As summer rapidly approaches and people start to enjoy the great outdoors, protection from outdoor pests, especially mosquitoes, is essential. The recent rainfall has left standing water in ditches and other areas, providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed.
The Bossier Parish Police Jury is taking steps to help protect residents from not just the nuisance mosquitoes pose but the health risks accompanying them.
Cliff Cannon, director of Bossier Parish Mosquito Control, says that because of the rain, they test mosquitoes weekly throughout the parish. “We just set out gravid traps and CDC traps for testing for West Nile and different mosquito-borne diseases,” Cannon stated.
Over the next two weeks, Cannon and his crews will spray in the parish for five hours each night, four days a week, weather permitting, to help control the mosquito population. “We have quite a few complaints, and next week, we’re going to get to spraying to get the entire parish sprayed. We will hit it pretty hard to get it under control for all the kids out playing,” Cannon stated.
If mosquitoes become a problem in your yard or home, here are some tips to keep your family safe.
• Apply bug spray – Apply EPA-registered insect repellants containing DEET, picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus.
• Wear protective clothing – Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks to reduce exposed skin.
• Drain Standing water – Remove or regularly empty containers that collect water, such as flowerpots, buckets, bird baths, and old tires, to reduce mosquito breeding sites.
• Avoid peak mosquito hours – Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. Limit outdoor activities during these times.
• Cut your grass and bushes – Maintain your yard by trimming tall grass and bushes where mosquitoes might hide.
By following these tips, you can significantly reduce the risk of mosquito bites and the diseases they can transmit.
Benton Intermediate School took first place in the bullseye elementary division of the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) Championship in Daytona, Florida, last week. The school also finished second in the 3D elementary division of the event.
Benton Intermediate is part of the Archery in Louisiana Schools program (ALAS), administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and sponsored by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. Several teams and individuals from ALAS competed in the tournament.
Michael Constance, a sophomore from Tioga High, shot 292 in the bullseye division and finished fourth among sophomores and 14th among all high school male competitors. Hayden Constance, a freshman from Tioga High, shot 290 and finished 10th among freshmen and 29th among all high school male competitors.
Charli Long, a freshman from Benton High, shot 289 in the 3D competition to finish third among freshmen and 12th among all female high school competitors.
Catherine Boyett of Calvary Baptist finished sixth among elementary girls and Paxton Cassel was 10th among elementary boys in the 3D competition.
The ALAS Program is part of NASP and is designed to teach students in grades 4-12 international target style archery. The ALAS/NASP program is available to all schools in Louisiana and grants are available to assist with funding.
For more information on the ALAS program, go to wlf.louisiana.gov/page/alas or contact Chad Moore at cmoore@wlf.la.gov or 318-230-4352.
To see the full results of the NASP Championship, go to nasptournaments.org/NationalWorld.aspx.
The Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College will host two public art critiques this summer, providing an opportunity for local artists and art supporters to engage with each other and with their art in a new way. The art critiques will be held on Saturday, June 22, and Saturday, July 20, from 2-4 p.m. at the Meadows Museum. The events are free and open to the public.
At each critique, four local artists will present up to five recent or in-progress works. Each artist will have 30 minutes to introduce their work and field questions from the other artists and the audience. The artwork will be temporarily displayed in the Meadows Museum during the critiques.
Artists for the June 22 event are Connie Eaton, a watercolor artist; Tony McDonald, who creates abstract landscapes of West Central Louisiana; Jaylin Monroe, an illustrator and character designer; and Tama Ripps Nathan, a versatile artist working in a variety of genres. More information and links to individual artists’ websites can be found at themeadowsmuseum.com/meadows-events/art-critique.
“Since the Meadows does not have exhibitions over the summer, we decided to host some public programming that would allow us to continue to fulfill our mission of engaging the community through innovative academic discourse of the arts while taking advantage of our empty summer walls,” explained Meadows Museum director Alissa Klaus. “This particular event was inspired by a similar program hosted at Crosstown Arts in Memphis. We hope that these events will build community with and between artists and the public, allow artists to get feedback on their work, and generate discussion about art more generally. The public art critiques will be great for audience members who already love engaging with art and artists and will also be a good entry point for others who want to learn how.”
About the Meadows Museum of Art
The Meadows Museum of Art is located on the campus of Centenary College of Louisiana at 2911 Centenary Boulevard in Shreveport, Louisiana. During the academic year, the Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Museum is closed on Sundays and College holidays, including summer break. For more information or to schedule field trips, call the Museum at 318.869.5169 or visit themeadowsmuseum.com.
There’s gonna be the best kind of Earthquake during next weekend’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
Specifically, it’s going to happen next Friday evening into night, June 21, in Natchitoches, on the Rue Beauport stage bordering Cane River Lake smack dab in the middle of the City of Lights’ historic and beautiful downtown district.
The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame show band, Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, will provide the prevailing vibe for the coolest concert for miles around, the free Rockin’ Riverfest party presented by Rapides Regional Medical Center.
Cranking things up will be the energetic and enthusiastic south Louisiana group Coteau Grove, performers who also are in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Go online to TheMoondogs.com and CoteauGrove.com websites for a great scouting report on the Rockin’ Riverfest’s soundtrack.
Good times will abound during the riverfront concert, which runs from 6 p.m. to 10:30. One of the highlights: a little after 9 o’clock, the Hall’s impressive Class of 2024 will be introduced on stage, and celebrated with a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music over Cane River Lake. And yes, you read correctly. It’s free. There will be food and beverage vendors on the riverfront, and of course, Front Street’s always fun watering holes/restaurants are just a few steps away.
It’s family friendly. A free interactive kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers will include basketball, football, golf and science games for all ages to enjoy.
If you want to beat the summer heat and enjoy a tasty collection of Louisiana foods and specialty refreshments, you better hurry and visit LaSportsHall.com to snap up a few of the fast-disappearing $100 tickets to the VIP Taste of Tailgating presented by Hancock Whitney.
That party runs from 7-10 p.m. in the air-conditioned comfort of Mama’s Oyster House and Blues Room that will provide exclusive access to the 12-member 2024 Induction Class.
That star-studded group includes women’s basketball superstar Seimone Augustus, Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees, Tulane basketball coaching hero Perry Clark, Olympic wrestler and MMA legend Daniel Cormier, Grambling baseball icon Coach Wilbert Ellis, south Louisiana high school football coaching great Frank Monica, Olympic gold medalist and LSU All-American wrestler Kevin Jackson, New Iberia/McNeese product and 19-year pro footballer Kerry Joseph, and one of America’s winningest jockeys, Sunset’s Ray Sibille.
Acclaimed Louisiana sports journalists Bobby Ardoin and Ron Higgins, and longtime Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett, round out the Class of 2024.
Maybe we’ll see the musical debut of Seimone and Sibille, or perhaps we’ll hear Kerry, Perry and Kevin crooning on stage. Could DC and Drew show dance moves? Frank Monica on the harmonica? Anything is possible as the Rockin’ Riverfest rolls on.
Join the fun and celebrate some of Louisiana’s sports greats, for free, on Friday evening, June 21, in downtown Natchitoches. For information on all of the events during the June 20-22 Class of 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
It’s College World Series time once again and it couldn’t happen at a better spot in the sports calendar. Finally, some relief from the Caitlin Clark drama and the boring NBA Finals in which they seem to play a game once every solar eclipse.
And let’s not get started about who is missing from some NFL mini-camp.
For the next 10 days or so, you get to watch college baseball players who you have never heard of take on other college baseball players you’ve never heard of in a battle of schools that still care far more about football in any month than they do about baseball in June.
I’m not a big fan of college baseball, but I am a big fan of the CWS, mainly because it involves college baseball players I’ve never heard. A few of them I’ll hear of eventually in Major League Baseball, but most will just disappear into softball leagues or running their own baseball “academy.”
But being an observer of the College World Series from the past, plus a few games this season, I offer you this primer for this edition. Get ready to be seeing and/or hearing a lot about …
YELLING: For some reason, pitchers seem to do more than their share of senseless yelling and screaming. Centerfielder robs a guy of a home run? By all means, yell away. Stretch a double into a triple? Get fired up! But some of these pitchers act like they’ve just won the lottery when they strike out a guy with two outs with a man on first. Settle down, guys.
ANCILARY ACCOUTREMENT: Also known as having lots of extra (unnecessary?) stuff. Used to be, when a guy wore batting gloves, that seemed over the top. These days, if you step in a batter’s box without an elbow guard, an ankle guard, plus a sliding mitt in your back pocket, then you might as well have been playing with a Wiffle Ball bat.
My question is this – doesn’t all this extra stuff slow you down? Think about it; how many times do you see a bang-bang play at first base and the batter is called out. You’re telling me that all the extra stuff isn’t turning a safe call into an out?
What is more likely to happen: You take one off the ankle (and it hurts for 5 minutes) or you cost your team a baserunner because you are carrying all this extra baggage down the first base line?
VELCRO MANIA: Tennessee’s Christian Little is unquestionably one of the best players in the country. He’s going to be fun to watch in the CWS. But here is what is not going to be fun to watch – Little adjusting his batting gloves after EVERY pitch. Fix them right the first time, pal! And by no means is he the only one who does this. I guess we haven’t made the technological advancements in Velcro that we thought we had.
EXPECTORATING EXPECTATIONS: Also known as spitting. It’s as timeless as the game of baseball itself, so get ready to see the loogies fly!
THE GRAND ILLUSION: If it were up to me, ESPN would show this every game and be justified in doing it. In 1982, Miami took the Hidden Ball Trick to a new level against Wichita State with an act of deception that may never be seen again. It all started when the Miami pitcher … never mind … you just have to see it to understand. Wichita State never did. Maybe that’s why the Shockers haven’t been back to the CWS is almost 30 years.
In the interest of equal time, ESPN should also show the Warren Morris home run that won the 1996 CWS just as often as they show the Grand Illusion. That, of course, came against Miami. Somewhere out there, Wichita State is still smiling about that.
CONFERENCE CONFAB: There are four teams from the SEC and four from the ACC, so that doesn’t leave much room for diversity. The good news is that if you love one of those conferences, you got plenty to choose from. By the same token, if you love the diversity of big schools and little schools from a variety of conferences, this is not going to be your year.
But it is going to be somebody’s year, which is why we watch in the first place.
CATCHING ON: Evangel’s Parker Fulghum finished his career third in school and area career leaders in receiving yards. (Journal file photo)
By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports
Senior receivers Parker Fulghum of Evangel and Calvary’s Aubrey Hermes finished their careers this past season ranked third and fourth respectively in the list of all-time leading receivers in Caddo-Bossier.
Fulghum climbed a pretty big ladder to get within one catch of former Eagle Steve Parker (236-235) on the list of career catches. His 69 receptions in his senior year were 20 fewer than his junior season but his yards per catch went up with 168 more yards. Catching passes from his twin brother Peyton led to a career of 235 catches for 3,876 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Hermes and teammate Kolby Thomas both had a school-record 70 receptions in 2023. Hermes had 1,363 yards and 15 touchdowns. Thomas 817 yards and 11 scores while Louisiana Tech signee John Simon IV caught 51 passes for 848 yards and 9 touchdowns.
AS USUAL: Lafayette native Daniel Cormier came out on top in 22 of 25 UFC fights as he became one of history’s greatest MMA competitors. (Photo courtesy ESPN/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
By JAKE MARTIN, Written for the LSWA
Don’t overthink it. Just wrestle.
That’s what UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier tells his wrestling team at Gilroy High School in California. Rest assured, Cormier practiced what he now preaches. He wrestled most of his life, in fact, even in the face of great tragedy.
And though Cormier has wrestled more times than he can count, he wasn’t born a wrestler. He was born a fighter.
“Just fight.”
That was Cormier’s internal monologue after receiving the dreaded phone call back in 2011. Trying to dip his toe into the mixed martial arts pond after a remarkable run in his amateur wrestling career, Cormier served as an alternate in one of the most prestigious tournament brackets in MMA history. Everything changed when the UFC purchased Strikeforce, causing a domino effect that would shake up Strikeforce’s tournament lineup and force Cormier’s entry.
“I was hoping not to get into the tournament, man,” said Cormier, laughing.
His place in state sports history was noteworthy to that point; it soon became legendary, bringing global fame leading to his pending induction in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. He is part of the 12-member Class of 2024 to be honored next weekend in Natchitoches. For participation opportunities, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
The Lafayette native, who started off as a relatively unknown in Strikeforce, couldn’t be found in the initial gambling futures for a tournament concept borrowed from the start-up days of the UFC and further popularized by PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan years later.Potentially serving as a crowning moment for one of several heavyweight legends occupying the bracket, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix instead gave birth to a rising star. But Cormier had to walk through fire in a decision victory against Josh Barnett in the tournament finals on May 19, 2012, before being christened as MMA’s next big thing.
And that was unchartered territory. You see, in fights prior, the Olympic-level wrestler made the transition to MMA look darn near effortless. From knocking out Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva — a man that had a 10-inch reach advantage — to collecting a one-way traffic decision victory over Jeff Monson, Cormier often emerged victorious without a scratch. Fighting Barnett in the main event on Showtime established a launching pad for Cormier’s career, but he didn’t clear the bar unscathed. Call it baptism by fire.
“That was the first time I really took damage,” Cormier said. “Barnett was elbowing me, punching me, grinding his hand on my face. It was awful. I was so swollen after that fight. Bruised, cut on the top of my head. I walked into the hotel after the fight, and my friends were so excited. My hand is broken, my freaking head is busted open, but they didn’t care. ‘DC just won a belt!’ They want to go party in San Jose. They’re taking pictures, and I’m keeping it together. Then I see my mom, and I recall a story of when I was a young boy …”
Before Cormier became one of only four UFC fighters to hold championship belts from multiple weight classes simultaneously and one of the select few fighters to transition into a successful broadcaster, “D.C.” was a tough youngster playing backyard football with older neighborhood kids in the J. Wallace James Elementary School parking lot in Lafayette.
Back then, Cormier was running the football when a larger kid clotheslined him, knocking the future All-State football player to the ground and breaking his collarbone in the process. Unwilling to show weakness, Cormier fought back tears, walked home across the street and kept his composure until he saw his mother. All bets were off then.
“I walked into that hotel, at 33 years old, and when I saw my mother, I had the same reaction as I had when I was an 8-year-old boy. I bawled in her arms,” said Cormier. “I handed her the belt and I cried in her arms for 20 minutes because he hurt me. He hurt me a lot, and my comfort was always my mother.”
Life hits hard, but Cormier always punched back. But let’s be honest — sometimes he threw the first punch. Scrapping with friends in his neighborhood actually got him noticed by local wrestling coach Stephen “Tank” Lotief. Ironically, Cormier was in the same location he broke his collarbone when Lotief happened to stumble upon the future champion.
“One day on my way to practice at Northside High School, I saw him and two other kids playing football,” Lotief explained. “In the middle of the school parking lot, I’m watching them as I drive by and one of them tackled another and they started fighting. Of course, I pull over and I’m like, ‘Hey! Hey! Cut that out!’ I asked them if they wanted to come out and join my wrestling team. I often think about, ‘What would have happened if I didn’t stop the car?’”
Cormier accepted the invitation fully prepared to swing a metal chair like one of his heroes on television.
“I thought I would be doing some WCW stuff, man, like Ric Flair and Lex Luger,” Cormier said, grinning. “But I liked it. I stuck with it.”
Success followed. With a 101-9 overall record at Northside High and three consecutive state titles, local newspaper clippings in the late ‘90s dubbed it a “moral victory” for his opponents to avoid being pinned.
While winning a bronze medal in the World Championships in the Greco-Roman Wrestling Cadet (15-16 years old) division, Cormier also gained glory for Northside on the football field.
He chose to concentrate on wrestling upon graduation, though, and accumulated a 61-0 record at Colby (Kansas) Community College before becoming an All-American at Oklahoma State, and a member of the 2008 USA Olympic team. Then came his move into MMA and rapid climb to global fame.
Wrestling was always the bedrock. Fighting functioned as the building blocks that made Cormier visible to mainstream combat sports fans all over the world. It was the natural evolution for a young boy throwing punches in a parking lot. But the foundation would have collapsed without the work ethic instilled by his late parents. Without it, Cormier’s days on the mat would have been numbered. When others stopped attending Lotief’s wrestling practices, Cormier became a fixture in that hot room. And now it’s his turn to mold a new generation of wrestlers.
“I’m a kid from Lafayette, Louisiana, that didn’t come from much. No one could have thought that we would go on this journey. My mom and my dad never flew on an airplane until I made my first world team,” Cormier said. “They sacrificed so much for me. They’re both gone today, but these people showed me what life was supposed to be.
“To be entering the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame means the world to me. I know to get recognition here, you had to have done something truly special because Louisiana sports matter. My son was going crazy when he heard it because my kids know. They know what sports mean here.”
Diane Trussell Fletcher Winningham, our sweet Di, passed from Earth into heaven on the evening of Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Throughout her cancer journey, she continued to have joy and would pray with everyone she saw. She now has a beautiful new frame, one that is completely healed, to celebrate her arrival into the kingdom of God.
Di was born on May 7, 1945 – technically in Alexandria, LA, but actually in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. She made a grand entrance then, and continued to do so during her life. Her parents, George and “Bannie” Shaw Trussell, raised all seven of their children in Jena, Louisiana where they learned about Jesus at Midway Baptist Church. During these years, she learned about the importance of family.
She married John Fletcher on October 27, 1966, and they welcomed three daughters – Debbie, Elizabeth, and Caroline. During these years, she enjoyed her children to the fullest, making sure all were grounded in faith as well. She went back to school and obtained her nursing degree. Di was one of the older students, but she rocked the curve and made the top grades in her class, graduating as valedictorian. When the marriage ended, Di and the girls moved to Shreveport, LA to be closer to their Aunt Frances and Uncle Lamar Hodges, who took them in and loved them. Frances and Lamar were Di’s biggest support throughout her daughters’ formative years. During that time, their home was the place all holidays were spent and holds some of the best family memories.
Di continued to work full-time as a nurse, for the most part at Willis-Knighton Medical Center and was on the heart team. She was very proud of being on the first heart transplant case in Shreveport. She loved her OR friends like family, and so many still have these bonds forever. She maintained her nursing license, and still used her skills on many medical mission trips. She had great fun serving God as a nurse with Broadmoor Baptist in Mexico, and Kidz Konnect for Jesus in Belize.
The love story of Di and J was truly orchestrated by God. James Frank Winningham, Jr. (“J”) was the love of her life. After a brief courtship, they married on July 27, 1990 and were married for almost 27 years until he went to heaven in 2017. They liked to talk about having seven daughters – J had four daughters and Di had three, and they were so blessed to have all seven girls who loved them. Di and J had so much fun in life, traveling and going on car trips with his Winningham Nissan dealership in Shreveport and then the Winningham Cane River Chrysler dealership in Natchitoches. While in Natchitoches, she was instrumental in founding the Krewe of Dionysos – the first parading Mardi Gras krewe there and was Captain I and II. Oh how she loved a parade! Di and J’s marriage was grounded in God, and they read their devotional and had prayer together every morning. They prayed specifically for each of the seven daughters, and other family, friends, and situations that needed God intervention. Many reading this were probably on their prayer list at one time or another. They retired back to Shreveport and continued to enjoy time with family and friends, and their church B group. Sadly, J passed away suddenly in 2017. Di still used her heart and time to serve others but so missed J. She loved on her children, grandchildren, friends, and even strangers, and had a joy for life. Her Bible study groups were such a joyful time of learning and friendship which she treasured. She probably had ADHD, but that made her more fun. She truly was the life of any party and would dance on tables and make you dance with her – She knew this earth was not her home but was temporary and that a parade was waiting for her in heaven. She will be missed by all who knew her joy in life.
Di was preceded in death by her true love J, her parents, John, Frances and Lamar, and her brothers Reuben, Rivers, and Bo. She is survived by her daughters Debbie Fletcher Adams and her husband Gerald, Caroline Fletcher Hunsicker, Elizabeth Fletcher, Linda DeLaune and her husband Jeffrey, Beverly Capley and her husband Hood, Kay Hawkins and her husband Phillip, and Jane Wood. She also had two nephews who were like her own sons, Jeff Hodges and his wife Pam, and Carl Hodges and his future wife Sally. She also had so many grandchildren to impart her wisdom and love to – Cathryn Adams, Jordan Woodle and his wife Megan, Peyton and Grayson Jones, Courtney Hunsicker, Connor Hunsicker and his future wife Maria, Sarah Bankert and her future husband Jimmy, Preston DeLaune and his wife Carey, Elizabeth DeLaune, Alison Greer and her husband Fred, Cullen Capley, and Shelton and Logan Wood, along with multiple great-grandchildren. She will be forever remembered by her brothers Gale Trussell and his wife Debbie, Conn Trussell and his wife Gigi, and her sister Sally, and her husband Bruce, and her great friend and in-law Sylvia Adams, along with so many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and her little dog Juliet.
A visitation will be held Sunday June 16 from 4-6pm at Osborn Funeral Home. Funeral services will begin at 10 am on Monday, June 17, 2024 at Broadmoor Baptist Church. Dr. Larry Williams will be officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Park Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Gerald Adams, Carl Hodges, Jeff Hodges, Jordan Woodle, Richard Woodle, Connor Hunsicker, John-Michael Johnson, Chris Swedburg, and Ray Williams.
Honorary pallbearers will be Gale Trussell, Conn Trussell, Bruce Wilson, Jeff DeLaune, Tommy Mook, Robert Parchman, Frank Thaxton, and her entire B group at Broadmoor Baptist Church.
Her family thanks everyone involved in her medical care at Willis Knighton and beyond. She prayed with everyone who saw her – but also prayed “for” them and their needs as caregivers.
If anyone would like to donate in her honor, she would ask for them to be given to Broadmoor Baptist Church Missions/Lottie Moon, or to the organizations she volunteered with: The Glen Retirement System, MLK Health Center and Pharmacy, or Kidz Konnect for Jesus in Belize. Her love language was truly “Acts of Service”, and she felt we should all be the light for others.
The City of Shreveport announced that walk-in bill payments are suspended at Government Plaza until further notice due to ongoing renovations. Mayor Arceneaux acknowledges the significant hinderance to citizens who like to pay their water bills in cash, and as a result, the Water and Sewer Department will reimburse the fees associated with paying water bills in cash at any Authorized Payment Center. Citizens will still have to pay the fee at the time of bill payment, but the fee will be reimbursed to them on their next water bill. Please see below for details on how to find the nearest Authorized Payment Center, along with other alternative payment methods.
Mail-In Payments: Payments can be mailed to these addresses:
a. Water & Sewerage
Make check payable to:
COS-Water & Sewerage City of Shreveport P.O. Box 30065 Shreveport, LA 71153-0065
b. Property Tax Make check payable to:
COS-TAX City of Shreveport – Revenue Division
P.O. Box 30040 Shreveport, LA 71130-0040
c. Property Standards
Make check payable to: City of Shreveport – Revenue Division
P.O. Box 30040 Shreveport, LA 71130-0040
d. Other Taxes and Fees (Occupational License Tax, False Alarm, Traffic Escort, Property Standards, and Other Payment Types)
Make check payable to: City of Shreveport – Revenue Division
P.O. Box 30040 Shreveport, LA 71130-0040
3. Authorized Payment Centers (for water bills only): Payments for water bills can be made at various authorized payment centers throughout the city. Click this link to find your nearest payment center: https://www.checkfreepay.com/en/payment-locator.html. Those accustomed to paying water bills in-person in Downtown Shreveport may pay at the following location from 9 am to 5 pm: Mid South Towers AEP Building 416 Travis Street, 1st Floor Lobby in Shreveport.
4. Night Deposit Box: Payments can be placed in the night deposit box that is located at the outside front of the building next to the ATM machine. PLEASE NOTE: Cash payments should not be placed in the night deposit box for security reasons.
Mayor Arceneaux and the employees of the City of Shreveport thank all of the citizens for their patience in this matter. For inquiries and further assistance,please contact the City of Shreveport, Department of Finance, at 318-673-5585.
Mary Laverne Ford Baker September 22, 1942 — June 9, 2024 Service: Friday, June 14, 2024, 5pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport.
Leo N. Plette May 27, 1930 — June 9, 2024 Service: Friday, June 14, 2024, Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Bossier City.
Amy Beatrice (Goldman) Morris August 9, 1926 — June 12, 2024 Service: Sunday, June 16, 2024, 9am at Greenwood Cemetery, Shreveport.
Diane Trussell Winningham May 7, 1945 – June 11, 2024 Service: Monday, June 17, 2024, 10am at Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport.
Robert Wayne Wilcox July 1, 1955 — March 23, 2024 Service: Saturday, June 22, 2024, 2pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport.
Ella Vasher July 16, 1927 – June 10, 2024 Service: Sunday, June 23, 2024, 1pm at New Bethel MBC, Shreveport
The Shreveport-Bossier Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or SBJNewsLa@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to SBJNewsLa@gmail.com)
Shreveport Police Detectives have arrested 40-year-old Ledonald Sanders on one count of 2nd-degree murder. Sanders is accused of the shooting death of a man on June 10 in the 3600 block of Hollywood Avenue.
Detectives with the Shreveport Police Department worked through the night and tracked the suspect to an address in the 700 block of Firwood Road in Haughton. The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office (BPSO) SWAT team responded to the area and executed an arrest warrant for Sanders.
Chief Wayne Smith and the Shreveport Police Department would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office for their vital assistance. Chief Smith also commended his detectives, the BPSO forensic investigative support unit, and the SPD crime scene unit for their outstanding work on this case.
“During the investigation, 26 firearms were seized, which underscores the gravity of this case, and the dedication of our law enforcement teams, we are very grateful for our partners at BPSO,” said Chief Smith.
ONE APP, THAT’S ALL!: Port City 311 will let you make city departments aware of everything from potholes to illegal dumping.
By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Services
You are rattled to the bone when your car hits a pothole.
You are bothered by the sight of cars – or an 18-wheeler – parked in someone’s front yard.
You are worried about the welfare of a horse, or chickens.
If it is after-hours and you’re in Shreveport, you will soon be able to report your issue to the City using a new smart phone application.
Port City 311 is an app that, within 30-60 days, you will be available to download from your phone’s app store. That means you won’t have to take the time to call the City’s appropriate department, or waiting until you have access to a computer to visit the City’s website.
“(Citizens) will be able to use the mobile application to submit photos and questions, and those questions will go to the responsible department,” Shocker Creal, Shreveport’s Chief Technology Officer, told the Shreveport-Bossier Journal. “From there, the department can push a ticket, or reassign it to (the correct) department, and (that department) can respond directly to the citizen.”
The plan is that with this new application, the citizens’ submission will be addressed in a timely manner. Among other things you will be able to report are a fallen tree blocking a road, a chemical spill, or blighted property.
“If I encounter a pothole at 10pm or 4 am, or there’s a major issue, it allows the citizens direct access to our back-end systems,” Creal explained. “They’re able to create a trouble ticket. Work orders are automatically created, and that’s before the front desk personnel log in for the day to start reviewing their messages or voicemail. It puts access and true support from the city at the citizens’ fingertips. It makes it a little more seamless and makes us a little more accessible.”
Port City 311 is the result of Mayor Tom Arceneaux’s desire to make solving issues between the City and its people as easy as possible.
“I hope this application will remove some steps in the issue-solving process,” Mayor Arceneaux told the Journal. “I want our citizens to feel connected and informed. I want them to know their voice is being heard, and their concerns are being taken care of. I am hoping this application will allow for better communication between the citizens of Shreveport and our employees.”
Port City 311’s technology has already been integrated into the City’s website, shreveportla.gov. You can click “Report a Concern”, and the workflow will be the same as the app will provide. The app will replace the “SeeClickFix” app, which the city has been using.
“When the mayor came on, he said he wanted to basically provide better access to city services for the citizens,” Creal said. “That was one of his primary goals. What we noticed with “SeeClickFix” is because it didn’t have that back-end integration into our work order system, there were significant delays between the initial submission from the citizen, and work orders being created and completed by the departments. My goal was to cut out that break point. I made sure to find an application that already had those integrations in place. It streamlines getting the tickets to the desired parties and resolved.”
Creal is working with a third party, Q-Alert, to develop the app, and integrate it into the city’s website.
“I think it’s important for the City of Shreveport to tap into today’s technology to make ourselves more accessible to our citizens,” Mayor Arceneaux said. “I am hoping that by using this technology, specifically this application, we can limit the time it takes citizens to report concerns and limit the time it takes the City to resolve those concerns. We want to use technology to improve the customer service experience at the City of Shreveport.”
Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington promoted a deputy Wednesday in a ceremony in the Sheriff’s Conference room at the Bossier Parish Courthouse.
Deputy Ann Talley and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant after 15 years of service. Sergeant Talley will serve as a supervisor in the Bossier Sheriff’s Probation Office.
“You came highly recommended by your supervisors and have an exemplary record of service with the sheriff’s office,” said Sheriff Whittington. “I am proud to promote you for your hard work and dedication to duty, keep up the good work.”
For all those times you’ve wondered what it would be like to visit with sports stars you read about or see on TV, you get the opportunity free of charge next Thursday evening at the Welcome Reception kicking off the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
You can be right there at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street (at the traffic circle) in Natchitoches. There will be an eye-catching new sign out front, a photo op on its own. Inside, no need to dress fancy, just enjoy plentiful food and refreshments and music and a world-class museum, mingling with sports stars and their families from 5-7 next Thursday evening, June 20, at the museum.
Adding to the excitement – a brand-new exhibit showcasing Pete Maravich’s time at LSU, setting the basketball world on its collective ear, and the regal one-of-a-kind silver Heisman Trophy won by LSU’s Billy Cannon in 1959.
The “Showtime! LSU’s Spectacular Pistol Pete” exhibit debuts in the Atmos Energy Gallery on the first floor will include over 60 photos, many behind-the-scenes shots, of Maravich during his days from 1967-70 at LSU, some never seen in public. Baton Rouge photographer John Musemeche had unique access, and shares memories in an 8-minute documentary short film “We Were Fans” playing in the exhibit.
Upstairs, one of America’s most prized sports trophies will be on display on the second floor. Cannon’s 1959 Heisman Trophy will be in the house through the weekend festivities, courtesy of the Cannon Trust, as a cornerstone of the museum’s months-old Heisman Trophy exhibit that showcases the state’s (just updated) five winners: Cannon, John David Crow (1957), Joe Burrow (2019), DeVonta Smith (2020) and Jayden Daniels (2023).
But the spotlight is squarely on the Class of 2024, which includes a Super Bowl MVP (Drew Brees), a women’s basketball superstar (Seimone Augustus), one of the world’s most famous MMA fighters (Daniel Cormier), an Olympic gold medal wrestler (Kevin Jackson), a 19-year pro football veteran (Kerry Joseph), a game-changing Tulane basketball coach (Perry Clark) and one of America’s greatest jockeys (Ray Sibille).
There’s Grambling icon Wilbert Ellis, who coached baseball for the Tigers for 43 years, and became a state and national treasure for his community service out of uniform; and another retired coach, Frank Monica, who won state high school football championships at three different south Louisiana schools, lastly St. Charles Catholic. They are charismatic men who have stories and smiles aplenty.
Sports journalists Bobby Ardoin (Opelousas) and Ron Higgins (Baton Rouge) have covered many amazing games and highly-accomplished athletes, including plenty of LSHOF members, in their careers and will be inducted next weekend as well. So will Tom Burnett, who was commissioner of the Southland Conference for two decades until 2022, and oversaw the last Final Four held in New Orleans.
The Welcome Reception is also a wonderful chance to stroll around the 27,500-square foot museum. Lots of display items have been recently rotated into exhibits, and there’s a Kim Mulkey exhibit showcasing the LSU women’s basketball coach and her iconic wardrobe. She will be at the induction ceremony on June 22.
A frequent reaction from first-time visitors: “I didn’t realize it would be this great! I can’t believe I haven’t been here already. I’m bringing friends next time.”
That’s the same sentiment for the entire Induction Celebration, which includes a free Friday evening Rockin’ River Fest concert on the downtown riverbank stage. More about that tomorrow.
You’re invited to all the fun. Visit LaSportsHall.com to get more information and the schedule of events, make online ticket purchases, or call 318-238-4255 for participation opportunities for ticketed events.
Bossier City Utilities is committed to improving the Customer Relationship Experience and to make things as easy as possible for customers. Bossier City Utilities announced that it has partnered with Tyler payments.
Beginning Aug. 6 Bossier City will offer customers online, autopay and over the phone payment options through Tyler Payments. This means that each customer will need to re-register their online account, re-enter stored payment information, re-enroll for paperless billing (e-billing) and also re-enroll for autopay.
First Billing recurring payments that are currently set up will end on July 26. Bossier City Utilities wants citizens to be informed that payment processing fees are changing also.
The new fees are:
Credit Card Service Fee: 3.50%.
e-checks $0.95
There will be an additional fee of $0.50 per transaction for automated phone system payments. Additional information is available on the Bossier City website at bossiercity.org or by calling
The SBBA Higher Education Summit 2024, presented by Christus Shreveport-Bossier, will be held on Thursday, June 20 at 9 a.m. at the Greater Shreveport Chamber, 400 Edwards St.
This annual Summit will feature Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, as well as Chancellors and representatives from the nine colleges and universities that serve Northwest Louisiana. The Summit is an opportunity for higher education leaders to update members of the Northwest Louisiana legislative delegation and the public on activities and advances at their institutions.
Limited seating is available for members of the public. If you are interested in attending, contact Ellie Ward at ellieward@shreveportchamber.org.
ABOUT TO FLY: Parkway receivers (l-r) J.P. McGovern and Cararo Mayo get ready for a snap in a recent 7-on-7 event hosted by Southern Arkansas. (Photo courtesy PATRICK MCGOVERN)
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
Faux football season has begun for local high school players.
There’s still a football involved and someone is keeping score, but it’s pretty obvious that what’s being played in June isn’t the same as what is being played in October.
It would be a little unfair to call 7-on-7 a “necessary evil” for local high school teams as they get ready for the upcoming season, because coaches will tell you that it is necessary.
But there is one unavoidable fact. “It’s not real football,” said Matthew Sewell, who became head coach at Haughton last month after being the offensive coordinator at Parkway.
It is, however, competition, which is what other coaches point to as being the best thing about it.
“I like the competitiveness of it and how the kids respond to that,” veteran Huntington coach Stephen Dennis said. “Whether it’s good or it’s bad; you get to see how they react. And there are some good situational football components that you get to work on.
“We only get 10 games during the season, so the best thing is that it gives your kids a chance to go compete against other teams,” Sewell said. “Just getting that opportunity to compete. You can only get a chance to compete against each other in practice so much and they get tired of that. It’s a great thing for that reason.”
Beyond that, there are fundamental aspects for the upcoming season where 7-on-7 experience comes in handy.
“The best thing is for the quarterback in that he has to read the defense, no matter what defense they are in,” said new Loyola coach John Sella, who was the Flyers’ offensive coordinator for five years. “They still have to learn the concepts like reading what the safety is doing. It also gives you a chance to get a look at the receivers and see who can make plays.”
The concept of 7-on-7 is that it’s just football without the linemen (offense or defense). Sounds simple enough, but that’s not really the case.
“The worst thing is that in order to be competitive, you have to do 7-on-7 plays instead of real football plays,” Sella said. “Defenses are running coverages that they normally wouldn’t run in a real game because they don’t have to stop the run.”
“My least favorite thing is the four-second clock for the quarterback (to throw),” Dennis said. “He’s got four seconds to just sit there with nothing in his face. I don’t think that is realistic for Friday night football. Plus, some of the routes that you see run are where the offensive linemen would be standing. That’s not realistic.”
“You get four seconds to throw,” Sewell said. “You are never going to get four seconds in a real game. If you do, your quarterback is making some miraculous scramble.”
Sella and Sewell both moved into head coaching roles after being offensive coordinators so pardon them if the style of 7-on-7 offends their sensibilities just a little bit.
“Offensively, I don’t know if we are planning on going empty much this year, but that’s what we are doing in 7-on-7,” Sella said. “We used to put a running back or a tight end out there, but we weren’t very competitive. We still want to be competitive in 7-on-7, but we still want to work on our stuff.”
“We are going to play this weekend and will be in empty (formation) maybe half the time, but we aren’t going to be in empty in a game very often,” said Sewell. “The plays are usually the same you would run in a real game, but it’s not real because you don’t have to account for a blitz or a defensive lineman.”
For Sella, 37, and Sewell, 27, it’s also a chance to step into the head coaching role for the first time.
“Everything is on-the-job-training for me because I feel like I Iearn something new every day,” Sewell said. “But it’s good for me to be around those guys. It’s always good to get the chance to get to watch your guys play.”
Ultimately, though, it comes down to a coach being able to see players in competitive situations before the season begins in the fall.
“It is necessary in today’s football,” Dennis said. “Like anything else in life, there is good and bad. But I do think the positive components outweigh the negative. It’s the only time in the off season where you get that see that competitiveness.”
And it was never more apropos to say “Rest in peace” than it was about such a legendary sports figure so celebrated and revered, yet so anguished by a handful of failures mere mortals would consider accomplishments.
On October 13, West was scheduled to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball of Fame for the third time.
He’d previously been inducted in 1980 for a 14-year NBA career from 1960 to 1974 with the Los Angeles Lakers in which he was an All-Star selection every season he played as well as a 12-time All-NBA honoree. As a lightning-quick guard, his stop-and-pop jumper interspersed with fearless drives produced career scoring averages of 27 points and 29.1 points in the regular season and playoffs respectively still ranking eighth and fifth.
He’s just one of three players ever to win NBA Finals MVP honors (and the only Finals MVP on the losing team), Final Four MVP honors as an All-American guard at West Virginia, and an Olympic gold medal for the 1960 U.S.A, team which was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
His third Hall honor as a contributor to the sport stems from his 18 seasons from 1982 to 2000 as general manager of the Lakers when the franchise won eight NBA titles.He put together the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal-Phil Jackson marriage), got burned out and became a consultant for the franchise before his stunning move to become GM from 2002 to 2007 of the brand-new Memphis Grizzlies which he quickly built into a playoff team.
That’s where during my almost 30-year writing career in Memphis I got an inside look at the man whose image as a player became the model for the NBA logo, hence West being nicknamed “The Logo.”
West’s competitive fire, long after his playing days and after his GM stint with the Lakers, never quit burning. As a consultant, he couldn’t stay idle playing golf and collecting paychecks.
“I wasn’t called very much as a consultant and I felt I was taking somebody’s money for nothing,” West told me. “I got bored with living the good life with no stress or pressure. When I studied the situation in Memphis, it was the ultimate challenge for me.
“I don’t think men are worth a damn unless you have a challenge in your life. Many people in basketball told me, `What in the hell you are doing. . .Memphis. . .of all places to go?’”
West was 53 years old when he became the Grizzlies’ GM. Anybody around him daily quickly learned the internal scars West incurred as a player continually haunted him.
“I’m not proud I played in nine NBA Finals and won only one of them,” West told me. “The most painful moments in my life occurred in some of my very best moments as a player. . .to not win titles a couple of times when we had the best teams is the thing that’s driven me all my life.”
West coached the Lakers for three seasons after retirement. They were a playoff team each year, but losing games engulfed his soul.
When he finally became a general manager and felt he had similar control he enjoyed as a player, it was somewhat more soothing but not much.
As a GM, he rarely watched a game in person, especially in the playoffs. It was just too much torture.
At first, he walked the halls in the belly of the arenas where the game was played, listening to the crowd and occasionally peeking out a tunnel to the court to check the scoreboard. Then, eventually, he would drive around the Los Angeles freeways during games. He wouldn’t even listen to radio broadcasts. He’d call his secretary for score updates.
In the Grizzlies’ first home playoff game in history at the end of the 2003-04 season, he never showed up in his private box full of guests to watch one minute of the game. He repeated that over and over.
In public, he often measured his words.
In private, not so much.
A lot of my one-on-one interview sessions with West went like this:
With my pen in hand, notepad in sight and tape recorder rolling, he would give searingly non-stop honest opinions and assessments that today would have made me the tweet king of the universe. The social media reaction would be like daily meteor strikes. But immediately after spewing forth some of the greatest quotes I’ve ever heard, West would look at me with soulless eyes and snarl, “If you ever use any of that in a story, I will (insert the most imaginable threatening cuss word here) kill you.”
Then he’d pause.
And then I’d wait for him to laugh to let me know he was kidding.
AGAIN AND AGAIN: In high school, at LSU, in the WNBA and three times in the Olympic Games, Seimone Augustus cut down nets after championships. (Photo courtesy LSU Athletics/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame) \
By ROBIN FAMBROUGH, Written for the LSWA
One car ride home from Greenville Elementary in Baton Rouge changed Seimone Augustus.
Augustus recalls “having a moment,” because her team lost an afterschool basketball game, and she did not know how to handle it.
“We were walking to the car and my dad said, ‘They beat you and that’s the end of it. You have to learn to be a good loser before you can be a great winner.’
Then Seymore Augustus asked, “‘What do you want to do? Do you just want to be good? Or do you want to be great?’”
They sat in the car for a few minutes before a short drive home.
“When I got out of the car I said, ‘I want to be great.’ Then I stormed in the house,” Augustus noted. “And my dad said, ‘We’ve got work to do.’ And that was it.”
Two high school state titles at Capitol, three Final Four Appearances at LSU, three Olympic gold medals and four WNBA titles were years away.
Hoop dreams and the work required to reach them came into focus at age seven or eight for Augustus, a two-time National Player of the Year at LSU.
With induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, all in a span of six months, Augustus ponders major successes and her path to them.
The June 22 induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is also a full circle moment for Augustus, who recently joined the LSU women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 season.
“It’s a celebration of me, but this is also a celebration that gives me a chance to express gratitude to the people who were significant in helping me get to where I am today,” Augustus said. “The opportunities I had and people who helped made it possible.”
She is part of the 12-member Class of 2024 to be honored June 20-22 in Natchitoches. For participation opportunities, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
By the time Augustus reached Capitol High School, she had dunked in a middle school game and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women with the headline, “Is she the next Michael Jordan?”
Augustus averaged 24.8 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists in high school, leading her team to a 138-7 record —which included a 52-game winning streak.
First, there were lawn chairs, bowling gloves and a gravel driveway that made dribbling difficult.
“These days everybody wants a trainer. … Parents spend two or three hundred dollars for a session,” Augustus said. “I’m thinking, ‘Well hell, I made it to the Hall of Fame and all I had was some lawn chairs.’ Isn’t that something?
“We laugh about it … the bowling gloves and the glasses that prevent you from looking down. Tying one arm up behind my back to force me to use my other hand. And setting out lawn chairs in the yard.”
As Augustus watched NBA games, she worked to emulate what she saw, putting her flair into each move. She studied basketball skills videos on VHS tapes.
Augustus played games, but not always in a traditional manner. Father and daughter rode bikes or walked to gyms and/or street ball courts in Baton Rouge’s inner city.
“I attribute a lot of who I am and what I am to who I played against growing up in Baton Rouge,” Augustus said. “I always say there was not a place I did not go to play a game. I wasn’t on a travel ball team. We didn’t have the funds.
“My reputation then was, ‘I played against that girl.’ It did not matter … old, young, middle-aged, male or female … I would play you. That’s how you become a street legend. People would say, ‘Oh, I’ve seen that girl putting in some work. And her dad was right there with her.’”
Augustus played a limited amount of AAU basketball. First, she played for the Baton Rouge Lady Tigers, facing future LSU teammates Temeka Johnson and Roneeka and Doneeka Hodges.
The next year her father put together a team that played in a national tournament in Cocoa Beach, Fla.
“I never really got out of Baton Rouge until I was 10 or 12,” Augustus said. “We didn’t make it out of pool play (in Florida), but those few games changed my life forever.”
Augustus netted an invite to the Blue Star Elite camp in Terre Haute, Indiana, with her play.
Future WNBA stars such as Diana Taurasi, Nicole Powell, Swin Cash, Kara Braxton and Shyra Ely were there.
“I did not know about a (player) ranking system or who any of these players were. That was great for me; I had no fear, no anxiety,” Augustus said. “I used to wear little pigtails and they gave me a nickname … they called me puppy.
“They would say, ‘You got game, but you’re still a puppy. You can’t get on the porch with the big dogs just yet.’”
Soon, plenty of people knew Augustus’ name and her story. Fans stood in line for hours to get into Capitol games at home and on the road.he late Pat Summitt of Tennessee and UConn’s Geno Auriemma were among the long line of college coaches who came to Baton Rouge while unsuccessfully pursuing Augustus. When she signed with Sue Gunter’s Tigers, athletic director Skip Bertman called it one of the greatest moments in LSU athletic history.
Three of women’s basketball’s top five all-time home attendance games happened during Augustus’ career – including all the packed PMACs in these last two years under Kim Mulkey.
LSU assistant coach Bob Starkey sees the Augustus Era as a foreshadowing of the popularity enjoyed by today’s stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
“I think we should all be grateful for what is going on today in women’s basketball, and it’s because of players like Seimone,” Starkey said. “We set attendance records when at home and led the SEC in road attendance because people wanted to see her play.”
Millions more did in her professional career, in the WNBA and overseas, and as she helped Team USA win three Olympic gold medals – with those medals her most fond fruit of her playing days, because she was representing her country on the world stage/ For all the greatness there is about her … she’s about to be in every hall of fame invented. Nothing has changed Seimone,” Starkey said. “We live in a society now where you don’t find a lot of humility.
“Seimone is humble. She loves Baton Rouge, LSU and Louisiana.”
Next weekend, Louisiana officially says ‘thank you’ with her Hall of Fame induction.
IN GOOD FORM: Sam Burns has three top 15 finishes in his last four starts heading into the U.S. Open this morning.
JOURNAL SPORTS
PINEHURST, N.C. – Sam Burns has played quite well lately, just not in major championships.
He’s got another shot at one of golf’s greatest prizes beginning today in the 124th U.S. Open.
The Shreveport native, a Calvary Baptist graduate and former LSU All-American and 2017 collegiate Player of the Year, tees off at 6:18 a.m. CT alongside 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Australian Cameron Smith.
Burns, now a Choudrant resident who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club, and Smith are two of the top putters in golf. That skill should come in handy on the extremely challenging and lightning quick Pinehurst No. 2 greens.
Burns has missed cuts in the first two majors of 2024, at The Masters and last month at the PGA Championship. But otherwise, he has three top 15 finishes in his last four outings, with the PGA the only outlier, and two of those strong performances have come in the tour’s Signature Events that include the best players and biggest purses.
Burns has put together a solid campaign in 2024 with top 10 finishes at the American Express in La Quinta, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Waste Management Phoenix Open, and Genesis Invitational. The five-time tour winner has played 14 events and made 11 cuts in 2024 while racking up $3.1 million in earnings this season.
In Burns’ most recent outing, he finished T15 at the Memorial Tournament last week, where he shot a 7-under 65 in the opening round.
Burns’ last two U.S. Opens have resulted in top 35 finishes, with a T27 finish in 2022 and a T32 finish in 2023.
The 27-year-old is the 27th-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings and is in 31st place in the FedEx Cup.
Burns is 23rd in total strokes gained on tour with an average of 0.807 and 54th in putting strokes gained with an average of 0.219. Burns is scoring well, 31st on tour in scoring average (69.80). Another notable statistic in his game is his birdie average of 4.29 per round which is 10th on the PGA Tour.Burns’ last time in the winner’s circle was in 2023 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event where he prevailed over PGA Tour standout Cameron Young in a playoff.
The USA Network will be handling live coverage today with NBC taking over for the final three rounds, with streaming on Peacock.
The pied-billed grebe is a rather nondescript water bird most of us have never heard of.
However, when you mention “di-dipper,” heads nod in recognition. They’re one and the same.
Just about every country boy who spent any time around a lake while growing up has encountered these shy little critters that are there on the surface one minute; gone the next.
They’re still around because today, I see them often at the Lincoln Parish Park lake.
According to George Lowery’s “Louisiana Birds,” the most remarkable feature of these birds is their ability to submerge instantaneously, thus their French name of sac-a-plomb, which means “sack of lead.” Lowery also noted that it is virtually impossible to shoot a grebe because “at the flash from the muzzle, the bird submerges and is gone before the pellets arrive.” With all due respect, George, I beg to differ. Read on…
My first encounter with a grebe was down on Chee Chee Bay in Natchitoches Parish. I was in my early teens when I went to spend the night with a friend from school with the idea of going duck hunting the next morning. My friend, Arthur, lived near the lake, which made it convenient for us to be at the lakeside at first light, hoping to get some pass-shooting at a duck or two.
Arthur went one way; I went another as I waited in the cold dampness for a crack at a duck. While hunkering down behind some button willows next to the shoreline, I waited for what seemed an hour without a single duck flying my way. Then I spotted something moving on the water just up the lake from where I was. In my mind’s eye, it was a duck.
I formulated a plan to outsmart that duck and at least have something to show for my efforts that morning. By using the row of button willows as a shield, I belly-crawled through the cold mud for 100 yards until I had sneaked within shotgun range of the little brown “duck.”
When I’d gotten close enough, I eased to one knee, raised my gun, took aim, and fired. The “duck” rolled over, dead as a…..well, you know. Then I encountered a problem. The wind was blowing out and my prize was floating away toward the big lake.
Luck was on my side, though, because I spotted an old wooden boat somebody had beached just up from where I was. There was no paddle in the boat but I found a plank nearby that would serve as my paddle.
The boat was made of wood, it was big and very heavy. It took all the strength I could muster but I finally pushed and pulled; grunted and strained until I had the boat in the water. As you might expect, a boat such as this would never have been abandoned if it were still sea-worthy. It leaked; not too bad but enough that I figured I had to paddle fast to reach my duck and then get back to shore before it sank.
Flailing the water with the one-by-six plank, I was finally able to catch up with my “duck”. It was not until I had lifted it from the water that I realized my mistake. It was no duck; it was a di-dipper. I had little time to browbeat myself because the boat was sinking. I had to fight the wind and paddle with all my might to get the boat back to shore. I just barely made it before the creaky old craft filled with water. I left it in the shallows and walked ashore, wet and muddy, with my di-dipper.
For the uninformed, the pied-billed grebe is described as a “ducklike water bird closely related to LOONS.” After this hunt, I felt I may have been that grebe’s cousin.
Forty-five boys from across Caddo Parish arrived at Kinsey Scout Reservation on June 9 to attend the 2024 Caddo Sheriff’s Camp.
The four-day camp, open to boys ages 9-12, is free for participants and is supported by private donations raised by the Sheriff. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides food, tent lodging, activities, and staff. Caddo deputies also act as mentors at the scout ranch.
“It’s a great opportunity for local children to experience the outdoors while getting to know our deputies,” said Sheriff Jay Long.
The camp recognizes underserved Caddo Parish boys for good behavior and academic achievement and introduces them to the scouting program.
The camp is designed to cultivate leadership skills and encourage participation in scouting by introducing campers to outdoor activities such as swimming, archery, and marksmanship.
Today campers were treated to demonstrations from Sheriff’s Office specialized units and visited with deputies from the K-9 Unit, Special Response Team, Drone Unit, and Life Air Rescue.
