Central City News

In an historic 5-2 decision, the Louisiana Supreme Court last week ruled that Gov. John Bel Edwards’ edicts closing churches and the subsequent arrest of Rev. Tony Spell for holding church services were illegal and unconstitutional.  This means the pastor’s arrest, imprisonment, house arrest, being fitted with an ankle bracelet, order not to hold church, […]

The Louisiana Supreme Court was the scene last week of a major victory for religious liberty in a case out of Central.  In State of Louisiana v. Pastor Tony Spell, the court struck down Gov. John Bel Edwards’ emergency orders closing churches and ended criminal charges against Rev. Spell, the pastor of Life Tabernacle Church […]

 After more than two years of arrests, handcuffs, fingerprinting, imprisonment, home incarceration, ankle bracelets, surveillance, hearings, meetings with judges, and travel restrictions for a crime that doesn’t exist, Rev. Tony Spell is a free man. Last Friday, the Louisiana Supreme Court threw out the criminal charges against the Central pastor as illegal and unconstitutional.  His […]

In the aftermath of the Louisiana Supreme Court decision in the case of State of Louisiana v. Pastor Tony Spell, many people have asked what Rev. Spell’s legal options are.  Both state and federal law provide powerful remedies to use when government officials violate a citizen’s rights.  One of the most important is 42 USC […]

 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 […]

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News — CENTRAL — I fell in love with the history of our country when at the age of 9 my parents took us on a two-week driving trip to Washington, DC. It was March 1956 and quite cold. Even though we didn’t really have the money, my dad […]

By Woody Jenkins • Editor, Central City News — April 16, 1990, was a day to remember!  The Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge retired from active service when the “new” Louisiana State Capitol opened in 1935.  The Old State Capitol then became a museum.  The event on April 16, 1990, was to kick off […]

 I’m remembering my dad, Louis (Little Ory) Jenkins. If he were still alive, he would be 112 years old. He was born in Folsom, LA, on May 25, 1909. He grew up in Ponchatoula, where he was a star football player for Ponchatoula High School (Class of 1930) and the star shortstop for the Ponchatoula […]

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 […]