Opinion

In about four weeks we will once again have an opportunity to express our God given right to cast our vote for various offices that will be filled. The reason that I use the term God Given, is because the laws of this country are seeded in the teachings of John Locke. Not only is voting a right guaranteed for …

When I was a tyke of 5 or 6, I found a tick on the left side of my chest. I was terrified.   I had heard that ticks suck your blood, and there sat a tick – right on top of my lifeblood. Surely he was going to drain my heart dry. I was going to die.  Sally Rose HollisSallie …

Artificial intelligence, AI, has been in the news lately and the discussion has been centered around the AI programs going rogue and ruling the world.  While the familiarization of the new technology is just being understood, artificial intelligence has been with us for years.  The following is an article I wrote in July of 2017 that addressed AI. Thomas FieldsThomas …

It’s election season for many local and state elections in Louisiana. Occasionally a previous article resonates today just as it did when originally written.  The following is a republished and updated article related to the election year that we are currently in.  The content is general in nature and relates to all positions in our elected process/ Thomas FieldsThomas “Tuffy” …

If you live in Louisiana, we know all about a dysfunctional response to natural disasters. Remember Katrina? Are we witnessing another lackadaisical and dysfunctional response to the wildfire tragedy on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian lands? So far, news reports cite some 2000 businesses and homes destroyed with over 1000 residents who still remain uncounted for. Jim BrownJim …

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 …

Headlines across Louisiana blared out in recent weeks that automobile insurance rates in the state will see a huge increase.  State Farm, whose rate request was rubber stamped by the Department of Insurance, will increase its rates by an average of 17.3%. Progressive Insurance Company will increase just over 10% while Allstate will jump up 18%, GEICO by more than …

If you’ve been waiting for that special something that happens once in a blue moon, this may be your lucky month – and you’ve got three weeks to prepare for it. A blue moon will occur Aug. 31. Sally Rose HollisSallie is a retired journalism professor, a native of Union Parish and a regular contributor to The Gazette. I don’t …

By Tuffy Fields I can’t believe it’s been thirty-four years. Occasionally events happen in our lives that are so indelible in one’s mind that the event remains crystal clear over the years. So vivid are these memories that they feel as if they happened only yesterday. For me one of these occasions was the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq; an …

I’ve been needing a little pick-me-up lately. Hey, it happens. As we journey through life (please refer to the overall name of this column), we encounter moments of joy, sorrow and everything in between. So in my ponderings today, I’m wondering what topics might bring me – and as a result, you – a moment of merriment. You know how …