The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently warned airport travelers to be mindful of where they plug their phones in as well as what WiFi they are using while in an airport.
“Hackers can install malware at USB ports (we’ve been told that’s called ‘juice/port jacking’). So, when you’re at an airport, do not plug your phone directly into a USB port. Bring your TSA-compliant power brick or battery pack and plug in there,” TSA said.
Some tips to use when traveling:
Using AC power outlets can help you avoid any potential risks, so be sure to pack AC, car chargers, and your own USB cables with you when traveling.
Carry an external battery.
Consider carrying a charging-only cable, which prevents data from sending or receiving while charging, from a trusted supplier.
If you plug your device into a USB port and a prompt appears asking you to select “share data,” or “trust this computer,” or “charge only,” always select “charge only.”
In addition, never make online purchases while on free airport WiFi. “Do not ever enter any sensitive info while using unsecure WiFi,” the TSA said.
To answer the question of where the big bass craze started, all we need to do is look at our neighbor to the west — Texas! No state has done more for bass fishing than Texas, and the people largely responsible work at the Texas Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (TDWF).
Texas has led the way showing how all other states should manage their fisheries, especially when it comes to producing huge largemouth bass.
In the 1970s, tournament bass fishing was starting to take root and anglers wanted to catch more and bigger bass. The first lake that started producing huge bass was a power plant lake, Lake Monticello, near my hometown of Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
By the mid 1970s, this is where the big bass fever infected Texas and the bass fishing world. Monticello was a hot waterpower plant lake which gave bass a long and productive growing season. Here bass started spawning in December and as word spread about the size of bass being caught, Monticello became a destination for all bass fishermen.
Then in 1980, one of the greatest bass fisheries in America was impounded … Lake Fork. This lake was a game changer and lit the fuse for an explosion of huge largemouth bass. Every bass angler that has ever wet a hook has dreamed of catching either a new world or state record bass and most felt Lake Fork was the place that would give anglers the best opportunity.
It presently holds 12 of the top 20 bass ever caught in the state of Texas! It recently showed out this past May when the Bassmaster Elite Series showed up. It took a four-day total of over 128 pounds to win this event. The winner, with his best five, had a daily average just over 6 pounds per fish!
Today, there are other lakes in Texas that are starting to produce record-size bass with the most recent being Lake O.H. Ivie, located just south of Abilene. There, double-digit bass are becoming the norm with 8-10 pound bass not even turning heads.
In the last three years, O.H. Ivie has produced 39 bass weighing 13 pounds or more, all caught between the months of January and March. In Texas, all fish caught over 13 pounds become a part of what is called the Legacy Class Program.
This is all part of the Texas ShareLunker Program. Biologists retrieve these huge bass from around the state and take them back to the hatchery in Athens. There they will breed these lunker fish with other lunker bass over 10 pounds, which in turn will be used as a part of their stocking program for other lakes.
In 2023, bass caught in O.H Ivie made up 83 percent of the Legacy Class Bass caught in the state of Texas. Today, this lake continues to produce lunker bass like no other. This calendar year the lake has produced eight Legacy Class Bass over 13 pounds and 14 bass over 10 pounds as part of the ShareLunker program.
To visit lakes in Louisiana where an angler might catch a double-digit bass, you may want to check out Toledo Bend, Caddo Lake, Caney Lake or Bussey Break.
‘Til next time remember, the only way to catch big fish is if your lake has big fish!
First Methodist Church Coushatta will take kids on a “True North” adventure from June 23-26, from 5:30-8:00 p.m., for ages 4 years through 5th grade. Join FMC on the ultimate Alaskan adventure where northern lights glow over majestic mountains, racing rivers, and glistening glaciers. True North VBS shows kids that Jesus is a faithful friend we can always trust. He’s our True North! Dinner is provided each night. Register online or in person.
All area churches may share their VBS dates/info with RRPJ at the following email redriverparishjournal@gmail.com
The Umbrella Foundation presents the Juneteenth Celebration Saturday, June 21 from 8am until 8pm at the Coushatta Ball Park. Activities include vendors, food vendors, entertainment, games and an ancestor walk. For more information contact Johnny 318.332.9940 or Alexis 318.471.8109.
Hall Summit’s Town Hall recently got a facelift. If you get a chance ride by and see the new paint job.
Natchitoches Balloon Festival 2025 will be held July 4-5 at the Natchitoches Fairgrounds. Enjoy live music, fireworks, food vendors, balloon rides and much more. $25 per carload.
Amazon Prime Days are July 8 – 11, 2025.
Steve’s Snaketuary will teach a local snake identification and pet snake care class a the Red River Parish Library July 24, 2025 from 2-4pm. See five snakes and get all of your snake questions answered.
She picked up a basketball as a challenge when she was 9 and used it to prove a point, first in the back yard against her brother and two cousins in Coushatta, then on her way to becoming a two-time Kodak All-American at Louisiana Tech, then through 13 seasons in the WNBA and a concurrent 15 overseas, and now through another 15 seasons as a WNBA coach.
All the while, that crimson dirt of Louisiana’s rural Red River Parish on her hands proving she’d worked for it, that she’d earned it, Vickie Johnson has remained about the most genuine and gentle, polished, unassuming off-the-court ballplayer you could ever meet, even if, like her, you’d traveled from the banks of Loggy Bottom and Grand Bayou to the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston to Madison Square Garden to the gymnasiums of France and Hungary to Israel and Turkey.
“Polite, well-mannered, very bashful and shy,” said her long-ago summer ball AAU teammate Sarah Harrison Zeagler.
“And,” Zeagler laughs at the memory, “insanely talented.”
It’s that delightful mix of sweet, super, and stubborn that vaulted Johnson, a 5-9 guard with a pure all-around game highlighted by a sweet baseline jumper, above the field at every level of basketball and has ultimately landed her a well-deserved, “it’s-about-time” spot in Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.
Family and friends from her Coushatta hometown will make the 30-minute trip south to Natchitoches for the Induction Celebration in Natchitoches June 26-28. Event information is available at LaSportsHall.com.
It was back home in Coushatta that she wanted to prove a point to her big brother.
“I didn’t start playing because, ‘Oh, I love basketball,’” Johnson said. “I started because my oldest brother said it was for guys, for the boys. ‘Girls don’t play basketball.’ So I picked up a ball and went to the back yard. I was 9. From that day on, I loved it.”
A year later, 1982, she saw Louisiana Tech and USC, titans of the women’s college game at the time, playing on television.
“I watched with my mom and it … I was thrilled, you know?” Johnson said. “I told her, ‘One day, I’m playing college basketball. I’m gonna play for the team in the blue, the team with the stars going down their jerseys.”
The ‘team in blue’ was the Lady Techsters, only about 70 miles away through the pine trees and winding state highways from her back yard court.
“Well,” said the lady everyone in Coushatta called ‘Mrs. Susie,’ the single mom with three jobs, “if you’re gonna play for them, you’d better get back outside.”
She dribbled her way out the back door and kept shooting.
Often joining her was her father’s youngest brother from Shreveport, her Uncle John, a veteran of semi-pro hoops and a serious student of the game.
“He taught me how to play basketball,” Johnson said. “He just … how to dribble, to move, to guard, understanding the game. ‘What did you see? How could you have done better?’ He took care of me.”
Uncle John was a good teacher. By the time Johnson was a sophomore at Coushatta High (now Red River), she’d verbally committed to play for “the team in blue.”
But it wasn’t the same program she’d watched on TV in 1982. Tech fell out of the Top 25 in 1990-91 for the first time in 13 years, then lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The next season was equally mediocre.
“No question that Vickie coming to Louisiana Tech really helped put the program back on the national map,” Tech’s head coach Leon Barmore, a Louisiana Sports and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, said. “If we hadn’t signed that class — Vickie, Racquel Spurlock, Amy Brown — we would have disappeared from the national spotlight. Vickie wasn’t a savior by herself, but she sure was instrumental.”
As a rookie Lady Techster in 1992-93, Johnson helped take the team to the NCAA Regional Finals, a snapshot of things to come. During her four seasons with Tech, the Lady Techsters were 116-17 and finished as national runner-up in 1994 when Johnson, a sophomore, was chosen to the All-Final Four team.
“Vickie was the ultimate teammate,” Barmore said. “She did whatever it took to win, whether that meant playing defense or scoring or just being a leader.”
“She’s a winner,” said Brown, a former Parade All-American, Johnson’s Tech teammate, and now director of teacher education at Tennessee Tech after a successful, championship-filled coaching career there. “She was the type of player who wasn’t going to allow her team to lose. She practiced every day like she played every night. It was contagious with her teammates.”
Whether it was a trait developed in the back yard or through emulating Mrs. Susie, Johnson’s selflessness came early, as sweet and as necessary as her baseline jumpers.
“Vickie could have played all five positions by herself,” her AAU teammate Zeagler said. “She could see the floor, everything, everywhere, like she had eyes in the back of her head.
“But the thing that always stood out about her was I felt like I belonged on the court with her, and that was because she made us feel that way,” Zeagler said. “She made us feel like we belonged on the court as much as she did.”
Although as a freshman and sophomore she helped Tech claw back onto the national stage, turns out Johnson was just getting started when it came to giving the folks around Cut-Off Road and Lone Star Feed down in Coushatta plenty to talk about. She earned spots on both the Kodak and Street & Smith All-America teams the next two seasons, Sun Belt Conference MVP in 1995 and 1996, and 1996 Louisiana Player of the Year.
She did it with a silky grace and salty presence.
“She was as smooth a basketball player as I can remember coaching,” Barmore said. “The baseline was her home. She would roam the baseline and make that little jump shot all night. It was a beautiful thing to watch. She was one of the players that our fans enjoyed watching the most.”
Thomas Assembly Center proved to be only a launching pad. There was more where that came from.
In the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft, Johnson was the 12th player chosen. A quick look at only a few high points from her pro stat sheet, which is almost 30 years old — and counting…
Nine seasons with the New York Liberty and four with the San Antonio Silver Stars;
Twice an All-Star;
First person in the league to collect 4,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in a career;
Dependable-plus, a starter in 408 of 410 games played and the first person in WNBA history to play 11,000 minutes;
Won the league’s Sportsmanship Award in 2008, her last as a player, and has been a coach in the league since.
“As good a player as she was on the court, she’s a better person,” Brown said. “She deserves every honor she’s received for what she did as a player, but it’s even sweeter because of who she is off the court.”
“Quiet off the court, but once it was time to play, all that went away,” Zeagler said. “Never mean, but always purposeful. She was very sportsmanlike-minded: you got knocked down, she’d help you back up. Just an incredible all-around person.”
All that, the total package, game after game and year after year, in a sport that “girls don’t play.”
And all that with an attitude grounded in her back yard and in the house with Mrs. Susie.
A turning point of sorts goes back to a phone call made to her home after three days of practice at Tech. She told her mom of Barmore, “This man is crazy; I can’t satisfy this guy.”
She was thinking of transferring to LSU, a program that had recruited her hard, even though she had committed to Tech.
But on that call, Mrs. Susie asked her three questions:
“You wanted to go to Tech, right?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“You’re at Louisiana Tech right now, right?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“You signed a scholarship, a contract, right?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Then stay your ass right there.”
That’s the conversation Johnson recalls. “Then she hung up on me,” Johnson said. “At the time, a freshman, three days in … I was devastated.”
The next day, Barmore told his freshman star before practice that he’d received a phone call overnight. It was from Mrs. Susie.
“She told Coach Barmore, ‘Don’t mistreat her, but stay on her. Don’t cut her any slack. Let her know that this is about more than basketball; this is about life,’” Johnson said. “And that’s what he did.
“I can truly tell you that the discipline and consistency Coach Barmore instilled in me during my years at Tech is what I carried with me as a player and is what I carry with me as a coach,” she said. “College was very hard, mentally. Even as a sophomore, Coach Barmore expected me to know everything he was thinking, on offense and on defense. And I’m grateful every day, because when I got to the pros, it was easy. Every system. I could watch a team and know when to fill in and where to fill in. That’s from Coach and from breaking down lots of film, day after day, with (assistant coach) Kim Mulkey. I came out loaded.”
Quietly but staggeringly efficient, gym after gym, night after night, year after year. And still in the game. All for the joy.
Her old childhood friend Layne Huckaby, a hoops coach himself, was on the line when she got the phone call welcoming her to the Class of 2025 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
“You know what she said? ‘Thank you.’ That was it,” Huckaby said. “So humble. She was never in it for the recognition. She never needed to be in front of the camera. She just wanted to play.”
“A lot of people told me I wasn’t good enough,” Johnson said. “That was my fire. And that’s how I played. I wanted to guard the best players. When I chose to play overseas, I chose countries with the best players. That’s where I got my joy, from playing against the best.
“I played because I enjoyed it,” she said. “The accolades that come with it? They come with it. But my goal was to be the best I could be and get in Louisiana Tech, and I did that.”
____________________________
Teddy Allen is a Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee as a 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. He writes for several publications, is the color analyst on the Louisiana Tech Radio Network football broadcasts, and does work for ESPN+ coverage of Tech sports.
For updates on the 2025 Induction Celebration, use this link: lasportshall.com/InductionInfo or text “InductionInfo” to 41444
@LaSportsHall on X (formerly Twitter) Instagram: lasportshall Facebook.com/LASHOF LaSportsHall.com
Congratulations to Red River High senior Harlie Pickett. She has been awarded a scholarship to participate in the “Spirit of Northwestern” Marching Band.
‘SON’ Marching Band boasts over 300 members annually.
Pickett will play the clarinet.
She is the daughter of Kris and Hannah Pickett.
Pickett will sign a letter of intent Wednesday, June 18 at 2pm in the RRHS Banquet Room.
Red River’s Crawford leads team to win over Southwood
The Lady Bulldogs have been active this month in camps at Ruston, Magnolia Charter and Huntington among others.
Red River’s best win came against Southwood, 25-21, in camp action. Kaleah Crawford, the team’s lone all-district performer this past season, finished with eight points and double-digit rebounds.
With three seniors gone from last year’s playoff team that nearly pulled off a first-round road upset at Marksville, Crawford will be the focal point as the Lady Bulldogs take another shot at the playoffs and a postseason win.
Riverdale Girls Basketball
Do you miss watching Riverdale Academy’s girl basketball team in action?
Get your fix with video of this coming year’s team scrimmaging opponents at Madison Ridgeland Academy.
The Lady Rebels placed third in the Class 2A MAIS tournament this past year and made its first appearance in the overall state tournament since 2020.
Riverdale returns all but two seniors from that team, including stud point guard Mary Claire Jones as she writes her swan song as one of the greatest players in program history.
Red River’s Lewis attends Mickey Joseph football camp
Red River athlete Lathyn Lewis attended the Mickey Joseph football camp at Grambling this past week.
Lewis is a rising sophomore and was voted second-team all-district as a kick returner in his first season.
Red River returns the majority of its all-district players from a 2024 squad that won the program’s first district title in nearly two decades.
Mark your calendars for first Red River Block Fest
The Red River Tourism Commission is putting on the first Red River Block Fest on July 19 at the Coushatta Ball Park.
The family-friendly event goes from noon to 8 p.m.
The fun features live music and disc jockeys, a barbeque contest, food and vendors, and games for all ages.
For more information or to register, contact Chandra Wilson at 318-564-0031.
Red River Cowboy Church wants to help families live life with Jesus this summer! M3 Kids is based on 3 principles…My God, My Family & Me! We host several Mane Events each year to bring families together to play and learn how much God loves them. June 22 is the next Horseless rodeo! It’s a free family event for toddlers through 4th graders. Bring your child to church and register them for the Horseless Rodeo to begin immediately after the service. A free lunch will be provided by the Chuck Wagon. You and your child will choose your event. There will be events like sheep riding, cow branding with paint, sorting, dummy roping, and goat ribbon pulling. Do them all or just a few. This series will be held every 4th Sunday of May through August. Participate in 3 of the 4 Mane Events and your child will win a buckle. It’s that easy…and so much fun! Watch the Red River Cowboy Church Facebook page for more details. Every kid loves a cowboy buckle and this is an opportunity for you and your child to have a fun time the cowboy way!
Red River Cowboy Church South Red River Parish LA-174, Coushatta, LA 71019 Phone: (318) 201-2626
The Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University will present the program “A Life of Zydeco: A Musical Informance with Chubby Carrier” on June 21 at 1 p.m. at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. The event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Shane Rasmussen, professor of English and director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern, will interview Carrier about the cultural significance of zydeco in Louisiana. Their discussion will include songs performed by Carrier on his accordion. Carrier will headline the 45th annual Natchitoches-NSU Louisiana Folklife Festival on July 19 in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the NSU campus.
A third-generation zydeco musician, Carrier began his music career in Louisiana dance halls playing accordion and drums in his father’s zydeco band from the age of 12. Carrier played drums with Terrance Simien from 1986 to 1989, and then formed his own band, Chubby Carrier and the Zydeco Swamp Band. The band has released a total of 11 albums since 1989. Carrier has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Utrecht Blues Festival in Amsterdam, and has played with Santana, B.B. King, Travis Tritt and Buddy Guy. Carrier’s most recent album, “Zydeco Junkie,” was the 2010 Grammy winner for best zydeco or Cajun album.
Carrier was among the musicians recently featured on the CBS News program “60 Minutes” in a segment on Cajun and zydeco music.
The event is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center. Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, Cleco, 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 views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
It hit me like a ton of bricks; I was ultimately responsible. That’s what they said in seminary, that the pastor was ultimately responsible. I learned the lesson in 1985, when Helen came out of the lady’s restroom at the church building complaining that there was no sacred paper in the room. “Who is responsible,” she bellowed. I was/am.
I was thinking about the whole realm of possibilities for avoiding responsibility. I write this “tongue in cheek” but you get the idea.
Let’s face it: responsibility is overrated. It’s the broccoli of adulthood—nutritious, necessary, and universally avoided until absolutely forced. But fear not, fellow obligation-evaders, for I bring you tried-and-true techniques to sidestep the shackles of accountability while keeping the illusion of competence.
Master the Power of the “Accidental” Oversight. If someone asks, “Did you email the report?” simply widen your eyes and say, “Wait… that was my task?!” This classic maneuver pairs beautifully with faux shock and frantic digging through folders. Bonus points if you fumble with your mouse like you’ve never used a computer before.
The Eternal E-mail Forward. When in doubt, forward the task to someone else with a cryptic message like, “Looping you in—thought this was more your area.” Now you’re not avoiding responsibility; you’re collaborating. You’re empowering. You’re… basically a leader.
Weaponized Incompetence. Why try, when you can fail so spectacularly on purpose that no one dares ask again? Mow the lawn into checkerboard patterns. Fold laundry into abstract origami. Burn toast with scientific precision. Soon, others will say, “It’s just easier if I do it myself.” Victory.
The Phantom Meeting Excuse. Nothing cloaks irresponsibility like the mythical, ever-running back-to-back meetings. “Sorry I missed that—was deep in Zoomland,” you’ll say, adjusting nonexistent headphones. If pressed, toss around vague jargon: “We were syncing on Q3 KPIs.” Nobody knows what that means. That’s the beauty of it.
Delay with Flair. Avoid saying no. Instead, say, “Let me circle back with some thoughts,” then enter a witness protection program. If followed up, respond with, “Waiting on some final input” (no one will ask from whom). Stall with the confidence of a bureaucrat stuck in a printer paper requisition loop.
Use Children, Pets, and Houseplants as Scapegoats. “My dog chewed through my internet cable.” “The kids scheduled a surprise virtual science fair.” “My fern needed emotional support.” The more oddly specific, the more believable. Besides, who’s going to interrogate a plant?
Mystify with Tech Jargon. If someone accuses you of negligence, murmur, “Must’ve been an authentication caching error on the API endpoint.” Say it like it haunts you in your dreams. They’ll back away slowly, unsure whether to nod or call IT.
Become the Question Master. Answer every request with a question. “Can you finish this by Friday?” you say, “What do we mean by ‘finish’?” “Who defines ‘Friday’ in a globalized world?” You’ve not avoided the task—you’ve started a philosophical dialogue. Bravo.
Disappear into the Vortex of Group Chats. Group chats are magical. Tasks vanish into the sea of emojis, gifs, and “LOL”s. If mentioned by name, hit them with a “thumbs up” reaction—neither confirming nor denying responsibility. You’re present, yet ephemeral. Like a responsibility ghost.
You caught on didn’t you, each one of us is ultimately responsible for the life we live. Or as the Bible says, we must all stand and give an account of the life we have lived, no excuses, no explanations. Each one of us before God!
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration’s Round Table Luncheon is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2025 inductees.
It’s next Saturday, June 28, at noon at Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, in Natchitoches. There are still a few seats available among the 300 guests for the seventh annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Registration is available for the luncheon and can be made by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255. It is a ticketed event and only a few dozen seats are still open to see and hear from 2025 inductees including Nick Saban, Andrew Whitworth, Vickie Johnson, Danny Granger, Danny Broussard and Joe Scheuermann.
Festivities begin next Thursday evening, June 26, at 5 with the free of charge Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.
The Friday, June 27 slate begins with the BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. Friday evening is the free Rockin’ River Fest concert on Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches, from 6-10:30, with the Class of 2025 introduced at 9:15 right before a sports-themed fireworks show over the water.
Events Saturday include the free for kids Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp, the Round Table Luncheon, and the Induction Reception and Ceremony, which is sold out. A waiting list is being compiled.
The Round Table Luncheon starts with tremendous Louisiana cuisine and quickly kicks into gear with Fox Sports announcer (and 2020 LSHOF inductee) Tim Brando interviewing small groups of inductees on stage in a very informal and fast-moving setting.
A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning, being inducted later that day, stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.
Scenes like that, up-close access and the fun-filled dialog between Brando and the Hall of Fame inductees combine to provide a memorable 90-minute event.
The Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon shapes up as a highly entertaining opportunity for guests to have a up-close-and-personal experience and be entertained and well fed in a casual setting, with a touch of elegance at Riverside Reserve on the banks of Cane River Lake just a mile from downtown Natchitoches.
The last day for students attending Red River Parish Schools is Monday, June 23. Employees will complete two days of professional learning on June 24 and 25 before being released for the summer.
Ochsner LSU Health invites community members to a summer health fair on Friday, June 20, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at its Spring Lake clinic. The event will provide easy access to essential health services and screenings, giving everyone the opportunity to know their numbers and take charge of their health.
The Umbrella Foundation presents the Juneteenth Celebration Saturday, June 21 from 8am until 8pm at the Coushatta Ball Park. Activities include vendors, food vendors, entertainment, games and an ancestor walk. For more information contact Johnny 318.332.9940 or Alexis 318.471.8109.
The Red River Tourism Commission is putting on the first Red River Block Fest on July 19 at the Coushatta Ball Park. The family-friendly event goes from noon to 8 p.m. The fun features live music and disc jockeys, a barbeque contest, food and vendors, and games for all ages. For more information or to register, contact Chandra Wilson at 318-564-0031.
The Red River Crusade & Concert is slated for July 20-23 in the Red River High School gym. Doors open at 6pm on Sunday and 5:30pm the rest of the week. The event begins at 6:30pm each night. Speaker is Gevan Spinney, Pastor of First Baptist Church Haughton. Music provided by Jason Lovins Band. A free meal will be provided Monday-Wednesday nights.
DENVER – Tatum Roberts, a graduating senior from Magnolia Bend Academy, has earned a position on the National High School Rodeo Team. As the Reserve Champion steer wrestler from the state of Texas, he will be traveling with fellow teammates to Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13 – 19, to compete at the 77th annual National High School Finals Rodeo. He is one of four steer wrestlers representing the state of Texas.
Featuring more than 1,800 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian Provinces, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Guatemala, the NHSFR is the world’s largest rodeo. In addition to competing for more than $150,000 in prizes and over $200,000 in added money, Tatum and other NHSFR contestants will also be competing for more than $375,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named an NHSFR World Champion. To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20, based on their combined times/scores in the first two rounds, to advance to Saturday evening’s final round. World champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times/scores.
The Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series. LIVE broadcasts of each NHSFR performance will air online at www.thecowboychannel.com. Performance times begin at 7 pm on July 13th, and the competition continues daily at 9 am and 7 pm through July 19th. Make sure to catch the action!
Along with great rodeo competition and the chance to meet new friends from around the world, NHSFR contestants have the opportunity to enjoy volleyball, contestant dances, family-oriented activities, church services sponsored by Golden Spur Ministries, and shopping at the NHSFR tradeshow.
To follow Tatum at the NHSFR, visit NHSRA.com daily for complete results. For ticket information, click here.
Thunderstorms likely in the morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 84F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Mostly cloudy skies early in the evening will become partly cloudy late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.
Tuesday, June 17
Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Turning generally fair overnight. Low 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers passed the state’s $49.3 billion general appropriations budget (House Bill 1) on the final day of the legislative session, with near-unanimous support. It will now head to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk to be signed into law.
Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, cast the lone vote against the bill, citing frustration over reduced funding for the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise scholarship program.
The Senate made several adjustments to the House’s original budget:
An extra $709 million for the Louisiana Transportation Infrastructure Fund, $630 million of which will go to the Highway Priority Program.
$82 million was appropriated for the executive department, which includes the Governor’s office.
$1.6 billion was appropriated to the Louisiana Department of Health, largely stemming from federal funding for Medicaid.
$279 million for Louisiana Economic Development and the LED Initiatives Fund.
Other added funds by the Senate include $67.2 million for the Modernization and Security Fund, $115 million for higher education and the Campus Revitalization Fund and $5 million to the Department of Children and Family Services for child welfare costs.
The LA GATOR program — Gov. Jeff Landry’s school voucher initiative — saw its funding drop from the $93 million originally requested to $43.5 million. Lawmakers redirected funds to support high-dosage tutoring efforts in public schools.
Rep. Philip Tarver, R-Lake Charles, made clear that LA GATOR’s funding was not cut, only that the program received no additional funding.
McCormick questioned whether legislators had a plan to increase its funding in the future. Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who authored HB1, noted that current funding covers all eligible voucher students for now.
Of the 40,000 applications received, only about 10,000 came from public school students. The rest were already enrolled in private schools, McFarland said.
“Because the Legislature refused to fund LA GATOR, these children will continue to wait,” Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, wrote in a statement. “I’m heartbroken for the tens of thousands of families who raised their hands to ask for another option. We will not give up on them, even if the Legislature failed them today.”
Despite the overall increase in the state’s total budget — driven by interagency transfers and an influx of federal funds including $1.6 billion for Medicaid — Tarver noted there was only a 1.2% increase from last year in the state general fund.
In addition to the main budget bill, lawmakers passed HB460, the supplemental appropriations bill and HB2, the capital outlay bill.
The state capital outlay bill funds long-term infrastructure and construction projects, while the supplemental appropriations bill adjusts the current year’s budget to account for unexpected needs, surplus allocations, or updated revenue forecasts.
The supplemental appropriations bill, also by Rep. Jack McFarland, includes $245 million in added state general fund spending and sets aside nearly $149 million of the state’s surplus to pay down debt in the Louisiana State Police Retirement System.
Lawmakers also appropriated $3.4 million for judgments against the state and formally recognized a series of past and pending appropriations as valid obligations through June 2026.
Gloria Smith Moore, 95, passed away peacefully at her home, June 14, 2025. Gloria Joy was born March 25, 1930 to William Morris Smith and Carrie Annis McKinney in Hall Summit, Louisiana.
Preceding her in death were her parents, husband Otis Elbert “OE” Moore, brother James Smith, and sister Martha Shaughnessy.
Gloria Joy is survived by her son, Rusty Moore and wife Dana; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of many friends and students.
Gloria Joy graduated from Northwestern State College with a degree in Home Economics. She began her teaching career at Hall Summit High School. After teaching there many years she transferred to Riverdale Academy in 1970, establishing the Home Economics Department. She was a teacher and even more importantly a mentor to all her students. Upon retirement from teaching, she established Moore’s Draperies using her amazing talent for decorating. She built a very successful business over many years of service.
Gloria Joy was a devout Christian lady. Her strong faith in God was evidenced in every church since childhood. She was a talented pianist beginning at age 12 playing for church services. She had played the piano for over 70 years at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which she faithfully attended and also taught Sunday school classes and was on many committees of the church.
Graveside services will be Monday, June 16, 2025 at 10:30 A.M. at Mt. Zion Cemetery with Bro. Buster Page officiating. Services under the direction of Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home, Coushatta, Louisiana.
The family requests memorials be made to Mt. Zion Baptist Church or Mt. Zion Cemetery Fund, 2890 Highway 514, Coushatta, LA.
With summer in full swing, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is reminding residents to take measures to prevent heat-related illness.
Heat can be dangerous. When it is hot outside, the body eliminates excess heat through sweating and increases blood flow to the skin. Humidity makes it more difficult for the body to cool itself. Heat-related illness (HRI), or hyperthermia, occurs when the body is unable to maintain a normal temperature, resulting in heat exhaustion or life-threatening heat stroke.
Everyone is susceptible to illness during extreme heat, but some people are at greater risk:
Older adults, who do not sweat as much as younger adults and are more likely to have chronic health conditions.
People with chronic health conditions, such as heart or kidney disease, respiratory conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
People using illicit substances and alcohol. In 2023, one-third of all heat fatalities in Louisiana involved substance use. Learn more here.
Outdoor workers and some indoor workers who work in a hot, non-air-conditioned environment.
Athletes and people who exercise outdoors.
Unhoused individuals and people who live in buildings or homes with no air conditioning.
Socially isolated individuals and people with limited mobility.
Infants and young children, who are sensitive to the effects of high temperatures and rely on others to control their environments.
Pregnant women, who experience more bodily stress and are more likely to become dehydrated.
In 2024, LDH tracked 51 heat-related deaths and 4,463 emergency department (ED) visits for heat-related illness. There were 88 heat-related deaths and 6,142 ED visits for heat-related illness in 2023.
Heat illness can be mild or severe. Residents, workers, and employers need to know the symptoms of heat illness and treatments to prevent heat stroke or death.
LDH offers a suite of resources at ldh.la.gov/heat to help Louisianans stay safe during the hot summer months. The dashboard offers Louisianans a comprehensive view of ED visits for HRI across the state. Updated weekly, the dashboard provides detailed information by day, parish, LDH region, age, sex, and race. It also allows users to explore potential connections between daily HRI counts and maximum and minimum temperatures.
Louisiana’s heat can be brutal, especially for outdoor workers spending all day in the sun. Staying hydrated and taking breaks in the shade are essential to staying safe on the job. The heat dashboard includes guidance for employers in the full heat toolkit on how to keep employees safe during extreme heat.
How to protect yourself and others from heat-related illness
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty. If you are sweating a lot, drink electrolyte-containing liquids, such as sports drinks, to replace salts and minerals. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sugary drinks.
Stay informed. Keep an eye on weather forecasts and heat advisories so you know when extreme heat is coming and how long it may last.
Stay in air-conditioned spaces. If your home is not air-conditioned, visit a cooling center, library, or shopping mall. During extreme heat events, seek cooling centers in your community. To find a cooling center in Orleans Parish, dial 311. To find a cooling center elsewhere around the state, pay attention to news outlets, your best sources.
Keep your home cool. Wait until evening to use hot appliances such as the oven, dryer, or iron. Wash hot-water loads of laundry at night. Close blinds and curtains during the day. Use window reflectors designed to reflect heat outside.
Dress appropriately. Wear sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses outside. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, and light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
Avoid outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day, typically 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Never leave children or pets alone in vehicles. Look before you lock.
Check your meds. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to see if any of your medications affect your body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Look after each other. Check in on family, friends, and neighbors, particularly older adults, those without air conditioning, and those who spend most of their time alone.
If you work outside, remember: Water, rest, and shade
Water: Drink water every 15 minutes. Have electrolyte drinks on hand in addition to water when performing strenuous, sweat-producing tasks for extended periods. Equip all work areas with water that is clean and potable, cool, free of charge, and close to worksite and break areas.
Rest: Take and encourage frequent rest breaks that are long enough to recover from the heat and for the heart rate to slow (at least 5 minutes). Provide seating. Do not wait until symptoms occur to rest.
Shade: Provide a shady or cool location to take breaks and recover from the heat, a large enough area for workers to be distanced from each other and comfortable underneath. If vehicles are used as a rest area, park the vehicles in the shade and cool them with air conditioning before use.
Visit ldh.la.gov/heat for additional information about heat-related illnesses in Louisiana, along with signs, symptoms, and guidance.
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