News

Former Mansfield City Alderman Mitch Lewis has been working behind the scenes picking up the proverbial dropped ball of the dedication and renaming of the Mansfield Post Office that was approved and scheduled in 2020. Johnson realized that somewhere, somehow the dedication had never been completed.

Lewis contacted several politicians that had been a part of the original project with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s office coming through with a positive update.

On June 27, word came through from Speaker Johnson’s office that he would be getting with the post office to set a dedication date.

The people of DeSoto Parish thank Lewis for his dedication and hard work to see that the Simpkins dedication will be carried out. Be watching for a dedication date in the near future.

Please refer to the following story that was run in The Enterprise a couple of years ago.

Three arrests have been made by Narcotics Agents with the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office in regard to illegal drug activity within the parish. More are expected to follow. During a lengthy investigation, Narcotics Agents were able to make drug related arrests on two subjects, Matthew Rawls (W/M DOB 07/01/91) of Mansfield, and Glenn Blomberg (W/M DOB 07/08/76) of Stonewall.

Rawls was arrested on charges of Possession of Schedule II (Meth) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Blomberg was arrested on a single charge of Possession of Schedule IV (Gabapentin.). Both were booked into the DeSoto Detention Center.

An armed and dangerous suspect sought by Sabine Parish is now in custody. Joshua Perry, (B/M 23yoa) was wanted by Sabine SO for pulling a firearm on Sabine Parish Deputies on June 18th. Perry fled on foot from the scene, and a wanted post was made by Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office shortly after. Perry, and a female accomplice, Alexis Sepulvado (W/F 23yoa) were located just before midnight on June 18th by DeSoto Sheriff Narcotics Agents, Patrol, K-9, Aerial (Helicopter), and with assistance from Sabine Sheriff Narcotics. Perry and Sepulvado will face multiple charges. Joshua Perry will be charged with Aggravated Assault with a Firearm upon a Peace Officer, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Resisting an Officer, Distribution of a Controlled and Dangerous Substance, and Fugitive Warrant. Alexis Sepulvado will be charged with Obstruction of Justice and Expired Registration. Both have been booked into the DeSoto Detention Center.

It’s time for another SCAM TIP!

Truth be told, this is how MOST people end up saying “My Facebook was hacked.” You play that game, click on an Ad, or take a quiz and at some point it says, “Login to Share.” The reality is....you are already logged into Facebook. It is simply a fake page setup to steal your login information. The next thing you know you have lost access to your facebook account and all those years of family pictures, and someone is using your account and your name to sell used cars for $300 to scam others. Don’t fall victim to this very old and very common SCAM.

Sheriff Jayson Richardson and the Bringing Joye Program would like to remind residents of our “Friends of the Sheriff” decals that can be picked up at our various locations! If you or someone living with you lives with Autism, Down Syndrome, Deafness, Cerebral Palsy, Dementia, PTSD, etc....you can fill out a short form and receive decals for your vehicle and home. The information you provide to us in that form is entered into our dispatch system. If ever there is a call to your residence or vehicle, first responders receive an alert prior to arriving that lets them know there may be someone sensitive to sirens, lights, or otherwise that you have listed on your form. This is just one more great way citizens and law enforcement can work together to ensure ALL are served equally, and with compassion!

We are ready for a fun-filled weekend at BackAlley Community Theatre as we help celebrate Grand Cane’s birthday with our first show in our 2024 Summer Concert Series, Terry, Rocky, and Friends: On the Radio. You will enjoy a toe-tapping road trip with a playlist of all of our most loved songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s! The musical journey features two of our favorite performers, Terry Sparks and Rocky Maddox, along with a cast of popular local musicians and vocalists.

Show times are Friday and Saturday, June 28 and 29, at 7:00 pm, and Sunday, June 30, at 2:00 pm.

Donny Smith, guitar, is returning to our BackAlley stage and is sure to delight our patrons with his skill at multiple forms of guitar. He has entertained our BackAlley audience in both plays and musicals. Donny retired as owner of Smith’s Jewelry in Mansfield and enjoys his life on Toledo Bend and taking to the road whenever the wandering bug strikes.

With fireworks tents and stands popping up across the state this week, the State Fire Marshal’s Office wants to encourage all Louisiana residents to not only be safe when using fireworks, but knowledgeable when buying them.

More than 300 retail fireworks permits have been issued for the 2024 Fourth of July season, as it is state law for wholesale and retail fireworks business operators to be appropriately licensed by the SFM, in the parishes and municipalities where they are legally allowed. The sales season extends through 11:59 p.m. on July 5th.

Northwestern State University announces the names of 498 students named to the President’s List for the Spring 2024 semester. Students on the President’s List must be enrolled fulltime at Northwestern and have a grade point average of 4.0.

For questions regarding the President’s List, contact the NSU Registrar’s Office at (318) 3576171 or email registrar@nsula.edu.

Students listed by hometown are as follows.

Louisiana Tech University has announced the names of students on its Spring Quarter 2024 President’s and Dean’s honor lists.

Students whose names are followed by an asterisk earned recognition as members of the president’s honor list. That distinction signifies achievement of at least a 3.8 academic grade point average on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher), with no grade lower than a B.

To be eligible for the dean’s honor lists, a student is required to earn at least a 3.5 academic grade point average with no grade lower than a C on a minimum of nine semester hours completed (100-level or higher).

Courses yielding satisfactory/ failure grades and courses audited do not count toward eligibility for either recognition. Only undergraduates with no incomplete grades are eligible to make either list.

Honor students are listed below by their hometowns, with all Louisiana students listed first by parish.

Juneteenth is short for June Nineteenth, which marks the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas in 1865. It was Union General Gordon Granger who read General Orders No.3 stating that all slaves were free. Today, it commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as Freedom Day.

On January 1, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation at the height of the Civil War. On paper, slaves in Texas were free, but they were not aware of it. Texan slave owners kept the news to themselves, delaying emancipation of 250,000 slaves by another two years.

There are several theories why such news was delayed, including the murder of the messenger and securing further cotton harvests from Texas.

Other delayed news was the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court, which was only heard more than two months after.