The Lincoln-Bienville branch of the LSU AgCenter has shared its spring 2026 issue of their “Fresh Picks” newsletter. The purpose of the newsletter is to examine a seasonable horticultural topic AND share a new recipe (sometimes related to the horticultural topic).
Check out the newsletter below.
The Town of Arcadia and several community partners, including Citizens for a Better Arcadia, Beehive Lodge 105 PHA, Phi Beta Sigma – Beta Eta Sigma Chapter, and the NAACP Arcadia-Bienville Youth Council 68AN-B, will host a beautification and clean-up event in honor of “Love the Boot” week.
The event will be held Saturday, April 25, at 8am in Arcadia – meet at 1819 S. Railroad Ave. Arcadia is inviting businesses, churches, politicians, students, clubs, and any organizations that want to pitch in. Free t-shirts will be available while supplies last.
For more information, contact Arcadia Town Hall or visit www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.
The Arcadia Literature Club is offering a $250 Scholarship to a graduating senior from Bienville Parish. The applicant must be a Bienville Parish resident, a U.S. citizen, and must be preparing for full-time attendance at an accredited university.
To apply, complete a cover sheet with student’s name, address, and phone number. Write a one-page essay including the following:
When completed, the student should have their school counselor confirm their information. The counselor must sign the cover sheet as confirmation.
Applications are due by 5pm on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Mail applications to:
Arcadia Literature Club
Scholarship Committee
378 Spurlock Road
Arcadia, LA 71001
Or email: pbeck437@aol.com. For questions, call 318-245-3728.
Northwestern State University hosted over 1500 high school students, faculty sponsors and families from 38 schools from throughout the region for the Northwest Louisiana Literary Rally, Saturday, March 14. The Louisiana High School Rally, an academic competition held throughout the state since 1909, with the regional competition being held at NSU since the 1960’s, is an academic competition in which high school students compete by taking exams in a variety of subjects taught in high school. The Northwest Louisiana Rally held at NSU features different tests ranging from Agriscience to Calculus. Bienville parish was ably represented by students from Arcadia, Castor, Gibsland-Coleman, Ringgold and Saline High Schools.
Saline High School earned a Third-place finish in the Rally’s always competitive Division V. Individual students who earn qualifying scores on their test or performance will advance to compete at the state literary rally at LSU in Baton Rouge on April 18.
Hard working teachers raising our young people’s sights and encouraging academic excellence are an integral part of our schools’ mission that all too often goes unrecognized. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for the hours of hard work, dedication and belief in your students’ abilities. Lastly, the Bienville Parish Journal wishes all the best to our parish’s students who will go on to represent Bienville parish at the state rally in Baton Rouge. Well done!
As the 2026 bass tournament season gets underway, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is requesting all bass anglers and tournament organizers to submit their tournament results to the Louisiana Annual Tournament Report and Information Project (LATRIP).
LATRIP is a voluntary reporting program that collects bass tournament data to help LDWF biologists, tournament organizers, and anglers better understand fishing trends and improve management of Louisiana’s fisheries. The information provided assists LDWF in working to enhance bass fishing opportunities across the state.
Tournament results can be submitted, and additional information about the program can be found at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/
LATRIP was developed to:
The project is modeled after similar successful bass tournament reporting programs in Arkansas and Mississippi. Participation from Louisiana anglers is essential to ensure the program’s long-term success.
LDWF is especially seeking tournament data from waterbodies such as False River, Chicot Lake, Vernon Lake, Indian Creek Reservoir, Saline-Larto, Lake Bruin, and Lake St. John. Anglers are encouraged to access the 2025 LATRIP report at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/
Tournament anglers who do not see their favorite waterbody listed are encouraged to speak with their tournament director or submit results directly through the LATRIP online portal to ensure their lake or river is included.
For additional information regarding LATRIP contact Jeff Sibley LDWF Biologist Manager at jsibley@wlf.la.gov or 318- 371-5294.
Life has so many variables out of our control that makes navigating our daily situations difficult. But in some instances, there are a few things we can control and it’s up to each of us to make it happen.
One thing we have zero control over is who our parents are. We as individuals have zero say on the DNA we are blessed with, nor the people it came from. Even though we are who we are, we do have the ability to become the person we truly want to be. In most cases, we can pave our own path to success or failure with the skills we have been blessed with.
Even with bad DNA flowing through our bodies, we still have the task of shaping our lives into whatever we want to be. But only if we as individuals take control and ownership of who we are will our direction in life be confirmed.
I learned at a very early age that the good Lord above had blessed me with good athletic abilities. I figured out before the age of 10 that it would be through sports, with hard work and determination, that I could possibly have some success. Sports gave me a purpose!
That’s what we’re all looking for … a purpose! Even if it goes against the beliefs of the people who raised us, we have to take control of our own destiny at some point.
Even when the odds are against us, there are also times when we have to accept the consequences of our actions. We have to make decisions that not only affect ourselves, but those around us.
Sometimes this means hurting the ones we love the most because the direction they want us to go may not be the same as the destination we had in mind.
By the time we reach 17 or 18 years old, most people know who they are and possibly what direction or path they might want to take. They start to see things in a different light than, say, their parents. But as parents, we must recognize that even though we think we know what’s best for our children, that may not always be the case. We must allow them to spread their wings and continue to grow even if they make a few mistakes along the way. It’s called growing up!
I’ve always heard the excuse that he or she was a product of the environment in which they were raised. Sometimes this can be true, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.
For example, my stepdad was a wife beater and treated women like they were worthless. Even though I witnessed many of these incidents first-hand at a young age, I always knew in my heart that this was wrong, and I made a conscious decision to never be that kind of person.
I always felt that God instills in each of us the ability to know right from wrong when we are born. He gave all of us a brain and the ability to reason when we see things that are not right.
Just because you grow up in a house with little to no guidance doesn’t give you the excuse to ignore what is right. Subconsciously we still know right from wrong and it’s up to each of us to make good decisions and do the right thing.
We all need direction in our lives, which was lacking early in my childhood. Hopefully, we have those we can turn to for advice like a parent or maybe a grandparent, aunt, uncle, preacher, teacher or maybe a coach. No matter who it is, it should be someone we trust. A person who has our best interest at heart.
Bottom line is this — at some point in our lives we must take control over our destiny no matter what our background is. But when we make a decision, we must accept the consequences for our actions. This is what we call accountability!
It really does take less square footage to be a kid now than it did back in the olden days—by which I mean the 60s, 70s, and 80s, when dinosaurs did not roam the earth, but teenagers with giant stereos certainly did.
Back then, if you were a teenager, your bedroom looked like the back room of a Radio Shack. You had a stereo system that took up half the wall. Not a cute little Bluetooth speaker—no, no. This thing had a turntable, an amplifier, and speakers the size of end tables. If you turned the volume up, the windows rattled, the dog hid under the porch, and your mother yelled your full name from three counties away.
And the music collection? Albums were thin, yes, but they were the size of pizza boxes. And every album had a jacket, and the jacket slid into a cover, and some artists released double albums, which meant you needed a forklift to move your collection. Then came eight-tracks (which lasted about as long as a snowball in July), then cassettes, which required their own storage system—usually a shoebox with the lid missing.
If you were lucky, you had a phone in your room. It was attached to the wall by a cord, and the receiver was attached to the base by another cord. If you were really lucky, you had the long cord, the one that let you walk around the room, change albums, and still talk to your best friend about absolutely nothing for two hours.
You also had an alarm clock—or a clock radio—because you needed something to wake you up so you could enjoy that magical sleep between the alarm going off and your parent entering the room to announce, “I said GET UP.” Today we call that the snooze button. Back then we called it “living dangerously.”
Some studious kids had a desk with a typewriter on it. If you had a Pica typewriter, your term papers looked longer, which felt like cheating but wasn’t. And there was almost never a TV in the bedroom. The TV lived in the den, a 25-inch RCA color set that weighed more than a small car. The whole family gathered around it, and since there was no remote, the youngest child served as the official channel changer. It built character.
Fast-forward to 2026. Kids don’t need a whole room anymore. They need a pocket. Their music, alarm, computer, TV, telephone, camera, calculator, flashlight, and speakers are all in one device. Pull out your phone and look at everything it does. It’s a miracle of modern engineering.
There’s a tool that lets us do things we never dreamed possible.
iPhone.
But here’s the thing: for all the problems life throws at us—grief, illness, broken relationships, guilt, confusion, decisions that keep us up at night—there is no app for that. There’s no setting to toggle, no update to install, no notification that says, “Your peace has arrived.”
When you don’t know what to do…
When you’ve lost something or someone…
When the doctor is puzzled…
When your child or parent won’t listen…
When you’ve messed up and don’t know how to make it right…
When you need direction and can’t find the map…
There is one place to go.
Jesus.
He doesn’t fit in your pocket.
He doesn’t need charging.
He doesn’t go out of date when the next model comes out.
And He’s the only One who can hold everything your phone can’t—your fears, your hopes, your grief, your sin, your future.
Kids today may need less space to grow up. But all of us—no matter our age—need the same Savior to grow into the people God calls us to be.
Across Louisiana, spring weather often feels like a roller coaster. Residents can wake up to thick fog, enjoy warm sunshine by midday, and then find themselves watching storm clouds roll in just hours later. Sudden thunderstorms and severe weather alerts are not uncommon during this time of year, sometimes followed by clear skies again before the day ends.
The rapid shifts are a familiar part of life in the state, where warm Gulf air, cold fronts, and seasonal storm systems frequently collide. For many Louisianans, keeping an eye on the forecast—and being prepared for just about anything—has become a routine part of the spring season.
Newspapers reported that it was one of “the most spectacular breaks in the history of American crime,” partly because the pistol Dillinger used to set off the daring jailbreak was absolutely harmless. It was not loaded. It could not be loaded. You see, the pistol Dillinger used in that escape was one he had whittled out of a piece of wood.
Sources:
1. The Times-Picayune, March 4, 1934, p.10.
2. The Times (Hammond, Indiana), March 5, 1934, p.10.
On March 18, 1944, the romantic wartime drama Casablanca took center stage at the 16th Academy Awards, winning three Oscars including Best Picture.
Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, “Casablanca” tells the story of an American expatriate torn between love and sacrifice in the shadow of World War II. Set in unoccupied Morocco, the film blended romance, suspense and patriotism at a time when global audiences were living through the war itself.
The film’s win for Best Picture cemented its place in Hollywood history. Director Michael Curtiz also took home the Oscar for Best Director, and the film earned a third award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Though not initially predicted to sweep the ceremony, “Casablanca” resonated with audiences and Academy voters alike. Its themes of duty over desire and moral courage struck a chord during wartime America.
The film’s dialogue has since become iconic, with lines like “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “We’ll always have Paris” embedded in pop culture for generations. Bogart’s portrayal of Rick Blaine transformed him into a lasting symbol of cinematic cool, while Bergman’s performance remains one of the most celebrated in classic film history.
Over the decades, “Casablanca” has consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, frequently appearing atop lists from the American Film Institute and other organizations.
March 18 marks not only a major milestone for a beloved film but also a reminder of Hollywood’s enduring power to capture emotion, history and hope on screen.
The following arrests were made by local law enforcement officers.
3/01/26
Jaylen McKenzie of Keithville was arrested for Maximum Speed Limit (Interstate or Controlled Access Highway).
Tyler Cook of Ringgold was arrested for Operating a Vehicle with Suspended License – No License Issued.
Mario Scott of Arcadia was arrested for Driver Must Be Licensed.
Melvin Munoz Vanegas of Lubbock, TX, was arrested for Maximum Speed Limit (Interstate or Controlled Access Highway).
Angela Redding of Saline was arrested for Violation of Probation/Parole and Failure to Appear Warrant (Misdemeanor).
3/02/26
April Brooks of Jonesboro was arrested for Fugitive.
Kami Dodge of Gibsland was arrested for Violation of Fire Marshal’s Orders/Burn Ban.
Jeremy Shephard of Dubberly was arrested for Fugitive; Resisting an Officer (Misdemeanor); Switched Plates (Misdemeanor); Illegal Possession of Stolen Things (Felony); and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (Felony).
3/03/26
Drapar Wilson of Ruston was arrested for Fugitive.
Jason Grillette of Ringgold was arrested for Operating a Vehicle with Suspended License – No License Issued.
3/04/26
Kenterrion Carr of Arcadia was arrested for Battery of a Dating Partner (Misdemeanor) and Aggravated Assault with a Firearm (Felony).
Katherine Moffett of Jamestown was arrested for Operating a Vehicle with Suspended License – No License Issued.
Joseph Bennett of Ringgold was arrested for Terrorizing (Felony) and Domestic Abuse Battery (Misdemeanor).
3/05/26
Joe Wreyford of Castor was arrested for Failure to Appear Warrant (Misdemeanor).
Jimmy Shine Jr. of Homer was arrested for Theft (Misdemeanor) and Flight from an Officer (Misdemeanor).
3/06/26
Roderick Richardson of Grambling was arrested for Violation of Probation/Parole.
Leearthur Stewart was arrested for Failure to Appear Warrant (Misdemeanor).
3/07/26
Justin Willis of Ringgold was arrested for Possession or Distribution of Drug Paraphernalia (Misdemeanor); Distribution of Marijuana; Distribution of Methamphetamine (Felony); Distribution of Klonopin (Clonazepam; Felony); Illegal Carrying of Weapons (Felony); and Possession of Marijuana Over 14 Grams/1st Offense (Misdemeanor).
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.
The Bienville Parish Police Jury will be convening for their March regular meeting today, Wednesday, Mar. 11, at 9am at the Bienville Parish Courthouse in Arcadia.
The week begins with rain before transitioning to several days of sun, though the clouds will return. Temperatures will rollercoaster up and down, with daytime temps starting mild before increasing into the 70s briefly then plummeting into the 50s. Nighttime temps will range between the 30s and 40s across the forecast window.
Wednesday, Mar. 11
Wednesday will feature mostly cloudy skies in the morning with a high of 74°F and overnight lows around 46°F. The afternoon will see thunderstorms with a 90% chance for rain that will persist into the evening. There will be a chance for severe thunderstorms overnight, with a 90% chance for rain.
Thursday, Mar. 12
Thursday will bring sunny skies with a high of 65°F and overnight lows around 38°F. Winds light and variable overnight with clear skies.
Friday, Mar. 13
Friday will be feature sunny skies with a high of 76°F. Overnight skies will be clear with a low of 49°F. Winds will continue to be light and variable.
Saturday, Mar. 14
Saturday will feature lots and lots of sunshine with a high of 81°F. Overnight skies will persist in being mostly clear with a low of 59°F.
Sunday, March 15
The clouds will return on Sunday with a random shower or thunderstorm possible. The day will see a high of 82°F and a low of 44°F. Overnight skies will be mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms with a chance of rain at 50%.
Monday, March 16
Cloudy skies persist on Monday, transitioning to partly cloudy skies later in the day. Monday will feature much cooler temps with a high of 56°F. Overnight, a few clouds may be seen, while nighttime lows will be 34°F.
Tuesday, March 17
The clouds hang around for Tuesday, starting partly cloudy and persisting partly cloudy throughout the afternoon and overnight. The high for the day will be 73°F, returning to the mild temperatures that started the week, with an overnight low of 55°F.
Bienville Parish enters this forecast period with thunderstorms before getting several days’ reprieve of sunshine. However, sunshine does not equal warm temps in this period, and the sunshine will not persist – the clouds will be coming back.
Overall, the period is defined by cloudy weather, rollercoaster temperatures, and significant precipitation risk with the thunderstorms, but more clouds than precipitation the rest of the forecast period.
BATON ROUGE — State Representative Larry Bagley has introduced House Bill 838, legislation that would eliminate Louisiana’s requirement for annual vehicle inspection stickers.
Bagley said the proposal has the support of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and is part of the governor’s legislative package for the 2026 session. Landry also highlighted the effort to eliminate inspection stickers in his opening remarks Monday during the joint session address marking the start of the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.
Louisiana’s inspection sticker program was created decades ago when vehicles lacked the advanced safety systems and diagnostic technology common in modern automobiles. Today, vehicles are equipped with onboard diagnostic systems that continuously monitor engine performance, emissions systems, and other mechanical functions. When an issue is detected, the vehicle alerts the driver through dashboard warning lights so repairs can be addressed.
Modern vehicles also include a range of built‑in safety technologies such as anti‑lock braking systems, electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring systems, and computerized engine management systems. Bagley said these advancements provide drivers with real‑time information about the condition of their vehicles, making the decades‑old inspection sticker program increasingly outdated.
“Vehicle technology has changed dramatically over the years,” Bagley said. “Cars and trucks today already have sophisticated onboard systems that monitor performance and notify drivers when something needs attention.”
Bagley also noted that Louisiana is among a shrinking number of states that still require annual vehicle safety inspections. According to national transportation data, 35 states no longer require annual safety inspections for passenger vehicles.
“This legislation simply updates Louisiana law to reflect today’s technology while removing an outdated requirement for drivers,” Bagley said.
HB 838 has been referred to the House Transportation Committee for consideration.
The Grambling Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is offering a limited number of scholarships to graduating high school seniors to several local parishes, including Bienville Parish.
To be eligible for the scholarship, the graduating senior should meet the following requirements:
The scholarship application deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Submit all application documents to scholarshipgac@gmail.com.
For additional information, contact Cynthia Mason by phone at 318-243-9711 or Michelle Hopwood by phone at 318-596-1412.
You know the moment. The meeting is wrapping up, chairs start shifting, and everyone thinks they’re about to head home. Then someone says the dreaded words: “Before we adjourn, I’ve got just one more thing.” Suddenly the agenda grows, the clock keeps ticking and what was supposed to be a quick meeting turns into a marathon. Around here, “one more thing” rarely means just one more thing.
The Bienville Parish School Board invites the community and community partners to join them for a Bienville Parish Community Network Literacy Event, “Read Across Bienville Parish,” on Thursday, March 19, from 9am to 1pm at Eugene Smith Events Center in Arcadia.
All preschool-age children that are between the ages of 3 and 5 that attend Bienville Parish public schools, child care centers, and Head Start centers are invited to participate in a fun day of literacy activities and games.
BPSB invites local community businesses and organizations to partner with them by setting up booths, sharing resources, and/or volunteering to support their families. Working together can make this a special day for celebrating reading that also strengthens the community.
For more information on participation or to participate as a community partner, contact Shelethia Haulcy at 318-263-2244 or shelethia.haulcy@bpsb.us.
Talent is common, but experience is rare. Here is how CAPA turns students into working professionals before they ever graduate.
By Cole Gentry, Chief Marketing Officer at Northwestern State University
There is a moment of terrifying clarity that happens to every young artist. It usually strikes midway through a senior showcase or during the quiet drive home from an audition. It is the realization that raw talent, no matter how bright, is only a starting line. The world is full of people who can sing, paint, or write. The industry does not pay for potential. It pays for polish.
This is the hard truth of the creative life. The gap between having a gift and having a career is wide, and it is paved with rejection, technical demands, and the need for a relentless work ethic. Many young creatives hesitate here. They have the vision, yet they lack the professional-grade portfolio or the stage hours to make a casting director pause. They wait to start their careers until after graduation, only to find they are already years behind.
At Northwestern State University, inside the Mrs. H.D. Dear, Sr. and Alice E. Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), we operate under a different philosophy. We believe you cannot learn to be a professional by sitting in a classroom talking about it. You must do the work.
The halls of CAPA carry a specific energy. It is the sound of a piano practice room occupied in the early morning hours and the scent of oils in a painting studio late at night. Here, we do not view the arts as a hobby or a fragile dream. We treat them as a discipline.
This approach changes the trajectory of a student’s life.
When you walk through the doors of CAPA, you are not asked to wait for your turn. The hierarchy that exists at other institutions, where freshmen wait years to touch a camera or step into the spotlight, does not exist here. From your first semester, you are in the mix. You are auditioning for mainstage productions. You are hanging your work in gallery exhibitions. You are recording in professional studios and reporting for digital media outlets.
The faculty guiding this work are not retired observers. They are active artists, performers, and creators who understand the modern landscape of the industry. They know that a degree is necessary, but a reel is vital. They push students to build a body of work that stands up to scrutiny in New York, Los Angeles, or Atlanta.
Scott Burrell, Director of the Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts and Professor of Theatre, emphasizes that the curriculum bridges the gap between student and professional. “We don’t ask you to wait until graduation to become an artist,” Burrell says. “We hand you the tools and the stage on day one. By the time you leave, you’re not starting a career. You’re continuing one.”
The results of this immersion are etched into playbills and credit rolls across the nation.
Look at the numbers. Twelve alumni have landed on Broadway. Graduates have appeared in over 120 film and television productions. Thirty-two professional dance companies feature NSU-trained talent. Our alumni are defining the arts. They are the graphic designers shaping global brands, the journalists leading newsrooms, and the music educators inspiring the next generation.
This success stems from a curriculum that balances creative freedom with technical rigor. Whether it is the NASAD-accredited Fine & Graphic Arts program, the elite ensembles of the Department of Music, or the Department of Theatre & Dance, one of only 150 NAST-accredited programs in the country, the standard is excellence.
We understand that talent is the fuel, but training is the engine. From Theatre and Music to Art and New Media, Journalism, & Communication Arts (NMJCA), our programs are defined by cutting-edge collaboration rather than outdated instruction. We prioritize career training that is pertinent to the industry and vital to the student. For example, NMJCA students are currently producing nationally award-winning podcast series. The Department of Music routinely brings Grammy-nominated producers into the studio to work alongside faculty and students. The Department of Art’s Design Center for in-house internships was recognized as one of only twenty elite models in a 2025 study by the Louisiana Board of Regents.
When an NSU student walks across the graduation stage, they carry a resume. They have a network of peers and mentors who open doors. They possess the confidence that comes from having done the job a hundred times before the first paycheck ever arrived.
The creative world is competitive, but it is not impenetrable. It yields to those who show up prepared. If you are ready to stop dreaming about the work and start doing it, you belong here. The studio is open. The lights are on.
Whether you seek to command the stage or master the craft behind the scenes, you will find your place within CAPA’s professionally oriented programs. The invitation is open to join the Demon family. Apply to CAPA today, schedule your visit, and let’s get to work.
Explore CAPA: https://www.nsu.la/capa
Schedule a CAPA Tour: https://www.nsula.edu/
Apply for Admission: https://www.nsula.
Arcadia Parks and Recreation is still seeking coaches for basketball and football. They are seeking coaches for girls and boys youth basketball teams and girls and boys flag football teams. Want to make a difference by becoming a coach? Sign up today by contacting Mario Jefferson, Sr. at 318-436-6662.