The following arrests were made by local law enforcement agencies. Minden Police Department (MPD), Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office (WPSO), Louisiana State Police (LSP) and others which are named.
Dec. 19
Michael Joe Conrad Reeves, 21, of the 100 block of Colby Lane, Sibley, was arrested by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and carrying of a weapon.
Christopher Adam Palmer, 37, of the 600 block of Sibley Road, Minden, was arrested by LSP Troop G as a fugitive from Arkansas and Texas, no seatbelt and driving under suspension.
Kelli Long, 42, of the 600 block of Caney Lake Rd., Minden, was arrested by WPSO for monetary instrument abuse.
Dec. 20
Chase Loyd Slack, 38, of the 400 block of Kings Corner Rd., Sarepta, was arrested by WPSO for criminal damage to property and simple battery.
Hope Lashay Frazier, 31, of the 300 block of East Lorex Road, Minden, was arrested by MPD for 2 counts of resisting with force or violence and remaining after forbidden.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named 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.
Graveside service: 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, Cotton Valley Cemetery under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home, Springhill.
Ruby Mae Bailey
July 31, 1926 – Dec. 9, 2022
Minden, La.
Graveside service: 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, Minden Cemetery under the direction of Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.
Lori Lewis Maddry
May 11, 1958 – Nov. 16, 2022
Minden, La.
Celebration of Life: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Minden, La.
Webster Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or wpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are free of charge.)
National Weather Service says a strong cold front will arrive Thursday with temperatures falling into the 20s and 30s in the area by late afternoon.
Bitterly cold temperatures are expected to move into the region starting Thursday night. But just how cold will it get? Different guidance usually gives different solutions on how cold or warm it could get, however, they usually fall within a range. The graphic below depicts some different probabilities for how cold it could get, the most likely scenario and then the higher end of the temperature range.
Extremely cold air comes every winter in at least part of the country and affects millions of people across the United States. The arctic air, together with brisk winds, can lead to dangerously cold wind chill values. People exposed to extreme cold are susceptible to frostbite in a matter of minutes. Areas most prone to frostbite are uncovered skin and the extremities, such as hands and feet. Hypothermia is another threat during extreme cold. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce.
Minden Police arrested a local man for trying to strangle his son.
James Bradley Carrigan, 48, of the 200 block of East and West St., Minden, is charged with domestic abuse battery with strangulation.
Police Chief Elect Jared McIver said Lt. Joel Kendrick and Off. Heather Feeback responded to the call Sunday evening at the East and West location.
“Carrigan met them at the door,” McIver said. “He was intoxicated and smelled strongly of alcoholic beverage. He was also bleeding from his right knee.”
Carrigan reportedly told Kendrick his son attacked him. According to the report, officers separated Carrigan, his wife and son to conduct interviews.
“The son said his father was drunk and they argued over a dog urinating on the couch,” McIver said. “The son became angry because he though his father caused injury to his dog, thinking it caused the mess.”
The verbal altercation reportedly escalated after the subject began verbally accosting his son, calling him names that were scornful and critical.
“Carrigan allegedly told his son to hit him and learn to fight like a man,” McIver said. “Then he began pushing his son’s head toward the wall. The son admitted pushing away Carrigan in order to create distance, but Carrigan had him pinned against the wall by the throat. The son became fearful and began swinging at his father in order to get away.”
During that time, a wall mirror was reportedly broken and both subjects fell into the glass causing abrasions and lacerations to father and son.
“The father allegedly wrapped his hands around his son’s throat but then switched to using his forearm to strangle him,” McIver said. “Eventually, the son was able to disengage and ran to his room to escape. Carrigan followed him there, causing the son to fear for his safety. He brandished a shotgun toward Carrigan but said he did not point it at him.”
McIver said the son’s girlfriend and mother corroborated his version of events. They further established Carrigan as the predominant aggressor with him antagonizing the son into the altercation.
CARRIGANThis information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named 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.
While conducting research on Minden football, it was apparent the running backs and quarterbacks were the most heralded by the various publications.Rightfully so since there are only two options for football plays – run or pass.Of course, one can get as cute or creative as one wants with those two options, but that’s it.Not much was mentioned about wide receivers and tight ends in those articles.For example, in 1952 I read of Charlie Hennigan catching a forty-four-yard TD pass from Derald Kirkland with no mention of Hennigan having any additional catches in the game.Occasionally, the reporter would mention a catch here and there in other games, but that was pretty much all I had to work with in logging receiving stats.It wasn’t until 2005 that I started seeing more mention of a wide receiver’s game stats reported – Minden began playing football around 1909.
Again, bear in mind that Minden has historically been a run-heavy team, so there may have only been five to ten passes attempted in a game.Of course, the running backs were mentioned more due to the sheer volume of run plays.And then there’s the quarterback who threw all the passes.Once you figured in as many as five wide receivers and tight ends on the field, and the running backs as pass options, too, it immediately watered down a receiver’s chance of having more than one or two catches in a game.Who would want to report on a receiver having two catches for seventeen yards?I get it.But Mr. 1952 Reporter, I’m trying to compile a statistical record book in the future!
October 26, 1917 – Webster Signal – “Clement, Harkness and Riley did their work at end in first class fashion, Clement receiving two passes for good gains.”This is the first mention I found of a Minden player logging a reception in a game.It wasn’t until 1921 that I saw another reported catch. Do you see what I had to work with here?
O.H. Haynes, Jr. caught three TD passes in a game in 1938, but those were his only receptions reported that year.We can safely assume that Haynes caught more passes that year, but it simply wasn’t reported.Haynes’s three receiving TDs in a game set the record very early.Since then, only eight players have had three receiving TD games in EIGHTY-FOUR years.No Crimson Tider has ever had multiple three receiving TD games.Ever.
In 1945 Edward Kennedy was the first Minden receiver to eclipse the century mark in a game with 130 yards on two catches.Stop me if you’ve heard this before.These were the only catches recorded for Kennedy that year.In 1949 Lamar Pace caught four passes for 127 yards and three TDs versus Natchitoches.This was probably the first mention of complete receiving stats in a game.It was over a decade before a Tide receiver would reach the 100-yard mark receiving in a game again.That player was David Lee.
David Lee played tight end, or simply “end” as the papers called them.There were quite a few Minden “Ends” that received All-State honors before Lee in 1960.However, David Lee was the first end to receive All-State notoriety where his full season receiving stats were reported – 46 catches for 685 yards and 5 TDs.David Lee’s season catches and receiving yards records would stand for forty-six years.Lee accounted for almost 50 percent of Edwin Greer’s passing yards that year.They were the Brady-Gronk connection before there was such a thing.By the way, Lee was also first team All-State punter that year.He’s the only player in Minden history to make All-State at two different positions in the same year.Speaking of his punting talent, Lee set a few punting records at Minden that would stand for over twenty years.
Mike Day was the first Tide pass-catcher (“pass-catcher” is purposely used here since Day mostly played running back) to have two, 100+ receiving yard games in a season in 1965.It’s wild to think that it took almost sixty years for that feat to happen for a Crimson Tider.After Day, it would take another forty years for another Tide receiver, “end”, pass-catcher, whatever to have at least two, 100+ receiving yard games in a season (Dakota Haynes, 2005).The next year, Greg Booker pushed that number to five, 100+ receiving yard games in 2006.Jared “Bird” Johnson would match Booker’s five in 2010 and raise it to eight, 100+ receiving yard games in 2011.
The century mark is an exclusive club for the Crimson Tide receiving corps since it has only been accomplished seventy-nine times in Minden’s recorded 1,069 games. However, even more exclusive are the number of times a Tide receiver has surpassed the 200-yard mark – THREE.That didn’t happen until 2012.Let’s make that list smaller, shall we?There are only TWO Tide receivers in that 200-yard club – Elgin Moore (2012) and L’Jarius Sneed (twice in 2015).
At the beginning of this article, I was mully-grubbing about the lack of information on Minden receivers, yet here I am extending this series to two parts.Join me next time as I delve a little further into the history of Minden’s pass-catchers.
This article is written in memory of Mike Leach, current Head Football Coach of the Mississippi State University Bulldogs, lover of the Air Raid offense, who suddenly and tragically passed away last week.
A verbal altercation between a married couple ended when the female threw a cross at her husband.
Erin Nichole Fenimore, 40, of the 3200 block of Evergreen Road, Minden, is charged with domestic abuse battery.
Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said his deputies were dispatched to the Evergreen Road residence around 9 p.m. Sunday.
“Dep. Richard Mitchell and Lt. Coby Barton made contact with the female who admitted the verbal altercation with her husband,” Parker said. “When the deputy asked if anything physical happened, she said no.”
Deputies then spoke to Fenimore’s 18-year-old son who said his mother removed a cross from the wall, threw it at his father and struck him.
“The son said he never saw his father strike his mother,” said the sheriff. “Deputies then spoke to a juvenile daughter who said she was in her room for the beginning of the altercation and therefore didn’t see anything physical.”
The subject’s husband reportedly said they were drinking when argument started.
“He said his wife took the cross off the wall and threw it at him, striking him in the leg,” Parker said. “Deputies observed a swollen spot on his leg consistent with his and his son’s stories. They did not observe any markings on his wife.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named 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.
Although the answer seems a paradox, the debate over Santa’s best reindeer is easy: it’s Rudolph, by a nose.
Deciding the best Christmastime movie, that’s a whole other sleigh full of toys.
Any sane person would of course say the warm but comedic Scrooged from 1988 is the best. It stars Bill Murray as a rotten, entitled TV exec, a modern-day Scrooge who sees the light after experiences with three unforgettable spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future.
But then any person with Christmas truly in his heart would say that’s not even the best movie based on Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol. That spots belongs to The Muppet Christmas Carol from 1992, the brilliant comedy musical starring Michael Caine as Scrooge, Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as his wife, and you get the picture. (The Rats stole the show. I love a funny Muppet rat. In a top hat. And a scarf.)
But then a person with anything more than figgy pudding for brains would agree that even the 1984 made-for-TV drama A Christmas Carol starring a George C. Scott as Scrooge was the best — unless you go another route entirely and raise your hand for A Christmas Story from 1983, now a Christmas classic thanks to Ralphie and his quest for the Red Ryder, and thanks to the late Jean Shepherd, who wrote the story in his 1966 book, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.
And we haven’t even mentioned The Grinch or Charlie Brown yet. Gee whiz …
To each his own in Christmas movies. One man’s Top Gun: Maverick (good!) is another man’s Top Gun (the original: booo!). If we’re choosing reels for reals, I shouldn’t even be given a vote since I’m the only American living or dead who has never seen Christmas Vacation or Home Alone or Die Hard all the way through.
Maybe one of these lonely days …
But maybe on this we can agree. Our favorite movies, should we think about it, were lacking in production value, were grainy and hardly in sharp color, and had no script. They weren’t pretty, but they were authentic. My favorites were filmed in the 1960s, a less-than-celebrated decade marked by indoor wood paneling and shag rugs and shaggy hair and bright colors. The ’60s put the “T” in “Tacky.”
But boy, did it turn out some great Christmas movies. All filmed live.
Dad in the T-shirt with “the camera,” a projector with two-big bulbs. Looked like he was filming with a giant insect. In nearly every shot, the “actors and actresses” — us and our aunts and uncles and cousins and Christmas morning friends — are shielding our eyes from the double deadly bright Lumen Rays of Death emitted from this contraption our father was shooting us with. (The smarter children of that era decided early on to become eye doctors and specialize in the treatment of “Holiday Retina Burn” — and they’re retired today and have no clue how much money they have stashed, all because of those torturing Christmas bulbs.)
In those filmed-at-home movies, I see in my mind the old scene with a 4-year-old boy and the bike. My baby sister holding a doll, and big sis, Sissy, with combs and a pink dress. A chihuahua dragging wrapping paper across the wood floor.
That archaic filming machine captured us with magic sets and footballs and Hot Wheels and Barbies and E-Z-Bakes. Captured Christmases cold and Christmases warm and Christmases wet. Scenes around the table with grandmothers and grandfathers, year after year, older as we grew, but still grainy, shading our eyes, as if trying to squint into the future, with no idea as to how much these movies would mean to us when we finally got there.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu or on Twitter @MamaLuvsManning
Nothing quite matches the energy and excitement one experiences as a kid during the Christmas Eves of his or her youth. My family always ate a formal dinner the night before and my memories of those meals are so overwhelmingly positive. The food was great, sure. But my remembrances are partially slanted on the positive side of the scale because of the anticipation that hung thick in the air over what was to happen the next morning. It’s the one day in life where you wake up to magically delivered toys.
How can one not be excited— to the point of ecstatic— when a jolly old guy is expected to show up in your living room and leave a lot of toys, whether you were good that year or not. They always told me that I was only getting toys of I was good all year. But I can tell you now, as the childhood statute of limitations has definitely expired, I was bad a lot of years— sometimes very bad— and still received toys at Christmas.
My brother always had a hard time going to sleep the night before. We were never allowed to open a gift until the next morning. I had friends whose parents let them open one gift the night before. I had even heard of families that opened all their gifts the night before and slept past 6 a.m. the next day.
There’s no feeling like Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in adulthood. The toys get larger and more expensive, but the excitement isn’t there. My brother and I were always up before the sun rose. Our next-door neighbors, the Hemeters, were the only family whose lights were already on when we awoke. Though we weren’t allowed go into the living room to see what Santa brought us until our grandparents, aunts, and uncles all came to the house. “Just open your stockings and stay in the den,” our mom would say. That amped up the anticipation. It was pure torture.
I never thought about it back then, but our grandparents, aunts, and uncles must have experienced different emotions on getting up Christmas morning and having to drive across town at 5:30a.m. to watch kids shred paper and wildly tear open boxes of toys.
The other holiday anticipatory excitement I experienced as a kid had nothing to do with toys, formal meals, stockings, or bearded men breaking into our house to deliver toys. No. This time of year always brought Christmas movies that weren’t shown the rest of the year.
Waiting for the Christmas movie season to begin also involved anticipation and excitement. But that is a joy I still experience as a 61-year-old man. I love Christmas movies, not cheesy Hallmark stuff, but fun, happy Christmas movies.
Here’s a list of my Top Ten Christmas Movies of All Time:
Honorable Mention: A Nightmare Before Christmas— I feel like I would like this movie. I’m a fan of Tim Burton. I respect the opinions of my friends who like it, but for some reason I’ve never seen it.
10.) A Christmas Carol (1951 version)— there are so many versions of this Dickens classic. As a child I grew up with the Albert Finney Scrooge. I love Finney’s work, but Allister Sim nails the character better than anyone, in my opinion. The special effects are circa late 1940s Hollywood, but this is the classic of all classics.
9.) Love Actually— O.K. it’s a chick flick, but the scene where Emma Thompson opens her Christmas gift and makes a realization about her husband, Alan Rickman, while Joni Mitchell sings an updated version of “Both Sides Now,” is worth the price of admission.
8.) Scrooged— I’ve been a Bill Murray fan since his SNL days in the late 1970s. There’s not much he does that isn’t stellar. This has a very 1980s vibe, but it’s a great re-telling of a classic piece of literature, and Al Green and Annie Lennox do a great cover of “Put A Little Love in Your Heart,” to wind things up. I saw Al sing that song in his Memphis church— from the pulpit— around the time this movie was released.
7.) It’s A Wonderful Life— What a great message and a feel-good movie. Jimmy Stewart always reminded me of my grandfather. Excellent story, well written and well-acted. The classic of all classics.
6.) Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer— I never missed this stop-motion classic the first 13 years of my life. I had the album. I know the songs by heart, and the Abominable Snowman used to scare me more than the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Back in the era when there were only three channels, this was prime holiday viewing.
5.) Die Hard— Say what you want, but this is a Christmas movie. Granted, it’s an action flick, but make no mistake. It’s a Christmas movie. I have never been one who’s afraid to go back to the theatre to rewatch a movie during its first run. I’ve done it often. Though there are only a few that I have gone back to see one three times during its initial release. I scored a rare threepeat on this one.
This was the first in the new era of action movies. From around the 10-minute mark until the credits roll, the action is non-stop. That’s very common today, but this was the first movie I remember that got rolling right off the bat. Bruce Willis had done “Moonlighting” and a few other lightly successful movies, but this started a hot streak that lasted well into the early 2000s, in addition to birthing several sequels.
4.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Ron Howard’s version)— What perfect casting. I’m not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but this was the role he was born to play. I once read that Robin Williams and Eddie Murphey were in line to play the lead. They might have been good— and I prefer them in most any other movie over Carrey— but Ron Howard got it right when he gave the lead to Carrey. I love the animated version that I grew up with, too.
3.) Elf— There really should be a tie for the final three as they are all just as good as the others. I remember thinking, “All of the great Christmas movies have already been made, why is anyone trying to make another?” as I was walking into the theatre to see this for the first time. I walked out knowing that another Christmas classic had been made. My family quotes this movie throughout the year, and we never miss watching it sometime during the season.
2.) A Christmas Story— I am one of the only people I know who saw this in the theatre. I was living in Jackson at the time and had to go across town to see it. I was a fan of part-time disc jockey Jean Shepard and knew parts of his book on his childhood, “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash,” had been adapted into a movie. I loved it from day one. I love that era in America. Things seemed so innocent.
These days everyone is a little burned out on it because TNT runs it as a non-stop marathon on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. If this were back in the three channel days, I think we’d all appreciate it a little more.
1.) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation— When I saw this during its first run at the theatre I didn’t laugh as hard as I do know after at least 50 viewings. I love everything about this movie. It’s far-fetched and silly, but we all know, it’s not too far off base. There are so many quotable lines, most can’t be repeated here.
Merry Christmas to all, and may all of your New Year’s Dreams come true.
Onward.
Cinnamon Rolls
1 cup Boiling water
1 cup Shortening (or 2 sticks of butter)
1 cup Sugar
1 1 /2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs (large)
2 Tbl Yeast (2 packages)
1 cup Warm water
Dash Sugar
6 cups Flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbl cinnamon
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2-4 Tbl milk
Preheat oven to 350.
Pour water over shortening, sugar and salt. Blend and let cool. Add eggs and beat well.
Let yeast stand in warm water with a dash of sugar until bubbly. When the yeast-water mixture has cooled completely add to shortening mixture, then beat in the flour. Cover and refrigerate three to four hours.
Using melted butter, grease six aluminum-foil lined nine-inch cake pans.
Roll out dough into a large rectangle (1 foot by 3 feet). Using a pastry brush, coat the entire surface of the dough with the melted butter. Distribute the raisins evenly over the buttered dough. Combine the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the surface of the dough with this mixture.
Roll up dough, jellyroll style, from the long side. Cut into 3 /4-inch thick segments and place into prepared cake pans. Let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Bake for 15 minutes.
Combine the confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, and milk to make the icing. Ice rolls while they are hot.
(Robert St. John is a chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)
A local man led police on a high-speed chase Friday that ended in his arrest.
Dmetrius Desean Richard, 25, of the 700 block of Elm Street, Minden, was arrested by Minden Police Friday night and charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated flight, driving under suspension and resisting an officer.
Police Chief Elect Jared McIver said officers observed Richard’s vehicle traveling north on Lee Street at a high rate of speed.
“The vehicle sped up and turned right on Boland Street,” McIver said. “Then it ran two stop signs before turning left onto Cherry Street.”
McIver said officers initiated blue lights as they followed Richard on Theus, Searles and Chestnut streets, as he continued running stop signs along the way.
“The vehicle pulled into a driveway on Moore Street and turned off the headlights,” McIver said. “Officers gave verbal commands to roll down the window and exit the vehicle, but Richard did not comply.”
Once Richard finally exited the vehicle, Ofc. Reece Tewell and Lt. Joel Kendrick continued to give him verbal commands to get on his knees.
“The suspect would not comply,” McIver said. “Lt. Kendrick deployed his department-issued taser on Richard then told him to lay on his stomach. He continued to try and roll over, so Kendrick deployed his taser again to gain compliance.”
While officers were handcuffing and searching Richard, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was reportedly emitting from Richard’s person.
“Richard refused to follow commands even once they arrived at the police department,” McIver said. “It was to the point where they could not perform a field sobriety test. He also refused any and all tests, so he was placed in a holding cell to await transport to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named 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.
Ironic that while I was thinking about Friday’s Independence Bowl being played in below-freezing temperatures, I was watching 81,000 people sit in 19-degree weather at a fairly insignificant NFL game.
It was Monday Night Football, in Green Bay. Standard conditions for this time of year. Locals who weren’t at the game, or watching it, might have spent Monday evening shopping or walking around singing Christmas carols.
The Cheeseheads are used to this wintry stuff. Cougars and Ragin’ Cajuns are not. Neither are the vast majority of Shreveport-Bossier residents.
So that’s why a pal suggested Monday afternoon that I won’t have any traffic trouble Friday going to Independence Stadium for the 2 p.m. contest between Houston and Louisiana-Lafayette. When early risers Friday wake up to single-digit wind chills, that will curtail any thoughts of attending the 46th Annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, he said.
I get it. At least there’s an afternoon kickoff. Warmest part of any day. Even a sub-freezing day.
Let’s speak truth. People who might ordinarily attend the game in moderate weather are likely to stay home and watch on TV, or go do something else. Not calling anybody chicken, not scolding anybody for making that choice – unless you’re going hunting instead.
I’m not criticizing hunters in general, just anyone who goes hunting after ruling out attending the I-Bowl because it will be cold sitting in the stands. It’s going to be cold sitting in your DEER STAND.
It’s ironic cold weather is expected to be a deterrent because the greatest Independence Bowl of all, the one remembered around the country, was the Snow Bowl of New Year’s Eve, 2000. All of the 37,000 who arrived at the stadium that afternoon knew it was gonna be cold – not as nordic as it will be Friday, but the Texas A&M and Mississippi State fans and us locals were ready for freezing temperatures. Nobody was ready for a snowstorm, but it happened, and created a spectacle that is fondly recalled two decades later.
That was NOT the coldest I-Bowl. Try 1982, Wisconsin-Kansas State. The day’s high might have been mid-40s, but by the evening kick, it was 32 with freezing drizzle. Add a 23-mph wind and the “feels like” temp was estimated at 10-below. The announced attendance was 49,523 – half that many, at best, made it to the stadium, and at least half of those checked out by halftime.
The historic footnote: first college football game ever televised live by ESPN. I was one of the ESPN stat guys, in the booth with the iconic duo of Jim Simpson (one of the nicest humans ever) and Coach Bud Wilkinson (who wore one of the thickest fur coats ever; its companion was wrapped around his companion, his 33-years-younger bride).
The “booth” was actually a temporary wood box on the south side of the press box, on scaffolding, because Miz-Lou Network had the primary TV rights and the nice, warm, inside TV booth on the 50-yard line. I will never forget that night because of 1) the wicked cold wind cutting through the “booth;” 2) the kindness of Jim Simpson, then and in future meetings; and 3) Mrs. Wilkinson, and those coats.
People hung in the stands despite the terrible conditions because the Independence Bowl was still young and insecure and it was Shreveport-Bossier clawing for a foothold, if only for a night, on the national TV landscape, and in the world of college football. Now 40 years later, on the strength of a never-ebbing stream of volunteers, along with some bold leadership striking sponsorship deals that sustained the game while maintaining a foothold with conferences and ESPN, the Independence Bowl has survived. That should not be taken lightly.
I have a couple guarantees for you. The I-Bowl’s gonna survive a subpar turnout in the stands Friday. And if you decide to double-layer, then pull on the winter gear and the gloves, and come out to the game, you’ll have fun.
Today is the last chance to submit names, addresses and times of your services. The following churches are hosting Christmas Eve services. The public is invited to attend.
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 21, Candlelight Service at Living Word Worship Center, 440 State Rte. 531, Minden. 10 a.m. December 25, Christmas Day service.
5 p.m. Heflin Baptist Church Candlelight service, 143 S Church Street, Heflin.
5 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 903 Broadway, Minden.
5 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, First Baptist Church, Pennsylvania Ave, Minden.
5 p.m. Minden Presbyterian Church, 1001 Broadway, Minden, La.
5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Carols, St. John’s Episcopal Church, The Eve of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1107 Broadway, Minden. 10:30 p.m. Christmas Carol Preludes; 11 p.m. Holy Eucharist. December 25: 10:30 a.m. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
** Is your church having a Christmas Eve Service? Webster Parish Journal would like to know about it, so we can educate the public on where they can go to worship on this holy night, Saturday, December 24.
Please email the time and location of your service to wpjnewsla@gmail.com and we will begin publishing immediately. Please send no later than noon Wednesday, December 21. Final publication will be Thursday, December 22.
Thank you and Merry Christmas from your Webster Parish Journal! Subscriptions are always free.
Minden High School took it all at Airline Classic Soccer Tournament Championship Division B 2023. The local school beat Airline 1-0.
These players have written their names in the MHS history books forever. This is the first time Minden High Men’s Soccer has won a tournament championship. The team is undefeated.
In 1910, Pietro and Lucia and their six children emigrated from a small town in Italy to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania where Pietro earned meager wages as a millhand. Two years after their arrival, they added their seventh child, Ronald, to their ever-growing family which eventually totaled thirteen children. Ronald was the seventh son of a seventh son and the first of the children to be born in America. Ronald’s family spoke Italian at home and Ronald only began to learn English when he entered elementary school, although he had picked up a few words here and there.
In 1922 or 23, sources vary on the exact year, Ronald began working in Steve Fragapane’s barbershop to earn extra money for the family. At the barbershop, he built and tended to the fire in the fireplace and swept up hair clippings from the floor. Ronald quickly learned that he could make more money if he were to become a barber himself, so he watched Steve and the other barbers closely. He convinced the barbers to let him try his hand at taking a few snips here and there off of the customers. Their confidence in Ronald grew quickly because he had a steady hand, a good eye, and he showed no outward appearance of nervousness, if it existed at all. Ronald was always calm and cool. Eventually, he began learning how to cut hair in all the popular styles and how to give a good, clean shave although, at his young age, he had not begun shaving himself.
Within 3 years, by the young age of 13, Ronald earned his own chair at Steve’s barbershop. In 1926, Ronald’s father became unable to work due to a severe heart condition. It became the responsibility of Ronald and his brothers to earn enough money for the family’s survival.
Ronald never complained and often sang the popular tunes of the day while giving a shave or a haircut, much to the delight of his customers. Within a year, Ronald had more customers than his single chair in Fragapane’s shop could accommodate. At the young age of 14, when most children his age were busy being children, Ronald opened his own barbershop where he employed two helpers. On weekdays, he worked after school until midnight. He worked longer hours on the weekend. Ronald’s ambition was to become the best barber of Canonsburg, and he was well on his way.
It certainly seemed as if Ronald’s path in life was set. In 1933, Ronald and some friends went to the Silver Slipper Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, to see Freddy Carlone and his orchestra perform. During the show, Carlone invited people from the audience to sing with his band. Ronald’s friends urged him onto the stage. Most of the people from the audience who sang with Carlone’s orchestra had more faith in themselves than they had talent, except for Ronald. Carolone was so impressed with Ronald’s singing, his casual movements while he sang, and his general coolness, that he offered him a job. He made more money as a barber than Carlone had offered to pay, but, with the reassurance of his father that he could always return to barbering, he joined the band.
The chance performance at the Silver Slipper Ballroom set into motion an unexpected career change for Ronald, a career which lasted the remainder of his life, a career in which he sold millions of records, acted in numerous Hollywood pictures, hosted numerous radio and television variety shows, and hosted yearly Christmas shows from 1948 until 1994. Rather than being known as the best barber in Canonsburg, as he originally wanted, he became known as the best ex-barber in the world. In 1955, Franklin Avenue, the street where Ronald was born and grew up, was renamed in his honor. In the 1960s, Ronald became the highest-paid performer in the history of television to that date. You may recognize some of his songs such as “Till the End of Time”, “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes”, and “Catch a Falling Star.” Nowadays, he is mostly associated with Christmas due to his recordings of Christmas songs. In 1954, Ronald introduced a Christmas song in which he mentioned his home state. He sang, “From Pennsylvania folks are traveling down to Dixie’s sunny shore, from Atlantic to Pacific gee the traffic is terrific.” The song was “Home for the Holidays.” Ronald’s full name was …Pierino Ronald “Perry” Como.
If you haven’t looked at bass boats lately, prepare yourself for sticker shock! Holy cow, it’s absolutely incredible how much bass boats have gone up over the last 20 years! There’s no way you can justify buying one of these bank-draining luxury cruise missiles that will sit in your garage probably 20 days out of the month. The big question is, “When will the prices level out and stop going up?” The answer is, “When anglers quit buying new boats and refuse to pay the price.” Let’s take a look at how much and why there is a price increase.
Back in 1998, Ranger Boats offered me an opportunity to be a part of the Ranger Pro Staff which was a dream come true. How cool was that to be able to run one of the greatest bass boats ever made and be a part of the Ranger family…a boat company under the leadership of Forest L. Wood (the founder of Ranger Boats) that set the standard by which all bass boats were measured. It was at the time the number one-selling bass boat on the market due to its design, dependability, and innovative features.
While Ranger had several models to choose from, their top-of-the-line Z boat series had a hefty price tag of $32,000. It truly was the “cat’s meow” and took bass fishing to a whole other level with its innovative hull design, fully padded front deck, along with the best “soft ride” seats an angler could sit on. Even in 1998, $32,000 was a lot of money to spend on a bass boat. My recollection at the time; how stupid it was to spend that kind of money on a bass boat just to go fishing!
Fast forward to 2022. Today one of these same luxury Z boats will set you back $90,000 to $100,000! In just a little over twenty years, bass boats have skyrocketed…all brands, not just Ranger. Talk about sticker shock, and don’t try to justify spending this kind of money to go fishing even if you’re fishing the pro tournament trail. Who would have ever thought you would have to spend basically six figures to go bass fishing?
It’s insane to think that back in 1998 your truck cost more than the boat you were pulling, but today the boat costs significantly more than the truck pulling the boat. But that’s where we are today, as anglers continue to want bigger and better. It’s all about supply and demand and as long as anglers are willing to pay, boat companies will continue to go up in prices! Everything on a bass boat has gone digital and is basically hybrid computers…touch screens monitor every facet of a bass boat from engine efficiency, oil usage, and battery life to gas consumption. Some boats have gone to keyless starts with digital touch pads that allow the boat owner to crank the boat simply by knowing a 4-digit code.
Today’s boats have trolling motors that can deploy themselves simply with the touch of a button. The best trolling motors today have what is called a “spot lock” system that will hold the boat in one spot anywhere on the lake. Some will even follow a straight line and run parallel to the shoreline all by themselves. When it comes to the electronics being used, there are depth finders that will allow an angler to see fish swimming at all depths 75 to 100 feet out. Another new feature today is called forward-facing sonar. You can literally watch the fish swim up to your bait and eat it…basically like a video game! This has been a total game-changer for all bass fishermen!
There’s also another system, the shallow water anchor system, that is being used by almost every tournament angler. This is where you have what is called Power Poles or Talons, two poles on the back of the boat that can be deployed into shallow water (12 feet or less) that will lock the boat in place. Great for sight fishing or anchoring the boat at the dock for weigh-ins.
So why the cost increase? Technological advancements! Back in 1998, we didn’t have forward-facing sonar, we didn’t have electronic units that worked off GPS coordinates, we didn’t have digital computer dashes, shallow water anchor systems or keyless touch pads. Is all of this technology required to catch fish today? Absolutely not! But if you want to compete at the highest level, you better have these luxuries and more. These up-and-coming young anglers of today know how to take advantage of every aspect of their electronic units and will take you to the cleaners and suck your money right out of your pocket as they are so comfortable using these devices with total confidence.
So, the next time you venture out into the bass boat market, prepare yourself for sticker shock! But understand, you can still get a really nice boat for $50,000 without all the bells and whistles. It’s all about how much money you want to spend. Till next time, good luck, good fishing, and don’t forget to wear your sunscreen.
Graveside service: 2 p.m. following visitation at Welcome Center Cemetery, Taylor, Ark., under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home, Springhill.
Lori Lewis Maddry
May 11, 1958 – Nov. 16, 2022
Minden, La.
Celebration of Life: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Minden, La.
Webster Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or wpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are free of charge.)
Two house fires in Minden last Thursday have resulted in two arson arrests – one of a juvenile. According to Minden Police, the incidents are not connected.
Lt. Keith King Jr. said the first fire was set around 11 a.m. in the 800 block of Durwood.
“That one was on Durwood over by Phillips School,” King said. As of Friday morning, he said, it is suspected arson, and the state fire marshal is investigating it.
Late Friday afternoon, the state fire marshal’s office arrested William O’Neal, 59, for simple arson. His bond was set at $30,000.
Fire number 2, on Morrow Street, was started around 2 p.m., allegedly by a male who was 11 or 12 years old. According to reports, he threw gasoline inside a window and set it on fire. The young male reportedly had been suspended from school for fighting.
“The fire department got there first, and (Fire Chief) Kip Mourad was there. A kid just walked up to him, and Mourad smelled gasoline,” King said. “He asked the juvenile what was going on, and the kid said ‘I was bored and caught the house on fire.’”
King described the juvenile as a “frequent flyer” with Minden Police.
“He’s never committed arson before,” he said. “He has thrown bricks through windows and stuff like that.”
As of Friday, he was housed at Ware Youth Center in Coushatta.
Mourad said both houses experienced major damage. The Durwood Drive house was brick, while the Morrow Street house was wood frame.
“The kitchen and dining room suffered the most damage on Durwood,” Mourad said. “The fire was up in the attic, too. They (firefighters) made a great stop on it. It took us about two minutes to get it under control.”
The Morrow Street house damage was worse, he said.
“It was more involved; it got up in the attic of it, too,” Mourad said. “It took us about 10 minutes to get it under control, but there’s not much left of it.”
Mourad said fortunately, no one was home at either residence.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named 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.
National Weather Service is predicting the coldest air of the season will be move into the four-state region on Thursday and remain anchored through the upcoming holiday weekend. Actions should be taken this week in preparation for bitterly cold arctic air, forecasters say.
Low temperatures in the teens and wind chill in single digits and the teens are scheduled to arrive late Thursday, with theFriday 3 a.m. forecast at minus-3 degree wind-chill. By 6 a.m., wind chill is forecast at minus-6 degrees.
From 6 p.m. Thursday through 1 p.m. Saturday, temperatures could remain below freezing, rising above freezing possibly from 1 p.m. 4 p.m. before dipping once again Sunday morning. Individuals who must be outside including firefighters, law enforcement officers, highway and public works department crews should be mindful of the extreme cold and low wind-chill temperatures.
Rain is expected to continue into Tuesday but is expected to end well before extreme temperatures hit the area. Currently, the forecast indicates primarily a cold air mass with no precipitation expected.
Downtown Minden was crowded – in a very good way – this past weekend as attendees for Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas were treated to more events, fun and food than it was possible to participate.
Stephanie Barnette, CEO of the Greater Minden Chamber of Commerce, said the weather was part of the reason the weekend was successful.
“Our 2022 Christmas in Minden Festival & Parade was spectacular,” Barnette said. “The weather cooperated and allowed the community to enjoy so many fun holiday activities.”
The chamber, Webster Parish Tourism and Minden Main Street were all thankful for those who participated in all of the events. It wouldn’t have been near as successful without the contributions from our community partners, sponsors and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make it a success,” Barnette added. “We are already looking forward to planning next year’s event to be even bigger and better!”
This is the last week to submit names, addresses and times of your services. The following churches are hosting Christmas Eve services. The public is invited to attend.
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 21, Candlelight Service at Living Word Worship Center, 440 State Rte. 531, Minden. 10 a.m. December 25, Christmas Day service.
5 p.m. Heflin Baptist Church Candlelight service, 143 S Church Street, Heflin.
5 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 903 Broadway, Minden.
5 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, First Baptist Church, Pennsylvania Ave, Minden.
5 p.m. Minden Presbyterian Church, 1001 Broadway, Minden, La.
5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Carols, St. John’s Episcopal Church, The Eve of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1107 Broadway, Minden. 10:30 p.m. Christmas Carol Preludes; 11 p.m. Holy Eucharist. December 25: 10:30 a.m. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
** Is your church having a Christmas Eve Service? Webster Parish Journal would like to know about it, so we can educate the public on where they can go to worship on this holy night, Saturday, December 24.
Please email the time and location of your service to wpjnewsla@gmail.com and we will begin publishing immediately. Please send no later than noon Wednesday, December 21. Final publication will be Thursday, December 22.
Thank you and Merry Christmas from your Webster Parish Journal! Subscriptions are always free.
Every Louisiana high school football teams end goal is to make the trip to the “Dome” for the State Championship down in the big easy, crescent city, NOLA, 504 or to you old people just plain ole New Orleans.
This year I put in a request to get Media Credentials to the LHSAA Prep Classic in the Caesars Superdome so that I could cover some of the games in hopes that my beloved Glenbrook Apaches would be in the Select Division 4 State Title game but after a 27 to 28 loss at the hands of Ouachita Christian School in the quarterfinals erased that dream for me.
The trip started with my dad and me leaving Minden Thursday morning early. On our way down South, we made a few stops but the best stop will always be Baton Rouge. No trip down to Baton Rouge or even New Orleans is complete without a stop at Chimes restaurant. We enjoyed some marinated crab claws (2 orders) and some oysters. After filling up on some good food, we had to go on LSU’s campus and check out my boy Mike VII, the live Bayou Bengal. We then got back on the road headed South on I-10. We were able to park literally 5 feet from the media entrance to the Super Dome.
There was a lot of North Louisiana (318) teams in the title games this year. One of those teams was the Non-Select Division 4 State Champs from last year, the Homer Pelicans. The Pelicans made the State Title game after beating a very good Mangham Dragons team in the Semi-Finals. The Pelicans would face off with another North La football powerhouse, The Oak Grove Tigers. I fully expected the Homer Pelicans to beat Oak Grove but that was not the case. Oak Grove was able to shut out the Pelicans. The final score was Oak Grove 17 Homer 0. The score does not reflect how the game went because Homer had several good drives, getting down close to the goal and ended in turnovers. Homer Pelicans Head Coach, Richie Casey had his team well prepared, and I expect the Pelicans to be a tough again next year. Coach Casey said after the game when asked when he plans to start preparing for next season “Immediately.”
(T-Bubba is a 12-year-old sports reporter and a 6th grade student at Glenbrook School.)
The Board of Aldermen for the Village of Dixie Inn conducted business with a quorum for the first time since May of this year.
Mayor Donna Hoffoss said Alderman-elect Nell Finlay received her commission and took the oath of office prior to the December 13 meeting. Finlay now occupies the seat once held by Hoffoss who resigned as alderman when she was appointed Mayor in May.
The board approved several items of business unanimously. The board voted to release former village clerk Dana James as the Dixie Inn representative on the Webster Parish Tax Commission and appointed newly hired clerk Alicia Ware as representative.
Mayor Hoffoss was approved to sign the Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire for the audit that is currently underway.
The board also adopted the resolution to reappoint Lori McGarity for a two year term on the Board of Commissions for Fire Protection District #7.
The purchase of a backpack blower for the maintenance department was also approved by the Board.
“We use those to blow the leaves off our property to keep it looking nice,” Hoffos said. “When they stop blowing so good, it’s time to replace them.”
Regarding the old business item for the purchase of a new 2023 Ford Interceptor SUV, the board agreed that purchase was unnecessary at this time.
“We only have two officers needing vehicles right now,” Hoffoss said. “We’re getting a new truck in January so we will have newer vehicles for the officers to use.”
Officer Zane Crittenden who was hired in November is still doing ride-alongs with other officers and does not need a vehicle at this time.
Due to the severe weather Tuesday night, the board agreed to adjourn after all agenda items had been considered and voted on.
The next regular session for the Board of Aldermen is scheduled for January 10, 2023 at 5 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Village Hall located at 60 Shell Street in Dixie Inn. The meeting is open to the public.
