News

Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is awarding nearly $2.5 million in grants to local governments and parish school systems in Northwest Louisiana to promote energy efficiency.

Energy upgrades funded by the grants include high-efficiency LED lights in buildings operated by local public agencies.

“These improvements will lower electric bills by thousands of dollars for these public institutions,” Campbell said.

The LPSC Energy Efficiency program for public entities and political subdivisions is an offshoot of the commission’s “Quick Start” Energy Efficiency program, which since 2013 has helped residential and commercial utility customers lower their electricity consumption across Louisiana. Participating utilities are SWEPCO, Entergy and CLECO.

The Battle of Pleasant Hill Reenactment Committee and Miss Battle of Pleasant Hill, Autumn Palmer, are hard at work planning and promoting the 157th Anniversary event scheduled for April 9-11, 2021. This year’s event will mark the 157th Anniversary of the largest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River and is held on the ground hallowed those many years ago by the blood of Americans locked in mortal combat.

The 2021 Battle of Pleasant Hill Re-enactment is sure to surprise audiences and honor the memory of one of the most significant battles of the Civil War. The committee would like to encourage the surrounding communities to keep the upcoming event in mind and to attend the event, which is free to the public, in April.

All Louisianans 16 years old or older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, March 29, following news from the federal government that Louisiana’s allocation of vaccine doses will significantly increase next week, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced today.

Since the start of the vaccination process, Louisiana’s weekly allocations of vaccine from the federal government have more than doubled, with Louisiana now slated to get more than 148,000 first doses directly next week, in addition to vaccine doses provided to partner pharmacies in a federal pharmacy program as well as the Federally Qualified Health Care Center program. More than one million Louisianans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. With the B.1.1.7., or U.K. variant, continuing to increase in Louisiana and neighboring states, it is essential to get Louisiana vaccinated as quickly and equitably as possible.

Joaquin High School proudly announces the selected twirlers for 2021-22. Pictured left to right are Hannah Holt, Autumn Alford, Emma Graves (Head Twirler), Avery Prnka (Feature Twirler), Shelby Freeman, and Kyleigh Avery. Congratulations, ladies! We look forward to watching your performances.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Mansfield%20EnterpriseID391/

Since the start of this term in office in mid-2018, Mansfield Mayor John Mayweather has had an on-going campaign to clean up the streets, yards and other thoroughfares with the city. It has been his mission to make every effort to keep the city street free of trash and debris.

He has announced that the next “City-Wide – Let’s Clean Up Mansfield Day” will be this Saturday, March 27 from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Volunteers participating in this cleanup initiative are asked to assemble on the parking lot of Mansfield City Hall just before 8:00 a.m. to gather cleaning supplies and receive any other instructions. Any and all Mansfield residents are encouraged to join this effort as we work tirelessly to restore our city to a cleaner and neater environment. Our target, little by little, is the entire city.

DeSoto Parish was one of eight school systems recently announced by the Louisiana Department of Education that will receive $50,000 Fast Forward regional planning grants. The Fast Forward Initiative is designed to increase the number of high school graduates who earn an associate’s degree and participate in apprenticeship programs across the state.

DeSoto, along with other districts in Northwest Louisiana, will join together with post-secondary schools, business partners and economic development organizations. Through this collaboration, students who are on TOPS University and TOPS Jump Start graduation pathways can earn associate degrees or participate in a staterecognized pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship programs. “We are excited about the advantages this grant will provide for our students,” said Dale Morvan, Board President.

Stonewall Mayor Randy Rodgers was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Municipal Association. The LMA is made up of 305 members and consists of 127 villages, 111 towns, 65 cities and two parishes. Each local government belongs to one of ten LMA Districts (A-J) and is grouped into population tiers. Since its inception in 1926, the Association continues to promote local governments by shaping legislation, providing education on municipal issues, and exchanging ideas and experiences among elected official leaders throughout the state. The voice of municipal government cannot be overlooked at the State Capitol. The Association’s success is contingent upon the support and engagement of the LMA membership. We congratulate Mayor Rodgers, who was chosen to complete the term of another mayor after his passing.

With March being designated Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, Vincent Sedminik, Board member of “Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana” (TACL) and Director of the Willis Knighton Cancer Center, made a recent trip to DeSoto Regional Health Center to meet with DRHS CEO Todd Eppler and local officials. Mansfield Mayor John Mayweather proclaimed that March was Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in Mansfield, and Gastrointestinal Specialist Dr. David Scott answered questions regarding the procedure and ratios of results from his patients.

Since COVID seems to have been the main health concern for over a year it seems that colonoscopies have fallen down in numbers of people being tested. Sedminik and Dr. Scott want to raise the awareness of this important test and get screening back on track.

Starting March 29, all essential workers, including people working in food service and grocery stores, manufacturing, construction, clergy and other essential jobs are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines in Louisiana, regardless of their underlying health conditions, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced today.

Newly eligible populations also include postal, transportation, judiciary and media workers, faculty and staff of institutes of higher education and more frontline government workers. This group, called Priority Group 1-B, Tier Two, covers essential workers not previously eligible. (See full list below.)

Local historian and retired educator Raymond Powell has announced his retirement from the Louisiana Teacher’s Association as of March 1, 2021, after 30 years of service. Actually, Powell is retiring from FOUR LRTA positions including that of President, Chairman of the Constitutional By-Laws, from the Legislative Committee, and from the appointed position of State Parliamentarian, a post that he has held for 15 years.

Powell was a 1941 graduate of Logansport High School and was the only athlete to ever receive a sports scholarship in Boxing. He attended and participated in his sport at Southwestern Louisiana University, which then had the “Bulldogs” as their mascot (before the days of the Ragin’ Cajuns).

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Mansfield%20EnterpriseID391/