Louisiana Christian University Greek student organizations Kappa Omicron and Lambda Chi Beta will be participating in city clean-up efforts in Alexandria on April 14.

The university has adopted an area of Versailles Boulevard through its partnership with the City of Alexandria’s Adopt-A-Street program.

“LCU is committed to teaching servant leadership to our students through service-learning projects within the Central Louisiana community,” said Meredith Rennier, vice president for Student Life. “We are excited to partner with the City of Alexandria’s Adopt-A-Street program in bettering our city.”

Terrell Phillips, coordinator of student activities said the Adopt-a-Street program encourages local organizations to take on the responsibility of picking up litter on a specific section of roadway.  Volunteer organizations are recognized by having their name on two roadside signs provided by the City of Alexandria. The first clean-up will be April 14 from 1-3 p.m.

“Kappa Omicron aims to make Louisiana Christian University a better place, and improving the community around it is a good way to do so,” said Kappa Omicron President Kyle Simmons, a junior criminal justice major from Folsom.

A longtime landmark in Downtown Pineville has quite a different look as of the morning of April 4 after an 18-wheeler clipped 732 Main Street for the second time in as many months. This tight corner connects Shamrock to Main, which is also State Hwy. 165-Business, so inevitably, an 18-wheeler finds its way to that corner. Over the years, this location has been a drugstore, a law office, Harvey Scroggs State Farm and most recently, Red River Rarities.

Individuals from central Louisiana interested in high demand healthcare careers are invited to attend a Nursing and Allied Health open house at Northwestern State University’s Cenla campus from 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12.   

NSU’s Cenla campus is located at England Airpark.  More information and registration is available at https://nsu.la/OpenHouseCENLA. 

Those who attend the open house attend will learn about NSU’s healthcare degree programs, including the traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN), RN to BSN, LPN to ASN, a new military medic/paramedic to ASN program, an accelerated Bachelor of Science to BSN and the nurse anesthesia program. Faculty from Allied Health will have information on the Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Science (BSRS) and the ultrasound concentration, as well as the RT to BSRS, the sonography program and the Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Allied Health.  

NSU staff from Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Success and other campus resources will be available to answer questions about college transferability academics and scholarships.  Prospective students can also meet with faculty and advisors and tour labs and classrooms.  

Recent forecasts by The American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimate that the U.S. will need nearly a million additional nurses by 2030. Northwestern State ranks in the top third nationally for Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, according to U.S. News and World Report, and is the largest producer of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and radiologic technologists in Louisiana.  NSU offers the only paramedic/military medic to ASN the state and is expanding nursing and allied health programs in Shreveport, Alexandria and Leesville.   

            Information on NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health is available at https://www.nsula.edu/nursing/ and https://www.nsula.edu/alliedhealth/.   

On the Friday before Spring Break, March 31 for this year, the sidewalks outside Bolton High School become colorful works of art as numerous students participate in Chalk Fest.

Rapides Regional Medical Center held its 5th Annual Colors of Courage 5K and Color Run on March 31, presented by Walk-On’s, to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Congratulations to Caleb Browning for placing first overall with a time of 19:18.9. Second was Luke Pemberton and third was Corbin Seay. On the women’s side, Sara Laroux took first in 28:13.1, followed by Ava Roy and Cassie Cutright. 

In late March, students with the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA)’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club attended the State Leadership Conference in Lafayette, where Esha Patel (‘25) of Alexandria was elected 2023-2024 District III Vice President.

All LSMSA participants competed individually and in teams against students from throughout the state in competitions focused on practical business skills involving communication practices, written tests and oral presentations, and those placing fourth or higher qualified to compete in the national competition in Atlanta in June:

• Aiden Allgire (‘24) of Port Barre – Business Law, fourth place
• Aroma Chanda (‘23) of Hammond – Computer Game & Simulation Programming, first place; and Human Resource Management, third place
• Joshua Gillett (‘23) of Lake Charles – Computer Game & Simulation Programming, first place
• Marlie Harris (‘25) of Berwick – International Business, first place
• Audie Hauptman (‘25) of Denham Springs – Sports & Entertainment Management, ninth place
• Jude Kannankeril (‘25) of Marrero –  Computer Game & Simulation Programming, first place
• Alivelu Morampudi (‘25) of Monroe – Business Management, first place
• Esha Patel (‘25) of Alexandria – Marketing, fourth place
• Maddie Riles (‘25) of Carencro – Business Calculations, fourth place; and Introduction to Business Communication, fourth place
• Evan Shelton (‘23) of Leesville – Cyber Security, sixth place
• Ava Toms (‘24) of Castor – Health Care Administration, first place; and Business Communication, third place
• Kyler Toms (‘25) of Castor – Introduction to Business Procedures  , first place
• Isaac Young (‘25) of Natchitoches – Computer Applications, first place

FBLA is one of more than 50 student clubs and organizations offered at LSMSA, a tuition-free, residential, public high school for high-achieving rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities. The LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families in need. For more information about the Louisiana School or to apply for the 2023-24 school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.

The Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office swore in Hazel Coleman-Chavis as an Assistant District Attorney on April 3. ADA Coleman-Chavis is assigned to the Felony Division.

By JIM BUTLER, Journal Contributing Writer

Two candidates in the redrawn House District 25, that now stretches from south and west of Alexandria to north and west of Natchitoches in a classic example of gerrymandering, have been raising funds for several months before recently announcing their campaigns.

Trish Leleux and Jason DeWitt have a couple of things in common. Both are Republicans in a district advantageously drawn by a GOP-dominated Legislature and both have name recognition of a sort.

Leleux became a minor celebrity in the Alexandria market as a radio personality before launching a successful real estate career.

DeWitt, small business owner and retired first responder, carries a surname legendary in District 25 — as in retired House Speaker Charlie — though it remains to be seen whether the current candidate brings that up.

Leleux’s coffers for the bid to succeed term-limited Lance Harris are filling with contributions from near and far; $100,000 in loans is the fuel for DeWitt’s election machine.

As of Dec. 31, DeWitt had $111,200 on hand, including the $100K he loaned his election fund. Leleux had $65,700, all in contributions. Both started fundraising last summer.

Louisiana law limits donors to $2,500 in any election period.

Leleux’s 64 contributors include the following $2,500 donations:

Dr. Mark Dodson, Dr. Katie Moffit, Natalie Monroe, Rob Ratcliff Jr., Roy O. Martin, all of Alexandria; Dee Garrett, Lafayette; Lane Grigsby, Baton Rouge; La Realtors PAC, Baton Rouge; Michael Leleux, Woodworth; Patrick Roche, Naples, Fla.; DM Voorhees, Nick Vorobek, Washington, DC; Womack & Sons Construction Group, Harrisonburg.

DeWitt’s 11 contributors as of Dec. 31 include the following at $2,500:

Grigsby; Sam Mahfouz, Barry Mitchell, Stanley Holdings, Alexandria; Jerry Mitchell, Boyce.

Full reports can be viewed at the La. Ethics Administration website.

DALLAS — Kim Mulkey needed a mere two years.

The Louisiana basketball legend needed less time than most car warranties to transform the LSU Tigers from a nine-win dumpster fire program into national champions.

By the way, it’s the first championship for either the LSU women’s or men’s basketball programs.

Mulkey put the finishing touches on what is, for her, yet another championship season — her fourth as a head coach and seventh overall as player and coach — with a sensational 102-85 victory over Iowa on Sunday at American Airlines Center, heavily populated by a sea of raucous purple and gold-clad fans.

It was a record-breaking performance and it had nothing to do with Mulkey’s striped-bedazzled outfit, which was phenomenal in its own right.

No, LSU simply went inside the home of the Dallas Mavericks and set new NCAA women’s records for most points in a quarter and half for a title game. The Tigers also became the first team to score 100-plus points in a women’s championship contest — surpassing the 97 scored by Texas against Southern California in 1986.

This, from a team that paved its path to the championship game with lock-down defense, overcoming mediocre, at best, perimeter shooting. There was nothing mediocre about the way the Tigers shot from distance Sunday – 9 of 12 on 3-pointers by halftime, as they exploded to a 17-point lead.

As usual, LSU’s All-American forward Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds, her 34th double-double of the season, which you guessed it, broke an NCAA record. Reese was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Mulkey reminded everyone once again why she may be the greatest basketball figure — male or female — in Louisiana’s rich hoops history.

If you need some convincing then let’s take a look at the updated resume, shall we?

After winning four straight state championships at Hammond High School, the fiery point guard went on to play at Louisiana Tech for Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore.

Mulkey became an All-American, went to four Final Fours, and won two national titles, including the first-ever NCAA crown in 1982. She then served as an assistant coach for the Lady Techsters, alongside Barmore, as the program won another national title, missed another on a last-second basket, and made seven trips to the Final Four.

Oh yeah, she won an Olympic gold medal. too. Chatted up President Ronald Reagan on the bench. Those shiny Olympic medals don’t grow on trees, by the way.

Mulkey then would go on to blaze her own head coaching trail at Baylor, taking over a program not even Hogg could turn into a consistent winner.

The Bears rapidly clawed their way into becoming a perennial powerhouse, winning three national titles. In her fifth season in Waco, Mulkey became the first person in NCAA women’s basketball history to win a national title as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

And now she has won another — this time at LSU.

What’s left for her to do? What honor is appropriate? She has already been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Maybe someone can create the Fashionable Coaches Hall of Fame, and yes Mulkey and sparkles would be voted into that. too.

What she has done at LSU is simply surreal.

In her first season at the helm, Mulkey orchestrated the greatest turnaround in Southeastern Conference history with a 26-6 overall record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

The encore to that will go down in LSU sports lore.

Losing 80 percent of her scoring from last year, she retooled by adding nine new players to the roster — including Reese. Her stated goal was to win one more than in her LSU debut, but as wins stacked up, so did momentum. Mulkey guided the Tigers to a program record 34 wins, their first trip to the Final Four in 15 years and now, the NCAA title.

For anyone that watched her play for Hammond High and in Ruston for the Lady Techsters, or watched her coach in Ruston and Waco and now Baton Rouge, Mulkey is something special — a Louisiana original.

She was sensational in Cenla, leading Hammond to dominance in the Sweet 16 girls tournament at Rapides Parish Coliseum. Her flair for the game was incomparable, even then. Fans came from miles around to see her play. Now they pack the P-MAC to see her coach.

With Sunday’s victory, Mulkey could very well be the most special basketball figure in our state’s history.

And yeah, she is only getting started on writing the third chapter of her career.

Contact Raymond at sportswithrp3@gmail.com

Now a Lafayette-based sports talk show host and digital journalist at 103.7 The Game, Raymond Partsch III is an LSU Alexandria graduate who became an award-winning sportswriter and ultimately sports editor at the Town Talk.

Memorial services for Mr. Billy Brock will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 5, 2023, in the Chapel of Hixson Brothers, Alexandria, with Lowell Hubbard officiating.

Mr. Brock, 80, of Forest Hill, passed from this life, Sunday, April 2, 2023 at his residence.

Billy was a United States Air Force veteran and had worked as an automotive mechanic for 53 years, 20 of those years for Poole Brothers Nursery, Forest Hill. He was an outdoorsman who, in his free time, enjoyed wood working, hunting, and fishing. He most enjoyed spending time with his family and his beloved Sophie.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis Brock and Hazel Parrott Brock; brothers, Robert H. Brock, Kenneth Brock, Curtis Brock, Paul Edward Brock; sisters, Aline Brock, Mary Ann Trew, Ruby Russell and Betty Sue Smith.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 17 years, JoAnn Fontenot Brock; son, Clif Fuqua and wife, Diane; daughters, Alesia Boone and husband, Allen, Debra Hubbard and husband, Lowell; brothers, Tommy Brock, Lewis Brock, Jr., Amos Brock; sisters, Juanita Brock, Lynn Ruth Brock; grandchildren, Leanne Boone, Jeremy Boone, Ashley Maddox and husband, Wesley, C J Fuqua and fiancée, Jennifer, Eric Fuqua, Taylor Jordan and wife, Kayla; great grandchildren, Gavin Dane Jordan and Hayden Carroll; his fur baby, Sophie, and a host of other family members and friends.

Louisiana Christian University welcomes back renowned Christian apologist Dr. Frank Turek April 10 for the final Christ, Church, Culture event of the spring semester.  

Turek will discuss the topic: “If God, Why Evil?”

Always a crowd favorite at LCU, Turek, president of the Christian apologetics ministry CrossExamined.org and best-selling author of “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” will speak in Guinn Auditorium. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.

“Dr. Turek tackles the difficult topics of the day from a solid, biblical worldview,” said LCU President Dr. Rick Brewer. “His insights and apologetic theology is both educational and inspirational. Undoubtedly, the favorite speaker our students can’t wait to hear and question each year.” 

Christian apologetics uses science amd reasoning to prove the truth of Christianity and cross-examines claims against it. More information about Turek’s ministry is available on CrossExamined.org.

The C3 event April 10 is free and open to the public.