Mark Roberson took this photo in his carport on Frenchie Delaney Rd. early Sunday morning when he heard the explosion that ignited a fire at Gilark substation.
By Bonnie Culverhouse
Officials from Entergy, AEP/SWEPCO and City of Minden have settled on a strategy for addressing the extensive damage at the Gilark substation due to a fire early Sunday. The agreed-upon plan involves implementing a controlled power outage across the entire city beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday, August 3. The outage is anticipated to last between 4 to 6 hours.
Minden Mayor Nick Cox said the purpose of this controlled outage is to bypass the damaged section of the substation and then restore power to the City of Minden. By doing so, the necessary repairs can be carried out, allowing for safe and non-urgent repairs to be conducted on the substation.
“They (Entergy) have been working on this …” Cox said during an interview with KASO Radio’s Mark Chreene. “They started with a 24-hour repair, and they got it down to a more reasonable amount of time that I think is sustainable.”
Cox said as Entergy works, they will be “backed up” by City of Minden workers.
“They are going to bypass all the damaged stuff,” Cox said. “That’ll take some time because they’ve got to set up poles, run wires and a jumper. When they get it all charged back up then the city will have power again.”
However, it will be a temporary fix.
“It will allow Entergy to go in there and work on it in a more lasting way,” said the mayor. “It won’t be as critical for the citizens, and they can get in there, get it done right and not feel as rushed.”
Cox pointed out this is something that historically does not happen often.
“We’ve known it was coming, and been able to prepare for it. The plan is a temporary bypass, and at a later date, we will have another brief outage while they make it permanent,” he said. “We won’t be in a critical situation or feel any urgency to get the temporary bypass undone.”
Gilark substation is Minden’s only tie to the power grid. The mayor said, “115,000 volts … that needs to be done right. That’s why the bypass is going to take 4 to 6 hours.”
Please note that this planned outage is essential for ensuring the long-term stability and functionality of the substation.
Debris litters the ground around the Gilark substation after Sunday morning’s fire.
The Minden 8U Darling’s softball team turned Team Louisiana traveled to Fairview, Tennessee this week to compete in the World Series. Now that Team Louisiana is on their way home as the 2023 World Series Champions.
The girls entered the championship bracket with a 12-0 season record.
The tournament began July 28 with a banquet and the girls got to work taking out their first competitor the following day.
On Saturday, July 29, Team Louisiana went up against South Carolina and pulled a close win, 4-3. On Sunday, July 30, they beat Team Alabama, 12-7.
On Monday, July 31, the girls faced their first battle against the also undefeated Team Georgia. The girls faced their first loss of the season, losing 0-5, making their overall season record 14-1. But Team Louisiana took this loss as a motivator to come back that evening and secure their place in the finals and that is just what they did.
They went up against Team Alabama and pulled a win, 10-3.
Tuesday, August 1, marked Championship Day. The girls were faced with defeating Team Georgia not once but twice- the only team to defeat the Darlings all season. The first game was a close win, but Team Louisiana pulled through, winning 9-7. They turned right around and played them again for the final round.
Team Louisiana defeated Team Georgia for a second time, 3-1.
The girls and their coaches were recognized and are certainly awaiting a warm welcome back home to Minden.
A two vehicle accident around noon Tuesday, sent one woman to the hospital.
According to Minden Police, the female was heading northbound on U.S. Hwy. 159 (Lewisville Road) when her Mercedes CLS550 collided with a Dodge Ram near Tanglewood.
EMS personnel tended to her at the scene and took her by ambulance to Minden Medical Center. Police said the driver of the Dodge Ram refused medical help. It is unknown if either driver will be cited in the crash.
The Webster Parish Convention and Tourism Commission (WPCVC) is currently exploring options when it comes to software that will strengthen community- partner relations, visitor activity and economic development.
WPCVC Executive Director Serena Gray recently participated in a demonstration and conference call with Simpleview- a customer relations management software. This software is currently popular amongst tourism commissions due to its ability to keep all activities in one place.
“It is also used for community partner relations,” said Gray. “Every partner you establish with Simpleview has their own username and login to see their business listing or business history with the tourism office.”
If a local business signs up to access this software, they will be able to view how many clicks their venue has received and how many have been booked.
This will allow local venues and overnight accommodation locations an opportunity to see the work the tourism is putting in firsthand.
“We have gotten a lot of feedback over the past few years, asking what you are doing for us? It is hard to explain how it all works together. We had to build something here that brings people into our community and now that we have that, we can finally start finding ways to market and sell Webster Parish,” said Gray.
Gray feels this type of software will provide concrete evidence that she is doing the work required to bring visitors to the parish. She said, “I have said that I have attended these shows or that I’ve gone here and had these conversations, but they want to see heads in beds, and I get that.”
This software will track leads and allow the user to send out a message that connects all local vendors, caterers, hotels, or whichever type of accommodation a particular sales opportunity is searching for.
“It would say this is a request for proposal. If you can accommodate this, then this is how you fill out the form. It pulls all that back into the software, so that I can submit that to the person who is leading the tour and from there it is in their hands, and they can choose who they want to use or who can accommodate them best,” said Gray.
The Simpleview software costs $5,000 for the initial fee that will include building the software and then $6,000 annually after that. It is priced by the size of the individual organization.
“There are other programs out there that do similar things, however they are just not in our price point,” said Gray.
The WPCVC is considering putting this fee into next year’s budget and possibly launching it in 2024.
While researching other software systems, like Simpleview, Gray also participated in a demo with PlacerAI. This software specifically tracks visitor activity, demographics and web analytics.
Gray used the Scottish Tartan Festival as an example. She had PlacerAI place a geofence in the downtown Minden area during the duration of the festival. She said, “They told us there were about 1,700 people who were at the event. I believe that number was only ticket sales. During the demo I had them run a geofence around downtown Minden where the festival took place and their geofence was able to capture cell phone data for 3,000 people.”
This discrepancy between the two numbers could be due to ticket sales not including staff members, entertainment and the number of children who got into the event free of charge.
This software also works in the lane of economic development. It is able to identify square footage, street traffic and average household annual income of the area. This is important information for retailers who are interested in setting up shop in the parish.
They base their pricing on population size. For Webster Parish as a whole, it would run the WPCVC $26,000 annually.
To cut costs, Gray suggested that the tourism commission partner with the individual cities and chambers, so that they could have access and utilize the software as well.
“I just thought it was a great opportunity to partner with the local community to show that we have a leg in the game. We have a dog in the fight when it comes to economic development,” said Gray. “I think we can do more to support economic development in our communities.”
The commission will be looking into both software options in more detail over the coming months, as well as setting up meetings with local governments to establish possible partnerships.
A couple of brothers and a third man have been arrested on drug charges by Minden Police.
William D. Theus, 37, of the 200 block of Goode Ave., Minden, was arrested for resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Calvin Theus, 39, same address, was taken into custody for resisting arrest by force or violence, 2 counts of possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction of justice, possession of a legend drug and 2 warrants for Probation and Parole violations.
Kenyaskey Moore, 38, listing the same Goode Ave. address was arrested for running a stop sign, resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia (used meth pipe). He also had an active felony warrant through Shreveport Police and was released to them.
Chief Jared McIver said Lt. Chris Hammontree was patrolling in the Good Ave. area, looking for Calvin Theus when he observed a male – later identified as Moore –riding a bicycle from behind a house.
“Moore was carrying a small suitcase and several items,” McIver said. “When he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Goode and Gladney, Lt. Hammontree initiated a traffic stop.”
Hammontree reportedly located the pipe in Moore’s back pocket.
“The lieutenant went back to the 200 block of Goode Ave. with the suitcase to determine if it was stolen, said the chief. “He made contact with a female who told me she did not know Moore and the bag was not hers. Lt. Hammontree noticed an open shed door in the backyard, and she told him her son William was back there.”
The female allegedly gave Hammontree permission to talk to William and led him to the backyard.
“As they were walking around the side of the house, Calvin came out of the shed and tried to make it into the house,” McIver said. “The lieutenant identified him as Calvin and grabbed Calvin’s arm, saying he had a warrant for Calvin’s arrest. Calvin pulled away and tried to enter the house. Lt. Hammontree pulled him back into the doorway and they began to fight.”
During the scuffle, Calvin Theus allegedly attempted to dispose of a baggie containing .66 grams of Fentanyl and a methamphetamine pipe. At that point, Sgt. Mitch Hackett arrived and officers were able to secure Calvin in handcuffs.
A search of Calvin reportedly yielded .45 grams of powder cocaine and a second meth pipe in his pants’ crotch.
While Lt. Kenneth James reportedly secured a search warrant for the residence. Sgt. Chris Cayer, Sgt. Jason Smith and Hammontree made contact with three subjects in the shed.
William Theus, one of the subjects, was frisked and found to be in possession of a used but broken meth pipe in his right pants pocket.
“In William’s other pants pocket was a digital scale commonly used to package narcotics,” the chief said. “Once the search warrant arrived, officers located a Glock .40 caliber magazine in the shed, 100 mg of Gabapentin, small baggies for drug sales and smoking devices.”
McIver said Calvin Theus admitted ownership of the Gabapentin. Both brothers are on probation.
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.
Melissa Escalante, pictured in white, has been named the new MHS girls soccer coach.
By Josh Beavers
Minden High School has announced the hiring of Melissa Escalante as its new girls soccer coach.
Escalante is from Costa Rica and will also teach Spanish. A former college soccer player, Escalante speaks three languages fluidly and will be an asset to the Minden staff.
As we have done with many new coaches this summer, the Journal sat down the Escalante for a one-on-one interview.
1. What motivated you to become a high school coach? Can you share a little about your background and previous coaching experience?
Soccer has always been a major part of my life. Coming from Costa Rica, a country where soccer is very big and important in the culture, it is hard not to love the sport. I began playing with my cousins when I was 4 and eventually joined the school team when I was 6. I played all throughout preschool, elementary, middle, and high school, participating in 6 international tournaments representing Costa Rica. Not only did I play for my school, but I also played for the biggest club in the country, Deportivo Saprissa. There, I had the opportunity of playing professionally.
In 2019 I came to the USA with a soccer scholarship to attend college. My experience as a student athlete was highly rewarding, and I even had the experience of winning the conference tournament with my team.
After graduating I knew that I wasn’t ready to leave behind something that means this much to me, and that’s where my desire to become a coach began growing. As I previously mentioned, I was a student-athlete all through high school so, I know that there’s a lot of experience that I can bring to the team – and most importantly, I will understand the players because I was in their position not too long ago.
2. What is your coaching philosophy, and how do you plan to implement it with this team?
I am committed to helping my players grow and develop skills that will be useful beyond soccer. Also, building team unity and a safe environment where the girls can love the beautiful game.
3. What are your primary goals for the team this season? Are there any specific areas or skills you plan to focus on developing?
My primary goals for the team this season include building a family, increasing the soccer IQ of the players, and creating both a safe and fun learning environment. I am a firm believer that team bonding activities are extremely important, because at the end of the day, a team that is not united and doesn’t see each other as family, will have a harder time becoming successful.
I plan to focus heavily on conditioning and passing too. The tiki-taka is my favorite style of play due to its effectiveness, and that’s where the importance of accurate passing comes in play.
4. How do you plan to build a strong team culture and foster a sense of camaraderie among the athletes?
Team bonding activities are vital for a successful team. Also, I want my team to have values and behaviors that align and to maintain an open line of communication. Finally, respect will be extremely important as well. One of my favorite quotes reads, “The greatest feeling in the world is when you’re on that soccer field, and you know that your team is going to succeed because you look around and see your 10 best friends playing beside you” and I want the players to feel this way.
5. How do you plan to balance academics and athletics for the student-athletes under your guidance?
I am aware of how important balancing academics and athletics is. Luckily, during all the years that I was a student-athlete, my coaches always encouraged me and my teammates to put as much effort to school as we put in school. Personally, as a coach, I want my players to put school first because they are firstly students and then athletes. Creating and maintaining a safe space with all the players is highly important because I want them to open to me as a coach if they’re struggling in a certain class so that this way we can, together, find resources to help them boost their grades up.
6. How do you handle the pressure of coaching and the expectations that come with it?
Firstly, by trusting my coaching abilities and the knowledge I have in the sport. Secondly, it is important to not let that pressure affect my work or affect me – I understand that it is hard for everyone to agree fully with a coach and their decisions, so I won’t let that affect me because I know that at the end of the day, I’ll be coaching to the best of my abilities. And lastly, I like maintaining an open line of communication so that the school, the parents, and the community can know that this is a team that will be working hard to meet expectations and excel during the season. My door will always be open if someone has a concern regarding the team.
7. How do you plan to involve and engage parents and the wider community in supporting the team?
It is important to give them a good show so that they can enjoy of a high performance from the team. This will, hopefully, make more people come to watch our games. We also want more visibility, and this can be achieved by engaging in community service as a team.
8. How do you plan to measure success for the team beyond wins and losses?
Soccer is a sport that allows us to grow as individuals, it helps develop skills that are not measured by victories or defeats. If my players can develop camaraderie, this will be a win. We must also develop resilience to fight harder after losing games, which can affect us, players, enormously. Being resilient is a very important life skill that I want my team to develop so that it can help them beyond the sport and beyond the wins and losses.
Whatever any of us might be today or might become, we owe to family and friends, a whole raft of people. Nobody picks themselves up by their bootstraps (whatever that means), no man is an island and all that, and no turtle ever got to the top of a fence post alone.
Saturday night in the Natchitoches Events Center at the Induction Celebration to conclude the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame weekend, the impressive Class of 2023 tried to thank as many friends as they could for helping them realize the fascinating reality of being inducted into the Hall. All-Americans and MVPs and national champions and multi-time state champs and on an on it went, but not a one was a solo act.
Each of them had a lot of help.
And each of them had several opportunities to express themselves during the weekend, and they did, gracefully. But at the actual Induction Ceremony, each had only a six-minute interview to be entertaining and informative and grateful, which is a lot to ask in such a tight window of time.
Just in case they forgot to mention someone, here’s where I can speak for them and help, at least a little.
Two things.
One, never shortchange the value of friendship. I read Charlotte’s Web as a boy and again as an adult. If you missed it, it’s never too late. My favorite line is when Charlotte, the spider, says to the pig Wilbur, “You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
Amen.
And two, you can always count on Mr. Fred Rogers — more commonly known as Mr. Rogers” — to sum up how best to recognize and remember such lights to our paths.
In his Acceptance Speech when he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Ceremony in the spring of 1997 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, he said, in part, this:
So many people have helped me to come to this night. Some of you are here. Some are far away. Some are even in heaven.
All of us have special ones who have loved us into being.
Would you just take along with me 10 seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are — those who have cared about you and wanted what was best for you in life?
Ten seconds of silence.
I’ll watch the time.
He looked down at his watch for 10 seconds, looked up, and continued.
Whomever you’ve been thinking about — how pleased they must be to know the difference you feel they’ve made.
Since it was a live event, Mr. Rogers had to offer the audience just 10 seconds.
Congratulations to Tarheel varsity boys on winning the We Elite tournament. Outstanding job Coach Rodarion Rogers and Coach Rod Clark Sr. For doing a great job in a stressing atmosphere. Thanks to the parents who drove the 1 1/2 hours today and yesterday. 9th grade ended up 1-1 but only had 6 players but played their hearts out. Coach Christopher Dotson and Coach Waters.
Justyn Dixon, President and CEO of North Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP) will be the guest speaker Thursday at Minden Lions Club.
Icon has more than 12 years of industrial and economic development expertise and more than 30 years of successful sales and marketing experience.
Dixon’s primary focus is on generating jobs and capital investments to strengthen the 14 parishes served by NLEP. Dixon will be introduced by Lion Phillip McInnis. Minden Lions meet at noon every Thursday in the American Legion Hall on Pine Street.
Opening any style of restaurant is one of the most stressful activities one will ever experience. I’ve done it two dozen times. Opening any business is stressful, complicated, and grueling. But there are so many moving parts to a restaurant, no matter how many foodservice establishments one has worked in— or opened— the concept is still new to everyone, it’s still complicated, and it’s still hectic.
This column is being written at 4:00 AM on the opening day of a bakery I’ve been working on for the last 18 months. It’s a business I’ve been dreaming of opening for over a decade. For the past six years I have been trying to coax pastry chef Martha Foose, and her husband, master baker Donald Bender, to my hometown of Hattiesburg to join me in opening— what we plan to be— the best restaurant bakery in the state of Mississippi as soon as we open the doors.
It’s been a long journey. We started developing pastry recipes and researching bakery items 18 months ago. I signed the lease on the building exactly one year ago. The two key players, Foose and Bender, have been on board for almost a year. I’ve never spent this long opening a business.
Last fall we opened an Italian restaurant in Ridgeland, MS in what ended up being a two-week turnaround. That is the shortest time I’ve ever spent opening a new concept. It turned out to be a huge mistake, though we had no choice as we had to work under the parameters of the lease/takeover deal we signed. Never again. It took months to recover from the rocky start.
This new bakery that is opening in a few minutes is the exact opposite of that situation. It has been a year and a half in the making. Once I finally convinced Foose and Bender to move from the Mississippi Delta down to the Pine Belt of South Mississippi we began looking for a space. A small bakery had just closed almost across the street from some of other restaurants. After a couple of months of negotiations, the landlord stated he wanted me to pay the back rent of the previous tenant and I walked. That ended up being a blessing. We found the building we are currently in and it’s perfect.
In the mid 1970s a long-time Hattiesburg jeweler moved from downtown to West Hattiesburg, one block from the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. They built a unique building and did business there for several years. Eventually the jeweler closed, and a bank opened on this spot. Once the bank sold to a larger bank the building became a successive string of credit unions. When we took it over it had been empty for a year or more.
I liked the building for several reasons. The visibility is great and the traffic count is good. It’s also close to the campus of the university. But most importantly it’s in Midtown Hattiesburg. I grew up in Midtown. My childhood home was about six blocks from where our restaurants are located. My current home is eight blocks from our restaurants. As a business owner I planted my flag in Midtown Hattiesburg in 1987 and we have been doing business in this area ever since.
In my opinion, it makes a lot of sense for business owners— who are going to own multiple businesses— to stake their claim in a specific area. That way you can truly “buy into” the neighborhood. We are deeply invested in Midtown Hattiesburg. We formed the Midtown Merchants Association to take care of the business needs and the neighborhood needs of this area and are making great strides. We are building a park which will include Hattiesburg ‘s only all-inclusive playground. There’s a dog park in the preliminary planning stages and several other projects such as murals and beautification of the gateways on the drawing board.
Things I have learned opening a bakery:
1.) There’s absolutely no way to open a bakery without gaining weight— I have put on 20 pounds taste-testing breads and pastries over the past three months.
2.) When everything in a bakery is made from scratch, it’s a game changer— that’s one thing we always agreed on. So many bakeries are using icings out of a tub, and so many cake makers are using boxed mixes. We start from scratch on everything. It matters.
3.) There’s nothing plain about vanilla— In the words of Martha Foose, “On one sweet day in Madagascar a Melpomene bee or a hummingbird wakes up and finds a particular orchid that blooms just one day a year. They pollinate on that exact day and then hope nothing disturbs the blossoms until a vanilla-bean seedpod forms. That seedpod is picked, dried, fermented and then shipped to America where— after a series of stops across the country— it eventually makes its way to Hardy Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to be enjoyed at Loblolly Bakery.” Again, there’s nothing plain about vanilla
4.) The better the butter the richer the croissant— some people use a combination of margarine and butter for croissants. We use French butter with a high butterfat content and it’s a gamechanger.
5.) There’s no way to be truly gluten free in most bakery environments (certainly this one)— There is so much flour floating around on an hourly basis, it’s impossible— at least in our building’s configuration— to offer true gluten free options that would be made in our building. I hate it, but it’s the reality of the situation.
6.) Sometimes bakery by-products are better than the original— I like bagels fine. We bake a lot of them. I like bagel chips even more. We take day-old bagels, slice them razor thin, brush them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and slow-toast them in the oven. Perfection.
7.) Cookies don’t need a lot of extras to be good— The giant, over-decorated cookie craze has taken over lately. I get it. Cookies with all sorts of exotic toppings look great for social media posts. But give me a simple great-tasting cookie with real butter and pure ingredients and I am a happy man.
8.) Coffee is important but, when done right, it can be complicated—The head of our bakery coffee program, Wes Walton, is a certified Q Grader (basically a sommelier for coffee). There are only 500 of them in the United States. He’s the only one in Mississippi. Wes, and our company COO, Jarred Patterson, have developed an excellent coffee program with locally roasted beans and made-from-scratch syrups and accompaniments to go with our pastries.
9.) Baked goods make people happy— My friend, Wyatt Waters once said, “Donuts are the happiest food.” I agree, but I’d throw in bakery pastries, too. Have you ever seen anyone make a sad face while eating a warm croissant with homemade strawberry preserves?
10.) It smells better than any restaurant I’ve ever opened— The aromas change depending on what time of day one arrives, but all the fragrances are magnificent.
In conclusion, one is never too old to learn lessons in the restaurant business.
Onward.
Boursin
This is the recipe we serve in the Crescent City Grill. In addition to being a good spread for crackers, it can also be used to stuff mushroom caps, and as a filling for miniature puff pastry turnovers.
Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on high speed until all ingredients are well incorporated, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure all ingredients are combined.
Yield: 2 cups
(Robert St. John is a chef, restaurateur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)
Webster Parish New Teacher Breakfast, Harper Pathways to Excellence Center, 618 Germantown Rd., Minden.
August 4
8:30 a.m. Glenbrook School New Teacher Breakfast, Glenbrook School.
August 4 and 5
8 p.m. Annual Pete Colvin MemorialRodeo, Minden Rodeo Arena.
August 5
9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Back to School Market at Springhill Farmers Market, 500 N. Giles, Springhill, La.
August 6
3 until 5 p.m. Minden High Back-to-School Registration Day
August 9
15 under 40 Nominations due at Greater Minden Chamber of Commerce.
August 12
9 a.m. Eighth Annual Prayer in the Park, Academy Park, Minden. Prayers offered for students and teachers, law enforcement, city government and the city as a whole.
9 a.m. until noon. Springhill-North Webster Chamber of Commerce’s Back to School Water Wars, Springhill Recreation Complex. K-12th grades. Free water balloons, no outside balloons permitted, free water gun filling stations, concessions available. $10 admission fee benefits LaMa Animal Rescue.
5 until 9 p.m., Peace Out Summer Back to School Bash, Sarepta Community Park. Admission $2; games, food and raffle. Pack the Bus by bringing supplies. Sponsored by Women Helping Others. For more information: contact Ramanda Ketchum at 318-347-2612 or Rketchumwho@gmail.com, Elizabeth Simmons at 318-517-5207 or emccuen92@gmail.com, Tammie Wynn 318-268-5535 or tammie.wynn@la.gov .
6 p.m. Doors open for Piney Woods Jamboree, Second Anniversary Show, which begins at 7 p.m. with headliner Dawn Glass. CAC (Community Activity Center), 301 W. Church St., Springhill.
August 15
7:30 a.m., Ministers’ Breakfast, hosted by City of Minden. Discussing issues facing the city. Minden Community House, 711 Gladney St.
August 26
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Brunch. Minden Junior Service League “Mamma Mia” Girls Night Out, Minden Civic Center.
6 p.m. Dorcheat Museum Annual Fundraiser Gala, 116 Pearl St., Minden.
Sept. 1
Webster 4-H enrollment begins.
Sept. 9
Vintage Car Club of Minden’s annual car show in downtown Minden. More information when available.
September 28 through 30, Oct. 1
Minden High School 30th Class Reunion
Sept. 28 – 6 until 9 p.m. Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
Sept. 29 – 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
The pamphlet contains hunting rules, regulations and season dates including hunting information on LDWF’s Wildlife Management Areas and Louisiana’s federal lands. It also contains information one LDWF’s licensing process and fees.
Printed copies of the pamphlets should be available in late August at LDWF offices throughout the state and at vendors where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
This season’s regulation pamphlet also has season schedules for the state’s 10 deer hunting areas and major changes for the 2023-24 season.
For hundreds of years, people have created drinkable elixirs and tonics which they claimed had medicinal purposes. Salesmen, many of whom could be better described as con men, arrived in towns and communities and hawked their tonics. They would tell tales of the miraculous cures that their product was responsible for, sell their drinks to the locals at a low price, and quickly head to the next town while no one was looking.
In the latter half of the 19th century, salesmen of these concoctions began advertising their goods in newspapers. In 1882, “Hop Bitters” was advertised as an appetizing drink which was a “blood purifier, clears the brain, gives tone to the stomach, and cures all diseases of the liver, blood, stomach and bowels, nerves, kidneys, and purifies and cleanses the entire system.” “Beal’s Cure Alls” advertisements claimed that the tonic cured “cough, asthma, bronchitis, spitting of blood, shortness of breath, rheumatism, gout, lumbago, sciatica, sprains, bruises, sore throat, and chilblains.” Some of the names of these concoctions which are no longer in existence are “Brown’s Iron Bitters,” “Electric Bitters,” “Hartshorne’s Cure-All,” “Taraxacum and Podophyllin,” “Samaritan Nervine,” “Pond’s Extract,” “Egyptian Mystery – the Drink of the Ages,” “Charleston Pop,” “Bruce’s Juices,” “Red Head Flapper,” and “Brad’s Drink.”
Most of the tonics had no real medicinal value and were created to make money. However, some of the creators were professionally trained and believed that their drinks were medicinal. Caleb Bradham graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Caleb was on the path to becoming a doctor until his father’s business went bankrupt in 1890. Caleb dropped out of medical school and returned home to North Carolina. He taught public school for a short time, but his interests were still devoted to medicine. In about 1891 or 1892, Caleb opened the “Bradham Drug Company” in New Bern.
With a host of ingredients at his disposal, Caleb began experimenting with different tonics. He wanted to create a new drinkable tonic which had some medicinal value. Many of his experimental concoctions tasted too horrible to ingest more than once and were discarded. In 1893, he mixed several ingredients in a beaker and handed it to his assistant, James Henry King. Perhaps Caleb had tried too many bad mixtures on that day. The hesitant assistant downed the drink. To his surprise, the drink tasted good, and it seemed to sooth his stomach. Caleb had done it.
Caleb knew he was on the right track. He needed a name for his tonic. As to include his reputation in his tonic, Caleb titled the drink after a shortened version of his last name, Bradham. He called it “Brad’s Drink.” He began selling his tonic in his own drug store and eventually sold franchises to other local pharmacies.
After August 28, 1898, however, “Brad’s Drink” was no more. Well, the name, “Brad’s Drink” was no more. On that date, Caleb changed the name of his concoction. The most likely reason for the name change was for marketing purposes. Caleb used kola nut extract in his recipe and decided to use the term “cola” in the new name. The new first name of the mixture could almost be called false advertising. Caleb named the drink after an enzyme which aided in digestion similar to the way in which Caleb believed his drink aided in digestion, but his recipe did not include the enzyme. “Brad’s Drink,” under its more common name, has become the second most valuable soft drink brand in the world, second only to Coca-Cola. The name of that enzyme was Pepsin. Caleb changed the name of “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi-Cola.”
Sources:
1. The Daily Telegraph, September 7, 1882, p.4.
2. Essex County Chronicle, August 21, 1885, p.2.
3. The News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina), July 28, 1895, p.5.
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.
July 20
Germaine S. Kimble Jr., 26, of the 200 block of 3rd Street, Springhill, was arrested by WPSO on a warrant.
July 21
Keishawn Lawson, 19, of 7th St. SE, Springhill, La., was arrested by Cullen Police for aggravated flight from an officer, speeding (65/30), improper lane usage, careless and reckless operation, running stop signs and an all terrain vehicle on a highway.
July 22
DeCarlos Thomas, 27, of the 600 block of Constable St., Minden, was arrested by MPD for simple arson (setting curtains on fire).
Tony Orlando Mitchell Jr., 27, of the 900 block of McCausland, Minden, was arrested by LSP-G for possession of more than 14 grams of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm in presence of the marijuana and as a felon in possession of a firearm (revolver).
July 31
Antavius J. Rankin, 35, of Parkview Apartments, Springhill, La., was arrested by WPSO on active warrants for failure to appear, no seatbelt and expired driver’s license.
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.
Funeral service:1:30 p.m., immediately following visitation.
Burial: private service at Oak Grove Cemetery.
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.)
Pieces and parts of transformers litter the ground at the Gilark substation.
By Bonnie Culverhouse
Officials with AEP SWEPCO (American Electric Power Southwestern Electric Power Company) met Monday and will meet again today while they try to determine the best course of action to repair the Gilark substation that caught fire early Sunday morning.
Minden Mayor Nick Cox said that at approximately 6 p.m. Monday, AEP representative Dale Colvin informed the city he had been in contact with Entergy, which is actively working on a solution to reduce the duration of an imminent power outage for the City of Minden.
“A mid-morning conference Tuesday will take place involving AEP, Entergy and representatives from the City of Minden,” Cox said. “This call will provide us with a detailed plan on how we can minimize the impact of the power outage.”
Cox added that “it is important to note that at this time, no outage has been scheduled.”
During the Sunday morning fire, the substation suffered significant damage to a *potential transformer, buss and lightning arresters. In particular, the potential transformer exploded and will need to be repaired urgently.”
Gilark substation is Minden’s only tie to the power grid.
* A potential transformer is an instrument transformer which is used for the protection and measurement purposes in the power systems. A potential transformer is mainly used to measure high alternating voltage in a power system.
Two juveniles are at Ware Detention Center following their arrests last week in connection with two separate shooting incidences.
Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said one shooting took place Monday afternoon on Marion Street and the second one was on Jackson Street Tuesday.
“Both shootings were gang-related,” McIver said. “The second was in retaliation for the first.”
The chief said the gang goes by CHS (Cold Hearted Steppas), and his officers feel the shootings were a result of in-fighting among gang members.
“No one was hit, but there were shots fired,” he said. “Two different shooters on two different days – one shooter on Monday, one shooter on Tuesday, one is 15 years old and one is 17. We are also looking for a driver.”
The arrest for Monday’s shooting took place on Wednesday and Tuesday’s arrest happened Saturday.
Officers ran a search warrant on Crestview Street Wednesday. It yielded a stolen AR, 300 Blackout that allegedly was stolen out in the parish.
“It was not the firearm that was used Monday or Tuesday, but it was a firearm that had been recently stolen,” McIver said.
The two juveniles are charged with illegal use of a weapon, one has the added charge of possession of a stolen fire arm in a case being investigated by Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.
McIver said there are other CHS members that are wanted for burglaries out in the parish.
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.
A third juvenile in less than one week has been arrested by Minden Police.
Chief Jared McIver said around 6 p.m. Monday evening, the Criminal Narcotics Team along with the new Special Response Team converged on some Shreveport Road apartments and arrested a 15-year-old suspect with a stolen handgun in a vehicle outside the residence.
“Our detectives and narcotics guys have been working around the clock, interviewing for information and leads,” McIver said. “They’ve done an outstanding job on this.”
McIver said this teen is the third member of CHS (Cold Hearted Steppas), a local gang, that has been arrested over the past week.
“That’s 2 stolen firearms we’ve taken off the streets,” McIver said. “One was an AR, this one was a 40 caliber firearm. That’s two guns that won’t be in the hands of kids shooting people.”
McIver said this incident is unrelated to firearm burglaries in Webster Parish.
“This gun was stolen out of Bossier City,” he said. “It’s a separate deal, but his arrest is a result of the shootings last week. All three arrests were gang-related and a result of the shootings.”
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.
Minden High School principal, Dr. Rebecca Wilson; and softball coach, Shelby Leach, stand on the pitcher’s mound and view the soon-to-be-complete MHS Lady Tiders softball stadium.
By Marilyn Miller
The Minden Lions Club met Thursday, July 27, 2023 at the American Legion Hall downtown. Lion Henry Bridges introduced special guest, Minden High School Principal, Dr. Rebecca Wilson, who talked about the “hot topics” around town right now – construction projects.
Prior to that she introduced Webster Parish School Superintendent Johnny Rowland and Construction supervisor Jeff Franklin.
And then she thanked the Minden Lions Club. “I love the Lions Club. On Friday nights you give up your time to be there taking up tickets (at all home football games)…in this heat, you sacrifice for us. Thank you for the many different ways you support us.”
The first construction project Dr. Wilson talked about is at MHS. The expansive building will hold classrooms, athletic facilities, and more. “We sincerely need more classroom space…and I just hope construction progresses.”
The second project brought sadness and joy. The “old gym” which most of the population of Minden played or watched basketball in or swam in had to be torn down to make space for an enlarged football stadium after ‘Mother Nature’ destroyed most of the home and visitors stands, concession facilities and restrooms at the existing stadium.”
“The visitors side was not touched during reconstruction,” Dr. Wilson explained. “Now we’re putting up a whole new grandstand (for visitors), which should be ready for the first home game on September 1.”
The third project is a “phenomenal” Girls’ Softball Complex being constructed by Don M. Barron Contractor, Inc. of Farmerville on the former site of Lowe Jr. High School on Clerk Street.
“We already have people asking to use it,” Dr. Wilson exclaimed. Minden High School has never had a ballfield dedicated to girls’ softball. “As a softball player, I remember gettting dressed and being hauled to Babbs Park. So I’m just thrilled that our kids will have a place of their own.”
Dr. Wilson then introduced Minden High School Softball Coach Shelby Leach, who is starting her third year with the Lady Tiders, and who also teaches Freshman English.
Coach Leach professed that coming to Minden was the “greatest decision I ever made. It’s an honor to be a part of Minden. You guys love everything. You pack the stands…I may be loud and obnoxious, but I see you. Your commitment has propelled us to new heights.”
Looking back at her first year, she recalls her team being ranked No. 1 early in the season. By the time the play-offs rolled around they were ranked No. 4 and didn’t make it past the first round.
“I was talking to my mom…kinda down…not knowing what to do,” she said. Coach Leach had enjoyed moderate success with teams she coached at Loyola, BPCC, Southern Arkansas…
But she “wanted to come to Minden” to, perhaps, change that. “My mom told me you have to ‘expect great things’ from them. And let them know that.”
That’s what she has done…convinced them to “buy into my crazy.”Minden High went 19-11 last season. They won 18 games the season prior to that.
Our team “still faces challenges,” Coach Leach said. She wants to instill more than ball-handling, catching, throwing and batting skills into them. “I’d like to see them realize personal growth…learn values, dignity, respect, sportsmanship…to become positive influences.”
All of these traits were evident at the Softball Camp that her team just hosted at the Minden Recreation Center. Tossing out a deep thanks to Minden Rec, she acknowledged that “We have been so blessed with the building of this facility.” She thanked Superintendent Rowland and the Webster Parish School Board for approving the construction. Opening day at the complex will pit Minden against Lakeside in February. Look out Supt. Rowland!
Coach Leach is awed that 25 athletes have signed up to play this season. “We will have a varsity and a junior varsity this year for the first time. It’s going to be a challenge to fill out the line-ups. The kids are excited to be out there (at the new complex). The Lord is in what we are doing!”
Dr. Wilson added that “the Minden High Softball Team needs the support of the community. We can’t do it alone,” she said. “There are financial challenges…working hard to bridge the gap between our wonderful School Board and welcoming donations from the community, whether that’s ticket-taking or yelling your support!”
Her motto at MHS is “One team, one dream; one Tide, one family!”
Minden is realizing that dream with the “best facility in the State of Louisiana. Not another school in Louisiana has the facility we have.”
Minden High School principal, Dr. Rebecca Wilson (left) and head softball coach, Shelby Leach, took members of the Minden Lions Club on a guided tour of the Lady Tiders softball facilities, which are almost complete. The complex is located on Clerk Street in the former location of Lowe Jr. High School.
The Webster Parish Assessor’s Annual Report for 2023 has been published and mailed.
In her introduction Webster Parish Tax Assessor Denise Edwards explains, “It is our goal to keep the citizens of Webster Parish informed and educated on the assessment process and the operations of the Assessor’s Office.”
This is the third Annual Report that details information regarding the assessment process, and how it is implemented and managed. It explains where the tax dollars are spent across districts, the police jury, public services, fire districts and municipalities. There is also a section informing which local agencies received tax dollars based on their millage and provides information on tax exemptions.
“In 2022, the Assessment District millage rate was lowered again with plans to lower it again for 2023,” said Edwards. “This will save the taxpayers another $500,000, bringing the total savings to $1.5 million dollars within the last three years.”
The report breaks down the changes in assessed values over the years with easy-to-understand graphs, as well as tax roll comparisons.
The 2022 tax roll, which includes all taxable property within the parish, increased by $4 million in Assessed Value. This increase was split between new properties and Public Service properties, such as utility companies, railroads, rolling stock, large intrastate pipelines and others.
The report states that there were a total of 26,444 taxpayers in 2022 with 12,295 parcels having Homestead Exemption. 7,168 of those parcels were 100 percent covered by the exemption.
With Homestead Exemption being a hot topic of discussion when it comes to taxpayers, the report includes a section specifically on Special Assessment Levels. It explains that eligible taxpayers may apply for various special assessment levels or what they call “freezes,” for their homestead. By “freezing” the taxpayer’s primary residence at its current assessed value, as long as the homeowner remains eligible. By doing this, it does not mean that this does not freeze millage rates. Your property’s assessed value will not increase, but taxing districts may still adjust tax rates on the properties.
There are three types of Homestead Exemption freezes – age freeze, disability freeze and veteran freeze. Currently, there are 990 age freeze parcels, 38 disability freeze parcels and 30 veteran freeze parcels.
They are currently working towards digitizing all old records for easy reference. These records include older deeds, homestead cards, LAT cards, etc. The office is also updating their Geographic Information System (GIS). This map can be used to locate, identify and inventory individual parcels of land in the parish.
Members of the assessor’s office encourage residents and taxpayers within the parish to reach out to the office, follow them on Facebook to keep up with current information or utilize their website, websterassessor.org. The website offers tools to locate property ownerships, assessed values and legal descriptions. Viewers can also file for homestead exemption online and check the status of tax payments.
One mark of an excellent teacher is their own willingness to never stop learning. That’s why Lakeside’s Madalyn Wynn has continued adding to her own knowledge over the past several summers by taking part in a variety of on-site scientific study summits.
She’s just returned from Washington state where she attended the National Marine Educators Association Conference. The event is held annually for the study of environmental issues. During the event, she discussed with researchers all known environmental issues currently facing Louisiana.
She will use this knowledge in the classroom to better educate her students.
“I think it’s important for the kids to learn these things because of the issues facing Louisiana, especially along the coast,” she said. “These issues will affect us even though our community is not coastal.”
As part of the conference, she presented an original lesson plan on giant salvinia as an invasive plant species that has troubled our area for years. The lesson plan was published in a scientific journal, and the organizers of the conference thought so highly of the work they invited the local teacher to the event.
“I always want to encourage students to never stop learning, so I try to learn as much as I can to bring back to them,” she said.
After 30 minutes of deliberation, a Webster Parish jury found Laquincy Warren (37) guilty as charged of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In July 2021, Warren ran from Minden police officers who responded to a call concerning a man in the street with a gun. Upon arrival, officers observed a suspect fitting the description began to flee the scene and Sgt. Mitch Hackett, Lt. Brandon Curry, and Lt. Chris Hammontree along with K9 Tigo gave chase. Warren was apprehended and was found to have 9 mm ammo in his pants pockets and a 9 mm handgun was recovered with Warren’s bag where he was last seen during the pursuit.
Warren has multiple prior felonies, including an instance from 2015 when he pulled a gun and pointed it at Ryan Barnette, who was then working for the Minden Police Department.
Assistant District Attorney Jimbo Yocom told the jury in his closing, “the book of Proverbs says, ‘the guilty man flees when no man is pursuing him…’”.
“The Minden Police Department should be commended for a job well done on this case. They responded quickly, acted professionally, and because of their training and actions they were able to remove another dangerous criminal with a handgun off of the streets of Minden,” said District Attorney Schuyler Marvin. “Our office does intend to file a habitual offender bill. Felons who carry guns will be pursued and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jimbo Yocom. Laquincy Warren was represented by attorney Mary Jackson. Sentencing is set for October 23, 2023, in front of Judge Charles Smith. The sentencing range for Possession of Firearm by a Convicted Felon is five to twenty years in prison at hard labor.
I was on the phone the other day with a friend. Good guy. Without a doubt the best guy I know. And we were talking a bit about what was going on in the world of schoolteachers getting ready for back to class, back to pencils, back to books, back to teachers’ dirty looks. That’s next week, by the way.
He was doing some work at the schoolhouse, and I had just come in from manicuring the lawn. That’s what I try to do. I don’t cut it. I want it to look nice. Not because I want to win a yard of the month award but because I’ve got something in me that demands I do the best at whatever task I undertake.
This has caused me some pain and disappointment over the years, but there it is all the same.
It’s pride. I’ve got pride in what I do. Pride when no one else notices. Pride when no one else cares. Now, this isn’t that kinda pride that’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It’s not that arrogant, “I’m better than you and want you to know it, bay-bay,” kinda pride.
It’s just taking pleasure in doing something on your own and to the best of your ability.
So, we were on the phone. Back to that. And I told him what I was feeling, and he said he understood, and we wondered how prevalent that feeling is among the rest of God’s folk.
Did you know that “work” and its importance is mentioned nearly a thousand times in the Good Book? Do you ever feel bored just sitting around? Do you ever feel, I hazard to use this word and have you think poorly of my choice of phrase, but do you ever just feel “yucky” by spending too much time on the couch or in the bed and not out doing something?
We’re not meant to sit idly by and let everyone else make the world go round for us. We’re meant to be active, to work, to create, to give something to the world in which we live. That out there – that’s God’s house. That’s the house Yeshua’s Father made for me and you and all those people you claim to love and all those you claim to hate. We’re meant to be out there, and if we’re not out there, we’re meant to be in the houses we made doing something worthwhile.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, my fourth favorite writer, believed that everyone possesses inherent worth and potential. He emphasized the importance of recognizing our unique abilities and channeling them into our work. Our efforts, regardless of recognition, contribute to our personal growth, development, and self-fulfillment. When we approach our work with passion, we nourish our own potential, paving the way for personal triumph regardless of external validation.
Our dedication and pride in our work have the power to inspire and influence others, even if recognition eludes us. Emerson wrote, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” When we approach our work with unwavering commitment and passion, we become beacons of inspiration to those around us. Our dedication can ignite a spark within others, encouraging them to find their own intrinsic motivation and take pride in their endeavors, regardless of external kudos.
People notice. Kids notice. And the young ones need good examples to follow in a world where good examples are few and far between. Lotta kids have nothing to look up. Only things to look down on. They’re raised down, yall. Not up. Put down. Never raised up.
The reward of a job well done is having done it. For those of you who still care about such things, please pass that sentiment on along.
(Josh Beavers is an award-winning writer and author. He has earned more than 40 individual writing awards and is syndicated in 12 North Louisiana news journals. The Louisiana Press Association has recognized him five times for excellence in opinion writing, and he has earned numerous Best Investigative Reporting Awards and Freedom of Information Awards for exposure of governmental corruption in Webster Parish.)
