Good morning, Lake Charles.

Lake Charles officials announced a series of festive events for Christmas and New Year's Eve designed to bring residents together during the holiday season.

Additional details (venues and start times) will be shared soon.

Louisiana native Sammy Kershaw will perform live at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles on Friday in January 2027 at 8:30 p.m. (Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct.

23.)

Vinton’s St. Joseph's Cajun Festival will take place Saturday, Oct.

24 and Sunday, Oct. 25 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on 1502 Industrial Street. The festival features live Cajun and Zydeco music, Cajun food, and activities for kids.

Calcasieu Parish School District 30 voters are considering a $74M bond proposal to fund renovations and new construction at Sulphur schools (the upgrades will improve learning spaces, safety, and facilities).

Early voting continues through Oct. 27 with Election Day on Nov. 3.

SOWELA offers transfer agreements with 10 universities, letting students save money by taking classes at lower tuition and then transferring to earn their bachelor’s degree + program-specific agreements cover fields like business, criminal justice, nursing, and culinary arts.

Registration for Spring 2027 opened Monday, Oct. 19.

Drivers face nightly closures on the westbound I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge that began on Monday, Oct.

19 due to a DOTD rehab project. Lanes close from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for one lane and fully from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with detours via Lakeshore Drive (Exit 30A) and I-210.

Louisiana Department of Health now lists three kratom-derived synthetic opioids—Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16—as illegal Schedule I drugs carrying felony penalties.

The emergency ban took effect Sept. 18 and may remain for up to six months until officials finalize its status.

A study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2016 to 2023) found a 5 to 7% increase in prescriptions for anti-anxiety and antidepressants in states that legalized online sports betting compared to states that did not.

The research analyzed insurance claims as sports betting becomes more common.

Local veterinarians advise pet owners to keep hazardous candy and foods away from pets ahead of Halloween while offering a calm space during trick-or-treating (they note chocolate and grapes can be dangerous).

They stress scheduling routine checkups to catch health issues early.

McNeese State beat winless Northwestern State by a score of 24 to 21 last Saturday in Natchitoches + the Cowboys scored twice early in the second half and will end their road trip with a visit to Incarnate Word on Saturday.

District standings for local prep football released on Tuesday, Oct.

20 show St. Thomas More leading District 3-5A at 4-0 (6-1 overall) while teams in districts 3-4A, 3-3A, 5-2A, 6-2A and 7-2A also reported wins. The results offer a snapshot of district competition.