April 2024

Turn It Up Tuesday turns up again

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Area music lovers will have another chance to gather on Tuesday, April 16 in downtown Jennings for some toe-tapping tunes during the free weekly concert series, Turn It Up Tuesday. The live music event is presented by Jeff Davis Arts Council, which presents free concerts each spring and fall and this season’s series runs through May 7 at Founders Park in Jennings. The semi-annual event is open to anyone who enjoys live music, dancing and fun.

Local author accomplishes the 'ungettable' interview

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Louisiana local Rhonda Kitchens, an investigative reporter for about 25 years and morning anchor at KPLC in Lake Charles, has covered many high profile murder cases in the area over her long career. “I’ve covered most of the big cases in the Lake Charles area and Southwest Louisiana, actually,” Kitchens said. “The Jason Reed case, the Derrick Todd Lee case in Baton Rouge, the Jennings Eight, of course.” Her most interesting accomplishment, according to Kitchens, is revealed in a recent book, “The Ungettable”, detailing her two-year journey to interview Felix Vail, convicted murderer of his wife, Mary Horton Vail, and assumed serial killer. Vail is currently serving life in prison at Angola for the murder of his wife, a former student at McNeese State University.

Genealogy meeting to be held

A group of parish residents who discovered a passion for learning more about family history is holding its monthly meeting and inviting the public to attend. The Genealogical Society of Jennings will be meeting from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, at the Jeff Davis Arts and Technology Center, located at 137 North Main St. in Jennings.

Library expansion begins

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Library expansion begins

Older Americans Month celebrated the Cajun way

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Jeff Davis Parish Council on Aging will host its annual crawfish boil to honor the month of May’s Older Americans Month. The celebration will be held on Friday, May 10, from 8 a.m. until noon at the Lake Arthur Community Center, with the serving of crawfish ending at 11:30 a.m.

Time to come together, move on together

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Any city council member has many duties, one of the main ones being to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents … the men and women who voted them into office.

Believing Is Seeing

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We all know the old saying “seeing is believing,” which makes perfect sense, since it is hard to doubt something that is right in front of you. But the equation of seeing and believing works both ways. That is, we often believe only because we have directed our eyes, or our mental gaze, in the direction of something. Many of us believe in God because we have seen His work in our lives or have experienced him in a way that is hard to doubt. Many view the natural world around them as the handiwork of God and this strengthens their faith. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives a working definition of faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) Those who believe without seeing are sometimes commended for their faith, but sometimes, in the effort to strengthen our faith, we really need to look harder. If you aren’t looking for God in the world then you probably won’t see Him there, whereas if you make a determined effort to see God, both in the guise of your fellow human beings, and in the natural world all around you, you are sure to see Him everywhere. – Christopher Simon

Softball playoffs begin for four area teams

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JHS, LA, WHS and LHS all earn bids to postseason

Astros top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti hit hard in MLB debut against Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Spencer Arrighetti's major league debut for the Houston Astros hardly went as planned.

State insurance officials issue policyholder guidance after storm

The severe weather that swept through the state on Wednesday, including tornadoes in Slidell and Lake Charles, caused extensive property damage across Louisiana. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple has been in contact with elected officials from the affected areas to offer assistance from the Louisiana Department of Insurance.