Shreveport police have arrested a suspect accused of attempting to cash fraudulent checks at a local credit union.
According to the Shreveport Police Department, officers responded April 22, 2026, around 2:35 p.m. to Wesla Federal Credit Union’s Fern Branch after receiving a report of an individual attempting to negotiate a fraudulent check. Upon arrival, officers identified the suspect as Berma Hogan, who was allegedly attempting to cash a $900 fraudulent check.
Investigators determined Hogan had successfully negotiated two additional fraudulent checks in the days prior, including transactions on April 20 at the Fern Branch and April 21 at the Williamson Way Branch of Wesla Federal Credit Union. Both checks were later returned after officials found no record of the associated account.
Hogan was taken into custody without incident and charged with bank fraud.
Authorities credited responding officers and the Shreveport-Caddo Financial Crimes Task Force for their role in identifying and stopping the scheme.
The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Shreveport Police Department or Caddo Crime Stoppers.
All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. recently honored two longtime deputies for their outstanding commitment and dedication to public service during a special recognition ceremony.
Lt. Donnie Laney and Sgt. Kevin Stewart was recognized on April 23 for reaching the milestone of 30 years of service with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office. Throughout their careers, both deputies have demonstrated professionalism, leadership, and a steadfast commitment to the citizens of Caddo Parish.
“Thirty years of service is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the dedication these deputies have shown to this agency and our community,” said Sheriff Whitehorn Sr. “Lt. Laney and Sgt. Stewart has each made a lasting impact through their service, and we are proud to recognize their contributions.”
The ceremony highlighted the importance of experience and commitment within the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the role veteran deputies play in mentoring the next generation of law enforcement professionals.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere appreciation and congratulations to Lt. Laney and Sgt. Stewart for their decades of service.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office proudly recognizes its Communications Division, following the formal honors bestowed on several dispatchers by the Caddo Parish Commissioners during their meeting on April 23.
The recognition highlighted the dispatchers’ unwavering dedication, professionalism, and commitment to public service. Often serving as the first point of contact in emergencies, these men and women play a critical role in ensuring the safety of both citizens and first responders.
Caddo Parish Commissioners expressed their appreciation for the demanding, often unseen work that dispatch personnel perform daily. Their ability to remain calm under pressure, provide life-saving instructions, and coordinate rapid responses is essential to the success of law enforcement operations.
“This recognition is well deserved,” said Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. “Our dispatchers are the calm voice in moments of crisis. Their work requires skill, compassion, and a true calling to serve others. We are incredibly proud of each of them and grateful for the dedication they bring to this profession every day.”
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere thanks to the Parish Commissioners for acknowledging the vital role dispatchers play in keeping the community safe.
Gumbo to Geaux’s front entrance, 4100 Barksdale Blvd., Suite 112, Bossier City, with the menu below.
By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
I have been going to Gumbo to Geaux, 4100 Barksdale Blvd, Suite 112, Bossier City, since I moved to South Bossier in 2008. Having a good Cajun restaurant close by is a luxury. Despite its name, Gumbo to Geaux does have a dining room.
My normal day to visit is on Wednesday, as one of their daily specials that day is Chicken and Dumplings with a little Cajun flair. I usually pull up to their drive-through window and take it with me. The portion size is so big that I get an extra lunch out of my trip. I don’t want to say it’s the best Chicken and Dumplings I’ve ever had, but I would put it up against anyone’s.
This week I made myself go on a different day as to not be tempted to get what I already know is great. I still took it to “geaux.” I ordered seafood gumbo — you have to order the item that’s in the name, right? It wasn’t the only thing I ordered, however.
The gumbo features a darker roux, which is my personal preference, but I know people can be particular about the color of their roux. There was plenty of seafood and rice in the bowl.
I’m warning everyone the gumbo has a kick, like a clear-your-sinuses kick. It’s not overpowering, but it’s there. I’m glad I waited for lunch the next day to have it.
For my meal I had the fried catfish and shrimp combo, which came with Cajun fries and cole slaw. I don’t like cabbage, so that went uneaten. The catfish and shrimp were cooked to perfection with a nice crunch of the coating, yet juicy inside. The platter did not have the kick the gumbo did — at first, anyway. As I ate, each bite added another degree of heat that reminded me I was eating Cajun food.
I had to get their homemade bread pudding, and boy I am glad I did. It was so good and the perfect cleanse for my palate, just like a good dessert should.
Gumbo to Geaux runs daily specials Monday through Friday. They are available while they last, and I have lost out a few times on my Chicken and Dumplings.
I have tried the beef tips and the chicken fried steak, the two items that are Thursday’s specials. I would get them again. The one that intrigues me is Friday’s special; Catfish Queso. I look at that every time I am in there, but it’s just never Friday! One day I will remember on a Friday and I’ll try it, because it sounds great.
As most Cajun restaurants do, Gumbo to Geaux has hot boiled crawfish in season.
STRECHING IT: Calvary’s Cooper Holmes reaches for a throw for a force out at first base last week as the Cavaliers advanced to this week’s state quarterfinals in the LHSAA baseball postseason. (Photo by APRIL WESSON, courtesy Calvary Baptist Academy)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Benton and Loyola overcame Game 1 losses on their homefields and posted 2-1 series wins over the weekend to reach this week’s state quarterfinals in the LHSAA baseball playoffs.
The Tigers, seeded sixth, get to host a quarterfinal series beginning Thursday against Destrehan.
The fifth-seeded Flyers go to Lafayette for a series starting Thursday at Acadiana Renaissance School.
Calvary swept visiting Fisher Wednesday and Thursday to punch its Select Division III quarterfinal ticket. The Cavaliers will host Dunham, the same school that beat the Cavaliers in the football state championship game in December, in the quarterfinals starting Wednesday.
Captain Shreve and Haughton were halted in tightly-contested regional round series.
After a Game 1 3-1 victory over third seeded John Curtis, Evangel was routed twice in New Orleans. Plain Dealing was run-ruled in its opening round playoff contest at Delcambre.
Regional round scores, quarterfinal matchups
Non-Select Division I
Benton-St. Amant: Game 1 St. Amant 11-6, Game 2 Benton 10-3, Game 3 Benton 11-6. Benton wins series 2-1, hosts No. 14 Destrehan Thursday-Friday-Saturday in quarterfinals
Haughton at Sam Houston: Game 1 Sam Houston 4-0, Game 2 Sam Houston 7-3. Sam Houston advances.
Select Division I
Captain Shreve at Alexandria Senior High: Game 1 ASH 2-0, Game 2 ASH 1-0. Alexandria advances.
Evangel at John Curtis: Game 1 Evangel 3-1, Game 2 Curtis 15-1, Game 3 Curtis 16-3. John Curtis advances.
Select Division II
Loyola-Archbishop Shaw: Game 1 Shaw 3-2, Game 2 Loyola 8-3, Game 3 Loyola 6-0. Loyola wins series 2-1, goes to (4) Acadiana Renaissance Charter Thursday-Friday in quarterfinals
Select Division III
Calvary-Fisher: Game 1 Calvary 6-0, Game 2 Calvary 3-0. Calvary wins series 2-0, hosts (11) Dunham Wednesday-Thursday in quarterfinals
Non-Select Division IV
Delcambre 20, Plain Dealing 0 (opening round, single elimination)
NOT THE PROBLEM LSU scored eight runs in all three games at Mississippi State but the Tigers’ pitching and defense was not good enough as their SEC skid continued. (Photo courtesy LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
STARKVILLE, Miss. – It seems as if the baseball gods are evening the score with defending national champion LSU.
A year after the Tigers dodged major injuries and seemingly made just about every clutch play when needed, fifth-year head coach Jay Johnson can’t buy a break lately.
When pitcher Casan Evans experienced arm discomfort during pregame warmups and was scratched from the starting lineup less than an hour before Friday’s SEC series opener at No. 11 Mississippi State, it started a chaotic chain reaction in the pitching rotation that haunted LSU all weekend.
The Tigers produced 24 runs – eight in each game, but LSU’s relievers blew leads of 7-3 in Game 1, 7-2 in Game 2 and 8-5 in Game 3. It led to State wins of 10-8 in 11 innings, 9-8, and 13-8 for a series sweep.
After being swept at Ole Miss two weeks ago and at home by Texas A&M last week, the 2026 Tigers (24-21 overall, 6-15 SEC) became the first team in school history to get swept in three consecutive SEC series. LSU’s nine-game league losing streak is also the longest ever for a program that owns eight national championships, including two (2023, 2025) in the previous four seasons.
“When you have to ask guys to do more than maybe they should,” Johnson said of his relievers, “you get in trouble.”
When Evans couldn’t start in game one – “If he can pitch, I think it’s a different series,” Johnson said – key reliever and occasional third-game starter Gavin Guidry took his place.
Because the Tigers were trying desperately to hold for a Game 1 win that went to 11 innings before a two-out, two-run game-winning homer by A&M catcher Kevin Milewski, Johnson used arguably his top three relievers, including Zac Cowan.
“We had to shuffle the deck,” Johnson said. “The separation between the two teams was their bullpen.”
Ten State relievers allowed seven earned runs in 18.2 innings (3.46 ERA). Thirteen LSU relievers gave up 20 earned runs in 19 innings (9.47 ERA).
Tigers’ relievers issued more walks (17) than strikeouts (16), had four wild pitches, and allowed seven extra-base hits.
LSU scored 22 of its 24 runs in the first six innings. But the rest of the way, the Bulldogs (34-10, 10-8 SEC) outscored the Tigers 14-2.
After LSU lost starting right fielder Jake Brown (broken hamate bone) and starting pitcher Cooper Moore (Olecranon fracture in right elbow) for the season earlier in the week, starting left fielder Chris Stanfield and starting infielder John Pearson sustained hamstring injuries during the series.
Still, the Tigers battled valiantly despite starting four true freshman position players in all three games.
Two of the newbies — catcher-designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. and first baseman-right fielder Mason Braun – were outstanding.
Serna Jr. hit .571 (8 for 14), including two doubles, three homers (one in each game), six RBI, and six runs.
Braun batted .538 (7 for 13) with a triple, two RBI, and four runs.
“They are two of our best hitters right now,” Johnson said. “That is a positive, a silver lining, and I like the make-up of the people that they are and what they are going to mean to our program going forward. We can build off of the experience they’re gaining now.”
The Tigers, who have lost five of their seven SEC series, play two of their last three league series at home, starting with South Carolina (22-23, 5-13 SEC) on Friday in Alex Box Stadium.
Here’s an LSU-Mississippi State series recap:
GAME 1: MISSISSIPPI STATE 10, LSU 8 (11 innings) – Bulldogs’ catcher Kevin Milewski hit a walk-off two-run homer to win Friday’s opener. LSU led 7-3 in the fourth inning, but State eventually tied the game with two runs in the sixth without recording a base hit. MSU capitalized on an error, three walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch.
LSU regained the lead in the top of the ninth on freshman right fielder William Patrick’s two-out RBI single. The Bulldogs tied the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out run-scoring single by shortstop Ryder Goodson.
GAME 2: MISSISSIPPI STATE 9, LSU 8 – MSU battled back from a 7-2 deficit for the Saturday night win by scoring seven runs in the final two innings. The Bulldogs scored five runs in the seventh, highlighted by right fielder Jacob Parker’s game-tying grand slam.
MSU took a 9-7 lead in the eighth when designated hitter Noah Sullivan lined an RBI single, and another run scored later in the inning when LSU committed an infield error.
GAME 3: MISSISSIPPI STATE 13, LSU 8 – Third baseman Ace Reese homered and collected four RBI to lead the Bulldogs and complete the series sweep Sunday afternoon. LSU freshmen Mason Braun and Omar Serna Jr. combined for six hits, three RBI, and four runs scored.
MSU took a 9-8 lead with four runs in the sixth inning as the Bulldogs capitalized on an LSU error, and Reese’s RBI double highlighted the rally.
Bradley Dale Peveto, who was defensive coordinator for Coach Sam Goodwin’s NSU football teams from 1996-98 and later the Demons’ head coach, spoke during Saturday’s memorial service at Turpin Stadium. (Journal photo by KEVIN SHANNAHAN)
By JASON PUGH, NSU Sports Information Director
The numbers Sam Goodwin compiled walking the sidelines as Northwestern State’s football coach speak for themselves.
The 102 wins, the four conference championships, the 22 All-Americans and 38 NFL players produced in 17 seasons he coached are impressive, but they fail to encapsulate what Goodwin meant to the legion of Demon players who flourished on and off the field under his tutelage. He was celebrated in a stirring 90-minute memorial service Saturday morning at NSU’s Turpin Stadium, with an array of speakers sharing memories – some poignant, some powerful, some hilarious, but all compelling.
Former players, coaches, staff and colleagues along with hundreds of supporters and friends, and the 2026 NSU football team, attended the event.
“Coach was just a great human being, a great person,” said wide receiver Pat Palmer, a 2016 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the Top 100 Demon Players of All-Time. “He loved his players. He proved that year after year. I gave coach a few problems during my time, but he loved me regardless. He was always there for me no matter what the situation. He influenced a lot of boys to be men.”
In 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach, Goodwin took the Demons to three Southland Conference championships and a Gulf Star Conference title.
Palmer was a key member of Northwestern’s 1997 SLC title team before playing professionally in the NFL (2000-02) and the CFL. He credited Goodwin’s influence for helping shape him as a player and as a person.
“I was leaving school one weekend, going home and got pulled over,” Palmer said. “I kind of got into a little debacle. Coach Goodwin didn’t have to do this, but coach came to court with me. Even though nothing came of it, it was the idea he showed up. He didn’t have to do that. He could have said, ‘I’m done with this player.’ He literally showed up.
“He would show up for you, no matter what it was. It wasn’t just about football. He was genuinely a good man.”
Goodwin’s impact was not limited to just his players or how it affected them in their playing career.
Former Northwestern head coach Brad Laird both played and coached for Goodwin as part of his Demon journey. Long before he set the school’s since-broken all-time passing yardage mark, Laird was a down-the-depth-chart option who was forced into his first start as a freshman at then-Southwest Texas State.
After an inauspicious beginning – Laird threw three interceptions in the first quarter – the quarterback learned what kind of man his head coach was.
“This is a memory I won’t forget,” said Laird, now the head coach at Natchitoches Central High School. “We’re sitting on the bus waiting for the long ride home. The last one to walk from the locker room to the bus was coach Goodwin. I vividly remember him walking to the bus and when he got on the bus it was like he had more confidence in me then he did prior to the game. That’s how I felt. That’s how he made people feel. That’s why he had the success he did. He turned those situations into opportunities to be successful. Him sticking with me is probably why I am where I am today.”
Laird, whose Demon playing career covered the 1991 through 1995 seasons, is the son of a football coach, but it wasn’t clear he would follow his father’s footsteps into the family business.
Goodwin helped see that the Laird coaching tree grew another branch.
“There are a few coaches that, outside of my mom and dad, had a big impact on my career, and Sam Goodwin is on top of that list,” said Laird, who served as a graduate assistant under Goodwin in 1996. “At that time, I didn’t know it, but looking back, he definitely saw something in me, not just as a player but also as a coach before anybody else did. That belief in me really changed the trajectory of my career. My first year playing football at Northwestern, I wasn’t going toward being a coach. I was going in a different direction. As I watched the way he impacted us, that was the biggest influence on where I am today.”
Goodwin’s final season at the helm of Northwestern was in 1999 – one year after taking the Demons to the FCS semifinals and a school-record-tying 11-win season.
Nearly three decades later, he could still be found around the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex, lending an open ear or an encouraging word for current Demon head coach Blaine McCorkle.
Much like Laird, McCorkle is the son of a football coach, having grown up around the game.
Upon Goodwin’s passing, McCorkle posted a moving tribute on social media focused on the encouragement Goodwin gave to the man who now occupies his former office, coaching until the very end.
“The origin of the word coach is a Hungarian term for a carriage that takes you somewhere you can’t go by yourself,” McCorkle said. “That’s what we need coaches for. That’s why I needed him. I couldn’t start the first two years without knowing he was in my corner. So, wherever we go in the future, it’s going to be because he helped carry me and our staff there to get us started.
“He is Northwestern State football. He did it as well as anybody here. He is the standard. I get the unique privilege to stand on the shoulders of a giant, and I don’t take that lightly.”
WALKING IT OFF: Carlos Sanchez celebrates his game-winning, 11th-inning double for LSUS Saturday evening to close out the Pilots’ first-round conference tournament series. (Photo courtesy LSUS Athletics)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Carlos Sanchez delivered a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting LSU Shreveport to an 8-7 victory over the University of the Southwest to complete a two-game sweep of a Red River Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament first round on Saturday evening at Pilot Field.
The No. 2-seeded Pilots improved to 38-12 overall on the heels of a 10-0 rout of the Mustangs on Friday evening. Brock Lucas had a dominant seven-inning start, allowing only three hits and striking out 12.
Saturday’s contest was different, but the result was even more satisfying. LSUS got even better news when the RRAC Baseball Championship Tournament site was shifted from Sterlington to Pilot Field, with the four-team event beginning Friday.
The deciding blow came after Spencer Sullivan sparked the rally with a one-out double to left. Sanchez followed by driving a 3-2 pitch into right field, plating Sullivan with the winning run and sending the Pilots spilling out of the dugout in celebration.
Sanchez finished 3-for-6 with two RBIs, including the game-winner, while Sullivan added three hits and scored twice. Dorien Jackson turned in a six-hit performance, going 6-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored to pace a 15-hit LSUS attack.
Funeral services honoring the life of Cleveland Wayne Wyatt Sr. will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at Old Pisgah Baptist Church, 15192 LA-120, Marthaville, Louisiana. A visitation will be held from 12:00 p.m. until the time of service. Officiating the service will be Bro. Eric Wilburn.
Cleveland Wayne Wyatt Sr. of DeBerry, Texas, known to many as Dad, Papa, Grandpa, Uncle Wayne, and above all, a devoted and loving husband, passed on April 22, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana at the age of 70. He was born on August 14, 1955, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Cleveland DeVance Wyatt and Gladys Odessa Goings.
Wayne spent most of his life working in the oil and gas industry and was a business owner of several ventures over the years. He was a true jack-of-all-trades—there wasn’t much he couldn’t do or fix. If someone was stuck, struggling, or simply needed a helping hand, Wayne was the one you called. Whether it was pulling someone out of the mud, helping build a home, cutting down a tree, rewiring a house, fixing a vehicle, or just sitting and listening, he was always there.
He was a contractor for many years and took pride in his work, but even more so in the people he helped along the way. Wayne coached many of his son’s teams growing up and became a father figure to countless kids who weren’t his own. To his children’s friends—and really to anyone who needed it—he was simply “Dad.”
Wayne was a man of God whose faith never wavered. Through every challenge he faced, he remained strong, trusting in God’s grace and never giving up. He was one of the strongest men his family has ever known, a man whose life was a testimony of perseverance, faith, and unconditional love. He loved his family deeply and without question—his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were the center of his world.
Honoring Wayne as pallbearers will be Wayne Wyatt II, Dan Landreneaux, Taylor Pierce, Jeff Anders, Abram Anders, Chad Stackpole, Brandon Bertolis, and Luis Deleon. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Jimmy Feazel and Jerry Sandifer.
Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, Cleveland Wyatt and Gladys Phillips; his brother, Ronnie Dale Wyatt; and his granddaughter, Addisyn Wyatt.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 33 years, Jo-Nell Wyatt; his son, Wayne Wyatt II and wife Michal; his daughters, Quinnon Anders and husband Jeff, Olivia Wyatt and significant other Dan Landreneaux, and Emily Wyatt and significant other Taylor Pierce. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Abram Anders and wife Kennedy, Emalyn Anders and fiancé Johnathan, Lawson Wyatt, Lucas Ortiz, and Walker Wyatt; and his great-grandchildren, Madelyn Demoss, Alexander Demoss, and Parker Anders, along with numerous nieces and nephews, extended family members, and dear friends
Mary Elizabeth Hendrick Krauel passed away on April 24, 2026 at the age of 93. She was born in Shreveport, LA, where she attended local schools and graduated from Byrd High School in 1950. She attended SMU in Dallas, TX, where she belonged to Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. While at SMU, she met and married the love of her life, Robert W. Krauel. They made their home in Shreveport.
Mrs. Krauel held BA and Master’s degrees plus 48 hours above the masters. After obtaining her BA and Master’s degree from Northwestern State University, she was inducted into the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi honor society. She was a long-time member of the Retired Teacher’s Association and the Caddo Retired Teacher’s Association. She was instrumental in writing the guidelines for the first fundamental elementary school from which most of the elementary and middle school magnets have sprung. She also helped write guidelines for the Secondary Aide Program for Caddo Parrish. After retiring from teaching, she owned and operated The Writer’s Service.
Mrs. Krauel loved working in her garden and said, “It was good for her soul.” She organized the Spring Lake Garden Club and served as president. Mrs. Krauel was a long-time, faithful member of Broadmoor Baptist Church and a loyal member of her Sunday School class. When her children were young, she taught youth Sunday School and served as leader of the Youth Training Union.
Mary Elizabeth Krauel was preceded in death by her parents, Judge Ruvian D. Hendrick and Willie Ford Hendrick; her beloved husband of 67 years, Robert W. Krauel; her son Robert W. Krauel, Jr; and her brother Ruvian D. Hendrick, Jr. She is survived by daughter Diane Krauel Perkins (Cecil); granddaughters Laura Colvin (Bradley), Leslie Mulford (Andrew), and Lynn Jenkins (Matthew); grandsons, Ian Krauel and Eric Krauel; and twelve great-grandchildren.
Mary Elizabeth was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Memorials may be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Shreveport, LA, Broadmoor Baptist Church, or charity of donor’s choice.
It was one of the greatest smells to ever grace a 10-year-old’s nostrils. It also defined the term “sight to behold.”
There it was; all laid out on in front of me. A kid baseball player’s dream.
For me, this scene played out at Harbuck’s or Crawford Womack’s. For you, it might have been another place at another time.
But we all come back to that same core memory – getting a new baseball glove.
For a kid, getting a glove is like getting a new friend. There’s a certain knowledge that if you take care of it, it will take care of you. You’d hang onto it well beyond its life expectancy because you just couldn’t bring yourself to move on to another.
It just didn’t seem right to treat a friend like that.
One of the great things about a baseball glove is that it is completely unlike almost any other purchase you make. When Dad bought you a bicycle, you’d hop on and away you’d go. Instant satisfaction. Nothing to it.
Not a baseball glove. There’s a process involved that can’t be taken for granted. From the moment you tried it on until the day the strings started coming out, you had to care for it like it was a newborn because in many ways, it was.
Crawford Womack had a sporting goods store on Southern Avenue and I got (almost) every glove I had from there until he sold the business in 1973. The memory of walking in the door and seeing what seemed like miles and miles of baseball gloves is something that will always live with me.
Rawlings, Wilson and Spalding brands all basically saying “pick me” as I tried to adsorb the aura that lay before me. Mr. Womack, who I am convinced was 137 years at the time, would be in there firing up a stogie and ready to offer a recommendation if needed. But he knew the deal; you don’t just grab a glove and take it to the checkout counter.
They all had subtle differences – color, texture, size – but one glorious similarity. They all smelled like heaven.
For a kid, you had to look inside the glove to find what might have been the real deal-breaker: Who’s autographed it? You’d much rather have a Brooks Robinson glove than a Bobby Shantz glove. I had both during my glove-buying childhood. (Quick note: Bobby Shantz, who I would never have heard of had I not had his glove model, is still alive at 100 years old and is the last surviving major leaguer who played in the 1940s.)
But the life of a glove truly begins when you get home. Buy a set of golf clubs and you can hit them in the parking lot. Buy a basketball and you can dribble it on the way out the door.
To get a glove broken in and ready for gametime, you need equal amounts of time and TLC. And just about every glove-owning family has a secret recipe that is as proven as grandma’s six-cheese casserole.
There is the run-over-it-with-the-family-car method, which we never tried (for fear of tire tracks).
Others would tightly wrap it with tape around the outside and leave it alone for a few days.
I’ve heard others who would dunk it in water to help break it in, though I think that’s pure blasphemy.
At the Marshall household, we subscribed to the put-it-under-the-mattress method but ALWAYS with a ball inside of it. Sure, we’d wake up with a sore back, but hey, no pain no (leather) gain. A few days under the ol’ Sealy and we were well on the way.
But the job wasn’t done until the glove could completely close on its own and lay down flat though, with just the right amount of curvature; the exact opposite of the way it looked when it left Womack’s.
Or S&H Green Stamps.
I loved my mother like you wouldn’t believe – the woman taught herself to keep score at games – but Mom took an E during my youth baseball days when she saved up enough Green Stamps (kids, ask your grandparents) to get me a new glove.
Let’s just say that the selection at the Green Stamps redemption center wasn’t quite as voluminous as the selection at Crawford Womack’s. But when I came home one day after school, I had a new baseball glove.
Bossier Parish officials say this year’s Operation Clean Sweep resulted in a significant cleanup effort across parish roadways.
According to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, a total of 11.5 tons of trash were removed and 27 tires were properly disposed of during the community-wide initiative.
Sheriff Whittington and the sheriff’s office expressed appreciation to all participants, noting the strong turnout and collaboration that helped make the event successful. Officials said the effort reflects ongoing community pride and a commitment to keeping Bossier Parish clean and maintained.
Caddo Parish Parks and Recreation has provided an update on planned dredging work at the Earl G. Williamson boat launch, according to District 1 Commissioner Chris Kracman.
Parks and Recreation Director Patrick Wesley said the parish will begin receiving contractor quotes in June and July. After selecting a contractor, officials will confirm a work schedule, with dredging potentially beginning in late August or early September.
Officials noted that late summer is typically chosen for the project because water levels at Caddo Lake are at their lowest near the ramp, allowing for easier access for contractors. The dredging process is expected to take about two weeks, depending on weather conditions.
HAPPY DAY: Calvary players including Amilea Bains (3) celebrate as they advanced to the state semifinals with a shutout win at home Thursday over Bunkie. (Photo by APRIL WESSON, courtesy Calvary Baptist Academy)
JOURNAL SPORTS
The Calvary softball team’s drive toward a sixth straight state championship rolled on Thursday as three home runs and a 13-strikeout performance from senior ace Kynzee Anderson propelled the top-seeded Lady Cavaliers to an 8-0 victory over No. 8 Bunkie in a Select Division III state quarterfinal.
Loren Sivils, Jaycee Sledge and Baylor Bockhaus homered for the winners, who scored four times in the sixth inning to blow it open.
Calvary (35-1) will wait until this evening to learn its semifinal opponent next Friday in Sulphur at the state tournament. District rival D’Arbonne Woods, the fourth seed, is hosting No. 5 St. Louis in a 5 o’clock quarterfinal.
Sivils, who clubbed three home runs in three trips to the plate in a regional round three-inning 15-0 rout of Fisher on Tuesday, made it four in a row in the second inning Thursday when she went big fly for a 1-0 lead. Anderson tripled and courtesy runner Halle Brooke Rinaudo scored to double the edge.
Bockhaus contributed a third-inning RBI single and Calvary made it 4-0 in the fifth by scoring on an outfield error. Sledge’s homer upped the lead to 5-0 in the sixth and Bochhaus delivered a two-run blast, her 20th of the year, for the 8-0 margin.
Anderson gave up a leadoff double to open the game and held Bunkie without a hit afterward to secure Calvary’s 12th consecutive state semifinal berth.
SPRINGBOARD: Caden Pryor scored the go-ahead run in Loyola’s comeback win in Game 2 Thursday. (Photo by CADE KIRBY, Loyola Student Media)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Visiting Evangel surprised third-seeded John Curtis in Metairie Thursday in the opener of their best-of-3 Select Division I baseball series, while Loyola salvaged a split of its homefield doubleheader to set up a winner-take-all Game 3 today, and Calvary blanked Fisher to move forward to a quarterfinal series next weekend.
Evangel, the 14th seed (18-14), took the lead in the fourth inning and held off the Patriots (28-7). Game 2 is today at 4, with an if necessary third game following if Curtis evens the series.
After losing the first game 3-2 and falling behind 3-1 in the second game of its best-of-three series against 12th-seeded Archbishop Shaw Thursday, the Loyola Flyers rallied for an 8-3 win to send their Select Division II battle to a deciding game this afternoon.
The fifth-seeded Flyers scored runs on two wild pitches to tie in the fourth inning — both with two outs — then took the lead in the fifth when Jake Black’s two-out double scored Caden Pryor. Kingston Adams added a two-run single in the sixth to extend the lead.
Adams, Grayson Minnis and Black each had two hits. Luca Golden (6-0) was the winning pitcher, striking out five.
The Flyers (20-14) are scheduled to meet Shaw (13-19) in Game 3 today at 5 p.m. at Cicero Field.
Calvary, the third seed in Select Division III, shut out the visiting Gators for the second straight day. Garrett Lee’s steal of home accounted for the final run.
Calvary improved to 23-13 while No. 14 Fisher finished 22-12. The Cavs will host a quarterfinal series next weekend.
Thursday’s regional round scores
Select Division I
Evangel 3, John Curtis 1 (Evangel leads series, 1-0)
SETTING THE PACE: Sophomore outfielder Derek Curiel is LSU’s leading hitter and ranks among SEC leaders in three offensive statistics. (Photo by MITCHELL SCAGLIONE, LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
STARKVILLE, Miss.— In an unexpected season of the lowest lows, LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson is hoping his week concludes better than it started.
It isn’t enough that the defending national championship Tigers (24-18 overall, 6-12 SEC) are trying to avoid a school-record setting nine straight SEC losses as they open this weekend’s league series at No. 11 Mississippi State (31-10, 10-8 SEC) here today.
The mountain to climb into consideration for an NCAA Tournament bid grew exponentially on Tuesday when Johnson confirmed his best player and a starting pitcher are out for the season with injuries.
Junior right fielder Jake Brown (broken hamate bone) and starting pitcher Cooper Moore (Olecranon fracture in right elbow) are done for the year.
Moore had missed the last four SEC series, resting the arm in an effort to rehab. But it was finally determined this past weekend, after he threw in the bullpen, that the arm was not responding.
Sophomore William Schmidt has since stepped into Moore’s role as the game 2 starter in conference play.
But the loss of Brown is massive. He’s No. 5 in the SEC in home runs (16) and No. 5 in RBI (49).
“He’s easily one of my favorite players of all time,” Johnson said earlier this week. “He was a leader for this team, and I’m proud of his development. I can’t say enough good things about him.
“That (the season-ending injury) was a gut punch not just for the production for the team, but that dude means a lot to me, and not the way you want you know a career of that caliber to end. First question he asked me is, `Can I continue to travel?’ and I was like, `You can coach third base if you want to’, so I just love him.”
True freshman William Patrick from Monroe started in Brown’s place in Tuesday night’s win over UNO. He had an RBI.
“He’s got a good future here,” Johnson said of Patrick. “He can add two elements that maybe we’re missing a little bit. Athleticism on the team as a whole, and he’s a good competitor too.”
Perfect Game rated Patrick as the No. 2 Louisiana high school player in the Class of 2025. He was a three-time All-State selection in football and a state long jump champion.
Mississippi State enters today’s riding game with a five-game win streak, which includes a 6-2 win over Memphis on Tuesday and an SEC sweep at South Carolina last weekend.
LSU (24-18 overall, 6-12 SEC) vs. No. 11 MISSISSIPPI STATE (31-10, 10-8 SEC) Dudy Noble Field, Starkville
MSU – So. RH Duke Stone (6-1, 3.78 ERA, 70 K, 18 BB)
Game 3: Sunday, 1 p.m. CT (SEC Network+)
LSU – TBA
MSU – So. LH Charlie Foster (0-2, 5.17 ERA,
LSU VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES
State leads the overall series with LSU 212-199-1. The Tigers have won 14 of the past 18 SEC regular-season series with the Bulldogs, including a three-game sweep in Baton Rouge last March. Prior to last season, Mississippi State had captured two series in a row over the Tigers – the Bulldogs won two of three games over the Tigers in May 2023, in Baton Rouge, and MSU won two of three over LSU in March 2024, in Starkville.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is No. 9 in the SEC with a .280 batting average, and the Tigers are No. 14 in pitching with a 5.08 team ERA and 15th in fielding (.965., 51 errors). . . Sophomore centerfielder Derek Curiel leads LSU in batting average at .349, and he has produced eight doubles, two triples, five homers, 39 RBI and 44 runs scored. He’s No. 3 in the SEC in base hits (58), No. 5 in the league in triples (2) and No. 9 in runs scored (44). . .Junior shortstop Steven Milam has raised his batting average to .282. In the Tigers’ last eight games, he’s batting .387 (12-for-31) with four doubles, two homers, five RBI and five runs scored. Milam has committed just one error all season in 148 chances for a .993 fielding percentage.
A LOOK AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs are No. 2 in the SEC with a .316 team batting average No. 3 in the SEC with a 3.42 ERA. Outfielder Bryce Chance is hitting .364 with 14 doubles and 20 RBI, infielder/outfielder Gehrig Frei is hitting .331 with nine doubles, two triples and seven homers, and infielder Ace Reese is batting .312 with team highs of 17 doubles, 12 homers and 47 RBI. The Mississippi State pitching staff has recorded 467 strikeouts in 353 innings while allowing 35 home runs.
CLOSE BOND: Ed Orgeron (left), in the spring after he took over as LSU’s football coach, visited his alma mater Northwestern State for a 2017 event and reunited with Sam Goodwin, his college coach who gave Orgeron his start in coaching in 1984. (Photo courtesy Northwestern State)
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, who played his senior season for Sam Goodwin then began his coaching career on Goodwin’s Northwestern State staff, is among speakers honoring the late coach Saturday morning at 10 in NSU’s Turpin Stadium.
The memorial service is open to anyone. Casual attire is welcomed, with NSU fans encouraged to wear football game day gear. Entrance is through the stadium’s west (press box) side.
Three of Goodwin’s greatest players – future NFL veterans Kevin Lewis and Marcus Spears, both of whom had no other college offers – and record-breaking quarterback Brad Laird are also on the roster of speakers.
Former NSU assistant coaches Dr. Fitz Hill, later a head coach at San Jose State, and Bradley Dale Peveto, who became head coach at Northwestern from 2009-12, will also talk about Goodwin.
His granddaughter Jaycee Goodwin, who last year completed her college softball career at Georgia State, will share her thoughts. She now is on the administrative staff at the University of Georgia.
Shreveport state Senator Rick Edmonds, a close Goodwin friend, will speak. Former state Senator Gerald Long, who with his late wife Rose was the longtime Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle leader at Northwestern during Goodwin’s 17 seasons, will offer an invocation.
Resolutions from Congressman Cleo Fields, and the state houses in Louisiana and Arkansas, will be presented. Goodwin won five state championships in nine years as head coach in the 1970s at Little Rock-Parkview High School, and also was an assistant coach on Lou Holtz’ Arkansas staff for two seasons.
Goodwin passed away at home March 20 at age 82 after a brief illness.
The celebration of Goodwin’s life will lead into the annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring game that caps Northwestern’s spring practice. Goodwin launched the Delaney Bowl tradition and also inaugurated the Joe Delaney Memorial Leadership Awards for permanent team captains after Delaney’s heroic drowning death in 1983.
Following Saturday’s Delaney Bowl, the Demon Brothers Booster Club, an association of former players, most who played for Goodwin, are hosting the Crawfest festival and music show on the NSU practice fields. Tickets are available at the DemonBrothers.org website.
Goodwin won a school-record 102 games in 17 seasons at the helm of the Demon program, turning it into a perennial Southland Conference championship contender while setting the Southland Conference wins record.
A Pineville native, Goodwin led the Demons to four conference championships – the 1984 Gulf Star crown and the 1988, 1997 and 1998 Southland titles. He twice was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year.
His 1998 Demon team reached the FCS semifinals where it fell to eventual national champion UMass. That 1998 team equaled the school single-season record of 11 wins and featured four of the 22 All-Americans Goodwin coached at Northwestern.
His 1988 squad advanced to the FCS quarterfinals and is the only Northwestern team to go unbeaten in Southland play. That season, Goodwin’s “Road Warriors” picked up five straight conference or playoff wins away from Turpin Stadium, including a regular-season-ending 20-17 victory at Stephen F. Austin, which had previously been ranked No. 1 in the nation. Two weeks ahead of the win at SFA, the Demons took down another top-ranked team, North Texas, on the road.
In addition to the 20 on-field All-Americans he produced, Goodwin also coached two Academic All-Americans, a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, 42 first-team All-Southland Conference selections and 38 players who reached the NFL – several whose only Division I scholarship offer was from Goodwin.
Goodwin earned induction into the N-Club Hall of Fame – the highest honor the university awards to student-athletes and athletic staff members – in 1999, a year after his alma mater, Henderson State, enshrined him in its athletic hall of fame. He was a NAIA All-America lineman for the Reddies and a three-time Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference discus champion who served 10 years as the HSU athletics director after retiring from Northwestern in June 2000.
He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Southland Conference’s Hall of Honor in 2007. Two years ago, he was presented the “Contributions to Amateur Football Award” by the S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the National Football Foundation encompassing north Louisiana.
Complimentary bottled water will be available for those seated in the west stands at Turpin Stadium. The Goodwin family and speakers will greet well-wishers after the service at the south end of the field, next to the Jack Clayton Plaza.
Orgeron became one of the country’s top recruiters in major college football, served as interim head coach at USC, and after being promoted out of the same role in Baton Rouge following the 2016 season, led LSU to the 2019 national championship in an historic unbeaten run. His senior season at Northwestern, 1983, was Goodwin’s first in Natchitoches.
BIG SWING: The LSUS Pilots will rely on a powerful offense this weekend as they host a Red River Athletic Conference first-round series beginning today. (Photo courtesy LSUS Athletics)
JOURNAL SPORTS
Postseason baseball returns to Pilot Field today at 3 o’clock as No. 2 seed LSU Shreveport opens the Red River Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament first round against No. 7 seed University of the Southwest.
It will be the opening game of a best-of-three series with a trip to the RRAC final site in Sterlington on May 1-3 on the line. Game 2 is Saturday at 6 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will be played Sunday at 1.
The reigning NAIA national champion Pilots (36-12 overall, with a final 20-7 RRAC mark) enter tournament play with momentum after closing the regular season with a 25-8 road win over Central Baptist and will look to continue their strong play at home, where they have posted a 27-4 record this season. Southwest is 15-30, and finished 11-16 in the RRAC.
The teams met earlier this season at Pilot Field, where LSUS swept the three-game series by scores of 11-5, 10-3, and 13-3.
Coach Brad Neffendorf’s Pilots again own one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, hitting .347 as a team with 517 hits, 489 runs scored, 54 home runs, and 188 stolen bases. The Pilots’ lineup features production throughout the order, led by Carlos Sanchez, who enters the tournament batting .392 with 73 hits, 73 RBI, 11 home runs, and 28 extra-base hits in an attack averaging more than 10 runs per game.
The Mustangs are hitting .301 as a team but will have to solve a strong LSUS pitching staff.
The Pilots carry a 3.40 team ERA and have struck out 380 batters while holding opponents to a .242 average. Brock Lucas has anchored the rotation with an 8-2 record, a 2.12 ERA, and 90 strikeouts, while David Hankins has gone 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
The Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning (BPSTIL) recently held its National Technical Honor Society induction ceremony, celebrating students recognized for excellence in career and technical education.
School officials highlighted the inductees’ leadership, academic achievement, and commitment to their chosen technical fields. The students were praised for their dedication and readiness to contribute to both their community and future careers.
BPSTIL congratulated all new members of the National Technical Honor Society, noting that their hard work and perseverance have earned them this recognition.
Danny Lynn Brotherton, of Coushatta, Louisiana, passed awayMonday, April 20, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones.
Danny was born in Independence, Missouri, on November 9, 1962, to his parents, William Andrew “Bill” Brotherton and Gwendolyn May “Gwen” Tooley. He grew up in Carrollton, Missouri, alongside his many siblings and cousins.
He married Velma Ann Keith (Brotherton) in October 1981, both at the age of eighteen. They were married for over forty-fouryears. Together they had three daughters, Amanda Daniele Brotherton (Todd), Allison Ann Brotherton (Hayes), and Adrianna Lynn Brotherton, who were his pride and joy.
Danny was a certified general contractor, and worked in concrete construction all of his life, beginning full-time at the age of fifteen.He was a founder of B&B Construction with his father, Bill, and brother-in-law, Joey Cason, Sr. He also founded and operated Grand Bayou Construction and Brotherton Concrete Construction. When he retired from concrete construction, Danny became a certified pipeline welding inspector and member of the 406 unionas a foreman supervisor over natural gas stations.
In his spare time, Danny was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying deer hunting, squirrel hunting, dove hunting, and coon hunting, a passion he shared with his father, a lifetime member of the Blue Tick Breeders of America. He received many trophies for his hunting efforts and coonhounds. Danny shared his love of the outdoors with his children and grandchildren, always with one or more in tow. Danny also loved to travel with his family, driving all over the United States.
Danny was a proud grandfather to his four grandchildren, who lovingly referred to him as “PaPaw,” Olivia Anne Todd, John Curtis Todd, Ty Wesley Hayes and Daniel Henry “Danny” Todd. He loved spending time with all of his grandchildren, sharing stories and riding ATVs around the family property.
Danny is preceded in death by his mother and father, his siblings, Robert Brotherton, Rita Holler, Virginia Bourdon, Chuck Thompson, Roy Allen Brotherton, Tommy Boyce, and Dolore Faye Clark.
Danny is survived by his loving wife, Velma; his children and grandchildren; his surviving siblings, Barbara Cloud, HelenThomas, and Carolyn and Joey Cason, all of Carrollton, MO; Paul and Jan Thompson of Hall Summit, LA; Judy and Scotty Haywood of Pittsburg, TX; and Rhonda Brotherton, all of Kansas City, MO; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews.
Services will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at New Life Church of Red River, 5047 Duke Avenue, Hall Summit, LA 71034, with visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m. and service beginning at 12:00 p.m. A private burial will follow with the family. Dr. Collin Wimberly, dear pastor and friend to the deceased, will officiate the ceremony.
Pallbearers will be Joey Cason, Jr., Ken Cason, Jr., Landon Sturgeon, Shane Hubbard, Cody Hubbard, Dalton “Bubba” Hubbard, David “Trouble” Beard, Mason Pierce, and Bradin Millett.
Honorary Pallbearers are Joey Cason, Sr., Patrick Bryant, Matthew Todd, and Madison Pierce.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the team fromIntensive Specialty Hospital and Dr. Abdehou for their wonderful care and treatment of Mr. Brotherton
James “Jimmy” Donald Embry of Shreveport, Louisiana, passed away on April 23, 2026, after a courageous battle against colorectal cancer, at the age of 40.
Jimmy was born on September 5, 1985, in Bossier City, Louisiana. Known for his sharp intellect, quick wit, and old school eclectic spirit, he was truly the smartest man many of us ever knew. He had a deep passion for building and collecting Gundam models, playing and trading collector cards, and loved playing Dungeons & Dragons with his work family and friends. Jimmy was also a trivia extraordinaire whose vast knowledge and curiosity made every conversation interesting and every game night memorable.
Above all else, Jimmy’s greatest love was his girlfriend and the love of his life, Sydney McDermott, his other half, who loved him beyond what words can express, cared for him with unwavering devotion, and is truly an angel on earth. He was also the devoted human of his beloved cat, Puddin, who generously allowed Jimmy to live in her home and serve as her full-time staff.
He is survived by his girlfriend, Sydney McDermott; his mother, Tina Jones; his father, Edwin Embry (Shawn); step-father, Philip Jones; his sister, Brooke Embry (Lindsay); his brother, Philip “PJ” Jones Jr.; and his beloved nieces, Olive and Hazel Embry. Jimmy also leaves behind many extended family members and friends who will deeply miss his humor, intelligence, and unique perspective on the world.
In accordance with Jimmy’s final wishes to donate his body for medical research, a private celebration of his life with his family and friends will be planned.
Jimmy’s memory will live on in the countless laughs, stories, and moments of wonder he shared with those who loved him.
