By JIM BUTLER

Fault for the death of Rose Marie Taylor following her arrest last year will be decided in federal court.

Charges, denials and countercharges will make their way through the system before it is decreed what truth is.  

Whichever way that eventually falls, two things seem clear at this point — one, Taylor was familiar with the drill when approached by officers, who, two, had cause to do so.

What happened then on the late afternoon of May 17, 2022 is where the rub is. 

The MacArthur Drive hotel parking lot in  question is known to law enforcement as one where illegal or illicit activity has taken place over some time.  Owners have posted no loitering notices to discourage dalliance by non-residents. Foot traffic is common. 

Officers spotting Taylor and her girlfriend in conversation on the lot, Taylor in her auto, the door open, the girlfriend standing outside, pulled in.

From that point, the plaintiff and defendant versions of what happened differ. 

Whether a complaint had resulted in their being dispatched to the scene or one was responding to another’s call for backup is not clear without access to radio logs and incident reports. 

When the officers got out of their vehicles, Taylor likely knew what was next. What unfolded, however, is a major point of disagreement.

What is not is that the officers allegedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia in the car. 

Taylor was ultimately charged with possession and possession with intent to distribute as well as resisting arrest, a key point of disagreement between the parties, and probation violation.

She had been arrested twice in 2021 on possession and distribution charges and once in 2020, according to parish records.

Taylor, booked just before 6 p.m., was found unresponsive in her cell two days later and died on May 30.

The family claims she was the victim of unwarranted physical restraint and violence by officers at the scene. The officers say such did not occur.

Body camera recordings which might shed light are not yet public record because State Police are investigating.

Records, recordings, video, etc., are shielded from the Sunshine Act as long as a probe continues.  

That investigation did not begin until months after Taylor’s death, a point of contention in the litigation. 

Versions of what caused Taylor’s death differ. The plaintiffs allege one physician called it homicide, and ask why it took so long for the matter to go to LSP; defendants counter several medical reasons likely caused the death, none related to any action by officers. 

An officer involved in Taylor’s hospital transfer is a co-defendant in the case, as is the city police department and the parish sheriff’s department, which operates the jail.

One of the arresting officers was previously a sheriff’s deputy, fired with another in 2019 by the previous sheriff after a State Police probe of hours claimed but allegedly not worked.

Three deputies in that probe were charged with payroll fraud in a case that quickly slipped from public attention. 

That is not likely to happen in the Taylor matter. 

It is being thoroughly aired in the court of public opinion and is an issue in the already-underway Rapides Parish sheriff election campaign. 

That voting, safe to say, will be long over before the litigation reaches the requested jury trial or is otherwise resolved in court. 

By JASON PUGH, Special to the Journal

NATCHITOCHES – Thursday afternoon was about “R and R” for 11 members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

This “R and R” session, however, was not about rest and relaxation. Instead, the focus of the annual induction press conference inside the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum was on the inductees’ reactions to their moment in the sun and the relationships that drove them to or were created along the way in their Hall of Fame careers.

Some of those kinships even had a direct tie to Hall of Fame weekend itself, such as the case with 2023 inductee Paul Mainieri and his college coach, New Orleans’ Ron Maestri, a Class of 1994 inductee.

“I thought about that when (Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation President) Ronnie (Rantz) and (Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Doug Ireland) called me,” said Mainieri, who led LSU to the 2009 College World Series championship and five CWS appearances in his 15 years atop the Tiger program. “I had flown down from South Bend, Indiana, because Mase was being inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and I wanted to be here to honor him. I learned so much from Mase in my two years of playing for him – about handling players, promoting your team in the community, about what it took effort wise. At that point in my life, and to this day, he is probably the second-most important male figure in my life as far as guiding me through my baseball career and coaching career.”

Mainieri is one of five members of the Class of 2023 with ties to LSU, joining fellow Tiger baseball players Paul Byrd and M.L. Woodruff, standout football receiver Wendell Davis and Olympic jumper Walter Davis.

Although Mainieri’s relationship with Maestri began roughly an hour east of Baton Rouge, his tie to Woodruff was formed in the LSU baseball locker room long before the Tigers were among the nation’s elite.

Woodruff and Mainieri came into LSU as freshmen together before making their mark as baseball coaches.

Mainieri has the 2009 national title to his name, but it was Woodruff who made winning championships an art form, skippering Parkview Baptist to a remarkable 11 state championships in a 23-year span from 1986-2009.

“After the announcement, Paul was so gracious,” Woodruff said. “He came up to me after the pairing party for the golf tournament and said, ‘M.L., we’re in the locker room at Alex Box Stadium, and someone says, ‘Two of you guys are going into the Hall of Fame.’ He says, ‘Do you think they would have picked us?’ Absolutely not.”

Although not related, Walter and Wendell Davis played into sharing a last name.

“First of all, give it up for my brother, Walter” Wendell Davis said after following Walter’s speech before reflecting on his record-setting career that came in a time that long predated the current pass-happy era of college football.

A Shreveport-Fair Park High School product, Davis was recruited primarily by north Louisiana colleges – Northwestern State, then-Northeast Louisiana and Grambling State – before LSU came in “at the last minute.”

The marriage produced two All-American seasons for Davis, the 1987 SEC Player of the Year as a senior, a career built off a pairing of unsuspecting stars – Davis and his quarterback Tommy Hodson. Davis then produced a six-season NFL career with the Chicago Bears that was cut short because of an injury in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium that still resonates.

“I look pretty unassuming – you wouldn’t think I played football if you met me on the streets – but Tommy was worse than that,” Wendell said. “Tommy was a skinny kid, great basketball player. You see him on the street, you wouldn’t think he was a player. He was highly recruited, and I thought, ‘I need to get to know him.’ As a redshirt freshman, Tommy and I would work out all the time. We’d lift weights, and we’d go to the field. We’d go up and down the field – I’m running routes and he’s throwing the ball. The hope was this chemistry would carry over into a game. Fortunately, it did. He gained confidence in me, and he knew where I would be on the field. He was very instrumental in me doing what I did.”

While Wendell Davis found success in a team sport, stepping away from basketball led the 6-foot-2 Walter Davis to a track and field career that took the native of Leonville to Barton County Community College in Kansas, back home to LSU and around the world with berths on the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams.

A prep basketball standout, Walter said the individual nature of track and field played a role – as did a coach who mentioned the plethora of 6-2 basketball players and the dearth of 6-2 basketball players who had his track and field ability – into pushing him onto his Hall of Fame path.

“One reason I left basketball was if someone missed an assignment or missed a layup, it was a hack on the team,” he said. “If I went to a track meet and I lost, I have to look in the mirror. That’s on you. That’s why I really stuck with track and field. I don’t have to depend on anyone but myself.”

Right-handed pitcher Paul Byrd, a 14-year major-league veteran, rounded out the LSU-tied contingent. Byrd’s relationship with the Hall of Fame goes right to the top as he was Tiger teammates with Rantz, who noted Byrd was his first former teammate he was able to honor as an inductee.

A school-record 17-game winner at LSU in 1990, Byrd grinded his way through more than a decade in the major leagues that included a 1999 All-Star selection that led him to mingling with National Baseball Hall of Famers at Fenway Park and a 2007 American League Division Series-clinching win against the New York Yankees.

Byrd remained humble throughout his time at the microphone, nearly speaking about fellow inductee Ron Washington as much as himself. Byrd, now a television analyst calling Atlanta Braves games, and Washington, Atlanta’s third base coach and gilded infield instructor, have developed a friendship that was clear from Byrd’s speech – although it started around the time Mainieri first visited Natchitoches.

“Ron Washington, where are you, buddy?” Byrd asked. “When I got called up to the big leagues in 1995, you don’t remember this. I was playing for the New York Mets. I’m not that good. I’m just trying to bob and weave and last as long as a I can. I’m always told I’m too short, and I don’t throw hard enough. I get called in the office and get told I’m going to the big leagues. All my teammates are hugging me and giving me five. Wash’s energy is unbelievable. He makes working hard fun.

“You don’t remember this, but you told me, ‘The big leagues can change you. Don’t let it happen to you. Stay humble and keep working hard.’ Ron Washington can handle success. All that he has accomplished has not changed him. Thank you for that.”

While Washington has remained the same since leaving New Orleans’ John McDonogh High School in 1970 to start a 10-year playing career, he has been a change agent and self-described “ambassador” for baseball. The Crescent City native said he always played above his age group while growing up, and it didn’t take long for him to have the Texas Rangers punching above their typical weight class in his first Major League Baseball managerial job.

Under Washington, the Rangers won at least 90 games in five seasons and reached the franchise’s first two World Series, capturing American League pennants in 2010 and 2011. Washington finally summitted the mountain in 2021, capturing a World Series title with Atlanta in his 51^st season in professional baseball.

It was the relationships Washington built – and the vision he had – from Day One that built a budding dynasty in North Texas.

“When I arrived in Texas, my first meetings were with scouts, and out of the blue, I talked about winning a World Series,” Washington said. “They thought I was crazy. They did. I had the ring sizers, and I was sizing them up. I believe belief is powerful. When you believe and you can put action to that belief, you can get things done.”

Belief was a two-way street that led Matt Forte to the door of the NFL – one he kicked in and enjoyed a decade of top-tier performance with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

Forte, a Slidell native, was set on playing football in the SEC, but when the offers did not materialize, he followed his father Gene’s footsteps and signed with Tulane. Flashes of his potential were evident in his first three seasons, but a knee injury late in his junior year – and a coaching change – provided the impetus for a school-record 2,127 rushing-yard season as a senior that led him to become a second-round pick of the Bears.

Forte’s two-a-day workouts put him on a path to the Hall of Fame and to a fast friendship with the Davises, who were the targets of a good-natured shot from the former Green Wave standout.

“It means a lot, especially as a Tulane alumnus around all these LSU people,” Forte said. “Let y’all know, Tulane, we’re up here, too, especially y’all (Davis) brothers over there. When I got the call, I was honestly not expecting it. I was underrated my whole career. I didn’t consider myself underrated. I just think maybe overlooked, but it was God’s plan. Getting this honor at the end of a career was really sweet, because I feel my entire career, some people get their flowers while they’re playing or they come in with a lot of hype.

“I never bought into the hype. I’m glad I didn’t have a lot of hype around myself, because if you don’t turn out to be good the hype doesn’t mean anything. I’d rather be consistent. This was the cherry on top as far as the career I had.”

Consistency was a synonym for Alana Beard’s basketball career.

Four state championships at Shreveport’s Southwood High School led to an All-American career at Duke where she also won the Wade Trophy before playing professionally in the WNBA and overseas.

That career, which began with Beard playing against her older brothers as the only girl, led her to play in 27 countries. It was her relationship with her prep coach, Steve McDowell, she credited with being the linchpin for her globe-spanning career.

“Those Southwood years simply defined who I became,” Beard said. “I decided to play organized basketball in the seventh grade – I was too shy to do so in the sixth grade. That became my journey. That became my love especially when I understood that I had the opportunity to take a burden off my parents’ shoulders. Basketball could be the vehicle to take me where I eventually wanted to go. It wouldn’t have happened without my parents and the foundation they instilled in me, but also with Steve McDowell, the legendary coach at Southwood. I knew I wanted to play for him because he had a championship culture already there, and I had a desire to be a champion.

“I knew choosing Southwood would be hard. I knew the players there were better than me, but that motivated me to want to be one of the best. Any time I think about my success, Steve McDowell is synonymous with that because he taught me the fundamentals of the game. He taught me respect. He taught me discipline. I’ve carried that with me throughout my life.”

While the other eight competitive-ballot inductees carried competitive scars from outcomes that didn’t go their way, world champion weightlifter Walter Imahara’s career was forged in a different setting.

A Japanese-American, Imahara and his family spent three-and-a-half years in a World War II internment camp in California. Instead of a jaded worldview, Imahara took his pleasant disposition – and dogged dedication – to then-Southwestern Louisiana Institute and helped the Bulldogs win an NCAA national championship.

More importantly, Imahara, now 86 years old, found a longtime home among a group of people who treated him like one of their own.

“I was born in California, but I’ve lived in Louisiana for more than 80 years – Louisiana is my home,” said Imahara, who graduated from Baton Rouge’s Istrouma High School in 1955. “When I went to Southwestern, you have to remember, I was like the only Japanese-American on campus. People there were not prejudiced. They were of a Cajun background. How could they be prejudiced?”

Those relationships simultaneously define Acadiana and its 2023 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism honoree Bruce Brown.

A longtime fixture at the Daily Advertiser, Brown was a staple at Lafayette-area sporting events – community-wide or ones with a national focus. In addition to being a talented on-deadline writer, Brown said he enjoyed focusing on sports that didn’t always draw the eye of the greater public.

And while he made Lafayette his home, he had a perfectly pithy response to his honor.

“I think the full quote was ‘Get out of town,’’ Brown said of learning of his DSA selection. “It was unexpected. You don’t live for such a moment, but you take them when they come that’s for sure. I don’t write for the acclaim. I write for the athlete, for the kid. That’s the way I always approached it.”

While Brown wrote about barrier breakers, his fellow DSA honoree broke them herself.

Lori Lyons climbed the ladder at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, starting as a clerk in 1986 before becoming a two-time Louisiana Sports Writers Association Prep Writer of the Year and the second female LSWA President.

During her time as the Times-Picayune’s prep sports reporter in the River Parishes, Lyons chronicled numerous Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers, including 2017 inductee Ed Reed. Now her name – and biography – stands alongside Reed and the other statewide legends in Natchitoches. 

“I have been coming to this event for 30 years,” Lyons said. “I have sat in the audience and cried while people like you stood on that stage and tried to explain what it means or how it feels and what an honor it is. Now it’s my turn, and as good as I am with words, I don’t have the words to do it.

“It is humbling. It is surreal. When I punched my name in that computer database and saw my name and my picture … I saw Walter Davis and said, ‘Come here. You have to do this.’ Then I saw his face. Then I saw Wendell Davis and said, ‘Come here. You have to do this.’ That is the most amazing experience so far of this whole thing.”

The 12^th inductee, football great Eli Manning of New Orleans, is arriving Friday to join the festivities.

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine/TV

Every high school in every state has a sleeper lineman on its team, a young man that’s not 6-4, 6-5 or 6-6 in height and doesn’t weigh about 300 pounds. Those kids can still play college football and can really stand out if they have the heart, toughness, intelligence and desire.

Today’s article is about a kid from Buckeye High School, Gage Vercher, who starts up front on both sides of the football for his team and does it well.

Gage is 6-2, 267 with good feet and is a great leader for his team. Gage plays both ways. I watched him play in 2021 and 2022. He plays the game with high effort and he’s a naturally strong kid who I think with the right fit at a college, can play past this season if given the opportunity.

Gage also is a great student in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA, and has already posted a 22 on his ACT.

He is smart to already have begun looking at colleges where he might want to continue his playing career.

“I visited a few colleges the last two years. I went to Louisiana Christian for football camps. I loved the atmosphere that was created by the players and coaches. In 2021, I visited Nicholls for the lineman camp that is held there and I loved how muchi was taught to improve my skills.”

Vercher gives credit to his Buckeye coaches for helping him develop to the point of being a college prospect.

“My head Football coach Ben McLaughlin is always pushing me to do my best on and off the field. Being a former college athlete, Coach Ben is a very knowledgeable coach and understands the sport better than others may. He never fails to have a positive outlook on anything that crosses his path. He always supports the team in any way possible and gives off a comforting atmosphere.

“My defensive coordinator James Wood is a man who is very focused on his job of bettering student-athletes. He pushes the team every day to accomplish goals and become leaders for others.

“Coach Forrest Grimmett, my defensive line coach, always knows how to make the guys laugh. He knows his football and teaches the lineman right from wrong and demands the best from his players. He is a knowledgeable coach who knows us all and pushes us to better ourselves  on the field.”

You get the idea he might prefer the defensive side, and you’re right.

“I enjoy playing defensive tackle because I love playing the defensive side of the ball because there is no better feeling than making a play and getting to tackle someone,” he said.

Tidbits on Gage Vercher

What he likes most about football is the intensity, competitiveness and adrenaline rush it produces.

He did play baseball and did powerlifting, but says he is “more passionate about football” and has decided to focus all of his attention on football.

His football roots go back to “the age of 5 starting with the Red River Youth  Football League (RRYFL).”

Vercher enjoys history but plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Like most kids in Cenla, he grew up an LSU Tigers football fan.

His father was a two-sport competitor at Tioga High School and became a kicker for the Northwestern State Demons.

Away from football, Vercher said he “enjoys spending time with friends because I like being social. I also like hunting and going four-wheeler riding on the weekends with my friends.”

As he looks toward his senior season and beyond on the football field, he sees a need to improve “my speed and agility, so that I am more agile and faster when trying to make plays.”

I believe Buckeye’s Gage Vercher can be a productive college player as high as in the right FCS program, and will be a good bet to succeed on the Division II or Division III level. It’s all about the fit.

Lee Brecheen has operated Louisiana Football Magazine for over 30 years and is one of the state’s foremost experts on high school football and especially recruiting. Based in Baton Rouge, Lee travels statewide to watch practices and games and has broken down film and tape since the late 1980s.  He has converted the printed product to an online website (Lafootballmagazine.com) that will preview every high school and college football program in the state before kickoff this fall. Lee also hosts a football-centric TV show on YouTube, The Sports Scouting Report, on weekdays.

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Outpatient Medical Center, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

September 12, 1922 – July 26, 2023

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Clifford J. Lucas, Sr. at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 31, 2023, with Rev. Dale Meade officiating at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Pineville. Interment will follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Park under the direction of John Kramer and Son Funeral Home.

Visitation will be held at the church on Monday, beginning at 9:00 a.m. until the time of service.

Clifford, 100, passed away on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at his residence. He was a lifelong member of Sacred Heart Church, a veteran of World War II, and a retired mail carrier.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Eola Lucas; granddaughter, Renée Wilson; great grandsons, Logan O’Brien and David Dauzat.

He is survived by his daughter, Carolyn; son, Clifford Jr.; grandchildren Denise Melomo (Tony); Laura Wilson; Dana Rippy (Jack); Brad Lucas; Brandan Lucas; Brittany Lucas; his great-grandchildren Lakyn O’Brien; Francis, Marina, and Mirabelle Melomo; Danielle and Samantha Dauzat; Oliver and Roman Lucas; Lucia and Valentina Coxon; Olivia Gary, Brianna Regan, Emma, and Ryan Rippy.

Pallbearers will be Brad Lucas, Brandan Lucas, Oliver Lucas, Roman Lucas, Jack Rippy, Tony Melomo, Christopher Lard, and Ben Villemarette.

Honorary pallbearers are Wayne Smith, Jimmy Gallent, Walter Pastor, Fred Cull, Robert Lachney, Francis Melomo, John Caze, Jody Gauthier, and Gerald Carmouche.

In lieu of flowers, he requested any donations be made to your favorite charity.

SunGas Renewables formed Beaver Lake Renewable Energy (BLRE), which will build a green methanol production facility in Pineville. The facility, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SunGas Renewables, is expected to generate nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol per year for marine fuel, creating over 1,150 jobs during construction and over 100 local jobs during operation.

The green methanol produced by BLRE will fuel A.P. Moller – Maersk’s fleet of methanol-powered container vessels, using wood fiber from local, sustainably-managed forests. The project will have negative carbon intensity through carbon dioxide sequestration, executed by Denbury Carbon Solutions.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards commended SunGas Renewables for the investment, emphasizing the growth and diversification of the state’s economy. BLRE will invest around $2 billion to construct the project at the former International Paper facility in Rapides Parish, with construction starting in late 2024 and commercial operations in 2027.

Local leaders, including Pineville’s Mayor Rich Dupree and Alexandria’s Mayor Jacques Roy, welcomed the project, highlighting the positive impact on the region’s economy and environment.

The project has been a collaborative effort between SunGas Renewables, Louisiana Economic Development, and several Central Louisiana organizations. Support from the region’s federal and state elected delegations played a crucial role in attracting the investment to Pineville.

Robert Rigdon, CEO of SunGas Renewables, highlighted the use of sustainably managed forestry and carbon capture to generate green marine shipping fuel and strengthen communities in Rapides Parish.

The project also received praise from Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC and Central Louisiana Regional Port for its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and providing economic benefits to the region.

SunGas Renewables’ partnership with Maersk aims to produce green methanol from multiple facilities around the country. The BLRE project is the first facility producing green methanol for Maersk.

The decision to locate the project in Central Louisiana was influenced by the region’s sustainably managed forests, infrastructure, and strong local and state support.

Rapides Jail Operating While Intoxicated bookings. Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

July 21

Arabia Woodard, 23, Alexandria — OWI 2nd, Improper lane usage; Contempt of court, five counts.

July 22

Robert Ryder, 53, Deville — OWI 1st, Improper lane usage.

July 24

Waylon Adkins, 21, Pineville — OWI 1st, Careless operation of motor vehicle;

Hayes Ardoin, 55, Lafayette — OWI 2nd, Open container, Careless operation, Improper left lane usage, Obstruction court orders all other offenses;

William Wells, 51, New Orleans — OWI 1st, Open container, Tail lamps, Possession paraphernalia, Possession CDS I 1st 14.

Amid the Oppenheimer movie interest this month I am reminded of coming across my father’s WW2 flight log book several years after I had put it away without much attention following his death.

It begins with his first training hop as a Navy aviator (Hellcat, Pacific Theatre) in Norman, Okla. on May 11, 1943, and ends with his last flight, to Melbourne, Fla. in October 1945.

The entries between those dates are perhaps not as interesting to others as to me, but I share a few nonetheless, for perspective if nothing else:

Aug. 15, 1944 — Gunnery run. 2.5 hours.

Oct. 28, 1944 — Night landing, aboard USS Saratoga.

Dec. 29, 1944 — Tactical flight, Ponam. (Incidentally day of my birth).

Feb. 8, 1945 — Canopy shattered by Zero; nose with it; him or me. Him.

Feb. 8, 1945 — Garlock cracks up on landing, loses an arm.

Feb. 16, 1945 — First fight sweep over Tokyo, lost Clark.

Feb. 18, 1945 — Pre-dawn sweep over Tokyo.

Feb. 22, 1945 — Pre-dawn strike on Iwo Jima, lost ‘Stew.’

Feb. 25, 1945 — Bad weather sweep over Japan, lost Bright.

March 19, 1945 — New Hellcat, strike on Kyushu, took two Bettys on ground, one hanger, one locomotive.

March 24, 1945 — Strike on Okinawa.

March 28, 1945 — Strike on fighter force, Minami Diato, heavy ack-ack.

March 29, 1945 — Strike on Okinawa.

April 3, 1945 — Strike on Miyako-Shima, lost Leiber.

April 10, 1945 — Sweep on Minami, wounded, Purple Heart; lost Rivers.

April 17, 1945 — Scouting flight, lost ‘Red’ Reeder.

May 9, 1945 — Patrol over fleet, Kikai, 2 Judy’s, 1 Zero.

May 11, 1945 — Support flight, Okinawa, Floodquist shot down.

June 3, 1945 — Okinawa, lost Apgar and Dyer.

June 11, 1945 — Last combat flight.

I doubt there was much argument in the squadron over Truman’s decision.

Jim Butler, a Bolton High School alumnus, was an acclaimed writer and editor at the Alexandria Town Talk for 36 years, the last 23 (1977-2003) as editor-in-chief. He led Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina for the Gulfport (Miss.) Sun-Herald in 2005. Butler returned home to Cenla a few years ago, and shares his talents and insight with Rapides Parish Journal readers.

Could anything be better for summer than this sweet and spicy dip served with cinnamon pita chips!? I surely think not! I love the juiciness of the fruit combined with the heat of the jalapeno and cilantro flavor.  This is also extremely good over ice cream or yogurt!

Ingredients:

• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• 3 kiwi
• Jalapeños
• Purple onion
• Cilantro
• Juice of 2 limes
• Cinnamon chips for serving

Directions

Dice the strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, jalapeños, and purple onion.  Mix together.  Stir in cilantro to your desired taste (fresh is better!).  Squeeze lime juice in and stir.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and published cookbook author who lives in Minden, La.

CLASS TITLE
Resource Manager

CLASS RANGE
22

MINIMUM SALARY
$42.012.32 annually + benefits

NATURE OF POSITION
Responsible for the functions & maintenance of the Rapides American Job Center
Oversee the management of the center.
Supervise Career Center teams.
Conduct risk management and property control for the center.
Research & develop standard operating procedures for the center.
Manage Workforce Development board’s quarterly meetings.
Assume HR functions including incident reporting, maintaining personnel files, etc.
Purchase supplies.

COMPETENCIES/PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Able to operate basic office equipment.
Proficient in Microsoft Office.
Possess strong verbal and written communication skills and organizational skills.
Have good interpersonal and teamwork skills.
Able to bend, stoop, climb for tasks, and raise/lower objects up to 25 Ibs.

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Five (5) years related experience.
Valid Louisiana driver’s license.
Must be available to attend Parish meetings before, during, & after business hours.

REMARKS
1. Must include a copy of driver’s license, diploma or equivalent, transcript, DD214, etc
with application.
2. Applications must be submitted in person or via mail.
3. Apply at Rapides Parish Civil Service, 726 Washington St., Alexandria, LA 71301
– download an application at http://www.rppj.com/employment.
4. Applications will be accepted until this position is filled.

THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY

CLASS TITLE

Administrative Specialist – (Public Works)

CLASS RANGE
11

MINIMUM SALARY
$24,563.73 annually + benefits

NATURE OF POSITION
Provide daily assistance on all aspects of departmental operation.
Maintain personnel records and filing systems, record meeting minutes.
Answer calls and direct visitors.
Prepare and review correspondence, time sheets and reports.
Schedule appointments, arrange meetings, and process mail
Deliver deposits, packets and items to offices, and run errands.
Oversee shipping and receiving.

COMPETENCIES/PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Operate basic office equipment.
Proficient in MS Office and Adobe Acrobat.
Strong verbal and written communication skills and organizational skills.
Able to bend, stoop, climb for tasks, and raise/lower objects up to 25 Ibs.

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS
High school diploma or equivalent.
One (1) year related experience.
Valid Louisiana driver’s license.
Must be available for recall to work after normal working hours due to emergencies.

REMARKS
1. Must include copy of driver’s license, diploma or equivalent, transcript, DD214, etc.
with application.
2. Applications must be submitted in person or via mail.
3. Apply at Rapides Parish Civil Service, 726 Washington St., Alexandria, LA 71301
– download an application at http://www.rppj.com/employment.
4. Applications will be accepted until this position is filled.

THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY

Although the sun had not yet appeared over the horizon, the air was already warm and sticky, typical of the onset of another hot July day in Louisiana just like what we woke up to this morning. This would have been a good day to work on articles in my air-conditioned office but fishing guide and friend Eddie Halbrook’s call the night before had a sense of urgency about it.

“I don’t care what you have planned for tomorrow,” Halbrook said, “put it off. The bass are schooling on Grand Bayou and you need to come with me.”

The “Grand Bayou” Halbrook mentioned is Grand Bayou Reservoir, a small 2,500 acre impoundment located 50 miles south of Shreveport on the east side or the Red River, not far north of Coushatta.

I don’t mind admitting a degree of skepticism when Halbrook mentioned that for the past week, he’d been catching at least a hundred bass a day. Skeptical or not, I found myself in the back of Halbrook’s boat as the bright, and soon to be hot, sun made its appearance in a cloudless July sky.

Somewhere around 7 a.m., Halbrook caught the first bass of the day. At a little past noon, I released bass number 100. We had, indeed, hit the century mark with bass in a half day of fishing that can only be described as “hot” — in more ways than one.

Grand Bayou Reservoir is like so many lakes around the country. The Red River Parish gem has a thriving population of baitfish, in this case, threadfin shad, that seek the highest levels of oxygen. In warm months, oxygen is more plentiful in the top of the water column. Wave action near the surface continues to replenish dissolved oxygen and huge schools of baitfish move about in comfort just beneath the surface.

For predator fish like largemouth bass, these roaming pods of baitfish are seen as a gourmet feast there for the taking. Slashing into baitfish schools, bass gorge themselves and in the process, make their presence known to alert bass fishermen from hundreds of yards away. Their feeding activity agitates the surface, often sending plumes of water flying in all directions.

Fishing for schooling bass can be at the same time exciting and frustrating. Here’s a typical scenario: a couple of anglers see a school of feeding bass erupt from 100 yards away. Starting the engine, they rush to within casting distance of the school only to see the surface become quiet again before the first cast is made. Looking back to where they just came from, they’re frustrated to see the fish thrashing the surface back there.

Thus, patience is one of the key ingredients in fishing for schooling bass. When the fish are active, the best bet is to avoid the temptation of dashing from school to school. Just be patient; they’ll soon be thrashing the water’s surface where you are. 

If you take a youngster along, there is no better way to spark an interest in bass fishing that could last a lifetime than to introduce him/her/them to fishing for school bass.

For starters, school bass are generally easy to catch, the fishing experience is filled with spine-tingling excitement, and the neophyte angler is almost always anxious to do it all over again another day. Equipment needs are simple and can be easily handled by a less-experienced angler.

As bass slash into baitfish on the surface, some of the bait will be injured or killed in the process and will likely be floating in the area. Scoop up a couple and determine their color but more importantly, the size. If they’re silver in color, as most baitfish are, and are two inches long, it’s not brain surgery to know what to do next. Simply dig in your tackle box and select a silvery lure, two inches in length. If you’re hungry for an ice cream cone, you’re not likely to head for the refrigerator and go slap-happy over a celery stick. Bass are no different; they want what they want when they want it.

If you get excited at the sight of bass exploding on the surface all around you; if you thrill to strike after strike; if you get pleasure at the look on the face of your youngster or your buddy fighting a tenacious bass, then school bass fishing may be right up your alley.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

You’re invited, free of charge, this evening from 5-7 to a star-studded casual party — the La Capitol Welcome Reception kicking off the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

It’s in downtown Natchitoches, at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street (at the traffic circle) in Natchitoches. No need to dress fancy, just enjoy food and refreshments and music and a world-class museum, mingling with some of our state’s greatest sports stars and their families.

The Class of 2023 includes a two-time Super Bowl MVP (Eli Manning, who arrives Friday), a women’s basketball superstar from Shreveport with Natchitoches roots (Alana Beard), a College World Series-winning LSU coach (Paul Mainieri) and three more TIgers sports heroes (big league pitcher Paul Byrd, NFL receiver Wendell Davis from Shreveport and two-time USA track and field Olympian Walter Davis).

There’s another Pro Bowl NFL star, former Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte, a Tulane star from Slidell. He did things that only two other NFL backs ever have done, and now runs a charitable foundation and works in a ministry in Chicago.

For fans of the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, Ron Washington will entertain you – he managed the Rangers to the World Series in 2010 and 2011, and as the current third base coach for the Braves, he was also in that role when Atlanta won the 2021 Fall Classic. He was also third base coach in Oakland during the “Moneyball” years (he’s a featured character in the movie headlined by Brad Pitt).

Braves fans, this is a double bonus for you. Along with “Wash,” Byrd – whose LSU pitching accomplishments are on a short list with Paul Skenes and Ben McDonald – has been a color analyst on Braves TV game coverage who has won regional sports Emmy Awards. Here’s your chance, this evening, to get the inside angle on the club.

Meet the amazing 86-year-old Walter Imahara, a Japanese-American who became a world-class weightlifter for decades – while running a Baton Rouge floral business, and serving in the United States military in the early 1960s. Another Baton Rouge hero is M.L. Woodruff, who won 11 state championships coaching baseball for Parkview Baptist, and now is also involved in a ministry.

Sports journalists Bruce Brown (Lafayette) and Lori Lyons (New Orleans/Houma) have covered many amazing games and highly-accomplished athletes, including plenty of LSHOF members, in their careers and will be inducted next weekend as well.

The Welcome Reception provides the best possible opportunity to stroll around the 27,500-square foot museum, which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Lots of display items have been rotated into exhibits, and there’s a new Kim Mulkey exhibit showcasing the LSU women’s basketball coach.

Just ahead — the free Friday evening Rockin’ River Fest concert on the downtown riverbank stage. Music starts at 6, with Manning joining his 2023 classmates on stage at 9:15, followed by a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music. There will be a free kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers with games under the Front Street bridge.

You’re invited to all the fun. Visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255 to get more information and the schedule for the three-day celebration, and for participation opportunities for three ticketed events.

NOTE — This is the last in a series of stories profiling the 12-person Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023, who will be inducted to culminate three days of festivities in Natchitoches beginning this evening. For tickets and more information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.

By SHELDON MICKLES, Written for the LSWA

Looking back on the totality of his track and field career, it seems nearly impossible to think that it almost didn’t happen for two-time U.S. Olympian Walter Davis. 

After just one track practice in the spring of his freshman year at Beau Chene High School in Arnaudville, the affable Davis decided he would rather stick with his first love — basketball. 

Years of playing against his brothers and cousins helped mold him into an all-state point guard who averaged 15 points and seven assists as a senior, which earned him an invite to the Louisiana High School Coaches Association’s East-West all-star game. 

But thanks in part to the persistence of Beau Chene girls basketball coach Ken Winfrey, who also coached the jumpers on the track team, Davis’ final game came a couple of months after he won the long and triple jump titles at the state meet. 

It led to an illustrious career at Barton County (Kansas) Community College and LSU, where he became the program’s most decorated male athlete in just two seasons while leading the Tigers to two national titles. Then he began 13 years on the international circuit. 

He earned a spot on the U.S. team for the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, the first time as a 20-year-old from tiny Leonville, Louisiana, and he won two gold medals as well as a silver and bronze at the World indoor and outdoor championships. 

Davis’ all-time best in the triple jump was 58 feet, 2 inches in winning the title at the 2006 World Indoors in Moscow and his best long jump ever of 27-0 ½ netted the gold medal at the 2003 USA Championships.

That resume’ makes the long journey from Leonville to LSU to track stadiums all over the globe to his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches all the more special for the 44-year-old Davis, and those who marveled at his highly-successful career. 

“Without a doubt, Walter is the best athlete I ever coached … just from a standpoint of raw talent,” former LSU jumps coach Boo Schexnayder says unequivocally..” 

None of it was in Davis’ plans almost three decades ago at the end of his first — and what he thought was his last — track practice after Winfrey told Davis he wanted him to come out for the team. 

“So I go out my freshman year and I’m thinking I’m just going to jump,” Davis said with a laugh. “Then, he had me running the 400. That was my first and last day at practice. 

“I couldn’t jump and he had me running the 400. I was like, ‘Oh, no.’” 

But Winfrey knew he had to have Davis, who comes from a long line of well-known athletes in St. Landry Parish. 

“When I first started coaching in 1989, someone told me if I went to a school that had some athletes to look for the Davises,” Winfrey said. “If you had a Davis on your team, you were going to be all right. I found out very quick that I needed some Davises on my team.” 

Joe Davis, Walter’s dad, and several of his brothers were basically basketball players, Winfrey said. But the elder Davis was also a state champion jumper at the old Leonville High School. 

“I knew his dad … I followed the dad and all his uncle’s careers,” Winfrey said. “They were outstanding athletes. There were six or seven boys, and, all of them, they liked to work.” 

Eventually, Walter Davis came around — especially after playing basketball games in gyms where he would look up and see the names of his dad and uncles displayed on banners celebrating their many accomplishments. 

When Winfrey asked him to come back out for track for his junior season, Walter was soon running the short sprints — the 100 and 200 meters — and jumping. 

“I talked to him again and he started working out with me after basketball practice,” Winfrey said. “He was a jumper and sprinter for me, and the rest is pretty much history.” 

It certainly didn’t take long for the lanky kid with big-time hops to start making a name for himself in the Acadiana area — and beyond. 

“He started doing things that were surprising to everybody,” Winfrey said. “He could just jump and jump and jump. Walter still was kind of hesitant about becoming a track guy. 

“I’d say, ‘Walter, name a couple of people that can play and dunk and jump like you can,’” he added, noting Davis named a few and pointed at him as well. “I said, ‘Well, tell me this, Walter. … How many people in the nation you know can triple jump 51 feet?’” 

A nine-time All-American at LSU under legendary coach Pat Henry and Schexnayder, a world-renowned jumps coach, Davis won six of a possible eight NCAA horizontal jumps titles in his two seasons. He also ran the leadoff leg on the 4×100-meter relay team that won the 2002 national title with a time of 38.32 seconds. 

“He’s such a great competitor,” said Henry, a 2021 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee. “He knew the value of training; he knew it was important and he showed up. 

“That’s as important as it gets. You do what it takes to be great, and Walter was good at doing what it took to be great.” 

Schexnayder said accountability was one of the things that set Davis apart. 

“Walter held everybody else accountable and put the team on his back,” Schexnayder said. “As a coach, you had to make sure you had him in the ball park on his final attempts. As a coach, you knew if he was close to the top he would find a way to win on his final attempt.”

He did it again in making that last leap to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

The Rapides Foundation has awarded $1.2 million in grants to seven organizations to implement evidence-based programs that prevent and control tobacco use, prevent and reduce obesity, or prevent substance and alcohol use in the region.

The Healthy Behaviors Program Grant is a three-year grant designed to provide residents with opportunities to make healthy choices in their communities.

Grants were awarded to the Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana, Campti Community Development Center, the Cottonport Mayor’s Commission for Women, Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Louisiana Christian University, Town of Bunkie and YWCA Alexandria-Pineville. Grant terms began on July 3.

Tobacco use, substance and alcohol use, poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are directly related to premature death and disability. The Healthy Behaviors Program Grant, which is part of the Foundation’s Healthy Behaviors Initiative, focuses on these behaviors with the goal of having an impact on chronic disease prevention in the region.

Healthy Behaviors Program Grants were open to communities in the Foundation’s nine-parish service area of Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon and Winn.

The following Healthy Behaviors Program Grants were awarded:

Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana received a $75,000 grant to develop a cooking program at the club in Natchitoches to increase access to healthier foods and improve interest in eating healthier and leading a healthier lifestyle. With this initiative, youth can use the kitchen to gain skills and learn about cooking and increase physical activity through the Triple Play/Healthy Habits program.

Campti Community Development Center was awarded a $198,000 grant for the Seeds to Success project, which will implement after-school educational opportunities at its no-till organic community garden. The project will engage children and their families in planting, growing and harvesting produce for the community.

The Cottonport Mayor’s Commission for Women, in association with the Cottonport Museum & Cultural Center, was awarded a $200,000 grant to support the Cottonport Community Health and Fitness Park, a safe area where families can learn, exercise and play. The park will offer gardening classes and healthy living initiatives, and provide access to adult fitness equipment, a walking track and playground. Educational programs in this space will change patterns of an unhealthy lifestyle by increasing physical fitness and exposing residents to a healthier lifestyle.

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana received a $300,000 grant to reduce barriers for older, low-income adults to access nutritious food. Central Louisiana residents aged 60 and over will have the option to receive a new kind of food box focused on the specific nutritional needs of older adults. The new Senior Nutrition Program will also offer educational opportunities that reflect the health concerns of the region’s older neighbors.

Louisiana Christian University was awarded a $30,000 grant to implement a local Step Up CENLA program to help residents become more physically active. The program provides free workouts and fitness challenges to the community along with educational workshops related to physical activity. The goal is to create a culture in which physical activity is the norm in Central Louisiana.

The Town of Bunkie received a $225,000 grant to expand the Move Bunkie Forward project. The mission of MBF is to build a healthy community by developing, promoting and sustaining healthy lifestyle choices within the community through physical activity, nutritional and educational events in a smoke-free environment.

YWCA Alexandria-Pineville was awarded a $150,000 grant to fund scholarships for Girls on the Run of Central Louisiana participants at high-needs schools. The goal is to expose all girls, regardless of socioeconomic status, to this life-changing program, which teaches girls how to be healthy emotionally and physically.

The Louisiana State University of Alexandria College of Business releases its July 2023 issue of the Central Louisiana Economic Dashboard.   

Central Louisiana’s economy continues to be supported by a strong labor market and consumer spending, says Randall Dupont, Dean of the LSUA College of Business. Although the Alexandria-Pineville area unemployment rate rose from 2.9% in April to 3.6% in May as new graduates entered the workforce and students sought summer work, Dupont expects the rate to fall as graduates find jobs in the local market. The same is true for Natchitoches as the unemployment rate there rose from 3.8% in April to 4.6% in May.  

Alexandria remained the tightest labor market in the state, although it is easing both locally and statewide. Since Spring, Baton Rouge has had the lowest unemployment rate in the state with the Alexandria metro area a close second. Overall, the unemployment rate in central Louisiana was 4.2% in May, compared to 4.4% for the state.  

Through the first half of 2023, consumer spending in central Louisiana was ahead of last year in nearly all jurisdictions as measured by sales tax revenue. According to June sales tax collections, vehicle sales were up 31% in Rapides in May and were 12% higher than a year ago. Likewise, year-to-date auto sales in Natchitoches and Evangeline outperformed the first half of last year.  

Online consumer spending in central Louisiana continues to outpace traditional sales in terms of percentage growth. Through June, online sales in central Louisiana were up 14% over the same period last year.  

Higher interest rates are impacting construction activity and the housing market. Building permit valuations, which is a measure of future construction activity, were down -26% in central Louisiana through the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. Permits year-to-date are down in all reporting jurisdictions, except Rapides which has a 3% increase and the City of Natchitoches with an 11% increase. Home prices remain robust despite rising interest rates. The median price of a home is up from a year ago in all four metro areas of central Louisiana (Alexandria, Natchitoches, Leesville, and Opelousas), ranging from 2% in Alexandria to 23% in Leesville. As home prices increase so do active listings, which are up year-over-year with Alexandria and Natchitoches reporting increases of 31% and 58%, respectively. 

New business applications in Louisiana through May were down -8% compared to the same period last year. In Rapides, new business applications through June were up 1% for the year at 229, compared to 226 in 2022.   

The Central Louisiana Economic Dashboard is a service of the LSUA College of Business to help business and community leaders monitor the economic pulse of central Louisiana.

Written by Randall Dupont, Ph.D. | LSUA College fo Business

Photo credit – LSUA Strategic Communications