A Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy discovered a possible train derailment on June 29 around 6:12 am near the 13700 block of Highway 1 in Oil City, according to Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr.

Representatives from CPKC Railroad responded to the scene and confirmed that three train cars had derailed. Officials stated that no hazardous materials were involved in the incident.

As a result of the derailment, a train is currently blocking the Main Street crossing in Oil City. The duration of this blockage is unknown, and motorists are advised to seek alternate routes.

Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to the derailment.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation by CPKC Railroad officials.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

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The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office recognized Benton Intermediate School student Phoebe Caulk for earning second place in the Louisiana D.A.R.E. Officers Association Essay Competition.

Phoebe was first selected as the D.A.R.E. essay winner at Benton Intermediate School during her graduation ceremony before advancing to represent Bossier Parish in the statewide competition. Her essay earned second-place honors among entries submitted from multiple parishes across Louisiana.

To recognize her achievement, Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington presented Phoebe with a $75 award on behalf of the D.A.R.E. program.

The presentation also included the debut of the Sheriff’s Office’s new D.A.R.E. mascot, DAREN the Lion, who joined Sheriff Whittington and D.A.R.E. Coordinator Deputy Cedric Payne in celebrating the accomplishment. Benton Intermediate School Resource Officer Deputy Brown was also present to congratulate Phoebe.

The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office praised Phoebe for her dedication and hard work, noting that her success reflects the values promoted through the D.A.R.E. program and expressing confidence in her future accomplishments.

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Hall of Fame baseball inductees Morris, Lucroy treasure wearing U-S-A across their chests

By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

NATCHITOCHES – They’re known for other tremendous baseball accomplishments. One provided the greatest moment in College World Series history. The other played in two All-Star Games and set a Major League Baseball record.

But behind that glory, Warren Morris and Jonathan Lucroy share a common bond that is overlooked by most who read their credentials. Both won medals competing for Team USA in international competition, and they’re very proud of it.

That shined through as they were among the 12 people inducted Saturday night into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in front of 700-plus at the Natchitoches Events Center and a live statewide TV audience on LPB.

 A month after delivering the 1996 College World Series championship to LSU with his game-winning, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, Morris – along with his LSU coach Skip Bertman – was part of the 1996 USA Olympic baseball team, which won a bronze medal in the Atlanta Games as Morris led the team in hitting.

“Just incredible,” Morris said of the Olympic experience. “It doesn’t get talked about enough. I still get goosebumps thinking about it, walking out on the field in Atlanta with 50,000 people chanting, ‘U-S-A.’ I’m as proud of representing my country as anything I ever did in athletics.”

Lucroy is one of the few who truly can understand what Morris means. Both provided items from their international experiences for display at the Hall of Fame museum.

A Florida native whose No. 21 jersey was retired this past spring at UL Lafayette, Lucroy was part of the gold-medal-winning Team USA squad in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was the team’s starting catcher in 2013 and 2017.

“We’ve got rivalries everywhere,” Lucroy said. “There are rivalries in colleges. You have Astros-Rangers and Yankees-Red Sox. In my opinion, when you play under one umbrella, our country’s colors, it all goes away. Whenever you put your country’s name on your chest, the pride is hard to explain.”

Morris, an Alexandria native who played at Bolton High School before heading to LSU, delivered perhaps the most iconic moment in College World Series history when he launched a first-pitch curveball from Miami closer Robbie Morrison over the right-field wall at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, for the first CWS-clinching, walk-off home run in history on June 8, 1996.

“Coach (Skip Bertman) used to tell us you can’t be afraid to fail,” Morris said. “Tim Lanier (who had struck out against Morrison the at-bat prior) looked at me and said three words, ‘Pick me up.’ As a team, those are the words you have to hear. No one’s always going to come through in the clutch or always be the guy. Someone else is there to pick you up. All I can do is the best I can do. I’m going to be aggressive. That’s why I hit the first pitch.”

Morris was honored with the Hall’s Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, joining national sports broadcaster Tim Brando of Shreveport and legendary Grambling baseball coach Wilbert Ellis as the only winners of that accolade since it was created six years ago.

“Warren embodies everything you want a citizen to be as far as work ethic, integrity and compassion,” legendary LSU baseball SID Bill Franques said.

He’s made countless appearances not only around central Louisiana, but throughout the state and beyond in the past 30 years, once his professional career ended after five big league seasons.

Morris’ home run embodied what it meant to meet the moment.

While it ended on the highest of high notes, Morris’ 1996 season was interrupted by a hamate bone injury that limited him to 22 games – all of which resulted in LSU victories.

Morris enjoyed a nine-year professional baseball career following his LSU tenure. He finished third in the 1999 National League Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .288 with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs for Pittsburgh.

The son of a basketball coach, Morris collected baseball cards as a child. In his mind, all of those players hailed from major metropolitan areas. Today, Morris carries a few of his own cards when he speaks to children.

“No one from Alexandria at that time was at that level,” Morris said. “That was for someone else. I have some cards with me whenever I talk to kids know. I turn it around and show them Alexandria, Louisiana. If I can do something like that, there’s no reason they can’t achieve whatever it is their dream is.”

Lucroy had only one Division I offer to play college baseball, and it came after a UL Lafayette assistant coach was in Florida scouting another prospect and saw a catcher with some pop in his bat.

In three seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns, Lucroy helped deliver two Sun Belt championships and a regional-final appearance. He did so by hitting .356, slugging .612 and setting school records for RBIs (184), doubles (54) and total bases (414).

Lucroy became a third-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers where he teamed with fellow Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Rickie Weeks and became a two-time All-Star, starting the 2014 Midsummer Classic.

Lucroy’s introductory video Saturday included the voice of his late college coach, 2022 Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Tony Robichaux.

“You don’t have to be the man, just be a man,” Robichaux’s voice echoed.

“I’ve said this before, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it to the big leagues,” Lucroy said. “He was a great man of character. He had a couple of thousand people at his wake in Lafayette at the Cajundome. His funeral was packed out. It was insane. Having that kind of impact is huge. I hope I can have that effect one day.”

Lucroy’s effect on the teams he played on was clear.

He is a member of the Brewers Wall of Honor, having established several club records and the major league record for single-season doubles by a catcher (53 in 2014).

In a fashion befitting Robichaux’s constant preaching on work ethic, Lucroy became one of the game’s top defensive catchers – an area he admitted needed work when he came to the Cajuns.

“Jonathan worked really hard to make sure he was a good catcher,” said Ron Roenicke, who managed Lucroy in Milwaukee. “He was a great man of character, a hard worker and a great teammate.”

While Lucroy’s work ethic made him a seamless fit on the field with the Cajuns, he fit in seamlessly in the state that honored him Saturday night in other ways.

“It’s a privilege,” Lucroy said. “I can’t even say any more than that – an honor and privilege. I’m a Florida kid, but I’m a redneck, so I fit in. I seamlessly integrated when I moved here. We were hunting and fishing. I was a natural. I married a Cajun girl. I’m very privileged to be a small part of it.”

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

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Who’s up next in the LSHOF Class of 2027?

It’s an extremely exclusive club enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Since the Louisiana Sports Writers Association formed in 1958 to facilitate better coverage of high school sports and launch the Hall, only 402 competitors have been inducted. Add in the contributors — journalists, administrators and officials — and the total population of the LSHOF is 515, beginning with Baseball Hall of Famer Mel Ott of Gretna, world boxing champion Tony Cazoneri of Slidell and Homer native Gaynell “Gus” Tinsley of LSU football fame.

Ott, Canzoneri and Tinsley were inducted during the 1959 Ark-La-Tex Sports Award Banquet in Shreveport.

A dozen more people officially joined the ranks last Saturday night in Natchitoches. They emerged from nearly 160 candidates in 28 different sports categories considered by a 40-member selection committee over nearly a month of deliberations, culminating in several hours of discussion and voting face-to-face (and sometimes, nose-to-nose) in late August last year.

Anybody can nominate a candidate but to make the 2027 ballot for competitors, the nomination deadline is Wednesday, with instructions available at the LaSportsHall.com website. The July 1 deadline allows the selection committee a month to check credentials and advance viable nominees to the ballot. 

It’s a demanding process, by design. The founding fathers said it should be.

The first formal discussion of a state sports Hall of Fame happened in a 1950 meeting of sportswriters in Lake Charles. It took eight years to get the pony from the farm to the paddock to the track and off to the races, but the basic premise still stands.

“An organization with a membership so exclusive that nobody may immediately qualify to be tapped will open for business this weekend as a going concern, “ Shreveport Journal sports editor Otis Harris wrote in a Dec. 11, 1950 column.

“It is the Louisiana Hall of Fame – a hall of fame for the state’s greatest athletes, men or women, amateur or professional, living or dead.”

Selection, he wrote, would require 90 percent approval from voting writers, with no more than two inductees to begin, and just one in succeeding years, “if anyone qualifies,” said Harris.

“The purpose,” he explained, “is to make the hall of fame mean something and limit to the roll to athletes, past or present, who have become figures of national or international renown in the general sports pattern. Only the state’s immortals in the sphere of athletes will be enshrined.”

It didn’t pan out precisely that way – current competitors aren’t eligible, for example – but the abiding principle that the honor should be awarded to only the elite has held true almost 70 years.

These days, you’ve heard of most of those inducted. Some aren’t as prominent but are no less deserving. Even before Saturday night’s induction ceremony, there was plenty of speculation about who’s on the horizon.

There’s a partial list in the 120-page, full color commemorative program. But first, start with those not elected for the Class of 2026 who remain on the ballot going forward.

On the big board for 2027 are big league baseball All-Stars (Bossier City’s B.J. Ryan is one), Pro Bowl football players (nearly 20) among almost 40 from that sport on the current list, coaches (pro, college and high school), jockeys and trainers, outdoorsmen, gymnasts, swimmers, soccer greats, track and field Olympians, bowlers, NBA and WNBA All-Stars … even a world chess champion. Bet you never heard of Paul Morphy of New Orleans, who graduated from Tulane in 1857 and was regarded as “the most famous sportsman on Earth” after a tour of Europe.

First-time eligibles for the next class include some people you do know a little about: football stars Leonard Fournette, Jimmy Graham, Ike Hilliard, and Patrick Peterson kick off the list of luminaries. Triple Crown-winning jockey Kent Desormeaux will be in the candidate pool, along with recently retired Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker. Shreveport native Ryan Harrison’s tennis career is over and he’s going on the 2027 ballot.

Trouble is, voters have to blend 12-15 newcomers with the holdovers. Whittle a pool of about 160 down to eight who make it to the spotlight in Natchitoches next June.

Looking further down the road: Odell Beckham Jr., Alex Bregman, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Jayden Daniels, Mondo Duplantis, Justin Jefferson, Jay Johnson, Lolo Jones, Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Tyrann Mathieu, Ed Orgeron, Sean Payton, and Dak Prescott. All of those have to finish their careers or have been retired for three years before arriving on the ballot.

Those are pretty obvious future Hall of Famers. There are others not as well known doing great things now; you might watch somebody at a nearby high school or college whose accomplishments elevate them to elite status in state history.

The choices are difficult. Not so much in Idaho, South Carolina, Delaware, or even our neighbors in Arkansas and Mississippi. Almost every night, you can see somebody from Louisiana making highlights on SportsCenter – or as a network sports personality.

In September, the LSWA will announce the competitors in the Class of 2027 – only the best of the best.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Burns finishes torrid PGA Tour run with a flourish, settles in back home

JOURNAL SPORTS

It wasn’t Sam Burns’ last shot in the final round of The Travelers Sunday afternoon, but it was a fitting way to finish his latest PGA Tour road trip.

Burns holed out from 130 yards for an eagle 2 on the par-4 14^th hole Sunday to highlight his fourth round in the 60s at the tournament, which wrapped up Monday morning when Victor Hovland birdied the first playoff hole and beat Scottie Scheffler for the win.

Burns shot three rounds of 66 and finished with a 67 to post a 15-under par total, good for a 12^th place tie and a $440,000 payday. He has eight rounds in the 60s in his last 12 outings.

That has kept him among the leaders in each event. Twice, at The Memorial and the U.S. Open, he was in position to win, finishing in a fourth place tie at The Memorial after sharing the lead on the 17^th tee, and finishing runner up at the Open when his birdie putt on the 18^th grazed the right edge of the cup but did not drop from 22 feet.

He has soared to eighth in FedEx Cup standings, and is up to 15^th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He stands sixth in the U.S. President’s Cup rankings (12 make the team), in good position for his fifth straight annual international match play event representing the USA.

He has won $6.4 million in official purse money this season, upping his career total since 2019 to $41.4 million.

But as hot as he is, after playing in four consecutive events, the almost 30-year-old Shreveport native is taking a break. He’s home in Choudrant, and he may not leave for a while.

Although he’s scheduled to play in two weeks at the Genesis Scottish Open as a warmup for the British Open, his wife Caroline is about to give birth to the couple’s second child. She’s due in mid-July.

It’s very possible that the Travelers will be Burns’ last competition for a few weeks.

The FedEx Cup playoffs begin Aug. 13 at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis.

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For 20 years Cris had worked as a commercial fisherman and a dockworker.  On this particular cold March afternoon, Cris had some time on his hands.  He had just returned from working on a ship in the Bahamas and was waiting to catch another ship which would take him to yet another port city.  He never caught that ship.  While he waited, Cris walked over the frozen, snow-covered ground to King Street, the port city’s main hub of activity.  Cris carried a pound stick, a tool of his trade.  A pound stick was a large stick used to strike or pound a ship’s deck to summon crew to their stations and for setting the pacing for others while they were loading and unloading a ship’s cargo.  When not on duty, Cris and other sailors used their pound sticks as walking sticks.  

Shopkeepers on King Street recognized that something other than the comings and goings of regular commerce was happening in front of the government building nearby.  Shopkeeper Edward Payne stood in his entry doorway gazing at the large crowd trying to understand the situation.  Edward heard the voices of men and boys yelling at each other in the crowd.  Suddenly, chaos erupted.  The men and boys threw rocks, hard-packed snowballs, and anything else they could get their hands on at the nine guards protecting the government building.  Some of the sailors swung their pound sticks at the guards.  Whether Cris swung his stick has never been confirmed, but he was in the front when the guards opened fire.  The gunfire lasted for only a few seconds.  

Yells of anger turned into a mixture of moans of pain and shrieks of terror.  51-year-old Sam Gray, a rope maker, was shot in the head and died instantly.  17-year-old Sam Maverick, an apprentice, was shot in the stomach and died the following day.  49-year-old James Caldwell, a mate on a ship, was shot twice in the back and died in the street.  30-year-old Patrick Carr, leather worker, was shot in the hip and died nine days later.  Cris was shot twice in the chest and died instantly.

Others were injured but survived.  Shopkeeper Edward Payne’s arm was broken when he was struck by a shot as he stood in his shop’s doorway.  John Green, a tailor, was shot in his thigh.  Robert Patterson, a sailor, was shot through his right arm.  A youth named David Parker was shot in his thigh.  Two 17-year-old boys, Christopher Monk and John Clark, both apprentices on ships, were shot; Monk in the back and Clark in his abdomen.  All but Monk recovered from their wounds.  Monk’s wound was extremely severe, left him disabled, and led to his early death ten years later.  

Most citizens in Great Britain are unaware of this altercation, but the British government officially referred to it as the Incident on King Street.  Colonists initially called it the Bloody Massacre.  The world now refers to the Incident on King Street as the Boston Massacre.  

Sources:

1.     The Boston Gazette, March 12, 1770, p.1-3.

2.     “The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.,” Library of Congress, accessed June 28, 2027, https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661777/.

3.     “What was the Boston Massacre?” Boston Massacre Historical Society, accessed June 28, 2027, https://www.bostonmassacre.net/index.html.

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Betty L. Duvall, formerly of Sulphur Springs, Indiana, passed away in the early morning hours of June 23, 2026, at her home in Shreveport, Louisiana, following a year-long battle with Multiple Myeloma.

A funeral service for immediate family will be held at Osborn Funeral Home in Shreveport on Friday, June 26, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held at Mooreland Cemetery on July 6, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Pastor Mark Thompson of New Castle, Indiana, will officiate the graveside service.

Betty was a native of central Indiana and lived in Blountsville, Mooreland, New Castle, and Sulphur Springs before moving to Shreveport, Louisiana, to be near her oldest daughter and youngest granddaughter.

Betty was a longtime member of Blountsville Christian Church, where she and her first husband, Woodrow Mawk, Jr., formed a gospel singing group known as The Calvary Singers.

Betty and her husband owned and operated a local gas station and general store in Blountsville for many years. After moving to Mooreland in 1967, she was employed by “Doc” Holiday at the popular Mooreland Drug Store.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents, Leonard and Ruby Morrison; her brothers, Robert, Billy Ray, and Dickey Morrison; her sister, Irene Thompson; her first husband, Woodrow Mawk, Jr.; and her second husband, William “Bill” Duvall.

She is survived by her daughters, June (Mawk) Barone and husband Patrick, Joy (Mawk) Trent and husband Larry; her granddaughters, Kim Hatcher and husband, John Hatcher, of Mooreland, Indiana, and Sabrina Sinclair and husband, Eric Sinclair, of Arp, Texas; her great-grandchildren, Connor Conwell of Mooreland, Indiana, and Dillan and Savannah Sinclair of Arp, Texas; her great-great-granddaughter, Darby D. Conwell of Mooreland, Indiana; her sister, Paulette Young and husband, George Young, of New Castle, Indiana; and her brother, Danny Morrison and wife, Kathy, of San Antonio, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Cancer Society.

The family extends special thanks to Shaunda McRae, caregiver, Amedisys Hospice Staff and Dr. Roopa Muralidhar for the comfort, care, and treatment they provided Betty during the final months of her life.

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Jesús Manuel Rodríguez León, 60, of Shreveport, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at 5:04 a.m.

A visitation will be held from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at St. Mary of the Pines. The funeral service will be officiated by Rev. Fidel Mondragón and assisted by Rev. Mark Watson of St. Mary of the Pines.

Jesús was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and made Shreveport his home for the past 30 years. He was the second of ten children, with four sisters and six brothers, and was the eldest son in the family and the most trusted. From a very young age, he was deeply loved by his maternal grandparents, who recognized his exceptional character. He was known for being independent, hardworking, cautious, organized, and dependable. His integrity and strong work ethic earned the trust and admiration of both his family and those who knew him.

A devoted husband and father, Jesús dedicated his life to providing for his family. He loved them unconditionally and worked tirelessly to ensure they never wanted for anything. When he married the love of his life, Alma, he made a promise to care for and provide for their family, and he fulfilled that promise every day through the work of his hands. His skill as an electrician was one of his greatest gifts, and he took immense pride in every job he completed. He believed that anything worth doing was worth doing well, and he consistently produced work of the highest quality.

Though naturally reserved, Jesús was approachable and kind. He did not open his heart easily, but the friendships he chose were genuine and lifelong. Those fortunate enough to earn his trust found a loyal and steadfast friend.

In his final days, Jesús continued to think first of those he loved. Ever the devoted provider, he remained focused on caring for his wife and children. As his journey on earth drew to a close, he found peace, knowing his time was near. Surrounded by the love of his family and the faith that sustained him, he entered eternal rest, leaving behind a legacy of dedication, strength, humility, and unconditional love.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ramon Rodriguez and Luz Cacilda León; siblings, Josefina Rodríguez, Aurora Rodríguez, and Ramón Rodríguez.

Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 25 years, Alma E. Mendoza; his son, Diego Rodríguez; his daughter, Madeleine Rodríguez; his sisters, Luz Maria Rodríguez and Zuly Rodríguez; his brothers, Felipe Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, Pedro Rodríguez, and Pablo Rodríguez; and his nieces and nephews.

Jesús will be remembered as a man of honor, quiet strength, unwavering devotion to his family, and exceptional craftsmanship. His example of hard work, loyalty, and selfless love will continue to inspire those who knew him. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all whose lives he touched.

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Phonetic: /de·​noue·​ment/

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition

the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a novel, play, film, etc.
In the novel’s denouement, the two hostages escape to freedom.

It is an intentionally unsettling denouement, which is in keeping with the tone and purpose of the entire miniseries.
—David Wiegand

the outcome of a complex sequence of events
the competition’s exciting denouement

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Play Sudoku online!

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The Shreveport Police Department has arrested Walter Evans following an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse spanning several years.

According to police, the investigation began after an adult survivor reported repeated sexual assaults that allegedly occurred when she was between the ages of 9 and 12. Detectives conducted an investigation and determined there was sufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges.

On June 26, 2026, Evans was arrested and booked into the Shreveport City Jail. He faces the following charges:

• First Degree Rape
• Molestation of a Juvenile Under the Age of 13
• Sexual Battery of a Victim Under the Age of 13

Authorities stated the case involves serious allegations of crimes against a child and emphasized the importance of holding offenders accountable while supporting survivors of abuse.

Under Louisiana law, a conviction for First Degree Rape carries the most severe penalties allowed, including potential life imprisonment or other maximum penalties authorized by statute.

The Shreveport Police Department encourages anyone with additional information related to the case to contact investigators at (318) 673-7300 or submit anonymous tips through Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.

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In Search of Good Food: A little Latin flair for the World Cup

By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor

After a few weeks of non-traditional food locations, our search for good food gets back to a traditional brick and mortar restaurant with Miami Latin Kitchen, 971 East 70^th Street, Shreveport.

I have driven by Miami Latin Kitchen so many times I couldn’t even imagine counting. I just never pulled in to try it. I am regretting that now, discovering I have cheated myself out of some good food for way too long. Thankfully this is something I won’t have to live with going forward.

With the soccer World Cup going on, I wanted to spend the next few weeks finding some good food from around the world. Driving down 70^th street early last week, just the name stood out to me. Miami makes soccer fans think of Lionel Messi, with him playing his last few professional seasons in Miami. Latin, of course,  represents so many of the World Cup teams in this year’s tournament.

I decided on a lunch trip to Miami Latin Kitchen, and brought along one of my daughters, who loves trying new foods.

I ordered the Shredded Beef Corn Empando, done with a Venezuelan flavor. I can’t say how authentic it was, having never had real Venezuelan food, but what I can say is it was very good. The dish was packed full of shredded beef and had great flavor, nothing like I’d had before.

My daughter went with the Reina Arepas; she chose to have hers fried. Sadly, I was not afforded a taste, which should let everyone know how good she thought her Arepas was. She later told me that it was packed full of chicken and all the ingredients, including the avocado, were fresh and full of flavor. She particularly liked the bread it came on.

I wanted to try a couple more items to get a better sense of the different flavors, I went with two orders of the mini wheat Empanada’s, and four of the chicken and Louisiana options. The chicken was seasoned, so it had a little bite to the seasoning, but not enough to require a full drink being at hand. The seasoning was very good. The Mini Louisiana ones were filled with corn, cream cheese, cheddar and a little spice. I could eat about 20 of these at one sitting — they were that good. The Louisiana Mini Empanadas were favorites for both of us.

Miami Latin Kitchen has many other dishes that I will be trying soon, and plantains are a big part of the menu. They also have several items give us some different flavor profiles for breakfast.

Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net

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Community members, local leaders, and public officials gathered at South Bossier Park on June 26 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with the sealing of a community time capsule that will remain unopened for the next 50 years.

The project was organized by Keep Bossier Beautiful in partnership with the Bossier Parish Police Jury Keep America Beautiful Program and Visit Shreveport-Bossier.

The time capsule was sealed as part of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration and is scheduled to be opened in 2076 during the United States’ 300th anniversary.

According to organizers, the capsule contains items intended to preserve a snapshot of life in Bossier City, allowing future generations to reflect on the community’s history, culture, and growth over the next five decades.

City officials thanked residents, community partners, and volunteers who helped make the commemorative event possible.

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Three Bossier Parish Schools students earned national recognition after competing at the Educators Rising National Conference in Portland, Oregon, following their state championship performances in Louisiana.

The students advanced to the national competition by winning at the state level before competing against thousands of students from across the country.

Among the top finishers was Benton Middle School student Kinley Johnson, who earned a National Red Ribbon Award in the Interactive Bulletin Board, Elementary category. Johnson was also recognized as the highest-scoring middle school student at the conference.

Greenacres Middle School student Angele Gutierrez was named the national runner-up in the Public Speaking competition.

Benton Middle School student Eva Salter also represented Louisiana as a national competitor in the Interactive Bulletin Board, Elementary category.

According to Bossier Parish Schools, this marks the third consecutive year that students in the district’s Pre-Educator program have earned top honors at the national conference. School officials praised the students for demonstrating talent, creativity, leadership, and dedication while representing their schools, Bossier Parish, and the state of Louisiana.

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Honoring a true hero on a tragic anniversary

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

It’s been 43 years now, and the tragedy is still resounding. But it also has become a vehicle for good, benefitting thousands of young people in Kansas City and back home in Louisiana, and inspiring generations of athletes at all levels.

On a steamy afternoon in Monroe, Haughton native Joseph Alton Delaney gave his life trying to save three drowning children.

It was June 29, 1983. The Northwestern State two-sport All-American and Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl running back was attending a water park outing for children at Chennault Park when he heard cries for help outside the park, from a nearby oxidation pond.

He handed his wallet to a bystander, telling him, “I can’t swim good, but I’ve got to try to help those kids,” and dashed a couple hundred yards to the pond, and leaped in. He never made it back out. One child did.

As a lightning-fast wide receiver in a Wishbone offense at Haughton High School, Joe Delaney was pursued by LSU, Oklahoma and Texas among national powers, and locally, Grambling and Northwestern State were in the mix. He ultimately chose NSU and coach A.L. Williams.

At Northwestern, he was a two-time All-America running back in 1979-80 for the Demons. After being picked by Kansas City in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft, he joined Mark Duper, Victor Oatis, and Mario Johnson on the Demons’ 1981 NCAA championship 4×100 meter relay team, earning All-America honors. Delaney’s relay lap, the second for NSU, put his team in position to win.

Delaney was the surprise 1981 AFC Rookie of the Year for the Chiefs and played in the Pro Bowl. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, who drafted Delaney in the second round of the 1981 draft and coached him in 1981-82, said Delaney was one of the five best players he coached in his 45-year career, including nearly 30 years in the NFL.

He thought Delaney was destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Delaney left behind his wife, Carolyn, and their three young daughters. His heroic act matched his selfless lifestyle and coupled with his astounding athletic career to make him an instant icon in north Louisiana and elsewhere far beyond the sports world. His death and funeral in the Haughton High School gymnasium was covered by all the major news networks and media, and is commemorated annually by NSU, the Chiefs, and national media, notably Mike Florio of NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk.

His No. 44 Demon football jersey was retired at halftime of his final game at NSU. Since his death, no Kansas City player has worn his No. 37.

He is immortalized in several ways at Northwestern, including plaques at Turpin Stadium and the Ledet Track Complex, a painting by renowned sports artist Chris Brown in the Friedman Student Union, and with the permanent football team captains receiving Joe Delaney Memorial Leadership Awards annually. The Demons’ spring football game has been known as the Joe Delaney Bowl since 1989.

He was the subject of a 2015 film entitled “Delaney,” part of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series, available through ESPN+.

The Joe Delaney Park in Haughton honors his memory and provides play space for youth in his hometown.

Swimming lessons have been taught in his name in Kansas City, and in Haughton, supported by The 37 Forever Foundation.

In 2022, the “Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program, Presented by GEHA Health” launched in Kansas City, supported by the Hunt Family Foundation and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, reported Vahe Gregorian, a columnist for the Kansas City Star newspaper who covered Delaney in Kansas City and has avidly chronicled his story since. The Hunt family owns the Chiefs franchise and the late patriarch, Lamar Hunt, founded the team in Dallas and moved it to Kansas City shortly after being a founding owner of the American Football League in 1960.

Thousands of children in Haughton and Kansas City have gone through the program, which will provide swimsuits, goggles, swim caps, and towels that bear the Delaney tribute decal the Chiefs wore in the 1983 season.

In 2020, a monument honoring Delaney was dedicated at the site of the drowning in Monroe’s Chennault Park. The mayor of Kansas City declared Oct. 30, 2020, as “Joe Delaney Day” on what would have been his 62^nd birthday.

In 2021, a two-mile stretch of I-435 going past Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was renamed “Joe Delaney Memorial Highway.”

Delaney was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizen’s Medal from President Ronald Reagan, presented at his funeral by then Vice President George H.W. Bush to the Delaney family. Delaney is enshrined in the N Club Hall of Fame, the Ark-La-Tex Museum of Champions, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Chiefs’ Ring of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Marshall, McConathy sparkle in Hall of Fame spotlight

By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

NATCHITOCHES – The locals honored Saturday night at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 Induction Ceremony didn’t have smooth paths to their success.

But John James Marshall and Mike McConathy got there, and what they’ve accomplshed brought them together over the weekend as 2026 LSHOF inductees.

As a quarterback at then-Jesuit High School in 1976, Marshall became a state champion, throwing the game-winning screen pass in the title game.

That trophy may have portended athletic greatness, but Marshall’s trophy case now overflows with innumerable awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, an organization Marshall served as president of before his 30th birthday.

His writing prowess is just one of the tools in a multi-faceted toolbox that helped lead Marshall to the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism and LSHOF induction.

“I couldn’t do anything else,” Marshall said. “I spent my whole being around sports. In baseball season, it was baseball. In football season, it was football. I just loved sports. Eventually, I kept loving sports when my friends were off becoming accountants and lawyers. I missed that train. This was a logical thing, keep doing sports. I can write about it. Everything in sports, what goes into players, coaches, the intricacies, everything involved in it fascinated me.”

In an appropriate iron sharpens iron achievement, Marshall and 2022 DSA awardee Teddy Allen shared the 1987 Associated Press Sports Editors national best feature award.

“A guy like J.J. will make you work an hour longer, ready a little more copy, make another phone call because you know he’s going to be that good,” Allen said.

Marshall had plans on being a “40-year newspaper veteran,” but the industry had other ideas.

Marshall pivoted as deftly as a second baseman turning a 6-4-3 double play and teamed with his brother, Ben, to create “Sports Talk with J.J. and Bonzai Ben” on Shreveport sports radio. After a spectacular start at the Shreveport Journal, when it closed, Marshall was scooped up by the morning paper in town. Shortly afterward, a friend in radio offered a chance to start a sports talk show and the brothers teamed up.

One day after J.J. had to miss the show to cover a game, he was called on the carpet at the paper because Ben had criticized the paper on the air. Forced to choose between stopping the show to keep his sportswriting post, Marshall did not hesitate.

Thirty-four years later, the back-and-forth banter between brothers remains on the air as Louisiana’s longest-running sports talk radio show. Along the way, Marshall has served his alma mater, now Loyola College Prep, educating the next generation of journalists and becoming a part-time documentarian whose latest labor of love is a documentary about that 1976 state championship Jesuit squad, which Marshall hopes to unveil at the team’s 50th anniversary reunion in September.

Four years ago, he returned to sportswriting with the Shreveport-Bossier Journal and he said Saturday night he was pleasantly surprised to find he hadn’t lost the touch. And he’s kept going on the radio.

“I was going to be a sports writer my entire life,” Marshall said. “In 1981, that’s what you thought. Those guys were 40-year veterans. I had to make a decision. When opportunity knocks, you answer the door. I didn’t know what it was going to lead to.”

Neither did Bossier City’s Mike McConathy when he took on building the Bossier Parish Community College program from scratch starting in 1983 – while remaining as boys coach at Bossier High School and teaching classes there.

He defied long odds and meager resources to develop a wildly successful program at BPCC over 16 seasons, But McConathy had been unable to land an NCAA Division I coaching job despite interviewing for five – including Centenary, Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin — before the Northwestern post opened after the 1998-99 season.

The Demons had five winning seasons in 24 years of Division I play when athletic director Greg Burke turned to McConathy. One observer wasn’t sure if the new coach had come from a planet far, far away.

“Mike McConathy stood up at his (hiring) press conference and talked about bringing Northwestern basketball back to where it was when his dad and uncles played here (before packed gyms in 20-win seasons in the 1950s),” said longtime NSU SID and Hall of Fame chairman Doug Ireland. “I thought, ‘This guy’s from Mars. You can’t do that here.’”

Not only could McConathy and his team do it, they did. They played in the Southland Conference Tournament finals ending his first year, with only four newcomers on the roster.

Two years after arriving in Natchitoches following a 352-victory career at his hometown junior college, McConathy’s 2000-01 Demon team was in the NCAA Tournament – a first for the program.

“I was fortunate to coach here and be able to be who I am,” McConathy said. “I do what I feel like I’m supposed to do to set an example. You do the little things. Don’t ask anyone to do what you wouldn’t do yourself. Those things are so important. If you impact your players and your staff around you, that allows you and your university to be seen in a different light.”

Never did that light shine as bright on Northwestern as it did March 17, 2006, when McConathy’s second NCAA Tournament entry stunned third-seeded Iowa on Jermaine Wallace’s last-second corner 3-pointer – a shot that still graces most March Madness intros during tournament season.

“Skip to the happy ending, but Mike was the perfect coach at the perfect time for Natchitoches and Northwestern State,” said former NSU Director of Athletics Greg Burke. “He just checked a lot of boxes. Sixteens seasons at BPCC at 22 wins per season. He told us he was going to recruit Louisiana. He did. The biggest shot (against Iowa) was made by a guy from Heflin.”

More than 20 years after the defining shot in NSU history, McConathy can still vividly recall the moments before Wallace’s moment in the spotlight.

“Ryan Edwards, whose dad was a doctor and an LSU graduate, was on our staff,” McConathy said. “Ryan rode to school in sixth grade with me to take (McConathy’s son) Michael into school with him because (Michael) didn’t like to go to school. (Iowa’s Greg) Brunner gets fouled and Ryan said, ‘Coach, we need to call timeout.’ I said, ‘OK, Ryan, we’ll do that.’

“Brunner shoots the first and made it (for a 63-61 lead). We iced him (with the timeout). We talked about what we were gonna do. He missed (the second), Luke Rogers steps in, blocks out and rebounds. He looks up, passes and we go into our break. The ball goes to the right side and Kerwin Forges from New Orleans takes a pretty good shot with too much time on the clock to be honest. Jermaine Wallace is on the left side of the floor and did everything he’s supposed to do. He gets to the rebound spot he was supposed to go to. The ball falls to him, because he was where he was supposed to be.

“He had enough thought to look at the clock, see how much time he had and dribble to the corner and launch the winning shot.”

That was the most nationally relevant of McConathy’s 682 career on-court victories, but the 90 percent graduation rate of his players and their post-playing careers and lives brings as big a smile to his face.

The same can be said for the faith that drove McConathy to build the program at BPCC from scratch and then to take over a Demon program that had previously had just five winning seasons in its Division I history.

“Without the Lord Jesus Christ and our relationship with God, I wouldn’t have anything,” he said. “I’ve been given everything – an opportunity to be raised in a Christian home. They played it out for me to follow Christ or not. That’s so critical to do that. I had the opportunity to have a Christian wife and Christian boys and, hopefully, Christian grandchildren when they get to that point. If they do, that will be the greatest win ever.”

Saturday night, the McConathy family was surrounded by former players and staff members, some who have become coaches like Jeff Moore at BPCC and J.A. Anglin at Centenary. Also on hand were Bossier City natives Brian Rayner and Chris Thompson, among the former players, and McConathy’s college roommate, future NBA head coach Tim Floyd.

All part of McConathy’s extended family.

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

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Marshall’s roll continues as Journal staffers capture LSWA awards

JOURNAL SPORTS

John James Marshall’s weekend was pretty good.

After being inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame for his sports journalism career Saturday night, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal columnist and reporter won Prep Writer of the Year honors alongside six more awards in the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Association writing contest for work in 2025.

Results were announced Sunday ending the LSWA’s annual convention in Natchitoches in conjunction with the Hall of Fame festivities.

SBJ team members collected a total of 13 honors in the contest, with Teddy Allen, Ron Higgins and Doug Ireland joining Marshall receiving accolades.

Marshall’s Prep Writer of the Year in Class I (big city publications) led the way. He submitted three articles, including a column and coverage of at least two different sports, for consideration. The contest judge was impressed.

The judge wrote, “In a star-studded category such as this, it’s rare to have an entry which simply stands out above the rest. That speaks to the overall depth of this category, as well as the strength of the winning entry. This year’s Prep Writer of the Year has a style that is entrancing in a way that makes you upset when you’ve reached the end.

“This entry hits all the highlights it takes to win a category as strong as this one — solid structure, captivating content and an ability to weave a story. The longform feature — the crown jewel of this entry — is, simply put, on another level. The second “feature” harkens back to the history of a once proud school, one in which had definitely seen better times, but still lives on in the heart of its proud alumni. All this to say, this writer shined in a field that is absolutely full of heavy hitters.”

Marshall was the winner in Prep Columns in Class I for writing about covering the Independence Bowl’s high school football media day in the south end zone suite complex, and looking across at what used to be Fair Park High School, responsible for many of Shreveport’s greatest football memories.

The judge wrote, “Interesting angle on an otherwise run-of-the-mill media day. Vivid wording in the opener. A fun read about a now-defunct high school that had some impressive history.”

Marshall also captured a trio of third-place writing awards:

• College Columns, for his piece on the stupidity of tax-free NIL;

• Pro Feature, for an article about controversial former Shreveport Pirates minor-league football owner Bernie Glieberman;

• Prep Feature, for his story on the legend of Shreveport resident Greg Procell, a Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member who became the nation’s all-time top scorer in high school basketball in the 1960s.

Marshall and his brother Ben captured another third place in the Best Radio Show Host category for their long-running “SportsTalk with JJ & Bonzai Ben” on 1130 the Tiger in Shreveport.

He picked up an honorable mention writing award in the Prep Event category for his game story on Parkway’s Nov. 16 first-round football playoff victory, 51-30 over Covington.

Higgins won the College Columns Class I category for his October 30, 2025 column on Gov. Jeff Landry living up to a stereotypical “Waterboy” image engineering the firing of athletic director Scott Woodward.

The contest judge commented “An excellent example of speaking truth to power. Columns like this were an important reminder to audiences during the coach/AD drama that nothing is as inconvenient to politics and other leaders as facts. Well reported, well written.”

The Baton Rouge-based writer also gained an honorable mention in the all classifications Beat Writer of the Year contest for his outstanding coverage of LSU sport for the Journal.

Allen, whose general interest column runs every Wednesday in the SBJ, took second place in the Best Headlines contest open to LSWA members around the state regardless of the market size for their publication. Three different headlines were required, noteworthy because Allen does not regularly write sports columns, although he does write his own headlines.

He also picked up an honorable mention in the Prep Columns contest writing about the pull of Friday night high school football.

Ireland won a first place in the Amateur Sports category for all publications, large and smaller markets, for an SBJ story about Benton’s Kade Bryant after the Northwestern State signee in 2025 “flies in, flies out, fires two-hitter in Legion state tourney.”

The contest judge wrote, “It was by far the most cleanly written of the stories in this category. The AP style was used like it should be, and the writer did a tremendous job of explaining the most important things that happened in the story within the first three paragraphs. For the most part, the story explained details and used quotes very well. Spelling and grammar was on point. Overall a very good story, extremely well-written.”

Ireland also captured second in the Class I (large cities) Prep Columns contest for advocating the creation of a high school basketball tournament to honor deceased SBJ prep basketball writer Preston Edwards, who had remarkable local influence in the sport and its participants.

Ireland picked up a second place in the Class II General Column contest with a Rapides Parish Journal piece marking the Feb. 15, 2025 dedication of Mike McConathy Court in Northwestern State’s Prather Coliseum noting the coach’s record-breaking success is just part of his importance.

Combining those results with those by members of the staffs of the Rapides Parish Journal, Natchitoches Parish Journal and Lincoln Parish Journal, the Online Journals group collected 19 LSWA honors Sunday.

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Johnny (Mac) Gambill, 82, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, passed away on June 19, 2026, at his home. He was born November 23, 1943, in Shreveport, Louisiana to Eulys and Keble (Joyner) Gambill. He met his wife of 54 years while a freshman in college at Northern Illinois University. He was a successful CPA for 52 years. He loved doing woodworking and spending time with his granddaughters. He loved and collected anything John Wayne.

Mac leaves behind his son Michael Gambill and daughter-in-law Monika; granddaughters Michaela (Colby) Bliss, Sophia (Jeffrey) Andersen; 4 great-grandchildren; sister Brenda Whitmire; sister-in-law Phyllis Gambill; as well as nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his sister-in-law Donna; brother-in-law Robert; his wife Barbara, brother Jerry Gambill; sister Doris Vaccaro; brother-in-law

Noel Whitmire and brother-in-law Sam Vaccaro.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, June 29, 2026, in the Rose Chapel at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Mac will be interred at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens with Barbara.

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Michael “Mike” Keith Flowers a product of Keith Flowers and Velma Bowles Flowers

September 13, 1952 to June 24, 2026

Hey! For those of you that don’t know, I was born on September 13, 1952 in Perryton, Texas. Where is Perryton? At the top of the Texas Panhandle – the real North Texas – only 8 miles from Oklahoma.

I met my girl, Susan, and knew she was the one. I got the nerve to ask her to marry me and she said “yes” after I begged her only once. We married the first time on November 14, 1980. Yep, we did it again because we figured out we couldn’t live without each other later in life. Together Susan and I had two sons: Jesse and Mikee. Susan brought me an extra son as part of the package by the name of Brett, and I brought her an extra package by the names of Clint and Lindsay. We lived in Shreveport most out life.

Time went on with numerous ups and downs. I recently came to an understanding that all the ups and downs were part of a great plan. You know, I always thought that the outcome of a football game was the most important, but I know now that God’s plan was set from the start and that outcome is the most important. That plan came to an end this side of Heaven on June 24 at about 4 am when I took my last breath, closed my eyes and opened them again looking at the face of Jesus.

I will miss my loving wife, Susan; my sons, Jesse, Mikee and Brett, my grandkids Logan, Alison and Shannon by my smart daughter in law Ida, Brett’s wife, and especially will miss my best buddy and grandson, Jackson and his loving mother Jennifer. I will miss my other grandson just as much, Kolby and my little sister, Kimbo.

I am seeing all the family that beat me here and am waiting on the day I get to see all of you again. Man, it feels SO good to breathe again. This is Great! Hurry up and get here!

I leave behind family as noted above, many nieces and nephews, cousins and some of the best friends a man could ever hope to have – oh and yes – my favorite in-laws.

I have got to thank all the doctors, nurses, therapists and techs who watched over or worked on me at Willis Knighton Pierremont and Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialitst. I know I was a tough patient

My family is holding a memorial service for me on July 3, 2026, 1:00 to 3:00pm at the Aulds Funeral Home, 7849 E. Kings Highway, Shreveport, Louisiana.

Oh yeah, in lieu of sending flowers, since I am already one, please make donations to your favorite charity.

I look forward to seeing y’all again. Mike

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Phonetic: /pau·​ci·​ty/

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition

smallness of number

smallness of quantity

Paucity refers to “littleness” in numbers (as in “a paucity of facts”) or quantity (“a paucity of common sense”). The word comes from paucus, Latin for “little.”

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