PIONEER, La. – In recognition of the 10-year anniversary of Poverty Point being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visitors will enjoy free admission to Poverty Point World Heritage Site on Saturday, June 22. In addition, there will be informative, interactive and engaging programs offered throughout the day.
“The World Heritage designation for Poverty Point has been significant for the site and the area. Not only has it been recognized as one of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures, but visitation to the site since 2013, the year before the designation, has drastically increased,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “With the recent addition of cruise ship excursions and improvements to the site, along with the nearby Poverty Point Reservoir State Park and the Conference Center at Black Bear, we hope to continue welcoming folks from all over the world to feed their souls on this extraordinary piece of our state’s history.”
In 1962, Poverty Point was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The site also became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2010 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Of the 1,199 UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the globe, Poverty Point is one of just 25 in the U.S. with such a designation. World Heritage Sites are designated for their universal value in natural or cultural heritage.
Poverty Point is considered one of the most culturally significant Native American sites in the U.S. The 3,400-year-old site is also the largest, most complex U.S. archaeological site of its age. The site’s design is unlike any other site in the world, including a massive earthen complex, with six mounds, six concentric, C-shaped ridges and a large, flat plaza.
An interpretive museum, special events, programs and guided tours, highlight activities at the park. Tram tours are available year-round, weather permitting; call the office for the daily schedule. The $4 admission fee provides access to the museum, film theatre, hiking trail, driving tour, seasonal tram tour, and any interpretive events taking place at the site. Children (3 and under) and senior citizens (62 and over) are admitted free of charge.
Poverty Point is located at 6859 LA Highway 577 in Pioneer, LA. The park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, follow the Poverty Point World Heritage Site Facebook page.
Funeral services for Marcil Edmiston Soto McCann, age 98, of Ruston, Louisiana, will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home of Ruston, Louisiana. Services will be officiated by Rev. Paul Watts, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. The burial will be at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Ruston, La. Visitation will be from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday evening at Owens Memorial Chapel.
Marcil McCann was born on February 16, 1926, to Lillian and Charlie Edmiston, one of fifteen children. She passed away on June 19, 2024, in Ruston, Louisiana. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband and the father of her three children, George R. Soto, Sr.; her second husband, Linch Thompson McCann; ten brothers and three sisters; one grandson, Adam Isaac; and numerous sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, as well as several nieces and nephews.
She is survived by her children: Tony Soto and wife Mary; Lenora (Chinkie) Pyles and husband Arnold; and George Soto, Jr. (Butch) and wife Shirley, all of Ruston; three step-daughters: Linda Cohn of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Debbie Slaughter of Rogersville, Tennessee; and Robyn Williams of Buford, Georgia; one precious brother, Ragan Edmiston of Ruston; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and many, many friends.
Marcil McCann was employed by different businesses in Ruston, including Lewis’, Hood Restaurant, and the original Dowling’s Smokehouse. She always loved her work and was loved by the customers she served.
She is a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church and always enjoyed visits from Pastor Paul Watts, her current deacon John Roebuck, and other deacons and church members who would come by.
Pallbearers will be grandsons Lance Pyles, Tim Soto, and Tom Soto; and great grandsons Trayson Soto, Brandon Pyles, and Brody Soto. Honorary pallbearers will be Todd Pyles, T.J. Soto, Hunter Soto, Taylor Pyles, Luke Pyles, Gabe Pyles, Landry Pyles, Braden Soto, Rhett Brister, Mayes Brister, Maverick Brister, Leo Pyles, Asher Pyles, Rowan Soto, and Asher Soto.
The family would like to thank all the staff at Alpine Guest Care for the concern and kindness shown toward our mother/grandmother and toward all of us over the past years. We would like to express our gratitude to Premier Hospice for their help. Everything is deeply appreciated.
Carolyn Louise Ferguson October 25, 1938 – June 18, 2024 Visitation: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Ruston, Saturday, June 22, 2024, 9:00 am – 10:00 am Service: Kilpatrick Funeral Homes – Ruston, Saturday, June 22, 2024, 10:00 am Cemetery: Mt. Zion Cemetery, Vernon, LA, Saturday, June 22, 2024
Marcil McCann February 16, 1926 – June 19, 2024 Visitation: Friday, June 21, 2024, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Funeral Service: Saturday, June 22, 2024, 10:00 AM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Cemetery Committal: Saturday, June 22, 2024, Forest Lawn Cemetery, 2500 West California Ave, Ruston
Dorothy Gray Wednesday 02/01/1956 — Saturday 06/15/2024 Visitation: Friday 06/21/2024 3:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 06/22/2024, Grambling Memorial Garden, Highway 80 West, Grambling
John Robert Jackson Sunday 09/10/1967 — Sunday 06/16/2024 Celebration of Life: Friday 06/21/2024, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston Interment: Friday 06/21/2024, Bonner Cemetery, Ruston
Robert “Bud” Frasier September 19, 1938 – June 14, 2024 Cemetery: Mineral Springs Cemetery, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 10:00 am
Gloria Rabon Monday 04/08/1940 — Wednesday 06/12/2024 Memorial Service: Friday 06/21/2024 1:00pm, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2586 Hwy 150, Grambling
Zeta Rho chapter members gathered at a mixer while playing host to the Louisiana Council of Epsilon Sigma Alpha.
Ruston’s Zeta Rho chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha hosted the service group’s 2024 state convention earlier this month and came way with multiple chapter and individual awards.
Chapters attending were from the areas of Shreveport-Bossier, Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette and New Orleans.
The three-day event featured business and workshop sessions at the Courtyard by Marriott. Installation ceremonies for the state 2024-2025 officers were also held, with Ruston’s Nancy Darland tapped as vice president for the coming year. That title also signifies her as president-elect, set to take office in 2025.
An awards banquet brought other honors. Jennifer Patterson, named as Zeta Rho’s Member of the Year, won second place statewide in that category. Amy Ringheim, Zeta Rho’s Pledge of the Year, also won second in the state competition.
In chapter awards, Zeta Rho placed second overall, with these additional honors: education – second, chaired by Gina Holstead; philanthropic hours and philanthropic monies – second in both, chaired by Darland; and recruitment – third, chaired by Patterson. Among its philanthropic work through the year, Zeta Rho worked in-depth with the Z107.5 St. Jude Radiothon and the Monroe St. Jude Dream Home.
Other honors at the awards ceremony included Holstead’s receiving a Gold Link certificate for outstanding work regarding chapter educational sessions. Norlyn Hyde, Zeta Rho secretary, received a Gold Link award for her minutes of the monthly meetings.
Additional individual citations featured a 40-year membership certificate for Darland and 35-year certificates for Hyde and Sallie Rose Hollis. Honors regarding their philanthropic and service work went to Lester Fife, third degree Pallas Athene, and Holstead, second degree.
The opening social for the convention, held at Beau Vines Steakhouse, featured Ruston resident Valerie Owens speaking about their family’s journey with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital after their son, Breck, was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The tale had a happy ending: Breck is now in remission.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists there will be intermittent shoulder closures during daylight hours along Interstate 20 in Lincoln Parish until further notice. The closures will occur from exit 83 (Tarbutton Road) west to the Lincoln-Bienville Parish line.
The shoulder closures are required to remove trees and vegetation from the I-20 median and right of way. This work will occur as weather permits. The intermittent shoulder closures are anticipated to occur until March 2025, weather permitting. All lanes of traffic will remain open during these shoulder closures.
LA DOTD and Trahan Construction appreciates your patience and reminds you to drive with caution through the construction site and to be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.
Today marks a special day for us at the LPJ: we officially cut the ribbon on our thriving small media business in what I hope will be in front of our friends, family and community partners.
Now, not a lot of businesses will wait nearly three years to cut its ribbon, but we’ve always thought of ourselves as just a little bit different from the norm.
Our group of Malcolm Butler, my wife Dr. Judith Roberts, and me came together in the summer of 2021, spending countless hours in the evenings and weekends trying to figure out if this was the right thing to do.
There is always angst in the early formation of a business — I know I felt it — and so mapping out everything from what success would look like all the way to how we would amicably part ways professionally if this didn’t work was something I had to have handles on. And it kept me awake at night over that summer.
Now factor in two kids, my own full-time job at the time where I had never for a moment considered leaving, and what could have been a tremendous financial risk by our group? Those right there could make any risk averse person flee for safer pastures.
But through those conversations, there was something that helped me throw away my fears and ultimately dive right in — I knew, without a doubt, it would be meaningful work for us and a service to our community.
Ruston, and Lincoln Parish by and large, has a very rich history and the people who live here all have amazing stories to tell. These are stories about family, service, achievement, goodwill, arts — you name it, it’s out here.
And you have trusted us to be the ones to tell those stories. We don’t take this charge and this trust lightly. It’s why we get out of the bed every day.
Some days, as with any job, are easier than others. But I can say with certainty that in the years we have published the journal that the good days have by far outweighed the bad.
Because when your heart is connected to the work that you do, the rest comes very easily. And I have so many people to give my gratitude for that.
I believe that I’m the most blessed man alive because nearly my entire professional life has been dedicated to meaningful work while making meaningful connections and relationships all along the way.
It’s certainly something that I hope will continue for many, many years to come.
So thank you to Malcolm and to Judith for being in this journey with me. And thank you to our sales reps, writers, photographers, advertisers, community partners, Journal Services and our readers.
You all have given meaning to our work, and we humbly hope you will allow us to continue to serve all of you in the coming years.
The Lincoln Parish Journal will hold its ribbon cutting ceremony at the Experience Ruston – Visitors Center at 2:00 p.m. today.
“Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. Remember that you will get your reward from the Lord. He will give you what you should receive. You are working for the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24)
A Ruston man was arrested Thursday after police investigated a domestic disturbance at a West California Avenue apartment complex.
Shawn Metoyer, 20, was arrested for battery of a dating partner about 11:30 a.m. last Thursday morning.
A woman told police she and her boyfriend, Metoyer, had argued and he hit her in the side of her head. She said Metoyer grabbed her by the arms and hit her on the leg with a broom handle.
Officers saw a bruise on the lower inside of the victim’s ankle. She stated she was trying to leave during the argument. While trying to load belongings in her vehicle, Metoyer became physical with her. She said she grabbed a knife to defend herself and Metoyer threw a bottle at her, striking her in the leg.
Metoyer told police an argument occurred, but he did not hit the woman only grabbed her by the arm. He said the woman grabbed a knife and held it to his neck. However, his explanation was vague and he was less than forthcoming about the incident, according to an officer’s report. Metoyer was arrested 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.
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishing staff of the Lincoln Parish Journal.
Medicare Advantage is not just about health coverage; it’s about peace of mind and quality care that extends beyond medical services. As a senior navigating the healthcare landscape, and as a former nurse who spent years on the front lines, I’ve seen firsthand how indispensable Medicare Advantage is.
There are countless reasons why Medicare Advantage is the best healthcare option for seniors like me. This program is more than just a safety net. Over 33 million Americans, including myself, depend on it for affordable care, strong benefits, and enhanced health outcomes.
However, earlier this year, the Medicare agency introduced changes to the program, threatening the vital benefits and low premiums we rely on. It is crucial to protect and preserve Medicare Advantage against harmful policy changes. That is why I want to thank Speaker Johnson for his continued support of the program on behalf of Louisiana seniors. With his position in Congress, his backing is more important than ever.
Affordability is a standout feature of Medicare Advantage. It provides substantial savings, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. With lower costs than traditional Medicare, access to affordable care is a significant relief, ensuring that necessary medical attention is always within reach.
Furthermore, Medicare Advantage improves access to care. The program covers diverse populations, including rural communities, that rely on vital telehealth options to bridge the gap in rural access. It’s heartening to know that Medicare Advantage offers reliable services to those who need them, ensuring consistent access to comprehensive care. This is a reality I’ve personally experienced and witnessed throughout my nursing career.
Quality of care is non-negotiable for seniors, and Medicare Advantage delivers on this front. The financial peace of mind it provides is also crucial, with benefits such as caps on out-of-pocket costs, integrated vision, dental, and hearing benefits, and comprehensive prescription drug coverage.
What truly sets Medicare Advantage apart is its bipartisan support. It represents enduring cooperation between the government and the free market. Overall, Medicare Advantage fulfills its mission to provide lower costs, more choices, and better health outcomes for its 33 million Americans and counting.
As a senior on Medicare Advantage, I urge everyone to recognize the invaluable role it plays in our lives. Once again, I’d like to thank Speaker Johnson for his continued support of this life-changing program. We need his support now more than ever to ensure that its great benefits and low premiums continue to serve seniors here in Louisiana and across the country.
An anchor is used on a ship to hold the vessel in place. It’s normally a heavy metal object attached to a cable that can be cast overboard to hold the vessel in a particular place. That word and associated symbolism can be used in our life as well. There may be people, processes, or places in our lives that serve as an anchor for us. They keep us grounded in tough times, provide clarity in uncertainty, and direction when we get lost.
As important as it is to hold firm in a particular place in challenging times, there are times that we need to move forward. While those “anchors” in our life can be positive factors, there are also negative connotations of “anchors” as well. Negative anchors keep us from moving forward, keep us from growing, and keep us from new experiences.
As you consider your life, are there anchors you need to deal with to move forward?
Holding on to anger is an anchor! You are convinced that the other person doesn’t deserve forgiveness, so you hold on to the anger. Maybe they don’t deserve or even seek your forgiveness but releasing that anger may just be the best gift to yourself that you can give. It may be the freeing experience you need to move forward in life and experience the joy you desire.
Harboring resentment is another anchor! Something went down that was not fair, and you are resentful. You deserved better, and yet someone else benefited. Maybe it was a promotion, an award, an opportunity, or any number of other things. Life is not fair. It never has been and never will be. You can choose to hold on to that resentment like an anchor or you can choose to release it and move forward as a gift to yourself.
A pessimistic or negative approach to work, to relationships, or to life in general can also be an anchor! This view normally results from a negative experience or encounter and happens to all of us at some point. The real question is how we allow it to impact us. We can dwell on the negative experience and allow it to turn us negative or we can choose to look beyond it and free our thoughts to seek a new opportunity for joy and fulfillment.
Circumstances can also become a negative anchor in our lives. There are some tough health concerns to deal with, uncertain financial matters to be addressed, troubled relationships to navigate, as well as any number of other challenging circumstances to face. These can be very hard, but they don’t have to be a negative anchor in our lives. If we allow them to be that “anchor”, we have essentially already lost the battle. If we can accept the circumstances and seek to just take the right next step, we can pull that anchor in and continue to “live”.
Regardless of the anchor(s) in your life, the question for you to consider is whether it’s time to move forward and make a gift to yourself. Is it time for you to free yourself of that anchor and move forward? If you don’t want to do it for anyone else, do it for yourself. You deserve it!
You’re invited, free of charge, this evening from 5-7 to a star-studded casual party kicking off the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
It’s in downtown Natchitoches, at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street (at the traffic circle) in Natchitoches. No need to dress fancy, just enjoy food and refreshments and music and a world-class museum, mingling with some of our state’s greatest sports stars and their families.
The Welcome Reception provides the best possible opportunity to stroll around the 27,500-square foot museum – and to take in the debut of the “Showtime: LSU’s Spectacular Pistol Pete” exhibit in the Atmos Energy Gallery on the first floor. It includes dozens of photos, many taken by Baton Rouge photographer John Musemeche behind the scenes and never seen in public before, encompassing basketball legend Pete Maravich’s days at LSU from 1967-70.
Ralph Jukkola, who is on LSU’s All-Decade Team for the 1960s and was a Maravich teammate, is planning to come up from Baton Rouge to represent his Tiger comrades.
Another LSU basketball legend, Seimone Augustus, headlines the Class of 2024 inductees who will be attending Thursday’s reception. Augustus, from Baton Rouge, is heading into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October after joining the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in April. She is a three-time USA Olympic gold medalist, one of the greatest players in WNBA history, and is immortalized with a statue outside the Maravich Assembly Center at LSU along with Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Pettit and Pistol Pete.
Flying in from Michigan to be inducted is 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson, a three-time All-American wrestler at LSU from 1983-85. Jackson later was a two-time Olympic wrestling coach, inducted in LSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
New Iberia native Kerry Joseph is the new quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears, developing 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 NFL Draft No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Joseph’s 19-year pro playing career – in which he played quarterback, H-back, and safety in six NFL seasons and became a Grey Cup MVP at quarterback as a standout in the Canadian Football League – followed a record-shattering four seasons at QB for the McNeese Cowboys.
Coming in from South Carolina to be inducted is former Tulane basketball coach Perry Clark, who guided the Green Wave to their only three NCAA Tournament appearances after reviving the program in the early 1990s.
Renowned jockey Ray Sibille, ranking among the best American riders ever with over 4,200 wins, is rolling up I-49 from his home in Sunset to be enshrined. He will be joined by iconic Grambling baseball coach Wilbert Ellis and another incredible coach, Frank Monica, who led three different south Louisiana teams to LHSAA football state championships.
Former Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett, a Louisiana Tech graduate, is in the Class of 2024 along with sports writers Bobby Ardoin, who got his start writing for Northwestern State’s student newspaper, and Ron Higgins. The other two members of the Class of 2024’s dynamic dozen, former New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees and Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympic wrestler who became one of MMA’s greatest figures, will be inducted Saturday night during a sold-out ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center.
There’s no need to dress up tonight. Just come in, and enjoy the visit to a world-class museum with 491 sports heroes celebrated inside, with some of them beginning their LSHOF induction weekend.
Just ahead — the free Friday evening Rockin’ River Fest concert on the downtown riverbank stage. Music starts at 6, with the Class of 2024 inductees introduced on stage at 9:15, followed by a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music. Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, the second of two Louisiana Music Hall of Fame bands, will fire back up the music for another hour until 10:30.
There will be a free kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers with games under the Front Street bridge, and food vendors along with beverages available for sale.
You’re invited to all the fun. Visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255 to get more information.
South Louisiana cuisine is renowned for its bold flavors with hearty dishes like jambalaya, gumbo, étouffée, shrimp Creole, and all manner of seafood. The celebrity of the food south of Ville Platte would have you believe North Louisianans don’t know how to eat.
I disagree. I’m perfectly happy with a plate of what most people consider “soul food.” What I always called “real food.” It never came from a box. Mostly, it’s what our ancestors raised in the back yard.
Especially in the summer, I crave purple hull peas, fried okra, squash casserole, watermelon, Ruston peaches, and the other fruits and vegetables I grew up on, especially when I ate at my grandmother’s.
Not to be outdone by the Cajun and Creole fare of down south, North Louisiana has an official meal reminiscent of what my grandmother fed me. Simple fare but filling and tasty.
Chef Hardette Harris of Bossier City created the official meal from regional dishes that showcase North Louisiana’s culinary heritage. The menu offers a mix-and-match of main dishes, sides, and desserts representing North Louisiana home cooking. The meal also incorporates some of Louisiana’s other official food symbols such as the Natchitoches meat pie, mayhaw, and strawberries.
The official North Louisiana state meal was established in 2015 by the Louisiana Legislature. State Representative Gene Reynolds of Dubberly took Chef Harris’s list, converted it into a bill and got it passed in the Legislature to recognize the culinary uniqueness of the North Louisiana.
Reynolds’s bill serves the purpose of recognizing “the proud cuisines birthed from the mix of ethnic heritages and identities that, blended together, produce these recipes for delightfully edible comestibles.”
Oklahoma is the only other state to officially recognize a state meal.
I ate many meals at my grandmother’s table. No sandwiches, fast food, or other shortcuts for her. If you ate at her house, you got the full deal cooked on a stove. The official North Louisiana Meal covers nearly everything served at her table. She would have added fried pork chops and fried peach pies.
For the cornbread, fresh butter made from the cow she milked daily. And that cornbread—cooked in two tablespoons of bacon grease in a heavy black skillet. Then to the broiler under the oven to brown the top perfectly. Cut in the shape of a triangle. None of that sweet stuff that comes in a box.
I yearn for more restaurants to serve the “real food” my grandmother cooked.
Menu of North Louisiana’s State Meal
APPETIZER: Mini Natchitoches Meat Pie
MAIN DISH: Fried Catfish – Fried Chicken – Barbeque Ribs – Barbeque Chicken – Barbeque Smoked Sausage – Baked Ham
GREENS: Cabbage – Collards – Mustards – Turnips (cooked with smoked neck bones and/or smoked ham hocks)
PEAS & BEANS: Blackeye – Purple hull – Pinto – Butter (cooked with smoked neck bones and/or smoked ham hocks)
SIDE DISHES: Baked Sweet Potato – Rice with Gravy – Potato Salad – Fried Okra
BREADS: Hot Water Cornbread – Skillet Cornbread – Homemade Biscuits
DESSERTS: Sweet Potato Pie – Pecan Pie – Pound Cake – Peach Cobbler – Fruit Salad (sliced watermelon chunk topped with fresh blueberries, peaches and strawberries)
CONDIMENTS: Homemade Mayhaw and Plum Jelly – Cucumber. Tomato, Onion and Green Onion Salad – Hot Sauce – Homemade Pepper Sauce – Cane Syrup
To lessen the threat of an accidental nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish a “hot line” communication system between the two nations. The agreement was a small step in reducing tensions between the United States and the USSR following the October 1962 Missile Crisis in Cuba, which had brought the two nations to the brink of nuclear war.
The need for nearly instantaneous and full-time communication between the U.S. and Soviet governments became apparent during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The United States had discovered that the Soviets were building missile sites in Cuba capable of firing missiles with nuclear warheads.
Eventually, the administration of President John F. Kennedy instituted a naval “quarantine” around Cuba to block the delivery of such missiles. Possible nuclear conflict was avoided only when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed that his country would not install nuclear weapons in Cuba. In exchange, the United States vowed not to threaten the sovereignty of Cuba. Prior to the settlement, the world sat through several very tense days of waiting to see whether World War III would begin.
In an attempt to reduce the tensions brought about by the October 1962 crisis, and hopefully avert any future misunderstandings that might trigger a nuclear conflict, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed in June 1963 to establish a “hot line.” It would be a 24-hour-a-day communications link between Washington, D.C., and Moscow. President Kennedy declared, “This age of fast-moving events requires quick, dependable communication in time of emergency.” The agreement was a “first step to help reduce the risk of war occurring by accident or miscalculation.”
The system was put into place a few months after the agreement was signed. Beyond serving as a dramatic prop in movies such as Fail Safe (or a comedic prop in the film Dr. Strangelove), the communication line has—thankfully—never had to be used to avert a nuclear war.
To see more on this day in history, go to History.com.
Jerome “Jerry” Silberman was born in 1933. When Jerry was eight years old, his mother had a heart attack. When she was well enough to return from the hospital, her doctor escorted her and Jerry’s father back to their home. This was in the era when doctors made house calls. The doctor made sure Jerry’s mother was comfortable in bed and gave Jerry’s father a few instructions. Then, the doctor spoke to Jerry in another room. The doctor took Jerry by the arm, leaned over him, sternly looked him in the eye, and slowly said, “Don’t ever argue with your mother because you might kill her.” Eight-year-old Jerry stood there in silence as he tried to process what he had just been told. Then, the doctor continued, “try to make her laugh.” Those instructions changed Jerry’s life.
Jerry followed the doctor’s advice and his mother slowly recovered. When Jerry was eleven, he saw his sister, Corinne, perform in a dramatic recital in front of about 200 people. Before the show began, the people in the audience jabbered away loudly. Then, the lights went down, and a single spotlight shone on his sister. For twenty minutes, the crowd was absolutely silent. Jerry was entranced by his sister’s ability to make the crowd want to hear her every word. Jerry remembered thinking that that was, “about as close to being God as you could get as a human being.” After the recital, Jerry asked his sister’s acting coach to teach him. The teacher asked Jerry his age. When Jerry answered, “11,” the teacher responded, “If you still want to when your 13, come see me.” The day after he turned 13, Jerry began studying acting.
In high school and college, Jerry studied drama and theater and performed in several Shakespearean plays. His acting earned him a spot in the prestigious Actor’s Studio, a membership organization for professional actors in New York City. His plan was to become a serious actor, but life has a way of changing plans. Throughout his long career in the film industry, Jerry often remembered the words his mother’s doctor told him when he was eight years old; “Don’t ever argue with your mother because you might kill her. Try to make her laugh.” For more than forty years, he tried and succeeded in making us laugh.
As I said earlier, Jerry initially aspired to become a Shakespearean actor. Jerry said, “I didn’t think Jerry Silberman in MacBeth had the right ring to it.” Jerry decided he needed a stage name but was unable to find just the right one. One evening, Jerry went to his sister and brother-in-law’s apartment for dinner. Also joining them was a screenwriter named David Zelag Goodman. During dinner, Jerry explained his stage name dilemma. David saw this dilemma as a fun challenge. Over dinner, David went through the alphabet, beginning with A, and came up with a last name for each letter. David was nearing the end of the alphabet, but nothing seemed right. Then, he came to the letter W. When David said a name that began with W, Jerry said, “the bell went off. I wanted to be Wilder.” Thus, Jerry Silberman became Gene Wilder.
Louisiana Tech women’s basketball head coach Brooke Stoehr announced the signing of forward Adna Halilbasic.
The 6-foot-2 forward comes to Ruston from Recklinghausen, Germany, where she saw a successful career on the international circuit.
Halilbasic becomes the first German to play for the Lady Techsters and is the 11th international player. She joins Melissa Mwanza (Zimbabwe) and Isla Airey (Australia) to give Tech multiple international players for the sixth consecutive season, dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
“We are excited to add Adna to the Lady Techsters family,” Stoehr said. “Adna is post who can score in the paint and will bring added size, international experience, and depth to our interior group. She has good instincts and feel for the game. We look forward to welcoming Adna to Louisiana Tech.”
On the international stage, Halilbasic started with the U14 team, which finished second in the German Championship in 2019. She followed that up by winning the German Championship in 2022 as part of the U16 team.
As part of the Jugendbundesliga U18 in the WNBL, she won the conference championship in three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023, 2024) and finished third in the German Championship in 2024. Her 2024 team finished in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
Halilbasic was also a member of the U16 and U18 Bosnia national teams, which competed in the European Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024. With the U18 organization, she finished fourth in 2023.
Funeral services for Carolyn Louise Ferguson, 85, of Leesville, LA, formerly of Ruston, LA, will be 10:00 A. M. Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Kilpatrick Funeral Home Chapel in Ruston, LA. Officiating the service will be Rev. Larry Emory assisted by Rev. Paul Watts. Interment will follow in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Vernon, LA under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of Ruston.
A visitation will be prior to the service from 9:00 A.M. until service time in the Chapel of Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston.
Carolyn was born on October 25, 1938, in Jackson Parish, LA to James Fred and Jearlene Whitman of Choudrant, LA and died June 18, 2024, in Leesville, LA. She graduated with the Class of ’57 of Choudrant High School. Carolyn is preceded in death by her husband Billy Ray Ferguson; son, Marshall Alan Ferguson; parents, Fred and Jearlene Whitman; brothers, James Roy Whitman, Grady Earl Whitman, and sister, Linda Akins.
She is survived by her children: Billy Ferguson (Lisa) and their children, De’An Gates ( Jamie), Melissa Atkins (Justin), Kari Ferguson; Jimmy Ferguson ( Jamie) and their son Dusty Ferguson; Timothy Ferguson (Melany) and son Corey Ferguson (Kelsey); daughter-in-law, Rhonda Ferguson and children Tiffany Robertson (Shay), Chris Ferguson (Rebekah), and Braedyn Webb; sister, Beverly Kelly- Cook (Glen); brother, Troy Wesley “T-Roy” Whitman (Dot); and a host of nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Corey Ferguson, Dustin Ferguson, Christopher Ferguson, Shay Robertson, Justin Atkins, and Jamie Gates.
Many thanks to her wonderful friend and caregiver Vada “Francis” Williams; and Woodlands Nursing Home and Staff in Leesville, LA.
Robert “Bud” Frasier September 19, 1938 – June 14, 2024 Cemetery: Mineral Springs Cemetery, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 10:00 am
Gloria Rabon Monday 04/08/1940 — Wednesday 06/12/2024 Memorial Service: Friday 06/21/2024 1:00pm, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2586 Hwy 150, Grambling
John Robert Jackson Sunday 09/10/1967 — Sunday 06/16/2024 Family Gathering: Thursday 06/20/2024 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Visitation: Thursday 06/20/2024 3:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Celebration of Life: Friday 06/21/2024, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston Interment: Friday 06/21/2024, Bonner Cemetery, Ruston
Dorothy Gray Wednesday 02/01/1956 — Saturday 06/15/2024 Visitation: Friday 06/21/2024 3:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Interment: Saturday 06/22/2024, Grambling Memorial Garden, Highway 80 West, Grambling
Drucilla Sherrard October 14, 1932 – June 14, 2024 Visitation: Thursday, June 20, 2024, 1:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home Graveside Service: Thursday, June 20, 2024, 2:00 PM, Forest Lawn Cemetery, 2500 West California Ave, Ruston
(Pictured left to right: Louisiana National Bank President/CEO Brian Woodard, Ruston’s Josh Brantley, Zheric Hill, Aidan Anding, Sam Nations, Jerrod Baugh and LNB CFO Brandon Norris)
By Kyle Roberts
Members of Ruston High’s football program were presented with a nice gift from Louisiana National Bank Tuesday — a big check for nearly $25,000 to help cover the cost of the state championship rings that have already been given to players and staff in a spring ceremony.
The donation covered 50 percent of the total cost for the rings.
“Louisiana National Bank has always been supportive of us — not just the football program, but they do yearly start-up money for every sport including cheerleading,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “A lot of places are not fortunate enough to have that. Louisiana National Bank and (president/CEO) Brian Woodard have been very good to our athletic programs, state championship or not.
“And then you add this to it, and they didn’t blink an eye. They contacted me and said they were open to doing whatever we needed. We’re very fortunate to have somebody i the community here that knows what it takes to be able to provide for the kids.”
Baugh added that other businesses and people also gave private donations to help with the ring costs.
For Woodard, a Ruston High alum from the class of ’84, it was a no-brainer to offer support.
“(The championship) was a big event for our community and for the kids,” Woodard said. “Anything we can give back to our schools is great for education. It was worthwhile to do that.
“Football was a big deal when I was in high school and the years after, and Jerrod has brought it back. I’m very proud of what he’s done and we’re very supportive of him and the coaching staff. They’ve got a great group.”
The Bearcats will begin their title defense with a home opener against Acadiana on Friday, Sept. 6.
Wilbert Ellis (second from left) will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame later this month.
By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT
Written for the LSWA
Some great athletes are born to be that way based on God-given talent that can be improved on with a solid work ethic, sheer determination and love of the game.
But it can sometimes work the opposite way for great coaches, who don’t always have great careers as athletes but become great coaches based on the same kind of God-given talent combined with a solid work ethic, sheer determination and love of the game.
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductee Wilbert Ellis was one of those types of coaches. Ellis spent 30 seasons as Grambling’s head baseball coach after serving the previous 13 as an assistant under Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones.
Ellis retired in 2003 after posting a 743-463-1 record with three Southwestern Athletic Conference titles, five SWAC Western Division crowns and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
He was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2011 and American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. Now, he joins the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Ellis is part of the 12-member Class of 2024 to be honored June 20-22 in Natchitoches. For participation opportunities, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
Those coaching credentials warranted strong consideration for LSHOF induction, but what sealed the deal, and made Ellis even more worthy was what he’s done out of a baseball uniform.
Ellis is the second recipient of the Hall’s Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, established in 2020 when Shreveport-based national broadcaster Tim Brando was the winner.
The award is presented only occasionally and honors long-term exemplary contributions to the perception of Louisiana by an individual who has ties to the state’s sports landscape.
“Throughout his life, as a coach and in many ways since then, Wilbert Ellis has been a tremendous representative of our state and his beloved Grambling State University,” said LSHOF chairman Doug Ireland. “Our selection committee believes he is the ideal person to be the second winner of the Ambassador Award as a man who has been nationally prominent in his field while constantly benefiting Louisiana through words and deeds. Coach Ellis has bolstered our state’s identity and its well-being.”
Ellis is nationally regarded as one of the country’s finest representatives of college baseball, beloved by Grambling alumni for his expansive yet now unofficial, longstanding role at the university.
He has been a trusted advisor for generations of presidents, athletic directors and coaches at Grambling, and to others in Lincoln Parish and statewide in community and governmental affairs.
Ellis was instrumental in the establishment of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum in Grambling, and the school’s Grambling Legends sports hall of fame. He still conducts baseball clinics for kids in Lincoln Parish and elsewhere, and serves as an NCAA Regional site supervisor.
In 2015, the Ruston-Lincoln (Parish) Chamber of Commerce presented Ellis with the 2015 Robert E. Russ Award, which is the highest award that is given for community impact in Ruston or Lincoln Parish, and in 2021 Ellis received that year’s Bill Best Humanitarian Award from the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
That award was established in 1997 by the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce to recognize a local citizen for their outstanding contributions to humanitarian interests, unselfish giving, and service to others.
Ellis oversaw construction of Grambling’s baseball facility that houses Wilbert Ellis Field at Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Park and serves as president of the Friends of the Eddie Robinson Museum organization.
And in 2022 Ellis was inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge for his proactive approach in working with youth conducting clinics teaching hardball skills at the same time as offering instruction on the importance of life skills such as staying in school and completing their educations, staying away from drugs and alcohol and becoming productive citizens upon entering adulthood.
Those clinics include nearly 15 years worth of free Wilbert Ellis Youth Baseball Clinics in Ruston and more than 20 years guiding similar youth camps in conjunction with the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
“My whole life has been about guiding people and especially children and young people,” Ellis said. “For me, it was never about the wins and losses – instead, I wanted to see what I could teach them about the game of life through the game of baseball. Every year I’d attend the national coaches convention to learn different ways to make an impact in the kids’ lives, and those lessons have helped me make a difference here in Louisiana. We now have youth camps in Grambling, Ruston, and Lincoln Parish where 200-300 kids come out for the sessions.
“All I’ve wanted to do since I was young was lead coach others in all phases of life and with his grace the Good Lord has granted me with that honor, just as the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is granting me this upcoming honor. Being honored and joining all the great athletes, baseball coaches and players from Louisiana, the state I’ve always lived in, is incredibly thrilling and rewarding. It’s been a good life for this kid who coached on the east end of Ruston.”
_______________________________
Scott Boatright, a Louisiana Tech graduate, works in university communications at Grambling State and also writes for LincolnParishJournal.com.
Bernice Police and the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting Friday night to find one man critically wounded.
Multiple arrests have been made and an additional suspect is being sought, according to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting occurred on 6th Street at the Willow Village Apartments shortly after 9 p.m. Friday night.
The victim, a 21-year-old man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was airlifted to a regional hospital.
Authorities are searching for Lamar Hamilton, 17, of Junction City on a charge of attempted second degree murder.
UPSO said Hamilton is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.
Already in custody are a 15-year-old male, a 16-year-old male, and Jamartez Simmons, 17. The two juveniles were placed in a Jackson Parish juvenile facility while Simmons was booked into the Union Parish Detention Center for attempted second degree murder.
Numerous agencies responded to assist UPSO and Bernice officers with the initial call, the subsequent investigation, and the execution of search warrants, including Louisiana State Police, Spearsville Police Department, Junction City Police Department, Bernice Fire, and Pafford EMS.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
It’s been an amazing three years with many more to come.
And with that, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff would like the invite the public to come join for its official ribbon cutting to be held Thursday, June 20, at 2:00 p.m. at the Experience Ruston – Events Center located at 2111 N. Trenton St in Ruston.
“Serving as co-publisher for the Lincoln Parish Journal has been one of the best professional endeavors I could ever have taken,” co-publisher Kyle Roberts said. “We have been overwhelmed by the reception we have received from Ruston and Lincoln Parish since our group launched in 2021, and we hope to see many of our community partners and subscribers join us Thursday. Without them, this would not be possible.”
On hand will be staff members from the publishing team to writers to photographers to sales people.
“We are a little late in our ribbon cutting, but we are looking forward to the event,” said co-publisher Malcolm Butler. “We don’t have an office per se. Our office is Lincoln Parish and its businesses and our homes. We have formed a great team of writers, sales reps, photographers and more. And we want to use this to celebrate our great team that makes up the Lincoln Parish Journal.”
Light refreshments and goody-bags will be provided to those in attendance.
The Lincoln Parish Journal is 100 percent free of charge to subscribe. Every weekday morning at 6:55 a.m., the journal is delivered digitally via email. Those wishing to subscribe can do so by clicking here.
Ruston student artists showcased their work at the annual Senior Talented Art Show presented by the Ruston High School Talented Art Department the Creative Exchange Studio. The gallery featured work from 11 student artists in a wide variety of mediums including oil, acrylic, graphite, watercolor and mixed media.
Each student was able to choose up to five pieces to display in the show. Featured artists included Xavier Barker, Chad Hamlin, Olivia Moran, Laina Parkman, Jayden Revels, Allie Richardson, Claire Roane, Amelia Roger, Preslea St. Andre, Bailey Timm and Lyla Turner. They displayed artistic pieces such as paintings, drawings, pottery, photography, mixed media pieces and more.
“I am so thankful that this program is offered in Lincoln Parish,” Ruston High talented art teacher Deana Revels said. “The part I enjoy most about this show is the support and feedback the students get from the community. We always have such a great turnout, and the positive feedback is so great for their confidence.”
Revels acknowledged the importance of instilling skills and confidence in young artists as they embark on their artistic journeys.
“So many times, artists are so hard on themselves when it comes to their artwork. I feel like this show really helps boost their artistic confidence to help them to continue to create,” Revels said. “They have to work together to plan the event and I feel like this is such a great experience for them.
This year’s show was the second time being hosted at the Creatives at Work Gallery. In preparation for the event, students took a field trip to the Creative Exchange where owner Dylan Sanders discussed with students the process of preparing their artwork to be displayed and the pricing of original art and prints.
Senior artist Preslea St. Andre created abstract stroke artwork and watercolor pieces and noted that she specializes in hand lettering and writing in her art. The young artist explained why the Talented Art Show is so important to her now and inspiring toward her future plans.
“I love people to begin with and having the people I love come and support me as well as my fellow artists is so special,” St. Andre said. “It was very encouraging as well as I am going to continue to pursue a degree in graphic design at Louisiana Tech.”
Senior artist Olivia Moran echoed St. Andre’s appreciation for the program and described why she enjoyed being a part of the Talented Art Show.
“What I really enjoy about the Talented Art Program is the opportunity it has given me to explore different mediums and to push my artistic abilities,” Moran said. “The show gave me an opportunity to share my artwork with others and talking about something that I am truly passionate about.”
The Talented Art program in Lincoln Parish is one in which students must be evaluated and accepted by state approved specialists in the arts. Many of the students in the art show have been involved in the program since as early as sixth grade. The Senior Talented Art Show gives students the opportunity to showcase their artistic works while learning more about the business of art.
This week a new College World Series champ will be crowned, and that champ will be from the South, and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
For the foreseeable future, unless they redo geography, Omaha in June is likely to look a lot like this year’s All SEC-ACC showdown.
Before LSU won its first NCAA baseball title in 1991 and began a string of southern teams showing up in the CWS as often as biscuits show up with butter, the Bible Belt Baseball Boys were generally out of the running by the end of May. In college hardball, the South just couldn’t hang. Didn’t care, really.
You can take this train of thought back to the inaugural Series in 1947, when California, led by future American League MVP Jackie Jensen, beat Yale two games to none.
(USELESS INFORMATION ALERT HERE: Yale was the first team to have the popular mascot of Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech was the second. Also, Yale finished 19-10-1 that season, 9-3-1 in the always competitive Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League. The other teams in the league finished either 7-5 or 6-6, which means they were the equivalent of any division in today’s NFL.)
Consider for a moment that Yale played 13 regular-season conference games back then. It was like a college football season today, with every game counting. Also of note (or could possibly be considered as More Useless Information), the Eli Nine were helped to the Series in ’47 by infielder George H.W. “Hot Corner” Bush, the future president, who is rumored to have kept his old Yale glove in his Oval Office desk drawer; never hurts to have your leather handy.
So, the game has changed — the Golden Bears finished the season 31-10 and got to play more games than the weather-addled Yale team — but what’s the same is that Yale and California weren’t from the South then and still aren’t. What the Golden Bears did was start a trend, one aided by the South’s love for football and the West Coast’s love for the more laid-back game of baseball. Pacific and Mountain Time teams would continue to dominate the Series for years, even decades, until LSU came along.
Check the record books pre-1990 and you will see a CWS dominated by Southern California, Arizona State and Arizona. Every now and then, a Texas or Miami would show up. During those formative years, teams from the north had all the impact of a snowball in a five-alarm fire, and that impact is the same today. To put it in perspective, Ohio State won a national title in 1966, the year Bush was first elected to the House of Representatives. A lot has happened since then, but one thing hasn’t: a Northern Team hasn’t sniffed the CWS.
Southern teams have won 11 of the past 14 College World Series — and finished second the three times Southern teams didn’t win it all.
For years and years, the West Coast had it made, baseball-wise. They had it made for sure — right up until the time the South started caring. And we won’t quit caring any time soon.
