The parish’s jobless rate was 3%, down from 3.6% in July. It is the lowest rate LaSalle has posted so far in 2026. Of the parish’s labor force of 6,139, about 5,953 people were employed and 186 were unemployed.

Only West Feliciana Parish, part of the Baton Rouge metro area, had a lower rate, at 2.6%. That makes LaSalle’s rate the lowest in central and north Louisiana. Apart from West Feliciana, no parish north of the Interstate 10 corridor posted a lower figure.

LaSalle’s rate was below the state’s rate of 3.7% for the month. Parish figures are not seasonally adjusted, and the 3.7% state figure is the comparable unadjusted number. Adjusted for seasonal swings, Louisiana’s rate was 4.2%, and the national rate was 4.1%.

Ascension Parish had the third-lowest rate in the state, at 3.1%, followed by Lafayette Parish at 3.2%. Bossier, Lafourche, Livingston and Plaquemines parishes tied for fifth at 3.3%.

At the other end of the list, East Carroll Parish had the state’s highest unemployment rate, at 10%. Tensas Parish was second at 6.2%, followed by St. Helena Parish at 5.6%, Claiborne Parish at 5.4% and Concordia Parish at 5.3%.

All of LaSalle’s neighbors posted higher rates than LaSalle in August, though each improved from July: Rapides and Grant parishes: 3.5% each Caldwell Parish: 3.9% Winn Parish: 4% Avoyelles Parish: 4.1% Catahoula Parish: 4.3%

LaSalle’s rate has ranged from 3% to 4.2% this year. The high came in June, when rates rose across much of the state.

The August figures are preliminary and may be revised when the commission releases September data.

Gov. Jeff Landry came to Columbia last Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, for a round-table like discussion with rural mayors and sheriffs from across northeast Louisiana and to hear about their needs. He told them that the state’s economic boom will reach small towns as well as big cities.

“Success is there, and it does not matter whether you are in Richland Parish or Caldwell Parish,” Landry told the crowd at the Schepis Museum in Columbia’s downtown Main Street district. “The amount of activity that is going on across this state is historic, and it’s going to touch the lives of everybody.”

The governor’s visit came about through state Rep. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, who represents District 20. Riser asked Landry to come to Columbia and hear directly from the leaders of rural Louisiana, and he gave the region’s small towns a seat at the governor’s table.

Landry said the invitation was accepted as he continues to travel across the state promoting his administration’s economic development success.

“Neil (Riser) asked me, ‘Will you come to Columbia?’” Landry said. “I said, ‘Well, if you buy me something at The Spotted Dog, I’ll come to Columbia.’” Several people in the room praised Riser as well. One longtime economic development official named Riser, state Sen. Glen Womack, R-Harrisonburg, and state Rep. Adrian Fisher. He said that because of them, rural leaders now have “comfort and confidence.”

Kevin Cobb, executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, also thanked Womack and Riser for their help to sheriffs.

Womack, who represents District 32, also attended. So did mayors from towns and villages in Catahoula, Caldwell, Richland and Madison parishes, along with the sheriffs of Caldwell, LaSalle, Rich- land, Tensas and Catahoula parishes. Cobb told the governor that nine sheriffs were in the room.

‘You gonna get a piece’

Landry opened by saying that big projects help the whole state, no matter where they are built. He said a 300-job electrical shop opened this year in Lafayette partly to serve the large projects in north Louisiana.

“So it doesn’t really matter where you are,” Landry said. “You gonna get a piece.”

He pointed to $3.5 billion recently announced for rural broadband, rural health care access, and roads and bridges. He credited the Legislature with putting the state’s finances in order.

“Well, let me tell you, there better not be a bridge out in Louisiana right now,” Landry said. “If it’s out, it means it’s under construction.”

He also promised that high-speed internet is on the way. “If you ain’t got it, it’s coming,” he said.

Landry said the state’s next big job is fixing water and sewer systems in small towns. “Water systems are just not what they need to be, and so we got to work on that some more,” he said.

“Really, I just came to say thank you and to hear from y’all,” he told the group.

Mayors speak up

The mayors raised a range of needs: affordable housing, parks and recreation, economic development, aging sewer lines, drainage, blight, and technology for small-town police.

“Economic development is coming,” Landry said. He added that “70% of the jobs that we’re creating don’t require a fouryear degree.” He said he wants to shift some TOPS scholarship money toward technical and community colleges, so young people can afford to learn a trade.

Tallulah Mayor Yvonne Lewis thanked the governor for the state’s help with her city’s water system. She asked him to remember East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes when new projects come to the region. Landry said growth had moved west first because Monroe already had the infrastructure, but that it would come east as well.

“Businesses will take the path of least resistance,” Landry said. “But I’m going to tell you, it’s going to come.”

“So don’t worry. East Carroll, West Carroll, Madison. Oh yeah, I got you,” he said.

Another mayor said growing neighborhoods have overloaded old sewer systems. Landry agreed that sewer work belongs with water work. “You can’t do water without sewer,” he said. “That is our next challenge.”

He said the state has finished four straight years with money left over, and that this surplus is paying for the bridge and infrastructure programs. He said he is pushing to change the capital outlay process so that more money goes to roads, water and sewer. “I’d rather put our money in that than anything else out there,” he said.

Village of Clayton Mayor Robert James Lee said the town lost its town hall in August of last year. Landry promised to help. “We’re gonna get y’all out of the trailer,” he said. “I think we can do that.”

Landry also said the Louisiana Housing Corp. is changing how it hands out money. He said “some of the big cities were sucking up the money,” and that the agency is now sending more of it to rural areas.

Sheriffs see savings

When the talk turned to small-town police and sheriffs, Landry pointed to a new statewide radio contract with Motorola. Under the deal, local agencies can buy radios at the same price the state pays.

“The contract that the governor and the state negotiated was unbelievable,” Cobb said. He said a good radio that once cost about $6,500 now costs about $3,000. “It was a great contract. I believe there’s more to come,” he said.

Caldwell Parish Sheriff Clay Bennett thanked Landry for the jail funding that let him give his employees raises. Landry said many local jails were built in the early 1980s, and that his office is looking at how the state could help replace them.

He said the broadband build-out will also help first responders. He said the state is trying to get another $700 million released from Washington.

“We’re going to try and make sure that rural Louisiana gets their fair share,” Landry said. “That’s why I’m here.”

‘Too good to be true’

Columbia Mayor Hannah Cummings Stringer welcomed Landry and asked him to come back. She said that for the first time, people in north Louisiana have something to look forward to.

“I think it comes down to quality of life, and I think just the optimism — we’ve seen a huge push of people just excited and looking for the future again,” she said. “That’s really refreshing.”

Landry told the group not to let skeptics talk them out of it.

“I know it’s a natural inclination in this state to believe that it’s too good to be true, because other people have come here and promised us, and it hasn’t worked out,” he said. “But I will tell you that the things that are happening right now are real.”

He also said companies that build in Louisiana will pay for the electricity they use, and that he will not let them waste the state’s water.

“I’m not going to let them come here and let them break our natural resources. It’s not worth it to us,” he said.

Landry closed with a story from his hometown. He said a textile mill there once employed 3,000 people, and the town was devastated when that work moved overseas.

“When opportunity knocks, you got to answer the door, and you got to let them in,” Landry said. “You got to make sure that you ... cut a deal that’s good for the people of the state, and that’s what we do. You can take that to the bank.

“We’re going to try and make sure that rural Louisiana gets their fair share,”

- Gov. Jeff Landry

I studied electrical engineering at LSU, came home, and went to work beside my daddy. I run a business. I sign the front and back of the checks, and I’ve made payroll in years when the crop didn’t make.

I know our issues aren’t exactly the same, but I’d bet our kitchen table conversations look a lot alike.

We probably both worry about rising costs on already thin margins — a budget made for $3 diesel, not $6. We probably both wonder whether we’ll be able to pass something down to the babies coming up behind us.

I learned this job in parish government. My neighbors in Tensas sent me to the police jury. Here’s what that work actually is: we fought to keep ambulance service running because when a family calls 911, the question isn’t whether help is coming — it’s ho w far away it is.

We kept our clinic and dentist open. We got parish employees their first raise in years. We balanced budgets with almost nothing.

In a small parish, there’s nowhere to hide. If the road is bad, people know. If the ambulance doesn’t come, people know. That’s the only kind of politics I’ve practiced, and it’s the kind I’m taking to Washington.

What I’d fight for here Your hospital: Hardtner in Olla. Richardson in Rayville. Caldwell Memorial in Columbia.

The hospitals these parishes depend on are at risk because of a bill my opponent voted for and called beautiful. Three hospitals are within fifty miles of my own house. I know exactly what’s at stake — I’d be making that drive too. I’ll fight to reverse the cuts putting these hospitals under.

What you pay for medicine: Lower prescription drug prices. Keep the caps on insulin. Nobody in these parishes should be splitting pills to make a prescription last to payday. Your land and your water: When somebody tells me progress requires a family to give up their land, or carry somebody else’s power bill, I ask questions. I’ll protect private property from being taken for someone else’s project, and I’ll make data centers pay for the power they use instead of putting it on your bill.

Accountability: A full ban on members of Congress trading stocks. An end to the secret NDAs that let public officials sign deals with private corporations and keep the details from the people they work for. You work for the people — you don’t keep secrets from them.

The ask: I got into this race with no political machine and no big donors. Nobody in Washington put me here. You did.

Look at my record. Hold me to it. Vote for who you believe would actually work for you and your family.

Jamie Davis — Number 3 on your ballot.

Early voting October 20–27 Election Day November 3 JamieForLouisiana.com” (Paid Political Ad)

For LaSalle Parish voters, Early Voting will take place at the LaSalle Parish Registrar of Voters office, located at 1009 Courthouse St., Suite B, in Jena, across from the parish courthouse. LaSalle Registrar of Voters Ashley Brown reminded voters that anyone may vote early and excuses are not needed as was for many years during the Absentee Voting era.

For Catahoula Parish voters, Early Voting will take place at the Catahoula Parish Regis- trar of Voters office, located inside the Catahoula Parish Courthouse, Room 111, located at 301 Bushley St. in Harrisonburg. Catahoula Registrar of Voters Donna Rutledge noted the process is quick and easy.

Early Voting will be held each day from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and all voters must bring an ID with them to Early Vote (Louisiana driver’s license, Louisiana Special ID card, a generally recognized picture identification card with name and signature such as a passport or a digital license via LA Wallet).

On the ballot will be the election for U.S. Senate, where voters will choose between Democrat “Jamie” Davis and Republican Julia Letlow.

Voters will also choose Letlow’s replacement for the 5th Congressional District U.S. Representative during this first, open primary election with the runoff slated for Dec. 12, if needed.

On the ballot will be Republican Stewart Cathey Jr., Republican Misti Cordell, Republican Oscar “Omar” Dantzler, Republican Michael Echols, Republican “Gabe” Firment, Republican Austin Magee, Democrat Dan McKay, Democrat Patricia “Pat” Moore and Democrat Antonio Wilson.

Also on the ballot across the state will be 10 Constitutional Amendments where voters will vote “Yes” or “No” to decide their fate.

OTHER RACES IN LASALLE PARISH LaSalle Parish School Board

District 2: Cory Bermea (R) and Evelyn Smith (NP) District 5: Glen “Slick” Joiner (R) and Ethel Smith (R) District 6: Michael “Mike” Adams (R) and Kendra Webster Taylor (D) District 7: Deborah B. Mayo (R) and Laura Gifford Raborn (R) District 8: Jesse Hailey (NP) and Lanny Webb (R) District 9: Judd “Seth” Corley (R) and Brandon Rowton (R) District 10: “Jimmy” Horton (R) and Kimberly Purvis (D) Justice of the Peace

District 3: Candace Decker Hudnall (R) and Justin Vickers (R) Town of Jena

Mayor: Wayne Chapman (R) and Mandy Sandifer (R) Council Members (5 elected): Brian Allison (R), Russell Dorton (R), Lester Francis (R), Clint Masters (R), Timmy Renz (R), “Donny” Richardson (R), Tommy D. Sandifer (R) and Cindy White (R).

Town of Olla

Council Members (5 elected): Michael Duke (NP), Emily Emfinger (R), Brandon Slade Martin (NP), Anita Masoner (R), “Mike” McDougald (R) and Joel Sims (R).

Town of Urania Mayor: Lucas Ledbetter (R) and Donna Lindsey (R)

Council Members (5 elected): “Trish” Cook Taylor (NP), Teresa Sanders Corley (R), Carl “Tom” Douglas (R), “Clay” Hutto (NP), “Mike E. Russell (R) and Stacie P. Strain (R).

Town of Tullos

Council Members (5 elected): Billie Jo Bird (R), Shelby Loe (NP), “Jim” Oliveaux (NP), Sonya Oliveaux (R), Tracy Ponds (R) and Samantha Sweeten (NP).

Police Chief: Scott Cockerham (R) and Gary W. McDaniel (NP).

Whitehall FD Renewals

Voters in the Whitehall Fire District will also vote to renew two property tax millages for 10-year terms. The voting district includes all or parts of precincts 4-02, 9-01, 9-02, 9-3 and 9-05.

The first is a 10.05 millage for the purpose of maintaining and paying the operating expenses for the district and the second is for 10.05 for maintenance and upgrading of the District with necessary sub-stations, equipment and insurance.

OTHER RACES IN CATAHOULA PARISH Catahoula Parish School Board

District 1: John Chisum (R) and Wealthia Oliver-Jackson (NP) District 2: Christopher Ahmend (R), James Blaney Jr. (R) and Larry Gadson Jr. (NP) District 7: Toshiro Fisher (D) and Fredrick Smith (D) District 9: Phyllis “Len” Stevenson (D) and Marilyn Thompson (NP) Town of Jonesville

Mayor: Milton Ceasar (D) and Loria Hollins (D) Council Members District 1: LaRonda Bowman (D) and June Gayden (D) District 3: Sholonda Branch (NP) and Adrian Burton-Hawkins (D) District 4: Angela Carter (D) and Phillip Curry (D) District 5: Catina Branch (D) and Agatha “Shiela” Crumpton (D) Village of Harrisonburg

Mayor: Laurie Stutson (R) and Michael “Mike” Tubre (R)

Chief of Police: Lyndell “Nell” Atkins (D) Carmon Butts (R) Council Members (3 elected): Judy Cotten (NP), Stephen “Steve” Gibson (R), Emma S. Hatten (D), Andrew Sones (R) and Charles “Greg” Terry (R) Village of Sicily Island

Mayor: Shirley Cooper (D) and Gwendolyn “Gwen” James-Robinson (NP) Council Members (3 elected): Ramona Dunbar (D), Mary Free (NP), Emma “Donna” Hilliard (NP) and Linda Kerry (D)

The parish’s jobless rate fell to 4.3% in August from 5.7% in July. That 1.4-point drop was the fifth-largest among Louisiana’s 64 parishes, and it moved Catahoula up 12 places in the statewide rankings, from 55th in July to a tie for 43rd.

The parish counted 3,370 employed residents in August, up 134 from July and about 100 more than its previous 2026 high, set in April. The 4.1% one-month gain in employment was the third-largest percentage increase in the state.

Catahoula’s labor force also grew to 3,520, its largest of the year. The number of unemployed residents fell from 197 to 150.

The August rate ties the parish’s lowest of 2026, also recorded in April. Catahoula’s rate had stayed at 5.7% for June and July.

Catahoula’s rate remains above Louisiana’s rate of 3.7% for the month. Parish figures are not seasonally adjusted, and the 3.7% state figure is the comparable unadjusted number. Adjusted for seasonal swings, Louisiana’s rate was 4.2%, and the national rate was 4.1%.

The surplus, reported to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, reflects the fiscal year that ended June 30. The money will not be available for lawmakers to appropriate until the surplus is certified by the committee and officially recognized by the Revenue Estimating Conference early next year.

Under Louisiana’s Constitution, one-quarter of the surplus, approximately $141 million, must go toward paying down the state’s retirement system debt. Another $141 million must be deposited into the state’s rainy-day fund, which is intended to help cushion the state against future revenue shortfalls.

Lawmakers will have discretion over how to allocate the remaining $282 million, although the Constitution restricts surplus spending to certain one-time purposes, including debt payments, construction projects and infrastructure improvements.

Just last month, the Revenue Estimating Conference was informed that the state’s rainyday fund had climbed to a record high of nearly $1.4 billion. The next allocation from this surplus will bring it to nearly $1.5 billion.

Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, welcomed the projected surplus in a joint statement Thursday, describing it as an opportunity to continue reducing debt and investing in state infrastructure.

“Today’s good news encourages us to stay committed to the path we have chosen since this legislative term began: a dedication to good fiscal policy that reins in spending and prioritizes paying down debt and investing in a brighter future for our Louisiana families,” the legislative leaders said.

Henry and DeVillier said they intend to use the surplus to bolster the rainy-day fund, reduce retirement debt, improve roads, fund construction projects and strengthen Louisiana’s coast.

“We’re kind of the template, because we are the first parish in the state of Louisiana to implement a chaplain program in a public school system,” said Phil Crawford, youth minister at Eastvue Baptist Church.

The board voted to receive an update on the LaSalle Parish Chaplain Program. LaSalle School Superintendent Jon Garrett introduced Crawford, saying the board was lucky to have him at the meeting. “He has been tireless in getting this thing off the ground,” Garrett said.

Crawford told board members that five chaplains have completed the application process and cleared background checks.

“I’ve got three more that are waiting on background checks to clear,” he said. “So hopefully by next week we’ll have eight.”

“It’s been a slow process, and I’ve learned that when you work with God, you just work on His timetable,” Crawford said. He said organizers began in April by reviewing the state laws and legislation to make sure the program was set up correctly. “We didn’t want to do something wrong,” he added.

A meeting was held in early September for anyone interested in becoming a chaplain, drawing interest from several churches in the area.

Crawford and Dennis Baker, pastor of Olla First Baptist Church, have visited the schools on the north side of the parish to introduce the program while Crawford and Eastvue pastor Dustin Robertson visited schools in the south. He said they have tried to speak with every principal, assistant principal and school secretary in the system.

Each school has a sign-in and sign-out book for chaplains.

“That way we can monitor what schools are getting visited, how many times they’re getting visited, who’s visiting them,” Crawford said.

Chaplains will also carry identification badges. Crawford said Administrative Assistant Rae Lindsey at Jena High School is making the cards “so they’ll have an ID when they go into the school system.”

For now, the focus is on building relationships. “One of the things that we’re trying to get done is our chaplains going in around lunchtime and recesses and just familiarizing themselves with the kids, letting the kids get familiarized with us,” Crawford said.

The chaplains have already been called on. “We’ve actually had a couple calls,” he said. “We’ve actually been used a couple times.”

“This is a system where we have an opportunity to put God back in our schools,” Crawford said. “I’ve heard all my life we need to put God back in our schools.”

Crawford tied the program to the same 2024 legislative session that produced Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law. “In (2024), when they voted in for the Ten Commandments, that’s when this chaplain program actually came into place, and God laid on my heart one night to get this thing going,” he said. “And I thank y’all for accepting it and actually letting us move forward with this.”

He said the response inside the schools has been positive.

“I have not had any teachers or anybody have any negative comments from it,” Crawford said. “Everybody has been accepting of it.”

The program is aimed first at students, but it is open to every school system employee.

“It’s designed first to go towards our children to help them in any way we can, but it’s also available for our staff, for anybody that’s with the La-Salle Parish School Board system, our janitors, school bus drivers,” Crawford said. “It’s open to anybody.”

He described the effort as still in its earliest stages and offered to answer board members’ questions. “If I can’t, I’ll get you an answer,” he said.

The program operates under Act 293 of the 2024 Regular Session, Senate Bill 123 by Sen. Mark Abraham of Lake Charles. Gov. Jeff Landry signed it into law, and it took effect May 28, 2024. An identical House version, Act 688, took effect June 19, 2024, the same day the governor signed the Ten Commandments law.

The law, R.S. 17:3011 through 3014, allows each local school board to employ or accept as volunteers certified chaplains to provide support, services and programs for students, staff and parents. Chaplains are selected by and answer to local school officials, and they do not need certification from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Every chaplain must pass a fingerprint-based state and federal background check before working or volunteering at a school. Registered sex offenders and child predators are barred from serving. Chaplains are shielded from lawsuits over their work unless an action or statement was maliciously, willfully and deliberately meant to harm, harass or intimidate.

Board President Buddy Bethard thanked Crawford for leading the effort.

“Well, we appreciate your willingness to kind of take the lead on this, and it’s great that we got five signed up,” Bethard said.

Board member Jonny Fryar thanked both Crawford and Dustin Robertson, pastor of Eastvue Baptist Church, for their work.

“I’m glad to see that program is getting off to a good start,” Bethard said.

Crawford gave the credit elsewhere. “It’s all God,” he said. “I’m giving it to Him. I just want Him to use it the way that He wants to use it.”

Phil Crawford

Michael Jackson, 43, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 15. He was booked into the LaSalle Parish Jail on charges of possession of a Schedule II controlled dangerous substance (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, flight from an officer and contempt of court.

LPSO Detective and Public Information Officer Brant King said a deputy saw Jackson around 7:30 p.m. riding an electric scooter across Highway 8 from Head Start Loop. The deputy knew Jackson had an outstanding warrant for contempt of court.

“As the deputy activated his emergency lights, Jackson turned from East Trichell Street onto Haywood Drive before entering a trail leading into the woods,” King said.

The deputy went after him, and Jackson lost control of the scooter and crashed, according to King.

“The deputy took Jackson into custody and located a clear cellophane baggie containing suspected methamphetamine near the scooter,” King said. He said the suspected methamphetamine weighed about 14.4 grams.

Among the items unanimously approved was the adoption of Resolution #2026-011, the Annual Certification Compliance for participation in the Federal Off-System Bridge Replacement Program. The resolution provides documentation that LaSalle has done all things necessary to participate in the program.

The Off-System Bridge Replacement Program is a federally funded program, run in Louisiana by the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), that replaces or repairs public bridges on local roads. These are mainly parish roads and city streets that aren’t part of the state or federal highway system, which is what “off-system” means.

In a related item, the jury adopted Ordinance #897 – the Federal Off-System Bridge Program, which was the final step necessary to continue the valuable bridge replacement program for La-Salle.

A separate item had the jury adopt Resolution #2026-012, which authorizes Jury President Jack Zeagler to execute and sign transactions for Act 961 of the 2026 Regular Louisiana Legislative Session.

Act 961 is the appropriations legislation that allows state money to be acquired for LaSalle Parish for various agencies and services.

Also at the meeting, the jury voted to: Call a public hearing to add Shalom Street in District 4 to the Parish Road System.

Approve a beer permit for Cajun Y Stop, LLC. Transfer $43,500 from the General Fund to the Criminal Court Fund.

Approve the Superintendent’s September deletions and October additions schedule of work.

Approve the monthly budget-to-actual comparisons on the General Fund.

Approve the payment of bills.

Sherri Morace, 61, of Trout, was arrested October 12 by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office for possession of CDS II and possession of drug paraphernalia.

James D. Sanders, 62, of Jena, was arrested October 15 by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office for enter or remain after being forbidden.

Tommy Suggs, 19, of Monroe, was arrested October 15 by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office for possession of CDS I, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of possession of CDS in presence of a minor, improper equipment, driver’s view obstructed and improper lighting.

Chelsie D. Hamilton, 24, of Monroe, was arrested October 15 by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office for possession of CDS I, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of possession of CDS in presence of a minor.

Trina Liening, 48, of Ferriday, was arrested October 15 by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office for possession of CDS I, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of possession of CDS in presence of a minor.

Jane Griffin, in her first year as LaSalle High principal, introduced the honorees. Senior Wyatt King and junior Charlie Seaward led the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting.

Griffin said both students are active in clubs and athletics. She credited them with keeping a campus tradition going this fall.

“Our FCA sponsor couldn’t be at See You at the Pole this year, so these two students stepped up and actually led the event,” Griffin said.

King has been in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for two years and is a member of the National Honor Society. He has played four years each on the Bulldogs’ football and baseball teams.

“Wyatt is a star on the football field,” Griffin said.

King was named a second-team all-district linebacker in 2024. In 2025, he was a first-team all-district linebacker, a second- team All-Cenla linebacker and a second- team all-state linebacker.

Seaward has served two years as a class representative. He is a member of FCA and Future Business Leaders of America. He has been a Jobs for America’s Graduates representative for two years and served one year as JAG president.

He has also earned several credentials, Griffin said, including customer service, business of retail and Ducks Unlimited. Seaward has played three years of football and run track for three years. He has also spent two years as manager of the basketball team and two years as manager of the baseball team.

Griffin has spent many years in education and returned to work after retiring. She thanked the board for welcoming her to the school and the community.

“It has been a pleasure,” she said. “Last year, teaching geometry at Jena, and then this year at LaSalle High School.”

She also thanked former principal Heath Denison for leaving her a strong staff.

“He set me up with a good staff, outstanding assistant principal, Mrs. Minard, and Miss Corley, our counselor,” Griffin said. “They do everything. I just sit around and eat bonbons, but they do everything.”

Griffin then introduced teachers Danielle Brown, Jamie Munson and Stephanie Barnhill.

Brown teaches world history, digital media and physical education. She is also an assistant softball coach.

“She’s a Winnfield product,” Griffin said. “Is it okay if I say that she’s one of mine? She doesn’t have much time to waste.”

Brown is certified in special education. Griffin said she is the teacher responsible for getting students certified in the Ducks Unlimited credential. She has 11 years of experience and was named Olla-Standard Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2017. She and her three children, Ty, Camryn and Layla, are members of Calvary Baptist Church. She coaches her children in travel ball.

Griffin singled out Brown for organizing the school’s Oct. 2 homecoming parade.

“I kept saying, ‘What do we need to do to get ready for the parade?’ They said, ‘It just happens,’” Griffin said. “I said, ‘A parade just doesn’t happen.’ And guess what? The parade just happened. I did not hand out a 10-page set of instructions on how to do it. It happened, and we had a great time.”

Munson teaches civics and U.S. history. Griffin said she “runs a tight ship.” Munson is certified in English and social studies and has 18 years of experience. She serves as a mentor teacher and has earned ACE teacher status. She has been named LaSalle High School Teacher of the Year three times.

Munson has also finished teacher leader training. Even so, Griffin said she prefers to stay in the classroom.

“She loves being in the classroom,” Griffin said.

Munson has two children, Logan and Livi. She is music director at Shady Grove United Pentecostal Church. She sang the national anthem at the school’s homecoming assembly.

“If you were at the homecoming assembly, you heard her sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’” Griffin said. “I’ve never heard it better.”

Barnhill teaches food and nutrition classes. She prepares students to test for credentials in customer service and the business of retail.

“We have a very high rate of passing on them,” Griffin said.

Barnhill has 27 years of experience and is a former LaSalle High School Teacher of the Year. She has two children, Kyle and Kelsey. She is very involved in her church, Olla First Baptist, where she leads the retreat ministry. She also enjoys traveling.

Griffin closed by pointing board members to a photo of the full LaSalle High staff printed on their handout.

“Y’all, we don’t have a weak area,” she said. “LaSalle High School is very, very ready to teach our students and get them to the point that they need to be at. The students have been wonderful. The staff has been wonderful. And again, I thank y’all for letting me be a part of it.”

Every week, when you pick up a copy of The Jena Times, you’re holding something that passed through the capable hands of a woman many of our readers have never met. Today I want to change that.

Her name is Kathy Duncan, and she is the Production Manager at Louisiana State Printing, where The Jena Times and our other newspapers are printed. On Saturday, Oct. 17, Kathy was honored as Grand Marshal of the 89th annual International Rice Festival Parade in downtown Crowley. The Rice Festival staff chose her in recognition of her many contributions to the rice industry and to Acadia Parish. I can’t think of anyone more deserving.

Over the years, Kathy has become a dear friend to this newspaper and to the Franklin Family. She makes sure our print quality doesn’t just meet the standard but rises above it. When this newspaper was named Newspaper of the Year, we knew part of that credit belonged to Kathy. Good stories and good photographs only shine when they’re printed right, and Kathy sees to it that they are, week after week.

She has bailed us out of more tight spots than I can remember. Late pages, last-minute changes, deadlines that seemed impossible. She has helped us so many times that we’ve honestly quit counting. And she always does it with a smile and a warm word.

If you’ve ever met a true Cajun lady from South Louisiana, you already know the kind of person I’m describing. Kathy is one of the kindest, sweetest people you will ever meet, the sort who treats everyone like family and means it.

So from all of us at The Jena Times and the Franklin Family: Congratulations, Kathy. Thank you for your friendship, your hard work, and all the times you’ve gone above and beyond for us. Crowley picked the right person to lead the parade.

On October 13, 2026, we met in the Nolley parking lot. After loading up in cars, we drove to Spirit Reins in Harrisonburg, LA.

Present were: President Donna Justiss, Renae Kelly, Nelda Tarver, Audrey Maxwell, Kelly Thompson, Cynthia Bradford, Lisa McCann, Mica King, Barbara Murphy, Glee Moore, Judy Baker, Martha Ann Wood, Katherine Stagg, and Beth Zoller.

Spirit Reins specializes in hippotherapy, a physical, occupational and speech strategy. Hippotherapy is a treatment using the movement of a horse to help patients with disorders such as Autism, Aspergers and speech problems. Anna Borne, Vicki Costanza and Renae Kelly began the program in 2008. Anna is the Speech pathologist.

We were privileged to observe a small child during his therapy session. It was very interesting to see anna and her assistants at work. They go to different stations with activities. Anna’s voice is encouraging the child with learning and speech lessons while the child is safely riding on the horse. Riding on the horse improves motor skills by improving muscle tone and balance.

Unfortunately, the Costanza’s had a fire in their hay barn. A few friends are helping out to replace some of the hay.

After watching the therapy session, we had a meal together. The table had a vase of beautiful orchids. The orchids were grown by Anna’s husband. Our lunch was prepared by Mimi’s Deli. We enjoyed many delicious items from their menu. Their location is 104 Sicily St., Harrisonburg, LA. For more information about spirit reins visit their website: www.spiritreinsequinecenter. com. Phone number 318-312-2294.

We appreciate the owners and staff at Spirit Reins for their hospitality and allowing us to watch an impressive therapy session.

We send October birthday wishes to Mica King and Judy Baker.

There are not many governors in Louisiana history who would drive to a small, rural town on a Monday afternoon just to sit in a room with smalltown mayors and sheriffs and listen. Most of them showed up at ribbon cuttings in Baton Rouge or photo opportunities in New Orleans. Rural Louisiana, as a rule, was an afterthought.

That changed Oct. 12 when Gov. Jeff Landry walked into The Schepis Museum on Main Street in Columbia and told a room full of rural leaders, “I’m not going to let them come here and let them break our natural resources.”

He came because Rep. Neil Riser asked him to. And Landry said yes.

That matters more than most people realize. The divide between rural and urban Louisiana is not a talking point. It is a measurable reality that shapes daily life in every small parish across this state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, rural Americans are significantly more likely to live in poverty, less likely to have access to high-speed internet, and far less likely to have a hospital within reasonable driving distance. In Louisiana specifically, rural parishes lag behind urban ones in per-capita income, educational attainment, and infrastructure investment by wide margins. The broadband gap alone has cost rural Louisiana businesses and families billions in economic opportunity over the past two decades.

When a mayor in that Columbia meeting raised the issue of sewer lines that are older than most of the people sitting in the room, he was not complaining about an inconvenience. He was describing a public health crisis hiding in plain sight. When another raised the issue of affordable housing, she was talking about young families who leave because there is nowhere decent to live. When the sheriffs talked about radio equipment, they were talking about officers who risk their lives with tools that are older and less reliable than what you carry in your pocket.

Landry acknowledged all of it. He did not dodge the hard questions or redirect to a safer topic. He said rural broadband is coming. He said water and sewer are the next major challenge. He said the Louisiana Housing Corp. is being redirected so the big cities stop absorbing money that was meant for everyone. He said small agencies can now buy Motorola radios at state contract prices, cutting the cost nearly in half.

None of that happens without a relationship. The fact that Riser could pick up the phone, ask the governor to come to Columbia, and get a yes is not a small thing. Neither is the fact that Sen. Glen Womack was in that room and repeated was recognized by the governor on a first name basis. When local leaders talked about having “comfort and confidence” in their state representation, they were describing something that rural Louisiana has not always had. They were describing access. They were describing the knowledge that when the next crisis hits, somebody in Baton Rouge will take the call.

Now, I want to be honest here. I do not agree with every decision this governor has made. I have my concerns, as most people do, and I would not pretend otherwise. That is not what this is about.

What this is about is the condition of Louisiana compared to where it was. Landry inherited a state that had finished too many budget cycles in the red, with infrastructure deferred, rural communities left behind, and a general sense that the whole place was managed for the benefit of a few corridors of power. He can fairly point to four straight years of budget surplus. He can fairly point to $3.5 billion committed to rural broadband, health care access, and roads and bridges. He can fairly say that things are moving.

No state turns around overnight. No governor fixes in two years what took decades to break. But when a governor shows up in Columbia, sits down with the people who run small towns, listens to what they need, and says plainly, “We’re going to try and make sure that rural Louisiana gets their fair share, that’s why I’m here,” that is not nothing.

For too long, rural Louisiana answered the door and found nobody there. Last Monday, the governor knocked.

He strongly opposed fiscal policy that included heavy government regulation, price controls, and Keynesian fiscal policy (i.e., Keynesian economics advocates government manipulation of tax and spending policies to influence the economy).

This is why, historically, Friedman, and John Maynard Keynes, the author of the Keynesian model, are often held up as two sides of the same coin.

So, as noted above, Friedman advocated for free markets and minimal government interference, advocating for a largely hands-off approach to economic policy. He is considered to be an intellectual descendant of Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher and economist widely regarded as the father of modern capitalism due to his pioneering work in economic theory and advocacy for free markets.

Adam Smith and Friedman emphasized individual freedom, limited intervention from the government, and the promotion of free markets. In Smith’s foundational book, The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith explains how “individuals pursuing their own self-interest, guided by the ‘invisible hand,’ would unintentionally promote the public good, and that market mechanisms, rather than central planning, are the most effective way to allocate resources.” Friedman agreed.

In contrast, John Maynard Keynes believed in the need for government intervention but, it must be emphasized, only at times of economic crisis, in order to stabilize the economy and to cultivate growth. I believe Keynes gets a bum rap from those who argue he supported chronic, structural deficit spending. He did not. Keynes’ actual position was that ‘deficits should be used as a temporary, countercyclical tool during economic downturns or emergencies, ‘and that the government should aim to run surpluses in good times to offset earlier deficits.’

It is only fair to note that given Keynes’ strong support of balanced budgets, and his support of deficit spending only in times of war and economic collapse, we are currently far, far to the left of even Keynes. If today we could press a magic button and fully implement Keynes economic philosophy, even while on the merits it is far inferior to Friedman, our nation would nevertheless be in dramatically better economic shape.

Friedman fundamentally believed that the free market is naturally self-correcting and efficient and that economic crises like the Great Depression are typically caused by policy mistakes by central banks, i.e., such as the Federal Reserve contracting the money supply, rather than failures of capitalism itself. (Many still adhere to this belief today which is one of the reasons there is a perennial call by U.S. Senator Rand Paul and others to “Audit the Fed” or even abolish it.)

I remember studying both economic views in college. While I instinctively favored the free-market view of Friedman, I also thought the Keynes view that, in a downturn, government could step in and increase public spending while running temporary budget deficits to create jobs until demand was restored, made some sense.

However, I have come to unequivocally support the Friedman view. The fundamental flaw with the Keynesian view, I respectfully submit, is that while government may be well-intentioned when it tries to correct for a recession or depression, the way it does so often worsens the problem.

To summarize, the Friedman model allows the free market to correct for downturns in the market and that, to me, is a far better indicator of where supply and demand really are and to what and where capital will be attracted. When we allow the free market to correct for its own downturn, we are harnessing the brains, experience, and energy of every American consumer. I find that to be far more predictive of what ails the market and how to fix it than government bureaucrats crunching computer numbers in a room at the Fed in order to arbitrarily and artificially manipulate the economy.

I think we should salute Friedman on the 50th anniversary of his Nobel Prize because the economic view he advanced has lifted millions out of poverty in America and the world. His economic theories championed individual choice and free markets over government intervention, which hews closely to the view many of us share, of a conservative, limited government that fosters the greatest amount of consumer choice and free markets possible. We are fortunate to have Friedman’s ideas available to us to refute the arguments of the rising Socialist movement in the U.S.

Prayer is a solace when a solace can’t be found anywhere else. It gives us hope because we are praying to a God who is faithful and who can’t fail. He is a burden bearer when the load becomes too heavy, and the pain becomes too much. He is the refuge from life and the joy of what can be when we trust Him. It is lightness, freedom, and safety.

Prayer is the meeting place where we see God face to face and we pour ourselves out before Him. It’s the conversation room where earth meets heaven and we rest in His presence from all our cares. It’s the opportunity to be honest with God and for Him to honest with us. It’s eye opening, soul lifting, and life changing.

Prayer isn’t a scripted activity that requires eloquence of tongue or mastery of words. Sometimes it’s just raw, honest talk with God that puts us on our knees and opens our hearts to His will and His thoughts- revealing His plans for our lives. It lets us see more than ourselves, our needs, our wants...prayer puts us in touch with heavenly purpose.

Talking to God and then listening to Him is a privilege, not an unwanted requirement or a burden. To think that we can, at any time, step into the presence of the living God is mind-blowing! To understand that He loves us and cares for us so deeply that He takes the time to listen and respond is almost beyond our ability to comprehend. To know that He will step up and step into our situations is humbling. Prayer is the avenue and the means that He has chosen for us to sit down and visit with Him.

There’s nothing we can’t pray our way through. There’s nothing God can’t and won’t don’t for His kids. He knows His people. He knows our voices. He responds to our cries and cher- Continued from last page

My Perspective...

ishes our casual conversations with Him. ‘Impossible’ is not in His vocabulary when we ask according to His will.

We can never underestimate the power of prayer or our value to God. He loves us more than sparrows. He values us more than the lovely lilies of the fields. He even knows the number of hairs in our heads- you talk about love! Talking to our God is rest, refreshing, hope, unburdening, power, and respite. He is the answer when there is no answer – just ask Him and He’ll prove Himself over and over again.

Often, I proudly tell people that I’m “Louisiana born; Texas raised,” when discussing my background. If it’s true what they say, “home is where the heart is,” then I’m proud that parts of my heart, and the roots that run deep, are in still living in the pine tree-filled lands of LaSalle Parish.

My love of writing and storytelling was birth on the porch of my grandmother’s house that sits down a long-isolated road not far from Mars Hill Baptist Church near Jena. Spending time reading books, and writing stories, while sitting with my Aunt Lo, eating pizza she got us from the Old “Ma and Pa’s” restaurant.

My Uncle Robert used to take me to pick up a copy of this very newspaper, The Jena Times, and have me sit on his porch as he sipped his coffee while I read it out loud. Even with the plume of smoke from his cigarette filling the air we sat in, I still could smell the beautiful scent that the pine trees gave off. That smell is something that till this day reminds me of spending summers riding in the back of his truck to go to “Gotta-Go” and get an iced-honey bun and Big Blue soda.

As I grew up, the visits didn’t happen as often. Our journey home to Jena were because relatives passed away, or we were having to evacuate an impending hurricane.

It was during our evacuation for Hurricane Ike, that the branches of our family tree extended, when I gave birth to my son while we were housed at the Townsmen Inn. That baby is now 18. Among the usual ways of celebrating his birthday, we spent time doing things uniquely attached to turning 18.

Registering him to vote was the most important thing we made sure to do.

He asked, “Why it’s so important to do it this exact day?”

I told him how I wanted him to understand the power of his vote; that it’s the way to have his voice be heard. I didn’t want him to become apathetic to what is happening around us, or to agree with anyone who says: voting doesn’t change anything.

I wanted him to understand that progress isn’t enough; we can’t become comfortable with sitting on the sidelines. You can’t complain about the cost of living if you’re not doing something to ensure those who are elected are willing to protect that.

My generation, millennials, grew up with parents who were raised during the height of the greatest movements in our nation’s history-civil and equal rights. By the time we were born, the stories of legalized gender, race, and sexual orientation-based discrimination felt like passages we’d read in history books. I was a child of the 90’s, and our economy was booming! Society began to look like the dream Dr. King had wanted for us. I took for granted the results that came from those who fought for our rights. We all take it for granted.

And now the cost of living is reflecting what happens when people stay home on election day.

Instead of standing in-line to vote, we’ve become the generation that would rather wait online to get tickets to a concert. Maybe it’s the pessimistic energy online that has led to the younger generations believing voting doesn’t make a difference. Voter suppression proves that isn’t true!

Millennials and Gen z, it is our turn to make our voices heard in the voting booth. You must show up to be heard, not just on social media.

Recently I attended of the Concord/Union Baptist Association (the Association that we are a member of) sponsored an event to help encourage pastors. This meeting was just for pastors. Of course, the meeting began with a meal. We had grilled steak, twice baked potatoes, green beans and salad.

The format was to have a question-and-answer session with an experienced minister/ pastor. The invited guest was Joe McKeever, retired pastor, Director of Missions, author and cartoonist. The questions were to be submitted to our associational office a minimum of two weeks prior and these questions were then submitted to Joe so that he might gather some thoughts on these.

The questions ran the whole gambit of subjects. There were questions about burnout in the ministry. What would you do different? What was your one biggest mistake in the ministry? If you only had one sermon on one scripture, what would that be? So, for an hour and a half Joe just talked to us preachers.

Out of 66 churches there were 16-18 pastors there. I made sure that I looked around to see who was there and there were several things that I noticed. First, I looked to see if I was the oldest. I was not. Then on the other hand it is a safe assumption that I was not the youngest either.

Second, about half of the pastors I did not know. Now I have been in this association this time for 15 years. You would think that I would know more than that. This is probably attributed to a couple of factors. The rapid and numerous turnovers in the smaller rural churches, and I am probably not as active in our association as I should be. Also, the sad fact that pastors just don’t befriend each other as we should.

Third, I looked around and I saw some beat up and discouraged faces. The pastoral ministry can be one of the most demanding and abusive professions there is. Joe McKeever made serval good points pertaining to this.

Fourth, we all knew everything that Joe McKeever said. As a matter of fact, we all probably had preached on it as some point in time. We preachers are notoriously guilty of “do as I say. Not as I do.”

As I looked around and saw so many faces that I did not know, I purposely sat between two men that I did not know. One I knew who he was but the second I had no idea who he was. These two men were very different.

One was bi-vocational, lived over an hour away and pastored a very small rural church. The other was young, full-time, and pastored one of the larger churches there in Ruston. One talkative the other quiet. Both were much younger than me.

After year fifty and five different churches I have taken some lumps and abuse. Lisa and I were talking recently about some of the difficult times and people through the years. I jokingly tell people that everywhere I have pastored; everyone has loved me. Some have loved me when I came, some have loved me while I was there, and some loved me when I left.

Several years ago, an acquaintance asked me why I chose to be a pastor. My reply, I did not choose it. It chose me. It is a calling. A call from a Holy and Sovereign God. It is like the call that Jesus gave the disciples – FOLLOW ME.

I earned some $18,000-$19,000 in 2025. SS advised I did not meet some 35-year formula. I thought that formula just applied to the original benefit calculation. Otherwise, one seems cheated given the SS taxes paid on income received after applying for benefits without any consideration for that income. Please advise me. Signed: Feeling Cheated Dear Feeling Cheated: FYI, your Social Security benefit is always based on the highest 35 years of your lifetime earnings (with your early years’ earnings automatically adjusted for inflation). And that formula continues even after you start receiving benefits. Social Security will look at your earnings each year to see if your recent earnings are among your highest. If so, they will automatically recalculate your benefit to give you a higher amount (and pay you retroactively to the first of that year). Apparently, in past years, your more recent earnings were among the highest over your lifetime, which is why you received those notifications in the fall of each previous year saying your benefit was adjusted based upon recent earnings. That you didn’t get a similar notification this year, means that your earnings in 2024 were not among the highest over your lifetime, so no adjustment to your monthly benefit was appropriate.

Now, to clarify, those annual notices you received in the past always referred to the preceding year – that is, if you received a notice in October 2024 of a higher SS benefit, that was a result of your 2023 earnings. If you got no such notice in October of 2025, that means that your 2024 income was not among the highest over your lifetime. And your 2025 earnings of $18,000 $19,000 will likely not be among your lifetime highest either, so you probably won’t get a notice next year either.

It’s important to understand that your contributions to Social Security (i.e., the SS payroll taxes you pay while working) are not put into a separate account for you - rather, they are used to help pay benefits to all beneficiaries. In other words, just contributing to SS with payroll tax from your work earnings doesn’t necessarily mean you get a higher benefit. Your SS benefit is always based upon the 35 years in which you earned the most, including recent years if you continue to work. So, you weren’t “cheated” – that is simply how the program works - your SS benefit is always based on your highest 35 years of work earnings, including recent years, with earnings from the early years adjusted for inflation..

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social- security-dvisory) or email us at ssadvisor@ amacfoundation.org.

• Hard work never hurt anyone - this is no longer true

• It was just a flash in the pan – this now describes my work ethic

• Don’t bite the hand that feeds you – I am always real nice around suppertime

• Rome wasn’t built in a day – with work production at an all time low this one comes in very handy

• Robbing Peter to pay Paul – this is what happens when my wife finds my wallet lying around

• They bite the least when the wind comes from the east – I use this one when I come home with no fish

• Money can’t buy you love – money has nothing to do with love

• Know when to hold em, know when to fold em – this also makes sense with matrimony • If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – It’s still working, we should be thankful

• An apple never falls far from the tree – that is why your kids are like you

• Two heads are better than one – a major concept of marriage

• Winning is always contagious – the Saints have not grasped this concept

• A day late and a dollar short – this describes my retirement savings account

• Time waits for no man – you now realize this is a true statement