BOM is a sponsor of the Port City Pelicans 11U AAA travel ball team. Pictured left to right: BOM’s Twyla Lovelady, Beck Adams, and BOM’s Tiffany Miller.

Dalando Willie Terrell Garner II

Age: 32
DOB: 12/11/1990
Race: Black
Sex: Male

Current booking information:

Description: Manufacture – distribution of schedule II. Bond: $0
Description: Possession of schedule II. Bond: $0
Description: Manufacture – distribution of schedule II. Bond: $0
Description: Possession of firearm/possession of cds. Bond: $0
Description: Resisting an officer. Bond: $5,000
Description: Possession of firearm/concealed weapon by felon. Bond: $150,000

Terrance Cornell Cooper

Age: 38
Race: Black
Sex: Male

Current booking information:

40:1023. Drug paraphernalia. Bond: $0
14:70.8. Illegal transmission of monetary funds. Bond: $150,000

By Royal Alexander/Opinion

U.S. Rep Julia Letlow (LA-05) has introduced a bill entitled The Parents Bill of Rights. This important legislation is founded upon a principle that should not need to be stated: parents have a God-given right to make decisions for their children.

Following upon this principle, Rep. Letlow’s legislation guarantees that “parents always have a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s education.”

It’s tragic that the right of parents to participate in and direct their children’s education must be enshrined in a federal statute, but given the warped, Woke society we live in, it does.

Letlow’s legislation targets four basic parental rights:

1). The right of parents to know what their children are being taught.

2). The right of parents to review the school’s budget.

3). The right of parents to protect their children’s privacy.

4). The right of parents to be heard and to keep their children safe.

The China Virus forced a shutdown of schools, a dubious decision that has caused great harm to the learning of millions of children. Even the New York Times has concluded that the “Pandemic Erased Two Decades of Progress in Math and Reading.”

But the silver lining of the China Virus Lockdown was that students’ resulting on-line learning ‘pulled back the curtain’ and enlightened many parents for the first time to the toxic subject matter their children were being force-fed. Mothers and fathers revolted and began attending school board meetings to demand answers.

Incredibly, in response to their efforts to protect their own children—parents who were understandably frustrated with lockdowns, school closures, mandates and graphic sexual library content—were labelled ‘domestic terrorists” by Biden’s Department of Justice.

This means the mere fact that parents were fighting to protect the health, safety, education, and moral welfare of their children was so “dire” a situation that the Attorney General should invoke the Patriot Act—enacted after Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist attacks of September 11th—and have these concerned parents deemed “domestic terrorists” under the Act.

I must also note that Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has set up the critical mechanism of a “tip line” seeking complaints about public libraries to protect children from “early sexualization, as well as grooming, sex trafficking, and abuse.”

What are parents so concerned about?

Well, let’s see. It may include the fact that many—but certainly not all—public schools have not truly educated children in the academic fundamentals (language, math, science, or history), in decades. Today, in some cases, public schools function as ‘re-education camps’ similar to those run by the Chinese Communist Party for the purpose of indoctrinating grade school children into cultural Marxism.

Please know I don’t intend here to bash or criticize the large majority of teachers in Louisiana and across the country who are deeply committed to their jobs and try very hard to educate their students. Instead, my focus is on the school boards and school administrators who demand that these teachers—rather than concentrate on imparting the basic knowledge that will be necessary for their students to function in our society—“teach” highly inappropriate topics including sexual perversion, grooming, gender identity and racial politics.

These include Critical Race Theory, which asserts that America is hopelessly racist, transgender confusion policies, Drag Queen Story Hour at the local library, as well as curriculum and library materials containing graphic sexual content which in some cases is being forced upon young children in public schools.

One sacred principle underlies U.S. Rep. Letlow’s bill: Children are not the property of the state and parents are the final authority regarding what their children are taught and learn.

The U.S. Supreme Court has many times recognized the fundamental liberty interest of American parents in the education of their own children. That is why rowdy and heated local opposition to school board policies has been a hallmark of our civic engagement. It is also why millions of American parents have sacrificed greatly to put their children in private schools and is a significant factor that explains why the number of children being homeschooled has increased rapidly across the country.

There is a compelling governmental interest in providing an outstanding public education to all children so they develop into well informed civic-minded citizens, but it doesn’t supersede parents.

I commend U.S. Rep. Letlow and Attorney General Landry for their wisdom and courage in taking a strong stand in protection of the innocence of Louisiana’s children.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

LAKE CHARLES – So much was familiar Friday night for the Bossier Bearkats in their Division II Non-Select state title clash with the Carroll Bulldogs.

From summer camp matchups to AAU competition, preseason scrimmages — and for the third straight year, an early-season meeting, the Bearkats (24-10) and Bulldogs (25-12) know each other well. Add the fact that Bossier has played in seven state finals since 2009 with two more semifinal appearances, including last year, and the Bearkats felt right at home.

That culminated in a scene Bossier fans have seen before – the Bearkats racing to center court to hoist the school’s fifth state championship trophy, the fourth in the last 13 seasons, after smothering the Bulldogs 42-33 at Burton Coliseum.

Fittingly, the most experienced Bearkats were the most productive. Scoring 14 points, snagging nine  rebounds, adding three assists and a pair steals, four-year starter Lakavin Thomas was voted the game’s Most Outstanding Player, but it could just as fairly been classmate Tahj Roots (also 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals).

Thomas led Bossier back from an early hole, scoring 13 by halftime. Roots nailed down the outcome, posting half his points in the final minute to cramp Carroll’s comeback.

Could the game have started much worse than Carroll charging to an 8-0 lead while Bossier bricked shots and committed a couple of sloppy turnovers?

Not a new experience. These Bearkats had been there before. In the teams’ Nov. 23 meeting at the Richwood Tournament in Monroe, Carroll zipped on top 9-0 but Bossier prevailed 59-56 with a late 3-pointer.

“That’s who we are. That’s the story of our season, weathering storms all year,” said first-year ‘Kats coach Justin Collins. “We knew they would make a run sometime; we didn’t know it would be in the first five minutes. But we take punches and keep fighting.”

The ‘Kats weren’t shaken, but stirred.

“If I hadn’t stepped up, it would have been bad,” said Thomas. “So I didn’t have any choice but to step up. I needed to bring the energy, and it went from there.”

“Lakavin made plays. Not only scoring, but he got rebounds, and did things that sometimes don’t make a stat sheet,” said Collins. “Fortunately tonight he scored and everybody noticed that.”

He repeatedly sliced through Bulldogs on the way to the rim as Bossier responded with 11 straight points. Carroll played an aggressive man-to-man, sending defenders out to meet Bearkats 20- and 30-feet from the basket, while Bossier spread its five around the frontcourt to dampen the defensive heat.

There were five lead changes before the half closed with a 6-0 Bossier burst into a 20-16 edge that doubled opening the third period. Afterward, the margin didn’t grow but it didn’t dwindle much until the last two minutes.

Collins and his staff relied on their first-hand knowledge of Carroll’s strengths and shortcomings, and observing tournament trends this week and previously, to devise a shrewd strategy.

“Win the rebound battle (Bossier did, 37-28), and make free throws (11 of 17, but 7 of the last 8), you’ve got a good chance,” said Collins. “We knew (Carroll) shoots and they all five crash the boards.  If we limit them to one shot, we’ve got a chance. Their perimeter game is not their strength, it’s offensive rebounds and putbacks. You’ve got to out-tough them, and we did.”

The Bulldogs’ shooting, much like nearly every other team at Burton Coliseum this week, had the precision of the Chinese spy balloon. Carroll sank just 25 percent overall including a miserable 1-of-18 behind the 3-point arc. Tuesday, when fourth-seeded Bossier upset No. 1 Wossman, the Wildcats made just 2-of-23 from long distance. While the Bearkats’ defense had influence, that atrocious aim by the Monroe-based ballclubs did not surprise Collins and company.

“We don’t see teams down here shoot the ball very well. It’s a different atmosphere, a different arena. That makes an impact, I believe. If you hit a lot of 3s, we’ll just have to make some adjustments. But they didn’t make many.”

Bossier packed in the defense, blocked out on the boards, and starved Carroll.  But the gritty Bulldogs managed a late 6-2 spurt that put the outcome on edge.

Their only trey of the game was a thunderous moonshot by Trey Neal with 1:58 left, drawing them within 33-32. The teams traded two empty possessions each before Roots toed the free-throw line with 54 seconds to go. He calmly sank the first two of five straight free throws on 1-and-1 opportunities in the final minute. He capped his personal seven-point surge on a steal that sent him streaking downcourt for a layup for an insurmountable 40-33 advantage.

“I’m always the guy they look to finish games with free throws. We work on them every day in practice, so I go to the line with full confidence, and knock them down, and close out the game,” said Roots.

As for his pretty swipe at the top of the key and conversion to clinch it, that countered Collins’ preference to stay packed in the zone and play the odds.

“I’m going to be honest. That was pure instinct. If I didn’t get that, it was going to be bad,” said Roots, as his coach nodded. “I just went for it.”

Once again, experience paid off.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports

LAKE CHARLES – It was going to take a near-flawless performance on both ends of the court by Calvary Baptist to keep No. 1-seeded Isadore Newman from capturing its second consecutive state title.

Defensively, the No. 3 seed Cavaliers were up to the task. Offensively, it was a struggle – they scored just two points in the first quarter and shot 20 percent (5-of-24) from the field in the first half. They were outscored 21-8 in the third quarter and found themselves down by 18 points in the second half.

But they never gave up.

“They’re going to do that every game,” Calvary head coach Vic Morris said of his team’s fight to stay in the contest after finding themselves in a deep hole. “No matter what, they play to the final buzzer.”

When the final buzzer sounded in Burton Coliseum Friday afternoon, Newman (32-6) had captured the LHSAA Division III Select championship with a 52-42 victory over Calvary.

The Cavaliers, playing in their fourth consecutive championship game, were trying to capture their first state title in boys’ basketball. The Greenies, on the other hand, were going for their 11th overall title.

And seniors Chris Lockett and Canin Jefferson made sure they accomplished that goal as the duo scored 30 of Newman’s 36 second-half points.

“These two guys took us home,” said Newman head coach Randy Livingston, who has had a hand in five of the school’s 11 state championships (three as a player and the past two as coach).

Jefferson scored all of his game-high 18 points in the second half while Lockett was named Most Outstanding Player after finishing with 16 points.

“They’re a big team, a talented team,” Morris said of Newman. “You almost have to do everything just right to be in the game. We played good defense. We just couldn’t make the shots.”

The Cavs used a strong defensive performance in the second quarter to hold the Greenies to just six points while using a 9-0 run to go into halftime trailing by just five points.

“To hold a team like that and come within five points at the half after trailing by 12 says a lot about our team,” said Morris.

A 9-0 run by Newman to close out the third quarter put the Greenies up by 18 points, but Calvary kept fighting back. When senior KJ Kennon hit a 3-pointer with just two minutes left in the game, the Cavs had come within seven points.

That was as close as Calvary would get as Newman went on a 10-7 run that once again gave the Greenies a double-digit lead.

Calvary outscored Newman 23-15 in the final frame, but that was not enough to overcome the Cavs’ slow offensive start.

Kennon finished with 15 points to lead the Cavs while sophomore Bubba Strong added 9 and junior Rondae Hill scored 8.

“They were a tough team,” said Hill. “They’re real big and talented. I think we executed defensively, we just didn’t have our best offensive game.”

While the season did not end the way the Cavs (26-9) had hoped, Morris is proud of what his team was able to accomplish this season.

“A lot of people thought we wouldn’t be here,” Morris said of making it to the championship game. “Especially when we lost two big guys from last year (Lebree Williams and Martin McDowell). But that’s just a testament to the culture at Calvary.”

Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com

Friday’s Scores

Division V Select

No. 1 Avoyelles Charter 52, No 2 Family Christian 41

Division III Select

No. 1 Newman 52, No. 3 Calvary 42

Division IV Non-Select

No. 4 North Central 59, No. 3 Franklin 55

Division II Non-Select

No. 4 Bossier 42, No. 3 Carroll 33

Division V Non-Select

No. 1 Zwolle 40, No. 2 Anacoco 25

Today’s games

Division IV Select

No. 1 Northwood-Lena vs. No. 2 Lincoln Prep, noon

Division II Select

No. 1 Madison Prep vs. No. 6 G.W. Carver, 2 p.m.

Division III Non-Select

No. 1 Port Allen vs. No. 3 Winnfield, 4 p.m.

Division I Select

No. 1 Scotlandville vs. No. 3 Catholic-BR, 6 p.m.

Division I Non-Select

No. 1 New Iberia vs. No. 3 Ponchatoula, 8 p.m.

The case for saving Fair Grounds Field is compelling, and it goes beyond simply preserving a baseball park. A restored Fair Grounds Field can once again be a place to celebrate Shreveport’s youthful expressions of the Nation’s Pastime, a central location for other outdoor events, and a powerful example of our city maximizing its core neighborhoods.

Friends of Fair Grounds Field was formed as a non-profit organization in 2022 to make the case to City of Shreveport officials intent on demolishing the stadium. When our efforts at persuasion failed, we went to court to stop the bulldozers. In the meantime, a new administration moved into Government Plaza, and we have initiated talks with Mayor Tom Arceneaux with hopes of a better outcome.

Fair Grounds Field was built during the Mayor John Hussey administration with proceeds from the City’s 1986 Bond Issue. As recently as 2019, in a separate bond issue, Shreveport voters expressed their desire to preserve the facility.

We began working with City officials and other parties in July 2022 when we learned of the previous administration’s plan to demolish the stadium. Numerous public officials representing Queensborough, Ingleside, Werner Park, Sunset Acres and other neighborhoods surrounding the State Fairgrounds were not informed of the demolition and expressed their concerns to us.

In building our case for preservation, we conducted research into the stadium’s use and maintenance. Because winged bats moved in after baseball bats moved out, we studied bat guano and histoplasmosis, an infection caused by breathing in spores of a fungus often found in bird and bat droppings.

We also reviewed larger issues about improving the State Fair campus and the role that these facilities play in the vitality of surrounding inner-city Shreveport. We believe the future of Shreveport’s inner­-city youth is critical to this discussion.

In these matters we are indebted to public officials, business and faith leaders, and neighborhood organizations that have called this part of the city their home for many years.

Friends of Fair Grounds Field went to court in September 2022 as a last resort. Prior to litigation, we met with former Mayor Adrian Perkins and City Economic Development Director Andrew Mouton and spoke by telephone with Shreveport Parks Director Shelley Ragle. We were told the main obstacles to saving the stadium were as follows:

1. City officials said they did not know how to program or utilize the field.
   We promptly responded with concrete plans by Caddo School Superintendent Lamar Goree, Evangel Christian Academy Chancellor Denny Duron, YMCA of Northwest Louisiana CEO Gary Lash, and State Fair of Louisiana board member and former Caddo 4-H agent Jon Lowe. All have significant plans for how the multi-purpose stadium could be used.
2. City officials said the building was structurally unsound and costly to renovate.
   Multiple contractors have assured the City and Friends that the 37-year-old building is structurally sound. Christopher Coe, architect for State renovation of the J.D. Waggoner Building and also the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, told Mayor Perkins that the stadium was structurally sound and less expensive to renovate versus building new. Surprisingly, we learned that the City had no independent engineering or related studies on the structural integrity of the stadium.
   
3. City officials said there were drainage issues that were either difficult or impossible to cure.
   Water-penetration issues were the result of a clogged City drainage line and undersized drainage pipes on the infield. Cleaning the drainage lines can be completed at no cost and increasing the size of the infield lines can be done at modest cost.
4. The City was concerned with the bat infestation.
   Friends contacted Bat Conservation International, a nonprofit advocacy group with offices in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C., and United Bat Control, a nationwide for-profit company that relocates bats. These organizations had previously provided expert information to the City about Fair Grounds Field on how to address the stadium’s colony of bats, a protected species.

In summary, we furnished the City with solid information for programming a refurbished Fair Grounds Field, on the facility’s structural soundness and cost of renovation, and on how to cure the drainage problems and bat infestation.

Despite all this, in early September 2022 the City began to demolish the stadium.

Unfortunately, before our restraining order halted the demolition on October 3, 2022, damage by the City’s contractor had been done, not only to the stadium, but in spreading airborne bat feces to the surrounding area.

Shreveport is now at a crossroads with regard to Fair Grounds Field. Having answered many of the questions surrounding the facility and its future, we believe our community’s discussion about the stadium’s future should broaden to consider the interests of the State Fair, the neighborhoods near the fairgrounds, and our inner-city youth.

Sports and concern for our youth are two common denominators in our diverse city. Our excellence in sports and production of many world-class athletes are a justifiable source of pride. A refurbished and reprogrammed Fair Grounds Field can unify Shreveport around a multi-purpose stadium and important quality-of-life venue.

Friends of Fair Grounds Field desires to help the City and State Fair to renovate and reprogram Fair Grounds Field, the Fairgrounds campus, and surrounding neighborhoods, for the betterment of all.

Sincerely,

Linc Coleman
Friends of Fair Grounds Field