As an outdoor writer, my paths cross with interesting people. Some are adept at fishing; some at hunting; some that are just flat-out interesting.

A couple of years ago, I met such a person in Anna Ribbeck. She lives in Baton Rouge, works at the LSU Ag Center and just received her graduate degree in plant science, including her thesis on invasive aquatic plants. 

There are lots of folks who have done what she’s done scholastically, but it’s here where Anna Ribbeck sets herself apart from others, especially young attractive women. Meet Anna the Archer, someone who got hooked on archery and is carrying her knowledge and expertise to a high level.

Introduced to archery at the beginning of her years as a student at LSU, she is accumulating a reputation, not only as being deadly on the archery target range but in carrying it another step. She is a serious bow hunter, having already taken several deer with her bow.

From hunting deer, she became interested in using her bow to try to put a dent in the burgeoning population of nutria, the orange-toothed rodents that are decimating the coastline habitat by uprooting and foraging on the valuable plants that hold the marshland together.

Upon learning that she would introduce women to archery at the Claiborne Parish Library a couple of years ago to present a seminar, I contacted her for material for my columns and for my radio program.

“I want to educate the public, especially women, on archery,” she told me then. “I do a lot of You Tube videos on social media under the name, Anna the Archer and I visit bow shops to teach women about archery.  I also participate in competitive archery and that has not only been lots of fun, but getting to hang out with others in the sport has been a big help in developing my skills and my love for the sport.” 

Her love for the sport has led to something else that may seem like something females would have little interest in, alligator hunting. She is now a vital part of the popular television series, Swamp People, aired every Thursday night at 7 o’clock on the History Channel.

“To get to do this with these well-known alligator hunters, like the star of the show, Troy Landry, and to do it with my bow is like nothing else,” Ribbeck said.

She is a member of an all-girl team featured in the show. Her partner, Ashley Jones, joins her to form the Double A team.

“I’ve lost count of how many alligators Ashley and I have taken. It’s in the hundreds, I’m sure,” she added. 

Ribbeck is also involved in another venture that is featured on the show. Landry assisted her in starting the Swamp Mysteries portion of the show where she chases down and dispatches feral pigs with her bow. 

“We have so many hogs on the landscape that are harming the environment down here, much like you have in north Louisiana. We go after them with bows, with guns and even hunting them from helicopters,” she said.

I have had the privilege of interviewing a wide variety of individuals over the years but have found few as interesting as Anna the Archer. 

Visit her site on Facebook, Anna the Archer, for a veritable plethora of stories, photos and video clips of her chasing nutria, alligators and feral hogs. Mark your calendar to watch her in action Thursday nights at 7 on the History Channel. You won’t be disappointed.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

January 16

Aaron Long, 47, Alexandria — aggravated resisting with force or violence 2 counts, battery on officer, violation protective order, unauthorized entry place of business, $4,500 bail;

Zikorian Turner, 36, Alexandria — illegal possession stolen firearm, illegal carrying weapon, resisting, bicycle lamps/reflectors required, $10,600 bail;

Victoria White, 29, Alexandria — bank fraud, $2,500 bail.

Give me a few extra hours at home on the weekend, and I am making some kind of BREAD.  These Green Chile Cheese rolls caught my eye, and they were no less than super perfection since I love all of these flavors. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 12 Rhodes rolls, thawed & risen
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 8 ounces green chiles
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine rolls to form one big ball and roll into a 13×15” rectangle on the parchment paper.

Melt butter in skillet and sauté onions until soft and translucent.  Remove from heat and add green chiles.

Spread mixture over dough and sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up lengthwise, jelly roll style. Slice dough into 12 equal pieces and place in sprayed 9×13 baking pan.

Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size.  Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

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

Northwestern State University returns to regular operations today, Jan. 18 at all campuses, including Natchitoches, Shreveport, Alexandria, Leesville, NSU@Marksville, and NSU@Barksdale.

Classes will follow their usual schedule, and all campus facilities, including offices, bus services, Watson Library and WRAC, will resume normal operations.

While temperatures are anticipated to remain below freezing in the early morning hours, drivers are advised to exercise caution, especially in shaded areas where small pockets of ice may be present. Commuters from more heavily impacted regions should monitor road conditions and use discretion before traveling.

By JIM BUTLER

Kenneth Setliff’s alleged contempt for Ninth Judicial District Court is persistent.

Setliff was picked up by officers Monday and booked at 1 a.m. with four counts of contempt and five of failure to appear/pay fine.

He remained in jail Tuesday night under $10,000 bail.

“Bubba,” as he is known, is familiar with the bail/bond process, availing himself of it nine previous times since 2021.

Four of those arrests were in 2023. A felony charge is among accusations involved in those bookings, but contempt is the constant from case to case. The rap sheet:

— December 23, 2023 – contempt 5 counts, no driver’s license, misdemeanor domestic abuse battery. $6,000 bond posted Dec 24;

— October 19, 2023 – contempt 3 counts. $15,000 bond posted next day;

— July 30, 2023 – contempt 3 counts, misdemeanor assault. $8,000 bond posted three hours after booking; July 1, 2023 – felony aggravated strangle domestic abuse battery strangulation, false imprisonment.
$5,500 bond posted next day;

— September 15, 2022 – contempt 6 counts, theft, criminal trespass. $121,000 bond posted five days later;

— June 8, 2022 – contempt 6 counts. $67,000 bond posted next day;

— January 31, 2022 – contempt 9 counts. $13,500 bond posted three days later;

— April 15, 2021 – contempt 2 counts. $5,000 bond posted next day;

— January 14, 2021 – contempt 3 counts. $4,500 bond posted same day.

By JIM BUTLER

The siege of cold continues through Saturday but likely won’t set any records.

Last year, according to NOAA records, was the seventh warmest January since Alexandria records began being kept. The average daily temperature was 56.8 degrees. The record is 61.4 in 1950.

This week the city is closer to the record average low, 37.3 in 1940.

Average extremes for the next four days are 60 high and 39 low. There’s some chance of reaching that high on Saturday. As for the lows – forget it.

Not to rub salt anywhere but on icy roads, but the high this day last year was 72, followed by 78, 77 and 70. Lows were 58, 66, 48 and 45.

Lows in the teens are atrocious in these parts but it has been worse.

NOAA cites 4 degrees on January 24, 1948 as the month’s record low.

That’s about where President Truman’s rank was in popularity polls the same month.

Eight degrees was hit on the 27th in 1940, nine degrees on the 11th and 12th in 1982 and the 12th in 1913.

The weather watchers note 10 degrees has been logged many times.
Incidentally, the record high for the month is 87, reached in 1885 and 1922. The coolest maximum was in 1962, when the high for Jan. 10 was 23, though all those doing The Twist didn’t seem to noti

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – The second act for a defending national champion is always harder than the first.

The first ride to the title is almost magical, usually unexpected. It’s usually a hungry team with something to prove that plays with an enormous chip on its shoulder. There’s little or no adversity, such as extended or season-ending injuries or players being suspended or dismissed from the program.

Say hello to LSU, the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national champions.

The second time around is vastly different with personnel changes due to players graduating, transferring, or entering the pro draft. There might be injuries, suspensions and dismissals that were dodged in the previous season.

The biggest enemy, after reaching the mountaintop and reaping all the fame, celebrity and endorsements, is complacency and facing every victory-starved opponent like you were a year ago.

Meet LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s current 16-2 Tigers (3-1 SEC), which fell from No. 7 to No. 10 in AP and coaches’ polls after Sunday’s 67-62 SEC loss at unranked Auburn.

LSU plays at Alabama on Thursday night, followed by home games Sunday vs. Arkansas and next Thursday vs. No. 1 South Carolina.

At this point last season, LSU was 18-0, 6-0 in the SEC after hammering Auburn by 40 points. Aside from one starting lineup experimentation and a minor knee injury. Mulkey had used just three different starting lineups.

While last year’s preseason theme was “Piece It Together,” the Tigers had one returning starter, five new transfers and two freshmen in a steady eight-player rotation.

Then-senior Alexis Morris, the lone returning starter, was a solid point guard and team leader. Everyone was comfortable in their roles. It felt good to be the hunter instead of the hunted.

Because last year seemed to flow so effortlessly, it may have been a given it would be easier this season. LSU was a no-brainer No. 1 nation preseason pick with two returning starters, including All-American Angel Reese surrounded by the nation’s best recruiting class including the top two players in the transfer portal.

But no two seasons are ever the same.

Mulkey has used seven different starting lineups because she suspended Reese for four games, tossed veteran backcourt reserve Kateri Poole off the team, lost starting post player S’Mayah Smith with a season-ending knee injury and was without new starting point guard Hailey Van Lith for four games because of plantar fasciitis.

Because of the disruptions, the Tigers’ current starting lineup of returnees Reese and Flau’jae Johnson, transfers Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow and freshman Mikaylah Williams has started just seven games as a unit, including the four SEC contests.

It’s a talented but imperfect lineup.

Reese is leading the team in scoring (20.1) and rebounding (11.5) but is responsible for missing the bulk of the Tigers’ point-blank range layups. In the four SEC games, LSU has made just 71 of 125 (56.8 percent layups.)

She compensates for missing by averaging 5.4 offensive rebounds and by leading the nation in free throws made (106) and free throw attempts (144).

“You might stop Angel’s first shot but she follows her misses hard,” Mulkey said. “That’s where she forces a lot of fouls from her opponents.”

Morrow, who averages 18.3 points and 9.7 rebounds and has 54 career double-doubles, begins games notoriously slow. Maybe it’s the DePaul transfer’s style of feeling out a game since she always finished strong with excellent second halves.

“I try to be as consistent as I possibly can every day,” Morrow said. “I’m a walking double-double machine. I can perform on any level.”  

There’s little to fault with Williams, the SEC’s second-leading three-point shooter (44.6 percent) who averages 16.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Her most frequent freshman mistakes are turnovers.

“I don’t view Mikaylah as a freshman,” Mulkey said. “She has a college ready body, a mindset and a confidence. When you’re a baller, you figure it out on the floor.”

Though Johnson averages 13.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals, her weakness is she needs to be more selfish. She’s the only player on the team with the quickness and the athleticism to drive past any defender.

“Flau’jae got so many minutes as a freshman last year that it’s allowed her to mature and become more comfortable,” Mulkey said. “We want her to become a great all-around player and for her to understand she’s not going to play a perfect game.”

Van Lith, a former Louisville star who was the No. 1 rated player in the transfer portal, is doing her best transitioning from shooting guard to point guard.

Her scoring and shooting suffered through non-conference play but she’s now averaging 11.3 points as her outside shot has warmed. She throws the quickest and most accurate entry passes on the team, but often gets defensively overwhelmed when facing more physical, aggressive guards. “For a while there, I was trying to fit in a mold that wasn’t necessarily my game,” Van Lith said. “I’m looking for ways to be a playmaker and making the right read when I’m taking a shot.”

Freshman center Aalyah Del Rosario and junior guard Last Tear-Poa, LSU’s top two reserves in a seven-player rotation, are combining to average 10.1 points in 34.4 minutes.

“It starts on the defensive end,” Mulkey said of Tear-Poa, one of the SEC’s best defensive guards. “She’s going to take the defensive angles to keep in front of quicker players and keep them out of the paint.”

The 6-5 Del Rosario is still taking baby steps in her aggressiveness.

“When I came here, I was not in the best shape,” Del Rosario said. “Now, I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. It (Smith’s season-ending injury) changed my perspective. I knew I was going to have to step up and play big-time minutes.”

The lack of an eighth player in the rotation is concerning.

“I want to play more players,” Mulkey said. “But earning that playing time comes in practice. That playing time comes making me confident in you.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

All City offices and facilities are open (Wednesday, January 17, 2024); ATRANS bus service will operate its normal schedules and routes tomorrow as well.  Utility disconnects for past due accounts remain suspended until Thursday morning. 

Safety Precautions:

• While roadways are generally passable in all locations, patchy ice may still be a possibility especially on elevated roads and bridges.  Motorists are urged to allow extra time and exercise caution during their morning commute Wednesday morning. 
• To avoid the risk of fire, ensure all portable heaters, heated blankets, and other such appliances are properly connected directly to a wall outlet and not a power strip or extension cord. 
• Never use an outdoor grill or other outdoor heating product indoors!

If you experience a water leak during this Winter Weather Event and need assistance shutting off your home’s water supply, please call the AUS Water Department at 318-473-1264.  Electrical outages can be reported to 318-473-1301.  Medical, fire, or public safety emergencies should still be reported to 911.

OWI/DWI arrests are accusations, not convictions. 

January 12

Richard Smith, 40, Pollock — OWI 3rd, improper headlight, open container, 8:35 p.m., $75,200 bail;

Steven Wallace Jr., 64, Alexandria — OWI 3rd, 2:35 p.m., $40,000 bail. 

January 13

Jordyn Augustine, 24, Alexandria — OWI, open container, driving under suspension/revocation, speeding, safety belt violation, 8:07 a.m., $1,400 bail;

Anthony Guillot, 33, Deville — OWI 1st, improper lane usage, driving under suspension/revocation, 11:11 p.m., $1,200 bail;

Darnishia Isaac, 37, Alexandria — OWI 1st, improper lane usage, 2:54 a.m., $1,100 bail;

Marion Shotlow, 51, Alexandria — OWI 1st,  no insurance, 2:15 a.m., $1,100 bail (charged with OWI 3rd in September 2019);

Douglas Washington, 69, Alexandria — OWI 1st, 2:27 a.m., $1,000 bail. 

January 14

Kanisha Dixon, 33, Pineville – OWI 2nd, flight, speeding, no driver’s license, 4:59 a.m., $2,200 bail;

Juan Hernandez, 37, Alexandria — OWI, reckless operation, no driver’s license, 7:43 p.m., $1,200 bail;

Kelli Herrington, 34, Pineville — OWI 1st, careless operation, 1:29 a.m., $1,100 bail. 

UPDATE: Closings; January 16, 2024, 6am

Inclement Weather Closures

City of Pineville Offices
Alexandria City Offices
Alexandria City Court
CLTCC
LCU
LSUA
Northwestern State University
Rapides Parish Courthouse

UPDATE: Weather Advisory; Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 6am

Ice and snow covered surfaces will remain covered through Tuesday night into
Wednesday resulting in hazardous driving conditions. Slow down and use caution if you must drive. Wear appropriate footwear while outside to avoid slipping on ice.

Bitterly cold temperatures are expected through Wednesday morning with temperatures remaining well below freezing until some time during the day Wednesday.

This means that much of the ice and snow covered road surfaces will remain covered through at least the first half of Wednesday. Hazardous driving conditions will continue through at least Wednesday Morning across much of the region as a result. If melting is observed across portions of the region on Tuesday, then that melt on road surfaces will rapidly refreeze after sunset Tuesday evening, resulting in black ice conditions on area road surfaces that will impact travel Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. Road surfaces will not improve until temperatures can remain above freezing long enough
to evaporate wet road surfaces, hopefully sometime later in the day Wednesday.

No other hazardous weather is expected beyond Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

By JIM BUTLER

Forest Hill officials propose issuing bonds to provide funds for upgrading the village’s water system.

A public hearing is scheduled Feb. 13 at 6 pm to hear any comment.

The taxable utilities revenue bonds would provide up to $1.4 million of costs of constructing and acquiring improvements, extensions and replacements in the drinking water component.

According to the proposed ordinance, the bonds retirement would not be a charge on other municipal income nor a debtor pledge of general credit.
Debt payment will come only from system revenue. The interest rate is stipulated at 2.45 percent.

Details of the bond covenant (rates, etc.) will be included in the ordinance to be reviewed at the hearing.

The Virginia Soprano Homeless Resource Center was bustling Friday afternoon. Not only were homeless folks stopping by or good-hearted people were dropping off donations of gloves, hand warmers and toe warmers, even the fallen sycamore leaves were skidding in whenever a door would open on this blustery day.

“Local folks wait until the last minute and then go into a panic,” cracked the feisty Kitty Wynn, who took over as director of the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition (CLHC) last spring. “We’ve been getting calls every day with someone talking about the coming bad weather.”

Wynn’s concern, with temperatures expected to plunge into the teens early in the week and not go higher than the mid-30s, was a dearth of “warming shelters” in the area. “The state might let us use the evacuation center, but then there are transportation and security problems if we do that, going to an unsupervised shelter.” She added the Louisiana Housing Corporation, which offered heat relief supplies during the scorching summer, is not offering similar help for the winter.

A wish-list priority is a conversion of the patio behind the center to have retractable sides so that it could be warmed in the winter and cooled in the summer. This would be especially helpful for the elderly who are out on the street. Granted, there are some homeless folks in the area, Kitty said, (“I can think of about 12 off the top of my head”) who seem content to continue living that way, but there are many who are down on their luck, for whatever reason, and just need some help to improve their lives again.

In December of 2023, CLHC saw 198 clients (some repeats) and provided 1,587 services. In the last calendar year, they saw 779 clients and provided more than 19,000 services, Kitty said.

It can be a constant battle to help such people because the CLHC gets no funding except from donations and grants, Kitty said. They may soon launch a burger cook-off as a signature fund-raiser. This is right up Kitty’s alley since she was involved in catering in an earlier life when she owned two Fort Worth restaurants. CLHC does partner with Volunteers of America, Hope House, the Food Bank, Manna House and Catholic Charities to help the homeless and mitigate some problems.

A native of Ball whose husband, Gary, is retired from the Department of Transportation and Development, Kitty said she’s always had a place in her heart for people who suffer from mental health problems and/or addictions. In her nine months on the job she has seen some success stories come through the center’s doors.

“We know our clientele, we consider them part of our family,” she said.

Kitty is part of a seven-person CLHC staff, with just three full time, in-house personnel. LaTessa Mathews is the case manager and Connie Liddy is a resources specialist. They have helped individuals get jobs or housing. There was a man from Montana who found his way here, connecting with the drug culture, and Kitty said they helped him get cleaned up and paid his approximate $300 bus fare back to Montana. There, Kitty said, he has found work as a “talented hand” in the construction business with a brother.

There are some tragic stories, too. Like sex trafficking. “Women are trafficked in the streets of Alexandria every day,” she said, noting they come in with bruises from abuse but won’t let them report it to police. “They feel worthless,” she said, wiping tears.

We will not see tents for the homeless in Alexandria or Pineville, as are seen in several big cities across America, because police don’t allow it, she said. “They’re in the woods,” she said. “The farther out you go, the more camps (for homeless) are in the woods.”

If you want to help, the answer isn’t to give money to a panhandler on the corner, Kitty said. “That’s only putting a bandage on a problem or enabling them to buy drugs.” The answer, she said, is to give the money you intended to CLHC instead. “That then helps us, and we can use that money to help the individuals who really need it.”

For her most recent birthday, Kitty put out a request on Facebook that nobody give her a present for her birthday but send her $25. She promised she’d put all the money in the CLHC “kitty.”

People responded and she did as she promised, she said.

And a good chunk of that money helped that young man from Montana get a bus ride home.

Anyone interested in donating, can mail a check to CLHC, 1515 Jackson Street, Alexandria, LA 71301.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

January 14

Charles Price, 45, Alexandria — simple strangle domestic abuse battery, battery, home invasion, contempt 2 counts, $4,500 bail.