From left, MPD Officer Cadyn O’Connor, Probation and Parole Officer Abigail Trippett, MPD Officer Ben Sparks and MPD Narcotics Sgt. Shane Griffith.
By Bonnie Culverhouse
A check by Probation and Parole around 3 p.m. Thursday led to confiscation of a large amount of drugs, cash and firearms.
Narcotics Sgt. Shane Griffith said upon arrival at a residence in the 100 block of Hall Street, P&P agents discovered a gray Dodge Charger with switched plates.
“As officers approached the residence, a male jumped into the vehicle and left the scene,” Griffith said. “Probation officer Abigail Trippett called us (Minden Police) to check the tag, and it came back to a 2016 Hyundai Sonata.”
Griffith said the vehicle returned and the male exited with “something in his hands” and ran into the house.
“He came back outside and attempted to flee on foot,” Griffith said. “He was apprehended after a short foot chase.”
The black male was identified as Brian Fielding, 24 years of age.
“Officers on the scene noticed baggies of a green substance in the Charger’s door, and a search of the vehicle yielded several small and large baggies of synthetic marijuana, and baggies of methamphetamine,” Griffith added.
Narcotics officers for MPD obtained a search warrant for the Hall Street address.
“We found large quantities of synthetic marijuana and almost 126 grams of crystal methamphetamine, all packaged for sale,” Griffith said. “Street value is more than $6,000.”
Also in the residence were several firearms, which included rifles, shotguns and handguns, as well as digital scales and empty clear baggies that are used for drug sales. Cash recovered was almost $1,000.
Officers are running the serial numbers on the firearms to determine if any were stolen. There were two high-grade homemade suppressors with the firearms, which brings Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigator into the picture.
Lashunda Rabb and Donald Allums were in the residence and taken into custody for questioning. Charges on all three are pending.
“If you sell drugs in Minden, you are going to be caught and prosecuted,” Griffith said.
Chief Jared McIver said Louisiana Probation and Parole, Minden Police and now ATF are involved.
“When you are fully staffed, you can actually get out and be proactive,” McIver said. “It’s something almost every day, and it’s making a big impact.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Springhill Police have arrested a local man on multiple drug charges.
Zackary Doster, 39, of Springhill Airport Road, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, synthetic marijuana, a legend drug, drug paraphernalia, flight from an officer, no insurance and no motorcycle vehicle inspection sticker.
Officers first class J. Dilorenzo and H. Boyle were attempting to conduct a traffic stop, when the 1998 Chevy Pick-up truck fled the scene in a residential area at speeds of around 50 miles per hour.
“The vehicle came to a stop on Centerpark Drive and the officer ordered the driver at gunpoint, later identified as Doster, to exit the vehicle,” said Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd. “He was arrested for flight and the vehicle was searched.”
Officers reportedly recovered one small plastic container filled with a crystal-like substance suspected to be methamphetamine, one small glass vial of Lidocaine USP, one small gas vila filled with a white powdery substance call Ceftriaxone, both of which, according to the report are required to have a prescription.
Also discovered were a small glass pipe and one orange pill bottle filled with 6.5 grams of suspected synthetic marijuana.
Doster was taken to Springhill PD where he was booked and later transported to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center. His truck was towed by a wrecker service.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
SFC Jeremy Jackson, commandant of the Youth Challenge Program at Camp Minden, presents the “Cadet of the Cycle” Award to Nadia Early. Cadet Early was also a “Top Ten” graduate, was a winner of a National Guard Youth Foundation Scholarship, and was “Best Overall” for Class 11. (Photo by Marilyn Miller)
(PLATOON: a subdivision of a company of soldiers; CADRE: a nucleus or core group especially of trained personnel able to assume control and to train others; CYCLE: 22 weeks, there are two cycles each year at the YCP-Camp Minden; KP: Kitchen Patrol).
By Marilyn Miller
Cadets and staff members at the Youth Challenge Program sponsored by the Louisiana National Guard were honored during the 2023-Cycle 1 Awards Ceremony at Camp Minden on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
In Platoon awards, SFC Jeremy Jackson, commandant, presented the “Platoon of the Cycle Award” to 1st Platoon, stating that “This award is presented to the best platoon in all aspects of cadet life. This includes motivation, determination to be the best, discipline, and overall behavior, no matter which cadre is on duty.” The “Most Improved of the Cycle Award” went to 2nd Platoon.
Supervisory cadre awards went to CPL Na’Jorris Gilbert, “Rookie of the Cycle,” CPL Asyah Laurant, “Cadre of the Cycle,” and CPL Kelsey Smith, “Supervisor of the Cycle.”
The Commandant’s Spirit Award, selected by the senior leadership of the Cadre Dept., was presented to Talyn Hilsher. This award goes to “a cadet who has demonstrated the essence of spirit by their determination, tenacity, and positive outlook while facing challenges and never giving up on their goals.”
The Youth Challenge Program has a promotion system by which cadets are rewarded for their efforts in every aspect of cadet life. The highest rank that can ordinarily be obtained by a cadet is that of four stars. From the ranks of the Four Star cadets, eight outstanding cadets are selected as Five Stars.
The Five Star Cadets for the 2023-1 cycle are Savannah Davis, Nadia Early, Piper Pogue, Kamrynn Pope, Landry Agoff, Landon Basco, Talyn Hilsher, and Connor Shumate. From these cadets, one outstanding cadet was selected as “Cadet of the Cycle.”
The “Cadet of the Cycle” for the 2023-1 cycle of the Camp Minden Youth Challenge Program is Nadia Early.
Platoon recognition went to the following: 1st Platoon: Most Improved – Miaraha Bryant-Jackson; Best Attitude – Savannah Davis; Best Overall – Jayda Landry; 2nd Platoon: Most Improved – Marvin Ross; Best Attitude – Nehemiah Phillips; Best Overall – Landon Guidry; 3rd Platoon: Most Improved – Avontae Weston and Jordan Barrilleaux; Best Attitude – Landry Agoff; Best Overall – Landon Basco.
The National Guard YCP Elite Physical Fitness Award is presented to fewer than 15 percent of students in the nation. Class 2023-1 has two cadets who are eligible to receive this award, Miaraha Bryant-Jackson and Michael Clinton.
Recognized for performing duty on the color guard were Dontavon Bartie, Landon Basco, Cameron Migues, Nehemiah Phillips, and Logan Toups.
Recognized for “Personal Growth” in the Counseling Dept. were Mya Stewart, Tristen Hernandez, Kaden Keppler, Jeremiah Dixon, Brandon Johnson, Marvin Ross, Colby Mott, Rob’Tavious Darby, Daden Phinnisee, Noah Lawson, Jayda Fontenot, and Landry Agoff.
Selected to attend a future class of the Job Challenge Program (JCP) were Landry Agoff, Landon Basco, Jay’Vonta Clark, Michael Clinton, Logan Cormier, Joshua Cotham, Kristopher Crowe, Jaiah Delcambre, Braxton Dietrich, Jada Fontenot, Emma Gunter, Tristen Hernandez, Talyn Hilsher, Jontavius Lair, Wesley McGee, Cameron Migues, Ayden Moore, Korbin Olivier, Jackson Palmisano, Caden Phinnisee, Piper Pogue, Marvin Ross, Justin Steger, Landon Toups, Avontae Weston, Lorenzo Whitlock, and Jayce Young.
This year, the National Guard Youth Foundation Scholarships ($1,000) went to Justin Steger, Brayden Edgecombe, Connor Shumate, Landon Basco, Rebecca Galvan, Nadia Early, Emma Gunter, Piper Pogue, Cameron Migues, Jontavius Lair.
Case managers in the Post Residential Dept. chose the following to be recognized as “Outstanding Cadet” in their different classes: Class 2 – Kaden Keppler; Class 3 – Talyn Hilsher and Landon Guidry; Class 4 – Justin Steger; Class 5 – Connor Shumate and Lorenzo Whitlock; Class 6 – Landoon Basco; Class 7 – Cameron Migues; Class 9 – Jayda Landry; Class 10 – Kyra Stewart and Class 11 – Falyn Cupit.
Class awards went to: Class 2 – Most Improved, Dakota Berry; Best Attitude, Kaden Kepper; Best Overall, Brayden Edgecombe; Class 3 – Most Improved, Landon Guidry; Best Attitude, Tristin Hernandez; Best Overall, Talyn Hilsher; Class 4 – Most Improved, Aliday Miller; Best Attitude, Avontae Weston; Best Overall, Korbin Olivier; Class 5 – Most Improved, Gailyn Battaglia; Best Attitude, Demitrice Rideau; Best Overall, Nathaniel Godsey; Class 6 – Most Improved, Justin Vienne; Best Attitude, Landry Agoff; Best Overall, Landon Basco.
Also, Class 7 – Branson Johnson, Most Improved; Braxton Dietrich, Best Attitude; Best Overall, Cameron Migues; Class 9 – Most Improved, Jayda Landry; Best Attitude, Jada Fontenot; Best Overall, Jaiah Delcambre; Class 10 – Missy Hudson, Most Improved; Savannah Davis, Best Attitude; Piper Pogue, Best Overall; Class 11 – Mya Patterson, Most Improved; Falynn Cupit, Best Attitude; Nadia Early, Best Overall.
First place in AR participation went to Korbin Olivier with 380.5 points. Wesley McGee was runner-up with 377.8 points. Rounding out the Top 10 were Justin Vienne, Connor Shumate, Michael Massey, Emma Gunter, Rebecca Galvan, Lorenzo Whitlock, Jayce Young, and Jordan Barrilleaux.
The Academic Top 10 were Valedictorian Connor Shumate, Salutatorian Wesley McGee, Michael Massey, Piper Pogue, Jaiah Delcambe, Nadia Early, Luke Mougeout, Logan Toups, Emma Gunter, and Lorenzo Whitlock.
SFC Craig Sanders presented the Community Service Awards, telling the cadets that “Your class completed 5,001 community service hours. As a group you have given back $50,100.00 of services to our community. Sanders recognized Cadets Landon Basco and Talyn Hilsher for being “selfless and outstanding” in community service.
First Platoon was recognized for being “KP Platoon of the Cycle” for 2023-1. The “KP’s of the Cycle” are Kelsey Fuentes, Rebecca Galvan and Nicholas Barker. And Mya Patterson was recognized for being the “Most Improved KP of the Cycle.”
Russell Johnston was awarded the “Employee of the Cycle” Award for 2023-1 by YCP Director Starla Townsend and Deputy Director Logan Filecci.
Russell Johnston (center) was presented with the “Employee of the Cycle” Award at the 2023-1 Youth Challenge Program Awards Ceremony on Thursday, July 13 at Camp Minden. The presentation was made by YCP Director Starla Townsend and Deputy Director Maj. Logan Fileccia. (Photo by Marilyn Miller)
11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Cotton Valley Community Health Day at CV City Hall. Sponsored by Springhill Medical Center and Louisiana HomeCare Springhill. Free event. Health information, hot dogs, snow cones and raffle.
July 27
1 p.m. Annual Membership Drive, Webster Parish Council on Aging, 1482 Sheppard St., Minden. Call 318-371-3056 or come by the address between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
July 28
4 until 8 p.m., Webster Parish School Board’s Pack the Bus, Minden Walmart.
July 29
10 a.m. until noon, Young Women’s Service Club Back to School Bash, Victory Park.
August 2
Webster Parish New Teacher Breakfast, Harper Pathways to Excellence Center, 618 Germantown Rd., Minden.
August 4
8:30 a.m. Glenbrook School New Teacher Breakfast, Glenbrook School.
August 12
9 a.m. until noon. Springhill-North Webster Chamber of Commerce’s Back to School Water Wars, Springhill Recreation Complex. K-12th grades. Free water balloons, no outside balloons permitted, free water gun filling stations, concessions available. $10 admission fee benefits LaMa Animal Rescue.
5 until 9 p.m., Peace Out Summer Back to School Bash, Sarepta Community Park. Admission $2; games, food and raffle. Pack the Bus by bringing supplies. Sponsored by Women Helping Others. For more information: contact Ramanda Ketchum at 318-347-2612 or Rketchumwho@gmail.com, Elizabeth Simmons at 318-517-5207 or emccuen92@gmail.com, Tammie Wynn 318-268-5535 or tammie.wynn@la.gov .
August 26
10 a.m. – 2p.m. Brunch. Minden Junior Service League “Mamma Mia” Girls Night Out, Minden Civic Center.
September 9
Vintage Car Club of Minden’s annual car show in downtown Minden. More information when available.
September 28 through 30, Oct. 1
Minden High School 30th Class Reunion
Sept. 28 – 6 until 9 p.m. Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
Sept. 29 – 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
Private burial: Gardens of Memory Cemetery, Minden.
James Franklin Tooke
August 2, 1931 – July 13, 2023
Homer, La.
Service pending through Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer, La.
Webster Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or wpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are free of charge.)
Between fuel sales and hangar leases, life at the Minden Airport is flying high.
Airport Supervisor Steven Bordeaux told members of the Minden City Council and the mayor last week, that all 30 hangars are leased with 34 aircraft based there.
“There are 16 people on the hangar notification list,” he said. “So, we need more hangars.”
Bordeaux said all hangars are identical in size, and the size of the aircraft boarded there is generally the same.
Estimated cost of building a row of 10 hangars (numbers are from 2022) is $400,000 to $600,000 “ballpark,” he said. “We could conservatively say $500,000 now.”
More than 50 percent of the hangars are leased by persons outside Webster Parish – the majority are from Shreveport/Bossier, he said.
Hangars are leased for $200 per month. “We’ve slowly been increasing over the last couple of years,” he said. “When we started, it was $175 a month. We’ve just been inching up. The plan is to still do that to get to a price where I feel we should be.”
Bordeaux said there has been discussion about raising the lease price significantly.
“I advised against doing that because of what I mentioned about 51 percent of our tenants coming from outside the parish,” he said. “They have to drive 30 to 45 minutes or more to get to their airplane. The tenants we do lose are from the Shreveport/Bossier area, and they get tired of driving.
“If we raise it too much, we run the risk of losing several tenants,” Bordeaux continued. “We would end up right back at the same revenue production. It’s kind of a balancing act.”
Revenue compared to expenditures look good, despite some weather-related damages.
“Our fuel cart vessel was hit – we had to replace about $100 worth of electronics inside of that,” Bordeaux said. “Two cameras and a recorder, HDMI on the TVs, two parking lot lights, three hangars worth of lights … the list goes on and on. We are trying to save as much money as we can by using line crews for that stuff.”
The month of June had the best fuel sales on record, following the best year for the airport in fuel sales.
“We are still on par with that for this year, as well,” he said. “Our self-serve and full service sales are probably the cheapest in 50 miles of here.”
Improvements are aways in the works.
“We’ve completed one project that included a lot of tree cutting,” Bordeaux said. “And we have one other piece of property we are trying to purchase at the northeast side of the airport. We have a wildlife fence project coming up next year.”
The city will receive a grant from Federal Aviation Administration for the final phase of the taxiway.
“That’s a $2.6 million project that is funded by FAA with a 10 percent match from DOTD (Department of Transportation and Development), so it’s not going to cost us anything,” he said, adding the grant was written by KSA Engineers. “They do a lot of that stuff for us.”
Bordeaux said that project will begin near the end of the fiscal year (September 30).
“We likely won’t expend any of that money this fiscal year,” he said.
The number of anonymous letters reported to police by local businesses is holding at 11.
“So far, we have only one that was unopened before we got it,” said Minden Police Chief Jared McIver Tuesday morning. “It is imperative we get at least one more unopened before we can, hopefully, get DNA samples off the the envelopes.”
Monday was the first day a business brought MPD a letter, and the numbers have grown every day since then. The body of the letters is the same on all and written in pencil. There is no return address and postmarks are from Shreveport and Monroe.
“This is not an ‘anthrax’ situation,” said the chief. “There is nothing in the envelopes that is dangerous. It’s what is written inside that is disturbing.”
MPD passes the letters to FBI, who has been working similar cases since 2019 – just not in Minden.
“The FBI has asked us not to release what is in the letters because it could impede the investigation and put certain persons and businesses at risk,” McIver said. “We are asking the public to be patient and help, if they can.”
Contact Minden Police at 318-371-4226 if you or your business receives one of these envelopes.
Not since your humble observer once penned an opinion questioning the intentions of one of our local groups over a particular piece of property has the ire of some among us erupted Internetically to stratospheric levels.
And from our viewpoint, somewhere below the status quo, those comments of a highly emotional nature fueled by slight displeasure could be called a volcanic-like eruption of righteous indignation by another.
At the center of this email-centric outburst is a planned “Witches ride” through our downtown area. Not since Lady Godiva shunned all attire has attention been so riveted. Intentions of organizers, we’re told in a news story, is only to “…bring the community together and raise money for one lucky charity.”
A person should get the drift that this is intended as a charitable event and not a call for a Coven convention. But what often sets us apart in “The Friendliest City in the South” is how unfriendly we can be when faith and fun intersect, creating a vacuum where opinions count only if they’re ours.
Seems there’s a section of the community that believes supporting a witches’ ride is somewhat akin to inviting evil spirits onto our city streets. Citing chapter and verse, with a little personal interpretation tossed in, online has become an open pulpit suggesting bikers dressed as witches will be opening a Pandora’s box of sinful destruction.
This is in no way a condemnation of a person’s belief system. The example of Saul and his witch plus the threat of demonic shape-shifting spirits waiting to lure us astray can be considered legitimate in one’s faith argument. But, there is a big but coming.
But, the Book from which one quotes condemnation also gives us a hint of what our Father thinks about this judgement thing. Judgement is His. He says so. Judge only as we would like to be judged, He says. There’s plenty of examples of anti-judgmental sentiment in this fabulous history/education Book.
We’ve all heard the things one doesn’t want to debate in public and chief among them is religion. As noted earlier, the religion card has been dealt and in this humble opinion, has been overplayed. We understand one’s passion, but we do not accept the sinister sin insinuation. This ride is not a recruitment tool for borderliners with one foot in Hell and the other on a banana peel.
This proposed ride featuring a gathering of individuals in witch costumes is a fun thing for a good purpose. We don’t see anything transcendentally threatening from people pedaling for a purpose, and that purpose isn’t conjuring up demons on bicycles. Of course if we see a levitating bike/golf cart/side-by-side, we might have a change of mind.
Maybe the message should be to simply lighten up. If anyone doesn’t believe the Good Lord and His Son maintain a sense of humor, just look at the platypus … or Adam Schiff. When one’s faith is strong enough, it can survive costumes. We also might be well-served to remember that “let them cast the first stone” story. But as Daddy said, if you quote that be sure to duck. There’s always one.
Those whose suggestion has created a tidal wave of contradictive conclusions are called the “Opossum Posse” Brunch Club and while your humble servant hasn’t met any of the bunch, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a sense of humor among the members. And we will forgive them for stickin’ an “O” where no possum would.
It’s easy to point a finger and cry sinner. It should be easier than that to look at the multiple fingers on that hand pointing back and consider forgiveness. We don’t see anything that needs forgiving, so why not be magnanimous. Don’t be one of those who sets standards for others that cannot be attained by the setters.
While we’re at it, let’s talk about the location that’s been mentioned as an ending point for the ride. Maybe before the witches dock their brooms, those who are so proud of the Miller Quarters could borrow a few of them and do a clean sweep of the area. There’s little tourist interest in a historic storm toppled tree and groundgrowth enough to hide a herd of farm animals.
This photo of a southbound truck on fire on Hwy. 371 between Dixie Inn and Cotton Valley Wednesday was taken by Jennifer Campbell.
District 7 Fire Chief Austin Jones said his crews responded to the call around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and had the flames extinguished by 3:45.
“It wasn’t a dump truck but what is called a roll-on dumpster,” Jones said. “The truck drops off the dumpster and then rolls it back on the truck.”
Jones said the truck was carrying mainly cardboard and plastics. Cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“It’s tough to put out a dumpster fire,” Jones said. “All we could do was dump water into it until it went out. We dumped all the contents out of the trailer and onto the highway, put it out and then loaded it back into the dumpster to haul it off.”
Webster Parish Journal thanks all readers who send pictures. If you catch some action like this, please send to wpjnewsla@gmail.com and add any information you may have about the photo.
A north Webster Parish man is in trouble with the law on multiple drug charges.
Richard Roberds, 43, of N. Main St., Springhill, was arrested by Springhill Police for possession of suboxone, methamphetamine, 3 counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer by flight.
Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd said Ofc. J. Dilorenzo conducted a traffic stop on the corner of Hickory St. and Hwy. 371 around 11 p.m. Sunday.
“As the vehicle stopped, the passenger door flew open and a male suspect fled on foot to the southeast,” said the chief. “The officer put the female driver in the back of his patrol car for safety reasons. At that point officers first class H. Boyle and J. Adkins arrived and began to search the area for the male, later identified as Roberds.”
Ofc. Dilorenzo reportedas he approached the vehicle, he could see an open container of Ole Smoky Moonshine. He reportedly told the female driver he was placing her under arrest for open container.
“The officer conducted a vehicle search incident to the arrest,” Lynd said. “Meanwhile the other officers made contact with Roberds and as Ofc. Dilorenzo approached, he saw Roberds hiding under a car.”
A search of Roberds person reportedly yielded a small white pill suspected suboxone inside a cigarette pack.
“As Roberds was escorted back to the police department, further search of the vehicle turned up a small black box that was unlocked,” Lynd said. “Roberds name was on the box, and a letter inside the box had his name on it.”
Inside the box, officers reportedly recovered eight small orange needles, a white scale, burnt spoons with a brownish clear substance stuck on the metals, two small white shaped cotton objects that were hard and one small glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine. The cotton objects were later tested for methamphetamine, using a field test kit. Results were positive for meth.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Yesterday evening, I was trying to relax after a super busy day of work meetings, running errands and shuttling the kids all over God’s green Earth. I was sitting in the recliner watching a television show. Well my 4-year-old had other plans.
She started fighting me for the remote because she wanted to watch one of her cartoons. She finally got it away from me, so I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a thing of Oreos. I sat back down in the recliner and very noisily opened them in front of Ashton.
She glanced over at me, eyeing my Oreos. So, I offered her a few. When she walked over from the couch to get it – I grabbed the remote back.
A look of utter shock mixed with disappointment came across her face. She straightened herself up, shook her head and said, “Wow, I never saw that coming.”
She walked back to the couch to enjoy her Oreos and MY television show.
I may have giggled and relished my moment of triumph a little bit, but I believe it was a lesson well learned.
Life hits you out of nowhere sometimes and more often than not … you never see it coming. There is really only one thing that you can expect when it comes to life and that is the unexpected.
Sometimes those things may be unexpected in a bad way, like car trouble, a failed relationship or losing your job.
But sometimes they may be unexpected in a good way and sometimes you just have to find the good. Perhaps that car trouble slowed you down and prevented you from being involved in a wreck on your way to work. Maybe that failed relationship was holding you back from reaching your full potential. Maybe losing that job opened possibilities that you would have never dreamed of or even explored.
That is what life is all about, making the best out of what you are dealt because you definitely cannot control it.
I eventually felt bad for sneakily stealing the remote from Ashton. I tried to give it back to her, but when I offered it, she said, “It’s okay. I’ve got Oreos now.”
(Paige Nash is a wife, mother, publisher of Bienville Parish Journal and Claiborne Parish Journal and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal who believes “life is like a bag of Oreos.”)
Adam Lackey Stewart is typically only mentioned in Webster Parish history as the man from whom Charles Veeder purchased the site that became Minden. It has always been implied that no one lived on the site until it was purchased by Veeder. However, I don’t believe that to be the case.
Adam L. Stewart, born in 1797, was a native of Guilford County, North Carolina. By 1830, he was living in Claiborne Parish with his wife Elizabeth and their two young children, Napoleon and Margaret. Adam had purchased the Southwest ¼ of Section 22 Township 19 North Range 9 West consisting of approximately 160 acres. Today, Main Street and Broadway run diagonally from the northeast corner to the southwest corner of that property.
Elizabeth soon died and Adam remarried to Margaret McMahon. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born here in January 1832. The family only remained in Claiborne Parish a few more years before Adam sold his property to Charles Veeder in July 1835 and moved to Texas. That property was then developed into the town of Minden.
The conveyance record indicates that “improvements” were present on the property. This suggests the presence of structures. Based on this evidence, considering that Adam and his family lived here for approximately seven years, and the absence of any indication that he owned other property in Claiborne Parish, I believe that the Adam Lackey Stewart and his family were likely the first known, although not permanent, settlers on the site of Minden.
(Jessica Gorman is the Executive Director for the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has scheduled a drawdown of Lake Bistineau in Webster, Bossier and Bienville parishes beginning July 31 with no set closure date.
The drawn down will reduce the expansion of giant saliva and benefit fisheries production by improving aquatic habitat, as well as reducing the amount of organic matter on the lake bottom.
LDWF requested the Department of Transportation and Development open the water control structure. Once it is open, the lake should dewater at a rate of 4 to 6 inches per day until it reaches a potential maximum drawdown level of 8 feet below pool stage.
This dewater rate could be impacted by local rainfall in the surrounding watershed. Aquatic habitat conditions will be monitored during the drawdown and a gate closure date will be determined and announced at a later date.
During the drawdown, an estimated 10,000 acres of water will remain in the lake. Boaters can still access boat launches at Port of Bistineau, Bossier Parish launch, Grice’s and Bayou Dorcheat Public launch. Boaters are advised to use caution during the low water period as boat lanes will not provide normal clearance of underwater obstructions.
For additional information, contact Jeff Sibley, LDWF Biologist Manager at jsibley@wlf.la.gov or 318-371-5294.
By Regina Brossett Country music artist, Hugh Harris, will be leading a tribute to the late Hank Williams, Sr. with his band Hugh Harris and the Drifting Cowboys at the 43rd NSU-Natchitoches Folk Festival at Prather Coliseum on July 22. The band will be performing on the Main Stage at 12:00 PM. Hugh will also be inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists at the festival’s ceremony for his many years of dedication and contributions to keeping traditional country music alive. Hugh Harris was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1972. Hugh’s interest in Hank Williams began at age 5 when he first heard and sang “Jambalaya” during rehearsal for his kindergarten graduation commencement program. Young Hugh went home from school singing “Jambalaya,” and he remembers his mother saying, “I’ve got a record of that!” The record was Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits, and Hugh admits, “I basically played that thing until the grooves wore out…and by the time I had listened to it that much, I could sing a Hank Williams song…and that’s how that happened.” By his grade-school years, Hugh had discovered early country music in general and he became enthralled with his discovery. As he grew, so did his love for the sounds and lyrics of the old country songs. Hugh explains that the country music genre is unique in that “Country music has always been the music of the have-nots. It has always been important to common people, and more important during hard times than in good times.” Hugh was particularly struck by the works of Hank Williams because he recognized that Hank had a gift for reaching everyday people through lyrics that could easily apply to their life or situation. Hugh believes that “The paradox of writing a song is to write something that is so uniquely about you, that it applies to everybody, and Hank Williams was an absolute master at that.” For this reason, Hugh says that Hank Williams has been called “The Great Communicator,” and Hugh continues to reach people through Hank’s songs. Hugh was singing and performing in church and at local gatherings all through his school years and he grew accustomed to folks telling him, “You sound just like Hank Williams!” After graduating high school, he appeared at writers’ nights and gave other performances at clubs in Nashville, Tennessee, eventually becoming recognized at the world-famous Blue Bird Café as a songwriter with the right stuff. He attended Northeast Mississippi Community College, graduating with an associate degree in Country Music. While there, he was a member of NEMCC’s traveling band, Campus Country, and appeared with such artists as Michael Martin Murphy and Dan Seals. Hugh has performed his music as well as that of Hank Williams and other historical country artists at festivals and other venues in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and California. In 1998, he made the acquaintance of Terry Huval and other members of the Jambalaya Cajun Band, and together they have performed at other venues and festivals, delivering music distinctly reminiscent of the early days of country, honky-tonk, and western swing music. The collaboration also led to the writing and production of a stage play based on the life of Hank Williams, which has been performed in multiple theaters around the state. Hugh has appeared with such Louisiana musical legends as D.L. Menard and Jo-el Sonnier; performed with Don Helms, Hank Williams’ legendary steel guitar player, as well as other musicians who had previously traveled and played as members of Hank’s bands; and done shows with the likes of Gene Watson, Don Williams, John Anderson, Loretta Lynn, and George Jones. Hugh continues to travel and play music at each opportunity, following a motto he established a long time ago to “Keep it country.” He takes any chance to further the enjoyment and appreciation of traditional country music, and he offers these words to all people and especially aspiring artists: “Follow your heart. Do what feels right to you. There was a five-year-old kid back there somewhere that knew singing these songs was the right thing to do. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t.” The 43rd annual Natchitoches-NSU Louisiana Folklife Festival will be held in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, located at 220 South Jefferson Street at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. The festival’s curated showcase of Louisiana folk musicians, food vendors, and traditional crafts persons will open at 9 AM, with live entertainment scheduled for 10 AM to 9:30 PM. A collection of dozens of craftspeople displaying and selling their works, and several live demonstrations and panel discussions will be held throughout the festival. 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 PM. Support for the festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, and the State of Louisiana.
Residents at the north end of Webster Parish can enjoy watching their favorite elected official in a different type of race.
Women Helping Others (WHO) is hosting an Elected Official Tricycle Race in conjunction with their Peace Out Summer Back to School Bash from 5 until 9 p.m. Saturday, August 12 at Sarepta Park.
Elected officials are invited to race one another, according to Ramanda Ketchum.
“They can challenge others or be challenged,” Ketchum said. “What a great way for them to come out and meet their voters from the north end of the parish.”
The riders will need to contact Ketchum with the opponent of their choice.
The “youngest” event during next weekend’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2023 inductees.
It’s the LSHOF Round Table Luncheon on Saturday, July 29, at noon in The Venue at 530 Front Street in Natchitoches. There’s still time to be among the 200 guests for the fifth annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Registration is available for that event and all other activities during the Induction Celebration beginning next Thursday, July 27, by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255.
Festivities begin next Thursday evening at 5 with the free of charge La Capitol Federal Credit Union Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street.
Next Saturday’s Round Table Luncheon starts with tremendous Louisiana cuisine and quickly kicks into gear with Fox Sports announcer (and 2020 LSHOF inductee) Tim Brando interviewing small groups of inductees on stage in a very informal and fast-moving setting.
While there are some logical pairings for the interviews, like former Chicago Bears players Wendell Davis and Matt Forte, and former LSU baseball teammates and much more accomplished coaches Paul Mainieri and M.L. Woodruff, other groups will fall together in fun and unpredictable fashion.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning will certainly be an entertaining interview for Brando. .Manning created the faux character Chad Powers and took part in a hysterical tryout for Penn State football last summer. He also shares the platform with his older brother Peyton in the popular and off-the-wall “ManningCast” on ESPN2 during Monday Night Football games, and is in a new beer commercial with Snoop Dogg. It will be interesting to see who shares the spotlight with Eli.
Former Texas Rangers manager and current Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington is one of the more beloved and funny people in Major League Baseball. He was a prominent character in the award-winning major motion picture “Moneyball”—which earned Brad Pitt an Academy Award nomination — chronicling the success of the Oakland Athletics due to groundbreaking use of analytics in the early 1990s, while he was third base coach with the A’s.
Washington could be paired with LSU pitching great Paul Byrd, who had a 14-year MLB career and has since become a colorful member of the Braves’ TV announcing crew.
Duke All-American and WNBA All-Star Alana Beard might be matched up with Walter Davis, the two-time USA Track and Field Olympian who was a basketball star at Beau Chene High School near his hometown of Arnaudville. Beard has local roots, with her parents from Cloutierville and Bermuda, and plenty of relatives still in south Natchitoches Parish along Cane River.
A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.
It all combines to provide a memorable 90 minutes with guests in close proximity to the living legends.
The Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon shapes up as a highly entertaining opportunity for guests to have a up-close-and-personal experience and be entertained and well fed in a casual setting.
11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Cotton Valley Community Health Day at CV City Hall. Sponsored by Springhill Medical Center and Louisiana HomeCare Springhill. Free event. Health information, hot dogs, snow cones and raffle.
July 27
1 p.m. Annual Membership Drive, Webster Parish Council on Aging, 1482 Sheppard St., Minden. Call 318-371-3056 or come by the address between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
July 28
4 until 8 p.m., Webster Parish School Board’s Pack the Bus, Minden Walmart.
July 29
10 a.m. until noon, Young Women’s Service Club Back to School Bash, Victory Park.
August 2
Webster Parish New Teacher Breakfast, Harper Pathways to Excellence Center, 618 Germantown Rd., Minden.
August 4
8:30 a.m. Glenbrook School New Teacher Breakfast, Glenbrook School.
August 12
9 a.m. until noon. Springhill-North Webster Chamber of Commerce’s Back to School Water Wars, Springhill Recreation Complex. K-12th grades. Free water balloons, no outside balloons permitted, free water gun filling stations, concessions available. $10 admission fee benefits LaMa Animal Rescue.
5 until 9 p.m., Peace Out Summer Back to School Bash, Sarepta Community Park. Admission $2; games, food and raffle. Pack the Bus by bringing supplies. Sponsored by Women Helping Others. For more information: contact Ramanda Ketchum at 318-347-2612 or Rketchumwho@gmail.com, Elizabeth Simmons at 318-517-5207 or emccuen92@gmail.com, Tammie Wynn 318-268-5535 or tammie.wynn@la.gov .
August 26
10 a.m. – 2p.m. Brunch. Minden Junior Service League “Mamma Mia” Girls Night Out, Minden Civic Center.
September 9
Vintage Car Club of Minden’s annual car show in downtown Minden. More information when available.
September 28 through 30, Oct. 1
Minden High School 30th Class Reunion
Sept. 28 – 6 until 9 p.m. Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
Sept. 29 – 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Meet and Greet, Under Dawgs Sports Grill, 605 Main St., Minden, La.
Private burial: Gardens of Memory Cemetery, Minden.
James Franklin Tooke
August 2, 1931 – July 13, 2023
Homer, La.
Service pending through Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer, La.
Webster Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or wpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are free of charge.)
FBI and Minden Police detectives are still investigating letters sent to local businesses the last couple of days.
Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said three more letters were delivered Tuesday, bringing the total to 8.
“If anyone gets one of these letters with the address written in pencil like this, please don’t open it,” said McIver. “There is nothing inside that is of danger to the recipient, but if we can get it before they open it, we may be able to pull DNA off of it where the sender licked it to close the envelope.”
It is not an “anthrax” situation, but the chief said law enforcement is not ready at this time to disclose what is written in the letters, which are all worded the same.
“To share that would affect the investigation,” he said. “We will tell everything as soon as this person is caught. We just need citizens to try to understand and be patient. We will share more when we can.”
McIver said the U.S. Postal Service has been contacted, and Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office is also working with these agencies.
“The envelopes either have a Monroe zip code or a Bossier zip code,” he continued. “No return address and they are written in pencil. If you receive one, please don’t open it and contact Minden Police Department.”
Ceremonies for the 89 graduates of the Louisiana National Guard Youth Challenge Program – Camp Minden took place Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 11 a.m. at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport.
The program opened with prayer by Cadet Kamrynn Pope. The Cadet Color Guard from the YCP – Gillis Long Center Posted the Colors prior to the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Cadet Connor Shumate. The Cadet of the Cycle, Nadia Early, led the Cadet Creed. Master of Ceremonies, Major Logan Fileccia, deputy director of the YCP – Camp Minden, then introduced the official party and guests.
The Academic Top Ten were first up to be recognized. Earning those honors for the 2023-1 cycle (22-week educational and training time) were Connor Shumate, Wesley McGee, Michael Massey, Piper Pogue, Jaiah Delcambre, Nadia Early, Luke Mougeot, Logan Toups, Emma Gunter and Lorenzo Whitlock.
National Guard Youth Foundation Scholarships were presented to Landon Basco, Nadia Early, Brayden Edgecombe, Rebecca Galvan, Emma Gunter, Jontavius Lair, Cameron Migues, Piper Pogue, Connor Shumate and Justin Steger.
Job Challenge Programs Scholarships were earned by Landry Agoff, Landon Basco, Jay’Vonta Clark, Michael Clinton, Logan Cormier, Joshua Cotham, Kristopher Crowe, Jaiah Delcambre, Braxton Dietrich, Jada Fontenot, Emma Gunter, Tristen Hernandez, Tayln Hilsher, Jontavius Lair, Wesley McGee, Cameron Migues, Ayden Moore, Korbin Olivier, Jackson Palmisano, Caden Phinnisee, Piper Pogue, Marvin Ross, Justin Steger, Landan Toups, Logan Toups, Avontae Weston, Lorenzo Whitlock and Jayce Young.
The program also included recognition of the Youth Challenge Mentor Award recipients. After recognition of the Five-Star Cadets and Four-Star Cadets by 1SG Jeremy Jackson, commandant; the “Cadet of the Cycle” Nadia Early gave her remarks.
Graduation speeches were delivered by Mrs. Starla Townsend, director of the YCP – Camp Minden and special guest, Mayor Nick Cox, Mayor of the City of Minden.
Certificates for completion of the 2023-1 Cycle (Feb. 13, 2022 to July 16, 2023) were presented to Landry Agoff, Nicholas Barker, Jordan Barrilleaux, Dontavon Bartie, Landon Basko, Five-Star Cadet; Gailyn Battaglia, Josiah Bell, Massey Bennett, Dakota Berry, Miaraha Bryant-Jackson, Jeremy Calk, Bethany Cavalier, Jay’Vonta Clark, Michael Clinton, Logan Cormier, Joshua Cotham, Kristopher Crowe, Falynn Cupit, Rob’Tavious Darby, Savannah Davis, Five-Star Cadet; Jaiah Delcambre, Braxton Dietrich, Jeremiah Dixon, also;
Nadia Early, Cadet of the Cycle and Five-Star Cadet; Brayden Edgecombe, Breia Fontenot, Jada Fontenot, Brenda Free, Kelsey Fuentes, Rebecca Galvan, Hunter Glynn, Nathanial Godsey, Warrick Goss, Landon Guidry, Emma Gunter, Emily Hardy, Tristen Hernandez, Austin Hicks, Talyn Hilsher, Five-Star Cadet; Missy Hudson, Branson Johnson, Deonte Johnson, Garbriel Johnson, Malachi Johnson, Kaden Keppler, Jontavius Lair, Jayda Landry, Noah Lawson, Tyler LeBlanc, Jacie Ledet, Austin Lewis, Michael Manuel, Montrell Manuel, Ke’Mon Martin, Michael Massey, Alex McAllister, Wesley McGee, Zachrey Meche, Reese Menard, Antony Meyer, Cameron Migues, Aliday Miller, and;
Cadet Nadia Early led the Tassel Ceremony. The benediction was delivered by Cadet Savannah Davis.
The Youth Challenge Program – Camp Minden Administrative Staff is led by director, Mrs. Starla Townsend. MAJ Logan Fileccia, deputy director; 1SG Jeremy Jackson, commandant; Ms. Virginia Lawrence, lead instructor; Mrs. India Hunter, lead counselor; and Ms. Tricia Sanford, post residential, complete the staff.
The Louisiana National Guard is led by MG Damian Keith Waddell, the Adjutant General.LTC Kenneth Paul is director of Educational Programs for the State of Louisiana.
(Look for results of the YCP – Camp Minden Awards Day in a future edition of the Webster Parish Journal)
