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Resting in the hands of our local community members is the future of our valuable natural resources and the decisions that are made to conserve, enhance, and sustain the integrity of soil, water, and air quality in Sabine Parish and throughout Louisiana. Conservation of our resources cannot be achieved by one group, government agency or the individual – it takes cooperative conservation.

Cooperative conservation starts first with the active involvement of the individual community member who helps to identify the resource needs of the community. Community involvement helps the local Sabine Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assess and prioritize resource concerns on a community level. Local natural resource priorities help direct technical and financial assistance decisions that NRCS and SWCD make throughout the year.

Imagine checking the weather for your hometown and seeing a forecast for a completely different place, thousands of miles away. That’s what happened to Dominique Voss from Zwolle, Netherlands, on a rainy afternoon last year. Intrigued, she discovered the American town of Zwolle, Louisiana, named after her own. This sparked a journey across the United States to explore the roots of Dutch people in America, culminating in a visit to her namesake town on December 20, 2023.

Voss is recording a podcast and considering writing a book about her travels. Zwolle, Louisiana, held a special significance, marking a full-circle moment in her exploration. Warmly welcomed by locals Mary Lucille “Betty” Rivers, Martha R. Henderson, and Connie Henderson-Strahan, Voss immersed herself in the town’s heritage. They guided her through landmarks like St. Joseph Catholic Church, Toledo Bend Lake, and the old train depot, now being transformed into a museum chronicling Zwolle’s history.

Approximately 260 eighth grade students from Sabine Parish schools attended an Education Day at Cypress Bend Park on February 2. The Sabine Parish Tourist Commission (SPTC) hosted this event as an effort to engage the community with the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend.

a morning fog delay and a stacked field on Championship Sunday, pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, weighed 36 scorable bass totaling 112 pounds, 4 ounces to earn his fifth Bass Pro Tour win and the top award of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole. Connell’s Championship Round total nearly doubled the rest of the 10-man field, earning the win by a whopping 44-pound, 2-ounce margin over Hot Springs, Arkansas’ Spencer Shuffield who finished the day in second with 22 scorable bass weighing 68-2.

As the second period of the Championship Round ticked away, Connell felt his lead slowly slipping away. The Alabama native had gotten off to a hot start, catching nearly 40 pounds of Toledo Bend bass in the first period and claiming the top spot on SCORETRACKER .

The elevation of Toledo Bend Reservoir on Monday morning, January 29 was 170.77 mean sea level.

Top of the power pool is 172 ft. msl and bottom of the power pool is 168 ft. msl.

Cleco Power is committed to giving back to the Louisiana communities we serve through volunteerism and charitable giving.

Organizations across Cleco Power’s 24-parish service territory are encouraged to apply for funds through the company’s online giving portal.

“In 2023, Cleco supported over 600 organizations across Louisiana through corporate and employee donations,” said Madeline Ducote, communications representative. “We also had over 4,700 employee volunteer hours and nearly $100,000 of employee donations to the communities we serve.”

Cleco accepts donation and volunteer requests from nonprofit organizations whose mission aligns with one or more of the company’s giving categories. Cleco’s giving categories include STEM programs, education, youth, health and wellness, low income and diversity.

In light of recent events associated with Florien High School, we cannot stress enough the importance placed upon the safety of our students and staff. Upon knowledge of this event, Superintendent Wright collaborated with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and Florien High School administration to ensure a thorough investigation of the matter. During the course of the ongoing investigation, he was not at liberty to make public comments and/or statements.

Superintendent Wright places a high priority on the well-being of all Sabine students and takes all matters regarding threats to student safety very seriously. He wishes to assure the public that all applicable district policies and state laws have been and will be followed regarding employee and student involvement.

The Sabine Parish School Board thanks the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement for their continued partnership and dedication to keeping all Sabine Parish Schools safe.

Sheriff Aaron Mitchell reports a 15-yearold student at Florien school was arrested for bringing a handgun to the school campus on Thursday evening, January 18, 2024.

Florien schoolteacher Stacey Renee Chesher (age-51) of Leesville was also arrested for her involvement in the case. Chesher has been a teacher in Sabine Parish for the past six years.

Sabine Parish Sheriff SROs and Detectives began the investigation after a video of the student with the gun was posted on social media.

The social media video allegedly showed a student with a handgun in a holster in his waistband in the parking lot of Florien school.

School video surveillance footage captured the student with the gun in his waistband while he was inside the school during a basketball game that night.

The First Extraordinary Session of 2024 adjourned last week after legislators passed measures redrawing Louisiana’s congressional districts as well as creating closed party primaries for federal elections as well as members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission. The eight-day session concluded 3 days early after lawmakers completed their business ahead of schedule.

“The Governor shared with us his commitment to ending the redistricting litigation so the legislature could quickly focus on the issues that will make Louisiana an even better place to live and work,” said Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier. “We didn’t want a federal judge to do it for us. In terms of closed primaries, it’s been a goal for many that gained traction under the leadership of Governor Landry and now was the time to act. With this session complete, all of our energy can now be directed towards the priorities that are important to our constituents.”

Joseph Chad Castillo, 36, of Converse, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 24, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge Donald E. Walter sentenced Castillo to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of firearms.

Information introduced in court revealed that on December 26, 2022, a deputy with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a residence in Converse. While the deputy was at the residence, a vehicle drove down the driveway and stopped and the rear seat passenger, later determined to be Castillo, fled into the woods. After a brief pursuit, law enforcement officers stopped and searched the vehicle and found a Remington Model 1100 shotgun and a Remington Model 7600 rifle, as well as Castillo’s cell phone in the backseat. The rifle had an obliterated serial number and Castillo had previously stolen it from a private residence.