Laney Ray Varden, Jr.
January 26, 1942 - August 21, 2025
August 22, 2025
Convicted Felon Found Guilty of Violent Battery of Father
District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on August 20, 2025, a St. Tammany Parish jury found 35 year-old Dwight Ambo guilty of Second Degree Battery, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Attempted Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, following a violent confrontation in which the defendant entered his father’s home, threatened him at gunpoint, and inflicted serious physical harm. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Luke Lancaster and Jason Cuccia. Judge Alan Black presided over the trial.
The incident occurred when the defendant entered his father’s residence, armed with a firearm, and held him at gunpoint while making threats to kill him. The attack escalated when the defendant struck his father in the face, fracturing his nose. During the ordeal, the victim’s live-in girlfriend and her 13-year-old child were also present in the home. The defendant fled the scene.
Key evidence presented at trial included Ring doorbell camera footage from the victim’s home. The footage captured the defendant immediately before entering the residence, visibly enraged, manipulating his waistband. The butt of a handgun was clearly visible protruding from his pants.
District Attorney Collin Sims stated, “We commend the bravery of those involved and the swift response of law enforcement. The jury’s verdict ensures that a dangerous individual is held accountable for his actions.”
The defendant is a previously convicted felon, having been convicted of manslaughter in 2015, for which he served a 10-year prison sentence. Under Louisiana law, it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2025.
Washington Parish Jail Bookings for August 20-21, 2025
Latansha Brown (age 42 with Franklinton, La. address) was booked on the charges of Criminal Trespass, Criminal Damage, and Aggravated Assault (2 counts) by the Franklinton Police Department. Released on $10000.00 bond.
Xanvanica Brumfield (age 34 with Kentwood, La. address) was booked on the charges of Contempt of Court (2 counts) by the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office. Released on $2750.00 bond.
Barrett Dunaway (age 38 with Angie, La. address) was booked on the charge of Parole Violation by Probation and Parole. No bond set at this time.
Heather Patterson (age 26 with Franklinton, La. address) was booked on the charge of Parole Violation by Probation and Parole. No bond set at this time.
Donavan Forbes (age 56 with Franklinton, La. address) was booked on the charge of Contempt of Court by the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office. No bond set at this time.
***All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty***
Local Forecast for the Next Few Days
For an extended forecast and more details, go to our weather page.
Today A 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.
Saturday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Tropical Disturbances Today
(Shown left to right below)
Disturbance 1. Hurricane Erin remains no threat to our area and is in the first stages of becoming post-tropical. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. On the forecast track, the center of Erin will pass south of Atlantic Canada today and tonight, and then race across the north Atlantic waters.
Disturbance 2. Near the Leeward Islands (AL90): Showers and thunderstorms are showing some signs of organization in association with a tropical wave located about a hundred miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Environmental conditions appear conducive for further development of this system, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is very likely to form this weekend while it moves northwestward and then northward, in between the northern Leeward Islands and Bermuda. Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent and formation chance through 7 days...high...90 percent.
Disturbance 3. Central Subtropical Atlantic: A small area of low pressure located well southwest of the Azores has weakened overnight, and no development is expected while it drifts northward. Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent and formation chance through 7 days...low...near 0 percent.
Disturbance 4. Central Tropical Atlantic (AL99): Showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave located about midway between Africa and the Windward Islands have become less organized overnight. While there is still some chance that a short-lived tropical depression could form during the next day or so, the system is expected to move through a less conducive environment into Saturday. The wave could reach a slightly more favorable environment again late this weekend into early next week as it moves westward at 10 to 15 mph over the central tropical Atlantic and approaches the Lesser Antilles. Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...40 percent and formation chance through 7 days...medium...50 percent.
August 21, 2025
Bus Drivers Seek Equal Pay Recognition at School Board Meeting
Source: era-leader.com by Toni Tageant (click here for the full article)
At the August 14, 2025 meeting of the Washington Parish School Board, Superintendent Jennifer Thomas asked that Colleen Bateman, President of the Washington Parish School Bus Drivers Association, be allowed to speak.
Mrs. Bateman stated, "I know that no decision is being made tonight…Just kinda want to be on the board's mind and heart about Support Personnel being equal when it comes to this stipend/pay raise. I feel we get discriminated against when it comes to these things! We need that extra money as much as anyone else! We all pay taxes in Washington Parish. They say that a teacher is certified, and it cost them money for their degree…so, giving them double what they give us in a stipend is saying that you're helping pay them back for their degree. If that's the case, they need to pay bus operators back for our certification and the two school buses I've paid for while making "peanuts", but I'm not greedy. I feel all of us are equal in the job that we do therefore should be treated as such! “
She added, “Think of teachers as being the wheels and support personnel being the grease that makes the wheels turn! We are a team! Without every one of us this would not work for the students of Washington Parish or any other parish! Thank you for your time and consideration."
Local Forecast for the Next Few Days
For an extended forecast and more details, go to our weather page.
Today A 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday A 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.
Saturday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Tropical Disturbances Today
(Shown left to right below)
Disturbance 1. Hurricane Erin remains no threat to our area but does remain a threat to the east coast of the U.S. On the forecast track, the center of Erin will move over the western Atlantic between the U.S. east coast and Bermuda through early Friday, and then pass south of Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days. Erin is expected to become post-tropical on Saturday.
Disturbance 2. Near the Leeward Islands in the Tropical Atlantic: A tropical wave located a few hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands has changed little over the past several hours. Environmental conditions appear conducive for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form this weekend while it moves near or to the north of the northern Leeward Islands. Formation chance through 48 hours...medium..40 percent and formation chance through 7 days...high...70 percent.
Disturbance 3. Central Atlantic: A small area of low pressure is located about 1200 miles southwest of the Azores. Upper-level winds are only marginally conducive for development while the system moves slowly eastward over the next couple of days. Formation chance through 48 hours...low...30 percent and formation chance through 7 days...low...30 percent.
Disturbance 4. Eastern Tropical Atlantic (AL99): A tropical wave located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands shows some signs of organization. Environmental conditions appear marginally favorable for additional development over the next day or so while the system moves west-southwestward at around 15 mph, and a short-lived tropical depression could form. In a couple of days, environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for further development. Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...40 percent and formation chance through 7 days...medium...40 percent.
August 20, 2025
LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message
Native Grapes: Muscadines and More
We regularly see muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia) vines in Louisiana. Their commonness and vigorous growth (often far up into trees) are signs of how well adapted they are to most parts of our state. I encourage people who are interested in growing fruit that doesn’t require a lot of work to manage diseases and insects to grow muscadines, though a sturdy trellis and attention to training and pruning are needed. Many improved varieties are available.
We occasionally see fruit on wild muscadine vines in the late summer, but many wild vines only have male flowers and so don’t produce berries. Cultivated varieties have either “perfect” flowers (ones with female and male parts) or female flowers. In the latter case, the vine needs a self-fertile, perfect-flowered vine or a wild male vine nearby to pollinize it.
Muscadines aren’t the only grapes that we see growing in the wild. Other grapes native to Louisiana include the summer grape (V. aestivalis), graybark or winter sweet grape (V. cinerea), frost or fox grape (V. vulpina), and riverbank or frost grape (V. riparia). (As usual, common names can be confusing, with the same name sometimes applied to different species.) These other grapes are more closely related to each other than they are to muscadines.
Smooth, heart-shaped leaves with teeth of similar sizes along the edges often suggest to us that a grape vine is a muscadine. However, some other species have leaves that look similar. Grapes hanging in bunches rather than loose clusters are a clue that a vine isn’t a muscadine, but vines often lack fruit.
An easy and reliable way to differentiate between muscadines and native bunch grapes is by the vine’s tendrils. The tendril is what wraps around limbs and trellis wires and allows grapes to climb. Most grape species have forked tendrils, but muscadine vines’ tendrils are unbranched.
All grapes (Vitis species) are technically edible, though you might not enjoy eating some of them. Besides the fruit, young grape leaves can be used to make dishes like the dolmas of Mediterranean cuisine.
Let me know if you have questions.
Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages
Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).
Washington Parish Jail Bookings for August 19, 2025
Coty Roddy (age 32 with Picayune, Ms. address) was booked on the charge of Introduction of Contraband to Correctional Facility by the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office. Released on $5000.00 bond.
Donald Vice (age 30 with Bogalusa, La. address) was booked on the charges of Disturbing the Peace/Violent & Tumultuous Manner, Domestic Abuse Battery, Resisting an Officer (2 counts), Resisting a Police Officer with Force or Violence, and Probation and Parole Hold by the Bogalusa Police Department. No bond set at this time.
David Wells (age 46 with Bogalusa, La. address) was booked on the charges of Possession of Schedule II Drugs and Probation and Parole Hold by the Bogalusa Police Department. No bond set at this time.
Malcolm Ratcliff (age 34 with Tylertown, Ms. address) was booked on the charge of Domestic Abuse Battery/Strangulation by the Bogalusa Police Department. No bond set at this time.
Malcolm Beal (age 34 with Bogalusa, La. address) was booked on the charge of Battery/ER Personnel or Healthcare Professional/Agg Assault by the Bogalusa Police Department. No bond set at this time.
Matthew Williams (age 38 with Crossroads, Ms. address) was booked on the charge of Fugitive Other Jurisdiction by the Bogalusa Police Department. No bond set at this time.
Anna Seals (age 33 with Bogalusa, La. address) was booked on the charges of Contempt of Court (4 counts) by the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office. No bond set at this time.
Brandon Young (age 42 with Angie, La. address) was booked on the charges of Fugitive Other Jurisdiction, Contempt of Court, and Failure to Appear. No bond set at this time.
***All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty***
Local Forecast for the Next Few Days
For an extended forecast and more details, go to our weather page.
Today A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Tonight A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Thursday A 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 106. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Friday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Tropical Disturbances Today
Disturbance 1. Hurricane Erin is no threat to our “neck of the woods” but will continue to threaten the east coasts of the U.S. through Saturday. Erin is currently located about 400 miles SSE of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina moving NNW at 13 MPH with 100 MPH maximum sustained winds. On the forecast track, the center of Erin will move over the western Atlantic between the U.S. east coast and Bermuda today through early Friday, and then pass south of Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday.
Disturbance 2. Near the Leeward Islands in the Tropical Atlantic: A tropical wave is located over the central tropical Atlantic. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form late this week or over the weekend while it moves near or to the north of the northern Leeward Islands. Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent and formation chance through 7 days...medium...60 percent.
Disturbance 3. Eastern Tropical Atlantic (AL99): A tropical wave is located to the southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Environmental conditions appear marginally favorable for additional development over the next day or so while the system moves westward at around 15 mph and a short-lived tropical depression could form. By the end of the week, environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for further development. Formation chance through 48 hours...medium..40 percent and formation chance through 7 days...medium...40 percent.
.gif)
August 19, 2025
Bogalusa City Council Meeting - August 19, 2025
August 20, 2025: Our livestream of the Bogalusa City Council meeting on August 19, 2025 was terrible, audio and video. We apologize. We believe it was caused by poor wi-fi signal. A backup was made on a micro SD and can be viewed below.
The Bogalusa City Council will meet on August 19, 2025 beginning at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be livestreamed here and at https://www.facebook.com/mthermonwebtv The Agenda includes
ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS:
- A RESOLUTION of the City of Bogalusa, Louisiana authorizing the submission of a Grant Application to the Delta Regional Authority 2025 Community Infrastructure Fund Program and to the Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corporation and authorizing a Representative in all matters pertaining to the City’s participation in the program.
INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES:
- AN ORDINANCE to introduce the City of Bogalusa Operating Budget and Capital Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2025.
- AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Fiscal Administrator to enter into an Airport Management Agreement between the City of Bogalusa and Lightening Aviation, LLC.
- AN ORDINANCE to amend Ordinance #2301 for the City of Bogalusa to adopt a policy addressing the City of Bogalusa Credit Card Policy.
- AN ORDINANCE for the City of Bogalusa to adopt a policy addressing the recoupment of employee overpayment.
PUBLIC HEARINGS & ADOPTION OF ORDINANCES:
- AN ORDINANCE introducing a purposed PEC change order Project 11723.10 pertaining to bid received on July 01, 2025. $16,720 (maximum to exceed).
Administrative Remarks
Council Remarks
Announcements: Next Council Meeting will be held on September 2, 2025
Meeting Adjourned
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance, please contact Leslie Pittman at 985-732-6211 ext. 249 describing the assistance that is necessary.
As required by LA.R.S. 42:14, the City Council will allow a public comment period at any point in the meeting prior to action on an agenda item upon which a vote is to be taken.
Do You Know Me? Injured Man Sought in Loranger Area
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) is asking for the public’s assistance with identifying a man seen on a property camera in the Loranger area over the weekend with a potential serious injury.
Around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday (August 17, 2025), the owner of a property in the 53000 block of Highway 445, near the intersection of Highway 40, spotted an older, white male on his surveillance cameras walking down a gravel road with a large blood stain on his right side. At this time, we have been unable to determine the man’s identity, why he was in the area, or what direction he went from there. There were no crimes or crashes reported in that area on Sunday, and there are no missing person reports fitting his description at this time.
The TPSO is hoping someone in the community can help us identify the man in hopes of locating him to conduct a wellness check and getting him medical care, if needed.
Sheriff Gerald Sticker asks anyone with information regarding this unidentified man to contact our Dispatch Center at 985-747-9696 OR 985-748-8147 (Option 1).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)