Early voting opens Tuesday. The Great Pumpkin Trail runs all week at Tuten Park. Saturday packs in LCFD Family Day, a workshop with Dr. Ralph Martin, and the SPAR Boo Bash — and Sunday closes the week with the CalcaChew Festival.

Calcasieu Parish

Early voting starts Tuesday. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs Tuesday, Oct. 20 through Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday, Oct. 25. In Calcasieu Parish, vote early at the Registrar of Voters Office, 1000 Ryan St., Room 7, Lake Charles, or at the Sulphur Law Enforcement Building, 500 N. Huntington St., Sulphur. Two additional sites may be open on limited dates — check the Voter Portal before you go: Moss Bluff Public Library, 261 Parish Road, Lake Charles, and Iowa Library Annex, 109 S. Thompson Ave., Iowa. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check your own sample ballot at GeauxVote.com before you go.

People of Hope Museum, Mon.–Tue. The free, traveling People of Hope Museum is at the Lake Charles Event Center area Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 19–20, parked on Gill Street near 900 Lakeshore Drive. It shares first-person stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers. It is intended for ages 14 and older; some content addresses poverty and past trauma. Hours were not published on the Diocese page — check PeopleofHope.US before you go.

SOWELA spring registration opens Monday. Registration for SOWELA Technical Community College's Spring 2027 term opens Monday, Oct. 19. Spring courses begin Monday, Jan. 11. New students can apply at sowela.edu/apply.

School board honored. SOWELA honored the Calcasieu Parish School Board with the Walter G. Bumphus Excellence in Leadership Award for its Virtual Instruction Program, which delivers live instruction and lets students earn college credit while still in high school.

The Great Pumpkin Trail, Wed.–Sun. The Great Pumpkin Trail runs Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 21–25, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at Tuten Park.

Workshop with Dr. Ralph Martin, Fri.–Sat. A workshop with Dr. Ralph Martin takes place at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church, 2500 Enterprise Blvd., Lake Charles: Friday, Oct. 23, 6–8 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to noon. Topics include why God created us, the wisdom of the saints, loving people as Jesus loves people, and the message of Fatima for today.

LCFD Family Day, Saturday. LCFD Family Day is Saturday, Oct. 24, 3–6 p.m. at Millennium Park, 900 Lakeshore Drive.

SPAR Boo Bash, Saturday. The SPAR Boo Bash and Chili Cookoff is Saturday, Oct. 24 at 4:30 p.m., 933 W. Parish Road, Sulphur — per event listings; confirm with SPAR before you go.

CalcaChew Festival, Sunday. The annual CalcaChew Festival at St. Margaret Catholic School, 2510 Enterprise Blvd., is Sunday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with food, games, and fun.

Elsewhere in Southwest Louisiana

Cameron Parish. The Cameron Parish Police Jury ordered a special election for April 17, 2027, on an 18.43-mill parishwide tax for 10 years (2027–2036) to support roads, bridges, public buildings, coastal projects, and other infrastructure. The Cameron / Holly Beach ferry is listed OPEN by DOTD, with nightly maintenance delays expected midnight to 1 a.m. DOTD dedicated the new ferryboat Holly Beach on Oct. 14, the first of two new ferries for the Cameron crossing.

Jeff Davis, Allen, and Beauregard parishes. No parish-specific actions or events for Oct. 19–25 were verified from a primary source for this brief.

Louisiana

Ten amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters statewide will decide 10 proposed constitutional amendments on Nov. 3, covering property taxes, veterans' benefits, criminal justice, gubernatorial term limits, retirement systems, drinking-water lines, property rights, and blighted-property exemptions. Each amendment is decided separately. Review the official ballot language before you vote.

Healthy Blue Medicaid change. The Louisiana Department of Health has said its contract with Healthy Blue will end Dec. 31. Healthy Blue Medicaid members keep their Medicaid coverage but will need to move to one of the four remaining Healthy Louisiana plans starting Jan. 1. Check the LDH notice for transition details.

Energy filing to watch. Venture Global asked federal regulators on Oct. 1 for authorization to place Phase 1 of its Plaquemines LNG terminal into service — a request, not an approval. The company has said it expects commercial operations for Phase 1 to begin by Oct. 31.

Weather, fire, and roads

Weather — from NWS Lake Charles. Monday–Tuesday (forecast): mostly sunny to sunny, highs near 79–81, lows around 57–58, no rain expected. Wednesday–Sunday (outlook): sunny, highs 84–86, lows 57–60, no rain in the 7-day text. Recheck NWS Lake Charles before the weekend — this outlook can change.

Burn ban IS in effect in Calcasieu Parish. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury issued a burn ban for all of Calcasieu Parish effective immediately on Oct. 14, due to the lack of rainfall and dry conditions. The order, signed by Police Jury President Brian Abshire, prohibits all outdoor private burning of any kind; prescribed burns are not included. Fire departments may extinguish fires in violation, and residents may face penalties. This Oct. 14 ban supersedes the Police Jury's Sept. 8 lift. A fire danger statement may be issued again Monday, per the NWS Fire Weather Planning Forecast, with minimum relative humidity dropping below 30 percent for much of the week. No Red Flag Warning is currently in effect. Avoid activities that could throw sparks.

Roads. DOTD advises nightly closures on I-10 West at the Calcasieu River Bridge beginning Oct. 19. On I-210 West, the flyover ramp to I-10 West is reduced to one lane through October 2027, with an 11-foot width restriction on the left lane approaching the flyover. Check 511 (511la.org) before you drive.

Calendar: Oct. 19–25

• Mon., Oct. 19: People of Hope Museum (Lake Charles Event Center area); SOWELA Spring 2027 registration opens
• Tue., Oct. 20: People of Hope Museum; early voting opens, 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Wed., Oct. 21: Great Pumpkin Trail opens, Tuten Park, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Thu., Oct. 22: Great Pumpkin Trail, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Fri., Oct. 23: Great Pumpkin Trail, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Workshop with Dr. Ralph Martin, 6–8 p.m.
• Sat., Oct. 24: Great Pumpkin Trail, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Workshop with Dr. Ralph Martin, 9 a.m.–noon; LCFD Family Day, 3–6 p.m.; SPAR Boo Bash, 4:30 p.m. (confirm with SPAR)
• Sun., Oct. 25: Great Pumpkin Trail, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; CalcaChew Festival, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; no early voting today

Looking ahead

• Early voting continues through Tuesday, Oct. 27 (closed Sunday, Oct. 25). Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m.–8 p.m.
• The 2027–28 FAFSA was scheduled to open Oct. 1 — confirm current status at studentaid.gov. The 2026–27 FAFSA is open.
• Cameron Parish's special election on the proposed 18.43-mill infrastructure tax is set for April 17, 2027.

Sources

NWS Lake Charles; Calcasieu Parish Police Jury (Oct. 14 burn ban); Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court — Elections; Louisiana Secretary of State / GeauxVote Voter Portal; Diocese of Lake Charles; City of Lake Charles; SOWELA Technical Community College; Calcasieu Parish School Board; Louisiana DOTD / 511; Louisiana Department of Health; Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) / LELA; U.S. Department of Energy; FERC filings as reported by Reuters.