Boardmoves to ensure children can’taccessadult books
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD
Staff writer
The new Livingston Parish Library Board took acrack at solving thelooming budget problem —well, part of it —but it is unclear if and when library patronswill againreceive certain repeatedly requested services.
The group convened for the first time Wednesday,Jan. 29,since the Parish Council ousted the entire board earlier this month, replacing all but two members.
Seven new members, the two existing members and ParishPresident Randy Delatte, using his status as an ex-officio member forthe first time to vote on items, discussed and voted to restore partsofthe 2025 budget.
Also, the new board moved to try
LIVINGSTON PARISH LIBRARYBOARD
to satisfy peopleconcerned about the possibility of sexually explicit books being availabletochildren at the parish libraries.
The board also unanimously approved moving young adult books to the adult sections while they are reviewed for potentialexplicit material, amotion presented by new member Becky Morgan.
This move shouldsomewhatappease residents concernedwith possiblesexuallyexplicit booksbeing in children’ssectionsofparish libraries —the root of the parish’s librarycontroversythe past few years.
Library directorMichelle Parrish saidthismoveshouldbedone by thesummer, as thereare 30,000
materials to be reviewed and possibly moved.
New member JenniferDorhauer initially proposed restoring the 2025 budget line items that were givenlessfunding, or no funding at all, back in December
Delatte instead askedtotable the proposaluntilthe next boardmeeting in March. He said he needed more timetoreviewthe budget and called for protecting parishemployees from insults resulting from library drama “We’re only in thefirst month,I don’texpect any programs to be cut in thefirst month, and I’m not cutting programs, but Iwon’t go on record saying that,” Delatte said Wednesday.
Darlene Denstorff
AROUND LIVINGSTON
School system adjusts calendar because of weather
To make up for missed days caused by the Jan. 21 snowfall, Livingston Parish Public Schools Superintendent Jody Purvis has announced the district is adjusting its school calendar to recover instructional time.
To add aday to the school calendar,students will be required to attend class on aday previously set for professional development day.Students will now have aregular class day restored on either Feb. 11, Feb 12 or Feb. 13. All students and employees willbeexpected to attend those days. For more information, call (225) 686-7044 or visitlpsb.org.
DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame acceptingnominations
The Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame andtitle sponsor Hood Dental Care are accepting nominations for its next class of inductees through March31. Hall of Fame nomination guidelines are available on the DSHS website at www.denhamspringshs.org or by pickingup acopy at the school office.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
KiwanisClub
of East Livingston celebrates itscharter
BY VIC COUVILLION
Contributing writer
The Kiwanis Club of East Livingston, theparish’s newest civic organization, was presented with itsofficialcharterand the members weregiven Kiwanis lapel pins and certificates of membership Jan. 30 during a ceremony held at Springfield High School. Presenting the chartertothe new club was Kay Landry,of theWalker Kiwanis Club, the sponsoring club for the new East Livingston group. Landry has been the adviser to thenew
ä See KIWANIS, page 2G
Events like the book festival or Comic Con and programslike adult literacy and readers club also saw funding decreases from the amended budget, or were allocated no money at all. It is unclear how these programswill go forward this year.Comic Con already had adate set for2025 and wasbeing advertised on social media for Feb. 22. It is unclear if the event will be held this year
Meanwhile, Tori Hymel and BeckyMorgan were elected Wednesdayasboardpresident and vice president, respectively
Weeks ago,the libraryleaders said the media streaming platform Hoopla would be deactivated, seeminglybecause of the newbudgetapproved by theformer library board Board membersbrought up the streaming platform Wednesday because it has been the mostcontentious issue among residents. The majorityofthe boardand Delatte approved asubstitute motion in a6-4 vote to restoreonly specific budget line items thathad lost all funding for 2025 to attempt to solve the Hoopla problem. These line itemsare eMusic, eVideoand eMagazines. The budget gives some money to eBooks andeAudioBooks,but the vote didnot restorethose itemsto their full budget. However,they bothapply to the Hoopla platform, according to the library,meaning there is no confirmation if themusic streaming platform will available at the libraries. So for now,library goers will have to wait and see how much of Hoopla they might be able to use in thefuture.
BY
Denham Springs’ Joshua Beasley(7) tries to control the ball as Dutchtown’s JakeChaix (9)defendsduring Denham’s1-0 victoryintheir JanuaryDivision I, District 5boyssoccer match.
The soccer programs at Denham Springs,boys and girls, put up memorable performances during this year’s regular season and they were rewarded last week when the LHSAADivision Iplayoff seedings came. The girls (13-4-1) were seeded No. 7while theboys (16-0-1) were thetop seed, afirst for theprogram. Interestingly theseedings resulted in both teams playing their respective counterparts from Terrebonne High. For Livingston Parish soccer fans, thepairings set up onestop shopping forthe opening round of the playoffs when
Denham Springs hosted adoubleheader between the schools Saturday The Denham Springs boys defeated Terrebonne 8-0, and the Denham Springs girls won their match against Terrebonne 4-2.
ä See SALZER, page 4G
club since it begantoform late in the fall.
In presenting the charter, Landry praised the charter members of the East Livingston club for their willingness to embark on amission of service tothe community
The East Livingston club draws it members primarily
AROUND
Continued from page1G
For more information, contact Julie Jacobsen at julie.jacobsen@lpsb.org or (225) 405-6838.
Parade rollsFeb.15
The Krewe of Denham Springs rolls Feb. 15 through Denham Springs. The parade rolls through the city starting at 3p.m This year’stheme is “The Greatest Show.” For registration information and parade rules,visit tinyurl.com/zdwrstv8.
KrouxofBarkustotake
over Walkerpark
The city of Walker Parks and Recreation Department’sfourth annual family-friendly Mardi Gras-
from the Albany-Springfield area and joinsthe Denham Springs, Walker and West Livingston Kiwanis Clubs that now offer communityenhancing activitiesand programs. The clubs are all part of the LouisianaMississippi-West Tennessee District of Kiwanis International that counts 110 clubs spread over the two states and partofTennessee. Brandy Robertson, president of the Kiwanis Club of East Livingston, presided
themed Barkinthe Park and Kroux of Barkus pet parade arefrom10a.m. to 2p.m. Feb. 22 in Sidney HutchinsonPark. The 1/2 mile parade will begin by the amphitheater and follow the walking path in the park.
The Kroux of Barkus pet parade will startat11 a.m. This year’s grand marshal will be anadoptable pet representing the Walker Animal Shelter.Registration is free. Donations will be accepted benefiting the City of Walker Animal Shelter
Barkinthe Park will continue until 2p.m. The activities will include live Cajun/zydeco music with the band Capital City Cajuns,art andfood vendors, and pet-themed booths, including aprofessional photographerfor pet portraits.
THELIVINGSTON-T
LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA HELIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA ADVOCATEA ADVOCATE
over the meeting. Joining her as officersare Judy Salinas, president-elect; Kay Mayeaux, treasurer; Christy Sanders, secretary; and board of directors Josh Randall, Trapper Kinchen and TabLobell. In addition to the officers, charter members are Mark Easley,Michelle Faust, Ross Kinchen, Kay Landry,Laura Litolff, Tabitha Lobell, Robin Steward and Valerie Willman. For the present, the club will meet every other
For apet or vendor entry form, call(225) 665-3755 or email parksandrecinfo@ walker-la.gov
Masquerade Gala planned
The Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce is planning aMasquerade Gala on March 28 at Carter Plantation in Springfield.
The gala includeslive music, casino games, prizes and silent and live auctions. For tickets, visit tinyurl.com/88f6trkf.
At thelibrary
Main Branch in Livingston Contact the Main Branch in Livingston at (225) 6864160 or visit www.mylpl. info for more details on any event at this branch.
n Feb. 11, 3p.m.: Macrame Accessories (ages 1318). Would you like to start
Thursdaywith meetings alternating between Albanyand Springfield high schools.
In accepting the charter Robertson expressed her thanks to the Walker and Hammond Kiwanis Clubs for their assistance in formation of the East Livingston group. She said the new Kiwanians are enthusiastic and ready to begin being of servicetothe communities in the area they serve.
The defining statement
learning the art of Macrame? Join the library in a beginners project and make aset of macrame earrings or akeychain. Supplies will be provided. Registration is required.
n Feb. 13, 5:30 p.m.: Lego Club (ages 5-12). Calling all Lego lovers for the monthly Lego Club meeting.
n Feb. 14, 10:30 a.m.: Wiggle Worms: Music & Movement (ages 0-5). En joy avariety of songs and rhythms that will have your child dancing, clapping singing along. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to join in the fun and share in the joy of music with their little ones.
Send newsand eventsf Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes to livingston@ theadvocate.com by 4p Friday or call (225) 3880731.
of Kiwanis International reads, “Kiwanis is aglobal organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at atime.” While service to youth is acornerstone of Kiwanis, clubs also assist in many and various other ways to assist those in need. Kiwanis is the sponsor of Key Clubs, the largest organization forhighschool students in the world. The value of community service and the opportunity to learn leadership skills are the aims of Key Clubs. Kiwanis also sponsors Aktion Clubs for adults with disabilities and K-Kids for junior high students.
THE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA ADVOCATE
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EDITOR
Darlene T. Denstorff ddenstorff@theadvocate.com
OFFICE:(225) 388-0215 CELL:(225) 603-1998
COMMUNITY NEWS REPORTER Leila Pitchford livingston@theadvocate.com (225) 388-0731
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Denham Springs’ head coach Sean LeBlanc instructs hisplayers during halftimeof Denham’s1-0 victoryintheir Division I, District5 Januaryboyssoccer at theDenham SpringsHigh field.
Continued from page1G
Theboys willhostSt. Amant at 6p.m. Wednesday; the girls will host Mandeville at 6p.m. Thursday. For the Denham Springs girls, the playoff berth is their 10thinthe last 12 seasons. They were unable to advancepast the regional round during that time.
The Yellow Jackets girls were the No. 2seed last year but were upset 1-0 at Barbe in regionals.
The Denham Springs boys playoff berth was the 12th consecutive for aprogramthat has been inching closertoachance at its first state championship.The Yellow Jackets have been atop-five seed in five of the last seven years.
In 2020, Denham Springs was theNo. 2seed andadvanced to the semifinals before aloss to Catholic High ended its season.Yellow Jackets coach Sean Leblanc wasn’ttakinganythingfor granted last week as his team prepared for Terrebonne.
“If we’re fortunate enough to get past thefirst round, there’sachance we’ll play acouple of teamsthat we’ve seen this season,” he said. “It would make things that much harder because of thefamiliarity.It’sgoingtobea tough road regardless of who we play.”
Waiting for Denham Springs in the secondround is St. Amant, which theYellow Jackets defeated 3-2on Jan.17. Thetwo goals were themost scored on Denham Springs andgoalkeeper Tate Fuentes all season.
Fuentes and astrong rotation of back line players helped the Yellow Jackets record 11 shutouts. Other top performers have included midfielder Josh Beasley and striker Jankell Arias.
No matter who the opponent is, Leblanc wants his team to be ready “Wedon’tlook at who we’re playing, especially in the tournament, because anything can happen,” he said. “These are high school kids, so you just go day by day,session by session. Every time we have agame, it’sanother game in which we need to produce and play our best.”
Charles Salzer covers Livingston sports for the Livingston-Tangipahoa Advocate. To reach Salzer,emaillivingston@ theadvocate.com.
