At 8:28am, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies are currently searching for an unidentified male that fled from a black Nissan Altima bearing purple heart tags off of I-49 near the Ajax exit.

NPSO Deputies clocked the vehicle south of Natchitoches at approximately 8:13am, Speeding 115 miles per hour in a 75 mph speed zone.

The violator failed to stop, leading deputies on a 22 mile pursuit where he crashed the vehicle near Ajax then fled from the vehicle.

Deputies have learned the vehicle is stolen out Slidell, La.

A weapon was in the vehicle at the time of the theft.

The suspect is identified as a black male with medium length dreads wearing a black shirt or coat.

Desoto Parish Sheriff’s Deputies and a Louisiana State Police Trooper are assisting with the search for the suspect.

Winn Parish Tracking Team is also responding to the area.

If you observe the suspect, do not approach him, contact the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office at 911 or 352-6432.

PHOTO: Sheriff’s Office

Most school children remember making a valentine or two in class. And most of us would give them to a parent or friend. Today there are all sorts of gifts that can be purchased to show the special person in your life your love.

The NPJ consulted the Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica for the history of the celebration. Here is what we found:

Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February.

The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century.

Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness.

The Natchitoches Parish School Board had a special called meetingThursday, Feb.13.

The meeting was called to order at 5 pm by President Billy Benefield.

There was a lengthy discussion in reference to deciding on the number of candidates to interview. The board received 14 applications. A motion was passed to interview all applicants.

Voting for the motion was Reba Phelps, Emile Metoyer, Steven Harris, Beverly Broadway, Katrina Willis, Dorothy McGaskey and Tankia Palmer.
Voting against the motion was Billy Benefield, Rhonda Guidroz, Russ Danzy and Eugene Garner.

The interviews will be held Feb. 19-21 beginning at 4 pm in the afternoon.

The interviews are open to the public.

Superintendent Applicants (Redacted Copies)
Please take the time to review (Click to view)

B.-Lawrence App
C.-Green-App
D.-Gray-App
E.-Jones-Jr-App
G.-Eloi-App
J.-Stroder-App
J.-Toro-App
J.-Winston-Jr-App
S.-Canady-App
T.-Hamilton-App
T.-Johnson-App
T.-Reeves-App

Parc Natchitoches held its open house Thursday, February 13. The sports complex boasts 5 baseball fields, 4 soccer fields and a freshly stocked fishing pond that will be ready for anglers shortly. Slated future features include a dog park, pavilions and walk/bike trails.

Natchitoches’ Mayor Lee Posey was joined by Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Warner and members of his department, members of the city council and NSU President, Dr. Chris Maggio, in welcoming the public to the complex’s open house. After the mayor’s remarks, the teams got down to business, playing the first games in what hopefully will be many more in the years to come. Junior high teams from Provencal, Marthaville, Magnet, Lab and St. Mary’s were joined by Many Junior High in opening the ballfields with baseball and softball contests.

The Parc is already proving to be a popular venue. City Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Warner pointed out that Parc Natchitoches is already booked for every weekend from now through August, 2020. The Parc will be hosting 40 teams on February 29 for a USSSA Softball Tournament. NSU Intramural Sports hosts games during the weekdays.

By Reba Phelps

My parents were never the conventional cookie-cutter type of parents. They didn’t really conform to the standards that society had pre-set for them. They were not bound by the confines of any tradition. I remember a few Thanksgiving Dinners that were fried fish and all of the non-traditional holiday fixings. There was not a turkey nor a pan of dressing to be found anywhere near our table that was set with store-brand paper plates and red Solo-cups.

They definitely marched to the beat of their own drum… a drum that was probably not shaped like a drum or even sounded like a drum.

This frame of mind was applied to everything in their colorful lives. So much so, that when my parents would have conversations about their funerals they had instructions that encompassed every detail that one could fathom.

My mother wanted to be cremated. She didn’t want flowers. She merely asked that people donate to the church instead of spending money on flowers that would soon perish. She wanted her ashes spread in the Bay of St. Louis on the Coast of Mississippi. Our parents briefly lived in the vicinity and often found much peace visiting the picturesque coastal town.

She did not want a headstone. This was one thing that gave me a little angst. My parents looked at everything on this earth as temporary and did not see the need to have a granite legacy left behind in their memory. They didn’t want a wake the night before. They were perfectly fine with opening the funeral home an hour before the service and letting everyone in.

Never in our wildest imaginations did we ever think we would need to use this information so quickly.

One night in April of 2011 I received the phone call that no child wants to be on the receiving end of…my mother unexpectedly passed away at home. She had been ill for two days and it was too much for her fragile health to endure.

All of the sudden I was faced with remembering the many conversations that we had as a family. My father helped fill in the blanks where we couldn’t. We received many family and friends. There were very few flowers, per her request. There was a cremation after her viewing.

It was just a beautiful celebration of life. Plain and simple.

Sometime had passed after the service and we were presented with my mom’s ashes. We knew exactly what to do with them. That was, until my brother called the powers that be in that picturesque coastal town. He was promptly told that we had to boat the ashes so many miles off shore and we had to have a biodegradable container. We could not merely spread them at sea.

Looking back, maybe we should not have been so ethical with obtaining permission. At this point we had no plan B. Months and months went by and we just couldn’t imagine where else she would want her ashes to spend their earthly days.

After much deliberation my father called the children to tell us that plan B would be a beautiful hilly area right outside of Ruston that my mother had always admired when they would drive to Arkansas. He really wanted to go about this alone.

Again, we let him march to the beat of his own drum.

Many years went by, eight to be exact, and I could not get this Ruston location off my mind. In 2019 I rode through Ruston on my way to Little Rock and I was determined to find the area where my mom’s ashes were spread.

I called my father, and he was adamant. “It’s just a big hill outside of Ruston, you cannot miss it.” Bearing those detailed directions in mind I just knew it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. As we were talking our conversation was interrupted by a work call. I chose to pullover while I talked so I would not miss this mysterious large hill.

While I was chatting on the phone I looked out the window I couldn’t help but notice the gigantic hill that engulfed the right side view of my car windows. This had to be without question the exact place. It was majestic. As majestic as a hill could be in Louisiana.

I sat in complete amazement.I truly could not understand how it took me eight years to get here. This is the closest thing we have to a gravesite for my mother. I expected many tears but they never came. There was just an unexplainable peace. I slowly drove on the shoulder of the road for a short time admiring the grassy unmarked gravesite.

As I was resuming my trip I noticed there was a street sign with the words, “Paradise Point.”

My inquisitive nature got the best of me so I called the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office to see how long that road had been named, “Paradise Point.”

After a few transfers and friendly voices, I was told it was named in 2013. Almost, exactly two years after my mom’s passing. It was so fitting and a peacefully gentle reminder that my mom was spending her time in paradise. In more ways than one.

“And he said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43

Rhodes Properties and Development is well known for its subdivision developments across the state, but one recent project holds a special place in the hearts of Owners Justin and James Rhodes.

“We were excited to help NSU Baseball this off season with a number of projects, including a locker room and stadium renovation,” said Justin. “They were much needed and well deserved.

The Brown-Stroud Field renovation project features nearly $600,000 worth of improvements to the longtime home of Demon baseball including a new press box, two executive suites, chairbacks across the entire grandstand and new concessions and bathrooms.

The facility enhancements also include a new look for the Northwestern State baseball locker room. The space inside the Northwestern State athletic fieldhouse has been reborn with an offseason facelift.

“We are so thankful for our relationship with Rhodes Properties and all they have done for us in our years here,” said Head Baseball Coach Bobby Barbier. “The help they gave us with the new locker room and the stadium are very small examples of the help they have provided over the last 5-6 years. Justin and James are my close personal friends, and I thank them for their assistance as well as their friendship.”

Named for the first two head baseball coaches in school history — C.C. Stroud (1912-30) and Alvin “Cracker” Brown (1949-66) — Brown-Stroud Field has been the home to nine Southland Conference championship teams.

The Northwestern State baseball team will host 35 games on 34 playing dates in a home-heavy 2020 season that keeps the Demons at home for nine weekend series, beginning with a season-opening, three-game set against Wichita State this Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16 at 6:30 pm on Friday, 2 pm on Saturday, and 1 pm on Sunday.

Additional weekend series at Brown-Stroud Field bring North Alabama (Feb. 21-23), Eastern Illinois (Feb. 28-March 1), Abilene Christian (March 6-8), Houston Baptist (March 27-29), Southeastern Louisiana (April 9-11), Stephen F. Austin (April 24-26) and Sam Houston State (May 8-10) to town.

The Demons will host Houston and Mercer the final weekend of the season, May 13-15.

In addition, midweek matchups against NCAA Regional participant Southern, Louisiana Tech, ULM, Grambling and Mississippi Valley State are on tap.

Baseball season ticket packages are available for $225 (VIP) and $125 (general admission) through the Northwestern State Athletics ticket office, online at www.NSUTickets.com or via phone at (318) 357-4268.

“We know Coach Barbier, his staff and the team appreciate the renovations,” said Justin. “We wish them the best of luck in the upcoming season and are excited for the future. Come out and support the Demons this weekend as they host Wichita State in the 2020 Season opener.

ForkEm Demons!”

When the Northwestern State baseball team opens its 2020 season Friday night against Wichita State, there will be quite a divide among the Demons in terms of Division I experience.

From a position player perspective, NSU returns 451 games of Division I experience. In terms of the Demons’ projected starting rotation for the three-game series with the Shockers, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Brown-Stroud Field, the total is 16 games with zero starts.

“It’s reminiscent of two years ago when we had a bunch of new guys,” fourth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. “When you have a lot of junior college guys, it happens that ways where you have these two-year cycles with a bunch of new guys infiltrating the program. It’s a good thing. It promotes competition. It puts them on the same playing field.”

Junior right-hander Logan Hofmann is tabbed to start the season opener for the Demons, headlining a rotation that brings with it just 16 games of Division I experience, all of which belong to projected Saturday starter Reed Michel.

Freshman right-hander Johnathan Harmon is slated to make his NSU debut as the starter in Sunday’s 1 p.m. series finale.

“We’ll have three guys toeing the rubber who haven’t done it as a starter and two haven’t done it at the Division I level,” Barbier said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how they react. That’s the unknow as a coach – how you’re going to react. We’re just preaching to them to attack. That’s been the message for a while, especially this week. We’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to make them going fast, and we’re going to understand and learn from them. The mentality we need this team to have is just to attack the game, attack the opponent. There are certain things in baseball you have to do well in order to perform well, and if we attack those, I think we’ll be fine.”

The Demons are coming off a 30-win season in which they reached the Southland Conference Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Wichita State, meanwhile, hit the reset button after a 28-31 season.

The Shockers brought back former Wichita State catcher Eric Wedge as its new head coach, pulling in a leader who won 774 Major League Baseball games as the manager of the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners across 10 seasons. While two of the Shockers’ three projected starting pitchers are returners, Wichita State will send its own junior college right-hander, Jake Hamilton, to the mound in Friday’s season opener.

Right-hander Liam Eddy (5-8, 5.04 in 2019) will oppose Michel (2-2, 4.41 in 2018) in Saturday’s 2 p.m. matchup before right-hander Preston Snavely (3-4, 6.21) duels against Harmon in Sunday’s finale.

The series marks the start of an eight-game, season-opening homestand for the Demons, who are scheduled to play 35 home games in 2020 at Brown-Stroud Field, which underwent further renovations in the offseason.

“We’ve got the new stadium, and it will be great to open up with a perennial powerhouse in Wichita State,” Barbier said. “They have a new coach, and it will be nice for them to see Natchitoches. It’s exciting to have so many games at home. When you have those home games then go on the road for two weeks, you can lose that engagement with the fans. Hopefully, we’ll get off to a good start, and we’ll be home for a little while.”

While the Demons must replace all but 75 1-3 innings from their 2019 pitching staff, they return several offensive starters, including second-team preseason All-Southland Conference outfielder Tyler Smith.

Smith, a senior from Franklinton, led the Demons with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs in 2019. He enters his final Northwestern State season three home runs shy of the NSU career top 10 and could find himself among the program’s top 10 career leaders in several categories by the close of the season.

In addition to ranking 146th on the NCAA’s listing of the top hitters by analytics a season ago, Smith has recorded 22 career outfield assists, showcasing his all-around ability.

“I’m so proud of Tyler,” Barbier said. “You guys see more of the top-150 hitter in the country type of things, but I see when he got here as a freshman. He played a decent amount then, but he has grown so much as a man in the past four years and shown tremendous growth as a player. He’s one of the neatest stories to me as a coach. He’s been such a joy to coach over these four years, and I’m glad we get one last run with him.”

Friday’s game will air on 95.9 FM Kix Country and the Demon Sports Network while streaming audio and video of all three games will be available through http://www.NSUDemons.com.

The weekend series is part of Super 1 Foods Kids Weekend at Northwestern State. All children’s tickets for NSU sporting events this weekend are discounted to $3. As always, members of Vic’s Kids Club are admitted free to Demons and Lady Demons home games.

Series Probables
Friday: Wichita State RHP Jake Hamilton at Northwestern State RHP Logan Hofmann
Saturday: Wichita State RHP Liam Eddy (5-8, 5.04) at Northwestern State LHP Reed Michel (2-2, 4.41 – 2018 stats)
Sunday: Wichita State RHP Preston Snavely (3-4, 6.21) at Northwestern State RHP Johnathan Harmon

Photo Credit: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

The only good thing about this weekend is the Mardi Gras ball. That means that some Methodists will be snoozing on Sunday morning. They spent the evening out rejoicing in the Lord and grooving to the music. They may have over consumed and will not have the spiritual energy to get out of bed and come hear me preach. Sunday will be one of “those days” in the Methodist Church.

If you don’t know much about us. We have a unique way of moving ministers. We call it the itineracy. We have been doing it this way for a couple of hundred years now. It is a strange thing to watch.

Move day is June 30th. On that day the departing minister will leave the parsonage in the morning. In the afternoon the newly appointed pastor will pull in the driveway and move in. When I moved here the time between departing minister and arriving minister was about fifteen minutes.

The Methodists are learning that I am leaving at the end of June. I have been appointed to lead one of the Conference’s largest churches. The church is in Ruston. The great news for my bride is that I will be living with her fulltime. I will commute from Gibsland to Ruston. It is a twenty-minute drive. It is a fifteen-minute drive if law enforcement in Bienville and Lincoln Parishes are not paying attention.

I have developed bad habits these last four years of living alone. I must learn to fold clothes again. I’m sure I will not be allowed to keep all my clothes in the dryer. My diet will be more than McDonald’s and Huddle House. Although I have grown fond of Huddle House salads. I will be forced to share the TV remote.

I will miss Natchitoches. I will miss spelling it when I order something over the telephone. I will miss Christmas Festival. It was officially fall when the lights started going up along the riverbank. It is officially spring when all the lights are back in storage. I will not miss the traffic and our guests who drive 5 miles an hour when we are in a hurry. “Look Ethel, Christmas lights!”

I will miss the Methodists. They are such a fun group to hang out with, except for about six of them. Those six are real pains in the . . . But the pains are in every church. I have often wondered if they are related. They all read from the same script, complain about the same things and won’t lift a finger to help. They have the spiritual gift of complaining. If you don’t know who they are in your church, you might be them!

You will look up in June and I’ll still be here. My official start date at the new church is July 1. They give us and the church all sorts of time to get used to the idea of each other. I will be saying my farewells for these next four months. I have grown fond of you. Thank you for reading these little tomes. Thank you, Methodists, for loving your pastor. Thank you, God, for giving me these 10 great years.

For my friends reading this in the Bienville Democrat, “Look out here I come.”

Enough of this, I’ll return to my weekly frivolity next week. See you then!

NSU– Here is a look at the week of Feb. 16-22 at Northwestern State University.

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

Feb. 16 – Baseball vs. Wichita State, 1 p.m., Brown-Stroud Field

Feb. 17 — Cellist Paul Christopher recital with pianists Dr. Chialing Hsieh and Michael Young, LSMSA Recital Hall, 6 p.m.

Feb. 18 — Free Praxis Preparation Seminar, Core Reading , Teacher Education Center 106 C, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Feb. 18 – Baseball vs. UL Monroe, 6 p.m., Brown-Stroud Field

Feb. 18 – Helping Hands Black History Month Program, Magale Recital Hall, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 18 – Department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts screening of film “112 Weddings,” Varnado Hall Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 18 – NSU Wind Symphony, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19 – Education Rising Louisiana Conference

Feb. 19 — Free Praxis Preparation Seminar, Core Mathematics, Teacher Education Center 106 C, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Feb. 19 – Men’s basketball vs. Nicholls, Prather Coliseum, 6 p.m.

Feb. 19 – NSU Jazz Orchestra, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20-23 – NSU hosts the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Conference

Feb. 20 – Living Library program on Ben D. Johnson, Ora G. Williams Digital Media Center, Kyser Hall Room 142, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 20 – Cane River Reading Series, Friedman Student Union Ballroom, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 21 – Tennis vs. Southern Mississippi, Jack Fisher Tennis Complex, 1 p.m.

Feb. 21 – Baseball vs. North Alabama, Brown-Stroud Field, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 21 – NSU Wind Symphony performs as part of the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Conference, A.A. Fredericks Auditorium, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 22 – Baseball vs. North Alabama, Brown-Stroud Field, 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

Lakeview FFA members participated in the LSU State Livestock Show by showing broilers. The FFA members received the broiler chicks in January and began to care for them daily by regulating temperature, feeding and watering, and cleaning out their shavings. The broilers were 6 weeks old at the time of the show where they were judged based on muscling and uniformity. The following FFA members placed in showmanship with their broilers in the Senior (17) Division: Gracie Niette 9th, Emily Windham 7th, and Salem Johnson 6th. Meagan Corley placed 7th in the Senior (15) Division. All broilers placed 3rd overall.

Pictured are Salem Johnson, Gracie Niette, Meagan Corley, and Emily Windham with their showmanship ribbons.

The senior religion classes from St. Mary’s School visited area nursing homes Feb. 12 and brought candy, flowers, and cards to the residents. One group, led by Tara Whitehead, visited Community Care Nursing Home, where they brought Valentine wishes to resident Levi Thompson, former principal and coach of St. Mary’s School.

Pictured with Thompson are Madison Lester, Raegan Davis, Brady Poche, Sage Smith, Mallory Lee, Evan Gandy, Caleb Snody, Sarah Stamey, Jordan White, Thomas Howell, and Corey Fusion. Another group of seniors, led by high school religion teacher Tracie Key, visited the Natchitoches Nursing and Rehab Center.

I am the daughter of Daymon Payton and the late Nancy Ann Washington. I’ve been married to Shannon Lee Elie for 17 years. I’ve worked for the United States Postal Service for 12 years, in Community Transportation for 17 years, and with Domestic Violence for 6 years.

Natchitoches is a great place to live and I believe we are all in this together, from our homes, neighborhoods, and our district. We all want District 4 to be strong for a better place in the future. This strength is best seen in our neighborhoods, which are the heart and soul of our city. Of course, we need to revitalize the downtown, but our neighborhoods should be a place where people can feel and show a sense of pride.

I’d like to focus on infrastructure to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized for improvement of our communities. I’d like to see roads in District 4 improved by overlaying them instead of patching. I’d like to see drainage improved to avoid flooding residents’ yards and backup drainage.

I’d also like to focus on public safety. We need to keep our youth safe by making them our #1 priority. We need to provide constructive activities and community events to engage our youth. We need to provide job training and opportunities for our youth through job skills, good work habits and building self esteem. We also need to help clean up the neighbors by involving our community.

There are things going on with our youth that may be different from our elders. Many elders have said that people have died for your right to vote. This declaration has been passed down from generation to generation as a reminder of the importance of your right to vote. The people in District 4 need to understand that there’s a lot of power in politics. It can control our destiny and our economy. Because it hasn’t worked in the past, people just dismissed it by saying, “It doesn’t matter who the mayor is, or the local school superintendent, or who is on the City Council.”

We need to be fully engaged in what matters now. Let me be your voice. Vote #183. Early voting is March 21-28 and Election Day is April 4.

Louisiana’s definition of a distracted or inattentive driver is one who is actively engaged in any activity that diverts his/her attention away from the task of driving.

The work of public agencies, stakeholder groups and victim-related organizations have done a tremendous job of providing awareness concerning the leading causes of distracted driving and its impacts. As secretary, I am convinced that there is more to be done to raise awareness concerning the often dangerous and life-risking jobs of the men and women of DOTD.

At DOTD, safety is our top priority. We continue to act to raise awareness of this issue. Each year, we participate in national and local safety initiatives working closely with our partners, such as Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, to remind motorists to avoid driving distracted or impaired. While we have improved our safety measures in work zones, we are appealing to citizens we serve to be an engaged partner and do their part.

On Monday, February 3, 2020, Dwayne Pitre, a dedicated DOTD employee performing his duties by picking up litter, was struck by a vehicle in a work zone. He was seriously injured when a distracted driver swerved to avoid slowing traffic on I-49, hitting Dwayne instead. This public servant now faces an extensive recovery process that is sure to place an undue financial and physical burden that he certainly didn’t expect when he left for work on Monday morning.

Adhering to protocol, Dwayne was equipped with his safety vest, the emergency lights on his vehicle were activated and he and his co-worker were a safe distance away from traffic. Thankfully, Dwayne is still with us, but for the DOTD family these accidents have seemed to end much grimmer recently.

Since my appointment, I have had the unfortunate, but significant, responsibility to call and console the families of Mr. Johnny Cole and Mr. Paul Featherston after both of these men were killed in the line of duty. Both of these dedicated employees were along our highways installing signs and repairing pot holes, respectively, when they were unexpectedly killed by distracted drivers. These two deaths help account for the 46 employees who have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1976, DOTD’s inception.

In an effort to combat these terrible incidents, DOTD recently introduced several safety enhancements, which include additional personnel on work crews to monitor traffic, the extension of work zones and the addition of impact-absorbing trailers that provide warning lights and flashing arrows. Additionally, we are changing our safety color patterns to include a vivid green. This green will be displayed with yellow on our uniforms and be added to our emergency light regime.

While the loss of our employees and nature of their jobs warrant these changes, as aforementioned, we can’t fight distracted driving alone. We need you! Join us in establishing policy solutions to keep Louisianans safe. It is incumbent upon each of us to protect one another. Avoidable deaths are sobering reminders that these men and women are our family, friends and neighbors. We need your support to not only work to eradicate distracted driving and its impacts, but to ensure that our workers stay safe and are afforded every protection and benefit that is equal to the sacrifice and risk they take daily!

Sincerely,

Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D.

Secretary, LA Department of Transportation and Development

NATCHITOCHES:
Louis Lowrey
November 24, 1941 – February 11, 2020
Visitation: Friday, February 14 from 5-8 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, February 15 at 10 am at Immaculate Conception
Interment: American Cemetery

Wayne Paul Antee
July 9, 1958 – February 9, 2020
Service:  Tuesday February 18 at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Natchitoches, La 9:30 visitation 11:00 mass

Mary Elizabeth Poleman Keyser
August 22, 1922 – February 07, 2020
Service: Friday, February 14 at 10 am at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception\
Interment: Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum in Natchitoches

Will Scott
February 14, 1968 – February 9, 2020
Visitation: Friday, February 14 from 12- 2 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Friday, February 14 at 2 pm at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Memory Lawn Cemetery

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

SABINE:
John P. Honaker, III of Fort Walton Beach, Florida
September 8, 1944 – February 8, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 15 at 11 am at St. Ann Catholic Cemetery in Ebarb

RAPIDES:
Rebecca Alexander
January 7, 1948 – February 8, 2020
Ida M. Daigrepont
October 21, 1929 – February 5, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 15 at 1 pm at Alexandria Memorial Gardens

WINN PARISH:
Rev. Gary Lynn Wright
June 8, 1947 – February 10, 2020
Service: Friday, February 14 at 10 am at Zion Baptist Church

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

Sabine Parish– In early February 2020, the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Special Victims Unit (LSP SVU) was contacted by the Many Police Department for assistance with a complaint involving an illicit social media video containing the sexual battery of a juvenile. The video was determined to involve students at Many High School.

As a result of the investigation and information obtained, arrest warrants were issued for seven juvenile students and one 18-year-old student. The juvenile students were arrested for a variety of charges, which consisted of some or all of the following: sexual battery, 2nd degree kidnapping, and pornography involving juveniles. The adult student, Quacie Kerlegon, was arrest for sexual battery and 2nd degree kidnapping. He was booked into the Sabine Parish Detention Center.

Many Police Department and the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted LSP with the investigation. The Sabine Parish School Board has been cooperative with all investigative requests.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. There is no further information available at this time.

The Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival has announced its main stage lineup for its 24th annual festival which will be held on the beautiful downtown Natchitoches riverbank on May 15th and 16th.

According to Entertainment Chairman, Daniel Page, “This year’s festival boasts probably the greatest and most diverse variety of acts we’ve ever had. There is truly going to be something for everyone including Rock & Roll, Country, R&B, Classic Rock, Soul, Hip Hop, Zydeco, and, of course, Jazz. If you can’t find something there you like, you just don’t like music.”

Rising Country star Lucas Jagneaux and The Road Show will kick off Friday evening’s entertainment. Jagneaux is one of the hottest singer/songwriters in the region, and has had several of his songs zooming up the Country charts over the past year.

He will be followed on Friday night by popular Zydeco/R&B legend, Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band, and the evening’s festivities will be closed out by perennial favorite, L. A. Roxx, dubbed “The World’s Greatest Arena Rock Tribute Band.”

Saturday’s action gets rowdy early with the Rowdy Friends Revue: A Hank Williams, Jr. Tribute kicking things off on the main stage. This show, featuring Country sensation, Dustin Sonnier, has the look, sound and feel of a Hank Williams, Jr. concert down pat.

The Hank Williams, Jr. Tribute will be followed on the main stage by local and regional favorite, Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, whose performance at this year’s festival is themed “Sweet Soul Music” and will focus on the horn-driven Soul and R&B music from the 60’s through today.

At the end of their set, the Moondogs will be joined by the legendary Peter Rivera, the original singer and drummer of the multi-platinum group, Rare Earth. Rare Earth was signed to Motown Records in 1970 and sold over 25 million records and went on to record many gold and platinum albums, and they garnered no less than five Top 10 hits including, “I Know I’m Losing You,” “Get Ready,” “Born To Wander,” “Hey, Big Brother,” and the anthemic, “I Just Want To Celebrate.”

Back by popular demand are Cupid and the Dance Party Express. In 2007, Bryson “Cupid” Bernard shuffled his way into the hearts of millions with the up tempo party song “Cupid Shuffle,” which also inspired the popular dance craze of the same name. Cupid has virtually reshaped dance music and created an entirely new genre. His high-energy show is a combination of Soul, R&B, Zyedco, and Hip Hop which will make everyone want to get up and dance.

This year’s festival will be closed out in a spectacular way, with a performance by AC/DC Tribute Band, Back In Black. This Dallas-based band has been nationally recognized as the top AC/DC Tribute Band in the world. Back In Black are so authentic that their lead singer was invited to audition for the real AC/DC. AC/DC is no longer touring and Back In Black is as close as you will ever come to seeing the original band.

The Northwestern State soccer program has added to its 2020 signing class with the signing of goalkeeper Keyla Perez.

Perez, a Georgetown (Texas) High School product, was named district Goalkeeper MVP as a junior, leading her school to the district championship.

“She has great size and physical attributes for the position,” Jobe said. “She is great coming off the line and will make that position group even stronger heading into 2020.”

She is brought in to add a third goalkeeper to the Lady Demons roster, replacing Kayla Bomben, who was a senior in 2019.

“We want to keep a healthy level of competition at that position,” co-head coach Jess Jobe said. “She’ll be able to develop nicely and I think she has a great future for us.”

Perez joins junior Acelya Aydogmus and redshirt freshman Savannah Hall as goalkeepers on the NSU roster.

In district play, she allowed only one goal as a junior and has led Georgetown to a top-10 ranking in Texas Class 5A.

“We’re excited to get Keyla, who is not only a great athlete, but a great person,” Jobe said.

Co-head coaches Jess and Anna Jobe announced the signing of six signees in November, capitalizing on a strong 2019 season that saw the Lady Demons have their best season since 2005 and reach the conference tournament title game.

Photo Credit: Site graphic, NSU Sports Information

The City of Natchitoches would like to invite citizens to view the embargoed draft of the Natchitoches Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and Natchitoches Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan at the following locations between February 27th and March 17th.

Natchitoches City Hall
700 Second Street
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Closed 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau
780 Front Street, Suite 100
Office Hours: Monday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The documents can also be accessed via the City’s website at https://www.natchitochesla.gov/content/city-natchitoches-bicycle-pedestrian-plan

This final phase of the project will allow citizens to view the documents as well as issue public comments. The City encourages citizen participation for anyone interested in enhancing the quality of life by improving walking and biking infrastructure within the City of Natchitoches.

For more information, please contact City Hall at (318)352-2772.

A staunch defensive effort and second-half offensive surge led to Northwestern State’s third straight win Wednesday in a 70-60 triumph against Incarnate Word in Prather Coliseum.

After both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, NSU (11-12, 8-6 Southland Conference) shot 53 percent in the second half as the Demons separated from the Cardinals (7-17, 4-9 SLC).

NSU ended the first half on a 6-0 run to build a 27-24 edge before scoring the first eight points of the second half to piece together a 14-0 run overall (35-24 lead).

“We got going at the end of the first half and then started the second half on a big run,” said NSU coach Mike McConathy. “We had to continue to fight and hold on because we didn’t always make the play we needed to make.

“We competed better in the second half after going through the motions early. They have an opportunity to do something special if they just all buy in to letting go of some personal things sometimes to increase our success.”

The scoring in the decisive run was just as balanced as the overall scoring. Six different Demons contributed in the 14-0 spurt, including 3-pointers by Jairus Roberson and Jovan Zelenbaba and a 3-point play from C.J. Jones.

Overall, nine NSU players scored at least five points with six of those scoring seven or more points.

Trenton Massner led the way with 12 points on 4-5 shooting with Chudier Bile pitching in 10 points and eight rebounds. Massner had a balanced game as well, adding six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Roberson, Brian White and Nikos Chougkaz all had eight points. White scored all eight of his points in the second half while Chougkaz scored six after halftime.

“We had a slow first half, and (McConathy) got on to us at halftime and got it out of us,” White said. “We had to pick it up because we want a good tournament seed, and that motivation really helped us out toward the end.

“On the defensive end, we could have rebounded better, but we started switching on the screens because they were playing so small. Coach made a great adjustment that helped us.”

UIW got as close as six points with four minutes remaining on a Drew Lutz three-pointer, but NSU scored eight of the next 10 points with Chougkaz scoring four of those.

The Cardinals shot just 36 percent from the floor as NSU has held six of its last eight opponents to under 40 percent shooting.

Three-pointers (UIW made eight) and free throws (UIW had a 12-9 edge) allowed the Cardinals to hang around, but the Demons dominated in the paint (36-18), points off turnovers (19-7) and in second-chance points (13-5). NSU forced 21 turnovers, its most in conference play.

“Those were big tonight, and I don’t know if we’ve outscored anybody in points off turnovers this season,” McConathy said. “We forced some early turnovers in the second half that allowed us to get out to a bigger lead, and then we hung on.”

The three-game winning streak in SLC play is NSU’s first in three years, dating back to a three-game streak led by the return of guard Zeek Woodley to end the 2016-17 season as Demons missed the SLC Tournament on a tiebreaker.

The current Demons appear to be in much better shape for a tournament slot this season with six games remaining. NSU is tied for fifth place with Central Arkansas (8-6 SLC) with seventh-place McNeese (7-6 SLC) visiting Prather Coliseum in a rivalry matchup Saturday at 3 p.m.

NSU has a two-game edge on the eighth and final tournament spot with Lamar (6-8 SLC) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-8 SLC) battling. There’s also just a two-game deficit for the No. 2 seed as Nicholls (10-4 SLC) won Wednesday.

The eight conference wins is NSU’s most since 2014-15 when the Demons went 13-5 in league play.

CREDIT: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

The Helping Hands organization at Northwestern State University will host its 20th annual Black History Program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Magale Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

According to Jamie Flanagan, assistant director of TRiO Student Support Services, the program was organized by students and will include singing, dancing, spoken work presentations and more.

Helping Hands is a student-led community service organization that works with several philanthropies and civic groups on the NSU campus and in the Natchitoches community such as DOVES, National Night Out, Natchitoches Parish Library, Boys and Girls Club, Natchitoches Parish School Board, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and Head Start.

For more information on the Black History Program, contact Flanagan at (318) 357-5674.