Good morning, Monroe.

Fall Youth Fitness Day will take place Wednesday, Oct.

14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Highland Park Wetland Trails. Hosted by West Monroe with partners (The Wellness Center, LSU Ag Center, and West Monroe Sports and Events), the free event offers exercise demos, fitness challenges, and station visits for youth.

Local organizers with the Kiroli Foundation invite West Monroe residents to nominate pets for the second annual Pet Mayor Contest from Oct.

6 until Oct. 30 — winning pets will be honored at Kiroli Park and a City Council meeting, with proceeds funding park improvements including the Raising Cane's Dog Park.

University of Louisiana Monroe will honor veterans and active-duty service members during its annual Veterans Day Appreciation Ceremony on Friday, Nov.

6 at 10 a.m. in The Terrace (seventh floor of the ULM Library), where eligible veterans can receive the Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal; service members should RSVP by Nov. 4 and veterans must RSVP by Oct. 23.

Maven Scouts will use part of a $1 million SBA grant to acquire the Gulf South Defense Tech Cluster—planned to help 150 Louisiana small businesses compete in defense and commercial markets while expanding its presence with offices in West Monroe, Monroe, Bossier, and a soon-to-open office in Lafayette.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s travel series LA64 films its second season in Ouachita Parish this week to highlight local traditions like canoeing on Black Bayou & dining at Parish Restaurant & Bar.

ULM alum host Karen LeBlanc leads the immersive series airing Mondays at 9:00 p.m. on PBS.

Strauss Theatre Center will stage Puffs — Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years At A Certain School of Magic and Magic, a brisk coming of age play following young wizard Wayne Hopkins, with its first public show on Oct.

17 and six more performances through Oct. 25 in Monroe.

Local universities report fall enrollment numbers.

ULM dropped nearly 500 students to about 8,200, Grambling enrolled almost 2,000 fewer, and Louisiana Tech reported nearly 12,000 students+ a record freshman class with growth in technical programs.

Louisiana posted the largest increase among states in AP exam qualifying scores, rising 31.7 percentage points from 37.4 percent in 2019 to 69.1 percent today — nearly bridging the gap with the national average by just 2.2 points.

Education officials praise the achievement as a sign of strengthened college readiness.

Today, the Monroe Fire Department is hosting its Annual Extravaganza at 300 Forrest Avenue to teach fire safety to third- and fourth-grade students with live demonstrations and firefighter rescues.

During National Fire Prevention Week, fire officials in Monroe advise residents to keep kitchen areas clear of grease, have a lid for every pot, use extension cords safely, and clean chimneys regularly.

They remind homeowners to check smoke detectors in every room for added safety.

At The Hills at Calvert on Monday, Oct.

5, 35 teams competed in the Scramble for Commerce Golf Tournament, with the Colton Anderson Shelter Insurance team (morning flight) and Century Next Bank (afternoon flight) each scoring 52. The West Monroe West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce announced the winners.

The LHSAA Executive Committee unanimously upheld the Sportsmanship Committee’s ruling on Carroll High’s appeal on Oct.

7 — no committee member serving on the Sportsmanship Committee voted during the review.

The ULM Water Ski team invites community members to its water ski show before heading to Nationals in California, giving local fans a chance to see the team in action.