Keachi – Earlier today, at approximately 12:15 p.m., Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop G responded to a single-vehicle crash, at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 5 and Louisiana Highway 172, involving a DeSoto Parish Fire District vehicle. The crash resulted in the arrest of 39-year-old Mark Magee.

The investigation revealed that a 2022 Ford F-250, driven by Magee, was traveling south on Louisiana Highway 5. For reasons still under investigation, Magee lost control and ran off the left side of the roadway, before colliding with a fire hydrant. The Ford is assigned to Fire District 1, unmarked and equipped with emergency lights.

Upon contact with Magee, Troopers detected signs of impairment. During the investigation, a blood sample was collected and submitted for analysis. Magee was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI 1st offense) and careless operation. This investigation remains ongoing.

Troopers witness preventable motor vehicle crashes. Impairment is often a primary cause of crashes across the state. Louisiana State Police urge motorists to have a plan that includes a designated driver when consuming alcohol. Alcohol can impair visual ability, alter the sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills, and decrease reaction times. Alcohol can begin to impair a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle after just one drink. Please choose not to drive impaired or ride with an impaired driver.

The attached report displays all individuals booked into the DeSoto Detention Center between the dates of SEPT. 16 – SEPT. 22 (1 week) and includes arrests made by DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office (DPSO), Mansfield Police Department (MPD), and Louisiana State Police (LSP.) All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Booking photos for each, unless they have bonded out, are readily available in the DeSoto Parish Sheriff App on iPhone or Android. The attached image(s) can be clicked and enlarged for view.

*Please take note that the list published each week only contains those booked into the DeSoto Detention Center during the time frame listed. If a name is not listed, the individual was not booked into our facility and may require contact of another agency for further information.

Mark your Calendars. Saturday October 5th will be our SXS COURSE GRAND OPENING.

It will be an organized track day ran with different age/skill groups.

Tag your Car guys & let’s have a fun day slinging some Red Clay.

Thank you to all of our SXS COURSE Sponsors 👇

Pipes Auto Sales – W. 70th – Southern Cycle Shop LLC – Monster Energy – B&B Pulling – #BluntRanch – #JonnyMac – Desoto Iron & Metal

UPDATE: Cars must have 3 or 4 point harness, fire extinguisher & some sort of race course tires (MUD TIRES NOT ALLOWED)

Also drivers must have a Full face helmet & fireproof suit etc.

When I was a little boy, keys were my thing. I loved keys. I loved real keys.

I had a reliable source of keys too. My grandfather was a police officer. It seems
that back in the 60’s people would lose keys at a very high rate. Pop would bring me
bags of keys from time to time. I’m sure I was only receiving three or four at a time, but
to me they appeared as a mountain of plenty.

I had a key ritual. I would separate out the door and house keys from the car
keys.

Back in the day, each motor company had a key design unique to that motor
company. For this article we will illustrate using the Ford Motor Company. Because Ford
also made Mercury products the keys were interchangeable. If you worked at it, you
might discover a Mercury car key would fit a Ford product.

One Friday night, Pop stopped by with a bag of keys. I quickly sorted the keys. I
took the car keys outside for an experiment.

I don’t know how I knew this, but I had a couple of Mercury keys which I took
outside. I crawled into the driver’s seat of our 1961 Ford Galaxy and started testing
keys. The Mercury ignition keys would fit into the Ford ignition. (You remember, of
course the difference between the ignition keys and the trunk keys?) While the Mercury
keys fit into the ignition, they would not turn the tumblers.

My key experiment was nearly completed when I put a Mercury key into the
ignition and turned it. The 1961 Ford Galaxy roared to life. I then followed the pattern I
had learned from adults. I pulled the shift lever down into “D.” “D” meant go!

The car lurched forward and traveled about five feet into the side of the house.
The dent in the house was still there 40 years later!

Thus began my illustrious driving career.

The adults filed out of the house. Mom, Dad and Pop the police office all asked,
“How did you start the car?” I shared my key knowledge. Pop cut off my Ford Motor key
supply. I did have a large collection of General Motors keys that I had decided to try on
whoever owned one of those cars. Pop owned a Chevrolet. I had developed a testing
plan for that automobile.

Jesus has given us the keys to the Kingdom. No need to be locked in or locked
out. You have the keys. Often you have the power to set yourself free.

Every Logansport unit got in on the fun Friday in a 44-12 win against Bossier.

Tonashton Bland blocked a punt for a touchdown in addition to rushing for two scores, while defensive lineman Pacer Williams got in the end zone on a fumble return.

Bland scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 81 yards, respectively, as Logansport rolled up 260 yards on the ground and 339 total.

The Tigers returned to their Week 1 selves in a rout of Many (46-7) after struggling to establish the ground game against Loyola (28-6 loss) this past week.

The defense suffocated Bossier, which gained just 96 yards on the night and committed four turnovers (three lost fumbles and a Jordan Meshell interception).

Logansport will focus on themselves during the Week 4 bye as the finishing touches are being put on the renovation of its home football stadium.

That stadium will be rocking when Kinder visits on Oct. 4.

North DeSoto’s tough tests continue against Northwood
North DeSoto no doubt missed receiver Cory Cole, the state’s leading pass catcher in 2023 who suffered a knee injury that will force him to miss significant time if not the rest of his senior season.

But the Griffins traded blows early with Class 5A power West Monroe, tying the score 14-14 on a Chaz Martinez 39-yard touchdown catch from Luke Delafield.

Things unraveled over the next few minutes of the 63-14 Rebels win when West Monroe scored a go-ahead touchdown and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.

That series of plays sparked 49 straight points for the Rebels.

The Griffins (1-2) have faced a brutal non-district schedule to date with the Union Parish win (33-21) and losses to Center (35-28) and now West Monroe.

North DeSoto, who dropped four spots to No. 6 in the LSWA Class 4A poll, will get arguably its stiffest District 1-4A test right off the bat when Northwood comes to town this week.

The Falcons (3-0) are certainly less tested, but they did engineer a comeback to top Class 5A Benton (24-21) in the opener.

But Northwood has flashed its offensive explosiveness in wins against Peabody (47-21) and Mansfield (64-32).

The scoreboard operator may want to stretch his fingers beforehand because this one will likely be an octane-filled affair.

The Griffins certainly don’t want to start their season 1-3, but Friday’s Northwood contest carries more importance than just being the district opener.

Northwood may be the last team on the schedule that could seriously push North DeSoto for four quarters.

While Minden and Loyola are building nice resumes so far this season, the other four teams in the district have a combined four wins with Green Oaks being the most quality win of the bunch.

Mansfield built double-digit lead against Northwood in loss

Mansfield appeared to be doing everything right as the Wolverines built a two-touchdown lead at Class 4A Northwood.

That lead didn’t hold in the eventual 64-32 loss, but the Wolverines continue to send the message that they are an improved football program that can punch up in weight.

Mansfield might just be 1-2, but the Wolverines probably feel they should have come out with a win in double overtime against Minden, who is shaping up to be one of the better teams in District 1-4A.
The Wolverines head down to Lake Charles College Prep looking to even their record.

LCP (0-3) may not have a win, but they’ve played a loaded schedule with losses to Westgate (31-20), Barbe (34-28) and state champion Opelousas (27-12).

Mansfield’s tackling will need to be better as the Wolverines struggled to bring down Northwood’s bulky running backs. The Falcons rushed for 325 yards and threw for another 159.

Leading by 11 points, Northwood blocked a punt for a touchdown that essentially sealed the win and started the real scoring separation.

Mansfield had plenty of bright spots offensively as quarterback Sharmal Booker continues to improve each week. He threw for 160 yards on 12-of-19 passing.

The Wolverines earned the 217 rushing yards they amassed (4.1 yards per carry) with Terrell Pegues leading the way (131 yards and a score on 24 touches).

Pegues caught three passes for 39 yards (one touchdowns) and added a 25-yard completion to his tally.
Jeremy Youngblood led the receiving corps with 60 yards on five catches.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents cited three Bossier Parish men for alleged migratory game bird violations in Desoto Parish on Sep 14.

Agents federally cited Corey Tuminello, 37, of Benton, Curtis Tuminello, 60, of Bossier City, and Steven Barr, 49, of Benton, for violating the migratory game bird treaty act by hunting migratory game birds over a baited area.

Agents were on patrol near Stonewall when they received a tip about dove hunting over a baited field. Agents arrived at the location and found the subjects actively hunting for doves. After an inspection of the area, agents determined they were hunting over an area that was spread with chopped corn.

Agents seized one mourning dove that was shot over the baited area.

All migratory game bird baiting cases are filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution in Federal Court.

Participating agents in this case are Sgt. Michael Meserole, Sgt. Toby Meyers, Corporal Dalton Herrington and Senior Agent Breylan Kemp.

This week, I would like to go back in time and reflect on a group of guys who shared a championship season and were the first team in school history to win a state title. Not only were we teammates, but this group was truly something special. This group was the complete package of talent, attitude and commitment. We were players/friends who would forever be linked together.

Last week, I had the opportunity to reunite with this group of guys that would do something very special in 1978 by winning the Texas Class 3A State Baseball Title, the second highest level at that time. As an athlete who has played on all levels, high school, college and professionally, I’ve been blessed to be a part of several championships.

But the one common thread for every team I’ve played on, was the personal connection to the players. The 1978 team was different and will always have special meaning for me personally. This was a group of guys who grew up together in the small East Texas town of Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

During the 1970’s, MP was a prideful community that was very athletic minded. The mindset here was about winning and anything short of that was not acceptable. But before the early 70’s, MP was just another small town that had minimal athletic team success. Then a coach by the name of Donnie Laurence showed up and began to develop not just a great football power, but a solid all-around high school athletic program.

Along with Coach Laurence, several high-quality coaches arrived including two baseball coaches, Marion Giesecke and Steve Rippee. These coaches help build MP into the second winningest all-around program of the 70’s, only behind “Friday Night Lights” Odessa Permian. It was a very special time in MP Tiger history.

Then in 1978, MP Tiger baseball would be the first team sport to ever win a state title. This was accomplished by a special group of guys who played loose and confident and never walked on a baseball diamond expecting anything less than a victory. These guys played with heart and determination and no matter how bleak a moment was, they never wavered or faltered.

To understand how good they became, you first must look at where they came from. These young men grew up with great success coming up through the Mt. Pleasant Dixie Youth Program. They had great coaching early in their young careers from a handful of special men like James Stansell, P.A. Thomas, Pat Sisk, Joe Traylor and many others. These men knew the game and taught this group how to play the game the right way.

The 1978 Tiger baseball team was built around six seniors, eight juniors, and two sophomores. This was not an average group of players, but guys with an immense level of talent. The skills included great pitching, defense and the ability to hit the baseball. To illustrate the level of talent, this group had three players drafted: two by Major League Baseball and one by the NFL and several that went on to played collegiately.

What made this group so special? Most of the guys on this team were members of the previous 1977 Tiger baseball team. A team that had great talent but underachieved mainly due to the amount of internal pressure that was placed on the shoulders of each player. From my perspective looking back, it seemed like we had a team meeting every other week talking about what we must do in order to make it to State.

As the ‘77 season progressed, the pressure continued to build to the point that the team played tight and did not even win district, therefore being left out of the playoffs. The only year of my four years at MPHS that we did not make the playoffs. Again, this was a team with as much talent as any team I ever played on.

But the 1978 team, guided by great senior leadership, made a group decision that there would be only ONE team meeting before the season started. We committed to play loose and have fun! We knew we had plenty of talent, we just had to relax and let our talent take us to where we wanted to go……. and that it did!

This MP team made it to the regional finals, having to play a best of three series against Fort Worth Boswell. MP hosted the first game of the series, and the mighty Tigers came up short. With the odds stacked against us, the remaining two games were to be played in Fort Worth. We had our work cut out for us; either sweep a double header or go home like so many other MP Tiger baseball teams had done in the past.

But ’78 Tigers made it happen with great pitching, defense (zero errors in the last 4 games) and timely hitting and defeated Boswell twice and advanced to the State Tournament in Austin! As they say, the rest is history as we shut out top ranked Brazosport 10-0 in five innings in the semi-finals and defeated Burkburnett 5-2 in the title game and finished with a record of 26-4.

I cannot describe the bond athletes have that get the opportunity to win a state championship. It’s a connection that forever links you as players. I remember Coach Giesecke’s locker room speech after our huge win. “Fellows, this is a victory you will cherish more later in life, than you do now. You will forever be remembered with this win.” Truer words have never been spoken! He was spot on with his statement!

Steve Graf

Angler’s Perspective

Chester, Illinois, is a city on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River about 70 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. What began as a ferry town on the Mississippi eventually became a major supplier of castor oil which was used as a lubricant. Chester had the advantage over other towns because of its location on the river. Wood-burning steamboats filled with castor oil delivered the lubricant to St. Louis, New Orleans, and even as far away as England.

When Elzie Crisler Segar was born in 1894 in Chester, the city had an iron foundry, machine shops, several mills, a few taverns, an opera house, and a number of stores. Elzie and his family often shopped at a general store on Pine Street in Chester which was owned and operated by Frank and Dora Paskel. When Elzie was growing up, Dora made an impression on him. Dora was a taller-than-average woman who wore long, black, fitted dresses which covered everything from her neck to her wrists and ankles. Dora usually wore her hair in a tight bun. Elzie remembered that she was strong-willed and feisty.

As a teenager, Elzie went to work in the Chester Opera House which was operated by J. William Schuchert. Elzie was such a good worker that William promoted him to projectionist of the opera house. William and Elzie’s relationship evolved from boss and employee to true friendship. When Elzie showed an interest in art, William paid for Elzie’s art correspondence courses. William often sent Elzie to the nearby Wiebusch tavern with enough money to get them hamburgers.

At the Wiebusch tavern in Chester, Elzie befriended a former Polish sailor who had emigrated to the United States named Frank Fiegel. Frank kept the tavern clean when the place was quiet, but his real job was to maintain order. Frank was a bouncer. Frank was known for his fighting skills and although he never looked for a fight, he never shied away from one. During one brawl, Frank received a blow that permanently disfigured one of his eyes. While waiting on hamburgers, Elzie often listened as Frank told stories about his adventures out of one side of his mouth while the other side held his pipe.

When he was about 20 years old, Elzie moved to Chicago to continue building his career as an artist. He never forgot Dora, William, Frank, or the lubricant that Chester was so well known for, including them in his art which became popular around the world. Sadly, 43-year-old Elzie Crisler Segar died of leukemia on October 13, 1938, cutting short his career. Luckily, other artists have continued his cartoon work that we all know. J. William Schuchert, Elzie’s boss who loved hamburgers, was the inspiration for a character named J. Wellington Wimpy. Elzie named a character after Chester’s lubricant called Castor Oyl. Dora Paskel, the operator of the general store in Chester, was the inspiration for Castor Oyl’s daughter, Olive Oyl. Frank Fiegel, the scrappy brawler from the tavern who had a deformed or “pop-eye” was the inspiration for… Popeye.

Sources:

1. “History of Chester,” City of Chester, IL, accessed September 20, 2024, chesterill.com/about/history-of-chester/.

2. “Elzie Crisler Segar,” FindaGrave.com, accessed September 19, 2024, findagrave.com/memorial/3546/elzie-crisler-segar.

3. ‌“Dora Schrader Paskel,” FindaaGrave.com, accessed September 19, 2024, findagrave.com/memorial/7846018/dora-paskel.

4. “John William Schuchert,” FindaGrave.com, accessed September 19, 2024, findagrave.com/memorial/7846022/john-william-schuchert.

5. “Frank ‘Rocky’ Fiegel,” FindaGrave.com, accessed September 19, 2024, findagrave.com/memorial/31875462/frank-fiegel.

Randy Sims

April 19, 1966 — September 21, 2024

Service: Wednesday, September 25, 2024  2:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Rose Neath Funeral Homes – Mansfield

FOLLOW-UP ON NOV. 03, 2023 SHOOTING CASE

Mary Street, Mansfield, LA

In the evening hours of November 03, 2023, deputies with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Mary Street in Mansfield, LA in reference to a shooting that had just taken place. Upon arrival, deputies located one unresponsive black male, later identified to be Frank Edwards Jr. Deputies rendered aid to Mr. Edwards in an attempt to save his life. Ultimately, he was transported to DeSoto Regional Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office is still seeking assistance from the public with further information on this case. Any information you may have to provide in reference to this shooting may be useful to investigators, and your help could bring the victim and his family justice in the process. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for any tip provided that leads to successfully identifying the shooter, or a tip that leads to their arrest. Remember, we do not need your name, just your information. Our office has made it possible and very easy to report, completely anonymous, and still get you paid for your info.

Shreveport Police Sex Crimes Detectives were contacted on Sept. 13 regarding a Nonconsensual Disclosure case involving a 19-year-old woman.

Detectives made contact with the victim, who disclosed that Amya Johnson (DOB: 04/26/06) had posted a private sexual video of her without consent on the social media platform Instagram. After a thorough investigation, officers arrested Johnson for the crime of Nonconsensual Disclosure of Private Images.

The Shreveport Police Department takes these violations seriously and encourages anyone who has been a victim of similar crimes to come forward.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 12:12 PM

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced today that 19 projects around the state received bids in August. Seventeen contractors presented apparent low bids totaling $75.7 million.

“Quite a few major projects were let this month, and the department is looking forward to getting them started,” said DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue. “The combination of summertime heat and rain exacerbates roadway issues like buckling and potholes, but there are several resurfacing projects coming up around the state that will help alleviate these issues.”

Projects awarded and their apparent low bids are as follows:

Bridge Replacement and Repair:

Repairs to U.S. 90-W bridge over Bayou Ramos in St. Mary Parish: $1,709,878.20

Replacement of Bayou Bienvenue Bridge on LA 47 in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes: $17,488,961.48

Pavement/Overlay:

Milling, patching, paving, and drainage on LA 174 between Sabine Parish line and I-49 in DeSoto and Natchitoches parishes: $7,047,072.07

Milling, patching, and overlay on U.S. 171 between LA 112 and Lemon St. in Beauregard Parish: $1,511,985.39

Grading, milling, patching, and overlay on U.S. 61 between Airport Rd. and St. James Parish line in St. John the Baptist Parish: $11,469,369.87

Milling, patching, overlay, and drainage on LA 900 between LA 568 and U.S. 65 in Concordia Parish: $2,811,925.81

Grading, milling, patching, overlay, and drainage on LA 428 between Gen. De Gaulle Dr. and Industry Canal in Jefferson and Orleans parishes: $3,186,332.25

Patching and drainage on LA 24 between RV Ct. and West St. in Terrebonne Parish: $193,708.00

Milling, patching, and overlay on LA 112 between LA 113 and Allen Parish line in Beauregard Parish: $1,127,716.01

Grading, milling, patching, overlay, and drainage on LA 133 between LA 15 and U.S. 80 in Richland Parish: $6,715,883.29

Milling, and overlay on U.S. 90 eastbound between LA 83 and LA 85 in Iberia Parish: $3,808,808.68

Grading, milling, patching, overlay, and drainage on LA 685 between LA 14 BUS and Bayou Tigre in Vermilion Parish: $1,848,481.07

Patching on U.S. 165 and U.S. 84 in Caldwell and Concordia parishes: $1,516,625.00

Congestion Mitigation and Safety:

Lighting repairs along I-210 in Calcasieu Parish: $8,093,335.39

Declaration lane extension and lighting at exit 8 on I-20 in Caddo Parish: $947,007.52

Left turn lane installation on LA 431 at LA 621 in Ascension Parish: $2,096,877.60

Clearing and grubbing along I-12, LA 3241, LA 36, and LA 434 in St. Tammany Parish: $1,795,329.18

Other:

Drydocking, inspection, repairs, and painting of M/V Cameron II ferry: $1,513,899.97

Sidewalk construction along LA 25 in Washington Parish: $774,031.50

When bids for projects are received, an “apparent low bidder” is identified, although the process of actually finalizing and awarding the contract takes about 30 days. Bid prices deemed outside of a certain range or exceeding the project budget typically trigger a more extensive evaluation. DOTD will continue to monitor increases in bid prices related to supply chain and workforce issues. After a review, DOTD may opt to have the project re-bid.

Construction projects are prioritized by road/bridge condition, urgency of improvements, type/volume of traffic, crash records, unforeseeable emergencies that caused damage, and several other factors.

Football Roundup: Mansfield heads to Northwood after logging first win

Mansfield had another hole to dig itself out of in Week 2, but unlike a Week 1 double-overtime loss to Minden, the Wolverines came out on top against Green Oaks.

After falling behind by a touchdown early, Mansfield accelerated past the Giants in a 50-14 win on its home turf.

Now the Wolverines (1-1) jump back into Class 4A action when they head to Northwood (2-0) on Friday.
The Falcons squeezed past Benton in the opener before walloping Peabody, 47-21.

Against Green Oaks, quarterback Sharmal Booker tossed three touchdowns on 4-6 passing, two to Jacoryan Greer and an 80-yarder to Kalvin Jackson.

Terrell Pegues had another impressive performance 121 rushing yards and a touchdown as Mansfield racked up 443 offensive yards (282 rushing and 161 passing).

Center outslugs North DeSoto in battle

Down one score, North DeSoto forced a Center fumble with 2:15 remaining in the game.

But on a night when both passing games struggled, North DeSoto quarterback Luke Delafield threw his third interception of the game as the Griffins comeback chances evaporated in a 35-28 Center win.

The Griffins (1-1) had won the previous two meetings with its Texas counterpart in shootouts, but Friday’s matchup was relatively low-scoring.

North DeSoto running back Kenny Thomas had plenty of points as he found the end zone three times to go with his 174 rushing yards.

Center running back Jeremy Bluford was a work horse, gaining 190 yards on 38 carries and two scores.
Now the Griffins turn around a host a West Monroe team (1-1) that lost a shootout of its own, 67-47, to Pulaski Academy (Ark.).

It’s a throwback matchup to North DeSoto coach Dennis Dunn’s time at Evangel when his Eagles beat West Monroe for state titles in 1999, 2001, and 2004.

Logansport’s fortunes change in Week 2

When Logansport went down and drummed a proud Many program 46-0 in the season opener, it felt like the Tigers could do no wrong.

But Logansport couldn’t match Loyola this past week as the Flyers rumbled to a 28-6 win.

The Tigers (1-1) will dip their toe back into the Class 4A pool when they head to Bossier (1-1), Logansport’s third straight road game because of renovations to its home stadium.

Logansport quarterback Keaton Cason found the end zone on a 2-yard run against Loyola to dent the scoreboard with three minutes remaining.

Loyola quarterback Bryce Restovich had a hand in all four Flyers touchdowns as he threw for three and ran for one.

Logansport will try to get back in the win column against a Bossier squad who put together an impressive 28-9 win against Class 1A Glenbrook.

Running backs Montrevell Lewis and Ray Davenport each scored two touchdowns, with two coming on passes from quarterback Trey Christor.

Over my many years of tournament bass fishing, I have had the privilege and honor of sharing a bass boat with some great anglers. Some of these are 1997 Bassmaster Classic Champ Dion Hibdon, three-time FLW Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt, and MLF Champion Kelly Jordon — who all have the ability to not only find bass, but catch them as well. 

Sure, there are videos and some great fishing magazines that can help point you in the right direction, but nothing replaces experience and time on the water. Today, we’ll go over what makes a great tournament angler and what are the skills necessary to compete on a high level.

Just like any other sport, some athletes are just gifted and have great ability. Some are the complete package and have not only great physical talent, but they possess a great mental aptitude for whatever sport they are playing. 

In the tournament bass fishing world, there are certain skills one must possess in order to compete. First is the ability to cast a lure and put it into places where bass live. Anglers must be versatile and able to pitch, flip or cast the bait where they want. It’s like a baseball pitcher being able to throw with precision and accuracy in order to get batters out. If you can’t cast, you won’t be competitive. 

One of the most overlooked skills necessary to be a successful bass fisherman is the ability to locate fish. Finding fish is probably the hardest skill to learn but with today’s high level of electronics, the task has been made much easier. 

Today’s up and coming anglers have it too easy with all the new fish locating tools they have at their disposal like down imaging, side scan and, yes, the newest tool, the controversial forward-facing sonar. Anglers a generation ago had to learn this skill the hard way by understanding water clarity, water temperature, habitat or simply by getting on the water and making cast after cast to try and locate bass. 

Back in the day, anglers had to cover a lot of water, fan casting a lure for hours trying to locate bass. But most anglers today never have to wet a hook to locate bass. Today’s angler will spend countless hours idling around the lake watching their sonar screens searching and GPS marking good structure or cover like laydowns, brush piles, hydrilla (grass) or more importantly, baitfish!

All the pre-fishing they need to do today is on a 10- or 12-inch screen. It’s a known fact that some anglers will never make a cast before the tournament starts. Ten years ago, if someone showed up at a bass tournament without pre-fishing, they were just simply donating to the rest of the field. But oh, how times have changed here on Walton’s Mountain!

So, here’s my advice to all the young anglers coming up today. Learn how to find fish on your own. Don’t rely on someone else to send you waypoints or show you where they are catching fish. Trust yourself to find fish!

There are no shortcuts or a magical formula for being successful. One thing has remained true from the very beginning of tournament bass fishing — there’s no substitute for time on the water! 

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing and always wear your sunscreen and good UV protective clothing. Melanoma is the number one killer among all forms of cancer. Don’t roll the dice when it comes to your health. 

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

Harpist Wesley Daniels Arceneaux from New Orleans will be at Keatchie Presbyterian Church, Sept 22nd at 9:00 am.

She will be accompanied by Faith Cabrera, pianist at Keatchie Presbyterian.

The public is invited.

The Day Surgery waiting room of any hospital is a slice of our culture. If you want to know what is happening in the world pay attention to folks waiting to be called back for their surgery. Watch and listen as family and friends deal with the anxiety this environment and situation produces.

                That poor besmirched fellow was sitting in the waiting room, awaiting his turn to go back, and be prepped for his surgery. I will tell you that any surgery is an anxiety producing event. This guy, and the whole waiting room was listening to his wife, whom I have designed “Helga the Horrible.” From listening to her and believe me no one on the second floor missed a word she said; she was having a tough time with her husband’s surgery.

                “Helga” had dropped her husband off by the front door of the hospital and then parked the car. While she was parking the car, she “lost” her husband. When she found him on the second floor at Day Surgery, he was moments away from being called back for the big operation. There in front of God and all of us, Helga let her husband have it. She blasted him for not waiting for her by the front door. His defense was that the orderly came and moved him to the second floor. She blasted him for the stupidity of the orderly who moved him without telling Helga that he had been moved. Her husband reported that he was not in charge of personnel at the hospital and that in fact the orderly had been very kind to him. She reloaded and blasted him for not having a newspaper for her to read while she waiting, as she had left her device in the car and didn’t want to go back to the car to retrieve it. The nice man got up and found Helga a newspaper. She was not happy that it was a day old.

                Then Helga got upset because her husband was not more upset about his surgery. She catalogued every ache he might face. She described every pain her friend had after the same surgery. She went into brutal detail about every danger he could face during surgery and after surgery. Her Scandinavian ire was up that he was calm before this procedure and how dare he leave her to worry about all that could happen to him. Then she stood and said to a man who hadn’t eaten since midnight and was about to have surgery, “I’m hungry and I’m going to get breakfast.”

                When “Helga” walked off, the poor fellow breathed an audible sigh of relief. I’m thinking that if his wife is like that all the time, major surgery likely gave him some relief. He was probably happy that he was going to get some sleep.

                When you get up to leave….are people glad you came or glad you’re going?

Elias toiled away in his machine shop trying to solve the problem that would make his contraption practical.  He thought solving the problem would be quick and easy.  Other inventors had tried but failed in the task that Elias struggled with.  He worked day and night on the problem and was nearing the point of poverty.  Even as he slept, the problem taunted him.  Finally, his life depended on the success of his invention. 

The king was a ruthless man who was feared by all.  When people saw him, they averted their gaze so as not to attract his attention.  If the king took notice of someone, it normally ended badly.  Somehow, the king heard about Elias’s work on his invention.  The king realized that Elias’s invention would put his country in the forefront in the Industrial Revolution, and it would also be a fun game.  To Elias, it was no game.  It was cruel.  The king sent word to Elias that he had just 24 hours to make his invention work.  If he failed to get it to work in that short length of time, the king would have Elias executed. 

Elias worked at a feverish pace.  At times, minutes felt like hours ,while at other times, hours felt like seconds.  Elias was running out of time.  With a knock on the door, Elias knew his time had run out. His mind frantically worked for a way to make his contraption work.  The king’s lead soldier knocked with such force the second time that the door almost came off its hinges.  Elias had no choice but to answer the door.  The lead soldier glared at Elias.  Several other soldiers waited in formation outside.  The lead soldier asked Elias if he had finished with his invention.  Elias knew better than to lie because the soldier would test the device and the outcome would be the same.  Elias hung his head and explained that he had failed to make it work.  He needed more time, time the king was unwilling to give.  The soldiers shackled Elias’s hands and led him away to be executed.  As they walked, none of the soldiers would speak to or even make eye contact with Elias.  Elias’s pleas for more time were answered with silence.  Elias looked at each soldier, then looked at each soldier’s weapon.  In the front were soldiers carrying pikes, long wooden shafts with leaf-shaped steel spears attached to the ends.  Elias noticed that the spear points had a small hole drilled near the tip.  It was a eureka moment for Elias.  In that instant, he knew how to make his contraption work.  The one part of his contraption that he failed to make work just needed a hole similar to those in the soldiers’ pikes.  He tried to explain this to the soldiers, but they kept marching Elias to the place of his execution.  Elias kept trying to persuade the soldiers all the way to the scaffolding.  As the soldiers held Elias’s head on the chopping block, Elias begged for them to reconsider.  The executioner drew back his ax.  As the blade of the ax fell, Elias jerked himself awake.  It had all been a dream.

It was about 4 o’clock in the morning when Elias awoke in his bed in Massachusetts.  There was no brutal king, no soldiers, and no execution.  Then, Elias remembered the pierced tips of the pikes the soldiers carried.  He ran to his shop and began working by candlelight.  By nine o’clock that same morning, Elias had solved the problem that had stumped other inventors for decades.  He tested his working model repeatedly with the expectation that it would soon fail, but it worked beautifully.  On September 10, 1846, the United States Patent Office awarded Elias patent number 4,750, from which he became wealthy.  Because of that dream, Elias knew where to position the eye in the needle.  One newspaper reported that his machine makes “beautiful and strong seams in cloth as rapid as nine tailors!”  That dream helped Elias Howe invent the first practical sewing machine.

Sources:

1.      London Daily News, March 15, 1847, p.2.

2.     The Boston Globe, March 25, 2018, p.K6.

Jerome Keith Parker
January 5, 1951 — September 15, 2024
Service: Friday, September 20, 2024 11:00am – 12:00 pm at Rose Neath Funeral Homes – Mansfield

By most all accounts, and as of 1:45 pm on Sept. 10 it would appear that this hurricane will have little to no impact on DeSoto Parish. This system has shifted several times, and predictions can still change as it draws closer to making landfall.

However, the intensity of the hurricanes impact on our southern parishes is cause for concern. Sheriff Richardson will remain in contact with those to the south to see when/where there are needs and how our office may be of service/assistance. We continue to keep everyone in south Louisiana in our prayers as this system develops over the next 24 hours, and in the days ahead.

Sheriff Jayson Richardson

DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office

After further investigation we are now able to share more information on the alleged threats to various public schools in our area and abroad. A juvenile made our office aware of a live video that was shared to TikTok in which many of the details surrounding the TikTok user and what exactly was said remained unclear or unknown. As a result, our office alerted DeSoto Parish Schools, increased security at the schools, and alerted parents to what was going on via the Sheriff App and Facebook.

An investigator with the DeSoto Sheriff’s Office was able to make direct contact with a representative with TikTok and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) , and further investigation has revealed that there have been multiple reports of the same threats making their rounds recently in Texas and other areas. These threats are coming from TikTok account(s) alleging to be targeting schools in the United States to stoke fear and panic among the public. While this investigation will continue and security at our schools will remain a priority, at this time we can confidently say that these specific threats appear to be coming from the same source, which is not believed to local.

We are asking all students and other TikTok users:

If you have been a witness to any of these threats, have screenshots, or screen recordings, call our office at (318) 872-3956 and ask to speak with an investigator. If you should see any such threats on ANY platform in the future, please be sure to screenshot or screen record anything that would assist the FBI, TikTok, and our agency in locating and holding accountable the holders of the account(s). This includes account usernames, time it was shared, or any other defining characteristics that may assist in this ongoing investigation.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is currently monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Francine. Because the storm system could bring about storm surge in low-lying coastal areas, high winds and significant rainfall, motorists statewide are urged to use caution during this weather event.

DOTD will continue to monitor road conditions as the storm system makes landfall and will post signs on roadways that have high water when safe to do so. In the event flooding occurs, personnel will make the appropriate decisions to close roadways when safe to do so and, if resources are available, close moveable bridges and suspend or reduce the ferry services for the safety of the traveling public.

While water can recede quickly, DOTD urges drivers to use precaution during severe weather events:

Do not drive, unless you must.
Do not drive distracted.
Do not drive through standing water. “Turn around, don’t drown.”
Be aware of wind gusts.
Avoid driving through areas with downed power lines or other debris.
Never use cruise control when visibility is low or the road is wet.
Plan for more travel time.
Leave extra room between vehicles.
Always use headlights when windshield wipers are on. This is a law.
Never move or drive around any road closed signs/barricades for any reason. This is unlawful and extremely unsafe.
Treat signals that are flashing red or that are not in service as four-way stops.

Motorists are encouraged to check the status of road conditions prior to beginning their commutes by utilizing the following resources:

511 Traveler Information: Travelers can also find information regarding road closures by visiting the 511 Traveler Information website at http://www.511la.org or by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region about which they are seeking information. You can also download the Louisiana 511 mobile app.

MyDOTD: Motorists can receive automatic and up-to-date information on local projects, lane and road closures, and other DOTD activity by signing up for MyDOTD here. You can also visit the DOTD website at http://www.dotd.la.gov.

Social Media: Motorists can find additional information on the DOTD Facebook and X (Twitter) pages.

“We don’t understand it, but your muffler is disintegrating from the inside.”

For once the description of the sound the truck was making was congruent with the sound the truck made. Many times, you try to describe a noise to the service technician and the vehicle won’t cooperate, but Saturday it did.

“Eventually your muffler will disintegrate, and your truck will become very loud.”

There are two ways you know you are old. The first way is when you don’t like the idea of your truck being loud. When you are old, you want the muffler to silence the sound. Loud and old don’t mix, whether in music or in clothing selection. The other way one notes their arrival at old age happens in elevators. If you hear Muzak playing in the elevator, and it is the same music of your adolescence, you are old. If your parents said, “Turn that garbage down!” And you hear that music playing at the doctor’s office, you are old.

Saturday, Muzak was playing at the car dealership as the service man described the disintegrating muffler. I am old. I was wondering if a loud truck would be accepted in a funeral procession. Would the truck be heard pulling into the parking lot on Sunday morning? What would the Baptists think? What would the Catholics say?

How much to fix a disintegrating muffler? It was going to be expensive because rotting from the inside was not covered under any warranty.

How is your muffler?

The diagnosis of a muffler disintegrating from the inside was spiritually enlightening.

Do you know what it feels like to rot from the inside? Discouragement is interior rot. You start out with faith, hope, and love and if you don’t constantly stay centered in Christ, the world can whittle away at all three. You start disintegrating spiritually. Discouragement most often happens when you get something fixed into your head and heart rather than seeking out what God would have you do. Most often you are discouraged when God is not doing things your way.

The other thing you might discover is that when your muffler disintegrates you become loud. That seems to be the gist of public discourse today, just getting louder than the other side. Conversation has been replaced by competition and ideas are rapidly giving way to idiocy.

There is a verse of scripture that comforts and confronts at the same time. The same eight words can bug the fool out people with disintegrating mufflers and offer hope to those who want their muffler restored. If you need faith, hope, and love restored, hear the word of the Psalmist:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

I get it, Lord.

Will you help me repair my muffler?