Numerous representatives of the regional media have joined L’OBSERVATEUR staff members in the last week as our parish has again come under the negative news microscope.

Some of the coverage was unavoidable as tragedy struck our parish Sept. 9 in the form of a violent, single-vehicle crash on Interstate 10 that claimed the life of 27-year-old LaPlace resident Markesha Williams.

Less than three days later another local family was rocked when the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced Garyville’s Nelson Trosclair was killed at approximately 3 a.m. Monday while frogging with friends on Mississippi Bayou.

The sudden and tragic surroundings of their deaths brought headlines. Adding further salt to the wounds of local residents who deserve some good news were concerns of wasted money in West Bank canal cleaning (covered on page 1A today) and news the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office shelved a traffic enforcement program (larger story coming to L’OBSERVATEUR Sept. 21), where concerns for officer safety clash with vital funding to our court process.

We deserve better luck.

We deserve better communication and execution from our elected officials.

Thankfully, the news is not all bad.

The latest edition of River Parishes Magazine was just sent to the printers and is set to hit newsstands Sept. 28.

It’s chock-full of some of the best untold and under-reported stories the River Region has to offer.

One of my favorites is a spotlight interview of Lamore Boudoin, a do-everything academic and athletic standout, who graduated this year from West St. John High School with more scholarship offers than he knew what to do with.

He eventually chose to pursue computer engineering while continuing to play football at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

The West Bank proud young man shares what inspired his journey north, while thanking the many people who helped him on his road to success.

Ali Vicknair, 17, is another River Region teenager with eyes on the future.

The Riverside Academy student, recently named St. John Teen Sugar Queen, is more concerned with how she can use the title to better her community as opposed to just walking around with a crown.

She and a classmate are leading the nationally recognized V.E.T.S. (Volunteers Embracing True Soldiers) program with a goal of reaching out to Veterans through youth service.

A River Parishes Magazine cover story details her motivation and plans for the future. Cool tidbit: She’s thinking “drive-in movie.”

Contributing writers Lori Lyons, Pam Folse, Joseph Paul and myself have put together the perfect fall lifestyles magazine that’s 100 percent produced by and catered to the River Parishes.

Our marketing team of Constance Woods, Tiffany Victor, Christine Browning and Candace Hemelt — special thanks to them — secured the business and sponsorship support needed to produce the all-color, all-glossy magazine, which comes out quarterly.

Some of our other stories include:

• Craig Perrier wasn’t content to watch TV footage of homes flooding this August in neighboring parishes. The shop teacher and assistant football coach at Destrehan High School joined dozens of others by taking a flat-bottomed boat to ferry more than 100 men, women, children, dogs and even a pair of parrots to dry ground.

He was one of the many volunteers who have since been dubbed the “Cajun Navy.”

He opens up about the amazing experience in this month’s magazine.

• Many people know Dr. Richard Owens as the leader of Owens Family Dental Care, but some may be surprised to know he leads the state’s National Guard dental program as a Lieutenant Colonel Dental Officer and was recently named president of the New Orleans Dental Association.

His service to others is amazing.

Please check out these stories and more, including an awesome and easy recipe for grilling marinade, in the next River Parishes Magazine, included in L’OBSERVATEUR Sept. 28.

Stephen Hemelt is publisher and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.