The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Court Friday, April 10:

ALEXANDER, RAKIYAH D.
100114Home Invasion

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ
94980 CT 1 Simple Burglary
94980 CT 2 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000
94980 CT 3 Illegal Possession Of Stolen Firearms
94980 CT 4 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule II CDS (Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)
94980 CT 5 Second Degree Murder
94980 CT 6 First Degree Feticide
94980 CT 7 Racketeering
$1797.33 restitution, $270 Fee = $2,067.33
Status Hearing

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ
94980 CT 1 Simple Burglary
94980 CT 2 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000
94980 CT 3 Illegal Possession Of Stolen Firearms
94980 CT 4 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule II CDS (Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)
94980 CT 5 Second Degree Murder
94980 CT 6 First Degree Feticide
94980 CT 7 Racketeering
$1797.33 restitution, $270 Fee = $2,067.33
Rule to show cause

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ
94980 CT 1 Simple Burglary
94980 CT 2 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000
94980 CT 3 Illegal Possession Of Stolen Firearms
94980 CT 4 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule II CDS (Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)
94980 CT 5 Second Degree Murder
94980 CT 6 First Degree Feticide
94980 CT 7 Racketeering
$1797.33 restitution, $270 Fee = $2,067.33
A Preliminary Hearing MPD

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ
94784 CT 1 Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance, to wit: Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids
94784 CT 2 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or Controlled Dangerous Substance
Status Hearing MPD

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ
94236 Illegal Possession Of Stolen Firearms
Status Hearing MPD

BOOTH, JESSE ALLEN
100265-CT.1 Unauthorized use of a Movable less than $1,000
100265-CT.2 Theft Under $1,000

CARTER, CANTICE SHAVON
96258 Second Degree Battery

CHAMPION, DERRICK ALONZO
99751 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

CHISM, GERRY DEWAYNE
99516 CT 1 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence
99516 CT 2 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – Fourth or Subsequent

COLLINS, JAMES DAVID
99659 Attempted Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

CORNELIUS, ASHIA GWENETTA
100061 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

CORNELIUS, ASHIA GWENETTA
96007 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

CORNELIUS, ASHIA GWENETTA
96007 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

CROCKETT, TYKEYUNA
100013 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

DODGE, KAMI
99860 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

DRAKE, ROYTAVIOUS KESHUN
99760 Unauthorized Entry Of A Place Of Business

EASTER, SAMANTHA ANN
100261 Theft Under $1,000

EBANKS, JR., JAMES E
100171 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
100171 CT. 2 Operating A Vehicle While Under Suspension For Certain Prior

ECKROAT, KEVIN LEDOIT
100003 Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender 2nd Offense

FRANKLIN, DEREK
100267-CT.1 Possession of a CDS I Marijuana (Fourteen Grams or Less)
100267-CT.2 Resisting An Officer
100267-CT.3 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense
100267-CT.4 Pedestrian On Highway

FRY, MATTHEW D.
100286 Violation Of Leash Law
Restitution Pending

GIFFORD, DAVID W
98789 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)
98789A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

GREEN, DEWAYNE DEMONT
100163 Obstruction of Justice by Tampering with Evidence
100163A Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender/Child Predator

GREENARD, MARLON S.
99890 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000
Restitution paid in full 11/24/25

HARPER, KELVONTAE
100268 Simple Robbery

HATFIELD, MANUEL JAMALL
100233 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
10023 CT. 2 Possession Of Alcoholic Beverages In Motor Vehicles

HUNTER, ASHLEY RENEE
99664 Simple Escape

HUTCHINSON, BRANDI N.
98539 Possession of a Schedule IV CDS

INNOCENT, WENDERSON
99934A CT 1 Possession of a CDS I Marijuana (Fourteen Grams or Less)
99934 CT 2 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

IRBY, NICKY AARON
100281 CT 1 Violation Of Leash Law
100281 CT 2 Violation Of Leash Law
Restitution- $300 + $45 = $345 total

ISLAND, LISH ANTONIO
99359 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

JOHNSON, SARAH RUBY
99592 CT 1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less
than Two Grams)
99592 CT 2 First Degree Vehicular Negligent Injuring
99592 CT 3 First Degree Vehicular Negligent Injuring

JONES, TRISTAN LEE
99927 Possession of CDS I Marijuana (More Than Fourteen Grams)

KEMP, DERRICK DWAYNE
99424 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

LIMOSNERO, JAMES D
98907 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

MACON, JASON LLOYD
100188 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

MALONE, ANTHONY L.
98935 Distribution of a Schedule I CDS

MARKRAY, JADARIUS TERRENCE
100113 Unauthorized use of a Movable more than $1,000

MAYFIELD, JR., KEVIN DALE
99352 CT 1 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence
99352 CT 2 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

MAYFIELD, JR., KEVIN DALE
98560 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

MCDONALD, CHRISTOPHER J.
99353 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

MCKINLEY, KYLE MICHAEL
100290 Manslaughter

MEACHAM, BYRON S.
99932 Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered

MILLER, JERRY
99909 Possession of a CDS I Marijuana (Fourteen Grams or Less)

MONTGOMERY, TINA
100006 Illegal Use Of Weapons Or Dangerous Instrumentalities

MOORE, DARIEN DANTRELL
98255A Accessory After The Fact

MOORE, VICTOR A.
100146 CT 1 Aggravated Assault
100146 CT 2 Aggravated Assault
100146 CT 3 Aggravated Assault

NOLEN, JR., FREDDIE
98650 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

OSIRIS, STANLEY
99934 CT 1 Possession of a CDS I Marijuana (Fourteen Grams or Less)
99934 CT 2 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

PARDON, HUNTER ALLEN
100262 CT 1 Unlawful Purchase and/or Public Possession of Alcoholic Beverages
100262 CT 2 Failure To Report An Accident And/Or Provide Proper Identification (Damages Over $500)
100262 CT 3 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

PARKER, SCOTT DOUGLAS
99630 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

REEVE, CHRISTINA COYE
97486 CT 1 Resisting An Officer
97486 CT 2 Resisting An Officer
97486 CT 3 Disturbing the Peace by Appearing in an Intoxicated Condition
97486 CT 4 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

SANBORN, BRENDA LYNN
100279 Criminal Trespassing

SIMS, KIARA
100276 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
100276 CT. 2 Possession Of Alcoholic Beverages In Motor Vehicles

SIMS, KIARA
97935 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

SMITH, RUSSELL GARETH
99428 Simple Burglary
Restitution owed per the report- $7,800 plus $1,170 fee = $8,970 total

SMITH, RUSSELL GARETH
99858 CT 1 Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling
99858 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule III CDS

SMOCK, KRISTIE J.
93746A Simple Battery

STEPHENS, CEDRIC BERNARD
98255 Second Degree Murder
Trial 07/27

STRIPLIN, CHARLES BRUCE
100278 Attempted Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

TURNER, KIMBERLY A.
100284 Violation Of Leash Law

WARREN, JOHN RICHARD
99747 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
99747 CT. 2 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

WEEMS, TANYA MCLAIN
100178 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
100178 CT. 2 Speeding 16-24 MPH

WHITE, DEJUAN S.
99685 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

WILLIAMS, BRETT DEMARCUS
98643 CT 1 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence
98643 CT 2 Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

WILLIAMSON, CHRISTOPHER B.
100280 Violation Of Leash Law

WILLIS, DEMARCUS JERMAINE
98255A Accessory After The Fact

WILLIS, DEMARCUS JERMAINE
99271 CT 1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS
99271 CT 2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS
99271 CT 3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

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There’s a part of me that wants to keep this column to myself. Toss it in the trash. Avoid anyone thinking I’ve completely lost my mind. But I set out to help people find the courage to face themselves and that means I have to be willing to do the same. Out loud. So here it is.

The goal of trauma therapy is simple to say but not easy to live. It’s to push through the negative emotional set point trauma keeps us in. The addictions, anger, bitterness, resentment and constant complaining. So that we can move toward a baseline of joy, faith, and love.

Have you ever had a season where everything irritated you? Even the people you love? Where nothing really makes you happy, and you catch yourself complaining about things you should be grateful for? Maybe it’s more than a season. Maybe it’s been decades or even your entire life if you’re completely honest with yourself.

You’re not alone. A lot of people are living in that state. I was one of them.

For me, it showed up in my body too. Pain. Exhaustion. A heaviness I couldn’t shake. What started as headaches in my teenage years morphed into something much bigger as the years went on. Labels like fibromyalgia and autoimmune issues came into the picture. But through trauma therapy, I began to realize that my body was trying to tell me something!

And since then, I’ve read many things on how trauma shows up in our bodies. There are entire books dedicated to this subject alone. It’s astonishing.

And then came the realization that maybe I sucked at relationships because of what I was AVOIDING, not because of what I had been through.

I was avoiding the fact that I was scared of true intimacy and real love.

That didn’t make sense at first. I even disagreed with that. Like really disagreed with it! Argued with my therapist, even. I thought I WANTED love. I wanted that more than anything, didn’t I?!? It’s all I had ever wanted. So I though. I thought I wanted a real, committed relationship. I wanted to feel chosen. But deep down, I was terrified of TRUE intimacy. Terrified of being FULLY seen. (and there was so much more to unpack in this area that we don’t have room for in a short newspaper article!)

The truth is, we can SAY we want something with our words, but our patterns tell a different story.

Looking back, there were warning signs all along. Even before my first marriage. There were things I brushed off, minimized, or buried. Even worse, there were many things I made excuses for. But what we don’t face doesn’t disappear. It builds. And eventually, it DEMANDS to be seen. A new relationship won’t fix it. Time won’t fix it. You have to FACE IT to fix it!

It’s like your body starts whispering… and if you don’t listen, it gets louder. And louder. And louder. Until you can’t ignore it anymore.

At some point, you realize you have a choice. You can suffer unconsciously, or intentionally. Because either way, there’s pain. But it’s only through INTENTION that your life gets better.

When you choose to face yourself, your fears, your patterns, your past, it hurts at first. Especially when you start to realize that YOU have been the majority of your problem all along! But on the other side of that pain is something completely different. There’s forgiveness, peace, growth, freedom and even joy!

And your body starts to respond too. The tension eases. The pain begins to subside. Your overall health gets better. Your energy comes back. You begin to feel alive again. Like REALLY alive!

Maybe that won’t be your exact experience. Maybe this all sounds like a bunch of woo-woo nonsense. But ask yourself this, what would it hurt to try?

For years, I organized my life around my trauma without even realizing it. I didn’t even know I HAD trauma. Had never heard of such a thing! But now I see that I chased love in the wrong ways. I tried to control everything to feel safe. I built habits and beliefs that didn’t serve me. The list goes on.

But one of the most freeing things I’ve learned is that those were things I DID. They weren’t who I AM (or even who I was).

We CAN change.

But we have to be honest with ourselves first. 

Those small, unspoken resentments? They don’t stay small. They build. Quietly. And they can take you down if you let them! They WILL take you down if you let them!

So, ask yourself these four questions: 

Do you want to live?

If you do, why? (Like really… WHY?)

What do you want to do?

What would make your life worth living?

Don’t answer quickly. Sit with these questions. Be real with yourself.

Pray. Journal. Sit in the quiet. Get outside. Think deeply about your life.

For me, there was a feeling like there was something inside me that I wasn’t expressing. Like there was a difference between what I had to give and what I was actually giving. And I felt like I was wasting my life. 

Maybe that’s what people call a “mid-life crisis.” But I don’t think it’s a crisis at all. I think it’s an awakening.

An invitation to take a hard look at your life and ask yourself if you’re living with intention, or just running those same old worn-out patterns over and over again? 

Even after a lot of effort, I still get it wrong. A lot. Way more than I care to admit! I don’t think this is something you ever “finish.” It’s a journey. But if sharing my messy, imperfect, chaotic story helps even one person feel less alone or gives one person the courage to take a step toward change, then it’s worth it. 

And if you’re in the middle of your own life transformation, there’s a song that’s been sitting with me lately. It’s called “I Went Back to Ibiza” by Mike Posner. His journey from where he started to where he is now is a reminder that people really CAN change. 

If something in you is stirring as you read this, don’t ignore it. Follow it. Face it. And trust that it will lead you somewhere better. 

Here’s to YOU! Here’s to a better life!

(Shannon Wright is a real estate agent who is also a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal. She lives in Sibley.)

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The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles now has an online portal available for Electric and Hybrid vehicle owners to pay their annual road usage fee. 

The road usage fee is $110 per year on each electric vehicle and $60 per year on each hybrid vehicle. Owners can pay their fees at https://www.expresslane.la.gov/evfee.

The annual road usage fee imposed by R.S. 32.461 on electric and hybrid vehicles operated on the highways in Louisiana applies to vehicles registered in Louisiana; and vehicles registered in another state but which are operated on the highways of Louisiana and required to be registered in Louisiana pursuant to R.S. 47:513, including company vehicles by resident employees, owners with dual- or multiple state residences, or other situations of permanent use.

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The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Traffic Court Friday, April 10:

ADAMS, RHONDA D
T009626 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

AL-SHANI, AHMAD
T035326 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 76/55

ANDERSON, GERMAL RAY
T110525 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 71/55 G/A
T110525A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T110525B Operating A Vehicle with an Expired License Plate

ANDERSON, JONATHAN J
T109824 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

ANDERSON, KEZIAH LADASHA
T036826 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Crash

BAXLEY, COREY
T035426 Operating A Vehicle Without Proper Required Equipment

BENDER, SHAQUEEN RENEE
T065125 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
T065125A Operating a Vehicle Without a Driver’s License
Single vehicle crash

BOLLING, KELLI YVONNE
T036926 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 73/55

BORNTRAGER, JACOB
T037026 Failure to Use Safety Belt

BYNUM, JOSHUA D
T037126 Operating A Vehicle with an Expired License Plate

CABOVERDE, ELIECER DOMINQUEZ
T037226 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 69/55

CLARK, ALEXUS ELISE
T092123 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 88/70
T092123A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

COOPER, DEIONDRA
T037326 Improper Child Restraint

COOPER, LAKENDRIUS TAREL
T035526 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

CROSS, VICTORIA
T035626 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 90/70
T035626A Operating A Vehicle With An Expired Driver’s License

DAVID, DUNN
T035726 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 76/55

DEMPSEY, GAVIN
T037426 Failure to Use Safety Belt

EVERS, JR, CHARLES WILLIAM
T035826 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

FERRELL, TERRY L.
T035926 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T035926A No Insurance
T035926B Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Single vehicle crash

GARCIA, ANDRIALIS
T037526 Following Too Closely
T037526A Operating a Vehicle Without a Driver’s License
Crash

GARCIE HATFIELD, TRICIA MICHELLE
T037926 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

GARCIE HATFIELD, TRICIA MICHELLE
T004224 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T004224A Operating A Vehicle with an Expired License Plate

GARSEE, BRANDON W
T017122A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

HALL, JOHN R
T037626 Failure to Use Safety Belt

HALL, PATRICIA NELL
T036026 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T036026A Operating A Vehicle Without Current Number Plates
T036026B Operating A Vehicle Without Proof Of Insurance

HAMMETT, CEDRIC LEE
T037826 Failure to Use Safety Belt

HAWTHORNE, TARCUS M.
T038026 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

HEBERT, ISABELLA ESTHER
T038126 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 86/70

HODGDON, DAKOTA GENE
T038226 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 69/55

HODGE, BRANDON MICHAEL
T103525 Operating A Vehicle Without Current Number Plates
T103525A Operating A Vehicle With An Expired Driver’s License

HOWELL, JIMMY D
T049825 Improper Turn And/Or Failure To Give Required Signal
Crash

HUTCHINSON, TOMMIE S.
T036126 Operating a Vehicle with an Unlit License Plate
T036126A Improper Lane Usage
T036126B Operating A Vehicle Without Proper Required Equipment

JEFFERSON, LINDA B
T038326 Failure to Use Safety Belt

KEMP, DAMIEN
T010126 Failure to Use Safety Belt
T010126A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

LEWIS, KATIE RENE
T038426 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Crash

MCCURTY, JACKENDRICK
T034424 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T034424A No Insurance

MILLER, JASAVION JASHAD
T038526 Modification of Exhaust Systems

MOSBY, CHRISTIAN LESEAN
T038626 Operating A Vehicle with an Expired License Plate

NELSON, ZADARIUS KAYMON
T038726 Improper Child Restraint
T038726A Improper Child Restraint

PETERSON, KAMILIA D
T038826 Operating a Vehicle Without a Driver’s License

RAMAZANI, MAHMOUD
T038926 Operating A Vehicle With Improper Tail Lights

RASBERRY, LANDON JOSEPH
T039026 Window Tint

RASBERRY, LARRY
T094625 Improper Passing On Left

RASCO, THOMAS JAMES
T039226 Failure to Use Safety Belt

REYNOLDS, ALVIN BRYAN
T036226 No Drivers License On Person

ROGERS, COBI DANIEL
T039126 Operating a Vehicle Without a Driver’s License
T039126A Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Crash

STANFORD, NICHOLAS DAVID
T039326 Window Tint

STERLING, ADRIAN CHARLES
T039426 Failure to Use Safety Belt

STEWART, MEREDITH KAYE
T039526 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

STURDIVANT, DESMON
T036326 Speeding 25 & OVER – 86/55

TAYLOR, JR, KENDRIC DERMAINE
T039626 Window Tint

TEAGUE, CODY BENJAMIN
T110125 Failure to Yield Right of Way

TEAGUE, CODY BENJAMIN
T003225 Speeding 11-15 MPH
T003224A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

TEAGUE, CODY BENJAMIN
T084423 Speeding 16-24 MPH

TILLMAN, ETHAN COLE
T039726 Failure to Use Safety Belt

WALKER, CURTIS
T036426 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 75/55

WALKER, MICHAEL D
T060122 Failure to Use Safety Belt
T060122A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

WALKER, RECO
T036526 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 70/55

WEATHERS, KAREEM RAYSHUN
T036626 Speeding 25 & OVER – 82/55

WEBB, CARTAVIOUS M
T036726 Speeding 25 & OVER – 88/55

WELLS, ROBERT R
T009422B Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

WHEELER, JR., FABIAN A.
T039826 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

WILLIS, DEION
T025625 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Single vehicle crash

WOODARD, KELLY A
T047626 Speeding 25 & OVER
T047626A No Insurance

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Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 84.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.

*Information provided by National Weather Service.

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Send non-profit calendar events to wpjnewsla@gmail.com .

April 9

5 until 7 p.m., Bites & Beats, Miller Quarters Park, Minden, live music with Cynthia Sandidge, food trucks, family friendly fun.

6 p.m. UCAP Hungerfest, Dessert Auction Fundraiser, soup and crackers for meal. Minden First Methodist, 903 Broadway. All proceeds benefit United Christian Assistance Program. Buy tickets at door or from UCAP.

6 p.m. Springhill North Webster Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, Springhill Civic Center.

April 11

7 p.m. Piney Woods Jamboree at the CAC building in Springhill  Special Guest will be Brady Rhodes and Lacey Dodson.

April 14

5:30 p.m. Initial meeting of the 4-H Rabbit Club, Webster Parish Extension Office, 1202 Homer Rd., Minden.

April 16

10:30 a.m. 2026 Light of Hope, Volunteers for Youth Justice CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Program. Minden Civic Center.

April 18

9 a.m. until noon, Arms Around Autism, Autism Acceptance Walk, Miller Quarters Park, Minden. Vendors, bounce house, resources, sensory-friendly kid zone.

9 a.m. until 3 p.m. (rain or shine) Trails and Trellises garden tour. Tickets purchased in advance for $10, $15 at any garden. Visit www.phlmg.com or facebook.com/PHLMG for gardens on tour and ticket purchase.

April 23

2 p.m., Alzheimer’s Support Group, Minden Medical Center cafeteria, first floor.

April 25

Phillip’s Cottage 5K Run, 217 W. Union St., Minden. Get race details and register here: https://runsignup.com/Race/LA/Minden/PhillipSCottageK .

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Word of the Day: Laudable

Phonetic: /laud·a·ble/
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition
(of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation.
“laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized”

Similar: praiseworthy, commendable, admirable

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Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Play Sudoku online!

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Ashley Nicole Harper, 34, 900 block Wallace Dean Rd., West Monroe: arrested April 6 by WPSO on warrants for domestic abuse with child endangerment, domestic abuse aggravated assault, two counts aggravated assault, simple battery. Bond set $141,000.

Reginald D. Oliver, 46, 100 block Molton Dr., Minden: arrested April 6 by Minden PD on multiple bench warrants. Bond set $750.

Tony Frada Thomas, 56, 1001 Tillman Church Rd., Heflin: arrested April 2 by Minden PD for improper lane usage, possession of CDS Sch. II (crack cocaine), outstanding bench warrant. Bond set $5,001.

Casey Shoemaker, 34, 100 block Fuller St., Minden: arrested April 7 by WPSO on warrant. No bond set.

Dameiko Imere Ford, 27, 200 block Oak Nole Circle, Lewisville, Texas: arrested April 7 by Probation and Parole for parole violation. Held without bond.

Weston R. Allison, 49, 100 block Hatten, Minden: arrested April 7 by Minden PD for appearing to be in intoxicated condition. Bond set $500.

Zytwone Robinson, 22, 1200 block Fulton St., Minden: arrested April 7 by Minden PD for possession of CDS Sch. I (synthetic marijuana), obstruction of justice. No bond set.

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.

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Betty Lou Moore Hathaway
January 8, 1933 — April 7, 2026
Shreveport/Minden
Visitation: 10 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2026, Noel Methodist Church, Shreveport.
Funeral service: 11 a.m. immediately following visitation.

Barbara Ann Moore
June 19, 1943  –  April 7, 2026
Springhill
Private graveside: Springhill Cemetery, under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home.

Dorothy Lee
March 15, 1933 — April 3, 2026
Minden/Haughton
Visitation: 5 until 6 p.m. Thursday, April 9, 2026, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.
Graveside service: 11 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2026, Hill Crest Cemetery, Haughton.

Paul Leroy Scott
November 17, 1936 — March 25, 2026
Minden
Memorial service: 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11, 2026, Living Word Minden.

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 no charge.)

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(Third in a series)

By WP Journal Staff

A federal tax lien claiming more than $2.4 million in unpaid payroll taxes is owed by Minden Medical Center has been filed in Bossier Parish.

Records show the lien, totaling $2,405,364.25 for the tax period ending June 30, 2025, was filed in the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court’s Office on March 16 against CLHG-Minden, LLC.

CLHG-Minden reportedly represents the corporate structure of Minden Medical Center.

Filing documents show an unpaid balance of federal tax assessments began as early as the tax period ending Sept. 30, 2020, about two years after Allegiance Health Management purchased Minden Medical Center. 

Records in the Bossier Parish filing show that over the years, unpaid tax balances at MMC have run as high as $3,574,477. That amount was recorded on Dec. 31, 2023.

Allegiance Health Management, a Rock Bordelon-owned, Bossier City-based corporation, operates 11 hospitals in the state. Many reportedly have been the subjects of a number of liens, many relating to unpaid payroll taxes.

Allegiance purchased MMC from LifePoint Health on August 1, 2018 as part of a three hospital acquisition. The selling price was not publicly disclosed.

Others purchased at the time were Mercy Regional Medical Center (Ville Platte) and Acadian Medical Center (Eunice). Both hospitals have also been the subject of federal tax liens.

Previous stories:

Minden Medical Center sued for non payment; financial difficulties surface

 CEO, Board of Governors issue statements on MMC condition

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By Pat Culverhouse

An attempted midnight flight from a Minden police officer has run a local man into a parish prison cell where he now faces a number of traffic- and alcohol-related charges.

Tyler Joseph Hartwell, 33, was taken into custody after he reportedly led MPD Officer Cody James on a high speed chase through residential areas around Talton St. just after midnight Friday.

Hartwell has been booked on numerous counts including aggravated flight from an officer, reckless operation, stop and yield sign violations and possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle and resisting an officer.

He is further charged with operating a vehicle while impaired (fourth offense), driving under suspension for certain offenses and as a fugitive from probation and parole. Hartwell is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center under a $51,503 bond.

Officer James reportedly was in his patrol unit at the intersection of Talton and Gilbert streets when he heard a vehicle approaching with its motor revving at a high RPM. When the Dodge Challenger passed his location at a high rate of speed in a posted 35 mph zone, he activated emergency lights and siren in an attempt to make a traffic stop.

A pursuit, often at speeds exceeding 60 mph in 25 mph zones, continued through adjoining Talton St. neighborhood streets before the vehicle finally came to a stop at a residence in the 800 block of Durwood St.

Hartwell, the alleged driver, exited the vehicle and fled on foot behind a nearby residence. Officer James reportedly caught the suspect as he attempted to jump a fence and successfully deployed his taser to secure the arrest.

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the officer found an open bottle of alcohol with approximately three-quarters consumed and an open 12 oz. beer approximately one-half consumed.

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.

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By Pat Culverhouse

An apparent argument over gasoline escalated into violence and a 19-year-old Minden man is now in custody on multiple charges stemming from the domestic incident.

Derayis Marye Taylor is being held for domestic abuse battery with child endangerment, interfering with emergency communication, false imprisonment and on a fugitive warrant from the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.

He is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on a $10,000 bond.

Chief of Police Jared McIver said officers, responding to a residence in the 1200 block of East St. Saturday just before 8 a.m., found the victim in the driveway with blood on her shirt and blood on her inner left bicep and her left cheek.

During their interview, officers learned the victim asked Taylor about her vehicle being low on gasoline. Taylor, the woman’s live-in boyfriend, reportedly agreed to ask a relative for money for gas, but was refused. An apparent argument over the failure to borrow money ensued between Taylor and the victim.

According to statements, Taylor followed the victim into a bathroom of the residence where the argument escalated to violence. Taylor allegedly struck the victim in the face, then blocked the door to refuse her exit.

Officers learned when the woman did manage to get past the doorway, she went into her children’s bedroom to attempt to call 9-1-1. Taylor allegedly threw her to the side as she attempted to make the call. At that time, the victim reportedly broke a bedroom window to escape the residence.

Taylor then fled the scene in the woman’s vehicle, but reportedly ran out of gas a short time later. He was located  and taken into custody without incident. During his arrest, a firearm was found in his pants pocket, but officers reported the firearm was not used during the incident.

Officers reportedly learned children ranging in ages from one to 12 years old were inside the residence during the alleged incident.

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.

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By Bonnie Culverhouse

April is National Donate Life Month and Ashley Davis, Community Educator for Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) shared her knowledge of organ donation with Minden City Council members during a workshop Monday, which was followed by a of Donate Life Month proclamation at the end of the regular council meeting.

LOPA supports families during the donation process. Davis has almost first-hand experience with both sides of donation.

“My dad received a liver transplant in 1997,” Davis said. “He received a liver from someone who was in a car accident. Because of that transplant, we had five extra years with him.”

Davis’ uncle who had a stroke became an eye and tissue donor. 

Records show more than 100,000 persons nationwide awaiting a transplant. Around 2,000 reside in Louisiana.

One organ donor may save up to eight lives – one tissue donor can save up to 75 lives and one donor can restore sight to two persons.

“The ability to touch that many lives is incredible,” she added.

At the end of the regular council meeting, Mayor Nick Cox presented a proclamation to Davis, along with Wytonia McBride whose son Joshua died in 2019, when he was struck by a bullet during a drive-by shooting in DeRidder. The family moved to Minden where McBride has become an advocate for transplant donations.

“Thank you, Minden, for being such a blessing in my family’s life,” McBride said to the council.

Cox’s proclamation reads that listing a name in the Louisiana Donor Registry provides hope for those whose lives or productivity depend on transplants. More than 2.8 million Louisianans have registered as organ donors at the Office of Motor Vehicles. You can also sign up online and through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. There are no restrictions for age or medical condition.

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By Marilyn Miller

The Dixie Inn Board of Aldermen conducted a public workshop on Monday, April 6 to discuss five items that could see further action at the next monthly board meeting.

Mayor Donna Hoffoss first reported that annual funds from the Webster Parish Police Jury are in-hand and asked the board to discuss uses for the $16,000. “I’d like to recommend that we (put the money toward the) purchase a new tractor to replace our old one, which wouldn’t crank the other day,” she said. “I’d like to consider a Skid-Steer product if they weren’t so expensive.”

“There have been several times we’ve needed a new tractor,” alderman Judy McKenzie concurred.

Alderman Lance Milligan questioned how long the village has been given to use the WPPJ’s donation and was told until Dec. 31, 2026. He then asked what sold the mayor on a Skid-Steer product, which is an attachment such as a loader.

She said the Village was moving dirt the day before and had rented a Skid-Steer loader. “We finished the project in one day,” she said, unbelievingly.

“A tractor would be a safer bet,” Milligan said. “I would go for a Kubota over a Deere…it’s a workhorse.”

After more discussion, Mayor Hoffoss commented, “We can use the $16,000 towards a tractor…but we have until December to decide.

In other matters, the board discussed:

• The hiring of a part-time or full-time person to assist the village Clerk;
• What action can be taken over the new awning in front of the Village Hall, which almost collapsed during the recent ice storm. The board decided to invite the owner of the company who constructed the awning to come to Dixie Inn to visit with the mayor and council and take a look at the product;
• A personnel matter.

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By Marilyn Miller

“Anyone who tells you the God of Christianity and the god of Islam are the same, understands neither.” Rev. Keith Marriot

“It’s simple…There is no reasonable way that you can say the god of Islam and the God of Christianity are the same.”

The reasons behind this statement and more will be discussed during a free 20-week Bible Study starting Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at the Minden Presbyterian Church on Broadway in Minden. The public is invited.

“The aims of each deity are divergent (conflicting, opposing),” said Rev. Keith Marriott (former history and religion faculty member at several colleges and universities). “Far too many clergy and Christians (and politicians) do not even have a working knowledge of Islam. For example, Muslims say that the Quran has never changed – but we have five existing copies from early years that are different, and there are thousands of changes in current materials.”

The class will challenge some pre-conceptions of Christian eschatology (end-times), and Islamic as well. “There are surprising insights that can be gleaned from studying both Christian and Islamic end-times in comparison and contrast,” Rev. Marriot said.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States and “it is important for Christians and others to understand that it is not a religion, but a worldview that covers all things.”

“This class will help those who want to witness to their Islamic neighbors, and those who just want to understand the world better,” said Marriot. “And it for people who ‘don’t give a hoot’ about the Bible. People who have read and/or watched the ‘Left Behind’ series will also find it interesting.”

“If you have heard or think that the God of Christianity and the god of Islam are the same – you need this class. Saying this insults both systems.”

Marriot said that “What I hope to happen, is that this time together will awaken awareness and understanding.”

Outlines and “word” lists will be provided to make the material easier.

“We hope you will join us.”

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“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’

‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” — Joshua 5:13-15 (NIV)

Great week for fans of spring and sport. The Final Four was decided Monday night (hat tip to former Louisiana Tech assistant and now Michigan head coach and national champion Dusty May), the Masters will be decided this week (holla!), and big-league baseball is just beginning. Collegiate spring sports are in full bloom.

Sensory overload.

And everyone is trying to come in second, right? Every crowd chants like pigs in slop, “We’re No. 2! We’re No. 2!”

Aaaaaaand … of course not.

We want to be No. 1. And that’s good. No one practices to lose or to finish second.

But in the divine realm, it’s a bit of a different ballgame. The only way to win is to submit to second place.

Joshua did, and it won for God and for him and for the Israelites the Battle of Jericho. 

The text from Joshua 5 is on the eve of the Battle. Joshua has replaced the late Moses as leader of the Israelites. The gates of Jericho are securely barred. Joshua is not secure at all, until God shows up. And God shows up because Joshua was spiritually prepared.

In 1840, Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne wrote this to a missionary friend: “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”

Joshua was a holy minister. When he asked the man before him — Joshua is about to discover the man is a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ — if he is “for us or our enemies?” the man replies, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

First of all, the man says he is here to fight a Divine Battle. Not the Israelites’ battle or the battle for the people of Jericho, but His battle. To paraphrase, I think what he is saying is, “I’m on my side and I’m in charge. Whose side are you on?”

Whoa …

To clarify, the man says he is the commander of the army of the Lord. And then Joshua knew what the outcome would be, because this was the commander he’d been following all along.

God fights for his own holiness and purposes. If we want to be on the winning team, we have to get our shoes off by taking time to be holy and respecting the ground the leader is standing on.

Like Joshua, we can love second place, even embrace it, when in first place is the commander of the army of the Lord.

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Freshman Connection gives new students a clear path into college life, from class registration to campus relationships, before the semester begins.

By Cole Gentry, Chief Marketing Officer at Northwestern State University

The drive to campus often carries two things at once, excitement and uncertainty.

For many students, college begins before the first class ever meets. It starts in the quiet questions that build during the summer. Where do I go? Who do I ask? What will this place feel like once it becomes mine?

At Northwestern State University, Freshman Connection is designed to answer those questions early and well.

The program serves as NSU’s official orientation for new first-year students attending the Natchitoches, Alexandria, Leesville, and Shreveport campuses. It gives students an organized, welcoming introduction to campus life, academic expectations, and the people who will help shape their first year. Students meet in small groups led by current student Connectors, who guide conversations, share advice, and help make a university feel personal from the very beginning.

That matters, because the transition to college rarely feels small.

Students are stepping away from familiar routines and entering a new environment with new expectations. They are learning how to manage time, ask for help, build relationships, and take ownership of their education. Freshman Connection meets them in that moment. It does not overwhelm them with information and send them on their way. It introduces them to the rhythm of NSU, one conversation, one session, and one connection at a time.

During orientation, students learn about academic advising and register for fall classes. They are introduced to campus services and resources that support strong academic choices and healthy social decisions. They explore opportunities for involvement and begin to understand what responsibility looks like in a college setting. By the end, the university is no longer a collection of buildings and offices. It starts to feel familiar.

“We want you to leave orientation knowing exactly where you belong,” said Dr. Mary-Katherine Maggio, director of First Year Experience and Student Engagement. “You arrive as a visitor, and you leave as a Demon.”

That sense of belonging is one of the most important parts of the experience.

Freshman Connection is also built with families in mind. Parent Connection runs alongside the student program and gives parents and guardians a closer look at first-year transitions, student involvement, campus services, university procedures, and academic resources. NSU also offers Kid Konnection for siblings ages 5 to 12, creating a family-centered welcome that recognizes college is often a transition shared by more than one person.

The 2026 schedule gives families several options. Natchitoches will host sessions May 20 to 21, May 27 to 28, June 17 to 18, and July 9. Additional one-day satellite events are scheduled for Alexandria on June 23, Leesville on June 24, and Shreveport on June 25, and these sessions are only for students attending those campuses. Registration opened Feb. 10 through the myStatus portal at www.nsu.la/mystatus, where students can also review admissions, financial aid, housing, and orientation information in one place.

That is why Freshman Connection matters. It gives students structure before the semester begins. It helps them move from uncertainty to clarity. It gives them names, faces, places, and next steps.

And for many, it marks the moment college stops feeling distant and starts feeling real.

At the end of Freshman Connection, students depart with direction. They know where to go, who to contact, and how to begin. They leave having already taken an important first step toward success at Northwestern State.

Explore Freshman Connection: www.nsu.la/fc

Apply to NSU: www.nsu.la/apply

Register for Freshman Connection: www.nsu.la/mystatus

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Before the restaurants, before the trips, before any of it — there was my grandmother’s table.

She had two of them that mattered. The one in the breakfast room, where we’d share Saturday morning pancake breakfasts and casual fried chicken lunches — nothing fancy, just food and family. And then the dining room table, formal and serious, reserved for Sunday lunch after church or for the occasions when company came in from out of town and special treatment was warranted. Both tables were hers, and so was everything that happened at them.

Eunice Holman St. John was the most influential person in my life. That’s not sentiment. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years trying to become a better businessman and a better leader. None of it came close to what she did. She never owned a business, never ran one, probably never gave it much thought. But she knew how to live a meaningful and principled life, and she showed me at that table. 
I’ve been trying to follow her example ever since.

My mother’s table was different, but no less important. She was a single mom, working full-time all through my childhood, and she still put breakfast and supper on the table every day. We rarely went out to eat in those days. We sat down together and shared a meal. She made sure I had manners and understood what was expected of me. She knew nothing about business or finances. That I’d have to figure out on my own— and I did, the hard way, through years of mistakes too long to list here. But the lessons and examples she gave me at that table, have been with me every day since.

Simon Sinek built a career around one question: Why? Not the product, not the process — the reason behind it all. I’ve thought about that question for years, trying to apply it to my own life and businesses. It turns out the answer was right in front of me the whole time. It was the table. Always had been. 

Then came the restaurant tables, which were another owner’s for a while.
I waited tables for seven years. I worked as a waiter through a long and storied college career and that work gave me something a classroom never did. You learn things about people when you’re serving them. You learn patience. You learn to read people before they even place an order. You learn that the table isn’t just furniture — it’s the whole point. It’s where the evening either works or it doesn’t. I didn’t understand any of that consciously at the time. I just showed up and did the work. But it was shaping something in me.

At twenty-six, I opened my first restaurant. Almost four decades of watching people at tables — you learn things. Most of them nobody teaches you. People choose your table for the nights that matter most — anniversaries, last conversations, first dates. I don’t take any of it for granted.

The travel piece wasn’t planned. Nothing about it was.

A few people asked if I’d host a trip overseas, and I said yes mostly to be agreeable, and then I did it, and something unexpected happened. It didn’t feel like group travel. My wife and I are not group travel people — the idea of being herded around a foreign country with strangers has never appealed to either of us. But from that first trip to the one that just wrapped in Tuscany two days ago, it has never felt like that. Not once.

For years I couldn’t explain it. I’d pick up a group at the airport — a few couples who already knew each other, but the rest were strangers — and within a day or two they were all finishing each other’s sentences. By the end of the week, they were planning reunions. I’ve been invited to some of those gatherings, evenings of people who had never laid eyes on each other before that first trip. I once asked a table of women at one of my restaurants— all Yonderlust travelers from various trips over several years — how many of them knew each other before they traveled with me. The answer was none. They were fast friends now. Some had become part of each other’s daily lives. Two of them will be with me in Portugal next week, on their tenth Yonderlust trip together.

Last year, it finally hit me why it works. It’s the table. On these trips, we share three meals a day together. We sit down, we eat well, we talk. People learn about each other’s families and childhoods and the places they came from. The connection happens when the bread arrives and someone refills a wine glass and the conversation goes somewhere you didn’t expect. That’s where friendships are made. Sinek would tell you that’s the why — and he’d be right. 

The why of my entire life has been the table. 

It was true at my grandmother’s house, it was true in the restaurants where I worked and the ones I built, and it turns out it’s just as true in a trattoria in Tuscany, a pub in Ireland, or in a king crab hut above the Arctic Circle in Norway.

Many of the guests who travel with me are women who have lost a husband — to death or divorce — and who are figuring out a new chapter they didn’t expect to be writing alone. A lot of them tell me their husbands handled all the planning, all the decisions, and traveling without that feels overwhelming. What I can offer is simple (and this goes for all my guests): from the moment I meet them at the airport to the moment I say goodbye; they have nothing to worry about. Everything is handled. And for some of them, that freedom — the permission to just be somewhere beautiful, at a table with people who will become real friends — changes something. 

A woman pulled me aside on a recent trip and told me she had reached a point in her life where she had lost her will to live. She said the first tour of mine she went on gave her a whole new outlook and let her know there were reasons to keep going. I don’t know what to do with a statement like that except be grateful for it and make sure I never forget it. Whatever else these trips accomplish, that one conversation makes all of it worth it. Period. End of story.

This fall, I’m hosting that kind of table back home for the first time. Not because it makes business sense, though I believe it will, but because Mississippi and New Orleans are mine in a way that nowhere else is. I’ve been telling their stories for over thirty years — in my column, in my cookbooks, on my menus, and in conversations with guests from all over the country who want to know what the South is really like. The food, the music, the art, the people, the history that doesn’t always make it into the books but lives in the restaurants and juke joints and home kitchens where it was made. I want to share that. I want to sit at those tables with people who’ve never sat at them before and watch something happen that I’ve watched happen from Tuscany to Scotland to Spain.

My grandmother understood it before I did.

All those years at her table — the Saturday lunches, the Sunday spreads, the formal dinners with the good silver, china, and crystal out — she was teaching me something I’m only now fully able to understand. Sit down and share enough meals with someone and you’ll know them better than their neighbors do. She built her whole life around it.

Seventy-some trips in, so have I.
Onward.

Fried Calamari
Serves 6
1 pound calamari rings and tentacles
1 cup buttermilk 
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
11/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
8 cups vegetable oil for frying
Place the calamari and buttermilk in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or longer).
Heat the oil to 375° F in a four-quart saucepot. Place the flour, two teaspoons of kosher salt, Creole seasoning, and lemon pepper in a mixing bowl, stir to combine. Working in batches, drain the squid well and place in the seasoned flour. Coat well. Once all the squid has been coated, place half of it in the hot oil. Cook for three to four minutes, or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the squid from the oil and drain on paper towels. Cook the remaining squid, sprinkle with two teaspoons kosher salt and serve immediately.

(Robert St. John is a chef, restauranteur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)

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Doyline
Weston 15, Panthers 0 (Monday)
Lady Panthers 20, Woodlawn 0 (Thursday)
Woodlawn 3, Lady Panthers 0 (Thursday)

Glenbrook
Apaches 3, Cedar Creek 2 (Thursday)
Apaches 6, Cedar Creek 3 (Thursday)

Lakeside
North Webster 7, Warriors 6 (Thursday)
Haughton 18, Warriors 1 (Friday)
Warriors 7, Ouachita Parish 0 (Monday)
Quitman 15, Lady Warriors 0 (Thursday)

Minden
Logansport 10, Lady Tiders 0 (Thursday)
North DeSoto 11, Crimson Tide 2 (Thursday)
Magnolia (AR) 9, Crimson Tide 8 (Monday)

North Webster
Lakeside 7, Knights 6 (Thursday)
Converse 15, Knights 4 (Monday)

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We’ve all heard the words, “You need to stop and smell the roses.” That actually means we need to take the time to enjoy the moment. We need to be mentally present. Some of the best times in our lives are not always moments of fireworks going off. 

Sometimes it’s those less important events that provide just as much joy. Today, I’ll go over a few events in my life that I truly cherish, along with some I regret. 

There was one moment of regret during my Little League days. Even though I played all sports, I was also a dedicated Boy Scout. Being a scout during the 1970s was very common for a young boy. 

But the one regret I have is the fact that I was one project away from becoming an Eagle Scout and never completed it. This is the highest achievement a scout can earn. It means a lot to become an Eagle Scout and looks good on a job resume. It gets the attention of an employer looking to hire you as it shows your ability to commit to a task and follow through. 

I’ll admit that my baseball career, which was more important to me at that time, got in the way of my accomplishing the goal of receiving an Eagle Scout badge. 

One event that’s given me a lifetime of both pride and joy was being a member of the 1978 Class 3A Texas state baseball championship team. Any time you can share the experience of winning a state title, especially with your closest friends, it just means more. 

I can remember our head coach giving us a post-game speech after winning the state title. He said that this victory would mean more to us later in life than it did that day. How right he was!

That Texas state title whet my appetite for another one the next year. But nothing is harder than defending a state championship and regretfully we came up one game short of a repeat trip to the state tournament.

Another joy also comes with some regret. The day I got drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1983 brought so much joy. But after two seasons of playing in their minor league system, it was very apparent I had zero chance to make it to the major league level with the Expos. 

Montreal at the time had three Major League Baseball All-Stars in their outfield with Tim Rains, Andre Dawson and Warren Cromartie. It may have been the best outfield in the big leagues at that time. There was no room to move up in the organization unless one of these three got hurt or traded. My regret after leaving the Expos is turning down a Double A contract from the San Francisco Giants that would have extended my baseball career. 

While sports have been a huge part of my life, nothing has given me as much competitive  joy as bass fishing. As a kid growing up on a ranch, there was no shortage of stock ponds to fish. I basically learned on my own, along with reading Bassmaster Magazine stories on how to catch bass. 

I have spent hundreds of days fishing the banks of five different stock ponds loaded with good bass. I was always so proud to bring a stringer full of bass back home for a good fish fry.

Tournament bass fishing has given me much joy over the past 36 years especially with all the friends I have met and shared so many good times while fishing tournament trails and fishing some of the best lakes in the country.

Another joy in my life has been the creation of the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show. This was a brainstorm of mine back in 2007 that I felt was much needed. Nineteen years later, the show is still going strong! Each week for 52 weeks out of the year I get to talk about issues related to God’s great outdoors. My relationship with my two other co-hosts, Gary McCoy and Mike Echols, makes doing the program so enjoyable. 

But my greatest joy came the day I signed a scholarship to continue my athletic career/education to Northwestern State University where I met Sherrie, my wife of 44 years. We then celebrated the births of our three children Brittany, Meredith and Brandon. 

To this day, raising of these three blessings has been my greatest accomplishment and one that has ZERO regrets!

Each of us has so many events or situations over the course of a lifetime that we can look back on with either joy or regret. As life continues to give us both good and bad times, just the fact that we are still waking up every day means we have so much joy to look forward to, and hopefully no regrets.  

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division is encouraging recreational boaters that are selected to take the 2026 National Recreational Boating Safety Survey (NRBSS).

The survey provides detailed estimates in every state of how many people go boating, what types of boats they use and how often they go boating. This survey is funded under a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and is administered by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

The survey supports national safety and law enforcement programs by improving boating safety. The 2026 NRBSS is particularly important as it is the first time the survey has been conducted in at least five years.

Selected households will be invited to participate in the study via invitation letters, postcards, emails and text messages. Those who receive an invitation are encouraged to participate to have their voice heard.

Participation will help enforcement agencies keep the waterways safer. Respondent information will be held in the strictest confidence and will be grouped to produce statistical summaries.

The survey is being conducted via cooperative agreement by National Opinions Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization that has been conducting impactful research and analysis for more than 80 years. Over the next year, NORC will interview more than 50,000 households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia to gather information from individuals who own or rent boats. The results will provide valuable information to national, state, and local agencies through both national and state-level estimates.

For more information about the NRBSS, visit https://uscgboating.org/statistics/national-recreational-boating-safety-survey.php.

For further assistance or questions, contact onthewater@norc.org or SMB-COMDT-CG-BSX-Data@uscg.mil. 

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By Brad Dison

In the 1930s, the Kutol Products soap company was dangerously close to going out of business.  Cleo McVicker worked hard to get Kutol’s products into stores and ultimately in the hands of consumers.  Kutol needed a new product, but what?  At the time, many homes in America were heated with coal which left a sooty residue on everything in the home.  Unlike regular household dust which could easily be swept or vacuumed up, coal dust was finer and more difficult to remove.  Sweeping and vacuuming coal dust normally sent more of it back into the air than was collected.  Coal dust also contained sulfur, nitrogen, silica, and heavy metals, which could be hazardous to health.  In 1933, Cleo negotiated a deal with the purchasing agent for the Kroger grocery store chain to add a cleaner to their inventory which would remove coal dust from wallpaper.  Coal dust was especially hard to remove from wallpaper because it was small enough to settle into the paper fibers of wallpaper.  Cleo promised Kroger a product which did not exist.

Cleo immediately contacted his brother Noah, Kutol’s main product developer, and the two began the rigorous research and development process.  After countless failures, they came up with the formula for a compound which easily removed coal dust from wallpaper.  Unlike liquid cleaners which required the user to apply the liquid to a cloth and swipe away the coal dust which usually made a bigger mess, Kutol wallpaper cleaner, was non-toxic, non-staining, and made no mess at all.  The user simply pressed the compound onto the wall and the coal dust stuck to it.  Once the compound became saturated with coal dust, the consumer threw it away and bought another can for five cents.  Because it was a replenishable product, the Kutol company was saved one nickel at a time.

For 20 years, Kutol wallpaper cleaner kept the company afloat and successful.  Following World War II, many people converted their homes from being heated by coal to natural gas.  No longer did homeowners have the hassle of purchasing, handling, and storing a skuttle of dusty coal.  Natural gas burned cleanly and was piped directly into the home.  Around the same time, manufacturers began making wallpaper out of vinyl rather than paper which made it much easier to clean.  By the early 1950s, sales of Kutol wallpaper cleaner began to decline quickly.  The company was once again on the brink of failure. 

In 1955, Joe McVicker, Cleo’s son, was searching for a way to keep Kutol from going bankrupt when Kay Zufall, his sister-in-law and schoolteacher, convinced him that Kutol wallpaper cleaner could be used for something more fun than cleaning.  Joe ran with the idea.  In 1956, Kutol established the Rainbow Crafts Company Inc. and repackaged the wallpaper cleaner, but Kutol was so near bankruptcy that they had no advertising budget.  That could have been the end, but Joe demonstrated his product to Bob Keeshan, better known to the world as Captain Kangaroo.  Bob liked the product so much that he agreed to use it in his television show at least once a week.  From 1955 until 1984, Captain Kangaroo was one of the most popular children’s shows on television.  Before Captain Kangaroo, Kutol struggled to sell their rebranded product.  Because of Captain Kangaroo, Kutol struggled to keep up with demand.  Since its introduction on Captain Kangaroo, billions of cans of rebranded Kutol wallpaper cleaner have been sold.  It has become one of history’s most iconic toys and it remains popular to this day.  We have all played with Kuto wallpaper cleaner, but we know it as Play-Doh.   

Sources:

1.     The Cincinnati Enquirer, April 19, 1936, p.25.

2.     The Akron Beacon Journal, April 18, 1938, p.19. 

3.     David Kindy, “The Accidental Invention of Play-Doh,” Smithsonian magazine, November 12, 2019, accessed March 29, 2026, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/accidental-invention-play-doh-180973527/.

4.     “The History of Play-Doh: Good, Clean Fun!” The Strong National Museum of Play, accessed March 29, 2026, https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/the-history-of-play-doh-good-clean-fun/.              

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