Authorities are continuing to ask for the public’s assistance in locating two missing individuals whose cases remain unsolved.

Derek Boyd, 36, was last seen June 29, 2026. He is described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his location. Anyone with information is asked to call 318-715-7212 or the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-992-2151.

The LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office is also seeking information on 51-year-old Michael McLendon, who was reported missing to the Pineville Police Department by family members. According to the sheriff’s office, McLendon was last seen June 19, 2026, in Rapides Parish driving a dark green Ford Expedition.

McLendon is described as a white male, 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds.

Anyone with information on McLendon’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Pineville Police Department at 318-442-6603 or the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-992-2151.

---

Louisiana Christian University art professor Michael Williams and the ceramics program have received grant funds to refurbish a gas kiln. 

The Walker faculty development funds provided for the repair of the kiln for Williams’ development as an artist, but it is also a great opportunity for students studying ceramics.

The kiln was originally built in the mid-1990s by former ceramics professor Bob Howell.

“It’s exciting to see this piece of our department’s history come back to life,” said Assistant Professor of Art Michael Williams. “It’s a great piece of equipment, and I’m glad our students will finally get the chance to use it again.”

Dean of Media, Communication and Fine Arts Brian Manuel is equally excited to see what Williams and his students will create. 

“Professor Williams is a true artist,” Manuel said. “He approached me with the desire to restore our gas kiln, and all I could say was ‘Absolutely!’  Having this tool benefits our students as well as our community at large.  I cannot wait to see the art that Professor Williams will be able to create with his students.”

The kiln had been sitting unused for years and had fallen into disrepair. The burners had rusted out and were no longer usable. Thanks to the grant funding, local business Louisiana Fireplace was able to repair and restore the kiln so the university could put it back into service.

A kiln is essentially a large brick chamber used for firing ceramics. In ceramics, there are two fundamental firings. The first is the bisque firing and is generally a lower-temperature firing. We bisque to what is called cone 04, which is around 1,940° Fahrenheit. The second firing is called the glaze firing and takes place after the bisque. The glaze firing temperature ranges from cone 6–10 (2,232°–2,381° Fahrenheit). 

In this stage, the clay is covered in a material called glaze, which is made up of many different raw materials that determine the color and finish of the completed piece. 

As the temperature in the kiln increases, the clay changes both physically and chemically, Williams said. It transforms from porous “greenware” to vitrified ceramic, meaning that the clay particles are bonded together through the formation of glassy phases, primarily from silica, alumina, and fluxes within the clay body, resulting in increased density and making the clay waterproof. The glaze also contributes to the waterproof nature, as well as giving the piece a glassy or matte appearance. 

The difference between an electric kiln and a gas kiln includes two main factors: the heat source and the atmosphere. 

“In an electric kiln, the heat comes from electric elements, kind of like a toaster,” Williams said. “While in a gas kiln, the heat comes from either natural gas or propane burners (in our case, it is natural gas). The second factor is the atmosphere. The atmosphere of an electric kiln is considered an oxidation atmosphere, meaning that oxygen is available in the kiln and is not intentionally regulated, while in our gas kiln that is not the case. Our gas kiln is considered a reduction kiln, meaning that during the firing process, you reduce the amount of oxygen available in the firing chamber while simultaneously increasing the temperature.” 

This creates carbon monoxide, which pulls oxygen from metal oxides within the clay and glazes, resulting in interesting reactions in the glazes that are not replicable in an oxidation atmosphere, he said.

“Having a working gas kiln expands what we can offer in our ceramics program,” Williams said. “Most of our firing has been done in electric kilns, but this gas kiln will allow students to learn reduction firing, which creates different colors and surface effects than electric firing. It’s an important process for ceramics students to experience and gives them a broader understanding of the medium. We’re really excited to revitalize this kiln after so many years and to see the new creative possibilities it will bring to our students and our program.”

---

Now into Week 4 of recovery from quadruple bypass surgery and I’m slowly getting some energy back. My appetite is also returning after losing close to 20 pounds. Quality, deep rem sleep is hard to come by, but the anxiety issues are getting better. 

Enough about all that, let’s talk about things to do during the dog days of summer. While health wise, I’m still a few weeks away from dropping my boat in the water and getting back to serious fishing, now is a great time to head into my fishing man cave and reorganize, clean and respool a few reels for some good fall use. 

After a busy spring tournament schedule my fishing man cave is a disaster. Bags of baits that should be on pegs are laying everywhere. I’ve got tackle boxes scattered all over the room that also need to be placed on a shelf. 

Some of my crankbait boxes need to be gone through to consider certain baits that might need to be replaced. It’s also a great time to check the hooks and replace those old treble hooks with new ones. This is one area anglers can sometimes overlook until they lose a few fish, and it costs them a high finish. 

Outside the fishing man cave, another thing anglers have to be conscious of this time of year, with temperatures reaching the mid to upper 90’s, is leaving soft plastic baits in your boat. Point being, high temperatures will melt soft plastic lures making not only a mess but costing you money. 

Hopefully you’re fortunate enough to park your boat under a carport or inside your garage. But even in the garage, temperatures can reach extreme highs. I have a large fan that I run daily in my garage to help keep the temperature down. 

If I know that I won’t be fishing for quite a while during those hot summer days, I’ll remove the soft plastic baits from my boat and store them in my air-conditioned fishing man cave. 

After reorganizing the man cave, next I’ll take a look at the fishing reels that I have used most of the spring; clean each one as well as drop a little oil on the gears and moving parts. High dollar fishing reels only act like high dollar reels if you take good care of them.

Once your fishing man cave is in order, now is the time to get into your boat and clean it out. I take everything out of my boat so I can clean all the lockers. It’s also the time to take my spring tackle out and put my fall tackle in. 

And while you’re at it, why not clean any major carpet stains? The best thing I have found to bring your boat carpet back to looking new is shaving crème. Take a small section at a time and apply the shaving crème then scrub with a soft brush or rag. 

Let it sit for about 10 minutes, then rise with water and you’ll be amazed at how good your carpet will look. It’s also great for the new marine deck foam flooring that has become so popular.

These are just a few things to add to your summer to-do list in order to make sure you’re ready for some great fall fishing. ‘Til next time, stay cool and avoid the summer heat. 

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

---

Walking through our preschool the other day, a little fellow proudly showed me his bandaid. He stuck out his arm like he was unveiling a medal of honor. I asked what happened. With the solemnity only a fouryearold can muster, he said, “I got a bobo.”

Case closed. Diagnosis made. Treatment applied. Healing underway.

Children are refreshingly honest about pain. If something hurts, they point to it. If they fall, they cry. If they get a scratch, they want a bandaid — preferably one with dinosaurs or superheroes, because everyone knows those heal faster.

Adults, on the other hand, become experts at hiding our wounds. We carry heart bobo’s — hurts no one can see. Disappointments we never voice. Grief we tuck behind a busy schedule. Regrets we bury so deeply we forget where we put them. Pain that we pretend isn’t there because we think grown-ups are supposed to “handle it.”

But the truth is, some of the deepest wounds don’t show up on the skin.

Isaiah wrote, “By his wounds we are healed.” That’s not poetic exaggeration — it’s the heart of the Gospel. Jesus didn’t just die for our sins in some abstract theological sense. He took on our pain, our brokenness, our hidden hurts, our heart bobo’s. The Son of God carried what we try so hard to conceal.

There’s pathos in that exchange — Christ taking our sin and sorrow, offering us freedom, and yet we humans often cling to the very things He died to release us from. It’s like walking around with a perfectly good bandaid in hand but refusing to peel off the backing.

King David prayed, “Put a new and right spirit within me.” That’s the grown-up version of holding out your wound and saying, “Lord, this is where it hurts.” It’s the courage to admit we need healing. It’s the humility to let God do what we cannot.

And here’s the soft humor of it all: If a preschooler can trust a bandaid to make a scraped elbow better, surely we can trust the Savior of the world to tend to our hearts.

So maybe today is a good day to stop pretending we’re fine. A good day to let go of what Christ has already carried. A good day to let the Healer do His healing.

After all, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make broken people whole.  And that includes every one of us — heart bobo’s and all.

---

July 29 marks the anniversary of the death of Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, whose life and work have become among the most recognized in art history.

Van Gogh died on July 29, 1890, at the age of 37, two days after suffering a gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Although he created more than 2,000 works of art, including around 900 paintings, he sold very few during his lifetime and struggled financially while pursuing his passion for painting.

One of his most famous final works, Wheatfield with Crows, is often associated with the final weeks of his life. The painting’s dramatic sky and winding paths have led generations of art historians and viewers to interpret it as reflecting his emotional state, though scholars continue to debate its exact significance.

Van Gogh’s distinctive style, characterized by bold colors and expressive brushstrokes, later helped shape modern art. Today, masterpieces such as The Starry Night, Sunflowers and Irises attract millions of visitors to museums around the world and rank among the most recognizable paintings ever created.

Ironically, the artist who struggled to gain recognition during his lifetime is now considered one of history’s greatest painters, with some of his works selling for tens of millions of dollars at auction.

More than 135 years after his death, Vincent van Gogh’s legacy continues to inspire artists, historians and art lovers worldwide, making July 29 a day to remember one of history’s most influential creative figures.

---

All Americans learned in school that we fought two wars against the British, namely the American Revolution and the War of 1812, but there was a third war that began in 1859 which has been largely forgotten.  Following the War of 1812, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed in the Treaty of Oregon that the boundary between the countries was along the 49^th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver’s Island then south through the channel to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west to the Pacific Ocean (see map).  This agreement was made by using crude maps by people who had little knowledge of the area.  Both parties were unaware that there were two distinct channels or straits, the Haro Strait and the Rosario Strait, which were divided by San Juan Island. Because of the way the treaty was written, both countries claimed right to the island and people from both countries began settling on the island. For years, tension rose as each side argued that settlers from the other side were nothing more than squatters or trespassers.  

The first shot of the war happened on June 15, 1859, when Lyman Cutlar, an American, shot and killed a British subject whom Lyman had found destroying crops in his field.  British authorities threatened to arrest Lyman and to evict all Americans from the island.  In response, American Brigadier General William Harney ordered a company of 64 infantry soldiers to the island.  When the soldiers arrived, the British Governor at Vancouver ordered Royal Navy Captain Geoffrey Phipps Hornby to take his 31-gun steam frigate HMS Tribune to remove the American soldiers.  More British warships joined the Tribune shortly thereafter, and more American soldiers were sent to the island.  For months, the British and Americans stockpiled weapons and built up their forces for the upcoming battle.  Each side drilled and fired their cannons, but they were careful not to aim at the opposing soldiers just yet.  As both sides were making their final preparations for battle, General Winfield Scott, U.S. Army commander and War of 1812 veteran, arrived and began negotiations.  General Scott proposed and both sides agreed on a joint military occupation until a final border could be agreed upon.  For twelve long, tense years, San Juan Island remained under joint military occupation.  In 1871, when Great Britain and the United States were still unable to agree on ownership of San Juan Island, they turned to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany who set up a three-man arbitration commission to settle the dispute.  Both sides agreed that the commission’s decision would be final.  Finally in October 1872, after nearly a year of discussions by the commission, Kaiser Wilhelm I ruled in favor of the United States.  San Juan Island belonged to the United States.  The Royal Marines withdrew the following month, and the war ended 14 years after the first shot was fired.  The war over San Juan Island was named after that British subject who was the only fatality of this war between the United Kingdom and the United States.  It is known as the Pig War.  That’s right.  This conflict between the United Kingdom and United States was set off by a squabble over a pig. 

Source: “The Pig War,” National Park Service: San Juan Island, accessed July 19, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/the-pig-war.htm.       

---

If I have learned nothing else over my many years of tournament bass fishing, it’s the fact that it’s a young man’s sport. Being young has its privileges, especially when it comes to energy levels and mobility. At the age of 65, I no longer hop around the boat like a rat on crack. 

Now I’m a little more cautious in making sure I don’t hang a toe getting up on the front deck of my Caymas boat.  I’m just trying to maintain my balance and make sure that I don’t fall in the lake! 

I’ve also noticed that the older I have gotten, the further it seems to be from the driver’s seat console to the front of my boat. Just putting the trolling motor in the water also requires a little more energy now, even with high-tech lift-assist-systems that trolling motors have today. 

Even tying on a new lure can be a challenge as I need my reading glasses just to see what I’m doing. Threading fishing line through the eye of a hook requires skill that used to be automatic; now it’s an adventure and a test of my patience! 

One aspect that today’s young anglers seem to do a better job of is covering water and fishing as many places as they can in a day’s time. Older guys tend to stay in one area longer and fish it thoroughly just because we don’t want to take the time or exert the energy to move. 

I have also noticed the younger generation of today are not very likely to offer much help for the older guys who might be launching their boats by themselves. 

This was something I was always conscious of during my younger days. If I saw an older gentleman trying to launch his boat by himself, I always offered a helping hand. I think it’s just the way my generation was raised, to always be looking out for the elderly.

Even today, and now that I’m the older guy at the ramp, I’ll still offer ANY angler assistance. It’s just good manners.

In today’s tournament world, I find myself trying to stay in better shape just so I can compete with these young guns. To compete on any tournament trail, you must spend time on the water. 

A good angler will practice 8-10 hours a day in the boat trying to locate as many schools of bass as he can. It’s not uncommon for the really good anglers to practice from sunup to sundown. Again, nothing will make you a better angler than time on the water! 

These are the anglers who will not only cash more checks but will also be holding up the trophy at the end of the tournament. You cannot compete in today’s bass fishing world by taking shortcuts or only fishing for a few hours a day, no matter how good you think you are. 

Another issue at my age is that some days, fishing is literally a grind and a test of your patience. The bass don’t always bite all day long and there are only a few small windows of opportunity where the bass will feed. If you’re not on the water, you will miss those opportunities. 

There will be some days that you will ask yourself, “Why am I out here?”  But these are the days that will separate the good anglers from the average ones. The good anglers will stay on the lake and make every attempt to figure out how to make the fish bite. 

This is called persistence and determination, which can go a long way in having tournament success. It’s also called focus, which I find is a lot harder to maintain as I’ve gotten older. Focus ensures that you don’t miss those windows of opportunity when you get that unexpected bite. 

One thing that has not changed, even at the age of 65, is my desire to compete. I’m still that same competitive soul who gets so much joy in a high finish and beating the younger generation. We’ve all heard, age is just a number. That’s true until you reach what you think is that age …then reality sets in.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

---

Louisiana’s youth employment certificate process has changed and is now managed by Louisiana Works.

Under the updated process, employers are responsible for issuing work permits and verifying a minor’s age. Schools will no longer issue work permits or employment certificates.

Employers must use the new Louisiana Works Employment Certificate.

Louisiana Works also reminded schools that access to the Louisiana Works Employment Certificate System will end July 24, 2026.

The update is intended to provide important information for parents, students, employers and school partners preparing for youth employment.

Questions may be directed to EmploymentCertificate@la.gov or by calling 225-342-2683.

---

July 22 marks one of the most famous days in American crime history.

On July 22, 1934, notorious bank robber John Dillinger was shot and killed by federal agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago after leaving a movie. His death ended one of the nation’s most highly publicized manhunts during the Great Depression.

Dillinger became one of America’s most infamous outlaws after a string of bank robberies, jail escapes and confrontations with law enforcement across the Midwest. Newspapers closely followed his crimes, turning him into a household name at a time when many Americans were struggling through economic hardship.

Federal authorities tracked Dillinger to the theater after receiving information from an informant. As he exited the building, agents attempted to arrest him. When he tried to flee, he was shot and killed.

The event marked a significant moment in the history of federal law enforcement. The pursuit of Dillinger helped elevate the public profile of what would become the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under Director J. Edgar Hoover and led to increased attention on interstate crime-fighting efforts.

More than 90 years later, Dillinger’s story continues to be the subject of books, documentaries and films, making July 22 a notable date in American history.

---

In the early months of 1915, New York policemen knew unsavory characters had been living rent free in the dilapidated and seemingly abandoned building across the street from their station house in Brooklyn.  Finally, in late April, construction workers began demolishing the old building.  Only then did the policemen realize the scope of their problem.  As each floor was systematically disassembled, the unwelcome tenants just moved closer to street level.  The tenants that left the building took up residence in adjoining buildings or lived in the street.  They even began occupying the police station itself.  When policemen chased one away, it seemed that two or three more would take its place.  The New York Times reported, “Policemen who have faced all kinds of danger unflinchingly do not hesitate to say that it makes them feel decidedly uncomfortable.” That was an understatement.  The problem with the unwelcome tenants was out of control.  It affected all of the policemen in one way or another.  Some were unable to eat properly.  Others were unable to get a good night’s sleep.  Their work performance waned.  The whole area was going to pot.  The problem was not relegated to a single station house.  Other New York police station houses including Morrisania Police Station, Alexander Avenue station, and West 152d Street station were facing similar crises.               

In May 1915, the New York City Police Department added more than 100 new officers from a certain local tribe whose sole purpose was to rid their areas of the unwanted tenants by any means necessary.  A team of new officers at the Morrisania Police Station was led by an officer named Peter whom that station’s Lieutenant Peter Brady had adopted and named after himself years earlier.  In some cases, the police department filled the position by using the local homeless population, which solved two problems at the same time.  At the Alexander Avenue station, one new officer was not only homeless but nameless as well.  At the time of the New Yok Times’s report, the other officers at the Alexander Avenue station were trying to come up with a name for him.  One of the new officers at the Brooklyn Station who was described as being large and battle-scarred took the “by any means necessary” portion of his orders to heart.  The New York Times reported, “No count was kept of the number of [them] which [he] dispatched, but those he failed to slay he routed completely from the station house, so terrifying them that, according to the police, [none] since has had the temerity to show his nose in the place.”  With the help of the new officers, the crisis of the New York Police Department was resolved.  Why have you not heard of this murdering cop or his fellow officers who certainly performed similar atrocities against the unwelcome tenants?  They were from, as the New York Times reported, the “Feline Tribe.”  Those police officers and the unwelcome tenants were respectively… cats and rats.        

Source: New York Times, May 7, 1915, p. 23.

---

The Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University will present a traditional music and dance informance with Native Nations Intertribal at on Friday, July 17 at 6 p.m. the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front St. in Natchitoches. The event will be free and open to the public. 

The event will feature members of Native Nations Intertribal, who will symbolically open the 46th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival with Native American music and dance. Native Nations Intertribal will engage in a discussion of their traditions with NSU Professor of Anthropology Dr. Hiram “Pete” Gregory, an expert on Southeastern Native American tribes and culture. 

“We are so grateful to Native Nations Intertribal for so generously sharing their cultural knowledge with us,” said Dr. Shane Rasmussen, professor of English and director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University. “Attendees at this event will have the opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful music and dance traditions in the world.” 

Native Nations Intertribal is an all-Native American song and dance troupe dedicated to sharing the beauty, diversity and living traditions of Indigenous peoples across the United States. For over 25 years, it has proudly performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where the troupe honors their ancestors and educates audiences from around the world through the power of their songs, dances and stories. The group is composed of approximately 15-18 dancers and five singers, representing more than 10 tribal nations including Alabama-Coushatta, Coushatta, Southern Cheyenne, Mescalero Apache and Chickasaw, among others. Each performance is a celebration of these cultures, an opportunity to showcase the rich traditions that have been passed down through generations while building understanding and respect among all peoples. 

Native Nations Intertribal will participate in the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival on July 18. In honor of the 2026 Festival theme, “America the Beautiful,” the Festival will feature the traditional music of the nation – blues, gospel, Cajun, Celtic, country, bluegrass and zydeco on three stages of music as well as in the Magale Recital Hall. Over 70 traditional crafts persons from throughout the state will display their crafts, handcrafting their work during the festival. 

Held in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival features three stages of live music, Louisiana cuisine food vendors, the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship, dance lessons, music informances, narrative sessions, on-site demonstrations and more. Admission to this family friendly event is $10 for an all-day all-event pass, with children 12 and under admitted free all day. For more information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email folklife@nsula.edu, or go to https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/. 

The event is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest History Museum and is in partnership with the City of Natchitoches. Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana. 

The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. 

---

Over my career, I have fished in every southern state below the Mason Dixon Line. Of all the lakes and river systems I have fished, I have never heard as many anglers hate on a body of water like they do the Red River. 

Why does this body of water garner such disdain? What is it about the Red that makes anglers’ blood boil like it’s the worst place on Earth to fish? 

For the life of me I have never been able to figure this out. Before we answer these questions, let’s take a look at some history of this wonderful river system. 

Before the great floods of 2015 and 2016 and from the time the locks and dams were implemented, the Red River became a fishing and hunting paradise. There was great duck and deer hunting along with some awesome bass fishing; fishing so good that both major professional bass fishing organizations, the FLW (now MLF) and the Bassmaster Classic, held championship events on the Red.

Well-known backwater areas like the Jungle, Little Jungle, Knee Knock, Sutherlands, White House and Goose Pond, to name a few, offered some of the best bass cover imaginable. Lush green acres of lily pads and hydrilla along with plenty of standing timber and laydowns were just loaded with bass.

Then in 2015 and 2016 the Red River went through two floods of Biblical proportions. These were truly 100-year events that took the Red River system years to recover. 

So much of the main river was destroyed with small islands totally wiped out. Tree lines along the river were completely stripped of the timber that once stood tall. 

Backwater areas off the river that held good vegetation like reeds, hydrilla and lily pads were all wiped clean. There was little to no cover left behind after these devastating floods. 

Just to give you an idea of how massive these back-to-back floods were, the water reached record levels of 25 to 30 feet above pool! 

There was also a huge fish die-off during the floods but give credit to the Red River Waterway Commission for developing a restocking program that has brought the river back to life with quality bass being caught once again.  

OK, enough history. Let’s get back to the question: why do so many anglers hate the Red River? First, it can be a tough place for a bass boat to navigate, especially in some of the backwater areas. It’s full of stumps and laydowns that can do damage to an outboard engine’s lower unit, not to mention the fiberglass damage that can occur to the boat. It is a very unforgiving body of water if you don’t know how to get around.

Additionally, there are underwater rock jetties. Knowing where these are located is VERY IMPORTANT, especially along the main river system. Some of these jetties are not visible and run straight off the bank several yards underwater. If you cut the corners too tight or run the river too close to the bank, you can hit these rocks and do major damage to your outboard motor. But if you stay between the red and green buoys that line the main river, you’ll be just fine. 

Let’s talk about the fishing! Some anglers really struggle to catch fish on the Red River, especially anglers who have never fished a river system. Rivers are a different animal than your man-made lakes. Fish relate a little different in a river system than they do in a lake.

Current and moving water can be a big factor in catching bass with any river system. Bass relate to current breaks like sand bars, big laydowns, and rock jetty points, making the main river current very important. However, the backwater areas do fish like any other lake.

So, between the difficulty of navigating the Red and the challenges of river fishing, the weigh-ins are a cry fest of guys complaining about coming to fish here! Tournament directors are inundated with complaints from the guys who can’t stand a Red River event. 

Here’s my advice to all the whiners. “Get your butt in the boat and learn it like you would any other body of water!” It’s no different than going to a new lake; you have to learn it! STOP YOUR WHINING!

Another reason some anglers hate coming to the Red is the fact that it levels the playing field. Every lake has a handful of local guys who you must beat when you back your boat in the water, which can make it more difficult for a lot of anglers to compete for a win. But the Red River is an equalizer and gives a lot of anglers a shot at winning.

Here’s my personal viewpoint. I absolutely love the Red River and everything about it! It’s a great fishery with both backwater and main river habitat. It’s a body of water on the rebound as local tournaments are now taking over 18 pounds to win. 

After the two major floods of 2015 and 2016, anglers needed 14-15 pounds to win. But now, due to the impact of the restocking program, good fishing has returned with more quality bass being caught.

From the very first time I fished an event here, I was hooked! I have loved the Red River ever since and made it a priority to learn it. As an angler, some of my greatest tournaments have been on this body of water. To all those who hate it, take the time to learn it and it will probably become one of your favorite places to fish!

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

---

July 15 has been the date of several notable events throughout history, but one of the most influential in modern communication happened in 2006 when Twitter officially launched to the public.

Originally created as a simple platform for users to post short status updates of 140 characters or less, Twitter quickly evolved into one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. The service became a hub for breaking news, emergency alerts, entertainment, sports and public conversation, fundamentally changing how information is shared in real time.

The platform’s first tweet was posted months earlier on March 21, 2006, by co-founder Jack Dorsey, who wrote, “just setting up my twttr.” The public launch on July 15 marked the beginning of what would become a global communications tool used by millions of people.

Over the years, Twitter played a major role in covering elections, natural disasters, sporting events and other major world events, often delivering news faster than traditional media outlets.

In 2023, the platform was rebranded as X, though many people still commonly refer to it by its original name.

Nearly two decades after its public debut, the platform continues to influence how people communicate and consume news around the world.

---

By Brad Dison

William Bruce “Bill” Rose was an unsavory character.  Police arrested him numerous times for non-violent crimes.  In 1964, 22-year-old Bill left his 18-year-old wife Sharon and their two-year-old son William Bruce Rose Jr. and infant daughter Amy.  In 1965, Sharon met Stephen Bailey and married him the following January.  When they married, Sharon told Billy and Amy that Stephen was their father, and they took his last name.  As a teenager, Billy disliked the name because kids teased him for being Bill Bailey.  Stephen and Sharon raised Billy, Amy, and their only child together, Stuart, in a Pentecostal church.  Their children often performed in church as the Bailey Trio, but there were problems at home.  Billy and his stepfather fought constantly.  When he was 17 years old, Billy accidentally learned that Stephen was not his biological father.  Billy knew nothing about his biological father, but he began going by the name Billy Rose.  For better or worse, Billy never met his father as an adult.

In 1984, Bill Rose, who had recently been paroled from prison, disappeared from Marion, Illinois.  Three years later, in May 1987, police arrested 39-year-old James Faulkner for murdering Bill sometime between May 1 and July 4, 1984.  The family had kept the murder a secret until James’s son Jimmy revealed it to Katie Adams, a counselor with the area Youth Services Bureau.  At her insistence, Jimmy contacted the police.  Jimmy told investigators that Bill was killed in their home at 409 E. DeYoung Street in Marion.  Jimmy said that on the night of Bill’s murder, “My mom and dad and Bill went out drinking.”  Later, they returned to the Faulkner’s home where the trio began having intercourse.  At some point, James left the bedroom, went to Jimmy’s bedroom, and woke him.  James told his then 15-year-old son that he needed him to see something.  Jimmy followed instructions and walked toward the bedroom.  He noticed that his father was holding a long knife.  As Jimmy stood there in shocked silence, his father stabbed Bill, then dragged Bill into the bathroom.  He said “Sayonara, Bill” and finished him off with a baseball bat.  Jimmy said his parents wrapped Bill in painter’s cloth and tied it with a piece of clothesline.  James put the knife into a jug of bleach.  James had his wife and son help load Bill’s body into the trunk of their car, and the family drove five miles to a remote wooded area known as Crenshaw Crossing.  James, Judith, and Jimmy removed the body from their trunk, and they rolled it down one of the area’s many embankments.  James covered the body with debris to disguise it.  The family returned home and James and Judith began scrubbing the floor and carpet in the bedroom.  James told Jimmy to throw the knife in the city reservoir a few blocks south of their home and to put the baseball bat on a public baseball diamond.  Jimmy complied.  Jimmy later showed investigators where he had thrown the knife and divers retrieved the weapon.  Judith’s testimony initially agreed with Jimmy’s, but she later changed her story to help James.  On September 9, 1987, James was found guilty of murder even though Bill’s body had not been found, and he was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.  Bill’s body has never been found. 

Had Billy Rose wanted to meet his biological father as an adult, he never had the chance.  Like his father, Billy was arrested numerous times for various crimes.  Just as he had done as a child in church, Billy always found comfort in singing.  Billy became a famous singer.  The world knows William Bruce “Billy” Rose Jr. as Axl Rose, lead singer for Guns N Roses.

Sources:

1.     Southern Illinoisan, May 7, 1987, p.1.

2.     Southern Illinoisan, August 13, 1987, p.9.

3.     Southern Illinoisan, August 24, 1987, p.9.

4.     Southern Illinoisan, September 2, 1987, p.21.

5.     Evansville Courier and Press, September 4, 1987, p.1.

6.     Southern Illinoisan, September 10, 1987, p.1.

7.     Dave Basner, “25 Things You Might Not Know About Birthday Boy Axl Rose,” February 6, 2025, IHeart Radio, https://kfmqrock1061.iheart.com/content/2020-02-06-25-things-you-might-not-know-about-birthday-boy-axl-rose/.       

---

The North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory is warning the public after recent testing found that nearly one in three pharmaceutical-style tablets examined by the lab were counterfeit.

According to the crime lab, analysts examined 3,394 pharmaceutical tablets bearing legitimate drug imprints intended to identify the medication. Of those, 1,047 tablets were determined to be counterfeit, representing a counterfeit rate of 30.8%.

Lab officials said fentanyl and fentanyl analogs were the most commonly identified substances found in the counterfeit pills. Designer benzodiazepines, including bromazolam and phenazolam, were the second most common. Combined, those two drug classes accounted for approximately 80% of the counterfeit pills analyzed.

The remaining counterfeit tablets contained stimulants, other mismatched substances, and emerging novel opioids such as nitazenes and orphines.

According to the lab, the most frequently counterfeited pill was the M30 tablet, which is the imprint for legitimate 30-milligram oxycodone. Investigators also identified counterfeit versions of several alprazolam (Xanax) bar imprints, including S903, B707, GG249 and G3722, which instead contained designer benzodiazepines.

The crime lab said counterfeit pills have been identified throughout its 29-parish service area, including Ouachita, Caddo and Bossier parishes, as well as rural parishes such as Sabine, Lincoln, Morehouse and Winn.

Officials emphasized that it is impossible to determine what a pill contains based solely on its appearance and urged the public to only take medications dispensed by a licensed pharmacy with a valid prescription.

The North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory warned that any pill obtained outside of a pharmacy should be considered potentially lethal, noting that a single counterfeit pill can be fatal.

---

Demetria Gene Guynes was born in 1962 in Roswell, New Mexico.  Hers was a troubled childhood.  Demetria’s parents, Dan and Virginia Guynes, were alcoholics and the family moved often to avoid debt collectors.  Dan and Virginia fought often, and they married and divorced twice.  When Dan left for the last time, in contrast to the natural order of things, Demetria had to take care of her unstable mother.  Virginia found occasional work as a model in Los Angeles, California, but her alcoholism worsened.  When Demetria was 12 years old, her mother tried to commit suicide the first time by taking pills.  Demetria saved her mother’s life by digging the pills out of her unconscious mother’s mouth and calling an ambulance.  Shortly thereafter, she learned that the man she called dad was not her biological father.  Her real name was not Demetria Gene Guynes, but Demetria Gene Harmon.  Her family had withheld the fact that her biological father was Charles Foster Harmon, an airman with the Air Force who had abandoned Virginia while she was pregnant with Demetria.

Virginia’s lack of steady employment and abuse of alcohol led to constant money problems.  The money problems led to more alcohol abuse, which led to more money problems.  It was a vicious cycle.  When Demetria was a young teenager, her mother started taking her to bars to get attention.  Late one night, Demetria and her mother returned to their apartment from a bar.  Demetria was surprised to find a man they knew waiting for them inside their apartment.  Virginia was not surprised.  The man had a key to their apartment.  The man took Demetria into her bedroom and raped her.  Demetria was 15 years old.  Before the man left, he asked her how it felt to be sold by her mother for $500.  In addition to the awfulness of being raped, Demetria felt betrayed by her mother, the one person who should have protected her.    

At 16, Demetria became a high school dropout and a runaway.  Like her mother, Demetria began working sporadically as a model.  At just 5 feet, 5 ½ inches, she was considered too short for most modeling jobs.  Like her parents, Demetria tried to drown her troubles with alcohol.  With nothing to lose and with no experience, she began auditioning for acting jobs.  As with modeling, her acting jobs came sporadically.  Alcohol abuse led to drug abuse.  Demetria was headed for certain self-destruction when her boss and coworkers forced her to go to rehab.  While Demetria’s mother’s life spiraled out of control with numerous arrests including burglary, arson, and multiple charges of drunken driving, Demetria led a life of sobriety.  Because of her troubled childhood, Demetria now works with a foundation whose goal is to eliminate child sex slavery and human trafficking called Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children.  You may not have known about Demetria Gene Guynes’s troubled childhood or her work with Thorn, but you certainly know her from films such as “Striptease,” “G.I. Jane,” and “Ghost.”  You know Demetria Gene Guynes as Demi Moore.  

Sources:

1.     Concord Transcript (Concord, California), March 31, 1970, p.18.

2.     Citizen (Solana Beach, California), December 11, 1987, p.58.

3.     “Demi Moore reveals the devastating childhood that shaped her – ABC News – Part 1/3,” ABC News, Youtube.com, September 23, 2019, accessed June 21, 2026, https://youtu.be/MlFl5WiMzBI?si=7f03o7LeOZqfYj3-.

4.     The Fresno Bee, October 7, 1994, p.2.

5.     The Signal (Santa Clarita, California), October 5, 1995, p.2.

---

State Representative Gabe Firment officially announced his candidacy for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, pledging to bring proven conservative leadership, rural values, and a results-driven approach to Washington.

Firment, who has represented his district in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2019, currently serves as Chairman of the House Insurance Committee and has built a reputation as a principled conservative leader, small business owner, and advocate for Louisiana families.

“Washington doesn’t need another career politician,” Firment said. “It needs leaders who understand the people they serve, share their values, and are willing to fight for them. 

I’m running for Congress because Louisiana deserves a proven conservative who will stand up for our families, our freedoms, and our future.”

A native of Rapides Parish, Firment is a graduate of Louisiana Christian University and Louisiana Tech University. He and his wife, Erica, a public school educator, raised their family in Grant Parish and are proud parents of three children and grandparents of three grandchildren.

A committed Christian, deacon, and Sunday School teacher, Firment has been recognized as a defender of traditional values and individual liberties, earning thePrestigious Gladiator Award from Louisiana Family Forum for his leadership in the Louisiana Legislature.

As a lifelong Republican, Firment has championed policies that defend life, protect the Second Amendment, strengthen public safety, lower taxes, and protect private property rights. He has been a vocal advocate for farmers, timber producers, and rural communities throughout Louisiana.

If elected, Firment says his priorities will include securing the border, restoring American energy dominance, protecting Social Security and Medicare, defending constitutional freedoms, and supporting President Trump’s America First agenda.

“Louisiana’s 5th District deserves a fighter who will stand firm and deliver results,” Firment said. “I’m ready to take that fight to Washington.”

---

As Louisiana families prepare to celebrate Independence Day and America’s 250th year, the Office of State Fire Marshal (SFM) is urging residents to put safety first and use fireworks responsibly.

Fireworks remain a leading cause of preventable holiday injuries each year. Sparklers can reach temperatures above 2,000 degrees, creating a serious burn risk, especially for children.

According to 2025 data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks misuse and malfunction were linked to at least 15 deaths and an estimated 13,000 emergency department-treated injuries. Sparklers accounted for an estimated 1,300 injuries. People ages 15 to 24 were injured most often, with burns to the hands, fingers and head among the most common injuries.

More than 660 permitted fireworks stands will operate statewide this season, with retail sales allowed through 11:59 p.m. July 5. Louisiana law requires fireworks vendors to be licensed and permitted through the SFM and to sell only where fireworks are authorized.

“Public fireworks displays remain the safest way to celebrate,” said DPS Principal, Assistant Chief Bryan J Adams. “If you choose to use consumer fireworks at home, plan ahead, follow safety guidelines and buy only from licensed vendors.”

To help prevent injuries, the Office of State Fire Marshal recommends:

Check local burn bans and avoid fireworks during dry or windy conditions

Use fireworks in open areas at least 200 feet from buildings, vehicles and flammable materials

Never allow children to handle fireworks; consider safer alternatives such as glow sticks or public displays

Never use homemade, altered or illegal fireworks and always follow label instructions

Do not use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs

Light one firework at a time and keep a hose or bucket of water nearby

Soak used fireworks before disposal and never place dry fireworks in the trash

---

Have you ever questioned why you’re here? Ever wondered, ‘what am I supposed to be doing with my time on this Earth?’

Each of us has a calling but it may take a while to discover what it is. As a child, I questioned a lot of things that took place during my younger years, especially as I started school. 

It became very apparent that the classroom was going to be a challenge. The biggest problem was that I had no guidance, no one to make sure I did my homework or that I even got up every day to go to school.

But there was one day in my life that I will never forget. It was the day they had Little League baseball tryouts. Even though I was not old enough to play Little League, I still showed up with glove in hand and ready to show anyone that I could play this game. 

I rode my bike up the street to a local ballpark where the tryouts were taking place. I hopped off my bike and ran onto the field and got in the first line of players I saw as they were taking ground balls and throwing them back to a coach. 

When my turn came around, the coach hit the ball to me, and I scooped it up and fired it back at the coach. I’ll never forget his reaction as he waived me over to talk to him. Then he uttered words that I will never forget. 

“Son, I don’t think you’re old enough to play Little League, but I can tell you one thing for sure. You’re going to be one heck of a player when you get older.”

Disappointment that I was not eligible to play baseball yet really hit me hard mentally. Finally, there was something that I knew I was good at! Baseball was going to give me purpose! 

It would be on a baseball field that I would shine. It would be through baseball that my confidence and self-esteem would soar. The baseball field was where I was supposed to be!

School on the other hand would continue to be difficult as I was diagnosed with dyslexia going into the second grade. But because of a couple of great teachers by the name of Mrs. Mickey Sinclair and Mrs. Elwanda Carpenter, my world in the classroom was turned around.

From the third grade on, school curriculum would not be as challenging, but I had to work hard to make passing grades. Studying was a necessary evil in order for me to do good in school and get to play sports.  

My parents understood school was a challenge but expected nothing short of A’s and B’s. C’s were not acceptable and there would be consequences for bringing home one. Mother would threaten to pull me out of sports when a C appeared on a report card. 

But again, I figured out early in life that sports, especially baseball, would be my purpose in life. It would be my calling and my saving grace for me as person. It gave me a feeling of confidence that nothing else could. 

Today when I speak to youth, this is one of the topics I’ll discuss. No matter what it is, find that one thing you’re good at and make that your purpose. Make that the reason you get up every day. Make that your passion whether it’s sports, education, music or, maybe if you’re lucky, it’s bass fishing!

Life can offer us so many opportunities but it’s up to each of us to take advantage when those opportunities roll around. I truly believe that God has a purpose for each of us. 

It just might take some of us longer to figure out exactly what our purpose is, but isn’t that what life is all about? The journeyis the great adventure.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

---

The 46th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival will be held on Saturday July 18, in the air–conditioned Prather Coliseum located at 220 S. Jefferson Street on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches. The festival’s curated showcase of Louisiana folk musicians, food vendors and traditional crafts persons will open at 9 a.m. with live entertainment scheduled for 9:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The family-oriented festival is fully wheelchair accessible. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are $10 at the door for all events or $6 for an evening pass to all events after 5 p.m. 

In honor of the 2026 Festival theme, “America the Beautiful,” the Festival will feature the traditional music of the nation – blues, gospel, Cajun, Celtic, country, bluegrass and zydeco on three stages of music as well as in the Magale Recital Hall. Music and dance headliners include Cajun bands Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys and Poisson Rouge, zydeco band Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, blues artists the Wayne “Blue” Burns Band and the Snake Doctors, western swing and classic country artists Gal Holiday and the Honky Revue, the Rising Dragon Lion Dance Team, bluegrass group Catahoula Drive, gospel groups the Amazing! Rhythm Disciples and the Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble and dance performances by Native Nations Intertribal, the Rising Dragon Lion Dance Team, the Thistle Dancers and Pipers and Fijian traditional dance by the Rokobou Family. In addition will be a special appearance by Kovanda’s Czech Band which will accompany the Louisiana Czech Heritage Dancers. The festival also includes numerous food vendors offering traditional Louisiana cuisine. Outdoor activities feature demonstrations of traditional blacksmithing, Dutch oven cooking and a child-friendly hands-on demonstration of a 19th century wash day. 

More than 80 crafts vendors have been invited to display and discuss their traditional work with festival patrons. Craftspeople are expected to display beadwork, baskets, cowhide chair covers, alligator jewelry, Pysanky eggs, Native American crafts and pottery. Other expected craftspeople will display needlework, wood carvings, handmade toys and dolls, paintings, sculpture, homemade soap, spinning and weaving, handcrafted knives, handmade brooms, walking sticks, folk art quilts and more. 

The Festival will include a Gumbo Cook-Off, in which professionals and hobbyists alike can compete in one of the multiple categories and demonstrate their cooking skills in any of three categories, Seafood, Poultry Plus and People’s Choice. All gumbo must be cooked on-site, with no commercial or pre-made roux allowed. Poultry, meat, seafood, rice and broth or stock may be prepared in advance or on-site and canned broth is allowed. Registration and the Cooks’ Meeting will take place at 8:00 a.m. Tasting and judging will begin at 12:30 p.m. with winners announced at 3:15 p.m. There is no fee to compete in the Cook-Off. 

The Annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the Magale Recital Hall. There will be a non-championship class and a championship class. A twin fiddle category will also be held. Registration is at noon in the first-floor foyer outside Magale Recital Hall. The Fiddle Championship winner will perform on the main stage at Prather Coliseum at 5 p.m. 

The festival includes several opportunities for patrons to engage directly with Louisiana folk culture. Free dance lessons include clogging or flatfoot dancing with Clancey Stewart, Celtic dance taught by the Thistle Dancers and Pipers and Cajun and zydeco dancing taught by the Cajun French Music Association Dance Troupe. Interactive activities include dancing with the Louisiana Czech Heritage Dancers and Native Nations Intertribal. 

“The festival bridges the distance between artists and the festival patrons, thus breaking the artificial barriers between artists and audience,” said Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the festival and NSU’s Louisiana Folklife Center. “Rather than watching from the sidelines, everyone who takes part in these activities will share and engage in Louisiana’s rich culture.” 

KidFest will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kidfest is an area dedicated to child-friendly activities and is a fun way for children to examine their own cultural and family traditions as well as those from around the state. 

Narrative sessions will be held in the festival N-Club Room from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature presentations on the making of the first sinker cypress fiddle, traditional carding, spinning and weaving, Fijian traditional culture, Louisiana foodways and heritage language revitalization. In addition will be music informances on Cajun music with bands Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys and Poisson Rouge. ASL interpretation, assistive listening devices and audio description for these cultural discussions will be made available upon prior request by July 10.  

This year also features several pre-Festival events which are free and open to the general public. A Visit with the Bagpipe will be held at 2 p.m. on July 11 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. Attendees at this free workshop will learn the basics of traditional Celtic bagpipe and drumming, as well as Highland dance. The workshop will also feature a Celtic music and dance performance by the Thistle Dancers and Pipers. A second free pre-festival event will be a music and dance performance by Native Nations Intertribal at 6 p.m. on July 17 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Members of Native Nations Intertribal will also engage in a discussion of their traditions with anthropologist Dr. Hiram “Pete” Gregory, an expert on Southeastern Native American tribes and culture. 

For a full schedule of events, online registration forms to participate in the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship and the Gumbo Cook-Off or to make a donation contact the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email folklife@nsula.edu or go to nsula.edu/folklife/. 

Support for the Festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program will not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.  

The festival is sponsored by Alliance Compressors, Atmos Energy, C&H Precision Machining, City Bank, Cleco, Evans Family, LLC, the Harrington Law Firm, Natchitoches Wood Preserving Company, Ronnie’s Auto Glass and Collision Center and Young Estate, LLC. 

---