Calling all artists! It’s time to design this year’s State Fair of Louisiana Livestock t-shirt.

The judges are looking for creativity and an original design.

The winner will receive prize money for their t-shirt design, the Official 2025 State Fair of Louisiana Livestock T-shirt.

Email your design with completed contest form. to livestockassistant@statefairoflouisiana.com or mailed to: State Fair of Louisiana Livestock, 3701 Hudson Avenue, Shreveport, LA, 71109.

The deadline to turn in t-shirt designs is May 15, 2025.

Theme for t-shirt design:
It’s Showtime

Design rules:
1. Be creative and original with the design.
2. You may choose your T-shirt color from the following: red, white or blue (true royal).
3. The design will be on the back with the State Fair logo on the front.
4. Design must include livestock.
5. You are limited to two colors for your design.
6. Art work can be hand drawn or computer generated.
7. The winner will receive a money prize along with a free t-shirt that they designed and will have their name on the t-shirt as a designer.

If you have any questions about the T-shirt Contest, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Livestock Assistant Viktoria Moczygemba or Livestock Assistant Tracey Hilburn at (318) 638-1361 or email livestockassistant@statefairoflouisiana.com.

Northwestern Theatre and Dance will present “Cabaret” April 9-13 in the Art Studio of the NSU Print Shop located across Central Ave. from the Fredericks Center for Creative and Performing Arts. Performance times are April 9-12 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and senior citizens. NSU, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. Tickets are limited. Reservations can be made by emailing theatreanddance@nsula.edu. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cabaret-tickets-1242294138209?aff=ebdsoporgprofile The play contains adult content and themes. 

The April Genealogy Meeting will be held at the library Wednesday, April 16 from 10am -12pm. Dr. Virginia Webb and the library staff will be available to help you research your family tree using library resources, including Ancestry.com. You may use your own laptop, a library laptop, or no laptop. For more information, call 318-541-6761.

NONE

The Coushatta-Red River Chamber of Commerce will host Boilin’ on the Red 2025 Saturday, May 10 from 11am until 6pm at the Fairgrounds.

Presale armbands are $25 and can be purchased until May 1 at American Bank, Carter Federal Credit Union, 4-B Garage, Napa Auto Parts or Red River Industries or contact any chamber board member. $25  Bring exact change-no checks or credit cards accepted. 

Price at the gate will be $30. 

Entry only–no crawfish–$10. Kids 8 and under are free.

Live Zydeco music will be provided by Pat Mason and Bayou Boogie from 3-6pm.

Red River Lady Bulldog Softball will sell water, soft drinks and more from the concession stand.

Bring your chairs, canopies and hang out all day.

NO coolers/ice chests, outside food or drinks or any alcohol allowed. 

For more information contact Brandon Baxley 318.332.4159.

Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – The Red River softball team will attempt to hold on to its first-round home playoff game position as the Lady Bulldogs finish the season with six games in the final week.

Red River entered Thursday night’s contest against Ringgold in the No. 14 slot in the Division III Non-Select power ratings (16 teams host in the first round).

The remaining five games include doubleheaders at Bossier (Monday) and at Lakeview (Tuesday) with a regular-season finale Wednesday at Northwood-Lena.

Red River continued its trend of handling less experienced programs with wins against Providence Classical Academy (15-6), and two against Pleasant Hill (22-0 and 16-2).

But elite competition has been tougher with losses to Montgomery (17-0) and Simsboro (11-1).

Close games haven’t been common for Red River this season as the Lady Bulldogs are 2-1 in games decided by three runs or less before Thursday’s game.

Red River edged Saline and lost to Saline in such games with a win over Dodson accounting for other close contest.

The playoff bracket will be released April 16 with the first-round deadline being April 19.

Red River baseball reaching for strong finish after late-season swoon
The Red River baseball team is trying to cobble together a strong finish after a rough past two weeks.

The Bulldogs (12-12) have dropped eight of their last nine games heading into last night’s series opener against Lakeside.

Red River finishes that series today in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. if weather holds.

The Bulldogs have dropped five straight, which include two one-run losses and another two-run defeat.

Many swept Red River in a three-game set with a 3-2 win and wins of 19-17 and 9-3, the latter two coming Monday because of inclement weather.

Red River is 3-5 in District 3-2A play while Lakeside (14-13, 5-4) entered the series on a five-game winning streak.

Winnfield has series wins against Red River, Mansfield and Lakeside and is in the driver’s seat heading into the final series against Many.

The Bulldogs are fighting for their playoff lives as they’ve slipped to No. 23 in the Division III Non-Select power ratings (24 teams make the playoffs).

Riverdale baseball picks up second win
The Riverdale Academy baseball team doubled its season win total on Tuesday with a 6-5 win against Union Christian Academy.

The district win evens Riverdale’s district mark at 1-1 while improving its overall record to 2-10.

Riverdale gets a rematch with Briarfield Academy on Friday after Briarfield won the first meeting 16-0.

Riverdale has three more district contests remaining and a total of five regular-season games in the final two weeks of the season.

93.7 Kiss Country shared that this week’s recipient of the Kiss Country Caught in the Act Award. is Stacy Lary.

She was nominated by her step son, Jordan Well.

Congrats Stacy!

Read the full story here.

By Nolan McKendry Apr 2, 2025

(The Center Square) − In his latest effort to rein in government spending, Gov. Jeff Landry has imposed a hiring freeze across the executive branch, aiming to save the state $20 million annually. The freeze, announced through an executive order, applies to all state agencies but does not affect local governments.

The move is part of Landry’s broader strategy to address Louisiana’s budget shortfall, which he attributes to decisions made by the previous administration.

To keep spending in check, Landry’s fiscal 2025-2026 budget proposal eliminates one-time expenses and implements cost-saving measures. His administration has been pushing for revenue reforms to sustain essential services like healthcare and education while also securing funding for permanent teacher pay raises.

“This hiring freeze is a necessary step to control spending and provide the Legislature with more options to protect critical services,” Landry said in a news release. “Our goal is to stabilize Louisiana’s finances without making deep cuts to healthcare and education.”

Landry has taken an aggressive approach to cost-cutting since taking office.

In early March, he issued an executive order barring state agencies from automatically renewing leases on government office space. The policy requires agencies to justify lease renewals and verify funding, aligning with the governor’s Fiscal Responsibility Review Program.

Since 2022, the state of Louisiana has awarded over $8 million worth of leases for 26 buildings, according to public records from the Division of Administration.

Additionally, Landry has established a new Department of Governmental Efficiency, informally called La. DOGE, modeled after a federal initiative spearheaded by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The Louisiana program, led by Fiscal Responsibility Czar Steve Orlando, is tasked with identifying wasteful spending and recommending ways to streamline government operations.

The governor’s approach has sparked political debate. Rep. Mandie Landry, a New Orleans Democrat, criticized the creation of La. DOGE, arguing that budget oversight should remain within the Legislature and the state’s independent auditor.

Despite opposition, Landry remains committed to his fiscal agenda. His administration is encouraging residents to submit cost-saving ideas to La. DOGE, signaling that more budget-cutting measures may be on the horizon.

Love at first site is such a rarity that it is usually only found in Hollywood films, but it can and does happen. By all accounts, Carl was tall, dark, and extremely… shy. On June 1, 1964, Carl was driving along the city’s 8th Avenue. As he approached the Wishy Washy laundromat, he saw Rebecca standing just outside its door.

On the day before, Rebecca had graduated from high school. She had anxiously awaited her graduation day because she planned to move from the one-room rural childhood home she shared with her parents and 11 siblings to a city 200 miles away which offered many more opportunities. Rebecca’s aunt and uncle had agreed to let her rent the upstairs apartment in their small house. When graduation day came, Rebecca went to the graduation ceremony and then gathered her clothes to leave. She was in such a hurry making plans to leave that she had forgotten to do her laundry. On Rebecca’s first day in the big city, rather than taking in the sights, she walked to the Wishy Washy laundromat. She put her clothes in the coin-operated washers and started the machine. When the washing machine stopped a half hour or so later, Rebecca transferred her laundry to a drier. To ease her boredom, Rebecca walked out of the laundromat to take a look around.

At that precise moment, Carl caught a glimpse of Rebecca. He then did something that was so out of character that he surprised himself. He pulled up beside her and said, “you’re going to get a sunburn out here.” The last thing Rebecca was looking for was a man. She had left two boyfriends, which she had at the same time, back home when she moved to the big city. Before Rebecca could even formulate her reply, she knew their meeting was destiny. She said later, “I knew it was him, and he knew it was me.” The topic of their conversation was not a memorable one, but they just enjoyed being in each other’s presence. It was love at first sight.

Carl visited Rebecca when their schedules allowed. He worked in construction and she as a babysitter. A few days later, Carl asked Rebecca to dinner, an invitation she immediately accepted. Rather than going to one of the many restaurants in the city, they drove to Carl’s parents’ house. When they walked in the door, Carl said, “Get this girl a plate. This is the girl I’m going to marry.” Rebecca was flattered. Carl realized soon thereafter that there was a problem. Carl and Rebecca lived on opposite sides of the city.

One day, Carl told Rebecca, “You’re either going to have to move to the other end of town or we’re going to have to get married.” Rebecca responded, “Is that a proposal? I accept.” That weekend, Carl and Rebecca began an almost 59-year marriage in Ringgold, Georgia, which lasted until Carl died last month.

For Carl and Rebecca, it was certainly love at first sight when they met outside the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville, Tennessee. Because of his shyness, most of us would never have recognized Carl Thomas Dean by sight or by name, but the world knows Rebecca. You see, Rebecca is the middle name of country legend Dolly Parton.

Source: “Dolly: God, Family and Show Business,” YouTube, October 11, 2024, accessed March 30, 2025, https://youtu.be/lek-CLwncqU?si=J0de4phWCnMjCcro.

Registration is open for the Northwestern State softball team’s Alumni Weekend activities, set for April 11-12 when the Demons host Lamar in a Southland Conference series.

All alumni are invited to attend the two-day series, which will allow for a tour of the latest additions to the facility and opportunity to experience the brand-new turf in person.

“NSU softball has a rich history of success and I’m excited for the chance to celebrate that history,” first-year head coach Jenny Fuller said. “I’m excited for them to come and see the new field and the improvements that have been made at our facility. But more than that for them to get to know our players and hear the stories of when they played here.

“I look forward to continuing to build on the legacy that these women established during their time in Natchitoches and creating new memories with them, our current players and future Demons.”

Special recognition is planned for 10-year anniversary of the 2015 Northwestern State team that won the Southland Conference regular season title with 22-3 record in conference play, the second most league wins in program history.

That team, led by six first-team all-conference players, set single-season team records for runs, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, all of which still stand today.

Softball alumni and families will be able to purchase $5 tickets for both days. Tickets, and registration for the weekend, can be purchased and completed by visiting http://www.nsudemons.com/SoftballAlumniWeekend. For more ticket information, contact the NSU Athletics Ticket Office at 318-357-4268.

Food and drinks will be provided to alumni and their families following Saturday’s series finale which is set to begin at 12 p.m.

For any additional questions please contact Scott Maggio, Assistant Athletic Director for Development/Corporate Sponsorships, at maggios@nsula.edu or by calling 318-357-4560.

Louisiana Tech celebrated its seventh annual Giving Day on March 18, with more than 780 students, faculty and staff, alumni, parents, corporate partners, and friends raising over $1.46 million for the University.

“Our Tech Family has shown once again the power of generosity and enduring loyalty on Giving Day,” said William Dearmon, the University’s chief development officer. “The sustained philanthropic support of our donors empowers us to continue advancing the University’s strategic goals, and every contribution — no matter the amount — directly impacts our students, faculty, staff, and community.”

The theme of 2025’s Giving Day, “Unleashing Our Potential,” represents the limitless opportunities ahead of the University. Giving Day gifts ranged from $5 to six figures, including a notable gift and match to support the Coaches Legacy Plaza and a special donation to enhance campus environments made in honor of former Tech president Dr. R. L. Ropp.

“We are always appreciative of the support received from our ever loyal alumni and friends,” said Dr. Heath Tims, CEO of the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association. “Financial support is one of the ways that our alumni are contributing and making an impact. Through mentorship, service, advocacy, and engagement, our alumni strengthen the University and shape the future of Tech for generations to come.”

To see more from 3.18 Giving Day, including successful match challenges and the donor wall, visit LouisianaTechGivingDay.org.

Courtesy of Louisiana Tech University Communications

Tournament bass fishing has been a huge part of my life since the early 1990s and occasionally, the sport reminds you that you’re not as good as you think you are. Tournament bass fishing has a way of checking your ego and bringing an angler back down to earth. This happened to me just recently at an event on Lake of the Pines located in the heart of East Texas. 

As I arrived for practice on Tuesday for the ABA Solo 150 Tour event No. 1, I carried high expectations for several reasons. I had fished well there in the past and a warming trend was taking place for the entire week, which should have meant the bass would be pulling up into the shallows. 

Next, based on the results of tournaments staged over the weeks prior to our event, it appeared the bass were biting. And the fact that spring was looking to make an early arrival had me beaming with excitement. 

Nothing gets an angler’s blood flowing more than the thought of bass getting ready to spawn. This is when the big female bass (known as big girls; sorry ladies) come in looking for a place to lay their eggs. It’s a time when they are most vulnerable to being caught, so it just might be my favorite time of year to bass fish.  

While 90 percent of all tournament anglers don’t keep bass to eat, they still enjoy the challenge of catching bass off their beds. Female bass (big girls) can be tough to catch this time of year when it comes to biting an artificial lure during the spawn. They just don’t bite the same when they are on the bed (nest) laying their eggs.  

For this event, however, it was all about location, location, location! Never in my 30-plus years of tournament bass fishing have I seen the number of five fish bags being weighed over 30 pounds each. Based off simple math (which I can do), some of these anglers were weighing in a 6-pound average for every bass in their bag.

It would not shock many anglers for someone to do this during any springtime event, but in this tournament, five anglers did it on the final day with one angler (the winner) bringing in a little over 39 pounds with a five bass limit! 

That’s just shy of an 8-pound average, which is unheard of. By the way, the same angler that weighed 39 pounds on the final day of our event, followed that up with another huge bag over 30 pounds the next weekend in another event.

Here’s how the weigh-in went for me: I had a little over 13 pounds on Day 1 and 14 plus on Day 2 for a total of 27.85 pounds, landing me in the middle of the pack at 21st place. Basically, I was 34 pounds behind the leader, which is the largest margin I’ve ever lost by in a tournament. It was as if I was fishing on a completely different lake than the top 10 anglers!

I would like to point out that there were a few guys complaining about ONLY catching 23-24 pounds at the weigh-in. Hey guys, here’s some free advice from someone who has been doing this for over 30 years. When you complain about having over 20 pounds at a weigh-in, it makes you look arrogant and dumb — SO DON’T DO THAT!!!

Now that I have that off my chest, there’s one thing I do know about bass fishing. You never stop learning, and you never quit trying. You just lick your wounds and move on to the next tournament. I do recognize that this event was the exception to the rule when it comes to 30-pound bags being weighed-in. But this one event truly humbled me as an angler.

While these kinds of weights coming to the scales is not the norm for most area lakes, Lake of the Pines is fishing exceptionally well at this time when compared to other lakes in our region. This is a testament to the outstanding job Texas Parks and Wildlife is doing with managing all our Texas lakes. 

‘Til next time, keep your hooks wet and your live wells full and make sure you take the time to take a kid fishing! 

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

William Milton “Billy” Barbee
September 24, 1947 — April 1, 2025
Funeral services will be held Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11am at St. George Catholic Church in Coushatta.

Public parking for the Red River Parish Spring Fair will be at Red River Elementary School, 1001 Ashland Road. 

The Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Coushatta Police Department will park cars and provide security.

Fair goers will use a road from RRES to the back of the Fairgrounds. There will be light plants along the way.

Only Walk-in, Handicap, and Authorized vehicles will use the fair entrance by Dairy Queen.

Admission for adults is $3 and children (12 and under) $2. There will be no out passes. 

Red River Junior High is hosting Hot Diggity Dog Testing Night Thursday, April 3 from 5-6:30pm.

Put on your best Western Gear and join in to learn about the upcoming LEAP Test and how to best support your child’s success. 

Topics include understanding testing processes, gain helpful testing strategies, hear from administrators and teachers and ask questions.

Hot dogs will be served.

Students from Riverdale Academy recently participated in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Overall Reading Fair in Pearl, Mississippi. 

Winners include: 

Carter Breedlove and Ryder Shaver placed 1st in group non-fiction and 2nd in character portrayal.

Layken Gates placed 2nd in high school non-fiction and 2nd in portrayal of character.

Bailey Borders and Maddi Nettles placed 3rd in project and character portrayal in group fiction.

Each time parents pick up their children from Red River Elementary, officers are there directing traffic and making sure everyone is safe. One of the familiar faces is Officer Bradley Horton Taylor, a Coushatta native.

Taylor, son of Lugene and Sandra Taylor, grew up mowing yards and helping at Horton’s Texaco. He grew up attending New Magdalene Baptist Church. Unfortunately, in 2001, he left Coushatta for Houston, TX after losing his grandmother.

Recently, Taylor returned and became a city police officer. The Coushatta son is happy to be back and loves his afternoons of maintaining the elementary school zone.

Mayor Ashanti Cole says, “He’s a great officer who loves to engage with the kids. He loves to dedicate his time to positively impacting children in the communities.”

Taylor tells everyone he meets, “I love Coushatta. It’s my home. Coushatta taught me so much as a kid, especially about God! I’m back to do my job and help however I can.”

Through all his work, Taylor hopes to impact the young people of the Parish. He spends time in the community, passes out candy to the kids, and loves to talk with teens and local seniors. As for the children of the Elementary School, he calls them “his babies.”

Soon, Mayor Cole says he will be part of an initiative forming that will be an officer/teen mentor program.

Libbi Bryant has watched KTBS 3 News every morning for months hoping to see her submitted weather coloring sheet according to her mom.

Well, Tuesday, April 1 was her special day, no fooling!

She and her parents were pleasantly surprised to see a familiar drawing displayed on the tv screen during the morning weather report.

Libbi is the six year old daughter of Josh and Myla Bryant. 

Congrats Libbi on your beautiful drawing being selected! 

Photo shared by Myla Bryant

I was chasing a rabbit the other day and I went down the theological rabbit hole. This is what I discovered.
There is a great deal of sleeping going on in the New Testament.

Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat during a storm. The story appears in all three synoptic gospels. The disciple’s question was, “Lord, don’t you care that we perish?” The Bible says after God created; he rested. The Hebrew word is the intensive form of the verb. God intensely rested and commanded us to rest too! I’m not surprised Jesus was asleep after a long day of preaching and healing!

According to Luke, the disciples were asleep on the Mount of Transfiguration. The bright light and the visitation of Moses and Elijah awakened them. As Luke records the story, the bleary-eyed disciples missed the good stuff and became “fully awake” toward the end of the event.

Jesus told His followers to stay awake and watch for signs of great spiritual upheaval and then the second coming. He asked the disciples to stay awake and watch while He was praying in Gethsemane. But after the big supper and wine, the disciples kept falling asleep.

Sleeping soldiers were the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it…. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.” The punishment for a Roman soldier falling asleep on duty was death. The soldiers had a problem explaining to their superiors who rolled the stone back from the tomb’s entrance. Can you hear these soldiers trying to give the angel report? It was easier for them to face death and confess to being asleep.

The book of Acts records another example of a sleepy disciple. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, “he fell to the ground from the third story was picked up dead.” The story has a happy ending, he was not dead, just had the wind knocked out of him.

Sleeping is a good thing. In some of the modern works on spiritual formation, sleep is listed as a spiritual practice under “stillness” or “Sabbath.” God rested, Jesus slept, should we not take the hint?

The other side of the coin is known as “spiritual sleepwalking.” That happens when we practice all the rituals of our faith, yet we are not connecting with God. It does happen in church, when after the hymn singing the congregation sits down and some of them zone out.

I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

By Emilee Calametti  Apr 1, 2025

(The Center Square) — Louisiana’s 2024 single audit requires the attention of the state government as 35 findings were reported with 16 of those being repeat findings from previous audits. 

The total amount questioned relating to federal programs is $260.6 million. According to the LLA, some of the 35 findings need attention from the state government as some concern compliance reports, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. Of that amount, the Louisiana Department of Health constitutes more than $260.1 million of the questioned costs.

The 35 findings were throughout several federal agencies, including the Department of Children and Family Services, Louisiana Workforce Commission, LSU at Shreveport, LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans, Southern University in Baton Rouge, University of Louisiana in Monroe, Louisiana Department of Health, Louisiana Tech University, and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The Department of Children and Family Services had $4,685 in questioned costs for overbilling of different programs as well as underbilling SNAP programs. There were also instances reported of unauthorized employee fuel transactions by a former DCFS employee that totaled $97,500 in the fiscal year 2024.

The employee under investigation resigned as of March 31, 2024. Due to misappropriation, there is an additional $37,746 in question for the DCFS. The department has $42,431 in total questioned costs.

In a response to the LLA, DCFS said, “DCFS concurs with the finding and has zero tolerance for unauthorized use of state or federal funds.”

They stated the department has developed procedures to monitor transactions every month. “Any DCFS employee engaged in such an unauthorized use of state and federal funds would be terminated.”

The Louisiana Department of Health also has $87 million in question for medical assistance programs. The audit found inadequate documentation for billed services totaling $17,402 in federal funds. For Medicaid, there is $28,793 in questioned costs, and CHIP programs have $6,042.

Both of these instances concern beneficiaries invalidly enrolled. There is $172,802 in question for ineligible maternity kick payments. The LDH also exceeded the allocated amount for DSH payments by $4,225,716 and $168 million in questioned federal costs for Medicaid expenditures. 

In response to the DSH payments, the department stated, “LLA has identified $4,225,716 of total computable payments made in excess of the global DSH allotment for FFY 2016. The department will recoup funds from the facility that was overpaid and return the FFP portion of that overpayment to CMS.”

LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport has $2,686 in questioned costs. This is the sixth consecutive year the LSUHSC-S did not ensure proper documentation.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has $18,707 in questioned costs relating to Geosciences, Mental Health Research Grants, and Allergy and Infectious diseases research. The university also has $63,790 in separate questioned costs for the Office of STEM Management and Fossil Energy Research Development. The university has $82,497 in total questioned costs.

Louisiana State University at Shreveport has $101,159 in questioned costs for Federal Pell Grant Programs and Federal Direct Student Loans. The university did not return Title IV funds to the U.S. Department of Education in the required timeframe.

There were $101,159 in outstanding checks to students and parents as of January. These were issued between September 2014 to May 2024, and not returned to the USDOE.

Southern University at Baton Rouge has $39,555 in questioned costs relating to Federal Pell Grant Programs and Federal Direct Student Loans not returned to the USDOE per the guidelines of Title IV funds.

Louisiana Tech University has $206,451 in questioned costs for misappropriating research and development cluster funds. Nine electronic fund transfer payments were made to an out-of-state university that were fraudulently diverted to unknown individuals.

Many of the agencies released responses to the findings and questioned costs in the auditor’s report.