(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

by Malcolm Butler

 

Tears have different meanings.

When Caleb Seney’s eyes well up with tears talking about his journey at MedCamps of Louisiana and the impact the special needs summer camp has on its campers, those are emotions full of joy and compassion.

Caleb has served as the Executive Director at MedCamps of Louisiana for the past 23 summers, but his history with the place that provides a magical experience for special needs children dates back even further.

That is when his love and passion for the camp’s purpose and its campers began.

Flash back to the summer of 1993 when Caleb was a student at Springhill High School and his older brother, Tony, was the head camp counselor in the infant years of MedCamps.

Tony was in search of an additional counselor for the summer after dismissing one and knew who to call.

“(Tony) called me and asked if I wanted to come out and work with him the rest of the summer,” remembers Caleb. “I said, ‘Yeah. What do you do?’ He said, ‘I run a summer camp.’ And I said, ‘Heck, yeah.’”

It was the start of a more than three-decade love affair between Caleb and the camp.

Caleb continued to work at MedCamps throughout his college days at ULM (then NLU) as he spent each summer giving his time and his energy to the campers.

Sometimes people are fortunate enough to find their true calling in life.

For Caleb, that’s MedCamps of Louisiana.

“I worked out here every summer in college,” said Caleb. “I eventually became head counselor. Then I graduated from college. I thought, ‘Well, I need to go get a real job.’”

Following graduation from college, Caleb moved to Shreveport for his first real job, working for his uncle and aunt for a few years. However, eventually his journey led him back to Monroe and back into a career of serving others as he worked with special needs people for a company called Care Solutions.

That is when he contacted MedCamps of Louisiana founder Michael Zambie about reconnecting with the entity.

“I contacted Dr. Zambie,” said Caleb. “I said, ‘Hey, I want to get plugged back in to MedCamps. What can I do?’

“He told me that they needed new board members, younger board members. He said I would be a good fit because I worked out there long enough that I knew what was going on with MedCamps.”

Caleb joined the board of directors in the late summer of 2002.

“I knew (Caleb) from when he was a counselor,” said Dr. Zambie. “And he was a great counselor. And then he was the head counselor, and I got to know him even more. That was when I was really involved with the camp quite a bit. He came back and wanted to be on the board of directors.”

Then soon after, MedCamps was in search of a new executive director. Enter Caleb.

“We had gone through two or three (executive) directors during a two- or three-year period,” said Dr. Zambie. “We just had a tough time finding anyone who we felt was a good fit for the camp. He approached me and told me he wanted to apply for the job.

“He was by far the best candidate we interviewed. Plus, he had such a love for and history with the camp. We felt like Caleb would be a perfect fit.”

So, in 2003, Caleb took over the head role at the camp. And according to everyone involved, drastic changes were needed as the camp was not in great shape – either financially or from a facility standpoint.

After starting out in 1987 as a special needs camp for kids with asthma (Camp Easy Breeze) and being held on the ULM campus, MedCamps of Louisiana needed a new home.

Dr. Zambie said a local paster, Ed Hurley, arranged for him to meet with the Presbytery of the Pines which owns Camp Alabama to discuss a partnership.

“We eventually moved it to Camp Alabama around 1990,” said Dr. Zambie. “The camp had pretty much been abandoned. (The facilities) were pretty dilapidated. It needed a lot of work.”

Despite the lack of top-notch facilities, the camp continued to grow throughout the 1990s, according to Dr. Zambie.

“Every year we would have someone approach us and say, ‘Hey, would you have a camp for autistic kids? Would you have a camp for wheelchair bound kids?’ So, each year we would add a camp at a time,” said Dr. Zambie.  “We would add camps to the MedCamps umbrella as we felt they were needed.”

Located in Sibley (about 10 miles east of Ruston), MedCamps of Louisiana’s mission is to improve the health and wellness of people living with chronic illnesses and disabilities through unique recreational and educational camping experiences.

When Caleb assumed responsibilities as the executive director in 2003, he knew across the board changes were needed if the camp was going to grow. He addressed the topic with Dr. Zambie before taking the job.

“I said the only caveat Dr. Zambie is you are going to have to protect me because we need to make some changes,” remembers Caleb. “He said, ‘I fully agree, and I have your back.’

“We limped through that first summer. I started two weeks before camp started. The staff was already in place. I had zero influence on any of that. The one thing I did that won the support of Dr. Zambie was I went to him with some financial ideas.”

Some of those ideas were instrumental in allowing the camp to get back on its feet financially and start moving forward to where it is today.

“Caleb has been the best thing that ever happened to MedCamps of Louisiana,” said Dr. Zambie.  “He has taken it from a little small camp with 100 or 150 (campers) to up to over 500.”

Including weekend retreats and family camps, MedCamps of Louisiana serves over 800 kids a year.

These days MedCamps of Louisiana holds summer sessions for a multitude of special needs groups, including family camps (three in fall and three in spring) as well as summer camps for various ages. The summer camps include sessions focused on autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Type I diabetes, sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy, and other disabilities and chronic illnesses.

And one of its main goals is for every camper to attend for free, meaning fundraising is critical.

Caleb has introduced a wide variety of fundraising platforms over the past two decades as the camps budget has increased exponentially. MedCamps is totally funded through fundraising, individual contributions and grants.

It is no easy task, but it is one that Caleb has excelled at.

“He has done a marvelous job of spreading the word, not only in northeast Louisiana but throughout the entire state and region,” said Dr. Zambie.

“That’s what a big part of his job is,” said MedCamps board member Thomas Davison. “He has to raise money so these campers can go for free. He is great on the fundraising side, whether it is with individuals or groups. It is so easy for me to give to MedCamps because I know the impact it has on so many families.”

It is truly a labor of love.

“It’s not always easy,” said Caleb. “There have been a lot of tough times. A lot of battles, but the vision has always been the same. I knew we could make it better. And we have.”

He was also instrumental in starting the partnership with the Louisiana Tech School of Design more than a decade ago that led to tremendous upgrades to Camp Alabama’s facilities.

Although Caleb has made his impact on MedCamps in so many different ways, those who are around him say his biggest asset is his love for the kids who attend.

“I don’t think MedCamps would be where it is today without Caleb’s leadership and love,” said Davison. “God put him in that role for a reason. I cannot see him anywhere else but MedCamps. The way he interacts with those kids is special. It is what he was made to do.

“Caleb has a loving heart for these kids. He has a servant’s heart. It is what has made MedCamps so successful.”

Kacie Whipple, who has been associated with MedCamps in various roles since 2010, echoes Davison’s sentiments.

“I don’t think I have ever met anyone who puts others before themselves as much as Caleb does,” said Whipple, who now serves as Camp Director. “He pours his heart and soul into MedCamps.

“It is truly one of his other children. He obviously has (his own daughters) Abby and Audrey, but MedCamps is a third (child) to him. He has a heart to serve, and he makes sure the campers have a once in a lifetime experience that they cannot get anywhere else. He is so dedicated to (MedCamps) and its mission.”

The board members see it. The staff sees it. And so do the parents of the campers.

“As parents, entrusting our son Lawson to anyone is no small thing, but MedCamps and Caleb earned our complete trust from the very first summer he attended camp,” said former Louisiana Tech Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland and his wife, Jessica, whose oldest son attended during their time in Ruston. “Caleb’s vision and compassion create an environment where children with special challenges thrive.

“We witnessed firsthand how Lawson grew in confidence, independence, and joy, surrounded by caring staff who treated him as their own. MedCamps does not just run a summer program: they serve with humility and heart, offering each child the invaluable gift of belonging. We are forever grateful to Caleb and the entire MedCamps family for caring for a parents most precious treasure: their children.”  

Anyone who has witnessed Caleb walking across the Camp Alabama grounds interacting with the kids can easily see his love and dedication for what is much more than just a job.

“Caleb has such a passion for our kids and MedCamps,” said Heather Pullen, whose son Britt attended its summer camps. “It is such an amazing experience for the campers year after year. He pours every ounce of his heart and soul into them and the camp.

“I have never seen anyone outside of our family members care about our kids more than Caleb. It takes a special kind of person to do what he does. We are so fortunate to have something so spectacular in our community.”

While those around him talk about what Caleb has meant to MedCamps and its staff and campers, he is quick to deflect any credit. Instead, he claims to be the one who is blessed.

“I thought I would do it for only a few years, but I love it,” said Caleb. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what God created me to do. There is no doubt in my mind. God ordained me to do this.”

Emotional for sure.

 

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(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

by Malcolm Butler

When Katie Hall steps onto the University Center court Saturday at noon to coach her Cedar Creek team in the Select School Division IV state title game, she may pause for a moment before tipoff and take it all in.

And no one can blame her.

Just two short years ago, Hall was enjoying a pretty flexible life: a mom of four, a wife to husband Lance, and owner of Hall of Hoops Basketball Service. Oh, and coaching a little middle school girls hoops on the side at Cedar Creek.

Nothing too strenuous.

Longtime and highly successful Lady Cougars coach Gene Vandenlangenberg had the girls’ varsity program rolling, highlighted by a trip to the school’s first ever state title game in 2022. 

And then, overnight, things changed. 

Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, Coach Van – as he is affectionately known at the school – announced his decision to retire from coaching girls’ basketball. It was a move that took everybody by surprise, including Katie.

“When (Gene) unexpectedly retired … nobody saw that coming; me included,” said Hall. “I was trying to change (the junior high) practice plans to get ready for his lingo and the terminology that he used (on the varsity level).

“In all honesty in my own mind I was ready to get out of coaching the junior high once (my daughter) Kennedy moved on to high school.”

Not so fast, Coach Katie.

“Lance heard some rumblings that they were putting a committee together to approach me about the varsity job,” said Katie. “It was Mrs. (Cindy) Hampton that brought me in along with some other board members. They said, ‘Whatever it takes, we want you to take this over.’”

The answer was easy.

“It was a hard no for me,” said Katie.

According to Katie, her husband had predicted all this way before it all unfolded.

“Lance said, ‘You know they are going to ask you about the high school job,’” said Katie, referring to when she started coaching junior high at Creek. “And I was like, ‘Nope. I’m never doing that.’

“It was a hard no because I knew I would be all in and consumed and stressed out.”

Although no one will doubt her passion for both the sport of basketball and for teaching young people the game, Katie simply wouldn’t allow herself to think of taking the varsity position.

That is until a conversation with her husband.

 “It was Lance,” said Katie. “He said, ‘I think you should consider it.’ I did a double take because he was the one who was even more hard no then me because it would be him stuck with the two twins at home.

“But he said, ‘I think you should. I think it’s a great opportunity to be with your (oldest) daughter and make those memories. We will make it work.’

“It was that moment that I allowed my brain to start picturing it. Until then, I never did.”

__________________________

Caroline James and Zoey Venters remember the day in March of 2023 when they were officially told that Coach Katie was replacing Coach Van.

According to both, it was the worst kept secret.

“We kept hearing rumors,” said Zoey.

Rumors quickly turned into reality as one day all the varsity basketball players were called out of class to go to the gym.

“I remember looking up and seeing (Coach Katie) standing in the balcony, smiling,” said Caroline. “I knew then.”

Both young ladies were already familiar with Coach Katie. James had played one year of middle school basketball for her as well as Hall of Hoops experience. Venters said she had attended a camp run by her.

And both say they were ecstatic to learn the news.

“I was excited,” said Zoey, one of only two seniors on this year’s Lady Cougars team. “It was rumored when Coach Van stepped down. Everyone was like, ‘Who is going to coach us?’

“Everyone’s first option was Coach Katie. I went to one of her camps and loved the way she taught me what to do. She wanted to see each one of us grow as basketball players.”

“I was thrilled,” said Caroline. “I had played for Coach Katie before. Loved her. I knew how she coached. She is a great coach. Moving on from a great coach like Coach Van … having a coach that was equally as great was so reassuring.”

__________________________

When asked how she got to where she is today in regard to leading Cedar Creek varsity on the hardwood, Katie takes zero credit.

“I think it was God’s plan,” said Katie. “I really felt like my whole path even going back to running camps for Coach Barmore at Louisiana Tech to finding the love for Hall of Hoops … I just think it was setting me up for this.

“It wasn’t my plan. It was definitely His.”

Katie has always had a passion for the sport of basketball. Starting at an early age and running through her days at C.E. Byrd High School where she led the program to a pair of Louisiana Class 5A state titles in the mid-1990s. She was named the MVP of the 1993 state title game the year Byrd was ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Top 25 poll.

Following high school, she made the 60-mile trip east to Ruston to play for a legendary coach at a legendary program.

“I am so proud of Katie,” said Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Leon Barmore. “She is a classy lady. When I recruited her from Byrd (High School), I got exactly what I wanted. I got a really solid guard.”

During Katie’s four years with the Tech program, the Lady Techsters posted a 121-15 record and won four Sun Belt Conference titles and played in the 1998 national championship game against Tennessee.

Even today, more than 25 years after finishing her college career, Katie points back to her time at Tech.

“Being connected to Coach Barmore is something I will always value and treasure,” said Katie. “I hope that my girls one day can look back and go, ‘Wow. Coach Katie taught me some life lessons.’ That’s what Coach Barmore did for me.

“That impact is something I’ve always loved about basketball. You can have an impact on people in so many ways.”

__________________________

Cedar Creek enters Saturday’s title game against No. 1 seed Southern Lab with an impressive record of 29-3.

The Lady Cougars captured the District 1-1A title this year. They have recorded a number of marquee wins against the likes of Benton, West Monroe, Arcadia, Summerfield, Hamilton Christian, and JS Clark Academy.

And as impressive as all of that is … it’s not what’s important, according to both Katie and her players.

So, what is?

“I think back to when Caroline was playing on Hall of Hoops teams,” said Max James, dad of Caroline James. “From the time that Caroline was at an early age, Katie’s message to them was ‘the game is fun. It should always be fun. It’s a game. We are going to have fun playing it, and we are going to have fun learning it.’

“She knows how to coach kids appropriately at each stage of life. When she came over and started coaching at Cedar Creek and then moved to the varsity ranks, she knew it was a much more competitive atmosphere. It was a much more intense atmosphere.

“So, she adjusted her coaching to that. But at the center of everything, it’s still a game and it’s all about having fun. It’s all about developing yourself as a person and learning how to handle intense situations.”

Anyone who has watched Cedar Creek play this year can see that the Lady Cougars are having fun.

Of course, winning is fun. But even in tough times and tough moments, the Cedar Creek players embrace each other and the game.

And they credit that to their head coach.

“Her coaching style is a perfect mixture of a hard coach who pushes you to be better than you ever thought you could be, but it’s also where you know if you mess up or aren’t understanding something she will break it down and help you,” said Zoey. “She isn’t going to just throw you in the deep in and make you figure it out. She shows you what to do and how to become the players that we have all become.”

“She is always encouraging and uplifting,” said Caroline. “She always has faith in us. She makes an environment that is so fun to be in even during a hard day. You know she has your back.”

__________________________

“I love the challenge. I love the reward,” said Katie.

Although Katie is quick to say that the reward isn’t winning a district title or even playing for a state championship title.

All of that is fun. But it’s not the ultimate reward for her as a coach.

On the bus ride home from Hammond on Wednesday following the Lady Cougars dramatic 47-44 win over JS Clark Academy, Katie said she reaped the rewards.

“I sat on the front of the bus and listened to the girls belt out worship music,” said Katie. “I listen to their laughter. I listen to the things that they repeat that I say. I know they are listening. I love the culture that we are building.

“As I say all of this it has nothing to do with basketball. It’s about impacting kids’ lives.”

And impact them she has according to those close to the program and school.

“She puts other people first in everything,” said Max James. “She is creating a culture.”

Zoey may have paid the ultimate compliment to Coach Katie.

“She has become like a second mother to me,” said Zoey. “Anytime I need something, she is one of the first people I would call. She has almost adopted all of us like we are her true daughters. You don’t see very many coaches who take their players and turn them into their actual family and treat us like we are her own.”

Caroline agrees.

“Coach Katie has cultivated this environment,” said Caroline. “She has made this team into a family. Her biggest thing is she wants to let us grow as people. So, she impacts us as players, but she also impacts us in our personal lives. When we walk out of the gym we are trying to make the world a better place.”

__________________________

Cedar Creek faces a tall task Saturday.

Southern Lab has won three of the past four state championships and is loaded with talent. They dismantled former Creek district rival OCS 68-16 in Wednesday’s second semifinal.

However, anyone who has seen the Lady Cougars play this year knows better than to count them out before the final horn sounds.

One thing is for certain. Creek will be prepared.

“I think what I have seen with her teams, they are defending,” said Barmore, who came to Creek practice this past Sunday and spoke to the players. “They mix their defenses up. Playing a little zone press, a little man.

“For what she does and who she is, she’s perfect for those kids. I think if you scream and holler at (players these days), I’m not sure that works. I’m sure she gets on them at times, but I think it’s her mannerisms. I think it’s her organization. I just think she (outcoaches) a lot of teams. It’s pretty obvious she is coaching at a really high level.”

High praise from one of her true mentors. 

Katie had numerous goals when she took over the varsity program at Cedar Creek two years ago to this month. One of them was to continue the winning tradition.

“It wanted to continue to grow what Coach Van had laid the foundation for and not let him down after what he built here,” said Katie.

Consider that goal accomplished. Now she has an opportunity to help this year’s team make history.

The Lady Cougars have won 17 games in a row. Win No. 18 straight and 30 overall would be the first state championship title in girls’ basketball since the school joined the LHSAA ranks in the 1980s.

And although that fact isn’t lost on her, Katie already knows this team has succeeded regardless of what the scoreboard may read Saturday afternoon.

“Success isn’t the wins or the championships,” said Katie. “It is more about the memories that these girls are making. That’s the success for me. It’s not about wins and losses. This (type of season) is just icing on the cake.”

 

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(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

by Bevin Hicks

There are few in this town who don’t know the courageous story of Brecken Shadow Owens.

If you’ve seen groups of guys proudly rocking shaved heads, “Breck Strong” shirts, or local businesses rallying in support, then you know, this town stands behind its warrior. I often tell his mom, Val, one of my dearest friends, that Breck is our Hollywood Baby. The sparkles in his eyes and those dimples are bound to break hearts one day. But beyond his megawatt smile is a spirit of pure strength.

By all accounts, Breck is a thriving, joyful second grader, obsessed with Roblox, his friends, and all the things a little boy should love. All accounts other than childhood leukemia, the beast that has come knocking again.

Breck’s battle first began at just two years old, when a simple fever turned into a nightmare. Within 48 hours, his parents, Val and Rob, found themselves at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, hearing the words no family ever wants to hear, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

They clung to their faith, leaned on their community, and watched in awe as their little boy fought with the heart of a lion. And he won. But now, years later, the Owens family is facing every parent’s worst fear: a relapse.

Val’s words on Facebook were a gut punch to us all:

“The last post I ever wanted to write was this one. Breck has relapsed. It makes me sick to even write it. As of right now, they think we caught it in time and found very small amounts in his bone marrow. This is God. I’m telling you, Moms and Dads, if you feel something isn’t right, listen to it. We leave today headed to St. Jude.”

And just like that, this community did what it does best. We showed up.

From the moment the news broke, an outpouring of love and support flooded in. His classmates at Cedar Creek started planning special days to lift his spirits. The Ruston community, which has always wrapped its arms around the Owens family, sprang into action. Local businesses, churches, and organizations stepped forward to ensure that Val, Rob, Breck, and his beloved little sister, Vale, never felt alone in this fight.

The brothers of Louisiana Tech’s TKE fraternity collected over 600 handwritten letters from students, encouraging Breck and reminding him that he has an entire army behind him. Even LA Tech President Jim Henderson took the time to personally write a letter to let Breck know he is loved, supported, and never alone.

Breck’s classmates and teachers made it their mission to keep his spirits high. His Pre-K buddies participated in a Trike-a-Thon in his honor, proving that even the smallest warriors stand behind him. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sent well wishes to Breck, offering encouragement and admiration.

Then there were the fundraisers, each one a testament to how deeply Breck has touched the hearts of this town. Cool Beans Coffee Shop dedicated an entire day to Breck, donating proceeds to help support the Owens family. Train 318 hosted a fundraiser this past weekend, rallying more support in his honor. The Wild Bill’s Swinging for Breck Golf Tournament, set to be held on April 25th, will bring together golfers and supporters alike, turning their love for the game into a powerful force for good.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated Breck Stock 2025, a benefit concert at Sundown Tavern, featured live music, raffles, and a silent auction, all with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Owens family to assist with any needs that arose during this journey.

For those who wanted to offer support in a tangible way, an Amazon Wishlist was created, hand-picked by Breck himself to bring him and his little sister, Vale, joy, and comfort during this journey. Just 24 hours in, every item on his wish list was being sent his way. Every effort, big or small, was a testament to the unshakable love and support that surrounded the Owens family.

Perhaps the most powerful moment came straight from Breck himself. His mother shared his words: while riding in the car, he suddenly said,

“I just heard a voice in my head.”

When his parents asked what it said, he answered,

“Don’t worry, all you need is Me.”

Tears filled their eyes.

“That was Jesus, Breck,” Val replied.

And that’s the thing about this little boy—he is strong beyond his years, wise in a way that only someone who has been tested by fire can be.

Val and Rob have chosen faith over fear. In her own words, Val shared:

“We’re choosing today to put on the garment of praise God offers us instead of the cloak of grief (Isaiah 61:3). Today, I ask you to be in prayer for our fearless lion. He is mighty. He is a warrior, and he’s going to get through this! Pray that God gives Breck supernatural strength through his mind, body, and spirit. Remove all anxiety, worry, exhaustion, and cancer cells, and replace them with peace, joy, and hope. There’s power in the mighty name of Jesus. We’re not backing down from any giant. We know how this story ends! Victory!”

And there is one thing we all know for sure, Ruston fights for its own, and Breck Owens is just that: one of our own, a piece of all our hearts, and a beacon of fortitude from whom we all gain wisdom.

In the most beautiful display of love, Breck’s second-grade class posed for a picture together. Although Breck couldn’t be there for the photo as he was being treated at St. Jude, he wasn’t absent. His class included a giant stuffed sloth and a photo of Breck, a reminder that no matter where he is, he carries their love with him.

This community loves this little boy beyond words, and the way they have shown up for him and his family is nothing short of extraordinary. Breck has strength like no other. At nine years old, he is teaching us all about what it means to love, to fight, and to live with purpose. The road ahead may seem long, but the Owens family will never walk it alone, and together we know…

Victory is coming.

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(Over the course of the next few weeks, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

Written by Lauren Pipes, mother of Reed Pipes

Presidents Day, 2024.  A day that will forever be ingrained in my memory.  The day that we got a call that told us our baby boy had cancer.  

I was standing at the kitchen island when my phone rang.  We had been waiting for a call with lab results for what seemed like the longest three days of our lives. 

When I answered the phone, and heard the news: “Reed has leukemia, do you have any questions.” 

I could not even speak.  After hanging up the phone, I went to the front porch for air and to get away from my son, who was sitting on the couch watching TV.  

Questions.  Yes, I had so many.  I knew absolutely nothing about Leukemia.  I had no idea how to tell a 4-year-old that he had cancer.  I couldn’t fathom explaining it to my 7-year-old daughter either.  It was overwhelming.

Meanwhile our amazing doctor in Ruston was filing the paperwork to get Reed to St. Jude for treatment.  Little did we know at the time; the care we received at St. Jude would be a life changing experience for our family. 

When we arrived at St. Jude the next day, we were blown away by how quickly everything happened.  Reed began treatment the very next day.  The doctors and nurses were amazing about presenting a plan and explaining in detail everything that was about to happen.  We had so much to learn about our child and his diagnosis and St. Jude personnel made that process easy. 

Here are some facts about childhood cancer:

• About 44 children are diagnosed with cancer every day.
• One in five children diagnosed with cancer do not survive past five years.
• Childhood cancer research funding is much lower than funding for adult cancers.
• Pediatric cancer survival rate has increased from about 60% in 1970 to about 85% in recent years.
• Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for children and adolescents worldwide.

St. Jude and the research that they provide have helped to make huge strides in fighting childhood cancers.  The team at St. Jude has been a Godsend to our family.  They have taken an awful situation and lessened the burden mentally and financially. All treatments and research are funded by donations. If you are looking for somewhere to donate, there is no better place than St. Jude.

Our children deserve to have adults who fight for them when they can’t.  That is what St. Jude is doing.  It is fighting for our kids, so that we can one day end childhood cancer.

Our son, Reed, is about a year into treatment and is doing better and better every day.

_________________________________________

The region’s 44th St. Jude Radiothon will be broadcast Feb. 13-14 from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Ruston station Z107.5.

During the event, donations can be made by calling 1-800-787-5288 or by donating online via the station’s website (Z1075fm.com), Facebook (Z107.5) or Instagram (Z1075fm) pages. In-person donations will be collected in related side events at the Ruston Walmart Supercenter and Super 1 Foods.

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OPINION: New Year’s Resolutions and Other Myths We Tell Ourselves
By That One Pastor Who Still Believes in Miracles, Even After Trying to Assemble IKEA Furniture

As the calendar flips to January—because apparently time insists on moving forward whether we’re ready or not—Americans everywhere are once again drafting their annual list of New Year’s resolutions. These are the same resolutions we made last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, like a Hallmark movie plot that keeps getting recycled with slightly different actors.

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We all know the classics:

• “I’m going to eat healthier.”
  (Translation: I will buy kale, let it wilt in the fridge, and then throw it away with a sense of moral superiority.)
• “I’m going to exercise more.”
  (Translation: I will wear athleisure clothing while sitting on the couch.)
• “I’m going to get organized.”
  (Translation: I will buy a planner so beautiful it intimidates me, then never write in it.)

But here’s the thing: resolutions are basically promises we make to ourselves while hopped up on leftover Christmas sugar and the delusion that a new calendar equals a new personality.

Which brings me to a radical proposal for 2026:
What if we skipped the resolutions and followed Jesus instead?

Now before you roll your eyes and say, “Pastor, that sounds like the churchy version of ‘live, laugh, love,’” hear me out. Following Jesus is not the safe, predictable, colorcodedplanner life we imagine. It’s not even the tidy “new year, new me” vibe we try to manufacture every January.

Following Jesus is… well… an adventure.

And not the kind of adventure where you book a cruise and spend seven days eating shrimp cocktail. I mean the kind where you wake up and say, “Lord, I have no idea what You’re doing today, but please don’t let it involve snakes, public speaking, or me having to apologize to someone before coffee.”

Jesus has a way of inviting us into things we never would’ve put on our resolution list:

• “Love your enemies.”
  (Not on anyone’s planner.)
• “Forgive seventy times seven.”
  (Also not on anyone’s planner.)
• “Feed my sheep.”
  (We prefer feeding ourselves.)
• “Take up your cross.”
  (Definitely not on the planner.)

But here’s the twist: while our resolutions tend to fizzle out by midJanuary—right around the time the gym parking lot empties and the kale turns brown—Jesus’ invitations don’t depend on our willpower. They depend on His grace.

And grace, unlike my treadmill, actually works.

Following Jesus won’t give you a slimmer waistline or a colorcoded pantry, but it will give you something far better: purpose, joy, courage, and the kind of hope that doesn’t expire on January 31.

So this year, instead of resolving to become a slightly improved version of yourself, maybe resolve to follow the One who already knows who you’re becoming.

It’s riskier. It’s wilder. It’s holier.
And yes—it’s far more adventurous than kale.

Happy New Year, friends. May your 2026 be full of grace, laughter, and the kind of holy surprises that make you say, “Only Jesus could’ve pulled that off.”

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.

A shooting early Christmas morning left a Ruston man wounded, prompting a search for the suspect who was located two days later.

Cedric Subastin Williams, 50, of Ruston, was booked December 27 for attempted second degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and resisting an officer.

When Ruston Police officers responded to the Northern Louisiana Medical Center emergency room at about 12:40 a.m. Christmas morning, they learned the 45-year-old victim had sustained a gunshot wound to his arm. During the investigation, officers determined the shooting occurred at a party in the area of Union Avenue and identified Williams as the shooter.

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Williams was later located and arrested Saturday after officers spotted him at a convenience store on South Farmerville Street. At the time of his arrest, Williams initially gave a false name and date of birth, according to police. He is being held at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center with bail set at $1.1 million.

According to court records, Williams has a previous aggravated assault conviction in Lincoln Parish and was arrested three weeks ago for failure to register as a sex offender in a large-scale North Louisiana operation on sex offense violations.

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.

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Click the three bars in the bottom corner and select “With Radar” to see current precipitation and storms in your area.

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. 

Tuesday, Dec. 30
4-7 p.m.: Ice skating (Ruston Sports Complex (2001 Champions Way)

Wednesday, Dec. 31
New Year’s Eve
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
12-1 p.m.: Rotary Club meeting (Historic Fire Station)
Noon: GSU men’s basketball 

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Thursday, Jan. 1
Happy New Year!
6:30 p.m.: GSU women’s basketball

Friday, Jan. 2
2 p.m.: GSU women’s basketball
6:30 p.m.: LA Tech women’s basketball 

Saturday, Jan. 3
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
4 p.m.: GSU men’s basketball

Monday, Jan. 5
11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome
5:30 p.m.: Ruston City Council 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)
6:30 p.m.: GSU men’s basketball

Tuesday, Jan. 6
6 p.m.: Lincoln Parish School Board meeting (410 S. Farmerville St.) 

Wednesday, Jan. 7
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
12-1 p.m.: Rotary Club meeting (Historic Fire Station)

Thursday, Jan. 8
9:30 a.m.: Piney Hills Quilt Guild meeting (Grace Methodist Church)
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall)
6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers)
6 p.m.: LA Tech men’s basketball 

Saturday, Jan. 10
8:30-11:30 a.m.: Hazardous Waste Material Collection and Recycling (2609 Farmerville St.)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market
2 p.m.: LA Tech men’s basketball

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.

Courtesy of LA Tech Athletics Communications

Louisiana Tech used a blistering shooting display from three and a balanced scoring effort to take down UTEP, 75-63, on Monday night in the Conference USA opener inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.

There is something about LA Tech (8-4, 1-0 CUSA) playing UTEP (4-8, 0-1 CUSA) in the TAC. The two matched up in the last CUSA game played that wrapped up the 2024-25 regular season. In that contest, the Bulldogs hit 12 three-pointers.

Fast forward to the league opener for the 2025-26 season and the hot-shooting ‘Dogs this time drained 11 triples, matching their season high output from deep. Six of those came in the first 13 minutes of action, leading to a 35-15 advantage over the Miners.

“I knew when we took a big lead early it would not hold,” said Tech head coach Talvin Hester. “UTEP plays with a lot of intensity and at some point, they were going to start attacking. We were shooting the ball at a pace that is hard to keep up.

“I thought where we did a good job, especially in the beginning, was that we were defending and turning turnovers into easy points. When we defend like we can defend, and we start to make shots and match that with better free throw shooting, we can make it an easier game. We still have a long way to go.”

Helping to gain that 20-point lead was Avery Thomas II who scored 11 of the team’s first 13 points, which was also part of an 18-3 run by the home squad.

However, a scrappy UTEP squad ended the half on a 13-3 run of its own to slice its deficit down to 10, making it a 38-28 lead for LA Tech at the midway point.

The Miners continued to scrap into the second half, getting to within six points on three separate occasions. With the Bulldogs clinging to a 47-41 edge with 14:41 still to play, LA Tech blitzed UTEP with a quick 8-0 run that was amplified by back-to-back threes from AJ Bates and DJ Dudley, forcing a timeout by the visitors.

UTEP would get its deficit back to single digits with 54 seconds left, but Dudley and Bates put the game away by sinking two free throws apiece as LA Tech continued its dominance over UTEP in the TAC, improving to 14-2 all-time versus the Miners at home while also making it 6-0 in CUSA openers in Ruston.

Six Bulldogs ended up scoring in double figures, something that had not been done in four years. Dudley led the charge with a game-high 18 points while Bates tacked on his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-tying 10 assists. 

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Ed Earl Hall 
July 23, 1935 – December 26, 2025 
Funeral Service: Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 2:00 PM, Dean Baptist Church, 2309 Highway 827, Marion 
Cemetery Committal: Tuesday, December 30, 2025, Reppond Cemetery, Crow Farm Rd., Marion 

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(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

By T. Scott Boatright

As scores of people flocked to Origin Bank’s downtown branch on Thursday to join in on Bill Cox’s 90th birthday celebration, there was a common denominator talking about the “magic” behind what makes him so special — his selfless service to all.

There aren’t too many people in Ruston that Cox hasn’t served in one way or another over the years, whether it was as owner and operator of Cox’s Shell Station from 1960 – 1984, or later serving as Louisiana Tech University’s Director of Athletic Promotions and Director of Athletic Facilities.

Even after retiring from Tech, Cox continued working at Cedar Creek School from 1996-2007.

And many of those friends of Cox have eaten servings of his jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice and such, and have been entertained by his love of magic tricks.

But it’s the way Cox has served his community, including Temple Baptist Church, where Cox is a deacon, that people seem to admire the most about Ruston’s “magic man.”

“He’s always been there to serve,” said former Louisiana Tech Sports Information Director Keith Prince. “That’s the most magical part about him. It’s who he is. He’s kind of been ‘the Spirit of Tech’ to me.”

Sandra Kane worked with Cox for years in Tech’s athletics department and said it’s his generosity that makes him special.

“He’s kind, he’s funny, and he’s just so generous,” she said. “One time he helped my mother with car trouble, and when he was done, she asked him how much she owed, and he said ‘nothing.’ He would never take any money. He just wanted to help people.”

Kane’s husband, former Tech baseball coach Mike Kane, echoed his wife’s sentiments.

“Everybody says the same thing about him,” he said. “He’s one of the most giving people there is and has done something for pretty much everybody.”

Glenn Theis became good friends with Cox while playing semipro baseball with Cox’s son.

“He never stops working trying to serve other people,” Theis said. “Whether it’s cooking for somebody or coaching a baseball team every week, he never stops helping other people with anything they need.

“That includes just talking to people when they need someone to listen. It includes making them laugh with his jokes and amazing them with his magic tricks. He really is one of a kind, and I’m just glad to not only know him but to be able to have the friendship I have with him. He is a special man.”

Aug. 2 is Cox’s actual birthday — “the 2th of August,” he joked. And he’s seen a lot of change all his years in Ruston.

But Cox said it wasn’t always that way.

“It didn’t change any the first 30 to 40 years I was here,” Cox said. “Then something happened. Maybe something in the water, I don’t know. But I haven’t seen anything close to the way Ruston has grown the past 20 to 30. It’s been incredible watching it all happen around me over the years.”

Another change that Cox said he is thrilled about is the recent news that LA Tech athletics is returning to the Sun Belt to share the conference with longtime rivals such as Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State.”

“It’s going to be the best thing that ever happened to us,” Cox said. “We had growing pains, but we never should have left those regional rivalries. All the old Southland Conference rivals. And teams like (current Sun Belt) Southern Miss and Troy fit perfectly into being Tech rivals. It’s going to be great.

“Those are the kinds of games that will pack the stands like Tech hasn’t seen in years. Those are the games people here in Ruston want to see — the games that most of the Tech fanbase want to see. When we play ULM, or Lafayette, whether it’s here or there, it’s going to be a packed house. Being able to get back to that is going to be special.”

Cox remembers a time Tech wanted to build even bigger rivalries.

“We had growing pains,” Cox said. “When (legendary Tech football coach Joe Aillet) was winding down, Tulane was getting out (of the SEC) and he wanted us in the Southeastern Conference. And we could have gotten in at that point. And that’s what we should have done.

“But it didn’t happen with the powers that be. I have been so close to Tech for so many years, it just hurts me to realize that we missed the boat when we had the chance. In the early ’70s, we could have played with anybody. I had the privilege of recruiting Tech athletes for 42-43 years. I’d cook for them and do some magic tricks. But we had a big chance back in the ’60s that we didn’t take advantage of. I’m just glad we took advantage of the Sun Belt chance this time.”

Cox relished all the friends who stopped by to wish him a happy birthday and rehash old memories and good times and said he appreciated the celebration put on for him.

“It’s been a hoot,” Cox said. “It’s been fun.”

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(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

By Wesley Harris

If I asked you to meet me on Brick Row at one o’clock, would you know where to go?

Early Ruston residents certainly knew the location. It was the most important block in town. Maybe still is.

When the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad finally extended west from Monroe to Shreveport in 1883, the value of living in a town with access to this new form of transportation across North Louisiana was evident to many.

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Enterprising businessmen who sought new opportunities on the line moved from small towns missed by the railroad like Sparta, Mount Lebanon, Homer, Vernon, and Vienna. New businesses sprang up quickly as the new town of Ruston developed.

Ruston had been laid in perfect symmetry with blocks and lots surveyed and staked in grid fashion and numbered. The lots closest to the railroad tracks were the most appealing. An enterprising hotelier did not want to build his hotel or boarding house three blocks from the tracks, where it was not visible to newly arriving passengers seeking accommodations. A general store in view might tempt a traveler to hurry from the depot and purchase a quick snack or a cigar before continuing to his destination.

If you had money, you could buy any lot or any number of lots. But there was one caveat to build on Brick Row. Owners were required to construct their buildings of brick. No wood frame buildings were allowed on what is now Park Avenue between Trenton Street and Vienna Street. And for a time, Brick Row—the face of new Ruston—was one of the few blocks with a sidewalk extending its length.

In the early days, Park Avenue was first named Railroad Avenue and extended east-west through the town on both sides of the railroad tracks. Brick Row was the row of buildings facing the depot grounds, later known as Railroad Park.

The penalty for not using brick is lost to history, but more than likely new lot owners had to sign an agreement at the time of purchase.

Brick buildings were more resistant to fire. Wooden buildings that caught fire would likely burn to the ground before anything could be done to save them. Ruston’s early fire protection was rudimentary at best. While there was a public well in the street in front of what is now Ponchatoula’s on East Park Avenue, it would be several years before an actual fire department was created. And even then, its equipment was sorely lacking in the ability to put out large blazes.

But the most important reason for Brick Row was pure aesthetics and business savvy. Other towns were sure to pop up along the new rail route and Ruston wanted to create an attractive and enticing draw to those passing through on the passenger trains. Ruston wanted to grow.

And new residents came. Lots of them. They came in droves, opening all manner of businesses from general merchantile and ladies wear to drug stores, barber shops, livery stables and saloons.

Yes, saloons. In Ruston. At least for a time.

The families behind the early Brick Row businesses did well financially. Many of the names are still familiar today—Lewis, Kidd, Marbury, Holland, Mays, Smith, Gullatt. The various stores of the Lewis family anchored the downtown retail scene for over 130 years.

The small towns providing Ruston’s new residents died slow deaths. Little survives save mostly forgotten cemeteries at Mount Lebanon and Sparta and Vernon. Vienna endures because of its proximity to Ruston.

Brick Row remains valuable Ruston real estate. Many businesses have appeared and disappeared from Park Avenue in the past 142 years but few storefronts ever sit vacant. Brick Row and the adjacent park remain the focal point of historic downtown Ruston.

So, when you meet me on Brick Row at one o’clock, we’ll walk over to the park, find a bench, and ponder on how a string of sturdy buildings grew into what Ruston is today.

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.

(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

By Kyle Roberts

WEST MONROE, LA. — Don’t tell Elbert Lawrence he can’t do something.

After all, he’s a long-time lumber man turned private investigator turned…. fiddle maker?

And he’s chosen a route that dozens of “experts” told him wasn’t possible: a violin constructed completely out of sinker cypress – and from wood that’s older than Jesus of Nazareth.

Lawrence’s fiddle story starts at Duck Commander in West Monroe, La., nearly 15 years ago. At the time, Lawrence’s Specialty Lumber sold some of his lumber to the legendary family for their duck calls, and noted the type of wood they looked for when building their craft — specifically, boards that had tight growth rings for better call sounds.

It got Lawrence thinking: if that’s good enough for the Robertson’s craft, why would it’s be good for other instruments? If they could make their world-class duck calls from his wood, why not a violin?

“I contacted, probably, ten luthiers (violin-makers) all over the United States, and they all laughed at me,” Lawrence said. “They all said it couldn’t be done.”

So Lawrence needed to find a believer. Enter R.V. Couch from Jena, La., who has made his own violins, madolins and guitars for almost three decades. In fact, the violin in Northwestern State University’s Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, La., was built by Couch.

Violins have been constructed for around five centuries, starting in Italy. In that time, the construction has primarily been the same: a head made of spruce and a body of maple. Grains of the wood would have to be quarter sawed, meaning cypress is likely to split rather than be bent for the crown.

“I know Cypress wood splits really easily, ” Couch said. “I was afraid that even if I built it, would it last a week, or six weeks, maybe?”

Couch, however, and despite some of his own misgivings at the start, ended up working magic. After two years, the “Lawrence-Couch Violin” was born in 2013 — a first of its kind and modeled after the Stradivarius Model 1720. And, while most violins are a mahogany color, this one is a lighter shade of brown since the wood has been submerged underwater for millennia.

“When you’ve got wood underwater and depending on which river it’s in — that’s going to be what determines the color,” Lawrence said. “We don’t have this kind of clear sinker-cypress in Louisiana because we’ve got a lot of chemicals in our rivers. But in Florida, they don’t have chemicals, plus they have a sandy bottom, so the wood stays pretty much the same as it was whenever it first went in the water.

“And this wood came from a tree over 2,500 years old. It’s really, really old, and you have to have a magnifying glass to count the wood rings in this fiddle.”

The fiddle has been played by 2014 Louisiana State Fiddle Champion winner, 12-year-old Carson Taylor. It’s also been all over Nashville, Tenn., where it came back with a huge appraisal. Even so, Lawrence wisely isn’t selling his fiddle for a dime yet – he currently has a pantent pending on this particular violin and any string instrument built by sinker woods. Lawrence noted that he has been more willing to show his violin publicly now that in the twelve years that the violin has been built, the sinker cypress has held true with no splitting.

Kirby Rambin of Monroe, La., is a professional violin and fiddle player and played the Lawrence-Couch violin at the Q94.1 FM studios in Ruston, La. Being the pro he is, he can tell the difference between a traditional violin and the one built from sinker cypress wood.

“It has a softer tone, but it still cuts,” Rambin said. “It just has a really easy feel to it. It’s got more of a chest voice than a falsetto like other violins. It’s so much fuller and rich.”

 Click the play button below to hear a sample of the Lawrence-Couch violin by Rambin.

 

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(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

by Malcolm Butler

Max Causey has football in his blood.

When your grandfather was the legendary Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame Coach Maxie Lambright and your late father John Causey was a player and a coach, well you grow up around the sport.

And that’s what Max did.

From his playing days in elementary school and junior high to West Monroe High School and Louisiana Tech University, Max has lived and breathed the game for his entire life.

Now in his third year as an NFL official, the Ruston native will be “playing” in the biggest game of his career next Sunday when he serves as the line judge on the crew calling the Super Bowl match-up between Kansas City and Philadelphia at the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans.

Although NFL officials aren’t allowed to conduct interviews during the season, Max – and his Super Bowl officiating teammates – were interviewed by the NFL this week leading up to the big game.

“Getting (to work) the Super Bowl is a tremendous honor,” said Max in his interview. “It’s obviously the pinnacle of our sport. When you think about a lot of the great officials in the history of our game who have gotten this assignment, it’s an extremely high honor.

“And when you think of many of the great officials who for whatever reason don’t get this opportunity, I’m going to bring in spirit with me.”

Typical Max answer. Honored and always thinking of others.

So how important has the game been in his life?

“Outside of my relationship with Jesus Christ and my family, there has been nothing in my life that has impacted me more than the game of football,” said Max. “I have been around the game my entire life. My grandfather was a player and coach. My dad was a player and coach. I grew up around the sport. I have loved the sport ever since I could remember.”

Following the end to his collegiate playing career with the Bulldogs, Max said he received a call one day from a friend of his. That phone call was the start to the journey to Super Bowl LIX.

“I played football and after I played football, I really wanted to stick around the game,” said Max. “So, I got into officiating. So, football is huge for me. I have learned so many life lessons from football, and it has truly shaped and molded me to be the person that I am today.

“I had a friend that played college football, and he called me, and he said that I should get involved in officiating. I got involved with my local high school association. I grew to love officiating. I had no objective, no goal, other than to be around the game of football. Shortly thereafter, I realized that I would love to advance my career, and here I am now.”

Yes, here he is … refereeing the best players in the world on the biggest stage in the world in his home state.

So why would anyone want to put themselves in a position to be on the wrong end of the wrath of NFL coaches, players and fans in the fall and winter?

That’s an easy answer for Max.

“I wear the stripes to strive to help to advance the game of football,” said Max.” I love this sport. I think it’s the greatest sport on earth. I love being involved in it. I love interacting with the players, the coaches, (and) my fellow officials.

“Being on an NFL field on a Sunday afternoon, there’s not much like it.”

On Sunday, February 9, Max and the Super Bowl crew will experience a different level of “Sunday afternoon” football.

And Ruston’s very own has earned the right to be among the greatest in the game to do so.

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(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

by Malcolm Butler

What started as an innocent conversation between neighbors almost two decades ago turned into one of the most impactful, meaningful, fulfilling partnerships that Lincoln Parish has ever seen.

Ruston residents Caleb Seney and Karl Puljak lived near each other years ago, and one day they bumped into one another.

Seney, Executive Director of MedCamps of Louisiana, had recently returned from a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he toured Camp Aldersgate, a camp for special needs children.

“Camp Aldersgate had a partnership with the University of Arkansas School of Design,” said Seney. “They had built a tree house and an archery range for Camp Aldersgate. It was wild.

“I thought it was really cool, and I immediately thought about the architecture school at Tech. I wondered if we could do the same thing.”

Seney was talking to the right man about this idea.

Puljak – now the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Louisiana Tech – was a professor in the Tech School of Architecture (now School of Design) and had started the Design Build Studio program in 2000.

“As a young faculty member (at Louisiana Tech), it seemed like there were some real opportunities for our students to help our community,” said Puljak. “I wanted to really teach the students how to build something while collaborating with a partner.

“We wanted to give our students the idea and understanding of how important the service of what architecture is not only to the client but to the community. By doing that you become a better citizen. You become engaged in the life of the place where you live.”

During those early years of design build, Tech students completed projects at Railroad Park, IA Lewis, Lincoln Parish Park, the Outdoor Wilderness Learning (OWL) Center as well as a few other places.

At the time of the conversation, the build design program was partnering with Habitat for Humanity – a partnership that would last for eight years.

“Caleb had an idea, and I thought it sounded really good,” said Puljak. “But at that time, MedCamps was still working on some things when it came to taking occupation of the property, and we still had projects that we wanted to finish with Habitat for Humanity.”

Both parties agreed the timing was not quite right.

“Karl told me he would keep us on his radar for future opportunities,” said Seney.

Enter Brad Deal.

Deal was one of Puljak’s students in one of the very first design build classes. After graduating from Tech in 2003, Deal and his wife moved to Texas where he earned his master’s degree from UT Austin and began a family.

He would spend 10 years in Texas before receiving a phone call from his old professor.

“Karl said he would love for me to come back and teach here, and if I did, the design build program needed its next person to lead it,” said Deal.

After getting the okay from his wife, Deal loaded his wife and son up in 2012 and moved back to Ruston (with child No. 2 on the way).

“I knew Brad as a student,” said Puljak. “He was intense and passionate and hardworking and relentless. I knew he would be a great teacher, role model and mentor for these students.”

His first year back in north Louisiana saw Deal and his design build students complete the eight-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity. So, what would be next for the program?

“Karl contacted me and said he thought it was time for us to start working together,” remembers Seney.

According to Seney, Camp Alabama – the home site for MedCamps of Louisiana – was in desperate need of new life. He hoped this opportunity to partner with Tech’s design build program would help fulfill that need.

Seney provided the grand tour to Puljak, Deal and Tech professor Robert Brooks (co-professor on 9 of the 11 projects), talking about what his vision was and asking for feedback from the experts.

“We just walked around camp, and I started identifying needs,” said Seney. “So many projects were talked about in that initial walk through.”

“We took a tour of Camp Alabama and saw tons of opportunities where we could help,” said Deal. “They had great needs. It just looked like a wonderful opportunity for a partnership.

“The theme for that first year was Go Big or Go Home. Both sides decided we were going to be all in and try to do a project in one quarter.”

With a budget of just $30,000 available, Deal and Brooks and the Architecture 335 class began work on the task before them.

The inaugural design build project was Larkin Gibbs Memorial Pavilion & Gardens, a daily meeting area for the campers and one of the front-facing facilities for the footprint of the camp.

In just one quarter, a class of 24 students and two professors designed and built what Seney calls “the most impactful” project ever at MedCamps of Louisiana.

“Seeing something new at Camp Alabama breathed life back into it,” said Seney. “It fueled everything else we did. Things just took off. It opened a lot of doors for design build. It opened a lot of doors for MedCamps.”

Deal agreed.

“Gibbs Pavilion was such a massive success,” said Deal, whose team utilized reclaimed materials such as drill stem and sucker rod for the project. “We didn’t know it at the time. We just put our heads down and worked towards getting it done. We worked our hearts out … the students, Robert, and me. We did not know any better.”

Gibbs Memorial Pavilion was the first of 11 projects that the Louisiana Tech School of Design has completed at MedCamps over the past 12 years. Camp Alabama has seen additions ranging from an archery and paintball range to an amphitheater to a treehouse and zip line to paddle boat launches.

Covid shut down the construction of the 2020 project: the Mosaic Art Cabin. However, the 2022 design build class redesigned it and completed it.

According to Deal, each student invests approximately 700 hours over two quarters from start to finish. So a class of 25 students would spend a total of over 17,000 hours working on an individual project.

(Note: the LPJ will spotlight all 11 projects individually over the course of the next week)

So, who is the biggest winner in this more than decade-long relationship?

“This has been a win-win-win situation,” said Puljak. “I do not think there has been anything that our school has done … that the architecture program has done … that tops this in terms of how many benefits come from it. Those (design build) students form an incredible bond that remains well after they have graduated.”

“It really is win-win,” said Deal. “We get experience and recognition for it. Caleb gets movement and motivation on the fundraising side. And the campers get the joy and the benefit of the projects.

“Architects are inherently optimistic. They see how the world is, and they think of how they can make it better. That is what we are doing here.

“I get teared up thinking about it. When I approach our (design build) students with this, it is all the motivation they need. They are ready to go to work to make something magical happen.”

Kendell Webb was a design build student and part of the Arch 355 class that designed and constructed the Chiasmus Archery and Paintball Range in 2015.

Webb, who is now back at Louisiana Tech as a professor and helped with this year’s project – the Captain’s Launch – knows firsthand what it means to be a part of the partnership with MedCamps.

“Going into such an endeavor knowing that the end user is a child with disabilities made all of the very low lows that much more worth it,” said Webb. “And then getting to see the kids interact with the projects and see the joy they get in doing something they’ve never been physically able to do showed the impact that I as a student made but also the impact that good architecture could have.”

As much as the Tech design build students gain from the experience … so do they professors who have worked on these along the way.

“Alot of the things that we get to experience every day, we take for granted,” said Brooks. “But when you put yourself in the mindset of a camper, you realize that they are getting to come to summer camp like all the other kids. It is an emotional and powerful thing.”

Many of these projects earned state awards.

“Sometimes when you are doing this in your own back yard, you know the work is good,” said Puljak. “But sometimes you are so focused on what the next project is that you don’t put things into perspective. To get people from the outside recognizing how impactful these projects are … they are design award-winning projects competing against professional architects in the state.”

The facelift provided by the projects also had a major influence on fundraising for the non-profit organization that hosts an average of 500 special needs campers each summer.

“These projects have inspired everything else we have at camp,” said Seney. “That was the fuel. The motivation that came with learning about these projects and seeing them being built inspired the (MedCamps) Board to renovate the dining hall.

“We put up a $550,000 investment into that dining hall. Then we redid the pool house. That was a $450,000 investment. All of this fed off the impact of the design build projects. It inspires people to give to MedCamps.”

That inspiration pulls both ways.

“It’s been transformative for MedCamps and for our (Design Build) students,” said Puljak. “It’s so powerful.”

“We are trying to instill the sense of service to these students and a sense of being genuinely motivated by who and what you are working for,” said Deal. “You find something you believe in and work hard at it. That formula allows the students to get a lot out of it.”

The smile on the campers’ faces and the laughter that echoes from the pine tree-covered geographic footprint of MedCamps of Louisiana every summer is proof that the projects achieved those goals.

“Robert used to always say, ‘You may never get to do another project where the goal and the mission are simple, pure joy,’” said Deal.

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MedCamps programs are completely free of charge to all campers with special needs.  If you would like to support future projects at MedCamps, events, sponsor a campers attendance financially or volunteer please visit www.medcamps.org or email info@medcamps.org for more information.

To view a video about the partnership between the Louisiana Tech School of Design and MedCamps of Louisiana, CLICK HERE.

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(Over the course of the week, the Lincoln Parish Journal is republishing some of its most memorable stories from the past year … some of our readers favorites).

By Kyle Roberts

’81 PAUL THIELS – ’81 LORMAN SMITH – ’83, 84 JAMES TERRELL – ’91 JERAMIE HINOJOSA – ’92 RYAN ELMORE ** STATE CHAMPION – ’92 HIRAM DUNAWAY – ’93 NIKIMBA WILSON

Paul Thiels had no idea what he and Lorman Smith began back in 1981.

And how could he have? Back in the early ’80s, it was unheard of for a school in North Louisiana to become a powerhouse program in Louisiana cross country, and Thiels was much more interested in being on the diamond than running cross country.

“I was still trying to play baseball,” Thiels said. “And in the summer between our junior and senior seasons, Jesse Wisterman (the team’s top runner at the time) told me to come out and run with the team. I had no idea when I started, but I had a natural aptitude for it. And then by the time we got into cross country in the fall, I had gotten into shape and became the number one guy on the team. I owe a lot to Jesse for just asking me to come run.”

Thiels admitted being surprised at his all-state finish for Ruston High School, which cemented himself along with Smith as the beginning point of a tradition that has now stretched into its fifth decade — and with no end in sight. Thiels and Smith were both the inaugural members of what has now become “The Long Red Line,” Ruston High’s tribe of runners who have donned on the classic red uniform and taken part in an elite group.

When Thiels originally ran, he was coached by another member of a legendary family in Lincoln Parish: Coach David Crowe. Thiels would go on to run for Louisiana Tech University’s track team, and after graduating from Tech, life took Thiels all the way to Arkansas, Washington state and California. But Thiels still kept tabs on what was going on back at his Ruston home. And he immediately took notice of what a coach by the name of Dave Anderson began to do for the Bearcats after his hire in 1991.

“I was already gone from Ruston, but I watched the success he started having immediately,” Thiels said. “He was a terrific coach and a great developer of talent. And I really appreciate his ability not only to do the physical training to get a lot out of kids, but really the way he develops them, too, as young people. He can make kids believe in themselves.”

That initial success, belief and coaching has lasted for well over three decades at Ruston High School, helping lead in large part to where the program is today – a perrenial powerhouse in boys and girls cross country in a state where “The Long Red Line” truly means something special.

’94, ’95 CARLOS JENKINS – ’95 FRANK ENSLEY – ’95, ’96, ’97 JAY HILTON **STATE CHAMPION – ’95 TODD BODDIE – ’95, 96 SUZANNE DYSON **STATE CHAMPION – ’96 JANIE SUTTON – ’96, 97, 98 KYLE ODOM – ’98, ’99 NEAL PETTIJOHN – ’98, ’99 BRYAN RICHARDSON – ’98, ’99, ’00 NATHAN GIBSON

When Anderson took the reins in ’91, South Louisiana held the power and prestige in cross country for two decades since the sport became sanctioned for high schools in the state (1970 for girls, 1972 for boys).

“It was the private Catholic schools that had dominated the sport for years and years,” Anderson said. “In North Louisiana, there was not a program that could challenge the “powers that be” — Catholic, Rummel, Jesuit, Brother Martin, St. Joseph’s — schools like that.”

Ruston alum Jeramie Hinojosa was Anderson’s first Bearcat all-state runner in 1991 and reflected on how fortunate he was to be coached by him that first season — the beginning of Ruston’s climb to true respect in the cross country world.

“There’s still a sense of pride that comes with being part of that program and what we accomplished,” Hinojosa said. “Not that my life wouldn’t be complete without it, but those experiences I had being one of his athletes helped to shape the person that I am. It’s really hard to find a legacy that’s more impressive than his and one that’s been distinctively left on the program.”

Prior to coming to Ruston, Anderson had begun to make noise down the road at rival Neville High School as head cross country coach – even leading the Tigers to a state championship in 1990 before finding his home 30 miles west in Ruston a year later.

And just one year after getting hired, Anderson’s 1992 Bearcat team hoisted the first boys’ trophy in program history, including the first individual Bearcat state champion, Ryan Elmore. In the span of five years, Anderson had made two different schools into powerhouse programs.

“We kind of broke the mold on that,” Anderson said. “We just started producing kids that made the composite all-state list. And now, when you talk to kids in this current generation about what it means to be a member “The Long Red Line,” they talk about wanting to be like the championship teams that came before them.”

Raising a championship caliber program doesn’t come easy. The cliches of hard work and dedication both apply, and to this day, nearly every runner interviewed recalled the same intense training required to run at an elite level — and what it meant to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Bearcat Jon Macaskill remembers that all too well as a runner from 1992-96 for Anderson.

“I have a love-hate relationship with that man,” Macaskill said before he laughed. “I still call him ‘Coach’ to this day. He was relentless. He put us through some of the most grueling physical workouts I’ve ever been through — and I saw that as a retired Navy Seal. But at the same time, those workouts made us the men and women we ended up being.”

Suzanne Dyson Tyler was Ruston’s first girls’ state champion back in 1996 and recalls the groundwork that was being laid by runners ahead of her, like Stacy Baragona and Molly Jones.

“I really started enjoying being part of something that was bigger than just one individual,” Tyler said. “You were never just running for yourself. Coach Anderson always did a really good job of making you realize that you represented a program and the Ruston name and all of those who laid the foundation before you. You always knew you were part of a team, and you can obviously do more as a team than you can individually.”

Hunter Carswell holds a very distinct honor in the state of Louisiana — to this day, he is the only Louisiana boys runner to earn all-state honors in each of his four years as a runner (’01, ’02, ’03 and ’04). He credits Anderson for unlocking something in him he never believed he’d have been able to find on his own.

“It was tough — extremely tough, but that’s what I needed,” Carswell said. “He knew the right buttons he could push to get me going. He saw something in me that I didn’t, and so I just appreciate everything he has done.”

But that legacy of training and team has led to the following program cross country feats at Ruston High:

• State Championships: ’92, ’95, ’97, ’00, ’06, ’08
• State Runner Ups: ’99, ’01, ’04, ’05, ’09, ’10, ’19, ’21, ’22
• 34 seasons of district championships

’00, ’01, WILLIAM ROGERS – ’00, ’01 SEAN CRAIN – ’00, ’01 JOSH RUSSELL – ’01 PHILIP WALTZ – ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04 HUNTER CARSWELL – ’03, ’04 ABBY SPEIGHTS – ’04 JAKIA WILLIAMS – ’04 KATEY COATES

Scribing Anderson’s storied history is a feat in itself. Consider the following accolades from 1991-2011:

• 55 District Championship teams
• 21 regional championship teams
• 19 State Runner-Up teams
• 9 State Championship teams
• 5 National Champion individuals
• 16 LHSAA State Records
• 180 state Champions
• 9 Athletes played in the NFL
• 200 +All Staters

No wonder Ruston High named the track and field complex after him in 2021.

’04, ’05, ’06 REDD WILLIAMS – ’05 KENNEDY COATES – ’05, ’06 CARRIE LANTRIP – ’05, ’06 NALI ACOSTA – ’06, DUSTON JENKINS – ’06 CHRIS ANDERSON – ’07 LADARRION OUTLEY – ’08 HAVEN SCHROEDER – ’09 SARAH JONES – ’11 MAYA ROBERTSON – ’12 ADAIZA AUSTIN – ’12 EMMANUEL GWAN

Time marched forward, and longtime fans of any team and any sport can attest that there will be a period of time where the results aren’t what you’ve been used to — and Ruston High cross country was no different. Anderson would depart Ruston for good in 2011 after nearly 20 years at the helm (excluding a brief stint at West Monroe from 2005-06), and from 2013 – 2017, no Bearcat, boy or girl, made the all-state team – the longest drought since the gap from ’85-’90.

Enter Dustin Cochran, a graduate from Simsboro School and a budding distance coach in North Louisiana who helped the Tigers win a few state titles, who took over as head coach 2018 for Ruston High School.

Cochran was no stranger to Anderson, having shadowed him at practice during his own running days on the Tiger cross country team.

“(Simsboro Coach Chris Campbell) at the time would bring us to Ruston’s practices, here and there, and he would always tell us to watch the runners and pay attention,” Cochran said. “And I remember a specific day when Ladarrion Outley and Dustin Jenkins were doing a workout, and Coach Campbell said to me “This is what real distance runners look like.” And it was etched in my mind that I needed to be around the Ruston High program to be good at this. I knew at the time I wanted to be a coach, and Dave let me come hang out with him for a while.

“The best part about working with Dave is that he never gave me answers to my questions, but he would tell me where to go find the answers. He gave me the opportunity and the ability to do something for myself. That was a big thing that year, and it led me to getting here.”

Anderson’s former runners can see his imprint in the way Cochran coaches the team today.

“Watching Dustin coach has been awesome,” Carswell said. “After (Coach Anderson) left for good, you didn’t know where the program was going to go. But he’s done a great job with that program as far as keeping the tradition and culture of opponents fearing Ruston on the track. What I’ve seen from him, he’s done a great job, and I can’t praise him enough.”

Anderson knew it was a good hire and the jolt the program needed to get back to the high level of competitiveness in Louisiana Cross Country running.

“When Dustin was a student at Louisiana Tech, his younger brother Colton was at Simsboro and knew some guys on our team — he asked if he could come train with us,” Anderson said. “It was pretty common — we would have kids from Weston, Winnfield, a Cedar Creek kid or two to come train with us. Dustin started bringing Colt and got to see how our program was organized, the workout plans , etc. After I retired and moved to Arkansas, there was a patch of a few years where the program struggled, and when he was handed the opportunity to take over as distance coach, he did and has done a fantastic job reinstalling the “Ruston Way.” I’m very proud of him and his efforts to put the ‘Cats back in the conversation.”

Under his coaching, Cochran has produced his own share of runners to all-state accolades, including Lily Garrett, who finished as a state champion in 2022 and was recruited to run for the Tennessee Lady Vols (she has since returned to Ruston).

“Running for Ruston set me up for a lot of great opportunities,” Garrett said. “It was always just a positive environment, and I made a lot of lifelong friends. Ruston High made me fall in love with running, and I love that I got to be a part of “The Long Red Line.”

Parker Nations recently graduated from Ruston after earning two all-state honors.

“It was always a goal of mine to have my name on “The Long Red Line” shirt,” Nations said. “Being able to talk about being a Bearcat and being part of this traidition= — it just means a lot. Being on “The Long Red Line” has made an impact on me and feels very special.”

Some former Ruston runners now have children that are part of this elite club under Cochran’s tutelage.

“I get to watch my daughter Hallie line up on the same start line I once did,” Bearcat alum and former cross country runner Linzie Hebert said. “She’s carrying on the tradition, the pride, and the grind that define Ruston High cross country. I may not have earned that all-state “Long Red Line” T-shirt, but she did. She is the first Gen 2.0 legacy to earn all-state honors for Ruston High. This program is built generation by generation; each runner standing on the shoulders of those who came before. It’s never been about one individual, but about who we are together: One legacy, shaped over time, connecting us all across years and across states.”

Carrying that tradition forward is “Mission Critical” for Cochran as the program continues to run into the future. Even this past weekend as Ruston had an impressive showing at the St. Joseph Academy race, Cochran was reflecting on how the history of the program is front and center to its success.

“I’m reminding our runners that they’re getting to add to this legacy,” Cochran said. “I want them to appreciate the history that’s here and focus on bettering it. The alumni and former runners here want these kids to be better than they were. Jay Hilton (head coach at Ruston Junior High) has told me he wants these kids to break his records. I think it says a lot when you have a big group of people that wants this generation to perform even better than they did. “The Long Red Line” is something we’re all part of and we’re all adding to it and making it better.

“And we want this line to get even longer.”

‘18 OCTAVIO TILLEY – ’18 MARINA GIVENS – ’19 WILLIAM AYIM – ’19 TRISTEN DUVALL – ’19, ’20 DYLAN NIMMERS **STATE CHAMPION – ’20, ’21 CALEB BABINEAUX – ’21, ’22, ’23 THOMAS ROGERS – ’21, ’22 ANNA NAFF – ’22 SARA NAFF – ’21, ’22 LILY GARRETT **STATE CHAMPION – ’22 TAYLOR ROLLER – ’22, ’23 PARKER NATIONS, ’24 EDEN DAWSEY – ’24 HALLIE HEBERT

Now, “The Long Red Line” has fittingly morphed into something bigger than just a t-shirt. Former teammates and family members are now collaborating not just with just the all-state winners but with each other to further the program so near and dear to their hearts — who have become Marines, hospital administrators, principals, teachers, doctors — you name it. All grateful for a program that prepared them for the trials of life.

“When you’re doing distance running, you don’t realize that you’re going to apply that to life, because life is hard,” Tyler said. “I just think it’s important to learn how to adapt, learn how to be a teammate and make things work — you have to do that for the rest of your life, so there’s valuable lessons in being part of this group. Running for Ruston taught me all of those things.”

In order to help carry that legacy forward, the Long Red Line will now be a 501(c)3 non-profit group looking to raise funds for the cross country team into the future.

“This is being done as an alumni group now — not myself but the athletes; they’re getting together and they’ve got all this support because they realize through their expereinces the value that it has in their adult lives, and they want to put something back into the program,” Anderson said. “So that opportunity is availble as tax deductible contributions. This is going to be a legacy thing.”

And this weekend, many members will gather in town to honor the program and the legacy that has helped shape who they are as the adults they’ve become — and the legacy they’ve all laid. It will be a celebration of the past and present with a collective look into the future.

“It’s special to celebrate that all of this got started with us and us all reconnected and talking about it,” Hinojosa said about the reunion. “It just brought back a lot of really strong emotions, especially the runners early on in the program. And just you can tell that, everyone had this sense of pride that they shared about what we accomplished. I think it’s great way to honor the legacy, the program and the community and continue it in the future years.”

“The Long Red Line” — a tradition of excellence with no end in sight.

Ruston High will host its invitational meet Saturday, Oct. 4, at The Gospel in Choudrant, La. The varsity girls will start at 7:30 a.m. with the boys scheduled for 8 a.m.

A man who fled Jackson Parish deputies last Sunday was arrested in Ruston after spike strips were deployed to stop the high-speed pursuit.

Demarren Keshawn Hollins, 25, was arrested on numerous charges by Lincoln Parish deputies, Ruston Police, and the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office

On December 21, investigators with the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office took a complaint from a victim of possible domestic violence after the victim sought assistance at Jackson Parish Hospital.

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Based on statements obtained during the investigation, investigators developed probable cause to believe the victim had been battered and strangled by Demarren Hollins while driving with three minor children in the vehicle. The victim reported being threatened, choked to the point of dizziness, and struck in the head. A witness provided a statement consistent with the victim’s account.

Hollins had accompanied the victim to the hospital and was waiting in the hospital’s waiting room area during the investigation. It was also determined that Hollins had an active warrant from Ouachita Parish. While the investigation was being conducted, Hollins fled the hospital.

Hollins was quickly located by deputies traveling northbound on U.S. 167. After confirming the active warrant and that probable cause had been established related to the domestic violence investigation, deputies attempted a vehicle stop.

Hollins failed to comply with emergency lights and sirens and continued fleeing at a high rate of speed, prompting a vehicle pursuit that traveled from Jackson Parish into Lincoln Parish.

As the pursuit entered Lincoln Parish, Jackson Parish deputies coordinated with the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office which deployed spike strips near California Avenue in Ruston, successfully deflating all four tires of the fleeing vehicle. Hollins then fled on foot but was apprehended shortly thereafter with the assistance of the Ruston Police Department.

Hollins was taken into custody and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, where he was booked on Lincoln Parish charges of aggravated flight from an officer, resisting an officer, and holds by Louisiana Probation & Parole. A detainer has been placed for Jackson Parish charges of theft under $1,000, domestic abuse battery by strangulation with child endangerment, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and aggravated flight from an officer.

In a statement, the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office expressed appreciation for the assistance of partner agencies and remains committed to responding swiftly to incidents involving domestic violence and threats to public safety.

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.

A Choudrant man was arrested Dec. 22 after a Ruston patrol officer saw a suspected drug transaction and then found drugs in the man’s vehicle.

Monterrious Kentez Dade, 43, was arrested after Ruston Police found ecstasy tablets in his vehicle.

An officer on patrol saw a suspected drug transaction in a convenience store parking lot on South Farmerville Street at about 4 p.m. The man got into a 2008 Nissan rogue and left the parking lot traveling west on Arizona Avenue. The registration on the license plate expired in 2023.

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The vehicle was stopped, and Dade was found to be the driver and only occupant. When asked to step out of the vehicle, Dade reached into the center console, but was restrained by the officer.

A search on the vehicle located three suspected MDMA (ecstasy) tablets. Dade was arrested and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of MDMA and expired vehicle registration.

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.

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