Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for March 17-24, 2023.
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.
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Notice of Death – March 25, 2023
Dorothy Hathorn Driggers
June 10, 1928 – March 23, 2023
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, March 27, 2023, at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home.
The Red River Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers and to social media. Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above with no link to the obituary are FREE of charge.)
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The Easter Bunny is on the way. Egg hunts are planned at several locations in the parish.
The Coushatta Chamber of Commerce is planning an Egg Hunt on April 1st in Coushatta Park. The Red River Kiwanis Club is providing the snacks for children participating.
Kids will hunt by age groups. Ages birth to 4 years will hunt beginning at 9:30 am. Those 5 to 8 years old will hunt beginning at 10:00 am. And kids ages 9-12 will hunt for eggs beginning at 10:30 am.
First Methodist Church Coushatta will invite children to hunt eggs with the Easter Bunny on Friday April 7th beginning at 10:30 am. There will be the Easter story, an egg hunt for toddlers through 5th grade, and a hot dog lunch. All children in the community are welcome.
There will be an egg hunt in Hall Summit on Saturday April 8th from noon until 3:00 pm. There will be a bounce house, pictures with the Easter Bunny, free food, and free face paintings.
From Mandi Mills at First Baptist Coushatta:
Saturday, April 8th at 12pm is the Second Annual Crawfish Boil & Family Fun Day at First Baptist Coushatta located at 2000 Alonzo Street.
You can purchase tickets from the church office or from a FBC Kitchen Committee member to enjoy crawfish or pizza lunch. The deadline for purchasing the tickets is April 2nd. And you must have a ticket prior to the event to attend the lunch.
Then starting at 2:00 pm is a FREE Easter Egg hunt in the children’s outside play area. So, bring your kids and their Easter Baskets and come have fun! This is for kids ages 1-11.
Fairview Baptist Church will hold an Easter egg hunt as part of their Family Carnival at the ballpark on April 8th. The Egg Hunt begins at 11:00 am followed by a hamburger lunch.
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Thursday revisions to the severe weather predictions by the National Weather Service in Shreveport said, “A significant severe weather threat will exist across much of the area Friday, with ALL SEVERE HAZARDS possible, including strong tornadoes and locally heavy rainfall. The threat for severe weather should end late Friday evening as the storms exit the region to the east.
Red River Parish is in #3 the enhanced risk area for today.
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Morgan Housley was introduced to the School Board last Monday as the Quality Kid for February. She was presented a balloon bouquet and gifts by Elizabeth Hughes, representing Quality Automotive.
Her coach Sonia Hogan nominated Morgan. She said, “I want to nominate Morgan Housley, an 8th grader at Red River Junior High School as Quality Kid for February, 2023. She is a fabulous student, a huge asset to our school and is so deserving of this award and recognition. Let me tell you a little bit about her. She is a student athlete that played basketball and is now currently doing track. She was one of the nominees for Student of the Year. She shows great leadership and is wonderful in my class. She puts forth 100% each and every time she comes to class.
“Morgan’s skills are numerous and impressive, and she continues to amaze me with abilities and traits like honesty, passion and humility. I strongly endorse Morgan Housley for the Quality Kid Award.”
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JOURNAL STAFF
The latest chapter in the ongoing process of churches disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church Denomination played out in Baton Rouge on Thursday. Nine United Methodist ministers, four of whom live in Caddo Parish, filed suit on March 13 in East Baton Rouge Parish District Court against the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, South Central Jurisdiction. The hearing of that lawsuit was held Thursday, March 23 and Judge Kelly Balfour dismissed the lawsuit deciding that his court did not have jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit. The judge followed a doctrine that states civil courts do not have jurisdiction since the United Methodist Church has its own court to address such issues.
The petition alleged that the Louisiana Annual Conference is not using the proper process to hold meetings where local churches vote on disaffiliating and it asked the court to enjoin the disaffiliation process from proceeding. In their petition, the nine ministers used the First United Methodist Church of Shreveport as their example of what they consider to be a flawed process.
The Louisiana Annual Conference filed an exception to the petition stating that the civil court does not have jurisdiction to hear this case because the United Methodist Church has its own court that hears these kinds of matters. A memorandum filed by the Louisiana Annual Conference states that the church court has already decided against persons making claims similar to those made by the nine ministers.
On Monday, March 20, the First United Methodist Church of Shreveport filed an intervention pleading stating that the church has followed the rules regarding disaffiliation and explained the steps taken by that church. The church stated that a meeting is scheduled for April 16 where a vote is to be taken and if that meeting is postponed, it is unlikely that another meeting can take place before the time for having such meetings has expired. At the meeting, two-thirds of the persons present must vote to disaffiliate in order for the church to disaffiliate and thereby become a Methodist church, independent from the United Methodist Church.
The First United Methodist Church of Shreveport is scheduled to vote on April 16, 2023, on whether to disaffiliate or remain a member of the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. Over 67 Methodist churches in Louisiana have already voted to leave the UMC denomination.
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The Students of the Month from the four public schools in the parish were introduced to the Red River School Board last Monday. Superintendent Alison Hughes read the nomination statements for each student.
Student from Red River Elementary School is Jamason Morse. His nomination stated:
Jamason Morse is an awesome second grade student. He participates in our CKH Good Things most mornings, and he always has something positive to share. He works hard to keep up with his lessons. Jamason’s manners are top-notch! He is enthusiastic when it comes to class participation and is always a great peer partner. Jamason faces any challenge with a great attitude, and he is well-liked by his classmates. I love that Jamason shares his love for Jesus with me when he tells of all his experiences and adventures with his church group. I consider my self lucky to be Jamason’s second grade teacher.
The student from Red River Academic Academy is Landyn Bamburg
Landyn is my choice for student of the month because he is a great kid. Landyn is as country as a butterbean and would love to spend his day working on motors and being outside. Even though school might not be his favorite place to spend his day, he always comes ready to learn and work hard. The improvement that I have seen in Landyn is what a teacher really loves to see. Landyn has made up his mind that he wants to succeed and he is working hard to make that happen. He pays attention in class and participates in all the lessons. He has mastered the ”productive struggle” that is such an important part of learning. He has learned that the best way to learn is by making mistakes and learning how to fix them. Landyn deserves this recognition because he is truly one of the hardest working students in my class.
Red River Junior High Student of the Month is Jessica Williams
Superintendent Strong said there were submissions from 2 teachers for Jessica, one from Mrs. Humphrey and one from Mr. Houston, her band instructor. Mrs. Humphrey says “I have the pleasure of teaching Jessica at Red River Junior High School. Jessica is a wonderful student that is a joy to teach. She comes to school every day with a beautiful smile on her face and ready to learn. Jessica is the type of student that is eager to learn and brings a breath of fresh air to the classroom. It is a delight to be Jessica’s teacher because she exhibits all the qualities of a successful student.”
From Mr. Houston, “It is with great pleasure that I select Miss Jessica Williams as RRJH Student of the Month for February. Day in and day out, she brings her A game. A positive attitude and confidence are key factors in her pursuit of success. Whenever faces with challenges, Jessica always finds a way to triumph in her journey. Her razor-sharp focus helps set a high standard of excellence among her peers. Great job, Jessica, and keep up the good work.”
The Student of the Month from Red River High School is Cayla Thompson. Her nomination said:
Cayla is a senior who stands out from her peers because of her commitment to learning and her willingness to take initiative to accomplish her goals. As co-editor of the Bulldog 2022-2023 yearbook, she has created a sense of teamwork and established a work ethic that is a positive example for her peers and classmates. In addition, I can always count on Cayla to engage with the material in English class, and to hold herself and others to a high standard. She takes initiative and has already been accepted into the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she plans to major in Biology and has received approximately $46,000 in scholarships. She was nominated by Mrs. Bennett, English Instructor.
Each month the Coushatta VFW Post and Auxiliary 7287 award a student of the month from each school in the parish. They are presented with a certificate and gift card to Lott Oil/Chevron. VFW member Guy Breider represented the Post and presented the certificates and gift cards.
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By Brad Dison
The residents of Washington Township’s Fourth Precinct in Ames, Iowa were unenthused about the upcoming 1972 presidential election. The Democratic Party’s nominee was Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against the incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon. The residents of the Fourth Precinct cared nothing for the campaign promises of either candidate. In fact, because of a new redistricting plan, the residents of the Fourth Precinct showed no emotion at all about the upcoming election.
In the spring of 1971, the Iowa Supreme Court drew up new legislative districts in an effort to produce House and Senate districts of equal size. Iowa state law required all precincts to be of nearly equal population but the precincts could not cross legislative lines. The law about legislative lines took precedent over the population provision. In not so simple terms, a precinct had to be wholly contained within a legislative district. No part of the precinct could extend into another legislative district. As the Des Moines Tribune explained, “the precinct is bordered on the north by a legislative line, and on the other three sides by the City of Ames to which it cannot legally be attached for voting purposes.” Therefore, the new redistricting plan created the Fourth Precinct.
On election day, Nixon won in a massive landslide and received nearly 18 million more votes than McGovern, the widest margin in presidential history, and all without the help of the Fourth Precinct. Not a single resident of the Fourth Precinct visited the polls on election day. Not one. None of the residents of the Fourth Precinct gave an opinion on the presidential election before or after the election. You see, due to the quirk in the Ohio State Legislature’s new redistricting plan, there was only a single building in the Fourth Precinct, a facility known as the Experimental Animal Production Area. All of the residents of the Fourth Precinct were pigs.
Sources:
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By Autumn McCoy
The Lady Bulldogs went into Tuesday night’s game against Mansfield ready to win after their two wins from Monday night against Ringgold. They started the first inning of strong. After Bryn Danzy #5, Shelby Pickett #5, and Sarah Cormier #18, and being walked by the Mansfield pitcher, Kinya Gray #12 was hit by her as well allowing the first score of the game. Next up was freshman Makilah Murphy #1, who hit her first career homerun. Not only was it a homerun, but it was also a grand slam who brought the visiting fans to their feet! All of the Lady Bulldogs gathered around home to congratulate Murphy. They would go on to rack up a total of 6 runs for the inning. The bottom of the inning would bring heartache for the Bulldogs though. Danzy took a hard line drive to the kneecap on the mound. After being checked out by the EMTs and trying to stay strong and watch her team, Danzy was carried to her family’s vehicle where she was then taken to hospital to be checked out. There were no fractures, and nothing torn, but there is extensive soreness and bruising. Cormier would take the mound for the Lady Bulldogs for the remainder of the game. Although offense was strong and had multiple strong hitters including two hits each by Cormier and Pickett, it would just be too much to overcome the loss of their starting pitcher and team leader from the game. The Lady Bulldogs fell to the Lady Wolverines 17-29 in 5 innings.
After Danzy was injured, Addison Bounds, catcher, Shelby Pickett, short stop, Harlie Pickett, right field, Kendal Tilley, center field, Sarah Cormier, relief pitcher, Makilah Murphy, third base, Addison Smith, first base, and Kinya Gray, second base take a moment to pray for their pitcher Bryn Danzy. Danzy’s response was, “A team that prays together, stays together!”
The video below is Makilah Murphy’s Grand Slam
Photo credit Bryn Danzy, video credit Autumn McCoy
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The line-up of games for the 2023 Bayou Jamb football exhibition is out. Red River Bulldogs will play D’Arbonne Woods.
Bayou Jamb games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, August 25th and 26th. They will be played at West Monroe High School’s Don Shows Field. The Red River game will be August 26th at 11:00 am.
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By Steve Graf
Once again, we’re going to venture away from the world of fishing and talk about what our youth of today need the most. A few weeks ago, while listening to a Sunday morning sermon on “life’s temptations” at the Natchitoches First United Methodist Church, our pastor, Gary Willis, asked the congregation a question. “If you knew you could get away with it and no one would find out, what would you do?” Now this question really intrigued me for some odd reason, and of course, my mind immediately went to something sinister…like stealing, cheating in a tournament, or even worse causing physical harm to someone who’s given me grief in the past. We all have enemies that we would like to inflict pain upon at some point in our lives, but 95% of us never act on any of these sinful ideas.
Then my mind went in another direction. What if I could do something good for someone and not reveal to them it was me who did the good deed? Nothing says more about a person who does good things for others and never wants the credit. Examples of a good deed could be something simple like buying someone’s lunch or dinner, paying for another person’s gas or groceries, or maybe assisting the elderly. But then it hit me! The best thing you can do for anyone is to give of your time. This could be taking a kid fishing and teaching them the tricks of the trade and helping them to become a better angler, or doing fishing seminars for high school and college youngsters by educating them on the unwritten rules of tournament bass fishing.
So many youngsters today are growing up without the guidance of both parents. Boys and girls today are missing the male leadership necessary for them to grow into strong productive citizens. While I have nothing but admiration for the single moms and dads who are doing their best to raise this generation, the lack of having both parent’s influence and perspective has affected the devolvement of our young people. Nothing has a bigger impact on a young boy than a relationship with their dad. In the 1990’s the divorce rate started to skyrocket and so many men walked away from their families, leaving young boys looking for a path on their own on how to become a man. This trend has only gotten worse over the last twenty years. We’ve basically lost a whole generation of men who no longer understand their role as a father and how important it is for the self-esteem and development of a boy or girl.
Temptations for today’s youth are staggering and totally different than my generation. During my youth growing up in the 70s, we had landlines, not cell phones, and although alcohol was available, most just drank beer. Hard alcohol was not the choice of the majority. The hardest drug that was prevalent was marijuana, with speed and cocaine use on the rise by the end of the decade. Today’s drugs are so potent that one small pill might kill you! Drugs like crystal meth, cocaine, and opioids (specifically fentanyl), along with hard alcohol, social media, cell phones, and peer pressure are just a few of the temptations this generation of kids is facing.
Kids today are addicted to their phones and are constantly waiting for the “ding” to alert them about the latest incident or derogatory statement that was made about someone. Nothing has been worse for the youth of today than the invention of the cell phone, and no one is to blame but parents themselves. From this angler’s perspective, no child should be allowed to have a cell phone until they reach high school, and even then, they do not need access to social media until the drinking age of 21. I’ve seen that a bill has been proposed in a few states requiring that a person be 16 years of age to be on social media. This is a good start, but the age should be higher.
In today’s world, the temptations our youth face are tremendous. It’s important that we exposed this generation to God’s great outdoors. There’s an old saying…” Kids that hunt and fish, don’t deal and steal.” What a profound statement! Whoever said it, deserves a medal! So many of life’s lessons can be learned through the outdoors like hard work, dedication, and commitment. Other lessons they’ll learn are conservation, wildlife management, survival skills, and how to provide for themselves if times get tough.
Whether it’s hunting or fishing, it gives youngsters something to focus on besides all the negative temptations they face daily. Whether it’s related to the outdoors or a particular sport, kids today need hobbies to occupy their time. They need goals that are attainable that will encourage them to pursue their dreams. Bottom line, take the time to introduce a kid to the great outdoors…it just might save their life!
Till next week, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget to wear sunscreen and good protective clothing. Don’t be that guy who thinks they will never get Melanoma…because I was that guy.
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On March 22, 2023, The Red River Parish School Board hosted a Region 7 Superintendent’s meeting. There were Louisiana Department of Education members present and several Superintendents from other school districts.
Also, the parish school system said, “Congratulations are in order for Red River Junior High School. They were identified as a Louisiana Comeback Campus in ELA! This means that RRJHS is performing higher in ELA than before the pandemic! Great job RRJHS.”
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4th graders at Magnolia Bend Academy built a catapult while learning about energy and force, creating motion. They learned and labeled the following terms: fulcrum, bucket, and gravity. Once built they modified them to see what results they could get.
Students also tried different size and weight objects that they used with their projectiles to see if results changed. All notes, modifications and observations were recorded by them in their Science journals. Many students have plans to modify and try to create others at home with different materials.
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Christian Edward Beyer
May 28, 1952 — March 20, 2023
View full obituary here:
https://redriverparishjournal.com/2023/03/23/obit-christian-edward-beyer/
The Red River Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers and to social media. Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above with no link to the obituary are FREE of charge.)
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From Red River Public Schools: April 17th-20th, will be the last intersession of the 2022-2023 school year. Letters regarding intersession will be mailed home in the coming weeks. Please contact your child’s school for more information.
Red River High’s JROTC program is having a lunch fundraiser tomorrow. It begins at 10:00 am in the Maxway parking lot. Pork Street Tacos are $15 and sausage on a bun is $5.
Fishing for a Mission is this Saturday at Grand Bayou. Registrational, breakfast and devotional will be at 10:00 am, fishing starts at 10:30, and the weigh-in is 11:30 to 12:30.
Red River Elementary reported selling 111 books at the Book Fair this week which brings their grand total to 277 books sold. To help them reach their goal of 1,000 books sold, shop online until Sunday, April 2.
School Pictures at Red River Elementary will be taken on March 27th and 28th. Cost is $5 per pictiure.
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A memorial service honoring the life of Christian Edward Beyer will be held on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Davis Springs Southern Methodist Church, 203 Davis Springs Road, Campti, LA 71411, with Bro. Olan McLaren and Bro. Truman Leach officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Christian Edward Beyer was born the son of Eddie & Anna Belle on May 28, 1952 on the 2nd floor of the Schwartz Drug Store at 7th and Main in Galena, KS. Christian had a four-year tour as a high school dragster and football linebacker at Riverton High School, graduating in 1970. He sang baritone and acted his way through Coffeeville Community College before transferring to his beloved Kansas State University, where he majored in Broadcast Journalism. After some short sales and carpentry gigs, Chris became a Radio Man. His booming voice and catchy ads have been heard on radio stations all across the Midwest and South culminating with 16 years at BDC Radio (KDBH & KVCL). Christian was a BBQ aficionado and a devoted family man who enjoyed spending time with his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Anna Belle Beyer; his paternal grandparents, Harry Clifford and Grace Mae Beyer; and his maternal grandparents, James Newt and Josephine Gandy Christian’s survivors include his wife, Elizabeth “Liz” Anne Hines Beyer of Campti, LA; his son, DeLane Godwin of Goldonna, LA; his daughters, Erin B. Beyer O’Malley and husband, Patrick, of Chillicothe, MO, Alexandra M. Beyer Cabra and husband, Bernie, of Chillicothe, MO, and Rachel L. Godwin Cason and husband, Corey, of Campti, LA; his sister, Shirley Beyer Collins of Galena, KS; along with 10 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, work family, friends, and other relatives.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Christian’s church, Davis Springs Southern Methodist Church, 203 Davis Springs Road Campti, LA 71411.
The Beyer family would like to thank the Emergency Services Personnel of Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, along with Dr. Warren Botnick and the Emergency Room/ICU Staff.
Condolences can be made to the family at www.rose-neath.com
Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home
Many Chapel
Many, Louisiana
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Irish music echoed through the Red River Parish Library last Wednesday. The library presented a special St. Patrick’s Day concert with a most unusual instrument.
A Celtic Concert was performed at the Library featuring Amanda Roberts playing the Hammered Dulcimer and Lady Chops on Percussion. Roberts explained that the Dulcimer was thought to have originated in Persia about 900 AD. The wooden instrument has 111 strings and is played by striking the strings with little hammers. The Dulcimer is the grandfather of the piano.
The musical program included several old Irish songs. And Roberts also performed some she had written or were written by a friend of hers. Lady Chops explained the variety of percussion instruments she brought with her. That variety was evident in the playing of jigs, reels, polkas. And the audience was led in a sing along to Cochels and Muscles (also known as Molly Malone).
The audience showed their appreciation with applause and singing along to several of the songs. Many stayed around afterwards to enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day themed sweet treats and decorations in the public meeting room.
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Riverdale Academy December Students of the Month:
For elementary, Pre-K 4 student Aniston Nealy was chosen. She is the daughter of Darrell and Brittany Nealy. Aniston’s favorite food is pizza, and her favorite color is pink. Her favorite thing about school is “making stuff.” Her teacher Mrs. Pickett said she is very sweet and kind to others.
Middle school student of the month is 8th grader Lexi Mancil. She is the daughter of Brian and Brittney Mancil. Her favorite subject is Louisiana History, and she loves to eat crawfish. She is in her youth group at Springhill Baptist Church. Her teachers said that she is a very dedicated student, works hard in class, and is very helpful in the classroom.
High school student of the month is freshman Charity Williamson. Charity is the daughter of Nick and Katie Williamson. Her favorite subject is history, and she enjoys being on The Rebel yearbook staff. She is a basketball player for the Lady Rebels. She is very active at her church, The Pentecostals of Martin. Her teachers said she is very helpful, a great student, and has really gotten involved in things this year.
Riverdale Academy January Students of the Month:
Riverdale Academy is proud to announce its January Students of the Month. Our elementary student of the month is kindergarten student John Warren Perkins. He is the son of Jay and Taylor Perkins. His favorite food is Johnny’s Pizza, and his favorite color is blue. John Warren’s favorite thing about school is learning. His teacher said that he is kind, respectful, and gets along well with others.
Our middle school student of the month is 6th grader Carter Breedlove. He is the son of Adam and Jennifer Breedlove. His favorite subject at school is PE, but he also likes English. Carter is a member of the RA Junior Beta Club. He’s an active member of First Baptist Church in Coushatta. He enjoys playing basketball, baseball, hunting, and fishing. His teachers said that he an all-around great student in all areas and gets along well with others.
Riverdale’s high school student of the month is junior Kylie Donald. She is the daughter of Jay and Ashley Donald. Kylie’s favorite subject is science, and she recently qualified for state literary rally in Biology II. She also serves as junior class secretary. She enjoys cheering and playing softball, where she was named to the all-district team this year. In her free time, Kylie enjoys running and hanging out with her family. Kylie’s teachers say that she is a very conscientious student and is a very hard worker.
Riverdale Academy Students for the Month of February 2023:
Riverdale Academy is proud to announce the February Students of the Month. Our elementary student of the month is 1st grader KK Phillips. She is the daughter of Kiley Phillips and Ashlie Phillips. Her favorite color is light blue, and her favorite food is chocolate pie. Math is her favorite subject, and she loves drawing in her free time. Her teacher said she is an all-around great student and fun to have in class.
Junior high student of the month is 7th grader Lily McCoy. She is the daughter of Matt and Mandy McCoy. Lily’s favorite subjects at school are ELA and science, and she want to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Lily enjoys playing basketball and hanging out with her friends and family. Lily’s teachers said that she is a joy to have in class. She works hard, has excellent behavior, and gets along well with others.
High school student of the month is junior Will Jones. He is the son of Tyler Jones and Julie Jones. Will’s favorite subject is English, and he serves as junior class president. Will is also a member of the Beta Club and recently attended the state convention, and he is a member of the tennis team. Last year Will and his doubles partner Luke Greer were the Class 2AA South State Runner-Ups. Will is also a member of The Rebel yearbook staff. His teachers said that he is a very hard worker with a positive and witty attitude. In his free time, Will enjoys chilling and going to his Mimi’s to play board games.
The Student of the Month program is sponsored by the Coushatta VFW Post and Auxiliary 7287 and Lott Oil/Chevron in Coushatta. Each student selected is presented with a certificate of honor and a gift card to the Chevron. Post Commander Barry McCoy and Quartermaster John Brewer made the presentations.
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By Teddy Allen
This was a favorite time of year for Rolly Walker, not that he didn’t appreciate the other times because Rolly was if anything a day-to-day guy, not a prima donna or a guy demanding to sing lead. Rolly was blue-collar DeQuincy, Loooosiana, ready to chop wood and carry water soon as the sun came up.
“You always get to choose your attitude,” Rolly would say, then he’d strap in whether it was a cold day in January or his turn to go off on No. 10 in the Fall Church Scramble.
But springtime was his wheelhouse. Long and lean and smart and resourceful, he was a good athlete and natural at so many things, a hoops player who appreciated the wonder of March Madness and a track star — track was his favorite — and a golf nut because it put him outside in his Father’s World and with friends and you could play it forever and you could mess with people and do funny stuff, enjoy the pace, be at peace with the way the round and the day dripped away. You could slowly “celebrate the temporary,” another thing he’d say that kept this athlete-turned-coach-turned-preacher in the moment.
Years ago, a member of his Methodist congregation, Mrs. Loretta, she started writing down those sayings. She called them “Walker Wisdom — gems to ponder in your heart and live by daily,” and she drew a big heart in the script and around it wrote many of these “gems” so the sayings expanded into bigger hearts …
Don’t take yourself too seriously … Life is full of choices … Say, “I love you!” … You can’t please everybody …
And she splashed color all over it and his family appreciated that. So much so that at the recent celebration of his extraordinary 84 years, there were stacks of reprints at Trinity Methodist in Ruston, and anyone could get one, and I did, standing way in the back behind all those people there to honor Rolly.
Don’t stir manure … Make every day a master-peace … Are you fun to live with? … Eat dessert first …
I never got to eat with Rolly. Never rode around in the car with him. I think we suggested it a time or two…
He read by stuff for years, and I listened to his sermons, and we saw each other here and there and exchanged many letters and books and he was just a joy. He was a man disinclined to condemn the world for all its injustices, although he understood better than most the dangerous pickle, we were in. Instead, he chose to walk with grace, to make sure grace happened whenever it might be his turn to get in the starting blocks.
Rolly was like a good medicine, a homespun cure. His whole secret, which he never tried to hide, was simplicity. His life was Poe’s purloined letter, left in plain view if we’d only take the time to look.
The jug is always full … Don’t keep score … Shalom.
When Grace and Mercy breathed, they sure did look a lot like my old friend.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu and Twitter @MamaLuvsManning
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By Mandi Mills
Clara Springs Camp & Conference would love to personally invite you to our 70th Anniversary Celebration. There are events this Friday and Sunday. Tickets are available online.
Friday, March 24th beginning at 3:00pm “Old School Campers.” Come celebrate the PAST of Clara Springs with a concert by Southern Plainsmen. This event will end with our March Fourth Friday Fish Fry. This is a FREE event and will include your meal.
Sunday, March 26th beginning at 4:00pm “Campers of Today.” If you would like to celebrate our FUTURE, join us for an evening of family fun! This event will include a family style meal and end with Fireworks. Activities of the evening will include our Climbing wall, Bazooka Ball, Overcoming Obstacles American Ninja Warrior Course, Worship by Vines & Co., & more. This is also a FREE event.
To attend either of these events please reserve your tickets here: clarasprings.com/2023-events/70th-anniversary
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By Christy Suggs
Monday, March 13 The Bulldogs traveled to Calvin for a shutout victory over the Cougars.
The Dawgs easily defeated them 11-0 under pitchers Kenneth Lazarus and John Dickey. The first scoring run came in the first inning from Lazarus grounded out. Four runs were tallied in the second inning. The rally was led by groundouts by Lazarus, Logan Smith, and a double from Hunter Tingle. Dickey was the winning pitcher allowing only 2 hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out three and walking zero. Red River Bulldogs Varsity racked up eight hits. Smith and Ethan Williamson each racked up multiple hits for Red River Bulldogs Varsity. Williamson and Smith each managed two hits to lead Red River Bulldogs Varsity. Tyler Hughes led Red River Bulldogs Varsity with two stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with six stolen bases.
Tuesday, March 14 brought the Bulldogs back home to begin a five-game at-home stretch with a game against 4A North DeSoto. Although the final score was ND 9 RR 0, this does not reflect the true closeness of the game. The Bulldogs came out fighting and playing their best defense. In four out of the seven innings, the Dawgs did not allow any runs. Three big errors allowed North DeSoto multiple runs from which RR could not recover. Hitting and getting on base was the biggest issue for the Dawgs.
Saturday, March 18th, the Dawgs faced two opponents, Calvin Cougars, and 4A Minden Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs defeated Calvin 4-0 as pitchers Kenneth Lazarus and John Dickey combined to throw a shutout. Kenneth Lazarus earned the victory on the hill. He went five innings, allowing zero runs on two hits and striking out eight. Dickey threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen. Dickey recorded the last six outs to earn the save for the Red River Bulldogs. Ten hits were tallied in the game. Eli Murphy, Luke Williamson, and Tyler Hughes each managed two hits to lead the Dawgs. Not one error was committed in the field. Logan Smith had 13 changes in the field, the most on the team.
Next up came the Crimson Tide. Red River Bulldogs stayed in it until the end, but Minden pulled away late in a 7-5 victory on Saturday. The game was tied at one with Minden batting in the top of the fifth when an error scored one run for Minden. The Bulldogs lost despite out-hitting Minden 11 to five. Minden scored first but in the bottom of the fourth, the Bulldogs tied things up at one. John Dickey drove in one when Dickey singled. The Dawgs were making a comeback and giving Minden a run for their money when they notched three runs in the seventh inning. The offensive onslaught by Red River Bulldogs Varsity was led by Eli Murphy and Dickey, all knocking in runs in the inning. Ethan Williamson took the loss for Red River Bulldogs Varsity. The righty went four innings, allowing one run on one hit and walking one. Red River Bulldogs Varsity scattered 11 hits in the game. Dickey, Logan Smith, and Luke Williamson each collected multiple hits. Dickey went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Red River Bulldogs in hits.
The Bulldog moved to 6-7 for the season record.
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Red River High posted about the track meet Red River hosted last week.
Coach Travis Gary would like to thank everyone who helped host a successful track meet, you all are truly appreciated. Also, a big Thank you to Minnie’s Creations for providing our hospitality room. Congratulations to our athletes who competed in their season opener. I am proud of each of them.
Carl Lewis
3rd place in the 800m run
Jeremiah Roberson
2nd place in 110m hurdles
3rd place in Triple jump
Renaldo Latson
3rd place in the 300m hurdles
Malique Smith, Carl Lewis, Cameron Hobley, and Warren Bowman
3rd place in the 4x400m Relay
Leonard Mosley
3rd place in Discus
Trenton Grigg
3rd place in Javelin
Adrina Jackson
1st place in the 100m dash
1st place in the 200m dash
Areiona Banks
2nd place in the 400m dash
Malaysia Davis
1st place in the girls Javelin
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By Royal Alexander
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter will surely someday be viewed as one of the most critical blows for American freedom, maybe in a hundred years or more.
Musk, who describes himself as a “free speech absolutist”, stated he would purchase Twitter to “free” the platform. Musk has correctly observed that social media in America today serves as a national “town hall” and a modern day “public square,” a role previously played by public parks, local community meetings, and parish and country fairs and festivals.
However, attempting to return Twitter to a genuinely free speech platform is not even the most important accomplishment entailed in Musk’s purchase of Twitter.
In my view, the most profoundly important discovery by Musk after his purchase is the extent to which Twitter and government agencies—including the upper levels of the FBI— collude to suppress and hide information critical for the American people to have and know.
Let’s consider just two prominent examples: The suppression of information about The China Virus, and election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
We have already seen the Twitter Files expose government influence used to suppress China Virus opinions and viewpoints that contradicted White House storylines as well as numerous actions taken against accounts that posted views and data that contradicted CDC.
Free Press writer David Zweig cited “[i]nternal files” from Twitter that showed how the social media giant “rigged the COVID debate” at the behest of the federal government. “The United States government pressured Twitter and other social media platforms to elevate certain content and suppress other content about Covid-19.” (FOX Business, December 26, 2022).
Recall the heated dissent regarding the effectiveness and safety of masking children (and the population, generally) in public schools, the effectiveness of the vaccine and related mandates such as school closure, and the shutting down of the American economy.
In fact, many prominent, accomplished medical doctors and scientists strongly disputed what the Biden Administration and Dr. Anthony Fauci at the NIH, as well as Woke scientists at the CDC, were insisting was “The Truth” about the virus, but Twitter conspired to silence such dissenters as peddling “misinformation.”
However, we see now that these opinions which ran counter to those of the Government-Media Thought Police, have been proven to be scientifically accurate.
Yet, because of this suppression of Free Speech, America did not “Follow the Science” in our public health response to The China Virus, and great social, educational, and economic damage has resulted.
That’s scary and completely un-American.
Let’s look at another deeply concerning example: the 2020 presidential election and the Hunter Biden Laptop “from hell.”
The following is simply indisputable:
On October 14, 2020, the New York Post, one of the oldest and largest news organizations in the world, published its first major story on the contents of the Hunter Biden laptop which had been dropped off at a Delaware computer repair shop in April 2019 and never picked up. This Post story exposed Biden family corruption and revealed the incestuous financial relationship between then-VP Biden with his son’s foreign business ventures.
Hunter Biden, although not equipped by experience, training, or sobriety to do any significant work, was being paid tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies based in places like China and Ukraine. The emails also directly implicate the “big guy” Joe Biden, himself.
The Post story exposed these facts.
So, three weeks before the 2020 presidential election, how did Twitter—and many other social media platforms as well as the national media—respond?
The Government-Media Industrial Complex did everything in its power to suppress and stifle the Post story including removing all links readers would have used to access the Post story, attaching false warnings that the links might be “unsafe” and preventing users from sharing the links using direct message. Twitter also then locked the Post’s Twitter account.
We simply cannot tolerate federal government agencies pressuring and coercing these social media giants into allowing only “government-approved” speech on their platforms. That’s the furthest thing from “uninhibited, robust and wide-open” debate in the “marketplace of ideas” guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.
It’s censorship. It’s pre-approved speech and Groupthink, regulated by the Thought Police, of the kind we see in dictatorships like Iran, N. Korea, China, and Russia.
Twitter Files revelations are dramatically changing the view of millions of Americans regarding our federal government and its collusion with social media to manipulate our national debate and alter our elections.
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