Funeral services for Mrs. Joyce Margaret Bennett, age 82 of Choudrant, La will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at Owens Memorial Chapel with Mr. Jeff Hogan officiating. Burial will follow in Choudrant Memorial Cemetery under the direction of Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home of Ruston.
Joyce was born January 25, 1944 in Calhoun, LA to Shelton and Maggie Boyd Audirsch and she passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2026 in Ruston, LA. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, Joyce devoted her life to caring for her family and creating a loving home filled with warmth and kindness. Her greatest joy came from spending time with those she loved.
Joyce was known for her caring heart and generous spirit. She enjoyed cooking for family and friends and found happiness in making others feel welcome. Always willing to lend a helping hand, Joyce often assisted her neighbor with housekeeping. She also loved working in her yard and took pride in keeping it beautiful. In earlier years, Joyce enjoyed raising and spending time with her Yorkies, which brought her much joy and laughter.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Shelton and Maggie Audirsch; two sisters and eight brothers. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Billy Gene Bennett; son, Donald Wayne Bennett; grandchild, Michael Bennett and wife Ashley; great grandchildren, Holly Bennett and Peyton Bennett; numerous nieces and nephews, and a host of other family and friends.
Pallbearers will be Tony Soto, John Ed Colvin, Danny Crawford, Terry Canterberry, Robbie Canterberry, Philip Canterberry, and Caleb Collins.
Joyce will be remembered for her love, devotion, kindness, and unwavering commitment to her family. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched and in the cherished memories she leaves behind.
Visitation will be held from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM, Wednesday at Owens Memorial Chapel. If you would like to leave an online memorial message for the family, please visit: http://www.owensmemorialfuneralhome.com
Joyce Margaret Bennett January 1, 1944 – June 13, 2026 Visitation: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Service: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 2:00 PM, Owens Memorial Chapel Cemetery Committal: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 3:15 PM, Choudrant Cemetery, Jones St, Choudrant
Melba Jean Arie McDowell September 25, 1937 – June 15, 2026 Visitation: Saturday, June 20, 2026, 12:30PM – 1:30PM, Kilpatrick Funeral Home Graveside Services: Saturday, June 20, 2026, 2:00PM, Pleasant Grove Cemetery, 1366 Pleasant Grove Road, Choudrant
Janet Hoffman July 12, 1935 – June 15, 2026 Visitation: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Evergreen Baptist Church, 1380 Evergreen Rd, Bernice Funeral Service: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 11:00 AM, Evergreen Baptist Church, 1380 Evergreen Rd, Bernice Cemetery Committal: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 12:00 PM, Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery, 1380 Evergreen Rd, Bernice
Tuesday, June 16 update: Ruston High Head Coach Jerrod Baugh confirmed Tuesday that the Bearcats will host the West Point High School Green Wave in lieu of an originally planned bye week.
The Green Wave will come to James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 1, for a 7 p.m. kickoff. West Point has been a powerhouse in Mississippi high school football at the 5A level with multiple state championships in the last decade — the most recent in 2024.
See original release below.
RUSTON, La. — Ruston High released its 2026 football schedule this past week that includes two state champions on the slate and five regular season home games.
“With the level of competition that we have scheduled, we better plan to be intentional about how we are preparing during the offseason, spring practice, and summer workouts,” Ruston High Head Coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We will find out weekly where we are and what things we need to continue to improve on.
After talking on Evangel in the 2026 Bayou Jamb, the Bearcats will kickoff the regular season on Friday, Sept. 4, with the 101st meeting with Neville at James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium — a rivalry that has been played at least once a season since before World War II.
Ruston will then host Longview on Friday, Sept. 11, in an out-of-state matchup for the third year in a row. The ‘Cats will then hit the road to New Orleans to take on Edna Karr, a perennial power house that just won another Select, Division I state championship. The venue is still to be determined, though the Super Dome is still a possibility.
Rounding out non-district play, the Bearcats will then host Catholic on Friday, Sept. 25, before having a rare regular season bye on Friday, Oct. 2.
“The bye week should be at a good point in the season so that we can really evaluate any changes or modifications that need to be made,” Baugh said.
The Bearcats will then open District 2-5A play on Friday, Oct. 9, at Ouachita, the 2025 Non-Select, Division I champion, before hosting District 2-5A newcomer Peabody on Friday, Oct. 16, who replaced Neville in the district.
It will then be back-to-back matchups with Central Louisiana teams when Ruston goes to Alexandria on Friday, Oct. 23, and then back home for Pineville on Friday, Oct. 30.
The ‘Cats will conclude the 2026 regular season with a road trip to West Monroe on Friday, Nov. 6.
Several Ruston High School track and field athletes were recognized among the state’s best this week as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association released its 2026 All-State Outdoor Track and Field teams.
Leading the way for the Bearcats was junior T’Avion Clark, who earned Second Team All-State honors in the girls 400-meter dash after posting a season-best time of 54.67 seconds. Clark finished behind only Jaleyia Woods of Woodlawn-Baton Rouge, who claimed the state’s top honor in the event.
Ruston also landed an individual selection in the girls discus as Journi Douglas earned Third Team All-State recognition with a throw of 134 feet, 4 inches.
In addition to the individual accolades, Ruston’s relay teams received widespread recognition for their performances during the 2026 season.
The boys 4×200-meter relay team of Jaquincy Bryant, Josiah Morgan, Kemondrick Hunter, and D’Joryen Jenkins earned Second Team All-State honors after recording a time of 1 minute, 26.29 seconds, trailing only Catholic-Baton Rouge in the statewide rankings.
The boys 4×400 relay team of Jenkins, Bryant, Hunter, and Jamaurious Anderson was named Third Team All-State after posting a time of 3:18.00.
On the girls side, Ruston earned Third Team recognition in both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays.
The Lady Bearcats’ 4×400 of relay team of Clark, Mattison Russell, Megan Modest, Eden Dawsey posted a season-best time of 3:51.59 to finish among the state’s elite relay squads, while the 4×800 relay team of Dawsey, Maddy Parkman, Madison Morris, and Hallie Hebert turned in a time of 9:35.94 to secure All-State honors.
The selections cap another successful season for the Ruston High track and field program, which consistently competed among the state’s top Class 5A programs throughout the spring.
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s All-State teams recognize the top performers in each event across all classifications based on results from the 2026 outdoor season.
District Judge Bruce Hampton today announced his candidacy for re-election as the Division C judge for the Lincoln-Union Parish 3rd Judicial District. The election is Nov. 3.
Hampton began serving as the Division C judge in November 2018, filling out the unexpired term of former District Judge Jay McCallum of Farmerville. Hampton was then elected to a full six-year term on the bench in 2020, and is now seeking re-election for an additional six-year term.
“I have truly enjoyed my time as a judge, serving my community and my state, and I believe my fair and impartial approach to the cases that come before me is making a difference,” Hampton said. “Now, with almost eight years on the bench as a judge, I am ready to continue using that experience to work for the people of the 3rd Judicial District.”
Prior to becoming a judge, Hampton practiced civil and criminal law in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana for 37 years. He served for 18 years as an assistant district attorney in the 3rd Judicial District and approximately 11 years as an indigent defense attorney in the district.
Known primarily for his strong work ethic and preparedness for trial, Hampton has also been involved in various court reform programs, most notably the approval of a reentry court designed to help manage the return to the community of non-violent offenders who have been in prison.
Participants in the program will undergo intensive rehabilitation and education, learn a trade, and then be closely monitored upon release from prison. The program was initially approved, then delayed by COVID, then re-approved in 2025, and is now scheduled to begin operations in the near future.
A longtime advocate for children’s education, Hampton has formed a partnership with the Children’s Coalition in Monroe to provide parents of chronically truant children with education on parenting skills and the long-term effects of truancy.
“Like many societal issues, chronic truancy can often be traced to issues at home, so we believe that providing instruction on parenting skills and education about the life-long effects of a limited education is more effective and productive for first-time offender parents than court appearances and fines,” Hampton said. “The program was launched in January and is showing promising signs,” he added.
Judge Hampton was awarded the “Tree of Life Award” by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Northeast Louisiana for his work protecting children from abuse and neglect. Additionally, he received statewide recognition in 2025, the Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award, for his work educating children on civic and legal issues in the district’s classrooms and courtrooms.
Hampton is an honor graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Tulane Law School, and Southern Methodist University.
His wife of 46 years, Cindy Hampton, has been a career educator for 45 years, teaching junior high school and high school physical science, biology, and chemistry in public and private schools in Mississippi and Louisiana.
She has been at Cedar Creek School for the last 32 years, serving as a high school science teacher, head of the science department, Assistant Principal of Academics, and Principal.
Hampton has served as president of the Union Parish Dixie Youth Baseball Association, assistant state director of Dixie Youth Baseball, and a coach on Lincoln Parish’s entry in the Little League World Series for 17- and 18-year-olds.
He has served as a coach in youth football, basketball, and baseball leagues.
Hampton was a founding member of the Union Parish 4-H Foundation, has been a board member for 31 years, and has been a supporter of Union Parish Youth Livestock and FFA in Union Parish.
Hampton has been a board member and officer of the Farmerville Lions Club, including two terms as president. He has served as an officer and board member of the Union Parish Chamber of Commerce for many years and was named its Businessperson of the Year in 2017. He is an active member of the Ruston Rotary Club, being highly involved in the Student of the Month scholarship program and Coats for Kids program.
Hampton has also been a member and president of the Lake D’Arbonne Watershed Commission, a member and president of the Union Parish Bar Association, and served on the parish council for his church. He is a member of the Louisiana District Judges Association (currently serving as First Vice-President) and the National Judges Association, and was recently reappointed to a second four-year term on the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana, which investigates complaints against Louisiana judges and makes recommendations for discipline to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
RUSTON, La. — Lincoln Parish School District students made impressive gains in reading this school year, according to newly released literacy screening results from the Louisiana Department of Education. Students in kindergarten through third grade increased reading proficiency by 21.2 percentage points, growing from 50.4 percent proficiency at the beginning of the year to 71.6 percent by year’s end.
The district’s growth exceeded the state’s average increase of 16.5 percentage points during the same period. Kindergarten students showed the largest gains, improving nearly 50 percentage points from 24.7 percent proficiency at the beginning of the year to 74.2 percent at the end of the year.
“These results reflect the hard work taking place in classrooms across Lincoln Parish,” said Superintendent Ricky Durrett. “We’re proud of our students for the growth they’ve shown and grateful to the teachers and staff who helped make it possible.”
District leaders credit the success to three key factors: the dedication of classroom teachers, a strong literacy partnership with Louisiana Tech University, and the implementation of UFLI Foundations, an evidence-based literacy program used in kindergarten through second-grade classrooms.
Lincoln Parish posted gains at every grade level measured by the DIBELS assessment. First grade increased by 15.6 percentage points, second grade increased by 9.6 points, and third grade increased by 5.7 points.
The district’s strong performance also builds on gains made last year. Lincoln Parish finished the 2024-2025 school year with 68 percent of K–3 students reading at or above proficiency. That number increased to 71.6 percent in 2025-2026, representing an additional nearly four percentage point improvement year over year.
With more than 71 percent of K–3 students now reading at or above proficiency, district leaders look forward to sustaining this momentum. Next school year, the district will expand UFLI Foundations to both Pre-K and third grade, ensuring our youngest and oldest early readers build the foundational skills necessary for lifelong academic success.
A Ruston woman was arrested for aggravated battery after she allegedly cut a man with a knife during a domestic dispute.
Alexis J. Roberson, 28, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. on June 11 at a Clinton Circle apartment following an investigation by Ruston Police.
During the investigation, officers determined Roberson and the man had gotten into an argument. Roberson allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and cut the man.
The man said he was trying to push away from Roberson when she produced the knife.
Roberson was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:45 right to your inbox.Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
The opinions in this letter do not necessarily reflect those of the publishing staff of the Lincoln Parish Journal.
To The Editor:
As a career educator, and lifelong advocate for teachers, I encourage Parish residents to vote “YES” on the Lincoln Parish School Board’s proposal to modernize its accounting structure by consolidating five small taxes into one 2.5% tax.
Some have suggested that this consolidation could result in a reduction in teacher and full time staff salaries and benefits, apparently based on the mistaken belief that these “dedicated” sales taxes alone provide all the funding necessary to pay those costs.
In fact, the sales taxes in question provide only about 38% of the money needed to pay teacher and full time staff salaries. So, whether the sales tax revenues are in one account or five, or are considered to be “dedicated,” they simply do not “guarantee” or “secure” teacher and staff salaries and benefits. Additional revenue from non-sales-tax sources is always required to meet the total cost.
The same is true for the 13th and 14th paychecks that teachers receive – money for those supplemental checks is NOT determined by the amount of sales tax revenue raised. Similar to regular paychecks, the School Board must draw on all the resources available to them to pay for the supplemental checks.
And one piece of simple logic on this topic – why would the Lincoln Parish School Board want to reduce teacher and staff salaries and benefits? There is no benefit to anyone in doing so, and it would be entirely against the School Board’s mission. Not to mention the firestorm of opposition that it would create in our community.
The consolidation proposal is simply common sense – it will not increase taxes, it has been recommended by the School Board’s accountants, it could improve our bond rating and lower future borrowing costs and, as our sales tax revenues rise significantly in the next several years, it makes School Board accounting simpler and more transparent for the public – it will all be visible in one account.
For the sake of Lincoln Parish schools, students, teachers and staff, please vote “YES” on the School Board sales tax consolidation proposal on June 27.
Three Monroe men were arrested shortly after midnight June 13 following a Louisiana State Police traffic stop on Interstate 20 eastbound near mile marker 84 in Lincoln Parish.
An arrest affidavit identifies the men as Laterrance Tyquez Brothers, 21, Coron A. Buie, 22, and Cameron Miguel Powe, 25, all of Monroe.
According to the affidavit, a state trooper saw a white Ford Escape traveling east on Interstate 20 following another vehicle at an unsafe distance of approximately one car length. The trooper stopped the vehicle near mile marker 84 in Ruston.
The affidavit states the trooper made contact with Brothers, the driver, and advised him of the reason for the stop. Brothers provided his driver’s license and told the trooper he was traveling from Dallas to Monroe after visiting a friend. Buie told the trooper they were traveling from Shreveport to Monroe after visiting a friend.
The trooper smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and conducted a search, finding about 6.28 pounds of suspected marijuana in the trunk and a Glock 45 9mm handgun in the back floorboard area.
The affidavit states Brothers, Buie, and rear passenger Powe were removed from the vehicle, handcuffed, searched and advised of their rights. All three denied knowledge of illegal narcotics, but Buie claimed ownership of the handgun, according to the affidavit. The three were transported to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for booking.
All three men were booked for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Buie was also booked for possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled substance. Powe was also booked on an Ouachita Parish warrant for domestic abuse battery with child endangerment.
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 6:45 right to your inbox.Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Thirty years after hitting the biggest home run in college baseball history, Warren Morris is still amazed at the impact.
“I had no clue that it was gonna be something where strangers would come up to me all the time and tell me, I remember where I was, I was doing this, or, you know, I was at this wedding,” said Morris. “It’s kind of like a moment in time; people remember where they were.”
The moment: Championship game of the 1996 College World Series. LSU trailed Miami, 8-7, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the tying run on second base. Morris, batting last in the LSU lineup due to a hand injury and subsequent surgery, had not hit a home run that season. Until then. Morris attacked the first pitch from Miami closer Robbie Morrison. The line drive just sailed over the right field wall.
Morris’ life changed with that one swing. But, as anyone who has known Warren Morris before he stepped into the left-handed batter’s box at Rosenblatt Stadium for the final time on June 8, 1996, will attest, that one swing did not change him.
“Warren Morris was a great kid before he hit that home run,” said Steve Boniol, Morris’ first baseball coach, “and Warren Morris would’ve been the same had he struck out. He has not changed.”
That is one of the reasons Morris is being recognized as the third recipient of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, established in 2020. The award honors long-term exemplary contributions to the perception of Louisiana by an individual who has ties to the state’s sports landscape.
He won’t bat flip but he will be roundly cheered Saturday, June 27 when he is part of a 12-member Class of 2026 inducted in the Hall. The ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center culminates three festive days with seven events, including a June 26 bowling party in his hometown of Alexandria. For 2026 induction participation info, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
Morris’ former offseason workout partner called to congratulate him upon hearing the news.
“I told him that in a way, that’s even better than what I got, because they put me in on what I did on the field,” said Russ Springer, who was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 after 18 years in the majors following a stellar career at LSU, “but they thought he was a good enough person and all the things he did outside of the field that you deserve this award.”
“When he said it, I was like well that’s pretty cool coming from him, and it is a cool way to look at it,” said Morris.
How Morris ended up as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame would be a storybook tale, only if he hadn’t already been subject to an SEC Network documentary, “The Walk Off.”
To adequately comprehend how Morris got to this point in his life would need a series, not just a one-off, one-hour production.
“If you would have told the 9-, 10-year-old me, go ahead and just dream big,” said Morris, “I would have sold myself way short. All of this is just way beyond anything that I thought I was even capable of doing.”
The 9-year-old Morris would’ve told you he was gonna be a basketball player. After all, that was his favorite sport, and his dad, Bill, was the high school coach at Bolton High School in Alexandria. That was when fate intervened for the first time.
Steve Boniol’s son, Scott, and Warren were best friends. Scott’s Dixie Youth Baseball team, coached by Steve, needed an extra player. Steve had to talk Bill and Barbara Morris into letting Warren play baseball. Steve and Scott Boniol took Warren to his first practice, but first, they had to stop at Steve’s store, Cenla Sports, to get Warren a glove.
“The first practice, I threw batting practice and he would miss every time,” said Boniol. “I told my assistant, Billy Moore, to teach Warren how to bunt. Warren had a work ethic, and he wasn’t going to settle for not being able to hit. By the end of the season, Warren led the team in hits.”
The valedictorian of his graduating class, and an All-State infielder, Morris wound up accepting a walk-on invitation to join the LSU baseball program, and then promptly redshirted his freshman year as three-time All-American and all-time LSU great Todd Walker was firmly entrenched at second base. Yet, that year he sat out proved pivotal thanks to longtime Skip Bertman assistant Smoke Laval.
“I don’t think it’s by accident that was the only year that Smoke Laval was there,” said Morris. “Smoke would notice little things, and I don’t know if he sensed that I wasn’t so sure of myself, but I guarantee you that at least once a week, he would just come by and talk to me. And, he would always tell me, because Todd Walker was playing ahead of me, that one day, that’s gonna be you. You’re gonna play here. You’re good enough.
“I started believing it. You never know how someone in your life makes a big difference.”
The following season, Morris started 63 of 66 games as an outfielder. Then, he succeeded Walker as the starting second baseman and earned second-team All-American honors. Heading into his fourth year of college and third as an every-day player, Morris was a preseason All-American and likely member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team.
Then, fate intervened again.
His right hand felt uncomfortable during the fall of 1995, and it never improved as the 1996 season began. Eventually it was discovered Morris had fractured the hamate bone and would need surgery. It forced him to miss 39 games, and it caused many frustrating moments. Yet, it may have been the best thing that ever happened to him.
“I mean, obviously, at the time, I wasn’t enjoying it, but looking back, it kind of goes back to God’s got a plan,” said Morris. “You don’t understand it, but it turned out better in two ways.”
The first was Morris surrendered to God’s will. If he could return to baseball he would. If his career was finished, he was content to graduate and move on with his life’s calling.
“I still go back to being alone in my apartment, closed the door, just got on my knees, and I prayed,” he said. “I said, God, I can’t do it anymore. I don’t know what you want me to be. I’m not worrying about it anymore because I don’t have any answers … but if you want me to keep playing, then I’ll do that and give you all the glory, but I’m not worrying about it anymore.”
The second part paid dividends on the field. The injury and post-surgery recovery changed Morris’ swing. He went from a player who threw right-handed and was a contact left-handed hitter, to a hitter who could really start driving the ball when he made contact.
“When everybody else was practicing, I would go in the cage with my one good hand, which is my non-dominant hand, and I hit so many balls, like I’d never focused on just my left hand,” he said. “Whenever I had the surgery, I came back and I’m really driving the ball with my top hand and I’m hitting it better than I ever did before.”
Morris returned to the LSU starting lineup on May 16, hitting ninth.
Had he never been injured, he would not have been in position to hit his walk-off homer in Omaha. As it turned out, LSU won all 22 games he started that season.
Had he never been injured, Morris likely would not have been the best player on the 1996 U.S. Olympic baseball team that won bronze. He led the team in average (.409) to go with five homers, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored in nine games.
Had he never been injured, Morris admits, he may never have made the major leagues, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1999 when he hit 15 home runs.
“The Olympics were right after the injury and I led the Olympics in slugging percentage, which is crazy, but I think that never happens if I don’t have the injury,” he said. “I mean, that’s crazy to say, but I don’t know if I have a major league career if I don’t have that injury, because I don’t think I was good enough in power and the things they want you to do when hitting.”
Morris retired from baseball in 2006. He and his wife, Julie, settled in Alexandria to raise their three daughters. Morris eventually took a job working for Red River Bank.
He took another job in an unofficial capacity – perhaps the best ambassador LSU baseball or college baseball could have. Each June, there are calls from across the country wanting to relive 1996. He has been invited to speak to numerous civic organizations, businesses, churches and to countless sports teams, motivating players that if it could happen to Morris, it could happen to one of them. A true genuine role model.
“The only thing Warren ever did wrong was return a videotape to Blockbuster without rewinding it,” joked Bertman. “This happened not once, but twice when Warren was at LSU …. a clergyman told me thanks for sending Warren by our church. And I didn’t send him. He went on his own both times. He’s a humble kid, a wonderful kid.”
“He provided the greatest moment in the history of the College World Series 30 years ago, and he since has embodied the values of a devoted husband, father and community leader,” added Bill Franques, LSU’s baseball communications director since 1989. “LSU is very grateful for the lifetime impact Warren Morris has made upon our state.”
The only irony about Morris’ journey since June 7, 1996, is his three daughters were never into sports. They know he played baseball at LSU but as far as his impact on this state’s sporting history? Even as LSU students, it took a sorority sister’s family for them to finally comprehend.
“As luck would have it, one of the girls they’re kind of partnered with in their sorority, her parents are huge LSU sports fans,” Morris said. “After talking with this girl for about two months, something came up about me and she was blown away. She was like, that’s your dad? We have a poster of him in our house!”
Now, Morris is taking it to another level as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as the Louisiana Sports Ambassador. From a teenager who had doubts he could play at LSU to someone who wondered if anyone would talk about his title-winning homer.
Thirty years later, Louisiana is still celebrating it, and Morris. Chances are, Louisiana will still be talking about Warren Morris 30 years from now.
One thing is for certain, though, he will still be the same Morris everyone in Alexandria knew long before he stepped foot on campus at LSU.
“He is Warren Morris,” said Boniol. “He has never changed. I give credit to his mom and dad. He is top notch and there are not too many like him walking around.”
The Cedar Creek Sports Performance Center features 15 weight-training stations and an indoor turf area that allows athletes to complete strength, speed, agility and conditioning work.
By Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek School’s newest athletic facility may be filled with weight racks, turf and training equipment, but school officials believe its greatest impact will be on the athletes who use it.
The Cedar Creek Sports Performance Center was designed to serve every athlete at the school from sixth through 12th grade while providing a topnotch training environment.
For Cedar Creek head football coach Jacob Angevine, the facility addresses one of the biggest challenges facing smaller schools.
“With us being a 1A school, some of these big-time 5A schools have these feeder schools,” Angevine said. “Well, man, we feed ourselves.”
That reality helped drive the vision behind the new sports performance center, a facility designed not only to serve the football program but every athletic team on campus.
“In order for us to have every single athlete come through here, we needed the space,” Angevine said.
The approximately 4,800-square-foot facility features 15 weight-training stations and an indoor turf area that allows athletes to complete strength, speed, agility and conditioning work under one roof.
The new facility represents a dramatic upgrade from Cedar Creek’s previous weight room, which featured only eight racks and limited room for athletes and coaches to work effectively.
“It’s night and day compared to what we had,” Angevine said. “Our old weight room had eight racks and a couple different machines, and it was a very tight-knit space where you really couldn’t do a whole lot. We had more kids bumping into each other, coaches bumping into each other.
“In this new facility, we can have a coach on each row watching five different racks at a time and coaching, plus we have other coaches over here on the turf coaching as well.”
Construction on the facility began in March 2025, with equipment arriving in phases over the past year before the final shipment of weights arrived this month.
That final shipment included roughly 13,000 pounds of weights, which were unloaded Monday morning with help from Cedar Creek middle school student-athletes.
“Shout out to our middle school girls,” Angevine said. “They unloaded all 13,000 pounds of weights off the truck. We had an assembly line going. It was awesome.”
The school worked with True Athletics to design a facility capable of maximizing the school’s budget while accommodating future growth. The goal was to create a space capable of handling as many as 60 football players at one time while still serving the needs of other athletic programs.
That versatility is already evident.
On a typical morning, multiple sports and training groups can be utilizing the facility simultaneously.
“This morning, we had girls basketball, softball, girls powerlifting … and two girls recovering from injury, all going at the same time, plus the middle school boys getting their speed work done on that side,” Angevine said.
The facility operates on a rotating schedule, with groups cycling through every 45 minutes, according to Angevine. Athletes begin with speed, agility and plyometric work before moving into strength training sessions.
The facility allows Cedar Creek students to establish consistent training habits long before athletes reach the varsity level.
While the physical benefits of the facility are obvious, Cedar Creek girls basketball coach Katie Hall said it’s just one more step the school is taking in upgrading it’s athletic programs and facilities.
“It’s just continuing to take steps in a direction that has growth and commitment to all of our athletes,” Hall said.
Hall said the shared training environment has helped strengthen relationships among athletes from different sports.
“It’s been really cool to see the camaraderie between all the sports,” Hall said. “We’re in there kind of overlapping each other and caring for each other, and it’s just kind of cool to see that aspect that I did not anticipate.”
The facility also allows Cedar Creek to keep more of its athletic development on campus.
For years, several programs utilized outside training resources, including workouts at 10 Ten Training. While those relationships remain valuable, Hall said having a first-class facility on campus gives student-athletes greater access to the school’s own coaches and training staff.
“We have some amazing coaches who are more than qualified to train all of our athletes,” Hall said. “We love our partnership with 10 Ten, but we also are very glad to just stay on campus and in-house and utilize these great coaches.”
For Cedar Creek, the sports performance center is more than a place to lift weights. It is a facility designed to serve every athlete, every sport and every stage of development from middle school through high school.
And while the building’s equipment and turf may be what visitors notice first, Hall believes the relationships being built inside it could prove just as valuable.
“It’s been really cool to see the camaraderie between all the sports,” Hall said. “We’re in there kind of overlapping each other and caring for each other, and it’s just kind of cool to see that aspect that I did not anticipate.”
The Kiwanis Club of Ruston meets every Thursday at noon at Trinity Methodist Church. The first Thursday of the month is a business meeting, while the remainder of the weeks are devoted to our speakers.
Anyone is welcome to come to our meeting, but please notify Richard Hamilton of your attendance at 318-518-2121.
This week’s speaker is: NO SPEAKER (BUSINESS MEETING ONLY)
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one CHILD and one Community at a time.
LINCOLN ROTARY CLUB
Lincoln Rotary Club is a service organization dedicated to making a positive impact in Ruston, Lincoln Parish, and communities around the world. As part of Rotary International, whose mission is to provide service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill and peace, Lincoln Rotary members are committed to addressing local needs through hands-on projects, partnerships, and community engagement.
Lincoln Rotary meets every Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. at the Ruston-Lincoln Visitors Bureau, located at 2111 North Trenton Street in Ruston. Visitors and prospective members are always welcome to attend and learn more about Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”
Each weekly meeting features a guest speaker who shares insights on topics impacting our community, region, and beyond.
This week’s speaker is: NO MEETING IN OBSERVANCE OF JUNETEENTH
For more information about the Lincoln Rotary Club, membership opportunities, or upcoming service projects, contact via the club’s social media pages.
RUSTON ROTARY
Ruston Rotary is the oldest Rotary Club in Lincoln Parish, with over 80 years of service to the Ruston community since its charter on February 13, 1943. It meets weekly for fellowship, food and insight, as well as to implement community projects. Their projects include scholarships for graduating high school seniors, dictionaries for third-graders, Christmas gifts for local nursing homes, and fans for the elderly.
It hosts monthly recognition for Lincoln Parish Students of the Month, and it presents the Bill Best Humanitarian Award annually to a deserving Lincoln Parish resident. It also provides camp opportunities for local students to RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
The Rotary motto is Service above Self. Come be part of Ruston Rotary and help create a lasting impact by giving back to the community with a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie.
Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
Ruston Rotary meets every Wednesday at noon at the Historic Fire Station at 200 East Mississippi in Ruston, and lunch is provided at each meeting. Stop in for a meeting one week to find out more about membership with our organization.
This week’s speaker is: Sonny Cumbie, LA Tech Football HC
You ever notice that God seems to run the universe like He’s driving in reverse? If any of us tried to run things the way He does, the DMV would take away our license and make us sit through that video about safe following distances. But God specializes in doing things backwards—not wrong, not confused, but gloriously, intentionally, redemptively backwards.
Take Abraham and Sarah. By all accounts, they should’ve been greatgrandparents sitting on the porch comparing prescription prices and arguing about who hid the remote. Instead, God hands them a diaper bag and says, “Surprise!” That’s backwards. And once you start looking for it, you see it everywhere.
God picks Moses the Mumbler to speak for Him. He chooses David the Kid to fight a giant. He calls Gideon the Scaredy Cat to lead an army. He uses Rahab—with the résumé no one expected—to help secure the Promised Land. That’s backwards.
Then Jesus arrives and takes the whole thing to another level. He says the first will be last. He says you win by losing. He says you gain by giving. He says love your enemies—which is so backwards we still haven’t gotten used to it.
And the biggest backwards moment of all? The King of Kings shows up born in a barn, rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, and defeats death by dying. That’s not just backwards—that’s resurrection logic.
Maybe that’s why so many of us feel disoriented when life doesn’t go the way we planned. We assume something must be wrong. But what if the backwards places are exactly where God does His best work? What if the moments that feel upsidedown are actually the moments when God is turning things rightsideup?
So if your life feels a little backwards right now, take heart. You might be closer to God’s will than you think. After all, He’s been steering in reverse since the beginning—and somehow, He always gets us where we need to go.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:45 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.
Tuesday, June 16 6:30 a.m.: Veterans free breakfast (VFW Post 3615, 206 Memorial Dr.) 10 a.m.: Storytime : Special Guest: LA Center for the Blind (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 10:30 a.m.: Summer movie series: “Wall-E” (Dixie Theatre) 2 p.m.: Crafternoon : Butterfly Suncatchers (Lincoln Parish Library) 4 p.m.: Teen Time : Seed Bomb Pollinators (Lincoln Parish Library) 6 p.m.: Video-Led Exercise class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 6 p.m.: Louisiana Orphan Trains: The Untold Stories presented by the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum (Lincoln Parish Library)
Wednesday, June 17 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) 2 p.m.: CPR Class for Kids (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
Thursday, June 18 10 a.m.: LSU Ag Center Play Street at Lincoln Parish Library Events Center 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall; Anyone is welcome to come to our meeting,please notify Richartd Hamilton of your attendance. 318-518-2121) 2 p.m.: Tween Time : Mushroom Lanterns (Lincoln Parish Library) 4 p.m.: Teen Time : Tiny Tin Library (Lincoln Parish Library) 5 p.m.: Library Board of Control Meeting (Lincoln Parish Library) 6 p.m.: Video-Led Tai Chi class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers) 6:30 p.m.: Books & Bites Book Club; registration required 318-513-5510 (Lincoln Parish Library at Utility Brewing Co.)
Friday, June 19 Juneteenth 8 a.m.: Juneteenth car show (Downtown Grambling) 5 p.m.: Juneteenth parade (Downtown Grambling) 6 p.m.: Juneteenth fish fry (Grambling) Dusk: Fireworks (Grambling Park)
Saturday, June 20 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market 3-5:30 p.m.: Ruston Juneteenth Celebration (Thomas Assembly Center) 7-11 p.m.: Juneteenth Gala (Black and Gold Room, 403 Main Street, Grambling)
Monday, June 22 11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome 4 p.m.: Storytime : Pigs (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 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, June 23 6:30 a.m.: Veterans free breakfast (VFW Post 3615, 206 Memorial Dr.) 10 a.m.: Storytime : Pigs (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 10 a.m.: Summer Movie Series “Zootopia 2” (Dixie Theatre) 2 p.m.: Crafternoon : Toilet Paper Sheep Painting (Lincoln Parish Library) 4 p.m.: Teen Time : Balloon Animals and more! (Lincoln Parish Library) 6 p.m.: Video-Led Exercise class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center)
Wednesday, June 24 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 11:30 a.m.: Groundbreaking for Russ Town Crossing (1211 Gaines Ave.) 12-1 p.m.: Rotary Club meeting (Historic Fire Station)
Thursday, June 25 10 a.m.: Ribbon cutting celebrating Power Water District Power Building apartments (300 E. Mississippi Ave.) 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall; Anyone is welcome to come to our meeting,please notify Richartd Hamilton of your attendance. 318-518-2121) 2 p.m.: Tween Time : Bristle Bots (Lincoln Parish Library) 4 p.m.: Teen Time : Retro Video Games (Lincoln Parish Library) 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Free meal provided by 5 Loaves 2 Fish Ministry to be served at St . Benedict Church, Main Street in Grambling. All are welcome 6 p.m.: Video-Led Tai Chi class (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers) 7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Willy Wonka, Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Friday, June 26 10 a.m.: Open house for Fox Nesbit (500 Dan Reneau Dr.) 2 p.m.: Briarhill Farms at Lincoln Parish Library Events Center 3:30-5:30 p.m.: Summer DND Campaign for Teens & Tweens (Lincoln Parish Library) Please call 318-513-5518 for important information about participation. 7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Willy Wonka, Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Saturday, June 27 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market 7 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Willy Wonka, Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
Sunday, June 28 2 p.m.: Ruston Community Theatre presents “Willy Wonka, Jr.” (Dixie Theatre)
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:45 right to your inbox.Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
Grambling State University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics announced the hiring of Alonzo Banks as head coach of the GSU Track & Field and Cross-Country program.
“We are proud to welcome Alonzo Banks to Grambling State University as the head coach of our Track and Field and Cross-Country programs,” said Scott. “Alonzo is a proven leader with a strong track record of developing student-athletes and building successful programs. His passion for excellence, commitment to student-athlete success, and vision for the future make him the ideal person to lead our programs. We are excited about the impact he will have on our student-athletes and the continued growth of GSU Track & Field and Cross-Country.”
Banks comes to GSU after serving as the head coach of the Alcorn State track & field program. Banks transformed the Braves into one of the fastest-rising programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), guiding athletes to conference titles, school records, NCAA regional qualifications, and national-level competitions.
In his first cross country season at ASU, Banks made an immediate impact at the 2023 SWAC Cross Country Championships. Under his leadership, Stellah Kiptui was crowned the individual champion and named Female Athlete of the Year, while Kelvin Kipkemboi claimed the men’s individual title and was named Male Athlete of the Year. The men’s team went on to secure a third-place finish-the program’s highest in years.
During the 2024 indoor season, Teresa captured double gold in the 3000m and 5000m, adding to Alcorn State’s growing reputation for distance dominance. The momentum carried into the 2024 outdoor season, where standout Trellas Forrest ran 45.89 in the 400m to set a new school record, finish second at the SWAC Championships, and qualify for the NCAA Regional Championships. Teresa added silver medals in both the 5000m and 10,000m to cap off her season.
The Braves carried their success into 2025 indoors, highlighted by Derrick Williams, who set a school record in the 200m (20.98) and placed second at the SWAC Championships. Alocias Kipngetich established a new school record in the 800m (1:54.65), while the men’s 4x400m relay also etched their names into the record books with a program-best performance.
The 2025 outdoor season proved historic for Alcorn State. Derrick Williams lowered his own 200m school record to 20.56 and qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in both the 100m and 200m. Vederek Matthews set a new standard in the 110m hurdles (13.97), while the men’s 4x400m relay broke the school record in 3:09.99. The highlight came from Trellas Forrest, who became the SWAC Champion in the 400m with a school-record 45.28, qualifying for both the NCAA Regional Championships and the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, further cementing Alcorn’s national presence.
Before joining Alcorn, Banks served three years as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State University, where he coached multiple SWAC champions and medalists, including hurdler Darrione Joseph and thrower Tiara DeRosa, who was named Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2021 SWAC Championships.
Banks also enjoyed a successful six-year tenure at Southern Arkansas University, where he was promoted to associate head coach in 2018. His athletes earned 130 All-Conference honors, nine GAC Athlete of the Week awards, and broke numerous school records. He coached multiple NCAA Division II provisional qualifiers, all-region athletes, and conference champions, including All-American Kenisha Bryant, long jump and sprint standout Karonce Higgins, and triple jump record-holder Aurthur Jeffery.
A decorated collegiate athlete himself, Banks competed at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) under legendary coach Joe Walker. He was a three-time All-American, the 1996 SEC 400m Champion, a five-time All-SEC First Team performer, team captain and MVP, and qualified and competed in the USA Track & Field
Indoor/Outdoor Championships. He also helped Ole Miss capture the 1999 Penn Relays Championship of America title in the 4x400m relay.
Banks earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Ole Miss in 1999. He holds a USATF Level 1 Certification and a USTFCCCA Specialist Certification in Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays.
Louisiana Tech baseball has added two transfer portal signees to the 2027 roster in Kameron McCord and Kade Crawford.
McCord, a left-handed pitcher from Crestview, Florida, signs with the Bulldogs after spending his freshman season at Coastal Alabama Community College – North as one of the Coyotes’ top arms. Standing at 6-foot 4-inches, he made nine starts in 12 appearances on the mound with two complete games under his belt.
His 4.73 ERA was the second-best on the team among qualifying pitchers, striking out 60 and walking 20 through 51.1 innings. On February 7, he fired five scoreless frames against Marian University Ancilla with seven strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
He fanned a career-high nine batters against Wallace CC – Selma before recording consecutive outings with eight strikeouts against Enterprise State CC and Marion Military Institute. Prior to beginning his collegiate career, McCord was a four-year letterman for varsity baseball at Crestview High School.
Crawford signs with LA Tech out of Panola College in Carthage, Texas as a right-handed 6-foot 2-inch outfielder. He played in 50 of the 52 total games for the Ponies in 2026, starting in 49 of them. He led the team with 48 RBI and tied for the most homers on Panola’s roster with 12. He was one of three players with 100+ total bases, and his 29 stolen bases were the second-most recorded on the team.
Crawford also collected 10 doubles, two triples, 47 runs and 22 walks drawn. In the season opener, he went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and four runs driven in. He belted a pair of homers on February 6 against Eastern Oklahoma State College along with three total hits for the first of six three-hit performances that he would post over the course of the season.
He recorded his second multi-homer game on March 4 against Bossier Parish CC with three RBI and three runs scored. The Round Rock, Texas native went on three separate five-game hitting streaks, including an 11-game hitting streak from March 21 to April 13.
Crawford was named to the All-Conference and All-Region First Teams for his efforts on the field.
One in a series on unsolved cases in Ruston and Lincoln Parish
by Wesley Harris
Case No. 7
Name: James Price Tomlinson
Type of Case: Missing Person
Date: August 2022 Status: Remains missing
Nearly four years after James Price Tomlinson disappeared, one detail continues to stand out—he left behind everything he would have needed to start over.
Tomlinson, 38 at the time, was last seen on August 11, 2022, just north of Ruston. Despite extensive searches, numerous interviews, and continued appeals to the public, no clear answers have emerged about what happened to him.
According to his family, his wallet, identification, phone, and even his shoes were all found—items they say he would not have willingly abandoned.
“James didn’t leave or just walk away,” his mother, Penny Otwell Skipper, said in earlier interviews. “I believe that somebody knows something.”
Skipper has spoken candidly with the media about her son’s struggles leading up to his disappearance.
“Very outgoing. He loved everyone. He was a happy person and very smart in school,” Skipper said. “We just lost him somewhere.”
By “lost,” Skipper means her son’s battle with drug addiction, which she believes may have played a role in the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
“He didn’t leave on his own,” she said. “He is an addict. He has some problems. He could have been off with some friends taking something laced with fentanyl. That could have happened, and it could have been an accident.”
In the days and weeks following his disappearance, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office coordinated multiple search efforts in the Pea Ridge area. Those efforts included ground searches involving deputies, volunteers, and specialized resources such as tracking dogs from Delta Elite K-9 Search & Rescue. Investigators also conducted numerous interviews in an attempt to piece together Tomlinson’s final movements.
Despite those efforts, authorities have said they were unable to determine his whereabouts or identify a clear sequence of events leading to his disappearance.
In the years since, Skipper has remained a constant and vocal advocate for her son, maintaining an active presence on social media and continuing to push for answers. Her posts have kept Tomlinson’s name circulating far beyond Lincoln Parish, drawing attention from surrounding states and missing persons networks across the region.
About two years ago, Skipper received one of her son’s personal belongings in an unexpected way—his class ring, which had been lost long before his disappearance.
“It had been found in an elderly woman’s jewelry after she passed away,” Skipper said. “The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office followed up on the engraving inside the ring and got it back to me.”
While the ring was unrelated to Tomlinson’s disappearance, its recovery years later added an unexpected detail to an already baffling case.
More recently, Skipper has reiterated her belief that someone in the community holds key information that could break the case. Her message has remained consistent: someone knows something—they just haven’t come forward.
As the case approaches the four-year mark, several key questions remain: Why were Tomlinson’s personal belongings left behind? What exactly happened in the hours before he was last seen? Did anyone witness unusual activity in the area that day? And most critically—has someone remained silent?
Sheriff’s office investigators have continued to work the case throughout the years, but no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified, and no explanation of the disappearance has been determined.
While the questions surrounding Tomlinson’s disappearance remain unanswered, for his family, the search has never stopped—and neither has the hope for answers.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of James Price Tomlinson is encouraged to contact Lt. Matt Henderson at the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-251-5111.
A renewed federal push to enforce hospital price transparency requirements could have implications for healthcare providers and patients across Louisiana, including those served by Northern Louisiana Medical Center in Ruston.
According to reporting by The Associated Press, federal officials recently launched a new round of enforcement efforts aimed at ensuring hospitals comply with rules requiring them to publicly disclose prices for medical services and procedures.
The Associated Press reported that more than 500 hospitals nationwide, with 27 in the state of Louisiana including Northern Louisiana Medical Center, have recently received warning notices or requests for corrective action as regulators increase oversight of the transparency requirements.
Allegiance CEO Rock Bordelon provided the Lincoln Parish Journal with the following statement:
“Much like Baton Rouge General recently reported, we have provided transparency pricing for years now. Ours is currently being updated with our EHR provider to follow the most recent format required by CMS. Once our EHR provider has updated the reports all of our facilities in the report will be fixed instead of just some of them being reported as complete. This is expected to be completed very soon by our vendor well in advance of what’s required.”
Texas (42), California (38), Indiana (34), Louisiana (27), Florida (21), Illinois (21), and Mississippi (20) have the most hospitals included on this list, according to a document released by AP.
The initiative centers on hospital price transparency regulations that first took effect in 2021. The rules require hospitals to make public a wide range of pricing information, including negotiated rates with insurance companies, discounted cash prices and standard charges for services.
Federal officials say the goal is to give patients more information about healthcare costs before they receive treatment, allowing them to compare prices and make more informed decisions about their care.
Healthcare affordability remains a major concern for many Americans, particularly as families continue to face rising costs for insurance premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Unlike many consumer purchases, medical care has traditionally been difficult to price in advance. Patients often receive services without knowing the final cost until weeks later when bills and insurance explanations arrive.
Supporters of transparency requirements argue that making pricing information publicly available can help create competition among hospitals and healthcare systems while giving consumers a better understanding of what they may be expected to pay.
Critics, however, contend that healthcare pricing remains complicated because a patient’s final cost can vary significantly depending on insurance coverage, deductibles, co-payments and network agreements. They argue that simply posting prices may not fully address broader healthcare affordability challenges.
The issue carries particular significance for rural communities, where residents may have fewer healthcare options than those living in larger metropolitan areas.
Northern Louisiana Medical Center serves as Lincoln Parish’s primary hospital and is a key component of the local healthcare system. The facility has remained the focus of public attention in recent years as local officials, healthcare leaders and community stakeholders have discussed long-term healthcare access and service availability in the region.
The Lincoln Parish Police Jury and the Lincoln Health Foundation have both devoted significant attention to healthcare planning efforts over the past several years, citing concerns about maintaining access to quality medical care for parish residents.
According to federal officials, hospitals that fail to comply with transparency requirements can face financial penalties and may be required to take corrective action to bring their pricing information into compliance.
Healthcare policy experts say price transparency alone is unlikely to solve every challenge facing the healthcare industry. However, many view it as an important step toward giving consumers more information about one of the largest and often most unpredictable expenses they face.
As federal regulators continue reviewing compliance nationwide, patients are expected to see increased efforts by hospitals and healthcare systems to make pricing information more accessible and easier to understand.
(The scene is a cramped meeting room the size of the average American kitchen. Around a small oval table is a girl and two guys, including Scotty, the production manager, dressed in khaki and polo and youthful confidence. Yellow legal pads and paper cups of coffee are involved, pens and markers and laptops, the out-of-place, somewhat lonely Fresca. Scotty speaks …)
“Harvey and the new guy are a couple doors down in Development working on the script, polishing things up — Horatio’s doing some rewrites, a part or two that just didn’t feel right, you know? — but I wanted to get you up to speed on exactly where we are on the doc on Mike McConathy. So me and Larry felt we’d open this way …
“Hey Emmett, please take a sec and skate down to PR and ask them to release that Bossier City native Mike McConathy, the winningest college basketball coach in state history, a prep All-American guard at Airline High and an honorable mention All-American guard for Louisiana Tech before launching a history-making coaching career at Bossier Parish Community College and then Northwestern State, will be enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night, June 27, at the Hall of Fame’s home in Natchitoches. Add that ticket information for the seven events over three days of festivities, June 25-27, is available at the LaSportsHall.com or by calling by calling 318-238-4255 …, and remind everyone it’s always sold out so get on the horn and let’s have some fun honoring the Class of 2026. Appreciate. Take off. Come back with an expresso or don’t come back …
“So Coach Mike is driving his truck down a two-lane road where the trees touch over the middle stripe. Got the Location crew scouting for the perfect spot. He’s right at home, happy as a flea at a dog show because this is the man’s wheelhouse. The guy’s face is practically glowing … He’s either driving to any one of the Louisiana high school gyms he’s been to over and over for 40 years OR he’s wearing that big floppy straw hat and we pan to the weed eaters and gas cans and rakes and mowers in the bed … You see where I’m going? It’s a beautiful open, is what it is …
“So Coach Mike is driving down a two-lane heading to a game because that’s where he’s most happy except it’s probably not gonna be Mike because the guy doesn’t toot his own horn. At all. We’re not gonna be able to get him to say anything about himself. Me and T-Money ate lunch with him in Bossier and we get this: ‘I’ve never thought of myself as being better than anybody else. That’s just who I am. I played and coached with unbelievable people. Fans have been very supportive, always. I just never think of myself that way.’ That’s it. Guy just keeps chewing. Swigs water. Like he’s talking about last week’s weather.
“His wife of 48 years and counting, Connie? Met on a blind date. She didn’t know he played basketball. They’d been dating just six months and the junior high kids she was student teaching told her he’d made all-conference. ‘If the students hadn’t told me,’ she says, ‘I still wouldn’t know.’ True story!
“You know how she found out he was in the Hall of Fame? Family text thread. Michael or Logan, one of the sons. No, for real: hand on my heart …
“So somebody who can sell ‘humble and loyal’ and make it authentic — gotta be authentic — will have to play him; he might not even let us take his picture holding a basketball. I’m thinking Bryan Cranston, funny but can get serious. Russell Crowe and go the’ gladiator’ angle, though that might be too … what’s the word? … gruesome? Sweaty? Too Roman? Woody Harrelson is a frontrunner since he was in a basketball movie, maybe Keanu Reeves with that certain All-American Dude quality. The perfect guy, the PERFECT guy, is Denzel — but he’d really have to sell it … you feel me? Not sure if Harrelson can still dunk, but Denzel can. Like Coach Mike, Denzel can do ANYthing and still be ‘everyman’ …
(Coffee slurps … the tic-tac of keys on a laptop. Somewhere, a dog barks …)
“But humble and loyal won’t get you into the Hall. Coach Mike has the numbers to go with the soul. Double-threat. Best of both worlds. All like that. The ol’ ‘Nice Guys Finish First’ bit — for a nice change.
“Here’s where the numbers tell the story through the clips with people who know him better than anyone …
“High school early ’70s, Airline in Bossier, son of Northwestern State great John McConathy, the fifth pick in the 1951 draft. We’ve got Airline teammates Terry Slack and Steve Haynes, football stars, talking about Mike having keys to the gym, practicing while wearing ankle weights, jumping rope, always working, getting recruited by Oklahoma and LSU and NSU and more, and eventually deciding to go to Ruston with them, just in a different sport …
“Then Tech teammates Tom Morris and Walter May and Tim Floyd and Jim Woolridge, quick bytes about how he’s the most dedicated athlete they’ve ever seen, and that sweet jump shot, no wasted movement, fluid as water from a garden hose, the 9-1 Southland Conference title his junior year, him getting 25 a game and being the league’s Player of the Year …
(Somewhere, a cat meows …)
“Keith Prince, Tech’s sports information director when McConathy played in 1974-77, tells us how Mike got drafted by the Bulls but the ABA/NBA merger cut out 100-plus pro jobs, how he played some European ball, then how he found his way back to Bossier Parish and brief high school gigs before starting the Bossier Parish Community College men’s basketball team with zip, playing in Airline’s gym, and winning 352 games in 16 seasons. Again, the guy did this from scratch. Didn’t have as much as an air pump …
“Then Shreveport’s Wayne Smith, another Tech all-conference and Tech Athletics Hall of Famer a decade after Mike, saying he saw Mike not only win at BPCC, but make sure, with limited resources, his players had food and some kind of housing and a chance, the one thing they needed the most. “Great player and coach,” Smith says on camera, “five-star man.” Game recognizing game. Sound and Music are seeing if the theme from Rocky might be good here, building to …
“The biggie. Northwestern State. The Demons. Where this Bulldog, this guy the Hall’s chairman and almost forever NSU SID Doug Ireland calls ‘a unicorn of a human,’ was ultimately meant to be. We’re talking 330 wins in 23 seasons, 682 total wins when we add 352 wins in 16 seasons at BPCC: Visual Effects is cooking up some snazzy presentation of the numbers. Meanwhile we’ve got Doug rattling off about Coach doing everything off the court from striping parking lots to pro bono weed eating on campus, a semi-continuance of the side biz he had in Bossier to get his Cavaliers some work and to SEE if they’d work …
“You’ll love this: we even have a Building and Grounds guy talking about how he thought Coach was one of THEM until he went to a game and saw the weed eater guy calling timeouts. Is that beautiful or WHAT?! We even have a couple of local non-profit directors saying with not a little embarrassment that they’d originally thought he worked for THEM. The guy was like a yard guy slash fix-it guy for the parish, AND he coached the basketball team. Only thing he lacked was a cape. (Scotty turns to the kid in J.Crew) Emmett, run down to Costume and see if we’ve got a purple and orange cape … might work that in … he did wear those checkerboard purple and orange pants coaching games.
(Somewhere, a crow caws …)
“A blurb of Greg Burke, NSU AD when Mike was coach, thanking his guy for the $5 million-plus his teams brought in from playing 117 guarantee games — including road wins at Auburn, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, UTEP and neutral-court victories over Oregon State and 15th-ranked Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Burke cries a little, understandable, especially when he gets to the part about 90 percent of the Demon hoopsters graduating. NINETY PERCENT! Believe that? …
“Then Chris Maggio tears up. TearFest, I’m telling you. Maggio, lifelong Natty resident and former NSU president. Former high school coach. Maggio takes us from March 1999, when Mike took over a Demons’ program with only five winning seasons and no postseason trips in 24 years of Division I history, to the Southland championship game that first season. And this without making over the roster! It’s a Demon miracle! Glory! …
“Here’s where Chris Thompson jumps in since Chris played for Mike both at BPCC and NSU. Chris describes the joy of winning the SLC title game Mike’s second season and the program earning the first of four postseason tournament appearances. Then we roll clips from those: NCAA 2001, Opening Round win over Winthrop; NCAA 2006, No. 14 seed First Round upset of No. 3 seed and Big Ten Tournament champ Iowa, a game everyone in Natchitoches swears they watched if they weren’t in Auburn Hills, Mich.; NCAA 2013’s First Round loss to eventual NCAA champion Florida, and the 2014 CIT home game. Video montage of those games with nat sound …
“It’s gold, is what it is. You love it! … I can tell by the way you’re smacking your Juicy Fruit. I do too! …
“And so, The End. On-court buckets and hugs. Sweaty time outs. Family pics. A quick blurb of Mike’s haberdasher saying, “He didn’t invent the mock turtleneck,” — this is courtside through tears after the buzzer-beater over Iowa, “he merely perfected it.” Oh! — almost forgot: some sentimental footage from February 15 last year when they named the Prather Coliseum court after him. THE WHOLE COURT! People DO this sort of thing? Guess we should get that in, amiright? LOL! Good stuff.
“Big Finish, but like Coach Mike, understated. A comment from — get this — the straw hat. The big nasty straw hat he wears when he’s weed eating the world. We’ve got Creative on it now, to make it work. All the hat says, shyly but with gratitude, is this: ‘I know I’m just a hat. A hat that needs an oil change, if we’re being honest. Just an ordinary hat. But when I’m on Coach Mike’s head, somehow, I feel more like a crown.’
