An Allen Parish man was convicted of causing a wildfire while burning debris, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF). Timothy L. Caudle pleaded guilty in November and was ordered to pay a fine of $250, $240 in court costs, $232.50 for fire-suppression reimbursement and a suspended sentence of 20 days in jail. Caudle was burning debris Sept. 9, 2025, when investigators discovered he was burning without establishing proper containment lines and l

The crawfish industry is facing a labor shortage due to federal immigration caps. (Photo by James Simon / Mais La Seafood) BATON ROUGE — The crawfish industry is facing a labor shortage due to federal immigration caps as the state enters the start of the harvesting season, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain said in a House committee meeting on Tuesday.   Most of the seasonal workers employed by the state’s crawfish peeling and packing facilities are authorized to work te

Twenty-six parishes in Louisiana have banned burning due to very dry conditions. According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF) website, fire danger is elevated in almost all parishes from the Interstate 10 corridor northward. More than half of those parishes are at level of high or very high danger due to lack of rain. The drought in Louisiana has continued for some time. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, most of the state remains in mode

A Rapides Parish resident has been convicted of causing a wildfire that burned about 27 acres after a household trash and limbs fire got out of control, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF). Carrie Willis, no age or address given, was arrested in March 2023 after a fire on her property spread to a nearby pine plantation. On Feb. 11, 2026, Willis was found guilty of negligent burning before a judge and sentenced to two years probation and orde

Photo taken from Allen Parish Sheriff's Office website. An Oberlin man is charged with 10 counts of simple arson by Louisiana Department...