NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Carol Imelda Balthazar
Friday, March 9, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 10 am – 12 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 12 pm at St. Augustine Catholic Church
Interment: St. Augustine Catholic Church Cemetery

William E. “Bill” Maley
October 5, 1941 – March 8, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 9-11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Jackson Cemetery in Flora

Marsha R. Chatman
October 19, 1964 – March 12, 2018
Arrangements TBA
SABINE PARISH:

Sherwood Thompson
December 16, 1940 – March 10, 2018
Services held Wednesday, March 14

RAPIDES PARISH:

Elsie V Basco
June 22, 1933 – March 12, 2018
Service: Friday, March 16 at 10 am at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Park

WINN PARISH:

Jacque Daniel Pullig
July 2, 1978 – March 5, 2018

Sherwood Gilbert Thompson
December 16, 1940 – March 10, 2018
Arrangements TBA

Charles Ball
July 19, 1949 – March 6, 2018
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 8 am – 5 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel
Internment: Winnfield City Cemetery

Oscar Lee “Slick” Walker
June 6, 1949 – March 9, 2018
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 2 pm in the chapel of the Winnfield Funeral Home of Winnfield
RED RIVER PARISH:

Buick Brisker
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 7-8 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Red River Church of God in Christ in Coushatta
Interment: Kinghill Cemetery in Jordan Ferry

Mark Clark Sr.
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 6-7 pm at the St. Savior Baptist Church in Coushatta
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Deliverance Temple in Coushatta
Interment: Springville Cemetery in Coushatta

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Tony Davis, executive director of the Natchitoches Community Alliance, spoke at the Chamber luncheon March 14 about economic development and the efforts of the NCA to move the entire community forward.

The NCA’s mission is to provide leadership and support for economic development and workforce solutions in and around Natchitoches parish.

Davis said collaboration is key. The question to ask now is how to best utilize the limited resources in the Natchitoches community. It’s important that we recognize that it’s our collective success that’s at stake. We will only be as strong as our weakest link. All schools must improve. The Parish and City must work together. Local entities must support one another.

Davis said there’s more to building the Natchitoches economy than meat pies and Steel Magnolias. It’s important that while Natchitoches embraces its history and culture, it also embraces progress and technology.

We need to focus on what’s next: the “low hanging fruit” that is Northwestern State University, the overall quality of life in Natchitoches, and the tendency toward “tourism-turned tenant.” We must improve upon the foundational items of birth to post secondary education and site development, zoning and permitting. We must tell our story by marketing our successes. We must plan for the future and then work the plan.

Moving forward we need more sites, stronger workforce programs, better recruitment, increased regional and state awareness of Natchitoches’ strengths and advantages, consistent visits to Economic drivers, and expanded collaboration among local entities.

Up to 88% of new jobs are created from existing businesses, according to Davis. “Our tide rises and falls together,” he said.

For more information go online to nca-la.com.

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By Keator Poleman, NSU Student
Article and photo republished courtesy of The Current Sauce

Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, intends to file a bill in the Louisiana Legislature that would combine all four of Louisiana’s higher education systems into one.

The senator wants colleges near each other to “look for opportunities to work together and to be more efficient,” both in program offerings and spending. She would like to see a system that allows students to take courses on any campus and easily apply the credits to their chosen university.

“If we were more judicious and work together, we could increase the offerings to students,” Hewitt said.

However, the plan does have its critics, including Marty Chabert of the Board of Regents, Stephen Smith from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board of Supervisors, and Dr. Jim Henderson, president of the University of Louisiana System.

“This is something that has been proposed numerous times over the last 30 years,” Henderson said. “No one has actually said what it is they’re trying to achieve by that.”

In its recent special session, the Louisiana Legislature failed to reach a solution that addresses the almost $1 billion deficit in next year’s budget. Proposed cuts to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students continue to threaten higher education.

Henderson recently appeared on the University of Louisiana System’s YouTube channel to urge legislators to fulfill “the TOPS promise” for current and future students of Louisiana colleges and universities.

While legislators and constituents focus nervously on the budget crisis, Hewitt’s proposal has seemed like less of a priority. Regarding the bill, Henderson laughed when asked if he was worried his job would be eliminated if it passes.

“Everything that I have done in higher education has been about expanding access to students,” he said. “I’m not part of the equation at all.”

Henderson said previous solutions have focused on “saving state dollars.” He said the recent proposal is different due to colleges being more reliant “on student tuition dollars than they are state taxpayer dollars.”

“Everything we do in higher education should be about ‘How do we corral the number of students that can come to our universities and graduate with degrees of value?’” Henderson said. “Unless you can say that with this reform we’re going to increase that number, I don’t think it’s worth the cost of pursuing the reform.”

Recognizing Louisiana’s PromiseAs the 2018 Regular Legislative Session nears, Dr. Jim Henderson discusses the importance of our mission and our expectation to secure stability in state funding

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The Rhodes Realty team is happy to present the Million Dollar Open House event this Sunday, March 18 from 1-4 PM!

“After our first very successful open house weekend we’re excited to be hosting our second and plan to host these open house events every 2-3 weeks to best market our listed homes for our clients,” said the Rhodes Realty team.

This Sunday’s event features four houses that comprise over $1 million of real estate. Each home will be open to the public for tours. Lunch or Hors D’Oeuvres will be served at each home.

You MUST attend all four Open Houses to be entered into the drawing for the following:

Michael Kors Hand Bag
Ipad Mini
Restaurant Gift Cards

The winners will be announced on Facebook Live on the Rhodes Realty Facebook page at the conclusion of the event. Tag a friend to come with you to see these amazing homes!

115 Lakefront: $295,000
Rodrick McIntosh will host this Open House 318-792-2585

This gorgeous 4 bed/2 bath home built in 2013 is in excellent condition in the premier subdivision of Oak Point Estates. It has all the extra bells and whistles. As you enter this home through the foyer you see gorgeous tray ceilings with triple crown molding and recess lighting throughout the living room area overlooking the fireplace. The kitchen is spectacular featuring brick flooring, all stainless steel appliances, an island in middle, granite counter tops throughout with custom backsplash, custom cabinets, and an absolutely gorgeous custom vent hood! There is no carpet in this home, only wood laminate, ceramic, and brick flooring. The master bedroom has tray ceilings and recess lighting and the master bath has a granite double vanity and a custom tiled shower. The bedrooms sizes are very generous and there is a huge storage shop next to garage. Beautiful homes like this don’t come up very often, so jump on this one before it’s SOLD!

145 Dogwood Trail: $268,500
Michael Deville will host this Open House 318-332-6569

This great 3 bed/2 bath home on 3.26 acres was fully remodeled in 2014. It features granite counter tops, beautiful wood floors, stainless appliances, a remote master, sunroom, and brick fireplace. A 28′ x 28′ outdoor covered living area on a slab includes plumbing for a sink and/or ice machine and would make a perfect entertaining area. A separate 30′ x 30′ insulated shop with single roll-up door is heated and cooled, and includes a kitchenette and full bath. This home is in a quiet area of the Oak Grove community with lots of room to enjoy the outside.

614 Williams: $275,000
Kathy Richmond will host this Open House 318-332-8357

Originally built in 1935 by a prominent local family as a writer’s cottage, the 1 bed/1 bath Log Cabin Guest House is spacious and private, quiet and comfortable. It’s nestled along the banks of Cane River Lake in what’s known as the “Artist’s Colony” in Natchitoches’ National Historic Landmark District. This log cabin is somewhat rustic with original pine walls, floors, stone fireplace. It’s whimsically decorated and furnished with a look of yesteryear, but has all of the modern comforts. Directly across the river from Front Street and the Riverbank Stage, this cabin is the quintessential lake house — a perfect, private spot to laze away hours, read, and write. It could also be a starting point to explore historic downtown Natchitoches or fish/boat on Cane River, not to mention that it has the town’s front row spot for all fireworks displays and downtown celebrations. It’s only 10 steps from the banks of Cane River Lake!

205 St. Jerard: $280,000
Mario Fox will host this Open House 318-581-5616

Located in beautiful gated Beau Riviera subdivision, this newly finished 2180 SF home has 4 Bedrooms 2 Baths featuring an open floor plan with custom cabinets, granite counter tops, wood, tile and carpeted floors, stainless steel appliances: stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave, built-in cabinets and shelving beside the fireplace in the living area, large master bathroom with custom glass and tile shower, garden soaking tub, ample counter space with double vanity, enormous walk-in closet and much more!! This spacious, peaceful home with covered back patio and wooden fenced backyard is ready for your family to move into today!

To see all of Rhodes Realty’s listing visit:
Website: www.rhodesrealtyla.com
Facebook- Rhodes Realty
Instagram- @rhodesrealtyla

Paid Notice

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The Lakeview Jr.-Sr. High School Band performed in the L.M.E.A. District II Festival at Tioga High School March 14. The band received an overall rating of “superior” on their district performance assessment, and now qualifies for participation in the state music festival. The performance will take place at Airline High School in Bossier City on April 25. This will be the third time in four years that the Lakeview band qualifies for the honor of performing in the state music festival.

Band director Denise Roper said, “I am very impressed with our band. At all of the L.M.E.A. festivals we have to be evaluated as a high school ensemble, even though our group includes seventh graders who are in beginner band, and eighth graders who are only in their second year of music instruction. Our group also includes a couple of high school beginners along with the more experienced performers. I am amazed by the talent and dedication of all of my students, especially our high school captains and section leaders. They have really represented our school with dignity.”

In order to help the students raise funds for their participation in the state music festival, Chili’s restaurant of Natchitoches will be sponsoring a “Give Back Night” from 4-10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20. A portion of the restaurant’s profits from that evening will be donated to the Lakeview Band.

Pictured on front row from left are Kentrae Jones, Joshua Mattox, John Conley, Za’Chary Jackson, Shaquera Reliford, Diamond Miller, and Serenity Bush. On middle row are Mathew Johnson, John DeSoto, Joshua Graham, Shiann Harris, Harli Thomas, Zoie Britt, and Amber Hembree. Pictured on back row are Stephan Prudhomme, Simon Messengmba, Shaneta Williams, Myla Porter, Jennifer Williams, Jo Porter, James Earp, and Kain Custis.

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Northwestern State and its track and field program were part of the foundation which enabled Dr. Maury Dennis to become a highly-regarded professor and research scientist at Texas A&M.

So shortly after retiring, the 1964 Northwestern State graduate and his wife decided to make a deferred gift to the NSU Athletics Department, in the form of an endowed scholarship in their estate to benefit NSU track and field.

Dennis earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in physical education from Northwestern two years later. He completed doctoral studies in 1971 at Florida State, where he was an assistant professor for five years.

In 1977, he joined the health and kinesiology faculty at Texas A&M, serving as coordinator of the safety education program for 29 years until 2006, and as director for the Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies there for 17 years until 2014. Dennis was a senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute from 2007-15.

“I was the first in my family to go to college,” he said. “My high school coach went to NSC (then-Northwestern State College) and influenced me to go there. NSC met all my academic needs and allowed me to run track, be in Blue Key, and other organizations. NSC had a great early influence on my life and so I am grateful that my wife (also an NSC graduate) and I can provide an endowment.”

Their commitment to create the “Maury and Pat Dennis Track and Field Scholarship” is the latest in an ongoing series of gifts made as part of the Perpetually Purple campaign by NSU Athletics. A developing trend is having endowments set up in various ways, including direct contributions, stock transfers, real estate transactions and as the Dennis’ have done, as a deferred gift through an estate.

“Mary and Pat are appreciated for their forward thinking that has resulted in the establishment of an endowed scholarship in their estate to benefit the NSU track and field program,” said Burke. “It is exciting to see the continued momentum as NSU’s athletic scholarship endowment continues to grow. Furthermore, contributions to the endowment are being made in various manners, which sends a message that everybody has the capacity to make a difference for our student-athletes on a long term basis.”

Burke and associate athletic director Dr. Hailey Taitano are aiming to grow the DUF endowment, through outright donations or deferred gifts, over the next five years from the nearly $2 million current level to over $5 million. It has increased by almost $500,000 in the last three years. The program is separate from the efforts to supplement the annual budget for the athletics program with donations, corporate partnerships and special fund-raising events.

A minimum commitment of $10,000 is required to create an endowment fund, but that fund can start from any initial outright gift. Endowments can be established with an outright gift such as cash, a stock transfer or property sale, a life insurance policy, or can be included as a provision in a will or bequest. Arrangements can be made to fund an endowment over an extended period of time.

To inquire about the Perpetually Purple program, contact Greg Burke (burkeg@nsula.edu, 318-357-5251), or Taitano (blounth@nsula.edu, 318-357-4278). Information is also available on the NSUDemons.com website.

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Some of you may recall that several weeks ago I wrote about the increasing severity of the illness of our little rat terrier Mosby. Well, it got to the point that we had to have him put down.

That’s always a terribly difficult decision. You’re often not sure if it’s really time, that he doesn’t have a few more good days, weeks or months.

But Mo, as we often affectionately called him, lost his appetite and began to eat just a few bites from his meals, meals that he gladly devoured in the past.. He was losing weight badly and we were afraid he would starve himself to death. But, despite a severe cough, he still enjoyed life as well as he was able.

Until the day that he threw up most of his midday meal. We knew then that the time had come. If he couldn’t keep food on his stomach, there was no hope.

So, in preparation, I hired a couple of young men to dig a grave for him in our backyard and a couple of days later we took him to the vet to be euthanized. You know what bothered me a lot? It was the fact that the poor little dog had no idea that his hours were numbered, that the only existence he had known and could conceive of was about to end.

Of course his last seconds were peaceful and quiet. He literally went to sleep painlessly from the overdose of anesthetic that caused his little heart to cease beating. The doctor checked him and rechecked him to make sure the medicine had worked. And indeed it had.

Mary and I shed tears (as we had been doing for a couple of days) for the little friend that loved and trusted us so much. Then we wrapped him up in a large pillowcase and brought him home. We placed his little bed at the bottom of the grave and gently lowered him in. And covered him with the earth to which his little bones will return.

I’d like to say that I described his loss on Facebook and we received a wonderful outpouring of sympathy and support from family and friends.

His loss leaves us with two dogs, Kate, a 15-year-old spaniel-chow mix, and Bea, a beagle/basset of about 8 years old. We’ve pretty much agreed that, at our age, we will acquire no more dogs. Losing them is just too hard. Mosby is now the third dog to lie buried in our yard. When Kate and Bea go, there shall be no more.

And Mary and I are not the only ones in our household who are grieving. Kate, who treated Mosby like her son, is still sad (six days after his passing as this is written) and looks about the house for him and then looks at us as if to say, “Where’s my boy?”

I expect she will forget him with time, something Mary and I are not likely to do.

I want to relate a story that could have been tragic, but one at which Mary and I can look back and chuckle about. After the grave was dug, with Mosby’s euthanasia scheduled for the next day, we noticed Kate had been outside for a very long time. We went into the back yard and didn’t see her. When we called out, her head popped up over near the fence. She had fallen into the open grave an looked just like a little soldier in a foxhole.

She couldn’t get out on her own so we helped her up and she trotted off wagging her tail. She wasn’t at all hurt, so we could look back on the incident with humor because she looked so cute with her head just above the rim of the hole The grim part, however, is that sometime in the future, Kate will occupy her own permanent place in our yard. Like I said, it’s just so hard losing them.

But I’ll end this column on the upbeat. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Rainbow Bridge. The story goes that when pets die they go to Heaven and cross over the Rainbow Bridge to play and experience joy, waiting for their owners to join them at some future time. When they see their owners coming, a wonderful reunion is held — human and dog reunited for ever. And I’m counting on that I can tell you.

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By Edwin Crayton

Unless you are a lawyer, your first question is probably, what in the world is nolo contendere? According to The Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, this is what the word means. It’s Latin and the dictionary says: “A defendant’s pleading that does not admit guilt but subjects him or her to punishment as though a guilty plea had been entered, the determination of guilt remaining open in other proceedings.”

You being a bright reader get the idea of this whole thing, I’m sure, so here’s a brief recap of the trial which went pretty fast. To be clear, Councilwoman Morrow was charged with theft in an incident at Walmart on Keyser Avenue in December. At previous court appearances, she pled not guilty. But as you can see from the definition of her final plea, that changed significantly in the new trial.
Judge Fred Gahagan gave Morrow six month’s probation and a fine of $481 which is to be paid by June 26 or she must return to court again. Although it’s a suspended sentence, if the fine is not paid the penalty can be 60 days in jail. Morrow is also paying restitution of $78.13.  Assistant District Attorney Cloyd Benjamin served in the trial.

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Support Relay for Life, the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society by “Tipping for a Cure” Thursday, march 15 from 4-9 pm at Dickey’s BBQ. Dine in and let waiters serve you at your table or carry out for a good cause. Any tips received during this event will benefit the Relay for Life of Natchitoches Parish. Donations to Relay For Life help the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, critical patient care services, education and prevention initiatives, and so much more.

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The Dunahoe Law Firm is a top-level Louisiana sponsor of Flavor of Louisiana, Northwestern State University’s spring fund raiser for student scholarships.

From left are Law Firm Principal Edwin Dunahoe, NSU Development Officer Brittany McNeely, Lola Dunahoe, a member of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System; Development Officer Rebekah Burleson, Firm Principal Jared Dunahoe and Drake Owens, executive director of the NSU Foundation.

For sponsorship information, contact Burleson at (318) 357-5213. To purchase tickets, visit northwesternalumni.com/fol or call (318) 357-4414.

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Results of the 2018 Northwest Louisiana District Literary Rally, held on the campus of Northwestern State University on Feb. 24, have been released. Students from high schools in central and northwest Louisiana participated in the Rally, which is held each year to qualify academically talented students for the state competition at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge on April 21.

Rally Sweepstakes winners for Division I were Caddo Magnet, first place; Alexandria Senior High, second place, and Pineville High, third place. Sweepstakes winners for Division II were Bolton High, first; Buckeye, second. Sweepstakes winners for Division III were Loyola College Prep, first; Avoyelles Public Charter, second, and a tie for third place, Many High and Winnfield High. Sweepstakes winners for Division IV were Zwolle, first; Castor, second. Sweepstakes winners for Division V were Negreet, first; Saline, second, and Converse, third.

Students who qualified to attend the Louisiana State Literary on April 21 (in Natchitoches Parish) are:

Division 1

Natchitoches Central

Tyler Nichols, Advanced Math-Pre Calculus; Zane Harper, Agriscience I; Brandie Prince, Agriscience II; Delores Obannon, Algebra I; Paul Sheffield, Civics; Susan Cook, Nutrition & Food; Thomas Dodd, Physical Science; Byron Pinchley, World Geography;

Division 3

Lakeview

Salem Johnson, Agriscience II; Cadie Coleman, Agriscience III; Jordan Bevill, Business Computer Appl;

LSMSA

Lily Orgeron, Advanced Math-Pre Calculus; Kathryn Lee, Algebra II; Karan Baker, Biology I; Zachary Schleter, Biology II; Shivam Shah, Calculus; Grace Fields, Chemistry; Sydney Schroedter, Civics; Steely Forrester, English II; Casey Tonnies, English III; Bryce Moulton, Environmental Science; Olivia Pereda, Fine Arts Survey; Emilyann Blanc, French I; Kathleen Barrios, French II; Elyse Duplantier, French III; Cooper Miller, Government; Alena Noakes, Journalism I; Connor Harrington, Physics; Ben Walker, Psychology; Beck Mcelveen, Spanish I; Rachel Schnadelbach, Spanish II; Emmanuel Perez, Spanish IV; Andrew Huze, World History;
Medal Winners are:

Division 1

Natchitoches Central

Zane Harper, Agriscience I; Brandie Prince, Agriscience II; Delores Obannon, Algebra I; Paul Sheffield, Civics; Susan Cook, Nutrition & Food;

Division 3

Lakeview

Jordan Bevill, Business Computer Appl;

LSMSA

Lily Orgeron, Advanced Math-Pre Calculus; Kathryn Lee, Algebra II; Zachary Schleter, Biology II; Shivam Shah, Calculus; Grace Fields, Chemistry; Steely Forrester, English II; Bryce Moulton, Environmental Science; Emilyann Blanc, French I; Kathleen Barrios, French II; Elyse Duplantier, French III; Zachary Schleter, Journalism I; Connor Harrington, Physics; Ben Walker, Psychology; Rachel Schnadelbach, Spanish II;

Divison 5

St. Mary’s

Jeremy Friedel, Calculus; Katelyn Yopp, Family & Consumer Science; Sierra Pesnell, Fine Arts Survey; Laura Aviles, Geometry; Andrew Godfrey, Government; George Ingrish, Physics; Emily Maggio, Principles of Business; Sara Loach, Spanish II; Britney Turner, World Geography; Jay Parker, World History

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NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Carol Imelda Balthazar
Friday, March 9, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 10 am – 12 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 12 pm at St. Augustine Catholic Church
Interment: St. Augustine Catholic Church Cemetery

John D. “Jack” Wingo, Jr.
June 21, 1932 – March 12, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 1-3 pm at First Baptist Church of Natchitoches
Service: Thursday, March 15 at 3 pm at First Baptist Church of Natchitoches
Interment: Memory Lawn Cemetery of Natchitoches

William E. “Bill” Maley
October 5, 1941 – March 8, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 9-11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Jackson Cemetery in Flora

Marsha R. Chatman
October 19, 1964 – March 12, 2018
Arrangements TBA

Lillie B. Jackson
April 4, 1927 – March 10, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 11 am – 12:30 pm at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, located at 911 5th Street in Natchitoches
Service: Thursday, March 15 at 1 pm at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
Interment: Lawrence Serenity Sanctum
SABINE PARISH:

Sherwood Thompson
December 16, 1940 – March 10, 2018
Services held Wednesday, March 14
RAPIDES PARISH:

Elsie V Basco
June 22, 1933 – March 12, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 5-9 pm and Friday, March 16 from 8:30-9:30 am at the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Friday, March 16 at 10 am at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Howard Frank Oppenheimer
December 18, 1946 – March 9, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 9-11 am at the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Thursday, March 15 at 11 am in the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home Chapel
WINN PARISH:

Jacque Daniel Pullig
July 2, 1978 – March 5, 2018

Sherwood Gilbert Thompson
December 16, 1940 – March 10, 2018
Arrangements TBA

Charles Ball
July 19, 1949 – March 6, 2018
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 8 am – 5 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel
Internment: Winnfield City Cemetery

Oscar Lee “Slick” Walker
June 6, 1949 – March 9, 2018
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 2 pm in the chapel of the Winnfield Funeral Home of Winnfield
RED RIVER PARISH:

Buick Brisker
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 7-8 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Red River Church of God in Christ in Coushatta
Interment: Kinghill Cemetery in Jordan Ferry

Mark Clark Sr.
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 6-7 pm at the St. Savior Baptist Church in Coushatta
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Deliverance Temple in Coushatta
Interment: Springville Cemetery in Coushatta

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District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced today that Natchitoches City Councilwoman Sylvia Morrow was convicted by entering a plea of nolo contendere (no contest) relating to a Dec. 18, 2017 attempted theft case from Walmart in Natchitoches.

Morrow was scheduled for trial today in Natchitoches City Court but instead changed her plea from not guilty to nolo contendere.

A nolo contendere plea is considered a conviction in Louisiana law. In such cases, the court imposes sentencing in accordance with the laws applicable to the charge.

Natchitoches City Court Judge Fred S. Gahagan sentenced Morrow under the guidelines of Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 894 to 60 days in jail, but suspended the sentence and placed her on probation for 6 months. Gahagan also fined Morrow $481 or 30 days in jail if not paid by June 26, and ordered her to pay restitution of $78.13 to the City Marshal’s office which will be returned to the victim.

First Assistant District Attorney Cloyd Benjamin, Jr. prosecuted the case for the City.

“Our community expects our elected leaders to maintain a public trust. It is quite disappointing when one of our leaders fail in that regard by being convicted of a crime,” said Harrington.

After raising over $10,000 last year for bullet proof vests for the local police department, the acclaimed first person shooter scenario fundraiser is back! Join us for the 2nd annual Bullet Proof the Blue event at Dark Woods to help raise money for purchasing operations equipment for the Natchitoches SWAT Team this year.

DATE AND TIME
Sat, Apr 21 beginning at 8 AM
Sun, Apr 22 beginning at 5 PM

For the entry fee of $45 per person, there will be 4 interactive scenarios, an event T-Shirt, and a BBQ plate lunch. For organization purposes, individuals and sponsors will be organized into separate flights to keep effective timing throughout the day. The Natchitoches SWAT team will also have educational stations set up to showcase current equipment and tactics.

Sponsorships are also available at several levels:

$1,000 Gold Sponsor – 16 event tickets, Facebook, website, and news coverage, and an ad on event t-shirt

$500 Silver Sponsor – 8 event tickets, Facebook, website and news coverage.

$250 Bronze Sponsor – 4 event tickets, Facebook, website, and news coverage

To register CLICK HERE     Questions, contact Josh Axsom at 318-652-2225.

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Northwestern State University’s Department of Hospitality Management and Tourism will present the popular International Festival of Culture and Cuisines from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27 in the 500 block of Front Street in downtown Natchitoches. The family-friendly event highlights the food, music, games and other features of countries and/or cultures around the world.

Admission is free and event-goers purchase $1 coupons to exchange for food and beverages, most priced at $2-3. Students from NSU’s HMT and culinary arts programs wear costumes to coordinate with the themes of each booth representing a different culture and serve food items representative of that culture’s cuisine. Student musicians will provide entertainment and some demonstrations of foreign cultures.

Cultures represented this year will include Louisiana, Morocco, Latin America, France, Italy, Greece, Australia, Hawaii, Ireland, Jamaica and Germany. Previous years have drawn event-goers of all ages to enjoy the costumes, food, beverages, dancing, demonstrations, games and other features of the street fair-style event. All proceeds go towards the NSU Hospitality Foundation.

For more information, contact Dr. Lynn Woods, HMT program coordinator, at (318) 357-5085 or llwoods@nusla.edu.

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Natchitoches Magnet and NSU Elementary Lab battled it out for robotic supremacy at the E-Lab’s Gym Tuesday, March 13th. The event featured 49 competitors divided into 9 elementary teams and 3 middle-school teams. The teams programmed their robots to run autonomously over a course, pick up and drop off items while avoiding obstacles and staying on course. The teams also had to deal with unexpected setbacks and course changes. The competition builds programing skills as well as teamwork and flexibility – excellent preparation for the real world.

The parish’s robotics teams were unable to attend a regional competition in Bossier City due to severe weather. Undeterred, the coaches decided to host a local robotics competition in order to give the teams a chance to show off their hard work. The result was quite a success and may lead to many more. Congratulations to the students and coaches from both teams. The Natchitoches Parish Journal would also like to commend the 12 students from the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts who volunteered to assist with the competition.

Smart kids, doing smart things, learning and growing – that is exactly the kind of stuff the Natchitoches Parish Journal, and the citizens of the parish, want to see more often. The NPJ is looking forward to next year’s competition – with each school in the parish fielding a team!

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The Boys & Girls Club of El Camino Real will hold its 19th Annual Steak and Burger Dinner Tuesday, March 20 from 5:30-8:30 pm at the NSU Ballroom on the NSU Campus.

This year’s speaker will be Miss Louisiana 2017, Laryssa Bonacquisti, a double preliminary winner and Top 7 contestant at the Miss America competition. She is a senior at LSU majoring in mass communication- broadcast journalism.

Laryssa travels the state promoting her platform “Team Charlotte: Fighting Pancreatic Cancer,” a platform that is near and dear to her heart following the death of her grandmother.

Laryssa was an intern for Congressman Pete Sessions in Washington DC and plans to pursue a law degree following her undergraduate studies. Her talent, ventriloquism, has allowed her the opportunity to entertain for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and open for Terry Fator and Colt McCoy. She is the official hostess for the State of Louisiana and spokesperson for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, vantage Health Plan, Propane Dealers of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

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A $3,000 guaranteed payout “Crappie for Cash Tournament” is coming and it’s scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at the Toledo Bend Reservoir. Sponsored by the Sabine River Authority (SRA), this tournament promises to be exciting and fun with 100% pay back of all entry fees!

This year, SRA is teaming up with CASA! CASA of Central Louisiana is a National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association which supports the abused and neglected children in Sabine, Natchitoches and Red River Parishes. With a CASA advocate appointed to our most vulnerable children, they will have someone speaking up for their best interests in the legal system. Any donation given while registering for this tournament will be matched by SRA. With your support, more children in our three-parish area will have the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.

There is a $125 entry fee per team. Deadline to enter is Friday, April 13 – but enter by April 2 to qualify for a free entry drawing and receive a free t-shirt. A mandatory rules meeting will be held on Friday, April 13 at the Cypress Bend Park Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. Weigh-in time on Saturday is 1 p.m. Also, a “Big Fish PayOut” of $300 will be added!

While Toledo Bend sits in the No. 1 spot in the nation on Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings, FishUSA – America’s Tackle Shop lists Toledo Bend as one of the best places to fish for crappie. You don’t want to miss this great opportunity to fish, win money and help our most vulnerable kids – all at one time!

If you have any questions about the upcoming tournament or need additional information to register, contact Susie Anthony at (318) 256-4112 or (800) 259-5253.
You can Text “2help” to 21000 – for more information about CASA of Central Louisiana

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In recognition of her years of love and support of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Jacque Crew has been named an honorary chapter rose.

An alumna of the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, she is the wife of late Beta Omicron Chapter alumnus Robert Crew. In the last decade, Jacque has been devoted to supporting Greek unity as the chapter advisor of Tri Sigma at NSU and has been deeply involved in guiding collaboration on projects among the two organizations. Jacque has even taught etiquette lessons and served as hostess for Pi Kappa Phi dinners. Together, she and Robert were actively involved in supporting educational efforts of Pi Kappa Phi and regularly attended chapter functions, including Rose Ball formals in New Orleans, local Founders’ Day observances and even Pi Kappa Phi Supreme Chapter in Denver, Colorado. After decades in the classroom as an educator, she recently retired to Shreveport.

Jacque was recognized on Thursday, March 8 at the annual David & Sherry Morgan ‘Extra Mile’ Scholarship banquet, honoring student leaders of Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Members and alumni of Pi Kappa Phi presented her with a red rose and crystal memento before singing the traditional serenade, ‘The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi.’

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By Pat Todd, Jr

Dear Editor:

I read with amusement the story regarding a few wanting to go back to the Police Jury form of government. Let me say one of the main reasons this is happening is that a few, not the majority, of parish councilpersons want this to happen. And the real reason is that they are not happy that they don’t have the power they used to under the jury form of government. My dad served on the Jury and he was absolutely in favor of a council form. Why did we ever need 11 jurors with their 11 little kingdoms? What we have when we have a jury form of government is sheer chaos. Our current form of president/council government works just like the city government. It is more like Congress or the U S Senate, and our State Government. Police Jury government is designed to make every juror the “boss” in his district. This means he or she can call the highway department or any other department and try to give orders. It doesn’t work.

The current president/council form of government is not responsible for the road conditions. The roads were the same back in the jury days and there was more money, partly because of federal revenue sharing. Our roads headed south when the jury was running the parish. The roads will not improve with a police jury. It is apparent to me that these few wanting to go back to the old form of government have never really bothered to examine the parish budget. I attended the public meetings, there were very few there. It is easy to criticize and blame the president/council form of government. It is also a shame that a few individuals who are overreacting listen to the couple of council members or are upset with their roads, could cause our parish government to collapse.

In the end, I firmly believe this is about power, period.

I am not going to bother to go to the meeting and voice an opinion to a few that are listening to the wrong crowd and are up in arms about something they have not studied. I live in the parish and I surely hope we keep our current parish president/council form of government. I drive on the same roads, and I believe our highway department is doing a good job considering the limited resources. What we need is a tax passed as much as I hate taxes. That will be the only way we will have more improvement to our roads and sadly we can’t get that even passed because of these same individuals and the power grab by a couple of current councilpersons.

Sincerely,

Pat Todd, Jr.
4431 Highway 1 North
Natchitoches, La. 71457

P.S. I applied to serve on the Parish Planning Commission, I will now not hold my breath on that appointment.

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Superintendent Dale Skinner announced at a Special Called School Board meeting Tuesday night, March 13, that no additional changes will be made for the reorganization of the schools.

At a regular meeting March 9, Skinner proposed some changes to the original reorganization plan that was introduced in February. However, he decided to go with the original proposal after much consideration to keep the younger grade levels together. The school base health center at LP Vaughn, run by the Outpatient Medical Center, was another factor that led Skinner to keep the original plan.

The reconfiguration will be as follows:

Students in grades Toddler, and PreK-2 will be moved to the LP Vaughn facility Building 1: 417 students
Teacher to student ratio of 1:20/21 in first grade and 1:21/22 in second grade Building 2: 393 students
Teacher to student ratio of 1:19/20 in PreK and 1:20/21 in Kindergarten
Students in grades 3-4 will be moved to the Weaver facility: 371 students
Teacher to student ratio of 1:19/20 in third grade and 1:24/25 in fourth grade
Students in grades 5-6 will be moved to the East Natchitoches facility: 395 students
Teacher to student ratio of 1:25/26 in fifth grade and 1:23/24 in sixth grade
Natchitoches Jr. High will go back to grades 7-8 only

LP Vaughn will be run as two separate schools. The only thing they will share is a cafeteria. Skinner said he feels this reorganization is the most important thing he’s done for the students of Natchitoches Parish since he’s been superintendent. (See Building Plans below)

After the special called meeting, the board went into a budget committee meeting.

The auditor will be at the board’s April meeting to discuss audit findings. The first finding deals with capital assets and how they’re reported in the findings. The best way to remedy this will be to hire someone to appraise all the School Board’s assets. Director of Business Affairs Richard Foshee said this hasn’t hurt them yet. But you never know what the future will bring. This was a finding last year and until it’s moved on, it will continue to reappear year after year.

The second finding deals with inter-fund transfers, which are overall in balance, but details of individual transactions between funds weren’t provided during the auditors procedures. Foshee said this is due to poor journal entries and he wants to work with the CPA and auditors to identify the exact problem and address it.

The third finding dealt with the way Title I funds are budgeted. In the past it’s been managed through an online system provided by the state. The revenue is budgeted on a certain location code, but then expensed on other location codes. This is a timing issue, according to Foshee.

The audit included two suggestions which included:

Consolidated District #8 was running a deficit balance, which has decreased by $41,000 thanks to the millage moving forward. Foshee said they’re doing the right thing, but it still has to be listed on the report.

The audit wasn’t completed at the end of the year. They had 6 months to complete it after the final year starts, but didn’t until February. Fish said he will pursue this more aggressively this year and push them to get it done by December.

A minor issue involves reconciling issues with the union, who says the School District owes them money. Foshee said some records were messed up and Board member Russ Danzy said in his experience with the union, it hasn’t kept real close records. Foshee said he’s put changes in place procedurally so that teachers have to contact the union, who will then send a form to the district before said teacher can join or leave. Before this was done with just a phone call. Foshee said they still have a whole mess to clean up.

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NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Carol Imelda Balthazar
Friday, March 9, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 10 am – 12 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 12 pm at St. Augustine Catholic Church
Interment: St. Augustine Catholic Church Cemetery

John D. “Jack” Wingo, Jr.
June 21, 1932 – March 12, 2018
Arrangements TBA

William E. “Bill” Maley
October 5, 1941 – March 8, 2018
Visitation: Saturday, March 17 from 9-11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
Interment: Jackson Cemetery in Flora

Marsha R. Chatman
October 19, 1964 – March 12, 2018
Arrangements TBA

Lillie B. Jackson
April 4, 1927 – March 10, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 11 am – 12:30 pm at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, located at 911 5th Street in Natchitoches
Service: Thursday, March 15 at 1 pm at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
Interment: Lawrence Serenity Sanctum

SABINE PARISH:

Allie Nadine Isgitt
July 21, 1931 – March 11, 2018
Service: Wednesday, March 14 at 10 am at Union Baptist Church
Interment: Belmont Cemetery

Catherine Delores O’Banion
July 25, 1941 – March 11, 2018
Service: Wednesday, March 14 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel
Interment: Zwolle Cemetery
RAPIDES PARISH:

Howard Frank Oppenheimer
December 18, 1946 – March 9, 2018
Visitation: Thursday, March 15 from 9-11 am at the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Thursday, March 15 at 11 am in the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home Chapel

WINN PARISH:

Jacque Daniel Pullig
July 2, 1978 – March 5, 2018

Sherwood Gilbert Thompson
December 16, 1940 – March 10, 2018
Arrangements TBA

Charles Ball
July 19, 1949 – March 6, 2018
Visitation: Friday, March 16 from 8 am – 5 pm
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel
Internment: Winnfield City Cemetery

Oscar Lee “Slick” Walker
June 6, 1949 – March 9, 2018
Service: Saturday, March 17 at 2 pm in the chapel of the Winnfield Funeral Home of Winnfield

RED RIVER PARISH:

Arlene Edna Gates
November 2, 1941 – March 12, 2018
Service: Wednesday, March 14 at 11 am at Campti Baptist Church Cemetery

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