The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Court Monday, July 14:

AINSWORTH, KIMBERLY

99753 CT 1 Simple Battery

99753 CT 2 Simple Assault

99753 CT 3 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000

99753 CT 4 Resisting An Officer

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ

94784 CT 1 Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance, to wit: Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids

94784 CT 2 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or Controlled Dangerous Substance

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ

94236 Illegal Possession Of Stolen Firearms

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ

94980 CT 1 Second Degree Murder

94980 CT 2 First Degree Feticide

$1797.33 restitution, $270.00 Fee = $2,067.33

BAILEY, BARRON SEMAJ

94980 CT 1 Second Degree Murder

94980 CT 2 First Degree Feticide

Total Bond: $800,000. pro se Motion to Reduce Bond

$1797.33 restitution, $270.00 Fee = $2,067.33

BATTON, JAQUAVA MALIK

99289 CT 1 Aggravated Assault Upon a Peace Officer

99289 CT 2 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

BERAUD, KALEB PAUL

98423 Theft Of A Firearm – 1St Offense

BERAUD, KALEB PAUL

97813 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

BLAKENSHIP, JEROME

INCOMING Domestic Abuse Battery – Strangulation – 1st Offense

INCOMING Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000

BRACEY, JR., JOSEPH JEROME

99367 Public Bribery

Restitution: $1,500 plus $225 fee = $1,725 total

BRIDGES, DECOREY

99686 Resisting An Officer

BURNS, AZENDE JEREZZ

99435 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

BUSSEY, BENJAMIN

99429 Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

CAIN, SHAMEKA L

98675 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

Restitution per the report owed to the victim $1,738.05, plus $260.71 fee = $1,998.76 total

CAIN, SHAMEKA L

98675 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

Restitution per the report owed to the victim $1,738.05, plus $260.71 fee = $1,998.76 total

CAIN, SHAMEKA L

99688 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

CLARKSON, ISSAC DESHAWON

99259 Illegal Use/Possession/Control of Weapons – Crime of Violence or

Controlled Dangerous Substance

COLLINS, JAMES DAVID

99659 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

COX, KURTIS LAMONT

99329 Obstruction Of Justice

CUNNINGHAM, TIFFANY

99722 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

DAVIS, LAWEZLEON M.

99577 CT 1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Two Grams or More But Less Than Twenty-Eight Grams)

99577 CT 2 Simple Burglary

99577 CT 3 Felony Illegal Possession Stolen Things ($5,000 – $25,000)

99577 CT 4 Felony Illegal Possession of Stolen Things ($1,000 – $5,000)

99577 CT 5 Felony Illegal Possession Stolen Things ($5,000 – $25,000)

Restitution per impact statement- $969 plus $145.35 fee = $1,114.35 total

DEVEREAUX, EBONE

INCOMING Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

INCOMING Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000

INCOMING Entry On Or Remaining In Places Or On Land After Being Forbidden

DRAKE, ROYTAVIOUS KESHUN

99760 Simple Burglary

FERGUSON JR, REGINALD D

INCOMING Illegal Use Of Weapons Or Dangerous Instrumentalities

FOSTER, RANCE D.

99051 Simple Assault

99051 Simple Assault

GANTT, CHRISTOPHER

99704 Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment

GREEN, LYNTAVIOUS

99764 CT 1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99764 CT 2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99764 CT 3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99764 CT 4

GRIGSBY, CAMEDRICK SAMAJ

99352A Resisting An Officer

GRIGSBY, CAMEDRICK SAMAJ

99767 CT 1 Distribution of a Schedule I CDS

99767 CT 2 Attempted Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

GUTIERREZ -AGUILAR, LUIS MIGUEL

98970 CT 1 Simple Burglary

98970 CT 2 Illegal Use Of Weapons Or Dangerous Instrumentalities

Restitution owed to the victim per the report- $14,314.12, plus $2,147.11 fee = $16,461.23 total

HAMILTON, AMANDA

99715A Possession of a Schedule III CDS

HARRIS, RODERICK TYRONE

99755Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender/Child Predator

HAY, CAMERON TYLER

98680 CT 1 Possession of Schedule II CDS

98680 CT 2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

*Graduated Drug Court June 16, 2025 A Drug Court Review Hearing WPSD

HAYNES, COTY HALL

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

*ARR 8/18 A Bond Return SPRING

HOSS, JAMES WADE

99392 Cruelty To The Infirmed

HOSS, JAMES WADE

99392 Cruelty To The Infirmed

HUBER, SHONETTE LADELLE

INCOMING Possession of a Schedule IV CDS

INCOMING Sale/Distribution/Possession of Legend Drug Without Prescription

HUNTER, ASHLEY RENEE

99664 Simple Escape

JONES, BRUCE BERNARD

99073 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

JONES, DEVON

99554 Terrorizing

JONES, DEVON

98093 Simple Arson

Restitution owed to the victim for damages- $1,000, plus $150, = $1,150 total

JONES, QUINCY JAHEIM

99771 CT 1 Aggravated Assault

99771 CT 2 Aggravated Assault

LISTER, LAPATRICK

99668 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

MARQUEZ-CISNEROS, RONY

99756 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS (Two and One Half Pounds or More)

MARTIN, EDUARDO LEVAN

99772 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

MAYFIELD, JR., KEVIN DALE

99352 CT 1 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

99352 CT 2 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

MAYFIELD, JR., KEVIN DALE

98560 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

MAYFIELD, JR., KEVIN DALE

98560 Aggravated Assault With a Firearm

MCDONALD, CHRISTOPHER J.

99353 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

MILES, KENECIYA TASIA

99366 Contributing To The Delinquency Of Juveniles

MILLER, RUSSELL GLEN

97582 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

MILLER, RUSSELL GLEN

97582 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

MITCHELL, DESTANY KEYONA

99164 Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000

Restitution owed to the victim- $2,712.94 plus $406.94 fee = $3,119.88 total

MORRIS, TATYANA

INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS

INCOMING Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids

INCOMING Illegal Use, Consumption, Possession, Or Distribution Of Cds In Presence Of Persons Under 17

INCOMING Sale/Distribution/Possession of Legend Drug Without Prescription

INCOMING Contributing To The Delinquency Of Juveniles

INCOMING Improper Child Restraint

INCOMING Possession Of Alcoholic Beverages In Motor Vehicles

NEAL, SHAYNA

99758 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

OVERSTREET, THOMAS CONLEY

99714 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

99714A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

PARKER, CHRISTOPHER

99765 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

PEARSON, RONALD RAY

99428A Simple Burglary

Total Bond: $20,000

PEARSON, RONALD RAY

99428A Simple Burglary

PIHERA, SCOTT JOSEPH

INCOMING Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender 2nd Offense

ROBINETTE, SHANE MICHAEL

96574 CT.1 Cruelty To Juveniles

96574 CT.2 Cruelty To Juveniles

SANDERS, VANDEE MEAIRE

99775 Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender/Child Predator

SHAW, SIMUEL MALIK

99686 Resisting An Officer

SIMS, MARLICIA W.

99538 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

SMITH, BRENDA V

97717 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

SNELL, JACOLBY TYRONE

99557 Attempted First Degree Murder

STEPHENS, JARYON

98880 CT 1 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

98880 CT 2 Attempted Second Degree Murder

TAYLOR, MICHAEL WAYNE

99710 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

TAYLOR, MICHAEL WAYNE

98870 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

WALDROP, OLIVIA

99748A-CT.1 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

99748A-CT.2 Introducing Contraband Into Or Upon The Grounds Of Any State Correctional Institution

WARREN, DEONTE DEROKO

99777-CT.1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99777-CT.2 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99777-CT.3 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

99777-CT.4 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS

WHITE, DEJUAN S.

99685 Resisting An Officer With Force Or Violence

WILLIAMS, HEATH LOGAN

99129 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

WRIGHT, JAVAR

99779-CT.1 Possession of CDS I Marijuana (More Than Fourteen Grams)

99779-CT.2 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

99779-CT.3 Improper Lane Usage

99779-CT.4Operating A Vehicle with an Expired License Plate

99779-CT.5 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

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As of end of qualifying Thursday, July 11, only one person had registered to run for one office listed above in the qualifying period for the October 11, 2025, Open Primary/Orleans Municipal Parochial Primary election in Louisiana.

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Friday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph.

Saturday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.

Saturday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

Sunday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 95.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

Monday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

* Info provided by National Weather Service.

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

Mondays through Saturdays

10 a.m. until 7 p.m. City of Minden Splash Parks are open.

July 12

10 a.m., Miss Webster Parish Pageant at Minden Community house. Open to girls ages 0-15 years.Entry fee is $60. All proceeds will be donated to SOS MINISTRIES. Contact Renee Thomas @ 318-780-4879.

7 p.m., Piney Woods Jamboree, CAC building in Springhill. Gospel night with Alicia Mann, Jimmy Pennington, Shane Ware, Karen Barnes, There Bamburg, Jeff Spring.

July 14-17

7:30 p.m. nightly, annual revival, Mount Pilgrim Church Family, Pastor Billy J. Hawkins. Rev. L.A. Thomas, pastor of Bright Star, Minden and Macedonia Baptist Church, Benton will be the evangelist. Everyone is invited.

July 19

5 p.m. (Doors) 6 p.m. (Start) Splish Splash Game Night, LaMa Animal Rescue fundraiser, Springhill Civic Center, costume contest, games, concessions, door prizes, BINGO.

August 7

10 a.m. Minden Planning Commission meeting, Pelican Room, Minden City Hall. On the agenda is a request from Jim Huffman with Huffman Manor for a zoning variance on property owned by him located at 1114 Broadway Street. The property is zoned R-1 (Residential). The purpose of this zoning variance request is to use the property as an event venue. All interested parties will be given a chance to be heard. 

August 16

6 p.m. Murder Mystery, “Betrayal At The Block Party,” The Oak Cottage, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Preregistration required. To register, text Michelle at 318-272-6093.

August 23

5 p.m. Doors open at Springhill Civic Center for W.H.O. Matters, celebrating 10 years of Women Helping Others.  Ladies-only event featuring BINGO, raffles dinner, door prizes, shopping and a silent auction, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets: Kylee Ayers at 318-268-0027,

Info: Amber Cobb at 318-423-3710 or Kalee Adams at 318-578-1574,

Vendors: Elizabeth Simmons at 318-517-5207, Donations: Pam Jenkins at 310-453-3740.

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Play Sudoku online!

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The following civil suits were filed with the Webster Parish Clerk of Court the week of July 4 through 10. Civil Suits are public record.

July 4

Loan Asset Issuer, serviced by Upgrade Inc. vs. Rachel Cole, monies due.

July 7

Ivan Smith Furniture Natchitoches LLC VS. Suzanne Galier, monies due.

Gulfco of Louisiana dba Tower Loan of Springhill vs. Jennifer M. Fielding, monies due.

July 8

Citibank vs. Mary Denmon, monies due.

July 9

Nancy Charlene Gorum Meeker, succession under $125K.

Thomas Oakes Fortified Building Solutions LLC vs. Glenda Olivier, monies due.

Bonvenu Bank/Citizens National Bank vs. Willie Aubrey, monies due.

Lula Johnson vs. Minden Truck Stop Casino, damages.

July 10

Andrew Brown vs. Alpine Rehabilitation Center, medical malpractice.

Johnny Kennon vs. Schuyler Marvin, name change.

Karla Moss vs. Adam Moss, protective order.

Carolyn Tullos Sled, succession over $125K.

Ozie Webb Williams Coleman, succession over $125K.

Lindy Sue Jenkins, succession over $125K.

Virginia Jones Haynes Benson, succession over $125K.

Bobby Dean Igo, Sr., succession over $125K.

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Mytosha Sheree Richardson

August 28, 1979  –  July 8, 2025

Springhill, La.

Memorial service: 2 p.m. Friday, July 11, 2025, Bailey Funeral Home Chapel, Springhill.

LaQuita Anne Miller

May 9, 1946  –  June 20, 2025

Springhill/Plain Dealing, La.

Memorial service: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 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.)

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By Bonnie Culverhouse

Minden drivers will be traveling on a smoother road in the future, thanks to efforts by Minden City Council’s lobbyist Caroline Mladenka and Webster Parish’s state Representative Wayne McMahen who brought good news to the council Monday night.

Along with Senator Adam Bass, Mladenka and McMahen worked hard during the past legislative session to procure state funding to “redo” Homer Road from the intersection at the Webster Parish Library to the Claiborne Parish line.

“We secured almost $8.9 million in Priority One funding for infrastructure,” Mladenka told the council. “We accomplished our number one goal for Minden, which was Homer Road improvements.”

Mladenka said the funding is through a competitive Capital Outlay bill and was the result of strategic planning, relationships, bills and a lot of hard work.

“The end result was over and beyond what we expected,” she said. “Minden area is recipient of a $8.1 million DOTD (Department of Transportation and Development) infrastructure project. It’s only one of 37 projects in the whole state to get this.”

McMahen agreed that Homer Road is a “big deal.”

“Everybody drives over that,” he said. “I can see why that is the number one priority to most people.”

“Homer Road is a big win for the City of Minden and all those who do business in the city,” said Mayor Nick Cox.

Mladenka said discussions for the project began at the beginning of the year, and it is scheduled to be let (for bids) the fourth quarter of 2025-2026.

During the previous session, a bill was passed to restructure DOTD and place it under new leadership.

“Hopefully with this new change, we will see more things locally happening,” said District D councilman Michael Roy.

(Editor’s Note: Story Friday will address projects for the rest of the $8.9 million.)

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By Marilyn Miller

Slowing speeders is the objective of a new ordinance that was adopted by the Village of Dixie Inn Board of Aldermen at their regular meeting on July 8, 2025.

Ordinance 135 will be available for public inspection in Mayor Donna Hoffoss’s office from July 8 until Aug. 12, 2025. It will be considered for final adoption following a public hearing prior to the August regular meeting.

Mayor Hoffoss described the purpose of the ordinance as “implementing the Safety Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) and defining infractions as Civil violations.”

Dixie Inn Police Chief Jeffrey W. McNeill addressed the board, thanking them “for giving the guys the most up-to-date equipment available.” He first explained how training in the use of tasers can now be completed without the use of live rounds, which saves the department money.

In other police business, the board declared the department’s old tasers as surplus and then voted unanimously to donate them to the Heflin Police Department. “They have nothing,” Chief McNeill said.

The board accepted the resignation of officer Richard Caillier, who has taken a full-time position with another agency. In other business, the board approved the hiring of an additional full-time police officer.

Chief McNeill presented the monthly report, which saw 59 traffic stops, 15 citations, one arrest, six lemis reports, 11 non-lemis reports, 138 building checks, 15 back-ups, 46 public assists, 32 calls for service, and one accident.

The grand re-opening of the eastside Village Park will take place Aug. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. The park has seen many improvements during the past two years, including the construction of new restroom facilities. The public is invited.

In other business:

• Alderman Judy McKenzie reported that she has acquired fiber optics via provider Conexon Communications. “We are thrilled to get it (fiber optics)…we are lucky to get it,” she said;
• Alderman Lance Milligan noted that a workshop will be called in the near future to revamp the Village’s codes and regulations;
• The board approved the purchase of an upgraded camera for the eastside park, which will record 180 degrees and will focus further towards Hwy. 80.

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Springhill Medical Center Doctors Clinic proudly welcomes April Scott, FNP-C, who is now accepting new patients. Please call 318-539-1701 for an appointment.

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By Jessica Gorman

Judge John D. Watkins was born 27 September 1828 in Caldwell County, Kentucky. Upon his graduation from Cumberland College, he made his way to Minden where it is said that he served as the first President of the Minden Male Academy located where Academy Park is today. This is one of those times when I pause and I realize that I need to take a closer look. There is conflicting information concerning exactly what year he graduated. I’ve seen both 1848 and 1851. The 1850 census says that Judge Watkins was still in school in Kentucky on June 1^st, the official census day. That’s the same year the Minden Male Academy is said to have been founded. So, did he actually graduate in 1850 and then head immediately to Minden for the start of the school year that fall? I’m not sure. More primary sources are needed to sort that out.

Over the course of his life, Judge Watkins served in a number of roles: lawyer, district attorney, judge advocate, lieutenant colonel, district judge, state representative, nominee for Congress, Louisiana Constitutional Convention delegate, state senator, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and elector. Upon his death, the Bossier Banner-Progress described him as “one of the best-known lawyers of the state…a profound student, a learned and able lawyer, a man of pure character.”

There’s also a piece of northwest Louisiana history that is attributed to Judge Watkins. If you visited the Minden Cemetery and walked past his grave, you’d probably never guess that he was of any historical significance, that he was responsible for construction of “Old Louisiana’s most unique road.” The Shed Road – literally a road covered by a shed. It still bears that name today. Built in the 1870s to improve travel across the swampy land between Red Chute and Shreveport, primarily for the purpose of trade. This was particularly important when water levels on Bayou Dorcheat weren’t high enough for the steamboats.

Not everyone seemed to think that it was such a brilliant idea. Scientific American stated that “as is the usual fate of new ideas, it aroused no little popular ridicule. Judge Watkins was not a man to be laughed down.” He certainly wasn’t. He built the road, and in March of 1880 “while the uncovered roads were axle deep in many places with stiff mud, the shed road was firm and dry.” The road was a success, and a profitable one. Judge Watkins invested tens of thousands of dollars in building the road. So, it would only be logical that it was operated as a toll road.

The coming of the railroad in the 1880s decreased the need for the road, just as it did the steamboats on Dorcheat. Over time, the shed was removed.

Judge John D. Watkins was married to Mahala Flora Morrow. They had at least five children. Percy, Flora, and Ernest died in childhood. Only two lived to adulthood, Lynn Kyle Watkins, an attorney, and U.S. Congressman John T. Watkins. All are buried in the Minden Cemetery.

The attached photo shows the current appearance of Judge Watkins grave, similar to so many others.  I thought I would make it by the cemetery to clean it before publication of this article, but circumstances did not allow.

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

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Ready to take your snacking skills to the next level? Join us for MyPlate Meets Charcuterie 101, where flavor meets balance on the most beautiful board you’ve ever built!

In this fun and interactive class, you’ll learn how to craft a charcuterie board that’s not only Instagram-worthy but also MyPlate-approved. Whether you’re prepping for your next gathering or just want to snack smarter, this class has you covered.

• Location: The Webster Extension Office , 1202 Homer Road in Minden, LA.
• Cost: Just $15 per person
• Register at: 318-371-1371 OR
• Email: sswilliams@agcenter.lsu.edu
• Limited spots available. Register and pay early to reserve your place!
• Bring your appetite, creativity, and a friend because balanced snacking has never looked (or tasted) this good.

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Springhill Medical Center is hiring registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in several departments. The hospital offers excellent benefits and competitive pay. Apply at www.smccare.com .

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By Shannon Wright

Every 4th of July weekend, the waters of Lake Bistineau are stirred by waves of red, white, and blue. This year was no exception as the annual Independence Day Boat Parade made its patriotic return.

The tradition, which began many years ago thanks to the late Carol and Ron Hudson, then owners of the beloved local spot Our Place Bar & Grill, has become a cherished summer event for the Lake Bistineau community. Now, the current owner Debra Davidson carries the torch, proudly continuing the Hudson’s legacy.

In memory and honor of Carol and Ron, Davidson hosted this year’s boat parade and celebration, which included an afterparty with live music by the ever-popular Louisiana Pothole Band.

Participants went all out, decorating their boats, party barges, and houseboats in dazzling patriotic themes. Those who registered were entered to win cash prizes for best decorations. The boats were judged by a panel floating in their very own “judges’ boat.”

While past judges were often “local celebrities,” Davidson chose to keep things close to home this year with a panel made up of Lake Bistineau residents. Leon Kellogg captained the judges’ boat, which included Paula Pendleton, Randall Atkins, Chris Bullock, and Rachael Hammonds.

In keeping with tradition, the parade was led by the locally well-known Piece of Ship houseboat. It began in the Gregg Lake area and traveled along the shoreline, passing Rodger’s Marina (where watch parties are known to gather) and making its way around Catfish Pond to Our Place. Spectators dotted the route, sitting on docks or floating in the water, soaking in the festive energy.

Jennifer Breedlove captured the spirit of the event perfectly, saying, “What I love most of all about the parade is just seeing all the people, young and old(ish), just hanging out in boats, in the water, and on boat docks showing their patriotism and just having fun – there’s just something nostalgic about it.”

Winners of this year’s competition were:

First Place: Red, White & Brew

Second Place: Ms Amy Lou

Third Place: 5 Chicks & a Stick

While many come for the parade, Our Place remains the heart of the celebration. Locals describe it as more than a bar, they say it’s a gathering place for good food, cold drinks, great music, and even better company.

On weekends like this one, it becomes the ultimate lakeside party.

If you missed out this year or want to be part of the fun next time, start planning now – this cherished tradition will likely continue.

For photos from the event and updates on future events or festivities, follow Our Place Bar & Grill on Facebook.

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What do you do with your feelings, with the mix of terror and grief that comes with dozens of sudden deaths in a natural disaster?

The floods just south and west of us this weekend? I can’t even figure it out practically, much less philosophically: how do we fully or even partially make peace with this very real part of human existence, with natural disasters, with innocent but fatal accidents, with everything from disease to car bombings? (Am reading the new Targeted: Beirut by Jack Carr and James M. Scott now, about the 1983 Marine barracks bombing and the beginning of terrorism. Along those evil lines, things aren’t getting much better, are they?)

Having never lived on land like the Texas Hill Country in South and Central Texas, I can’t understand how water can rise as high as quickly as it did in and around Kerr County this week to cause the death of more than 100.

Maybe you’re like me. Hard even to imagine.

I understand the power of water, the majesty of the stuff. I can see the Mississippi or the Red; when it’s angry, watch it move. Or even when it’s not angry.

I recommend three books, all tragic but true, all about the indifference and power of water:

The Johnstown Flood, the Incredible Story Behind One of the Most Devastating Disasters America Has Ever Known, by David McCullough, a dam-breaking tragedy in Pennsylvania at the end of the 19^th century;

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, by John M. Barry; and a favorite I’ve read twice,

Isaac’s Storm, A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, by Erik Larson, about the Galveston tragedy at the beginning of the 20^th century.

From the titles, you know that none of these ends well. Nature’s power wins again.

But the flooding of the Guadalupe River and this weekend’s flash flood is a story of power AND speed, knowledge the locals lived with but, I’m not sure campers and vacationers did. I can’t imagine the terror of water moving and rising that fast, especially when you’re on unknown ground.

Because of geology and topography and the weather, Texas Hill Country has long been called Flash Flood Alley. I get it. And still, the July 4 event took by surprise many who live there, and many who didn’t, but who will now never go home. At least 27 of those who did not survive the swift and violent waters were campers at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls since 1926.

How can a human heart who knew any of those campers ever beat quite the same?

Then, consider this layer of grief: Nothing about the true Texas Hill Country is big-city. These are small towns. Kerrville. Ingram. Cow Creek and Comfort and Marble Falls.

Think Ruston and Haughton and Mansfield and Choudrant. Everybody knows everybody.

Any heart beating in South Central Texas knows someone who this weekend was lost in the flood. Some of them spoke to friends Friday, but then the weekend and …

This must be a kind of Grade A “trial by fire” that Peter and Paul wrote of in the New Testament, or Zechariah before them, when he declared we would be “refined” as silver and “tested” as gold, by a metaphorical fire.

This trial by fire was a trial by water, one that asks us to help with prayers or, if nothing else, with money or muscle or presence.

Topography and geology and climate and flash floods we can all, with education, come to understand. But living with hope despite a steady barrage of tragedy is a bit beyond the capability of the human heart. To soldier own successfully requires the power of the divine.

It’s been 10 years or so since Kyle Porter, then a golf writer for CBS Sports and now a part of NormalSport.com, wrote of his part in a story similar to this weekend’s. He and his wife were the young parents of three. Two of those children are living. The third, the baby sister of a son and a daughter, was stillborn.

He wrote these words on the intersection of day-to-day life invaded by the exhausting, gripping pain that he experienced then, that many in Texas are experiencing now, that many of us have — or will — experience.

For a lot of us (myself included), Christianity has come easy. There has been no suffering. There has been no pain. There have been few questions. There has been no reason to not trust God and to not call ourselves Christians.

And now there is.

Now we have known unimaginable depths. The sorrow that flowed that week is an unspeakable thing. And we can truthfully say that the Lord is good in both, if not greater in the sorrow. That was what we tried to point to all week.

That we do not hope in our children. That we do not hope in each other. That we do not hope in our friends or our families or in anything outside the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. That is all. In Christ alone. This was a wild reminder of that. One we didn’t want, but always need.

My friend Nathan said that until that week, loving the Lord amid sorrow this deep was only a theory for many of us. Putting a baby in the ground makes it real. And not just for us. Our friends mourned deeply with us, which was as rich a reminder as I’ve ever had of God’s purpose in having a deep community of friends.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Continue your article here…

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In collaboration with Webster Parish Libraries, The Farm of Cultural Crossroads, 419 East Union, Minden has a Free Little Library.

While the library is stocked bi-weekly, they are always accepting donations.

High schoolers looking for volunteer hours can do a book drive or a food pantry drive to stock Free Little initiatives.

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In support of Operation Dry Water and in partnership with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Louisiana State Police (LSP), the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division arrested 19 boaters statewide – including one in Webster Parish – for alleged driving or operating a vessel while intoxicated (DWI) from July 4 to July 6 as part of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrator’s Operation Dry Water campaign.

“We are proud of the hard work our agents put forth during Operation Dry Water weekend. Our Enforcement Division will continue to focus on the safety of our boaters by removing impaired drivers from the water,” said LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth. “We are also thankful for USCG and LSP for their continued support for boating safety in Louisiana.”

One local man was arrested on July 5.

Peyton Wafer, 22, of Dubberly, on Lake Bistineau in Webster Parish.

Anyone cited for a DWI on the water or on the road will lose his or her driver’s license and boating privileges for the specified time ordered by the judge in the case. Also, each offense of operating a vehicle or vessel while intoxicated counts toward the total number of DWI crimes whether they happened on the water or road.

In Louisiana a DWI can be issued to anyone operating a moving vessel or vehicle while impaired. First offense DWI carries a $300 to $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

Hit and run without fatalities or serious injuries carries up to a $500 fine and 10 days to six months in jail. Reckless operation of a vessel brings up to a $200 fine and 90 days in jail.

Operation Dry Water was started in 2009 by NASBLA and LDWF has been a participant every year since its inception. More information is available at www.operationdrywater.org.

This information has been provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 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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Vacation Bible Schools all over the parish are happening. If your church is hosting one of these events this summer, please email your information to wpjnewsla@gmail.com and we will publish it in a special calendar. Thank you!

Here are all the ones happening of which we are aware:

July 13-18

6 until 8 p.m. Calvary Baptist Church, Minden.

July 14-18

5 until 8 p.m. True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World, First Methodist Church, Minden, 903 Broadway, Minden. Supper provided. Free to all. Call 318-377-1483 to register.

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Thursday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 94. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 73.

Saturday

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94.

* Info provided by National Weather Service.

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

Mondays through Saturdays

10 a.m. until 7 p.m. City of Minden Splash Parks are open.

July 12

10 a.m., Miss Webster Parish Pageant at Minden Community house. Open to girls ages 0-15 years.Entry fee is $60. All proceeds will be donated to SOS MINISTRIES. Contact Renee Thomas @ 318-780-4879.

7 p.m., Piney Woods Jamboree, CAC building in Springhill. Gospel night with Alicia Mann, Jimmy Pennington, Shane Ware, Karen Barnes, There Bamburg, Jeff Spring.

July 14-17

7:30 p.m. nightly, annual revival, Mount Pilgrim Church Family, Pastor Billy J. Hawkins. Rev. L.A. Thomas, pastor of Bright Star, Minden and Macedonia Baptist Church, Benton will be the evangelist. Everyone is invited.

July 19

5 p.m. (Doors) 6 p.m. (Start) Splish Splash Game Night, LaMa Animal Rescue fundraiser, Springhill Civic Center, costume contest, games, concessions, door prizes, BINGO.

August 16

6 p.m. Murder Mystery, “Betrayal At The Block Party,” The Oak Cottage, 406 3rd St. NW, Springhill. Preregistration required. To register, text Michelle at 318-272-6093.

August 23

5 p.m. Doors open at Springhill Civic Center for W.H.O. Matters, celebrating 10 years of Women Helping Others.  Ladies-only event featuring BINGO, raffles dinner, door prizes, shopping and a silent auction, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets: Kylee Ayers at 318-268-0027,

Info: Amber Cobb at 318-423-3710 or Kalee Adams at 318-578-1574,

Vendors: Elizabeth Simmons at 318-517-5207, Donations: Pam Jenkins at 310-453-3740.

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Play Sudoku online!

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