News

Beth Becton, President of the Union Arts Council, and vice-president Carolyn McKnight presented Recreation Director Mindy Barrelle and Mayor John Crow with a $500 donation Tuesday to support the Town of Farmerville summer camp program. Becton challenged other organizations and business to support the program. Summer camp season is right around the corner, and the Willie Davis, Jr. Recreation Center …

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Monday, April 29, that her office has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Education to challenge recent revisions to Title IX.Murrill spoke about the new Title IX rules with Gov. Jeff Landry and State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley. They want to stop new rules being added to Title IX that …

Every year, millions of Medicare beneficiaries get the chance to make changes to their coverage for the upcoming year, but there can be a bewildering number of plans to choose from.Medicare Part A, for instance, provides inpatient care, and Part B covers outpatient services. Together, they are known as “original Medicare.” Medicare Part D offers prescription drug coverage, and Medigap is supplemental insurance …

Editors note: The Archeologist’s Corner is an occasional feature provided by The Union Museum of History and Art. The articles are curated by museum board member Thomas Fields.We look at the magnificent ruins of Rome and Greece or the grandeur of Machu Pichu or the earthworks at Poverty Point and think that the archeologist has discovered everything. The wonderment is …

Louisiana’s embattled Department of Children and Family Services took another hit Tuesday when a federal lawsuit was filed against the department and others on behalf of nine children who suffered abuse and psychiatric trauma while under DCFS supervision.The 95-page lawsuit, filed in Louisiana’s Middle District in Baton Rouge, details the abuse suffered by the nine plaintiffs, but also outlines a system …

Union Parish football star and LSU running back Trey Holly will not face an attempted murder charge after a grand jury refused to indict him after hearing evidence from the state’s Attorney General’s office.Holly still faces an weapons charge related to Feb. 9 shooting at the Union Villa apartments in Farmerville that left a man and woman with gunshot wounds. …

An ongoing effort by the Town of Farmerville to upgrade the town’s water system got a big assist last week when the Environmental Protection Agency approved a $560,000 grant to purchase state-of the-art, “smart” water meters.Coupled with the $140,000 the town has committed to the project, Farmerville will be able to purchase and install $700,000 worth of new meters over …

Parents in Louisiana would receive from $5,000 to $15,000 in state money to send their children to private schools under a Landry administration bill that is moving through the State Legislature.The Louisiana GATOR Scholarship program passed the House Appropriations Committee in a 13-8 vote Tuesday despite concerns over cost and implementation.The bill, proposed by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, would create …

Detention Center audit costing parish thousands in lost TWP revenue By Luke BrittEditorThe Union Parish Police Jury on Tuesday hired a reserve sheriff’s deputy and former U.S. Marine to head the parish’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, replacing the former director who resigned in January.Matthew A. Ford of Farmerville, one of five applicants for the position, was recommended …

A Louisiana House committee advanced a bill Wednesday to expand who can access a financial aid program for high-demand workforce education programs.The House Education Committee unanimously approved House Bill 728 by Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge. It would allow people convicted of violent crimes to access the M.J. Foster Promise Program, a financial aid program that allows students to pursue …