News

LaSalle Lumber Company last Wednesday hosted Louisiana Gov. Jon Bel Edwards at a grand opening ceremony for the first new sawmill built in the state in more than two decades.

“This is a great day for central Louisiana, for the state’s timber industry, and for LaSalle Lumber Company, a joint venture between a historic Louisiana forest products company and a major Canadian forestry partner making its first venture into the United States,” Edwards said.

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BATON ROUGE -- The Louisiana House on Wednesday passed in a 79-23 vote anti-abortion legislation that would effectively ban abortions in the state, echoing similar legislative efforts by other Republican-controlled legislatures in the South.

A bill by Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, would outlaw the abortion of a fetus with a detectable heartbeat, which usually occurs around six weeks and before many women are aware they are pregnant.

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With the rights of thousands of Louisiana sportsmen on the line, Attorney General Jeff Landry is asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s decision in Crooks & Crooks v. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, according to an article which appeared in Louisiana Sportsman on May 20, 2019.

“The Crooks case is one of the greatest threats to Louisiana’s hunters and fishermen,” said General Landry. “In addition to jeopardizing the public’s right to access and use many Louisiana waterways for hunting, fishing, and habitat conservation – the suit also potentially could cost the State’s taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.”

Optimism among small business owners continued its steady climb in April, with the NFIB Small Business Index increasing 1.7 points to 103.5. Sales improved in April, the inventory soft spot seen in last month’s report rebounded, and profit trends posted a very solid advance.

Job creation plans gained, hiring remained strong, and expectations for sales, business conditions, and credit conditions all improved.

“America’s small and independent businesses are rebounding from the first quarter ‘shut down, slow down’ and don’t appear to be looking back. April’s Index is further evidence that when certainty and stability increase, so do optimism and action,” said NFIB President and CEO Juanita D. Duggan.

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The Tullos Farmers Market is joining with five other Central Louisiana farmers markets in June to celebrate Rural Farmers Market Month. On June 7th & 21st, Tullos will feature face painting and storytelling for children and on June 21 they will be carving and decorating zucchinis and watermelons as cars. 

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Jena Junior High eighth graders tour a LaSalle Correctional Center (LCC) dormitory and hear from an inmate as part of the seventh annual Youth Crime Awareness Program (YCAP). Eighth graders from across the parish visited LCC in Urania to attend YCAP and hear advice and personal testimonies from inmates on what they hope will change the lives of the students.

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Two Memorial Day programs are planned this weekend to honor the memory of fallen soldiers from this area and from throughout the nation.

The first of these events will be held at the Centennial Cultural Center in downtown Olla, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 26th.

The Veterans Honor Guard from VFW Post 5002 of Jena will participate in the events, along with numerous local citizens.

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Pritchard Baptist Church in the Old River Community is surrounded by water as Old River floods the community. Although the church could still be reached by motor vehicles over the weekend, it required driving through the flood water. Water stage on Black River at Jonesville Locks and Dam on Monday stood at 53.48-ft, with flood stage at 50-ft. In the last flood of 2016, the stage reached 53.8-ft, and during the big flood of 1973, the stage of the river reached 59.65 inches. No one is sure how the heavy rains over the past weekend will affect river levels in the area, as restricted flow is being allowed into the Mississippi River, which is well beyond flood stage. 

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Daniel Cole of Jena officially announced this week that he will be a candidate for the empty District 32 Senate seat, subject to the action of voters at the fall elections.

Incumbent Senator Neil Riser has termed limited out and cannot seek re-election for this position, leaving an empty seat.

State Senate District 32 includes all of Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin and LaSalle as well as certain precincts in Avoyelles, Concordia, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland and West Feliciana parishes.

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