East Bank District in downtown Bossier is just what we have been waiting for. Hats off to this enclave of art and local businesses, both those who have anchored this area for decades and the new local ventures working together with the city to develop this fun, walkable food and entertainment district.

Memorial Day is a sober reminder of the cost of freedom. Through the centuries, millions of Americans have fought and died for a democracy built on the creed “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness.

The 45-year-old chef and restaurateur from Shreveport, La., hoped to live the rest of his life in Ukraine, a country he’s called home for the last three years. But in the early hours of Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a major invasion of Ukraine, quickly initiating the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.