Free ecumenical service is 3 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at First Methodist Church Shreveport
Northwest Louisiana will mark its 43rd annual Holocaust Remembrance Service at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at First Methodist Church Shreveport, with a cello performance, a survivor family story, choir music, and recognition of student artwork.
The free ecumenical observance is open to the public regardless of faith background. Eleven candles will be lit in memory of the approximately 11 million lives lost during the Holocaust, and prayers will be shared in memory and solidarity.
Event Chair Laura Popper Crawford, director of the Centenary Suzuki School and a Centenary College faculty member, has direct family ties to the Holocaust — her father escaped Nazi persecution while her grandparents and other relatives perished.
“If these stories are not passed down through generations, there is a real danger that they will be forgotten,” Crawford said.
The program includes cellist John-Henry Crawford performing on his grandfather’s 200-year-old cello — smuggled out of Nazi Austria before Kristallnacht by Dr. Robert Popper — along with slides recounting Dr. Popper’s escape. The Centenary College Choir, led by David Hobson, will also perform.
Winners of the annual Northwest Louisiana Holocaust Remembrance Literary and Arts Project will be recognized. This year’s competition drew more than 250 submissions from middle and high school students in categories including poetry, essay, visual art, and musical composition.
The service has been held annually since 1984. It falls five days after Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — observed this year on April 14.
Registration is available at HolocaustRemembranceService.org. For information, contact Barbara Joseph at 318-868-1200 or barbara@jewishnla.org.
the condition or process of deterioration with age. “leaves were measured after they reached full size and before they showed signs of senescence” loss of a cell’s power of division and growth.
MASTERING THE MADNESS: Bossier City native Byron Smith coached Prairie View A&M to its first NCAA Tournament win Wednesday night. (File photo)
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
DAYTON, Ohio – When he was leading the state with a 30-point scoring average as an Airline High School senior almost 40 years ago, Byron Smith was known to get on a streak.
Now in his ninth full season as head coach at Prairie View A&M, he’s on another, and this time it’s reached the national stage.
Smith’s Panthers clamped down on Lehigh Wednesday night in a 67-55 NCAA Tournament First Four triumph at UD Arena.
Prairie View A&M (19-17) won its eighth straight, including a 72-66 victory as the SWAC’s eighth seed upsetting second-seeded Southern in the conference tournament final last Saturday.
That eight-game streak is better than anything the Panthers did all of last year, when they finished 5-27 on the heels of a 10-win season in 2023-24. Smith hit the transfer portal and lately, the team has come together at just the right time.
“Losing sucks,” Smith said. “Everything is better when you win, just life is better. Everybody would like to be Coach [Nick] Saban — seven, eight national championships and be No. 1 preseason and in the final poll every year — but that’s just not realistic. When you have seasons like we did the last two years, it really tests you as a coach and how much you really want to be doing this thing.”
Prairie View’s defense was decisive. The Panthers forced 16 turnovers, recorded 12 steals and blocked nine shots while limiting Lehigh’s leading scorer, Nasir Whitlock, to five points.
“Definitely gratifying,” said the 1987 Airline graduate. “A heck of a basketball game. We’re definitely excited to survive and advance and move on to the first round on Friday night.”
Prairie View, a 16-seed, advances to face No. 1 seed Florida in a first-round South region matchup Friday in Tampa.
As for the daunting challenge of meeting the Gators, and in their home state, Smith embraced it.
“They’ve got probably about four or five guys that are going to be playing on ESPN here in about nine months,” Smith said. “But in life, no test, no testimony, right? We’re going to be tested going into the game in Tampa, but we look forward to it.”
CASE IN POINT: Sophomore Casan Evans was a bullpen stopper for last year’s LSU national champions, but has a 6.52 ERA as the Tigers’ Game 1 starter. (Photo by ALEX DIAZ, LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – There’s a top 10 nationally ranked baseball team playing in Alex Box Stadium this weekend.
That’s not unusual for eight-time and defending national champion LSU.
Except it’s not the Tigers, losers of six of their last 10 games as the nation’s preseason No. 1 team has dropped out of the DI Baseball Top 25 after losing two of three in their SEC opening series at Vanderbilt.
No. 8 Oklahoma (17-4, 2-1), fresh off a league series win over now No. 21 Texas A&M, opens its trio of battles vs. the reeling Tigers (15-7, 1-2 SEC) here tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
LSU fifth-year Jay Johnson has more questions than answers after his pitching staff gave up more runs (33) and earned runs (31) and issued more walks (26) than any other staff in the SEC last weekend.
The Tigers are ranked last in the 16-team league in earned run average in conference play (11.07) and for the season (5.04).
The most baffling performances to date have been authored by sophomore Casan Evans, elevated to LSU’s starter for the opener of each three-game series.
His standout relief work on last season’s national title team (5-1 record, 2.05 ERA, seven saves, 71 strikeouts, 19 walks, .228 opponent batting average, 52.2 innings in 19 appearances) has not yet translated to becoming an effective starter.
He’s given up two runs or more in all five of his starts and hasn’t pitched more than 5.1 innings. In LSU’s opening loss at Vanderbilt, Evans was pulled after giving up six runs in three innings. He allowed 10 of 21 batters he faced (five hits, five walks) to reach base.
Johnson has a vastly different view of Evans’ largely unimpressive outings.
“We won the first four games he pitched and we were down to two strikes to win the last game (Vandy’s ninth-inning walk-off homer in last Friday’s series opener),” Johnson said. “Every game that he pitches, and we won the first four, and we were down to two strikes to go to win.
“A job of the pitchers is to give your team a chance to win the game, and he’s doing a great job of that. I think sometimes that gets lost.”
Besides Evans (1-0, 6.25 ERA, 22.1 innings), Kansas transfer Cooper Moore (3-2, 3.21 ERA, 28 innings) and sophomore William Schmidt (3-1, 3.12 ERA, 26 innings) haven’t found their stride yet as Game 2 and Game 3 starters in the pitching rotation.
The starters have put the Tigers in insurmountable holes. In its seven losses, LSU has been outscored 43-7 in the first six innings, including 29-2 in the first three innings.
The offensive firepower the Tigers enjoyed a year ago has yet to develop.
Last season, even with newbies such as transfers Daniel Dickinson and Luis Hernandez in the starting lineup at shortstop and catcher, there were no weak links from top to bottom in the batting order.
This year, after the top of the order featuring returning starters right fielder Jake Brown, center fielder Derek Curiel, shortstop Steven Milam and centerfielder Chris Stanfield, the offense drops off dramatically.
That foursome, even with Stanfield finally healed from a hand injury and back in the lineup, has combined so far to hit .329 with 70 RBI, 13 home runs and 19 doubles.
The back half of the order, mostly featuring transfers Zack Yorke (Grand Canyon), Trent Caraway (Oregon State), Seth Dardar (Kansas State) and Brayden Simpson (High Point), is hitting a combined .254 with 47 RBI, eight homers and 14 doubles.
“This team was maybe a little underprepared for adversity,” Johnson said. “They didn’t have a whole lot (adversity) last year with (all) the returning players.
“Our new players are experiencing a different level of adversity at a place like this.”
LSU (15-7 overall, 1-2 SEC) vs. No. 8 OKLAHOMA (17-4, 2-1 SEC), Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge
LSU leads Oklahoma, 12-5, in a series that began in 1959. LSU swept a three-game SEC series from the Sooners last season in Norman. In the 2013 NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge, LSU won two straight over the Sooners to advance to the College World Series. Three other LSU-OU matchups have been in the NCAA tournament, all of which LSU won in Baton Rouge.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is hitting .285 with 41 doubles, four triples, 32 homers and 167 RBI. . .Right fielder Jake Brown is hitting a team-high .400 this season with seven doubles, 11 homers, 37 RBI, 26 runs and six steals. . .The LSU pitching staff has a 5.04 ERA (last in the SEC) with 280 strikeouts in 187.2 innings while allowing a .217 opponent batting average and 18 home runs.
A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA
Left-hander Cameron Johnson, OU’s game 1 starting pitcher, was a member of LSU’s 2024 team. He pitched 9.0 innings for the Tigers over 13 appearances, recording 16 walks and 13 strikeouts. . . The Sooners are hitting .306 with 44 doubles, eight triples, 23 home runs and 65 steals in 70 attempts. . . Catcher Deiten Lachance is batting a team-high .358 with eight doubles, one triple and 22 RBI. . .The Oklahoma pitching staff has a 3.60 ERA with 223 strikeouts in 175.0 innings while allowing a .209 opponent batting average and 13 home runs.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORE: Paris Bradley leads the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters into postseason play tonight against Rice in Houston. (Photo by JOSH MCDANIEL, Louisiana Tech Athletics)
JOURNAL SPORTS
HOUSTON – It’s not the Big Dance but it’s a chance to play postseason basketball, and two regular-season champions upset in their conference tournament finals last weekend will square off tonight trying to get some satisfaction in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Louisiana Tech, the Conference USA champion, visits Tudor Fieldhouse to face American Athletic Conference winner Rice in a first-round WBIT matchup.
Regular-season champions that don’t win their leagues’ automatic NCAA Tournament berths with conference tournament titles, and are bypassed for an NCAA at-large invitation, get automatic berths in the WBIT, which is administered by the NCAA.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
Louisiana Tech (26-6) enters the postseason after a 17-1 run through Conference USA play, winning 19 consecutive games during the year — its longest streak in more than two decades. The Lady Techsters were stunned by a 43-38 loss to sixth-seeded Missouri State in the conference tournament championship.
Paris Bradley and Joy Madison-Key were named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team. Bradley averaged 17.7 points on 54.1 percent shooting during the tournament, including 59.1 percent from 3-point range, while also recording 14 rebounds and five steals. Madison-Key led the tournament with 16 assists, including nine in a semifinal win over Delaware.
Louisiana Tech is making its first appearance in the WBIT and its 38th postseason appearance overall, including 27 NCAA Tournament berths. The Techsters managed to score only 12 points after halftime in the Missouri State loss.
The Lady Techsters lead Conference USA in scoring (73.2 points per game), scoring defense (58.3), scoring margin (14.8), field goal percentage (44.3) and assists (16.1). During the conference tournament, Louisiana Tech held opponents to 44.6 points per game — nearly 14 points below its season average allowed.
Rice (28-5) enters under similar circumstances after finishing 17-1 in American Athletic Conference play and reaching its conference tournament championship game. The Owls fell to UTSA 54-40 in the title game, shooting 27.1 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The Owls rank among the top teams in the AAC on both ends of the floor, finishing fourth in scoring offense (70.0) and second in scoring defense (59.5).
Rice leads the nation in free throw shooting at 81.6 percent, with six players converting better than 80 percent from the line.
LEADERSHIP CHANGE: As Sarah Giglio completed her year as the chairwoman of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, vice chairman Keith Burton has succeeded her for the 2026-27 term. (Photo courtesy Independence Bowl)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Caddo Parish Schools superintendent Keith Burton has added another prominent local role in 2026, moving up to chair the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Foundation as the local bowl celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Burton, a longtime educator who officiated high school football and basketball for over 30 years before being named superintendent in September 2024, succeeds the Foundation’s 2025 chairwoman, Sarah Giglio.
“It is a tremendous honor to serve as chairman of the Independence Bowl Foundation during such a special year. The 50th anniversary is an opportunity not only to celebrate the incredible legacy built over five decades, but also to position the Independence Bowl for an even stronger future,” said Burton. “I look forward to working alongside our outstanding staff, volunteers, and Foundation members to deliver another great bowl experience for our community and college football fans.”
The entire 2026 Executive Committee and Board of Directors slate includes some of Shreveport-Bossier City’s most influential leaders and citizens. The executive committee and board members collaborate with the full-time board staff, led by veteran executive director Missy Setters.
Burton leads one of Louisiana’s largest school systems and works closely with educators, community leaders, and business partners to improve educational outcomes and expand opportunities for students. Prior to becoming superintendent, Burton served the district in several leadership roles, including chief academic officer and school principal.
A longtime resident of the Shreveport-Bossier area, Burton has been actively involved in numerous civic, nonprofit, and community organizations. His service includes leadership roles with the Committee of 100, the Rotary Club of Shreveport, the Norwela Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Community in Schools/Volunteers of America (CIS-VOA), and the Shreveport-Bossier Military Affairs Council.
Burton has been a member of the Independence Bowl Foundation for many years and currently serves on its Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Selection Committee. As chairman for the 2026 game, he will help lead the organization during the Bowl’s milestone 50th anniversary season, working alongside staff, volunteers, and board leadership to strengthen conference relationships, enhance the bowl experience for participating teams and fans, and position the Independence Bowl for continued success in the evolving landscape of college football.
The 13-member Independence Bowl Foundation Executive Committee for 2026-27, with their professional affiliations in parenthesis:
Chairman: Keith Burton (Caddo Parish Public Schools)
Vice-Chairman: Greg Lott (Progressive Bank)
1st Vice-Chairman: Tim Wilhite (Wilhite Electric)
2nd Vice-Chairman: Doug Bland (Shelter Insurance – Bland Agency, Inc.)
Treasurer: Jayce Simpson (Community Bank of Louisiana)
Secretary: John David Person (WIELAND)
Immediate Past Chairwoman: Sarah Giglio (Gilmer & Giglio)
Two-Year Term: Victor Mainiero (Caddo Parish Public Schools)
One-Year Term: Taylor Jamison (NextEra Energy Resources)
One-Year Term: Lee Holmes (U.S. Air Force Reserve)
Title Sponsor Ex-Officio: Jerry Skievaski (Radiance Technologies)
The Independence Bowl Foundation has a total of 89 active members of the Board of Directors. The entire board roster can be found at IndependenceBowl.org/team/#board.
FAB FRESHMEN: Tony Montgomery (0) elevates through traffic at the rim while Drew Cooper (11) moves for a possible rebound during BPCC’s home matchup with Paris Junior College last month. (Photo by AMANDA CRANE, Bossier Parish CC)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Freshmen standouts Tony Montgomery and Drew Cooper of the Bossier Parish Community College basketball team have collected All-Region XIV postseason recognition.
Montgomery, a point guard, was one of only two freshmen in the conference to earn first-team status. The 6-1 sparkplug led Region XIV in both scoring (19.5 points per game) and assists (4.9 average).
Montgomery added averages of 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 42 percent from the field, 32 percent from three-point range, and 77 percent from the free throw line.
“Every game he faced double teams, all-out traps, full denial, and box-and-one defenses,” said BPCC first-year coach Jeff Moore. “But it didn’t stop him from scoring. That tells you everything about his toughness and ability.”
Cooper was among seven Region XIV freshmen who received honorable mention. The 6-8 forward contributed 15.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Cooper ranked third in the region in free throw percentage at 84 percent and shot 41 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.
“Drew made huge 3-point shots and post plays for our team all season,” Moore said. “He stepped up in big moments and gave us a strong inside-out presence.”
As a team, the Cavaliers led the conference in three-pointers made (311 total) and shot 34 percent from beyond the arc. BPCC led the region at the free throw line, converting 75 percent of its attempts.
“This group competed every game and continued to improve,” Moore said. “We leaned on a young core that didn’t back down from any challenge, and that experience is going to pay off moving forward. I’m proud of the way they represented BPCC all season.”
Approaching 77 years old, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coach Charles Smith of Alexandria’s Peabody Magnet High School won another state championship over the past weekend, but this one was different than any of the other nine his Warhorses claimed during his 40 years as their head basketball coach.
“My past state championship teams kind of built into that over a two-or three-year period,” Smith said the day after his second-seeded Warhorses whipped 12th-seeded Northside of Lafayette, 82-61, in the Division II Select finals at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. “It usually took two-to-three years to mold a team that was championship caliber. But nobody from this team was on the ’24 team when we won our last title.”
His starters this year often included two freshmen, including 6-foot point guard Corey Blake Jr., a remarkable team leader as a freshman.
“He’s the best point guard (at Peabody) to ever come in as a freshman and start from day one,” said Smith. “He was an 8th-grader last year, and this year he’s been leading the team. He’s an exceptional talent. He took the team on his shoulders, showed up and showed out.”
Smith coached in the championship contest against his former player Troy Jones, who just completed his first season as Northside’s head coach. Jones played for two state championship teams at Peabody in 2010 and 2012.
“I talked to him after the game and gave him a big bear hug,” said Smith. “I told him, ‘You should be proud of your accomplishments as a first-year coach, taking your team to the state championship game.’”
Smith will be 77 on May 15, but looked 27 as he ushered his team toward center court to receive their championship trophy last Saturday afternoon.
The Warhorses finished the season with 30 victories (with three losses but only one that counted as an LHSAA game because two were out of state and one was an exhibition). That gives Smith 1,266 career victories, which puts him just nine wins away from overtaking legendary Morgan Wooten, who logged 1,274 victories in 46 years of coaching (1956-’02) at DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md.
That would put him third overall on the national high school coaching career victories chart behind Ft. Worth prep coaching icon Robert Hughes (1,333) and Gary McKnight, who has 1,306 victories and is still coaching at Mater Dei in Santa Anna, Calif.
Along with his 2019 induction in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Smith was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 2004. It was the first year he appeared on the ballot.
Shreveport-born Natchitoches Central graduate Joe Dumars, also in the Naismith and LSHOF halls, presented him for induction into what is essentially the world’s basketball hall.
Smith, by the way, has a master’s in education from Northwestern State, and in January 2025, NSU president Jimmy Genovese attended a Peabody home game to present the coach with an elite “Nth Degree” award given to people who have brought credit to the Natchitoches university by their accomplishments.
Smith, married for 51 years to the former Rosa Bynog, is showing no signs of slowing down, and he wants to keep coaching.
“I still feel able to help young boys get to a higher level,” said Smith, who was an assistant coach for 10 years at Peabody under Ernest Bowman before becoming head coach, “and I’m not talking just basketball. I didn’t get into (coaching) to win awards or state championships (11 total with one as Bowman’s assistant). I wanted to move young boys to higher levels in life.
“I’m privileged to have gotten my two seniors college scholarships,” he said. “I tell people all the time what matters most to me is what the kids go on from college to do: work for and be vice presidents of Fortune 500 companies, be lawyers, doctors, engineers, airline pilots and all points in between.”
In the meantime, Smith has built such a fan base spread across the region and even America that he said fans traveled from Houston, Dallas and one alumnus even came from Seattle to cheer on the Warhorses in the semifinals and finals in Lake Charles.
He was told if he needed any inspiration for longevity as a high school basketball coach, there is Harold Mulhearn, who has coached for some 70 years for several schools and is now an assistant coach for Fairchild High School in Osseo, Wisconsin. He is 91 and he’s not ready to call it quits.
(Editor’s note: This week and the next two, a visit from three people with three very different and distinct views of Easter… Today, Simon, a Cyrenian, who stood on the Via Dolorosa on the day the Lamb passed by.)
“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac . . . Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, . . .. ‘. . . but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb . . ..’” —Genesis 22:6-8 (NIV)
“And they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross.” — Mark 15:21 (KJV)
Jesus always does the hard part. It might not seem that way in our human moments of trial or suffering, but it is a reality crystal clear when we view our lives through His.
Simon could not have known when he woke up that day that his life would, in mid-morning, change forever. After all, he was just passing through. By divine circumstance, his path crossed the path of the beaten and bleeding Savior.
A scared and timid step forward, a shove, and Simon was in an unwanted spotlight, “compelled” by a soldier’s whip and an order into a moment that would capture his life in God’s Word for eternity.
But it would also capture his heart.
Few people run toward the cross. Most of us must be compelled by the soldier of misfortune, suffering, disease, and any of a thousand pains and problems. Even then, we pick it up kicking and screaming.
But I hope we can be like Simon. Surely . . . after looking into Jesus eyes that day, after seeing up close Christ’s shredded back, His crown of thorns, surely . . . Simon knew that, in comparison, the yoke was easy. Jesus always does the hard part.
How could Simon look at that and not be changed forever?
In the days and weeks after, as news of the Resurrection spread, I imagine Simon’s horror of that day turned into an overwhelming feeling of honor. I imagine him on his knees and, through tears, gazing toward Heaven, arms extended, awed, overcome. I imagine his arms around his sons, his grateful whisper in their ears: “I walked with that Man . . . .”
Have I stood on the Via Dolorosa on a day when the Lamb was passing by? Have I heard bloodthirsty calls from the crowd and seen a virgin’s son, an innocent man, bearing a cross toward the most important, galvanizing, meaningful moment in history? Have my eyes met His on that Way of Grief? Does my back yet feel the wood? Do I cherish the Old Rugged Cross?
STATE OF LOUISIANA, DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA.
In accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana, and with particular reference to the provisions of Title 30 of Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, a public hearing will be held in the Hearing Room, 1st Floor, LaSalle Building, 617 North 3rd Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 9:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2026, upon the application of ADAMAS ENERGY LLC.
At such hearing the Department of Conservation and Energy will consider evidence relative to the issuance of Orders pertaining to the following matters relating to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, in the Elm Grove Field, Caddo and Bossier Parishes, Louisiana.
To authorize applicant to drill, designate and utilize one cross unit horizontal well to serve as a substitute unit well for HA RA SU110, and as an alternate unit well for the HA RA SU67, and two cross unit horizontal wells to serve as alternate unit wells for HA RA SU110 and HA RA SU67, at the locations and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, or at any other legal locations within such units, and to approve exceptions to the spacing provisions of Office of Permitting and Compliance Order No. 361-L, effective July 29, 2008, as to the common boundary of the units which will be served by the cross unit horizontal wells, provided that said cross unit horizontal wells will be perforated no closer than 330’ from any unit boundary other than the common boundary between the affected units, except as requested in Paragraph 2 below.
In addition to the request for exceptional locations as to the common boundary between the affected units, the applicant requests an exception to the well spacing provisions in Order No. 361-L to allow the first and last perforation point or take point in the proposed cross unit horizontal wells to be located no closer than 100’ from the north and south unit lines and no closer than 200’ to any well on a competitive unit completed in, drilling to, or for which a permit has been granted to drill to the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A.
To find that the proposed horizontal wells are necessary to efficiently and economically drain a portion of the Haynesville Zone, underlying the units on which it is proposed to be drilled which cannot be efficiently and economically drained by any existing well on such units, will prevent waste, avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, protect correlative rights and promote the full and efficient development of the natural resources of this state.
To provide that if the horizontal portion of a well is cased and cemented back above the top of the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A, the distance to any unit boundary and offset well(s) will be calculated based on the distance to the nearest perforation in the well and not on the penetration point or terminus of the well in the Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A.
To provide that production from the proposed wells shall be separated and metered individually and that this information shall be reported in the manner prescribed by the Office of Permitting and Compliance.
To provide that the unit allowables for the units to be served by the proposed wells may be produced from the unit/substitute well, from any alternate unit well, or from any combination of such wells serving the unit, at the discretion of the operator.
To provide that production from a cross unit horizontal well shall be allocated to each unit penetrated by the well in the same proportion as the perforated length of the lateral in each such unit bears to the total length of the perforated lateral as determined by an “as drilled” survey performed after the well has been drilled and completed.
To approve exceptions to the Department of Conservation and Energy policy with respect to a single operator per unit to allow Comstock Oil & Gas-Louisiana, LLC to operate its HA RA SU67;Franks 11-16-13-H No. 1 Well (SN 240179), and to allow EnSight IV Energy Management, LLC, to operate its proposed cross unit horizontal well to serve as an alternate unit well for HA RA SU110 and HA RA SU67, at the location and in the general manner shown on the plat submitted with the application, and for applicant to operator the wells proposed herein.
Except insofar as set forth above, to confirm and continue in full force and effect the provisions of Order No. 361-L, effective July 29, 2008, as amended and supplemented by the 361-L Series of Orders, the units created thereby, and of all applicable Statewide Orders.
To consider such other matters as may be pertinent.
The Haynesville Zone, Reservoir A was defined in Order No. 361-L, effective July 29, 2008.
A plat is available for inspection in the Office of Conservation in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Louisiana.
All parties having interest therein shall take notice thereof.
BY ORDER OF:
DUSTIN H. DAVIDSON, SECETARY
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY
Baton Rouge, LA 3/17/26;3/20/26
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE AT THE HEARING, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ENERGY AT P.O. BOX 94275, BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9275 IN WRITING WITHIN TEN (10) WORKING DAYS OF THE HEARING DATE.
BOM Bank was proud to serve as a sponsor of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce 78th Annual Meeting! This year’s theme, “Set Goals and Go Into 2026,” brought a fun Monopoly-inspired twist to an inspiring event focused on growth, strategy, and success. From passing “Go” to setting big goals for the year ahead, the energy in the room was all about moving forward and building stronger businesses in our community. Our BOM teams from Bossier and Caddo Parish had a great time connecting, celebrating, and supporting the incredible work being done across Northwest Louisiana.
BOM’s Catie Colvin, Ireland Slocum, and LaToya Braziel
Northwestern State University hosted over 1500 high school students, faculty sponsors and families from 38 schools from throughout the region for the Northwest Louisiana Literary Rally, Saturday, March 14. The Louisiana High School Rally, an academic competition held throughout the state since 1909, with the regional competition being held at NSU since the 1960’s, is an academic competition in which high school students compete by taking exams in a variety of subjects taught in high school. The Northwest Louisiana Rally held at NSU features different tests ranging from Agriscience to Calculus. Caddo and Bossier parishes were ably represented by students from Caddo Magnet, Benton, Captain Shreve, Huntington, Southwood, Calvary Baptist, Evangel, Loyola, Word of God Academy and Caddo Virtual Academy.
Byrd and Captain Shreve shared first place honors in the Rally’s always competitive Division I. Caddo Magnet won first place in Division II. with Southwood taking third place. Loyola took second place in Division II. Individual students who earn qualifying scores on their test or performance will advance to compete at the state literary rally at LSU in Baton Rouge on April 18.
Hard working teachers raising our young people’s sights and encouraging academic excellence are an integral part of our schools’ mission that all too often goes unrecognized. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for the hours of hard work, dedication and belief in your students’ abilities. Lastly, the Caddo-Bossier Parish Journal wishes all the best to our parishes’ students who will go on to represent Caddo and Bossier parishes at the state rally in Baton Rouge.
If your current security team’s primary strategy is to “observe and report,” you are essentially paying for a professional witness.
By the time an unarmed guard observes a threat, dials 911, and waits for local law enforcement to arrive, the damage to your property, your people, and your corporate reputation is already done. In the high-stakes worlds of energy infrastructure, commercial real estate, and industrial logistics, minutes of downtime cost millions of dollars.
Waiting for an incident to escalate is no longer just an outdated strategy; it is a massive corporate liability.
The End of Reactive Security
Across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, enterprise-level businesses are waking up to a harsh reality: standard security is failing them. The new mandate is proactive deterrence.
Fidelis Protective Services, an elite risk management firm headquartered in Louisiana with a massive four-state operational footprint, is actively replacing the outdated “observe and report” model with specialized, high-impact capabilities designed to neutralize threats before they paralyze your operations.
The Ultimate Deterrent: Specialized K-9 Teams
You can argue with a standard security guard. You cannot argue with a highly trained K-9 detection team.
Fidelis achieves a higher standard of safety by deploying specialized K-9 units alongside highly disciplined security personnel. These elite teams provide mission-critical advantages that standard guards simply cannot match:
Unmatched Visual Deterrence: The physical presence of an FPS K-9 and a disciplined handler provides an undeniable, non-verbal statement of capability. It forces bad actors to immediately de-escalate or abandon their target.
Rapid Post-Incident Stabilization: Whether responding to a bomb threat at a corporate campus, an arson risk at a petrochemical plant, or targeted violence at a distribution hub, a FPS K-9’s advanced detection skills allow for the rapid, precise clearing of an environment.
[ WATCH: The Fidelis Standard in Action ]See exactly how the FPS K-9 Division executes proactive threat deterrence and rapid environmental stabilization.
K-9 Tactical Breakdown “A stabilized environment, when it matters most, requires specialized capabilities,” says Fidelis Protective Services CEO, Lee J. Taylor. “We aren’t just placing a uniform at a desk. By deploying proactive teams across the region, we are actively assessing threats and stabilizing high-risk scenarios so our clients can keep their businesses running.”
Protecting the Infrastructure of the South
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BACK IN THE DANCE: Byron Smith steered eighth-seeded Prairie View to a surprising run to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament last week, moving the Panthers into the NCAA Tournament for the second time, for today’s First Four contest against Lehigh. (Photo courtesy Prairie View A&M Athletics)
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This profile originally ran in the SBJ last Aug. 1. Today in Dayton, Ohio, Airline graduate Byron Smith leads Prairie View A&M into a First Four matchup with Lehigh. The Panthers beat Southern 72-66 to win the SWAC Tournament last week. Today’s game tips off at 5:40 CDT and is on truTV.)
Not many high school kids have it all figured out during their teenage years. There’s too much present to be worrying about the future. They’ll figure it out when it comes time to figure it out.
If you are surprised that former Airline basketball star Byron Smith is still involved in basketball almost four decades after he had one of the greatest scoring seasons in Shreveport-Bossier history, don’t be.
Smith certainly isn’t.
“I always thought the sky’s the limit,” Smith said. “I definitely had visions of doing some things connected with basketball, even at a young age. I always wanted basketball to be a part of my life for the rest of my life.”
Smith is the only Shreveport-Bossier product to currently be a head basketball coach at the Division 1 level. He will begin his ninth full season at Prairie View A&M, where has already been a three-time SWAC regular season champion and made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. He is a three-time conference Coach of the Year.
He took over at Prairie View during 2015-16 in the midst of some in-season turmoil. “It wasn’t the best job in the country by any stretch when I took over,” Smith said. “But we were able to have some success and and built a program.”
Two years after he took over, Smith led Prairie View to perhaps the best three-year stretch in the program’s history, with conference records of 17-1, 14-1 and 13-0. Since then, not so much. The Panthers were 5-27 a year ago.
“Obviously with COVID, things got a little rocky,” Smith said. “There’s been a lot of turnover. We changed (university) presidents. I’ve had six different athletic directors. It’s been difficult with the NIL stuff going on and us not adjusting to the new normal. We’ve fallen behind a little but I think better days are ahead for us at Prairie View.”
There were plenty of good days for Smith and Airline basketball in the 1986-87 season when he averaged 30.5 points per game and was named to the All-State team. He was the first Shreveport-Bossier player to average 30 points per game since Robert Parish in 1971-72.
“That was a phenomenal feat, even if I do have to say so myself,” Smith said. “Especially with no 3-point line back then.”
In high school, he wasn’t all that concerned about his scoring records … until he was.
“I wasn’t much of a basketball historian like I am now,” Smith said. “Once it was brought to my attention, I thought it was something that could propel me into the future. It was something that I felt was attainable.”
In the previous year, the Vikings had gone 30-0 in the regular season, only to lose in the opening round. In Smith’s senior year, it happened again. Airline (26-5) took another first-round loss — the fourth opening round loss in a row.
Seems strange to say, but the year before Smith’s record-setting senior year, he was almost an afterthought on the team as a junior.
“I didn’t get much of an opportunity (as a junior),” he says. “We had some really great players (including future NBA player Larry Robinson) and it was just a numbers deal. I’m not saying I was chasing attention, but (the scoring record) was something I felt could really put me out there for college recruiters.”
Which is what happened. After Airline, he played a year at Northwestern State, finishing 15th in the conference in scoring. But after the season, the Demons had a coaching change, as well as issues with the NCAA, and Smith felt it was best to move on.
“I felt like I was still chasing greatness,” he said. “I wanted to showcase what I could really, really do. I felt like I could play at a higher level.”
He actually placed a call on his own to the University of Houston (“I had always been a Phi Slamma Jamma fan growing up,” he said), but he was given the don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you response.
Instead, he went to Tyler Junior College. And, as luck would have it, he caught the eye of a UH recruiter, who was scouting another player.
“By the grace of God, I fell right into their lap,” he said.
Smith played his final two seasons at Houston, averaging 16.3 and 17.7 points per game (both putting him in the top 5 in the Southwest Conference).
That’s when his basketball adventures really took hold. He’s had plenty of jobs in plenty of places, all with one thing in common — basketball.
He played six seasons professionally (in Australia, Greece and Turkey) and then worked as an entrepreneur coaching skills and fundamentals in the Houston area. He became an assistant coach in 1998 on the staffs at Houston, Texas Southern, McClellan Community College, and Texas A&M.
Smith was even a head coach of one of the Harlem Globetrotters touring teams for a year (2002-03).
It’s been almost 40 years since Smith lit up local gyms in a season that still ranks as one of the greatest ever. But that was only the beginning of his basketball journey.
“I’m blessed beyond measure,” Smith said. “I’ve had a great career and I still think there’s more left in the tank for me to do some really, really good things. I’m thankful to be in the position I’m in today.
HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY: Coach Mike McConathy (left) and forward Byron Allen (right) reminisce about NSU’s 64-63 buzzer-beating upset of Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament Tuesday night at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches. (NSU photo by CHRIS REICH)
By BRAD WELBORN, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director
NATCHITOCHES — Twenty years later, the shot, the celebration and the bond between teammates still feel as real as ever for the members of Northwestern State’s 2006 NCAA Tournament team.
Players, coaches and staff from one of the most iconic teams in a century-plus of program history gathered with an enthusiastic audience of supporters and curious fans Tuesday night at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest History Museum to relive the Demons’ unforgettable buzzer-beating upset of 15th-ranked Iowa in the NCAA Tournament, sharing stories about the moment that stunned the college basketball world along with the brotherhood that made it possible.
For head coach Mike McConathy, the night served as a reminder that the foundation for that historic run was built long before the Demons ever stepped onto the floor in Auburn Hills, Mich., on St. Patrick’s Day 2006.
“The highlight video for that season began with a locker room scene from four years earlier, after we won our first league game with 11 freshmen, when I told them if they stayed together, they could be a great team. We really believed in them,” McConathy said. “Those young men stayed together, and we added pieces along the way. Their sophomore year we got a little bit better, competed and made the conference tournament. Then the next year it all began to click and come together.”
That commitment to each other became a common theme throughout the evening, as players Byron Allen (one of those 2002-03 freshmen) and J.A. Anglin (a freshman in 2005-06, now head coach at Centenary) reflected on how the relationships they built during their time in Natchitoches helped propel them to history and has lasted long after their playing days.
“We basically told each other (as freshmen, and the country’s youngest team for two years) that we would stay together regardless of any outside noise, anybody trying to tear us apart,” Allen said. “Coach may not know it, but everything he was trying to make us do made all of us great fathers, great husbands and everything else. It was sacrifice, and that sacrifice helped a lot of us go on to do big things.”
Players from the 2005-06 team have produced seven active head coaches, three in college and four in high school, along with other successful careers outside the game of basketball. Allen, a Mississippi native who played eight seasons professionally overseas, now runs and owns an engineering business in south Louisiana.
“That’s what every coach desires for his players,” McConathy said. “To see them go on and be productive and successful in life.”
Of course, after tracing the development of a team tabbed “The Demons of Destiny” over their four years at NSU, the conversation eventually turned to March 17, 2006, when as a No. 14 Midwest Region seed, they shocked third-seeded Iowa. The Demons’ depth – McConathy routinely subbed in five-for-five and played a dozen or more Demons – and the resulting relentless pressure defense combined to erase a 17-point deficit with less than eight minutes remaining and produced one of the most memorable finishes in NCAA Tournament history.
Longtime radio voice Patrick Netherton recalled a game from four months earlier when the Demons erased a similar deficit (21 points) on the road at Mississippi State to beat the Bulldogs as the moment he knew this team was special.
“He’s the point guard. He’s the guy that’s supposed to be in charge of breaking the press, and he wanted nothing to do with it,” Netherton said of Mississippi State’s high school all-American point guard in that game. “When I saw that, I thought, this is not just a team that can beat you physically, they can beat you mentally, and they can beat you emotionally. They can wear you down.”
After two seasons of playing strong non-conference schedules with some near misses and a few upset wins, and capturing two straight Southland Conference regular-season titles, the Demons entered the 2006 Big Dance confident they were capable of more than just making an appearance.
“We just went about it as business as usual,” McConathy said. “We knew we had something special, and we needed to stay locked in on what we did best. I always said you go to the NCAA Tournament to try to win games. If your goal is only to get there, you’re not as focused as you need to be. Our mindset was that we were going to win.”
Allen said his role that day at the Palace of Auburn Hils reflected the team’s unselfish approach.
“I knew that game wasn’t going to be me leading from a scoring standpoint,” he said. “It was going to be defense and bringing everybody together. We pressured guys, we got turnovers, and the rest is history.”
The defining moment came in the final seconds, when Jermaine Wallace grabbed an offensive rebound and knocked down the 22-foot corner jumper in the final second to give Northwestern the 64-63 win.
Anglin said the play was the result of habits built over years of practice that he took part in that season and heard about from the veteran players.
“We used to do drills where we were always crashing through the elbows and going after offensive rebounds,” Anglin said. “When Kerwin (Forges) took that shot, Jermaine did what he had practiced for four years.
“He crashed through the elbow, got the rebound and hit the shot. I had a clear view on the bench from the baseline and when it left his hand, I thought, ‘That’s going in.’ It’s what you dream about as a kid. In that moment, it’s as good as it gets.”
The Demons also leaned on big plays in their comeback from a 54-37 deficit in the last eight minutes, including four 3-pointers from Clifton Lee and a momentum-shifting dunk that McConathy still laughs about.
“He left from about inside the free-throw line and dunked it, even though he couldn’t jump over a piece of paper,” McConathy joked. “I’m thinking, ‘no, you’re not going to do that.’ But he had enough in him, and that lifted everybody’s spirits.”
As much as the team accomplished on the floor, McConathy said the support from the Natchitoches community played a major role in making the moment, and the 26-8 season, special.
“The people here in Natchitoches were so important to what we did,” he said. “They stayed with us and encouraged us through a lot of bad basketball (in 2002-04) to get to that point. That’s what made it fun, because the people in this town supported us, and we’re grateful for that.”
Former director of athletics Greg Burke said the significance of the win has only grown with time, both for the program and for the fans who still celebrate it each year.
“There’s a lot of schools like us that may never experience something like that,” Burke said. “So to keep embracing it year after year on March 17 is really special.”
Two decades later, the memories remain vivid, the relationships remain strong and the moment that put Northwestern State Demons basketball on the national stage continues to connect a team, a university, a community and the entire basketball world – except, McConathy good-naturedly noted, for those Iowa fans.
By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Assistant AD for Communications
Former Byrd girls golf standout Sydney Moss earned the spotlight in a visit home when the Centenary teams played host to their annual home tournament, the Hal Sutton Invitational, this week at The Golf Club at Stonebridge in Bossier City.
Moss, a redshirt junior who plays for Mississippi College, shot a 36-hole 149, five over par, and edged her MC teammate Sofia Mendez by one shot for the women’s individual title. They led the Choctaws to the team championship.
A playoff for the men’s individual title went to Oliver Naumann of Hendrix over Jacksonville’s Sam Clair. Hendrix claimed the men’s title by one stroke over Jacksonville’s “B” team.
The Gents finished 10th at 80-over par 656 and were led by a sixth-place tie by junior and former Parkway star Aubrey Snell (+7, 151). The Ladies took fourth (130-over par 704) and were led by sophomore Amber Shaw whose eighth-place 24-over par 168 was her first-career top 10 finish.
Players battled blustery, cold conditions both days as temperatures dropped 30 degrees overnight on Sunday following severe weather. Winds gusted up to 30 MPH on Monday as temperatures held steady in the low 50s. Tuesday was less windy but still cold for the 36-hole event. The men were challenged by a par 72, 6,851-yard layout and the women were tested by a par-72, 5,814-yard course.
BASEBALL: The Diamond Gents (9-13) were edged 3-2 by Millsaps College (7-9) in a non-conference game on Tuesday in Jackson, Miss.
Millsaps earned a season series split. Centenary recorded a 12-2 victory over the Majors in its home opener on Feb. 17.
Centenary, which lost two of three over the weekend at home to LeTourneau University in conference play, returns to league action this weekend against the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. The series begins on Saturday with a doubleheader at noon and concludes on Sunday with a single game at 1.
LACROSSE: The Gents suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday, 22-10 to Keene State College in a non-conference contest at Atkins Field. The Owls evened their record at 3-3.
The Gents (9-1) are on the road this weekend to face Trine University in Angola, Ind. on Friday at 5 and Hanover College in Hanover, Ind. on Saturday at 1.
Centenary, now 5-1 at home this season, held its Senior Day this past Saturday and recorded a 28-1 victory over Spalding University as the Maroon and White recorded their biggest winning margin in program history.
TRACK & FIELD: A school record in the men’s 4×100 meter relay and two individual personal records highlighted the efforts from the Centenary teams in the Ouachita Invitational hosted by Ouachita Baptist University last Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark.
The Gents’ 4×1 team of junior Christian Cormier, sophomore Cameron Hobley, sophomore Dwayne Mills Jr., and sophomore Jay Scott ran the school record time of 42.12.
Scott set a personal record in the long jump (22-6 1/4) to claim the win and freshman Michael Cunningham threw a school record 143-9 in the discus. Scott was named the SCAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
Mills Jr. was sixth in the long jump (20-9 3/4), and freshman Ian Hunter finished ninth in the 3000m steeplechase (12:08.51).
Sophomore Clayton Hancock was the Gents’ top finisher in the 400 meters as he placed eighth (52.13) while junior Bryan Washington was ninth (52.34).
Sophomore Gabrielle Malagarie continued an impressive start to her season as she finished third in the high jump (4-9) and eighth in the long jump (15-2) to highlight the Ladies’ efforts.
Centenary will compete Saturday in the Belhaven Invitational in Jackson, Miss.
MORE TO COME: An abundance of spring sports news will provide reason to return with more Centenary notes in the Friday SBJ.
“Are you finding it harder to set and enforce rules around your children’s screen time and social media use? How do you balance keeping them safe while giving them enough freedom to learn responsibility?”
It really does take less square footage to be a kid now than it did back in the olden days—by which I mean the 60s, 70s, and 80s, when dinosaurs did not roam the earth, but teenagers with giant stereos certainly did.
Back then, if you were a teenager, your bedroom looked like the back room of a Radio Shack. You had a stereo system that took up half the wall. Not a cute little Bluetooth speaker—no, no. This thing had a turntable, an amplifier, and speakers the size of end tables. If you turned the volume up, the windows rattled, the dog hid under the porch, and your mother yelled your full name from three counties away.
And the music collection? Albums were thin, yes, but they were the size of pizza boxes. And every album had a jacket, and the jacket slid into a cover, and some artists released double albums, which meant you needed a forklift to move your collection. Then came eight-tracks (which lasted about as long as a snowball in July), then cassettes, which required their own storage system—usually a shoebox with the lid missing.
If you were lucky, you had a phone in your room. It was attached to the wall by a cord, and the receiver was attached to the base by another cord. If you were really lucky, you had the long cord, the one that let you walk around the room, change albums, and still talk to your best friend about absolutely nothing for two hours.
You also had an alarm clock—or a clock radio—because you needed something to wake you up so you could enjoy that magical sleep between the alarm going off and your parent entering the room to announce, “I said GET UP.” Today we call that the snooze button. Back then we called it “living dangerously.”
Some studious kids had a desk with a typewriter on it. If you had a Pica typewriter, your term papers looked longer, which felt like cheating but wasn’t. And there was almost never a TV in the bedroom. The TV lived in the den, a 25-inch RCA color set that weighed more than a small car. The whole family gathered around it, and since there was no remote, the youngest child served as the official channel changer. It built character.
Fast-forward to 2026. Kids don’t need a whole room anymore. They need a pocket. Their music, alarm, computer, TV, telephone, camera, calculator, flashlight, and speakers are all in one device. Pull out your phone and look at everything it does. It’s a miracle of modern engineering.
There’s a tool that lets us do things we never dreamed possible.
iPhone.
But here’s the thing: for all the problems life throws at us—grief, illness, broken relationships, guilt, confusion, decisions that keep us up at night—there is no app for that. There’s no setting to toggle, no update to install, no notification that says, “Your peace has arrived.”
When you don’t know what to do… When you’ve lost something or someone… When the doctor is puzzled… When your child or parent won’t listen… When you’ve messed up and don’t know how to make it right… When you need direction and can’t find the map…
There is one place to go.
Jesus.
He doesn’t fit in your pocket. He doesn’t need charging. He doesn’t go out of date when the next model comes out. And He’s the only One who can hold everything your phone can’t—your fears, your hopes, your grief, your sin, your future.
Kids today may need less space to grow up. But all of us—no matter our age—need the same Savior to grow into the people God calls us to be.
SHREVEPORT — A man faces multiple charges, including violation of a protective order, after allegedly attacking a woman and damaging a vehicle with a hammer in the parking lot of an Advance Auto Parts store on Mansfield Road, the Shreveport Police Department reported.
Officers responded to the store at 8953 Mansfield Road at approximately 9 a.m. March 13 after a 911 caller reported a disturbance involving a fight in the parking lot.
Investigators determined that Weldon Trant allegedly arrived at the location armed with a hammer and began chasing a man and woman through the parking lot. Trant allegedly struck the female victim in the face and used the hammer to damage the male victim’s vehicle.
Officers also discovered an active protective order was in place prohibiting Trant from having any contact with the female victim.
Trant fled the scene before officers arrived but was later located and taken into custody.
He faces charges of simple battery of a dating partner, violation of a protective order, and aggravated criminal damage to property.
BATON ROUGE — A bill moving through the Louisiana Legislature would raise the state’s minimum wage above the federal level for the first time in nearly two decades, and if lawmakers approve it, Louisiana voters would have the final say this November.
Senate Bill 230, authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, would establish what supporters are calling a “state livable wage” of $10.25 per hour — a more than 40 percent increase over the current rate of $7.25 per hour, which has been the standard since 2009.
The bill is currently before the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.
How It Would Work
Because the measure would amend the Louisiana Constitution, it faces a higher legislative bar than standard bills. Both the House and Senate would need to approve it by a two-thirds majority before it could advance to voters. If the legislature passes it, the measure would appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide election ballot. A simple majority of voters approving it would put the new wage into effect Jan. 1, 2027.
After that, the wage would adjust annually each Sept. 30 based on the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, rounded to the nearest five cents.
For a full-time worker at 40 hours per week, the increase from $7.25 to $10.25 would translate to roughly $500 more per month in gross wages.
Exemptions in the Bill
The proposal includes several carve-outs. Employees under the age of 16 and workers at businesses with annual gross receipts of $300,000 or less would remain subject to the federal minimum wage rather than the higher state rate. Tipped employees could be paid below the livable wage — but no less than half — provided their tips bring total compensation up to the livable wage for all hours worked. Family members employed by a solely family-owned business and individuals with mental or physical disabilities, under a licensed program, would also be exempt.
Local Impact
Supporters argue the increase is long overdue, noting that a full-time worker earning the new rate would take home roughly $500 more per month than at the current federal minimum. Lawmakers backing the bill say the built-in inflation adjustment is designed to prevent wages from losing ground over time — a feature that has drawn both praise from worker advocates and concern from small business owners who worry about unpredictable annual payroll increases.
Louisiana is currently among a small number of states that have not established their own minimum wage above the federal level.
What Happens Next
The bill has not yet passed committee or either legislative chamber. A companion measure, House Bill 209, introduced by state Rep. Delisha Boyd, also addresses minimum wage increases and is pending in the House. If SB 230 clears the legislature with the required two-thirds vote in both chambers, Louisiana voters would decide the question Nov. 3.
