It’s time for parish playoff games – public and private schools are included.

Today (Friday, April 12):

4:30 p.m. Minden Lady Tiders host Franklinton Lady Demons.

5 p.m. Glenbrook vs. Vermillion Catholic, Glenbrook Softball Field. Admission $10. Admission passes and Tribe shirts cannot be used for this game.

Mon., April 8

Minden High School Lady Tiders 20, Loyola College Prep Flyers 5

Kylie Ryan collected three hits in three at-bats, as Minden High defeated Loyola Monday. Ryan hit a home run to left field in the first inning, doubled in the first and doubled in the third.

Lady Tiders scored 11 runs in the first on the way to victory. Belle Douglass hit into a fielder’s choice that scored a run, Lindsay Ryan and Kylie Ryan doubled, each scoring a run, an error scored one run, Jacey Adams singled, scoring two runs, another error scored two runs, Annabelle Toland scored after tagging up and Kylie Ryan homered, scoring two.

The team added to their early lead in the bottom of the second when an error scored a run, Keigha Kennon-Gilbert doubled, scoring a run and a wild pitch scored two runs.

In the bottom of the third, Lady Tiders scored five runs on two hits. An error scored a run, Sky Savage and Kennon-Gilbert drew walks, each scoring one run, an error scored another run and Ryan drew a walk, scoring one run.

Gracie Sparks earned the win. She allowed two hits and five runs over three innings, striking out six and walking five.

MHS  had a strong eye at the plate, amassing six walks. They had four stolen bases.

Doyline Lady Panthers 8, Loyola College Prep Flyers 14

Even though Doyline Lady Panthers collected nine hits to Loyola’s five, they still fell short Monday. Sariyah Gill led the team with three hits.

Doyline Lady Panthers made the score 8-4 in the bottom of the third when Gill singled, scoring one run and Keily Sumlin homered to center field, scoring two runs.

Gill started in the circle for Doyline. She allowed five hits and 13 runs (seven earned) over seven innings, striking out four and walking 11.

Sumlin drove the middle of the lineup, leading with two runs batted in. The center fielder went 1 for 2 on the day. She paced Lady Panthers with two of the team’s five accumulated walks.

Lanie Gates and Sumlin each stole multiple bases of the total nine stolen for the game.

(“Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.” Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.)

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The sun went out and blackened the earth, leaving the landscape bare against that unmerciful loss of light. To some, this eclipse spoke harshly of our insignificance – tiny specks dwarfed by the vast, wheeling cosmos that draws all into its enveloping darkness.

But I’ll tell you the truth. When the sun finally tore back through that gloom edging the world, what I saw was not a lessening but a closening. Those infinite distances, forever clawing out of reach, now seemed drawn in, tight to old pastures. Into the strained handle of a worn door beneath our hand. The warmth of the porch slats through our boot soles. Even the growing hairs on our arms.

In the retreat of that cosmic radiance, the world shrank until each speck of dust, each grain, every small crevice between, became our entire domain. Ample enough for any man’s caring.

The eclipse did not dismiss our importance but summoned us to fully see this life. To heed the prick of a splinter in your thumb. To mark the chirping of sparrows deep in the brush. Let others speak of galactic visions if they wish. I’ll take the weathered board underhand. The pleasant scent of earth after a rain. For does not each of God’s majesties enshrine itself in the tiniest of things?

Is a miracle any less wondrous for being spun in modesty? I say it is the greater wonder. For only disguised as commonplace might the everyday endure that blind awe that comes with our recognizing it. The eclipse came, and the masses gaped at the drama. But when that blankness yielded again to the day, it was the everyday green fields that continued to hold my amazement.

I know what we see each day echoes the eternal, a joyful chorus of angels. Because in these ordinary miracles of light, heat, growth and our own voices, I feel the sacred essence of the universe surrounding me.

(Josh Beavers is a teacher and a writer. He was named as a semi-finalist for Louisiana Teacher of the Year in 2020. He has been recognized five times for excellence in opinion writing by the Louisiana Press Association.)

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JUDGE ALLIE A. STAHL WEBSTER PARISH DISTRICT COURT DOCKET

APRIL 15, 2024 Courtroom A:

ABROMS, JOYCELYN ANN

98724 Possession of Schedule II CDS

Status Hearing CPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

BACON, DALTON LEE

98849 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

Arraignment Bond Return Date WPSD

BERRY, AMANDA SHAYE

98726A Accessory After The Fact To Simple Burglary of a Vehicle

Arraignment Bond Return Date WPSD

*St Conf 7/22 Trial 11/18

Co-Def: J. Berry

BERRY, JOSHUA NAAMAN

98726 CT 1 Aggravated Burglary

98726 CT 2 Simple Burglary of a Vehicle

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 3/4 Trial 11/18

Co-Def: A. Berry, H. Stephenson

BLAKE, DUSTIN JAMES

98744 CT 1 Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment

98744 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

98744A Unauthorized use of a Movable less than $1,000

A Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

BRITT, TERRA DARLENE

98324 Second Degree Robbery

A Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

Co-Def: S. Davis, E. Brown

BROWN, EMMANUEL JAMES

98324A Second Degree Robbery

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

Co-Def: S. Davis, T. Britt

BUCKLIN, KERRY THOMAS

98739 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – Third Offense

Status Hearing LSP

*OC 2/12 If Not Guilty entered, please obtain Fingerprints to verify priors Trial 6/17

BURDETTE, JA’QUEZ DEONTAE

98186 CT 1 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 2 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 3 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 4 Attempted Second Degree Murder

A Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26

BURTON, SHAWN DEWAYNE

98425 Arson with the Intent to Defraud

Status Hearing LASFM

*BDCC OC 3/1 Trial 6/17

Co-Defs: C. Pearson, R. Pearson

CANTU, STEVEN

98814 Home Improvement Fraud

Arraignment Bond Return Date WPSD

*St Conf 5/29 Trial 11/18

COKER, ROBIN FLOYD

98683 Domestic Abuse Battery – 3rd Offense

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 2/12 If Not Guilty entered, please obtain Fingerprints to verify priors Trial 6/17

DANCE, LEVI SCOTT

98847 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Arraignment MPD

*BDCC St Conf 7/22 Trial 11/18

DAVIS, SARA ELIZABETH

98323 Second Degree Robbery

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

Co-Def: T. Britt, E. Brown

EVANS, NORMAN

98350 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

Co-Def: D. Rascoe

FERGUSON, JOHNNIE RAY

98760 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or

Controlled Dangerous Substance

A Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/16 Trial 6/17

Please make forfeiture of firearms: Taurus G2 and Remington 870 .12ga Shotgun, part of any plea/sentence agreement.

GIBSON, CYNTHIA DENISE

98762 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)

Status Hearing LSP

McCullough, Melanie Kammi Whatley Allie A Stahl

*OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

HENDON, DESHUN R.

98200 Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is endangered

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

HILE, JUSTIN ERIC

98723 Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered

Status Hearing SPRING

*OC 2/9 Trial 6/17

HILLMAN, JASON MICHAEL VAUGHN

98029 CT 1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

98029 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule IV CDS

Probation Violation Hearing WPSD

*BDCC Officer M. Sanderlin

HOLYFIELD, JAMONTAE D.

98186 CT 1 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 2 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 3 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 4 Attempted Second Degree Murder

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26

LARY, RANDALL GENE

98287 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

MALHAM, MICKY M.

98602 CT 1 Simple Burglary of a Vehicle

98602 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two

Grams or More But Less Than Twenty- Eight Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 3/1 Trial 6/17

Co-Def: M. Shine

Restitution owed to the victim- $1,100.00 plus $165.00 = $1,265.00 total

MAYFIELD, KRISTINE D

98706-CT.1 Distribution of a Schedule IV CDS

98706-CT.2 Distribution of a Schedule IV CDS

98706-CT.3 Distribution of a Schedule IV CDS

Status Hearing SPRING

*OC 3/11 St Conf 5/29 Trial 11/18

MCCALEB, JOHNNI LAUREECE

98774 Possession of a Schedule III CDS

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

MCDANIEL, KEITH ALLEN

97094 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

Status Hearing SPRING

*BDCC Please transport to Court OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

MCLAIN, COURTNEY

98790 Obtaining CDS by Fraud

Status Hearing SPRING

*OC 3/11 Trial 6/17

MITCHELL, JEFFREY J.

98651 CT 1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98651 CT 2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98651 CT 3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98651 CT 4 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98651 CT 5 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

Status Hearing SPRING

*OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

MITCHELL, JERMICHAEL DELYNNTRAE

98795 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or

Controlled Dangerous Substance

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 3/11 Trial 11/18

Please make forfeiture of firearms part of any plea/sentence agreement.

MOORE, REGINALD D.

98186 CT 1 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 2 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 3 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 4 Attempted Second Degree Murder

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26

MOORE, REGINALD D.

97660 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or

Controlled Dangerous Substance

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

Please make forfeiture of Firearms and $1,673.00 in US Currency part of any plea/sentence agreement.

MOORE, TIMOTHY EDWARD

98543A Felony Illegal Possession of Stolen Things (Over $25,000)

Arraignment WPSD

*BDCC St Conf 6/10 Trial 12/16

Co-Def: J. Blythe

NESS, LANESHIA SHANTE

98570 Manslaughter

Status Hearing SPRING

*WPJ OC 2/26

PEARSON, CYNTHIA ALEXANDER

INCOMING Arson with the Intent to Defraud

INCOMING Criminal Conspiracy

Arraignment LASFM

*OC 3/18 Incoming Report

Co-Defs: S. Burton, R. Pearson

PEARSON, CYNTHIA ALEXANDER

INCOMING Arson with the Intent to Defraud

INCOMING Criminal Conspiracy

Motion Hearing LASFM

*Motion for Preliminary Examination Hearing

Co-Defs: S. Burton, R. Pearson

PEARSON, RICKY

INCOMING Arson with the Intent to Defraud

INCOMING Criminal Conspiracy

Motion Hearing LASFM

Holland, Hugo Keith Whiddon Allie A Stahl

*Motion for Preliminary Examination Hearing

Co-Defs: S. Burton, C. Pearson

PEARSON, RICKY

INCOMING Arson with the Intent to Defraud

INCOMING Criminal Conspiracy

Arraignment LASFM

*OC 3/18 Incoming Report

Co-Defs: S. Burton, C. Pearson

SHINE, MERNARD L.

98603 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC transport to Court OC 3/1 Trial 6/17

Co-Def: M. Malham

SIMS, BRIAN LESTER

97986 CT 1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

97986 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

*OC 4/1 Trial 5/13

Co-Def: A. Rosypal (Ct 1)

SMITH, JR., RALPH

97789 Simple Burglary of a Vehicle

Status Hearing SPRING

*BDCC OC 3/1 Trial 6/17

SPECKS, MARTEZ DEVON

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

INCOMING Possession of a Schedule III CDS

INCOMING Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids

INCOMING Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

INCOMING Resisting An Officer

INCOMING Possession Of Alcoholic Beverages In Motor Vehicles

Bond Return SPRING

*ARR 5/20

STEPHENSON, HUNTER IRVIN

98725 Aggravated Burglary

Status Hearing SAPD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

Co-Def: J. Berry

STRIPLIN, CHARLES D.

98855 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Arraignment WPSD

*BDCC St Conf 7/22 Trial 11/18

STUDDARD, STEVE ARON

97793 CT 1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

97793 CT 2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two

Grams or More But Less Than Twenty- Eight Grams)

97793 CT 3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

97793 CT 4 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

97793 CT 5 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

Status Hearing WPSD

*BDCC OC 2/26 Trial 5/13

THORNTON, JR., RUSH LAMAR

97908 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS

97908A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 1/8 Trial 5/13

TOMS, STEVEN CHARLES

INCOMING Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

INCOMING Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

INCOMING Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

INCOMING Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

INCOMING Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

Bond Return WPSD

*ARR 5/20

VINING, COURTNEY ALEXANDRA

97712 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing MPD

*Appearance Affidavit 3/19 Status Review: completed 12-month program through Teen Challenge

Co-Def: P. Jackson

WARREN, JNAI J.

INCOMING Simple Burglary

INCOMING Simple Burglary

INCOMING

Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

INCOMING Criminal Trespassing

Bond Return CVPD

*ARR 5/20

WASHINGTON, ANGELA

97148 Second Degree Murder

97148A Obstruction of Justice by Tampering with Evidence

Status Hearing MPD

*WPJ OC 3/1

WASHINGTON, DELANDRO WAYNE

96931 Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC Trial 6/17

WASHINGTON, DELANDRO WAYNE

97583 Theft Under $1,000

For Further Disposition WPSD

*BDCC (arrested 2/26 on FTA BW)

Restitution owed to the victim- $9,350.00, plus $1,402.50 fee= $10,752.50 total

WEBB, TEKELDRICK

98186 CT 1 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 2 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 3 Attempted Second Degree Murder

98186 CT 4 Attempted Second Degree Murder

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/26

WHITE, HEAVYN JULIETTE

INCOMING Cruelty To Juveniles

Bond Reduction Hearing SPRING

*WPJ Total Bond: $150,000.00

WIGGINS, CYNTHIA GAIL

98682 Simple Burglary

Status Hearing WPSD

*WPJ OC 2/12 Trial 6/17

WILLAMS, JONATHAN MARKIECEESE

98699 Simple Kidnapping

Status Hearing MPD

*BDCC OC 2/12 Trial 6/17

WILLIS, CORTORIA UNIQUE

T059923 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

T059923A Switched License Plates

For Further Disposition LSP

*OC 2/26

WILLIS, CORTORIA UNIQUE

97893 Issuing Worthless Checks ($999 – $4,999)

Status Hearing WPSD

*OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

IWC Restitution owed: $4,218.36 check amounts + $1,665.08 fees = Total Amount Due: $5,883.44

WILLIS, CRYSTAL MARIE

98810 Aggravated Battery

Arraignment MPD

*OC 3/11 St Conf 7/22 Trial 11/18

WRIGHT, AARON DEMON

97764 CT 1 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

97764 CT 2 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Motion Hearing MPD

*Motion to Suppress Officer J. McIver

Please make forfeiture of Taurus 9mm part of any plea/sentencing.

WRIGHT, AARON DEMON

97764 CT 1 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

97764 CT 2 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Status Hearing MPD

*OC 2/26 Trial 6/17

Please make forfeiture of Taurus 9mm part of any plea/sentencing.

YATES, HANNAH MARIE

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

INCOMING Resisting An Officer

INCOMING Resisting An Officer

INCOMING Operating A Vehicle Without A Driver’s License On Person

Arraignment SPRING

*OC 2/26 No report. ARR 5/29

Courtroom B

COMPTON, JAMES ALVIN

98594 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)

Status Hearing SPRING

OC 2/21 Trial 8/12

CRAVENS, ALLTON B.

98115 Obstruction Of Justice

98115A-CT.1 Second Degree Kidnapping

98115A-CT.2 Second Degree Kidnapping

98115A-CT.3 Second Degree Kidnapping

Status Hearing WPSD

BDCC Pro se motion to reduce bond, total bond $460,000 Trial 8/12

GIBSON, JR., CLYDE DOUGLAS

98669 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing MPD

BDCC Trial 8/12

GIBSON, JR., CLYDE DOUGLAS

98669 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Motion To Suppress By Defense MPD

BDCC

GONZALES, RUBEN JAMES

97164A-CT.1 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule II CDS 

97164A-CT.2 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule IV CDS

Minute Entry / Clerk of Court SPRING

Defendant does not need to be present, recall BW issued 7-24-23

HORN, DAVID M

98805 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

Status Hearing WPSD

OC 3/11 Trial 8/12

JENKINS, COURTNEY

98754-CT.1 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

98754-CT.2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty- Eight Grams)

Status Hearing MPD

BDCC Trial 4/29

JOHNSON, CADE B

98704-CT.1 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

98704-CT.2 False Imprisonment With A Dangerous Weapon

Status Hearing WPSD

BDCC Trial 11/18

KELLEY, CRYSTAL

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

Bond Return SPRING

ARR 5/20

KENNEDY, ADAM TYLER

98513 Indecent Behavior With A Juvenile Under Thirteen

Status Hearing WPSD

Sent notice 4/1 Trial 4/29

KEYES, CHESTER MUHAMMAD

98665-CT.1 Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered

98665-CT.2 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Status Hearing MPD

BDCC Trial 8/12

KEYES, CHESTER MUHAMMAD

97609 Ct. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – Second Offense

Probation Violation Hearing LSP

BDCC Lt. F. Brown

KIMBLE, JALOYLD JAMESTERRIO

98367 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Status Hearing MPD

Caddo Correctional Center Court Call 10:30am Trial 8/12

3/8/24-Bondsman surrendered off bond and paid transportation fees to have def transported from Caddo to BDCC.

MARTIN, ALVIA DEWAYNE

98600-CT.1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98600-CT.2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98600-CT.3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98600-CT.4 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

Status Hearing WPSD

BDCC Trial 8/12

MCEACHERN, LILLIE E. HURT

98644 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

WPJ Trial 8/12

MCEACHERN, LILLIE E. HURT

98542 Ct. 1 Aggravated Assault

98542 Ct. 2 Aggravated Assault

98542 Ct. 3 Criminal Trespassing

For Further Disposition WPSD

WPJ

MCEACHERN, LILLIE E. HURT

98252 Unauthorized use of a Movable less than $1,000

For Further Disposition WPSD

WPJ

MENDENHALL, FREDERICK D.

98595 Molestation of a Juvenile

Status Hearing WPSD

BDCC Trial 8/12

MILLER, STEVEN MITCHELL

98768 Violation Of Protective Order

For Further Disposition WPSD

WEBSTER, MISD Larrion Hillman Mike Nerren

BDCC OC 3/25

NORTON, CARDARUIS

98791-CT.1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98791-CT.2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98791-CT.3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

98791-CT.4 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

Status Hearing SPRING

BDCC Trial 8/12

RICHARDSON, JACOREIN DESHUN

96881 First Degree Murder

Status Hearing MPD

Bossier Medium Court Call 9:50am Trial 8/12

ROBIDEAU, MARK

98861 Failure To Register As A Sex Offender

Arraignment SPRING

OC 3/11 St Conf 6/10 Trial 8/12

SIMS JR, DONALD W

98647-CT.1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty- Eight Grams)

98647-CT.2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Status Hearing MPD

OC 2/21 Trial 8/12

STROUD, JAMES

98755 Second Degree Battery

Status Hearing MPD

BDCC Trial 4/29

WARE, BRANDON A

98666 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

OC 3/25 Trial 8/12

WELBOURNE, NATHANIEL

98862 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

Arraignment MPD

BDCC St Conf 6/10 Trial 12/16

WILLIAMS, MICHAEL D.

98737 Indecent Behavior With A Juvenile Under Thirteen

Status Hearing

BDCC Trial 8/12

WILLIS, KAZANEE ANQWASIA

98379 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty- Eight Grams)

Status Hearing WPSD

OC 2/21 Trial 8/12

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Send non-profit calendar events to wpjnewsla@gmail.com .

April 12

11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.Estate Planning 101 Lunch & Learn, Greater Minden Chamber.

4:30 p.m. Softball playoff game. Minden Lady Tiders host Franklinton Lady Demons.

5 p.m. Softball playoff game. Glenbrook vs. Vermillion Catholic, Glenbrook Softball Field. Admission $10. Admission passes and Tribe shirts cannot be used for this game.

April 13

9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Annual Plant Sale. Lakeview Methodist Church, 303 Lakeshore Drive in Minden, Garden plants, flowering plants, houseplants, garden items, bird houses, and other yard art and items will be offered for sale, as well as hot dogs, desserts soft drinks and lemonade.  Screaming Owl (Methodist Children’s Home) salsas and jellies will also be available for purchase.

April 14

2 until 4 p.m. Oak Cottage Open House, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Air B&B/Event venue. Refreshments will be served.

April 15

11:30 a.m. Ribbon Cutting for Shug’s Minden Ice Cream, 727 Main Street, Minden.

The founders’ vision for ACE Scholarship was powerful but simple: that all children have access to great schools. Glenbrook School has partnered with the ACE program for the 2024/2025 school year.  Applications for scholarships due date is April 15. For more information, go to:

 Welcome to Grant & Aid (factsmgt.com) or call Naomi Coyle at 318-377-2135.

6 p.m. Night at the Museum with Museum Director Jessica Gorman. Discussion: preserving local cemeteries. Admission is free; donations welcome. Refreshments: potluck snacks and desserts. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Seating is limited. Call 318-377-3002 for more information.

April 16

4 until 7:30 p.m. Spring Market at Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College on Industrial Drive.

6 p.m. Springhill North Webster Chamber of Commerce 70th Annual Awards Banquet. Community Activity Center, 301 West Church St., Springhill. Entertainment by Piney Woods Jamboree. Table sponsorships available. Individual tickets $50.

April 18

10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Senior Fun Day sponsored by Springhill Medical Center. Springhill CAC Building. Ages 50 and older. Free admission. Free meal sponsored by Bristol Hospice.

April 19 & 20

Hwy. 80 Spring Sales

April 20

10 a.m. Scottish Tartan Festival at Miller Quarters

9 until 11 a.m. Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry monthly food distribution.

6 p.m. LaMa Animal Rescue hosts Murder on the Boardwalk, Oak Cottage, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Tickets much be purchased in advance. Call 318-272-6093.

April 20 through 28

Love the Boot week, Community Clean Up.

April 27

9 a.m. until sold out Minden Lions Club Spring Chicken Charbroil. Tickets $10 each. Walmart Supercenter parking lot.

9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Trails and Trellises Garden Tours Rain or Shine.

10 a.m. Simply Southern Saturday.

April 29

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Food Truck Night at Miller Quarters. Live entertainment by Braydon Watts. Sponsored by Main Street Minden and Minden Police Chief Jared McIver.

May 4

9 a.m. through 3 p.m. Piney Needles Quilt Guild is presenting “Splendor in the Scraps,” South Main Mall, Springhill. Joyce O’Neil is featured quilter. There will be vendors, many quilts on display, and FREE admission!

6 p.m. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to LaMa Bingo, Springhill Civic Center. $50 jackpot, $100 and $200 games, door prizes, silent auction, concessions, costume contest, split the pot.

May 18

9 a.m. Registration, 10 a.m. Freedom Walk 2024 at Broken Bean. Sponsorships available. Registration $25 per person. All proceeds go to Minden Adult and Team Challenge. Live music, food, fun, games and more … ends at 4 p.m. Register online at www.laatc.com/freedomwalk or at Broken Bean. Call 318-382-0203 or 318-469-5393 with questions.

May 24, 25

A committee of former Thomas & Rhone Elementary School students have planned a reunion for all former students, faculty and staff.  This reunion is schedule for Memorial Day Weekend, Friday and Saturday, (May 24 and 25).  All activities will be held at the Shongaloo Civic Center, 119 LA 2 Alt Rd, in Shongaloo, La.

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The following civil suits were filed with the Webster Parish Clerk of Court the week of April 5. Civil Suits are a matter of public record.

April 4

Kimdara Sok vs. AEWSR1 Transport LLC, Alvin Sargent, National Liability and Fire Insurance, Co., petition.

April 5

CKS Prime Investments LLC vs. Anthony Scott, monies due.

Kaleb Gish vs. Catherine Payne Gish, divorce w/children.

Yvette Price vs. Wes Haynes, protective order.

Nicollette Walker vs. Deswonia McClain, protective order.

Rebecca Edwards vs. Clifton Edwards, protective order.

April 8

Robert Steve Mark Sutka Jr., probate, succession under $125K.

Brookings Credit Bureau vs. Christopher D. Blachford, judgment executory.

Phillicia Douglas vs. Delveckio Edwards, protective order.

Guardian Credit Union vs. Angela Gasaway, monies due.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Thomas Dickson, monies due.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Catherine Coleman, monies due.

Brandon Wayne Coker vs. Farah Lorraine Coker, divorce.

Chantavia Flournoy vs. Keen Dewayne Williams, divorce.

Sue Renee Adcock Odom, probate, succession over $125K.

April 9

Danyale Gutierrez vs. Roberto B. Gutierrez, petition.

Aaron Barnes vs. David Robinson, Bullseye Product Inc., State Farm Mutual Automobile, petition.

Murray L. Nolan, probate, succession over $125K.

Hilary Briscoe McLarty vs. Jason McLarty, divorce with children.

April 10

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Shelia Ellinwood, monies due.

Jocarra Hamilton vs. Minden Medical Center, damages.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Latonya D. Elkins, monies due.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Christopher Rogers, monies due.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Derrick Crawford, monies due.

First Tower Loan LLC vs. Teresa Ward, monies due.

Lacey Pearce Williams vs. Brandon Williams, divorce w/children.

Keiauna Canada vs. Wilbur Odom Jr., XYZ Insurance Col., damages.

Madison Marie Boggs vs. J. Schuyler Marvin, District Attorney, name change.

April 11

Henry E. Kwiatkowski, succession over $125K, probate.

Felicia Prudhomme vs. Hans Morris Jr., protective order.

Planet Home Lending Inc., vs. crystal Danielle Harrison, executory process.

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Sherry Jenkins Crews

August 13, 1944 – April 8, 2024

Minden, La.

Visitation: 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

Funeral service: 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

Burial: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Pleasant Valley Cemetery.

Betty Juanelle Thomas

Sept. 26, 1934 – April 5, 2024

Haynesville, La.

Memorial service at a later date. Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer Chapel.

Terri Montgomery Toland

Feb. 4, 1966 – March 29, 2024

Heflin, La.

Celebration of Life at a later date.

James Leon Murray

Dec. 15, 1947 – April 8, 2024

Haynesville, La.

Visitation: 10 a.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer, La.

Funeral service: 11 a.m. immediately following visitation.

Burial: Holly Ridge Cemetery.

Charlotte Logan Suggs

Nov. 30, 1939 – April 9, 2024

Lisbon, La.

Memorial service at a later date.

Charles E. James

Oct. 4, 1929 – April 9, 2024

Arcadia, La.

Visitation: 5 unit 6:30 p.m.Tuesday, April 16, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

Funeral service: 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, Mt. Mariah Methodist Church.

Burial: Mt. Mariah Methodist Church Cemetery.

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 no charge.)

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Sherry Jenkins Crews

August 13, 1944 – April 8, 2024

Minden, La.

Visitation: 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

Funeral service: 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

Burial: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Pleasant Valley Cemetery.

Terri Montgomery Toland

Feb. 4, 1966 – March 29, 2024

Heflin, La.

Celebration of Life at a later date.

James Leon Murray

Dec. 15, 1947 – April 8, 2024

Haynesville, La.

Visitation: 10 a.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Homer, La.

Funeral service: 11 a.m. immediately following visitation.

Burial: Holly Ridge Cemetery.

Charlotte Logan Suggs

Nov. 30, 1939 – April 9, 2024

Lisbon, La.

Memorial service at a later date.

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 no charge.)

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By Bonnie Culverhouse

A 29-year-old Minden man is blessed to be alive after Mother Nature took a swing at him that could have struck him out.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, B.J. (Bernard Jr.) Brown was in intensive care at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport after he was struck by lightning Tuesday evening.

“I feel good,” B.J. said Wednesday around 4 p.m.

“I don’t remember anything,” he said. 

A Brown family member said B.J. was leaving his mother’s house when lightning “just struck.”

“It knocked him unconscious,” they said. “He went to Minden Medical and they got him stabilized and he’s at LSU now.”

The family doesn’t know exactly where the lightning struck B.J.

“I just know his socks were burned; it knocked his shoes off and his cap off his head,” they said. The lightning also struck a tree, and they said it’s possible it hit the tree and traveled underground to reach B.J.

“It happened so quick, we just thank the Lord he’s still alive,” they said.

B.J. said he was told he awakened while he was at Minden Medical Center.

“I remember coming out of the house,” he said. “I was going to get something to eat for my son. That’s the last thing I remember.”

So, why didn’t the family know where B.J. was struck?

“He had no injuries,” they said. “None … just a bruise and we’re not sure if that’s where it struck him or that’s a bruise from him falling down. It threw him – it knocked him over.”

B.J. said he is not in any pain.

“Just my legs are kind of weak,” he said. 

The family says B.J. is in ICU mostly for observation. He said he’s had a lot of people calling to check on him and coming to see him. “I just try to get me a nap whenever I can.”

When people tell B.J. he was struck by lightning, he said he’s a little confused.
“Just not knowing it happened or what’s going on,” he admitted. “I was out.”

Doctors are unsure when he would be released. “Hopefully some time tomorrow (Thursday),” B.J. said.

By Pat Culverhouse

Heavy rains and subsequent flooding across the parish has resulted in the closure of some parish roads due to high water. Several trees were reported down, but parish police jury crews had cleared roads early Wednesday.

Roads reportedly closed included Roberson Rd., Bass Rd., Wiley Rd., Newsom Rd. and Pistol Thomas Rd. Parish crews and Sheriff’s deputies are continuing to check for damage and high water.

Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker urged motorists to exercise caution when approaching low-lying areas, especially in the evening hours when visibility is limited. 

“We’ve been coordinating with parish crews and DOTD in areas where trees and power lines were reported down,” Parker said. “Things are being handled as quickly as possible, but we would ask drivers to be extremely cautions.”

Parker said high water and tree damage was not limited to one area of the parish but appeared to be widespread.

Minden Mayor Nick Cox said local power outages were not a big issue.

“We had a few outages last night (Tuesday),” he said. “But they were short and sweet.”

Some Optimum cable customers still had outages as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

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By Bonnie Culverhouse

Six months ago yesterday (Wednesday), William Kyle Campbell breathed his last breath and at almost the same time, breathed new life into someone else by donating his organs.

On April 10, a flag-raising ceremony was held at Minden Medical Center to honor organ donors and recipients during Donate Life Month for the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency.

With a portrait of her husband leaned against the flagpole, Elizabeth Campbell told an assembled group of medical staff, a LOPA representative and others about her husband’s life as well as his final days. For a month, the Donate Life flag will fly just beneath the American Flag outside the hospital.

For information about donating organs, visit www.lopa.org .

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Thursday

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 72. Northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Night

Clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 76. West wind around 5 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 57.

Sunday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

* Information courtesy of National Weather Service.

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Two-day estate sale at well-known house on Elm Street. Furniture, Appliances, Dishes, Silverware, Pictures, and a lot more. No photos are available.

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By Pat Culverhouse

Early voting for the April 27 general election begins Saturday, April 13 and continues through April 20 (excluding Sundays) with a trio of issues affecting Webster Parish schools on the ballot.

Voting hours are 8:30 a.m through 6 p.m. at the parish registrar’s office in the parish courthouse and at Springhill Civic Center, 101 Machen Drive. Deadline for requesting absentee ballots is Tuesday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m., with exceptions granted to military and overseas voters.

Deadline for receiving absentee ballots is Friday, April 26 for voters other than military and those overseas. On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

One of two proposed renewals on the ballot is a 2.81 mill, 10-year parish-wide special tax that supports acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining or operating the public school system in the parish. Revenues from the millage is estimated at $743,102 annually, beginning in 2026.

A second 10-year renewal for Springhill School District 8 includes a .60 mills increase due to reappraisal, raising the millage rate to 7.69. Annual income from the millage is anticipated at $328,450.

Money from the millage, which would begin in 2025, would be used for acquiring, constructing, repairing, improving, maintaining and/or operating schools and school related facilities, plus equipment and programs for District 8.

Springhill School District 8 is also asking voters to approve a new bond issue, not to exceed $11 million and to have debt incurred for not more than 20 years from the date of issuance. The general obligation bonds would be payable from ad valorem tax revenue provided by an estimated 12.75 mills increase above the 28.50 mills currently being levied to pay general obligation bonds of District 8.

Bonds would be used to finance capital expenditures including constructing, acquiring and/or improving schools and other school related facilities together with equipment and furnishings.

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Springhill Medical Center welcomes Joseph Nicholas, Physician’s Assistant specializing in Orthopedics. Orthopedics focuses on treating the musculoskeletal system. This system comprises muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. To make an appointment, call 318-539-1701.

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By Jessica Gorman

As you walk through a cemetery and make note of those buried there, you can’t help but wonder about who they were and the lives they lived. If you really pay attention, you notice so many clues to the past. The Minden Cemetery, the final resting place of so many of Minden’s early settlers, was established in the early 1840s. It now contains over 4,000 burials. Among them are civic leaders, businessmen, two U.S. congressmen, ancestors of two Louisiana governors, and maybe even an infamous outlaw. The cemetery is full of history and mysteries.

It is said that the first burial in the cemetery was that of Mrs. Mary A. Smith on 22 April 1840. There is no headstone and no known documentation to confirm her burial. The oldest marked grave in the cemetery is that of five month old Sarah Elizabeth Morrow who died on 19 June 1843. 

The original cemetery was deeded to the town in 1854. The year before, the property containing the cemetery had been sold to Mrs. Martha Lewis by David L. Evans. At least two members of the Evans family are buried in the cemetery, Martha Vining Evans and her granddaughter, Louisa Maples. (It is also interesting to note the presence of a Mary A. Smith in the Evans/Maples household in the 1850 census.) 

There are still details to be worked out, but it looks like David L. Evans is another of my newly discovered cousins. I have felt drawn to the Minden cemetery and have spent hours there trying to help care for the graves. We have a family plot in the new section where my great-grandparents are buried along with my 3^rd great-grandfather and other family members, but I have always felt drawn to the old section in particular. Without realizing it, several years ago, I removed dirt and grass from the gravestone of Louisa Maples who I now realize was a distant cousin. And now, I add to that the realization that the land on which the cemetery sits must have belonged to the family as well.

By 1883, the cemetery was in need of cleanup. At the urging of Mayor P.W. Paul, volunteers came out and cleaned the cemetery. In a speech, Rev. W.H. McGee reminded the townspeople of “the duty they owed themselves in beautifying and keeping the graveyard in a good condition and as a duty they owed the dead.” It would seem that efforts were not maintained to the necessary standard as it was noted seven years later that the condition of the cemetery needed to again be addressed. It was at this time, in 1890, that the Minden Cemetery Association was formed. Care of the cemetery has been the responsibility of the association ever since. 

Additional property was donated over the years to accommodate the expanding cemetery. What is referred to as the new section of the cemetery was donated by the Bodcau Lumber Company. It had been part of the property of the Minden Lumber Mill and homes built for mill workers were located in that area.

When Minden was struck by the devastating tornado of 1933, the old section of the cemetery suffered much damage. Many headstones were toppled. While some graves were restored, others were not. It’s difficult to know how many graves may have been lost because of the storm. 

Another large cleanup effort was held in 1963 by the Kiwanis Club. They worked to clear trees and vines from part of the old section which had become overgrown. 

Maintenance of a cemetery as large as the Minden Cemetery is expensive and time consuming. Just keeping the grass mowed is an enormous job. It is essential that we consider what we can do to contribute to the care of this and all our cemeteries. 

In May 1883, Mayor P.W. Paul said, “Surely there are loving hearts and willing hands enough in our little town to remove from our graveyard all that evidence of dilapidation that speak so badly for the living who acknowledge ties of blood and affection for those who sleep the sleep of death among us.” These words still ring true today. The biggest need for any cemetery is “loving hearts and willing hands.” We can’t have the attitude that care of our cemeteries is someone else’s job. It’s ours. I hope you will join us at the museum next Monday night at 6:00 pm to talk about what we can do to preserve our cemeteries. 

(Jessica Gorman is the Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, and an avid genealogist.)

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BATON ROUGE, La. – Legislation designed to expand educational savings accounts for parents and students in Louisiana passed favorably in the House of Representatives by a vote of 71-32.  House Bill (HB) 745 by Representative Julie Emerson received bi-partisan support from the chamber and builds upon a number of education reform bills being adopted by the house so far this session.

Bills focused on education savings accounts and teacher quality now head to the Senate for consideration before heading to the Governor for his signature. Additional instruments focused on literacy and education finance await consideration by House committees.

Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier says Louisiana’s educational rankings have been near the bottom for decades and legislators across the state are making education reform a top priority.

“These bills support our teachers and our students,” said Speaker DeVillier. “By focusing on education reform we have the chance give young people every opportunity for success in school.” 

“HB 745 will empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children,” said Rep. Julie Emerson.

Additional educational bills already receiving favorable passage in the House include:

·         HB 320 by Rep. Chuck Owen repeals policies requiring teachers to teach supplemental topics outside of the basic curriculum in schools until a review by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education can be conducted.

·         HB 647 by Rep. Troy Romero reduces the training requirements for educators giving them more time to focus on teaching adopted curriculums.

Meanwhile, several education-focused bills are actively moving through the committee process in the House:

·         HB 143 by Rep. Tony Bacala authorizes the state superintendent of education to hire a chief operating officer to make recommendations to local school systems about complying with the MFP’s minimal instruction expenditure requirement.

·         HB 244 by Rep. Jason Hughes expands the Steve Carter Literacy Program to include educational services in math and boosts the scholarship amount from $1,000 to $1,500.

·         HB 267 by Rep. Kim Carver provides for an annual math assessment of all students in kindergarten to third grade to screen for proficiency.

The 2024 Regular Legislative Session must adjourn no later than 6 p.m. Monday, June 3.

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Dear editor,

Like millions of Americans, I take daily prescription medications —in my case, to help treat a heart condition. Unfortunately, that means I’ve had to deal with some of the harmful policies and practices Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) use to cut costs and boost profits while undermining access and increasing out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

That makes it all the more frustrating that Congress has not been able to pass legislation to reform the negative impact that PBMs have on patient access. Patients who rely on prescription medications need lawmakers to pass a legislative solution to this growing problem as soon as possible.

From pharmacy steering to step therapy to prior authorization, PBM practices create barriers for patients that delay access to the doctor-prescribed medications and treatments they need to stay healthy. Moreover, these insurer-owned groups will even go so far as to withhold valuable prescription drug rebates and discounts to inflate their profit margins rather than passing those savings down to patients to help them reduce their out-of-pocket expenses.

For an issue as clearly as bipartisan as this one, I was disappointed that Congress couldn’t manage to pass bipartisan legislation like the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act last year. Hopefully, Senators Cassidy and Kennedy, along with Speaker Johnson, will continue working with their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help make PBM reform a reality as soon as possible.

Don Willard

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Send non-profit calendar events to wpjnewsla@gmail.com .

April 11

9 a.m. Minden Campus of Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College. Open House until noon. Campus  tours, meet with faculty/staff, application and financial aid info. 9 a.m. until 9:30 Coffee with Chancellor. Care Cruiser – Mobile Wellness and Opportunity Center.

6 p.m. “Third Culture Kids: An Informative Seminar” will be hosted by the Minden Presbyterian Church. Who needs to attend?? Educators, School Administrators, Counselors and Therapists, Pastors, College Professors…anyone who comes into contact with a child/adult who spent a large part of their life in a culture other than their parents. Refreshments will be served. We’re at the corner of Broadway and Lewisville Road!!

April 12

11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.Estate Planning 101 Lunch & Learn, Greater Minden Chamber.

April 13

9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Annual Plant Sale. Lakeview Methodist Church, 303 Lakeshore Drive in Minden, Garden plants, flowering plants, houseplants, garden items, bird houses, and other yard art and items will be offered for sale, as well as hot dogs, desserts soft drinks and lemonade.  Screaming Owl (Methodist Children’s Home) salsas and jellies will also be available for purchase.

April 14

2 until 4 p.m. Oak Cottage Open House, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Air B&B/Event venue. Refreshments will be served.

April 15

11:30 a.m. Ribbon Cutting for Shug’s Minden Ice Cream, 727 Main Street, Minden.

The founders’ vision for ACE Scholarship was powerful but simple: that all children have access to great schools. Glenbrook School has partnered with the ACE program for the 2024/2025 school year.  Applications for scholarships due date is April 15. For more information, go to:

 Welcome to Grant & Aid (factsmgt.com) or call Naomi Coyle at 318-377-2135.

6 p.m. Night at the Museum with Museum Director Jessica Gorman. Discussion: preserving local cemeteries. Admission is free; donations welcome. Refreshments: potluck snacks and desserts. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Seating is limited. Call 318-377-3002 for more information.

April 16

4 until 7:30 p.m. Spring Market at Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College on Industrial Drive.

6 p.m. Springhill North Webster Chamber of Commerce 70th Annual Awards Banquet. Community Activity Center, 301 West Church St., Springhill. Entertainment by Piney Woods Jamboree. Table sponsorships available. Individual tickets $50.

April 18

10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Senior Fun Day sponsored by Springhill Medical Center. Springhill CAC Building. Ages 50 and older. Free admission. Free meal sponsored by Bristol Hospice.

April 19 & 20

Hwy. 80 Spring Sales

April 20

10 a.m. Scottish Tartan Festival at Miller Quarters

9 until 11 a.m. Joe LeBlanc Food Pantry monthly food distribution.

6 p.m. LaMa Animal Rescue hosts Murder on the Boardwalk, Oak Cottage, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Tickets much be purchased in advance. Call 318-272-6093.

April 20 through 28

Love the Boot week, Community Clean Up.

April 27

9 a.m. until sold out Minden Lions Club Spring Chicken Charbroil. Tickets $10 each. Walmart Supercenter parking lot.

9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Trails and Trellises Garden Tours Rain or Shine.

10 a.m. Simply Southern Saturday.

April 29

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Food Truck Night at Miller Quarters. Live entertainment by Braydon Watts. Sponsored by Main Street Minden and Minden Police Chief Jared McIver.

May 4

9 a.m. through 3 p.m. Piney Needles Quilt Guild is presenting “Splendor in the Scraps,” South Main Mall, Springhill. Joyce O’Neil is featured quilter. There will be vendors, many quilts on display, and FREE admission!

6 p.m. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to LaMa Bingo, Springhill Civic Center. $50 jackpot, $100 and $200 games, door prizes, silent auction, concessions, costume contest, split the pot.

May 18

9 a.m. Registration, 10 a.m. Freedom Walk 2024 at Broken Bean. Sponsorships available. Registration $25 per person. All proceeds go to Minden Adult and Team Challenge. Live music, food, fun, games and more … ends at 4 p.m. Register online at www.laatc.com/freedomwalk or at Broken Bean. Call 318-382-0203 or 318-469-5393 with questions.

May 24, 25

A committee of former Thomas & Rhone Elementary School students have planned a reunion for all former students, faculty and staff.  This reunion is schedule for Memorial Day Weekend, Friday and Saturday, (May 24 and 25).  All activities will be held at the Shongaloo Civic Center, 119 LA 2 Alt Rd, in Shongaloo, La.

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I was stunned Easter weekend to learn that President Biden had declared Easter Sunday to be “Transgender Visibility Day.”  Easter, the highest, holy day of the Christian year for millions of Americans and still billions more around the world.  That’s the day President Biden thought best to endorse and highlight transgenderism. 

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (Shreveport, LA) responded that the White House “betrayed the central tenet of Easter—which is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  He further stated, “banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent.”  

The Heritage Foundation responded on X that “Easter Sunday is the holiest day of the Christian calendar, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Transgender Day of Visibility is a sacrilegious invention celebrating the mutilation of healthy human bodies.  That it would exist at all is a disservice to Americans.  That it would attempt to usurp Easter is unacceptable.  The Biden administration should recant and apologize to America for its perversions.”

As always, the media rushed out to defend Biden stating that the fact that his proclamation fell on Easter was merely coincidental.  We know better. 

Recall that this transgender insanity was first advanced when the Biden Administration made a striking departure on Title IX, a federal education law that prevents discrimination based on sex—meaning biological males and females—with his Executive Order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”  The language sounds benign but it allows biological males who “identify” as females to compete in girl’s and women’s sports and use female locker rooms and restrooms. 

Conversely, President Trump moved to protect women and, therefore, to “ban men from participating in women’s sports.”  President Trump also specifically reaffirmed the position that public school districts may exclude students from athletic teams based on “gender identity” and could require students to use bathrooms based on biological sex, rather than gender identity. 

Recall the Transgender LGBT community already has two full months to celebrate their personal choices—LGBT Pride month is June, and LGBT History Month is in October.  Biden could have easily protected and respected Easter Sunday—the holiest single day on the Christian calendar for the past 2000 years.

Wow.  But Transgender Day is not all.

At the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, officials banned submissions with religious symbols or “overtly religious themes” from the children’s Easter egg art design competition.  (The Biden White House states that the non-religious theme requirement had been in place for many years but that’s beside the point).

So, on the most sacred day of the year for millions of American Christians, the President of the United States elevates the mental disorder of transgenderism and at the same time prohibits religious imagery from the Easter Egg celebration.

Did Biden really have to choose Easter Sunday to take this action?  Does he not understand the deep offense taken by millions of Americans?  

Let me include one more indication of the difference in Biden and Trump on such issues.

Mick Mulvaney, who served several roles in the Trump Administration, recounts in the Wall Street Journal “What Trump Did for the Faithful.” 

He describes a situation in 2018, when he was Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in which he realized that several members of his budgeting team would not be able to leave the White House to attend Mass and/or Ash Wednesday because the budget deadline was approaching.  He asked President Trump if a Catholic Mass could be held at the White House at the Old Executive Office Building.  Trump approved the request.  “More than 100 people showed up to the first Mass in history in the White House compound” Mulvaney recalls.  He further states “after the Mass started, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish services were also held on the White House campus grounds.”

Mulvaney also shares that when Pres. Trump was leaving the White House, Mulvaney encouraged new Biden staffers to continue the tradition.  Unfortunately, “neither the Mass nor any of the other religious services have resumed.” (Wall Street Journal, 4-4-2024).

This is the conclusion.  You either respect and support the exercise of religious faith and practice, or you don’t.  At different times, Pres. Biden and his Administration have expressed both indifference for, and hostility to, the Christian faith.  We should not forget.

(Shreveport attorney, Royal Alexander, worked in D.C. in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 8 years for two different Members of Congress from Louisiana.  He has witnessed up close several Speaker races.)

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April 10

Kaitlyn Sierra Kirkpatrick, 23, of Hwy. 2, Shongaloo, La., was arrested by WPSO on a warrant for aggravated assault.

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.

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By Pat Culverhouse

Minden police officers executing a search warrant on a local residence in connection with a firearm used in a separate incident involving juveniles resulted in a discovery that led to the arrest of an adult on illegal drug charges.

Chief of Police Jared McIver said 48-year-old Darien D. Mitchell, a resident of the 400 block of Plateau St., is looking at a number of charges including possession of CDS Sch. I (marijuana) with intent to distribute, possession of CDS Sch. I (Ecstasy) with intent to distribute, possession of CDS Sch. II (crack cocaine) with intent to distribute, possession of Doxepin Hydrochloride (Legend drugs) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

McIver said officers were serving a warrant in connection with a previous incident involving the theft of a firearm by a juvenile. While searching the residence, officers found the firearm plus a stash of drugs and a small amount of cash in a room reportedly occupied by the suspect.

“After administering a Miranda advisory, our investigators questioned the occupants of the residence about the drugs and Darien Mitchell admitted the narcotics were his,” McIver said. “All the substances were weighed and checked at headquarters and tested positive.”

An investigation into the theft of the firearm is continuing, the chief said.

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.

 

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“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5

By Marilyn Miller

How does one work his way up to being called a “peacemaker”?

In 1964, Tommy Davis was living and working in Stephens, Arkansas, just northeast of Magnolia. After finishing his degree at the Capital City Business College in Little Rock, he distributed goods for a grocery company. His “high school sweetheart” and wife, Vernie Davis, was working on a degree in teaching.

When Vernie graduated and got a temporary job at Minden High School (teaching Physics & Chemistry while Mrs. Harol Thompson was out on maternity leave), the decision to relocate was easy. He continued distributing to grocers in the Minden area until 1966. That’s when he took a sales job with Rucker Pharmaceuticals in Shreveport. O.R. “Shorty” Long, who would become a well-known Minden businessman, was on the sales staff there, and trained Tommy.

The job carried them to Ft. Smith, AR, where Tommy and Vernie grew their family, welcoming son, Scott Davis (and Teri); son Stanley Davis (and Dena); and daughter Suzanne D. (and Greg Barnett). In 1972-’73, Tommy, Shorty, and three other partners founded UAD Laboratories in Minden.

In 1978, Tommy relocated his family to Minden, where he managed the UAD office. However, he left UAD in 1980, and in 1984 he purchased the Mobil Oil gas distributorship on Shreveport Road.

Tragedy struck during those years. Vernie was diagnosed with brain cancer, and at age 53, she passed away.

“That was in 1996,” Tommy said. “I took care of her day and night.” He sold the Mobil business to Mike Waller that year. Ever an entrepreneur, Tommy then went to work with Robin Beck, earning his real estate license. When the Becks left Minden, he joined Laura Stanley at her real estate company.

And here, Tommy’s years of public service began.

“Mayor Bill Robertson asked if I would serve on the Minden Planning Commission, and I said “Yes,” Tommy recalled. “Then when Drew White’s seat on the City Council came open,” he threw his hat into the ring and won. He ran unopposed his second term. However, Mayor Robertson died, leaving mayor pro temp Joe Cornelius as mayor until an election could take place. Tommy and Joe ran against each other in the special election, and Tommy won the seat, and finished Robertson’s term. He ran unopposed for his next full term.

Tommy served one term as mayor, choosing not to run for a second term because, “I didn’t want to be 80 years old when I got out of office.” Why?

Tommy had married his wife, Nelda, in 1998. They were introduced by his good friend, Ty Pendergrass. Nelda also has three children, Sondra Robertson, Jimmy Hensley, and Missy Walley. Between them, they have 18 grandchildren! Question answered!

The entrepreneur/public servant thought he was retired until Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards asked him to serve the unexpired term of Mayor Terry Gardner, who passed away from pancreatic cancer during his last year in office. That was in June of 2022. “I was in Houston with Kyle Robertson, who was getting a pacemaker, when the Governor’s office called.

The preceding three-and-a-half years had been tumultuous ones for the City of Minden, with the council split on almost 100 percent of their issues, including the passage of a new budget.

To the question, “Are you a peacekeeper or a peacemaker,” Tommy responded, “I think I’m a Peacemaker. My job was to keep the boat afloat and moving forward. We passed the budget in the few months that I was in there.”

Tommy is most proud of the six years of unity shown by the councils he served under, and his special service, as well as the installation of new, automatic water and electric meters citywide. He was also proud of getting the City’s reserves built back up. He laments the SWEPCO contract and said that “it really changed from the original contract…The transferring of electricity changed…it is the cost of transferring the electricity to Minden” that upped utility bills. “Overall, the contract was good for the City.”

“I traveled to Washington several times to try to get us out of that contract,” he said. That effort was not successful.

Tommy is a board member and past president of the Minden Lions Club, and he is a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Minden, where he has taught Sunday School for over 40 years and is a life-time Deacon.

He recently returned from a mission trip to Nome, Alaska with 11 other men from First Baptist. Hosted by “Alaska Missions,” volunteers work many activities, including the final of the annual Iditarod Race and “a giant baseball tournament” that included native men and women. “We worked concessions for the weekend. You make a lot of friends,” Tommy said. “But they depend on us as volunteers.”

Minden’s “Man of the Year” for 2023 is an avid supporter of the United Christian Assistance Program (UCAP). A board member, he spends hours each Wednesday refilling the shelves with donated food goods. Just last week, he assisted with the 36th annual Hungerfest and Dessert Auction,” which is the primary source of funds for UCAP.

“UCAP meets a great need,” Tommy remarked. “I enjoy working there. I’m just a volunteer down there…if the phone rings, I don’t have to answer it…I don’t have to make all the decisions.”

On his “elder status,” Tommy says that “God blessed me with good health.”

“I can certainly look back and see bad times, but mostly I just see how good God has been to me.” Tommy is a big believer in doing what you are able to do, and what God has called you to do. One of his favorite sayings reflects that belief:

“Pray to God, But Row to Shore,” he advised.

 

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Wednesday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 p.m., then showers and thunderstorms likely between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 p.m. Some storms could be severe, with heavy rain. High near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4 a.m., then a slight chance of showers. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 71. Northwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday Night

Clear, with a low around 46.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 76.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

* Information courtesy of National Weather Service.

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