Northwestern State University will officially introduce James. T. Genovese as the university’s 21st president at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 23. The reception will be held in the Sylvan Friedman Student Union Ballroom. The public is invited to attend.
Genovese, who has served as an associate justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court, was named the university’s president July 18 and will assume office in August.
Tuesday’s program will include recognition of local and regional elected officials, figures from Genovese’s personal life, special presentations to the newly elected president and comments from Genovese.
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty
ATES, DOUGLAS 29 W M 7/12/2024 7/15/2024 HIT-AND-RUN DRIVING $760.00 ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
MITCHELL, MORRIS 64 B M 7/15/2024 7/19/2024 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WITH A FIREARM $10,000.00 (CONCURRENT) POSSESSION OF SCHEDULE II CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE $5,000.00 (CONCURRENT) POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA $1,000.00 (CONCURRENT) INTRODUCTION OF CONTRABAND TO A PARISH JAIL $1,000.00 (CONCURRENT) ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
RUSSELL, DEXTER 40 B M 7/15/2024 INCARCERATED RESISTING AN OFFICER $2,500.00 (CONCURRENT) UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY OF AN INHABITED DWELLING $5,000.00 (CONCURRENT) SIMPLE CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY $1,000.00 (CONCURRENT) CRUELTY TO ANIMALS $1,000.00 (CONCURRENT) FAILURE TO APPEAR FINES & COSTS $1,000.00 (CONCURRENT) ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
WREN, WILLIAM 40 W M 7/16/2024 INCARCERATED CRIMINAL TRESPASS $3,000.00 ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE BROOMFIELD, RAYSHAWN 32 B M 7/17/2024 INCARCERATED FAILURE TO APPEAR – FINES & COSTS O.R. BOND IF $1,000.00 CASH BOND PAID FAILURE TO APPEAR – FINES & COSTS O.R. BOND IF $1,000.00 CASH BOND PAID FAILURE TO APPEAR – CHILD SUPPORT $1,000.00 CASH BOND (PAID TOWARD child support ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
FLETCHER, WALTER 74 W M 7/17/2024 INCARCERATED FIRST DEGREE RAPE $65,000.00 (CONCURRENT) AGGRAVATED CRIME AGAINST NATURE $65,000.00 (CONCURRENT) ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
MARRUS, KYLER 26 B M 7/17/2024 7/17/2024 TELEPHONE HARASSMENT $1,000.00 ARRESTING AGENCY: RED RIVER PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The Red River Crusade and Concert will be held July 21-24 at the Red River High School gym. The event is free to attend. The four day event will be full of positive people, uplifting live music, great food and an inspiring message. Doors open at 5:30pm for concessions and seating.
The Shell Station Food Junction is taking applications for Deli worker and Stockers. Must be 18 years old, able to follow schedule including weekends and have transportation. Apply in store with Sandra.
Magnolia Bend Academy Coushatta announced they have been recognized as a School of Distiction and a School of Merit by National Beta Club for the 2-23-24 school year.
Today is the last day to qualify for the November Primary slated for Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Qualifying is at the Clerk of Court’s office in Coushatta until 4:30pm this afternoon.
In Coushatta, candidates wishing to run for Mayor and council members must qualify during this timeframe. The qualifying fee is $40.00. Each office is for a term of 4 years and the beginning of the term is January 1, 2025.
Edgefield Mayor, Chief of Police, and Aldermen are also scheduled to qualify. The qualifying fee for these positions is also $40.00. Each office is for a term of 4 years and the beginning of the term is January 1, 2025.
Also in the primary are Presidential electors, President, Vice President, U.S. Representative, and Associate Justice for Supreme Court. Qualifying for each of these offices is with the Secretary of State.
Northwestern State University’s 21st President James Genovese, right, is pictured with his wife Martha Janes Genovese.
NATCHITOCHES – Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice James Genovese was named the 21st president of Northwestern State University during a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System on Thursday, July 18.
Genovese was named the lone finalist July 16 after a day of meetings and forums with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community stakeholders, as well as a public interview.
“My vision is to reinvigorate and rejuvenate Northwestern,” said Genovese. “I have chosen this as perhaps my final endeavor in my employment. It means so much to me that I am willing to forego the remaining two years of my term and help the institution that allowed me to get to where I am today.”
During interviews, Genovese said he will focus on increasing enrollment, fund raising and increasing the university’s visibility.
“What a great honor and pleasure it is to be able to have a chance to say I can do something for Northwestern and the State of Louisiana,” said Genovese. “It’s going to be a challenge and I look forward to it.”
Genovese earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at NSU in 1971 and his juris doctorate from Loyola University in 1974 with honors in property law. He has been an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court since 2017. He was a practicing attorney for 21 years before serving as a judge in the 27th Judicial District from 1995-2004 and a member of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal from 2005-16.
Genovese served on the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Council Appellate Court Work Point Values Working Group and the Trial Court Committee to Review the Need for Judgeships and as chairman of its long-term subcommittee. He was the Supreme Court’s appointee to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission. Genovese is a board member of the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society.
Genovese has been a panelist, speaker and lecturer at conferences and continuing education seminars on recent updates, professionalism, ethics, summary judgment, writs and appeals, practices and procedures of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals and judicial review in the Louisiana Supreme Court.
As an undergraduate at NSU, Genovese was named in Who’s Who Among Universities and Colleges, Who’s Who Among Greek Fraternities and Sororities of America and Outstanding College Athletes of America. He was a four-year letterman in tennis at No. 1 Singles and Doubles, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and involved with Interfraternity Council, Student Government Association and intramurals. He was inducted into the Long Purple Line, the university’s alumni hall of distinction, in 2018.
Genovese practiced law in Acadiana from 1974-1995 and served as president, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the St. Landry Parish Bar Association. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association and American Bar Association and is admitted to the bar in all state and federal courts in Louisiana, including the United States Supreme Court.
Genovese’s judicial career began as a judge ad hoc of the Opelousas City Court from 1975-1989. He was elected district judge of the Twenty-Seventh Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. Landry in 1995 and served as district judge through 2004, whereupon he was elected to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. He served on the appellate court from 2005-2016. He was elected Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, commencing January 1, 2017.
Genovese succeeds Dr. Marcus Jones as president of Northwestern State.
East Point Mount Zion Baptist Church, 2570 Hwy 71, will host a blood drive Sunday, July 28 9am until 2pm.
Help LifeShare beat the summer slump. Did you know that 20% of blood donations come from high school? This means that during summer break their inventory sees a big decrease.
Those who donate will receive a LifeShare cooler and a pair of cool shades!
Want to become a 4-H Shooting Sports Coach? Now’s your chance! There are 6 opportunities to get trained as an official 4-H coach. These trainings occur from August to November in various parts of the state.
4-H Shooting Sports offers different areas of training which are listed below. You may only pick one discipline to be trained in at an event. If you would like to be trained in two different disciplines you must attend two different trainings.
If you would like more information on the trainings and how to register, please contact the office at 318-932-4342 or emailing jfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Disciplines to choose from: Coordinator- Liaison between the 4-H agents and the shooting sports team, coordinates practices with other coaches, & looks over time sheets for competition purposes. Hunting Skills– Trains a hunting skills team to compete in the state contest. This contest requires youth to know many different aspects of hunting. Archery– Teaches youth safety and how to properly shoot a bow. Responsible for coaching youth throughout the year and preparing them for competition if they choose to compete. Air Pistol/ .22 Pistol– Teaches youth safety and how to properly shoot a pistol. Responsible for coaching youth throughout the year and preparing them for competition if they choose to compete. Air Rifle/ .22 Rifle/ BB – Teaches youth safety and how to properly shoot a rifle/ BB Gun. Responsible for coaching youth throughout the year and preparing them for competition if they choose to compete. Shotgun– Teaches youth safety and how to properly shoot a shotgun. Responsible for coaching youth throughout the year and preparing them for competition if they choose to compete. Muzzleloader- Teaches youth safety and how to properly shoot a muzzleloader. Responsible for coaching youth throughout the year and preparing them for competition if they choose to compete.
Dates of Trainings: August 17 in Jackson Parish for Air Pistol/.22 Pistol Only August 21 in Ascension Parish for Air Rifle/BB/.22 Rifle; Archery; Coordinator; or Shotgun September 14 in Calcasieu Parish for Air Rifle/BB/.22 Rifle; Archery; or Shotgun September 21 in West Baton Rouge Parish for Archery or Shotgun October 19 & 20 in Grant Parish for Air Rifle/BB/.22 Rifle; Archery; Coordinator; Muzzleloader; Shotgun or Hunting Skills (reminder that hunting skills is a day and a half training) November 2 in Ouachita Parish for Air Rifle/BB/.22 Rifle; Archery; Coordinator; or Shotgun
he 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.
We’ve all heard the stories about how people claim to have been saved by a guardian angel. For years I never really bought into this notion that someone is actually watching over us, that we all have an angel making sure we don’t die before our time is up here on earth. There’ve been several movies depicting the idea of guardian angels like, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Preachers Wife, Heart and Soul, Always, and The Family Man.
It’s a Wonderful Life is my all-time favorite and a must watch every Christmas Eve. The plot is based off the idea that a guardian angel (Clarence) is trying to earn his wings by showing George Bailey how fortunate he has been during the course of his lifetime and how important George has been to so many people within the town of Bedford Falls, NY.
Like George, so many of us take for granted the impact we have on family and friends. We forget that each of us leaves a lasting impression of both good and bad. We don’t realize how much we help shape the lives of those around us.
But occasionally God shows us through a life experience that maybe there really is someone (an angel) watching over and protecting us in ways we might not recognize at the time.
This happened to me one evening in the mid 1990’s while working for a company called Holloway Sportswear. My job at this time required me to travel daily to six different factories all across Louisiana. Travel time averaged about two to four hours per day depending on the location I was going to on a particular day. The daily drives were the worst part about the job, but the good far outweighed the bad when it came to the job overall.
One evening as I was leaving one of the factories, I hit the road for what was only about a forty-minute drive home. About halfway home, something told me to buckle up. Now this (the mid 90’s) was at a time when there was a push nationwide to always buckle up. Well, me being in my mid-thirties and bullet proof, I resisted this movement with a passion. I hated someone trying to mandate that everyone must buckle up!
But it was during the driving home that day that I heard the words, “Buckle up!” Normally these words would have been met with resistance. But on this particular day, there was something different about this voice and without hesitation I grabbed the seat belt and buckled up. For some weird reason it wasn’t even an afterthought. One minute later I was involved in a head on collision and rolled my car four times off into the woods. I remember the initial collision but was knocked unconscious upon impact. I was awake again as the car came to a rest upside down.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured which was a miracle in itself! One witness, who had a front row seat to this accident, said he did not want to come to my car because he knew I was dead. After being check over and released from the local hospital, I went home where it hit me just how lucky I was to survive such a crash.
Then I began to break everything down and analyze what had happened. I asked myself, “What made me buckle up? Why and who was that voice telling me to grab the seat belt and buckle up?” this was intriguing, especially since I was THAT GUY who never liked to buckle up, who literally hated someone telling me what was best for me!
This is when I knew that there was something of a higher power at work here. It was my guardian angel who made sure that my time here on earth was not up yet, that there was a bigger plan for me than what I had realized.
Sometimes it takes a life experience to confirm that there really is someone out there looking over our shoulders and making sure we are taken care of. Even when we think we are in control, we’re not!
So, the next time you hear that little voice in your head telling you to do something that might be in your best interest….listen!
The inductees into Northwestern State University’s Alumni Hall of Distinction, the Long Purple Line. are the late Jack Brittain Jr., Henry Burns of Haughton and Dr. Steve Horton, Doug Ireland, Dr. Chris Maggio and Robert “Skeeter” Salim, all of Natchitoches.
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University will induct six new members into its Alumni Hall of Distinction, the Long Purple Line. The inductees are the late Jack Brittain Jr., Henry Burns of Haughton and Dr. Steve Horton, Doug Ireland, Dr. Chris Maggio and Robert “Skeeter” Salim, all of Natchitoches.
The inductees will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, Oct. 25 at 12 p.m. at the Natchitoches Events Center. Doors will open at 11:15 a.m. Tickets are available at https://nsulalongpurpleline.eventbrite.com.
Northwestern State has honored 152 alumni with induction into the Long Purple Line.
Brittain was a four-year letterman in football and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity at NSU graduating in 1979 with a business administration degree. He graduated from Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU and served as an aide to U.S. Senators J. Bennett Johnston and John Breaux.
After leaving government service, he worked as a financial planner in Shreveport. He ultimately returned to his hometown and joined the Brittain Family Law Firm as an attorney at law. After the family law firm closed, Brittain conducted his own practice until his passing in July 2023.
He spent 18 football seasons as the often unconventional, always passionate sideline reporter for the Demon Sports Network. Brittain became NSU’s foremost advocate on behalf of his Demon football teammate, the late Joe Delaney, representing the university at Delaney’s 2004 Kansas City Chiefs’ Ring of Honor ceremony and for many other occasions. His loyalty and service to NSU sports was recognized by the N-Club, the university’s association of former athletic letterwinners, in 2013 when he was inducted into the N-Club Hall of Fame as a winner of the Distinguished Service Award. He was noted for his support of a wide range of university endeavors in athletics and academics and the city of Natchitoches.
Brittain volunteered to do legal work for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, vital to the location of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches. He attended annual inductions and assisted in operations. He was awarded a Life Membership in the LSWA and in 2017, became a recipient of the Mac Russo Award, given to an individual who “contributes to the progress and ideals of the LSWA. The award was later renamed in honor of Russo and Brittain.
Burns was a two-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 9 in Bossier Parish. He served 15 years on the Bossier Parish School Board and is a well-known area entrepreneur. Burns often lectures at public schools on the keys to success in life, with emphasis on perseverance. Until the late 1980s, Burns was an independent petroleum and natural gas operator. After the oil market crashed, he launched his bakery, The Wooden Spoon. Despite the odds against success and Burns having to learn the business from scratch, the Wooden Spoon was an enormous success for over 22 years. The Wooden Spoon brought Burns many awards from the Bossier Chamber of Commerce including Small Businessperson of the Year in 1994, Outstanding Business of the Year in 2001 and Outstanding Businessperson in 2006.
Burns received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Upper Elementary Education from Northwestern in 1973. Whie a student, he was named Mr. NSU. He is a member of the NSU Foundation Board of Directors. A U.S. Army veteran, he was appointed to serve on the board of the Louisiana War Veterans Museum. In addition, Burns also served as the last chair of the Northwest Louisiana Delegation for the funding and feasibility committee to complete the I-49 corridor which finally became a reality. In 2016, Henry joined the BOM Bank family as the Business Development Consultant for Bossier and Caddo Parishes. Since joining BOM he has been heavily involved in the community by joining civic clubs, organizations, committees and boards.
Horton earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and secondary teacher education from Northwestern in 1988. As a student, he was named Mr. NSU. He earned an M.S. in journalism in 1990 and the Ph.D. in vocational education/communication in 1998, both from Louisiana State University.
He returned to Northwestern in 1989 as an instructor of journalism and served in various positions on the campus, including director of Alumni Affairs, head of the Department of Journalism, dean of the Graduate School and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He ended his tenure at Northwestern in July 2016 as chief academic officer, dean and professor of education when he was named Executive Director CEO of the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts.
In 2017, Horton was inducted in the Hall of Distinguished Educators at NSU. In 2020, he was named Leadership Professional of the Year for the Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children. In 2021 was named national Alumnus Advisor of the Year for Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and in 2022 he was named to the inaugural Greek Life Hall of Fame at NSU and the School of Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
Horton serves as a member of the Natchitoches Historic District Commission and has completed terms as president of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Society, the Mystic Krewe de St. Denis and the Natchitoches Historic Foundation. He serves on the Board of Directors of City Bank and Trust Company of Natchitoches.
Ireland has been chairman of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame since 1990, just over a year after he left the Alexandria Town Talk sports staff and launched a 30-year run as the sports information director at Northwestern State, retiring in 2019. Ireland spearheaded efforts leading to construction and the 2013 opening of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches.
During his career, Ireland has earned numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, setting an LSWA writing contest record in 1987 with six first places and nine prizes overall. In 2021, he was enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a winner of the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.
In 2008 the North Louisiana National Football Foundation Chapter gave him its “Distinguished American Award” and in 2016, he received the Southland Conference’s Louis Bonnette Sports Media Award for career accomplishment. He was named 2022 “Mr. Louisiana Basketball” by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches, and later that year was named one of the 100 most impactful members of the Greek community at Northwestern for his service from 2007-22 as advisor for the Beta Omicron Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. In 2022, he was honored by NSU’s Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts as a Distinguished Communications Professional.
Since 2021, Ireland has been the sports director for Online Journals LLC, which encompasses 14 parish journals in northwest and central Louisiana.
Maggio served as NSU’s 19th president from 2017 until his retirement in 2021 and was a member of NSU’s faculty, staff and administration for 33 years. Known as a tireless recruiter, Northwestern reached a record enrollment of 11,447 in the fall 2020 semester under Maggio’s leadership. The four highest enrollments in NSU history were recorded during Maggio’s tenure as president, and the university’s economic impact on the region climbed to an all-time high of $428 million.
Academic offerings were enhanced and expanded during his presidency including the creation of a master’s degree in computer information systems, a concentration in Nurse Anesthesia in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program and the establishment of the Nursing Clinical program on the Natchitoches campus. During his presidency, private funding grew to the highest in NSU’s history. Endowments grew to $45 million, 25 new endowed professorships and first-generation scholarships were established, and contributions to the NSU Foundation exceeded $22 million. Maggio also secured initial funding for the $44 million Robert Alost Hall and the $9.5 million David and Sherry Morgan Health Performance Center facility projects.
Maggio guided Northwestern through one of the most challenging periods in its 140-year history when the school transitioned in the spring of 2020 to predominantly online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to becoming president, Maggio served the university in a variety of roles including, vice-president for the Student Experience, assistant vice-president for External Affairs, dean of students and assistant provost, director of Alumni and Development, director of Enrollment Services, director of Admissions, assistant athletic director, and head women’s track and field and cross country Coach.
Maggio is a 1985 summa cum laude graduate of Northwestern State and was chosen as Mr. NSU.
Salim is a 1972 graduate of NSU where he earned a degree in political science and history. He was a Dean’s List student and member of the tennis team lettering for four years. After graduation, he attended Loyola Law School, graduated in 1976 and was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar. While in law school, he clerked for Dodd & Barker and Donald G. Kelly.
He is a member of the Natchitoches Parish Bar Association, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Immaculate Conception Church and a former member of Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Since 2007, he has been selected as one of the 100 Top Trial Lawyers as determined by The American Trial Lawyers Association. Salim is a founding member of The Class Action Trial Lawyers Association and was recently named to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
Salim’s support of Demon baseball has been pivotal for over two decades, resulting in significant facility enhancements and more. He has also been a significant supporter of men’s and women’s basketball through the years. Salim’s engagement with Demon baseball began in the John Cohen era and his involvement was vital to the renovations of Brown-Stroud Field led by Cohen in 2000, and improvements large and small since. In 2019, he was inducted into the N-Club Hall of Fame as a winner of the Distinguished Service Award.
Salim has established four $100,000 endowments over the past two years including scholarships in memory of Jerry Pierce, Richard Ware, Brittain and H.N. & Inez Towry.
CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System will celebrate its 40th annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Reunion on Sunday, July 21.
The event, themed “Adventure Awaits,” will take over the West Wing Conference Room from 2-4 p.m. to recognize NICU graduates at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center.
“More than anything it’s just a time to reconnect. When our babies are here, they really do become a part of our family and we become a part of their family,” said Christy Bailey, NICU clinical director with CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center. “Whether they are with us for a couple of weeks or months, we know what they look like and their struggle here and we know what they look like when they leave here. But we don’t always know how their adventure moves forward.”
The reunion is a special time for reconnecting with other NICU graduates, nurses, physicians and staff who helped families during their time in the unit.
“Some of our nurses have been here for 40 years,” Bailey said. “We have some graduates who have had babies and now those same nurses are taking care of their babies.”
On August 12, 2003, J.L. Hunter “Red” Rountree parked his car and walked into the First American Bank in Abilene, Texas. Red carried two envelopes, one of which had the word “Robbery” written on it. Red walked up to the counter and handed the bank clerk both envelopes. The bank clerk read the writing on the envelope and thought it was some sort of joke. Red assured the bank clerk that it was no joke. The bank clerk asked again if he was joking. Red demanded the bank clerk put money in the envelopes. The bank clerk realized Red was serious and stuffed the envelopes with $1,999.00 in cash. Red calmly walked back to his car and drove away. Another bank employee took down the license plate number of Red’s car and called the Abilene Police Department.
The police department certainly took the bank robbery seriously. Within seconds, dispatchers broadcast a statewide bulletin about the bank robbery over the police radio. Patrol officers were given a description of Red, his automobile, and its license plate number. About 30 minutes after the robbery, a West Central Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force agent saw a car which fit the description driving about 20 miles south of Abilene. The agent initiated a traffic stop. Red remained as calm as ever as the agent placed him in handcuffs. Inside the car, the agent found the envelopes containing $1,999.00.
While trying to determine a motive, Red told detectives, “A Corpus Christi bank that I’d done business with had forced me into bankruptcy. I have never liked banks since. I decided I would get even. And I have. Banks are the easiest things in the world to rob.”
In the 1980s, Red had been a successful Houston businessman who built a company that designed and built industrial-sized winches to hold offshore drilling rigs in place. Following his wife’s death in 1986, Red became involved with another woman he eventually married. We can only speculate whether Red knew of his new wife’s addiction to drugs prior to their marriage. Red told police that he had spent half a million dollars on drug rehabilitation for his second wife, but she was unable to shake the habit. Red and his second wife eventually divorced. Due to the money he had spent on drug rehabilitation, Red was forced to file for bankruptcy.
Investigators learned that Red had a record. The First American Bank in Abilene was not Red’s first bank robbery. In 1998, Red attempted to rob a bank in Biloxi, Mississippi. Red was caught and sentenced to three years’ probation. In the following year, he robbed a Nations Bank in Pensacola, Florida. Red was ultimately convicted and spent three years in a Florida prison. Shortly after his release, Red robbed the First American Bank in Abilene in the manner mentioned above. On January 23, 2004, Red was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison.
Red certainly had a record, but he set a new one. Red said, “I rob banks for the money. Social Security is all I have, and I like to live good.” Red also told a newspaper that prison food was better than what was served at some nursing homes. While most bank robbers typically range in ages from their 20s to their 40s when they rob banks, when Red robbed the First American Bank of Abilene, he was 91 years old. He was 92 years old when convicted. Less than ten months after being convicted, Red died in prison from natural causes. According to Guinness World Records, Red was the world’s oldest convicted bank robber.
Sources:
1. Abilene Reporter-News, August 13, 2003, p.37.
2. San Angelo Standard-Times, August 13, 2003, p.4.
“Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough and we didn’t do it then like we did a while ago.” This may be one of many calls heard as you swing your partner and do-si-do around the dance floor on Saturday July 20 at the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival.
Folk musician Clancey Stewart will be leading square dance lessons on the Main Stage from 10:30-11:30 a.m. with live accompaniment from the Willie Stewart Family and Friends Bluegrass Band. The festival is held in the air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, located at 220 South Jefferson Street on the Northwestern State University campus.
Stewart is no stranger to the attendees of the Festival, as she was named the Louisiana Fiddle State Champion in 2018.
“Personally, I love calling squares because it’s almost like a form of singing to fiddle tunes,” said Clancey Stewart. “Each caller finds their own style, key and unique phrasing to interact with the crowd and keep their feet moving.”
The art of square dancing is steeped in folk music and tradition. The dance form‘s roots can be traced back to the time when European settlers arrived in America, with calls being added in the 19th century by enslaved Africans who began calling out the steps for those dancing. This calling style became common in the early 1900s and led to the traditional style which incorporates the modern western square as it is known and loved today. Clancey Stewart states square dancing was “a way for communities to get together and spend time after a barn raising and even meet their beaux. You might start a square with your partner, but by the end you will have danced with every other man or woman in the square, giving each gentleman the opportunity to dance with each lady. While all dancing was frowned upon by traditional Baptist and Methodist preachers, square dancing was more proper because there is no ‘inappropriate’ close contact between opposite genders.”
Clancey Stewart began square dancing at the age of 11 at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, when she called for the Next Generation concerts held at the center. Her enthusiasm in preserving and performing this unique style of folk music and dance can be clearly seen and heard as she actively shares her love of the folk artistry in her lessons. Attendees at the festival can learn basic steps as well as intricacies of the calls this Saturday as Clancey Stewart will be teaching the dances “Three Little Sisters” and “Two Little Hobos” to all who wish to learn.
The Festival celebrates and presents the unique and traditional folk culture of Louisiana. In addition to three stages of live entertainment, the festival will include a jambalaya cook-off, the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship, over 70 traditional crafts people, Louisiana cuisine food vendors, music informances, narrative sessions, on-site demonstrations, and much more. Admission to this family friendly event is $10 for an all-day all event pass, after 5 p.m. passes are only $6, and children 12 and under are admitted free at any time.
Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, and the State of Louisiana. The festival is sponsored by Bank of Montgomery, C&H Precision Machining, City Bank, Cleco, Cenla Focus, Evans Family, LLC, Exchange Bank, the Harrington Law Firm, International Paper, the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival, Natchitoches Wood Preserving Company, Waste Connections and Young Estate, LLC.
Open Door Fellowship will have a pulled pork sandwich fundraiser July 20 from 11am-3pm at Rivertown Market. Proceeds will help offset the cost of youth camp.
The Red River Crusade and Concert will be held July 21-24 at the Red River High School gym. The event is free to attend. The four day event will be full of positive people, uplifting live music, great food and an inspiring message. Doors open at 5:30pm for concessions and seating.
Join New Mary Magdaline Baptist Church, 1133 Hwy 177, for Revival July 21 – 23. Night of events include Minister Jacqueline Williams, July 21 at 6pm, Pastor Joey Miller on July 22 at 7pm, and Pastor Kalvin Douglass July 23 at 7pm.
Mighty Moms: Moms of Mighty Special Kids will hold their monthly meeting Friday, July 26 at 6pm at First Methodist Church in Coushatta. Guest speaker will be Kambrie Bethard Hays with Bethard & Bethard and Teal Lowring with Red River Industries. Join other mothers of children with special needs and fellowship together. Dinner will be provided. There is no childcare at this time. RSVP to Raylie Hardy at 318.471.8554.
There will be a Lydia Rachal benefit softball tournament on July 27 at PARC Natchitoches. There’s a $225 entry fee per team with a $5 Homerun Derby per person with one buy back. Concessions will also be sold. Event supplies and donations are appreciated. For more information or to donate contact Justin Fredieu 318.521.5703 or Bruce Mitchell 318.471.1747. To register your team send info to kposspit@yahoo.com.
Red River Parish Public Schools will hold Open House for the 2024-2025 school year for students in grades PK-12 from 4:30-6:30pm Thursday, August 1 at each campus.
Upscale Events, owned by Coushatta native Lavandria Taylor, is hosting their first Back 2 Tha Books Party on Friday, August 2 at the Red River Boat Launch from 5-9pm. Plans are in the works for multiple DJs, free food and drinks and backpacks stuffed with back to school goodies. Vendors, volunteers, donations and sponsors are needed to help make this event a huge success. Contact Lavandria through Facebook messenger to be apart of this event.
Your Red River Parish Journal gained a new team member this week. Jackie Carroll joins the Journal as the new media sales representative. Her job will be to work with businesses and the public to produce the best advertising experience for their needs.
Hailing from Marthaville, Louisiana, Jackie has been in sales for over 25 years. When she is not working, Jackie loves to play piano and sing in the church choir.
The Journal is excited to have Jackie on our team. If you want to reach out to her for your advertising needs, click the link and say hello.
RRPSB Summer Food Boxes will be distributed at Red River High School Wednesday July 10 from 10:30am to 1:30pm.
First come, first served.
If you are a guardian picking up for a child or children, you will drive through the horseshoe at the high school (look for signs for directions), fill out the form and pick up your box(es).
If children are present at pickup, you can simply pick up a box and go.
All children 18 and under are eligible for the boxes.
Other dates for Food Pick Up: Wednesday, July 24 10:30 am -1 pm Tentatively Wednesday July 31
Milwaukee, WI –Speaker Mike Johnson, Permanent Chair of the 2024 RNC Convention, delivered remarks Tuesday evening focused on tonight’s Convention theme of “Make America Safe Again.”
Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:
Good evening, my friends! What an amazing crowd and what a great time it is to unite our Party and to send President Donald Trump back to the White House! That’s what we are going to do.
But we’re not just uniting as Republicans. We’re uniting today as Americans in the wake of the assassination attempt on the life of President Trump.
Everyone hear me clearly and listen to me at home and make no mistake: The House is conducting an immediate and thorough investigation of these tragic events and that work has already begun. The American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability. I promise you that.
This has always been an important principle to us. We in the Republican Party are the law and order team. We always have been – and we always will be — the advocates for the rule of law.
And we all know that that principle, as well as many others, is in serious jeopardy today. We’ve come to a moment in America where the basic things that we once took for granted are being openly challenged like never before.
My friends, we are no longer just in a battle between two opposing political parties. We are, but it’s not just Rs vs Ds anymore. We’re now in the midst of a struggle between two completely different visions of who we are as Americans, and what our country will be.
The Republican Party stands for the foundational truths that made America the greatest nation in the history of the world. We are the most free, the most powerful, the most benevolent nation that has ever been. It’s not even close.
But we have no guarantee that this grand experiment in self governance can endure unless we respond to the call to keep it.
Two hundred forty eight years ago, we boldly proclaimed in our Declaration that ‘all men are created equal’ – not born equal – created equal. And that we’re ‘endowed with our Creator with certain unalienable rights.’
See, we understand that our rights do not come from government, they come from God. There’s another thing we recognize – we are made in His image. And because of that, every single person has inestimable dignity and value. And your value is not related in any way to the color of your skin, what zip code you live in, where you come from, what your talents are, or what you can contribute to society. Your value is inherent because it is given to you by your Creator. That’s what we stand for.
I speak a lot about what I call the seven core principles of American conservatism. What do we stand for as Republicans, they want to know.
I think it boils down to a few things: Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity. Indeed, those are the seven core principles of American conservatism, but they’re actually the core principles of our republic itself. And while they resonate in our hearts, and in the hearts of most Americans, the radical, woke, progressive left has disdain for those principles. They have a very different vision for what America should become. They want to tear down those foundations and remold us into some sort of borderless, lawless, Marxist, socialist utopia.
We’re here to say not on our watch. We will not allow that to happen.
It was just three weeks ago that Kelly and I dropped off our oldest son at the Naval Academy. In four years, he’ll graduate and he’ll join the 1.3 million active duty service members who bravely defend our country. We’re so proud of Jack and all our children, but like most parents today, we’re concerned about their future.
America can’t risk four more years of Joe Biden’s weakness that has invited so much aggression by our enemies. We can’t survive the dramatic increases in violence, crime, and drugs that the Democrats’ policies have brought upon our communities. And we cannot allow the many millions of illegal aliens they’ve allowed to cross our borders to harm our citizens, drain our resources, or disrupt our elections. We will not allow it.
My friends, we are watching the principles of faith, family, and freedom that once defined our nation now being trampled under foot by the radical left. As President Trump raised his fist and gave a rally cry on Saturday, now is our time to fight, and we will!
We’re in a fateful battle of ideas, my friends, and we have to recognize that. But in this battle, and in November, the American people will reject the Party of self-destruction, and they will elect the Party of peace and prosperity and opportunity. The GOP will grow our House majority, we will take back the Senate, and we will return Donald J. Trump to the White House.
Standing arm-in-arm, we will make America safe again. We reach out tonight to everyone watching at home, we invite all Americans who believe in the promise of our great nation to join us in this fateful battle. We can and we will reverse this current decline. We can restore our founding principles. And we can preserve this exceptional nation that God has entrusted to us and what Abraham Lincoln referred to as, “the last best hope of man on the Earth.”
Thank you so much, God bless you, God bless our troops, and God bless America.
It is oppressively hot in most of the U.S. and certainly here in Louisiana. We are also in the midst of an acrimonious presidential race, now exacerbated by the assassination attempt of Pres. Trump (which I will address next week). And then, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day, the 2024 Paris Olympics, slated to run from Jul 26-Aug 11, arrive.
I watched several parts of the Olympic trials and marveled at how hard each athlete competed to make the national team. You could see the utter elation in the eyes and smiles of those who made it and the abject sadness in those who did not.
Begun in Greece over 2000 years ago as a hoped-for substitute for the continual warfare between the Greek city states, the Olympics are an interesting global phenomenon. The organization succinctly proclaims that “the Olympic Games are the world’s only truly global, multi-sport … athletics competition. With more than 200 countries participating in over 400 events across the Summer and Winter Games, the Olympics are where the world comes to compete, feel inspired, and be together.” This, of course, prominently includes the Paralympic Games which “provide a platform for Para athletes with a diverse range of impairments to showcase their outstanding abilities to millions of spectators and billions of TV viewers.”
The head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, described what the event would look like: “The entire city of Paris has been turned into a vast Olympic stadium. The Seine represents the track, and the quays the spectators’ stands.” (Time Magazine, 2024)
The opening of the games is, itself, fabulous. Various news sources have noted that “the opening ceremony will take place along the Seine River in the heart of Paris. It will mark the first time in the history of the Summer Games that the ceremony will not be held inside a stadium.”
I have always loved the Olympics, and for several distinct reasons. Firstly, in my youth I was a competitive swimmer for a number of years and when I watch the young American swimmers at the Olympics, I am warmly and fondly reminded of those grueling but memorable days.
I am also always moved when one of our Olympians finishes a race or competition, is struggling to catch their breath, has a microphone shoved in their face and gushes “I am so proud to represent my country!” I think it touches most of us.
I am also captivated by the distance runners at 5-, 10-and 15,000-meter distances. I still marvel at the heptathlon, and at how much raw natural talent is necessary to be able to compete at the Olympic level in multiple—and completely different—sports. Talk about cross training! The gymnasts also amaze me with their ability to do multiple somersaults during the floor exercise and then fly HIGH into the air and stop just short of stepping out of bounds! Or on that balance beam, when they somehow do a flip and land on that seemingly very small beam, not breaking their necks! And I find it riveting to watch the men’s 100 meter final and see those ten men load themselves into their blocks to determine the fastest man in the world.
I also love the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 track relays. To watch each competing nation not only have to run as fast as they possibly can but also be sure the baton is not dropped during the precarious, high-speed exchanges between runners.
I am always inspired by the level of commitment and preparation demanded from these athletes over many years for the mere chance of making the team. I fervently hope for—and often shout out loud for—the American athlete attempting to win the gold medal. I think these are some of the most uniquely American emotions we feel.
As Jefferson recognized in the Declaration of Independence, America takes its place in the world based upon “the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and Nature’s God entitle it” and we do so proudly because we are Americans first, last, and always.
As President Reagan said, ‘the Olympics provide the ultimate experience in watching athletes strive through honest effort, fair play, discipline, and determination to reach the top … It’s the personal striving, the ability to achieve the fullest measure of human potential that counts most.”
Sin is like this. One day recently I was throwing on my dress shirt. I was not paying attention to what I was doing. The top button I lined up with the wrong buttonhole. The rest of the way down my shirt was off. You can’t button your shirt correctly if you get the top button wrong. That is what sin does in our relationships and to our lives; it throws us one bubble off of plumb.
Now before you go “holier than thou” on me consider this:
Once, D.L. Moody went to meet Charles Spurgeon at Spurgeon’s house in London. Spurgeon had been Moody’s hero and, from a distance, his teacher. When Spurgeon answered the door with a cigar in his mouth, Moody practically fell down the stairs in shock. Looking up at Spurgeon, he gasped, “How could you, a man of God, smoke that?”
Spurgeon took the stogie out of his mouth and walked down the steps to where Moody was still standing in confusion. Putting his index finger on Moody’s rather rotund stomach, he smiled, “The same way you, a man of God, could be that fat.”
Ouch!
There is no upside to sin. It is destructive. Our world is crazy, evil and mean because we live in a fallen world. We are all sinners and when sinners act out of their nature, bad stuff happens. The problems of culture can’t be fixed with more money, marching behind the slogans on a banner, another program, coming together or more education. Our world is going to hell in a handbasket because there are seven billion sinners alive and active right now.
Sin is not the only story, there is an antidote.
A father caught his son smoking. “You know my displeasure in you right now,” he admonished the boy. “I’ve always told you I would punish you severely if I ever caught you smoking. You deserve three smacks across your bottom with my belt.”
Thereupon, the father got his belt, but he hit the boy only once. Then he sent his son up to his room. (Before you get your liver in a quiver, this used to be the way it was. My mother had a stick she used to stir paint. It was colorful and effective for discipline.)
A short time later, the father climbed the stairs to his son’s room and asked, “Would you like to go out and get some ice cream?” Sitting in the ice cream parlor, the father said, “You do know that when I caught you smoking you deserved three smacks with my belt?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You noticed that you got only one, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Son, that is mercy, and I want you to remember the lesson. Are you enjoying your ice cream?”
SHREVEPORT – The accreditation of LSU Shreveport’s College of Business has been extended by the most prestigious business accreditation body, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. LSUS is part of an exclusive worldwide group with less than six percent of colleges and business schools earning AACSB accreditation.
“The LSUS College of Business is proud to have more than three decades of continuous accreditation by AACSB,” said Dr. Mary Lois White, dean of the LSUS College of Business. “This achievement reflects the commitment of our College of Business faculty and staff to providing a high-quality educational experience for our students.”
Achieving AACSB accreditation is a rigorous process that includes an in-depth assessment of internal activities, mentorship with an AACSB advisor, and a peer-reviewed evaluation focused on continuous improvement.
During this multiyear path, schools focus on developing and implementing a plan to achieve their mission and align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These principles-based standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation, research, and teaching and learning.
“The commitment to earning accreditation is a true reflection of each school’s dedication—not only to its students, alumni network, and greater business community— but to society as a whole.” said Stephanie Bryant, executive vice president and global chief accreditation officer at AACSB.
Each business school is evaluated for accreditation extension every five years with the cycle lengthening to six years starting in 2026.
This accreditation extension recognizes the impact of the College of Business’s mission to educate, engage, and empower its students through an accessible and challenging curriculum and curricular and cocurricular activities.
Through its on-campus undergraduate and online undergraduate and graduate programs, the College of Business has been a key driver in LSUS’s record growth.
The university smashed its enrollment record (10,214 in Spring 2024) despite national financial headwinds that negatively impacted most colleges.
More than just an increase in numbers, LSUS is providing access to educational opportunities that are changing the trajectories for its students and their families.
LSUS ranked the best in Louisiana and top 20 percent nationally in the second annual Economic Mobility Index, which measures how effectively institutions assist low-income students to improve their socioeconomic level upon graduation. National think tank Third Way released its report this past September.
“Empowering students to pursue their goals through high-quality, affordable educational opportunities focused on career preparation is a primary driver of our strategic efforts,” White said. “We’re grateful for recognition of our positive impact on students in Shreveport-Bossier and throughout Louisiana.”
To learn more about LSUS’s academic offerings in the College of Business, visit the program’s website.
We all gotta start somewhere, and since it was exactly what I’d always hoped to do plus paid a smooth $250 a week plus was the only job offer I had, I started my “career” as a sportswriter at “The Longview News-Journal” in East Texas 40 years ago this summer, 24, ready for a fight, proud to have health and dental.
And a free daily paper.
Louisiana Tech had coached me up as best it could, even graduate school and all. As an assistant in sports information, I’d had the chance to cover ball and meet the state’s ink-stained wretches and had what I thought was a hard-boiled idea of what the sportswriting world was like. Had worked on the school paper, served as a stringer for ballgames and features, even talked to the Associated Press guys. On deadline.
Lots of time on the IBM Selectric.
Plus I knew how to work. Had done it since I was a little fella. Cucumber picking. Corn scratching. Tractor driving. Tobacco hanging. Grass mowing.
Had every reason to be confident. Big reader. Great teachers. Professional journalistic role models of the highest order in Keith Prince and Wiley Hilburn.
But I was scared to death.
Funny what you remember. I turned onto I-20 from Exit 82 in Ruston, the Tech exit, and noticed a brown roper, a cowboy boot, had fallen out of the bed of my truck onto the shoulder. Thought I’d packed everything in better than that, and still wonder why it had caught my eye in the passenger mirror, my roper tumbling out. Even as I got out and stuffed in back in, I remember thinking I would never forget that moment, me trying to be a rookie professional — and things falling out before I’d even left town.
But John Inman, God rest his cheery, patient soul, was there to meet me in Longview. He loved to eat and we made the rounds during the suppertime break, it being summer and no high school football or basketball or baseball games to cover. Don’t know about today, but 40 years ago, a man could eat fine in Longview. Burgers & Fries. The Butcher Shop. A cafeteria or two.
Every morning, I’d sit outside my apartment by a swimming pool and read our Longview paper, “The Dallas Morning News,” and “The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.”
I’d seldom had it so good.
1984 was the summer the Detroit Tigers started their season 35-5, the subject of one of Mr. Inman’s questions during my job interview, which lasted almost a whole minute.
“What about those Detroit Tigers?” he said.
“Hot as grandma’s skillet,” I said.
He asked if I could start Tuesday.
It was the summer of the Olympics in Los Angeles, Mary Lou Retton and Greg Louganis and Mary Decker, a middle-distance runner and, along with Retton, an American Sweetheart. But she tripped and fell four laps into the 3,000 meters and there the iconic photo of her all alone, clutching her ankle or some leg part, in tears, and I wrote a column from two time zones away, “The Queen Has Fallen,” or something ridiculous like that.
Country come to town.
It was the summer the Cincinnati Reds retired the number of Johnny Bench, who’d played the final game of his Hall of Fame career the fall before, and I wrote a column that ended, “Thanks, Number 5, for the memories,” or some such. I think Mr. Inman didn’t edit that out, just to teach me a lesson about maybe not being a sappy idiot in words and whatnot. “Thanks for the memories” and cue the soap opera music…
Good lord help us all.
The only “live” event I covered all summer was the Longview City Golf Championships, and hopefully I got the winner’s name and score correct. And there was the Green Bay at Dallas preseason scrap, not exactly The Game of the Century.
But what a time it was. I learned a lot, pasting up the paper at midnight, hanging with fellow young bucks Olin and Kyle, who are still in the business, and with David, who’ve I’ve lost touch with but who is likely out there somewhere smiling and being big and all muscled up and looking a lot more like a linebacker than a sportswriter.
Mr. Inman did what he could with us. What a blessing. Even with a weekly check of $197 and change, after taxes. Money ain’t everything.
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