It was lights, camera and soon-to-be action for Natchez last week with the announcement that filming would soon take place in town for an upcoming Hollywood movie.

But there was plenty of other good news in the marquee too, so let’s take a look back at some of the highlights.

• Teams of local food lovers gathered at the Natchez Convention Center for the ninth annual United Way jambalaya cook-off fundraiser. The event kicks off the organization’s three-month fundraising campaign. We’re happy to see the organization kick off what we hope will be another successful fundraising campaign.
• Sixth- and ninth-grade students throughout Concordia Parish schools will soon be learning with new Apple iPads in their science and world geography classes as part of a district-wide technology upgrade project. We hope the students use their new tablets to further their learning opportunities.
• Volunteers at the Delta Store Front Mission in Ferriday work hard each day to provide food, clothing and a bit of prayer to the poor and homeless in the Miss-Lou. Apart from just handing out free food and clothes to those in need, volunteers aim to build a friendship with the mission’s customers. We thank the volunteers for their service.
• Gov. Phil Bryant and Church Hill resident and filmmaker Tate Taylor announced that filming for a biography movie on the life of James Brown would begin in mid-November and continue through December in Natchez. We’re thrilled to hear every frame of the movie will be shot in Mississippi, and we welcome the cast and crew with open arms as they begin to flock to our city.

Football season will be in full swing this week with Louisiana high schools joining the gridiron competition, so grab your shakers and throw on your school colors as we prepare for the week ahead.