The statewide burn ban put in place on August 7 by the Louisiana Fire Marshal continues, and this week Gov. John Bel Edwards expanded the ban to include fires planned by state agencies. Both bans will remain in force until further notice. The use of barbeque grills and fire pits for recreational cooking purposes are allowed and not affected by …

Mary Barrios, Community Outreach Director for the Town of Farmerville, is a 2023 recipient of the prestigious Angel Award presented annually by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation to Louisianians who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and service tothe state’s children. Mary Barrios A press release announcing the award said, “The Angel Award specifically recognizes people who have …

Durrett accepts responsibility for approving unauthorized projects  By Luke Britt/Editor An emergency meeting of the Union Parish Police Jury’s road committee Tuesday became heated when Police Juror Ben Bridges accused fellow juror Dewayne Ramsey and Public Works director Tommy Durrett of orchestrating two recent projects in Ramsey’s district that violated Policy Jury policy and state law. According to Bridges, a …

By Luke Britt/Editor The attorney for former Louisiana State Trooper Kory York, one of three defendants charged in the 2019 beating death of Ronald Greene, asked Third District Judge Thomas Rogers on Tuesday to dismiss the charges against his client because he believes an expert witness’s grand jury testimony was tainted by an internal LSP report the expert should not …

Bobby L. Woods entered into this world on the blessed winter day of January 16, 1946, in Downsville, LA. The eldest son and 2nd child of Mildred Woods, Bobby was known to close friends and family as “BoBo”. The nickname was given to Bobby from his fascination with Carl “Bobo “Olson, a World Middleweight Boxing champion who Bobby spent countless hours reading about and watching his matches …

Walter T. White, aka Tommy White, of Farmerville, La, passed away on July 31, 2023. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, papaw, and friend. He was an extremely hard worker and went above and beyond to provide for his family. Tommy worked offshore for different companies the last 50 years as a Chief Engineer. He was able to …

A memorial service for Ms. Sue Ellen Ludwig Kennedy, age 71, of Farmerville, La, will be announced at a later date. Mrs. Kennedy was a 1969 graduate of Farmerville High School. She was a housewife before going to work with Kilpatrick and Central American Life Insurance Company as a secretary in their Farmerville, Union Parish, office for many years. Mrs. …

Ms. Frances was a graduate from Mount Carmel High School and attended The University South Louisiana. She was a secretary for the Vermillion Police Jury for over 23 years and was a member of the Saint James Catholic Church. She loved her family and especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ms. Frances died peacefully on her birthday. The family would …

By Luke Britt/Editor Now that the dust has settled around the Landfill Assurance Trust Fund interest rate flap and the parish stands to reap healthy interest earnings for, at least, the next 18 months, it seems appropriate to assess how the community responded to that embarrassing financial misstep. While the citizens of Union Parish were in no way responsible for …

By Luke Britt/Editor Spearsville Mayor Karen Black seldom gets three phone calls a month from people looking to invest in her quiet corner of Northeast Louisiana, so when she recently received three such calls in a single afternoon she said she knew something was up. “Someone called about economic development in the area, then someone who wanted to purchase some …