ADVOCATE THE HE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA
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DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND • PONCHATOULA
THURSDAY JANUARY 1, 2015 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Durbin bids bittersweet farewell to office
Christine Morgan AROUND LIVINGSTON
CMARCENEAUX@ THEADVOCATE.COM
LIGO hosts Science Saturday The Livingston Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory will host Science Saturday at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Watson Library. Participants can learn about science and conduct experiments every first Saturday of the month, a news release from LIGO said. For information, call (225) 664-3963.
Marriage and money
3-term mayor looks back on successes
ing behind the people who he said helped him through some of his toughest and brightest times as mayor. “It’s sad.� “They care, and they know that BY CHRISTINE MORGAN I care about the city,� he said. “I cmarceneaux@theadvocate.com will miss them dearly.� But Durbin’s decision not to run DENHAM SPRINGS — For Jimmy Durbin, leaving his post as long- for a fourth term as mayor was time mayor for the city is bit- something he didn’t take lightly. tersweet. As he packed boxes of The three-term mayor has seen personal items and removed pho- the city through growing times, tos and certificates from his City underwent treatment for cancer Hall office — some of which have and said he now wants to travel graced the walls for three terms and spend more time with his as mayor — Durbin showed some family. “I’ve been on two vacations,� sadness on Dec. 23 about his mayDurbin said about his time as oral chapter ending. “I’m leaving my family that I mayor. In the last few months, Durbin have been with for 12 years,� a saddened Durbin said about leav- has been grooming incoming
Mayor Gerard Landry and swore him in Dec. 22, he said. He said any mayor has a learning curve and must educate himself. “You have to be educated; you have to be credible,� Durbin said. “You have to be ready to go.� Durbin was instrumental in educating himself about the city’s problems and, as a lawyer, asked the tough questions, he said. During his administration, he oversaw substantial water and treatment facilities changes and helped the city through a business boom and an influx of new residents and new housing. “All of a sudden, I saw the needs of the city,� said Durbin,
THE SCIENCE OF SATURDAYS
Children’s Choirs lays foundation for achieving dreams BY CHRISTINE MORGAN
The Livingston Parish Republican Women will hold its monthly meeting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Big Mike’s, 123 Aspen Square, in Denham Springs, just north of Interstate 12 off of Range Ave. The public is invited, organizers said. Lunch is free; reservations are recommended and may be made by contacting Terri Day at (225) 931-9206 or terriday@eatel. net.
Choir camp
Writers looking for feedback can attend the Writers Circle at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Denham SpringsWalker Branch of the Livingston Parish Library. Published and unpublished adult writers of fiction or nonfic-
CHRISTINE MORGAN
cmarceneaux@theadvocate.com
Republican women
Writers Circle
Advocate staff photo by
äSee DURBIN, page 3E
The Denham Springs-Walker Library invites engaged, recently married or longtime couples to learn how to have money conversations. Join Liz Reno, of Primerica, for a marriage and money checklist as well as a simple plan to follow. This seminar will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 6. Registration is required; call (225) 665-8118 or visit www. mylpl.info.
The Livingston Parish Children’s Choirs is holding its 17th annual Choir Camp for students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Jan. 8 at Denham Springs First Baptist Church, 308 N. River Road. Tuition is $50 and includes a T-shirt, organizers said. The Winter Choir Camp concert will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.lpccsing. org and mailed in, or those interested can register and pay online. The deadline to register is Saturday. For information, call or text Barbara Walker at (225) 247-8555 or email info@lpccsing.org.
Former Denham Springs Mayor Jimmy Durbin cleans out his office in City Hall on Dec. 23. Durbin leaves his office as mayor after serving the city for three terms.
Advocate staff photos by TRAVIS SPRADLING
Water droplets fly up off the surface of a ‘spouting bowl,’ as Emerson Acosta, 8, of Hammond, uses long strokes of his hands on the bowl’s handles to create waves that resonate, or reinforce each other, Dec. 20 at LIGO.
O
n the third Saturday of every month, science shines at the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational Wave Observatory in Livingston. The exhibit teaches about principles of gravitational motion and about the sounds of pitch change that relate to changes in energy. Attendees could learn about gravitational waves and experience related science exhibits, free at the event, and learn about “Einsteins Messengers,� a documentary exploring what might be
learned in the field of astronomy by observing the gravitational waves that
Central’s Jaden Sproull, 3, left, and his sister Jasmine Townsend, 9, center, watch Livingston Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory’s senior science educator Kathy Holt as she talks to them about a spinning top exhibit.
scientist Albert Einstein predicted in his 1916 General Theory of Relativity.
DENHAM SPRINGS — After 24 years, the Livingston Parish Children’s Choirs is keeping its programs alive by teaching proper music techniques. While the choirs — the Apprentice, the Chorus and the Chorale — accept children from surrounding parishes, Barbara Walker, daughter of founder Regina Walker, said she “wanted Livingston Parish connected with this entity. This is a very cultural place. It’s not just about baseball and football.â€? Barbara Walker, who also teaches the Talented Music program to Livingston Parish students in the Watson area, said her goal is to prepare students “for their dreams.â€? Some students who have performed with the choir have stayed in Livingston Parish, while others have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and on Broadway, she said. “We’ve got kids all over the (United States) because of their training, and that makes me happy,â€? Barbara Walker said. Sarah Rushing, who performed with the Parish Children’s Choirs several years ago, said the program created the much-needed foundation for her to advance to Ithaca College in New York, where she is working on her master’s degree in music. The senior is a master pianist who plans to pursue her doctorate degree following graduation in May. “It gave me a really great foundation,â€? Rushing said of the choir program. “It solidified a lot of what I was learning.â€? The business of singing has been kept in the family since its inception, but Barbara Walker said it’s become a community effort as more sponsors have äSee CHOIRS, page 2G
äSee AROUND, page 3G
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