Nestled in the lush heart of one of Shreveport’s most exclusive neighborhoods, this home isn’t just a testament to elegant design—it’s a statement to resilience and reinvention.

In Shreveport’s respected Southern Trace neighborhood stands a testament to the power of manifestation—a Mediterranean villa that its owner first spotted while pitching a business deal that would end in rejection. Today, that same house has been transformed into an elegant estate that bridges Old-World craftsmanship with modern luxury, all thanks to a restaurateur who refused to take “no” for an answer.

“I was just a hopeful entrepreneur back then, driving through the gates of Southern Trace as a ‘caterer,’” recalls homeowner Don O’Byrne. “I saw this beautiful pink stucco home with a tile roof and said to myself, ‘One day I’ll live there.”

At the time, O’Byrne was living in a modest 1,100-square-foot home in Haughton, facing rejection after rejection from banks and investors who couldn’t see the potential in what would eventually become Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos— including the very people he catered for that fateful night- Don eventually launched his restaurant in 2006. Fast forward to 2011, and O’Byrne found himself holding the keys to that very same Southern Trace villa—though “holding together” might be a more apt description of the property’s condition.

“I could literally see daylight through parts of the ceiling,” he recalls, shaking his head. Where others saw a money pit, O’Byrne—by then a successful restaurateur—saw his next great project. Taking on the role of general contractor, he and his wife Amy embarked on a renovation journey that would transform a troubled property into a showpiece of Old-World craftsmanship and modern luxury.

Where Old Meets New

The great room exemplifies the O’Byrne’s talent for balancing preservation with innovation. Gone are the original faux French doors, replaced with expansive picture windows that frame a resort-worthy backyard scene—a sparkling pool, elegant fountain, and dramatically uplighted palm trees. A white marble fireplace anchors one end of the room, while a sumptuous sectional invites family gatherings at the other. “Amy’s the decorator, and I’m the builder or the person who gets it built,” O’Byrne says, crediting his wife with the home’s cohesive aesthetic. “Her job seems more fun than mine,” he adds with characteristic humor. Yet watching him discuss the intricacies of hand-applying Venetian plaster to 20-foot walls, it’s clear he finds joy in the craftsmanship. The couple has masterfully integrated modern conveniences without compromising the home’s Old-World charm. A Control4 system, installed in 2020, manages everything from lighting to security to audio throughout the property. The kitchen showcases Sub- Zero and professional-grade appliances, though the 2011 granite countertops they initially installed have become a source of gentle domestic debate. “My hardest job now is convincing Amy that perfectly good granite doesn’t need replacing with marble. It never grows old!” O’Byrne chuckles.

Uncovering History

The renovation process revealed some surprising insights into the home’s original 1997 construction. “Inside the chimney duct on the bottom floor, we found a whole power saw that had been sealed inside during the build-out,” O’Byrne reveals. “If there was a shortcut to be taken when this home was built, it was taken. But we’ve corrected everything.”

Today, the property stands as a testament to perseverance and attention to detail. The thick concrete stucco walls keep the interior comfortable year-round, while the Floridian-inspired landscaping, complete with palm trees, creates a resort-like atmosphere. Don still dreams of adding 20-foot Italian Cypress trees to complete his Mediterranean vision.

Living the Dream

This Mediterranean sanctuary, surrounded by palm trees and the sound of flowing fountains, the O’Byrne’s have created more than just a home—they’ve crafted a testament to the power of vision and perseverance. From the roof over their heads to the Venetian plastered walls that surround them to the meticulously maintained grounds their two Weimaraner’s roam on, every detail reflects a labor of love and the joy of proving the doubters wrong.

While Amy favors the formal living room with its blue Venetian plaster walls and ceilings that Don finished by hand, Don’s preferred spot is the lower back porch, where he can take in views of the outdoor kitchen, a fireplace and pool surrounded by privacy walls. It’s a fitting favorite spot for a man who once stood outside these gates, dreaming of the day he’d call this place home.

“This house isn’t just our dream come true,” Don reflects. “It’s proof that with enough determination, you can build the life you’ve always imagined—even if you have to tear down a few ceilings to get there.”

The 318- area code doesn’t have many claims to fame, but one of the most enduring has been our place in true crime lore as the demise of the notorious outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Bienville Parish. The “Barrow Gang” (which included accomplices) went on their robberyand- killing spree during the Great Depression and the heyday of the “Public Enemy” era, from 1932 to 1934. However, Bonnie and Clyde first met in January 1930 in what was then considered the slum of West Dallas. Only a few weeks later, Clyde was arrested for auto theft and sent to the McLennan County Jail in Waco, Texas. A devastated Bonnie smuggled a gun to him in prison, which he used to break out in March of 1930. Seven days later, Clyde was recaptured and eventually sent to the Eastham Prison Farm, a notorious labor camp, where Clyde’s fortunes took drastic turns for the worse. A fellow inmate regularly sodomized Clyde, who eventually fought back and killed his attacker by crushing his skull with a pipe. Another inmate who was already serving a life sentence claimed responsibility for the murder.

In addition to this, with his slight build, Clyde feared he could not survive 14 years of hard labor and mutilated two of his toes with an axe to escape the work. In a cruel twist, due to his mother’s pleas for his release, only six days after he took this drastic measure, the state of Texas relented, and Clyde was released, scarred for life, bitter against the establishment, and a hardened criminal with a limp. It is believed his ensuing life of crime was meant to be revenge against the system for the ills he suffered in prison.

The Bonnie and Clyde legend eventually caught Hollywood’s imagination, with the most significant film ever made about the duo easily being “Bonnie and Clyde” from 1967, noted as one of the first films of the “New Hollywood” era and considered revolutionary at the time for its depictions of violence in film.

The group took no chances: a Louisiana officer and the youngest of the six, Prentiss Morel Oakley, fired the first shot (that he later admitted was premature), which struck Clyde in the head, killing him instantly. Bonnie’s ensuing scream was heard momentarily before the gunfire from the rest drowned it out. She was found with a half-eaten sandwich still in her hand that she had been eating when fired upon (the café she got that sandwich from, Ma Canfield’s Café, is now the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum, still open to the public). In all, it is estimated that 167 bullets were fired, with 112 bullet holes counted on the car, with the coroner identifying 17 entrance wounds on Clyde and 26 on Bonnie. The embalmer reportedly had a difficult time embalming the two because of the massive number of holes in their corpses. Their brutal demise was considered well deserved: Bonnie and Clyde were known to have killed at least 13 people, nine of whom were law enforcement officers, between February 1932 and May 1934. While small-time robberies of convenience stores and gas stations were their preference, they also robbed banks (this being the Great Depression era; however, their bounty never exceeded $1,500) and frequently stole vehicles. Kidnapping was a regular occurrence, one instance of which occurred in Ruston when they kidnapped H. Dillard Darby (ironically, the mortician that would later work on Bonnie and Clyde, which Bonnie wryly predicted) and Sophie Stone while stealing Darby’s car. The gang took a liking to the two and released them in Arkansas instead of killing them. They followed a pattern of staying in midwestern states and the south, returning frequently to visit family members in Dallas. Staying constantly on the run between states took advantage of local law enforcement agencies not being allowed to cross state lines to pursue. Their most infamous hideout was the “Joplin hideout” on Oakridge Drive in Joplin, Missouri, where the gang holed up for 13 days before a shootout with police in April of 1933 that killed two police officers (this location is now an Airbnb that can be rented for just under $200 a night and was registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in May of 2009). From this hideout, poems and pictures were discovered, released to the press, and added to the gang’s notoriety.

On Thursday, February 27, 2025, the Shreveport Convention Center will be a beacon of hope and empowerment as it hosts the American Heart Association’s Northwest Louisiana Go Red for Women luncheon. This significant event, locally presented by Ochsner LSU Health, aims to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease—the leading cause of death among women—and to celebrate the remarkable strides made in women’s heart health.

The Mission of Go Red for Women Health is personal, confounding, and often lonely. With inequities in research, treatment, and funding, women have been undercounted and under-supported. Go Red for Women, since its inception in 2004, has been at the forefront of addressing these gaps.

As we look to the next 100 years, the American Heart Association, through Go Red for Women, is prepared to meet the evolving needs of women now, and at every age, every stage, and every season of their lives as their trusted, relevant source for credible and equitable health solutions.

The Role of Ochsner LSU Health

As the new local presenting sponsor, Ochsner LSU Health plays a pivotal role in the success of the Go Red for Women luncheon. Their commitment to improving heart health in the community aligns perfectly with the mission of Go Red for Women. Ochsner LSU Health’s support helps to amplify the message of heart health awareness and provides essential resources for research and education.

Through their sponsorship with Go Red for Women, Ochsner LSU Health hopes to bring a greater awareness to stroke risk factors and recovery, which they have named as a top organizational priority. With the landscape of medical research and treatment consistently evolving, the American Heart Association is proud to be a top resource for the latest findings and guidance in cardiovascular disease and stroke care for healthcare facilities and professionals in our community and beyond.

Awareness: Go Red for Women serves as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women globally. Through media, events, storytelling, and digital platforms, the initiative raises the voices of women to highlight their greatest health threat – cardiovascular disease. Survivors, health experts, celebrities, community leaders, and executives help carry the message and mission to help all women understand their risks so they can fight back against heart disease and stroke.

Noteworthy Accomplishments in 20 Years of Go Red for Women

• 2004: Go Red for Women begins, raising awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and helping them take action to prevent it. The first set of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women is published.
• 2006: Go Red grants its first international license in collaboration with the World Heart Federation. Today, Go Red for Women is in more than 50 countries across the globe.
• 2010: Go Red for Women supports a provision to prohibit insurance companies from charging women higher premiums than men for the same health insurance coverage.
• 2015: The AHA announces plans for the Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Network (SFRN), with five centers studying key women-related issues.
• 2016: STEM Goes Red launches in Chicago to engage young, diverse women in future STEM careers.
• 2019: Research Goes Red launches in collaboration with the Institute for Precision Medicine, building the most highly engaged women’s health registry and research marketplace.
• 2022: Go Red affirms the importance of heart health for all women, supported by the latest AHA presidential advisory, which details ways to eliminate discrepancies women face in care and research.

After sweeping his opponents by winning over 50% of the vote in a state that just voted for a Democratic governor for two terms, Landry’s first year as governor is over. A special session on tax reform just wrapped in November, and after making a few headlines his first year, it feels like he’s just getting started. The governor graciously let SB visit him in his Fourth-Floor office of the largest Capitol in the country for an interview (this interview took place October 16, 2024).

Are you realizing a long-held dream of being governor.

“Look, I couldn’t tell you that all I wanted to do was be governor when I was a child. Actually, I wanted to be a wildlife and fisheries agent (laughs). But certainly, as I got involved in politics, I think that all of us who grew up at an age where governors seemed to get a lot done always had aspirations of ‘I bet it’d be nice if you were the governor,’ but I didn’t start off my political career with the objective of running for governor. I know it’s hard for a lot of people to believe that, but it’s true. When I ran for state senator, and lost, I thought I was pretty much done with politics; I said, ‘I’ll help and do whatever,’ and then I ran for Congress, and I won that, and I had an opportunity to run for attorney general while I was in Congress and refused that because I wanted to finish out my term in Congress, and when I lost the congressional district in the congressional race and ran for attorney general… even when Eddie Rispone and Ralph Abraham (former 2019 gubernatorial candidates) ran I supported both of them as a means to the governorship so… no, I just do my job, and everything seems to work out.”

You’ve signed many insurance bills this year… how is the future looking for the home insurance situation?

I am still cautiously optimistic, even in light of the damage that hurricanes have done to the country and the southern part of the country this year. We signed 26 pieces of tort reform. Many of those pieces were designed to help attract property insurance companies to Louisiana. I think the insurance commissioner said that he felt that their meeting in England with the reinsurers out in London was very positive, so I’m hoping that helps us. I also think that there may be a little silver lining on the storms that affected the southeastern part of the country in that many of those towns, I’m sure in North Carolina and in Georgia and Tennessee, were not inside of floodplains and were not required to carry flood insurance, but absolutely did flood. I think that may force Congress to look at the NFIP program (National Flood Insurance Program) a little more carefully, and maybe they’ll make it equitable, and I think that would be a big plus for us as well.

Is there a state you are using as a model for Louisiana, or are you chartering our course as a state? Would you like Louisiana to be an example to other states of what a GOP-dominated conservative state could be?

Well, my answer is all of the above. If I had to look at a state, I’d always be very close to a number of people in South Carolina, and I think it shares a lot of commonalities with Louisiana. It’s a coastal state; there’s some marsh there, and they have ports… They seem to have got it right about 30 years ago, and you see it. Boeing manufacturing is over there; they’ve got a number of car plants there, and their economic development is robust, and their quality of life has certainly been increased. So, if I look for a comparison, I kind of look towards South Carolina and North Carolina, but again, I think Louisiana has an opportunity to break out as a part of that question. When you look at other states, lay them next to us, look at the natural resources they have or their assets, and then look at ours, we stand head and shoulders above them. The sad part is we have not been able to utilize that, fully leverage it, or capitalize on it. I think the tax reform package we’re putting out and bringing the legislature in during that special session is a big step in that direction (the November special session).

Do you have a favorite governor?

Henry McMaster of South Carolina, I’m a big fan of his. Sarah Huckabee (Arkansas), there’s Kristi Noem (South Dakota, since nominated as Secretary of Homeland Security in the upcoming Trump administration). I’ve gotten to know Bill Lee from Tennessee; he’s been very helpful to us as we try to restructure the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). Greg Abbott (Texas)… This country is blessed, certainly in the red states, with many great governors.

Are there policies from other states (you mentioned North and South Carolina) that you would want to bring to Louisiana?

We’ve taken many of the things that we’ve done from other governors. Some of the stuff that we did in our crime package was what Sarah Huckabee had done in Arkansas right before us. Some of the tax reform pieces that we have were complemented by things that North Carolina did, and we saw a lot of southern states do away with or begin to phase out their income tax, which seems extremely popular. I hate the income tax; I don’t think the government should be able to tax what God gave you, which is your labor; that’s the only thing you have. The fact that the government can do that seems to be… it’s just wrong. Of course, we also used a number of other states when we did our education reform; I think we became the 11th or 12th state to institute ESAs… look, we don’t have to invent everything; we can be good ‘copy-catters’ and improve on things that people have done before. I’m always a big believer in finding the stones people stumbled on and ensuring we don’t stumble on those.

What’s your favorite memory as governor?

We’ve only been here about 11 months now… well after watching LSU beat Ole Miss the other day, it’s pretty hard to think of anything bigger than that (laughing)… look we’ve enjoyed it all, really and truly. I think the best times of being a governor are when you just go out and see people spontaneously and have people walk up to you and tell you thank you for the job that you’re doing. To me, that’s worth more than anything else.

Does being Louisiana’s governor beat being the House rep?

Oh, yes, absolutely… Washington’s so dysfunctional. I liked my time in Congress, and in the House there’s a lot of collegiality to being a House member. Of course, it’s nice because if you make a decision, and it’s a bad decision, you normally have a bunch of people making the same one as you. As governor, you sit kind of up on top of a mountain, and your bad decisions are right there for everyone to see, and you own it.

What’s your biggest concern for the state of Louisiana?

My biggest concern is that we don’t have the legislative will to do what we need to do. That’s what’s always held us back. I think that what’s unique about the time period we’re in right now is The vast majority of Louisianians are ready for some change, and they’re willing to take a shot at anything, so the question is whether or not we can get the legislature to agree with the people.

Willis Knighton Health Recognized by American College of Cardiology in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals”

Willis Knighton Health has been recognized by the American College of Cardiology in the “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report as one of the top health organizations in the United States for providing top-quality care to heart patients in 2024.

The U.S. News & World Report issue recognizes Willis Knighton’s commitment to providing renowned hospital care for heart patients. Through participation in the ACC’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) and Accreditation programs, Willis Knighton has robust quality improvement programs using data to drive clinical improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care for patients with cardiovascular conditions.

“It is an honor to be recognized

in this manner by the ACC. Willis Knighton has established itself as a leader in providing the highest quality cardiovascular care to our patients,” said Damarcus Davis, MHA, RRT-NPS, vice president of critical care. “Excellence is something we strive for daily with each patient in every interaction.”

LABI recognizes Cyber Innovation Center as a workforce development  innovator for Louisiana

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) named the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) as an innovator in workforce development in Louisiana. This award honors individuals or organizations who have substantially contributed to Louisiana’s workforce development. The award recognizes those who have excelled in creating, implementing, or supporting high-caliber education or workforce development initiatives aligned with closing the employment gap.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized as the top innovator in workforce development for Louisiana. This award reflects our commitment to transforming the way we approach education and national defense,” said Kevin Nolten, CIC president. “Every day, we strive to foster growth, enhancement, and inclusivity within northwest Louisiana, and while we don’t do it for awards, this recognition motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Louisiana that will not only benefit the regional community but the entire state.”

As anchor of the 3,000-acre National Cyber Research Park in Bossier City, CIC is a catalyst for developing and expanding a knowledge-based workforce. CIC promotes research, education, and technological innovation that supports the growing needs of government agencies, private industry, and academic institutions nationwide. With CYBER. ORG expanding cyber career awareness, resources, and development for K-12 students and STRIKEWERX offering technology transfer, technology transition, and

innovation resources for Air Force Global Strike Command, the CIC is a pioneer in the workforce development field.

Ochsner LSU Health named to U.S. News & World Report’s  2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Ochsner LSU Health – St. Mary Medical Center as a 2025 High-Performing hospital for Maternity Care. This is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study.

The hospital provides an array of women’s services and is the largest birthing center in north Louisiana and the third largest in the state, with more than 2,400 babies delivered last year. Additionally, it is the only hospital in the area with OB/GYNs and anesthesiologists onsite 24/7.

“We are incredibly proud of the team at St. Mary Medical Center for the work they do every day to ensure our patients are given the best possible care, especially for our new moms and their babies,” said Riley Waddell, chief executive officer of Ochsner LSU Health – St. Mary Medical Center. “Providing a safe, nurturing environment in those first days of their lives together creates the foundation for a happy, healthy journey for families. Our St. Mary Medical Center team excels at this level of maternity and perinatal care and is extremely deserving of this recognition.”

U.S. News evaluated 817 hospitals from across the United States. Only half of all hospitals evaluated for U.S. News’ 2025 ratings edition have been recognized as Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.