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During their August 3 meeting, the DeSoto Parish School Board unanimously approved a resolution to call an election for November 18, 2023 for two parts of the district. Logansport (District No. 1) will consider a bond proposal for capital improvements in the November 2023 election.

The $23 million building bond proposal is focused on safety, security, and modernization of current facilities. While Logansport has seen some upgrades over the past few years, there are areas that are desperately in need of updates including the stadium, gymnasium, band room, and more.
Safety and security upgrades are needed to limit access points to the school and create better access control. A central corridor will be created to provide consistency across the schools in the district and give a sense of pride and community spaces, while providing an increased element of security, as well as creating modernized and innovative spaces to serve the students and the community.

Logansport has used portable classrooms to serve different programs and the plan creates new spaces to bring those programs into the actual facility, eliminating the need for mobile classrooms and improving safety, security, and programming for the young learner programs including birth to two, three-year-old preschool, and staff offices.

The plan would impact the football stadium, parts of which were built in 1952 and moved to the current location in 1995. The proposal to upgrade the stadium has been a community priority that has been brought up more and more in recent years. While LHS is proud to have state of the art equipment in some parts of the stadium, there are areas that need attention due to ADA compliance, the need for improved restrooms, concessions, seating, and parking areas.

The plan also impacts the band program, creating a new space for the band by renovating an existing space that is larger, better for sound, and closer to the field. Additionally, the proposal would also provide upgrades to the current gymnasium with an updated facade, modern look, and an expanded lobby to accommodate events. Plans to upgrade the gymnasium were developed in recent years but were put on hold due to high bid prices.

The cost to the taxpayer depends on the value of your home. For example, a $200,000 home in District No. 1 (Logansport) with a homestead exemption of $75,000 would have an adjusted taxable value of $125,000 which would be assessed at 10%. The increase from a millage rate of 1.6 to 13.15 would result in an annual increase of $144.38 per year or $12.03 per month.

All eligible registered voters residing in District No. 1 (Logansport) are eligible to vote in the November election. Important dates are below:
• In-person / By Mail Registration Deadline — Oct. 18
• Geaux Vote Online Registration Deadline — Oct. 28
• Early Voting Starts — Nov. 3
• Early Voting Ends — Nov. 11
• Deadline to Request a Mail Ballot — Nov. 14
• Deadline for Mail Ballots to be Received — Nov. 17
• Election Day — Saturday, Nov. 18

If you have any questions about the proposal, contact the DeSoto Parish School Board via email at questions@desotopsb.com.

Source: DeSoto Parish School Board (www.desotopsb.com)

The Journal congratulates last week’s winners in the Marketplace Chevrolet College Football Pickers
Contest. And we are launching a new contest for this week.

Congratulations to John Russell. He did the best job of predicting the winners of 10 college football
games, so he gets this week’s $100 prize. The Journal has another $100 waiting for you in our brand-
new contest.

CLICK HERE to enter and win. Deadline for entry is Friday, September 22 nd at 4:00 pm. Submit your
entry right now, while you are thinking about it. And tell everyone to enter. They might be the winner
this week.

The Marketplace Chevrolet College Football Pickers Contest is open to all residents of DeSoto Parish.
And everyone who enters will be given a complimentary subscription to the DeSoto Parish Journal.

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News Release
September 18, 2023
Sheriff Jayson Richardson
DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office

Around 11:30 am on the morning of September 18th, an evidence supervisor was found suffering from possible exposure to fentanyl. While assisting him, two other employees were exposed. All three required transport to hospital facilities, and all three are currently in stable condition. Our offices are closed while LSP hazmat clears the room of any further exposure. We ask that the public keep our deputies and their family in your prayers as they recover.

Mark Pierce, PIO
Public Relations & Social Media
Cellular Forensics Operator/Analyst
DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office
Cell: (318) 461-0504
Office: (318) 872-3956 Ext. 251

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DID YOU KNOW: If your library does not own the materials you need, public library staff can request them via LoanSHARK, an online catalog of materials in all Louisiana public libraries that allows your library to borrow from other public and academic libraries in Louisiana as well as nationwide.

LoanSHARK requests can be made at your local public library, and the materials will be shipped to that library for you to check out. LoanSHARK brings the world’s collections to your library’s doorstep. Check it out here: https://slla.agshareit.com/home?cid=slla&lid=slla

Source: State Library of Louisiana/Billy Nungesser Lt. Governor of Louisiana

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The scene from The Andy Griffith Show, in black-and-white of course, is one you could have starred in at most any time this past Scorching Summer of 2023.

 Two chairs on the wide sidewalk outside Floyd’s Barber Shop. Floyd sits in the one nearest his shop’s door, on the left of your TV screen. He is blank-faced and lazily working a whicker fan in front of his face. Up walks Sheriff Andy Taylor, who takes a seat and, as he crosses his legs, says, “Howdy, Floyd.”

 Floyd, with no small amount of effort, the heat evident on a face that, even in black-and-white, is obviously ashen: “92.”

 Andy: “It feels it.”

 Floyd: “I just looked at the thermometer over the door (points his whicker fan that way). You know what it says?”

 Andy: “92?”

 Floyd, slack-jawed and fanning, a folded newspaper, no doubt The Mayberry Gazette, resting on his lap under his other hand: “92. Like an oven. Hot! Ohhh … it’s HOT.”

 Andy: “Well, like Mark Twain said, ‘Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.’”

 Floyd, stops fanning and looks at Andy: “He say that?”

 Andy: “Yep.”

 Floyd: “I thought Calvin Coolidge said that.”

 Andy: “No. No Floyd. Calvin Coolidge didn’t say that.”

 Floyd: “What’d Calvin Coolidge say?”

 Andy: “I don’t know.”

 Floyd, fanning again, then turning back to Andy: “You sure Mark Twain didn’t get that from Calvin Coolidge?”

 Andy: “No Floyd. Mark Twain lived before Calvin Coolidge.”

 Floyd, sitting up a bit and leaning toward Andy: “Oh … he COULDN’T have gotten it from him. NO … but it’s HOT.”

 And so it went, all summer in Mayberry over in Carolina back in the early 1960s — and all summer here in North Louisiana.

 Funny deal about the weather. It gets hot around here and few seem to remember that it is always hot in the summer here. Some are cooler than others, but they’re all hot.

 Summer of 1982, I had the privilege of helping build the bypass in Camden, Arkansas. (It’s a heckuva bypass, if you’re ever up that way.) My job was to walk in front of the grader — the big tractor that has the smoothing blade — and knock the dirt off stakes, driven at equal heights, so the driver could see them and make the dirt level for the rebar and pavement that’s to come. There is not a lot of shade in roadwork, as there are few trees in the middle of roads. And it was more than 100 degrees 21 days straight.

 That was — clears throat — 40 years ago.

 It’s always been hot. Next summer, it’s going to be hot again. (Just a guess.)

 But you’ve made it! Hold out ’til Saturday and you’ve made it to autumn!

 This is being typed on an evening where the outside temperature is mid-70s as we head into October, and what a fine month it is. October might just be the best of all the months — if it didn’t mean cold weather was coming.

 And then what will you and Andy and Floyd talk about? Probably the weather. And possibly, during an ice storm, wish for a day like one we complained about in July, whicker fan in hand.

 At least that’s what Mark Twain said … or maybe it was Calvin Coolidge.

 Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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 The Mansfield State Historic Site bids a fond farewell to retiring Site Manager Scott Dearman, who has been with Mansfield State Historic Site and the Louisiana Office of State Parks for the last 30 years.
Scott has been a voice for Mansfield for three decades, starting in the 1990s as a Law Enforcement Ranger, then becoming the Interpretive Ranger, and finally as the Site Manager.

In all that time, he has become one of the most knowledgeable people anywhere in the world on the Battle of Mansfield and the Red River Campaign of the American Civil War. Every chance he had, he would be brushing up on the history of the battle, and you could often find him very meticulously researching another chapter of Civil War history to aid in his interpretation of the site to his visitors!

His friendly nature and drive to better the site made Mansfield a great place to work for both staff and volunteers, and he will be sorely missed by everyone. His level of knowledge, care for the resources under his supervision, and kind personal and professional nature reflected great credit upon himself and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the Louisiana State Park Service.

As Scott rides off into the sunset to embark on his next adventure, Mansfield prepares to welcome and embrace a new manager at the site in the next couple of weeks. For Scott, from the staff of Mansfield State Historic Site, “we want to say best wishes in the days ahead and thank you for the memories!”

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There are many ways that we as outdoorsmen can enjoy the great outdoors. There’s fishing, a very popular hobby by many, and there’s camping which takes the outdoor experience to another level. Maybe your idea of being outdoors involves playing golf or maybe exercising. But for thousands of others…there’s hunting, which for many is the main reason they wake up every day! Hunters, in most cases, are very hard-core outdoorsmen who have a serious passion for pursuing wild game from doves and squirrel to ducks and bucks. But why?

To understand a hunter, you need to be a hunter or live with one. This group has the same mind set and passion for the outdoors that LSU Tiger fans have for football…they’re crazy! Hunters put in a lot of time and effort to not only hunt, but to get ready for the hunt. Just like a bass tournament angler, preparation is key to being successful and is a part of the grind that hunters must go through to increase their chances for success in the fall. For most hunters, all the preseason planning is just as much fun as the hunt itself…or is it?

Whether they are on a lease or hunting public land, hunters have a lot of work to do. When it comes to certain things needing to be done, they tend to have more flexibility on a private lease than they might on public hunting land. But most leases, public and private, do not want hunters to put nails into trees since at some point, the landowner or timber company will probably be harvesting the timber. But most of the time, they’re okay with you cutting a few shooting lanes, bush hogging pipelines, or planting food plots on old logging roads.

For deer hunters, the next season begins only a few months after the last one ended. Deer hunters do not get much of a break as they start the process of preparing for next season by planting food plots, fixing feeders, and repairing deer stands. Most take their ATV or UTV vehicles in for service due to the abuse their machines have gone through.

For duck hunters, the biggest job is building the blind. Some simply rebrush blinds they’ve used for years, while others may build new blinds in different locations. Make no mistake, the amount of work to build a duck blind is no less than what a deer hunter must do. Duck hunters must go out and gather moss and cut brush so they can brush-in their blind. This takes time and lots of work to secure the brush to the blind. Of course, all this takes place when temperatures are usually in the 90’s, so sweating is a major part of both a duck and deer hunter’s world as they prepare for another season.

There you have it ladies, now you know why your husbands are gone so long during hunting season, and especially during the months leading up to the hunting season. Hunting requires hard work and long hours of preparation to guarantee success. But don’t try and justify the cost of hunting because when it comes down to dollars spent versus pounds of meat put int the freezer, you’ll see it does not come out very well for the hunter. But it’s all worth it when that back strap comes straight off the grill and is sitting in front of you at dinner time. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Till next time good luck, good fishing and don’t forget to invite me for supper when back strap is served!

Steve Graf

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The Louisiana Department of Health Office of Public Health and the Shreveport Police Department are hosting the 2nd Annual Northwest Louisiana Youth Summit on Saturday, November 4. The summit is for youth ages 10 to 18 and their parents. The event is FREE to attend.

Registration and a breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. and the program will start at 9 a.m. and go until 12:30 p.m. with a motivational luncheon to follow. The summit will take place at the Southern Hills Park and Community Center at 1002 W. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Shreveport.

If you are interested in participating as a vendor or have more questions, please contact Yolanda Duckworth, the Region 7 Opioid Prevention Outreach Coordinator, at Yolanda.Duckworth@la.gov.

Ana Deloach VanEaton
Communications Coordinator for Regions 7 & 8
Office of Public Health

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The Homesteader’s Conference is slated for Saturday, October 7 from 8am until 4pm. It is a one-day event for attendees to gain knowledge about homesteading/food production in backyard small acreages and food preservation.

The goal of this event is to educate the participants on the various topics that will aid them in the care of their land and natural resources.

It is FREE to attend.

Vendors should contact Donna Haynes about reserving booth spots for the event at 318.408.0971 or dhaynes@agcenter.lsu.edu.

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By Doug De Graffenried

Are you a person of influence? Let me answer that for you. You are certainly a person of
influence.

I believe that you have the power to change lives. It is a dangerous power because of the
direction you might lead a life. You have the power to influence people for the cause of Christ, or you
have the power to run people off from any connection to faith matters. It is up to you. People are
watching you and listening to you. In our digital world they are likely recording your actions for play back
on TikTok or You Tube. Live your life well. People are watching, so is Jesus. That is another article for
another day.

I was thinking about the power of influence one morning at breakfast. I was at breakfast with a
group of Baptist preachers. In truth, I was attending a Baptist preacher’s meeting. Now you might find it
strange that a Methodist minister was attending a Baptist preacher’s meeting. It was like the time my
son wanted a subscription to Cosmopolitan magazine. I wanted to know if my son was having “issues.” I
asked, “Andrew why do you want a girl’s magazine subscription?”  He said, “It is the other team’s play
book!” So maybe I was at the preacher’s meeting, learning what the “other team” was doing.
The truth of the matter is that I was at a Baptist preacher’s meeting along with two of Methodist
church members. Now what force of the universe could get a Methodist preacher and two Methodist
laypersons to attend a Baptist preacher’s meeting? Was it a great breakfast? The food was good, but
that was not it. Does anyone on the face of this planet like a meeting?

The force that attracted us there was a fellow named Woody Cox. Woody was a deacon in the
Baptist church, but he was also a world-famous electrician. I’m not sure about world-famous, but lots of
folks in Natchitoches knew him. Jesus is the Light of the World, but at First United Methodist Church,
Woody kept all of Jesus’ lights on for the Sunday crowd. He had climbed in every attic of the church. He
was familiar with every line, circuit, and ballast in that building. He knew bulbs in the Baptist churches as
well.

Here’s the thing, while Woody was working, he was working you. You were drawn into his web
and he was eventually going to invite you to something or just end up telling you a Jesus story. He never
made anyone uncomfortable and always fixed the electrical problem.

Woody Cox has gone on to glory. He knows the light of the world.

He was a great electrician who could get Methodists to go to Baptist preacher’s meetings. How
are you using your Christian influence. Do you help others “see the light?”

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HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE
September 18, 2023

Baton Rouge- Following multiple citizen complaints from around the state, Troopers wish to make the public aware of a current phone scam. Scammers are fraudulently using the authority of Louisiana State Police in an effort to obtain information and money from victims.

These impersonators are reportedly contacting the phones of potential victims by using a call that gives the appearance of originating from a phone number belonging to Louisiana State Police. The complainants have stated that the caller is pretending to be law enforcement and attempts to gain personal information and (or) money from the victim over the phone.

Troopers stress that citizens should never give unsolicited callers any personal information, and the Louisiana State Police would never ask for any type of personal identifying information, payment or monetary donation over the phone.

Citizens wishing to report suspected fraudulent calls can contact the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Center (LA-SAFE) at 225-925-4192. The Louisiana State Police online reporting system is also available to the public through a convenient and secure reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. Citizens can access the form by visiting the LA-SAFE website here and report the activity.

Contact Information:
Lt Melissa Matey
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs – HQ
Office: (225) 925-6202
Melissa.Matey@la.gov

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31st Annual Marthaville Good Ole Days Festival and Paradeis Friday September 29 and Saturday, September 30. Friday night festivities begin at 6:00 PM with our Gospel night featuring various local artists and area churches!

Saturday line up includes:
8:00 AM Barbecue Contest Begins
9:00 AM- Parade Lineup at the school and Judging of Antique Cars
10:00 AM- 31st Annual “Good Ole Days” Parade
12:00 PM-Presentation of Queens, Spirit Group Performances, and Music Entertainment
6:00 PM- Saturday Night Music Entertainment!

Don’t miss out on some great entertainment, good fellowship, delicious food, and a great time at the Marthaville Good Ole Days!

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Have you ever heard of an Electric Flowerpot? Akiba Horowitz was born in Minsk, Russia in 1856. At the young age of fifteen, Akiba moved to Berlin, Germany where he studied liquor distillation. In 1891, Akiba immigrated to the United States. Upon entering the country, Akiba changed his name to something more American. He called himself Conrad Hubert. Conrad, now 35 years old, needed to find work immediately. In New York, Conrad operated a cigar store, a boarding house, a restaurant, and a jewelry store. Conrad was not satisfied until he began operating a novelty shop.

All things dealing with electrical power following the invention of the light bulb were in fashion. Conrad was a tinkerer. During his lifetime, Conrad’s patented inventions included “the first automatic electric self-starter for automobiles, …the first exact amount check protector, the autoped,” and an electric gas lighter.

Joshua Lionel Cowen was an inventor as well. Joshua had invented the electric doorbell and the electric fan, both of which initially failed to find a market. People complained about the protracted ring of the doorbell, and the fan produced only the slightest breeze. His most successful product, which was the most popular item Conrad sold in his novelty shop, was his battery-powered light up tie tacks.

Joshua and Conrad had numerous discussions about their ideas for inventions. During one such conversation, Joshua told Conrad about one of his most recent inventions, the electric flowerpot. The contraption was made up of a battery within a paper tube with a light bulb at one end. The tube was mounted in the center of a flowerpot. Once the battery was switched on, the light illuminated the plants in the flowerpot. Joshua had patented his electric flowerpot, but he was unsure of its marketability. Conrad had faith in the invention and convinced Joshua to sell him the patent.

Conrad manufactured a large number of electric flowerpots, added them to his inventory, and began advertising. In the summer of 1894, citizens in Buffalo, New York held a Fourth of July fireworks competition. Among the prizes were American flags, balloons, packages of fireworks, toy cap pistols, small battery-powered lights, and Conrad’s electric flowerpots. Despite his best efforts, the electric flowerpot was a failure.

Conrad had a surplus of electric flowerpots which were in no danger of being sold. David Misell, an employee of Conrad’s novelty shop, tinkered with the electric flowerpot to see if he could help Conrad create something marketable from its parts. David had previously invented a wooden-cased signal light and a bicycle light. David and Conrad separated the tube and bulb from the flowerpot. They lengthened the tube so they could fit three “D” batteries inside it, and added a brass reflector under the light bulb. Finally, they had a product that Conrad thought he could sell. They filed a patent application for the “Electric Device” in March of 1898. The paperwork listed David as the device’s inventor and Conrad as a witness. The patent was awarded in January of 1899. Because David was an employee of Conrad’s, he assigned the patent rights to the device to Conrad’s novelty company. Conrad added the device to the inventory of his novelty shop. The device sold very well, but the public had just one complaint. The “D” batteries would only illuminate the light bulb for a short time before the customer had to replace the batteries. Due to the device’s short battery life, customers said the device could only produce a flash of light. In many English-speaking countries, the device is generally referred to as a torch. In the United States, Conrad’s customers gave the device a nickname that stuck. They called it the Flashlight.

Sources:

1.      Buffalo Courier Express, June 24, 1894, p.15.

2.     The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 17, 1928, p.2.

3.     The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York), March 18, 1928, p.8.

4.     “Conrad Hubert.” www.nndb.com. Accessed September 17, 2023. https://www.nndb.com/people/439/000169929/.

5.     “Stories of Inventors and Their Inventions: Conrad Hubert.” www.linkedin.com. Accessed September 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stories-inventors-inventions-conrad-hubert-elena-louis.

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FREE Child Safety Seat Installation event happening this Saturday, September 23 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Safety Town, 8910 Jewella, Shreveport. In addition to Saturday’s event, the applications for FREE child safety seats are available. Please click on this link: https://lcmchealth-drshh.formstack.com/forms/child_safety_seat_application to apply.

Remember: The child receiving the safety seat needs to be present at the Seat Check event.

If you have any questions about child passenger safety in vehicles, please tune in to hear Bridget Gardner speak tomorrow, Wednesday (September 20th) from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Register at https://www.facebook.com/BuckleUpLouisiana

For more information on the below or any further questions, please contact:
Kevin H. Rigsby, Supervisor/Paramedic for Bossier Parish Emergency Medical Services and Region G Coordinator/ Instructor for the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force Firemedic191@bellsouth.net or krigsby@bossierparishems.org (318) 426-1131 cell or (318) 741-9201 office

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In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 celebrated from September 15 to October 15, Mansfield State Historic Site will put on a one-hour presentation on Saturday, September 30 from 2 – 3pm discussing Hispanic descent that served during the American Civil War and later wars, such as David Farragut of the United States Navy and Santos Benavides of the Confederate Army. 

The DeSoto Parish Community Plant Swap is October 14 from 9am until noon at the DeSoto Extension Office, 10117 Hwy 171, Grand Cane. Join in to exchange seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other garden related items. Dwain Spillman will discuss Vermiculture and will have Worm Compost. To reserve a table and chairs for your items contact Joshua Salley at 318.872.0533.

DeSoto Parish Cattlemen’s Association 4th Quarter Meeting is Monday, October 16. Bubba Rutherford with Rutherford Land and Cattle will give an outlook on the cattle market for 2024. RSVP to jsalley@agcenter.lsu.edu by October 13 for the meal count. This will be the last meeting for 2023.

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Tom Billy Dodson
March 1, 1933 — September 17, 2023
Service: Thursday, September 21 at 2pm at First United Methodist Church, Logansport

Calvine Dean Jones
11/11/1963 – 09/14/2023
Graveside Service: Thursday, September 21 at 10:30am at Zion Hill No.2 Cemetery, Mansfield

The DeSoto Parish Journal publishes “Remembrances of Loved Ones” with unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $70. The Remembrance will be included in the emails sent to subscribers.  Contact your funeral provider or DeSotoParishJournal@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication.

Former Desoto Parish Sheriff’s Office Correctional Officer Charged with Federal Civil Rights and Obstruction Offenses Involving Excessive Force Incident

SHREVEPORT, La. – A federal grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, has returned a
three-count indictment charging former DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office (DPSO) Correctional
Officer Javarrea Pouncy with federal civil rights violations for willfully using unreasonable
force against a detainee, failing to obtain medical care for the detainee and obstructing justice.

According to the indictment, on September 27, 2019, Pouncy, acting in his official
capacity as a DPSO correctional officer, used unreasonable force against a detainee by
repeatedly striking him in the head and body without legal justification while the detainee
was being booked into the DeSoto Parish jail. The indictment further alleges that the assault
caused bodily injury to the detainee. In addition, the indictment alleges that Pouncy knew
that the detainee had serious medical needs and willfully failed to obtain necessary medical
care for him.

The indictment also charges Pouncy with obstruction of justice for knowingly
falsifying and making a false entry in a DPSO report with the intent to impede, obstruct and
influence an investigation into the assault. Count one of the indictment charges Pouncy for
his unreasonable use of force; count two charges Pouncy for his failure to obtain medical care;
and count three charges him with filing the false report.

If convicted, Pouncy faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison each for counts
one and two, and 20 years in prison for count three.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights
Division, U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown for the Western District of Louisiana and Special
Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office made the
announcement. The FBI New Orleans Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Seth Reeg for the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of
the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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News Release
September 07, 2023
Sheriff Jayson Richardson
DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office

Four years ago in 2019, it was brought to our attention that an incident had taken place inside our facility involving a former DeSoto Parish Sheriff Corrections Deputy and a person in custody of Louisiana State Police. The person in custody was injured during the incident.

This incident was investigated by the Louisiana State Police and more recently by the United States Attorney’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office presented the case to a federal grand jury for civil rights violations. Yesterday, the grand jury returned an indictment for the federal charge. Sheriff Richardson and his staff are grateful for the professionalism of the US Attorney’s Office in their handling of this matter, and any further information will be released by their office.

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by Jan Adams

The North DeSoto Griffins hosted a full stadium of fans, Friday night, September 9th. The Griffins welcomed the Center, TX Roughriders to, “the boot!” The game featured a shootout between two high powered offenses.

The ND Griffins and the Roughriders went back and forth scoring. After halftime the Griffins made some adjustments, that ultimately was the ND defense stepping up to stop the Roughrider offense.

Highlights, of the game, for the Griffins:
Running back Trysten Hopper rolled up 178 yards and five touchdowns as the Griffins rallied from a 38-29 deficit entering the fourth-quarter to collect the first victory of the Griffins’ season.

Hopper’s mate in the backfield, Kenny Thomas, gathered a total of 206 yards and a touchdown.
“The team showed amazing character and resilience,” Griffins head coach Dennis Dunn said. “It was a season-making kind of tenacity. They never doubted for four quarters — unbelievable.”

North DeSoto (1-1) travels to Messmer Stadium to play Loyola in Week 3.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES 2023 EXEMPLARY EDUCATORS

Educators honored from Bienville, DeSoto, Iberville, Lincoln, Rapides, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany Parishes

(BATON ROUGE, LA) – The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is recognizing eight educators from across the state for their impact on student success. The LDOE today announced its 2023 Exemplary Educators. This annual program honors teachers, teacher specialists, and school leaders who represent excellence in the education profession.

Louisiana’s 2023 Exemplary Educators are:

Bienville Parish: Timothy Williams
DeSoto Parish: Jasmine Taylor
Iberville Parish: Anthony Hollins
Lincoln Parish: Marissa Boyd
Rapides Parish: Amy Holley
Rapides Parish: Amanda King
St. Bernard Parish: Joseph Cipollone
St. Tammany Parish: Courtney Milam

Louisiana Exemplary Educators receive a certificate of recognition and may be invited to participate in Department advisory boards and task forces. Exemplary Educators are also eligible for consideration in other recognition programs.

School systems from across the state submitted recommendations for the program through a confidential process. Honorees were chosen based on the following criteria:

• Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective and innovative instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;
• Exemplary educational accomplishments and leadership beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;
• Individuals whose contributions to education are largely unheralded yet worthy of the spotlight;
• Early- to mid-career educators (minimum of five years) who offer strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and
• Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.

To learn more about the Louisiana Exemplary Educator Recognition Program, visit the award programs page online.

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DeSoto 4-H Livestock Club members showed up and showed out at the 2023 DeBossier Showdown Livestock Show which was held September 8th and 9th at the David Means Memorial 4-H Barn. 4-H’ers from all over the parish exhibited their poultry, rabbit, swine, sheep, goat, dairy, and beef projects at the two-day event. The following exhibitors won championships at the show.

Clay Usrey- Champion Rabbit Showman

Joslyn Peterson- Champion Overall Standard

Clay Usrey- Reserve Overall Standard

Clay Usrey- Champion Overall Bantam

Lauralye Jeter- Champion Market Swine

Lauralye Jeter- Reserve Champion Market Swine

Lauralye Jeter- Champion Swine Showman

Joslyn Peterson- Champion Sheep Showman

Hayden Hardy- Champion Breeding Ewe

Landon Cubley- Champion Market Lamb

Addison Salley- Reserve Champion Heifer

Clay Usrey- Champion Dairy Showman

Clay Usrey- Supreme Dairy Heifer

Clay Usrey- Reserve Dairy Heifer

A big thank you to all of our sponsors for this year’s event. Your generous donations allowed these exhibitors to earn ribbons, banners, and checks for their accomplishments. Thanks also to Mr. Mike Norton and the DeSoto Parish Police Jury for your continued support of the David Means Memorial 4-H Barn and to Sheriff Jayson Richardson and the entire DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Department for your continued assistance in helping us setup and take down the show ring for our livestock shows.

Joshua L. Salley

Assistant Extension Agent (Agriculture)

Parish Chair

DeSoto Parish Extension Office

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Congratulations to Richard Wilkinson, winner of the Marketplace Chevrolet College Football Pickers
Contest week two. Richard did the best job of selecting the winners.

A check for $100 is on the way to Richard Wilkinson. And the week three Pickers Contest entry is
now available. Just CLICK HERE to enter.

The Marketplace Chevrolet College Football Pickers Contest is awarding $100 a week during
the college football season to the person in DeSoto Parish who can pick the most
winners. Enter today with your best guesses of the winners of the games this week. Entry
deadline is 4:00 pm Friday, September 15. There is no cost or obligation to enter and win
and everyone who enters gets a complimentary subscription to the Journal.
Good Luck!

Got some handy information for you, as I was wrong about something but have seen the light, and it was cool and it was refreshing. 

Knew I wouldn’t get in bed until after midnight Saturday because of working a football game so when I was asked at the first of the week about going to the Texas Rangers game in Arlington the next day—this past Sunday—it didn’t sound so hot, simply because I am not 20 years old and not totally insane anymore.  

But when a trio of friends of 40 years ask and they have good tickets and they use the magic word — “Free” — you go to bed as quickly as you can, even if that’s not until 2 Sunday morning, get up at 6 and drive to Chief’s so the Senator and Hearing Aids can pick you up, get your butt and your water bottle in the backseat of the Senator’s Jeep Cherokee and head toward Texas, tired but up for whatever. 

Good times. 

This was my first trip to Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers, that opened during the virus-throttled 2020 season. When the Rangers announced in 2016 they were building a new ballpark, my first thought was, “They just BUILT a new ballpark?!” 

And, in terms of a ballpark’s normal lifetime, they had. The Ballpark in Arlington opened in 1994. I had socks and shoes that old. The park was just getting broken in. And what a glorious ballpark it was.  

It’s still gorgeous. It stands a home run from the new stadium, which looks from the outside like an airplane hanger. No contest. The old ballpark wins swimsuit and evening gown and it’s not close. 

Except … you know what they say about judging a book. That’s Globe Life Field. The beauty is on the inside.  

And by “beauty” I mean “air conditioning.” The retractable roof on the $1.1 billion new stadium keeps the 68-degree air inside and the 90-degree air and sun outside. No sweat. We’d have melted Sunday in the old ballpark, especially at this stage of our development.  

Globe Life Field is a five-tool player. It’s all about “fans first.” Actual baseball things would be No. 6, tops, on my list of things that are awesome about this new yard.  

You start with the roof. Arlington had three 110-degree days this summer and dozens over 95. Mercy! 

All kinds of food along what has to be the widest, most open concourses in big-league baseball. People love food and people love not being crowded. Double play. 

There are helpers/ushers in baby blue shirts by the dozens, maybe by the hundreds. One was by an escalator and while we explored an hour before first pitch we asked the man if we could go down to that level and he said we needed a ticket for down there and we said we were just ignorant people from Louisiana and he said OK and down we went, then self-reported when we got back and he said that was good because he was a few seconds from calling a SWAT team. 

Good-natured folk. 

Since Chief had a bum leg and handicapped parking, those same support people drove us in a golf cart from the Jeep to the front door. Took us back after the game. No charge, tipping not allowed. One of our lady drivers was packing heat, too. 

Texas. 

The park is a multi-purpose palace for concerts and rodeos and even basketball and who knows what else they might use it for. 

The immediate area outside is called Texas Live!, an entertainment district around AT&T Stadium (where the Dallas Cowboys play) and the new park and the “old” ballpark, now used for football and soccer and whatnot. Also in the mix are a couple of half-billion-dollar hotels, eating places, a concert venue, convention center, partridge in a pear tree, and on like that. Really pretty.  

And then there’s baseball. In the past three-ish weeks, the Rangers have nose-dived from a 3-and-a-half game lead in the American League West to a neck-and-neck race with Seattle for the AL’s third and final wild-card spot. Me and the boys did our part Sunday in rooting the Rangers to a 9-4 victory over hapless Oakland, a team that sports classic uniforms but just does not have any major league players to wear them. 

Now it’s your turn. The Rangers have only six regular-season home games left: Monday-Wednesday, Sept. 18-20, vs. Boston, and Friday-Sunday, Sept. 22-24, vs. those pesky Mariners from Seattle. The Rangers need you. Keep in mind that for that Sunday game against Seattle, Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches are just — wait for it — $1. I kid you not. All you’ve got to do is get your posterior to Globe Life Field. 

It’s a cool place. 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu 

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The Northwestern State University Alumni Association invites nominations for three alumni awards, two that will recognize distinguished service and one for volunteerism toward the Alumni Association.  

The deadline to submit applications is midnight Oct. 9.  For more information and to access a nomination form visit https://www.northwesternstatealumni.com/awards/. 

The awards are Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna Distinguished Service Award, Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna Distinguished Service Award and NSU Alumni Association Volunteer of the Year Award. The awards are intended to recognize alumni whose accomplishments significantly benefit both society and the NSU campus, advancing the common good and inspiring others to address challenges with insight and creativity.  

Honorees will be recognized alongside Long Purple Line inductees, during a luncheon Friday, Nov. 3 that will take place in conjunction with Homecoming festivities.  

Criteria for nominations is as follows.  

Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna Distinguished Service Award – The Outstanding Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award is given to a young alumnus/alumna who has exhibited their dedication and loyalty to Northwestern’s programs and mission.  The candidate must demonstrate: 

• An early record of distinguished service to Northwestern; and 
• Continued interest in serving the university in his/her life as a volunteer, donor and /or advocate. 
• The recipient must be an alumnus/alumna of NSU. 
• The recipient must have attained alumni status within ten years. 
• The recipient must be forty or younger at the time of the nomination. 

Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna Distinguished Service Award – The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award is given to an NSU Alumni who has exhibited his or her dedication and loyalty to Northwestern’s programs and mission. The candidate must demonstrate: 

• A record of distinguished service to Northwestern; and 
• Continued interest in serving the university in his/her life as a volunteer, donor and /or advocate. 
• The recipient must be an alumnus/alumna of NSU. 
• The recipient must have attained alumni status greater than ten years. 
• The recipient must be forty or older at the time of the nomination. 

NSU Alumni Association Volunteer of the Year Award – The Volunteer of the Year Award is given to a person who has exhibited his or her dedication and loyalty to Northwestern’s programs and mission. The candidate must demonstrate: 

• Membership in the NSU Alumni Association 
• Continued interest in serving the university in his/her life as a volunteer, donor and /or advocate. 
• Exemplary record of volunteer time, talents, and service to the NSU Alumni Association 
• Active involvement with a chapter, alumni interest group, affiliate program, NSU Alumni Board, or other forms of volunteer service to Northwestern State University 

Nominations may be made by any alumnus or alumna, by any alumni chapter, or by any member of the faculty or staff of University.  The selection committee is composed of the two immediate past presidents of the Alumni Association, current president of the Alumni Association, one member of the Demons Unlimited Board of Directors, the Director of the Alumni Association and the SGA President. 

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In the early 1890s, Patty Smith Hill and Mildred Jane Hill worked at the Louisville Experimental Kindergarten School in Louisville, Kentucky. Mildred was a teacher, concert pianist, and played organ in their church. Patty was the principal of the school. With Patty at the helm, the school experimented with new ways to teach younger children and to better prepare them for elementary school. Just one of the many experiments the school performed was the use of songs as teaching tools. Mildred and Patty began working on an upbeat song to welcome the children to school and to get them in the mindset to learn. Within a short time, Mildred came up with a simple melody she was happy with. Patty composed simple, repetitive lyrics that the children could learn quickly. On October 16, 1893, Mildred and Patty copyrighted their composition entitled “Good Morning to All.” Later that year, Mildred and Patty’s song was included in a songbook Story Songs for Kindergarten with the permission of the Hill sisters. Each morning, kindergarten students at Louisville Experimental Kindergarten School began their day with “Good Morning to All.”

Within a short time, the simple song became popular with children as young as a year-and-a-half. People soon began singing their own lyrics to the popular medley. On March 4, 1924, Robert H. Coleman edited the lyrics to the song and published it in a song book without the permission of the Hill sisters. It remains unclear whether Robert Coleman realized the song had been copyrighted.

On September 30, 1933, the musical comedy called “As Thousands Cheer,” produced by Sam Harris, opened on Broadway. One of the musical numbers in the play was “Good Morning to All,” but with the altered lyrics. The play was a huge success, but Jessica Hill, sister of Mildred and Patty, was angered and claimed that her sisters’ song had been plagiarized. In August of 1934, Jessica filed a plagiarism suit on behalf of her sisters against producer Sam Harris. In the suit, Jessica claimed that her sister Patty and late sister Mildred copyrighted the song in 1893, that the copyright was extended in 1921, and that she owned the rights to the song. For the infringement, Jessica asked for $250 for each of the 403 performances of “As Thousands Cheer,” for a total of $100,750. Patty, who would share in the damages, had all but resigned herself to the fact that the song “had become common property of the nation.” The court decided that Jessica and Patty owned the copyright of the melody for “Good Morning to All,” along with all versions of the melody with altered lyrics. For Sam Harris to continue to use the song in “As Thousands Cheer,” he would have had to pay $250 per performance. Unsurprisingly, Sam dropped the song from the musical. The song was so popular that some companies agreed to pay to use the song. For example, Fox Film Corporation paid $250 and used the song in the 1934 Shirley Temple film, Baby, Take a Bow.

Royalties from “Good Morning to All” and all of its variations now amount to an estimated $2-$4 million per year. You probably have never heard of Mildred, Patty, or Jessica Hill, but their song is regarded as the most frequently sung tune in the world. The song is always sung to honor someone else and not the singer. You and I know Mildred and Patty Hill’s song “Good Morning to All” as “Happy Birthday to You.”

 Sources:

1.      Daily News, August 15, 1934, p.391.

2.     The Belleville News-Democrat, August 27, 1934, p.4.

3.     Green Bay Press-Gazette, September 24, 2004, p.75.

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