Fire Tech Systems donates $27,000 to NLTCC
Shreveport-based Fire Tech Systems has donated $27,000 to the Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College Foundation in support of Project Rebuild to Rise, a campus development initiative aimed at modernizing NLTCC’s Shreveport campus.
The donation also carries a workforce-development connection. Fire Tech founder Linda Biernacki is an NLTCC alumna whose drafting education helped launch her career and the company.
The contribution will support campus improvements intended to better serve students, faculty and the surrounding community.
Bienville Lumber begins commercial rail shipments
Bienville Lumber Company has begun shipping lumber by rail following completion of a new Canadian Pacific Kansas City connection at its Bienville Parish sawmill.
The first shipment included seven loaded rail cars leaving the Taylor facility for markets in the Midwest.
The mill is a joint venture between Hunt Forest Products and Tolko Industries. Company officials have said the new rail service will expand the plant’s reach across North America and provide added supply-chain flexibility while reducing reliance on truck transportation.
$4.2 million project to replace two Webster Parish bridges
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is preparing to begin a $4.2 million project to replace two bridges on LA 2 Alternate near Shongaloo in Webster Parish.
Work is scheduled to begin Sept. 14 and will replace timber bridges over Thorny Branch and Indian Creek with concrete slab-span structures.
One of the bridges has been closed since 2023 because of its condition.
The project also includes drainage improvements, roadway base work, asphalt paving, striping and improvements to the bridge approaches.
The work is expected to improve reliability and access along the route once completed.