The Red River Tourism Commission will host its 2nd Annual Fall Fest on Saturday, October 3, from 1 to 6pm at the Coushatta Ball Park.
The afternoon will feature live music by Jeremy Fruge & the Zydeco HotBoyz, along with a performance by the Rangerettes. DJs Sirlo J and BJ Taylor will also provide music throughout the event. Food vendors and other activities will be available during the festival.
Organizers are also inviting food, craft, retail, business and community vendors to participate. There is no vendor fee, but a vendor form must be completed before participating.
Fall Fest is designed as an afternoon of food, music and community fun for all ages. For vendor forms or additional information, contact Chandra Wilson at 318-564-0031.
COUSHATTA – Week 4 is too early to be looking at the playoff picture and peep around the state to see what other Division III Non-Select teams are doing.
But for a Red River bunch that has started 0-3, a Week 4 home date with a surging Green Oaks bunch does feel like it some impact on the playoff picture.
The Giants (3-0) are the surprise team in Shreveport-Bossier so far this season, already matching or besting the win total from any season since 2020.
The 3-0 start is its best in well over a decade (LHSAA records date back to just 2015), but it’s the feeling around the Green Oaks program and second-year coach Nick Peoples that is turning heads.
Green Oaks edged rival Booker T. Washington in the Soul Bowl this past Saturday by stopping a two-point conversion in the final minute of a 20-18 victory.
Even more than a win and the resulting power point boost, Red River could use some of that feeling that a win over a very good Green Oaks squad would bring.
The Bulldogs don’t have to look far for some inspiration.
They’ve taken an early lead in all three games this season, which included a 12-0 advantage against a Class 5A Parkway squad that’s No. 3 in the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Top 10 poll.
Other leads against Tioga and St. Mary’s means the Bulldogs can have no problem starting quickly, and they just might catch Green Oaks a little sluggish after Saturday’s emotional win.
Now Red River just has to learn how to navigate opponents’ responses.
Tioga and Parkway had big responses, including 56 straight points from the Panthers this past week.
But Red River quarterback Ashton Johnson has steadily improved under center, and his play is expected to slide preseason quarterback Landon Wilson back to receiver when he’s healthy enough to return, which could be this week.
Wilson is an all-district receiver who will provide a great option alongside Lathyn Lewis in the passing game.
Red River is also starting to establish the run behind a maturing offensive line, new running back Ethan Lopez and Johnson, who has scrambling ability.
Red River is still in an OK position at No. 25 in the Division III Non-Select power rankings considering the Bulldogs are winless, and Red River’s strength factor of 5.67 is the second-strongest in the class. Strength factor is a strength-of-schedule measure that rewards teams for playing opponents with a lot of wins and from larger classifications.
The term “must win” is too serious to apply to this Week 4 game, but a win has the power to reverse the early-season struggles and propel the Bulldogs into a competitive contest at Logansport before district play revs up.
The Red River Parish School Board will hold a Special Called Meeting on Friday, September 25, at 9 a.m. at the Red River Parish School Board Administration Building, 100 Bulldog Drive in Coushatta.
The agenda includes the following items:
Open Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance & Mission Statement led by Ms. Hardy Mission Statement: Red River Parish Schools Provide Excellent Education: Every Child, Every Day, Whatever It Takes!
Approval of Agenda
To enter into Executive Session with Jason Bonaventure of Hammonds & Sills Law Firm to receive updates and discuss strategy regarding the pending litigation involving Geosurfaces and the Red River High School turf football field, and to take any action deemed necessary, pursuant to La. R.S. 42:6.1(A)
Adjourn
Public comment is requested on each agenda item. Anyone wishing to address the Board should complete a speaker’s form before the meeting and indicate the agenda item to be addressed.
EAST POINT – There’s something about rivalry week that brings out the best in a team.
For a Riverdale Academy football team that’s made visible improvement since the season began, the Rebels aim to showcase everything they’ve gathered Friday when they take on rival Claiborne Academy in Haynesville.
The road game is Riverdale’s second straight, which will be the first time this season that the Rebels have traveled in consecutive weeks.
Riverdale (0-6) lost at Porter’s Chapel by a score of 44-22, but the game featured a season-high in points scored and the first time Riverdale outscored a team in a half (16-8 in the second half).
Now the Rebels will try to put those pieces together against a rival in Claiborne (4-1) that has been impressive throughout this season.
Claiborne has scored 38 points or more in each of their four wins, including totals of 70 points and 50 points (a 50-28 win against Porter’s Chapel to open the season).
Riverdale’s defense will keep an eye on the sky as Claiborne quarterback Craten Ware has thrown for 1,169 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Riverdale’s offense has also made improvements under quarterback Jayden Jones and an up-and-coming offensive line.
The Rebels are coming off their best week yet, which started with a junior varsity win against Lafayette County.
It’s been a process for first-year head coach Denver Williams, who was able to put together a team in time for eight preseason practices.
But the Rebels have been full throttle since August and will have their first breather with a late-season bye week after the Claiborne game.
A rivalry win to end what’s grown into a lengthy losing streak (16 games) would sure make the bye week that much more enjoyable.
On September 25, 1789, the first U.S. Congress proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for consideration.
Ten of those amendments were eventually ratified and became known as the Bill of Rights. They protect many of the freedoms Americans still recognize today, including freedom of speech, religion and the press, as well as protections for individuals accused of crimes.
The two amendments that were not included in the original Bill of Rights dealt with representation in Congress and congressional pay. The first proposed amendment created a formula for determining the number of people represented by each member of the U.S. House as the population grew. It was never ratified.
The second proposed amendment stated that any change in congressional pay could not take effect until after the next election for the House of Representatives. Although it was not approved at the time, it remained eligible for ratification and was finally adopted more than 200 years later, in 1992, becoming the 27th Amendment.
The Bill of Rights officially became part of the Constitution in 1791 and remains one of the most important foundations of individual liberty in the United States.
A blood test designed to screen for signs of more than 50 types of cancer has moved a step closer to receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The test, called Galleri, is made by GRAIL and uses a standard blood sample to look for patterns in DNA that may indicate cancer is present. When a cancer signal is detected, the test is also designed to identify where in the body that signal most likely originated, which can help doctors determine what additional testing may be needed.
An independent FDA advisory committee reviewed the test Wednesday, Sept. 23, and voted in favor of its approval. The panel voted 7-2, with one member abstaining, that the benefits of the test outweigh its risks. Members also voted 10-0 that the test is safe and 6-4 that it is effective.
The committee’s recommendation does not mean Galleri has received FDA approval. The FDA will make the final decision after considering the committee’s recommendation and the information submitted by the company.
Galleri is intended for adults age 50 and older who do not have signs or symptoms of cancer. The test is already commercially available in the United States as a laboratory-developed test, but it has not received formal FDA approval.
The test is not intended to replace traditional cancer screenings. Patients would still need to follow recommendations for mammograms, colonoscopies and other routine screenings. A negative Galleri result does not guarantee that a person is cancer-free, and a positive result does not mean a person has been diagnosed with cancer. Additional testing is required to confirm whether cancer is present.
The technology has generated interest because many types of cancer currently have no routine screening test. A blood test that can identify signals from many cancers could help doctors find some cancers before symptoms appear.
The FDA has not announced a final decision on Galleri.
September 26 marks the birthdays of three well-known figures whose work and stories left lasting marks on American culture.
Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, became a folk legend for traveling through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois planting apple orchards. Over the course of about 40 years, he became known not only for spreading apple trees across the frontier but also for his simple lifestyle and kindness toward animals.
T.S. Eliot, born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri, became one of the most influential writers and poets of the 20th century. His work moved away from traditional poetic forms and helped shape a more modern style of writing and expression.
George Gershwin, born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, became one of America’s most celebrated composers. Working closely with his brother Ira, he helped create songs and stage works that became classics, including I Got Rhythm, Strike Up the Band and Porgy and Bess.
Though their talents were very different, all three made contributions that continued well beyond their own lifetimes.
Hans Riegel was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1893. After completing primary school, he began an apprenticeship as a confectioner, a candymaker. During World War I, Hans fought for the Germans. After the war, he returned to candy making and was hired by the Heinen confectionery company in Kessenich. On December 13, 1920, Hans left the Heinen company and founded his own candy company. His capital for his new venture included one sack of sugar, a marble slab, a chopper, a masonry stove, a copper kettle, and a roller. It was a small operation compared to what he was used to at the Heinen company. Working out of his small home at Bergstraße 37 in Bonn, Hans was only able to make about 110 pounds of hard candy per day. As soon as a batch was ready to sell, Hans’s wife Gertrude loaded the candy into a basket on her bicycle and hand-delivered the sweets to customers. Business was not growing as quickly as Hans had hoped. He knew he needed a unique product to bring in funds to allow him to expand his business. But what?
Hans’s target demographic was children, so he thought back to the things that made him happy as a child. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, showmen brought captive bears into towns to perform for passersby who would give them coins. The bears were street performers. The bears walked upright and performed numerous tricks, but the one the children enjoyed most, according to the number of coins taken in, was when the bears would dance as the showmen kept a beat on the tambourine. They were called Tanzbären, or dancing bears. In 1922, Hans used his fond memories to mold his candy into the shape of a dancing bear. Hans shaped his bears with four outstretched limbs so they could sit upright or could stand on all four paws. Children often played with the bears before eating them. Hans created an edible toy.
Sales of the dancing bears quickly exceeded Hans’s expectations. By 1923, Gertrude could no longer keep up with demand on her bicycle, so Hans purchased the company’s first delivery automobile. Hans’s candy went on sale in nearby shops and gradually expanded outward. By 1930, Hans’s candy was available throughout Germany. By 1933, Hans employed 400 people. Production stopped during World War II due to the lack of supplies. Hans died in March 1945, six months before the war ended. Following the war, Gertrude managed operations until two of her sons, Hans Jr. and Paul Riegel, took over management of the company. They built the company into a worldwide enterprise who employs about 8,500 workers in 16 factories in 11 countries who make more than 1,000 different sweet treats. Their top seller is still the product Hans designed after the dancing bears that he remembered from his childhood. Earlier I said Hans produced hard candy, but the dancing bears were something altogether different. You may not have heard the word Tanzbären, but it is likely that you or someone you know has enjoyed Haribo’s gummy bears.
Govenor. Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency in response to record-high diesel prices during Louisiana’s peak harvest season.
The temporary order allows certain farmers and timber harvesters to use dyed off-road diesel in eligible highway vehicles without facing state penalties. The relief applies specifically to vehicles registered as Class 5 Farm Use or Class 2 Forest Products.
That means eligible farm trucks and vehicles used to haul forest products may use dyed diesel through October 22. The order does not apply to all drivers or every farm-related vehicle.
Dyed diesel is normally reserved for off-road equipment such as tractors, skidders and irrigation pumps and is not typically allowed in licensed highway vehicles. The emergency action is intended to provide temporary relief as farmers and timber producers face sharply higher fuel costs during harvest season.
Landry’s order also directs the Louisiana Department of Revenue to seek federal penalty relief related to the temporary use of dyed diesel.
The 20th Annual Natchitoches Car Show will roll into historic downtown Natchitoches on Oct. 2 – 3. The two-day event will feature a variety of classic cars, trucks and other vehicles displayed throughout the downtown area, giving visitors a chance to enjoy the sights while spending time along the riverfront. Admission is free, and the event is expected to draw car enthusiasts, families and visitors from across the region. The car show is presented with support from Natchitoches Main Street, Visit Natchitoches and the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Zwolle Tamale Fiesta will celebrate its 50th anniversary with four days of festivities beginning Thur Oct. 8, and continuing through Sun Oct. 11, with live music, carnival rides, contests, a parade, fireworks and other activities planned.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church will welcome the Southern Plainsmen Quartet for a special morning of gospel music on Sun Oct. 11, at 10:30am. The performance will be held at the church, located at 5404 Hwy. 783 in Coushatta. A love offering will be taken during the service. Pastor Larry Carr and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church congregation invite the community to attend and enjoy a morning of Southern Gospel music and fellowship.
The Country Music Association will honor Dolly Parton with a two-hour live television special, “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 8 to 10 p.m. Central. The program will air live on ABC and Disney+ and will be available the following day on Hulu. The special will celebrate Parton’s life and career through live performances, archival footage and personal stories. The program will highlight her work as a singer, songwriter, entertainer, humanitarian and entrepreneur, as well as the lasting impact she had on generations of fans.
Martin Baptist Church will host a Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct. 25, beginning at 5 p.m. at the church, located at 3191 Highway 507 in Coushatta. The evening will include games, food, a cake walk, cotton candy, an obstacle course and trunk-or-treat activities. Families are invited to come out and enjoy an evening of fall fun and fellowship.
Louisiana High School Sports recently shared on social media the number of Louisiana players on each college/university football roster in the state: ULM — 17 Tulane — 34 LA Tech — 41 LSU — 42 Grambling — 49 Northwestern — 56 Southern — 60 Centenary — 63 UL — 64 McNeese — 65 Southeastern — 70 Nicholls — 92 Louisiana Christian — 113
William Lary Wimberly August 8, 1937 — August 27, 2026 A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 10am at New Life Church in Hall Summit.
The Red River Parish Journalwants to thank American Bank for once again being the title sponsor for this year’s Football Pick’em contest. Tyler Insurance Agency is the anchor sponsorship for the third year in a row. These two businesses love football and love to see you win.
We also want to thank BOM, Red River Parish Library, 4B Garage, Bethard & Bethard, Red River Land Specialties,Jimmy Keel-Greg Tilley’s and Tray Murray-State Farm for their Pick’em Partnerships within the contest.
Richard Kaufman wins Week 3 by way of tiebreaker and walked away with $100!
Are you ready for some football?!?
Bigger question. Are you ready to win $100.00 in cash each week?
The Red River Parish Journal and American Bank are proud to bring you the 2026 Football Pick’em Contest anchored by Tyler Insurance.
Anyone is eligible to participate for FREE, and each week’s winner will go home with a $100.00 prize. Each week, the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 10 selected college and high school football games (ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two of our weekly contests).
The American Bank and Tyler Insurance Agency Football Pick’em Contest will be conducted over 10 regular-season weeks of the season, starting with Week 1 games (September 4-5) and running through early November.
There is no entry fee, just like there is no cost to subscribe to the Red River Parish Journal.
All contest decisions by Red River Parish Journal (RRPJ) management are final. Weekly winners will be notified on Monday and will be requested to take a photo that will run that week in the RRPJ.
Every participant will receive a FREE subscription to the RRPJ if you’re not already signed up for the easily navigated, convenient 6:55 a.m. Monday-Wednesday-Friday e-mail. Enjoy it all, for FREE, and enter each week’s contest. You could be our first winner!
Bibles and hymnals rest in the back of a church pew. Photo: Aaron Burden / Unsplash.
By Misty Castile | Sep 17, 2026
(The Center Square) – Louisiana’s tax code contains a sales-tax exemption for certain purchases by churches and synagogues, but the state says the provision cannot be used because of a federal court injunction that has remained in effect for two decades.
The unusual status of the exemption is part of a broader patchwork in Louisiana tax law that generally requires churches and other nonprofits to pay sales tax while providing exemptions for certain organizations, activities and purchases.
The Louisiana Department of Revenue confirmed Wednesday that churches and synagogues cannot claim the exemption under R.S. 47:305.13 for Bibles, songbooks and literature used for religious instruction.
“Although R.S. 47:305.13 remains in the Louisiana Revised Statutes, churches and synagogues may not presently claim the exemption, and purchases that are otherwise subject to sales and use tax remain taxable,” Revenue Public Information Director Byron Henderson told The Center Square.
Louisiana does not provide a general sales or use tax exemption for purchases made by churches based solely on their religious or federal 501(c)(3) status, according to department.
Churches instead must pay sales and use taxes on purchases unless a specific exemption or exclusion applies to the transaction.
The same basic rule applies more broadly to nonprofits. Federal tax-exempt status does not automatically exempt an organization from Louisiana sales taxes. The Revenue Department says nonprofits are not automatically exempt and the department does not issue a general sales-tax exemption number simply because an organization has nonprofit status.
Louisiana lawmakers have instead created exemptions tied to particular organizations, missions, purchases or activities.
Some of those exemptions are available to religious organizations. Under R.S. 47:305.14, qualifying nonprofit religious organizations, along with civic, educational, historical, charitable and fraternal organizations, can receive an exemption for sales of tangible property, admissions and parking associated with certain fundraising events when the proceeds are used for qualifying purposes.
That exemption, which lawmakers restored in 2025 after it was repealed during the 2024 tax overhaul, applies to the organization’s sales at qualifying events. It does not exempt the nonprofit from paying sales or use tax on its own purchases.
Other exemptions are tied to specific nonprofit missions. Louisiana law provides exemptions for certain sickle-cell disease organizations, Habitat for Humanity affiliates and qualifying child advocacy organizations. A separate provision exempts sales of toys to qualifying nonprofits whose sole purpose is donating toys to minors.
“Sales and use tax exemptions are matters of legislative policy,” Henderson said. “The Department administers exemptions enacted by the Legislature.”
The church exemption has been tangled in federal litigation for more than two decades.
A federal court in 2002 initially blocked enforcement of Louisiana sales-tax provisions benefiting certain religious organizations. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later concluded the federal district court lacked jurisdiction under the Tax Injunction Act and did not decide whether the exemptions themselves were constitutional.
The issue returned to federal court, and in April 2006 the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction in New Orleans Secular Humanist Association Inc. v. Bridges barring enforcement of several sales-tax exclusions for religious organizations.
LDR responded with Revenue Information Bulletin 06-022, telling churches and synagogues they could no longer claim the exclusion for Bibles, songbooks and religious-instruction literature and would have to pay sales or use tax on otherwise taxable purchases.
“Unless and until the judicial injunction is lifted, these exclusions cannot be claimed,” the department said in the 2006 bulletin.
The exemption nevertheless remained in Louisiana law.
Historical state tax records show the exemption once had a measurable fiscal impact. Louisiana estimated it would reduce state revenue by about $600,000 in fiscal year 2006, with the estimate increasing to $624,500 in later years. State records subsequently listed the exemption as suspended following the federal litigation.
Nearly two decades later, lawmakers undertook a sweeping rewrite of Louisiana’s sales-tax system during the 2024 third extraordinary session.
Act 11 reorganized numerous sales-tax exemptions and exclusions, carrying the religious-material provision into the revised tax code as R.S. 47:305.13.
But moving the provision did not make it enforceable.
“Although the exemption was reenacted in 2024, the federal injunction remains in effect and prohibits LDR from recognizing or enforcing the exemption,” Henderson said.
The Revenue Department said the provision remains in Louisiana law because lawmakers have not repealed it.
The department would not take a position on whether Louisiana could adopt a broader sales-tax exemption for churches under a different statutory structure.
Texas, for example, allows qualifying religious organizations to obtain sales-tax exemptions for purchases related to their exempt purposes. Other states bordering Louisiana generally take a more restrictive approach, with Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama generally taxing church purchases while providing various limited exemptions.
Louisiana has considered broader relief before.
In 2005, lawmakers considered legislation that would have phased in a broad state sales-tax exclusion for sales or purchases by churches. The measure cleared the House but did not become law.
United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) will kick off its Year of Dolly on Friday, September 25, with a community-wide celebration honoring Dolly Parton’s life, legacy and lifelong commitment to children and literacy.
The community celebration continues to build throughout September, leading up to Dolly Day on September 25. The lead-up includes Caddo Parish’s September 17 recognition of Dolly Parton’s legacy and the Robinson Film Center’s Remembering Dolly Book Drive, taking place September 4–30. On September 25, community members can celebrate with a special Dolly Smoothie at two local Smoothie King locations, attend a special screening of 9 to 5 at Robinson Film Center, and gather at the Bakowski Bridge of Lights as it shines pink in honor of Dolly’s life and legacy.
Caddo Parish to Recognize September 25 as Dolly Parton’s Day
As part of the celebration, Caddo Parish will dedicate September 25 as Dolly Parton’s Day, recognizing Parton’s extraordinary contributions to music, philanthropy, literacy and communities around the world.
The local recognition reflects the lasting impact of Parton’s work and the role her Imagination Library continues to play in Northwest Louisiana, where more than 7000 children receive a free, age-appropriate book delivered to their homes each month.
Community Partners Join the Celebration
Dolly Day will extend beyond a single event, with local businesses and organizations joining United Way in celebrating Parton’s legacy.
On September 25, Smoothie King locations on Texas Street and Mansfield Road will offer a special signature Dolly Smoothie for the day, giving community members another way to participate in the celebration while supporting the spirit of Dolly Day.
Through September 30, Robinson Film Center is hosting the Remembering Dolly Book Drive, inviting community members to donate new children’s books in honor of Dolly Parton’s love of reading. The donated books will be distributed to students at four local schools: J. S. Clark, Magnolia Charter School, Caddo Heights Math/Science Elementary School, and Atkins Elementary, helping expand access to reading opportunities for children right here at home. While Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides enrolled children with a new, age-appropriate book each month, the book drive offers another way to support literacy and share the joy of reading with local students.
Special 9 to 5 Screening to Highlight Dolly Day
The centerpiece of Dolly Day will be a special community screening of 9 to 5 at Robinson Film Center on Friday, September 25.
The evening will begin with a cocktail hour and light hors d’oeuvres at 5 p.m., followed by the movie at 6 p.m. The event will also include a special announcement following the screening.
Registration is required because seating is limited, and the screening is nearly sold out. Community members are encouraged to register today.
Donations will also be accepted in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Book Club, helping sustain the program in Northwest Louisiana and carry Dolly’s legacy forward through the gift of books.
Dolly’s Legacy Shines Across the Texas Street Bridge
Following the screening, community members will head to the Bakowski Bridge of Lights on Texas Street, which will be illuminated in pinkin honor of Dolly Parton’s life and legacy.
The lighting will serve as a visual reminder of the impact Dolly made through her generosity and commitment to helping children dream, learn and grow. The Bakowski Bridge of Lights has confirmed the pink lighting for September 25 in celebration of Dolly and her Imagination Library.
Dolly Day Kicks Off a Year of Carrying Dolly’s Legacy Forward
Dolly Day will officially launch United Way of Northwest Louisiana’s Year of Dolly, a year-long effort to honor Parton by continuing the work she cared so deeply about — putting books into the hands of children and creating opportunities for them to dream big.
The celebration will continue throughout the year, including at Day of Caring, United Way of Northwest Louisiana’s largest annual volunteer event. Additional opportunities to honor Dolly and support local children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will be announced throughout the Year of Dolly.
Today, more than 7,000 children across Northwest Louisiana are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and receive a new book each month. Community support helps sustain the local program and ensures children throughout the region can continue experiencing the joy of receiving a book of their very own.
“Dolly gave so much to children and families through her love of books, imagination and community,” said LaToria W. Thomas, CEO of United Way of Northwest Louisiana. “Our Year of Dolly is about honoring that legacy by continuing to invest in the children right here at home. Dolly showed us what it means to give generously, dream boldly and make a difference in the lives of others. We are excited to bring our community together to celebrate her and carry that spirit forward.”
More information about upcoming opportunities to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and participate in United Way of Northwest Louisiana’s Year of Dolly will be shared throughout the year.
About United Way of Northwest Louisiana
United Way of Northwest Louisiana mobilizes communities to action so all can thrive. True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our region, United Way is there. We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge—actively listening and responding to local needs. Our reach across ten parishes means we can share innovations and scale impact to improve lives throughout Northwest Louisiana. From strengthening local resilience to advancing healthy community, youth opportunity, and financial security, we’re working toward a future where every person in every community can reach their full potential.
A man walks beside a rusty tractor parked along the edge of a tilled field, with snow-capped mountains in the background. Photo: GurlAl SINGH Toor / Unsplash
By Alton Wallace | Sep 20, 2026
(The Center Square) – U.S. farmers face record-high fuel expenses this year as the fall harvest kicks into gear while pressure grows on the Trump administration to impose a temporary ban on diesel exports that could bring down prices.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry advised President Donald Trump on social media site X Thursday to order a 90-day ban on U.S diesel exports while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Tuesday he is ‘open to exploring’ federal actions “that would take pressure off prices.”
During his weekly radio show Friday, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley called on the Trump administration to enact a full ban on U.S. diesel exports. Grassley compared the situation to bans on soybean and wheat export sales in the 1970s, warning that “the price of food could go up if you were exporting too much” fuel. “I think the president ought to put an embargo on diesel to drive the price down,” the Iowa senator said.
By historical standards, the price of crude oil remains elevated but stable, and domestic natural gas is cheap, but diesel fuel—the lifeblood of commercial freight, rail, and farming equipment—is in short supply across most of the United States.
According to the Independent Grocers Alliance, fuel and transportation account for 15% to 30% of the total cost of food in U.S. grocery stores. With average U.S. diesel prices soaring to almost $6.50 per gallon this week, farmers are paying about twice as much as last year to fuel tractors, combines, and grain trucks. Moving crops from the fields to processors and supermarkets on freight trains and 18-wheelers costs twice as much, too. In Iowa on Friday, the average price of diesel rose above $6.10 per gallon.
At the same time, this energy crisis has so far been less impactful on most American drivers when they put gas in their tanks. The national average price for a gallon of regular grade gasoline on Friday was at $4.46, up a little less than 50% since the war began in February.
“In the 1970s, the crisis was right in your face,” said Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston, who worked at the Department of Energy in 1980 as an intern when then-President Jimmy Carter proposed that the import-dependent United States mandate conservation efforts, impose price controls on crude oil and gasoline, and invest in a federal program focused on the development of shale drilling technologies.
“Today, the crisis here is hidden inside the overhead operational costs of freight trains, semi-trucks, and combine harvesters,” Hirs told the Center Square. “Consumers don’t experience the pain when they fill up their sedans; they see it weeks later when the receipt prints out at the grocery checkout line.”
Eric Smith, Associate Director at the Tulane Energy Institute, said the tightness in the U.S. diesel market is not caused by domestic policy. “We didn’t cause the diesel shortage,” Smith said, noting that Ukrainian drone strikes that have destroyed or disabled about 30% of Russian refining capacity. To fill the void, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are running at an unprecedented 98% of capacity, about 8% above normal, he said.
The Tulane professor said a partial solution to the diesel shortage can be found in Louisiana, where two technically advanced refineries were shut down during the pandemic—the Shell Convent refinery and the Phillips 66 Alliance in Belle Chasse–are capable of processing a combined 495,000 barrels per day of crude oil.
“If people thought the shortage was going to be around for some period of time, those refineries could be restarted,” Smith said. “You could get a good restart within about six months.”
Smith remarked that history shows government interventions seldom accomplish the intended objectives. In the late 1970s, Smith said, a Congress that was panicked over skyrocketing energy prices placed a blanket ban on exporting “anything that looked like a hydrocarbon,” paralyzing the domestic market. In late 1980s, the Ronald Reagan administration lifted the ban on exports of refined products like gasoline and diesel fuel as long as they were produced from imported crude oil, making the market more efficient, Smith said.
President Reagan’s thinking was that there were American refineries that could be running, employing people, and reducing prices, Smith said. “Reagan said we’ll allow these people to optimize their refineries, but they have to show us they imported the crude to support their exports. That took place and it worked like a charm,” Smith said.
Hirs believes Washington could revive the same policies that were unsuccessful in the 1970s. The energy economist said most of the 172-million-barrel withdrawal from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the last few months was shipped overseas as refined products, primarily gasoline and diesel. At the same time, Hirs noted, oil exploration and drilling activity has stagnated in recent months because U.S. oil companies are not convinced that high prices are here to stay.
Hirs said reimposing the same kinds of market restrictions and price manipulations as in the 1970s are a betrayal of free market principles. “You have to ask, how in the world do Thune and Landry and Trump wind up on the side of Elizabeth Warren? Landry is taking aim at the biggest employers in his own state,” Hirs said.
When a sports injury occurs, timely evaluation can make all the difference. CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier is once again offering its Saturday Sports Injury Clinic, giving student-athletes access to specialized sports medicine evaluations and treatment recommendations throughout the high school fall sports season.
The clinic will be held at CHRISTUS Shreveport Bossier-Highland Medical Center, 1453 E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in Day Surgery Building D. It will be open every Saturday for 12 weeks, running from Aug. 29 to Nov. 14. The program provides injured athletes with prompt access to specialized care after injuries sustained during weeknight games.
“Athletic trainers are dedicated to keeping athletes healthy, safe and performing at their best,” said Alan Edwards, athletic training manager at CHRISTUS Health. “Through our Saturday Sports Injury Clinic, we can help athletes who experience an injury receive prompt evaluation and expert care, ensuring they have the support and resources needed for a safe recovery and return to play.”
The location of the clinic offers more than just orthopedic evaluations. It also includes on-site emergency and physical therapy services, giving patients access to comprehensive and personal care all in one convenient location.
“Our focus is on helping athletes navigate an injury with confidence,” Edwards said. “The combination of sports medicine, emergency services and rehabilitation resources under one roof allows us to provide coordinated care that keeps the athlete’s health, safety and long-term success at the center of every decision.”
Through its partnership with Highland Clinic, CHRISTUS Health helps provide student-athletes across northwest Louisiana with convenient access to sports injury care. The Saturday Sports Injury Clinic offers walk-in evaluations for student-athletes with sports-related injuries, helping them receive timely recommendations and guidance for recovery. Athletes may be brought in by a parent or referred by an athletic trainer or physician, with no appointment required.
For more information about our free Saturday Sports Injury Clinic, visit christushealth.org.
On September 23, 1846, astronomers Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest observed Neptune, confirming the existence of the distant planet for the first time.
The discovery was especially remarkable because astronomers located Neptune through mathematics before they saw it through a telescope. Astronomers had noticed that Uranus was not moving exactly as expected and believed the gravity of another, unseen planet might be affecting its orbit.
Using calculations that predicted where the mysterious planet should be found, Galle and d’Arrest searched the night sky and identified Neptune near the predicted location. The discovery became one of the most significant achievements in the history of astronomy and showed how mathematics could help scientists uncover objects far beyond what could be seen with the naked eye.
I met a sentence the other day that has been bothering me—in a good way.
“God, the master of time, never gives the future.”
Read that again. Did your mind immediately go to the future? Mine did.
I have plans for today. Plans for tomorrow. Appointments, meetings, deadlines, things I need to remember, and several things I have already forgotten. All of them are carefully placed on my calendar. Notice the possessive pronoun.
My calendar.
That is how we talk, as though we own Tuesday. We look at a little square on a screen three weeks from now and say, “I have something that day.”
Maybe.
As we say in the South, “The Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
Calendars are good things. Planning is responsible. But putting something on a calendar does not mean we possess the day. God has given us this moment. The next one remains in his hands. One of the hardest skills in life is learning to be fully present in the moment we have. We have two favorite ways of avoiding it.
The first is the past.
We call them “the good old days.” The funny thing about the good old days is that when we were living through them, we complained about them too. Personally, I vote for the late 1970s—but only after the leisure suit phase. There are some things even nostalgia cannot redeem.
We remember our younger years as simpler times, conveniently forgetting that we were younger, considerably less wise, and occasionally wearing polyester. Sometimes we look backward because we regret mistakes. Sometimes because we miss people. Sometimes because we realize we were standing in a wonderful moment and didn’t recognize how wonderful it was until it was gone.
Our other escape route is the future. We worry about everything we have to do. We stare at our calendar and wonder who put all that stuff on there, conveniently ignoring the fact that most of the appointments were made by us.
Or we are waiting for something wonderful.
At one point, I was looking ahead to the possibility of praying the invocation at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. That was exciting. So there I was, supposedly contemplating the spiritual discipline of living in the present while simultaneously thinking about the 1970s, imagining a future event, examining my calendar—and receiving texts from church staff reminding me of a couple of things I needed to do. I was apparently fully present in about four different decades at once.
It was a busy moment. And now it is gone. That may be the spiritual lesson.
The only moment in which you can love somebody is this one. The only moment in which you can pray is this one. The only moment in which you can notice grace is this one. The only moment in which you can actually live is this one.
We remember the past. We prepare wisely for the future. But we receive life from God now.
So try something. For the next two minutes, be completely present. Don’t revisit yesterday. Don’t rehearse tomorrow. Don’t check your phone. Don’t mentally reorganize your calendar. Just be here.
Now.
If you make it the full two minutes, congratulations. You may already be more spiritually mature than I am. If you don’t, notice which direction your mind traveled.
Did you go backward or forward?
I have a theory that I can come pretty close to guessing your age by which direction you went. When we’re young, we keep asking, “What’s next?” As we get older, we increasingly ask, “Remember when? “Faith may teach us to ask a different question:
“God, what are you doing right here?”
Because God, the master of time, has not given us tomorrow.
Riverdale Academy will host Hayden’s Pay It Forward Blood Drive on Wednesday, September 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drive is being held in honor of Hayden Cason, who is recovering from a recent traumatic injury.
During his hospital stay, Hayden has received 20 units of blood, plasma and other lifesaving blood products. Now, his family and supporters are hoping to give back by encouraging others to donate and help patients facing unexpected medical emergencies.
Students, parents, staff, alumni and members of the community are invited to participate. Organizers hope the drive will turn Hayden’s difficult experience into a lasting impact by helping provide lifesaving blood products for others in need.
The Office of Career Services at Northwestern State University will host its Fall 2026 Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 10am until 2pm in the Friedman Student Union Ballroom. The event is open to both undergraduate and graduate students at NSU who would like to meet and connect with prospective employers. Professional attire is required to attend.
Louisiana Christian University 2026 Homecoming festivities will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 4, with a football game against East Texas Baptist University on that Saturday at 4pm.
This Sunday the New Orleans Saints will welcome fans back to the Ceasars Superdome for the home opener vs the Raiders with DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) headlining the halftime show. Kickoff is at 3:25pm.
A study finds a DNA link between Chihuahuas and wild coyotes.
“American Idol” is reportedly moving production from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area for its upcoming 25th season. The move comes as Georgia continues to attract film and television productions with lower costs and tax incentives. Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are expected to return as judges, with Ryan Seacrest continuing as host.
The Atlanta Falcons are the first NFL team with no red zone plays through the first two games since 2000.
Olivia Miles has broken Caitlyn Clark’s WNBA rookie points record.
Major television networks have temporarily suspended participation in the White House television press pool after several news organizations were barred from access. The dispute centers on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which have challenged the restrictions in federal court. The move does not mean all presidential coverage has stopped, but it does affect pooled television coverage of some White House events.
Commander QB Jayden Daniels has been ruled out for the season after suffering 27 torn muscles and breaking his elbow in game versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Juanita Snead Womack April 28, 1934 — September 20, 2026 A graveside service will be held Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 2pm at Holley Springs Cemetery in Martin.
William Lary Wimberly August 8, 1937 — August 27, 2026 A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 10am at New Life Church in Hall Summit.
BOSSIER CITY, La. — Spectators at Louisiana Downs were treated to an afternoon of excitement, laughter, and surprisingly fierce competition as dachshunds from across the region took to the track for the annual Wiener Dog Races on Labor Day. Among the crowd favorites was a determined little racer named Doc, whose spirited performance captured the attention of fans young and old.
Doc is now known around his hometown of Coushatta for his energetic personality and unwavering confidence. Doc arrived at Louisiana Downs ready to compete. Wearing his #5 green racing apron and sporting a look of determination, the dachshund quickly became a favorite among spectators gathering along the rail.
When the starting signal sounded, the field of eager racers burst from the gate with Doc making his first-ever appearance at Louisiana Downs. With his ears flapping and tail wagging, Doc was first out of the gate and sprinted down the course, drawing cheers from the crowd. While the race lasted only seconds, the excitement was enough to keep fans on their feet from start to finish.
“Doc loves to run, and he loves attention,” said his proud owner, David Hanna, after the race. “We named him Doc after my late daddy, Dr. Richard Hanna. He may be small, but he has a big heart and never backs down from a challenge. Even though it was his first race there, I just knew he would finish well. He’s the fastest dachshund we’ve ever had–and we’ve had a few. In fact, we have two more dachshunds at home–Lady and Max.”
The Wiener Dog Races have become a beloved tradition at Louisiana Downs, bringing together dog lovers, racing enthusiasts, and families for a day of fun. Money raised at the races goes toward supporting shelters in the area, so it’s a win-win situation. Participants range from seasoned competitors to first-time racers, but all share one thing in common—a passion for seeing their short-legged companions race toward glory.
Although competition was strong, Doc’s enthusiasm and determination made him one of the day’s standout performers. Children rushed to meet him after the race, and many fans stopped to take photos with the charismatic dachshund.
Race organizers praised the event for its ability to bring the community together while showcasing the unique charm of dachshunds. “These dogs may not be built like thoroughbreds,” one organizer joked, “but they certainly know how to entertain.”
As the sun set over Louisiana Downs, Doc left the track with a wagging tail, new admirers, and memories that will last a lifetime. He crossed the finish line third in his heat, but he won first place in the hearts of the crowd. One thing was clear: Doc proved that champions come in all sizes.
Plans are already underway for next year’s Wiener Dog Races, and if his fans have anything to say about it, Doc will be back on the track and ready to run.
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