Mathilda, a native of Houma, LA and a resident of Coushatta, LA, was born January 1, 1945, in Terrebonne Parish to Allen and Felicie Sevin. She passed away peacefully on Friday, July 29, 2022, in Natchitoches, LA. Martha or Mati, as she was known, always had her house open to anyone. Martha loved to work in the yard with her flowers. She loved her cats or any cat for that matter. She loved to read, do puzzle books. She was an avid puzzle maker. Any time you walked in the house, there was sure to be a puzzle laid out on the kitchen table. She was a member of Magnolia Baptist church.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Bill Barbo, brother Dewey Sevin, brother Nolan Sevin and wife Gloria, sister Irene Hoglind, sister Elaine Falcon and husband Andrew, sister Daisy Ellender and husband Ralph, sister Olivia Porche and husband Junius, grandson Joshua Barbo and step-grandson Leonard Labit.

She is survived by her children Clint Barbo and wife Jan, Jeffrey Barbo, Kenneth Barbo, and Teresa Barbo Myles and husband Clint, grandson Thomas Barbo. Also, special nephew Glenn Ellender and several nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

A funeral service celebrating the life of Mathilda “Martha” Barbo, 77, will be held at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Coushatta with Bro. Wylann Cloud officiating.  Interment will follow in the Hand Cemetery, 340 Hand Cemetery Road, Coushatta, LA. A visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM, Monday, August 1, 2022, at the funeral home. 

Pallbearers will be Clint Barbo, Jeffrey Barbo, Kenneth Barbo, Clint Myles, Thomas Barbo and Glenn Ellender. Honorary pallbearers will be Jeffery Canterbury and Josh Phillips.

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As the beginning of the school year quickly approaches, Red River Parish Sheriff Glen Edwards wants to remind parents and drivers of ways to help keep our children safe.

Tips for Drivers:

• Watch for children loading and exiting school buses before and after school.
• When meeting a school bus with its stop signs displayed, always stop even if the roadway is divided by a turn lane.
• Never pass a school bus that is slowing or has stopped to unload children.
• Reduce any distractions inside your car. Never text and drive!
• While driving on school campuses, proceed slowly and always be on the lookout for children.
• Obey the speed limit and discontinue the use of your cell phone while in an active school zone.

Tips for Parents:

• If walking to school, make sure your child walks with a companion, follows a route you have planned, and doesn’t talk to or accept rides from strangers.
• When preparing to get on the bus, instruct your child to stay out of the street, watch for vehicles, and only approach the bus after it has stopped.
• While on the bus, remind your child to stay seated at all times, to keep his or her hands and head inside the bus, and to obey the instructions of the bus driver.
• When exiting the bus, children should first make sure the bus comes to a complete stop, use the handrail to avoid falls, and cross the street at least 10 feet in front of the bus.
• Instruct your child to never bend down in front of the bus for any reason such as to tie his or her shoestrings.
• Verify that your child knows who to contact and how to contact them in the case of an emergency.

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By Erica Caldwell of RR Jr High

Tuesday wrapped up our 2022-2023 RRJH Cheer Camp! ❤️ Every cheerleader received a cheer camp participation certificate for completing camp. We will award our cheerleaders throughout the season. Come out and watch us cheer on our Jr high teams this season!!

Additional Cheer Camp Awards are as follows:

Most improved- Raeleigh Borders, Nevaeh Johnson, Isabella knots, Tayla  Weathers

Best effort-KeAsha Clark, Nelaysia Cole, Chloe Borders, Ava Dickey, Markendria Winn, Jaliyah Clark, Jaeleigh Babers

Outstanding leadership -Mackenzie Lewis

Top performer- Ahmyia Clark 

Team sprit- Journee Nelson 

Congratulations to all of our Cheerleaders on an outstanding and fun cheer camp!

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The Red River Parish School Board has put in place revised regulations concerning food service and free meals.  At the request of Katie Bethard, Director of Nutrition and Health, the Journal is providing their detailed release on the subject of school lunches.

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The Journal has just reported on the free meal program at Red River Parish Schools for the coming year.  There are also the new rules the parish is being required to follow concerning discrimination.  There is objection to parts of those newly implemental federal guidelines by the state (no objection has been received by the Journal from local school officials).  Here is a report from The Center Square concerning Louisiana joining a lawsuit to block implementation of those new rules or guidelines.  Here is the Center Square report:

Schools ordering food for the beginning of the fall semester could be facing uncertainty over whether they’ll receive federal assistance that’s the center of a legal battle being tied to sex discrimination rules.

Twenty-two attorneys general are suing the Biden administration to prevent any loss of federal nutrition assistance for failing to obey the funding catch tying the money to other issues.

In May, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced any state, local agency, program operator or sponsor receiving its funding must “investigate allegations of discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.” The USDA also required all organizations to update discrimination policies and signage to include prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Approximately 30 million school children participate in USDA programs for breakfast, lunch or both meals. The new rule affects approximately 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions receiving federal funds to provide free or reduced-price meals.

The USDA said it was interpreting the nondiscrimination directive in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

After sending a letter objecting to the new rule in June, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a 17-count complaints against the USDA on Tuesday. The suit contends the Biden administration incorrectly uses the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County to apply to anti-discrimination requirements. That ruling found the prohibition on sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The Biden Administration is attempting to hold Missouri children’s lunch money hostage in order to further its woke agenda,” Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, said in a statement. “This is yet another attempt by the Biden Administration to warp Title IX to fit their agenda. I will continue to make sure that bureaucrats are required to follow the law and will halt the Biden Administration’s bully tactics to protect imperative lunch funding for our children.”

The lawsuit contends the USDA’s guidance is unlawful as states and other entities weren’t allowed an opportunity to provide input as required by the Administrative Procedures Act. It claims the Supreme Court’s ruling is being misapplied and the new guidance will create regulatory chaos.

“This case is, yet again, about a federal agency trying to change law, which is Congress’ exclusive prerogative,” Slatery said in a statement. “The USDA simply does not have that authority. We have successfully challenged the Biden Administration’s other attempts to rewrite law and we will challenge this as well.”

States joining the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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By Steve Graf

Bass fishing is a funny sport that can and will test a person’s mental stability. It’s comparable to golf in that there’s no one else to blame for your failure or success more than yourself. YOU determine your own fate with skill, determination, and effort, with effort being in the form of spending hours on the water. There’s no substitute for time on the water and the anglers who fish daylight till dark will be the guys who are hard to beat on tournament day. Today, we’ll look at what really makes an angler great and why.

Bass fishing is just like any other sport; it requires great skills. Needed are skills like casting and being able to put a bait in places the average angler would not even attempt. You also need to understand how certain baits should be worked in order to the get the most action out of that particular bait. You need an understanding of fish behavior during the different seasons of the year. One more skill, that not all anglers have, is the ability to read water.  Knowing how to read the water and what baits will work best under certain water conditions is essential to an angler’s success.

Most anglers fall into two categories…guys who like to fish deep or shallow. If you’re a deep-water angler, you’ll need to have the ability to read your electronics, interpret topo maps and know what you’re looking at. Deep water anglers need to learn how to find brush tops and look for good structure. Structure is not the same thing as a brush pile; it’s about the contours, humps, and undulations of the bottom.

There’s one tool that has really leveled the playing field and helped an average angler to become a great angler. It’s forward-facing sonar, that both Hummingbird and Lowrance offer. Today’s forward-facing sonars come in handy when fishing in water eight feet or more by giving you the ability to target bass in schools or suspended over a brush top. Ok, yes…it’s like playing a video game, and the anglers that can do this well have a distinct advantage over those that can’t.

But the one thing that separates the great anglers from the average ones is decision making. THIS is the key ingredient that not all anglers possess. Knowing when to stay in an area and knowing when to leave can be the difference between making a top 10 or finishing out of the money.  Knowing what time of day fish will bite in certain areas is huge. There’s a saying among anglers, “Somewhere on any given body of water, fish are biting.” That’s why scouting is so important! If you caught fish in a specific area at 10:00 AM the day before, you need to be back in that same area the next day around that same time or a little after.

As you can see, bass fishing is like any other sport. It requires skill, determination, effort, and the ability to make good decisions. But the advancements in electronics have also helped speed up the learning curve for today’s young anglers.

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AS A TEAM LEADER, YOU WILL:

Supervise utilizing strong interpersonal skills

Use technical knowledge of manufacturing processes, as applies to such supervision

Utilize computer skills to facilitate processes and software used

Pursue objectives with organizational skills to meet goals

Work with personnel at all levels of the organization

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

Two (2) year Associates Degree, plus one year of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience

Excellent communication skills; both oral and written

Great computer skills (Excel and Word

BENEFITS:

We offer medical insurance plans, dental and vision coverage, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more. We also provide flexible time-off plans, including parental leave, vacation, and holiday leave. 

Shift is 4:30 p.m. until 3:00 a.m.  Overtime requirements are based on customer needs to meet business objectives.

If qualified and interested, please apply online at http://www.emerson.com

Equal Opportunity Employer

Emerson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. 

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By Mila Bravo

Ministry work is not just going to the other side of the world, nor is it just quoting Bible verses to people – in fact it comes in so many forms.  There are portions of our own country that are less than 10% churched,meaning that less than 10% of the local population attend church regularly or even at all. One such place is the state of Montana.

A Ministry Team from Red River Cowboy Church joins with other churches from Louisiana and Texas to travel up to Wyola, Montana, in support of Cowboy Life Ministry led by Greg Hunt. While in Montana, the Cowboys hold a Rodeo Bible Camp. 

During the camp they teach rodeo skills such as steer riding, roping, goat tying, and barrel racing all while sharing Christ’s love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and His salvation.  These Cowboy missionaries of all ages have been making the trip up north for the last 9 years and every year they see familiar faces as well as new ones, building friendships that continue to grow year after year. 

It’s really quite difficult to know who looks forward to this week at the end of July more – the Cowboys that prepare and plan a year for the trip or the Crow Indians who anxiously await their arrival. In the small town of about 300 people, it’s easy to notice when strange vehicles begin to gather at the local arena. Shortly after the first Southern license plate  arrives, the Crow Indians begin to gather. Old friendships begin to rekindle, the dust begins to stir in the arena, the smoke rises from the Chuck wagon, and Christ is shared in so many ways.

For more information on Red River Cowboy Church’s mission trip to Wyola, contact Jerry Salley at 318-471-3486.

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By Royal Alexander

While the Biden Administration has continued to strangle U.S. energy production—creating painfully high gas and diesel prices at the pump—incredibly, the Administration is also now selling America’s emergency oil reserves to the Chinese.

At a time of skyrocketing inflation and record gas prices the Biden Administration won’t allow broad energy production in the U.S., which is punishing Americans at the pump, but in addition to that defect we are now selling our emergency crude oil reserves to our archenemy, China, and other nations.

It has been reported that nearly 1 million barrels of oil released from our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve—for the stated purpose of reducing Americans’ pain at the pump, according to our addled president—has actually been sold to a Chinese state-owned energy conglomerate, Sinopec.

In a plot twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller, this conglomerate has ties to the President’s son, Hunter Biden, through an investment firm the disgraced younger Biden co-founded.  The firm held a $1.7 billion stake in Sinopec Marketing which, of course, raises questions about why oil from our national emergency reserve is being shipped out of the U.S. and sent to China.

But it also raises the question: Who besides China is benefiting from these sales?

“Follow the money” instructed Deep Throat of Watergate fame. (I’ll address the Hunter Biden connection on another day).

On first review, it seems confusing and ambiguous.

But then, when the contents of the Hunter Biden ‘laptop from Hell’ are considered—and that the Biden Crime Family, including ‘the Big Guy,’ benefitted to the tune of millions of dollars from the Chinese government—the picture becomes clear and logical.  (Miranda Devine; NY Post).

Talk about indefensible.

Let’s really understand what is happening here. 

On the one hand, due to the green energy delusions of the climate change religionists, the Biden Administration has largely shut down American energy production, beginning on the first day of this Administration. This has resulted in our domestic production and refining capacity being reduced by more than a million barrels of oil per day.  On the other hand, we are also now selling our emergency capacity to other nations including China.

This all means we have gone from being a net exporter of energy under President Trump to a country reduced to begging our enemy, Venezuela, and the nation Biden called a pariah state, Saudi Arabia—to drill more and sell us their excess production.  Also, the disastrous pending nuclear deal with Iran is sought in part in order to bring millions of barrels of Iranian oil into the international market.

Obviously, the point of having a national energy reserve is to support our country if an energy shortfall arises.  That’s why we must protect our national stockpile and not sell our strategic crude reserves to the Chinese Communist Party, especially when our government tells us that our emergency oil reserves are being depleted for the benefit of Americans.  Otherwise, the reserve will be depleted when America is faced with an energy emergency.

As U.S. Senator John Kennedy has stated “America’s strategic petroleum reserve protects our country during national emergencies.  Selling off American oil to countries that hate us undermines the security that the oil reserve is supposed to deliver …”

The very best solution to all of this—and one that would cause the U.S. economy to explode with growth—would be for the Biden Administration to quickly take steps to turn on American energy production.

This would include enacting the American Energy Independence Act which would reverse the war on U.S. domestic energy production by permitting widespread drilling on federal lands and waters while also approving the Keystone XL pipeline, freeing up U.S. LNG (liquefied natural gas) exports and generally fast-tracking energy and mineral development.

In short, the fastest and easiest way to provide hope to millions of struggling Americans and drive the domestic energy market up is for President Biden to announce tomorrow that we are going to reopen and re-invigorate the U.S. oil and gas industry.   This includes repealing all so-called “green” regulations prohibiting the production and development of, and investment in, American energy.

This must happen soon.  In what sane world does a nation kill its own energy industry while at the same time sell its emergency reserves to our enemies? It’s clear that Pres. Biden is mentally and morally unfit to hold the most powerful office in the world.

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This was a first for us. This Louisiana State Trooper passing by the camp this morning noticed the campers around the flagpole and pulled over to honor the flag. Thank you sir!

(Sorry for the poor video quality!)

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AS A PRODUCTION ENGINEER, YOU WILL:

Conceptualize, develop, and initiate process improvements and cost reductions

Use Lean principles to reduce cycle times and reduce waste 

Manage problem solving teams from inception to corrective actions.  Will often involve leading a team through the process.

Self-initiate improvement and / or corrective actions for safety, quality, cost and productivity concerns using formal six sigma problem solving tools

Develop documentation for operators and maintenance on proper equipment operation and care

Effectively communicate changes to all levels of the organization and at all stages of implementation

REQUIRED EDUCTION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

BS degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent engineering technology degree

Excellent interpersonal skills 

Strong computer skills (Microsoft Excel and Word)

Self-starter able to work independently

If qualified and interested, please apply online at http://www.emerson.com

Benefits

We offer medical insurance plans, dental and vision coverage, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more. We also provide you flexible time-off plans, including parental leave, vacation, and holiday leave. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Emerson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. 

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Local leaders of Red River 4-H were busy this week “making the best better!”

Hannah Worsham is at Marsh Maneuvers, a camp on the coast that is a hands on lesson on our wetlands.

Addison Bounds is at the We Lead conference at LA Tech for all of the Louisiana 4-h State Board members. She is participating in an etiquette dinner.

Also in 4-H News, 13 students & 2 teen helpers attended a “Cooking Around the World”  summer culinary workshop at the Red River 4-H office.  This workshop introduced the 4-H Chefs theme for the upcoming school year. 

Students learned to prepare dishes from Latin American, and the Mediterranean, while practicing cooking skills.  The students prepared Birria Tacos, Chicken Gyros, Tzatziki Sauce, Italian Salad, and Tiramisu.   Thank you to Mrs. Kimberlyn, our FCS Agent, and Mrs. Ashleigh, our wonderful adult volunteer, for all of your help!

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William “Jay” Herring

October 20, 1967 to July 27, 2022

View full obituary here:

https://redriverparishjournal.com/2022/07/28/william-jay-herring/

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Five students completed the GeauxFAME Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program, a work/study partnership between Central Louisiana Technical Community College, Northwestern State University and regional industries.  Through the program, graduates earned a certificate from CLTCC and an associate degree from NSU while working at a regional manufacturing facility.  Graduates, who were honored earlier this week, and their sponsoring company are Jay Latour of Many (Alliance Compressors), Cody Tibbett of Baton Rouge (AFCO), Justin Jacobs of Pleasant Hill (RoyOMartin), Kyleb McMahon of Many (Boise Cascade) and Luke Holloway of Choudrant (Stella-Jones).

Folks, your publisher is on the road to far off Montana.  It has been strenuous and rewarding.  If anyone cares I will offer details when I get back next week.

I a]pologize in advance for any tipeohous in this.  Weorkiong remote with weeeek cell service is a bear.

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Services for William Jay Herring will be held on Saturday, July 30th at First Baptist Church of Coushatta.  Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm, followed by the service at 2:00 pm.  Jay died on July 27th at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Houston Medical Center.  He had been hospitalized for seven months with a lengthy illness and a double lung transplant.

William Jay Herring was born on Oct. 20th, 1967 in Monroe, LA to his parents, James & Paula Herring.  He grew up in Coushatta, LA where he attended Riverdale Academy, and especially enjoyed playing football there.  During summers, he helped his dad with crops of cotton, corn, & soybeans on the family farm.  He enjoyed deer hunting and accompanied his dad & brother to favorite hunting camps in Texas.  Jay was a member of the 1985 Plantation Ball Court.  Upon graduation, Jay attended LSU in Baton Rouge where he was a member of the Acacia fraternity.  Jay loved being at LSU and was a life-long avid fan of the LSU Tigers.  He attended games at LSU throughout his adult life and his family & friends knew not to schedule events with Jay that would coincide with attending the games or watching them on tv.  After graduation, Jay moved to The Village in Dallas where he worked and enjoyed being with friends from college, who also lived there.  He really enjoyed this part of his life and living in Dallas for several of years. Dallas is where he met Michelle Conaway while both were in attendance at the wedding of their mutual best friends. While Michelle was on a business trip to New York City, Jay surprised her by coming there and taking her to the Tavern on The Green restaurant, where he proposed to her on St. Patrick’s Day.  Jay and Michelle married on April 5th, 1997 in Dallas.  They eventually moved to Houston where their two beautiful daughters were born.  Jay loved his girls like no other and was the perfect “Girl Dad”, going to countless soccer games, cheerleading events, and everything else the girls were involved in at the time.  He never ever missed an event.  Jay always knew how to put his family first.  Jay and Michelle celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary, while Jay was in the hospital.  Jay and Michelle loved to travel and especially enjoyed Europe.  When the girls traveled with them, their favorite destination was the beach.  They visited many beaches in the United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.  You would always see Jay out in the middle of the ocean, where he truly loved the water.  At home, Jay loved to grill and watch sporting events in his man cave – the backyard.  Jay worked in the field of business to business in telecommunications.  He was a franchise business owner of UBuildIT Houston Gulf Coast, which built and renovated dream homes in the Houston area.  Jay was truly a happy person, an early riser who looked forward to each new day, and always enjoyed life. 

Jay is survived by his wife Michelle and their two daughters, Bailey Marie and Avery Nicole Jamie.  He is also survived by his mother Paula Herring, and sister, Libby Smith.  Also survived by his in-laws, Les & Sonia Oszakiewski and sister in-laws, Jeannette Conaway, Cathy Rosson, Paige Kinnett, & brothers in-law, Blake and Court Conaway. Niece and nephews are Sadi Smith, Jon Ashton Smith, and Brandon Conaway.  Other survivors are his Aunt Marie Keahey and Uncle LaVance Herring and wife, Judy.  Cousins surviving are Cash Keahey, Drew Keahey, Margo Keahey Presnall, Heath Herring, and Kelly Herring.  Other surviving relatives are Jerry Glover, Connie Hitchcock, and Stephen Posey.  Preceding Jay in death, are his father, James Herring, his brother, Jim Herring, and maternal grandparents Lester & Anna May Vetter.  Also preceding him in death include, Jay’s father in-law, Raymond Conaway, and relatives Helen & Arthur Oszakiewski.  Jay was a wonderful husband, an amazing dad, incredible son, an awesome brother & uncle, and everyone’s true friend. 

A Memorial Reception will be held at Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant – 22704 Loop 494, #A in Kingwood, Texas on Saturday, August 13th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.  All friends, family, and our amazing Prayer Warriors are so welcome for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments in remembrance and celebration of our beloved Jay. 

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Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for July 19-24, 2022.

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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Red River Parish community members are invited and encouraged to attend the Red River School System “Beginning of the 2022-2023 school year activities.” The schedule for each school’s “Open House” is listed below:

RRES August 1, 2022 4:00pm – 5:30pm

RRAA  August 3, 2022 4:00pm – 6:00pm

RRJH   August 8, 2022 4:30pm – 6:00pm

RRHS August 8, 2022 5:00pm- 6:30pm

Principals will follow Red River School District Federal Program’s guidance and will emphasize that this is an “Initial Title I Annual Meeting.” Parents will meet the teachers and other staff members.

Among the items that they will receive are the district and schools’ parent plans. Contained within each plan is a copy of the Parent, Student and School Compact for detailed study. This written agreement stresses shared responsibility for improved student achievement and frequent communication.

These items will be posted on the district website for your convenience. All parents and every child are encouraged to participate in these beginning of the year activities.

By Deborah Babers, Parent/Family Engagement Coordinator Red River Parish School

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By Molly Seales

From Wednesday, July 20, until Saturday, July 23, the Riverdale Academy Varsity Cheerleaders attended UCA cheer camp at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. Under the direction of cheer coach Sidney Jones, these girls worked hard each day learning new cheers, stunts, chants, dances, and safety measures.

Each year at UCA camp, Pin It Forward awards are given to cheerleaders who display characteristics such as leadership, spirit, commitment, kindness, and motivation. After a cheerleader is give this award by a UCA staffer, he/she finds another cheerleader who demonstrates those same qualities and “Pin It Forward.” This year Riverdale had two recipients of this award-junior Emily Nettles received Pin It Forward from a UCA staff member, and freshman Emma Giddings received Pin It Forward from a cheerleader from another squad.

Also, each year at camp, cheerleaders have an opportunity to try out for UCA All American cheerleader. Those who make All American are invited to perform in places such as London and Hawaii if they choose to do so. This year Riverdale had two squad members try out, and both of them made it! Congratulations to our All Americans, senior Emma Clemons and freshman Ayla Knotts. Ayla also made it to the final round of the jump off competition.

The squad received numerous team awards throughout the week. They received 3 spirit sticks, a blue ribbon for their cheer and sideline evaluation, a red ribbon for their camp dance evaluation, a 2^nd place trophy in the final dance evaluation, and the most improved trophy for a small varsity squad. It was a fun but tiring week, and the cheerleaders are fired up and ready to cheer on our boys of fall.

2022-23 cheerleaders are seniors: captain Emma Clemons, co-captain Molly Seales, Jessie Kate Cobb, and Baylee Whittington; juniors Kylie Donald, Sky McMullan, Emily Nettles, and Maddie Whittington; sophomores Lilly Grace Guillot, Kacie Harper, and Jadyn King; and freshmen Emma Giddings, Hanna Catherine Huddleston, Ayla Knotts, Makayla Pickett, Ava Procell, and Julia Grace Riggs.

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At the end of qualifying for the fall elections, United States Representative Mike Johnson had no opposition qualify.  Therefore, he is elected to a fourth term in the United States House of Representatives:

Johnston said, “I am truly grateful for the honor of serving the wonderful people of the Fourth Congressional District, and humbled to now be given a fourth term to do so. We have so much important work still to do, and I know in my heart that America’s best days are ahead of us, and not behind us.

“Kelly and I want to thank everyone for your confidence, encouragement and prayers.”

Congressman Johnson is the Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, a member of the House Judiciary and Armed Services Committees, and a former constitutional law litigator.

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By Teddy Allen

Unless you were born with four-leaf clovers in both hands, you are semi-cursed with the Give-Take Principle, or the GTP. Also called the Law of Staying Behind.

Whenever you get a little extra money, something will happen to snatch that money right out of your greedy little paws. Seldom does this fail.

My first real run-in with this reality was December, 1987. I went to The Great Louise at the newspaper — besides having a heart as wide as the Red River, she knew Everything about Everything — handed her an envelope and told her I’d accidentally been given an extra paycheck that week.

“That’s your Christmas bonus,” The Great Louise said.

Those were the days.

When the tears had cleared enough for me to see, I drove my truck straight to what was then Pioneer Bank — “The bank with the open door from 9 ’til 4” — deposited my check, wept some more, then started to crank my truck.

Key broke off in the ignition. 

Cost 80 bucks to fix. Merry Christmas to the locksmith, not so much to me.

Fate giveth money, fate taketh money away.

For some reason at the first of this month, we had a little extra money. So it was not a big hit when the envelope came in the mail, as it does every six months, with the car insurance due.

$461.57.

But also in the mail was the annual termite prevention bill.

$289.00.

An attention-getting one-two punch, but not one that would put you on the mat.

Except then the electric bill notice came by email. I was scared to open it.

And … for good reason. It shattered the previous monthly record by nearly $200.

Good thing I was sitting down.

Something was going on. The Give-Take Principle. The indisputable Law of Staying Behind.

It was more expected than surprising that evening when the musty smell under the sink turned out to be a plumbing leak in an old cast iron pipe, a pre-PVC situation. Easily fixable — once a carpenter moved a cabinet and cut some holes in the wall.

Plumbing cost? $509.00 the first day, $1,013.20 the second.

Carpentry? Jury is still out on that one, but we’re saving up.

It would have been easier to save up if, during the weekend before the plumbing was totally fixed, the plumbing in the back of the house hadn’t backed up. So, while plumbing was getting fixed in the kitchen, the “clean-out” guys were on the roof, running a roto-rooter thingy down the old cast iron pipes back there, ones that will eventually leak of course, and mercifully cleaning that out.

$330.00.

Thought it was going to be worse so was grateful. What was worse were the two new tires I had to get the next day.

$427.74. Gotta have tires. 

Two days later I took those tires and the rest of my car to my stud mechanic friend because my AC had gone out, the battery was draining, and surely that meant alternator trouble and another story for another time but the bottom line equals $357.19 and I wept like a small wet child for joy because I thought it would be much worse.

It’s at times like this I’m grateful to mow grass. Nothing can get to you when you’re out there mowing grass. So that’s what I did — until my mower broke.

Of course, it did.

The next day I put it in my repaired car and left my repaired home and drove it to the shop and left it. The next day I called to check on it.

Needs just one part. Just That One Part.

Unfortunately, Just That One Part is on backorder.

Of course, it is…

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu.

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AS A MANUFACTURING ENGINEER, YOU WILL:

Evaluate and improve existing equipment and tooling and fixture designs in a high-volume manufacturing environment

Develop creative solutions to manufacturing process design-related issues

Solve complex design/tooling issues

Collaborate with diverse groups of people, to include hourly employees, and upper management

Relay difficult concepts to multiple business groups

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

BS degree in Engineering (Mechanical preferred) or equivalent experience and previous design experience for Assembly processes

Proficient in AutoCAD and Inventor

Familiar with other CAD software packages, to include Solid Works, NX, and Pro-E

Strong problem-solving experience

If qualified and interested, please apply online at http://www.emerson.com

BENEFITS:

We offer medical insurance plans, dental and vision coverage, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more. We also provide you flexible time-off plans, including parental leave, vacation, and holiday leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Emerson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

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Red River teens learned to make their mark at the NW Teen Leadership Conference.

The 4-H office said, “We are so thankful for our volunteer club leaders who spent their day with us at the Northwest Region Volunteer Training hosted at NSU! We appreciate you all and can’t wait to get started in September.”

AS A QUALITY ENGINEER, YOU WILL:

• Investigate quality defects and perform RCA
• Lead and/or contribute to structured problem-solving for corrective and preventive actions
• Analyze no-conformance trends and evaluate the effectiveness of CAPA
• Identify improvement opportunities and drive actions for improvement by analyzing manufacturing processes and conducting process capability analysis
• Lead initiatives to improve non-conformance PPM and cost of quality
• Perform new product and process qualifications
• Direct quality support team members engaged in measuring and testing products and tabulating data concerning product or process quality

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

• BS degree in engineering or engineering technology with exposure to quality and lean manufacturing, plus two years of related experience
• Strong interpersonal skills with hourly, engineering and management
• Strong computer skills required

If qualified and interested, please apply online at http://www.emerson.com

BENEFITS:

We offer medical insurance plans, dental and vision coverage, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more. We also provide you flexible time-off plans, including parental leave, vacation, and holiday leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Emerson is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

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