6-year-old dies in crash involving children on four wheeler at Culpepper Road and North Boulevard

The Alexandria Police Department responded to a two-vehicle crash involving a car and a four-wheeler at the intersection of Culpepper Road and North Boulevard on Wednesday at approximately 6:36 p,m.

The four-wheeler was occupied by four juveniles: a 12-year-old driver and three passengers, ages 10, 6, and 4. Preliminary investigation determined that the four-wheeler failed to stop at the posted stop sign at the intersection, resulting in the collision.

Sadly, the 6-year-old passenger later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash after being transported to a local hospital. The 4-year-old suffered minor injuries, while the 10‑ and 12-year-olds remain in critical condition. None of the children were wearing helmets at the time of the incident.

Alexandria Police Chief Chad Gremillion issued the following statement: “Our hearts hurt anytime someone is injured or killed. I personally witnessed the tireless efforts of the first responders from the Alexandria Fire Department and Pafford Ambulance, as well as the emergency staff at Rapides Regional ER — they gave everything they had.”

“The Alexandria Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family of the child who lost their life and sends thoughts and prayers to the injured children and their loved ones during this difficult time,” he added. 

Chief Gremillion went on to say, “But let me be clear: riding an ATV on city streets is illegal and a recipe for disaster. These vehicles are not designed for road traffic, and the consequences can be tragic.  I beg our community to quit putting innocent lives at risk.”

This crash remains under active investigation.

If anyone has any information about this incident or any other type of crime in the Alexandria area, contact the Alexandria Police Detective Division at the phone number 318-441-6416 or APD Dispatch 318-441-6559. Information can be emailed to detectives at APDDetectives@cityofalex.com.

For a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers of CenLa at (318) 443-7867. The Crime Stoppers P3 Tipster App can also be downloaded to leave tips and get a claim number for a cash reward at www.p3tips.com/community/mobile.


PHS Lady Rebels volleyball camp begins Monday, registration is still open

Next week, the Pineville High School Lady Rebels Volleyball team will kick off its inaugural Youth Volleyball camp. 

The camp, for girls ages 7 to 12, will be held Monday through Thursday, June 23-26, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day at the PHS Girls Gym. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable athletic clothes and sneakers. 

The cost of the camp is $100 and includes a camp t-shirt and free admission to PHS’s first home match of the 2025 season. To register, scan the QR code in the image above. 


Notice of Death – June 19, 2025

Sadie Linzay
September 17, 1933 – June 18, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home, Alexandria. 

William Schellenger, III
April 25, 1960 – June 18, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11am at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball. 

Phyllis Belgard Branton
November 8, 1942 – June 17, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 1pm at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Pineville.

James “Roy” Coleman
August 20, 1941 – June 17, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 10am at Lahey Chapel, Boyce.

Stanley Eugene LaCaze
October 24, 1949 – June 17, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 2pm at Rush Funeral Home, Pineville.

Richard Donald Preston Jr.
December 21, 1945 – June 17, 2025
Service: Friday, June 27, 2025, 10am at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home, Alexandria. 

Charles “Chuck” Thomas Tosten, Jr.
July 7, 1930 – June 17, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Alexandria.

Velma Kay Davis
July 23, 1962 – June 16, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11am at Magnolia Funeral Home, Alexandria.

Mary Lynne Heald
December 22, 1942 – June 16, 2025
Service: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 11am at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball. 

Ryan Neil Goodman
October 29, 1974 – June 15, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 28, 2025, 10:30am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Alexandria. 

Martha Elizabeth Shaver Scogin
October 13, 1959 – June 13, 2025
Service: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 1pm at Magnolia Funeral Home, Alexandria. 

Jira Styles
June 1, 1998 – June 13, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 4pm at Christian Worship Center, Alexandria. 

Gregory Harville
September 7, 1958 – June 12, 2025
Service: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 11am at Second Nazarene Baptist Church, Alexandria. 

Alton Aaron Belgard
May 14, 1945 – June 11, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at HIS Church, Pineville.

Laton Hebert
August 18, 1936 – June 10, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 2pm at Annadale Baptist Church, Alexandria. 

Howard Nicholas Stull
September 11, 1936 – June 6, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11am at St Juliana Catholic Church, Alexandria. 

Frank Peter Raila
June 24, 1950 – June 5, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball. 

Rodney Dale Bagwell
November 3, 1949 – June 1, 2025
Service: Saturday, July 5, 2025, 10am at Rush Funeral Home, Pineville.

Bobbie Sherlene Langston White
April 17, 1932 – May 17, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 28, 2025, 11am at Calvary 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)

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Jurors adopt solar farm regulations

By JIM BUTLER

The parish has set the rules for any future solar farm development.

Acting on recommendations from the Area Planning Commission police jurors this month unanimously adopted guidelines for such a renewable energy project. Juror Randy Wiggins was absent.

Louisiana is currently experiencing a surge of investment in such construction.

The ordinance sets minimum standards for solar projects that are neither residential nor single business-driven.

Not less than 20 acres are required for a proposed site. Rotating panels are limited to height of 16 feet; non-rotating to 18 feet.

Setback of at least 100 feet from any public roads or neighboring property will be required, with minimum fencing of 8 feet in height.

Provisions are also made for required signage, noise abatement and visual concealment barriers.

The permitting process requires estimates of economic, wildlife and environmental impacts, as well as drainage, public safety, sound and aviation analysis.

A non-refundable review fee of $10,000 is due on application. The permit fee is set at 1% of total construction cost, payable prior to the permit issuance.

That cost depends on size of the farm. Industry publications estimate cost at $500,000 to $1,000,000 per megawatt of generation capability.

The Planning Commission is charged with recommending approval or rejection of a permit request.


Boyce man killed in Rapides Parish crash

Rapides Parish – On June 18, 2025, at approximately 5:00 a.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on Louisiana Highway 28 at Navy’s Way. This crash claimed the life of 22-year-old Nicholas J. Baqqett of Boyce.

The initial investigation revealed that a 2013 Ford Mustang, driven by Baqqett, was traveling West on Louisiana Highway 28. For reasons still under investigation, Baqqett failed to negotiate a left hand curve, exited the roadway, entered into the westbound ditch, and impacted a concrete culvert which caused Baqqett to be ejected from the vehicle.

Baqqett, restraint usage unknown, sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Toxicology samples were obtained and submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation.


RRMC honors UTLX Manufacturing with Community Benefit Award

RRMC COO Justin Shiver (left) and UTLX Director of Operations Lee Ross
Rapides Regional Medical Center presented UTLX Manufacturing with this year’s RRMC Community Benefit Award during June 13’s Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce Bizzy Awards.
 
Since 1903, RRMC has been responding to the needs of the community through their mission of providing high quality, efficient and compassionate healthcare. RRMC continues this commitment more than 120 years later in the investment of the community to make it healthier and accessible to healthcare. To do that, RRMC has a Community Benefit Committee that identifies the biggest areas of need – such as heart and cancer health, physical fitness, heart disease and obesity – and develops a plan to address those needs.
 
That’s why the medical center recognizes other businesses that are doing the hard work in improving and investing in Central Louisiana.
 
UTLX is making a difference in the community. It sponsors numerous schools and non-profit organizations. Its colleagues can be found volunteering at the Manna House to the Kent House, as well as the Food Bank, the American Cancer Society and so much more. Most importantly, they provide supplies and time to help train – pun included – the workforce of tomorrow.
 
In less than two decades, UTLX has not only made Central Louisiana home, it has made an impact in the community, and RRMC honors that commitment.

Never-idle Whitworth thrives with evolving roles, transformational impact

(Artwork by CHRIS BROWN, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
 

By JAKE MARTIN, Written for the LSWA

Don’t ask Andrew Whitworth to catalogue binge-worthy Netflix series.

Chances are he hasn’t seen it. In order to contribute to the conversation, one would have to actually sit down to, you know, watch. And if you know anything about this year’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee, well, that ain’t happening.

“No, I don’t binge shows,” Whitworth said. “I love to be active. Right now, I just walked seven or eight miles hitting golf balls. I’m always outside. That’s my version of a great day. I wake up, get my coffee, hike a mountain, hit 6,000 golf balls and then go hang out at the beach with my kids. I don’t like to sit down.”

Makes sense when you think about it. Longevity in the NFL doesn’t accompany an All-Pro career by happenstance. Laziness isn’t exactly a common trait for 16-year NFL veterans either. 

The former West Monroe High School and LSU standout, who helped teams at all three levels win championships, headlines the LSHOF’s Class of 2025 being enshrined June 26-28 in Natchitoches. Event information is at LaSportsHall.com.

The never-idle Whitworth actively participated in sports growing up, like tennis, basketball, baseball, golf and powerlifting. Heck, he even threw the shot put in track and field. But each had its importance. Every sport taught the future Los Angeles Ram something that indirectly contributed to retiring as the oldest offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl. In some ways, Whitworth’s activity was his greatest gift.

“Play multiple sports,” said Whitworth with passion. “I grew to be 6’7” 330 pounds. I was going to be able to push people around with my God-given ability. But playing tennis and baseball and track and all those other things taught me a skill.

“Basketball, for example, helped me with my pass protection. What does playing defense look like in basketball? It’s like trying to slide protect. If you want to be a great blocker, you have to keep the defender between yourself and the quarterback. That’s just like in basketball, using your body to stay between them and the goal. A lot of things carry over.”

For a man who prides himself on being mobile, the irony isn’t lost on Whitworth that his most viral moment involved him sitting on the floor of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. His career peaked with the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory against (of all teams, the one he spent his first 11 NFL seasons with) the Cincinnati Bengals just days removed from Whitworth being named the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Talk about a whirlwind. Amongst all the confetti on the turf, the West Monroe native sat with his family and told his children that it was “Daddy’s last ballgame.”

“It will forever be special,” Whitworth said. “You’ll meet somebody, and you can tell they’re trying to explain to their wife who you are. Then they’ll say you probably saw him on the ground with his family at the Super Bowl. And that’s immediately when they recognize me. I don’t ever sit down and take a breath, and that was the moment for me to do it with my kids. It was one of the calmest moments of my career. I knew it was over.”

Perhaps the saddest person to see Whitworth go was his head coach Sean McVay, who didn’t mince words when it came to Whitworth’s importance to the franchise.

It was a master stroke to acquire a left tackle who finished his career with 250 NFL starts, meaning McVay was protecting quarterback Matthew Stafford’s blindside with an experienced All-Pro, sure. But it also provided leadership for a first-year head coach on the job.

“When we lost him, I thought I appreciated how valuable he was in terms of his leadership and giving me the ability to hear what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to,” McVay said. “I thought I valued it a whole lot, but since he retired, I realized what a unique human being he is. You can’t say enough good things about him. I can’t describe what he means to me. I think he has to go down as one of the greatest free agent signings of all time.”

A storybook ending for a career that featured multiple first-team All-Pro accolades (2015, 2017) and four Pro Bowl selections is quite the contrast to Whitworth’s rocky start. Put it this way — no confetti fell during Whitworth’s first live rep of middle school football at Ouachita Christian School. Not when he stood opposite of the coach’s daughter, Molly Harper, during his first practice. What happened next would be told time and again over the next three decades.

“I get in line and realize I’m going against a person with really long hair, and I’m like, ‘This is the ‘90s… There aren’t too many boys with long hair.’ Other players are like, ‘Hey dude, you better lock in,’” Whitworth remembered. “I’m thinking I don’t know how hard I want to hit her because she’s a girl, and she pancaked me and knocked me down.

“I remember thinking, ‘Maybe football isn’t for me,’ because I was a basketball kid at the time. I love to tell that story because if you have a totem pole of where you career is, near the bottom has to be what people think of when the coach’s daughter trucks you. But it’s not about that. I didn’t quit. I made a commitment to finish something, and I ended up falling in love with it.”

Redemption followed. Whitworth quickly ascended to one of the top prep players in Louisiana with the West Monroe Rebels and played a part in two national championship teams in 1998 and 2000, arguably the peak of that prestigious football program.

Before Whitworth completed the trifecta of winning a ring at every level, he was a valued member of an LSU football team that broke through and won the 2003 national championship.

“We were freaking rock stars,” Whitworth said. “Every single day, going back-and-forth to practice, we felt like we were a part of Guns N’ Roses or Aerosmith. Fans were outside our hotel. They were shaking and hitting the busses. Playing in New Orleans for the national championship when it’s been almost 50 years since you won it, that’s hard to replicate. Yeah, they’ve had talented teams since, but what that one meant, it was really special.”

Football remains a focal point of Whitworth’s life, even though it’s in a different capacity. His work now consists of breaking down the game in front of a camera, rather than taking on many hall of fame pass rushers he’s faced through the decades.

Evolution was a big part of Whitworth’s game, as he slimmed down and embraced flexibility exercises to counter the speedy pass rushers that flooded the league in the latter stages of his career. And here he is parlaying retirement to evolve once more.

Surprisingly, Whitworth admitted this new venture is a little more nerve-wracking too. Some might think he’s making a fashion statement with the hoodie under his suit on Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football telecast, but it actually has little to do with that. 

“When you get feedback from people who say they love seeing you on T.V., it makes you feel good because you just don’t know,” Whitworth said. “I’m not super confident in it. That’s why I wear my hoodie. It makes me feel comfortable to be myself. I’m just trying to be me.”

Traveling from one NFL city to the next as part of a broadcast crew is a fitting “retirement” for the Louisiana legend. Nope, you won’t catch Whitworth slowing down any time soon. For a man who is seemingly always on the move, it’s a lifestyle well earned.

Contact Jake at jakemartinsec@gmail.com


Legendary NSU track and field coach Leon Johnson passes away at 86

NATCHITOCHES — Longtime, legendary Northwestern State track and field coach Leon Johnson, who led the Demons and Lady Demons to national prominence and tutored a pair of USA Olympians before retiring in 2013, died Tuesday in Natchitoches after a brief illness.

Funeral arrangements will be announced soon for Johnson, 86, whose decades-long career at Northwestern made him a nationally recognized name in track and field. He is survived by his wife, Elaine, and his son, Dean, a former NSU assistant, another son, Kendon, and daughters Darla and Molly, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

“I’ve known Leon Johnson for many years, since he was coaching and teaching at Opelousas High School, and he has always been an exceptional person, mentor, educator, coach, neighbor, and family man,” Northwestern State President James T. Genovese said. “He brought out the best in people, not just his athletes. What he did in his coaching career in high school and then for 33 years at Northwestern is remarkable not only for the championships won, the records broken, but for the tremendously positive, nurturing influence he had on the young people around him along with his coaches and colleagues.

“As a coach and as a man, he made impact in the communities where he lived for generations of people whose lives are better because of him.”

The second-longest serving head coach in Northwestern State athletics history, Johnson’s impact on both the Demons program and the Southland Conference is indelible.

Johnson’s 31-year head coaching career at Northwestern ranks second in school history only to H. Lee Prather’s 36-year run as the Demons basketball coach. Like Prather, Johnson’s name resonates across campus.

Track and field fans enter the Walter Ledet Track Complex by walking or driving down Leon Johnson Lane. Northwestern’s annual track and field meet was renamed the Leon Johnson Invitational in 2011, making Johnson the exceedingly rare coach who led a team in a competition that bears his or her name.

A high school basketball coach in Colorado before moving to Louisiana and becoming a state champion high school track and field coach at Opelousas and DeRidder, Johnson took the reins of the Northwestern track and field program in 1982.

For the next 31 years, he presided over 57 All-Americans, nearly 100 NCAA championship qualifiers, including national champions and a pair of Olympian triple jumpers – LaMark Carter (2000 Sydney Games) and Kenta Bell (2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games).

He helped Brian Brown develop into one of the world’s best high jumpers in the early 1990s after he won the 1989 USA Outdoors and the 1990 NCAA Indoors, setting a meet record with a 7-8 clearance. Brown went on to earn his doctorate and is the deputy director of athletics for student-athlete development, integrated healthcare and inclusion at Missouri.

“All of us at Northwestern are saddened by the loss of Leon Johnson,” Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. “Coach Johnson’s impact on our track and field program is both tangible and intangible. His standout career helped cement the foundation for a tremendous stretch of competitive success that is reflected in the current state of our program – especially our women’s program that has captured five of the past six Southland championships. Coach Johnson earned the respect of so many of his contemporaries as evidenced by the Southland Conference’s Leon Johnson Coach of the Year Award. He was in a class by himself and we are grateful for all he poured into Northwestern State track and field, the university and our community.”

In 1986, Johnson was tasked with starting the Lady Demons track and field program. Under Johnson’s direction, and with his protégé and former competitor Mike Heimerman coaching her, Trecey Rew became Northwestern’s first female track and field national champion, capturing the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Discus championship.

Student-athletes like Carter, Bell and Rew – and a slew of other All-Americans — flourished under the tutelage of Johnson, a 1999 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee.

His Northwestern teams were fixtures near the top of the Southland Conference, capturing conference titles in 1993, 1999 and 2002 while finishing in the upper half of the conference standings each year from 1989-2005.

Johnson’s Northwestern squads collected top-20 team finishes in both the NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

That extended run of success landed Johnson in the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in April 2017. Since 2014, the Southland presents the Leon Johnson Coach of the Year award to the top men’s track and field coach in the conference each season.

“Coach Johnson was one of the nation’s best mentors in his sport, and made a meaningful impact on his university, the league, and certainly the championship student-athletes he led in his program,” Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett said upon Johnson’s receipt of the Southland’s top individual honor.

Johnson’s impact stretched far beyond the track, throwing areas, and jump pits where he spent most of his career – especially as it pertained to the student-athletes he coached.

He was the driving force behind bringing the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Cross Country State Championships to Natchitoches and keeping it here for more than 30 years, making it a staple of the city’s athletic calendar.

An active volunteer, Johnson gave his time to the Louisiana chapter of the Special Olympics, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.

Following his retirement from coaching track and field, Johnson became a volunteer assistant and advisor to former Mike McConathy’s Northwestern State men’s basketball team, providing insight on flexibility and conditioning for student-athletes while also imparting his vision to McConathy and his staff.


PPD’s ‘Wanted Wednesday’ suspect sought for exploitation of the infirmed, identity theft

This week’s “Wanted Wednesday” individual is Lisa Futrell who is wanted for one count of Exploitation of the Infirmed and three counts of Identity Theft less than $300, all involving a victim over the age of 60.
 
An elderly woman gave Ms. Futrell a place to stay, which Ms. Futrell used as a launchpad for fraudulent activities, overstaying her welcome and stealing from the elderly woman, who is unnamed to protect her privacy. 
 
If anyone knows where Lisa Futrell’s whereabouts, contact the Pineville Police Department. Call the Criminal Investigations Bureau a5 318-449-5652.
 
All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and all tips remain anonymous. 

Suspect arrested after pursuit on motorcycle

 Robert Kip Williams

A Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy on patrol near LA 28 West at St. Claire Road observed a subject riding a motorcycle not wearing a helmet or eye protection, which is required by law, on Tuesday, June 17, at approximately 7:12pm. The deputy initiated a traffic stop on the motorcycle which came to a stop on LA 28 West, eastbound near LA 121.

When the deputy made contact with the suspect, later identified as Robert Kip Williams, 44 of Colespring, TX, he refused to turn off the motorcycle or dismount the motorcycle while the deputy was conducting his interview. At that point, the suspect fled on the motorcycle, leading the deputy in a high speed pursuit, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour and periodically travelling eastbound in the westbound lane of traffic.

As the pursuit continued into Alexandria, Williams intentionally collided with two RPSO units causing moderate damage, finally coming to a stop near the 6600 block of LA 28 West. After a brief struggle, Williams was taken into custody without further incident.

Pafford Ambulance Service responded to render medical assistance. After being checked out medically, Williams was placed under arrest, transported and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center for numerous traffic violations including an out of state warrant for parole violation.

Williams remains in jail this time being held for extradition back to Texas. He has been charged with the following: 

  • No safety helmet
  • Improper riding motorcycle no eye protection
  • Flight from an officer
  • 3 counts of reckless operation of a vehicle
  • Simple littering
  • 2 counts of criminal damage to property >$1000 < $5000
  • Expired driver’s license
  • Switched license plate
  • No license plate light
  • Operating motor vehicle without insurance
  • Resisting an officer by force or violence
  • Simple battery of a police officer
  • Extradition proceedings

RPSO thanked the Alexandria Police Department and the Louisiana State Police for their assistance in this apprehension.


Juvenile arrested in connection with Bolton Avenue attempted robbery

The Alexandria Police Department arrested a 15-year-old juvenile on Tuesday, June 17, in connection with the attempted armed robbery on Bolton Avenue on June 10. The juvenile has been charged with one count of armed robbery, one count of juvenile in possession of a handgun, and one count of simple burglary.

The Alexandria Police Department would like to thank the public for their assistance in identifying the juvenile, which led to the arrest.

This is currently an ongoing investigation.

If anyone has any information about this incident or any other type of crime in the Alexandria area, contact the Alexandria Police Detective Division at the phone number 318-441-6416, or APD Dispatch 318-441-6559. Information can be emailed to detectives at APDDetectives@cityofalex.com.

For a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers of CenLa at 318-443-7867. The Crime Stoppers P3 Tipster App can also be downloaded to leave tips and get a claim number for a cash reward at www.p3tips.com/community/mobile.


Alexandria man racks up six-figure bail on fugitive charges; Echo suspect faces $75K bail on domestic abuse charges

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

 

June 18

Damion Dale Brooks, 47, Alexandria – six counts simple assault, aggravated assault with a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, stalking, contempt of court, $53,000 bail;

Sean Christopher Duffy, 51, Boyce – two counts simple assault, stalking, $50,500 bail;

Diamante Featherstone, 32, Alexandria – Louisiana fugitive, possession of marijuana, resisting an officer, misrepresentation at booking, 11 counts contempt of court, probation violation, $219,000 bail;

Gage Anthony Webb, 31, Pineville – OWI second offense, improper lane usage, expired MVI sticker, $2,200 bail.

 

June 17

Jayrius Edward Atkins, 21, Carrollton, Texas – Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Donovan Brice Bordelon, 26, Deville – two counts aggravated assault with a firearm, $10,000 bail;

Willie Brown, 47, Pineville – possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, $2,500 bail;

Kendrick Duane Davis, 46, Cheneyville – possession of marijuana, contempt of court, $5,500 bail;

Payton Guidry, 25, Lake Charles – simple burglary, criminal damage to property, obstruction of justice, possession of drug paraphernalia, $200,000 bail;

Mohnterrius Jefferson, 27, Ferriday – two counts possession of CDS, obstruction of highway, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of stolen vehicle, $8,600 bail;

Robert Allen Lacroix, 39, Zwolle – contempt of court, $50,000 bail;

Johnathon Richard McClung, 47, Boyce – theft, possession of CDS, no evidence of insurance, expired MVI sticker, $1,200 bail;

Andrew Christopher Mitchum, 20, Pineville – domestic abuse battery with child present, domestic abuse battery, contempt of court, $1,000 bail;

Abbygale R. Perkins, 26, Boyce – possession of CDS, probation violation, $2,500 bail;

John Joseph Pugh, 25, Alexandria – two counts contempt of court, $12,500 bail;

Bernice Powell, 54, Deville – exploitation of the infirmed, no bail data;

Amanda Reed, 28, Pollock – possession of marijuana, paraphernalia, two counts contempt of court, $6,000 bail;

Ronald Dewayne Shaw Jr, 35, Pineville – possession of firearm by convicted felon, speeding, parole violations, $1,100 bail;

Antonio D’Wight Simon, 47, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail;

Robert Kip Williams, 44, Colespring, Texas – two counts criminal damage to property, flight from an officer, simple littering, simple battery of police officer, resisting officer with force or violence, three counts reckless operation of a vehicle, no eye protection on motorcycle, no safety helmet, operating without insurance, switched license plate, no license plate light, expired driver license, $31,100 bail.

 

June 16

Kierra Alexander, 29, Alexandria – aggravated battery of ER, EMS or healthcare professional, Louisiana fugitive, $1,000 bail;

Rhonda Carla Davenport, 61, Alexandria – remaining on premises, two counts contempt of court, $40,250 bail;

Trevyon Armund Davis, 28, Cheneyville – OWI first offense, hit and run, two counts resisting arrest, three counts contempt of court, $5,690 bail;

Jeffery Lawrence Gagnard, 25, Marksville – three counts contempt of court, $15,000 bail;

Sonny Joseph Gagnard, 33, Woodworth – Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Evan Michael Guillory, 29, Echo – domestic abuse battery with child present, home invasion, interfering with emergency communication, $75,000 bail;

Jesse Lynn Halford, 42, Boyce – possession of fentanyl, resisting an officer simple assault, flight from an officer, running a red light, paraphernalia, three counts contempt of court, $10,600 bail;

Roger Ronald Hall II, 41, Pineville – possession of CDS, possession of marijuana, $2,000 bail;

Monica Marie Morgan, 34, Alexandria – two counts forgery, producing manufacturing distributing with intent CDS, contempt of court, $16,500 bail;

Bryan Layne Stokes, 29, Deville – four counts contempt of court, $56,000 bail;

Sean Tyler White, 29, Pineville – aggravated assault domestic abuse, two counts possession of CDS, $500 bail;

Jamarrius Deshad Willingham, 29, Alexandria – domestic abuse aggravated assault child endangerment, theft, domestic abuse strangulation, criminal damage intent to defraud, two counts contempt of court, $42,000 bail.

 

June 15

Christopher Harbor, 32, Ferriday – Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Marvin Eugene McGlothlin Sr, 45, Pineville – sex offender failure to renew, $5,000 bail;

Landon Blake Meshell, 30, Ball – theft, failure to appear, probation violation, $1,000 bail;

Jamie Lynne Rachal, 45, Alexandria – aggravated battery, disturbing the peace simple assault, domestic abuse battery, contempt of court, $6,000 bail;

Shenice Sherrell Williams, 45, Pineville – possession of marijuana, paraphernalia, four counts contempt of court, $5,000 bail.


AFD acquires a new truck, Engine 30

The Alexandria Fire Department has acquired a new firetruck, characterized as the departments newest and loudest engine. Now stationed at Fire Station 3, Engine 30 is equipped with a brand-new Night Scan. It is also the AFD’s only truck with hard suction hoses for drafting water from nearby ponds or lakes.
 
AFD considers Engine 30 an excellent addition to their fleet. The department expressed gratitude to the City of Alexandria for its support to purchase this new firetruck. 

Notice of Death – June 18, 2025

Sadie Linzay
September 17, 1933 – June 18, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home, Alexandria. 

Phyllis Belgard Branton
November 8, 1942 – June 17, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 1pm at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Pineville.

James “Roy” Coleman
August 20, 1941 – June 17, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 10am at Lahey Chapel, Boyce.

Charles “Chuck” Thomas Tosten, Jr.
July 7, 1930 – June 17, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Alexandria.

Velma Kay Davis
July 23, 1962 – June 16, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11am at Magnolia Funeral Home, Alexandria.

Mary Lynne Heald
December 22, 1942 – June 16, 2025
Service: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 11am at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball. 

Ryan Neil Goodman
October 29, 1974 – June 15, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 28, 2025, 10:30am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Alexandria. 

Joy Broussard
December 19, 1939 – June 14, 2025
Service: Thursday, June 19, 2025, 11am at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church, Alexandria. 

Martha Elizabeth Shaver Scogin
October 13, 1959 – June 13, 2025
Service: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 1pm at Magnolia Funeral Home, Alexandria. 

Gregory Harville
September 7, 1958 – June 12, 2025
Service: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 11am at Second Nazarene Baptist Church, Alexandria. 

Alton Aaron Belgard
May 14, 1945 – June 11, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at HIS Church, Pineville.

Laton Hebert
August 18, 1936 – June 10, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 2pm at Annadale Baptist Church, Alexandria. 

Howard Nicholas Stull
September 11, 1936 – June 6, 2025
Service: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11am at St Juliana Catholic Church, Alexandria. 

Frank Peter Raila
June 24, 1950 – June 5, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 11am at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball. 

Rodney Dale Bagwell
November 3, 1949 – June 1, 2025
Service: Saturday, July 5, 2025, 10am at Rush Funeral Home, Pineville.

Bobbie Sherlene Langston White
April 17, 1932 – May 17, 2025
Service: Saturday, June 28, 2025, 11am at Calvary 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)


Flood mitigation funds being reallocated

By JIM BUTLER

The state is shifting $57 million in federal funds to provide additional financing for drainage and flood control.

About $1.2 billion in mitigation money was received by Louisiana Watershed Initiative following devastating flooding in 2020.

Several years later some projects are completed or underway, others remain on drawing boards.

About $23 million will be added to local/regional funding and another $34 million transferred to address matching funds requests, according to posted notice.

Losing funds will be monitoring, mapping and modeling services and policy/planning.

Most of Rapides is in Region 5 for the funding use, along with a number of other south-central parishes.

Projects approved in the parish include the Chatlain Lake Canal Backwater Overflow Relief Structure, currently estimated at almost $20 million, up from around $13 million when first approved.

That Alexandria package includes routing backwater across LA Hwy. 1 to Red River via a new control system.

In Pineville about $7 million is allocated for the Huffman Creek Pump Station and improvements. Bids were received last fall.

Also in the parish:

  • LSUA drainage improvements;
  • Horseshoe Canal hardening;
  • Lee Street drainage/pump station improvements.

City of Alex announces Juneteenth holiday schedule, adjustments

In observance of Juneteenth, all City of Alexandria offices—including City Hall, Customer Service, the Animal Shelter, Public Works, and other departments—will be closed on Friday, June 20.
 
ATRANS buses will not run on Friday. Regular service will resume Saturday, June 21.
 
There will be no trash collection on Friday. All collections will shift by one day through Thursday. Regular service resumes the following week.

Saban’s arrival was underwhelming but his impact at LSU was, and is, immense

(Artwork by CHRIS BROWN, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
 

By RON HIGGINS, Written for the LSWA

When Nick Saban arrived by private plane in Tuscaloosa in early January 2007 after agreeing to become Alabama’s head football coach, he was mobbed by adoring fans.

But when he appeared in Baton Rouge in late November 1999 at his introductory press conference announcing him as LSU’s coach, the reception was “Who’s Nick Saban and why is LSU paying him $1.2 million a year?”

“I couldn’t believe the response and the attitude people had toward me,” Saban said.

“I was shocked. I was thinking, ‘Maybe I ought to go back where I came from.’”

Thankfully for LSU, he didn’t, and now he’ll be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame – at last. The Class of 2025 Induction Celebration in Natchitoches is June 26-28, with information available at LaSportsHall.com.

Saban was initially elected to the LSHOF’s Class of 2020, but that spring’s global pandemic postponed ceremonies. It also altered the NCAA football recruiting calendar, which prevented then-Alabama head coach Saban from being inducted until after his retirement in January 2024.

“It’s an honor I’m really excited about,” Saban said of his upcoming induction. “I never thought I’d be considered. I know there’s a lot of great sports folks in Louisiana.”

All Saban did in five seasons from 2000-04 was save the Tigers’ program with a national championship, two SEC titles, and a 48-16 record (.750) before chasing an NFL dream as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

He came to Baton Rouge at a time when LSU was thirsting for success, stability, and a coach with a vision, including the elements required to build and sustain a national power.

After LSU had just two head football coaches (Paul Dietzel and Charles McClendon) in 25 years from 1955-1979, the Tigers had six coaches in 20 seasons from 1980-1999.

In that period, LSU won SEC championships in 1986 and 1988, but after the ’88 title, the Tigers had eight losing seasons in 11 years.

When LSU fired Gerry DiNardo with one game left in 1999, it already had a list of coaching candidates it wanted to pursue.

But Saban wasn’t originally on it. Saban didn’t know about the situation until he did some research.

“One of the things that piqued my interest was that when I was in the NFL, somebody did a study, probably (Bill) Belichick because he was notorious for this kind of detail,” Saban said. “The study revealed per capita which state had the most players from its colleges playing in the NFL. Louisiana was always ranked third or fourth. I always remembered that.”

It wasn’t long in Baton Rouge and especially at LSU that Saban became a force of nature.

For instance, LSU had one of the worst graduation rates in the SEC when he arrived, so his priority was obtaining a new academic center for athletes. He was told it would take two to three years for LSU to procure the money from the state legislature for such a project.”

“I told (then-new LSU athletic director) Skip (Bertman) `Let’s go raise the money,”’ Saban recalled. “Then, we were told `You’ve only got to raise $8 million for the academic center, but we want to redo this other thing here and make a big auditorium because we don’t have a big auditorium at the university, and that’s going to cost another $7 million.’

“I told Skip, `Let’s just raise $15 million and build the damn thing.’ And we raised it about three months. I kind of tricked them, though. I gave about $50,000 to start it off, so everybody I asked almost had to do that.”

Saban also noticed there wasn’t much revenue available for capital improvements. He suggested LSU finally start seat licensing, but met stern resistance.

“I was told we had loyal fans that had the same seats for years and years,” Saban said. I said, `Look, a lot of schools have done this.’  They said, `If you don’t win, we’ll get crucified for doing that.’ I said, `Put it on me then because if we don’t do it, we’re never going to have the kind of program we’re going to need to compete with all these other people.’”

Saban immediately upheld his end of the bargain.

Saban never won fewer than eight games in all of his LSU seasons. He had three bowl wins, including the BCS national title game victory in the Sugar Bowl over Oklahoma. His SEC championship game victories came against Tennessee and Georgia.

After a pair of superb recruiting classes, in 2003 Saban’s 13-1 Tigers delivered the school’s first national championship since 1958 by beating Oklahoma 21-14.

“The 2003 team had so much character that it didn’t need a leader. They thought they would win the championship long before I did.”

At the end of the 2004 season, given a $5 million per year contract and assured he’d have control of player personnel decisions, Saban became head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

But Saban and the NFL was not a good fit. He had a 15-17 record in two seasons with the Dolphins, and began looking at college vacancies.

“The best job that was available was Alabama, which happened to be a rival to the place (LSU) in which I had a tremendous amount of pride in terms of what we were able to accomplish, what we were able to do and a lot of the relationships we made,” Saban said.

Because of that, Saban became public enemy No. 1 to a segment of LSU fans who forgot how he rescued the Tigers’ program from the garbage heap.

It didn’t help Saban’s relationship with the Tigers’ faithful that he won six national titles with the Crimson Tide in 17 seasons and had a 13-5 record vs. LSU.

Upon his retirement, he joined ESPN’s College GameDay before the start of the 2024 season. He’s also had time to reflect on his career move from LSU with a tinge of regret.

“You live and learn, do things, and you find out about yourself,” Saban said. “LSU has a great atmosphere, the people are so supportive, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for that program. It’s one of the greatest places athletically in the country right now. 

“Terry and I still have as many good relationships in Louisiana as any place in the world, great friends and good people. We cherish those relationships.”

It’s why Saban is genuinely touched to become the fourth LSU head football coach in the LSHOF.

“I’m very grateful to many people who contributed to the success we had when we were at LSU,” Saban said. “We had a lot of really good players and people.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com


Bouncing around, including a stint in Alexandria, Guilbeau has crafted an accomplished, colorful career

(Chris Brown artwork courtesy Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)

By SCOOTER HOBBS,  Written for the LSWA

You just think college athletes do a lot of bouncing around from school to school these days.

It turns out the transfer portal is not just for athletes.

Take Glenn Guilbeau, for instance.

The New Orleans native, Metairie to be exact, was living the portal life long before it became fashionable — long before he ended up covering the constant hop-skip-and-jumping of college athletes.

It is now officially a Hall of Fame journey, as Guilbeau will be inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame during the annual festivities June 26-28 in Natchitoches. Winner of an array of national awards for his reporting and work as a columnist, Guilbeau will receive the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, along with the late New Orleans television sportscaster Ed Daniels.

Few on the journalism side took a longer and more winding road there than Guilbeau, although most of it has at least been based in Baton Rouge, covering LSU’s always-wild sports scene.

He first tested the portal in college, attending LSU as a freshman in 1979-80, UNO for a year, then transferring to Missouri, then back to LSU and finally finishing at Mizzou in the summer of 1983. While at LSU, he interned in sports information office under the legendary Paul Manasseh.

Diploma in hand, the bouncing around began.

It started back in Baton Rouge working for Tiger Rag before moving on to — you’ll need to take a deep breath here — the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, Slidell Sentry News, Alexandria Town Talk, Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register, back to Baton Rouge at The Advocate, then Gannett Louisiana (based in Baton Rouge) covering LSU for the chain’s numerous state newspapers. Then he became a national columnist at OutKick.com/FOX News, and, finally, now back where it all started at Tiger Rag.

Feel free to exhale.

But that’s a guy who was never afraid to try new jobs, new places, new offices, new bosses.

New challenges.

“It has always been a lot of fun and adventure to leave a job, preferably on your own, and start a new one,” Guilbeau says. “First you get a going-away party, then you’re the new guy. Everything’s fresh.”

There was something to be said for all of them, including his stint in Alexandria at The Town Talk in the early 1990s, working for sports editor Bob Tompkins.

Most of them, you’ll note, were based in Baton Rouge or like the Town Talk gig, involved covering LSU. There is one constant throughout this varied career.

It doesn’t matter where he works or which team or sport he covers, readers are going to get Guilbeau Unfiltered.

It doesn’t always endear him to fans, but he knows no other way.

What he sees, is what he’s going to write. What he truly believes, is the opinion you’re going to read in his columns.

None of this fluff stuff. Don’t expect any sugar-coating.

He just doesn’t play that silly game, doesn’t tip-toe around any subject, can’t worry about how many feathers he might ruffle in the process.

“I always wanted to be a columnist more than a reporter,” he says. “Writing opinions doesn’t lend itself to long relationships with people at the school or on the team.”

Translation: If the home team messes up, he’s going to point it out. If the coach made a bad game-day decision — and they do on occasion — that coach will read about it in the next day’s newspaper.

Fan-boy message boards can (and sometimes do) torch him all they want.

It might surprise some of them to know that Guilbeau is universally well received by his colleagues in a competitive business with no shortage of egos.

He’s the kind of guy who, learning that a fellow LSU beat writer was hospitalized in Houston at the same time LSU baseball was scheduled to play Rice, alerted Jay Johnson and suggested that the LSU coach pay the patient a visit (he did). 

One of these moons Guilbeau might give a big hoot in Havana that he sometimes gets under his readers’ skin. Or that he’s had some minor feuds with famous coaches and school administrators over the years.

Some, probably most, do get it.

“While I have not always agreed with his opinions, he always backs up his thoughts with viable information,” says Herb Vincent, LSU’s long-time SID who is now an associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.

Coincidentally, Vincent will be inducted the same night as Guilbeau in Natchitoches as this year’s winner of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.

Vincent continues: “Glenn does not cater to the fan message boards and he doesn’t shy away from expressing an unpopular opinion.   He has always been thorough in his reporting and is not afraid to ask the tough question.”

His career path was set during his teenage years after a childhood in New Orleans filled with regular visits, courtesy of his father, to watch the New Orleans Saints practice.

“I thought it would be fun to cover sports for a living. It wouldn’t be like working … or so I thought.”

Yet it all started with a love affair with the Saints and Houston Astros — both awful during his formative years.

“Consistently, yearly, the worst two teams on the planet,” he remembers.

Perhaps that explains why his prose wanders into the negative from time to time.

“I haven’t talked to a psychologist about this,” he laughs. “But maybe I should.”

Contact Scooter at shobbs@americanpress.com


LSHOF’s Round Table Luncheon June 28 will provide up-close, memorable moments

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration’s Round Table Luncheon is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2025 inductees.

It’s next Saturday, June 28, at 12pm at Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, in Natchitoches. There are still a few seats available among the 300 guests for the seventh annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

Registration is available for the luncheon and can be made by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255. It is a ticketed event and only a few dozen seats are still open to see and hear from 2025 inductees including Nick Saban, Andrew Whitworth, Vickie Johnson, Danny Granger, Danny Broussard and Joe Scheuermann.

Festivities begin next Thursday evening, June 26, at 5pm with the free of charge Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.

The Friday, June 27 slate begins with the BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. Friday evening is the free Rockin’ River Fest concert on Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches, from 6-10:30pm, with the Class of 2025 introduced at 9:15 right before a sports-themed fireworks show over the water.

Events Saturday include the free for kids Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp, the Round Table Luncheon, and the Induction Reception and Ceremony, which is sold out. A waiting list is being compiled.

The 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.

A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning, being inducted later that day, stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.

Scenes like that, up-close access and the fun-filled dialog between Brando and the Hall of Fame inductees combine to provide a memorable 90-minute event.

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, with a touch of elegance at Riverside Reserve on the banks of Cane River Lake just a mile from downtown Natchitoches.