Sue Belton Lewis
September 19, 1950 – July 16, 2025
Funeral Service: Monday, July 21, 2025, 10:00 AM, Cook Baptist Church, 2000 Cooktown Dr., Ruston
Cemetery Committal: Monday, July 21, 2025, Unionville Cemetery, 6598 Hwy 822, Dubach
By Kyle Roberts
A pair of former Bearcats have made some diamond buzz this past week.
Both Dawson Willis and Justin Szymanski made announcements about their respective baseball futures: Willis signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Padres while Szymankski’s All-American performance this past year has led him to Northwestern State to continue his collegiate career.
“I’m incredibly proud of both of their accomplishments,” Ruston High Head Coach Bryan Beck said. “Obviously Dawson is fulfilling every kid’s dream to get a chance to play in the MLB and he is actually about to live that out. Justin is moving on to play at the D1 level and that was his dream, as well. Make no mistake about it, these are not coincidences that both of these guys are moving on to the highest level of Baseball. Both of them have incredible leadership qualities and unparalleled work ethics, and those characteristics are paying huge dividends now.
“I cannot take any credit for their accomplishments but am certainly very blessed to have had the experience to share a dugout with these two guys, and Ruston Baseball is better because these two players played in this program.”
Willis most recently played for the Oklahoma Sooners after two stellar seasons at LSU-Eunice, where he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024 after helping lead LSU-E to a 2024 National Junior College Championship. As a Sooner, he started in 60 games at third base and hit six home runs.
Szymanski announced this week that he will be returning to Louisiana and headed to Northwestern State to play for the Demons after an incredible year at South Arkansas in El Dorado.
”I’m very, very excited to head to Northwestern State,” Szymanski said. “My Star teammate Ty Simoneli is coming with me, and I think we’ll have a lot to offer NSU. The staff is phenomenal. We had very productive conversations (when I went to visit), and they were fantastic. For the past two years, South Arkansas’ staff put me on the path to succeed at Northwestern State and to get past whatever obstacles come my way.”
According to NJCAAStats, Szymanski batted a whopping .415 on the year, which earned him NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention honors as a power-hitting infielder for South Arkansas. Szymanski was instrumental in the Stars winning the 2024 Region 2 NJCAA Championship. He will enter Northwestern State as a junior.
By T. Scott Boatright
In a brief meeting lasting only 18 minutes, moving to continue plans to potentially allow alcohol to be served at Events Center events for the primary order of business for the Lincoln Parish Library (LPL) Board of Control as it held its July meeting Thursday in the Jack Beard Community room of the library.
Events Center Committee Chair Bill Jones said that his committee is meeting at 5 p.m. Aug. 5 at the LPL and urged all board members to attend that meeting to give any input or insight they might have on the matter.
During its June meeting, the Board approved a motion to open discussions with the Lincoln Parish Police Jury to ask the LPPJ to possibly amend one of its ordinances to allow the use of alcoholic beverages at the Library’s Event Center.
Currently, a Police Jury ordinance prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages on LPPJ property, which includes the LPL and Events Center.
The LPL Board motion approved last month stipulated that the Events Center Committee is instructed to handle those discussions with the Police Jury and to report back to the Board the result of those discussions with the Police Jury; and that before it meets with the appropriate representatives of the Police Jury, the Events Center Committee should develop proposed regulations governing the use of alcoholic beverages at the Events Center and ask the Police Jury and its legal counsel for input and approval of such proposed regulations.
“We need to talk about and come up with proposed policies in the event that the Jury approves a request to amend the ordinance,” Jones said during Thursday’s Board meeting. “It’s officially an Events Center Committee meeting but I’d love for all the other Board members if they can, to come, because we want to handle this issue thoroughly and correctly.
“It will be a public hearing, and I know that some people want to come, but not a lot, so there will be some public comments, which is good. That’s why we set it out more than two weeks ahead. We’ll post an agenda next week.”
During his monthly financial report, LPL director Jeremy Bolom pointed out that Events Center income was low over the past month.
“We had been running higher but it kind of stalled,” Bolom said. “But it’s the middle of summer and that tends to happen this time of year. By the end of August, I expect it to pick back up again.”
But even with lower Events Center income in recent weeks, the LPL’s budget remains in good shape.
“We’re good with our budget,” Board President Jan Canterbury said. “We’re keeping that right on track and that’s good. That’s something people always want to know about.”
By T. Scott Boatright
Grambling’s City Council approved a resolution to keep property tax millage rates the same for 2025 as it held its monthly meeting for July Thursday evening at City Hall.
A millage is the tax rate that applies in the calculation of a specific property tax levy expressed in tenths of a penny as opposed to percentages.
“We’re not going up on any millages at this time, so basically, our taxes will remain the same as we move forward,” said Mayor Alvin Bradley.
The City Council also approved Bradley to sign a contract with HGA of Ruston to develop a 10-year Master Plan for the city.
Part of that Master Plan will likely build on Bradley’s hopes of Grambling piggybacking off the ongoing construction of a Buc-ee’s Travel Center will bring to Lincoln Parish when the renowned giant convenience store opens off of Tarbutton Road in Ruston next year.
Extending the north side Interstate 20 Service Road from Tarbutton Road to Grambling is part of Bradley’s plan.
The hoped-for road would run parallel to I-20 in front of around 1.5 miles of mostly wooded property not considered to be in either Ruston or Grambling city limits.
Two phases are planned to build the road — the first from the Buc-ee’s construction site at the north intersection of I-20 and Tarbutton Road to a new service road that will access the travel center, and the second phase extending the road from the Ruston city limits to the Grambling city limits.
Grambling would be responsible for finishing the road from its city limits to a yet-to-be-determined point that would tie into the Grambling I-20 interchange, thought likely to end near the now vacant original The Keg building in Grambling.
Also approved was introduction of an ordinance to amend a Public Works ordinance for grass cutting that was proposed by Councilman John Brown.
“It includes changing job titles and responsibilities and also increasing costs of services rendered,” Brown said of the proposed amendments.
The city of Grambling notifies property owners with out of control grass growth and if those property owners don’t cut their yards within a specified amount of time, the city’s Public Works department will cut it and charge the homeowners for those services.
“That ordinance has been around for years and hasn’t been changed even though the costs of those services have increased significantly, ” Brown said. “This will bring it all into alignment with the costs of doing so these days and specify who will perform those services.”
In other business, Councilman Jerry Lewis gave an update on his proposal to potentially add a second garbage truck for the city.
“With only one truck, when that truck breaks, we have to either bring someone else in to run our garbage pick-up routes, or we have to rent the equipment,: Lewis said. “Public Works Director Eric Caldwell and I have located a truck that could and with that truck, they have also offered a payment plan. I hope to get it all done and bring it back to the Mayor and Council so that it can be voted on.”
Councilwoman Devaria Ponton also presented an update on Grambling’s involvement in the state’s Keep Louisiana Beautiful program.
“The city of Grambling is now an affiliate of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful program,” Ponton said. “We join four other community affiliates to become part of the new class for this program for 2025.
“We had to attend meetings and training sessions that was about a nine-month process. What this does for us is gives us the ability to apply for additional grant funding now that we’re an affiliate. We did apply for one grant for us to have a city sign, and we’re awaiting to hear about the status of that grant.”
Grambling’s City Council also approved the hiring of Ronnie Skinner for the Grambling Fire Department.
By T. Scott Boatright
GRAMBLING — Grambling Councilman John Brown announced during Thursday’s City Council meeting that four Civic Ready sign-up days will be held August to try to bolster the number of city residents able to receive the emergency notifications.
Those dates where city residents can sign up to receive Civic Ready notifications will be from noon – 1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. on Aug. 5-6 and Aug. 11-Aug. 12.
CivicReady, a cloud-based system, an emergency notification and critical event management system provided by CivicPlus that empowers local government administrators to expedite crisis response and incident reporting to keep their teams up-to-date with critical information so that their constituents can stay safe.
That cloud-based system offers a variety of ways to send and receive notifications concerning weather, public safety, city notifications and any other information city officials determine that residents need to know in rapid fashion.
Best of all, Brown said, the service is free of charge.
Brown said that only around 4% of city residents are enrolled in the program, a fact he said he finds quite troubling.
In announcing the sign-up dates, Brown left his usual seat during Council meetings and went to a podium he turned directly toward the audience in attendance at the meeting to look them in the eyes while he made a passionate plea for more people to take advantage of the Civic Ready service.
“I want to magnify the importance of signing up for Civic Ready,” Brown said. “By now, everyone is aware that on July 4, residents in central Texas experienced a catastrophic flood event. The death toll as of July 15 was 133 with an additional approximately 100 people still missing.
“We the governing body of the city of Grambling have an emergency communication system to warn residents of emergency situations such as tornadoes, hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, interruption of public services, road closures, etc. We put this in place because we care about you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors.”
Those warnings could also include shelter in place or evacuation warnings in the event of a train derailment or hazard material release from vehicles traversing Interstate 20, Brown said.
“All you need to sign up is a cell phone,” Brown said. “The only information needed is your name, your address and your cell phone number, or if you like, your home phone number and your email address. And we need to know the type of alerts you want to receive. Your birthdate or social security number is not needed.
“We don’t give your information to anyone else and it only takes three to five minutes to sign up.”
Grambling residents can also sign up online at Public Signup.
“We only have around 240 people signed up right now, out of roughly 5,000,” Brown said. “I, along with our mayor and City Council, are saddened by the low participation number involved with this free service. We need more to be signed up for the good of everyone. Please get the word out about these sign up days and let’s work together to try and keep everyone as safe as we can.”
By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — The floor mats have been rolled out, and now Triad Wrestling Club and Ruston High’s newest varsity sport have a new home: historic Bobby James Memorial Gym.
On Wednesday afternoon, over a dozen wrestlers gathered in the evening for some “open mat style” practice, which came with some instruction, as well, from the four coaches in attendance for nearly 90 minutes.
“Right now, we’re doing Wednesday and Sundays,” Triad Wrestling Club Coach Jeremy Hebert said of the practice schedule. “And then once school gets going, it will probably go down to just Sundays, unless we can find fit in the week for more mat time. But when the actual Ruston High wrestling season gets going in October, we will be here five days a week.”
Hebert is joined by coaches Trey Halder, Casey Jackson and Hebert’s wife Linzie, who recently became certified in order to help training the girls. Four coaches, including Linzie decked in her scrubs from her medical practice, were training with the wrestlers on 60- to 90-second rotations through drills (Coach Joey Lopez was not in attendance at this practice).
Triad also just recently celebrated the inaugural practice inside the building: Sunday, July 13, 2025. Prior, Triad had been practicing in the gym at Ruston High School.
But we all know there’s something special about having your own place to call home.
“Everyone is so excited,” Hebert said. “This just gives us a great experience, and we have an opportunity to be in here almost full time if we want to.”
Triad is coming off of a very successful season after sending 11 wrestlers to the Louisiana State Championships, which saw Hebert’s son, Owen, bring home the gold in the 14U state championship. Founded in January of 2024, the Triad Wrestling Club started at Triad Martial Arts owned by Josh and Makayla Lee.
Hebert intends to have more interest meetings and getting the Ruston High wrestling team solidified before the first official practice on Oct. 1. And having a home in Bobby James Memorial puts the team right on campus, where Hebert is hoping to attract kids that aren’t currently participating in a winter sport.
And while it’s been happening pretty quickly, but Hebert is pleased with the buzz wrestling is gaining in North Louisiana.
“There’s a lot of people out there that are excited about this,” Hebert said. “I also think there’s a nervousness if people are unsure about it, so once we’re able to have that first tournament or first duel — or even our first organized practice — then we’ll probably have more interest coming in.
“And I have to add this: both Ruston High and (the Lincoln Parish School Board) have been absolutely supportive in this. They’ve opened these doors to us and it’s been a bless. And, of course, our parents have been a huge help.”
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Two alleged shoplifters we’re taking into custody in Ruston on July 11 after a grocery store reported they had stolen items and left the store.
Shannon Garner, 30, and Andre Moore, 35, both of Ruston, were located at a convenience store near the grocery store based on descriptions given by witnesses.
The store grocery store employees said the two had taken several items from the store and possibly put them in a work truck in the parking lot. Several alcoholic beverages believed stolen from the store were found in the truck and taken as evidence.
The man and woman were booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for theft by shoplifting. Moore was also booked on a warrant from the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office. Garner was also booked on two warrants for failure to appear in Ruston city court on charges of theft and entering premises after being forbidden as well as two warrants from the Third District Court.
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.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
“Hell hath no fury like an animal-loving child in a crisis.” — Plato, probably
It always starts with a quiet day.
This one was like any other. I, my wife and our younger daughter, Penny, were sitting in the living room together, chatting with the television droning on in the background. I, on the couch next to Penny, Judith standing in the living, and Penny decked out in cat-feet wooly socks (in the middle of summer, I know).
I’ll never remember what we were talking about, but what’s seared in my brain is the THUD to our front. In a blur, a red bird slammed fullspeed into the crystal clear window (thank you, Ruston Glass & Mirror) and dropped unceremoniously to the brick porch outside.
A split second and my eyes met Judith’s. Penny just turned nine this week and is obsessed with all creatures, great and small (An actual question I was asked on the way to church: Can I be a lawyer for animals when I grow up?). There was no doubt in our minds in that silent glance: this was going to be “a thing.”
Penny gasped. Judith calmly walked over to the window and saw the redbird contorted on the ground. With the speed at which it hit the window, there was little doubt of its fate.
Tears started welling in her little eyes. I am on my feet now, covering Penny like Saint Tyrann Mathieu on Buccaneer Mike Evans and keeping her from the window. In a moment of pure innonence came a horrible exchange.
P: “Is it dead?”
Us: “Yes.”
P: “Are you sure?”
Us, more sullen: “Yes.”
P, sniffling now: “Can’t we take it to the vet to be sure?”
A pause in the conversation. It would be an exercise in futility, and the Seinfeld episode where George has to repeatedly save a squirrel came to my mind. Thankfully, in this case, the death was likely quick and my next step was to go give it a burial in the woods.
Except, it wasn’t.
As many of you know (which Judith and I did not at the time), birds are kind of funny. In fact, they do this all the time and turn out mostly fine. For you see, as we went back to the window, the bird had magically come back to life.
We had gone from nothing to death and back to life again with enough speed to give us all whiplash.
P: “It’s a miracle!”
Penny is now jumping up and down in her cat-feet wooly socks. The bird was dazed and just needed to shake off the cobwebs. It’s below the window pane at this point in the story, and I sit back down on the couch in relief that our afternoon had life breathed back into it.
Except, it hadn’t.
I forgot to mention an important note. Penny has two outdoor cats: a striped tabby named Tiger Heart and a midnight black cat named Merlin, who is an accomplished hunter. When we lost our 12-year-old outdoot cat Apollo last summer, the legendary “Cat Distribution System” brought us these two brand new kittens to hang around the house and keep Penny entertained. In fact, neither cat wants anything to do with any human on the planet, save for one. And you can guess who that is.
So, as I am sinking back into the couch, I see the top of a midnight black tail outside a different window. This tail is clearly stalking. This tail is about to pounce.
Without thinking, I shout, and Penny learned a new curse word as Merlin grabs Lil’ Lazarus (the bird’s new name) and hauls it off to the woods.
Penny, of course, saw the whole thing this time.
Her cat just murdered her new bird. And she bolted for her bedroom, loudly sobbing.
There are moments where you mettle as a parent is tested. Where you have to keep a straight face in the eye of the hurricane, and Judith and I both failed. We burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation and had to collect ourselves before we could go into her room and console her.
Life, death, rebirth, death again. The poor kid ran the gamut in three minutes. And now, a pair of cat-feet socks were the only thing we saw as the rest of her was shoved as far under the bed as she could go, mourning the pet bird she had just met.
Is she still mad at the cat? Absolutely not — she’s seen the Lion King enough to know how the circle of life works. And Merlin was courteous enough to take his prize out of eyesight for the family, so no lasting nightmares for any parties involved.
But if you’re a bird around our house, you may want to make sure your brake pads work so we don’t have to go through this again, regardless of how much Judith and I will end up laughing.
Lincoln Parish deputies arrested a Ruston man after he was stopped for a traffic violation and recognized as a drug warrant suspect.
Ricario R. Curry, 31, was booked July 15 on numerous charges after other violations were located during the arrest and during booking.
Curry was stopped when a deputy saw a large crack in his windshield potentially obstructing the driver’s field of view. Once he was recognized as a wanted man, he was asked to step from his Ford Mustang.
Curry was placed under arrest and he admitted having a synthetic marijuana cigarette in his pocket. When asked if he had anything else on him, Curry said no.
During booking at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, a member of the staff saw a plastic baggie containing white pills under a chair where Curry was sitting. When asked what the pills were, Curry said tramadol.
A record check showed that Curry’s driver’s license was under suspension.
Curry was booked for an arrest warrant from the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of tramadol, introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, driving under suspension, and improper windshield.
Bail on the warrant alone was set at $92,500.
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.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Gary Mark Gilmore’s life of crime began when he was in his early teens. It started with petty theft and soon evolved into Gary leading a car theft ring. Gary was in a seemingly endless rotation of crime and prison. After his father died of lung cancer, news which he received from a prison guard, the speed of Gary’s downward spiral increased exponentially. When Gary was released from prison, he became more erratic and became an alcoholic. In his mid-twenties, Gary was convicted of assault and armed robbery and sent back to prison. Eight years later, he was released on a conditional parole. Within a month, he was arrested for armed robbery. After his conditional parole from prison in 1976, 35-year-old Gary moved to Provo, Utah, to live with a distant relative.
At about 11 p.m. on the night of July 19, 1976, three months after his release from prison, Gary robbed 25-year-old Max David Jensen, the night attendant at a service station in Orem, Utah. Max was a graduate of Utah State University and was working at the gas station to pay his way through Brigham Young University Law School. Max had married 14 months earlier and had an infant daughter. At the end of the robbery, Gary told Max to lie down on the floor. Then, Gary shot Max twice in the head with a .22 caliber pistol. Max lost his life for $150.
Just before 11 p.m. on the following night, Gary robbed 26-year-old Bennie Jewkes Bushnell, the night clerk of the City Center Hotel in Provo, Utah. Like Max, Bennie had been married a short time, had an infant child, and was working his way through Brigham Young University. Gary forced Bennie to lie down on the floor and killed him in the same manner as he had Max. Bennie lost his life for $125.
Gary had parked his truck at a nearby service station and walked to the motel. Following the robbery, an attendant at the service station saw Gary return to his car, noticed he was bleeding, heard about the shooting at the motel, and called police. The service station attendant knew Gary and told police where he was living. With that information, officers arrested Gary without incident within three hours.
On October 7, 1976, after a two-day trial, a jury found Gary guilty of murdering Bennie and sentenced him to death. After hearing the verdict, Judge J. Robert Bullock asked Gary if he preferred to be hung or shot. Gary replied, “I prefer to be shot.” On January 17, 1977, as he stood before the six-man firing squad, Gary told the warden his last words. At 8:07 a.m., Gary’s sentence was carried out.
In 1988, Dan Wieden, co-founder of the advertising company Wieden and Kennedy, was hired to come up with a catchy slogan for a struggling company. Dan remembered Gary Gilmore’s last words and tweaked it slightly. A killer’s last words, “let’s do it,” which Dan tweaked to “just do it,” became one of the most successful slogans in advertising history and transformed the fortunes of a struggling shoe company called Nike.
Sources:
1. The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), July 21, 1976, p.1,4.
2. The Daily Herald, July 23, 1976, p.2.
3. The Daily Herald, October 6, 1976, p.3.
4. The Daily Herald, October 8, 1976, p.1.
5. The Daily Herald, January 17, 1977, p.1.
6. The Miami Herald, August 22, 2009, p. 91.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Each Monday through Friday, the Lincoln Parish Journal will post a list of non-for-profit upcoming events happening in the parish. If you would like to add your event to this list or advertise your for-profit events, please email us at lpjnewsla@gmail.com.
Friday, July 18
NFA Softball tournament (Ruston Sports Complex)
2 p.m.: Mad-libs workshop with Hector Vargas (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Music trail landmark unveiling (Downtown Ruston; starts at corner of East Park Street and North Vienna Street)
7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Dixie Center for the Arts)
Saturday, July 19
NFA Softball tournament (Ruston Sports Complex)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Dixie Center for the Arts)
Sunday, July 20
2 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (Dixie Center for the Arts)
Monday, July 21
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
4 p.m.: Story hour at Lincoln Parish Library (Events Center)
5:30 p.m.: Ruston Planning and Zoning meeting (Ruston City Hall)
6 p.m.: Toastmasters International meeting (Louisiana Center for the Blind, 101 South Trenton Street)
6-9 p.m.: Creative Meetups (Creatives at Work, 301 N. Trenton)
Tuesday, July 22
10 a.m.: Family storytime at Lincoln Parish Library (Events Center)
10:30 a.m.: Summer movie series: “The Secret Life of Pets” (Dixie Theatre)
2 p.m.: Brainstem: A Smart Comedy About Science (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
4 p.m.: VHS art bookmark for teens (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
6 p.m.: Fitness class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
Wednesday, July 23
Life-sized Candyland (Lincoln Parish Library; must sign up for time slot)
7-8 a.m.: Veterans Coffee Club (PJ’s Coffee)
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
6-9 p.m.: Dog Days of Summer (Downtown Ruston)
Thursday, July 24
Life-sized Candyland (Lincoln Parish Library; must sign up for time slot)
10 a.m.: Children’s Museum: Stuffee (Lincoln Parish Library Children’s Room)
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall)
2 p.m.: Tween Time at Lincoln Parish Library Community Room (Ages 9 and up)
4 p.m.: Life-sized Candyland for teens (Lincoln Parish Library Community Room)
5-6 p.m.: Free hamburger meal at the Choudrant Origin Bank location , 3921 Elm Street, from 5Loaves 2 Fish Ministry
6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers)
6 p.m.: Yoga at Lincoln Parish Library Events Center
Friday, July 25
Dixie Softball World Series (Ruston Sports Complex)
Life-sized Candyland (Lincoln Parish Library; must sign up for time slot)
2 p.m.: LSU AgCenter: Color My Plate (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
Saturday, July 26
Dixie Softball World Series (Ruston Sports Complex)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
Noon to 4 p.m.: Board game and RPG meetup (Lincoln Parish Library COmmunity Room)
Sunday, July 27
Dixie Softball World Series (Ruston Sports Complex)
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Sue Belton Lewis was born September 19, 1950, to Emmett and Idena Belton of Ruston, LA as the third of seven siblings. She passed from this world into the presence of Christ on July 16, 2025. Sue was raised in a loving family and attended Cook Baptist Church. At the age of 9, Sue prayed a sinner’s prayer and was baptized; however, in her adult life she questioned if she had truly surrendered her life to Christ. On August 31, 2016 she settled the matter by confessing Jesus as her Savior and Lord and on September 11, 2016 was baptized by her son, Brandon Lewis. Sue has been a member of the Cook Baptist Choir for many years, taught 2nd Grade Sunday School, and participated in numerous ministry and missions projects. She was also a charter member of the Louisiana Baptist Singing Women, which began in 1998, and has cross-crossed the state sharing the love of Christ through music.
Sue graduated from Ruston Vocational-Technical School in Practical Nursing in 1979 and began her nursing career. She cared for many patients at Longleaf Nursing Home, at Dr. Dale Boersma’s Office, and with Dr. Stacy Conville until her retirement in 2015.
Keith and Sue Lewis married on April 10, 1970 and enjoyed 55 years together. She and Keith have three children: Shannon Guy, and husband Rod of Monroe, LA, Brandon Lewis, and wife Lacey of Haughton, LA, and Amanda Cathey, and husband Taylor of Benbrook, TX. Keith and Sue have 8 grandchildren – Will Guy, Susannah Guy, Daisy Guy, Karen Lewis, Gabriel Lewis, Ryan Lewis, Jacob Cathey, and Lucas Cathey. They also have 2 great grandchildren – William Guy and Roman Guy. Sue’s six brothers and sisters and six brother- and sister-in-laws were very important part of her life. She also had a great love for the host of nieces and nephews.
She is survived by her husband, children, and grandchildren listed above, her brother David Belton and wife Jean, sister Ellen Watson and husband Donnie, sister Ruth Glazer and husband Jimmy, sister Lila Robinson and husband Bob, sister Eva Waller, sister-in-law Iris Belton, and sister-in-law Donna Miller and husband Tim.
She is preceded in death by her mother and father, brother Scot Belton, brother-in-law Ira Lewis, sister-in-law Ometa Gathwright, sister-in-law Janice Woods, sister-in-law Carolyn Douglas, sister-in-law Pam Brown, and nephew Kristian McQueen.
Visitation will be held from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM, Sunday, July 20, 2025 at Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in Ruston, LA. Her funeral service will be at 10:00 AM, Monday, July 21, 2025 at Cook Baptist Church. Officiating will be Rev. Brandon Lewis and Rev. Wes Pierce. Burial will follow at Unionville Cemetery in Dubach, LA under direction of Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
The Pallbearers are Sue’s grandsons Will Guy, Gabriel Lewis, Ryan Lewis, Jacob Cathey, Lucas Cathey, and soon-to-be grandsons-in-law Gregory Allen and Chance Burlew.
Michael Ray Fairley
Thursday 07/15/1965 — Sunday 07/06/2025
Visitation: Friday 07/18/2025 3:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home
Celebration of Life: Saturday 07/19/2025 1:00pm, Union Valley Baptist Church, 263 Cook Road, Delhi
Burial: Saturday 07/19/2025 Following Service, Saint John Community Cemetery, Barfield Road, Delhi
Paul Henry Morris
August 7, 1960 – July 16, 2025
Service at later date
Harold Glen Staples
April 23, 1950 – July 16, 2025
Private graveside service
by Malcolm Butler
Let the hate begin.
Louisiana Tech AD Ryan Ivey addressed exactly that on Wednesday when University officials joined Sun Belt Conference officials to formally announce Tech’s membership back into the league.
Ivey addressed a room filled with Tech fans, administrators, student athletes and coaches about the University’s decision to depart Conference USA for “sunnier” pastures.
“The opportunity to rejoin the Sun Belt allows for a full circle moment for the institution and the athletics department,” said Ivey, referring to Tech’s membership in the Sun Belt Conference from 19991 through 2001. “It’s a time for growth.”
As well as a time for hate … at least on the playing fields.
“Think of college athletics today and where it is, and it’s because of the fandom that has been created over the last 30 or 40 years,” said Ivey. “A lot of that has to do with the regional rivalries or what I like to call, just good ole fashion hate.
“(Hate) is okay on the (playing fields). We may love each other on Sundays, but on Saturday’s, we hate each other. That’s what makes college athletics great.”
When Tech eventually joins the Sun Belt – whether that’s in 2026 or 2027 – it will regain instant old school rivalries with ULM, UL-Lafayette and Southern Miss. Older Tech faithful grew up hating the then-NLU Indians (now ULM) and USL Ragin Cajuns (now ULL) and Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
However, Tech hasn’t been a league mate with ULM since 1986-87 or with ULL since 2000-2001. That will change soon.
And with it will come plenty of trash talk between certain fan bases.
“I felt (the move) was inevitable,” said longtime Tech fan Dwayne Woodard. “I am excited although my hate has toned down from what it was 25 years ago. It’s more of a disdain now, especially for the group down south. It’s hard to throw dirt on that group 30 miles to the east of us. They have so many more problems other than sports. The games will be nice, and it will be nice to have those types of crowds.
“I do not like the group down in Lafayette. They are hemorrhaging debt … I don’t like them. Never have. Never will. I have never disliked (ULM) like I do (UL-Lafayette). I like playing them in every sport, but I sure dislike them.”
Spoken like a true, passionate Bulldog fan.
The Bulldogs and Lady Techsters have played the Warhawks in most sports over the past few decades, but the two schools haven’t met on the gridiron since 2000. However, the lack of a football rivalry hasn’t toned down the hate from ULM fans, according to long-time Warhawk booster Adam Holland.
In fact, for some it may have intensified.
“It’s great to see the prodigal school in Ruston come home,” said Holland. “On the East End of I-20 things are just as heated as they have ever been if not more after the 2012 No Bowl fiasco.
“It’s going be a packed house with a heck of a barn burner atmosphere when the two finally line-up on the Grid Iron to see which end of I-20 is dominant rather than keyboard warriors battling it out on message boards.”
Spoken like a true, passionate Warhawk fan.
Tech’s decision to leave the Sun Belt in 2001 coupled with some perceived elitist-type comments over the last few decades have not sat well with certain fan bases from some current SBC schools.
Many felt Tech would never receive an invitation to rejoin the Sun Belt because of hard feelings. However, unlike fan bases mixing it up on social media, cooler heads from league presidents and ADs prevailed during the process.
“They were easy conversations,” said Ivey, referring to his talks with his counterparts at ULM, ULL and Southern Miss. “When you think about the vision and strategic direction that the Sun Belt Conference has … they knew that (we were a great fit). At the end of the day, you try to set emotion aside. That’s hard in college athletics, especially for fans. Fan is short for fanatics for a reason.
“But at the end of the day, it made the most sense to the presidents, the administrators, and the Sun Belt Conference staff. We hit on all the data points (for membership). And when you look at the data points, that’s what is going to help you be successful. With my conversations with my colleagues, that’s what we tried to stay focused on.”
Keith Gill, who began his tenure as the SBC commissioner in 2019, echoed Ivey’s sentiment when it came time to make the right decision. He admitted his neutrality helped in leading the discussions amongst the other 13 members.
“This (decision) came down to fit,” said Gill, who said he came to Tech with the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team for the 2000 NCAA Tournament. “Certainly, we heard about all the slights from the fans. I am very familiar with the history (between LA Tech and the Sun Belt and its member institutions). But at the end of the day, it came down to what makes the most sense.
“We need to replace a team in the west. We have a (school) that has had all of this success, they have a great fan base, it looks like the rest of our schools. Tech is really, really good at the sports we want to be good in. Does it make sense? It did.
“We heard (about the past) and we got calls into our office about it, but from my perspective, I think about it from ‘Who is going to help the Sun Belt get better?’ If we use an emotional filter, we won’t make the right decision. So, for me it was a simple, straight-line focus. What makes the most sense. And Louisiana Tech does.”
The 13 current Sun Belt Conference schools include App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana-Lafayette, ULM, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Troy.
Tech has been a league member previously with seven of the 13, excluding App State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, and Troy.
During their previous membership in the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech teams captured a total of 21 league titles, despite never participating in football (the SBC didn’t sponsor football until 2001).
Tech President Jim Henderson believes the University’s future athletic home will provide a great opportunity to add to that total.
“We do have a history here, so we are all known entities,” said Henderson. “I think that strengthens this partnership and lays the foundation for us to elevate the Sun Belt to be the premier G6 conference in America. I think in many ways it already is.
“I think adding Louisiana Tech to it only helps elevate it, and the long-term potential is anyone’s guess, but it’s high.”
As is the tension between certain fan bases.
Let the hate begin!
Courtesy of LA Tech University Communications
Louisiana Tech University’s Just Business Giving Society awarded over $60,000 to support 23 projects within the College of Business this year.
“Our committee members were impressed by each of the applications, and I’m confident the projects funded this cycle fully support the College’s mission to prepare students to positively impact business and society,” said Dr. Chris Martin, dean of the College of Business. “I’m grateful to our alumni and friends for their collective support that allowed us to fund so many worthwhile projects.”
Just Business is a giving circle comprised of College of Business alumni and friends who pool financial resources then jointly decide how the funds are invested. The group awards grants for student, staff, and faculty projects that advance the mission of the College of Business. Since 2017, Just Business has awarded more than $350,000 in grants.
“I really enjoy the sense of community that I feel as a contributor to Just Business,” said Andrew Cutrer, ’98, who joined Just Business in 2022. “It allows us to direct funds to specific projects, and then we get a chance to see the impact firsthand that we make as donors. I’m so glad to be connected to the Louisiana Tech College of Business as an alumnus, as a parent of a recent graduate, and as an HR manager at a company that recruits and employs many Tech grads.”
Funded projects include:
Creation of AI-focused learning materials on ethical and effective use in business to prepare students with career-ready skills and leadership in emerging technology
Subscription renewal for IMPLAN software used in the Regional Economic Analysis ECON 425 course to simulate economic impacts at the state, parish, and municipal levels
Access to MBTI® Global Step II™ Profile Report, a Fortune 500–recognized tool for improving leadership and team effectiveness, for students in MGMT 461
Industry tours for sustainable supply chain management students at leading manufacturing and distribution facilities
Expansion of student-led organizations, including the Institute of Management Accountants, Women in Business, The Investment Society, Omicron Delta Epsilon, and Louisiana Tech Mock Trial
Travel for Beta Alpha Psi members to attend the organization’s annual meeting and funds to host the group’s annual Monopoly Madness, a creative networking event that pairs students with industry professionals in a finance-themed Monopoly competition
Top Pup prize money for first-year business students in BUSN 110 to promote entrepreneurship and provide early exposure to entrepreneurial thinking
Support for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to increase visibility and expand opportunities for students to attend national pitch competitions
Scholarship funding for first-year students living in the Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community
Incentives for research participants to support data collection for business Ph.D. candidates
Enhancements to personal selling and sales management courses, including sales simulations and leadership and personality assessments
Sponsorship of the 2026 Theories of Family Enterprise Conference to provide visibility among global scholars in family business research
Scholarship/stipend support for students traveling abroad as part of the College’s exchange program with IESEG in France and the MBA in Argentina trip
For more information or to become involved with the Just Business giving circle, contact Executive Director of Development Mary Susan Britt at marysusan@latechalumni.org.
Southern A’Chord, Ruston’s new women’s a cappella chorus, will present its first community performance at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 31, in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church of Ruston.
The program, which the group hopes will become a twice-yearly tradition, will feature a mix of patriotic, gospel and pop songs.
Admission to “Southern A’Chord: Songs of Summer” is free, and refreshments will be served following the performance. Donations will be accepted from those who wish to support the group’s musical mission.
Formed in late 2024, Southern A’Chord exists to bring music and joy to the community – through song and the rich tradition of unaccompanied vocal harmony.
“Our goal is to uplift, entertain and create connection through the joy of singing,” said Judy Sisson, of Monroe, the group’s newly elected president and a longtime a cappella singer. “We hope our music brings a smile and maybe even inspires others to sing with us.”
The group is led by musical director Candice Bassett, of Grayson, and is growing steadily. Southern A’Chord welcomes new members, at this time especially those who sing in the alto range to fill the dynamic and harmony-rich baritone part.
For more information, visit the Facebook page Southern A’Chord Chorus or the website www.southernachordchorus.org. Interested singers can also attend a Thursday rehearsal at 6 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Ruston or contact membership chair Sallie Rose Hollis at sallierose@mail.com.
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A Ruston woman was arrested last week after police responded to a report of an unwanted person at a Grambling residence.
Lametria L. Owens, 24, was arrested early on the morning of July 11 after an officer found her behind an apartment, screaming and beating on a window with bloody hands.
The officer attempted to calm Owens down and took her into custody. As officers attempted to place her in a patrol car, she attempted to pull away.
Police had responded to the location several hours earlier regarding a complaint and gave Owens a ride away from the scene and told her not to return.
The occupant of the apartment said Owens came to his window yelling for him to come outside or to let her in. He said Owens became upset when she was escorted off the property earlier in the day. He yelled at her to leave and she refused and began to beat on the window even harder. When he heard the glass in the window break, he called 911.
Owens was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for simple criminal damage to property, remaining on premises after being forbidden, and resisting an officer.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Ruston Police arrested a local man Sunday after investigating injuries to a man in a fight.
Abel Gomez-Martinez, 41, of Ruston, was arrested for second degree battery after he was treated for his own injuries at the Northern Louisiana Medical Center.
Ruston officers responded to a Kirkland Street residence shortly after midnight Sunday morning where they found several men sitting on the porch and another already in an ambulance. Through a translator, officers learned several men had been drinking and later one man unexpectedly attacked another.
A translator said Gomez-Martinez, who was in the house, went outside with a broken glass bottle and cut another man on the neck. The wounded man defended himself by biting Gomez-Martinez’s fingers and scratching him on the face.
Gomez-Martinez was transported to the Northern Louisiana Medical Center for injuries to his fingers and face. Gomez-Martinez told officers he did not cut the other man with a glass bottle. The alleged victim was also taken to the hospital for a laceration to his upper neck and bruises to his face. The victim said he and the other men were drinking on the porch, and Gomez-Martinez came home, walked into the house and moment later, came outside and attacked him with a broken glass bottle.
After his treatment in the emergency room, Gomez-Martinez was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for second degree battery.
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.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
By T. Scott Boatright
It’s an annual rite of summer for many youngsters from north Louisiana and beyond preparing to head into the month of August and the start of a new school year.
For Ruston native and College Baseball Hall of Famer Wilbert Ellis it’s a ritual that serves in some ways as almost a fountain of youth, reminding him of his own childhood while also providing an opportunity to serve those most near and dear to his heart — children in need of a guiding hand not only in developing hardball skills, but also direction in how to handle the game of life.
The Ellis Baseball Clinic, an event free to attend for youth from ages 4-15, is set for July 26 and will be held at Ruston’s Fraser Field on Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., where Ellis played hardball himself as a youth.
Registration for the camp (which will include T-ball for ages 4-7 as well as baseball for ages 8-15) will be held from 8-9 a.m. July 26 with the clinic itself beginning at 9 a.m. followed by lunch.
Campers will receive a free clinic T-shirt as well as a hot dog/hamburger lunch.
The camp not only teaches hardball fundamentals and skills. It also focuses on teaching youth about the game of life and the importance of things such as staying in school and completing their education, becoming good and productive citizens and leaders, and learning how to stay safe and healthy.
“This is something that means so much to me,” Ellis said. “Giving back to the community and especially our youth is something I love doing, and that’s the reason all of the wonderful people who help conduct the clinic keep giving up their time and coming back. Our children are our future and they’re worth committing our time to in order to try to learn how to become the best they can be. Some of that is baseball. Because of the expense of travel ball and things like that, a lot of kids who can’t afford it — kids who might need it most of all — don’t get to learn the fundamentals of baseball and the game itself.
“But maybe the most important thing about these camps is reaching out to young people and teaching them the importance of continuing their education, and staying away from things like alcohol and drugs that can hurt them both physically and mentally. That’s the real impact we’re trying to make conducting these camps. I grew up learning the game of baseball here in Ruston, and I’m proud to continue teaching the game here in Lincoln Parish. It makes me feel young getting out and talking with these kids and teaching them what they need to know to play baseball and succeed in life.”
Ellis was an assistant under Grambling President/Coach Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones for 17 seasons before taking over as head coach in 1978 and guiding the Tigers to eight divisional championships, three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and five NCAA regional appearances while amassing a record of 740-462-1 over 26 seasons.
But even after retiring from Grambling State, Ellis never gave up the game, holding his annual youth baseball clinics in conjunction with the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, and bringing a version to those camps here to Ruston.
This year’s Wilbert Ellis Baseball Camp will see the return of a member of the Grambling Sports Legends Hall of Fame and the Atlanta Braves Baseball Hall of Fame — Ruston native Ralph Garr.
Garr, who became a scout and coach after his playing days, was a pro outfielder from 1968 – 1980 — most notably as a member of the Atlanta Braves — and eventually with the Chicago White Sox and California Angels. In 1974 while playing for the Braves, Garr was named to the National League (NL) All-Star Team and won the NL batting title with a league best .353 average while also leading the NL in hits (214) and triples (17).
This year’s Ellis Baseball Clinic will also feature instructors including GSU Baseball Coach Davin Pierre and his staff; and former GSU/Major League baseball players such as John Lewis, Ronnie Lewis, Bobby Dupree, Brick Henderson, Angelo Eave, Roger Washington, James Aubrey, Arthur Herbert and current players on the GSU baseball team.
Along with Garr, former Ruston High School baseball coach Tim O’Neal, president of the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, is slated to join the all-volunteer staff at this year’s Ellis as a featured participant. .
“This camp is something I feel like I need to do, especially because it’s something I know the kids want and need,” Ellis said. “And that’s why all the volunteers come out and help. We make it a free clinic because we want as many youth who want to come out to join us.”
To preregister for the camp, call Ronnie Lyons at 318-607-7407, Brenda Dupree at 901-210-2137, on go online to https://docs.google.com/forms/
In the case of inclement weather, the camp will relocate to the Zion Traveler Baptist Church Family Life Center.
