As 2025 winds down and Webster Parish Journal staff prepares to take off another couple of days to be with family, we thought our readers and advertisers might like to see which of our stories made the Top 10 list over the past year.
We are very proud to inform our readers that we experienced 3 million views over 2025, which reflects a steady rise over the past four years and more than 500,000 since 2024.
So, in typical David Letterman fashion, please enjoy this Top 10 list of stories, beginning with the least read (No. 10) to the most read (No. 1), and we will see you next year.
10. October 4, 2025
UPDATE: Injured Lakeside player walks out of hospital
A Lakeside High School football player, Peyton Campbell, was airlifted from a football game following an injury. This final update was written and posted on Facebook by his family.
Praise report. He was flown on by helicopter on a stretcher and is walking out (of the hospital) on his own this evening. Thank you for all the prayers, calls and texts. We have a few follow ups but he has regained full feeling and full movement. God is so good!!!
Original story: The family of Lakeside sophomore Peyton Campbell is requesting prayers after he was injured during Friday night’s football game against Montgomery.
Campbell was airlifted to LSU Ochsner Medical Center in Shreveport with injuries affecting his extremities. According to a source, by Saturday morning, Peyton has limited movement and is lying flat in a neck brace.
Tests are being conducted. No other information is available at this time.
9. October 3, 2025
Woman charged with abuse of infirmed child
A Sibley woman is currently in the Webster Parish jail charged with cruelty to a person with infirmities after investigators found evidence that she kept her Down Syndrome child in a urine and feces filled environment.
Dawn Sherman Calhoun, 51, a resident of the 500 block Miller Briarwood Rd., reportedly is being held on a $10,000 bond following her arrest last week.
According to a complaint received at the Sheriff’s Office, the young child (gender/age unreported) was allegedly placed in a filthy bed daily at around 4 p.m. and kept there until around 11 a.m. the following day. Additionally, the complainant claimed the child was fed only once a day.
8. July 16, 2025
Special Edition: MPD officer’s arrest stirs major controversy
A Minden police officer’s arrest has ignited controversy within city leadership and drawn strong criticism from the statewide law enforcement union, as Mayor Nick Cox and the Louisiana Law Enforcement Association (LLEA) question the judgment and leadership of Minden Police Chief Jared McIver.
Lieutenant Christopher Hammontree, a 16-year veteran of the Minden Police Department, was arrested almost exactly a month ago on June 18 and charged with simple criminal damage to property. He has since been placed on administrative leave with pay, according to Chief McIver.
The charge, which can be classified as either a misdemeanor or felony depending on the value of the property allegedly damaged, stems from an incident investigated by the MPD’s Internal Affairs. Hammontree was reportedly released on his own recognizance by the District Attorney’s office.
7. October 30, 2025
Two arrested in connection with shooting
Two Springhill men have been arrested in connection with a shooting at an apartment complex earlier this month where three individuals reportedly were wounded.
Chief of Police Will Lynd said the men, 21-year-old Tytravion Jauntez Mendenhall and 29-year-old Alex Ja’kar Johnson, were arrested Monday on warrants in connection with the incident at the Camelot Apartments.
Lynd said Mendenhall has been charged with illegal use of a firearm during a crime of violence. He reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center under a $50,000 bond. Lynd said he was arrested without incident.
6. October 17, 2025
Two persons, including MPD officer, injured in two-vehicle accident
Two persons, including a Minden police officer, were injured Thursday afternoon in a two-vehicle accident on the Shreveport Rd.
According to reports, the Minden officer was traveling west on the roadway while responding to an emergency call for service when a vehicle pulled into his path from the parking lot of a business near the railroad tracks.
Reports from Louisiana State Police troopers investigating the crash show the police officer received minor injuries and has been treated and released from Minden Medical Center.
5. June 18, 2025
BREAKING NEWS: Minden police officer charged, facing disciplinary hearing
A Minden city police officer has been arrested and is facing a disciplinary hearing based on a charge filed Wednesday.
Lt. Christopher Hammontree, a 16-year veteran of the MPD, is charged with simple criminal damage to property and is currently on administrative leave with pay, Chief of Police Jared McIver said. He reportedly was released by the District Attorney on his own recognizance.
Value of property allegedly damaged determines whether simple criminal damage to property is a misdemeanor or a felony.
4. September 23, 2025
Body found dat Minden apartment complex
Minden police officers responding to a welfare concern check at a local apartment complex Monday discovered the body of a man who investigators believe had been deceased for several weeks.
And, Chief of Police Jared McIver said, the man’s wife had apparently been living in the apartment with the body since the man’s death. The body has been sent to Little Rock, Arkansas for autopsy to determine the cause of death, the chief said.
Lead investigator on the case, Lt. Shane Griffith, head of the MPD Major Crimes Unit, said officers discovered the body lying on the floor of the apartment’s living room.
“Responding patrol officers found the man’s body, and learned his wife had been living there with the body,” Griffith said “One of the questions we have in our investigation is why she did not report the death.”
3. October 25, 2025
City of Minden, Minden Police officer named in wrongful death lawsuit
A wrongful death lawsuit naming the City of Minden and Minden police Capt. Keith King has been filed on behalf of the widow of a 70-year-old man who died from injuries received in an Oct. 16 two-vehicle accident.
Attorney Trey Morris of Shreveport law firm Morris & DeWett filed the suit Thursday (Oct. 23) with the Webster Clerk of Court on behalf of Sherri Stoneking, wife of Robert Stoneking.
Robert Stoneking died six days later (Oct. 22) at a Shreveport hospital from injuries sustained in the wreck.
2. August 24, 2025
Sibley man killed in fiery single-vehicle Webster Parish crash
A Sibley man is dead following an early morning crash on U.S. Highway 371 near Yellow Pine Road.
At approximately 2:45 a.m. Sunday, Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop G responded to the single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of 40-year-old Joey Washington of Sibley.
1. May 9, 2025
A local businessman and his wife were found dead in their Webster Parish Home. Their joint obituary was the number 1 story in Webster Parish Journal for 2025.
Kenny Smith
April 15, 1967 — May 7, 2025
Funeral services for Kenny Smith will be held Tuesday May 13, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. with a visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Rose Neath Funeral Home Chapel in Minden, Louisiana. Officiating will be Pastor Murray Twyman. Interment will follow at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Minden, Louisiana.
Kenny was born April 15, 1967, in Shreveport, Louisiana and went to be with the Lord on May 7, 2025, in Minden, Louisiana. Kenny was a successful business owner and loved by many in the community. He was a loving father, husband, and Papa. Kenny was an avid outdoors man who could always be found hunting and fishing with friends and family. He never met a stranger and always had a smile on his face. He leaves behind a beautiful legacy.
Melanie Jackson Smith
March 2, 1962 — May 7, 2025
Funeral services for Melanie Jackson Smith will be held Tuesday May 13, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. with a visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Rose Neath Funeral Home in Minden, Louisiana. Officiating will be Pastor Murray Twyman. Interment will follow at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Minden, Louisiana.
Melanie was born March 2, 1962, in Shreveport, Louisiana and went to be with the Lord on May 7, 2025, in Minden, Louisiana. Melanie was a loving mother, Nana, and wife with one of the kindest souls imaginable. Her smile could brighten the darkest of days. The love she showed her family was unparalleled. As the Webster Parish Registrar of voters for over 20 years, she undoubtedly touched many hearts in the community. Her memory will live on in the kindness we share and the love we give.