News

Stonewall is the perfect place to host a new ice cream parlor named, what else but, Roll’ N Stone Rolled Ice Cream. The DeSoto Parish Chamber of Commerce honored the new business on Friday, August 26,with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate their Grand Opening.

Owners Peyton Massey and Muna Sofyan selected a location at 128 Diane Lane, Suite B, just behind the EMS Building on the Stonewall-Frierson Road (Hwy 3276). Sofyah is a real estate agent with Massey a former oilfield worker.

When you go to Roll’ N Stone, please take along your patience and be prepared to be entertained. Don’t expect hand dipped or soft served ice cream. Unlike traditional ice cream, which is pre-made and ready to scoop, rolled ice cream is made to order and usually takes around 3 to 5 minutes to make. The staff, known as Rollers, at Roll’ N Stone are ready to customize your order and entertain you with their rolling skills.

The Fall Cattlemen’s Roundup is scheduled for September 10, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Carthage Exposition Center, located at 1735 Ball Park Road in Carthage, Texas.

Guest speakers will include County and Parish Extension Agents, included DeSoto Parish’s Extension Agent Joshua Salley. Other speakers and topics of discussion will include Veterinarians, Mix 30 Liquid Feed, Herbicide and Pesticide Reps, Farm and Ranch Equipment Dealers, Texas Parks and Wildlife Agents, Double Down Deer Feed Representative, Patriot Equipment, and many more informative speakers. A catered catfish lunch will be available, along with awesome door prizes. To RSVP and for more information call 903-692-1597.

On Friday, August 26, a DeSoto Parish Jury found 50 year old Valeria Nichelle Robinson of Keachi guilty of second-degree murder. She faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for the murder of Roy Long, also of Keachi.

On September 3, 2020, at approximately 5:43 a.m., DeSoto Parish 911 received a call from a citizen who had located a deceased individual in the area of the Marshall Road, north of Highway 3013 in Keachi.

Upon arrival, deputies were able to determine that the male victim, Long, age 64, had died of an apparent gunshot wound. He was found in the front yard of his residence.

Robinson was identified as a subject in connection with the homicide, but she was able to elude capture for more than a month.

Once arrested, she remained at the DeSoto Parish Detention Center until her trial, and will continue to be housed there until her sentencing.

Come “Fall” in love with Grand Cane as their popular Night Market returns on September 10 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Mayor Marsha Richardson loves to see both new and old familiar faces at their events as well as in daily life, so she issues a special invitation to you and your family to come and join them.

This is a family friendly event with no entry fee as you spend your evening browsing, visiting, and making purchases at a variety of vendor booths, plus the Grand Cane stores ready to serve you.

To become a vendor please email the organizers at grandcanemerchants@gmail.com. The fee is $25.00 for a 12 X 12 booth. Headquarters is 8358 Hwy 171 in Grand Cane. For more information call Village Hall at 318-858-3251 until noon.

As Mayor Richardson would say, “It’s a grand day in Grand Cane!”

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office is reminding citizens to stay informed and stay safe in the wake of a disturbing story out of Houston in which a woman was reported poisoned by a napkin tucked into the door handle of her car.

“We have not received any similar reports of the story below in or around our parish, however Houston, TX is not that far away. So we do want to inform residents of DeSoto Parish, to be proactive,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post last week.

In the Houston case, the woman did not think much of the napkin and simply threw it away before opening her car door. Within minutes, she felt a tingling in her fingertips that spread to her arms, followed by numbness, lightheadedness, and trouble breathing. She ended up in the ER, where doctors confirmed acute poisoning but were unable to pinpoint the substance.

Landmark plan embraces Louisiana’s fundamental shift in how children are taught to read Louisiana has adopted the state’s first accountability system for kindergarten through second grade. The Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) literacy- focused plan was approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) today.

“This landmark action closes a glaring gap in our accountability system and embraces a fundamental shift in how we’re teaching children to read,” said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “Not only has our state rallied behind this commitment to our early learners, but we’re continuing to see momentum build behind Louisiana’s reading revival.”

While Louisiana has a nationally recognized early childhood quality rating system and a robust 3-12 accountability system, the state lacked a strong measure of how students in grades K-2 were performing prior to Wednesday’s vote.

The August meeting was held at the DeSoto Chamber of Commerce Conference Room on August 16, with Sheriff Jayson Richardson leading the meeting as Vice President. The meal was catered by Bit Pit Smoking.

New business included mentioning that the Chamber had obtained several new members during the Summer Membership Drive. This was the first meeting that the price of the catered luncheons had a slight increase.

Keynote speaker was Senator Barry Milligan, with three minute speakers Janell Mason, CEO of Arkansas Ronald McDonald House and NW Louisiana, and candidate for Louisiana Attorney General John Belton.

Belton spoke first and introduced himself as the District Attorney for the Third Judicial District, which represents constituents from Lincoln and Union Parishes.

This picture is from the files of The Enterprise from 2018. Mansfield Auto World used to be a busy dealership selling Chevrolets, Buicks, etc. In 2014, the owners signed a contract with GM to move the DeSoto franchise to Stonewall with the new name Marketplace Chevrolet-Buick. This was the last new car franchise between Ford, Chevrolet, etc. to be open in Mansfield. Fortunately, Mansfield still has Triple JJJ’s car lot with premium preowned vehicles.

The scrap metal is gone and the bulldozers work at making the lot smooth enough to lay a slab.

Last week, on August 15, demolition started to tear down what once was Mansfield Auto World at the corner of Polk Street (Hwy 84) and Hwy 509. As the sign says First Pace Health out of Natchitoches will be the new facility built on this property.

The DeSoto Parish Extension Office will be hosting the first ever DeSoto Wildlife and Forestry Forum on Saturday August 27th at the David B. Means Memorial 4-H Barn located in Grand Cane.

Registration begins at 8:00 am and the program will begin at 8:30 am. This event is geared towards the outdoorsmen, wildlife enthusiasts, hunters, trappers, and landowners. We have a great lineup of knowledgeable speakers that will be discussing topics such as private land management assistance, toxic bait for feral hogs, aging live deer, and much more.

There will be a delicious fried catfish dinner served at lunch made possible by our generous sponsors, so come on out and join us. To RSVP, please call 318-872-0533.

Two Do It Best member-owned home improvement businesses received honors as part of the 2022 Beacon Awards during The Hardware Conference this past weekend in Marco Island, Florida. Ivey’s Building Material Center in Louisiana, owned by Mitch Johnson received the Retail Beacon Award for Ivey’s growth with new locations and strategies to build strong relationships with their customers.

Vassar Building Center, Inc. in Vassar, Michigan, owned by Mike and Brenda MacKay, earned Best New Store honor with design elements centered around the themes of time, service, ease, and expertise for both professionals and do it yourselfers.

Owner Mitch Johnson said, “What an honor! Thanks to our incredible team members for everything they’ve done for us to achieve this. We also owe an enormous amount of gratitude to our customers for supporting local business!