October 13, 2026
Vernell McCoy, 35, of Winnfield, was arrested for criminal trespassing. Donald Barnes Jr., 43, of Winnfield, was arrested for criminal trespassing.
October 16, 2026
Nicholas Arrington, 45, of Winnfield, was arrested for disturbing the peace (language).
Arrest Report
No Report Provided for the week
Early voting for Louisiana’s November 3, 2026 election continues giving registered voters statewide the opportunity to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.
In nearly all Louisiana parishes, early voting takes place at the local Registrar of Voters office, which is typically located inside the parish courthouse. Some larger parishes may also operate additional branch sites to accommodate local turnout.
Polling locations statewide are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily throughout the early voting period, excluding Sundays and state-recognized holidays.
Election officials urge voters to review their sample ballots in advance. Because ballots frequently feature a combination of candidate races, constitutional amendments, and local propositions, preparing ahead of time helps keep lines moving smoothly. Louisiana law limits voters to six minutes inside the voting booth, unless assistance has been authorized in advance.
To cast a ballot in person, voters must present a valid photo identification—such as a Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana Special ID card, LA Wallet digital ID, or another generally recognized picture identification card containing the voter’s name and signature. Those without a photo ID may still vote by signing an official voter affidavit.
Voters can check their registration status, review customized sample ballots, and confirm their designated polling places through the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Voter Portal at voterportal.sos.la.gov or via the free GeauxVote Mobile smartphone app.
Winnfield Kiwanis Club President Ethel Howell (right) and longtime member Rita James (left) welcome Winn Parish Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley (center) as the guest speaker on October 13. James originally hired Kelley as her deputy in 2011 before he succeeded her as Registrar in 2018.
WINNFIELD, LA — Winn Parish Registrar of Voters Bryan Kelley was the featured guest speaker at the Winnfield Kiwanis Club luncheon meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Kelley was introduced by longtime Kiwanian Rita James, who shared a special professional history with the speaker. Kelley originally joined the Registrar’s office in 2011 as James’s deputy during her service as Registrar of Voters, eventually succeeding her in the role in 2018 and later serving as president of the state Registrar of Voters association.
Kelley walked Kiwanians through the unique logistics of administering parish elections, noting that intersecting school board, police jury, and municipal district lines result in 21 distinct ballot styles across Winn Parish. He also provided updates on long-term statewide voting modernization, noting that the state anticipates awarding a contract for a new voting system by the end of the year, with a statewide rollout to follow in phases.
As this article is published, early voting for the November 3 election is currently in progress at the Registrar of Voters office and will continue through next Tuesday, October 27, 2026 (closed Sunday). Voters can check their registration status, view their specific sample ballot, and locate their polling places by downloading the free GeauxVote Mobile smartphone app or visiting the Louisiana Secretary of State portal at voterportal.sos.la.gov.
The Kiwanis Club of Winnfield encourages all citizens to take part in the democratic process and recommends reviewing the non-partisan analysis published in the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) Guide at parlouisiana.org for clear, balanced breakdowns of the 10 proposed statewide constitutional amendments appearing on the ballot.
Any questions regarding Kiwanis Club of Winnfield, LA. Contact Troy Rogers 318 648 2365. Troyr57@gmail.com
The Winn Parish Operation Christmas Child team received the Winn Parish Chamber of Commerce 2026 Volunteer of the Year award. The Operation Christmas Child team was recognized at the Winn Chamber of Commerce annual Awards Banquet held on Tuesday, October 13.
The Operation Christmas Child team members in attendance were Ginny Koeppen, Church Relations Team member; Jeanine Ford, Area Coordinator; Candy Bedgood, Drop Off Team Leader and Church Relations Team member; and Mary Carpenter, Church Relations Team member.
Thanks to the Winn Parish Chamber of Commerce for honoring Operation Christmas Child with the 2026 Volunteer of the Year award.
Winn Parish residents can expect an extended stretch of sunny skies, warm afternoon temperatures and cool overnight conditions through Sunday, according to the forecast provided from the National Weather Service.
High temperatures are expected to remain in the lower to middle 80s throughout the forecast period, while overnight lows will fall into the lower 50s. No rainfall is included in the forecast through Sunday, providing several days of favorable weather conditions across the parish.
Wednesday will bring sunny skies with a high near 84 degrees. Winds will be calm before becoming northeast around 5 mph. Clear skies are expected Wednesday night, with temperatures dropping to around 51 degrees.
Thursday will continue the stretch of pleasant fall weather, with sunshine and a high near 85 degrees. Clear skies will continue Thursday night as temperatures fall to around 50 degrees.
Friday will feature sunny conditions and an afternoon high near 85 degrees. Mostly clear skies are expected Friday night, with an overnight low around 51 degrees.
Saturday will offer another day of sunshine, with temperatures reaching approximately 84 degrees. Saturday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 52 degrees.
Sunday will remain pleasant, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 82 degrees.
The extended forecast indicates favorable conditions for outdoor activities, sporting events and weekend gatherings throughout Winn Parish. Residents can expect warm afternoons followed by cooler evenings and mornings as the area continues to experience mild fall weather.
A total of 420 early and absentee votes have been recorded in Winn Parish through October 20, 2026, according to statistics released by Winn Parish Registrar of Voters Bryan E. Kelley.
Of the total ballots recorded, 293 were cast in person, accounting for approximately 69.8% of the total. Another 127 ballots, or 30.2%, were submitted through absentee voting by mail.
The figures also provide a demographic breakdown of voters who have participated in the election process.
According to the Registrar of Voters Office, 346 voters were identified as White, 67 as Black and seven as other racial classifications.
Female voters accounted for 239 of the ballots recorded, representing approximately 56.9% of the total, while male voters accounted for 181 ballots, or 43.1%.
The statistics also included a breakdown by political party registration. Registered Republicans accounted for 250 ballots, or approximately 59.5% of the total. Registered Democrats accounted for 101 ballots, or 24%, while voters affiliated with other parties or registration categories accounted for 69 ballots, or approximately 16.4%.
The party registration figures reflect the affiliations of participating voters and do not indicate which candidates received their votes.
The numbers represent early and absentee voting activity reported through October 20 and are not final election turnout figures.
Residents seeking additional information about voting or election procedures may contact the Winn Parish Registrar of Voters Office at 318-628-6133 or by email at winnrov@sos.la.gov.
The office is located at 119 W. Main Street, Room 105, in Winnfield.
Source: Bryan E. Kelley, CERA, Winn Parish Registrar of Voters.
Louisiana voters will consider 10 proposed amendments to the state constitution in the Nov. 3, 2026, election, addressing issues ranging from property taxes and gubernatorial term limits to the right to bail and property expropriation.
The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR), a nonpartisan educational and research organization, has released its Guide to the Fall 2026 Constitutional Amendments to help voters better understand the proposals before heading to the polls.
For five decades, PAR has provided detailed analysis of proposed constitutional amendments, outlining what each measure would change and presenting arguments from both supporters and opponents.
The guide does not endorse or oppose any of the amendments. Instead, it provides voters with information to help them make their own decisions.
The 10 amendments appearing on the November ballot were approved by lawmakers during the 2025 and 2026 regular legislative sessions. Each proposal received the required two-thirds vote in both the Louisiana House and Senate to advance to voters. A simple majority of votes cast on each amendment is required for its adoption.
The proposed changes address property taxes, the right to bail, gubernatorial term limits, retirement debt, water utility lines and property expropriation rules.
Seven of the 10 proposals would modify Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution, which governs state finances and taxation.
Since Louisiana voters ratified the current constitution in 1974, they have considered 330 proposed amendments, approving 221 of them. The 10 proposals on this fall’s ballot will bring the total number considered to 340.
PAR notes that a constitution is intended to establish the fundamental principles of government, including its structure, powers and citizens’ rights, while statutory laws generally address the details of government operations.
Louisiana’s constitution, however, has continued to expand as lawmakers propose additional provisions, including measures that could otherwise be addressed through state law.
The PAR Guide to the Fall 2026 Constitutional Amendments examines all 10 proposals in the order they will appear on the ballot, providing voters with an opportunity to review the potential changes before Election Day.
Gather your bravest friends and head to Timber Ridge Adventure Park in Natchitoches for two haunting experiences in one location. Venture into the sinister Louisiana woods of Deadfall Trail, then step into Alice’s Madhouse in 3D, where Wonderland takes a terrifying turn.
Make it a night out with friends, a date night with a little more screaming, or the Halloween tradition your crew looks forward to all year. Just decide who’s going first before you arrive.
Dark Woods opens select Friday and Saturday nights in October 2026 at Timber Ridge Adventure Park, 4343 University Parkway in Natchitoches.
The last scream you hear may be your own.
Choose your night and buy tickets at DarkWoodsHaunt.com.
4343 University Parkway
Natchitoches, Louisiana
The winners will be selected from the statewide pool of eligible qualifiers each day. Winners will be notified of their Win!
There is no cost to participate.
WINNFIELD – With four members of District 4-2A currently sitting between No. 18 and No. 28, the final three weeks of the regular season is going to be dog eat dog.
Two of those dogs will face each other Friday as Winnfield (4-3, 1-1) hosts Many (2-5, 1-0).
No. 21 Winnfield enters at No. 21 with No. 27 Many just inside the playoff picture in Week 8.
Winnfield is at the beginning of a three-game homestand as both Tigers try to improve their playoff position in the 28-team field.
Both teams have dropped three of their last four games, but Many topped Red River (43-22) to snap its three-game slide this past week.
Winnfield couldn’t complete its comeback in the final minutes of a 20-14 loss at Lakeside, dropping their third game in four tries after a 3-0 start.
“Lakeside played well – they had a plan and executed it well,” said Winnfield coach Byron Keller. “We started off slow. We have to start quickly and put pressure on our opponents.”
A quick Winnfield start allows the Tigers’ running game and offensive line to chip away at the defense, whereas clawing back from a deficit decreases that effect.
Many has similar ideas in wanting to lean on its power running game behind the shoulders of stud running back Daniel Thomas, who has 1,250 rushing yards and topped 3,000 for his career.
But Many found a bit of a passing game with freshman Luke McCarty throwing for 61 yards on 3-of-4 after completing just nine passes (with seven interceptions) through his first six games.
They found a way to bounce back from an overtime loss on the road at Avoyelles to club Red River, 43-22, to open district play.
“They are a tough, physical, gritty football team,” Keller said. “They played a tough pre-district schedule and have played well as of late.
“We have to be the most physical team and limit the mistakes.”
Winnfield’s 45-player roster is deeper than most Class 2A schools – but Many coach Tyler Hassell has hunted his halls to rebuild a roster (66 players) of a program that suffered through a winless season in 2024 despite a championship pedigree for the last decade.The battle in the trenches will likely be the tipping point of this clash, but Winnfield has an ace up its sleeve in special teams.
The Tigers mauled their way back against Lakeside thanks to a Gabe Wren kickoff return for a touchdown. Winnfield also blocked a punt and had another scoring kickoff return wiped out by penalty.
Winnfield just has to avoid mistakes and finish drives.
“(Special teams) is really important to us, and it’s one of the most overlooked phases in the game,” Keller said. “We played well in the special teams portion except for the touchdown called back.
“That one return would have switched the momentum of the game in our favor.”
Mansfield (6-1, 1-0) appears to be in the driver’s seat in this district as they host Red River on Friday, but the Wolverines have to travel to Many and Winnfield to close out the season.
A Winnfield win over Many means the Tigers can win at least a share of the district title without having to leave their home stadium again.
The Tigers step out of district play to bring in Jennings in Week 9 and finish with Mansfield in Week 10.
BATON ROUGE, La. – With deer season underway across Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is reminding hunters to review updated bag limits, season dates, and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) regulations before heading into the field.
Louisiana is divided into 10 deer hunting areas, each with its own season dates and harvest limits. Hunters are encouraged to review the regulations specific to the area where they plan to hunt.
One of the primary regulation changes for the 2026-27 hunting season affects Deer Area 1, where hunters may now harvest no more than two antlered deer and no more than five antlerless deer.
The statewide season limit of six deer remains unchanged, although some deer areas have lower bag limits.
To accommodate the varying limits across Louisiana’s deer areas, hunters will receive six deer tags with their licenses. These include one antlered tag, two either-sex tags, and three antlerless tags.
Either-sex tags may be used for antlered or antlerless deer, provided the harvest remains within the limits established for the specific deer area.
Hunters can review season dates, deer area maps, and harvest regulations in the 2026-27 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations.
LDWF is also reminding hunters to familiarize themselves with regulations governing Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zones.
For the current hunting season, baiting and supplemental feeding are permitted within CWD Management Zones through March 31.
However, whether baiting remains permitted in future seasons will depend on sampling results within each management zone.
Each zone must meet a CWD sampling goal of 145 deer while maintaining an apparent CWD prevalence below 2.5%.
If a management zone fails to meet its sampling goal or its apparent CWD prevalence exceeds 2.5%, baiting will be prohibited in that zone during the following hunting season.
LDWF emphasizes that every deer submitted for testing counts toward the sampling goal, making hunter participation an important factor in determining future baiting regulations.
Hunters harvesting deer within CWD Management Zones must also follow restrictions on transporting carcasses and carcass parts outside the designated zones.
Deer carcasses and carcass parts generally cannot be removed from a CWD Management Zone, with certain exceptions.
Permitted items include cut and wrapped or boned-out meat; quarters or other meat portions without any part of the spinal column or head attached; antlers; cleaned skull plates with antlers; cleaned skulls without tissue; capes; tanned hides; finished taxidermy mounts; and cleaned teeth.
Any permitted deer parts transported outside a management zone must be accompanied by a possession tag containing the hunter’s name, address, LDWF license number, parish of harvest, harvest date, and sex of the deer.
Hunters wishing to transport an uncleaned deer head to a Louisiana taxidermist may obtain a waiver from LDWF.
LDWF has also announced changes to CWD sample collection locations following adjustments to management zone boundaries.
Because CWD Management Zones are smaller this season, some previously designated sample drop-off coolers are no longer located within management zones.
Hunters are encouraged to verify current drop-off locations before submitting deer for testing.
Additional sample collection coolers are being installed at Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge in Avoyelles Parish and D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge in Ouachita and Union parishes.
LDWF continues to encourage hunters to participate in CWD testing to help meet sampling goals and support ongoing disease management efforts.
Hunters can find CWD Management Zone maps, sampling locations, transportation restrictions, and additional regulations on the LDWF Chronic Wasting Disease webpage.
Complete hunting season dates, deer area maps, and regulations are available through the LDWF website.
For additional information regarding deer hunting regulations, hunters may contact LDWF Deer Program Manager Brad Kennon at rkennon@wlf.la.gov.
With so many changes taking place with tournament organizations all across the country, the day of the co-angler has vanished. The days of getting in the boat with a touring pro and learning how to become a better angler are pretty much over.
Many of you are probably wondering, “What’s a co-angler?” A co-angler is usually someone who is in the early stages of learning how to bass fish or does not have the money or the time to dedicate to fishing against other anglers who want to fish the pro side. The co-angler entry fees are usually half of what the pros pay.
Most co-anglers just wanted to be able to get in the boat with what is known as a boater/pro and just go fishing. It was pretty much a cheap guided fishing trip as the boater/pro had total control over the boat and the trolling motor all day.
The co-angler, fishing from the back deck, was there mainly to monitor the boater/pro and make sure nothing was done during the tournament that might be considered dishonest.
In the Major League Fishing BFL and the Toyota Series format, co-anglers competed against other co-anglers and the pros competed against the other pros. It was basically two separate tournaments with two separate divisions.
It’s a sad state of affairs that MLF (Major League Fishing) has decided to eliminate co-anglers from the format they have stood by for over 30 years. They have totally blown up the BFL circuit, which was designed for the working man, by turning it into another team trail (like we needed another team trail).
They have also just announced the end of co-anglers with the Toyota Series which takes away the ability to monitor the pros who will now be fishing solo, opening more opportunities for cheating. They claim they will have cameras or Go Pros in each boat to help monitor each angler all day, but we’ll see how that works out.
And there’s another factor to consider: the cost. For 2027, MLF has increased the Toyota Series pro entry fee from $1,700 to $2,000 per event. That’s a $300 increase per tournament, adding even more financial pressure for anglers trying to compete at that level.
For me, this co-angler issue hits close to home because I started my tournament fishing career as a co-angler back in 2003, competing on the FLW Tour. I’m certainly not alone. Many of today’s top professional anglers started out as co-anglers, including Bryan Thrift, Andy Montgomery and Randall Tharp.
Over time, they switched over to the pro side as they gained more confidence, experience and desire to compete with the best anglers in America.
I came up through that system, and I know firsthand the value of having the opportunity to compete, sharpen my skills, and prepare for the next step.
Back in the early 2000’s, the old FLW BFL’s and the Toyota Series were great training grounds for developing up-and-coming anglers. Now that’s no longer an option for anglers who are looking to learn and improve their skills before moving up to the pro level.
So, what does this mean for the future of tournament bass fishing? While it’s too early to tell, I think it’s obvious that a valuable pathway into the sport has been eliminated, one that allowed co-anglers to learn and get better, while also being affordable for the “working man.”
Now, a lot of co-anglers will be forced to jump over to the pro side or just find a team circuit to fish with a buddy. Either way, MLF (Major League Fishing) is bringing the co-angler era to an end, and the future of tournament bass fishing looks very different than it did just a few years ago.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for those of us who remember what these opportunities meant — and for the anglers who may never get the same chance we had.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
When you need an attorney, you have plenty of choices. Television, billboards, and social media are filled with advertisements from law firms across Louisiana and beyond. But when you are facing a serious legal issue, there is something to be said for having an attorney who lives and works in your community, someone you can sit down with, look in the eye, and know personally.
At The Harrington Law Firm, we believe that choosing a lawyer should be about more than a catchy advertisement or a familiar telephone number. It should be about experience, trust, reputation, and personal service.
For nearly 50 years our family law firm has proudly served the people of Natchitoches Parish and the surrounding communities. We have built our practice on a simple philosophy: Treat our clients the way we would want our own family to be treated.
The Harrington Law Firm provides legal representation in a variety of practice areas, including:
We know that legal problems can be stressful, confusing, and sometimes life-changing. Whether you’re dealing with a serious injury, financial difficulties, the loss of a loved one, or another legal concern, you deserve an attorney who will take the time to listen.
At The Harrington Law Firm, we don’t believe personal service is old-fashioned. We believe it’s the way practicing law ought to be.
When you need legal help, consider the advantages of keeping it local.
THE HARRINGTON LAW FIRM
Proudly Serving Natchitoches and North Louisiana for nearly 50 years.
Phone: 318-352-5900
Website: www.theharringtonlawfirm.com
Experience. Integrity. Personal Service. Right Here at Home.
Attorney advertising. The choice of an attorney is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.