August, 2023

• 15 August

  Once in a blue moon event on tap

  

  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. Sallie HollisSallie Rose Hollis is a native of Rocky Branch and retired Journalism Professer from Louisiana Tech University. Contact her at sallierose@mail.com. …

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• 15 August

  War in the desert – America at best

  

  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 …

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• 14 August

  Jack Martin Hall

  Jack Martin Hall passed away at his home in Bullard, Texas on July 28, 2023 of natural causes.  He was born on December 7. 1939 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Clark Henry Hall and Juanita Hall (Apple). He grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas and graduated from El Dorado High School in 1957.  Jack started and ran a successful telephone …

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• 14 August

  Cathy Cashat Allen

  

  Funeral services for Mrs. Cathy Cashat Allen, age 72 of Marion, LA, were held at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at First Baptist Church in Marion with Bro. Bubba Hoggatt officiating. Burial followed in Roark Allen Cemetery in Marion, under the direction of Farrar Funeral Home. Cathy passed away on August 4, 2023 and left her husband, Jerry, of …

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• 14 August

  James “Wilbur” Upshaw

  

  After being raised up working on the family farm, in his youth, Wilbur joined the US Navy, serving his country honorably in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.  After the service, Wilbur worked and supported his family as an Electrician and was a member of IBEW Local Union for over 60 years.  After his retirement as an electrician, he …

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• 14 August

  Marion to construct new park downtown

  

  By Luke Britt/Editor The Town of Marion will soon have a new park, a public computer lab, a new Family Dollar store and new security cameras in the downtown area, according to members of the Town Council who met for their regular monthly meeting Tuesday. Mayor Danny Smith also announced that the Marion office of the Union Parish TRIAD program …

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• 14 August

  DWI suspect crashes, narrowly misses firefighters

  

   Staff Report A suspected drunk driver crashed into a fallen tree that two Union Parish firefighters were in the process of removing from LA Highway 2 near Crossroads early Sunday morning. The firefighters were not injured, but the vehicle’s driver – Carlos Mata, 24, of Sealy, TX – was arrested and booked into the Union Parish Detention Center on multiple …

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• 11 August

  Bernice considers new ordinances to stop mobile home free-for-all

  By Luke Britt/Editor The Town of Bernice is taking the steps to correct a deficiency in its zoning ordinances that has resulted in a proliferation of mobile homes being installed “wherever one will fit,” town attorney Joe Cusimano said when the Town Council met on Tuesday.  “The way the ordinances work now, people can put mobile homes in any residential …

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• 8 August

  LA Fire Marshal issues statewide ban

  

  NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office has issued a statewide burn ban due to extreme heat and dry conditions. The burn ban will remain in effect until the State Fire Marshal’s Office rescinds it. Residents should avoid any outdoor burning. Private burning will only be allowed with permission through a local fire department. Barbeque grills, fire pits …

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• 7 August

  Candidates for October election must qualify this week

  

  Gazette Staff Report The 2023 campaign season begins in earnest in Union Parish next week as candidates for five local offices, seven statewide offices and 2 legislative seats begin qualifying. The qualifying period for the Oct. 14 primary begins Tuesday and ends Thursday, Aug. 10. When Union Parish voters step into voting booths on election day, they will be choosing …

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