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The city of El Dorado is working through its certification process to become an affiliate city of the Keep America Beautiful organization. Six volunteers will pile into a city van Saturday and drive dozens of miles crisscrossing El Dorado to complete what’s called a "litter index."

Keep El Dorado Beautiful chairwoman Janis VanHook said the passengers will mark a score card to evaluate the magnitude of litter in various areas of the city. VanHook said the litter index will help prioritize and focus beautification projects in the future.

Commentator Brian O'Nuanain shares some thoughts and ideas on the "joy" of reading to children.

Historical figures who lived in Jefferson, Texas, during the Civil War era will come to life during an annual walking tour of the city’s Old Oakwood Cemetery on Saturday. The Twilight Cemetery Stroll features community actors dressed in period costume. Surrounded by Victorian monuments and fading tombstones, they act out the lives of six notable townspeople. Jefferson schools superintendent Sharon Ross plays a freed slave.

Caddo and Rapides parishes are among 15 selected to participate in a pilot program to develop an early childhood network that would provide 3- and 4-year-olds with equal access to high-quality instruction. State Superintendent John White told reporters yesterday that the parishes will share in a $2.6 million grant.

“We need to end the process of hunting around for a pre-K education," White said. "It’s not fair to families. It’s not fair to kids. By establishing one network, we’ll be able to list all of the options with all of the best information for parents.”

More than 300 people representing nonprofit organizations in central Louisiana have gathered in downtown Alexandria to show support for area nonprofits. The seven-hour Celebration of Philanthropy features speakers on gift making and board leadership. Tom Harmeyer, executive director of the Central Louisiana Community Foundation, said it’s important to keep Cenla’s philanthropists investing their dollars into local nonprofits.