The Louisiana Legislature passed SB 121 Thursday, sending a new congressional map to Governor Jeff Landry for his signature following months of debate prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state’s previous district lines.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais found that the previous map unconstitutionally prioritized race over traditional redistricting principles such as compactness and communities of interest. The new map was drawn without race as the predominant factor in determining district boundaries.

The legislation creates five Republican-leaning congressional districts statewide. A review of the enacted map shows that some parishes are split between congressional districts. 

For Caddo and Bossier parishes, both remain unified within the Fourth Congressional District alongside De Soto, Red River, Natchitoches, Sabine, Webster, Claiborne, and Bienville parishes. Central Louisiana, including Rapides Parish, is kept whole within the Fifth Congressional District.

The map now heads to the Governor for signature. If signed, it will govern Louisiana’s congressional representation through the remainder of the decade.

The Shreveport-Bossier Journal will continue to monitor developments.

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The Kiwanis Club awarded three of its annual scholarships Tuesday during its weekly meeting, recognizing local high school graduates for their academic achievements and career goals.

Lamar Tarver, chairman of the scholarship committee, presented the awards and highlighted the accomplishments of each recipient.

Rebekah Dupree, a graduate of Calvin High School, received a scholarship to attend Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Dupree plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, with a eventual focus on pediatric care. She is the daughter of Kim and Sam Dupree.

For the first time in the club’s history, scholarships were also awarded to students attending Central Louisiana Technical Community College.

Twin sisters Peyton and Madalyn Cotton, both graduates of Dodson High School, received the technical college scholarships. Peyton Cotton plans to pursue a two-year associate degree in business. Madalyn Cotton will study practical nursing, with plans to later transition into a registered nursing program. They are the daughters of Christy and Tommy Cotton.

Club officials expressed pride in supporting the education of local students and announced that a fourth scholarship will be awarded next week.

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The City of Winnfield is notifying residents and property owners about significant upcoming changes to Louisiana’s tax sale system that will take effect at the beginning of 2026.

According to city officials, Louisiana tax sales will officially transition from the traditional sale of tax sale titles to a new system based on tax lien certificate auctions effective January 1, 2026.

Before the new process begins, the City of Winnfield will conduct its final tax sale under the current system on May 30, 2026.

City officials said the transition marks a major procedural change in how delinquent property taxes will be handled moving forward across the state.

Under the current system, purchasers at tax sales can obtain tax sale titles on delinquent properties. Beginning in 2026, however, future auctions will involve tax lien certificates instead, changing the rights and procedures associated with tax sale purchases.

The city is encouraging property owners and prospective bidders to become familiar with the upcoming changes and future tax lien auction procedures.

Officials also announced that the delinquent tax listing for 2025 is now available for public review. Property owners wishing to make payments on delinquent taxes can do so through the City of Winnfield’s official website.

City leaders emphasized the importance of staying informed as Louisiana transitions to the updated tax lien certificate system, which will impact future tax sale processes statewide.

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Residents across Winn Parish should prepare for several days of wet and unsettled weather as showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout the remainder of the week and into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say rain chances will begin increasing Wednesday, with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible during the morning before more widespread rain develops during the afternoon hours. High temperatures are expected to reach near 85 degrees with light southerly winds developing later in the day. The chance of precipitation is forecast at 80 percent.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue Wednesday night under cloudy skies, with overnight lows falling to around 69 degrees.

Additional rounds of rain and thunderstorms are likely Thursday, with storm activity expected to intensify during the morning and continue through much of the day. High temperatures are forecast near 84 degrees, and rain chances remain elevated at 80 percent.

Conditions may begin to improve slightly Thursday night, though isolated thunderstorms and scattered showers will still remain possible before tapering overnight.

Another active weather day is forecast Friday, with additional showers and thunderstorms likely developing during the afternoon and evening hours. High temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-80s under mostly cloudy skies.

Rain chances continue into the weekend, though coverage is expected to become more scattered. Saturday carries a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with highs near 87 degrees, while Sunday will bring partly sunny skies and another opportunity for isolated afternoon storms with highs near 86 degrees.

The National Weather Service encourages residents to remain weather aware throughout the week, particularly during thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rainfall, dangerous lightning, and gusty winds.

Drivers are urged to slow down during heavy rain events and avoid traveling through flooded roadways or areas with standing water.

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The Kiwanis International honored students across Winn Parish as part of its May 2026 Terrific Kids program, recognizing young individuals for their character, leadership, and positive behavior in the classroom.

Kindergarten

Left to right: Murphy Swensen, Chandler Ford, Jaci Lee.
Principal Byron King, Kiwanian Troy Rogers, Assistant Principal Resa Johnson

Grade 1

Left to right: Don’Aria Cockerham, Asher Conner, Wilder Godwin, Royce Philson.
Principal Byron King, Kiwanian Troy Rogers, Assistant Principal Resa Johnson.

Grade 2

Left to right: Remyngton Parker, A’Mari Stewart, Angel Cornett, Losie Curry.
Principal Byron King, Kiwanian Troy Rogers, Assistant Principal Resa Johnson.

Grade 3

Left to right: Israel Miranda, Carson Durbin, Moriah Jewitt.
Principal Byron King, Kiwanian Troy Rogers, Assistant Principal Resa Johnson.

Grade 4

Left to right: China Allen, Lena Jones, Isaac Gauthier, Justice Stringer.
Principal Bryon King, Kiwanian Troy Rogers, Assistant Principal Resa Johnson.

DODSON

Left to right: Zoe Muse, Josie Broomfield, Nathan Roppolo, Noah Treadway, Kaylee Blackstock.
Principal Wendy Miller, Kiwanian Rita James

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Students representing Winn 4-H are being recognized after strong performances during a recent Food Challenge competition where participants were tasked with creating dishes featuring a surprise ingredient.

According to Winn 4-H officials, this year’s mystery ingredient was cauliflower, challenging teams to quickly develop creative recipes and demonstrate teamwork, cooking skills, and nutritional knowledge under competition conditions.

One Winn Parish team — made up of Emma, Ella, Emily Grace, and Catherine — earned third place honors in Division 3 following their presentation and prepared dish.

Organizers praised both Winn Parish teams for their hard work and performance throughout the competition.

Food Challenge events are designed to help students develop important life skills including meal planning, food preparation, communication, and teamwork while encouraging confidence in the kitchen and healthy food choices.

Winn 4-H leaders said they are proud of all the students who represented the parish during the event and congratulated the teams on a successful day of competition.

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The biggest, most star-studded and fun-filled party of every summer for miles around is coming your way in a month.

Three days of festivities are approaching beginning Thursday, June 25 through Saturday, June 27 for the 2026 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration in Natchitoches.

The LSHOF’s Class of 2026 will be enshrined Saturday night, June 27 at the Natchitoches Events Center to culminate the 67^th Induction Celebration.

The Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday, June 25, with the Welcome Reception from 5-7 p.m., free to the public at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street.

The Friday, June 26 schedule begins with the Celebrity Bowling Bash presented by BOM at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. The 2026 Rockin’ River Fest, a free concert on the downtown riverbank stage, begins at 6 p.m. and runs until 10:30. In conjunction with the Rockin’ River Fest is the VIP Taste of Tailgating party, a ticketed indoor-outdoor event.

The slate on Saturday, June 27 kicks off with the free LSHOF Junior Training Camp led by community relations personnel from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, along with Northwestern State coaches and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, on the NSU campus at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center and Turpin Stadium. This event is presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and is nearing capacity. Free registration for kids ages 7-16 is required and can be easily accomplished at LaSportsHall.com.

At noon Saturday, the Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation is set for Riverside Reserve on Mill Street. Fox Sports broadcaster Tim Brando emcees an entertaining program.

Festivities culminate Saturday evening with the Induction Reception at the LSHOF museum beginning at 5, followed at 7 by the Induction Ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center. Northwestern State University and State Farm Agents of Louisiana are presenting sponsors Saturday evening.

The VIP Taste of Tailgating, the Bowling Bash, the Round Table Luncheon and the Induction Reception and Ceremony are ticketed events requiring purchase in advance through LaSportsHall.com or by calling 318-238-4255.

The Thursday reception, the Friday evening River Fest and the Junior Training Camp are free.

The Class of ‘26 is headlined by a star-studded group:  Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2025 inductee Sylvia Fowles, NFL stars Joe Horn, Todd McClure and Pat Williams, Major League Baseball All-Star Jonathan Lucroy and legendary basketball coaches John Brady, Mike McConathy and Dewain Strother.

Alexandria native and LSU baseball hero Warren Morris will receive the Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, earning enshrinement into the LSHOF. His walk-off home run won the 1996 College World Series for LSU and resulted in the Bolton High School product becoming a lifelong spokesman for college baseball, the CWS and LSU.

LSU graduate and New Orleans native Gil LeBreton and multi-faceted Shreveporter John James Marshall are going into the Hall as the 2026 winners of the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. Former Tioga girls basketball coach and nationally-acclaimed high school sports administrator Kathy Holloway is being inducted as the recipient of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.

The Induction Celebration will be hosted by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors. 

For information on sponsorship opportunities and other participation, contact Foundation President/CEO Ronnie Rantz at 225-802-6040 or RonnieRantz@LaSportsHall.com, or Greg Burke, Director of Business Development and Public Relations, at 318-663-5459 or GregBurke@LaSportsHall.com via email.

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has announced that applications are now available for the 2026 commercial alligator lottery harvest season, which will begin Aug. 26 across designated wildlife management areas, public lakes, and federal property locations throughout the state.

According to LDWF, the commercial alligator lottery harvests will take place on 23 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), 28 public lakes, and one U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property.

Officials say applications must be submitted by June 15, 2026.

LDWF emphasized that this program is the state’s longstanding commercial alligator lottery harvest and is separate from the recently adopted recreational alligator lottery program, which will feature a different application process expected to open later this year.

Eligible applicants must be Louisiana residents who are at least 16 years old. Participants may submit one application per customer and may rank up to three preferred hunting areas on their application.

The application fee is $5, along with a $3.50 transaction fee. Hunters selected through the lottery process will also be required to purchase a $25 alligator hunter license and pay $40 for each alligator tag allocated.

To assist applicants in selecting hunting locations, LDWF has made additional resources available online, including area maps, contact information for WMAs and public lakes, and statistics showing 2025 first-choice selection percentages for each location.

The department encourages interested applicants to review the available information carefully before applying.

For additional information regarding commercial lottery alligator harvests on WMAs and public lakes, residents may contact their local LDWF Field Office or email LAalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov.

Applications and additional program information are available through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website.

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Nothing is harder to swallow than when a younger athlete comes along and replaces the older, more experienced player. Egos are shattered and feelings are sometimes hurt. No athlete likes to be put out to pasture. But in today’s bass fishing universe, that’s exactly what’s happening.

To say the young guns of bass fishing have arrived would be an understatement! No matter what sport you play, there comes a day when someone wants to take your spot. They respect you because of your experience and time you’ve given to the game, but they are the ones pushing you out of the sport you love. 

Today, a younger generation is making its mark on the sport of tournament bass fishing by utterly dominating tournaments with catches that no one has ever seen before. This past month a young buck, Andrew Rickman, 24 years old from Canton, Texas, made his presence felt by catching a record setting B.A.S.S. Nation record of 95 pounds,15 ounces over a three-day period.

Now to some this may not resonate, especially if you’re not familiar with tournament bass fishing. But what this young man did is nothing short of incredible! Maybe this will help you understand; he caught 15 bass over the three days and averaged over 6 pounds per fish — something that has never been done before in tournament competition. 

What makes this more amazing is the fact that he had never seen, let alone fished Toledo Bend in his entire life! Most anglers could add up three years of tournament catches and not even come close to 95 pounds of bass. This kid did it in three days with zero experience on the lake!

It’s just another testament to how good so many of these young anglers are. They are doing things and catching fish in ways the older generation of anglers have never dreamed about. 

One thing that is very noticeable about the young anglers of today; they spend a tremendous amount of time on the water learning new techniques and studying their electronic units like Forward-Facing Sonar so they can get better.

So many of these young anglers (due to forward-facing sonar) have been unfairly labeled as “scopers only.” But it’s a little unfair to put a blanket label over all of them because so many have been raised with old-school techniques and can catch bass with or without Forward Facing Sonar.  

To put a bow on this topic, if changes or FFS restrictions are not made with regards to bass tournaments, I highly suggest that the older anglers spend more time on the water learning how to use FFS during the off season and spend less time in the deer stand if they want to be competitive with the young guns that are on the rise in the bass tournament world. 

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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The Louisiana Department of Health announced Friday that beginning May 26, state SNAP recipients will only be able to use their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards for purchases made within Louisiana and in ZIP codes adjacent to the state’s border.

Department officials said the policy change aims to protect benefits from fraud and out-of-state use while ensuring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars support Louisiana grocers, farmers, businesses and local communities.

EBT cardholders who shop at Louisiana stores and through approved online retailers will not be affected. Residents who regularly shop just across the state line in Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas will experience little to no disruption, as many of those border ZIP codes are included under the policy’s approved designation. Out-of-state purchases attempted outside of the approved areas will be blocked.

SNAP recipients who are traveling and need temporary access to make purchases outside of Louisiana can request a short-term exemption online at lifeincheckebt.com, by calling 888-524-3578, or by visiting a local department SNAP office.

Any temporary out-of-state access will automatically expire at the beginning of the following month, returning the card to the default setting.

For more information and a full list of approved border-area ZIP codes, residents can visit ldh.la.gov/page/electronic-benefits-transfer-ebt.

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