The Red River Parish Library’s summer special events for children begin on Monday afternoon.  Harvey Rabbit and Friends will perform for the kids at 2:00 pm.

Come see what this crazy rabbit is up to!  Harvey Rabbit has entertained Red River youngsters for years.  And each time there is a new and exciting show.

Other Monday features during the summer include Wild World on June 10^th.  Meet some wild animals up close and personally.  On July 17^th the scientists from Sci-Port will be in town.

On Monday July 24^th the Red River Sheriff’s Office and Red River Fire Department will be at the library.  Learn about the tools and equipment they use. And also enjoy 

Snow cones and Sprinklers to keep you cool.

The Library has planned a great entertaining and educational program for children this summer.  And it all begins Monday.

Pugh Theis Huckabay, Jr.

March 02, 1942 – June 20, 2023

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, June 24, 2023 at First Methodist Church of Coushatta.

Charles Smith

7/10/1950 – 6/12/2023

Service was Saturday, June 17, 2023 @ 1:00 P. M. Springville Missionary Baptist Church Coushatta, LA.

The Red River Parish Journal publishes “Remembrances” – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers.  Contact your funeral provider or RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication.

Celebrate the Fourth of July at Family Harvest Church.  The church said they will have BBQ, waterslides for the kids, family and fellowship. The event is Tuesday July 4^th at 513 Catfish Bend Road.

More than twenty Northwestern State University Theatre and Dance students have been hired for summer work by professional companies around the United States or have been admitted to nationally recognized graduate programs. Students work as actors, choreographers, hosts or in a variety of roles. Several professional companies come to NSU annually to audition students. NSU students also submit an audition directly to companies. Students have an opportunity to attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) that allows them to audition for over 50 companies looking to hire talent for summer or year-round employment. 

If your church or group is planning an event this summer, let everyone know.  Send details and a photo to RedRiverParishJournal@gmail.com. 

Recovery efforts are well underway as parish residents clean up a wide path of debris left by several severe storms that moved through late last week.  Some residents are still without power as power companies work to restore downed transmission lines.

The Red River Fire Department posted this update several days ago:

RRFD, RRSO, DOTD, and RRPJ  have been clearing roadways since the early morning hours. Please drive safe if you’re traveling. Although roadways may be cleared for travel, some debris may still be on the roadway.

Red River Fire District would also like to thank all the members of our great community who stopped this morning to help clear roadways. It is an amazing sight to see our parish entities and members of or community work together. We at Red River Fire District hope everyone has a safe and blessed day.

According to the latest news release from SWEPCO issued Tuesday, all of the households in the Natchitoches District should have their power on by Tuesday night.  Others in the area are not so fortunate, with restoration times ranging out as far as Saturday, June 24^th.

Late last week Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a State of Emergency Declaration for North and Central Louisiana in response to several waves of severe weather and strong winds that moved across the area in the past week.

Several Louisiana parishes have declared states of emergency, and it is anticipated that other parishes may declare states of emergency and may be in need of assistance to response to this event.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) along with emergency crews have been deployed to the impacted areas and repairs are underway, however, it is anticipated that it may take days or up to one week before the power is fully restored.

“This emergency declaration will give parish officials access to much needed resources to help with the impacts of this severe weather and the significant power outages,” said Gov. Edwards. “I have directed GOHSEP Director Casey Tingle to travel to Shreveport to meet with local officials from the impacted parishes and am receiving constant updates. We are making certain officials receive the assistance they need as quickly as possible. We are urging everyone to pay close attention to the information and warnings from state, local and emergency officials.”

The following parishes are experiencing water outages: Bienville; Bossier; Caddo; Caldwell; DeSoto; and Jackson.  The following parishes have been placed under boil advisories: Bienville; Bossier; Caddo; Catahoula; Grant; Natchitoches; Tensas; and Webster.

“In addition, the National Weather Center predicts excessive heat in Louisiana and has issued a Heat Advisory & Excessive Heat Warning over the next couple of days. Please take this heat warning seriously. Heat related illness can occur in many different ways, and it is important to stay hydrated and cool to prevent illness but to also recognize the signs and seek help immediately should it be necessary. Also, we know that some people may choose to use a generator. Remember the following for generator safety: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions; do not place the generators inside; place them at least 20 feet away from your home, downwind away from doors, windows and vents. Please check on the elderly, your family, friends and pets and stay safe.”

The Sheriff’s Office reports one man has been arrested and faces several counts of Terrorizing and Cyberstalking.  He is identified as 36-year old Christopher Ladell King.

King was being held on $150,000 bond.  He was arrested on June 12^th and the latest report from the sheriff’s office is that he is still in custody.

Another entry in the arrest report that stood out was an individual being held on a $200,000 bond. He is Demetrius Deundea Allen, age 28.  His charge is listed as failure to appear.  The original charge is not listed on the report.

Additional information on these two arrests has not been released by the Sheriff’s Office.

By Teddy Allen

We’ve been taught since we were stuffing our jaws with Fruit Loops that breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day.

That might be true, though some would agree with me that the most important meal of the day is the one you are eating Right Now.

Still, word to the wise, the complimentary breakfast at a hotel is NOT the most important meal of the day. It is just a buffer to get you out of the hotel and on your way to your next meal — and out of the hotel with the feeling that you’ve stolen something free.

Let’s review.

Summertime, the best of all the seasons — including Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons — begins today.

No school. The fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high. Your daddy’s rich and your ma is good-looking.

Summer! Watermelon. Baseball. Sunshine until 9 at night. Fireworks. Fireflies.

It’s a beautiful thing, summer is.

So, what’s not to love? — besides it being 110 degrees and many of us not having power — a common North Louisiana peculiarity.

Nothing, really, except the oasis that is the complimentary hotel breakfast.

Many of you will go on a summer trip soon. Or now. Awesome. Have a ball.

Just don’t have a big expectation over the complementary hotel breakfast.

The trend began a decade or so ago. You pay $130-ish to stay in a hotel. And they say, “Hey, breakfast is on us.”

Which is beautiful. I’ve eaten dozens.

But I know it’s just a powdered egg and maybe a sausage that is intended to get me on my way. Don’t do as I’ve seen hundreds do: they complain that this isn’t hot or the toaster doesn’t work or the bacon is microwaved.

Hey: it’s a bonus. It’s complimentary. It’s “free.” That waffle iron has been used by hundreds of people, not just by your wife or daughter. You eat your hotel waffle made by yourself, you take your chances.

Most of us have stayed in nice hotels once or twice. Omelet stations. Waitresses or waiters. Bacon fried instead of microwaved.

We still have that option. But if you stay at a Complimentary Breakfast place, you know going in that the plates will be Styrofoam. So don’t ask for something for nothing. Grab a bite and move along.

Somewhere, there is a great Complimentary Breakfast Hotel Staff that makes sure all is ship shape. I’ve seen them and adore them. But more times than not, the hotel is just giving you a pat on the back — or on the stomach — and telling you to move along.

I appreciate their trying. We should too. Grab a pre-frozen biscuit and hit the road.

Find a good place for supper. Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

A three-day Vacation Bible School was held for the residents of Green Meadow Haven last week, June 14, 15, and 16.  The residents were served homemade cookies and ice cream as special treats. The ladies of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, with some help, provided the snacks.  The Bible stories each day were given by Reverend Stuart Sherman, Leigh Adkins, and Reverend Tommy Eason.  The music was led by Kathryn Adkins.  Crafts were provided by the Sewing God’s Love ladies.

Many people working together provided our precious residents with an event that was pure joy. Thanks to the Green Meadow Haven staff, without you we could not have done this. Thanks to the many volunteers who came out and helped us sing and construct the crafts.  There is no limit to what we can do when we work together. Everyone involved was blessed.

LCCM Policy Solutions is a non-profit established to advocate and educate legislators and the public on public policy based on conservative principles.

By utilizing a myriad of scholars, policy wonks, pollsters, and activists, we help craft and promote top conservative policy priorities for Louisiana.

From fiscal issues to social issues and everything in between, LCCM Policy Solutions is a beacon for those interested in advancing Louisiana to a more conservative run government.

Paid Content by LCCM Policy Solutions

Before students wrapped up the school year last week, Red River Academic Academy students were privileged to go to Red River Parish Library. Recently the Friends of The Library Group took students on a tour of the library and engaged them in a wonderful art project.

By Royal Alexander

This is a dangerous time for America.

Why?

Because as the Wall Street Journal states, “for the first time in U.S. history, the prosecutorial power of the federal government has been used against a former President who is also running against the sitting president.” (WSJ, 6-10-2023.)  

That’s scary. 

Using the power of government to eliminate political opponents is what happens in dictatorships.  It’s what happens in places like China, N. Korea and Iran and banana republics like Venezuela where the strongman in power uses the military to crush his political opposition.

It’s not supposed to happen in America, but it is happening here.

The Trump indictment is nothing other than the Biden forces trying to destroy their chief rival for the presidency and they have formally weaponized our federal government to do it.

We can stop pretending this decision to indict was removed from the influence of the Biden White House.  That’s laughable.  The Special Counsel who brought this indictment was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to create the appearance of separation, but the special counsel’s recommendation can be overruled by AG Garland who is going to do what the Biden White House tells him to do.

That’s why many Americans believe the Biden White House is orchestrating this political persecution.

Former federal prosecutor Francey Hakes stated she believes President Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been treated “so differently” when it comes to allegedly mishandling classified documents. (Newsmax, 6-12-23).

“She (Hillary Clinton) was treated so differently,” Hakes stated. “She was brought in to interview at the FBI.  She was allowed to have her lawyers with her.  Her lawyers were given immunity before they were allowed to sit with her. Nobody ever seized her server to look at it, to do any kind of forensic review of it and you have here President Trump … his lawyers were actually brought into the grand jury and ordered by a judge to testify as to things that would ordinarily be considered privilege.  There was a raid on Mar-a-Lago and then there was a grand jury investigation and then there was a special counsel.  Trump and Clinton were definitely treated differently so it’s hard for me to see Lady Justice with her blindfold on at this moment.” (Newsmax, 6-12-23)

Former law professor, liberal Democrat Alan Dershowitz has stated his grave doubts about the strength of this indictment.

“Is it strong enough to justify an indictment of the leading candidate to challenge the president in next year’s election? Even with the recorded statements, this case isn’t nearly as strong as the one that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.  Nixon was almost certainly guilty of destroying evidence, bribing witnesses and other acts of obstruction.  Many of the charges in this case are matters of degree.  Nor have prosecutors any evidence that Mr. Trump’s actions damaged national security more than those of Mr. Biden, Mr. Pence and Mrs. Clinton did.” (WSJ, 6-12, 23).

Former Asst. U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy underscores this point stating “we have a long record that now goes on for years with Hillary Clinton the most notorious case of it, where you have a two-tiered justice system and its obvious that the quality of justice that people get is dependent on their partisan affiliation or whether they are connected to people in the ruling class or not.”  (FOX News).

Hillary Clinton kept 33,000 classified emails, Joe Biden had multiple locations including the floor of his garage at home with classified documents he could not legally possess as Vice President; even Barack Obama withheld documents—but none of them were raided by the FBI as Trump was, and certainly none but Trump was ever criminally charged.

And all of this is to say nothing about the latest information that then-VP Joe Biden took $5 million dollars in a bride from a higher up at Burisma, the Ukrainian energy giant.  Are we really supposed to believe that the rushing out of the Trump indictment as the Biden bribery case explodes is coincidental?

This is also to say nothing of the coverup of the Hunter Biden laptop by the FBI and DOJ, all the while Biden’s own classified document scandal has disappeared from the public radar.  

Again, this is the weaponization of the federal government against the chief political opponent of the regime in power.  As Americans who believe in equal justice under law, we simply cannot tolerate it.

Julian and Ramona Bolog from Romania will be at Martin Baptist Church Wednesday (6-28) at 6:00 pm.  Bro. Richard Kaufman invited everyone to come meet the Bologs next Wednesday.    

From Julian “I wanted to ask you if the Lord opened any doors for us to meet churches or individuals who are interested in the student ministry in Romania, while we are in Louisiana!”

Julian–We are very happy to tell you that God opened a door for us to travel to the US this summer and God willing, we hope to be in Shreveport at the beginning of July. We will be there for a short time, but we would very much like to see you and have fellowship with you!

Our kids, Tudor 10 and Alexya 7 will be with us.

While we are there we are praying that God would lead us to new ministry partners and we would like to ask you, if possible, to introduce us to some brothers or sisters who have a heart for missions and young people.  That would be a tremendous help.

Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for June 9-15,  2023

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

First Baptist of Coushatta will hold vacation Bible school July 24^th through  28^th for Pre K through sixth grade.  The theme is Keepers of the Kingdom, standing strong in today’s battle for truth.

Vacation Bible School is going on this week at Elizabeth Full Gospel BC.  Sessions nightly at 6:30 through June 23^rd.

Clara Springs Camp reminded everyone “we can’t wait to see you Friday for the June Fourth Friday Fish Fry. Grand Cane Baptist Church will be the hosts.

Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for June 9-15,  2023

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The 2023 Summer Reading Program at the Red River Parish Library is underway.  Call or come by the Library to get started.

The reading program is for all children ages two to seventeen.  A different number of books required to be read is based on the child’s age.

The program concludes July 24th with a special End-Of-The-Summer program.  Special prizes will be awarded for attaining and surpassing reading goals.

Also this summer the library has scheduled a series of summer activities with special guests performing on Mondays at 2:00 pm and games or crafts on Thursdays at 2:00 pm.

The guest lineup kicks off Monday June 26^th with the kids favorite Harvey Rabbit and Friends.

The final recognitions of the school year were made as Students of the Month from Red River Schools at the school board meeting Monday.  Superintendent Alison Strong read their nomination statements.

Red River Elementary School – Rylan Haire

Rylan is a one-of-a-kind fourth grader at RRES!  To know him is to love him. He does not meet a stranger. His personality beams through his smile.  Throughout the day, he encourages his peers to do their best. Rylan is always thinking of his classmates before himself.  He is a hard worker when it comes to his academics. This year, Rylan has shown significant gains in reading, writing, and math. This young man continues to strive for excellence in the classroom; he is genuinely a great student.  Nominated by Ms. Leleux.

Red River Academic Academy – Noah Woodson

Students like Noah are the reason RRAA has an A rating with the state educational department.  He began the year like any other. But little did he know that this was the year he was gonna learn what was meant by the statement “Hard work pays off.”  I saw what Noah didn’t see – his potential and the young man he is destined to become.  After finally convincing/bullying him to put in the work required to become awesome, he began to see the fruits of his labor. Grades came up to C’s and B’s, and even A’s.  More importantly than that is the fact that he went from not caring about his work or success to being the top student in class. That says more about the student Noah is than I could ever say. He may not have started off so awesome, but he surely ended up that way! Nominated by Mrs. Fields.

Red River Junior High – Kaleah Crawford

Kaleah has such a big heart! She displays a hugely positive attitude towards others and toward learning.  Kaleah is respectful to peers and teachers.  She is an outstanding athlete and works hard in her daily practice to become the best she can be.  She can be counted on to be a team player. It has been a true pleasure to have Kaleah in my class and I am proud to name her as Student of the Month!  Nominated by Coach Hogan.

Red River High School – Hadeel Hizam

Hadeel, a junior at RRHS, is a deserving candidate for Student of the Month. She always treats classmates, teachers and staff with respect. As a responsible student, she strives to reach her personal goals. She completes her work on time, but still willingly makes time to help her peers and share her knowledge with them.   Being a talented writer who strives for perfection is just one of her many assets. Mature beyond her years, Hadeel is an excellent Role model who challenges herself to be the best she can be.  Nominated by Mrs. Guidry.

This concludes the VFW and Auxiliary 7287’s Student of the Year program in Red River public and private schools.  The Coushatta VFW teamed up with Lott Oil/Chevron to present each student each month a certificate and gift card in recognition of their excellence in pursuing their goals.          

On Monday, the Red River Parish School Board was introduced to Warren Bowman.  He was selected as the Quality Kid of the Month, an award presented by Quality Companies of Coushatta.

Warren was nominated by Coach Harris.  Here is his nomination statement:

Warren Bowman is the epitome of what it means to be a Quality Kid. Quality is character with respect to fineness or grade of excellence.  Warren is a phenomenal student athlete that exceeds all limits to become the best version of himself.  Warren possesses traits such as accountability, responsibility, passion, integrity, discipline and a great work ethic. He exemplifies leadership among his peers through his daily actions.  There is never a moment when I feel like I cannot count on him to show up and show out, especially during basketball games. He is the type of kid that lives for the big moments and embraces failure with open arms to allow himself to grow. I believe Warren has a very bright future; I am excited to be front row watching him develop into a great athlete, but more importantly into a remarkable young man of character.

By Brad Dison

Willie Johnson was born on January 25, 1897.  His poor sharecropper parents struggled to survive off of what they grew in the poor earth in Pendleton, Texas.  At some point, Willie and his family moved to a farm with far better soil near Marlin, Texas.  When Willie was five years old, his father got Willie a homemade cigar box guitar.  Willie quickly learned to play the cheap instrument.  According to Willie’s widow, when Willie was seven years old, his father and stepmother got into a physical altercation allegedly over Willie’s stepmother’s infidelities.  During the brawl, Willie’s stepmother was holding a caustic solution of lye water.  As Willie’s father and stepmother fought, the caustic solution splashed into Willie’s eyes and completely blinded him.  From that moment on, he was known as Blind Willie Johnson.  

Blind Willie’s lack of sight made working in the fields nearly impossible.  Blind Willie sang and played his guitar while his family worked in the fields.  In a way, Blind Willie helped more with his voice and guitar than he would have if he had not been blinded.  His songs kept up morale in the fields and set the pace for planting and harvesting crops.  In his twenties, Blind Willie began playing a Stella brand guitar and singing religious songs on the street corners of Marlin, Texas.  He tied a tin cup to the neck of his guitar.  Upon hearing the unmistakable clink of a coin or coins dropping into his tin cup, Blind Willie gave an appreciative nod and a smile.

In December 1927, a talent scout set up a makeshift recording studio for Columbia Records in Dallas, Texas.  The scout had heard of Blind Willie’s talent and invited him to a recording session.  On that cool December day, Blind Willie recorded six songs including “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.”  Columbia initially released two songs from Blind Willie’s session “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole,” and “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed.”  Selling more than 15,000 copies, Blind Willie’s first record sold more than Columbia’s most established star, Bessie Smith.  With the success of his first record, Columbia’s talent scout brought Blind Willie in for four more recording sessions between 1927 and 1930.  In total, Blind Willie completed 30 songs.  Blind Willie’s rise to stardom seemed to be assured until the Great Depression left most of his fans with no spare money for buying records.  Blind Willie’s professional music career ended with little fanfare.  Sadly, Blind Willie Johnson and his recordings are largely forgotten today.  Although sales of his first record far exceeded expectations, he was far from reaching the required $1 million from the sale of at least 500,000 units for the Recording Industry Association of America to award Blind Willie a gold record.  

In August and September 1977, NASA launched two robotic interstellar probes named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.  Both space probes carried numerous instruments for recording a wide array of measurements, taking photographs, recording audio, and transmitting that information back to scientists on Earth.  Also included on the space probes were two phonograph records which contained over a hundred imprinted images which displayed different aspects of life on Earth as well as the sounds of frogs, crickets, volcanoes, laughter, a human heartbeat, footsteps, animal sounds, 27 pieces of music, and greetings in 59 languages.  Etched onto each record were pictures showing how to play the sound recordings and how to retrieve the photos using equipment which was located near the records on the space probes.  NASA included this information to show the diversity of life and culture on Earth in the event that they come into contact with an advanced alien civilization.  Voyager 1 is traveling at over 38,000 miles per hour and has reached a distance of 14.8 billion miles from Earth.  Voyager 2 is traveling at over 34,000 miles per hour and has reached 12.4 billion miles from Earth.  At their current trajectories, it will take another 14,000 to 28,000 years before Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will exit our Solar System.

Although Blind Willie Johnson never earned a gold record on Earth, he certainly earned a gold record in space.  His recording of “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” is one of the 27 songs included on the gold-plated “The Sounds of Earth” record which is still traveling through space.  Perhaps one day in the distant future, in a galaxy far away, one of the first sounds an advanced alien civilization will hear from our small planet will be that of Blind Willie Johnson.  “The Sounds of Earth” records can remain playable for more than 1 billion years.   

Sources:

1. NASA. 2019. “Voyager – the Golden Record.” Nasa.gov. 2019. voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/.
2. Pinkard, Ryan. 2016. Review of Dark Was the Night: The Legacy of Blind Willie Johnson. Tidal.com. February 26, 2016. tidal.com/magazine/article/dark-was-the-night-the-legacy-of-blind-willie-johnson-share/1-23219.

Major Cyber Attack at OMV Vendor, Louisianans Should Act Urgently to Protect Their Identities

Louisiana’s Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) is one of a still undetermined number of government entities, major businesses and organizations to be affected by the unprecedented MOVEit data breach.

MOVEit is an industry-leading third party data transfer service used to send large files. It is widely used across the country and around the world, and reports are rapidly emerging of newly discovered exposures of sensitive data in this major international cyber attack.

There is no indication at this time that cyber attackers who breached MOVEit have sold, used, shared or released the OMV data obtained from the MOVEit attack. The cyber attackers have not contacted state government. But all Louisianans should take immediate steps to safeguard their identity. 

OMV believes that all Louisianans with a state-issued driver’s license, ID, or car registration have likely had the following data exposed to the cyber attackers:

• Name
• Address
• Social Security Number
• Birthdate
• Height
• Eye Color
• Driver’s License Number
• Vehicle Registration Information
• Handicap Placard Information

Gov. John Bel Edwards met with the Unified Command Group at 11 a.m. Thursday to be briefed on the incident, where he instructed the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV), Louisiana State Police (LSP), and the Office of Technology Services (OTS) to act to inform Louisianans of the breach and their best next steps as soon as possible.

We recommend all Louisianans take the following steps immediately: 

1. Prevent Unauthorized New Account Openings or Loans and Monitor Your Credit

Individuals can freeze and unfreeze their credit for free, which stops others from opening new accounts and borrowing money in your name. Freezing your credit does not prevent the use of any existing credit cards or bank accounts. Freezing your credit may be done quickly online or by contacting the three major credit bureaus by phone: 

Please also request and review your credit report from these agencies to look for suspicious activity.

2. Change All Passwords

As an additional precaution, consider changing all passwords for online accounts (examples: banking, social media, and healthcare portals) in the event your personal data was used to access these accounts. Utilize multi-factor authentication when able. Learn more about password protection at www.CISA.gov.

3. Protect Your Tax Refund and Returns with the Internal Revenue Service

To prevent someone else from filing returns or receiving your federal tax refund, request an “Identity Protection Pin” from the Internal Revenue Service by signing up at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin or calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. 

4. Check your Social Security Benefits

All individuals who are eligible, applied for, and/or are receiving social security benefits (including disability), please consider registering for a ssa.gov account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ to stop others from stealing your benefits. If you suspect Social Security fraud, call the Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-269-0271, Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or file a complaint online at oig.ssa.gov.

5. Report Suspected Identity Theft

If you suspect any abnormal activity involving your data, including financial information, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit www.ReportFraud.FTC.govimmediately. 

The State of Louisiana will be issuing additional information in the coming days. Additional tips on protecting your data and identity can be found at nextsteps.la.gov and www.IdentityTheft.gov.

The Red River Parish School Board is accepting applications for School Food Service Warehouseman Assistant. 

Qualifications: 

• Must have high school diploma, GED certificate

To apply click here “Support Application”. Email your application to kbethard@rrbulldogs.com or applications available at the Central Office. 

For more information or to request a job description, you may contact Nicole Eason at neason@rrbulldogs.com. 

Deadline for application submission is June 16. 

Nicole M. Eason 

Red River Parish School Board

Human Resources Department 

Red River Parish Public Schools Mission Statement

Red River Parish Schools provide excellent education: 

Every Child, Every Day, Whatever it Takes.

The June meeting of the Red River Parish School Board highlighted the students, teachers, support personnel and others who have been selected as the leaders in their field.  They were introduced to the board by Superintendent Alison Strong.

The Teachers of the Year were Megan Inman from Red River Elementary, Sherry Pickett from Red River Academic Academy, Ellie Drew from Red River Junior High, and Henry Kirts from Red River High School.

The Support Persons of the year introduce were Donnisha Mims from Red River Elementary, Tammra Eason from Red River Academic Academy, and Victoria McDuffy from Red River High School.

Others were Jeanette Sibley named Food Service Support Person of the Year and Belinda Rhodes the Bus Operator of the Year.  Board member Cleve Miller received a Service Award for 35 years of service on the school board.

Also at the meeting, the new Assistant Principal Red River High School, Patrick Lindsey was introduced with his spouse.

By Steve Graf

In the world of sports, they say competition makes everybody better. It brings out the best in an athlete who has a competitive fire trying to earn his spot on the team. But in the world of tournament bass fishing, this may not be the case. While having too many athletes is usually not a problem, having too many fishing circuits can be. Today, anglers are faced with a plethora of bass trails to follow. Let’s take a look at the factors that help an angler decide what they are going to fish and why.

In our part of the country, we call the Ark-La-Tex, the issue of what to fish has reared its ugly head. Anglers in this region have no shortage of tournament trails to choose from. But as we all know, there are basically only four weekends in a month and anglers are having to pick and choose what trails they want to follow. So just how many trails are there? At my last count, I came up with 17 different organizations, all of which offer great incentives to fish. So how do anglers today decide what trail or trails they are going to follow?

It usually comes down to economics and the costs involved. First, anglers look at what lakes the trail is going to. Next, they look at how far the destination is for each tournament. Are the tournaments close to home or will they have to travel hours for each event? What’s the entry fee for each event? Higher level tournament trails usually require higher entry fees. Fees can range from $200 up to $1500 depending on the circuit. Other factors include how much it will cost for hotel or private accommodations, food expenses, and gasoline costs for both the truck and the boat.

Then they look at how competitive do they think they can be in a particular circuit. Can they realistically compete with the anglers fishing a specific trail? This is a major factor since some trails draw a higher level of fishermen than others. Every angler just wants to be competitive or at least have a decent shot at collecting a check to help offset expenses.

With all this being said, there are presently 17 bass fishing tournament trails in this region and there are just not enough fishermen to go around. One thing that continues to set all tournament circuits apart is what is called “guaranteed” payback. This means that if a trail is offering $20,000 guaranteed for first place, anglers tend to flock to that kind of payback rather than a circuit that’s offering $20,000 based on the “number of boats” that show up. Guaranteed tournaments will always outdraw a tournament that has a payback based on the number of boats.

So, what circuits will probably survive out of the 17 offered? It’s hard to say because each one has its own dedicated group of anglers that will stay loyal. It’s not necessarily the tournament trail they’re loyal to, but rather it’s the tournament director. Tournament directors who take the time to get to know their anglers and build a relationship stand a greater chance of their circuit surviving. Anglers can be a very loyal bunch, but only if they enjoy the trail they are fishing and feel a connection to the director. However, one thing is clear. Not all 17 tournament trails will survive. There are simply just not enough weekends in a month for all of them to make it. Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget your sunscreen and good protective clothing.