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Leesville Leader
Chief of staff, wife tour best of what Fort Johnson offers
By Angie Thorne | Public Affairs Office Gen. Randy A. George, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, recently visited the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson. During his visit, he observed rotational training and spoke with Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). As George witnessed the rotation in action, he saw […]
Fort Johnson reaches for stars with ribbon cutting
By Porsha Auzenne | Public Affairs Office The Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson is celebrating the completion of the installation’s Department of Defense STARBASE Youth Program. The ribbon cutting, held at Child Development Center building 744, symbolized a four-year effort between Fort Johnson, Vernon Parish and the Louisiana State University of Alexandria to improve quality […]
Summit highlights education advances in 2023
By Chuck Cannon | Public Affairs Office The Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson recently hosted its annual education summit with local, state and Department of the Army stakeholders at the Fort Johnson Warrior Center. Representatives from the Vernon and Beauregard school boards, as well as partners in education from Louisiana State University of Alexandria, attended […]
Band director Demetrius Gatewood encourages free-thinking in his classroom
By Emily Burleigh For Demetrius Alsandro Gatewood, 47, music is an intersectional study that plays a crucial role in students’ lifelong learning habits. He has been a music and band teacher for pre-K through eighth grade at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy, and heads the concert, pep and marching bands. He has learned that education is […]
Lawmakers give final passage to sweeping changes in crime laws
By Elizabeth White and Piper Naudin | LSU Manship School News Service Louisiana lawmakers gave final passage Thursday to sweeping changes in crime laws sought by Gov. Jeff Landry–including measures that will expand methods of execution to include electrocution and nitrogen hypoxia and shield records relating to the executions. Before the special session ended, legislators […]
Cancer screening mobile unit to make stop in Vernon
Special to the Leesville Leader The Cenla Medication Access Program’s Cancer Screening Mobile Unit will visit Vernon Parish March 19-20 to offer free breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screenings for eligible Central Louisiana residents. The unit will be located in the parking lot of the Outpatient Medical Center at 908 South 10th St. 9 a.m.-4 […]
Permit-less concealed carry bill continues advance
By Elizabeth White | LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE – A House committee passed a bill Monday that would allow individuals 18 and over to carry a concealed handgun without a permit as long as they are not prohibited from owning a firearm under state or federal law. The House Administration of Criminal Justice […]
Teacher Hannah Harless: ‘Every day is a new adventure’
By Emily Burleigh Lake Charles native Hannah Harless, 30, teaches more than just curriculum in her classroom. She teaches at St. Margret’s Catholic School and sees teaching there as a chance to cultivate a relationship with God in each of her students. As a result, the students learn about important moral lessons and concepts. “Having […]
Louisiana’s crime-focused special legislative session begins
By Elizabeth White | LSU Manship School News Service Louisiana lawmakers voted to join 27 other states that allow residents to carry a concealed handgun without permits or training as a deterrent to rising crime. The vote came in committee on a hectic day of legislative action that passed a flurry of anti-crime bills urged by […]
West Leesville Elementary getting Louisiana-themed mural
By Emily Burleigh By the end of the school year, West Leesville Elementary School will be adorned with a Louisiana-themed mural highlighting the flora and fauna of the state. This project is being spearheaded by GALLERY ONE ELLLEVEN – an art gallery housed in Leesville. The gallery received an $8,000 grant from the Louisiana Department […]
Best part of teaching for Jill LeBato is ‘helping her students flourish’
By Emily Burleigh Jill LeBato, 58, finally got to return to her “home” this school year: fifth grade. She has 30 years of education experience under her belt. She taught fifth grade at Vincent Settlement Elementary for most of those years. She has held teaching positions in grades first through fifth, but fifth grade holds […]
Pair convicted of drug possession awaiting sentencing
Two Alexandria men stopped in Vernon Parish for a traffic violation in March of 2021 have been convicted of drug possession and are awaiting sentencing. Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright said when Louisiana State Police troopers stopped Shedrick Doshawn Metoyer and Courtland King, “a significant amount of cocaine and methamphetamines” were seized from the […]
Sentences stand for trio convicted in ‘worst case of child abuse’ Vernon sheriff says he’s ever seen
A trio convicted in 2022 of what Vernon Sheriff Sam Craft declared as one of the worst cases of child abuse his parish has ever seen will continue to serve their multi-year prison sentences. The investigation into the abuse began after Clayton Allen Fulks of Rosepine and Dakota Wayne Singletary of Lake Charles were involved […]
Darby LaRocca: Ensuring every student receives the education they deserve
By Emily Burleigh St. Louis Catholic High School teacher Darby LaRocca, 51, knows school can sometimes be confusing and uncomfortable for students and teachers alike. But in her classroom, she approaches each situation with patience and compassion. She was raised in Beaumont, Texas, and graduated from West Orange-Stark High School in 1991. Four years later, […]
WEATHER WATCH: Wet weekend ahead for SW La.
Another storm system heading to Southwest Louisiana this weekend will bring widespread rainfall Saturday into Sunday. “With wet soil conditions and above-normal streamflows that exist across the region, flood sensitivities will be elevated,” said National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Coordinator Doug Cramer. Most locations in Southwest Louisiana have already received over 8 inches […]
Positive audits for Beauregard, Vernon sheriff’s offices
By Emily Burleigh Audit reports for both the Beauregard and Vernon sheriff’s offices were released published. Both offices were found to present their financial information fairly as of June 30, 2023. The audit for BPSO was conducted by Windham and Reed, L.L.C in DeRidder, and VPSO was completed by David M. Hartt, CPA, in West […]
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