The Vaughn Automotive Group has officially acquired Jimmy Granger Ford in Natchitoches and introduced the dealership under its new name, Vaughn Ford of Natchitoches.

The transition brings Vaughn’s long-standing tradition of customer service and competitive pricing to the Natchitoches community. The dealership will continue offering new Ford models along with a selection of pre-owned vehicles. In addition, the service department will provide maintenance and repair support for customers.

With the change in ownership, Vaughn Automotive Group aims to expand its presence in the region while maintaining the values and customer-focused approach that have become hallmarks of its brand.

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Mansfield Middle School launched its year-long Bully Prevention Campaign with a spirited start last week, hosting the “Boots on the Ground” Bully Prevention Dance. The event was organized by the school’s Wellness Counselor, Mr. Brian Wilson, with support from the MMS Wellness Team.

The dance marked more than just a fun evening for students—it served as the official kickoff to a campaign designed to keep the conversation about bullying prevention active throughout the school year.

“Our goal is to remind students of the importance of standing up, speaking out, and supporting one another,” Wilson said. “Bully prevention is not just a one-time discussion—it’s an ongoing commitment.”

The campaign comes as schools nationwide prepare to recognize October as Bully Prevention Awareness Month. Mansfield Middle School plans to host a series of activities and initiatives in the weeks ahead, encouraging students to spread kindness, build positive connections, and take a stand against bullying.

School officials said they hope the campaign will empower students to make a lasting difference in their school community.

“Together, we can create an environment where every student feels safe, respected, and supported,” the school stated.

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The 6th grade Griffins of North DeSoto Middle School have achieved a clean sweep this season, taking first place at every meet they competed in.

School administrators and coaches praised the students’ dedication, teamwork, and perseverance, noting that their success reflects both their hard work and the strong support of teachers and families.

“We are incredibly proud of our Griffins,” the school said in a statement. “Their determination and school spirit carried them through an outstanding season, and they’ve set an example for all of our students to follow.”

The victories highlight North DeSoto Middle School’s tradition of excellence both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities, further fueling pride in the Griffin community.

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This October, DeSoto Parish Schools are joining communities nationwide in observing Inclusion Awareness Month, reaffirming a commitment to ensuring that every student—regardless of ability—feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Inclusion Awareness Month shines a spotlight on the importance of embracing students in special education and recognizing the unique gifts they bring to classrooms and the community. District leaders emphasize that inclusion is more than a practice; it’s a promise to create environments where all learners can thrive academically and socially.

“Our students have so much to contribute, and it is our responsibility to provide them with the tools and support they need to succeed,” district officials said in a statement. “When we celebrate inclusion, we celebrate the strength of our entire school community.”

Throughout October, schools across DeSoto Parish will be engaging students, staff, and families in conversations and activities designed to promote understanding, acceptance, and unity.

The district encourages the community to join in this effort by celebrating diversity, fostering respect, and supporting programs that uplift students of all abilities.

“Inclusion means every learner has a place at the table,” the statement continued. “Together, we can build a future where every student knows they matter.”

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By Steve Graf    

Why would anyone walk away from fishing for a living? Who in their right mind would want to give up this lifestyle? Well, if you sit down and visit with any one of several anglers who have lived “the dream” and fished professionally, you’ll understand the trials and tribulations that go with the job.

It’s truly a lifestyle very much like those we call gypsies. Traveling the country like a circus from town to town or in the fishing world, lake to lake. Anglers traverse the United States from the south with Florida’s Lake Okeechobee to as far north as the Great Lakes. From Lake Murray, South Carolina, in the east to as far west as Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas.

Nothing ages a person more than travel and stress. It’s hours upon hours of lonely windshield time. Each tournament can mean anywhere from 15 to 18 hours of travel time one way depending on where they choose to call home.

But some anglers have tried to make their drives much shorter by uprooting their families and moving to the southeastern part of the United States since the majority of the tournaments are in this part of the country.

Many anglers who have grown up on the west coast looking to pursue “the dream” of a professional bass fishing career have made a career move to Alabama, Georgia, or Tennessee just to help cut down on road time in between events.

This life-changing move is not just about the angler, but their families as well. Talking to several pro anglers over the years, time away from family is the hardest part of pursuing the life of a professional angler.

Sacrifices are made like missing birthdays, Mother’s Day, Easter and many more events that are considered family time. Many tears have been shed by anglers as they leave their driveways headed for the next event as they look into their review mirror and the wife and kids are waving goodbye, wondering when dad will return.

This is the emotional sacrifice ALL professional anglers endure. Like so many other jobs, it takes a toll on the angler himself and the family. Many divorces have been had over an angler chasing this so-called dream.

It takes a special wife who is strong and can handle the challenges of raising kids, running a household and dealing with everyday life while the man of the house is gone for several weeks straight. A conversation I had with pro angler Shaw Grigsby revealed that he figured up that he had slept in his own bed only three days out of the month of April one year.

This time away from home is the norm and not the exception. That’s why so many successful touring pros give all the credit to their wives for their success because she is the one holding down the fort while they as anglers try and do their jobs.

So, what’s the attraction to be a professional angler? Is it the fancy truck and boat wraps? Is it the cool looking logoed shirts the anglers wear? Yes, to both of these, and the same as any other high-profile job, the fame and fortune and a lifestyle that’s like no other.

But if you think “going fishing” everyday sounds like fun, understand this. While you’re going to the office for your job, their office as professional anglers is at the lake. Their job requires them to back their boats in the water every single day in all types of weather.

Their office is outdoors and very seldom do they get days off just because it’s raining, cold or hot. They still must find fish and figure out how to compete and catch bass in all types of weather conditions. Their day starts at sunrise and ends at sunset!

While we see these anglers at an expo or the weigh-ins, what we don’t see are the number of hours they put in researching their next body of water, tackle preparation, social media postings, and sponsor meetings.

To be a professional angler is a full-time job that not just anyone can do. It takes a person with special talent who is committed and dedicated to being a professional angler. It also takes a team to make an angler successful. In most cases it’s the wife/business manager that helps to make these pros successful in the bass fishing world.

I hope you now have a better understanding of what it’s like to be a professional bass fisherman. So, if you think this is the life for you, good luck because you’re going to need it.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

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There’s a special place in the afterlife for whoever decided that plastic wrap should be the default packaging for every item that’s already hard to open. You know the ones—DVDs (back when those existed), cucumbers, remote controls, and the dreaded double-layered plastic fortress around batteries. It’s like the manufacturers said, “This item is mildly inconvenient to open. Let’s make it a spiritual trial.”

You tug, you peel, you slice, you pray. And just when you think you’ve made progress, the wrap retaliates—clinging to your fingers like a needy toddler, refusing to be discarded. It’s not just packaging. It’s a test of character.

But what, exactly, are they protecting?

Is the cucumber going to escape? Is the remote control plotting a rebellion? Are the batteries going to unionize and demand better working conditions? No. The plastic wrap is there to protect the item from… us. From our grubby, impulsive, human hands. It’s a barrier. A shield. A clingy, transparent “Do Not Enter” sign for consumer goods.

And here’s where it gets theological.

In Ephesians 6, Paul talks about the “armor of God”—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word. It’s divine packaging, really. A spiritual cling wrap designed to protect us from the world’s sharp edges. Because let’s be honest: life is full of metaphorical box cutters. Gossip, temptation, passive-aggressive emails, and people who say “Let’s circle back.”

Just like that shrink-wrapped pack of AA batteries, we too need layers. Not to keep others out entirely, but to slow down the unwrapping. To make people pause and consider: “Is this worth the effort?”

Because vulnerability is sacred. You don’t just hand it out like free samples at Costco.

Jesus himself had boundaries. He withdrew from crowds. He napped during storms. He didn’t answer every question. He didn’t heal every person. He wrapped himself in solitude, prayer, and intentionality.

Not because he was hiding, but because he was protecting the mission.

So maybe the plastic wrap isn’t just annoying. Maybe it’s a parable.

Maybe it’s saying: “Hey, not everything should be instantly accessible. Some things are worth the struggle. Some things need protection. Some things—like your peace, your purpose, your spiritual batteries—should be wrapped up tight until the right moment.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean we should start shrink-wrapping our emotions or encasing our personalities in bubble wrap. But it does mean we get to choose who gets access. Who gets to peel back the layers.

Who gets to see the real you underneath the cling.

And if someone’s not willing to wrestle with a little plastic wrap, maybe they’re not ready for the contents.

So next time you’re battling a stubborn package, take a breath. Channel your inner apostle. Remember that even the holiest things come wrapped. And maybe—just maybe—that frustrating layer is a divine reminder:

You are worth protecting.

Even if it takes scissors, a minor meltdown, and a YouTube tutorial to get there.

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On May 24, 2025, 137 passengers and six crew members boarded an Airbus A320 for flight DE1234 from Zurich, Switzerland to Heraklion, Greece. Many of the passengers were anticipating a relaxing, fun-filled vacation in Heraklion, which is on the beautiful island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. Vacationers planned to visit any number of famous beaches, the Archaeological Museum, and the ancient Palace of Knossos. They just had to get there first. The flight was supposed to depart at 6:20 a.m. and routinely took about 2 hours and 55 minutes, but this was not a routine flight from the beginning. After a short delay, the jet took off at 6:51 a.m. and flew its usual route to the southeast. Two hours into the flight, the pilot began the jet’s descent as they passed over Athens, Greece. As they neared the idyllic Greek isle, winds buffeted the jet. The turbulence worsened exponentially as they descended. The turbulence was such that some of the passengers became nauseous and some vomited. Air Traffic Control told the pilot that the winds were too strong to land at the moment. The pilot had no choice but to pull up and circle around the airport until the winds died down. When the pilot announced the delay to the cabin, a few people groaned, but most of the passengers were relieved to be out of the turbulence. The pilot and co-pilot watched their fuel gauges carefully to ensure that if the wind did not subside, they had enough fuel to make it to another airport to refuel. After circling for nearly an hour, that time had come. Despite groans from the passengers, the pilot aimed the A320 to Athens, Greece. The jet landed safely at the Greek capital after a three-and-a-half-hour flight. Standard airline practice is not to top off the fuel tanks, but to add enough fuel plus a little reserve to make it to the intended destination to reduce the risk of fire in case of an emergency landing.

After refueling, flight DE1234 departed from Athens at 1:50 p.m. and flew towards Heraklion. The flight should have taken about 45 minutes. Just as before, turbulence buffeted the plane horrendously as it descended and the pilot was forced to climb into a circling pattern. Again, passengers had become nauseous and some vomited. The pilot and co-pilot, always aware of the fuel gauges, circled as long as they could, but the wind had not subsided. This time, the pilot diverted the jet to the island of Kos, Greece, about 55 minutes to the northwest. Once the jet was refueled, flight DE1234 departed KOS, but did not fly southwestward toward their original destination of Heraklion. The wind at Heraklion still had not subsided and the flight crew had nearly exhausted the allotted time that they could fly. They were legally required to get some sleep. Condor airlines determined that Thessaloniki, Greece, was the best place for the crew and passengers to spend the night. The passengers groaned as they learned they would not make it to their destination on that date, but what could they do? The pilot aimed the A320 to the northwest and, after a flight of just over an hour, the jet landed in Thessaloniki without incident about 11 hours after they first departed Zurich.

On the following morning, flight DE1234 with its 137 passengers and 6 crew members departed Thessaloniki for Heraklion. Once again, severe weather prevented them from landing and, after circling for a prolonged length of time, the jet was diverted to Athens to refuel. At 1:24 p.m., the jet departed from Athens. An hour and 20 minutes later, the jet landed in perfect weather, but not at its originally intended destination of Heraklion. After two days in the jet, after five takeoffs and landings, 32 hours after they departed Zurich, the airline brought the passengers back to Zurich. They were right back where they started.

 

Sources:

1. Ben Schlappig, “Condor A320 Operates 32-Hour Journey To Nowhere, With Five Landings,” One Mile At A Time, June 6, 2025, accessed September 21, 2025, https://onemileatatime.com/news/condor-a320-32-hour-journey-nowhere-five-landings/.

2. Ben Cost, “Horrid flight as passengers stuck on 32-hour trip to nowhere — and wind up right back where they started,” New York Post, June 9, 2025, accessed September 21, 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/06/09/lifestyle/passengers-endure-32-hour-flight-to-nowhere-after-5-emergency-landings/.

3. Kathleen Wong, “Passengers stuck on a 32-hour flight with multiple diversions never made it to destination,” USA Today, June 13, 2025, accessed September 21, 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2025/06/13/condor-passengers-trapped-flight-diversions-greece/84187436007/.

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On October 1, 1954, something unusual flickered onto black-and-white television sets across America: Disneyland. No, not the park itself—Walt Disney’s ambitious, almost unthinkable plan to build a theme park in the middle of California orange groves didn’t open until July 1955. But nearly a year before the gates opened, Walt Disney turned to the new medium of television to sell his dream.

The show was called Disneyland, and its first episode aired on ABC on October 1. Disney used the program as a weekly showcase for the company’s films, shorts, and characters—but more importantly, it doubled as a 60-minute commercial for the construction of Disneyland. In other words, one of the most famous amusement parks in the world started as a glorified infomercial.

That in itself might not sound strange, but what made the show unique—and a little weird—was its presentation. Each week, the program was divided into four segments, each tied to one of Disneyland’s future lands: Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland. Some nights, viewers would find themselves watching vintage Mickey Mouse shorts. Other nights, they’d get eerie science-fiction tales about rocket ships to Mars. And sometimes, Disney dipped into the macabre.

One of the most notorious early broadcasts featured a half-hour version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Ichabod Crane. It was hosted by none other than Walt Disney himself, who calmly introduced the terrifying tale of a headless horseman galloping through the Hudson Valley. Families who tuned in for a lighthearted Mickey Mouse cartoon instead got a dose of gothic horror beamed straight into their living rooms.

The Disneyland series became a cultural phenomenon, and it had a spooky ripple effect. To keep viewers entertained, the show often explored ghost stories, monsters, and even futuristic doomsday scenarios. Episodes like “Man in Space” mixed real science with speculative disaster, depicting nuclear-powered rockets and cosmic catastrophes with almost gleeful seriousness. For many children of the 1950s, these episodes were the first introduction to both science fiction and horror—delivered under the comforting smile of Walt Disney.

Historians now note that Disney’s October 1, 1954 television gamble changed two industries at once. The show rescued the struggling ABC network, which at the time was the weakest of the three major broadcasters. It also locked the Disney brand into American living rooms, creating hype for Disneyland before the park had even been built. By the time Disneyland opened in 1955, millions of families felt like they already knew the place.

The oddness of the early Disneyland episodes has faded in memory, overshadowed by the park’s success. But for those who tuned in on that first October night, there was something almost surreal about being invited to imagine rocket launches, haunted forests, and wild frontiers all from their sofas. Walt Disney, a man often remembered for his wholesome optimism, was also planting seeds of the weird, the futuristic, and the unsettling into America’s cultural imagination.

So the next time you hear about a Halloween special or a theme park haunted house, remember October 1, 1954—the night America’s most beloved amusement park made its television debut by sending ghost stories, nightmares, and visions of the future into homes nationwide.

Because sometimes, history isn’t just about what happened—it’s about what we were watching when it did.

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DeSoto Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or billvance.erg@gmail.com. (Notice of Deaths shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to billvance.erg@gmail.com

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