Mary Evelyn Wood Jowers passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 4, 2022.  Mary Evelyn, also known as “Mac” and “Granny” was born on December 12, 1928, at home on the Timon Plantation, Red River Parish, Louisiana.  Her parents now deceased were Ben Teer Wood and Fanny Durr Wood. She had one sister, Bennie Ruth Wood Stroud and husband, Hershel Stroud also deceased.

Mary Evelyn was nicknamed “Mac” by a cousin after the Civil War Battleship, the USS Merrimack which travelled the Red River.  “Granny” of course came from her “Grands” and as she wrote, “…and they are Grand to me and my Great-Grands mean all the world to me!”

“Mac” attended schools at Hanna Elementary and Coushatta through the eleventh grade. She changed schools her senior year and graduated from Natchitoches High School.  She also attended Northwestern State University for one year.

Mary Evelyn was a founding member of the Coushatta Lioness Club for the entire existence of that organization. She was also a “true witness” as a member of the First Methodist Church, Sunday School, and ladies’ group, “Sewing God’s Love”.

On April 13, 1946, Mary Evelyn married James Orlean Jowers, Sr., (deceased). They spent 56 wonderful years together and had two sons, James Orlean “Jimmy” Jowers, Jr. and wife, Kathy Hicks Jowers and Ben Robert Jowers and wife, Lesa Rodden Jowers.  Grandsons include James Preston Jowers, Joseph Robert Jowers and wife, Rheana Young Jowers and James Creighton Jowers and wife, Jessica Berry Jowers. The great-grandchildren are Abigail Kate Jowers, Rylee Eve Jowers, Jesse Creighton Jowers, Reese Evelyn Jowers, Ryann Elizabeth Jowers, and Evelyn James Jowers.

To the “Sewing God’s Love Society, thank each of you for providing support and encouragement and the mission to help others that motivated “Mac” to keep going! Thank you!

She thanked special lifelong friends, Joan Adcock, Betty Lou Moore and Celia Ann Norman for the many hours and fun times that were spent together! Each of you “Meant the World” to her.

Special thanks to her friend, Chenelle Taylor for the hands on and extraordinary gift of encouragement that she showed these last few months!

Honoring “Granny” as pallbearers are Joseph Jowers, James Jowers, John Woolwine, Daniel Woolwine, Joseph Adcock, and Brandon Adcock. Honorary pallbearer is Preston Jowers.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to The First Methodist Church of Coushatta, The Springville Cemetery Association or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at 1426 N. Military Ave., Lawrenceburg, TN 38464.

---

Terry Dirks, age 63, a lifelong resident of Coushatta, passed away December 2, 2022, after a brief illness.

Terry was born in April 1959 in Coushatta, Louisiana, to Sammie Mercille Lewter. He graduated from Fairview Alpha High School in 1977. Terry worked for Bam’s Skelly with his brother-in-law, Cecil Bamburg. Terry worked at Brown and Root; CW Belcher as a professional butcher; insurance agent; car sales; and marketing.  Although early on, his passion was for cars and hunting, his whole world changed when he became a dad to his Hannah Katelyn. He was so proud of her and his two grandsons.  Being a Papaw to Beckett and Brodie made him beam with pride.

He was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Cecil Bamburg; nephew, John Wesley Bamburg; mother, Sammie Mercille Lewter Bass, and stepfather, Jessie Bass.

Terry is survived by his daughter, Hannah Dirks Fayard and husband, Jake of Stonewall, LA; grandsons Beckett Hiser and Brodie Fayard; sister, Brenda Cottom and husband, Ed of Bossier City, LA; brother Billy Dirks and wife, Yvonnie of Greenwood, LA; nephew Jason Cottom and wife, Tanya Cottom of Bossier City, LA; niece Brittney Dirks Trahan and husband, Josh Trahan of Bossier City, LA;  niece Amanda Dirks Powell and husband, Nathan Powell of Siloam Springs, AR; and six great nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him, but we know he will be telling jokes until we see him again.

Memorial Service for Terry Dirks will be held at Hickory Grove Baptist Church on Saturday, December 10th, 2022 at 10AM with Brother Mike Fort Officiating.

Afterwhile, crocodile!

---

A graveside service celebrating the life of Vernon Lynn Coffey, 89, will be held at 3:00 PM, Sunday, December 4, 2022, at Clear Springs Cemetery in Martin, LA with Bro. Wayne DuBose of the First Baptist Church of Coushatta officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:30 PM until 2:30 PM, Sunday, December 4, 2022, the Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home Coushatta chapel.

Mr. Coffey was born on November 10, 1933, in Martin, LA to William L. “Peaberry” and Lillian Adkins Coffey and passed away December 1, 2022, in Shreveport, LA.  He had played on the state basketball team in high school and loved working on machines and operating bulldozers.  He was blessed with the ability to take anything apart and put it back together just by looking at it. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Mr. Coffey was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Annell Coffey Price and brother-in-law, Darwin Price.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 69 years, Hazel Belcher Coffey; sons, David R. Coffey and wife, Cindy and Russell Coffey and wife, Tina; daughters, Mary Adkins and husband, David and Rainey Agent and husband, Sid; grandchildren, Martin Adkins, Mickey Adkins, Christy Bivins, Sarah Jeffers, David Coffey, Jr., Whitney Agent, Jessica Gresham, Derrick, Jacob, and Jeremy McCart, Melanie Prudhomme, Jenny Hancock, Mark Coffey, Scott Coffey and Ann Braxton; and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Honoring Mr. Coffey as pallbearers will be Jeremy McCart, Jacob McCart, Martin Adkins, David Coffey, Jr., Mickey Adkins and Ricky Adams. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Wiley Rook and Harry Moseley.

The family would like to give a special thanks to sitters, Cassandra Guye, Brenda Taylor, and Tina Tarrance.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of your choice.

---

Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for November 25 to December 2, 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.

---

Ahead of the December 10^th election, early voting is now going on.  You have until Saturday to vote early or otherwise cast your ballot on election day.  As of 3:00 pm Thursday a total of 75 ballots had been cast in Red River Parish.  Twenty of them were in cast person. 

As of 3:00 pm Thursday a total of 75 ballots had been cast in Red River Parish.  Twenty of them were cast in person. 

Statewide there are three constitutional amendments on the ballot.  Amendment #1 is getting the most attention.  If passed it would require voters to be citizens.  It is supported by Attorney General Jeff Landry.  He said, “If you think only American citizens should vote in Louisiana’s elections, vote YES on Amendment 1.”

An explanation of the amendments from the Secretary of State is below.

---

By Molly Seales

On Wednesday, November 30, five students from Riverdale Academy traveled to Prairie View Academy in Bastrop to compete in the annual district spelling bee. Students in grades 4^th-8^th first competed in a class spelling bee, and the winner in each class advanced to district. 4^th grader Benton Yount placed 3^rd in his division. 5^th grader Brylee Halbmaier placed 1^st in her division, 6^th grader Isabella Stephens placed 1^st in her division, and 7^th grader Lily McCoy placed first in her division. 8^th grader Layken Gates placed 2^nd in his division.

Brylee, Isabella, Lily, and Layken will advance to the overall spelling bee in Jackson, MS, on January 20, 2023.

Teacher and sponsor Bethany Seales said, “I am so proud of all of the students who competed in their class spelling bee and the district spelling bee. Events like this not only allow the students to shine academically, but they are also a great opportunity to build public speaking skills, which builds confidence that will last a lifetime. The entire community should be proud of these students as they represented Riverdale well! I’d like to give a special thanks to the teachers and the parents for being so supportive and making sure the students had this opportunity.”

We are proud of all of these students and wish the ones advancing to overall the best of luck. Congratulations!

---

By Brad Dison

1939 was a hard year for Bob May, his wife Evelyn, and their four-year-old daughter Barbara.  For the past two years, Evelyn had been fighting a losing battle with cancer and was now bedridden.  Bob’s ambition had been to be a novelist, but, so far, his talents had only gotten him as far as creating catalogue copy for Montgomery Ward.  Bob said many years later, “Instead of writing the great American novel, as I’d always hoped, I was describing men’s white shirts.” 

Montgomery Ward’s salary was a steady, much needed paycheck.  Evelyn’s medical expenses took all of Bob’s earnings and more.  Bob was nearing bankruptcy.  He was also exhausted.  Day in and day out, he took care of the many needs of his wife and little Barbara while working a full-time job.  Bob never once complained, but put on a brave, cheerful face for his wife and daughter.

One day in early 1939, Bob’s boss came to him with a project that seemed to fit Bob’s talent and his situation perfectly.  In previous years, Montgomery Ward had purchased coloring books to give away to children during the Christmas season.  The coloring books cost the company a substantial amount of money.  To cut down on costs, the company decided that they wanted to create their own children’s book to give away during the 1939 Christmas season.  The project fit Bob’s situation in that it allowed him to work from home so he could be available for his wife and daughter.

The company wanted the story to be a cheery tale in poem-form about an animal who was an “ugly duckling,” a misfit.  Bob had a difficult time writing the cheery tale because of his concern for his wife.  He could see that Evelyn was growing weaker with each passing day.  Each time he finished a draft of the story, he read it to little Barbara and watched carefully for her response.  In this way, he tweaked and reworked the story.

On July 28, 1939, Evelyn lost her battle with cancer.  Bob and little Barbara were distraught.  To ease Bob’s burden, his boss offered to transfer the project to another writer.  Bob made it clear that it was his project, and he would complete it.  Bob continued to write drafts and read them to little Barbara.  Finally, one day in late August, Bob called little Barbara and her grandparents into the living room.  He read the draft of the story and paid special attention to each of their faces.  He said later, “in their eyes I could see that the story accomplished what I had hoped.”  With the story completed, Bob turned it over to Montgomery Ward artist Denver Gillen for illustration. 

During the holiday season of 1939, shoppers fell in love with the story.  Montgomery Ward gave away 2.4 million copies that year and planned to give away at least that many the following year.  With World War II on the horizon, the United States War Production Board rationed paper, which limited the number of books published in the country.  Bob’s “ugly duckling” story could have fallen into obscurity. 

Following the end of the war, Montgomery Ward decided to revive the book giveaway.  In 1946, RCA Victor contacted Bob because they wanted to record a spoken version of Bob’s story.  Unfortunately for Bob, Montgomery Ward, his employer, owned the rights to the story and declined RCA Victor’s request because they wanted to give the books away again that holiday season.  That year, the company gave away 3.6 million copies of Bob’s story. 

On January 1, 1947, Montgomery Ward president Sewell Avery did something shocking.  Avery transferred the copyright of the story from Montgomery Ward to Bob, free and clear.  Bob searched for a publisher, but none of the major publishing houses wanted to publish a story of which 6 million copies had been given away.  Why, they asked, would anyone pay for a book that had previously been free.  Finally, Bob spoke with Harry Elbaum, the head of Maxton Publishers in New York.  Bob described Harry as being “a little guy with a big nose,” an ugly duckling of sorts.  Harry printed 100,000 hardcover copies of the book for the Christmas season.  The books were a success.  RCA Victor also produced 45 rpm records of the story narrated by Paul Wing and music by George Kleinsinger.  The spoken records were also successful.  Johnny Marks turned Bob’s story into a hit record which has been recorded countless times by numerous artists.  You and I know Bob’s story well.  The “ugly duckling” that Bob created was not a duck, but a red-nosed reindeer named Rudolph.

Sources:

1. Independent (Long Beach, California), November 19, 1939, p.13.
2. Battle Creek Enquirer, December 6, 1948, p.3.
3. Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 19, 1948, p.74.
4. “Evelyn Marks May (1905-1939)” Find a Grave, findagrave.com, accessed November 25, 2022, findagrave.com/memorial/9906088/evelyn-may.

---

By Nicole Tull

Kansas City Southern’s Holiday Express Train made a stop in Mansfield on Tuesday afternoon. Folks were invited to step aboard the festive train to see the decorations up close. Every part of the holiday train was merry on the inside and out.

Inside there were miniature trains that drove around a city. One snowy landscape on a small-scale diorama evoked the wishful thinking for southerners rarely experiencing a white Christmas. There were rows of nutcrackers and other figurines dressed in Christmassy attire. Christmas props covered the interior in every direction.

From the outside view, one car was made to look like Santa’s reindeer barn. Another car was the reindeer in flight over houses. Gingerbread men, lollipops and a window view were on the last train car. Lights covered the train from its happy-faced front to the back. The end of the tour was the jolly man in a red suit. Santa posed for pictures with every good girl and boy.

If you missed the stop in Mansfield, you can see the train at the KCS yard in Shreveport on Sunday at 4 pm.

---

The choir of First Methodist, Coushatta will present, “Come and See”. It is the Christmas story in word and song.

The Christmas special will take place on Sunday, Dec. 11 during the morning worship service at 10:50 a.m.

Also, during the season of Advent, a light lunch and inspirational message will be offered in McLemore Hall each Wednesday.  The meal is served at noon with the devotional and fellowship hour to follow.

---

By Steve Graf

My battle with Melanoma continues, and for those that are new to this column, I’ll backtrack. In June of this year, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Class C Melanoma. It all started back in 2021 with a small spot on my upper left ear…a spot that after a limb fell across my ear, opened a dot the size of a BB. Several weeks later, it just would not heal properly. After a routine visit to my dermatologist, we started treating the area with a chemo crème. This treatment worked for a short period, but the spot came back this past March. We treated the spot again with chemo crème, but this time it did not have the same healing effect as before.

I was scheduled to meet with my dermatologist again the first week of May, but the appointment got canceled and they rescheduled me for late June. It was during this eight-week period that it ulcerated and turned into my worst nightmare. After my dermatologist removed the spot and overnighted it to Birmingham, Alabama, for evaluation, the results came back positive for Melanoma.

These are words you never want to hear! Next, surgery was scheduled at LSU Ochsner in Shreveport to take off one inch of my left ear and remove 4 lymph nodes, 2 of which tested positive. I had two PET scans and one brain MRI and up till now, all my scans have been negative for Melanoma anywhere else in my body. Hopefully, that will continue to be the case.

It was at this point that I was advised by my Melanoma team at MD Anderson to undergo immunotherapy treatments with a drug called OPDIVO. This is a drug that boosts your immune system and attacks any cancer cells that might be present anywhere in the body. Well, your first question might be, “I thought you said your scans were negative?” It’s true, they were, but one thing I learned at MD Anderson is how Melanoma can hide in different places in your body and go undetected.

That’s why my monthly immunotherapy treatments will go on for at least one year with scans periodically every three months. I did ask the doctor at MD Anderson how long it would be before they would declare me cancer free. His response was, “It would be at least five years, as long as all your scans are negative.”

The treatments have been a little rough, especially my last two for some reason. My first injection was great with no problems or side effects, but my last two have been another story. About halfway through injection treatments two and three, I’ve had severe pain that starts out at the tailbone, spreads into the hips, and progresses up toward the chest. Not sure why, but everyone responds differently to these treatments. We’re still trying to figure out why I’m having this pain. They’ve had to give me Ativan and Demerol to help subside the pain and make me relax in order to get me through the treatment.

Hopefully soon, we’ll get a better grip on how to take these treatments. My point to this update is to remind you about being diligent when it comes to wearing proper clothing and sunscreen. Don’t take your health for granted! I never thought I would be THAT guy who had to deal with this. Even my fishing buddies who I’m closest with are shocked that I got this because I have been very consistent with sunscreen and wearing long sleeves shirts with built-in sunscreen, wearing the wide-brim hat and long pants…and I still got it.

The best advice I can give you is to see a dermatologist on a regular basis and if you have a suspicious spot anywhere on your body, get it looked at. If you don’t have a dermatologist, FIND ONE!  The absolute worst thing you can do is ignore these spots! Catch it early and you might be lucky like me. Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget your sunscreen.

---

The Northwest Region Challenge Camp for 2022-23 is coming in January. This is a very fun camp for seventh and eighth graders that students always love.

The camp will be held at Clara Springs Camp near Pelican.  Race towards success with 4-H January 23 and 24 at Challenge Camp.

The camp fee is $65.  Call the Red River 4-H office to register at 932-4342.  An online registration is available through the 4-H social media posts.  Online registration deadline is January 4, 2023.

---

BackAlley Community Theatre at 1902 West Main Street Grand Cane, Louisiana 71032

Adult actors of all ages for upcoming 2023 plays, additional technical crew for lights and sound, and stage managers and stagehands.

Productions are:

Anybody Out There? February 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11

RUMORS March 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 and April 1

Fiddler on the Roof May 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, and 20

Attend our open audition Saturday, December 10,at 10:00 am at BackAlley Community Theatre.

---

Connie Francis Murphy

March 29, 1953 to November 28, 2022

View full obituary here:

https://redriverparishjournal.com/2022/11/30/connie-frances-murphy/

Joseph Edison Allen

October 3, 1942 to November 27, 2022

Services Saturday December 3, 2022 at 11:00 am at Rockett-Nettles Chapel.

Bobby Bell

Passed November 23, 2022

Graveside Service: Saturday, December 3 11:00 A.M. Jerusalem Cemetery Armstead, LA

Osee Aston Dortlon

March 1, 1929 to November 28, 2022

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, December 2, 2022 at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel.

The Red River Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers and to social media.  Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above with no link to the obituary are FREE of charge.)

---

The 14th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Multicultural Christmas Concert will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Treen Auditorium located on the campus of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. The concert is a benefit for Cane River Children’s Services. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted. 

Riverdale Academy would like to congratulate senior, Ben Almond, for being selected as an All-Star for football. The MAIS All-Star game is Friday, in Jackson, MS. Good luck, Ben!

---

A funeral service celebrating the life of Connie Frances Murphy, 69, will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, December 3, 2022, at Social Springs Baptist Church in the Social Springs Community with Bro. James Hester officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM prior to service time. The services will be under the direction of Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home.

Connie was born on May 29, 1953, in Shelbyville, Indiana to Herschel and Edna Pearl Ferguson Jones and passed away on November 28, 2022, in Coushatta, LA.  She enjoyed spending time with her grandson, reading, and Christmas time. She loved the outdoors and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Connie was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Dianna Jones; and brother, Michael Jones. Left to cherish her memory are her husband of 38 years, Ernest Murphy; son, Steven Murphy; grandson, Shaun Murphy; sisters, Mary Elizabeth Strunk and Nancy Childress; brothers, Dennis Jones, Johnny Jones, and Dwight Wayne Jones; and a special niece, Tonya Streeval.

---

Both local schools are getting into their basketball seasons.  Get out and see some great games and support local athletes.

Coming up Thursday, Red River’s boys and girls teams travel to play the Cavaliers at Calvary Baptist.  On Saturday, the boys are in the Carroll Shootout at Carroll.  Game time TBA.

Riverdale has Meet the Rebels rescheduled to Thursday.  There will be red vs. white games beginning at 4:00 pm. On Saturday the Rebels are at home for JV boys, varsity girls and varsity boys games with Prairie View Academy.

---

Advent Lunches begin today.  First Methodist Coushatta issued an invitation to the community. 

Come join us for this season of Advent each Wednesday starting Nov. 30 through Dec. 21. A light lunch will be served at noon, and a speaker will bring us a short devotional message to remind us that this is a season of waiting for the birth of our Savior.

The luncheons will take place at First Methodist Church in Coushatta in McLemore Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend.

---

 By Teddy Allen 

Time for our annual Best Books of the Year list. Read a lot of good books but failed to score a five-star read, unlike last year when I couldn’t turn around without running into something that hit me just right. 

So it goes in the Reading World. You win some, you lose some, but you show up and read and if a book’s no good, chunk it and, guilt-free, pick up another one. 

Still, much enjoyment this year from reading, and hopefully you will get a charge out of at least one or two of the titles below, or something will jog your memory and help you pick out a just-right Christmas gift for someone.  

If nothing else, we can be grateful we are past all the pandemic-related bestsellers like LOCKDOWN!: Your Place or Mine?, or everyone’s least-favorite companion reads, Why Masks Work and the sequel, Why Masks Haven’t Even Ever THOUGHT About Working, Ever Ever Never. 

Mercy on all that … And now on to the bookmobile. 

Batting leadoff is All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business, by Mel Brooks, my favorite of a lot of biographies. Others that were really good, if you’re interested in these people, are The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Paul Newman, A Life in Parts by actor Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Home Work by Julie Andrews (had a crush on her since Mary Poppins as I was an impressionable youngster), Miracle and Wonder by Malcolm Gladwell about singer-songwriter-stud Paul Simon (you have to listen to this one for the conversations with Simon and his occasional singing), My House of Memories by Merle Haggard because, well, Merle Haggard, and finally, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, by Rick Bragg. 

A quick aside about Jerry Lee Lewis: he was nothing short of a keyboard genius. Any piano player from Elton John to Ray Stevens will tell you that nobody should be able to play that fast and that well and sing at the same time. A prodigy and bona-fide genius. 

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell was released in 1987 and reads as a short (128 pages) research document about the historical Jesus and is much worth your time if, like me, you’d missed it all these years. 

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli by Mark Seal is about the “tumultuous” making ofThe Godfather and was my second-favorite book of the year. If you like the movie, you’ll enjoy it. How the picture got made is semi-miraculous.  

Speaking of movies, The Church of Baseball by Ron Shelton is about the making of Bull Durham, which he wrote and directed; it’s a baseball thing. 

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen is funny and good, as you’d expect from Carl Hiaasen. Speaking of fiction, if you’ve never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson or The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, as I hadn’t until this year, you could probably skip those. Didn’t happen for me. But … it’s always wise to consider the similar themes of those two books, which is how the bad part of our nature, which is the main part, runs wild if unchecked, even if that wasn’t our intention. 

Churchill’s Band of Brothers by Damien Lewis was good but a better suggestion would be Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, which I’ve read three times, about E Company with the 101^st in World War II. The British equivalent is interesting but not nearly as rich. 

Also, you will feel a lot better after reading either Everybody Always or Love Doesby Bob Goff, or both. Check him out if you haven’t already. 

Books in my on-deck circle for 2023 include You Are Looking Live! How the NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting, by Rich Podolsky, When the Garden was Eden by Harvey Araton, about the glory days of the New York Knicks (they were good and fun when I was a boy, believe it or not), Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley because I haven’t read him and have meant to, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and Prayer by Tim Keller because I really like Tim Keller and because you need the prayers and Lord knows I need the practice. 

Let me know if you come across anything good. Read on! 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

---

By Molly Seales

On Friday, November 18, the Riverdale Academy Rebels and Lady Rebels traveled to Claiborne Academy to open their regular basketball season. Under the direction of new coach Cliff New, the Rebels and Lady Rebels came away with 3 out of 4 wins. In the first game of the evening, the JV Lady Rebels defeated Claiborne 28-21. Makayla Pickett led the team in scoring with 9 points and rebounds with 8 boards. Mary Claire Jones had 5 points, 4 deflections, and 3 assists. Ally Kate Hillman and Kynnedi Taylor had 4 points each, with Hillman having 3 boards and Taylor having 7 boards. Charity Williamson and Emma Giddings had 2 points and 3 rebounds each. Williamson had 2 steals and Giddings had 2 blocked shots. Madelyn Chamberlin and Kaleigh Pickett each chipped in a free throw to round out the scoring, and each of them had 2 rebounds. In JV boys action, Claiborne defeated Riverdale 50-22. Tanner Carlisle led the team with 7 points and also had 5 boards. Colin Bates added 5 points. Ashton Almond and Cannon Breedlove each had 4 points and 2 rebounds. Zane Givens had 2 points and led the team in rebounds with 7 and in steals with 5. 7^th graders Hayden Cason, Jackson Hillman, and Kaden McNeely gave the Rebels some valuable minutes with Cason having 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 deflections, while Hillman had 3 boards and 2 steals. McNeely had 2 steals and a rebound.

Both varsity games were great spectators’ games. The Lady Rebels defeated Claiborne 45-42 in an overtime thriller. With Claiborne ahead by 2, freshman Hanna Huddleston grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it up for 2 points and got fouled on the shot. She made the free throw to put Riverdale up by one. Next trip down the court, junior Madison Chamberlin pulled down a rebound and was fouled. With the Rebels in the bonus, Chamberlin calmly went to the free throw line and drained both shots to seal the deal at 45-42. Freshman Makayla Pickett started off her high school career with a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. She also had 3 deflections, 2 steals, and a blocked shot. Freshman Mary Claire Jones scored 10 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, 3 deflections, a blocked shot, and led the team in assists with 3 and steals with 4. Georgia Carlisle added 8 points, including 2 3-pointers. Huddleston had 7 points and 6 rebounds. Chamberlin had 2 points, 6 rebounds, and led the team in deflections with 4. Sophomore Jadyn King had 2 points, 6 rebounds, a steal, and 3 deflections.

The varsity boys’ game was back and forth the entire game, but at the end Riverdale turned it up and pulled away to win 51-44. Senior Thad Bates led the team in scoring with 13 points and in deflections with 3. He also pulled down 8 rebounds. Senior Jace Wilhite was also in double figures with 11 points. Junior Kyle Guillory had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while junior Ryder Huddleston had 8 points and led the team in rebounds with 9 and deflections with 3. Senior Mason Murray had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Senior guard Ben Almond had 4 points and led the team in assists with 7 and steals with 6.

Tuesday night, November 29, is the annual Meet the Rebels game. On Saturday, December 3, PVA will travel to Riverdale with the JV boys game beginning at 4:00 p.m. followed by varsity girls and varsity boys. We wish the Rebels and Lady Rebels the best of luck this season.

---

Sometimes when a juvenile commits a crime, it’s one and done. They may go into the courtroom where they attempt to place them in juvenile detention while awaiting adjudication. According to reports, there is a 70 percent chance once that child or teen spends a couple of nights at Ware Youth Center, they never want to see it again.

But Ware is full … a head in all 32 beds. Then what happens? The kids are returned to the streets, and what kind of signal does that send?

Ware Chief Operating Officer Kenneth said, “it tells the kids it’s OK to do what they did. There won’t be consequences for it.”

In 2014, Ware contracted with the state to fill vacant beds. At that time, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Sabine, Red River, and Webster parishes were under that plan, and at that time, Ware had 34 beds.

The state would pay a per diem to help keep the doors open. Then, the state Office of Juvenile Justice canceled the agreement and pulled state kids out of the facility, along with some of the funding.

“We asked the five parishes if they wanted to make up the difference and keep Ware open,” Loftin said. “They chose not to … said they didn’t have the money.”

At that point, Ware contracted with Bossier Parish, which had an outdated “antiquated” youth center.

“They moved their operation from Bossier City to Ware,” he said. “They contracted for 24 beds and we had 34, so we gave each parish 2 beds a piece.”

Loftin retired in 2015, and in 2019 Ware experienced 2 suicides.

“State licensure reduced the bed capacity from 34 beds to 32,” said Loftin, who returned to Ware to offer aid under extenuating circumstances. “Which, the math says, the parishes don’t have 2 beds anymore. But because Bossier doesn’t always use all those beds, others utilize those beds, and Bossier is fine with that.”

The cost to house a juvenile is around $128 per day. Natchitoches Parish Government pays if the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office or one of the smaller jurisdictions makes the arrest. According to a spokesperson, the smaller towns are asked to pay it, however, they most often call the sheriff’s department to make the arrest and Parish ends up with the tab.

That cost is going up because earlier in the year, 3 juveniles escaped Ware with the help of a staff member. Loftin said insurance for the facility is being canceled, and he is seeking coverage elsewhere. It will be expensive, although he is unsure how much more cost will be needed for each bed.

Loftin said he is aware that since the legislature raised the juvenile crime age to 17, all the parishes need beds.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “It’s the worst thing the legislature has ever done for juvenile corrections.”

Loftin said the 17-year-olds present a unique group of problems.

“It’s not necessarily the bed space. What happens is, with 15, 16, and 17s, once the juvenile is indicted as an adult, they are put back in the juvenile detention center,” he said. “Once they come back to juvenile detention, they know they’re an adult. They know they have a trial date in the adult court system.

“They could care less what they do to my staff, the facility or anybody else because nothing they do – besides killing somebody – is going to raise the charge they already have,” Loftin continued.

In 2011, the state took away mace and other defense tools detention centers once used.

“All we have are staff and room restrictions,” he said.

Loftin said he knows the judges see the limited bed space, but everyone’s hands are tied.

There is one light at the end of the juvenile bed space tunnel.

There is talk of building another facility on the Ware property in Coushatta that would allow the older juveniles to be separated from the younger ones.

Bossier Parish Police Jury (BPPJ) Administrator Butch Ford said the idea is in the “talking” stage.

“There were discussions earlier this year or late last year to build a new facility to hold 17-year-olds and isolate them from the younger ones,” Ford said. “The older, more violent crime juveniles are difficult to handle.”

Ford said Loftin approached BPPJ about the separate facility.

“We haven’t pulled the trigger on that,” said Ford. “They have enough beds for Bossier, and we are paying a good chunk of funds for them to house them for us.”

Having said that, Ford said BPPJ is willing to help other parishes, if the separate facility comes to fruition, however, the “ball is in Loftin’s court.”

---

It’s time for Christmas Cookie Contests at 4-H Club meetings.  Find your school’s date below so you will know when to bring cookies.

Dig out your favorite Christmas Cookie recipe.  Bake at least a dozen.  Bring them to your 4-H club meeting in December.

December 5 – Red River Academic Academy and At Large Club (at 4-H Office).  Magnolia Bend members will join the At Large Club.

December 6 – Red River Elementary School

December 7 – Riverdale Academy

December 14 – Red River High and Junior High Schools

December 15 – Country Day Montessori School

Come prepared to answer some questions about your cookies.

Call the office, 932-4342 or email jfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu if you have any questions.

Photo credit:  Renee Comet, the Food Network

---

By Royal Alexader

The decision of Attorney General Merrick Garland a few days ago to appoint a special counsel in the investigations of Donald Trump will provide to millions of Americans only, yet another, example of the highly politicized, weaponized nature of the Department of Justice and the FBI.  This assignment specifically includes a probe of both the Mar-a-Lago documents case and whether President Trump “unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power” after the 2020 election or with the Electoral College vote count.

Garland’s announcement of the special counsel states: “based on recent developments, including the former president’s announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election, and the sitting president’s stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.”  He closed by contending that “such an appointment underscores the Department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”

Unsurprisingly, a spokesman for Pres. Trump immediately responded, “this is a totally expected political stunt by a feckless, politicized, weaponized Biden Department of Justice.”  The Trump statement continued by pointing out that “Robert Mueller, the Russia collusion special counsel, staffed his investigation with partisan Democrats and his probe turned into a debacle.”

As though Jan. 6th has not been investigated enough.  As though the documents at Mar A Lago contained any “secrets” when it’s the president himself who decides what’s classified or unclassified; regardless, when there is a dispute regarding presidential documents it is resolved between the former president’s attorneys and government attorneys.  At the very most a subpoena can be issued.

However, right on the heels of President Trump announcing his candidacy for the presidency, we have the Biden Administration’s politically compromised Attorney General Garland, announcing the appointment of a special counsel.  It is both naïve and nonsensical to assume the attorney general is not coordinating with the Biden White House about this.

It’s all politically motivated because the Biden Administration and its highly politicized Department of Justice fear a second Trump presidency. Nothing else.

Are we really supposed to be this stupid or naive?  The Jan. 6th investigation has been going on for nearly two years—including lengthy hearings and an impeachment effort—while the Mar-a-Lago investigation has been going on for close to a year.  However, as soon as President Trump announces he’s running for president this all fires up?  Does the appointment of a special counsel even matter anyway, given the special counsel reports to AG Garland and AG Garland reports to President Biden.

But let’s recall only now, supposedly, the Department of Justice and the FBI—which covered up and held on to the Hunter Biden laptop for some two years—is taking any steps to investigate or prosecute the laptop or the Biden crime family generally.  There clearly exists in the public record substantial incriminating evidence to do so.   In fact, much of the damaging information contained in those emails has already been corroborated.

Recall that Big Tech, including Facebook, Twitter and many other Left leaning social media platforms successfully suppressed and censored the Hunter Biden laptop story just before the 2020 election.  Following the election, a full 16% of voters polled stated that they would not have voted for Joe Biden had they known prior to the election of the information contained on the laptop. The very reason it was censored!   And so, the voice of the people was silenced and the trajectory of American history was forever changed.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, “the prosecution of a former President, especially one running against Mr. Biden, had better be for serious offenses.  The evidence should be so compelling that it persuades fair-minded Republicans, not merely MSNBC or CNN anchors.”

We simply don’t have that context here and this latest so-called “investigation” of President Trump is, therefore, undermined and compromised from the start.  So will be any judgment it renders.

As Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) noted, “this is Trump derangement syndrome but this time with a gun and badge.”

All Americans should be fearful of the totalitarian state that America is in the process of becoming.

---

No Black Friday shopping For this group.   These volunteers went to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Dallas Texas instead of fighting the crowds shopping on Black Friday.

Marshall Robinson, Jr., Mary Tom  Cowser and  Dovie Beard from Martin Baptist Church along with Sigrid Hayes(not pictured due to illness) from East Point Mount Zion Baptist Church  volunteered at the OCC processing center November 25 and 26.

Group member Dovie Beard said “It is an awesome experience to go to the center and be a part of sending these boxes to the different countries and to be able to inspect the boxes for items not allowed to be sent.  We prayed over the boxes and we know that maybe the child that receives that box may come to have faith in Jesus Christ because of the love and prayers put into that box is an amazing feeling.”

The crates that were packed while we were there were being shipped to Honduras. If you don’t know about OCC shoeboxes or would like to be involved in packing boxes for the year 2023, please contact Dovie Beard and get more information.

---