January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day, a delightful excuse to indulge in one of the most popular desserts worldwide. Chocolate cake, with its rich flavor and decadent texture, has been a source of comfort and joy for generations. But where did this iconic dessert begin, and how has it evolved over the years?

The history of chocolate cake dates back to the 18th century. While chocolate itself was used primarily for drinking in the early days, advancements in cocoa processing made it possible to incorporate it into baking. By the mid-19th century, recipes for chocolate cake began appearing in cookbooks, evolving from dense, pudding-like cakes to the lighter, fluffier versions we enjoy today. The invention of cocoa powder by the Dutch in the 19th century and the mass production of chocolate by companies like Hershey’s helped popularize chocolate cake across the globe.

Today, chocolate cake comes in a myriad of forms to suit every taste and occasion. From a classic German chocolate cake layered with coconut and pecans to molten lava cakes with oozing centers, the options are endless. But how can you perfect this beloved dessert in your own kitchen?

For beginners, a one-bowl chocolate cake recipe is a great starting point. Using simple ingredients like flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and oil, you can create a moist and delicious cake with minimal effort. Those looking to elevate their baking can explore more complex recipes, incorporating techniques like folding egg whites for a lighter texture or making a silky ganache for the topping. Pro tips include using high-quality cocoa powder for a richer flavor, ensuring your ingredients are at room temperature, and avoiding overmixing the batter to prevent a dense cake.

For those short on time or looking to try something new, local bakeries often offer creative takes on chocolate cake. Whether it’s a flourless chocolate torte or a vegan chocolate cake made with avocado, there’s something for everyone. Celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day by sharing your creation with loved ones or enjoying a slice from your favorite bakery. After all, few things in life are as universally loved as chocolate cake.

The Alexandria Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in solving a cold case homicide that occurred nearly four years ago.

On February 25, 2021, at approximately 3:05am, officers responded to the 1300 block of Enterprise Road in reference to a shooting that claimed the life of 25-year-old Lentavius Hall.   Despite an extensive investigation, no arrests have been made, and the case remains unsolved.

Detectives continue to work diligently to bring justice to Lentavius Hall and his family, but they need the community’s help. Any information, no matter how small, could provide a critical lead in this investigation.

Someone’s cooperation could be instrumental in solving this case and ensuring that justice is served.

This is currently an ongoing investigation.

If anyone has any information about this incident or any other type of crime in the Alexandria area, contact the Alexandria Police Detective Division at the phone number (318) 441-6416, or APD Dispatch (318) 441-6559. You may also email information to detectives at: APDDetectives@cityofalex.com.

For a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers of CenLa at (318) 443-7867. The Crime Stoppers P3 Tipster App can also be downloaded to leave tips and get a claim number for a cash reward at www.p3tips.com/community/mobile.

LifeShare is kicking off the Mardi Gras season by encouraging the public to join the Krewe of Life and give life to the fullest. Donate at any LifeShare donor center on Feb. 6 or Feb. 7 and receive a king cake plus a limited-edition Mardi Gras donor t-shirt.

“Every two seconds someone needs blood. In fact, nearly 30,000 units of whole blood and red blood cells are transfused each day in the U.S. Our donors allow others to live life to the fullest with each donation they make, and that is definitely worth celebrating,” says Mandi Johnson, Director of Community Engagement.

LifeShare is honored to partner with local bakeries and other businesses who are committed to strengthening the community’s blood supply.

King cakes will be available in-center only at all LifeShare donor centers Thursday, Feb. 6th, and Friday, Feb. 7. The centers will have extended hours during the promotion period to allow everyone to take advantage of this exclusive offer.  Appointments are encouraged, but not required.

Hours of Operation

Thursday, Feb. 6 – 7am-6pm

Friday, Feb. 7 – 8am-5pm

The Bakery Partners

Alexandria donor center – Atwood’s Bakery

Baton Rouge donor center – Thee Heavenly Donut

Beaumont donor center – Cake Turners

Lake Charles donor center – Pronia’s Deli & Bakery

Monroe & El Dorado donor centers – Thurman’s Food Factory

Shreveport, Bossier City, & Texarkana donor centers – Lilah’s Bakery

Important information:

• Open for blood or platelet donors who donate at any LifeShare donor center Feb. 6 or Feb. 7, in-center only.
• Offer valid while supplies last.

There was nothing easy about it, but the basketball teams from LSUA left Louisiana Christian’s H.O. West Fieldhouse with a pair of Red River Athletic Conference victories Thursday night.

The fourth-ranked LSUA men claimed their 12^th straight game with a 71-63 decision, pulling away from a tight game in the waning minutes to claim a triumph in the Red River Rivalry.

The Generals (18-1, 15-1 RRAC) snapped a six-game winning streak by the Wildcats (9-10, 8-7).

In the women’s contest, LSUA (15-5, 12-4) overcame a seven-point deficit for a tough 87-81 win over LCU (6-11, 6-9).

LCU stays busy with a home doubleheader Saturday against nearby LSUS, tipping off at 1 with the women’s contest.

The LSUA teams get an unexpected open date Saturday because Xavier-New Orleans was unable to commit to heading north and was inactive this week due to the heavy winter storm that blanketed south Louisiana with snow and impassable roads.

The men’s game Thursday night at H.O. West Fieldhouse was the headliner with LSUA’s lofty status in the NAIA Top 25, and LCU’s surge this month. The Wildcats controlled the tempo most of the night but the Generals had enough production to escape the upset bid.

“It was an ugly win,” LSUA coach Dimario Jackson said. “But that’s sometimes how these games go. Things don’t go your way, some things you can’t control. Kudos to our guys for standing up there and being able to finish in an environment that is tough to win in … good job by our guys to handle some adversity and being able to stand it and get the victory.”

Kashie Natt led the Generals with 24 points and 16 rebounds. He shot 50 percent from the field and went 9-for-13 at the free throw line. Seven of his 16 rebounds came off the offensive glass. Natt added five assists, one block, and two steals to his ledger.

Brayden Thompson tallied 10 points and five rebounds for LSUA.

For LCU, Devin Carter poured in a season-high 30 points in large part to 14 made free throws in 15 shots. Jon’Quarious McGhee added 10 points for the Wildcats, who made just 2 of 16 from 3-point territory. Chukwuemeke “JJ” Nwaoshai snatched 10 rebounds.

The Generals briefly led by 10 in the first half but were up just 35-32 at halftime. The margin moved between 3-8 points through the second half until the final minute but the Wildcats never led.

Ahead by four, 62-58 with 4:27 left, LSUA mounted a 9-2 run for an 11-point lead, its biggest of the game.

Amani Gray became the newest member of the LSUA women’s basketball 1,000-point club in the opening game.

Gray put up nine points to reach the 1,000-point career milestone over the first 15 minutes of the contest. The senior finished with 17 points.
“It feels great,” Gray said. “Coming into the game I knew I was right there, but after I hit the shot to secure it [1,000 points] it got a little easier.”

The Generals’ senior finished with 17 points and was 5-for-12 from the field. She connected on six free throws.

Benetta Peracchi led LSUA with 24 points. She was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field. Dannah Martin-Hartwick tallied 16 points for the Generals.

McKayla Price was LCU’s star of the show for the biggest crowd of the season, exploding for a career-high 25 points and a season-best 8 rebounds. Princis Goff scored 15 and had a career-best 5 assists, while DaKayla Howard added 14 points.

LCU went 7 for 11 on 3-poitners while swiping a season-best 14 steals to challenge the visitors.

LSUA led after the first quarter, 24-23, but the Wildcats claimed the second quarter, shooting 9-for-17 from the field and carried a 46-43 lead into halftime. The Generals rallied to take a 67-59 lead into the final stanza.
The Wildcats slashed it down to just a two-point deficit, 75-73, with 3:57 left in regulation.

A 3-pointer by Reese Stephens opened a quick 7-2 run for the Generals and pushed their advantage to 82-75 and LCU could not challenge again.

By JIM BUTLER

Discussed to a Fair thee well earlier this month, calendar options are back on the School Board special meeting agenda today.

Two schools of thought are in play: provide a Friday holiday during Rapides Parish Fair week, or link that Friday with Thursday of the following week for Fall break.

The latter is the schedule initially posted for public comment.

Both options have support among board members who discussed the matter at length at their regular January meeting, then pushed it to the special gathering for further consideration.

The board will also consider declaring an emergency for damage and loss from this week’s snow and ice and authorizing cleanup and repairs.

Costs of such would be paid from the Special Reserve Fund, with any subsequent insurance or disaster declaration reimbursements paid back into the SRF.

The SRF is money set aside for extraordinary or unanticipated major expense, regardless of ward or district involved.

According to the current year budget the fund balance was $21.3 million on July 1.

It is a hedge against the unexpected created by the board some years back, part of the recovery plan from once-dire financial times.

“It’s not fair!”

This is an exclamation that parents usually hear from their children by the age of 3 or 4, when kids begin to develop a sense of what is right and wrong. As a Christian, I believe that this innate yearning for fairness and justice stems from the “Imago Dei,” the idea that humans bear the image of God and reflect His character and holy attributes. Throughout Scripture we see the LORD as a just God, proclaiming in Proverbs 11:1 that “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”

This concept of fairness has been at the heart of many important issues the state legislature has debated over the past year – redistricting, criminal justice, education, tax policy – all of these conversations inevitably turned into a discussion over what was fair and just.

There will be a public town hall meeting held on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 6 pm at the Kees Park Community Center in Pineville to hear from Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, with the main topic of discussion being the affordability and availability of automobile insurance in our state.

The meeting is being hosted by Speaker Pro-Temp Mike Johnson, Rep. Jason Dewitt, and myself. Please show up for the meeting and let your voices be heard. Hopefully, this will be the first of a series of meetings to be held by representatives across the state to give their constituents an opportunity to voice their concerns and discuss possible solutions being considered by the Legislature.

As Chairman of the House Insurance Committee, it is my sincere belief that we need to have a serious conversation about “fairness” when it comes to the high cost of commercial and personal automobile insurance in Louisiana. Although there are different ideas about how to solve the insurance crisis in our state, we should all be able to agree that it is not fair that Louisiana is the most unaffordable state in the nation for automobile insurance.

Over the past several months the state legislature has held a series of meetings involving multiple committees – including House Insurance – with the sole purpose of identifying the underlying cost drivers of automobile insurance in the state. These committees will likely reconvene in a joint meeting in the next couple of months to formally present their findings prior to the beginning of the next regular legislative session in April. For me, the biggest takeaway from the meetings thus far is that Louisiana is an outlier in how we resolve disputed automobile insurance claims. When automobile accidents occur in our state, we are more than twice as likely to file bodily injury claims as the rest of the nation, and we file lawsuits to resolve these claims at a much higher rate than our neighbors in the South and around the country.

These two facts alone – our propensity to file bodily injury claims at a higher rate and to litigate at a higher rate – call into question the fairness of our civil justice system in Louisiana when it comes to settling automobile insurance claims. What are we doing differently in Louisiana that causes our citizens involved in accidents to file more claims and to sue each other more often than nearly every other state? It is imperative that we find answers to these questions, because anyone with even a basic knowledge of insurance understands that the cost insurance companies incur to pay claims is ultimately passed on to the policyholder in the form of higher premiums. Higher and more frequent claim payouts will necessarily lead to increased premiums. When carriers that insure automobiles determine that the risk is greater than the potential for profit despite an increase in premiums, they will begin to non-renew policies, stop writing new policies, or sometimes pull out of a state altogether. We are seeing this happen right now in Louisiana, especially with commercial auto, trucking, and logging insurance.

Perhaps the most obvious area where fairness appears to be lacking in the process of adjudicating automobile injury claims is the manner in which medical bills resulting from the treatment of a claimant’s injuries are presented to a judge and jury. We have heard testimony in multiple committee meetings that the jury is often presented only with the billed amount, or “sticker price”, for medical costs, rather than the actual cost of treatment that is incurred. In addition, the person being sued is typically not allowed to present evidence of what the usual and customary cost of medical treatment is, preventing the jury from obtaining all the information needed to make informed and rational decisions regarding the appropriate monetary award for medical costs and for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. During the upcoming session, I will be advocating for medical billing transparency legislation that allows the jury to consider billed costs, incurred costs, and evidence of reasonable and customary costs for similar medical treatments.

Another factor the legislature must consider in addressing the automobile insurance crisis in Louisiana is the increasing prevalence of “nuclear verdicts”, or jury awards over $10 million in civil lawsuits. In 2023 alone, Louisiana state courts awarded over $400 million in nuclear verdicts against businesses, with many of these awards stemming from litigation related to auto accidents. In September of last year, a St. Landry Parish jury rendered a $220 million verdict in a lawsuit involving a collision between a pickup truck and an ambulance, where an unrestrained EMT in the ambulance sustained significant debilitating injuries. The award included $155.5 million in non-economic damages, which typically includes pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. Based on testimony heard in our recent committee meetings, there appears to be a direct correlation between the growing frequency and magnitude of these large verdicts, and increasing insurance rates – especially in commercial auto and trucking insurance.

One option the legislature should consider to address the prevalence of nuclear verdicts in automobile liability lawsuits is the imposition of caps on non-economic damages for personal injury cases. Several states have established caps on non-economic damages in personal injury cases, including Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The state of Iowa recently passed legislation that imposes a cap on non-economic damages per plaintiff in cases involving commercial motor vehicles.

I understand the arguments of those opposed to limiting non-economic damages when they claim that you can’t place a monetary value on the loss of life, or on subjective losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent physical disfigurement, or mental well-being. However, we must also acknowledge that arbitrary and exorbitant monetary awards rendered by a jury that may not have all the information relevant to a case, create an environment hostile to free enterprise and detrimental to hard-working, middle-class families that comprise the backbone of our state’s economy. A civil justice system that incentivizes inflated monetary awards that are not proportional to the loss suffered causes great harm to families, churches, businesses, municipalities, parish governing bodies, and all entities and individuals that must purchase automobile insurance. The greatest burden on Louisiana citizens today is the exorbitant cost of insurance, and we have a duty as legislators to seek solutions that protect the public, promote healthy competition, and allow for economic flourishing. We cannot afford to ignore this problem or to continue caving to special interests who benefit from the status quo.

Over the past 4 years I have passed more bills to hold P&C insurance companies accountable and protect policyholders than any other member of the House (HB520 &; HB609 in 2024, HB110 &; HB183 in 2023, HB118, HB539 &; HB831 in 2022, HB457 &; HB591 in 2021). The great majority of my personal business these days involves representing commercial and residential property owners against insurance companies in disputed property claims through the Appraisal process. So, I certainly understand that insurance companies sometimes fail to fulfill their contractual obligations, and at times may not treat insureds or claimants like they should. That is why it is imperative that we have an impartial and unbiased civil justice system available to anyone who has been harmed or suffered loss. However, from my perspective the scales of justice have become skewed in Louisiana and must be rebalanced to level the playing field and provide for transparency, equality, and fairness throughout the process so that justice is available for the plaintiff and for those accused of wrongdoing.

Transparency in medical billing and the imposition of monetary caps on non-economic damages for personal injury cases stemming from auto accidents are just a couple of the options the state legislature will be considering to address the insurance crisis in our state during the next legislative session. I look forward to continuing this discussion with all stakeholders in the weeks leading up to the regular session, and it is my sincere desire that my fellow legislators will join me in listening to the cries of our constituents who are demanding solutions, rather than the shrieking of special interests on both sides of this issue who care only about their profits.

If the state legislature is going to take up this fight and get serious about passing meaningful auto insurance reforms next session, we need to hear from the families and businesses we represent that are struggling just to make ends meet because Louisiana is the most unaffordable state in the nation for
auto insurance.

If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at (318)765-9606 or gfirment@legis.la.gov.

Thank you and God Bless.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

Jan. 22

Charles Demonte Hall, 43, Alexandria – taking contraband to and from penal institutions, no driver’s license, expired plate/registration, possession of marijuana, three counts contempt of court, $15,700 bail.

Holly Machovec Saucier, 39, Alexandria – possession of controlled dangerous substance, drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension/revocation, no insurance, $3,200 bail;

Jared Ross Wiggins, 43, Pineville – domestic abuse battery with child present, domestic abuse battery, no bail data.

Jan. 21

Stephen E. Bailey, 33, West Monroe – second degree battery, $25,000 bail;

Anthony Demetrius Bobb Sr, 51, Alexandria – two counts of theft, simple escape, $500 bail;

Christian Deon Bynog, 18, Alexandria – armed robbery, criminal conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, contempt of court, $1,500 bail;

Cameron Ashton Hebert, 25, Alexandria — producing, manufacturing, distributing more than 2.5 pounds of marijuana or its derivatives, producing manufacturing, distributing with intent fentanyl, no bond data;

Anthony Connor Lewis, 32, Alexandria – obstructing public passages, resisting an officer, three counts contempt of court, $14,000 bail;

April Lodrigue, 38, Pineville – second degree battery, no bail data;

Corie J. Sonnier, 41, Pineville – sexual battery, simple assault, $1,500 bail;

Ashton Sponseller, 17, Alexandria – armed robbery, criminal conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of juveniles, $500 bail;

Shawna C. Thompson, 40, Pineville – possession of controlled dangerous substance, probation violation, $2,500 bail;

Amira Neshay Williams, 18, Pineville – accessory after the fact, no bail data.

Jan. 20

Stephen B. Gremillion Jr., 46, Boyce – aggravated assault domestic abuse, $1,000 bail;

Jennifer Ann East, 46, Sulphur – theft under $1,000, $1,000 bail.

Jan. 19

Shauntori Jajuan Benjamin, 20, Alexandria – producing, manufacturing, distributing more than 2.5 pounds of marijuana or its derivatives, $100,000;

Errol Hakeem Cunningham, 34, Boyce – theft, simple assault, $1,000 bail;

Druitt Levi Franks III, 42, Deville – possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, $1,000 bail;

Kaiden Jones, 17, Katy – simple burglary, possession of handgun by a juvenile, $5,500 bail;

Kendrick L. Jones, 43, Boyce – three counts possession of a controlled substance, $3,000 bail;

Timarian Dewayne Logan, 22, Pineville — producing, manufacturing, distributing less than 2.5 pounds of marijuana or its derivatives, illegal carry of firearms with drugs, $2,000 bail;

Trever Keegan Moran, 25, Pineville – possession of a controlled dangerous substance, $1,000 bail;

Lonnie Verdell Papayanis, 31, Alexandria – two counts theft, trespassing, resisting an officer, $2,000 bail;

Desmond Demond Price, 46, Boyce – possession of fentanyl, $1,000 bail;

Brett Dewayne Warren, 38, Pineville – Louisiana fugitive, contempt of court, $1,000 bail.

A pivotal weekend of Red River Athletic Conference basketball begins with round two of this season’s Red River Rivalry tonight as LSU Alexandria heads to Pineville and H.O. West Fieldhouse to match up against Louisiana Christian.

The doubleheader starts with a 5:30 women’s game. The men’s contest follows, targeted for a 7:30 start.

Both teams are on their homecourts Saturday afternoon. LCU hosts I-49 rival LSU Shreveport, while LSUA goes back to the Fort and takes on Xavier of New Orleans.

Tonight’s games have plenty of sizzle but the men’s game is undeniably the headliner.

LCU and LSU Alexandria bring impressive winning streaks into the game. The Wildcats (9-9 overall, 8-6 in the RRAC) are riding a six-game high while the Generals (17-1, 14-1) are winners of 11 in a row and rank fourth nationally in the NAIA Top 25.

The first meeting this season was an 82-62 LSUA victory on Dec. 2.

“Huge game for us Thursday,” LSUA coach Dimario Jackson said. “LCU is playing some really good basketball. They have gotten better since the last time we played. It’ll be a tough environment and our guys will be ready for the challenge.

Devin Carter leads the Wildcats’ scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game. He knocks down shots from deep at a 42.1 percent clip. He is converting 83.6 percent of his chances at the free throw line.

Bryce Weinmunson sits in second on the LCU scoring chart, averaging 10.6 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, with a 40.5 percentage from long range.

Chukwuemeke Nwaoshi leads LCU in rebounding, hauling down 6.8 rebounds per game. He is the only player averaging over five rebounds.

The Wildcats are averaging 72.8 points per game and shooting 43.7 percent as a unit.

LSUA is averaging 10 points more per game, hitting 44.1 percent of its shots. All-American Kashie Natt tops the Generals with averages of 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds, hitting 46 percent from the floor and 83 percent at the free throw line.

E.J. McQullan provides 13.4 points per game and has rained in 46 3-pointers at a 43.4 percent rate.

The women’s contest will reward the winner with a slump-busting W. LCU has a chance to break a string of three straight losses to the Generals of LSUA, who are 0-2 playing at H.O. West Fieldhouse.

Louisiana Christian is 6-10 overall and 6-8 in RRAC play, led by one of the league’s top players, Princis Goff. LSUA is 14-5 overall and 11-4 in conference games.

The Generals won the first meeting of the season on their home court Dec. 2, 80-68.

Goff leads the Wildcats, and the RRAC, in scoring. She averages 20.8 points per game and is shooting 43.9 percent from the field. At the free throw line, she is knocking down 81.8 percent of her shots.

McKayla Price (9.3) and Kylei Leblanc (8.2) round out the top three scorers for the Wildcats. Price is shooting 44.4 percent, while Leblanc is knocking down over half her shots at 50.4 percent.

Leblanc leads Louisiana Christian in rebounding, hauling in 8.4 boards per game. Goff is second at 7.9.

LSUA has a four-woman attack, with balanced scoring among the leaders. Jewel Jones averages 13.4 per game, hitting 80 percent of her free throws and with 50 3-pointers and 36 percent aim behind the arc. Dannah Martin-Hartwick has a 13.3 scoring average including 40 3-pointers.

The Generals’ inside punch comes in a 1-2 combo from Benedetta Peracchi, scoring 12.1 per game and snagging a team-best 8.6 rebounds, and Amani Gray, with averages of 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.

When it was announced early last year that a season on black bears had been set for this past December, the announcement was met with mixed results. Some thought it a shame for anyone to shoot a bear; we needed to have more of these special animals in our state.

Others, especially those who live in the northeast Louisiana with farms or hunting camps in the area, also had some negative things to say about allowing lottery hunters to take 10 black bears. “Taking 10 bears is not nearly enough; it won’t make a dent on these creatures that give us fits, tearing up camps and deer feeders. We need to have an open season on them.” 

Looking back on the season that ran from December 7-22, those hunters fortunate enough to take a bear got their 10 in short order. Included in the bears taken were some heavyweight bruins, one of which will likely be a state record for black bears.

Deron Santiny, a Louisiana military veteran and Purple Heart recipient, downed the heaviest of those taken: a bear that weighed in at 696 pounds.

A total of 10 bears – eight males and two females – were taken during the lottery season, an event administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Permits were distributed to Bear Management Area 4, which is made up of Tensas, Madison, East Carroll parishes and portions of Richland, Franklin and Catahoula parishes.

Interestingly, two of the males were taken in north Madison parish near where Teddy Roosevelt camped in his successful Louisiana bear hunt in 1907.

Wildlife and Fisheries officials were pleased with the success of the season. According to a statement by LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan, “We are so excited about the success of this historic black bear season and proud of the many efforts of our department, hunters, private landowners and partners to bring back this treasured Louisiana species. Providing hunters in our state a chance at harvesting a bear for the first time this century is a big win for conservation, and to see our hunters have such great success with a military veteran taking a potential record-breaking bear is indicative of many prosperous black bear seasons to come.”

Regarding the Santini bear, it was taken in Tensas Parish and is believed to be in its late teens to early 20s. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks said it is the largest bear he has seen in Louisiana, topping a 608-pound bear that was killed in a vehicle accident. He noted that Louisiana adult male black bears generally grow to between 450 and 550 pounds. After a 60-day waiting period the bear will be officially measured for Boone and Crockett scoring. 

Looking down the road, it is likely that future bear seasons will eventually take in more of north Louisiana as bears are showing up in areas unheard of decades ago. Our neighbor to the north, Union Parish, has a growing population of bears, as evidenced by hunters posting photos on social media of bears in Union Parish around corn feeders, sometimes pulling them down and destroying them to get at the corn inside.

Lincoln Parish has reported a few bears over the last several years that have shown up even in the city of Ruston. Other reports have come from places like Winnfield and Natchitoches. Likely, these are young males that have been chased away by dominant males in parishes to the east.

I saw my first bear several years ago while on a deer hunt in Madison Parish. More recently, I watched a female and two cubs from the safety of my vehicle at close range on the Tensas Wildlife Refuge. It’s sort of like seeing a gorilla or lion behind the fences at a zoo. They are fun to look at but I’m not sure I’m ready to have one ambling through my backyard.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

The City of Pineville and the Town of Woodworth announced Wednesday that regular garbage pick-up will resume today, following the disruption of service caused by the winter storm. 

While Woodworth’s announcement was simply a brief statement that trash pick-up resumes today, Pineville had a more substantial statement. 

“Regular garbage pickup will resume tomorrow, and we kindly ask for your patience as our dedicated employees work through freezing temperatures to ensure your refuse is collected,” the City shared on its Facebook page. “Please be mindful of the weather conditions and allow extra time for collection. Our hardworking team is committed to serving you, and your understanding is greatly appreciated!”