By JIM BUTLER

Whatever the circumstances, those involved weren’t planning an egg hunt.

Jessie Tatum III, 49, was shot, and subsequently died, in a 3 a.m. Easter dispute on Pisciotta Street in Alexandria.

One of his alleged killers, Shaheem White, was apprehended Friday in North Carolina, according to Alexandria police.

Still at-large Monday was the other suspect, Jarvis Dontay White, 29.

Both brothers are accused of 2nd-degree murder, possession of a firearm by convicted felon, and illegal use of weapons.

Each has been previously accused of attempted murder since relocating here from Gastonia, N.C. during the pandemic’s height.

Last Spring, Shaheem was booked on charges of illegally handling a machine gun, aggravated resisting with force or violence and firearm possession by a convicted felon. He was released in September.

Back in October 2020 he was accused of armed robbery and attempted 1st-degree murder. He was in custody until April 2022.

The older suspect was charged in a different incident with attempted 2nd-degree murder in July 2020.

He allegedly violated probation in November 2021, committed felony battery in January 2022 and was booked on seven counts of possession with intent to distribute and resisting in September that year.

His most recent arrest was February 23 this year, accused of assault, criminal damage and resisting.

By JIM BUTLER

Mayor Jacques Roy has returned a City Council-approved supplemental reapportionment ordinance to the legislative body without comment.

Once proper legal time lapses it becomes city law and Districts 2, 3 and 4 boundaries change.

However, a proposed resolution on today’s council meeting agenda seeks to request an attorney general’s opinion on whether the re-reapportionment was proper.

Opponents claim lines drawn two years ago should stand. The re-do moves Council member Lizzie Felter’s side of Polk Street back into her district as well as streamlining other inner city district boundaries.

She said during pre-passage discussion her intentions were for the good of the districts. The line changes were made a couple of months before her election. Opponents scoffed.

The council voted 4-3 two weeks ago for moving the lines. The three voting with Felter had nothing to say at council sessions regarding the change, other than yes at roll call.

Fairly or not, the issue has been touted as a racial one. The 4 are white, the 3 Black.

The posted agenda does not indicate who added the AG item to the agenda.

Also on the agenda is public hearing and consideration of the budget for the fiscal year that begins May 1.

The General Fund revenue/spending forecast is $73.5 million and projects maintaining a substantial fund balance. There is also a substantial Capital Outlay budget.

The administration proposes a 4.25 percent pay boost for all classified employees, excluding fire and police, who have separate pay plans.

Four non-Civil Service employees would be included under agreement between the administration and the council. They are administrative employees authorized by the home rule charter but outside Civil Service.

Salaries total $31.6 million and fringe benefits $17 million, with public safety taking the largest bite.

“O gather me the rose, the rose, 
While yet in flower we find it, 
For summer smiles, but summer goes, 
And winter waits behind it.”

–William Ernest Henley

I can’t top Mister Henley in writing about roses, but they spoke eloquently on their own to me this past weekend.

Suddenly, it seemed, on a gorgeous day they were in full bloom in our back yard. Beautiful blood-red roses. They were showing off their splendor on a bush in our back yard, planted from a cutting of a bush from the back yard of my mother-in-law, who planted it there many years ago.

On the night Myrt died, the priest who prayed at her bedside had some of her daughters go cut some flowers from the rose bush outside and bring them into her room. Then he put them on her chest.

Memories of her roses and, more poignantly, memories of her massaged my heart. Moments before she died, while several of us surrounded her bed, someone said, “Look at her.” Many of us lifted our bowed heads to see her face glowing as if lit by an interior lantern. It was enough to catch your breath. It was like that for a few precious moments before fading out.

“Gentle woman, quiet light,” are some lyrics to a Catholic song about Our Blessed Mother Mary. This song sung at Myrt Vanhoof’s funeral Mass was about her, too. Those words, at the end of her long life, could’ve been engraved on her tombstone.

Then there was an announcement at our Sunday morning service that the Mass intention was for, among others, Maria Tompkins. She was the first name mentioned, and even though I had known it was coming, it briefly took my breath away. Nine years ago yesterday, April 15, she died in a NICU unit, only two days old. A kidney disease that started in the womb ultimately resulted in her premature death.

And on a rose-colored weekend, I recalled the “Maria Garden” my son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Elizabeth, nurture in their front yard in Maria’s honor with orange roses. Although it pierces my heart every time I think about Maria’s death, somehow I am comforted by the interior Whisper that reassures: “Be not sad; she is with Me.”

We don’t know when the final horn will sound for our lives, but we know we all will suffer, in some form or another. We all will laugh and we all will cry. We all will mourn and we all will rejoice. There will be storms and there will be sunshine, even as we experienced in a short span of time last week.

And, yes, there will be thorns, but there will be beauty. The rose exemplifies this. The rose bush in our yard comes from good stock and somehow has thrived, no matter what adversity it faces. The bigger the adversity, the more determined it seems to be to give its best.

Maybe there’s a metaphor there upon which we can meditate and then give our best.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE — Lose the No. 1 and 2 players taken in the 2023 MLB Draft, 7 of 9 position starters, your pitching staff ace and the best reliever off a national championship team.

Even with a highly-rated incoming recruiting class and key transfer portal pickups, there should be some drop-off expected.

But completely from the face of college baseball?

Halfway through the 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule vs. 10 opponents, defending national champ LSU’s chances of not making the NCAA tournament field for the first time since 2011 is now a real possibility.

Not even the Tigers’ best pitching to date in a league series this year could overcome LSU’s chilly bats killing almost every possible scoring chance in getting swept at Tennessee this past weekend.

LSU, now 22-15 overall and 3-12 in the SEC’s West Division, lost its fifth straight league series to open the season. Despite holding Tennessee to 17 runs and 21 hits, the least in both categories in a league series vs. the Tigers this season, LSU also had its worst SEC series offensive output (8 runs, 17 hits).

“We got hits but we didn’t get significant hits off Tennessee,” said LSU third-year head coach Jay Johnson, whose team hosts UNO tonight at 6:30. “It’s frustrating. It’s almost like football. You get in the red zone you have to score. And probably one of the reasons I’ve made it to the point where I’m the coach at LSU is because we’ve had good offensive teams that play situational baseball really, really well. We have not done that with this team.”

Again, LSU’s lack of clutch hitting doused any spark that could have ignited rallies vs. the Vols. For the series, the Tigers hit .222 (6 for 27) in 2-out situations, .191 (9 for 47) with runners on base and .174 (4 for 23) with runners in scoring position.

The problem of the Tigers rarely getting hits when needed started with the opening SEC series loss to Mississippi State. It progressed through subsequent series losses to Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and finally Tennessee. In SEC play, LSU is batting a chilly .229 (35 for 153) with two outs, a frigid .217 (50 for 230) with runners on base and a frosty .194 (24 for 124).

That’s 50, 64 and 86 percentage points respectively under last year’s final stats in SEC games by an offense powered by Golden Spikes Award-winning outfielder and No. 2 overall MLB draft choice Dylan Crews.

That offense and the fact that No. 1 overall MLB draft choice Paul Skenes was 8-2 as the starting pitcher in the opening game of every SEC series gave LSU the confidence to win 7 of those 10 series.

The Tigers have had none of that with the second half of its league schedule starting Friday at Missouri.

“If we get off the field with two outs and two strikes that limit them (opponents) from getting those hits with runners in scoring position,” Johnson said on his Monday radio show, “and if we can just get somebody to hit a line drive in the gap with two guys on base. . .that’s what winning teams do. That’s why we’re not winning right now.”

LSU is 11th in the 14-team SEC in batting average (.250) in league games and 11th in earned run average (7.45).

Johnson has fiddled with the batting order, infused some freshman talent at times, switched the order of his pitching rotation and tried three different starting hurlers in LSU’s five game 3 losses.

“We have good players in our program that are not playing good right now,” Johnson said “We have to own that. And for me, it’s about what can you control. We can control our attitude or concentration or effort in the game.”

While LSU supposedly has faced the toughest part of its SEC schedule – four of the first five league foes were ranked nationally in the top six – serious roadblocks remain.

The Tigers’ bare minimum second-half SEC performance to possibly nudge into the NCAA Tournament should be 10-5, and likely having to win at least one game in the SEC tourney.

Even then, nothing is assured.

After visiting Missouri (16-21, 5-10 SEC East) this weekend, LSU is home for the next two weekends. The Tigers have home series vs. Auburn (18-16, 2-12 SEC West) and Texas A&M (32-4, 11-4 SEC West), which climbed to No. 1 nationally on Monday after sweeping Vanderbilt this past weekend.

Then, they travel to Alabama (24-12, 6-9 SEC West), a team that won a home series this past weekend over then-No. 1 Arkansas. LSU finishes the regular season at home against struggling Ole Miss (20-16, 5-10 SEC).

“This whole season, you’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Johnson said of being the defending national champion. “I thought maybe we would be a little better prepared for that because last season we had high expectations since we were ranked number one.

“It’s definitely different coming off the national championship. The way I explained it (to his team) is we have to play 30 to 50 percent better, because everybody’s going to play higher than that when they’re playing against us.

“We’ve seen some of that. But the bottom line is we want to be better and we don’t like where we’re at.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 14

Tyshon Herald, 25, Houston, TX — firearm possession by convicted felon, reckless operation, $20,000 bail.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions. 

April 14

Ashley Carter, 36, Pineville — domestic abuse battery with child present, $5,000 bail;

Anthony Jackson Jr., 57, Fort Johnson — aggravated assault/felony domestic abuse, $2,500 bail;

Venus Windham, 29, Ball — aggravated domestic abuse battery with child present, $1,500 bail. 

This date: 15 arrests, 3 of which included at least one contempt count. 

Cannons roared and gunfire reverberated through the quiet village of Pleasant Hill April 12 through 14 as the Union and Confederate armies clashed in one of the battles of Union General Nathan P. Banks’ Red River Campaign. Unlike the actual battle in 1864, the cannon and rifle fire did not result in a storm of lead and iron and the casualties “resurrected” after the battle was over.

Sunday, April 9, marked the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Pleasant Hill. The first re-enactment was held in 1964 on the 100th anniversary of the battle. After a hiatus of several years, the re-enactment went on to become a beloved tradition presented on, or as close as possible to, the anniversary of the battle. This year’s re-enactment is the 44th one. The Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactment is a rarity in that it commemorates a specific battle and takes place on the actual battlefield. The site is about 3 miles from the modern site of the Village of Pleasant Hill. This year’s re-enactment featured over 450 participants from Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and as far away as Illinois. This year’s reenactment featured visitors from England, lending a welcome international flavor to the event.

Friday featured an open camp held for local educators so school groups could come and learn about life in the Civil War era. Saturday and Sunday each featured battles fought before a large crowd of several hundred spectators as well as the newly crowned 2024 Battle of Pleasant Hill Queen, Alyssa Lee, her court and a contingent of festival and pageant queens from across Louisiana. Natchitoches Parish was well represented by Miss Provencal Fall Festival and the Miss Natchitoches Parish Fair and Rodeo Queen.

In addition to the battles on Saturday and Sunday, there was a parade and period ball Saturday, as well as a memorial luminaria ceremony commemorating the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Pleasant Hill. Sunday saw a period church service open to all.

The Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactment is an educational and family friendly event that offers something to history aficionados of every age. There is no charge to attend the reenactment. The Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactment is one of the myriad of festivals, concerts and other events that make life in Louisiana anything but boring. The Parish Journals of Louisiana congratulate the re-enactors and volunteers whose hard work is evidenced throughout the well organized and fun event. The Battle of Pleasant Hill re-enactment is a superb example of what a small town can accomplish working together.

On Saturday at approximately 7 p.m., Rapides Parish sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a disturbance and shots fired on the parking lot of a convenience store at LA 28 West at Saint Clair Road Boyce.

According to initial reports, there was a physical altercation which resulted in two individuals suffering gunshot wounds. Both individuals were transported to a local hospital.

Sheriff’s Detectives and Crime Scene Unit are continuing their investigation.

No other information is available at this time.
More information will be released as it becomes available.

Note:  The reporter had to maintain a proper distance from the area, so the video will appear grainy at that distance.

By JIM BUTLER

It took a while but Roy James Williams is now, barring a reversal, a permanent guest of the state.

Williams, 43 when arrested, was convicted Thursday of 1st degree rape.

According to records he has been in parish custody since his arrest four years ago today.

At the time he was suspected of 100 counts of the crime as well as 100 counts of rape of victims under age 13.

Sentencing for Williams is scheduled April 29. It is a formality.

Louisiana law says the sentence shall be life, without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

The law initially allowed a capital punishment option for prosecutors and juries to consider but the U.S. Supreme Court a decade or so ago ruled that unconstitutional.

The specific age or ages of victims in this case was not part of the public record at the time of arrests. Lack of knowledge of the victim/victims age is not a defense under Louisiana law.

The case, for obvious reasons, posed ticklish issues for the DA’s Office — striving to protect victim anonymity, working with victim representatives, the exchange of back and forth with defense counsel, and a year essentially lost to pandemic limitations.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 11

Philip Felter, 64, Pineville — firearm possession by convicted felon 3 counts, $150,000 bail.

April 13

Samaria Redic, 20, Alexandria — theft of firearm, aggravated battery, contempt, $5,000 bail. 

This date: 12 arrests, 6 involving at least one contempt count. 

By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports

Glenmora went on the road and earned an upset victory in the first round of the Division III Select softball playoffs. 

The 22nd-seeded Lady Wildcats (6-13) scored 10 runs in the first inning, pounded out 18 hits in the game and defeated No. 11 Country Day (18-5) 20-2 in three innings to advance to the second round of the playoffs. 

Second baseman Kaitlyn Verret led Glenmora’s offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and seven RBIs. Center fielder Teegan Webster-Wilkes added three hits, including a double, with four RBIs and four runs scored. Right fielder Jordyn Pearson finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs. 

Pitcher Kadence Cloud gave up four hits and two runs in the first inning before settling in for a 1-2-3 second and then getting the final two outs of the game with the bases loaded in the third inning.

Glenmora will travel to Farmerville today to play No. 6 seed D’Arbonne Woods (14-13) at 5:30 p.m in the second round.   

In other first-round softball playoff action, both Peabody and Northw00d-Lena were shut out in road defeats. 

Peabody (10-18), the 19 seed in Division II Select, fell 15-0 in three innings against No. 14 De La Salle (10-13-1). 

No. 22 Northwood-Lena (12-13) lost 17-0 in 3 innings against 11th-seeded St. John (17-8) in Division IV Select. 

The second round of the playoffs featuring the five parish teams that received first-round byes – Tioga, Pineville, Alexandria Senior High, Buckeye and Menard – will be played today and Tuesday. 

BASEBALL PLAYOFF PICTURE COMES INTO FOCUS: Today is the final day of the baseball regular season with brackets to be announced on Tuesday and the first round of the playoffs starting this weekend. 

Nine of the parish’s teams are projected safely into the postseason, while Peabody (7-22) sits right on the bubble at the No. 20 spot in Division II Select. All parish teams play in select divisions with the top 20 teams making the postseason, except in Division V, where only the top 10 advance. 

Tioga (16-10), ASH (16-10) and Pineville (10-17) are all safely in the Division I Select playoffs. 

Tioga, which currently sits sixth in the power ratings, swept a pair of district games from Grant last week before losing to Opelousas Catholic on Friday. ASH, ninth in the power ratings, swept West Ouachita in district play and finishes the regular season at St. Mary’s today. 

After starting the season 1-15, Pineville has won nine of its last 11 to move into the playoff picture. The Rebels, who sit 17th in the power ratings, defeated Ouachita twice and Kaplan last week and finish their season today at Mangham. 

Buckeye (21-7) and Menard (19-8) both sit at the No. 4 spot in Division II and Division III, respectively. The Panthers finished off a perfect District 2-3A season with two shutout wins over Bunkie, while the Eagles defeated Grant and swept Glenmora to finish 10-0 in District 4-2A. 

The two teams finish their seasons against one another today at Buckeye.  

Glenmora (17-8), which rebounded from its two losses to Menard to sweep a district doubleheader from Rapides, sits 14th in the power ratings heading into its season finale at Sulphur today. 

Three of the parish’s teams are expected to make the Division V playoff bracket. Grace Christian (24-8) sits at the No. 2 spot with Rapides (14-16) fifth and Oak Hill (7-20) at ninth. 

DISTRICT TRACK MEETS SCHEDULED: Parish track and field teams will compete in their respective district meets this week as athletes look to qualify for regionals and eventually the state meet to be held next month in Baton Rouge.

ASH and Pineville will compete in the District 2-5A meet at Ruston High School on Wednesday. Also held on Wednesday will be the District 4-2A meet featuring Menard and Glenmora at Rosepine and the District 3-1A meet, where Northwood-Lena will compete at Mansfield High School.

Tioga and Peabody will travel to Franklin Parish on Thursday for the District 2-4A meet. Grace Christian will host the District 5-B meet that also features Rapides at Pineville High School on Thursday. 

The District 2-3A meet featuring Bolton and Buckeye will be held at Marksville High School on Tuesday. 

SOFTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Today

Division II Select

No. 1 Buckeye (23-7) vs. No. 16 The Willow School (12-4), 5 p.m.

Division III Select

No. 22 Glenmora (6-13) at No. 6 D’Arbonne Woods (14-13), 5:30 p.m. 

Tuesday

Division I Select

No. 3 Tioga (23-6) vs. No. 14 Caddo Magnet (13-11), 6:30 p.m., Ward 10 Recreation Complex
No. 6 Pineville (19-13) vs. No. 11 Lafayette (14-10), 5:30 p.m.
No. 8 ASH (16-15) vs. No. 9 Captain Shreve (21-9), 5 p.m., Johnny Downs Sports Complex

Division III Select

No. 4 Menard (20-10) vs. No. 13 University (16-7), 5 p.m.

BATON ROUGE – As of a day ago, it’s exactly 20 weeks until LSU’s 2024 football season opener on Sept. 1 vs. USC in Las Vegas.

It’s one of the most highly anticipated matchups in recent years.

Not the game. The pregame.

It’s at least 20,000 hard-partying LSU fans with an endless alcohol intake who have always made their road trip quest to drink cities dry vs. Sin City, maybe the only place on this planet that won’t run out of booze for what might be at least a four-day Geaux Tigahs bender.

Supposedly, as they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But Tiger Nation doesn’t need a fifth straight opening game loss hangover on the heels of four forgettable flubs right out of the gate.

The 44-34 home loss to 16½-point underdog Mississippi State in 2020. The 38-27 loss to 2½-point underdog UCLA in the Rose Bowl in 2021 in which LSU never led in the game’s final 42 minutes. The 24-23 2022 loss to 4½-point underdog Florida State in the Superdome, with the Tigers getting a game-tying extra point blocked with no time remaining in Brian Kelly’s LSU head coach debut.

And finally, the 45-24 rematch loss in last season’s opener in Orlando to the 1½-point underdog Seminoles, who outscored Tigers 31-7 in the second half. FSU rolled for 494 yards, including 359 passing and 4 TD throws against a pass defense that struggled all season and contributed heavily to LSU finishing 105th in total defense allowing 416.6 yards per game.

All that said and realizing it was just a spring game played Saturday in Tiger Stadium, it still wasn’t a good look for new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s starting defense to open the day by allowing LSU’s starting offense to score on three straight possessions of 4 plays/75 yards, 3 plays/76 yards and 2 plays/75 yards.

Kelly said Baker ran a “vanilla defense, maybe two different coverages” to not reveal anything to USC. Yet, it also appeared the LSU offense of co-coordinators Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton stuck to the basics yet executed swiftly and efficiently.

QB Garrett Nussmeier, buying enough time vs. the first-team defense who sacked him once all day, stepped through a sizeable in the middle of the alleged defensive line and fired a 45-yard scoring strike to wide-open Mississippi State transfer Zavion Thomas for the first TD.

“We’re (supposed to be playing) cover three (three deep defenders) and we’re playing cover two (two safeties deep),” Kelly said. “We can’t let the ball go over our heads. You can’t make those kinds of mistakes. They’re unacceptable, and that’s going to cost you a chance to be on the field.”

Translation: Maybe so. But who else are you putting in the lineup? The same guys repeating mistakes? One of LSU’s starting corners is a true freshman weighing 160 pounds. He will be constantly targeted unless he’s the second coming of the Honey Badger (legendary ball-stealing former LSU All-American Tyrann Mathieu).

Sophomore running back Kaleb Jackson scored the second TD on a 32-yard on a straight line between right guard and right tackle in a space vacated by inside linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., who took two steps to his right and was blocked out of the play by tight end Mason Taylor.

“I thought Harold Perkins did a really nice job working in the (tackle) box,” Kelly said. “We were purposeful running the ball at him and making him defend.”

Translation: LSU needs to know before the USC game and not during it whether Perkins’ second season-opening shot in as many years playing as an undersized linebacker in the tackle box will work.

On LSU’s third TD from its starting defense, Nussmeier rared back and lofted a 59-yard TD to Kyren Lacy, who simply ran past returning starting cornerback Ashton Stamps 10 yards into the route.

“We’re in a coverage that we’re supposed to be in and we just got flat-out beat,” Kelly said. “Sometimes, you just got to take a hard look at who we have and what kind of situations do we put a man against an elite receiver. We weren’t game-planning against that defense today. If we got in that kind of situation (during the season), we may have to gameplan and help out a corner in that situation.”

Translation: The Tigers need better cover corners to survive on 1-on-1 islands.

On a positive note, Kelly has adapted offensively to the talent LSU has had on hand since he arrived. In his first two seasons, he developed an offense around a dual-threat QB that became a Heisman Trophy winner and a pair of NFL first-round draft-choice receivers.

But Kelly has also been building toward an offense that has always been at the heart of his philosophy of a power run game mixed with timely passing, especially throws to fast, physical tight ends.

The difference for him at LSU is he’s able to recruit more talented wide receivers than he previously had in his 12 seasons coaching Notre Dame.

“Within this offense, it’s not going to be Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas,” Kelly said. “What we’ve been striving for is controlling the line of scrimmage running the football and that will set up the explosiveness.

“It’s going to have a different look, but you can still be explosive. It starts at the line of scrimmage. And if you can’t win the line of scrimmage with this offense, you will not be explosive.”

Kelly’s high school recruiting in his first three classes has leaned toward 4 and 5-star offensive linemen and tight ends while his transfer portal acquisitions mostly (and unsuccessfully) favored defensive backs. He feels new assistants Bo Davis (defensive line) and Corey Raymond (defensive backs) are well on their way to recruiting talent to correct the deficiencies keeping LSU from being an annual College Football Playoff contender.

“The long approach to this is who’s on campus and who we’re recruiting,” Kelly said. “I’ve had a lot of players (prospective recruits) in front of me over the past three months since we’ve hired these two (Davis and Raymond) that I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. We’re going to get the guys we need at those positions.”

LSU’s recruiting Class of 2025 commitments is ranked No. 1 nationally with commitment from the nation’s highest-rated high school quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and offensive lineman.

For immediate help, Kelly will tap into the transfer portal for a defensive tackle or two. He’s had some success in that area, getting Mehki Wingo from Missouri in 2022 and Jordan Jefferson from Virginia in 2023. Both have entered the NFL draft.

In Kelly’s last two head coaching jobs at Cincinnati and Notre Dame, his programs took third-year leaps.

He was 22-6 at Cincy in 2007 and 2008 before his final team in 2009 went 12-0 and finished fourth nationally. He was 16-10 in 2010 and 2011 at Notre Dame, leading to his 12-1 2012 team that lost in the BCS national championship game to Alabama.

Kelly isn’t calling a national title shot in his third season in Tigertown. But he knows he signed up to consistently compete for national championships when he came to LSU.

Whatever the Tigers lack, Kelly doesn’t hesitate to do what it takes to fix it. In his first two seasons, he’s fired five defensive assistants including a coordinator, and jettisoned two special team coaches.

He has a confident, unwavering plan, something that hasn’t been present from an LSU head coach since Nick Saban bolted for the Miami Dolphins a year after the Tigers won the 2003 national title.

Kelly knows there’s a process to get to the top, but he wants to win ASAP. At age 62 and starting his 35th year as a college head coach, he’s aware Father Time is always holding the career stopwatch.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 11

Austin Byrd, 28, Alexandria — computer-aided solicitation of minor, sexual battery oral, unauthorized entry of inhabited dwelling, $75,000 bail;

Zaiford Conston, 18, Pineville — theft of motor vehicle 8 counts, criminal conspiracy 3 counts, burglary 3 counts, arson 2 counts, contempt 3 counts, $32,500 bail;

Demetrius Cooper, 49, Alexandria — criminal damage, contempt 7 counts, $37,500 bail;

Steven Riggs, 53, Pineville — aggravated criminal damage, criminal mischief, theft, $1,500 bail;

Hunter Wiley, 18, Pineville — felony flight, theft 2 counts, theft of motor vehicle, illegal possession stolen things, contempt, $31,000 bail.

This date: 19 arrests, 10 of which included at least at least one contempt count.

April 12

Adrianne Benjamin, 38, Alexandria — aggravated assault, resisting, $1,000 bail;

Jacob Waites, 19, Deville — felony fight, resisting, aggravated obstruction of highway, criminal trespass, seeding, running yellow light, no registration, improper plate display, modified exhaust, $12,000 bail.

This date: 20 arrests, 9 of which included at least one contempt count. 

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

April 11

Christopher Chelette, 51, Colfax — possession, suspension/revocation, no signals, $2,700 bail;

Jaquan Chisem, 24, Lecompte — possession with intent, possession, $30,000 bail;

Doyle Foster, 63, Boyce — possession with intent, lamps improper use, improper exhaust, $2,700 bail;

Barney Hines, 37, Alexandria — possession 2 counts, parole violations, $1,500 bail;

Kameron Thomas, 20, Alexandria — possession, contempt, $3,000 bail.

April 12

Juliann Rashall, 28, Boyce — possession, paraphernalia, probation violation, $10,500 bail;

Randy Tatum, 49, Alexandria — possession 2 counts, switched license plate, modified exhaust, suspension/revocation, contempt 2 counts, $4,300 bail.

April 13

James Gilmore, 52, Calcasieu — possession 3 counts, contempt 4 counts, $10,000 bail;

Calvin Simpson, 39, Alexandria — possession, OWI 1st, suspension/revocation, improper lane usage, 12:44 am, $2,700 bail. 

By JIM BUTLER

The GAEDA saga continues.

The Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority advises all and sundry it will meet Tuesday morning.

Among items on the agenda for the 8:15 meeting at Hotel Bentley is approving minutes of meetings in February and March as tumult over board membership and leadership unfolded.

Minutes of an April 5 special meeting are not mentioned. Agenda for that session included a motion to rescind all action from one of February’s meetings over concerns public notification was not properly done.

Among items apparently rescinded as a result — contract agreements with the new executive director.

How the succession following the long-time director’s sudden resignation due to ill health was handled was no doubt a factor in two board members being replaced in their at-will posts by City Council members Lizzie Felter and Lee Rubin.

Rubin’s appointee, Greg Upton, is listed on the GAEDA letterhead as chairman. That election occurred, apparently, in March.

No board minutes confirming that have been posted. 

Actually no minutes have been posted since a January session. State law requires web site posting though it is not uncommon for agencies to go up to several months after a meeting before pushing the upload button.

Meanwhile, Board vice chair Dr. Curtis Lewis has asked for an attorney general opinion on the propriety of Upton and Chris Patel serving on the panel.

Upton, once the board’s counsel, is a member of the law firm which represents the city. Lewis believes there is a clear conflict of interests in that scenario.

Regarding Patel, whose business interests include Fairfield Inn and Suites, Lewis questions the conflict raised by that enterprise potentially benefiting from occupancy generated by GAEDA funding provided to a host of meetings and activities held here.

Patel has been on the board since late 2022.

Martco, LLC, parent company for timber sourcing and manufacturing company RoyOMartin, announced it will invest more than $30 million to install technologically advanced production equipment at its Allen Parish plant that produces oriented strand board (OSB) for the housing industry.
 
The RoyOMartin OSB plant is one of the parish’s largest employers, and as a result of this expansion, the company will retain its 232 full-time employees who earn an annual average salary of $75,000. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will also result in nearly 600 indirectly supported jobs in the state, for a total of 831 retained and indirectly supported jobs.  
 
“RoyOMartin is a third-generation family-owned business doing business in Louisiana for more than 100 years, and I am thrilled to see this company positioning itself to thrive for many more,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “Louisiana timber has long supported the national housing industry, and so has our skilled manufacturing workforce, which continues to meet the challenge of modernization with the talent and training companies need to compete.”
 
OSB, an engineered wood that uses a combination of wood strands and adhesives to create strong, dimensionally-stable panels, is commonly used in commercial and residential construction for wall sheathing, floor underlays, roof cover and I-joints, and is molded together using a Dieffenbacher hydraulic press. By arming its hydraulic press with new components, including a new press hood, and completing other planned maintenance in the eight-building facility, the Oakdale plant aims to improve both its product and efficiency, while replacing aging equipment.
 
“Our Oakdale OSB facility has been a cornerstone of RoyOMartin since it produced the first panel in January 2007,” said Terry Secrest, executive vice president of manufacturing and product sales. “Throughout the years, the facility has consistently been the safest and highest-producing OSB manufacturer in North America. With the high production rates, the press needed replacement to meet the growing market demands. Given the strong workforce, timber availability, proximity to the fastest-growing housing markets, and Louisiana’s improved economic development climate, this $30 million investment secures the Oakdale mill’s status as a world-class manufacturing facility in Allen Parish for many years to come.”
 
“The Allen Parish Police Jury wishes to commend RoyOMartin on its decision to continue to invest in its Allen Parish facility,” said Allen Parish Police Jury Parish Administrator Jacob Dillehay. “Their facility has proven to be a vital economic asset to Allen Parish families. We hope to continue to see the wood products industry grow and thrive in our area.”
 
RoyOMartin has its headquarters in Alexandria and additional plants in Chopin, Louisiana, and Corrigan, Texas. To win the Oakdale project, Louisiana Economic Development offered a competitive incentive package that includes a performance-based Retention and Modernization Grant valued at $455,400.
 
“RoyOMartin’s modernization project is proof that our region’s wood basket is resilient and strong,” said Jonathan Dean, vice president of economic development for the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. “This investment in the company’s Oakdale facility is a testament to the world-class workforce that we have in Allen Parish and in southwest Louisiana. We want to thank RoyOMartin for its investment and its commitment to the region.”
   
About Martco, LLC
Martco, LLC. is a subsidiary of Martin Sustainable Resources LLC, the Martin family-owned parent to several companies focused on land, timber, and mineral resources, emphasizing sustainable forestry and the manufacture of forest products. It is best known by its trade name RoyOMartin, which honors the entrepreneurial spirit of Roy O. Martin, Sr, who began the family’s first business, a sawmill operation, in 1923. RoyOMartin currently operates two manufacturing facilities in Louisiana. A third facility is operated in Texas by its wholly-owned Texas subsidiary, with a fourth facility currently under construction. With more than 1,200 employees, RoyOMartin is a leading employer in every region in which it operates. Learn more at RoyOMartin.com.
 
About LED
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant economy. In 2023, LED attracted more than $25 billion of capital investment resulting in the creation of 19,000 potential new and retained jobs. Explore how LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana and employers of all sizes at OpportunityLouisiana.com.