The Village of Hessmer Water System has issued a system-wide boil advisory until further notice. This is due to a routine inspection by the State on water tower #2. This advisory will probably be for at least a week. The Village will notify customers by social media, radio, and television once the advisory is lifted. The Village thanks its community for their patience and understanding.
“We don’t understand it, but your muffler is disintegrating from the inside.”
For once, the description of the noise my truck was making actually matched the noise it made for the service technician. Usually, when you take a vehicle to the shop, it immediately begins behaving like a child in front of company.
“It was doing it all the way over here,” you say.
The mechanic starts the engine.
Silence.
The truck sits there looking innocent.
But Saturday it cooperated.
“Eventually,” the service man explained, “your muffler will completely disintegrate, and your truck will become very loud.”
There are at least two ways you know you are getting old. The first is when the phrase “your truck will become very loud” sounds more like a threat than a promise. When I was younger, a loud truck might have been impressive. Now I want my muffler to do exactly what its name implies: muffle. Loud and old do not mix well—whether we are talking about trucks, music, neckties, or people explaining their opinions at restaurants.
The second way you know you are old is Muzak. If you step into an elevator, a doctor’s office, or a car dealership and realize the gentle instrumental music playing in the background is the same song your parents once yelled, “TURN THAT GARBAGE DOWN!” about—you are old. Saturday, Muzak was playing while the service man described my disintegrating muffler.
There was no denying it.
I am old.
And suddenly I began imagining life with a loud truck. Would people hear me pulling into the church parking lot before they saw me? Could I lead a funeral procession in it? Would the Baptists think I had joined the youth group? Would the Catholics begin praying for me?
“How much will it cost to fix?”
It was going to be expensive. Apparently, disintegrating from the inside was not covered by the warranty. That phrase stayed with me. Disintegrating from the inside.
How is your muffler?
Because mufflers are not the only things that can look reasonably good on the outside while quietly falling apart where nobody can see.
People can do it too.
Discouragement is a kind of interior rust. You start with faith, hope, and love. But disappointment works on you. Frustration works on you. Anger works on you. Fear works on you. And if you do not continually center your life in Christ, the corrosion begins. Often the problem is not that God has abandoned us. The problem is that we have decided exactly how God ought to behave. We get a plan fixed in our heads, a result fixed in our hearts, and a timetable fixed on the calendar. Then, when God refuses to cooperate, we become discouraged. Slowly, quietly, something begins disintegrating on the inside.
And here is another thing I learned about mufflers: When they deteriorate on the inside, eventually they get loud on the outside. That may explain more about our world than we would like to admit. Public discourse has become a contest to see who can be loudest. Conversation has been replaced by competition. Listening has become a lost art. We no longer seem content to disagree with somebody; we must defeat them, embarrass them, label them, or shout over them. Maybe all that exterior noise is telling us something about our interior condition.
Maybe some of us need our spiritual mufflers repaired. There is a verse of Scripture that both comforts and confronts. Eight simple words that can aggravate people who are determined to stay loud and bring wonderful hope to those who know something inside them needs restoring:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
—Psalm 46:10
Be still. Stop shouting. Stop insisting. Stop rehearsing everything that is wrong. Stop telling God how God ought to run the universe. Be still long enough to remember who God is—and who you are. Maybe faith, hope, and love are not restored by becoming louder. Maybe they return when we become quiet enough to hear God again.
I get it, Lord.
Will you help me repair my muffler?
On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declared that the new nation would be known as the “United States” of America, replacing the term “United Colonies” that had been used previously.
The decision came less than three months after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, as the colonies continued establishing the government and identity of the nation they had declared independent from Great Britain.
The name “United States of America” was directed to be used in continental commissions and other official documents.
Sept. 9 also marked other notable moments in history, including California becoming the 31st U.S. state in 1850 and Elvis Presley making his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956.
In 1863, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America were in the midst of what we now call the Civil War. On June 1, 1863, nineteen-year-old Willis Meadows of Lanott, Alabama, joined Company G of the 37th Alabama Regiment. Willis was a fierce hunter who realized early on that missing a shot at wild game meant that he and his family would not have any meat on the table. Within days of his enlistment, his superiors recognized his shooting skills and made him a sharpshooter. One month to the day after his enlistment, July 1, Willis was helping defend Vicksburg from the Union army. Through a small hole in a sheet of boiler plate, Willis took careful aim and fired a single shot at a time at Union soldiers so as not to give his position away. He waited several minutes before firing again so the enemy could not pinpoint his position. Every few minutes, Willis took down another soldier.
21-year-old Peter Knapp and three other members of the 5th Iowa volunteers were ordered to eliminate the sniper. They slowly scanned the area while they awaited another shot. Finally, Peter saw a flash come from the small hole in the boiler plate. Peter was a crack shot as well. As Willis peeked through the hole in search of another target, Peter fired. The one-ounce cone-shaped bullet went through the same hole Willis had been firing through and struck him, Willis, in his right eye. Peter saw Willis collapse and knew he was either dead or dying. Peter and the other three reported that they had eliminated the sharpshooter and were sent on another assignment.
A short while later, a Union soldier found Willis and realized that he was still alive. He and other Union soldiers took Willis to their surgeon who transferred the wounded sharpshooter to a federal hospital. Doctors operated on Willis and concluded that it would be too dangerous to try to remove the bullet. They stopped the bleeding and hoped for the best. Despite the doctors’ grim prognosis, Willis’s condition slowly improved. Except for the loss of his right eye, Willis regained his health. Willis was eventually paroled and returned to Alabama.
58 years later, Peter was reading the newspaper when he read Willis’s incredible story. He soon realized that Willis was the man he shot and whom he thought he had killed. Peter wrote to Willis and they began corresponding back and forth for the remainder of Willis’s life. The newspaper article which turned former enemies into friends was published on March 22, 1921. On the day before, Willis, then 78 years old, was in his kitchen when he began coughing. His coughing progressed into a coughing fit. Willis held his handkerchief over his mouth, but nothing he tried would ease his coughing. After several long minutes, Willis’s coughing ended abruptly when something struck his handkerchief. He lowered the handkerchief from his mouth and stared in amazement. 58 years after being shot through the eye and left for dead, Willis coughed up Peter’s bullet.
Sources:
1. The Wellston News (Wellston, Oklahoma), April 1, 1921, p.2.
2. Phillips County News (Malta, Montana), September 8, 1921, p.1.
3. “March 14, 1921 Coughing up Bullets,” Cape Cod Curmudgeon, March 24, 2018, Accessed August 30, 2026, https://todayinhistory.blog/
Annie Maddie Ducote
January 11, 1929 — September 7, 2026
Service: Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:30am at Christ the King Catholic Church, Simmesport.
Henry Neil Bonnette
November 6, 1938 – September 6, 2026
Service: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 5pm at Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Marksville.
Geneva Brevelle Gagnard
October 9, 1937 – September 3, 2026
Service: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 10am at Chapel of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Marksville.
Ann Armand Rabalais
April 4, 1940 — August 15, 2026
Service: Saturday, September 12, 2026, 11am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Cemetery, Dupont.
Avoyelles Online News publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access.
The following arrests were made by local law enforcement officers from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Simmesport Police Department announces the arrest of Dantea Mingo, B/F, age 27, following an investigation into a disturbance that occurred in the 400 block of Lincoln Street in Simmesport earlier this month.
Simmesport Police officers were dispatched to the area regarding a reported disturbance. Upon officers’ arrival, the suspect had already left the scene.
During the investigation, the victim provided law enforcement with video footage of the incident. Simmesport Police detectives reviewed the video and gathered information that helped investigators establish probable cause and obtain an arrest warrant for Mingo.
Detectives then learned that Mingo was in Mansura. With assistance from the Mansura Police Department, officers located and took Mingo into custody.
Mingo was transported by Simmesport Police officers to the Avoyelles Parish Jail, where she was booked on the following charges:
Mingo is also currently under the supervision of Louisiana State Probation and Parole, and the appropriate agency was notified of her arrest.
The Simmesport Police Department thanks the Mansura Police Department for its assistance in locating and apprehending the suspect.
All persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Keeping all of the schools in Avoyelles Parish safe takes everyone. Students, families, staff, and community members are encouraged to download the FREE Safe Schools Louisiana app, an easy way to speak up when something doesn’t seem right.
Through Safe Schools Louisiana, users can:
* Report threats or suspicious activity anonymously
* Access school safety resources
* Quickly connect with resources when safety concerns arise
Whether it’s something seen, heard, read, or received online, don’t assume someone else will report it. Say it here. A single report could help prevent a serious situation.
Download the Safe Schools LA app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, or visit SafeSchoolsLA.com.
See something. Say something. Help keep all schools safe.
Avoyelles Parish enters the first week of September with storms and clouds, but the forecast period will end with sun. Autumn may be around the corner, but the temperatures don’t reflect that. High temperatures will range all over the 90s – low to middle to upper.
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Sunshine and clouds mixed. A few clouds overnight. High near 91, low around 73.
Thursday, Sept. 3: Sunny skies during the morning hours followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon; chance of rain 40%. Partly cloudy skies overnight. High near 92, low around 72.
Friday, Sept. 4: Scattered thunderstorms and hot; chance of rain 50%. High around 92, low near 73.
Saturday, Sept. 5: Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy later in the day; chance of rain 30%. Some clouds early giving way to generally clear skies overnight. High near 94, low around 73.
Sunday, Sept. 6: Mainly sunny skies with a few clouds later in the day. Clear to partly cloudy skies at night. High near 96, low around 73.
Monday, Sept. 7: Sunny with a few clouds from time to time. A few clouds overnight. High near 95, low around 72.
Tuesday, Sept. 8: Mostly sunny skies. Partly cloudy overnight. High of 94, low of 72.
Isolated and scattered thunderstorms are possible in the beginning of the forecast window, but none are forecast to be severe. Highest chance of rain will be Friday, with a 50% chance of rain. Temperatures remain in the 90s, in defiance of the autumn equinox. Heat index values may exceed 100 degrees during the afternoon, so residents are encouraged to stay hydrated and take frequent breaks if working outdoors.
Fox Theatre has announced the cast of its upcoming production of “Clue” October 22-25.
A wonderfully suspicious group of characters, secrets, and suspects are coming together for an evening of murder, mayhem, and plenty of laughs. Congratulations to the cast.
Yvette – Madelyn King
Miss Scarlett – Robin Blount
Mrs. Peacock – Ashley Weaver
Mrs. White – Amanda Phillips
Colonel Mustard – Rodney Walker
Professor Plum – Howard Desselle
Mr. Green – Shelley Jinks Johnson
Cook – Reese Smigura
The Motorist – Helen Blount
Mr. Body/Cop – Jacques Goudeau
Wadsworth – Kody Walker
Singing Telegram – Helen Bount
Who did it? More details coming soon.