NATCHITOCHES – The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) along with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) have identified sites in Natchitoches Parish to conduct COVID-19 testing start September 21st – October 16th.

COVID-19 tests are free to the public and will be administered at the testing sites listed below from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. each day. The only criteria to be tested is the participant must be 18 years of age or older and be able to present a valid ID.

LSHOF– Marques Colston, the all-time leading receiver for the New Orleans Saints, joins two of LSU’s greatest competitors, basketball’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and football’s Glenn Dorsey, and Southern Jaguars baseball star Rickie Weeks among a star-studded group of eight 2021 competitive ballot inductees chosen for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

The LSHOF Class of 2021 also includes another dynamic LSU figure, former track and field coach Pat Henry, and Baton Rouge native Courtney Blades-Rogers, considered one of college softball’s best pitchers of all time at Nicholls and Southern Mississippi. North Louisiana is represented by Monroe’s Mackie Freeze, a dynamic high school football coach at Richwood High School and an undefeated pitcher for the Grambling Tigers, and Natchitoches native Villis “Bo” Dowden, the 1980 Bassmaster Classic champion.

The Class of 2021 will be enshrined Saturday, June 26, in Natchitoches to culminate the 62nd

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration June 24-26.

However, Freeze and Henry will enter the hall this winter, Dec. 15-17, during the 2020 Induction Celebration which was postponed from its traditional June dates due to the coronavirus pandemic. Eight-time Mr. Olympia world bodybuilding champion Ronnie Coleman, chosen for the Class of 2020, will be inducted next summer due to a scheduling conflict in December.

A 40-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association committee selected the 2021 inductees. The panel considered a record 151 nominees from 29 different sport categories on a 35-page ballot, said Hall of Fame chairman Doug Ireland.

Colston, a seventh-round 2006 draft pick, made the NFL All-Rookie Team as he and new Saints quarterback Drew Brees began an extremely productive partnership that was a key in the Super Bowl XLIV championship season. In 10 seasons, Colston set Saints records with 711 receptions for 9,759 yards and 72 touchdown catches.

Abdul-Rauf also had instant impact as a high-scoring guard for LSU, averaging 29 points per game from 1988-90, and was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in each of his two seasons with the Tigers. In nine NBA seasons, he averaged 14.6 points and then played many more seasons internationally before LSU retired his No. 35 jersey last season to the delight of his LSU coach, 1999 LSHOF inductee Dale Brown.

Dorsey, a Gonzales-East Ascension product, is the most decorated defensive player in LSU football history and helped the Tigers win the 2007 BCS national championship. A two-time All-American defensive tackle, Dorsey played nine NFL seasons after he was SEC Defensive Player of the Year and earned the Outland Trophy among other top national collegiate honors playing for 2019 LSHOF inductee Les Miles.

Weeks set two NCAA Division I career hitting records still on the books with a .465 batting average and a .927 slugging percentage under 2019 LSHOF inductee Roger Cador at Southern, winning the 2003 collegiate player of the year awards. He played 14 major league seasons, nearly all of them in Milwaukee, and was the National League’s starting second baseman in the 2011 All Star Game.

Henry is one of the most successful track and field coaches in NCAA history. He led LSU’s men’s and women’s teams to a combined 19 SEC titles and an amazing 27 NCAA indoor and outdoor team championships during a 17-year run from 1988-2004, and since then has been head coach at Texas A&M, building the Aggies’ program into a national power.

Blades-Rogers was a four-time All-State pitcher at Baton Rouge’s Belaire High School who set an NCAA career record with 1,773 strikeouts in 1,261.2 innings pitched in two seasons apiece at Nicholls and USM. After earning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a sophomore in 1998, she followed her head coach to USM and pitched the Golden Eagles to the Women’s College World Series in her final two seasons while earning first-team All-America accolades both years, winning the 2000 Honda National Softball Player of the Year award. A recent NCAA.com column ranked her as one of the 11 best pitchers of all time.

Freeze, who will become the oldest living person inducted at age 93, had a 116-23 (.834) coaching record from 1954-67 after starting the Richwood program. The Rams won a record 56 straight games and four consecutive state titles. As an athlete at Grambling, he was unbeaten on the mound in his career and pitched the Tigers to the NAIA national championship before going to spring training with the Brooklyn Dodgers featuring Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese.

Dowden’s 1980 Bassmaster Classic win came on the St. Lawrence River after he was second in 1976 and third in 1977, highlighting 14 appearances in the Super Bowl of professional bass fishing. He was in the money in 57 percent of the tournaments he entered, including 99 of 241 on the BASS Tour.

Dowden becomes only the fourth outdoorsman elected to the Hall from the competitors’ ballot, joining Grits Gresham (1989), 1975 BassMaster Classic champion Jack Hains (2018), and Phil Robertson (2020).

Colston will become the 17th former Saints standout, coach (Jim Mora) or administrator (Tom Benson, Jim Finks) inducted, and will be only the third player from this century so far to join the LSHOF ranks, along with running back Deuce McAllister and Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Willie Roaf.

Blades-Rogers is the second women’s collegiate softball player elected to the Hall, following Kyla Hall Holas of UL Lafayette in 2011.

The 2021 Induction Class will be showcased in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum, operated by the Louisiana State Museum system in a partnership with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The striking two-story, 27,500-square foot structure faces Cane River Lake in the National Historic Landmark District of Natchitoches and has garnered worldwide architectural acclaim and rave reviews for its contents since its grand opening during the 2013 Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The eight new competitive ballot inductees will raise the total of Hall of Fame members to 358 competitors honored since the first induction class — baseball’s Mel Ott, world champion boxer Tony Canzoneri and LSU football great Gaynell Tinsley — were enshrined in 1959 after their election a year earlier.

Also to be spotlighted next summer will be three other Hall of Fame inductees, the winner of the 2021 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award, and recipients of the 2021 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism presented by the LSWA. Those inductees from contributor ballots will be announced later this year.

The complete 11-person Class of 2021 will swell the membership in the Hall of Fame to 456 men and women, including 358 from the competitors’ ballot.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame includes 24 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, 18 Olympic medalists including 11 gold medal winners, 11 members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, seven of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, seven National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 37 College Football Hall of Fame members, nine National High School Hall of Fame enshrinees, jockeys with a combined 16 Triple Crown victories, six world boxing champions, seven Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame members, seven College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 10 College Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinees, four NBA Finals MVPs, four winners of major professional golf championships, five National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame inductees and two Super Bowl MVPs.

The 2021 Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday, June 24, with a press conference and reception. The three-day festivities include two receptions, a free youth sports clinic, a bowling party, and a Friday night riverbank concert in Natchitoches. Tickets for the Induction Dinner and Ceremony, will be available early in 2021.

Anyone can receive quarterly e-mails about the 2021 Induction Celebration and other Hall of Fame news by signing up on the LaSportsHall.com website.

Adding to the 350 sports competitors currently enshrined, 19 winners of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership award and 64 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, there are 433 current members of the Hall of Fame before this winter’s 2020 inductions.

The 2020 and 2021 Induction Celebrations will be hosted by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors. 

NATCHITOCHES:

Stephen Weston White
1983-2020
Service: Friday, September 18 at 2 pm at New Life Evangelism Center in Natchitoches

Sarah Clark
September 13, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 11 am at the Christian Outreach Center, located at 106 Brickyard Road in Natchitoches
Arrangements TBA

SABINE:
Patricia Ardison
September 13, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Daniel Roberson
March 25, 1957 – September 12, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 9:30 am in the Lawrence Serenity Sanctum, located on Breazeale Springs Street in Natchitoches

Isaac N. Carter
September 22, 1931 – September 11, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

WINN:
Howard William Pardue
November 29, 1937 – September 15, 2020
Service: Sunday, September 20 at 2:30 pm at the Family Church in Winnfield

Lynn Rhymes
February 08, 1938 – September 11, 2020
Service: Friday, September 18 at 12 pm at Southern Funeral Home in Winnfield

RED RIVER:
John L. Lewis
November 4, 1953 – September 14, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 10 am in the New Hope #3 Baptist Church Cemetery in Hanna

Phase 1 Extended for Additional 7 Days

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has received federal approval to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) in three more parishes – Caddo, LaSalle and St. Landry – and will add those parishes to the Phase 2 schedule, which begins Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) also approved DCFS’s request to extend Phase 1 for another week, until Sept. 23, allowing residents impacted by Hurricane Laura in the nine Phase 1 parishes additional time to apply for DSNAP benefits. Those nine parishes are Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Rapides, Vermilion and Vernon.

Wednesday, Sept. 16 was the open application day for Phase 1 parishes, meaning any resident of those nine parishes may apply, regardless of their last name’s first letter.

When Phase 2 begins today (Thursday, Sept. 17), Phase 1 parishes will follow the same alphabet system as Phase 2 parishes. That schedule – and all parishes participating during Phase 2 – will be as follows:

Parishes Participating: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Caddo, Calcasieu, Cameron, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lincoln, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, Union, Vermilion, Vernon and Winn.

Schedule for All Parishes Participating in Phase 2:

Day 1 (Sept. 17) – Residents with last names beginning with A-C
Day 2 (Sept. 18) – D-G
Day 3 (Sept. 19) – H-L
Day 4 (Sept. 20) – M-R
Day 5 (Sept. 21) – S-Z
Days 6 & 7 (Sept. 22-23) – Open for all (letters A-Z) in the participating parishes

On their scheduled day, residents will call the LAHelpU Customer Service Center at 1-888-524-3578 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to apply. On A-Z days, the call center will extend its hours to 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

DSNAP Eligibility
Eligibility for DSNAP benefits is determined by looking at the applicant’s take-home pay in the month following the disaster, adding all available cash resources (including checking and savings balances), and deducting the total dollar amount of money spent or expected to be spent on any disaster-related expense for the disaster benefit period (which, in the case of Hurricane Laura, is August 25 to September 23).

Preparing to Apply: What Applicants Need to Know

1. Register Online First

Residents who have not yet pre-registered for DSNAP are strongly encouraged to do so before calling to apply. Registering in advance is not the same as applying – residents must still call to apply and be interviewed to determine eligibility. However, registering in advance will help speed the application process, reducing call wait times.

Step-by-step instructions for how to create an online account and register for DSNAP can be found at www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP.

2. Download LA Wallet

Residents are also encouraged to download the LA Wallet mobile app, which will help speed the identity and residency verification process during their phone interview. Information about the app, including download links, can be found at LAWallet.com.

3. Gather Needed Documents & Information

When residents call to apply, a worker will verify the applicant’s identity and residency, and obtain information about their income, resources and disaster-related expenses. A list of what information is needed can be found in the FAQs at www.dcfs.la.gov/page/dsnap-faqs.

For additional information on DSNAP related to Hurricane Laura, please see below or visit www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP-Laura.

Looking for a Job or Career during these unstable times?

Pilgrims in Natchitoches has a spot for you!   

Pilgrims has been deemed an ESSENTIAL SERVICE and have several safety precautions in place to ensure employee safety and business longevity for years to come.   If you are looking for Stability, then Pilgrim’s Pride is for you.

PAY: From $11.00 to $13.00 per hour.
BENEFITS:  Yes
POSITIONS: Several Production Positions now open
View Available Positions: https://www.pilgrims.com/careers/

EOE

We are dedicated to our team members and intensely focused on attracting the best talent that’s interested in the opportunity to grow and advance. It is our goal to be your employer of choice and provide you with the opportunity for a better future! We invite you to explore our open positions!

Operating in 14 states across the U.S., Pilgrim’s is proud to offer a diverse portfolio of fresh, value-added and prepared chicken products that meet the needs and demands of our customers and consumers.

STEPHEN WESTON WHITE
1983-2020

Stephen Weston White, a son of Sabine Parish who was a loyal mentor, leader, competitor, and humble servant of God and humanity, left this world on Sept. 14, in Natchitoches, LA.

Born on Dec. 29, 1983 in Shreveport, LA, Weston was the son of Billy and Sandra White of Many. He was baptized at the First Pentecostal Church in Many. Even as a child, he was fearless and full of life. He attended church camp in Tioga annually, fished the Sabine River, and mastered the use of every tool or gadget he acquired. His earliest confidantes were his brothers, Willie and Waylon, who shared his love for adventure, whether it be building, sports, bicycle riding, or innocent mischief. He was even considered a sandwich connoisseur by his wide circle of friends.

Weston attended Many Elementary, Many Junior High, and Many Senior High. He graduated in 2002 as a decorated athlete, earning varsity football honors as defense captain, honorable mention all-state defense player, and two-year first team all-district linebacker. He earned the bachelor of science degree in business administration from Northwestern State University in 2007, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, serving the chapter as vice president and then president in 2006. While in high school and college he held several part-time jobs that taught him the value of earning his education.

Following graduation, Weston joined his brother, Willie, in the oilfield industry, starting with lower-level jobs and advancing to a consultant for EP Energy Corporation where he was responsible for entire drilling operations. During his career he set and held numerous records in the Eagleford and Permian Basin.

Weston, affectionately known as his mother’s “Precious,” leaves behind his parents; his brothers William, and his wife, Melissa; and Waylon, and his wife, April, both of Natchitoches; and his niece, Presley, and nephews Caleb, Caden, and Steele. His aunts and uncles, Charlotte Coburn, Jimmy White, Jimmy and Yvonne Marr and Cousin’s DJ & Rebecca Baker, Tina Leone, Caitlin Pine, Brandon Leone also survive him.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Billy and Betty White, his maternal grandparents, F.W. and Mildred Marr, his uncle, the Rev. Brooks Coburn; his aunt, Nelwyn Remedies; and his cousin, Jonathan Coburn.

A celebration of Weston’s life will be held on Friday, September 18, at 2 p.m., at New Life Evangelism Center in Natchitoches. His family will receive visitors from 11 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. Interment will follow at Fort Jesup Cemetery, under the direction of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home of Natchitoches.

Pallbearers will be Jared Dunahoe, Dustin Hayes, Adam Chamberlin, Adam Founds, Derek Motley, Blake Byles, Blake Isgitt, Brad Goodman and Max Tannehill. Honorary Pallbearers will be Jared Hewitt, Michael St. Germain, Daniel Courville, Clayton Thompson, Waylon Malmay and the Theta-Mu Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

“Many men have worn the Star and Crescent, but the loss of even one diminishes us all. We, however, are better men for Weston’s example. He was a Brother in heart among us. We are grateful for Weston’s strength, his compassion, and his inspiration.”
—Taken from the Memorial Ceremony of Passing, Kappa Sigma Fraternity

Northwestern State University’s Career Center will hold three virtual events this fall.

A Fall Virtual Career Fair is set for Monday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. A Fall Graduate and Professional Schools Fair will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and a Nursing and Health Professions Fair is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The events are open to both Northwestern State and McNeese State University students. NSU, along with sister institutions in the University of Louisiana System, are working with McNeese administrators to make a variety of services available to McNeese students.

The student link for the Fall Virtual Career Fair is at

https://nsula.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/16526/student_preview?token=IZdrabot5LrhDST0VeTb5h7m5iCLtODwTktFw3YfMrHejLdae3jjyQ.

NSU students who register and attend at least two sessions will be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card. For every NSU student who registers and attends at least two sessions, a $3 donation will be made to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Laura relief.

A link for employers is at https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/16526/employer_preview?token=IZdrabot5LrhDST0VeTb5h7m5iCLtODwTktFw3YfMrHejLdae3jjyQ

Prospective employers planning to attend include the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, Peace Corps, UDSA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Louisiana, Rapides Parish School Board, City Year, CGI, United States Customs and Border Protection New Orleans Field Office, RPM Pizza, Ochsner Health System, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Crest Industries, LLC, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, ProScribe and Axley & Rode, LLC.

The link for the Fall Graduate & Professional Schools Fair for students is at https://nsula.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/17806/student_preview?token=hPDjO0XeJLiC6YBkjEbok1M54NIPVGeA-ZfMq0NvNeuoF5YMu6PVSw

The link for schools is at https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/17806/employer_preview?token=hPDjO0XeJLiC6YBkjEbok1M54NIPVGeA-ZfMq0NvNeuoF5YMu6PVSw

Current Graduate & Professional Schools registered are Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Brooklyn College, Parker University, Tulane University School of Professional Advancement, John Glenn College of Public Affairs – Ohio State University, McGeorge School of Law, Harvard Business School, Southern University Law Center, NYU Robert Wagner School of Public Service, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Alliant International University, Palo Alto University, University of Miami’s Interdisciplinary and Professional Studies Office and Erikson Institute.

The student link for the Nursing and Health Professions Fair is at https://nsula.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/19634/student_preview?token=hRSuU_t_PoqaoMXquEXkTZXrpNblED-d_MHDK9_TOGH9Ijz1qKl0Ag

The employer’s link is at https://app.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/19634/employer_preview?token=hRSuU_t_PoqaoMXquEXkTZXrpNblED-d_MHDK9_TOGH9Ijz1qKl0Ag .

Members of Cane River Chapter for the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), held their first meeting of the year via Zoom on Sept. 15. National Defense Chair Julie Delphin gave a presentation on Robert Smalls, an American politician, publisher, businessman and naval pilot. He was born April 5, 1839 into slavery in Beaufort, SC, Mr. Smalls freed himself, his family, his crew, and their families during the Civil War by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, and piloting it to Union-controlled waters, where it later became a Union warship. He became the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina.

The National DAR Day of Service is on or around Oct. 11 each year. Due to CO-VID 19, the chapter is limited to ideas for a “chapter service project.” Members decided to collect items and put together a “care package” to a deployed person. Items will be collected, packaged and mailed by Oct. 31.

The meeting’s guest speaker was Ms. Reisha Raney. She is the Organizing Secretary of the Maryland State Society Daughters of the American Revolution and an Honorary Regent of the Harmony Hall Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Her patriot ancestor is Thomas Turpin of Virginia. She is a direct descendant of President Thomas Jeffersons’ grandfather. She is the creator of daughterdialogues.com, a website that explores the contemporary lives of members of color in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

(PLEASE NOTE: This site is not an official NSDAR website, and the content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR. The President General is the official spokesperson of NSDAR.)

Ms. Rainey earned a bachelor of science in mathematics from Spelman College and a bachelor of mechanical engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is the President and Founder of Encyde Corporation, a Fort Washington-based engineering company, currently ranked in the top 4% of all women owned businesses in the United States.

Many people are not aware of the fact that the DAR has members of color or that men and women of color contributed to the American Revolutionary War. Ms. Raney is also a Non-resident fellow of the W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, at Harvard University under the direction of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. At this year’s first Virtual 129th DAR Continental Congress’ opening night ceremony, the prestigious DAR Media and Entertainment Award was presented to the PBS program, “Finding Your Roots” host, Dr. Gates.

Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join. Daughters are vibrant, active women who are passionate about community service, preserving history, educating children, as well as honoring and supporting those who serve our nation. To learn more about the membership process and to fill out a membership interest form you may contact Cane River Chapter Regent Peggy Aycock at oajados@gmail.com.

Donovan Duvernay has yet to take a snap for the Northwestern State football team and has been part of the university community for no more than two months.

But Wednesday morning, Duvernay was one of several dozen Demons braving the mid-morning heat to help the Food Bank of Central Louisiana distribute food for those affected by Hurricane Laura, which reached Natchitoches as a Category 2 storm Aug. 27.

“This community has brought me in – this football team has brought me in,” said Duvernay, a graduate transfer cornerback from the University of Texas. “I just want to help out any way I can to give back to them for what they’ve done for me.”

Former Demon All-American offensive lineman and N-Club Hall of Famer Marcus Spears helped coordinate Wednesday’s giveaway, which saw cars snake their way through the parking lot between Prather Coliseum and the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex before finding their way to the Collins Pavilion where the Demons and food bank volunteers loaded up families with water, meat, non-perishable items and fresh produce.

Head coach Brad Laird and his staff were there as well with Laird acting as a traffic director, summoning the cars to the distribution point once volunteers determined the amount of goods for each family. Players and graduate managers worked both sides of the line, setting up assembly lines to stock each arriving vehicle.

“It’s great to come out and support this community,” said junior cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, a New Orleans native. “This community supports us on the field each Saturday night. They ride with us, win or lose. It’s great to be able to come out and help them.”

Spears played a pivotal role in helping bring Wednesday’s event to campus. He wanted not only to assist the area he calls his “second home,” but to give the NSU football players a teachable moment even though their fall schedule has been postponed.

It was a lesson that permeated the NSU roster from the top down.

“When you look at what’s going on with COVID-19 and the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, there are families in this community who are still recovering,” Laird said. “To be able to put a smile on the faces in the aftermath of what we have gone through is immeasurable. In three hours, we were able to feed 322 families. For them to be able to come through with what they have gone through, to put a smile on their face is a credit to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Marcus Spears and our players and coaches.”

Pictured above: Former NSU All-American offensive lineman Marcus Spears (left) joined current NSU players and staff Wednesday to help the Food Bank of Louisiana distribute food to Natchitoches Parish families affected by Hurricane Laura. Credit: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

Helping to get the 2020-2021 academic year started for Natchitoches Parish public schools, the Krewe of Excellence provided donuts, pastries, coffee and juice for the faculty and staff at Natchitoches Parish Technical and Career Center (NPTCC) on Sept. 8.

“We know that this year is different because of the endurance of the novel coronavirus and a hurricane, we wanted to help add a little positive energy to the start of the school year. We appreciate our local school employees,” remarked John Robertson, co-chairperson of the krewe’s community service committee.

Pictured from left are Robertson and the school’s principal Bobby Joe Benjamin Jr.

NATCHITOCHES:
Sarah Clark
September 13, 2020
Arrangements TBA

SABINE:
Stephen Weston White
1983-2020
Service:  A celebration of Weston’s life will be held on Friday, September 18, at 2 p.m., at New Life Evangelism Center in Natchitoches.
Visitation: 11 a.m. until the time of the service at the church.
Interment:  Fort Jesup Cemetery, under the direction of Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home of Natchitoches.

Beatrice Hughes
July 3, 1925 – September 12, 2020
Service: Thursday, September 17 at 2 pm at Antioch Cemetery

Isaac N. Carter
September 22, 1931 – September 11, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

WINN:
Lynn Rhymes
February 08, 1938 – September 11, 2020
Service: Friday, September 18 at 12 pm at Southern Funeral Home in Winnfield

RED RIVER:
John L. Lewis
November 4, 1953 – September 14, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 19 at 10 am in the New Hope #3 Baptist Church Cemetery in Hanna

POSITION: City Attorney – City of Natchitoches

DESCRIPTION: The City Attorney shall serve as Chief Legal advisor to the Mayor, council and all departments, offices and agencies, shall represent the City in all legal proceedings and shall perform any other duties prescribed by the City charter or by ordinances.

QUALIFICATIONS: The City attorney shall be an attorney licensed to practice in the courts of Louisiana with at least five (5) year’s experience in the practice of law.

CONTACT: Resume’s may be mailed or dropped off at the City of Natchitoches, Human Resources Department, located
at 1400 Sabine Street, or P.O. Box 37, Natchitoches, LA 71458-0037.

Resume’s may also be dropped off upstairs at City hall, located at 700 Second St.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Applications will be accepted through
September 30, 2020

THE CITY OF NATCHITOCHES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

At 8:06am, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, Campti Police, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and Louisiana State Police are on the scene of a two-vehicle crash on US-71 just north of the Sheriff’s North Sub-Sttation in Campti according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriffs Office.
An eighteen wheeler hauling chips is overturned and utility power lines are down.

Minor non-life threatening injuries are reported.

Louisiana DOTD is enroute to the scene.

If you are traveling through the area, drive carefully, pay attention to the roadway and avoid distractions.

The Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness along with the Natchitoches Office of Emergency Preparedness announce the upcoming COVID-19 testing sites in Natchitoches Parish:

September 21-Robeline Town Park, 122 Depot Street, Robeline
September 23-Ben Johnson Auditorium, 400 MLK, Natchitoches
September 25- Kingdom Life Church, 3089 Hwy 71, Campti
September 29-Village of Powhatan Town Hall, 292 N. Railroad, Powhatan
October 1-Village of Goldonna Town Hall, 3159 Main St, Goldonna
October 5-Village of Clarence Town Hall, 6004 US 71, Clarence
October 7-Ben Johnson Auditorium, 400 MLK, Natchitoches
October 9-Village of Provencal Fire Station, 1933 Hwy 117, Provencal
October 13-Parish Government Parking Lot, 200 Church Street, Natchitoches
October 15-Village of Natchez, 181 Main St., Natchez
October 16-Cloutierville School, 155 Schoolhouse Rd, Cloutierville

Bring your ID card, wear a mask and remain in your vehicle at testing sites.

BATON ROUGE- State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain have lifted the cease and desist order for all private burning, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602, for the following parishes: Allen, Beauregard, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, Jackson, Jeff Davis, LaSalle, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Union, Vernon and Winn.

The cease and desist order remains in place for Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. Private burning shall only be allowed by permission of the local fire department or local government. This revised order is effective as of 8 a.m., September 15, 2020 and shall remain in effect until rescinded.

This ban shall not apply to prescribed burns by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those trained and certified by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, or by those who conduct prescribed burning as a “generally accepted agriculture practice” as defined by the Louisiana Right to Farm Law

(R.S. 3:3601 et seq.).

Violation of this Fire Marshal order could result in criminal and/or civil penalties.

Virtual Application Process Rolling Out in Phases, Starting September 10th

BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received approval on Sept. 8 to begin virtual Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) operations in sixteen parishes to provide additional food aid to families impacted by Hurricane Laura. The program will run in phases, with the first phase beginning Thursday, Sept. 10.

DSNAP, formerly called Disaster Food Stamps, provides food assistance to eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster. The state must request that the federal government initiate DSNAP, but can only make the request after the president activates the Stafford Act and approves the parish for Individual Assistance (IA). Each IA-approved parish must also request DSNAP before the benefits can be provided to eligible residents of that parish.

The 16 parishes that have been approved for IA and have requested DSNAP are Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Sabine, Vermilion, Vernon and Winn.

DSNAP will operate in the approved parishes in two phases, with Phase 1 beginning Sept. 10 for nine parishes and Phase 2 beginning Sept. 17 for seven parishes. If additional parishes are approved for IA and request DSNAP, DCFS will add a third phase of DSNAP beginning Sept. 23. For a complete schedule, see below.

SNAP recipients are not eligible for DSNAP and should not apply. Information about SNAP benefits changes related to Hurricane Laura, including replacement benefits for food lost due to power outages, can be found at http://www.dcfs.la.gov/SNAPLaura.

What Applicants Need to Know

Due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, DSNAP applications will be handled by phone, and benefits cards will be mailed or sent through FedEx to approved applicants.

Residents in the approved parishes for each phase will be assigned a day, based on the first letter of their last name, to call the LAHelpU Customer Service Center to apply for DSNAP. On their designated day, residents will call 1-888-LA-HELP-U (1-888-524-3578), between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Translation services are available for individuals whose primary language is not English.

DCFS is anticipating significant interest in the DSNAP program. Three steps residents can take before calling to apply that will help reduce call wait times are:

Register online first. Step-by-step instructions for this can be found at http://www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP.
Download the LA Wallet mobile app for identity and residency verification. Information on the app, including download links, can be found at LAWallet.com.
Gather all information needed for the application. A list of what is needed can be found in the FAQs at http://www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP.

When residents call to apply, a worker will verify the applicant’s identity and residency, and obtain information about their income, resources and disaster-related expenses. Applicants will be told on the phone immediately after completing their application whether they have been approved to receive DSNAP and, if so, the amount of benefits they will receive. Applicants also will receive a letter by mail, confirming the eligibility decision made on their application.

Applicants may name an Authorized Representative (AR) to apply for DSNAP benefits on their behalf. The head of household must authorize the person to serve as AR on their behalf, and the worker will need to speak to the head of household to confirm that they agree for the AR to speak on their behalf.

Application Schedule

Phase 1: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Rapides, Vermilion and Vernon Parishes

(Sept. 15-16) – Open for all (letters A-Z) in the Phase 1 parishes

Phase 2: Grant, Jackson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Sabine and Winn Parishes

Application period opens on Thursday, Sept. 17, with residents calling to apply according to the following schedule:

Day 1 (Sept. 17) – Residents with last names beginning with A-C
Day 2 (Sept. 18) – D-G
Day 3 (Sept. 19) – H-L
Day 4 (Sept. 20) – M-R
Day 5 (Sept. 21) – S-Z
Days 6 & 7 (Sept. 22-23) – Open for all (letters A-Z) in the Phase 2 parishes

Additional information about DSNAP can be found by texting LADSNAP to 898-211 or at www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP.

By Brad Dison

Dr. John Pemberton was a successful chemist in Columbus, Georgia. His business of selling tonics, homemade concoctions, and medicines prospered in the 1850s, but events in the Civil War threatened his business. Columbus had become the second largest Confederate supply center in the South, second only to Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. In 1863, 33-year-old Dr. Pemberton enlisted in the Georgia cavalry’s home guard “for local defense.” As part of the home guard, Dr. Pemberton’s unit was responsible for the protection of Columbus’s manufacturing facilities, homes, and businesses, which included Dr. Pemberton’s drug store. For Dr. Pemberton’s nearly two years in the home guard, Columbus had not been directly threatened by Union troops. However, Columbus would not survive the Civil War unscathed.

With the fall of Richmond on April 2, 1865, Columbus became the largest surviving manufacturing and military supply hub in the south. The city’s factories produced a vast array of war supplies. Located on the Chattahoochee River, Columbus also had a naval construction facility. The city’s location enabled the transportation of war supplies by river, rail, and land.

Following the Union victory in the Battle of Nashville on December 16, 1864, Union General George Thomas sent General James Wilson and his men to destroy major confederate supply centers at Selma, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia. General Wilson marched his 13,000 men some 300 miles south to Selma, a trek which took just over three months. On March 22, 1865, General Wilson’s men clashed at Selma with the Confederate army led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest. General Forrest’s men inflicted heavy casualties, but General Wilson’s men captured and looted Selma, and destroyed the town’s manufacturing facilities. With little time for rest, General Wilson and his men began the 140-mile march east to Columbus, a town on the Alabama-Georgia border.

During General Wilson’s march, several key events took place which should have ended their trip to Columbus. On April 2, 1865, Confederate soldiers could no longer protect Richmond from Union troops, and the Army of Virginia and the Confederate government abandoned the capital of the Confederacy. On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses Grant, which officially ended the Civil War. Five days later, a despondent actor, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. General Wilson and his men were marching from Selma to Columbus, and had not received the news that the war had ended or that Lincoln had been assassinated. They stayed the course.

After three weeks of marching, General Wilson’s men neared Columbus and gathered on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River. Two timber bridges spanned the mighty river, the upper bridge and the lower bridge. Confederate General Howell Cobb only had about 3,500 men, most of which were home guard units and civilian volunteers, compared to General Wilson’s 13,000 trained soldiers. Rather than splitting up his men to defend both bridges, General Cobb set a trap. Civilian volunteers coated the bridges’ support beams with turpentine, a highly-flammable liquid, and placed cotton bails around the support posts. They removed some of the planks near the east side of the lower bridge to prevent union soldiers from completing the crossing.

General Wilson weighed his options. He learned that the upper bridge was more heavily guarded than the lower bridge, and ordered his men to cross the lower bridge. Once the bridge was full of union soldiers, a few civilian volunteers lit the cotton bails, which quickly engulfed the turpentine-covered lower bridge. General Wilson’s men had no choice but to retreat.

With the lower bridge out of commission, General Wilson’s only way across the Chattahoochee River was the heavily guarded upper bridge. At about 8 p.m., after the sun had set, General Wilson’s men attacked General Cobb’s men at the entrance of the upper bridge. After a volley of gunfire, the nighttime battle quickly turned into hand-to-hand combat. The soldiers punched, kicked, kneed, bit, and stabbed and sliced with their bayonets and sabers. During the fray, Dr. Pemberton received a severe saber wound to his chest. He fell from his horse and lay among the wounded and dead.

By 10 p.m., General Cobb’s men were no longer able to fend off the Union soldiers. A mixture of retreating Confederates and charging Union soldiers filled the bridge. Confederate soldiers stationed on the east side of the bridge were unable to differentiate between friendly and enemy soldiers in the darkness, and held their fire. Civilian volunteers stationed at the base of the bridge failed to ignite the upper bridge because they feared injuring confederate soldiers. General Wilson’s large army overran General Cobb’s small number of men. Union soldiers completely destroyed all military manufacturing facilities in the area, including the unfinished CSS Muscogee, an ironclad warship, which was docked at the naval construction facility at Columbus. Both sides suffered large numbers of casualties in a battle fought after the war had officially ended. Battlefield doctors treated the wounded by lamp light. They treated Dr. Pemberton’s chest wound and gave him morphine to ease the pain.

A few days after the Battle of Columbus, both sides learned that the war had ended. The survivors of the conflict tried to return to the lives they once lived. Dr. Pemberton’s wound was slow to heal and he continued his steady regimen of morphine. By the time his wound had healed, Dr. Pemberton was addicted to the pain killer. The drug was readily available to him because of his profession as a chemist. Dr. Pemberton tried different concoctions and pain killers which were morphine-free, but he was unable to wean himself off of the drug. When he failed to find a suitable replacement, he began experimenting to create his own.

In 1884, Dr. Pemberton ran an advertisement campaign for a drink he had created called Dr. Pemberton’s Lemon Juice Cordial. “This Cordial,” the advertisement explained, “is made from the pure juice of lemons, oranges, and limes, combined with pure rock candy syrup, and is the most delicious refreshing and cooling of all known beverages, far superior to lemonade, soda water, lager beer, etc.” Dr. Pemberton claimed that his cordial “purifies and cools the blood, prevents and cures biliousness, …has wonderful curative powers in all inflammatory diseases, rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, etc.” Dr. Pemberton advertised his new drink as a great-tasting cure-all, but it failed to cure his addiction to morphine. He continued to search for the right combination of chemicals.

In the following year, Dr. Pemberton invented another new drink which he claimed was a “great and sure remedy for all nervous disorders such as mental and physical depression, neuralgia, loss of memory, sleeplessness,” and a host of other ailments. Pemberton’s French Wine Coca was advertised as “the great restorer of health to body and mind. Millions of our people are in a condition requiring no other remedy.” Like his Lemon Juice Cordial, the French Wine Coca tasted good. The ad boasted that the drink was “a wonderful tonic and invigorant” which “is health and joy in every bottle.”

Dr. Pemberton’s French Wine Coca sold well. He experimented with different chemicals and eventually produced a nonalcoholic version of his tonic. It sold even better. Dr. Pemberton advertised it as a great-tasting patent medicine. Dr. Pemberton never overcame his addiction to morphine, but in searching for a cure, he created a product that is still sold all over the world. You know it as Coca-Cola.

Sources:
1. Chicago Tribune, April 4, 1865, p.1.
2. Wyoming Democrat, April 12, 1865, p.3.
3. The Evening Star, April 15, 1865, p.1.
4. The Carroll Free Press, October 28, 1884, p.4.
5. The Atlanta Constitution, May 26, 1885, p.2.
6. The Atlanta Constitution, August 17, 1888, p.4.
7. Ancestry.com. “Georgia, Civil War Correspondence, 1861–1865.” Accessed August 31, 2020. 

 

Baton Rouge– Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said three horses – one located in Iberville and two in Lafourche parishes – have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

“Mosquitoes are out in force right now. The hot and wet conditions exacerbated by storms such as Hurricane Laura, increase the number of mosquitoes that could be carrying diseases,” said Strain. “Like humans, horses are infected by being bitten by mosquitoes. That is why it is so important to vaccinate your horses to help prevent them from getting sick. It is not too late to do so.”

According to Strain, if a mosquito bites an infected bird, small mammal or reptile, EEE or West Nile Virus (WNV) can be spread to horses, dogs, cats and humans. These mosquito-transmitted diseases can cause inflammation or swelling of the brain and spinal cord.

Common signs can include: fever, loss of appetite, weakness, loss of coordination and circling. The disease can often result in death.

EEE primarily causes disease in the equine species such as horses, mules, donkeys and zebras. However, a number of other animals such as pigs, llamas, bats, reptiles, amphibians, and rodents can also be infected. Humans can also be infected by EEE.

WNV primarily affects birds, but can also infect bats, horses, cats, dogs, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic rabbits, alligators and humans.

Prevention includes removing standing water where mosquitoes breed and using mosquito repellents that are safe for animals and humans. Horses, donkeys and mules can also be vaccinated. There is no vaccination approved for people. Horse owners should contact their local veterinarian regarding proper vaccination protocols during this time of increased risk.

Veterinarians are required to call the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry if they suspect EEE or WNV in a horse as they are reportable diseases.

By Royal Alexander/Opinion

Tuesday, September 11, 2001. When friends and family have asked me over the years to recount for them that day and week (I was stranded in our nation’s capital because no commercial airlines were allowed to fly after 9-11) I spent in DC, I still struggle to fully describe what I saw and felt that day. It was unlike any other day of my life and I’m certain I’ll always feel that way.

On 9/11, I was in Washington, D.C. with the late Clyde C. Holloway, former U.S. Congressman and Louisiana Public Service Commissioner. We were there to try to build support from members of Congress we knew, and raise funds, for our campaign for Congress. The day began uneventfully. We spent the night at a hotel in Crystal City, Virginia which was only a few hundred yards from the Pentagon. That day we woke, had coffee and Mr. Holloway left for the first meeting of the day while I stayed behind.

Sometime in the next 10-15 minutes or so, I heard a roar. The sound startled me. I walked out to the parking lot of the hotel and looked across the way and saw black smoke billowing from a corner of the Pentagon. Shortly thereafter, there was an exodus of terrified-looking people from the Pentagon into Crystal City. After this panic, D.C. was locked down. (D.C. was so eerily still, so dead, that I have imagined we would have to go back to our nation’s founders and their horse-drawn carriages to find a time the City was so silent and unmoving). All I saw was black military helicopters circling in different places over the City and fighter planes circling high above. There were black suburbans with black-clad men holding serious looking weaponry out of the windows.

I was numb; unnerved and disconcerted. I struggled to comprehend what had happened so near me and across America that day. I had also been stressed and nerve-wracked to know that my older brother, Tom, who worked for U.S. Senator Jon Kyl at the time, worked in the Senate Hart Office Building and, had the Capitol sustained a direct hit as I think was the plan, he would have been in danger.

As the day wore on and the sun began to set I was able to walk some distance closer to the Pentagon. The gaping hole in the building burned brightly and would for days. When night came, and as the emotion of the day weighed heavily on me–and the stench and the smell of the foul night air bombarded my senses and burned my eyes–I was reminded of images from Dante’s Inferno.

9/11 is indelibly imprinted in my memory both because of the evil that is reflected in such an act–and the over 3000 American lives tragically lost–and because of the powerful sense of patriotism and unity that can exist in our great country when we stand together. On this day, and on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, I say a simple prayer in gratitude for those who have suffered and died on our behalf–and remind myself to strive to be worthy of their sacrifice. I include in my prayer the hope that we may find a way—without a tragedy—to be as united as we were then.

The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Natchitoches Parish Journal.  If you have an article or story of interest for publishing consideration by the NPJ, please send it to NPJNatLa@gmail.com.