• Generic Greetings: Legitimate Amazon emails address customers by name. Be suspicious of “Dear Customer.”
• Suspicious Links: Hover over links without clicking them. If the URL does not end in “amazon.com,” it is a scam.
• Poor Grammar: Look for spelling mistakes and awkward phrasing.
• Requests for Payment Info: Amazon will never ask for a user’s bank account, PIN, or password via email.

The Junior Leader Club of 4-H has put together some amazing service projects for Avoyelles Parish. During the months of January and February, the Junior Leaders are asking for donations of the items listed below. Donations can be taken to the Avoyelles 4-H Office in Mansura; 4-H will deliver them to the Hope House of Central Louisiana.

Hope House gives homeless families a safe and stable place to live, as well as the tools to become self-reliant and productive citizens.

Cleaning Supplies

• Clorox Bleach

• Latex Gloves

• Lysol All Purpose Cleaner

• Lysol Disinfectant Spray

• Floor Cleaner

Housing Essentials

• White Paper Napkins

• Toilet Paper

• Paper Towels

• Plastic Cups

• Paper Plates

• Black Trash Bags

Family Needs

• Twin/ Twin XL Bedding

• Gerber Baby Puree Food

• Monetary donations

In conjunction with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s office, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is excited to announce the 2026 Bright Lights Awards honorees. These individuals and projects are being recognized for their significant contributions to the understanding of Louisiana’s history and culture in the humanities field.  

This year’s top honor, Humanist of the Year, goes to Michael Doucet. A Scott native, Doucet founded the Cajun band BeauSoleil, which has received 13 Grammy nominations and helped put our state’s Cajun and Zydeco music on the map for audiences across the globe. This year’s other honorees are:

• Champion of Culture: Pam Atchison, former director of the Shreveport Arts Council.
• Documentary Photographer of the Year: Kevin Rabalais, an Avoyelles Parish native and professor of English at Loyola University New Orleans, who has documented how Louisianans work, play, and celebrate. 
• Lifetime Contributions to the Humanities: Don Marshall, retired executive director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, founding director of the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), and co-founder of the Krewe Du Vieux, the Tennessee Williams Festival, and the New Orleans Film and Video Festival.  
• Light Up for Literacy: Debra Jo Hailey, a La Salle Parish native and assistant professor of child and family studies at Northwestern State University, who has spent her career developing family literacy festivals and delivering childhood literacy experiences with an emphasis on community buy-in across Louisiana.  
• Museum Exhibition of the Year: “Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration,” The Historic New Orleans Collection.
• Chair’s Award for Institutional Support: The RosaMary and Keller Family Foundations.
• Humanities Book of the Year: “American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana” by Thomas Patterson (published by Louisiana State University Press).
• Humanities Documentary Film of the Year: “What We Can Know About Edmond and Basile” produced and directed by Sascha Just.

For more than 40 years, the Bright Lights Awards have offered a collective opportunity to celebrate all the humanities have to offer and honored documentary filmmakers and photographers, literacy and language advocates, historians and authors, culture advocates, and more.

The awardees will be highlighted in the summer issue of 64 Parishes magazine, published by the LEH, and they will be recognized during the organization’s annual Bright Lights Awards Dinner on Tuesday, March 24, at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge. Tickets are available online at leh.org/bright-lights.

“The Bright Lights Awards celebrate those who protect, interpret, and elevate Louisiana’s rich cultural heritage. Michael Doucet and all this year’s awardees exemplify that mission,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. “From Michael Doucet’s worldwide influence on Cajun music to the achievements of each of this year’s honorees, these awardees reflect the depth, diversity, and statewide impact of the humanities in Louisiana and the role they play in shaping who we are. They remind us why our cultural heritage is one of our greatest strengths.”

The LSU AgCenter is now accepting applications for college junior, senior, or graduate students interested in working in LSU AgCenter Cooperative Extension. Participants will spend the summer learning how to plan and conduct extension programs by working alongside LSU AgCenter educators at a parish Extension office.

There are twenty (20) positions available throughout Louisiana at different Extension offices. Students who are enrolled in Agriculture & Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, Extension Education, or a related field are encouraged to apply. Interns earn $15/hour for 8-10 weeks, not to exceed 400 hours. Interns must submit an application and will go through an interview process. Interns will complete a project, report and video highlighting their experience. Interns may work with their advisors for college credit for the internship.

To apply and learn more, visit lsuagcenter.com/extintern or send an email to larcemont@agcenter.lsu.edu.

The application will close Sunday, March 1, at 11:59pm.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is accepting applications for the 2026 Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Workshop through an online lottery system, replacing the previous first-come, first-served mail-in process.

LDWF has transitioned to a convenient online lottery application process to ensure all interested participants have an equal opportunity to attend. For online lottery application instructions and additional workshop information, click here or email bow@wlf.la.gov.

The online lottery application period is open through Jan. 28. During this time, all eligible applicants must submit their application online. Once the application window closes, participants will be randomly selected through the lottery system. Those selected will receive an email with instructions to complete their registration.

The Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop is a hands-on outdoor education weekend designed especially for women 18 years of age and older who want to learn new outdoor skills in a supportive and fun environment. Offered annually by LDWF, the workshop introduces participants to activities such as hunting, fishing, marksmanship, kayaking, outdoor cooking, archery and more.

Workshop Details:

• Dates: March 20–22
• Location: Camp Grant Walker, Pollock, Louisiana
• Eligibility: Women 18 years of age and older
• Format: Participants will choose four 3-hour hands-on sessions taught by LDWF staff and qualified volunteer instructors.

The weekend also includes fellowship activities, meals, lodging and opportunities to connect with like-minded women who share a passion for the outdoors. Scholarships are available for qualifying participants in need of financial assistance.

Becoming an Outdoors Woman supports LDWF’s mission to broaden outdoor recreation participation and empower women with the knowledge and confidence to safely enjoy Louisiana’s natural resources.

I’ve always wondered what makes one athlete better than another. Why do some excel more than others? Is there a secret pill or an exercise regimen that makes them better? Well today we’ll ask the same questions about bass tournament anglers.

I’ve heard for years that no angler has learned anything without another angler telling them. While this might be true in a few cases, I’m not sure that’s the case with everyone.

So many of today’s anglers have learned so much through the internet and on YouTube. You can literally learn any technique and know when to use it simply by watching a YouTube channel.

Want to learn how to use your electronics? Watch YouTube! Want to learn about a drop-shot, Carolina Rig, or how to flip a jig? Watch YouTube! Want to understand how to fix an issue with your boat? Watch YouTube! It’s an endless resource of information.

But the older generation of anglers, like me, has learned through trial and error. We’ve learned from other anglers who came before us how to get better or how to fix an issue we’re having with our boats. We didn’t always have the internet as a resource. But there was one resource that came by mail once a month: Bassmaster Magazine!

This was my generation’s internet. Every issue in the mailbox addressed everything from different ways to catch bass, to how to replace a water pump or change the oil in the lower unit of the motor. Today, I’m still a subscriber to not only Bassmaster Magazine, but another publication called B.A.S.S. Times.

But just like great athletes, there’s something different about anglers who win more than others. The first thing I have noticed is their confidence level is usually high. They believe in what they are doing to catch bass and they understand bass behavior.

Another trait I’ve noticed is how the top anglers tend to think outside of the box. They don’t follow common trends or thought patterns other anglers do. Most of these winning anglers tend to do things a little differently.

I believe that the great anglers like Kevin Van Dam, Dustin Connell, Jacob Wheeler and the late Aaron Martens, each possess a sixth sense. They tend to think a little differently than the average bear. They don’t always follow traditional thinking when it comes to how they should be catching bass.

A phrase commonly used by these exceptional anglers is that “they let the fish tell them what and how they want the bait.”  Saying this to the average angler means nothing, but to the great anglers, it explains a lot.

They don’t try to force a technique onto the bass. Every angler always has a game plan going into the tournament based on what and how they caught bass in practice. But on tournament day, the great anglers are not afraid to abandon that game plan and change their approach in the middle of the day.

I’ve also found that great anglers are really good at reading the water. To those who don’t bass fish, this is something that’s a gift that not all anglers have. They can literally walk up to the edge of the lake and tell you how they will catch them on that day just by looking at the water.

The great anglers have abilities just like great athletes. They have intangibles that make them special that some call the ‘it” factor. You can’t coach “it,” you’re born with “it.”

While all anglers can get better by spending time on the water, reading magazines or watching You Tube videos, there will always be those anglers who possess something that cannot be measured…God-given talent!

These days, the campaign trail doesn’t wind through town halls — it runs straight through your phone. This cartoon takes a swipe at modern politics, where selfies, likes, and viral moments can matter more than boring old things like healthcare or infrastructure. When the algorithm is watching, the question becomes: is the goal to solve problems, or just rack up views?