ASCENSION RELAY FOR LIFE SET FOR MAY 2, VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ä Page 3G
THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE
1G
DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO
THURSDAY JANUARY 15, 2015 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Center housing farmer services
Darlene Denstorff
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
AROUND ASCENSION
ecouvillion@theadvocate.com
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Watchdog group focus of GOP roundtable Melissa Landry, executive director of Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, will talk about her citizens’ watchdog group when she addresses the Ascension GOP Roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 15. The program, sponsored by Ascension Republican Women, starts at 11:30 a.m. at Kamal’s Kafe, 13091 U.S. 61, in Gonzales. Since Landry took over the grass-roots legal watchdog group in 2008, LLAW has attracted more than 6,000 supporters from across the state and successfully implemented numerous campaigns to raise awareness about the costs and consequences of lawsuit abuse, a news release said. Landry will discuss the impact of Louisiana’s jury trial threshold and other legal issues that affect consumers and businesses in Louisiana. The buffet lunch is $15 with reservation and $17 at the door. The event is open to the public and guests are welcome. Reservations are requested. Call (225) 6445728 or email arwrus@aol. com Members and guests are asked to bring either dried or canned red or white beans and packages of rice to the event for donation to the St. Theresa food bank.
DONALDSONVILLE — The U.S. Agriculture Department has a new home for its services for area farmers at its approximately 4,800-square-foot service center in Donaldsonville that officially opened with a ribbon-cutting on Jan. 8. “It’s a big, beautiful place. We’re very excited about it,� said Jamie Templet, county executive director with the Farm Service Agency, one of the agencies housed in the new USDA Service Center that serves Ascension, St. James and Assumption parishes. “I think we’re going to have more effective and efficient services for our producers� with
the opening of the new center at 2259 Business Park Blvd., off La. 70, Templet said. Before its new service center opened in October, the USDA Service Center for Ascension, St. James and Assumption operated for two years out of a doublewide trailer on La. 1 in Donaldsonville while its new home was being built. Prior to that, the center was located in space leased from a Donaldsonville business. Along with the Farm Service Agency, the USDA Service Center houses the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Lower Delta Soil and Water Conservation District. The Farm Service Agency provides such programs as
Advocate staff photo by ELLYN COUVILLION
At the Jan. 8 ribbon-cutting at the new USDA Service Center in Donaldsonville are, first row with ceremonial ribbon, from left, Becky Katz, Donaldsonville Area Chamber of Commerce; Matthew Gravois, chairman of the Farm Service Agency County Commission; Leroy Sullivan, Donaldsonville mayor; Marilyn Rousseau, FSA program technician; Marian Simoneaux, FSA program technician; Jamie Templet, county executive director of FSA; and Arnelis Crespo, Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationist. Also at the grand opening were representatives of Ascension Parish government, additional representatives of the USDA äSee CENTER, page 5G and its agencies, and staff members of the new service center.
It’s cookie time Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING
Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ward Webb attends the 2014 ‘Freezin’ for a Reason’ Polar Plunge in Gonzales. He will be making his seventh jump at this year’s plunge in February.
Officer explains why he freezes for 7th year
Ascension Open House
Ascension Catholic Elementary School hosts an Open House at 9 a.m. Jan. 29 for anyone interested in learning about prekindergarten or kindergarten classes. Registration for new families will be held March 2-6. For information, call (225) 473-8540, ext. 250
Soccer sign-ups online
The Gonzales Soccer Club is holding an online registration through Jan. 31. Boys and girls 3 to 17 years old can register by visiting www.gonzales soccerclub.com.
Author set for conference
First Baptist Church Gonzales will host Martha Peace on Jan. 23-24 during its A Heart of Hope conference. Peace is a ladies’ Bible teacher and counselor from Sharpsburg, Georgia. She has written six books and conducts conferences throughout the southeast.
Advocate staff report Advocate staff photos by DARLENE DENSTORFF
More than 100 Girl Scouts in kindergarten through high school played games and picked up cookie-selling techniques during Friday’s cookie rally in Gonzales.
Organizers of this year’s “Freezin’ for a Reason� Polar Plunge are hoping to raise $60,000 to support Special Olympics Louisiana. The plunge, set for Feb. 28 at the Cabela’s pond in Gonzales, features dozens of law enforcement officers, residents and Special Olympians jumping into the pond. Many of the leapers wear costumes and some in law enforcement don their uniforms for the plunge. Maj. Ward Webb, patrol and traffic division commander with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, will be making his seventh plunge.
äSee COOKIE, page 4G
äSee FREEZES, page 2G
Taking part in a Girl Scout cookie rally Friday in Gonzales, from left, are Julie Vidreine, 11; Devyn Hope, 8; Alex Sullivan, 11; Gracie Martin, 9; and Meghan Joshua, 10. The girls are standing in front of an 8-foot-tall birthday cake made of balloons, celebrating the 40th birthday of the Samoas cookie.
Jorga Kling, with Daisey Girl Scouts Troop 10086, places stickers on the party hat she’s making Friday at the cookie rally. The hat included her cookie-selling goal and pictures of cookies she will be selling.
äSee AROUND, page 2G
!XzP !eLC`œ 2Wem !eLC`ÂœĂ‹ =eup $PXVWKepWeeN 2umPpbCp_Ptœ
Girl Scouts rally boosts pep, selling-skills prep Advocate staff report