Gary Lynn Diron Service: Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12 pm at Chaddick Funeral Home
Donald Wesley Stark Service: Monday, May 18, 2026 at 11 am in the Starr Funeral Home Chapel
Rita Roxanne Watkins Service: Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 3 pm at Castor Baptist Church
Tammy Lea Lam Service: Sunday, May 17 at 2 pm at Labby Memorial Funeral Home
Vernon Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or vpjnewsla@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Deaths shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to vpjnewsla@gmail.com).
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Sheriff Sam Craft of the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office announces recent arrests made by VPSO.
May 10, 2026
Curtis Jackson, age 37, of Leesville, was arrested on an outstanding Bench Warrant. Bond has not been set and Jackson remains in the VPSO jail.
May 11, 2026
Jennifer Michelle Nolf, age 39, of Leesville, was arrested and charged with one count of Possession of a Schedule II Narcotic and one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $6,561. A detainer for the Louisiana Department of Probation and Parole has been placed on Nolf and she remains in the VPSO jail.
Crystal Elizabeth Short, age 38, of Leesville, was arrested and charged with two counts of Possession of a Schedule II Narcotic, one count of Possession of a Legend Drug, and one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $19,061. Short remains in the VPSO jail.
Glenn Holmes Jr., age 47, of Leesville, was arrested on an outstanding Bench Warrant. Bond was set at $15,000. Holmes remains in the VPSO jail.
ALL PERSONS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
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Members of Rosepine Lodge No. 290 F&AM recently recognized local public servants during a special event honoring law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical responders.
The lodge expressed appreciation for the service and dedication of first responders throughout the community.
Officials also thanked Terry Lambright for assisting with the recognition ceremony honoring the men and women serving in public safety roles.
The Vernon Parish Police Jury met May 11 for its regular meeting at the parish courthouse.
Jurors David Fox, Doug Roshong, and District Attorney Terry Lambright were absent from the meeting. Marvin Hilton led the prayer, while Quintin Thompson led the Pledge of Allegiance.
During public comments, Vernon Parish Building Inspector Billy McShan addressed recent legislation in Baton Rouge related to building inspections and housing regulations. Topics discussed included House Bill 1164, which would require gas detection devices in homes with gas appliances; House Bill 1026, concerning construction permit requirements; and Senate Bill 398, which addresses regulation of manufactured housing.
Chris Richardson also spoke to the jury regarding trash collection concerns.
Committee reports were presented by David Brister of the Road Maintenance and Construction Committee and Kenny Haymon of the Ways and Means Committee.
In new business, jurors approved a five-year cooperative agreement between the parish and the LSU AgCenter covering the years 2026 through 2031. The agreement provides annual funding of $27,013.37.
Following the reading of memorials, the jury authorized payment of invoices submitted through the Finance Committee before adjourning at 5:17 p.m.
The Southwest Louisiana Prescribed Burn Association recently held a membership meeting in Vernon Parish with a strong community turnout.
The meeting featured presentations from meteorologists Donald Jones and Jonathan Brazzell of the National Weather Service, who provided information related to weather conditions and forecasting.
Association officials thanked attendees and guest speakers for participating in the event, which focused on education and information sharing related to prescribed burning practices in southwest Louisiana.
Vernon Parish residents can expect warm and mostly sunny conditions through the end of the week before cloud cover and rain chances begin increasing early next week.
Sunny skies are forecast Wednesday with afternoon highs reaching the upper 80s. North winds around 5 mph will continue through the day. Clear conditions Wednesday night will allow temperatures to cool into the lower 60s.
Thursday will remain sunny and even warmer, with highs around 90 degrees. Winds will stay light and variable before shifting south around 5 mph during the afternoon. Thursday night is expected to be partly cloudy with overnight lows in the mid-60s.
Sunny weather continues Friday with highs again reaching the upper 80s. Friday night will begin mostly clear before becoming partly cloudy later in the evening. Overnight lows are forecast in the upper 60s.
Saturday will bring partly sunny skies and continued warm temperatures in the upper 80s. Saturday night is expected to remain partly cloudy with lows dropping into the lower 70s.
Cloud cover increases Sunday as mostly cloudy skies move into the parish. High temperatures will remain in the upper 80s, while overnight lows Sunday night are expected in the mid-70s.
Rain chances begin returning Monday as mostly cloudy morning conditions transition into partly sunny skies during the afternoon. Forecasters are calling for a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with highs once again in the upper 80s.
Overall, Vernon Parish is expected to experience several days of dry, summer-like weather before unsettled conditions begin developing early next week.
Last October 31st, it was trick-or-treat at Alexandria International Airport – but on that day, it was all treats as it was announced that United Airlines would be returning to AEX in 2026. Fast forward 6+ months and the celebration date is set. This Thursday, May 21, at 2:30pm, the inaugural flight between Alexandria International Airport (AEX) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) will mark an important milestone for connectivity across Central Louisiana.
The route was suspended in 2022 due in part to a nationwide pilot shortage, leaving Central Louisiana without a direct United connection. The new service will operate under United Express, powered by SkyWest Airlines, providing direct access to Houston’s global network.
Beginning this Thursday, United Express will offer two daily flights between Alexandria and Houston. Flights are now available for booking at united.com or by calling 800-864-8331.
Departures from AEX: 9:43 AM and 4:00 PM Return Flights from Houston: 1:40 PM and 6:45 PM
This schedule gives travelers the freedom to make same-day business trips or connect to hundreds of destinations across the U.S. and abroad and is a convenient alternative to driving to Lafayette or even Dallas.
Ralph Hennessy, Executive Director of AEX, says United is starting slow in their return. “They’re starting out, baby steps, right? You’ve got to crawl before you can walk,” Hennessy said. “It’s two flights a day, and then we envision going to three and possibly four.”
Bringing United back to Cenla has been at the top of the list for Hennessy since he first came to England Airpark in December 2022. Hennessy said this move will provide another avenue for people to come and go.
“There are a number of people that live in this area that drive to Houston to do work and then come back. It’s also going to allow people that are in Houston to fly here to do business and go back,” he said. “It’s going to help spur some interest back in the community.”
So Welcome Back United, and welcome back to convenient, same day, non-stop flights to and from Houston, a huge benefit for Cenla’s business travelers, the military and tourists alike.
The Natchitoches Jazz&R&B Festival, which is celebrating its 29th year on May 15-16 is widely regarded as one of the top if not, THE top music festivals in north Louisiana.
According to festival chairman Rodney Harrington, the event is the culmination of a year long community effort and would not be possible without the generous support of area businesses, concertgoers, and musicians.
“First and foremost, we have a super hard-working board of directors and core group of volunteers who work all year long for no other reason than to help provide good quality musical entertainment for the people of our area and beyond,” said Harrington.
“The festival simply wouldn’t happen without the generosity of our sponsors or partners as we call them”, Harrington continued, “they step up to the plate year after year and allow us to put on a top quality festival featuring A-list artists and first class sound and production.”
Harrington did say that ticket sales are critical, however, and at the end of the day, it’s all about putting” butts in the seats.”
“With advance online ticket sales, we are able to track where our purchases are coming from and it’s pretty eye-opening,” Harrington said, “ we have folks coming to this festival from literally all over the country, although we rely heavily upon people who are in driving distance.”
He encourages local businesses which, for whatever reason, did not become sponsors, to please consider buying tickets to give to their employees and/or customers.
Harrington says that the festival was started over 30 years ago mainly to provide a venue for local musicians to perform and it still maintains its loyalty to that group.
“The lineup of performers includes lots of local acts and they are going to be amongst the best you’ll see at the festival, “says Harrington.
For the first time, this year’s festival will feature a stage where all performers will play only their original music. This will be in the beautiful setting of Beau Jardin and will be presented in cooperation with The Natchitoches Original Music Showcase.
BREAKING NEWS ALERT: VIP TICKETS ARE NEARLY SOLD OUT AND THE JAZZ FEST BOARD ANTICIPATES TERMINATING THE FURTHER SALE OF THOSE TICKETS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) approved a Notice of Intent (NOI) for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to conduct a recreational alligator hunting season from Oct. 1-31, 2026. The action came during the LWFC’s May meeting Thursday (May 7) in Baton Rouge.
“We are proud to increase recreational opportunity for Louisiana sportsmen and women across the state with this exciting new season,” said LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth. “The American Alligator is a true conservation success story, and by being able to have a recreational season, we are able to further promote this success and the rich hunting heritage that makes up the Louisiana way of life.”
The recreational season would be separate from the commercial season. Properties already issued commercial harvest tags are excluded from recreational eligibility. Alligators, hides, meat and parts taken under a recreational hide tag may not be sold, bartered or commingled with commercial-tag alligators.
The recreational season would be conducted by lottery. Only Louisiana residents may apply. A total of 5,000 participants would be selected with two recreational alligator hide tags issued to each participant. Immediate tag attachment upon harvest and tag validation within 72 hours via department portal, LA Wallet, phone, or LouisianaOutdoors.com, is required.
Method of take is restricted to hook and line, or snatch hook only — anchored, tethered, or originating from immovable eligible property with written landowner permission. Pole hunting and free shooting is prohibited.
There would be eight zones statewide with recreational opportunity in each zone. Zones B and C would have 1,250 participants, Zone A 500 participants and zones D, E, F, G and H 400 participants each.. A recreational alligator hunter must possess a basic hunting license, the recreational alligator hunting license, valid recreational hide tags and written proof of land ownership or permission. A recreational alligator hunting license would be $25 for residents and $150 for non-residents.
To see the full NOI, visit the LDWF Alligator Hunting webpage.
Public comment on the NOI will be accepted through June 26. Comments may be submitted to LDWF Alligator Program Manager Jeb Linscombe at LDWF, 200 Dulles Drive, Lafayette, LA, 70506, or by email at jlinscombe@wlf.la.gov.
In April, Cleco employees celebrated National Volunteer Month by volunteering their time and energy by serving more than 800 hours at 50 charitable organizations across Louisiana.
Whether they worked as part of a volunteer team or served on their own, a Huge Shout Out to all the great Cleco volunteers who are making an impact in their communities.
In 2025, Cleco employees volunteered over 5,000 hours across the service territory, and supported over 400 organizations through giving and volunteering.
Cleco Power LLC is a regulated electric utility company headquartered in Pineville, serving approximately 290,000 retail customers in the state. Its service territory spans 24 parishes, including Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Catahoula, DeSoto, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, Vernon, and Washington Parish, providing electricity to both residential and commercial customers.
You can find out more about Cleco’s involvement in the community, as well as their charitable giving program, at Cleco.com.
I’ve always heard the saying that “some things never change,” but that would not be the case for bass tournaments. When you look back at tournament participation over the last 10 years, one thing is very apparent; anglers have walked away from bass tournaments.
Let’s look at some of the reasons that might explain why participation is down. But understand this, you can’t point your finger at just one reason. First and foremost, we are living in a different time as compared to the hay day of tournament bass fishing that was the 1990s and early 2000s.
After the conclusion of the COVID outbreak in 2021, for some reason tournament participation has gone south. Tournaments were at full strength during COVID as anglers were looking for an escape from isolation. Bass boat sales were out the roof nationwide with people retreating to the outdoors.
All the major tournament trails were filling up with a maximum number of entries anywhere from 200 to 300 boats or more. But a couple of years after COVID, for whatever reason, anglers quit showing up.
That was about the time forward-facing sonar became an issue. Nothing in the last 40 years has had as much controversial impact than forward-facing sonar.
Now I’m not pointing the finger at this alone because it may be just a coincidence that anglers were dropping out of tournaments. But for the last five years, anglers have come up with other reasons for not fishing competitively.
Some say it’s the economy, but I’m not totally buying into this idea. One thing about bass tournament anglers, they will do whatever it takes to make sure they can still compete even if it means selling their youngest child or their wife getting a second job in order to save enough money for them to fish the next tournament.
While I’m joking about them selling their youngest child, there is one thing that seems to be a common variable to anglers not showing up: gas prices! Back in 2014 when a tank of gas cost you an arm and a leg ($4 a gallon), anglers decided to park their high-dollar bass boats.
While gas prices can have an influence on whether anglers fish or not, presently we are once again on the verge of anglers parking their boats as gas prices continue to rise due to the war with Iran.
Here’s a major concern of mine that I think is having a negative effect on tournaments … cheaters! Over the last two years, there have been more anglers disqualified for rules violations and more people who have been caught cheating.
This has given the sport a black eye and is just another reason anglers are thinking twice before entering a tournament. They just don’t trust that someone is not cheating! Even on local weeknight shootouts, there have been anglers caught cheating just to win a couple hundred dollars.
So, even with all the reasons we’ve mentioned, one angler recently summed it up as to why tournament participation is down nationwide: “It’s just not fun any more!”
Very few of us fish for a living. We love tournaments because we enjoy the comradery and the competition. Most guys are perfectly happy if they just get a check to help cover their gas, hotel and food.
But it’s sad that we live in a world today where there will always be a couple of bad apples that can ruin it for everybody. I just hope that one day anglers can look forward to fishing a tournament and not have to worry if someone is cheating.
Hopefully the heyday of tournament bass fishing is not over. But it’s going to take time for some anglers to return to the sport they love. Tournament organizations are in a pickle today trying to figure out the formula that will encourage tournament anglers to return.
Every tournament trail is always attempting to get more anglers to enter their events. Their dilemma is trying to figure out who should be their target demographic group. Should they cater to the younger generation (18 to 34) or try to get the 35 and older anglers back?
There’s one key component they’ll need to factor in when getting more anglers to return; they must gain their trust again.
Graduation season is officially here, which means students across Louisiana are preparing for one of life’s biggest milestones… and one of its longest ceremonies. Between the packed auditoriums, nervous sweating, endless speeches, and the fear of tripping on stage, every graduate knows survival requires a few essentials: graduation cords, a portable fan, sunglasses for hiding tired eyes from cramming for finals, and a fully charged phone ready for photos the second it’s over.
Several years ago, a radio station in San Francisco conducted a nonscientific listener survey. Sixty-eight percent of the people surveyed were for it. Twenty percent were against it. The remaining twelve percent had no opinion on the matter. So the radio station concluded from this nonscientific survey that the vast majority were in favor of it. The funny part is that the radio station never asked a question. It was an illustration of the bandwagon effect. If you get enough people walking down South Trenton Street in the same direction at nearly the same time, a parade is likely to break out.
I could go on one of my rants about people not thinking critically about political, educational, existential, or spiritual matters — but I won’t. I will say this: you need to read more than just the headlines on the website. You need to read the article. And you need to read more than one verse of the Bible if you want the whole picture. We often form opinions based on emotion rather than actually thinking something through. (I know — shocking.)
I talk about this because when people find out I’m a minister, they usually ask a question that goes something like this: “Do Methodists believe in drinking wine and playing cards at the dance held on Sunday afternoon at the movie theater?” This is not a serious question, but the ones people ask me are just as funny. When someone asks me about a specific “sin,” I usually ask them what they think. You might be surprised to know that people are looking for direction and validation in their lives. I’m amused that they mostly want to know if I’m AGAINST the same things they’re against. Often, in seeking direction and validation for our spiritual position, we join a church where people “think like we do.”
Nonchurch folks define the congregation of Trinity Methodist in two ways: by who attends our church, and by what we are AGAINST. I have a list of jokes to prove my point, but space doesn’t allow me to share them. (You’re welcome.) In church life, the bandwagon is joined as much for what a church is against as for what the church believes. But do you really want anyone defining you by what you’re against?
Now here’s what I want you to hear — and I want you to hear it louder than any bandwagon rolling down the street. I am FOR YOU. I believe God loves you just the way you are — not the “improved,” “cleanedup,” “Sundaybest” version of you, but the real you, the one who sometimes burns the biscuits, loses their patience, and wonders if they’re getting any of this right. You don’t have to do one single thing to earn God’s love. Not one. I believe God wants the best for you — and your “best” doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. God loves you so much that He sent Jesus into the world to show us that love with skin on.
And if you’ve never heard anyone say this plainly, let me be the first: you matter, you are loved, and heaven is not rolling its eyes at you. God is not waiting for you to get your act together — God is already cheering for you, believing in you, and walking with you.
After 22 years of shared finances, a new disagreement puts one couple at odds: should they help an adult son with car payments, or protect their retirement?
Burger joints are as much a part of our American culture as the fish and chip shops are in England. On April 25, 1960, Michael James “Jim” Delligatti opened a drive-in restaurant franchise in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Jim’s drive-in operated on a streamlined technique in which they could deliver a hamburger, French fires, and a milkshake in 50 seconds or less. The menu consisted of just ten items: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, triple thick milkshakes, Coca Cola, root beer, Orangeade, milk, coffee, and hot chocolate. By using their assembly line process, they could prepare 36 hamburgers in just 110 seconds. Jim’s drive-in had the space to prepare 6,000 hamburgers a day. At $.15 each, the profit margin per hamburger was small, but they made up for it in volume. Customers flocked to Jim’s drive-in. The food was inexpensive, quick, and tasted good. A bright neon sign identified the drive-in. The brightly lit food preparation area was enclosed by 900 square feet of quarter-inch plate glass so customers could see that their food was served quickly in spotless surroundings. Business was so good that by 1971, Jim owned a dozen drive-in restaurant franchises in western Pennsylvania. Jim eventually owned 48 restaurants in the drive-in restaurant chain.
Jim always paid attention to what his customers wanted. After hearing that they desired a bigger sandwich, Jim went to work. After a short time—speed was of the utmost importance—Jim created a bigger sandwich by using items already on his menu and adding a unique sauce made from salted egg yolks, mustard, onion, garlic, and relish. In March of 1967, Jim used his Uniontown drive-in to test out his new sandwich. Demand exploded and Jim added his new creation to the menus of his other drive-ins. The results were the same. Jim’s larger sandwich was a hit, but the parent company did not want to alter their original menu. Jim explained, “they figured, why go to something else if (the original menu) was working so well?” Eventually, Jim’s creation was added to the national chain’s menus with resounding success. Since 1968, the chain has sold billions of Jim’s larger sandwiches. In 2006, the parent company estimated that they were selling 550 million of them each year at a rate of 17 each second.
Jim did not become wealthy off of his creation that is now sold in over 100 countries. Jim received no payment and no royalties for the creation, but that was okay with Jim. After more than six and a half decades, Jim’s Drive-In is still open. From the menu at the drive-in restaurant at 575 Morgantown Street in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, you can still order the sandwich Jim created there by combining two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions, on a sesame seed bun. It is said to be the most popular sandwich on the planet. Jim, the owner of a McDonald’s franchise, was the creator of the Big Mac. …and it’s time for lunch.
Sources:
1. The Evening Standard (Uniontown, Pennsylvania), April 12, 1960, p.7.
2. The Evening Standard, March 2, 1971, p.69.
3. Valley News (West Lebanon, New Hampshire), December 4, 2016, p.12.
For at least one day this week, aviator sunglasses become socially acceptable indoors, people suddenly feel the need for speed on their morning commute, and someone, somewhere, will absolutely attempt a volleyball reference they are too young to fully understand.
May 13 marks National Top Gun Day, an unofficial holiday celebrating the 1986 blockbuster film that turned fighter pilots into pop culture icons and permanently convinced generations of movie fans that motorcycles, leather jackets, and dramatic runway walks were essential personality traits.
The holiday arrives this year with even more momentum as both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are returning to theaters for a limited anniversary run beginning May 13 to celebrate the original movie’s 40th anniversary.
That means Americans this week may once again find themselves explaining to younger family members why everyone over age 35 instinctively says “Talk to me, Goose” during minor inconveniences.
The original Top Gun, released in 1986 and starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, became one of the defining films of the 1980s. The movie reportedly boosted Navy recruitment, made aviator sunglasses wildly popular, and helped launch one of the most recognizable soundtracks in movie history.
Even people who have never seen the film somehow still understand the references. “Danger Zone” starts playing, and suddenly everyone feels qualified to land fighter jets.
The holiday itself has developed a surprisingly loyal online following over the years, with fans celebrating by rewatching the movies, quoting dialogue, and debating whether Top Gun: Maverick somehow managed to outperform the original nearly four decades later.
Social media users have already begun posting their plans for the annual celebration.
Tammy Lea Lam Service: Sunday, May 17 at 2 pm at Labby Memorial Funeral Home
Ronald Keith Everett No Service Information Listed
Vernon Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or vpjnewsla@gmail.com. Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Deaths shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to vpjnewsla@gmail.com).
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Sheriff Sam Craft of the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office announces recent arrests made by VPSO.
May 5, 2026
Garrett Kurt Kuhlow, age 22, of Anacoco, was arrested and charged with two counts of Theft under $750, three counts of Criminal Trespass, one count of Theft over $1500, one count of Simple Burglary – Immovable Structures, and one count of Simple Burglary. Bond has not been set and Kuhlow remains in the VPSO jail.
May 6, 2026
Glenn M. Holmes Jr. age 47, of Leesville, was arrested on an outstanding Bench Warrant. Bond has not been set and Holmes remains in the VPSO jail.ALL PERSONS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.
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The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about social media scams involving fake graduation ticket sales for local school ceremonies.
According to the sheriff’s office, individuals have been posting offers online claiming to sell graduation tickets and requesting monetary deposits from buyers.
Authorities advised residents not to send money or conduct financial transactions with individuals offering tickets through social media, noting that any money sent will likely be unrecoverable.
Officials also reminded the public that graduation tickets are typically distributed free of charge through schools and encouraged anyone needing tickets to contact their school directly for accurate information.
FORT POLK — Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk recently hosted the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command’s inaugural Best Squad Competition, bringing together soldiers from across the Army to compete in a series of rigorous tests focused on teamwork, discipline and tactical proficiency.
Officials said the event was designed to evaluate and strengthen squad-level performance under realistic training conditions, emphasizing readiness, leadership and cohesion among small units.
Participants were challenged in demanding scenarios intended to simulate battlefield conditions, with leaders highlighting the importance of preparing soldiers for real-world missions.
The competition concluded with recognition of participating teams, including a top finish by a unit from the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, which earned the title of T2COM Best Squad and will advance to compete in the U.S. Army’s broader Best Squad Competition.
Installation leaders said hosting events like this reinforces the mission of the training center to build combat-ready forces prepared for operational demands.
