Louisiana Tech has spent the month of October building momentum, winning four straight games and putting itself in position to contend for a Sun Belt Conference championship.
Now the Bulldogs will make their first trip out of the state since it’s loss at Baylor back on September 19 and have an opportunity to take another important step.
A rather significant step.
Tech (5-2, 3-0) will look to remain unbeaten in conference play Saturday when it travels to Mobile, Alabama, to face South Alabama (4-3, 2-1) at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., with the game televised on ESPN+.
The matchup carries significant implications in the Sun Belt West Division standings, where the Bulldogs currently sit atop the division and the Jaguars are among their closest challengers. With a victory today, Tech would own a 2-game lead and the tiebreaker against USA and UL-Lafayette and a two-game lead over Troy with the Trojans next up for the Bulldogs.
Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie believes the challenge is making sure his team continues doing the things that have produced its recent success.
“As we started this month of October, we challenged our team,” Cumbie said. “We talked a lot about really this is an October of opportunity for our football team. We had five football games in this month, which is nearly half of our season. I am really proud of how they’ve handled this month, and how they’ve played.”
The Bulldogs enter Saturday riding one of their most impressive defensive stretches in decades.
Tech has recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1959, blanking ULM 24-0 and Old Dominion 26-0 in its last two outings. Against Old Dominion, the Bulldogs limited the Monarchs to just 141 yards of total offense, including minus-13 rushing yards, while recording six sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
But keeping that streak alive won’t be easy.
South Alabama features the Sun Belt’s top rushing offense, led by running backs Keenan Phillips and PJ Martin. The Jaguars also present a dangerous play-action passing attack that could test a Tech defense that has dominated opposing offenses in recent weeks.
“They do it with two different backs that are really, really productive,” Cumbie said. “They’re really, really hard to tackle from the standpoint of Keenan Phillips and PJ Martin. So they do a great job in play action because they run the ball so well.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs have found their rhythm behind quarterback Blake Baker, who has thrown for 800 yards while completing 77 percent of his passes in three conference games. Baker has accounted for 10 touchdowns without committing a turnover during that stretch, helping Tech develop a more consistent offensive attack.
“I believe so,” Cumbie said when asked if Baker was playing the best football of his career. “One thing, too. Blake started 12 football games. He’s been here for four years … but he’s only started 12 games. For a quarterback, experience is everything.”
Cumbie also wants more production from Tech’s running game and better execution in finishing drives after the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities against Old Dominion.
“We’ve got to have a killer instinct,” Cumbie said. “We’ve got to finish games better.”
Saturday also represents a return to the site of Tech’s last meeting with South Alabama, a 38-14 loss in 2022 during Cumbie’s first season as head coach.
“I remember in ’22 when we went there,” Cumbie said. “That was my first year here and we got our tail kicked. I mean, they absolutely got after us.”
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 2-1. With five regular-season games remaining, Tech has an opportunity to strengthen its position in the Sun Belt championship race.
“For us, again, it is an opportunity to get better today on Monday, and it’s our one-week season,” Cumbie said. “Everything that we can pour into this one week to try to get us a football win on Saturday.”
Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph said that quarterback Ashton Frye (15) could return to the field during Saturday’s game at Texas Southern.(Photo by T. Scott Boatright)
by T. Scott Boatright
Coming off a loss at No. 1 Alabama A&M, the Grambling State Tigers will be looking to get back on the winning track when they play at Texas Southern at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at W.W. Thorne Stadium in Houston.
Grambling (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the SWAC West) will be looking to bounce back from a loss two weeks ago at Alabama A&M in a game the G-Men led 17-3 early in the second quarter before heading into the locker room trailing 19-17 at halftime.
By the time Grambling scored again late in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had built a 47-25 lead on their way to a 61-31 victory.
“We took the loss and had to use the bye week just to get mentally recharged and get charged up emotionally after a crucial loss. You take your hat off to Alabama A&M,” Joseph said. “Shade had them ready to play and I didn’t. We had some soul-searching to do this week and we did it, and hopefully we can get a game plan this week and we can go 1-0.”
Joseph admits his defense has to tighten up after allowing Alabama A&M to roll up 660 yards of total offense, including 443 through the air and 236 on the ground.
That left Joseph wishing he could have more than 11 players on the field at once.
“We can’t play with 14, so we couldn’t do that,” Joseph quipped. “We just had to find some things they can execute and execute at a high level. We had to figure out the game plan and what they’re capable of doing and not capable of doing and get input from our assistant coaches early on in the week instead of later in the week.
“What we need is some disagreement in that (defensive) room, and I expressed to them that’s what I wanted them to do. They had a good middle week last week as far as the staff and the players, and hopefully we can do the same going into this week.”
Joseph knows Texas Southern (2-5 overall, 1-3 in the SWAC West) will be looking to establish its running game, which averages 171.6 yards per contest, as its first order of attack. But TSU also features a balanced offense led by quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy, who wears No. 0.
McCoy has completed 57.7% of his passes for seven touchdowns while averaging 30.3 rushing yards per game and adding four scores on the ground.
“You always want to stop the run (defensively) and establish the run (offensively),” Joseph said. “TSU is very athletic on defense. They get off the blocks well. With (former NFL defensive back Cris Dishman, who is now Texas Southern’s head coach) being a DB guy, he’s always going to protect his DBs, and we understand that.
“And on offense, Zero’s probably the fastest kid in this league. I haven’t seen anyone catch him yet. He’s running away from people. He’s a big-time quarterback. And they’ve got two big tackles that make it hard to get around them, and when they get you on a train, they’re going to move you. It’s a good football league. You can’t look at their record because they’ve battled throughout the season, and they won last weekend over Southern, who’s a really good football team.”
Joseph said developing a solid game plan will be crucial in Saturday’s contest.
“It’s another challenge, going on the road and trying to finish on the road,” Joseph said. “We talked about that last week as a team, and I also talked to the coaches about that — about finding out what we can do this week to go 1-0.
“And it’s a very competitive league. You see week in and week out and teams getting upset. It’s an unpredictable league because these kids are going to play hard, and you’re going to need your ‘A game’ when you lace up on Saturday. And we’ve got to make sure we have the right game plan to fit what we have on the field and make sure that the kids understand the game plan and that we’re only doing what they can execute.”
Starter Jakobe Robinson played most of the game at quarterback for Grambling against Alabama A&M, while Hayden Benoit took some snaps in relief.
Joseph hopes redshirt senior quarterback Ashton Frye can return against Texas Southern after missing the Alabama A&M game because of an injury he suffered in Grambling’s sixth game against Jackson State.
“If you know Ashon, he’s going to do what he needs to do to make himself better and get ready for Saturday,” Joseph said. “We’ll have to see, but you know he’s going to try.”
RUSTON – It may not have been as crisp as Ruston High Head Coach Jerrod Baugh had wanted, but the Bearcats did more than enough right to get a 49-14 win over Pineville for the 2026 homecoming match and were able to get some meaningful minutes for some players who may not get varsity time each week.
Ruston scored on its first three possessions to lead 20-0 after the first quarter and led 35-0 at halftime at James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium. The Bearcats improved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in District 2-5A. Pineville fell to 1-8 and 1-3 in district play.
The result was never in question, but Baugh focused on what he did not like. Penalties topped the list: Ruston was flagged six times for 80 yards.
“I thought we were sloppy at times,” Baugh said. “I thought way too many penalties. Some of it, I think, may be happenstance. I’ll have to go back and watch the video on all of it, but my initial thought is way too many penalties tonight.”
Baugh also was not happy with the Bearcats’ kick coverage as the game went on.
“The first handful of kickoffs, the guys did a good job covering, and then we let them out a few times,” Baugh said. “Of course, we were rolling some guys in there, and they may not have been in the spot that they work in sometimes in practice, so it’s a little bit different for them. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to do a better job with that, particularly late in the game.”
The Bearcats’ offense, meanwhile, piled up 489 yards on 51 plays, averaging 9.6 yards a play. Ruston passed for 241 yards and rushed for 248.
Senior quarterback Sam Hartwell was efficient, completing 10 of 14 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Aulds Garvin finished six of 10 for 40 yards and two touchdowns. Junior backup Aidan Adams also saw some time for the Bearcats at quarterback in an offensive series.
Baugh said getting Garvin and other players snaps was part of the plan going in.
“You really like to be able to work that without it being necessary,” Baugh said. “We didn’t tell them that was what was going to happen, and so I thought they handled those situations pretty good.”
Ruston needed little time to get going. Senior running back Kohl Gray scored from 2 yards out to make it 7-0, and Hartwell hit senior wide receiver Josiah Morgan for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 14-0. Hartwell then found senior tight end Ahmad Hudson from 16 yards out for a 20-0 lead after the special teams could not get the point after attempt off after a bad snap.
In the second quarter, junior running back Dalen Powell turned a shovel pass from Hartwell into an 80-yard touchdown, breaking five tackles on the way to the end zone. Hartwell kept the ball for the two-point conversion to make it 28-0. Garvin then threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Keshun Malcolm for a 35-0 lead.
Gray added a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for a 42-0 lead, which put the game in a running-clock situation. Garvin closed Ruston’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a 3-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver JP Moak.
Gray finished with 72 yards on eight carries, and Powell added 86 yards on 12 carries. Malcolm caught five passes for 42 yards, Morgan had four catches for 44 yards and Hudson had three for 59.
Baugh was less pleased with how the first-team offense handled its two-minute work before halftime.
“I thought we had two opportunities with the first group in there at the end of the first half to operate a two-minute offense in a situation that we really wanted to work, and we weren’t successful at that,” Baugh said. “In a situation like that, you’ve got to stay locked into what we’re trying to do. We were trying to work some situations in a live ball game that we needed to, and I was disappointed some in that.”
The Bearcats’ defense held Pineville to 233 yards, including 80 on the ground, and 4.5 yards a play. Junior defensive lineman Nicholas Hardison blocked a Pineville field goal attempt in the second quarter, and senior defensive back Jayden Anding recovered it at the Ruston 37-yard line.
Freshman defensive back Reed Williams led the tackle list with four stops, one for a loss.
Pineville got on the board in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Braylon Joshua. In the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Kaleb Coleman threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Davion Young.
The crowd was a highlight for Baugh, who said homecoming has become a tradition worth protecting.
“I’m very pleased with what it’s turned into,” Baugh said. “I think it’s a very good tradition for people to make plans to be back for homecoming and visit with each other. I can’t say it enough times that there’s not a lot of places that have the tradition that Ruston does, and it’s something that these current students and the current players need to enjoy and need to experience. I’m glad to have them back.”
Ruston now turns to its regular-season finale at West Monroe next Friday at 7 p.m. Baugh said the Bearcats must be sharper against the Rebels.
“It’s always a tough place to play,” Baugh said. “They seem to have patched things up. I don’t think they’ve given up a point in three ball games. We’ll need to have good preparation leading up to that, but for sure better than what I feel like some days we’ve had here recently.
“We need to have a good week and really need to play really well in Week 10 and have a good feeling going into the playoffs, wherever it is we land there.”
HAYNESVILLE — Cedar Creek football coach Jacob Angevine wouldn’t call it a moral victory. But calling it a learning experience his team can grow from is another matter.
Angevine’s Cougars gave Haynesville, the defending Non-Select Division IV state champion, everything it could handle before the Golden Tornado pulled out a 29-20 win Friday night at Red Franklin Stadium in a District 1-1A showdown between two previously undefeated teams.
“I’m proud of our fight, proud of our effort and I don’t think anyone in the state gave us a fighting chance but us,” Angevine said. “We had our opportunities there late. It was a tied game at the half and we are still young. But we’ve got to learn to finish those ballgames.
“We’ve been in big positions before. But teams like (Haynesville) that have been in that deep dark abyss, been in that deep water, know how to pull those games out. And we have to learn how to do that. It was a great test for us. The good news for us is that we’ve got another game next week.”
Both teams came out like heavyweight boxers swinging for a knockout from the start.
Cedar Creek took the opening possession and needed only two plays to find the end zone. After Payton Harris picked up 11 yards and a first down, quarterback Brett Bell went wide right on a keeper and raced 84 yards for a touchdown that put the Cougars on top 6-0.
But the Golden Tornado came out swinging just as hard on the ensuing possession, running for seven yards on first down before L’travious Brooks took the ball up the middle, cut toward the right sideline and eventually angled back toward the middle on a 50-yard scoring scamper that tied the game at 6-6 following a missed extra-point attempt.
Haynesville intercepted a Bell pass on Cedar Creek’s next possession to set up a 45-yard touchdown run on first down as Moise Critton burst up the middle to put the Golden Tornado on top 13-6.
The Cougars answered by mounting a 13-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with Liam Durrett scoring on a 1-yard run. Campbell Woodard added the extra point to tie the game at 13-13 late in the opening quarter.
Haynesville regained the lead at 20-13 on a 37-yard touchdown run by Critton, but the Cougars sent the teams into the locker rooms tied at 20-20 after Harris scored on an 11-yard run late in the second quarter.
“We gave up too many big plays in the first half,” Angevine said. “We had our opportunities offensively in the second half and we just didn’t capitalize, and we’ve got to do a better job of that. That’s kind of been our M.O. all year. People just don’t drive the ball down our throats, but they do make big plays and we’ve got to find a way to fix that before we head into the playoffs. But like I said, the good news is that we’ve got another game next week.”
Cedar Creek’s defense tightened up in the third quarter, but so did Haynesville’s, with the Golden Tornado recording a safety midway through the period to move on top 22-20 after tackling Harris in the end zone.
“I think the defense had a little bad taste in their mouth from letting up all those big plays and people scoring on us,” Angevine said. “Not a lot of people do. We’ve had it happen the past couple of weeks. We’ve got to learn to finish ballgames like that.”
Haynesville’s final score came late in the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown run by Critton that extended the Golden Tornado’s advantage to 29-20.
Cedar Creek had opportunities to answer in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars drove to the Haynesville 5-yard line, with Harris breaking loose for a 58-yard run on third-and-23 to keep the possession alive. But the drive stalled when Haynesville stopped Hayden Durrett for no gain on fourth-and-3.
The Golden Tornado appeared to put the game away moments later when Brooks broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run, but the score was wiped out by a block-in-the-back penalty.
Cedar Creek’s defense eventually forced a turnover on downs at its own 15-yard line, giving the Cougars one final opportunity.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
Haynesville forced its own turnover on downs after Bell threw incomplete on third and fourth down, allowing the Golden Tornado to take a knee on the final play and secure the victory.
“We’ve just got to learn how to finish these ballgames against tough opponents like Haynesville,” Angevine said. “And all credit to them, they made some adjustments. But again, I don’t think anybody in the state gave us a fighting chance so I think we woke a lot of people up tonight.”
Harris led the Cougars with 134 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while Bell added 133 yards and a score on just five attempts. Liam Durrett contributed 60 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries as Cedar Creek finished with 356 rushing yards.
Haynesville countered with 374 yards on the ground and 386 yards of total offense, compared to 341 total yards for the Cougars.
Cedar Creek also held a 20-12 advantage in first downs.
“It’s big to be able to do that,” Angevine said. “You know, we’ve got six seniors, so we’ve got a lot of juniors playing and sophomores. So to know that we can come into an enemy territory like this, in this environment, I mean, this was a playoff-like atmosphere in Week 9. I’ve told the guys before, we are blessed to have this moment right here in front of us to get us ready for the run that we want to be able to make in the playoffs.”
Cedar Creek (8-1) closes out the regular season Friday by playing host to Lincoln Prep.
And while the Cougars saw their unbeaten season come to an end, Angevine believes the experience could prove valuable as his young team prepares for the postseason.
“There’s still a lot left to play for,” Angevine said. “We’ll see where we fall in the power rankings. I think it will be 8, 9, somewhere around there. But we’ve got another game next week and we can fix the little things and get us right before we go make a (playoff) run.
“And it’s big that we came out of this kind of game healthy. We’ve still got a lot to play for and I just hope this bad taste left in our mouth can fuel us the rest of the season, no matter how long it lasts.”
Lincoln Prep’s Jabari Levingston accounted for four scores and 284 yards of offense Thursday night against Glenbrook. (Photo by T. Scott Boatright)
By T. Scott Boatright
Three yards forward, five yards back — it was that kind of night for the Lincoln Preparatory School football team.
Unfortunate breaks, a plethora of penalties and a lack of disciplined play proved too much for the Panthers to overcome as Glenbrook defeated Lincoln Prep 50-36 in a District 1-1A showdown.
It wasn’t that the Panthers didn’t have their chances — they had plenty early on.
Lincoln Prep struck first as quarterback Jabari Levingston hit Josiah Spann on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Levingston then connected with Karmelo Goins for the 2-point conversion to put the Panthers on top 8-0 just 2:30 into the contest.
Glenbrook countered by marching 55 yards on eight plays, scoring on a 1-yard quarterback keeper to cut the Panthers’ lead to 8-7 with 6:18 remaining in the opening quarter.
But the Panthers battled back with a 55-yard, 11-play counterpunch of their own to push their advantage to seven points after Levingston broke loose on a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.
Glenbrook tied the game as the first-quarter clock expired when Apaches quarterback Louie Collins scored his second touchdown of the night, this time on an 11-yard run, to make it 14-14 heading into the second quarter.
After holding the Panthers to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Apaches drove 69 yards on 13 plays, with Ryan Reagan plunging 1 yard into the end zone to put Glenbrook on top 21-14 with 5:33 left in the first half.
But again, the Panthers clawed their way back as Levingston found Goins for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Levingston’s 2-point conversion run failed, but Lincoln Prep remained only one point behind at 21-20 with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Glenbrook added a 33-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to move in front 24-20.
Or so it appeared.
That was when the discipline issues started costing the Panthers. A Lincoln Prep penalty wiped the three points off the scoreboard and gave Glenbrook another opportunity.
The Apaches capitalized, scoring on a 5-yard run with 16 seconds left in the first half and adding a 2-point conversion run to take a 29-20 halftime lead.
The Panthers kept battling to start the second half, with Levingston, playing safety on defense, ripping the ball out of a Glenbrook ball carrier’s hands and racing 62 yards for a touchdown that cut the Apaches’ advantage to 29-26 just 1:14 into the third quarter.
Glenbrook’s ensuing drive was aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Panthers at the end of a 23-yard gain.
The Panthers were called for another personal foul on the next play as Collins scored his third touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run that pushed Glenbrook’s lead to 36-26 with 8:44 left in the third quarter.
After that, the Panthers simply seemed to lose control, with players yelling at each other and at coaches on the sidelines as the game spiraled away.
Glenbrook intercepted a Levingston pass following another personal foul against Lincoln Prep and drove 52 yards for a touchdown to push the Apaches’ lead to 43-26.
After Lincoln Prep failed to pick up a first down on its ensuing possession, Glenbrook drove 39 yards for another touchdown to extend its advantage to 50-26 with 8:37 remaining in the game.
Levingston scored on a 16-yard run with 2:43 remaining to account for the final points of the contest.
An obviously disappointed Panthers head coach Chaunce Davison struggled to find the words, or even understand, how a tight, hard-fought game had unraveled so quickly for his team.
“One good play and you take it away with two bad plays,” Davison said. “Plays that didn’t need to happen. Shouldn’t have happened. If you’re not disciplined, you can’t win. And tonight we weren’t disciplined. The players, the coaches, none of us were disciplined enough to get past what we did to ourselves.
“We get a stop and force Glenbrook to kick a field goal and then do something stupid to give the ball back to them and let them score a touchdown. It’s frustrating. We beat ourselves as much as Glenbrook beat us tonight, and that doesn’t make sense.”
The loss overshadowed a stellar performance by Levingston, who accounted for four touchdowns while rushing for 110 yards on seven carries and completing 10 of 18 passes for 174 yards.
Defensively, the Panthers were led by Howard Kirkpatrick Jr., who recorded eight tackles, including two for loss.
The Panthers close out the regular season next week with a road game at Cedar Creek, which entered Friday night’s game at Haynesville undefeated.
Others: St. Thomas More (7-2) def. Sam Houston, 49-24, Destrehan (7-2) lost to Zachary, 31-21, Northshore (8-1) lost to Mandeville, 20-17, Haughton (8-1) lost to Natchitoches Central, 27-14, John Curtis (2-6) vs. Holy Cross, Saturday, Southside (5-4) lost to Acadiana, 42-34, West Monroe (6-3) def. Peabody, 48-0.
6. Lafayette Christian Academy (7-2) def. Delcambre, 49-0
7. Mansfield (8-1) def. Many, 50-21
8. Amite (7-2) def. Northlake Christian, forfeit
9. Vinton (9-0) def. Pickering, 47-0
10. Lake Arthur (8-1) def. Welsh, 38-26
Others: Catholic-New Iberia (6-3) def. Franklin, 40-33, Pine (7-2) def. St. Thomas Aquinas, 20-0, Loreauville (6-3) def. West St. Mary, 28-0, Welsh (7-2) lost to Lake Arthur, 38-26, Caldwell Parish (7-2) def. Richwood, 21-0, Country Day (5-4) lost to Newman, 45-35, Rosepine (8-1) def. East Beauregard, 26-14.
Class 1A
1. Ouachita Christian (9-0) def. General Trass, 58-8
2. Riverside Academy (8-1) def. Catholic-PC, 54-6
3. Haynesville (8-1) def. Cedar Creek, 29-20
4. Southern Lab 9-0 def. St. John-Plaquemine, 40-0
5. Kentwood (8-1) lost to East Feliciana, 22-6
6. Ascension Catholic (8-1) def. South Plaquemines, 42-0
7. Westminster-Lafayette (8-1) lost to Jeanerette, 26-19
Others: East Feliciana (8-1) def. Kentwood, 22-6, St. Mary’s (8-1) def. Ringgold, 67-28, South Plaquemines (4-4) lost to Ascension Catholic, 42-0, Ascension Episcopal (5-3) def. Vermilion Catholic, 42-0, Jonesboro-Hodge (6-2) vs. Lakeview, n, Sacred Heart-VP (9-0) def. DeQuincy, 28-0, Grand Lake (6-2) Open.
RUSTON, La. — After 34 years in the legal profession, Ruston City Judge candidate Add Goff believes some of the most important lessons he would bring to the bench were learned outside the courtroom.
“Knowing the law is essential,” Goff said. “But being a good judge requires more than knowing the law. It requires maturity, patience, compassion, sound judgment, and the wisdom to understand how your decisions affect people’s lives—these kinds of things only come with age.”
Born and raised in Ruston, Goff has spent nearly six decades in the community he now hopes to serve as City Judge.
Long before he became an attorney, Goff earned the rank of Eagle Scout, an accomplishment that helped shape his understanding of leadership, preparedness, personal responsibility, and service to others.
“Scouting taught me early in life that leadership isn’t about having a title. It’s about accepting responsibility, being prepared, doing what’s right even when it’s difficult, and helping others,” Goff said. “Those are lessons I’ve tried to carry with me throughout my life.”
His grandfather and father practiced law in Ruston, and Goff joined the family firm in 1993 after beginning his career as a research attorney for the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Over the next 33 years, he represented people facing some of the most difficult circumstances of their lives. His practice has included criminal law, complex civil litigation, estate planning, and helping veterans and elderly clients and their families navigate difficult legal and financial decisions.
“Over the years, I’ve sat across the table from people who were frightened, angry, grieving, or facing decisions they never imagined having to make,” Goff said. “Those experiences teach you that every case involves real people, real problems, and real consequences.”
Life Experience Brings Perspective
Goff believes that maturity and wisdom come not only from professional experience, but also from facing life’s challenges.
“I’m nearly 60 years old. I’ve experienced life’s joys and disappointments. I’ve lost my father, and I’ve fought cancer myself. Those experiences have a way of changing your perspective. You learn that life is precious, that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and that everyone you meet may be carrying burdens you know nothing about.”
Goff says those lessons have helped shape the way he approaches people and difficult decisions.
“When you’ve faced your own mortality, you begin to see things differently. You learn patience. You learn humility. You learn to listen more carefully and to appreciate what really matters.”
He believes that perspective is especially important for a judge.
“People often come into court on one of the worst days of their lives,” Goff said. “Some have made serious mistakes. Others find themselves in difficult circumstances through no fault of their own. A judge must apply the law fairly and consistently, but should never lose sight of the human beings standing before him.”
For Goff, maturity means understanding that fairness and compassion can exist alongside accountability, and that wisdom sometimes comes from the hardest experiences life puts us through.
A Lifetime of Service to Lincoln Parish
For Goff, service to the community did not begin with a political campaign.
The commitment to service that began in Scouting decades ago and continued throughout his adult life. He has served as president of the Ruston Kiwanis Club, Ruston Jaycees, and Christian Community Action, and on the board of Louisiana Med Camps.
As a VA-accredited attorney, he has worked to assist wartime veterans. He has also volunteered with local organizations addressing hunger and helping families in need.
“Service has always been an important part of my life,” Goff said. “I’ve been fortunate to build a career and raise a family in this community. Running for judge is another opportunity to give something back to the place that has given so much to me.”
Goff has also served as a Hearing Committee Chair for the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, presiding over evidentiary proceedings for a 20-parish region, ruling on objections, evaluating testimony, and making recommendations concerning attorney discipline.
He says that experience reinforced the importance of fairness, preparation, and the responsibility that comes with making decisions affecting others.
Accountability and Opportunity
Goff believes the City Court can play an important role in helping people make better decisions, particularly young people and first-time offenders.
“My faith teaches me that there must be consequences for our actions,” Goff said. “But it also teaches me that we should never give up on people who are genuinely willing to put in the work to turn their lives around.”
Goff has discussed exploring mentoring opportunities for eligible probationers and other lawful approaches that combine accountability with an opportunity to get back on track.
“We have to have accountability, but we also have to have opportunity,” Goff said “The goal should be to see fewer people return to court, not simply to process the same people through the system again and again.”
Goff says that philosophy is consistent with the lessons he first learned as an Eagle Scout: people should be held responsible for their actions, but they should also be encouraged to improve themselves and contribute positively to their community.
Why Run for Judge Now?
Goff says his decision to seek the judgeship is rooted in a desire to devote this stage of his career to public service.
“After more than three decades of practicing law, I’m not looking for another job to add to my schedule. I’m looking for an opportunity to use everything I’ve learned—professionally and personally—to serve the people of Lincoln Parish.”
If elected, Goff has committed to closing his private law practice and making the judgeship his only professional responsibility.
“I believe experience gives you knowledge, life gives you perspective, and service teaches you humility,” Goff said. “I would bring all three to the bench, along with the preparation and work ethic that have guided me throughout my career.”
Over his 34-year legal career, Goff has handled an extraordinary range of cases, from relatively simple matters to complex litigation, and from misdemeanors to serious felonies. He has practiced in courts across the country, including more than three decades of practice in Ruston City Court. Yet Goff believes that being a good judge requires more than an impressive legal résumé:
“People deserve a judge who understands the law, understands the community, and understands that every person who enters that courtroom deserves to be heard and treated fairly. That’s the kind of judge I intend to be.”
Paid for by Add Goff’s campaign.
The above information has been provided by a political campaign.Unless otherwise noted, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff does not endorse specific candidates or ballot measures.
On April 3, 1783, in the same week that New Yorkers learned of the Treaty of Paris which officially ended the American Revolutionary War, proud parents William and Sarah welcomed a new boy into the world. William was a prosperous merchant who envisioned his son eventually joining the family business. As the boy grew older, however, he became less interested in his schoolwork and more interested in tales of adventure. He was the type of student who got lost in his own imagination when he was supposed to be studying. He longed for an adventure of his own. In 1798, an outbreak of yellow fever provided the boy with an unexpected adventure. To escape the epidemic, his parents sent him and his siblings to Tarrytown, New York, a small rural port town about 25 miles north of Manhattan along the Hudson River. The city boy fell in love with the countryside, especially a nearby Dutch settlement known as Slapershaven. The boy, Geoffrey Crayon, later described the settlement: “Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley or rather lap of land among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose; and the occasional whistle of a quail or tapping of a woodpecker is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquility.” To Geoffrey, it was paradise.
When the threat of yellow fever subsided, the children returned to Manhattan and resumed their studies. Geoffrey continued to daydream at the expense of his education. More interested in the arts than in business, he dreamed of becoming a writer. In 1802, he began publishing articles about the local social and theater scene in the New York Morning Chronicle, a newspaper edited by his brother. In 1806, he took and barely passed the bar exam, but his passion remained writing. In 1807, he helped create a moderately successful satirical magazine in which he referred to New York City as Gotham more than 130 years before the name became associated with Batman. The War of 1812 was disastrous for many New York merchants, including Geoffrey’s family. In 1815, he traveled to England in an unsuccessful attempt to save the family’s trading company. Rather than returning home, Geoffrey remained in England to pursue his writing career. Although he failed to save the family business, his writing career thrived. His books were well received.
In 1819, Geoffrey began publishing essays and short stories in a collection called The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His thoughts often returned to the little Dutch settlement he had visited as a boy. Slapershaven had made a lasting impression on him, and he used the peaceful community as the setting for one of his most famous stories. Geoffrey eventually returned to the United States and settled near the place that had captured his imagination as a boy. He remained there for the rest of his life. His tale became wildly popular and has never been out of print. It has been adapted for television, films, and other media. So popular was the story that the old Dutch community, originally known as Slapershaven, Dutch for Sleepers’ Harbor, eventually became known by the name in Geoffrey’s book. Geoffrey Crayon was not the name given to him by his parents, it was the pen name of Washington Irving, the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Happy Halloween!
Sources:
1. Washington Irving, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., 1820.
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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.
Saturday, Oct. 31 Halloween 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market 10:30 a.m.: Festival on Main (Sponsored by Juneteenth Celebration, Main Street, Grambling) 6:30 p.m.: LA Tech volleyball
Monday, Nov. 2 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)
Tuesday, Nov. 3 Election Day 6:30 a.m.: Veterans free breakfast (VFW Post 3615, 206 Memorial Dr.)
Wednesday, Nov. 4 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) 6:30 p.m.: GSU volleyball
Thursday, Nov. 5 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 Richard Hamilton of your attendance. 318-518-2121) Noon: Louisiana Master Gardeners Easy Pruning Workshop (Lincoln Parish Library Events Center) 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Free meal sponsored by Trinity’s Game Changers and Ruston Rotary Club to be served at the Ruston Housing Authority office, 901 MLK Drive. All are welcome. 6 p.m.: Lincoln Parish School Board meeting (410 S. Farmerville St., Ruston) 6 p.m.: Southern A’Chord Chorus rehearsal (Presbyterian Church fellowship hall, 212 N. Bonner St.; open to all women singers)
Friday, Nov. 6 6 p.m.: GSU volleyball 6:30 p.m.: LA Tech volleyball 7 p.m.: Lincoln Prep v. Cedar Creek (at Cedar Creek)
Saturday, Nov. 7 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market 2 p.m.: GSU football 6:30 p.m.: LA Tech volleyball
Sunday, Nov. 8 6 p.m.: GSU volleyball
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.
Some have names. Others are nothing more than footsteps in an empty hallway, a shadow where no shadow belongs, or a sound in the darkness that makes you stop and wonder whether you’re really alone.
Stories have long circulated about strange happenings in some of the Ruston’s older buildings. Stow’s Bar—the old Hotel Ruston/Harris Hotel—had footsteps and things that went bump in the night. The old Ruston Sanitarium held tales of a nurse who perhaps never went off duty. Louisiana Tech’s Howard Auditorium possesses an audience that might not always be entirely visible.
Call them ghosts, spirits, or, in the old Southern vernacular, haints. Believe them or don’t.
During my years as a Ruston police officer, I visited all three places after dark. I don’t believe in ghosts, except the Holy Ghost. But I encountered a few things in those old buildings that I still can’t explain.
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Stow’s: Something Upstairs
Of Ruston’s old ghost stories, perhaps none was better known than the haunting of Stow’s. Long before Stow’s became a popular Park Avenue watering hole, the old building had accumulated stories of gambling, backroom politics, and even a visit by a notorious outlaw couple.
As police officers, we had plenty of reasons to visit Stow’s that had nothing to do with the supernatural. We answered fights, disputes, and the usual problems associated with a busy bar.
The interesting stories came after closing.
The bouncers were probably the best witnesses to whatever was—or wasn’t—happening. They were there when the customers had gone, the music stopped, and the old building became quiet. These were big men accustomed to corralling drunks and breaking up fights. It took a good bit to rattle them.
Yet I saw it several times: a burly bouncer wide-eyed and anxious after seeing or hearing something he could not explain.
Seeing the fear in a big man’s eyes can make a believer out of you.
They talked about footsteps and movement upstairs, where the building retained remnants of its earlier use as a hospital. People who ventured onto the upper floors remembered hospital furnishings, old bed frames, equipment, and abandoned rooms. Others reported footsteps overhead and sounds resembling beds being dragged across the floor.
One former bartender later wrote on a supernatural discussion board that he repeatedly heard what sounded like screaming from the upper floors while closing the bar. On another night, while mopping after closing, he said he watched bar stools topple from tables with no one near them.
Then there was Dr. John Brooks Harris, the presumed ghost, according to his descendants.
According to local lore, Harris suffered a serious brain injury in an automobile accident and was cared for upstairs, where he paced the floor day and night before eventually dying.
Around Halloween one year, two men conducted their own late-night investigation upstairs.
One man noticed a human-shaped shadow on the wall. Assuming it belonged to his companion, he called out to him.
His friend answered from farther down the hallway.
The shadow wasn’t his.
Both men quickly left by the fire escape, only to encounter a Ruston police officer outside shining a light on the building.
Maybe there were reasonable explanations for all of it. Old buildings creak. Pipes knock. Shadows move.
But explanations are harder to come by when a man who has spent his night breaking up bar fights tells you something is upstairs. And he’s scared.
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Ruston Sanitarium: The Nurse and the Empty Elevator
An old hospital does not need a ghost story to be frightening at night.
The Ruston-Lincoln Sanitarium opened in 1928, with a morgue on the first floor and surgical suite on the fourth. In 1963, the building became a nursing home, and in the 1970s it passed into use by Louisiana Tech.
Somewhere along the way came stories that someone from its medical past was still making rounds.
In 2007, The Tech Talk, the student newspaper, published accounts of strange experiences there. One former employee believed the presence might have been the nursing home’s former director of nurses, a strict but caring woman who lived in a fourth-floor apartment so she could respond quickly when needed.
Another staff member working after hours reportedly heard doors opening and closing along the fourth-floor hallway. When he investigated, every door was closed and securely locked.
Then there was the elevator. Stories circulated that it sometimes traveled from the first floor to the fourth without being called.
Of all the stories about the old sanitarium, the one about the elevator has always bothered me most. Because I watched it happen.
One night, while working as a Ruston police officer, I was among several officers sent to the old hospital to investigate something. I no longer remember exactly what prompted the call.
Our flashlights cut through dark corridors and empty rooms as the old hospital creaked and groaned around us. Occasionally, some sound deeper inside made us stop and listen.
We searched the building and found no one. Afterward, we gathered in the lobby, talking about just how creepy the place was.
Then the elevator started.
We heard the machinery engage above us and the car descending the shaft.
Conversation stopped. Had we missed somebody?
We stood back as the elevator reached the lobby and stopped. There was a moment’s hesitation before the doors opened.
The car was empty.
A chill came over us when those doors opened. For one strange moment, it almost felt as though something had gotten off.
After an interval, the doors closed, and the elevator rose again, traveling back to the top floor.
At the time, I knew nothing about an old nurse supposedly haunting the upper floor or stories of the elevator moving on its own.
There could have been a mechanical explanation.
But we had searched the building. No one was there. Perhaps the old nurse still had rounds to make.
___________________________________
Howard Auditorium: Something in the Dark
Theaters seem made for ghost stories. Once the performance ends, the actors leave, the audience goes home, and the theater becomes dark.
Students and faculty have long shared tales of strange occurrences in Howard Auditorium: props and set pieces moving on their own, ghostly voices echoing in the empty theater, and unexplained cold drafts sweeping through the building.
Some performers have reported feeling a spectral presence while on stage, as if being watched by invisible eyes. Stage lights flicker, curtains sway, and mysterious sounds have left many to believe that Howard Auditorium is still occupied by spirits who never took their final bow.
The most well-known ghost is said to be that of a former actor who passed away under tragic circumstances. According to legend, this ghost can still be seen sitting in the audience or backstage, forever watching over the performances he loved in life.
The best-known story concerns the auditorium’s spring-loaded seats, which normally return upright when someone stands. According to legend, a seat has sometimes been found lowered when no one was sitting there.
One seat, down in an empty auditorium.
My own experience happened elsewhere in the building.
For reasons I no longer remember, I once accompanied a Louisiana Tech police officer in searching Howard Auditorium. Anyone who knows Howard only from performances might think of the stage and several hundred seats. But below the auditorium are numerous rooms. That was where we spent most of our time.
It was dark, with no convenient light switches. Our flashlights swept across walls, doorways, corners, and empty rooms.
The old building made noises around us—creaks, groans, and strange grunts, almost as though it were straining and stretching.
Then we heard other sounds that were harder to place. The kind that make you stop, turn toward the darkness, and listen.
Nothing. Shine the light. Nothing. We found no one.
But somewhere farther into the darkness, the old building had another noise waiting for us.
A door slammed. Hard. It seemed so close someone had to be just steps away.
I jumped. But we found nothing.
Wood expands. Pipes knock. Air moves through ducts. Old buildings settle. All perfectly reasonable. In daylight.
Reason becomes less reassuring when you are beneath an empty auditorium, pointing a flashlight toward a dark room you haven’t searched yet.
Especially when something inside it just made a noise.
And somewhere above you, hundreds of empty seats are waiting in the dark.
At least, you hope they’re empty.
___________________________________
Haunts and Haints
Are Ruston’s ghosts real?
I never saw Dr. Harris walking the upper floor of Stow’s, an old nurse making her rounds at the sanitarium, or anything waiting in the dark beneath Howard Auditorium.
But I have seen a big, tough bouncer frightened by something he could not explain. I have heard strange noises beneath an empty auditorium. And I have watched an empty elevator descend through an old hospital after we had searched the building and found no one there.
There’s an explanation for all of it.
Probably.
But if you ever find yourself alone at night in one of Ruston’s old buildings and hear footsteps behind you, remember one thing.
You don’t have to believe in haints. Haints don’t necessarily require you to believe in them.
One final warning: Don’t go trespassing in search of Ruston’s ghosts. The haints may or may not get you, but the police certainly will.
Willis Knighton Health has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Best-In-State Hospitals 2027. It is the highest ranked hospital in North Louisiana to make the list.
“This is an extraordinary achievement that reflects the dedication, expertise and compassion of our entire Willis Knighton team,” says Jaf Fielder, president and CEO of Willis Knighton. “Every day, thousands of people across our organization work together with one goal in mind: providing exceptional care to the patients and families who place their trust in us. This recognition is a testament to that commitment. While awards and rankings are certainly gratifying, what matters most is the difference we make in people’s lives, every single day.”
The ranking of America’s Best-in-State Hospitals 2027 recognizes 800 leading hospitals across the nation. Hospitals were evaluated on four data pillars: hospital quality metrics, reputation, patient experience and patient recorded outcome measures. Hospitals were selected based on medical performance indicators that included low mortality, complication and readmission rates, as well as recommendations from medical professionals and patient survey results.
While the report cites Willis Knighton North, the award covers all Willis Knighton hospitals since they are operated as a single entity with multiple locations and statistical data for all is reported under that name.
The list was developed to provide patients with a comprehensive resource to help make informed healthcare decisions.
A Ruston woman was arrested Sunday night after a business reported that an employee took lottery tickets without paying for them.
Yvette Polk, 39, of Ruston, was arrested at 8:40 p.m. Oct. 25 by the Ruston Police Department.
According to an arrest affidavit, an officer was dispatched to the business on a report of an employee stealing lottery tickets. The person who reported the theft showed the officer video footage of Polk taking multiple tickets from the dispenser without paying.
Polk is accused of doing the same on several other occasions, taking about $325 worth of lottery ticket merchandise in all.
Polk reported for work and was read her rights, which she said she understood. She was taken to Lincoln Parish Detention Center and booked on one count of misdemeanor theft.
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.
RUSTON, La. — After 34 years in the legal profession, Ruston City Judge candidate Add Goff believes some of the most important lessons he would bring to the bench were learned outside the courtroom.
“Knowing the law is essential,” Goff said. “But being a good judge requires more than knowing the law. It requires maturity, patience, compassion, sound judgment, and the wisdom to understand how your decisions affect people’s lives—these kinds of things only come with age.”
Born and raised in Ruston, Goff has spent nearly six decades in the community he now hopes to serve as City Judge.
Long before he became an attorney, Goff earned the rank of Eagle Scout, an accomplishment that helped shape his understanding of leadership, preparedness, personal responsibility, and service to others.
“Scouting taught me early in life that leadership isn’t about having a title. It’s about accepting responsibility, being prepared, doing what’s right even when it’s difficult, and helping others,” Goff said. “Those are lessons I’ve tried to carry with me throughout my life.”
His grandfather and father practiced law in Ruston, and Goff joined the family firm in 1993 after beginning his career as a research attorney for the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Over the next 33 years, he represented people facing some of the most difficult circumstances of their lives. His practice has included criminal law, complex civil litigation, estate planning, and helping veterans and elderly clients and their families navigate difficult legal and financial decisions.
“Over the years, I’ve sat across the table from people who were frightened, angry, grieving, or facing decisions they never imagined having to make,” Goff said. “Those experiences teach you that every case involves real people, real problems, and real consequences.”
Life Experience Brings Perspective
Goff believes that maturity and wisdom come not only from professional experience, but also from facing life’s challenges.
“I’m nearly 60 years old. I’ve experienced life’s joys and disappointments. I’ve lost my father, and I’ve fought cancer myself. Those experiences have a way of changing your perspective. You learn that life is precious, that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and that everyone you meet may be carrying burdens you know nothing about.”
Goff says those lessons have helped shape the way he approaches people and difficult decisions.
“When you’ve faced your own mortality, you begin to see things differently. You learn patience. You learn humility. You learn to listen more carefully and to appreciate what really matters.”
He believes that perspective is especially important for a judge.
“People often come into court on one of the worst days of their lives,” Goff said. “Some have made serious mistakes. Others find themselves in difficult circumstances through no fault of their own. A judge must apply the law fairly and consistently, but should never lose sight of the human beings standing before him.”
For Goff, maturity means understanding that fairness and compassion can exist alongside accountability, and that wisdom sometimes comes from the hardest experiences life puts us through.
A Lifetime of Service to Lincoln Parish
For Goff, service to the community did not begin with a political campaign.
The commitment to service that began in Scouting decades ago and continued throughout his adult life. He has served as president of the Ruston Kiwanis Club, Ruston Jaycees, and Christian Community Action, and on the board of Louisiana Med Camps.
As a VA-accredited attorney, he has worked to assist wartime veterans. He has also volunteered with local organizations addressing hunger and helping families in need.
“Service has always been an important part of my life,” Goff said. “I’ve been fortunate to build a career and raise a family in this community. Running for judge is another opportunity to give something back to the place that has given so much to me.”
Goff has also served as a Hearing Committee Chair for the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, presiding over evidentiary proceedings for a 20-parish region, ruling on objections, evaluating testimony, and making recommendations concerning attorney discipline.
He says that experience reinforced the importance of fairness, preparation, and the responsibility that comes with making decisions affecting others.
Accountability and Opportunity
Goff believes the City Court can play an important role in helping people make better decisions, particularly young people and first-time offenders.
“My faith teaches me that there must be consequences for our actions,” Goff said. “But it also teaches me that we should never give up on people who are genuinely willing to put in the work to turn their lives around.”
Goff has discussed exploring mentoring opportunities for eligible probationers and other lawful approaches that combine accountability with an opportunity to get back on track.
“We have to have accountability, but we also have to have opportunity,” Goff said “The goal should be to see fewer people return to court, not simply to process the same people through the system again and again.”
Goff says that philosophy is consistent with the lessons he first learned as an Eagle Scout: people should be held responsible for their actions, but they should also be encouraged to improve themselves and contribute positively to their community.
Why Run for Judge Now?
Goff says his decision to seek the judgeship is rooted in a desire to devote this stage of his career to public service.
“After more than three decades of practicing law, I’m not looking for another job to add to my schedule. I’m looking for an opportunity to use everything I’ve learned—professionally and personally—to serve the people of Lincoln Parish.”
If elected, Goff has committed to closing his private law practice and making the judgeship his only professional responsibility.
“I believe experience gives you knowledge, life gives you perspective, and service teaches you humility,” Goff said. “I would bring all three to the bench, along with the preparation and work ethic that have guided me throughout my career.”
Over his 34-year legal career, Goff has handled an extraordinary range of cases, from relatively simple matters to complex litigation, and from misdemeanors to serious felonies. He has practiced in courts across the country, including more than three decades of practice in Ruston City Court. Yet Goff believes that being a good judge requires more than an impressive legal résumé:
“People deserve a judge who understands the law, understands the community, and understands that every person who enters that courtroom deserves to be heard and treated fairly. That’s the kind of judge I intend to be.”
Paid for by Add Goff’s campaign.
The above information has been provided by a political campaign.Unless otherwise noted, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff does not endorse specific candidates or ballot measures.
A candidate who sends out a negative mailer in the final days of a campaign does that, so their opponents don’t have enough time to answer to correct those negative misleading attacks before Election Day. That is a political ploy, and it is misleading to the voters of Lincoln Parish. That alone should give every voter pause. So should the poll – its questions weren’t written to find out what people think. They were written to produce a political answer.
There is no time for a mailer, but the Mike Smith campaign has responded to those false issues and negative attacks in publications like the Ruston Leader and the Lincoln Parish Journal.
Full-time is not an issue, since all the candidates have committed to serve full-time as City Judge.
And Mike Smith has said publicly that, before he takes the oath of office, he will transfer his ownership interest in the firm to his wife, Danielle, a licensed Louisiana attorney. That transfer will be a matter of public record, verifiable with the Louisiana Secretary of State. He will not be filing lawsuits, appearing before a jury, or taking depositions or anything else that could create a conflict. Danielle will run and manage the firm and scale the practice to whatever she decides is appropriate.
That is the plan, stated plainly. It allows Mike to serve the citizens of this parish without distraction, and to be available to law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and victims after hours and on weekends as the job requires.
Why did one candidate’s campaign choose to attack the other candidates in the race on a made-up issue?
The reason is simple. On the experience that matters for this bench, he cannot compare to the other candidates in the race.
Which brings us to what this election is actually about.
Everyone knows that all legal experience is not the same.
Every candidate in this race is an attorney, but their backgrounds are different, and practicing law for many years does not mean an attorney has spent those years handling the cases that come before City Court or managing and directing a court docket.
As a prosecutor, Mike is the only candidate in this race who has been responsible for preparing, managing, and directing a high-volume courtroom docket, not simply appearing on one.
There is a significant difference between showing up for individual cases and running the docket itself. Directing a docket is the closest thing there is to presiding over a courtroom, and is an advantage in becoming a Ruston City Judge.
As a prosecutor, when Mike handles a courtroom docket, he represents the State and not any individual.
He is seeking accountability and justice for the citizens of Lincoln Parish.
That duty demands sound judgment, fairness, and discretion every day. It has meant working directly with law enforcement, victims, witnesses, defendants, defense attorneys, judges, and court staff, the same people who walk into City Court every week.
Private civil practice alone cannot replicate that perspective. When it comes to serving as a judge, relevant courtroom experience matters more than the number of years in the legal profession.
Mike Smith’s prosecutorial experience provides a perspective that private civil practice alone cannot replicate.
Mike has served as an Assistant District Attorney in Lincoln Parish for 12 years.
A candidate who does not have experience as a prosecutor does not understand that in today’s world, full-time is 24/7, not sitting in an office from 9 to 5.
Mike has prosecuted misdemeanor, juvenile, and felony matters. He has prosecuted felony jury trials and handled criminal proceedings involving complex evidence and legal issues.
His work has required him to regularly evaluate evidence, prepare cases, examine witnesses, and understand constitutional protections.
As a prosecutor, Mike has worked directly with law enforcement, victims, witnesses, defendants, defense attorneys, judges, and court personnel.
A prosecutor’s ethical responsibility is to seek justice, not merely convictions.
That responsibility requires sound judgment, fairness, and discretion.
Mike has also had the opportunity to serve as acting magistrate in a municipal mayor’s court. A magistrate presides over the mayor’s court to conduct trials and hearings, like a city court judge does in smaller towns.
“Mike’s full-time commitment, command of the law and familiarity with the kind of matters coming before Ruston City Court is documented case by case by and through his service as an Assistant District Attorney. He is prepared for whatever will come before him as Judge of the Ruston City Court — ready to serve, day one, full-time.” Wayne Smith. Retired Judge.
This is a paid advertorial from the Mike Smith for City Judge Campaign.
The above information has been provided by a political campaign.Unless otherwise noted, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff does not endorse specific candidates or ballot measures.
A Ruston woman and a Mesquite, Texas, man were arrested Sunday after Grambling Police responding to a verbal disturbance found suspected psilocybin mushrooms in a residence.
Janikla Coleman, 31, of Ruston, and Thaddeus Jackson, 27, of Mesquite, were arrested at 8:04 p.m. Oct. 25 by the Grambling Police Department.
According to arrest affidavits, officers were dispatched at about 8 p.m. to the residence. Jackson told them he had been living there with Coleman and that she was refusing to let him retrieve his belongings.
Coleman, who appeared visibly angry, said Jackson owed her money and that his laptop and microphone were no longer inside. After speaking with an officer, she allowed Jackson and the officer inside to gather his things.
While Jackson was retrieving a container, the officer saw three large, clear bags holding a substance suspected to be psilocybin mushrooms, along with a thermometer. Based on the officer’s training and experience, the bags, their contents and the thermometer raised his suspicion that the mushrooms may have been used for cultivation, storage or distribution.
Both were advised of their rights and said they understood them.
Jackson said he didn’t know who owned the container. Coleman said it belonged to Jackson and that she had only realized that day what was inside. She also provided text messages in which she had previously communicated with Jackson about the mushrooms.
“I don’t want no shrooms in my living room anyway,” Coleman said in one of the messages.
Both were handcuffed and taken to the Grambling Police Department, where the suspected mushrooms weighed 8 pounds, 4.45 ounces. They were then booked into Lincoln Parish Detention Center on one count of possession with intent to distribute a Schedule I drug.
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.
GET READY TO SHOP! The holiday season is right around the corner, and Holidays in CedarTown is back for another exciting year! Join us November 12–14 at the Ruston Civic Center as we transform the venue into a festive holiday shopping destination. Hosted by the Cedar Creek School Parent Club, this three-day market brings together shoppers and vendors from across the South for one of North Louisiana’s favorite holiday shopping traditions.
With more than 30 booths filled with unique gifts, holiday décor, clothing, accessories, and more, Holidays in CedarTown is the perfect place to get a head start on your Christmas shopping while supporting local and regional businesses. This year’s exciting lineup of merchants includes Goldie Boutique, The Fashion of Ruston, North Forty Woodworks, Sugarplums & The Vintage Marketplace, Heirloom, Rock Creek Farms, Legacy House Ruston, The Dance Wearhouse, Mid South Pecans, Arcadia Publishing, Blush by Elle, Bella Magnolia, Bows by Tammy, Simply Chic Boutique, Let’s Go Mahjong, Urban Collective, The Children’s Shoppe & Peach Lemonade, National Jewelry, Billy’s Barnhouse, American Flyway Waterfowl, Lilburns, Sis & Hunny, The Prissy Pelican, Sandy + Rizzo, Different Strokes, Big Creek Pecans & Honey, Art by Sarah Katherine Semon, and many more!
The festivities kick off on Thursday, November 12, with our Holidays After Hours Preview Party from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. Shoppers will enjoy an exclusive first look at this year’s market while sipping and sampling complimentary drinks and appetizers from local favorites, including Crumbs Catering, Iron Cactus, Uptown Downtown, Ponchatoulas, Beau Vines, and Newk’s Eatery. Preview Party tickets are $30 and can be purchased online in advance. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door, but don’t wait—last year’s event sold out!
Shopping continues Friday, November 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Whether you’re shopping for the perfect gift or treating yourself to something special, there’s something for everyone! To add a little extra holiday cheer, some of our Cedar Creek Lower School students will be present to help spread the Christmas spirit with caroling performances throughout the day! And in celebration of Friday night lights, shoppers wearing their favorite team spirit gear can enjoy FREE general admission from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the door.
Saturday, November 14, brings a little extra Christmas magic with Santa’s Cookie Crew from 9:30 a.m. to noon! Little ones are invited to enjoy a festive morning filled with cookies, letters to Santa, and photos with the big man himself. Tickets are $10 per child and can be purchased online, with a limited number available at the door. Meanwhile, shoppers can squeeze in those last-minute finds as the market continues until 2:00 p.m. Saturday general admission is $10.
And while you’re shopping, don’t forget to stop by our Sounds of the Season raffle table for your chance to take home a Turtlebox Cub! Sponsored by Cross Country Infrastructure, raffle tickets are just $10 each or three for $20 and can be purchased online or throughout the event. The lucky winner will be drawn at the close of the market on Saturday, and you do not have to be present to win!
Mark your calendars, grab your shopping buddies, and get ready to kick off the Christmas season with us! Holidays in CedarTown returns November 12–14 to the Ruston Civic Center, and we can’t wait to welcome you for three days of shopping, holiday cheer, and festive fun.
This beloved holiday tradition wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our wonderful vendors, shoppers, and sponsors. Thank you for helping make Holidays in CedarTown a special part of the Christmas season in North Louisiana. We can’t wait to see you in CedarTown!
Holidays in CedarTown is a project of the Cedar Creek School Parent Club. For sponsorship, merchant, or ticket information, contact Cedar Creek School oradvancement@cedarcreekschool.org.
Cedar Creek School practices a nondiscriminatory policy whereby it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Every October, Ruston transforms into a festive fall storybook town, with paper pumpkin lanterns hanging in the trees and twinkling lights strung across downtown streets. I’ve heard people call it the Stars Hollow of Louisiana, and it sure lives up to the title. But as picturesque as our pretty town can be, I see a spooky side of Ruston too. From the sound of railroad tracks rattling in the night to the cold spots in the old auditorium, there’s something eerie to be found for those who go looking.
Peeking through the nooks and crannies of historic buildings is a history that would make for a good campfire story. Rumors of local hauntings are whispered about around town. The Biomedical Engineering Building holds a reputation for mischievous behavior, particularly around the elevator shaft. Formerly a hospital, the building is reportedly home to odd occurrences, including a self-operating elevator and doors that open and shut on their own. Disembodied voices and strange noises have also been reported over the years. It’s a place that holds both a history and mystery.
Howard Auditorium has also been deemed a spooky spot. Many students have claimed to see an apparition of a woman or feel the coldness of her presence. Seats that lower as if someone is sitting in them, only to pop back up, have given many a fright. Who the ghost might be, no one can say. But students over the years have reported enough strange occurrences to keep the rumors alive.
Possibly the most notoriously haunted place of all is the former Stow’s Bar building, which still stands empty in downtown Ruston. Sitting on the site of a former hospital, the building is believed by some to be haunted by former patients. During its busy years, diners at the bar reported odd occurrences, and stories of hauntings have continued even after its doors closed. Passersby have also claimed to see figures in the windows, despite the building being unoccupied.
For all its cozy small-town charm, Ruston has a mysterious side that is just waiting to be explored. Behind its historic buildings, familiar streets and quiet corners are stories that have been passed down through the years, some with a ghostly twist. Whether the rumors are true or simply part of the town’s folklore, there is something fun about searching for the unexplained. And with Halloween weekend just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at Ruston’s spookier side. Keep an eye out for what might be lurking around the next corner, and maybe you’ll find that there’s more to our quiet town than meets the eye.
