If you weren’t tired last week, surely you are now. Though the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race is easily our area’s biggest event, it’s also our town’s most tiring weekend.

The nature of hot-air ballooning means early rises each day to catch the right winds. So, many in the Miss-Lou have been up at the crack of dawn for three days straight to enjoy balloon race.

Mother nature played very nice over the weekend, making this year’s event one of the best in recent history.

Balloon race was the biggest news last week, but a few other good headlines reminded us just how great our area is. Let’s review some of the good news from last week.

Okhissa Lake — a project first discussed in the 1970s — is finally done. The man-made lake will open to fishermen and outdoorsmen on Nov. 7. Sen. Thad Cochran worked with local leaders to make the $24 million project a reality.

The lake’s goal is to bring tourists to Franklin County — an area that otherwise doesn’t have a major tourist attraction.

We know the lake will have a positive impact on our neighbor to the east, and likely Natchez as well.

Louisiana elections wrapped up Saturday, minus any contested races. Voter turnout was nearly 64 percent of the voting population. That’s a record turnout in recent years, and it shows a high interest in local government. Most candidates have said they are happy with the clean race run by their opponents.

As newly elected candidates work to lead the parish, we know they’ll do their best to keep the good news coming.