I saw the name William Kinnison Haddox in an obituary and it didn’t ring a bell until I realized this was the real name for one of my best friends in the outdoors media. His nickname was one I could grasp as could thousands of others who have read and appreciated his work down through the years. Everybody knew him as Kinny Haddox.

The month of July marked the beginning and the end for this remarkable man, who was born on July 30, 1952 and passed away on July 1, 2024.

Kinny graduated from what was then NLU and began work as an outdoor writer, first for the News Star in Monroe. After several years, he began working for International Paper in Bastrop handling that company’s communications. When he left the News Star, I was hired as his replacement, writing weekly outdoors columns for that publication for 13 years.

Once he retired from International Paper, he dove head first into free lance writing for magazines and ultimately was named editor of the most popular outdoors magazine based in Louisiana, the Louisiana Sportsman, a position he held until his death. The July 2024 issue of that magazine carried two stories written by Haddox.

My relationship with Kinny Haddox has continued through the years chatting via phone about outdoor story possibilities. I picked his brain; he picked mine as in addition to his commanding duties as magazine editor, he continued to churn out excellent free-lance work.

Kinny and I were members of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA). Most of the members of LOWA lived in south Louisiana. On more than one occasion at annual conference he and I and the other north Louisiana member, Terry Jones, would be honored with writing awards. The three of us became jokingly the Piney Woods Mafia, a title we were honored to claim.

I could go on and on about what this guy has meant to me down through the years but nothing is more outstanding in my mind than when I decided to write a book last year. I was asked by the editor to have people I knew who would be willing to write endorsements for my book, “Bamboozled By A Bobcat”. The first name I thought of was my friend, Kinny, and he was completely willing to do this for me.

In his own whimsical way, as only Kinny Haddox could do, he wrote “When he picks one out to write about it and you read it, you feel like you’ve been there with him the whole way. I swear one time after reading one of his tales about catching and cleaning some big old bluegill bream, I thought I could smell fish on my own hands.”

Kinny Haddox never backed away from writing about controversial matters and he dove into the topics headfirst. Whether it had to do with the proliferation of black bears and the hesitance of state officials to declare a hunting season for bears, or what to do about the rapid spread of feral hogs around the state, Kinny called ‘em as he saw ‘em and was not afraid to call officials out when they needed calling out.

On the flip side, he wrote about introducing kids to fishing and hunting and his upbringing and being tutored by his elders. He loved to write about his favorite fishing hole, Bussey Brake and his stories about how this fantastic fishery evolved make fascinating reading.

The outdoors world has lost a true disciple of all things outdoors and the thoughts in his mind that were transferred to his fingers as the millions of words he wrote over the years will remain in the hearts of Kinny Haddox’s fans for ages to come.

I, for one, will never forget my special friend.

There will be a Fish Fry Fundraiser held for Captain Brian Walker Friday, July 19 at 11am at the Fire District 8 Training facility, 13011 Hwy 175. Plates of fish, fries, hushpuppies and a bottle of water will cost $15. All proceeds will go to Walker and his family. 

In conjunction with the Fish Fry, the 911 Communications Division is also holding a raffle for an Echo Blower and Weedeater donated by Bossier Power Equipment, plus a gift basket and accessories donated by Deep South Small Engines. Raffle tickets are $20 each and all proceeds will also go to the Walker family.

If you would like to purchase a ticket you may send an email to Tabitha Tucker at ttucker@dpso.org to get more info.

By Doug De Graffenried

I am a sinner!

You knew that about us preachers, didn’t you?

Sin is like this. One day recently I was throwing on my dress shirt. I was not paying attention to what I was doing. The top button I lined up with the wrong buttonhole. The rest of the way down my shirt was off. You can’t button your shirt correctly if you get the top button wrong. That is what sin does in our relationships and to our lives; it throws us one bubble off of plumb.

Now before you go “holier than thou” on me consider this:

Once, D.L. Moody went to meet Charles Spurgeon at Spurgeon’s house in London. Spurgeon had been Moody’s hero and, from a distance, his teacher. When Spurgeon answered the door with a cigar in his mouth, Moody practically fell down the stairs in shock. Looking up at Spurgeon, he gasped, “How could you, a man of God, smoke that?”

Spurgeon took the stogie out of his mouth and walked down the steps to where Moody was still standing in confusion. Putting his index finger on Moody’s rather rotund stomach, he smiled, “The same way you, a man of God, could be that fat.”

Ouch!

There is no upside to sin. It is destructive. Our world is crazy, evil and mean because we live in a fallen world. We are all sinners and when sinners act out of their nature, bad stuff happens. The problems of culture can’t be fixed with more money, marching behind the slogans on a banner, another program, coming together or more education. Our world is going to hell in a handbasket because there are seven billion sinners alive and active right now.

Sin is not the only story, there is an antidote.

A father caught his son smoking. “You know my displeasure in you right now,” he admonished the boy. “I’ve always told you I would punish you severely if I ever caught you smoking. You deserve three smacks across your bottom with my belt.”

Thereupon, the father got his belt, but he hit the boy only once. Then he sent his son up to his room. (Before you get your liver in a quiver, this used to be the way it was. My mother had a stick she used to stir paint. It was colorful and effective for discipline.)

A short time later, the father climbed the stairs to his son’s room and asked, “Would you like to go out and get some ice cream?” Sitting in the ice cream parlor, the father said, “You do know that when I caught you smoking you deserved three smacks with my belt?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You noticed that you got only one, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Son, that is mercy, and I want you to remember the lesson. Are you enjoying your ice cream?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Son, the ice cream is grace. Remember that too.”

The DeSoto Parish Library announced it will participate in the 2nd Annual Back 2 School Blast-Off event. It is scheduled for July 20 from 10am to 1pm at the DPSB Office located at 399 Jenkins Street in Mansfield.

This event aims to provide students with essential resources for the upcoming school year. Open to all community members, the festivities will include a uniform drive, prizes, and a backpack giveaway.

In addition, attendees can gather information about community programs, IEPs, and 504 Plans.

With a day filled with fun and valuable information expected, the library encourages all to join this educational and enjoyable event.

It is oppressively hot in most of the U.S. and certainly here in Louisiana. We are also in the midst of an acrimonious presidential race, now exacerbated by the assassination attempt of Pres. Trump (which I will address next week). And then, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day, the 2024 Paris Olympics, slated to run from Jul 26-Aug 11, arrive.

I watched several parts of the Olympic trials and marveled at how hard each athlete competed to make the national team. You could see the utter elation in the eyes and smiles of those who made it and the abject sadness in those who did not.

Begun in Greece over 2000 years ago as a hoped-for substitute for the continual warfare between the Greek city states, the Olympics are an interesting global phenomenon. The organization succinctly proclaims that “the Olympic Games are the world’s only truly global, multi-sport … athletics competition. With more than 200 countries participating in over 400 events across the Summer and Winter Games, the Olympics are where the world comes to compete, feel inspired, and be together.” This, of course, prominently includes the Paralympic Games which “provide a platform for Para athletes with a diverse range of impairments to showcase their outstanding abilities to millions of spectators and billions of TV viewers.”

The head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, described what the event would look like: “The entire city of Paris has been turned into a vast Olympic stadium. The Seine represents the track, and the quays the spectators’ stands.” (Time Magazine, 2024)

The opening of the games is, itself, fabulous. Various news sources have noted that “the opening ceremony will take place along the Seine River in the heart of Paris. It will mark the first time in the history of the Summer Games that the ceremony will not be held inside a stadium.”

I have always loved the Olympics, and for several distinct reasons. Firstly, in my youth I was a competitive swimmer for a number of years and when I watch the young American swimmers at the Olympics, I am warmly and fondly reminded of those grueling but memorable days.

I am also always moved when one of our Olympians finishes a race or competition, is struggling to catch their breath, has a microphone shoved in their face and gushes “I am so proud to represent my country!” I think it touches most of us.

I am also captivated by the distance runners at 5-, 10-and 15,000-meter distances. I still marvel at the heptathlon, and at how much raw natural talent is necessary to be able to compete at the Olympic level in multiple—and completely different—sports. Talk about cross training! The gymnasts also amaze me with their ability to do multiple somersaults during the floor exercise and then fly HIGH into the air and stop just short of stepping out of bounds! Or on that balance beam, when they somehow do a flip and land on that seemingly very small beam, not breaking their necks! And I find it riveting to watch the men’s 100 meter final and see those ten men load themselves into their blocks to determine the fastest man in the world.

I also love the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 track relays. To watch each competing nation not only have to run as fast as they possibly can but also be sure the baton is not dropped during the precarious, high-speed exchanges between runners.

I am always inspired by the level of commitment and preparation demanded from these athletes over many years for the mere chance of making the team. I fervently hope for—and often shout out loud for—the American athlete attempting to win the gold medal. I think these are some of the most uniquely American emotions we feel.

As Jefferson recognized in the Declaration of Independence, America takes its place in the world based upon “the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and Nature’s God entitle it” and we do so proudly because we are Americans first, last, and always.

As President Reagan said, ‘the Olympics provide the ultimate experience in watching athletes strive through honest effort, fair play, discipline, and determination to reach the top … It’s the personal striving, the ability to achieve the fullest measure of human potential that counts most.”

Amen.

Let’s go America! USA! USA! USA!

Royal Alexander

Milwaukee, WI –Speaker Mike Johnson, Permanent Chair of the 2024 RNC Convention, delivered remarks Tuesday evening focused on tonight’s Convention theme of “Make America Safe Again.”

Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

Good evening, my friends! What an amazing crowd and what a great time it is to unite our Party and to send President Donald Trump back to the White House! That’s what we are going to do.

But we’re not just uniting as Republicans. We’re uniting today as Americans in the wake of the assassination attempt on the life of President Trump.

Everyone hear me clearly and listen to me at home and make no mistake: The House is conducting an immediate and thorough investigation of these tragic events and that work has already begun. The American people deserve to know the truth and we will ensure accountability. I promise you that.

This has always been an important principle to us. We in the Republican Party are the law and order team. We always have been – and we always will be — the advocates for the rule of law.

And we all know that that principle, as well as many others, is in serious jeopardy today. We’ve come to a moment in America where the basic things that we once took for granted are being openly challenged like never before.

My friends, we are no longer just in a battle between two opposing political parties. We are, but it’s not just Rs vs Ds anymore. We’re now in the midst of a struggle between two completely different visions of who we are as Americans, and what our country will be.

The Republican Party stands for the foundational truths that made America the greatest nation in the history of the world. We are the most free, the most powerful, the most benevolent nation that has ever been. It’s not even close.

But we have no guarantee that this grand experiment in self governance can endure unless we respond to the call to keep it.

Two hundred forty eight years ago, we boldly proclaimed in our Declaration that ‘all men are created equal’ – not born equal – created equal. And that we’re ‘endowed with our Creator with certain unalienable rights.’ 

See, we understand that our rights do not come from government, they come from God. There’s another thing we recognize – we are made in His image. And because of that, every single person has inestimable dignity and value. And your value is not related in any way to the color of your skin, what zip code you live in, where you come from, what your talents are, or what you can contribute to society. Your value is inherent because it is given to you by your Creator. That’s what we stand for.

I speak a lot about what I call the seven core principles of American conservatism. What do we stand for as Republicans, they want to know.

I think it boils down to a few things: Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity. Indeed, those are the seven core principles of American conservatism, but they’re actually the core principles of our republic itself. And while they resonate in our hearts, and in the hearts of most Americans, the radical, woke, progressive left has disdain for those principles. They have a very different vision for what America should become. They want to tear down those foundations and remold us into some sort of borderless, lawless, Marxist, socialist utopia.

We’re here to say not on our watch. We will not allow that to happen.

It was just three weeks ago that Kelly and I dropped off our oldest son at the Naval Academy. In four years, he’ll graduate and he’ll join the 1.3 million active duty service members who bravely defend our country. We’re so proud of Jack and all our children, but like most parents today, we’re concerned about their future.

America can’t risk four more years of Joe Biden’s weakness that has invited so much aggression by our enemies. We can’t survive the dramatic increases in violence, crime, and drugs that the Democrats’ policies have brought upon our communities. And we cannot allow the many millions of illegal aliens they’ve allowed to cross our borders to harm our citizens, drain our resources, or disrupt our elections. We will not allow it.

My friends, we are watching the principles of faith, family, and freedom that once defined our nation now being trampled under foot by the radical left. As President Trump raised his fist and gave a rally cry on Saturday, now is our time to fight, and we will!

We’re in a fateful battle of ideas, my friends, and we have to recognize that. But in this battle, and in November, the American people will reject the Party of self-destruction, and they will elect the Party of peace and prosperity and opportunity. The GOP will grow our House majority, we will take back the Senate, and we will return Donald J. Trump to the White House.

Standing arm-in-arm, we will make America safe again. We reach out tonight to everyone watching at home, we invite all Americans who believe in the promise of our great nation to join us in this fateful battle. We can and we will reverse this current decline. We can restore our founding principles. And we can preserve this exceptional nation that God has entrusted to us and what Abraham Lincoln referred to as, “the last best hope of man on the Earth.”

Thank you so much, God bless you, God bless our troops, and God bless America.

We all gotta start somewhere, and since it was exactly what I’d always hoped to do plus paid a smooth $250 a week plus was the only job offer I had, I started my “career” as a sportswriter at “The Longview News-Journal” in East Texas 40 years ago this summer, 24, ready for a fight, proud to have health and dental.

And a free daily paper.                                                                                                                                     

Louisiana Tech had coached me up as best it could, even graduate school and all. As an assistant in sports information, I’d had the chance to cover ball and meet the state’s ink-stained wretches and had what I thought was a hard-boiled idea of what the sportswriting world was like. Had worked on the school paper, served as a stringer for ballgames and features, even talked to the Associated Press guys. On deadline.

Lots of time on the IBM Selectric.

Plus I knew how to work. Had done it since I was a little fella. Cucumber picking. Corn scratching. Tractor driving. Tobacco hanging. Grass mowing.

Had every reason to be confident. Big reader. Great teachers. Professional journalistic role models of the highest order in Keith Prince and Wiley Hilburn.

But I was scared to death.

Funny what you remember. I turned onto I-20 from Exit 82 in Ruston, the Tech exit, and noticed a brown roper, a cowboy boot, had fallen out of the bed of my truck onto the shoulder. Thought I’d packed everything in better than that, and still wonder why it had caught my eye in the passenger mirror, my roper tumbling out. Even as I got out and stuffed in back in, I remember thinking I would never forget that moment, me trying to be a rookie professional — and things falling out before I’d even left town.

But John Inman, God rest his cheery, patient soul, was there to meet me in Longview. He loved to eat and we made the rounds during the suppertime break, it being summer and no high school football or basketball or baseball games to cover. Don’t know about today, but 40 years ago, a man could eat fine in Longview. Burgers & Fries. The Butcher Shop. A cafeteria or two.

Every morning, I’d sit outside my apartment by a swimming pool and read our Longview paper, “The Dallas Morning News,” and “The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.”

I’d seldom had it so good.

1984 was the summer the Detroit Tigers started their season 35-5, the subject of one of Mr. Inman’s questions during my job interview, which lasted almost a whole minute.

“What about those Detroit Tigers?” he said.

“Hot as grandma’s skillet,” I said.

He asked if I could start Tuesday.

It was the summer of the Olympics in Los Angeles, Mary Lou Retton and Greg Louganis and Mary Decker, a middle-distance runner and, along with Retton, an American Sweetheart. But she tripped and fell four laps into the 3,000 meters and there the iconic photo of her all alone, clutching her ankle or some leg part, in tears, and I wrote a column from two time zones away, “The Queen Has Fallen,” or something ridiculous like that.

Country come to town.

It was the summer the Cincinnati Reds retired the number of Johnny Bench, who’d played the final game of his Hall of Fame career the fall before, and I wrote a column that ended, “Thanks, Number 5, for the memories,” or some such. I think Mr. Inman didn’t edit that out, just to teach me a lesson about maybe not being a sappy idiot in words and whatnot. “Thanks for the memories” and cue the soap opera music…

Good lord help us all.

The only “live” event I covered all summer was the Longview City Golf Championships, and hopefully I got the winner’s name and score correct. And there was the Green Bay at Dallas preseason scrap, not exactly The Game of the Century.

But what a time it was. I learned a lot, pasting up the paper at midnight, hanging with fellow young bucks Olin and Kyle, who are still in the business, and with David, who’ve I’ve lost touch with but who is likely out there somewhere smiling and being big and all muscled up and looking a lot more like a linebacker than a sportswriter.

Mr. Inman did what he could with us. What a blessing. Even with a weekly check of $197 and change, after taxes. Money ain’t everything.

Thanks, guys, for the memories …

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

These arrests were made by DeSoto Sheriff, Mansfield Police, and Louisiana State Police.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Smith, Cedric
B M 26
Distribution or Possession with intent to distribute CDS I
Possession of Firearm in presence of CDS
Bossier

Pinion, Bobby Lloyd
W M 47
Violation of Protective Order
Logansport

Winfield, Julius Theodore
B M 21
Resisting an officer
Many

Darby, Christopher D
B M 33
Obscuring of windshield or windshield view prohibited
Warrant DeSoto Parish
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Possession of firearm in presence of CDS
Possession of CDS II
Possession of Schedule I with intent to distribute
Shreveport

Reed, Kalysta Dawn
W F 21
Simple Burglary
Pelican

Smith, Brandon Kile
W M 37
Warrant DeSoto Parish
Frierson

Sudds, David Wayne
B M 58
Possession of CDS II
Mansfield

Ross, Kiara Z
B F 28
Simple Battery
Mansfield

Bates, Edward
B M 54
Probation violation
Grand Cane

Youngblood, Ernest Wilbert, Jr.
B M 35
Warrant DeSoto Parish
Battery of a Police Officer
Resisting an Officer by Flight
Resisting an officer-Use Threat force/violence
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Possession of CDS II
Mansfield Warrant
Mansfield

Tackett, Charles E
W M 43
Unlawful use or access of social media
Failure to register as a sex offender
Stonewall

Brakefield, David J
B M 35
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, first offense
Open Alcohol Container in vehicle
Speeding
Turn Signals Required
Shreveport

Evans, James Earl
B M 35
Fugitive Warrant
Zachary

Anthony, Carolyn A
B F 63
Driving Under Suspension
Turn Signals Required
Possession of CDS II
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Keithville

Wright, James Warren
W M 51
Operating while intoxicated, first offense
Driving on roadway lane of traffic
Open Alcohol Container in vehicle
Harrison, AR

Hays, Tommy D
W M 60
Blue Lights on Non-police vehicle
Driving under suspension
Switched License Plate
Possession of CDS II
Grand Cane

Frazier, Anthony B
B M 53
Fugitive Warrant/Arrest
Natchitoches

The Pelican Library will host Back to School Family Movie Night Friday, July 26 at 8pm. The movie, Kung Fu Panda 4, will be shown Under the Stars. For more information contact the library 318.755.2353. 

DeSoto Parish Schools will begin the 2024-25 school year on Thursday, August 8. Visit the back to school page for more information. 

DeSoto Sheriff Public Information Officer, Mark Pierce, has been traveling around the community visiting several Senior Adult church groups to speak on Scams and how to avoid them. If you have a group that would like to have a simple yet informative conversation on Scams, how they get your info, how to avoid and where to report….give him a call at (318) 872-3956 Ext. 251 to get added to his event calendar.

R.E. “Dutch” Deutsch
June 16, 1932 — July 15, 2024
Graveside Service is Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 11am at O E Price Memorial Park Cemetery, 2601 Old Mansfield Rd., Logansport

Shelton Duncan Sr.
July 14, 1950 — July 6, 2024
Service is Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 2pm at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness in Grand Cane

With 2024 half over, the good people of DeSoto Parish have seen their fair share of challenges. From record setting rainfalls to multiple confirmed tornadoes which have devastated our local communities, the people of this parish push on with grit, determination and unity. These natural disasters have resulted in three declared emergencies in 2024 for our parish from both the Office of the Governor and the Office of the President of the DeSoto Parish Police Jury. Rainfall accumulations have been recorded to be more than 50 inches for parts of DeSoto Parish. This information is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The rainfall totals are daily observations from automated and human facilitated weather stations across DeSoto Parish.

As well, the DeSoto Parish Police Jury has been working diligently to navigate the bureaucratic waters that exist to access dollars available through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOSHEP). These GOSHEP dollars are intended to provide the Jury with reimbursements of up to 75% of taxpayer dollars invested by the Jury to facilitate a debris removal program. At a special meeting on June 10, 2024, the jury authorized amending the road budget by one million dollars for a debris removal program and created the Disaster Relief Recovery Fund, which will be funded by those 75% reimbursements. This Disaster Relief Recovery Fund will be utilized for funding future debris removal programs authorized by declared emergencies.

These challenges are not something the jury faces alone. In partnership with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office, all our local Fire Departments, the EMS personnel, local lineman representing SWEPCO, CLECO, and Panola Harrison, local partners like Chesapeake and SWN, and the everyday resident who picks up a chainsaw or jumps into the seat of his/her tractor, this DeSoto Community comes together to pick up the pieces after a disaster. These partnerships keep us strong, united and determined to push forward. From myself and my staff at the DeSoto Parish Police Jury, I thank you all for your hard work. May the good Lord continue to bless this Parish.

Michael Norton
Parish Administrator
DeSoto Parish Police Jury

Occasionally, as a tournament angler, you ask yourself, “Why am I out here? Why can’t I figure out a good fish-catching pattern?” These are just a couple of questions, and many others, I recently asked myself during a mid-June tournament on Sam Rayburn. Then I started trying to make excuses as to why I was not catching fish, like the lake is 7 feet too high, the wind is not blowing, and there are too many people on the lake. The excuses were endless!

For me, and this might be an age thing because I hate summertime fishing for one main reason — it’s too damn hot! I would rather fish in 30-degree weather than fish with temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s. I can put enough clothes on to stay warm and comfortable, but I can’t take enough off to get cool. Nothing is worse than when sweat is dripping off your nose, running down your back, and down the back of your pants.

This is when you must fight through all the negative gremlins running through your head and refocus yourself. But nothing helps your mindset more than when you start catching bass, even if they are not the size you need to win the event. Just getting bites gives you reason to have hope that at some point you’ll find some bigger bass. This tends to keep you in tune and alert, making it easier to stay in the right frame of mind. But when you’re not getting bites, and it’s hotter than a frying pan full of Crisco, frustration starts to set in, and your mind starts to drift.

It’s also when you are constantly trying to figure out what technique will work the best. Should I be throwing a topwater bait, a crankbait or maybe a spinnerbait, or do I need to tie on a good Texas rigged worm and go to work? Do I need to be fishing shallow or deep brush tops in 20 feet of water? But no matter what I decide, nothing seems to be working and did I mention, IT’S HOT!

Summertime fishing can be more of a mental challenge than any other time of year. It’s the time of year for tournament anglers when we go “trash fishing.” What is trash fishing? This is when you cannot seem to figure out any sort of pattern but can still catch fish on several different baits using many different techniques.

For me at Sam Rayburn this past June, I was totally locked in on a trash fishing pattern. I caught fish on a topwater bait, a spinnerbait, a crankbait, a Texas rigged worm and a jerkbait. Five different baits employing five different techniques! Here’s the remarkable thing about this particular day. Five times during the day, I picked up a different bait and caught a bass on the very first cast with that bait! That has never happened to me before!

But that’s what trash fishing is all about, catching bass on several different baits. It is a typical summer pattern, if you even want to call it a pattern. So, the next time you’re struggling to catch fish on one of those hot summer days, don’t load the boat and go home, tie on ALL your favorite baits and go trash fishing.

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing and be sure to wear your sunscreen and good protective clothing because Melanoma does not discriminate.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

The DeSoto Parish Police Jury will hold their regular meeting Monday, July 15 at 5pm. The meeting will be held in the Police Jury Meeting room. 

AGENDA

A.    CALL TO ORDER
B.    INVOCATION
C.    PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
D.    PRESENTATION OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND SERVICE AWARDS
E.    ANNOUNCEMENTS
     1. Notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on Monday, August 19, 2024 at 5:00 pm. at its        regular meeting place, the Police Jury Meeting Room of the Police Jury Annex, 101 Franklin Street,   
      Mansfield, Louisiana, the Police Jury of the Parish of DeSoto, State of Louisiana, plans to consider
      adopting a resolution ordering and calling an election to be held in Sales Tax District No. 1 of the
      Parish of DeSoto, State of Louisiana to authorize the levy of a sales and use tax therein
F.    CALL FOR ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
G.    GUEST AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
     2. Joshua Salley introduction of Ami Altom as our 4H Agent
H.    PRESIDENT’S REPORT
I.     COUNSEL’S REPORT
J.     ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
     3. Michael Norton, Parish Administrator, written report
K.     LOBBYIST’S REPORT
     4. Chance McNeely, The Delta Resource Group, written report
L.    TREASURER’S FINANCIAL REPORT
     5. Accept the Financial Statements as of June 30, 2024 and Year to date Budget to actual report
M.    APPROVAL OF MINUTES
     6. Approve June 17, 2024 Regular Meeting, Special Meeting; July 1, 2024 Administrative, Budget and
      Finance, Solid Waste, Road and Airport Committee Meetings and July 1, 2024 Special Meeting
N.    OLD BUSINESS
     7. Recommends awarding low bid for Weatherization Electrical Labor
O.    NEW BUSINESS
     8. Authorize the President to sign a Resolution moving polling locations from the Carmel Catholic 
       Church to the Living Word Church in Mansfield serving precincts #26 & 26A.
P.    RESOLUTIONS
     9. Recommends authorizing the President to sign a Resolution for BETA Land Services, L. L. C.
      requesting that the DeSoto Parish Police Jury place for sealed bids with Louisiana Department of 
      Natural Resources, all of the Mineral Rights owned by the DeSoto Parish Police Jury namely streets,
      alleys and right of ways that the Police Jury owns in Section 15, Township 12 North, Range 13 West,
      being more specifically described as Irma Street, Oak Avenue, Brown Street, Matlock Street, Gabe
      Street, Circle Drive, Robert Street, Pine Street, Elmwood Drive, Matilda Street, The Undeveloped Street
      in Hollywood Addition, All Portions of Gibbs Street, Shallow Horne Street, South Norris Street, East
      Mary Street, Maplewood Drive and Petite Street located outside the Corporate Limits of the City of
      Mansfield, and the Alleys located in Brown Park Subdivision, Brown Subdivision and Jefferson Hwy No.
      Subdivision
     10. Authorize the President to sign a Resolution approving the holding of an election in Fire Protection
      District No. 3 of the Parish of DeSoto, State of Louisiana, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, to authorize
       renewal of a special tax and the renewal of a service charge therein
     11. Recommends adopting the 2024 Millage Rates
Q.    ORDINANCES
R.    ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
     12. Recommends re-appointing Bruce Carrol, David Caston and Dennis Reed to the Ambulance/EMS
      District Board for a six (6) year term
S.    AIRPORT ITEMS
     13. Recommends authorizing the President to sign the Master Service Agreement (MSA) with KSA as
      the consulting Engineer for the Airport
T.    BUDGET AND FINANCE ITEMS
     14. Recommends re-appropriate $680,000 from the Solid Waste Capital Outlay Cell X Construction ($8
      Million Budget) to Solid Waste Capital Outlay Equipment to purchase one (1) 740 Articulated Truck
     15. Recommends amending the Registrars of Voters salary budget in the amount of $3437.80 to cover
      the salary expense for the remainder of 2024 for extra employee granted by House Bill 89/Act 596
U.    ROAD ITEMS
      16. Recommends authorizing the renaming of Wilson Road aka Nelen Pvt Drive as Nelen Drive
      17. Recommends authorizing the Parish Administrator to sign a letter of support for I-69 Connector           FY 25-26 MPDG Application
V.    SOLID WASTE ITEMS
     18. Recommends updating the Solid Waste Disposal Fees and Environmental Fees at the Mundy   
      Landfill effective January 2025
W.  ADJOURN

(BATON ROUGE, LA) – Louisiana students in grades K-3 improved their reading scores by 10 percentage points on the state’s first universal literary screener. The percentage of K-3 students reading on grade level jumped from 44.6% on the beginning of year screener to 54.6% on the end of year screener. This data is from the 2023-2024 school year and sets a new baseline that can be used to measure progress in future years.

“I’m encouraged by this growth. It speaks to the commitment of Louisiana teachers to provide students with the basic building blocks of a quality education,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “The early elementary years are critical to a student’s academic success and we now have a tool to better identify where support is needed whether at the student, school, or system level.”

Overall, Louisiana saw a 10% increase in students reading on grade level in grades K-3 from beginning to end of year. Students in grades K-1 made significant gains, with 27% more kindergarten students and 14% more first grade students reading on grade level from the beginning of the year. More detailed data is available in the Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) K-3 Spring Reading Report. K-3 literacy screener results by school system and school are also available online for spring 2024 and fall 2023.

All Louisiana public school students in grades K-3 are required to complete literacy screeners. These assessments, which increase in difficulty from beginning to end of year, provide teachers with real-time data to support students during their foundational years in school.

Louisiana has made considerable progress since launching its comprehensive literacy plan in 2021. The Education Recovery Scorecard found that Louisiana is one of only three states where average reading achievement in 2023 was above 2019 levels. Louisiana’s 4th graders were No. 1 in the nation for reading growth on The Nation’s Report Card and economically disadvantaged 4th graders improved from 42nd to 11th overall for reading proficiency from 2019 to 2022.

Louisiana has also drawn national attention for its bold literacy policies. The non-profit education organization ExcelinEd recognized Louisiana as one of only three states taking action on all 18 of the organization’s early literacy fundamental principles. These include a universal screener for K-3 students and science of reading training for all K-3 teachers.

“This marked the first year of full implementation for key literacy policies,” said Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jenna Chiasson. “Not only are we poised for additional reading progress, but similar math policy shifts have been made to accelerate student outcomes.”

About Louisiana’s K-3 Literacy Screener

This is the first year the LDOE is administering one universal literacy screener to students in grades K-3. These assessments provide teachers with information on student reading levels and how well students are progressing on particular skills. The screeners are given through a secure administration and measure skills predictive to reading success as a student progresses through school. Student scores are reported as Well Above Level, On Level, Below Level, or Well Below Level.

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, third grade students who score at the Well Below level at the end of the school year are at risk of retention. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, results from the literacy screener will be included in school performance scores.

In the spring of 1925, a wealthy diamond merchant from Strasburg, Germany, named I. Lasker had his personal secretary make arrangements to transport a consignment of precious stones valued at about $100,000 from Vienna, Austria to Budapest, Hungary via airplane.  Adjusted for inflation, that would be just under $1,800,000 in today’s money.  Lasker could have shipped the diamonds through the mail, but he deemed that too risky.  He could have sent them with his personal secretary, but he deemed this too risky as well.  To ensure that nothing happened to the valuable cargo, Lasker had decided to charter a plane and deliver the stones himself.  Lasker’s brother would await their arrival in Budapest and was instructed to spread the alarm if anything out of the ordinary happened. 

On the day of the flight, Lasker and his personal secretary made their way to the Austrian airfield.  Lasker and his secretary boarded the small plane and made themselves comfortable.  Minutes later, the pilot took off and flew to the southeast on what should have been an uneventful 150-mile flight.  But this flight was anything but uneventful.  As Lasker peered out of the airplane’s small window, a cloth doused with chloroform was pressed over his nose and mouth.  Out of surprise, Lasker gasped which drew the powerful anesthetic into his lungs.  He had little time to fight back.  Within moments, he was unconscious.

Lasker’s brother waited uneasily at the airfield in Budapest.  He knew precisely when his brother was due to arrive with the valuable cargo and the time had passed.  He watched the skies in anticipation of the arrival of the chartered airplane.  As the old idiom goes, “a watched pot never boils.”  Lasker’s brother paced, checked his watch, scanned the skies, and paced some more.  Minutes felt like hours.  As per his instructions, Lasker’s brother notified the police of the missing plane.  Search parties hunted for the missing plane and its occupants along the airplane’s flight path.  Five days later, searchers found Lasker’s lifeless body near Sophronia or Shopronia, Austria.  Sources vary on the spelling of the town’s name and neither appear on modern maps.  Investigators determined that Lasker had been drugged, murdered, and his body had been thrown from the airplane.   

The search for the missing plane quickly turned into a murder investigation.  Investigators learned that Lasker’s private secretary and the pilot, whom Lasker’s secretary had hired, devised the plot to steal the diamonds.  Greed is a powerful motivator.  Once Lasker’s body had been thrown from the plane, the pilot continued flying the plane to the southeast.  The pilot landed the plane in a secluded spot somewhere in Bulgaria.  Once again, greed took over.  Police determined that once they landed in Bulgaria, Lasker’s secretary killed the pilot to avoid sharing the proceeds of the robbery and destroyed the airplane.  Lasker’s secretary was never captured.  Lasker’s secretary had committed the perfect crime and, although his name has been lost to history, he is remembered because he committed the first murder in an airplane.          

Sources:

1.    Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1925, p.1.

2.    The Bridgeport Telegram, June 13, 1925, p.2.

3.    The Day (New London, Connecticut), June 13, 1925, p.6.

4.    The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania), June 13, 1925, p.3.

5.    The Sioux City Journal, June 13, 1925, p.3.

BATON ROUGE, La. Department of Transportation & Development Secretary Joe Donahue presented an update on infrastructure projects across the state during an oversight hearing today with the House Committee on Transportation. .

During the 2024 Regular Session that ended in June, lawmakers distributed an additional $400 million in the budget (HB1) to DOTD for road improvements and were eager to learn which projects received funding. Committee members also questioned the department about systemic problems they hear about from constituents and inefficiencies within the agency. Members pressed Secretary Donahue to clearly outline changes that have been implemented to date addressing those complaints.

“Today was a good start to see how we’re executing the plan we set forth in the budget passed in June,” said Transportation Chair Ryan Bourriaque (Cameron). “Citizens are expecting major reforms at DOTD and oversight by this committee is necessary to see how that effort is taking shape.”

In addition to today’s hearing members say the Boston Consulting Group is conducting an independent internal review of DOTD searching for organizational challenges and ineffective practices within the agency which employs 4,200 staff. That report is expected to be completed by year’s end.

“One thing we know about DOTD is that it doesn’t work in its current form. That must change,” said Vice Chair Bryan Fontenot (Thibodaux).

On July 1st, DOTD sent a questionnaire to all members of the Louisiana House and Senate legislators asking for their input on future transportation needs, investments, and establishing a vision for policy decisions by 2025.

The Transportation Committee plans to hold a follow up hearing in August.

Two recent U. S. Supreme Court cases will help return our national government to the correct constitutional order. These two cases involve, firstly, the immunity of a president from criminal prosecution and, secondly, the practice—now ended by the Supreme Court—of having federal courts defer to agency interpretations of that agency’s rules and regulations.

The first case is Trump. v. United States and involves the charges brought against Pres. Trump for his alleged actions on Jan. 6, 2020. Jack Smith, the highly partisan Special Counsel (who’s very appointment as special counsel is legally suspect) alleged that Pres. Trump supposedly conspired to overturn the election by “spreading knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the collecting, counting and certifying of the election results.” Trump argued, in response, that a president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions performed within the “outer perimeter” of his official responsibilities and that the allegations fall within the core of his official duties.

This case is especially significant because of the lawfare waged against President Trump—i.e. the weaponizing of our courts and legal system to try to damage a political opponent as Pres. Biden has orchestrated against Trump—that the Supreme Court, for the first time in our nation’s history, was forced to address the issue of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.

So, what did the Court do?

The Supreme Court laid down “a rule for the ages.” The Court stated that “under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his core constitutional duties and … presumptive immunity from prosecution for all of his official acts” (i.e., “outer perimeter”). The Court also held that “unofficial” acts enjoy no immunity.

Obviously, the need for immunity from criminal prosecution stems from the fact that a president must often make snap, real time judgments with incomplete information on a host of issues affecting many things, including national security. We cannot have a president looking over his shoulder—overwhelmed with worry—that some action he feels needs to be taken on behalf of the country may subject him to criminal charges after his presidency. (Biden and Pres. Obama should be grateful for this ruling, as well).

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the federal district court to determine what alleged acts of Pres. Trump on Jan. 6 were “official” and “unofficial” acts.

I think there will be very little left of these charges against President Trump once the district court jumps through the legal and analytical hoops the Supreme Court laid out in this decision.

The second case is Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce. In its decision the Supreme Court overruled a 1984 decision, Chevron, that required federal courts to defer to an agency’s “reasonable interpretation” of an ambiguous statute that those agencies administer. The reason this is so important is because the enormous federal agencies in our country impose the actual law we live under, and that is wrong. These career bureaucrats were elected by no one.

The Loper Court held that “the Administrative Procedure Act requires courts to exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, and courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous.”

It’s important that a federal court, and not an administrative law judge (ALJ) in the very agency itself, decide these cases because an ALJ employed by and within a given agency is invariably going to favor the position of the agency. A given agency simply cannot be allowed to serve as “judge, jury and executioner” in our constitutional scheme.

The dissent in the case argued it is a mistake not to defer to agency interpretation of rules and regulations because “some interpretive issues arising in the regulatory context involve scientific or technical subject matter. Agencies have expertise in those areas; courts do not.” To which Chief Justice Roberts succinctly replied “agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do.”

These two cases are helping restore the appropriate constitutional order. They continue the critical process of removing power from unelected government bureaucrats who falsely believe they have the power to do many things—including exercise legislative policy making authority in their various agencies—that the Constitution expressly reserves to the Congress.

Royal Alexander

The Annual Balloons over DeSoto will take place July 14 from 4-10pm at the C.E. “Rusty” Williams Airport in Mansfield. This is a free family oriented event for everyone to enjoy. There will be food, hot air balloon rides, car show, live entertainment, food vendors and a firework show. There will also be free parking and a shuttle service.

Sci-Port Discovery Center will be at the Stonewall Library Thursday, July 18 from 2-5pm. They will conduct an educational presentation including fun Science activities. It is free for children in grades 2-6. Call 318.925.9191 for more information. 

Community HealthWays and LSU Ag Center will sponsor an Indoor Health & Resource Fair Thursday, August 1 from 10am until 2pm at the 4-H Building in Grand Cane. Along with health screenings, there will be door prizes, food and school supply giveaways. This event is free to the community. For more information contact Maria Bourgeois at 318.658.6409 or Erin Stockton at 318.872.0533.

Jessie McDaniel
March 2, 1945 – July 6, 2024
Service: Saturday, June 13, 2024, at 11am at Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel – Mansfield

Jack Edwards, Jr.
February 24, 1951 – July 7, 2024
Service: Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 11am at Mt. Mariah Baptist Church Cemetery – Frierson

Casey D. Jones
August 5, 1983 – July 8, 2024
Service: Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 11am at New Hope Baptist Church – Mansfield

DeSoto Parish Police Jury Parish Administrator Michael Norton shared the following message on the DPPJ Facebook page. 

Initially I reported that the debris removal program was set to begin this week on July 8, 2024, regrettably it did not.

The DeSoto Parish Police Jury has been working diligently to successfully navigate the required legal process to hire a debris removal contractor. RFP‘s (requests for proposals) are due this Friday July 12, 2024, and will be voted on by the jury Monday July 15, 2024. Once we have secured this debris removal contract, the Desoto Parish Police Jury will continue to coordinate between all parties to set a date for debris removal. This has been made more complicated by the recent storms our Parish has suffered.

I am thankful for the local participation we have in this parish. It seems when we have a catastrophe, seemingly more and more common these days, the community of Desoto Parish comes together to lift one another up. We are blessed to have the first responders we have in this community.

I would like to thank the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office, all the local fire departments, the EMS personnel, the Desoto Parish community, and my staff here at the Desoto Parish Police Jury for all their hard work. I would also ask the community to be a little more patient with this process so I am able to secure a debris removal contract. As soon as I have more information to report, I promise to let you all know. May the Lord continue to keep you all safe.

Michael Norton
Parish Administrator
DeSoto Parish Police Jury

Matt Vines

JACKSON, Miss – Four high school sprinters from DeSoto Parish will compete on the biggest youth track and field stage after they punched their tickets to the U.S. Track and Field National Junior Olympics.
All five compete with River Cities Track Club in the summer with four running for Mansfield High and one for North DeSoto High in the usual high school spring season.

To qualify for nationals, competitors needed to finish in the top five in their regional events, which were held at Hughes Field in Jackson, Miss., over the July 4th weekend.

Mansfield’s Jaden Youngblood won the 400 hurdles with a 55.28 in the 17-18 boys division. Youngblood also qualified in the 110 hurdles (14.84) and ran a leg of the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

Fellow Wolverine Ian White will join Youngblood in the 400 hurdles (third at 57.52) and on the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

North DeSoto’s MaCaylah Tingle blew away the competition in the 800 meters (15-16 girls division), winning by more than two seconds (personal best 2:28.46). Tingle placed second in the javelin with a 98-06.

Mansfield’s Zakhia Austin finished fifth in the 200 meters (17-18 girls) with a 25.33 and ran legs on the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

Fellow Lady Wolverine LaJordan Boykin will appear in the 15-16 girls division as a relay sprinter after River Cities won the 4×100 and 4×400 relays in that division.

The nationals are July 22-27 at Texas A&M’s E.B. Cushing Stadium.

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office reminds citizens how very important it is for DeSoto Parish residents to self-report damages from the tornadoes.

The state has made the process very simple to complete. 

The DPSO has been asked to share this with the DeSoto community in hopes that any and all damages related to yesterdays storms get documented.

It does not guarantee assistance, but the more reports that are received can certainly bring about some assistance from our state.

If you received damage to your home or property, please click this link and add yours to the list: https://damage.la.gov/

I am no longer eligible to attend the “young adults” Sunday School class at church. If we had a “senior” choir, I would likely be the oldest one there, bifocals, hearing aides and all. My walking cane would be close at hand to prevent me from tumbling into the soprano section. I’m relieved that our church has an elevator; I can only look wistfully at those long stairs. Let’s face it; Father Time has caught up with me and he and I have become close friends.

Having said all that, one of the fortunate things old guys like me have is a vast store of memories we can take from the shelf, dust off and relive. Among my favorites are being dad to a pair of exceptional daughters, Cathy and Kayla. They’re grown and have children and grandchildren of their own. While they were growing up, my memories look back on those days when as little fellows, I introduced them to some of the things I love, and that includes taking them with me to the pond, baiting their hooks and watching their eyes grow wide when they caught a fish.

When Kay and I married – we’ll have our 40th wedding anniversary July 11 – she brought to our marriage a bonus daughter for me in 10 year old Melissa. It was the same with her, taking her fishing, teaching her to drive, everything I taught Cathy and Kayla.

As rewarding and satisfying as has been being there as these three daughters of mine were growing up, it’s a toss-up as to whether interacting, rearing and raising these girls was as satisfying or sometimes even more so than when they began to fill my coffer with grandchildren. Kayla has four; Cathy and Melissa each have three.

Ah, grandchildren. The Good Lord has blessed me with these ten and being a part of their lives as they have grown up has added a quality to my life that is hard to describe.

There, however, is a problem. Today, Kayla’s four are scattered from Missouri to North Carolina while one of Cathy’s girls lives in Missouri and the other is teaching school in Hawaii. Her special needs son lives with her and her husband near Baton Rouge.

I’m thankful for Melissa who with her husband, lives just 50 miles away near Minden and I have access to her three, at least for awhile until they grow up and head into the world on their own. Her oldest just graduated from high school and is headed for college in Texas. One will be a senior this school year while the youngest will enter seventh grade. I still have access to these three for a brief window of time and am soaking up the hours I get to spend with them.

Just last weekend, the three were here for a few days with us and I jumped at the opportunity to do some special things with them, things that Ruston has available I was sure they would enjoy. That included a trip to a blueberry farm north of town where I turned them loose in the blueberry patch where they filled buckets with blueberries.

Next stop was to get peaches and not only were they able to bring ripe peaches back home, they enjoyed sitting in the shade with peach ice cream.

While this is not my typical outdoors column where I write about hunting and fishing, it’s just that my heart has been full of late as I look back on my life and how God has blessed me with three daughters I had the privilege of mentoring as they grew up.

The cherry on top is having the same opportunities with their offspring that has allowed me to keep doing what I love to do, at least for awhile longer. Thank you Lord for kids and grandkids.