Did you know that one of the finest museums in the state charges no admission, is both family friendly as well as a serious resource for historians and, best of all, is only an hour’s drive from Natchitoches? Camp Beauregard, the Louisiana National Guard Base in Pineville, hosts the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum. The museum is set in a purpose built replica of a WW II era army barracks and is flanked by outdoor aircraft and vehicle displays.

The museum holds about 3800 artifacts concerning Louisiana’s extensive contributions to our nation’s military history. The items on display range in age from the colonial times to the present day. The eclectic collection has everything from uniforms to weapons and equipment, including items captured from enemy forces. One of the more interesting items is a tattered Japanese flag that flew over the Hiroshima area during the dropping of the atomic bomb.

One of the more interesting aspects of the museum is that while its collection of equipment, weapons and uniforms is truly impressive, the museum is about more than that. It tells the often little known details of history. For example, there is a display honoring the Code Talkers of WWII. The Navaho who were used by the Navy and Marines in the Pacific became the best known of the code talker units, but they were not the only ones. The Comanche tribe, among others, served in the Army during WWII. The display shows them in both the Louisiana Maneuvers and in combat. This is one of the many interesting facts that make the museum a true delight to visit. The curator has an encyclopedic knowledge of the artifacts and exhibits and is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with visitors.

The Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum is well worth a visit. They have something for every age and level of interest.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is free. Note: The museum is located in Camp Beauregard, so visitors will have to show a driver’s license at the gate.

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City of Natchitoches is a Magnolia Sponsor of Flavor of Louisiana, Northwestern State University’s spring seafood extravaganza that will take place Friday, April 3 in Prather Coliseum. The event will feature samplings of Louisiana seafood from dozens of vendors, along with craft beers, cocktails, music, raffles and prizes. From left are NSU and City of Natchitoches staff Cristy Bernard, Stacy McQueary, Hannah Wenninger, Mayor Lee Posey, Erin Dupree, Cori Ragan and Hammond Lake. 

By Brad Dison

In October, 1878, nineteen-year-old Teedie, as his parents called him, met seventeen-year-old Alice Hathaway Lee while he was a student at Harvard University. He was smitten immediately. Teedie, an avid diarist, later wrote about their first meeting: “As long as I live, I shall never forget how sweetly she looked, and how prettily she greeted me.” Teedie and Alice wrote to each other often. She began calling him Teedie, just as his parents did.

Speaking of his parents, earlier in the year, Teedie’s father, everyone called him Thee, had died at the young age of forty-six. He was a wealthy philanthropist who had helped found the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and several aid societies and hospitals for children. Teedie wrote, “My father…was the best man I ever knew. He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness, and great unselfishness.” Teedie’s father left him a sizeable inheritance worth over $3 million in today’s money. Teedie andhis forty-two-year-old mother, Martha “Mittie” Bulloch, wereheartbroken.

Teedie found solace in Alice, and their relationship blossomed. Within nine months of their first meeting, Teedie proposed to Alice in a letter and eagerly awaited a response. They continued writing letters to each other, but Alice avoided mentioning the proposal. Etiquette of the era prevented Teedie from askingAlice a second time. He had to be patient.

The days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. Finally, after eight uneasy months, Teedie received an answer from Alice. She said yes! Teedie was jubilant. On February 14, 1880, Teedie and Alice announced their engagement and were wed on October 27. Teedie remained enamored by Alice. An entry in Teedie’s diary read, “I do not think ever a man loved a woman more than I love her. For a year and a quarter now, I have never (even when hunting) gone to sleep or waked up without thinking of her.”

Things were going well for Teedie. Although his large inheritance could have sustained his family for the rest of their lives, Teedie’s ambitious nature would not allow him to reamainidle. In 1881, he was one of 128 people elected to the New York Assembly. At just twenty-two years old, Teedie was the youngest member elected into the Assembly, but he quickly earned the friendship and respect of the other assemblymen for his straightforward and trustworthy temperament.

In the Summer of 1883, Alice became pregnant, much to Teedie’s and his mother’s delight. Near the end of the pregnancy, Alice developed Bright’s disease, a kidney disease now known as Nephritis. Although most physicians considered Bright’s disease incurable, the doctor who aided Alice reassured Teedie and Alice that it was nothing to worry about. At about the same time, Teedie’s mother, Mittie, became ill. Her temperature rose, she had headaches, a rash of rose-colored spots spread across her body, and she grew weaker with each passing day. Her doctor diagnosed her as having Typhoid fever, a bacterial infection for which there was no cure or vaccination. Doctors could only treat the symptoms and hope her condition would improve.

On February 12, 1884, Alice went into labor and delivered a healthy baby girl. Teedie and Alice had not yet settled on a name for the child. Alice, however, was not recovering from childbirth as her doctor expected. On the following day, her condition worsened. Teedie’s mother’s condition deteriorated as well. At about 3 a.m. on February 14, 1884, Teedie’s mother, Martha “Mittie” Bulloch, died from Typhoid fever. She was forty-eight years old. Teedie later wrote, “My mother, Martha Bulloch, was a sweet, gracious, beautiful Southern woman, a delightful companion and beloved by everybody.”

Teedie was devastated by the loss of his mother, and was distraught by Alice’s worsening condition. Three hours after Teedie’s mother died, his wife died as well. Alice was just twenty-two years old. That night, in his diary, Teedie drew an X followed by a single sentence: “The light has gone out of my life.” Teedie was devastated.

Upon learning of the deaths, the New York Assembly paid Teedie an “unusual compliment,” when it “adopted resolutions of condolence and adjourned out of sympathy for his sudden and sever domestic affliction.” Fellow assemblyman James Husted decreed to the Assembly, “When such a man as we know him to be has been thus stricken down, we feel that every heart in this room swells responsive to his own, and while the teardrops may not fall, it nevertheless rests beneath the eyelid of every member of this body.” Most of the assemblymen, regardless of political affiliation, fought back tears. Some wept openly.

Two days later, family, friends, and high-ranking politicians paid their respects to Mittie and Alice at their double funeral and burial. Later that night, Teedie recorded another diary entry about Alice: “We spent three years of happiness, greater and more unalloyed than I have ever known fall to the lot of others.” On the day after the double funeral, Teedie recorded in his diary that he named the baby Alice Lee as a tribute to his wife. Speaking the name Alice brought Teedie so much pain that he always called his daughter “Baby Lee.”

Teedie lost both his mother and wife on the same day, a day set aside for the celebration of love, Valentine’s Day. Teedie rarely spoke of his mother or wife following their deaths, and he refused to be called Teedie any longer. Twenty-five years later, the man formerly known as Teedie became the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

Sources:
The Brooklyn Union, February 15, 1884, p.1.
Buffalo Evening News, February 15, 1884, p.9.
New York Times, February 15, 1884, p.4.
The Brooklyn Union, February 16, 1884, p.1.
The New York Times, February 17, 1884, p.3.
Library of Congress, Theodore Roosevelt Papers: Series 8: Personal Diaries, 1878-1884; Vol. 7, 1884, Feb. 14-Dec. 17

Northwestern State Theatre and Dance will present “Moving Through Time” Feb. 13-15 in the newly-renovated A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Performance time is 7:30 p.m. each evening with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Tickets are $15 and $12 for students and senior citizens. Northwestern State, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a student I.D. and current sticker. For more information, contact the box office at (318) 357-4483.

“Moving Through Time” will feature choreography by Jared Doster, Brett Alan Garfinkel, Crystal Lewis, Rebecca Morgan and Kirstin Riehl. Each different choreographer will explore the theme of time in their own style. Classical and contemporary forms of dance will be utilized.

“My favorite part of the whole process is collaborating with some of the choreographers to help create amazing pieces,” said Maci Burt of Mandeville, who will be perform in three works. “I cannot wait for everyone to come see what we have all been working so hard for.”

“Continuum” by Riehl will feature performances by Natalye Bradley of Lafayette Alyson Brown of Jennings, Burt, Alphonse Engram of DeRidder and John Jefferson of Shreveport.

“The Only Thing” by Morgan in collaboration with the dancers will have performances by actor Shawn Becton of Lake Charles and dancers Emmanuel Dunn of Baton Rouge, Engram, Erin Fallis of Pineville, Adele Hebert of Lafayette, Dustin Huffman of Mabank, Texas, and Emily Ricalde of New Orleans.

“Fleeting Moments” by Lewis in collaboration with the dancers will feature Burt, Fallis, Leyla Fettweis of Brussells, Belgium, Hannah Knoff of Baton Rouge, Robert McCandish of Monroe, Abigail Miller of Slidell, Mary Strickland of New Orleans and D’Sherrick Williams of Marshall, Texas.

Garfinkel’s “Hands of Time” will have costumes by Kennedy Butler of Monroe with performances by Brown, Burt, Engram, Strickland and Sarah Talbot of Baton Rouge.

Doster choreographed two works. “Young Love” featuring Bradley and Tyson Ford of New Orleans with Ashley Henry of Slidell and Williams as understudies and “Restless” with performances by Sara Duplessis of Prairieville, Kelsey Elkins of Natchitoches, Engram, Fettweis, McCandish, Miller, Addison Pope of Carthage, Texas, Strickland, Talbot and Williams.

An After School Food Service Program will be held through May 30 (Monday-Thursday from 3-5 pm) at the Campti Community Development Center, located at 121A Raphiel Street in Campti. Meals will be provided to children ages 3-18 free of charge. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, nation origin, sex, age, or disability. There will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Northwestern State University’s Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts will present the 2020 New Media Student Showcase with an opening reception from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13 in the ballroom of Varnado Hall.

“This event showcases the best student photography from our department this academic year,” said Dr. Brian Gabrial, interim department head. “It is a juried contest, so students are competing for any honors they may receive. The best work will be displayed at Varnado Hall during the Showcase event, during which the winners are announced. This year the competition also includes video work.”

Following the reception in Varnado, the winning pieces will be on display in Orville Hanchey Gallery through Feb. 27. During this time, visitors can vote for their favorite photo. The photo with the most votes will be given the People’s Choice award on March 3. Other awards include the top three photos in cell phone and DSLR categories as well as the best in show award given to the best photo overall, regardless of category.

The New Media Student Showcase is an annual gallery exhibition featuring photography from students, faculty, and alumni of the Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts. 

Natchitoches Magnet School’s Mathcounts Team participated in Regional Contest on Feb. 1. The results are:

1st place overall
1st place team bee – Isaac Young, Diamond Smith, Bryan Chen and Thadeuz Tibbs
1st place countdown round – Isaac
2nd place countdown round – Diamond
2nd place Individual-Isaac
5th place Individual – Diamond
6th place individual – Calder Deford

Coach: Zenda Owens Sawyer

NATCHITOCHES:
Roy Lee a/k/a “Bo-Diddly” Thomas
September 25, 1940 – February 4, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 15 at 11 am at the Evergreen Baptist Church in St. Maurice
Interment: Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery

Leonard Lynch
April 9, 1945 – February 8, 2020
Arrangements TBA

RAPIDES:
Rebecca Alexander
January 7, 1948 – February 8, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Ida M. Daigrepont
October 21, 1929 – February 5, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 15 at 1 pm at Alexandria Memorial Gardens
Arrangements TBA

WINN PARISH:
Ella Elizabeth James
August 9, 1929 – February 8, 2020
Service: Friday February 14 at 2 pm in the Henderson-James Hill Cemetery near Boyce

In tonight’s City Council Meeting, officials with the Hobby Lobby retailer announced that Natchitoches will soon have a new Hobby Lobby.   The anticipated open of the new 50,000 square foot retail store is May, 2021.

Council Meeting February 10, 2020; 5:42PM

The Natchitoches Parish School Board approved the 2020-2021 School Calendar during its meeting Feb. 6.

Ida B. Wells led a full life in her 68 years a life filled with more than enough accomplishments for several people. Her life is all the more remarkable when one considers the obstacles she faced and overcame. Born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1862, her parents perished in the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. At the age of 16, Wells took a job as a teacher in rural Mississippi to support her brothers and sisters. She taught there for two years while continuing her education at nearby Shaw University (now Rust College.) She then moved to Memphis, Tennessee with several of her siblings to take a teaching job there.

It was in Memphis that she started her journalistic career and activism. She wrote for and co-owned The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper. She wrote of the unequal and inferior conditions in the Black schools as well as the indignities of the Jim Crow system. In 1884, a conductor on the Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwest Railroad told her to move from the ladies’ coach to the Colored car. She refused. The conductor attempted to physically remove her. She braced herself in the seat and bit his hand. He returned with two other men and physically removed her from the train. Over ten years before the Plessey v. Ferguson case was to enshrine Jim Crow for a generation, Ida Wells sued the railroad. She won her case, but the railroad appealed and the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the verdict. Her writings on the unfairness of the educational system to Black children led to her dismissal as a schoolteacher in Memphis.

Ida Wells is perhaps best known for her unwavering opposition to lynching. The brutal lynching of three Black men in Memphis who were guilty of nothing more than operating a grocery store that competed with a White owned business gave focus to her writing. They had successfully defended themselves from an attack by the store owner and several of his friends. In the fight, two Whites were wounded. The three owners of the grocery store were arrested. Later that night, a mob broke into the jail, took them away and killed them.

The incident inspired Wells to write Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases as well as The Red Record, in which she investigated some of the lynchings that were taking place throughout the South in the post-Reconstruction era as Jim Crow enforced a second class status upon the African-American population.

Ida B. Wells was more than a writer, she was a woman of courage and character. Unjustly ordered to leave her seat and move to the train’s “Colored car” she refused, was assaulted and thrown off the train, only to have her victorious lawsuit thrown out by her state’s Supreme Court. Her writings on the condition of the segregated schools in her area cost her her job. After an editorial in which she dared to question the claim that lynching was the result of assaults upon White women, her newspaper in Memphis was burned to the ground and a price put on her head. She did not stop. She moved to Chicago and continued to write. She would not give into threats.

In addition to her writings on the evils of lynching and segregation, she was also a tireless proponent of Women’s Rights, speaking throughout the country and abroad on the subject.. Wells was also one of the founding members of the NAACP. Throughout her life, she fought injustice, often facing physical danger in doing so.  She simply refused to abide the limits placed on her race and sex by the society of her time. The United States of America is a better place for this brave and principled woman having had her as a citizen. As we look back upon Ida B. Wells’ place in our history, may we continue to strive to be the kind of nation that gives opportunity to all of its people.

Natchitoches Junior High School J.A.G. would like to extend its gratitude to Weyerhaeuser for sponsoring our program. We are thankful to Weyerhaeuser for their generosity.

Pictured is Braylon Pattain, Amare Warren, Zamarion Payton, Lonnie Colbert, Zakeriyah Culbert, Callie Encalade, Sean Moran, India Tousaint, Ronald Smith, Kristie Irchirl, Jacquelyn Rainwater, Craft Jackson, Demarkcus Nichols, Shona Moses, Crystal Newsome, and Joe Duirden Sr.

Brad Laird has stressed attention to detail since taking over as the football coach of his alma mater prior to the 2018 season.

One look at Northwestern State’s football signing class of 2020 makes it clear Laird feels the same way when it comes to recruiting.

Laird and his staff introduced their full signing class in the ballroom of the Friedman Student Union on Wednesday afternoon, introducing the 15 high school signees and eight junior-college transfers who comprise the group.

“One thing you look at with the 23 signees, you look at their GPA and you see championships,” Laird said. “When I say GPA, you look at the bios and you see a lot of 3.0 GPAs and above and a lot of championships. I believe what you do on the field and off the field will work together to create championships. This class is very balanced from an offensive and defensive standpoint, which is where we thought we would be.”

The Demons signed 12 offensive players, 10 defensive players and one specialist for the 2020 season.

Offensively, Northwestern State added four linemen, four wide receivers, a trio of running backs and one tight end.

The Demons split their four offensive line signees between the junior college and high school ranks.

Jones County Junior College’s Logan Canerdy (6-3, 295) and Navarro College’s Jalen Momerelle (6-6, 305) bring championship experience with them. Canerdy helped Jones County win the Mississippi Bowl as a freshman while Momerelle, who started seven games at Texas State as a freshman, was a key part of Navarro’s 2019 state championship team.

That duo is paired with high school signees Jordan McClaine (6-3, 280) of Ruston and Brayden Staggs (6-4, 285) of Langham Creek (Texas) High School. Staggs was a three-star prospect as rated by 247Sports.com while McClaine was one of 10 players who signed with the Demons in the December early signing period.

“It starts up front,” Laird said. “We lost five guys on the offensive line who went on to graduate, so you have to find guys who can come in and play. We did it in a couple of ways. We have two older guys who have experience and a couple of younger guys coming from programs that will allow them the opportunity to compete right away. It was the same thing at wide receiver. We have older guys with experience and younger guys from successful programs. That was the vision we have when you look at last year and where we are at 2020.”

Junior college products Marquise Bridges (6-1, 193) was the second-leading receiver for the national champion Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College squad while Andy Pierre-Antoine (6-1, 180) helped lead Reedley College to a pair of conference championships.

Bridges snagged 43 passes for 782 yards and six touchdowns and was a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges All-Academic Team selection while Pierre-Antoine led Reedley with 44 catches, 706 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Demons went to New Orleans to add two prep receivers, bringing St. Augustine’s Jaheim Walters (6-2, 184) and Warren Easton’s Jewell Holmes III to the fold.

The thread of successful junior college transfers continued through the offensive backfield as the Demons added Kilgore College’s Scooter Adams (5-9, 190) and College of the Canyons’ Cayden Dunn (5-10, 190), a pair of speedsters to the running back rotation.

Adams was an early signee who already is on campus while Dunn will join the fold later as will Lafayette Christian Academy’s Logan Gabriel, who also was a December signee.

Both Adams and Dunn played at championship programs with Kilgore winning the conference regular-season title and a Heart of Texas Bowl championship while Dunn’s College of the Canyons collected consecutive division titles in its conference. Dunn averaged six yards per carry in his two seasons at College of the Canyons while Adams proved to be a versatile running back, capable of catching passes as well.

“With where our roster is at the running back position, you have immediate needs as we go through the 15 days of spring practice and the summer,” Laird said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the guys we’re talking about here on National Signing Day develop from now until that first game (against Incarnate Word) on Sept. 3.”

Monte Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end from Burleson (Texas) Centennial High School, rounded out the Demons’ offensive signees. Johnson, like many of the signing class, is a multi-sport athlete who also plays on Centennial’s top-10 ranked basketball team.

Defensively, the Demons went a little more balanced with a focus on the secondary.

NSU inked six defensive backs in its 2020 class, starting with East Mississippi Community College’s PJ Herrington, part of the Lions’ national championship team in 2018.

Herrington was an early signee and already is on campus while the remainder of the defensive backs in the class are all high school signees: Captain Shreve’s Malik Carey, Natea “Tay” Coleman of Beaumont (Texas) West Brook, Kevin Davis Jr. of Freeport (Texas) Brazosport, Isaiah Robinson of Parkway in Bossier City and Dante Thomas of longtime Louisiana power John Curtis High School.

“(Safety) was and will continue to be a focus, because recruiting is happening 365 days a year,” Laird said. “This is National Signing Day, but we will continue to recruit. We lost five safeties who graduated and took a lot of experience with them.

“We’re bringing in guys with experience plus guys who come from programs that have won championships and play right way. It’s the same way at corner, and then you see the guys who have the ability to play both spots. That excites us.”

The remainder of Northwestern State’s defensive signees had a distinctive Louisiana flavor, something Laird has focused on in recent recruiting cycles.

“We have seven signees within a two-hour radius and another from right across the state line,” Laird said. “Four of them are from north Louisiana. You look at that two-hour radius, it’s something we’ve talked about since Day 1. There is good talent in that radius.”

Up front, the Demons added size in North DeSoto’s Johnny Mitchell Jr. (6-3, 310) and a versatile force in Crowley’s Kendal Harmon (6-2, 273). Mitchell is a three-time state indoor shot put champion who also plans to compete in track and field at Northwestern State. Harmon compiled 247 career tackles, including 41 for a loss, and had an interception return for a touchdown.

At the linebacker level, the Demons added another Lafayette Christian product in Princeton Malbrue (6-2, 205), the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Knights’ state championship game victory in December, and Gilmer (Texas) High linebacker Malik Williams, who was an all-district selection as both a fullback and a linebacker.

The Demons also added Trinity Valley Community College kicker Eddie Godina, an NJCAA All-American who connected on a national JUCO record 26 field goals and already has enrolled at Northwestern State.

“Not only from a football standpoint, but the opportunity for families to be able to watch their kids was a big factor in these young men making that decision to stay close to home,” Laird said. “They can say, ‘Mom and Dad can see me play on Saturday afternoon or Saturday night and get back home. Family’s important to us at Northwestern State just like the people. You see that across the board with these 23 signees. The people they will bring with them and the enthusiasm they bring excites us as a staff.”

2020 Northwestern State Signing Class 23 signees (15 high school, 8 junior college)

Scooter Adams, RB, 5-9, 190, Kilgore College, Hallettsville, Texas
Marquise Bridges, WR, 6-1, 193, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Brookhaven Mississippi
Logan Canerdy, OL, 6-3, 295, Jones County Junior College, Caledonia, Mississippi
Malik Carey, CB, 6-2, 185, Captain Shreve HS, Shreveport, Louisiana
Natea “Tay” Coleman, S, 6-0, 185, West Brook HS, Beaumont, Texas
Kevin Davis Jr., S, 6-0, 180, Brazosport HS, Freeport, Texas
Cayden Dunn, RB, 5-10, 190, College of the Canyons, Los Angeles, California
Logan Gabriel, RB, 5-11, 220 Lafayette Christian Academy, Opelousas, Louisiana
Eddie Godina, K, 5-11, 195, Trinity Valley Community College, Whitehouse, Texas
Kendal Harmon, DL, 6-2, 273, Crowley HS, Crowley, Louisiana
PJ Herrington, DB, 5-10, 185, East Mississippi Community College, Natchez, Mississippi
Jewell Holmes III, WR, 6-2, 188, Warren Easton HS, New Orleans, Louisiana
Monte Johnson, TE, 6-5, 220, Burleson Centennial HS, Burleson, Texas
Princeton Malbrue, OLB, 6-2, 205, Lafayette Christian Academy, Carencro, Louisiana
Jordan McClaine, OL, 6-3, 280, Ruston HS, Ruston, Louisiana
Johnny Mitchell Jr., DL, 6-3, 310, North DeSoto HS, Stonewall, Louisiana
Jalen Momerelle, OL, 6-6, 305, Navarro College, Houston, Texas
Andy Pierre-Antoine, WR, 6-1, 180, Reedley College, North Miami, Florida
Isaiah Robinson, DB, 6-1, 185, Parkway HS, Bossier City, Louisiana
Brayden Staggs, OL, 6-4, 285, Langham Creek HS, Cypress, Texas
Dante Thomas, DB, 6-0, 175, John Curtis HS, Hammond, Louisiana
Jaheim Walters, WR, 6-2, 184, St. Augustine HS, New Orleans, Louisiana
Malik Williams, LB, 6-0, 205, Gilmer HS, Gilmer, Texas

Photo Credit: Leah Jackson/Northwestern State University

 

I-49; Natchitoches Parish; Cable Barriers
SPN: H.012196
Control Section 455-06

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) advises the public that on Monday, Feb. 10, construction will begin on I-49 in Natchitoches Parish. This work will extend the entire length of the interstate through Natchitoches Parish.

The intent of this project is to install cable barrier along the median of I-49.

The contractor will be required to maintain thru traffic at all times, but periodic lane closures and delays can be expected. The public is advised to remain alert to construction signs and changing roadway conditions.

The project was awarded to the low bidder, Progressive Construction Co., LLC in the amount of $5,700,646.52. The work associated with this project should take approximately 200 working days to complete.

Permit/Detour section
There are no detours at this time associated with these lane closures.
NOTE: There will be no width restrictions associated with the lane closures.

Safety Reminder
All construction activity is weather dependent and may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. DOTD appreciates the motoring public’s patience and reminds drivers to please exercise caution when traveling through work zone areas and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.

Additional Information
Motorists can access the latest updates on real-time traffic and road conditions using the 511 Traveler Information System by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region on which they are seeking information. Out-of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). Travelers can also access this information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information Web site at http://www.511la.org. Additionally, you can follow the Traffic Management Center on Twitter: (@Alex Traffic). Motorists may also monitor the LA DOTD website @ http://www.dotd.la.gov and the DOTD Facebook page.

NSU– “Punches being thrown from the sky.”

That is how assistant softball coach Brooke Boening described on Twitter the news of former Northwestern State defensive lineman Wade Williams’ death in a plane crash Thursday in Jackson Parish.

Williams’ death was the third suffered by someone with ties to the Northwestern State football team since Dec. 28 and the fourth since former Demons defensive back Manuel Mukes IV was slain in Los Angeles on Aug. 18, 2019.

The plane crash that took the lives of Williams and two other passengers came just five days after the death of longtime Northwestern State coach and former student-athlete Johnnie Emmons. It came less than two months after NSU alumna and Cox Sports Television and WDSU reporter Carley McCord perished in a Dec. 28 plane crash and almost six months after Mukes was shot and killed in California.

“Early in the recruiting process, in 2008 when we signed him, I went to Groveton, Texas, and sat in the coach’s office talking to him about Wade,” said NSU head coach Brad Laird, who was the defensive coordinator at the time. “They talked about what Wade was going to bring off the field as much as they did on the field. We just went through the signing day process, and you see video of what these guys do on the field, but it’s what they do off the field that matters more, and Wade exemplified that as well as a student-athlete could.

“His faith, his Christian walk, was evident. He brought people in. He was a leader, not just on the field as far as being a captain, but he led people to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes during his five years here. The things he did for his family and what he did in raising them, he exemplified that as a student-athlete at Northwestern State.”

Williams, who is survived by his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Rosalie, lettered four years for the Demons from 2009-12 after redshirting in 2008. He was an honorable mention All-Southland Conference defensive lineman in 2010 and was an Academic All-Southland Conference selection in 2011 and 2012.

He was the 2012 Jack Clayton Award winner, earning the distinction of being the senior NSU football player who is dedicated to academics and shows coach Jack Clayton’s trademark characteristics of leadership, integrity and work ethic.

Williams’ genial demeanor changed when he crossed the white lines at Turpin Stadium or on the road.

“Wade was a different type of guy,” said associate head coach De’Von Lockett, the longest-tenured current NSU assistant. “He was a God-fearing man who could convince you to turn over a new leaf, but in the three hours of competition, he was a madman. He gave you everything he had in the three hours of playing the game. He was motivated. He knew what he wanted to do. I hurt for him and his family, especially having a family myself.”

While Laird and Lockett were on staff during Williams’ NSU playing career, current Demon defensive line coach LeDell Love lined up alongside Williams for two seasons.

“Being a former Demon and having gone what these guys have gone through, I feel like I have a deeper connection with our players,” Love said. “When they finish their career, you wish them the best. It always hits home when tragedies like this occur, but when it is someone you went to school with and went through the same things with, you truly feel like you lost a family member.

“We weren’t just two guys who were teammates. We were in the same position meeting room. I finished the year before Ricky (Isaac, who was killed in a December 2012 traffic accident while on duty as a Natchitoches Parish sheriff’s deputy) and two years before Wade. We all three lined up and played alongside each other. It’s just tough because those are guys you’ve been around. There’s a deeper love you have for those guys. It’s tough to lose them, but even tougher with the way it happened.”

That sentiment pervades the Northwestern State athletic department and its culture.

“We have a saying around here that goes ‘Once a Demon, always a Demon,’” Director of Athletics Greg Burke said. “In other words, you may physically leave Natchitoches but you are forever part of a special bond that you shared with teammates, coaches, staff and administrators. For NSU Demons, past and present, the close, family environment that is a trademark of this athletic program must and will sustain us through the sadness that has permeated our lives over the past several months.”

News of the crash began to spread Thursday evening as many members of the NSU football staff and athletic department gathered at Emmons’ funeral services, continuing to challenge the emotional stability of a staff that has lost three alumni under the age of 31 since August.

That span began with the loss of Mukes, a defensive back who lettered from 2014-16.

“I had Mukes in my position group,” said Lockett, who spoke at Mukes’ funeral service in Baton Rouge. “That was one of the toughest speeches I ever had to give. I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I knew what type of person Manny was. He was a guy who also believed in the Word. A lot of times, we see guys out of context, and we don’t understand what they’re going through from a spiritual standpoint. Most people misunderstood Manny Mukes, but he was a spiritual person.”

Former NSU head coach Jay Thomas coached both Williams and Mukes, first as Williams’ position coach and then as Mukes’ head coach.

Although their Northwestern State careers never overlapped, Williams and Mukes enjoyed shared characteristics.

“Wade was an amazing guy,” Thomas said. “He was a true man’s man, and there are different facets of Wade being a man and he covered everything that’s good about it. You wish everyone in the world had a piece of Wade Williams in them, and it would be a better place.

“Manny was just a good guy, a good, hard-working teammate. He was a Baton Rouge guy, so I always felt – with me being from the Baton Rouge area – we had that 225 connection. He really enjoyed being around the guys, laughing and joking in the locker room. Then there was the serious side of Manny. He was serious about his job, what he had to do and how he trained. Manny Mukes was a really special guy.”

Thomas said he heard the news of Williams’ passing through a network of former Demon defensive linemen and former assistant coach Jake Landoll as Thomas was en route to Emmons’ funeral services.

“That’s how strong the bond is within that room,” said Thomas, speaking in a measured tone that belied the emotions near the surface.

“Everybody has their own lives and went their separate ways, but they still look out for each other. The bond we all have – whether it’s coach-player, player-player or the coaches on the team – we spend a lot of time together, probably more time with each other than with our own families. It’s the true meaning of a family. It doesn’t matter where you go and what other job you have, you’re still going to remain close to that family you were a part of.”

It is that close-knit, family bond that has allowed the Demon football staff to continue to function despite the recent losses, which also have provided not-so-subtle reminders of life’s fragility.

“What you’ve seen is a family that comes closer together during tough times, and these are tough times,” Laird said. “We want to ask, ‘Why?’ The things we can take from a Manny Mukes, a Carley McCord, a Johnnie Emmons, a Wade Williams and the lives they lived, is to have fun and enjoy every day. Don’t take one day for granted. As coaches, starting with me, we can share that with our team to enjoy the process, enjoy where they are and make good memories along the way.

“You look back, as we all do during these times, and you say, ‘I need to call this person.’ I’ve done that. I think we’ve all done that over the course of the last six months. Sometimes, we take for granted friendship. We take for granted that young man or young woman is doing OK. When it hits home like it has, whether it’s LeDell Love, Jay Thomas, De’Von Lockett or (former NSU head coach) Bradley Dale Peveto, guys who have had an influence on these lives we are talking about, it means a little more. It makes you realize sometimes you need to pick up the phone just to say, ‘Hello, how you doing?’”

Photo Credit: Gary Hardamon/NSU Photographic Services

Here is a look at the week of Feb. 9-15 at Northwestern State University.

Feb. 11 – Career Fair, Friedman Student Union Ballroom, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Feb. 11 – Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 – Men’s basketball vs. Incarnate Word, Prather Coliseum, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 13 – Pikes for a Cure, Cane River Brewing Company, 6 p.m.

Feb. 13-27 – New Media Showcase, Varnado Hall Ballroom, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Feb. 13 – Columns Café, Family and Consumer Sciences Building, 6 p. m. – 8 p.m.

Feb. 13-15 – Northwestern Theatre and Dance presents “Moving Through Time,” A.A. Fredericks Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 14 – Science Showcase, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Magale Recital Hall, Bienvenu Hall, Fournet Hall, Kyser Hall

Feb. 14-16 – Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Lady Demon Classic, Lady Demon Diamond

Feb. 14 – Women’s tennis vs. Alcorn, 2 p.m.

Feb. 14 – Baseball vs. Wichita State, 6:30 p.m., Brown-Stroud Field

Feb. 15 – Women’s basketball vs. McNeese, Prather Coliseum, 1 p.m.

Feb. 15 — Northwestern Theatre and Dance presents “Moving Through Time,” A.A. Fredericks Auditorium, 2 p.m.

Feb. 15 – Baseball vs. Wichita State, 2 p.m., Brown-Stroud Field

Feb. 15 – Men’s basketball vs. McNeese, Prather Coliseum, 3 p.m.

Six hundred and twenty-seven students were named to the Fall 2019 President’s List at Northwestern State University. Students on the list earned a grade point average of 4.0. Those named to the President’s List listed by hometown (in Natchitoches and surrounding areas) are as follows.

Alexandria — Zoe Barton, ArMarion Baylor, Alexis Flowers, Leslie Ford, Lara Hill, Kay Laborde, Taylar Lee, Fredrecka Lewis, Madalyn Mayer, Madeline Mitchell, Jennifer Prevot, Sailor Reed, Imani Ricks, Faith Stevenson;

Barksdale AFB — Jeanine Matthews, Bridget Miller;

Bossier City — Austin Averitt, Christian Baker, Jayde Barnett, Hannah Brooks, Jonathan Castillo, April Ceffalia, Makenzie Chaffin, Callie Crockett, Catherine Dean, Rachel Elmore, Alaina Freeman, Hannah Gaspard, Hannah Gates, Matt Gaydos, Peyton Harville, Savanna Head, Jodi Hill, Nicholas Hopkins, Nourain Jamhour, Michaela Jenkins, Anqumesha Jeter, Haley Joncas, Mary Jones, Chelsea Laverdiere, Arielle Martignetti, Michelle Moline, Alexa Montgomery, Autumn Parish, Jasmine Roberson , Jalyn Robertson, Madeline Saucedo, Gerald Shouse, Bonnie Singletary, Ashlynn Stewart, Kortney Toellner, Kaitlyn Walker, DeAnndrea White, Claudette Wilbert-Patton;

Boyce – Martha Hopewell, Paige Mcfarland;

Campti – Kristen Breedlove, Paige Cason, Morgan Etheredge, Ronald Reliford;

Coushatta – Elizabeth Cummins, Jon Hester, Erikka Johnson, Carmie Williams, Charli Williams;

Florien – Ashley Carter, Caroline Matthews, Dylan Roberts;

Fork Polk – Martha Petitt, Erica Arnold, Karen Da Silva, Elizabeth Flores, Earlene Michele Moore, Sela Nelson, LaTasha Pingel, Nohora Valencia Camacho, Kevin Zingwa Nkafu;

Goldonna – Harley Godwin;

Leesville — Jebediah Barrett, Gracyn Bruno, Victoria Butler, Anthony Cantrell, Carter Coriell, Tiffany DeGrafenread, Connor Donaldson, Julie Dowden-McShan, Seth Ducote, Magdalen Dye, Elizabeth Harvey, Kelsea Mckinney, Kaitlyn Pajinag, Brittany Paris, Brandon Seaman, Carrie Sellers, Darrin Smith, Alicia Stanford, Kristin Whistine;

Lena – Taylor Nichols;

Mansfield – Samantha Powell, Khadajah Taylor;

Many – Rachel Bensinger, Skyler Ezernack, Scott Gowen, Haydn Knight, Chloe Leach, Jaleah Lee, Alexander Martinez, Toni Mitcham, Hunter Walker;

Marthaville – Emeri Manasco, Hanna Pardee, Shelton Powell;

Natchez — Daisy Noel, Brittany Slaughter,

Natchitoches – Kara Arrington, Sarah Aviles, Dylan Bennett, Taylor Burch, Deasia Burrell, Jazzare Burrell, Ladiamond Burrell, Maria Carmona-Ruiz, Valerie Chadick, Laura Coffey, Elliot Davis, Aubry Dennis, Ashley Dranguet, Abbie Gandy, Samantha Hall, Kaitlin Hatten, Karrington Johnson, Taylor Johnson, Madeline Joubert; LiZhang Matuschka, Miranda Mayeaux, Jordan Mitchell, Brooklyn Noe, Abigail Poe, Jonah Poe, Maria Moreno Ponte, Shalondria Rainey, Darian Raymond, Melissa Remo, Emily Salter, Madison Shade, Kristin Smith, Veronica Sturman, Hans Andersen Tan, Madeline Taylor, Hannah Thomas, William Torrent, Maeli Usleton, Raegan Washington, Anna Waxley, Daniel Whatley, DaJha White;

Oak Grove — Victoria Spann;

Pineville – Malak Abdelhadi, Taylor Bailey, Melissa Barnhill, Riley Bell, Carl Berlin, Tasha Blanchard, Raegan Brocato, Madison Brown, Emily Dawson, Amber Edmisson, Erin Fallis, Kloe Franklin, Caleb Granvel, Jaclyn Lambright, Michael Martin, Emily McCarty, Cade Mitchell, Alysa Pearson, Katelyn Ryland, Kylie Ryland, Gretchen Speir, Erika Thornton, Sydney Toms; Anna Upshaw, Wesley Williams;

Provencal — Christopher Jennings;

Robeline — Jessica Clark, Hannah Chanler, Jonathan Chism, Keira Huff, Alyssa Maley, Laura Olguin, Caleb Wester;

Saline — Madelyn Cheatwood, Alexandra Taylor,

Shreveport — Joshua Abner, Alyssa Ainsworth, Charmon Bates, Erin Brown, Kaylan Campbell, Tazarea Clark, Kesherion Collins, Allison Darty, Abigail Davis, Katasha Draper, Whitney Elster, Isabelle Foisy, Peyton Gamble, Dejohn Garrison, JaSae Gatlin, Leah Gould, Destinee Green, Taylor Guin, Chianti Hicks, Deaveon Jones, Jason Jones, Sana Khatib, Mary Murray, Brett Kessel, Lindsay Laprarie, Brandon Larkin, Akilah Lewis, Katherine Lind, Maxey McSwain, Emily Mayfield, Dylan Molenhour, Aaron Navarre, Sarah Payne, Elizabeth Peterson, Britney Powell, Angel Rankins, Shelby Sandefur, Zachary Sanders, Cynthia Shahriar, Shelby Sowers, Rashima Stewart, Amanda Strother, Lindsey Sullivan, Alexis Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Brian Thomas, Cecelia Tucker, Debriar Wilson, Cara Wineinger, Jonathan Zavalydriga;

Winnfield — Simona Curry, Joshua Goins, Kassidy Grantadams;

Zwolle — Shakelia Maxie, Courtney McDaniel, Karley Parrie, Konner Parrie;

Rotarian Jessica McGrath introduced Mike McConathy, NSU head basketball coach as the Feb. 4 speaker for the Rotary Club of Natchitoches. She noted that in addition to being an outstanding coach that he was a roll model and active in her church. He noted in his 37 years of coaching that he wanted to have a direct impact on his players. He enjoys reaching out to former players and said it really helps him to be a better coach and has “made a difference in what we do as coaches.” He is proud of his 90% graduation rate. He also noted that recruiting continues to be a challenge with so many schools trying to recruit the same players. He noted that he has coached over 1170 games and enjoyed every one.