Report from the Red River Sheriff’s Office for the week ending Sunday, March 27, 2022.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Garrett took Red River vote over Marcotte. However, only about 8% of registered voters took part in the election on Saturday. There was only one issue on the ballot, the race for 2nd Court of Appeal, and that did not generate much local interest.
The court district includes all of Red River and DeSoto parishes and a portion of Caddo parish. Red River voters gave Erin Leigh Waddell Garrett 62% of the Vote while Craig Marcotte polled 38%.
However when all of the votes in the district were counted, Marcotte recieved 58% of the vote to Waddell Garrett’s 42%. Waddell Garrett overwhelmed Marcotte in Red River and DeSoto, however Marcotte’s strong showing in Caddo parish appeared to have won the day.
From humble beginnings in a rented hall to a worship center of their own, the Life Church has grown in Coushatta. The church and Victorious Life Ministries is celebrating their 8th anniversary Sunday afternoon.
Pastor Joey Miller recalled, “We rented the VFW hall on Sundays when we started.” Then they moved to larger facilities. And now the church has their own house of worship on Ringgold Avenue.
Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm the Life Church will hold the 8th Church Anniversary Dedication. Special guest will be Pastor Jimmy Mitchell and the Deliverance Temple Church Family.
Life Church invites you to join their celebration.
Senior Beta club officers at Magnolia Bend Academy recently visited the LifeShare Blood Center in Shreveport. Participants were greeted by Philip Maxfield of LifeShare, and they were given a tour of the center.
The school said a visit to LifeShare will become an annual event, taking a group or two each year. There is so much to learn and appreciate about the process and service provided.
This week the Coushatta VFW Post awarded certificates to the Students of the Month at Riverdale Academy for the last quarter of 2021. Post 7287 Commander Barry McCoy presented each student with a certificate and a gift card to Dairy Queen.
Each month students of the month are selected from all schools in Red River Parish. This is the fifth year the local VFW Post has presented awards to the students of the month.
Louisiana Tech University has announced the names of students on its Winter Quarter President’s and Dean’s honor lists. Four students on the lists are from Red River Parish.
Students whose names are followed by an asterisk earned recognition as members of the president’s honor list. That distinction signifies achievement of at least a 3.8 academic grade point average on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher), with no grade lower than a B.
To be eligible for the dean’s honor lists, a student is required to earn at least a 3.5 academic grade point average with no grade lower than a C on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher).
Courses yielding satisfactory/failure grades and courses audited do not count toward eligibility for either recognition. Only undergraduates with no incomplete grades are eligible to make either list.
Honor students from Red River Parish and Coushatta are listed below:
Coushatta: Brilanne Taylor Bays*, Adam T. Bryant, Brennan Thomas Edie, and Jaden Jaleen Roberson
By Steve Graf
In a football game, you have four downs to make a first down. If you fail at getting a first down after three attempts, you have three choices: go for it, kick a field goal if it’s within your kicker’s range, or punt. Now most coaches choose the latter, depending on their field position. Bass fishing is like football in that it’s all about the decisions you make and when. Today let’s look at why these two sports are so similar.
A couple of weeks ago I was fishing at Toledo Bend with little to no success. It was too early for fish to be on beds and spawning, but there were a few buck bass (males) roaming around the shallows looking for a place to start preparing a bed for their chosen female. I tried all the typical baits an angler should throw this time of year, but I had zero bass to show for my effort. I threw the standard rattle-in-style baits like the SPRO Aruku shad, I slowly rolled a spinnerbait, drug a Carolina-rig off the points, and threw a crankbait as well. Nothing, no bites whatsoever, so I sat down and decided it was time to back up and punt by taking a totally different approach from a bait and technique standpoint.
Turns out this was the U-Haul move of the day, as I tied on a Reaction Innovations bait known as the “Sweet Beaver.” This bait falls into the category of what anglers call a “creature bait.” Over the years, this bait has proven itself to be one of the best lures an angler can tie on, as it has won its fair share of tournaments. Again, I tried every type of moving bait known to man with no results. So, I decided to slow down and try pitching or flipping brush tops and laydowns (basically wood). The results were immediate as I boated several fish which were holding mostly on brush piles.
Now this is not unusual for bass, especially during cold snaps, but I did let the bass tell me what and how they wanted a bait. The bass told me in no uncertain way (no bites) that they were not in the mood to chase a lure. They wanted a bait that was slow and dropped on their nose. My best 5 bass that day would have pushed the scales to around 15 pounds. Point being, that due to my desire to back up and punt, it made me adjust my approach and do something that the bass really wanted. So, the next time you’re struggling to get a bite, back up and punt, and try a totally different approach and you just might find the magic to make a bass bite. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and don’t forget to set the hook!
Red River Cowboy Church will hold their annual Men’s Conference on April 9th. This is a free event that begins at 9:00 am.
Event organizer Lyle Kniffin told the Journal this will be an event for men featuring a Turkey Shoot, skeet shooting, dart throwing and other challenges. Bro. Brian Ray will host the opening ceremony. Special guest is Hank Hugh and Kingdom Dog Ministries from Spring, Texas.
Kniffin said, “We always have a real man’s lunch. This year we are cooking half a beef, two hogs, and 280 chicken leg quarters. And of course, we will have all the trimmings. I’ll start cooking the beef on a pit the day before and cook it all night Friday night. There will be plenty to eat.”
There will be drawings all during the Men’s Conference. The tickets are free and will be given to all men who register at the event. And extra raffle tickets for the prizes will be available to purchase to increase your odds of winning.
Kniffin’s invitation is, “Come on out and enjoy fun, food and fellowship lifting up our Lord and Savior.”
By Molly Seales
On Monday, March 14, the Riverdale Academy Rebels golf team played and hosted its first tournament of the year at the Coushatta Country Club. The Rebels are the defending Class 1A state champions, and it looks like they have a great chance for a repeat. They placed 2nd behind a strong Claiborne Academy team. This year’s team members are seniors Reagan Huddleston and Ty Jones, Juniors Thad Bates and Mason Murray, Sophomore Ryder Huddleston, and 6th grader Jackson Hillman.
I caught up with Coach Ty Hester to get his thoughts on the upcoming season. He said, “I expect us to have another successful season. We have four returning golfers from last year’s state championship team, and we added a couple of new faces that can help us. Right now, the challenge is getting back into the swing of things and getting back on the course. A lot of our guys play baseball, but they are competitors. We are all excited about the opportunities we’ll have in a few weeks, but we have to sharpen up before then.”
Senior Reagan Huddleston has been playing golf since he could walk and has been on the Riverdale golf team since 5thgrade. I asked him his thoughts about his senior season, and he replied, “Golf has started off well this year. We played pretty good on the 14th considering it was our first tournament of the year. Hopefully we can stay on pace and keep getting better as each week passes.”
One of the new faces Coach Ty was referring to is up and coming competitor 6th grader Jackson Hillman. Hillman picked up the sport a couple of years ago, and he fell in love with it. He can often be found right by himself practicing at the country club. In the first tournament, Hillman came in with a score ahead of seniors, juniors, and sophomores. Look for him to be an asset for the Riverdale golf team for years to come.
The Riverdale golf team will play its next tournament at Tallulah Academy at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 28. Good luck Rebels!
By Royal Alexander
It is an undoubtedly good and positive thing for America and the world to witness unvarnished courage and bravery. That’s what we are seeing from the Ukrainian people and their indomitable president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
From the beginning, President Zelensky has made clear his intent—and that of his countrymen—to fight the barbaric and unjustified invasion of his country by the Russians. When asked if he wanted a plane ride out of the country to safety for himself and his family he flatly refused saying “I don’t need a ride. I need anti-tank ammunition.” His strong, faithful wife also stated her position clearly. “My husband will never abandon his country and I’m not leaving my husband. And my children are not going anywhere without me.”
There are also a number of reports of Russian casualties due to the proud and ferocious resistance of the Ukrainian military and that Putin miscalculated how difficult his invasion of Ukraine would be.
As the situation worsens hourly—Zelensky this week witnessed Russian forces destroy a fully active Ukrainian maternity hospital as local officials use mass graves to bury thousands—he acknowledged that “the enemy has designated me as target number one, and my family as target number two,” he said of wife Olena Zelenska, their son, Kiril, and daughter, Aleksandra. He concluded a call with leaders of the European Union last week with the chilling statement that “this might be the last time you see me alive.”
Zelensky has also made clear he won’t accept a settlement on Russian terms which would mean the slavery and subjugation of his country and his people.
One writer, Steve Brown, describes the stark personal choice Zelensky faces as clearly and powerfully as I’ve seen:
When you know …
That likely you will not live to see your children grow up. …
That you will never be able to retire with your precious wife …
That you may well be dead before Christmas …
That no one from the Free World is sending military to help you or your people …
That your only hope is a prayer … And …
That prayer is that the Lord of Hosts will supernaturally intervene. …
And, that your will is set. You will not leave your people and will go down with the ship.
That courage calls for the Body of Christ worldwide to cry out to the God of all mercy to assign Angel Armies to be deployed and engage the forces of hell to save Ukraine and stop the slaughter of the innocents. So be it, dear Lord, so be it. … Thy kingdom come …Thy will be done … on earth AS it is in Heaven. Amen.
This kind of courage is simply breathtaking, and deeply inspiring.
While the U.S. and other Western countries have provided military equipment, munitions, and other aid, they can and should do more—such as sending Polish fighter jets, which will be flown by Ukrainian fighter pilots, to Ukraine. We could also quickly and easily provide S-300 surface-to-air-missile systems, helping Ukraine create its own “no fly zone” over its beautiful country and people.
In his powerfully emotional address to the U.S. Congress last week, President Zelensky stated that “the destiny of our country is being decided.” He implored America and the free world to “keep justice in history.”
It’s time for NATO and the west to move.
Red River 4-H is spreading the word that the Northwest District Horse Show will be held at the Red River Cowboy Church Arena on June 10th. However, possession papers are due by April first.
There will be prizes and belt buckles awarded for show events. New this year is Jackpot Barrels.
Contact the parish 4-H Agent, Jacque Fontenot for more information. Her phone number is 932-4342.
Mrs. Humphrey’s 8th grade science class started the new unit off with a blaze! They discovered what happens when you chemically combine baking soda and sugar. The chemical reaction was unexpected, to say the least!
James Reed Madden
April 30, 1960 to March 19, 2022
View the full obituary here:
https://redriverparishjournal.com/2022/03/24/james-reed-madden/
Saturday there is a crawfish boil at Abundant Life. Come and enjoy crawfish boil and bro-ship at the bro-boil. It starts at 3:00 pm tomorrow at Abundant Life on the Ashland Road.
Northwestern State University’s Student Government Association passed a resolution to require the closure of all campus gates except for the Caspari Street entrance between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The measure was introduced to “promote and enhance the safety and protection of Northwestern State University students by changing the hours that the gates to campus are opened and closed,” according to the resolution. The SGA will work with university administration to ensure that University Police have a presence in the guard shack at the Caspari Street entrance to monitor vehicular activity on campus.
Springhill Baptist Church has resumed Wednesday night suppers. Youth and children eat free. Adults pay $5. Youth class and Kids SHINE class begin at 6:00 pm. Prayer Meeting begins at 6:15 pm. We hope to see you there next Wednesday.
There is a Pancake Breakfast this Sunday at Red River Cowboy Church. Come hungry, the breakfast starts at 9:45 am. The Youth Team will be preparing a donation pancake breakfast. All funds will go towards Cowboy Camps.
James Reed Madden of Ringgold, Louisiana passed away after a long battle of mental health illnesses and colon cancer on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the age of 61.
James was born April 30, 1960, to the late Pat and Reed Madden of Crossroads, La.
James was survived by his children James Madden of Pineville, La, Alice Madden of Coushatta, La and Charity Woodall of Oil City, La. He was blessed with seven grandchildren and one great grand on the way. He had 1 sister, 2 half-sisters, 1 half-brother and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents and the mother of his children, Rhonda Wilson Madden.
His Memorial Service will be held on March 26, 2022, at the Fishing Pier at Grand Bayou in Coushatta, La at 2:00 pm. The pier is available from 7 am to 11 pm to celebrate the life we are blessed with and to enjoy each other company.
We want to thank everyone who took care of James and we pray that the compassion you have shown will always be the blessing that makes you smile. Special Thank You to Becky Allen and her family for taken care of James when I couldn’t and no one else would.
His lifelong illnesses prevented him from being who we needed him to be.
If anyone you know or love suffers from a mental illness please seek help immediately. May God bless you.
By Autumn McCoy
Red River travelled to Jonesboro-Hodge Monday evening to take on the Lady Tigers for the second time this season. At the end of the game, Coach Zachary Thrasher had racked up his 100th career victory.
The Lady Bulldogs kicked things off early today with Gracie Baker #9 and Bryn Danzy #4 scoring in the
first inning. Danzy struck out the first two Jonesboro-Hodge hitters, and Gracie Baker #9 caught a foul ball from the third batter to keep it three up, and three down.
Jonesboro-Hodge would score their only two runs in the second inning. From there, the Lady Bulldogs were able to add 8 more to their runs before the game was called after the bottom of the 4th inning.
The Lady Bulldogs did not simply win on Monday night, they added the 100th win to Coach Zachary Thrasher’s coaching record. Since he began coaching in 2013, Thrasher has coached 9 seasons. The team and other coaches presented him with a banner and the game ball, signed by all players and coaches.
Results of the 2022 Northwest Louisiana District Literary Rally hosted by Northwestern State University have been released. Students from Red River High and Riverdale Academy along with high schools in central and northwest Louisiana participated in the Rally. It is held each year to qualify academically talented students for the state competition at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge on April 9.
Here are how our local students fared.
Medal winners from Division III are:
Red River – Erik Hanson – Business English and Introduction to Business Computer Applications.
Medal winners from Division V are:
Riverdale Academy – Molly Seales and Lilly Guillot – English I; Tyler Jones – Physics; Caleb Dabbs – Spanish II; and Collin Hesson – Spelling.
State qualifiers in Division III are as follows.
Red River High — Tess Zegel – Advanced Math-Functions and Statistics; Addison Bounds – English I; Michah Davis – Financial Literacy; Erik Hanson – Introduction to Business Computer Applications; and Korie Williamson – Physical Science.
State qualifiers in Division V are as follows.
Riverdale Academy – Sidney Free – Advanced Math-Functions and Statistics; Reagan Huddleston – Advanced Math-Precalculus; Mason Murray – Algebra II; Hayden Hillman – Biology I; Molly Seales – Biology II; Lilly Guillot – English I; Will Jones – English II; Rylee Hodge – Fine Arts Survey; Sky McMullan – Geometry; Aston Hester – Health; Tyler Jones – Physics; Caleb Dabbs – Spanish II; and Ryder Huddleston – World Geography.
Sweepstakes winners in Division V were Dodson High School, first place; St. Mary’s, second place, and Riverdale Academy, third place.
By Autumn McCoy
The Lady Bulldogs dominated the competition Thursday night at their tournament. And they kept it up all through Friday in the Lady Bulldog Invitational Softball Tournament.
Ringgold was unable to score against the home team in the first inning. After the Bulldogs got three outs on defense after only 4 batters. Gracie Baker # 9 and Sarah Cormier #18 started offense off with back-to-back in the park homeruns, and both slid across home plate to score for Red River in the first two bats of the bottom of the first inning. Gracie Lindsey #12 at 1st had all three outs at the top of the second keeping Ringgold from scoring again. The Lady Bulldogs continued on to dominate their first game in the Red River Tournament in only three innings with a score of 15-0.
The Lakeview Gators came ready to beat the home team Friday night, scoring 5 runs pretty quick in the top of the first inning. When the Lady Bulldogs took the field, they would not be stopped before they scored 15 runs. The Gators were able to add 3 more to the scoreboard in the 2nd and keep the Bulldogs from scoring at all. Red River returned the favor when they took the field in the 3rd, sending the Gators to the dugout with no runs. Not to be outdone, the Gators kept up the defensive battle, sending the Bulldogs to the dugout scoreless, for a second inning straight. After striking 2 Gators out, pitcher Bryn Danzy #4 stops a line drive and throws to Shelby Pickett #5 at 3rd base for the 3rd out, keeping the Gators to three up, three down again. The Red River Lady Bulldogs beat Lakeview Lady Gators 15-8.
Saturday morning, the Lady Bulldogs stepped on the field to battle the Pleasant Hill Lady Eagles. After both teams scoring three in the first inning, the stage was set for a close game, and that’s just what it was. Danzy took the mound for the sixth time this week. The Bulldogs were plagued by errors throughout the game. Red River trailed 12-14 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Danzy hit a double on a 2-2 count allowing three Bulldogs to score. Her walk off was the deciding factor of the game. Red River won 15-14 in a nail biter of a game.
In their afternoon game against Mansfield, the Lady Bulldogs started off with an early 4 run lead. They only allowed one run in the second inning. Harlie Pickett #21 was able to catch her second out in right field for the weekend. Mansfield was able to score two runs in the top of the third, but they would never catch the lead. The Lady Bulldogs finished the weekend with an 11-6 victory over Mansfield. Red River Lady Bulldogs finished the weekend undefeated in their tournament!
The Lady Bulldogs taking part in the tournament were Gracie Lindsey #12, Bryn Danzy #4, Gracie Baker #9, Paris Pennington #8, Shelby Pickett #5, Tess Zegel #17, Niasia Latson #13, Destiney Davis #15, Sarah Cormier #18, Harlie Pickett #21, Harley Sepulvado #11, and Addison Bounds #6. The Lady Bulldogs are coached by Head Coach Zachary Thrasher, Coach Ginger Craig, Cymantha Smelser and ShaKiyah Davis.
Longtime Coushatta residents Lem and Margaret Jones had a special visitor over the past weekend. It was their first chance to see great-great grandson Clayton Michael Schober. Clayton is 8 months old and lives with mother and father in Kileen, Texas.
Clayton is a healthy and happy baby, loves to play and just got his first tooth last week. His loving parents Shane Schober and Taylor Baxter wanted to introduce Clayton to his great- great grandparents Lem and Margaret Jones along with cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and great grandparents. They celebrated a wonderful weekend together.
Clayton Michael Schober is the son of Shane Shober and Taylor Baxter, grandson of Veronica and Lloyd Baxter, great grandson of Ron Jones, and great-great grandson of Lem and Margaret Jones. There are five generations of love and happiness.
Table scraps …
From the “You Really Aren’t Having A Bad Day” Files: It’s been nearly two weeks since several news services reported that two men at a Tennessee farm were killed by a “rampaging camel.” The farm housed several kinds of animals and no reason was given for the camel’s rampage. The bottom line is that, if you get attacked by a camel, and in Tennessee of all places, it ain’t your day…
A baseball team I follow has some long bus trips so I suspected it would be thoughtful and different to get them some playing cards along with some silly things, games children play with like Etch-A-Sketches and a magnetic checker set and some Wooly Willy drawing games, the ones where you put the “magic wand” against the plastic and it pulls little slivers of iron where you want them to go so you decorate the face of Willy. And then I thought how that was the stupidest idea I’d ever had—and it’s a long line—because all these dudes do is play on their phones and listen to music. Would have been a great idea—in the mid-80s…
Can’t give you the link here ’cause we don’t want you jumping to another site BUT in honor of these first days of spring, take 30 seconds and find “Welcome, Sweet Springtime: The Andy Griffith Show” on YouTube or the site of your choice and listen to Barney, very flatly, usher in the new season. Good ol’ 14A in your songbook. Never gets old …
To paraphrase Kris Kristofferson, my NCAA Tournament Bracket woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold its head that it didn’t hurt. Over the span of 48 hours, from the Opening Round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament through Saturday of the Second Round, my little black-and-blue bracket went from “tightness in the joints” to “full body cast.” …
BUT … to paraphrase singer-songwriter Travis Tritt, “Here’s a quarter, call someone who cares.” Because no one cares about your NCAA bracket. No one but you cares that you had Kentucky and flamed out on ascent or that you pulled a rabbit out of the hat and picked St. Peter’s. No one even cares if your bracket is leading in any of the groups you have joined, because everyone knew SOMEbody was going to win—somebody besides them. Nobody knows the trouble your bracket has seen—but no gives the slightest rat’s rip either. If it makes you feel any better, anything your bracket can do, mine can do worse. We might be enjoying the first days of spring, but it remains a cold, cold world. (Just ask anyone who’s been attacked by a camel, hard by the Tennessee River)…
Speaking of hoops, one good thing that’s come from the pandemic is that very few men’s basketball coaches wear coats and ties on the sidelines anymore. They dress down. They used to look like they were going to call time out, then take up offering. Most women’s coaches still dress up for games, but for them, dressing down is still dressing up when compared to guys. We like to think we’re dressed up if we have our shoes tied…
Country Music Hall of Famer and perpetual wonder woman Dolly Parton has teamed with bestselling author James Patterson to write a climbing-the-charts mystery, “Run, Rose, Run,” a novel about a young female singer with hopes to make it big, but a secret from her past might destroy her. I’m good as long as the secret isn’t that she killed Porter Wagoner…
For all you Bracket Folk, good luck this weekend in the Sweet 16 (and no, do NOT tell us who you’ve picked; it’ll save us both the embarrassment).
And, if at all possible, stay away from camels: any one of them might have picked Kentucky or Wisconsin to win it all and be in a surly mood.
Welcome, Sweet Springtime.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
The Spring Open House at Quality Outdoor in Coushatta is Thursday and Friday. “It is a time to see all of the options in outdoor equipment,” said Thom Hoeflinger.
Tuesday, Hoeflinger took to the Red River Parish Journal’s social media page to explain the equipment Quality Outdoor offers to keep your lawn and home beautiful. He noted that mowing season is at hand, and Hoeflinger showed the lines of riding mowers, blowers, weed trimmers and other items offered.
On Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 pm 94.9 The River will be broadcasting live. Morning show host Trini Trigg will anchor the coverage on the radio station and the Journal Facebook livestream. And Trini will be giving away two gift cards worth $50 each to York Chop in Coushatta.
The Spring Open House is all day Thursday and Friday at Quality Outdoor, next to Quality Ford in Coushatta. Thom said, “Come see everything we have to offer.”
Red River has revised the football schedule to include spring games and pre-season games next August. On May 13 will be the Blue vs Grey game at home. Then on May 20 the Bulldogs travel to Cedar Creek for a spring game.
There are two pre-season games. There will be a scrimmage at Bossier High on August 19 and a Jamboree with Cedar Creek at Strother Stadium.
The regular season has five non-district games to lead off beginning September 2. The season concludes with the Bulldogs playing 5 district opponents. The season winds up at home vs Mansfield on September 4.
Due to realigning the districts by LHSAA the Bulldogs picked up district opponents in Mansfield and Jonesboro Hodge.
While retirement planning isn’t just about saving. It isn’t just about tax planning. Social Security effects almost everyone.
Statistics show approximately 90% of those currently receiving Social Security did not maximize their benefits. Current regulations allow for close to 300 options for a married couple to draw these benefits. What is the right answer for you? Begin drawing early? Wait, but to what point to gain the most dollars? Can you still work and receive Social Security? Some of the answers to these common consumer questions may surprise you.
If you are a Louisiana state employee or a public educator, you and your spouse both maybe adversely effected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO)? Both WEP and GPO reduce the Social Security benefits you actually receive each month. What you don’t know really can hurt you.
An informed decision is always a better decision. Call for your own complementary Social Security retirement benefit analysis and personal consultation to select the best option for you and your family!
Contact Reinette Today!
rfoster@reinettefoster.com
318-481-6539
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