She’s not just a nervous flyer anymore—she’s dreading every trip. With family and work pulling her cross-country, is it time to face her fears or stay grounded for good?
See what Ida says
My nerves take off before the plane does
Author: notsofresh18
Oil and gas leasing extends to east side of Natchitoches Parish
Oil and gas activity in Natchitoches Parish remained robust through the month of April, with 80 new leases filed at the Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court office.
While a majority of the leasing activity continues to be concentrated in the western portion of the parish—stretching from the intersection of Interstate 49 and Highway 6 to the Sabine Parish line, and extending 10 miles north toward the Spanish Lake bottoms—new developments are emerging.
A significant shift in recent activity includes the first signs of leasing on the east side of I-49. Additionally, while the primary focus remains west, energy companies are also expanding their footprint with new filings recorded south of LA Hwy 6.
Landowners who have been approached with lease offers or seismic survey requests are encouraged to consult with qualified legal counsel before signing any agreements, as these contracts can have long-term implications for mineral and surface rights.
A review of Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court records confirms the 80 leases filed in April 2026. The NPJ obtained this information directly from the parish’s online Public Records system.
Total Leases filed in calendar year 2025: 405
Total Leases filed in calendar year 2026 203
Remember This: in search of peace
Wilmer McLean was a retired officer of the Virginia militia who became wealthy as a wholesale grocer based in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1850, he married Virginia Beverley Hooe. Three years later when Virginia was expecting their first child, Wilmer searched for a quiet, peaceful place for his growing family to live. On January 1, 1854, Wilmer’s son, John Wilmer, was born. Wilmer had his sights set on the 1200-acre rural Yorkshire Plantation north of Manassas along Bull Run, a 31-mile-long tributary of the Occoquan River. Shortly after baby John was born, Wilmer purchased the plantation. Three years later, they welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucretia “Lula” Virginia. Theirs was a perfectly peaceful existence. They lived in a huge two-story house, some referred to it as a mansion, on one of the many rolling hills next to the lazy stream. It seemed as if they were living in a dream world which would last forever.
Their peaceful, dreamlike existence ended abruptly on July 21, 1861. Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard had commandeered Wilmer’s home and barn as his headquarters along the strategic Bull Run. Whether Wilmer and his family continued to live in their home with the soldiers or moved to a nearby home is unknown, but they remained in close proximity. On that hot July day, Union and Confederate soldiers fought an artillery duel on Wilmer’s plantation. General Beauregard later wrote, “A comical effect of this artillery fight was the destruction of the dinner of myself and staff by a Federal shell that fell into the fire-place of my headquarters at the McLean House.” What became known as The Battle of Bull Run was the first major campaign of the Civil War.
Following the battle, the soldiers moved to other battlefields. Wilmer and his family returned to the peaceful existence on Yorkshire Plantation that they had enjoyed before the war. Soon thereafter, Virginia became pregnant with their third child. Once again, their peace was broken when soldiers converged again near the same strategic location. For three days in 1862, August 28-30, Confederate and Union soldiers fought the Second Battle of Bull Run. Shortly after the battle, Wilmer and his pregnant wife and their two children abandoned Yorkshire Plantation for safer environs.
On January 28, 1863, Virginia gave birth to a daughter named Nannie. Shortly thereafter, Wilmer and his family purchased a large home about 140 miles to the southwest in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. For two years, Wilmer’s family lived far from the fields of battle. On April 9, 1865, Virginia was pregnant with their fourth child when Charles Marshall, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s aide, asked Wilmer to show him a suitable place for Lee to meet another general. Wanting to distance his family from any connection to the war, Wilmer showed the aide a dilapidated home which he quickly rejected. With no other contenders, Wilmer reluctantly offered the use of his family’s home. At about 1 o’clock that afternoon at the McLean home, General Lee met with Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The Civil War ended during that meeting when General Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to General Grant. The Civil War began in Wilmer McLean’s front yard and ended in his front parlor.
Through it all, Wilmer wanted a safe and peaceful existence for himself and his family. In June 1870, Wilmer dedicated himself to ensuring that the citizens of Manassas township in Virginia had the same safe and peaceful existence that he had wanted to provide for his family. In June 1870, Wilmer McLean, whose homes bookended the Civil War, became a Justice of the Peace.
Sources:
1. Jim Rogers, “Crumbling bar is all that’s left of Yorkshire Plantation,” Potomac News, July 23, 1990, accessed April 26, 2026, https://eservice.pwcgov.org/
2. Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia), July 7, 1870, p.2.
3. Kristi Finefield, “A Tale of Two Houses and the U.S. Civil War,” Library of Congress, April 9, 2015, accessed April 26, 2026, https://blogs.loc.gov/
4. Hparkins, “The Peculiar Story of Wilmer McLean,” National Archives, November 10, 2010, accessed April 26, 2026, https://prologue.blogs.
5. “The McLean House – Site of the Surrender Meeting,” National Park Service, Accessed April 26, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/apco/
6. “Wilmer McLean,” Findagrave.com, accessed April 26, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/
Louisiana House bill would strip damage cap from carbon capture industry
BATON ROUGE — A measure that would remove liability protections for carbon capture companies advanced without opposition Monday from the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee, moving the legislation one step closer to a full House vote.
House Bill 79, sponsored by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Greensburg, would eliminate the current cap on damages that can be recovered in civil suits stemming from carbon capture release incidents. Under existing state law, carbon dioxide storage facility owners, operators, and pipeline operators face a limit of $250,000 per person for non-economic losses, rising to $500,000 per person in exceptional cases. A separate provision caps recovery at $1 million per person should those limits be found unconstitutional.
During committee discussions, Carter questioned why the carbon capture industry receives liability protections not extended to most other sectors operating in Louisiana, arguing the existing framework gives the industry an unfair advantage.
The bill, now engrossed and subject to call on the House floor, would repeal those limits entirely, leaving carbon capture companies exposed to the same civil liability standards that govern most other industries doing business in the state.
The legislation arrives amid a broader debate at the Capitol over how Louisiana should regulate carbon capture and storage technology. Proponents argue it is a critical tool for reducing industrial emissions, while opponents have raised concerns about long-term environmental risks, pipeline safety, and landowner rights. Several other bills in the current session seek to impose additional restrictions on carbon capture operations, including measures that would limit eminent domain authority and require environmental impact statements before certain injection wells can be drilled.
HB 79 is scheduled for consideration by the full House.
https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=HB7&sbi=y
Sources: Louisiana Legislature, HB 79 Engrossed, 2026 Regular Session; House Civil Law and Procedure Committee proceedings.
When history repeats: reassuring a child after political violence
“When a mother realizes her child is watching history unfold in real time—and feeling afraid—she faces a question no parent is ever quite prepared to answer: how do you explain a frightening world without making it feel even more dangerous?”
See what Ida says
Remember This: A dog named Splash
Peace River K9 Search and Rescue is a non-profit corporation located in Englewood, Florida, dedicated to providing a professional highly trained search and rescue team for the rapid, effective, and safe return of lost or missing persons. PRSR uses every tool available to them to find people including but not limited to human searchers, tracking dogs, boats, jet skis, helicopters, remote control airplanes, and drones.
Since 2016, Michael Hadsell has worked as a forensic diver for PRSR. When not on a rescue mission, Michael trains dogs how to sniff out humans. Michael and the other K-9 searchers know that the major drawback for searches with dogs is that they lose the scent trail at the water’s edge. From there, search and rescue divers don scuba equipment and continue the underwater search by sight and, in murky water, by feel. Then, Michael began training a four-month-old pup named Splash. As the name implies, Splash loves the water. He seems to feel most comfortable when in the water. Unlike the other dogs used by the PRSR, Splash’s unique senses allow him to, as Michael described it, “‘taste’ the bubbles in the water for a human scent.” Splash spent about three months on scent training following months of conditioning and other training such as deployments from land and boat, and with Michael in the water and with Michael remaining on land.
When Michael and his team begin a search, they use their K-9 dogs to track a scent to the water’s edge. Once a dog alerts on a spot, Michael unleashes Splash at that location. Splash swims around, blows bubbles, and then tastes the bubbles. He continues this bubble tasting routine always in search of a stronger scent which can lead him to the source, usually the remains of a missing person. Once he finds the source, he alerts by making a squeaking sound. Then, he leads divers to the location. As of February of 2026, Splash has been deployed on 27 missions nationwide and has had six confirmed finds. Now two years old, Splash has grown from a pup to an adult dog, but he is different than the dogs you and I keep as pets. This dog named Splash is a full grown Asian small-clawed otter.
Sources:
1. “Explore Peace River,” Florida State Parks, accessed April 19, 2026, https://www.floridastateparks.
2. “Peace River Search and Rescue, Inc.” prsar.org, accessed April 19, 2026, https://www.prsar.org/.
3. “Otter trained in water search rescue has 6 confirmed finds,” WQAD News 8, February 8, 2026, accessed April 19, 2026, https://youtu.be/g8VwkMTmpV8?
4. Caroline Fanning, “Where Dogs Can’t Sniff, This Otter Dives In,” Reader’s Digest, February/March 2026, p.12.