Several Bossier Parish educators are participating this week in the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) Summer Institute in Indianapolis, where they are engaging in professional development focused on instructional improvement and leadership growth.
According to Bossier Schools, the participating educators are taking part in collaborative sessions and strategic planning designed to strengthen classroom instruction, build leadership capacity, and improve student outcomes ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
Those attending include Instructional Coach Kim Gray of W.T. Lewis; Principal Amber Beach of Princeton; Principal Shuntay Banks of W.T. Lewis; Principal Christy Williams of Kingston; teacher Jennelle Lumives of W.T. Lewis; and Assistant Principal Angie Reager of W.T. Lewis.
District officials said the experience is intended to support continued growth not only within individual schools, but across Bossier Parish as participants bring back strategies and insights to share with colleagues.
Bossier Schools emphasized that ongoing professional learning opportunities like the NIET Institute help ensure high-quality teaching and learning for all students across the district.
For a guy who was never even a state champion in high school, you might say that things are turning out quite well for Connor Cassano.
What’s better than being a State Amateur Golf champion? Becoming a two-time State Amateur Golf Champion.
That’s what the former Loyola product did last weekend at Metairie Country Club, finishing the four rounds at 4-under-par 276 to win by a stroke.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “You go into those weeks, obviously, feeling a little bit of outside pressure because I won last year. You think you’ve got the ability to do it again, but the state has got a lot of great players. You just got to go in and trust what you’ve been working on, and I did that.”
Cassano, whose best finish at the LHSAA state tournament for the Flyers was third, became the ninth player in the 107 years of the tournament to win back-to-back titles. The last player to do it was Grady Brame, Jr., who just so happened to be Cassano’s playing partner on the final day.
It set up an intense final two holes. On the 17th, Cassano birdied and Brame triple bogeyed and would ultimately finish fourth.
That gave Cassano a two-stroke advantage heading into the 18th hole and he needed every bit of it. He bogeyed the final hole but it was enough to hold on for the win.
“I was just happy to see some good golf come from a lot of hard work the last couple weeks,” he said.
Cassano started his collegiate career at LSU but transferred to Cincinnati for his sophomore season. He was not familiar with Metairie CC, which is an historic course designed by Seth Raynor in 1922.
He may only be two years out of college, but he knows his golf course architect history.
“I’ve played a couple Seth Raynor designs, and (Metairie CC) definitely lived up to exactly how he likes to design golf courses, so that felt awesome,” Cassano said. “You hit a good bit of drivers on the course, and that’s the strength of mine. The greens are challenging, so you’ve got to hit your wedges close and putt it well, so it was nice that I put all together.”
But there was a stretch in the final round in which things might have started to come unraveled for Cassano. And he took some inspiration from an Amazon Prime documentary he had seen, “Rory McElroy: The Masters Wait” that provided a defining moment in the championship.
“I think I was leading through 11 holes, and then I double bogeyed the12th hole, and I thought surely that I was out of it,” he said “There was no chance left. But my caddy said to me a line they used in the Rory McElroy documentary: ‘If I would have told you on Thursday (before the tournament started) that you’d be in the final group with six holes to play and be two (strokes) back, would you have taken it?’ And I said ‘Absolutely, 100%.’
“I think him saying that to me just really helped calm me down. We had six holes left, so let’s go play and try to win. I just need that moment right there was big for me.”
A birdie on 14 and a birdie on 17 proved that the advice was just what he needed.
Now, Cassano will get a chance to play in the U.S. Amateur for the second straight year, this time at famed Merion Golf Club outside of Philadelphia.
Before that, he will play in the 85th annual Sunnehanna Amateur next week, also in Pennsylvania. He will also play in another prestigious amateur event, the Porter Cup in upstate New York, where previous winners include David Duval, Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson.
Not a bad way to spend a summer that’s already off to a great start.
BURNING UP: Sam Burns made eight birdies Thursday in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open. (Photo courtesy PGA Tour)
Burns on fire, shares Canadian Open lead after opening 6-under
JOURNAL SPORTS
Sam Burns is on his game.
He shares the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open after an opening 6-under-par 64, after battling for the win into the final hole last week at The Memorial, finishing in fourth.
The 29-year-old Shreveport native, a Calvary Baptist graduate, was firing at the flags all afternoon at TPC Toronto and needed just 27 feet of putts, while his ball striking was almost flawless. He found 12 of 14 fairways and hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
Thursday’s afternoon tee time gets swapped for an early start today: at 6:44 a.m. CT with Wyndham Clark and Kristoffer Reitan — who have wins on Tour over the last six weeks.
“The morning has different challenges. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily easier or harder,” Burns said. “Typically, in the morning there’s moisture on the golf ball, which is a different challenge in itself. The golf course plays a little bit longer. The rough is thicker usually just with the moisture. Sometimes it can play easier, sometimes more difficult.”
A morning rain Thursday made the course demanding more from the short game, which plays into Burns’ strength. The PGA Tour’s putting leader last season, Burns ranks fourth this season.
“There’s always a few kind of key putts you have throughout a round, whether it’s to keep the momentum going or save a shot here or there,” he said in a media session afterward.
He is atop the leader board with Brooks Koepka, Eric Cole, Sahith Theegala, and Emiliano Grillo beginning today’s second round, which will be covered on Golf Channel in the afternoon. Burns’ round today will be available at ESPN+. Weekend TV coverage is split between Golf Channel (noon-2 p.m.) followed by CBS.
Burns nearly won on this course last year, falling in a four-hole playoff to Ryan Fox. A week later, he held the U.S. Open lead through most of the final two rounds and into the back nine on a rain-soaked Sunday.
He began Thursday’s round with three birdies on the first six holes. He carded five birdies on the back nine, overcoming one bogey on each side.
The Choudrant resident, about to turn 30 and welcome he and wife Caroline’s second child next month, downplayed an affinity for the course based on his play a year ago and Thursday.
“At the end of the day, regardless of where you’re playing, I think you just have to go execute,” Burns said. “It’s nice to have some good memories maybe before the tournament starts, but you know, when you tee it up, you have to be able to execute and hit the shots that the golf course requires.”
The former two-time LSU All-American, who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, said his playoff loss to Fox wasn’t on his mind.
“Honestly for me, there wasn’t really any negative,” Burns said. “I started the day pretty far back and played a really good round of golf and was able to sneak into a playoff. I had a chance to hole that putt (a 5-footer to win) and didn’t, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. So I really just kind of took the positives. I feel like my game was in a good spot, and try to do the same again this year.”
CHILLIN’: New Orleans born and LSU educated, Gil LeBreton traveled the world in a 50-year sports journalism career, covering events like the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo courtesy Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
By JOHN HENRY, Written for the LSWA
As a 2026 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism granting induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Gil LeBreton takes his place in the state’s sports lore — not as an athlete or coach, and certainly not for a double life led as “the human Ouija board.”
As the fearless forecaster of all things sports each Jan. 1, this “Nostradamus with the nostra-mostest” often made Mario Mendoza look like a contact hitter. But each year, without fail, the polished crystal ball was brought back out and eventually even “retro-fitted for the digital transition.”
Jerry Jones hosting the Mary Kay convention at AT&T Stadium — including offering discounted Party Zone tickets to attendees — was a miss in 2010. Gil did, however, accurately predict the Texas Rangers would win the AL West that season, as well as TCU’s Horned Frogs making a trip to the Granddaddy of Them All — the Rose Bowl — where they would face, ahem, Ohio State.
“If you’re scoring along at home, this is the 29th annual edition of the predictions column,” he wrote in 2011, patting himself on the back for a few hits the year before. “Sooner or later, in other words, I was bound to get something right.”
No, Gil LeBreton will live in Louisiana sports posterity because of a masterful ability to marry exceptional prose with a deep understanding of sport and the human condition, and a storyteller’s gift for connecting with readers, making them laugh, think, remember and care.
As part of a 12-member Class of 2026, the New Orleans native is going into the state’s sports Hall to conclude three days of festivities Thursday, June 25-Saturday, June 27. For participation information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
Over the course of a 50-year, award-winning sportswriting career, Gil has borne witness to some of the most significant moments in sports history in arena and stadium press boxes around the world.
“Gil writes with insight and humor, shoving flowery prose aside for columns that followed a natural rhythm, direct and unpretentious, human and authentic,” says T.R. Sullivan, a former colleague and longtime beat writer of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. “He used his needling wit and superb analytical mind to take on serious subjects in an entertaining and informative style.”
Gil was one of the most versatile sportswriters of his era, and, more than all that, he was a respected colleague and remains a steadfast friend and mentor to so many.
A product of the Crescent City’s Jesuit High School, and an LSU journalism graduate, Gil built one of the most accomplished careers in American sportswriting, covering everything from neighborhood heroes to the biggest stages in the world.
Along the way, he chronicled legends ranging from Muhammad Ali and Tom Landry to Nolan Ryan, Jack Nicklaus, and John Wooden.
Gil earned a reputation for marrying elegant prose with sharp reporting, using sports as a lens to explore character, ambition, triumph and disappointment. His work from multiple Olympic Games garnered state and national honors, and he remains the only journalist to be named Sportswriter of the Year in both Louisiana and Texas.
A Vietnam veteran, Gil returned home to earn his degree before embarking on a career that took him across the globe and into the press boxes of nearly every major sporting event imaginable. In 2024, he was inducted into the LSU Manship Journalism School Hall of Fame.
“All along he said it was no big deal,” Gil wrote of a Tony Dorsett contract dispute during his early days covering the Dallas Cowboys for the Star-Telegram.
“From curtain up to final bow, Tony Dorsett claimed he couldn’t comprehend the tremors he stirred during his weeklong drama of dueling agents and Cowboy Bankroll Held Hostage Day Five.
Legend retires. Star demands money. Star threatens walkout. Star wants trade. Agent No. 1 puts pistol, later found unloaded, to team’s head and demands untold riches, plus a jet out of town.
“And yet the man said it was no big deal.
“‘This was something that could have been resolved without it being, like I said, a public issue,’ said Dorsett. ‘Unfortunately, it just happened to turn out that way.
“Perhaps next time he would prefer to negotiate in the confessional, or maybe just a Candygram or two.
“Whatever, this week’s siege on the Cowboys’ tranquil nerves reeked of bad timing and bad advice, not all of it on Dorsett’s side of the negotiating table.
“It is becoming more and more difficult to hold even the slightest sympathy with grown men who wail all the way to the bank. How can a man reared on Hamburger Helper and a 12-year-old Zenith even remotely empathize with a guy who has a five-figure house note and wears a full-carat diamond in his left ear?
“Yet, there is the feeling that Dorsett is right, that he certainly deserved to be making as much as the Cadillacs of his profession, especially considering his post-Staubach importance to the Cowboys. Renegotiation, after all, is no greater sin than marching into the boss’s office to ask for a raise. If rejected, at least we always have the freedom to tie down the chickens and move the farm to Waco.”
Gil reported from 26 Super Bowls, 13 World Series, 16 NCAA Final Fours, the World Cup, the Masters, the Tour de France, Wimbledon, and countless other major events.
His byline appeared in the Times-Picayune, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, Kansas City Star, Baltimore News American and, most notably, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where his columns – and, yes, his annual fearless prognosticating — became required reading for generations of sports fans.
His first Olympics was the 1976 Montreal Games.
Gil’s reporting from the Olympic Games won numerous state and national awards. His stories for the Picayune on Louisiana Olympic hopefuls, including the married Armstrongs – the “world’s fastest family” — were honored as the LSWA’s top series.
Gil covered 16 Olympics, winter and summer, chronicling some of the most memorable moments, athletes, and issues of the modern era.
Gil’s column from the opening day of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was less about the Games themselves than about an unwelcome guest in attendance: former President Jimmy Carter.
Writing with bite, Gil argued that Carter had no business basking in the glow of the Centennial Olympics because of his decision to lead the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
To make his case, Gil focused on Patty Dowdell, captain of the 1980 U.S. women’s Olympic volleyball team, recounting how Dowdell – in 1996 the head coach of Texas Woman’s University’s volleyball team in Denton — and her teammates learned on their way to a match that their Olympic dreams had been erased by a political decision beyond their control.
The boycott accomplished little against the Soviet Union while inflicting enormous damage on American athletes and nearly crippling the Olympic movement itself. He noted that only the commercial success of the 1984 Los Angeles Games rescued the Olympics from the damage caused by the reciprocal boycotts of 1980 and 1984.
“How dare you show your face tonight, Jimmy Carter.”
Huey P. would have been proud.
During his four decades in DFW, Gil was also on-site for the most significant pro sports events.
LeBreton chronicled the Cowboys’ dynasty years, including victories in Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. He also led readers through championship seasons of the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks. Gil witnessed some of the defining moments in Rangers history, from the franchise’s first World Series berth in 2010 to the devastating Game 6 collapse in St. Louis the following year, one of baseball’s most painful near-misses.
His were the words many Cowboys fans needed in February 1989, in the painful days following Tom Landry’s firing and Tex Schramm’s impending departure. To much of North Texas, Landry and Schramm were more than a coach and general manager; they were enduring fixtures in the lives of generations of fans.
“The sun did come up at Valley Ranch yesterday. But there was still an ugly stench in the air.
“It was the morning after the Cowboys’ rendition of The Saturday Night Massacre. No bullet holes. No body outlines chalked on the carpet.
“But if you looked hard enough, there in his office was Tom Landry, the fresh knife still stuck in his back. And there down the hallway was Tex Schramm, still trying to mend the pieces of his broken heart.”
TRAILBLAZER: Lifelong Rapides Parish resident Kathy Holloway was the first woman president of the state and national high school coaching associations. (Photo courtesy Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
By BOB TOMPKINS, Written for the LSWA
Kathy Stewart Holloway’s life has been marked by unprecedented achievement as a woman in high school sports once ruled by men.
Yet, she points with love to two men who, behind the scenes, helped her along the way.
Her father, Jack Stewart, a car salesman, put up her first basketball goal on the side of a building on the family property in Lecompte when she was a tyke. It was a target, set then at a lower achievable height, but she always aimed high at whatever goal she pursued. That attitude was motivated by her father’s constant encouragement to “do your best.”
Her husband, Charles, who was the director of business affairs and comptroller at LSU Alexandria for 35 years before his death 19 years ago, was the other most influential man in her life. She turned to him for advice before any big decision in an extraordinary career as a coach and administrator.
A string of prestigious honors stands as testimony to her many local, statewide and national accomplishments, the latest of which is being among 12 elected to the 2026 class to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches.
Holloway is going into the LSHOF among the Class of 2026 celebrated during three days of festivities Thursday, June 25-Saturday, June 27, with seven events (six in Natchitoches, bowling in Alexandria). For participation information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
She is the 25th recipient of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award and will be enshrined in the Hall as the fourth female Dixon winner.
The classic story of Holloway’s disciplined but quiet push into a male-dominated hierarchy at the Louisiana High School Coaches Association came during an All-Star weekend in Baton Rouge in 1982 when, as she said, “football coaches controlled everything.”
Yet, some of the iconic coaches of the day like Charlie Brown of Neville and Red Franklin of Haynesville (both since elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame) asked her when she was going to run for president (of the LHSCA).
“At a Friday night barbecue before a Saturday All-Star football game, I was standing by myself and this guy said, ‘Are you going to vote for me tomorrow (for president)?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if you vote for me when I run.’
“He said, ‘There ain’t ever going to be a woman president of this association.’”
One year later, at the suggestion of then LHSAA commissioner Frank Spruiell, Holloway ran for second vice-president (which virtually assures automatic succession to first vice president then president). No one ran against her. So, she was the first female to ever to hold each office, being the first LHSCA female president in 1986.
In 1992, she made history becoming the first female president of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. In 1998, she was elected to the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame and in 2012 was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame.
In 2021 Holloway was honored by the NHSACA, becoming the first winner of an award named in her honor, the “Kathy Holloway Women of Inspiration Award” given annually to females promoting high school athletics.
Her road to prestigious positions and honors started at her home in her youth.
The oldest of three children of Jack and Edith Harrison Holloway, Kathy started shooting and dribbling a basketball as soon as she could walk, and from the start, her father, set the bar high.
“For him,” said Holloway, “everything we did, it was ‘do your best.’”
Young Kathy took that message to heart and has lived by it to the present day.
She enjoyed a stellar playing career at Poland High School, leading her team to the Class C state championship in 1965 and being named the most valuable offensive player of the tournament. She coached girls’ basketball at Tioga for 23 years (1969-92), mentoring four high school All-Americans, 13 all-state players, 5 LHSCA all-stars and achieving 10 playoff appearances, two Sweet 16 appearances and two state runner-up finishes. Fifteen of her players got college athletic scholarships.
One of the team managers during Holloway’s time as Tioga’s girls’ basketball coach is Dr. Joan Brunson, a family medicine physician who is the president of the medical staff at Rapides Regional.
“It doesn’t surprise me that she went on to accomplish the things she did,” Brunson said of Holloway.
“Kathy is a person that would never give up,” Brunson said. “She would think of ways to do things more efficiently. She was good at restoring confidence in her players when they were having a difficult time.”
The 78-year-old Holloway, who was a math major at LSU, wasn’t only skilled in basketball. In the same year she led Poland to the state title, she became the district president of the Future Homemakers Association of America, which, undoubtedly made her mother proud. Her mother, who lived to age 96, was a homemaker who made all the clothes for her children, cooked all the meals and did the gardening around the house.
“Mom would call me to supper,” Holloway recalled, “and I had to make 10 in a row before coming in. I don’t think I ever coached anybody that practiced shooting as much as I did.”
That includes four All-Americans: Jan Nugent (1969-72), Kay Ford (1972-75), Julie Wilkerson (1976-79) and Tara Curtis (1984-88). Ford and Wilkerson played for Louisiana Tech and Curtis played for LSU.
For the first nine years of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball program, at least one player from Tioga was on the team, be it Marilyn Robinson, Ford or Wilkerson.
Wilkerson, an attorney, remembers Holloway’s innovation as a coach.
“She started a ‘jump’ layup,” said Wilkerson, “getting us to do a jump shot as our layup. She didn’t need to holler; she just looked at you with the kind of look that you knew you were not doing what you needed to be doing. And it was never about individual honors with her. She stressed team.”
Her son, Stewart Holloway, the pastor of First Baptist Church of Pineville, is supporting her as she is the director of his church’s “Upwards Basketball” K-6 program. It’s part of Upward Sports, founded in 1995, and the world’s largest Christian youth sports provider. It lists its mission as “promoting the discovery of Jesus through sports.”
Kathy is in her 15th year as the program director, and the participation has mushroomed from around 90 players to 300.
“Looking back, sometimes I think, ‘How did this happen?’” Holloway said. “I think of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. Itook the road to Tioga. God just takes care of you and opens doors. If I hadn’t been here, it wouldn’t have gone this way, I guess. I’m thankful for being available to do the things I love to do. I like people. I like getting everybody to work together.”
BOM Bank was proud to continue our support of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 40th Golf Classic! The FCA’s mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, while impacting the world for Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. We are honored to support an organization making such a positive difference in the lives of so many. Pictured left to right: Terry and Hayden Slack with BOM’s Drew Baker and Kira Yeates
With heavy hearts and profound sadness, we announce the peaceful passing of Ellis Gene Griffin Jr, who left this world on May 24, 2026, at the age of 57, surrounded by his loving family at his home after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 10, 1968, Ellis was a beacon of warmth and kindness, whose spirit will forever illuminate the lives of those he touched.
Ellis was the beloved son of the late Ellis Gene Griffin Sr and Jacqueline (Clark) Griffin, who instilled in him the values of hard work, compassion, and resilience. Preceded in death by his parents, sister Lynn Griffin, and brother Victor Clark, he was welcomed into their heavenly embrace, leaving behind a legacy of love and cherished memories.
A devoted partner, Ellis shared 22 wonderful years with Sheila Carrigan, who stood by his side through life’s trials and triumphs. He was a loving father figure to his stepdaughters, Rachel and Rebecca Balsinger, and a beloved uncle to Linzay Rhodes and Jacob Griffin. His granddaughters, Keslie Jane Griffin, Kacelynn Michelle Griffin, and Kylie Noell Griffin, were the lights of his life, bringing him immeasurable joy and pride. Along with numerous family members and friends, he leaves behind a community who will deeply mourn his absence.
Ellis’s journey in education began in Mississippi, where he graduated from Long Beach High School, Class of 1986. His career was marked by dedication and excellence as he worked with several construction companies, most notably spending over 15 years with CC&D. In his final professional years, he contributed to the maintenance team at The Oaks of Louisiana, where his friendly demeanor and unwavering work ethic were admired and respected by all who knew him.
A man of varied interests, Ellis found joy in sports. Whether participating, coaching, or supporting his favorite teams, he was a true sports enthusiast. His Saturdays were dedicated to LSU Football, and he had a lifelong love for hunting, fishing, the NFL Saints, and NASCAR.
Ellis was a man who made everyone feel significant, always quick with a smile and patient in times of anger. His genuine care for others was evident in every interaction.
A celebration of Ellis’s life will be held on June 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Gateway Church, 8924 Youree Dr, Shreveport, LA 71115. Family, friends, and all those whose lives were touched by Ellis are invited to join in honoring his memory.
The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Willis Knighton Cancer Center and Willis Knighton Hospice Group for their care. Special thanks to CC&D and The Oaks of Louisiana for their support during this time.
With heavy hearts and unwavering faith in the promises of our Lord, we celebrate the life of Gary Treadway “Gator” Holman, who entered into the presence of Jesus and received his glorified body on June 8, 2026, at the age of 41. Surrounded by the love of his devoted wife, Melissa Holman, his beloved children, Kaynnon Holman and Kaylynn Holman, and embraced by the grace of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Gary finished his earthly journey and stepped into eternity.
Born on November 30, 1984, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Gary was a man whose life was firmly rooted in his faith. A devoted follower of Jesus Christ, he sought to live each day in a way that honored the Lord. Even during times when his physical strength had faded, his passion for sharing the Gospel never wavered. He loved witnessing to others about the saving grace of Jesus and desired above all else that people would come to know the Lord he loved so deeply.
Known affectionately as “Gator,” Gary loved wholeheartedly and without reservation. He was a devoted husband, a proud father, a cherished son and brother, and a faithful friend. His greatest joy on earth was his family, whom he loved fiercely and faithfully.
Gary found happiness in the simple things he enjoyed most. He loved spending time fishing, restoring old weapons, and creating fishing baits. Whether outdoors on the water or working with his hands, he appreciated God’s creation and the blessings of a life filled with purpose and love.
He leaves behind to cherish his memory his beloved wife, Melissa Holman; his children, Kaynnon Holman and Kaylynn Holman; his mother, Marsha Holman; and his brother, Robby Holman, along with many other family members and friends whose lives were touched by his kindness, faith, and unwavering love.
Gary was preceded in death by his precious son, Kasen Holman; his father, Tommy Holman; and his brother, Brian Holman. Though separated for a time, we rejoice in the hope that through Jesus Christ they are reunited, and that one day all who trust in Him will meet again.
Serving as pallbearers are Robby Holman, Gene Ramsey, Matt Ramsey, Gary Riley Jr, Randy Taylor, and Kaynnon Holman.
Though our hearts ache with his absence, we find comfort in God’s promise:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day.” — 2 Timothy 4:7–8
Gary’s legacy is one of faith, love, perseverance, and devotion to Christ. He fought bravely, loved deeply, and pointed others to Jesus until the very end. While we mourn his passing, we rejoice knowing that Gator is now whole, healed, and forever at home with his Savior.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” – Matthew 25:23
Forever loved, forever missed, and forever remembered. ❤️
A local man faces child endangerment and desertion charges following a domestic violence investigation and the discovery of two outstanding warrants, Shreveport police said.
Demarcus Graggs, 36, was arrested after an incident Monday, June 8. Investigators charged him with one count of domestic abuse battery with child endangerment.
During the booking process, authorities discovered Graggs was also wanted on two outstanding warrants for child desertion stemming from a January incident. In that case, police said two children were left unsupervised inside the SporTran bus terminal.
Graggs was taken into custody and charged in connection with both the domestic dispute and the previous desertion warrants.
Louisiana motorists will no longer be required to display vehicle inspection stickers on personal, non-commercial vehicles beginning Jan. 1, 2027, under a new state law approved during the 2026 Regular Legislative Session.
House Bill 1085 was passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry. The law eliminates the inspection sticker requirement for personal, non-commercial vehicles registered in Louisiana starting Jan. 1, 2027.
The law also creates a transition period beginning June 30, 2026. From June 30, 2026, through Jan. 1, 2027, law enforcement officers may not issue citations solely for failing to display or produce a certificate of inspection.
As a result, Louisiana State Police announced that it has immediately stopped enforcing inspection sticker violations.
Even though inspection sticker enforcement has ended, other traffic and vehicle laws remain in effect. Drivers are still responsible for ensuring their vehicles are safe and properly maintained, including working lights, brakes, tires and other required equipment.
Louisiana State Police said its focus during the transition period will be on educating motorists and helping the public understand how the new law affects them moving forward.
June 30, 2026: Officers can no longer issue citations solely for missing inspection stickers or certificates.
Jan. 1, 2027: Personal, non-commercial vehicles in Louisiana are no longer required to display inspection stickers.
If you drive a personal, non-commercial vehicle in Louisiana, you do not need to worry about receiving a ticket for an expired or missing inspection sticker during the transition period, and the sticker requirement will officially end on Jan. 1, 2027. However, your vehicle must still meet all other safety and equipment laws on Louisiana roadways.
Catholic Charities of North Louisiana has officially reopened the Shreveport Financial Empowerment Center, expanding access to free financial counseling services for residents throughout the community.
The program will provide one-on-one financial counseling at no cost to participants, helping individuals and families address personal financial challenges and work toward long-term financial stability.
Catholic Charities celebrated the reopening during a ceremony attended by representatives from the City of Shreveport, the city’s Community Development Department, community partners, and local leaders.
Among those recognized during the event were representatives from the City of Shreveport Government, the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, and Mark Watson.
According to Catholic Charities, the Financial Empowerment Center is designed to provide personalized financial guidance and support to community members seeking assistance with budgeting, debt reduction, savings goals, and other financial matters.
Additional information about the program, including appointment scheduling, is available through Catholic Charities of North Louisiana Financial Empowerment Center.
The Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University will present “A Life Spent Singing the Blues: A Music Informance with the Wayne ‘Blue’ Burns Band” on Saturday, June 20 at 2 p.m. at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front St. in Natchitoches. The event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Shane Rasmussen, professor of English and director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State, will interview the band about the cultural significance of blues music in Louisiana. Their discussion will include songs performed by the band which will also perform at the 46th annual Natchitoches-NSU Louisiana Folklife Festival, to be held July 18 in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the NSU campus.
Burns has been playing music all his life. He is a world-famous bassist, but the blues guitar is his thing. A native of Lafayette, Burns credits Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller as two of his favorite musical influences. He has performed with many artists but is most famous for nearly 20 years as bassist for Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco. He has also performed with Ernie K-Doe, The Larks, Betty Wright, Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers, Lil Buck Senegal, Jude Taylor, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Walter Junior, The RoadDoctor and a decade with C.J. Chenier, Clifton Chenier’s son. In his life-long career, Burns has performed in all 50 United States and around the world, including in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and is one of the first African Americans to perform in East Berlin after the Wall came down. Burns’ proudest moment came in 1982 when he played bass on Clifton Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band’s Grammy-winning album, “I’m Here!”
The event is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest History Museum and is in partnership with the City of Natchitoches. Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana.
The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Lots of local standouts spotlighted on Class 5A All-State baseball, softball teams
JOURNAL SPORTS
The Class 5A All-State baseball and softball teams chosen by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association included three first-team selections from Shreveport-Bossier, while another 18 competitors in the two sports received honorable mention recognition.
On the baseball team, two local seniors, Captain Shreve infielder Andrew Sharp and Benton outfielder Cole Snell, earned first-team All-State. Snell was a first-team pick last year while Sharp moved up from 2025 honorable mention billing.
In softball, Benton sophomore pitcher Bayleigh Moniz was a first-team selection for the second straight season.
Ten locals earned honorable mention in softball, including three from Haughton and two each from Airline and Evangel.
There were eight baseball honorable mentions of local standouts, two each from Benton, Captain Shreve and Haughton.
HAPPY ENDING: Northwestern sprinters Kason Jones (left) and Will Achee (right) earned All-America honors in the 4×400 relay Wednesday night at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. (File photo courtesy Southland Conference)
JOURNAL SPORTS
EUGENE, Oregon – Running a clean race paid off in a major way Wednesday night for Parkway product Will Achee and the Northwestern State 4×400 meter relay team in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The Demons’ foursome of Kason Jones, Charlie Bartholomew, Achee and Desmond Duncan earned second-team All-America honors after Texas and Ohio State were disqualified for lane violations, elevating NSU from its original 18th place to 16th, the cutoff between second-team and honorable mention All-America status.
A blazing third leg by Achee was pivotal, taking NSU from last (eighth) to fifth in the first of three heats against time.
Northwestern’s sophomore long jumper Roy Morris settled for honorable mention with a 19th-place finish on the heels of his second-team All-America freshman campaign.
The Demons 4×400 unit didn’t run its best time, almost two seconds slower than the school record 3:02.73 posted at the East regional to earn the trip to Eugene — but it was just enough. Their 3:04.68 ultimately claimed 16th by 0.15 over Kansas State, the difference between second-team and honorable mention.
In Heat 1, NSU drew the difficult No. 2 lane. Achee, a sophomore from Bossier City, ran a 44.99 split on the third leg to bring the Demons from eighth to fifth and Duncan, a senior from Winnfield, held on from there, outpacing foursomes from USC, Oklahoma State and Houston.
“That lane is definitely a tough one to run from,” associate head coach Adam Pennington said. “I thought the guys have it everything they had.”
Ohio State was bounced out of the nine-team Friday night finals by its disqualification. Texas had earned second-team All-America before officials upheld a protest and hooked the ‘Horns out of the 24-team field.
The Demons initially appeared to miss a spot on the All-America second team by 0.66 seconds.
NSU was 11th after two heats until Minnesota (3:04.12) and Mississippi State (3:03.40) posted slightly faster times in Heat 3 to relegate the Demons to 18th. But protests were filed and after meet officials reviewed footage of the heats, the Longhorns and Buckeyes were DQ’d.
The SEC dominated the competition with the top five times and six of the top eight. LSU won the prelims with a time of 3:00.54, followed by Arkansas (3:00.85) and Georgia (3:00.88).
Morris was aiming for his second straight All-America honor to cap his sophomore year, following second-team status in 2025. After earning his trip to Oregon with a 25-7 ¼ personal best mark two weeks ago at the East regional, Wednesday night’s first jump was 23-9 and he followed that up with a 23-1 ¾ mark before fouling on his third and final try.
The 16th place distance was 24-5 ½. Morris had finished over 25 feet in his last two competitions but was the 21st-ranked qualifier to reach Oregon’s Hayward Field.
Kansas State’s Tafadzwa Chikomba came in No. 1 in the country and proved it, dominating the competition with a jump of 27-5 ½.
“It was a great season and I’m extremely proud of Roy,” assistant coach Alex Wills said. “Today the cards weren’t in our favor, but we will learn and grow from it. To be able to be here two years in a row is an amazing blessing and the sky’s the limit with this amazing young man.”
Morris, an Evangel Christian product, is only the fourth NSU athlete in an individual event to reach the NCAA Outdoors in his freshman and sophomore seasons, joining all-time greats Brian Brown, Latrell Frederick and Cody Fillinich.
The first night of the NCAAs was highlighted by a stunning world record performance.
Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp ran a blistering time of 12.75 in the 110-meter hurdles, the first time in 50 years a world record was broken at the NCAA Championships.
LUNKER ALERT: LSUS anglers Bryce Distefano and Caden Williamson pose with their prized catch in a February tournament on Lake Seminole in Georgia. (Photo courtesy LSUS Fishing)
LSUS Fishing lands third straight national top 10 finish
By MATT VINES, LSUS Communications Specialist
For the third straight season, the LSU Shreveport Fishing Team can call itself one of the best in the nation.
The Pilots have finished the campaign ranked No. 9 in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year Standings following the Association of Collegiate Anglers national championships in May.
The No. 9 ranking comes on the heels of a No. 6 finish in 2024 and No. 7 in 2025 in a sport that has no divisions based on college size.
The biggest difference from previous top finishes is that the program has undergone a changing of the guard, shifting from experienced anglers as part of coach Charles Thompson’s early recruiting classes to the younger but extremely talented later recruiting classes.
“To have three top-10 finishes in the first (six years), that sends the message that we are performing the way we need to perform,” Thompson said. “I can’t be happier for these guys.
“Even through the tough times in the middle of the year, they stood up at the end of the year and fought back.”
LSUS anglers typically put together strong finishes as late spring fishing tends to match the styles of fishermen who grew up on shallow water with plenty of grass and other cover.
The team rallied to score a host of points late in the season, which included a 13th-place finish from junior Mason McCormick and freshman Colton Caskey at the ACA national championships on Pickwick Lake in northern Alabama.
The pair sat in fourth place after a huge first day, and the high ranking helped the program fend off other teams trying to crack the top 10 in the season standings.
Caskey is one of eight freshmen on this season’s roster, part of a youth movement on a roster that does have a few experienced hands, including Caskey’s partner McCormick.
“The freshmen had to adjust to so many things,” Thompson said. “I can’t imagine the tough times having to adjust to school, adjust to the high caliber of college fishing, and for some, adjusting away from home.
“Then the thought process of having to hold up to the tradition of being a top 10 team in the country as a freshman. It’s a lot, but I’m really excited about our future.”
All six of LSUS’s boats finished in the top 100 of a 197-boat championship field, including No. 28 (Johnny Hudson and Triston Richardson) and four total in the top 65.
Richardson is a junior and Hudson a sophomore. Top finishers also included a freshmen pair in Carsen Adcock and Will Powell (No. 57).
These anglers were attracted to LSUS because of the initial surge of success, which included a 20th-place finish in 2022 and 15th-place standing in 2023 before the three top-10 showings.
While Thompson would say the leadership transition from the old guard who built the foundation hasn’t been flawless, he saw a resilience this season that will help LSUS push toward a top five standing.
“They responded, and they never quit,” said Thompson. “They stayed resilient and they closed strong.
“Even our four boats who weren’t in the championships, they were asking to go just to watch and support. They wanted to be there, and that’s the type of team they wanted to build.”
Linda Lee Leach Brown, 81, of Shreveport, passed away May 14, 2026, at The Carpenter House following a long illness.
Born Jan. 7, 1945, in Shreveport, Linda was the daughter of the late Bill and Ruth Wise Leach. She attended Woodlawn High School and graduated from Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963. She studied art and education at the University of Mississippi, Centenary College of Louisiana and Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
During the 1970s, Linda was appointed as the first female member of the Bossier General Hospital Board. She also served on the Educational Accountability Task Force for the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and participated in numerous civic organizations throughout her life.
Linda enjoyed a long career as a paralegal and legal secretary. She was also passionate about culinary arts, painting, fashion and interior design.
She is survived by her sons, Warren Brown and Jason Brown and wife Melissa; daughter, Ashley Jackson and husband Robert; grandchildren Abigail and Kathryn Jackson, Courtney Goodlett and husband Brad, Whitney McCormick and husband Ben, and Rachel Elder and husband Max; and seven great-grandchildren, Emma and Easton Goodlett, Atlas and Hudson McCormick, and Jaxon, August and Raleigh Elder.
She is also survived by her sisters, Crickett Forrest and husband Jim, and Mary Krepak, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her infant brother, Billy Doyle Leach, and her great-aunt, Nannie Backus.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
The family expressed gratitude to Ochsner LSU Health and The Carpenter House for their care, compassion and dedication during Linda’s illness.
Aggie Eugene “Gene” Davis, age 85, of Springhill, Louisiana, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2026. Gene was born on July 1, 1940, in Plain Dealing, Louisiana to Aggie and Maybelle Davis. He was a Mason and was an ordained deacon from Anderson Baptist Church in Hope, Arkansas.
Preceded in death by his parents, Aggie and Maybelle Davis; his wife, Christene; his granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Jennings; and his sister, Sally Nealy.
Survived by his daughter, Cindy (Jay) Jennings of Taylor, Arkansas; brother, Jerry (Sherry) Davis of Sarepta, Louisiana; sisters, Norma Rodgers and Shelia Tompkins, both of Plain Dealing, Louisiana; grandson, Andrew Jennings of Dallas, Texas; and a host of nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
Pallbearers honoring Gene will be Travis Wayne Rogers, Bubba Kelner, Kelly Kelner, Robert Lee Jack, Cody Vansickle and David Joe Wright.
Graveside services will be on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Walnut Hill Cemetery, Bradley, Arkansas, with Dr Wayne McMahen officiating, assisted by Bro. Jonathan Montgomery.
Services are under the direction of A O Smith Funeral Home, Stamps, Arkansas.
The Shreveport Police Department announced a series of firearm-related arrests made between June 5 and June 7 as part of ongoing efforts to target illegal gun possession and weapons-related offenses.
According to the department, officers made several arrests involving stolen firearms, convicted felons in possession of firearms, and individuals accused of carrying weapons while committing other crimes.
Those arrested included:
Trystan Samuels, who was arrested after officers allegedly found him in possession of a stolen firearm.
Christian Wright, who was arrested during a traffic stop after officers reportedly discovered narcotics and a firearm. He was charged with illegal carrying of a firearm with a controlled dangerous substance, possession of narcotics, and violating a restraining order.
Javarion Townsend, who was arrested after being found armed on premises where alcohol is sold. He was charged with resisting an officer, negligent carrying of a weapon, and possession of a firearm on prohibited premises.
Joshua Rochelle, who was arrested after officers determined he was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Cameron Pennington, who was arrested after investigators determined he had shot himself and then provided false information to officers as they searched for a suspected crime scene. He was charged with illegal use of a weapon.
Aldravion Taylor, who was arrested after officers allegedly found him in possession of a stolen firearm.
Brandon Thompson, who was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with illegal carrying of a weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension, open container violations, and multiple traffic offenses.
In announcing the arrests, the department emphasized that its enforcement efforts are focused on individuals who illegally possess firearms, including convicted felons and those carrying stolen weapons.
Police stated that officers will continue proactive enforcement operations aimed at reducing gun-related crime and removing illegally possessed firearms from the streets.
