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UPDATE (02/06/2023) — On February 6, 2023, Sheriff Dusty Gates of the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office informed NBC 10 that Theresa Jones, who was last seen in the early morning of February 2, 2023, has been found deceased in a wooded area. According to authorities, Jones’ body has been sent to Little Rock, Ark. for an autopsy.

We will continue to follow the story and keep you updated as we receive the latest.

UNION PARISH, La. (KTVE/KARD) – Search efforts continue for a missing woman from Bernice.

According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, Theresa Jones was last seen in the very early morning hours Thursday February 2nd leaving her home.

Theresa’s daughter, Ashley Deese, told KTVE the family is looking for any possible tips or any piece of information which may help in this search.

“If anyone knows anywhere she could be, if you’ve seen her, if you want to remain anonymous that’s fine. Just please contact the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office.”

Theresa Jones has been missing for two days. Jones was caught on video leaving her home in the Evergreen community in the town of Bernice.

She was last seen wearing pink pajamas. Her daughter Ashley told KTVE her mom left the house without her belongings.

“She left here with nothing. No cellphones, her car is still here. All of her medicine is here. Her wallet. We don’t notice any clothes being missing.”

Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates says deputies are gathering information as they continue to conduct their investigation.

“As of this afternoon, we were able to get a tracking dog in the area. Our deputies are out there now trying to locate her.”

Deese says the dog was able to pick up Jones’ scent in several different locations.

“From this side of the house all the way to Evergreen and then towards the state park it got stronger and then onto the highway.”

She says the family got a tip about Theresa walking on Highway 2 later that afternoon.

“That is how we know it had to be her. But who picked her up, was it the relative or a passerby?”

Deese says her mom’s brother texted her mom that wednesday morning when she left the house. She says he denies any involvement.

“His story and technology don’t line up.”

“We have been in contact with her brother, but haven’t gathered a whole lot of information. He hasn’t had a lot to say, but at this point in time we don’t suspect any foul play.”

Ashley also says her mom suffers from a medical condition.

Sheriff Gates says a Lincoln Parish tracking dog is also assisting with the search in efforts to locate Theresa Jones.

If you have any information on Jones whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office at (318)368-3124.

2/3/2023: Tune into FOX 14 News at 9 and NBC 10 News at 10 tonight to hear an exclusive interview from the daughter of 56-year-old Theresa Jones of Bernice. Jones was last seen on Thursday, February 2. Our Vallery Maravi also spoke with Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates about the investigation and he shares what he can so far.

UNION PARISH, La. (KTVE/KARD) — The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office is searching for 56-year-old Theresa Dawn Jones. Jones is described as a white female, standing five feet and six inches, and weighing approximately 163 pounds. According to authorities, she was last seen on February 2, 2023, at her residence in the Evergreen Community of Bernice.

She had on pink pajamas and left her cell phone and vehicle behind, and normally wears eyeglasses. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this person, please contact authorities at (318) 368-3124.

When you think of Black ballerinas, names like Misty Copeland or Janet Collins may come to mind. But did you know that a classical ballet dancer from L.A. named Bernice Harrison predated both of them?

Today, the lesser-known story of Harrison’s rise to become the first Black prima ballerina, and the legacy of the First Negro Classical Ballet Company. Read the full transcript here. Host: L.A. Times producer Ashlea Brown Guest: Kenneth Marcus professor of history at the University of Laverne

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More reading:

First Negro Classical Ballet and Bernice Harrison

L.A. Times Today: In ‘Kylie,’ a Black ballerina shares her experience in the ballet community

Misty Copeland, Calvin Royal III and the rarity of a black couple dancing lead roles

VIDEO | 06:35

LA Times Today: How L.A. helped break barriers in ballet with the First Negro Classic Ballet company

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Watch L.A. Times Today at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 on Channel 1 or live stream on the Spectrum News App. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99.

About The Times

“The Times” is produced by Denise Guerra, Kasia Broussalian, David Toledo and Ashlea Brown. Our editorial assistants are Roberto Reyes and Nicolas Perez. Our engineers are Mario Diaz, Mark Nieto and Mike Heflin. Our fellow is Helen Li. Our editor is Kinsee Morlan. Our executive producers are Jazmin Aguilera, Heba Elorbany and Shani Hilton. And our theme music is by Andrew Eapen.

The gig: Bernice Ledbetter, 57, is a faculty member at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. Ledbetter was recently awarded $150,000 to start the university’s Center for Women in Leadership, which will open in the fall semester. One of the center’s aims is to help prepare female students for successful careers through skills development, mentoring and roundtable discussions with industry leaders. Ledbetter said she intends to call on the approximately 37,000 graduates of the Graziadio school to provide some of that mentoring and business executive expertise.

Learning to think: Ledbetter was born in San Jose and raised in Fresno. She was the first member of her immediate family to go to college, earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies at Cal State Fresno. She next went to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena for a three-year master’s degree in divinity she finished in 1987. “I learned about the classic philosophers. I took my first foreign language, which was Greek, and also Hebrew. I learned how to think there. I learned to look for nuance in everything.”

Strong women: Ledbetter’s mother, Binnie, was a single parent who worked seven days a week as a waitress at two restaurants to keep the family afloat. “She taught me that hard work was not something to shy away from; it was something to embrace. I do her honor by working hard because that is what she did for me.” Grandmother Bernice took care of the daily child care while Binnie was working. “She instilled a sense a duty, that we owe things to certain people, gratitude and obligation,” Ledbetter said. “She’d say, ‘You have a duty to succeed because of how hard your mom is working for you.’”

Mentor Max: In 1995, Ledbetter was invited to help put together the Max De Pree Center for Leadership in Pasadena. That gave her the opportunity to work directly with De Pree, the former chief executive of Herman Miller Inc., the furniture and design company, and author of books including “Leadership is an Art.” “He taught me that every person is special and valuable and unique and equal, whether it’s the CFO or the guy who makes sure the lights are turned on,” Ledbetter said. “He made sure everyone felt they were valued, and I think that encouraged them to work harder and contribute more.”

Leadership niche: Ledbetter stayed on to be director of the De Pree Center but felt she needed a stronger foundation in leadership to do her job. She pursued a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University, which she completed in 2005. Her focus was on women in leadership. Ledbetter’s doctoral study of female leaders found a running theme. All of them, whether they were business or political leaders, were able to “combine benevolence and achievement. They were able to show compassion and empathy while still being able to achieve organizational results.”

Powerful obligation: When Ledbetter talks about the goals of the new Center for Women, she mentions a Chinese student at Pepperdine who asked her, “How can I, as a woman, change my country?” Then there’s the Saudi student who began an essay with the statement, “As fate would have it, something terrible happened to me at the beginning of my life, I was born a girl.”

Ledbetter said those young women and others convinced her that “we have such a moral obligation to help these women. I can’t let them leave here without being fully equipped to lead well.”

Advice: Don’t worry about the past because every experience helps to lead to the person you have become, Ledbetter said. “I always tell my students who think, ‘Oh that was a dumb job’ or ‘I took too long to finish that’ ... [that] no, every single thing you did was needed. I can trace my opportunities to things that happened long ago and see the necessity of that job or that decision instead of wishing I had done things differently.”

Get it done: “You’ll hear things like, ‘I have to work twice as hard as the men,’” Ledbetter said. “Fine, so do it. The more time you spend whining about it, the less time you have to spend getting it done.”

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Personal: Ledbetter lives in Los Angeles with her husband of more than 10 years, Jim Olson, an independent real estate broker and investor. She has a stepdaughter, Carly, and a baby granddaughter, Rose. In her “little bits of free time,” Ledbetter loves to solve Sudoku number puzzles.

She and her husband have also embraced the need to respond to California’s drought by getting rid of their lawn and putting in, on their own, 300 plants that require little water.

[email protected]

Twitter: @RonWLATimes

– Photo: LSU

BATON ROUGE – LSU announced the 2022 Homecoming Queen and King on Saturday, Oct. 22, during the game with the University of Mississippi. The full court and senior royalty candidates were introduced at halftime and completed the traditional walk across the stadium field. Olivia Christopher, a graphic design senior from Mandeville, La., was announced Homecoming Queen, and Navy Coggins, a kinesiology senior from Bernice, La., was announced Homecoming King.

The court is comprised of 14 exceptional students that represent the sophomore, junior and senior undergraduate classifications plus graduate, law and veterinary school students. Only the six senior court members are eligible for king or queen honors.

The Homecoming Court is an annual tradition that recognizes exemplary members of the LSU student body. The Homecoming Court is chosen in a multi-stage selection process that includes an application review round, a round of interviews with judges and a vote by the LSU student body for king and queen.

2022 Senior Court:

Olivia ChristopherMandeville, La. Graphic Design Ogden Honors College

Stephanie LoftonAlexandria, La.Biochemistry

Ella OtkenDenham Springs, La.Biological SciencesOgden Honors College

Sebastian CanalesNew Orleans, La.Mass Communication

Navy CogginsBernice, La. Kinesiology

Zachary MayfieldSlidell, La.Agricultural & Extension Education

Remaining Members of the 2022 Homecoming Court:

Crockett ComeauxFranklinton, La.Natural Resource Ecology & ManagementOgden Honors College

Micaiah McZealCarencro, La.Mass CommunicationOgden Honors College

Ryan CastellónNew Orleans, La.Mass CommunicationOgden Honors College

Destiny GravesGeismar, La.Architecture

Juliette LeRayHammond, La.Mass CommunicationOgden Honors College

Nick TillotsonBaton Rouge, La.Film and Television

Lyric MandellHouston, TexasDoctorate in Media & Public Affairs

Kyle StanleyMonroe, La.Doctorate in Media & Public Affairs

In 1933, LSU selected its first Homecoming Queen. Marguerite Bass was chosen by the student body president and reigned with a princess and seven maids. In 1992, LSU began selecting a Homecoming King to reign with the Queen. In 2015, LSU elected its first international royalty, King Michael Panther Mayen, from South Sudan, Africa. This year’s court was joined by 2021 Queen Claudia Henry and King Chandler Black to transfer the title.

LSU Homecoming Week is presented by LSU Campus Life.

For more information about Homecoming, visit www.lsu.edu/homecoming.

Two Grambling State University alumni won big in the midterm elections both securing the mayor position in Alexandria and Bernice, La. State Rep. Jeffrey Hall (D-Alexandria) won mayor elect for the town of Alexandria and will become the first black man to serve in this position. Mildred Ferguson, of Bernice, also won a mayoral election and will become the first black woman mayor for the Town of Bernice.

Both are very active members of their community with decades dedicated in service of others and building up their respective communities.

Hall studied accounting at Grambling State University.

Hall served as the chairman in the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority (GAEDA) and the Alexandria Central Economic Developmental District (ACEDD). Hall had served as a trustee of the board at Rapides Hospital.

Hall seeks to revitalize the town.

“Alexandria, Louisiana, is in a perfect position for an economic revitalization. With the busy interstate, growing river port, numerous rail connections and an impressive airport, there is no reason for the economic slump afflicting the area,” Hall said, according to The Town Talk.

Hall has served as the state representative for district 26 since 2015. He was unsuccessful in a previous run for mayor. Alexandria has not elected a mayor in over a decade.

“I love doing what I’m doing right now, but I still see a tremendous amount to do in the community I live in,” said Hall on local Alexandria station KALB. “I think we can make some differences and I think we will make some differences if it’s God’s will that I go in.”

Ferguson received undergraduate degrees in political science and later in elementary education at which time she became a certified teacher. “I had been a member of the city council for a number of years and I just thought, ‘why not?’” said Ferguson. “I loved engaging in politics and community service.” She went on to earn a master’s degree in elementary education from Grambling as well.

Ferguson has spent her life working in Union Parish as a teacher, administrator and director of student affairs for 39 years. Her service also extends into the community as she mentored new teachers and was an assessor for the Teaching Evaluation Program. Ferguson was the president of the Union Parish Association of Classroom Teachers during that time. “Promote community involvement. Beautification and economic improvement”said Ferguson, referring to her campaign promises.

Ferguson is a devote Christian with helping in coordinating community and church tutorials at her local church. She also volunteers in helping her church’s food bank program, (Christian Association Union). “We have a lot of improvements and beautification projects we want to do to our town. I want to work on moving more businesses into town.”continued Ferguson.