ASA plans ramping up

Competitive archers will be coming to Camp Minden in just a few weeks for the second McKenzie Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Easton/Hoyt Pro/Am Tour event and local entities are ramping up preparations for the tournament.

Stakeholders from Bossier, Webster and Caddo parishes, plus Camp Minden and Louisiana National Guard officials, met Wednesday to review plans and check facilities for the April 27-30 event that is expected to draw thousands from around the country and outside the U.S.

Last year’s event, the first to be held at Camp Minden, drew a reported 1,655 participants, sponsors and staff from 41 states plus Canada and Australia. ASA signed a 10-year contract to hold the tournament at the site, and area officials predict the event will generate around $25 million in economic impact over that period.


Politicians and diapers

There are many differences between the French and Americans. Over here, it’s common for conservatives to look down on European nations, reserving greater amounts of agitation for Parisians and their fellow countrymen and women. 

You know the jokes. The ones about the white flags. The ones about World War II. The ones about Freedom Fries. Etc. Tensions reached an all-time high about 20 years ago when they wouldn’t join in a war that turned out to be as false as they said it was. No WMDs. And Iraq, as well as the entire Middle East, is more unstable now than at any point in modern history. A lot of good men and women died. 

We have differences. And they extend beyond drinking hot brown water and eating snails. 

But there’s one area in which we could learn a lot from the nation across the Pond. 

They know how to stand up for themselves, and they know their government works for them and not the other way around. The French have always held their politicians accountable. These are the people that invented the guillotine and went on a bloody rampage against the king and queen and nobility a few hundred years ago because of the greed and apathy of the ruling class. 

Currently, the French are having nationwide protests because of workers’ rights and governmental lunacy. This is a standard operating procedure for French citizens when they don’t like what their government is doing. And as a result, the French enjoy a much better standard of living than us and have happier lives because they will take nothing less. I saw a video of a garbage truck full of trash being dumped on a politician’s yard because of the politician’s policy stances. The nation is at a standstill because its people will not budge. 

Meanwhile, over here in little Louisiana, a state with deep French roots, we’ve got a politician pushing a bill that would triple legislator pay. Being a politician shouldn’t be a career. Politicians shouldn’t be deified and made celebrities and asked for autographs and have rallies celebrating them. 

In a society long ago, politicians and actors were treated relatively poorly because they didn’t add much value to society. Somewhere along the way, Americans changed and actors and politicians went from being our servants to our overlords. 

We need to be more like the French in our view of elected officials. They shouldn’t talk down to us. They shouldn’t look down on us. They work for us. 

The old joke goes politicians are like diapers. They should both be changed often and for the same reasons. 

Josh Beavers is a teacher and a writer. He has been recognized five times for excellence in opinion writing by the Louisiana Press Association. 


LAST CHANCE: Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival EARLY BIRD TICKET sale ends this week!

GET YOUR Natchitoches Jazz/R&B EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW!!!

THIS WEEK IS YOUR LAST CHANCE to secure your 2023 tickets at the lowest price possible for the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival on May 12th & 13th.

The Early Bird sale ends March 31st at 11:59 pm!

Buy tickets and be entered in the Steel Magnolia’s Getaway Giveaway!

VIP ticket buyers will be entered into an exclusive VIP Giveaway to be announced! STAY TUNED!

Get your tickets & enter the giveaway here:

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE


Caddo booking information: Toby Wayne Yates, simple burglary. Bond: $18,800

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Toby Wayne Yates

Age: 46
DOB: 8/1/1976
Race: White
Sex: Male

Current booking information:

Description: Possession of schedule II. Bond: $2,500
Description: Driving under suspension. Bond: $1,000
Description: Failure to register a vehicle. Bond: $100
Description: Tail lamps. Bond: $100
Description: No insurance. Bond: $100
Description: Simple burglary. Bond: $15,000


Merger incorporates Village Water into Bossier Parish system

IT’S A DONE DEAL: Officials and stakeholders attended Tuesday’s signing of papers that merged Village Water with Bossier Parish’s Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District 1.

JOURNAL STAFF

Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District 1 of Bossier Parish has grown by just over 3,600 customers with the completion of a merger that incorporates Village Water into the parish system.

Tuesday’s merger with Village Water completes a process of studies and negotiations with the Bossier Parish Police Jury that began more than a decade ago.

Village Water covers an area stretching east along U.S. Highway 80 from Bellevue Road to near the border of Bossier and Webster parishes and includes several subdivisions, businesses and sites of new developments.

“We are merging with a very good water system and with the resources the police jury can bring in the form of grants and low interest loans, we hope to make the system even better,” said Glenn Benton, District 2 representative on the jury.

Roughly 80 percent of Benton’s police jury district lies within the boundaries of Village Water. Officials said the merger was approved following a vote by the Village Water board. Customers will see new rates reflected on bills in May.


Deadline approaching to participate in 318 Restaurant Week

JOURNAL STAFF

Calling all restaurants! 318 Restaurant Week is returning May 7-13, 2023.

This community-wide celebration invites locals and visitors to experience Shreveport-Bossier’s restaurant scene. The seven-day festival, focused on spotlighting locally-owned eateries in the Shreveport-Bossier area, is organized by the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

Restaurants in Caddo and Bossier parishes can participate in 318 Restaurant week by offering a $10 breakfast, $10 lunch, and/or $20 dinner special. The cost to participate is a $50 gift card to your restaurant, which will be used only for promotional purposes by the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, including vacation giveaway packages, the 318 Restaurant Giveaway, and meals for travel journalists and media.

Emerie Eck Holtzclaw, owner of Lagniappe P.R.I.M.E., LLC, has been selected by the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau as the 318 Restaurant Week Coordinator for 2023.

“318 Restaurant Week is the perfect opportunity for the Shreveport-Bossier community to support local restaurants while enjoying wonderful and unique dining experiences,” said Stacy Brown, president of the SBCTB. 

“We are two cities offering a taste of authenticity that you truly cannot experience anywhere else. We’ve seen restaurants participate in this event year-after-year because it helps bring new customers through their doors and attention to our incredible cuisine.”

Gift cards can be given to Lagniappe P.R.I.M.E., LLC, dropped off in person, or mailed to:

Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau
Attn: Communications Department
629 Spring Street
Shreveport, LA, 71101

The deadline to register for 318 Restaurant Week is April 14, 2023. To register and for more information, contact Emerie Eck Holtzclaw at eat318@sbctb.org or complete the 318 Restaurant Week interest form at www.Shreveport-Bossier.org/RestaurantWeek/Interest.


NIH research program is asking All of Us to join in health research

PART OF THE MISSION: Calvary Baptist and LSU football standout Greedy Williams (at left), who recently signed with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, joins tour manager Jacob Martinez at the All of Us traveling exhibit at Southern University Shreveport. (Photo by HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD)

By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the All of Us Journey traveling educational exhibit was on site at Southern University Shreveport as part of the organization’s efforts to bring the program into underrepresented communities.

The mission of the All of Us Research Program — from the National Institutes of Health – is to speed up health research. To do this, the program is asking one million or more people to share their health information. It is the hope that researchers can use the information to conduct thousands of studies.

“We’re trying to speed up the development of individualized health care,” All of Us representative Keita Hall told the crowd gathered in the parking lot of SUSLA. “We want to build up a database – particularly in underrepresented communities.”

In the past, medical research has left many people behind – particularly African Americans.

“We want to change that by including everyone,” said Jacob Martinez, one of the program’s tour managers. “In general, health research does not give us enough information because 80 percent or more of the clinical trials that take place include older white males. We want to reflect the diversity in the United States.”

Crowds gathered on both days to meet and greet local All of Us spokesperson Greedy Williams, the Calvary Baptist and LSU football star who recently signed a one-year deal to play for the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I became part of the program after doing some research,” said Williams, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. “It’s great (for the program) to come into this type of community. It gives us a chance. I’m happy to come here and do it.”

Williams told the crowd he enjoyed returning to Shreveport to “touch, reach, and teach” people.

“I love being here,” said Williams. “I love y’all’s energy. All of us athletes appreciate your support. I’m excited. Let’s take pictures and videos. Let’s have fun. That’s why I’m here.”

Visitors were encouraged to tour the exhibit, learn about the program, and – hopefully – join on-site. The traveling exhibit features interactive activities designed to demonstrate the power of each individual’s participation in health research.

Participants share their health data online, including health surveys and electronic health records. They may also be asked to share physical measurements, and saliva, blood, or urine samples. Personal information is removed from all data and samples are stored in a secure biobank.

Researchers use the data to find patterns so they can understand more about why people get sick or stay healthy. Participants can get health information that matters, including DNA results at no cost.

You can explore the data at JoinAllofUs.org/ResearchCorner, contact the Support Center at (833) ALL-OF-US for answers to any questions, or join by visiting JoinAllofUs.org/drive.

Next stop of the tour: Sci-Port Discovery Center

Sci-Port Discovery Center invites the community to visit the All of Us Journey and learn how you can help change the future of health. The traveling, hands-on exhibit will be at Sci-Port April 3-7 with hours each day from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Unlike a single research study focused on a specific disease or community, the All of Us Research Program will create a research resource to inform thousands of studies, covering a wide range of health conditions. This information could help researchers learn more about different diseases and treatments and improve health for generations to come.


LAST CHANCE: Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival EARLY BIRD TICKET sale ends this week!

GET YOUR Natchitoches Jazz/R&B EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW!!!

THIS WEEK IS YOUR LAST CHANCE to secure your 2023 tickets at the lowest price possible for the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival on May 12th & 13th.

The Early Bird sale ends March 31st at 11:59 pm!

Buy tickets and be entered in the Steel Magnolia’s Getaway Giveaway!

VIP ticket buyers will be entered into an exclusive VIP Giveaway to be announced! STAY TUNED!

Get your tickets & enter the giveaway here:

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE


Joanne Sigler continues to tell unforgettable stories

By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD

During Part II of our “Lunch” at Biscotti’s – we both had the delicious chicken and spinach crepes – Joanne Sigler said, “I want to read you an article I’ve written, and you be the judge as to whether I should submit it for publication.”

Joanne Sigler is a storyteller.

For seven and a half years, she wrote a weekly column in The Times called “Remember When,” which included unforgettable memories of growing up in Shreveport.

“That was the most rewarding thing – besides having my two children – that I’ve ever done,” she says about the column that ran from 2008-2116.

Joanne laughs when she starts to tell a story about her daughters – Anne and Liz.

“Their daddy’s mother was mad at me because I produced two girls. He was a farmer and farmers have boys. Their daddy and my OB-GYN were playing bridge one night and got into a huge argument.

“My doctor said, ‘Ben, it’s the man who decides the sex.’ They got into a knock-down-drag-out fight about it.

‘That’s not true.’

‘But I’m a doctor.’

‘I don’t give a &%$#. I’m not going to take responsibility for those two little girls.’

“But, of course, he ended up loving them to pieces.”

When Liz and Anne were seven and nine, respectively, their father passed away and Joanne would be a single mother until she met Orvis Sigler, to whom she was married for 46 years.

After a few more stories about “her girls,” Joanne takes an envelope out of her purse, opens the typed pages and says, “This is a patriotic article.”

What she shares with me – beautifully written and read with emotion – is her story:

Coming home from church and seeing her father turning on the radio as everyone sat around and listened. In her brand-new navy blue taffeta dress, she listened as President Roosevelt told the nation we were at war.

“I thought my world was going to come to an end at nine years old,” she reads.

During the war, Joanne earned her allowance of 50 cents a week by collecting bacon grease from her neighbors and selling it to the local butcher at the A&P.

“He turned it in and that helped make glycerin for bombs,” she continues.

Being introduced to the Statue of Liberty on her first visit to New York City with her parents in 1949. The next time Joanne went to New York, she was singing with the Centenary College Choir.

“Our song was composed of the inscription written on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty,” she says.

Joanne has tears in her eyes as she tells the story of the Statue of Liberty and recites the Preamble to the Constitution.

She finishes reading the article and looks over to get my reaction.

“What do you think?” asks Joanne, who turns 91 this week. “It could run around the Fourth of July.”

Then, with a laugh, she says: “But I might be dead by the Fourth of July.”

I don’t think so. She has too many more stories to tell.

Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com 


The magic of sticking together

Standing in line for more than two hours in a receiving line at the funeral home, not just standing in line but moving in line and sharing in line and encouraging in line — living in line — gives you time to think.

For starters, even though you don’t know everyone in line and they don’t know you, you feel a part of a greater good, a part of the force that was this life and this family you are here to honor. This one life, in ways special to each of us, touched all these people and hundreds more who couldn’t be here.

The emotional mix is stunning: the uncomfortable feeling of loss and unfairness, and at the same time gratitude for being able to count among your friends this life that radiated a deep and unselfish goodness.

It’s early spring and yet so many are going through a storm. There will always be storms but if you live long enough, they will now and then come one right after the other and you can’t keep the pieces all picked up, for yourself or for your friends. You are trying but more pieces keep falling. Breaking.

Mercy at the loss lately, and the threat of more loss. It all combines to remind me how little control we have, and how I am blind at times to things I do have control over. Which is pathetic. Sad. I am waiting in line to hug the family of a friend who was a master of doing the little things. I’m not sure he even thought so much about it. He just did them. He was aware that he had control over these little actions. He knew they made the difference.

And the difference is real, because all these people are around me. To thank him.

You can make someone happier today. You can. It might be paying for coffee for the person behind you in line at the drive-thru, or it might be calling an old friend, or thanking your Sunday school teacher, or the custodian who keeps your building clean, or the boss who signs the checks.

You ever color a picture and send it to someone for no reason? I do. It’s stupid. But it’s a surprise, and they’ll always call to thank you, because for one moment an ordinary day held a silly surprise for them, and only heaven knows how those kinds of things make a difference, but they do.

I’ve heard these things called “the smallest acts of love.” Remind someone how strong they’ve been. Compliment them for whatever makes them them. Praise. Encourage. Smile. These little things add up.

Our friend we lost, he did lots of big things. Beautiful things. He made the world prettier, literally. But when I think of him — and this has been for years, not just now — I am always left with how he made me feel. He had plenty to do but when we were together, he was present. Honest. Funny without meaning to be because he was just him. A friend.

We are all just people but somehow, we have the gift inside that, if we share it, has the potential to help a sister or brother over the next hill. The smallest thing, if it’s real, can be the thing that holds up, can be the stuff that works. The smallest thing can make a difference.

And that’s when, in the middle of the storms, the miracles show up. In the smallest, most sincere acts. One thoughtful moment, one honest ear to listen or hand to hold. Be present and be ready. We need you. You can make the difference that makes the difference for someone today, and the difference for today can make the difference for forever.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu or Twitter @MamaLuvsManning


Bossier booking information: Lewilliam Mrantes Adger, attempted first degree murder. Bond: $496,000

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Lewilliam Mrantes Adger

Age: 28
Race: Black
Sex: Male

Current booking information:

14:30|Attempted. First degree murder-attempted. Bond: $250,000
14:72.2. Monetary instrument abuse. Bond: $161,000
14:130.1. Obstruction of justice-evidence tampering. Bond: $75,000
15:574.9. Parole violation. Bond: $0
40:966|C. Schedule I – Possession. Bond: $10,000


Bossier Police continue investigation into domestic incident and shooting

JOURNAL STAFF

Bossier City Police detectives are continuing their investigation into a Sunday evening domestic incident and shooting that resulted in injuries to two adults — one male and one female. First responders were called out at approximately 9:01 p.m. on March 26, to reports of a domestic dispute in the 300 block of Joannes Street.

Based on the initial investigation, the shooting is believed to have resulted from a domestic incident involving one woman and two men. The woman suffered a laceration to her arm and one of the males was shot by the other male. None of the injuries are considered to be life threatening.

The matter remains under investigation.


Origin Bank promotes Chris Reigelman

ORIGIN BANK PROMOTES CHRIS REIGELMAN TO EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,
DIRECTOR OF INVESTOR RELATIONS AND CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

RUSTON – Origin Bank today announced the promotion of Chris Reigelman to Executive Vice President, Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Sustainability. The move elevates the role to the executive level and expands duties to include corporate sustainability.

“We are thrilled to recognize Chris’ hard work and dedication with this well-deserved promotion,” said Origin Bank Chief Executive Officer Lance Hall. “Elevating this role to the executive level demonstrates Origin’s commitment to our shareholders and the addition of corporate sustainability ensures we are living up to our mission through our corporate actions. Chris has shown that he has the skills needed to excel in this role and has earned his position as a member of Origin’s executive team.”

Since joining Origin in April 2012, Reigelman has been directly involved in over $730 million of transactions including equity and debt capital raises, a successful IPO, as well as Origin’s only merger and acquisitions transaction since becoming a public company.

“As a member of the Origin Bank team, I’ve had the opportunity to build deep relationships across the investment community and to work with a variety of partners from within the bank,” says Reigelman. “These experiences have given me a unique perspective on how Origin has delivered on its promises, which I’m honored to share with our valued customers and shareholders.”

In his expanded role, Reigelman will work with internal partners across the bank to effectively communicate to investors and analysts on Origin’s financial performance and strategy to deliver long-term shareholder value, their geographic approach to community banking, their commitment to the communities they serve, and their dedication to corporate responsibility and governance.

An active member of his community, Reigelman currently serves as a member of the AEP Advancement Board, the AEP Parent Faculty Council and is the Finance Deacon at The Bridge Community Church.

Reigelman earned a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from Louisiana Tech University. He and his wife Katherine have been married for 13 years and reside in Ruston with their two children, Collins and Clark.

Reigelman’s office is located at the Ruston Financial Center, 1511 North Trenton Street in Ruston, Louisiana. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call (318) 255-2222.

About Origin

Origin Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Ruston, Louisiana. Origin’s wholly owned bank subsidiary, Origin Bank, was founded in 1912 in Choudrant, Louisiana. Deeply rooted in Origin’s history is a culture committed to providing personalized, relationship banking to businesses, municipalities, and personal clients to enrich the lives of the people in the communities it serves. Origin provides a broad range of financial services and currently operates 60 banking centers located in Dallas/Fort Worth, East Texas, Houston, North Louisiana and Mississippi.