Louisiana Tech will hold a press conference Thursday at 10 a.m. on the Club Level (third floor) of the Davison Athletics Complex to introduce Ryan Ivey as Vice President and Director of Athletics.
The public is invited and doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Fans should enter through the west side doors of the Davison Athletics Complex.
LA Tech President Dr. Jim Henderson will introduce Ivey who has more than 18 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics – the past 11 as an athletics director.
Media is asked to arrive and be set up by 9:45 a.m. A multbox will be available for media to get audio during the press conference. No additional mics will be allowed on the podium.
The press conference will be streamed live on ESPN+ and Facebook Live through Facebook.com/LATechAthletics.
Argent Financial Group, along with Argent founder, CEO, and Louisiana Tech University alumni Kyle McDonald and his wife, Tisdale, have committed $1.5 million to the Louisiana Tech University Foundation to establish the Argent Innovation Fund. This fund will empower the growth of innovation, entrepreneurship, and partnerships through the Innovation Enterprise at Louisiana Tech and support the expansion and success of the Enterprise Campus in the heart of Ruston.
“This investment is a testament to the innovative work at the Enterprise Campus and will further our ability to attract partners and impact the community at large,” University President Jim Henderson said. “It is obvious that this community has an abundance of generous individuals with a deep understanding of Louisiana Tech’s even greater potential. We are grateful to the McDonalds and Argent.”
McDonald, a 1981 graduate, was recognized as Alumnus of the Year by the Louisiana Tech University Alumni Association during the Distinguished Alumni Awards luncheon held on Nov. 10. McDonald announced the gift during his acceptance speech.
“My desire now is to focus my attention on helping grow the legacy of this great University,” McDonald said. “We look around and see so much innovation and entrepreneurship taking place across the campus and throughout its colleges and departments.”
The Argent Innovation Fund will further bolster the robust corporate and industry partnerships that are being formed across the Enterprise Campus at Louisiana Tech and drive new opportunities for the University and the entire region.
“This fund is intended to help Tech develop corporate partnerships, which will create additional innovative alternative funding sources,” McDonald said. “Each gift is significant and allows us to add to the great foundation that’s already been laid.”
To recognize the support, the Tech Pointe atrium located in the heart of the Enterprise Campus will be named for Argent Financial Group.
“Kyle McDonald has been a visionary in his professional life as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and business leader,” said Dave Norris, Chief Innovation Officer at Louisiana Tech. “Argent Financial is an extraordinary success story, and his recognition of and commitment to the importance of our Innovation Enterprise at Louisiana Tech is inspiring and energizing. The establishment of the Argent Innovation Fund, which I am confident will attract other like-minded philanthropic investment to this activity, is the beginning of a whole new legacy that will drive prosperity for our university and our region for decades to come.”
“We are grateful for Argent’s continued support of Louisiana Tech University and for this opportunity to recognize their generosity through the naming of the Tech Pointe lobby,” said Lisa Bradley, Interim Vice President of University Advancement and University Foundation. “Argent is a wonderful testament of the life-long value of an education received from Louisiana Tech, the power of partnerships between industry leaders and Louisiana Tech, and the transformational impact of philanthropy.”
While at Tech, Kyle served as Treasurer and Rush Chairman for Sigma Nu Fraternity, President of Lambda Sigma Honor Society, the Student Government Association (SGA) Senior Class President, and SGA President. In addition, he served as student member on the Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities and was selected to Who’s Who his senior year.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from Louisiana Tech, Kyle attended law school at LSU, earning a J.D. in 1984. During that time, Kyle worked for the Louisiana Bankers Association on the project to rewrite the Louisiana Banking Laws in the early 1980s and practiced law with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips in Baton Rouge. He and Tisdale returned to Ruston in 1985 where he joined Ruston State Bank managing the trust department before founding Argent in 1990. He and Tisdale (’81) have four children, eight grandchildren (and counting), and are active members of the Bridge Community Church in Ruston.
Kyle has served as a member of YPO, and as Chairman of Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of commerce, North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Louisiana Tech College of Business Advisory Board, and Northern Louisiana Medical Center Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development in Louisiana, and a board member for Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL). Tisdale is also a longtime member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana.
Argent Financial Group is an independent client asset services firm offering individuals, families, businesses, and institutions wealth management, asset management, and asset servicing. The firm is responsible for more than $65 billion in client assets. Formed in 1990 in Ruston, Louisiana, Argent can trace its roots back to 1930. More than 44 Louisiana Tech graduates currently work for Argent.
A Farmerville man stands accused of inappropriate acts with children at a church in Union Parish.
Daniel Steven Parker, 45, of Farmerville surrendered himself to deputies at the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office after an investigation by detectives, the department announced Tuesday.
The charges stem from a complaint UPSO Criminal Investigations Division investigators received from the victim’s parents. The complaint alleged the husband of a youth minister at an area church inappropriately touched a juvenile member of the church.
While interviewing witnesses, CID investigators learned of an additional alleged juvenile victim and similar additional crimes that occurred as far back as 2020, both at the church and in the suspect’s home.
Deputies secured arrest warrants for Parker for six counts of misdemeanor sexual battery, and six counts of felony indecent behavior with juveniles. Parker was booked into the Union Parish Detention Center without incident.
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.
First Ruston, our volunteers and all our Night to Shine guests would like to say a Big ThankYou to our sponsors and those who generously donated to help us have a great night!
The local Night to Shine event was held February 9 on the Louisiana Tech campus with more than 500 participants, including guests, caregivers and volunteers.
We want to thank the organizations, businesses and people below for their help in making it a memorable event.
Tim Tebow Foundation
First Baptist Ruston
Louisiana Tech and the Maintenance Staff at the Lambright Intramural Center
Bill Davis and the Louisiana Tech Police Department
A New Mexico man who was reportedly traveling over 100 miles per hour on Interstate 20 was arrested for DWI and other charges late Saturday night.
Grambling Police arrested Justin Dale Darnell, 39, of Clovis, New Mexico, on I-20 near the Tarbutton Road exit after a brief chase about 10:45 p.m. Saturday.
A GPD officer had been dispatched to Interstate 20 in response of a report of a vehicle driving on the side of the roadway at over 100 miles per hour.
The officer pursued Darnell who continued to swerve in and out among other vehicles at a high rate of speed. Darnell crashed when he attempted to exit I-20 at Tarbutton Road.
Darnell told officers he had been drinking and an opened bottle of Jim Bean was found in the vehicle. He refused to undergo field sobriety tests.
Darnell was arrested and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center where a breath test was administered. The test indicated Darnell’s blood alcohol concentration was .295g%, over three times the Louisiana legal limit.
Darnell was booked for first offense DWI, reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated flight from an officer, open container in a vehicle, and two counts of public intimidation.
Bail was set at $39,500.
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.
Sean Newman scored a career-high 19 points in Tech’s win. (Photo by Kane McGuire)
Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
For the third time in seven days, Louisiana Tech faced a hostile environment on the road.
And for the third time, the Bulldogs came away victorious, silencing a crowd of 5,658 by defeating WKU, 90-84, on Wednesday night inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
LA Tech (21-8, 11-3 CUSA) took the lead after a made layup by Isaiah Crawford with 9:27 to go in the first half. And the Bulldogs never relinquished it. Regardless of the adversity they faced.
“I saw the willingness not to lose,” said head coach Talvin Hester. “I think the team understands that for us to be who we want to be, they are going to have to do tough things. And they have continued to show that on the road. They continue to show they are willing to improve and fight. There were hard times in this game where things were going wrong, but we stuck together and closed the game out.”
That bucket was part of a 16-2 run that gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at 36-23. WKU (19-9, 8-6 CUSA) would not go away though (a common theme throughout the night). The Hilltoppers buried one of their 12 three-pointers right before half to slice their deficit down to seven, 47-40, at the midway point.
LA Tech was equally as hot from beyond the arc, making 11. And they were all big. Tahlik Chavez made four in his first appearance against WKU, Devin Ree made two, Sean Newman Jr. sank two, and Tyler Henry drilled both of his attempts.
Chavez and Henry buried back-to-back triples as the Bulldogs kept trying to keep the Hilltoppers at bay, up 65-56 with 11:58 left. WKU, the highest scoring offense in the league, was going to eventually go on a run … and it came in the form of a 12-2 (seven of those free throws) to get to within one point with 3:55 still remaining.
It stayed a one-possession game until Newman Jr. found a driving Daniel Batcho who nearly brought the rim down with a thunderous dunk, going up 84-79 with 1:54 left. However, the Hilltoppers would still not go away, getting a stepback three-pointer by Brandon Newman.
WKU would get a defensive stop and have a chance to tie or take the lead, but Batcho denied Teagan Moore with his fourth block of the game. The Bulldogs would go on to make all six of their free throws in the closing minute (made a season-high 25, going 16-of-17 in the second half) to seal it.
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures – Crawford (20), Newman Jr. (19), Chavez (16), Batcho (15), and Henry (11). Newman Jr. controlled nearly the whole game, flirting with a triple-double with eight assists and seven boards.
“Sean has gotten better every day.” said Hester. “I have been screaming how he is our leader, he is our point guard. He showed it tonight. People thought he could not shoot, but I knew there would be a time where the ball would start falling for him. He is a dynamic basketball player.”
The Hilltoppers also had five players in double figures, led by Moore with a game-high 22 points.
Now that baseball season is back in full swing, my thoughts often go back to my playing days at Minden High.I have wonderful memories of great teammates, state championships, and experiences that I will never forget.There were significant life lessons learned along that way that have made a significant impact on my life.
One of those lessons played out in the state championship game of my junior season.We were playing Catholic High in the finals.Back then there were no select and non-select divisions.There were four classifications and four state champions.
Catholic was a very strong team.We battled to a tie after seven innings. They scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead.In the bottom of the eighth inning, our first two hitters got on base, and I was up next.The Catholic High coach finally took their starting pitcher out of the game.He was a lefty and was so good.I was elated to just see a different pitcher.
As the new pitcher warmed up, my confidence grew.He was good, but he was not as tough as the last guy.I started thinking about scoring the winning run.In the semi-final game down in South Louisiana, I drove in the winning run late in the game.Here was another chance to deliver for my team on a big stage.
As I got ready to step in the batter’s box, I looked down at my coach and saw him give me the bunt signal.I know, you baseball purist say that’s the right play in that situation.However, that wasn’t what was on my mind.I stepped back out and looked down at him again.I don’t know if I was hoping he would change his mind or if I was just hoping I had seen the wrong sign.Nope, he was giving the bunt sign.
My focus was now on getting a bunt down, not driving the ball into a gap.The first pitch was a fastball right down the middle, and I bunted the ball toward third.They got me out at first, but the runners advanced.One batter later, with two outs, our cleanup hitter belted a three-run homer to win the game and the state championship.
The newspapers didn’t mention the sacrifice bunt.The TV reports didn’t interview me about the bunt placement.In fact, looking back at things, the bunt really didn’t matter in the end.However, in the moment, it mattered.
When I look back at the state championships in high school, there were likely a lot of those type moments during those seasons.Seemingly insignificant and forgotten moments that made a difference at the time.Moments that allowed for something more significant to happen.
Those same moments occur in everyday life as well.We have opportunities to sacrifice for others.We have opportunities every day to do small acts of service for others, share words of encouragement, take a moment to listen, or any number of other actions that make a difference in the life of someone else.These actions can be random in the moment or intentional actions planned in advance.
In a culture that promotes attention, self-recognition, and living one’s best life, wouldn’t it be impactful if we all focused on sacrificial actions to better others even if we weren’t recognized for the effort?Is that something your organization, your family, or your sphere of influence could use?
Oh, and to be honest.I still sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have been the one to hit that homerun.That’s ok though.It was a great bunt!
Summer is coming! Geaux Macros is offering a 10 day crash course to help you get your nutrition on track! If you are curious about macros, need a jump start on nutrition and would love personalized macro targets to get started, this is for you!!
MACRO MANIA is back! Join us for 10 incredible days filled with all things Macros & Fitness! Mania will run from Monday, March 4, through Wednesday, March 13.
For a one time payment of $65, you will receive: ~Custom Macro Targets ~10 Macro Tips ~10 Days of accountability ~10 Workouts ~10 Days of Motivation ~10 Recipes
Simsboro coach Adam Wodach is pictured talking to Tiger Jalen Outley (13) during a timeout. (Photo by T. Scott Boatright)
By T. Scott Boatright
SINGER —- Junior Jalen Outley was determined.
So were all of the Simsboro Tigers.
And the result was the Tigers roaring to a Division V Nonselect School boys playoffs road win Tuesday night as Outley led ninth-seeded Simsboro to a 64-60 win at eighth-seeded Singer.
Simsboro senior Itavus Brown was also determined in a game during which neither team ever built more than a nine-point advantage, so much so that Brown told his team and coach Adam Wodach during a late timeout that, “We are not going to lose this.”
Brown finished with 17 points in a game that saw only four Tigers put up points on the scoreboard.
“He was just a leader for us all four quarters, from start to finish,” Wodach said about Brown. “He was so consistent. He didn’t try to force anything, but I bet he shot 70%.
“The big thing is that he was four-for-four at the free-throw line with under two minutes left. He was determined.”
Outley led the Tigers in scoring with 21 points in a game Simsboro led 25-24 at the half.
“Singer got up by nine points twice,” Wodach said. “Our biggest lead was four points in the first quarter and then five toward the end of the game. But it was a battle — a fight from start to finish.
“That was Outley’s best offensive performance of the year for sure. He finished really well around the rim. But he had help. I’ll bet at least 10 of his points came off of assists. I’ll bet Ahmad (Smith) had five or six assists with passes to him.”
Wodach gave Singer credit for closing down the Tigers’ usually well-rounded scoring attack.
“Singer did an amazing job defensively,” Wodach said about the Hornets. “They were well prepared and made every basket we got very difficult. It was just an absolute dogfight.”
Sophomore Tristan Deloney and Smith, an eighth-grader, each added seven points to Simsboro’s scoring effort.
“We were down by nine points with three-and-a-half minutes left and Brown hit an and-one 3-pointer and then added the free throw,” Wodach said. “That play set us up to be able to come back and pull off the win.”
Next up for the Tigers (27-12) is a quarterfinals game tipping off at 6:30 p.m. Friday at top-seeded Zwolle.
“We’re excited,” Wodach said. “They’re the defending state champs, so the road goes through Zwolle. It seems like the last 20 years the road has gone through either us or them, so we’re really excited.”
Blake Wade drove in three runs and Ladd Thompson pitched a complete game to lead Cedar Creek to a 5-4 road win over Winnfield Tuesday night.
The Cougars (4-2) scored two in the second, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth to pick up an impressive win over the 3A Tigers and their ace hurler.
“Our scouting report on Hemphill was that he worked quickly on the mound and that he had a good curve ball that that he would spin when ahead in the count,” said head coach Chad Yates. “Our plan at the plate was to put together tough at bats and get his pitch count up so we could get into their bullpen which we eventually would in the fifth inning.”
Creek took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning as Connor Yates reached on an HBP and two outs later Kaleb Negrotto walked to put runners on the corners. Wade then followed with a line drive single to left field that plated both runners to give the Cougars the advantage.
“Those are the tough at bats that we preach,” said Yates in reference to Negrotto’s plate appearance that saw him fall behind 1-2 before fouling off pitch after pitch to eventually draw the two-out walk.
Winnfield plated a run in the second and two more in the third to take a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the fifth freshman Kade Luker doubled down the first base line, moved to third on a ground out by Thompson and then scored on a passed ball that tied the game at 3-3.
The Cougars added two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Yates walked and Max Brister reached on an infield single that was thrown away allowing runners to move to second and third with one out. Brett Bell then laid down a squeeze bunt that plated Luker to make it 4-3. With two outs, Wade singled up the middle to score an insurance run, giving Creek a 5-3 lead.
“These are those situations late in the game where you need a big hit to grab another insurance run and that’s just what Wade did,” said Yates.
The Tigers closed the deficit too 5-4 with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, setting the stage for the seventh.
With the top of the order due up for Winnfield, Thompson returned to the mound for the Cougars and promptly retired the Tigers in order to finish the complete game performance.
“Before the inning I had sent Max over to warmup in case we needed him in relief,” said Yates. “I spoke with Ladd to see how he felt. His pitch count was up and he had done what we asked of him, but without hesitation he said he was finishing this game.”
Thompson allowed four runs (only one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out six in 7.0 innings of action.
Wade and Luker each registered two hits for the Cougars while Brister and Bell each had one.
Creek begins the Trey Altick Classic at home today at 4:30 p.m. against Springfield (click on link below for full schedule for the TAC).
Grambling State University head football coach Mickey Joseph has named Jason Rollins as Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach.
Rollins arrives at GSU after having served as interim head coach of Southern University during the 2021 season.
Prior to his stint at SU, he was a member of the staff at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he served as the defensive coordinator for two seasons and spent two years as associate head coach and linebackers coach.
In his first year as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach, UTSA displayed an aggressive scheme by recording 78 tackles for loss, 23 sacks and 19 turnovers, including 10 fumble recoveries, which ranked fourth in Conference USA and 36th nationally. Linebacker Josiah Tauaefa registered 113 tackles — the second-highest total in program history — en route to being named one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, second-team all-conference by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and honorable mention all-conference by the league’s head coaches. Defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler picked up second-team all-conference honors by PFF, while safety C.J. Levine and defensive tackle Kevin Strong, Jr. earned honorable mention all-conference accolades.
Rollins helped mentor one of the nation’s top defenses in 2017, as the Roadrunners led C-USA in seven different statistical categories and ranked in the top 10 among all Football Bowl Subdivision teams. UTSA held eight of its 11 opponents to 300-or-less yards of total offense, including a school record 149 allowed in the 51-17 win against Southern, and five foes rushed for 100-or-less yards, highlighted by a program-record 37 allowed in the 44-14 victory at Texas State. Linebacker La’Kel Bass earned honorable mention all-conference accolades after leading the team with 68 tackles to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
In his first season with the Roadrunners, he helped guide the team to six wins and the program’s first-ever bowl game, the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl. His linebackers combined for 267 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Josiah Tauaefa broke UTSA’s single-season record for tackles with 115 en route to becoming the Roadrunners’ first Freshman All-American (Football Writers Association of America), C-USA Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. Bass tied the school standard for single-season tackles for loss with 11 as part of his 87 total stops.
Rollins came to San Antonio from Tulane, where he spent nine seasons as secondary coach, including serving as co-defensive coordinator in 2015 and special teams coordinator in 2014. He played a key role in the development of three All-Americans and four NFL players in draft picks Lorenzo Doss and Taurean Nixon, as well as free agents Derrick Strozier and Jordan Sullen.
In 2013, Rollins’ secondary was a big reason why the Green Wave made their first bowl appearance since the 2002 season. Tulane ranked second nationally in turnovers forced with 35, including 19 interceptions with 15 by the defensive backfield. Doss, an All-America cornerback, picked off seven passes, returning a pair for touchdowns, and forced two fumbles. Additionally, Tulane allowed just 352.1 yards per game, which ranked 22nd in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
In 2014, Rollins helped lead the secondary to a combined 15 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles, as the unit contributed to 22 of the team’s 28 takeaways, which ranked 21st nationally. Parry Nickerson led the Green Wave and all FBS freshmen with six picks and garnered Freshman All-America accolades.
Rollins’ impact on Tulane’s secondary was immediate from the time he joined the staff prior to the 2008 campaign. In his first season in New Orleans, the group combined for 23 pass breakups, five interceptions, five forced fumbles and five recoveries.
During the next four years, his defensive backs combined for 31 interceptions and 120 pass breakups while helping the Green Wave defense consistently rank near the top of Conference USA in most major statistical categories.
Prior to his tenure at Tulane, Rollins was co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at his alma mater, McNeese State, for two seasons (2005-06). He helped the Cowboys to a 23-10 record, two Southland Conference championships and a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearance in in his final season.
Rollins got his coaching start as an assistant coach for the defensive backs at McNeese State in 1997-98. He was an assistant coach in the Texas prep ranks at Galveston Ball (1999-2000) and La Marque (2001).
He spent three seasons (2002-04) as the defensive backs coach at Northwestern State, where he helped the Demons to the 2004 Southland title on the strength of the top defense in the FCS.
Rollins was an all-state and all-district performer at Newton (Texas) High School and he went on to play safety at McNeese State where he earned his bachelor’s degree in health and human performance in 1996.
A 26-point effort from Michael Jones wasn’t enough Tuesday night as Choudrant fell at Lacassine in the second round of the Division V Nonselect School boys basketball playoffs. (Picture by T. Scott Boatright)
By T. Scott Boatright
LACASSINE — The Choudrant boys basketball season came to end Tuesday as the 14th-seeded Aggies fell 82-59 at third-seeded Lacassine in a second-round game of the Division V Nonselect School playoffs.
Lacassine took control early, building a 19-10 advantage by the end of the opening stanza before outscoring Choudrant 23-8 in the second quarter to push its lead to 42-18 by halftime.
The Aggies put on a stronger scoring effort in the third quarter, putting up 19 points, but the Cardinals hit for 22 of their own to move on top 64-39 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Senior forward Michael Jones poured in 26 points to lead the Aggies, who closed out the season at 23-14.
The rest of Jones’ teammates never got on track offensively.
Braden Soto added nine points for Choudrant, all on 3-pointers, while Lawson Stevens added seven and Tucker Batterton chipped in with five.
The Aggies also received four points each from Carson Carrico, Benton Case and Brayden Pye.
RUSTON – Down nine heading into the fourth quarter, Louisiana Tech held Western Kentucky to two points over the final 10 minutes to mount a ferocious comeback at the Thomas Assembly Center on Wednesday night.
With the 45-41 win, LA Tech improved 12-17 overall and 6-8 in Conference USA. WKU dropped to 15-14 and 6-8 in the league. The Lady Techsters and Lady Toppers are tied for fourth in the conference standings with a week and a half left in the regular season.
WKU ended the third quarter on a 5-0 run, but the fourth quarter belonged to Tech.
Neither team scored for the final stanza’s first three and a half minutes. An Amaya Brannon layup started to change that in favor of Tech. Paris Guillory’s 3-pointer from the corner capped off an 8-0 run that brought the Lady Techster to within 39-38. The Lady Toppers would get their only points at the four-minute mark to push the lead back to three. Brannon countered with a layup of her own.
Tech struggled from the line in the three quarters, making just 1-of-6, but would knock down 8-of-10 in the fourth. The final six attempts came in the final 15 seconds of the game. Jianna Morris drew a foul with 13 ticks on the clock and drained both to give the Lady Techsters their first lead since the second quarter. The Techsters’ defense rose to the occasion and forced the Lady Toppers into two turnovers, including one by Guillory on the inbounds right in front of the Tech bench.
Tech opened the game with consecutive 3s by Silvia Nativi and Salma Bates but would not make one for the remainder of the half. Having to rely on the inside game, the Lady Techsters relied on Anna Larr Roberson to keep them in the game.
Roberson scored 10 consecutive points for the Lady Techsters over the second and third quarters before having to sit due to foul trouble. That is when the Lady Toppers made a run to get a nine-point advantage after three.
Roberson scored a game-high 12 points while grabbing six boards. Guillory narrowly missed her first career double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds while adding three steals and two assists.
The Lady Techsters’ defense held every Lady Topper out of double figures. Destiny Salary and Karris Allen had a team-high eight points.
Tech catcher Jorge Corona (defense) recorded three hits and drove in two runs in the Bulldogs win. (photo by Dena Matzenbacher)
Staff Reports
Make it a perfect 8-0.
Louisiana Tech won its eighth straight game to open the 2024 season as the Bulldogs defeated McNeese State 13-4 Wednesday night at Joe Miller Ballpark in Lake Charles.
Tech pounded out 20 hits, including three-hit performances by Kasten Furr, Cole McConnell, Jorge Corona and Michael Ballard as the Bulldogs scored runs in seven of the nine innings.
Five different Bulldogs recorded multi-RBI performances, including Furr, McConnell, Ballard, Grant Comeaux, and Logan McLeod.
The Bulldogs drew eight walks and recorded six extra base hits, including a solo home run by Furr leading off the top of the fourth inning, making the score 4-0.
Caden Copeland (2-0) picked up the win on the mound, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Greg Martinez, Ryan Harland and Nate Crider combined to work the final 5.0 innings in relief, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven more Cowboy hitters.
Tech returns to action this weekend in the Battle at the Ballpark in Sugarland, Texas, where it will face Army (Friday at 6 p.m.), Creighton (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and Air Force (Sunday at 4 p.m.)
Wanda Copeland October 13, 1960 – February 25, 2024 Visitation: Saturday, March 2, 2024, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Funeral Service: Saturday, March 2, 2024, 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Cemetery Committal: Saturday, March 2, 2024, Longstraw Cemetery, 1799 Styles Ranch Road, Choudrant
Colin Campbell November 22, 1968 – February 18, 2024 Memorial Service: Thursday, February 29, 2024, 11:00 AM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home
Reverend Cornelius Samuel Thursday 10/04/1945 — Monday 02/19/2024 Age: 78 Visitation: Friday 03/01/2024 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Saturday 03/02/2024 11:00am, Zion Traveler Baptist Church, 1201 Martin Luther King Drive. Ruston Interment: Saturday 03/02/2024 Following Service, Zeller Cemetery, Eros
Leandrew Riley Wednesday 05/28/1947 — Friday 02/16/2024 Age: 76 Visitation: Thursday 02/29/2024 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Friday 03/01/2024 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Friday 03/01/2024 Following Service, Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery, 2412 US-425, Rayville
(Dr. Liz White reviewing “A Gathering of Old Men” by Ernest Gaines at the Lincoln Parish Library)
By Kyle Roberts
The lobby of the Lincoln Parish Library excites Dr. Liz White.
As she walks along the entrance way, she’s enamored with the decorations and books celebrating Black History Month. Dozens of books by black authors, paintings by black artists and traditional African garb adorning the entrance in the library.
“It’s so nice to see,” Dr. White said, deliberately taking time to soak in the visuals. Celebrating Black History Month is special for her.
Of course, it’s different from what she remembers growing up: as an elementary student in Jackson Parish back in the segregated 1950s, her teacher would have to take down any materials honoring black history in her classroom should the supervisor come make a scheduled visit.
Now eighty years-old, Dr. White has her own history to share as the first black instructor hired by Louisiana Tech University back in 1973– a journey that was forged in the heart of the battle for civil rights during her youth and a tenacity for wanting to be the very best educator she could possibly be.
“She was always a pusher and a seeker– always wanting to do more,” her cousin and mentor Aleane B. Hayes said. “She had meager beginnings, but she rose above all of that. And she’s still pushing the way she did back then. She’s just somebody who wanted to keep reaching high– and she did that.”
Born Lizzie Barnes in 1943, Dr. White was the fifth child to Edd and Oneda Barnes of Pleasant Grove, La., a small country community in Jackson Parish southwest of Jonesboro that she adores to this day, despite now living in Ruston for over three decades. Her father Edd was a pulp wood contractor, while mother Oneda stayed at home. The family lived on an 80-acre farm, where Dr. White remembers picking potatoes, peas, cotton, corn and peanuts among other produce.
She would go on to attend Jackson High School, the all-black school that shaped young minds on Beech Springs Road in Jonesboro. Her senior year, Dr. White would be part of the state championship girls basketball team for the Jackson High Wa-Ha’s, though there is still a sense of bittersweetness in her recounting all these years later.
“One of the most disappointing things despite winning the championships was that we wanted to go down to Baton Rouge like other teams had done,” Dr. White said. “We had never been down south before. And where was the playoff? Grambling. We had hardly ever gotten away from our doorsteps.”
Following her graduation in 1961, Dr. White would marry Charlie White, a saw mill worker from Bienville Parish, who would later go on to retire from the Stone Container plant in Hodge, La.
During these times of civil unrest and shortly after marrying, Dr. White would begin her higher education path in the fall semester of 1962 at Grambling College, where she would commute for four years back and forth, and in the midst of becoming a new mother, too, to Don José, born the same year in January.
There was never a doubt for Dr. White– her destiny would always be an educator, especially given her relationship with her previously mentioned cousin Aleane, who was an educator and nearly a decade her senior.
“She had majored in English at Grambling, and she was an English teacher,” Dr. White said. “She was playing a major role in our community– mentoring the young girls and everybody in the community. She was adored as the “educated” person in the community.
“She was so articulate and very business minded. I wanted to be like that. She did a lot of training in our church with plays or reading poems– she wanted to make sure you did it correctly.”
Hayes credits their parents for setting the tone for the importance of education in their family.
“Our parents were instrumental in that,” Hayes said. “They realized education would set us free, and they instilled that in us.”
Dr. White also credits an English teacher she had growing up, Mrs. Ruth Bonner, for instilling confidence in herself by having her help with other kids in class with writing and spelling.
So for four years, Dr. White commuted five days a week from Jackson Parish to Grambling College– nearly sixty miles there-and-back and finally graduated in May of 1966 with a bachelor’s in English Education, a minor in Social Studies, and a certification in Library Science. In the midst, she become a mother of two– her second son Adrian was born in September of 1963.
Now out of school (for the first time), Dr. White would then take a job as an English teacher at that all-black Pinecrest High in Winn Parish in the fall of 1966.
Two years would go by, and Dr. White would get an incredible opportunity funded by an endowment for the humanities grant: an entire summer in 1968 in Manhattan, Kansas, at Kansas State University, where a village of family helping would be critical as Dr. White was away from husband and sons.
“It was the first time I had ever left home,” Dr. White said. “I flew, and it was my first airplane. It was another country for me. A real culture shock– we didn’t see anything in Louisiana like what I saw there. The campus was so diverse. There were people from all over.”
Don José remembers the family all stepping up during his mother’s educational pursuits and how it shaped him as a young man.
“We were caught between not only my mom’s education, but my dad’s career, as well,” Don José said, who was five-years-old at the time. “We were the classic kids that were shuttled between grandparents; during the time she was in Manhattan, we lived with my maternal grandparents. And then when she was completing her master’s degree, we lived with my paternal grandparents. We had a mixture of experiences.
“It made being Dr. White’s son challenging but also fulfilling. Challenging in the sense that anytime your mom is gone, kids have a reaction to that. But it’s also fulfilling in that we had a chance to be in some different environments; we made new friends and new connections we wouldn’t have had. It was enriching on the one hand, but challenging on the other.”
In between her time at Grambling College and then Northwestern State in 1969, Dr. White would be moved from Pinecrest to Winnfield Senior High School, due to that state of Louisiana requiring integration and finally honoring the landmark ruling of Brown v. Board of Education.
“I was one of three teachers that had to leave Pinecrest to go to Winnfield Senior High,” Dr. White said. “It was almost like a nightmare. I became ill at one point because there was so much pressure. You knew you weren’t wanted there, and you had to be there to keep your job. And you were treated like you weren’t wanted.”
Dr. White started off teaching ninth grade English and tenth grade government at Winnfield Senior High, while spending hours helping in the library, though she felt as if there was no focus on the areas of which she was teaching.
“I knew I wanted to advance my education, because I knew I couldn’t stay where I was,” Dr. White said. “So I started working on my master’s.”
Credits earned during her trip to K-State would transfer to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., where Dr. White would earn her M.A. in English in May of 1973.
Dr. White fondly remembers her time at Northwestern State, as both student and graduate assistant, and is exceptionally proud of her master’s thesis, believing her education would finally put her on an optimal career path in Winn Parish.
Sadly, it would not be that way.
“I had been able to teach college freshman at Northwestern State, and it was a big boost and motivator for me,” Dr. White said, admitting that at the time she had never considered teaching at the university level. “When I got back to Winnfield Senior High the summer after I graduated (with my master’s), I was flying high. I had written a master’s thesis– most people did not write the thesis; they took extra hours to fulfill the requirements. But I really wanted to improve my writing.”
Her topic was on W. B. Yates’ poem “The Circus Animals’ Desertion” with a focus on allusion and context. Unsurprisingly, she made an A. When she received her grade, she was ready to come back to the principal at Winnfield High and talk about her career path moving forward. And despite her protestations, she was given vocational English to teach.
That was the end of her career at Winnfield High.
“That ran me away,” Dr. White said. “It was a slap in the face.”
So Dr. White turned her attention northward — to Louisiana Tech University’s English department. Louisiana Tech had only in recent years begun to accept black students: James Earl Potts in the spring of 1965 and Bertha Bradford-Robinson a few months later.
Never lost on Dr. White, both students were from Jackson Parish, with Bradford-Robinson attending the same church as Dr. White: Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church. And in response to Louisiana Tech accepting both Potts and Bradford-Robinson, both of their home churches were burned to the ground on the same night (Potts’ home church was Bethany Baptist Church in Quitman, La.) on Sunday, Jan. 17, 1965.
“My sons asked me what made me think I could get a job at Louisiana Tech,” Dr. White said. “I felt so prepared to teach after my time at Grambling College, and I just felt so good about myself after getting my advanced degree at Northwestern State.”
Dr. White knew she would stand face-to-face with a giant barrier at the time: Louisiana Tech had never employed a black faculty member at any level. Still, there would be no stopping her.
“I had the fortitude because I had come out of the civil rights movement in Jonesboro,” Dr. White said. “We were breaking down all kinds of barriers; it had gotten in my blood. I was ready to knock down another one.
“I’m going to ask for it– even if I don’t get it, I’m going to ask.”
And ask she did. Dr. White called the chairman of the English department, Robert C. Snyder, on the phone.
“I said a few things to him,” Dr. White said. “I told him my name and where I was from. I told him I just completed my masters of arts degree in English at Northwestern State. And I made an A on my written thesis.
“Then I said, ‘I’d like to teach for you.’ And I’ll never forget his words: he said, ‘You sound interesting. Why don’t you come up and talk with me?'”
So the whole White family loaded up for the drive to Ruston, and Charlie, Don José and little Adrian sat outside George T. Madison Hall while Dr. White had her interview with Snyder.
“He was very gracious to me,” Dr. White said. “It was extraordinary, because I wasn’t expecting that kind of welcoming spirit. He asked me several questions, and I was starting to feel like this man was genuine. I started to really open up and express what I thought and what my feelings were and what I had done.
“He said, ‘Well, you have the job.'”
Dr. White credits Snyder for his courage to be willing to hire the first black instructor at Louisiana Tech, right on the spot, no less. And in the Fall Quarter of 1973, Dr. White began what would be an illustrious career at the university, despite still facing hurdles as the only black faculty member amongst her all-white colleagues at the time. She remembers her first few months as “quiet” in regards to how people were receiving her overall.
“There were two or three faculty members that were very open and supportive, particularly the females in the room,” Dr. White said. “I was busy making sure I did what I needed to do. We knew as African Americans, we had to do more than enough, so that’s what I was busy trying to do.”
Over time, Dr. White would continue to climb the ranks within the English department– moving to assistant professor in 1977. Not one to ever remain complacent, Dr. White would then earn her doctorate from Northeast Louisiana University (now UL-Monroe) in December of 1982. She then was promoted to associate professor in 1987, and her full professor promotion finally came in 1996.
And as rightfully proud of her educational accomplishments as she is, Dr. White beams when she talks about being the editor of the “Active Voice” from 1987-1995, which was the quarterly-published newsletter of the Louisiana Association for College Composition and distributed to English teachers statewide.
“It created a different attitude about me and my ability to perform in my field,” Dr. White said. “Whenever I got it published, it went out to universities throughout the state and I’d always fill my colleagues’ mailboxes with the newsletters so they knew it had been published.”
Don José recognizes that pride she has in the newsletter, too.
“She had a tremendous amount of fulfillment out her time serving as the editor,” he said. “It gave her a chance to participate in journalism, editing and publishing. That was something that African Americans, in general, and professors in her area had not had very many opportunities to do those kinds of things. She was a trailblazer.”
A trailblazer, indeed, Dr. White would then create and teach the first course ever in African American Literature at Louisiana Tech and started an initiative to establish the course as a permanent listing in the English department’s curriculum. And after years of teaching and having numerous papers and articles published in professional journals, she would finally retire from teaching in May of 2000. From there, she would go on to work for 19 years as a tax professional at H&R Block in Ruston, allowing her to live a different life from the one before in the teaching profession.
In her decades of service to Louisiana Tech, she saw change at the university following her landmark hire with the consideration for more diverse applicants.
“I saw (Louisiana Tech) picking up other people of color for staff, though not as much in academia at the time as I would have liked,” Dr. White said. “But the atmosphere was more relaxed, and it’s continued to improve. It almost has to, because once you see the train moving forward, you have to jump on.”
And while retired, her love for education has not stopped — it just looks different now. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. White founded the Ruston chapter of Grambling University National Alumni Association, served as president of Jackson High School National Alumni Association, and since September of 2017, she now serves as president of Lincoln Parish Retired Educators.
She sponsored a book club and hosted discussions in Union, Bienville, Lincoln and Jackson parishes and was very involved with the NAACP Ruston branch for many years. In 2023, Dr. White and other members of the community started the now-defunct Coalition Against School Closures in a response to a bond proposal that would consolidate elementary schools in Ruston. Most recently, Dr. White was the featured speaker for a book review at the Lincoln Parish Library on Thursday, Feb. 22, and Friday, Feb. 23 of this year.
She was asked about how proud she was looking back 50 years ago to her hire.
“I’m very much proud to look back,” Dr. White said in conclusion. “Mr. Snyder called me after my first day of class and asked ‘How did it go?’
“I told him how it went, and he said to me ‘You’re breaking a lot of ice. Don’t ever forget that.'”
A list of some of Dr. White’s accomplishments is below:
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 1968
Jackson Parish Library Board of Control, 1976-82, served as vice-president
L’Jarius Sneed (second from right) and his mother Jane
By Bonnie Culverhouse (Webster Parish Journal)
The first time Jane Sneed changed her son’s diaper, did she know he would be a Super Bowl winning cornerback with Kansas City Chiefs?
“No, I did not,” Jane said. “That was a formula that was not even generated yet.”
Not only did L’Jarius Sneed play for a Super Bowl winning team once, he now has two Super Bowl rings for the same team.
And his mother is becoming almost as popular because now Jane is known in KC as “Mama Sneed.”
“With the popularity on his behalf, we don’t put ourselves out there because we know there are individuals that are not happy for you,” Jane said. “Security is everywhere we go, now. As becoming known as ‘Mama Sneed,’ the popularity is just overwhelming. I never thought that title would hit as popular as it is. I’m just his mom, but the people up there say, ‘no, you’re Mama Sneed.’”
It feels like a celebrity name to her, but even with security, Jane Sneed is still the same person … only better.
“I still have that outspokenness … the firmness,” she said. “I’m more of a people-person now than I have ever been. I get out and make myself comfortable around others.”
It’s not about being the mother of a celebrity. “I’m still an individual – I’m still me.”
When L’Jarius Sneed was a youngster, he played basketball. Between 8 and 10 years old, he played Little League football. But Jane says when he was in ninth grade, her other sons – T.Q. Sneed and the late T.Q. Harris – convinced him to play football at Minden High School, and he loved it.
“That’s when people said ‘he’s good; he’s going pro,’” she said. “And yet, we could not see it. To us, it was just playing football.”
About the same time, L’Jarius said he began to realize he had a future in the pros.
“About my junior year in high school,” he said. “I was playing both sides of the ball, and I started getting offers. That was a special year, so I took the chance.”
L’Jarius did not finish his time at Louisiana Tech University, because the future of professionalism was calling his name.
“It’s not because anyone was coming after him,” Jane explained. “He was going in as a walk-on. The day of the (NFL) Combine, someone called and invited him. At the Comine, he worked himself out and he made it, and that’s where we are today.”
L’Jarius has been credited with a play or two that may have sent Kansas City to this year’s Super Bowl. Some of those plays include hitting the opposition really hard. Does Mama Sneed ever fuss at her son for how hard he hits? It was a question that made her laugh almost as hard as L’Jarius hits.
“Actually, we have talked about it after every game,” she said. “What he tells us is it’s his thrive and his drive. It’s his motivation, and whatever is happening in his life, he takes it to the field and lets it out.”
She said her son is aggressive on the field because of his work ethic.
“He goes out there knowing who he is and what he can accomplish, and that’s what makes him be that aggressive player,” she said. “He likes to get into the mind of the opponent. He lets them know he is not one they can talk noise to and get away with it.”
But, she added, “when his words catch up with his actions, that’s where you have trouble.”
L’Jarius, joined his mother to hand out groceries at Mt. Calm Senior Hamlet on Lee Street in Minden Tuesday morning. The groceries were provided by Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, but Sneed missed a plane and donated his time to help Mama Sneed and be available for the community he still calls home. However, he said he loves Kansas City, too.
“I try to help the children as much as I can,” he added. “I try to do a lot with the Boys and Girls Club.”
He said it meant a lot to him to come back home and help his mother with the food project.
“We have a responsibility to these people who don’t have as much as we do,” he said.
These days, Jane attends all of L’Jarius’ home games in Kansas City.
“Well, it depends on where the games are,” she said. “I’m not into the cold weather.”
She has, however, learned to love flying because “it goes quicker.”
Jane was in Kansas City the day of the mass shooting at the Super Bowl rally the week following the game.
“It was very scary because at the time it started, the players were on the stage, and we saw the police running and then we heard boom, boom, boom – shots,” she said. “Everybody ducked and went to the ground. I did not see my son L’Jarius and at that time, I was in panic mode. I’m a ‘whining mama’ then. They got us out of Union Station and onto the buses that were protected from bullets so we were safe. I saw L’Jarius walking out and he got on after I did. That was the scariest time of my life.”
Since that day, two adults were arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Last year, Minden held its own celebration for L’Jarius Sneed, including a parade and a time for autographs and awards, all held downtown.
Plans are underway right now for Saturday, March 2, but it will be a little different from last year.
Security was upgraded last year and will be again this year.
“The mayor gave JJ a proclamation day on (Monday) March 4, but we are actually doing the celebration Saturday at 11 o’clock. There’s a parade downtown,” she said. “Afterward, we will resume with an event at the recreation center on Industrial Drive where there will be photo shootings and signings, things for the kids – a concert for everyone that’s going to be a surprise. We know who’s coming, but we’re not saying who it is yet.”
She said because of security, she likes the idea of moving everything inside a closed area.
“It makes me feel 100 percent better,” Jane said. “There will still be security for the parade, but being indoors for the rest of it … that will be easier for security to keep everyone safe.”
All of Minden and the surrounding areas are encouraged to attend Saturday’s events.
If generosity had faces you could see on the Louisiana Tech campus, if it had feet and hands and hearts in action you could witness, if generosity were a couple, it would look a lot like Jeanette and Justin Hinckley.
Since the pair graduated from Tech in 1978, the Hinckleys have been lavish in their gifts to the University, both small and large (and much, much larger). This does not count the painting of handrails, the trees trimmed, the weeds pulled, the games and events attended, or the encouragement, practically each day, to staff and students.
“The Hinckleys are arguably the most engaged and vital agents of our University and city,” Dean of Tech’s College of Liberal Arts Karl Puljak said. “What I admire most about Jeannette and Justin is that their care and support impact so many at Louisiana Tech and Ruston.”
The Forever Loyal couple, longtime supporters of everything Louisiana Tech, will become the University’s newest Tower Medallion recipients and be inducted by the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association into Tech’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni during Winter 2024 Commencement Saturday, March 2 at 10 a.m. in the Thomas Assembly Center on the Tech campus.
Their friend Dr. Les Guice, recently retired 14th president of the University, will serve as commencement speaker.
“Jeanette and Justin have remained strongly connected to and supportive of Louisiana Tech for decades,” Guice said. “They have given so much of themselves to Tech. I have seen firsthand the impacts they have had on every corner of our campus.”
The Tower Medallion Award signifies membership in the Hall and is awarded to Tech alumni who have distinguished themselves by exceptional achievement, community service, and humanitarian activities.
The Hinckleys qualify many times over. Justin, a graduate in Computer Science, was named Tech’s Alumnus of the Year in 2010. Wife Jeanette Jarrell Hinckley, and English education graduate, was the University’s Distinguished Alumna for the College of Education in 2016.
Justin worked at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, Cities Services Co., United Technologies Research Center, and Mobil Oil in capacities ranging from programmer/analyst to systems manager. He started work at Cleco, an energy services company based in central Louisiana in 1988 as a staff programmer and moved up to analyst, manager of business services, and in 2000 was promoted to general manager of technology services, a position he served until his retirement in 2008.
During her career, Jeanette served as librarian and branch manager for libraries in Palm Beach Gardens and Tequesta, Florida as well as Calcasieu Parish. She also served as records manager for Mobil Oil in Lafayette and New Orleans, and later owned and managed Books, Etc. in Pineville. She is past president and secretary of the Pineville Rotary Club, a Lagniappe Ladies charter member and, along with her husband, is involved in many community activities and professional groups.
“Justin and Jeannette are the best kind of alumni,” Dean of Tech’s College of Business Dr. Chris Martin said. “They are generous with their time and resources, and are passionate about making Louisiana Tech the best it can be for generations of students to come. We’re grateful for their ongoing support of the College of Business through their Just Business Giving Society membership, attendance at so many of our events and lectures, and for Justin’s involvement on our Computer Information Systems Advisory Board.”
Their time and gifts stretch across campus and across disciplines, from business to endowed scholarships to flower beds to office renovations to the Justin and Jeanette Hinckley Virtual Anatomy Lab in Carson-Taylor Hall.
“Justin and Jeanette Hinckley are loyalty, commitment, and service personified,” Dr. Dean Schillinger of Tech’s College of Education and Human Services said. “The needs of others drive them, whether it is providing a much-needed donation for scholarships, planting shrubbery to enhance an entranceway, or sponsoring charity-related events. Justin and Jeanette are always eager, able, and enthusiastic to help — always without any personal recognition. I am indebted to them and filled with gratitude for their blessing and encouragement to me personally.”
There are few if any areas of campus that haven’t been graced by a sacrifice from the Hinckleys, all in the name of helping Tech produce society’s problem-solvers and caregivers and leaders.
“Given that the Tower Medallion Award recognizes Tech alumni who have distinguished themselves through exceptional achievement and community service, no one is more deserving of this award than Justin and Jeanette Hinckley,” Dean of Tech’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences (ANS) Dr. Gary Kennedy said.
“In our College specifically, Justin and Jeanette have supported our efforts to raise funds for students in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry through our annual Poinsettia Scholarship Auction, year after year. They provide students in Nursing with uniforms that are required for the clinical portion of the program. They served as the lead donor for the Virtual Anatomy Lab in Carson Taylor Hall; without them, the addition of that wonderful technology would not have been possible. This is just a fraction of their efforts to support the students, faculty, staff, and all of us, not only in Applied and Natural Sciences, but throughout all the University. Justin and Jeanette have made significant contributions that have had a direct and dramatic impact, both in the classroom and beyond.”
Dr. Jamie Newman, ANS associate professor, associate dean for research and graduate studies, and director of the Newman Lab, met Justin at a Ruston coffee shop before she even began working for the University.
“He and Jeanette have been amazing friends ever since,” she said. “Personally, they helped us to build the VISTA Center by purchasing our first class set of digital drawing tablets back when the Center was just an idea. Since then, they’ve been critical to the growth of that Center. They are some of the most special people I have had the opportunity to meet. I know I would not be able to do what I do without their support and friendship.”
“Justin and Jeanette Hinckley have a tremendous heart for their alma mater,” ANS Director of Development Penny Humphries said. “Clearly, their passion, belief, and confidence in what it means to be a member of the ‘Tech Family’ is demonstrated daily. Their selfless generosity and desire to create positive change continues to make indelible marks on Louisiana Tech University. I am humbled by their generosity and loyalty to Tech.”
Lincoln Parish deputies arrested a Ruston man early Friday morning after stopping a vehicle for equipment violations.
When the vehicle was stopped about 12:30 a.m. Friday morning on U.S. Highway 167, a deputy saw Christopher Lance, Maryland, II, 21, lying on the back seat. Maryland appeared to be intoxicated and a deputy asked if he was okay. The deputy saw bits of suspected marijuana on Maryland’s clothing.
Maryland was asked to step out of the vehicle and a jar containing marijuana was discovered. One of the front seat passengers said she observed Maryland with the marijuana earlier in the night. During a prior traffic, Maryland hid it from officers.
Maryland was arrested for possession of marijuana over 14 grams and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
A Ruston man was arrested Friday afternoon after Lincoln Parish deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint and found drugs during their investigation.
Deputies responded to a Fletcher Lane address where they found D’Marrion M. Malcolm, 24, seated in the vehicle. A deputy smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and saw a bag of suspected marijuana in the driver’s door. A search of the vehicle yielded four separate bags of marijuana totaling approximately 1/4 pound. Malcolm’s one-year-old son was in a car seat in the back seat of the vehicle.
Malcolm was arrested and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center where he was booked for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance in the presence of a person under 17, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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.
