Upcoming Events

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

May 2

9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Lakeview Methodist Church, annual, “Come Grow With Us,” plant/art sale benefiting Lakeview Preschool at Turner’s Pond.

W.H.O. Golf Fiesta 2026, Springhill Golf Course. Register here: whoofnorthwebster.org/golf .

May 7

7:30 a.m., City-Wide National Day of Prayer, Jacqueline Park, 396 Main Street, Minden. Also time capsule burial ceremony as part of the City of Minden’s 190th anniversary celebration.

6:30 p.m. National Day of Prayer Gathering, Pine Grove Methodist Church.

May 9

2:30 p.m., “Meet and Greet” and special music. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1107 Broadway, Minden.

7 p.m. Piney Woods Jamboree in the CAC building, Springhill. Special guests will be Caleb Williams, Thomas Wooley and Tamera Mathers.

May 30

3:30 p.m. doors open; 4:30 p.m. games start, LaMa Animal Rescue Game Night, Springhill Civic Center, $20 for games, BINGO, purse raffle, dessert auction, concessions Split the Pot and door prizes.

June 20

8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Men’s Wellness Fair, presented by Healing from the Heart LLC. Minden Recreation Center.

June 21

8 a.m. until a p.m., service at 10:45 a.m., Men’s Wellness Fair weekend continues, New Light Baptist Church, Minden. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at eventbrite or at the door.

June 22 – 26

9 a.m. until noon, Earth Camp 2026 at The Farm of Cultural Crossroads, Minden, ages 6 through 9.

1 p.m. until 3 p.m., ages 10 through 16.


Word of the Day: Boondoggle

Word of the Day: Boondoggle
Phonetic: /BOON-dah-gu/
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition
A boondoggle is an expensive and wasteful project usually paid for with public money. Boondoggle is also a word for a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament.

Critics say the dam is a complete boondoggle—over budget, behind schedule, and unnecessary.


Notice of Death – April 28, 2026

Anita L. Harkness
February 6, 1937 — April 28, 2026
Minden, La.
Visitation: 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.
Funeral service: 2 p.m., immediately following visitation.
Burial: Gardens of Memory Cemetery, Minden.

Dee Anne “Dee Dee” Smith
June 2, 1966  –  April 25, 2026
Springhill, La.
Visitation: noon until 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2006, Bailey funeral Home, Springhill.
Graveside service: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Springhill Cemetery.

Kirby Samuel Adams
February 11, 1956  –  April 23, 2026
Texarkana, Texas/Springhill, La.
Visitation: 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Bailey Funeral Home, Springhill.
Graveside service: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Springhill Cemetery, Springhill.

Huey Calvin Ratliff
October 29, 1934  –  April 24, 2026
Sarepta, La.
Visitation: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2, 2026, Central Baptist Church, Springhill, La.
Funeral service: 2 p.m., immediately following visitation.
Burial: Union Springs Cemetery, Shongaloo, La., under the direction of Bailey Funeral Home, Springhill.

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.)


Possible severe weather forecast for today

By Jerry Strahan
The National Weather Service in Shreveport in association with the Severe Storms Forecast Lab has issued a tornado watch for Webster Parish from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. today (Tuesday)

Looking at the models, we have a 3 percent chance of a tornado,  4 percent change of large hail and 6 percent of damaging winds. 
Heavy rain can lead to flooding in highways and streets. Our *CAPE is intensifying. 

We have the potential for more rounds of severe weather throughout the week.

*CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) is a measure of atmospheric instability representing the “fuel” available for thunderstorm development.

(Jerry Strahan was a first responder in fire and emergency services for almost 45 years. He lives in north Webster Parish and has written weather articles for other publications.)


More claims filed against Minden Medical Center

By Webster Parish Journal Staff

Financial problems apparently continue for Allegiance Health Management-owned Minden Medical Center with another pair of court filings, including one for reportedly failing to pay federal withholding taxes.

A lawsuit was filed Thursday, April 23 in the Webster Parish Clerk of Court’s office against PHC-Minden (Minden Medical Center) by Sleep Specialists No. 3, LLC, a Jefferson Parish-based company.

Records show the suit seeks $132,575.68 (plus judicial interest, court costs, attorney fees) for unpaid invoices from April, 2025 through December, 2025.

According to the suit, final demand for payment was made on March 26, 2026 and the outstanding balance remains unpaid.

Sleep Specialists operated the sleep disorder diagnostic clinic until Dec., 2025. Contract called for $635 per sleep study performed at their Minden clinic and $150 per study performed at patient’s home.

Also, MMC is the subject of a federal tax lien (No. 60-368733)  filed April 7 for unpaid taxes for period ending Sept. 30, 2025 totaling $1,484,855.60.

Filings show failure to pay IRS form 941, the employer’s quarterly federal tax returns to report federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare taxes withheld from employee paychecks, along with the employer’s share of FICA taxes.

Included in the total owed is $197,400 for federal tax 6721, failure to file correct information returns.

Federal tax 6721 is an IRS civil penalty imposed on businesses and individuals for failing to file accurate information returns (e.g., Forms W-2, 1099, 940, 941) by the deadline, or for submitting incomplete/incorrect information. 


Woman arrested for striking husband with skillet

By Pat Culverhouse

A Minden woman has jumped from the frying pan into the fire after turning a cooking utensil into a weapon during an alleged domestic dispute.

Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said 37-year-old Jessica M. Alley is facing a charge of domestic abuse battery-use of a dangerous weapon with child endangerment following the Sunday incident.

She is being held in the parish jail.  No bond has been set.

Parish deputies responded to a reported domestic incident at a residence in the 16000 block of Hwy. 80 where they were told Alley had allegedly struck her husband in the head with an eight-inch cast iron skillet.

During questioning, Alley reportedly claimed her husband had first sprayed her in the face with a cleaning agent. Further investigation reportedly revealed Alley had first sprayed her husband, who then took away the can and sprayed her.

At that time, Alley reportedly struck her husband with the skillet. The couple’s juvenile son reportedly was present, witnessed the incident and provided a verbal statement to deputies.

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.


Alison Krauss, The Cox Family will reunite Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium

Sidney Cox and his daughters, Anna, Sara, and Lydia – The Cox Family

Quotes by Steve Dougherty, Wall Street Journal

Alison Krauss is probably one of the most renowned “Bluegrass” singers and musicians in the world. When she performs in concert at 7:30 Wednesday evening at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, she’ll be welcoming a family group from Cotton Valley, LA – the Cox Family – to perform as her opening act.

After all, she’s known the Cox family since she was 16. They are like family to the Decatur, Illinois native.

Steve Dougherty, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, quoted Ms. Krauss as saying, “Music is a byproduct for that family. They are fierce lovers of each other. They have the kind of family ties that we all long for.”

Krauss is also a music producer, and her collaboration with The Cox Family on “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” led to a Grammy-winning album.

So how did the Illinois Bluegrass performer meet the rural Louisiana family group? According to Dougherty, they met at the same time Suzanne Cox was celebrating her 21st birthday in 1987.

“The year before, Ms. Krauss heard a snippet of a recording made by her banjo player at a Bluegrass festival in Hannibal, MO,” said Dougherty. “She (Krauss) was 15 years old at the time, an up-and-coming singer and fiddle player who was already signed to a Rounder Records contract. She became intrigued by the tape of the Cox Family singing ‘Cry Baby Cry’ (a song by Sidney Cox that the group and Ms. Krauss would later record).”

“Group leader Willard Cox was heard on the tape introducing each of his children to the audience,” Dougherty said.

“I remember being fascinated equally by the singing and the songs, as by the introductions of the family and the way Willard talked,” Alison said. “He would say ‘stuff’ and they would laugh. You could barely understand what Suzanne Cox said, her accent was so thick.”

When she learned that she and the Cox Family were both booked to appear at the Mitchell Family Bluegrass Festival in Perrin, Texas in early June the following year, Ms. Krauss said, “Oh my gosh, I was counting down the months.”

“Finally we got down there,” she recalled. “I got up early and I’m walking around the festival campground trying to find them. I don’t know what they look like and nobody’s awake. How goofy! I must have looked like a crazy person. Finally, I found someone” and she asked if they knew the Cox family. They did.

“I knocked on the door of the camper, and we’ve been going along ever since.”

The Northwest Louisiana Walk of Stars honored The Cox Family with one of its highest distinctions on Monday, recognizing the music group’s enduring influence on bluegrass, gospel, and country music and its deep ties to the region.


ASA, dignitaries chow down on crawfish at Camp Minden

Members of the Archery Shooters Association (ASA) set-up and operational crews, along with Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center warden, deputies and working inmates as well as other special guests were treated to crawfish during a dinner Friday night at Camp Minden.

According to Johnnye Kennon, Director of Community Affairs, crawfish were supplied by Louisiana Seafood Association and prepared by Seafood Empire of Minden.

Joseph Lee and Friends brought the music.

Thousands of archers and enthusiasts from across the country descended on Camp Minden Thursday through Saturday (April 23-25) as the annual ASA Easton/Hoyt Pro/Am held its fifth year of competition at the site. The group signed a 10-year contract to host the event at Camp Minden which brings in competitors and their families and makes a huge economic impact to the area.


Gun threat leads to Sarepta man’s arrest

By Pat Culverhouse

Pulling a gun and threatening his girlfriend has put a 27-year-old Sarepta man in the parish prison on domestic and assault charges.

Justin Kayne McKinney reportedly was arrested at his Caraway Lane residence Sunday by Webster Parish deputies responding to a call of an active domestic incident, according to Sheriff Jason Parker.

McKinney is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center where he is charged with domestic abuse battery with child endangerment and aggravated assault with a firearm. His bond reportedly has been set at $30,000.

WPSO Sgt. Hannah Baker reportedly arrived at the residence early Sunday morning in response to a call claiming McKinney had a gun and was threatening to kill his girlfriend and himself.

On arrival, the deputy reportedly heard McKinney and his girlfriend arguing inside. McKinney was successfully ordered out of the residence where he was arrested without incident.

During questioning, deputies were told McKinney had pointed a gun toward the girlfriend and threatened to kill her. During the confrontation, McKinney allegedly struck the woman in the temple with a closed fist.

Deputies learned the couple’s young child was inside the residence during the alleged confrontation.

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.


Weather summaries and forecast

By Jerry Strahan

The following is the weather summary for Springhill. 
April
20:  Low was 44F high was 75F
21:  Low was 46F high was 75F 
22: Low was 50F high was 78F     
23: Low was 63F high was 80F
24: Low was 64F high was 80F
25: Low was 64F high was 75F 
26:  Low was 64F high was 75F. 

The following is the weather summary for Minden 
April
20: Low was 47F high was 75F 
21: Low was 48F high was 75F 
22: Low was 50F high was 72F
23: Low was 62F high was 81F
24: Low was 63F high was 80F 
25: Low was 64F high was 80F 
26: Low was 66 F high was 75F 

Rainfall on the 23rd 24 100s of an inch for Springhill.

Rainfall for Minden was 70 100s of an inch.  All rainfall readingsare taken each morning at 7 a.m. CST for the previous 24 hours. 

On the 24th we had a severe thunderstorm warning for Webster Parish (see attached radar) with 111 lightning strikes per minute. Rainfall in Springhill was 07 100s of an inch.  Minden was 22 100s of an inch. This was associated with the severe thunderstorm. 

Extended forecast.  From Monday to Saturday, May 2. 
A chance of thunderstorms each day.  Highs will be in the upper 70s to low 80s from the thunderstorms and cloud cover.

On Saturday, May 2 a cold front is forecast to enter Webster Parish. Lows should be in the upper 40s to low 50s. Highs should be in the middle 60s to lower 70s. 

If I see any of the severe weather of any significance, I will let you readers know.

(Jerry Strahan was a first responder in fire and emergency services for almost 45 years. He lives in north Webster Parish and has written weather articles for other publications.)


Lady Apaches bound for Sulphur after 6-0 win

Photos by Erin Madden Ramsey

Glenbrook’s Savannah Mangrum hurled a three-hit gem Saturday, shutting out the defending state champions Holy Savior Menard 6-0 and sending the Lady Apaches to the LHSAA Division IV Select semifinals in Sulphur.

A six-run explosion in the third inning was all it took to put the number two seed Lady Apaches into a Friday matchup
with 14-seed St. Frederick at Frasch Park.

After Holy Savior’s starter walked the bases loaded in the third, Ellie Earnhardt drove in two runs with a single and Hallie Sutton followed with a run-scoring double. Chloe Gregg’s sacrifice fly pushed across one more and RBI singles by Kenzie Smith and

Anna Grace Vining capped the scoring.

Earnhardt and Smith each collected two hits for the Lady Apaches while Vining, Sutton and Gracie Heard added one hit apiece.

Kaylee Methvin took the loss for Holy Savior Menard’s Lady Eagles. She went six innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking three. Addy Wright went 2-for-3 at the plate for Holy Savior.

Glenbrook upped its record to 24-6 on the season with Saturday’s win. St. Frederick, which knocked off sixth-seeded Sacred Heart by a 10-8 score to advance, comes into the tournament with a 20-13 record.


Iota sweeps past Tide in playoffs

Last game at historic Griffith Stadium before renovations. Photos by Ginger Swanson.

Things didn’t end well for high school baseball at historic Griffith Stadium as the Minden Crimson Tide dropped a Saturday double header to the Iota Bulldogs, ending the Tide’s state playoff run.

Iota, the number nine seed in Division II Non-Select, swept the eight-seed Tide 8-1 and 8-4 to take the best-of-three series and send the Bulldogs into the next round.

Minden took the first game of the series on Friday by 5-4 when Landon Brewer walked the Tide off with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Brewer’s game winner came following singles by Barron Bower and Bray Winston.

Brewer also had a game-tying home run win the bottom of the third.

In Saturday’s first game, Iota got all the runs it would need on a two-RBI single off the bat of Reece Dommert. The Bulldogs went up 5-0 in the third before the Tide could get on the scoreboard.

Brewer continued his hot hitting in the playoffs with another two hits. Keegan Pope and Jaxon Smith had the only other hits for the Tide.

In Saturday’s clincher, Minden took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Hudson Brown, the first of his two hits on the day.

That lead lasted only one inning as Iota came storming back with seven runs in the top of the fifth to put the game away. The Tide managed two in the bottom the sixth and one the seventh, but the Bulldogs came away with the 8-4 win and a trip to the next round.

Brown and Keegan Pope had a pair of hits each. Dakota Street and Brewer, who was walked twice intentionally, had one hit apiece.

Minden closed its season at 23-13.


Lady Warriors fall 3-1

Photos courtesy of Lakeside Softball Facebook page.

Lakeside’s Lady Warriors fell short Thursday, losing to Grand Lake 3-1 in the state LHSAA playoff quarterfinals.

Ella Wood, Lakeside’s starting pitcher, surrendered only two hits but was the victim of three unearned runs in the loss.

Emily Jones led the Lady Warriors with two hits as Lakeside outhit Grand Lake four to two.


DAR welcomes State Regent

Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met in April at the Webster Parish Library. Our hostesses for this meeting were Margaret Evans, Libbey Watkins, and Linda Wood. They provided three tables filled with refreshments, and gave a large platter of cookies to the library staff.

Our special guest for this meeting was State Regent Katie Collins. Katie gave a presentation about her State Project. The project will begin with the preservation of the Don Juan Fihoil sword. Fihoil was the founder of Monroe, and was a soldier for General Galvez during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he was presented with a ceremonial sword. A grandson donated it to the Ouachita Parish Courthouse where it hung for over 140 years. The sword will be cleaned, and then it will be placed in the Chenault Aviation Museum. The museum is being restored, and it will include a new American Revolution Room where the sword will be displayed.

Katie is also helping restore the 1816 Clerk of Court’s Office, which is the oldest building in Ouachita Parish.  It is located on the southeast corner of the present courthouse square in Monroe, on land that was donated by Don Juan Fihoil. The site was originally part of Fort Miro, the first parish seat, which was renamed Monroe in 1819 after the arrival of the steamboat “James Monroe.” Katie is working with the Historical Preservation Board and the City of Monroe to write a grant for this $100,000 restoration project. After its completion, the DAR President General will be invited to attend the ribbon cutting.

After Katie’s presentation, our Chapter Regent Donna Sutton presented her with a beautiful hydrangea plant in a spring basket from Minden Floral, and a donation to help fund her project. Because Donna was the first chapter regent in the state to donate to the project, Katie presented her with a pin that is a replica of the Don Juan Fihoil sword. She will also provide our chapter with a native tree to plant for America 250.

Our Chapter Regent attended a district regents’ meeting at the Bossier Parish Library. For Library Appreciation Month, the district regents presented the library staff with refreshments and a Certificate of Appreciation.  She also represented our chapter at a Galvez Chapter Sons of the American Revolution wreath ceremony honoring Jethro Butler, a Revolutionary War patriot buried in Hebron Church Cemetery near Summerfield in Claiborne Parish. Jethro served as a Private, fifer, and spy in the South Carolina troops. He fought in numerous battles from 1775 – 1781 and was taken prisoner during an expedition to Florida. He was then commissioned to Captain in the South Carolina Militia. After the war, he migrated to Louisiana via Georgia and Mississippi. Many of his descendants still live in the area.

DAR is a volunteer organization dedicated to education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Any woman age 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) is eligible to join DAR. For more information, contact us at dorcheatbistineau@yahoo.com


Somewhere between streetlights and screen time

There are days I catch myself sounding exactly like my mom and I have to laugh, because if you’d asked 8-year-old me in the 90s, I would’ve sworn that would NEVER happen.

My mom raised me in a time when parenting felt… simpler. Not easier, just simpler. In the 90s, she didn’t have Google to second-guess her every decision. There were no Facebook mom groups, no TikTok trends telling her what she was doing wrong, no 24/7 access to every worst-case scenario imaginable. She had instinct, a landline and maybe a pediatrician she trusted.

And somehow, my sisters and I survived.

I grew up riding bikes with my cousins until the streetlights came on, drinking out of the water hose like it was a five-star beverage, and knocking on friends’ doors without texting first (because… we couldn’t). My mom didn’t track my every move. She trusted the world a little more… and maybe trusted me a little more, too.

Now here I am, raising girls in 2026, and whew… it’s a whole different ball game!

My kids don’t just grow up in a neighborhood… They grow up online. Their world is bigger, louder, faster and way more complicated than mine ever was. There are apps I have to monitor, conversations I have to explain earlier than I ever expected, and pressures they face that didn’t even exist when I was their age.

Back then, comparison was limited to who had the coolest Lisa Frank folder. Now? It’s constant, curated, filtered and it’s everywhere.

And if I’m being honest, sometimes it’s exhausting trying to keep up with it all while still holding onto the kind of childhood I want them to have. Because deep down, I want them to have a little 90s magic.

I want scraped knees and imagination. I want boredom that turns into creativity. I want laughter that isn’t for a camera and memories that don’t need a caption. But I also know I can’t raise them exactly the way I was raised because sadly the world isn’t the same.

So I find myself walking this tightrope between two generations.

Part of me is my mom… telling them to go outside, figure it out, be kids. And part of me is very much a 2026 mom… checking locations, setting screen limits and having conversations my mom didn’t have to think about until much later.

And here’s what I’ve realized…

My mom wasn’t a great mom because of the decade she raised me in.

She was a great mom because she loved me, trusted herself and showed up every single day.

That part hasn’t changed.

The tools look different. The challenges are louder. The expectations feel heavier, but at the core of it, motherhood is still motherhood.

It’s still late nights and early mornings. It’s still worrying if you’re doing enough (or doing too much). It’s still hoping that one day your kids look back and say, “She did her best… and it was exactly what I needed.”

So maybe I’m not raising my girls in the 90s, but if I can give them even a piece of what my mom gave me… freedom, love and a safe place to land, then I think I’m doing alright.

And if I catch myself sounding like her along the way? Honestly… I’ll take that as a win.

(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)


UCAP needs week of April 27

United Christian Assistance Program has the following needs:

Food: Canned meats, pasta, pasta sauce, cornbread mix, biscuit mix

Household Goods: towels, pots & pans, twin & queen sheets

Clothing: men’s shoes and boots

Thanks to all for supporting UCAP!!

UCAP is open from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 204 Miller Street, Minden, for food, utility and rent assistance. Clothing is dispersed on Wednesdays only.


U.S. DOJ indicts Southern Poverty Law Center for fraud and corruption

I was surprised to learn of the indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).  SPLC self describes as one of the most prominent civil rights organizations in the country.

The DOJ announced an 11-count indictment against SPLC for secretly funneling millions of dollars in donations to several of the very same extremist hate groups against which SPLC vehemently rails every day.

The charges include bank and wire fraud and charging the group in connection with a program that used “paid informants” to monitor extremist groups.  There is also one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering alleging SPLC was actually funding these groups.  In pertinent part, the indictment against the SPLC alleges that the “civil rights organization that made its name fighting the Ku Klux Klan defrauded donors by secretly funneling money to extremist groups.” (Wall Street Journal).

Let me offer some context. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is one of the most vicious and vitriolic of all the so-called civil rights organizations and was apparently paying racist entities to engage in the very racism it would then heatedly denounce. 

Wow. Talk about dishonesty and deception. 

Based upon numerous reports, SPLC gave at least $3 million dollars to the racist groups they claim to fight.  It appears that as many as eight (8) hate group leaders, including the KKK Imperial Wizard, the Aryan Nation, and a Neo Nazi, received millions of dollars between 2014 and 2023.  (WSJ, April 21, 2026).  

 Unbelievable. 

The racism and bigotry you claim to fight apparently cannot be easily located so you mislead your donors and pay those very same organizations to “do racist things.”  

One of the most prominent examples of this dishonesty was the Unite The Right rally in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, where one person was tragically killed.  Please recall that it was this rally that not only gave rise to the completely false smear of President Trump who was accused of saying there were “fine people on both sides” of the rally but was also, supposedly, the catalyst that persuaded Joe Biden to run for president. 

Biden lied when he accused Trump of equating Nazis with peaceful protesters at Charlottesville.  Anyone who watched the video knows that what Trump actually said was that there were ‘fine people on both sides’ of the debate over whether the truth of American history should be covered up by destroying statutes of civil war generals and politicians, including Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

The indictment also states that the field operative at the Charlottesville rally made racist postings “under the supervision of the SPLC” for the event.  To hide all of this, SPLC “opened bank accounts connected to a series of fictitious entities.”

But again, it was SPLC that was funding the Unite The Right rally!  The protest was apparently great for fundraising and was parlayed into sizable donations from individuals such as George Clooney and companies like Apple Inc, and others. 

The indictment further specifies that “the nonprofit committed financial crimes by telling donors their money was being put toward dismantling hate groups when instead it sometimes furthered their interests.”  

Wouldn’t you imagine that SPLC donors, who presumably contributed their money to the organization because they wanted to fight racism, would be infuriated to learn that their donations were actually being used to promote it?

Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, summarized this fraud succinctly:

The SPLC was “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred.”  FBI Director, Kash Patel, added that “the Southern Poverty Law Center themselves advertise to raise money to dismantle violent extremist groups … however, the SPLC used the money they raised from their donor network to actually pay the leadership of these very groups.”

As the Wall Street Journal also observes, “the donations to hate groups are all the more suspect because in recent years the SPLC has, itself, spread hate. The outfit has diversified its definition of ‘extremist’ groups to include mainstream and nonthreatening conservative groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council and Do No Harm, which works against race preferences in medicine.” (WSJ).

In time we will know if this was illegal, but the corrupt plot has been exposed for all to see and for history to record.

(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. He can be reached at RoyalAlexanderlawfirm@gmail.com .)

Continue your article here…


Upcoming Events

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

May 2

9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Lakeview Methodist Church, annual, “Come Grow With Us,” plant/art sale benefiting Lakeview Preschool at Turner’s Pond.

W.H.O. Golf Fiesta 2026, Springhill Golf Course. Register here: whoofnorthwebster.org/golf .

May 7

7:30 a.m., City-Wide National Day of Prayer, Jacqueline Park, 396 Main Street, Minden. Also time capsule burial ceremony as part of the City of Minden’s 190th anniversary celebration.

6:30 p.m. National Day of Prayer Gathering, Pine Grove Methodist Church.

May 30

3:30 p.m. doors open; 4:30 p.m. games start, LaMa Animal Rescue Game Night, Springhill Civic Center, $20 for games, BINGO, purse raffle, dessert auction, concessions Split the Pot and door prizes.

June 20

8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Men’s Wellness Fair, presented by Healing from the Heart LLC. Minden Recreation Center.

June 21

8 a.m. until a p.m., service at 10:45 a.m., Men’s Wellness Fair weekend continues, New Light Baptist Church, Minden. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at eventbrite or at the door.

June 22 – 26

9 a.m. until noon, Earth Camp 2026 at The Farm of Cultural Crossroads, Minden, ages 6 through 9.

1 p.m. until 3 p.m., ages 10 through 16.


Arrest Reports

Steven Michael Humphreys, 37, 500 block Deamon Rd., Sarepta: arrested April 24 bye WPSO on warrant, introduction of contraband into a penal facility. Bond set $2,000.

Rickie D. Glover, 42, 100 block Trailer Park Dr., Sibley: arrested April 23 by WPSO for no license plate light, driving under suspension, on warrants for driving under suspension, as fugitive from Minden PD. Bond set $501.

Cameron Cortez Mitchell, 19, 700 block Buck St., Minden: arrested April 23 by Louisiana State Police for expired license plate, expired inspection sticker, fugitive warrant from Webster Parish SO, simple possession of CDS Sch. I (marijuana).

Victor Batton, 33, 800 block Harris St., Minden: arrested April 24 by Minden PD or multiple bench warrants. No bond set.

Brock Aron Gamble, 35, 8800 block McCain Rd., Shreveport: arrested April 24 by Louisiana State Police for DWI second offense, careless operation, expired drivers license. No bond set.

Brenda Lynn Sanborn, 67, 100 block Mitch Trail, Doyline: arrested April 25 by WPSO on warrant for failure to appear on criminal trespassing. Bond set $1,500.

Clayton R. Bridges, 30, 800 block Red Hill, Haynesville: arrested April 26 by Minden PD for tail light malfunction, expired inspection sticker, possession of CDS Sch. I (marijuana), possession of CDS Sch. II (methamphetamines), possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond set $2,504.

Theron Q. Vining, 48, 8100 block Hwy. Alt. 2, Homer: arrested April 24 by Louisiana State Police on fugitive warrant from Claiborne Parish SO. No bond set.

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.