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Secretary of State Nancy Landry said last week that $25 million more is needed to cover the $100 million cost of replacing Louisiana’s 35-year-old ballot machines. The system would consist of new touchscreen voting machines that print paper ballots and have climate- controlled facilities for storage. Additional expenses would maintain cybersecurity protections and allow for risk-limiting audits, which are considered the top standard for voter integrity.

SNAP benefit signup every Tuesday @ 9:30am-3pm East Carroll Parish Community Action Agency EAST CARROLL PARISH SCHOOL BOARD 1st Tuesday of month @ 6:30 pm • in the Board R oom, Administration building DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DRIVER’S LICENSE OFFICE 1st Thursday of month from 9am-3 pm (lunch 12-1) East Carroll Parish Police Jury office building (old health unit) EAST CARROLL PARISH POLICE JURY COMMITTEES 1st Wednesday of month @ 10am • in the Police Jury Room EAST CARROLL PARISH POLICE JURY Tuesday following committee meetings @ 12 noon • in the Police Jury Room EAST CARROLL HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD 2nd Wednesday of month @ 10am • at Housing Authority, Mike Ave. LAKE PROVIDENCE HOUSING AUTHORITY 3rd Thursday of month @ 12 noon LPHA office, Foster St.

Food distribution in East Carroll will now be on a new day, according to Doris James, food bank representative in East Carroll. It will take place on the first Thursday of each month starting with the March distribution on March 5 from 10 a.m.

Winter Storm Fern cleanup still in process around East Carroll Parish.

The new restrictions for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits took effect on Wednesday, February 18, and while they could have an impact at first on the local grocery sales, Jong's store manager, Greg Jones, thinks that’s unlikely. “We won’t know until March when we’ve had a full month, but I think it will definitely affect some of our sales,” Jones said. Jones said that while the limitations might create a trigger effect in what they sell, the amount of recipients’ benefits will not change. “They will just have to spend it on something else,” he said.

The local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office has seen an uptick in visitors this week after U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. The program, announced by President Trump last December, provides $11 billion in onetime bridge payments to row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. The FBA enrollment period opened Monday and closes April 17, 2026.

The board of alderman for the town of Lake Providence was recently informed that the fire department has a 10 rating, the worst rating assigned by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL), a non-profit agency that operates within the state.

EAST CARROLL 4-H.

The John H. Scott Memorial Fund announced that 2026 scholarship applications are officially open.

Arrests as of February 23, 2026: East Carroll Parish Sheriff: 2/8/26 - Decavion McCullum, 17, possession of stolen goods. 2/18/26 - Willie Jackson, 26, sexual battery.