Alexandria sex offender accused of illegally accessing social networking site

By JIM BUTLER

Joshua Beasley allegedly accessed a social networking site, action forbidden under Louisiana law to registered sex offenders.

Beasley, 34, of Alexandria is registered as a result of a September 2022 conviction of molestation and carnal knowledge.

That stemmed from arrest in October 2019 on 12 counts of molestation of juveniles at least 13 but under 17 over whom he had control or supervision, along with accusations of indecent behavior and carnal knowledge.

The current charge carries a penalty if convicted of up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison without parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Circumstances regarding Bradley’s arrest Tuesday have not been released. He remained in custody under $5,000 bail Wednesday.


Alleged arsonist back in custody on battery, trespassing charges

Christopher Mayeaux

By JIM BUTLER

Bad news, good news.

The bad for Christopher Mayeaux is he’s been arrested again.

The good, for someone, is he didn’t try to burn anything down.

Mayeaux, 37, of Pineville was booked Tuesday on charges of aggravated battery and criminal trespass. His arrests record includes two alleged instances of arson.

The most notable of those, it is recalled, was allegedly attempting to burn a car dealership office he had burglarized in February 2019. First, it was charged, he stole 100 sets of keys and began fitting them in vehicles on the MacArthur Drive lot.

Ultimately he drove away five, parking four one at a time a short distance away, then starting the fire and escaping in the fifth vehicle.

Not long thereafter he got into a squabble at a nearby hotel. When officers arrived he fled in the allegedly stolen ride and was captured a few blocks away, tasered when he resisted.

The record shows a busy 2019 for the suspect. In June he was charged with disturbing the peace, in September with narcotics possession, in November with contempt and trespassing and in December with two possession counts.

As the calendar flipped to a new decade Mayeaux, like many in Pandemic Year 1, had tough going in isolation times.

There were arrests in March, possession, contempt 4 counts; April, arson, possession, contraband penal facility; November, contempt 5 counts; December, possession, burglary.

He was not booked again, the record shows, until November 2021, on 9 contempt counts. It was another two years before booking last

November on possession and contempt charges.


Alexandria man charged for social networking abuse

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 23

Joshua Beasley, 34, Alexandria — social networking website unlawful use, probation violation, $5,000 bail;

Charles Evan’s, 36, Ball — fugitive 2 counts, unlawful possession stolen things, contempt, $13,000 bail;

Rmondy Johnson, 21, Natchitoches — felony flight, headlamps required, no driver’s license, no insurance, $300 bail;

Christopher Mayeaux, 37, Pineville — aggravated battery, criminal trespass, $500 bail. 

This date: 14 arrests, 6 of which included at least one contempt count. 


White Chocolate Sauce for Mom’s Brownies

If you have followed The Copper Whisk for awhile you know that Mom’s Brownies are THE #1 recipe on my website! Now you can make and serve this absolutely delicious White Chocolate Sauce alongside the brownies for dipping. It is without a doubt the perfect partner. I love it for strawberries too.

Ingredients:

§ 1 cup heavy whipping cream

§ 2 egg yolks

§ ½ cup sugar

§ 1 teaspoon vanilla

§ ¼ teaspoon salt

§ 1 package white chocolate chips

Directions

In a heavy sauce pan simmer bring heavy cream to a low boil. As soon as it boils add egg yolks. Whisk rapidly, and as soon as eggs are incorporated well remove from heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla, salt, and white chocolate chips. Stir until white chocolate chips are melted. You can let simmer on low heat to thicken if you like, but at this point the sauce is ready.

I like to make this ahead of time and refrigerate as it will thicken as it cools. This is so so fantastic with Mom’s Brownies, strawberries, graham crackers, and pretzels.

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


Notice of Death – April 24, 2024

Brenda Kay Driskill Milam
April 16, 1935 – April 19, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 11am at St. Timothl Episcopal Church, Alexandria.
 
Shirley Dauzat McNeal
January 9, 1945 – April 20, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 10am at Hixson Brothers, Marksville.
 
Hannon Louis Roy jr
January 13, 1952 – April 22, 2024
Service: Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10am at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery #2, Marksville.
 
 
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)

Felons with guns nabbed

Journal File Photo

Arrests are accusations, not convictions. 

April 22

Karl Frazier, 31, Carencro — firearm possession by convicted felon 2 counts, tint violation , $10,100 bail;

Robert Smith Jr., 25, Pineville — firearm possession by convicted felon 2 counts, illegal possession stolen firearm 2 counts, discharging firearm, $20,000 bail. 


Second ethics complaint lodged regarding Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority actions

By JIM BUTLER

C. Ray Lewis Ed.D could have a sense of deja vu after filing his second ethics complaint regarding affairs of the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority.

Dr. Lewis is GAEDA vice chairman and contends appointment this Spring of newly elected chairman Greg Upton creates a conflict of interest, as does the City Council majority’s approving the appointment.

Basis for the complaints is Upton’s affiliation with the Gold Weems law firm, which serves as the city’s general counsel.

The Board of Ethics has 11 members, seven of them gubernatorial appointments. One of those seven – Sarah S. Couvillion of the Gold Weems firm, serving a five-year term that began in January 2000.

There is no reason to think she will not recuse from the complaints’ consideration though one can almost hear another Lewis sound bite.

Upton was GAEDA’s attorney at one point. Whether the Gold connection had anything to do with his being let go in favor of Tiffany Sanders was never publicly stated.

Board minutes reflect accepting letters for legal and accounting services the past three years though they reflect no details.

Cost of those services have increased from $57,000 in 2020, according to audits, to $87,000 in 2023.

Those are not broken out from one another and are not necessarily apples to apples. For instance, volume of one service or the other could have increased, rates per hour, like everything else, could have increased, etc.

The most-recent minutes of GAEDA board meetings posted to its web site is a January meeting, coincidentally or not when the entity entered the public stream of thought.

Cursory search of its legal journal’s archive found no minutes publications dating to November 2021, though that could be searcher error.


A basketball life: Hildebrand’s career impact earns elite state honor

SPOTLIGHTED AGAIN:  Former Northwestern State coach and athletic director Tynes Hildebrand’s impact is being celebrated next weekend by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches. (Photo courtesy Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Beginning his playing days in junior high during World War II, riding for an hour in the back of a pickup truck to start college at Northwestern State, and finishing eight decades in organized basketball helping choose officials for the NCAA’s Division I Final Four, Tynes Hildebrand has lived an unparalleled career.

Player, coach, athletics director, officials observer. From the 1940s until a decade ago, the 93-year-old Hildebrand has been immersed in his favorite game, the only sport he could play growing up in rural Sabine Parish and attending tiny Florien High School.

He has counted among his friends and colleagues legends such as longtime USA Olympic coach Henry Iba of Oklahoma State, national-championship coaches John Wooden (UCLA), Indiana’s Bob Knight, UTEP’s Don Haskins, and Louisiana icons including Dale Brown, Fred Hobdy, Billy Allgood, Lenny Fant and Benny Hollis. Hildebrand, Knight and Haskins helped Iba pick the country’s 1972 Olympic team.

As head coach at Northwestern State, Hildebrand helped found the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches half a century ago. As the LABC celebrates that anniversary with its 50th Annual Awards Banquet Saturday, May 4 in Baton Rouge, it’s fitting that Hildebrand will become only the fourth recipient of the organization’s Don Landry Award since that elite recognition for long-term impact and service to the game in Louisiana was created in 1998.

It’s named for the founding father of the LABC. Hildebrand, now living with his wife of 72 years, Julia, near family in Flower Mound, Texas, is touched to receive it.

“Don Landry’s the one who has done so much for Louisiana basketball. He involved so many people and did so very much, and got schools around the state invested in the LABC and building our game around the state,” said Hildebrand. “We had such good times with great fellowship that people wanted to be included. So to receive an award with his name on it is a distinct honor.”

Another iconic figure in state basketball history, LABC Hall of Famer and 2023 Mr. Louisiana Basketball recipient Mike McConathy, has a far-reaching understanding of Hildebrand’s impact. McConathy’s father Johnny, the No. 5 pick in the 1951 NBA Draft, was a senior at Northwestern State when Hildebrand joined H. Lee Prather’s Demons. The younger McConathy was a prep All-American at Bossier City’s Airline High, recruited nationally but ultimately choosing Louisiana Tech over his father’s alma mater. Later, he was tabbed to be the Demons’ head coach in 1999 and in 23 seasons became the state’s all-time winningest coach.

“His connections to every aspect of the game in our state, and beyond, from a player to a coach to international play, to referees, he has run the whole gamut. That’s rare, anywhere, and he’s one of a kind in Louisiana,” said McConathy.

Hildebrand spent 16 seasons (1965-80) as head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern State, where he posted 191 wins. He retired, and was named the LABC’s Mr. Basketball a year later, but returned in 1983 as the Demons’ athletics director for 13 years, working at half-salary in a financially-strapped department that under his guidance developed into one of the more successful in the Southland Conference on, and off, the field of competition.

As a coach and administrator, Hildebrand was an outstanding mentor. Among his prize pupils: Demons’ guard and future longtime Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey along with athletic department interns Greg Burke, his successor as AD who held that post for the next 26 years, and Greg Sankey, now in his 10th year as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.

Hildebrand was enshrined in the LABC’s Hall of Fame in 1992 for his coaching career. A year following his retirement as AD, Hildebrand became one of the NCAA’s Division I officials evaluators in 1997, a role he fulfilled for 17 seasons. In 2006, he became one of the inaugural four NCAA regional officiating supervisors.

Generations of coaches, players and fans – and certainly, officials – have felt the influence. He says it’s been more than an equal trade.

“Louisiana basketball has been my life,” he said. “The Hildebrand family has lived a Louisiana basketball life. And it’s been good to us.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com


Stolen vehicles result in a pair of hefty bails

Arrests are accusations, not convictions. 

April 22

Brandon Dauzat, 25, Effie — battery on officer, resisting, tint violation, $1,100 bail;

Curtis Delaney, 52, Boyce — theft motor vehicle, theft, burglary, $50,500 bail;

Stephen Reed, 31, Pineville — theft motor vehicle, $20,000 bail.

This date: 12 arrests, 6 of which included at least one contempt count.


Indiana State faculty members to present concert at NSU April 29

Dr. Yunjung Lee and Dr. Dong Yeol Hong of Indiana State University will present a recital at Northwestern State University on Monday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. The concert is open to the public. There is no admission charge. A livestream will be available at nsula.edu/capa/capalivestream. 

Lee and Hong will play works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Reinhold Gliére, Isang Yun and Erwin Shulhoff. 

 Lee, a Korean violinist and conductor, is an active performer, appearing as a soloist with many orchestras, such as the Greece Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Korean Symphony Orchestra, and many others, as well as in international music festivals participating in the Music Academy of the West, the Brevard Music Festival, the Orford Art Center and the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico.  

Lee was the first artist-in-residence at Valley Manor, a senior living facility in Rochester, New York. She was selected for the position by the Eastman School of Music and Valley Manor. In 2018, she has also appeared as a speaker/performer in “The Sound of Connection,” a presentation of TEDxRochester series of events, and in “Outreach activities carry the beauty of Music to everywhere,” a presentation of 2022 American String Teachers Association National Conference.  

Lee earned her Bachelor in violin performance, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees in violin performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Zvi Zeitlin and Federico Agostini. Currently, Yunjung Lee is an Assistant Professor and Director of String Activities at Indiana State, where she teaches violin, viola and directs the ISU Symphony Orchestra.  

 Hong is a string chamber ensemble Instructor and also teaches privately in Terre Haute. He was previously a cello instructor at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a graduate teaching assistant. Hong also instructed cello at the Moscow Conservatory Pre-College as a cello teaching assistant.  

As a guest artist, he has performed and taught at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Indiana State University, Delta State University and Mississippi University for Women. Hong has appeared as a soloist with the Korea National Orchestra and Moscow Pre-college Chamber Orchestra. As a dedicated chamber musician, Hong has performed with many faculty members from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music among others.  

This summer Hong will join the faculty of the Montecito International Music Festival. Previous festival appearances have included the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Moscow Conservatory Chamber Music Festival, American Choral Directors Association Festival, New Music on the Bayou and Classical Music Festival in Austria. Hong has claimed top prizes in the Korea National Symphony Orchestra International Competition, Korea Youth Competition, Second Prize of the Moscow Pre Conservatory Ensemble Competition, Moscow Conservatory International Competition, Moscow Contemporary Music Competition and CBS Korea Broadcast International Competition.  


Notice of Death – April 23, 2024

Melvin Wayne Mayeaux
October 2, 1944 – April 21, 2024
Service: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 10:30am at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic, Ball.
 
Donnie Faye Joiner
May 9, 1940 – April 20, 2024
Service: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 11am at Hixson Brothers, Jena.
 
Shirley Dauzat McNeal
January 9, 1945 – April 20, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 10am at Hixson Brothers, Marksville.
 
Hannon Louis Roy jr
January 13, 1952 – April 22, 2024
Service: Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10am at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery #2, Marksville.
 
 
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)

Two generations ago, Rivet brothers delighted diners, dancers

Gonna take a sentimental journey.

To renew old memories.

All provoked by Bret McCormick’s piece last week about Hunter and Carter Rivet, brothers in athletic pursuit, competitors in accomplishment.

Hunter, a senior at ASH, is seeking a state title in the discus starting with this Wednesday’s regional meet at NSU.

Were paternal grandfather Ross still with us surely there would be walk-up music as Hunter steps into the ring, for Ross and his older brother Joe were accomplished musicians as well as outstanding athletes.

Seven, that’s the time we’re leaving.

With that their music to dine by would begin – at Herbie K’s or Effie’s, depending on the night, their trumpets taking patrons through the evening.

At other engagements, the range of songs was much wider, entertaining dancers at such as the KC Hall, Amerita Club, American Legion Post and Hotel Bentley.

And both were long-time members of the area jazz band.

Their day careers began in music – Ross as director of the Buckeye High Band, Joe directing Pineville High’s.

Ross wrote the Buckeye alma mater; Joe became PHS assistant principal.

Ross left education for sales, Joe went on to be principal at Oak Hill, then the first principal at Rapides High, associate parish superintendent, and held posts with the state Department of Education.

The brothers were a regular sight on area golf courses and always in the field at various tournaments, familiar names in championship flights with such as Weems, Johnson, Yates, Brame, Lavesepere and others.

Their athleticism went beyond golf – in fact,  Joe was a three-sport letterman at Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) and is a member of its Sports Hall of Fame.

So there you have it,

Sentimental journey home.


Times change, for better and for worse

There was a time when I never would’ve thought some things would happen.

….While driving through Central Texas in recent years, we’ve seen a sprouting of lighted fields for cricket. Few people played cricket in Central Texas or Central Louisiana back in the day. But the landscape is changing. Immigrants from countries where cricket is popular, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, have fueled the rise of the team sport that uses a bat and a hard ball. 

The number of cricketers in America is on the rise. Two years ago, there were up to 14,000 members in USA Cricket, the national governing body. Its increased popularity has led to conversation about cricket being a part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

There are several leagues in the Central Texas area. The two biggest are the Central Texas Cricket League and the Austin Premier Cricket League that house a combined 30 teams.

The next thing you know, cricket may be rivaling pickleball as the “next big thing” in Alexandria….

….I never used to need help making a hand soap dispenser work. You just pressed on the pump and the soap came out, but recently I had to look up instructions on the internet for how to make it work. There’s a matter of unlocking the bloody thing that isn’t apparent to a knucklehead like me….

….Another nuisance of the times — the need to prove on the internet that you are not a robot. You do this by clicking on squares within a block of square pictures that contain, for example, bikes or stoplights. My question: who –- or WHAT — is grading me to see that I am not a robot? ….

…. Never could I have imagined, say 30 years ago, that minimum wage ($15/hr.) workers at hamburger franchises are making more than what many college graduates used to make in the workplace. I remember an old joke that ends with the punch line “50 dollars is 50 dollars.” But today, a nickel ain’t worth two bits anymore….

….Age has a way of tampering enthusiasm for some things. Last fall I did something my younger self would never have done. I turned down an invitation for Janet and me to join some of her relatives for skybox suite viewing of an LSU football game. Money ain’t worth what it used to be, and “fun and excitement”  ain’t always worth the hassle….

….My younger self couldn’t have imagined today’s reality of some college athletes making millions of dollars through NIL (name-image-likeness) contracts, forever changing the fabric of big-time college sports. In a similar vein, the transfer portal has changed college sports into a haven for spoiled brats who show no loyalty to school or team. Thus, they can emulate the spoiled coaches who show no loyalty to school or team to follow the money. I know it works that way in the business world, but this was supposed to be different….

….Never would I have thought 30 years ago, when the Texas-Louisiana League fielded a team at Alexandria’s Bringhurst Field that the historic ballpark would wither and decay for lack of attention. The entrance façade is left, but nothing about it now seems right….

….Who could’ve foretold that washers and dryers would have the ability to send a notification to your email that your laundry is ready?….

….Yet another thing I’ve lived long enough to do is come out of retirement last summer to contribute a weekly column to a free online publication called the Rapides Parish Journal that subsists on advertising. It’s filling an underserved need for something else I didn’t foresee three or four decades ago – the shrinking and disappearing newspapers across America like The Town Talk. These kind of online publications are filling a vacuum and likely will only grow to fill further vacuums.

And no robots are involved.


Scott MIA from Police Jury meeting as tension simmers

By JIM BUTLER

The Police Jury has filled two posts that controversial absent juror Jay Scott last month nominated himself for but failed to get a second.

That March session ended with President Joe Bishop encouraging civil behavior by and between members, none named.

Subsequently he filed a district court petition seeking a permanent injunction against Scott, alleging he made threats against jury employees and/or jurors as well as making untoward references.

Scott responded through his attorney that what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander.

He pointed to alleged uncivil, abusive behavior in Bishop’s past though not related to his police jury duties.

The statement was not a court filing.

In Scott’s absence this month jurors without dissent appointed Danny Bordelon to a four-year term on the Rapides Area Planning Commission and Ollie Overton to four years on the Transportation Policy Committee.

As far as is known, Scott’s absence at this month’s meeting was not a result of any court action.


Finally! Tigers put pieces together to win Mizzou series

BULLPEN ACE:  Griffin Herring has been lights out for LSU, throwing so well that coach Jay Johnson says he’s the Tigers’ best pitcher. (Photo by SIERRA BEAULIEU, LSU Athletics)



By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – Welcome to today’s grammar lesson and an LSU baseball update all rolled into a pithy presentation.

Complimentary means giving approval. Complementary means completing or enhancing the qualities of somebody or something.

During Tigers’ head coach Jay Johnson’s 30-minute Monday press conference wrapping his team’s first SEC series win of the season at Missouri this past weekend, he finally had the opportunity to be complimentary about his team’s complementary play.

LSU (25-16, 5-13) sandwiched Game 1 (12-1, run-rule ended game in the 7th) and Game 3 (6-2) wins around a Game 2 (8-7 loss).

“It’s just a complementary baseball when your pitchers are out there giving them zeroes and then you’re scoring runs,” said Johnson, whose team hosts Nicholls tonight before opening a home SEC series Friday vs. Auburn. “Everybody can settle into the game a little bit better.”

LSU got its best pitching and hitting performances this season in league play.  Seven Tigers’ pitchers (3 starters, 5 relievers) was the fewest amount of LSU hurlers used in an SEC series so far. They combined for a 3.75 ERA, striking out 31 and walking just 7 vs. Missouri after issuing an average of 14.4 walks in series losses to Mississippi State, Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Sophomore transfer Gage Jump, who has struggled as a Tigers’ starter this season after transferring from UCLA where he missed all of last season rehabbing from a Tommy John arm surgery, got LSU off to a fast start against Mizzou.

He threw a 7-inning complete game in the series opener. He held Missouri to 1 run on 3 hits with 1 walk and a career-high 14 strikeouts.

Jump, named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, including 10 by strikeout.

“We saw early in the season that he’s really good,” Johnson said of Jump. “We faced a lot of good SEC teams (four ranked in the top 6) and a lot of good hitters in some small ballparks.

“I’ve felt he wasn’t that far away (from winning). He pitched okay in Tennessee, but I could sense he started to move in a good direction a couple of weeks ago. He’s poised to continue to pitch well. He’s mixed his pitches more and thrown all four of his pitches with a little more frequency. He just suffocated the strike zone (vs.) Missouri.”

Johnson had unsuccessfully tried several pitchers as a Game 3 SEC series starter, but the Tigers finally got a Game 3 win last Sunday when starter Nate Ackenhausen and reliever Griffin Herring combined for 13 strikeouts and 2 walks in holding Missouri to two runs.

For Herring, it’s a continuation of his last season’s success in the NCAA Tournament. This year in his six SEC game appearances over 20.2 innings, he’s 2-0 with a pair of saves and a 0.87 ERA while striking out 32 and walking just 5.

“There’s no argument, he (Griffin) has been our best pitcher,” Johnson said. “The thing that I would want all the other players to emulate is there hasn’t been one time where he’s even worried about where we have him or him set up. He’s been a very team guy.”

Ackenhausen got a much-needed confidence boost vs. Missouri. He allowed 2 runs and had 5 strikeouts and 1 walk in his new role for a second straight weekend as the Tigers’ Game 3 starter.

As a junior college transfer last year, he was one of LSU’s best pitchers in its post-season playoff run to win the national championship.

He started this season as LSU’s best and most experienced reliever. But he’s had some terrible bad luck, such as allowing Florida a game-tying single in the ninth inning of Game 2 after being two strikes away from clinching the series. Florida won the game in extra innings.

“It didn’t work out but one of the reasons I kept him in the (bull)pen was I thought it would be important for the confidence of our team to win close games,” Johnson said of Ackenhausen. “We weren’t able to do that. I feel like the starting thing is good for him.

“He’s had a tough go to this point,” Johnson said, “but he’s responded really well the last two weeks. And I think he’s really given our team a lift. Everybody really believes in him. I trust him.”

LSU’s improved pitching was backed by timely hitting, mostly A.W.O.L. the past weeks. In their first 15 SEC games, LSU hit .229 (35 for 153) with two outs, .217 (50 for 230) with runners on base and .194 (24 for 124) with runners in scoring position.

Against Mizzou, the LSU hit .423 (11 of 26) with two outs, .370 (17 for 46) with runners on base and .250 (7 of 28) with runners in scoring position. LSU hammered 8 homers, 1 triple, 10 doubles among its 31 hits in the series.

Sophomore first baseman Jared Jones had 2 doubles, 2 homers and 3 RBI vs. Missouri. Sophomore centerfielder Paxton Kling ripped 3 doubles, driving in 3 runs. Graduate designated hitter Hayden Travinski, the Shreveport native and Airline Viking alumnus, had 2 homers and 6 RBI.

Freshman outfielder Ashton Larson was LSU’s leading hitter in the series. He batted .500 (5-for-10) with two doubles, one homer, two RBI, four runs, three walks, one HBP and a .643 on-base percentage.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com


Stalking charge snags 26-year-old Alexandria man

Arrests are accusations, not convictions. 

April 21

Kenneth Neal Jr., 26, Alexandria — stalking, unlawful communication telephone/telecommunication, criminal damage, $21,000 bail. 

This date: 13 arrests, 6 of which include at least one contempt count count. 


Notice of Death – April 22, 2024

Brandon Kyle “Bubby” Hathorn
November 3, 1995 – April 18, 2024
Service: Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 1pm at Journey Church, Pineville.
 
Michael Grossie Jr.
Died: April 15, 2024
Service: Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 1pm at Gallagher Funeral Home, Ball.
 
Trayton Tanner Tyson
October 23, 2006 – April 16, 2024
Service: Monday, April 22, 2024, 10am at HIS Church, Pineville.
 
Jessie Joseph Goudeau
June 9, 1942 – April 16, 2024
Service: Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 10am at Dodge Cemetery, Vick.
 
Melvin Wayne Mayeaux
October 2, 1944 – April 21, 2024
Service: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 10:30am at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic, Ball.
 
Donnie Faye Joiner
May 9, 1940 – April 20, 2024
Service: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 11am at Hixson Brothers, Jena.
 
Shirley Dauzat McNeal
January 9, 1945 – April 20, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 10am at Hixson Brothers, Marksville.
 
 
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)

Five arrests, including two for attempted murder, draw six-figure bails

Journal File Photo

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 18

Donovan Leonard,37, Marksville — firearm possession by convicted felon, suspension/revocation, fugitive, contempt, $19,600 bail;

Iterick Spurs, 22, Ball — illegal carrying weapon, obstruction: evidence tampering, resisting, contempt, $7,000 bail. 

April 19

Eric Bell,18, Alexandria — firearm with drugs, resisting, illegal possession stolen things,$390,000 bail;

Dexter King, 43, Alexandria — illegal possession stolen firearm, firearm with drugs 2 counts, firearm possession by convicted felon, contempt, possession with intent, possession, $232,500;

Ryan Reynolds Jr., 17, Pineville — firearm on school property, aggravated assault with firearm, $100,000 bail. 

April 20

Cartavis Austin, 23, Alexandria — attempted murder 2nd degree, illegal use of weapon, criminal conspiracy, $360,000 bail;

Bernard Ellis III, 18, Alexandria — attempted murder 2nd degree, firearm with drugs, possession l, obstruction/evidence tampering, $302,500. 

(Note: Alexandria police on Sunday reported responding to a Saturday night non-life threatening shooting on Douglas Street. Nothing else was disclosed.)