National Weather Service confirms tornado briefly touched down in Benton Wednesday
Plus — Arena football team moves games to Brookshires Grocery Arena.
Friday, September 26, 2025
Bossier City weekend forecast
Today 🌤️ Patchy morning fog, then mostly sunny 🌡️ High: 85°F | Low: 58°F 💨 Wind: N 5 mph → calm overnight 🌧️ Rain: 0% chance ☁️ Clouds: ☀️ → 🌌
Saturday 🌞 Sunny skies all day 🌡️ High: 85°F | Low: 58°F 💨 Wind: NE 5 mph → calm overnight 🌧️ Rain: 0% chance ☁️ Clouds: ☀️ → 🌌
Sunday 🌤️ Mostly sunny, warm and steady 🌡️ High: 85°F | Low: 61°F 💨 Wind: NE 5 mph 🌧️ Rain: 0% chance ☁️ Clouds: 🌤️ → 🌌
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National Weather Service confirms tornado briefly touched down in Benton Wednesday
A National Weather Service survey team has confirmed a short-lived tornado touched down Wednesday in Benton.
The weather agency says that just before 1 pm Wednesday, the EF-1 tornado (on a scale of F0 to F5) dipped down into Bossier Parish, specifically in south Benton near the Lost River Estates development. The 36-yard wide twister crossed Palmetto Road and faded after traveling less than one mile.
The brief tornado produced maximum winds of 87 miles per hour and lasted only a minute before lifting.
Residents in the area reported some roof damage and fences blown over, along with trees being struck by lightning and blown down. No injuries were reported.
Arena football team moves games to Brookshires Grocery Arena
The Louisiana Rouxgaroux arena football team, which debuted in Shreveport for its inaugural season last year, is moving to Bossier City.
New owner Keith Carter says the arena football team will play its games at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in the new season.
“This is more than just football — it’s about building a legacy in Louisiana,” Carter said. “My family and I are excited to bring a fresh vision, a stronger foundation, and a deeper connection to our fans and community. The Louisiana Rouxgaroux will proudly represent the entire state, and we can’t wait to get started.”
The Louisiana Rouxgaroux will officially kick off in the BGA in Spring 2026 as members of the National Arena League.
The National Arena League, founded in 2016, has nine teams, including the Amarillo Warbirds, Colorado Spartans, Dallas Bulls, Omaha Beef, Pueblo Punishers, Salina Liberty, Sioux City Bandits, and the Southwest Kansas Storm.
Louisiana’s financial condition improves, but is still $16.3B in the hole
Louisiana’s financial condition improved in 2024, but the state still does not have enough money to pay all of its bills, according to a new analysis from the fiscal watchdog group Truth in Accounting.
In its Financial State of the States 2025 report, the group found that Louisiana had $32.3 billion available to pay $48.6 billion in outstanding bills, leaving a $16.3 billion shortfall. To close that gap, each taxpayer would need to contribute $13,000. The state earned a “D” grade for its fiscal health and ranked 44th out of 50 states.
The $16.3 billion shortfall represents an improvement from the previous year, when Louisiana needed $18.9 billion to pay its bills, and taxpayers carried a slightly higher burden of $13,400 each.
Truth in Accounting attributed the improvement to revenues exceeding expenses and a $1.3 billion reduction in net pension liability, driven by strong market performance. The report noted that Louisiana contributed nearly 34 percent of employee salaries to its retirement system, a figure that underscores the high cost of meeting pension obligations.
The report also pointed to Louisiana’s reliance on temporary federal support. Since 2020, the state has received substantial aid in response to the COVID-19 crisis and various natural disasters, which helped improve its financial standing and increased available resources to cover expenses.
That aid is now beginning to decline, and the report warned that if federal grants return to 2019 levels, adjusted for inflation, Louisiana could lose about $8.4 billion. That amount represents roughly 18 percent of the state’s projected expenses and could present significant challenges to maintaining services and balancing future budgets.
Truth in Accounting stated that the state’s obligations include bonded debt, unfunded pension benefits, and retiree healthcare liabilities, as well as other liabilities not tied to capital assets. After subtracting debt related to capital projects, the state’s total bills still amounted to $48.6 billion.
The group assigns a “D” grade to governments with a taxpayer burden between $5,000 and $20,000.
– By Nolan McKendry/The Center Square
Lane closure today: I-220 westbound
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says that today, Friday, September 26, 2025, I-220 westbound between the I-49 and N. Market Street interchanges in Shreveport will be reduced to one lane.
This lane closure is scheduled to take place from approximately 8:00 am to 5:00 pm for one day, and is necessary to allow crews from SWEPCO to perform work related to moving their electrical line(s) located near this area.
Bossier City weekend: The Revel and National Hunting and Fishing Day
The ArkLaTex is back in show mode beginning today and for two consecutive weekends, September 25-28 & October 2-5, 2025, as the 49th Annual Red River Revel Arts Festival launches.
Check this calendar for the schedule of live music, scroll through the artist roster here, and use the festival map to know your way around the Revel — and where to park. You can now purchase admission passes online.
And Saturday, Louisiana’s National Hunting and Fishing Day sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will return to the Tom Merrill Recreation Area at the Bodcau Wildlife Management Area in Haughton. NHFD is a fun and free family event for all ages. Attendees can try their skills at the shooting ranges, fishing ponds, and boating activities, and learn about wildlife with live animal demonstrations. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors with family and friends.
Details: Bodcau WMA, Tom Merrill Recreation Area, 914 Bodcau Dam Road, Haughton. 9 am to noon.
Bossier City events calendar
Live music in Bossier City and other notable events in the area for your free time consideration. If you would like to add an event to the Bossier City free time calendar, send the details to email@bossiernow.com.
September 25: 49th Annual Red River Revel begins. Two 4-day weekends: September 25th to 28th and October 2nd to 5th, 2025. Festival Plaza, 101 Crockett Street, Shreveport. Over 75 artists, four stages of music and performing arts, and tons of food options.
September 27: Renest Fest 2025 at Live Casino & Hotel Louisiana
September 27: Hurricane Alley LIVE Presents: Just Like Pink – with Kate Watson
September 27: Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton at Brookshire Grocery Arena
September 27: Braxton Keith at Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium
October 3: Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters at Margaritaville
October 9: Lyle Lovett and his acoustic group at the Strand Theatre.
October 17: Zach Top and his Cold Beer and Country Music tour at the Brookshire Grocery Arena.
October 18: Wanda Sykes and her Please and Thank You tour at the Horseshoe Bossier City.
October 24: Styx at the Live Casino & Hotel. 8:00 pm. Tickets start at $59.99. Must be 21+
November 20: ZZ Top at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 23: Joe Bonamassa at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 29: Little River Band, Live! Event Center
December 12: Jiaoying Summers at the Live! Casino and Hotel. Get ready for a night of fearless, dark, and laugh-out-loud comedy from a global sensation with over 1 billion views online! You’ve seen her viral “Uber Karen” sketch and hilarious English name roasts — now catch her live on her “What Specie Are You?” tour!
February 20: Rascal Flatts at the BGA.
Bossier news: Independent, conflict-of-interest-free news coverage
BossierNow’s mission is to provide independent, conflict-of-interest-free news coverage of Bossier City and Bossier Parish. We welcome your input, press releases, and news tips at email@bossiernow.com.
