Amanda Cason has been selected as Teacher of the Year at Riverdale Academy. Mrs. Cason was selected by her peers for her positive attitude and her love of math, the subject she teaches.

Faculty members say she makes learning fun, while holding students accountable. Her students love her class, even though she teaches a difficult subject. 

“I am so blessed that Riverdale chose me. When I became a stay at home mom, I said I would never go back to teaching. The Lord had different plans. Mrs. Jamie asked me to come teach about 6 years ago, and I told her I would have to think about it. After lots of praying, I am so glad that the Lord led me to RA. I found where I belong,” said Cason.

Mrs. Cason is loved and well respected by all at RA–her colleagues, students and the parents. 

Cason added, “I am so thankful for my wonderful group of friends/colleagues, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of students to teach. And to top it off, I get to see my own kids throughout the day. Thank you RA for being such a blessing to me.”

A funeral service celebrating the life of Larry Len Raley, 77, will be held at 10:00 AM, Monday, January 29, 2024, at Liberty Baptist Church in the Martin community with Bro. Harry Bamburg officiating. Interment will follow in Holley Springs Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM, Sunday, January 28, 2024, at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Coushatta.

Larry was born on March 7, 1946, in Coushatta, LA to Lawrence E. and Nona Yarbrough Raley and passed at his residence, January 25, 2024, in Coushatta, LA.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Glenda D. Weaver Raley; sons, Todd Raley (Bobbie) and Shane Raley (Lori); grandchildren, Holly Raley, Cohen Raley, Sydney Raley, Eddie Thompson, Michael Thompson, Maci McCullogh and Kyle Sanders; seven great grandchildren; and host of friends and other relatives.

Honoring Larry as pallbearers will be Zach Hester, Jerry Hester, Eric Breedlove, Nick Thomas, Eddie Thompson and Clay Vaughn. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Joe Pickett, Terrell Hester, Ben Bryant and Charles Crawford.

Keep Northwestern State Beautiful was selected as a recipient of a Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) University Affiliate Grant. KLB is the state’s premier anti-litter and community improvement organization.

The $5,000 grant will reduce single-use plastic waste on campus.  Grant funds will be used to purchase a filtered-water bottle filling station and distribute 350 refillable stainless-steel drinking bottles on NSU’s Natchitoches campus. Keep Northwestern State Beautiful partnered with the NSU Conservation Club to develop the grant proposal. NSU Conservation Club is a Recognized Student Organization on campus that strives to bring together like-minded individuals interested in natural science and conservation. Students from the club will distribute water bottles and conduct outreach to recipients about the Conversations Club’s goals, events and meetings.

“We’re excited about this partnership and look forward to working with the Conservation Club and other student groups in the future. We believe that this grant will not only help reduce waste, but also deliver the important message about the value of teamwork and collaboration towards achieving common goals,” said Steven Gruesbeck, NSU’s director of Service-Learning.

The University Affiliate Grant program was developed as part of a $500,000 five-year EPA Gulf of Mexico Trash-Free Waters Grant secured in 2021 by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with Keep Louisiana beautiful as a sub-recipient. The funding has created and launched the University Affiliate Program, developed a litter assessment app, developed educational training videos for campus communities in addition to grant opportunities for University Affiliates. The program is in response to growing interest in sustainability, waste reduction, and litter prevention at the university level.

NSU became a university affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful last year and is committed to continuing improvement in sustainability and environmental issues by promoting student environmental stewardship and engagement. The primary purpose of the university affiliate program is to educate and engage the next generation of business owners and community leaders on environmental issues such as waste reduction, litter prevention and marine debris that have long-term effects on our state and the Gulf of Mexico.

“This program has enhanced the beautification of our already beautiful campus. NSU will continue to educate our campus community on waste reduction and sustainability. The faculty, staff, and students of NSU look forward to being a long-time participant in the Keep Louisiana Beautiful program,” said Jennifer Kelly, executive director of University Affairs.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s mission is to promote personal, corporate and community responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana. Through programs, and statewide network of affiliates and partners, KLB provides tools and resources to prevent litter, reduce waste, increase recycling and beautify spaces. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving a cleaner, greener Louisiana through litter reduction and beautification initiatives. To get involved, visit keeplouisianabeautiful.org.

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Volunteer Louisiana are seeking nominations for outstanding volunteers and national service members for the 2024 Champions of Service Awards. Nominations are open to any person, group, or business that has demonstrated exceptional commitment and made significant contributions to volunteerism in the great state of Louisiana. Nominations will close on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

Champions can be individuals, groups, or businesses that have made outstanding service contributions to their communities. Seven geographic regions throughout the state will each have one Champion of Service recognized. In addition to individual awards, an AmeriCorps member and a volunteer group will also be awarded.

• Demonstrating excellence in volunteerism, community service, national service, civic, social, or corporate responsibility.
• Displaying creative utilization of people, resources, and opportunities.
• Playing a significant role in advocating for volunteerism within the local community.
• Making an outstanding contribution to community service efforts.

Submit nominations here

I found it interesting to read this week that Wall Street investors are “conceding that former President Donald Trump will likely win the GOP primary for the 2024 presidential race.” (The Epoch Times, Jack Phillips, 1/24/2024). These remarks were made just before Trump won the New Hampshire primary. He also won Iowa earlier this month with strong support from his working class and middle-class base which has not been diminished in their support by the politically motivated law-fare being waged against him.

In fact, pundits across the political spectrum have concluded that the Biden’s unprecedented election interference caused by the numerous political legal cases that have been filed against Trump—the numerous indictments and efforts to deprive American’s of their right to vote by removing Trump from state ballots—have provided jet fuel to the Republican nomination and to his consistent lead over Biden in national and key swing state polls.

However, as interesting as that is, I found another set of comments even more insightful. Major Wall Street investor, Jamie Dimon, who is JPMorgan Chase CEO said he agreed with multiple statements and policies that were made by Trump on immigration, taxes, and the economy.

“Take a step back, be honest. He was kind of right about NATO, kind of right on immigration. He grew the economy quite well. Trade tax reform worked. He was right about some of China,” Further, “he wasn’t wrong about some of these critical issues, and that’s why” people voted for him. “I wish Democrats would think a little more carefully when they talk about MAGA,” he said, referencing the Trump “Make America Great Again” slogan. “I think this negative talk about MAGA is going to hurt Biden’s election campaign.” He further stated that “Democrats and President Biden are basically scapegoating them [saying] that you are like him.” (The Epoch Times).

Mr. Dimon understates the Trump record. President Trump was not merely “kind of right” on NATO; he was completely right and only by calling out the other NATO nations in his bulldogged fashion have those other nations begun to pay into that organization anywhere close to their financial obligations—which is still many billions short of America’s annual NATO contribution. Mr. Dimon also vastly understates that Trump was “kind of right on immigration.” Pres. Trump has been dead right on immigration and the scourge of drugs—including fentanyl that kills Americans daily—crime, human and child trafficking and terrorists who daily come over our southern (and increasingly, northern) border. It’s estimated that 8 million illegals have come into our country during the Biden Administration. I do agree with Mr. Dimon that President Trump “grew the economy quite well” and that “tax reform worked.” In fact, the Trump tax cuts caused the economy to explode with growth.

However, I was most intrigued by Mr. Dimon’s observation that the “negative talk about MAGA is going to hurt Biden’s election campaign” and that the Biden campaign makes a mistake when it “scapegoats” Trump supporters.

This scapegoating of Trump supporters to which Mr. Dimon refers calls to mind Hillary Clinton’s recommendation that the “cult-like’ Trump supporters be “formally deprogrammed.” Of course, we also recall her 2016 accusation in which she deemed Trump supporters to be a part of a “basket of deplorables” … “You know, … you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it.” These Clinton comments were also reminiscent of those of then-presidential candidate, Barack Obama, who stated about religious conservatives “they get bitter, they cling to their guns and religion.”

What a breathtaking misunderstanding of the beliefs and motivations of roughly half of the American people. We support Trump because he is the only hope we see to preserve any semblance of the America we grew up in and deeply cherish. He’s the only national figure we see who can again possibly slow the rapid acceleration of our federal government toward a socialist form of government and our American culture into the godless cesspool that currently smothers us.

It is for these beliefs and values that MAGA Americans are scapegoated, ridiculed, and mocked. And that is why we stand with Trump. Because he stands with and fights for us. As Trump said, ‘in reality, they’re not after me. They are after you, and I am just in the way.’

May he long remain ‘in the way.’

Royal Alexander

Soccer registration is now open at Open Door Fellowship. Online registration will be open January 22 through March 1. Games will be played on April 6, 13, 20, 27 and May 4, 11. Children in grades PK (4) through 6 can register. Go to http://www.odfcoushatta.com/sports to register or sign up to volunteer.

The Red River Parish Library will host Valentine’s Day Bingo on Wednesday, February 14 from 1-2pm or as long as the prizes hold out.

The LSU AgCenter is offering a paid summer internship where interns will learn how to plan and conduct extension programs by working alongside educators at a parish extension office. Positions are available within Youth Development, Food and Health, and Agriculture and Natural Resources. Current or rising college junior, senior or graduate students are invited to apply by March 15, 2024. Apply here: http://tinyurl.com/AgCenterExtension24

Larry Len Raley
March 7, 1946 — January 25, 2024
Service: Monday, January 29 at 10am at Liberty Baptist Church – Martin

Lt Col (ret) Lem C. Jones
September 7, 1931 — January 20, 2024
Service: Monday, January 29 at 1pm at First Methodist Church – Coushatta

What does it mean to be a mom and have not one but two of your children in the military? The Journal interviewed Coushatta’s Donnisha Mims to find out.

From her job at the Red River School Board office, Mrs. Mims expressed her nervousness and pride for her children. The siblings are both Red River High School graduates and are out in the world making a difference.

“As parents, we decided that a college education would be up to them. We support them in every way possible, but we believe that if a person has to work for their opportunities, then it will mean more.”

“Lucas, our son, joined the Army first. He has had experiences with people from all walks of life. He loves his job and is trained to be professional in all environments. He is one of the main reasons our daughter, Jadon, decided to join the military.”

Jadon looked at two possible military branches: the Air Force and the Navy. She chose the Navy partly due to their recruiting and partially to see the world up close. She is now learning the skills needed to be a yeoman. She loves that she can make a difference in the world and her hometown. She believes that a strong Navy is instrumental in maintaining the security of the United States coastal region and protecting democracy.

As her mom, Mims says she speaks with her frequently and enjoys hearing about her training. “I am not always happy to hear everything she is required to do, like have night watch. It makes me nervous sometimes, but then I remember that I must trust that she is trained to do her job. Her father, however, took some encouragement. It was hard to see his girl head off to possible harm.”

“I think it is a blessing that my children are able to go to different countries, spend time with peers from all over the world, and see that every place is different and yet the same.” Mims also says that both of her children have had positive experiences in their training and activities.

“I love that they now know and have experienced people and things that they could never have known if they stayed right here.”

When asked how it feels to see her kids leave, she answered, “I have faith that we raised them right and that they will do well. I have faith that they will be kept safe. I just have to rely on my faith at all times. I have another child who is considering the military. I may just have one in the Air Force in the future.

BY MATT VINES, Red River Parish Journal

EAST POINT — The Riverdale Academy girls rolled their winning streak to nine games with a pair of district wins earlier this week. 

Riverdale (15-2, 6-0 MAIS District 4-2A) hammered Central School and Northeast Baptist by more than 40 points each as they inch closer to a district title. The Northeast Baptist score (66-3) was particularly noteworthy as Riverdale allowed its fewest points of the season. 

The Lady Rebels traveled to Union Christian for a Thursday evening tilt in a game that ended after deadline, but Union Christian entered the contest winless this season. 

A win Thursday sets the stage for the de facto district championship game tonight with second-place Briarfield Academy (16-4, 6-1). 

Riverdale won the first meeting 50-36 in East Point, and now the Lady Rebels load up the bus to make the long trip to Lake Providence in the far northeastern corner of the state. 

After the Briarfield contest, Riverdale still has four more regular-season bouts, including two in district. 

Riverdale heads to Westside Christian on Monday, hosts Union Christian (Tuesday) and Claiborne Academy (Friday) before ending the regular season on Feb. 3 by hosting the Louisiana School. 

Boys on a hot streak of their own 

The Riverdale boys picked up two wins this week with victories against Central School and Northeast Baptist to sweep the season series. 

The Rebels’ defense also produced a season low in points allowed in a 77-8 win against Northeast Baptist on Tuesday, 

The Rebels (6-7, 4-2 MAIS 4-2A) were heavily favored heading into Thursday’s night matchup with Union Christian that ended after deadline. 

A win tees up a battle for second place in the district at Briarfield Academy (15-2, 6-1) tonight. Briarfield was in the driver’s seat in district before being topped by Claiborne Academy this week. 

Briarfield won the first meeting with Riverdale, 49-35, in East Point.  

The remaining boys schedule mirrors the girls slate, with particular importance placed on Friday’s Briarfield meeting and the Feb. 2 date with Claiborne Academy. 

Should Riverdale squeak by Briarfield and win the games in which they are favored, they could play for a share of the district title against Claiborne Academy. 

Claiborne won the first meeting, 58-49, in Haynesville. 

Students enrolled at Magnolia Bend Academy participated in the Americanism Program Competition. 

Veterans of Foreign War sponsor the Americanism Program each year to educate youth about patriotism. The program incorporates age-appropriate coloring, drawing, or an essay, beginning at kindergarten and encompassing students through the twelfth grade.

The following students earned awards:
• Jessie Adams (K) won 1st place.
• Raelynn Edwards (2nd) won Overall and 1st place.
• Anderson Carney (3rd) won 3rd Place
• Jonathan Marin (4th) won Overall and 1st place.
• Violet Foster (4th) won 2nd place.
• Rachyl Moseley (5th) won Overall and 1st place.
• Aylah Cottingham (5th) won 2nd place.
• Harper Armstrong (5th) won 3rd place.
• Tate Weems (6th) won 1st place and was also invited to the VFW Honors Banquet.
• Carter Birdwell (6th) won 2nd place.
• Jaxon Townsend (7th) won 3rd place.
• Aidan Carney (9th) won 2nd place.
• Brooklyn Johnson (10th) won 1st place and was also invited to the VFW Honors Banquet.
• Charleigh Davis (10th) won 3rd place.

Steve Graf

Over the many decades of professional bass fishing, electronics have made more advances in a shorter time than any other item on a bass boat. These are even more advanced than the high-tech engines that push a bass boat today at speeds exceeding 80 MPH and are more fuel-efficient and quieter than ever. But nothing has created more controversy than the latest advancement in electronics. Forward-facing sonar is the newest and most controversial technology, maybe ever. Today, I’ll give you my perspective as a guy who uses and competes against guys with one of these $ 5,000 units on their boat.

Let’s start with the fact that I am not against any advancement that improves fishing. Baseball has changed the ball to get more distance off the bat. Golf has made the same type of strides with their new and innovative advancements in golf balls and clubs, so much so that golf has decided to pull the reins back and make golf balls that don’t fly as far because they are making certain golf courses obsolete.

Forward-facing sonar has created the same controversy with a unit that shows fish swimming up to 100 feet away. You can see them in real-time on a screen as big as the one in your living room. So why the controversy? Well, the fishing purists, or old timers as we call them, hate this new piece of equipment because they feel like some anglers (especially the younger anglers) have a distinct advantage. It’s made instant champions out of anglers who have just gone through puberty—young boys who have just put away their GI Joe collection.

Fishing instincts or years of experience are no longer as important as they were 10 years ago. Young anglers today are making a quicker rise to the professional ranks without having “paid their dues” like many of the legends we know today. Tournament bass fishing is a whole new ballgame all due to forward-facing sonar. This technology has made finding fish too easy and allows anglers to target the bigger fish in the school and pick them off one big fish at a time.

That’s right, I said BIG fish. Here’s part of the controversy: forward-facing sonar allows an angler to zero in on the bigger fish in a school, brush top, or isolated stump, picking them off like blackberries on the vine. This new technology also directly threatens the breeding population of bass and other species like crappie.

Gone are the days of an angler wasting time pulling into a pocket and fan-casting for fish until he caught one. Now, anglers pull into a cove, put the trolling motor down with a transducer for FF sonar, and start to scan the area in a matter of seconds like some form of radar. They locate the fish and then attempt to catch those fish with whatever techniques work best.

It still needs to be made clear where this new technology is headed with regard to tournaments. But it’s about 50/50 on opinions for or against it. The B.A.S.S. organization will interview anglers after each of their Elite Series events in 2024 to come to a conclusion, which may result in rule changes for 2025. So, stay tuned…. more to come on this as we go further into the B.A.S.S. and Major League (MLF) tournament schedules.

Based on my experience and talking to people involved, I see it both ways: being banned or allowed. One benefit tournament, like the DeSpino Tire Children’s Miracle Network event on Toledo Bend, has decided to ban this technology to level the playing field. As far as I can report, this is the first tournament to make such a decision. It will be interesting to see if it affects the number of entries.

But as far as professional anglers are concerned, it all depends on which angler you ask. Here’s the bigger question: are we developing top-level anglers today with this new technology, or are we creating robotic angling nerds who don’t have the skills that professional anglers should possess? These skills would include reading the water and understanding bass behavior and how they react under different conditions. Most young up-and-coming anglers today lack this knowledge or the instincts to compete at the highest level WITHOUT this new forward-facing sonar.

Here’s a great example. A friend of mine fished the co-angler (amateur) side of a recent tournament at Sam Rayburn and drew a young 18-year-old as his pro for the day. Around mid-morning, all the electronics went blank on his boat, sending the young angler into panic mode. He had no idea how to fish without his forward-facing sonar or how he would navigate the rest of the day. It was as if his XBOX video game went out, and he could no longer play! This is just one example of how unprepared some of today’s young anglers are. Most do not possess the skills necessary to compete with anglers much older who have years of experience to fall back on if they lose their electronics.

In some ways, we are not doing a good job of developing the next generation of anglers. We are setting them up for failure, especially if major organizations like the B.A.S.S. Elite Series and MLF (Major League Fishing) ban this new technology. All this being said, these electronic companies who created this monster have invested too much money just to stop making them. Tournament anglers make up a small portion of the overall bass fishing population. Even if some tournament organizations decide to ban this technology, the average weekend warrior (non-tournament angler) will continue to use it.

Until next time, good luck, good fishing, and make sure to apply your sunscreen even during the cold weather months.
 

LifeShare Blood Center is kicking off the Mardi Gras season by encouraging you to give life to the fullest! Donate at the Shreveport or Bossier City donor center on February 1st or 2nd and receive a Lilah’s Bakery king cake plus a limited-edition Mardi Gras donor t-shirt.

“Every two seconds someone needs blood. In fact, nearly 30,000 units of whole blood and red blood cells are transfused each day in the U.S. Our donors allow others to live life to the fullest with each donation they make, and that is definitely worth celebrating,” says Mandi Johnson, Director of Community Engagement.

LifeShare is honored to partner with Lilah’s Bakery and other businesses who are committed to strengthening the community’s blood supply.

King cakes will be available in-center only at all LifeShare donor centers Thursday, February 1 & Friday, February 2. Appointments are encouraged, but not required. To schedule a donation appointment, visit: www.lifeshare.org/give.

Timelapse, the Seventh Louisiana Biennial National Juried Exhibition, is now open to visitors through Feb. 20, each Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., in the F. Jay Taylor Visual Arts Center (TVAC) Galleries on the Louisiana Tech campus.

Admission is free.

A “Juror Talk” at the TVAC with curator Laura Blereau, the Curator of Exhibitions at Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University, will be Tuesday, Jan. 30, 5-6 p.m., followed by an awards reception from 6-7 p.m. Blereau had the difficult task of selecting 56 artworks out of nearly 464 submissions by artists throughout the United States, including two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and video works.

Blereau will announce awards during the Juror Talk; the winner will get a solo exhibition at Tech in 2024-25.

The exhibition is an excellent opportunity for students, faculty, and the public to see emerging contemporary work from around the country in a local gallery setting. Several regional artists are represented in the show, including Tech student Melanie Douthit, Tech faculty Markus Wobisch, and Bulldog alums Frank Herbert, Carey Roberson, Adrianna Speer, and Ben Wreyford.

Other featured works are by the following:

Sarah Amacker, Diana Behl, Susan Carr, Cheeny Celebrado-Royer, Jinghong Chen, WangLing Chou, Jeanne Ciravolo, Lionel Cruet, Sara Dismukes, Lynda Frese, Matt Frieburghaus, Timothy Gonchoroff, Michael Hower, Jeremiah Johnson, Bette Kauffman, Katie Kehoe, Amanda Kralovic, Christopher Latil, Sandra Eula Lee, Madison Manning, Nick Mendoza, Sarah Moschel Miller, Sarah Nance, Jacqueline Neale, Kristin Powers Nowlin, Robert Patrick, Millian Giang Pham, Natalie Preston, Suzanna Scott, Sabrina Skinner, David Samuel Stern, Clifford Tresner, Scott Turri, Lindsey Waters, Rebecca Welz, Lauren Woods, an Jenny Wu.

The TVAC is at 1 Mayfield Avenue on campus. The exhibition is sponsored by the University’s School of Design.

For more information, contact Brooke Cassady, Director of SOD Galleries, at either bcassady@latech.edu or 318.257.3910.

The event website link is
https://events.latech.edu/cola/event/432390-juror-talk-awards-reception-for-timelapse

About Blereau:

She has more than 20 years of experience working with artists, galleries, and museums, and she writes frequently about contemporary art. She is a specialist in art and technology, particularly time-based mediums such as new media and software art, kinetic sculpture, and performance.

Since coming to Newcomb Art Museum in 2017, Blereau has curated and co-curated several exhibitions, such as Unthinkable Imagination: A Creative Response to the Juvenile Justice Crisis (2023), Core Memory: Encoded (2022), Laura Anderson Barbata: Transcommunality (2021), Brandan ‘Bmike’ Odums: Not Supposed 2-BE Here (2020), per(Sister): Incarcerated Women of Louisiana (2019), Fallen Fruit: Empire (2018) and Clay in Place (2018).

Previously, Blereau’s interdisciplinary approach to the visual arts was shaped by formative work experiences at The Kitchen, Marian Goodman Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, bitforms gallery, the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, the Hilliard University Art Museum, and several artist studios. Blereau holds an MFA in New Forms from Pratt Institute and a BFA in Painting from Louisiana State University. She is an alum of the Curatorial Intensive Program at Independent Curators International.

Juror’s Statement concerning Timelapse: 

“As juror for the 7th Louisiana Biennial, I felt drawn to artists expressing their temporal connections to landscape and people. These artists are taking on abstract subjects, such as natural phenomena and cultural identity, to address the real and shifting experiences of their daily lives. Several works in the exhibition explore displacement, environmental disaster, and personal relationships in transition. Other pieces focus on the dynamism of bodily presence, pattern, animals, food, decay, and new ways of seeing.

“While the topics they address are wide ranging, these works share an intensity that is made evident by each artist’s dedication to their chosen craft and process. The show is organized around seven interrelated themes: life forms/forces, terrains of climate change, weaving, identity, geometric abstraction, architecture, and spaces of emotional care. As a group, the works highlight artistic practices that emphasize reclaimed materials and cyclical considerations of time.

“The process of jurying a show like this is subjective. The pieces that speak to me do not necessarily speak to other curators in the same way. I am grateful to the 118 artists who responded to the open call for art this past November, and I encourage all to remain on a creative path. This special opportunity to engage Ruston’s community would not have been possible without the energy of Louisiana Tech University’s faculty in the School of Design.”

Farmers and ranchers from across Louisiana and neighboring states gathered in Chicot State Park for the inaugural Louisiana Farmers Climate Convening on January 21 and 22 to tackle the increasing impacts of climate change on local agriculture. After a year that saw overlapping climate disasters that impacted Louisiana farms—including persistent drought, wildfires, record-breaking heat and saltwater intrusion—this two-day event hosted by the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition (LSSAC) provided opportunities for farmers to connect on the community impacts of climate change and gain technical skills for climate-smart agriculture.

SPROUT NOLA’s Producers & Sustainability Director Margee Green discussed the purpose behind the event and the benefit of creating a space for farmers to gather, share resources and learn together. “We’ve had about 150 people join us over these past two days,” Green said. “We’re really excited to have spent Sunday as a day building community and helping farmers figure out tools and shared experiences that will help them organize against the impacts of climate change on all different kinds of farms.”

On the heels of the extreme winter weather fueled by climate change that slammed Louisiana and most of the US, Sunday’s program focused on the social, emotional and community impacts of climate change on Louisiana’s food system. The day opened with a keynote address by Southern climate justice writer Mary Annaïse Heglar on climate grief and processing a changing environment.

Tray Lively of L4S Farms in Scott, Louisiana, spoke to the importance of getting to know other farmers from across the state when facing the challenges of climate change in farming. “We learned a lot about the climate and had great camaraderie, great relationship building. I think the most important thing is for farmers to come together to talk about any problems that they have, and that they think they could help each other with.”

The event’s series of panels and workshops were geared toward farmers and growers from all regions of Louisiana, and individual workshops addressed the needs of different types of farmers such as urban farmers, rural farmers, meat producers and flower farmers. Federal USDA agents were also on hand to talk about their programs, and Monday’s series of workshops moved into brass tacks solutions for Louisiana farmers to mitigate the impacts of climate change. 

“We’re seeing farmers connect over techniques like windbreaks, carbon capture on their farms, cover cropping, and biochar effects,” Green continued. “We even have some really awesome research here on climate smart agriculture solutions for sugarcane and rice production.”

Adrianne Williams, a third generation fruit and vegetable farmer from Batchelor, Louisiana, discussed the importance of sharing experiences with other Louisiana farmers. “I’ve learned that as farmers come together and talk about issues, we may think that the issue is just in our area, but really these issues are all over Louisiana,” Williams said. “I’ve also learned about resources, people that we can reach out to in order to solve these problems.”

As Louisiana farmers face new obstacles with increasing heat, drought and other climate impacts, farmers also discussed the importance of experimentation when developing growing techniques that adapt to climate change. “We’re all doing something different. We all have different observations, and a farmer is just as good as what they see has been happening in their system and how they can adjust to do things better,” said Brock Barker, farmer at BrockEllie Patch in Scott, Louisiana. “The more we talk to each other, the more we know—what’s working and what’s not. Especially what’s not. We’re all experimenting with some of the same things, and so it’s just so important to hear everybody’s successes and failures.”

This LSSAC event was a collaboration among multiple organizations working in food and farms across the state at the frontline of climate change, including:

Acadiana Food Alliance

Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance

Louisiana Central 

Market Umbrella

New Orleans Food Policy Action Council

Shreveport Green

SPROUT NOLA

###

About the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition
The Louisiana Small-Scale Agricultural Coalition (LSSAC) is a statewide organization that exists to strengthen capacity, resiliency, and economic opportunities for Louisiana’s small-scale agricultural producers. The coalition’s members provide comprehensive technical assistance to farmers and the Coalition acts as advisors to organizations and institutions that wish to purchase Louisiana grown, harvested, raised, and produced food directly from Louisiana Farmers, Ranchers, and Fishers. LSSAC member organizations have deep roots in Louisiana agriculture and support small scale producers with technical assistance and programs across multiple program areas.

HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE
January 25, 2024

Baton Rouge – In July of 2023, Investigators assigned to the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division were contacted by an online gambling company regarding sports wagers made by a prohibited person. Investigators learned that former Louisiana State University (LSU) football player, 21-year-old Kayshon Boutte of Baton Rouge, participated in sports gambling from April 6, 2022, until May 7, 2023, when he was 20 years old. During this period, Boutte used an alias to circumvent the legal age required for placing sports wagers in Louisiana. Between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023, the alias account believed to be used by Boutte placed over 8,900 wagers. Of the 8,900 wagers, at least seventeen were on National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football games, with at least six of those wagers on LSU football.

On January 18, 2024, an arrest warrant was signed through the 19th Judicial District Court, charging Boutte with L.R.S. 14:73.5 – Computer Fraud (Felony – One Count) and L.R.S. 27:260 – Gaming Prohibited for Persons Under 21 (Misdemeanor – One Count). On January 25, 2024, Boutte was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish jail on the aforementioned charges. This investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming.

The Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division, in conjunction with the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, will continue to work to ensure the integrity of gaming activities in Louisiana. Anyone wishing to report illegal gaming activity is encouraged to contact the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division. Contact information may be found online at https://www.lsp.org/gaming-enforcement-division/.

Five hundred fifty-two students were named to the President’s List for the Fall 2023 semester. Students on the President’s List must be enrolled full-time at Northwestern and have a grade point average of 4.0.

Coushatta – Elizabeth Hughes, Heidi Murray

Eight hundred fifty-six students named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2023 semester. Students on the Dean’s List must be enrolled full time and earn a grade point average between 3.5 and 3.99.

Coushatta – Alexia Adams, Ashley Campbell, Meagan Corley, Claire Endris, Mary Gill, Reagan Huddleston, LaFrances Jones, Emily Kirkland, Dillon Longino, James Lowring, TaMya Tarry, Rozalyn Taylor, Abby Williams

Hall Summit – Jamie Quick

Six hundred eighty-nine students who were named on the Fall 2023 Honor List. Students on the Honor List must be enrolled full-time at Northwestern and have a grade point average of between 3.0 and 3.49.

Coushatta — William Almond Chloe Boulas, Madison Castello, Ethan Cole-Morgan, Alicia Lewis

All Red River Parish Schools are holding parent conferences today (Friday, Jan 26) from 7:30am-3pm. Contact your child’s school to set up a time to visit with his/her teachers.

Soccer registration is now open at Open Door Fellowship. Online registration will be open January 22 through March 1. Games will be played on April 6, 13, 20, 27 and May 4, 11. Children in grades PK (4) through 6 can register. Go to http://www.odfcoushatta.com/sports to register or sign up to volunteer.

The Red River Parish Library will host Valentine’s Day Bingo on Wednesday, February 14 from 1-2pm or as long as the prizes hold out.

Norma Jan Hubbard Gill Lea
July 6, 1948 – January 23, 2024
Service: Friday, January 26 at 11am at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel, Coushatta

Lt Col (ret) Lem C. Jones
September 7, 1931 – January 20, 2024
Service: Monday, January 29 at 1pm at First Methodist Church – Coushatta

Per the Red River Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:

January 24, 2024 @ 6:25 a.m.
This is what we have on roadways at this time.

There is high water on Bessie Crow Road, Mt. Olive Road, Clear Springs Church Road, Monroe Road, and Fergurson Road but all remain open with high water signs.

LA Hwy 480 has high water near the scrap metal yard but remains open. High water signs placed.

John Brewer

 The Students of the Month at Magnolia Bend Academy and Riverdale Academy were
recognized this week by the Coushatta VFW Post and Auxiliary and Lott Oil/Chevron. Magnolia Bend Academy’s Student of the Month is Harper Davis. Harper is in the 8th grade at Magnolia Bend’s Coushatta campus.

These are the Students of the Month at Riverdale Academy. Representing the Elementary School is Jase Woodard of the first grade. From Riverdale Middle School is Emma Youngblood of the eighth grade. And from Riverdale High School is 10th grader Ayla Knotts.

Each month during the school year students from each school in the parish are recognized with a certificate and a gift card. The program is sponsored by VFW Post and Auxiliary 7287 and Lott Oil/Chevron.

Lt Col (ret) Lem C. Jones
September 7, 1931 – January 20, 2024

Lt Col (ret) Lem C. Jones was born September 7, 1931, in Natchitoches, LA and flew his final flight to be
with his Lord 20 January, 2024. Lem was a true patriot whose commitment to our nation and everything
it represents never wavered. He embodied the Air Force core values of “integrity first, service before
self and excellence in all we do”, and passed the tenets to his four sons which led them all to follow him
in uniformed service. Tales of his exploits as a fighter pilot, to include 159 combat missions in Vietnam,
are legendary and will continue to be recounted for decades to come. His leadership and counsel, both
while in uniform and beyond, had a positive impact on the lives of countless people who are better for
having known him. After his retirement from the military, Lem’s commitment to selfless service was
evident through his tenure with the Coushatta Town Council, his role as the Board President for the
Ware Youth Center, his support to the First Methodist Church and participation in numerous benevolent
organizations and activities. In addition, he was widely known to invite himself in for coffee and tall
tales with most Coushatta businesses as he “knocked around town”. Above all, his eternal love for
Margaret, his wife of 72 years, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-
grandchildren was his greatest gift and will never be forgotten.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Callie Jones, and his grandson Richard Jones.
Lem is survived by his loving wife and closest friend, Margaret Jones, his sons Lt Col (ret) Lem Jones, Jr.,
Ron Jones, Lt Gen (ret) Tom Jones and his wife Debbie, and Maj Gen (ret) James Jones and his wife
Heidi; ten grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the First Methodist Church of Coushatta 29 January 2024 at 1:00 pm.
followed by a burial service at Clear Springs Cemetery. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Air Warrior Courage Foundation
(https://airwarriorcourage.org/donations). Among other services, this fund provides scholarships to
dependents of deceased veterans, particularly those interested in military service and/or aviation.

Our federal government has been out of control for decades. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a number of others have not been simply implementing the legislation and policy the U.S. Congress and president have agreed to and enacted into law. Rather, these massive, unaccountable agencies have been making law themselves. That is an unquestionable violation of our principle of representative government and our Separation of Powers doctrine.

How have we gotten to this unconstitutional impasse?

I think the major reason is the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case of Chevron v. NRDC. In that case, as noted by the Wall Street Journal “the Justices ruled that courts should defer to administrative agencies’ interpretation of laws when the statutory text is silent or ambiguous. In practice this has become a license for Congress to write vague laws that delegate legislative power to administrative agencies.” (WSJ, 1-16-24).

So, by deferring to the federal agencies in this way, the Supreme Court made a huge concession—and mistake—and essentially allowed each federal agency to become a sovereign unto itself and to interpret statutes, enact federal regulations and decide disputes in any manner it chose, and with virtually no oversight from the judiciary or the legislative branches of government.

Let me offer an example: if the highly partisan Environmental Protection Agency challenges coal miners in West Virginia because the EPA believes coal production and consumption supposedly contribute to “global warming,” the Supreme Court could conclude that the statute addressing the acceptable amount of coal production is not clear. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court could “punt” by saying “it’s not clear to us what Congress intended so we’ll defer to the EPA’s decision to limit coal production at a certain number of tons a year.” This is how a Democrat Congress writes legislation with intentionally vague language, knowing that clear, specific language could not pass through the House or the Senate, but that vague language would be interpreted by the federal agency in the manner liberal Democrats in the Congress intended. This legislative deception is toxic to our ‘government by consent of the governed.’

A decision of such magnitude as how much coal production should be allowed in West Virginia, or the U.S., is a monumental policy question that must be decided by the Congress itself. No one elected the Secretary of the EPA. No one voted for the thousands of career bureaucrats who work in that agency. The EPA may well possess substantive, technical expertise regarding environmental issues, but these individuals must not be allowed to be the nameless, faceless, decision-makers who are apparently determined to put the coal miners in WV and across the country out of work because the EPA believes that “coal is bad.”

To underscore this point, I share an anecdote. I worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for almost eight years for two Members of Congress from Louisiana. During those years, I met a number of career employees in the agencies. I recall a conversation with one individual who worked for nearly 40 years for an agency in DC. He told me once, in a rather matter of fact way, that “look, man, the president will be gone in 4 or 8 years; congressmen and senators may be here for a decade or two, but we career employees are here for much longer, so we make the policy.” I remember being taken aback by his answer but realized he was correct. Well, this status quo is completely and sadly unconstitutional.

The cases the Supreme Court heard this past week pose a different issue than the West VA coal miners—but present the very same constitutional principle: can an agency—this time it’s the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS)—force a small family-owned herring boat operator to pay for the cost of a federally-mandated monitor on his boat to be sure he’s not catching more fish than allowed. Congress didn’t fund the cost of the monitors and the statute’s not clear, so who pays?

Hopefully, with these cases, the Supreme Court will stop deferring to federal agencies and force the Congress to do the hard work of writing and debating legislation with clear language and intent, sending the bills through the regular committee process to the House and Senate floors to be voted up or down and either signed or vetoed by the president.

Royal Alexander