By Corey Poole

St. Mary’s announced its new Head Coach for the girls’ basketball team this fall.
Tom Collins’ passion for coaching and a calling from God led him out of his 7-year retirement from the Winn Parish educational system.

Collins is a 1980 graduate of Louisiana College. He served as Basketball Coach at Sikes High School from 1980-1982 and Basketball Coach at Atlanta High School from 1982-2012.

He retired after 29 years of coaching and three additional years of teaching. Working at a small school in the country, Collins coached and taught multiple teams and classes. In the summers and after he retired he worked in construction.
This hectic routine soon dragged him down and he enjoyed the slower pace of his retirement.

However, when God let he and his wife Angela know if was time to move, they chose Natchitoches. Collins, who has a niece and nephew enrolled at St. Mary’s, received a call from the school, which was looking for someone to fill a vacancy.

“I had a rest and I was ready to get back in it,” said Collins. “I was away from coaching long enough and this will be a fresh start for me.”

He’s looking forward to getting to know the St. Mary’s athletes over the summer and helping them become better people first, then better athletes.

“The way I coach is, I figure out their strengths, I look at their talent and I evaluate them to see what type of game we can play with the skill levels on the team,” he said. “It teaches discipline and it’s a game that can lead to greater things in life.”
Collins started studying commercial design when he first enrolled at the Louisiana College, but one thing led to another and he found his calling in education.

“God blessed me with a talent,” he said. “I can see and understand the flow of the game. It’s almost like I’m watching it in slo-motion and I can make adjustments during the game, which has helped me win a lot of games.”

Collins received many accolades during his tenure as basketball coach. He was inducted into the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame in October 2012. He also ranked as 20th in the nation of all-time wins among head basketball coaches, third in the history of Louisiana High School basketball and gained five state titles as part of his stellar record.
Not only did he receive District Coach of the Year for 20 years, he also received Louisiana State Coach of the Year for 9 years. Collin’s 29-year record in Boys’ Basketball proves his success as a basketball coach—892 wins and 258 losses.

By Natalie Covher

Kiwanis club members met in the back yard of Lee and Ginny Waskom’s home for their annual summer social Thursday, June 9. Kiwanians opened the social to members of the Natchitoches Young Professionals, giving them a chance to learn more about what Kiwanis does and its members. Guests fixed their BBQ plates and sat down to break bread. After dinner attendees introduced themselves, talked about what they do and said if they are a Kiwanian. It was apparent that it didn’t matter what one does for work, if you care about children then you will fit in at Kiwanis. The evening progressed with boat rides on Cane River and games of ladder ball. Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time. Right now this local chapter is working to eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus. It does a lot for the local community including the Coats for Kids drive, recognizing community members at their annual awards banquet, Terrific Kids and the Shoe Collection Drive to name a few. Newcomers and visitors are welcome to attend their weekly meeting Thursdays at noon at the NSU Recreation Complex for lunch.

By Kevin Shannahan

Natchitoches Central High School’s award winning orchestra, under the direction of Syll-Young Olson, has been a fixture of the parish’s educational and musical scene for over 20 years. One would think their two trips to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 3 years would be hard to top, but this phenomenal group of young people has managed to do so.

From June 24-July 4, the NCHS Orchestra will tour and give concerts across Europe. They will start with two days in Munich, Germany where they will play for the mayor. Next, they will go on to Prague, Czechoslovakia for three days. While there, they will play a concert in the Dvorak Concert Hall, one of the oldest concert halls in Europe. Finally, they will spend two days in Vienna, Austria before returning home.

The Orchestra is a tight knit, dedicated group of musicians who spend hours in rehearsals. Their hard work and talent has resulted in three orchestra members being selected for the All-National Honor Symphony Orchestra sponsored by the National Association of Music Educators, a singular honor and a first for NCHS.

It is a testament to the bonds of loyalty forged by the students during their tenure in the orchestra that two former members, Lincoln Hall, a 2009 NCHS graduate who went on to earn his undergraduate and master’s degrees at NSU, and Amber Anderson, a 2013 NCHS Alumna who graduated from NSU with her bachelor’s in 2016, volunteered to play with their old orchestra while serving as chaperones.

The NCHS Orchestra has a 20–plus year record of musical and academic excellence. They have played twice in Carnegie Hall, sent numerous students on to All-State and now have three students invited to apply for All-National Orchestra. They will soon play in one of the oldest concert halls in Europe. Let that sink in for a moment. A group of kids from Natchitoches Parish have earned the opportunity to play in Carnegie Hall, not once, but twice, and will soon occupy the same stage in Prague where Antonin Dvorak himself conducted the Czech Philharmonic in the hall’s first concert.

There is still a need for help in getting them there. Assistance is needed for expenses such as renting the larger musical instruments as well as other expenses not included in the tour package. Donations may be sent to Olson at NCHS.

Northwestern State guard Devonte Hall felt right at home in Poland – on the basketball court at least.

Hall traveled with Athletes in Action, a Christian-based group that takes American college basketball players and tours countries in Asia and Europe, playing against local professional teams.

AIA beat the Belarus national team in two of three games in Bialystok, a city in eastern Poland.

“The play was a lot more physical overseas, and it took us a couple of minutes in the first game to adjust,” Hall said. “But I loved the way they let you play physical, because that’s the way we were taught to play at (Bossier High School).

“We didn’t have the nicest things, but we were taught to work hard for what we wanted. Games like that will help me against opponents like Stephen F. Austin. They play a physical style, and the referees aren’t going to give us a break.”

The group visited high school students in English classes throughout Poland’s capital city of Warsaw, and Hall said one student reached out to him on Facebook after the visit.

Hall and his teammates, which included three Polish players, experienced a darker side of humanity’s history when the group visited concentration camp sites at Auschwitz and Birkenau. More than 1.1 million Jews and other ethnic minorities died in these camps during World War II.

“It was crazy. I couldn’t imagine being there when it was actually going on,” Hall said. “I can’t believe that families went through that. I saw pictures of children the ages of my nieces and nephews who were starving and working in these camps.

“You could see their ribs.”

As a sophomore at NSU, Hall averaged nearly 11 points and more than six assists per game in a starting role after senior point guard Jalan West’s injury. Hall returns to an NSU squad that returns West and leading scorer Zeek Woodley with five other players who averaged double-digit minutes.

Hall said he’d recommend the trip to any basketball player, but added as a self-described picky eater, he was happy to return to an American diet.

“Everything tastes different there, and most of the time I ate a Subway sandwich,” Hall said. “I learned a lot on this trip, and I realized how lucky I was to live in the United States.

“I would recommend this experience to everybody, but I realized how much I love our country.”

It’s the beginning of the new symphony season and the theme is, “Music Through the Years.” The following is a schedule of events:

Tuesday, September 27 at 7:30pm Classical Concert, Magale Recital Hall:
Our first concert of the seasons opens with Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Prelude. Also on the program, Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony No. 8, and the NSU Chamber Orchestra will perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 34 in C major.  We will close with Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slav.

Tuesday, October 18, 6:00pm “Music at the Museum” NSU Chamber Orchestra at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
This special performance in the museum by our chamber orchestra will feature Louisiana composers Kenneth Olson, Nettie Chenevert, and NSU faculty.

Monday, October 31 at 7:30pm “Pops” Concert, Magale Recital Hall:
Our Halloween “Hauntcert” program will feature “boo-tiful” symphonic favorites such as Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.  Also on the program movie music from films Harry Potter and “Psycho.” In addition, we will have a “special” guest conductor recently called up from the beyond.

Wednesday, November 30 at 7:00pm, Thursday, December 1 at 7:00pm, and Friday December 2 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium:
Annual “Christmas Gala” performances again presented by the entire Creative and Performing Arts Department.

Tuesday, February 7, Classical Concert 7:30pm, Magale Recital Hall.
This concert will feature NSU’s professor of oboe Leah Forsyth performing Mozart’s Oboe Concerto. Also on the program Ravel’s charming Mother Goose Suite, and Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture. We will conclude our concert with Huapango by José Pablo Moncayo.

Monday, March 13, Concerto Winners Concert, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30pm
In addition to our concerto winners, this program will feature Dvorak’s Symphony no. 8 in G major.

Tuesday, April 25, with NSU Symphony Chorus, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30pm
For the final concert of the season, the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony will be joined by the NSU Symphony Chorus with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

The Natchitoches Rotary Club completed its 4th Annual Scholarship Essay Competition. The winners were announced at the May 31 meeting. St. Mary’s student Thomas Celles won the $1,000 scholarship, followed by four from Natchitoches Central High School: Hannah Ferguson, $650; Caroline Ferrell, $450; Kylee Brundige, $250; and William Brown, $250.

The competition showcases talented writers in area schools. It requires they write using Rotary International’s Four-Way Test, which is the guide that all Rotarians follow.
All schools in the parish were invited to submit essays. A panel of Rotarian’s conducted a blind review of the essays submitted. The top five finalists presented their essays to the club where the Rotarians voted on the presentations. The essay titles submitted by the finalists in the competition included: “The Four Way Test,” Thomas Celles; “Ripples,” Hannah Ferguson; “At the End of My Comfort Zone,” Caroline Ferrell; “The Test to Conquer All,” Kylee Brudige; and “When Your Comfort Zone Ends,” William Brown.

 

“Every generation gets the Hamlet it deserves.”

If you have not kept up with your Shakespeare, I’m afraid I have already lost you. When I was in High School and college decades ago, Hamlet was required reading. I will remind you that Hamlet is the dude that said, “To be or not to be. That is the question.” Teachers and scholars taught us that Hamlet’s tragic flaw was his doubt. He was the man of “everlasting broodings.”

Hamlet is implored to avenge the death of his father at the hands of Claudius. It takes Hamlet five acts of brooding and doubting to finally take care of business. He bumps off Claudius with his dying breath. It is one of great closing scenes in theater where everyone bites the dust.

So much has been made of Hamlet’s indecisiveness—even seventh graders routinely write term papers on the topic—that it is widely regarded as his defining trait. But this was not always the case. As one critic has observed, “For at least the first 150 years of his literary life, Hamlet was generally viewed as vigorous, bold and heroic—a victim of his circumstance not his psyche.” But then in the eighteenth century, the writer James Boswell remarked on “that irresolution which forms so marked part of Hamlet’s character” and the description stuck. Over the next hundred years, and with the help of additional commentary by the likes of Goethe and Coleridge, the Hamlet we know today was born: a man so paralyzed by indecision that he is unable to take action.

It would be interesting to note what was happening in the eighteenth century British theater that suddenly required a paralyzed and doubt riddled prince. What was it in the English political and cultural climate of the moment that suddenly made action and conviction, thought and doubt such transfixing issues. But look at us, if someone doesn’t have the answer they are disqualified and if they speak decisively they are a demagogue.

If you subscribe to the “doubter Hamlet” theory you have some problems of interpretation. Hamlet tries to kill Claudius two acts before he finally succeeds. He accidentally kills Claudius’s trusted counselor Polonius, showing it is not a problem of conviction but execution. Nor does Hamlet hesitate to arrange the murder of his two friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, when he learns they were spying on him. Hardly the actions of the man one critic deemed “Price Pussyfoot.”

Hamlet does struggle with doubt. Even if he is more a man of action than we generally allow, he is also clearly a man of contemplation—alive to contradiction and complexity, and troubled by the possibility of error.

Hamlet has the capacity to doubt. It is fascinating why this has struck the critics as such a profound defect. It is not as if the Prince is pondering over fourteen scenes whether to order the BLT or the chicken salad. This is someone who has been asked to commit murder. He is asked to kill a man who is at once his king, his uncle, his step-father, and his mother’s husband. The request came from a ghost!

Should we then demand doubt of Hamlet? Don’t we want him questioning his motivations? Doesn’t he need to ponder the ramifications of heeding the ghost? Dust off that old book of English literature and give Hamlet a read. How do you read the character of Hamlet?

Now for those of you who hated Shakespeare, this is what I am suggesting to you. Much of our belief systems could be described as “hand-me-downs.” They are called second hand beliefs. We believe them because someone told us and we accepted the authority of the messenger. We have never challenged them or questioned them, because to do so would challenge the authority of the source. Let’s admit that we don’t have time to ponder some things we have always believed. There is more important stuff to do.

When it comes to our health we almost demand a “second opinion.” Are you as inquisitive with your spiritual belief systems? Have you looked it up? Have you researched it? Have you really thought about it? Perhaps you believe that if it is on the Internet or television it must be true.

I enjoy leading a church where the question mark is used more frequently than the exclamation mark. People discover the love of God in Christ through inquiry, through asking questions. They discover faith through struggling with doubts. Is your faith your own? Have you looked into it for yourself? Have you experienced Jesus first hand, or simply stopped with someone else’s view or opinion of Him?

I wonder what kind of faith in Christ you will create.

By C. Kent Lowe

The Voice. That Recognizable Voice.

A voice that tells you whether fourth and goal results in a touchdown and a win, whether a late three-pointer is good or not, and, calls the walk-off chance for victory or defeat.

That’s what “The Voice” does for multitudes of fan at colleges and universities all over this country. He is the one who paints the pictures for those listening on radio or these days a favorite mobile device.

For more than one generation of fans at LSU, Jim Hawthorne is the only “Voice of the Tigers” they’ve known. He’s been (to use that cliché) the soundtrack of our lives to know the good and bad of LSU sports. What LSU fans have adored is that soundtrack has told you a lot about how Hawthorne has felt about what has happened to the Tigers and they usually respond in kind.

For his longstanding work in painting word pictures for well over 50 years at places like Northwestern State, Centenary, the Texas League, the World Football League and since 1980 (many years calling the three major men’s sports on the campus) at LSU, Jim Hawthorne will be one of two recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism as presented by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Saturday, June 25, at the annual induction ceremonies for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

What would you expect to be Jim’s reaction when told he was one of the recipient of this year’s award?

“Holy Cow!”

It is a phrase heard often over the last 36 years first at LSU basketball, then football and baseball, as Hawthorne became the voice of LSU Tiger fans.  When he said it, nine-times-out-of-10 it meant something good was happening for the Tigers.

Some of those good things at LSU included:

22 bowl games in football.

2 of LSU’s national championships (2003, 2007)

6 SEC Basketball titles

3 NCAA Final Four appearances

17 College World Series appearances

6 national championship victories in the CWS

All part of thousands of play-by-play broadcasts, coach’s radio shows and more that Hawthorne was at the microphone for.

“It’s just really be overwhelming, humbling, people that want to take a picture or ask me to sign something or just come up and say hi,” Hawthorne said. “Some of the college kids that come up and talk to me, they’ve never heard anyone else do an LSU game. I’m the only one that they know as the voice of LSU. That’s neat to know that – that you’ve been around that long.”

 

A great crowd joined the Chamber at the Ribbon Cutting for Dr. William Luster with Cane River Family Medicine, now open at 617 Bienville, Suite B in Natchitoches. Dr. Luster told the audience he embraces “modern technology but traditional values” and while offering convenient features such as a touch-screen kiosk for check-in, he also believes strongly in being there for his patients, whether at his clinic or when services might be needed at the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, just across the street. Dr. Luster continued, saying too many doctors simply refer patients constantly but he prefers being there with his patients, treating them in-house as much as possible.

He accepts walk-ins and looks forward to serving the community.

BOM received the 2015 USDA Rural Development Lender of the Year award for the third time at the 2016 Louisiana Small Business Awards Banquet. BOM earned the award for their valuable contributions to the success of the USDA Rural Development Business and Cooperative Programs and in recognition of utilizing in excess of 19.7 million.

Left to right: Clarence Hawkins, State Director of USDA Rural Development, Stephen C. Van Sickle II, BOM Vice President and USDA Lender, and Jared Hicks, State Director of USDA Rural Development Business Programs.

By O.K. Davis and Teddy Allen

Even Wikipedia isn’t sure about the origin or what ‘P.J.’ means. Not that it really matters.

Collier Brown is simply happy with the way things have turned out in his life, both personally and athletically.

”People have always asked what does “P.J.” stand for? ” he said. ”Believe it or not, I really don’t have an answer. It’s been an unsolved mystery for all of my life.”

Collier will be recognized with Louisiana’s ultimate honor in sports when he is inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches. The enshrinement takes place Saturday night, June 25 at the Natchitoches Events Center, just up a hill from the $23 million Hall of Fame museum, and only 33 miles from his hometown.

His high school (Winnfield) and college career (Louisiana Tech University) was in North Louisiana.

His professional and overall playing career ended nearly 1,600 miles away (Boston). In between, there were exciting victories, memorable individual performances and a world championship. Had P.J. scripted his life as an athlete and family man, things couldn’t have turned out much better.

Maybe a large part of his success has been due to following a life-long axiom.
”There have been two important principles that I live by even today,” he said. ”Always finish what you start and quitting is never an option. I played to win and always gave maximum effort in practice and games.”

He began applying those principles at Winnfield High, where he attracted college scholarship offers and wound up signing with Tech as a still unpolished 6-9 inside player.
Once at Tech, he piggy-backed his success as a prepster both individually and as a team.

He was the ideal teammate both in and outside of the court’s lines.
His 15-year and 1,089-game NBA life came to an ideal conclusion when the Celtics won a world championship.

And on the final Saturday in June, another honor awaits.

Editor’s note – This is one in a series profiling the 11 members of the Class of 2016 being enshrined Saturday, June 25 in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Competitive ballot inductees are P.J. Brown, Jim Hightower, Rick Jones, “Gentleman” Dave Malarcher, Janice Joseph-Richard, Ben Sheets, Arthur “Red” Swanson, and Anthony Thomas. Contributor inductees are Dr. Julian Bailes, Jim Hawthorne and Bob Tompkins. A schedule of events from June 23-25, along with online sales for tickets and golf entries, is available at LaSportsHall.com, with information also available by calling 318-238-4255.

By Joe Darby

You know how they say that certain skilled athletes, say shortstops or wide receivers, have “good hands?”

That means of course that because of those good hands, they can catch the hottest of ground balls or the hardest-thrown football passes.

Well, if I had to honestly describe my own hands, I can only say that they are bad — or at best mediocre. And I’m not even talking about athletic ability here.

I got the idea for this column Monday morning when I was folding clothes from the latest washing. Try as I might, when I fold my pajama shirt or even a towel, it’s not going to come out even. Mary, like many women, has the ability to fold clothes and make them look like they should be on display in a store.

My folded towels always have an overlap of at least an inch or so, often several. And I’m not even going to discuss what my folded fitted sheets look like. Well, I will discuss it — they look like a fitted sheet rolled into a ball.

It’s a good thing that a news reporter doesn’t need special skills in the hands. I’m not a bad typist, believe it or not, but that’s about as fair as my manual skills go.

I never did have had the dexterity that some other folks have. I remember that when I was little, probably in the fourth grade or so, for some strange reason I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I quickly dropped that idea and I’m sure there are countless people walking around healthy today who, if they had undergone brain surgery by Dr. Joe Darby, would not be so lucky. Then again, I probably would have flunked Surgery 101 in med school anyway.

But even in simpler tasks, I learned that my fingers didn’t always do what I wanted them to. I loved to build plastic models and I could competently put together the simple airplane and auto models that any other kid could.

However, when it came to the more sophisticated models, I was a one-kid wrecking machine. I’ll never forget the time I tried to build a Revolutionary War sailing ship, John Paul Jones’ “Bon Homme Richard.”

I got the hull together and the cannons on deck, okay. However, when it came time to construct the masts, yardarms and rigging, let’s just say the good “Bon Homme Richard” was inadvertently destroyed by a combination of incompetence and 12-year-old temper.

Not long ago Mary and I took a class from artist Ginger Hughes. The goal was to paint a very clever quatrefoil-like design, a green and gold circle divided into four parts with decorative curlicues. Needless to say my effort was most embarrassing. My circle was more oval than round, my paint was dripping and I was frustrated.

The mess was all on me, too, because Mary and two other ladies rendered beautiful examples of what Ginger so ably was teaching us to do.

Let’s see, what else can I tell you. I have lots of trouble hammering a nail straight. I’m liable to drop a screw once or twice in the course of screwing it in. I had trouble coloring in the lines when I was a kid (and doubtless would now). The chances are less than great that any picture I hang will be perfectly straight.

Well, I think you’ve gotten the idea by now. I am pretty handy with turning the pages of a book or changing channels on the TV, though!

Joe, who is a member of the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission board, has interests in history, current affairs and politics, (which he says is just history in the making), reading, antique cars and coin and stamp collecting. He can be reached at jdarby9@suddenlink.net.

The Louisiana Legislature passed Act 281 that was signed into law May 31, 2016. Section 3 of the Act repeals the state requirement for additional proof of citizenship for foreign born applicants. This Act was created to bring Louisiana into compliance with federal rulings.

In a worst case scenario, this new legislation could possibly allow non-citizens to vote in US elections because it is now illegal to require proof of citizenship.

Sec. of State Tom Schedler notified the Natchitoches Parish Registrar of Voters Office this week of the change.

Prior to the act passed by the Legislature through the Omnibus Election Code Bill, there was a distinction between verification of US citizens and those who checked foreign born.

Registrars could request additional proof of citizenship on any foreign born applicant, either through a passport, naturalization papers or other additional documentation of citizenship. Now, those who are foreign born must only verify proof of identity, not proof of citizenship.

Currently when a person applies to register to vote the Registrar of Voters Office computer software verifies drivers license and/or Social Security number. In addition applicants are mailed a voter ID card to verify their address.

All Registrar’s staff have been instructed to review material on the Secretary of States website.  In addition, it was stated in the memo that the foreign born phrase was also removed from online voter registration applications and any Registrar of Voters not in compliance with the law is subject to a personal lawsuit.

The Registrar offices were instructed to destroy all forms, letters, or other materials relating to proof of citizenship.

In a related matter the public has until Oct.11 to register to vote in the Nov. 8 Presidential election or to make changes to current registration. For more information, Natchitoches Parish Registrar of Voters Office can be reached at 318-357-2211.

Submitted to the NPJ by Debbie Waskom, Registrar of Voters Office, Natchitoches Parish.

City Marshal Randy Williams wanted to inform the following people that they have outstanding bench warrants through the Natchitoches City Marshal’s Office. The names on this list did not pay their fines in full nor did they return to court on the court date they were sentenced to by City Court Judge Gahagan. These individuals will need to clear up their fines and bench warrant fees at the City Marshal’s Office located at 373 Second St. to stop any further actions:

FINE PAYMENT (F):

Kenyatta Barfield, 1108 Berry Ave, Natch, La – Simple Battery
Michael Carroll, 771 Carlisle Rd, Natch, La – DWI
Shronda Davis, 1102 Berry Ave, Natch, La –DP
Philmore Evans, 328 Scott Loop, Natch, La –Exp. License Plates
Markayla Farley, 1431 Grace Ave, Natch, La –Theft
Deneitra Goff, 903 Lennox Place, Natch, La – Theft
Patricia Hubbard, 911 Second St, Natch, La – DP
Gavin Jackson, 170 Bayou St, Natch, La – SCDP
Tonya Lucas, 112 Sylvan Dr, Natch, La- Theft
Andre Murphy, 135 Dogwood Court, Natch, La – DP
Kendrix Nicholas, 436 Howell St, Natch, La – No DL
Shola Obialo, 1115 Breda, Natch, La – Exp. MVI
Alvin Petite, 500 North St. Apt. J1, Natch, La – Theft
Ronald Reliford, 199 Cedar Grove, Natch, La- Theft
Amber Smith, 100 Ark St. Apt. 12, Natch, La – Theft
Martinio Telstead, 246 Lake St, Natch, La – Theft
Jamie Webb, 4633 Hwy 3278, Natch, La – Exp. MVI
Nana Williams, 126 Shady Grove, Natch, La – Theft
Mikal Zeno, 1815 South Dr. Lot 1312, No DL

Trial (T):
Raven Vessell, NSU P.O. Box 5106, Natch, La – SPOM
Otis Stevenson, 2290 HWY 6 E. Apt. E, Natch, La – Exp. DL
April Phillips, 246 Lake Dr, Natch, La – Simple Battery
Sharon Morrow, 140 Gibson St. Apt. 2, Natch, La – Simple Battery
Brenda Hudson, 1324 Breda Ave, Natch, La – SPOM
Gregory Ficklin, 1411 Holmes St, Natch, La – Interfering with Police Officer

By Kevin Shannahan

It costs $10,000 to endow a scholarship at Northwestern State University. NCHS and Lakeview High Schools both field well coached, talented and perennially successful boys’ and girls’ basketball teams that are a joy to watch. Those two facts present Natchitoches Parish with an opportunity to help both our young people and our local university.

I’d like to propose an annual basketball game between the two school’s teams with the gate and concessions going into a fund to be used to endow the scholarship. The two teams have not met on the court in years and it remains the biggest unsettled sports rivalry in the area. I think this game could consistently fill Prather Coliseum for each year’s match-up. The game would showcase local talent, keep money circulating in the local area and above all, help our children.

Each year, a boy and girl who had played at least a season as a varsity athlete or trainer in any sport at either NCHS or Lakeview would earn a scholarship to NSU. The details as to qualifications and method of selection could be hashed out between the two schools. I don’t think it would take more than a year or two to raise the initial ten thousand dollars. As the amount grows with each year’s game, the amount of the scholarship can be increased. The NSU Foundation takes care of the money so there is no administrative burden on the schools. After a certain point, there would be enough funds for more than the two initial scholarships. Imagine the good that could be done after, say, ten years.

Over the years that I have photographed local high school sports, I have been uniformly impressed by the young men and women of the various schools’ teams. They are a hard working, disciplined group of young people who have represented our parish with skill and class over the years. As they put away their uniforms and go on to the next phase of their lives, let’s help them get there! I can’t think of a better reason for a ball game.

By Luke Thompson

Julien Bailes will be among the 11-member Class of 2016 enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremony Saturday, June 25.

Retired powerlifting coach Billy Jack Talton remembers Julian Bailes never shied away from smashing his head against opponents as a high school sophomore guard and linebacker for Natchitoches Academy.

Some 30 years later, Bailes found himself at the forefront of a push to make football safer and raise awareness of its dangerous concussion risks. The former Natchitoches Academy All-State linebacker turned neurosurgeon ended his playing career after a neck injury at Northwestern State, but his passion for the game never waned.

The LSU medical school graduate began his contributions early when the Pittsburgh Steelers made him one of the first neurosurgeons to work as an NFL team doctor.

“I love football,” said Bailes, who won a state championship his senior year at Natchitoches Academy. “It was never about trying to end football or diminish football. It was about bringing what we knew was the truth and making reforms to keep players safe.”

That research continues today, along with the debate over the NFL’s responsibilities to protect its players and help those already affected by long, grueling careers. He regularly speaks with major news organizations about effects of concussions in all sports.
Lifelong friend Billy West, a Natchitoches attorney, is part-owner of a business called Taumark dedicated to achieve FDA approval for diagnosis of CTE on a living brain, since it can currently only be identified after death. As the company’s medical advisor, Bailes expects to reach that goal within five years.

Louisiana remains special to the Natchitoches native, who said he returns to his home state at every opportunity. Thanks to his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, no matter where Bailes, he’s always going to be a fixture in his hometown.

Editor’s note – This is one in a series profiling the 11 members of the Class of 2016 being enshrined Saturday, June 25 in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Competitive ballot inductees are P.J. Brown, Jim Hightower, Rick Jones, “Gentleman” Dave Malarcher, Janice Joseph-Richard, Ben Sheets, Arthur “Red” Swanson, and Anthony Thomas. Contributor inductees are Dr. Julian Bailes, Jim Hawthorne and Bob Tompkins. A schedule of events from June 23-25, along with online sales for tickets and golf entries, is available at LaSportsHall.com, with information also available by calling 318-238-4255.

Look around any corner in Natchitoches and there’s a product or piece of art from Magnolia Steel. This small business located in the Hagewood community was one of eight companies to receive a Lantern Award from the Louisiana Economic Development during a private reception June 7 at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge. Lantern Award winners demonstrate excellence in manufacturing and outstanding service to their communities through the involvement of their businesses and employees.

Founded in 1995, Magnolia Steel is a functional steel fabrication company with steady growth and expansion. Products include liquid tanks, handrails, livestock gates, specialty parts for farm equipment repair, archways, fences and furniture.
Owners Rocky and Brenda Carney are active in the community and support area churches, animal welfare groups, the Natchitoches Work Release Inmate Program and events supporting law enforcement, fire departments and more.

Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey, Chamber President and CEO Tony Davis, Northwestern State President Jim Henderson and Parish President Rick Nowlin all supported the company’s nomination for the award, stating that magnolia Steel is an important asset to the community and is a successful example of a true entrepreneurial spirit.

“The Lantern Awards are a valuable recognition of what our leading manufacturers are pursuing to advance company success and the success of the Louisiana manufacturing sector,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “In Louisiana today, manufacturing jobs are more important than ever. LED works through many partnerships all across our state to make manufacturers more competitive and to enhance the quality of their workforce. We congratulate these Louisiana companies for their accomplishments and we thank them for the contributions they are making in their communities.”

Lantern Award winners are selected by Louisiana’s eight Regional Planning and Development Districts, based on the contributions of the manufacturers to their communities, including investments in employment growth and facility expansion. Each business also must demonstrate sustainability by remaining in operation at least three years prior to the nomination.

Lantern Award winners included:

Northwest Region: Magnolia Steel of Natchitoches Inc., Natchitoches

Acadiana Region: Falcon Rice Mill/Cajun Country Rice, Crowley

Bayou Region: Conrad Industries Inc., Morgan City

Capital Region: Methanex USA LLC, Geismar

Central Region: UPS Midstream Services, Trout

Northeast Region: B. Viz Design, St. Joseph

Southeast Region: Boscoli Foods Inc., Kenner

Southwest Region: Howell Industries Inc., Sulphur

Award winners receive lanterns handcrafted and donated by Bevolo Gas and Electric Lights of New Orleans. Larger versions of these lanterns can be found around Natchitoches.

A group from Northwestern State University visited Havana, Cuba, last week to develop relationships and sign agreements for student/faculty exchanges at the Instituto de Superior Arte (ISA) and the Institute Superior de Desiño (Higher Institute of Design) and lay the groundwork to explore curricular alignment in art and industrial design programs.

During the visit, several NSU students showcased their talents at the International Festival of Arts, a weeklong festival held in various venues throughout the city.  The students were the first to represent an America university in the 40-year history of the festival.

“Three of our music students, Blayne Fugere, Leanny Munoz and Ronald Rodriguez, did solo recitals, while two of our fine and graphic arts students, Ethan Stelly and Isabella Jones, visited the School of Design where they were able to visit with students and faculty regarding the field and see what sorts of techniques and materials they use in creating their artwork,” said Dr. Greg Handel, director of NSU’s School of Creative and Performing Arts.  Stelly and Jones also visited a store featuring the work of Cuban students and faculty, giving them a glimpse of the business side of the field.

The visit included meetings with administrators at both institutions to execute agreements for future collaboration, as well as a meeting between the Cuban Ministry of Culture and faculty in the School of Creative and Performing Arts, Mirla Enriquez, professor of art, and Dr. Paula Furr, professor and department head of new media, journalism and communication arts.

“We discussed ways NSU could encourage and facilitate participation in the festival by other U.S. universities and presented an opportunity for ISA students and faculty to perform in Natchitoches at Jazz Festival next spring,” said NSU President Dr. Jim Henderson. “Most importantly, we received the ministry’s blessing to pursue our partnership with the universities under its purview.”

NSU students Emily Ziering and Sarah Gandy documented the trip via video interviews and captured the NSU students in different learning situations.  Student government leader Chantasia Grasty visited with Cuban student leaders about their experiences in student government.

Northwestern has pursued many other agreements with international institutions in the last four years to recruit talented students from Colombia and Latin American in initiatives led by Dr. Marcus Jones who has been instrumental in coordinating international student projects abroad and on the NSU campus.

 

 

After a year at Harvard as a marketing and promotions assistant, Andrew Clausen has returned to the Northwestern State athletics department as director of marketing and promotions.

Clausen, who graduated from NSU with a master’s in sport administration, came on board last month, said associate athletics director Adam Jonson. Clausen’s appointment was approved by the University of Louisiana System’s Board of Supervisors.

He replaced Josh McDaniel after working side-by-side with him as a graduate assistant for three semesters prior to taking the position at Harvard. Clausen’s first experience in athletic marketing and promotions came at Texas-San Antonio.

“Andrew returns with big shoes to fill following the work done by Josh McDaniel,” said Jonson. “I believe that Andrew has prepared himself well to excel in the position given his experience at three Division I institutions. Also, his experience as a graduate assistant at NSU will serve him well in expanding relationships across campus and in the community.”

Clausen spent a year in Boston at Harvard as a marketing and promotions assistant.

Clausen directed in-game promotions for Crimson football games, coordinated social media efforts for the Harvard athletics marketing department, produced online graphics and printed materials, developed marketing and promotional plans for men’s and women’s basketball and helped lead group ticket sales for men’s and women’s basketball.

Clausen’s first stint in the Northwestern State athletic department came as a marketing and promotions associate while he completed his master’s degree in May 2015. For three semesters, Clausen was responsible for implementing a marketing plan for Northwestern State softball and implementing and executing promotional plans for soccer and volleyball. Clausen also coordinated tailgating activities and sales for NSU football.

Clausen earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a focus in sport management from Colorado Mesa University in 2013. He began his career as a marketing intern at Texas-San Antonio.

Clausen is engaged to former Northwestern State softball standout Cali Burke.

Dr. Jim Henderson, President of Northwestern State University, received a warm welcome at the Natchitoches Rotary Club’s most recent meeting. Henderson, who was introduced by incoming Rotary President, Fred Terasa, as a dynamic difference-maker in our community, focused his talk on the 2016 legislative session and its impact on higher education. This legislative session will go down in the record books as the longest continuous period in over 200 years. Henderson stated that his job in regards to session, is to advocate for NSU and higher education.

Higher education has seen significant cuts over the past several years – a difference of 30M for NSU since 2008. With these cuts, the burden of paying for a college education is almost solely on the student. With NSU students providing more than 70% of the University’s income, Henderson is determined to provide a quality college experience and top-notch education – dedicated to one goal…YOURS.

During his talk with the group, Henderson also highlighted various changes and happenings that Natchitoches residents can expect to see around Northwestern’s campus in the upcoming months. In the area of academics, four new graduate certificate programs will add to the variety provided by NSU’s graduate program and will be available at an affordable cost, a competency-based computer science degree will be offered, and an academic partnership with Cuba are all in the works. Café Demon, which serves up Starbucks products, and the Academic Success Center are a big part of the renovations at Watson Library and will set NSU’s campus apart from other local schools. Those visiting Turpin Stadium will experience the “Purple Pandemonium,” as all new purple seats are installed, and the Spirit of Northwestern’s Demon Marching Band will welcome over 120 Freshman into the fold.

Henderson ended by telling the group, “It’s an exciting time to be a Demon. The best days for NSU are yet to come.”

For more information, visit https://www.nsula.edu/.

 

The Cane River Food Pantry distributes supplemental food to over 200 households per month.  An estimated 800 people benefit monthly from the distribution.

Due to increased needs, the pantry ran out of food two weeks ago during its monthly distribution.  Every person received a box of food, but the supplies in the warehouse were depleted.

On that same date, the U.S. Postal Service held their community food drive.  Thanks to the contributions of the community and the U.S. Postal Service, the food pantry is now well-stocked again.

Cane River Food Pantry would not exist without the contributions of time, money, sweat and prayers of the many volunteers in this community; neighbors responding to needs of neighbors.

To find out more about the Cane River Food Pantry call 357-8296 or email the director, Donna Greene, at eiregreene@gmail.com.