An oil tank that was being decommissioned north of Farmerville exploded Tuesday morning killing a Vivian man and injuring four others, according to Union Parish officials. Lee A. Green, Jr., 63, of Vivian was atop one of five tanks in the area when a spark of unknown origin caused it to explode, Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates said. Of the …

By LUKE BRITT/Editor Professors, pundits and politicians preach political participation year after year, decade after decade and still, election after election, only about half of eligible voters show up.  The 2020 presidential election was different, of course, but only because voters were angry and our anger kind of took the shine off what should have been a moment of national …

The Union Parish School Board at its regular monthly meeting Monday approved one-time supplemental paychecks for current employees and approved retention and recruitment supplements for certified teachers who renew their contracts and new certified teachers hired for the coming year. The supplemental pay approved by the board is as follows: Certified teachers and administrators who were employed by the district …

As tractors became more sophisticated over the past two decades, the big manufacturers allowed farmers fewer options for repairs. Rather than hiring independent repair shops, farmers have increasingly had to wait for company-authorized dealers to arrive. Getting repairs could take days, often leading to lost time and high costs. A new memorandum of understanding between the country’s largest farm equipment …

The Union Parish Police Jury in its monthly meeting Tuesday rejected a request from Union General Hospital for funds to repair a flaw in the hospital’s water system.  The juror’s balked at the hospital’s request for a grant of $24,477 to cover the cost of installing a backflow preventer, with one juror noting that the lack of a backflow preventer …

The Union Parish Police Jury is considering an offer by the Department of Transportation and Development to turn over responsibility for portions of two state highways to the parish along with a tempting up-front, lump sum payment to maintain those highways for decades. DOTD is offering to transfer responsibility for a portion of Highway 552 near Point Wilhite and a …

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Foul weather may have prevented the keynote speaker from attending the Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet last week, but it didn’t prevent the people of Union Parish from gathering to recognize some of their most admired neighbors. Despite a torrential downpour that grounded airplanes and washed out roads, hundreds turned out to the Willie Davis, Jr. Recreational Ccenter to recognize …

Although some seniors may assume that sadness or depression is just a part of growing older, feeling “the blues” consistently for several weeks, months, or longer not a normal part of aging — it’s a real, treatable medical condition. According to America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation, nearly 15 percent of people ages 65 and older have been …