangerous these days. All too often someone locked onto their cellphone screen while still pushing their shopping cart forward will run right into you simply because they refuse to have the courtesy of looking where they were going. Sometimes the people are apologetic, and other times they get angry because it somehow became your fault they weren’t paying attention to where they were going.
How about store clerks that would rather carry on a phone conversation or talk to someone while ignoring the ever-lengthening line of people just standing there in limbo until that clerk decides it might be time to end their conversation and start actually doing their jobs?
And what about one of the largest stores in Lincoln Parish that in recent months have had more and more often what appear to be stock clerks with plastic boxes on rolling carts seemingly checking (maybe changing?) item prices or something of the like? Often — not all the time, but fairly often — those workers expect you to stand and wait until they’re good and ready before moving out of the way to let you pick up the item you had to wait to be able to get to.
Is it because of the pandemic? Is it because of self absorption in cellphones that is seemingly making the simple art of conversation more and more obsolete?
I am not talking about everyone by any means. Just a couple of days ago I helped a young man use my car to jump off and get his car restarted at a local gas station, and he was very appreciative that I was willing to help him out. But in all honesty, I think he was also surprised I was willing to do so.
But whatever the reason, the complete lack of what used to be expected common courtesy is becoming more and more frequent at an alarming pace.
“To my friends in District 6, Thank you to all who are on this list and the many more that have pledged their support to my service as Police Juror. Please know that with your vote on October 14, 2023, my commitment to you remains steadfast.” — Glenn
This is a political advertorial provided by and paid for by the Glenn Scriber Campaign
A Lincoln Parish deputy who stopped to help some motorists discovered one of the men was wanted on felony warrants.
The deputy saw an apparent motorist in distress on U. S. 167 in Vienna about 11:00 p.m. Tuesday night. A check of the license plate of the vehicle showed the registered owner was wanted by the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The warrants for Philip Daniel Ford, 31, of Choudrant, were confirmed and he was placed under arrest.
Ford was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for identity theft and bank fraud and held for Ouachita Parish authorities.
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.
Irony is often satisfying to read about. Perhaps it is because you are witnessing a cosmic joke being played on…someone else.
A newspaper truck for the Republican, based in Massachusetts, crashed into a home in 2010. Printed in big letters on the side of the truck were the words, “Where News Hits Home.”
In the ninth century, Chinese alchemists were trying to create an “elixir of immortality” but instead ended up creating gunpowder.
Who invented the fire hydrant? No one knows for sure because the patent was destroyed in a fire at the U. S. Patent Office in 1986.
In 2015 a Chicago building caught fire. More than 150 firefighters battled the blaze, but they couldn’t save the structure because of a lack of water nearby. The building, by the way, housed a factory that manufactured fire extinguishers.
In 1964 a University of Illinois industrial design student named John Spinello got an assignment: create an electronic game in which the players try to insert a metal rod into a hole without setting off the buzzer. He got to work and decided on a surgery theme. Good news: Spinello got an A! Bad news: he sold the rights of the game for $500 to the Milton Bradley Company which turned the assignment into the game Operation. Spinello’s invention became one of the 20th century’s most popular board games, but Spinello never made another cent off of it. That could be why, in 2014, the 77 year old couldn’t come up with the $25,000 he needed for…..an operation.
While not purely ironic, there are some things about following Jesus that seem backwards. The first will be last, the last will be first. The measure you give will be the measure you get back. You are forgiven as you forgive, just to mention a few.
I’m wondering if it is ironic that those who try to save their lives lose them and those who lose their lives for the sake of Christ find them. Ironic or paradox, either way it is true.
Bulldog and Lady Techster fans will have an opportunity to interact with the 2023 Louisiana Tech football, soccer, and volleyball teams on Saturday as part of the annual Fall Fan Fest inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
The free event is slated from 1-3 p.m. with student-athletes and coaches from all three programs being in attendance to sign autographs and take pictures.
There will be plenty of entertainment for youngsters as a photo booth, inflatable bounce houses, and various games will be part of the festivities. Official LA Tech merchandise through the Barnes and Nobles Bookstore will be on sale while members of the LA Tech spirit squads will join Champ and Tech XXII for the event. Concessions will also be available.
Season tickets for football and soccer will be on sale at the event along with the opportunity for parents to register their boys and girls for the Champ’s Kids Club. The Champ’s Kids Club membership is $75 for the year and includes admission to every home regular season sporting event for 2023-24.
Fans will also have a chance to purchase Blue Louisiana Tech University’s: Legend of the Bulldog and get their book signed by 2001 LA Tech Alumn Karen Sanders Bean. Blue is a Children’s book that tells the story of Louisiana Tech’s Legendary Bulldog and how he came to be the school mascot. From his humble beginnings of a stray pup to his legacy of as a campus hero.
Before the meet-and-greet even begins, fans will have an opportunity to watch the Bulldog football team compete in an open scrimmage at 9:30 a.m. Later in the day, fans can head to Robert Mack Caruthers Field to watch the Lady Techsters host an exhibition match against Central Arkansas with kickoff set for at 5 p.m. (free admission).
The Bulldog Football team kicks off year two of the Sonny Cumbie era on Aug. 26 when they host FIU for an 8 p.m. CUSA showdown at Joe Aillet Stadium.
The Lady Techster soccer team officially kicks off the new athletic season on Aug. 17 with a road matchup at Colorado College. The Lady Techsters’ first home matchup will be on Aug. 24 against ULM at 7 p.m.
The Lady Techster Volleyball hosts an exhibition match against Northwestern State on Aug. 20 before opening the year at the Arkansas State Invitational in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Aug 25 when they will face North Alabama and Arkansas State. Their first home match comes on Sept. 7 versus Little Rock as part of the LA Tech Invitational.
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.
Friday, August 11 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: 6th through 8th grade Cedar Creek baseball camp
Saturday, August 12 8:30-11:30 a.m.: Hazardous waste collection and recycling (2609 Farmerville St., Ruston) 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
Grambling State Athletics has revealed the schedule for its 2023 Fan Day, scheduled for Saturday.
At 9 a.m., fans can head over the GSU Soccer Complex to catch its first peek of the 2023 Grambling State Women’s Soccer team as the hold their first scrimmage of the year.
At 10 a.m. the action shifts over to Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium for the scrimmage featuring head coach Hue Jackson and the 2023 GSU football team. Fans can enter the stadium via Gate 3 on the home side.
Fans may then move inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center to get their first look at the GSU Women’s Volleyball team at 11:30 a.m.
Immediately following the volleyball scrimmage, fans will be introduced to all of the fall athletic teams and be able to meet and greet with their favorite student-athletes and coaches, as well as listen to the World Famed Tiger Marching Band.
2023 Grambling State Athletics Fan Day Timeline
9 a.m. – Gates Open to Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium (home side only) 9 a.m. – Soccer Scrimmage begins 10 a.m.– Football Scrimmage begins 11:30 a.m. – Assembly center opens 11:30 a.m.– Volleyball Scrimmage begins 11:30 a.m. – Kid’s club (cub club) opens section 112 & 110 1 p.m. – World Famed Tiger Marching Band Performance 1:30 p.m.– Schedule Poster Signing
*Clear Bag Policy in effect*
Also, fans who have purchased season-tickets may pickup their physical tickets from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
All patrons must abide by the Grambling State Athletics clear bag policy .
Josie Studer was tabbed the CUSA Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year. (photo by Josh McDaniel)
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
With the 2023 women’s soccer season a week away, Louisiana Tech’s Josie Studer and Flavie Dube were honored Thursday as the duo were voted to the 14-member Preseason All-Conference USA Team as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Studer, a defender from Waxhaw, North Carolina, was also voted as the Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year. The fifth-year senior is a three-time All-Conference USA selection, having played in 61 career matches with 58 starts on the back line and over 5,000 minutes logged.
She started all 11 matches that she appeared in last season after missing much of non-conference action due to injury. She played the full 90 minutes in nine of those 11 matches, helping LA Tech clinch a spot in the CUSA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Dube, a forward from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is coming off a rookie campaign that saw her earn CUSA Freshman of the Year honors. She appeared in all 19 matches in 2022, making 10 starts at striker with 1,099 minutes logged.
The sophomore led the team in almost every offensive category including goals (five), assists (four), points (14), and shots on goal (12) in route to also being named Second Team All-CUSA.
The Bulldogs, who finished fourth in the league last season, are picked to finish third in the revamped Conference USA behind only Liberty and New Mexico State.
For all the latest in Bulldog Soccer, follow us on Twitter (@LATechSOC), Instagram (@LATechSoccer), and Facebook (LATechSoccer).
2023 CUSA Women’s Soccer Preseason Superlative Awards Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Loma McNeese, New Mexico State Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Josie Studer, Louisiana Tech Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Bridie Herman, Liberty
2023 CUSA Women’s Soccer Preseason Team Goalkeeper | Ainsley Leja, Liberty Defender | Josie Studer, Louisiana Tech Defender | Bridie Herman, Liberty Defender | Caroline Manley, Middle Tennessee Defender | Mya Hammack, New Mexico State Defender | Thalia Chaverria, New Mexico State Midfielder | Rachel DeRuby, Liberty Midfielder | Saydie Holland, Liberty Midfielder | Bianca Chacon, New Mexico State Midfielder | Ambere Barnett, WKU Forward | Nikole Solis, FIU Forward | Flavie Dube, Louisiana Tech Forward | Ivy Garner, Liberty Forward | Loma McNeese, New Mexico State (New Mexico State’s Thalia Chaverria added as a posthumous selection)
2023 CUSA Predicted Order of Finish 1. Liberty (5) 2. New Mexico State (3) 3. Louisiana Tech (1) 4. WKU 5. FIU 6. Middle Tennessee 7. UTEP 8. Sam Houston 9. Jacksonville State
Courtesy of Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech senior defensive back Willie Roberts was named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award 2023 Preseason Watch List, The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association announced Thursday. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive back.
Roberts is one of 35 players to be named to the list and one of four selections from Conference USA.
Roberts made an immediate impact during his first season in Ruston. The Stephen F. Austin transfer appeared in all 12 games for the Bulldogs 2022 while making 11 starts at cornerback, tallying 29 total tackles (23 solo, 6 assists) and a quarterback hurry. The Fort Worth, Texas product led Tech with four interceptions and six pass breakups. His four interceptions ranked 22nd nationally among all FBS players. Roberts was tabbed First-Team Preseason All-Conference USA by Phil Steele while picking up second-team all-conference honors from Athlon Sports.
This list includes 35 of the nation’s best defensive backs, representing 10 conferences and one independent university. The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 50 players based on previous performance in NCAA Division I college football and preseason All-America lists. This list is not final, and players with outstanding seasons may be added to the semifinalists and finalists lists as the season progresses.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards, and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. Semifinalists will be announced on Oct. 31 followed by finalists being announced Nov. 28 before the winner is announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards show in December.
Roberts joins Abraham Delfin (Wuerffel Trophy), Smoke Harris (Paul Hornung Award) and Marquis Crosby (Doak Walker Award) as Bulldogs who have garnered national watch list recognition.
Louisiana Tech will play a fast, exciting brand of football when Head Coach Sonny Cumbie‘s Bulldogs open the 2023 season with an 8 p.m. CUSA showdown against FIU on Aug. 26 inside Joe Aillet Stadium.
Catina S. Bowman Sunday 03/04/1973 — Wednesday 08/02/2023 Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/12/2023 11:00am: White Oaks Funeral Home, 110 S. 12th St., Oakdale
Minister Samuel Edward Powell Saturday 04/19/1947 — Friday 08/04/2023 Family Gathering: Friday 08/11/2023 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Visitation: Friday 08/11/2023 3:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/12/2023 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 08/12/2023 Following Service, Fellowship Church Cemetery, Highway 507, Simsboro
James Cottingham Monday 11/02/1942 — Sunday 08/06/2023 Memorial Service: Thursday 08/17/2023 12:00pm at King’s Funeral Home
Spurgeon M. Tatum Tuesday 12/11/2007 — Monday 08/07/2023 Age: 15 Family Gathering: Friday 08/18/2023 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Visitation: Friday 08/18/2023 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Wake: Friday 08/18/2023 5:00pm to 7:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/19/2023 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 08/19/2023 Following Service, Asberry Cemetery, Chatham
Girtheen Millage Friday 05/08/1953 — Monday 08/07/2023 Family Gathering: Thursday 08/17/2023 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Visitation: Thursday 08/17/2023 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Wake: Thursday 08/17/2023 6:00pm to 7:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Funeral Service: Friday 08/18/2023 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Friday 08/18/2023 Following Service, Bonner Cemetery, Ruston
Lincoln Parish has experienced three train derailments over the past 16 years — the last coming just before 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 when 243 freight cars left the tracks in Choudrant.
All three of the derailments have happened over a 2-mile stretch of track owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad between the Pleasant Grove crossing in Choudrant and the Ouachita/Lincoln parish line.
During Tuesday night’s Lincoln Parish Police Jury meeting, Lincoln Parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kip Franklin presented a report to the LPPJ describing events surrounding each of those three derailments.
The conclusion was that while a derailment is never good, especially for those living anywhere nearby, Lincoln Parish has probably been fortunate in that those derailments all happened along some of the least-populated stretches of track within the parish.
“We don’t know why, but all three have been westbound trains,” Franklin said.
The first derailment occurred on Monday, Nov. 26, 2007, around 5 a.m. between Crocker Road and the parish line.
“During that incident we had five derailed tank cars that were fully loaded with Budedine, which is a butene product used to manufacture synthetic rubber,” Franklins said. “There were a few other cars that derailed, but there were no leaks involved in that incident, or any of the incidents we’ve had.
“We had approximately 60 parish residents who had to be evacuated and sheltered in that (2007) incident, although some of those might have actually been Ouachita Parish residents. The overall area was shut down for five-plus days and train traffic was back running by Wednesday (two days after the derailment. The chemical was offloaded to other vehicles and then they had to flare and burn the excess still left in the railroad cars.”
The next derailment occurred around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011, once again between Crocker Road and the parish line.
“That incident involved 32 derailed cars,” Franklin said. “One of them was fully loaded with sulfur dioxide, which is highly flammable. We had no leaks of that but did require four special tanks on 18-wheelers to offload that product. The only leakage we did have from that incident was corn syrup being hauled in tank cars, so I’d imagine the deer population grew tremendously at that time.
“During that incident we had approximately 82 parish residents that were evacuated and sheltered, and again that number included some Ouachita (Parish) residents as well. The area was shut down for four days and train service was running by Wednesday (three days later).”
Last week’s derailment happened around 2:22 p.m. just east of the Pleasant Grove crossing.
“When we arrived on the scene the train was divided into three sections,” Franklin said. “One of the cars was actually dragged on its side attached to the rear car of the part that kept going. But it was divided so that there wasn’t a road blockage or anything like that.
“We had a total of 23 derailed cars in this incident. Of those, five were HazMat tank cars but they were all considered empty. They did have some residue in them, but there weren’t any leaks this time, either.
Franklin said that there are two also near Choudrant Elementary crossings other than the one on Pleasant Grove, and that when the train divided into three sections it still did not block either of the Walker Road crossings or the Pleasant Grove crossing.
“Crocker Road was open on the east end, Walker Road was on the west end and Pleasant Grove in the middle. Pleasant Grove did get shut down to local traffic other than the people who live right there between the railroad and Highway 80. They were still allowed in and out of their homes. There were no evacuations whatsoever.
“Several of the tank cars were carrying lube oil but had no leaks. We had some cars that were carrying aluminum powder, which did cause an initial cloud of dust. When the incident was called in to the Sheriff’s Office, the caller reported the train being on fire, but instead it was just that aluminum dust that looked like smoke.”
Franklin said the multi-response to the incidents included the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police with HazMat personnel, Lincoln Parish Fire Protection District, Choudrant Fire Department, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ouachita Parish Fire, the Lincoln Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad personnel quickly arriving on scene.
“The initial damage assessment was conducted using a Sheriff’s Office drone with infra-red capabilities,” Franklin said. “It’s a much safer assessment than having any kind of ground responders in to do assessments.
“By 10 a.m. the night of the incident the railroad ties and debris from the accident had been pushed out of the way, making it ready to start laying a new track. By 6 a.m. the following morning there were only three cars left to be moved out of the way. The crews were working through excessive heat, but train traffic was rolling through the area 45 hours after the incident with a 10-mph limit.”
Franklin, who said he was told railroad companies lose $1.5-$2 million for every hour a section of railroad track is shut down, also said countless 18-wheels carrying four 140-foot sections of track brought in supplies to make repairs.
“Basically this was the best scenario we’ve had yet for a train derailment,” Franklin said. “We had no fires, we had no HazMat issues, no injuries, no evacuations and only minor road blockages and inconveniences compared to previous incidents. “Our responders are working with the CPKCR adjusters for reimbursement for services provided.
Parish Administrator Courtney Hall added that additional meetings with CPKCR claims department officials are expected to determine reimbursements to the parish for road damages incurred during the derailment and cleanup efforts.
In the end, Franklin again reminded the LPPJ and those in attendance at the meeting that the situation could have been much more difficult to handle if it occurred at a more-populated area along the railroad tracks running through Lincoln Parish.
“When I’m training people to help in this type of event, I kind of joke that this area would be the designated derailment area for Lincoln Parish,” Franklin said. “If it has to happen, we want it right there.
“I hate it for those people living in that area out there where it keeps recurring, but it’s the least populated part of our parish along the railroad tracks. You have an elementary school with 500 students right near there, but none of these derailments affected them. We have two universities and heavier populations elsewhere along the railroad tracks. So strange to say, but we’ve actually been fortunate.”
Courtesy of Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
As the branding for Louisiana Tech Athletics has been developed and refined over the years, the department announced that effective immediately all women’s sports excluding women’s basketball will now compete under the nickname, “Bulldogs.”
“During my time at LA Tech, I have witnessed a growing urge for our women’s sports, outside of women’s basketball, to refer to themselves as Bulldogs,” said Director of Athletics/Vice President Dr. Eric A. Wood. “After receiving the brand proposal by our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and getting feedback from leaders on campus, benefactors, as well as the head coaches who were all in full support, making this branding change is the right decision for our present and our future.”
The women’s sports that will be impacted by this change are bowling, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
The women’s basketball program is not part of this transition because of the rich history of the Lady Techster program built by coaches Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore as well as all the legendary student-athletes that have put on the Columbia blue jerseys for the last half century.
“The Lady Techsters nickname and script logo is a national brand synonymous with our women’s basketball program,” added Wood. “It is a name and a symbol that honors and recognizes the almost 50-year history that began back in 1973 and has included three national titles and 13 Final Fours. Excluding this from this transition was a no brainer. Lady Techsters will now only belong to them.”
The department joins a growing movement across college sports in which the men’s and women’s teams hold the same mascot identity.
The Ruston High Bearcats are midway through the final week of the summer without a Friday opponent and are preparing for
“I think we’re getting some things accomplished,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “There’s always a lot of areas to improve on; I think we’re continuing to make progress in a lot of different areas.”
Baugh offered his take on all three facets of the Bearcats’ team as of Wednesday of this week.
Offense
“Those guys continue to improve. The areas where we don’t have a lot experience, we just need to get them the snaps that they need to do the things they’re going to do. The experience we bring back defensively gives (the offense) a really good opportunity to work against guys that are as good as anybody they’re going to play during the season, regardless of who it is we are playing.
“It gives us a good idea of the game speed and the physicality and all the things that come with the experience those guys have. It gives our offense the chance to practice against really good competition everyday when we get out there. I think we’re seeing a lot of really good development and improvement during the week in the practice we have due to the guys we are practicing against.”
Defense
“Bringing so much experience back always lends itself to being where you can progress really quickly through the things that you want to install. They’re already familiar with the base of things we do. We have seen those guys come out and they are familiar with it, so you can move on to the next thing. It allows you quick movement through your installation process.
“We’ve had some guys out due to sickness and some injuries for one reason or another. That has allowed us to get a look at some different looks at some different guys to see if they are going to be able to give us some valuable snaps during the ball game if they can come in and relieve somebody in certain situations.
SpecialTeams
“I think we’re pretty good. (Will) Fendley is going to hold down the punting. And he’ll probably do some of the kicking, as well. Jack Elliott, who did a lot of kicking for us in junior varsity last year is going to take on some of the kicking duties, particularly the PAT’s and field goals.
“It’s a work in progress as we move along. There’s also a freshman, Joaquin Ramos, that will be a really good kicker for us in the future. It’s like a lot of areas for us; we’ve got to continue to improve, but special teams is going to be a really good part of our team.”
A state trooper arrested two suspected impaired drivers in Ruston over the weekend.
A Miami, Florida woman was seen driving the wrong way on Vienna Street about 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. When the trooper stopped Twankeria Vandyke, 21, the odor of an alcoholic beverage was detected on her breath. Vandyke performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was arrested.
A breath test was administered at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center. Vandyke’s blood alcohol concentration was determined to be .244g%, more than three times Louisiana’s legal limit.
Vandyke was booked for first offense DWI and wrong way on a one way street.
Just after midnight Sunday morning, the same state police trooper saw an SUV weaving over the fog line marking the edge of the pavement on Vienna Street numerous times. The driver, Megan Robinson Faulkner, 34, of Ruston, was stopped.
The trooper detected an alcoholic beverage on Faulkner’s breath. Faulkner performed poorly on field sobriety tests. She was arrested and taken to the detention center for a breath test. The breath sample tested .227g% blood alcohol concentration. Faulkner was booked for first offense DWI and improper lane usage.
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.
Louisiana Tech’s announcement Wednesday afternoon that its female sports — excluding women’s basketball — will be immediately adopting the Bulldog mascot brought a variety of reactions.
Basically, it was a mixed bag of athletic balls.
It didn’t surprise me.
I have been a proponent of maintaining the Lady Techster mascot across all nine of the female programs at Tech. I have pushed back against any talk of it for a long time. That is until recently.
Trust me when I tell you this has been discussed internally for more than a decade. The main voice to this movement has come from the student athletes themselves. As a longtime Tech fan and athletics administrator, I was opposed to making the change for a long time. And I was very vocal about it internally.
I am a traditionalist by nature. I grew up on the Lady Techsters and Bulldogs.
And for a quarter of a century, I have done my best to promote it and protect it. If I had a dollar for every discussion about maintaining the original mascot of Tech female programs, I could have retired many moons ago.
But in the last few years I have slowly changed my stance. I do have the luxury of being behind the curtain. I have daily interaction with our student athletes and coaches. I may not always fully understand motive, but I do appreciate there is another side. And I have listened to understand.
And I support the new direction.
We live in a day and age of college athletics where student athletes have a broader voice. Every university has a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) made up of representatives from each sport. This isn’t a committee by name only. It’s recognized on the NCAA level, conference level and school level and is an important part of the footprint of college athletics.
SAAC representatives from the women’s programs have been voicing a desire to make the change to Bulldogs for many years now. And in recent years that movement has been beating the drum even louder.
Roughly 15 years ago a straw poll was taken from the female teams to find out the temperature of each program. My memory is that it was about a 50-50 split back then. It’s not 50-50 anymore.
The only program that I have not heard the desire to change is women’s basketball. And having spent 20 years as the SID and play-by-play voice, I was around the players and coaches a ton.
But outside of women’s basketball, there has been a strong push. And although the decision wasn’t made until now, the change has been coming down the tracks for a while. It was just a matter of time.
For the record the change has nothing to do with the word Lady in front of the word Techsters. It simply has to do with a desire to be Bulldogs. I don’t claim to always understand the mindset of this age group, but we have heard a consistent message from them for more than a decade.
Recent years has seen many of our female student athletes and teams start using Bulldogs in chants and on their own personal social media accounts and in other ways. One of the first things incoming freshmen are taught during campus orientation is how to make the Bulldog gesture with their clinched fist. Bulldogs is everywhere.
From a brand engagement standpoint, the move makes brand identity and licensing sense. Yes. There are still multiple marks, but now you have just the Bulldog head and the Columbia blue Lady Techster script (before you had a reflex blue Lady Techster script as well).
Personally, I believe having 15 programs called Bulldogs and one program called Lady Techsters provides less confusion, not more. Trust me when I tell you our women’s teams outside of basketball get called Bulldogs all the time on the road.
As I explained to our softball student athletes Wednesday afternoon in a group message, it’s important that they understand that there are 40 years of Tech softball alums and fans. The same can be said for the other female programs (even if the years may differ). And based on the feedback I received and saw following yesterday’s announcement, many are fine with the change. Many are not. And both sides have their reasons. And neither side is wrong.
My request to our softball players was when interacting with fans and alums who bring up the subject to listen with an understanding ear. Then respectfully communicate why they — as current student athletes — are excited about the new direction. At the end of the day we all bleed red and blue.
We are all a part of the LA Tech Athletics Family, regardless of whether we played, coached or cheered with Lady Techsters across the front of the uniform in the past or Bulldogs in the future.
An alleged shoplifter was held for Jackson Parish officials Sunday after it was learned she was wanted on arrest warrants.
Ruston Police responded to the Walmart Supercenter Sunday night regarding a shoplifting incident. Leelah Starleigh Turner, 21, of Ruston was given a court summons for misdemeanor theft by shoplifting and released. Shortly after her release, it was learned Turner was wanted in Jackson Parish on two counts of felony theft.
Turner was spotted leaving the area by vehicle and was stopped and arrested. She was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and held for Jackson Parish authorities.
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 is my honor as well as a humbling experience for me to announce my candidacy for Police Juror in District 11. I am a good listener and I look forward to spending time going around the district introducing myself and listening to your concerns.
I have been a lifelong resident of Lincoln Parish for over 60 years. During that time, I attended school, worked, and raised my family. I attended Ruston High School and LA. Tech University. My immediate family includes my husband Rev. Darrell Candler, one son, Pastor Dr. DeTorian- (Marilyn) Gipson, two grandchildren- Braylen and Macyn Gipson.
I am retired after working 18 years as a cashier and booth clerk for Harvest Foods(Safeway) of Ruston and also 18 years for the Lincoln Parish Police Jury(HELP) Agency in different capacities to include Administrative Assistant, Transportation Coordinator, and Equal Opportunity Officer.
My passion has always been community involvement and striving to make a difference.
Community Involvement include:
Member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church where I serve as Church Clerk, Member of the Mission, and Pastor Aide Ministries.
Board of Directors for Lincoln Total Community Action- Treasurer
North Central Louisiana Master Gardener Club
Ruston Garden Club
Ruston Voters League
Interdenominational Alliance of Ministers Wives
Democratic Parish Executive Committee
International Foreign Student Mentor
I am sure that we have some of the same concerns. We care about our families, our property, and the environment. I will be your advocate.
When engaging with others, I would agree that it’s a good idea to be quick to listen and slow to speak.I have heard the wisdom before regarding the fact that God gave us two ears and one mouth.We could all work on being better listeners to be more effective communicators.However, there is one key relationship that I would suggest that you listen less and talk more.That relationship is the one that you have with yourself.
All too often I find myself listening to negative thoughts pop into my head to distract my focus from something meaningful. During challenging workouts, I will often have thoughts of needing to stop or slow down to avoid injury.I have thought about heart attacks during long runs.I have imagined my lungs exploding from pushing too hard.I have thought about all types of ridiculous things to avoid the uncomfortable challenge of continuing a tough workout or competition.The same has held true in work challenges, relationship issues, and other obstacles in life.I can imagine all kinds of reasons to avoid engaging in an uncomfortable challenge.
Our minds are powerful influencers in our lives.If we listen to the impact from outside influences in our minds, we will oftentimes seek to avoid uncomfortable situations, uncertain outcomes, or challenging opportunities.Our thoughts will come up with all kinds of reasons to shut down, play it safe, or not push ourselves into unknown territories.There is no question that listening to these thoughts will hinder our effort, limit our accomplishments, and put a lid on reaching our potential in various areas of our life.
To combat listening to ourselves, let me suggest talking to yourself in challenging moments when you are contemplating what to do.I started this process several years ago while I was attempting to push harder in a workout.I would simply just tell myself that I could do one more.That one more might have been one more mile, one more repetition, or one more “ten minutes.”That one more would often turn into multiple “one mores”. I began to use that same approach in dealing with work issues and other challenges in life.The sheer uttering of positive, encouraging comments to myself would enable me to press through challenges in various areas of life with confidence and determination.
I am afraid we are quickly becoming a society that avoids difficult situations.I see far too many people taking paths of least resistance to avoid potentially stressful situations or just unknown outcomes.I have dealt with a fear of failure in my past and have moved beyond that limiting factor.I would encourage others at any stage of life to embrace challenges, to not fear failure, and to not avoid stressful encounters.By getting comfortable being uncomfortable, we will achieve more, impact more people, and move toward reaching our potential in various areas of life.
It’s ok to be uncomfortable and to learn to deal with stress in a healthy manner.Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world (negative thoughts, with a safe, selfish focus), but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (focus turns off self, toward God, with positive outward focused thoughts)”.
Stop listening to those negative thoughts and start speaking positive statements to yourself.You will be surprised at how your outlook, output, and outcomes will be impacted!
L to R: Choudrant High School FFA members Mel Murphey, John Scott, Austin Zuniga, and Lizz Lacour at the Louisiana FFA State Convention. (Courtesy Photo)
The Choudrant High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter has been awarded $3,946.00 as part of the Grants for Growing program.
The nationwide program provides grant funds to local FFA chapters to support the development or improvement of agricultural education projects that enhance the classroom experiences for students through chapter engagement activities.
“On behalf of the Choudrant High School FFA, I would like to thank Tractor Supply and the National FFA Organization for their continued support for the students in Lincoln Parish,” said Landon Wade, Choudrant High School FFA Advisor. “The Grants For Growing program will allow our organization to provide opportunities for our students to grow as leaders and help make a difference in our community.”
Choudrant High School FFA plans to use the funds to purchase items for the Med-Camps fall bash, Choudrant community event t-shirts, and provide prizes for a high school fishing tournament. The chapter will use a portion of the funds to purchase Official FFA Jackets and officer polos for the officer team.
Choudrant FFA will also use the money to support the annual officer retreat where officers will learn opening ceremony lines, learn valuable leadership skills, and create a program of activities for the following school year. The goal of the Choudrant High School FFA is to make a positive difference in the lives of students and the Choudrant community.
The program provided approximately $870,000 to FFA chapters in 42 states. Funding is provided through consumer donations made during checkout at a Tractor Supply Company store by purchasing a $1 FFA Paper Emblem. The fundraising period aligns with National FFA Week in February.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In what we know as the technology age, many of us use slang and shortened version of words called acronyms on social media and in text messages. Some claim that the abbreviations save time, while others, myself included, have to spend time searching online for possible meanings of acronyms such as BTAIM, ELI5, FOMO, and TBBH. We almost have to be codebreakers to decipher the messages. Here are some of the more popular acronyms:
BRB – Be Right Back
BTW – By the Way
DYK – Do You Know or Did You Know
HBD – Happy Birthday
IDC – I Don’t Care
IDK – I Don’t Know
IMO – In My Opinion
JK – Just Kidding
LTB – Looking to Buy
LOL – Laugh Out Loud
OMG – Oh My God! or Oh My Gosh!
Using only acronyms, one person wrote the following:
“GAS 2U!
DQMOT, BSF IDK WCA 2TXT W/LOA. IYO, ITS EZ &PDQ… IDTS. IMHO, ARE =ADIH. TBH, FUBAR &2M2H. GIAR, PLZ! KISS.
.02
RX
If you received this message, would you be able to determine its meaning? Here is a translation:
Greetings and Salutations to you!
Don’t quote me on this, but seriously folks I don’t know who cares anyway to text with lists of acronyms. In your opinion, it’s easy and pretty darn quick… I don’t think so. In my humble opinion, an acronym-rich environment is another day in hell. To be honest. It’s *fouled* up beyond all recognition and too much to handle. Give it a rest, please! Keep it simple, stupid.
Just my two cents.
Regards,
Many acronyms were created for use with social media and texting in mind. One of the most popular acronyms is OMG. So popular is this acronym that it has entered the English and foreign languages as its own independent word. It has entered our popular culture. Television programs and films occasionally show youngish kids in the coolest clothes of the era saying something shocking followed by OMG! When more emphasis is needed, they say Ooooooo Mmmmmmm Ggggggg!
Here is another letter which includes just one acronym:
“My Dear Friend,
I am here for a few days longer before rejoining my “Wise men” at Victory House— “The World forgetting, By the World Forgot!” but some Headlines in the newspapers have utterly upset me! Terrible!! The German Fleet to assist the Land operations in the Baltic. Landing the German Army South of Reval. We are five times stronger at Sea than our enemies and here is a small Fleet that we could gobble up in a few minutes playing the great vital Sea part of landing an Army in the enemies’ rear and probably capturing the Russian Capital by Sea! This is “Holding the ring” with a vengeance! Are we really incapable of a big Enterprise? I heard that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis—O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)—Shower it on the Admiralty!!
Yours,
Fisher
9/9/17.”
The writer felt that the reader would probably not understand the acronym, so he defined it in parenthesis. It was in this letter, dated September 9, 1917, that the first known usage of the acronym OMG appeared, well before what we know as the technological age, several decades before the invention of the internet, social media, and text messages. The first person to receive an OMG was future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
According to educational specialist Jenny Taylor, the research is clear: too few students currently have access to a high-quality science curriculum and too few teachers have the supports necessary to ensure that students are building science knowledge and understanding from their earliest school experiences.
“Unfortunately, in the earliest grades, a child’s curiosity is rarely fostered through a coherent, high-quality science curriculum,” Taylor pointed out. “Science instruction for young learners too often consists of disparate activities that don’t help students build lasting knowledge and can lead them to disengage from science.”
In addition, elementary school teachers often feel unprepared to teach science, and given the pressures on math and English language arts instruction, science instruction is too easily squeezed out of the instructional day. That’s something the Louisiana Department of Education is looking to change with help from the team within Louisiana Tech University’s SciTEC division and SCILS Region 8 LaSTEM Center.
“The Department is excited to announce a new, high-quality science curriculum for grades K-5 that will be piloted in school systems throughout the state during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years,” said Molly Talbot, a DOE K-12 Science Specialist. “The OpenSciEd K-5 pilot is part of an effort to increase statewide access and opportunity for students to engage with high-quality science instructional materials aligned to the Louisiana Student Standards for Science. This work would not be possible without the support of educational partners such as Tech’s College of Education and Human Sciences, who, among others, have served to support pilot teachers by providing professional learning and through-unit implementation support.”
Louisiana Tech was the northern site for the state’s training of pilot districts, hosting teachers and leadership teams from Caldwell and Vernon parishes over the three-day professional development. The training featured immersion in anchoring phenomena routines, unpacking standards, construction of unit storylines and development of assessment plans. For SCILS Assistant Director Missy Wooley, it was both exciting and inspiring to see the teachers as they geared up for the new curriculum challenge.
“We realize this is new territory for these elementary teachers and can’t express enough what a fantastic job they did in embracing the opportunity and digging into the process,” Wooley said. “They embody the pioneer spirit of going into uncharted waters and recognize that the true winners in all this will be their students.”
A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) highlights the current inequities in science instruction and reveals that far too few students have access to high-quality science instruction. The lack of high-quality instructional time for science is also made clear by recent data from Horizon Research, which shows that nationwide, elementary school students spend only 20 minutes a day on science instruction. With the new OpenSciEd pilot, Louisiana is on track to break that cycle.
“Upon completion of the materials, Louisiana will have its first high-quality pilot spanning grades K-12,” Talbot continued. “Additionally, participating pilot teachers will have the opportunity to represent Louisiana and help shape the curriculum’s design by field testing and providing feedback on the units.”
The instructional routines suggested in the curriculum help students think about science in different ways to build content knowledge, deepen their understanding, and develop critical thinking skills. Dr. Lindsey Keith-Vincent sees the university’s partnership with the DOE as a means to further impact students across the state.
“Our team is fortunate to have symbiotic relationships with district partners around the state,” the Associate Dean for Research, Outreach and Innovation in Tech’s College of Education and Human Sciences shared. “As we seek to learn more about how we can better serve district partners, they simultaneously learn more about our creative and competent faculty and staff that can help them co-construct solutions and develop and implement professional growth and development opportunities. The recent science-focused professional development sessions held in our Boulware IDEA Place are excellent examples of such synergies that ultimately help us all better serve our learners in Louisiana.”
For more information about this high-quality pilot, please contact STEM@la.gov.
