Local

Jobless rates down from a year ago, workforce grows

Staff Report Tri-Parish unemployment rates and the workforce are down from a year ago, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The Tri-Parish workforce number 67,716 in May, up 500 over May 2020.

Edwards announces coronavirus relief aid

BATON ROUGE — The City of Eunice is to receive $3,629,731 as part of $315 million in federal coronavirus relief aid announced Wednesday by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

What’s on the Tri-Parish wish list?

When the Legislature meets the end of the session is a time of suspense as a wish list of projects awaits the governor’s decision. Called Act 2, this year’s Capital Outlay Budget totals $6.4 billion. There are four main funding categories.

News notes

Farmers’ Market open Saturdays The Eunice Farmers’ Market is open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. The market is located at 2101 West Ash behind the Department of Motor Vehicles.. Senior coupons are welcome.

Leadership St. Landry accepting applications

Leadership St. Landry and the St. Landry Chamber Foundation are now opening accepting applications for the second class of participants. The Foundation hopes to grow leadership within St. Landry Parish through parish asset identification and professional development.

School Board winds up 3 budget sessions

The St. Landry Parish School Board finished its third public session on its 2021-2022 budget on Thursday with little comment during the presentation by Tressa Miller, finance director. The budget is a break-even one, Miller said to the approval of School Board members.

A summer perch in a mulberry tree

As you may have surmised one of my favorite things to do is to poke around in old newspapers, looking for little items that reflect the character of a place or of the times, or that just catch my fancy.

Liberty Theatre maybe gets a new source of funding

Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed legislation adding the Liberty Theatre as a recipient of a portion of a 2% sales tax on room rentals in the parish. But the Senate Bill 80 by Sen. Heather Cloud may be problematic in its execution.

Supreme Court clears cloud over criminal cases

Eunice attorney Jacque Pucheu said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared a flood of criminal cases in Louisiana from felons convicted in non-unanimous verdicts. Speaking to the Eunice Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Parts of Sherburne WMA Shooting Range to be closed for construction beginning Monday

Portions of the Sherburne Shooting Range Complex, located on the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA), will be closed beginning Monday for renovation and infrastructure improvement, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced.