Bernice News

A couple of months ago, while enjoying a steak at Moon's Cafe near Homer, I heard a familiar voice on the 70-year-old restaurant's official country music radio station.

Army National Guard Pfc. Sarah M. Dean has been promoted to the rank of private first class in the U.S. Army National Guard.

Richard 'Dick' Brock of Monroe, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, died Thursday.

RAYVILLE - Martin Alexander died Sunday. Services are 11 a.m. Sunday at Magnolia Baptist Church, Newellton.

FARMERVILLE - With little pomp, a small group of about a half-dozen unassuming people quietly stroll into the backroom of a restaurant on the outskirts of this town.

BERNICE - Carmen Domine was beaming when the ceremony at the Bernice Civic Center finished on Thursday night.

“When the inside of the church filled up, people stuck their heads in the windows to listen. It was a real good experience for me.”

It doesn't matter how long servants of God live, but how they live while in His service. via The Baptist Message

“I'm particularly proud that we can assist in whatever little part we can play in this project.”

Spc. Micheal Champion of Bernice, La., carefully places a 3,000-pound, 4-by-4-foot "super sac" filled with soil along the levee north of the Morganza Spillway. via The United States Army

By JOHN WORTHEN News-Times Staff The Junction City Police Department arrested a 17-year-old Junction City, La., man on Wednesday for attempted murder. via Http

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents have cited two men for game fish violations in Union Parish. via News-Star

Bernice resident Federico Zuniga came by  the Bernice police department at approximately 9:25 PM Saturday night to report the theft of his 1997 Chevy Camero. Early Sunday morning a vehicle, matching the description of the stolen Camero, was spotted in the woods just off US Hwy. 167 in Middlefork Bottom (just south of Bernice).

It appeared that the car, traveling at a high rate of speed,  left the road  at the foot of  a bridge, skimmed across the water and came to a halt onto dry land. Members of the Bernice Volunteer Fire Department brought in a boat so they could reach the vehicle. They  were assisted by the Bernice Police Department, UPSO and Troop F. Officers and volunteers combed the area for occupants of the car. They discovered several pools of blood and tracked the injured party or parties through the woods and back to Hwy. 167. At this point they determined that the injured victims must have been picked up by someone. Read more

“While thousands of Louisianans died serving the Confederate cause in the campaigns in Virginia, Marylands, and Pennsylvania, equally significant events occurred within Louisiana”

The Union Parish Library at 202 West Jackson Street in Farmerville will be co-sponsoring with the Bernice Historical Society, a six-week series of readings and discussions about the Civil War as it was ... via News-Star

Firefighters, law enforcement officers and those who cover medical emergencies are viewed as heroes by those they serve.

VFW Post 5442 Commander James "Jake" McKeithen had the honor of selecting three local citizens to represent Farmerville Post 5442 for the VFW's annual Gold Medal Public Servants Safety Awards. Those recognized by Post 5442 included Farmerville Firefighter Mike Allen, Chief Deputy Don M. McClanahan, and RNC,EMT-P- Deborah Self.

To qualify, each participant must be recognized by colleagues or those they serve. They must show consistent excellence in their performance of their duties. They must also show consistent dedication of their official responsibilities over a period of years and continuous growth in responsibilities and skills within their profession. Read more

“When Barry Royals from Waggoner Engineering and Ben McGee from U.S. Geological Survey were here, they said we could not set a level that was possible to legally enforce and where would enforcement come from?”

The Lake Commission members had a very busy meeting discussing the pros and cons of the Draw down of Lake D'Arbonne for drinking water purposes.

Jack Rivers, the Lake Commission members on the Union/Lincoln Regional Water Source Initiative, was getting copies of reports from Waggoner Engineering about the quality of the Lake to be used as potable water. One finding was that 10 feet below the surface of the Lake oxygen levels are depleted. They also found iron and magnesium levels which will need treatment and low levels of fecal matter which does not requires treatment. They found that Lake water is good to be used for potable water! Read more

New mission projects, ongoing mission projects and upcoming mission trips are in the works in large and small churches across the state. via The Baptist Message

“We had a number of local governments statewide that took advantage of lower interest rates to refinance debt”

BATON ROUGE - The State Bond Commission last week approved $72 million in funding for projects in north and central Louisiana, according to State Treasurer John Kennedy. via News-Star

I am writing in response to a letter that was published a week ago in The Gazette concerning the material content and conduct presented at the Farmerville High School Talent Show on January 31, 2008. It seems that certain persons may have taken an offense to some of the acts presented, and while, we, the students, faculty, and endorsers hold this with sincere apology, we would also like to give a pseudo-rebuttal to some of the accusations of "inappropriate" behavior.

The purpose of the talent show was to raise money for the senior promenade, in which it was a huge success. The acts were reviewed by faculty and all of them were rendered appropriate or "clean". Read more

The Bernice Youth Program needs your help. The Rebel League, one of the oldest Dixie Youth summer baseball programs in Louisiana, is in danger of folding with only two teams remaining in the league. Bernice has long been one of the six teams composing this league, and a decision must be made as to which direction will take with its summer baseball program.

Johnny Buckley, President of the Bernice Youth Program, has scheduled a meeting at the Bernice Ball Park on Thursday, February 14, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. for anyone interested in the future of this program. All parents of children who wish to play summer ball are urged to attend this meeting to discuss the options available. Parental involvement is essential in order to keep this program going, and the input of parents is needed to plan a course of action. This meeting is also open to parents from the Dubach and Spearsville areas. Read more

Union Parish is buzzing with YELLOW BULLDOZIERS - ORANGE BARRELS - CONSTRUCTION SIGNS - SURVEY TEAMS - NEW BUSINESSES- NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION - LOW UNEMPLOYMENT

As 2008 is moving forward, join me in maintaining our quality of health care. March 8th, 2008 is OUR day to chose the future of many, many of our residents of the parish. Our life without Union General Hospital would be drastically different without its presence.

Statistics show the 1st revealing question an Industry asks when choosing a location is: What type of Healthcare can you provide to our employees? We know for a fact, this is what our prize employer, Pilgrim's Pride asked when considering Union Parish as its home. A 55 million dollar payroll in our parish was delivered to us because we could answer this 55 million dollar question, with YES! Our life without Union General Hospital would be drastically different without its presence. Read more

“Every year, I bought a ticket to the St. Jude Dream Home, never knowing it would come back to help my grandson”

At age six months, he had surgery for cancer.

A mere four days later, this young trouper from Ruston was happily playing at a Ronald McDonald House near St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

And now, the face of 15-month-old Mason Nutt peers from a poster promoting the 2008 St. Jude Radiothon.

Mason, the son of Lauren and Daniel Nutt, is one of hundreds of North Louisiana children who receive treatment at St. Jude. To help raise money in support of that facility, the area's annual radiothon is scheduled for Feb. 11-12. Read more