News

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 …

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 …

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 …

The ongoing dispute for ownership of Buffalo Landing Road escalated this week when attorney Johnny Dollar said he intends to sue five members of the Union Parish Police Jury for depravation of property rights over their refusal to abandon the road.

Annual Boat Launch Permits for Lake D’Arbonne are now available.  Permits are effective immediately and run through June 30, 2024. Regular permits are $50 and Senior Citizen (65+) and Veteran Permits are $25. Permits can be purchase at K & M Coffee, Corks, & Camo, Cooter’s Live Bait & Tackle, and Honey Hole Tackle Shop. Property owners eligible for free …

Jennyfer Ramirez Union General Hospital has named Jennyfer Gomez Ramirez the 2023 It’s a Girl Thing Making Proud Choices scholarship.  Ramirez is a 2023 graduate of D’Arbonne Woods Charter School and the daughter of Marisol Ramirez from Farmerville.  Ramirez, who joined the It’s a Girl Thing program when she was in middle school, graduated with a 3.9 GPA. and will …

A controversial “constitutional carry” bill that will allow any Louisiana adult over the age of 21 to carry a concealed firearm without a license or training advanced out of committee Tuesday.  The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 to advance House Bill 131 by Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, to the full House. Committee Chairman Sen. Gary Smith, D-Norco, was the …

A long-awaited federal reimbursement check for funds Union Parish spent nearly seven years ago is in the mail, the Bayou D’Arbonne Lake Watershed Commission announced at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday. Also during the meeting, LWF biologist Ryan Daniel told the commission that Lake D’Arbonne is in such “great condition” that the drawdown scheduled for next year may not be …