Louisiana

Founder of Alexandria’s Peabody High School shaped course of Black education in state

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Founder of Alexandria’s Peabody High School shaped course of Black education in state

Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series.

In honor of Black History Month, local historian and author Micheal Wynne spoke to the City of Alexandria Rotary Club about four Black local historical figures who were instrumental in building and shaping Alexandria and Pineville. The four he spoke about were August J. Toussaint, Charles Frederick Page, John Baptiste LaFargue and Louis Berry.

Black history, Wynne told the Rotarians, is everyone’s history.

“I got interested in our area’s African-American history when I began actively researching local history a couple decades ago,” Wynne said in an email. “I found almost nothing written in all of our local history books or on display in local historical museums about African-American history in Central Louisiana. It was like their history was purposely left out. This shocked me as at least 1/3 of our population is African American.”

John Baptiste LaFargue

“He is universally considered the father of Black education in Louisiana,” said Wynne, who is working on a biography of John Baptiste LaFargue. “Quite frankly, I think he is the father of education in Louisiana.”

LaFargue was the son of a white Confederate plantation owner and female slave, Wynne said. When he was 3, he was taken away from his mother and raised by his paternal grandmother. They moved in with the Avoyelles Parish Judge Henry Clay Edwards, who taught law to LaFargue, who was still a child.

As a teenager, he rode a horse from Marksville to Alexandria to deliver mail and became the first delivery boy for The Town Talk for out-of-town subscribers.

He was the first trained Black teacher hired in Avoyelles in the early 1880s, Wynne said.

“He moved to Alexandria in the mid-1880s. He organized the Negro Civic League which was basically the equivalent of the Rotary Club here,” Wynne said.

In 1895, with the league’s help, he created what would become Peabody High School, now known as Peabody Magnet High School.

“This would be the first $100,000 school building for Black children in the state of Louisiana,” Wynne said. “The name of Peabody came from philanthropist George Peabody who contribute some funding for Peabody after LaFargue traveled to Washington, D.C., to contact him.”

The school was originally called Peabody Normal and Industrial School. LaFargue’s wife, Sarah, became the first principal of Peabody and the first Black female principal in Louisiana.

LaFargue also founded the Colored State Teacher’s Association that existed until the 1960s when it merged with the white state teachers association, Wynne said.

“He founded the first two Black newspapers in the state of Louisiana,” he said.

LaFargue’s life and legacy will be part of an upcoming film project by filmmakers Ken Burns and Erika Dilday. It will tell the history of Black Americans from the Emancipation to Reconstruction to the Great Migration. The three- or four-part documentary series “Emancipation to Exodus” is set to air on PBS in 2027.

“LaFargue clearly is the greatest educator, of any race, in Louisiana. Nobody that I am aware of has done more,” Wynne stated in an email.

Wynne said he especially enjoys “doing research on African-American subjects as I am breaking new ground every day in this area. And what I have found so far is absolutely fascinating. But there is still so much more to research.”

“There is a great need to preserve African American history, more than ever. So much has been lost due to neglect as well as willful destruction by haters. It is all of our jobs, our responsibility to save all of our history, not just of our own race or gender or creed,” Wynne stated in his email. “If we ourselves want and hope for respect, we must offer respect to others of different origins. Much of our history is not only lost due to neglect, but even worse due to ignorance. History of different levels of importance happens every day. As has been said many times, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ (from George Santayanna)”

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Louisiana

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

Published

1 hour ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

BATON ROUGE (KNOE) – Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming is accusing Governor Jeff Landry of interfering with the state Senate race, which Fleming is a part of.

Fleming took to social media to accuse Landry of working “behind the scenes” to get Congresswoman Julia Letlow elected to the Senate.

According to Fleming, Dr. Ralph Abraham offered him the position of Deputy Director of the CDC shortly before announcing he was stepping down. Fleming said he politely declined.

A week later, news broke that Abraham is now leading Letlow’s Senate campaign.

“We know that Jeff has been heavily lobbying the Trump campaign team for the endorsement, he is pressuring the Republican Party of Louisiana and the Republican Executive Committees to support and endorse Letlow as well,” Fleming wrote on Facebook. “And, he is personally calling his donors to raise big money to save the Letlow campaign.

Landry formally endorsed Letlow for the U.S. Senate on March 4. Letlow also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

“We need a warrior who stands with the President to Make America Great. And there’s no greater warrior than a Louisiana mom,” Landry wrote on Facebook.

Fleming continued his commentary, asking when Landry will stop interfering with the state’s Senate race.

“Who is best to decide who represents you in Washington? Jeff Landry, or YOU?” Fleming asked.

Also in the heated race is incumbent Bill Cassidy, M.D.

Party primary elections in Louisiana are set for May 16, 2026.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing

6-8-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing

3-6-7-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing

0-8-3-2-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, is accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years. Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office

The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.

He was arrested in October.

Booking photo of Misty Clanton Roberts. — Brandon’s sister, Misty, the ex-mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, allegedly raped her son’s teenage friend. AP

That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.

Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.

She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.

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