18 Red River 4-H students attended 4-H University June 18-20. They competed against 1300 4-H members from all over Louisiana!

Each year 4-H members who are in the 8th-12th grade as of August 1, 2023, are eligible to participate in 4-H University to demonstrate their skills in more than 30+ competitive events. It is a culmination of a 4-H member’s year of hard work and dedication. Events range from Demonstrations, Automotive Care, Fishing Sports, Public Speaking, Fashion Revue, and more. Through competing, youth demonstrate life skills in teamwork, decision making, problem solving, resiliency, and many more. Each competitive event allows youth an opportunity for personal growth, skill mastery, and other life skills vital to functioning members of society.

Red River’s Top 10 winners that received medals were:

Rafe Suggs- 9th in Public Speaking Citizenship
Ben Moseley – 6th in Visual Arts
Shelby Pickett – 8th in Graphic Design
Cameron Jones – 8th in 4-H Has Talent
Adrianna Bradford – 5th in 4-H Has Talent
Caitlyn Jones – 7th in Personal Trainer
Joseph Shaver – 9th in Photography
Gabi Bounds and Emma Youngblood – 5th in Tiger Tank
Alaina Boyd – 4th in Horticulture Evaluation

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The Red River Parish School Board, in accordance with State guidelines, will destroy all special education records of former students born prior to January 1, 1999. These records are no longer needed for educational purposes.

You have an opportunity to obtain these records prior to August 5, 2024. The records can be claimed at Red River Parish School Board Office, 100 Bulldog Dr., Coushatta, LA. 71019 between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday through Wednesday and 8:00-12:30 pm Thursday.

All unclaimed records will be destroyed on Monday, August 5, 2024.

If you have any questions, please call Red River Parish Special Education Department at (318) 271-3138.

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On June 23, 2024, the First Methodist Church Coushatta honored four recent graduates. Pastor Trevor Blair presented mother and daughter Patience Danzy and Bryn Danzy, along with Sister and Brother Elizabeth Hughes and Tyler Hughes, with devotional books and prayed over each student’s success. This moment marked profound milestones for each family.

Patience Danzy graduated from Northwestern State University with a Master of Education degree in Special Education. She pursued the degree while a mother and teaching full time. She also passed the Educational Leadership Exams for Ed Leader Level 1.

Bryn Danzy graduated Valedictorian from Red River High School. Her high school accomplishments included Summa Cum Laude honors. She also had numerous athletic softball accolades.

Elizabeth Hughes graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Science from Northwestern State University. Hughes is focusing on getting married in a month, preparing for the Praxis exam and becoming a teacher soon.

Tyler Hughes graduated with honors from Red River High School. As the class’s highest ACT score, Hughes transitioned from High School to Centenary College in the same month. Hughes will play Baseball for Centenary this year.

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WASHINGTON — In celebration of the 52nd anniversary of Title IX being signed into law, Speaker Johnson hosted a panel discussion on the importance of protecting Title IX, the rights of women and girls, and the Biden Administration’s radical rewrite of the law, which is being challenged in court. The panel included former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Rep. Virginia Foxx, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, and Independent Women’s Forum chairwoman Heather Higgins.

“We’re here celebrating the 52^nd Anniversary of Title IX, which remains critically important today because the rights of women are under attack. On his first day in office, Joe Biden essentially said he was going to gut Title IX protections, and later, the Department of Education announced it was rewriting Title IX in a way that would have devastating effects for women in our schools and universities, including for women’s sports…We have agencies in the federal government that have truly been weaponized against the very people that these agencies are designed to serve and protect,” Speaker Johnson said.

“There’s a reason why there’s only 37 words in the original law, because it’s a very clear, common sense approach to how we deal with giving women equal opportunity,” Secretary DeVos said. “And there’s a reason why the regulation that we went through during our administration has withstood legal tests, because we follow the law. The regulations…that the Obama and Biden Administrations have put forward simply aren’t following the law… It is time to return to the original intent of Title IX and have common sense prevail again.”

“What we want to do is again protect the rights that women won in Title IX…We have passed out of committee representative Miller’s Congressional Review Act, which we will bring to the floor, I hope soon…The Congressional Review Act would roll back these new rules put out by the Biden administration, that negate most of the work that was done under Secretary DeVos, which was extraordinarily thoughtful and well done,” Chairwoman Foxx said.

“The Biden administration is waging the most anti-woman, anti-reality pursuit in history. They are taking the original 37 words of the landmark sex-equality law and creating an entirely new proposal that’s almost half a million words,” Riley Gaines said. “They are stripping all sex-based protections for women and girls — robbing women of equal opportunity, privacy, and fairness. Equating ‘sex’ with ‘gender identity’ effectively abolishes the original intent of Title IX. This doesn’t enforce Title IX, it violates it.”

“While the administration disingenuously claims that the new rule doesn’t apply to sports, they’ve established the default position that school activities limited to biological women or biological men are presumptively discriminatory,” Heather Higgins said. “The administration has repeatedly insisted, in court filings and in public pronouncements, that Title IX requires schools to allow trans-identified males to play women’s sports. They can’t have it both ways. Either they use Title IX to force schools to allow men on women’s sports teams, or if they are not, then schools should stop the madness right now.”

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NEW ORLEANS – LSUS basketball coach Kyle Blankenship has been selected as the Jimmy Collins Award recipient from the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, the organization announced.

The Collins Award honors a sports figure or organization whose accomplishments that particular year doesn’t fit into a specific category. The award is named after a longtime New Orleans sportswriter who is credited with creating the New Orleans Sports Awards and forming the Sports Awards Committee in 1958.

Blankenship, the longtime men’s coach at LSUS, pulled double duty this season as he assumed control of the women’s team just two weeks before the regular season started.

He coached both teams to the NAIA Tournament with a combined 54-12 record, including a pair of NAIA Tournament wins on the same day. The latter feat is believed to be a first in college basketball history.
Blankenship, the Louisiana Women’s Basketball College Coach of the Year (Louisiana Sports Writers Association) and a finalist for the Collegiate Coach of the Year in all sports, guided the women to a 30-3 record, their first-ever NAIA Tournament win, a program-best 22-game winning streak, and Red River
Athletics Conference regular season and tournament titles.

The Pilot men advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 as that program continued its postseason success for the past two decades.

“What we were able to accomplish this season coaching two teams is something that has never been done before in college basketball history,” Blankenship said. “I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to lead both of our men’s and women’s teams this past season.

“It was definitely the highlight of my 12-year career and one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
The fateful NAIA Tournament day came on March 15, when the women topped Tabor, 69-59, in a 2 p.m. game before Blankenship turned around and coached the nightcap with the men, a 95-89 overtime win against Kansas Wesleyan. Both teams were at the same tournament site in Salina, Kansas.

“Once we finished celebrating the women’s first-ever national tournament win, I hopped in the car with my assistant coach to go pick up the men’s pregame meal and delivered it back to the hotel,” Blankenship said. “We then had to return to the gym to scout the game before us at 6 p.m. It was easily the most chaotic day of the season, but definitely the most rewarding of my 12-year career following the men’s first-round victory later that night!”

Blankenship was a finalist for the Collegiate Coach of the Year honor with LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark, McNeese men’s basketball coach Will Wade, and LSU Eunice baseball coach Jeff Willis.
Both Clark and Willis won national championships this year in their respective sports, the first-ever for LSU gymnastics.

Blankenship will be among the honorees at an Aug. 3 banquet in New Orleans to recognize annual award winners and to induct the Great New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Recognizable inductees include NBA players Chris Duhon (Salmen High) and Paul Thompson (Tulane), Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans and NFL running back Matt Forte (Tulane).

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“I need to lose a few pounds,” is an expression that many of us mutter with a grumble. None of us want to go on a diet, but what if that diet was a steak diet in which we ate more steak and less vegetables? Now, that’s a diet I could sink my teeth into. That is exactly the diet Dr. James proposed. 

James Henry was born in Scott, New York in 1823.  In his twenties, he studied his way through the collegiate hierarchy and by the time he was 30, became a doctor and a well-respected chemist.  We might never have heard of Dr. James had it not been for America’s bloodiest and most divisive conflict, the Civil War.  During the Civil War, Dr. James served as a physician for the Union army.  There was little he could do to help soldiers wounded in battle other than try to repair their damaged and broken bodies.  Dr. James recognized that he was treating more soldiers for diseases than from battle wounds.  According to the National Park Service, more than twice as many Union soldiers died from diseases than from battle.  Most of the soldiers Dr. James treated were suffering from severe diarrhea, which led to dehydration, and often proved fatal.  Now that was a problem that Dr. James thought he could solve by using his background in chemistry.

Dr. James began studying the soldiers’ diet.  At the start of the war, soldiers on both sides were allotted a small ration of pork, bacon, or salt beef, hardtack (hard bread), beans, peas, potatoes, rice, corn, and other available vegetables.  Dr. James concluded that vegetables and starchy foods produced poisons in the digestive system.  He blamed vegetables for a host of illnesses such as heart disease, tuberculosis, mental illness, tumors, and, of course, diarrhea.  Had my younger self known of Dr. James’s conclusions, I certainly would have used them in an attempt to avoid eating my broccoli.  Dr. James believed that the troops suffering from diarrhea could be treated with a diet of coffee and lean chopped beefsteak.  Dr. James claimed that healthy soldiers could avoid getting diarrhea if they utilized the same diet.  Dr. James had a hard time getting military leaders to adopt his diet because of limitations in supplies of meat. 

Following the Civil War, Dr. James continued to encourage people to adopt his diet of coffee and steak.  Contrary to what we might expect in a capitalistic society, Dr. James was not seeking profit.  He shared his recipes openly with anyone who would listen.  His recipes often appeared in newspapers.  His most popular recipe was for his steak, which he suggested should be eaten three times a day.  In 1888, newspapers throughout the country declared that Dr. James’s steak “appears to be giving remarkably good results as a diet for people troubled with weak or disordered digestion, but who require the supporting power of animal food.”  The article shared the manner for preparing the steak as described by a Dr. Hepburn in the Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter.  “The surface of a round steak is chopped with a dull knife, the object being not to cut but to pound the meat.  As the meat pulp comes to the top, it is scraped off, while the tough and fibrous portion gradually reaches the bottom of the trough.  The pulp is then made into cakes and lightly and quickly broiled so as to leave it almost raw inside.”

Today, Dr. James’s dietary work has been largely forgotten with the exception of his steak.  Many of us still eat his steak as his recipe suggested — flavored with onion and other seasonings, then broiled, and covered with thick gravy or brown sauce – though not three times a day as he would have liked.  Perhaps we cancel out the healthy properties of his steak as we consume it with hearty helpings of vegetables.  We still know the steak by his last name, which upon hearing may subconsciously cause your mouth to water.  Now you know how and why Dr. James Henry Salisbury invented the Salisbury Steak. 

Sources:

1.     Manitoba Weekly Free Press, February 19, 1885, p.10.

2.     New York Tribune, August 24, 1905, p.7.

3.     “Civil War Facts: 1861-1865,” National Park Service, NPS.gov, nps.gov/civilwar/facts.htm.

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Pelican Broadband, the newly rebranded internet service provider, is excited to announce its official launch, following a recent purchase and rebranding effort. The company, NortheastTel, recently acquired the Louisiana operations of EpicTouch, marking a significant milestone in its growth and commitment to providing superior internet services to Natchitoches and other local communities.

The purchase, finalized in February, brings together the legacy of two telecommunications companies that date back to the 1930’s and 40’s, when the original companies began as Campti-Pleasant Hill Telephone Company and Northeast Louisiana Telephone Company. The new entity, Pelican Broadband, is working to implement and improve internet services in the communities of Campti, Creston, Natchitoches, and Pleasant Hill. Along with the planned improvements, Pelican Broadband is dedicated to continuing to provide outstanding service to DeSoto, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Red River, and Sabine Parishes.

A Commitment to Better Connectivity

Pelican Broadband is currently replacing legacy copper infrastructure with state-of-the-art fiber optic technology to ensure faster, more reliable internet and telephone services. This ambitious project aims to cover approximately 300 miles of fiber optic cable over the next five years. The upgrade will bring minimum speeds of 100 Mbps to underserved areas, with plans for up to 1 Gbps of speed.

Community Focus and Affordability

As a local, family-owned business, Pelican Broadband understands the unique needs of its customers. The company has made significant strides in making its services more accessible, including reducing the prices of most residential packages and simplifying the sign-up process with a flat deposit and no credit check requirements.

“We want to ensure everyone has access to reliable internet, especially in today’s world where connectivity is crucial,” said Mike George, President and CEO of Pelican Broadband.

Expanding Services and Community Involvement

Pelican Broadband is not just about internet and traditional telephone services. The company also offers Hosted PBX phone systems, and will be rolling out Managed IT Services, a new offering to the Natchitoches area.

Additionally, Pelican Broadband is committed to supporting their communities, sponsoring events such as the NPSB Expo in July, a 4-mile run/walk in Morehouse Parish in October, various K-12 organizations & athletics, Natchitoches Christmas Festival, and the annual Tappedtober and NRMC Foundation Gala events.

Trusted Local Service

“Our team remains the same dedicated group of professionals our customers have come to know and trust,” said Chief Operating Officer, Rick Darsey, who joined the company in 2010.

“We pride ourselves on providing personal, reliable service and being an integral part of the communities we serve.”

Pelican Broadband invites current and prospective customers to learn more about their services by visiting their website or contacting either of their offices. As the company looks to the future, it remains focused on expanding into new areas and continuously improving its network to meet the needs of all customers, ensuring that even the most rural areas have access to high-quality internet services.

For more information, please visit pelicanbroadband.com or contact Pelican Broadband at 318-352-0006.

About Pelican Broadband

Pelican Broadband is a local, family-owned internet service provider dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable internet and telephone services to communities in Louisiana. With a rich history dating back to 1933, the company is committed to enhancing connectivity through state-of-the-art fiber optic technology and a focus on customer satisfaction.

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Baton Rouge, La. — The Louisiana Department of Health is launching a suite of new resources today to help Louisianans stay safe during the hot summer months. These resources include an expanded public-facing heat-related illness dashboard and a collection of new heat-related health guidance documents.

Heat-related illness, also known as HRI or hyperthermia, happens when the body is unable to maintain a normal body temperature, resulting in heat exhaustion or life-threatening heat stroke.

The summer of 2023 marked the hottest on record for Louisiana, with the statewide maximum temperature exceeding 95°F on 56 days. This resulted in an unprecedented number of heat-related emergency department (ED) visits and fatalities. LDH tracked 88 heat-related deaths and 6,142 emergency department (ED) visits for heat-related illness in 2023.

The dashboard offers Louisianans a comprehensive view of ED visits for HRI across the state. Updated weekly, the dashboard provides detailed breakdowns by day, parish, LDH region, age, sex and race. It also allows users to explore potential connections between daily HRI counts and statewide maximum temperatures. This data is captured through a syndromic surveillance system that automatically identifies heat-related ED visits based on diagnoses and mentions of heat exposure in patient records.

Enhancements for the 2024 version of the dashboard include:

• Adding temperature (daily max) to the display of ED visits by date
• A visualization for ED visits by time of day 
• Interactive data visualizations for ED visits by demographic stratifications
• Additional technical information (e.g., case definitions)

New guidance documents include:

• What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Heat: Focuses on training, work schedules, monitoring and acclimatization
• What Workers Need to Know: Focuses on prevention, risk factors, implementing a buddy system and knowing how to call for help
• Water, Rest and Shade: Focuses on proper hydration, rest breaks and examples of different shading strategies
• Working in the Heat: Educates workers about symptoms and treatments for heat-related illness
• Employer’s Daily Checklist: Focuses on reinforcing trainings and safe work practices

LDH first began tracking ED visits for HRI in 2023, and the Department recently released a report summarizing those findings. Key findings from the report include:

• More than 6,100 ED visits were recorded for heat-related issues during the seven-month monitoring period.
• Males made up 76% of the visits. For ages 20 to 59, 8 out of 10 visits were male patients. 
• Black Louisianans exhibited a higher rate of heat-related ED visits compared to their white counterparts.
• Nearly a quarter of all ED visits involved workers, with men disproportionately affected. This aligns with the prevalence of male-dominated outdoor occupations, which put workers at higher risk for heat exposure.
• Pre-existing health conditions played a role in many heat illness cases. Patients with conditions like substance use, hypertensive and other cardiovascular disease, mental and behavioral disorders, diabetes and respiratory problems were more susceptible.
• While urban areas recorded the highest number of visits, rural areas exhibited higher rates of heat-related ED visits.

LDH leveraged last year’s findings to improve the dashboard and to shape its public health preventive measures and practices. This includes new initiatives aimed at educating Louisiana workers, employers and community members on how to prevent heat-related illness.

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Ruston, LA – Louisiana Tech celebrated the 100th episode of the University’s Beyond 1894 podcast. Episode 100 features Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker as the guest, interviewed by Tech President Jim Henderson. Walker was selected for the episode because of Tech’s notable relationship with the City of Ruston and his dedication to the University.

“Whether we’re celebrating the arrival of the first Buc-ee’s in Louisiana or the expansion of the nation’s premier producer of secure semiconductors and microchips, we know that we can rely on the City of Ruston as a partner,” said Henderson of Walker’s leadership on the podcast.

The Beyond 1894 podcast began in March of 2020, published by the Office of University Communications. Since then, the hosts have welcomed over 120 guests to share their stories, from faculty and staff to students and alumni. Topics range from the personal journeys of the Tech Family to details on achievements and goings-on of the campus community.

The podcast also served as the farewell interview for President Emeritus Les Guice, who retired in December of 2023 and spent nearly a full hour detailing his rich history with the University and optimism for the future. Just three episodes later, Dr. Jim Henderson joined the podcast to discuss his reasons for pursuing the Tech presidency and the University’s potential for growth.

Now, both of those presidents join a short list of guest hosts that includes ANS Associate Dean Dr. Jamie Newman, Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Davy Norris, and recently graduated communication student Madeline Kalmbach, to name a few. The podcast has hosted students like Jayden Johnson, Joseph Johnson, and Da’Voznik Armstrong—some of Tech’s prestigious Reginald F. Lewis scholars; Walker Pearson, Connor Smith, and Elizabeth McKinney—the last three SGA presidents; and Chanley Patterson and Jordan Smith—two of the most recent Miss Louisiana Tech pageant winners. Distinguished alumni like Tim Brandon of TBA Studio and Marlon Watts and Nicholas Clark of WRLDINVSN have shared how Tech helped set them up for success. Faculty like Brad Deal (the architecture design build program) and Mark Murphey (the science of barbecue) have discussed a wide spectrum of ideas, events, and accomplishments unique to Tech.

Across all 100 episodes, some very common themes emerge: loyalty, family, passion, and pride. More than a few guests use the phrase “felt like home” to describe their first time setting foot on campus. Guests who have made it to Ruston after several career pit stops in different corners of the world express that Louisiana Tech has been an ideal place for them to elevate their careers and raise their families. Students from all backgrounds say they pursue their education with motivation, confident in the value of earning a Louisiana Tech degree.

Even after over 120 guests and 100 episodes, the vastness of the Tech Family means the already-impressive guest list of the Beyond 1894 podcast is just getting started.

Listen to the 100th episode in full here, and view a list of all episodes of Beyond 1894 here. Watch the interview between Henderson and Walker on YouTube.

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has released its 2024-25 hunting regulations pamphlet online at the LDWF website. For the complete regulations, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/seasons-and-regulations.

The pamphlet contains hunting rules, regulations and season dates for the 2024-25 season, including hunting information on LDWF’s Wildlife Management Areas and Louisiana’s federal lands.
 
Printed copies of the pamphlets will be available in August at LDWF offices throughout the state and at vendors where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
  
This season’s regulation pamphlet also has season schedules for the state’s 10 deer hunting areas and major changes for the 2024-25 season.
 
For more information, contact Tommy Tuma 225-765-2349 or ttuma@wlf.la.gov.

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I believe 2016 was the last time Toledo Bend was on fire. Well, 2024 has been very similar to that year so far. The Bend is once again an awesome fishery that is putting out not only quality bass, but bass over 10 pounds. This past May during the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash was the proof that anglers are embracing.

Understand, all lakes go through some periods of decline and most rebound with good management. It’s like a deer lease; the only way to have quality deer is to manage the herd. It’s been through the coordination and dedication of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Management (TPWM) that Toledo Bend has been able to rebound and become one of the best fisheries in the South.

Here are some numbers from mid-May’s Sealy Big Bass Splash that will illustrate just how good the Bend is fishing at this time.

• Over the course of three days anglers brought in 94 bass over 6 pounds with 35 of those over 7 pounds.
• For the first time in years, the top four bass of the event were over 10 pounds — 10.06, 10.52, 10.58, along with the winning bass of 10.64 lbs. 

All Sealy events also have an hourly payback for the top 15 bass each hour. Here’s what it took just to make the Top 15 each hour.

• Friday – it took a 4.16 lb. bass to make the Top 15.

• Saturday – it a 4.13 lb. bass to make the Top 15.

• Sunday – it took at least a 3.72 lb. bass to make the Top 15.

To the average person these numbers may not mean much, but to an avid bass fisherman they are eye-popping. The numbers show just how good of a fishery Toledo Bend is currently. Additionally, it proves that the lake is putting out quality bass and that will encourage tournament organizations to schedule more events on the Bend.

There are other factors that have helped the Bend to become, once again, one of the best bass lakes in the country. Over the last year, there has been a resurgence of grass, what biologists call hydrilla. Both ends of Toledo Bend have good grass beds from Blue Lake (north of San Miguel) down to Housen Bay and Six Mile areas.  Lower water levels of 2023 and early 2024 have also been a factor due to the fact it has allowed more vegetative growth in the shallow water areas.

One thing is clear. Toledo Bend is once again in the category of “Best Lakes in America.” While Mother Nature is the determining factor on just how good this lake will be in the future, it’s up to all anglers to do our part with fish management. It’s our job to take care of our catch on tournament day and make sure the fish we release back into the lake are in great condition to be caught again.

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing, and let’s all try to practice catch and release on all our waterways. Keep what you can eat and throw the rest back to be caught another day.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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C. Rodney Harrington and the Harrington Law Firm have previously been awarded an “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell Rating Service which is the service’s highest possible designation of professionalism and ethics.  This rating was generated by a survey of Harrington’s peers and only 10% of attorneys across the United States receive this coveted designation.  

Martindale-Hubbell is widely recognized as the world’s most respected service for rating attorneys.  They have been conducting and publishing attorney ratings for over 130 years and are regarded the “Gold Standard” of attorney ratings. 

Now, the Harrington Law Firm is proud to announce that attorney C. Rodney Harrington and the firm have also been awarded by the same rating service the highest possible distinction by the judiciary.

C. Rodney Harrington and the Harrington Law Firm have added to their previous award the Special Edition Judicial Award which is especially noteworthy because it is based upon the confidential opinions and recommendation of members of the judiciary familiar with Mr. Harrington and the Harrington Law Firm.  The Judicial Edition Award indicates perfect ratings from the judiciary on the attorney’s legal ability and ethical standards.

According to Harrington, he is particularly proud of this recognition because it is based upon reviews from other attorneys and area judges who are familiar with his and the firm’s legal standards and professional ability, and not some “Buy an Award” marketing ploy.

“We’re a small, family law firm in a small town and we strive every single day to be ethical and professional in the representation of our clients,” said Harrington.  “That’s why it’s so gratifying to learn that we have received the highest possible rating by our fellow attorneys and now by judges as well.  We must be doing something right.”

C. Rodney Harrington has been practicing law in this area for over 45 years and his son and partner, C. Edward “Eddie” Harrington for over 14 years.

The Harrington Law Firm handles a wide range of cases, but primarily all types of personal injury, including Automobile, Motorcycles, and Big Truck Wrecks and Medical Malpractice, along with Bankruptcy, Social Security Disability Appeals, and Wills and Estates.

The firm’s website is http://www.theharringtonlawfirm.com

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The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE), in partnership with Navigators for a Healthy Louisiana, is more than thrilled to announce that our statewide LA40by2030 Tours to varying regions will launch in Louisiana Department of Health Region 7* in Natchitoches. This tour brings together community members, state and local officials, community-based organizations, health professionals, and more to foster meaningful dialogue and gather valuable insights with a focus on rural areas. This initiative is part of the LA40by2030 campaign to improve Louisiana’s health rankings from 50^th to 40^th by 2030. 

The LA40by2030 Tours will include visits to multiple regions across Louisiana with a focus on the rural areas that face unique challenges in healthcare access and health outcomes. LCHE is working diligently to build a platform of engagement for community members to contribute to candid conversations about creating a more equitable state for all Louisianians.

Your participation is vital in the forming of a future where healthy living is a tangible reality across the state. The tours will kick off in Region 7 of our state, starting in Natchitoches. 

Join Us: 

WHEN: Tuesday, July 2, 2024 starting at 7:00pm

WHERE: Natchitoches Arts Center

 716 Second Street Natchitoches, LA 71457

Registration and information link: LA40by2030Tours.eventbrite.com

Note: There may be a virtual option. Organizers will offer updates soon.  

Following Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams’ Welcome to the City and comments, Natchitoches First Lady Tiffany Williams will serve as the evening’s Mistress of Ceremonies.  Presenters include Alma Stewart Allen, Founder and President of LCHE; Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) Region 7 Director Dr. Melinda Whyte; and Margeaux Fisher, LCHE Fellow.

We are calling upon community members, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local and state officials, service providers, advocates, visionaries, and community champions to come together to rally around a shared goal of improving the health of people across the region.

For more information, www.eventbrite.com/e/la40by2030-tours. Should you have any questions, email info@lahealthequity.org or text/call 225-772-7029.

*As designated by the Louisiana Department of Health to include the following parishes: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster. 

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Hall Summit Hometown Festival & BBQ Cook-off is slated for June 28 & 29 beginning at 5pm Friday. There will be numerous vendors selling unique items and mouth watering BBQ to enjoy. The Casey Martin Band will entertain the crowd Saturday at 1pm. 

The 2024-2025 Northwest 4-H Leadership Conference in Natchitoches is just around the corner. Calling all 7th-12th grade 4-H members and all adult volunteers, this event is for you! Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun. Transportation is available. The deadline to sign up is TODAY. Call the 4-H office to get your name on the list. 

PaPa John’s is hiring for shifts 10-4 and 4-10. 

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Christolene Greer Dickson
February 7, 1933 – June 26, 2024
Service: Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 2pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel – Coushatta

Rosa Lee Calvet
January 22, 1941 – June 18, 2024
Memorial service: Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 10am at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel – Coushatta

Apples Taylor Smith
January 7, 1967 – June 19, 2024
Homecoming Celebration Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 11am at Deliverance Temple Church – Coushatta
Repast at Red River Community Center – Coushatta

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The Red River Parish Public School System is pleased to announce that they are participating in Summer Feeding beginning July 10.

In order to provide children with the most food, RRPSB is participating in the Rural Noncongregate Meal Option. This will be a box that contains shelf stable food for 7 days of breakfasts and 7 days of lunches.

The school system is trying to offer a variety of food and products so that there is something for everyone, however they realize that all tastes are different. There will be some variation based on availability but the box will always have milk, grains, meat/meat alternatives, fresh fruit and fruit juices, and extras.

Students can show up in person to receive one box per child. If a guardian chooses to pick up a box for their child or children, they must fill out a form and sign each week.

The boxes will be first come first serve from10:30am until 1pm on July 10 at the Red River High School cafeteria in the “horseshoe drive” under the covered area. RRPSB will try to accommodate as many as we can and will work as fast as possible to make things run smoothly and quickly.

The summer food stamps (Sun Bucks) will be available as well for qualifying families to help ease summer hunger. That is through the Department of Children and Family Services not through the schools.

Dates for Food Pick Up:
Wednesday, July 10  10:30 am -1 pm
Wednesday, 17  10:30 am -1 pm
Wednesday, July 24  10:30 am -1 pm
Tentatively Wednesday July 31

For questions or concerns call Katie Bethard, Director of Nutrition and Health, at 932.4081. 

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Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – Red River is known for testing its mettle with some of Northwest Louisiana’s finest in non-district play.

The Class 2A Bulldogs have routinely scheduled games against Class 4A and Class 5A opponents – in 2023 Red River faced Haughton, Parkway and Woodlawn with a side quest against Loyola Prep.

But Red River’s playoff trip down to No. 7 seed Pine (a 38-16 loss) showed first-year coach Byron Keller that perhaps his Bulldogs might handle a longer road trip better if they took a couple during the regular season.

So Red River put trips to small-school powers like Catholic-Pointe Coupee, Oak Grove, White Castle and Class 5A Pineville on the slate for this coming season.

“We wanted to play schools that were closer to our size,” said Keller, who . “We’re still playing great competition, but this way we’re also learning how to execute travel as well.

“I think it’d be beneficial for our players to get out and see different parts of the state. We’ll get a true measure of where we are against schools more our size.”

A 3-8 Red River squad did compete relatively well against the bigger schools on last year’s slate – a 10-point loss to Woodlawn, a 17-point loss to Loyola and a 20-point loss to Haughton in which Red River’s offense scored 28 points in two of those contests.

A team buoyed by 14 seniors, including running back Terrell Gary and defensive stalwart Reginald Prealow, will be missed, but Keller said a young crop of guys are emerging at different positions on the field.

“We have guys that can step in,” Keller said. “We’ve got five running backs that we’re confident in, and even though our offensive and defensive lines are mostly freshmen and sophomores, they are playing well right now.

“We have a lot to look forward to.”

Red River participated in a trio spring game with Mansfield and Logansport, two teams who beat Red River this past season. The Bulldogs did go toe-to-toe in a 38-34 regular-season loss to a Class 1A Tigers squad that were the Division IV Non-Select No. 1 seed and a semifinalist.

“We played a fast-paced spring game where we saw different types of offenses and defenses,” Keller said. “We were able to make adjustments and had a lot of high points in the spring game and throughout our nine spring practices.

“Our classes went into the first couple weeks of June, so we’re just now getting true summer workouts that are more spread out and not right after school.”

Keller lauded his defensive backs specifically for their improvement this spring. That unit features a pair of basketball players (Jomello McDonald and Warren Bowman) who led the Bulldogs to a state title appearance this past season.

“That unit is playing really well, and I’m proud of the improvement they’ve made,” Keller said. “Our quarterback Malique Smith has also made a lot of strides and is throwing the ball well in 7-on-7s.”

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First Baptist Church Coushatta honored its graduating seniors at Sunday morning services May 19, 2024. They are Will Jones and Ryder Huddleston, both Riverdale Academy graduates.

Will, the son of Julie Bounds and Tyler Jones, plans to attend LSUS.  

Ryder, who was unable to be present, is the son of Celeste and Matt Huddleston. He plans to attend Northwestern State University.

The church presented the young men with New King James study Bibles.

Shown is Will receiving his study Bible from Dr. Philip Caples, FBC pastor.

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He was no doctor. His formal education ended when he graduated from high school after the 11th grade; more than 65 years ago, there was no 12th grade. As a kid, Thomas Ernest Harris, born March 5, 1909, was given the nickname by an older gentleman who for some unknown reason, began calling him “Little Doc”.

The Doc Harris I knew growing up was a dad that I cherished and wanted to emulate. His career with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries working in Predator Control, made me the envy of kids at school. I got to go with my daddy to run his traps where we would find a variety of wildlife such as wolves and bobcats in his traps. When I told classmates about what dad had trapped, I’m sure my chest stuck out a bit as I noticed their envy.

Dad enjoyed squirrel hunting but never had the passion for deer hunting. Yet on his one and only deer hunt, he brought home a trophy 9 point buck weighing over 200 pounds.

Working for Wildlife and Fisheries, one of his annual tasks was to assist at wildlife management areas, checking in hunters and recording the deer taken.

One year, his assignment was on a wildlife management area in Sabine Parish and after checking in the hunters, there was a lull before they began trickling back with their deer. Dad, not being a deer hunter, didn’t have a deer rifle but one of the guys working with him at the check station had brought his 3030 but had no plan to use it that day, asking dad if he’d like to use it.

Dad borrowed the rifle, walked out back behind the check station and took a seat on a log, probably enjoying the coolness of a fall morning. His enjoyment came to an abrupt end when this big buck stepped out of the thicket in front of him, dad shot, brought down the only buck he would ever take on the only deer “hunt” he would ever make.

Before starting work as a trapper, he held a variety of jobs, one of which was a salesman for Watkins Products. He’d sometimes take me with him as he drove around the countryside visiting with folks and I never remember him as a high pressure salesman. He would sit and visit and tell tales with customers and if they were interested in what he was selling or if they weren’t, he enjoyed just sitting and visiting.

Once I went along with him and at one of his stops, while visiting, the customer he was talking with pulled out a plug of Brown’s Mule chewing tobacco. He cut off a chunk, handed it to daddy who followed suit. Being the curious kid I was, I asked if I might try it – I was maybe 6-7 years old.

Daddy thought it was a good time to teach his young son a lesson on the evils of tobacco, so he cut a piece off, handed it to me with the expectation of watching me retch and turn green and never want to fool with tobacco again. To his surprise, I loved it and instead of being repelled by the nasty stuff, I wanted more.

Daddy grew up on his dad’s farm in Goldonna. After his Naval career ended, he met and married a pretty young lady from the neighbouring village of Readhimer and together, they raised three children, me, my brother Tom who was two years younger than me and our sister, Linda. Daddy was a Christian, deacon and Sunday School teacher and faithful church member.

The daddy I knew was a mixture of seriousness and fun, mostly fun. He could turn any project into fun and that’s why today, my memories of my daddy were basically all good ones.

On the day he died from lung cancer in 1976, I had taken my mom to visit him in the Veteran’s hospital in Shreveport. For a few moments, he and I were in the room alone when he told me he had overheard his doctor tell a colleague that his condition was terminal. He told me to take mom back home, that he was tired of fighting it and was ready to go meet Jesus. I got a call from the hospital that night telling me daddy had passed away.

Having just experienced Father’s Day, I had to write this column in my daddy’s memory and honor. How blessed I am to have been raised by a daddy like Doc Harris.

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Pictured is Eric Breedlove of Coushatta with his 10.4 pound bass caught June 11, 2024, on Grand Bayou Reservoir. Breedlove plans to have a replica of the fish made under the Grand Bayou Resort’s Lunker program.

The resort and Grand Bayou Reservoir District will pay for replicas of any fish caught at the lake over 10 pounds. If the fisherman wants a replica, the fish must first be officially weighed by resort personnel, then returned to the lake alive and in good condition.

Photo credit David Pickett, GBR.

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By Doug De Graffenried

You can’t drive forward while looking in a rear-view mirror.

You can try and some do.

Ministers spend a great deal of time in a car driving to various places. I enjoy my automotive world. With technology, I can hear the phone ring despite playing my radio loud enough to change my heart rhythm. I play the radio so loud because I don’t hear well after all these years of playing the radio very loud in my car. The vehicle allows the phone call to interrupt my musical moment. I never miss a phone call while driving. When I am alone, the air-conditioning is on the “freeze out” setting. I want to make sure that my glasses fog up heavily when I exit the vehicle. If I can’t see at all, the air conditioning was cold enough. I also look for sermon illustrations while I am driving. Jesus is certainly watching, but I am too! When I raise the phone while driving, I’m not texting. I am photographing.

This morning driving to work, I had the radio loud and the air conditioning on “freeze out,” while I observed the world. In front of me was a black mustang convertible. There was a girl in the car. I could tell because she had her rearview mirror cocked in the “installing make up while driving” position. We sat at the light, and I watched as she applied some ointment, powder, or treatment to her face while the light was red. Because of the angle of the Mustang rear window, I could not tell if she continued applying make-up while driving. She was going “my way” and I did note she was an excellent driver and I’ll bet a super multi-tasker.

I have witnessed full facial make-overs while the person was driving the car. I have seen men put on a tie, send a text message, and read the newspaper at the same time while driving on the Interstate. But I am fascinated by the women who can put on that eye makeup stuff while driving. I have seen mascara going on while the nice lady was driving the car and making a cell phone call. I am amazed. They are doing all of this while looking backwards. The road they are traveling on is out the front window!

But really, you can’t drive forward looking in a rear-view mirror. Jesus said, “If you put your hand to the plow and look back you are not worthy of the kingdom.” Jesus was saying you need to keep your spiritual focus and your life looking forward. If you look back to regrets, mistakes, slights, hurts, sins, or even successes you will miss the beauty of this day. Today is out there, it is not back there!

You didn’t know your car was spiritual, did you?

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SHREVEPORT, LA — LifeShare Blood Center is urging blood donors to include giving blood in their summer plans. Blood donations are urgently needed through the summer and, historically, there is a higher demand for blood products in July.

According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, July 4th and 5th are the two busiest days of the year for U.S. hospital emergency rooms, with nearly 10,000 more patients than any other two-day average. The biggest reason for the spike is due to injuries from fireworks. About one-third of fireworks-related injuries are burns, based on research from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Dr. Tim Peterson, Medical Director for LifeShare Blood Center states, “Burn patients use lots of blood products over long periods of time, especially red blood cells and plasma due to the loss of red cells and clotting factors with these types of wounds. Plasma and red blood cells are needed to maintain an adequate oxygen supply by the patient as they recover.” A single donation can impact up to three people since most whole blood donations are separated into individual components: red cells, platelets, and plasma.

Unlike most other life-saving medical treatments, blood cannot be manufactured or stockpiled. Red blood cells expire after only 42 days and platelets after only 7 days. “We rely on each donation, each day, to meet the needs of our local patients and hospitals,” says Mandi Johnson, Director of Community Engagement.

United We Give is an annual campaign hosted by LifeShare to anticipate and prepare for the decrease of blood donors during the summer months. This year, United We Give is July 1st-5th and each donor will receive a $10 gift card for lunch and a limited-edition t-shirt. We’re excited to have Raising Canes* again this year as our partner in this campaign.

*Donors in the El Dorado, Arkansas area will receive a $10 eGift Card to a vendor of their choice.

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This past week the Louisiana Legislature passed into law a bill that requires the displaying of the 10 Commandments in every public- school classroom in the state. Our young people are trying to survive the cultural cesspool that modern American society has become and being reminded of the eternal principles of morality and faith, and encouraging respect for parents, can only benefit them.

Naturally, the atheist and “civil liberties” groups like the ACLU (which hasn’t found a conservative civil liberty to champion in decades) immediately vowed to sue arguing the display constitutes an “establishment” of religion, notwithstanding the fact that the 10 Commandments also provide the general foundation for American civil and criminal law.

These groups quote Thomas Jefferson, that there should remain “a separation between church and state.” Well, all that our Framers intended by the Establishment Clause was that there be no official state religion of the kind the Pilgrims fled when they settled in America. That is all. The Framers never intended for there to exist this outright hostility to all notions of religion and faith in public life. However, that’s what we have.

Jefferson absolutely favored free exercise of religion and cited as one of his proudest accomplishments the religious freedom law he wrote for his native state of Virginia. Jefferson opposed a mandated state religion. Beyond that, he supported the broadest definition of religious liberty possible.

Back to the new law.

It should be unnecessary but perhaps the way to avoid having the law struck down is by including other historical displays such as the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact, and the Northwest Ordinance. Perhaps, the Jewish Torah and Muslim Koran as well. By surrounding the 10 Commandments display with other religious and historical displays, it would be imbued with academic, educational, and historical value outside of any religious context.

The current U.S. Supreme Court has been more accommodating of free exercise of religion, including the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton, the “praying football coach” who was fired from his job at a public high school after he briefly knelt after games to offer a prayer of thanks. The Court ruled in his favor, finding that the coach had never attempted to force his players to join him, or based playing time upon player participation in the prayer. Rather, in firing the coach the school district had unconstitutionally punished him “for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance.”

I note that for decades the Supreme Court employed the “Lemon test” in establishment of religion cases. (Lemon v. Kurtzman). The test applies three principles: 1) Whether the “religious” action or display had a clear secular purpose. 2). Whether the primary effect of the action or display would advance or inhibit religion. 3). Whether the action or display would create an excessive government entanglement with religion.

Let’s do a quick analysis:

I would argue the display has a clear secular purpose in that the 10 Commandments have great historical, academic, and educational (and, depending upon how the display is prepared and posted, even artistic) significance aside from any religious connotation. Second, I don’t think a display of the 10 Commandments in Louisiana public schools has the primary effect of advancing religion. I think it primarily contributes to students’ education about American and world history as well as the study of the Bible as an academic pursuit. Finally, it would not create an excessive entanglement with government because a display of this type would simply be present to be noticed or not noticed by uninterested students. It’s no more an entanglement of government with religion than a rendition of the Mona Lisa hanging on the same school wall.

Well, the Lemon test is complicated and confusing and has now been rejected by the Supreme Court which ruled that, instead, the establishment clause “must be interpreted by ‘reference to historical practices and understandings.” I much prefer the new standard because America has many historical practices involving faith and religion in the public square as well as the understanding that such practices are based not only on faith and religion but on our nation’s culture, history, and tradition.

Even if this new law is struck down, it nonetheless has great symbolic value in having existed in the first place. Essentially, the new law—however long it may last—sends an unmistakable message about the values of Louisiana and what we think is important to emphasize in public education.

Royal Alexander

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