Ball
Ball, LA · Municipal
The Town Talk
Children’s welfare central as Alexandria migrant center nears opening
ALEXANDRIA, La. — The welfare of women and children at the migrant family staging center set to open soon at England Airpark remains the focal point for both facility operators and opponents who have raised humanitarian concerns about the project. In recent months, people from across Louisiana who are worried about the physical and mental well-being of the children who will be housed there have attended meetings of the England Economic and Industrial Development District (EEIDD) to make those concerns known. Unlike August's contentious meeting, during which several people were escorted out by law enforcement, seating at the Sept. 24 meeting was limited to boardroom capacity, and no indoor overflow area was available. Some individuals removed from the previous meeting were not allowed in the building. Those permitted inside had to sign in and were assigned a number before entering the boardroom. Many people remained outside the England Authority building and tried to listen to the proceedings over audio speakers. Some, like CENLA Activism organizer Erin Tracy of Pineville and Jim Clinton of Alexandria, found the meeting hard to follow as it was relayed over the speakers. The boardroom was subdued, with several people already in the seats, including representatives
avoyellestoday.com
School Board moves major projects forward!
Board approves employee stipends, advances FFA Convention Center, Culinary Arts building and storm repairs. The Avoyelles Parish School Board moved forward with several major construction, education and facility projects during its Sept. 15 meeting, including financing for an FFA Convention Center, a $200,000 investment in a new Culinary Arts building and additional work to repair schools damaged during Tropical Storm Arthur.
klax-tv.com
Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana Commemorates 45 Years of Federal Recognition
MARKSVILLE, La. – The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana is commemorating 45 years of federal recognition, marking nearly half a century of growth for the Tribe and its citizens while honoring the generations who worked to secure recognition in 1981. The Tribe’s federal recognition became effective September 25, 1981, following...
kalb.com
Central Louisiana homeless centers strained amid demand surges
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Amid triple-digit temperatures in Central Louisiana, local outreach providers warn that extreme heat is pushing shelters to their operational limits. At the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition’s Jackson Street center, workers say access to clean showers, cold water, and air conditioning can be life-saving during dangerous heat index spikes often providing individuals a crucial first step off the street.
kalb.com
Alexandria Mayoral Forum airs October 5 on KALB
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - On Monday, October 5, KALB will bring you a live forum featuring the candidates for Alexandria mayor. You’ll hear from Mayor Jacques Roy, Malcolm Larvadain and Lorenzo Davis Senior. Tune in to KALB on October 5 from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. on air, on...
kalb.com
involvedinitall.com
Residents Face Unsanitary Conditions After City Shuts Off Water to Entire Alexandria Trailer Park
ALEXANDRIA, La. (UrbanCast: 9/21/2026) — Families and residents living at a trailer park at 650 Bolton Avenue are now without running water after the City of Alexandria shut off service to the entire property. For the people who live there, this is not simply a utility issue. It means...
involvedinitall.com
RPSO Follow-Up, Youth Concerns Take Focus at Samtown-Woodside Meeting
ALEXANDRIA, La. (UrbanCast: 9/22/20260) — Two months after Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood heard residents’ neighborhood safety concerns, his office returned Monday with another step toward addressing them. RPSO Cpl. Jamie Marks, a resident deputy with the Enforcement Division, met with Samtown and Woodside residents. She distributed forms...
kalb.com
Alexandria REIGNITE: Mayor speaks on Cheatham Park renovations
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - On September 22, Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy held a briefing about the next steps for the city’s REIGNITE campaign. One of the main focuses of the meeting was the renovations to Cheatham Park, located across the street from Peabody High School. The city plans to...
The Town Talk
Activists protest migrant family facility in Louisiana
At the "Community Education Event to Stop Child Detention in Alexandria," CENLA Activism organizer Erin Tracy told attendees that the England Economic and Industrial Development District Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in the EEIDD boardroom at 1611 Arnold Dr. in Alexandria and encouraged them to attend. In recent months, opponents of ICE-related activities at England Airpark, including a migrant family facility under construction, have regularly attended EEIDD board meetings to voice concerns. Public comments have generally been limited to agenda items, with speakers restricted to three minutes. Tracy said activists will continue drawing attention to what she described as a "detention center for women and children," regardless of whether the facility becomes operational. She said media reports from around the world have focused on the project. Asked whether CENLA Activism and other organizations plan to support women and children that will be housed at the facility through visits or supplies, Tracy said it remains unclear whether advocates will be granted access. "We're going to continue on and forever try to help these people," she said. Tracy said scrutiny of the facility is unlikely to diminish once it opens and expects public attention
cenlanow.com
Ports in Alexandria and Campti receive FastSites funding
ALEXANDRIA, La. (WNTZ) – Louisiana Economic Development has finalized more than $4.5 million in FastSites investments across two regional ports in central and north Louisiana. The state funding directs $2.55 million to the Natchitoches Parish Port and nearly $2 million to the Central Louisiana Regional Port to expand manufacturing,...
The Town Talk
Meeting focuses on children at planned Alexandria migrant facility
Frances Boudreaux of Ball worries whether the children to be housed at the self-deporting migrant family facility under construction at England Airpark will be treated humanely. She wants to be their voice, just like the other activists from around Louisiana who attended the “Community Education Event to Stop Child Detention in Alexandria” meeting. At the Monday meeting in Pineville at Kees Park Community Center and organized by CENLA Activism and other state and national organizations, attendees in person and on Zoom heard speakers from Louisiana and across the country discuss immigration detention, legal and liability concerns, the economic impact and the environmental concerns related to the facility. In February, the England Economic and Industrial Development District Board of Commissioners voted to authorize England Airpark and Alexandria International Airport Executive Director Ralph Hennessy to execute a cooperative endeavor agreement between the England Economic and Industrial Development District and the Ruston-based nonprofit LaSalle Family Foundation to lease two buildings and 10 acres for the center. “My greatest fear is that they are going to be traumatized so much that it’s going to stay with them for a lifetime,” Boudreaux said after the meeting. Boudreaux worries about the lasting effects detention could have
natchitochesparishjournal.com
JUST IN: Over $4.5M for Natchitoches and Central Louisiana Ports
Louisiana Economic Development finalized more than $4.5 million in FastSites funding today for two regional ports, delivering an immediate infrastructure boost designed to expand manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics capacity across Central Louisiana. The major funding package directs $2.55 million to the Natchitoches Parish Port in Campti to expand warehouse facilities...
kalb.com
Remodeled Frank O. Hunter Park unveiled
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Saturday morning, Alexandria’s political and business leaders gathered for the grand reopening of Frank O. Hunter Park following a $370,702 improvement project. The project was funded through the City of Alexandria’s Project Reignite —an $82 million program focused on quality-of-life improvements in Alexandria and making...