Central City News

For 48 days, Confederate troops defended its fortifications and the 80-foot-high bluffs that dominate the Mississippi River in one of the longest sieges in American history.  Then after Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, the starving Southern forces at Port Hudson surrendered, effectively dividing the Confederacy and making supply lines even more difficult. Port Hudson […]

The annual Battle of Baton Rouge Commemorative Ceremony will be held in the Historic Magnolia Cemetery at Florida Boulevard and 19th Street,  on Saturday, August 7.  The event will mark the Battle of Baton Rouge during the Civil War, which took place on August 5, 1862. At 9 a.m., displays will include funeral memorabilia, Civil […]

 Sue Don Peel Kinsley was born in Jonesville, Louisiana, May 12, 1931, the third of five children. She and her family moved to Baton Rouge in the mid-1940’s for her father’s work. In Baton Rouge, she graduated from Istrouma High School and then went on to Hammond to attend and graduate from Southeastern Louisiana College, […]

Anyone who drove up Greenwell Springs Road in the 1950’s or 1960’s will remember the beauty of that ancient road — a quiet, narrow country lane covered with a canopy of live oaks and other trees.  In those days, it would be easy to visualize the cattle drives, stage coaches, and buckboard wagons that travelled […]

• He has promoted God, the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, the Family, and the great American flag •Built 423 miles of The Wall •Appointed more than 220 federal judges including three members of the United States Supreme Court who believe in and support the Constitution as written •Supported the police and law and order •Promoted […]

The first Mayor, Police Chief, and City Council of the City of Central were sworn in on July 11, 2005, which is generally marked as Central’s own Independence Day! That was almost exactly 15 years ago. The Central City News was founded a few months earlier. So every year about this time, the Central City […]

So That We May Be Free… “This memorial is for those sons and daughters of the United States with this testament of service to our country.  We praise their courage and devotion. When called to defend freedom, they answered. For those who perished, we owe a debt of gratitude which can never be repaid. Let […]

In May 1913, Pearl Elizabeth Felps walked to the podium as the valedictorian of the first graduating of the new Central High School, located at the corner of Canal (now Hooper) and Sullivan roads. A copy of her speech was discovered in 2009 and given to the Central City News. It is a timeless message […]

A stroll through the Capitol on Inauguration Day this past Monday brought back memories, some from long ago. The State Capitol has been something of a second home for me for the past 56 years. Not only the 28 years I represented Baton Rouge in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2000 but […]

Starting a new city is one of the most difficult things anyone can undertake in the State of Louisiana, but a hardy band of Central residents led by Central businessman Russell Starns did just that in 2004-2005. Starns, a 1975 graduate of Central High School where he was a star football player, became successful in […]