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The Grambling State Tigers and Langston Lions will meet in the 2025 Shreveport Kickoff Classic, both schools announced Friday.

Grambling State and Langston will square off on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. Home to the annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Independence Stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000.

“We’re thrilled to open our season with the Shreveport Kickoff Classic against a outstanding program like Langston University,” said GSU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Trayvean D. Scott. “This matchup not only showcases two storied institutions but also brings our passionate fan base together in a city with deep cultural and athletic ties to Grambling State. It’s more than a game—it’s a celebration of tradition, excellence, and community.”

The Shreveport Kickoff Classic, formerly the Red River State Fair Classic, is a college football game that debuted in 1911 and was played most recently in 2022. In that 2022 contest, Grambling State defeated Northwestern State, 47-21.

“This will surely be an epic battle of the big cats! I am excited for our football team to play in the same location as the Independence Bowl,” said Langston Director of Athletics Donnita Drain-Rogers. “Our Lions as well as the Langston University Marching Pride Band will have the opportunity to showcase their talents on one of the biggest HBCU stages of the year.”

Grambling State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), while Langston competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 2025 matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

Grambling State previously announced an 11-game schedule for the 2025 season, but the addition of the Shreveport Kickoff Classic brings them up to the NCAA maximum of 12. FCS schools will return to playing a maximum of 11 games in 2026.

FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

2025 Grambling State Football Schedule

College Football Neutral Site Games

Funeral Services for Ayodele “Ayo” Edith Anderson will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church, 1666 Alston Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. Ms. Anderson will lie in repose from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. On Friday, May 2, 2025, she will lie in repose from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and Family Hour will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church.

Ayo earned her angel wings on Friday, April 25, 2025 after sudden illness.

Ayo was a member of the inaugural kindergarten class at South Highlands Elementary Magnet School, and later attended Caddo Middle Magnet School, and C.E. Byrd High School. In 1994, a deep connection to family and culture led Ayo to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La., where she graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Mass Communications. She also earned a master’s degree from the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, in New York. Ayo embarked on a successful corporate career at Verizon in New York City and later in Lewisville, Texas, serving as a Human Resources Manager. She was most recently employed as the Area Health Education Center Program Office Project Coordinator at LSU Health Shreveport. Ayo was the owner of Ayo’s Exquisite Excursions and Events, showcasing her entrepreneurial talents and passion for curating unforgettable experiences. Ms. Anderson was a member of several organizations, including the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated, and Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.

Beyond Ayo’s many professional and civic accomplishments, the realization of her heart’s deepest desire was becoming the mother to Ayden Akil Moss Anderson. In every moment, Ayo poured her love, her faith, and her unwavering devotion into Ayden’s life, leaving him with a foundation that will continue to guide and strengthen him throughout his life.

Ayo was preceded in death by her father, Arthur Lee Anderson; maternal grandparents, Marshall and Edith Webb and paternal grandparents Tarris and Veola Anderson.

Ayo leaves to carry on her legacy, a son, Ayden Akil Moss Anderson; mother, Burnadine Moss Anderson; brothers, Dakarai Akil Anderson of Dallas, Texas; Derrick Hall (Lisa) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Calvin Jermaine Hall, Sr. (Tina) of San Antonio, Texas and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends.

In lieu of flowers and food, donations may be given to The Ayden Akil Moss Anderson Scholarship Fund. This tribute ensures that her unwavering passion for education continues to inspire her son, Ayden, shaping his journey with the love and generosity of those who cherished her.

Posted online on May 01, 2025

Published in The Shreveport Times

> An updated list of all NFL Players from Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, LA

The list includes only those players who have played in an NFL game.

See where it ranks among other schools in the state here.

NFL Players from Woodlawn HS

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com

Shreveport/Bossier traffic of late has the makings of a Charles Dickens novel.

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With deteriorating road conditions throughout the area, it's the best of times and the worst of times.

To combat the volume of crumbling roadways throughout the twin cities, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is hard at work with scores of projects, which, while designed to make things better in the long-haul, certainly make things rougher for motorists in the interim.

And the latest announcement from the DOTD is sure to slow things for about a month beginning this Wednesday, April 23.

DOTD is advising all drivers that beginning Wednesday, we should expect intermittent lane closures on LA 3132 eastbound and westbound in Shreveport as part of a $6.8 million project to replace the roadway signage.

These lane closures are necessary to allow for equipment mobilization at various locations between the I-20 and US 171 (Mansfield Rd) interchanges along LA 3132.

The intermittent lane closures will take place mostly during the day, with some restricted only to nighttime (near the Mansfield Road interchange), over the course of approximately the next month.

The good news about this particular project is that the majority of the work will actually be done off the shoulders of LA 3132 and is not expected to impact traffic.

As with all projects like this, all work will be done "weather permitting" so inclement weather could delay, extend or alter in other ways the scheduled work days/hours for this project.

DOTD appreciates your patience and reminds you to please drive with caution through the construction site and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.

Remember to leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - There were more than 30,000 SWEPCO customers in Bossier and Caddo Parishes who did not have power.

On Saturday, April 26, around 4:30 p.m., SWEPCO said they were notified by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) of a grid protection event that may cause disruption within the SWEPCO service area. Bossier Parish will see outages until SPP directs SWEPCO to restore power.

“Temporary emergency grid protection outages are now in effect across parts of our service territory in Bossier Parish.

The SWEPCO team works with the Southwest Power Pool to manage the flow of electricity in our area. SPP required us to take emergency outages in specific areas on the power lines that provide our customers with service. This action was taken to prevent conditions that could cause widespread damage to power lines and equipment that could take days or longer to fix. We are working and coordinating with SPP and will provide additional updates as soon as possible.

The outages are primarily affecting customers in Northwest Louisiana, primarily in Bossier and Caddo parishes. Please know we always strive to provide our customers with advance notice of an outage whenever possible, and unfortunately that was not possible in this emergency situation. In this instance, our grid operators were instructed to take immediate action, which did not give us time to inform you before the outage occurred.”

At 9 p.m., SWPECO gave another update stating they were in the process of restoring power to customers throughout the hour. They said they expect all outages to be resolved Saturday night. By 9:13 p.m., there were 8,747 SWEPCO customers still waiting to have their power restored.

On April 27, SWEPCO released an update on the situation. The company says that the grid conditions are currently stable.

“We want to assure you that grid conditions are currently stable. The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), our regional transmission organization, has confirmed that the situation has improved, and we are continuing to monitor it closely,” says SWEPCO.

Southwest Power Pool is the Balancing Authority and Reliability Coordinator for a 14-state region, which includes SWEPCO service in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma. Sometimes, SPP’s responsibilities is to work with owners and operators of generation and transmission facilities to operate the regional power grid safely and balance between supply and demand.

“SPP is essential for maintaining grid reliability through key activities such as monitoring the grid 24/7, anticipating problems, and taking preemptive action. When risks are detected, they direct SWEPCO and other utilities to take action, ensuring a coordinated regional response. Operating independently and complying with over 5,500 pages of reliability standards, the RTO plays a crucial role in delivering safe and reliable electricity to consumers,” explains SWEPCO.

WHY WOULD SWEPCO DISCONNECT POWER DURING A REGIONAL POWER GRID EMERGENCY?

If Southwest Power Pool declares an emergency requiring utilities to reduce the electric load on the regional power grid, SWEPCO puts its emergency plan into action. As the regional power grid operator, SPP would require the action as a last resort to avoid widespread power loss and to prevent long-term damage to the regional electric system. The action may be due to extreme temperatures, unexpected electric system problems, tight supplies of electricity across the region, or other power grid emergencies. SWEPCO would implement a series of controlled outages that temporarily interrupt power to customers in parts of its service territory, rotating the outages whenever possible so that customers are not without power any longer than necessary.

Go here to check the outage map.

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