The Olive Garden seeks liquor permit

By JIM BUTLER

To many in these parts an Italian-themed dinner without wine is like rice without gravy.

They can rest easy – The Olive Garden has applied for a liquor permit.

Notice of its petition was made Wednesday, exactly two months, according to its website, before the restaurant is now scheduled to open in Alexandria.

The eatery’s decision to locate here apparently fulfills one slot on the bucket lists of many parish and surrounding area gourmands.

Franchisers’ decision back in March to locate on South MacArthur Drive was hailed by many as an end to a long-held gastronomic search.

The building formerly housing Johnny Carina’s was demolished, making way for a new one to house Olive Garden.

Applicants for the liquor permit are Lindsay Koren, manager-president, and Colleen Lyons, manager- secretary-treasurer, Olive Garden Holdings LLC.


‘Steel Magnolias’ memories will be rekindled Thursday night at Hall of Fame museum in Natchitoches – Tonight

NATCHITOCHES — Behind-the-scenes stories recounting the filming of the 1989 box office hit movie “Steel Magnolias,” shot on location in Natchitoches, will be shared Thursday evening at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Louisiana’s oldest city.

“Steel Magnolias Memories with Tom Whitehead and Friends” from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Natchitoches museum (800 Front Street) includes a reception and panel discussion about 6:45 with audience participation, sharing memories of the beloved classic film with a star-studded cast.

Whitehead, a now-retired journalism professor at Northwestern State University, was the second local person hired by the production company, assisting in logistics and hosting the stars in the cast throughout their stays in Natchitoches.

He will be joined on the panel by other locals who were involved in the production – Bill Brent, Sandra Dickens, Ed Ward – and Shreveport entertainment writer Maggie Martin. 

Tickets at the door are $20 for the public, $10 for NSU students, and free for FLASH members. Enjoy complimentary refreshments during the event.

The event is a fundraiser for FLASH, Friends of Louisiana Sports and History, the local support group for the museum, which is part of the Louisiana State Museum system.

Written by Natchitoches native Robert Harling Jr. and immediately a smash hit on Broadway, “Steel Magnolias”  was adapted for the screen just two years later and featured the breakout performance by future Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts, alongside Oscar winners Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis, superstar entertainer and actress Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hannah, with acclaimed actors Tom Skerritt and Dylan McDermott in key supporting roles.

The comedy/drama continues to resonate four decades later, inspiring thousands of stage adaptations around the world and a 2012 Lifetime Network movie remake, and is treasured for its themes of friendship and reliance and its portrayal of Southern small-town charm.

Harling wrote about the life and 1985 passing of his sister, Susan Harling Robinson, a young mother who died from complications with diabetes. 

After he persuaded TriStar Pictures executives to shoot the movie in Natchitoches, the production was a seminal event for the community, with many locals working behind the scenes and appearing as extras or even with small speaking parts in the film. Its release and reception sparked a stream of visitors to Natchitoches to see the film’s location and soak in the ambiance of the city, a phenomenon that continues today.

For more information or to join FLASH, call the museum at 318-357-2492. It is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with modest admission prices topping out at $6.


Pollock man draws $1 million bail on attempted murder charge; Pineville man faces $500K bail for attempted murder arrest

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

 

Nov. 12

Kentavious Artel Baines, 24, Pineville – attempted second-degree murder, probation violation, $500,000 bail.

 

Nov. 11

Misty Marie Hastings, 34, Ball – theft, $1,000 bail;

Dorian Oashea Lacour, 31, Alexandria – possession of CDS, safety belt violation, possession of CDS, $100 bail;

Bobby Leonard, 47, Alexandria – two counts possession of CDS, safety belt violation, following too close, improper lane usage, $300 bail;

John Fitzgerald Marshall, 54, Alexandria – create distribute possession with intent counterfeit CDS, failure to secure registration, failure to yield emergency vehicle, switched license plate, improper inspection, safety belt violation, obstruction of justice, intentional littering, illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, reckless operation of a vehicle, running a stop sign, $21,600 bail;

Charles Elvin Mathis, 46, Boyce – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, disturbing the peace, $2,000 bail;

Jarrod Heath McNeal, 43, Alexandria – two counts possession of CDS, resisting an officer, open container state law, driving under suspension, display of temporary registration license plates, probation violation, $800 bail;

John Oliver Perkins III, 28, Boyce – possession of fentanyl, Louisiana fugitive, three counts contempt of court, $80,000 bail;

Antoine Latrel Raymond, 20, Alexandria – six counts aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal discharge of weapon in subdivision, illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, simple battery, $150,500 bail;

Kelvin Releford, 60, Colfax – illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, obstruction of justice, intentional littering, possession of CDS, safety belt violation, possession of drug paraphernalia, $2,600 bail.

 

Nov. 10

Donald Ray Ates Jr., 35, Ball – possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of marijuana, parole violations, $500 bail;

Denzel Deron Daily, 31, Alexandria – Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Damichael Darrel Deal, 18, Pineville – attempted armed robbery, theft, two counts criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic abuse battery strangulation, criminal damage to property, $321,000 bail;

Damichael Damon Drane, 23, Boyce – three counts contempt of court, two counts failure to appear, $27,000 bail;

Robbie Fountain, 33, Winnfield – possession of firearm by convicted felon, misrepresentation during booking, Louisiana fugitive, $100,500 bail;

Odyesr Earl Lasyone Jr., 45, Pollock – attempted first degree murder, resisting an officer, Louisiana fugitive, $1,000,500 bail;

Kyle Hart Lawrence, 37, Pineville – possession of CDS, legend drug possession, paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, parole violations, $12,500 bail;

Quantavious Jamar Richards, 30, Alexandria – second degree murder, criminal conspiracy, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, two counts producing manufacturing distributing marijuana, simple battery, two counts illegal carry firearm with drugs, three counts possession of firearm by convicted felon, three counts Louisiana fugitive, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, resisting an officer, obstruction of justice, illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, $2,000 bail.

 

Nov. 9

Moses Maine Jacobs, 46, Arlington, Texas – OWI first offense, $1,000 bail;

Orlando Kendal Jones, 42, Pineville – cruelty to juveniles, parole violations, $10,000 bail;

Robert Taylor, 31, Pineville – aggravated second degree battery, possession of firearm by convicted felon, $150,000 bail.


November 12, 1954 – Ellis Island closes its doors

For more than six decades, the small island in New York Harbor served as America’s front door. But on November 12, 1954, Ellis Island processed its final immigrant and closed as a federal immigration station, marking the end of an era that had defined the American story.

Since its opening in 1892, more than 12 million immigrants — many from southern and eastern Europe — had passed through its gates. For countless families, Ellis Island represented both hope and hardship, offering a chance at new beginnings in the United States.

By the mid-20th century, immigration laws had changed, and air travel replaced ocean liners as the dominant mode of international arrival. Screening and processing were relocated to U.S. embassies abroad, leaving Ellis Island largely obsolete.

Its final detainee, a Norwegian seaman named Arne Peterssen, departed quietly that November day. The closure signaled a new chapter in U.S. immigration policy, one increasingly focused on regulation rather than mass arrival.

Ellis Island later became a museum and national monument, preserving the stories of millions who entered through its halls. For historians and families tracing their ancestry, the site remains a symbol of the nation’s immigrant roots.

The date — November 12 — continues to stand as a milestone in the evolution of American identity. It reminds the country of its promise to those seeking opportunity, and of the ever-changing definition of what it means to become an American.


Big hearts with little cash built a stadium, saved a school

The only game in town Friday night when local high school football teams engage in first round of the playoffs is at Menard.

The history of Menard’s stadium, which has gotten distorted a bit over the years, is worth telling, not only to set the record straight but because it is a testament to what can be done on a minimum budget with wave after wave of bighearted volunteers.

Retired engineer Wilson Cedars, the brainchild for the idea of building the stadium, said Monday it came around 1995, when morale was sinking and enrollment (grades 7-12) was skidding. Some feared the school might close.

A graduate of old Natchitoches High School, Cedars had a daughter who was a junior high cheerleader at Menard at the time. One day he was walking on the old practice field, and he began thinking about the idea that had come up from time to time for 30 years that Menard should build a football stadium. Throughout its football history, Menard had always played its “home” football games at another school’s stadium. At the time, it was playing its home games at Pineville High School at a rental price of $500 a game.

“As an engineer, I visualize things to draw,” said Cedars, “and as I walked, I noticed they have lights here, and a small scoreboard and some wooden bleachers.” Meanwhile, he saw discarded bricks from an abandoned house, tall weeds all over and bushes tangled in the surrounding fence.

“I started to visualize a press box behind the stands. We went to a game at Montgomery High School, and I studied their stadium, which wasn’t fancy, and some of us parents talked and thought we can build something like that.”

The day after the last game of the 1995 season, a Saturday in November, Cedars and volunteer Paul Squyres started plowing the field. A group of volunteers spruced up the field for junior high games that in ’96 began attracting crowds, such that with concession and gate fees, revenue started coming in, along with a soaring spirit of students attending the games.

That was enough to sway Bobby Distefano, a 1964 Menard grad and business manager for Menard at the time. He reminisced in a Town Talk story after his retirement that he was initially against the idea. He said the school had plans to play football in ’96 at the old England Air Force Base. “No, Bobby,” Cedars said, “they want to play here. The guys on the varsity see the junior high games and are asking, ‘Why can’t we play here?’”

Cedars sought and received a grant of $12,000 from the Huie-Dellmon Trust to fund the project. Cleco donated creosote poles for stadium lights, and Menard grad Red Simpson installed the poles at no cost.

“More and more volunteers kept showing up,” said Cedars. “We’d all work on Saturdays and sometimes on weekdays after work. Different people took charge of different projects, whether it be the scoreboard, a sprinkler system, improved drainage, whatever.”

Cedars and Martin Lyons were the co-chairmen of the project, dubbed “Project: Home Field Advantage,” and they kept reminding themselves and anyone else who volunteered to work: “It’s not our property, it’s Menard’s, and it’s not ‘I,’ it’s ‘we.’ It’s not about any individual, it’s all of us working together.”

Bishop Sam Jacobs called Cedars and Lyons to his office to talk about the project.

“He asked, ‘How much is it going to cost me?’” Cedars said. “I did this (holding his finger and thumb to make a 0 sign) and said, ‘Nothing.’ He said, ‘Now, that’s what I like to hear.’

“I told him the idea was to keep it simple: ‘We’re going to build what we can afford, not Tiger Stadium.’”

He drew up a plan for a baseball field and football field and showed it to then head football coach Tim Tharp and Barbara Trotter, then president of the Menard Athletic Association, and they “went nuts” with excitement.

The project moved forward, thanks to a can-do attitude and a relentless work ethic and some good connections. About 40 businesses donated equipment or services to the project. A core group of close to 20 men did the brunt of the volunteer work but hundreds of others showed up to help from time to time.

“And anytime there was a problem,” Cedars said, “somebody always knew somebody who could take care of it.”

When they decided to paint the unvarnished wooden bleachers, a tractor supply business donated 25 1-gallon buckets of green paint (Menard’s color).

“Martin said, ‘We can’t use that, it’s automotive paint!’,” said Cedars. “I said, it’s free and it’s green, we’re going to use it.” And grandparents, parents and children painted the bleachers.

“We’re undertaking a project that should probably take a year and a half,” Cedars said at the November, 1996 groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Bishop Jacobs, “and we’re going to hopefully do it in nine months.”

Cedars, amazingly, was right on target. The field was ready in nine months — August, 1997 — and the first game was played that September, and more than 2,500 people attended.

“The message that went out to the community,” said Distefano, “was Menard was certainly not closing if they’re building their own stadium.”

Over the next three years after it was built, the Eagles’ Nest had record attendance, and enrollment increased to just under 500 students.

Bishop Jacobs was impressed.

“Before he left (the Alexandria diocese),” said Cedars, tearing up with a catch in his throat, “Bishop Sam told me, ‘Wilson, that stadium saved Menard.’

“People have asked me why I’d do something like that, since I wasn’t a graduate and I didn’t have a son on the football team,” said Cedars. “I just tell them, because it was the right thing to do.’”


ASH represents parish in final LSWA football rankings

Coaches are infinitely more interested in the LHSAA’s power point rankings, but there’s no denying the prestige of being included in a Louisiana Sports Writers Association top 10 prep football poll.

Especially the one at the end of the regular season. From this point forward on the field, the five classifications are split into four divisions for playoff competition and there’s Select and Non-Select brackets for each, determined by the power points.

But the LSWA stops now; its polling ends with the results of Week 10 games, reflecting what went on in district races and non-district contests over the past three months.

Alexandria Senior High, despite a Week 10 loss at Neville, is the only Rapides Parish team to finish in a Top 10 poll for 2025. Tioga dropped out of the 4A rankings after its loss at Franklin Parish, but picked up a few points I the voting.

The LSWA poll is voted on by 11 sports media members from around the state who cover high school football.

The final regular-season rankings:

 

Class 5A

School (1st place votes), W-L, poll points, previous week’s ranking

1. Karr (11), 10-0,132,1

2. St. Augustine, 8-1,108,T2

3. Ruston, 8-2,105, 6

4. John Curtis, 7-2, 84, T2

5. Catholic-Baton Rouge, 8-2, 81, 7

6. West Monroe, 7-3, 67, 4

7. Alexandria Senior High, 8-2, 65, 5

8. Evangel Christian, 8-2, 56, 9

9. Destrehan, 8-2, 52, 8

10. Neville, 7-3, 39, NR

Others receiving votes: Central 23, Denham Springs 9, Acadiana 7, Ouachita 5, Parkway 4, Zachary 2, Archbishop Rummel 7, Thibodaux 2, Brother Martin 2, Southside 2, Airline 1, Hahnville 1, St. Paul’s 1, Terrebonne 1.

 

Class 4A

1. North DeSoto (9), 10-0, 129, 1

2. Teurlings Catholic (2), 10-0, 122, 2

3. Plaquemine, 9-1, 101, 3

4. Iowa, 10-0, 94, 4

5. St. Thomas More, 7-3, 88, 5

6. Franklin Parish, 8-2, 83, 6

7. St. Charles, 9-1, 73, 7

8. E.D. White, 7-3, 38, NR

9. Loyola Prep, 9-1, 28, NR

10. Belle Chasse, 9-1, 25, NR

Others receiving votes: Franklinton 20, Vandebilt Catholic 20, Lakeshore 12, Archbishop Shaw 8, Tioga 7, Brusly 4, Northwood-Shreveport 3, Cecilia 2, Westgate 2.

 

Class 3A

1. Jewel Sumner (9), 10-0, 127, 1

2. University (2), 8-2, 116, 2

3. St. James, 8-2, 102, 3

4. Madison Prep, 8-2, 100, 4

5. Sterlington, 8-2, 90, 5

6. Jena, 9-1, 75, 6

7. Erath, 10-0, 73, 7

8. Bunkie, 9-1, 60, 8

9. Lake Charles Prep, 8-2, 44, 9

10. Church Point, 8-2, 27, NR

Others receiving votes: Jennings 12, Marksville 12, Amite 8, Northwest 6, L.B. Landry 3, John F. Kennedy 2, De La Salle 2.

 

Class 2A

1. Lafayette Christian Academy (10), 9-1, 131, 1

2. Dunham (1), 9-1,120, 3

3. Calvary Baptist, 9-1, 110, 4

4. Notre Dame, 8-2, 86, 6

5. Oak Grove, 8-2, 83, 9

6. Ouachita Christian, 9-1, 75, 2

7. Kinder, 10-0, 55 , 7

8. Catholic-New Iberia, 8-2,  52,8

9. Lafayette Renaissance Charter, 8-2, 36,10

10. Newman, 6-2, 34, NR

Others receiving votes: South Plaquemines 25, Mangham 23, Loreauville 17, Ferriday 4, Mansfield 2, East Feliciana 1, Union Parish 1, Vinton 1.

 

Class 1A

1. Haynesville (11),10-0, 132, 1

2. Hamilton Christian, 9-0, 114, 2

3. Riverside Academy, 9-1, 113, 3

4. Covenant Christian, 8-2, 94, 4

5. Westminster-Opelousas, 10-0, 86, 5

6. Jeanerette, 9-1, 77, 6

7. Ascension Catholic, 8-2, 55, T8

8. Southern Lab, 6-4, 52, T8

9. Ascension Episcopal, 9-1, 44, 7

10. Catholic-Pointe Coupee, 8-2, 27, NR

Others receiving votes: Logansport 17, Kentwood 17, St. Edmund 16, North Iberville 10, Sacred Heart-Ville Platte 2, Elton 1, Jonesboro-Hodge 1.


Remember This: A Visit to the White House

Peter wanted to be a writer.  His father, Nathaniel, was an author.  His grandfather Robert was a humorist and co-founder of the Algonquin Round Table, an informal group of writers, critics, and actors who met for daily lunches at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City.  Writing seemed to be in Peter’s genetic makeup.  

After earning a degree in English from Harvard in June 1961, Peter received a student grant which allowed him to spend the next year traveling the world and making notes about his experiences.  Upon his return, he served a six-month stint in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, but his passion was writing.  In 1963, Peter began working as a reporter for The Washington Post and soon thereafter began working as the radio and television editor for Newsweek magazine.  It was far from the writer’s dream that Peter had envisioned, but he was earning a living.  In the summer of 1963, 23-year-old Peter joined other tourists on a tour of the White House.  He purchased the $1 White House guidebook that first lady Jacqueline Kennedy had organized.  During the tour, Peter got the idea for a children’s book in which a little girl visits the White House on her birthday.  She smuggles her kitten onto the tour, but it escapes, causes all sorts of chaos, and she ends up face-to-face with President Kennedy.  During the writing process, Peter decided the mischief was more befitting a boy and his puppy than a girl and her kitten.  In the book, the boy, Jonathan, eludes guards and ignores the numerous roped off areas as he chases his puppy, Tiger, through the Blue Room, the Red Room, the State Dining Room, the Lincoln bedroom, through the garden on the White House lawn, and ends up in the Oval Office where he finds President Kennedy scratching Tiger’s ears.  “You’re—you’re the president,” Jonathan gasped.  “And you must be Jonathan,” President Kennedy replied.  “You—you know me?”  President Kennedy responded with a chuckle, “Everyone in the White House knows you now.” 

President Kennedy never saw Peter’s book.  He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, just two months before the book was published.  In her first public document as first lady, “Lady Bird” Johnson wrote the foreword for Peter’s book on White House stationary.  She ended the foreword with this invitation to young readers: “My husband and I hope one day soon you will come to visit the White House in person.”  The book went on sale in February 1964.  Six months later, Peter published his travel memoir entitled “Time and a Ticket.”  His books sold well but failed to provide Peter with the financial security necessary for him to focus solely on writing books.  

Peter worked for Newsweek until 1967 when he was hired as “a (very) junior” speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson.  When President Johnson’s term ended in January 1967, Peter was determined to build a career as a freelance writer.  He wrote stories for newspapers and magazines such as National Geographic, LIFE, The New Yorker, and pitched book ideas to publishers.  In 1974, Peter published what was advertised as “a novel of relentless terror.”  The book was such a big hit that Peter was hired to co-author a screenplay based on the book.  Peter, who wrote the popular children’s book about the White House, who was a speech writer for President Lyndon Johnson, is Peter Benchley, mostly known for his “superthriller” shark tale “Jaws.”                

 

Sources:

1.     The Boston Globe, June 15, 1961, p.12.    

2.     The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), January 5, 1964, p.50.

3.     The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), June 27, 1964, p.9.

4.     Peter Benchley, “Jaws, (New York, Doubleday, 1974).

 

Five apparently held in two separate shooting cases

By JIM BUTLER

Three teenagers are among five jailed young Rapides adults charged with attempted murder.

The accusations are apparently in relation to two unrelated gunfire exchanges though no confirmation of that has been made by authorities.

Kamron Anderson, 18; Glendamon White, 18; and Shania Washington, 20 were booked Monday, November 3.

Earlier that afternoon authorities chased a vehicle from Daspit Street (off 3rd Street, south of Hunter Park), where shots had been exchanged between vehicles, to MacArthur Drive & Elliott, where it crashed into another.

Anderson and White are charged with attempted 2nd-degree murder, with $500,000 bail set for each.

Anderson’s booking record indicates a previous felony record though it doesn’t list incident details or jurisdiction. 

Washington is additionally charged with felony flight from an officer with bail at $600,000.

The next night, Tuesday, November 4, police responded to gunfire on Masonic Drive just south of the traffic circle.

Two persons allegedly involved drove themselves to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

Subsequently booked on attempted 2nd-degree murder charges are Quanterious Johnson, 18, and Alanis Martin, 25.  Bail for each is $500,000.

All five of the accused remained in custody Sunday night.


Four parish teams reach LHSAA football playoffs, Menard home Friday

Junior quarterback Karsen Sellers and the ASH Trojans are seeded fifth in the Select Division I playoff bracket and, along with No. 6 Tioga, get a first-round bye. (Photo by MICHAEL ODENDAHL, GeauxPreps.com)

ASH and Tioga earned byes in the LHSAA’s Select Division I playoff bracket released Sunday, while Menard will play a first-round game in Select Division III at home and Pineville goes on the road In Division I.

Following a week off, the ASH Trojans will host a second-round game Nov. 21 against the winner of 12th-seeded Brother Martin or No. 21 Liberty.

Tioga gets one of the fabled Catholic League’s teams out of New Orleans,, either No. 11 Rummel or 22nd seeded Holy Cross, in the second round at home.

ASH and Tioga were beaten in their regular-season  finales Friday on the road, dropping to 8-2 on the season.

Menard, which earned a 13 seed in the LHSAA’s power points system, is home this Friday, hosting 20th-seeded Thomas Jefferson.

Pineville, seeded 24th, goes to No. 9 St. Paul’s in Covington on Friday.


Blowout win in home finale by Wildcats puts LCU in range of conference championship

Louisiana Christian freshman safety Kylon Polk celebrates his 53-yard pick six against Arkansas Baptist, his fourth interception of the game. (Photo by JACOB SIMONET, LCU Athletics)

By RICHARD THIBERVILLE JR., LCU Sports Information Director

The Louisiana Christian University football team will bring a chance to clinch a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference championship into the final week of the season after the Wildcats routed the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes 77-6 Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Field.

The Wildcats head to Surprise, Ariz., for the regular season finale this weekend, hoping to clinch a share of the SAC championship when they take on 12th-ranked Ottawa on Saturday.

They were in charge from the outset in their home finale, highlighted by four interceptions by freshman safety Kylon Polk, who returned one 53 yards for a touchdown.

Louisiana Christian (7-3, 6-1 SAC) asserted its dominance immediately, taking in the opening kickoff and rollilng down the field behind Jaterrius Johnson, who capped it with a 23-yard scamper to the end zone for a 7-0 lead not even 75 seconds into the contest.

After forcing Arkansas Baptist (2-8, 1-7 SAC) into a three-and-out, the Wildcats took advantage of good field position following a Buffaloes penalty on the punt. It took five plays for LCU to get back to paydirt as ASH product E.J. Scott took the handoff on an end around and raced 16 yards to the end zone.

LCU took full control of the contest with a 35-point second period. Bryce Perkins ended a five-play, 52-yard drive by finding Scott behind the defense for a 41-yard touchdown as LCU went up 21-0.

After the ensuing ABC drive ended with Polk’s third interception, former ASH star Datlan Cunningham busted loose for an 82-yard touchdown scamper as the Wildcats pushed the lead out to 28-0.

Arkansas Baptist pulled some trickery on the following kickoff, using a reverse on the return to bust free for a touchdown and score its lone points of the day.

The Wildcats answered in just four plays as Perkins found Scott free again, this time from 21 yards out to make it 35-6 with 7:29 still left in the second quarter.

On ABC’s ensuing possession, Jordan Oglesby forced a fumble which Ashton Sanders Jr. recovered and brought back to the Buffaloes six-yard line. Johnson pounded in from the one-yard line on fourth and goal for a 42-6 Wildcat lead with 5:21 left before halftime.

Backup quarterback Phillip Joes II connected with Darrell Waldren on a 55-yard scoring play as LCU went up 49-6.

LCU’s Cunningham scored on a 7-yard run before Polk’s fourth, and final, final interception of the day made direct impact on the scoreboard. He housed a 53-yard pick-six as LCU’s lead grew to 63-6. Backups played the rest of the way.

Perkins was 13-of-21 through the air for 217 yards with two touchdowns and was not intercepted.

Scott was the top target, catching four passes for 74 yards and both scores. He also had one rush, which went 16 yards to the end zone. All told, Scott accounted for 90 yards and three touchdowns.

Cunningham was the top rusher with just seven carries to get 105 yards and two scores. Johnson was also handed the ball seven times, getting 68 yards while also entering the end zone twice.

Oglesby led the defense with 12 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and two sacks while forcing a fumble.

Polk had four tackles to go with his four interceptions and a touchdown. The Wildcats outgained the visitors 611-327.


Alexandria man nears $2 million bail on murder charges; another arrested on murder, drug accusations

Arrests are accusations, not convictions

 

Nov. 9

Douglas Edward Beard, 34, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery strangulation, no bail data;

Moses Maine Jacobs, 46, Arlington, Texas – OWI first offense, $1,000 bail;

Jerrinika Latchie, 25, Pineville – criminal trespass, 10 counts contempt of court, $83,000 bail;

Simon Njeri, 45, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery with child present, no bail data;

Richard Young O’Neal, 55, Glenmora – possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, improper turn, driving under suspension, two counts possession paraphernalia, $3,700 bail.

 

Nov. 8

John Lincoln Early III, 43, Woodworth – simple robbery, three counts contempt of court, $1,500 bail;

David Lamar Fredlander Jr., 38, Harrisonburg – two counts Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Brittany Gaines, 34, Alexandria – four counts contempt of court, $90,500 bail;

Stephen Paul Hess, 36, Plainview – simple kidnapping, domestic abuse battery, no bail data;

Jasmine G. Jones, 32, Alexandria – possession of marijuana, resisting an officer, two counts contempt of court, $12,500 bail;

Jonathan Marvell Porter, 33, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery, probation violation, two counts contempt of court, $31,500 bail;

Carlos Dwight Robinson, 51, Alexandria – obstruction of justice, intentional littering, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, improper headlight equipment, possession of marijuana, possession of CDS, $2,300 bail;

Colton S. Ryland, 18, Pineville – OWI first offense, simple battery, trespassing/remaining after forbidden, $2,000 bail;

Tederick Lashone Session, 42, Alexandria – OWI first offense, two counts contempt of court, $8,000 bail;

Kelsey Quantae Smith, 27, Pineville – six counts contempt of court, $57,000 bail;

Ava St. Romain, 19, Marksville – OWI first offense, possession of marijuana, speeding, $1,600 bail;

Tarneshia Quayonta Thompson, 35, Alexandria – criminal conspiracy, theft, resisting an officer, 10 counts contempt of court, $20,000 bail;

Brittany Re’veanna Wicks, 36, Pineville – simple robbery, no bail data.


Nov. 7

Megail Lee Austin, 24, Alexandria – two counts possession of CDS, paraphernalia, resisting an officer, bicycle reflectors, $4,100 bail;

Johnathan Casey Baker, 32, Alexandria – aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of marijuana, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of firearm by convicted felon, false imprisonment, two counts domestic abuse child endangerment, home invasion, $56,000 bail;

Gatloyn O’Bryan Blue, 28, Lecompte – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, criminal conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia, intentional littering, $760,000 bail;

Camille Demetrice Boyd, 39, Alexandria – possession of CDS, possession of marijuana, three counts contempt of court, $52,250 bail;

Henry Earl Byrd, 55, Alexandria – illegal possession of stolen firearm, $2,500 bail;

Demarea Caldwell, 41, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery strangulation, $10,000 bail;

Akeem J. Cannon, 34, Alexandria – possession CDS, possession of firearm by convicted felon, illegal carry firearm with drugs, disturbing the peace, $9,250 bail;

Mckenzy Celestine, 52, Alexandria – two counts producing manufacturing distributing marijuana, producing manufacturing distributing hallucinogenic plants, possession firearm by convicted felon, transaction involving proceeds from drug offenses, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession paraphernalia, $410,500 bail;

Christopher George Cockrell, 48, Pineville – possession of CDS, switched license plate, driving under suspension, $2,700 bail;

James Paul Delrie, 36, Pineville – simple burglary, possession CDS, $2,000 bail;

Callie Kaye Ducote, 44, Alexandria – unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, $5,000 bail;

Anthony Ford, 23, Elmer – two counts disarming police officer, two counts aggravated resisting police officer, $15,000 bail;

Zaccheus Jamel Greene, 38, Alexandria – simple burglary, parole violations, no bail data;

Ladarius Malone, 27, Cheneyville – OWI first offense, resisting an officer, driving under suspension, running a stop sign, eight counts contempt of court, $31,700 bail;

Cedrick Leroy Hall, 49, Pineville – possession of CDS, possession of marijuana, bicycle reflectors, $3,100 bail;

Jerome Devon Hobbs, 41, Alexandria – possession CDS, obstruction of justice, theft, criminal trespass, simple escape, seven counts contempt of court, $150,000 bail;

Lloyd Gene Jones, 42, Alexandria – two counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession firearm by convicted felon, paraphernalia, driving under suspension, hand signal, four counts contempt of court, $166,700 bail;

Tyrese Jones, 26, Jeanerette – possession of CDS, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, $10,000 bail;

Jauan Javontea Lloyd, 21, Alexandria – first degree murder, second degree murder, attempted second degree murder, possession of handgun by a juvenile, illegal carrying of weapon, $1.77 million bail;

John David Mayeaux, 36, Alexandria – OWI fourth offense, operating a vehicle under suspension for certain prior offenses, $500 bail;

Dontae Robert Madden, 20, Alexandria – simple battery, two counts contempt of court, $26,000 bail;

Ladarius Malone, 27, Cheneyville – OWI first offense, running a stop sign, driving under suspension, resisting an officer, eight counts contempt of court, $31,700 bail;

Eric W. Smith, 49, Alexandria – criminal damage to property, aggravated assault, contempt of court, $2,750 bail;

Dyllan Earl Whiddon Sr., 23, Glenmora – child desertion, $2,500 bail.

 

Nov. 6

Sabrina Quanette Bowie, 41, Lecompte – five counts contempt of court, $58,000 bail;

Alexis Gauthier, 28, Pineville – simple battery, possession of marijuana, $1,000 bail;

Demartin Hall, 18, Alexandria – possession of marijuana, flight from an officer, possession of firearm by convicted felon, manufacture, transfer or possession of machine guns, $21,500 bail;

James Alfred Harvey II, 51, Alexandria – second degree battery, $15,000 bail;

Dominic Nicole Jackson, 29, Pineville – driving under suspension/revocation, reckless operation, failure to appear/pay fine, two counts contempt of court, $7,174.50 bail;

Monica Cherese McGlothlin, 40, Ball – three counts contempt of court, $75,000 bail;

Destiny Kapi Mitchell, 36, Boyce – criminal trespass, intimidating simple assault, $1,500 bail;

Jason Kent Pressley, 54, Alexandria – possession of CDS, driving under suspension, equipment and inspection when transporting explosives, four counts contempt of court, $62,700 bail;

Christopher Case Reid, 31, Dallas, Texas – Louisiana fugitive, no bail data;

Thomas Charles Russ, 40, Deville – reckless operation of a vehicle, driving under suspension, no insurance, switched license plate, $1,200 bail;

Tristen Cade Scully, 21, Alexandria – aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, domestic abuse battery, unlawful telephone communication, $5,000 bail;

Terrance Ja’mon Session, 46, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery strangulation, $2,500 bail;

Kendrick Donnell Smith, 42, Alexandria – possession of fentanyl, obstruction of justice, three counts contempt of court, $77,700 bail;

Kolby Vanderwaters, 23, Pineville – two counts aggravated assault with a firearm, $20,000 bail;

Sean Tyler White, 30, Pineville – possession of CDS, possession of synthetic CDS, aggravated assault domestic abuse, $23,000 bail;

Victoria Renee White, 31, Alexandria – theft of a motor vehicle, contempt of court, $105,000 bail;

Shan M. Williams, 50, Pineville – theft, criminal trespass, resisting an officer, contempt of court, failure to appear, $3,500 bail.

 

Nov. 5

Mackenzie Grace Carroll, 24, Pineville – three counts contempt of court, $50,500 bail;

Taylor Scott Crooks, 34, Deville – simple burglary, resisting an officer, theft, two counts criminal damage to property, criminal trespass, simple burglary, burglary of inhabited dwelling, parole violations, Louisiana fugitive, contempt of court, $23,500 bail;

Angela Christine Deville, 43, Pineville – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, switched license plate, improper display of license plate, five counts contempt of court, failure to secure registration, $57,700 bail;

George Wayne Fielder Jr., 63, Hineston – contempt of court, $50,000 bail;

Jaylynn Dewon Griffith, 28, Alexandria – second degree battery, contempt of court, $55,000 bail;

Deniya Lenise Johnson, 24, Pineville – two counts possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, four counts contempt of court, $6,985 bail;

Melina Rae Lowe, 25, Hineston – possession of fentanyl, possession of CDS, resisting an officer, $8,000 bail;

Decorey Oshay Marshall Jr., 28, Pineville – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, twp counts possession of CDS, legend drug possession, $120,000 bail;

Brian Scott Rachal, 49, Flatwood – stalking, aggravated assault, reckless operation of a vehicle, $20,500 bail;

Jaiden Keith Rosier, 21, Dry Prong – two counts burglary of inhabited dwelling, criminal conspiracy, Louisiana fugitive, $25,000 bail;

Derrick Dewayne Swafford, 31, Alexandria – second degree murder, producing manufacturing distributing CDS with intent, criminal conspiracy, two counts taking contraband to and from penal institutions, two counts possession of CDS, $148,000 bail;

Jason Edwin Tullos, 48, Deville – domestic abuse battery serious injury, simple battery on the infirm, $10,000 bail;

Rodney Gregory White Jr., 37, Deville – two counts contempt of court, $35,000 bail;

Sean Tyler White, 30, Pineville – domestic abuse aggravated assault, two counts possession of CDS, $23,000 bail;

Nakeita L. Williams, 37, Alexandria – simple assault, disturbing the peace, remaining on the premises, three counts contempt of court, $75,750 bail.


Hear ye, Hear ye

By JIM BUTLER

From public notices:

 

Holiday Tuesday

Officials remind that public and parochial schools are closed Tuesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day, as are most government entities.


Rezoning request

The Alexandria Zoning Commission is asked to rezone 1734 Albert Street from SF-Single Family District to B-3 General Business.

Catherine Davidson and Sarah Hopper seek the designation to allow operation of a business on the site, which is about a block from Bolton Avenue.

New town hall

Boyce officials have voted to begin the process for building a new town hall.

Pan American Engineers has been authorized to begin the application process for grant funding of 75 percent of the cost.

Several federal or state programs offer such assistance.

 

Sugar, sugar

Kent Plantation House’s annual Sugar Day is Saturday from 9 until 4. 

Arts, crafts, music, food, and games supplement the main event – recreating the sugar-making process of old. 

The site is on Bayou Rapides Road just west of MacArthur Drive. 


LCU wraps up home schedule Saturday against Arkansas Baptist

The Louisiana Christian University football team can play for a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference championship next weekend if the Wildcats take care of business Saturday afternoon at home against Arkansas Baptist.

Kickoff is 2 o’clock on Senior Day at Wildcat Field.

The Wildcats are 6-3 overall, 5-1 in the SAC, and coming off an open date.

The Buffaloes are 3-7, 1-6 and have lost five in a row. Last year LCU rolled to a 66-12 win over Arkansas Baptist on the road.

LCU finishes its schedule next week at Ottawa (Arizona).


SugarHouse Road hearing a glimpse into future

By JIM BUTLER

A public meeting November 11 to discuss a SugarHouse Road extension in South Alexandria is but a hint of things to come.

The meeting, set for 4-7 p.m. at the Frank O. Hunter Park gymnasium, will feature proposed design and route plans for the eventual link between I-49 and LA 1.

It is Phase 2 of an arterial inner loop that will allow traffic to bypass the high-density urban area and provide industrial and commercial access to acreage now inaccessible.

Updated cost estimates are in the range of $15 million or more.

That’s but a footnote to what state and local planners have as the ultimate goal – an outer loop beginning in the Ball area, crossing Red River, sweeping by England Air Park, continuing south, then turning back eventually re-crossing the Red in vicinity of Williams Lake Road, and heading toward its origin.

Looping both Alexandria and Pineville, it would link LA 28 East and West (envisioned as eventually part of future I-14 West Texas to East Georgia).

The route favored by the Central Louisiana Regional Beltway Commission is about 46 miles.

How complex is it? Consider – 11 interchanges, 2 river crossings, 7 rail overpasses, 4 bridge crossings, 4 road overpasses.

DOTD classifies the loop as a Priority A mega project, meaning it’s high priority, large scale and requires special funding.

Cost estimates are difficult due to the 20-30 years expected to pass from start to finish. The most recent number is $2 billion.


Alexandria woman faces murder charge; Teens accused of attempted murder

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

 

Nov. 5

Jason Derek Kirkland, 45, Provencal – disturbing the peace by public intoxication, no bail data;

Nakeita L. Williams, 37, Alexandria – simple assault, disturbing the peace, remaining on premises, three counts contempt of court, $75,750 bail.

 

Nov. 4

Ivory Hebert Grant, 22, Alexandria – simple escape, simple assault resisting an officer, three counts battery of a correctional facility employee, three counts resisting an officer, battery on officer, $196,500 bail;

Christopher Shane Harvey, 35, Ball – six counts theft, three counts criminal damage to property, three counts criminal trespass, three counts illegal possession of stolen things, three counts criminal mischief, $7,500 bail;

Gregory Wayne Hunter, 45, Alexandria – two counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, resisting an officer, obstructing drivers view, parole violations, $16,100 bail;

Brian Oshay Johnson Jr., 21, Cheneyville – possession of marijuana, improper display of license plate, failure to secure registration, two counts safety belt violation, flight from an officer, $1,400 bail;

Quanterious T. Johnson, 18, Alexandria – attempted second degree murder, $500,000 bail;

Mayon Dameko Jones Jr., 25, Ferriday – taking contraband to and from penal institutions, no bail data;

Tavares Terrell Jones, 40, Pineville – terrorizing, no bail data;

Gage Michael Kittinger, 27, Pineville – criminal damage to property, theft of a motor vehicle, parole violations, no bail data;

Eryka Elaine Logan, 37, Deville – simple assault, extortion, two counts Louisiana fugitive, probation violation, $500 bail;

Alanis Leah Madyun, 25, Alexandria – second degree murder; no bail data;

Anthony James Moore, 39, Pineville – illegal possession of stolen things, disturbing the peace, two counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of firearm by convicted felon, resisting an officer, $47,000 bail;

Fredrick Diego Raymond, 19, Alexandria – concealed negligent carry handgun, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, producing manufacturing distributing CDS, no driver’s license, no license plate light, $6,450 bail;

Jarvorous Dewayne Sanders, 23, Alexandria – aggravated assault, three counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, domestic abuse battery, three counts aggravated battery of a police officer, obscenity, simple battery, parole violations, $197,500 bail;

Buffy Edie-Lane Tuma, 40, Pineville – OWI third offense, careless operation of a vehicle, $100 bail;

William Todd White, 43, Pineville – aggravated criminal damage, parole violations, probation violation, $10,000 bail.

 

Nov. 3

Kamron Anderson, 18, Alexandria – attempted second degree murder, parole violations, $500,000 bail;

Freddie Davis Jr., 45, Alexandria – seven counts contempt of court, $21,000 bail;

Silento Kywan Foster, 49, Alexandria – unauthorized entry into inhabited dwelling, four counts contempt of court, $11,500 bail;

Jason Paul Gaspard, 45, Hessmer – possession of CDS, two counts possession of drug paraphernalia, $3,500 bail;

Matthew David Tabor, 40, Marksville – possession of CDS, two counts possession of drug paraphernalia, $3,500 bail;

Madison Vendetti, 23, Pineville – two counts burglary of inhabited dwelling, criminal conspiracy, $25,000 bail;

Shamia Nicole Washington, 20, Boyce – second degree murder, flight from an officer, $600,000 bail;

Brekia Nicole Williams, 32, Alexandria – impersonating a police officer, $5,000 bail;

Glendamion Wright, 18, Alexandria – attempted second degree murder, $500,000 bail.

 

Nov. 2

Christina L. Payne, 42, Alexandria – home invasion, simple assault, misrepresentation during booking, two counts criminal damage to property, two counts contempt of court, probation violation, $27,895 bail;

Jordan Alexander Turner, 35, Oakdale – home invasion, domestic abuse battery strangulation, domestic abuse battery pregnant, criminal damage to property, criminal damage to property, contempt of court, $91,500 bail.

 


Beaver Lake applies for initial Clean Air Act permits

By JIM BUTLER

Sun Gas Renewables and C2X have reached a permitting stage in the $2.4 billion Beaver Lake Renewable Energy project east of Pineville. 

The plant, on the site of the former International Paper mill on Williams Lake Road,  will engage in green fuel production and carbon removal. 

About 500 million tons a year is projected to be generated from forestry byproducts, tree tops and sawmill residues, then shipped via Red River to global shipping, aviation and chemical industry consumers. 

The fuel is becoming a preferred choice for such operations. 

La. DEQ said this week it has reviewed initial Clean Air permit applications for the plant and intends to process them on an expedited basis. 

Comments on that intent can be channeled to the Air Permits Division via the department web site. 

Plant construction is expected to begin in the second half of 2026 with operations beginning in late 2028. 

About 1,100 construction jobs are forecast, with 100 permanent jobs on completion.


Dresser saga continues

By JIM BUTLER

Tioga-area students who were kindergarteners when Dresser Industries lost hazardous material in the ground near its now-closed plant are high school seniors as the next chapter in the continuing saga unfolds.

Those youths were seventh-graders before the 2012 toxic release and resulting contamination became public knowledge in 2020.

They will be legal adults before the matter is resolved.

Next step in U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph’s courtroom is a motion hearing at 10 a.m. today, the first action of record since he ordered specific responses by specific dates.

On August 25 Joseph wrote that it was clear the case record contains no plan developed by Dresser or any other entity that contains a feasible plan to fully remediate the 229 acres affected.

He noted intentions to move forward with a plan but cited an inability to do so without still more information.

Consequently he ordered that on or before August 3, 2026 Dresser SHALL (emphasis added) develop and file a plan for “full evaluation and remediation.”

He gave plaintiffs and other parties until October 5, 2026 to file objections or modifications to whatever Dresser proposes.

Joseph then ordered the La. Department of Environmental Quality on or before December 7, 2026 to respond and provide feedback, objections and/or modifications.

After those steps are complete, his order states, the judge will decide the next step.

Joseph’s ruling came after a hearing devoted to the Most Feasible Plan proposals from parties involved, including a host of residents/businesses who are plaintiffs in at least five civil suits.

Today’s motion hearing pertains to one of those.

Two years ago Joseph ruled the various plaintiffs did not constitute a proper class action, meaning each damages suit proceeded on its own.

Last November two plaintiff actions were chosen for a “bellwether” trial to give some indication of the likely fate of the litigation. Jurors favored the defense on all claims.


Tigers know about flying pigs; Exchange folds; and more

It looks bleak for LSU’s football team going into Saturday’s road game at fourth-ranked Alabama, but as someone who tries to see the bright side of things, I can offer a glimmer of hope.

It has nothing to do with logic. LSU, with three straight losses – albeit to nationally-ranked teams – is in disarray with an interim head coach and an interim athletics director. Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the country with a 7-1 record and six straight victories after losing its season opener. The Crimson Tide, playing at its home Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa Saturday evening in a 6:30 p.m. game Saturday, is favored by 10 ½ or 11 points.

Logic says Alabama should win by at least 11 points, maybe a lot more, but you never know. There are precedents of unexpected upsets in the past, and one, especially, comes to mind.

Things looked even bleaker in 1993 before LSU played at Bryant-Denny Stadium. LSU, under coach Curley Hallman, was coming off consecutive losing seasons and was 3-5, and home attendance had dropped to just more than 63,000, the lowest in 23 years. Tiger Stadium, so often known as Death Valley, was more like Debt Valley.

Alabama, under coach Gene Stallings, on the other hand, boasted a 31-game unbeaten streak, the longest in the nation.  It was ranked No. 5 in the country, was 7-0-1 and in the hunt for its second straight national championship.

Yet, LSU – normally hapless LSU – somehow won, 17-13. Leesville’s Kevin Mawae, who earned a spot in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame after a lengthy NFL career, was a senior center on that team. After a walk-through at the stadium on the day before the game, he called a players-only huddle and encouraged his teammates to play the next day’s game as if it were a bowl. He noticed the sky darkened and he told them, “Look, if we win this game, Alabama will have a gray cloud over their heads this season. And we will be the ones who put it there.”

It helped LSU’s cause that Alabama starting quarterback Jay Barker was out with an injured shoulder. It also helped that the Tide’s leading rusher, Sherman Williams, injured his shoulder on Alabama’s first possession and missed the rest of the game. That sidelined the running game, which was ineffective aside from a 43-yard fake punt.

The backup quarterback to Barker couldn’t control the offense, and the third quarterback, versatile David Palmer, rallied the Tide from a 14-0 deficit but it was too little, too late.

LSU picked off four passes — two by Ivory Hilliard that set up short TD drives in the third quarter — and the Tigers added a fourth-quarter field goal. Strangely, that’s all LSU needed offensively to topple the uninspired defending national champions.

So even though LSU has not in any game played up to its lofty preseason billing, it may just be that without any pressure, the Tigers may find their groove – and a valor under adversity. Picture Rooster Cogburn going against Ned Pepper’s gang, shooting two pistols while wearing an eye patch and riding towards the bad guys on horseback.

Will the offensive line suddenly be able to block even a three-man rush? Can the Tigers muster a decent running game?

It could happen. And, yes, pigs can fly, as they did at Bryant-Denny 32 years ago.

Exchange fold

This past summer, the Exchange Club of Central Louisiana, which had been around under one title or another since 1942, folded. Sadly, it may be just the first of other organizations that will have to do the same in coming months or years, for the same reason: a lack of members.

“We reached the point that many of our members were forced out due to age and/or health reasons,” said Exchange Club board member David Michiels, a past president. The club’s by-laws required a minimum 20 members, and Michiels said the club had dwindled to 23 members, and the back-breaker was last spring when the club couldn’t muster enough members to work at the Alexandria River Fete.  

The Exchange Club supported many community events and fund-raisers, but Michiels said the best thing the club probably did was award scholarships to college-bound students. “We’d give a scholarship to a different student for eight months of the year, and in the ninth month, we’d look over the eight winners and from that group give another one to the student we felt was the most deserving.”

Michiels said when he first started working at a local bank, it required its employees to be on at least one and preferably two civic clubs, and other businesses had similar requirements. “No more,” he said. “As with any organization, fresh blood was needed to continue growth and prosperity, but little was found.”

Kudos to the club for all the fine work it has done for so many years.

Best five World Series

The recently completed 2025 World Series between the winning Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays is being touted as the best of all time, going a full seven games and loaded with amazing catches, home runs, double plays and records, agonies and ecstasies. The Blue Jays missed by inches winning the Series on a play at home plate in the seventh game.

It’s hard to pick a single Series as the all-time best, but I’d put it in my top five, along with the 1975 Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, the 1991 Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves, the 2016 Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians and the 2017 Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.


Tioga cracks 4A Top 10 as Indians, Trojans head toward major Week 10 showdowns

Alexandria Senior High pushed past Ouachita and stayed put in the weekly Class 5A Top 10 poll chosen by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, while Tioga’s dominance has finally lifted the Indians into the Class 4A statewide rankings.

ASH (8-1) outlasted Ouachita 28-21 on Halloween and held on to its No. 5 ranking. Tioga broke through into the 10th spot in 4A after blasting Grant 75-20.

Both teams can win district championships if they can beat formidable opponents this Friday in their final regular-season games.

ASH goes to Neville, which just knocked off West Monroe – the only team to beat the Trojans, in a game-ending flurry of 10 points a month ago.

Tioga travels to Franklin Parish, ranked sixth in Class 4A. .A week before Tioga walloped Grant by 55, Franklin Parish ripped the Cougars by 42 (77-35).

Area teams Bunkie, Jena and Marksville are in the 3A top 10 poll again this week.

The Week 10 LSWA Top 10 state high school football polls, as voted by an 11-member committee:

                                                     

Class 5A

School (1st place votes), W-L, voting points, last week’s ranking

1. Karr (11), 9-0,132, 1

2. St. Augustine, 7-1,108, 4

(tie) John Curtis, 7-1, 108, 2

4. West Monroe, 7-2,105, 3

5. Alexandria Senior High, 8-1, 90, 5

6. Ruston, 7-2, 81, 6

7. Catholic-Baton Rouge, 7-2,  69, 7

8. Destrehan, 7-2, 41, 10

9. Evangel Christian, 7-2, 31, 8

10. Central-Baton Rouge, 7-2, 28, NR

Others receiving votes: Neville 22, Parkway 19, Zachary 12, Archbishop Rummel 10, Thibodaux 4, Ouachita 1, St. Paul’s 1.

 

Class 4A

1. North DeSoto (9), 9-0, 129, 1

2. Teurlings Catholic (2), 9-0, 122, 2

3. Plaquemine, 8-1, 98, 4

4. Iowa, 9-0, 91, 5

5. St. Thomas More, 6-3, 80, 3

6. Franklin Parish, 7-2, 77, 6

7. St. Charles, 8-1, 75, 7

8. Lakeshore, 8-1, 59, 9

9. Vandebilt Catholic, 9-0 , 49, 10

10. Tioga, 8-1, 30, NR

Others receiving votes: Belle Chasse 21, Franklinton 10, Archbishop Shaw 10, Loyola 4, Westgate 4, E.D. White 4, Brusly 3, Cecilia 2.

 

Class 3A

1. Jewel Sumner (9), 9-0, 127,1

2. University (2), 7-2,115, T3

3. St. James,7-2, 106, T3

4. Madison Prep, 7-2, 100, 2

5. Sterlington, 7-2, 90, 5

6. Jena, 8-1, 73, 6

7. Erath, 9-0, 71, 7

8. Bunkie, 7-1, 60, 8

9. Lake Charles Prep, 7-2, 39, 9

10. Marksville, 8-1, 28, 10

Others receiving votes: Amite 17, Church Point 15, John F. Kennedy 9, Jennings 7, De La Salle 1.

 

Class 2A

1. Lafayette Christian Academy (5), 8-1, 126, 2

2. Ouachita Christian (5), 9-0, 121,1

3. Dunham (1), 8-1, 119, 3

4. Calvary Baptist, 8-1, 102, 4

5. South Plaquemines, 7-1, 80, 5

6. Notre Dame, 7-2, 76, 6

7. Kinder, 9-0, 50, 8

8. Catholic-New Iberia, 7-2, 48, 9

9. Oak Grove, 7-2, 41,10

10. Lafayette Renaissance Charter, 7-2, 36, 7

Others receiving votes: Newman 25, Mangham 22, Loreauville 13, Ferriday 4, Union Parish 3.

 

Class 1A

1. Haynesville (11), 9-0, 132, 1

2. Hamilton Christian, 8-0, 116, 2

3. Riverside Academy, 8-1, 113, 3

4. Covenant Christian, 7-2, 90, 4

5. Westminster-Opelousas, 9-0, 82, 5

6. Jeanerette, 8-1, 74, 6

7. Ascension Episcopal, 9-0, 69, 7

8. Ascension Catholic, 7-2, 45, 9

(tie) Southern Lab, 5-4, 45, 8

10. St. Edmund, 8-1, 31, 10

Others receiving votes: North Iberville 15, Kentwood 14, Logansport 13, Vermilion Catholic 12, Sacred Heart-Ville Platte 4, Catholic-Pointe Coupee 7, Opelousas Catholic 2, St. Frederick 1.


Brad Dison: Ronald’s relaxing retreat

Ronald’s job required him to travel all over the world.  His career was hectic, sometime chaotic, and he was constantly on the go.  He was always surrounded by people.  When Ronald got a much-needed break from work, he wanted to spend his time somewhere peaceful and quiet.  His favorite hobby, fishing, provided him the perfect escape.   

And so it was early one evening in the 1980s.  Ronald and his dog, a toy fox terrier named Tuffy, boarded Ronald’s bass boat and headed out onto Lake Shasta in northern California.  Ronald was sure to find solitude in the 30,000-acre lake whose shoreline spans some 365 miles.  Ronald motored his boat into a cove on the lake near a grove of tall pine trees which jutted out from the depths.  Some of the pine trees, the Sugar Pine, grow to a height of up to 200 feet, but about half of the height of the trees Ronald anchored his boat near that day were underwater.  There was hardly a ripple on the water.  He could hear a slight breeze blowing through the trees and the calls of a few birds.  A dog barked in the distance.  Ronald cast his bait into the water.  As he slowly reeled it back in, he glanced at the beautiful snow-capped Mount Shasta, the second highest peak in the Cascade mountain range.  He scanned the shoreline and took a deep breath.  When he exhaled, it was as if months of pressure was released from his body and mind.  With each cast, he became more relaxed.  The catching of a fish was beside the point.  There were no other boats in sight.  Nothing, he thought, could interrupt the tranquility that he was experiencing.

Suddenly, without any buildup or warning, the silence was broken by a sound he described as being “as loud as a hundred freight trains.”  Ronald was born and raised in a refrigerated boxcar that his father had converted into a home just about a rock’s throw from the main line of the Santa Fe railroad.  The noise was instantaneous and deafening.  Ronald thought someone had thrown a case of dynamite into the lake.  He was sure it was the end for himself and Tuffy.  One of the tall pine trees near his fishing spot, a tree he estimated to have been about 110 feet tall, “was released by mother nature from the bottom of the lake.”  With so much of the tree underwater, when its deep roots let go it shot up into the air like a rocket to a height of about 300 feet then broke into three pieces.  Ronald said, “millions of gallons of water flew from its branches.”  The tree shattered when it crashed back down onto the lake’s surface near his boat.  Then, there was a deafening silence.  The sounds of the birds singing, the distant dog’s barking, even the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees had stopped. 

As Ronald looked around in stunned silence, he realized that he had survived.  Tuffy was also visibly shaken but uninjured.  He thought about what he had just witnessed and understood how lucky he was once again.  He had spent much of his youth in juvenile detention centers, and as a young adult, he had survived a stint in the notorious San Quentin prison.  Ronald concluded that if the trajectory of that hurtling waterlogged tree had been slightly different, he would have been killed, and the cause would have remained a mystery.  After his shocking fishing trip, Ronald returned to work performing his hit songs including “Mama Tried,” “Workin’ Man Blues,” and “Okie From Muskogee.”  You see, Ronald was the middle name of Merle Haggard.                   

 

Sources:

1.     “Trees of the Shasta-Trinity,” United States Department of Agriculture, accessed October 26, 2025, https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/legacy-media/shasta-trinity/Trees%20of%20the%20Shasta-Trinity%20ROG.pdf.

2.     Merle Haggard and Tom Carter, Merle Haggard’s My House of Memories, (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 1999), 209.


Lecompte man charged with indecent behavior with juveniles, crimes against nature

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

 

Nov. 2

Austin Joseph Despino, 24, Alexandria – OWI first offense, $1,000 bail;

Brody James Edwards, 21, Oakdale – OWI first offense, obstruction of highway, $1,100 bail;

Gavin Wayne Girlinghouse, 22, Otis – OWI first offense, $1,000 bail;

Devyne Micheal Kaderly, 19, Pineville – aggravated second degree battery, no bail data.

 

Nov. 1

Krystal Machaelle Brown, 34, Alexandria – OWI first offense, flight from an officer, aggravated criminal damage, aggravated obstruction of highway, improper driving on left, speeding, improper window tint, improper turn, no driver’s license, driving under suspension, safety belt violation, Louisiana fugitive, contempt of non-support, $1,700 bail;

Calie Kaitlyn Chandler, 19, Pineville – OWI first offense, two counts reckless operation of a vehicle, two counts resisting an officer, two counts aggravated obstruction of highway, two counts flight from an officer, speeding, two counts headlamps required on motor vehicles, no signals, two counts driver’s license not in possession, open container, running  a stop sign, inoperative traffic lights treated as an all-way stop, open container, failure to yield, $3,100 bail;

Ronald Wayne Klein Sr., 57, Pineville – two counts stalking, criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace, $1,500 bail;

Zachary Trayone Landers, 32, Alexandria – OWI third offense, operating while under suspension for certain prior offenses, switched license plate, obstruction of court orders, obstructing public passages, open container, three counts contempt of court, $100 bail;

Andrew Louie Mestas, 55, Pineville – OWI second offense, improper lane usage, $1,600 bail;

Monford Wells Mims, 44, Alexandria – aggravated assault, theft, $1,000 bail;

Joseph Nelson Jr., 56, Alexandria – OWI first offense, speeding, open container, $1,200 bail;

Douglas Stage, 64, Boyce – possession of marijuana, resisting an officer, aggravated assault, trespassing, disturbing the peace, $2,000 bail.

 

Oct. 31

Matthew Ashenbrenner, 35, Pineville – domestic abuse battery strangulation, $5,000 bail;

Seth Cullen Dubois, 43, Montgomery – four counts unlawful use of social networking site, probation violation, no bail data;

Christopher Van Johnson, 56, Forest Hill – possession of CDS, $1,500 bail;

Kalyn Darion Lofton, 25, Boyce – possession of a firearm by convicted felon, no bail data;

Kolton Laine Lovelady, 19, Alexandria – OWI second offense, $1,500 bail;

Derrick Wayne Williams Jr., 22, Pineville – illegal carry firearm with drugs, producing manufacturing distributing CDS, home invasion, no bail data.


Oct. 30

Tammy Lynn Brown, 45, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, bicycle reflectors, $3,100 bail;

Joshua Blaine Burnette, 38, Glenmora – first degree rape, sexual battery, indecent behavior with juveniles, battery of a correctional employee, aggravated resisting police officer with force or violence, contraband to and from penal institutions, $500,000 bail;

Matthew Dean Cantu, 43, Alexandria – negligent homicide, possession of marijuana, two counts failure to appear, probation violation, $11,500 bail;

Matthew Ronald Franklin, 41, Lecompte – sexual battery with victim between 13-17 years of age, aggravated sodomy crime against nature, indecent behavior with juveniles, $200,000 bail;

Ta’Shaun Johnson, 23, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, illegal carrying of a weapon, $3,000 bail;

Perice Phillips Jr., 26, Alexandria – four counts contempt of court, $55,500 bail;

Terri Jo Richardson, 41, Birmingham, Ala. – possession of CDS, obstruction of justice, interfering with officer, misrepresentation during booking, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, resisting an officer, reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated obstruction of highway, misrepresentation during booking, $37,500 bail;

Damien Dwayne Selders, 44, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, possession of synthetic cannabinoid, no bicycle headlight, contempt of court, probation violation, $6,100 bail;

Askia Waheed Jr., 40, Alexandria – armed robbery, unauthorized entry into inhabited dwelling, resisting an officer, contempt of court, $257,000 bail;

Jarvis Dontay White, 30, Alexandria – second degree murder, two counts possession of firearm by convicted felon, four counts second degree battery, simple battery, resisting an officer, probation violation, $2.2 million bail;

Kayla Leigh Wooten, 39, Alexandria – two counts second degree murder, two counts attempted second degree murder, aggravated criminal damage, three counts contempt of court, $1.5 million bail;

Thawri Sameer Zeidan, 22, Alexandria – possession of CDS, possession of firearm by convicted felon, possession of paraphernalia, illegal carry firearm with drugs, probation violation, $55,500 bail.

 

Oct. 29

Quanderious Dwayne Baines, 29, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing heroin, paraphernalia, two counts contempt of court, probation violation, $103,000 bail;

Robin Lewis Barber, 52, Deville – OWI second offense, improper headlights, contempt of court, $4,600 bail;

Karisma Renee Batts, 20, Alexandria – criminal damage to property, three counts contempt of court, $13,000 bail;

Brianna Nicole Brouillette, 31, Pineville – create distribute possession with intent counterfeit CDS, two counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, $6,000 bail;

Joel Crooks, 17, Pineville – simple burglary, $10,000 bail;

Wilbur Lee Heard, 44, Bradford, Ala. – possession of CDS, accessory after the fact, aggravated obstruction of highway, resisting an officer, contraband taking to and from penal institutions, $4,000 bail;

Charidi Stokes Lopez, 44, Mission, Texas – possession of CDS, resisting an officer, reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated obstruction of highway, misrepresentation during booking, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, $9,000 bail;

Jennifer Ann McComic, 37, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, two counts legend drug possession, bicycle reflectors, $6,600 bail;

Johnathan Wayne Rhodes, 26, Pineville – two counts contempt of court, $250,000 bail;

Faith Daniele Sermon, 31, Boyce – two counts possession of CDS, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, two counts theft, resisting an officer, two counts contempt of court, probation violation, $66,000 bail;

Calesha Lashun Smith, 25, Alexandria – obstruction of justice, resisting an officer, four counts contempt of court, $15,000 bail;

Joseph Martin Smith Jr., 47, Alexandria – home invasion, $25,000 bail;

Keandre Tyree Watson, 27, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing heroin, paraphernalia, trespassing, two counts contempt of court, parole violations, $51,000 bail.