News release from DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office
AUGUST 30, 2024
SHERIFF JAYSON RICHARDSON
DESOTO PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE

At 12:25pm today, August, 30th, 2024, a call was received by a 911 dispatcher regarding a two year old male child believed to have been struck by a vehicle in the 1200 block of Sloan Road off of Highway 175.

First Responders immediately made their way to the location at which time the child was transported by family to the nearby Fire District #8. From there, the child was transported to DeSoto Regional in Mansfield where he was pronounced deceased.

While this incident does appear to be a tragic accident, further details will be withheld at this moment in time so a proper investigation can take place. It is a day no family or first responder wants to have, but we appreciate everyone who responded and assisted in this incident.

Sheriff Richardson, Dispatchers, Responders, and staff send their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends affected as they begin to navigate the days ahead.

Matt Vines

Logansport High product John Stephens Jr. has found a home at tight end after a modest collegiate career as a receiver.

Stephens Jr. made the final 53-man roster for the Dallas Cowboys, surging to the No. 3 tight end position as the Cowboys traded tight end Peyton Hendershot, who had appeared in 25 games the past two seasons.

Stephens has beefed up to 245 pounds, and standing at 6-foot-5, he’s a size mismatch for defensive backs but fast enough to cause problems for linebackers in coverage.

After finishing his college career in 2022, an injury sidetracked his 2023 efforts to make a professional roster.

But a healthy Stephens muscled his way onto the final roster this season.

As college receiver, he caught 14 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in his final season at UL Lafayette.

He wasn’t a focal point at Texas Christian in his first college stop, and he totaled under 200 receiving yards in his first ULL campaign in 2021.

The Logansport standout was ranked the No. 1 athlete in Louisiana as a high school senior and No. 61 overall athlete in the nation.

Registration open for North DeSoto Wrestling Academy, NDHS girls team
Youth interested in exploring the world of wrestling can join the North DeSoto Wrestling Academy.

Wrestlers compete throughout the fall with three practices per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays).

Parents can register their children on Sept. 5 at the North DeSoto Upper Elementary Gym from 4-8 p.m.

The cost for the season is $400, with $200 due on Sept. 5. The cost covers team uniforms, USAW insurance and team enrollment.

High school girls interested in competing are invited to attend a student/parent meeting Sept. 9 in the NDHS Library at 6 p.m.

The LHSAA membership approved girls high school wrestling as a championship sport, meaning girls will no longer have to wrestle against boys.

For more information on either initiative, contact coach Dustin Burton at 318-617-9277.

On the night of August 24, Vernon Parish volunteer fire departments and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) fire crews were dispatched to the area off Highway 465 north of Simpson. Investigators say that on August 23, after the logging crew left for work, several pieces of logging equipment and timber caught fire. The fire destroyed one skidder and damaged another skidder and loader, with a total value of over $500,000.

Investigators with LDAF’s Enforcement Division determined this wildfire to have been caused by arson. LDAF investigators and Vernon Parish sheriff’s detectives are actively investigating this matter.

If you or anyone you know have any information, investigators urge you to call law enforcement. To report an arsonist, call LDAF at 1 (855) 452-5323 or the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 238-1311.

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

On September 14, 2024, the First Methodist Church of Coushatta is inviting everyone to walk through the history of Methodism. In 1824, the Sabine District, which encompassed Sabine, Natchitoches, Desoto, and Bienville, began in what is now Red River Parish. Circuit riders moved through the area, creating small groups of Methodist and area churches.

This celebration will honor the history of the Wesleyan movement in this area and bring people from all walks of life together. You may be from a Global Methodist Church, Southern Methodist, or a United Methodist church in the area. Maybe you are from an African Methodist Episcopal Church or a Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. You may be a history buff or someone from another denomination who would like to join in the day. If any of these apply to you, you are welcome to attend.

If your church would like to display your historical artifacts, share your oral and written history, and fellowship with other churches, email office@fmccoushatta.org.

Anyone with questions may contact First Methodist Church Coushatta at 932-4069, Karen Squires at 318-272-1468, or Norma Lester at 337-606-1563.

The DeSoto Parish Police Jury will hold their regular meeting Tuesday, September 3 beginning at 5pm. The meeting will be held in the Police Jury Meeting room.

ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
1. Authorize the President to execute a Resolution for Cypress Energy Corporation requesting the DeSoto Parish Police Jury place for sealed bid with Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
2. Authorize reinstating IBTS 3rd party provider service in the unincorporated areas of the Parish
3. Authorize the Krewe of Demeter to host an outside event at the David Means 4H Building (50 Mile of Treasures Oct 12. from 7-3)
4. Authorize the Administrator to execute the Cleco Power LLC Servitude Agreement
5. Authorize the President to execute a Resolution delegating to the Clerk of Court to recommend election day polling locations to the DPPJ

BUDGET AND FINANCE ITEMS
1. Amend the General Fund Budget up to $90,000 (additional funding) for repairs and additions to the splash pad at the Alumni Park
2. Amend the General Fund Budget in the amount of $60,000 for election expenses

PARKS AND RECREATIONAL ITEMS
1. Discuss DeSoto Athletics cutting a baseball diamond at the Alumni Park and DPPJ purchasing the equipment

ROAD ITEMS
1. Authorize the Road Crew to remove trees and correct erosion on Laura Street
2. Discuss and take action regarding speed bumps on thorough roads
3. Authorize the E911 naming of Star City Pvt Ln south of Boyd Road in Grand
Cane
4. Authorize the Road Department to install a culvert on the west entrance of
property 767 HWY 3015 and place some riprap under the existing outfall culvert
on main driveway

It sounds like Vincenzo Peruggia could have gotten the idea from a Hollywood movie, but it’s actually the other way around. Hollywood scriptwriters got their ideas from Vincenzo. Pietro Vincenzo Antonio Peruggia was born on October 8, 1881, in Dumenza, Italy, about 50 miles north of Milan. Vincenzo was an amateur painter, art lover, and a proud Italian. Just as an animal lover’s dream job would be to work in a zoo, in 1908 Vincenzo got a job in a museum in Paris framing and reframing artwork. He was a glazier, a glass fitter. His skill as an amateur painter gave him a certain finesse in his work.

At about 7:00 on the morning of August 21, 1911, Vincenzo arrived at work as usual.  Over his clothes he wore his white smock, the same as all other employees at the museum wore.  On the surface, there was nothing to signify that this day would be any different than any other, but Vincenzo had a plan.  While working at the museum, Vincenzo became obsessed with the idea of stealing one of the Italian paintings and returning it to Italy.  He realized that no one would suspect him because he had worked at the museum for over four years.  On that Monday morning, Vincenzo waited until the room was unoccupied, then put his plan into motion.  He took the painting off the wall and carried it to a nearby stairway where he removed it from its frame.  He hid the discarded frame among some student artworks which were sitting on the landing of the staircase.  Vincenzo was unable to roll the painting up because the artist had painted it on a piece of wood.  Vincenzo wrapped his white smock around the painting, tucked it under his arm, and walked out the same door that he had entered earlier that morning.  When other employees noticed the empty spot on the wall where the painting had been hung, they notified the police.  They ushered the visitors out with the ruse that a water pipe had burst.   

Police searched the building and found the painting’s discarded frame.  They questioned all of the museum’s permanent employees as well as temporary employees such as bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, and glaziers.  Police visited Vincenzo at his apartment and questioned him.  When questioning the museum’s employees revealed no leads, investigators figured they had missed something and repeated the process.  Once again, investigators visited Vincenzo’s apartment and questioned him, but they found no reason to suspect Vincenzo.  Vincenzo gave them permission to search his apartment, which disarmed suspicion.  Had investigators glanced inside a large trunk which sat just inches from them in the apartment, they would have found nothing incriminating.  However, if they had noticed that the trunk had a false bottom, they would have solved the crime. 

As per his plan to not raise suspicion, Vincenzo continued working at the museum for two more years.  In 1913, Vincenzo left his job at the museum.  He tried to sell the stolen painting to various dealers in London and Paris, and even offered it to a representative of American financier J.P. Morgan, none of which notified the authorities.  On November 28, 1913, Vincenzo wrote a letter to art dealer Alfred Geri, owner of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Florence and offered to sell him the stolen painting.  Alfred agreed to meet once Vincenzo was in Florence.  Vincenzo took the trunk with its hidden cargo to Florence.  On December 11, 1913, Alfred watched as Vincenzo removed the painting from the false bottom of the trunk.  After inspecting the painting, Alfred and Vincenzo purportedly came to some agreement on price and Alfred left the room.  Alfred immediately notified the police of the stolen painting and its hiding place.  Acting on Alfred’s tip, police arrested Vincenzo and slid the painting out from its hiding place.  The face in the painting seemed to almost smile as if happy to have been rescued. 

During questioning, Vincenzo claimed he had no accomplices and explained that accomplices were not necessary.  “I did not take the painting from a desire to gain from it,” he told authorities, “but wished to accomplish a good and holy work by returning to my country one of the many treasures stolen from it.”  Vincenzo said he thought he should receive adequate compensation for returning the painting to Italy.  He neglected to mention that he had tried to sell the painting to people in three other countries before offering it to a dealer in Italy.

 Thus ended what some people have described as the greatest art theft of the 20th century.  The painting that Vincenzo stole was certainly prominent in the art world, but the painting’s theft and eventual return took the painting to another level. For two years, people all around the world saw pictures of the painting and followed the investigation in newspapers. Before it was returned to France, the painting was exhibited in art galleries throughout Italy to jubilant crowds.  When it was returned to France, the celebrations were even larger.  Crowds viewed the painting in a sort of modern concert atmosphere with pushing and shoving and everyone vying for a better view.  Little has changed in the past century.  Throngs of people still visit that same museum, the Louvre, to see that same painting.  Because of Vincenzo Peruggia’s theft, we can instantly produce a mental image of what is arguably the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. 

Sources:

1.     The Baltimore Sun, August 23, 1911, p.13.

2.     The Kansas City Star, August 22, 19011, p.4.

3.     The Tampa Tribune, December 14, 1913, p.81.

4.     St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 15, 1913, p.6.

5.     St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 26, 1913, p.15.

Since its first broadcast in the fall of 2022, Northwestern State has set the standard for ESPN+ production in the region.

Praised for the technical work done with on-screen graphics, the finely tuned audio quality and mixing and well-trained and talented camera work, both in variety of shots and superiority in what they capture, the NSU ESPN+ production represents the best of what Northwestern has to offer.

That network-level production value is heightened by the first-class and experienced on-air talent that helps tell the story with each broadcast.

Patrick Netherton, the longtime voice of the Demons, enters his 22nd season and will handle play-by-play calls of Northwestern football, volleyball, and both men’s and women’s basketball as the Demons begin the 2024-25 athletic home season.

Adam Hester has been added to take over play-by-play duties for NSU soccer with Jason Pugh, Associate Athletic Director for External Operations, set to return to the broadcast booth for Demon baseball.

“What the NSU New Media department has produced on ESPN+ is astounding,” Netherton said. “Led by David Antilley and James Stanfield, the quality of the broadcasts are the best at this level and on par with what much larger crews are putting out. That professionalism is reflected in how much the reach and viewership has grown in just two years.”

NSU’s first home production of the new season will take place Sunday, when soccer hosts Abilene Christian at 12 p.m. The first home volleyball match will take place two days later and Blaine McCorkle and NSU football’s home opener against Prairie View A&M the following Saturday, Sept. 7.

Antilley, a Northwestern alum with more than 30 years of teaching experience, along with a graduate of Northwestern’s department of new media, journalism and communication arts program, James Stanfield, have spearheaded ESPN productions on campus since day one and guided students within the department in hands-on training and production work.

Stanfield is a 2021 graduate of NSU’s communications department that has used the knowledge he gained from working with Antilley at NSU-TV to become the ESPN production coordinator for NSU athletics.

“We get to teach students now what they are going to use in digital sports broadcasting,” Stanfield said. “It’s on a much smaller scale but we are using the same stuff they are using on those national networks – ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, Fox, NBC. We are able to provide students with an even greater understanding of how those productions work than we were before we started with our Plus broadcasts.”

During the 2023-24 athletic year, NSU’s primarily student-based ESPN+ production crew, under Antilley and Stanfield’s supervision, produced 87 live sports broadcasts for seven Demon athletic programs.

Among those events were both of volleyball’s two record-breaking home attendance matches against UCLA on Aug. 28 and against McNeese on Nov. 4 that saw more than 1,000 fans in attendance for each match.

This past basketball season also produced the highest viewed single event since the start of NSU broadcasts on ESPN+ with more than 20,000 unique viewers watching Demon men’s basketball host McNeese on Jan. 8.

Five months later NSU was one of five college baseball games on ESPN+ to air on May 13 as the Demons clinched its spot in the Southland Conference Tournament with a 13-2 win against New Orleans.

“Because so many jobs within each production are open, and having so many opportunities with the amount of home events, students are able to get involved and get incredible practical experience very early on,” Netherton said. “If you want to be prepared for a career in sports media, Northwestern State provides the best opportunity you can find to get your feet wet early.”

Sports media students are the primary resource for roles within a given broadcast but positions are available for any communication major at Northwestern. Of the three concentrations in the department of new media, journalism and communication arts, two of them require students to take classes that lend themselves to work on ESPN+ campus production crews at NSU or any news or sports production company post graduation.

“The work our ESPN+ staff, primarily James Stanfield and Davey Antilley, have done has elevated our production to a level few comparable schools can match,” Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. “Their tireless effort and coordination, coupled with the performance of our student workers and volunteers, has provided a compelling viewing experience for those who watch Northwestern State athletics on ESPN+. We are very pleased to be able to construct such a high-level broadcast to bring Demon athletics to a nationwide audience and to connect with our vast alumni base that is scattered throughout the country.”

The DeSoto Parish Cattlemen’s Association held their quarterly meeting this week at the DeSoto Parish Extension Office. Producers were welcomed to the meeting by Mr. Henry Richardson, DPCA President.

LSU AgCenter updates and upcoming events were shared by Joshua Salley, DeSoto Parish County Agent.

Shae Simone, LCA Executive Director, discussed HB 784 which provides relative to liability for damages caused by livestock. She also talked about HB 330 which deals with the sales tax on fencing materials. A very interesting topic presented to the group were the new bills for 2025 which include potentially banning balloon releases and anther about lab grown meat within Louisiana.

The special guest was Alan Sweson with 321 Aerial Services. He spoke on his drone services and how he can benefit local cattle producers.

The main speakers for the evening were Harry Richardson with Lonestar and Brett Richard with Crystalyx. They shared information about their supplement products and how they benefit cattle producers during the feeding season.

A special thanks to Trey Hall for catering the meal.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the DeSoto Parish Cattlemen’s Association, please contact the DeSoto Parish Extension Office at 318-872-0533.

For the fourth consecutive year, Louisiana will showcase its vibrant culture in the 2025 Tournament of Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Lt Governor Billy Nungesser shared in a Facebook post that this year’s float will feature a Louisiana alligator adorned with beads, a Cajun dance hall, and pots of boiled seafood. The scenes perfectly capture the essence of a “Louisiana Saturday Night.”

The post also shared that mid-parade entertainment will be by rising country star Timothy Wayne.

Source: Billy Nungesser Lt. Governor of Louisiana Facebook page

We’ve all heard the expression he or she has God given talent. There are singers like George Strait and Celine Dion, golfers like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicholas, along with baseball players like Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. So, what does it really mean and what exactly is talent?

I am a firm believer that each of us has some form of talent but not everyone has established what that talent might be. It may take years before we realize we do possess a skill that we may deem as talent. Some people can dance and some can sing, and even though you might not physically see the talent, doesn’t mean you don’t have a talent.

For me personally, I figured out early in my life that God blessed me with athletic talent, especially in baseball. I was born with skills that not everyone possessed, and I took advantage of those skills. But it was through this talent that it gave me the confidence I needed to compete on a baseball diamond at a high level. It allowed me to play in high school, college and later in professional baseball. But it gave me something much greater than being good at a sport, it gave the confidence and the foundation I needed to be successful in life.

But let’s look at a bass fisherman and someone who is considered the greatest bass angler of all time….Kevin Van Dam (KVD). Now this is talent and is a great example of God given talent as there are legendary stories of Kevin’s abilities as a bass fisherman. KVD was born with instincts very few anglers have.

For years KVD made decisions that baffled other anglers including his own family. His brother Randy gave me an example of KVD’s talent as they often fished together growing up. He told the story of how Kevin, Randy and their dad were all fishing together one day and struggling to catch fish. Then after a lengthy time of no bites, out of the blue Kevin decided to pick up a jerkbait for no apparent reason and started whacking them.

When asked why he thought that was what they needed to be doing, KVD said “it just felt right”. That’s instincts or God given talent that very few anglers have. It’s knowing when to change baits or change locations, it’s a feel for doing the right thing at the right time. This talent is what separates the great anglers from the average anglers.

Now some talent can be enhanced and developed, whether it’s in a particular sport or a concept like singing. An athlete for example, can be made stronger, faster or quicker with proper training, but there needs to be some resemblance of talent from the Lord almighty to work with. You can’t turn a sloth into a tiger or if you take the stripes off a Zebra, that doesn’t make it a thoroughbred.

Once again, we all have some form of talent. It just might take a awhile before we realize or recognize what that talent might be. God has blessed each of us in different ways and wants you to take advantage of whatever that talent might be. Talent comes in many different forms and what someone may deem as unsubstantial, may truly be a gift from God. But with proper guidance or coaching, an individual can figure out the best way to utilize that talent.

Till next time, good luck, good fishing and if you want to become a better outdoorsman, tune into the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show every Wednesday live from 11:00 till 1:00 on AM 1130 The Tiger, our Facebook page or catch us on our YouTube channel.

Steve Graf

A.W. McDonald, Jr. joined his Savior in Eternity from his home in Stonewall, Louisiana on August 28, 2024, surrounded by his loved ones. He will be fondly remembered for his life of service, dedication to family, and jovial personality. A private family graveside service will be held to memorialize this life well-lived.

He was born October 4, 1930, to Clara Heard McDonald and Add McDonald in a sharecropper house on a hill farm in his beloved Boliver near Converse.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his three siblings (Margie Smith, Audrey McDonald, and Bobby McDonald), three brothers-in-law, a nephew, and several cousins, including seven double-first cousins.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of over 67 years, Diane Cathey McDonald, and their two children and spouses, Kyle (Tisdale), and Kathy (Dr. David Lewis).

“Pa” is also survived by five grandchildren: Brooks McDonald Campany (Port), Blair McDonald Hull (Drew), Timothy Lewis, Kade McDonald (Claire), and Mary-Kyle McDonald Maxwell (Johnny); and eight great-grandchildren: Porter & Wills Campany; Parker, Ella, & Kent Hull II; and Mary Ellis, Catherine Anne, & Eloise McDonald. His ninth great-grandchild, John Emmette Maxwell IV, is due in September.

“Mac” or “Uncle Mac” is also survived by Diane’s siblings (Lynn Owens, Tom (Martha) Cathey, and Martha Keener), and a number of nieces and nephews, including grand nieces and nephews.
He was raised on that rural Sabine Parish farm and graduated from Oak Grove (Sabine) High School in 1946 at the age of 15, by skipping the second grade, which in his words “changed my life time-line for the rest of my life”.

Fueled by an innate belief that education was the pathway out of poverty, he became the first of his family to enroll in college and set an example for generations of family educators.

Hitchhiking to and from Lafayette, he graduated from SLI, now ULL, at the age of 19 with a BS degree. He then worked a short period of time for the Sabine Parish School Board before joining the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Entering as a Private, he attended Officers’ Candidate School and was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant.

Following his service time, he received his master’s degree in Secondary Education from Stephen F. Austin University.

Arriving at Stonewall High School as Agriculture Teacher in 1954, he held his bachelor and master’s degrees, 3 years of service time, and was still only 23 years of age.

In 1958, he was named Principal and math teacher at Stonewall High. In 1968, he was named Principal of Mansfield High School where he served 9 years. During this time, he also earned his master’s +30 from Northwestern State, with other credits earned from Louisiana Tech, Centenary, University of Arkansas, and LSU.

Those years of educating DeSoto Parish Schools students at Stonewall (now North DeSoto) and Mansfield High were very rewarding to him and to the students he impacted. Many of those students became his friends as they interacted in their adult years, even as most continued to refer to him as “Mr. Mac”.

In 1977, the Mansfield Vocational Technical School was built, and he was named its initial Director. It was his privilege to select all the equipment for this school and select the first staff. He served in this position for over five years. He then retired from education with 32 years of credited service at age 52. He referred to that as his First Retirement.

Following the death of his father-in-law, H. J. Cathey, he returned to Stonewall and joined his brother-in-law, Howard Cathey, in operating C & M Dairy. That dairy partnership lasted for 15 years before they sold the dairy, and he retired again; Second Retirement in 1997 at age 67.

During those dairy years, he was elected to serve on the DeSoto Parish Police Jury from the Stonewall area. He would serve over 23 years without a campaign opponent after that first election. He retired from the DeSoto Parish Police Jury in January 2016; Third Retirement at age 85.

A. W. accepted Jesus as his Savior at the age of 11 and was baptized at Fellowship Baptist Church in Oak Grove near Converse. He remained a Baptist until he joined the Stonewall Methodist Church in 1959 when his first child (Kyle) was presented for infant baptism by Diane and him. He served in many ways in the Stonewall Methodist Church, First Methodist Mansfield, and Christ United Methodist, Shreveport. Recently, he joined Salem Baptist Church.

The marriage of Diane and A.W. was a shining example of devotion and partnership, evident to all. The love they shared was the cornerstone of their family and a cherished legacy that will continue through their growing family. Together they attended many sports events for all ages, dairymen and policy jury conferences, and accomplished their goal of visiting all 50 states. Diane’s determination to care for A.W. at home during his last years was the culmination of that devotion.

His “Daddy’s girl” Kathy provided exceptional care to him, particularly during his last weeks, exhibiting her God-given nursing and inherited service skills.

God led A.W. through a wonderful and blessed life of service to others, with important, lasting lessons of integrity, humility, empathy, and justice imparted to his family, his students, his colleagues and his DeSoto Parish community.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a charity of choice.

Among charities, gifts may be made online to the A W McDonald Memorial Scholarship fund created at the Louisiana Tech Foundation www.latechalumni.org/AWMScholarship to provide scholarships to selected graduates of North DeSoto and Mansfield High Schools in memory of A.W., Daddy, Pa, Mr. Mac: all names for a good and honorable man.

The DeSoto Parish Jamboree kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. with North DeSoto and Mansfield, followed by Logansport and Mansfield and then Logansport and North DeSoto. All games are at North DeSoto High.

The Steve Carter Tutoring Program is newly updated and now provides up to $1,500 in digital vouchers for both math and literacy tutoring eligible students in grades K-12. Learn more and apply at Tutor.La.Gov.

The LHSOA is increasing its efforts to recruit new officials and retain them from year-to-year, but they need your help. To learn about becoming an official, visit lhsoa.com or https://www.lhsaa.org/lhsoa.

A.W. McDonald, Jr.
October 4, 1930 — August 28, 2024
A private family graveside service will be held to memorialize this life well-lived.

Matt Vines
STONEWALL – While plenty of eyes will be on the state’s leading quarterback-receiver connection of North DeSoto’s Luke Delafield and Cole Cory, one could argue it’s the running backs taking center stage at the DeSoto Parish Jamboree on Friday.

North DeSoto’s Kenny Thomas and Logansport’s Jukadynn Carter were listed among the state’s top running backs by Louisiana High School on Sports Illustrated.

Thomas was part of a two-headed attack with Trysten Hopper this past season as they both eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. Thomas will be the lead pony this year after gaining 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns this past season.

Carter topped 1,500 rushing yards and scored 16 touchdowns en route to the District 3-1A Offensive MVP.

Mansfield High was one of the area’s hottest teams by the end of the 2023 season, and although the bulky TJ Pegues won’t be terrorizing defenses this year, there is another Pegues in the mix.

Terrell Pegues will lead a host of backs that Mansfield expects to pound defenses again this season.

The DeSoto Parish Jamboree kicks off at 7 p.m. with North DeSoto and Mansfield, followed by Logansport and Mansfield and then Logansport and North DeSoto. All games are at North DeSoto High.

Both North DeSoto and Logansport were No. 1 seeds in their respective divisions and were one win away from the Superdome and a state title game this past season.

Mansfield recovered from an 0-4 start to reach the playoffs and notch the program’s first playoff win (34-28 against Marksville) since 2018.

After the jamboree, all three teams will begin the regular season Sept. 6.

Logansport kicks off a three-week road trip at Many as the Tigers await construction on their home football stadium to finish.

Mansfield begins at home with Minden coming to town.

North DeSoto will do battle with Union Parish at home.

Martinez Land Offering

Offers Due by:  Friday, September 13, 2024 at 3:00 pm Central Time

Closing Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 3:00 pm Central (or sooner)

Land Offered: Approximately 2,837.896+/- acres. (comprised of several tracts)

Contact: henry@echotitlecompany.com

Phone: 318-236-6000

VIEW & DOWNLOAD BID PACKAGE

VIEW & DOWNLOAD THE TRACTS

“Athletics provide one of the best preparations for the darkness a human life can throw at you.”

Southern writer Pat Conroy in “My Losing Season

I agree with Conroy: losing teaches you how to deal with pain. (Hurts me to say that.)

We’re not talking exclusively about losing on the scoreboard. That hurts, and those types of hurts, a peculiar kind of Southern hurt, begin again this weekend with football. Those are as real as real gets, and sometimes they hurt bad, and they hurt for a long time.

But we’re talking beyond that. We’re talking everyday losses.

Like … a hang nail, the finger’s silent assassin.

Hot coffee spilled in the car on the inside of your thigh. Sweet.

Cutting your head on the corner of an open kitchen cabinet door. The dreaded kamikaze cabinet. 

Or the kingpin of them all: hitting your little toe on the steel leg of a bunk bed at church camp.

There’s always cussing at church camp because somebody always hits their toe.

But you learn, and limp on.

Tough break that we live and limp forward, but we learn backward.

There are all “kinds” of losing. Losing your keys. Losing a tooth. Losing your mind.

But you usually get another chance in those cases. Not always so in the competitive arena. Nothing hurts worse than losing The Big Game. You don’t get another chance, not at that one, not on that day.

Super Bowl Sunday’s a decent illustration. A big winner is celebrated and a big loser does what most all big losers do. They get really small and really forgotten really fast.

Ask pros who really care or competitive amateurs and they’ll tell you that the pain of losing is always greater, more motivating, than the thrill of winning. Winning teaches you how to uncork champagne and smile. Losing teaches you where to shore up your defenses, how to plan better, who you really are when things fall apart.

I’ve always found the more compelling stories are in the losing locker room, not the winning one. Losers are more real, emotion more acute.

In the academic world of leaky manifolds and underground sewerage systems and computer programming, I’m on the outside looking in. But when the subject is losing, well, that’s right in my wheelhouse. I have certificates, even official framed documents. Everything but a tattoo. 

You probably do to. You know about losing like a plow knows about dirt. Like a wing knows wind. We know about losing the way a bug knows about a windshield.

Some, like me, are slow learners. I’m coachable, just not very quick. But a bit of experience in losing will teach you that you can handle more than you thought, that the sun will come up if you can hang in there, and that whatever price you have to pay to win, it will be worth it to avoid the feeling of losing again. 

Fumbling won’t win you any trophies, but it can toughen you up. Good thing, because in everyday life, you face third-and-long a lot more often than third-and-short. Athletic disaster truly can help prepare you for losing someone close, for a pink slip, for foreclosure.

Regardless, you want to be in the arena, don’t you? Stay in the game. It’s small consolation and a wide chasm, but the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing. 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Are you interested in learning more about the mission and vision of Operation Christmas Child while discovering helpful resources for packing amazing shoeboxes? Join others who have a passion for sharing the Gospel through this incredible ministry.

The West Central LA Operation Christmas Child annual kickoff celebration will be held on Saturday, September 7, beginning at 10 am until 12 noon at the First Baptist Church Gym in Natchitoches. Activities are planned and information will be shared to facilitate your personal and church-wide shoebox gift-packing events.

Headlining the event is Barbie Strickland, Area Coordinator for the Northeast La. Area Team. She will share her pictures and testimony from her distribution trip to Ecuador

Let’s say you have a 40-acre tract of forested property and you want your land to be more attractive to deer, turkeys and other wildlife. What can you do to make that happen?

Burn it. Say what? You’ve nurtured this tract for a long time so why would you want to set fire to it? On the surface, that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense but when done properly and under the guidance of people who know what they’re doing it’s maybe the best tool at your disposal to convert a standing tract of timber into something that attracts wildlife.

Jesse Davis is President of the Piney Hills Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) and this organization stays busy helping property owners improve their habitat by utilizing a prescribed, or controlled, burn.

“When done properly,” said Davis, “prescribed fire is the cheapest and most effective way to improve your habitat. Removing undesirable brush and ground litter exposes grasses and forbs and seeds that would otherwise never sprout. A prescribed fire removes things that wildlife never eat.”

When fire goes through a piece of property, how long does it take before wildlife can began using it?

“We’ve seen wild turkeys come to a fresh burn before the smoke even clears. They start finding things like acorns that become exposed when the brush and duff is removed,” Davis added.

When a fire goes through such areas, he noted that lots of native seeds and grasses that have laid dormant begin sprouting once sunlight begins to penetrate the forest floor. When desirable things begin to replace those that wildlife won’t eat, deer and turkeys are quickly attracted to the area.

When is a good time to run a controlled fire through a piece of property?

“Almost anytime is a good time but especially after a timber thinning or any time like after a storm causes damages that ground becomes exposed to sunlight,” Davis said.

What are some precautions that must be taken into account before planning a prescribed burn?

“The first thing that must be done is to have adequate fire breaks that will stop fire from going where you don’t want it to go. Wind direction and velocity is also important. It is also important to consider neighboring property and which direction smoke will travel. You especially don’t want to send smoke over neighbors, especially those with health problems,” Davis added.

Other than deer and turkeys, do other species of wildlife benefit from a prescribed burn?

“There are no wild creatures that won’t benefit from a prescribed burn. Birds and squirrels benefit as often, den trees are left for nesting as well as having foods they prefer begin growing,” said Davis.

Are you interested in learning more about prescribed burning on your property and if it might benefit you? There is a meeting scheduled for September 12 at 6:00 at the Lincoln Parish

Sheriff’s Office where anyone interested in this method of property management is invited to attend.

“We invite anyone who has an interest in what prescribed burning is all about,” Davis said, “and we want more people to realize just what a controlled fire can do to enhance what you already have.”

WHEN: Saturday, August 31, 2024
TIME:  9 AM
WHERE: 100 Starkway Rd, Coushatta, Louisiana

Partial Listing: (8) Power Generation 30KW Generators, Cummings Engine ~ Approx 50 Solar Solutions Panels ~ Job Boxes ~ Bottle Racks ~ Testing Equipment ~ Valves & Fittings ~ Fuel Tanks ~ Power Units ~ Truck Beds ~ Metal Tables ~ Pipe Racks ~ Lots of Rolls of Electrical Wire ~ Approx 2000 Joints of 2 3/8 inch pipe (lots unused) ~ 500 Joints 2 inch Pipe ~ Log Mats ~ Approx 200 Joints of 3 & 4 inch pipe ~ Approx 300 Joints of 6 inch pipe ~ 50 Joints 10 inch Pipe ~ GN Flatbed Trailers ~ Haul Mark Bumper Enclosed Trailer ~ Cat D5G Dozer, cab/air ~ Ford 575 Loader Backhoe ~ (5) Ford Service Trucks ~ Several other trucks ~ (2) Diamond T GN Dump Trailers ~ Several Bumper Trailers ~ Approx 15 Big Standup Metal Vessels ~ (7) 10,000 Gallon Water Tanks on Skid ~ Irrigation 6 inch Pipe Reels ~ 40ft & 20ft Metal Storage Containers

For more information, call Rex at 318-648-8509 or 318-471-0962 or visit us online at:
www.proxibid.com/lasyone

There’s something for everyone!! We hope to see you there!!
Rex Lasyone, LA lic#:1549, TX lic#: 16267

(Liquidation of Coushatta equipment yard location only)

Directions to Auction Site ~ From Coushatta:

Hwy 71N, go 1 mile, Take Y in the road to the right on Hwy 371 North, go 4 miles, take right on Hwy 786, sale site will be 2 miles on the left. Follow the SWN Entergy signs.

I learned what Rene Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” I’m still not sure what Rene was getting at, but it sounds good. If you say it in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum” you can sound very intellectual, while not wholly understanding the concept.

I’m a more pedestrian thinker. My version of it is, “I drive, therefore I am.” I should have kept up with all the miles I have put on vehicles. I live twenty-three minutes from the church. I spend nearly an hour in the car each day going to and from the office. I love my commute on I-20. I have prayer time in the morning and again in the afternoon. There are times that I’m praying for the driver in front of me, that they would quit being “doubleminded” and put their foot on the accelerator. I have also called upon the name of the Lord when the driver in the left lane suddenly cuts across my lane to exit the interstate quickly. I’ll wager they are thinking, “I signaled, didn’t I?”

For the past weeks from roughly the Bienville Parish line to the city limits of Ruston a little work has been going on. The trees on the side of the interstate are being removed. There is heavy equipment involved in the clearing of the shoulder. The contractor is cutting the trees down and then a machine comes and turns the tree into mulch. For miles, this crew is transforming the shoulder of the interstate. They are also removing the trees from the median of the interstate.

My first thought, when I saw the equipment, was I needed one of those.

My view has changed as the trees have disappeared.

The trees were allowed to grow too close to the road. I don’t know that factually, but it is an educated guess. This trimming allows for a margin of grass to separate drivers from trees that might fall in some kind of storm. It is visually appealing and calming.

Who would have thought that margin was important on the Interstate? Margin is the edge or border of something. The page you are reading has some kind of margin. If it did not, your brain would revolt at the visual effrontery. We need a margin around the page to read. I’m learning that margin around the road is important too.

How about margin in your life? How are you getting it all done? Are you taking time to reflect? To rest? To pray?

I’m going to translate what Jesus said, in your Bibles it is transliterated.

Jesus said, “Rest (The Sabbath) was created for humanity, not humanity for the rest. (Sabbath.) Sabbath, rest, downtime, relaxing, or if you will margin, is a gift from God that allows you to renew yourself and to discover God’s grace in the simple things of life.

Take time off, it will change your view of the journey.

Doug de Graffenried is Pastor of Trinity Methodist Church in Ruston.

You can contact Doug at dougsponderings@gmail.com

irst-year Northwestern State softball head coach Jenny Fuller completed her coaching staff on Friday with the announcement of three new members.

Brad Fuller, husband of Jenny, joins the staff as the Demons’ associate head coach while Paxtyn Hayes, a former player for the Fullers at Pittsburg State, and Nicky Dawson, a Baylor softball alum like Jenny, will be serve as assistants.

Brad is a nine-year coaching veteran that has worked hand-in-hand with Jenny since their time at Cardinal Stritch, an NAIA school in Milwaukee, Wis.

In two seasons there, four at Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D. and the most recent three seasons at Pittsburg State, Brad has helped develop four all-Americans, seven all-region and more than 20 all-conference players.

“Northwestern State is lucky to have a coach of Brad’s caliber join the team,” Jenny said. “His accomplishments speak for themselves and he brings a wealth of knowledge he can apply to all aspects of the game.”

An astute offensive mind, Fuller has seen his teams have success at the plate from the very beginning of his career.

In his second season at Cardinal Stritch, the Wolves ranked in the top 15 in all of NAIA in batting average, hitting at a .339 clip, and in hits per game at nearly 10 per contest. Three seasons later at Northern State, those Wolves increased both their slugging and on-base percentages by more than 60 points in the NCAA rankings by the end of the 2020 season.

In his four years at Northern, Brad helped guide Kennady Thompson to both single-season and career home run records and set new team records for hits and home runs during his time.

In his first season at Pittsburg State in 2022, the Gorillas saw a 55-point increase in their team batting average and scored nearly 100 more runs from the previous year. They also saw a more than 100-point increase in slugging with 50 more home runs and 96 more extra-base hits. In Fuller’s first season, the Gorillas had more doubles (103) than it did total extra-base hits (84) the previous season.

Fuller’s work at the plate helped produce some of the best offensive numbers in the country during the record-setting 2024 season for the Gorillas.

The PSU bats finished seventh in nation with 579 total hits, with the 10th highest team batting average in the country at .348. They were also ranked 15th in the country in runs scored, crossing the plate 394 times on the year for an average of 6.4 runs per game.

They garnered a first-team all-American, three third-team all-Americans, the Central Region Player of the Year, two first-team all-region and one second-team all-region selections along with four first-team all-conference honors during the 2024 season.

The Gorillas finished the 2024 season winners of a conference title, hosting an NCAA Regional, ranked No. 14 in the country and broke 10 different team records, including wins (53), consecutive wins (22), conference wins (23), runs (394), RBI (346) and stolen bases (104).

Brad has also been instrumental in his player’s success off the field helping the maintain cumulative team GPAs of 3.5 in all of his previous three coaching jobs. More than 40 players have earned conference academic honor roll honors with multiple academic all-conference winners and academic all-American honors.

A key part of the Gorillas’ success during not only the 2024 season but the two years prior with the Fullers, was the production of new Demon assistant coach Paxtyn Hayes in the middle of the lineup.

The Greenwood, Ark., native finished a historic career at Pittsburg State in 2024 earning all-American, all-region and all-conference status. She ranks in the top 10 in Gorilla softball history in career runs scored (131) home runs (40), hits (235), doubles (58) and is the program’s all-time leading in RBI with 195. Hayes drove in the fifth most runs ever in the history of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association by the end of her playing career.

“Paxtyn is a highly decorated player who played for me at Pitt State,” Jenny Fuller said. “She will build meaningful and impactful relationships with players, and help guide them to reach their goals.”

A career .350 hitter, Hayes earned the first all-American honor of her career in 2024 with a third-team spot at designated player. After first-team all-conference honors in her sophomore season, she earned the honors again as a junior and senior to become the fifth player in PSU history to earn first-team all-conference honors three times.

The slugger was also the fifth Gorilla to hit double-digit home runs in three straight seasons, launching 36 across her final three seasons. She amassed slugging percentages of greater than .600 in each of her final three seasons and OPS (on-base plus slugging) totals north of 1.000 during those years and for her career.

Also joining the Demon staff beginning with the 2025 season is assistant coach Nicky Dawson, one of the best high school softball players in Louisiana history.

The Baton Rouge native and graduate of Parkview Baptist was a five-time all-state selection, six-time all-district and all-metro winner and was twice chosen as the Marucci Louisiana Softball Player of the Year during her prep career with the Eagles.

“Nicky played at a high level, and her experience will be a huge asset to our program,” Fuller said. “She has an ability to understand data and analytics at an elite level, which is going to help grow our program immensely.”

Following her senior season in 2016, Dawson was named MaxPreps National Player of the Year, a FloSoftball Top 30 player and a consensus first-team all-American. She batted an eye-popping .658 on the season, scoring 65 runs and swiping 58 total bases, earning her the NFCA’s Golden Show award as the nation’s top base stealer.

Dawson began her collegiate career at LSU where she batted .310 scored 16 runs and stole eight bases on the Tigers’ 2017 Women’s College World Series team before transferring to Baylor.

There she set the Bears’ program record for career triples in on her way to earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2019, First-Team Academic All-Big 12 in 2020 and was a multi-year member of the conference’s commissioner’s honor roll.

During her all-conference season of 2019, Dawson finished second on the team in batting with a .336 average out of the leadoff spot, using her speed to produce a .420 on-base percentage and steal a team-best 12 bases while also leading the team with 87 assists, a .968 fielding percentage.

Injuries during her final two seasons in Waco limited Dawson’s playing time but she still finished her collegiate career with more than 150 hits and scoring more than 100 runs while batting .349 with an on-base percentage of .442.

The DeSoto Council on Aging announced they no longer assists with the distribution of Food For Families (Commodities). Recipients should contact Higher Ground Ministries for more information concerning commodities.

The 25th annual Cane River Zydeco Festival  is August 30 & 31 in Natchitoches.

Join the first Livestock Lunch & Learn to be held Saturday, September 7 from 11am to 1pm at 3610 Hwy 3276 in Stonewall. The goal of this event is to network with fellow livestock exhibitors & gear up for local shows. Topics of discussion are cattle, sheep, goats, swine & broilers. Participants should come prepared to ask questions in relation to livestock projects. Lunch will be provided. Exhibitors from any parish are welcome to attend.

Enjoy a day of fun with friends and family at the first annual Natchitoches Louisiana Bigfoot festival on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 9am until 6pm at the Natchitoches Event Center. Enjoy a host of different vendors as well as regional and national speakers. Fun for the whole family meet Bigfoot, see authentic footprints, videos and witness true encounter stories told by the eyewitnesses.

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