Effective immediately, most passengers departing Alexandria International Airport (AEX) can now wear their shoes during the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening process.

According to AEX Airport Operations Manager David Keller, “Passengers no longer have to remove their footwear if they do not alarm on the screening. If they alert, further screening may be necessary, to include footwear removal.”

The TSA’s no-shoe policy has been in place since 2006, with a planned reversal announced this week as a means to “enhance passenger experience and our strong security posture,” according to TSA sources. Adoption of the new protocol will be gradual across U.S. airports. Passengers are encouraged to visit www.tsa.gov for more information.

This week’s “Wanted Wednesday” from the Pineville Police Department is Chad Elder. Elder is wanted for shoplifting from several local retailers in central Louisiana. He has multiple arrest warrants.

Pineville PD believes he may be in a neighboring parish. If anyone knows Chad Elder’s whereabouts, they are encouraged to contact the PPD via Facebook. 

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

July 9

Daniel Brigalia, 25, Pineville – seven counts second degree rape, two counts sexual battery, eight counts misdemeanor sexual battery, two counts indecent behavior with juveniles, no bail data;

Micheal Gerard Carr, 59, Alexandria – theft, criminal trespass, contempt of court, $6,000 bail;

Darnell M Taylor, 49, Alexandria – contempt of court, $100,000 bail;

Terrence Dewanye Taylor Jr, 27, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, create distribute or possess with intent counterfeit CDS, illegal carry firearm with drugs, illegal possession of stolen firearm, possession of firearm by convicted felon, resisting an officer, probation violation, parole violation, contempt failure to pay, $130,000 bail;

Stanley Ray Trahan, 56, Pineville – theft, criminal trespass, seven counts contempt of court, $9,000 bail.

July 8

Jessica Marie Bledsoe, 30, Dry Prong – second degree murder, contempt of court, $200,000 bail;

Jeremy Joseph Bordelon, 39, Alexandria – three counts simple burglary, failure to appear, $37,000 bail

Errol Hakeem Cunningham, 35, Boyce – possession of CDS, trespassing, $2,000 bail;

Anthony Ford, 23, Elmer – aggravated assault on peace officer, resisting police officer with force or violence, two counts disarming a peace officer, $60,000 bail;

Kristopher Gage Hedrick, 35, Pollock – possession of a firearm by convicted felon, illegal possession of stolen firearm, domestic abuse battery strangulation, parole violations, $75,000 bail;

Sherterroca Ladrelle Henderson, 48, Alexandria – aggravated battery, probation violation, no bail data;

Waylon Allen Hewlett, 38, Deville – simple burglary, criminal trespass, two counts contempt of court, $8,000 bail;

Javontae Lamar Howard, 23, Alexandria – producing manufacturing distributing CDS, legend drug possession, three counts contempt of court, $19,500 bail;

Jamaria Dejuan Johnson, 24, Alexandria – domestic abuse battery, resisting an officer, aggravated public intimidation and retaliation, $6,000 bail;

Kendrick Randle, 32, Boyce – criminal conspiracy, taking contraband to and from penal institutions, $10,000 bail;

Anthony Demarcus Reed, 43, Boyce – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail;

Christopher Wayne Reed, 59, Alexandria – theft, contempt of court, $30,500 bail;

Melissa Renee Turney, 58, Boyce – possession of CDS, possession of marijuana, paraphernalia, driving under suspension, contempt of court, tail lamps, $7,700 bail;

William Todd White, 43, Pineville – aggravated criminal damage, parole violations, probation violation, $10,000 bail.

July 7

Nettie Geneva Adams, 38, Alexandria – two counts of theft (second subsequent conviction), criminal conspiracy, $12,000 bail;

Earl Bennett Jr, 57, N/A – unauthorized entry into inhabited dwelling, resisting an officer, parole violations, $5,500 bail;

Carnell Antonio Carter, 38, Alexandria – possession of CDS, two counts contempt of court, obstructing public passages, $7,000 bail;

Paul Clifford Dahlman, 46, Elizabeth – aggravated assault domestic abuse, $1,500 bail;

Daniel Paul Fontenot, 40, Pineville – possession of CDS, improper display of license plate, improper inspection, $2,700 bail;

John Brian Gonzales, 43, Leesville – OWI first offense, careless operation of a vehicle, obstructing court orders, $1,100 bail;

Eric Dane Gordon, 47, Pineville – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, $3,000 bail;

George Jeff Green, 57, Alexandria – Louisiana fugitive, three counts contempt of court, $3,000 bail;

Justin Roth Hinton, 41, Pineville – simple escape, $1,500 bail;

Jason A. Holt, 47, Otis – domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace, simple battery on the infirmed, home invasion, domestic abuse aggravated assault with child endangerment, criminal damage to property, $92,000 bail;

Tyrianna Jones, 22, Marksville – OWI first offense, careless operation of a vehicle, no driver’s license, $1,200 bail;

Kystasher Tantenisha I’kea Martin, 30, Boyce – obstruction of justice, 18 counts contempt of court, $251,500 bail;

Carnell Nelson Sr, 34, Pineville – two counts possession of firearm by convicted felon, theft, two counts contempt of court, $120,500 bail;

Dontravion Pearrie, 27, Alexandria – OWI first offense, three counts contempt of court, failure to appear, intentional littering, safety belt violation, driving under suspension, speeding, open container, two counts possession of CDS, resisting an officer, obstruction of highway, obstruction of justice, illegal carry firearm with drugs, reckless operation, $38,400 bail;

Zikorian Jabari Turner, 21, Alexandria – illegal possession of stolen firearm, illegal carrying of a weapon, resisting an officer, bicycle lamps and reflectors, $13,100 bail;

Rayanne Elizabeth Vicknair, 27, Pineville – contempt of court, $75,000 bail.

July 6

Dekerry Booker, 29, Shreveport – possession of CDS, two counts contempt of court, improper display of vehicle license plate, improper lane usage, $3,200 bail;

Michael J. Johnson Jr, 39, Alexandria – possession of CDS, paraphernalia, resisting an officer, theft, criminal trespass, simple burglary, possession of marijuana, five counts contempt of court, $83,750 bail;

Johnathan Paul McKithern, 32, Ball – theft, contempt of court, $6,500 bail

The United Way of Central Louisiana is looking for new uniforms for their upcoming back-to-school initiatives this August. School supplies and backpacks tend to be in overflow, but uniforms can be a little harder (and more expensive) to come by. The United Way knows how hectic this time of the year can be for their ALICE families, so they want to help take the load off.

If any organizations would like to partner with the United Way and donate new clothes, reach out to the Community Engagement Coordinator Ananda Flanagan by email (ananda@uwcl.org) or by phone 318-443-7203 Ext. 1.

The Kerrville tragedy brings to mind the most severe spanking of my childhood.

I was 12 when my father was transferred to San Antonio. He went first, by train, and after he found a house mother, I and my three younger sisters followed behind the moving van, taking what must have been 15 hours in the old Plymouth to get there.

No air conditioning, no radio (we couldn’t agree on what to listen to), no interstate. Prized position was back floor, transmission hump not withstanding.

Relocating was something we had down pat. The Butlers were headed to their seventh posting at that time (it stopped at nine when Dad told employer back to Alexandria or he was done).

Arriving we found what to me was just another house though a bit larger than the one left vacant back on Gay Road.

But at the end of the street was something new — the link fence was clearly visible from a couple of hundred yards away. Perhaps eight feet tall, it was a boy magnet.

First words from Dad after the obligatory welcoming hug: Stay away from the fence.

Three days later I was leaning on it, looking 40 yards across at a similar barrier. They bordered a deep ditch, not much different than one paralleling Prescott Road back in Alexandria except the water in it was barely enough for a tadpole pool.

Within two weeks I was over the fence and in the ditch (my new, mostly Mexican-American, friends called it acequia), searching for various treasures and basking in breaking rules.

But I got careless, forgetting JRB got home midday on Saturdays. He pulled me off the fence after ordering me out, scattering my mates like Texas roadrunners.

And pushed me, literally, all the way home, where he commenced to give me the whopping of my life (well, one much later at a place called the Pelican Club was a contender, but that’s another story).

I took it as punishment for disobedience, until one day it rained, and rained, and rained. As it let up I walked down to the fence to check the ditch.

But the languid drain was gone, swallowed by a surging, boiling river, carrying downstream all the detritus in its path.

Life lesson learned.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is excited to announce the launch of a new Online Bowhunter Education Course.

This convenient, self-paced course provides hunters with the opportunity to complete their bowhunter education online for $35. The course link can be found by visiting the LDWF website at www.wlf.louisiana.gov under the Education and Events tab.

While Louisiana does not currently require bowhunter education, many other states do require it for bowhunting. This new online course ensures Louisiana hunters understand safe bowhunting practices and are properly certified and eligible to hunt in other states where bowhunter education is mandatory.

“We’re excited to offer this new option to our hunting community,” said LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth. “It’s never been easier or more convenient to get certified. This course offers flexibility, accessibility, and ensures our hunters are prepared to meet education requirements across state lines.”

The course includes lessons on bowhunting safety, equipment, wildlife identification, ethical shot placement, and conservation principles. It’s a valuable resource for new and experienced bowhunters alike.

For more information, or to start the course, visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov and click on the Education and Events tab.

Did you give into temptation over the holiday weekend and watch some of the Yellowstone series rerun?

If you didn’t, and you never have bothered with the Kevin Costner-driven-and-scuttled five-season modern cowboy drama, here’s a recap.

The Yellowstone is a huge ranch in Montana, owned by John Dutton (Costner), who is fed up with society in general and is fiercely (and I mean fiercely) protective of his family and its ranch. Near the end of the series, he gets talked into running for governor, and wins, with the campaign credo being “I am the opposite of progress.

“I am the wall that it bashes against and I will not be the one who breaks.”

He is disgusted with the influx of outsiders threatening the state’s rural lifestyle, draining Montana’s natural resources, all in pursuit of profit. Dutton knows no boundaries in his personal war to defend the state’s status quo and his family’s path forward to future generations.

I’d like to tell you the story ends happily for John Dutton, but I’d be as big a liar as his adopted son Jamie Dutton, a squirrelly lawyer who can’t stop betraying family members to satiate his own ambitions.

But I can tell you John Dutton reminds me of me – at least, my view of college sports. It’s not at all what it used to be, and there’s no going back in time.

Well, maybe there is. Maybe when all the dust settles in 4-5 years, the college landscape will revert back to what it was when Joe Ferguson was a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1972 for the Arkansas Razorbacks and a couple years earlier, another Woodlawn quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, had just come from way off the beaten track to be the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.

Which played In the NCAA’s College Division, a second tier for schools that didn’t have the resources to roll with the big timers in the SEC, Big Ten, Big Eight, Pac Whatever and the ACC.

Guess what? Thanks to Name, Image and Likeness, the transfer portal and the House settlement, there’s an altitude adjustment coming regardless of the attitudes and ambitions of Bulldogs, Warhawks, Ragin’ Cajuns, Demons, G-Men, Green Wave and their widespread peers.

They can’t begin to compare their resources with the shot-callers at LSU, Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan. Those schools will be paying some of their athletes a pool of $20 million, not including NIL deals funded by deep-pocketed boosters.

Texas Tech has its share and just signed a high school offensive tackle to a $5 million package over three years. Same bunch of Red Raiders spent a million last summer getting softball superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady, who left Stanford and led Texas Tech to the Women’s College World Series finals. She’s getting a new deal for next season.

NIL deals decimated the softball roster at UL Lafayette, long a Top 25 mainstay before coach Gerry Glasco bolted to Lubbock with deep pockets to instantly build a national title contender. The Cajuns were 29-25 this spring, 14-10 in the Sun Belt, a league they cruised through unbeaten or close to it for many, many years.

I say again: Texas Tech. What do you think the Aggies and Longhorns will do in response?

That’s the sort of recalibration that is unfolding all over. Yes, Coastal Carolina of the Sun Belt stormed into Omaha and reached the CWS championship round. But in the sports that define sports fans’ lifestyles – football and basketball – the TV revenue is immense and is not going to be shared down the line.

It’s heading Back to the Future. Back to the days of the University Division for the haves, the quasi-corporate athletic programs, and the College Division for the dreamers and the realists.

As the Yellowstone series ended, the Duttons were forced out of retaining the ranch. But the youngest Dutton son, Kayce, found a way to preserve it.

Those characters who did survive – that’s a literal usage – rode off into the sunset on happy trails.

Perhaps when the reformation of the NCAA landscape occurs, we might find out that the new normal is not totally terrible, at all.  Turns out Beth Dutton never liked much about the Yellowstone, and she and Rip are settling a couple hours away where there are no menacing neighbors and just as many beautiful vistas – and a promising, scaled down lifestyle.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

The Alexandria Museum of Art has announced two art camps for the week of July 14. Both camps will run Monday, July 14, through Friday, July 18, at the Museum. 

One camp is for children ages 6 through 9, 9am to 12pm every day. The other camp is for children ages 10 through 12, 1:30pm to 4:30pm every day. Both camps cost $100 per camper; registration is available through the links for the age groups. 

For both camps, children will experience the Gallery Groove. Campers will participate in fanciful, imagination-stretching art activities inspired by the art in AMoA’s galleries. Campers will spend the week working in the gallery to create a variety of works with the guidance of AMoA Educator Cindy Cooper Blair.

For more information, check https://themuseum.org. 

RAPIDES PARISH (July 8, 2025) – State Fire Marshal (SFM) deputies have arrested and charged a Rapides Parish juvenile with two counts of Aggravated Arson and one count of Simple Arson for setting fires outside the doors of three Woodworth apartments.

A SFM investigation determined that the teen intentionally set fires near the doors of two apartments on Butler Drive around 4 a.m. on June 28, 2025, and then set fire near the door of another Butler Drive apartment at approximately 4 a.m. on July 1, 2025. Fortunately, the occupants of these homes were not injured.

During SFM investigator questioning, the teen admitted to the crimes.
The SFM would like to thank the Woodworth Police and Fire Departments for their extensive efforts to assist with closing these cases.

Any information about this case, or any fire-related crime, can be shared with the SFM by calling our Arson Hotline at 1-844-954-1221 or by submitting an online tip form on lasfm.org. All information can be shared anonymously.

The Literacy Bus rolls into Peabody Montessori School next week for its first stop of the summer. The Bus will arrive at Peabody on Thursday, July 10, 6-7pm. Join Rapides Reads for free books, helpful resources, and fun for the whole family. 

On this day in 1979, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft made its closest approach to Jupiter, beaming back the first detailed images of the gas giant and its moons—revolutionizing our understanding of the outer solar system.

Launched in August 1977, Voyager 2 was the second of two spacecraft sent to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment that would allow them to visit multiple outer planets using gravitational assists. While its twin, Voyager 1, would later make headlines for its dramatic flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 2 was the first to visit all four of the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Voyager 2’s encounter with Jupiter on July 9, 1979, was its first major planetary flyby. The spacecraft passed just 400,000 miles from the planet’s cloud tops, capturing high-resolution photos of its turbulent atmosphere, iconic Great Red Spot, and faint ring system—an unexpected discovery at the time. Even more astonishing were the images of Jupiter’s moons.

Scientists were stunned by what they saw. Instead of lifeless, cratered rocks, Jupiter’s four largest moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—emerged as complex and dynamic worlds. Most notably, Voyager 2 revealed that Io, one of Jupiter’s innermost moons, was dotted with active volcanoes, making it the most geologically active body in the solar system.

The discovery of volcanic activity on Io was groundbreaking. It was the first time active volcanism had ever been observed on a celestial body beyond Earth. This single finding reshaped scientific theories about moon formation and planetary geology and sparked new interest in studying planetary systems beyond our own.

Voyager 2 also helped confirm that Europa, another of Jupiter’s moons, had a smooth, icy surface—hinting at the possibility of a subsurface ocean. Today, that hint has become a driving focus in the search for extraterrestrial life, with upcoming missions like NASA’s Europa Clipper designed to explore that very possibility.

The success of the Voyager flyby wasn’t just scientific—it was deeply human. For many watching in 1979, the images transmitted across nearly half a billion miles of space were a powerful reminder of what humanity could achieve. The flyby was broadcast on television, published in newspapers worldwide, and discussed in classrooms, inspiring a new generation of scientists, engineers, and dreamers.

Since that day, Voyager 2 has continued its journey outward. It went on to visit Saturn in 1981, Uranus in 1986, and Neptune in 1989—becoming the only spacecraft to have visited the latter two planets. In 2018, more than 40 years after its launch, Voyager 2 exited the heliosphere and entered interstellar space. It continues to send back data to Earth, powered by a small nuclear generator and guided by technology developed in the 1970s.

Today, on July 9, we celebrate not only a milestone in space exploration but also the curiosity, collaboration, and courage that made it possible. Voyager 2’s flyby of Jupiter forever changed the way we see our solar system—not just as a collection of distant orbs, but as a vibrant, dynamic neighborhood filled with wonder.

As NASA prepares for the next era of planetary exploration, including missions to the outer planets’ moons and the continued search for life, the legacy of Voyager 2 lives on—still flying, still exploring, and still inspiring.