Good morning, Monroe.

Paul West, Executive Director of NOVA Workforce Investment, will share details about the 10th Anniversary Community Update Luncheon scheduled on Thursday, Aug.

20 at Monroe Civic Center (featuring a keynote from Meta, success stories from graduates, and local business benefits).

Police and bicycle experts urge parents to remind kids to wear helmets and use lights with proper bike lanes on busy school commute days.

The guidelines emphasize riding with traffic + avoiding distractions as local schools reopen.

Kiroli Park will reopen this week for Monroe residents, offering a refreshed outdoor space for local recreation (official confirmation received).

The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office will host its annual Youth Fishing Tournament on Saturday, Sept.

12 at 357 Sheriff Fewell Road in West Monroe. Children ages 2 to 12 may fish local waterways with a weigh-in between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and enjoy family activities at the venue.

The Center for Children and Families' Brokers of Hope program is hosting a hygiene drive through Friday, Aug.

14 to provide essential toiletries and undergarments to 100 Union Parish families. Organizers say the drive will ease hygiene poverty — a key factor in bullying and school absences.

The Monroe Chamber of Commerce is launching a three-part Leadership Development Series for Northeast Louisiana business leaders.

The program will offer structured sessions to boost leadership skills + networking opportunities, with more details coming soon.

Louisiana agriculture officials warn growers to dispose of crops exposed to Tropical Storm Arthur flood water because the FDA deems them unsafe.

The advisory covers produce like tomatoes and leafy greens—producers should contact the LDAF for guidance.

Local experts and developers in West Monroe are urging the use of incremental development—splitting projects into smaller, individually funded pieces—to revive vacant downtown buildings.

A free lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Ruston Civic Center from 6 to 8 p.m. will explain this approach.

ULM football coach Bryant Vincent updated fans on the Warhawks fall camp yesterday, noting that training sessions + coaching clinics will begin soon at the ULM facility.

Aaron Dietrich and Joe Raymond Peace will receive the Bayou Jamb Lifetime Achievement Award for the festival's 20th anniversary.

Dietrich will be honored at halftime in West Monroe on Friday, Aug. 28 and Peace in Ruston on Saturday, Aug. 29.