Month: September 2025

National Hunting and Fishing Day to be held Sept. 27 throughout Louisiana 

/ Megan Lowe

Louisiana’s National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) will be held Sept. 27 at four locations across the state, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced.

Waddill Wildlife Refuge in Baton Rouge, Woodworth Shooting Range in Woodworth, the Tom Merrill Recreation Area at Bodcau Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Haughton, and Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe will host this year’s event, sponsored by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation.

NHFD is a fun and FREE family event for all ages! Attendees can try their skills at the shooting ranges, fishing ponds, and boating activities, and learn about wildlife with live animal demonstrations. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors with family and friends. 

While each location’s event varies, all include exhibits on LDWF’s research and conservation efforts, shooting and fishing demonstrations, and exhibits from local chapters of Ducks Unlimited, the Safari Club and the Coastal Conservation Association, as well as local businesses.

NHFD has become a tradition since its establishment in the early 1970s. Since then, every fourth Saturday in September is dedicated to Louisiana’s popular outdoor pastimes. LDWF introduced its first NHFD event in 1982 at the Monroe District Office, and in the following years, additional locations were added to its roster.

Event details are as follows:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
480 Richland Place Drive
Monroe, LA
9am to 2pm
318-343-4044

Waddill Wildlife Refuge
4142 North Flannery Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70814
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
225-765-2927

Woodworth Shooting Range
661 Robinson Bridge Road
Woodworth, LA 71485
8am to 1:30pm
318-484-2212

Bodcau WMA
Tom Merrill Recreation Area
914 Bodcau Dam Road
Haughton, LA 71037
9am to 2pm
318-478-0118

For more information, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/nhfd.

LSU AgCenter offers bilingual farm worker training

/ Megan Lowe

 

The Adhikari Food Safety Lab at the LSU AgCenter is offering a free, bilingual farm worker training with farmers and growers in the area. These trainings are hands-on, delivered directly on the farm, and focus on worker health and hygiene, on-farm risk assessment, and practical steps to meet GAPs and FSMA requirements. Each session lasts about 2.5 hours and is offered in both English and Spanish.
 
Contact Dr Adhikari at ACAdhikari@agcenter.lsu.edu or 225-578-2529 to schedule a session.

Farmer’s Market in Cottonport this Saturday

/ Megan Lowe

Come out this Saturday, Sept. 27, 9am to 12pm, at Unity Park for the Farmer’s Market. 

Confirmed vendors include the following:

La Petite Affaire Boulangers
Moncla Nursery & Farm
Four Directions Botanica
PARCO Farms
Yellow Bayou Bee & Honey Co.
Mayeux Farms
Layin Leaux

All proceeds from La Petite Affaire Boulangers will go to Heavin Chesne Fund. Donations will also be accepted to offset her medical bills.

Avoyelles Litter Abatement receive grants for surveillance cameras

/ Megan Lowe

As part of the litter program in Avoyelles, surveillance cameras are an important tool in catching violators in the act. The program was recently awarded $3,000 by the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury, and a $7,000 grant was received from Keep Louisiana Beautiful.

Cameras are expensive but effective. If any business, non-profit, public body, or individually would like to donate to the purchase of additional cameras, contact the Avoyelles Litter Abatement program at 318-717-3993. They will be more than happy to acknowledge the donation on their page. 

Notice of Death – September 23, 2025

/ Megan Lowe
Carrie Ann Lachney
April 2, 1986 – September 22, 2025
Service: Friday, September 26, 2025, 11:30am at the Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Marksville.
 
Elenora Weber Jenneman
October 8, 1925 – September 21, 2025
Service: Friday, September 26, 2025, 5pm at Escude Funeral Home, Mansura.
 
Barbara Ann Dufour Lemoine
May 20, 1942 – September 20, 2025
Service: Saturday, September 27, 2025, 1pm at Escude Funeral Home, Moreauville.
 
Patricia Elaine Lindsey Duskin
April 23, 1947 – September 19, 2025
Service: Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11am at Christian Family Worship Center, Mansura.
 
Lana Bates
October 21, 1952 – September 11, 2025
Service: Saturday, September 27, 2025, 11am at St. Mary’s Assumption Catholic Church, Cottonport.
 
Avoyelles Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or billvance.erg@gmail.com. (Notice of Deaths shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to billvance.erg@gmail.com.)

Arrest Report

/ Megan Lowe

The following arrests were made by local law enforcement officers from Sept. 8 through Sept. 14.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

APSO Jail Bookings Report 9-08 through 9-14Download

APSO shares its August 2025 call numbers

/ Megan Lowe
The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office Communications Center has shared its call numbers from August 2025.
 
For the month of August, APSO received a total of 5,527 phone calls and 1,717 911 emergency calls. 
Administrative and other calls totaled 3,810. To handle this volume, APSO dispatchers answered an average of one phone call every 8.1 minutes, 24 hours a day, for the entire month.
 
These phone calls resulted in 1,580 documented incidents being created for law enforcement, fire, or medical response, requiring some sort of service. 
 
A breakdown of some of these dispatched calls includes:
 
-Medical Related: 375
-General Call / Complaints: 310
-Disturbance Related: 137
-Alarms: 125
-Fire Related: 75
-Automobile / Vehicle Crashes: 68
-Theft Related: 40
-Auto Thefts: 5
-Hit and Run Driving: 3
 
APSO thanks their Communications Officers for their tireless service to the citizens of Avoyelles Parish.
 
For emergencies, always dial 911. For non-emergencies, contact the office at 318-253-4000 or via email at info@AvoyellesSO.org.

Bunkie HS announces 2025 Homecoming Court

/ Megan Lowe

Bunkie Magnet High School recently announced its 2025 Homecoming Court. 

7th grade maids include Camden Larwood and Aerianna Riche. 8th grade maids include Maggie Charrier, Molly Newton, and Isabella Robeau.

Freshman maids include Abriella Bordelon and Bella Turner. Sophomore maids include Jovanni Butler and Anna Garrett. Junior maids include Shermira Bell and Brianna Laborde. 

Senior maids include Da’Nevaeh Bazile, Jayla Brown, Taylyn Lacombe, Alaycia Wells, Torianna Wells, and Essence Wilson. 

APSB hosts Virtual Power Hour on attendance this afternoon

/ Megan Lowe

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Every day counts—missing just 2 days a month can add up to nearly a full month of lost learning in a year for students.

Join the Avoyelles Parish School Board this evening, Sept. 17 at 5pm, for their next Virtual Power Hour as they dive into the importance of consistent school attendance and share tips on how families can help students stay on track. To join the Virtual Power Hour, click on this link.

Let’s work together to build bright futures, one day of attendance at a time.

Tickets for Mansura VFD Annual Fall Dinner on sale

/ Megan Lowe

Tickets are still for sale for the Mansura Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Fall Dinner. Help support the local volunteer fire department. The Annual Fall Dinner will take place on Sunday, Sept. 28, 10am to 12pm. 

Tickets are $13 and must be purchased in advance. No tickets will be sold after Sunday, Sept. 21. Tickets can be purchased from any Mansura firefighter or at the fire station. The meal will feature two chicken quarters, green beans, and rice dressing. 

The Mansura VFD thanks everyone who has and will support them.