Garage sale weekend set
The Choctaw Trail garage sales dates are planned for 8a.m. to 3p.m. Sept. 6-7. The route stretches from Clinton Jackson and St. Francisville.
Vendor space is available to rent in Jackson, and spaces are available at the Clinton Community Market from 8a.m. to 1p.m. on Sept. 7. Call (225) 933-4911 or email ging130@yahoo.com for information. If setting up at your house,contact the organizers for ayard sign. The saleofguns and animals is not permitted.
4-Harchery tournament
East Feliciana Parish 4-H announces its first Archery3D InvitationalonSept. 14 at the Bob R. Jones Idlewild Research Station, 13248 Gross Road, Clinton.
This event invites all current 4-H members, 4-H alumni, 4-H shooting sports coaches and parents to participate. The invitationalwill have both individual and team divisions.Team member score will alsoqualify as an individual competition. Costis$25 for individual entries and $40 for team entries. Square invoice willbesent once registration is received Visit tinyurl.com/yj4hy2mvto register
People wishing to sponsor a target can contact KaylaBanta, assistant extension agent, East Feliciana Parish at 4419 Idlewild Road, Clinton, LA 70722 or (225) 683-3101.
TractorSupplymarketset
St. Francisville TractorSupply will hold aCommunity Market from 9a.m. to 3p.m., Sept. 21. If you are interested in being avendor,call Christa Wilcox at (225) 635-2223. Flag football
Registration is open through Sept. 1for flag football in West Feliciana Parish. Registerat www.wfprec.com. Fees are $75. The season runs Sept. 9-20 for preseason practice and Sept 23-Oct. 31for games. Practices are from 5p.m to 8p.m. Monday-Thursday Games are 8p.m. Tuesdaysand Thursdays at West Feliciana SportsPark. Coaches and referees arealso needed. If interested, contact mpatten@wfparish.org or (225) 784-8447.
Free cancer screening
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is holding breastand colorectal screenings from 9a.m. to 2p.m., Oct. 24 at the East Feliciana Police JustOffice building, 12064 Marston St., Clinton. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins welcome.Call (225) 425-8034 for an appointment. Through donations,screenings are free is you have not been screened within the past 12 months. Insurance will be billed for mammograms. Colorectal screenings will bea take-home kit.
Felicianafootballschedules
East Feliciana High School
All games start at 7p.m
Aug. 30: Jamboree
Sept. 6: Kentwood
Sept. 13: at St. Helena
Sept. 20: at Albany
ä See AROUND, page 2G
Pagesofhistory writteninstone at Locust Grovesite
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
History is recorded in books and illustrated through art, but history also speaksfrom the graves and tombs of charactersinhistory’ssagas andlegends.
Take Eleazer Wheelock Ripley.Hewas born in New Hampshire in 1782 and was the grandson of the founder of famed DartmouthCollege,gainedherostatus in theWar of 1812, rose to therank of brigadier general, and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, aprecursor to theMedal of Honor,were his wartime accomplishments.
Where is he now? In an eternal resting spot outside St.Francisville.The dead, contrary to apopular sentiment, do tell tales andLocust Grove, aseemingly silenced cemetery,screams storiesof triumph and tragedy.During one of its quarterly openings, interpretivepark rangers Daniel Wilcox and TomScarboroughgavethe mic to the interned whose book covers are grave markers and tombstones.
Wilcox started with Ripley’sstoryAug. 10,because theNew Hampshirewar hero is noted, but not awell-known native son Afterthe war,Ripleymoved to Baton Rouge and started apolitical career.He served in the Louisiana State senate and later wenttoWashington, D.C., as aU.S. Representative. He is buried in the family plotbecause of close ties to afounding family member
“Greensleeves wasall my joy, Greensleeves wasmydelight Greensleeves was my heart of gold, and who but my lady Greensleeves. Well, I willpray to Godonhigh, that thou my constancymaystsee, and that yet once before Idie, thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.”
Awakened from this fever dream, Jefferson Davis heardthe familiarvoice of hisveryyoung bride struggling to sing her beloved “Greensleeves.” Legend says Davis crawled to his wife’sside, held her closeuntil she breathed her last breath. She was 21.
ä See HISTORY, page 3G
Classes in session
$50K club
East Feliciana schoolsraise starting teacherpay
BY CHARLESLUSSIER Staff writer
The starting salary forpublic school teachersin the Baton Rouge region these days routinely tops $50,000 ayear thanks to aseries of locally funded payraises approved in recentmonths.
Sevenofthe 12 school districts within the nineparish region —East Baton Rouge and eight surrounding parishes —have approved teacher pay raises over thepast four months. They range from $283 moreayear in Livingston Parish to a $7,236 raise in East Feliciana Parish.
Six of those seven pay raises vaulted starting teachers above the $50k threshold. Pointe Coupee, St. Helena and Livingston parishes are the only districts in theregionthatpay starting teachers less than that.
The districts that have thus faropted against teacher pay raises this year are Baker and Zachary as wellasPointe Coupee, St. Helena and West Feliciana parishes.
Some of those districts, though, made notable stridesinthe recentpast. Forinstance,the City of Baker ayear ago increased starting teacher pay by almost $11,000 ayear,lifting it briefly to second in the region.
mayor says AudubonHills
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
Community news report
East FelicianaParish public schools welcomed students Aug. 12. “Thisyear,our focus is on taking Homegrown Pride to new heights, and it’sbeen exciting to watch all of our employees and studentsstartthat work this week,” schools SuperintendentKeisha L. Netterville said. “Our team has worked very hard and veryintentionally throughout the summer to prepare for students to arrive. It’sbeen ajoy to watch students’ smiling faces arrive at our improved and refreshed facilities and enjoy achoice of fruitwith our improved meals
“Wewillneedeveryone’shelptosupport our children in reaching these newheights.”
Nettervilled said families can track students’ academicsuccess by downloading the JCampusStudent app.
“Wealsoinviteall interested families to join ournew Parent-Teacher Organization,” he said.
St.Francisvilleofficials areawaiting state approval of abid to correct erosion problems in Audubon Hillssubdivision, MayorRobertLeake told the Board of Aldermen on Aug. 13. Leake said he had hoped the board could accept the bid, contingent on the state Office of Facility Planning’sapproval, but learned town’sacceptance would have to wait until state officials look over the documents. The project will address the erosion behind residential lots on Cypress Street, where street drainage pipes have collapsed and the erosion is eating into the high ground where the homes were built. The state Legislature appropriated money for the project last year
The Legislature also awarded the town $1 million in the last session to use in improving traffic flowand parkingona sectionofCommerceStreet by Parker Park. The townisseeking $2.2 million in federal grants to bury utility lines, add parking spots and reroute drainage in the area, which has undergone acommercial renaissance in recent months. On another matter,the board voted 3-0 with two members absent to lower the speed limit on all streets in Martin subdivision, an area generally
PHOTO BY FRANCESY.SPENCER
Interpretive Park rangers explainthat BobbieLee, a descendant of the Stirling family,isone of the mostrecent peopleburied in the historicLocust Grove Cemetery. Direct descendants of the founding families are still eligibletobe buried in the small, private cemetery.
East Feliciana Middle School student Leon Armsteadreviews his class schedule on the first dayofschool.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Courtlyn Rogers, BailynMuse, Jeremy Allen, Elias Cormier and Valerie Barker greet Clinton ElementarySchool teacher Darren Matthews on the first dayofschool.
CaileyUnderwood poses aquestion to district literacy coachRaegan
Lauren Matthews, Monique Douglas, RandiKates Aulds and Amber Aulds share their hopes forthe upcoming school year at Slaughter ElementarySchool during the school’sorientation Aug. 9.
Members of the Clinton High School Alumni Association present adonation to Clinton Elementary School Principal Laron McCurry on the first dayof school. Gathering, from left, are Amie Bennett, JerryKelly, Andrel Sanders, Sandra Kelly,Nikisha Kelly and honorary member Kali McFadden.
AROUND
Sept. 27: at Episcopal
Oct. 4: Capitol (Homecoming)
Oct. 11: Slaughter Charter
Oct. 18: at Donaldsonville
Oct. 25: Dunham
Nov.1:atBaker
Nov.8:atNortheast
West Feliciana High School
All games start at 7p.m.
Aug. 30: Jamboree at Zachary
Continued from page1G FILE PHOTOBY
Sept. 6: Alexandria
Sept. 13: at Belaire
Sept. 19: Broadmoor
Sept. 27: Woodlawn
Oct. 4: Plaquemine (Homecoming)
Oct. 11: St. Michael
Oct. 18: at Brusly
Oct. 25: Istrouma
Nov.1:atMcKinley
Nov.8:atTara
Garden speakers coming
The Southern Garden Symposium is Oct. 18 at Rosedown in St. Francisville.
Speakers are Marianne Willburn and Scott Beuerlein. Visit www.thesoutherngardensymposium.org fordetails and registration.
Wildflower Festival plan
After its initial festival this year,the Feliciana Wildflower Festival is planning the 2025 event. On Facebook, the group has announced the festival will be June 7and the group is seeking applications for vendors and guest speakers. Visit www.facebook.
MELINDARAWLS HOWELL AJune 1festival close-up of the plentiful blooms that were planted by the supporters of the Feliciana Wildflower Project.
com/FelicianaWildflowerProject forinformation. Also, aplanning meeting will be held at 6p.m. Aug. 21 at Clinton United Methodist Church, 11321 Old South Drive.
AudubonLibrary fine-free The Audubon Regional Library announced on Facebook that it is now finefree. Also, the library will now allow patrons to print or make copies for free, up to $1 aday.Outgoing faxes will be free up to $10. Send news and events for East andWestFeliciana parishes to extra@ theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 3880731.
PUBLISHEDEVERY WEDNESDAYUSPS NO.668-520 Onlineatwww.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/ communities/east_feliciana/ The
THE WATCHMAN P.O. Box368,Clinton,LA70722 (225) 388-0215
EDITOR
Darlene T. Denstorff extra@theadvocate.com
OFFICE:(225) 388-0215 CELL: (225)603-1998
COMMUNITY NEWS REPORTER Leila Pitchford extra@theadvocate.com (225)388-0731
DEATH NOTICES CALL: (225)388-0289 EMAIL: obits@theadvocate.com
WEDDINGS &ENGAGEMENTS CALL:(225) 388-0738 EMAIL: nuptials@theadvocate.com
DISPLAYADVERTISING JILL STOKELD Multimedia SalesConsultant CALL: (225)931-9248 jill.stokeld@theadvocate.com
DEADLINE: 5p.m.Fridayprior to publication.
CLASSIFIEDS CALL:(225) 383-0111
ONLINE: classifieds.theadvocate.com
Here are annual salaries for starting teachers in theregion for select districts:
n Iberville, $56,606
n Ascension, $50,533
n East Baton Rouge, $50,000
n Livingston, $47,400
n St. Helena Parish, $41,000
Starting teachers, in this comparison, are those with abachelor’sdegree whoworkninemonths of theyear. These figures don’tinclude various stipends, performance pay and other incentives districtsroutinely disburse. Nor do the figures account for often very competitive pay offered by charter schools andsomeprivate schools. Over the past two years, the state has stopped short of approving perma-
PROJECT
Continued from page1G
nent pay raises for school employees, optinginsteadfor one-time stipends This year,the Legislature approved, for asecond year in arow,stipends of $2,000 for educators and $1,000 for support workers. East Baton Rouge Parish, the largest district in the region and home to about 3,000 teachers, approved an across-the-board pay raise of $2,200 for teachers. Similarly,Ascension Parish, thethird-largest district regionally,opted for a$1,750 pay raise for all teachers. Those pay increases are costing$11.4 million and $8.1 million ayear,respectively Thebiggest mover regionally when it comes to employee pay is East Feliciana Parish, which approved abig employee pay raise. It added $7,236 to the pay of all of its teachers. Starting teacher pay increased from $42,764 to $50,000 ayear.The pay raise is costing thedistrict an estimated $1.3 million. The latest pay raise is part of alarg-
resident Robert Honeycutt, who said he did not oppose lowering the speed limit, neverthelesscriticized the idea of “a group of three” aldermen extending the scope without astudy orinput from residents. The boardalso adopted aresolution commemoratingthe service of retirededucatorand alderman Al Lemoine, who died June 22. Alarge number of Lemoine’sfamily members attended to hear the resolution read. The 72-year-old first-term alder-
er 36% increaseinstarting teacher pay going back to 2021. That year, starting teachers in EastFeliciana made $36,664 ayear,byfar the lowest in the region. Thelastprevious district-funded teacher pay raise in that district was in 2008.
The latest raise puts EastFeliciana’s starting teachersonpar with East Baton Rouge and just shy of neighboring Zachary and West Feliciana —Zachary pays just $22 more, while West Feliciana pays $272 more.
“A starting salary for teachers of $50,000 makes our teacher pay competitive with other districts in the Capital region while still ensuring that we can sustain these increases longterm,” KeishaNetterville, East Feliciana Parish’sschool superintendent since fall 2019, explained in an email. Email Charles Lussier at clussier@ theadvocate.com and follow him on Twitter,@Charles_Lussier
man was ateacher,coach, assistant principal, principal and central office supervisor during acareer that began in 1974. In other action, the board adopted aresolution declaring Friday,Sept. 6, “Loyal to the Royal Day,” areference to the high school’scolors, royal blue and white. The school’s football team plays Alexandria High School that night. Residents and businesses are urged to displaythe school’s colors.
LEGAL ADVERTISING CALL:(225) 388-0128
EMAIL: weeklylegals@theadvocate.com
DELIVERYISSUES CALL: (225)388-0200
M–F,6A.M.–5P.M SAT,7A.M.–10:30 A.M. SUN, 7A.M.–11 A.M. HOLIDAYS 6A.M.–10 A.M. ONLINE: theadvocate.com/subscriptions EMAIL: subscriberservices@theadvocate.com
SUBSCRIPTION RATES INSIDE THE2-PARISHAREA: $31for 12 months OUTSIDETHE 2-PARISH AREA: $42for 12 months
SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS R. GRANTLALONDE (225)388-0625
Noticeisherebygiven pursuant to Article7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705 (B)thatapublichearing of theParishSchoolBoard of theParishofWest Felicianawill be held at itsregular meeting place, theParishSchoolBoard Office,located at 4727 Fidelity Street,St. Francisville, LA, on Monday,September 30,2024at5:00p.m to consider levyingadditionalorincreased millagerates withoutfurther voter approval or adopting theadjustedmillage ratesafter reassessment androlling forwardtorates nottoexceedthe prioryear’smaximum
Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobe collectedinthe next year forSchoolDistrict RegularConst.fromthe increasedmillage is $2,009,168.18and theamountofincrease in taxesattributable to themillage increase is $72,052.27.The estimatedamountoftax revenues to be collectedinthe next year for Consolidated School District No.1fromthe increasedmillage is $6,644,670.57and the amount of theincreaseintaxes attributable to themillage increase is $238,289.49. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobe collectedinthe next year forConsolidated School District No.1fromthe increased millageis$1,689,323.03 andthe amount of theincreaseintaxes attributable to the millageincreaseis$60,582.08. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobecollected in thenextyearfor Consolidated School District No.1fromthe increasedmillage is $4,955,347.54and theamountofthe increase in taxesattributable to themillage increase is $117,707.41
East Feliciana High School student Brandon Gravessmiles getting off the bus with his classmates on his first dayof high school.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Jackson Elementary School kindergarten student
Thompson during breakfast