According to an article by Under The Radar – NW Louisiana, Bienville Parish Students thrived at the 2021 Invitational. 

The Castor Tigers and Lady Tigers dominated the Bienville Parish Invitational track meet held last Thursday at Castor School.

Castor boys won nine events. Gage Jordan, Joseph Matthews, and Dylan Waters brought gold home for the Tigers in two separate events. Jordan won the 800-meter run and won the Javelin with a 115’ 3” throw. Matthews won the Pole Vault over fellow Tiger Landyn Crow and beat out Jakobe Stevens on the 100 meter dash by 0.12 seconds and a time of 12.72.

Waters won both the Discus and Shot Put with ease.

Castor team won two of the three relays by winning the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400. Other winners for the Tigers were Ashton Tillman (110 m Hurdles), and Austin Cooper (Triple Jump).

The Lady Tigers one-upped the boys and took first place points in 10 events. Senior Emma Guice grabbed two first places in both the Discus and Shot Put. Jalexia Caldwell also garnered two gold medals in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Castor relay team took two of the three races winning the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400. Other Lady Tiger winners were Kenzie Crawford (1600 m Run), Farrah Mckissack (High Jump), Hailey Nailes (Pole Vault), and Kaylyn Long (Javelin).

Finishing second in the boys division was the Gibsland-Coleman Bulldogs. Jakobe Stevens grabbed two first place medals from the 300m Hurdles and High Jump. The Bulldog relay team captured the 4 x 100 relay gold.

The Lady Bulldogs also capture the runner-up team results. GCHS’s Ke’Honestly Williams showed her speed winning both the 100 and 200 meter dash. Eighth grader Samora Jackson won the 300m Hurdles. The GCHS relay team won the 4 x 100 relay.

Saline Bobcats and Lady Bobcats brought first-place medal back to Southern Bienville parish. Georgia Robinson edged out Gibsland Coleman’s Sampson in the 100 m Hurdle. Titus Jackson won the 400 m Dash. Maddox Williams grabbed the gold medal in the 1600m run.

Arcadia Hornets and Lady Hornets also won three gold medals in the meet. Akylah Tibbs won two events for the Lady Hornets in the 400m dash and 800 m run. Eighth grader Bratreviauntae Ferrell blew out his competition in the 200 m dash by over 2 seconds.

Trevor Williams was the sole gold medal winner for Ringgold as he beat fellow teammate J’bari Adams by less than a foot.

This meet is prepared these teams for the upcoming district, regional, and state meets in the next couple of months. Congratulations to all the participants in the meet.

Source:  Under The Radar – NW Louisiana. “Bienville Parish Track Stars Show Off at Bienville Parish 2021 Invitational.” Accessed March 24, 2021. http://undertheradarnwla.com/bienville-parish-track-stars-show-off-at-bienville-parish-2021-invitational/.

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March 26th Sudoku
Click on the pdf below and print.
Enjoy the puzzle.

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By Steve Graf

Last week we looked at one of Americas best bass lakes by breaking down Lake Fork Texas. This week we’re going to hook up the boat and load the rods and head to Southeast Texas and another legendary bass fishery in Lake Sam Rayburn. I think it’s safe to say that no other body of water gets more pressure than this one. If you’re looking to get your line stretched or catch that fish of a lifetime, Sam Rayburn is the place to go. Anglers can literally lose sleep the night before they launch their boat on this lake. Today I’ll give you a better idea as to what I’m talking about and why this lake continues to rank in the top 5 nationally and has recently been ranked number one by Bassmaster Magazine.

Sam Rayburn is located on the Angelina River just east of Lufkin, Texas. It’s an Army Corp of Engineer lake built in 1965 as part of the development plan for the Neches River Basin. It’s main purpose; flood control and hydroelectric power generation. It had an estimated cost of $66 million which also included recreational facilities all over the lake.

If you looked at the Sam Rayburn calendar of events from January thru September, you’ll see what I mean by fishing pressure. There’s not a single weekend during this entire stretch of time in which there’s not a bass tournament or two. Yet week after week and month after month, Sam Rayburn puts out huge numbers of bass as anglers are known to weigh-in 5 fish limits with as much 40 pounds of bass. It’s common place for anglers to weigh-in 5 fish limits over 25 pounds each and every event. This is another popular lake (like Lake Fork) that you could end up waiting in line to launch your boat.

Sam Rayburn is a bass fishing factory in that you can catch both quality and quantity. It’s loaded with hydrilla (grass) and coontail moss especially south of the 147 bridge. This is a fishery in which you can catch bass deep (20 to 30 feet) or go shallow in the 2 to 5 foot range. You have great structure with humps and ridges, you have cypress trees and bushes in shallow water all over the lake that hold bass when the lake is at pool stage (164.4) or higher. If you’re not sure where to start, main lake points are always a good place and can hold good schools of fish. When you get north of the 147 bridge up to the 103 bridge you’ll find standing timber and its in this part of the lake you’ll need to be careful as there’s not a marked boat run. Once you get north of the 103 bridge, you’ll find an abundance of cypress trees, bushes and river type of fishing the farther north you run. If you’re going to Rayburn on a weekend, you might want to avoid both Umphrey Family Pavilion and Cassels-Boykin boat ramps as this is where the majority of the bass tournaments go out of and can be extremely crowded Friday thru Sunday.

One good thing about Rayburn is that there’s no shortage of boat ramps and you can find one just about anywhere that’s close to where you want to fish. One word of caution, Sam Rayburn can get extremely rough when winds blow out of the south/southeast at 15 to 20 mph. But again, you can pretty much find a boat ramp that will allow you to launch your boat safely. Some of my scariest moments as a bass fisherman have been on big Sam when the winds start to blow as this lake is not very forgiving. Bottom line, keep an eye on the weather.

Make no bones about it, Sam Rayburn is an awesome body of water that’s full of bass big and small. It’s definitely in my top 3 of the best bass fisheries I’ve ever fished and it continues to amaze myself and other anglers just how good it is even with all the fishing pressure day after day and week after week. Next week, we’ll break down another lake that has a great past in Toledo Bend. Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook!

Steve Graf
Owner/Co-host
Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show
And Tackle Talk Live

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has announced the rules and timeframe for the 2022 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp, or Louisiana Duck Stamp, competition. The fulvous whistling duck will be this year’s featured species.

“The fulvous whistling duck is one of Louisiana’s most unique waterfowl species,’’ said Larry Reynolds, LDWF Waterfowl Program Manager.

With their long legs, necks and standing posture, whistling ducks more resemble geese than ducks. Plumages of male and female fulvous whistling ducks are the same and both sexes incubate eggs and share in the rearing of young.

Adults are a striking orange-brown color on the head, neck and chest, thus the name fulvous, with blue-gray bill and feet, a black-barred back, white stripes on the flank and distinctive white V above the tail.

“Although Louisiana is most often thought of as important wintering habitat for waterfowl in the Mississippi Flyway, we provide breeding habitat for fulvous whistling ducks,” Reynolds said. “They arrive from wintering areas in Mexico, or further south, from mid-April through early May, taking up residence primarily in the rice-growing region of southwest Louisiana.’’

Unlike closely-related black-bellied whistling ducks, which primarily nest in tree cavities and will use wood duck nest boxes, fulvous whistling ducks nest on the ground, preferring rice-field levees or nearby upland fields. Relatively few are taken by Louisiana hunters because they tend to migrate south of the border in late-September through October. Consequently, less is known about the ecology and population status of these intriguing birds than other ducks.

The 2021 contest was restricted to designs featuring mottled ducks. John Nelson Harris’ remarkable depiction of a lone bird on a quiet southern wetland added an outstanding contribution to a long tradition of excellent stamp designs. The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp bearing that design will go on sale June 1.

The 2022 contest will be restricted to designs with fulvous whistling duck as the focal species. Artists are also reminded of the requirement for associated habitat.

“The primary objective of this program is to provide revenue to create, enhance and maintain habitat for waterfowl and associated wetland wildlife,” said Reynolds, “so a habitat component is required in each entry and is one of the five judging criteria.”

To enter, an artist must submit an original, unpublished work of art, along with a signed and notarized artist’s agreement and a $50 entry fee. Entries should be addressed to:

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Attn: Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Program
2000 Quail Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Entries will be accepted from Oct. 18-Oct. 26, 2021. The contest will be held at LDWF Headquarters building starting at 10 a.m. on Oct. 27. The public is invited to attend.

Please download and complete the 2022 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition artist agreement and see the full list of rules.

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Please note the guidelines in the rules regarding shipping of paintings implemented in 2020. LDWF wants to minimize risk of damage during shipping of contest entries.

The Louisiana Legislature authorized the Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp program in 1988. The program was created to generate revenues for conservation and enhancement of waterfowl populations and habitats in Louisiana.

Since 1989, more than $15 million has been generated for wetland conservation with approximately $6 million spent on land acquisition. In addition, revenues have supported wetland development projects on Wildlife Management Areas and the Louisiana Waterfowl Project, a cooperative endeavor between LDWF, Ducks Unlimited, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide habitat for waterfowl and other wetland birds on private lands.

Judging for the art competition will be based on the following criteria:

1. Accuracy of form, size, proportion, color and posture.
2. Level and accuracy of detail in all aspects of the waterfowl.
3. Appropriateness, accuracy and detail in depiction of the habitat.
4. Attractiveness and creativity in composition, subject, background and lighting.
5. Suitability for reproduction as stamps and prints.

A panel of judges with experience in waterfowl biology and/or artistic method will select the winning design. The competition is open to all artists 18 years of age and older. Employees of LDWF and members of their immediate families are ineligible.

For more information, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/louisiana-duck-stamp or contact Larry Reynolds at 225-765-0456 or lreynolds@wlf.la.gov.

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March 26th Word Search
Click on the pdf below and print.
Enjoy the puzzle.

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March 31st is the final day to pay your property taxes without incurring other fees.

2020 property taxes were due December 31, 2020. If you have not paid your taxes, please do so by March 31, 2021 to avoid paying additional charges. Beginning April 1, 2021 additional interest, advertising and recording fees will be added to the delinquent 2020 property taxes. You can pay in person at the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office, by mail: PO Box 328, Arcadia, LA 71001, or online at bienvillesheriff.org.

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The Pinkie C. Wilkerson Life Development Center (The Foundation) is currently accepting applications for their scholarship award. One high school senior will be selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship. The link to the application and selection criteria to be considered for the scholarship award are listed below.

Requirements:

• Be a Spring 2021 high school graduate
• Have at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale
• Copy of ACT/SAT scores
• Two (2) letters of recommendation. One from:
  • Your high school official (Principal, Counselor, Teacher)
  • A community/civic leader (Pastor, Supervisor, Mayor, etc.)
• Biographical Profile
• Two-page typed essay on one of three topics listed (see application for topics)
• High school transcript
• Headshot of the student
• PLEASE NOTE: The recipient of the scholarship must attend Grambling State University and show proof of Fall 2021 enrollment.
• Submit completed application packet on or before the deadline date: April 16, 2021.

  If you have questions, contact Gloria Moore at 318.572.5934 or scholarship.pcwldc@gmail.com.

Click Here for Scholarship Application

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• Mary Alderson
  May 12, 1920 – March 24, 2021
  Service: TBA
• James Russell Gaston
  May 23, 1953 – March 23, 2021
  Service: Saturday, March 27, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church West Chapel in Minden
• Jason Eugene Lawrence
  January 06, 1979 – March 23, 2021
  Service: TBA
• Carey E Posey, Jr
  April 22, 1935 – March 22, 2021
  Service: 10:00a.m Friday March 26, at Campground Cemetery in Bienville
• Patricia Murphy Rushing
  July 1, 1936 – March 19, 2021
  Service: Saturday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral home in Minden
• Rebecca Solomon
  October 20, 1945 – March 23, 2021
  Service: Saturday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home Chapel in Minden

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Click on the following link for a free lifetime subscription to the Bienville Parish Journal. You will receive current local news in your email on publishing days (currently Wednesday and Friday mornings). You can unsubscribe at any time. Bienville Parish Journal does not share email addresses with anyone.

Click here to Join for Free

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On Friday, March 19th, Castor High School’s softball team was travelling in a Bienville Parish school bus on Highway 84 in Desoto Parish when the bus was involved in a collision with a pickup truck.  The driver of the pickup sustained broken bones and was transported to a hospital.  None of passengers of the school bus were injured.  Louisiana State Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Source:  KSLA News 12. “Bus Carrying Softball Team Involved in Crash in Desoto Parish.” Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.ksla.com/2021/03/20/bus-carrying-softball-team-desoto-parish-involved-crash/.

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Ringgold High School Junior Tyrin Cunningham won 181 lb. class 1A state championship in powerlifting over the weekend!

Ringgold has its 1st state powerlifting champion in the 181 lb. division! Tyrin Cunningham, a junior at Ringgold High School has reached the gold standard in the sport of powerlifting. Cunningham outlifted nine other lifters at the state powerlifting meet on March 18th, which was held at Fant-Ewing Arena on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe. Tyrin wowed the crowd with his first lift squatting an impressive 430 lbs. He followed that up by benching 245 lbs. which separated himself from the pack. Lastly, he left no doubt with a powerful deadlift of 460 lbs.

If that wasn’t enough, Cunningham was being courted by several colleges wanting his services for powerlifting throughout the meet. Tyrin was complimented several times by the LHSAA judges about his impressive lifting skills, which only motivated him more to push forward. Through it all Tyrin stayed humble and appreciative of being the trailblazer for Ringgold High School. It was such a special moment to see his mom and grandmother there along with other family members rooting him on. After his major accomplishment Cunningham was already talking about repeating as the state champ next year! Powerlifting Coach Shon Trent stated…. “To see Tyrin stand on that podium witnessing him wearing the Ringgold logo on his chest just gave me confirmation that it’s “Ringgold’s Time to shine.” The “Gold Standard” era has officially begun!

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Hazel, as Arcadians refer to the hound, has become a fixture in Arcadia, especially along Hazel Street.  She has a following of nearly 300 people on Facebook.  On March 11th, concerned citizens began the “Hazel, the Arcadia Stray, Sightings” Facebook page to try to locate her to make sure she was safe.   For months the townspeople, including the ladies at State Farm Insurance, have provided food and water for her, and have found homes for her puppies.  They have tried to safely catch her so she can be spayed, but Hazel always seems to outsmarts them.  In February, when we were snowed/iced in for a week, Arcadians became worried because there was no sign of Hazel.  As the days stretched into weeks, the townspeople feared that something had happened to the beloved canine.  Because of the Facebook page, Arcadians learned that Hazel like to travel. 

During the winter storm, Hazel took a vacation from Hazel Street in Arcadia and stayed about a month in Minden, twenty five miles to the west.  She spent a lot of her time at Minden’s Wal-Mart.  Hazel refuses to explain how she got from Arcadia to Minden, but concerned citizens in Minden shared pictures of her on the Facebook group.  The last reported sighting of Hazel in Minden was March 12th.

Two days later, citizens in Homer, twenty miles to the northeast, reported seeing Hazel whiling away the hours on Homer’s town square.  Several people commented that it must be different dogs.  Surely Hazel could not have traveled to Minden and then to Homer.  Within a day or two, people responded to the comments with pictures of Hazel in Homer.  Somehow, Hazel had travelled to Minden and Homer.  Homer’s police department was not as receptive to Hazel as the citizens of that town, Minden, or Arcadia, and tried to “take any steps possible” to get Hazel off Homer’s town square.  Luckily, Hazel evaded the police force.

On March 20th, Arcadian’s were relieved to learn that Hazel had returned to Hazel Street.  She seemed happy and healthy.  The townspeople are attempting to safely catch Hazel to have her spayed and vaccinated.    

If you would like to donate food for Hazel, you can drop it off at State Farm Insurance in Arcadia.  Hazel prefers Chicken flavored Dog Chow.  You can also help fund her spaying and vaccination by donating to Misfit Farms Rescue and Sanctuary at 3078 Hwy 519 in Athens (be sure to notify them that the donation is for Hazel) or through PayPal at Lobckl@aol.com.  Within 24 hours, fans of Hazel had donated $85 towards her wellbeing.  So far, donations had reached $185.   

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Early Saturday morning, 69 teams of anglers launched their boats into the Red River Reservoir for the 14th Annual Fishin’ for a Mission Bass Tournament.  First Baptist Church of Castor hosted the event to raise money for summer missions.  Michael and Theresa Mooney were the big winners with the biggest bass at a whopping 8.08 pounds, and the most weight in fish at 20.45 pounds.

Place	Team	Total Weight
1	Michael & Theresa Mooney	20.45
2	Anthony & Jerri Toms	20.40
3	Casey Allen	16.07
4	Hunter Guin & Shaun Lofton	14.59
5	Josh & David Longino	14.16
6	Eddie Scallion & Randy Gauntt	14.03
7	Bo & Sean Bohannon	13.87
8	Mark & Marty Woods	12.80
9	Johnny Smith & Kayne Thompson	11.66
10	Kevin & Hunter Guice	11.10

Big Bass

Place	Team	Weight
1	Michael & Theresa Mooney	8.08
2	Casey Allen	6.80
3	Eddie Scallion & Randy Cauntt	6.35
4	Kevin & Ron Hathorn	6.22
5	Freddie & Adam Blanchard	5.99
6	Bo & Sean Bohannon	5.86
7	Austin Knotts & Kory McGee	5.70
8	Anthony & Jerri Toms	5.64
9	Hunter Guin & Shaun Lofton	5.28
10	Brandon Procell & Reed Waldron	5.26

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It was a tough day on Thursday for Saline Bobcats Varsity, who lost 15-5 to Red River.

Saline got things moving in the first inning, when an error scored one run for Saline.

Red River pulled away for good with six runs in the second inning.  In the second, an error scored one run for Red River, #1 singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run, #3 singled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run, #4 tripled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run, and #2 singled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run.

#4 was on the hill for Red River.  The hurler surrendered five runs on two hits over four innings, striking out four.

Jacob Jones was on the pitcher’s mound for Saline.  The righty went two innings, allowing six runs on five hits and walking zero.  Will Dison and Drew Golden entered the game from the bullpen, throwing two and a third innings and one and one-third innings respectively.

Shawn Staggs, Hunter Laborde, and Golden each collected one hit to lead Saline Bobcats Varsity.

Red River racked up nine hits on the day.  #3 and #1 all managed multiple hits for Red River.

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When was the list time you saw Danville in the news?

According to an article in the March 24, 1921 issue of the Bienville Democrat, John Williams, aged 45, whose home was near Danville was shot and killed instantly early Monday morning, March 21st, by his son, Frazier Williams, age about 22, who is still at large.

Sheriff John Currie, accompanied by Marshall John W. Boddie, left Arcadia Monday morning after being notified of the killing to make an investigation.  While investigating the killing, he also learned of the presence of a whiskey still in that locality operated by Dan Williams, a brother of the man who was killed, and by Frazier Williams, who is being sought in connection with the murder of his father.  Sheriff Currie took possession of the still and arrested Dan Williams, who is now in the parish jail pending further developments in the case.

After returning with his prisoner, the sheriff left again for Danville to make further investigation and to try to locate Frazier Williams.

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DID YOU KNOW … Your neighborhood Bienville Parish Library has Adult Outreach Services? What is that you ask? Well, homebound or elderly Bienville Parish Library patrons who are unable to visit the library can request books, audiobooks, and special book requests to be delivered to them every couple of weeks.

What makes a good candidate for outreach services? A Bienville Parish Library patron recovering from surgery or has had an extended illness that prevents them from driving, could request to be placed on the schedule until they are fully recovered. Also, the senior patron, that is no longer is driving or has a medical condition or an illness that prevents them from visiting the library can request library outreach services.

“If anyone is interested in being placed on the delivery schedule,” says Jackie Cato, Adult Outreach Services Coordinator, “They’ll need to call me and answer a few questions. I’ll ask what their needs are, and how long they might need the service.” Book baskets are delivered to homes on a regular schedule, about every two weeks. “During the interview, I’ll find out what kinds of genres they like to read and gather a nice variety for them to select from.” Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Adult Outreach Service is still a no-contact service. “Most of the time patrons on the outreach schedule will call and request books from the new book list or request books from their favorite authors,” says Cato. “Or I’ll give them a call and see if they’re ready for another delivery.” On delivery day, Ms. Cato picks up the book “returns” and replaces it with another basket of reading materials. “With the COVID protocols in place, we can’t visit like we used to, but we still wave to each other from a safe distance!”

Outreach Services is also responsible for borrowing materials for patrons through Interlibrary Loan and coordinates special adult events and performances at the Library and throughout the parish. “Everything changed with COVID,” Cato laments, “We haven’t had any live events for over a year. Our seasonal events last year were all virtual and placed on our YouTube™ channel. We will begin in mid-April with Adult BINGO. It’ll be limited to ten players and all state COVID rules will be observed. But I think we’ll still have a lot of fun!”

If you or a family member would like to be added to the delivery schedule, or if you have questions about any of the Adult Outreach Services offered, contact Jackie Cato at (318) 263-7410 extension 5.

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Saline Bobcats Varsity opened up scoring in the first inning.  Saline scored one run when Logan Parker singled.  After Saline scored two runs in the top of the second, North Caddo answered with two of their own. 

Saline scored when Shawn Staggs drew a walk, scoring one run.  North Caddo pulled away for good with three runs in the fourth inning.  In the fourth, #12 singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run and an error for North Caddo.

Drew Golden went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead Saline Bobcats Varsity in hits.

#3 led North Caddo with three hits in four at bats.

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On Monday, March 22nd, Louisiana Tech announced the Winter quarter 2020-2021 president’s and dean’s honor lists.  Included in that list were several students from our parish. 

Students whose names are followed by an asterisk earned recognition as members of the president’s honor list. That distinction signifies achievement of at least a 3.8 academic grade point average on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher), with no grade lower than a B.

To be eligible for the dean’s honor lists, a student is required to earn at least a 3.5 academic grade point average with no grade lower than a C on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher).

• Arcadia
  • Summer Nichole Banuelos*
  • Chandler Lee Davidson
  • Tamelra Iesha Jenkins
  • Chelsea Lynn Johnson*
  • Alexander James Pafford
  • Ryan Reid Robinson
  • Landri F. Thomas*
• Chestnut
  • Kelsey Denise Shoemaker*
• Gibsland
  • Madison Anne Jones
  • Joseph L. Kidd
  • Devante L. Williams*
• Ringgold
  • Dylan D. Edwards*
  • Garrett Edward Gresham
• Saline
  • Brianna Nicole Brown*
  • Brittan Tyler Brown*
  • Jordan Layne Brown*
• Taylor
  • Sarah Claire Walker

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Earlier this month, Northwestern State University announced the Fall 2020 Honor Roll. Included in that list were several students from our parish.  Students on the Honor Roll must be enrolled full-time at Northwestern and have a grade point average of between 3.0 and 3.49.

• Arcadia
  • Ralyn Sampson
• Gibsland
  • Tyler Sneed
• Ringgold
  • Susan Hanson
  • Allie Hunt
  • Arvionne Reliford
  • Tyler Weathers
  • Jay LaTour
  • Regan Moore
  • Morgan Neugent
  • Morgan Rachal
• Saline
  • Haeven Durbin
  • Grace Mathews
  • Mikalee Sawyer
  • Trinity Sylvester

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Saline Bobcats Varsity defeated Ringgold 10-0 on Monday as two pitchers combined to throw a shut-out.  One bright spot for Ringgold was s single by Rylan Parks in the sixth inning.

Logan Parker was the winning pitcher for Saline.  The righty lasted five innings, and allowed no hits and no runs while striking out eleven and walking one.  Kenton Lee Crawford threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Monroe McCarty started the game for Ringgold.  Undefined allowed four hits and seven runs over four and two-thirds innings, striking out two.  Rylan Parks threw two-thirds of an inning in relief.

Saline saw the ball well on Monday, and racked up five hits in the game.  Trey Hood and Ethan Roberts each collected multiple hits for Saline.  Roberts and Hood each collected two hits to lead Saline.  Saline tore up the base paths, as three players stole at least two bases.  Will Dison led the way with four.

Rylan Parks led Ringgold with one hit in three at bats.

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By Brad Dison

Robert “Bob” Craig needed direction in his life. School was boring to him. He craved excitement. He was an adrenaline junkie. Bob decided that he had had enough of schooling and quit Butte (Montana) High School in his sophomore year. He was anxious to get out into the real world.

Bob enjoyed his newfound freedom from school and he lazed around for a short while. Pretty soon, though, Bob realized that he needed money to survive. Bob found employment at the Anaconda Mining Company where he worked as a diamond drill operator in a copper mine. Shortly thereafter, Bob earned a promotion and drove an earth mover, work he considered unimportant. Just like school, Bob quickly became bored working in the copper mine. Bob’s boredom had become too great for him to quell. Rumors persist that Bob somehow rode a wheelie in his mammoth piece of heavy equipment and ran into Butte, Montana’s main power lines. The massive machine damaged the power line infrastructure which shut off the electricity in the town for several hours. Bob’s boss fired him immediately. Bob liked the rush he got from making the gigantic machine pop a wheelie, and searched continually for ways to feel that sort of feeling again.

On March 7, 1959, twenty-year-old Bob entered in Butte, Montana’s fourth divisional ski jumping championship in the men’s class. Lou Buckmaster skied down the slope of the long jump, launched, soared through the air using his body movements for steering, and landed the jump successfully. Officials recorded Lou’s jump at 86 feet. Paul Maxwell performed his jump with precision and reached a distance of 99 feet. Bob was the ultimate competitor. He was determined to win. Bob shot down the ski slope, used his legs to spring himself higher into the air, and soared toward the bottom of the hill. His landing was perfect. Officials recorded his distance at 111 feet. Of the three people who competed in the men’s class, Bob won by a distance of twelve feet. Of the seventeen people who competed that day, Bob came in second overall.

Skiing was fun, but Bob needed money. Bob went through a host of jobs. He played with the Charlotte Clippers of the Eastern Hockey League. He formed, acted as owner, manager, coach, and player of a semiprofessional hockey team called the Butte Bombers. He ran a hunting guide service and once hitchhiked from Butte to Washington, D.C. carrying a 54-inch set of elk antlers along with a petition to stop the planned slaughter of 5,000 surplus Elk in Yellowstone National Park. Bob was not an animal rights activist; he had an angle. Bob’s plan was for the transplantation of the elk to the area where he ran his hunting guide service. Rather than incurring the expense of transplanting the elk, and in an effort to appease the public, the commission abandoned the planned slaughter. Bob ran a Honda motorcycle dealership where he offered $100 off the price of a new motorcycle to anyone who could beat him at arm wrestling. He claimed to have been a swindler, a holdup man, a card thief, and a safe cracker.

According to former U.S. Representative from Montana Pat Williams, “No one had more guts than Bobby. He was simply unafraid of anything.” Bob was good at self-promotion and was always comfortable in the limelight. Few people remember Bob as a skiing champion, a hockey player, hunting guide, owner of a Honda dealership, or any of the negative jobs Bob claimed to have had. Even fewer people knew Bob by his real name, but Bob certainly became famous. Bob once claimed that he “made $60 million, spent 61. … Lost $250,000 at blackjack once. …Had $3 million in the bank, though.” In the mid-1970s, the Ideal Toy Company released a series of toys and other merchandise based on Bob, which became best sellers and are still sought after. Hanna-Barbera produced a series of Saturday morning cartoons based on Bob. Bally created a pinball machine based on Bob.

Bob was an entertainer whose performances were dangerous. Bob still holds the Guinness World Record for the “Most broken bones in a lifetime.” According to Guinness, by the end of 1975, Bob had suffered 433 bone fractures. Bob received most of his bone fractures while performing in front of a live audience. Bob was a stunt performer and entertainer. His real name was Robert Craig…Knievel. The world knew Bob as Evel Knievel.

Sources:
1. The Montana Standard (Butte, Montana), March 9, 1959, p.7.
2. The Montana Standard, November 22, 1961, p.8.
3. The Montana Standard, December 1, 2007, p.7.
4. Guiness World Records. “Most Broken Bones in a Lifetime.” Accessed March 12, 2021. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-broken

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Castor boys lifted courageously on Thursday, March 18th, and the Girls lifted a great meet on Friday, March 19th. Of Castor’s six young people who qualified for state, Wayne Mangham (junior) placed 8th in the 220lb weight class, Robert Ramos (senior) placed 7th in the 275lb weight class, Hannah Johnson (freshman) placed 8th in the 132lb weight class, Madeline Bolyer (freshman) placed 9th in the 220 weight class, Zakiya Johnson (senior) placed 4th in the 220lb weight class, and Anaiah Johnson (freshman) placed 3rd in the 220+ weight class.  All of Castor’s powerlifters overcame a challenging season, and made tremendous progress setting several personal bests along the way!

We are excited about the future of CASTOR TIGER POWERLIFTING!!!

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By Royal Alexander/Opinion

While not a Constitutional requirement, invoking cloture and cutting off legislative debate currently requires the agreement of 60 Senators and it is wise and prudent to retain that requirement

The Framers of our U.S. Constitution, by design, intended for the U.S. Senate to serve as a very different kind of legislative body than the U.S. House of Representatives. They insured this in the Constitution by seeing that U.S. Senators only face reelection every six years—versus every two years in the U.S. House—and by putting in place other traditions to be certain the Senate functioned with collegiality and—compared to the House—as a highly deliberative body with a calmly dispassionate sense of purpose. As we know, the U.S. Senate has famously been described as a “cooling saucer for the hot tea” of the U.S. House to spill onto. A backstop of sorts. Or, as James Madison described it, “a necessary fence” against the fickleness and passion of the U.S. House—the “People’s House.”

We may recall that Senate Democrats eliminated the filibuster for lower court judicial nominees in 2013, when Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was in control; Republicans made the same move for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 which led to justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett joining the Supreme Court. However, neither side has moved decisively to eliminate the legislative filibuster.

What eliminating the legislative filibuster essentially means is that the majority party in control of the Senate no longer needs to alter or moderate the bills it introduces in order to attract enough votes from the minority party to reach 60 votes needed to cut off debate and go to a vote on the legislation itself. And, while the legislative filibuster is not required by our Constitution, history has shown that it is not wise or prudent to ram through major changes in our law and in our society based upon the raw political strength of a simple majority. Minority interests and considerations are easily overlooked and damaged that way.

When the Senate moves to pass major legislation like multi, multi-billion-dollar appropriation bills, the national defense authorization bill, farm bill, and huge infrastructure bills like the highway bill, it should have at least 60 Senators wanting to end debate to do so. Without this kind of “buy in” from the minority party a new law is often never fully accepted, and the law’s opponents spend years trying to repeal or undermine it.

Please recall the Obamacare law that passed the U.S. House and U.S. Senate on a strictly partisan, party-line vote and was signed by Pres. Obama. Republicans, who never had any input in the crafting of that major and far-reaching piece of legislation, have now spent years trying to repeal it and have it declared unconstitutional.

Yes, the 60-vote filibuster rule for legislation can be highly frustrating at times and yes it seems far preferable for a simple majority to be all that is necessary to cut off debate when the party we favor controls the Senate. But, what about when the party we favor does not control the Senate? If the legislative filibuster and 60 vote-requirement is abandoned all that will be necessary to cut off debate and vote to impose harsh and draconian laws like, for example, massive new taxes, the Green New Deal, mandatory unionization of states that favor right-to-work, and adding Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. as two new states with many new liberal members of Congress—are the votes of a simple majority.

Again, the Senate is supposed to be a fundamentally and structurally different kind of legislative body than the U.S. House—which most often does operate based upon the will of pure majorities—and it should remain that way. Legislation—particularly bills bringing about major changes—is supposed to be difficult to pass and require consensus and that should continue in the Senate.

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Shawn Staggs was brilliant on the pitcher’s mound on Saturday, March 20th, as he threw a no-hitter to lead Saline Bobcats Varsity past Mansfield 10-0.

Saline secured the victory thanks to six runs in the second inning.  Saline offense in the inning was led by Will Dison, Jacob Jones, Hunter Laborde, Staggs, and Ethan Roberts, all knocking in runs in the inning.

Saline got things moving in the first inning when Staggs singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.

Saline notched six runs in the second inning.  The offensive firepower by Saline was led by Dison, Jones, Laborde, Staggs, and Roberts, who each had RBIs in the inning.

Staggs was on the mound for Saline.  The pitcher allowed no hits and no runs over five innings striking out seven and walking none.

#7 was on the pitcher’s mound for Mansfield.  The hurler allowed eight hits and nine runs over three innings, striking out seven.  #8 threw one and two-thirds innings out of the bullpen.

Staggs led Saline with two hits in three at bats.  Jones led Saline with three stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with eight stolen bases.

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• 1765 – Britain enacted Quartering Act, which required colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers
• 1832 – Mormon Joseph Smith was beaten, tarred & feathered in Ohio
• 1837 – Canada gave its black citizens the right to vote
• 1882 – German scientist Robert Koch discovered and described the tubercle bacillus which causes tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), and established germ theory
• 1883 – 1st telephone call between NY & Chicago
• 1894 – 37 miners killed at Franklin, Washington
• 1906 – “Census of the British Empire” showed Great Britain ruled 1/5th of the world
• 1937 – A bus blew a tire, went out of control, and killed 18 in Salem, Illinois
• 1942 – US government began moving native-born citizens with Japanese ancestry into detention centers under Executive Order 9066, with intention of preventing home-grown espionage
• 1944 – 76 Allied officers escaped from Stalag Luft 3 (the Great Escape)
• 1955 – 1st seagoing oil drill rig placed in service
• 1955 – Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” opened for 694 performances
• 1958 – Elvis Presley joined the U.S. Army (serial number 53310761)
• 1962 – Mick Jagger & Keith Richards performed as Little Boy Blue & Blue Boys
• 1975 – Muhammad Ali TKOed Chuck Wepner in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1978 – Wings released “With a Little Luck”
• 1980 – Capitol Records released some rare Beatles tracks on the LP “Rarites”
• 1989 – Worst oil spill in U.S. history, Exxon’s Valdez spilled 11.3 million gallons off Alaska
• 1991 – WrestleMania VII in LA Memorial Sports Arena, CA: Hulk Hogan beat Sgt. Slaughter for WWF Heavyweight title
• 1994 – F-16 collided with a C-130 Hercules above an Air Force Base in North Carolina, 120 killed
• 1998 – Jonesboro massacre: Two students, ages 11 and 13, fired upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people died and ten were wounded
• 1999 – “The Matrix” film written and directed by The Wachowskis, starring Keanu Reeve, Lawrence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss premiered
• 2005 – US version of “The Office” created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, developed by Greg Daniels, starring Steve Carell and John Krasinski premiered on NBC
• 2019 – Investigation headed by Special Council Robert S. Mueller found no evidence President Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 election

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