The Northwestern State Athletic Department took another pivotal step Monday toward making its Sports Performance Center a reality.

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, the official health care partner for NSU Athletics, further strengthened its commitment to Demon athletics by pledging $500,000 toward the undertaking that will usher in a new era of NSU athletic performance. NRMC Chief Executive Officer Kirk Soileau announced the commitment at a luncheon hosted for NSU coaches and administrators in the Listach Conference Room at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center.

“This major gift reflects the continuing commitment of the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center to the enhancement of the university and the overall progress of the community and region,” Northwestern State Interim President Dr. Marcus Jones said. “Northwestern has been strengthened by its partnership with NRMC and sincerely appreciates its generosity and support.”

The half-million dollar donation from NRMC pushes the total of privately funded donations for the project to nearly $1 million with other private gifts and funding sources anticipated to be secured in the next several months.

The announcement of the gift comes nearly six years to the day after Natchitoches Regional Medical Center entered into an agreement to become the official health care provider for NSU Athletics. Since then, the two parties have extended the initial four-year agreement with NRMC re-confirming its commitment with Monday’s presentation.

“We want to make sure we demonstrate our resolve to sports medicine, to be a true partner to the university,” Soileau said. “With the support of our board and our entire organization, NRMC is pleased to make this pledge to what will be called the NRMC Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Pavilion. We want that facility to be an extension of the services we provide today.”

NSU Director of Athletics Greg Burke expressed gratitude to NRMC on behalf of the athletic department’s coaches, staff and student-athletes.

“The Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is appreciated for its generous commitment to this project which underscores the value it places on student-athlete welfare and success,” Burke said. “This gift further solidifies what has been and continues to be a growing partnership between NRMC and NSU Athletics and especially its supportive and invested CEO, Kirk Soileau.”

The sprawling strength and conditioning facility, which will be constructed on the back end of the Athletic Fieldhouse, will include a new 11,600 square foot weight room with space for more than 100 student-athletes, a 25-foot artificial turf pad, a new nutrition center, student-athlete lounge area and offices for the strength staff.

The second phase of the project will convert the current weight room into a high-tech rehabilitation center along with other sports medicine upgrades.

The third phase will be the renovation of the current “Eugene Christmas Training Room.”

“It is exciting to see momentum for this transformational project continue to grow,” Burke said. “Having a strength and conditioning center that will be the best among Southland Conference members, past and present, will be a game changer on the recruiting front and in the everyday lives of our student-athletes and coaches.”

NSU Vice President for External Affairs Jerry Pierce, NSU Interim President Dr. Marcus Jones, NRMC Chief Executive Officer Kirk Soileau, NSU Director of Athletics Greg Burke, NRMC Board of Commissioners Chairman Ronald Corkern and NRMC Board of Commissioners member Mike Newton pose with the artist’s rendering of the NSU Sports Performance Center.

Photo:  Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

“Take Me to the Mardi Gras”

Coronation to announce the Natchitoches Krewe of Dionysos 2022 Royal Court was held on August 21, 2021. The event was held in Natchitoches with music provided by DJ Craig Caskey of CC Event Entertainment. The theme for the upcoming season is, “Take me to the Mardi Gras.” The 2022 parade will be held on February 26, 2022.

2022 Royalty:
Captain XXIV – Jerry McElwee
King XXIV – Kelly Dortlon
Queen XXIV – Karen Poche’
Duke and Duchess of Dance: Jeremy and Amanda Miller
Duke and Duchess of Destiny: Richard Williamson and Brittany Borders
Duke and Duchess of Decadence: Shelby Borders and Shelli Adams
Duke and Duchess of Desire: Beau Bryant and Brittani Linebaugh

The Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest steam locomotive, is rolling out on tour August 5, 2021 through 10 states, beginning in Cheyenne, Wyoming!

The Big Boy weighs 1.2 million pounds and rode the rails from 1941-1961, going more than one million miles.

You can see this amazing steam locomotive in person as it passes through Natchitoches. A short stop is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 23 from 1:30-2:15 pm at the Trudeau Street crossing. Scheduled stops are subject to change.

TIME CHANGE:  Now Estimated to arrive at 3:00pm

Share the adventure with us August 22, 2021, as we trace the route of Missouri Pacific’s iconic Louisiana Daylight and Louisiana Limited train service, north along the Mississippi River from New Orleans, LA, and over the historic Huey P. Long bridge on heritage passenger equipment pulled by Union Pacific’s steam locomotive “Big Boy,” No. 4014.

This excursion is the annual gala fundraiser for the Union Pacific Museum, a 501 c 3 organization, and passengers must be 18 years or older to ride. This is a rare opportunity for the public to travel behind this historic locomotive.
Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941. The locomotive was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it back to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion.

Full Schedule:

https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR20y-rmU1PO4hNZ8dXB5k7tT_jwat23kwetEdlNR4ztK854jZLH_rjyGfE

Kevin’s Gallery

The Natchitoches Events Center was the place to be as over 350 NSU Demon fans packed the house for the annual Meet the Demons-Athletic Scholarship Auction August 20. A line of pom-poms, cheering athletes and spirit groups greeted the attendees as they arrived. The dinner and auction is the signature fundraiser for the Demons Unlimited Foundation, which assists the university’s athletic department. The foundation is an indispensable part of Demon athletics and provides significant assistance to NSU for athletic scholarships each year. Donors provided over 125 items to be put up for the highest bidder in live and silent auctions.

The donors are a diverse cross section of supporters, ranging from local businesses and fans to alumni playing in the NFL. They truly represent the broad reach of the university and the loyalty it inspires. NSU fields several hundred athletes, all of whom compete in the NCAA’s Division I. The university sponsors 14 sports, a significant achievement for a university of NSU’s size.

The event is expected to generate over $75,000.00 for Demon Athletics.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal is donating the event photography. The pricelist is turned off and downloads are enabled. If you do see a photo you like, please consider a donation to the Demons Unlimited Foundation in lieu of payment. Let us help some deserving young men and women complete their education!

Kevin’s Gallery

The NSU Football Team has been relentlessly focused on a singular goal, victory, since their first day reporting back to campus. This Sunday, August 22, marked their second scrimmage. The Demons came out 99 men strong to learn, prepare and get better under fourth year Coach Brad Laird and his staff. The team played game scenarios under “live” conditions, with the situation unfolding as it may, with officials calling as in an actual game.

The Demon football team has been putting forth a tremendous amount of effort into preparing for the upcoming season. In the weight room, team meetings and in the brutal heat of the summer sun beating on Turpin Stadium’s AstroTurf, the players are putting in the work necessary to succeed.

The Demons’ first game will be in Denton, Texas vs. the University of North Texas. Their home opener will be Saturday, September 18 at 6:00 against the University of Texas at Martin. Come on out and enjoy some hard-hitting Division I football, all in our local area. It is an amazing opportunity not every community enjoys. Take advantage of it!

The Natchitoches Parish Journal wishes to extend its best wishes to the Demons for a safe and successful season. Fork ’em Demons!

Libraries in North Louisiana have collaborated with Launch Network to help strengthen the role public libraries play in nurturing and promoting entrepreneurship in our communities, as well as increasing the visibility of resources offered and teaching the business community how to engage them.

Launch Network has partnered with local library systems across the 21-parish North Louisiana region within its footprint, including Natchitoches Parish and the Natchitoches Parish Library.

On Tuesday, August 31st from 6-7:30pm, the Natchitoches Parish Library will host Speaking Engagement to showcase this partnership with the Natchitoches Library system. This event is centered around business and entrepreneurial support for Natchitoches. This event is free and open to the public.

“Libraries are a central point of the entrepreneurial and small business community and are vital to the success of every community, both in North Louisiana and across the country. They have resources that will help small businesses succeed and are looking for more ways to connect entrepreneurs to networks and resources specific to their needs,” said Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) Executive Director, Dave Smith.

Among the many remaining parishes participating in the collaboration are Claiborne, Ouachita, Union, Franklin, DeSoto, Caddo, Bossier, and Webster. These parishes will also receive a complete entrepreneurial display to help increase community involvement and awareness of small business resources in their areas. This initiative is designed to leverage the libraries’ ability to create hubs for entrepreneurship by providing free resources specific to the needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses.

“Libraries have always been, and continue to be, in the knowledge business. We are not a static institution but are constantly evolving to support our community by providing valuable resources, opportunities, and connections,” said Jessica McGrath, Director of the Natchitoches Parish Library. “We value our small business owners and entrepreneurs and want to act as a catalyst for their initial and continued success – providing space, support, and resources.”

“Working with Launch Network to help expand our local business community is such an honor. It is important to remind everyone in Natchitoches Parish of the resources the library and Launch Network have to offer so that we may help them succeed as true entrepreneurs.” said Kelly Burns, Adult Programmer for the Natchitoches Parish Library.

About Launch Network:
Launch Network’s mission is to help small businesses thrive across North Louisiana. We provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with free, easy access to the vital assistance, resources, and information they need—when they need it. EAP Is a resource provider and founding member of Launch Network.

NATCHITOCHES:
Sylvia Morrow
August 20, 2021
The final care arrangements for this former City Councilwoman and Natchitoches Parish educator are pending at this writing. Keep this family lifted in prayer.

WINN:
Melvin Walker
August 18, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Alice Williams
August 16, 2021
Arrangements TBA

The proposed Consolidated Budget of the Natchitoches Parish School Board for 2021-2022 is now available for public inspection at the School Board office in Natchitoches.  The following is a Summary Budget.

Kevin’s Gallery

The Saint Mary’s School community held its 47th annual Steak Supper fundraiser and scrimmage on Aug. 20 at the school’s football field. This event has become a beloved local tradition that brings Tiger supporters of every age together to enjoy a superb meal, see their Tigers in hard-hitting football action and raise money for St. Mary’s athletics.
The evening started with the traditional steak supper served in the Knights of Columbus Hall. The Tigers then squared off against Opelousas’ Westminster Christian Academy at 6:00. The scrimmage featured each school doing a set number of offensive and defensive plays and a shortened game. A fired-up crowd of St. Mary’s families, alumni and supporters filled the stands and sidelines. The St. Mary’s student section gave the opposing sideline no peace with a volcanic barrage of cheers and noisemakers.

The Steak Supper is the main fundraiser for Tiger athletics. St. Mary’s School fields teams in ten sports for its 323 students, a truly remarkable accomplishment for a school of its size. Those teams have been perennial playoff contenders and have amassed an enviable record over the years. The Natchitoches Parish Journal extends its best wishes for gridiron success to the St. Mary’s football family this season. Go Tigers!

The Natchitoches Central Chiefs football squad lined up against another team for the first time in 2021 Friday night and from the opening play, had the upper hand in scrimmage action at Pineville.

SCORE: Natchitoches Central 19, Pineville 7

GAME SITE: Pineville

RECORDS: None, preseason scrimmage

NCHS SCORING PLAYS: Chris Howard, 40-yard run on first play. Cayln Demars, 35-yard run. Demars, 39-yard run. Sam Maggio and the kicking team were 1-of-2 on extra point attempts..

COLLECTING TURNOVERS: Tradarious Brown, fumble recovery. Calvin Willis, fumble recovery. Justin Aaron, interception.

NOTES: After opening with scores in the scripted portion of the scrimmage, the Chiefs struck again in the timed segment, getting Demars’ 39-yard run with 3:58 showing in the first half. Pineville’s only score of the night came on a 22-yard run with 2:08 left in the second half, against the Chiefs’ junior varsity.

COACH JAMES WILKERSON’S COMMENTS: “We’re very pleased with tonight’s scrimmage. I feel like we accomplished what we set out to do. Both sides of the ball played really well. We had a lot more ups then downs, but there is a lot of improving to do. We will get home, watch the film, fix it, and be ready for next week.

NEXT WEEK: It’s jamboree action at home as NCHS gets a final tuneup before the season officially starts Sept. 3 in Shreveport against Woodlawn at Independence Stadium. Next Friday night, Aug. 27, the Chiefs host a jamboree at NSU’s Turpin Stadium involving St. Mary’s and Lakeview in the first matchup, followed by NCHS taking on Evangel.

The Lakeview High School Gators football team had a happy ride home from Sibley last night.

Their trip north to Lakeside High School for a scrimmage was productive and successful – and injury free.

That’s the most important thing – injury-free,” said coach Brandon Helms. “Overall, this was the kind of start we were hoping to make.

The Gators’ coaches saw plenty they liked, and also much to improve upon after the team’s first 2021 action against another school.

“A pretty good night for us,” said Helms. “We saw some good things on both sides of the ball. Of course, we’ve got to tackle better, and that comes with reps (full contact repetitions in practice, which coaches limit). But effort-wise, I was very pleased.”

There was a lot to like for Lakeview on both sides in the controlled scrimmage.

“We were looking to find multiple guys to play the running back position, and we found that tonight,” Helms said. “Devonte Rice and Kaleb Collins ran the ball well. Our quarterback, Dillon Pikes, had two runs of each over 65 yards and ran it well all night.

“Our defense pitched a shutout, which is always a winning effort. We did some good things.”

Once the coaches break down the tape, they’ll find a lot of teaching points for next week’s practices, heading into the big jamboree matchup against St. Mary’s next Friday night at NSU’s Turpin Stadium.

Then, the scoreboard will be on, and although it will be a practice game, there will be a winner and a loser. In last night’s matchup, the stakes weren’t that high – it was simply an evaluation tool, and one that pleased the veteran coach.

“We got a lot of positives out of it, but old coaches are never happy,” he said, laughing. “We have to get better.”

The 47th Annual St. Mary’s Catholic School Steak Supper football scrimmage Friday evening was well on its way to success before the first play.

As is traditional, the steaks were juicy and the trimmings were just right.

Tigers supporters, and the visiting fans from Opelousas’ Westminster Academy, enjoyed the new grandstand.

“It was filled and people were up and down the sidelines. I couldn’t ask for a better crowd,” said St. Mary’s coach Aaron York. “Our folks came out, they (Westminster) traveled well, and we had a student section. The atmosphere was really electric, especially for a scrimmage.”

Nothing happened to disappoint after the teams set down the ball and knocked heads, either.

“We were just trying to stay healthy, and get a look at our guys going against an outside opponent,” said York. “It was good for us. We got to see live speed, we got to see physicality. The bunch we played, they were pretty physical, and we don’t get to see that in practice because of our (low) numbers.”

The Tigers couldn’t have started better, on both sides of the ball.

“On our first drive, we went 12 plays down the field to score,” said York. “You can’t start better than that.

“Then our defense goes out and on their first 12 plays, we don’t give up a first down.”

The Tigers and Crusaders moved on to a 10-minute quarter format for the next phase. St. Mary’s subbed in some backups on defense, and the visitors were able to convert a screen pass into a touchdown play.

The final phase was a two-minute offense competition. Nobody got into the end zone, but York liked how the Tigers competed.

“We had a chance to score, but didn’t get it in. We didn’t give up a score,” he said. “It was good for us to see the live reps against someone else.”

York pointed out a few standouts for St. Mary’s.

“Payne Williams had a very good night. On our first series, he had a big catch of about 30 yards or more, and defensively, Payne played about as well at a corner position as anyone could have.

“Drake Griffin played well at defensive end. Running the ball, Jaydyn Jackson had a good night, and he really jumped out in that opening 12-play drive,” said the Tigers’ coach.

The great food, good vibes and solid football sent all the St. Mary’s faithful home happy. The first use of the new grandstand marked another step on the path to realizing a dream for SMHS football, said York.

“We don’t play on campus often, but I’ll say it, that’s something we’re trying to shoot for in the future, to play every game here. I talked to some of our juniors and seniors, and they loved it, and said they’d like to play here a little bit more.”

That’s down the road a way. For now, York and his squad will benefit from watching the tape, and prepare for their big parish matchup at NSU’s Turpin Stadium next Friday night in jamboree action against Lakeview’s Gators.

The Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana System have appointed a Presidential Search Committee for Northwestern State University that will host a meeting and public forum at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24 in Magale Recital Hall.

The agenda will include roll call and introductions, charge to the committee, discussion of the search process and tentative timeline and discussion of advertisement.

The meeting is open to the NSU community and the public and will be streamed live on the UL System YouTube Channel.

UL System President and CEO Jim Henderson, a former Northwestern State president, will chair the committee as a non-voting member. The committee includes select System Board members and the Northwestern State Faculty Senate president as voting members as well as non-voting community members to serve in an advisory capacity.

The Presidential Search Committee is made up of the following members:

Dr. Jim Henderson, Search Committee Chair and University of Louisiana System President, non-voting
James Carter, UL System Board Chair
Liz Pierre, UL System Board Vice Chair
Dr. Jimmy Clarke, UL System Board Parliamentarian
L’Oreal Williams, UL System Student Board Member
Barry Busada, UL System Board Member
Lola Dunahoe, UL System Board Member
Alejandro Perkins, UL System Board Member
Joe Salter, UL System Board Member
Dr. John Dunn, NSU Faculty Senate President
William Brent, Retired Dean of NSU Creative & Performing Arts, non-voting
Dr. Nikki Ceasar-Small, NSU Alumni Association, non-voting
Tja’h Edwards, NSU SGA President, non-voting
Patricia Hrapmann, NSU Alumni Association President, non-voting
Mike Knotts, NSU Foundation, non-voting
John Manno, Jr., NSU Foundation President, non-voting
Information regarding the search will be housed on the System’s website at ulystem.edu/nsusearch.

President Chris Maggio retired June 1, 2021. He served as president since January 2017 and has been a member of NSU’s faculty, staff and administration for 33 years. Marcus Jones is serving as interim president.

The University of Louisiana System is the largest higher education system in Louisiana enrolling more than 92,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of New Orleans.

Join us at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum as Gaynell Brady, founder/educator of Our Mammy’s, shares the stories of African Americans in Louisiana through the lens of her ancestors. The Perseverance Wagon program explores the lives of African Americans in Louisiana during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Participants will learn about education on plantations, the ways enslaved people sought freedom, and the things free people did after their emancipation through hands-on activities. This educational program is geared for families and children ages six and older and accompanied by an adult.

State regulations regarding masks and physical distancing will be followed.

Please visit our website or call (318) 357-2492 for more information.

Free and open to the public.

This project was supported through funding provided by Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc.

Event: Our Mammy’s Perseverance Wagon:

The first program in a three-part series

Date: Saturday, August 21, 2021

Time: 2:00-3:30 pm

Location:
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum
800 Front Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457

Veneeth Lyengar, Governor John Bel Edwards’ appointee for Louisiana’s first executive director of broadband development and connectivity, spoke to attendees at a Broadband Commission meeting on Aug. 20 regarding funding options and what is going on at the State level with Broadband.

Covid-19 has accelerated the need for broadband, which feeds right into the need of schools as they’re pivoting to virtual learning.

Attendees included community members, representatives from the state level, from the local hospital and from City and Parish governments.

Once upon a time high speed internet was a luxury, but now it’s a necessity. It’s critical that Parishes are unified in their efforts to close the digital divide by bringing affordable access to high speed internet to every household in the state. Every resident in Natchitoches Parish can help achieve this goal by going online to https://dra.gov/research/broadband-mapping/#speedtest to take a speed test. Data collected will be very important for to get state and federal funding.

The Natchitoches Parish School Board is working with EpicTouch to provide high speed internet to 95% of households throughout the Parish using ESSER 2 and 3 funding while also applying for other grant funding. Their goal is to have this project completed in two years.

Lyengar said the state’s vision, set in 2019, is to eliminate the digital divide in Louisiana by 2029.

There are three things that will need to be tackled simultaneously to achieve this goal:

1. Access

2. Affordability

3. Digital Literacy

Louisiana ranks 18th in the nation when it comes to gigabyte infrastructure. There’s a lot of dark fiber (fiber laid in the ground but not yet activated), which will make the overall cost of connectivity cheaper.

On May 26 the Senate passed House Bill 648 establishing the Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities (GUMBO) program, which sets aside $180 million in federal funds to provide broadband and internet access to 400,000 households statewide that are lacking basic internet access.

“We need to focus on how we build an internet pipeline that’s 8 lanes instead of 4 lanes,” said Lyengar. “We’re one of the few states in the country with a purposeful broadband office. We have a lot of work to do together, but we’re not far behind.”

By Joe Darby

To start, I must note that this is my first column in three weeks. Many of you will already know that I have lost my beloved Mary. After residing in a nursing home for six months because of advanced dementia, she succumbed to cardiac arrest on Aug. 4. I’m told she did not suffer and went quickly.

The rest of my life will be very different but I have wonderful memories of my sweet girl that I will cherish as long as I live.

Now, the situation that has been dominating my mind this week, along with Mary’s loss, is the horrible failure of American actions in Afghanistan. The news videos of those poor people who risked their lives to help our forces and are now trying to escape are just appalling.

Also appalling is President Biden’s reaction, saying he could have done no better and that chaos after our troop withdrawals was inevitable. What utter nonsense.

How difficult would it have been in the past couple of months, when our forces were still on the ground and we securely controlled Kabul and its airport, to begin evacuating in a orderly fashion our civilian American personnel there as well as all — and I mean all — of those brave Afghanis who helped us?

Our Air Force and Army would have been able to handle that. We have the planes and the uniformed men and women who are entirely capable of such an operation. But they never got the order and Biden pulls out our troops, leaving the vulnerable to their fate. Now he’s sent forces back in to try to deal with the chaos.

Biden is scrambling around, in deep denial, trying to salvage a sad situation that he alone created. Yes, Donald Trump announced the plans for troop withdrawal while he was still in office but Biden is in charge of this fiasco. And, yes, George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in the first place, back in 2001 following the 9-11 attacks. But, in spite of the military difficulties we have had there, the great majority of the Afghan population has lived safely in the last two decades.

Women were free to pursue their lives as they wished and the ordinary citizen felt free from the danger of being beheaded for violating some minor Sharia law. Those freedoms are all over now and God help those good people who will be left behind.

The handling of the withdrawal confirms my belief in Biden’s incompetence. The man is not up to the job and is completely out of his depth. Some are already calling for impeachment. But, hold on with that. If successfully impeached, Vice President Kamala Harris would take over. She’s so far left I’ve little doubt that she would complete the ruin of our country in short order.

I lived through the 1960s, when American went through the turmoil of the Vietnam War, the youth rebellion and the breakdown of many of the old American values. I think the 2020s are a more fraught time for our country. We probably haven’t been in such dire straits since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

I wish I could be more optimistic. I hope my despair will turn out to be unfounded. But it’s not looking good.

NATCHITOCHES:
Ms. Sylvia Morrow
Former City Councilwoman
Arrangements TBA

WINN:
Shirley Carpenter
August 15, 2021
Service: Saturday, August 21 at 1 pm at the First Baptist Church, located at 1116 Amulet Street in Natchitoches

Melvin Walker
August 18, 2021
Arrangements TBA

Alice Williams
August 16, 2021