Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, Louisiana State Police, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS and Natchitoches Parish Fire Protection District #5 are on the scene of a three-vehicle crash involving a log truck, chip truck and passenger car on La. Hwy 1 at its intersection with La. Hwy 494 and La. Hwy 120 in Cypress according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say the operator of the black Dodge Charger was assessed at the scene for injuries by EMS and released without transport pending a medical provider follow-up if needed.

The scene remains active.

If you are traveling through the area, drive carefully, pay attention to the road and avoid distractions while LSP investigates the crash and towing services clear up the wreckage.

February 28, 2023; 8:20am

The Natchitoches City Council held a brief meeting on Feb. 27. Agenda items included the purchase of a new, secondary water fountain in Cane River Lake, which will float in the water near the riverbank stage. Other business included the enlargement of the Historic District boundaries to include areas along Texas Street and Breda Avenue.

AGENDA:

ORDINANCES – FINAL:

Ordinance Approving The Acquisition Of A Water Fountain For Placement In Cane River Lake, And Further Authorizing The Mayor Of The City Of Natchitoches, Louisiana, To Enter Into A Cooperative Agreement With The Cane River Waterway District Related To The Acquisition Of The Water Fountain, And To Execute Any And All Other Related Documents That Might Be Necessary And Proper, To Provide For Advertising, And A Savings Clause

Ordinance Approving A Memorandum Of Cooperative Endeavor Between The City Of Natchitoches, The Red River Waterway Commission And The Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau To Promote The Use Of The Red River For The 2023 Mr. Crappie Invitational Qualifier

Ordinance Authorizing The Mayor Of The City Of Natchitoches To Award The Bid For A Bucket Truck (Used) For The City Of Natchitoches Utility Department (Bid No.  0656)

Ordinance To Amend Section 16.1-1 Of The Code Of Ordinance Of The City Of Natchitoches, To Provide For An Enlarged “Local Natchitoches Historic District”, Which Section Is Located In Chapter 16.1 Of The Code Of Ordinances, Entitled Historic District, Providing For Advertising, Further Providing For Severability, And Further Providing For A Repealer And Effective Date Of Ordinance.

Ordinance Of The Natchitoches City Council Creating An Economic Development District Within The City Of Natchitoches To Be Named The “Natchitoches Economic Development District F, State Of Louisiana” (The “District”); Defining The Boundaries Thereof From Which Certain Area Local And Potentially State Sales And Use Tax Increments Will Be Determined And Used To Finance Economic Development Projects Within The District, All As Authorized By Part II Of Chapter 27 Of Title 33 Of The Louisiana Revised Statutes Of 1950, As Amended (The “Act”); And Providing For Other Matters In Connection With The Foregoing.

ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION:

Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 059 Of 2011 Of The City Of Natchitoches, Louisiana, To Repeal The Descriptions And Designations Of Existing City Of Natchitoches City Council Districts, Establish New City Of Natchitoches City Council Districts, Describe The Boundaries Of Each New District And Otherwise Provide For An Effective Date Of The Ordinance.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next scheduled City Council meeting will be March 13, 2023.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office are looking for talented people to join its team. If you are looking for a rewarding career where you can contribute to the community, review the positions available and apply for any that fit your skills, experience, and interests. Visit HR.NPSHERIFF.ORG to apply.

It has taken nearly two weeks, but the Northwestern State baseball team will finally play a repeat opponent Tuesday night – seven games into its 2023 season.

The Demons face Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, approximately 48 hours after the Lumberjacks rallied for a 5-4 win against the Demons in both teams’ final game of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Collegiate Classic. The game will air on ESPN+.

“It will be good to see them again,” seventh-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. “Our staff won’t have to put together a new scouting report, but it means taking notes within (Sunday’s) game is a little more important.”

The loss to Stephen F. Austin (3-5) was the only one the Demons (3-4) suffered this past weekend in Sugar Land, Texas, at Constellation Field where NSU made four Southland Conference Tournament appearances from 2015-19.

Even in the one-run defeat, the Demons had their chances. NSU outhit Stephen F. Austin 13-10 but left 13 runners on base.

“We had our chances to build a bigger lead early, and credit to them, they strung together some hits and hit a home run,” Barbier said. “When you look back at the weekend, we had (35) hits. It was a very good response for our guys from a tough first weekend.”

Northwestern State set season highs in hits in each of the three games in Sugar Land – 10 against Seton Hall and 12 against New Mexico State before recording 13 against SFA – and played errorless baseball in all three games. As a result, the Demons improved their team batting average by 72 points.

The Demons will turn to sophomore right-hander Chase Prestwich (0-0, 4.50) to start Tuesday night’s game. It marks the second straight mid-week start for the Fredrick, Colorado, native.

Prestwich worked five innings against LSU-Alexandria a week ago, earning a no-decision after retiring the final 13 Generals he faced. He will square off against SFA left-hander Carter Hines (0-1, 13.50) as Prestwich makes his third career start – all at Brown-Stroud Field.

“Mid-week games are always interesting,” Barbier said. “Once you get into conference play, you’d like to have your best arms available out of the bullpen, even if they start a mid-week game. At some point, though, to win a tournament, you’re going to need a fourth starter. That’s what we want is for Chase to be our fourth starter if things continue to go the way they have.”

Northwestern State University will hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the school’s new academic building at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 14.  The new facility, which will replace Kyser Hall, will be located on Sam Sibley Drive, on the site of the former Caddo Hall, which was recently razed.   

Gov. John Bel Edwards and other state and local dignitaries are expected to attend.  

When complete, the new facility, which will be named for NSU’s 16^th president, the late Dr. Robert Alost, will house multipurpose classrooms, laboratories, training areas, a café and administrative offices.  

The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking.  Parking will be available in the large commuter lot adjacent to the building site.  

Lakeview High School plays in Hammond today at 1:15 in the LHSAA Oschner Girls’ Basketball Marsh Madness Division IV Non-Select semifinals, meeting No. 3 Oak Grove with a berth in Friday’s state championship game on the line.

The Lady Gators (29-3) beat Mangham 47-30 in the second round and edged seventh-seeded East Beauregard 58-55 in the state quarterfinals last week to earn their spot in the semifinals.

Oak Grove (22-3) topped Montgomery 40-24 in the second round and handled sixth-seeded LaSalle 35-26 in the quarterfinals.

Both teams earned first-round byes in the playoff bracket.

The game is scheduled to be live streamed on NFHSnetwork.com on a pay-per-view basis, but internet issues on the Southeastern Louisiana University campus prevented streaming on the state tournament’s first day Monday. It will also be broadcast on 97.5 KDBH FM.

Fans making the trip to Hammond will have to use cash to pay for their tickets, due to the internet outage. Any fans who purchased tickets online will be admitted with proof of purchase, LHSAA officials said. The tournament is being played at SLU’s University Center arena.

The winner plays at noon Friday in the state finals against ninth-seeded Oakdale, which banked in a 3-point shot at the final buzzer Monday to upset No. 4 Arcadia 47-46.

The Lady Gators have eight seniors on the squad. Coach Dewaskie Fuller recorded his 100th win as the Lakeview coach earlier this month.

The Longleaf Vista bathroom renovation project is mostly completed and the area (Longleaf Vista and Longleaf Vista Trail) is now reopened. The Kisatchie Ranger District will continue to work on the kiosk board, trashcans, and pavement around the building, but the trail, pavilion and bathroom are open to the public. Thanks to the public for its patience while the necessary changes to the bathrooms were made.

By Brad Dison

In February 1914, May Pierstorff’s parents prepared for their five-year-old daughter, May, to visit her grandmother.  May and her parents lived in Lewiston, Idaho.  May’s grandmother lived about 70 miles away in Grangeville, Idaho.  In the 1910s, automobiles had not yet become the predominant form of transportation in Idaho.  Most people traveled on or were pulled by horses if they were traveling within a short distance from home.  May’s parents decided that May would travel to and from her grandparent’s home by train due to the distance of the trip.  For some reason, probably the cost of train tickets, May’s parents could not accompany her on the trip. 

The cost of May’s ticket was more than the family could afford.  May’s parents looked for a loophole.  Surely, they thought, they could purchase a discount ticket due to May’s age, but the railroad offered no such discount.  Maybe, they thought, they could get a discount due to May’s weight, which was 48 ½ pounds.  They got lucky.  This was the loophole they had been looking for.  May was just a pound and a half below the 50-pound weight limit.

On February 19, May’s parents pinned something on May’s coat and dropped her off at the train station in Lewiston, Idaho for the 70-mile trip.  They watched as May boarded the train and, at the proper time, the train chugged out of the station.  When the train arrived at the Grangeville station, no one was waiting to pick May up.  An employee named Leonard Mochel delivered the five-year-old to her grandmother’s home. 

When money is tight, all of us look for clever ways to save money.  May’s parents were no exception.  To save money, May traveled from Lewiston to Grangeville… as a parcel in the train’s mail car.  The thing May’s parents attached to May’s coat was 53 cents in parcel post stamps.  The employee who delivered May to her grandmother’s home was the mail clerk.  May’s parents mailed May to her grandmother’s home.  When their visit was over, May’s grandmother sent her back to her parents in the same manner, through the mail.

Sources:

1.     Smithsonian National Postal Museum, “100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packet, Oh My!”  https://postalmuseum.si.edu/research-article/100-years-of-parcels-packages-and-packets-oh-my/the-oddest-parcels.

2.     The Pomona Progress, February 20, 1914, p.1.

3.     The Long Beach Telegram and the Long Beach Daily News, February 20, 1914, p.1.

4.     The Minneapolis Journal, March, 26, 1914, p.11.

Where do Mardi Gras beads go? Every year about 25 million pounds of used Mardi Gras beads are thrown away. Cane River Creole National Historical Park will accept your surplus beads. Mardi Gras bead collection containers will be located at Oakland Plantation and Magnolia Plantation. The beads will be recycled by the park and then used in future parades. 

Locations of collection containers: 

Oakland Plantation Entrance Pavilion 

Magnolia Plantation Store 

In addition to the drop off collection containers, park staff will be outside the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot located at 607 Trudeau Street, Natchitoches on Saturday, March 4 from 10 am to 12 pm to collect beads. 

Drop off collection containers will be at Oakland Plantation and Magnolia Plantation until March 10.  

The grounds of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nearly 80 original buildings remain, many open for self-guided tours including several that are historically furnished from Wednesday through Sunday. Park staff conducts tours of the plantation grounds daily Wednesday through Sunday. In addition, the park offers tours on the NPS App. The Oakland Main House is open for self-guided tours from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Magnolia Main House is privately owned and is not open to the public. For more information, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/cari, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/canerivercreoleNPS or call the park at 318-352-0383, ext. 316.   

Dear Parent/Guardian

If your child is in the 11^th or 12^th grade at Natchitoches Parish Technical and Career Center, he/she will take the ACT on Tuesday, March 7. All students MUST take the ACT as a requirement for graduation. Testing will begin promptly at 8 a.m., so it is very important for your child to arrive on time. Any student that is late WILL NOT be allowed to interrupt testing once it begins. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school and speak with myself, or Mr. Benjamin. 

Thank you,

NPTCC Principal Bobby Benjamin 

NPTCC School Counselor Chelsea Calhoun

Look around Natchitoches, new business everywhere. Real Estate is also getting a new look. I have been a successful realtor for 16 years. I have learned the ins and outs of the business thoroughly during this time. We have opened a new office and we’re bringing what I believe to be a much-needed change that will assist those thinking about buying or selling a home. My grandson Colby Session is working with me as a licensed LA. Realtor. Together our mission is to make the process of buying or selling more affordable. We will accomplish this by listing and selling your house for as low as 2.5%.

Both Colby and I are lifelong residents of Natchitoches. Our future is here and we believe in Natchitoches. We hope to be an asset to everyone we come in contact with. Our thoughts will always center around “whatever it takes”. Call John at 318-332-9850, Colby at 318-652-4878, or come see us at the corner of Highway 1 South and Lateral Lane. We can help you save money.

William Peyton Cunningham Jr. was born in Natchitoches, LA on February 21, 1934 to William
Peyton Sr. and Mildred Hill Cunningham, and he died on Thursday, February 23, 2023 following
a brief illness.

Peyton grew up in Natchitoches, LA, along with his three siblings, Lallah Cunningham Methvin,
twin brother Rev. John H. Cunningham, and Joseph Payne Cunningham. Peyton attended St.
Mary’s Catholic School and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and then attended
Louisiana State University where he received his Bachelor of Science 1956. After returning
from service in the U.S. Army in Korea and Japan, he earned his Juris Doctor degree at
Louisiana State University School of Law in 1959.

During his legal career, he was a partner at Cunningham & Cunningham, Attorneys at Law (12
years), served as judge of the 10th Judicial District Court, Natchitoches (24 years), and Judge Pro
Tempore and Ad Hoc in district courts in north and central Louisiana. He also served as
President of the Natchitoches Parish Bar Association, a member of the Louisiana State Bar
Association House of Delegates, and a member of the executive board of the Louisiana District
Judges Association. He was appointed to serve on the State Risk Review Panel, and also
appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court as a Commissioner to the Louisiana State Bar
Association Committee on Bar Admissions.

Peyton was a life-long resident of Natchitoches and was involved in many civic organizations
including the Natchitoches Rotary Club, Louisiana Outdoor Drama Association, Christmas
Festival Committees, The Agitators Club, Sibley Lake Waterway Commission and member of
Mystic Krewe of St. Denis. He was a supporter of the NSU Symphony, Ducks Unlimited, The
Nature Conservancy, and he enjoyed being a member of the Walter P. Ledet Coffee Club.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Mildred R. Hill and William Peyton Cunningham Sr,
sister, Lallah Cunningham Methvin; and wives, Mary ”Cissy” Breazeale Cunningham, and
Markay Stroud Cunningham.

Those left to cherish his memory include William Peyton Cunningham, III, Alicia Cunningham
and husband Doug Rainwater, Drury B. Cunningham and wife Tracy Rome Cunningham,
Catherine Cunningham Faucheaux and husband Ben Faucheaux, Lee Sherrill and wife Kim
Sherrill, Markay Sherrill Stroud and husband, David Stroud; grandchildren, Alexandra
Cunningham, Michael Cunningham, Camille Cunningham, William Dru Cunningham, Anna
Grace Cunningham, Joseph Faucheaux and wife Catherine Burke Faucheaux, Peyton Lise
Faucheaux, William Lee Sherrill and wife Kristen Sherrill, Aaron Blake Stroud and wife
Danielle, Theodore J. Stroud and wife Jessica; great-grandchildren, Molly Marie Stroud,
Madeleine Nichole Stroud, Jackson Dean Stroud and Henry Blake Stroud.
On Monday,  February 27, 2023, at 10:00.a.m., a Funeral Mass will be held at the Minor Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception. A private burial will follow.

Natchitoches City Council will have a pre-council meeting on Monday, Feb. 27 beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. to discuss non-agenda items. The City Council meeting will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month and will be reserved to only items on the Agenda.  The public is invited to both the pre-council meetings and council meetings with the understanding that items not on the agenda will not be discussed at the scheduled council meetings, but the public is welcome to discuss any topic at the pre-council meetings.  The City Council Meetings are held at the Natchitoches City Council Chambers located at 716 Second Street, Natchitoches, Louisiana.

AGENDA:
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
ORDINANCES – FINAL:

Ordinance Approving The Acquisition Of A Water Fountain For Placement In Cane River Lake, And Further Authorizing The Mayor Of The City Of Natchitoches, Louisiana, To Enter Into A Cooperative Agreement With The Cane River Waterway District Related To The Acquisition Of The Water Fountain, And To Execute Any And All Other Related Documents That Might Be Necessary And Proper, To Provide For Advertising, And A Savings Clause

Ordinance Approving A Memorandum Of Cooperative Endeavor Between The City Of Natchitoches, The Red River Waterway Commission And The Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau To Promote The Use Of The Red River For The 2023 Mr. Crappie Invitational Qualifier

Ordinance Authorizing The Mayor Of The City Of Natchitoches To Award The Bid For A Bucket Truck (Used) For The City Of Natchitoches Utility Department (Bid No.  0656)

Ordinance To Amend Section 16.1-1 Of The Code Of Ordinance Of The City Of Natchitoches, To Provide For An Enlarged “Local Natchitoches Historic District”, Which Section Is Located In Chapter 16.1 Of The Code Of Ordinances, Entitled Historic District, Providing For Advertising, Further Providing For Severability, And Further Providing For A Repealer And Effective Date Of Ordinance.

Ordinance Of The Natchitoches City Council Creating An Economic Development District Within The City Of Natchitoches To Be Named The “Natchitoches Economic Development District F, State Of Louisiana” (The “District”); Defining The Boundaries Thereof From Which Certain Area Local And Potentially State Sales And Use Tax Increments Will Be Determined And Used To Finance Economic Development Projects Within The District, All As Authorized By Part II Of Chapter 27 Of Title 33 Of The Louisiana Revised Statutes Of 1950, As Amended (The “Act”); And Providing For Other Matters In Connection With The Foregoing.

ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION:

Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 059 Of 2011 Of The City Of Natchitoches, Louisiana, To Repeal The Descriptions And Designations Of Existing City Of Natchitoches City Council Districts, Establish New City Of Natchitoches City Council Districts, Describe The Boundaries Of Each New District And Otherwise Provide For An Effective Date Of The Ordinance.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next scheduled City Council meeting will be March 13, 2023.