By Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator


Northwestern State president says his plan is ‘wasting away in Margaritaville’

State Sen. Alan Seabaugh takes credit for ousting Northwestern State University’s president in 2024 and, with the backing of Gov. Jeff Landry, replacing him with former Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Genovese. 

Two years later, Genovese says he isn’t able to count on either of his two supporters to advance his plans for the school, which include starting the first law school in North Louisiana. 

In recent interviews, Genovese said his feud with Seabaugh, a Republican whose district includes the Natchitoches campus, is costing Northwestern State much-needed cash from the state. And it was Landry who came up with the idea to open a law school at the university, but the governor has since dropped his support of the plan, he said

“It wasn’t my idea,” Genovese said. “When I came on board … there were discussions coming out of the governor’s office regarding a law school, so I just went with the flow.” 

When asked if the governor supports a new law school at Northwestern State, Landry spokeswoman Kate Kelly said that decision is completely up to the Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in Louisiana.

While he maintains the governor still privately backs the idea, Genovese said two factors have led Landry away from providing any public or material support. The first, Genovese said, is Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, whose district includes Tulane University, home to one of the state’s four law schools. Genovese said the governor doesn’t want to get crosswise with a legislative leader he needs to advance his agenda.

“The last thing Louisiana needs is more lawyers,” Henry said when reached for comment about Genovese’s proposal. 

Another obstacle, Genovese said, is that promoting a new law school might create the impression that Landry supports trial attorneys. The governor himself is an attorney and has received campaign contributions from trial lawyers. 

“There was this nasty fight  … between the insurance industry and the trial lawyers, and I don’t think the governor wants to be labeled a trial lawyer person,” Genovese said. 

Genovese provided a copy of his law school proposal he said he submitted to the Board of Regents and the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors, which oversees Northwestern State. Genovese and UL System board member Robert “Skeeter” Salim, Genovese’s lifelong friend and a prominent trial attorney in the state, requested the Regents expedite their review process so it could receive approval from the UL System Board just a month after it was proposed. 

Emails the Illuminator obtained through a public records request show Board of Regents staff discussed the matter with Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed, who was not comfortable with an expedited review. Genovese and Salim have not brought the law school pitch to the full UL System board. 

Genovese described his proposal as “wasting away in Margaritaville,” a reference to the Jimmy Buffet song. 

Despite no further moves to make the proposal a reality, Genovese has continued to publicly advocate for the law school in speeches and in news interviews, rankling state lawmakers and other stakeholders. 

“If the Board of Regents wanted another law school, they would do it,” said state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, whose district includes Natchitoches. “So I don’t know why he continues to talk and advocate for things like that and get people’s hopes up, when obviously an application to do a law school has not moved within the Board of Regents.” 

From reference to rival

While he seemingly tilts at windmills for a new law school, Genovese has also feuded with the lawmaker who says he got him the president’s job at Northwestern State. 

Seabaugh, an conservative lawmaker, said in an interview last week his first order of business after joining the Louisiana Senate in 2024 was ousting Marcus Jones, the first Black leader at Northwestern State, who Seabaugh said was responsible for the school “going downhill in many ways.” 

After being forced to resign, Jones returned to the University of Louisiana System office as executive vice president and chief operating officer. 

Seabaugh proposed Genovese replace Jones in Natchitoches. Landry also backed Genovese for the job. 

“Nobody was more responsible for putting him there than me,” Seabaugh said. 

Genovese, despite having had no experience in higher education leadership, touted his budget expertise when interviewing with faculty and staff for the president’s job. He took credit for securing money for the Louisiana Supreme Court during his time as an associate justice from 2017-24.

That claimed fiscal prowess isn’t reflected in the state budget that takes effect Wednesday, however. 

Northwestern State was the only public university in Louisiana to receive no additional funding in the primary budget bill on top of what each campus is required to receive. It was also the only campus left out of the supplemental budget, where lawmakers dole out millions for special projects. These special projects find their way into the budget at the request of lawmakers, usually senators. 

When asked about Northwestern State’s omission in the budget, Genovese blamed Seabaugh. 

“We don’t have a senator that helps us,” Genovese said. “[Seabaugh has] been mad at me from day one. I … hardly even know this guy.” 

‘I don’t think he’s suited for the job’

Genovese said the feud started because he refused to fire Northwestern State employees  Seabaugh asked him to dismiss. Since then, Genovese said, Seabaugh hasn’t answered his phone calls. 

Seabaugh said none of that is true. By his account, he never asked Genovese to fire anybody but rather warned him not to take advice from the same people he viewed as leading Jones astray. 

Jones has not responded to a request for comment. 

Seabaugh also said he hasn’t refused any calls from Genovese, because he hasn’t gotten any to reject. 

“If they want me to put something in the budget, they might want to ask,” Seabaugh said. 

Though he wouldn’t characterize the tension between the two leaders as a “disagreement,” Seabaugh expressed frustration in the way Genovese handled the first major hire of his administration. 

Genovese brought in former Northwestern State basketball coach Mike McConathy as a special adviser in fall 2024 shortly after he was hired. McConathy is a Louisiana basketball coaching legend who was recently inducted into the state’s Sports Hall of Fame. He also ran against Seabaugh in his 2023 Senate bid.

Seabaugh said he didn’t mind that he hired McConathy, but he did take issue with how Genovese addressed it with him. 

“When he called me, he said, ‘I know this is going to piss you off, but I don’t care. I’m doing it anyway,’” Seabaugh recounted.

Genovese said that was not the language he used but confirmed he did call Seabaugh as a courtesy to tell him he was hiring McConathy, which he said angered the senator. 

The two confirmed they haven’t talked since that call in 2024. 

“He doesn’t know how to ask,” Seabaugh said. “I think he’s used to being a judge and telling people what to do. I don’t think he’s suited for the job he’s in.” 

“The university has not improved and it’s not going to as long as he’s there,” the senator added. 

Spending in question 

McFarland, who leads the legislature’s budget-writing committee, said some of Genovese’s “decision making has been questioned.” 

McFarland didn’t detail the gripes he has heard from lawmakers, but a look into Northwestern State’s budget shows warning signs of financial difficulties ahead. 

Genovese has raised pay for Northwestern State’s approximately 800 employees three times in less than two years, despite the university operating at a deficit. The university projects a shortfall of $13.4 million for the fiscal year that ended Tuesday, according to a spring UL System financial report. The university has covered the cost by spending down its cash reserves. 

Other UL System schools are in worse financial positions, but Northwestern State’s spending has raised the eyebrows of its board members, who questioned Genovese about the deficit at last week’s meeting. Genovese said the university was likely to end the next fiscal year in the black, possibly with a surplus. 

While Genovense’s spending at Northwestern State has increased, enrollment at the school has dropped. Its student body reached 8,847 in 2023 and fell to 8,402 for fall 2025, a 5% decrease. Less than a quarter of NSU students attend class on campus, which means they bring in less revenue for the school. 

Other schools in the UL System are also experiencing enrollment declines, but most are adjusting their budgets to match. 

“We’re closely monitoring the enrollment projections and being optimistic that they will be able to turn the tide on their own,” UL System President Rick Gallot, Genovese’s boss, said about the budget situation.

Photo and Article Courtesy of the Louisiana Illuminator

North Louisiana law school proposal puts university leader at odds with Landry, lawmakers

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As Northwestern State University (NSU) looks ahead to the Fall 2026 semester, internal tracking data reveals that high school dual enrollment programs are projected to play an even larger role in the university’s total headcount than in previous semesters.

According to an official institutional research document, the university has set an aggressive Next Fall Target of 7,879 undergraduate students. However, a closer look at the tracking metrics shows that nearly one-third of that entire target population is made up of high school students.

The ‘Enrollment Mask’ Expands

The university separates its high school and introductory enrollment into two tracking categories: University (Non-Prep) and University (Prep). For the upcoming Fall 2026 semester, the university’s targets for these categories are:

• UNIV (Non-Prep) Target: 351 students
• UNIV (Prep) Target: 2,183 students
• Total High School Target: 2,534 students

If NSU hits its goals, dual enrollment students will account for 32.2%—nearly one out of every three—of the total undergraduate student body. This represents a significant shift from previous years, expanding the “Enrollment Mask” that higher education analysts say allows institutions to report stable or growing total headcounts while masking a structural decline in full-time, on-campus students.

Current Summer Progress

As of June 24, 2026, registration tracking shows the university still has a long hill to climb before reaching its census goals, which is typical for this point in the summer cycle.

The university’s Current Enrollment stands at 4,732 out of the 7,879 target. When isolating the true degree-seeking undergraduate numbers from the high school dual enrollment categories, the breakdown shows:

• Total Reported Current Enrollment: 4,732*
• Current Dual Enrollment (Prep & Non-Prep): 768
• True Current Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,964**

*Note: Across the university’s broader tracking metrics, true undergraduate enrollment stands at 3,964; however, it should be noted that many of these students are online-only or attend classes outside of the main campus in Natchitoches.

While a vast majority of the targeted 2,534 high school students will be registered later in the summer as school districts finalize their schedules, the physical campus infrastructure remains tied to the 3,964 true undergraduates currently on the books.

Budget vs. Body Count

The economic reality for the Natchitoches campus remains stark. Traditional undergraduate students pay full tuition and generate critical “auxiliary revenue” through campus housing, meal plans, and student fees. In contrast, dual enrollment students pay deeply discounted contract rates or receive state-funded exemptions.

The physical presence of these students on campus remains rare. While a select few students from local institutions like Natchitoches Central and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) are granted rare permission to attend classes in person, the vast majority of the dual enrollment population completes coursework remotely or at their respective high schools.

As the university pushes toward its ultimate master plan under leadership to stabilize total institutional footing, the tracking data indicates that the path to high headcount numbers relies more heavily than ever on the high school demographic.

**Note
Dual Enrollment (DE) students are excluded from “True Enrollment” figures above. While these students are academically valuable, their reduced tuition and minimal use of campus facilities mean they do not reflect the institutional sustainability or the market demand for the university’s core physical and residential services.

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As Louisiana families prepare to celebrate Independence Day and America’s 250th year, the Office of State Fire Marshal (SFM) is urging residents to put safety first and use fireworks responsibly.

Fireworks remain a leading cause of preventable holiday injuries each year. Sparklers can reach temperatures above 2,000 degrees, creating a serious burn risk, especially for children.

According to 2025 data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks misuse and malfunction were linked to at least 15 deaths and an estimated 13,000 emergency department-treated injuries. Sparklers accounted for an estimated 1,300 injuries. People ages 15 to 24 were injured most often, with burns to the hands, fingers and head among the most common injuries.

More than 660 permitted fireworks stands will operate statewide this season, with retail sales allowed through 11:59 p.m. July 5. Louisiana law requires fireworks vendors to be licensed and permitted through the SFM and to sell only where fireworks are authorized.

“Public fireworks displays remain the safest way to celebrate,” said DPS Principal, Assistant Chief Bryan J Adams. “If you choose to use consumer fireworks at home, plan ahead, follow safety guidelines and buy only from licensed vendors.”

To help prevent injuries, the Office of State Fire Marshal recommends:

Check local burn bans and avoid fireworks during dry or windy conditions

Use fireworks in open areas at least 200 feet from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials

Never allow children to handle fireworks; consider safer alternatives such as glow sticks or public displays

Never use homemade, altered or illegal fireworks and always follow label instructions

Do not use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs

Light one firework at a time and keep a hose or bucket of water nearby

Soak used fireworks before disposal and never place dry fireworks in the trash

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When you think of bigtime celebrating in Louisiana, most people automatically think “New Orleans.”

I get it.

A town with few rivals. Internationally appreciated. A culture all its own. Can’t walk down its streets without overhearing several different languages.

I love it.

But if you want to celebrate without the traffic, the potholes, and a less likelihood of your car getting jacked, you getting mugged, or your toilet getting backed up, I’ll take Natchitoches any day of the week.

(I’d take Ruston, Minden, and Farmerville too, and we haven’t even gotten out of northwest Louisiana yet.)

Louisiana is blessed with small-town goodness.

But today, for a special reason, the salute goes to charming, quaint, welcoming Natchitoches.

Of course there are the annual Christmas lights. (I might be the only person in a five-state area who’s never been.) Eeeeeeeverybody loves the Christmas lights.

But Natty lights up each summer too.

The annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class is inducted each June, usually on the fourth weekend.  The welcome mat, the red carpet, the good times are rolled out and one of the South’s finest small towns says, “Come on and getcha some!”

Last weekend was no exception, and my encouraging word would be to consider going next summer or the next or as soon as you can to a Hall of Fame weekend. All the deets — plus a replay of the ceremony and video intros of each inductee, all produced by the team of all-stars at Louisiana Public Broadcasting — are at lasportshall.com.

The weekend never disappoints.

If you haven’t studied just how the actual LASHOF works, the induction side of it, please be encouraged to read this effort by Doug Ireland, the chairman of the Hall. The road to the sports hall of fame in your state is significantly steeper than the road to the sports halls of fame in most any other state. Most states are trying to scrape together a couple of inductees each year. Louisiana’s selection committee has year-long knock-down drag-outs to figure out which eight stars should be inducted that year.

And each year, some deserving candidates are left knocking on the door. It’s fascinating that in Louisiana, you can’t swing a cat without it hitting a Super Bowl winner, All-American, Pro-Bowler, Olympic medalist, national champ, All Star … and the list goes on.

And on and on.

And each year, more stars and studs become eligible.

The setting is always a no-doubter. Natchitoches. The actual Hall of Fame on Front Street. (Don’t forget to go upstairs! It’s a state history museum, not just sports.) The Cane River Right There, even though it’s not a river. The awnings. The bricked street. The food.

The flowers. The hospitality.

It’s a movie set.

And then the Events Center, decorated more beautifully each year. (One member of this year’s induction class didn’t “get it” until Saturday night when he saw the joint. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I thought … I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”

Oh, it’s a big deal. Done right.

And if you walk downtown a couple of hours after the Saturday night induction, all is calm again. Like walking in a painting.

Because of the pandemic in 2020, two ceremonies were held in 2021. In the same summer. Both were full throttled. Natty didn’t skimp. Sponsors, volunteers, organizers: everyone showed up with their A-games. The whole town is like a living Statue of Liberty.

And this year’s inductees? Humble. Authentic. Seldom does an inductee disappoint. They get what ball means to Louisiana, and maybe through the ceremony and the weekend, they begin to get how they each fit into the state’s Phenomenal, Stunning Sports Story.

The Hall’s a place where legends live, and Natchitoches keeps the lights on and the fire burning so you can meet them any time.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

RUSTON — It’s New Year’s Day for Louisiana Tech Athletics.

Today the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters are officially members of the Sun Belt Conference, completing a move that despite its obvious logic, required nearly a year of legal wrestling with Tech’s former league, Conference USA.

Discussions between the Sun Belt and Tech began last spring and the deal was officially announced last July 15. The terse relationship with Conference USA boiled throughout 2025-26 athletic year, notably with CUSA including the Bulldogs on its initial conference football schedule release in March, just ahead of the Sun Belt’s release of its league schedule also including Tech. For a few weeks, the Bulldogs had 20 conference games in two leagues.

The conference shift carried an $8 million pricetag to satisfy CUSA’s legal challenges and pay the entry fee for Sun Belt affiliation. Tech officials won’t confirm the figure but acknowledge the cost was significant.

“First I want to thank the Louisiana Tech Foundation and those who love Louisiana Tech Athletics for helping make that possible,” said university president Dr. Jim Henderson. “It was certainly a financial decision that just about any reasonable person would make.

“Within two years we’ll be more than whole. Within four years, we’ll have a solid athletic budget, which not a lot of schools are talking about. We’re actually talking about adding sports because we know they can add benefits to the bottom line.

“Moving conferences makes that possible because (of) the reduced costs associated with travel and certainly the increased revenues associated with fans being accessible to the games. I couldn’t be more satisfied with the finances,” said Henderson Monday in a media session.

The Bulldogs football season ticket base is growing rapidly, said athletics director Ryan Ivey, with regional rivalries with ULM and UL Lafayette a big part of the appeal.

“We feel like we’ve had a lot of success over the years. … Being in the Sun Belt again allows us to really grow that brand and really strengthen it moving forward,” he said.

After being subjected to playing October mid-week games in CUSA, Tech will have six Saturday home games this fall for the first time since 2017.

“It’s kind of boring. We just have six Saturday home games,” said football coach Sonny Cumbie, sarcastically.

“The city of Ruston and North Louisiana thrive on Saturday game days,” Cumbie said. “… It’s a great opportunity for people to come together on Friday in Ruston and go to restaurants and stay in hotels and just frequent all the places that they remember when they went to school here.”

Ivey said the home football schedule is being well received and indicates Tech fans are buying into Sun Belt membership and regional rivalries that simply did not exist in CUSA. One Tech athletics official referred to visiting team fans from league foes as “non-existent.”

Not the case in the Sun Belt. Blending in non-conference games, Tech’s start to this football season is a Bulldog fan magnet, said Ivey.

“With Army, (UL) Lafayette, Southern Miss, and Northwestern State (visiting Tech in the first six weeks of the season) … in the month of October, we don’t leave Lincoln and Ouachita Parish (an Oct. 17 game at ULM). It’s big,” he said.

Kennesaw State (Georgia), Jacksonville State (Alabama), Sam Houston State (Huntsville, Texas), Missouri State and Middle Tennessee were Tech’s closest conference foes in CUSA. Longer trips included Delaware, Liberty, Florida International, New Mexico State and UTEP.

Now along with ULM and UL Lafayette, there’s reasonable drive time between Tech and Arkansas State, Southern Miss, South Alabama and Troy.

In the Eastern time zone are Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion.

Coaches are thrilled to have a much-reduced number of long road trips in conference play, several requiring air travel with tight connections in particular for basketball two-game swings to the Eastern time zone.

Tech was in the Sun Belt from 1999-2011 before jumping to a then robust CUSA. But most of the league’s premiere teams soon migrated to the American Athletic Conference and fan interest dipped. Meanwhile, Tech officials were dismissive of the Sun Belt when reports surfaced of possible interest in the Bulldogs returning to the SBC fold.

But that mindset shifted in recent years and as of today, all is forgiven – or paid for.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Today is International Joke Day.

No, seriously.

July 1 … every year. We have a day for everything, don’t we?

So, make sure you find some humor in something during the course of today. Maybe you can take a little from this tongue-in-cheek effort that you are hopefully about to consume.

For Louisiana Tech fans, this year’s version of International Joke Day has even greater meaning. It’s the first official day of the school’s membership in the Sun Belt Conference.

And that’s no joking matter.

For the first time since the 1986-87 season — yes, four decades — Louisiana Tech and ULM are conference foes. For the first time since 2000-01 — yes, a quarter of a century — the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters are league opponents with those dirty Cajuns of UL-Lafayette.

The gloves officially come off today, and I couldn’t be more excited.

I grew up hating — strong word, but probably accurate — both NLU (now ULM) and USL (now ULL).

The first Louisiana Tech sporting event I ever attended was a Bulldog homecoming football game in 1979 against USL (now ULL) at Joe Aillet Stadium. For some reason, my dad thought it would be a good idea to sit us right next to the LA Tech student section on the east side.

The good guys won that day, 17-0. And by the time I got home, I was running around the house chanting, “Go to hell, USL! Go to hell, USL!”

Mom wasn’t very happy, but I was hooked. That was the day my Tech fandom began, and it’s only grown over the past four-plus decades of wearing the ole red and blue.

Although my hate for ULL began that day, it didn’t stop there. It grew in intensity and magnitude the older I got (the more wise I became) and the more I watched my beloved Bulldogs and Lady Techsters.

It was a hate that was almost unmatched. Almost.

That is until I was introduced to the maroon and yellow of the school 30 miles east on I-20. I had a new love (to hate). I stood in line outside of the Thomas Assembly Center for three hours in 1984 to get in and watch both the Lady Techsters and Bulldogs defeat NLU (now ULM) in a basketball doubleheader.

Sold out. More than 8,500 fans that night. It was an atmosphere that I wish every current Tech student could experience. Two fan bases that loved their schools and loved to hate the other.

That’s one of the great things about reuniting with these two schools (and Southern Miss and Arkansas State), calling the Sun Belt Conference home.

It won’t matter the sport. We could be playing in dominoes, and I would be table-side pulling for the Bulldogs. Tiddlywinks? Go Dogs. Thumb wrestling? Go Dogs.

Rivalries Renewed is how Louisiana Tech has marketed the move since last July when it was announced. Well put. It’s not a coincidence that the LA Tech home attendance record for a football game was in 1997 vs ULM. The home attendance record for a men’s and women’s basketball game was in 1984 vs. ULM.

And although the two programs have met an assortment of times in different sports (some more regularly then others), the rivalry begins on the gridiron.

I have plenty of good friends who are ULM and ULL fans and/or employees and/or alums. I try not to hold it against them. That is until gameday.

Then I will “hate” them too until the game is over. And I know the feeling will be mutual.

Rejoining the Sun Belt is a full circle moment for Tech fans. It’s been a quarter of a century for us. It’s also been that long since the Bulldogs and the Warhawks have met on the gridiron, something which will change Oct. 17 at Malone Stadium in Monroe — one week after Tech hosts the Ragin Cajuns at The Joe.

I’m going to have to build my hate stamina quickly. Outside of a few “rivalries” within a few sports with a very few teams over the last 25 years, there hasn’t been this level of despise in a while.

I sure am looking forward to it.

Heck, who knows. Maybe I won’t hate them nearly as much as I did growing up. I may even like them.

That was a joke, folks. Remember, it’s International Joke Day.

So let the good old fashioned hate begin.

Contact Malcolm at lpjnewsla@gmail.com

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By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

NATCHITOCHES — Those who followed the Tioga Lady Indians basketball team when Kathy Holloway coached noted the team’s tough defense. That wasn’t modeled on how young Kathy Stewart played at now-defunct Poland High School.

Holloway, inducted last Saturday night in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches as the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award winner, established a long-standing Class C state tournament record by scoring 86 points across two games played at Shreveport’s Hirsch Coliseum while at Poland.

Her basketball skills were honed at home, on a metal rim that her father hung on the side of the family’s wooden garage. A photo in the Hall of Fame museum shows elementary school-aged Kathy shooting baskets on that backyard goal.

That led to her All-State playing career at Poland in southern Rapides Parish near Lecompte, and sparked a lifelong love of basketball. Holloway, a math major at LSU where there was no women’s team in the 1960s, entered the education field and launched career in high school sports, first as a championship head coach at Tioga then as the first female president of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association, achieved in 1986, and as the president of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 1992.

“Title IX was passed in 1972,” said Julie Wilkerson, one of four high school All-Americans Holloway coached at Tioga. “That energized someone like Mrs. Holloway.”

That energy may have indirectly led Holloway to her trailblazing positions within the coaches associations she eventually chaired.

“In those days, there was All-Star Week and on the Friday before the all-star games on Saturday, there was the final meeting of the coaches association to elect the president,” Holloway said. “One of the guys who was running asked me at the barbecue, ‘Will you vote for me (for president)?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if you’ll vote for me if I ever run.’ He said, ‘There ain’t ever gonna be a woman president of this association.’ That sealed it for me.”

Following her gilded administrative career, the NSCA in 2021 created the Kathy Holloway Women of Inspiration Award that honors a female “that has promoted female athletics by either coaching, serving, supporting or leading high school female athletic programs that focus on changing lives and inspiring women to strive for greatness.”

Holloway remains involved in the sport she loves, working closely with the Upward Basketball program at First Baptist Church in Pineville where her son, Stewart, is the pastor.

“She’s been involved the past 13 or 14 years,” he said. “It’s a fantastic way to use her skills to invest in another generation.

“Mom didn’t win a lot of state championships, but she’s been a champion in a lot of other ways.”

A close bond between siblings helped deliver a signature moment for the LSU women’s basketball team when it landed Sylvia Fowles, a 6-foot-6 standout from Miami.

Brought to LSU by coach Sue Gunter, who promised Fowles nothing more than the opportunity to complete for playing time, Fowles teamed with fellow Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus (a 2024 inductee) to usher in the golden era of Tigers women’s basketball – one that included four straight Final Four appearances.

“In my home visit, (Gunter) told me she wasn’t starting me as a freshman, that I had to earn it,” said Fowles via a Zoom call from Chicago where her Portland Fire were preparing for a WNBA game Friday night against the Chicago Sky. “That motivated me to be around her. I was signed, sealed and delivered after hearing her say you had to work for everything you want.”

Fowles, who is now an assistant coach with the Fire, averaged a double-double at LSU before a prolific WNBA career with the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx where she averaged 15.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in her career.

Four Olympic gold medals, two WNBA titles and a spot of the WNBA’s 25th Anniversary Team only buttress a resume that came in a sport Fowles once regarded as “dumb,” thanks in part to her three older brothers.

“Growing up with them, I was allowed to play defense only,” she said. “I didn’t learn the rules of the game until eighth grade. I didn’t there were two ends of the court playing simultaneously. It was that moment I realized I was getting cheated. I didn’t think the sport was dumb after that.”

Although her brothers failed to share the full extent of basketball with their younger sister, Fowles never missed an opportunity to help someone else.

“She’s the best center of all time in women’s basketball” said former Minnesota teammate Lindsey Whalen. “She had a relentless will to rebound and to get to her spot on the block. She had great hands. Then there were times you’d look over and she’s helping put towels away or doing anything she could to help someone else.”

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

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By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Assistant AD for Communications

Single game tickets for the 2026 Centenary football season go on sale today and are available for purchase online.

Fans can visit the link below beginning at 8 a.m. today to purchase tickets:

https://fan.hudl.com/usa/la/shreveport/organization/69826/centenary-college-of/tickets

Previous Premium Season Pass holders also have an exclusive renewal window before tickets become available to the general public. Renewals for past Premium Season Pass holders are also available at this time.

New this season is the option for anyone to purchase single-game tickets in the premium section at $40 per ticket. These seats are chairbacks and located at midfield.

Any remaining Premium Season Passes will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, July 9, at midnight.

The Gents will open their season on Sept. 5 against Westgate Christian University at home with kickoff set for 6 p.m. in the first of five games played at Atkins Field.

The Gents are scheduled to play nine regular-season games – five at home and four on the road. Centenary will play its first two games at home as the Maroon and White will face Millsaps College on Sept. 12 before traveling to Marshall, Texas in Week 3 (Sept. 19) to face East Texas Baptist University for its first road contest.

General admission single game tickets are $15 for all persons age 13 and older.

General admission youth tickets cost $5 for all children 12 and younger.

Premium Season tickets go for $200.

General Admission Season tickets are just $70 (age 13+).

General Admission Season tickets for children are a bargain at $20 (12 and under).

See the complete Gents’ season schedule here: https://gocentenary.com/sports/fball/2026-27/schedule

For more information or to donate to Centenary athletics and the football program, visit gocentenary.com/gocentenary/C_Club.

ACADEMICS:  Nine Centenary STUNT student-athletes were named to the College STUNT Coaches Association Division III Academic Honor Roll, the organization announced.

Student-athletes must have completed at least 24 credit hours and have maintained an overall GPA of a 3.5 or higher. The nine Ladies are freshman Ja’Kyra Allen, junior Leah Dawson, freshman Allison Gonzales, senior Jo Hoffman, junior Amelia Jones, sophomore Keagan Malone, freshman Riley Navarro, junior Dalila Ramirez and freshman Ella Wilson. 

BACK IN THE SCAC: The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference announced that Millsaps College will return to the conference beginning with the 2027-28 academic year after the SCAC Presidents Council approved the college’s formal application for membership. 

When Millsaps returns in 2027, the Jackson, Mississippi-based institution will rejoin the conference it first called home in 1989 after competing as an NCAA Division III independent since 1973. At the time, the league was known as the College Athletic Conference, and the Majors became one of its longest-tenured members before departing with six fellow institutions in 2012.

Millsaps currently has 19 varsity programs and approximately 385 student-athletes. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track and field. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

“As current Chair of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, I am delighted to welcome Millsaps College into a league defined by academic excellence, spirited competition, and shared values,” said Centenary College President Christopher Holoman. “Millsaps brings a strong tradition and a commitment to the student-athlete experience that will enrich our conference community from day one. We look forward to the championships ahead and to the strengthened bonds this partnership will create across the SCAC.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Millsaps back to its original Division III conference home,” said Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. “Millsaps has a proud history within the SCAC, and I have no doubt the institution will once again be an outstanding fit. Having previously worked with several of the college’s current administrators and coaches, I know firsthand the values they bring, and I am confident they will once again thrive with the collaborative culture that defines the SCAC.”

The Majors have captured 22 conference championships as members of the CAC/SCAC and 10 titles in the Southern Athletic Association.

When they rejoin, they’ll compete against SCAC members Austin College, Colorado College, University of Dallas, Centenary, Texas Lutheran, St. Thomas, Concordia, University of the Ozarks and LeTourneau.

Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu

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Have you ever questioned why you’re here? Ever wondered, ‘what am I supposed to be doing with my time on this Earth?’

Each of us has a calling but it may take a while to discover what it is. As a child, I questioned a lot of things that took place during my younger years, especially as I started school. 

It became very apparent that the classroom was going to be a challenge. The biggest problem was that I had no guidance, no one to make sure I did my homework or that I even got up every day to go to school.

But there was one day in my life that I will never forget. It was the day they had Little League baseball tryouts. Even though I was not old enough to play Little League, I still showed up with glove in hand and ready to show anyone that I could play this game. 

I rode my bike up the street to a local ballpark where the tryouts were taking place. I hopped off my bike and ran onto the field and got in the first line of players I saw as they were taking ground balls and throwing them back to a coach. 

When my turn came around, the coach hit the ball to me, and I scooped it up and fired it back at the coach. I’ll never forget his reaction as he waived me over to talk to him. Then he uttered words that I will never forget. 

“Son, I don’t think you’re old enough to play Little League, but I can tell you one thing for sure. You’re going to be one heck of a player when you get older.”

Disappointment that I was not eligible to play baseball yet really hit me hard mentally. Finally, there was something that I knew I was good at! Baseball was going to give me purpose! 

It would be on a baseball field that I would shine. It would be through baseball that my confidence and self-esteem would soar. The baseball field was where I was supposed to be!

School on the other hand would continue to be difficult as I was diagnosed with dyslexia going into the second grade. But because of a couple of great teachers by the name of Mrs. Mickey Sinclair and Mrs. Elwanda Carpenter, my world in the classroom was turned around.

From the third grade on, school curriculum would not be as challenging, but I had to work hard to make passing grades. Studying was a necessary evil in order for me to do good in school and get to play sports.  

My parents understood school was a challenge but expected nothing short of A’s and B’s. C’s were not acceptable and there would be consequences for bringing home one. Mother would threaten to pull me out of sports when a C appeared on a report card. 

But again, I figured out early in life that sports, especially baseball, would be my purpose in life. It would be my calling and my saving grace for me as person. It gave me a feeling of confidence that nothing else could. 

Today when I speak to youth, this is one of the topics I’ll discuss. No matter what it is, find that one thing you’re good at and make that your purpose. Make that the reason you get up every day. Make that your passion whether it’s sports, education, music or, maybe if you’re lucky, it’s bass fishing!

Life can offer us so many opportunities but it’s up to each of us to take advantage when those opportunities roll around. I truly believe that God has a purpose for each of us. 

It just might take some of us longer to figure out exactly what our purpose is, but isn’t that what life is all about? The journeyis the great adventure.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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A cast, orchestra, and choir of more than 80 local performers will bring Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame to life this summer at the Emmett Hook Center.

Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel and the beloved Disney film, the musical follows Quasimodo (played by Caleb Williams), the bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, whose first taste of freedom draws him into a struggle against Judge Frollo (portrayed by local favorite Steve Valenzuela). What unfolds is a sweeping story of love, courage, justice, and the search for belonging.

This is not a typical Disney musical. Featuring a 24-member backstage choir, a 20-piece orchestra, and a cast of 20 local actors, Hunchback brings together one of the largest musical forces ever assembled for an Emmett Hook Center production. From intimate character moments to thunderous cathedral-sized musical scenes, the production offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience this remarkable score live.

The music was written by Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken, whose songs helped define Disney’s Renaissance era through classics such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Widely regarded as his most ambitious stage work, Hunchback blends Broadway storytelling with the grandeur of symphonic and choral music.

Bringing together performers from across the Ark-La-Tex, Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame comes to the Emmett Hook Center for six performances: July 10 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and July 11, 12, 18, and 19 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $20–$30. Buy tickets HERE. They are also available through the Emmett Hook Center Box Office at 318-429-6885.

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Bailey Elaine Ebey, 30, passed away unexpectedly on June 21, 2026, in Keithville, Louisiana.

Bailey was born on July 7, 1995, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. She graduated from Caddo Magnet High School in 2013 and devoted herself to being a full-time mother. She later began working as a teacher before joining Splash Kingdom Family Waterparks, where she served as a Guest Services Supervisor. She was later promoted to Sales Specialist for P23 Consulting. Bailey took great pride in her work and had a remarkable ability to make genuine connections with anyone she met.

Bailey’s greatest joy in life was her children, and she loved them with all her heart. She had a passion and talent for makeup and hair and often shared those talents with the people she loved. She also enjoyed cooking and was especially known for her unforgettable banana pudding. Bailey had a contagious smile that could light up any room and a kind heart that left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She loved fiercely, cared deeply, and created countless memories that her family and friends will cherish forever.

Bailey was preceded in death by her uncle, Justin P. Shaver; her sister, Ashley N. Allen; and her grandparents, Paula S. Whittington, Tyrone D. Whittington, and Jessie Phillips Moss.

She is survived by her sons, Caven W. Ebey and Case R. Ebey, and their father, Casey Ebey. She is also survived by her parents, Patti E. Whittington, Kevin “Pete” Moss, and Angela C. Moss; her grandmother, Joy L. Moss; her siblings, Zoe G. Moncla, Tucker W. Moncla, and Coty Allen; her friend, Kursty Sepulvado; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, chosen family, and friends who will cherish her memory and carry forward the love she shared throughout her life.

Though Bailey’s time with us was far too short, the love she gave, the laughter she shared, and the lives she touched will never be forgotten. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Bailey’s memory by holding your loved ones a little closer, extending a helping hand whenever you can, and keeping her children in your thoughts and prayers.

“If you have hate in your heart, there is no room for love.”

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Jonathan (JP) Wilks Payne was born on November 30, 1966 to Alva Morris Payne and Betty Moore Payne. He died on June 17, 2026.

He is survived by his brother, Todd Payne and wife Amy Payne, and his nephews and nieces, Julie Stewart, Christine Royals Walker, Erika Royals, Thomas Royals, Zach Royals, Adeline Payne, Mary Peyton Payne, Tyler Stewart, Trent Stewart, and Jon Michael Payne.

He leaves behind two children, Sarah Kathryn Payne Lemoine and husband Steve Lemoine, and Spencer Payne.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Ted Payne, sister, Debbie Payne, and his parents, all of whom he loved dearly.

JP attended Louisiana Tech University and was a proud member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He made many lifelong friends while there.

JP never met a stranger. He made friends with everyone from the clerks at convenience stores to the dry cleaner he frequented weekly. Although he encountered some struggles throughout his life, his family is grateful for the time and memories of him during these last few months. These memories will not be forgotten.

They are thankful for the care and support his brother Todd showed throughout JP’s life.

He was eternally proud of his two children and the miracle of his new grandson, Frederick Paul Lemoine.

JP lived large and had fun. The family would like to remind everyone that his motto was always “everybody just maintain”.

In times like these, that seems especially fitting.

“Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

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Phonetic: /mal·​a·​prop·​ism/

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition

an amusing error that occurs when a person mistakenly uses a word that sounds like another word but that has a very different meaning

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Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Play Sudoku online!

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

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

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

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

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

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

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

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

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

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

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

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

By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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

JOURNAL SPORTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Phonetic: /de·​noue·​ment/

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition

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

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

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

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