MANY, La. (Sept. 30, 2026) — The Many Lady Tigers went 3-0 Saturday at the St. Mary’s volleyball tournament.
Many defeated Downsville, 2-0, Leesville, 2-1, and Pineville, 2-0.
The Lady Tigers will then travel to Mansfield on Wednesday and Calvary on Thursday.
Visitation:
Friday October 9, 2026 Walk – Thru 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel
601 Franklin Street
Mansfield, La.
Services:
Saturday October 19, 2026 @ 11:00 a.m.
Lie in – State : 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
Jenkins Funeral home Chapel
Mansfield, La.
Interment :
Springhill Cemetery
Mansfield, La.
BROOKELAND, Texas (Sept. 30, 2026) — A Brookeland man escaped injury after a fire destroyed his home Tuesday.
Jim Zczesny said he was inside his frame home on Barrow Drive, just off Loop 149, when he smelled smoke and discovered a fire in the bathroom.
Zczesny, who uses a wheelchair, said he was able to get his dogs outside but was unable to rescue several pet birds that were housed in cages inside the home.
Zczesny said he believes a lamp in the bathroom may have started the fire.
Firefighters from multiple departments responded to the scene, but the home and a vehicle were destroyed.
Zczesny said his wife was at work when the fire occurred and that he was alone at the residence. He said he had lived in the home for approximately 30 years and that his grandmother had lived there before him.
While firefighters worked at the scene, Zczesny searched for his large poodle, Romeo, who had become separated from him during the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Bailey
Female Heeler mix
8 months old
Bailey is very small, 25lbs, very sweet, and high energy.
Apply at sabinehumanesociety.com Call 318-256-2275
ZWOLLE, La. (Sept. 30, 2026) — The Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Parade will be held Saturday, Oct. 10, as part of the 50th Annual Zwolle Tamale Fiesta.
Parade lineup begins at 9 a.m., with the parade scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Festival organizers have also announced a $50 Mega Pass Bracelet for this year’s event. The bracelet includes unlimited carnival rides and access throughout the entire festival.
Additional information is available through the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Facebook page.
ZWOLLE, La. (Sept. 30, 2026) — The 50th Annual Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Trail Ride is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Zwolle Festival Grounds.
According to organizers:
For more information, contact Tim Malmay at 318-663-1300.
NATCHITOCHES, La. (Sept. 30, 2026) — City officials have announced a temporary water service interruption and boil advisory as crews work to repair a major water main.
The City of Natchitoches Water Utility Department is repairing a 24-inch water main located on Fairgrounds Road.
Beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, water service will be temporarily interrupted in the following areas:
Officials said the size of the water main and the number of customers affected made an overnight shutdown impractical.
Once repairs are completed and water service is restored, a boil advisory will automatically take effect for all impacted customers until water quality testing is completed.
NATCHITOCHES – An Instant Guitar for Hopelessly Busy People class will be offered through Northwestern State University’s Office of Electronic Learning and Global Engagement on Tuesday. Oct. 6. An Instant Ukulele for Hopelessly Busy People class will be taught on Thursday, Oct. 8. Both classes are for those 13 and over and will be taught via Zoom from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The fee for each class is $85.
In just a few hours, participants can learn enough about playing the guitar or ukulele to give them years of musical enjoyment. Each crash course will teach some basic chords and get students to play right away. Since this class is being held online with Zoom, students will be able to sit at home with their instrument and take this class without any pressure. The classes include an online book and online follow-up video lessons which allow participants to continue practice and study on their own. An optional periodic online question and answer session and recording of the class is also included.
Topics to be covered in the guitar class include how chords work in a song, how to form the three main types of chords and how to tune your guitar. The class will also cover basic strumming patterns, how to buy a good guitar and things to avoid and how to play along with simple tunes.
For more information or to register for classes, go to checkout.nsula.edu or call (800) 376-2422 or (318) 357-6355. Stay up to date with course offerings by following NSU Electronic Learning and Global Education on Facebook at facebook.com/NSULA.ece.
NATCHITOCHES – To celebrate and educate all on the heritage and living traditions of Louisiana Creoles and Creole Heritage Month, the Creole Heritage Center at Northwestern State University will host a series of events in October for NSU students, faculty, staff and the public.
The month’s central activity is a scavenger hunt titled #CreoleQuest2026. Members of the NSU community will visit locations at NSU and the surrounding Natchitoches area to learn more about the rich heritage and living traditions of Louisiana Creoles in the parish. Participants will take a picture of themselves at each location and are encouraged to post them to social media using #CreoleQuest2026 and tagging the Creole Heritage Center. All participants will earn a T-shirt and those who visit at least 10 locations or events will be included in a drawing at the end of the month for gift cards to locations around Natchitoches.
Scavenger hunt cards can be picked up at the Center or at any of the month’s events or found on the Center’s website (nsula.edu/creole).
The public can participate in #CreoleQuest2026, too, by visiting sites near them that are connected to Louisiana Creoles and posting their pictures on social media with the same hashtag. All public entries will be included in a drawing for Creole Heritage Center gifts such as aprons, lunch bags and cups.
All also are invited to an open house at the Creole Heritage Center on October 27 and 28 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Visitors can enjoy light refreshments and games while meeting the Center’s staff and exploring the Center’s artifacts, photographs and Resource Library that help it preserve and educate all on the vibrant Louisiana Creole people.
Other highlights during October for the NSU community include:
“All these opportunities for the NSU, Natchitoches and broader Louisiana community to recognize and learn about the Louisiana Creole people, their heritage and the impacts they have had on NSU and our communities is what Creole Heritage Month is all about,” shared Dr. Kent Peacock, director of the Center.
October was first designated as Creole Heritage Month in Louisiana in 2005 by the state’s legislature at the encouragement of the Creole Heritage Center. According to the legislature’s resolution, this was done “to encourage statewide recognition of the unique Creole culture in Louisiana and across the nation” because it is “worthy and deserving of recognition so that this important part of the American experience will not be lost.”
The state chose October because it aligns with the UNESCO-recognized International Creole Heritage Day observed annually on Oct. 28 and the celebrations of all Creole peoples that happen throughout the world during the month.
The Creole Heritage Center at NSU has a mission to preserve, educate and advocate the value and significance of the vibrant Louisiana Creole people and is part of NSU’s School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs. For more information, visit www.nsula.edu/creole, or connect with the Center at [email protected] or 318-357-6685.
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University student Ella Reitzell is putting her education coursework into practice in the community where she grew up through student teaching at South Grant Elementary School.
Reitzell, a senior elementary education major from Grant Parish who attended school in the parish, is completing her student teaching in a first-grade classroom under cooperating teacher Stacy Slayton.
“This experience has taught me a lot, and it has made me really fall in love with teaching and being in the classroom every single day,” Reitzell said.
Reitzell said she has wanted to become a teacher since childhood.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. I used to play school in my room, and I was always the teacher,” Reitzell said. “I always viewed teachers as basically like celebrities when I was young, and so I couldn’t wait until I grew up and could be a teacher.”
NSU teacher candidates gain experience in P–12 classrooms throughout their education coursework, progressing from early field experiences to residency and student teaching. During student teaching, candidates work with a cooperating teacher and university supervisor who provide guidance and evaluation.
Reitzell said her coursework at NSU gave her the foundation she needed before stepping into the classroom.
“Before you can really go into a classroom, you have to have all the background knowledge of how to teach a lesson, how to prepare a lesson, basic classroom expectations, rules and procedures, and NSU has prepared me for every bit of that,” Reitzell said.
Working directly with first-grade students has given Reitzell an opportunity to apply that preparation while learning how to respond to individual students and their needs.
“Being in here versus in the college classroom has taught me how to deal with students, how to connect with them and help them grow on their own levels,” she said.
The experience has also helped Reitzell build confidence as she prepares to transition from student teaching to leading a classroom of her own.
“It has made me feel successful and confident in myself to be able to graduate and actually go into my classroom next year and be by myself,” Reitzell said.
Reitzell will graduate from NSU in December 2026 and plans to teach fifth grade at Pollock Elementary School.
For information about NSU’s School of Education, visit nsula.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/gallaspy-college-of-education-human-development/soe/.