THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE&
THURSDAY JANUARY 8, 2015
P R O U D LY O W N E D I N L O U I S I A N A
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THEADVOCATE.COM
1st Year, No. 13
Amacker retires after 35 years in medicine
Stacy Gill
Doctor founded his practice in 1979
AROUND ZACHARY
SGILL@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Slow down, there are students around The holidays are over and youth are in school, which means buses are back on the roads and children are walking to school. The Zachary Police Department reminds motorists to obey all school zones (25 mph) and speed zones and to be vigilant of the laws concerning buses and the use of cellular devices while driving. Using a handheld cellular device in a school zone is illegal. Following too closely or not stopping for a school bus also is against the law. Motorists are advised to slow down and use extra caution when approaching and passing through a school zone.
BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com After a 35-year medical career, Dr. Michael Kemp Amacker, 64, has retired from practicing medicine at Zachary Family Practice, which he founded in 1979. Amacker said he will miss his patients, many of whom he’s seen for years. “I grew up with a lot of my patients. The first patient I ever operated on and the first patient I ever had, they have remained with me my entire 35-year career,” Amacker
said. “That’s the way it is: You have people throughout your entire career.” Born in Poplarville, Mississippi and raised in Bogalusa, Amacker graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1972, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology with a minor in chemistry. Amacker attended medical school at LSUShreveport from 1972-1976 and completed his residency in family practice in 1979. Amacker became board certified by the American Academy of Family Practice and has been a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society from 1979 to present. He ran Zachary Fam-
ily Practice from 1979 until 1993, when it was purchased by Lane Regional Medical Center. Amacker became part of Lane’s medical staff at that time and took over as medical director of Lane Nursing Home, where he has remained the past 28 years. He began tending to patients at Grace Health and Rehab center, now in Slaughter, about 25 years ago. Though his last full day at Zachary Family Practice was Dec. 30, Amacker will continue to see his patients at Lane Nursing Home and Grace, he said.
Mid-Size Cities Study wins LMA award BY STACY GILL
Taking the LEAD on Friday
The FBI National Academy Association and partnering organizations in support of law enforcement officers nationwide are promoting National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Friday. Can you imagine going to work each day and wondering if you’ll survive your shift to see your family that night? Most people cannot, but for law enforcement officers, this is a fact of life. As many in the profession will tell you, being a police officer is not a job but a calling. Take the time to show your support by: n Changing your profile picture on social media to the logo/photo of your local police department n Thanking a police officer n Wearing blue clothing in support of law enforcement n Sending a card of support to your local police department or state agency n Sharing a positive story about a positive law enforcement experience on social media n Asking children in your äSee GILL, page 8G
INSIDE Crossword .................6G Sports .......................1H
Advocate staff photo by STACY GILL
Dr. Michael Kemp Amacker’s last full day at Zachary Family äSee AMACKER, page 3G Practice was Dec. 30.
sgill@theadvocate.com
Advocate staff photos by STACY GILL
From left, Dane Buccere, Caitlyn Baudoin, Savannah MacArthur and Blaire Bentley paint winter cardinals on snowy birch trees during an art camp held Dec. 30 in Zachary. They were among 14 youths who attended the art camp at Joie Petite Designs while on break from school.
Letting kids’ creativity flow Winter art camp yields crafts, paintings
BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com Smiling snowmen, pink Christmas trees, plump penguins and winter red birds were the focus of four paintings completed by campers over four days, Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 29-30, at a winter art camp hosted at a Zachary studio. The mostly Zachary children attended the art camp while on holiday break from school. One youth, Caitliy Baudoin, 9, who lives in Ethel and attends Centreville Academy, said she loves to paint and was excited to bring home her painting of a cardinal perched on a wintery birch tree branch. Twins Alexis and Kaylan Cal-
lihan, 11, said though they have painted before, they were having fun anyway. The girls attend Copper Mill Elementary School in Zachary. Dane Buccere, son of Zachary artist and high school art teacher Megan Buccere, traded in his crayons for the day to attend the art camp hosted by Zachary artist Joy Petty, owner of Joie Petite Designs Art Studio and Gallery. “I try to find simple paintings but ones that aren’t so child-like,” says Petty. “Usually, I can find unique subjects online such as ones featured on Pinterest.” The four paintings Petty chose äSee CREATIVITY, page 7G
Zachary youth attend an art camp Dec. 30. Seated, from left, are Kaylea and Paige Marionneaux, Savannah MacArthur, Kaylan Callihan and Blaire Bentley; and standing, Caitlyn Baudoin, Alexis Callihan, Dane Buccere, Riley Ammons, Cambrie Phillips, Caden Pressler and Kavan Phillips. They painted winter cardinals with Joy Petty, center.
In summer 2012, what began as a quest for knowledge and information by Steve Nunnery, Zachary’s chief financial officer, and Chris Calbert, the city’s chief administrative officer, would evolve into a project gathering information on mid-sized cities around the state and one Mississippi town. Mayor David Amrhein called for the project, A Mid-Size Cities Study, at the urging of staffers who had attended an earlier MidSize Cities conference in Bogalusa. The casual roundtable discussions at the 2012 conference proved to be a wealth of information but left Nunnery and Calbert and many who attended with more questions than answers about issues plaguing their cities. “In retrospect, it became clear that Zachary’s problems were not unique to Zachary alone,” Calbert said. “The issues surrounding our city were commonly shared concerns among other Louisiana cities of comparable size.” With their proposal request approved by Amrhein, Nunnery and Calbert launched a 21-city initiative visiting and interviewing mayors and their staffs while gathering, assessing, sharing and implementing for use the information they gleaned from each city. “The intent was to help us learn more about comparably sized governments, their people and processes while äSee STUDY, page 4G
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