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The Louisiana Sheriffs’ Scholarship Program will award scholarships to worthy Louisiana students to assist with furthering their education and training.“We support education in Union Parish, and I encourage our students to apply for these scholarships,” said Sheriff Dusty Gates.There are no restrictions on the purposes for which scholarships are spent. The scholarships are not loans and will be awarded as …

By Luke BrittEditorRetired Farmerville Police Chief George Cothran, who led the town’s police department for nearly 25 years, died Feb. 8. He was 83-years-old.Cothran was described by those who knew him as a generous man who enjoyed helping people and seldom passed an opportunity to make people laugh.“If you know someone who is loved by young children and old people, …

The Linville Firetower Road bridge, closed about two weeks ago, will remain closed for the foreseable future. The DOTD delivered the closure notice, along with images of deteriorating pylons like the one at left, to the Union Parish Police Jury this week, and the repairs necessary to reopen the bridge are extensive. Major repairs were made to the bridge in …

Through an attorney, Holly says he is not guilty of the crimes By Luke BrittEditorFormer Union Parish High School and current LSU runningback Trey Holly and two other people have been arrested by the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office and charged with multiple felonies in connection with a shooting that occurred in Farmerville last week that left two people injured, one …

D’Arbonne Woods Chater school recently held the middle school 6th-8th grade Social Studies Fair.Winners in the competitions seven categories include:Anthropology1st place: Audrey Brown2nd place: Braylin Smith, Emmalane Shaw, Makenzee Canterberry, & Makenley Leggett3rd place: Kenzlie Issac, Sunni Riser, Abigail CastillioEconomics1st place: Grant Halley, Jaxson Roberson, Jacob Hobbs, & Miguel Garcia2nd place: Henslee Albritton & Avery Brantley3rd place: Lawson Culver & …

Winners of the D’Arbonne Woods Charter School Spelling Bee included: Division 1 First Place, Maverick Tucker; Second Place, Jesper Lemoine, Third Place Everett Kavanaugh. Division 2 First Place, Lucy Vocker, Second Place Melodee Carr and Third Place, Conner Craig.

From news serivces reportsState officials are continuing discussions of a possible $2.5 billion sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, a non-profit health insurer used by nearly half of the state’s residents, to a much larger for-profit insurer based in Indiana.A legislative committee held a nearly eight-hour meeting Monday to consider the proposed sale of Blue Cross and …

Tombstones in Farmerville’s historic cemetery that were damaged last year when high winds felled a large oak tree are being restored thanks to the efforts of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes. Mayor John Crow said he reached out to Kilpatrick’s for advice on how to restore the damaged markers, some of which are 150 years old, and the funeral home’s Jerry Roark …

By Luke BrittEditorThe Union Parish Police Jury fired Public Works Director Tommy Durrett during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday.The vote to remove Durret came after a meeting of the jury’s personnel committee earlier in the day produced a recommendation that the director be terminated for “poor performance.” The jury did not disclose a specific reason for Durret’s firing during the …

The 43rd broadcast of North Louisiana’s St. Jude Radiothon is set for Feb. 8-9 from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Ruston station Z107.5. At that time donations can be made by calling 1-800-787-5288 or by donating online via the station’s Facebook (Z107.5) or Instagram (Z1075fm) pages. In-person donations will be taken in related side events at the Ruston Walmart Supercenter and …