There is no way I could ever forget my introduction to hunting wild turkeys. I had actually tagged along years ago behind Blue Parkman, a veteran turkey hunter from Ruston who had several years of chasing gobblers under his belt. Back then, turkeys were scarce only being found in isolated areas such as the Jackson Bienville wildlife management area where I followed Parkman. The hunt ended without success although I got to hear a turkey gobble for the first time.

It was years later, 1994, that my addiction to turkey hunting began when I accepted the invitation to hunt turkeys in Alabama. I was reluctant at first because I had never turkey hunted and the date of the invitation coincided with bream bedding season here at home. I rather reluctantly accepted the invitation, shot my very first gobbler and I was instantly hooked. Some 20 years later before age and infirmities halted my ability to chase gobblers, I was able to bring down 41 gobblers from around the country, collecting my coveted Grand Slam in the process.

I would love to still be able to hurry across the woods to be sitting within 100 yards of a roosted gobbler before it flew down. Since I can’t, I enjoy talking about them, writing about them and supporting them by my membership in our local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Now that turkey season is kicking off – opening day in Area A this year is April 6 – I visited with the state’s top wild turkey expert, Cody Cedatol, to get his thoughts on what the turkey situation looks like this year in Louisiana. For the past several years, things have not been quite so rosy as they have been in earlier times.

“Based on all we have been able to tell,” Cedatol began, “things are looking better than they have over the last decade or so. We have had a good hatch two years in a row and we have determined that the gobbler harvest was up again last year so we’re excited about that.”

My next question had to do with the reason or reasons that things are looking better for our state’s turkey population.

“There are at least a couple of reasons,” said Cedatol. “A few years ago, we delayed the opening of turkey season to give gobblers and hens a bit longer to get together and breed and this has resulted in better hatches of young turkeys. Another reason is an environmental one. For the past couple of years, we have had better weather during the nesting and brooding season. Turkeys need a relatively dry period from April to June and that’s what we’ve had and turkeys have responded.”

Cedatol noted that there were reports of a good population of juvenile males (jakes) last year which means those that carried over will be adult gobblers this season.

I wondered what plans if any were on the drawing board going forward from this year as regards management of wild turkeys.

“We have a proposal before the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission that would prohibit the harvest of jakes except by youth hunters. Lots of hunters have expressed a desire for us to do this and in fact, many private hunting clubs already prohibit the taking of jakes. It’s not a done deal as the proposal is out for public comments and Commission won’t be acting on it until their April meeting,” he said.

Public hearings will take place around the state prior to the meeting giving hunters the opportunity to express opinions as to whether or not the prohibition of taking jakes will become law. Have an opinion? Let the Commission know what you think.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Melrose, Louisiana – April 1, 2024 – Get ready to experience the magic of handcrafted wonders at the 50th Annual Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival, taking place on April 20th from 9 am to 5 pm and April 21st from 10 am to 3 pm. The festival will be held at Melrose on the Cane where attendees can immerse themselves in a vibrant showcase of unique treasures crafted by talented artisans.

Tickets for this exciting event can be purchased at https://givebutter.com/MelroseArtsAndCrafts. Attendees will be able to shop for: stunning jewelry, exquisite pottery, savory salsa, intricate woodwork, timeless iron creations, delectable desserts, and much more. Whether you’re a seasoned art enthusiast or simply looking for something special, there’s something for everyone to discover and cherish at the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival.

Visitors can also indulge in delicious treats from food trucks while exploring the myriad of artistic offerings.

“This year marks a significant milestone as we celebrate 50 years of creativity, community, and craftsmanship at the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival,” said Leah Dunn Witman, Executive Director. “We invite everyone to join us for a weekend filled with artistic inspiration, lively entertainment, and the joy of supporting local artisans.”

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to celebrate five decades of artistic excellence at the 50th Annual Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival. Purchase your tickets today and join us for a weekend of creativity, community, and celebration!

For ticket information and event updates, please visit https://givebutter.com/MelroseArtsAndCrafts
Media Contact: Leah Dunn Witman, Email MelrosePlantation@gmail.com

About the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival: The Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival is an annual celebration of artistry, creativity, and community spirit. For 50 years, the festival has showcased the talents of local artisans and provided a platform for visitors to discover unique handcrafted treasures. Join us as we celebrate half a century of artistic excellence and continue to inspire creativity for generations to come.

 
 
 

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NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University will hold Spring Commencement exercises Wednesday, May 8-Thursday, May 9 in Prather Coliseum.

During ceremonies at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 8, diplomas will be awarded to graduates in the College of Business and Technology and the Gallaspy Family College of Education and Human Development.

During ceremonies at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, diplomas will be awarded to graduates in the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health.

During ceremonies at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 9, diplomas will be awarded to graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Louisiana Scholars’ College.

For a detailed schedule, a list of Frequently Asked Questions and candidate information, visit http://www.nsula.edu/graduation.

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By Doug De Graffenried

I have a mouse in the house.

When you live in a rural setting in an old house, a mouse is a common house guest. I do all in my power to make the house unattractive to mice. I have a professional who comes monthly and makes the house uninviting to rodents. However, with a bathroom remodel going on, there have been ample opportunities to allow a mouse into the house.

I saw the mouse this morning. He looks to be well fed and happy. He was running the baseboards in the family room. I didn’t panic. I didn’t call the dogs. I got up and opened the backdoor. The mouse was headed toward the back door. I was going to hasten his exit from the living area. I was distracting the dogs as I watched the mouse head for the opened door.

Alas, the mouse and the dogs discovered each other, and the race was on. Funny thing about my dogs, they have little respect for the delicate arrangement of the furniture. Their only goal was that mouse. The mouse made a strategic error and ran down the hallway in the opposite direction. I’m not sure where the mouse ended up. 

I know that when I go home this afternoon two things will be true. I will see the mouse again. I will see rearranged furniture as evidence of the canine rodent wars.

I’m pulling for the mouse!

I considered all options. I could call in the professional exterminators. I could bring a kitten into the house. The kitten would become a cat who would chase the mouse. The dogs would chase both the cat and the mouse and furniture would never be the same. My morning office musing was a consideration of making food and water available for the mouse. Once, when the kids were young, we had gerbils. They made babies about once a month! The kids and I would go to the woods around the Mount Mariah Methodist Church and set the baby gerbils free. I’m sure I have some gerbil houses and food dishes some place. For all I know, this mouse is several generations removed from those gerbils! I’m secretly rooting for the mouse, although I’m sure the dogs will take care of the matter.

I hope the mouse did not upset you. Here is what I want you to ponder. I’ll put it this way, I’m not responsible for the mouse being in the house, I am responsible for my reaction to the mouse being in the house.

When things happen to you, how do you respond?

That thing that just happened to you, is it a trial, a temptation, or a test? In the New Testament the same Greek word is translated all three ways. You see, the thing happening to you is often not your responsibility, but your reaction to event is your responsibility.

Is faith in Christ your default setting when there is a mouse in the house or when stuff happens to you?

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The NAUW-Mansfield Branch and DeSoto Parish School Board Wellness Team will host GLOW (Girls Leading, Optimizing and Winning) 2024 Saturday, April 13 from 10am – 2pm at the DPSB Admin Building, 399 Jenkins Street in Mansfield. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including career panel discussion, well-being teen presentation, creating vision boards, college and military recruiters, scholarship information, sorority displays, 360 photo booth. There will also be gifts, prizes, food, fun and fellowship. To register go to the NAUW Mansfield Branch Facebook page. 

DeSoto Parish School Board has multiple student summer internship positions available. Summer hours are flexible to allow for camps and vacations. To learn more about the program, http://tinyurl.com/4mxkjebx

Desoto Parish Chamber of Commerce 94th Annual Banquet will be held on April 25, 2024 in the Clista Calhoun Center at 6:00 p.m.  RSVP by calling 318-872-1310 or desotochamber75@gmail.com by April 15, 2024.  

The 41st Annual River City Fest will take place May 10-11 on the Sabine River in Logansport. FREE admission. There will be an Inflatable kid zone, Kids Bucking rodeo, mechanical bull, foods, arts & crafts, Car Show, corn hole tournament, “Strongest Arm-Wrestling”, Fireworks, live entertainment starting with “Jacob Wheeler”, “The Adam Leger Band”, and headlining Saturday Night is Nashville Recording Artist “Wyatt Putman”.

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Alicia Michelle Duvall Woodward
June 22, 1987 — April 3, 2024

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From the LA Division of Administration-

Due to the timing of a possible significant weather event during rush hour and business travel, the Division of Administration has elected to close all state office buildings on Wednesday, April 10.

GOHSEP would like to ask all drivers to limit driving on the roads between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. If you must be on the road, please drive safely. The winds are expected to affect all large trucks.

This office closure applies to all nonessential employees, including those authorized to work from home. Governor Jeff Landry

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In a special called meeting on Thursday, the Mansfield City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution allowing Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes to begin its multimillion dollar project in DeSoto Parish that will create 135 direct jobs.

According to their webpage, Global Seamless is an India-based company established by expert technocrats in the steel seamless piping industry. They produce line pipes, marine pipes, mechanical and automobile pipes, high-pressure boiler tube, machining tube, high strength oil pipeline and petroleum machinery parts. 

Louisiana Economic Development announced Thursday this will be the first U.S. production facility in northwest Louisiana and estimates the project will also result in 251 indirect new jobs, for a total of 386 potential new jobs in the Northwest Region.

“LED is dedicated to bringing jobs and economic opportunities to each and every corner of our state,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “This investment will promote growth in our rural communities while providing support to Louisiana’s oil and gas industry. I thank Global Seamless for investing in Louisiana and our skilled manufacturing workforce, and for recognizing the competitive advantages our state offers to expanding businesses.”

Global Seamless exports its products to industry customers in more than 10 countries worldwide. Its Louisiana facility will have advanced machinery that integrates both hot finishing and cold drawn manufacturing processes in the same unit, positioning the company to better meet growing demand and build a domestic supply chain for North American customers in engineering, oil and gas and power generation sectors.

“As a natural gas hub and a key player in the international energy supply chain, Louisiana is a natural choice for our second production facility, our first in the Western Hemisphere,” Global Seamless President A.R. Biswas said. “Global Seamless is dedicated to providing our customers with high-quality services and products, and this new plant will allow us to better serve those customers with a local supply chain.”

Seamless tubes and pipes are able to better withstand high-pressure, high-corrosive environments like those found in the oil and gas industry, because they do not possess a welding seam that can become a weak spot in these conditions. These materials are also regularly used in the transportation of fluids such as water, natural gas, waste and air.

“The DeSoto Parish Police Jury is excited that Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes will be revitalizing the former Hensley facility in DeSoto Parish to manufacture their product,” DeSoto Parish Police Jury Parish Administrator Michael Norton said. “This project will breathe new life into what was once a thriving manufacturing facility located in Mansfield, and provide our residents with more career opportunities. We look forward to this project and the possibilities it will provide for the community and the good people with Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes.”

Engineering and design of the former Hensley Industries facility is currently underway with construction and installation of the first production line expected to follow shortly after. The company estimates commercial operations to start by the end of the year.

“I am excited that Global Seamless Tubes & Pipes is establishing a manufacturing facility in Mansfield, the parish seat of DeSoto Parish,” Mansfield Mayor Thomas Jones, Jr. said. “This venture will spark our local economy and bring needed quality jobs to this community. We will definitely embrace our new business owners and work with them to make this a smooth transition.”

To secure the project in Mansfield, the state of Louisiana offered Global Seamless a competitive incentives package including the comprehensive workforce development solutions of LED FastStart. It also included a $1.25 million Performance-Based Matching Grant to be used for reimbursements of utility, road and facility improvement expenditures. The company is also expected to participate in Louisiana’s Quality Jobs program.

“Few things in economic development are more satisfying than bringing back opportunity to an area that has lost jobs and a company,” North Louisiana Economic Partnership CEO Justyn Dixon said. “Doing that with a company like Global Seamless, which is making its first investment into the U.S. here in north Louisiana, is even more exciting. Thanks again to LED and all the leadership in DeSoto Parish and Mansfield for helping make this happen.”

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STONEWALL – After traversing the most difficult stretch of the season that included two nationally ranked teams and another fellow reigning state champion, North DeSoto appeared well rested in a pair of wins this week.

The Lady Griffins walloped Minden, 16-1, in the District 1-4A Tournament championship game Wednesday after dismantling Airline, 10-2, on Tuesday.

The district tournament replaced a typical district schedule in which teams were seeded based on the previous year’s standings. The tournament frees up each district member to schedule more teams of their choice instead of playing more games against district opponents.

North DeSoto (26-4) plunges into its final stretch of the regular season with home games against West Monroe on Friday, Jena on Monday and Benton on Tuesday.

Dominant pitching and power hitting were again the recipe this week in the two wins.

Maddy Stringer belted two home runs and totaled six RBIs against Minden. Ciara Orgeron chipped in with one home run and four RBIs while Carsyn Curtis added another three RBIs.

The Lady Griffins scored 11 runs combined in the first two innings, run-ruling Minden in four innings.

That was more than enough for pitcher Laney Johnson, who allowed one unearned run on three hits in four innings.

Johnson was similarly dominant against Airline, not allowing a run in three innings as the starter.

With a 9-0 lead after three innings, reliever Avery McCloskey came in and tossed the final four frames with two runs allowed on five hits and seven strikeouts.

Stringer and Orgeron each drove in three runs to lead an offense that scored 10 runs on 10 hits.

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By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Services

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From 1948 until 1953, David was the president of Columbia University in New York City.  During his tenure as president of the university, David hired an artist, Thomas Stephens, to paint a portrait of his wife.  As the painter worked, David, who had no previous interest in painting, became spellbound.  He was fascinated that the artist could transform a blank canvas into something so beautiful.  Perhaps he was biased because the subject of the painting was his wife, but David was amazed at how each brush stroke transformed the canvas from nothingness into something beautiful.  David had never been interested in painting, but now he wondered if he could capture someone’s likeness on canvas as Thomas Stephens had. 

David stretched a white dust cloth on the bottom of a box for a canvas and attempted to copy his wife’s portrait.  When finished, David showed his painting to his wife and Thomas.  David described the painting as “weird and wonderful to behold,” and added, “we all laughed heartily.”  Thomas asked if he could keep David’s painting as a keepsake.  In exchange, Thomas sent David a painting kit which David thought was a “sheer waste of money.”  David’s true passion was playing golf, but when he was unable to play golf due to rain or other circumstances, he painted.   

In a 1950 letter to Winston Churchill, David wrote, “I have a lot of fun since I took it up, in my somewhat miserable way, your hobby of painting. I have had no instruction, have no talent, and certainly no justification for covering nice, white canvas with the kind of daubs that seem constantly to spring from my brushes. Nevertheless, I like it tremendously, and in fact, have produced two or three things that I like enough to keep.”  He described his portrait paintings as “magnificent audacity,” and burned most of them.  Unlike Churchill who enjoyed spending hours outside painting landscapes, if the weather was good enough for David to sit outside and paint, it was good enough for golf.

When David’s tenure with Columbia University was over, David continued to paint.  He had a small studio on the second floor of the house he lived in where he would paint for 10 minutes before lunch.  Rather than using his paintings as a way to express his inner self, David preferred to reproduce what he saw before him.  Normally, he would attach a photograph to one side of his canvas and attempt to paint what he saw. 

David had no false pride in his artistic abilities, but he enjoyed painting and never gave it up.  In the last 20 years of his life, he painted about 260 paintings.  In 1967, when some of David’s paintings were displayed at a show in a New York art museum, David told reporter Richard Cohen, “Let’s get something straight here, Cohen.  They would have burned this [expletive] a long time ago if I weren’t the President of the United States.”  The house where David had the small painting studio on the second floor was the White House.  In addition to being a painter, golfer, and the President of the United States, David was five-star Army general and Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower. 

Sources:

1.      Jonathan Alter, “Bush Nostalgia Is Overrated, but His Book of Paintings Is Not,” New York Times, April 17, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/books/review/george-w-bush-portraits-of-courage.html.

2.     “Eisenhower Paintings,” The White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/galleries/eisenhower-paintings.

3.     “President Eisenhower: The Painter,” The White House Historical Association, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/president-eisenhower-the-painter.

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While North DeSoto baseball’s loss to Evangel Christian will likely prevent the Griffins from winning a District 1-4A title, there’s still plenty left to accomplish this regular season.

Pending Thursday night’s result against Northwood that finished after deadline, the No. 9 Griffins (18-5) could move toward the top five with four games left on the docket.

Evangel scored 11 runs in the first three innings to build an insurmountable lead, but North DeSoto did bounce back with large wins against Leesville (20-2 score) and Huntington (21-2 score) this week.

The Griffins have won six of the last seven games with Loyola (Saturday), Quitman (Monday) and Minden (Tuesday) in the coming days.

North DeSoto know they’ll be playing at home in the first round of the playoffs (with the potential for a bye), and Logansport is trying to stay in that category as well.

The Tigers (12-10) are No. 14 in Division IV Non-Select have won the last eight games against teams not named Northwood (lost 13-1 and 17-0).

Among Logansport’s wins include a sweep of LaSalle and wins against Florien and North Webster.

St. Mary’s is in the District 3-1A driver’s seat, and a season-ending series with Logansport next week will have district title implications.

Stanley (16-6) is in the mix for one of the eight byes, sitting at No. 9 heading into the final stretch.

Stanley can do no worse than sharing the District 3-B title pending Thursday night’s result against Converse, and a win will secure the outright championship.

Mansfield (6-7) is making a late surge with wins against Jonesboro-Hodge (21-5 score) and Ringgold (16-9 score), but the Wolverines at No. 34 are squarely out of the playoff hunt.

 

SOFTBALL

Logansport (20-6) is dealing with softball heartbreak this week after dropping two one-run games to elite competition.

The Lady Tigers lost 5-4 to Montgomery and 11-10 to Natchitoches Central with a 13-0 win against Mansfield sandwiched in between.

Against Montgomery, Logansport lost a seventh-inning lead as Montgomery scored two runs in the final frame.

Kennedi Smith and Abbie Kate Forrest each supplied two RBIs, but three of Montgomery’s five runs were unearned.

Logansport fell in extra innings to Natchitoches Central in a game with a wild finish. The Lady Chiefs scored six runs in the seventh inning to build a 10-5 lead, but Logansport tied the game with five runs of their own.

The game featured a total of nine errors as outs came at a premium.

Ainsley Morvan, Colby Rolfe and Caroline Magee each had two RBIs in the loss.

The Lady Tigers are clutching to the top spot in Division IV Non-Select with a 0.4-point lead over No. 2 Oak Grove.

For Mansfield (5-18), the loss to Logansport is part of a six-game slide that has the Lady Wolverines on the outside of the playoff picture in Division III Non-Select. Mansfield, which sits at No. 27, is three full points behind the 24th and final spot with three games remaining.

Stanley (17-11) has secured itself a top-10 spot sitting at No. 6.

The Lady Panthers have lost four out of six, including its District 3-B finale to Converse. If Zwolle beats lowly Negreet, Stanley will be part of a three-way tie for the district title.

All three are top six seeds in Division V Non-Select.

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SHREVEPORT – LSUS Continuing Education is raising the educational bar with the power of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) summer day camps for kids and teens in the community. LSUS youth camp programs offer an array of fun and educational experiences to stem the summer slide.

Kids ages six to 18 can discover diverse interests, meet new friends, and create memories that last a lifetime.

Registration is open to the public for the more than 50 summer camps offered on LSUS’s campus throughout June and July. Call 318-798-4177 or visit www.lsus.edu/youthcamps for camp details and to register.

“LSUS is dedicated to offering lifelong learning opportunities for our community,” said Leigh Anne Chambers, Interim Executive Director of Enrollment Management for LSUS. “One of our more beloved programs is our extensive summer camp series, available every June and July. Our goal is to ignite a passion for lifelong learning in the younger generation.”

As the digital age progresses rapidly, developing lifelong learning is crucial to mental sharpness, self-development, confidence, better mental health, and more opportunities.

Lifelong learning also prevents boredom, and with LSUS summer camps throughout June and July, kids can discover new areas of interest through hands-on learning.

Each summer camp is designed with the tools and activities to engage kids’ imagination and encourage exploration of interests.

Summer is the perfect opportunity for kids’ abilities to soar as they develop new modes of thinking, express ideas through art, and play team-building sports.

LSUS is revved up to offer a variety of STREAM summer camps, including new camp offerings and the return of top-level favorites.

LSUS June Summer Camps

Aquatic Artistry Ages 6 – 9 (Starts on 6/10)

BioSlime Spectacular Ages 10 -13 (Starts on 6/10)

Bubble Bonanza Showcase Ages 8 – 11 (Starts 6/10)

Lemonade Day Academy Ages 8 – 12 (Starts 6/10)

Mark Making Ages 8 – 15 (Starts 6/10)

Mindstorm Robotics in Python Basic Ages 10 – 14 (Starts 6/10)

Land & Sea Artventures Ages 10 – 13 (Starts 6/17)

Become a Junior Detector Ages 11 – 15 (Starts 6/17)

Summer Slime Time: Exploring Earth’s Wonders Ages 6 – 9 (Starts 6/17)

Space Exploration Ages 8 -11 (Starts 6/17)

Imagining Your Very Own Dreamhouse Ages 8 -15 (Starts 6/17)

Debate for Beginners Ages 12 – 18 (Starts 6/17)

Soccer with Radi Baltov Ages 10 – 13 (Starts 6/24)

LSUS July Summer Camps

Sea Creature Masquerade Ages 10 – 13 (Starts 7/8)

The Sound of Music Ages 8 – 11 (Starts 7/8)

Fun 3D Printing for Kids Ages 8 and Up (Starts 7/8)

Robotics Engineering Basic Ages 14 -17 (Starts 7/8)

E-Sports Camp Ages 12 – 16 (Starts 7/8)

Fantasy & Sci Fi Writing for Teens Ages 13 – 18 (Starts 7/15)

Color Splash Art Ages 8 – 11 (Starts 7/15)

Northern Lights Ages 8 -11 (Starts 7/15)

Civil Engineering Basics Ages 11 – 13 (Starts 7/15)

Robotics Teams in Shreveport Ages 12 – 18 (Starts 7/15)

Safe Sitter Essentials with CPR Ages 11 – 14 at the Willis Knighton Innovation Center

Safe Sitter Essentials (5/31)

Safe Sitter Essentials (6/12)

Safe Sitter Essentials (6/25)

Safe Sitter Essentials (6/27)

Safe Sitter Essentials (7/23)

Safe Sitter Essentials (7/25)

Safe Sitter Essentials (7/30)

Online Summer Bridge Path Program Grades 1 – 8

Grade 1 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 2 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 3 (Starts 6/18)

Grade 3 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 4 (Starts 6/10)

Grade 4 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 5 (Starts 6/10)

Grade 5 (Starts 6/18)

Grade 5 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 6 (Starts 6/10)

Grade 6 (Starts 6/18)

Grade 6 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 7 (Starts 6/10)

Grade 7 (Starts 6/18)

Grade 7 (Starts 7/8)

Grade 8 (Starts 6/10)

Grade 8 (Starts 6/18)

Grade 8 (Starts 7/8)

LSUS Continuing Education provides quality-learning experiences with professional instructors offering a flexible course schedule on campus and at other locations throughout the regional community for a multi-faceted and diverse population based on their educational needs. For more information and a full list of courses, please visit www.lsus.edu/continuing-education or call 318.798.4177. 

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The Stonewall Town Council will hold their monthly meeting Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30pm at the Stonewall Town Hall.

The agenda includes Clay Corley, DeSoto Parish School Superintendent, discuss the bond proposal on the April ballet for North DeSoto schools, authorization for a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the DeSoto Parish Police to replace culverts on Baker Road, Mary Street, and Brian David, authorization for a lease agreement with North DeSoto Water System to install and maintain a new water tank and a resolution authorizing the disposal of surplus equipment and office furniture.

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Today’s bass boats are nothing short of incredible — and expensive! The accessories you can add to a bass boat are really cool and can make a huge difference in your ability to fish effectively. But which of these inventions has truly had the greatest impact on the sport of bass fishing?  We’ll do a walk-thru from the front to the back of the boat and go over each of these features and their importance.

When you buy a bass boat, it’s very similar to buying a new truck or car. There are all kinds of accessories that you can select to make your boat even better. There are some you might consider a luxury item while others are a necessity if you want to compete.

Let’s first look at the very front of the boat and talk about the trolling motor. Nothing, in my opinion, has had a greater impact on the sport of bass fishing than the trolling motor. In 1934, O.G Schmidt invented the first electric trolling motor in Fargo, North Dakota. This invention revolutionized bass fishing by allowing an angler to navigate a body of water with ease without having to run the big engine.  This device is used not as the primary means to propel the boat but makes navigation much easier especially in shallow water.  From its inception, the trolling motor has served one purpose — to move the boat around quietly without spooking fish and is a standard feature on today’s bass boats.

These high-tech trolling motors can lock a boat down on one spot in open water. It will literally hold the boat in one position automatically with the push of a button, allowing the angler to fish an area or a spot more effectively. The days of using an anchor to hold a boat in place are gone with today’s new trolling motor technology.

Also located on the front deck of the boat are high-tech electronic fish locators. These units have made bass fishing so much easier, not just for professional anglers, but the novice angler as well. They allow anglers to see fish as far away as 100 feet on a screen the size of a small TV. They give great detail about the structure and contours of the lake bottom. They show water temperature, depth, GPS coordinates, timber, and grass and will tell you the composition of the bottom as to whether it’s hard or soft.

Why is this important? Hard spots are where bass like to set up, especially during the spawn. Today’s sonars show debris from lay down logs and rocks to brush piles along with clouds of baitfish. The detail is so good that an experienced angler can tell if the fish he’s looking at are bass, white perch, or catfish.

Moving further to the back of the boat, let’s look at the dashboard. Today’s top of the line bass boats are mostly digital. Your gauges, including the speedometer, RPM, and temperature gauges, are all digital. Some have gauges that monitor the gas, oil, and battery levels, while some boats have a water temperature gauge for the livewells, ensuring that you can maintain a good temperature level for your fish in order to keep them  alive for weigh-in.

Another advancement, one that might be the best safety feature ever invented for a bass boat, is the hot foot. The hot foot is a gas pedal that allows the angler to drive the boat just like a car or truck, with both hands on the steering wheel. It also allows for better boat control when navigating rough water conditions.

There’s also another feature that has become one of the best accessories you can put on a boat: a shallow water anchor system called Power Poles or Talons. The first product is made by a company called Power Pole while the Talons are made by Minn Kota. Power Poles fold out from the back of the boat while Talons are mounted on the back of the boat and descend straight down. Both are really good: it’s like comparing Ford or Chevrolet; which one do you like the best?

Both are great tools and will do exactly what they are designed to do, anchor you down in one spot. The only drawback to these units is that they are only designed for shallow water of 12 feet or less. When they first came out, I was a skeptic and thought it was a waste of money until I added one to my boat and realized how useful it was to have these on your boat. They come in handy when you’re having to sit down and retie or cull fish. They also come in handy when you are launching your boat or docking up for a weigh-in.

As you can see, bass boats have come a long way since the days of stick-steering banana-style boats. The features you can add are nothing short of incredible, but they do come with a cost. Major boat brands like Ranger, Skeeter, Caymas and Triton all have boats that fall into the $90,000 plus range.

To compare how far the price has jumped in the last 23 years, a fully loaded bass boat back then cost around $30,000. But today, some boats are hitting the crazy $100,000 mark! Why? The cost of building materials and the high level of accessories it takes to build a bass boat today have increased.

So, if you’re in the market for a new bass boat, prepare yourself for sticker shock as companies continue to improve and upgrade these high-tech water rockets that can reach speeds of 80 mph.  

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing and make sure to check out Tackle Talk Live podcast, as well as the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show on YouTube. 

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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SHREVEPORT – Top LSUS students took a break from studying and end-of-semester projects to be recognized at the Academic Awards Convocation in the LSUS Theatre.

Each LSUS degree program chose a Student of the Year in addition to the recognition of students who qualified for the Chancellor’s List.

A total of 109 undergraduates made the Chancellor’s List for obtaining at least a 3.8 GPA in both the 2023 Spring and Fall semesters.

“It’s truly a pleasure to recognize our very best students for their academic excellence,” said LSUS Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith. “The families and friends of these students we’re honoring have an awfully lot to be proud of.

“Speaking on behalf of an outstanding faculty and staff, I want to congratulate each student on their outstanding achievements and tell you how incredibly proud we are.”

STUDENTS OF THE YEAR

College of Arts and Sciences

BA English (Literary Studies)                         Ethan Whitehead

BA English (Writing in Multiple Media)       Annelise Dixon

BA History (Generalist)                                  Mikal Barnes

BA History (Political Science)                        Logan Cruey

BA Sociology                                                 Angela Basto Parra

BCJ Forensic Sciences                                    Harvey Cole

BCJ Generalist                                                Oliver Jimenez Sanchez

BCJ Political Science                                      Yuvia Vazquez

BCJ Security Studies                                      Sofia Ahlstedt

BFA Digital Arts                                              Haleigh Johnson

BGS Applied Science                                     Diego Aragon

BGS Humanities                                             Savannah Foster

BGS Natural Sciences                                    Graceann Grafton

BGS Social Sciences                                       Jalen Gould

BS Mass Comm (Digital/Broadcast Media) Marc Blackwood

BS Mass Comm (Journalism/PR)                  Noah Moser

MA Liberal Arts                                              Allison Shaver

MS Nonprofit Administration                       Jeffrey Brasher

BS Biological Sciences (Cellular/Molecular) Cole Goodman

BS Biological Sciences (Environmental Sci)  Cole Maxwell

BS Biological Sciences (Field/Organismal)  Autumn Moran

BS Biological Sciences (Forensic Science)    Josh Foster

BS Chemistry (Biochemistry)                         Carly Parrish

BS Computer Science (Cyber Security)        Jeremiah Sneed

BS Computer Science (Digital Design)         Eliana Gafford

BS Computer Science (Info. Systems)          Garrison Bell

BS Computer Science (Software Dev)          Joshua Francis

MS Biological Sciences (Cell/Molecular)     Dylan Roberts

MS Biological Sciences (Environmental)      Jeremy Gill

MS Biological Sciences (Health Sciences)    Michael Patin

MS Computer Systems Tech (Informatics)  Ustab Subedi

MS Computer Systems Tech (Bus. Admin)  Kevin Sithole

MS Computer Systems Tech (Comp. Sci.)    Aleksandra Ristic

MS Computer Systems Tech (Cyber Sec.)    Louis Echefu

 

College of Business

BS Accounting                                               Kayla Long

BS Accounting (Public Accounting)             Railey Berney

BS Finance (Financial Analysis)                     Zachary Brewster

BS Finance (Real Estate)                                Tara Cady

BS General Business Administration            Caden Parr

BS General Bus. Admin. (Entrepreneurship) Matthew Moreno

BS Gen. Bus. Admin. (Intl. Business)             Carmen Perez Gonzalez-Babe

BS Man. & Admin. (Bus. Intelligence)          Billy Stevenson

BS Man. & Admin. (HR Management)         Tiffany Robinson

BS Man. & Admin. (Intl. Business)                Adam Gonzalez

BS Man. & Admin. (Business Law)                Emily Carroll

BS Man. & Admin. (Mgmt. Info. Systems)   Daylie Lear

BS Management & Administration              Alicia Landrum

BS Marketing                                                 Kileigh Mears

BS Marketing (Advertising Design)              Sigourney Perez

BS Marketing (Data Analytics)                      Ashlyn Weinreber

BS Marketing (Sales)                                     Karlee Osbon

MBA Accounting                                           Hillary Maness

MBA Data Analytics                                       Mariya Susnerwala

MBA Entrepreneurship & Family Ent.           Logan Zawacki

MBA General Business                                  Michael McDougal

MBA Hospitality & Casino Management     Francine Gehring

MBA Human Resource Management          Jaime Shields

MBA International Business                          Nathan Day

MBA Marketing                                             Claire Harter

MBA Project Management                           August Burke

MHA                                                               Patti Taylor

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By Amy Hays/Contributor to the Journal

An exhibit of Kim Mulkey’s 2023 National Championship season at LSU hangs in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Rightfully so, considering Natchitoches is the small town where the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed.

Kim Mulkey is a steel magnolia personified.

If you have never seen the movie or play, then you may not know what that means. In Natchitoches, the term is understood as part of the local vernacular. A metaphor for the contrasting imagery associated with a tough metal and a delicate flower.

A steel magnolia is thought of as an independent woman who faces adversity with strength and dignity. Just like the sturdy steel frame of a fragile magnolia tree.

When you watch Mulkey on the sidelines of a game or listen to her speak in a post-game presser or radio interview, you know that she embodies a combination of toughness yet kindness.

She loves basketball, she loves winning, but most of all she loves her players and her family. Her players are her family, and she states that often. She is a doting mother and grandmother, but also a devoted coach to young, impressionable athletes.

Society wants us to believe that women can’t be both strong and gentle at the same time. But in the South that is the way women are raised. We are taught to fight like hell for what we believe in. We are taught to be compassionate and tender-hearted. And we can be both of those things at the same time.
In a world where women should be equal to men in all areas. That is most certainly not true when it comes to sports. Women have been marginalized spectators watching as men have made millions of dollars and achieved celebrity status as professional athletes.

Mulkey is still the same person she’s always been but since taking the head coaching job at LSU, opportunities have started to change. She gives her players the freedom to be themselves and they have excelled at becoming entrepreneurs in the new world of NIL. Together they have helped to elevate the game of women’s basketball to a level that could never have been dreamed of even a few years ago.
According to ESPN, 12.3 million people watched the Elite 8 game on Monday night between LSU and Iowa. It was the most watched college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms.

Ironically, this broke the previous ratings record for women’s basketball of 11.84 million in 1983 when USC beat Mulkey’s Louisiana Tech team in the NCAA Championship.

Despite such success and progress, the media have critiqued her every move. Talked about her clothing choices, dug up her family history, nitpicked her coaching, made assumptions about her political and personal beliefs, criticized her personality, and now, even questioned her allegiance to the American flag.

Mulkey can withstand the millions of daggers that are thrown at her because her armor is made of steel. She had to overcome obstacles at a young age in the male-dominated world of sports and continues to have to defend herself and her female players nearly 60 years later.

Our only hope should be that she can pass the strength and resolve that she embodies onto her young players.

The relentless media seems to have taken a Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) line out of the movie to heart, “If you can’t say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me.”

But as any true Steel Magnolia would say, “Bless their hearts.”

Contact Amy at AmyHaysJSLLC@gmail.com.

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The Mansfield Spring Carnival is happening now through Sunday in the DeSoto Plaza Shopping Center. 

The 3rd Annual Bloom on Main – Spring Market is Saturday, April 6 in Many. The market is open from 9m until 3pm. There will be Vendor shopping, Painting with Shanna, fun for kids, music, food, and more.

The Logansport Library will host the Young Artist Club Monday, April 22 at 4pm. Contact the library for more information 318.697.2330.

Clara Springs Camp will host Fourth Friday Fish Fry April 26 from 5-7pm. Hosted by Grand Cane Baptist. It is Foster Ministry Awareness Month. Everyone is asked to bring socks/underware donations for boys and girls sizes 2T-14 to give to Foster Care Closets. Foster families will eat FREE.  Dinner is $15 and includes all you can eat fried fish, coleslaw, french fries, hushpuppies, pinto beans, lemon bread pudding, homemade ice cream and drinks. Kids 9 and under eat FREE. Only $10 for kids ages 10-17. 

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Hughie Byford
September 27, 1937 — April 1, 2024
Service: Friday, April 5 at 1pm at Rose Neath Funeral Homes – Mansfield

Gloria Charleston- Johnson
January 17, 1956 — March 24, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 6 at 1pm at Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel – Mansfield

Nancy Elaine Hamilton
August 5, 1964 — March 31, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 6 at 12pm at Morning Star Baptist Church -Gloster

Earl Dewayne Brown
July 10, 1963 — March 30, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 6 at 11am at Winnfield Funeral Home- Shreveport

Erma Davis
February 28, 1932 — March 26, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 6 at 12pm at Mary Springhill Baptist Church – Mansfield

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Baton Rouge, La. – On March 26, 2024, Michael Whitaker of Mansfield, LA, was arrested for theft of timber following an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division.

In January 2024, LDAF Forestry Enforcement received a complaint of possible timber theft in DeSoto Parish. The timber owners reported that between October and December 2023, Whitaker harvested timber from their property off Horn Rd. without their permission, resulting in over $6000 worth of timber being harvested from their property.

Agents found that while Whitaker was cutting on an adjacent property, he failed to mark the property lines, which resulted in 2.1 acres of the victim’s property being cut. As a result, 180.51 tons of timber were harvested. This timber had a delivered value of $10,363.07.

LDAF Enforcement agents obtained a warrant on Whitaker for timber theft. He was arrested on March 26 on one count of theft of timber in violation of LA Law R.S. 14:67.2 and booked into the DeSoto Parish Jail.

Note: All persons accused of any crime are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The public is urged to report any forestry-related crimes to the LDAF Office of Forestry at 225-925-4500 or LDAF’s 24-hour hotline at 1-855-452-5323. ### For more information regarding the press release, please contact LDAFCommunications@ldaf.state.la.us. For interview requests, please contact PressSecretary@ldaf.state.la.us.

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SHREVEPORT – With district and regional track and field championships around the corner, the North DeSoto boys and girls track teams are rounding into form.

The Griffins won the Gator Relays at Lee Hedges Stadium this past week, while the girls finished second as a team.

Jumper Javonte Taylor led the boys efforts by winning all three of his events.

Taylor cleared 6-4 in the high jump, leapt 20-10.5 in the long jump and traveled 45-3.5 in the triple jump.

Other event wins included Dylan Compton (2:04.92 in the 800 meters), Dale Howard (15.88 in the 110 hurdles), and the 4×800 relay (9:18.21).

The Griffins had various other podium finishes, which included the 4×400 relay (second at 2:36.22), Landon Foust (second in the pole vault with 9-6), Foust (third in the 3200, 11:28.87), Brayden Delton (third in the 200, 23.39), Carson Sanders (third in the 110 hurdles at 17.55 and in the 300 hurdles at 43.09), and the 4×100 relay (third at 43.77).

The boys racked up 140 points, besting host Captain Shreve by 28 points.

The girls finished with 112.5 points and ranked behind a power house in Huntington (157 points).

Molly Wiley captured a pole vault win with a clearance of 9-0 with Macy Wiley scoring a second-place finish (7-6).

The Lady Griffins owned the field with a win in javelin (Mikayla Mondello, 103-3) and a second-place effort (Macaylah Tingle, 99-0).

Other field finishes included a second-place in discus (Yazmin Ferguson, 101-1), a third-place in discus (Josie Parker (93-4), a third-place in shot put (Ferguson, 33-7).

Mondello scored in the triple jump (second, 32-4) with Mattie Cross chipping in with a third-place effort in the long jump (14-4).

The Lady Griffins flashed their speed as well by scoring in four running events.

Taylor Clark clocked a 12.70 in the 100 meters to finish second and ran a leg on the third-place 4×100 relay (49.47).

Tingle placed third in the 800 (2:37.14) and ran a leg on the second-place 4×800 squad (11:18.58).

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Calling all DeSoto 4-H Alumni, friends, and family! The inaugural Friends of DeSoto 4-H Banquet will take place Saturday, August 10 at 10117 Highway 171, Grand Cane. 

There will be a live auction, silent auction, cake auction, games & prizes.

All proceeds from this event stay in DeSoto Parish to support DeSoto 4-H youth.

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By Doug De Graffenried

According to the official Employee Handbook of Trinity Methodist Church, I can grant discretionary office holidays. That rubric gives me permission to close the church office on a Monday following either Christmas or Easter. The Trinity Church offices are closed today.

I’m wondering if I should send a group text to the staff and say, “April Fools.”

On this discretionary holiday, I’m sitting in the silence of the church office. There are a couple of other staff who came to work on this discretionary holiday to catch up on things. Currently, they are as quiet as a church mice.

Easter Sunday is always a great Sunday in church. The pews were full. The music was majestic and inspirational. Today, the office is empty and silent. I am in the office enjoying both the silence and the solitude.

I was reading this morning.

“Solitude is that time when we pull away from our life in the company of others to give our full and undivided attention to God. Silence deepens the experience of solitude. In silence we withdraw not only from outer noise but also from the “inner noise” of our thoughts, human strivings, intellectual hard work, and inner compulsions so that we can listen to God.”

The extraverts reading that just cringed.

Dallas Willard called silence and solitude the two most radical disciplines of the Christian life. Henri Nouwen said that “without solitude it is almost impossible to have a spiritual life.”

These are the most challenging and least practiced disciplines among Christians today. We live in a world in which our phones or digital devices rule our lives. The average silence that a group can stand is fifteen seconds. Most of our church services confirm this. My phone has joined a couple of text groups. It is a great way to share information. It is also an interruption of silence and solitude. While writing this article the texting circle lit up! Proving my point!

I’m going to wrap this up, so I can get back to the silence and the solitude of the church office on the Monday after Easter. Can you put your device down, turn away from the computer screen and try sitting alone in silence for one minute? If that makes you uncomfortable, I think we have discovered a spiritual problem.

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STONEWALL – North DeSoto softball fans were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime slate of softball this past week in Stonewall.

North DeSoto, which began that week ranked No. 19 in the nation in the USA TODAY/NFCA high school softball poll, knocked off national No. 7 Sterlington, topped a reigning state champion in Kaplan and battled No. 4 nationally ranked Calvary Baptist in a tough loss.

North DeSoto avenged an earlier loss to Sterlington by winning 7-1 on Tuesday, squeaked by Kaplan in extra innings, 3-2, on Thursday before falling in a 6-4 tussle with Calvary Baptist on Friday.

The Lady Griffins played all three games at home, including in front of an estimated 650 fans Friday against Calvary Baptist.

For a NDHS team aiming for its fourth straight state championship, this past week of softball more than prepared the Lady Griffins for whatever Division II Non-Select softball can throw at them.

“We had a tough week playing those three good teams, and I probably put us in a bind by playing Kaplan and Calvary and having Laney go back-to-back,” North DeSoto coach Tim Whitman told The Shreveport Times on Friday after the Calvary loss. “That doesn’t take anything away from Calvary, and they got good pitching and took good swings.

“You have to recover as a team when you get down, and that’s why we scheduled like that. I’m proud of the kids for fighting back, and we had a chance their at the end with the top of the lineup. That’s what it’s about – we’re going to play the best teams to prepare our kids for the four games that matter (the playoffs).”

Pitcher Laney Johnson started all three games, picking up wins against Sterlington and Kaplan before taking the loss against Calvary.

Johnson allowed one unearned run on four hits against Sterlington, twirled an eight-inning gem with 11 strikeouts and three hits against Kaplan, and ended the week against Calvary with six runs on 10 hits. That’s 20 2/3 innings in four days against either nationally ranked teams or a Kaplan squad that is the reigning Division III Non-Select champion.

Calvary is also a reigning state champion (Division III Select) while Sterlington played for a state title this past season.

The majority of North DeSoto runs came via the home run, including a Raegan Henderson walk-off home run to knock off Kaplan in the eighth inning Thursday.

Johnson helped her own cause against Kaplan with a solo home run.

North DeSoto’s rally fell short against Calvary as three sixth-inning runs cut the Cavs lead to 6-4.

Home runs by Mia Norwood, Payton Miller and Carsyn Curtis fueled the comeback, but Calvary held off the late Lady Griffin charge.

North DeSoto is 24-4 heading into Tuesday evening’s contest against Airline before playing Minden to determine the District 1-4A tournament champion, a new format for the league this year.

The regular season ends April 9 with playoff pairings being announced April 10.

Because of North DeSoto’s strength of schedule, the Lady Griffins have locked up the No. 1 seed with a nearly five-point lead in the Division II Non-Select power rankings.

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If you hunt or fish, you’ll find there are some activities that are more highly revered than others, at least they are by zealots of the sport. Take quail hunting, for example. While quail in our part of the country have basically gone the way of the Studebaker, there are those who still keep a brace of pointers and seek out those widely scattered pockets of cover that may hold a covey or two. Why? Because quail hunting is so special to them; they just can’t entertain thoughts that quail numbers continue to shrink.

Then there are the fly fishermen. The average angler heads for the lake or the creek bank armed with rods and reels, or a cane pole and bucket of worms. While some rod and reelers and cane polers have perfected their craft to a fine edge, the average fisherman just wants to catch supper, and the gear he selects is what he feels will allow him to do that most effectively.

Ah, but the fly fisherman is a far different creature. He’s probably more of a purist; a perfectionist, than any other sportsman. He talks in almost reverential tones of tippets and Royal Coachmen and such. He ties his own flies; builds his own rods. It’s as if the process of preparing to fly fish is an end in itself.

I once tried fly fishing, but I soon learned that I lack something in the “purist” category. I purchased my outfit years ago at the local discount store for $29.95. No, that was not the price of the fly line; that was the package price for rod, reel, line, leader and a box of flies. I took my purchase to a local pond where I’d located a bed of bluegills in the shallows. I managed to catch a few fish but I spent an inordinate amount of time getting my popping bug untangled from the myrtle bush behind me. I also noticed a lack of dexterity when it came to making “the cast”. I almost threw out my shoulder trying to emulate the fly fishers I’d watched on TV. While they made it look so easy, I spent most of my fishing time tripping over line wrapped around my ankles and getting a half-hitch from around my ear.

While on a turkey hunting trip to South Dakota several years ago, I spent some time with Dick Leir, owner of Dakota Angler and Outfitter and as he drove me alongside the sparkling-clear streams in the Black Hills, he talked about his favorite sport, fly fishing.

“Fly fishing can be frustrating, but once you get over the initial aggravation, it is a calming sport,” Leir explained. “There is an evolution that takes place in the life of a fly fisher. At first, his goal is to catch ‘a’ fish. Once he accomplishes this, he wants to catch a ‘lot’ of fish. Then he progresses to wanting to catch a ‘big’ fish; then a ‘lot of big’ fish. He arrives as a genuine fly fisher when his consuming desire is to catch ‘that’ fish.

“Fly fishing is unique in that it is one of the few do-it-yourself sports. Anglers get a lot of satisfaction from painstakingly building their own rods and becoming adept at tying their own flies. To catch ‘that’ fish on a rod you have built with a fly you have tied offers the utmost satisfaction,” said Leir.

According to Leir, trout fishermen don’t go to a stream with the purpose of catching fish to eat.

“The object is not to catch ‘supper’. Wild trout are much too valuable for that. A legendary fly fisherman, the late Lee Wulfe once said, ‘a trout is too valuable a commodity to catch only once.’

While wild trout are the number one quarry of most fly fishers, practically any species of fish can be caught on a flyrod. We don’t have trout in Louisiana, but there are other fish that can provide great sport for the flyrodder. Bedded bluegills, like I attempted to catch, bass and crappie are all amenable to being caught on fly tackle.

As advanced age has caught up with me, I have laid aside my fly rod and casting rod and settle for a seat in a comfortable chair on the bank of a pond with bedded bluegills swirling the water just off shore. Skewering on a cricket and lobbing it into the mass of bream, I’m as happy as a fly fisherman wading a clear mountain stream for trout.

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