Sabine Parish has been recognized as a hotspot for a potential COVID outbreak and the District Attorney’s Office is urging everyone eligible to get vaccination to avoid another lockdown. 

According to the Sabine Parish office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the percent of positive test results is up 1.20% from last week  while the percent of population vaccinated is only up 1%. Currently, Sabine parish has one of the lowest vaccination percentages in the area at 23%.

While the area had previously seen a steady decline in cases, the recent results after a two week period showed that Sabine Parish has a 22% increase in COVID-19 cases. The parish has 3,017 cases and 64 COVID-19 deaths overall. 

Sabine Parish Homeland Security shared the following stats on July 7th; 

LOUISIANA
TOTAL CASES 484,577 (up 3701)
TOTAL DEATHS 10,763 (up31)
HOSPITALIZED 338 (up 44)
VENTED 33 (UP 3)

SABINE PARISH
TOTAL POSITIVE CASES 3011 (up 8)
PROPOSED RECOVERED 3003
TOTAL ACTIVE CASES 8 (up 1)
TOTAL DEATHS 64 (no change)
POSITIVITY TEST RESULTS 2.20% (up 1.20%)
TOTAL VACCINATED IN SABINE 6177 (up 63)
PERCENT OF POPULATION VACCINATED 26% (up 1%)

Due to these reports, the Sabine Parish District Attorney’s Office is urging residents to get their vaccinations. “Sabine Parish is included in a national hotspot for a potential outbreak of Covid because of low vaccination rate. We are also at risk for variants to develop. Please folks get vaccinated! No one wants to go back living like we were a year ago and it is so unnecessary.“ 

ZWOLLE, La – Zwolle Elementary has announced their enrollment date for the 2021-2022 school year.

Student registration will begin on Monday, July 19 from 8AM to 3PM.

Registration for all grades, Pre-K thru 6th grade, will be open to any child meeting the age and residential requirements to enter into school and/or transferring from another school or district.

Anyone wanting to register needs to see Mrs. Tatiana in the ZES office to get their child registered for the upcoming school year.

The work Levi David put in was rewarded.

As such, David became the 53rd Major League Baseball First-Year Player draftee in Northwestern State history after being selected by the New York Mets in the ninth round of the 2021 draft Monday afternoon.

“I had talked to the Mets and talked to the (Texas) Rangers, and they told me a general plan of what today would look like,” David said. “It never quite turns out like you think it would. I knew I’d probably go in the five to 10 (round) range. Around the fifth round, I sat down and started watching it and waited for phone calls. With every pick, there was a little extra excitement or nervousness. I was really excited to go where I went. I’m truly blessed for it.”

David was a third-team All-Southland Conference selection in his first year as a starting pitcher. His 104 strikeouts tied for the second most in school single-season history while his 15.34 strikeouts per nine innings ranked him third nationally.

In his first collegiate season as a starting pitcher, David limited opposing batters to 5.02 hits per nine innings, a mark that led the Southland Conference and ranked seventh nationally. After making five relief appearances in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, David appeared in 14 games with 13 starts in the 2021 season.

He posted three double-figure strikeout games, including fanning 14 McNeese hitters on May 8, falling one strikeout shy of tying the school single-game record.

His twin 12-strikeout performances at Sam Houston (March 20) and at Abilene Christian (April 2) earned him a pair of Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week awards. In those games, David worked a combined 13 1-3 innings, scattered seven hits and struck out 24 batters while walking just three.

Equally as impressive in the classroom, David owns a 4.0 grade point average, was named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-Region earlier this month, is on the ballot for Academic All-American and was a first-team Academic All-Southland Conference honoree.

A 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander from Waxahachie, Texas, David earned plaudits for his curveball. Opposing batters went 5-for-98 with 80 strikeouts against the pitch in 2021.

“It is so special to see Levi get picked up by the Mets,” head coach Bobby Barbier said. “He has worked so hard for this day and deserves every bit of it.”

David’s selection marked the fourth straight season in which Northwestern State has produced an MLB draft pick, its longest stretch since 2004-07. In those four seasons, the Demons have produced six selections, four of which have been top-10 round choices.

With David’s selection, the Mets nabbed their sixth different Northwestern State draftee, most among MLB teams. Two former Demon right-handers — Adam Oller and Nathan Jones — currently are in the Mets minor league system.

Although Jones, New York’s fifth-round selection in the 2019 draft, and David did not play together in Natchitoches, their shared ties in the Demon fraternity allowed them to connect ahead of the 2021 season.

“Peyton Davis and Cam Parikh are good friends with him and during the break, they took some live at-bats against him, so I got to meet him,” David said. “I got the chance to talk to him going into this spring. We talked about how professional baseball and the draft process worked and what to expect. The advice he gave me and what he explained was what I went through. He’s a good person to know and hopefully we’ll be teammates soon.”

The MLB Draft concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20.

Ebenezer Aggrey of Baton Rouge and Derrick Varnado of Gonzales were named R.F. Lewis Scholars and are part of the first cohort of a new program initiated by the University of Louisiana System intended to enhance the experience of Black male students. The R.F. Lewis Scholars Program recruits Black males and provides scholarships, educational programs, mentoring opportunities and co-curricular experiences for the students selected. Each cohort is comprised of two students chosen from each University of Louisiana System member institution for a total of 18 members each year.

Aggrey and Varnado will represent Northwestern State University in the inaugural cohort. The scholars were announced during the UL System’s Black Male Summit in June. The students are sophomores who, beginning this fall, will participate in the three-year program.

The main focus of the R.F. Lewis Scholars program is learning and academic achievement opportunities, specifically research experiences. Students will be paired with a research mentor to connect classroom theory with a real-world problem and will have the opportunity to present their research at the ULS Academic Summit and other conferences. Other components include a study abroad experience, experience in management, leadership and mentoring and a system-wide service learning project.

Starting this fall, students will participate in leadership seminars, meeting online and in person as meetings float between the nine ULS campuses. NSU will host the group this October with Aggrey and Varnado responsible for designing and presenting the program.

In the fall of their junior year, students will enroll in a research and cultural competency course to prepare for their study abroad the following spring where they will present research alongside students from the host institution. Their senior year, they will be engaged in mentoring the newest cohort of scholars and preparing for graduate school, internships or full-time jobs.

Aggrey is a business administration major and a track and field student-athlete. He is a senator in the Student Government Association and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, African American Caucus and the Presidential Leadership Program, is a Freshman Connector and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.

“I didn’t realize how much of a big deal this was until I was at the Summit,” he said, where he was surrounded by successful men who were there to support the new program. He met the other Scholars and learned about the benefits of the program as an immersive experience, particularly the study abroad component.

“I hope I get a great mentor, someone I can shadow and gain a better experience,” Aggrey said. “As we go through the process, it’s also our duty to be mentors to the next group of sophomores as well. I’m really eager to see what the upcoming years hold.”

Varnado is a communications major and who works on the equipment team for Demon football and in the computer lab at Watson Library. He is a member of Signa Nu Fraternity.

“I’m definitely looking forward to going outside the country and seeing a different viewpoint,” he said. “I expect to use our platform to serve our communities in being impactful and helping other Black students. Those experiences make you a better human.”

“Adding the international exchange piece elevates this program to a whole different level,” said Dr. Marcus Jones, NSU’s interim president who worked with the UL System to design the study abroad component. Providing the young men with mentors and leaders across the campuses will be impactful but having a study abroad experience on their resumes will also make them stand out, he said.

System-wide exchange agreements with other universities are also in development and Jones said there is an accompanying program for parents.

Aggrey and Varnado both said they are already forming bonds with their fellow R.F. Lewis Scholars through daily group chats and both recognize the benefits of the program’s networking opportunities. They are looking forward to working with each other and with the other members of the cohort.

“We realized how similar we are as rising sophomores coming off a COVID year. I look forward to what we can accomplish over the next three years,” Varnado said. “It’s going to be lifechanging.”

LSU’s Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge is an amazing place, several hundred acres of preserved rural landscape in the middle of Baton Rouge with buildings brought in from farms and plantations across the state. It is a delightfully bucolic oasis amidst a bustling city. Visitors to the museum are greeted by old tractors, huge gears from mills and the remains of marble columns from LSU’s old Hill Memorial Library. These items give a foretaste of the varied nature of the museum’s collections. Like an attic, one can find old treasures that tell the story of the family living in the house. In this case, the family is the state of Louisiana and its people.

The museum occupies 40 acres and was originally part of the Windrush Plantation, donated to the state by the Burden family. The land the museum sits on is joined by 400 more acres devoted to the Windrush Gardens and Burden Gardens. The Burden Gardens are run by the LSU AG Center and feature a 3-mile walking trail. The Burden Gardens also feature a corn maze every Saturday in October along with games and activities for family fun. The Burden Gardens are free to visit. Some of the fall activities do have a small fee.

The Rural Life Museum grounds contain 32 buildings, all historic structures brought in from farms and plantations across Louisiana. They are arranged to represent a typical plantation of 19^th century Louisiana. There are slave cabins, a church and school, general store, post office, sick house and overseer’s house and a simulated cemetery. All of the buildings are clearly labelled as to date, type and purpose, giving the visitor a view of plantation life from a viewpoint not often shown in other plantation tours.

The main building houses an incredibly eclectic collection with artifacts ranging from prehistoric Native American displays to patent medicines of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The museum, in the words of director Bill Stark, strives to tell “The whole story of Louisiana’s history.” The museum’s displays do not shy away from Slavery. They include a replica of a jail that held rebellious slaves and displays detailing their daily lives. Other displays detail the Reconstruction Era and Civil War. There is a section on Solomon Northrup, an original copy of his book “Twelve Years a Slave” as well as information concerning Louisiana’s “Creole of Color Planters” and “Women Planters”.

The museum also takes a look at more “modern” farming, with an amazing array of tools, wagons and appliances such as a 1890 washing machine that is more than enough to give the visitor an appreciation of modern comforts. One of the many delights of the museum is the number and variety of artifacts. A visitor never can tell what lies around the next corner.

The family-friendly LSU Rural Life Museum is well worth a trip for anyone interested in our state’s history and unique blend of peoples and cultures. Mr. Stark and his staff are doing a superb job of preserving, presenting and interpreting a fascinating era of Louisiana’s history.

The LSU Rural Life Museum, Rural Life Museum (lsu.edu),is located at 4560 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge. Its hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm with the gate closing at 4:30 pm. The Burden Garden’s hours are the same. The phone is 225-765-2437. Admission is a modest $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for children ages 6-11. Children under 6 are free. Senior citizens 62 and over are $9.00.  NOTE: The LSU Rural Life Museum is a Blue Star Museum. From May through Sept 6, admission is free to active duty, retired and reserve military members and their families. The museum has also graciously extended this program to Veterans. Next week? I am throwing a spear or two. Until then Journal readers, it’s time to hit the road!

By Brad Dison

In the early morning hours of Saturday, November 5, 1960, 19-year-old Texas A&M student James E. Davis was driving his pickup truck on Hwy 79 near Milano, Texas. The student had spent most of that Friday night drinking, which carried over into the wee hours of Saturday morning. Davis drove his truck at a high rate of speed. The alcohol had dulled his senses. His vision was blurred. His reaction time had slowed. He was too drunk to drive.

Three friends, Tillman Franks, Gerald “Tommy” Tomlinson, and John LaGale were driving from Austin, Texas, to Shreveport, Louisiana, on Highway 79 in a Cadillac sedan. The trip should have taken about six hours to complete. LaGale was driving and conversing with front seat passenger Tillman Franks. Gerald Tomlinson, was lying down in the back seat, attempting to sleep.

Between 1:35 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., sources vary on the exact time, James Davis drove his pickup truck at high rate of speed as he approached the railroad overpass in Milano. The trio in the Cadillac sedan approached the railroad overpass from the opposite direction.

As the trio in the Cadillac reached the overpass, Davis, his vision blurred from the effects of alcohol, slammed the passenger side of the truck into the bridgehead at approximately 90 miles per hour. In a split second, the truck ricocheted off of the bridgehead and back onto Hwy 79.

LaGale had no time to react. The truck and Cadillac met in a head-on collision with enormous force. Tomlinson, flew from the back seat of the Cadillac into the back of the front seat. Franks crashed into the Cadillac’s metal dash. LaGale struck the steering wheel and dash. Davis hit the steering wheel of his pickup truck.

The force of the head-on collision crumpled the driver’s sides of the Cadillac and pickup truck. Both drivers were pinned in their vehicles.

After freeing the drivers from the vehicles, paramedics transported the four men to a hospital in Cameron, Texas. LaGale received numerous injuries and died in the ambulance as it sped to the hospital. The drunk driver received multiple abrasions and a fractured ankle. Franks had multiple abrasions and bruised ribs. Tomlinson received multiple abrasions, along with multiple fractures and blood vessel damage to his left leg. Over a period of eighteen months, Tomlinson had numerous operations but doctors were forced to amputate his left leg.

Two days after the crash, family and friends gathered at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Haughton to pay their last respects to LaGale. Despite his injuries and against the advice of his doctors, Franks was determined to attend LaGale’s funeral. Finally, the doctors relented and transported Franks to LaGale’s funeral on a hospital stretcher.

James E. Davis, the driver of the pickup truck, received a suspended sentence for drunk driving. Two years later, he was killed in another drunk driving accident.

The three friends in the Cadillac were more than buddies, they were a rockabilly band. Gerald “Tommy” Tomlinson was a guitar picker who worked with artists such as Jim Reeves, Claude King, Marty Robbins, David Houston, and many more.

Tillman Franks had multiple roles in the band. He played the upright bass, wrote or cowrote several hit songs, and was also the manager for the band. In a career which spanned more than three decades, Franks managed and aided in the careers of such acts as Hank Williams Sr., Faron Young, Elvis Presley, and several others.

John LaGale was the star singer of the band. He recorded several hit songs including “Sink the Bismarck,” “North to Alaska,” “Springtime in Alaska,” and “Honky Tonk Man.” His best-known song was the 1959 single “The Battle of New Orleans.” His full name was John LaGale Horton…Johnny Horton.

Sources:
1. The Courier-Gazette (McKinney, Texas), November 5, 1960, p.1.
2. The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana), November 6, 1960, p.1.
3. The Shreveport Journal, July 12, 1976, p.25.
4. Rockabilly Hall of Fame. “Tommy Tomlinson.” Accessed July 6, 2021. rockabillyhall.com/tommytomlinson.html.
5. Hillbilly-Music Dawt Com. “Tommy Tomlinson.” Accessed July 6, 2021. hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=11263.

Stop by and see what’s cooking at Whataburger’s latest restaurant, the first-ever location in Natchitoches located at 902 Keyser Avenue. This much anticipated restaurant is now open for dining daily from 6 am – 10 pm with a 24/7 drive-thru.

Whataburger has partnered with Northwestern State University to sponsor its athletics program, so the restaurant also features a co-branded exterior showing off the school’s logo and sports-centric interior custom-designed wall art, complete with Vic the Demon.

NATCHITOCHES:
Betty Matthews
August 18, 1938 – July 10, 2021
Service: Friday, July 16 at 2 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Christie A. Williams
October 07, 1966 – July 13, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Alcide Beaudion
July 10, 2021
Service: Saturday, July 17 at 11 am at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, located at 911 5th Street in Natchitoches

Lessie Small
August 09, 1952 – July 06, 2021
Visitation: Saturday, July 17 from 9-10:30 am at the Greenville Baptist Church of Clarence (Walk through viewing only) prior to internment in the church’s cemetery

Cynthia D. French
May 15, 1958 – July 05, 2021
Arrangements TBA

RED RIVER:
Clara Kathryn Christen
May 26, 1929 – July 08, 2021
Service: Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Springville Cemetery

The Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers named the newest addition to the Crime Stoppers team, which included Officer Brian Anderson who has helped part time with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office. 

“We are excited to welcome a new member to the Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers Board of Directors.

Brian Anderson is currently an officer with the Greenwood Police Department and works part time for the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office. He is an army veteran and lives in Shreveport.

The board is happy to have a connection with the Greenwood area and an experienced officer onboard. We have developed a closer relationship with Greenwood Police Department over the last few years as they have grown and this will help foster the relationship.” 

SOURCE: Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers

By Matt Vines, NSU Assistant Sports Information Director

Even before he was chasing his dream of a professional baseball career, Patrick Peterson was also preparing for a career in academics.

Peterson, who was hired to the Northwestern State athletics academic advising staff as an academic coordinator, assisted the North Carolina State academic staff starting as an undergraduate student.

All hires are subject to the approval of the Louisiana Board of Supervisors, of which NSU is a member, as well as pass through other University human resource processes.

“We’re excited to welcome Pat to the staff, and we believe that his unique student-athlete experience of playing college baseball at two different universities and professionally will allow him to positively contribute to our student-athlete academic support services and Victorious for Life programming,” said Kaitlyn McCanna, assistant athletics director for student-athlete development. “He has already proven the ability to connect with various student-athletes who are currently taking summer courses and has jumped right into the trenches to help finalize plans for our Vic’s Start Summer Bridge.”

Peterson was a college baseball pitcher at Temple and North Carolina State before being drafted by the Seattle Mariners.

At North Carolina State, Peterson assisted in arranging tutors and scheduling study hall for Wolfpack student-athletes for nearly two years.

After his baseball career, Peterson spent 16 months as a graduate assistant at South Carolina monitoring the academic progress of student-athletes in football, men’s tennis, and track and field.

He completed his masters degree in sport and entertainment management.

The 23rd-round draft pick pitched more than two full seasons in the minor leagues, compiling an 8-8 record with his longest season at the Single-A level.

What once was is now here again for Northwestern State volleyball.

After a postponed – and shortened – 2020 season, the Lady Demons took another step in the return to normalcy with the release of a full 2021 fall schedule on Thursday.

The slate that features four weekend tournaments, a pair of non-conference home battles and 14 Southland Conference matches begins in earnest on the final weekend of August and runs through the end of November, culminating in the SLC Tournament.

“Being a student-athlete isn’t easy, and the competition season can be chaotic and a grind, but we love it,” said Sean Kiracofe, entering his seventh year as the Lady Demons’ head coach. “Being able to play in the spring was nice but many things that make being part of a team sport and what we love were understandably taken away. To see everything returning on the horizon is like the anticipation of Christmas morning.”

The Lady Demons will be the second NSU team (soccer) to return to action in the fall opening the season in New Orleans at the Tulane Invite on Aug. 27. After matches against the Green Wave, Cal and Alabama A&M, the Lady Demons return to Prather Coliseum for the first home fall sporting event at NSU since Nov. 21, 2019.

The first of two non-conference home matches features the Lady Demons against rival ULM on Aug. 31 with a match against Jackson State two weeks later on Sept. 14. NSU makes just one non-conference midweek road trip during the season, visiting Grambling on Sept. 8.

Weekend tournaments throughout the month of September take NSU to Ole Miss (Sept. 3-4), now former SLC foe Lamar (Sept. 10-11) and UT Arlington (Sept. 17-18). A solid mix of competition during the first month of the season remains a vital component for Kiracofe in the construction of the schedule. A still young team takes the court for the Lady Demons this season, the first month key in their development as a team.

“I really like the schedule we put together,” Kiracofe said. “The 2021 season was always going to be a new look for us after having some long-time starters graduate, but COVID rushed us into that new look short-handed. We will still be young, so the preseason will be very important for us.

“We have the pieces now with a full roster, but it always takes time to see how they best fit together. A full preseason gives us time to experiment and play with the options we have on this roster to showcase individual talent. That is such a gift that I won’t be taking for granted and gives us a great chance to figure out how we’re going to attack the Southland.”

The new-look conference schedule begins Sept. 25 for the Lady Demons as they host Southeastern Louisiana, in the first of 14 league battles. The conference slate features seven home-and-home matchups against the current iteration of the Southland.

The six other NSU home matches are against Houston Baptist (Oct. 7), McNeese (Oct. 9), New Orleans (Oct. 21), Incarnate Word (Nov. 4), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 6) and Nicholls (Nov. 13).

Perhaps the toughest stretch for the Purple and White starts in the middle of October with four road matches out of five total to end the month, beginning Oct. 14 at New Orleans.

“The Southland has always been a good volleyball conference throughout the years and throughout its changes,” Kiracofe said. “The parity this season will be enhanced with the departures, but despite looking at the final standings for the last few years I think that’s always been there.

“As the returning champion Corpus will be the team to beat, but now they’ll be in a new position of not being able to share that spotlight with any other top teams. Winning isn’t easy but staying on top is harder, so it will be interesting to see if this new focus on them will have an effect.”

The conference tournament is set for Nov. 18-21 at the University Center in Hammond.

Photo/Graphic:  Chris Reich (NSU Photographic Services)/Brad Welborn

Whether you’re a historian; a hopeless romantic; a business, social, or school group; or an avid traveler, come celebrate, discover, and explore Historic Natchitoches aboard the Cane River Queen Riverboat.

The Queen’s Captain, Paul Lohr was raised north of Kilgore, TX with a passion for boats. Retiring after 38 years in the trucking industry Paul began fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a riverboat captain.

Step one: build the “Cane River Queen.” Paul put many hours and a lot of his own sweat into the boat’s construction. It’s a labor of love and Captain Paul is sure you’ll fall in love while cruising down the waters in the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase.

So, why did the Cane River Queen come to Natchitoches? Paul visited Natchitoches several years ago and immediately fell in love with the tranquil waters of Cane River Lake. He knew the City of Lights was where he and his Queen needed to be.

The 60-passenger Cane River Queen made her debut on March 15, 2019. She currently resides at the south end of the newly renovated Rue Beauport downtown riverbank. Tours up and down the Cane River give passengers a chance to enjoy the natural beauty of the area while learning some of its history.

If you’re looking for a unique location to host a family reunion, private party or corporate event the Queen offers private bookings 7 days a week. Or if you’re just wanting to relax and unwind, there’s a seat waiting for you!

All cruises are BYOD, so please feel free to bring your own food and drinks. For a tour schedule go online to http://www.caneriverqueen.org. To book private party or corporate event call 318-663-7787.

On July 2nd Gov. Edwards officially vetoed 28 bills by Republican legislators, including bills that would have secured our Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms, protected women’s sports, prevented vaccine mandates, and guaranteed free and fair elections. Many of these bills vetoed by the governor passed in the state legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. It is absolutely imperative that the state legislature take a stand and come together as a united body to override these reckless vetoes of legislation clearly supported by the great majority of people across District 22 and Louisiana. It is especially important that we summon the courage to override the vetoes of SB118 by Sen. Jay Morris(Constitutional Carry Bill) and the veto of SB156 by Sen. Beth Mizell(Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill).

The state constitution requires that the legislature convene a special veto override session 40 days after the adjournment of the regular session, unless a majority of the members of either the House or Senate sign a declaration proclaiming that they DO NOT want to enter into a special session. Rest assured, I have already received my ballot from the House Clerk and destroyed it, thereby guaranteeing my wholehearted support of entering into special session with the intent to override every single one of the governor’s vetoes. It is my sincere hope and prayer that my colleagues in the House and Senate will join me in calling for the veto session and in obtaining the 2/3 vote in each Chamber required to overturn the vetoes.

There are numerous sound and rational arguments that can be made in support of SB118 which would simply allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms without first obtaining permission from the government in the form of state-imposed training and licensing, however, the irrefutable defense of SB118 proceeds directly from the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights which declares that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”. The right to protect one’s person, family, and property from harm is a natural God-given right that transcends even the U.S. Constitution.

In addition, the veto of SB118 clearly targets law-abiding citizens because it removes our ability to protect our families from criminals intent on committing acts of violence such as rape, robbery, and murder. It flies in the face of logic to contend that criminals are going to abide by the laws of the land and participate in concealed carry training courses, pay for permits, and declare to law enforcement that they are carrying a firearm. It is said that history repeats itself – let us consider the warning from the great American statesman Patrick Henry who declared the following at the Virginia Ratifying Convention with the memories of British oppression still fresh in his mind: “Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?”

Perhaps even more egregious than the veto of the Constitutional Carry bill, is the governor’s veto of SB156 by Sen. Mizell which would prohibit biological males from competing in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary sports against biological females. This bill simply protects our daughters and granddaughters by ensuring that there is a level playing field, and that the tremendous progress made in women’s athletics over the past few decades will not be wiped out by radical activists who wish to tear down our culture by redefining biological sex and destroying the traditional family. Common sense and science prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that biological males have clear physiological advantages over biological females, including increased bone density, greater muscle mass, and enhanced cardiovascular capacity.

As the father of two daughters, one of whom is currently in junior high school and participating in sports, I recognize that we must override the veto of SB156 in order to guarantee the integrity of girls’ sports and to safeguard the futures of those we love. Make no mistake, these efforts by liberal politicians, Hollywood elites, and progressive members of the mainstream media to shove transgender ideology down the throats of the American people is an affront to our Christian heritage and an attack on our conservative values. As your state representative I will not be intimidated by the threats of “cancel culture” or bullied by the “woke” mob. I will continue to fight for what is right, and to do my best to reflect the conservative values and traditional principles of the citizens of District 22. Thank you and God Bless.

Gabe Firment
District 22 State Representative
(318)765-9606
Hse022@legis.la.gov

SABINE:
Margaret Joann Powell
May 18, 1937 – July 06, 2021
Service: Monday, July 12 at 10 am at Memory Lawn Cemetery

Marie Ann Monette
January 13, 1947 – July 07, 2021
Service: Tuesday, July 13 at 11 am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cloutierville

Robert C. Lewis
September 8, 1930 – July 10, 2021
Service: Tuesday, July 13 at 10 am at Peason United Pentecostal Church

NATCHITOCHES:
Alcide Beaudion
July 10, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Lessie Small
August 09, 1952 – July 06, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Cynthia D. French
May 15, 1958 – July 05, 2021
Arrangements TBA

RED RIVER:
Marvin “Blackie” Wayne Burkett
December 31, 1950 – July 09, 2021
Service: Tuesday, July 13 at 10:30 am at Red River Cowboy Church

Many Police Officer Matt Cook and Officer Evan Eddington were in the right place at the right time shortly after midnight when a woman approached Officer Cook outside the back of a local convenience store.

The woman said she was driving from Alexandria to Lufkin Texas when her boyfriend became physically abusive, took her cell phone and said he was going to wire her mouth shut, torture her and set her on fire.

She convinced him to let her pull into a Many convenience store and then walked out the back door of the building after she saw a police officer in the back parking lot.

When officers approached her vehicle parked in front of the store, the man had fled. A search was conducted in the area by Many Police and Sabine Sheriff’s office and Eliezer Rodriquez was found on the roof of a local business by Officer Eddington.

He was arrested and charged with false imprisonment, battery on a dating partner and flight from a police officer. Rodriquez has a lengthy criminal history of aggravated assault on police officer, burglary and drug charges in other states. He is currently in custody at the Sabine Parish Detention Center.

The Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce recently announced their new director. Lifelong resident of Many, Shanna Dees Gaspard, is married to Austin Gaspard. She has three children, Laney, Logan, and Victoria and eight grandchildren.

Shanna was born and raised in Many and graduated from Many High in 1985. She is the President of the Depot Art Guild. Shanna teaches private art classes, as well as teaches art classes at NSU and other various locations in Louisiana and Texas. She is a volunteer art teacher for the Toledo, Converse, and Many (legacy) Sabine Council on Aging locations.

Shanna’s goal as Director of the Chamber is to help increase awareness of the Sabine Parish Chamber of Commerce and encourage others to participate, promote, and support ALL local businesses in the parish.

SOURCE: SP Chamber

The Northwestern State sports medicine staff announced one hire and one promotion on Thursday.

Brittany Goldberg has been promoted to associate director of sports medicine, and Kristina Overholt has joined the full-time staff after serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons.

“Brittany stepped up in a leadership role by taking over a lot of the COVID-19 protocols, especially the reporting aspect,” said Jason Drury, NSU’s director of sports medicine. “Every day that we tested had to be reported, and most weeks, we tested at least three times.

“Brittany continues to have a commitment to this university and fits into the family atmosphere of this athletics department.”

Goldberg completed her third season as the primary athletic trainer for baseball before previously serving two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer with soccer.

Overholt accepted an assistant director position after completing a two-year tenure as the graduate athletic trainer for NSU soccer.

She will retain those soccer duties and assist with other sports as needed.

“Kristina played a role in the soccer team’s success by providing consistent medical care,” Drury said of a soccer team that’s finished second in the Southland Conference each of the last two seasons. “This team is on the brink of breaking through, and consistency in that position will only help in achieving that goal.”

All hires must be approved by the Louisiana Board of Supervisors, of which NSU is a member, as well as through other University human resource processes.

The start of the 2021 Northwestern State football season is two months away, but the Demons already are in the red zone.

The NSU athletic administration and football coaching staff have developed a three-year plan to enhance funding for the Demon football team, driven by the Champions Circle, the football program’s fund-raising vehicle within the Demons Unlimited Foundation, and its “first-and-goal” fund raising mantra.

“The core of the ‘first and goal’ plan comes from within the football program. It articulates a strategic plan developed by Coach (Brad) Laird and his staff feel which, in conjunction with upgrades that have already been made in recent years, can bring championship football back to NSU,” said NSU Director of Athletics Greg Burke, who noted the goal is to raise at least $100,000 annually through the Champions Circle.

“Funds were raised for Demon football, in the heart of the pandemic last summer, so there is a level of confidence that the bar can be raised this year, especially with the opportunity to contribute over the course of 12 months. Those who love Demon football, including football alumni who laid it on the line as players and continue to impact the program on multiple levels, will be a key factor in moving the needle.”

Included in the three-year plan jointly devised by the administration and coaching staff are underwriting for summer school, as well as summer strength and conditioning sessions; increased recruiting budgets and improved equipment and apparel. Burke emphasized that 100% of all contributions to the “first and goal” initiative will benefit Demon football.

The Demons open the 2021 season Sept. 4 against North Texas, following a spring 2021 season in which Northwestern State dropped four games by eight points or less.

“The amazing support from our alumni, friends and family is second to none,” Laird said. “We appreciate your continued assistance as we prepare for the 2021 season.”

The Champions Circle is divided into six donation-based levels, all of which offer unique benefits.

The “Kick-Off” level requires a $250 donation per year ($21 per month) and includes a “Champions Circle” sticker. The “Drive-Starter” level begins at $500 per year ($42 per month) and includes the Champions Circle sticker as well as publication of the donor’s name in the Gameday program and on http://www.NSUDemons.com.

At $1,000, donors enter the “First Down” level, adding a Champions Circle hat to the previously mentioned benefits. “Field Goal” level donors give $2,500 per year, earning a coach’s polo as well as the earlier stated benefits.

At $5,000, donors move into the “Touchdown” category, which gives them a sideline pass for Demon home games in addition to the previous benefits. Finally, the “Champion” level comes to donors who give at least $10,000 per year. Benefits for those donors include those mentioned before as well as a pregame locker room invitation and an autographed football from the team.

For more information on the Champions Circle, contact either Burke (burkeg@nsula.edu) or Laird (lairdb@nsula.edu).

Photo: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services