For three seasons, Chris Moore kept the Northwestern State kicking game in capable hands – or maybe feet.

With the All-American gone, special teams coordinator August Mangin has spent most of the early portion of camp overseeing an open competition.

Junior college transfer Eric Piccione and Haughton High product Benny Broadway have been working with the top two kicking units as they attempt to step in for Moore, who set the school records for most career field goals (45) and for career scoring (248).

“They’ve been battling,” Mangin said. “They’ve both been doing great – Austyn Fendrick, the freshman as well. He’s stepped up and given us that other dimension. They keep coming. They keep progression. By the time the season gets here, we’ll be in good shape.”

While Piccione arrived in spring from Blinn (Texas) College, Broadway began his college career at Northwestern State before spending time at Bossier Parish Community College and at Louisiana Tech.

BPCC does not have a football team, and Broadway, a sophomore, did not participate in football at Louisiana Tech before returning to NSU.

“I love it here,” Broadway said. “It’s really family oriented. Once you leave home, you always find your way back. I know it’s the right place for me. It’s where I had to be.”

For Piccione, being able to spend spring practice in Natchitoches helped him acclimate quicker to the rigors of Division I football.

“It’s a lot more football-oriented (than junior college),” he said. “(At Blinn) you have meetings once a day and you’re done. Here, football is your life for the most part. It’s huge having a good group of guys like these. You’re surrounded by them always. Being around a good group makes time fly.”

Because of his accomplishments, Moore’s shadow likely will extend over the NSU program for a long period of time.

It may hang tight over Piccione, who is wearing Moore’s former No. 37.

“I really don’t look at it that way,” Piccione said. “I just do my job the best I can. I just leave it up to God. I just do my thing. I can’t really ask for much more than that.”

Mangin said his message to Piccione, Broadway and Fendrick is simple, telling them, “just worry about yourself and you’ll be fine.”

Between Mangin’s positive message and the inherent bond shared by seemingly all specialist groups, the NSU kickers have formed a tight-knit group as they move closer to the Sept. 2 season opener at Baylor.

“It’s been a great competition,” said Broadway, whom Mangin termed “reliable” and a hard worker. “I love kicking with Eric. We make each other better. We’re in it for the team. Whatever happens happens. We’ll help each other out.”

Piccione, who also is in the mix to replace three-year punter Andy Wickman. echoed Broadway’s sentiments toward whomever steps into the kicking void.

Said Piccione: “Iron sharpens iron. That’s what coach preaches every single day. I’m a huge believer in that. You have to have competition to get better. You get better by one percent every day. That’s the biggest thing.”

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):
Sarah Zeringue, 414 Sibley St, Natch, La- Obstructing Public Passages
Mikal Zeno, 1815 South Dr Lot 1312, Natch, La- No DL
Laphiama Yeargin, 198 Cedar Grove, Natch, La- Discharging Firearm
Tommy Wiley, 1015 6th St, Natch, La- Loud Music
Jamie Webb, 4633 Hwy 3278, Natch, La- Exp MVI
Shante Walker, 117 Allen Beulah Rd, Robeline, La- NSB, Unlicensed Driver
Deshawn Stewart, 621 Ouida Dr Apt 16, Natch, La- Exp MVI
Cynthia Sowell, 124 Mary Dr, Natch, La- SPOM, Switched Plates
Cortez Smith, 1017 East Circle St, Natch, La- SPOM
Latarie Robinson, 206 Miranda Loop #2, Natch, La- NSB
Marquita Reliford, 1412 Northern St, Natch, La- Simple Battery
Yolanda Pitts, 618 Hwy 478, Natch, La- TBS
Trevor Pier, 1439 Hill Ave, Natch, La- Resisting an Officer
Shola Obialo, 1115 Breda, Natch, La- Exp MVI
Alvin Mclean Jr., 3074 Posey Rd, Natch, La- DP
Kiawa Lacaze, 500 North St Apt D-2, Natch, La- Improper Equipment
Gavin Jackson, 170 Bayou St, Natch, La- SCDP
Shaniece Holmes, 300 Pompey, Winnfield, La- TBS
Aaron Hoffpauir, 7401 Esler Field Rd Lot 40, Natch, La- DP
Voisan Helaire, 521 Howell St, Natch, La- SPOM

Trial (T):
Brittani Baker, 3400 University Pkwy #821, Natch, La- SCDP
Alandra Brown, 813 West St, Natch, La- SPOM
Calvin Calhoun, 1501 Jones St, Coushatta, La- TBS
Kenjuanna Jewitt, 500 North St Apt E3, Natch, La- SPOM
Lakasha Lewis, 3800 University Pkwy #224, Natch, La- TBS
Tearra Williams, 425 Rue De Gabriel, Natch, La- DP
Laphiama Yeargin, 198 Cedar Grove, Natch, La- Reckless Operation
Latreyvon Durham, 1411 Dixie St, Natch, La- TBS

By Kevin Shannahan

The Marthaville Hawks got the school year off to a running start with a capacity crowd of students and families at their open house, Tuesday, Aug. 16. Principal Jacquetta Tanner introduced each faculty and staff member as well as highlighting services such as the school based health clinic.
She also let parents know about new opportunities for their children at Marthaville. This year will be the first for band at the school as one of the school district’s seven teachers for talented students will be instructing budding musicians. Tanner and gifted teacher Ashlie Phillips are also looking to expand Marthaville’s gifted student population, currently at eight students. Marthaville’s 8th graders will also have a new elective, Journey to Careers, in which they can earn high school credit while exploring their future opportunities. This is Tanner’s first year leading Marthaville’s 321 students.
Outside of the classroom, students may choose from a full range of sports. The school offers boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball and football in conjunction with Provencal. In addition Marthaville offers a 4-H club, FCA chapter, student council, and a new Beta club chapter.

Abby Toro is an 8-year-old from Provencal that will be lifting at the New Orleans Invitation Powerlifting Meet Sept. 4. This will be Abby’s first powerlifting competition, and she will have the potential to break up to four Louisiana State records for her age and weight class.

Her dad and coach, Derek Toro, is a former Louisiana State and National Champion Powerlifter from Natchitoches, and will accompany her to New Orleans. After the New Orleans Invitational Abby will have an opportunity to travel to San Diego, Cali. to compete in the USA Powerlifting Youth National Championships.

Natchitoches Central High School will hold its Open House on Tuesday August 23, at 6:30 p.m. Parents will be invited to visit with teachers. They will follow a bell schedule just like the students do. Natchitoches Central High School has a rich tradition in athletics and extracurricular activities for students to learn leadership. The administration will hand out eighth grade test scores. The administration and staff will be present to answer questions about the school and graduation requirements.

You don’t want to miss this spectacular event hosted by Natchitoches Hope For Paws.
More details coming soon!

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center was recognized during the Studer Group national conference “What’s Right in Healthcare” held August 2-4 in Chicago. The Emergency Department received the “Best Process Improvement” award for its work in improving patient flow and “Door to Doc” times to 20 minutes, below the national average of 22 minutes.

Accepting the award was: Latoya Howard, Med-Surg Supervisor; Michelle Garlington, ED Manager; Jeremy Flenniken, ICU Supervisor and Stacie Laroux, Med-Surg/Critical Care Manager.

The Studer Group is a renowned healthcare consulting firm who has sponsored “What’s Right in Healthcare” for over a decade. It is the largest Peer-to-Peer conference in the nation that provides an opportunity for 1,000 healthcare professionals to learn, network and share their tactics and strategies on how to get and keep outstanding results.

M.R. Weaver Elementary held its Open House Tuesday, Aug. 16.

The school’s new principal, Micah Nicholson, is excited for the opportunity to work with the faculty and staff. While it will take some time for him to develop his game plan for the school, his immediate goals are to focus on academic achievement, community involvement and campus beautification.

Nicholson is the former P.E. coach at NSU Elementary Lab. He comes from a long line of educators. His father is currently in his 47th year of teaching, his mother in her 43rd year and his grandmother taught for 40 plus years.

Nicholson has taught in Natchitoches Parish for 10 years now. Before E-Lab, he was the head football coach at Lakeview High School.

“Weaver is a great school and there’s a lot of room for growth because I think it has so much potential,” he said.

Photo: AP

 
Bidding for the Cane River Pump Station Project has been postponed due to the flooding in South Louisiana. The pump station is the last stage in a larger project to transfer water from the Red River to Cane River Lake.

“We were under bid when the flooding occurred,” said Cane River Patrol Officer Betty Fuller. “My heart goes out to everyone.”

The unique filtration system required for the pump station limits the choice of contractors, which are all found in the Southern regions of the state. Once the floodwaters go down, the project will go out for rebid, but Fuller said it’s hard to put a date on this.

The last piece to the puzzle, the construction of an intake into the Hampton area, will be delayed as well because it’s affected by the levels of the Red River.

“We have no control over this flooding, but it’s playing a big part in this project,” she said.

The Tourist Commission met Tuesday night, Aug. 16. Arlene Gould, director of the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (NACVB) said they are on track financially despite cuts to their Visitor Enterprise Funding.

The state funding, which is part of the NACVB’s budget is a rebate from sales tax. The amount was cut from $130,000 to $100,000 and then an additional $7,000 was cut during the special session. The NACVB only collected $93,000.

“We take our licks just like everyone else,” said Gould.

While July’s report for June tax collections showed a decrease in the numbers, Gould says last year’s higher amount ($44,000 last year vs. $33,061 this year) reflected back taxes that were collected during that month.

The report for June visitation showed increased numbers with 78 international visitors. Gould explained that this is the vacation time of the year for international tourists. Forty seven of these were from France, 10 were from Canada and seven were from Trinidad. Other countries included Australia, Austria, Spain, South Africa, Belgium, England, Guatemala and Ireland.

The total guest number was 1,348, which included the international visitors, 436 visitors from Louisiana, 457 from Texas and 383 from the rest of the country. The total for visitors to attractions in the Parish was 8,646.

NHS will host a bath and clipping day Saturday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Tractor Supply in Natchitoches. No appointment is necessary. For pups under 40 pounds, the cost is $5, and for those over it’s $10. Nail clipping is $5.

The City of Natchitoches is accepting applications for 2016 Natchitoches Treasures. The Natchitoches Treasures are an elite group of citizens of retirement age who have made lasting contributions to the community through their generosity, service, volunteerism and spirit. If you know someone who is a gem of the community, nominate them. Nominations forms may be picked up at and submitted to the Natchitoches Main Street Office at 781 Front Street. Nomination deadline is Sept. 30.

Families filled the auditorium and the open house began with a student led pledge and the Lakeview band playing the national anthem.

“This year at Lakeview the number one thing we are excited about is that we have some of the best students, the best staff and the best parents,” said Principal William Hymes. “I like to say Lakeview is the best kept secret in Natchitoches Parish. This year we hope to see our ACT scores continue to rise. We are top ten in ACT growth in the state. One thing I look forward to covering with parents is that when we graduate our kids they are all college and or career ready through certification in the WorkKeys program. Even in the rain, we have a great turn out of parents tonight which shows the dedication they have to the students and how important education is to the community.”

The crowd buzzed with excitement as Hymes introduced the new football coaching staff.

“This year we took a lot of care in selecting the coaching staff,” said Hymes. “We started with 17 applicants which we narrowed down to eight and then presented the top three choices the schoolboard.”

Counselor Germaine Metoyer-Winn explained recovery initiatives including absences, homework and test recovery. She went over graduation requirements sighting the two paths students can take. At the end of the 10^th grade students can choose to continue towards the Tops curriculum or they can switch to the Jumpstart curriculum to obtain certifications in fields like welding and business through the WorkKeys program. Winn showed parents where they could find helpful websites for information on Louisiana Student Standards, homework help, Act prep and testing calendars.

Hymes thanked School Board member Eugean Garner for his effort to implement free school breakfast and lunch for every student.

The School based Health care center reminded parents to give consent so their children can receive health care at the school at no cost to the parents.

After the assembly students and families visited teachers in their classrooms and enjoyed cookies and punch.

By Ida B. Torn

Like many others, I saw the picture of the school bus bogged down in the muck that is Hymes Road. Seeing the pictures reminded me of the numerous times my school bus got stuck on a rural road in deplorable condition.  Many of the roads that our bus traveled had no ditches, were deeply rutted and had little to no gravel on them. There were many days when we were told that we were going to have to meet the bus 5 miles from our house because it could not make it down the road on which we lived. That was over 30 years ago when there were no cell phones.  We had to wait until someone came down the road to discover our predicament and then we had to hope that there was someone living on the road that owned a tractor to pull us out. I can still vividly recall the “walk of shame” we experienced when we finally made it to school.

Would it surprise you if I told you that I’m not talking about roads in Natchitoches Parish?  I grew up in a rural Parish in South Louisiana. At the time that my family moved there, it faced a lot of the same problems that we are facing here in Natchitoches Parish.  It was on the brink of financial ruin and was dealing with a multi-million dollar deficit. It was only after its residents passed a one-cent sales tax that the Parish started to see light at the end of the tunnel. And now, when I go home to visit, I find that most of the gravel roads that we once traveled now have a chip seal/three course overlay and the ditches are well maintained. As of January of 2015, their one-cent sales tax has funded over $80 million in improvements to over 1,000 miles of roads since its inception.

Our children deserve good, safe roads to get them to school and it is our responsibility to provide those roads to them. Please sincerely consider voting for the sales tax initiative that is on the ballot this fall.

Johnny Barnes, president of the Concerned Citizens Association for the Bailey Heights Community, presented a certificate of appreciation to My Fathers House and its speaker, Minister Timothy Stewart of Rivers of Joy from Jonesboro, for the Back to School Praise program. The program provided spiritual guidance, school supplies, door prizes including free hair cut vouchers, back packs, bibles and lemonade vouchers from Raisin Cane. Refreshments were served afterwards.

By Natalie Covher

The Natchitoches Lions Club met Monday, Aug. 15 at the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center. Mimi Stoker led the prayer, Soni Sers led the pledge and Sophie Packerd led “When the Saints Go Marching In” on piano.

Members are preparing for the District 8-L Fall conference Saturday, Sept. 24 in Shreveport. Lion ID Jennifer Ware and her husband Jeff will be the International Guest from Rapid River, MI. The club is seeking auction items for the convention’s silent auction.

Certain members met last week for Cub Sight training. The club is getting a new camera to screen preschoolers for eye sight problems. The old camera only scanned one eye at a time but the new camera can scan both eyes at once, and with ease when compared to the old camera. This will come in handy next month when the club will scan children in Natchitoches and Red River Parishes.

Executive Director of Louisiana Lions Camp Ray Cecil was the guest speaker.

“The Louisiana club chapters have two obligations: the eye project and the camp,” said Cecil. “The Natchitoches chapter has certainly done their part. We would not be where we are without your contribution.”

The Natchitoches Lions Club has raised $27,897 in contributions this year and sponsored seven campers.

“We had a blowout fantastic summer at camp this year,” said Cecil. “I couldn’t have asked for more. We had 72 high school and college students working and 496 campers. There were no insurance claims and no accidents which is great because we want everyone to come to camp and have fun. The only downer is the finances.”

Cecil explained that the general fund used to operate the camp is dangerously low.

“This is a problem and it’s going to take every lion in the state to fix it,” said Cecil. “Things always seem to work out for us, the budget issue will work out too. We have too much sweat equity in this to give up now. Maybe we need to implement the Natchitoches method of going out there and raising money.”

Natchitoches Lions President Tina Regan surprised Cecil by announcing that the club decided to up their usual donation to the camp by $2,000 and presented him with a check for $6,000 for the Louisiana Lions Camp.

“Hats off to Natchitoches,” said Cecil.

Pastor Steve McAlister expects to serve around 500 first responders and law enforcement officers at Westside Baptist Church at the end of the day Tuesday, Aug. 16.

“You can’t go wrong with fish,” he said. “With the events of the nation, we wanted to make sure our first responders and law enforcement officers know how much we appreciate them.”

The church’s Men’s Ministry loves to cook, so when it came time to decide on what to do, a fish fry was the logical option. The Men’s Ministry cooked for the disaster relief teams during the flood in March in Natchitoches Parish. They also tailgate at NSU and cook for church functions, baseball tournaments and the Fly Fishing Expo.

Natchitoches Power Sports and the City marshal sponsored the meal.

By Junior Johnson

By Corey Poole

A statement made by Parish Councilman Doug de Graffenreid at the Council meeting Monday, Aug. 15 raised questions of a potential legal quandary in the Parish Government.

He stated, “I rise to confess my legal predicament. I may or may not be in legal jeopardy of misprision of felony and/or malfeasance of public office as I have knowledge of 44,000 pages of uncertified documentation. I am not certain if these 44,000 uncertified pages represent nothing, a waste of taxpayers’ money, normal business practice or a miscreant in our midst. I am asking the members of the press to help me with this matter and to file a freedom of information request to receive the listing of websites and webpages viewed by Parish employees on public time using Parish computers. I hope your investigation will help relieve me of my legal quandary and potential guilt.”

NOTE: The Natchitoches Parish Council has ONE employee, said employee works for and answers to ONLY the Parish Council and NOT to the Parish President.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal will file an information request form to investigate this matter further.

Other agenda items included:

• Introduction of resolution ordering an election to be held in the Parish to authorize the renewal of an ad valorem tax for the Library, Health Unit, General Funds, Highway District 40 and Parish Buildings for March 25, 2017
• Consider authorizing the Parish President to execute a cooperative endeavor agreement with the U.S. Forest Service for Parish participation in the Secure Rural Schools Road Program. The program provides Federal funding for improvement to roads under local jurisdiction that provide access to National Forest land. (See Photos Below)
• Submitting applications for State Capital Outlay projects for consideration in 2016 legislative session

The governor signed HB 2, the capital outlay bill for the 2016-17 fiscal year, on July 11. The bill, now Act 16 of 2016, contains the following local project funds for planning and construction:

• Coco Bed Road: $280,000
• Payne Streets Phase 1: $500,000
• Fish Hatchery Road: $125,000
• Blanchard Road: $280,000
• Old River Bridge: $610,000
• Courthouse Security: $480,000
• OCS: $6,000
• Parish Communications District: $2,800,000
• COA Office: $7,700
• COA Activities Building: $115,900

Parish President Rick Nowlin and Nick Verret met with officials of Facility Planning and Control Aug. 4 to seek a resolution of a road design issue on Coco Bed Road improvements. They reached an agreement that the road will not have to meet State highway width standards. Documentation will be submitted relating to the construction of the road which occurred prior to the adoption of State and local highway design standards.

The Natchitoches Parish Library will continue its fitness series by hosting “Zumba with James” Tuesdays in August from 6-7p.m. There is no fee, but participants,18 and older, are asked to preregister at the library’s second floor circulation desk as the indoor space is limited.

Zumba is a dance fitness program with aerobic movements performed to energetic dance music. It was created in the 1990s by Columbian dancer and choreographer Alberto Perez. The movements in Zumba are meant to build strength and increase endurance and can be adapted for any age or fitness level.

Registration for next month’s series “Tai Chi with Jennifer” has also begun. September’s fitness series will take place on Thursdays from 6-7p.m. and will be taught by Jennifer Sheffield, Founder and Teacher at Spark Studio of Natchitoches.

“The purpose of the fitness series is to introduce different forms of exercise to our patrons as one of our many services,” says Martha Uchino, adult programmer at the Library. “We hope to continue the fitness series as long as people show interest, so please come and sign up for one of our events!”

For more information regarding the library’s fitness series patrons may call Uchino at  318-238-9246.

Dr. Dan Denson and his wife Sharon Denson, both 1969 Northwestern State University graduates, presented a donation to the NSU Foundation to benefit the Health and Human Performance degree program and have pledged to give $1,000 annually. Dr. Denson earned a degree in physical education at NSU, a master’s at McNeese State University and a Ed.D. in health education at the University of Tennessee. They both had long careers in education. Dr. Denson was a professor of health at Louisiana State University for six years and at McNeese for 29 years. Mrs. Denson majored in math and English education at NSU, earned a master’s at McNeese and enjoyed 32-year career, mostly in Calcasieu Parish, where she taught math and computer science. Originally from Lake Charles, they have two daughters and five grandchildren.

From left are Dr. Jon Dollar, head of the Department of Health and Human Performance; Dr. and Mrs. Denson and Dr. Vickie Gentry, dean of the Gallaspy College of Education and Human Development. For more information on how to contribute to Northwestern State, contact the Office of University Advancement at (318) 357-4414.

Westside Baptist Church will be honoring all Law Enforcement/First Responder personnel with a free catfish dinner on Tuesday, August 16th.  This event will be held at the Westside’s Family Life Center from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

Westside Baptist church is located at 6834 Hwy 1 Bypass. Call 318.352.2383 for information.