The City of Natchitoches Main Street Program invites local organizations, camps, and community groups to take part in this year’s Summer Splash, returning on Tuesday, April 28 from 4-6 p.m. at the Natchitoches Events Center. This annual event is free and open to the public and serves as a one-stop opportunity for families to explore summer programs and activities available throughout the community.

Summer Splash, organized by the Natchitoches Main Street Program, is designed to connect families with local organizations offering summer camps, educational programs, recreational activities, and youth opportunities. Attendees will have the chance to gather information, meet program representatives, and register for upcoming summer offerings.

The Main Street Program is currently seeking vendors and participants for the event. Local businesses, nonprofits, camps, and organizations that host summer programs or provide services for youth and families are encouraged to participate. This is a great opportunity to promote programs, share information, and engage directly with the community as families plan their summer schedules.

For more information or to request a participation form, please contact the City of Natchitoches Main Street Office at (318) 357-3822 or email ewhitlow@natchitochesla.gov 

The Glam Dolls Majorette Team of Natchitoches earned top honors at the “Put On For Your City” competition held April 11 in Saint Martinville, taking home the title of Grand Champions Overall.

Competing against eight teams from across the region, the group secured multiple awards, including first place in Mini Stands and Creative, second place in Walk Through and Combined Stands, and fourth place in Trio.

Founded in 2023, the Glam Dolls Majorette Team is a Natchitoches-based organization that serves girls ages 5-17. The program focuses on building confidence, discipline, and self-expression through dance, while also emphasizing mentorship and personal development.

The team is led by Coach Clarissa Brown, with assistant coaches Precious Sellers and Edward Hellen. Team leadership includes Captain Alease Smith, Co-Captain Kylee Riser, Lieutenant Zariyah Calhoun, Mini Captain Christiana Hardy, and Mini Co-Captain Chy’Na Tousant.

The Glam Dolls are scheduled to compete next at the Buck N Bootz competition in Houston on May 2.

Team officials also credited parents and supporters for their continued encouragement throughout the season as the group continues to represent Natchitoches in regional competitions.

Eternal Peace Funeral Home is reassuring the public that it remains open after false information circulated online claiming the business had permanently closed.

According to the funeral home, its social media and Google accounts were recently compromised, leading to an inaccurate post published April 8, 2026.

Management said the claim that the funeral home had closed was incorrect and emphasized that the business continues to operate and serve families in the community.

Officials also issued an apology for any confusion caused by the post and reiterated their commitment to providing compassionate care.

The funeral home is located at 726 Third Street in Natchitoches and remains open to assist families.

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The Natchitoches Parish School Board continued its monthly recognition of outstanding employees, honoring two staff members from NSU Elementary Lab School as April All-Stars.

Each month, principals across the district nominate one teacher and one support staff member who demonstrate exceptional dedication to their students and school community.

At NSU Elementary Lab School, Melanie Smith, a second-grade teacher, was selected for her impact in the classroom and leadership among faculty. With 24 years of teaching experience, she serves as a TAP Mentor Teacher and is a member of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team. School officials noted her contributions to student achievement and teacher development, as well as her recognition as Teacher of the Year.

Also recognized was Sharon Holland, cafeteria manager, who has more than three decades of experience in food service, including 22 years at the school. Officials said she plays a key role in creating a welcoming environment for students while ensuring meals are prepared and served each day.

School leaders said both employees exemplify the dedication and commitment that define Natchitoches Parish Schools.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum will host its next Lunchtime Lagniappe program on Friday, April 17 highlighting the impact of Louisiana women during World War I and World War II.

Titled “Going to miss this Navy life… Louisiana Women in WWI & WWII,” the program will feature local historian Kevin Shannahan, who will present on the lives of several Louisiana women whose service during the wars helped shape both their futures and broader societal change.

Organizers note that the World Wars brought significant transformation to American society, influencing movements such as civil rights and women’s rights, with many modern-day freedoms tracing their roots to that era.

The event is free and open to the public and will take place from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the museum, located at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.

For more information, the public can visit the museum’s Facebook page or call 318-357-2492.

The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts seeks applications for Full-Time Director of Finance, Operations, and Information Technology

The Director of Finance, Operations, and IT (DFO) administers all aspects of the financial, operational, physical plant, and construction operations of LSMSA. The DFO is also responsible for information technology and human resources. Financial operations include developing the annual budget request and making day-to-day decisions on that budget. Physical plant operations encompass the development of the annual capital outlays request and oversight and management of all construction, repair, and maintenance projects and daily operations. Information technology includes decisions and oversight of the school’s computer resources, both software and hardware as well as communications and connectivity. Human resources involves the policy-making decisions regarding salaries and benefits, position control, etc. The DFO directly supervises three assistant directors.

The DFO indirectly supervises all purchasing, personnel, maintenance, and other business systems and operations at LSMSA and serves as liaison between LSMSA and various state and federal offices, agencies, institutions, and departments.

Applicants should be dedicated to an environment that is highly focused on student development and support. Further, applicants should have a commitment to their own personal and professional development and have a desire to be a member of a team.

The job description, duties, responsibilities, and required/preferred qualifications can be found here. The salary range for this 12-month position is $100,000 – $120,000. Starting date to be determined.

Application Process

Application review begins immediately and remains open until the position is filled. Please complete our standard application form and send with a cover letter, resume, contact information for three references, and an official transcript from your final degree-granting institution, to: employment@lsmsa.edu. Please submit your application as one PDF file that includes all the above.

LSMSA is a selective admission, public residential high school located in Natchitoches, LA. LSMSA has a 40-year legacy as a preeminent college-level living/learning experience for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. LSMSA, located adjacent to the Northwestern State University campus, is a National Blue Ribbon School which, in 2023 and 2024, was rated No 1 for Best Public High School Teachers in Louisiana according to Niche.com and was named a World’s Leading Boarding School by Fortune Magazine in 2023.

LSMSA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or age and prohibits such discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions online at www.lsmsa.edu/nondiscrimination

Winner of six of its last seven games, the Northwestern State softball team enters one of its most pivotal stretches of the season at home this weekend, opening a six-game run against the very teams it’s battling in the Southland Conference standings.

The Lady Demons (20-19 overall, 9-6 in the SLC) welcome UIW (25-14, 10-5) to town for a three-game series beginning today with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. and concluding Saturday at 12 p.m. All three games will stream on ESPN+, with Friday’s opener and Saturday’s finale also airing locally on 100.7 FM KZBL.

The matchup carries added weight as NSU and UIW sit among a tightly packed group chasing second place in the conference standings, and the opportunity to host one of the first-round tournament brackets the first weekend of May.

“This is the time of year where you want to be playing your best softball,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “We talk a lot about peaking at the right time and hopefully that is what we’re doing. Winning that last game on the road and taking the series at Stephen F. Austin is a huge momentum boost that hopefully we can carry into this weekend.”

Northwestern returns home riding that momentum after taking two of three at SFA, marking the first time since 2021 it has won two of its first three conference road series. The Demons also boast their best conference win total through five series since 2022 and their first winning record at this point in the season since 2023.

The series anchors a full weekend at the Demon Diamond. Today’s doubleheader carries the tag of Military Appreciation Night, with free admission for all military personnel with valid ID.

The series is the program’s annual Alumni Weekend. Following Saturday’s finale, the rescheduled Softball Mardi Gras Auction will take place at Flying Heart Brewery, with doors opening at 6 p.m.

NSU leans on a lineup that continues to heat up, led by the recent surge from Peyton Young. The junior transfer carries a team-best nine-game hitting streak into the weekend and has reached base in 12 straight contests.

Young is batting .467 during that stretch with a 1.314 OPS, raising her season average to .338. She also delivered key moments in last weekend’s series win, both at the plate and defensively.

“More than anything I think she’s just playing with a lot of confidence,” Fuller said. “We knew that she was capable of what she’s doing and now she’s showing it and getting in a groove. She’s come through in key situations offensively and defensively and has been a spark that we needed in our lineup.”

In the circle, Mattison Buster continues to anchor the Demons with one of the most dominant seasons in the conference. The junior earned her third SLC Pitcher of the Week honor after going 3-0 with two shutouts and a 0.33 ERA across 21 innings last week.

Buster leads the Southland in wins (17), complete games (15), innings pitched (142.1), shutouts (6) and appearances (29), while holding opponents to a .222 batting average. Her 17 wins are tied for the most by a Demon pitcher since 2013.

UIW presents one of the toughest offensive tests in the league. The Cardinals lead the conference in batting average (.340), home runs (46) and runs scored (270), with six players hitting above .300.

“They’re really good hitters,” Fuller said. “So it’s going to come down to our pitchers doing what they do best and making them hit our best pitches and then going after their weaknesses at the right time.”

The centerpiece of the Cardinals’ lineup is two-time defending SLC Player of the Year Victoria Altamirano, who leads the league with a .440 average, 17 home runs and 51 RBIs. Her 1.560 OPS ranks among the nation’s best, and she enters the weekend on an 11-game hitting streak while reaching base in 23 straight games.

UIW comes to Natchitoches fresh off a dominant sweep of Houston Christian, outscoring the Huskies 32-0 in three run-rule victories.

With postseason positioning on the line and two of the conference’s hottest teams squaring off, the weekend sets up as a measuring stick series for a Northwestern squad looking to continue its late-season push.

When Chris Bertrand took over the reins of the Northwestern State baseball team three years ago, he was determined to sustain a proud program and enhance it to make its stakeholders proud.

As the Demons welcome home their former lettermen for an Alumni Weekend series against Southland Conference rival Houston Christian that begins at 6:30 p.m. today at Brown-Stroud Field, Betrand and his squad have done just that. The series also includes a 2 p.m. Saturday game and a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee finale. All three games will air on ESPN+.

“When we were given the opportunity, we said this is what we wanted to get done,” Bertrand said. “Now that we’re seeing the fruits of that labor, there’s an immense amount of pride. We talk a lot about how things get done on and off the field. I think this team we have is one that is about what they say they want to be about. They are who they say they are. They do what they need to do.

“There’s a seamless look to it in that we are surrounding ourselves with good people – people who believe in what’s going on – and we want to do our part to uphold what’s been laid so far.”

The Demons (22-11 overall, 13-5 in the 30-game Southland schedule) enter their seventh SLC series of the season sitting atop the league.

They have done so with a revolving cast of contributors that has touched every part of the roster and will do so again today as junior right-hander Kevin Robinson steps into his first Southland Conference start.

“We say we’re going to be gritty and we’re going to be punchers and it’s a next-man-up attitude and it’s a family and it takes everybody, you want to show that you believe in it,” Bertrand said. “That’s why you have seen guys succeed. That’s why we have all the confidence in the world moving forward. We’re going to deal with the adversity and storms as they come as a group.

“Kevin is no different than anyone who has stepped up – I’m so proud of the position players who are doing it right now. We don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but what we do know is what we’re getting from K. Rob. You know what you’re getting when he toes the rubber. You know what you’re getting when the Demons take the field. As long as we go be that, I like where it is that we are.”

Northwestern’s three-game road sweep of UT-Rio Grande Valley this past weekend helped open some room for the Demons in the conference standings as the season hits its home stretch.

Sitting atop the table, however, brings with it a different set of challenges, even for a team that has won five straight series in league play.

“It’s high-stakes baseball,” Bertrand said. “With every good thing that comes to you, more responsibility comes with it. That target gets a little bit bigger with each one. The want you have to carve out an identity and a brand and go play well, when you’re able to accomplish that, to a small degree, what comes with it is the accountability for what’s moving forward.”

The visiting Huskies (14-18, 6-9) can commiserate with wearing a target.

HCU won the 2025 Southland Conference Tournament championship in their first season under head coach Clay VanderLaan. The Huskies jumped to a 4-2 start in conference play, including a road series win at McNeese.

“They’re going to be three absolute dogfight baseball games,” Bertrand said. “We share very similar characteristics. They are tough and gritty. They throw strikes. Whether it be this year or last year, they play a brand of baseball that is very similar to ours. We expect to get every best bullet in an absolute battle from good people. Clay’s done an unbelievable job. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves in that environment.”

Phonetic: /puh-NAHSH/

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition

• flamboyant confidence of style or manner.
  “he entertained Palm Springs society with great panache”

Motorists traveling along Interstate 49 northbound near Derry were advised to use caution following a vehicle fire reported late Wednesday afternoon. According to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 5:25 p.m. to a minor commercial vehicle fire near mile marker 117, just south of Derry.

Responding agencies included Natchitoches Parish Fire Protection District No. 1, which assisted at the scene. Authorities said traffic in the area was reduced to one lane as crews worked to manage the situation. Deputy Sgt. K. Padilla was on scene representing the sheriff’s office.

District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced that multiple defendants entered guilty pleas in Division A of the 10th Judicial District Court under Judge Desiree Dyess.

Charles Anthony McCray, 31, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to possession of Schedule II with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 16 years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Jacoby Tramain Helaire, 45, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to possession of Schedule II with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 15 years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Victor Taylor, 28, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery. He was sentenced to nine years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Patrick Shon Duncan, 55, of Mansfield, pleaded guilty to simple burglary. He was sentenced to eight and a half years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Samantha Holden, 38, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to aggravated flight from an officer. She was sentenced to seven years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Bobby Jefferson, 59, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to failure to register as a sex offender and driving while intoxicated, third offense. He was sentenced to eight years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Cody Foster, 40, of Natchitoches, pleaded guilty to failure to register as a sex offender, first offense. He was sentenced to four years of incarceration in the Department of Corrections.

Deputies with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office recovered a stolen vehicle on April 7 along Interstate 49 near Montrose.

According to authorities, deputies located the abandoned vehicle at approximately 3:34 p.m. on I-49 northbound near mile marker 121 after receiving information from Louisiana State Police Troop E.

The vehicle, identified as a 2015 Kia Optima, had been reported stolen on Feb. 4, 2026, to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Police Department.

NPSO communications operators confirmed the vehicle’s stolen status, and it was subsequently towed to the Natchitoches Detention Center for further processing by detectives.

Deputy C. Matheny and Deputy Sgt. K. Padilla assisted in the recovery.

A Natchitoches man was arrested Monday afternoon following a vehicle pursuit and brief foot chase in Robeline, according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Stuart Wright said deputies were dispatched around 2:22 p.m. on April 6 to a reported disturbance involving a male and female in the 8900 block of Texas Street.

While en route, deputies were advised that the male suspect had fled the scene in a 2015 black Nissan Altima. Deputies later located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop on La. Highway 6 east of Robeline, but the driver refused to stop and continued at a high rate of speed, reportedly passing vehicles in no-passing zones.

The pursuit continued eastbound toward the La. Highway 6 and Interstate 49 area before the driver pulled into a nearby business. Additional assistance was provided by the Natchitoches Police Department.

Authorities said the driver, identified as 19-year-old Keron Jackson of Natchitoches, exited the vehicle and refused repeated commands before fleeing on foot toward a nearby vacant restaurant. A deputy pursued Jackson, who eventually fell into a ditch where he was taken into custody.

Jackson complained of dizziness and nausea following his arrest, prompting a response from emergency medical personnel. He was evaluated at the scene and released without needing transport.

He was booked into the LaSalle Corrections/Natchitoches Detention Center and charged with aggravated flight from an officer and resisting an officer.

Officials said the female involved in the initial disturbance was interviewed by the Robeline Police Department and declined to pursue charges. She was not injured and did not require medical treatment.

Deputy J. Brown made the arrest with assistance from multiple deputies and investigators.

Join Marvin as he talks about Natchitoches crime and other issues that need a plan!

Brought to you by Lance Lopez with Farm Bureau, the Harrington Law Firm, the Sharpco Hotel Group, the Mariner’s Restaurant and Local Businessman Pat Johnson;

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Two young women from the Natchitoches and Cane River areas have been named to the Royal Court for the 77th Cotillion, an annual tradition in the Ark-La-Tex region.

The Cotillion Club announced that Sophia Sutton Hogg will serve as Duchess of Cane River, while Anne Michelle Long has been selected as Duchess of Natchitoches.

Hogg, a student at Louisiana State University, is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. John Edward Hogg. Long, who attends the University of Louisiana at Monroe, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Dale Long Jr.

Their selection continues a long-standing tradition of including representatives from across the region in one of Shreveport’s most prominent social events.

The 2026 Cotillion, themed “Celestial Celebration,” is scheduled for Friday, April 17, at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. Organizers said the event will draw inspiration from celestial imagery, including constellations and sunbursts, reflecting centuries of fascination with the night sky.

The evening will include the formal presentation of the Royal Court, followed by a banquet and dancing. Music will be provided by the Chad Causey Orchestra and the Jordan Kahn Orchestra.

Additional members of the 2026 Royal Court include Rex LXXVII William Attwell Hancock, Regina LXXVII Ashton Marianne Farr, Prince Akin Stander Olsan Jr., and Princess Julia Claire Hancock.

Founded in 1949, the Cotillion Club was established to promote interest in the Shreveport area and has remained a longstanding tradition inspired by New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes. The event continues to draw participation from families across the region while contributing to the local economy.