Criminal scammers are at it again due to income tax return season.
Deputies have received several calls today in reference to fraudulent persons identifying themselves as being with Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office attempting to defraud potential victims in lieu of arrest.
According to reports, it appears the suspect is calling from our Kolin Substation 318-484-7350.
Of course, as we have said many times before, law enforcement will never call you soliciting money to collect money or prevent an arrest.
Anytime you receive a call like this and the person is requesting you get a prepaid Visa or gift card from a business to pay ANYTHING, it is a scam.
Once the criminal has the code off of the card they can access the money instantly.
Anytime you receive a call like this, hang up on the person and block their phone number.
Please share this information with your friends and family and remember-stay vigilant and refuse to be a victim!
Happy Earth Week, and Happy Earth Day (Saturday), and some encouragement:
When you don’t coach Little League anymore and you’re not very good at playing golf/golfing your ball/hitting the dimpled orb, you look for other stuff to do, stuff that’s preferably legal.
If you are in that boat, consider gardening, either vegetables or flowers.
I grew up in the middle of a lot of vegetable gardens in a farming community. I never knew how to do it, the planning and planting part. I just knew how to hoe and pick and shell and eat. Somehow, I had a conscious thought when I was 8 or 9 that I was eating better than most people in the civilized world. Lucky break.
But that is a memory and even if I could grow it, I couldn’t cook it right. It would not taste like momma’s or Mu’s or Mrs. Helen Barfield’s or all those other spectacular women I grew up around. They had both a green thumb and a grease thumb.
So … I turned to flowers.
It’s the time of year when you go to The Flower Store and stand in line behind like-minded flower nuts buying hydrangeas and ornamental grasses and begonias and the happy, workmanlike zinnias and shade-loving impatiens and hostas. You trade “good luck” glances because gardening is a trial-and-error business.
And that’s the secret: just trying. Just get started. A hard-to-believe 25 years ago, I didn’t know a marigold from a Mandeville. I thought a hibiscus was a bone in your arm and Lantana was a town in west Texas.
You literally just jump in there and get your hands dirty. And — word to the wise — dirt is the key. All the good and colorful green stuff starts with the good brown stuff. Bad dirt or poor potting soil is a rally killer.
Lots of help is available from books, online, and from our AgCenter sisters and brothers, who have inspired me to try the Supertunias this year. Every year I try something new (to me), and years ago that was petunias. While they are pretty in Colorado in the summer, the Colorado heat differs greatly from the Louisiana heat. Back then, my pitiful petunias looked like you do when you get through mowing. But Flower People have developed new varieties that have improved tolerance, so we are trying again. If they “do” right, they are exceptionally pretty/purty.
Also, to help you along are your local Master Gardeners clubs. The Master Gardeners among us will tell the beginners that you never learn it all, and in my experience, they are happy to encourage and advise. Except for this one time . . .
It’s been a few years since I saw my retired friend and her husband one evening and tapped her on the shoulder. I had some flora and fauna questions since I knew she was a Higher Up in the local gardening club. So, I asked.
“Oh honey,” she said, and she put her hand on my shoulder like you do when you feel sorry for someone who might not be stupid but is plenty ignorant. She paused a few seconds.
“Sweetheart,” she said, “we don’t really ‘garden.’ We just get together and drink wine.”
ALEXANDRIA- The Rapides Foundation has awarded $1.8 million in grants to six organizations under a new program that addresses the high number of Central Louisiana young adults ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working. The Reconnecting Cenla Program Grant seeks to reconnect these young people to meaningful education and employment opportunities in the region.
Grants were awarded to Ben D. Johnson Educational Center, Central Louisiana Technical Community College, Eckerd Youth Alternatives, LaSalle Community Action Association, LaSalle Economic Development District and Rapides Parish Police Jury.
These six entities will serve as anchor organizations that will lead community-based systems of partner organizations to identify, recruit and navigate disconnected youth to education and employment opportunities. Disconnected youth are often called “opportunity youth” because of their potential to succeed and contribute to their communities.
“Research has shown that young adults who experience disconnection have significantly lower incomes, are less likely to gain meaningful employment in the future and have poorer health outcomes than their peers,” said Joe Rosier, President and CEO of The Rapides Foundation. “These community collaborations are designed to create strategies that address barriers these young adults face when reengaging with education and employment services.”
Reconnecting Cenla complements the Foundation’s Beyond Graduation Project, a retention strategy launched in 2021 to ensure students stay within the education pipeline by assigning coaches to counsel students who enter postsecondary institutions after high school. Both programs are funded under the Workforce Skills and Talent Development component of the Foundation’s Economic Development Initiative.
Each Reconnecting Cenla Program grantee was awarded $300,000 over a three-year period that began April 1. The grant also will fund technical assistance from national experts in the field of opportunity youth who will work closely with the organizations as they develop their projects.
The following Reconnecting Cenla Program Grants were awarded:
Ben D. Johnson Educational Center plans to expand its Legacy Workforce Development Program, which provides training and certification courses covering foundational job skills, digital and financial literacy, effective communication strategies and industry-based certifications to underserved populations in Natchitoches. The center will work to grow its network of referral, resource and employer partners to help participants obtain social services, job training and employment.
Central Louisiana Technical Community College will create the Cenla Outreach, Engage and Reconnect Project to establish a range of key stakeholders to grow capacity and effectiveness with engaging opportunity youth throughout Central Louisiana. The project will utilize a Carl Perkins-funded website, Career Waves 6, to highlight resources within the community and create a communication network. The project will grow partnerships with grassroots organizations by training local ambassadors on the features of the website and navigate youth to services.
Eckerd Connects will work with existing and new community partners to build a system of care for opportunity youth in Rapides and Vernon parishes. The Eckerd Connects Opportunity Youth Program will engage, empower and energize opportunity youth to address the barriers to successful education and employment. The project also will focus on building an infrastructure to connect referral sources to community partners who provide educational services and employment opportunities. Eckerd will provide direct services and strengthen local connections in communities to connect more youth to opportunities so that they can live in a sustainable manner.
LaSalle Community Action Association and its partners will create the Catahoula Youth and Young Adult Enrichment Program in Catahoula Parish. The program will identify, recruit, assess, educate and train at least 150 young adults to become economically stable through the creation of a local and regional system of service providers. The system will provide outreach and a portal for disconnected youth to enter, be assessed and connected to services, including training, that will improve the likelihood of a successful transition to sustained employment.
The LaSalle Economic Development District will serve as anchor organization for Reconnect LaSalle: Youth Embracing a Greater Future. The mission is to connect these young adults with local and regional entities that can assist them to embrace a greater future by entering the workforce or obtaining higher education. The project will develop strategies to increase awareness of available local resources and information. Other components include facilitating round table discussions with area agencies, organizations and local youth.
The Rapides Parish Police Jury’s Youth Empowerment Services Project will expand its existing outreach and services for young adults. The project will include hiring service navigators to recruit disconnected youth from Rapides Parish and connect them with resources within the American Job Center and from external partners.
BATON ROUGE– Gov. John Bel Edwards released the bills in his 2023 legislative package, the final regular legislative session of his second term, on April 18.
“This package of bipartisan legislation aims for a Louisiana that lives our pro-life values,” said Gov. Edwards. “To truly be pro-life in my estimation, we must make it easier for parents to feed, educate and house their children. We need to raise the minimum wage, close our gender pay gap, and offer our people paid family and medical leave. We must also find empathy for victims of rape and incest who become pregnant. And I am calling on the legislature to abolish the death penalty, which promotes a culture of death and has proven to be expensive and ineffective at deterring crime.”
The governor’s priority bills are in addition to his state budget request, unveiled earlier this year, which calls for a $3,000 teacher pay raise, the largest-ever state general fund investment in early childhood education, a permanent increase of $100 per month (a 20% increase) in supplemental pay, and historic funding for higher education.
Package Bills
Raise the Minimum Wage
SB 149 and HB 374 | Sen. Gary Carter and Rep. Ed Larvadain
Summary: Propose a raise in the state-wide minimum wage to $10 an hour starting January 1, 2024, $12 an hour starting January 1, 2026, and $14 an hour starting January 1, 2028.
The governor believes these bills are pro-life.
It is unacceptable that Louisiana has not raised the minimum wage from the federal minimum of $7.25 – even more so now with inflation.
Congress has not raised the federal minimum wage since 2009 when it was raised to $7.25 an hour.
Since then, the majority of states have raised their minimum wage, with 20 states raising their minimum wage in 2023 alone.
Not advancing this legislation would be a step backwards for our families and our children who live in poverty but want to work.
The majority of people across our state, regardless of their party affiliation, agree with an increase in the minimum wage. (LSU Public Policy Research Lab)
Pay Transparency – Gender Wage Gap
HB 283 | Rep. Vanessa LaFleur
Summary: The proposed law would prohibit an employer from taking any adverse action against an employee who discusses or compares his/her wages with another employee.
Our state continues to have one of the highest gender wage gaps in the nation. (U.S. Bureau of Statistics)
The governor believes this bill is pro-life. We can’t say we are looking out for our families and our children if we don’t close the gender pay gap, which perpetuates poverty and allows our communities and children to suffer as a result.
Wage transparency is an important step toward achieving equal pay for equal work.
Wage gaps and pay inequity have been found to be reduced in organizations that utilize salary transparency. (National Bureau of Economic Research)
Death Penalty Abolition
HB 228 | Rep. Kyle Green
Summary: Eliminates the death penalty and provides that persons previously sentenced to death shall be resentenced to a term of life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
The governor believes this bill is pro-life.
There have been far more exonerations (6) off of our death row over the last twenty years then there have been actual executions (1).
The death penalty is increasingly expensive, difficult to carry out, and proven to be ineffective at deterring crime.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
HB 596 | Rep. Aimee Freeman
Summary: Proposes family and medical leave benefits be paid to an employee who is caring for a child during the first year after birth, adoption or placement through foster care; caring for a family member with a serious health condition; has a serious health condition that makes him/her unable to perform the functions of his position of employment; or caring for a military service member.
The governor believes this bill is pro-life. It’s time to make it possible for mothers and fathers to care for their babies without risking bankruptcy.
Research shows that paid family leave means families are more likely to attend regular medical checkups and have fewer health problems.
Paid leave means women who give birth are less likely to experience postpartum complications and men are more likely to be involved fathers.
HB 366 | Rep. Sam Jenkins
Summary: Authorizes the legislature to enact employee leave policies which are uniformly applicable to all state government employers and employees.
The governor believes this bill is pro-life. The proposed constitutional amendment would let the legislature enact paid family and medical leave laws that cover state government employees.
Abortion Law Exceptions
HB 346* | Rep. Delisha Boyd
Summary: Provides that the termination of a pregnancy that is the result of an act constituting a sex offense – rape and incest – shall not be considered an act of abortion.
Research has shown that rape and incest exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion law are overwhelmingly supported by the people of Louisiana.
Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion
Senate Bill to be filed* | Sen. Jay Luneau
Summary: Increases Louisiana’s Earned Income Tax Credit and makes it permanent.
Higher Ed Fee Waiver for Louisiana National Guard Service members
HB 485 | Rep. Ken Brass
Summary: Creates the LA National Guard Patriot Scholarship Program to cover mandatory fees for qualifying National Guard service members attending public postsecondary education institutions.
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
HB 412 | Rep. Malinda White
Summary: Establishes the La. Imagination Library Program under the administration of the La. Educational Television Authority (LETA) for the purpose of encouraging reading and learning for young children and creating a fund for funding the program.
This bill seeks to create a partnership framework for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that would make children aged 0-5 in every zip code of the state eligible to receive books to their homes.
Cybersecurity
SB 152 | Sen. Barry Milligan | Cybersecurity Commission
Summary: Creates the 21-member Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission within the Division of Administration to coordinate cybersecurity efforts among local, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as the private sector, to maintain the stability of public services while ensuring proper privacy and protection of data entrusted to the state.
The cyber infrastructure of our nation and of our state have been increasingly under attack.
Insurance
SB 11 | Sen. Jay Luneau | Gender Discrimination in Auto Insurance
Summary: Prohibits insurance rate setting based on gender.
Car insurance companies in Louisiana charge women more for auto insurance than men, just because they’re women. It’s ridiculous, especially when you consider that research shows women are safer drivers, less likely to get in costly accidents. It’s time to ban this unfair and discriminatory practice.
HB552 | Rep. Stephanie Hilferty
Summary: Suspends until 2025 the legal requirement that Louisiana Citizens—the state’s publicly-owned insurer of last resort—must charge 10% more than private insurance companies on property insurance policies.
This will hopefully result in some premium relief for policyholders who have no option for insurance except Louisiana Citizens, although re-insurance expenses may result in Louisiana Citizens charging more than the private market even without the 10% surcharge.
HB287 | Rep. Mack Cormier
Summary: Requires the immediate issuance of a field adjuster’s report upon completion, rather than forcing policyholders to submit a request for the report and wait up to 15 days.
This legislation would make it harder for insurance companies to get away with modifying reports from field adjusters at hurricane victims’ expense.
The Washington Post recently published an exposé detailing the use of this practice in Florida.
HB252 | Rep. Robby Carter
Summary: Prohibits the current practice of insurance companies charging policyholders for the cost of advertising in their premiums.
This common-sense consumer protection would lower insurance rates. Policyholders should not have to foot the bill for every commercial with Flo, Jake, the Emu and the Gecko.
*denotes a bill where changes/updates to bill language—but not intent—are expected upon first committee hearing
Rapides Parish had six teams in the LHSAA baseball brackets announced Tuesday, led by third-seeded ASH in the Select Division II bracket, while five parish softball teams are still alive in the playoffs, paced by Buckeye and Tioga.
In softball, Pineville hosts Northwood at 5:30 today in a second-round Select Division I contest. The Lady Rebels are seeded fourth and the visitors are No. 13.
Second-seeded Tioga has already advanced to the quarterfinals after run-ruling Lafayette 13-3 in a second-round game on Tuesday. Tioga will meet either No. 7 Acadiana or No. 10 Dominican later this week for a berth in next weekend’s state tournament at Sulphur.
No. 6 ASH also dominated its second-round foe, cracking Riverside 11-0. The Lady Trojans meet No. 3 John Curtis in the quarterfinals later this week.
Buckeye earned the No. 1 seeding in Select Division II and got a first-round bye. They’ll host No. 17 Evangel today at 5:30.
Peabody was beaten 17-2 in the first round of Select Division II by Cabrini.
In Select Division V, No. 8 Oak Hill visits top-ranked Claiborne Christian today at 4:30 after both teams had first-round byes. It is a quarterfinal contest in the small bracket, so the winner goes to the state tournament next weekend.
The LHSAA set its baseball postseason brackets Tuesday.
In baseball, Divisions IV and V have retained the single-elimination brackets used previously while Divisions I, II and III are now playing three-game series in the first three rounds leading to the semifinals.
ASH is the highest-seeded parish team at No. 3 in Select Division I. The Trojans get a first-round bye and await the winner of the Holy Cross-St. Aug series for a matchup next week, between April 25-29
No. 6 Pineville and No. 12 Tioga also earned byes. The Rebels will host No. 11 Acadiana next week while the Indians visit No. 5 Northwood in Shreveport next Friday and Saturday.
In Select Division ii, Buckeye is seeded sixth and will host No. 11 Kenner Discovery Health Science in a series next week.
Bolton and Peabody tangle in a first-round series at Bolton, beginning today with a doubleheader set for a 4 p.m. opening game and a 6 p.m. second contest. If a third game is necessary, it will be played at 5:30 Thursday. The winner goes to Thibodaux next week to face No. 2 E.D. White.
Graveside services for James Allen Rhodes, Sr. will be held at 12:00 p.m., Friday, April 28, 2023 at Pine Grove Cemetery, Whitehall with Military Honors under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria.
Mr. Rhodes, 88, of Pineville, passed from this life on Monday, April 17, 2023 at CHRISTUS St. Francis Cabrini Hospital.
Mr. Rhodes proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. During his working career he was a supervisor for Wells Fargo.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Debbie Hardy Rhodes; daughter, Tracy Modes; parents, Allen A. and Lena Thomas Rhodes; brother, Kenneth Thomas Rhodes; sister, Carolyn Bishop, and granddaughter, Jamie Aileen Brandenburg.
Those left to cherish his memory include his sons, Jesse Rhodes, and James Rhodes, Jr.
LSUA held its annual Ms. LSUA pageant, crowning Heather Marie Gagnard as Ms. LSUA. Seven fabulous contestants were recognized for their contributions to student life at LSUA. The event honors their intelligence, talent, and their special place among the student body. Ms. LSUA will represent the university at events throughout the 2023-2024 academic year.
Ariana Dolores Cruz Harris from Port Charlotte, FL, was named the first runner-up, and Gracelyn Kaley Adams from Pineville, LA, was named the second runner-up.
In addition to being named the first runner-up, Ariana Cruz Harris was chosen for the People’s Choice award and selected as Ms. Photogenic. The title of Ms. Congeniality, chosen by her fellow contestants, was awarded to Lillian Kay Peterson from Alexandria, La.
Gracelyn Kaley Adams from Pineville, La was awarded the Top Ad Sales winner, while Kylie Marie Johnson from Glenmora, La was the recipient of the Director’s Award. The Scholastic Achievement Award went to Audrian Renee Cruz from Deridder, La.
The panel of judges for the 2023 Ms. LSUA pageant included Ms. LSUA 2019 Saije Cousin, Natalie O’Quin, and Matt Henry.
As part of the recognition, the 2023 Ms. LSUA, Heather Marie Gagnard, was awarded a $1500 Chancellor’s Scholarship. The first runner-up, Ariana Dolores Cruz Harris, was awarded a $1000 Chancellor’s scholarship, and the second runner-up, Gracelyn Kaley Adams, was awarded a $500 Chancellor’s scholarship.
Louisiana Christian University will host the Red River Wind Symphony in concert Thursday, April 20 at 7 p.m. in Guinn Auditorium.
LCU Chair of Fine Arts Jacob Wittkopp said the symphony performs at least once a semester.
The ensemble includes band directors, retired band directors, teachers, doctors, college students and professors, veterans, and high school students.
“It’s a really cool entity that people don’t really know about,” he said.
Selena Torres, a junior music major at LCU from Alexandria, will be playing the trombone in the concert.
The multiple individuals who take part showcase the admirable features of the symphony, its character and discipline, Torres said.
“One of the most beautiful experiences for a musician is the collective effort of creating music with people that love performing,” Torres said. “To showcase how close the Red River Symphony is to one another, a reunion with a family is similar to the symphony’s return after a prolonged interruption of not meeting together. In addition to executing and rehearsing, we also pray for one another and serve one another. It is an honor to perform right next to the people that I love and cherish.”
Mary Wilkinson, an adjunct music instructor at LCU, is the RRWS director.
The concert is free and open to the public.
For more information about being part of the Red River Wind Symphony in the future or about the LCU music department, contact music@lcuniversity.edu.
Added to the line-up for the 26th Annual Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival
Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs – THE CANE RIVER WATERWAY COMMISSION STAGE – 3:45 – 5:00 pm.
Mark Newman – ROQUE HOUSE STAGE – 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Gin Mobsters – FLEUR DE LIS STAGE – 4:45 – 5:45 pm.
Josh Hyde & The Lost Parish – FLEUR DE LIS STAGE – 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
This year we kick off the festival with a Friday night show featuring Elton LIVE! The Elton John Experience and The Purple Madness, a Tribute to Prince. Shows will be going on from 7:00 PM until 11:00 PM on 5/12 AND 11 AM – 11 PM on 5/13 on the Natchitoches Riverbank!
Don’t forget about our headliners, a Double Shot of Country with stars Mark Chestnutt and Tracy Byrd, and a whole lotta line dancing with the legendary Cupid, all on Saturday.
We still have The Steel Magnolias Getaway Giveaway to be announced so get your tickets and be entered into the drawing!
James Allen Rhodes, Sr. May 6, 1934 – April 17, 2023 Service: Friday, April 28, 2023 at Pine Grove Cemetery, Whitehall.
Mildred L. Humphreys January 5, 1927 – April 14, 2023 Service: Graveside on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Ball, LA.
Landry James “Jimmy” Gaspard May 29, 1943 – April 15, 2023 Service: Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 10 am in the chapel of Hixson Brothers funeral Home, Marksville, La.
Charlotte St. Andre October 29, 1947 – April 16, 2023 Visitation: Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Noon until the service starts. Service: Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 2 pm; Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, La.
Gene Paul Dauzat July 6, 1950 – April 14, 2023 Visitation: Friday, April 21, 2023 at 9 am until time of service. Service: Friday, April 21, 2023 at 10 am at St. Joseph Mausoleum #2. Internment: Friday, April 21, 2023 in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum #2.
The Rapides Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or RPJNewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to RPJNewsla@gmail.com)
The Alexandria Police Department requested Troopers to investigate an officer-involved shooting on Rapides Avenue at 12thStreet, within the city limits of Alexandria. One subject was shot and has been pronounced deceased. No officers were injured during the incident.
This is an active scene, please utilize alternate routes around the area to allow for the movement of emergency vehicles and investigative personnel.
Anyone with information and/or pictures and video are urged to share that information with LSP Detectives by calling 318-487-5911.
In addition to the option above, citizens can anonymously report information through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system by visiting https://dpsweb.dps.louisiana.gov/suspicious.nsf/WebForm?OpenForm or calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.
Information will be updated as it becomes available.
Mike McConathy is a rookie trying to make the team; Alan Seabaugh a veteran hoping to change leagues. Both want the same position – senator from District 31 – in the Fall election.
Incumbent Louie Bernard of Natchitoches, elected in 2019, is not running for re-election.
The district beginning with this election now includes parts or all of 10 parishes, including a portion of west and south Rapides, and stretching to Toledo Bend in one direction and a minute part of Caddo/Bossier to the north.
McConathy’s campaign radiates from Natchitoches, where he was for years head basketball coach at NSU.
Seabaugh’s base is Caddo Parish, a mere sliver of which is in the district.
A Shreveport attorney, Seabaugh is a term-limited state representative who happens to fall just inside the reapportioned District 31 boundary.
Both candidates are Republicans.
Neither reported any contributions from Rapides Parish in 2022.
As of Dec. 31, both candidates listed a number of maximum allowable contributions from individuals and businesses near and far.
At year’s end, McConathy had $68,000 on hand of $120,000 raised beginning in September.
Seabaugh had $380,000 on hand. That includes carryover funds from previous years.
Contributions totaled $211,000.
Seabaugh reported loaning his campaign fund $50,000, which he also did in 2020 and 2021. The loans were outstanding at year’s end.
As might be expected for a 12-year legislator, Seabaugh had a host of PAC contributions, totaling $36,700.
He has an established voting record indicating how he is likely to vote on any number of issues, a barometer for special interests with specific interests and objectives.
McConathy, on the other hand, must persuade PACs, if he chooses to, that he will at the least listen to their lobbying cases.
EDITOR’S NOTE: When this story was initially published Tuesday morning, it mistakenly stated legislative candidates would file campaign finance reports quarterly, but that is only required of statewide candidates and PACs making contributions. Legislative campaign finance reports are not due until 30 days before the October 14 primary.
Pineville officials plan to ask this week for release of funds to significantly bolster capability of the Huffman Creek pumping station.
The city is seeking Community Development Block Grant Mitigation money to demolish the pair of pumps and replace with an upgraded facility. Previously estimated cost is about $5.2 million.
The proposed project includes the demolition of the 10,000 and 25,000 gallon-per-minute pump stations and development of an enlarged pump sump to accommodate two new diesel engine-driven pumps with a capacity of 50,000 gpm each.
The new pump facility would have auxiliary power for controls; and installation of a double run of 48″ discharge header; and an upstream 1.5+ acre detention pond.
The station pumps water over a levee into Bayou Maria, in turn draining into Red River.
According to the city, the completion of the project will result in a total capacity of 200,000 gpm – an increase of 65,000 gpm.
This additional capacity will provide an estimated 50+ year level of protection to the low-lying areas of Huffman Creek basin.
The project will also include the construction of a 1.5-acre retention pond located upstream of Hwy. 165 and the removal of an obstruction near the highway’s service road.
City officials believe the project will have no significant impact on the human environment and that an Environmental Impact Statement under is not required.
Saturday morning, the Pineville Dixie Youth Baseball and Softball Association held its season-opening weekend at the Ward 9 Sportsplex.
About 40 minutes into the first game of the day, play was halted due to rain.
Anyone who has had any type of experience in the past at Ward 9 knew what rain meant — a rainout. Rain and all-dirt infields are not a good recipe for playing baseball, and countless number of games and tournaments have been impacted at Ward 9 since it opened in the early 2000s.
But those days are no longer.
“We sat in the dugout and the rain passed,” said Pineville dentist Josh Huffman, D.D.S., a longtime Pineville Dixie coach. “About 10-15 minutes later, we finished that game and played the rest of the day. That would’ve been 100 percent a rainout in the past.”
Thirty months after voters passed a bond to upgrade Ward 9 with synthetic turf, among other upgrades, work has finally been completed to the point baseball and softball games can be played again. Work started in July 2021, but came to a half a few months later when the original contractor on the project went bankrupt. That, along with supply chain issues, delayed the project by more than a year. Instead of re-opening in February 2022, it took until last week before games could be held.
“I always thought we’d get here, but I wondered when,” said Steve Rachal, facility director for Ward 9 since it opened. “Everyone has been patient.”
That includes the Pineville Dixie organization. The past few years have been difficult for it, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the 2020 season. The final season at the old Ward 9 in 2021 was plagued by a wet spring that cost many games. Last season, games were played at the City of Pineville’s Wardville complex.
While Ward 10 Dixie began playing on turf fields in the fall of 2020, and Alexandria Dixie moved back into the re-built Johnny Downs Complex last year, Pineville Dixie waited its turn.
“The ballpark is definitely nice,” said Huffman, who is coaching in the Pineville Dixie league for his sixth straight year. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to come home without having to clean the dirt out of your eyes. It’s as nice as any place around here.”
Fields 1-4 are complete and open for play, while Fields 5 and 6 are expected to re-open in the next 2-3 weeks. All six fields will feature turf out to 210 feet. The remaining 90 feet is natural grass. Temporary fencing allows baseball games of all ages to be played. Other improvements include new lighting, brick backstops from dugout to dugout and the addition of bullpens down each baseline.
A new splash pad is awaiting final approval to open, and the newly covered hitting cages are awaiting final materials to open. Fields 7 and 8 in the back of the complex are currently receiving new lighting and other cosmetic work.
Next for Ward 9 is Phase 2 of its renovation. This will include a paved 1.5 mile walking track, improved lighting for soccer, a new soccer playground, new LED entrance sign and to finish the repaving of the parking lot.
Rachal jokes Phase 3 is “to enjoy it!”
Upcoming events at Ward 9 should include the return of travel tournaments, as well as the local Fall Ball League and elementary and middle school baseball leagues.
The juvenile Amariya Alise Lewis was located on April 14 at a residence not far from Bolton High School and is ok and has been reunited with her mother. The joint investigation by the Alexandria Police Department and the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office is still ongoing.
Amariya left Bolton High School on foot on April 13 around 8 am after a brief encounter with the school’s administration. She was last seen walking down Vance Avenue in Alexandria wearing a white polo shirt and dark blue pants.
If anyone has any information on this case, they are asked to contact Detective Susan Mosley at 318-641-6000 or Detective Terrance Howard at 318-441-6416. The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office thanks all the public and the media for their assistance in this case.
The Exchange Club of Central Louisiana will organize the 2nd Annual Field of Honor® June 10-17 at the corner of Main Street and Riverside Drive in Pineville. Hundreds of flags will be on display in perfect rows for public viewing every day during the event. All orders must be turned in by April 28. Opening ceremonies will be held on Saturday, June 10 starting at 2pm. Flags can be picked up on Saturday, June 17 from 10am – 12pm.
The Field of Honor® offers individuals and organizations the opportunity to honor their special heroes. Your donation can designate a flag as a tribute to a special person living or deceased. The honoree may be a parent. grandparent, child, veteran, active military, first responder, teacher, coach, or any other special person. Each flag will have a tag with the name of the donor, the honoree and brief tribute to the honoree.
Proceeds from the Field of Honor ® will be used to support the Exchange Club’s Programs of Service: One Nation Under God, City of Alexandria Veterans Day Tribute, Cash awards for winners of the Veterans Day Essay Contest, Scholarships for our Youth of the Month and Youth of the Year, our National Project, the Prevention of Child Abuse, and Community Service projects devoting time and dollars to support other non-profit organizations in Central Louisiana.
Rapides Regional Medical Center celebrated the successful team of STARS from 3 South on April 16 for the outstanding work they are doing for their patients and the outlying community and hospitals. They are April’s Above and Beyond department! This amazing team of amazing people perform Excellence, Every Day, Every Time.
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
– Amy Poehler, an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director.
The Alexandria Police Department recently recognized and expressed its appreciation for its emergency dispatchers and telecommunications personnel. These individuals play a critical role in maintaining public safety and security in the community.
Their dedication and commitment to their roles are essential to ensuring that the right resources are dispatched to the right location in a timely manner. They are often the first point of contact for individuals experiencing an emergency, and their professionalism and expertise are invaluable in these situations.
Dispatcher and telecommunication personnel work around the clock to provide a vital service to the community. They work under high-pressure situations and make quick decisions that can make all the difference in a life-threatening emergency.
The APD is grateful for their unwavering commitment and appreciates their hard work and dedication. Without them, the police department’s ability to respond to emergencies and maintain public safety would not be possible.
Graveside services for Mr. Gene Paul Dauzat will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Mausoleum #2 with Father Dan O’Connor officiating. Internment will be held in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum #2. Arrangements are under the direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home of Marksville.
Mr. Dauzat, age 72, of Marksville LA., passed away on Friday, April 14, 2023 in Valley View Nursing Home. He is preceded in death by his parents, Eli and Pauline Guillot Dauzat; brother, Richard Dauzat; sisters, Mary Ann Vead, Ocena Bordelon, Arceline Rousseau, Linda Packs.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 55 years, Judy Bernard Dauzat of Marksville, LA.; son, Shawn (Amy) Dauzat of Lafayette, LA.; daughters, Ramonica (Kevin) Dupuy of Marksville, LA., Sherry (David) Quatrevingt of Houma, LA., Dana Chaisson (Marvin Quatrevingt) of Houma, LA; sisters, Doris Nick of Marksville, LA and Christine Dauzat of Fifth Ward, LA. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren, Donovan Dupuy, Coty Quatrevingt, Gavin Dauzat, Jackson Dauzat, Connor Dauzat, Logan Dauzat, Tyler Chaisson, Hunter Quatrevingt, and five great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. until time of services in St. Joseph Mausoleum # 2.
Get ready for an unforgettable night with a FREE “Avery Michaels and Exit 209” concert at 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗵𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝟮 boat racing event on Friday, April 21 from 7-11 PM on Buhlow Lake. Boat races will take place daily Friday-Sunday, April 21-23 from 10 am – 6 pm. Come out for electrifying live music right after the boat races! Bring your loved ones and rock the night away!
