Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Play Sudoku online!

---

The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Traffic Court Friday, March 6:

ADAMS, DEVAN KYLE
T037923 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T037923A Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Crash

ANDERSON, DANIEL K
T023826 Speeding 25 & OVER – 100/70

ANDERSON, MELISSA
T038023 Speeding 16-24 MPH
T038023A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

ANDERSON, TRAVIS
T023926 Failure to Use Safety Belt

ANDY, JACOBI LAJUAN
T024026 Failure to Use Safety Belt

ATANDARE, BODUNDEOMONTE
T024126 Speeding 16-24 MPH
T024126A Operating A Vehicle With An Expired Driver’s License

BOYETT, JOHN RUSSELL
T024226 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 70/55

BROWN, ASHLEY YVONNE
T024326 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 87/70

BROWN, UNDREVION AMAR DEVINTEZ
T024426 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 73/55

CLARK, LAGINA LEEANN
T043025 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
T043025A Improper Child Restraint
T043025B Failure to Use Safety Belt
T043025C No Insurance

COILE, JOSEPH DAVID
T030525 Operating A Vehicle With Improper Tail Lights
T030525A Failure To Secure Registration
T030525B Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

COLEMAN, LANETTA
T023326 Operating a Vehicle with an Unlit License Plate

COURTNEY, JR, TROY LEROY NORTON
99940 CT 1 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
99940 CT 2 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

DANIELS, LULA S
T023825 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

DANIELS, MONICA L
T128825 Leaving Scene Of Accident
T128825A Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
T128825B Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

DRAGLAND, ANDREA BAY
T024526 Improper Lane Usage

GIVENS, JR, MARCUS
T023426 Failure To Secure Registration

GRAY, NICHOLAS W
T024626 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 70/55

HENSON, MARCO
T023526 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 58/35
T023526A No Insurance

HUDSON, QUANISHA
T024726 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 50/35

JOHNSON, LEE
T017425 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

JONES, NATHAN IV
T024826 Following Too Closely
T024826A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
Crash

MANESS, CHRISTOPHER ASHLY
T023626 Speeding 16-24 MPH
T023626A Operating a Vehicle with an Expired Motor Vehicle Inspection

MORRIS, DELVON D
T024926 Failure to Use Safety Belt

MORRISON, JAMES DEREK
T025026 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 90/70

MOSS, GARY ETHAN
T109425 No Insurance
T109425A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

NORTHCROSS, LANITA
T023726L Speeding 16-24 MPH

OLADAPO, GABRIEL
T025126 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Single vehicle crash

PARKER, LATAUREN JOHNSON
T137625 Speeding 11-15 MPH – 69/55
T137625A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

PETERS, JOSHUA CADE
T075825 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Crash

QUARLES, JOHNNY FRED
T025226 Speeding 16-24 MPH – 74/55

RASBURY, WILLIAM
T025326 Failure to Use Safety Belt

RIDDLE, BLAKE
T025426 Failure to Use Safety Belt

SNEED, JAMARION J
T025526 Window Tint

STEPHENSON, CAROL LYNN
T025626 Speeding 25 & OVER – 95/70

STONE, BEVERLY P
T70215 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

WILLIS, DOMINIQUE A
T021526 Following Too Closely

YOUNG, LEVERT L
T101323 Speeding 11-15 MPH
T101323A Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

---

The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Court Friday, March 6:

ALEXANDER, JEWAN DANTE
99886 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
99886 CT. 2 Possession Of Alcoholic Beverages In Motor Vehicles
99886 CT. 3 Improper Lane Usage

ALI, QASEM
99845 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS

ALI, QASEM
99231 CT. 1 Underage Driving Under the Influence

ARMSTEAD, KEDRICK KENTWON
99992 Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

ARMSTEAD, KEDRICK KENTWON
99992 Unauthorized Entry Of An Inhabited Dwelling

BAGGETT, MARCUS LAMON
98860-CT.1 Vehicular Homicide
98860-CT.2 First Degree Vehicular Negligent Injuring

BAILEY, ROBBY
96621A Resisting An Officer

BIRDEN, III, JAMES
99414B Obstruction Of Justice
Please make sure forfeiture of 1,877 in US Currency is part of any plea/sentencing agreement.

BRUMELS, ANTHONY D
100108-CT.1 Domestic Abuse Battery – Strangulation – 1st Offense
100108-CT.2 Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment

BURT, SHANNON JEAN
100180 Improper Supervision of a Minor by Parent or Legal Custodian

BURT, TRAY ALLEN
100180 Improper Supervision of a Minor by Parent or Legal Custodian

CASTILLO, ERNESTO
99121 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

CHAMBLEE, JENNIFER
100055 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000
Restitution owed to the victim- $1,598.34, plus $239.75 fee = $1,838.09 total Has been paid in full 2/25/26

CORNELIUS, NAPOLEON
97124-Ct.1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
97124-Ct.2 Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids
97124A-Ct.1 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
97124A-Ct.2 Failure To Dim Lights – Oncoming
97124A-Ct.3 Improper Lane Usage

CORNELIUS, NAPOLEON
100125 Simple Battery

DAVIS, GAVIN WYATT
100196-CT.1 Possession of CDS I Marijuana (More Than Fourteen Grams)
100196-CT.2 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – First Offense

DAVIS, SHEENA
99008 Exploitation of the Infirmed
Restitution owed to victim $1000 + $150 fee = $1150 Balance as of 03/02/26 $730

EVERETT, DAMARCUS R.
99864A Theft of $1,000 or More but Less than $5000
Restitution owed $1744.02 + $261.60 fee = $2005.62 Codef: S. Haney

FULLER, WENDELL
99791 Theft Under $1,000
Restitution owed to the water company $3,784.71, plus $567.71 fee = $4,352.42 total

GRIFFIN, JACORY MARAQUALIUS
100183 Resisting An Officer

HENDERSON, QUINTON MAURICE
99952 Fail to Register and Notify as a Sex Offender 2nd Offense

HUBBARD, KEVIN BRIAN
99977 Second Degree Kidnapping

JACKSON, TERRANCE JARRELL
99575 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

KING, JERRY LEE
99312 CT. 1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
99312 CT. 2 Improper Lane Usage

LI, MIN
99361 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS (Two and One Half Pounds or More)

MILLER, DAWN MICHELLE
100037 Unauthorized use of a Movable more than $1,000

MILLER, ZIGARRI
99794-CT.1 Illegal Use of a Weapon- Crime Of Violence / Uniform CDS Law
99794-CT.2 Obstruction Of Justice

MORRIS, CHRISTOPHER DEON
99578 Possession Of Firearm Or Carrying Concealed Weapon By Convicted Felon

POTTER, TALEN RYAN
100090-CT.1 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
100090-CT.2 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle

SHROCK, WARD
100079-CT.1 Battery of a Dating Partner
100079-CT.2 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000
Restitution owed- $1,843.70, plus $276.55 fee = $2,120.25 total

SIMPSON, LINDSAY A.
99427 Ct. 1 Improper Supervision of a Minor by Parent or Legal Custodian
99427 Ct. 2 Improper Supervision of a Minor by Parent or Legal Custodian

SMITH, TYLAR JAMES JERMONT
INCOMING Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
INCOMING Hit and Run Driving

SNEED, JANE DENISE
99995-CT.1 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense
99995-CT.2 Simple Assault

SPENCER, RICHARD SHAQUR
99911 CT 1 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense
99911 CT 2 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

STAPLES, REBECCA MASON
99799A-CT.1 Distribution of a Schedule II CDS
99799A-CT.2 Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

STERLING, LAVANCIA
99678 Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS

TAYLOR, STEPHANIE JADE
99993-CT.1 Entry On Or Remaining In Places Or On Land After Being Forbidden
99993-CT.2 Theft Under $1,000

TRIPLETT, JR., ROBERT VERNON
99974 Possession of a Schedule IV CDS

WAFER, LANDON SCOTT
100191-CT.1 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000
100191-CT.2 Fail to Report Accident

WAFER, PEYTON DWAIN
99837 Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

YOUNG, LEVERT L
99410 Ct. 1 Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids
99410 Ct. 2 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
99410 Ct. 3 Failure to Use Safety Belt

YOUNG, LEVERT L
100041 Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense

---

Dan M. Ray
November 10, 1951 — March 2, 2026
Minden
Visitation: 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2026, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.
Funeral service: 2 p.m. immediately following visitation.
Burial: Gardens of Memory, Minden.

Betsy Calhoun
April 28, 1941 — March 3, 2026
Arcadia
Visitation: 1 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2026, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Arcadia.
Funeral service: 2 p.m. immediately following visitation.
Burial: Bear Creek Cemetery.

Julie Anne Akes Hamblin
July 4, 1964 — February 21, 2026
Mooringsport, La.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2026, Tower Baptist Church, Mooringsport.

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.)

---

Severe thunderstorms may be possible across northwestern portions of the ArkLaTex on Wednesday. Primary hazards expected are damaging wind gusts, large hail, and locally heavy rainfall. Webster Parish could see rainfall in access of 2 inches. – Jerry Strahan

---

By Pat Culverhouse

Multiple pornography charges involving juveniles have been filed against a Doyline man as the result of a joint investigation involving the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation.

Kage Robert Paul Waters, a resident of the 100 block of Gas Plant Rd., reportedly was arrested Monday by investigators. He is charged with 47 counts of possession of pornography involving juveniles and 15 counts of unlawful use of a social networking website.

LBI agents reportedly got a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reportedly jumpstarted their investigation. Waters reportedly is a registered sex offender.

Waters reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center. His bond has been set at $325,000.

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.

---

By Bonnie Culverhouse

Minden City Council approved two promotions and two hires in the fire department during Monday night’s meeting.

Captain Andrew Myles is now a Battalion Chief, while Firefighter/Operator Tommy Hughes Jr. is the department’s newest Fire Captain.

Added to the roster are two new Firefighter/Operators David Hatcher and Alec Plunkett, who passed Civil Service exams.

Fire Chief Brian Williams said this number brings his department to 15 full-time employees working 24-hour shifts and one assistant chief working from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“At this point we have 12 active volunteers,” Williams said. “We are always looking for more if they have the time.”

In addition to personnel, Minden Fire Department is driving home a new fire truck and command unit in the future.

The council passed a resolution regarding a lease/purchase agreement with Government Capital Corporation to finance a custom pumper fire truck and equipment at a cost of $1.166 million. Annual payments will be slightly more than $151,135 and will begin February 2027 or one year from funding.

Program benefits include:

• No down payment

• Payments deferred up to one year

• Only board approval required

• Pre-qualification for expedited processing

• Equipment may be included.

Using the same program and benefits, cost of a new command unit will be $67,168 with annual payments over five years of $16,168 or seven years of $12,163.

Payments begin March 2027 or one year from funding.

Williams said in February his teams responded to four structure fires, three miscellaneous fires, four public service calls, three rescue calls, three false alarms and four fire alarms.

“A couple of the miscellaneous calls were grass fires,” he told the council. “The whole parish is under a burn ban until further notice.”

Williams also reported that four of his full-time personnel have passed aerial certification, with two more to be tested.

“We have two volunteers that have passed hazmat awareness,” he added. “One of our full-time men passed his rope rescue technician, and we have a few more that will be taking the class when it comes up.”

Williams reminded the council that certification costs are covered by a grant.

---

By Pat Culverhouse

Voters in Webster Parish Consolidated School District 3 will be asked to renew a special tax within the district, with generated funds rededicated to include additional expenditures.

Consolidated School District 3 covers schools in south Webster Parish including Central Elementary and Lakeside Jr/Sr High School.

During their Monday meeting, parish school board members unanimously approved calling the tax renewal election, and to make application with the state Bond Commission. Date for the special election is set for June 27.

Bond attorney Grant Schlueter, with the firm Foley & Judell, reminded members that approval of the tax renewal and rededication would bring District 3 into line with other school districts.

“This is not a new tax, it’s simply a rededication of what the tax can be used for only within this district,” he said. “Currently it is used for capital expenses. It will expand what this money can be used for in this district.”

Schlueter said funds could be used for operating and maintenance costs, and other expenses.

“It will permit you to pay for SRO (School Resource Officers) in the district, and utility charges if that’s the will of the application,” he said.

During Monday’s meeting, board members also:

• Recognized Brennan Glen, custodian at North Webster Upper Elementary, as Employee of the Month for March.
• Gave approval for selected fifth-graders from E.S. Richardson Elementary to travel to the NASA Space Center in Houston, TX. Travel cost to be paid by students and through fundraiser.
• Approved 12-15 Minden High School Nature Club students to visit Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, TX. Funds for the trip from Nature Club funds.
• Granted approval for North Webster High School 10th graders to travel to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, AR, to tour campus. Funding source is Title 1.
• Approved travel to Six Flags over Texas in Arlington for 70-80 North Webster High School students to attend Educational Days Program. One -day trip will be funded by Title 1 funds.
• Granted permission to Yeager, Watson & Associates to advertise for bids on additions and alterations at Griffith Park.
• Accepted a land donation of approximately .41 acres owned by David Peterson, located at 504 College St.

Board members approved a total of $509,799.53 in invoice payments from the several school system maintenance and tax funds. Payments from various funds include:

• Consolidated Dist. 3 Maintenance Fund: $138,104.41. Payments include $49,920 to install a professional putting green at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $25,963.50 to construct a livestock barn for the Ag. Dept. at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $17,900 to pour a concrete slab for the Ag. Dept. livestock barn at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $11,200 to purchase a livestock trailer for use by the Ag. Dept. at Lakeside Jr/Sr High;  $5,690 for replacement of bulbs and ballast kits on football field at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $4,935 to purchase fencing and equipment for the Ag. Dept. livestock barn at Lakeside Jr/Sr High; $4,313.14 to purchase new ice machine at Central Elementary.

• Dist. 6 One-half Cent Sales Tax Fund: $312,747.34. Major expenditures are $175,000 to install roof system on D wing at Minden High School; $36,691 to purchase 100 Chromebooks for J.L. Jones Elementary; $25,482 to replace flooring in front office and auditorium at Minden High; $25,269.25 to purchase 80 football helmets for Minden High; $12,950 to install 935 sq. Ft. customized vinyl wall wrap on interior wall and big accent room at E.S.Richardson Elementary;  $11,359 to purchase LAZER-Z S-Series lawn mower for J.A. Phillips Elementary; $8,706.82 to repair damaged phone system at J.A. Phillips Elementary; $7,874.53 to replace faulty VSD assembly for cooling tower fan at Minden High.

• Cotton Valley Maintenance Fund: $760.30 to repair fire alarm system at North Webster Upper Elementary.

• Doyline Maintenance Fund: $30,126.77. Payments include $26,150 to replace outdoor walkway lighting at Doyline High School and $3,976.77 to purchase vacuum, buffer and burnisher for Doyline High.

• Springhill Maintenance Fund: $28,060.71. Expenses include $9,100 to demo and replace baseball field dugout roof at North Webster High School; $6,269.96 to repair sewer line and add two clean outs at Browning Elementary; $5,260 for removal of three trees at North Webster High School; $4,677 to purchase 13 tables and 4 storage carts for Brown Upper Elementary School;$1,415 for jetting and camera in sewer line at Browning Elementary.

---

By Pat Culverhouse

A 26-year-old Minden man is charged with first degree robbery after he allegedly stole money from an individual he had driven to a local bank where the victim made a cash withdrawal.

Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said Brandon Smith, who listed an address in the 100 block of Robertson Dr., was arrested Tuesday by Sheriff’s Office investigators for the robbery which occurred last week.

Smith reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center where his bond has been set at $30,000.

Parker said Deputy Michael Dickey reportedly made initial contact with the victim who stated he had been robbed. The victim said he received a ride to the bank from a male he only knew as “Duke.”

After reportedly making a withdrawal of approximately $680 from his account, the victim said “Duke” and he were supposed to be going to a store. Instead, they drove to a gravel lot on Allen Dr.

Once at the lot, the victim said “Duke” stepped out of the vehicle and asked him to hold the brakes while he checked what he claimed to be a mechanical issue. According to the victim, “Duke” returned to the vehicle and ordered that he give him the money or he would be killed.

Deputy Dickey learned that when he threatened the victim, “Duke” allegedly held his hand on his waist as if he were armed. Fearing for his life, the victim reportedly handed over the money and the robber left the scene. The victim went to a nearby business and reported the robbery. 

Deputy Dickey obtained video surveillance footage of the two men at the bank as well as footage of the silver Chevy Tahoe “Duke” was driving.

Major Bobby Igo III, head of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, said through investigative techniques and the assistance of the Minden P.D., “Duke” was identified as Brandon Smith.

With the evidence gathered, an arrest warrant for first degree robbery was obtained for Smith. On Monday, Sgt. Josh McCormick, Lt. Chase Wimberly, and Det. Ben Allen spotted Smith’s Tahoe driving on Main St. in Minden.

A felony traffic stop was conducted and Smith was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed and advised of his rights per Miranda. 

Smith reportedly admitted to giving the victim a ride to the bank but denied the robbery. Investigators found inconsistencies in Smith’s story, specifically involving the events that surrounded the alleged robbery.

“The collaboration between patrol deputies and investigators brought closure to this case. Working as a team we were able to quickly identify the suspect and a warrant was obtained,” Major Bobby Igo 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.

---

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Medicaid is changing the way members choose their health and dental plans.

Effective March 1, 2026, Medicaid members may switch their health or dental plans at any time during the year without a reason. Members may make up to two (2) plan changes during a fixed annual (12-month) period. After two plan changes have been made within the annual period, members must remain in their selected plan until the start of the next annual period.

Medicaid will use the calendar year as the fixed annual period. For 2026 only, the annual period will run from March 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. Beginning in 2027 and every year after, the annual period will be January 1 through December 31.

Members will be notified of the enrollment period and related information through http://www.myplan.healthy.la.gov and http://www.ldh.la.gov. Members who prefer to receive a physical copy of the enrollment information must request one by calling 1-855-229-6848.

Additional information about available health and dental plan options, including plan comparison charts, is available online at http://www.myplan.healthy.la.gov or by phone at 1-855-229-6848. Members are encouraged to review plan options carefully to select the plan that best meets their needs.

---

UPDATE: DOTD advises motorists that repairs are complete and the US 371 bridge over the CPKC railroad tracks in Minden, Webster Parish has been reopened.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that, effective immediately, the US 371 bridge over the CPKC (KCS) railroad tracks just north of I-20 in Minden, Webster Parish is closed.

This is a full road closure and is necessary to allow DOTD crews to perform emergency repairs to the bridge deck.

DOTD will send a notification when the repairs are complete and the bridge has been reopened, which is anticipated to be several hours.

This bridge is scheduled to be replaced as part of an upcoming construction project that is tentatively set to go to bid in June 2026.

Restrictions/Permits: Total road closure at the specified location. All vehicles will need to utilize an alternate route.

---

Document: Legal Notice to Bidders
Location: Minden City Hall
Address: 520 Broadway, Minden, La. 71055

SEALED BIDS, electronic or paper, addressed to the City Clerk of the City of Minden, will be received in the City Clerk’s office located in Minden City Hall, 520 Broadway Street, Minden, Louisiana, until 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, March 31, 2026, for the Industrial Drive Rehabilitation @ LA Hwy 531 project. (See below.)
The bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 2:00 p.m. in the Minden City Hall Cypress Room located at 520 Broadway, Minden.
If you have any questions, please contact Minden City Hall at 318-377-2144.

---

STOCKHOLM—A restaurateur has no business leading tours through the frozen tundra of Scandinavia. Then again, a restaurateur has no business leading tours through Tuscany, either, and that was over 70 trips and 1,500 people ago.

The 2026 Yonderlust Travel season officially kicked off this week, and for the first time in almost 10 years of doing this, we’re starting in the land of the midnight sun instead of the rolling hills of central Italy. This is the trip I’ve been wanting to host since the beginning— a bucket-list run through Sweden, Denmark, and Norway that ends north of Tromsø, roughly 217 miles above the Arctic Circle. A perfectly logical destination for a man who has spent 45 years sweating in the commercial kitchens and dining rooms of south Mississippi. If the skies cooperate, we’ll witness the aurora borealis in one of the few places on earth dark enough and far enough north to see it at full power.

That’s the plan, anyway. The northern lights don’t punch a clock.

From here I’ll head down to Tuscany for three groups, then on to Portugal to close out the spring season. This fall brings 25 guests to Greece, a return trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Naples—the fourth time I’ve hosted that tour—and three more Tuscany groups to wrap up the year. Ten trips total. Six of them in Tuscany. Three in the spring and three in the fall, because that part of Italy never gets old. Not to me. Not to the people who go.

By the end of this year, those numbers will reach 80 trips and around 1,700 guests since I started.

None of this was the plan.

My profession is restaurants. Has been since I was 19 years old. All I ever wanted at the beginning was to own one restaurant so I could wear T-shirts and shorts every day. One restaurant. No more. This, it turns out, is not a viable business strategy. One became two, and two became five, and five became seven, and before I knew it, we were running a multiunit operation with the mindset—and the infrastructure—of a mom-and-pop, one-store shop.

About four years ago we started making real changes. We a C-suite—Jarred Patterson as chief operations officer, Chad Carmichael as chief information officer, Nevil Barr as chief culinary officer, and Maria Keyes as chief financial officer—brought in executive coaches, reworked our entire financial structure, added systems throughout, and started treating the business the way I should have a couple of decades earlier. Today at 64, I am more engaged in our restaurants than I have been at any point in 38 years of ownership. More engaged, truthfully, than I ever was. Covid rattled us. The years before it weren’t my best, either. But we came through that and built something stronger on the other side.

The leadership team we have today is the best we’ve ever had. Not just in the executive offices but in every restaurant. And the bench—the people ready to step in and lead as we grow—is deeper than it’s ever been. Four years ago, we committed resources to building that bench, knowing we’d run a little top-heavy for a while. The payoff is a team that’s ready. My son will be joining us soon, which makes all this feel like it’s coming full circle in ways I didn’t expect.

Restaurants are my first love. If I’ve learned anything over 45 years in this business, it’s that you take care of your first love first and foremost.

The travel business grew up alongside the restaurants almost by accident. Back in 2011, my family and I took a six-month trip through Europe. When we came home, people started asking me to take them over there—show them the people, the places, the food I’d found. I figured I’d do it once. Take a few friends to Tuscany, eat some pasta, see some sights, come home, and go back to running restaurants like a normal person. That one trip turned into a full-scale business we now call Yonderlust Travel.

For years, Simeon Williford—my former executive assistant who also runs the publishing company—handled the travel side as part of her other duties. But we’ve reached the point where that’s not enough. I hired Brittany Nicholson as the operations director for Yonderlust Travel, because if the business is going to grow, it has to be able to operate without me on the ground for every tour.

Over the past two years the requests have expanded. People want to travel in the winter to warmer climates and in the summer to cooler ones. This past year alone I hosted tours in England, Scotland, northern Italy, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Tuscany. The relationships I’ve built with people overseas—colleagues who have become genuine friends—will allow us to offer curated tours and experiences I’ve created, run by people I trust, even when I’m not there. 

At the center of almost every tour outside of Tuscany is Jesse Marinus. Jesse is Dutch, lives in Rome, and has been my boots-on-the-ground partner for seven years now. He handles the logistics, co-hosts tours with me, and works with a professionalism and eye for detail that I haven’t seen often in 45 years of the hospitality business. He’s like a son, a friend, a brother, and a teammate all in one person—and I don’t say that about many people. The fact that every woman on every tour thinks he looks like he stepped off the cover of a European travel magazine is, I’m told, purely coincidental to our repeat-booking rate.

I’ll still host five tours in the spring and five in the fall. But the only way to scale this thing is to do it without me being at every activity and at every dinner table.

We’re also getting ready to announce something I’ve been asked about for a long time—deep-dive tours right here at home. Yonderlust Mississippi. And a New Orleans tour. Because the best food and hospitality in America has always been in our own backyard.

Here’s what connects all of it—the restaurants, the travel, the tours at home and overseas. Hospitality. That one word. Creating an experience for someone, whether it’s a Tuesday night dinner at the Crescent City Grill or a week chasing the northern lights above the Arctic Circle. Making people feel taken care of. Making them feel like they matter. That’s the job. Always has been.

We are, after all, the Hospitality State. Though I’m fairly certain the tourism board didn’t have fjords in mind when they put that on the license plate.

What I didn’t see coming—what nobody could have predicted when I started leading a handful of friends through the Tuscan countryside—is that the people I meet at the restaurants become friends and then guests on the tours. And the people I meet on the tours become friends. Real friends. Lasting ones. Over 38 years, people have trusted us with their dining experiences. Over the past decade, 1,500 of them have trusted me with their vacation time. That’s not something I take lightly. Not for one second.

A restaurateur has no business leading tours through Scandinavia. But hospitality is hospitality, whether the table is set in Hattiesburg or on a fjord in northern Norway. The table just keeps getting bigger. And for that, I am grateful.

Onward.

Orange Crepes with Sugared Cranberries

I prefer fruit over chocolate after a meal. Orange and cranberries are a perfect pairing, especially during the holidays. This is an excellent and easy dessert after a heavy meal. These can be served individually on small plates or in a casserole for a buffet.

Serves 6 to 8

Sugared Cranberries

1/2 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons orange extract

11/2 cups fresh cranberries

Sauce for Crepes

1/2 cup Grand Marnier

1/2 cup orange juice, fresh is best

1/2 cup granulated sugar

11/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons orange zest

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Crepes

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs plus 1 yolk

3 cups whole milk

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Crepe Filling

11/2 pounds cream cheese, softened

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Non-stick spray

For the cranberries, ombine one half cup water with one cup of sugar in a small saucepot or skillet. Cook over high heat and allow the mixture to boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in two teaspoons of orange extract. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Stir in the cranberries, ensuring that they are evenly coated with the syrup. Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cranberries from the syrup and place them on the cooling rack. Allow them to dry for one hour. 

Place the remaining one cup of sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Place the cranberries in the sugar and toss until the cranberries are evenly coated with sugar, Once again, place the sugared cranberries on a cooling rack and let them dry for one hour.

These can be made 24 hours in advance and held in an airtight container.

To make the sauce, place the Grand Marnier in a one-quart sauce pot over high heat (stand back a bit as the Grand Marnier will create flames) Once the flames have burned off, add the orange juice and sugar, Boil for four to five minutes. Add the whipping cream and reduce by half. Stir in the orange zest and salt. Hold in a warm place until ready to serve.

For the crepes combine the flour, one and a half teaspoons of sugar, and half teaspoon of kosher salt in medium-sized mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, milk, and three tablespoons of melted butter. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir well for one minute. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Heat a six-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brush with a small amount of the melted butter. Ladle two ounces of batter into the prepared skillet. Swirl the batter so it evenly coats the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the batter is almost completely dry, flip and cook for 1 more minute. Place the prepared crepes on parchment paper and continue the process until all the batter has been used.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Filling

Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg and sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add the orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until well mixed.

Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.

If you have a pastry bag, fill it with the cream cheese mixture, if not, you can spoon the filling into the crepes. Down the center of the crepe, place three tablespoons of filling, leaving about a half inch at each end of the crepes. Fold in the ends first, then the sides.

Place the filled crepes in the baking dish, seam-side down. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. 

To serve, place the warm crepes on a serving platter, top with the sauce and sprinkle with the sugared cranberries.

(Robert St. John is a chef, restauranteur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)

---

 “Then Queen Esther answered, ‘If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life — this is my petition. And spare my people — this is my request.’” Esther 7:3 (NIV)  

Today we see how a woman’s intuition and her proper preparation to meet the king is always a winning combo, especially against something as simple and blind as a man with revenge on his heart and mind.

We’ve come to the homestretch in the book of Esther, the Bible’s only book that never mentions God. That hardly means God is not represented. This book illustrates how God is orchestrating things for the greater good, running the universe without ever resorting to a Plan B, no matter what His children choose to do.

Queen Esther, the gorgeous Jewish arm candy that King Xerxes chose out of all the women in the land, prepared herself before God, asking friends for prayers and also praying and fasting herself, so she could, at the risk of her life, hopefully have an audience with the king and reveal to him a plot by the king’s evil prime minister, Haman, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” (see Esther 7:6), to have the Jews exterminated. 

Esther’s plan, successful because of perfect timing and divine awareness, was successful. Haman ended up on the carnival midway as Haman-on-a-stick. Esther and the Jews survived and, years later, the Savior was born to a Jewish virgin.

Esther, by the way, was coy and brilliant. A cool customer. But when it was time to unload, she did. Adversary! Enemy! Vile! Three strikes. No wasted punches. Haman never knew what hit him. On several levels, there is a cautionary warning here for males, no matter if they are the prime minister of Persia or the street sweeper in Swartz. If your aim is to thwart a godly woman, you might as well jump into your grave and save someone the trouble of having to haul you; your chances of winning are zero. Egg. Empty set.

Game over.

One of my favorite Seinfeld bits is about the poll taken asking Americans to rank their biggest fears.

The fear of public speaking was No. 1. Dying was No. 2.

Consider that for a second: Americans fear public speaking more than they fear dying!

That means at a funeral, the guy giving the eulogy is in worse shape than the guy in the casket.

Since human nature is unchanging, if Gallup had polled the Persian population back in Esther’s day, the results would likely have been the same. Yet when it was time to speak up, Queen Esther did, both for her people and for a God who cannot fail.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

---

By Brad Dison

In 1965, Washoe was born in West Africa.  Ten months later, she and four other youngsters, Dar, Pili, Tatu, and Moja, were brought to the United States to be raised by foster parents Allen and Beatrix Gardner.  Allen and Beatrix played with them, talked to them, fed them, chased them, ran from them, gave them a comfortable and intellectually stimulating home, and all the other things most parents do to bond with and raise their children.  Washoe and the others acted very much like children of their age with one exception, they could not speak.  Fostering Washoe and the others was difficult because they were unable to communicate vocally, but Allen and Beatrix both worked as scientists at the University of Nevado in Reno and understood that getting the desired result usually took a long time to achieve.  One of the most important tools in their arsenal as scientists was patience.  Most doctors concluded that they would never be able to communicate because they all lacked a specific gene, the FOXP2 gene, which is essential for the normal development of speech.  They would never be able to speak.  They accepted the prognosis that the youngsters would never be able to communicate verbally, but Allen and Beatrix were determined that they would be able to communicate.

Rather than trying to get Washoe and the others to speak verbally, the Gardners stopped using verbal communication around them altogether.  When in their presence, Allen and Beatrix communicated with each other using American Sign Language (ASL).  The Gardners feared that trying to communicate with them verbally and with sign language simultaneously would be confusing.  The Gardners hoped the youngsters would learn by watching them communicate with each other.  Washoe was especially interested.  They used the proper sign language to each other when Washoe was eating, bathing, and while she was being dressed.  They invented exciting games; introduced new toys, books, and magazines; all of which were designed to stimulate sign language.  They made scrapbooks of Washoe’s favorite pictures and used the proper sign language for whatever was shown in the photos.  Dinner time began with Allen and Beatrix shaping their dominant hands into a flattened “O” with the fingertips touching the thumb then tapping the fingertips to their lips once or twice.  In American Sign Language, this is the sign for “food” or “to eat.”  Then one day at dinner time, long after doctors and other experts had given up hope that she would ever be able to communicate, Washoe told Allen and Beatrix that she was hungry by signing the word “food.”  The Gardners were overjoyed.  Within a short time, Washoe could tell the Gardners that she was thirsty and that she wanted to play with her toys by using sign language.  She quickly learned the sign for “more” to let the Gardners know she was still hungry, still thirsty, or that she wanted more toys.  Her vocabulary continued to grow.  Then she began to learn to answer questions such as “Who is that?” and “What do you want?” 

As her vocabulary grew, the Gardners noticed something extraordinary.  Washoe began teaching the other youngsters the sign language she knew, and they were signing back correctly.  With the help of the Gardners, Washoe and the others learned a sign language vocabulary of hundreds of words and expressions.  Washoe became the first of her kind to learn a human language and teach it to another primate.  Washoe and the others were all chimpanzees.

Sources:

1.      “Friends of Washoe,” accessed February 22, 2026, https://www.friendsofwashoe.org/learn/chci_history/project_washoe_begins.html.

2.     “Meet Tatu and Loulis—the last of the ‘talking’ chimpanzees,” National Geographic, accessed February 22, 2026, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/chimpanzee-sign-language-experiments.

3.     “FOXP2 gene,” MedlinePlus.com, accessed February 22, 2026, https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/foxp2/.

---

Springhill Medical Center, which was recently recognized as a 2026 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, is seeking a nursing staff.

Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants can apply for full-time and PRN positions.

SMC is the only rural hospital in Louisiana to earn the Top 100 distinction. The program honors outstanding performance among rural hospitals nationwide, based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®—the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital excellence.

Apply at www.smccare.com .

*PRN is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase pro re nata, meaning “as needed” or “as the situation arises.”

---

Wednesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph.

Thursday

Partly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.

Friday

A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Friday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67.

Saturday

Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 81. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

*Information provided by National Weather Service.

---

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

March 9

6 .m. Night at the Museum, 116 Pearl St., Minden. Brian Davis, Executive Director of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation will be guest speaker. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; seating is limited.

March 10

Deadline to sponsor 2026 Springhill, North Webster Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Email chamber@springhillla.com . Tickets go on sale April 1.

March 12

5 until 7 p.m., Bites & Beats, Miller Quarters Park, Minden, live music, food trucks, family friendly fun.

March 13

10:45 a.m. until noon, Veteran’s Meet and Greet with meal at Webster Parish Council on Aging, 1482 Sheppard St., Minden.

March 20

7 p.m., Malpass Brothers Show, CAC building, Springhill. Tickets are $ 25.00 for general admission and $ 30.00 for reserved seats. You can purchase tickets at Express Tax Title & License at 101 N Main Street or call (318) 539-2750.

March 24

7 p.m. 84th Annual Greater Minden Chamber Awards Gala. Minden Civic Center, Minden, La. Tickets: greatermindenchamber.com/awardsgala.

April 1-April 9

2026 Chamber of Commerce Banquet, Springhill, North Webster. Tickets: chamber@springhillla.com .

April 9

5 until 7 p.m., Bites & Beats, Miller Quarters Park, Minden, live music with Cynthia Sandidge, food trucks, family friendly fun.

6 p.m. Springhill North Webster Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, Springhill Civic Center.

April 18

9 a.m. until noon, Arms Around Autism, Autism Acceptance Walk, Miller Quarters Park, Minden. Vendors, bounce house, resources, sensory-friendly kid zone.

---

Word of the Day: Upbraid

Phonetic: /up·braid/
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition
 
find fault with (someone); scold.
“he was upbraided for his slovenly appearance”
 
Similar: reprimand, rebuke, reproach

---

Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Play Sudoku online!

---

David Scott Fuller, 41, 400 block Coty Lane, Doyline: arrested Feb. 26 by WPSO for monetary instrument abuse, on fugitive warrant from Bossier Parish SO. No bond set.

D’Angelo Lyons, 27, 300 block Lee St., Minden: arrested March 1 by Minden PD on warrant for unlawful communications/telephones and telecommunication devices. Bond set $10,000.

Kennie L. Tippens, 59, 300 block SE 2nd St., Sibley: arrested FEb. 27 by Probation and Parole for unlawful use of social networking site, violation of probation/parole. No bond set.

Lindsay Lee Simpson, 43, 800 block Middle Rd., Minden: arrested March 1 by WPSO on bench warrant for failure to appear on charges improper supervision of a minor. Bond set $2,000.

Brett G. Woodard, 41, 4500 block Hwy. 371, Heflin: arrested Feb. 28 by WPSO on warrant. Bond set $1,500.

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.

---

Dan M. Ray
November 10, 1951 — March 2, 2026
Minden
Visitation: 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2026, Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.
Funeral service: 2 p.m. immediately following visitation.
Burial: Gardens of Memory, Minden.

Julie Anne Akes Hamblin
July 4, 1964 — February 21, 2026
Mooringsport, La.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2026, Tower Baptist Church, Mooringsport.

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.)

---

By Pat Culverhouse
Forcing his way into a Miller St. apartment and attacking a female resident inside has landed a Minden man in the parish prison.

Minden Chief of Police Jared McIver said Carlos Antonio Jackson, a 51-year-old Cherry St. resident, is charged with home invasion, disturbing the peace (intoxication) and simple criminal damage to property following his arrest Saturday just before 7 p.m.

A Minden police officer answering a disturbance call reportedly observed Jackson with one foot inside the apartment doorway and a female attempting to push him away. Jackson reportedly was obviously intoxicated when he was taken into custody.

According to the victim, Jackson hurled a large can of beer through the apartment window causing glass cuts to her leg as she lay on the couch. Jackson then allegedly forced his way inside and began pulling the victim’s hair and choking her.

Jackson reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center facing a $25,000 bond.

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.

---