As a kid growing up in East Texas, my idea of sleeping in was getting up at 7 a.m. 

At my house, there was no lying in bed till noon like some of my friends were able to do. 

There was a yard to be mowed, a garden to rake, trash to take out and other chores that were required to live under the roof my mom and dad provided. Many a morning my bedroom light came on at 5 a.m., especially when there was work to be done on our ranch. One thing about growing up on a ranch — there’s always something to be done. 

Whether we were fixing fences, building a barn, bailing hay or doctoring cattle, there was never a shortage of work. But most of the time, before my work began, my dad would let me take advantage of the early morning bite as I fished one of our many stocked ponds loaded with bass. 

There’s nothing quite like getting up before daylight and getting on a body of water and throwing a topwater bait, anticipating that explosive bite. But no one wakes up like Mother Nature does, as the birds start to chirp, the deer ease out of the woods for an early-morning feed and the squirrels scurry through the trees looking for acorns.  

As anglers, there are a lot of special moments that make you realize just how blessed we are. One of those is the daily sunrise which is a huge blessing for those of us who get to see and experience God’s awesome work first-hand. Making it even more special is hearing the national anthem before take-off on all our ABA Tournaments. It’s hard to describe the beauty and splendor of a rising sun as you head out onto a body of water anticipating a good early morning bite.  

Even after all my many years of tournament take-offs, I still get chills as I sit in my boat and wonder, “How lucky am I?” It is truly a privilege that we, as anglers, get to do what we do. God has blessed me in so many ways with my health, my family and giving me the ability to enjoy His great outdoors. 

If you want to experience what I get to enjoy so often, you must get up and get out of the bed. Whether you sit on your porch, in a bass boat or on a deer stand, watching a sunrise will have you feeling a calm like you’ve never felt before. 

It’s that quiet time that we all crave from time to time. It’s that period of time where we plan our day and set our priorities. Some people like to read scripture, while others enjoy a good cup of coffee and a newspaper. But one thing is for certain, it just might be the most peaceful and gratifying time of the day. 

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing and take the time to enjoy a sunrise.   

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

No one in real life ever wears what models in big city fashion shows wear.

You’ve seen clips of these things on television or, in a weak moment, clicked to see the newest styles, all the rave, “the newest line” by (Made Up Designer Names Alert!) Melik Boovoir or Salome deNeuve or Pepe Duboir.

The model looks like he or she is wearing either a pastel Hefty bag — how to you take a bathroom break with this thing on? — or something they stole off a scarecrow. Everything is really tight or really slouchy. Sometimes they have hats on their heads that look like things we used to make in Vacation Bible School.

Who wears this stuff?

Even at awards shows, most of the Who Looked Best On The Red Carpet gang appear to have lost a bet. Tip of the cap for the man or woman who bought something off the rack pulled the standard tux out of the back of the closet, shined their shoes, and showed up looking like a person you wouldn’t be scared to share either a cab ride or a hymn book with.

For the past 10 days or so, between thunderstorms and power outages and picking up limbs, most of us north Louisiana common folk were too busy looking for air conditioning and cable to watch LSU scrap its way to a seventh College World Series championship to notice that the Berlin Fashion Show was underway in Germany which, conveniently, is where Berlin still is.

Dapper dressers were all up in the Neue Natoinalgalerie to become one with the highlight of the week, the Saint Laurent show, quite a spectacle with fans taking phone videos of, as GQ reported, “the latest evolution of Anthony Vaccarello’s seductive menswear collection.”

The fashion writer continued, something along the lines of how “all eyes” would be on “nonstop action on and off runways elsewhere, too.” Yes: after the “hyper-exclusive” affair in Berlin, we are off to places like Florence and Milan, which precedes a “whirlwind blitz through a jam-packed Paris Fashion Week.”

Again, the only real people you ever see in these runway clothes are the people on the runways. And as soon as they’re off the runways, they put on jeans and T-shirts and look much, much sharper than they did wearing clothes that look like balloons.

Granted, when I was growing up my dad told me my idea of being “dressed up” was having my shoes tied. And God love him, he was right. I can tie a tie now and keep my oxfords shined, but the only sense I have of fashion I have is, “Does this look normal? Would this embarrass my grandmother?” It’s about one step ahead of Granimals.

My personal mechanic, old-school country music supplier, and fashion assistant is Shine Broussard, who is from Morgan City. (He goes by “Francois” during Fashion Season; his signature color is brown.) He has assured me that although he can’t “travel abroad” to the Big Shows this summer and fall, he is making the local circuit, which includes stops in Dubach (August 7-11, Denim Week), Greater Sibley (September 18-22, Burlap), Gibsland (October 2-6, Gingham), and Lower Summerfield (November 27-December 1, Dealer’s Choice).

“My main fashion advice,” said Shine, “is to remember that no one pays nearly as much attention to you as you think they do. Save your money and be comfortable and presentable and non-offensive. Good taste never goes out of style.”

Shine, who is a fashionista only during the fall shows, told me this on a break from changing out the transmission on a GTO his uncle willed him. This is a man you can trust.

So …

If you’re like Shine and grease is a common opponent, consider a Dickies jumpsuit. Otherwise, an iron, a white button down, shined shoes, an A-line, a Godet or flare dress, a business suit, jeans that fit, and a clean T-shirt, those are always in style. It doesn’t have to match: it just has to “go.”

Good fashion sense is good common sense.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

With support from the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities has awarded $457,000 in grants to 49 humanities organizations in 27 parishes. Forty-five organizations received general operating grants from the Louisiana Culture Care Fund (LCCF), totaling $425,000, and four organizations received Strategic Partnership grants, totaling $32,000.

The Northwestern State University Folk Festival  is a Strategic Partnership grant recipient in the amount of $8,000.

About the Louisiana Culture Care Fund

The LCCF originally launched in 2020 in an effort to help mitigate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s fund, with support from the State of Louisiana, continues to provide Louisiana’s cultural nonprofits with this vital funding. 

“Cultural organizations across our state continue to struggle to reach pre-pandemic levels of support and engagement, further exacerbated by hurricane impacts,” said Erin Voisin, LEH director of grants. “The organizations these grants support engage the public in programming about our shared human experience. They create access points for learning and growing that enable us to connect with our histories, ourselves and one another.”

LCCF funds help organizations remain financially solvent by supporting operational expenses such as staff payroll and benefits, rent, mortgage, insurance and utilities. The grants were awarded to 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural organizations, public libraries and state and federally recognized Tribes with strong humanities focus, such as museums, historic sites and archives, as well as the state’s diverse array of humanities-focused media, festivals and more. Awards ranged between $5,000 and $15,000. 

Organizations receiving grants span the farthest corners of the state, from Cameron to Caddo Parishes and East Carroll to Lafourche Parishes.

About Strategic Partnership grants

The LEH also awarded four Strategic Partnership grants, in the amount of $8,000 each, to four organizations producing high-impact humanities programming. These organizations represent long-time, trusted partners in geographically diverse areas of the state. 

“The 2023 Strategic Partnership Grants are yet another way that the LEH continues to support the efforts of long-standing partners with a proven track record of success,” said Miranda Restovic, LEH executive director/president. “These large scale, impactful festivals and cultural series bring humanities programming of the highest quality to Louisiana residents.” 

The 2023 Strategic Partnership Awardees are Banners at McNeese State University in Calcasieu Parish, the Louisiana Book Festival in East Baton Rouge Parish, the Northwestern State University Folk Festival in Natchitoches Parish and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in Orleans Parish.

More details about LEH’s grant programs may be found at www.leh.org/grants. To support the work of the LEH, visit www.leh.org/support-join.

By Brad Dison

John and his wife, Mary, were expecting a child.  Like his father, also named John, John was a clergyman in the 13 colonies.  He was pastor of the United First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts.  Finally, on January 23, 1737, the child was born.  As you might expect, John and Mary named the boy John.  This made him John III.

When John III was just seven years old, his father died and Mary sent John III to live with his aunt Lydia and uncle Thomas, who had no children of their own.  Thomas owned a successful shipping company which imported manufactured goods from England and exported goods such as rum and whale oil.  After graduating from Boston Latin School, John III enrolled in Harvard College, his father’s alma mater. In 1754, John III earned a bachelor’s degree and began working for his uncle Thomas. 

In the same year John III graduated from Harvard, the North American colonies, then part of the British Empire, entered into a conflict against the French in what is known as the French and Indian War.  Thomas’s business thrived during the war as he was able to secure numerous government contracts for shipping supplies to support the war effort.  All the while, Thomas was training John III to become a partner in the business, but in 1762, Thomas’s health began to fail.  In the following year, John III became a full partner in the shipping company.  In August 1764, Thomas died.  John III inherited his uncle’s business and became one of the wealthiest men in the colonies.

The British Empire won the French and Indian War, but the victory put the country deep in debt.  The British Empire enacted several acts or taxes, such as the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp of 1765, to raise much-needed revenue.  John III ignored the Stamp Act.  In May 1766, John III’s ship Boston Packet“was the first ship that cleared out at this port [Boston], without stamped papers… and we hear was entered at the custom house in London without any the least difficulty.”  Once officials in London began giving John III’s ships difficulty, he boycotted their goods altogether.  Word spread quickly of John III’s snubbing the mother country and he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. 

In the following year, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts which was another tax on various imported goods and John III became a target for customs officials.  In 1768, customs officials boarded a ship owned by John III without a search warrant.  John III refused to allow the customs officials below decks to search the ship.  Customs officials wanted to file charges against John III for smuggling, but the case was dropped for lack of evidence.  John III’s supporters contended that John III’s refusal was the first act of resistance against Parliament and was the act which initiated the American Revolution.    

In May 1775, John III was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress.  He was presiding when a fellow Massachusetts delegate nominated George Washington as commander-in-chief of the continental army.  In the following year, the colonies declared independence and John III was one of the main financiers of the American Revolution.  If the series of events had not taken place which enabled John III to inherit his uncle’s fortune and shipping company, the American Revolution might never have taken place and we might have remained British subjects.

John III also snubbed the mother country when he signed the Declaration of Independence.  By signing this document, all 56 signers knew that they would certainly be executed if America lost the war.  Of all the 56 signatures, John III’s is the largest, the most flamboyant, and the most prominent on the page.  John III’s signature became a part of popular culture.  Even today, nearly two and a half centuries later, when someone asks for a signature, they sometimes ask for John III’s signature.  They ask you for your John Hancock.     

Sources:

1.     The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 8, 1766, p.2.

2.     The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 29, 1766, p.2.

3.     Maryland Gazette, June 12, 1766, p.1.

4.     Thomas Jefferson, et al, July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.

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

Beatrice Strebeck Lofton
July 2, 1957 — June 24, 2023
Service: Thursday, June 29 at 10 am at Friendship Church of the Nazarene, located at 88 Friendship Rd. in Robeline

NATCHITOCHES – Three graduates of Northwestern State University’s Department of Engineering Technology were recognized for research submitted to Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Society International.

Work by Matthew Lovelady of Zwolle and Nicholas Tramel and Tanner Funderburk, both of Noble, won first place in the research competition sponsored by IEOM and announced at a conference last week. The research was submitted before the students graduated in May. Research sponsors are ET professors Dr. Shahriar Hossain and Dr. Nabin Sapkota.

Hossain accepted the award on the student’s behalf at the IEOM international conference in Houston where more than 400 papers were submitted from 30 countries. Hossain submitted two separate papers from two industrial engineering technology senior design projects that he supervised last year and both were accepted for publication and publication in conference proceedings.

“After a thorough peer-review process, around 250 have been accepted for presentation and publication,” Hossain said. “I presented both papers in the IEOM conference which ended with the award ceremony. I feel very proud that I supervised this research and I got a chance to receive this award on behalf of them.”

The project analyzed a proposed installation of a loading dock to increase the efficiency of the unloading facility of a building materials distributor while ensuring the employees’ safety.

ET Research Award:

From left are Professor Don Reimer, program chair and director of membership and chapters for IEOM Society; Dr. Shahriar Hossain, assistant professor and interim director of NSU’s Department of Engineering Technology, and Dr. Ahad Ali, conference cochair and executive director of IEOM Society.

Below are current outages and information related to the restoration efforts.

SWEPCO Outages @ 3:30pm 06/20/2023

SWEPCO System Wide (Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas): 82,851

Louisiana: 45,248

Shreveport District (NW LA): 43,743

Valley District (Stonewall to Hornbeck: 1,389

Estimated Times of Restoration (95% of Outages Restored):

Shreveport District:  Saturday, June 24 @ 10:00pm

Valley District:  Tuesday, June 20, 2023 @ 10:00pm

Because of the vast damage caused by this storm there will likely be areas where restoration takes longer than published dates.

Crews are making great progress with restoration, and we are currently lodging, feeding, providing laundry service and equipping over 3,000 line workers and tree crews from across the U.S. at multiple locations in Shreveport, Natchitoches and Ruston in Louisiana.

All SWEPCO Substations are now energized and available to provide power to neighborhoods as circuit repair is completed.  Customers who have registered for Text Alerts may receive a text informing them that their power has been restored.  This text is automated as the circuit is brought back on-line.  If faults remain on the line or only a portion of the circuit can be restored safely, some customers who receive a text may not actually be restored.  Please ask that they respond to the text that power is still off or call us at 888-216-3523.

Due to extensive tree damage, some customers may have experienced damage to their weather head or meter structure.  The information below explains what to look for and that it is the customer’s responsibility to repair this damage before we can connect power to the home or business.

Is Your Home Able to Accept Power?

As we continue to make progress to rebuild our energy delivery system, now is the time to determine if your home is ready to accept power.

After any storm passes and when it’s safe to do so, assess damage around your home. Always remember this life-saving rule: keep you and your loved ones away from standing water near wires and appliances and remember to stay away from downed power lines!

Depending on where you find damage, you may need to make several calls to be ready to get power.

SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer.

Customers need to have a licensed electrician repair this damage before power can be restored.

Homeowners can refer to the graphic (shown) as a handy reference and assess whether any damage to customer equipment is visible.

This could include the metal box that houses SWEPCO’s meter, the “weatherhead” pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, or other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to underground service.

If repairs are needed, a professional electrician must first make those repairs before the home can be ready to accept power.

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

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

Leonard Cohen wrote the song “Hallelujah,” and toward its end there’s a lyric that goes, “Now I’ve done my best, I know it wasn’t much/I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come here just to fool ya/And even though it all went wrong

I’ll stand right here before the Lord of song/With nothing, nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.”

You’ve probably heard the tune before. It’s been featured in numerous movies and television programs over the last couple of decades. I like it and all of Cohen’s music because he focuses exclusively on trying to do right in a world of cowards, hypocrites, panderers, liars, and politicians. Once again – being a politician has NOTHING to do with holding public office. A politician is someone who has no problem going along with anything just so long as it benefits them in the end.

These people are the focus of a lot of Cohen’s songs because of their fast and loose concepts of truth and honesty.

Honesty – that’s a word I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Listening to Cohen while cutting the grass and clearing some brush, I found myself repeating this bridge:

“I can’t run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
a thundercloud
Ring the bells that still can ring.”

I love music because it can mean different things to many people. To me, this portion addresses the political among us, those who see the truth as malleable to be wielded as a weapon in whatever way benefits them at the time.

I have always prided myself on honesty because a liar isn’t a man. My daddy and my football coach taught me that. A liar is worse than a thief. A gland-hander is worse than a idolater. Without honesty you’ve got the Republic you’ve got today, one moving ever closer to the edge, toward rot and ruin. Rome reborn. The go along to get along crowd? The time and a place crowd? The play the game crowd? Gag me with a spoon.

You see, different opinions are my favorite opinions. I love someone who disagrees with me. Without disagreements I have no idea if I’m right or wrong because I have nothing to challenge me. What is to be loathed is the schemer, the manipulator, the guy with two accents for two different groups. The mask wearer and the forked-tongued bearer. Harvey and his two faces.

Rather than fame, rather than money, give me truth. The cowards cannot be trusted and the ever-growing societal aversion to uncomfortable truths may be saving your individual backside but only for a little while.

Because:

“There’s a man goin’ ’round takin’ names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won’t be treated all the same
There’ll be a golden ladder reachin’ down
When the man comes around

The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup
Or disappear into the potter’s ground?
When the man comes around.”

There are no more Pauls. No more Patrick Henrys. No more Martin Luthers. No more Dr. Kings. No more August Landmessers. We’re left with a nation of Tucker Carlsons and Elizabeth Warrens and Donald Trump Jrs.

Thou shalt not lie. Be honest and if you can’t be honest just be quiet. Silence can be golden in a post-Christ world. I’ve discovered I’m saying less and less and less.

Maybe one day I’ll just speak no more. And that’s ok. I’d rather be silent than not say the words I truly feel. I’d rather be mute than say the words of one who kneels.

Let it be written on my grave marker: “I’ve told the truth. I didn’t come here just to fool ya.”

Josh Beavers is an award winning writer and author. He has earned more than 40 individual writing awards and is syndicated in 12 North Louisiana news journals. The Louisiana Press Association has recognized him five times for excellence in opinion writing, and he has earned numerous Best Investigative Reporting Awards and Freedom of Information Awards for exposure of governmental corruption in Webster Parish.

It was the 1969 Toronto Pop Festival and Malcolm “Mac” John Rebennack Jr.’s band was scheduled to perform. Mac looked like something from a strange other world. He had strands of beads and other trinkets interwoven into his hair and “powders coming out of his ears.” Strips of colorful rags hung from his clothing. He used a walking stick which looked like its intended use was for casting spells rather than walking. The 18-year-old musician was in perfect health and did not require any type of apparatus for walking. The stick was just part of who Mac was. When Mac walked in a room, everyone instinctually turned their gaze his way.

The concert was held at an outdoor venue, and it had been raining periodically throughout the day. Mac and his band were onstage playing their unique mixture of jazz, blues, rock and roll, and funk which the media nicknamed “voodoo rock,” when the rain began to pour. As if it were a part of the show, Mac raised the unique walking stick toward the sky and held it there for a few moments. His eyes focused on the dark clouds. Some say he mumbled a few words. Suddenly, as if under Mac’s spell, the rain stopped completely.

Mac was born and raised in New Orleans’s middle-class Third Ward. His father owned and operated an appliance store. In addition to household appliances such as washers, dryers, and refrigerators, Mac’s father sold sound systems and records in a variety of genres Mac later described as “gospel, bebop, real filthy party records, and hillbilly stuff like Hank Williams.” Mac’s father also repaired appliances and sound systems. Mac was first subjected to the gypsy world of musicians as a child when he accompanied his father on sound system repair jobs at local clubs. Mac was more than a decade away from the required age to enter the clubs, but he was allowed since he was helping with the repairs. Mac was entranced. He recognized at this early age that he wanted to be a performer just like them. Within a short time, Mac learned to play multiple instruments with almost no instruction.

By the time he was a teenager, he was writing songs for other artists and playing guitar for recording sessions. Mac said, “New Orleans produced a lot of good piano players and some good drummers, but for some reason there weren’t a lot of guitar players around, so I kind of filled the need.” Mac was always modest. Aaron Neville recalled that “the ratty dude,” which is how he referred to Mac, “was a bad dude on guitar.” But that changed when Mac was 20 years old.

In 1961, Mac was on tour with his friend, fellow New Orleans native Ronnie Barron. When Mac and Ronnie were not performing, they spent most of their time at a local motel. During their stay, Ronnie and the motel manager’s wife became friends, maybe more than friends. The motel manager confronted Ronnie about the possible infidelity and an argument ensued. In a fit of rage, the motel manager pulled a pistol from his pocket. Mac grabbed the pistol with his left hand just as the motel manager pulled the trigger. POW!!! Because of Mac’s quick action, the bullet missed its intended target. For Ronnie, Mac was in the right place at the right time. For Mac’s left ring finger, Mac was in the right place at the wrong time. The bullet passed through his finger and left it “hanging by a thread.” Surgeons repaired his mangled finger to the best of their abilities, but Mac’s career as a guitar player had ended with that pistol shot. Mac transitioned from guitar to bass and then to piano, his first instrument.

Mac fell into a deep depression and tried to dull it with drugs. He was arrested for possession of narcotics and spent time in a federal prison. Upon his release in 1965, Mac moved to Los Angeles, California where he became a session piano player for artists such as Buffalo Springfield and Sonny and Cher. In 1967, Mac recorded his first album, Gris-Gris, with other transplanted New Orleans musicians. While working on the album, Mac began working on a way to incorporate the Mardi Gras tradition that he was so fond of into his live shows. He created a character for his live shows that he named after a 19th-centuryth century Louisiana voodoo priest. In creating this character, Mac said he was “just tryin’ to hustle album deals, just tryin’ to hustle money.” Rather than being a one-off character as Mac had planned, he became known as the character. Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. may have been known as Mac to his close friends, but the world knows Mac as Dr. John. He is most associated with his biggest hit single released in 1973 called “Right Place, Wrong Time.”

Sources:

1. Browne, David. “Dr. John: The Joy and Mystery of a New Orleans Saint.” Rolling Stone, 24 July 2019, rollingstone.com/music/music-features/dr-john-joy-mystery-new-orleans-saint-861931/amp/. Accessed 18 June 2023.

2. “Dr. John – Right Place Wrong Time (Official Audio).” youtube.com/watch?v=W4PjWgiH-LQ. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.

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.

BOM had a wonderful time attending the grand opening of Tasty Treats on the Bend. Pictured left to right: Kimberly Tuttle, BOM’s Linda Guay, and Richard Tuttle.

Gerald Lee Nelson
June 17, 1964 — May 31, 2023
The family will have a private service at a later date.

Charles Edward Hamilton
August 16, 1951 – June 18, 2023
Arrangements TBA

Dewanna Jackson
December 25, 1954 – June 15, 2023
Arrangements TBA

Fifteen young men and women from Sabine Parish’s TRIO program made the drive south to LSU-Alexandria, Thursday, June 15 to attend the college’s second annual Juneteenth program. They were joined by contingents from Natchitoches parish and Alexandria’s TRIO programs.

The program presented the background of the holiday as well as a unity pledge from LSUA’s Homecoming Queen, Ms. Zoria Sewell, and talks from coach Dimario Jackson, Dr. Cynthia Thomas and Ms. Connie Cooper. There was also a presentation on the life of Solomon Northrup, a free born Black man from New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years before finally being able to obtain his freedom and return home.

The highlight of the day was the Freedom Walk from the student union to the Epps House. The Epps house was owned by Edwin Epps who held Solomon Northrup in bondage for almost ten years on his plantation in Avoyelles parish until his eventual return to freedom in 1853. The house was originally in Bayou Boeuf near Holmesville and was moved to the LSUA campus in 1999 and restored. There was a brief ceremony and a wreath laying in honor of Solomon Northrup’s legacy after which the visiting students ate lunch and were treated to a showing of the film “The Learning Tree”, directed by the trail blazing African-American director and photographer Gordon Parks.

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office is assisting the City of Mansfield Police in locating a suspect involved in an early morning shooting that took place in Mansfield just before 6am today. We are seeking information from the public who may have knowledge of the suspect or can assist in bringing him to justice. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for any information that leads to an arrest, and you can provide this information 100% anonymously.

ZAMIR KESHUN MASSEY (Black Male, 19 years old, from Mansfield) is currently being sought on charges of SECOND DEGREE MURDER and ATTEMPTED SECOND DEGREE MURDER. Massey stands 5’11” tall at approximately 138 pounds. (See attached photo) If spotted, contact 911 immediately and do not attempt to approach the suspect. You may also reach out to the Mansfield Police Department regarding this case, as it took place in the City of Mansfield.

This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details will be provided from our agency at this time.

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.

Ms. Jana Lucky, a lifelong Northwestern State University Demon who bleeds purple and white, was honored by her university community Thursday, June 15 at a reception held to recognize her service to NSU upon her well-earned retirement.

Ms. Lucky started her remarkable 31-year tenure at NSU as a student, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1992 and her master’s degree in 1998. She began her NSU career as a recruiter and over the years has held several positions in NSU’s Admissions and Recruiting areas. Prior to her retirement, she served as NSU’s Director of Enrollment Management and Coordinator of University Events.

NSU is a family affair for the Luckys. Both her sons followed in her footsteps by attending Northwestern State University. Her daughter-in-law is also an NSU alumna, and her 6-month-old granddaughter will no doubt be wearing purple in a few years.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal extends its best wishes to Ms. Jana Lucky as she ventures into this new phase of her life. She will be a tough act to follow!

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, the NRMC Foundation, and Northwestern State University renewed a memorandum of understanding that supports the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offerings in Natchitoches. Through the 5-year agreement, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and the NRMC Foundation will fund two-thirds of a nursing faculty position and make clinical space available for student clinical learning. 

NRMC’s support will allow NSU to admit an additional 10 nursing students each year over the next five years. Administrators say the agreement will help NRMC recruit and employ NSU nursing graduates within their service area and meet regional nursing shortage demands. As many as 30 percent of Louisiana’s nurses are projected to leave the profession over the next 10 years.   

“We are grateful to Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and the NRMC Foundation for their continued support of NSU and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program,” said NSU President Dr. Marcus Jones.  “In addition to the faculty supported by NRMC through this affiliation, there are currently three other full-time faculty members on the Natchitoches campus who are supported by NSU or other sources.” 

“We appreciate the outstanding nursing program NSU offers and want to help ensure more students have the opportunity to enter the nursing program over the next five years,” noted Kirk Soileau, CEO of NRMC. “There are so many excellent students who would like to become nurses and with the combined support of NRMC and the NRMC Foundation, more students at NSU will be able to do so. We know that anyone who completes the rigorous nursing program at NSU will be prepared to be outstanding caregivers. Those are the kind of nurses we want to join our team, care for our patients, and serve our community.” 

Northwestern State’s nursing degree was the first baccalaureate program in Louisiana and is consistently ranked as one of the best in the country with an 80 percent graduation rate.  In addition to its nursing campus in Shreveport, NSU offers clinicals in Natchitoches, Alexandria and Leesville.  

NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health offers degree programs in nursing and radiologic science at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as post-baccalaureate and post-master’s certificate programs.  

The NRMC Foundation was established in 1987 to support the hospital’s mission of providing a continuum of care from newborns to centenarians. Since its inception, the NRMC Foundation has provided financial assistance to students in the fields of nursing, radiology, laboratory sciences and pharmacology who have returned to work in the health care field at NRMC.

More information about NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health is available athttps://www.nsula.edu/nursing/.   

Information on Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is available at http://www.nrmchospital.org. 

We sustainably manage forests and manufacture products that make the world a better place. We’re serious about safety, driven to achieve excellence, and proud of what we do. With multiple business lines in locations across North America, we offer a range of exciting career opportunities for smart, talented people who are passionate about making a difference. We know you have a choice in your career. We want you to choose us. 

Weyerhaeuser in Natchitoches is hosting an on-site job fair at their mill on Monday, June 26, 2023. We are hiring Entry-Level Production Associates, with the pay starting at $17.50 per hour. The job fair will be held at 234 Industrial Avenue in Natchitoches. Interested applicants may apply online at www.wy.com/careers. After applying and successfully passing an assessment test, pre-register for the job fair by calling 318-354-4055. Excellent benefit packages, bonus opportunities, perfect attendance incentives, and development opportunities are just some of the reasons why Weyerhaeuser is the preferred employer in Natchitoches. 

Weyerhaeuser was voted Best of Manufacturing in Natchitoches Parish for 2022. Not only do our associates believe we’re a great place to work, but so does our community!

Join our team by applying and attending our job fair on Wednesday, June 26, 2023. We look forward to meeting you, and are excited to begin this journey with you!

EOE

Ready BREAK!” Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu