It was my privilege to have been talked out of retirement and into publishing the Vernon Parish Journal in the summer of 2023.  Thanks, Bill Vance and Doug Ireland!

The two years have flown by, as we tried our best to report news from around Vernon Parish and Ft. Polk.  More than ever, good information is important today in our society.  We attempted to bring you information and news important to us all in Vernon Parish.

Thanks to contributors like Rickey Robertson, James Turner, Tony McDonald, Billy Crawford, and Carol Conner for sharing their insights and perspectives with us.  Thanks to Rick Smith for the best photos.  Thanks to the Vernon Parish Police Jury, the Vernon Parish School Board, and the Leesville City Council for access to their meetings and the information we were able to share with the public.  Thanks to the advertisers that placed their trust in the Vernon Parish Journal and spent money to support it.  Thanks to my smart and patient wife, Mary Lou, for her editorial acumen and computer skills.

The Vernon Parish Journal will continue to publish an e-paper, thanks to Journal Services in Shreveport.  My recent health concerns and age (73) have led me back to retirement.  Mary Lou retires in a little over a year, and we would like to travel.  Time for me to lose some weight and get healthier.  No more deadlines and stress over gathering news all day.  Time to concentrate on me a little.

Best of luck to you and yours, and thanks for supporting the Vernon Parish Journal.

Rick Barnickel, Publisher.