Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of the When Marion Played Sports series. Click the link to see all the articles in the series. By Jackie HuntSpecial to The Gazette From 1947 until 1959 Marion Industrial High School set among pine trees on the area that is now the Oliver Recreation Center and served as the education hub for …

By Luke Britt/Editor An increase in assets with only a minimal increase in expenses left Union Parish in a slightly better financial position at the end of 2022 than it was at the end of the 2021, according to the Union Parish Police Jury’s annual audit.  The audit, completed in mid-August, found no major issues with the jury’s financial reports, …

By Luke Britt/Editor A project to replace a pair of failing culverts on Burma Road is turning out to be one of the more difficult projects the Union Parish Police Jury has attempted this year and may well be the parish’s most expensive culvert project ever. After months of trying to locate a contractor willing to undertake the difficult project, …

By Luke Britt/Editor A special tax election, the 2022 financial audit, an expansion of the parish’s heavy hauler ordinance, an emergency road project and repairs to Scotts Hideaway Road were among the items approved by the Union Parish Police Jury during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday. During committee meetings earlier in the day, jurors also discussed the possible hiring of …

Wayne Lowery Abercrombie, a beloved husband, father, and esteemed member of the community, passed away on August 26, 2023, at his residence in Mooresville, NC, at the age of 78. He was born on May 31, 1945, in Seneca, SC, to Raymond Abercrombie and Mildred Lowery Abercrombie. Wayne led a life filled with passionate pursuits and unwavering dedication. Graduating with …

Jerome and Avery Wilson brought their son, Hudson, by the UPSO to thank Sheriff Gates for the Friends of UPSO program. The Friends program is designed to minimize the chance of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and people with special needs. By Luke Britt/Editor News reports of developmentally disabled people being harmed by police are always tragic, but for …

Editor’s Note: This article originally contained two errors that required correction. The original article incorrectly identified Johnny Buckley as chairman of the UPPJ road committee. Buckley is on the committee but is not the chairman. The article also incorrectly identified Buckley as being in a meeting in which the responsibility for laying primer was discussed. According to UPPJ Secretary-Treasurer Paula …

Ned White, candidate for state Senate from District 33, speaks to a crowd of a little more than 100 people who turned out for Thurday’s Union Parish Political Forum in which candidates for state senate, sheriff and Police Jury   were given a chance to make their case to voters. By Luke Britt/Editor Covid mandates, gun rights and who should …

Jerome and Avery Wilson brought their son, Hudson, by the UPSO to thank Sheriff Gates for the Friends of UPSO program. The Friends program is designed to minimize the chance of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and people with special needs.  By Luke Britt/Editor News reports of developmentally disabled people being harmed by police are always tragic, but for …

By Luke Britt/Editor A portion of Scotts Hideaway Road that was resurfaced less than a year old has begun to deteriorate and last week the Union Parish Police Jury sent the contractor who built the road a letter formally requesting that the company repair the road at its own expense. The jury sent Dreher Contracting, LLC of Bastrop the letter …