Let the DrumRoll for....
Harvey Adger, Taylor Barnett, Terence Blanchard, Tyricia Clark, Monica D. Doss, Glenn Dorsey, Hue Jackson, Mickey Joseph, and Erica D Williams
Glen Oaks High School hear basketball coach Harvey Adger earned his 900th on Dec 1 after the Panthers beat the Northeast Vikings during the first home game. The fact that Adger has done all this at one school is remarkable. The 900 win total ranks Adger among the state’s elite. Former Southern Lab coach Joel Hawkins is the leader with 1,081 victories. Adger, who has coached at Glen Oaks for 40 years, is known for molding his players beyond basketball which is one of the reasons school officials named Glen Oaks' new gym in his honor.
The Nature Conservatory chose Taylor Barnett, a first-year LSU graduate student in strategic communications as their inaugural communications fellow. They’d had science fellows before, including from LSU, but realized they were missing something. As legislation on dedicated conservation funding come before the Louisiana House and Senate this year, TNC wanted to make sure their vocal support could be heard not just by their users and peers, but everyone. They selected Barnett to create diverse messaging to build broader consensus and support around Louisiana’s environmental challenges. "The environmental movement has been—still is—very white,” Barnett said, but, most people can appreciate clean air and water, ability to fish and hunt, job creation, saving and making money, and having their house not flood all the time. As a fellow, she researches the economic impact of conservation projects and aids in writing TNC communications for diverse groups.
On September 27, New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard became the first Black composer to have an opera presented at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' played to sold-out houses and due to its success, the Met recently announced that it will present Blanchard's first opera, 'Champion' in April 2023. Based on the life of African American boxer Emile Griffith, it will be directed by James Robinson and conducted by Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin. A six-time Grammy award winner, Blanchard does extensive work for film and TV and is a frequent collaborator with Spike Lee on his movies, including BlacKKKLansman and Da 5 Bloods, which were nominated for the Academy Awards’ Best Original Score. St. Charles Avenue Magazine recently named Blanchard and his wife Robin Burgess Activists of the Year, along with Drs. Joy and Howard Osofsky and Angel and Taylor Beery.
Tyricia Clark, a Baton Rouge native and graduate of the Louisiana Culinary Institute, recently competed in Netflix's "School of Chocolate". She began making desserts in high school and had since sold her T'Cakes--cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and old-fashioned teacakes-- at area pop-ups. On Netflix, she and six contestants studied the art of chocolate under the supervision of famed chocolatier Amaury Guichon. Through eight episodes, they learn skills to elevate their pastry knowledge by completing challenges meant to stretch their imaginations. In the end, Guichon names one of the contestants "Best in Class," awarding the winner $50,000 to start a small business. "School of Chocolate" is streaming on Netflix. Clark's T Cakes are available at tcakescatering.com
Attorney Monica D. Doss has been appointed First Assistant District Attorney for Rapides Parish. She has served as the Chief Felony Assistant District Attorney since July 2016. She also served as a staff attorney, attorney supervisor, deputy general counsel of the legal division, and director of the audit protest bureau of the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Before that, the Tallulah native was employed as the clerk of court and judicial administrator of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. She is a graduate of Grambling State University and the Southern University Law Center.
Former LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey became the 10th former Tiger to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 7. Dorsey--the most decorated defensive player in the school's history – was officially enshrined during the 63rd annual National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in Las Vegas. A native of Gonzales and two-time First Team All-American, Dorsey earned unanimous honors in 2007 after leading LSU to a win over Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. During his senior campaign, he won the Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, and Lott IMPACT trophies, becoming the first player in Tigers history to receive any of those awards. He accumulated 179 total tackles, including 27 for loss and 13 sacks, while playing in 52 games for LSU. He played five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (2008-12) and four with the San Francisco 49ers (2013-16). Off the field, he established the Glenn Dorsey Foundation, which focuses on teaching youth the importance of education.
Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and assistant coach Hue Jackson is Grambling State Tigers' new head coach. Jackson recently completed his first season as Tennessee State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was a Bengals assistant and offensive coordinator before the Cleveland Browns hired him as their head coach in 2016.
After five years at LSU, wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Mickey Joseph returns to Nebraska University as the Huskies's wide receivers coach, passing game coordinator, and associate head coach.The 53-year-old coaching veteran is a New Orleans native who played Nebraska alumn. He was at LSU since 2017 and is known as one of the best recruiters in the country. He was responsible for developing some of the nation’s top receivers including Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall.
Amite public defender Erica D Williams has announced her candidacy for Hammond City Court Judge. For 12 years, she's served as a public defender in criminal misdemeanor court in Hammond and the 21st Judicial Court, and also in felony court in Amite. The seat became vacant after the death of Judge Grace Gassaway in June.