Columns

January has a way of making us feel like we need to “fix everything.” New planners, new goals, new promises that sound good on paper but feel heavy by February. As a nurse practitioner here in our community — and as a mom, wife, and neighbor —I want to gently remind you of something important: Health doesn’t have to be complicated to matter.

Yes, America, there is a north Louisiana. I didn’t watch the New Year’s parades, but I did see videos posted on social media.

With the old year behind us and a new one straight ahead, it’s a good time to think about making some changes in the garden. While you’re pondering your 2026 landscape upgrades, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg hopes you’ll give consideration to one of his favorite plants: the sasanqua, a species of camellia.

(Using) My Voice By Cassie Condrey I have been doing a journaling project that I stumbled upon after reading an essay on artificial intelligence. The woman who wrote the essay had some of the more relatable points that I’ve read on how AI can be beneficial and I found them approachable.

Let me begin by saying that writing an article is far outside my comfort zone. I once thought videoing myself cooking was uncomfortable, but this surpasses that by a mile. Give me ingredients, pots, and pans, and I’ll happily make you something— but putting my thoughts and feelings on paper is not something that comes naturally to me. Still, here we go.

Merry Christmas, everyone! We sing about a white Christmas, and we put out our snowmen decorations, and that is as close as we’re going to get to a snowman this Christmas. Indeed, the weatherman predicts temperatures up to 75 degrees today. Of course, I think that’s a blessing. Outdoor toys will be enjoyed even more, kids will be outside, and more than likely, air conditioning will be running in households. Whatever your preference, I hope that everyone is having a great holiday. Thanks to the generosity of this small town, there should be no children doing without. Several programs are sponsored to give out food and toys for children. I can’t begin to name the number of organizations that have organized or sponsored toy drives or food drives. I believe that every reasonable request has been fulfilled.

United Way of Northeast Louisiana (UWNELA), in partnership with the Northeast Louisiana Bar Foundation, is continuing to offer The Heirship Project, an ongoing initiative addressing the challenges of heir property and succession issues that impact families across Northeast Louisiana, with in-person and virtual options for attendance.

Are you familiar with Dunbar’s Number? Robin Dunbar developed a theory about pack animals, monkeys, lions, coyotes, and so on. After studying them for some time, he realized that across a species, there was a ceiling on how large a single pack would reach.

While the community looks forward each year to the annual Children’s Christmas Program at First Methodist Church, this year those in attendance received a special treat. Rather than the usual Christmas play, organizers treated a standing room only crowd to the most beautiful choir singing traditional Christmas hymns interspersed with Bible verses proclaiming the prophecy and birth of the Savior. After the opening prayer by Reverend Henry Stone, and a welcome by Ann Hodges Richardson and Lydia Payne, the kids opened the program with “Joy to the World” followed by a reading by Jaicee Albright. Also reading scripture verses were Landry Jones, Vera Myers, Eva Parker, and Elle Vining.

It is amazing how much of my childhood I can still remember. I especially remember Christmases as a child. Growing up in a large family, my mother struggled to make sure that we all had Christmas. She struggled, but she did it.