The Natchez Veterans Day ceremony is scheduled for today at the bandstand on the bluff at Natchez Bluff Park, beginning at 11 a.m.
Organizers said Charlie Thomas is the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Captain Steven J. Collins has been named Veteran of the Year for 2026.
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor released results of an audit of sexual assault kits collected from July 2024 through December 2025. The audit found that almost 18% of kits were never submitted to a crime lab for testing as required by state law.
The audit’s performance analysis said that the finding does not necessarily indicate mishandling in every case. It noted possibilities such as kits falling through administrative gaps and certain kits not being tested. The auditor also stated that limited options in the kit tracking system can result in inaccurate location and status reporting. Under some circumstances, law enforcement may have closed a case or may not be pursuing it under the system, which could show statuses such as pending lab testing.
In Mississippi, an Ole Miss student captured on video making racial gestures toward other students has issued a statement apologizing for her actions. The statement from freshman Elena Kuhn said she did not know the race of the women who lived in the apartment, had not met them, and would not have behaved that way if she had known their race. The statement followed video that began circulating on Facebook via Ring footage showing two girls making monkey sounds and gestures as they walked by another student’s apartment door.
Separately in Louisiana, a South Louisiana teenager faces multiple charges after an ATV crash that injured four teens, including himself. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker said the crash occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday near the Kentwood area. According to the sheriff, 18-year-old Mason Simpson had three passengers on his ATV, which was traveling at a high rate of speed. Sticker said Simpson lost control, and the ATV overturned multiple times before landing against a tree. One passenger remains hospitalized.
Sheriff’s officials said Simpson faces three counts of negligent injury and a charge related to not using a seatbelt.
The Mississippi River in the Natchez Valley is reported at 14.22 feet and rising.
