One Year Later, Avoyelles Publishing looks ahead.

One year of growth under Building a Better Avoyelles.

By Aliya Deshotel:

One year after Avoyelles Publishing came under the nonprofit stewardship of Building a Better Avoyelles, the organization is marking the anniversary by looking not only at how far it has come, but at where it hopes to take local journalism and the parish next.

Since the transition on Sept. 12, 2025, Avoyelles Publishing and Avoyelles Today have worked to expand the way local news is delivered, strengthen the newspapers’ presence in the community and support the people, businesses and organizations working to move Avoyelles Parish forward. The changes can be seen both in print and online.

The physical newspapers have taken on a newer look, while distribution has also improved. Newspapers are no longer being left in ditches or scattered along roadsides, and greater attention has been placed on making sure copies reach readers where they are intended to go.

At the same time, the organization has greatly expanded its digital presence.

AvoyellesToday.com has been improved, a new app has been launched, Facebook engagement has increased and more local news is being posted online throughout the week instead of being limited to the weekly print cycle.

That digital expansion has allowed Avoyelles Publishing to reach more readers, provide faster updates and give residents another way to stay connected to what is happening across the parish.

But the changes during the past year have gone beyond the newspaper office.

Avoyelles Publishing and Building a Better Avoyelles have expanded their community involvement through local events, media sponsorships and support for nonprofit organizations.

Free advertising opportunities are offered to nonprofit organizations throughout Avoyelles Parish to help them promote events, fundraisers and programs that support their missions.

New and small businesses, including some of the parish’s “hidden gems,” are offered free or low-cost advertising to help them grow. The larger goal is to bring more business, visitors and economic activity to Avoyelles Parish, a mission that was especially visible during the parish’s recent flooding disaster and recovery efforts.

During the recent flooding disaster in Avoyelles Parish, Avoyelles Publishing and Building a Better Avoyelles helped connect residents with dehumidifiers, water, food and other resources while using Avoyelles Today and social media to provide urgent updates and important information as conditions changed.

The effort showed how local media can serve the community beyond reporting the news. For Building a Better Avoyelles, that means strengthening the parish while preserving the connections that make it unique.

Larger plans are also ahead.

Building a Better Avoyelles will operate the new sports complex being developed in the Bay Hills area, a project expected to create new opportunities for recreation, tournaments, community events and economic activity.

The organization believes a facility of that scale can have an impact far beyond the playing fields.

Families and teams coming into the parish for tournaments and events can also support local restaurants, stores, gas stations and other businesses. The project could also create new reasons for people to visit Avoyelles Parish and encourage additional business growth around it.

For those behind Building a Better Avoyelles, that is part of a much larger vision.

The parish has strong traditions, but its future also depends on being willing to grow, improve and adapt.

Avoyelles Publishing does not want to see the parish left behind while other communities expand their businesses, technology, tourism and opportunities. The goal is to help create growth while still protecting the character of Avoyelles Parish.

That effort is taking place through the printed newspapers, through Avoyelles Today’s expanding digital platforms and through the organization’s growing involvement in the community. Local journalism remains at the center of that work.

The newspapers still cover government meetings, schools, sports, businesses, churches, community events, accomplishments and difficult moments that make up everyday life in Avoyelles Parish.

What has changed is the number of ways those stories can now reach people.

Stories are available for readers through print, online, social media and the Avoyelles Today app, while the newspaper continues to provide a lasting weekly record.

After one year, the staff is proud of the progress made and sees the anniversary as a beginning, not a finish line. There is more planned, more growth ahead and more ways the organization hopes to serve Avoyelles Parish.

The mission remains simple: preserve strong local journalism, support the community and help Avoyelles Parish grow. One year has passed, with much more still ahead.

For Avoyelles Publishing, Building a Better Avoyelles and Avoyelles Today, there is much more still to come.

By Randy Dequir

Last week marked one year since Avoyelles Publishing entered a new chapter under the nonprofit stewardship of Building a Better Avoyelles.

On Sept. 12, 2025, after more than five decades in the newspaper business, I stepped away as publisher and watched the responsibility for these newspapers pass into new hands.

Building a Better Avoyelles, led by directors State Rep. Daryl Deshotel and Dr. Jay Callegari, acquired Avoyelles Publishing with the goal of preserving local journalism and making sure Avoyelles Parish continued to have newspapers dedicated to covering its people and communities.

As this one-year anniversary approached, Daryl asked me to share a few thoughts from time to time. I was glad to do so, and this seemed like the appropriate place to begin.

My newspaper career spanned 51 years, including 49 years as a publisher. Looking back, I take a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that our publications helped record the history of Avoyelles Parish and gave our residents a place to learn about their government, schools, businesses, neighbors and communities.

Throughout those years, we tried to maintain journalistic integrity and provide an open and fair forum for the many voices that make up Avoyelles Parish.

Retirement has certainly brought a change of pace. After decades of living by newspaper deadlines, I sometimes joke that most days now feel a little more like Saturday.

Still, my connection to the newspapers has not disappeared.

There is something reassuring about picking up a copy today and seeing the publications continue. At a time when newspapers across the country are closing, consolidating or reducing local coverage, Avoyelles Parish remains fortunate to have strong local news organizations focused on the people who live here.

That continued success depends on the people behind the newspapers.

Amy Ducote and Donna Culotta brought years of experience and stability into the transition and continue to play important roles in the operation. Aliya Deshotel and Abigail "Abi" Guillot have also become important parts of the Avoyelles Publishing team, helping combine the traditions of the newspapers with new ideas, technology and an expanded digital presence.

The newspapers have also added new local voices, including Dr. Paul Coreil, who now contributes a weekly column sharing his perspective and experiences with readers throughout the parish.

It has been encouraging to see the organization continue to evolve while maintaining its local identity.

Print remains an important part of Avoyelles Publishing, but local journalism is no longer limited to what appears in the newspaper each week. AvoyellesToday.com, social media and other digital platforms allow local news to reach readers much more quickly and throughout the week.

The technology may change, but the purpose of a community newspaper does not.

Local newspapers record the everyday history of a community. School accomplishments, elections, government meetings, weddings, obituaries, sporting events, new businesses, celebrations and difficult times all become part of the permanent record of a place and its people.

For generations, newspapers in Avoyelles Parish have helped preserve that history.

As Avoyelles Publishing begins its second year under Building a Better Avoyelles, I am pleased to see that tradition continuing while the organization also prepares for the future.

None of us knows exactly what local news will look like decades from now. It may come through a printed newspaper, a computer, a phone or through technology that has not yet been invented.

The form may change, but I hope the mission never does.

After one year under new stewardship, the most important thing is simple: the newspapers are still here, they are still local, and they are still telling the stories of Avoyelles Parish.