Charski McDonald is a very proud father. His son Emaryeon is one of the most sought after basketball players and he is just a sophomore.

We saw Emaryeon as a freshmen take a key role on the Red River Bulldogs team that won district and went into the state semi-finals. Over the summer he has been attending camps and developing his skills.

The latest praise comes from the Prep Hoops website. Emaryeon McDonald was the only player from the class of 2012 to make the top ten list of Louisiana players. Prep Hoops said, “When McDonald really gets going, there’s not many capable of stopping him. He has in the gym range and may be the quickest release in the state.” The website says what is most impressive “was his ability to finish in the lane. Even just 3 months ago, all of his finishes in the lane were floaters, but now he is absorbing contact and finishing at the rim much stronger.”

Father Charski McDonald knows a few things about the sport. He was a member of the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Coushatta Choctaw teams. You will remember they won the state championship. McDonald said of Emaryeon, “He is one of the most humble kids, that it is more about the team than himself. He wakes up and goes to bed with a basketball.”

“Emaryeon is considered one of the top players in the state,” and Charski McDonald added, “Scouts come to Coushatta to see him play. NSU has been in contact since he was in the 8th grade.”

Father Charski McDonald is a new teacher at Red River. He instructs PE and Journey to Career. His mother Chevron has taught 6th grade math at Red River Elementary for twelve years.

Be at courtside when Red River Basketball begins in a couple of months. His whole family will be there watching and cheering Emaryeon on.

The Red River Parish School Board is the recipient of a literacy grant from the Louisiana Department of Education. A release from the department said the parish is getting $11,944. The money was allocated based on the number of age/grade spans for which they applied and the number of classrooms served.

Red River’s share is from a 10-million dollar allocation of state and federal funds for 67 schools or school board districts in the state. The program is described as “Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy subgrants to support implementation of high-quality curriculum, assessments, and professional development up through grade 5 with a special focus on piloting a system of age-appropriate, standards-aligned tools to evaluate K-2 classroom experience and student mastery of fundamental skills.”

Louisiana’s President, Angelia McCoy of Coushatta, a member of Red River Memorial Auxiliary 7287, led the state delegation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary at the 105Th National Convention held July 21-25 at the Bartle Hall Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo.

As leading representative of the state, she voiced the delegates’ votes during the election of National Officers and played a key role in deciding the direction of the national organization for 2018-2019.

A highlight of the convention was the second annual Circle of Excellence Ceremony, where 21 Department (state) presidents were honored for their leadership during the 2017-2018 year.

Other highlights included the opportunity for members to view all 49 entries of the Young American Creative Patriotic Art entries and the “Buddy”® Poppy displays, in addition to attending several joint events with the VFW, such as the Joint Opening Session and the Patriotic Celebration on Tuesday evening.

During the convention, National President Dee Guillory commended the 2,000 attendees for all their hard work in honoring veterans and supporting deployed military personnel and their families. Members have spent millions of dollars and volunteer hours helping the heroes of our country.

The National President also thanked members for volunteering nearly one million hours in the nation’s hospitals, and donating $300,000 to VFW Veterans and Military Support Programs.

The election and installation of new National President Sandi Kriebel, a Life Member of Yingling­Ridgely Auxiliary 7472 in Ellicott City, Md., and the other 2018-2019 National Officers on Wednesday, July 25, concluded the convention and brought Guillory’s term to an end.

The Northwestern State athletic department has partnered with the Aspire Group in advance of the Demons’ Sept. 8 home football opener against Grambling. The Aspire Group is a sports and entertainment-marketing firm recognized around the world for its work in consulting, ticketing and partnership services. It will work in conjunction with the Northwestern State Athletic Ticket Office to sell tickets for the Demons’ home opener.

“Aspire has partnered with us to use a team of their best phone operatives to contact area alumni, lapsed season-ticket holders and others who have purchased tickets from us in the past to fill the purple chair back seats on Sept. 8,” NSU Assistant Athletic Director for Ticketing and Special Events Mike Jacklich said. “We are anticipating the best crowd we have had in the better part of a decade for our opener and our partnership with Aspire is a big reason why.”

While seats remain available for Grambling’s first visit to Natchitoches since 2008, Jacklich urged fans not to wait to purchase their seats.

Chair back seats on the west side of Turpin Stadium are available for $25 per game or for $115 for the entire five-game home season. The NSU ticket office also has general admission season tickets ($60) and VIP suite packages ($630) available for the season.

Following the home opener against Grambling, Northwestern State has four additional home games – Oct. 6 vs. Nicholls, Oct. 13 vs. Sam Houston State, Oct. 27 vs. Houston Baptist (Homecoming) and Nov. 10 vs. McNeese.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.NSUtickets.com or by contacting the NSU athletic ticket office at (318) 357-4268 or visiting the office in person inside the NSU Fieldhouse.

In recent days The Journal has highlighted accomplishments of our students in athletic and academic endeavors. And we are working on other reports of their achievements. If you have a student that excels in the classroom or on the sports field, let us know. Contact us at TheRRJournal@gmail.com.

PAW Parents at Red River Elementary will hold their first meeting of the school year next Tuesday evening. They will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 at the school. All PAW Parents and concerned parents are encouraged to attend. You may go to their Facebook page to post your interest in attending.

The lightning flashed and the rain came down but that did not deter the Riverdale Academy Rebels from their season opener last Friday night. The field was wet and the ball and players did some slipping and sliding. There was a delay due to lightning of over an hour. When the game ended, Riverdale defeated Rebul Academy’s Raiders 46 to 20. It was the first win as a head coach for Jared Barber. He said that the game this Friday will be more of a challenge. The Rebels open their home season against Prentiss Christian Academy. The game will be streamed live on The Journal’s website and Facebook page beginning at 6:45 Friday night.

Northwestern State University welcomed the Class of 2022 to campus with the annual New Student Convocation and President’s Picnic Sunday, Aug. 19. New Student Convocation is a ceremony to mark the beginning of each student’s academic journey, encourage a sense of camaraderie among the class and introduce university traditions. About 1,500 new students are enrolled at NSU for the Fall 2018 semester, which began Monday Aug. 20.

Riverdale Basketball – CLICK HERE 

Bro Nathan Davis set the mood for Tuesday evening when he said, “What we are doing here tonight is for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.” The Men’s Ministry of First Baptist Church invited the community to the Family Life Center for an inspiring evening featuring Phil Robertson. They came. The Family Life Center floor and walking track was filled to capacity as were several other rooms at the church.

They listened attentively. They were not disappointed.

Robertson mixed humor with the gospel story of hope and his own testimony. Robertson noted that he was Louisiana Tech’s quarterback before Terry Bradshaw. He said we all know Bradshaw’s story but he told of going to West Monroe to make duck calls. “Guess I did pretty good too!” he commented.

The heart of his message was “love” including God’s love for his creation. But he started with mankind’s eternal problem with “sin.” Robertson recounted scripture after scripture that points to the evil one in control of this world and the problems everyone has with continuing to sin.

Robertson told the gathering that God had a solution. He sent his son Jesus. Robertson said, “He lived on the earth only 33 years but he solved all of our problems in only three days! How? With God all things are possible.” He added, “The price he paid for my sorry, low down hide was great. I know he loved us and that proves it.”

As for the future, Robertson instructed the gathering to love. “It is critical to love one another. Just love like Jesus did,” he said.

Everyone in attendance had heard that story over and over again. There was nothing really new in Robertson’s remarks. But the way he expressed his message, and the power of his personal life story brought a new dimension to the Gospel account.

Robertson concluded by admonishing everyone to do good. He said, “Jesus went around doing good and healing those who were in the power of the devil. Train yourself to get up on the morning and train yourself to do good.” Robertson summed up his message with, “Just do what’s right. Love your brother and everything will be OK.”

Coushatta retired schoolteacher Marilyn Moore was recognized by the Coushatta Town Council on Tuesday for her years of service to the community. Mayor Johnny Cox presented Moore with a “Retirement Proclamation” honoring Moore.

Cox called Moore from the audience at Town Council meeting saying, “It is an honor for me to ask this individual to come forward and get our Mayor’s Award. It is well deserved.” Cox added that the town tries to recognize those citizens who have given so much. He told Moore, “We wish you well and thank you for your faithfulness and professionalism serving this community and the parish.”

The proclamation noted that Moore is a graduate of Coushatta High School, and both Grambling and Northwestern State University. Her educational experience includes the Head Start program, Special Education and the Special Needs program.

Moore retired in June and the proclamation set aside Saturday July 7th as “Marilyn B. Moore Day.” The original date of the presentation was at the July Town Council meeting, however it was delayed until last Tuesday.

Summit ObGyn Holds Coushatta Grand Opening

Women’s health care is now available in Coushatta through Summit ObGyn of Natchitoches. Summit held their open house on Tuesday morning. It was their first day of seeing patients in Coushatta

The team from summit will be headed by Barbara McCoy, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Also present were Jocelyn Parker, Office Manager for Summit, Christy Holden who is the Receptionist and nurse Shrea Mitchell, NRCMA. Backing them up will be Dr. Moshood Olatinwo, MD and the Summit ObGyn staff.

McCoy told The Journal, “We are excited to be in the area providing service to the women of Red River Parish. Obstetrical care, prenatal care as well as gynecological services will be offered.”

“Prenatal patients will be seen here (in Coushatta) and in the Natchitoches office beginning at 33 weeks until the child is born,” said McCoy. She added, “We see patients by appointment every other Tuesday, beginning August 14th.”

The Summit brochure states, “The major focus at Summit ObGyn is to provide comprehensive health care to women of all ages.” This includes the area of adolescent gynecology, uro-gynecology, infertility, contraceptive care, menopausal care, prenatal care, female sexual dysfunction and high-risk obstetrics services.

McCoy said a motivating factor in bringing services in Coushatta was patient convenience. She said, “We have many patients from this area. Seeing them here will make it more convenient and eliminate the need for the drive into Natchitoches for care.”

To schedule an appointment call Summit ObGyn at 318-352-1108. More information is available at http://www.summitobgynofnatchitoches.net. Summit will
provide services out of Dr. Coleman’s side of the Rural Health Clinic on Marvel Street.

By Joe Taylor

Here is a bit of Red River parish history about the ferry system. It used to run before the Akey Perry bridge was built in 1932. [Note the bridge was replaced by the current bridge which had it’s official opening in late 1990.]

First we have to learn what brought the ferry to Coushatta.

A hundred years ago Red River parish had its first oil boom. Several villages were involved. On the West Bank of the Red River were Harmon and Grand Bayou. The east bank had Lenzburg, Crichton and East Point. This area compromised what would later be called the Bull Bayou oil field.

Never heard of Lenzburg or Crichton? Let me assure you they were very much towns and contained thousands of people with hotels, banks, cafes merchandise stores, etc. I have pictures of them. Crichton was on Hwy 71 and the railroad about 3 miles from East Point. Lenzburg was a mile away on the river. Highway 71 going through East Point? Yes it did. When Huey Long started his big highway program he bypassed East Point and took 71 through the hills because the Marston family lived in East Point and they were anti-Long. If you drive today on the East Point road, before you get to Loggy Bayou and after you cross the railroad tracks you may notice a concrete bridge on the left in the middle of a cow pasture. A bridge in the middle of a pasture? Yes, a remnant of Hwy 71.

With the oil boom taking place an urgent need was for moving men and equipment back and forth across the river between the oil fields. Enter James (Jimmy) Florane. A New Orleans native and a boat designer. He designed and built the needed ferry and was soon in business.

Alas the oil boom had played out (as it always does) by 1920. So, Jimmy (father of James, TV and Lloyd, house mover) applied for the ferry franchise in Coushatta and got it. He modified the boat so it would haul over 10 cars and ran it for a dozen years until the bridge was built. In the library there is a nice picture of the ferry about to take its load across the river with the soon to be finished bridge in the background. Jimmy has his family and his workers on board. I know the picture is there because Ardis Almond and I hung it and a dozens more of old Coushatta.

To finish with Mr. Florane. After the ferry service stopped, he opened a Chrysler-Desoto dealership just down Carroll Street from the river. The building still stands right across from the old Walter Mangham house. He also had the first radio shop in town. Crowds would gather to listen to big boxing matches. His son James would take over the business and add TVs to it when they came out.

Thanks to Joe Taylor for recalling the story of the Coushatta Ferry.

Over the summer break several improvements were made to assure student safety. The most visible change is at Red River Elementary School.

Principal Shenell Deville explained the upgrades. She showed the new front entrance that was added in front of the existing doors. All parents and visitors will now come through this entrance. Deville said, “It’s all about safety. This year we are increasing safety for the children.”

The new entrance leads to the school office, where everyone will sign in. Deville explained that parents will no longer use the other entrance. It is reserved for bus loading and unloading and school staff. She said, “New, large signs are coming for the new front entrance to direct visitors to the school.”

Another safety improvement announced by Superintendent Alison Hughes at the School Board meeting this week is the addition of another Resource Officer to the high school and junior high campus. “There are now two at the campus which allows more policing on campus,” said Hughes.

Hughes recalled that the sheriff and city police conducted training at the high school building over the summer. The active shooter training (see the July 20th issue of the Journal) helped law enforcement prepare for an emergency situation.

Additionally the emergency procedures manual has been updated and radios are being installed in all school busses. Hughes said, “The goal is to never have a moment when we cannot get in touch with bus drivers.”

The annual Mustang and Ford show is about a month away. Time to get your pride and joy cleaned up and ready to display. The annual show put on by the Red River Classic Mustang Club will be held September 15th.

This year over 100 cars are anticipated at Wray Ford in Bossier City for the one-day event. The show flyer is below. If you are a classic Ford collector you are invited to show off your pride and joy. There are many old Mustangs and collectable Ford cars and trucks in Red River Parish, and all owners are invited to participate.

Registration is now going on with a prize offered for early bird entrants. There are also goody bags available for the early entrants. Food and merchandise vendors will be available at the show along with many automotive and other prizes to be awarded. Top entrants in each class will earn trophies.

The date is September 15th. Gates open at 7:00 am. The event will be held on the Wray Ford new car lot on Benton Road in Bossier City north of I-220.

Registration is underway for fall sports at Open Door Fellowship. Easiest way to register is online.

For the past several years the have offered flag football for boys. Pastor Steven McAbee said, “We wanted to add a sport for girls. So this fall we are offering girls volleyball. So we will have football for boys and volleyball for girls.”

Practice begins soon, so go online at https://www.odfsports.com/register to sign up. Fees may be paid online also. The schedule and other information may be found under the “Sports” tab on the home page. There is also an app that can be downloaded from http://get.theapp.co/2344 .

New this fall at Open Door Fellowship is Awana for boys and girls three years old through 6th grade. Awana kickoff is August 29th. Awana meets on Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 7:30.

Open Door Fellowship is located on Esperanza Road. Get more information at myodf.org or call 318-932-6267.

A reminder that the Red River Parish Health Unit is hosting a Breastfeeding Month reception this afternoon. There will be valuable information available for new mothers and mothers to be.

Also tonight begins high school football. Riverdale Academy plays Rebul at Learned, Mississippi. Game starts at 7:00 pm. Journal Sports will provide live streaming coverage of the game beginning at 6:45. Go the The Journal’s website or Facebook page to listen. The game will also be broadcast on Coushatta station KRRP.

Here are a couple of interesting notes from NSU…

1.) The Masters of Arts in Art at Northwestern State University was named as the most affordable online master’s of art in the country by gradschoolhub.com. The Master of Arts in Art degree is an on-campus or a low residency online program. The on-campus version allows the student to interact with faculty and facilities. The online version allows the student to work from home. Most classes are available online, however the student is required to attend two three-week summer sessions or one semester at the beginning of their degree.

2.) Northwestern State University’s newly renovated bookstore, the Northwestern State Marketplace at 912 University Parkway, is open for business as of 8 a.m. Thursday. Hours this week will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Extended hours will be posted next week. Bookstore operations have ceased in the Friedman Student Union and have been moved to the NSU Marketplace.

Coushatta knows how to put on a show. The Journal would like to tip its cap to all the folks who put together the Phil Robertson event this week. Great food from Shaver’s Catering, great service by many members of the church and their youth, and professional traffic control and security services from the Sheriff’s Office. Everything went very smoothly and the very large crowd seemed well pleased. Congrats to First Baptist Church and their Men’s Ministry.

Nine teachers and school system employees were honored Monday night by the Red River Parish School Board. The had retired since the end of the last school year.

Three of the recently retired teachers were in attendance to receive their plaques recognizing their service. Virginia Calhoun spoke first. She spent 20 years doing what she always wanted to do. Calhoun said, “I always wanted to be a teacher. I loved it. I loved the children.” Her comments brought joyous laughter when Calhoun remarked, “I loved every kid except possibly one or two.” She recalled the years when her students would flock to her home after school to spend time with her.

Next up was Marilyn Moore. She served 25 years and remarked, “I am grateful! I enjoyed all those years. I have so many children, and they’re my children, and that’s the way I treated them.” She added, “You have to give it all you got!”

The third retired present was Evelyn Longino who served 27 years. Longino told the school board, “I appreciate the years at Red River. When you see your students grow up and they become good citizens it makes me feel so good.” Longino added, “I appreciate seeing so many former students being recognized here as teachers.”

Here is the full list of the retirees and their years of service:
Aulsie Yates – 30 years
Vickey Longino – 18 years
Shirley Longino – 31 years
Lula Harris – 22 years
Michael Simpson – 29 years
Virginia Calhoun – 20 years
Marilyn Moore – 25 years
Evelyn Longino – 27 years
Karen Moseley – 29 years

Board member Gene Longino served as President of the Board Monday. Richard Cannon was out ill. Longino thanked the retirees on behalf of the board. He said, “To the retirees we appreciate all you did for all those years. We know education is about a group of kids and a teacher and what they can accomplish in a year’s time.” Longino thanked them for their service to the children of Red River Parish.

Pictured with this article are Virginia Calhoun, Marilyn Moore and Evelyn Longino.

The Red River Parish School Board paid out sizeable incentive checks to teachers who have excelled during the past year. The incentives are provided by a federal grant the school system obtained to recognize and reward high student growth.

Superintendent Alison Hughes said, “Our teachers did phenomenal work last year. These teachers’ results were fantastic. She said, “When we walked in and presented the checks to the teachers some of their eyes got really big and they were surprised at the amount.” Hughes added, “We presented some of the teachers with really nice checks.”

Hughes announced these incentive awards for teachers with the highest student growth. Julie Inman, Megan Inman and Raynette Smith Crockett with $9,000 each. Two teachers, Sheila Davis and Marsha Miller received $5,000 each. And $1,000 awards went to Tiffany Williams and Peggy Key.

In addition, Hughes said, “Three instructors were presented incentive checks for work outside the class to get advanced degrees.” Those teachers were Raynette Smith Crockett, awarded $4,000 for earning her Reading Specialist Masters Degree. Kenyatta Williams was also awarded $4,000 for completing her Reading Specialist Masters program. And Joey Miller was awarded $4,000 for earning his degree in Educational Leadership.

That is a total of $39,000 awarded to teachers who met the criteria for the Highest Student Growth. An additional $12,000 was presented to teachers completing advanced degrees.

Hughes said, “We also established an awareness of a lot of other teachers who are on the brink of receiving incentive money.” The incentive program “stresses the importance of knowing each individual child where they are and where they need to go,” added Hughes.

This is the first year of a four-year incentive program based upon the grant. Hughes said, “To qualify teachers must meet a proficiency threshold and also meet attendance guidelines.” More incentives will be awarded next year and Hughes added, “We are looking for ways to sustain the incentive program after that.

The Riverdale Academy Rebels begin their fall football schedule this Friday night. They travel to Rebul Academy at Learned, Mississippi. It is about a three and a half hour drive to the school, located south of Vicksburg.

Journal Sports is going to provide live streaming coverage of the Rebels first contest of the year. New head Football Coach Jared Barber has high hopes for the team this year. He has a tough act to follow as the Rebels were undefeated in district play in 2017.

The districts in the MISA have been realigned following several schools making changes in their athletic programs. All of Riverdale’s district opponents are now Louisiana teams. And every one of them will be trying to topple the district “King of the Hill” from last season.

If you cannot make the trip to Learned, Mississippi you can hear the game on The Journal’s web page and social media sites. On the web, it is http://www.RedRiverParishJournal.com and on social media go to http://www.Facebook.com/RedRiverParishJournal to listen to the game. There will be a “listen here” to click on. No special app is needed. The player should work on your favorite device.

What is the old saying about “We all scream for Ice Cream!” There was a large turnout last Thursday night for the annual Ice Cream Social at Riverdale Academy. There was so much more than the chilly confectionary spun with love in someone’s own kitchen. Kudos to the creator of the Peach flavor, not to take anything away from the chocolate and vanilla. That is Hasty Davis and Ellie Reese Hillman enjoying the ice cream. They are in the first grade.

Parents and their children dined on gourmet fresh-from-the-grill burgers, chips and all that. That’s Johnny King manning the grill out back. The thick delicious smoke filled the air and made your mouth water the moment you parked and got out of your vehicle.

Everyone gathered in the gym for some great entertainment. They were welcomed back for another school year by Dr. Robert Peters, the new Principal. He complimented the staff, “What a great faculty and staff we have at Riverdale. They jumped in and got the job done.” Peters added, “Thank you parents for entrusting us with your sons and daughters. We take that very seriously and we want to make sure the good things here help them grow and flourish. And we will make sure they are safe on this campus.”

Following the gathering in the gym it was off to get more burgers and ice cream and to meet with their instructors for the new school year. All are ready and excited including Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Betty. She told The Journal, “I have a great group that will get lots of personal attention. They are excited and so am I.”

I did not get a count of how many parents brought their children to the Ice Cream Social, however the parking lot and the grassy areas were full of vehicles. And the halls, classrooms and sidewalks were filled with students going to meet their homeroom and subject instructors.

Classes began the next day and again the school year at Riverdale is underway.

Congratulations to Coushatta native Kallie Bethard. She received her Master of Occupational Therapy degree on Saturday, August 11, 2018 from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, School of Allied Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies.

Occupational therapy (OT) is a form of therapy for those recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life. OT helps individuals, no matter their abilities, live life to the fullest. Kallie will begin her Occupational Therapist career in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Kallie is the daughter of Robert and Rhoda Bethard of Coushatta. Her father Robert is a practicing attorney and her mother Rhoda is retired from the Red River Parish School Board.

Tyler Hughes is a quiet yet serious seventh grader at Red River Junior High School. But let him get in the batters box, or behind the plate, or on the mound and it’s as different as Clark Kent and Superman. The abilities of this young man are getting attention nationwide.

Tyler and his parents are very proud of their son’s accomplishments Alison Hughes told The Journal she did not coach AAU Basketball this summer to spend time pursuing Tyler’s baseball game.

Last weekend they returned from Viera, Florida at the USSSA Space Coast Stadium. Tyler competed with other kids and teams from around the country as a member of the Southeast USSSA All American Team.

One day Tyler pitched. Alison texted the Journal “We are playing in just a second. They play until they lose. He is catching today. Gotta Go!” Hughes also said, “Has been a great experience and gotten Tyler lots of exposure.”

Proud father Timmy Hughes sent this message after the team was eliminated from the competition, “Not the outcome we was hoping for but I’m very proud of this group of young men. The determination and hard work they showed this week. Hold your heads up and keep working hard. I would like to send a special thanks to all the coaches for making this experience such a blessing. Tyler and us are forever grateful!! Until next time safe travels and good luck in the future!!
God bless!!”

Recently the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office (RRPSO) has been made aware of a new telephone scam occurring in our community. A person claiming to represent CLECO electric company is contacting business owners and residents via telephone. The caller advises that the electric power will be shut off if they do not pay a past due balance of $500. The incident reported to the sheriff’s office came from a toll-free number (1-888-530-7838), however, it could be displayed as any configuration of numbers.

Typically, companies and service providers will not contact a customer by telephone in regards to a past due balance or disconnecting a service. Disconnect and past due notices are usually sent by U.S. mail.

If you have a question concerning CLECO or any other service provider or business credit account, contact the organization directly at a legitimate telephone number known to the public. Do not contact the provider by using the number displayed on the caller I.D., or any other number provided during the original telephone contact. Never send the caller a payment, in any form, and do not provide your personal banking and/or credit card information prior to contacting the provider independently. In many instances, the scammers will request a specific form of payment such as a money order, cashier check or gift card. Any such request is not consistent with normal business practices and should be a “red flag” to consumers.

In the event that you need to contact CLECO, the customer service number listed on their website is 1-800-622-6537.

If you have been victimized by a scammer, you may contact the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office at (318) 932-4221 or your local law enforcement agency if you live outside our jurisdiction.

This has been a busy week. There is a lot happening with school starting and other events in the community. The next couple of issues will be jam packed with reports of some great things happening in our community.

I just want to express my thanks to the kind folks around here. I hear your expressions of thanks for this article or that. I am blessed with your appreciation for The Journal. THANK YOU!

Monday night (August 6th) the Red River Parish Police Jury met in regular session. Agenda items included taxes, appointments and employee recognition.

Two appointments were made. On a motion by John Moore, John Perkins was nominated to the parish Port Commission. The motion passed. And the contract for the parish jail nurse was renewed. Dana Moseley’s contract was extended to August 31, 2019.

The jury approved the upcoming Board of Review date of September 6th. It will be held on the third floor of the courthouse in the police jury room at 6:30.

This year the IV district meeting will be held in Desoto parish August 21st. Red River will host the 2019 meeting. Jurors discussed possible dates and locations. The jury decided to hold that meeting on August 23rd so that the date could be announced at the district meeting this year.

Each year the police jury holds an appreciation dinner for employees. Juror William Brown suggested it be held October 18th at Grand Bayou at 6:00 pm. The availability of the facilities on that date will be checked and will be finalized at the September meeting.

A couple of months ago, school Superintendent Alison Hughes offered the Springville Education Center campus to the police jury in two years when it will no longer be used by the school system. Monday night the jury heard from Vice President Ben Taylor that the project is not affordable. Taylor said, “Too much to get into it. I am afraid it will be too costly. Plans we had looked at seem to indicate it would be a greater headache than the amount of money we could get from renting it or using it.”

And the jury changed the date of the September meeting. The regular meeting date falls on Labor Day this year, therefore the jury voted to meet in September on the first Thursday or September 6th.