News

The Louisiana Legislature’s leadership recently said lawmakers are likely to eliminate funding for Gov. Jeff Landry’s signature education initiative: an expanded school voucher program called LA GATOR that would devote millions more in tax dollars to private education.

Arrests as of April 22, 2025: East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office: 4/16/25 - Jada Jones, 17, disturbing the peace by fighting. No bond amount given.

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Acting State Conservationist for Louisiana, Kelli McClelland, has announced that a contract renewal sign-up is under way for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Customers with active CSP contracts set to expire on December 31, 2025, may be able to renew their contract for an additional 5-year period during the final year of the current contract. Applicants interested in CSP renewal must submit their applications to their local NRCS field office by June 20, 2025.

First, try a park scavenger hunt Spring is here, along with the fever to get outdoors! This time of year brings a great opportunity for families to be physically active together outside. Being physically active on a regular basis brings a wealth of health benefits.

Doyouhavealotofweedsin your lawn? Any areas of thin or dead grass? Does your yard just look stressed overall? These could all be symptoms of a common problem: soil compaction. “Soil compaction is soil particles getting pushed closer and closer together, resulting in a loss of pore space for air and water,” explained Eric DeBoer, an assistant professor of turfgrass management with the LSU AgCenter.

This has been a sad week for us as a parish. And a busy week for me. I am actually in Lake Charles while I am writing this. But despite all the sadness, it has been a beautiful week with all the Easter services, families together and Easter egg hunts.

Rob Cleveland, president and CEO of Grow NELA, spoke to the Lake Providence Rotary Club earlier this month about the area’s latest development – Meta, located in Richland Parish. The parent company of Facebook announced earlier this year that it was bringing a $10 billion investment of an artificial intelligence data center to the area. “Louisiana is the place to be right now for new investment and jobs,” he said.

Levee Fest returns on May 10 for year four of good music and food and unique goods, but at a new location. Doorway to Louisiana, which puts on the festival, is bringing the festival “home” to the Byerley House at 600 Lake Street.

Early voting on a proposition enabling the East Carroll Parish Police Jury to renew a millage tax for garbage district number 1 continues at the East Carroll Parish Courthouse in the registrar of voters office from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. until April 26.

A 12-year-old boy is in stable condition after he was accidentally shot by his fiveyear- old brother. East Carroll Sheriff’s investigators said that the two boys were waiting for the bus at their residence on Second Street when the five-year-old went into his father’s truck and retrieved a pistol. The five-year-old was showing the gun to his 12-year-old brother when the gun went off, according to another brother, a 15-year-old, who witnessed the incident.