Special to the Leesville Leader Milwaukee, Wis. –Speaker Mike Johnson, Permanent Chair of the 2024 RNC Convention, delivered remarks Tuesday evening focused on tonight’s Convention theme of “Make America Safe Again.” Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered: Good evening, my friends! What an amazing crowd and what a great time it is to unite our Party and to send […]

By Jacobs Mathews | The Center Square Registration for Medicaid in Louisiana dropped 18.5% from about 2.1 million to 1.7 million over the last 12 months, according to a recent report. More than two-thirds of nonrenewals were terminated for procedural reasons, meaning registration forms incorrectly completed or not completed. Across the United States, about 1 in […]

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square Louisiana lawmakers held a hearing this week to discuss possible changes to the state’s tax code, a task made more urgent by a recent report that ranked the state near the bottom for its business climate. The Joint Ways & Means Committee held a hearing on Thursday to […]

The forecast track of Hurricane Beryl has the storm making landfall across northern Mexico on Sunday. Based on this track, the only impacts across southeast Texas or Southwest Louisiana would be minor coastal flooding, said Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office. “However, additional impacts could occur should Beryl track […]

By Emily Burleigh Two ceremonies were held on Mountain Field at Fort Johnson on Friday. A colors casing ceremony was held for the 3rd Brigade Light Infantry, 10th Mountain Division (3/10). Within the month, about 2,700 soldiers will be deployed from Fort Johnson to the Mihail Kogalniceau Air Base (MKAB) in Romania, near the Black […]

Tropical Storm Alberto formed on Wednesday in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of the hurricane season. Alberto, which is bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and some flooding along the coasts of Texas and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in northern Mexico Thursday. The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday afternoon that […]

By Emily Burleigh For the past few decades, data shows that Tornado Alley is shifting eastward. The scientific journal Nature published a study in 2018 that showed there have been more tornadoes in the Mississippi River Valley than in the original Tornado Alley — the nickname for an area with relatively higher instances of confirmed […]

By Karen Sampson | Public Affairs Ryan Barnett Jr., a senior patrol leader and an Eagle Scout candidate from Boy Scouts of America, Fort Johnson Troop 124, took part in a ceremony to place an official U.S. Flag retirement box at the Fort Johnson Visitor’s Center May 22. Col. CJ Lopez, Fort Johnson garrison commander, spoke at the ceremony and said […]

By Elizabeth White and Maddie Scott | LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE – Gov. Jeff Landry took office with a conservative agenda and a Republican super-majority in the Legislature after eight years of a Democratic governor, promising sweeping changes in this year’s legislative session. A major focus of Landry’s agenda was to reorganize the […]

By Antoine Aaron FORT JOHNSON — Fort Johnson Directorate of Emergency Services security guard Karla Garcia exhibited bravery March 2, as she raced to save her neighbor’s home from what could have been a devastating fire. Garcia had just completed a 13-hour shift. As she went to let her dogs out, she spotted flames engulfing […]

By Porsha Auzeene FORT JOHNSON — With less than one month left in the 2024 Army Emergency Relief campaign, Fort Johnson has garnered a total of more than $50,000 in donations. With a goal of $100,000, the installation is steadily working closer to making this target a reality. AER’s mission is to provide grants, interest-free loans and scholarships […]

By Emily Burleigh The Vernon Parish School Board has announced their support for the recommendations created by the Let Teachers Teach workgroup. A group of 29 Louisiana teachers began meeting at the beginning of the year to determine best practices for improving the teachers’ work life and prioritizing instruction in the classroom. They identified 18 […]

By Angie Thorne | Fort Johnson FORT JOHNSON — Emmalee Polk recently attended the Louisiana Youth of the Year Event in Baton Rouge, representing the Fort Johnson Middle School and Teen Center and the Boys and Girls Club of America. Polk won the title of Louisiana Military Youth of the Year for 2024 and a […]

By Emily Burleigh Every public school district in Southwest Louisiana supports the Title IX lawsuit that was filed against the U.S. Department of Education last month. On April 29, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced the state of Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Education filed suit over the new rules under Title IX, a […]

By Emily Burleigh Anita Abshire Falcon, 47, wanted to teach in the same environment she was taught in. After 20 years at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, she is sure she has accomplished her mission. Born and raised in Crowley, Falcon attended St. Michael Catholic School for much of her grade school education. During her Catholic […]

Another bout of severe weather and heavy rainfall awaits Southwest Louisiana today. National Weather Service Lake Charles meteorologist Donald Jones said multiple rounds of rain will roll through the area through Friday night, possibly Saturday morning. “The good news is I think we’re going to get all of the activity out of here by Saturday […]

By Emily Burleigh An opening reception for a new photography exhibit, “The Thing About Trains” will be held at GALLERY ONE EIIIEVEN at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. The exhibit is about trains, and those that ride and operate them. It features over 60 photographs of steam trains and locomotives shot by the family […]

Southwest Louisiana is looking at another round of heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding Thursday and Friday — along with a low-end risk for severe weather. The combination of an upper-level storm system and an incoming front containing an abundance of moisture will provide the perfect combination for periods of heavy rainfall starting Thursday afternoon, […]

By Emily Burleigh The Leesville City Council is asking residents to help curve vandalism in Myrtle Park, 1103 King’s Rd. At the City Council meeting on Monday, Councilmember-at-large Phillip Hunt expressed aggravation at ongoing vandalism in Leesville parks, specifically Myrtle Park — a park that features a basketball court, frisbee golf course, pickleball courts, playground equipment […]

Another round of severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon into tonight. Storms will be capable of producing damaging winds over 60 mph, large, destructive hail and tornadoes, National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Coordinator Doug Cramer said. “A warm threat today is going to be very important as these thunderstorms develop,” Cramer […]