Louisiana

HEART OF LOUISIANA: Chemin-a-Haut State Park

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2024

HEART OF LOUISIANA: Chemin-a-Haut State Park

BASTROP, La. (WAFB) – This is a rare site in Louisiana, giant old growth cypress trees whose ages are counted, not In years, but in centuries.

“We have several, um, large trees here. Several unique looking trees here. But then also you have a cypress trees that almost probably get as tall as me,” Demetrius Fields said.

The trees are located in a state park in extreme north Louisiana, at a site that includes trails used by Native Americans. The name is French.

“Chemin-A-Haut. It means the high road,” said Fields.

Demetrius Fields is manager of Louisiana’s Chemin-A-Haut State Park. The ancient treasures of this park are found by paddling up Chemin-A-Haut creek.

“It’s going to take, you have maybe about an hour to paddle to it, but once you get there, it’s worth it” Fields said.

The main attraction is a cypress giant that locals call the ‘castle tree’.

“It’s magnificent when you see it. So you know why they named it the castle tree. The age is going to be about 800 years to maybe a thousand and, um, size. We’re looking at more than 20 feet in diameter as far as around the base of the, of the tree,” said Fields.

This tree, and a few others here, managed to avoid the saws and axes of the lumber business.

“I think based on the position they are in, in our creek, um, also, based on the fact that the water levels here only kind of give you a great float a certain time of year that kinda helped save them,” Fields said.

The tree has a large hollow that begins below the water line. And it’s big enough that you can paddle a boat inside of the cypress, where you see a giant, wooden arched ceiling.

“That’s where a plenty of people get great pictures in kayaks, you know,” said Fields.

When you view the tree from the creek bank, you don’t see the big hole. You need to paddle to the other side. And that’s led to a legend of moonshiners taking advantage of the hidden hollow.

“We had moonshiners that would be in the area and they may have still several stills or something in the area. And the, you know, police may be able to find a stills, but a lot of times they weren’t able to recover the alcohol. And the reason being is because the alcohol was being hidden in the tree and the only, the only people who knew about it was people who could float to it and access it by canoe,” Fields said.

This is the second oldest state park in Louisiana. It was built in the 1930s during the great depression by the civilian conservation corps.

Today, the park has modern cabins that stand at the edge of a bayou. It’s a place of quiet, natural beauty.

“We’re looking at, now that we have something in this area for, for recreational purposes, was Morehouse Parish,” Fields said.

But this park’s main attraction is nature, a quiet creek, the gentle sound of the wind as it rustles the leaves, and seeing a tree that has anchored this little wilderness for a thousand years.

More information on Chemin-a-Haut State Park can be found on Heart of Louisiana’s website.

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Louisiana

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

Published

7 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

19 hours 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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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

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

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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