The Bodcau and Woodworth Shooting Ranges will be closed Friday (July 4) for the Fourth of July holiday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced. Both will be open Saturday (July 5) for normal business hours.

The Bodcau Shooting Range is located at 168 Ben Durden Road in Benton and the Woodworth Shooting Range is at 661 Robinson Bridge Road in Woodworth.

Visitors to LDWF shooting ranges must have either a WMA Access Permit, a Senior Hunting/Fishing License, Louisiana Sportsman’s Paradise License, or a Lifetime Hunting/Fishing License.

 For more information on LDWF shooting ranges, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/shooting-ranges.

(Editor’s note – Since Bob Tompkins was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Columnist of the Year Sunday, here’s one of his award-winning columns from 2024 to enjoy.)

There were a couple of things you noticed almost immediately about Alan Tinsley when he was coaching basketball, regardless of which team he was coaching, which included seven high schools and one college.

He was a like a steam engine at full throttle the entire game.

And, like a steam engine, he’d whistle – quick, shrill, tongue-curling bursts – the entire game.

A few days after a recent coaching retirement party in his honor, Tinsley said at the hobby and collectibles shop he owns on MacArthur Drive that his high-energy persona wasn’t put on just for show time. It’s part of who he is, who he has been and likely will be to the grave.

“When I wake up, I want to be challenged,” he said as cars splashed in the rain outside his store, which was closed on this day. “I approach each day asking myself, ‘How can I be the best I can be?’”

The 58-year-old son of Samuel and Lillian Tinsley came by that attitude naturally, you might say. His father was a preacher, and both of his grandfathers were preachers. Alan’s father’s name is Samuel, his first name is Samuel and his first-born son of four children is Samuel. The Tinsleys are born and bred to preach and work and help and inspire others and be thankful to their Maker in everything. In Alan’s case, that’s after thanking his wife, Carrie, for all that she does to make his life what it is.

He coached for 37 years, and it was a profession he started dreaming about at a young age and pursued beyond his basketball playing career in high school (Jena, under coach Ted McKee) and college (Illinois’ Greenville University, under Jack “Rip” Tragger). He even doubled his competitive sports load as a college senior with duty as the starting goalie on the soccer team.

He started coaching at Buckeye High School right out of college and was so impressive, Louisiana College’s head basketball coach, Gene Rushing, eventually came calling, wanting him to be his assistant coach.

“I didn’t go to LC with the desire to succeed Gene as head coach there,” he said. “I went there because I wanted to be mentored by the best coach in the state.” He did that for seven years, with a highlight being the time he had to take over as interim head coach for an ailing Rushing for one game in early March of 2000.

It was a first-round game of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men’s tournament, and Rushing couldn’t be there because he was in an Alexandria hospital with diverticulitis. Ever the one who could come up with a dramatic pep talk, Tinsley summoned his troops to “do something spectacular” not only for themselves, their families and the school but for their missing head coach. Against a talented William Carey team that would go on to win the tournament, the Wildcats rallied from a 42-28 deficit to take a stunning 68-67 lead, only to get beat by a buzzer-beating layup, 69-68.

Tinsley went on to coach at Marksville, Tioga, Avoyelles, Alexandria Senior High, Grant, Oak Hill and Northwood before calling it quits in coaching after this past season, his second season at Northwood. His longest stint was at ASH, where he coached from 2009-19 and achieved a school record 203 victories. At Northwood, he guided the Gators to the Division IV select boys state championship two seasons ago, and he claimed his 500^th career coaching victory there last season.

Through it all, he was known as “The Whistling Coach,” and once even tactfully defied an official who asked him to stop whistling in a noisy, packed gym.

“I remember it was at a playoff game in Baton Rouge and during a stoppage of play,” Tinsley began. “The ref came over to me and said, ‘Coach, you need to stop whistling. It’s against the rules.’ I told him that’s not going to happen, that’s who I am, and that’s our means of communication. The rule says you can’t have an artificial noisemaker, but there’s nothing artificial about my whistling. But I told him, with a wink, ‘I’ll try and bring it down a little.’ He walked off and stopped and turned around and said, ‘I appreciate that, and I think you got me on that one, Coach.’”

And to think the whistling for Alan started one day when he was 8 or 9, sitting on a tree stump in his back yard, dejected that he couldn’t whistle. “I sort of sighed — and I have this gap between my front teeth — and out came a whistle!” He tried it a few more times, getting louder each time.

And he has never brought it down a little.

By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

NATCHITOCHES – As hard as it may be to believe, Andrew Whitworth nearly left his home state to play college football.

“I was always a (Danny) Wuerffel and (Steve) Spurrier fan,” Whitworth said of the Florida Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and head coach, who helped lead the Gators to national prominence in the mid-1990s. “Fred Taylor was my favorite running back. I wanted to be a Gator so bad.”

Then, a new face to Louisiana entered Whitworth’s living room – first-year LSU head football coach Nick Saban. With Saban not only came a recruiter but a coach who would help shape the course of Whitworth’s career ahead of his senior season at West Monroe High School.

It began a journey that carried him to Baton Rouge, then through a 16-year pro career in Cincinnati and Los Angeles, and back home to Louisiana Saturday night as he was enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

The one-time Gator fan credited Saban with helping him realize his future was not as a tight end but a few steps closer to his quarterback.

“I had visited Houston Nutt at Arkansas and Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee,” Whitworth said. “They used big tight ends in their offenses, and that was what I was playing. Nick Saban came in and sat in my living room and said we can sign you as a tight end and you’ll play there for a year, but I think if you play offensive tackle, you’ll probably have a pretty good run at playing football. He was the first coach in my life who told me I should be an offensive lineman – which is the most insulting thing you can say to a tight end. The way he said it, though, I started thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll be a lineman.’ I asked my senior year (at West Monroe) to move to offensive tackle and began putting on weight because coach Saban believes I’ll be a great left tackle. I can’t say he had it wrong.”

Saban joined his one-time recruit and eventual anchor of the LSU offensive line in this year’s induction class.

Saban’s belief in Whitworth helped keep him in Louisiana and added to Whitworth’s championship-laden career. A two-time national champion at West Monroe, Whitworth added a college football national championship at LSU, winning it in the same place he took home three Louisiana High School Athletic Association titles – the Superdome.

Just as Whitworth left an indelible mark on the NFL as a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner, the Superdome did the same for “Big Whit,” who often played at 6-foot-8, 350 pounds, but displayed an athleticism that belied his tremendous stature.

“The Superdome is just a really special place to me,” Whitworth said. “It felt like going to your favorite restaurant or as a kid playing on the playground. It’s such a massive part of my history in sports. I look back at how many games I was able to play there – played in four state championship games at West Monroe, winning three of them. We played in the Kickoff Classics against (Archbishop) Shaw and John Curtis. My one touchdown in high school came in the Superdome. Low and behold, I go to LSU as part of Nick Saban’s first recruiting class and win a national championship at where else but the Superdome. I don’t know how LSU always pulls it off – winning national championships in New Orleans.”

The fun in one of the most enjoyable cities in the nation didn’t stop in college.

As a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals, Whitworth and his team scored a victory against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. His first NFC Championship Game victory came with the Los Angeles Rams in the Superdome against the Saints with a controversial non-call allowing the Rams to escape with the victory and send Whitworth to his first Super Bowl.

Those memories are part of what Whitworth carried with him throughout his 16-year NFL career that culminated with a Super Bowl championship with the Rams, bookending a remarkable five-year run with the second and final NFL franchise for whom he starred.

Regardless of whether it was in Cincinnati or on the West Coast, Whitworth kept the championships coming while remaining true to and proud of his Louisiana roots. As a northeast Louisiana native whose start turned into a supernova in Baton Rouge, Whitworth is uniquely positioned to espouse the virtues of both ends of his home state – something he does with the same pride he took in mentoring young NFL players and young men and women in West Monroe and Ruston, the hometown of his wife, Melissa, a former Miss Louisiana winner.

“This is such a humbling honor,” Whitworth said. “Louisiana played such a huge role in my life. When I look back to Monroe, West Monroe, being Louisiana born and raised, playing for West Monroe and junior high at OCS (Ouachita Christian School) – my grandparents are from Bastrop. Every little part of him childhood – of my career – what this state has done for me and meant to me. It’s really fun to me now. I do enjoy living in California and tell people about Louisiana. We’ve had opportunities to bring families here and show them around. When I see other people from the 318 (area code) or Baton Rouge when I’m out and about in my travels, there’s such a gleam of pride about where we’re from and how it molded us.”

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

Baton Rouge- The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has confirmed Louisiana’s first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) of the 2025 mosquito season and urges all Louisianans to protect themselves from mosquito bites. This case was confirmed in an individual from Livingston Parish who was hospitalized due to complications from the infection. To protect patient confidentiality, no further information about the patient will be released.

About 1 in 150 people who are infected with WNV develop a severe illness that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, which may even cause paralysis or death.

West Nile virus has been actively spreading throughout Louisiana since its first detection in the state in 2002. To date in 2025, WNV activity has been confirmed in 14 parishes. In 2024, there were 57 confirmed human cases of WNV in Louisiana, including three deaths.

West Nile virus

West Nile virus is spread to people by mosquitoes and can cause mild to severe illnesses. While most people infected with West Nile virus develop no symptoms, about 20% of infected people develop West Nile fever. West Nile fever is a flu-like illness with symptoms that can include fever, headaches, body aches, nausea, and rashes.

A small percentage of infected people develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease, a severe illness that affects the central nervous system and can result in hospitalization or even death. Symptoms can include high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, muscle weakness, numbness, coma, and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks and carry the risk of death or permanent damage.

It is important to protect yourself from mosquito bites to prevent illness. People 55 years of age and older and people with certain medical conditions are at a greater risk for severe disease if they are infected.

Tips to protect yourself against mosquitoes

Wear EPA-registered mosquito repellent outdoors and always follow label instructions.
Apply repellent on exposed skin only. Do not apply under clothing or on broken skin.
Carry a travel-size repellent if you will be outdoors for an extended period.
Apply sunscreen first, insect repellent second, if you are also wearing sunscreen.
Make sure windows are tight-fitting and screens are free of holes to keep mosquitoes out.

Tips to protect your home from mosquitoes

• Eliminate standing water around your home, which is where mosquitoes breed. 
• Turn over wheelbarrows, plastic wading pools, buckets, trash cans, children’s toys, and anything that can collect standing water.
• Quickly discard or store any containers around your home to avoid accumulating water. Drill holes in standing containers to drain water quickly.
• Clean roof gutters routinely. Clogged gutters can produce millions of mosquitoes annually.
• Take steps to prevent water gardens and ornamental pools from stagnating (and becoming major mosquito producers), such as adding fish or aeration.
• Clean bird baths weekly, as changing the water keeps it from stagnating and becoming a breeding area for mosquitoes.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, especially if they go unused. Be aware that mosquitoes also breed in water accumulated on pool covers. 
• Install or repair window screens.

Visit the CDC online for more tips on preventing mosquito-borne diseases.

One boat owner, 66-year-old chicken farmer Charles Lightoller, refused to allow the Navy to take his 52-foot converted Admiralty steam pinnace called Sundowner.  Charles, a retired sea captain himself who was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery, declared that he would captain Sundowner himself.  He insisted that his ship would be crewed by his oldest son, 33-year-old Robert Lightoller, and 18-year-old sea scout Gerald Ashcroft.  Charles was no stranger to danger.  He had survived the sinking of two ships during World War I, and rammed and sank a German U-boat, UB-110, with his destroyer HMS Garry.  Charles’s ship was so badly damaged during the ramming that he had to steer it 160 miles to safety in reverse.  The Royal Navy knew of his seamanship and agreed to his request.  Captain Charles and his crew left the harbor at Ramsgate, England for Dunkirk.      

Although Sundowner was licensed to carry just 21 passengers, Captain Charles loaded his ship with sailors.  One survivor wrote a letter to Charles’s widow, Sylvia, after his death in 1952.  He told her that he “looked over the stern while your husband stowed the soldiers below in every corner it was possible to stow one.  Only your late husband’s knowledge of the Channel and his seamanship brought the boat right back into Ramsgate harbour.”  For nine days in May and June 1940, hundreds of “little ships” including Charle’s Sundowner, evacuated more than 338,000 stranded allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France.     

Charles, the captain of the little ship who saved 139 lives during the evacuation of Dunkirk, is mostly remembered as the second officer of what was once the largest ship afloat.  Charles Lightoller was the last person off of and the most senior surviving officer of the Titanic.

Sources:

1.      Daily Echo, May 31, 1990, p.7. 

2.     The Daily Telegraph, April 9, 2009, p.17.

By JIM BUTLER

A Committee to Elect Brian Cespiva District Judge has filed a statement of organization with the Louisiana Ethics Administration.

The June 12 document formalizes what has been known for some time – Cespiva, who seems to wear more hats than did Hedda Hopper, is a candidate to succeed retiring Ninth District Judge Patricia Koch in October.

Kay Michiels is listed as committee chairperson. Others listed are Johnny Giordano, treasurer, and Kenneth Doggett.

Cespiva may be most readily recognized as an assistant district attorney. He is also counsel to a number of public bodies and involved in a host of community activities.

Koch, in her fourth six-year term, will retire in late October. Her unexpired term runs through 2026.

Her successor will be one of two judges completing terms next year of retired jurists. Loren Lampert was elected in March 2024 to complete John Davidson’s.

All seven of the Ninth Judicial District seats will be at issue in the October 2026 primary. Other judges are:

Monique Rauls, first elected in 2014, succeeding the retiring Donald Johnson; Chris Hazel, first elected in 2018 to fill remaining term of retiring Tom Yeager; Mary Doggett, first elected in 2008, succeeding retiring F. Rae Swent; David Williams, elected in 2020, succeeding the retiring George Metoyer Jr.; Greg Beard, first elected in 2014.

NATCHITOCHES — Acclaimed Alexandria journalist Bob Tompkins was a major honor winner Sunday at the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Award Brunch held at Merci Beaucoup Restaurant in Natchitoches.

Tompkins won the state “Columnist of the Year” award for work published in the Rapides Parish Journal in 2024. His columns appear each Tuesday in the RPJ.

His three winning entries were about a conversation with golf great Jack Burke Jr., a Sunday afternoon LSU baseball game experience, and a heartwarming return to campus by Tioga High School football legend Chris Williams.

The headlines:

• Thankful for a visit with golf legend Burke
• Feeling the love even in a loss at Alex Box
• Return of a hero: Fitting Tioga honor for LSU great Chris Williams

The contest judge wrote: “Three well-told, human-centric pieces that tell us a story and then go just a little bit beyond that to find the deeper lesson. These pieces were very well-crafted and the writer should be proud of them.”

Tompkins took second place in the “prep columns” division for his piece on retired local basketball coach Alan Tinsley titled “Tinsley had a coaching career worth whistling about.”

The award-winning stories, all in the Class II division for publications with circulations under 10,000, can be found using the RPJ’s search button.

Writers for Journal publications in Natchitoches, Ruston and Shreveport-Bossier collected 21 awards. Content editor and provider Doug Ireland was named the LSWA’s state sportswriter of the year after eight of his stories from 2024 were cited for excellence in the contest, judged by out-of-state sports editors and journalists.

NATCHITOCHES – The lens through which much of the nation views Louisiana was on full display Saturday night inside the Natchitoches Events Center as the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame welcomed in its 12-person class of 2025.

“A lot of people look at this state through the athletic programs at LSU,” said seven-time national champion college football coach Nick Saban, whose first title came in 2003 at the helm of the Tiger program. “When we were there, we raised the bar and the standard.”

The standard raising and bearing celebrated Saturday night did not begin and end with Saban nor did it end with on-field or competitive accomplishments.

Joining Saban in the induction class was one of his first recruits – West Monroe offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth. Whitworth followed his two national prep titles and three state crowns with a 2003 national championship at LSU and a four-time Pro Bowl, 16-season NFL career that culminated in a Super Bowl victory that came three days after he took home the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Saban lauded Whitworth as epitomizing what the coach wanted his players to become in their post-collegiate career.

Whitworth attributed that to his home state’s culture and what it instilled in him during his formative years in northeast Louisiana.

“Culture is shared belief and values,” he said. “When you have that, it makes it special. I always want to make things better than I found them, and I have been given the blessings and ability to do that. Anything I’m a part of, it will be better because I’m there. The people I do it with are what matters most. That’s our way of life.

“When I think of being at West Monroe, I think about my parents and my teammates’ parents. When we were really successful, they were feeding the whole team and the coaches are pouring into us. At LSU, it was the same thing. You’re just further away from home, but it was a new home. Moms were having us over to eat. Dads were taking us to lunch, asking us what we wanted to do after LSU. It was a support system. Once you get to the league, you have to be the support system. Could I share the values I learned from Louisiana? Making others feel valued. Can you spread that love? Making everyone feel special and feel a part of something sets you up to be successful. That’s our way of life in Louisiana.”

Being that support system for others came naturally to Whitworth and was on display long before his 16-year NFL career that saw him help redefine the legacy of left tackles at football highest level.

“He always poured into other guys,” West Monroe strength and conditioning coach Kirk Frantom said. “Whit was always in tune with his body and always wanted to perform at his highest level, but it wasn’t just the competitiveness. It was the servant’s heart he has.”

Whitworth’s legacy extended to his final NFL stop, winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, a franchise that allowed him to lead almost in lock step with head coach Sean McVay. Whitworth’s relationship with McVay has been well documented, and the two remain close after Whitworth’s retirement from the game.

“Whit always said this is a blessing, not a burden, and that’s the approach he took every day,” McVay said. “He’s the only person to wear the Walter Payton Man of the Year patch and go out and win a Super Bowl to go out. He is the epitome of a special one and of a Hall of Famer.

While at LSU, Whitworth shared campus with another transformative force – one that came in a much smaller package than his hulking, 6-foot-8, 330-pound frame.

For the second straight year, the Hall opened its doors to a female LSU student-athlete who changed the trajectory of program in Baton Rouge. One year after women’s basketball’s Seimone Augustus walked into the Hall, 14-time All-American gymnast April Burkholder gained entry into the state’s sports shrine.

Just as Augustus did, Burkholder’s presence turned the Pete Maravich Assembly Center into the place to be when LSU competed.

“It was the same time that LSU women’s basketball landed Seimone,” said Hall of Fame coach D-D Breaux, who coached Burkholder throughout her LSU career. “There was so much gain and so much reward with April. She brought a real professional, polished look, a style and a self-confidence in the kind of gymnastics she wanted to do. The program continued to grow. The crowds continued to grow. She was the start of that.”

The All-American honors and the 2006 NCAA beam championship almost never happened. Burkholder faced injuries that threatened her career starting at age 2 with a concussion and a fractured skull.

There were two compound fractures and three surgeries on one of her arms. Amputation of that arm nearly happened.

Yet, Burkholder pushed through and became the standard bearer for an ascendant program that reached a national championship peak in 2024.

“My parents said at one point, ‘We’re OK if you don’t want to do gymnastics again,’” Burkholder said. “I said, ‘What would it all be worth? What would it be for?’ That’s what makes it all worth it. Grit, perseverance, it teaches you throughout your entire life. It teaches you life skills you use forever.”

In five seasons, Saban took a 3-8 team and turned it into a national championship, securing LSU’s first national crown in 45 years in 2003.

His first recruiting class included Whitworth with whom he shared induction Saturday. The pair was instrumental in helping broaden the horizons and setting new standards at LSU.

“You can’t recruit the type of players he did without the ability to connect,” said former LSU and Dallas Cowboy standout Marcus Spears. “Moving from tight end to defensive end was difficult at 17, 18 years of age. I trusted him blindly and he turned out to be right. There are hundreds of those stories. He has had consistency in his work and elevated people.”

Saban elevated the LSU program to that 2003 national champion, which he said gave him the best feeling in his professional life to that point.

What has transpired in the 21 seasons since also has made Saban flush with Bayou State pride even as he stood across the gridiron from the purple-and-gold clad Tigers.

“I’m proud of the fact that we contributed to the iconic brand LSU has and the state of Louisiana has,” he said. ‘All of us, when we get rid of the self-imposed limitations and accomplish something of significance, it establishes a new horizon. The next time you accomplish it, it’s a new horizon. Then, it becomes the standard, the example for other people. Transformational leadership helps other people reach those horizons as well. I’m really, really proud every time I see LSU. It was a great rivalry (with Alabama), but I’m always proud because we did something to raise the bar and the program has been outstanding ever since.”

Over 100 bowlers from all around the state, most from central Louisiana, were joined by two dozen state sports celebrities for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s annual Celebrity Bowling Bash presented by BOM at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria.

The two-hour event included a catered lunch from Outlaw’s BBQ, a high-energy DJ, and plenty of spirited competition – and gutter balls – along the way.

After lunch and warmups, LSHOF Foundation president Ronnie Rantz – a former Menard Eagle and LSU baseball standout – introduced the sports figures, most who were either incoming Hall of Fame inductees or those from previous years. That group included Bolton High School and Louisiana College graduate Marie Gagnard, the winner of the 2019 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award for her long career as a tennis official on the professional circuit. Gagnard called lines at 35 U.S. Open Championships.

Another local celebrity was Lyn Rollins, a longtime Pineville resident and one of the state’s best-known and well-respected sports broadcasters. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2018.

The incoming Hall of Fame class members participating Friday were LSU gymnast April Burkholder, Coushatta and Louisiana Tech’s Vickie Johnson, an WNBA pioneer and two-time All-Star; Danny Broussard, basketball coach at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette; Delgado Community College baseball coach Joe Scheuermann; and LSU product Herb Vincent, a top-level Southeastern Conference administrator. Sons of two ailing, elderly inductees, LSU boxing national champion Bobby Soileau and Catholic High-Baton Rouge football coach Dale Weiner, represented their dads.

LSU football greats Andrew Whitworth and Nick Saban arrived later for Induction Celebration activities.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

June 29

Daveion Eric Davis, 26, Lecompte – OWI first offense, headlamps required, driving under suspension/revocation, $1,200 bail;

Donna R. Duncan, 66, Pineville – OWI second offense, no driver’s license, canceled plate violation, $1,700 bail;

Edward Fayejuan Ford, 26, Pineville – flight from an officer, running a stop sign, possession of a firearm by convicted felon, headlamps required, $200 bail;

Camron Davis Ray, 33, Alexandria – two counts domestic abuse battery, criminal mischief, simple assault resisting an officer, two counts criminal trespass, resisting an officer, $2,500 bail;

Rebecca Eve Sanders, 23, Deville – OWI first offense, improper lane usage, tail lamps red light, $1,200 bail.

June 28

Andre Lamonte Blakemore, 35, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail;

Raul Barrios Gonzalez, 36, Wichita (Texas) – OWI, reckless operation, driver’s license required, no insurance, $2,350 bail;

Destiny Johnson, 22, Alexandria – OWI first offense, safety belt violation, $1,100 bail;

Owen Johnson, 19, Alexandria – theft, $5,000 bail;

April Lashada Mingo, 36, Cottonport – two counts possession of CDS, contempt of court, Louisiana fugitive, $6,000 bail;

Dwain E. Morris, 48, Elm Grove – OWI second offense, wrong way one way street, driving under suspension, $1,700 bail;

Christie Nichole Mouton, 45, Alexandria – OWI first offense, improper lane usage, open container, resisting an officer, $1,700 bail;

Chalvez Jamal Pinkston, 40, Alexandria – four counts contempt of court, $17,000 bail;

Jarvorous Dewayne Sanders, 22, Alexandria – three counts producing manufacturing distributing CDS, domestic abuse battery, paraphernalia, aggravated assault, parole violations, $1,500 bail.

June 27

Richard Gordon Bishop Jr, 64, Pineville – possession of CDS, possession of marijuana, paraphernalia, parole violations, $3,500 bail;

Amanda Renee Cash, 43, Pineville – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, failure to appear, probation violation, two counts contempt of court, $6,000 bail;

Arcadious Deshaun Jackson, 25, Alexandria – unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, six counts contempt of court, $18,000 bail;

Amber Johnson, 49, N/A – first degree rape, criminal conspiracy, cruelty to the infirmed, $50,000 bail;

Michael Tyler Mayo, 31, Dry Prong – three counts contempt of court, $15,000 bail;

Eternity Lynne De’nee McCarty, 26, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery, $1,500 bail;

Jacob Cade Richard, 37, Pineville – domestic abuse battery, $250 bail;

Destinee Mechele Wilson, 34, Alexandria – five counts contempt of court, $60,000 bail.

June 26

Lewis Daniel Allen, 44, Pineville – aggravated criminal damage, disturbing the peace, $5,500 bail;

Steven Kodie Bilbo, 23, Pineville – domestic abuse battery strangulation, $5,000 bail;

Deonte Javon Brown, 33, Alexandria – four counts contempt of court, $15,000 bail;

Taurus Contrell Brown Sr, 45, Alexandria – two counts possession of CDS, producing manufacturing distributing marijuana, paraphernalia, bicycle reflectors required, resisting an officer, $9,600 bail;

John Buttirck, 36, Hopkinville, Ky. – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, illegal carry firearm with drugs, improper lane usage, $6,100 bail;

Keith Anthony Courville Jr, 31, Hessmer – possession of firearm by convicted felon, possession of CDS, improper window tint, no vehicle registration, two counts contempt of court, $7,700 bail;

Matthew D. Hodnett, 37, Pineville – OWI second offense, reckless operation of a vehicle, criminal damage to property, possession of CDS, switched license plate, failure to secure registration, $3,200 bail;

John Kennie Green, 57, Westlake – simple burglary, contempt of court, $5,500 bail;

Jonathan Charles Harris, 40, Alexandria – simple battery, resisting an officer, three counts contempt of court, $7,000 bail;

Gary Randall Peart Jr, 48, Bentley – OWI second offense, expired plate/registration, open container, operating a vehicle under suspension for certain prior offenses, five counts contempt of court, $252,200 bail;

Stephanie Charlene Varnell, 36, Pineville – two counts possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, simple escape, two counts contempt of court, $7,000 bail.

June 25

Derek Jameal Bryant, 35, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, $10,000 bail;

Walter Keith Gammill Jr, 36, Dry Prong – OWI second offense, open container, operating a vehicle while under suspension for certain prior offenses, improper lane usage, switched license plate, two counts contempt of court, $13,700 bail;

Joshua Lewis Gremillion, 39, Mansura – home invasion, $5,000 bail;

Rashad O’Neal Jenkins, 31, Alexandria – Louisiana fugitive, possession of CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of firearm by convicted felon, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, two counts contempt of court, $47,500 bail;

Jamarrius Deshad Willingham, 29, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery with child present, domestic abuse battery, $4,000 bail.

By JIM BUTLER

Thirteen years after an environmental debacle at Dresser Industries, and five years after the public was notified of its extent, litigation involving several hundred plaintiffs and seemingly that many lawyers is back in federal court Monday.

Claims by two plaintiffs in the stack of those in line went to trial in test last Fall, jurors finding for the defense on all claims.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are set aside for hearing evidence in a Lafayette courtroom from all parties on their versions of the Most Feasible Plan of corrective action.

Dresser, now in the Baker-Hughes family, says in its MFP that it has spent about $24 million on remediation so far and estimates another three to four to complete its plan.

An annotated timeline:

June 2012 – soil and water contamination toxic release occurs; March 2020 – residents of defined area around plant notified; June 2020  – class action suit filed in state court in Baton Rouge, DEQ subsequently ruled immune to charges; August 2020 – Dresser petition moves case to federal court; Covid disrupts;

September 2023 – Suit ruled not a proper class action, requiring individual litigation; October 2023 – Dresser seeks, gets order requiring each plaintiff claiming personal injury from exposure to TCE or PCE or on behalf of minor to provide from physician list of specific injuries, illnesses or conditions, date first suffered and treated, explanation of exposure and diagnosis with February 2024 deadline;

February 2024 – Deadline extended to May; August 2024 – Court orders both sides in cases to provide their versions of Most Feasible Plan; October 2024 – Dresser submits MFP; plaintiffs seek extension, granted; October 28-November 6, 2024 – “Bellwether” trial of damage claims of two plaintiffs, jury found for defense on all claims; such trials help both sides in such litigation assess their cases; December 2024 – Plaintiffs submit MFP;

April 2025 – Remediation hearing continued at plaintiffs’ request; plaintiffs ask to file supplemental MFP, denied; court notes length of time since cases began; hearing continued to May 19; May 2025 – Hearing re-set for June 30-July 2.

By JONATHON ZENK, Written for the LSWA

NATCHITOCHES — During Thursday afternoon’s introductory press conference for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s  Class of 2025, a couple sentiments were common threads — gratitude and relationships.

Memories and stories were shared by all the inductees, or those speaking on their behalf, as they reflected on the state where they built a legacy that led them to the honor they will officially receive Saturday night during the induction ceremony televised live on Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Today the scene shifts to Alexandria’s Four Seasons Bowling Center for the Mardi Gras Bowling Bash then returns to Natchitoches where the evening offers the free Rockin’ RiverFest concert from 6-10:30 on the downtown Cane River Lake stage, including inductee introductions at 9:15 followed by a 10-minute sports-themed fireworks show.

Saturday’s activities begin with the Junior Training Camp led by the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans marketing staff from 9-11 a.m. at the Webb Wellness Center on the Northwestern State campus.

Two more inductees will join the festivities. LSU and NFL star Andrew Whitworth arrives today after his daughter’s dance recital last night in Los Angeles.  His LSU coach, Nick Saban, has been filming AFLAC commercials in Los Angeles and will arrive Saturday for the induction ceremony. Whitworth and Saban helped lead the Tigers to the 2003 national championship.

Relationships are a major theme during every induction, so it made sense Thursday afternoon that college chums Glenn Guilbeau and Herb Vincent were at the podium early in the chain of inductees.

“I am real proud of my friendship with Herb,” Guilbeau said. “We’ve been able to get along, dating back to when we were both at LSU at the same time.

“It was great to follow Herb’s career from the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL to the SEC. He’s been a great friend to have.”

Guilbeau, a two-time Louisiana Sportswriter of the Year, will receive the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.

LSHOF Foundation President & CEO Ronnie Rantz, a Menard High standout who pitched for LSU’s first two College World Series champions in 1991 and 1993, recounted a joke played on Guilbeau, who was working at the Alexandria Daily Town Talk when hometown hero Rantz played for the Tigers.

Rantz was pitching well but Vincent exaggerated when he called Guilbeau in Alexandria claiming Rantz had a no-hitter going late in a midweek game. Guilbeau quickly hung up, called the paper’s editors and told them be ready for a big story — before Vincent called back moments later saying while Rantz had a good outing going, it was not a no-hitter.

“Glenn hung up the phone before we could tell him it was a joke,” Vincent said. “We tried to figure out how to call him back to tell him to stop and wondered how long do we let this go? Finally, we called him back and told him the truth.

“That was when we realized Glenn would believe anything if he took the bait that Ronnie was throwing a no-hitter at an LSU baseball game.”

Vincent, now in his 12^th year as an associate commissioner of the SEC, will receive the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.

While those two had a relationship in the workplace, other inductees didn’t have to look so far for their big relationships.

In 1990, Rags Scheuermann was inducted into the LSHOF as a legendary Delgado Community College baseball coach.

After 35 years, Rags will be joined by his son, Joe. They become the fourth father-son combination in the Hall.

The younger Scheuermann has won a state-record 1,207 games as the Delgado CC baseball coach and has led the Dolphins to five JUCO World Series appearances.

“It is special being a father-son duo in the LSHOF,” he said. “You grow up and you have idols — my dad was my idol. I just wish he was here. You follow somebody and you try to emulate him. I remember sitting on his lap in the dugout. The fact that we’re in it together is special.”

While Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier dominate the present-day WNBA, former Louisiana Tech star Vickie Johnson walked so the current trio could run. The Coushatta native, currently an assistant coach with the Atlanta Dream, played in the WNBA’s inaugural season.

“The WNBA started in 1997, and I was one of the original 32 players in the league and I was placed in New York with some amazing players, Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo …. We didn’t make a whole lot of money, but it wasn’t about that. It was about the next generation and now you see the league’s growth with Clark and Angel Reese.”

Johnson was a two-time All-American for the Lady Techsters before playing 13 seasons in the WNBA. In her 13 seasons, she averaged 10.4 points, set the WNBA record for minutes played in a career,  and made a pair of WNBA All-Star teams.

A replay of the 2025 Induction Press Conference can be found at youtube.com/@LouisianaSportsHallofFame.

By JIM BUTLER

An architectural firm has been chosen for design of the 56-bed regional juvenile detention facility at Renaissance.

The board of the eight-parish detention district has formalized the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the state Office of Facility Planning and Control for the $38 million project and this month settled on a design group.

Grace Hebert Curtis, which has offices in five Louisiana cities as well as 16 locations in Texas and Florida, was selected, assuming no state objections. Design experience with detention facilities is listed as a key factor.

The Renaissance district was chosen earlier this year for funding in the initial competitive round for detention facilities expansion funds, particularly for housing 17-year-olds either awaiting case disposition or convicted.

Rapides, Grant, Avoyelles, LaSalle, Vernon, Winn, Catahoula and Concordia Parishes comprise the district.

Rapides, through an existing property tax, will provide about $2.2 million of the $2.67 million in initial estimated operating costs from the parishes.

The Office of Juvenile Justice will provide $1.55 million in guaranteed daily bed rate compensation for holding 17 of the 56 beds in reserve for state-assigned offenders.

The facility will be at the current Renaissance property, Vandenburg Drive & Bayou Rapides Road.

By HARRISON VALENTINE, Written for the LSWA

Before there was Haleigh Bryant, Sarah Finnegan or Ashleigh Gnat, there was a 14-time All-American at LSU. An NCAA beam champion, and an SEC Gymnast of the Year, who was setting the foundation and helping vault LSU gymnastics into a perennial power.

That was April Burkholder, a native of Houston, but an LSU Tiger through and through. Just ask her legendary coach D-D Breaux, who experienced it all in her 43 years as leader of the LSU program.

Breaux coached 250 All-Americans and 89 All-SEC selections during her illustrious tenure that in 2017 landed her in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Burkholder was as driven as any of them, she said, high praise coming from one of the sport’s greatest pioneers.

“She was intense,” Breaux said. “She had that Eye of the Tiger. Nothing was going to stop her. Nothing was going to stand in her way. She wanted to win championships. She wanted to do anything she could possibly do to put an exclamation point on her gymnastics.”

Now Burkholder will join her coach in the state’s sports shrine during the 2025 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration this weekend in Natchitoches. Festivities start this evening with a free Welcome Reception at the LSHOF Museum (800 Front Street, Natchitoches) from 5-7.

Friday, the BOM Mardi Gras Bowling Bash fills lunchtime with fun at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria.  Check LaSportsHall.com for event information.

Not only did Burkholder’s greatness pay dividends for LSU on the mat, but it also translated into fan interest never previously seen in an LSU program that once competed in the Carl Maddox Field House or before sparse crowds in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

In 2025, the Tigers finished with four consecutive sellouts for the first time in school history. A total of 13,476 people attended the final meet against Georgia. Those numbers, historic in nature, were sparked by gymnasts like Burkholder and coaches like Breaux, who generated excitement that Tiger fans feel today.

“She was the beginning of us being able to market and promote and really put people in the seats,” Breaux said. “The fact that, when she left, we were selling season tickets and putting 6,000 people in the stands, that was the beginning of what we see now.”

When you boast a resume like Burkholder’s – whose list of accolades spill off the page – it’s almost impossible to pick one moment that stands out. For Breaux, it was the final event of her senior year, capturing the 2006 NCAA championship on balance beam. All that hard work culminating in the ultimate prize on the ultimate stage. How fitting.

“Everything she did was just awesome,” Breaux said. “She never won a national championship until her senior year. Numerous All-American honors and numerous SEC honors. But that coveted national title had evaded her. In my career, I’ve had three or four beam national championships, and every one are special people because the event requires so much focus and repetition of training.”

Burkholder got an early start in the sport, inspired by her big sister and encouraged by her parents.

“My sister was four years older than me and had been in gymnastics a year before I started,” she said. “I was 3 and I was jumping all over the place. I broke five bones before I was 5 years old, I cracked my skull open when I was 2, so I think part of my introduction to gymnastics was my parents wanting me to learn how to fall.”

She was a quick study, and gymnastics had a magnetic pull that became the dominant influence as she grew up. Although she thrived competitively, it came at a cost.

“I loved performing. Floor was always my favorite event because of that. Dance was a big part also for me,” said Burkholder. “It was all I knew, really. I was training 10 hours a day by the time I was 10 years old. I honestly didn’t even really have time for school. My education took a back seat and suffered a little bit, so I had to overcome a lot of obstacles.

“I had a scholarship waiting for me that I couldn’t take because I wasn’t academically eligible. I had to wait a year after I graduated high school to fix some things before I could come to LSU.  D-D was very helpful in helping me get eligible, and she was pretty adamant about getting me to LSU.”

By then, she was a highly-coveted recruit.

“I pretty much had any choice I wanted, and LSU was my first trip. It wasn’t that far away from home, one state over, and it was my first choice, especially after I took my visit. It felt like home, all the way around,” said Burkholder.

Burkholder took her academics more seriously although she didn’t have the laser focus on her post-competitive career. She changed her major several times ad ultimately graduated in general studies with minors in sociology, communication studies and dance.

“That allowed me to take classes that I felt would be very useful in life, not knowing yet what I wanted to do for a career,” she said, noting that it proved to be an ideal foundation for what has become a career in alcoholic beverage sales for world-renowned Disaronno, which notably produces the world’s favorite Italian liqueur. She oversees the company’s accounts in south Texas and all of Louisiana.

That vocation introduced her to a Houston-area restaurant manager, Andrew Coulter, who has since entered the construction business. They married July 13, 2020 and last year April gave birth to 13-month-old daughter Adelyn Dawn, who shares her mom’s middle name and already, a love for dancing.

While national championships, record-breaking crowds, and billions of social media engagements have become the “new norm” for the Tiger program, it wasn’t always like that. Far from it, actually. Burkholder, along with Breaux, were key to building LSU gymnastics into what it is today – one of the hottest tickets in town.

Burkholder stepped onto LSU’s campus in 2002 as a rising star and left as the most decorated gymnast in school history four years later. Today, even after the program’s first NCAA championship in 2024 and numerous great teams and great gymnasts, Burkholder’s accomplishments still rank among the very best in LSU history.

When she left LSU, Burkholder had won a total of 108 individual event titles, setting a program record. Her eight perfect 10s (four on floor exercise, two on vault and two on beam) are still tied for the fourth-most in LSU history. And her 39.875 all-around score in 2003 in a meet with Centenary and Texas Woman’s University stood as the program’s best mark for 21 years until a 39.925 by Bryant in 2024.

During her time as a Tiger, Burkholder compiled 14 All-American honors (seventh-most ever at LSU), and was two-time SEC and NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year in addition to being a four-time All-SEC selection. As the program continued to grow, so did she.

“She’s an example of what it means to work hard and achieve more,” Breaux said. “Every year she got better, achieved more – and she was great when she arrived.”

Burkholder is deeply appreciative of her impending enshrinement in the state sports shrine – as only the fourth gymnast, following 1984 Olympic gold medalist Kathy Johnson along with Breaux and another Tiger great, 2019 inductee Susan Jackson.

“After dedicating my life to this sport, and having to overcome a lot of obstacles, a lot of challenges, this puts it all together and makes it that much more meaningful,” said Burkholder, who turns 42 on July 2. “Hearing about the process and seeing everyone who’s been inducted and those who are in this class, it’s really special to reach this point. It solidifies things and makes it all worth it.”

Contact Harrison at hvalen3@lsu.edu

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

June 25

Ashley Brook Asbury, 36, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail;

James Robert Ates, 44, Des Moines, Iowa – OWI first offense, improper turn, $1,100 bail;

Gavin David Lee Beaubouef, 20, Ball – first degree rape, sexual battery, $250,000 bail;

Amelia Grace Delrie, 21, Pineville – two counts illegal use of weapons/dangerous instrumentalities, aggravated criminal damage, resisting an officer, misrepresentation during booking, disturbing the peace, $31,500 bail;

Tommie Hastings, 51, Aimwell – aggravated assault domestic abuse, Louisiana fugitive, $2,500 bail;

Dantaveas Diante Lindsey, 31, Alexandria – two counts possession of CDS, obstruction of justice, safety belt violation, two counts contempt of court, $9,600 bail.

June 24

James Allen Bynog, 25, Boyce – domestic abuse battery with serious injury, no bail data;

Gloria Renee Clark, 24, Alexandria – violation of protective order, domestic abuse battery, $3,000 bail;

Tyler Mitchell Jeffrey, 39, Pineville – production or manufacturing of methamphetamine, illegal carry firearm with drugs, possession of unidentifiable firearm, paraphernalia, $15,500 bail;

Cameron Kade Holt, 24, Sieper – OWI first offense, improper window tint, $1,100 bail;

Eddie Lee Kendricks Jr, 46, Pineville – aggravated assault domestic abuse, contempt of court, $5,000 bail;

Derek Ivan Leimkuhler, 38, Pineville – possession of marijuana, illegal carry of weapon, negligent concealed carry, driver’s license not in possession, expired registration, $6,600 bail;

Calip Ashley Littleton, 23, Pineville – unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, Louisiana fugitive, six counts contempt of court, $96,000 bail;

Demetrius Demon Milton Jr, 35, Alexandria – possession of firearm by convicted felon, six counts contempt of court, $18,000 bail;

Logan Joseph Paul, 30, Boyce – simple burglary, two counts contempt of court, $150,000 bail;

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

Dontrail Rubin, 22, Sunset – attempted first degree murder, disarming of peace officer, resisting an officer with force or violence, $610,000 bail;

Marcus Tyran Sanders, 41, Alexandria – possession of CDS, simple battery on the infirmed, five counts contempt of court, $32,500 bail.

June 23

James Alden Beard, 23, Pineville – domestic abuse battery strangulation, false imprisonment, probation violation, $3,000 bail;

Matthew Alexander Hill, 27, Pineville – OWI second offense, driving under suspension, modified exhaust, simple battery, contempt of court, $7,200 bail;

Jammi Jhaderius Jefferson, 20, Alexandria – resisting an officer, criminal trespass, three counts contempt of court, $58,500 bail;

Clayton Robert Lamkin, 28, Pineville – domestic abuse battery with child present, resisting an officer, Louisiana fugitive, $3,500 bail;

David Brown Lejeune, 32, Pineville – theft (second subsequent conviction), probation violation, $5,000 bail;

Gregory Demoin Mason, 51, Pineville – possession of firearm by convicted felon, running a red light, driving under suspension, $5,200 bail;

Carlos Javier Santa Maria, 34, N/A – simple burglary, $2,500 bail;

Hunter Wiley, 19, Pineville – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, contempt of court, resisting an officer, probation violation, $22,000 bail.

June 22

Naomi Lou Barron, 48, Pineville – Louisiana fugitive, resisting an officer, contempt of court, $5,500 bail;

Erneshia Lameka Delasbor, 25, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery with child present, $1,000 bail;

Jiyason K Singleton, 19, Alexandria – home invasion, aggravated assault with a firearm, criminal damage to property, obstruction of justice, $65,000 bail;

Brian Williams, 24, Ruby – domestic abuse aggravated assault child endangerment, $1,000 bail.

By JIM BUTLER

GAEDA Executive Director Angie Varnado has asked the City Council to consider reappointing two members whose terms are expiring.

Her request Tuesday is included in the preliminary agenda for the Council’s July 1 meeting.

Ronald Morgan’s term expires June 30; chairman Dr. Curtis Lewis’ on July 14, according to Varnado’s letter of request.

Under GAEDA bylaws, commissioners serve four-year terms. Each of the seven City Council members nominates a GAEDA member and appointment is ordinarily rubber stamped by the council.

Morgan was nominated by District 2’s Gary Johnson; Lewis by Cynthia Perry, District 3.

There has been no indication of discontent among the parties.

The preliminary agenda does not include any proposed action regarding the three vacant GAEDA posts.

For all anyone knows those could still be unfilled when the city takes delivery of a 30-passenger trolley it is purchasing for ferrying visitors about. 

Final action on the $338,000 purchase is on the July 1 agenda. Estimated delivery time is 18 months.

By KEVIN FOOTE, Written for the LSWA

Sometimes it’s a good idea to listen to the advice of your older brothers.

There was one particular decision, though, when St. Thomas More boys basketball coach Danny Broussard is certainly glad he opted for his gut feeling instead.

After graduating from Meaux High in rural Vermilion Parish in 1977, Broussard’s first thought was to become a coach.

After all, his two older brothers Rickey and Brent were already coaches and the family was always heavily involved in athletics.

“They were kind of trying to talk me out of it,” Broussard said. “They said things like, ‘Oh, it’s tough, you don’t make a whole lot of money and it’s long hours, so why don’t you do something else?’”

So Broussard spent his entire freshman year at then-USL in Lafayette in general studies, hoping to decide what his future would hold along the way.

He thought about being a pharmacist. He always had a big personality and loved talking to and helping people.

“The only problem with that was pharmacy school was in Monroe and I didn’t want to go way up there and also there were too many chemistry courses,” Broussard said. “I was good at math, but not chemistry.”

After the second semester, his advisor came to him demanding a decision.

With no other favorable options in mind, Broussard said, “I’m going to education.”

Indeed, Broussard’s first thought was right on target.

Over four decades later, Broussard is entering the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as one of the nation’s most successful coaches in the history of high school basketball. The three-day Class of 2025 Induction Celebration begins Thursday in Natchitoches, with event information available at LaSportsHall.com.

It wasn’t that his brothers didn’t think young Danny could coach. In fact, he had already proven he could.

As a senior at Meaux High, Broussard coached the school’s 4H basketball team to a tournament title in Kaplan.

“I found guys at Meaux,” he remembered. “We put together a little team of fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders and we won. That’s kind of when I got hooked. I remember thinking, ‘This is fun. I love this.’ Getting them together and preparing them and then seeing the results.”

Two years later, Broussard helped Tommy Picard coach a Babe Ruth youth baseball team to the state championship and before the team’s ace pitcher punctured a lung during the series, “I “I think we could have won regionals.”

Big brother Rickey wasn’t surprised by those early signs of success.

“I never had any doubt that Danny could accomplish great things,” said Rickey, who led Nicholls State’s basketball team to two NCAA Tournament appearances. “There was just something about him.”

Upon graduating college, young Danny faced another big decision.

Incredibly, he got an offer from Hanson Memorial in Franklin to be the program’s head basketball coach. Broussard asked for the weekend to ponder his options, although he was ready to accept the offer.

Once again, his older brother had other ideas. While Danny was communicating with Hanson, a math teacher at the new Lafayette school St. Thomas More where Rickey was the head basketball coach decided to run the math department at Fatima instead, just weeks before the start of school.

So Rickey implored his younger brother to talk to STM’s administration before accepting the Hanson Memorial job.

“They offered me $3-4,000 more a year to be a freshman baseball, basketball and football coach,” Broussard laughed. “That’s a lot of money to a kid right out of college, so I took it.”

As a football coach, things didn’t go very well. The Cougars’ freshman squad went 0-8 and didn’t score a point, but he showed promise in basketball.

Amazingly, another big decision was right around the corner.

Rickey’s assistant coach from Fatima, Stephen Rees, decided to head to medical school, so now Danny moved into the spot as the Cougars’ top basketball assistant.

Then early in year two, Rickey got a call from Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Bobby Paschal with an offer to join his staff. He accepted.

“I remember asking Rickey, ‘So who is going to coach St. Thomas More?’ and he said, ‘You are.’”

Naturally, the 22-year-old’s stomach got real tight in a hurry, but big brother knew he was doing.

“I had no doubt in my mind that he could do it,” Rickey said. “The only question was, would they give him the job? There was a contingent of people (on the STM board) that wanted to go after a coach from New Orleans. I had to go to the board.

“I told them, ‘Just give him a shot. He knows all the plays and the players like him.’”

Fast-forward 41 years and Broussard ranks as the No. 6 coach nationally in wins with 1,162 – that’s 171 wins from being the winningest coach ever. He’s led the Cougars to six state championships, five state runners-up, 20 Top 28 appearances, 27 district championships and 18 30-win seasons.

“It’s a testament to his longevity and consistency and success,” former player Lyle Mouton said of Broussard’s Hall of Fame induction. “The way he tells it, he became a coach by default. I guess sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. He has proven it was a great decision and it wasn’t luck.

“You don’t do it for this long with so much success if it was just luck all the way.”

Any remaining doubters were proven wrong when Broussard led the Cougars to the state championship in 1986.

“By that year, I had settled into my own,” Broussard said. “I could see the program developing.”

By 1987, the Cougars were ranked No. 21 nationally in the USA Today poll, led by Mouton, the future LSU basketball and baseball player, and future UL Lafayette point guard Eric Mouton.

Broussard’s actual glory years on the floor were yet to come.

Finally in 2013  came that second state title, followed by four more since then.

Many believe this past season might have been the best coaching job of his career.

One year after being briefly benched by triple bypass surgery, Broussard guided his 2025 Cougars to the state championship game and then led the STM coaching staff to a victory coaching the West All-Stars in the McDonald’s All-American game in New York.

“This is one great year for Danny Broussard,” Lyle Mouton laughed.

Contact Kevin at kfoote@theadvocate.com

On June 25, 1981, Microsoft took a major step toward transforming the personal computer industry with the introduction of MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). Though the software would not become widely used until later that year, this date marks the official beginning of a platform that would come to dominate personal computing for more than a decade—and propel Microsoft from a modest software startup into one of the world’s most influential tech giants.

The story of MS-DOS is one of timing, opportunity, and rapid innovation. In 1980, IBM was developing its first personal computer—the IBM PC—and needed an operating system to run it. Microsoft, founded just five years earlier by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, had never developed an OS before. But when IBM came calling, Microsoft made a bold move: it agreed to provide the software and then quietly acquired an existing OS called 86-DOS from a small Seattle company, Seattle Computer Products.

Microsoft adapted 86-DOS for IBM’s hardware, rebranded it as MS-DOS, and delivered it to IBM in time for the launch of the IBM PC in August 1981. The agreement allowed IBM to use the system under the name PC-DOS, while Microsoft retained the rights to license it to other manufacturers. This seemingly small decision would prove to be one of the most consequential in tech history.

Over the next several years, MS-DOS became the backbone of countless IBM-compatible personal computers, also known as “clones,” which flooded the market. As hardware became more affordable and accessible, Microsoft’s operating system powered millions of machines in homes, schools, and businesses worldwide.

MS-DOS was a command-line operating system, meaning users had to type specific text commands to launch programs or access files—an experience that could be intimidating for newcomers. But at the time, it was a revolutionary step forward, offering a standard platform for developers and helping to fuel the rapid growth of the software industry.

Though rudimentary by today’s standards, MS-DOS laid the groundwork for future advancements in personal computing. It supported early versions of now-legendary programs like WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and eventually, Microsoft Word and Excel. It also paved the way for the development of Windows, Microsoft’s graphical user interface that would eventually replace MS-DOS as the dominant operating system.

By the mid-1990s, MS-DOS had been largely phased out as users transitioned to more user-friendly systems like Windows 95 and Windows 98. Still, echoes of MS-DOS remain in modern Windows environments, where the “Command Prompt” is a direct descendant of its early interface.

Beyond the technology itself, the launch of MS-DOS on June 25, 1981, marked a defining moment in Microsoft’s history. It positioned the company as a central player in the emerging PC industry and set the stage for its meteoric rise. By retaining the rights to MS-DOS, Microsoft was able to license the software to dozens of manufacturers, securing a steady stream of revenue and building a near-monopoly on personal computer operating systems for years to come.

Today, MS-DOS is a footnote in the story of modern computing, but its impact remains undeniable. It empowered a generation of computer users, shaped the trajectory of the digital age, and demonstrated how a few lines of code—backed by strategic thinking—can change the world.

As we look back on June 25, 1981, it serves as a reminder of how quickly technology evolves, and how the smallest decisions can have the biggest consequences.

By JIM BUTLER

Two women accused in separate arrests since 2023 of theft of more than $25,000 have yet to appear in court, according to public records.

The time between charge and disposition is not particularly out of the ordinary though the cases are due to attention they received at the time.

Kim Beebe Ryder was arrested In November 2023. While a Sheriff’s Office employee she allegedly took money from an employees voluntarily-funded account she managed.

A bill of information filed on August 15, 2024 asserts the theft occurred between March 2022 and time of her arrest.

Records show neither she nor her attorney appeared for scheduled arraignment on August 30, 2024. No court minute has occurred since through June 20 of this year.

Failure to appear for arraignment, when a formal plea is entered, is not customary though not extraordinary.

Tracy Borland Smith missed hers on June 9 this year though her attorney was present.

Arraignment was reset for August 13.

Smith was arrested last July 24. The bill of information filed on May 9 this year accuses her of theft of Ward 10 Dixie Softball funds.

Arraignment is the initial court appearance following filing of a bill of charges or an indictment.

Court records in a third case receiving public attention show only one minute entry.

Prominent attorney Samuel Spurgeon was arrested December 31, 2024 and charged with second-degree battery, a felony, after an alleged domestic incident.

On January 17, records show, the DA’s Office asked to recuse itself, a request granted by the court.

The matter was turned over to the Attorney General’s Office, which in April confirmed the case had been assigned.

Nothing appears in court minutes since the recusal. The AG Office declines to provide further information or say whether the case is still on its calendar.

As the theft cases show, quite some time between arrest and formal charging is not outside the normal course.

And if matters are no-cased, as sometimes occurs, there is no such notation in the court record.

Laton Hebert has gone to his great reward, and the world made little of his passing. But that matters not.

What matters is the celebration that is happening beyond the Pearly Gates. Laton Hebert was the maintenance man at The Town Talk for 43 years, and I’ve got to believe that Saint Peter has documentation to show that not a day passed when he went to work that he didn’t bring a smile to at least one face. Countless times to a whole lot of faces.

In my 39 years at the local newspaper, I don’t think anyone was able to lift people’s spirits daily as much as Laton. Some people take a vitamin each day; I settled for a daily dose of Laton Hebert. He was the picture of joy – friendly, engaging, smiling, singing. Never complaining. Seriously. He never complained.

I never heard him complain about anyone and anything. Well, maybe he complained about the heat once or twice. When it was 100-plus degrees.

He made anyone he met feel special – not with superficial compliments but simply by taking an interest in you. A warm hello. A smile. Maybe a little rhyming ditty he’d ad-lib about you that was spot on and disarming.

“And, oh, he could sing!” said his Town Talk boss Joe Blackwell as we traded stories about him during the visitation at Annadale Baptist Church.

That’s where Laton and I really connected. He liked the old ballads from the Fifties and Sixties and sometimes, late at night when not many employees were around to be disturbed, we’d croon together a verse or two from, say, “Moon River” or “Only You” or “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

I know it doesn’t fit the stereotypes. A white guy and a black man singing together. At work. In a newspaper office. The hot breath of a deadline inhaled while he exhaled.

Laton treated his job, regardless how menial others might regard it, as a gift. He didn’t preach, but he evangelized, mostly by his actions and reactions. The biblical admonition “Do unto others …” evidently was written on his heart and he took it seriously.

As a result, you’d get the feeling he cared about you and so you naturally cared about him. You’d appreciate his joy and find that, regardless of how down in the dumps you might’ve been five minutes ago, you felt better after a visit with him.

And it had a ripple effect. He’d throw a pebble in the pond with a smile or a song, and instead of whining about an assignment with a co-worker, you were sharing a joke or a story about your son’s rare base hit on his birthday.

And so, for a while, the world became a better place because of the maintenance man.

When I viewed him in his open casket, I hardly recognized him. The affable bear I’d known looked old and thin and the curves had become angles. He was 88, after all. I turned away and took a seat in a pew in the back and tried to forget the image I’d just seen.

I brought back to mind the man I’d known and, yes, loved.

And I thanked God for Laton Hebert and his legacy of living the Golden Rule. Not just now and then. But day by day. Year by year.

I feel certain the welcome he heard on the other side was “Well done, good and faithful servant.”                    

By LENNY VANGILDER, Written for the LSWA

Joe Scheuermann was a 27-year-old assistant baseball coach at Tulane when he came to Natchitoches in June 1990 to present his father, “Rags,” for induction in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Curveballs are a part of baseball, and “Rags” delivered a dandy one that night. During his acceptance speech, he announced his retirement as Delgado Community College’s baseball coach.

Thirty-five years after following in his dad’s footsteps on City Park Avenue and with 1,207 victories on his record, Joe Scheuermann will join his dad to become the fourth father-son combination to be inducted into the LSHOF.

That culminates the Class of 2025 Induction Celebration in Natchitoches beginning Thursday and wrapping up with Saturday night’s induction ceremony televised live on Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Information about the Hall’s seven events over three days is available at LaSportsHall.com.

While most assume it was a done deal that Joe would replace “Rags” at Delgado, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The younger Scheuermann came back to New Orleans and soon met with then-Delgado president Dr. James Caillier. “I don’t want to have this job because I’m Rags Scheuermann’s son,” Joe Scheuermann told his future boss.

Later that summer, he became the second head coach of what is now the oldest junior college program in any sport in Louisiana.

Though the reins had been handed down, it was still hard for the new head coach not to look over his shoulder and in the grandstand. “The first 4-5 years I was more worried about making my dad happy than I was about being a coach,” he said. “I coached too much with exterior emotion. The last two years of his life I started to relax a little bit.”

“Rags” passed away in April 1997, a week shy of his 74th birthday.

Joe Scheuermann was preparing for his 16th season at Delgado when his program – and the entire city of New Orleans – was dealt a body blow named Hurricane Katrina.

The Scheuermanns, with their house and campus under water, evacuated to New Roads. A few days later, in Baton Rouge, he met with Delgado’s chancellor, Alex Johnson.

With the college in financial straits after a lost semester and significant rebuilding costs, the message about the spring 2006 season was simple – “We can’t fund it.” The only way to have a season, and save the program started three decades earlier by his father, was to raise the money himself.

Scheuermann got that program-saving donation from a longtime supporter and friend, and the task of resuscitating a season – and a ballpark, since Kirsch-Rooney Stadium had also been inundated with several feet of flood waters – began.

Said Scheuermann: “The fact we played the year after Katrina is probably my proudest moment. It would have been easy for Delgado not to have athletics, but it made them realize how important athletics is for the college.”

One year later, the Katrina freshman class would lead Scheuermann to his first-ever Junior College World Series, 22 years after “Rags” made his only trip.

Omaha, Nebraska, is the goal each year for LSU and other NCAA Division I programs. On the NJCAA Division I level, it is Grand Junction, Colorado.

“Once we got to the World Series, people bought into our program,” Scheuermann said. “Your kids remember the experience and they pass it down the line … Our expectations became Grand Junction.”

Delgado rattled off three straight trips to Grand Junction from 2014-16 and then returned for a fifth time under Scheuermann in 2023, finishing fifth.

In May 2024, Scheuermann won his 1,178th game to pass the late Tony Robichaux, a 2022 LSHOF inductee, and become the winningest college coach in Louisiana history. But that’s not how he sees it.

“I broke the junior college record for wins in Louisiana,” said Scheuermann, who played at Tulane the same time as Robichaux played at then-USL. “Every game I’ve won was at the junior college level. Tony Robichaux did it at the Division I level. That’s not the same.”

But, he added, “It’s something I will always share with him.”

On April 13 of this year – coincidentally, what would have been “Rags” Scheuermann’s 102nd birthday – Scheuermann registered his latest milestone, career win No. 1,200.

How has he gotten to this point? By being himself and convincing other families to do exactly what he did – starting your path on the two-year college level.

“Nobody understands how beneficial it is to go to junior college as an athlete,” Scheuermann said. “We’ve been able to convince Mom and Dad that Delgado isn’t a trade school.

“I’ve placed over 400 kids in four-year programs and continue to get their baseball skills developed and get their education.”

One of them was Sean McMullen, who played at Delgado in 2011 and 2012 before becoming a two-year starter at LSU.

“You never looked there,” McMullen said of Delgado. “(Scheuermann) sat me down and said, ‘How about you give us a shot … If you come here and perform, I will put you in touch with where you want to go.’ I trusted him.”

McMullen became a Pied Piper of sorts for the Dolphins, helping to recruit many of the key local pieces in the program’s three consecutive trips to Grand Junction.

“I told them, if you want to play (Division I) baseball, come here,” McMullen said. “If you hate it, you can leave and just go to college. But nobody does that. This is family. This is different.”

Not one of Scheuermann’s former players has played a day in the major leagues, which may be even a bigger credit to the coaching job he has done in 35 years.

“We’ve been able to do this with blue collar guys,” he said. “We don’t … recruit nationally.”

Scheuermann already is a member of the NJCAA Baseball Coaches and the All American Amateur Baseball Association halls of fame. Tulane’s athletic hall of fame will honor him in September with its career achievement award.

Joe and “Rags” join the trio of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning; “Dub” and Bert Jones, and Glenn and Billy Hardin as the only fathers and sons enshrined in Natchitoches.

“Archie texted me and said ‘welcome to the fraternity,’ ” Joe Scheuermann said. “When Archie Manning sends you that, it kind of hits home.”

As much as Joe Scheuermann has followed in his father’s footsteps, there’s one thing he won’t do – go on stage at the Natchitoches Events Center and announce his retirement.

“I get asked all the time, when are you going to get out?” Scheuermann said. “I’m 62, I feel great, I enjoy coaching.

“I remember my dad saying, ‘You’ll know when it’s time.’ I really don’t feel it’s time yet. It’s an occupation but I do it more for the kids and the school.”

Contact Lenny at lenny@crescentcitysports.com

The next step in GAEDA’s not paying two invoices from the city seems up to Mayor Jacques Roy’s administration.

A motion to pay a total of about $113,000 for work at the Weiss & Golding building failed to get a second from Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority members at their June meeting.

Absent that second there was no discussion that might indicate how wide the schism between the Authority and the city is.

GAEDA’s attorney in early May recommended it move to nullify a cooperative endeavor agreement for refurbishing the long-vacant building for development purposes as well as future plans for the Bolton Avenue Community Center.

Whether that ever got formal consideration is not clear. Roy took conciliatory steps in the interim. What the current rub is is uncertain.

In matters that did get a second, the board approved paying attorney costs incurred by it and its executive director over litigation by then-member John Callis.

He won in district court, over a disputed meeting last February, then lost when the board appealed to the circuit court.

Callis is seeking review of the case by the state Supreme Court. The Authority has until mid-July to respond to that petition.

Callis has since resigned. Whether members John Carroll and Chris Patel did likewise is indeterminate but they apparently are no longer members under attendance requirements of the Authority Rules of Procedure.

Three absences in a calendar year sans acceptable reason is the limit. Neither has attended meetings in the wake of the new board majority formed following city elections.

The three vacancies leave the board at its quorum number – 4. An absence by any one of them results in no official business conducted, as occurred at May’s meeting.

Each City Council member has an appointment, routinely approved by the panel. There is as yet no indication of nominations for the empty Authority seats.

The Authority was created as an independent agency funded by a hotel-motel occupancy tax.