Mardi Gras Parade in Logansport

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Nicole Tull

The Krewe of Aquarius rolled through Logansport on Saturday evening, February 4. After a cold and wet week, attendees and participants of the Mardi Gras parade were thrilled with dry and warmer temps. Logansport Fire Dept., EMS, and State Representative Larry Bagley represented the town in the parade with their presence.

In the business category for Overall Best Business the award went to Lou-Tex for their Little Mermaid float. There were bubbles blowing, corals alongside the float, and all the main characters represented. The Most Unique Business went to Logansport Chamber of Commerce for their Looney Tunes float boasting larger than life characters atop James Walker’s BBQ pit trailer. The Best Dressed Business went to Matthews Motor for their Scooby Doo float. Someone was dressed as Scooby, and they played the theme song.

In the Individual awards category, Overall Best went to LHS for their Disney Princess float. A castle and the best royal ladies (and snowman) road. Most Unique went to Marshall Road Mafia for their Dalmatian float. So many spots and puppy costumes. Best Dressed was for RCF’s Princess and the Frog float. Louisiana’s very own story came to life.

In the Group Awards categories, Overall Best went to Retired Rockin’ Revelers for their Toy Story Float. It was like being in the movie with the bright colors and character representations. Most Entertaining went to Logansport Softball for their Minions float. That pontoon boat bounced its way through the route with those gals sharing their mirth with the crowd.

In the Best Vehicle/Car awards division, Overall Best in Show went to Miss Jr. Mardi Gras – Emmaleigh Brown. She really showed off her Mardi Gras Spirit. Best Themed Car went to Miss Logansport – Cooper Edgar. A car dressed up like a cow is so fun. Most Unique Car went to Bevo – Mr. Burns.

Finishing up the awards there was the Marching Group Division award going to LHS Band. Their uniforms were spiffy. Royalty Choice award went to LHS softball. Krewe’s choice award went to Boomerang. Best in Show award went to Jared Harvey for their side by sides.

As always, Logansport locals really put on a great show. Many thanks to the Krewe of Aquarius for investing in our community with revelry and family fun.

Library’s Black History Display

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

From Kristen Newsom at the DeSoto Parish Library

Stop by the Main branch of the DeSoto Parish Library and take a look at their Black History Displays. For more information, call Ms. Doris Ross, Branch Manager, at 318-872-6100. The Main Library is located at 109 Crosby Street in Mansfield.

Here is a pictorial tour of the display.

Upcoming Events Discussed By Chamber

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Nicole Tull

The Logansport Chamber of Commerce had their monthly meeting at the Logansport Library Tuesday evening, February 7^th. Mayte’s Mexican Restaurant catered the evening meal with fajitas, enchiladas and all the fixins.

Mayor Judge Cordray gave an update that all of the canopies are up downtown. They are working on lights. Teresa Stephens presented a trophy to the Chamber for their Mardi Gras float winning The Most Unique Business award. President James Walker mentioned that his grandson, Paden Fields, gets the credit for the float decorations. He volunteered his time and talent to paint the Looney Tunes characters.
Old business discussed was making motions to cover expenses for the Mardi Gras parade. Decorations and maintenance issues were needing immediate attention. The members voted to cover the costs.

New business discussed was taking responsibility for the usage of the chamber trailer for events. It needs a secure place to store and maintenance needs to be considered. The Chamber received a thank you card from LHS dream team for their donation of drinks to the Special Olympics. Also, window decals for Chamber business members will be available soon. This will help the public know who are connected to the Chamber.

The only future event discussed was the Easter Egg Drop the weekend of Easter. The Sheriff’s office has agreed to drop the eggs again from the helicopter. A Committee was assembled to decided what games, prizes, and such will be made available for the day’s fun.

The last point of business was drawing for the door prize. Annette Bounds won the $25 gift certificate for Mayte’s Mexican Restaurant. There is a door prize every meeting. All are encouraged to attend to learn about the community happenings. All are encouraged to join to support the community. The next meeting will be 6:00pm Tuesday, March 7^th at the Logansport library.

Ship Shape

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Brad Dison

It was 1945, the last year of World War II. The USS LSM-51, a medium-sized amphibious landing ship of the Navy’s LSM class, was stationed at San Pedro Bay, Leyte. This 203 ½ foot ship was built to haul a maximum of five medium tanks, three heavy tanks, six amphibious landing craft which used tank tracks rather than wheels, or 9 amphibious wheeled landing crafts called DUKWS. Most of us recognize DUKWS because of their use as tourist attractions in places like Branson, Missouri, and Hot Springs, Arkansas. LSM-51 had a complement of four officers and 54 enlisted men.

Captain Potts ran a tight ship. One of Captain Potts’s favorite punishments on the ship was scraping and repainting. Captain Potts and his officers meted out this punishment often and for the smallest infraction because it kept the ship’s paint fresh. You know the term “ship shape.” Every day someone was busy scraping and repainting some part of the ship.

John Kann and Joe Sherrill seemed to be in trouble more often than not. As a punishment for some offense long forgotten, John and Joe were given the task of scraping and repainting part of one side of the ship. Using ropes, other enlisted men lowered John and Joe down the side of the ship and tied the ropes off. The enlisted men raised and lowered John and Joe throughout the process. Finally, after hours of scraping and repainting, their work was done and their punishment was completed. John and Joe were pulled back up onto the ship and returned to their regular duties. During the same time period, other seamen received the same punishment at different locations on the ship.

Some days later, while under radio silence, the LSM-51 received a morse code message via signal lamp from another ship that carried the Task Group Commander. The signalman decoded the morse code and wrote down the message. The seaman looked at the message with confusion. He must have made a mistake. He relayed the message to Captain Potts, who was equally confused. Captain Potts told the signalman to have the message repeated. He flashed his morse code to the other ship and waited. Again, he translated the morse code and wrote down the message. It was the same message as before. The signalman relayed the message to Captain Potts. Captain Potts had full confidence in his signalman and told him to ask the other ship to repeat the message once again. With full undeviating concentration, the signalman watched as the other ship blinked its signal. This time, the message was longer, but the signalman was still confused. He relayed the message to Captain Potts.

Confused and irritated that the message provided no answer, the captain got into a dingy and rowed away from the ship. He wanted to look at the ship to see if that would solve the confusing messages. It only took a glance. The captain returned to the ship in a state of near rage. He demanded to know who was responsible, but no one confessed. Determined to learn the identity of the culprit or culprits, he asked who had been painting on the side of his ship. Since the scraping and repainting punishment had been meted out so regularly to so many of the seamen, the captain and officers were unable to determine who could be guilty. No matter what punishment the men received, no one confessed. Well, not until more than 50 years had passed. Finally, in the late 1990s, John and Joe no longer feared the reprisals of the Navy and confessed. John argued that it was he who came up with the idea. Joe claimed that the idea was his.

The confusing message that the other ship kept sending LSM-51 was… “How much do you want for it?” In orange chromate rust inhibitor, in letters more than 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall, John and Joe had painted on the side of LSM-51 the words, “FOR SALE”.

Sources:

usslsm51.com/for_sale.html
uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/12662.html

University Women Mardi Gras Celebration

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

The Mansfield Chapter of the National Association of University Women is thanking all who made their 2023 Mardi Gras Gala a spectacular event.

They said, “Another incredible Mardi Gras Gala for the books. Great job, ladies. A special thanks goes to Muzikology The Band. You guys were incredible.”

They added, “We would also like to thank our caterer, Ms. Mineola Richmond, for our delicious meal. We are also grateful for the opportunity to honor our 2023 Mardi Gras King, Pastor Ronnie Morris and our 2023 Mardi Gras Queen, Mrs. Demetrius Carter Drain. What a memorable night.”

Two Sign Scholarships

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Nicole Tull

Logansport High School is sending two of their star athletes into the collegiate world to expand their talents. Khameron Boykins, Quarterback, signed with Centenary College in Shreveport. Khameron had offers from two schools back in December. His heart was really set on Centenary, and he made his decision final this month.

Hayden Rolfe, Linebacker, signed with Southern Arkansas in Magnolia, Arkansas. He will continue to pursue his talents and an education at the Muleriders campus. DeSoto Parish is proud to have these fine gentlemen represent Logansport.

How Quickly It Can Happen

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Steve Graf

Over the course of an angler’s career, there are times and situations that can turn deadly really quickly. How you react when you’re in one of these unexpected disasters can be the difference between living or dying. Your ability to remain calm is very important in maintaining a clear head and thinking things through. Today, we’ll go over one of these life-or-death events that this angler had to live through.

During the course of a bass tournament, things can go wrong. You hit a stump and destroy your lower unit on your big motor. You run into a log with your trolling motor and break the shaft. You blow a fuse, and all your electronics stop working. You lose your aerator system with your live wells and all your fish die. But there’s also the possibility that your batteries go dead, leaving you without the ability to use the trolling motor. This is what happened to me during a promotional tournament sponsored by the Horseshoe Casino.

For three or four years, the Horseshoe Casino sponsored an event in which they brought in all their “high rollers” and hired 20 to 25 of the best anglers in the area to guide these guys while they fished for a $10,000 purse, a “winner take all tournament.” It was truly a fun event with some great guys who were just looking to go fishing and have a good time. But make no mistake, each wanted to win, and they would sell their mother down the river in order to get the win. Horseshoe paid us (guides) well to take these guys out for a two-day tournament. We fished from daylight till about 1:00 each day and had to be at the Horseshoe for the weigh-in by 2:00.

One of these events was on Red River and this is where one of my worst nightmares unfolded. My partner and I were fishing and doing pretty good, when around 10:00 AM that morning my trolling motor batteries went dead. At the time, we had about 14 pounds of fish in the live-well with three hours of fishing left. Well, let’s just say the wind was not our friend, blowing about 15 to 20 MPH out of the south, so not having a trolling motor was going to make fishing very difficult. So, I decided to go back close to the boat ramp we launched from and let the wind push us down a stretch of bank that I had caught good fish off of before. We made one pass down this 150-yard stretch and culled two good keepers that gave us about 16 pounds by 11:00 AM with two hours left.

After we made that first pass, we ended up by a boat dock where people had a couple of houseboats tied up. Again, the wind was really blowing hard and as we drifted, we got hung up on the boat dock and I had to try and push us off. There was one piling that was in my way and as I was trying to push the boat away from this piling, my hand slipped off and into the water I went! One thing I learned when I hit the water was not just how cold the water was, but that the pullover jacket I had on, which was made of Burma fleece, was equivalent to a huge sponge. Understand this, you cannot imagine how absorbent Burma fleece really is. The minute I hit the water, I gained 25 pounds of extra weight on top of my 230-pound frame. I went straight to the bottom and landed like an anchor being dropped from the Titanic.

The first thing that went through my mind was, “This is not good,” as I opened my eyes and realized I was in a bad situation in 15 feet of water. I attempted to try and remove my pullover, but it was as if I had been shrink wrapped with this Burma fleece jacket. There was no getting it off, so now I’m just trying to figure out how to get back to the surface. The piling my hand had slipped off of was about 4 feet away from me, so I started walking on the bottom of the riverbed and wrapped my legs around the piling and started trying to shimmy my way up. Problem was, the piling was covered in algae, and it was like a monkey trying to climb a greased pole. Finally, I was able to get enough grip with my shoes, that it allowed me to get my head above water. I’m not sure how long I was under the water, but according to my 75-year-old partner, it was at least 2 minutes. He thought I had drowned and was in total panic mode.

After surfacing I asked him to throw my life jacket to me. Even though it was laying in the driver’s seat in plain sight, he could not see it. At this point there was no choice, it was either swim to the bank or try to get back to the boat. Getting to the boat, in my mind, was a priority as my partner was on the verge of a heart attack! At this point I pushed off the piling and swam towards the boat and lifted myself back into the boat with the help of the trim switch on the motor. Totally exhausted, I laid on the back deck of the boat for about 15 minutes trying to recover and gain my energy back.

Once fully recovered, it was time to get these wet clothes off. This is why you should keep a complete change of clothes in your boat at all times. Once changed out, we went back to fishing…. against my partners wishes. But as far as I was concerned, we were in it to win it and we needed to get to 18 pounds to have a shot. Well, we ended up in 3rd with a little over 16 pounds, but to say it was an adventure is an understatement.

After it was all said and done, I realized on my drive back home that day just how quickly things can take a turn for the worst. But looking back, the thing that stood out from this experience was that I never panicked. For some reason, I was able to maintain my composure, think clearly and slowly process my situation, and find my way back to the surface. Talking to a game warden one day about my experience, he told me that most drownings take place in water 4 feet or less, all because people panic and lose their thought process…when all they really had to do was stand up. Till next time, good luck, good fishing and don’t forget your sunscreen.

Mansfield Elementary Celebrates Black History

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

By Diane Scott Davis

The 2nd and 4th grade students at Mansfield Elementary School are excitedly preparing for their annual Black History Program to be held Thursday, February 16, 2023 in the school’s Multipurpose Room beginning at 9:00 a.m.

This yearly event is coordinated by music teacher Sybil Zebbs-Taylor and includes tributes to African American legends that made valuable contributions to the growth of our nation. Also featured will be the Mansfield Elementary Choir, MES Fancy Feet Dancers and individual classes reciting poetry and accolades to notable and historical Black American personalities.

The MES Art classes have created art especially for this event which will be displayed. Additionally, 3rd and 4th grade student have engaged in self-directed projects that will be shared during the program to present their research into the lives of Black Americans that have impacted history.

You won’t want to miss this educational and entertaining program that will showcase the talents of our children.

Notice of Death – February 10, 2023

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

Huey Leroy Booker

March 12, 1932 to February 8, 2023

View full obituary here:

https://desotoparishjournal.com/2023/02/09/huey-leroy-booker/

Charles “Charlie” Robert Huffman

November 20, 1954 to February 1, 2023

View full obituary here:

https://desotoparishjournal.com/2023/02/09/charles-charlie-robert-huffman/

Milton Kyle Smith

July 14, 1957 to February 8, 2023

View full obituary here:

https://desotoparishjournal.com/2023/02/09/milton-kyle-smith/

Louise Booker Rascoe

October 7, 1926 to January 16th, 2023

View full obituary here:

https://desotoparishjournal.com/2023/02/02/louise-booker-rascoe/

Diamond Keyairra Foster

6/24/1992 – 2/2/2023

Service: Saturday, February 11, 2023 @ 11:00 a.m. Cedar Hill B.C. Grand Cane, LA

The DeSoto Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The obituary will be included in the emails sent to subscribers. Contact your funeral provider or DeSotoParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above with no link to the obituary are FREE of charge.)

ETC… For Wednesday, February 8, 2023

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

The Krewe of Aquarius is asking anyone that caught extra unwanted beads at the parade, please unload them at our special locations. These beads will be used for our school parade for the kids to throw and other local events. Locations include the Logansport Town Hall,

Logansport Sheriff Substation, Logansport High School or the Logansport Branch Library.

Northwestern State University’s Office of Student Financial Aid is working to make NSU students, prospective students and parents aware of available financial aid to help pay for college as part of Financial Aid Awareness Month in February.

According to NSU Director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Lauren Jackson, the 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available at https://studentaid.gov. This form must be completed to determine eligibility for grants, work-study, student loans and Louisiana’s Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS).

Huey Leroy Booker

February 9, 2023 / NPJ

Graveside services celebrating the life of Huey Leroy Booker will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Stanley, Louisiana with Reverend Richard Tull officiating.

Leroy was born March 12, 1932, in Mansfield, Louisiana to Tom and Ethel Booker and entered into rest on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Aletha Jeanette Booker; sons, Ronny Booker and wife Michelle and Terry Booker and wife Lisa; daughter, Beverly Gooden and husband Adrian; nine grandchildren; and a host of great and great great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Marvin Booker.

Honoring Huey as pallbearers will be his grandsons.

Milton Kyle Smith

February 9, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

Services celebrating the life of Milton Kyle Smith will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Mansfield, Louisiana with Bro. Brian Lafleur and Christopher Smith officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2023 at the funeral home.

Kyle was born July 14, 1957 in Mansfield, Louisiana to Milton and Jeanette Smith and entered into rest on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in Stonewall, Louisiana after a 26-month long fight with lung, thyroid, and melanoma cancer.

He attended Stanley High School where he graduated in 1975. Kyle had multiple fulfilling careers which included being a narcotics deputy, oil field hand, advanced EMT, and security officer. Kyle is best known by those who love him as being an avid hunter and fan of the New Orleans Saints and LSU Tigers. Most would remember him as the loudest in the room with the biggest smile.

Preceding him in death are his grandparents, Thomas and Georgia Lee Palmer and Lovert and Tressie Smith.

Left to cherish his memory are his parents, Milton and Jeanette Smith; son, Brandon Smith; daughters, Jacqueline Ladatto and husband, Doug, Jessica Smith Honaker, and Amber McDonald and husband, Tanner; sister, Tina Hunter and husband, Wayne; brothers, Burt Smith and wife, Kerry Lynn, Tim Smith and wife, Lavonna, and Terry Smith; grandchildren, Trent Bristow and wife, Anna, Holden Honaker, Haiden Honaker, Eilon Honaker, Everett Honaker, Michael Smith, Aubri McDonald, Emily Ladatto, and Beau Ladatto; great grandsons, Gunner Bristow and Willie Bristow; and special friend, James “Boogie” Bossier and wife, Barbara.

Honoring Kyle as pallbearers will be his nephews Christopher Smith, Cody Lee, Jonathan Smith, Logan Smith, and Caden Smith.

The family would like to thank all of his physicians he encountered along his way at Ochsner, but especially, Dr. Beedupalli, for her extensive care and empathy during Kyle’s battle with cancer. Special thanks to Gentiva Hospice and his nurse, Amber.

Charles “Charlie” Robert Huffman

February 9, 2023February 9, 2023 / NPJ

A Celebration of Life Service for Charles “Charlie” Robert Huffman, 68, will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. at Bethany Baptist Church, off Highway 79 in Bethany, Louisiana. A visitation will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. until service time at the church. Officiating the service will be Pastor Marvin Cooper.

Charlie was born on November 20, 1954 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Charles L. and Burette Huffman and passed away on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 in Greenwood, Louisiana.

Charlie was a loving, devoted, faithful husband and friend. He was married to the love of his life, Cindi, for 44 years. He served in the United States Army in an anti-aircraft unit and was stationed at Scofield Barracks in Hawaii. His first passion was his family. His second was his job working at Garrison’s Greenwood Nursery for the last 20 years. He enjoyed helping customers, taking care of the plants, feeding the birds, all the things that working at a nursery entails.

Charlie is preceded in death by his parents and his daughter, Amber Huffman Watt. Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Cindi Huffman; son, Aaron R. Huffman; granddaughters, Abigail Huffman, Anna Watt and Emma Watt; and brother, Jim Huffman.

DeSoto Student of Year

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

The Student of the Year for DeSoto Parish Schools comes from North DeSoto High. She is Katherine Springer.

NDHS posted, “We are proud to have her represent us as NDHS Student of the Year and DeSoto Parish Student of the Year.” Springer was recognized recently by the DeSoto Parish School Board.

State Representative Larry Bagley (R – Logansport) Announces His Candidacy For Re-Election To House District 7

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

State Representative Larry Bagley (R – Logansport) announces his candidacy for re-election for his final term to House District 7. Larry Bagley is certainly no stranger to the people of House District 7; consisting of Caddo, DeSoto and Sabine parishes. As a resident of Logansport, having dedicated 44 years to teaching and coaching, and being an active participant in the local governmental and civic organizations; there is no part of District 7 that Bagley hasn’t impacted. During his time as a teacher and coach, he served as President of the DeSoto Parish Teachers Association and as President of the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches.

After retiring from the education system as Assistant Principal, Bagley served two terms as a Logansport City Councilman before he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives District 7 in 2015. His 1^st term began in January, 2016, and he was re-elected unopposed in 2019. Since day 1 in office, Bagley has been focused on delivering results for the people of District 7. He has been instrumental in bringing state dollars back to District 7 for infrastructure improvements, securing additional funding for our rural hospitals in DeSoto and Sabine Parishes, making sure that all our local municipalities received funds for their local projects, supporting our Council on Aging, passing teacher pay increases, protecting waiver services, and helping protect and grow funding for Holy Angels. For infrastructure, the two major road projects are Highway 3276 which was completed last year and Highway 5 which will be finished this year. In addition, last year Bagley was able to secure a million dollars for each Economic District in the state to help identify locations to bring businesses and jobs to our state. This mirrors successful programs in other states and will help our region be more competitive with other states and South Louisiana.

Larry Bagley works hard to make sure that every vote he makes will help the people of his district. He is a strong champion of individual freedoms and will protect the rights of gun owners and hunters. From the beginning, Bagley desired to be a State Representative you can talk to, because he learned from his educational experience that being available to talk is the best way to resolve situations. He is proud to have been that State Representative for his first two terms and will continue to be if he is blessed to be elected for his final term.

Because of his commitment to match his votes with the desires of District 7, Bagley has received numerous awards for his voting record. The Patient Champion Award, Friend of Education Award, Patient Award, the Family Advocate Award, Most Valuable Policyholder Legislator, Top Advocate for North La Economic Development, Governors Outstanding Leadership of Disabilities Award are just some of the recognitions that he has received during his first two terms.

In the legislature, Bagley serves as Chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee as well as members of the House Select Leadership Committee, the Joint Select Committee on Louisiana Economic Recovery, and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. He is also a member of the House Rural Caucus and the Republican Delegation.

When not serving the people of District 7, Bagley is the manager and co-owner of Bagley Farms in Longstreet and an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Logansport; previously serving as a lay leader. Bagley Farms is his family’s business where oil, gas, and timber are the three largest sources of income today. However, that hasn’t always been the case. A dairy and beef farm at one time, Bagley, as the oldest of four children, was counted on to help manage the family farm. This gave him the opportunity to learn about hard work, accountability, and the sanctity of life. He has used these tools to find success in life, on the basketball court, and in his service to the people of District 7.

Larry Bagley has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baptist Christian College of Shreveport in Elementary Education, a Master of Education degree from Stephen F. Austin University, and +30 from Northwestern Louisiana University.

A sunny side up lesson in yolklore

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

A Teddy Allen Classic

(Editor’s Note: In light of the new year’s eye-popping egg prices, we go back to 2012 to explain, in this timeless salute to something both incredible and edible, why we are not chicken to pay whatever price is necessary for this fabulous food.)

I am the shell of a man.

That’s because my insides are mostly eggs.

And that goes for you and you. And you too.

Break us and we bleed yellow.

You don’t think so? I beg to differ. Hang with me and I’ll prove that not since Dean Martin has something been so versatile, so good, and yet, despite a fair amount of fame, still so underappreciated.

Seriously, did somebody say something about an egg? If you did, I’m listening. Eggs get my attention. Were it not for eggs, the world would be a much less happy, less tasteful and less interesting place. What kind of question is “Which came first, the chicken or the … other chicken?”

See? You almost GOTTA have eggs!

I am so proud that after 35 years, the Egg People — that wonderful group of egg enthusiasts who tout this white-shelled miracle of nature — have brought back the jingle originated in 1977, “The Incredible Edible Egg.” Listen for it. The song is updated in both style and lyrics, but the message remains the same: Eggs Rock!

Think of how deeply this tiny food has embedded itself into our culture. There are eggs in cakes, in pie crusts, in brownies, in egg salad and in breads. Eggs help to hold the crust onto its first cousin, the chicken. (Maybe instead of “first cousin” it should be “mother once removed.”)

Eggs are in cookies and creams, in fried rice, and in demand. That’s why the United States production of 75 billion eggs a year is an impressive yet big-picture moderate 10 percent of the world’s supply.

We are an egg society.

Think of this food’s adaptability, if you will. It can be boiled and poached and scrambled and fried. And that’s just at breakfast! What a wonderful thing to wake up to.

It can be served sunny side up, over easy, yellow hard, yellow runny. Omelet, you say? Fine!

It can even be split into either yellow or white. How many everyday foods offer you TWO colors in such a small package? The egg is the fruit of the barnyard.

I could rest my case. But I won’t. Because not only is the egg versatile, it’s good for you. You’ve got 13 essential nutrients in a single egg, the egg publicists tell me, which might be a lie but hey, I’m buying it!, because they know I can’t tell a nutrient from a nutria. But I did grow up around chicken snakes, and not once did I see a sick one.

A large egg contains just 70 calories and has six grams of protein. My sources tell me that this is another “plus” in the “healthy food” column. In other words, an egg as a food is a “good egg.”

See? The word even lends itself to playfulness. You can be a good egg or a bad egg. Some people are egg heads. Some have egg on their face. Or a goose egg on their forehead. Some people put all their eggs in one basket, walk on egg shells, lay an egg, egg others on or protect their nest egg.

“Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

It’s a beautiful word, a beautiful food, and you’ll likely enjoy one today, even if it’s disguised in another food. Which is another reason to love the egg: it’s a simple food of delightful complexity. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Mystery is the egg’s “coop” de gras.

Mansfield Woman Killed in DeSoto Parish Crash

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Troopers assigned to Louisiana State Police Troop G began investigating a two-vehicle fatality crash on I-49, north of LA Hwy 3276. This crash claimed the life of 30-year-old Diamond Foster.

The initial investigation revealed that a 2021 Kenworth, was accelerating to highway speeds after entering I-49 southbound from the shoulder. A southbound 2011 Dodge Caravan, driven by Foster struck the rear of the trailer of the Kenworth.

Foster was restrained but suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on the scene by the DeSoto Parish Coroner. The driver of the Kenworth was restrained and was not injured in the crash.

Impairment is not suspected to be a factor in this crash; however, routine toxicology samples were taken and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.

In 2023, Troop G has investigated four fatal crashes, resulting in four deaths.

Mansfield High Spring Letter

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

From Anesha Ross, Principal

The spring semester is off to a great start! We are so excited to see all of our students taking advantage of the many opportunities we have on campus for them to participate in, from athletic and academic competitions to extracurricular activities. The spring semester is always a busy one, and it goes by fast!

We are thoroughly enjoying our Parent and Community Liaison, Ms. Kay Claiborne. Her role includes but is not limited to: communicating with parents and community members regarding student attendance and the social/emotional well-being of our students. Ms. Claiborne communicates with students and families on a daily basis and is a huge support to the Wolverine family! We appreciate all that she does for our community.

What’s going on with Wolverine athletics? We are in full swing with basketball season and are nearing the playoffs already! Thanks to our new Athletic Director, Coach Barbay, we’ve added Powerlifting to our list of sports that we offer! The students are loving it; we have female and male students traveling to compete. Last week, we hosted our first Powerlifting match, and the field house was PACKED! Baseball, softball and track all kickoff this month as well, and we sure are looking forward to supporting them as well, as all three sports made it to the playoffs last year, and of course TRACK TOOK STATE!

Prom will be held on Saturday, April 22nd in Mansfield for our juniors and seniors who purchased tickets. For the safety of our students, we will not be accepting money at the door for prom. All tickets must be purchased in advance, and the deadline is Friday, March 3rd. Students who purchased their tickets during the fall semester have been in charge of planning Prom! They are enjoying this process very much!

Please do not forget our Junior Class Ring Ceremony is scheduled for April 12, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. We started communicating in November, and the deadline to sign up was this week. Letters were mailed out to all junior class families as well during the fall semester. We have a record number of students who signed up to participate in the ceremony…50 students, over half of the junior class! We cannot wait to celebrate these students that evening with their families! It is going to be a memorable occasion!

Senior t-shirts were also ordered because 21 seniors indicated that they wanted a shirt. However, only two seniors have paid for their shirts. Shirts can be purchased in the front office. We want the students to be able to take a senior class picture with their shirts. Once all shirts have been purchased then we can move on to discussing the purchasing of senior banners. This is an exciting time for our seniors, and we don’t want to waste any more time making this last semester special for them and their families!

Graduation is scheduled for Friday, May 12th 7:00 p.m. at Washington-Taylor-Rodgers Stadium, weather permitting, and we are thrilled to begin planning! All DeSoto Parish seniors’ last day of school is May 4, 2023. Please ensure that your senior is on track for graduation in May! Reach out to us if you have any concerns regarding their grades, attendance, ACT score, or WorkKeys score. We want all of our seniors to graduate in May with the highest distinctions possible!

We have so many activities happening on campus, but we cannot forget our number one priority of academics. Please continue to encourage your students to turn in all classwork on time, arrive at school on time daily and maintain a good attendance record. Poor attendance and tardiness to school can lead to a student not graduating with his or her class, repeating courses, being placed in detention, Saturday attendance recovery, or suspension. We need and want all of our Wolverines on campus every day and on time ready to learn.

Please take advantage of our free after- school tutoring that we hold Mondays-Thursdays, 3:00-4:30 p.m. We provide snacks and transportation. Our after-school tutoring attendance has been low.. Please encourage your students to attend and receive the extra help from our dedicated faculty who have committed to staying after school each day.

As you can tell, we are wasting no time planning events for our students. I ask that you please keep the lines of communication open with your student so that you can know all things that are happening on campus and not miss any important deadlines. Also, please answer all school phone calls, look out for text messages from us, and visit our school website and social media accounts daily. Please ensure that we have accurate phone numbers and physical addresses on file so that you can receive all phone calls, text messages and letters such as these that we send home.

I ask that you please continue to support us, as my faculty and staff are working tirelessly each day on behalf of our students. We love your students and love what we do! WE ARE MANSFIELD! Should you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly in person, phone call or email. There are some absolutely amazing things happening here, and we want everyone to be a part of these.

Free Speech: Public School Teachers and Social Media

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

By Royal Alexander

There have been several examples lately of public employees or, here, a public-school teacher—being disciplined or fired for things they have written or posted on social media. One such instance is a case in Waskom, Texas.

Regarding public-school teachers and social media, there are both protections and limitations to the right of free speech that can differ significantly from the scope of free speech and free expression we are accustomed to in our open society.

As we know, the 1st Amendment’s guarantee of free speech is an ironclad legal principle. However, that protection in the context of public employees is more limited.

On one hand, the U.S. Supreme Court has reaffirmed many times that “speech on public issues occupies the highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values and is entitled to special protection.” The Court has also made clear that “public employees are often the members of the community who are likely to have informed opinions as to the operations of their public employers, operations which are of substantial concern to the public.” Therefore, the First Amendment rightly protects teachers and other public employees from discipline or termination for speech on public issues.

On the other hand, in public schools, where the government also acts as an employer, courts must balance both the First Amendment’s free speech protections as well as the government employer’s interest in “running an efficient, effective workplace” and pursuing educational goals.

So, how might a court analyze whether a public-school employee’s speech is protected? Three commonly used factors are:

1). Is the speech a matter of “public concern”?

2). Was the employee speaking as a citizen or as an employee?

3). How does the free speech interest of the employee as a citizen weigh against the interest of the government, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public school it runs?

Here, the legal determination regarding whether the speech is protected would be highly fact intensive and fact specific.

What did this employee say or write? Was it personal and/or vindictive? or, no matter how harsh or vile, was the subject of the speech of public or national importance? Was the topic how Covid has been drastically mishandled and misstated, or how the 2020 Summer of Riots were ignored while Jan 6th was disingenuously hyped to high heaven.

If the employee insulted the principal of his school based upon a petty, personal grievance, it might not be protected speech, but if the employee criticized his employer because the principal doesn’t pay teachers enough money, that could well be protected speech because teacher pay is a matter of broad interest and public concern.

On the other hand, does the speech inhibit the normal operations of the school, i.e., is it highly disruptive; Is it personally disparaging or inflammatory? If so, it may not be protected speech.

The Waskom teacher, Patrick Durbin, reported a threat made by a student after two other students told him that a third student had threatened to shoot him; Durbin reported it to school authorities but then took to social media after he felt the administration did not handle the situation with any urgency or concern. After he spoke out on Tik Tok, he was placed on administrative leave.

This was the text of his post about being threatened to be shot by a student:

“Y’all wonder why teachers are getting out and quitting, it’s bad administration and people covering up for kids doing things to endanger other people’s lives; it’s parents who don’t discipline their kids” Durbin said in the video.

Durbin continued, saying part of him was ready to go back to a previous school district. “For the simple fact enough that I know the principals and the superintendent and the people that I worked with had my back and would protect us at all costs. I can’t say the same for this district.”

Let’s analyze it:

1). Gun violence and shootings in American schools are a huge issue of national importance/public concern.

2). Durbin was an employee but was speaking as a citizen given that his speech involved criticizing a school administration he felt was too slow in responding to a serious health and safety issue—the possibility of preventing a school shooting.

3). Here, in my view, the interest of the teacher in speaking out about a very real danger outweighs the school’s need for efficient operations.

I think this is protected speech and Mr. Durbin has correctly been reinstated.

ADVANCE Taking Applications

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

Northwestern State University’s ADVANCE Program will host its 35th session July 2 – 22, 2023. The ADVANCE Program is a three-week residential program that academically challenges and socially engages academically motivated students who are currently in 7th – 11th grades. The program’s website, http://www.nsula.edu/advance, has been updated, and an online application is available.

Students enroll in a single course for three weeks of in-depth study. They attend 108.5 hours of class and cover an entire year’s worth of high school material or a semester of college level material in that three-week period.

Courses being offered include the humanities, mathematics, natural sciences with laboratory components, and computer science. By working with carefully selected instructors and teaching assistants (TAs), and limiting class enrollment to 15 students, each student is given the opportunity to attain maximum academic growth.

Applicants must submit copies of their most recent report card and state standardized test scores before they can be admitted to ADVANCE.

While the academic program at ADVANCE is top-notch, the residential program sets ADVANCE apart from other similar summer programs. The residential assistants (RAs) offer a wide variety of social and recreational activities to assist students in forming lasting friendships and strengthen the ADVANCE community.

Children and/or dependents of NSU employees or students from all campuses are eligible for a $250 tuition discount.

FBLA Does Great

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

Future Business Leaders of America members from North DeSoto High recently attended the Northwest District Competition. They earned many awards, including 25 Excellent ratings, 14 Superior ratings, and they won four categories.

The school said, “Congratulations to FBLA members for placing at the competition on Friday.”

Elementary School Appreciates Their Counselor

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

February 6-10 is National School Counselors Week.

Mansfield Elementary school is recognizing Ms. Niegi Williams. She joined the MES Wellness Team this school year.

The school said, “She works diligently with care and compassion to help meet the needs of our students and families. Thank you so much, Ms. Williams. We love you.”

Weekly Arrest Report

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 / NPJ

This Week’s report covers a two week period as of 9:00 am Monday morning and includes of all arrests made in DeSoto Parish by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office (DPSO), Mansfield Police Department (MPD), and Louisiana State Police (LSP.)

This report covers January 23-February 6, 2023.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.