Natchitoches Christmas is pleased to announce that LSU Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kim Mulkey will serve as Celebrity Captain of the 2026 Natchitoches Christmas “Festival of Lights” Parade on Saturday, December 5, in downtown Natchitoches.

Mulkey will help lead the 1 p.m. parade as Natchitoches celebrates the 100th Natchitoches Christmas Festival, marking a century of one of Louisiana’s most beloved holiday traditions.

Her appearance comes during a special weekend for women’s basketball in Natchitoches. The LSU Tigers will face the Northwestern State Lady Demons on Sunday, December 6, at Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Coach Mulkey and the LSU Women’s Basketball team to Natchitoches during such a historic year for our Christmas Festival,” said Sandra Dickens, Natchitoches Christmas Board Chair. “When we learned LSU would be in Natchitoches for the game against Northwestern State, we knew this was a unique opportunity. Coach Mulkey is one of the most recognizable figures in Louisiana sports, and having her help lead our parade as we celebrate 100 years of Christmas makes an already special weekend even more memorable.”

Mulkey also shares a special connection with Natchitoches through the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, where she was inducted in 1990 following her standout playing career at Louisiana Tech. The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is housed at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in downtown Natchitoches.

A native of Tickfaw, Louisiana, Mulkey has built one of the most accomplished careers in college basketball. She is the only person in college basketball history, men’s or women’s, to win national championships as a player, assistant coach and head coach. As a player at Louisiana Tech, Mulkey helped the Lady Techsters capture national championships in 1981 and 1982 and later helped the program win another national title as an assistant coach in 1988. As a head coach, she won three NCAA national championships at Baylor before returning to Louisiana to lead LSU, where she guided the Tigers to the program’s first NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship in 2023.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the historic Natchitoches Christmas ‘Festival of Lights’ parade as the state of Louisiana celebrates this great tradition for the 100th time,” Mulkey said. “I’m always looking to give back to the state I love whenever I can. The opportunity presented itself, and I accepted. I look forward to seeing everyone on December 5 and, once more, at Prather Coliseum on December 6. We are excited to make our time in Natchitoches a memorable one.”

The December 6 matchup will bring LSU Women’s Basketball to Northwestern State’s Prather Coliseum, adding another major event to Natchitoches’ centennial Christmas weekend. Natchitoches Christmas also extends its appreciation to Northwestern State Head Coach Alan Frey, who helped make Coach Mulkey’s participation possible by personally extending the invitation for her to serve as Celebrity Captain.

“Bringing an elite program here to play us is exciting enough, but having Coach Mulkey agree to be the Celebrity Captain in Saturday’s parade makes this an unforgettable weekend for Natchitoches basketball fans,” Frey said. “I want to thank Kim for saying yes to the ask and giving our community a great show on the parade route before our historic matchup on Sunday.”

The 2026 Natchitoches Christmas “Festival of Lights” Parade will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, December 5, traveling from the Northwestern State University campus through the Natchitoches Historic District.

The parade is part of the 100th Natchitoches Christmas Festival, which will feature a full day of activities in downtown Natchitoches, including entertainment, arts and crafts, food vendors and the festival’s signature fireworks celebration over Cane River Lake.

For additional information about the 100th Natchitoches Christmas Festival, visit NatchitochesChristmas.com.

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September 14, 2026
LaJusrick Pleasant, 36, of Winnfield, was arrested for theft (embezzlement).

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Arrest Report

8/31/26 Deanna Gorham W/F 56- Warrant

9/3/26 Damion Sapp B/M 26- Warrant, Criminal Trespass, Unauthorized Entry, Battery of Dating Partner, Aggravated Assault with Firearm

9/6/26 Omar Flores H/M 51- Domestic Abuse Battery

9/9/26 Eugene Tolbert B/M 69- Warrant

9/10/26 Ridge Spivey W/M 33- Warrant, Cruelty to Juveniles

9/10/26 Amy Sanders W/F 43- Warrant

9/11/26 Ernest Freeman W/M 53- Warrant

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WINNFIELD — Former Winnfield City Judge Keith Gates addressed the Winnfield Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, detailing his candidacy for District Attorney of Winn Parish. Speaking to a room of civic leaders and fellow club members, Gates framed his campaign around a straightforward pledge: “Tough on crime, careful with your tax dollars.”

Gates, who resigned from the city bench earlier this year in compliance with Louisiana judicial rules to seek non-judicial office, outlined his background rooted in North Louisiana. Raised in nearby Goldonna, Gates graduated from Northwestern State University in 2004 before earning two law degrees from LSU Law Center in 2007. His legal career includes clerking for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Victory, handling civil and criminal litigation, co-founding a Washington, D.C.-based government oversight firm, and serving as Winnfield City Prosecutor from 2013 until his election to the bench in 2020.

Addressing local safety, Gates pointed to 2024 crime figures showing Winnfield reported 50 violent crimes—a per-capita rate roughly double the state average and triple the national rate. He stressed that study after study confirms a small group of repeat offenders is responsible for the vast majority of local infractions.

“You don’t have a parish full of hardened criminals; you have a few individuals committing the vast majority of crimes,”

Gates told the club. With Winn Parish scheduled for only seven jury trial weeks next year, he emphasized that a district attorney cannot try every case and must be ruthlessly strategic. Gates pledged to focus trial dockets heavily on violent offenders and habitual felons to secure convictions and strengthen the office’s leverage in plea negotiations, while supporting diversion and treatment programs for non-violent, first-time drug offenders. He also noted he plans to personally try cases in the courtroom.

On the fiscal side, Gates commended retiring District Attorney Chris Nevils for restoring administrative discipline and paying down past debts. However, looking at the office’s roughly $1.08 million budget, Gates noted its current unrestricted cash reserve sits around $23,000. He established a campaign goal to build that emergency cushion north of $100,000 during his first term to ensure smooth operations if state grants or fine revenues face delays.

Gates also proposed shifting the department toward a “vertical prosecution” system, having individual Assistant District Attorneys manage assigned cases from initial filing straight through appeal.

The Kiwanis Club plans to host fellow DA candidate Jacque Derr next week.

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The Rotary Club of Winnfield received an energized view of efforts to expand workforce development and student success initiatives through Central Louisiana Technical Community College when its new chancellor spoke September 9.

While tradition continues to direct high school seniors to four-year colleges and universities, Dr. Heather Poole pointed out that many of the high-paying, readily available jobs in our region actually require more than a secondary education but less than a four-year degree, with the costs that entails.  A Technical Community College route should not be considered a “second choice” option for career skills training but rather a workforce development opportunity.

CLTCC has seven campuses spread across central Louisiana, serving a ten-parish region.  The central campus is in Alexandria but the focus of Dr. Poole’s talk was the Huey P. Long campus here in Winnfield.  Longtime residents who have not followed the impressive progress of the school may still think of it as the “Vo-Tech” or even the older “Trade School.”  Dr. Poole suggested they should view the state-of-the-art HPL Campus, one of the regional highlights.

Unfortunately, the campus is underutilized so the chancellor detailed work being done to expand various workforce programs to involve as many students as possible.  She pointed to the tremendous artificial intelligence data center project in Richland Parish that promises 7,500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs.  “We want to see those jobs go to workforce-trained people here in north Louisiana rather than them bringing in workers from out-of-state.”

She said other similar opportunities could open up in our region and CLTCC wants to help supply a workforce trained and ready to take those jobs.  She described the people of our region, both men and women, as “workers,” highly suitable for the opportunities opening up.

The chancellor is no stranger of higher education.  The MBA graduate from LSU went on the Louisiana Tech for her doctorate in higher education administration.  She’s worked to promote economic development in Central Louisiana as well as advancing educational opportunities for all Louisianans. She’s been described as “a respected voice in higher education and a champion of education, workforce alignment and student success.”

Among the many leadership organizations in which she’s involved is her longtime membership in the Rotary Club of Downtown Alexandria.

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WINN PARISH, La. — Winn Parish residents can expect an extended stretch of hot and mostly dry weather through the weekend, with afternoon temperatures hovering near the triple-digit mark before rain chances begin to increase Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Wednesday will be sunny and hot with a high near 99 degrees. Heat index values could climb as high as 108 degrees, making conditions feel significantly hotter than the actual air temperature. Winds will be calm before becoming easterly at around 5 mph during the afternoon. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with a low near 73.

The heat continues Thursday, with sunny skies and another high near 99 degrees. Mostly clear conditions are expected Thursday night as temperatures fall to around 69.

Friday will bring little relief, with sunny skies and a high once again near 99 degrees. Friday night will remain mostly clear with a low around 70.

Another hot and sunny day is forecast for Saturday, when temperatures are expected to reach approximately 99 degrees. Saturday night will be partly cloudy with a low near 71.

The weather pattern begins to change Sunday, when Winn Parish will have a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, conditions will remain mostly sunny and hot with a high near 97. Sunday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 72.

Rain chances increase further Monday, with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. The additional cloud cover and precipitation chances should bring temperatures down slightly, although it will remain hot with a high near 95.

With heat index values potentially reaching 108 degrees Wednesday and temperatures near 99 for several consecutive days, residents should take precautions when spending extended periods outdoors. Staying hydrated, taking frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas and limiting strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest portion of the afternoon can help reduce the risk of heat-related illness.

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The Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child West Central Louisiana Area Team is hosting their annual kickoff celebration/project leader workshop on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at First Baptist Church in Natchitoches. The west central Louisiana area includes the parishes of Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Winn. This year’s celebration, the Pray Expect Participate Rally Expo, will begin at 9 am.

Whether you have attended in the past or this will be your first workshop, you will get to see new content and receive an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the ministry of Operation Christmas Child and the resources available to support your churches and groups in packing shoeboxes.

This will be a fun and beneficial time of fellowship, along with snacks, new resources, and learning about ways to get your congregation or group members more involved. This workshop will also be a great place for you to meet like-minded individuals in your community and learn more about the impact you are having on children around the world. Each church represented will receive preprinted decorative shoeboxes as a part of the event.

Breakfast and Expo begins at 9 am. The program will start at 10 am. Anyone interested in learning more about this ministry along with project leaders is invited to this free event. Register online today to attend this kickoff celebration.

Date: Saturday, September 19

Time: 9 am – 12 noon

Location: First Baptist Church Natchitoches
 508 Second St.
 Natchitoches, LA

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WINNFIELD – The only thing standing in between the Winnfield High football team and a 3-0 record is rival Jonesboro-Hodge.

But the visiting Tigers could say the same thing about Winnfield as both teams enter Friday’s contest 2-0.

Second-year coach Byron Keller said he can’t wait for the electric atmosphere.

“It will be great Friday night with both teams coming in undefeated,” Keller said. “Hodge is extremely athletic as always and can hurt you with big, explosive plays.

“We have to minimize the big play and win all three phases of the game to be successful.”

There’s one phase in particular in which Winnfield has excelled.

The Tigers struggled mightily on defense this past season, but under new defensive coordinator Scott Green, Winnfield has allowed a combined eight points in wins over Glenbrook (20-8) and Arcadia (40-0).

“Coach Scott Green has installed a defensive plan that allows our players to play fast and physical,” Keller said. “Keep everything simple and play fast, and we are reaping the benefits of it.

“We are getting close to having one-way players that allow us to stay fresh and provide opportunities for our younger players to gain quality playing time in the future.”

Both teams have healthy roster sizes for their respective classifications – Class 1A Jonesboro lists 39 players on its roster while Class 2A Winnfield carries 46 players.

And they’ve benefited from those advantages against their opponents.

J-Hodge outlasted Lakeside 14-8 before blasting Delhi Charter 50-8.

Winnfield has won the past two meetings with J-Hodge, including a 28-6 victory to open the Keller era this past season.

If the home Tigers are to make it three-in-a-row, controlling the ball via the ground game will be a key.

Winnfield’s offense took off this past week against Arcadia with a healthy backfield.

“It’s the first time this season we had our complete backfield,” Keller said. “The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and made the running backs job easy.”

“We had a very physical fall camp, which led to bumps, bruises, and some injuries. Now our running backs and receivers are 100 percent, and the younger players that stepped up during their absences are getting with those quality reps.”

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Louisiana hunters will have an early opportunity to return to the marsh this weekend as the state’s September teal season opens Saturday, Sept. 19.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the statewide season will run Sept. 19-27, 2026.

During the special September season, hunters may harvest only blue-winged, green-winged and cinnamon teal. LDWF reminded hunters that black-bellied whistling ducks and all other waterfowl species are not legal to harvest during the September teal season. Teal may also be taken during Louisiana’s regular duck season, which begins in November.

Hunters are encouraged to make sure they have the required licenses, permits and certifications before heading into the field.

Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older are required to have a Federal Duck Stamp. Hunters age 18 and older must also possess a basic hunting license, waterfowl license and Harvest Information Program, or HIP, certification. Youth age 17 and younger are not required to have a hunting license.

Several LDWF Wildlife Management Areas provide teal hunting opportunities, including Pass-a-Loutre, Atchafalaya Delta, Pointe-aux-Chenes, Sherburne, Dewey Wills and Russell Sage WMAs. Visitors age 18 and older using WMAs must have the appropriate WMA access permit or a qualifying license.

LDWF is also reminding hunters to positively identify their target before shooting, particularly during the early teal season when other waterfowl species may be present.

The nine-day season concludes Sunday, Sept. 27. Hunters should review current LDWF regulations, licensing requirements and WMA-specific rules before hunting.

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There are two times during the year that are awesome for bass fishing, spring and fall. During the spring, bass are moving up into the shallows to spawn and make more little bass. So, it’s a great time to catch that fish of a lifetime as the big females are full of eggs. In the fall, the bass are going through a feeding frenzy and fattening up for the winter which also makes for exciting fishing.

Of these two times of the year, fall is probably my favorite. If you want to catch fish in the fall, tie on any lure you want as long as it looks like a shad. 

Shad colored spinnerbaits or crankbaits are deadly during the fall. Bass will slowly migrate out of their deep summer haunts and will move up shallow and into the back of the creeks. 

They will literally go into ambush mode and destroy a school of baitfish. If whatever you’re throwing looks like shad, they will eat it! Here are few tips on what to throw if you’re not sure what you need to tie on. 

I love to catch them on a shad pattern spinnerbait this time of year. You can throw either a white or any type of shad color and catch fish. Your hook up ratio with a spinnerbait seems to be really good. But a good shad colored crankbait like a Bandit 100 or 200 series in a pearl color with a black back or a white splatter back will also put fish in the boat. 

It’s also a great time to throw a buzz bait or any kind of topwater bait. Bass love a walking style bait like Heddon Zara Spook in either chrome or white. 

But there’s also another bait that is pretty much a guarantee for catching fish in the fall, a rattling shad bait like a Bill Lewis Rattle Trap or a SPRO Aruku Shad. Both baits truly mimic the bait fish bass are gorging themselves on this time of year. 

Fall can also be an excellent time to go out on the lake and find new places you might want to fish next season. And if the lake is low, it’s really great to try to locate and mark those hard spots bass love to get on in the winter and early spring. 

Too many anglers miss out on some of the best bass fishing of year as they park their bass boats and load up four-wheelers and head to the woods. Many start to focus on getting deer stands cleaned out or building and dressing their duck blinds. 

So, take advantage of uncrowded boat ramps that the fall brings. Head out to your favorite lake and enjoy some of the best bass fishing of the year. You never know, you just might catch your personal best.   

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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A benefit concert for Boston Pace will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3- 9 pm at the Lagniappe Event Center in Alexandria featuring country and Southern music performers from Louisiana, Texas and Nashville. Tickets for the benefit concert are $25 for general admission. Doors open at 2 p.m., with the concert scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Lagniappe Event Center, 7521 Coliseum Blvd. in Alexandria.

Tickets will be available online and at the door. Online tickets are available through Eventbrite at Eventbrite.

Boston Pace, 7, became ill with strep throat in March 2026 along with his two brothers. While his brothers recovered, Boston’s symptoms worsened, including vomiting and severe headaches. After initially testing negative for strep, doctors attributed his symptoms to a virus and later to heat-related illness. Despite efforts to keep him hydrated and indoors, his symptoms continued.

On June 14, Pace took Boston to the emergency room, where a CT scan revealed a mass on his brain. Doctors suspected diffuse midline glioma (DMG), an aggressive brain tumor. The family was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where doctors placed a shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid and performed a biopsy that confirmed the diagnosis.

The event is presented by Buckshot Records LLC and Artist Development.

The lineup includes Jake Whyatt of Nashville, Tennessee; Heads or Tails Band of Alexandria, Louisiana; Thomas Tibbs of Jena, Louisiana; Pat Waters of Longview, Texas; and Big Green Tractor, Nashville’s tribute to Jason Aldean.

Organizers said the event will bring artists, businesses and community members together to show their support for Boston Pace and his family.

Jake Whyatt will travel from Nashville to join the benefit, along with Heads or Tails Band, Thomas Tibbs and Pat Waters. Big Green Tractor will close out the lineup.

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In the early 1990s, video games were entering what I suppose we could call their second generation. Compared with what children play today, they were technologically primitive. But at our house, they were cutting-edge.

Our oldest daughter, Allison, asked for a Nintendo for Christmas—the one with Super Mario Brothers.

Christmas morning, the Nintendo was connected to our enormous twenty-five-inch console television. For those of you under forty, a console television was roughly the size of a small refrigerator, weighed slightly more than a Methodist church, and once you put it in the den, it stayed there until the Second Coming.

And Allison started playing Mario.

She was good at it. More importantly, she was persistent. If Mario needed to jump over something, she learned exactly when to jump. If there was a hidden passage, she found it. If there was some secret way through a level, she kept working until she discovered it.

She accumulated experience. She advanced through levels. She got better and better.

Every once in a while, she would let her younger brother Andrew play.

The rule was simple: You can play until you lose all your lives.

Andrew’s turn did not take long.

Bless his heart.

Mario would start running. Mario would hit something. Mario would die. A few moments later, Andrew would hand the controller back to Allison.

She tried to teach him.

“Jump here.”

“Don’t go that way.”

“Wait until that thing moves.”

“Push this button.”

None of it helped.

Then school started back. One afternoon Andrew got home before Allison. I told him, “Andrew, I’ve been working on a project for you.”

While the children had been at school, Dad had been playing Mario. This was not recreation. This was serious parental research. And while I played, I recorded the television onto our VCR—another ancient piece of technology. I had about thirty minutes of Mario being played reasonably well on videotape.

I told Andrew, “When Allison gets home, I’m going to play this tape. You sit on the floor with the controller and pretend you’re playing.”

Andrew immediately understood the spiritual gift God had given him for irritating his sister.

“Move the controller. Lean from side to side. Grunt occasionally. Act frustrated. Do everything Allison does.”

So when Allison came home, there sat her little brother in front of the television playing Mario. And he was magnificent. He sailed through places he could not get through the night before. He made impossible jumps. He advanced from level to level.

Finally Allison asked, “How did you learn to do that so fast?”

We had her. We absolutely had her. Until Andrew started giggling. He put the controller down, turned around, and grinned at his sister— and Mario kept playing.

“ANDREW!”

For a few wonderful minutes, Andrew looked like a gamer. He held the controller. He made all the right movements. He sat in the right place. He knew when to grunt. There was only one problem. He wasn’t actually playing the game.

I wonder sometimes whether that little scene from our den is a pretty good picture of what can happen in the Christian life. We learn how to hold the controller. We know when to stand and when to sit. We know the hymns. We know the prayers. We know when to say “Amen.” We know how Christians are supposed to look and sound. We can become very good at appearing to be disciples.

But Jesus never called us simply to look like disciples. He called us to follow him. To forgive when forgiveness is difficult. To love people we would rather avoid. To serve when serving is inconvenient. To trust when life is uncertain. To give generously. To pray honestly. To live differently because Christ is alive within us.

Faith is not something we merely watch somebody else do. It cannot be prerecorded for us by our parents, grandparents, preacher, or church. Eventually, we have to play. Every once in a while, perhaps all of us need to put down the controller and ask a hard but necessary question:

Am I really living this life of faith, or have I just gotten very good at going through the motions?

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On Sept. 16, 1992, “Seinfeld” introduced one of the most memorable concepts in television history when Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza pitched NBC on a sitcom that was, essentially, about nothing.

The idea appeared in an episode titled “The Pitch,” which aired as part of the show’s fourth season. In the episode, Jerry and George are invited to pitch a television series to NBC. George comes up with the idea of creating a show about their everyday lives — with no traditional plot or premise.

The fictional pitch became one of the defining jokes of “Seinfeld,” a show that would go on to become one of television’s most recognizable sitcoms.

The episode aired on Sept. 16, 1992, making the date an especially fitting one for fans of the show — and for anyone who has ever wondered how a show about nothing could become such a big deal.

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In the 1880s, getting mail in remote parts of the United States was exciting.  In the era before electricity, mail and newspapers were the only connection between rural communities and the outside world.  Dorsey was one of the many rural mail carriers for the U.S. Postal Service.  Rural in an understatement in his case.  You see, for several years in the 1880s, Dorsey was the only mail carrier between Barstow and Calico in California’s rugged Mojave Desert because no one else wanted the job.  Dorsey lived in the silver mining town of Calico, about 10 miles as the crow flies northeast of Barstow.  Ten miles may not seem like a great distance by our modern standards, but between Calico and Barstow stands the 2641-foot elevation Lead Mountain.  Going around Lead Mountain would have added another four miles each way to Dorsey’s trek, so Dorsey went up and over the mountain.  Dorsey did not ride in a wagon or on a horse.  He walked.        

Each day, Dorsey donned his satchel and began walking through the heat, dust, and over rugged terrain to Barstow.  He knew what time the train from the California Southern Railroad was scheduled to arrive in Barstow and so he left in plenty of time to meet it.  If Dorsey was ahead of the train, which he normally was, he rested and relaxed in town.  As soon as the train arrived, Dorsey met the postman at the train’s mail car, loaded his satchel with mail destined for Calico, and began the return trip.  On a good day, Dorsey could make the whole trip in about seven or eight hours.          

Half a century later, the people of Barstow began searching for a photograph of the local legendary mail carrier so they could honor him with his own U.S. Postage stamp.  Unfortunately, Dorsey’s likeness was never used on a postage stamp.  To the people of Barstow and the few inhabitants of Calico, Dorsey remains a local hero.  They still talk about his daily walks between their towns… on his four legs.  You see, Dorsey, the rural mail carrier, was a black and white collie.

 Sources:

1.     The Astorian (Astoria, Oregon), November 21, 1885, p.1.

2.     Desert Dispatch (Barstow, California), September 2, 1948, p.3.

3.     Desert Dispatch, August 27, 1973, p.10.    

 © 2026 Brad Dison. All rights reserved. Remember This? is distributed for licensed publication only.

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