NATURE OF POSITION Supervise the work of laborer and inmate crews. Operate parish equipment including welding equipment. Remove and replace concrete structures. Construct and repair bridges. Set culverts. Patch potholes and repair asphalt. Build catch basins.
COMPETENCIES/PHYSICAL DEMANDS Able to operate basic office equipment and specialty equipment Able to be trained to operate any piece of parish equipment. Have knowledge of highway construction materials and equipment. Possess excellent organizational and communication skills Able to bend, stoop, climb for tasks, and raise/lower objects up to 50 Ibs.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS High school diploma or equivalent with formal training. Four (4) years of related experience. Valid Louisiana driver’s license. Must be available to attend Parish meetings before, during, & after business hours.
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. 5. Applications will be accepted until this position is filled.
THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY
Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood presented this years LSA Scholarship Winners for the 2022-2023 school year with their Awards.
The Louisiana Sheriffs’ Educational Scholarship Program awards $500 to graduating High School students in Parishes where the Sheriffs are members of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Honorary Membership Program.
Funding for this scholarship is made possible through the generous support of Rapides Parish’s Honorary Members. The goal of the program is to provide assistance to worthy Louisiana students in furthering their education and training with resources made available through the program.
The scholarship is awarded as a gift, not a loan, to defray the rising costs of tuition and related expenses in higher education. An independent board of review selects the winner of the scholarships.
Paul “Schad” French January 15, 1962 – July 21, 2023 Visitation: Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 5 pm at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Pinville. Service: Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 10 am at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Pinville.
Lillian Yvonne Clark April 30, 1934 – July 21, 2023 Service: Wednesday, July 26, 2023, Noon at Hickory Grove Cemetery, Holloway.
Freddie Jones August 3, 1961 – July 17, 2023 Visitation: Wednesday, August 2, 2023, 9:45 am at Edgefield Cemetery, Cheneyville. Service: Wednesday, August 2, 2023, 10 am at Edgefield Cemetery, Cheneyville.
The Rapides Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. 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 Fire Department responded to a building fire that occurred on July 18 on Madeline Drive.
At approximately 3:11 PM, the Alexandria Fire Department was dispatched to the Madeline Drive in reference to a fully involved commercial building fire. The first unit arrived on the scene within four minutes of the initial alarm time. A second alarm was struck due to temperatures at approximately 99F.
AFD dispatched three engine companies, two aerial companies, a medical unit, one district chief, and an investigative unit. The fire under was brought under control within thirty-one minutes of the first unit arriving. The fire’s cause is being investigated by the Louisiana Fire Marshal’s Office since it was determined to be out of Alexandria City limits. No injuries were reported during this event.
A second house fire was reported on Alexander Drive during this fire event. Alexandria Fire Department dispatched additional units that consisted of three engine companies, an aerial company, a medical unit, a district chief, and an investigative unite to Alexander Drive. This fire was quickly extinguished by the first arriving unit within four minutes of the initial call for service. This Alexandria Fire Department’s investigator determined the fire cause to be an electrical issue.
The Rapides Parish Police Jury recognized Dr. David Holcombe for his years of service to the citizens of Rapides Parish and the whole State of Louisiana and congratulated him on his retirement.
Louisiana Department of Health Regional Administrator and Medical Director for the Alexandria area Dr. Holcombe was the top public health official in LDH Region VI, which encompasses Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Rapides, Vernon and Winn Parishes. He oversaw all community health and preparedness programs, as well as environmental and preventative health programs in the region.
The Pineville Police Department seeks public assistance assistance identifying two subjects wanted for questioning in reference to a theft. Please contact the Pineville Police Department at 318-449-5652 if you have any information on this person’s identity. You can also message us on Facebook. As always, all tips are appreciated and will remain anonymous. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
An inability to get parts is preventing Elmer Water Supply from correcting a deficiency detected in a March inspection.
The inspection by the state Department of Health found a leaking check valve in one of the water system wells.
Because the leak was not fixed within time allowed under Clean Water Act provisions for ground water systems, EWS is required to notify customers of the problem.
Officials note there were no emergency concerns created by the leak. Water does not have to be boiled and no negative health issues have been reported.
A check valve prevents backflow. If for some reason stream flow turns, the valve closes, preventing return.
The water system tried to get parts to repair the valve but could not, they report.
Consequently a new valve has been ordered but delays have been an issue in its shipping.
EWS has operated in southwestern Rapides for 50 years.
Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood attended a retirement reception on July 18 for Donna Andries, Administrator of the Rapides Parish Sales & Use Tax Office and presented her with a letter of appreciation for her 29 years of service to the citizens of Rapides Parish.
She has served as administrator since 1998 and was Audit Supervisor for the department prior to her promotion. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Tax Administrator.
Donna was honored to serve as Chairperson of the newly created Uniform Local Sales Tax Board.
Donna is a two-time Past-President of the Louisiana Association of Tax Administrators and has been actively involved in LATA over twenty years as a Board Member, Officer and Trustee.
She is also Past-President of the Central Louisiana Chapter of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants and was selected as one of the first twelve LCPA members to receive the distinguished CPA Ambassador title. The Ambassadors represent the Society to the media and in other public forums.
Donna was active on the Society’s Communications & Public Relations Committee and the Financial Literacy Task Force.
Donna is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and has graduate study in business from Northwestern State University. She is married to her husband Dale and they have one son, Hunter.
We wish Donna all the best in her retirement and her future endeavors!
Rapides Parish felony drug bookings. Charges are accusations, not convictions.
July 11
Gregory Bruner, 61, Pineville — Distribution of paraphernalia to person under 17, Possession CDS II 2-28 grams;
Joseph Desoto, 34, Pineville — Possession CDS II < 2 grams, Illegal carry firearm with drugs, Firearm possession of convicted felon, Probation violation;
Daniel Hossieni, 39, Pineville — Production or manufacture amphetamine or methamphetamine; Possession, manufacture, distribution, dispense CDS I < 28 grams analogues or counterfeit thereof;
Clifton Pride III, 35, Alexandria — Possession, manufacture, distribution, dispense CDS I >28 grams or more analogues or counterfeit thereof;
Kelvin Sampson, 51, Alexandria — Possession CDS II 2-28 grams, Possession CDS III, Possession CDS V, Possession paraphernalia, Obstruction of justice evidence tampering.
July 12
Justin Sigler, 34, Dry Prong — Possession CDS I 1st 14 grams marijuana or tetracycline.
July 13
Melinda Baldwin, 47, Alexandria — CDS in presence of person under 17, Cruelty to juvenile, two counts;
Richard Carlson, 61, Alexandria — CDS in presence of person under 17, Cruelty to juvenile, two counts;
Anthony Dorsey Jr., 39, Alexandria — Possession CDS II < 2 grams;
Sirtyrus Fulton, 26, Alexandria — Possession paraphernalia, Possession CDS I 1st > 14 grams marijuana or tetracycline, Possession firearm by convicted felon, two counts; Illegal carrying firearm in presence of drugs, Flight from officer, No driver’s license, running stop sign;
April Morris, 31, Alexandria — Possession CDS III, Possession CDS I 1st 14 or less, Contempt of court.
July 14
Obadiah Dolejsi, 44, Alexandria — Possession CDS I 1st 14 grams or less marijuana, tetracycline or analogues thereof; Possession, manufacture, distribution, dispense, possession with intent CDS II 28 grams or more; Resisting officer, Flight from officer, Possession stolen vehicle.
July 15
Michael Bynog, 54, Boyce — Possession CDS I 1st 14 grams or less marijuana, tetracycline or analogues thereof; Possession CDS II < 2 grams, Possession paraphernalia.
The “youngest” event during next weekend’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2023 inductees.
It’s the LSHOF Round Table Luncheon on Saturday, July 29, at noon in The Venue at 530 Front Street in Natchitoches. There’s still time to be among the 200 guests for the fifth annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Registration is available for that event and all other activities during the Induction Celebration beginning next Thursday, July 27, by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255.
Festivities begin next Thursday evening at 5 with the free of charge La Capitol Federal Credit Union Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street.
Next Saturday’s Round Table Luncheon starts with tremendous Louisiana cuisine and quickly kicks into gear with Fox Sports announcer (and 2020 LSHOF inductee) Tim Brando interviewing small groups of inductees on stage in a very informal and fast-moving setting.
While there are some logical pairings for the interviews, like former Chicago Bears players Wendell Davis and Matt Forte, and former LSU baseball teammates and much more accomplished coaches Paul Mainieri and M.L. Woodruff, other groups will fall together in fun and unpredictable fashion.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning will certainly be an entertaining interview for Brando. .Manning created the faux character Chad Powers and took part in a hysterical tryout for Penn State football last summer. He also shares the platform with his older brother Peyton in the popular and off-the-wall “ManningCast” on ESPN2 during Monday Night Football games, and is in a new beer commercial with Snoop Dogg. It will be interesting to see who shares the spotlight with Eli.
Former Texas Rangers manager and current Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington is one of the more beloved and funny people in Major League Baseball. He was a prominent character in the award-winning major motion picture “Moneyball”—which earned Brad Pitt an Academy Award nomination — chronicling the success of the Oakland Athletics due to groundbreaking use of analytics in the early 1990s, while he was third base coach with the A’s.
Washington could be paired with LSU pitching great Paul Byrd, who had a 14-year MLB career and has since become a colorful member of the Braves’ TV announcing crew.
Duke All-American and WNBA All-Star Alana Beard might be matched up with Walter Davis, the two-time USA Track and Field Olympian who was a basketball star at Beau Chene High School near his hometown of Arnaudville. Beard has local roots, with her parents from Cloutierville and Bermuda, and plenty of relatives still in south Natchitoches Parish along Cane River.
A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.
It all combines to provide a memorable 90 minutes with guests in close proximity to the living legends.
The Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon shapes up as a highly entertaining opportunity for guests to have a up-close-and-personal experience and be entertained and well fed in a casual setting.
Give me ALL of the toffee filled baked goods!This Vanilla Heath Bar Coffee Cake included.I always love to bake on the weekends (and some evenings during the week!), and this was high on my agenda.It filled the kitchen with the sweetest aroma while baking.The little extra added pizazz of the crunchy toffee bits make it extra special.I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, cold
1/4 cup oil
1 cup cake flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
One bag of Heath Toffee bits
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan.
Place the butter, oil, flours, salt, and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer.Pour the oil in and stir with a spatula.Slice the butter into pats and add quickly to the mixture.Work the butter into the mixture with your hands until crumbly.Remove 1/2 cup of this mixture and add 5 ounces of toffee bits to it.Set aside.
Place the bowl into the stand mixer and add egg, yolk, sour cream, baking soda and vanilla.Beat on medium-high heat for 3 minutes.Remove the bowl and place half the batter into the baking pan. Spread evenly with an offset spatula.Sprinkle the reserved crumbly mixture over as evenly as possible.Add remaining batter, spreading with the offset spatula again.Top with more toffee bits.
Bake for 45 minutes or until done.
Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and published cookbook author who lives in Minden, La.
Bryant Bell played for one of the state’s greatest high school football coaches, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member Don Shows, at West Monroe.
Bell now occupies the same job Shows once had – head coach at Pineville High School.
And as the son of a well-respected coach himself, he couldn’t be happier as the 2023 preseason fast approaches.
A 2003 West Monroe graduate, Bell was a football player for Shows, hit the baseball diamond for a well-regarded Jeff Schexnayder, and powerlifted for his father (Billy Bell).
He crossed the Ouachita River and went to college at ULM, “and loved it,” he told me. He didn’t try to play college ball. Instead, he got a fast start in coaching.
“I was an average Joe athlete and did not want to waste time chasing a playing career that wasn’t there, so I began coaching football at 19 years of age,” he said.
It was a natural fit for a young man whose hero was his dad – the most influential person in his life.
“This answer is easy for me. It was my dad,” said Bell. “He coached at West Monroe for about 20 years, much of that as the head freshman football coach. He positively impacted thousands of lives, including mine. He was old school, and pushed you to get the most out of you as a player.”
The Rebels’ head man has a coaching philosophy obviously influenced by his dad’s approach.
“This may sound cliché, but it’s just to be the very best that you can be every day. If you prepare your body, your mind, and your character the very best that you can in the offseason and in season, then you’ve done all that you can. On the field, we know that we must be physical and tough — mentally and physically. We must play fundamental football.”
When it comes to which side of the ball that’s been his specialty, Bell was not influenced by his own playing career – but rather, opportunity.
“I never played defense, but in 2004 at my first job at Good Hope Middle School in West Monroe they needed a linebacker coach, and I was up for the challenge,” he said. “That’s where I’ve coached since. I was a defensive coordinator for seven years before becoming a head coach.”
Looking at the 2023 Rebels, Bell is encouraged by what he saw in spring ball.
“Spring training was most definitely a step forward for our program. We had nine good practices and a productive spring game,” he said. “We are changing some things on offense and defense, so it was good to see what we had been talking about all offseason put in motion for the first time on grass.
“On our coaching staff, we have some new faces so it helped to get those guys in front of our team and get to know them in practice and game-type situations.
“Our staff is continually getting better. We’ve had a good core that has stuck together and stayed consistent through thick and thin of our first two years. We have been lucky to add a few amazing coaches, but more importantly amazing men. Our offensive coordinator, Justin Webb, has been with me from Day 1. He eats, breathes and dreams football.
“We worked together for two years previously, and I know what a great coach he is. Some things will be different on offense — we’ll be more productive, and it will be because of him.
“Our defensive coordinator is Justin Charles. He came to us in the offseason and has made an immediate impact,” said Bell. “He is very knowledgeable and the players gravitate to him. He holds them to a higher standard, nothing less. Our defense will be better because of him leading them.”
Bell is proud of the history of Pineville football, which has been brightened lately with players like Kenny Mixon and Cody Ford starring in Power 5 college programs (LSU and Oklahoma, respectively) and going on to play in the NFL.
“Cody Ford puts on a free kids camp every summer for our kids here, and it is great,” said Bell. “That means a lot.”
Away from the Rebels, Bell stays busy with his family and some fishing and golf.
“I have 9-year-old and 6-year-old boys. They keep my wife and I busy!” he said. “I love coaching their baseball teams and that is my biggest hobby right now.”
His boys and other youngsters look up to older players as role models, often players they see on TV. Bell kept his dreams right at home as a kid.
“Growing up in West Monroe, those players and the coaches from their powerhouse days in the ‘90s were who I looked up to,” he said. “Some kids want to be an LSU Tiger, or a New Orleans Saint, but all I ever wanted to be was a West Monroe Rebel.”
While he wasn’t an outstanding athlete, his dad played football and baseball at Southern Arkansas in the 1970s, and his brother Brad won a powerlifting world championship in 2008.
Now Bell is chasing championships, hoping to restore the Rebels to status they’ve enjoyed under coaches like Don Shows.
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. Contact him at lbrecheen@aol.com.
RARE BYRD: His spectacular LSU career and 14 years pitching in the major leagues are just part of what makes Paul Byrd one of the more distinctive personalities in baseball, and a 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee. (Photo courtesy LSU Athletica)
NOTE — This is part of 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 July 27-29. For tickets and more information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
By JOE MACALUSO, Written for the LSWA
It’s late summer 1988, and the latest crop of freshmen were stepping onto the LSU campus. A handful among them had elected to spend most of their next few years inside Alex Box Stadium.
Among them was a tallish, thin, blond-headed, wide-eyed kid from Kentucky, a youngster who, when he wore black-rimmed glasses, looked more like he was destined to become a professor than most anything else, and certainly not a record-setting pitcher on a record-setting team.
Paul Byrd, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Louisville, Kentucky, throws right, St. Xavier High School.
That was the most anybody knew, except soon-to-be-legendary LSU coach Skip Bertman knew more, something his teammates found out long before Byrd’s first pitch in the 1989 season.
Paul Byrd was intelligent, more cerebral than most baseball players – and talented.
“He was super smart,” Bertman said. “He had a good fastball, and a wonderful breaking ball, not one I taught him, a breaking ball he brought with him. Paul was one of the best competitors we’ve ever put on the mound.”
After a strong freshman season for a College World Series team, Byrd stepped up his role – 10 starts among 21 appearances – and established a pattern for what would be a record-setting 1990 season — one, Bertman said, was one of the most significant in LSU baseball history.
As foreign as it is in today’s game, Byrd was asked to be a starter and reliever in 1990, a season when he went 17-6, and earned an invitation to the USA Training Camp.
His catcher as a freshman, current Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco, understood that record’s significance, especially now that he’s a long-tenured, College World Series-winning head coach.
“When Paul won 17 games, he answered all the questions,” Bianco said. “Winning 17 games in college baseball season is unheard of, and it’s a record never to be broken.
“Paul had several relief appearances as well as starts, and kids just don’t do that nowadays. That was the beginning of the legend of what became Paul Byrd.”
While his 19 starts that season topped the team, it was the 10 relief appearances that verified Bianco’s “legend” statement. In nearly 28 relief innings, Byrd gave up 19 hits (all singles), allowed 1 earned run with 34 strikeouts and 9 walks.
There was more, like those legendary, two one-run duels with Southern Cal in the 1990 NCAA Regional at Alex Box Stadium, wins that launched a second-straight trip to Omaha and the CWS.
A year later, Byrd and the Tigers made the third in a row the charm. Byrd’s 4-3 win over Oklahoma got LSU to the NCAA South Region finals, and his start in a 19-8 win over Florida shot his team into the winner-take-all, one-game showdown in what turned out to be a 6-3 victory over Wichita State that gave LSU its first national baseball championship.
So, for a kid who was a Babe Ruth World Series MVP; pitched and played two other positions in high school; was the 1987 U.S. Baseball Federation Amateur Junior Player of the Year; an All-Academic SEC star; had a 1-0 record for Team USA and a spot on the 1990 Bronze Medal Goodwill Games team; and College World Series champion, it was time to turn the page.
In his wake were 31 wins against 11 losses, 7 complete games, 2 saves and 2 shutouts in LSU’s three-seasons’ 164-54 record.
That CWS title spurred Byrd into a 14-year big-league career, one that ended Oct. 3, 2009 with a three-inning, 3-hit performance for Cleveland just days shy of his 39th birthday. By then, he had been named to the 1999 National League All-Star team, had led the American League in complete games (2002) and was that league’s shutouts leader in 2007.
He had survived a scare with shoulder and arm injuries in 2000 and 2003, and had pitched for 19 different teams in the majors and minors.
“I watched him reinvent himself,” said 1989 LSU teammate and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame pitcher Ben McDonald. “He struggled at times like a lot of other guys did, but he came up with a different wind-up, an old-school delivery with a lot of deception.
“That takes a lot of talent to change what you know about the game and how to pitch, lots of talent,” McDonald continued. “When you look back on Paul’s career, 109 wins is a lot, and when the average big leaguer plays three years, his 14 years means Paul had a great career.”
Paul Byrd was more.
His baseball-playing peers voted him the “Nicest Guy in Baseball” and baseball writers honored him with the “Steve Olin Tim Crews Good Guy” Award, all a carryover from what his former LSU teammates knew about him.
Much more: Byrd won three Emmys (his latest coming earlier this year with Bally Sports) for his on-air Fox Sports work as a broadcaster, and added a 2021 Emmy for being the “Most Outstanding On Air Personality.”
And, more: his book “Free Byrd: The Power of a Liberated Life,” made him a best-selling author, and went hand-in-hand with founding Byrdhouse Ministries.
Byrd’s devotion to family became evident earlier this year when he decided to take the year off from broadcasting Atlanta Braves games: his wife, Kym, was fighting for her life.
His statement to Braves fans: “…thanks for all the love and questions as to why I won’t be back this year. Almost lost my wife Kym to a medical issue this offseason. So grateful to say that she is on the road to recovery and getting better each day.”
While he and his wife haven’t strayed far from his Georgia home in the last months, Kym Byrd said she is ready to make the trip to Natchitoches for the induction ceremonies.
“Today, and just because Coach Bertman wanted me at LSU, it lives with me now. I found my faith at LSU, walked away with a girl from New Orleans and fundamentally changed my life with our two sons and Kym, and made lifelong friends.
“I love those guys, love the people at LSU. We care about each other, and I have brothers who’ll be close forever,” Byrd said. “Kym and I are deeply touched, and it shows the magnitude of what the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame means to me and my family.”
The weather has started to heat up here in the middle of July and for the bass fisherman, he knows that some of the day’s most exciting and often best action occurs at the break of day.
There is something about being on the water this time of year while all is quiet with a growing glow in the east as he casts a topwater lure next to the trunk of a cypress or willow.
When the twitch of the lure results in an explosive strike, it just about doesn’t get any better than this. Once the day brightens, the early morning action usually slows and the average bass angler heads home for the air conditioning once old Sol peaks over the cypresses.
For anglers who want to extend their bass fishing experience longer, the search is on for one lure to keep the bites coming, even after daytime temperatures rise. The Wobblehead meets all the characteristics of just such a lure.
This rather non-descript device features a slender curved slab of metal with a single hook onto which is attached a plain straight tail six-inch plastic worm. Incidentally, there is no lure easier to retrieve than a Wobblehead; you simply cast it out and bring it back in a rather boring straight retrieve. However, there is nothing boring when a big bass gulps down the bait.
The curved metal body of the Wobblehead gives the lure its name; it wobbles side to side and gives the plastic worm tail an enticing swimming motion which resembles a favorite food for a foraging bass, a small swimming snake. Remember the last time you saw a snake swimming across the water? That’s the exact image you get when you reel in a Wobblehead.
These lures are especially effective when fished next to moss beds, where bass lurk out of the glare of the scorching sun waiting for something good to eat to pass by. A small snake slowly wagging overhead is often too much to pass up.
Cast out a Wobblehead in the heat this summer next to a patch of weeds and hang on. The results could leave you feeling “cool.”
Bream fishermen can still do their thing with these fighters even in the heat of summer. Both bluegills and chinquapins can be caught even though the spawn is over and they have moved from their shallow spawning beds.
One of the most productive bream fishing forays I ever experienced was one sweltering day several years ago when Eddie Halbrook took me to Grand Bayou Lake near Coushatta where we caught at least 50 big chinquapins fishing cold worms on the bottom on an 8-foot deep flat.
If you’re a crappie fishermen, here’s something you may want to try to improve your summertime catch of tasty slabs.
If you want the best service from your waiter at a favorite restaurant, let it be known that you’re a generous “tipper.” You’re more than likely to find him eager and willing to be at your service. Keep this truth in mind the next time you head for the lake after summertime crappie. If you’re a good “tipper,” the crappie just might be much more cooperative.
Tipping explained means that you add something to your crappie jig to make it more enticing. Some anglers regularly tip their jigs with small shiners while others prefer commercial pea-sized niblets, grass shrimp or wax worms.
One of the best times to go for crappie during the heat of summer is to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day and head for the lake at night. A bucket of shiners dangled beneath the lights around a pier or off the side of the boat will attract shiners or shad which attracts the crappie. It can be a bunch of fun and you won’t even need sunscreen.
Whether it’s bass, bream or crappie, you can still get your string stretched even in the middle of summer.
CLASS TITLE Maintenance Technician (Courthouse & Jail)
CLASS RANGE 15
MINIMUM SALARY $29.857.37 annually + benefits
NATURE OF POSITION Perform semi-skilled maintenance work to assist skilled repair of electrical, HVAC, utilities, and mechanical systems. Open and close the Courthouse. Prepare facilities for meetings and related functions. Perform painting, plumbing, carpentry, plastering, cutting sheet metal, and installing insulation. Mow, trim, edge, blow leaves, rake, and plant to upkeep public grounds & facilities. Replenish supplies for Parish facilities. Supervise and assist with the work of inmates. Subject to 24-hour call.
COMPETENCIES/PHYSICAL DEMANDS Possess proven ability to learn and improve skills. Able to tolerate outdoor conditions and various types of weather. Able to stoop, kneel, balance, climb for tasks, and raise/lower objects up to 100 Ibs.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS High school diploma or equivalent with formal training. One (1) year of related experience. Valid Louisiana driver’s license. Must be available to attend Parish meetings before, during, & after business hours.
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. 5. Applications will be accepted until this position is filled.
THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY
Open to current Parish Civil Service employees only.
CLASS TITLE Auditor II
CLASS RANGE 23
MINIMUM SALARY $44.112.93 annually + benefits
NATURE OF POSITION Under the supervision of the Enforcement Coordinator, the Auditor I is responsible for conducting tax audits, supervising Auditor I employees, and assisting the public on audit-related inquiries.
COMPETENCIES/PHYSICAL DEMANDS Able to operate basic office equipment. Proficient in Microsoft Office. Possess strong verbal and written communication skills and organizational skills. Able to bend, stoop, climb for tasks, and raise/lower objects up to 25 lbs.
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Three (3) years of related audit experience. Eighteen (18) credit hours in accounting. Certified Tax Examiner (CTE) license. Valid Louisiana driver’s license. Must be available to attend Parish meetings before, during, & after business hours.
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. 5. Applications will be accepted until Monday, July 31, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.
THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY
Vera Lee Johnson June 17, 1928 – July 16, 2023 Service: Thursday, July 20, 2023, 10 am at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Alexandria.
Miss Stella Maxine Manning March 19, 1917 – May 7, 2023 Visitation: Thursday, July 20, 2023, Noon at Chapel of Pinecrest, Pineville. Service:: Thursday, July 20, 2023, 1 pm at Chapel of Pinecrest, Pineville.
Jimmie Dale DeRamus April 5, 1952 – July 13, 2023 Visitation: Thursday, July 20, 2023, Noon at Hixson Brothers, Alexandria. Service: Thursday, July 20, 2023, 2 pm at Hixson Brothers, Alexandria.
Thomas Leon Jackson , Sr. March 20, 1944 – July 9, 2023 Visitation: Friday, July 21, 2023, 4 pm at St. Matthew Baptist Church, Boyce. Service: Friday, July 21, 2023, 5 pm at St. Matthew Baptist Church, Boyce.
John Edward Dotson, Jr. April 6, 1969 – July 10, 2023 Visitation: Saturday, July 22, 2023, 10 am at New Scott Olly Baptist Church, Alexandria. Service: Saturday, July 22, 2023, 11 am at New Scott Olly Baptist Church, Alexandria.
The Rapides Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. 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 search for missing geocacher resumed on July 19 at 6 AM with deputies and Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives and firemen from the Oak Hill and Alexandria Fire Departments. Personnel from the Acadian Search and Rescue were also on scene with K-9 assets.
At approximately 9 AM, human remains were located in a densely wooded area near a creek approximately ½ mile from the trailhead on Messina Road. Due to the severe decomposition of the remains, positive identification is pending. However, from clothing description and other physical characteristics, Sheriff’s Detectives believe this is Robert Owens Jr. a geocacher from Millville, NJ who was reported missing on July 17.
The Rapides Parish Coroner responded to recover the remains and an autopsy is pending.
Sheriff’s Detectives say their investigation is still ongoing and if anyone has any information they believe could be helpful, they are asked to contact Detective Tamiko Paulk at 318-473-6727.
We would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance in this search: Alexandria Fire Department, Oak Hill Fire Department, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, US Forestry Service and Acadian Search and Rescue.
We would also like to thank the public for all of their assistance in this investigation.
An investigation by the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Unit has led to the largest seizure of marijuana in the history of Grant Parish, according to Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Steven McCain.
Just over 70 pounds of high grade, prepackaged marijuana was seized during the investigation. The marijuana’s estimated street value was $586,224. Two shotguns, a handgun and an AR-15 rifle were also recovered during this investigation.
Two arrests were made by Agents assigned to RADE:
David Hollis, 57 years old, of 139 Antonia Hill Road, Pollock, was arrested for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana, Illegal Carrying of Weapons with Drugs, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and an outstanding warrant.
Charles Dupuy, 57 years old, 139 Antonia Hill Road, Pollock, was arrested for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Probation and Parole Violation.
