Home Care In Leesville, LA

LEESVILLE, La. (LBM) – When Jason Nolde left an established pastorate in early 2022 to start Branded for Christ Cowboy Church, he believed God would use the new church plant to reach a special people group.

A year later, his faithfulness has been rewarded with an attendance increase from a core group of 10 who met for home-based Bible study in its infancy to 80 who now gather for worship in a Leesville municipal building. Importantly, Nolde has baptized five new converts and seen even more grow deeper in their Christian walks.

Nolde, formerly pastor of Canaan Baptist Church, Leesville, credits a focus on relationships, disciple[1]ship and simplicity as the keys to growth. “Everything we will do is inspired by the western culture,” Nolde told the Baptist Message. “We seek the lost, seek the fallen away and seek to grow.”

Branded for Christ Cowboy Church was recognized in November 2022 as the 300th Louisiana Baptist church planted since 2010.

The congregation, which held its kickoff service at the Vernon Parish Rodeo Arena in Leesville on Nov. 13, 2021, conducts several targeted outreaches every three months. They have continued meeting in homes on Wednesdays since July but added a Sunday worship service after their kickoff service.

Outreach events have featured Wild Horse Ministries Founder Paul Daily, who demonstrates how training a horse is similar to training a non-believer to become a Christian; a goat roping and mutton busting exhibition (riding and racing sheep); and a rodeo. Importantly, the church assesses each event for mission viability using the “five C test” of the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches: Christ-centered, culturally relevant, constitutional, cost effective and consensus reached by its members.

Looking to the future, Branded for Christ Cowboy Church eventually plans to move into the former “feed and seed” store in downtown Leesville.

The building will allow for additional growth, more ministry opportunities and a visible presence in the community.

Other plans include the purchase a 25-acre tract that will include a big barn (to host services) and an arena (for fellowship and outreach).

“We are super excited about what the Lord has already done, for what He has in store through this ministry He has planted, and for the spiritual growth of our community,” Nolde said. “No doubt, the Lord has great plans.”

LEESVILLE – Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards joined local, state and federal officials to celebrate the completion of technology learning centers at five Vernon Parish schools that serve thousands of families stationed at or employed by the U.S. Army’s Fort Johnson.

Funded by a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense and a 10 percent match from Louisiana Economic Development, the new learning centers will support STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programming in state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor learning spaces. The investment of federal and state dollars resulted in the construction of new buildings and installation of enhanced technology, such as wireless communications, digital displays and interactive learning tools.

Two high schools, two middle schools, and an elementary school – Leesville High, Leesville Junior High, Pickering High, Pickering Elementary and Vernon Middle School – benefit.

“This investment is a perfect illustration of the old saying that ‘security begins at home,’” Gov. Edwards said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Leesville High School. “By equipping schools with new technology, we are improving the quality of life of thousands of Fort Johnson families and strengthening the surrounding community, which does so much to support this critical military installation.”

The elite Army training post is the largest non-state-government employer in Louisiana, with nearly 15,000 jobs, $770 million in payroll and an annual estimated economic impact of more than $1.36 billion. Formerly known as Fort Polk, the base was renamed in June to honor Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during a fierce battle in World War I.

The award is part of the Defense Department’s Campus Connections and Learning Spaces initiative, a pilot project of the 2020 Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), to facilitate quality of life enhancements in military communities. More than 2,000 Fort Johnson military children attend school in Vernon Parish and make up nearly a quarter of district enrollment.

“Military installations contribute $9.64 billion in annual economic output and more than 77,000 jobs across all regions of our state,” LED Secretary Don Pierson said. “We have a genuine stake in these military assets, not just for their defense of America – which is paramount – but for their importance to Louisiana’s economy.”

“We have been searching for ways to serve our students more efficiently and this partnership and joint venture allows that,” Vernon Parish Superintendent of Schools James Williams said. “Our students in Career and Technical Education will be well trained and career ready upon graduation. We appreciate the tremendous efforts and support from all of our stakeholders and local partners for this opportunity to improve the educational infrastructure for our students.”

In addition to the DCIP match, LED awarded the Vernon Parish School Board $1 million to address critical maintenance needs at North Johnson Elementary School, located on base and part of the Vernon Parish District.

“I’m excited to see this project get completed,” said Dist. 30 State Sen. Mike Reese, founder and former chairman of Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance, formerly known as Fort Polk Progress. “These education technology centers showcase the continued effort by the local school district, state of Louisiana and the Department of Defense to provide first class educational opportunities to not only our military connected students but to all students in the Fort Johnson region. Providing high quality education is a cornerstone in improving the military value of our defense installations, and this community continues to invest in making Fort Johnson a station of choice.”

About LED Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state’s business environment and creating a more vibrant economy. It is the only state agency in the U.S. accredited by the International Economic Development Council, boasting award-winning programs like LED FastStart, a longtime national leader in customized workforce development. LED also supports a wide range of higher ed partnerships that Business Facilities magazine recently credited for Louisiana’s ranking as the No. 1 Tech Talent Pipeline in the U.S. In 2022, LED attracted 53 new economic development projects representing 18,137 new direct, indirect and retained jobs and $20.7 billion in new capital investment. Explore how LED cultivates jobs and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana and employers of all sizes at OpportunityLouisiana.com.

Media Inquiries

Members of the news media can contact the LED Communications team for information and interview requests about LED projects and programs.

LEESVILLE, La., Nov. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fastwyre Broadband, a cutting-edge fiber provider with reliable and affordable services across America, today announced it will begin providing a robust fiber-optic broadband network to residents and businesses in Leesville, La. Fastwyre is committed to expanding in Louisiana as it recently launched successful fiber-optic networks in Westlake, Oakdale and DeRidder.

^{Officials from the City of Leesville, La., joined Fastwyre Broadband representatives in a November 13, 2023, ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the official launch of Fastwyre’s high-speed, affordable fiber-optic network for area residents and businesses in Leesville. At the Leesville Municipal Golf Course Reception Hall, pictured cutting the ceremonial ribbon are, from left, Dr. Christina Lord, Board Chair of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce; Leesville Mayor Rick Allen; and Cody Crader, Business Sales Executive for Fastwyre Broadband.}

Fastwyre’s state-of-the-art network features a fiber-to-the-premises infrastructure enhancement that delivers high-speed internet to help customers meet their data transmission, online video conferencing, e-commerce, virtual learning, entertainment and telehealth needs. High-speed internet ranges from 100 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second.

“We are excited to provide the City of Leesville with our cutting-edge fiber infrastructure to ensure that citizens experience fast downloads, seamless streaming and lag-free online activities,” said Chris Eldredge, CEO of Fastwyre Broadband. “We believe all Americans should have access to reliable and affordable high-quality internet service, and we look forward to providing Leesville residents and businesses with the latest fiber technology at a terrific value.”

Mayor Rick Allen, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce and its CEO, Logan Morris, and additional city leaders and community partners, joined Fastwyre Monday in Leesville for a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the launch of the transformative high-speed fiber optic network.

Fastwyre has a track record of partnering with community organizations and supporting community enhancement initiatives to make a positive impact and advance opportunities for new business activity and job growth.

Fastwyre continues building broadly in Leesville to provide access to service across the city and underserviced areas in the region. To check service availability in your neighborhood, visit https://fastwyre.com/availability/la/leesville/.

When Leesville customers sign up for service, they can enjoy the following benefits:

For more information about Fastwyre Broadband services, residents and business owners may call its customer service line at 833-463-FAST or visit the website at www.fastwyre.com.

Fastwyre remains at the industry forefront in innovation, continuously investing in a rapidly growing, state-of-the-art fiber network. With expansion plans in Louisiana, Alabama, Nebraska and Missouri, the company is on an accelerated growth trajectory to serve communities that require connection and service upgrades.

About Fastwyre BroadbandAmerican Broadband Holding Company dba Fastwyre Broadband is a premier provider of broadband services delivering affordable, reliable, high-speed internet services to communities across America. The Company provides internet, phone, and video to customers in Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas. Fastwyre partners in the growth and economic vitality of its communities by providing broadband and other advanced services to support new business activity and job growth.

Fastwyre Broadband is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago, and Catania ABC Partners.

More information about Fastwyre Broadband can be found at www.fastwyre.com.

Media Contact:Kristen Crawford[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aff09c9f-f1e8-4667-881d-7bf439abb985

ALEXANDRIA – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and his office hosted a Rural Community Funding Summit in Leesville, together with USDA Rural Development, the Louisiana Housing Corporation and the Louisiana Municipal Association. Officials and community leaders throughout Central Louisiana were present to learn more about Cassidy’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and what it can do for their towns and villages.

“The dollars in the infrastructure law will improve water and sewer and provide broadband from Leesville to Marksville,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It is an investment in our children and grandchildren’s future in central Louisiana. Together, we can do an enormous amount of good here.”

Cassidy was welcomed to Leesville by the mayor, Mr. Rick Allen, who stressed the importance of connecting area officials to those responsible for awarding IIJA grants.

“It is important that we inform our community leaders on how they can access the funds that are available to them,” said Mayor Allen. “Many do not have a grant writer or person they can dedicate to wading through these very complicated applications to research and receive funding.”

Additionally, grants were announced early this month to improve natural gas distribution systems in Alexandria and Woodworth, in order to prevent leaks and explosions. Last January, the state announced that bridge funds from the IIJA would support LA 121 over the Calcasieu River in Rapides Parish.

Over $3.9 million has been allocated to the Alexandria International Airport, including runway rehabilitation and air traffic control equipment replacement. Finally, over $670,000 has been granted to the airport in Leesville, including to add onto their existing taxi lane.

Legend has it that here's a one-room cabin located in North Louisiana on an old farm that is called "The Devil's Toy Box".

The room is made entirely of mirrors that face inward...the walls, floor, and ceiling are all mirrors. If you go inside, you'll reportedly go insane, or worse; the devil will appear and take your soul.

Exactly where in North Louisiana "The Devil's Toy Box" is located is hard to pin down. One article I read says it's about "Three Hours from New Orleans". That could locate it somewhere around Alexandria.

The legend says the cabin is on "Farmer Grave’s Haunted Orchard". A quick Google search shows that orchard to be in Leesville.

From what I can find out, "The Devil's Toy Box" was built in 2014 as part of a Halloween attraction on the orchard. After people started to be hospitalized as a result of going into the shack, the entire Halloween attraction was closed.

From thoughtcatalogue.com -

The attraction was called Farmer Grave’s Haunted Orchard and in years past, it had been every bit as thrilling as that name suggested; which is to say not very. So for Halloween 2014, the owners decided to spice things up by building several new interactive installations, of which included a windowless shack called The Devil’s Toy Box. This shack housed a small room composed of large wall-sized mirrors.

According to thoughtcatalogue.com, no one could last longer than 5 minutes inside of the shack.

They say the longest anyone was ever able to stay inside of "The Devil's Toy Box" was four minutes and thirty-seven seconds according to the timer that was set up inside of it.

The person who set that record inside of "The Devil's Toy Box" according to thoughtcatalogue.com was "Roger Heltz, age 52, and a father of three".

Legend has it that he hasn't spoken since his "Devil's Toy Box" experience.

Other reports say people suffered heart attacks and bouts of insanity. Numerous people reportedly had to be physically removed from the room kicking and screaming.

Below is a video I found on YouTube of what it would look like the inside of "The Devil's Toys Box". Just looking at the video instantly makes my head hurt. I can't imagine sitting in one of these things!