Webster Parish Journal is wrapping up Week 5 of our 2026 Pick’em Contest.

You can click below for this week’s games, pick the winning teams and get in the running to win $100. The game closes out at 6 p.m. Friday, and a new game starts Monday.

Our four parish high school teams will be featured in the contest, as well as some college and pro teams and two tie breakers.

Each week, the contest closes at 6 p.m. before Friday’s high school games, unless there is a Thursday game, then it closes at 5 p.m. that day.

Weekly winners will be notified and announced in the following Wednesday edition of the Journal. If you win, your photo will be taken with the owner of our Title Sponsor Under Dawgs. Remember, you must 18 or older to play.

Thank you to all our sponsors this year. In addition to Title Sponsor Under Dawgs, Broken Bean will be our anchor sponsor. Others include Holcomb’s Body Shop, A.J. Price Tire, Brown Chrysler, Shelter Insurance, KASO/KBEF and Mike’s Hometown Spirits with Hugh Woods Specialty Meats and Catering. Please patronize these local businesses.

So, fire up your phones, tablets or computers to pick ‘em, click the button below and get started.

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By Paige Gurgainers –

Seeds Women’s Center will bring comedian Tim Lovelace to Minden on Tuesday, Oct. 6, for its annual fundraising banquet, with a goal of raising $100,000 for services benefiting local women and families.

The banquet will be held at the Minden Civic Center, 520 Broadway St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the program begins at 6 p.m.

The fundraiser helps support the nonprofit’s free services. According to the center, those services include pregnancy testing, nurse consultations and ultrasounds provided by a licensed and trained medical team in a confidential setting.

Seeds also offers parenting education and classes addressing reproductive loss and recovery. Through its baby boutique, the center helps families obtain supplies for young children, depending on availability.

Community members, churches, organizations and businesses are invited to support the banquet through attendance and sponsorships.

Tickets are required for admission and can be picked up at Seeds Women’s Center, 308 Pine St. in Minden.

For ticket and sponsorship information, call 318-639-0907 or text 318-459-8579. Additional information about the center is available on its Facebook page at facebook.com/seedswc.

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Intake # 26309 “Casper” is a male pointer mix at Minden Animal Shelter. Casper is approximately 6 months old and weights, 20 lbs. He is heart worm negative, started on vaccines, deworming, heartworm prevention, and flea prevention.

MUST Fill out application for adoption.

Adoption fee- $65
Adoption application- forms.gle/TfS5pe939gbP4t2i6

Casper loves people and likes to run around and play. He’s good with other dogs and likes to play with cats. Casper was taken on a cruelty call. He was on a porch in a 30 in kennel, no food and water, and all skin and bones.

He came into the shelter at only 16 lbs. Because of his situation and age, we don’t believe he will be a big dog. We think he will be a small pointer as an adult.

All animals at the shelter are always available to 501c3 group!

To find a previously featured pet, simply go to the “Search” box at the top right corner of websterparishjournal.com, type in “Pet Project,” and click on “Search.”

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By Tiffany Flournoy –

Springhill, Louisiana  is gearing up for a full weekend of fun, tradition, and family entertainment!  Hosted for the first time by the Krewe of Nemesis-Webster, the 42nd Annual Springhill Lumberjack Festival returns on Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10, 2026.

“We didn’t want the tradition to die out.This will be the 42nd consecutive year it’s been held! We’ve moved it back to the Springhill City Park where it originally was, and we have lots of exciting things planned with the hope to make it even bigger next year,” said Michelle Parkerson, Lumberjack Festival Co-Chair. 

Grab your lawn chairs, invite your friends, and check out everything scheduled across Springhill Main Street and Springhill City Park!

Weekend Event Schedule

Friday, October 9

• Street Dance (7:00 PM)
  
  • Location: Springhill City Park
    
  • Highlights: Live music featuring Delta playing current and classic country tunes! Bring your lawn chairs and get ready to cut a rug.
    

Saturday, October 10

• Lumberjack Festival Parade (11:00 AM)
  
  • Location: Down Springhill Main Street
    
  • Highlights: Log trucks, tractors, custom cars, and floats!
    
• Car Show
  
  • Location: Springhill Main Street
    
  • Registration: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ($25 fee)
    
  • Show Hours: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Awards at 3:00 PM)
    
  • Details: Open to all years, makes, and models, with a People’s Choice Award. Free admission for spectators!
    
• Car Smash Fundraiser (11:30 AM – 2:00 PM)
  
  • Location: Springhill City Park
    
  • Details: Support the Springhill Fire District 11! Take 2 swings at a car for $5 to help fund equipment, training, and community programs.
    
• Best Beard Contest (2:00 PM)
  
  • Location: Main Stage, Springhill City Park
    
  • Details: Sign up on the day of the festival! Categories include Full Beard, Short Beard, Longest Beard, Best Groomed, Best Natural, Best Lumberjack, and People’s Choice. Prizes provided by Pine Plaza Barbershop.
    
• Baggo (Cornhole) Tournament
  
  • Location: Springhill Main Street
    
  • Check-In: 9:30 AM | Bags Fly: 11:00 AM
    
  • Details: 2-person teams, double elimination ($30 per team entry) with cash payouts for top 3 teams.
    
• Cruise Night & Piney Woods Jamboree
  
  • Location: Springhill Main Street
    
  • Details: Classic cars & trucks, food vendors, and live music. Come “drag Main” one more time!
    

All-Day Attractions & Highlights

• CKCarvings Chainsaw Demonstrations: Watch award-winning carver Chad Kilpatrick create wooden masterpieces at the Clock Tower Circle with four live shows throughout the day.
  
• Antique Tractor, Engine & Power Show: Antique tractors rolling in the parade and showcased on site.
  
• Bucking Bull Rides: Test your strength for $5 a ride at City Park.
  
• Food, Crafts & Live Entertainment: Food trucks, local craft vendors, and live entertainment all day long!
  

Contact & Details

Contact Phone: 318-578-8964

Email: lumberjackfestival@yahoo.com

TikTok: @springhilllumberj

Facebook: Krewe of Nemesis-Webster

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The entry period for the $600 Natchitoches Weekend Getaway giveaway has concluded.

The official winner will be announced and published on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.

Readers can check back Monday morning to see the announcement and details on claiming the getaway prize package. Thank you to everyone across the community who participated and submitted an entry.

SAVE THE DATE: Truvy’s Blush & Bashful Weekend: Natchitoches Celebrates Dolly Parton

By Jessica Gorman

The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University in Philadelphia has closed its museum. It has been in operation for nearly 200 years. The Academy itself was founded in 1812. Its museum is one of the most significant collections of natural history in the world. It contains 19 million specimens.

The importance of the collection is not in question. Neither is continued stewardship or research. The work of the Academy and care of its collection will continue. What has ceased is the ability for the public to visit.

Protesters showed up almost immediately. From Friday to Sunday after the announcement, it’s estimated that 14,000 showed up to protest the museum’s closure. They pointed fingers and placed blame for a situation they had not taken the time to understand. Ironically, it’s a situation they helped create. 

The official announcement was clear. The Academy was in a position where it was forced to prioritize in order to ensure a sustainable future for itself and its work. They had to prioritize care of the collection. They had to prioritize the important research that continues to be conducted. They had to take a closer look at where their money was going and make responsible, informed decisions. 

The reality of the situation is that those 14,000 protesters had not been visiting the museum They had not been attending programs. Neither had the thousands of others who have shown up over the past month begging for it to stay open, asking what could be done. When leadership was asked how many had been coming, the answer was 40 – 60. Therein lies the truth. 40 – 60 people. At a significant museum. In Philadelphia. Those are shockingly low numbers.

The data said people aren’t and had not been engaging for some time. The data said money was being spent to run a museum that people weren’t visiting. Only when they were told they couldn’t have it anymore did they seem to care. 

We are not entitled to museums. We are blessed and we are privileged to have them. When we don’t appreciate them, we lose them. 

Friday morning after the gala, I had someone catch me in the parking lot. She talked about the gala and how blessed this community is to have a museum. Where she’s from, they don’t. She talked about how we have something special and how important it is for people to support it. Hearing the same message I try so hard to spread coming from someone else gives me hope. There have been times that I have all but pleaded with certain people to help share that message, people I should never have had to plead with.

We are blessed. We are fortunate. We are privileged. And not only because we have a museum, but also because our museum is independently operated. As long as we have money to pay the bills, the doors stay open. Running a nonprofit can be tough and it can be easy to wish somebody else was responsible for the money, but it is a blessing that the number of people who walk through our doors does not determine whether or not we stay open. My focus is on making sure those doors stay open so that you can walk through them. It is on making resources available and continuing research and sharing it with you. It is on helping people from all over the country that contact the museum looking for all types of information. The focus must be on how we serve our community, how we accomplish our mission, and recognizing the impact of our museum is felt far beyond the boundaries of Webster Parish. 

As I was just about to finish writing, I came across another museum set to close, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. It is located in Hays, Kansas and is part of Fort Hays State University. The university is facing reduced state funding and threatened by even greater cuts. They must make some very hard decisions. By closing the museum, they will cut $850,000 from the budget. 

All hope isn’t lost yet, but the road ahead is hard and they don’t have long. The closure is set for December. Fundraising efforts are underway, but the museum has already been running at a significant deficit with revenue less than half of expenses. They would need an additional $1 million every year to sustain operations. 

Another case is the Museum of African American History in Boston. They just cut their staff by a third including multiple director positions. Its budget deficit last year was $1.8 million. CEO Dr. Noelle Trent was quoted in an online article. “I think we all collectively need to be worried about museums across the country. It’s very easy to focus on the Smithsonian and the National Park Service, but what makes our communities beautiful and wonderful are our local museums.”

Although I started writing knowing exactly what I intended to say, I find myself at a loss. Our museum is special. We are privileged to have it. I don’t know how to convey that message in a way that results in the support needed to make sure we don’t lose it. 

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

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Barksdale Federal Credit Union will host a free Shred Day on Saturday, Oct. 3, giving residents an opportunity to securely dispose of documents containing personal information.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the BFCU Minden Center, located at 105 Richard’s Way at Hwy. 531.

Participants will be able to watch their documents pass through the shredder, according to the credit union’s event announcement. Organizers ask that each person bring no more than two bags of documents.

The event is open to the public.

For more information, visit Barksdale Federal Credit Union’s “Minden Shred Day” event page on Facebook.

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I am currently going to therapy, and one of the things I am learning is how much of my childhood I still carry with me.

I show up as an adult… a mother with responsibilities, a busy schedule and children who depend on me, but sometimes, the feelings I am working through belong to a much younger version of myself.

The little girl who worries about disappointing people. Who wants to explain herself until she feels understood. Who needs reassurance but does not always know how to ask for it.

I am beginning to recognize her in my reactions and while I am learning how to care for her, I am also raising children of my own. That is a complicated place to be.

Motherhood brings parts of my childhood into focus. Sometimes, meeting my children’s needs helps me understand needs I have carried for years. When I give them room to be upset, I think about how difficult it can still be for me to express certain feelings. When I reassure them after a mistake, I notice how quickly I judge myself for making one.

I want them to feel comfortable asking for help. Meanwhile, I am practicing that same thing in therapy. There are moments when this work feels hopeful. There are others when it hurts.

I am finding that I can feel proud of what I am giving my children and still grieve things the younger version of me needed. I am learning to let those feelings exist without rushing past them. Therapy is also helping me look honestly at how I respond when life gets overwhelming.

I love my children deeply. I also get tired, overstimulated and frustrated. Sometimes I answer too quickly. Sometimes a small disagreement touches something old, and my reaction is bigger than the moment calls for.

I am working on noticing that sooner.

Right now, progress can look like taking a breath before I speak or recognizing when I need a minute. It can mean coming back to a conversation and saying, “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that tone.”

I do not get it right every time, but I am trying to take responsibility without turning every mistake into proof that I am failing.

I want my children to see that people can learn, apologize and change. I also want them to remain free to be children.

They do not need to carry my history, manage my emotions or make me feel better about myself. That is work I am doing with my therapist and the adults I trust. Some days, I leave therapy feeling lighter. Other days, I leave with something I am still trying to understand.

Then I return to a life that keeps moving.

There is dinner to figure out. School papers to sign. Someone needs help, someone has a story to tell, and the laundry is still waiting. I am doing this work in the middle of motherhood, with all its noise and needs.

I am learning how to ask for support, recognize my limits and make room for myself in a day that often belongs to everyone else.

I cannot promise my children a mother who always knows what to do. What I can offer is a mother who keeps trying to understand herself and pays attention to how her behavior affects them.

I want our home to be a place where they can tell the truth about how they feel. Where a difficult moment can be followed by a conversation. Where they know they can come to me without having to protect me from their feelings.

I am still learning how to build that. I am still going to therapy. I am still finding words for things I have carried quietly and as I listen to my children, I am learning to listen to the little girl in me, too.

Paige Gurgainers

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

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This summer has been a real hot one.  We are praying for rain this day and its looking pretty good.  It’s time to put in your fall garden.  Good vegetables to plant are broccoli, cabbage, onions, and collards.  Some are seeding turnips, kale and mustard.  The main thing that your garden needs now is water and lots of it.  The deer hunters are also getting food plots ready, that is if they can stand the hard ground and dust.  

There is a new chemical out that takes the place of the Demon.  Cyper WSP has the same ingredient  that demon had and is still quite strong.  Cyper is labeled to spray inside and outside of the house.  I don’t understand chemical companies.  They have a great product and then just canceled it and changed the name.  I guess they don’t need my opinion or permission to do so.  If they did, there would be a lot of old products still around.  Dursban, diazinon, and chloridane would be available to buy and use.  That’s just my opinion.  Those chemicals really did a great job on insects, mostly fire ants and termites.  

The Webster Parish Fair starts in just a few weeks.  Running a little later than usual but exciting just the same.  My grands are showing pigs for the first time.  They are excited and ready to get started.  The  Ag Class at Lakeside has quite a few entries for the fair.  Mr. Utley has worked all summer with his students.  They are feeding, clipping and training their projects.  Pigs, goats, and broilers are all on the schedule.  It takes a lot of your time to raise farm animals and these FFA’ers are all totally involved.  Did you know that you have to clip their hair just like you do for horses and cattle?  Show up at the fair and watch the hard work going on.  It’s entertaining and good for the soul.  

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Friday

A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Friday Night

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Saturday

A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Saturday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.

Sunday

A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Monday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

*Information provided by National Weather Service.

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

October 3

9 a.m. until … Sarepta High School “Celebration of Friends,” 210 Vines Street, Sarepta. Contact Information: Betty Coile Shows, 318-678-3900 or bcoile66.shsfriends@yahoo.com or Janet Gray Reeves, 318-847-4270 or text to 318-578-3053.

9:30 a.m. The Webster Parish Veterans Safety Net invites all veterans to join us for coffee and fellowship at Huffman Manor, 1114 Broadway in Minden. These gatherings are held on the first Saturday of every month. Every veteran is encouraged to attend when possible, as you may be the listening ear, source of encouragement, or friendly conversation that a fellow veteran needs.

October 10

8:30 until 10 a.m. 2nd Annual Angel Baby Fun Run

Halo Fest: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (free to the public) Halo Fest,Miller Quarters Park 198 Gleason Street Minden, hosted by Hearts & Halos: Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness. Fun Run Registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/LA/Minden/AngelBaby2KRunWalkAndFundraisingEvent

October 13

5:30 until 7:30 p.m., Sibley Night Out and Grand Opening for the Town Hall Playground at Sibley Town Hall. Any business, church, organization or group who wish to reserve a spot to set up and hand out information, have giveaways, and/or provide activities for the kids may do so by calling Town Hall at 318-377-0345. Anyone wishing to volunteer may do so by calling Town Hall at 318-377-0345.

November 7

10 a.m. until 1 p.m., Mission Adoption Bazaar, Craft, Makers Fair, Bake and Casserole Sale, Silent Auction and Lunch 

First Baptist Church, Family and Community Life Center, Minden. 

All proceeds go to participating families adopting and/or fostering.

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The following civil suits were filed with the Webster Parish Clerk of Court the week of September 25 through October 1. Civil suits are public record.

September 25
Dorothy Mae Lee, succession over $125K.
Ozell Davis, succession under $125K.

September 28
Republic Finance LLC vs. Aquielah J. Brown, monies due.
Brando Ferguson vs. Piggly Wiggly LLC, C&S Wholesale Grocers, damages.
Bank of America vs. Travis Allen Smith, monies due.

September 29
State of Louisiana, Karla A. Hamm vs. Kaylie J. Wolf, non-support.
State of Louisiana, Lashunda M. Shelton vs. Catonio V. Shelton, non-support.
Lois Geraldine Chanler Peevy, succession over $125K.
Albert Moore, succession under $125K.
Rocket Mortgage LLC vs. Jared Whitlock, Christie Whitlock, executory process.

September 30
State of Louisiana, Megan L. Gray vs. Kendrick W. Gray Sr., non-support.
Laverne Getties Emerson Carpenter Gibson Anyan Ballard, Castor Burford, succession under $125K.
Kelly Weatherton Sr., succession over $125K.
Lori Coile vs. Wallace R. Coile Jr., divorce.
Johnterrius Gilbert vs. Aaliyah R. Parker, custody.
Joshua Reed Bryant vs. Becca Prince, protective order.
Keiayra Martin vs. DeMarcus Heard, protective order.
Velocity Investments LLC vs. Jeffery W. Pipes III monies due.
Shelter Mutual Insurance Col., Terry Lynn Scott vs. Thomas L. Wallace, monies due.
Citibank vs. Tony C. Wafford, monies due.
Gerald Dee Trammell vs. Brenda Williams Trammell, divorce/no children.
Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Khristopher J. James, monies due.

October 1
Capital One vs. Darrell L. Jordan, monies due.

Word of the Day: Trepidation

Phonetic: /trep· i· da· tion/
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition

a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation : apprehension
trepidation about starting a new job

Travers sent the book to press with some trepidation, fearing that a children’s book might undermine her hard-won literary cachet.
—Caitlin Flanagan

a tremulous motion : tremor

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Play Sudoku online!

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Peyton Leon Thomas, 33, of McCain Rd., Shreveport, was arrested Wednesday by Minden Marshal Office on an active bench warrant for violating a protective order. His bond was set at $500 cash.

Christopher D. Washington, 42, of the 6400 block of Sassafras, Shreveport, was arrested Thursday by Minden Police on four active bench warrants. Washington was booked into BDCC. No bond has been 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.

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Doris Sue Camp Polston
December 30, 1937 –  September 26, 2026
Shongaloo
No final services planned; family and friends will celebrate her life at at later time.

Linda Jo Turman
September 20, 1951 – September 26, 2026
Doyline
Visitation: Saturday, October 3, 2026, West Lake Baptist Church, Doyline.
Funeral service: noon, immediately following visitation.
Burial: Point Chapel Cemetery, Doyline, under the direction of Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden.

James Thomas Bearden
January 12, 1971 – September 17, 2026
Minden/Sarepta
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Sunday, October 4, 2026, New Sarepta Baptist Church, Sarepta.

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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An 11-year-old child called 911 and may have saved his mother and siblings because of his actions.

Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker said the young man witnessed DeMarcus Heard, 38, of the 400 block of Meadow Drive, Homer striking his mother with a belt.

“He tried to tackle the man and was pushed to the ground, causing a scrape on his leg,” Parker said. “Two other children, ages 5 and 6, were inside the residence and witnessed it as well.”

The victim reportedly told deputies the subject punched her several times, pushed her into a vehicle and onto the ground where he struck her multiple times.

Heard was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic abuse battery with child endangerment (times 3), simple battery and on an active DCFS warrant from Claiborne Parish. No bond was 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.

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By Amanda Woods (Harper-Collins) & Marilyn Miller

W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, announces the release of The Bright Side of the Other Side: Notes from a Soul Restored by Sara McDaniel, founder of the nationally recognized lifestyle and hospitality brand, Simply Southern Cottage.

Known for her historic preservation projects, television appearances, and passion for community revitalization, Sara invites readers into her remarkable journey from devastating loss and uncertainty to healing, purpose and unexpected joy.

“Sometimes the places we think are beyond repair are the very places where restoration begins,” said Sara. “What started as a renovation project became a journey of healing, teaching me that God often builds something more beautiful from the pieces we thought were lost forever.”

After a painful divorce left her questioning everything she thought she knew about faith, marriage and her future, Sara felt an unexpected call to return to her Louisiana roots. There she became captivated by a dilapidated cottage that many considered beyond saving. As she pursued the home in Minden and embarked on an ambitious restoration project, she began uncovering deeper truths about grace, identity, resilience, and God’s ability to redeem even the most broken places.

Part memoir, part testimony, and part invitation to hope and dream, The Bright Side of the Other Side chronicles Sara’s path through her divorce, disappointment, career ambition, entrepreneurship, and ultimately restoration. Through the story of rescuing the neglected 1926 cottage in Minden, Louisiana, Sara discovered that the home she was rebuilding mirrored the work that was happening within her own heart.

The book will be released on October 13, 2026, almost six years from the day that Sara was contacted by literary agent John Blase of The Bindery Agency in Colorado. John and Sara were both graduates of Ouachita Baptist University. The agency represents authors, working with them to get book deals. He had found Sara via social media, and he loved the way she wrote…loved her story…and told her, “I think we could write a book.” Sara actually had a “good start” on a book, initially telling herself she could self-publish. But she and John put together a proposal and sent it to many publishers. She got back all “No’s” because publishers were looking for a “Home Décor” book from Sara, not a Memoir.

“But I was like, ‘I don’t want to write a Home Décor book, I want to tell my story.”’

A very discouraged Sara “pressed pause” on the book process. And that is when everything started happening for her. “My life ramped up,” she recalled. “HGTV was happening, and the Villas, and Hector, and Magnolia Network.”

Four busy years later, a very patient agent said “Let’s try again.” They rewrote the proposal, sent it back out to publishers, and Sara got multiple offers. “It was very hard choosing who to go with” but Sara chose “W Publishing,” a subsidiary of Harper-Collins Christian. “That’s how I got a book deal, long story, short.” A memoir book deal!

”With warmth, honesty and Southern charm, Sara explores themes that resonate with readers navigating their own seasons of transition and heartbreak. From the pressures of perfection and the pain of unmet expectations to the courage required to begin again, she offers an authentic portrait of what it means to trust God when life unfolds differently than planned.

W Publishing Editor Lisa Jo Baker was the one who suggested that Sara begin her book with her cottage. “Start the book with something happy and then basically backtrack, and then bring everybody forward,” Baker advised. And that’s what she did, carving out every Sunday afternoon to curl up in front of the fire or stretch out on her back porch, writing. Unfortunately, she had to have the book turned in by November 2025. AND, she had to keep it to 55,000 words. Her first submission was 80,000 words. Her publisher conceded and allowed 65,000. “Harper was so good to work with,” Sara beamed.

Because of timing and word limitations, a lot has been left out. Like her marriage to Hector M. Sanchez, a professional photographer whose work she had admired since 2016 when he was shooting for Southern Living. Then in 2019, he asked if he could come and shoot her cottage in Minden. They were married on Sept. 7, 2026.

As founder of Simply Southern Cottage and Minden Stays, Sara has become one of the most recognizable voices in historic preservation and Southern hospitality. What began with the restoration of a single abandoned cottage evolved into a nationally recognized brand, multiple hospitality ventures, television appearances on Magnolia Network’s In With the Old and HGTV’s Home Town Kickstart, CNBC’s Make It, and features in publications including Southern Living, Forbes Home, U.S. News & World Report, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Lady, Cottages & Bungalows, American Farmhouse Style and more. Yet behind the thriving business and national acclaim lies the deeply personal story that inspired it all.

“My book is targeted toward two types of ladies,” Sara said. “The first are those who have walked through heartbreak or health problems…any kind of major life transition that they think there is no way they will come out on the other side of this happy, healthy and joyful. I want my story to inspire them, because, yes, they can! Once they have read this book and they see everything I went through that should have derailed me…and I chose not to let it…and I chose to make purposeful and intentional decisions to get where I am today, they can be inspired to do the same.”

“But then maybe there are the ladies who have never had an issue, who have slipped smoothly through life, who don’t have heartache. In that case, my book will inspire them to live their best lives.

There will be a book signing at Purvey Minden on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10-2. Sara will display her memoir, “The Bright Side of the Other Side,” and Hector will be offering his book, “Past Forward.” The public is invited. “The Bright Side of the Other Side” will be available at all walk-in and online bookstores on Oct. 13, 2026.

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A routine traffic stop and expired vehicle registration led to the arrest of a Simsboro woman on more serious charges.

Peggy S. Williams, 68, was traveling on East Union in Minden when Webster Parish Sheriff’s deputies reportedly stopped her for having only one headlight.

Sheriff Jason Parker said one of the deputies noted her registration was expired while the other observed a shotgun on the backseat of her vehicle.

“Deputies noticed the shotgun had a sawed off barrel and it was shorter than 18 inches,” Parker said.

Search of the vehicle reportedly yielded a glass smoking device with crystal-like substance inside, two small containers with crystal residue, a marijuana one-hitter and a used hypodermic needles.

She was booked into BDCC on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, modified firearm and drug paraphernalia. No bond was 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.

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By Paige Gurgainers –

One of Minden’s longtime annual traditions will take a year off in 2027 as organizers prepare to celebrate a major milestone.

The Scottish Tartan Festival will take a planned hiatus next year before returning to Miller Quarters Park in April 2028 for its 25th anniversary celebration.

Organizer Shelia Hoh said the break will provide time to prepare for the milestone event while Miller Quarters Park undergoes upgrades aimed at improving the festival experience for visitors, clans, artisans, athletes and performers.

The annual festival has become a unique part of Minden’s event calendar, bringing Scottish culture and traditions to the community through music, food, demonstrations, competitions, vendors and other activities every Spring. 

Although festivalgoers will have to wait an extra year for its return, Hoh said preparations for 2028 are already underway.

“We’re already hard at work behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back in 2028 for a bigger, bolder, and truly unforgettable Scottish Tartan Festival,” she said.

The group also thanked the community and longtime festival supporters for their continued enthusiasm.

More information about the April 2028 festival and its 25th anniversary celebration will be announced as plans are finalized. To keep up with other Scottish/Celtic related events, follow “Scottish Tartan Festival, Minden, Louisiana” on Facebook. 

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The following persons are scheduled to appear in 26th Judicial District Court Friday, October 2:

ADCOX, CHRISTOPHER

100536 A Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)
100606 A Improper Lane Usage

BEARD, JESSICA DAWN
100592 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense


BLACKMON, JUWAN M.
99144 A Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS (Two and One Half Pounds or More)


CARRILLO, BALTAZAR
INCOMING A Possession of Schedule II CDS
INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS
INCOMING Possession of a Schedule I CDS
INCOMING Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids

CASTILLO, STACEY MARIE
100626 CT 1 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
100626 CT 2 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle *FFD 10/30

CERVANTES, GERARDO


INCOMING A Possession of Schedule II CDS
INCOMING Possession of Schedule II CDS
INCOMING Possession of a Schedule I CDS
INCOMING Possession of Marijuana or Synthetic Cannabinoids
INCOMING Following Too Closely


COOKE, JARVIS JUJUAN
99892 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense


CREW, BOBBY DEWAYNE
100587 CT 1 A Simple Battery
100587 CT 2 Simple Battery
100587 CT 3 Simple Battery


DESERA, JOHNATHAN
100607-CT.1 A Hit and Run Driving
100607-CT.2 Hit and Run Driving

DUCK, JEFFERY EARL
100441 A Theft Under $1,000
Restitution- $800, plus $120 fee = $920 total

ELSHOUT, SYDNEY BLAIR
INCOMING A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
INCOMING Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle *ARR 11/6

FANTINI, JENNIFER REKO
100536A A Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)


FRAZIER, HOPE LASHAY
100630 A Simple Assault *FFD 10/30

GUILLORY, AMBER M
100321 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense


HARGES, CARLOS A.
100256 A Resisting An Officer By Flight
100256A-CT.1 Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled
100256A-CT.2 Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
100256A-CT.3 Improper Turn And/Or Failure To Give Required Signal


HARRIS, JAMIE G
99820 CT. 1 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense
99820 CT. 2 Failure To Dim Lights – Oncoming *OC 9/18

HENDON, DESHUN R.
98967 CT 1 A Possession With Intent to Distribute a Schedule I CDS
98967 CT 2 Public Bribery *OC 8/14 Co-Def: L. Allen

HENDON, DESHUN R.
98200 A Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered

JEFFERSON, MEOSHA SANTRICE
100639 A Attempted Cruelty To Juveniles *Notice Sent

JETER, BRANDON LAMAR
100430 A Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated – First Offense

MARKRAY, LAKECHIA SHONET
100622 A Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense *

MARTIN, CARLTON LEE
INCOMING A Aggravated Criminal Damage To Property
INCOMING Simple Obstruction of a Highway
INCOMING Failure to Obtain Special Permit
INCOMING Operating A Vehicle Of Improper Size, Width, Height, Length, Weight
INCOMING Operating a Vehicle While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled

MOYA, SAMUEL PAUL
99409 A Aggravated Criminal Damage To Property
Restitution owed to the victim per the report- $1,629, plus $244.35 fee = $1,873.35 total

NUGENT, ROCHELLE ALLEN
100618 A Possession of a Schedule II CDS (Less than Two Grams)

PORTER, JR., DERRICK
100587 CT 1 A Simple Battery
100587 CT 2 Simple Battery
100587 CT 3 Simple Battery

PORTER, DEVON LAROBERT
100587 CT 1 A Simple Battery
100587 CT 2 Simple Battery
100587 CT 3 Simple Battery

PRICE, MARIAH
100394 CT 1 A Simple Battery
100394 CT 2 Simple Battery

PURDY, LELIA
100632 A Aggravated Assault *Notice sent FFD 10/30

RAWLS, TREY NICHOLAS
100621 A Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense *

SMITH, CARMEN
100587 CT 1 A Simple Battery
100587 CT 2 Simple Battery
100587 CT 3 Simple Battery

SNEED, CHARLES CONWAY
100019 A Simple Burglary

SUKEY, BRANDON MICHAEL
100612-CT.1 A Domestic Abuse Battery – 1st Offense
100612-CT.2 Simple Battery
100612-CT.3 Simple Criminal Damage To Property Under $1,000
Arraignment


VESSELS, TRENT DUANE
100212 Second Degree Battery
Restitution owed- $5,685.34, + $852.80 fee = $6,538.14 total

WALKER, TAREZ MARCEE’
100427 A Aggravated Flight From An Officer Where Human Life Is Endangered *OC 8/14

WILLIS, ARTAVIA S.
100486 A Cruelty To Juveniles

WOLLSCHLAEGER, COLTON LAMAR
99849 A Theft Under $1,000
Restitution : $2,772.88 + $415.93 fee = $3,188.81 total

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Webster Parish Journal is in Week 5 of our 2026 Pick’em Contest.

You can click below for this week’s games, pick the winning teams and get in the running to win $100. The game closes out at 6 p.m. Friday, and a new game starts Monday.

Our four parish high school teams will be featured in the contest, as well as some college and pro teams and two tie breakers.

Each week, the contest closes at 6 p.m. before Friday’s high school games, unless there is a Thursday game, then it closes at 5 p.m. that day.

Weekly winners will be notified and announced in the following Wednesday edition of the Journal. If you win, your photo will be taken with the owner of our Title Sponsor Under Dawgs. Remember, you must 18 or older to play.

Thank you to all our sponsors this year. In addition to Title Sponsor Under Dawgs, Broken Bean will be our anchor sponsor. Others include Holcomb’s Body Shop, A.J. Price Tire, Brown Chrysler, Shelter Insurance, KASO/KBEF and Mike’s Hometown Spirits with Hugh Woods Specialty Meats and Catering. Please patronize these local businesses.

So, fire up your phones, tablets or computers to pick ‘em, click the button below and get started.

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By Josh Beavers

Twenty-five years ago I was the editor of the Press-Herald, and I spent a lot of time at Minden Medical Center. George French, Sarah Haynes, and Mrs. Dawn would show me whatever the hospital had going on, and I’d write it up for the paper. One time I scrubbed in and stood in the operating room while Dr. Timothy Talbert performed a back surgery that was cutting edge at the time. The stories were glowing, and I don’t  remember having to stretch the truth to write them.

MMC was named one of the nation’’s 100 Top Hospitals in 2003, 2009 and 2011. It had good people and the money to take care of patients the right way.

None of us knew how good we had it. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, when it seemed like the economy only went one direction and every year would be a little better than the last. I assumed good jobs and a decent life would always be around here, and the hospital was part of that. I said as much in more than one story. I never asked who owned the place or what would happen if somebody else bought it.

In 2018, Allegiance Health Management bought MMC from LifePoint. The announcement promised employees would keep their jobs and every service would stay. I read about it and moved on. I doubt I was the only one, but I’d spent enough years in newspapers to know better than to take a press release at face value.

This spring, the Journal reported that a Shreveport contractor had sued the hospital for more than $170,000, including the bill for an air conditioning chiller installed in September 2025. Two nurse staffing agencies filed claims in January totaling more than $700,000. The hospital also had to pay off about $120,000 in city utility bills that had reportedly gone 90 days unpaid. The Board of Governors said it had asked Allegiance for routine financial information and been refused.

On Sept. 25, six board members resigned, including chairman Dr. Melissa Madden. They said staying on could be seen as a stamp of approval for decisions made at Allegiance’s corporate office. Their statement praised the hospital’s employees and local management and put the problem at the corporate level.

Then the Journal published a text message from someone who works there. According to that message, the hospital had run out of toilet paper and cleaning wipes. The ER’s sharps containers, where used needles go, had been overflowing, and the writer had heard there were no more replacements. They said they could do without some things but had to speak up when safety was involved.

KLFY reported last year that at least six of Allegiance’s eleven hospitals had liens for unpaid payroll taxes, totaling at least $50 million statewide. MMC’s CEO has pointed to rising costs and Medicaid rates that for years paid less than it cost to treat patients. None of that explains why the hospital’s own board was refused routine financial information.

In my opinion, what’s been reported points to greed. A company that won’t open its books to its own board while the staff runs short on supplies is putting money ahead of patients.

MMC says it employs 580 people, 223 of whom live in Minden, with a payroll of around $29 million a year.

When factories shut down across the country in the 2000s, economists expected laid-off workers to move to wherever the jobs were, but most of them stayed put. A lot of them ended up in lower-paying jobs or quit looking for work, and their towns were still dealing with lower home values and higher poverty years later. Another study tracked workers who lost jobs in mass layoffs and found their death rates were 15 to 20 percent higher over the next 20 years.

My wife and I could leave if it came to that. I’m nearly 50, and we’ve been careful with our money for a long time. We both have retirement put back. One of our daughters is soon starting her career, and the other will graduate in a blink. If Minden lost its hospital, we’d have options. I hope we never use them.

Plenty of people in this parish don’t have those options. They’ve got mortgages and kids in school, or they’re on a fixed income and can’t make the drive to Shreveport for every appointment, and they’re the people that research describes. People can leave, but what happens to what they leave behind?

North Louisiana has watched mills and plants shut down before. Losing a hospital hurts differently because nobody gets to decide whether they’ll need one. You don’t pick the ER you end up in after a wreck on I-20 or when your child can’t breathe in the middle of the night. One national analysis puts about a third of the country’s rural hospitals at risk of closing right now. As of last year, Louisiana hadn’t lost one.

Before I started teaching, I published two newspapers and ran a print shop. I’m not a businessman anymore. I’m an idealist, and I don’t know what it would take to save a hospital. I don’t know what it would cost or whether Allegiance would even sell.

This town has doctors who built their careers here and families who have given to every cause Minden ever asked them to. If there’s any way to bring the hospital back under local ownership, whether that’s our physicians buying in or the community raising money, I hope somebody who understands that kind of deal will try. I’d buy in with whatever I could afford.

The people working at MMC right now are doing the same work I used to write about, with fewer supplies and less support from the company that owns the building. I want to save Minden Medical Center. If anybody out there knows how, I’d like to hear it.

Josh Beavers is an award-winning columnist who earned four Best Columnist awards from the Louisiana Press Association. He traded the newsroom for the classroom in 2013, convinced that teaching young people to write, to think, and to become productive members of their community was the more important work.

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