While the Greater Shreveport Chamber does not take a position on candidates for office, we believe that an informed and educated electorate is vital to the robust exercise of our democracy.

Therefore, the Chamber is launching our Election Education Initiative: Decision 2023 to enable our member businesses and the voting public to base their voting decisions on information provided directly from the candidates.

The Greater Shreveport Chamber has invited candidates for public office to participate in video interviews. All candidates for Governor of Louisiana, Caddo Sheriff, State Senate Districts 31,36, 38 and 39, State Representative Districts 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9, and Caddo Commission who are running opposed were invited to participate.

All candidates for a specific office were asked the same questions in the same order and were not provided with the questions in advance. The responses were recorded, and the videos are presented as shot and not edited for content. Candidates without video interviews declined or were unable to participate.

The videos are available at https://www.shreveportchamber.org/d2023/ and via the Chamber’s website and will remain available until the election cycle completes in early November.

Since its founding in 1910, the mission of the Greater Shreveport Chamber has been to promote economic prosperity, serve as a business advocate, and celebrate the achievements of the Shreveport- Bossier region. With over 1100 members, the Chamber is designated as a 5-Star Accredited Chamber by the US Chamber of Commerce, one of less than 2% of Chambers across the country honored with this distinction.

Following consultation among the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security (GOHSEP), and the National Weather Service (NWS), the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has modified the burn ban order to rescind the prohibition on agricultural burning, EXCEPT for standing sugarcane, effective as of 5 p.m. on Sept. 27.

This modified burn ban order by LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, DVM, allows agricultural burning, including but not limited to prescribed burning, to resume EXCEPT for standing sugarcane. The burning of sugarcane fields is allowed after harvest. LDAF will post updates regarding the burning of standing sugarcane once conditions improve.

The Office of Louisiana State Fire Marshal also modified the statewide burn ban re-issued on August 25 to renew and establish certain exceptions. The active burn ban order in effect as of August 25, 2023, at 12 p.m., which prohibits all private burning, with no limitations, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602, is being modified in the following ways:

Provides for individual parishes to opt out of the statewide burn ban.
Provides for fire chiefs to resume granting burn permissions.
Provides for certain live fire training to resume with written permission from the SFM.

The SFM modified order goes into effect Friday, September 29, 2023, at 5 p.m. The status of this burn ban order will continue to be reconsidered on a weekly basis.

Please continue to abide by the burn bans that remain in place at this time. As government officials opt out of the statewide burn ban in their respective parishes, LDAF will reflect the updates on the Louisiana Burn Ban Map located at https://bit.ly/LouisianaBurnBanMap.

LDAF’s Office of Forestry is tasked with responding to wildfires at any hour, and crews are hard at work throughout the state. In the event of an emergency that requires their assistance, you can call the LDAF 24-Hour Emergency Hotline at 1-855-452-5323 or dial 911.

By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Services

Is a circus a circus if it doesn’t have animals?

We’re about to find out — and we’re about to be the first to find out.

After six years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus — otherwise known as The Greatest Show On Earth — has risen from the dead. The first stop on the circus’ North American tour will be this weekend in Bossier City, with four performances over three days — this Friday, Saturday and Sunday — at Brookshire Grocery Arena.

“We are honored that Brookshire Grocery Arena was selected to host the world premiere of the newly reimagined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus,” arena general manager Rebecca Bonnevier told the Shreveport-Bossier Journal. “Our community — the first to experience this spectacular show — will surely become the social media influencers who inspire others to race to get tickets to the show as it tours to a nearby city.”

It is likely that many eyes in the entertainment world will be focused on our area.

“We expect to have media from all over the world attend this event,” Bonnevier said. “This is an excellent opportunity to showcase northwest Louisiana’s exceptional atmosphere and hospitality.”

After 146 years, the Ringling Bros. circus shut down in 2017. It wasn’t crushed by an elephant, but by pressure from animal-welfare activists. They were critical of how the circus treated animals.

So, when the show rolls into town, there won’t be an elephant, lion, or tiger in sight. What you will see are 75 performers from 18 countries out to prove not only that the show must go on, but that it will be a better show for the entire family.

“There are no animals this time around, but I don’t think that’s going to have any bearing on people’s enjoyment,” performer Alex Stickels told the Journal during a break from rehearsals just outside Tampa, Florida. “We are very focused on the athleticism and the power of the performers we do have in the show. We really want this to be about what humans are able to achieve and what they can put their mind to — to overcome and conquer — and how we can inspire others to do that in their own lives.”

Among the acts you will see:

-The Triangular Highwire (Four performers on three 25-foot highwires connected in a triangular formation 25-feet above the arena floor.)

-The Criss-Cross Flying Trapeze (Nine trapeze artists soaring from front-to-back, side-to-side, and diagonally.)

-The Extreme Box Jump Trampoline (A mix of BMX, trail bikes, and unicycle riders performing stunts on trampolines.)

All of this and more will be enhanced by technology designed to bring the cast and audience closer together.

“There’s obviously this notion of what the show has been in the past, and we want to keep the things everybody loves,” Stickels said. “But we also want to bring an element of it feeling like a rock concert and a pop concert. We wanted to use modern-day technology and all the things we can do with lights and staging, and really bring that aspect to Ringling Bros.”

Some of that “modern-day technology” will include adding directional sound, which will focus on specific areas of the arena. Also, a spotlight tracking system will be used to connect and direct the audience’s attention to the performers. Video will also be incorporated into the show.

You won’t see the 34-year-old Stickels flying through the air. What you will see him do is engage the audience with his musical talents.

“I’m a drummer. In the show, my character’s name is Stix. I am the rhythm of the circus. I am the heartbeat of the performers on stage. But we really want the audience to know that they are a part of the show. I create a song with the audience. I am constantly playing rhythms, making beats, and getting everybody to join in on that same drumbeat.”

Stickels went to music school in Boston, before starting his career in Los Angeles. He’s played “with a bunch of different artists” and has been “part of a bunch of different shows.” Before he joined the circus, Stickels was performing on cruise ships.

“As a drummer my entire life, every gig I’ve ever done, people have been telling me that I’m playing too loud, and I need to be quiet. I’m finally in a space where I get to play as loud as I possibly can, and even go bigger from there.”

When the circus opens in Bossier, it will be a homecoming of sorts for Stickels — a Dallas native — who will have family and friends in the seats.

“They’ve already made their plans — their hotel reservations. They’ve already bought tickets. It will definitely be a family affair on opening night.”

There will be 54 stops on the first full leg of the circus’ tour, including major cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Los Angeles. But it all starts right here in northwest Louisiana.

“The excitement is high.” Stickels said. “The adrenaline is high.” Really, what makes Ringling so special is the audience and the people being there to be a part of the show. We are beyond stoked to be in front of people, to hit Bossier City, and to finally bring this show to an audience to see it, love it, and want to go home and be a part of it.”

Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com

So it all comes back to Skittles.

Who knew?

Let us explain …

Between 2011 and 2014, Trey Hadnot was a seven-time All-America sprinter at Louisiana Tech, won 16 conference championships and was All-Western Athletic Conference 24 times.

It’s a ridiculous number of trophies and medals that his mom religiously dusts to this day in her Ruston home.

Now she has another trophy to shine since her boy and six other Tech standouts were inducted into the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame September 15.

Just five days later, the University honored its six Pro Football and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, a once-in-a-lifetime sort of event with all six live and in person for a short Q&A ceremony before the unveiling of their individual statues in the new Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza in the northeast corner of Joe Aillet Stadium.

You can read about both events here and here. It was quite a lot to digest in the span of 120 hours. Wall-to-wall athletic gold. Star-spangled doubleheader for a school of any size, especially a mid-major.

And consider one Naismith inductee, former Bulldog player Leon Barmore (his jersey is retired) and Lady Techster coach, was in attendance for the statue unveiling but didn’t participate in the ceremony because he already has a statue (yawn…) over by the Thomas Assembly Center.

Hard not to be impressed.

All these stars included hometown hero Hadnot, who holds all 10 of the Tech program’s Top 10 indoor 200m records, including the No.1 time of 20.48, which is moving about as briskly as a human can. (The world record is 19.92, so …20.48 defines “moving.”)

Naturally, one would want to know the secret of Hadnot’s swift success. Pregame meal of bananas and baked chicken? An hour of stretching? Prayer?

“Skittles,” he said, with an honest little-boy smile that kids wear when they’re getting away with something.

Skittles? Is that a track-and-field word for a special kind of loosening-up scissor-kick? Another word for special spikes?

Negative. It’s the candy.

“Always ate Skittles before a race,” he said. “And water. Drank lots and lots of water.”

And there you have it. Skittles. Although something tells me that diet only works if you’re Trey Hadnot.

Funny, but he started out running cross country. His coach took him and some other long-distance wannabes several miles from the school, dropped them off, told them to run back, and drove away. It wasn’t but a few minutes before the others had run off and left Hadnot, who had no real idea where he was.

Bewildered and with no Skittles to save him, Hadnot decided sprints might be his future. At least he’d never get lost.

Another quick story. A linebacker out of tiny Clinton, Glenell Sanders became a three-time All-American at Tech. With tears on his face, he introduced his family — Gwen, his wife of 30 years; Genaye, a senior at the University of Houston where she’s a bio-medical engineering major on a full soccer scholarship; and soon-to-be Captain Geraud Sanders, a 2020 Air Force graduate and fighter instructor pilot who was at the controls of one of four T-38 jets that performed the flyover Saturday at Memorial Stadium before the Tech-Nebraska football game.

“All this started,” Sanders said quietly, “because of faith in God, and because some men believed in me, and gave me a chance.”

Theirs were just two of many stories from ordinary people who managed to exceed beyond their imaginations through developing their talent and believing what a coach or parent or friend believed about them and fed into them, a couple of sweet reminders that we can make it — if we all stick together, and coach each other up.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

When it comes to being great, some people are gifted and blessed while others must work at it to be great. It’s one thing to have talent, but it’s sad when people waste that God given gift.

During my athletic career, I have seen some very high-level athletes that never took advantage of the talent they were blessed with. Why is this? Is it a lack of self-confidence or is it that no one ever showed faith in them as a player or as a person? Could it be a lack of determination or competitive fire that all great players possess?

Even though this article is not related to fishing, today I’ll give you my experience and perspective on not what makes a great athlete, but what makes an athlete great — when nobody is watching.

Years ago, there was a youngster from East Texas who was a talented athlete especially in baseball. But talent alone only goes so far. It must be groomed and nurtured.

As a kid living in the country, this young boy was always looking for ways to improve his baseball skills and be the best. Daily he would retreat to his backyard and spend hours throwing a rubber baseball off a big fallen tree to work on his fielding skills like one-hoppers that baseball players often get when playing the game. He worked on making backhanded plays and fielding every ball with great technique. He did this daily – when nobody was watching.

Then one day he was looking for a way to improve on his hitting. So, he took an old blanket his mom offered and hung it on a clothesline out behind his house. (This is how people used to dry their laundry before everyone got automated driers.) Putting his creativity to work, he took an old Folger’s coffee can and cut a three-foot piece of PVC pipe and cemented it into the coffee can. Then he found an old piece of radiator hose (that was very flexible) and slid it over the top of the PVC pipe. BAM!!! There it was, the perfect batting tee.

He would hit for hours off this tee so he could get better. He hit so much that he wore the covers off the balls he was hitting into that blanket — all when nobody was watching.

Today, batting tees are available at pretty much any sporting goods store. Back in the early 1970s, no one had even heard of a batting tee! But this young man used his creativity and designed his own batting tee in order to become a better hitter. Through this extra work he accomplished so much and developed his baseball skills when nobody was watching that he landed a scholarship, which eventually led to him being drafted in the 1983 major league baseball draft.

Another great example of doing more than what was required would be a former high school teammate and friend of his, by the name of Maury Buford. If this name sounds a little familiar it should, as he was an outstanding punter in the NFL for over eight years during the 1980s and ‘90s. He was the punter for the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

As a youngster, Maury discovered at a very early age that he had a talent for punting a football. He spent hours on a sandlot working on developing his punting skills. He went on to become an All-American at Texas Tech and had a great NFL career. Maury’s dedication and work ethic was on another level and allowed him to accomplished great things — when nobody was watching.

This is how athletes become great, doing the little things and putting in the EXTRA time to develop their skills. A lot of kids today do not understand this concept and they think that the time they spend at their scheduled two-hour practice is enough to be a great player.

But great players are different. They realize that if you want to be great, you must put in the extra time away from regular practice. So remember, if you want to be great at anything like golf, tennis, basketball or tournament fishing, it’s the extra time you put in when nobody is watching that makes you great.

‘Til next time, if you have any comments about this or any other articles I’ve written, email me at the address below, or go to my Facebook page and give your feedback. I really appreciate all of you who take the time to read my articles. I hope in some small way you gain either knowledge or comfort in what you read.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

In August 2023, Centenary College became one of four private Louisiana higher education institutions to be designated a “hunger-free campus” by the Louisiana Board of Regents. After a 2020 national study indicated that approximately 29% of students at four-year colleges and 38% at two-year institutions experience food insecurity, with even greater numbers for students of color, Baton Rouge State Representative Barbara Freiberg sponsored Act 719 of the 2022 Regular Legislative Session to establish criteria for Louisiana higher education institutions to earn a hunger-free campus designation and authorized the Hunger-Free Campus competitive grant program to support the institutions in their efforts.

Centenary joins Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Loyola University New Orleans, and Tulane University as the first private Louisiana institutions to earn the Hunger-Free Campus designation. All 31 of the state’s public higher education institutions are also participating in the new program.

Campuses seeking the Hunger-Free Campus designation had to establish a Hunger-Free Task Force and complete a multi-round application process designed to evaluate the task force’s activities and potential effectiveness. Campuses were asked to hold or participate in at least one anti-hunger awareness event during the academic year, to create a plan for informing students who receive need-based financial aid of their potential eligibility to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and to provide information about access to charitable food donation sources or food pantries available in their immediate communities.

Jaspen Charles, a native of Cecilia, Louisiana, in his third year at Centenary, is a member of Centenary’s Hunger-Free Task Force. Charles, a double major in French and English, had the idea in the spring 2023 semester to create a small food closet on campus to provide non-perishable items to all Centenary students. After sharing his idea with several Centenary staff members, Charles learned that the College was actively pursuing the Hunger-Free Campus designation and was asked to join the task force led by Dean of Students Mark Miller.

Rev. Lindy Broderick serves as Centenary’s chaplain and is a member of the Hunger-Free Task Force along with fellow staff members Holly Grose and Erica Johnson.

“When Centenary evaluated the idea of establishing a Food Closet or a Food Pantry on campus, we learned that we can actually partner with existing community resources to provide food for our students,” said Broderick. “Since our community partners at the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank and Noel UMC Food Pantry are already providing these services and many of our students meet the community criteria of these agencies, we’ve been able to connect our students to these resources. We are also providing information on how students can apply for local government food programs for which they may be eligible.”

As a member of the task force, Charles helped organize a campus event to build student awareness about food insecurity in the community as well as strategies for making better, more nutritious decisions. The task force also worked with Centenary’s Sodexo Dining Services to extend hours at the Caf from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with self-serve areas available between regular dining times.

“Having this designation for the campus is a huge thing, because it shows that the College cares about its students, hears the struggles of the students, and wants to help students succeed in any way possible,” said Charles. “I think it’s a major stress relief not having to worry about where your next meal will come from, especially if you are staying on campus during a designated ‘vacation’ or break time. There is still a long way to go to make sure that this designation isn’t just a title, but I know that the Hunger-Awareness Task Force will make sure that all students have the proper resources to remain healthy and have full bellies!”

36.5% of undergraduate students at Centenary are Pell Grant-eligible, indicating that they have very significant financial need. Centenary provides over $17 million in scholarships each year to make it possible for academically strong students to get a high-quality private college education. In addition to the hunger-free initiative, Centenary is addressing the hidden costs of college in other ways, including eliminating student fees, free laundry, and free tickets to all athletic, cultural, and entertainment events for students.

According to a media release from the Louisiana Board of Regents, the next step for the Hunger-Free Campus Program will be to develop a grant application format and process for implementation in Spring 2024. Regents staff will coordinate with campuses to learn more about specific needs and gaps, create a Hunger Free Task Force listserv, partner Feeding Louisiana with the campuses, develop a BoR Hunger-Free Campus Program landing page containing a Best Practices Tool Kit and resources for campuses and students, and bring in a nationally recognized expert to share trends and best practices with Louisiana campuses.

“Too many Louisiana students enter college faced with financial pressures. How to pay for their next meal shouldn’t be one of them,” said Board of Regents chairman Collis Temple III in a media release. “I am especially impressed that campuses from all four of our public systems and several private campuses did the work to earn this designation and commend the Regents staff for launching the program and for going the extra mile to connect institution-based food pantries with Feeding Louisiana and offering additional resources for campuses to expand services as much as possible.”

The Bossier City Farmers Market is back this Saturday, Sept. 30 from 9 am – 1 pm at the Pierre Bossier Mall parking lot, located at 2950 E Texas St. in Bossier City.

There will be fresh produce, jams and jellies, honey, salsa, pickles and spices, freeze dried candy, fresh lemonade, cakes, cookies, home decor and more. There will also be food trucks so come hungry and leave happy!

By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Services

Everyone has a story.

Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s Tony Taglavore takes to lunch a local person—someone well-known or influential—and asks, “What’s Your Story?”         

You know how the story goes.

A child is raised in church and lives a straight and narrow upbringing. The parents are strict and don’t allow much. Entering adulthood, the young man or woman goes to seminary school and before you know it, is standing at the pulpit, preaching to his or her own congregation.

Yeah, this isn’t that story.

This is John Fream’s story—make that Pastor John Fream’s story. Up until 1991, his life consisted of too much drinking (“I was a beer guy”) and too much cussing.

“In 1991, (going to college and working for Delta Air Lines) was the only thing going well in my life,” John said. “Nothing else was going well. I was not a good friend. I was not a good husband. My life was just a mess. I would lay down at night, I would put my head down and go to sleep, and I had no peace. I just didn’t have any peace. I didn’t know what peace was — I just knew something was missing in my life.”

In his 15th year leading Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, John chose Newk’s Eatery in Bossier City to tell me his story. John ordered the Newk’s Favorite salad, while I had the Southern salad. The married (Darla, 35 years) father of two (Megan, Brad) and grandfather of one (Rhett) looks tan and at ease. His casual attire of a wrinkle-free, black shirt that isn’t made to tuck in, dark khaki pants, and white tennis shoes, fits his relaxed personality.

“I learned a long time ago to not take yourself too seriously…I’m not that important. I’m not that big a deal.”

However, Easter Sunday 32 years ago was a big deal. Each week, Darla would ask her husband to go with her to church. Each week, John’s answer was the same. “Nope.”

But that week—that Sunday—John was moved to say, “Yes.”

“I went and it changed my life. I gave my life to Christ that morning and haven’t missed church since. It was an absolute life change for me. I laid down that night, went to sleep, and thought, ‘Ok, this is what’s been missing. I’ve been missing peace. I’ve been at odds with God my whole life and didn’t know it. But now, I’m at peace with him.”

Growing up the youngest of four children (three sisters, one brother) in Midwest City, Oklahoma, John’s   family didn’t go to church.

“We weren’t anti-God. As a matter of fact, we were God-fearing, we thought, but we just didn’t go to church. That just wasn’t something we did.”

John’s mother was a secretary. John’s father was a machinist in the oil and gas industry, and later started his own courier company.

“He was one of those guys that just knew how to work. He wasn’t a great businessman, but he could outwork anybody. He just worked all the time.”

But their father-son relationship was limited.

“I was very close to my mom. My dad and I didn’t get along. He loved cars and hot rods. He and my brothers were always rebuilding cars. I have no mechanical abilities. I loved sports. My dad hated sports. He thought they were a waste of time. I lived for sports.”

In high school, Fream suited up for just about all sports — football, baseball, basketball, and wrestling. His senior year, Fream’s pigskin team won the 6A state championship. For three years, Fream’s quarterback was Mike Gundy, the current and longtime Oklahoma State head coach.

“I was trying to put on weight and bulk up for football and wrestling. I had a set of clothes for football, then I would go to wrestling and have a whole other set of clothes, because I would immediately have to drop 20-25 pounds. I would play at 215, and I would wrestle at 195.”

John — who looks like he has a couple of plays left in him — began college at the University of Oklahoma, before transferring to — and graduating from — Southern Nazarene University with a marketing degree. He and Darla met on a blind date. However, there were a couple of questions Darla wanted answered before the relationship went much further.

“’Are you a Christian?’ I said, ‘Well, of course I am a Christian.’ She said, ‘Ok, would you go to church with me?’ I said, ‘Sure. Will you go out with me?’ She said, ‘Yes, as long as you to church and you are a Christian, I will.”

They eventually married (he was 19, she was 18) while still in school and working to make ends meet.

“We were dumb and poor and young, and all that includes.”

But once Darla committed to John, John de-committed from his promise.

“Instantly, I quit going to church. I’ve got you now. I don’t have to go to church.”

Every Sunday, Darla would worship God, and John would worship the golf course. Until that Easter morning.

“It was just a typical Easter sermon — the Gospel. (The preacher) didn’t have to convince me I was a sinner. I knew that. He didn’t have to convince me that Jesus died on the cross for me. I believed that. I wasn’t raised in church, but I was raised that God is good. Jesus is good. But it was never personal for me…When I accepted Christ and said, ‘I want your forgiveness. I want you to come in and take over my life, it changed everything. When I say ‘everything’, my wife literally got a new husband that day — and she will tell you that.”

Eventually, John was called to ministry. He served 10 years as a youth pastor, before leading his first congregation, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

“I took a little church that was dying and had voted to quit existing…The first Sunday, there were 35 people there. Within about two years, we were running 300-350 people.”

John says his third church — Cypress Baptist — is one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the state. So many years removed from his non-pastor ways, John is grateful for the direction God has led him.

“I still can’t believe I get to do this for a living. I am humbled. I still can’t believe on Sunday mornings that people come to church and that they want to hear me. They’re not coming to hear me preach. They’re coming to hear from the Lord. But I’m still in awe that I get to stand there and do this.”

And at 55 years old, John thinks he will keep preaching for a while longer.

“I know me. I know where I was. Praise God for where I am now. I’m not what I used to be. God is not through with me. I’ve still got more to go. I learned a long time ago that there’s nothing special about me over anybody in that congregation., except that I have a calling in my life.”

Having finished lunch, I asked my final question. As always, “What is it about your story that can be an inspiration to others?”

“I hope my love for the Lord, and love for people, is contagious. I hope people say he really does love the Lord…I hope to influence people that way. Love God and love each other the way the scripture wants us to. The way the Lord wants to empower us to do.”

Do you know someone who has a story to tell? Contact Tony at: SBJTonyT@gmail.com

Bossier Sheriff’s Office deputies, Lt. Eric Wikstrom and Corporal Steven Shankle, were recently recognized for overall exemplary performance in violent crime investigative efforts during the course of their duties by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The deputies were recognized during the Western District of Louisiana’s United States Attorney’s Office Annual Training and Leadership Development Conference that was held at the Bossier Sheriff’s Office Substation on Sept. 21.

Lt. Wikstrom and Corporal Shankle were presented awards for their efforts during a high-risk traffic stop involving a firearm that occurred on I-220 in Bossier Parish in May of 2022. As a result of the stop, Recardo Pierce was arrested and convicted by a federal grand jury for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm in January 2023.

The two deputies are part of the Joint Criminal Apprehension Team (JCAT) that primarily targets areas that are vulnerable to crime and frequented by criminals.

Lt. Wikstrom is a 17-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and leads the Joint Criminal Apprehension Team (JCAT) and is the SWAT Commander. Corporal Shankle is an 8-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and is also a member of SWAT.

Through a partnership with the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center, John Fox, a student at Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning, is reimagining images from historic Bossier City.

Fox began interning at the History Center in September of 2019 when he was a student at Airline High School. At the History Center, he would organize and verify information regarding archived images of historic Bossier City. Through a conversation about these archived images with his Talented Arts Program (TAP) teacher, Mark Burt, he was tasked with hand-drawing his own version of historic Bossier City. He has created at least twenty hand-drawn images.

In the Fall of 2022, the History Center presented John with the idea of turning his images into a coloring book. This project was overseen by John’s Graphic Arts teacher, Kyle Hadley, at Bossier School for Technology and Innovative Learning (BPSTIL). Through the course of the year, John was able to digitize thirteen images using the graphic arts program Procreate.

The History Center was presented with Fox’s digitized images at BPSTIL in early September. These images will be used to produce coloring books for distribution to all ages that visit Bossier Parish Libraries. Through John’s vision and talent, historic Bossier City can once again be relived.

A 2022 graduate of Airline High School, Fox is participating in the PIVOT program at BPSTIL where he is earning Industry Based Credentials (IBCs) to prepare him for a future career in Graphic Arts. John has earned credentials in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Caddo Parish Parks and Recreation is looking for local artists for the 2023 Art in the Park on Saturday, November 4 from 12noon to 4pm at Richard Fleming Park (7919 West Lakeshore Drive, Shreveport, LA 71107).

The event features all local artists from the Shreveport-Bossier area who take inspiration from the natural world. Celebrating art and nature, the event hosts a wide variety of nature inspired art for sale, from paintings and photography to stone tools and woodcarvings, all from local artists. Mini art workshops, artist demonstrations, hands-on art activities, live music, and food vendors are also planned.

Amateur and professional artists whose work features wildlife or nature or uses natural materials as their medium are eligible. If you would like to be considered as a featured artist, please submit the application found on caddoparks.org. Spaces are free of charge but limited.

For more information, contact Stacy Gray at sgray@caddo.org or (318) 929-2806.