By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Northwestern State has hired its first African-American head coach in a major sport, naming 41-year-old Corey Gipson to take over the Demons’ basketball program Monday, a week after the departure of iconic 23-year head coach Mike McConathy.

Gipson comes to Northwestern after spending seven years on the Missouri State staff. He was named associate head coach 11 months after joining the Bears’ staff and during those six years, the tradition-rich program averaged 18 wins a season, including a 23-11 mark in 2021-22 that landed a National Invitation Tournament berth out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

He was a point guard for two seasons at Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley Conference, helping the Governors reach the 2003 NCAA Tournament as a junior. A native of Sikeston, Missouri, Gipson played junior college ball at Three Rivers Community College in his home state.

His coaching career began at Division II Virginia State, recruiting players who won a 2007 conference championship. He worked at UNC Greensboro, in the hometown of new NSU athletics director Kevin Bostian, from 2009-12, the last two years as associate head coach. Gipson then moved to Austin Peay as an assistant before taking the Missouri State post.

Bostian outlined his plan for a speedy search and targeted today as the date to make a hire. He cited the urgency of possible departures from NSU’s roster, filled with underclassmen led by first-team All-Southland Conference center Kendal Coleman, the Captain Shreve product who entered the portal last Monday and reportedly has about three dozen offers including from Oklahoma and Marquette.

Dealing with potential attrition, and also adding players through the portal, were primary factors in Bostian’s timetable.

Gipson will be introduced to the media and NSU supporters at 10 a.m. Wednesday at a news conference in the Lucille Mertz Hendrick Room (Room 121) inside the Friedman Student Union on the Northwestern State campus.

In the NSU athletic department’s announcement Monday, Gipson was appreciative.

“This is very humbling, first and foremost, to be able to take the helm of a program with so much history and tradition,” said Gipson. “My family and I are elated to be going to a historic community and a program where coach McConathy has built such a great legacy. He paved the way for me and my family to come in and have a chance to push that legacy forward. It is an opportunity we do not take lightly. We see it as a privilege.

“I want to thank the administration – Dr. Jones, (Director of Athletics) Kevin (Bostian), (Executive Vice President for External Affairs) Jerry (Pierce) – for trusting me to take the helm of the program.”

“As we went through the search process, it was clear Corey possessed all the qualities we desired in a coach,” Bostian said. “We look forward to him building upon the great legacy coach McConathy built here at Northwestern State. Corey has been successful at every stop in his career. He is a strong coach and recruiter, but more importantly, he has a track record of developing student-athletes into better young men on and away from the game of basketball.”

NSU president Dr. Marcus Jones said, “Corey Gipson has the professional experience and the family-oriented personal image and reputation to make him an excellent fit for the head men’s basketball coach position at Northwestern.”

He added, “I am confident that Corey will maintain the rich history and traditions of the program as coach Mike McConathy did for 23 years before his retirement and will work to guide NSU basketball to even greater success on the court and increased support from students, alumni and other fans.”

There was no immediate indication of the status of other members of the outgoing NSU basketball staff, including longtime assistants Jeff Moore and Dave Simmons. Moore, associate head coach, did interview for the vacant position last Wednesday morning.

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There will be a regularly scheduled meeting of the Natchitoches Parish Council Monday, March 21 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Council Board Room, #211 on the 2nd Floor of the Courthouse.

Watch LIVE:

https://www.facebook.com/NPJNatLa

Agenda:

Council to confirm the appointment of Mr. Gregory Brock on the Saline Lake Game and Fish Preserve Board of Commissioners.

First Introduction of proposed Ordinances:

Council to consider an Adoption of Ordinance 009-2022 to remove section 1.11 The Recording Policy from the Natchitoches Parish Personnel Manual due to being unconstitutional and by the Revised Statute.

Public Hearings:

Council to consider an Adoption of Ordinance 006-2022 to amend, correct and re-adopt Residential Development Permit Fees of Ordinance 8-2014.

Council to consider an Adoption of Ordinance 007-2022 An Ordinance to amend the minimum acreage and requested documentation for subdividing property in Natchitoches Parish and all its participating municipalities.

Council to consider an Adoption of Ordinance 008-2022 allowing the Parish President to enter into a franchise agreement with all utility providers serving locations within Natchitoches Parish as allowed by law. And furthermore, to allocate all new franchise monies to be dedicated to the Highway fund.

Other Agenda Items:

Council to consider authorizing the Parish President to distribute a Request for Proposals for procuring the services of a geotechnical testing firm for borings and soil testing to assist the Parish Engineer in the pavement design for the resurfacing of Hart Road and Harmony Road, at an estimated cost not to exceed $20,000 and, following evaluation of the proposals received, to select the proposal that is in the Parish’s best interests based on the proposed cost and estimated delivery date, and to execute a contract with the selected firm.

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Twenty young scholars from The Academy of Dallas Public Charter School visited Natchitoches this weekend as part of their Practicum in which they travel, learn, and try out some of the new skills they have learned. Dr. Ross F. Williams, a Natchitoches native and current Superintendent of the school, lead the tour. The students toured Roque’s Farm, NSU, The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, and downtown Natchitoches. They also took a ride on the Cane River Queen riverboat and enjoyed meatpies while listening to a talk on entrepreneurship from the owners of the iconic Lasyone’s Restaurant.

Dr. Williams is a 1988 alumni of Natchitoches Central High School who went on to Southern University and Central Michigan University before earning his Doctorate from Saint Thomas University. He hails from a local family of business owners who were also prominent activists in the civil rights era in our city. The Academy of Dallas Public Charter School is a Pre-K through 8th grade school founded in 1998 with a sister facility in San Antonio. The school offers the regular Texas curriculum with an additional focus on teaching entrepreneurship. While in Natchitoches, the students also attended the film festival. As part of their practicum, the students are working on their own video production “The Natchitoches Experience: Legacy of a Native Son”, a film exploring the history of our city, the Williams family and the civil rights era.

The students culminated their trip as guests of Asbury United Methodist Church, the church in which Dr. Williams grew up. The Natchitoches Parish Journal extends its best wishes to these young men and women as they continue their academic journeys. We also hope that this is the first of many visits by future classes of the Academy of Dallas Public Charter School. Natchitoches people going out into the larger world and making their mark is always a joy to see.

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Natchitoches’ Front Street was transformed into a rollicking street party as the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce’s Natchitoches Young Professionals hosted its 7th annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl Saturday, March 19. The popular event was back in business as over 400 pub crawlers, many in colorful costumes, walked the length of Front Street. The partygoers visited businesses along Front St. to draw a card for the event’s poker run as well as enjoy food and drink specials.

Sixteen volunteers from Natchitoches’ Womens’ Resource Center staffed the poker run stations and helped out where needed. The Center was the NYP’s Non-Profit partner for the event, garnering $1,000.00 which will be used to train a nurse in using an ultrasound machine. The additional trained nurse will mean that no woman in the parish, or surrounding area, will have to wait more than a week for an ultrasound.

The pub crawl culminated at the riverbank stage where entertainment was provided by area band “Deaf Jam”.

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Nine North Louisiana senior scholar-athletes, including Graeme Fidalek of St. Mary’s, along with legendary retired Northwestern State football coach Sam Goodwin will be honored Thursday night at the annual National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet in Shreveport.

Receiving NFF Scholar-Athlete Awards and scholarship grants along with Fidalek will be Caleb Aillet of Byrd, West Monroe’s Tag Banks, Tonzaiha Bland of Logansport, Luke Gibson of Mangham, Connor Heard from Minden, Benton’s R.J. Moore and Jed Worthey III of Cedar Creek.

Evan Howe of North DeSoto is the first recipient of the KTBS/Johnny’s Pizza Bob Griffin Scholarship, named in tribute of the iconic local TV sportscaster who covered area high school football and other sports for over a half-century. Griffin was also on the local NFF chapter’s board of directors.

Head football coaches around north Louisiana nominated senior players who carry at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average, have earned all-district honors and are involved in extracurricular activities.

The event hosted by the NFF’s S.M. McNaughton Chapter of North Louisiana begins with a social hour at 6 at East Ridge Country Club in Shreveport. Tickets ($40 individual, $320 for a table of eight) are available by calling McNaughton Chapter secretary Toni Goodin at 318-347-4453.

Goodwin will receive the McNaughton chapter’s Contributions to Amateur Football Award. He is the winningest football coach in Northwestern history with 102 wins from 1983-99. His Demons won conference championships in 1984, 1988, 1997 and 1998, making FCS playoff appearances in the latter three seasons and reaching the national semifinals in 1998.

Thirty-eight of his players reached the NFL, and 22 won All-American honors, including College Football Hall of Fame member Gary Reasons. Goodwin also coached 1998 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete winner Dr. William Broussard and two other Academic All-Americans, along with 42 all-conference selections. After ending his collegiate coaching and administrative career, his love for coaching the game returned him to prep football sidelines in Arkansas and then back in Louisiana at Pineville, Alexandria Senior High, Natchitoches Central, Lakeview and St. Mary’s.

The Pineville native is in the Southland Conference Hall of Honor, NSU’s N-Club Hall of Fame, and the hall of fame at his alma mater (Henderson State) and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame for his playing career at Henderson and his high school coaching accomplishments in the 1970s at Little Rock-Parkview, where his teams won five state championships in the nine seasons he started the program and coached there.

The winner of the McNaughton Chapter’s Distinguished American Award is KTBS-TV general manager George Sirven, who has led KTBS as the station emerged as a significant community partner with its sponsorship of major events such as the Freedom Fest Fourth of July celebration, and promotion of many civic causes including St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Last fall, KTBS celebrated the 25th anniversary of its popular Friday Football Fever scoreboard show, which was just named Best Sports Show by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters. The native Cuban is a naturalized American citizen who early in his television career shot high school football footage for Griffin when both worked for KSLA-TV.

Past winners of the Contribution to Amateur Football awards given by the McNaughton Chapter since 1981 include Eddie Robinson, John David Crow, Dub and Bert Jones, Joe Ferguson, Doug Williams, Jerry Byrd, Chick Childress, Red Franklin, Tommy Henry, and Griffin. Along with Byrd and Henry, Northwestern alumni Jack Clayton and Charlie Hennigan won the award, while former NSU athletic director Greg Burke was the 2012 winner and former Demon assistant coaches Don Shows (2011), Broderick Fobbs (2016), Joe Raymond Peace (2017) and Jerry Arledge (2019) were also recipients.

Among the former Distinguished American Award winners are Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, Orvis Sigler, Dr. William Bundrick, Tim Brando, James Davison, John McConathy, Billy Montgomery and Pro Football Hall of Famer Johnny Robinson. McConathy and Montgomery are NSU alumni, along with prior winners Tynes Hildebrand (1997), Walter Ledet (1999), Harry Turpin (2001), and Doug Ireland (2008).

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The National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom accepted Magnolia and Oakland Plantations, managed by Cane River Creole National Historical Park, as two of over 700 sites, programs, and facilities within the Network. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom is a federal program that commemorates the stories of the men and women who risked everything for freedom and those who helped them. It honors, preserves, and promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight worldwide.

“Magnolia and Oakland Plantations preserve powerful and emotional stories about the struggle for freedom,” said Chief of Interpretation Barbara Justice. “These are stories of courage and determination that show how enslaved people actively fought against enslavement and challenged systemic racism in our nation.”

Although written documentation is scarce, Magnolia Plantation is associated with escapes by enslaved Africans during the 1804 Insurrection from Rivière aux Cannes (Cane River), where at least 30 enslaved people left the plantations of Maria Dupre, Alexis Cloutier, Emmanuel Derbanne, Ambroise LeComte, and Louis Derbanne. These freedom seekers crossed the LeCompte (Magnolia) Plantation land enroute to Los Adaes (another Network to Freedom site) and sought freedom in Spanish Texas. The plantation is also associated with an 1863 freedom seeker named Anderson who escaped with two others named Arnold and Alfred from adjacent plantations.

Oakland Plantation is unique in that several historical records remain, helping piece together what life would have looked like at the plantation. However, the written records are primarily from the perspective of the white, planter class of the Prud’homme family and there are few mentions of the enslaved population. The few records that do remain indicate that several enslaved people escaped to freedom, just prior to the end of the Civil War. During the 1864 Red River Campaign, thirty-six enslaved men, women and children left with the U.S. soldiers as the army moved through the area. Edmo, Andrew, Charles, Cesaire, Jules Russel, Seraphine Edmonds, and Collins Page are a few of the named individuals that escaped to freedom during that time. Though there may be other undocumented freedom seekers from earlier years, there is no mention of them.

The grounds of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nearly eighty original buildings remain, many open for self-guided tours from Wednesday through Sunday, including several that are historically furnished. Park staff conduct tours of the plantation grounds daily Wednesday through Sunday. In addition, the park offers a cell phone tour. The Oakland Main House is open for self-guided tours from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Magnolia Main House is privately owned and is not open to the public. For more information call the park at 318-352-0383, ext. 316.

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The Natchitoches Police Department is investigating a homicide and shooting that took place late Thursday night.

On March 17, 2022 around 10:26 p.m., officers with the Natchitoches Police Department responded to the Bailey Heights neighborhood in reference to hearing multiple gunshots in the area. While responding to the area Police Communication Officers were notified that two gunshot victims were in front of a residence in the 1000 block of Amulet Street. Upon officers’ arrival they located one of the victims that was struck once by gun fire and another victim Kimanesha Carter (B/F, 28 y.o.a. of Natchitoches) suffering from several gunshot wounds in the rear of a vehicle. Kimanesha Carter was pronounced deceased by the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office as a result of her injuries and the other victim was transported to the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center for further treatment.

This investigation is ongoing and the Natchitoches Police Department will release more details as they become available.

How to report an anonymous tip via Natchitoches Crime Stoppers:

You can report a tip anonymously by calling Natchitoches Crime Stoppers at (318) 238-2388. All tips remain confidential and the caller can receive a cash reward up to $2,000 for the arrest of an offender.

If you would like to report suspicious activity please contact the Natchitoches Police Department at (318) 352-8101 or if you have additional information in regards to this investigation please contact Detective Trent Perritt at (318) 238-3914. Remember all information given shall remain confidential.

Corporal John Greely
Public Information Officer
Natchitoches Police Department

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Sophomore Djimon Gumbs broke Northwestern State’s discus record twice Friday on the opening day of the TCU Invitational.

Gumbs’ third throw of 182-6 broke a more than 25-year-old record, and with the event win and school record already in hand, Gumbs bested his own mark with a 183-11 on his final throw.

NSU’s previous record holder Allen Smith tossed a 180-8 in 1996.

“DJ didn’t actually look great out there, but he grinded out some good throws,” said NSU coach Mike Heimerman. “The conditions were decent, a little bit chilly.

“But he and his brother Diamante will only get better and better.”

Diamante Gumbs fouled on his first two throws and faced the prospect of not advancing to the final three throws.

But he put those thoughts to rest by unleashing a personal record 179-5 on his third throw, which now stands third all-time in the NSU record book.

“With the twins being first and third after just the first full meet, that shows how special they are,” Heimerman said.

NSU had three of the top five discus throwers with Tarajh Hudson placing fifth with a personal best 163-5.

“Tarajh had a consistent day today, and then you have a Johnny Mitchell that finished ninth at 139-10 despite picking up the disc for only the second time since high school,” Heimerman said. “All four of those men work and feed off each other’s energy, so it will be a fun season.

“We have been looking forward to outdoor season, and this is a great start.”

The remainder of the events will be contested Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. Running events start at 3 p.m.

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An online phlebotomy technician training course through Northwestern State University’s Office of Electronic and Continuing Education will begin in Natchitoches on April 25.
This course is designed to teach entry-level phlebotomy skills to students interested in pursuing a career in phlebotomy. Students are required to complete classroom instruction and 50 venipunctures before they will be allowed to take the board exam.

This nine-week course begins with a mandatory face-to-face orientation class meeting in South Hall on NSU’s Natchitoches campus on April 25. There will be six weeks of online classroom instruction followed by a face-to-face hands-on portion that will meet June 6-10 in South Hall from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Once the skills/hands-on portion has been completed, students will be given two weeks to obtain their required clinical time. Clinicals will be held from June 13-24 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and are scheduled by the instructor. Clinicals may last from two days to two weeks per student.

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students will be eligible to take the National Board Certification Exam on-site through the American Certification Agency for Healthcare Professionals. This course also includes Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification through the American Heart Association. There is a possibility of random drug screening at the student’s expense at clinical sites.

Requirements for the course include proof of high school diploma, GED, or official transcript and the payment of a $150 National Board Certification and material fee to the instructor at the first face-to-face class meeting. This fee is in addition to any registration fees. Those taking the class must have a set of solid scrubs for clinical days. The scrubs can be of any color and should not be purchased after class begins. An electronic book is available at no cost and will be posted in the online class.

The fee is $950 plus the $150 National Board Certification and material fee due at the first class meeting. A minimum payment of $475 must be included with registration and does not include the material fee or board fee. The remaining balance must be paid prior to Monday, Monday, June 6.

For more information call (800) 376-2422 or (318) 357-6355.

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Natchitoches Regional Medical Center once again has been honored with the prestigious Quality Texas Foundation (QTF) Governor’s Award. The QTF recognizes the best organizations regarding best business practices following the National Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. QTF gives the Governor’s Award for the best organizations in Texas, Puerto Rico, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, and a part of Oklahoma annually. This year QTF recognized Natchitoches Regional Medical Center (NRMC) as one of the two top award recipients, and the only healthcare organization to earn this distinction.

NRMC was chosen for being a role model organization that demonstrates a strong dedication to quality, continuous improvement, and high performance. Specifically, QTF noted that NRMC was recognized for the highest level of quality and for exceptional performance in all areas of organizational management: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, operations focus and results.

“We are honored the Quality Texas Foundation is recognizing us for a second time after having received the Governor’s Award in 2018. Yet, receiving the highest honor is not about the award per se or winning. Rather this award serves as an affirmation that our organization is heading in the right direction,” noted Kirk Soileau, Chief Executive Officer of NRMC. “While we still have much work to do, we are firmly committed to our goals. We understand that the journey to ZERO Patient Harm and our aspiration to be a sustainable TOP 100 Hospital nationally is a marathon and not a sprint.”

“What is most humbling about receiving the TQF Governor’s Award this year is the fact that NRMC stayed the course over the past 26 months,” Soileau noted. “We have an amazing team who has continued to expand services year-over-year despite the global pandemic affecting both our community and state. If there is a positive aspect of the pandemic for NRMC, it is the fact that we have taken our community engagement and alignment to the highest level in our history. NRMC was the calm in the storm that the community could rely on. Thus, our role is even bigger as we strive to further improve the health and wellness of our region.”

The NRMC team will be celebrated at QTF’s next scheduled conference in June 2022.

About Quality Texas
Quality Texas helps businesses, hospitals, schools, government agencies and non-profits improve performance. QTF educates, trains, assesses, provides feedback, and recognizes organizations committed to a journey of excellence. Quality Texas encourages use of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and other methods that drive efficiency and effectiveness. QTF’s work saves jobs, improves communities, and creates a stronger state and nation, and ultimately a better world for mankind. For more information about Quality Texas, visit http://www.quality-texas.org or call the Quality Texas office at (512) 656-8946.

About Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center began as a community hospital in 1955 and has grown into a 216-bed healthcare system with 750 Associates and more than 100 active and consulting physicians on its medical staff. The system is comprised of the 96-bed acute care facility, a skilled nursing home, assisted living complex, and an extensive network of clinics throughout the parish.

CONTACT: Cathy Jacobs, Director of Physician/Community Relations 318.214.4513

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Have you ever wanted to go to church but couldn’t walk through the doors? A Parish-wide revival will be held on the Downtown Riverbank (Rue Beauport Stage) beginning Monday, March 21 at 5:15 pm. The revival will continue for a second day on Tuesday, March 22 at 5:15 pm.

“’Revival Through Conversion’ is the theme for the revival and we could not be more excited to see what God has in store,” shared organizer Reba Phelps.

Monday Night will have two area preachers who are eager to share with the crowd. Brother Timmy Harris, Goldonna Assembly of God Pastor, will open for the evening. There will be time for testimonies and then Reverend Mathew Pagels, Lead Pastor from Fountain of Life Pentecostal Church in Natchitoches, will speak to the crowd.

Tuesday Night will begin with Pastor Brad Webb from Family of Grace Church in Alexandria. There will be additional time for testimonies as well. The closing minister will be Former NSU Football player and Pastor of House of Refuge Ministries Rev. Kedrin Seastrunk.

“Have you heard about Jesus but do not know who he is? Join us on the River Bank and find out,” said organizer Clinton Dunn. “It is our prayer that the church will show up to support those who are seeking Jesus!”

The whole community is invited both nights and everyone is more than welcome to bring family and friends. For more information email Clinton Dunn dunn.clinton@gmail.com or Reba Phelps 318-332-4260

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By Joe Darby

Just when I think some Americans can’t get any crazier, I read a string of comments on Facebook that purport to inform us that the whole Ukraine thing is just a put up job.

Never mind the 3 million people that have fled that country in the wake of the Russian invasion. Never mind the hours of footage showing destroyed buildings and neighborhoods. Never mind the threats of Russian President Putin to deploy nuclear weapons.

Nah, all of that is just a scam by the media, we are told. You see, Ukrainian President Zelinsky is blackmailing Biden. How exactly that would work is not really gone into in detail, but even if some of the reports on the invasion are true, they say Russia is only defending itself. Ukraine is corrupt and is hosting American biolabs that would be used to attack Russia. Yeah, that’s what they are saying. And isn’t it strange that we’re not seeing any footage from personal phones? Wouldn’t they be showing damage and destruction, if they were real?

Well, perhaps because cell phone service is not available in a country that’s been bombed all to hell, would be my answer. And how all the media, ranging from the ultra leftist MSNBC to the ultra conservative Fox News, got together to cooperate on this gigantic scam is kind of hard for me to figure out.

The purpose of fomenting this huge farce also escapes me. Can any of them explain why the media and the evil politicians would spend millions of dollars on such a fantasy, and to what purpose? I’m sure they could give me reasons, but they would be just as laughable as their claims that Ukraine is untouched by Russian attacks.

I’ve heard of many conspiracy theories in my life, including the one, of course, that the moon landings never happened, that they were all produced in a Hollywood studio. Again, the purpose behind that farce is rather hard to figure out also.

But this new theory, that Russia’s war is not happening, is the most ridiculous, the most cruel and the most stupid that I have ever seen.

I have a proposition for one of these crazies. Travel to Ukraine as soon as possible. If you get there and find that everything is just fine and dandy, I’ll pay all of your expenses for the trip, plus $1,000. Go to Poland first to make sure no refugees are there. Then take pictures in downtown Kiev that show all the buildings intact. Check the hospitals and schools for damage. Record interviews with Ukrainian citizens, who I suppose would ask you, “War? What war?”

Do that for me, dude. Or shut the hell up with your madness.

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By Katie Bedgood

Control burning has been around for hundreds of years. Native Americans started doing it to improve the environment for wildlife and create openings for their crops. Today we use control burning for that, and so much more. Control burning is also known as prescribed burning. We currently use it to maintain forest health, have lower risk of wildfires, control invasive plant species, and minimize the spread of pests and diseases. Not only is prescribed burning used for forest health, but in the spring, farmers and other land managers use burns to put nutrients back in the soil and revive the land.

There is always a risk when doing control burns, for example, the fire can get out of hand and it could upset the air and water quality. When doing controlled burns, fire managers want it to run smoothly and be as safe as possible so they have to draw up a plan before starting a fire. In the plan, it has to be stated how big the fire will be, what will burn, what managers hope to accomplish, and the weather conditions. It also has to state any situations in which the fire will have to be extinguished, how the fire will be set, how the smoke will be managed, how you will inform the public, and what protective equipment and firefighting resources you might need.

In summary, control burning is a tool used in agriculture for many reasons, however, it must be used in the proper way by professionals who have been trained in that area.

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The Johnny Antoon Memorial Golf Tournament, sponsored by the NSU Foundation, has been set for Saturday, June 4 at Northwestern Hills Golf Course. Proceeds will benefit the Johnny Antoon Scholarship, established to honor the Natchitoches businessman and long-time NSU supporter.

The festivities will begin with a pre-party from 7-10 p.m. Friday, June 3 at Antoon’s. Tickets are a minimum $10 donation to the Antoon Scholarship.

Check-in for the tournament will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Mulligans can be purchased for $10 at check-in. Prizes will be based on the number of teams. There will be at least one gimmick hole, closest to the hole and longest drive prizes.

The golf entry fee is $100, which provides one golfer with a cart, lunch and refreshments and one ticket to the pre-party. Tee signs can be purchased for $50.

A golf sponsorship of $400 includes a tee sign, entry for four golfers with cart, lunch and refreshments for four golfers and four tickets to the pre-party. Sponsorships must be received by May 28 to guarantee a golf cart.

In conjunction, the Antoon’s Wild Women’s Pokeno Brunch will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at Dazzle Dance Studio, formerly The Student Body. Tickets are $30 which includes brunch, bottomless mimosas and bloody marys, one ticket to the pre-party and pokeno.

For more information or to register, visit https://northwesternstatealumni.com/antoon-golf/.

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NATCHITOCHES:
Stephen Andrew Champagne
January 12, 1950 – March 15, 2022
Service: Saturday, March 26 at 1 pm at Beulah Methodist Church

Tonya Gene Reese
July 8, 1967 – March 15, 2022
A celebration of her life will be held by her family and friends on her birthday July 8 at her home in Flora.

Arthur Welch, Jr.
Repast: First Baptist Church, 1116 Amulet Street, Natchitoches at 10am, March 26, 2022.
Burial: Fern Park Cemetery, March 26, 2022

Hardrick Rivers
Service: Monday, March 21, 2022 at the Natchitoches Events Center, 750 Second Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457 at 11am. The casketed remains will lie in state from 9:00 a. m. until service time.

SABINE:
Earl Ray Carver
July 13, 1953 – March 18, 2022
Service: Monday, March 21 at 1 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

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Natchitoches Central will resume normal classes today, Friday, March 18, 2022 at 7:40a.

Yesterday: March 17, 2022

NCHS to close today at 12:30pm

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Northwestern State University’s oldest graduate has died. Earline Hart Andrews, 111, died Wednesday, March 16. Andrews graduated from Louisiana Normal, as NSU was then known, in 1931, and spent 43 years teaching in Texas before retiring in 1975.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Born Oct. 28, 1910, Andrews described riding a horse to Vivian High School from her father’s farm just over the Texas line and falling into the habit of racing — and outrunning — Model Ts, for which she was reprimanded by her parents. She enrolled at Normal after graduating from Vivian High and arrived in Natchitoches with seven other girls from her class, never having been away from home before. At that time, girls only left their dormitories at prescribed times and students paid a quarter to watch silent movies on Saturday evenings.

Andrews was awarded her diploma in the heart of the Great Depression when jobs were scarce. She sought employment in an oilfield town near El Dorado, Arkansas, taught there for four years at a salary of $120 a month. She returned to Texas in 1934 to teach at Overton near Kilgore at a salary of $100 per month and held that position for 14 years. She earned a master’s degree in history at Stephen F. Austin and later retired after teaching in Tyler, Texas, for 26 years.

Andrews stayed in touch with her alma mater and happily shared memories of Normal that included campus buildings and codes of conduct long gone. Like many alumni, Andrews recalled her days at Normal as a time of learning and forming close friendships with her classmates. Many were from rural areas and away from home for the first time. Because trips off-campus were limited, the students entertained themselves with social and cultural programs, athletic events and recitals.

An avid reader and traveler, Andrews during her life visited 48 states in the U.S., and every continent except for Antarctica and Australia. She was also a genealogist who traced her ancestors to the 500s.

Andrews was a long-time resident of Tyler but relocated to the Fort Worth-area to live with a niece a few years ago. When she celebrated her 110th birthday in 2020, she did several interviews and was featured by the Dallas-Fort Worth NBC affiliate when she went to the Tarrant County polls to vote as one of the oldest registered voters in Texas.

According to relative Marilyn W. Laney, “She was a wonderful, intelligent woman and led a vital life up to the time of her death.”

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(Marthaville)-On Wednesday morning, March 16, 2022, Natchitoches Sheriff Stuart Wright and over 30 law enforcement officers from the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office were joined by Natchitoches Parish Fire District #7 members, and a cadaver K-9 from Alexandria Fire & Rescue as they continued to search for clues or any information in connection with the suspicious disappearance of Steven Burkett of Marthaville according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Steven W. Burkett, 49, W/M, described as 5’11”, 175 pounds, with medium length brown hair, and brown eyes of the 100 block of Eddie Williams Road, Marthaville was last heard from during the early morning hours of February 12, 2022.

Burkett was reported missing to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office around 11pm on February 13 by a female friend who reported his disappearance as “suspicious”.

He was reportedly last seen driving a dark gray GMC 4X4 pickup truck with fender flares and a decal in the rear glass.

Detectives immediately began speaking with family and friends in an effort to gather additional information or any other specific information about Burkett.

Family and friends have not heard from him since his disappearance.

Just a couple of days after he was reported missing, detectives executed a search warrant at Burkett’s residence on Eddie Williams Road near Marthaville searching for any additional clues or evidence.

On Wednesday, detectives also executed a search warrant signed by a 10th Judicial District Court Judge at a residence in the 500 block of Preston Hayes Road near Marthaville, La.

The search team on foot, with all-terrain vehicles and the Alexandria Fire & Rescue cadaver K-9 also searched over 75 acres of land off of the Preston Hayes looking for any evidence or clues into Burkett’s whereabouts.

Sheriff Wright extends his thanks to Sabine Parish Sheriff Aaron Mitchell, his deputies and Alexandria Fire & Rescue for their assistance on Wednesday.

Sheriff Stuart Wright said detectives are continuing to investigate Burkett’s disappearance and ask that if you have any information as to his whereabouts or disappearance to please contact the NPSO Criminal Investigations Bureau at 318-357-7830 or Crime Stoppers of Natchitoches at 318-238-2388. You may be eligible for a reward.

NPSO

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Students in a Communications 2510 class at Northwestern State University interviewed Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams this week. Williams discussed his tenure as mayor and challenges he faces running the city. Students questioned William about his job and topics such as street repair to water quality. They were then assigned a deadline to complete a news story. Pictured are, front row from left, Kimtang Eung, Destin Lopez, Paige Littleton, Kaitlyn Gaines, Ashley Duffus, Williams, Kaden Graves, Trevor Williams and Daviion Telsee. On the back row are Matthew Carter, Kevin Thomas, Elizabeth Atnip, Katelyn Kennedy, Kira Raymond, Logan Bordelon and James Lowring.

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By Tommy Rush

“Stress” is a word that we hear a lot, but seldom do we hear it come from the mouth of a nine year old. A friend recently shared with me a conversation that he had with young boy who had just celebrated his 9th birthday. When the young fella was asked if he enjoyed his birthday, he answered by saying, “Not really, my life is way too stressful right now.”

I’m still trying to imagine how a nine year old’s life could become too stressful to enjoy his birthday! I don’t know who the boy was, nor do I have any way of knowing the cause for the stress in his life, but he’s definitely been in my thoughts and prayers today. Could a family member be sick? Are his parents going through a divorce? Is there a problem at school that is causing his stress? It could be that he simply lives in a home that watches world news every night. Is there anything that would cause a young heart more stress?

If you search through a Bible dictionary or concordance, it might surprise you to find that the word “stress” is not even listed. Yet, our current culture has made the word so common that a nine year old used it to describe his birthday. The Bible actually says much about stress, but the word itself goes by several different aliases, like cares, burdens, troubles and anxieties. On a good note, almost every time one of these words for “stress” is used in scripture, there is a promise from God attached to it. I’m praying today for the many children who feel overwhelmed with the cares, burdens, troubles and anxieties of this world. May the Lord help us to always give words of hope and encouragement to our young people! A great way to do that is to speak more of the promises of God than the problems in the world. Were it not for the awesome promises of God, there would be no hope for the future. Here are a few good ones for all of us to remember in times of stress and anxiety…

John 14:1 Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me.”

Isaiah 41:10 says,“Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

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This is the time of year when guys and gals of my ilk crawl out of warm beds early mornings to head for the woods. Granted, no hunting season is open now and we’re not out there to circumvent the law; we’re going out to “listen,” as you’ll overhear us talking about what we did early on pre-spring mornings. We’re going out to “listen” for a gobbler.

Turkey season is still a few weeks away, opening April 2. There’s something about getting to hear a gobbler sound off from his roost tree that gets the juices flowing and serves to fire us up for what we hope to hear opening morning.

Not only is it possible to locate where gobblers are roosting, you can also find tracks, droppings, strut marks and such to find where birds are hanging out. Such was the case for me on March 19, 2008, when I stumbled upon the mother lode of turkeys.

After an early morning of listening for a gobbler when the woods were silent, I drove up to a well site back in the woods on my hunting club. I didn’t need to hear a gobbler that morning; when I rounded the curve leading to the well site, I saw turkeys – a whole bunch of turkeys including several strutting gobblers. When they saw me, they took off but no problem; I knew where I’d be set up on opening morning.

The next afternoon, I set up my ground blind in a thicket next to the well site, and cleared brush so I could see the area where the turkeys had gathered the day before.

Granted, it was hard to sleep that night as my mind kept running the tapes back of what I had seen two days prior.

March 21 was opening day and I arrived at my blind well before daylight, I decided to sweeten the pot by placing “Pretty Boy,” my strutting tom decoy, on the well site with a submissive hen crouching in front of the tom. Then I waited for daylight with high expectations.

Once the eastern sky began to illuminate the woods and the cardinals and barred owls began their morning chorus, I heard a gobble from the woods directly in front of where I sat. Waiting a couple of minutes, I stroked a few sweet yelps on my slate call and was greeted with an immediate gobble. Then I just sat back and waited to see something.

In less than 10 minutes, I saw a white head pop up on the far edge of the well site 100 yards away. Then another head and then a third head. Three gobblers began looking for the hen they thought they’d heard.

What happened next was what turkey hunters dream about; all three gobblers spied Pretty Boy and the little hen. It became a foot race to see who could get there first to chase away what they envisioned to be a gobbler that had invaded their territory.

One gobbler won the race and immediately attacked the fake gobbler, sending him careening off the stake where I had placed him. All three proceeded to give the fake a thrashing like I’d never seen with a chorus of clinks and rattles as their beaks and spurs pummeled the hard plastic.

One of the gobblers separated from the other two, I got a bead on him and dropped him. I expected the other two to hightail it when I shot but no; they jumped on the flopping bird I had shot and began pecking and spurring their fallen cohort unmercifully.

I could have easily taken both the other gobblers but I had my limit for the day and all I could do was sit back and enjoy the show until a vehicle approached and they scattered.

Spring turkey hunting can be disappointing but it can provide thrills and excitement, the likes of which I never experienced before or since that special morning in the turkey woods.

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Mayor Ronnie Williams, Jr., announces that work will be performed beginning Monday, March 21 for the replacement of failed sections of existing concrete pavement and sidewalks on Cypress Street at its intersection with Sidney Street.

During the pavement removal and replacement operation, Cypress Street will be closed temporarily to all through traffic. Through traffic entering Pine Street from the Keyser Avenue Bridge or Jefferson Street must detour via Percy Street.

One lane of Cypress Street within the work area will be maintained for access to residences located within or south of the work area.

Sidney Street will be closed temporarily at its intersection with Cypress Street for the duration of pavement replacement operations.

All pavement replacement work for this project is expected to be completed within seven calendar days, weather permitting.

This work is being performed by Wilson Concrete Construction, LLC, of Natchitoches.

For more information, please contact the Mayor’s Office at (318) 352-2772.

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