By Paige Nash
An elderly man died during a structure fire in Heflin around 4 p.m. today. Crews with the Heflin Fire Department were dispatched to the fire in the 100 block of Memorial Park Drive. Two women were airlifted to LSU hospital with severe burns.
How the fire started has not been determined at this time and this is an ongoing investigation.
By Bonnie Culverhouse
Tomorrow (Friday, March 18), is the deadline for any individual or business who would like to be a Boots on the Boulevard sponsor.
And while the task force has reached its goal with more than $14,000, anything above that will still be used to beautify other projects in the downtown area.
“We are going to work specifically on Jacqueline Park’s gazebo and Depot Hill,” said Mayor Terry Gardner. “Speer Roofing is going to donate the work to replace the roof on the gazebo. We have already replaced some of the trees. We are planning to put a ‘welcome’ sign in the spot where the (Confederate) soldier used to be down by the railroad tracks.”
The footer has been poured for the sign and electricity is being run in order to illuminate it.
CW&W Contractors are in the process of pouring the slab for the brick patio at the gazebo. There is room for 200 bricks.
“They gave us a wonderful deal on it,” Gardner said of CW&W. “The slab will be lined with original bricks, then the bricks with names and sponsorships will be placed in an inverted slab that will make it easy to place them and make the patio surface even.”
Two black powder-coated benches will be alongside the patio.
Downtown Development Director Mahala Hutto said as long as prospective sponsors contacted her Friday, she could make a “reservation” for them.
Top sponsorship, called BrickTown – $1,000 – features a brick with a name etched on it that will be permanently placed near the gazebo. This sponsorship includes a logo on a tee shirt. They will also receive a Facebook mention, name on a banner and 10 free tee shirts.
The Boulevard sponsorship – $500 – receives a logo on tee shirt, Facebook mention, name on banner and 5 free tee shirts.
Garden sponsorship – $250 – includes name on tee shirt, Facebook mention and 2 free tee shirts.
Finally, Friend of Minden sponsorship – $100 – receives name on tee shirt and Facebook mention.
On Friday, April 8, there will be an unveiling of the projects, along with lunch. Webster Printing is supplying the banners.
“This has been a fun project,” Gardner said. “My vision for next year would be to uplight the downtown water tank, once we’ve had it painted.”
Any person or business interested in a sponsorship, may call Mayor Terry Gardner at Minden City Hall, 377-2144.
One of Rocker’s heroes is Will Rogers. His truisms are as appropriate for the misguided today as they were in the early 20th century. After a slight faux pas at the site of one of our town’s scenic gazebos, we thought of ol’ Will and something he might have said.
“When you’re diggin’ a hole, make sure it’s not already occupied,” Rogers might have observed.
A crew digging space for commemorative bricks at the Jacqueline Park gazebo accidentally struck historical paydirt in the form of a cement-encased time capsule buried by Chamber of Commerce folks in 1976. Those planners intended the object d’history (i.e., Chamber pot) to be in the ground 100 years, but you know what Robert Burns said about best laid plans.
Funny that nobody knew there was something timely buried at the place. Yes, officials said, there had been another time box posted at Jacqueline but vandals had pre-opened that one. Assumers thought that particular item was the one and only but you know what folks say about assuming.
We wonder if there is any documentation on capsule number two and its intended grand opening date, or is it possible 2076 would have rolled around and history would have continued its underground existence. As Cool Hand Luke’s warden announced, what we have here is a failure to communicate.
Also slightly humorous is what the digger-uppers thought they may have uncovered. Someone wondered if they might have dug up a bomb. Now that would have been a blast from the past. But, since bombs aren’t usually wrapped in an American flag, the discoverers decided to go ahead with the opening. Happily, no loud noise.
One of the more unique items found inside was a savings account from the now-absorbed Minden Building & Loan showing $50 in the books, donated by former Minden Mayor Tom Colton. An article in the local newspaper at the time reported the account could be worth more than fifty grand in 100 years. Wonder if there will be any penalties enforced for early withdrawal. Only bankers know, and you have to b1.
It will be interesting to learn just how much fifty bucks can accrue over 46 years, and who the beneficiary will be. If it is determined the dough goes to the city, there could be a problem. With the current council’s track record concerning free money, the vote could be 3-2 to turn down even this small windfall.
We’re making plans to rent a trailer and haul the ol’ rocker down to the local museum and take a gander at the stuff from the capsule. One thing we know for certain. There won’t be a miniature statue.
Railroad crossing on Dorcheat Road, at the Allen Drive intersection (Gilark) will be closed for repairs beginning tomorrow. The railroad department is replacing crossing. Traffic will detour using Allen Drive or Methodist Camp Road. It will be closed Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19.
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
NATCHITOCHES – When “Coach Dad” hung up his whistle Tuesday, retiring after 23 impactful seasons as head basketball coach at Northwestern State, his son Logan was there, smiling, and hurting.
Logan, a State Farm Insurance agent in Minden, was in elementary school when the family moved from Bossier City to Natchitoches in 1999 when his father, Mike McConathy, took over the NSU program.
He and his older brother, Michael, were close companions of their dad’s at countless practices, team gatherings and games. The players were older brothers, then, ultimately, teammates (for Logan, from 2007-11). Since then, Logan has remained deeply connected to the program through steady conversations with his father and attending as many games as possible while he and wife Lyndzee, girls basketball coach at Airline High School, are raising their adorable three children.
McConathy roots run deep in Demon basketball, dating back to just after World War II, when three McConathy boys from Bienville Parish played for H. Lee Prather in an enchanted era.
When Logan’s father took the job in 1999, he pledged to bring Demon basketball back to the success it enjoyed when those McConathys played, when winning seasons were routine, and championships were frequent.
Mission accomplished, and then some.
Mike McConathy became the state’s all-time winningest college basketball coach, a man whose impact has extended far past 682 wins in 39 seasons at NSU and before that, Bossier Parish Community College, beyond the NSU hallmarks of three NCAA Tournament berths, two wins in March Madness, seven Southland Conference Tournament title game appearances and an impeccable record of academic accomplishment and community service by his players.
Such has been his impact that at his sendoff Tuesday, university officials announced that the playing floor in NSU’s Prather Coliseum will forever more be called “Mike McConathy Court.”
That honor sent Logan’s heart soaring, but not enough to overcome his bittersweet emotions.
“I’ve been on this team for 23 years. To see it come to an end is difficult. This place means something powerful to all the McConathy family, because it goes back not just the last 23 years, but all the way to the time my Pappy (grandfather John McConathy) and uncles (George and Leslie) played here,” said Logan.
“It’s an exciting time, but it’s also a somber time. Standing here looking at the banners and remembering all that went into the last 23 years, it’s been one heck of a ride,” he said.
The very best of times came 16 years ago today, on St. Patrick’s Day 2006, in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on court at The Palace, the home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. In a first-round NCAA Tournament game, the 14th-seeded Demons rallied from 17 points down with 8:32 remaining and stunned No. 3-seeded Iowa, the Big Ten Conference Tournament champions, 64-63.
The Hawkeyes, ranked 15th nationally, were hot and were popular picks to make a long tournament run. Instead, after the amazing ending, it was the Demons who were the toast of March Madness.
It was decided by a Webster Parish native, Lakeside High product Jermaine Wallace, raised in Heflin. Wallace hustled to rebound a teammate’s miss in the closing seconds, collected it, dribbled out past the 3-point arc to the left corner and launched the game-winning shot. It dropped through with half a second left.
“Cinderella Wears Purple!” read a sign waved by one prescient NSU fan in the stands.
Logan was a high school senior, already set to join Michael on the Demon roster, playing for their dad. Michael was redshirted as a freshman and had to sit in the stands with Logan, and family and friends, across the court from the NSU bench – perfectly located to see the historic play unfold.
“I still remember where I was sitting, directly behind the corner where Jermaine took the shot. I have the picture (displayed above) hanging in my office, like every Demon does,” said Logan. “All the work, all the heartache, and all the high points, they crested right then and there, in that game, in that moment, and it will live in time, maybe forever, in the history of the NCAA Tournament.”
It’s been celebrated as one of the greatest moments, and in fact, greatest games, in March Madness. It’s been part of a script in a CBS soap opera, it was the focal point of a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial, and it’s a defining event in the lives of those who were on, and around, the 2005-06 Demons – a team that became known as “the Demons of Destiny.”
It was a team four years in the making. A year after NSU’s first NCAA Tournament trip, which featured a 71-67 victory over Winthrop in the first-ever Opening Round Game in Dayton, Ohio, the Demons signed a 12-member 2002 recruiting class. The freshmen of 2002-03 won just six games, and only 11 as sophomores. But their final two years brought 47 wins and a pair of Southland Conference championships to Northwestern, and ultimately, lasting fame.
“I was in high school, but around those guys a ton. Seeing that progression, when Jermaine and the rest were freshmen and sophomores, you had a sense they were going to be good, but it took time. It did come together the next two seasons, and you couldn’t end it any better,” said Logan.
Two of the Demons of Destiny, Marcellas Ross and Keenan Jones, have died. The others are parents and hard-working members of their communities. Now, their coach has retired, and will be a doting grandfather who will redirect a tireless work ethic into other endeavors.
“I know he’ll find plenty of things to do. That doesn’t concern me,” said Logan.
Wednesday, Mike McConathy was mowing grass at the family homestead, a Bienville Parish farm six miles from where Bonnie and Clyde were halted May 23, 1934. Logan’s “Pappy” remembered hearing the roar of the gunfire in his childhood.
Fortunately, the roars Mike McConathy has experienced have never been louder than those in Auburn Hills on a chilly, late winter day, March 17, 2006.
There’s one truth about numbers. Numbers do not lie.
For example: In 2018, there were zero dollars put into the community for new commercial construction. In 2021, there was $12.5 million. Overall new construction in Minden, both residential and commercial, has ballooned from a mere $7.9 million in 2018 to more than $26 million in 2021.
Those numbers are astonishing. Here’s another number. That’s an increase of 229 percent.
Let me write that again. That is an increase of 229 percent.
I am proud of what has been accomplished during my first term as your mayor. We have come together as a business community and fought our way through the Covid pandemic and thrived. I have always maintained that there are people smarter than me. I’ve never been the type of person to walk into a room and think I’m the most intelligent. That’s arrogant and not true. And you can’t accomplish anything with arrogance and lying to yourself.
But the one thing I have always prided myself on is doing my best to work with people. To find out ways to help people with different opinions find common ground and work to one common goal – the betterment of this wonderful community we are blessed to call our home.
During my first term, we have opened 60 new businesses, including retail, medical, restaurants, service and more. These businesses have brought in more than 300 new jobs. And there is so much more to come.
The reason businesses are locating here, as well as the reason why HGTV has chosen Minden for its new program, is because the outside world sees the value of our community. They see the small town, close-knit atmosphere. They see opportunity for growth and prosperity.
They see Minden for all the good it has to offer and know that there is so much more that can be achieved. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of our potential. There is so much more we can do, but it takes forward thinking, strong leadership, and a commitment to try new things.
For example, did you know that we are building a $1.2 million solar farm near Babb’s Park? This will help defray the high costs of our utility bills. Speaking of which, Minden needs someone with experience, leadership and the necessary business and people skills to negotiate far better terms on our rates once the current contract expires.
It takes strong leadership and knowledge of how the city works to keep us moving forward and to help all of us maximize what we can earn while keeping costs low so there is less burden on all of us.
I am looking to the future. The solar farm, energy rates, electric vehicles. Did you know we will construct electric car charging stations at City Hall? This is for any resident who may have an electric car, but it is also a good bit of knowledge for those traveling the interstate who need to pop in and charge their vehicle. While they are here, they will eat at our restaurants and shop in our stores.
They will see a downtown that was desolate and nearly empty a few years ago but is now full of local stores that are thriving.
Downtown was in shambles, but in 2022 there is not a place to rent or purchase. It is a thriving, positive heartbeat of our community. More numbers for additional proof. Our sales tax continues to grow and is solid month after month. That means we are shopping local AND people are coming from all around to be a part of what we have to offer.
But it goes beyond retail. You must keep a city’s infrastructure solid. I will tell you truthfully that we were lagging in what we should have been doing to protect the roads we drive on, the ones we use to take our children to school, the ones we use to go see our loved ones.
I’m excited to announce that because of the city’s growth and positive sales tax, there is $1.5 million in the budget to overlay Country Club Circle to Homer Road this June. We will also work on large stretches of Pine Street and Sheppard. We are working to better our water and sewer systems. We are rehabilitating our downtown water tower and planning many additional improvements to our infrastructure.
Again, numbers do not lie. I am proud of the work in our community during my first term as your mayor. The future is truly bright, and I will always work for the betterment of this town. I have lived here since 1978 and Minden has given me everything. All I have ever wanted to do is give a little back.
The outside world sees it.
The numbers do not lie. Just look at two: 2018 and 2022.
The numbers do not lie. 2018 and 2022. Which year is better for Minden? Judging from the numbers, it’s plain to see we have achieved so much in a very short period.
And we will do so much more.
Next week, March 21 – 25, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) will partner with Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) to celebrate Louisiana Community College Week statewide on the campuses of the 12 colleges within the system.
“Inspired, Equipped and Ready to Work is not just our motto, it’s our culture as a college. Everything we do as a college is focused on helping our students achieve their life goals,” said Dr. Earl Meador, Chancellor of Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College. “We are excited about the opportunity to show off all three of our campuses during Community College Week, and invite the community to stop by and see all that we have to offer.”
The purpose of Louisiana Community College Week is to inform prospective students of all ages about the colleges, programs offered and the potential careers that those programs can develop.
Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College (NLTCC) will host campus tours, free health screenings and vitals checks at the Minden Campus, Coffee with the Chancellor opportunities and more.
Currently among the most productive and fastest growing two-year college systems in the nation, Louisiana’s community and technical colleges have garnered national recognition for their innovative and workforce-centric approach to education and training.
March 22
9 a.m. Minden City Council Workshop on City of Minden Employee Manual. Pelican Conference Room, Minden City Hall.
10 a.m. Stained Glass Storytime in the Children’s Department of the Minden branch of the Webster Parish Library. “The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum” and “Not Quite Narwhal,” followed by stained glass crafts.
March 26
9 a.m. until 1 p.m., NWHS Baseball Mini-Camp at NWHS baseball field on Stateline Rd. Deadline to register: March 18. Call or text 318-578-2359.
6 p.m. The Perrys at CAC Building, Springhill.
March 29
10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Job and Career Expo at NLTCC, 9500 Industrial Dr., Minden.
March 31
6:30 p.m. “Be the Calm in the Chaos,” A discussion on serving those who are suffering, sponsored by WHO of North Webster, Springhill Medical Center and First Baptist Church of Springhill. The event will be held at FBC, Springhill. Speaker: Morgan Grantham.
April 2
10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Wings & Wheels Fly-In & Car Show at Minden Airport.
April 4-7
8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. school bus driver training course for Webster Parish Schools. Site is Harper Pathway to Excellence Center, 618 Germantown Rd., Minden. For more information, call 318-377-7052 for Jeff Franklin.
April 5
Greater Minden chamber’s Annual Awards Gala, celebrating 80 years. Presented by Minden Medical Center.
April 15-17
Spring Highway 80 sale between Minden and Dixie Inn.
April 23
Piney Hills Master Gardeners Annual Green Thumb Jamboree. Plant sale, vendors, food truck and activities for the kids. Vendors of all kinds contact Marilyn Bunton at 318-299-0137.
April 30 & May 1
7 a.m. both days, Minden Evening Lions Club will be hosting a garage sale fundraiser at the Minden Fairgrounds field. They are taking donations now if you have anything you’d like to contribute to help them raise funds you can contact Sherrie McMurray at 294-6346, Dru Brown at 272-2467 or Tommy McMurray.
May 7
9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tradition with a Twist Quilt Show presented by Piney Needles Quilt Guild. South Main Mall, Springhill. Free admission.
Journal Staff
Founded in November of 2014, Women Helping Others (WHO) is an organization formed to help others in need.
“Our organization was formed when one precious lady, Casey Warford, decided that she wanted to form a group to help others in North Webster Parish,” said Pam Jenkins, one of WHO’s founding members. “Casey’s husband Heath was burned in a terrible accident. So many in the community surrounded them with love, prayers, financial support and so many other things that Casey wanted to develop a way to ‘give back or pay it forward.'”
Jenkins said Heath told her to just do it, if that was what God was telling her to do. Casey then reached out to a few local women and started making some plans.
“In November 2014, about 10 women met to have our first planning meeting,” Jenkins continued. “A name was developed and things got rolling. WHO has grown from a group of about 14 the first year to now … we are 40 members strong.”
Jernkins said the group has been a learn-as-you-go experience and is full of ladies with huge hearts.
“We have done major fundraisers over the past 6 years for many in need – the first year our biggest project was Maddy Matters,” she said. “This was a barrel race and roping event held to help with medical expenses for Madeline Mouse.”
Madeline was 13 years old and had Cystic Fibrosis. She was quite ill and the family knew that a lung transplant was in the near future. WHO raised enough money to assist this family with their hotel stays and trips back and forth to Houston when the time came for Maddy to have the lung transplant. Maddy is now a vibrant, healthy 18 year old.
WHO continued to have fundraisers in the area when needed and helped others in any way possible for the first two years.
“Then things seemed to really grow for our organization and we realized that as a group, funds were needed for so many other things in our community,” Jenkins said. “Up until this point, we mainly depended on members and some donations to help when a need should arise.”
So an annual fundraising event was born– a huge women’s event held yearly between August and October – for women only. It is a themed night with food, friends and fun for all the ladies. A date and theme have not been chosen yet for this year.
Another event is the annual golf tournament. It will be held September 10 at Springhill Country Club. It’s a 3-man scramble for $300 per team. For more information, check out WHO’s website or like them on Facebook.
March 14
Jeremy Clark, 29, of Constable St., Minden, was arrested by Probation and Parole for a probation violation on a charge of domestic abuse by strangulation.
Clyde Jones, 48, of the 100 block of Milton Dr., Minden, was arrested by Minden Police on a warrant for distribution of marijuana and one for distribution of synthetic marijuana.
March 15
Timothy David Clark, 34, of the 100 block of McDade St., Sibley, was arrested by Webster Parish Sheriff’s deputies on a warrant for criminal damage to property
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The following civil suits were filed with the Webster Parish Clerk of Court the week beginning March 7:
March 7
Joseph Andrew Cook vs. Kendall Michelle Cook, divorce w/children.
Demetriuna Morrs vs. Jerry Rowell, United Financial Casualty Company, Hickory Creek Timber Co., LLC, damages.
Shirley Markray vs. Jimmy Lee Markray, protective order.
Julian N. Rieder aka Julie N. Reider vs. Nexion Health at Minden Inc., damages.
March 8
Keshun Clark vs. Felicia Jackson, custody.
Veronica Taylor vs. Curtis Lee Murphy, protective order.
Oneman Financial Group LLC vs. Kimberlee Macks, monies due.
Standley Jamelle Hawkins, Lillie Hawkins vs. Kendra Davis, custody.
Eman Jaber vs. Husam Alzyod, protective order.
Tammie Lynn Rogers vs. Michael D. Rogers, Sr., divorce.
March 10
Husam Aldean Ahmad Alzyod vs. Eman Afeef Jaber, divorce.
Yolanda Evette Randle vs. Billy Ray Randle, divorce.
Cavalry SPV I LLC as Assignee of Citibank NA vs. April J. Timmons, monies due.
March 11
Channing William Hall vs. Schuyler Marvin, District Attorney, name change.
State of Louisiana vs. Cameron Jessup and Stacy Martin, forfeiture.
Carter Federal Credit Union vs. Jeffery Huffman, monies due.
Suzanne Defratis vs. Jennifer Marie McCaman, voluntary transfer of custody.
March 14
Nancy Thomas vs. Lance D. Thomas, divorce.
Valley Smith Woodford vs. Benjamin Moses Woodford Jr., divorce.
Audrey Ernell Harper Peters
Feb. 20, 1921 – March 14, 2022
Visitation: one hour prior to service
Funeral service: 2 p.m., Friday, March 18, 2022, Rose-Neath Funeral Home Chapel, Coushatta
Jimmy Harmon
March 17, 1948 – March 15, 2022
Visitation: from 1 until 2 p.m. Friday, March 18, 2022 at Athens Community Church, Athens, La.
Funeral service: 2 p.m. Friday, March 18, 2022 at Athens Community Church, Athens, La.
Burial: Tulip Cemetery near Athens
Branch ‘Buddy’ Lee Young
Sept. 29, 1936 – Feb. 10, 2022
Celebration of life: 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Plain Dealing Community Center
Burial: Salem Cemetery, Plain Dealing
Thelma Louise Logan
July 12, 1932 – March 9, 2022
Visitation: 10 a.m. until noon, Saturday, March 19, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport
Graveside: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, 2022at Shaw Family Cemetery, 1591 Sloan Rd., Mansfield
Approval of Industrial Tax Exemption applications in Webster Parish will be in the hands of three local entities rather than the state after members of the parish school board voted unanimously Monday to retain authority to make decisions on those requests.
Board members decided to not seek an additional 30 days to take action on an application, opting instead to move ahead with approval. That action came after board member Charles Strong suggested no delay was necessary.
“Going ahead puts the authority to grant exemptions in the hands of the parish police jury, the sheriff and the school board,” Strong explained. “The state had wanted the authority to approve these, but it needs to remain local.”
Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) offers attractive tax incentives for manufacturers who make a commitment to jobs and payroll in the state. With local approval, the program provides a five-year, 100 percent property tax abatement and an option to renew for three additional years at 80 percent.
Board members also approved the district’s 2022-23 school calendar which shows students receiving 164 total instructional days. And, due to a shortage of drivers, board members approved allowing school teachers to drive school busses and receive driver pay plus benefits.
Also at Monday’s meeting, board members approved trips by school personnel and staff to several instructional seminars, and said yes to requests for funding of projects at several schools.
By Bonnie Culverhouse
The year was 1976. What was popular then?
In 1976, the Minden South Webster Chamber of Commerce buried a time capsule that was supposed to stay in the ground until 2076, but progress had another plan.
“We were digging a place to put the bricks beside Jacqueline Park’s gazebo, and uncovered the time capsule,” Minden Mayor Terry Gardner said Tuesday. “There was a time capsule in a post on the same site. It was vandalized and removed, so we thought that was it. Then, when they were digging today, we found another one.”
Boots on the Boulevard, a community task force designed to beautify the area before Spring events bring visitors to the area, is selling bricks to go in the spot on the south side of the gazebo.
CW&W Contractors in Sibley was excavating a spot for the concrete forms Tuesday morning when they hit an unexpected slab.
So, they kept digging until around seven to eight feet later, they unearthed what … well, they weren’t sure.
“It’s either a time capsule or a bomb,” said Bobby Taylor with CW&W.
The plastic outer layer of the capsule was encased in concrete and located beneath the slab.
“The mayor called me to come look at it to see if I could identify it,” said Col. Carl Thompson. “It does look like a bomb.”
When workers released the valve on the end, it emitted a hissing noise as if it was sealed with nitrogen. It took more than an hour to get the capsule out of the ground and another half hour to rid it of a second concrete casing.
Inside was an aluminum capsule wrapped in an American flag. Once all the bolts were removed, workers found a treasure trove of items from the year it was buried, including a Bible belonging to Larry Reed.
A savings account book from Minden Building & Loan showed $50 in it from former Mayor Tom Colton. According to a newspaper article published at that time, the account was projected to be worth more than $51,000 if the capsule had stayed buried for 100 years.
Photographs, maps and a number of other items were also removed.
The capsule, its items and the flag were taken to the Dorcheat Historical Museum for cataloguing and display.
Gus and Jezebel live next door, and sometimes Molly from a house over is there and sometimes even Duke from down the street. These are labs and herding dogs and mixes of athletic breeds, serious animals, and when the mailman or mailwoman come by each day, it is Armageddon, the Olympics of Barking.
And all these dogs are gold medal contenders.
No problem. Our mail carriers have more than once smiled at me and said, above the insane barking, “They love me.”
Maybe you don’t need a sense of humor to carry the mail, but I have to believe it helps. That, and spray repellant.
All this came to mind after a letter arrived alerting us that this is the 230th anniversary of the U.S. Postal System. The actual date that President George Washington created the modern-day post office is Feb. 20, 1792, so the letter was three weeks late but, hey, who’s counting?
I’m not, and here’s why:
The post office is a dart board for complaints. Stamps are too high. Service is slow. “Y’all make my dogs bark.”
Easy target.
But allow me to argue for my brothers and sisters at the USPS.
First of all, a “sort of” mail delivery had been in place since 1775, and Benjamin Franklin, you’ll remember from history class, was our first postmaster general. His salary was $1,000 annually. That’s a lot back then but … it would not have bought nearly as many stamps then as today.
Back then, a dollar equaled about 30 bucks in today’s dough. So a 12-cents stamp, the most fancy stamp you could get, one that would get a letter as far as you needed it to go—to one of the new states like, say, from Philly to Kentucky — would have cost between three and four bucks, if you’ll kindly do the math (because I can’t).
I just don’t understand why anyone would complain today that, for 50 cents, I can mail a check from my house to the insurance or electricity people instead of having to go to the actual address and hand it to the insurance or electricity people. It’s a bargain — and a lot better bargain than it was in 1792, when the “new” post office, in addition to other improvements, guaranteed lower mailing rates for newspapers, greatly advancing the idea of a free press.
Also back then the penalty for robbing a mail delivery person or stealing mail from the post office was death (see Sect. 17 of the Official Act). That’s right: The Big D. And you think 50 cents is a high price to pay.
Today the fine for such misguided tomfoolery is “only” five years in prison, which is no walk in the park but it beats having your mail and earthly address discontinued permanently.
So shut your pie hole!, you USPS bashers.
Finally, how do the mail sorters know how to do that? How can all this paperwork, all these envelopes of different sizes, come into One Building and people in there are fast enough, basically overnight, to get it into The Appropriate Piles?
And how do different carriers get My Mail to My House? Now and then I’ll get Jezebel or even Molly’s mail and will have to walk next door and trade, but still, even getting a letter from Fort Worth to within two doors of my house for half a dollar is cause for celebration, in my way of thinking.
Nobody’s perfect, but in a dog-eat-dog world, the USPS is carrying its weight and then some. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night — nor barking dog — stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Hat tippage.
I should mail them a thank-you note. (Think they’ll get it?)
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu
Wilderness experiences are a part of life. The Israelites knew all about the wilderness. They spent a lot of time there following their release from captivity in Egypt and the miraculous deliverance through the Red Sea. Then, because of their disobedience and lack of trust, they endured another 40 years in the wilderness. There were also the prophet Elijah, Job and in the New Testament we find the familiar story of the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by Satan.
We are also met with our own wilderness experiences in life. Those times where we find ourselves struggling spiritually, financially, emotionally or with health issues. Some days we just struggle to make it through the day. We may feel exhausted, lost, hungry, confused or forgotten. We may even grumble and complain just like the Israelites did so often. We cry out for help asking, “Why Lord? Why is this taking so long? Where are you?”
I believe these times are not a punishment from God but rather a test. God uses these seasons in our lives to reveal things in our own hearts that could not have been revealed in any other way. It is a time to listen, learn and grow from the hard and holy stretching God wants to do in us. We can resist or we can allow this season to do its work.
Where do find yourself now? Do you find yourself in the wilderness? Or have you been in the past? If not, you will be some day. I find myself wandering in my own wilderness season that has gone on for way too long, if you ask me. Have I grumbled ? Yes! Have I complained? Yes! Am I learning more about God and his character? Yes! Am I learning more about myself? Yes! Am I learning to let go and trust? Yes! Is it easy? No! It is a hard good of learning, reflecting, confession and repenting. It is worth it, because He is worth it.
There are lessons to be learned in the wilderness seasons of our lives if we are willing to lean in, listen, wait and trust. I may be wandering and you may, too. But we are not alone. The God of grace meets us even in the wilderness.
Bare heights of loneliness … a wilderness whose burning winds sweep over glowing sands, what are they to HIM? Even there He can refresh us, even there, He can renew us. Amy Carmichael
Your fellow sojourner, Jennifer Thomas
The Webster Parish Journal “WPJ” publishes paid engagement and wedding announcements, as well as anniversaries, for couples who reside in the parish, who have relatives in the parish or who are getting married in the parish. (Fees apply.)
This move by the Journal allows couples to showcase their announcement.
Information for engagement announcements include:
Digital photograph of the couple
The couple’s names
The couple’s hometowns
High school and/or college of the couple
Parents’ names and/or grandparents’ names
Ties to the parish
Wedding time, date, and place
An interesting fact about the couple
Information for the wedding announcements include:
Digital photograph of the couple
The couple’s names
The couple’s hometowns
High school and/or college of the couple
Parents’ names and/or grandparents’ names
Officiant
Attendants
Ties to the parish
Wedding time, date, and place
For engagement and wedding announcement fees and/or to submit information for publication, please email wpjnewsla@gmail.com.
By Robert St. John
MADRID— I spent the final month of 2011 in Spain. I was nearing the end of a six-month sojourn with my wife, 14-year-old daughter, and 10-year-old son. We covered a large part of the country — Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga. There were several other stops such as Segovia for the meats and Bilbao for the arts, but our focus was on those other cities.
We all fell in love with Spain. To me, it’s second only to Italy over here. It’s strange, but before I went on that long comprehensive trip, if asked, I would have said France would be number one followed by Great Britain. I am certainly a Francophile when it comes to food, but I side with the Italians in that longstanding heated argument. Great Britain isn’t necessarily a food-lovers country. Though I have had many great meals there.
Spain was the big surprise on that original trip. We fell in love with the people and the food and the laid-back culture.
Here I am in 2022, back in Spain, exactly two years after a global pandemic shut down the world. I took a quick two-week working vacation into Tuscany last fall, but other than that, this is the first time I’ve been back in Europe since the pandemic hit.
I write this at 6:30 a.m. as the sun is beginning to rise through my hotel windows as it creeps above the tree line over beautiful El Retiro Park. There are 25 people in other rooms in this hotel waiting to start a 10-day journey with me retracing the route I took a little more than 10 years ago. I am glad to be back and working over here again.
I use the term work, but it’s not hard work. It’s not like landscaping or construction. I’ve done those jobs. That’s work. And I’m not a tour guide, not at all. Even though I’ve led more than 500 people through Italy over the past several years, I’m just a host. I find great people and great places and I love turning Americans on to those people and places.
This trip was booked pre-Covid, more than two years ago. The beauty of this group is that almost all the 25 people here have travelled with me before. For many of them, this will be their fourth or fifth trip. We are friends now, and that’s what the next 10 nights in Spain are going to be, a group of friends traversing the country and enjoying another culture, its people, and its food.
I never intended to be a tour host. It just happened. When my family was on the long six-month European trip, I invited my friend and co-collaborator/business partner Wyatt Waters over to join us on the Italian leg. He and I had written two books together at the time (four now, with another in the can waiting release one day). We worked on an Italian coffee-table cookbook, and from the resulting promotional book tour and requests from readers, we began bringing people to Italy.
Wyatt has suspended European travel for a bit and is staying closer to home and traveling the South while focusing on his new book project that will be out this fall.
While Waters and I were leading those tours we also filmed five seasons of our show “Palate to Palette” which can be viewed at public broadcasting’s website. We were set to film season six in Spain when the pandemic hit.
March of 2020 held a lot of unanswered questions and confusion. No one knew the extent of what was coming. We were a few days away from the “Two weeks to stop the spread” mindset. Little did we know we were in this for the long haul. When it became apparent that full countries were starting to shut down, I cancelled the Spain trip. Unfortunately, we had one couple who was already over here in Portugal set to meet us in Madrid. Fortunately, they are good friends and have travelled with us many times and were able to make their way to London to fly home.
I rescheduled the Spain trip (and all my Italy trips) for the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. Surely, I thought, this thing will be over in a matter of months. If we can stop the spread in a matter of weeks, certainly things will get back to normal in a few months. We all know the rest of that story. I ended up rescheduling and rescheduling and cancelling several other groups when the Delta variant hit, until now.
Here we are. Back again. Italy felt very safe last fall. They still take a lot of precautions over here, and in Italy. I’ll be shooting a new television show over here called “Yonderlust.” The first season will cover Spain and our journey on this trip with these friends.
Typically, I am not a group-travel person. I have gone on a few group trips food suppliers have gifted me throughout the years, but if they hadn’t been free, I would have preferred to travel with my wife as a couple. Though there is something about the way we do these trips. I can’t quite put my finger on it. But it’s not like we’re in a group travelling. It’s just like having a group of like-minded friends experiencing new things.
We always err on the side of local non-touristic things and places. We hit some of the can’t-be-missed historical places, but for the most part I use locals to get us behind the scenes and into the places only the locals know and love.
So, again, I’m not a tour guide. I hire others to cover that role, and they are the best in the business. They know their stuff. They are enthusiastic, and smart and energetic as well as knowledgeable, and — just as our guests have become friends — these guides and experts have become my good friends.
Ultimately, we are all just friends travelling through European countries satisfying our wanderlust, or in the case of we American southerners, younderlust.
Onward.
Calamari Salad
2 ½ lbs. Calamari, sliced tubes and tentacles
½ gallon Water
¼ cup Dry white wine
¼ cup White vinegar
4 each Lemons
2 TB + 1 tsp Kosher salt
1 TB Whole black peppercorns
1 sprig Italian flat leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 TB Red wine vinegar
1 TB Tarragon vinegar
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp Fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp Fresh garlic, minced
¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
2-3 each Large leaves fresh basil, chiffonade
In a 2 quart stock pot, combine water, wine, white vinegar, 2 lemons, 2 TB salt, peppercorns and the sprigs of parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the calamari. Leave in the water for 3-4 minutes to partially cook the calamari. Strain and spread out on a pan to cool completely. Discard the poaching liquid.
Stack the basil leaves, roll them tight, and slice thin with a sharp knife (chiffonade)
Once the calamari has cooled, combine with the juice of the remaining 2 lemons, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, oil, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley leaves and basil. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Serve chilled.
(Robert St. John is a chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)
By Shakera Williams, M.P.H., Assistant FCS Nutrition Extension Agent – General & SNAP- ED, Webster/Claiborne Parish
Try new protein options. Add one of these fun choices:
Color your plate. Add some color to your creation! Top your salad with these enticing ingredients:
Kick up the Crunch. Every salad needs a little crunch! Try these additions:
Dress the Salad. Try or make a new salad dressing that interests you or skip the dressing and use one of these choices instead:
Give it some green. Don’t limit yourself to iceberg lettuce. There are many options when it comes to salad greens. The darker the green, the more nutrients they contain. Build your salad with some of these greens:
• Kale
• Butter lettuce
• Romaine
• Arugula
• Spinach
• Red or green leaf lettuce
• Watercress
• Micro greens
The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.
March 22
9 a.m. Minden City Council Workshop on City of Minden Employee Manual. Pelican Conference Room, Minden City Hall.
10 a.m. Stained Glass Storytime in the Children’s Department of the Minden branch of the Webster Parish Library. “The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum” and “Not Quite Narwhal,” followed by stained glass crafts.
March 26
9 a.m. until 1 p.m., NWHS Baseball Mini-Camp at NWHS baseball field on Stateline Rd. Deadline to register: March 18. Call or text 318-578-2359.
6 p.m. The Perrys at CAC Building, Springhill.
March 29
10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Job and Career Expo at NLTCC, 9500 Industrial Dr., Minden.
April 2
10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Wings & Wheels Fly-In & Car Show at Minden Airport.
April 5
Greater Minden chamber’s Annual Awards Gala, celebrating 80 years. Presented by Minden Medical Center.
April 15-17
Spring Highway 80 sale between Minden and Dixie Inn.
April 23
Piney Hills Master Gardeners Annual Green Thumb Jamboree. Plant sale, vendors, food truck and activities for the kids. Vendors of all kinds contact Marilyn Bunton at 318-299-0137.
April 30 & May 1
7 a.m. both days, Minden Evening Lions Club will be hosting a garage sale fundraiser at the Minden Fairgrounds field. They are taking donations now if you have anything you’d like to contribute to help them raise funds you can contact Sherrie McMurray at 294-6346, Dru Brown at 272-2467 or Tommy McMurray.
May 7
9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tradition with a Twist Quilt Show presented by Piney Needles Quilt Guild. South Main Mall, Springhill. Free admission.
By Brad Dison
Two guys walked into a bar… actually it was a tavern called the “House of Lords” in New York City. The date was Friday, April 7, 1865. Sam and his friend had been close since they were children. In the tavern, Sam and his friend “drank considerably” and discussed Abraham Lincoln’s second presidential inauguration, which Sam’s friend had attended.
The morning of March 4, 1865, in Washington, D.C. was dark and gloomy. The rain came down in torrents. The dirt streets were “a sluice of mud.” One newspaper reported, “The Heavens wept profusely and the streets of Washington deluged in mud!” A short distance from the Capitol, a large procession gathered despite the hard rain. The group consisted of a military escort, firemen, and members of several different civic societies.
Despite the rain and muddy streets, streams of people of all “sexes, ages, colors and conditions” made their way to the Capitol to witness the historic ceremony. People also gathered on the sidewalks along Pennsylvania Avenue all the way to the White House, then known as “the Presidential mansion.” Carriages which would have been in great demand due to the inauguration were in even higher demand because of the weather. It would have been in bad form to arrive for the inauguration wearing dirty, soggy clothing. People who wanted to join the celebrations unsoiled by the rain and mud paid top dollar to ride in one of the city’s hundreds of carriages for hire. In order to make the most profit possible, carriage drivers kept the horses moving at a faster pace than would have been normal for the muddy conditions. Even though the carriages had fenders, the mud still sloshed onto passersby. The thin, wooden carriage wheels sliced deep into the mud and launched the sludge a great distance. Sitting in the tavern, Sam’s friend explained that he had taken such a carriage ride to the Capitol.
President Lincoln had arrived at the Capitol early that morning. He was not trying to beat the rain; it had rained on him the whole way. The President was busy “signing bills as fast as they were enrolled.” Shortly before the inauguration ceremony was to begin at the Capitol, the Presidential “equipage” left the Presidential mansion for the Capitol.
In the front of the procession was a strong force of police on horseback. Next came the military portion which consisted of a regiment of infantry (Veteran Reserves), a battalion of cavalry, and a battery of artillery. The Fire Brigade, which was comprised of government and city Fire Departments, and the visiting firemen from Philadelphia, followed. One newspaper reported, “This display was remarkably fine, and was one of the most attractive features in the procession.” The Presidential carriage, which carried Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln and other members of the Presidential household, was escorted by a United States Marshal and the guard of black horse cavalry who were usually on duty at the Presidential mansion. As the carriage drove along Pennsylvania Avenue, the crowd struggled to see who was inside. The Presidential carriage was followed by several civic societies, State delegations and political associations, and a large number of citizens on horseback who had joined the parade of their own volition. The procession was much larger and imposing than had been anticipated considering the weather. While the procession was en route to the Capitol, the “clouds broke away, and the sun shone out with great splendor, giving the scene a bright and cheerful aspect.”
Inside the Capital building, last minute details pertaining to the inaugural ceremonies were finalized. Guards stood at the entrance on the eastern front. All other entrances to the Capital were closed. At ten o’clock, the doors to the eastern entrance were opened. Some people were crushed as the crowd rushed through the doors and scrambled to find seats. Within minutes, every available space in the chamber was occupied. Keeping order was nearly impossible.
Just before noon, the official procession, which consisted of members of the Supreme Court, President Lincoln and Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, members of the cabinet, and other government officials, filed into the chamber. Vice President Hamlin presented a heartfelt farewell speech. Vice President elect Andrew Johnson made a speech which was “remarkable only for its incoherence, which brought a blush to the cheek of every Senator and official of the government who was present.” Following his speech, Mr. Johnson took the oath of office as Vice President. Then came the moment that the crowd had come to see. The official procession moved to the platform in from of the portico of the eastern front of the Capitol. An estimated thirty to forty thousand people, most of which had to stand in the deep mud, broke out into enthusiastic cheers upon President Lincoln’s appearance before them.
At the table in the “House of Lords” tavern, Sam’s friend told him that he had a good view of President Lincoln. Unlike the majority of onlookers, his status was such that he was able to watch the inauguration from a clean, dry, raised balcony overlooking President Lincoln. Sam’s friend bragged that he had been as close to the President as he was to his friend sitting at the table. Sam’s friend was there when Lincoln spoke the words, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds…”
With the conclusion of President Lincoln’s speech, a battery of artillery stationed near the Capitol fired a national salute, and the jubilant onlookers cheered again. Sam’s friend watched as the procession returned to the interior of the Capitol and escorted Mr. Lincoln to the Presidential mansion. Sitting in the bar in New York, Sam listened intently as his friend shared the details of the day and was taken aback by what his friend said next. Sam’s friend struck the table and said, “What an excellent chance I had to killed the President, if I had wished, on inauguration day!” Exactly one week after Sam and his friend discussed the second inauguration at a tavern in New York City, April 14, 1865, Sam’s friend shot President Abraham Lincoln. Sam Chester’s friend was John Wilkes Booth.
Sources:
1. New York Daily Herald, March 5, 1865, p.2.
2. The Daily Milwaukee News, March 5, 1865, p.1.
3. Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia), April 15, 1865, p.1.
4. Edward Jr. Steers, The Trial: The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2003), 45.
5. “History Detectives Episode 8, Lincoln Assassination,” PBS, accessed March 10, 2022, –tc.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/static/media/transcripts/2011-04-01/108_lincoln.pdf.
6. Dave Taylor, “Booth at Lincoln’s Second Inauguration,” LincolnConspirators.com, May 31, 2012, //lincolnconspirators.com/2012/05/31/booth-at-lincolns-second-inauguration/#:~:text=Then%20in%20the%20February%2013,his%20pictures%20of%20the%20inauguration..
I remember as a kid how we played outside until the streetlights came on. We all cried when our moms called our names to come inside. It was a time when you ran or rode your bike behind the mosquito fog truck, breathing in all sorts of chemicals! Times were much simpler back in the early 60’s and 70’s and no one locked their doors at night. People slept with their windows open so the cool nighttime breeze flowed throughout the entire house. Political division was not as prevalent as it is today. If someone had a difference of opinion, you just listened and went about your business. We did not have social media outlets to get online and criticize what they had said. Today I’ll jog your memory as we go back to a time when right was right and wrong was wrong, and people had morals and respected each other.
I remember when your bike was your main form of transportation, and we rode all over town looking for a backstop (sandlot) to get a game of baseball or football going. Parents of this generation did not have to worry about where their kids were. We were mature enough to know the difference between stupid and doing something a little risky. We played baseball games on our own and used ghost runners when you did not have enough players for a full team. If guys disagreed on whether you were out or safe, you worked it out. But every once in a while, it came to blows, only lasting a few punches or until your buddies dragged you off each other. Then, the game would resume as if nothing ever happened. Good times!
I remember playing ball all day, only taking a break to eat something. We would walk to a black berry patch or a fruit tree like a plum, apple, fig or even a pear tree in order to get our nutrition. We didn’t have protein bars or a Subway sandwich store near us…and didn’t need one. We did have a donut shop fairly close that had an ICEE machine, which was a great way to hydrate in the East Texas heat. Nothing better than donut holes and a large coke/strawberry ICEE! I remember sitting under a shade tree with our awesome snack and hearing Little Johnny jokes from the neighborhood renegade (bad boy). It was through these jokes that I got my sex education…some or most Little Johnny jokes were not very clean. But to us, it was a form of dirty language we kept a secret among ourselves.
I remember when I would go fishing or maybe squirrel hunting by myself at the age of 10 with a 20-gauge shotgun. My childhood was awesome, and I still treasure those memories. Today, I feel sorry for kids that they never got to have the freedoms our generation enjoyed in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s sad, but today’s kids are sheltered and protected due to the world we live in. So, it’s up to the older generation of today to make sure we get these kids outside and expose them to the great outdoors in order to keep the passion and traditions alive that we associate with any and all outdoor activities.
Steve Graf
Ranger/Daiwa Pro Staffer
Billy Q. McMullan
Oct. 13, 1937 – March 13, 2022
Service: Private
Funeral Home: Rose-Neath, Minden
Burial: Gardens of Memory Cemetery, Minden
Mae Grace ‘Patsy’ Johnston
Jan. 21, 1932 – March 14, 2022
Visitation: 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 16 at Rose-Neath, Minden
Funeral service: 11 a.m. Rose-Neath Funeral Home Chapel, Minden
Burial: White Hall Cemetery, Haynesville
Branch ‘Buddy’ Lee Young
Sept. 29, 1936 – Feb. 10, 2022
Celebration of life: 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Plain Dealing Community Center
Burial: Salem Cemetery, Plain Dealing
Al J. Edmunds
Oct. 14, 1929 – March 12, 2022
Visitation: 10 a.m. Thursday, March 17 at Rose-Neath, Bossier
Graveside: 11 a.m. Thursday, March 17 at Rose-Neath Cemetery, 5185 Swan Lake Spur, Bossier City
Yvonne Rich Young
Sept. 15, 1934 – March 12, 2022
Graveside service: 2 p.m. Thursday, March 17, 2022 at Plain Dealing Cemetery, Plain Dealing.
Thelma Louise Logan
July 12, 1932 – March 9, 2022
Visitation: 10 a.m. until noon, Saturday, March 19, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport
Graveside: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, 2022at Shaw Family Cemetery, 1591 Sloan Rd., Mansfield
Heather Nicole Martin
June 6, 1989 – March 8, 2022
Celebration of life: 4 until 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at Old Sawmill Pavilion, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston.