Parker McCollum hits the BGA stage Thursday
Plus — Bossier City man dies after being found unresponsive in pool.
Bossier City weather — Heat Advisory. Today: Mostly sunny. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. Southwest winds around 5 mph. Heat index values up to 110. Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid-70s. South winds around 5 mph. Heat index values up to 107 early in the evening. Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. Southwest winds around 5 mph. Heat index values up to 106.
Beyond Bossier
Popular ice cream brand recalled across 23 states for listeria contamination
Shreveport woman arrested for reportedly backing into police officer with car
5 million pools sold at Walmart, Target, Amazon and more recalled after multiple kids drown
Parker McCollum hits the BGA stage Thursday
Country music star Parker McCollum will take the stage of the Brookshire Grocery Arena Thursday.
McCollum's musical influences include classic country artists like Willie Nelson and George Strait, as well as Red Dirt musicians and singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt. He began learning the violin in elementary school and started playing the guitar and writing his own music at the age of thirteen. By sixteen, he was performing at local venues in the Conroe, Texas area where he was born.
After high school, McCollum moved to Austin, Texas, and released his debut EP, A Red Town View, in 2013, followed by his full-length debut album, The Limestone Kid, in 2015. This album achieved regional success, and its lead single, "Meet You in the Middle," found success on Texas radio stations.
His major-label debut album, Gold Chain Cowboy, was released in 2021, featuring hit singles like "Pretty Heart" and "To Be Loved by You." In 2023, he released Never Enough.
McCollum has earned two ACM Awards and multiple CMA nominations.
The show will include special guests Kameron Marlowe and Laci Kaye Booth.
Bossier City man dies after being found unresponsive in pool
A Bossier City man died Sunday, July 20, 2025, after being found unresponsive in the pool at the Shreveport Elks Lodge.
The Caddo Parish Coroner's office says Michael McMillon, 61, of Bossier City, was in the pool at the lodge in the 300 block of East Preston Avenue with family members just before 1:30 p.m.
When found to be unresponsive, emergency medical personnel took him to the WK Pierremont Health Center emergency room, where he was pronounced deceased at 2:24 p.m.
The manner and cause of his death are pending autopsy and toxicology results.
Social media post claims 'significant rodent problem' at Bossier City fast food restaurant
This article was delivered as breaking news by email to paid subscribers Monday morning. Support independent coverage of Bossier news with a $5 monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime. Email addresses are never shared with third parties.
A post on social media is sparking growing concern among fans of a popular local fast-food restaurant.
A post published by a social media user identified as Cole Davis claims that a local restaurant has “a significant rodent problem.”
Here is what Davis wrote on Nextdoor:
“I want to bring to everyone's attention a concerning issue at the McDonald's located at Airline & Viking. Reports have emerged about a significant rodent problem at this location.
“Customers have spotted rats not only in the bathrooms but also roaming in the dining area. Please exercise caution and consider this information before visiting. Your health and safety are paramount!”
Comments to the post urged Davis to report the alleged issue to the health department, and Davis said, “Done.”
Another comment said, “The last two times I went there I became sick after eating their food. This explains why!!!!!!!! We won’t go again for sure.”
Six critical violations during last LDH inspection
One year ago, on July 31, 2024, during the most recent inspection of the Viking Drive McDonald's by the Louisiana Department of Health, six critical violations were noted at the location:
Ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food prepared on premises, and held under refrigeration, was not disposed of after 7 days. [Corrected]
Raw animal food was not separated from ready-to-eat food, or was placed, stored or displayed above ready-to-eat food. [Corrected]
Raw animal foods with different cooking temperature requirements were not separated to prevent cross-contamination during storage, preparation, or display. [Corrected]
Food contact surfaces and utensils are not clean to sight and touch. (Ice Machine)
Chemicals were stored with/above food, equipment, utensils, linens, single-service or single-use articles. [Corrected]
There was a direct connection between the drainage system and a drain line originating from food handling equipment.
Five additional, non-critical issues were also reported.
This claim has been unverified. Repeated calls to the Bossier office of the Louisiana Department of Health to confirm that a report had been filed have been unanswered. BossierNow also contacted the state office of the Louisiana Department of Health, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
Calls to the Viking Drive location of McDonald’s were also unanswered. BossierNow also contacted the McDonald's public relations department for a statement.
$10,000 stolen from Speaker Mike Johnson’s campaign committee: But don’t worry. He won’t miss it
Bossier resident and House Speaker Mike Johnson is in the news frequently these days, but you may have missed one interesting tidbit reported recently.
Earlier this year, Johnson’s political campaign lost $10,000 due to fraud (admittedly not a big number in his overall political war chest), according to new federal records reviewed by OpenSecrets.
The Mike Johnson for Louisiana congressional committee lost $9,995.50 on April 28 when an unidentified person swiped one of the committee’s paper checks, which was “reissued to a fraudulent payee, and processed,” Johnson’s campaign wrote to the Federal Election Commission last week.
“This was not due to misuse of funds internally,” the campaign committee told federal regulators. “The Committee is currently working with the bank to retrieve the lost funds if possible.”
Greg Steele, spokesman for Johnson’s campaign, said on Friday that they do not know who stole the check and are “exploring” whether to involve law enforcement.
“We just caught it during our normal reconciliation process at the end of the financial quarter, and the account is locked down,” Steele said.
He added that Johnson’s campaign has had no other theft-related issues since.
While losing $10,000 will barely dent Johnson’s overall political finances — his committee reported more than $6.7 million in cash on hand as of June 30 — the theft is the latest in a series of incidents involving fraudsters hitting high-profile politicians and party committees.
Taken together, federal political committees have lost millions of dollars this decade, an OpenSecrets analysis of federal records and media reports indicates.
Thieves have successfully targeted the political campaigns of President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Virginia Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 and now serves as President Donald Trump’s national security advisor.
The campaign committee of Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) lost nearly $700,000 in 2022, prompting an FBI investigation.
Scammers have also hit the Republican National Committee, Wisconsin Republican Party, Oregon Republican Party, anti-Trump super PAC Lincoln Project and the Democratic-supporting Retired Americans PAC.
The FEC acknowledges that while misappropriation of political committee funds is “not common,” it has “encountered a number of cases.”
-- By Dave Levinthal/OpenSecrets
Help Bossier Schools 'pack the bus'
The annual Bossier Schools "Pack the Bus" campaign will be held Thursday, July 31, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
The drop-off location will be at the Neighborhood Walmart on Barksdale Blvd.
There is no need to register, just show up with your donations.
Bossier news: Independent, reader-supported
BossierNow's mission is to provide independent, conflict-of-interest-free news coverage of Bossier City and Bossier Parish.
Support independent coverage of Bossier news with a $5 monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime. Email addresses are never shared with third parties.
We welcome your input, press releases, and news tips at email@bossiernow.com.