By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor 

When people have conversations about good food that they have had at restaurants, the discussion always seems to center around high-end or expensive places.

Now we have all been in those conversations, yet we all know that it’s far from the truth. The quality of the food does not only go towards the fancy, expensive places; sometimes it does, but I’d venture to say that some of the best food I’ve had comes from smaller, less pricey mom-and-pop type places.

One of the first places I tried when I moved to Shreveport, back in 1997, was Po-Boy Express at 6917 Line Ave., Shreveport. It was not what I was used to coming from Boston, where Italian delis dominated the submarine sandwich market. It took exactly one visit for me to learn how good a Po-Boy really is when done right.

Owner Mike Ogden manned the register and takeout window himself. The good thing about Mike is that anyone who meets him is instantly a friend for life. Well, you have to love LSU too; it’s clear what college sports team he supports when you look at the building.

Over the years I have tried most of his offerings, depending on my mood, but my personal favorite is the Cajun Dip Po-Boy. It has the right amount of heat, meat and trimmings normally on a Po-Boy, and the bread makes it just perfect. He uses authentic New Orleans French bread, Gambino’s to be exact.

The biggest problem I have is the amount of napkins I need.  His Po-Boys are not for eating and driving, forcing you to sit down and savor every bite of his food.

When my taste buds are looking for something different but I still want a hot Po-Boy, I always get the grilled chicken Po-Boy. It makes me feel like I’m eating healthier; at least that’s what I tell myself.

When a cold Po-Boy is in order, it’s the Cajun Club Po-Boy. It takes a club sandwich to the new level with fresh bread.

By no means are any other options any less tasty.  I’ve never been disappointed by what I order, and one of my friends that I’ve frequented Po-Boy Express with swears by the Ragin’ Cajun. My friend enjoys this sandwich so much that if he’s having a particularly bad day, I will bring him one knowing it will lift their spirits. When a meal can do that, you know it’s just that good.

Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net

Caddo Fire District #4 responded on Feb. 28 to a fast-moving yard fire that spread quickly through dry grass and threatened nearby homes and an open field.

According to the department, crews were dispatched after receiving a report of a grass fire spreading at a rapid pace. Upon arrival, firefighters found flames advancing across dry vegetation under current dry conditions.

Officials said the fire began when a resident attempted to burn a hornets nest using gasoline and an open flame. The fire was left unattended and quickly grew beyond control.

Firefighters were able to contain and extinguish the blaze before it reached nearby structures or caused additional damage. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials reminded residents that burning under current conditions is prohibited and that any future burning, once allowed, must be conducted safely and attended at all times.

Authorities also urged residents to contact professional pest control services when dealing with hornets or other stinging insects rather than attempting to remove nests with fire.

Anyone who sees a fire getting out of control is advised to call 911 immediately.

The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office and Bossier Parish Schools are reminding parents and guardians about the importance of school bus safety following a recent incident in Bossier Parish.

During this incident, a parent attempted to catch up with a school bus after their child missed the bus. The bus came to an ill-advised, non-scheduled stop, and a verbal dispute occurred between the bus driver and the parent.

It is important to note that no parent or guardian is allowed on a bus without written approval from the school principal. State law protects the safety of school bus operators, and violators can be charged with trespassing on a school bus and public intimidation. An incident can also result in the violator being banned from school bus stops and any school campus.

Situations like this have become increasingly common and create unnecessary safety risks for students, parents, bus drivers, and other motorists. School buses operate under strict safety rules, and unexpected stops or confrontations can place everyone involved in danger.

Parents, guardians, or any individual who need to address a concern involving a school bus driver or student transportation matter must do so through the proper channels. Concerns should be directed to school administration or the Bossier Parish School Board Transportation department, not handled roadside or during active bus routes.

The safety of our children is a shared responsibility. Please follow school transportation policies, and help ensure a safe environment for students, parents and bus drivers alike.

Caddo Parish Public Schools announced that several campuses will transition to virtual instruction on Monday, March 2, following a reported water main break in Shreveport.

According to Caddo Parish Public Schools, the disruption stems from a water main break reported by the City of Shreveport.

All Caddo schools located south of Northwood High School will move to virtual instruction for the day.

The following Northern Caddo schools will operate on a normal, in-person schedule Monday:

Blanchard Elementary
Mooringsport Elementary
North Caddo Elementary/Middle
Herndon Magnet
Donnie Bickham Middle
Northwood High

District officials advised families to check their school’s regular communication platform for additional details. Teachers will share specific instructions and expectations for virtual learning directly with families.

School officials said they remain in communication with city leaders and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

JOURNAL SPORTS

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After playing the full 40 minutes Sunday afternoon leading the sixth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team to a tougher-than-expected 72-63 win at Mississippi State, Mikaylah Williams was ready for more.

Like 40 more minutes. Understandably, because the Bossier City Parkway product is on a roll after recording her third straight double-double with a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds.

She helped the Tigers get going after a sluggish start including making only four of their first 14 shots.

“Mississippi State was playing really good basketball and I had to get started and be that spark so the rest of the team could come on,” said the junior guard.

LSU (26-4 overall, 12-4 in the SEC) didn’t salt it away until the fourth quarter, after State (18-12, 5-11 SEC) briefly took a one-point lead in the third period. The Tigers followed Williams to carry a 54-47 advantage to the final 10 minutes, and she drained a 3-pointer to lift LSU ahead 66-51 with seven minutes left.

“Williams is a special player,” said Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell. “The kid’s an All-American. What separates her is her high release and her elite handles.”

“I just like playing basketball … I feel good, even after playing 40,” Williams said. “I could play another 40 minutes.”

MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 18 points for the Tigers, who wrapped up the regular season and won’t play again until Friday afternoon at the SEC Tournament. They are the No. 4 seed and Sunday were projected by the NCAA selection committee as a No. 2 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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JOURNAL SPORTS

BATON ROUGE –  LSU’s pitching made up for a sloppy Tuesday night with three razor-sharp outings over the weekend, but the Tigers needed their arms to shine with their bats not delivering against a pair of opponents from wintry New England.

Junior right-hander William Schmidt blanked Dartmouth over 7.1 innings Sunday, leading top-ranked LSU to a 3-0 victory in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU improved to 11-1, while Dartmouth dropped to 2-4.

The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. today when they play host to Northeastern at Alex Box Stadium, on Skip Bertman Field. LSU beat the Huskies 3-1 Saturday, after topping Dartmouth 5-2 Friday.

LSU’s staff was walk-prone last Tuesday in a 7-6 loss to McNeese, but returned to form over the weekend.

Sunday, Schmidt (3-0) fired a career-high 7.1 innings, limiting Dartmouth to no runs on four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. His strikeouts total was also a career best, matching the nine strikeouts he recorded against Milwaukee on February 15.

“William was outstanding today, and he’s getting better as we go,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I’m really proud of how’s he developing, how he’s competing; he’s throwing strikes and leading the team to wins on three Sundays in a row. I don’t think any other team in the country can run out that kind of pitcher on a Sunday.

“He had a really good preseason in our scrimmage games, and he’s put together three really good starts. You’re seeing an uptick in stuff, and pitch execution, and strikes. Nine strikeouts and no walks, it’s had to do much better than that.”

Johnson was, at least to the media, non-plussed about the Tigers’ subpar offense.

“Maybe you’re not running balls out of the park and hitting liners, but the guys that I know will do better are some guys that can play better right now,” he said. “That’s actually a real good thing to have.”

Dartmouth starter Eddie Albert (0-2) was charged with the loss despite allowing two runs – one earned – on three hits in 7.0 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts.

LSU reliever Jaden Noot earned his first save of the season by striking out pinch hitter Jack Niswonger with two runners on in the top of the ninth inning.

Rightfielder Jake Brown was 2-for-4 on the day with a homer, a double and two RBI.

Brown’s solo homer in the first inning – his fifth dinger of the year – gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead, and his eighth-inning RBI double increased the margin to 3-0.

JOURNAL SPORTS

Five local schools won first round games Friday in the LHSAA boys basketball playoffs, with Parkway and Woodlawn pulling upsets on the road.

Parkway and Green Oaks were overtime winners.

Also moving forward to the second round Tuesday were Captain Shreve and Huntington.

Four Shreveport-Bossier teams were knocked out of the postseason Friday.

Calvary and Bossier earned high seeds and first-round byes. Both host playoff games Tuesday night. The other five remaining local teams will travel.

Scores from first-round state boys basketball playoff games involving local schools, and second-round matchups Tuesday night (italicized):

SELECT DIVISION I

Captain Shreve 54, Holy Cross 39

No. 14 Captain Shreve at No. 3 St. Augustine, 6:00

Huntington 74, Hammond 27

No. 9 Huntington at No. 8 Jesuit (NO), 6:30

Karr 64, Evangel 38

NON-SELECT DIVISION I

Parkway 74, Slidell 70 (OT)

No. 23 Parkway at No. 7 Sulphur, TBA

Sulphur 54, Benton 28

Covington 60, Airline 44

SELECT DIVISON II 

No. 13 Assumption at No. 4 Bossier, 6:30

St. Michael 64, Booker T. Washington 44

NON-SELECT DIVISION II

Woodlawn 55, Opelousas 52

No. 24 Woodlawn at No. 8 West Feliciana, 6:00

SELECT DIVISON III

No. 17 Rosepine 56, North Caddo 49

No. 17 Rosepine at No. 1 Calvary, 6:00

NON-SELECT DIVISION III 

Green Oaks 58, Many 53 (OT)

No. 11 Green Oaks at No. 6 Red River, 6:30

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JOURNAL SPORTS 

ALEXANDRIA – The LSU Shreveport basketball teams ran away with the Red River Athletic Conference regular-season titles and were just as dominant capturing the RRAC Tournament titles over the weekend at the Rapides Parish Coliseum.

The Pilots await the NAIA Selection Shows Thursday to determine their draws in the NAIA Tournament beginning March 13. The men’s show is at 6 o’clock and the women’s follows at 7 on the NAIA’s YouTube channel.

The top two basketball teams met in both of the RRAC Tournament championship games Sunday and regular-season champions rode home winners.

In the men’s final, LSU Shreveport left no doubt with an 87-70 victory over LSU Alexandria as LSU system president Dr. Wade Rousse watched proudly.

The LSUS women topped Texas A&M-San Antonio 64-59 in a sloppy championship game earlier Sunday.

The LSUS men (26-2) swept all three meetings with the Generals (23-8) this season.

Emareyon McDonald, Khi Wallace, and James Johnson led the Pilots with 22 points each, and Hayden Brittingham added 10. Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds and McDonald snagged eight.

Brittingham was named the RRAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. McDonald and Wallace also earned spots on the RRAC All-Tournament Team.

The LSUS women outlasted Texas A&M-San Antonio to claim their title. The Pilots improved to 27-4, capturing both the RRAC regular season championship and the tournament crown for the third consecutive year.

The Jaguars came out firing in the opening quarter, building an 18-7 lead but LSUS recovered to take a 37-26 lead into halftime.

LSUS extended its advantage to as many as 13 points in the third quarter but had to hold off a last-minute charge.

Texas A&M-San Antonio cut the deficit to 60-59 with 1:38 remaining. The Pilots responded when Markisic made two free throws with 40 seconds left to extend the lead, and after a defensive stop, Amandine L’Etang sealed the victory with two free throws in the final 14 seconds.

Toni Coleman led LSUS with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Markisic added 15 points and four steals.

LSUS shot 38.3 percent from the field and held the Jaguars to 29.2 percent shooting in a defensive battle that had 58 combined turnovers.

Markisic was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tourney team by Coleman and Paula Gonzales Herrero.

CENTENARY:  The Gents (11-16) won their first-round Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest Friday in Conway, Ark., beating Colorado College 65-53 behind 24 points from senior Quentin Beverly, but were routed by nationally-ranked St. Thomas 64-34 Saturday in the semifinals. St. Thomas rolled to the SCAC tourney title.

BPCC:  Tony Montgomery sank 12 of 19 shots and scored 29 points Saturday as Bossier Parish Community College almost pulled off a sweep of its last two home games, but couldn’t follow a win Wednesday with an upset of Blinn CC in a tight battle that went to the visitors 87-79 at Billy Montgomery Gym.

Drew Cooper scored 18 and Dustin Welch had 14 for the Cavs, who were tied with two minutes to play. BPCC followed a hot shooting night in Wednesday’s win over Lamar State-Port Arthur with another impressive outing, but first-year coach Jeff Moore said late turnovers gave Blinn the edge.

“Great effort from our team on Sophomore Night against a top team in our region. Offensively we played really well again, going 52 percent (31-60) from the field and 48 percent (13-27) on 3-pointers, but we just weren’t able to get to the line, attempting only six free throws in the game,” said Moore. “Blinn made the plays in the last two minutes of a tied game — capitalizing off our turnovers down the stretch.”

The Cavaliers finished their home schedule and have two regular-season road games left this week.

Phillip Everhart Wenner, 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Born April 15, 1932, in Loudon County, Virginia, to George and Mary (Hennen) Wenner, Phil graduated from Jewett High School in 1950, where he was a standout football and basketball player and later inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.

He proudly served in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict before earning a bachelor’s degree in applied science from Youngstown State University. On December 27, 1953, he married Edith Walker, and they shared 54 devoted years of marriage until her passing in 2007. On February 19, 2009, he married Marilynn (Weiser) Morgan. Family remained at the center of his life, and he embraced each role with love and quiet strength.

A longtime and active member of Saybrook United Methodist Church, Phil lived out his faith daily through integrity, discipline, and kindness. He dedicated more than 30 years to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, retiring in 1985, and remained deeply proud of his service and his Ohio roots. He was a loyal fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes and rarely missed a game.

Phil lived an exceptionally active life. An avid runner, tennis player, and golfer, he exercised daily until just three weeks before his passing, a testament to his discipline and determination. He was also a longtime member of Masonic Lodge #065.

Above all, he was a devoted father and an extraordinary grandfather who eagerly got down on the floor to play with his grandchildren, creating memories they will cherish forever.

He is survived by his wife, Marilynn; his children, Rhonda (Larry) Pontinen, Phillip (Dawn) Wenner, Edie (Jeffrey) Warren, and Kelli (Gina) Hays; his sister, Virginia Miller; eight grandchildren: Russell, Katie, Caleb, Vanessa, Kylie, Alissa, Jackson, and Tyler; 20 great-grandchildren; and his stepsons, Rob (Lisa) Morgan, Rick Morgan, Brad (Cathy) Morgan, Brian (Tam) Morgan, and their children.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Edith; his brothers, Charles, George, and John Wenner; his sisters, Isabelle Wallace and Mary Kay Green; and his parents.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Saybrook United Methodist Church, 7900 S. Depot Rd., Ashtabula, with burial to follow at Saybrook Cemetery and military honors provided by the Ashtabula County Honor Guard.

Calling hours will be held Friday, March 6, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Ducro Funeral Home, 4524 Elm Ave., Ashtabula, Ohio 44004.

Memorial contributions may be made in Phillip’s name to the East Ohio United Methodist Foundation, Wenner Scholarship Foundation, 8800 Cleveland Ave. N.W., North Canton, Ohio 44720.

Donald Marvin Pepper, age 65, was born and raised in Jonesboro, Louisiana. He passed away peacefully in Shreveport, Louisiana after a brief illness, surrounded by his loving family. Donald was known for his hardworking spirit and many talents. A true jack-of-all-trades, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and rebuilding just about anything he could get his hands on. Above all, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose love and steady presence will be deeply missed.

Donald is survived by his mother, Evylon Pepper; brother, Greg Pepper; sisters, Willie Curry, Lena Smith, Betty James (Bobby); sons, Joshua Pepper (Stephanie), Joseph Pepper (Chelsea); grandchildren, Elainea, Joshlyn and Mordechai Pepper; many nieces, nephews, greats and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Rhonda (James) Pepper; father, Willie Pepper; sisters, Louise Williams (Grady), June Carpenter, Lillian Volentine (Dale), Margie Williams (Jerry), and brother, Ricky Pepper.

Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at Southern-Edmonds Funeral Home Chapel in Jonesboro from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM. The funeral service will begin at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, March 4, in the Southern-Edmonds Chapel. Bro. Jeremy Fontenot will officiate the service. Burial will be in the Walnut Ridge Cemetery near Hodge, Louisiana, under the direction of Southern-Edmonds Funeral Home.

Serving as pallbearers will be Joshua Pepper, Joseph Pepper, Greg Pepper, DeWayne Morris, Brayden Carmichael and Larry Smith.

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Part of Speech: Adjective

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