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Officer of Year honored; tax election called
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ublic school leaders started 2016 by asking consumers in St. John the Baptist Parish to fork over a little more each transaction for the benefit of the public school system. With the recommendation of Superintendent Kevin George, St. John the Baptist Parish School Board members voted overwhelmingly Jan. 14 to set a special election authorizing approval of new .25 percent sales and use tax. Board members voted 10-1 (District 8’s Russ Wise dissented) in favor of bringing the measure before voters April 9, 2016. School officials have reported the system currently generates approximately $22 million from a 2.25 percent sales and use tax. The sales tax rate in St. John the Baptist Parish on consumer goods is 9 percent: the state’s 4 percent tax rate combined with a 5 percent local tax. Wise said the School Board has a serious need for additional income, as it has been scraping the bottom of the barrel of available funding this fiscal year. “We’re going to be in severe financial trouble, not this year, but next year without additional income,” he said. However, Wise said School Board members could have taken a different approach to generating the revenue. “It’s clearly understood by economists across the country that a sales tax is the most punishing tax of all on poor people, and we have more than our fair share of families living in poverty,” Wise said. “It hits them the hardest because it takes up a larger portion of the limited money they get than anybody else. A property tax is a much safer and fairer way to go about raising money.” Wise said a property tax
Detective Vernon Bailey Jr. is seen at left, while St. Joan of Arc Catholic School student Noelle Remondet is pictured above.
can be deducted more easily from a property owner’s federal income tax than a sales tax can be from an economically disadvantaged resident. AFTER LISTENING to a newscast where President Barack Obama gave a speech on terrorism, one LaPlace student was compelled to send him a letter. St. Joan of Arc Catholic School student Noelle Remondet and her family never dreamed the letter written by the 10-year-old would get the response that it did. Noelle, along with her father, Brent, and her mother, Monique, were invited to hear Obama speak at a January town meeting in Baton Rouge. “I wrote to the President because his speech was nice and really encouraging to me,” Noelle said.
Noelle and her family got the response to her letter in the form of an invitation to the town hall meeting. After the President’s speech in January, he opened it up for questions from the audience, and Noelle was chosen to ask him a question. “Once he pointed and called on ‘the girl sitting on her dad’s lap,’ I knew he had picked me,” she said. “I was nervous and excited at the same time.” After having people in her life battle cancer, the young girl asked if the President felt there would be cure in his lifetime. “He asked if I was good in math and science, and I said a little bit,” she said. “Then he said that maybe he couldn’t do it, but maybe I could one day. It made me happy and it was very encouraging.”
DEPUTIES FROM the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office gathered Jan. 21 to honor their brothers and sisters in blue. Many officers were recognized as part of the third annual Officer of the Year Award Ceremony, but only one took home the coveted title. Detective Vernon Bailey Jr. of the criminal investigation division was named Officer of the Year for St. John. Bailey had been with the Sheriff’s Office for nine years and was also the Officer of the Fourth Quarter for 2015. AN ELDERLY LAPLACE woman was on the floor of her son’s garage for hours without help, despite asking for assistance, authorities said. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her grandson was arrested for negligent homicide.
St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said Neil Oberoi, 33, of LaPlace was charged Jan. 23. “Because Neil Oberoi did not render aid and seek help in a timely manner for his grandmother, detectives arrested and booked Neil Oberoi with negligent homicide and cruelty to the infirmed in connection with the death of Satwant Oberoi,” Tregre said. Deputies began their case after responding to a medical call at the Oberoi home on Muirfield Drive in LaPlace at 8:02 a.m. Jan. 23. Tregre said deputies found Satwant Oberoi, 90, on the floor of the garage near some stairs that led to the main house. Emergency medical services detected no vital signs for the victim when they arrived at the residence.
Lutcher coach Tim Detillier announced his retirement River Parishes sports fans started 2016 with a bit of a football hangover. Some were still feeling the sting after Riverside Academy’s tough loss to Notre Dame in the December Division III state championship game, and Lutcher’s win over St. James in the Class 3A championship game. Riverside linebacker Evan Veron was named L’OBSERVATEUR’s AllSt. John the Baptist Parish defensive Player of the Year, while West St. John quarterback Jermoine Green earned offensive Player of the Year honors on the annual All-St.
John Parish football Team. Rebels coach Bill Stubbs was the Coach of the Year for leading his team to the finals for the first time since 2000. Just a few weeks into the new year, local sports fans were rocked when longtime Lutcher head coach Tim Detillier announced his retirement from coaching after 25 seasons. Detillier cited spending more time with his family as his motivation. Other sports fans began to turn their attention to basketball. Perennial powerhouse Riverside Academy also had
2016
Lutcher coach Tim Detillier retired in January 2016.
to shake off the remnants of the football team’s success, as several key players had to make the transition from the football field to the basketball court.
One of the Rebels’ basketball stars, Jared Butler, missed several games because of injuries suffered in the football team’s state championship game.
: A Year in the River Parishes...
January 2016 M C Y K
As a team, the Rebels got off to somewhat of a slow start, dropping games to West Jefferson and Scotlandville. The East St. John LadyCats, meanwhile got off to a swift start, going 5-1 in the month of January. Their only loss was to district rival Destrehan. St. Charles Catholic’s boys defeated West St. John in a thriller, 55-50. The month ended with the area’s baseball and softball teams beginning practices for their seasons. LaPlace native Trenese Smith was inducted into the Loyola Sports Hall of Fame.
| YEAR IN REVIEW |
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
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Fierce tornado causes massive damage
A tornado causing significant damage along a 4.5-mile long and 200-yard wide path that traveled on a west-to-east diagonal path from New Wine Christian Fellowship on Airline Highway to near the junction of I-10 and I-55 in LaPlace
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obert Ricks said he knew the weather was going to be bad Feb. 23. The lead forecaster for the National Weather Service New Orleans, based in Slidell, said the national office had issued a warning earlier in the week that the New Orleans area would be at moderate risk for severe weather throughout the day on that fateful Tuesday. That itself was a rarity. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornados touched down in St. John the Baptist Parish Feb. 23, one of them causing significant damage along a 4.5-mile long and 200-yard wide path that traveled on a west-to-east diagonal path from New Wine Christian Fellowship on Airline Highway to near the junction of I-10 and I-55. Ricks said earlier reports that the area had been struck by seven tornados were incorrect and may have been based on a graphic the NWS issued showing areas of circulation captured on radar. Parish officials initially estimated more than 300
homes and 50 businesses were damaged or destroyed and 9,200 were left without power. The tornado began near New Wine Christian Fellowship at approximately 4:05 p.m. as a High End F1, with winds of approximately 100 to 110 mph. It picked up strength as it moved across the Riverlands Subdivision then Cambridge with winds of 111 to 130 mph. It reached its peak near the Indigo Lakes Subdivision with winds of 130 to 135 mph. It then crossed to the Frenier area and dissipated rather quickly. Another tornado had begun at approximately 3:38 p.m. in northern St. James Parish and crossed to Lake Maurepas in St. John. That storm was rated an F0 with little damage except to trees. The storm system came out of the Rocky Mountains over the weekend and was almost immediately pegged as a dangerous situation to watch. The strongest tornado ever to hit LaPlace was an F4 in 1983, which caused 25 injuries. The deadliest tornado was an F3 spawned by Hurricane
Andrew in 1992, which caused two deaths and 32 injuries. CONSTRUCTION PLANS for a new government complex were announced in February. The St. John the Baptist Parish Eastbank Government Complex will be located in front of the current government building at 1801 W. Airline Hwy in LaPlace. Chief Administrative Officer Laverne Saulny said the new complex would consolidate all of the parish’s government offices under one roof. “For instance, planning and zoning is in a different location (right now),” Saulny said. “Now, everything will be in the new building, which we are extremely excited about. We are going to have this beautiful state-of-the art building. We are going to be extremely accessible to our citizens, and it’s really going to have a major impact in the parish.” The project has been on the books for a long time, Saulny said, adding it is exciting St. John Parish Council members voted
unanimously in favor to solicit bids for the complex’s construction during their meeting Wednesday evening. With this new complex, Saulny said, the Parish leaders hope to better serve residents and business interests. TEARS FLOWED in the courtroom A Feb. 21 at the St. John the Baptist Parish Courthouse in Edgard as Judge Michael Kirby sentenced a LaPlace man to life in prison. Kenneth Hicks, 51, of LaPlace was found guilty of second-degree murder Jan. 22 and sentenced in February after he was implicated in the killing of Anthony Young, 34, of Reserve in 2013.
Young, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head, was pronounced dead at the scene after deputies responded to a shooting Feb. 20, 2013, at Alex’s Sports Bar in Reserve. Hicks appeared in court for his sentencing Monday with a small smile on his face as he saw a row of his loved ones smiling back at him. However, as the sentencing proceedings went forth, his demeanor changed. After Kirby announced the sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole, he asked Hicks if he had a statement. Hicks, who wore an orange jumpsuit and shackles, claimed he was innocent.
Local athletes sign National Letters of Intent Families throughout the region celebrated as their young athletes signed National Letters of Intent to play college football. The notable exception was East St. John’s Da’Monte Coxie, one of the top receivers in the country, who had decommitted from LSU the day before. He recommitted on Signing Day, but did not sign. The girls basketball playoff pairings were announced with all four St. John Parish teams getting spots in their respective brackets. This was big news for St. Charles Catholic, which earned its
first trip to the playoffs since 2008. LaPlace suffered yet another blow from Mother Nature when a tornado tore through the area on Feb. 23. St. Charles Catholic was directly in the path, but the baseball and softball fields took the hardest hits. Both fields lost their scoreboards and some fencing. Repairs were underway the next day.
2016
The Riverside Academy girls soccer team won the District 6-IV title after tying St. Charles Catholic 2-2 on a frigid Saturday afternoon and put the finishing touches on one of the best seasons in school history. There was controversy in the boys league following a 2-1 victory in the final game of the season. Although the teams finished with matching district records, St. Charles claimed the district title due to a mathematical formula
involving goals scored. Days later, however, Riverside insisted the teams were co-champions (St. Charles disagreed.) Both teams still made the playoffs. Riverside, the No. 14 seed, won three playoff games to advance to the semifinals but lost to No. 3 seed Episcopal School of Acadiana, 7-1. St. Charles, the No. 17 seed, got to the second round and lost to No. 1 seed Catholic of New Iberia, 3-1. The Comets suffered a bigger blow when goalkeeper Matt Templet took a brutal kick to the face. Riverside’s girls, the No. 10
: A Year in the River Parishes...
February 2016 M C Y K
seed, lost to No. 7 Ascension Episcopal, 4-2. To no one’s surprise, Dwain Jenkins was named Lutcher’s new head coach, replacing Detillier. Jenkins had played for Detillier and spent 12 years as an assistant coach before leaving for St. James. Riverside’s boys defeated Country Day in a third meeting of the teams to take the district title. St. Charles Catholic runners Victoria Portillo and Gabrielle Boesen became the first Comets ever to qualify for the State Indoor Track Meet.
| YEAR IN REVIEW |
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Theater talent takes stage, author begins
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arrett Prejean wasn’t surprised when his high school talented theater program placed first in a recent drama literary rally. It was the first time the high school acting troop, made up of East St. John High School students, attended the rally. They walked away with plenty of awards. Jonnell Crockett and Madison Gerhart took home best supporting actor and actress, while Jordan Dolche and Shania Campbell received the all-star performance award. Prejean, East St. John’s drama teacher, was glad his students were recognized for the months of hard work they put into “Lockdown” — Prejean picked the production over the summer of 2015. The students participated in the Louisiana Literary Rally March 5 at Nicholls State University. Schools were given 20 minutes for their performances, enough time for one performance or just several scenes. As part of the production, schools were limited in the amount of props and sets they could use and had to provide their own sound and speakers. “I feel like it was a great experience for the kids,” Prejean said. “Winning first place was a type of validation for them, showing their hard work paid off. Their faces light up and their confidence shot up. It was nice to see them succeed.” “Lockdown” is about high school students from different clicks and backgrounds thrown into a classroom because of an intruder in the halls.
East St. John High theater students Jonnell Crockett, from left, Shania Campbell, Madison Gerhart, Kamrin Greene and Alana Hall take a moment to clown around Wednesday morning following their first period class. Teacher Garrett Prejean watches from the background.
SYDNEY STEWART WANTED to write and publish her first book before she turned 11. With the help of her mother and younger sister, 10-year-old Sydney made it happen, publishing “Beautiful, Wonderful, Marvelous Me!” before her 11th birthday. With a goal of helping young girls struggling with self-confidence concerns, Sydney hopes readers enjoy the story about a little girl looking in the mirror and learning to accept her inner and outer beauty. The inspiration for the book’s illustrations is Sydney’s 3-year-old sister,
Victoria. “I was talking to my mom one day, and we were looking at pictures of my sister looking in the mirror on her phone,” Sydney said. “We thought it would be a good idea to do a story about a little girl looking in the mirror and coming up with lots of good things to say about herself.” Knowing her daughter loved writing, Letitia Stewart, Sydney’s mother, told her she didn’t have to wait until she was an adult to publish a book and pursue her dreams. “I’m really excited and proud to have it published,” Sydney said. “It took so long.
I never thought I would get it finished, but when I saw the final copy, I was really happy. I like writing because you get to let your imagination fly free and you can write about whatever you want.” “Beautiful, Wonderful, Marvelous Me!” is available for purchase on Amazon. com, and Sydney and her mother are hoping to get the book on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. Sydney and her mother are working on a book series and hope to have it finished by fall. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Parish Schools Superintendent Kevin
George was furious when he heard one of the District’s schools was vandalized. “You didn’t want to be in the room when I found out because I had a few choice words,” George said. “I was upset and disappointed that someone would do this to our schools. These schools are the public’s schools. It’s our entire community’s schools. For someone to want to vandalize and deface the school is just mind boggling to me.” District employees noticed the damage to East St. John Elementary early Wednesday and reported the vandalism to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputies at approximately 7:28 a.m. March 30. The school building had been vacant since it was damaged in an August 2015 fire, but employees at Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, which has a temporary campus on the grounds, returned from the Spring break and noticed the damage. Sheriff Mike Tregre said recorded video surveillance from the school campus aided deputies in identifying two juvenile suspects. “As deputies processed the scene for evidence, they saw the two juveniles in an adjacent field and detained them for the investigation,” Tregre said. “The juveniles, 14- and 16-year-old males, cooperated with detectives and admitted to damaging school property. Both juveniles are from Jefferson Parish. They were staying with the aunt of one of the juveniles.” The aunt isn’t facing any charges, according to Sgt. Dane Clement. The Sheriff’s Office estimated the destruction could cost $10,000.
High school playoff basketball dominates the region Despite winning the District 7-5A championship, the East St. John High boys basketball team was stunned when it lost its first round playoff game to Bonnabel. The Riverside Academy boys basketball team began its quest for a third consecutive state championship. The No. 2 seeded Rebels took wins over Catholic High of New Iberia, Lakeview and Dunham to reach the Boys Top 28 Tournament in Lake Charles. The Rebels were thwarted in their goal, however, when they lost to No. 1 seed Madison Prep, 41-33, for the title. Former West St. John High head football coach Robert Valdez returned to the River Parishes when he
was named head coach at St. James High School. He replaced Dwain Jenkins, who left to become the coach at Lutcher. Valdez had spent three seasons as head coach at Scotlandville Magnet School in Baton Rouge. Teams throughout the area helped their community, donating time and energy to victims of the February tornado. West St. John High athletes spent a day serving meals to area residents. Area baseball and softball teams got their seasons underway. The Riverside Lady Rebels started with a 6-1 run, but it was St. Charles Catholic that won the first meeting, 11-6. West St. John High
The Riverside Rebels lost in the 2016 state championship to Madison Prep.
girls basketball coach Lester Smith was named L’OBSERVATEUR’s All-St. John Parish girls basketball Coach of the Year. The Lady Rams’ senior standout Maya
Trench was named Player of the Year. Yussef Jasmine, the boys coach at East St. John High, was named the boys Coach of the Year. Riverside Academy’s Malik
Crowfield was named the Player of the Year. Destrehan standout basketball player Cara Ursin was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
| YEAR IN REVIEW |
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
School tax denied; top firefighter named
t. John the Baptist Parish School Board members and School District administrators were facing a fiscal challenge in April, made tougher after local voters denied a School Board request April 9 to raise the local sales tax by .25 percent. According to initial numbers released by the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, 1,501 people (52 percent) voted against the measure, while 1,372 were in favor of the new tax. The 2,873 total votes cast represent less than 10 percent of available voter turnout. If passed, School District leaders expected the tax to generate $2.4 million a year, with revenue earmarked for school security, alternative programs, guidance work at the elementary schools, extra transportation and salaries and benefits. The news was better for the St. John Parish Library, which saw the successful renewal of a 9.94 mills tax geared to maintaining, constructing and operating public libraries in the parish. By a margin of 1,884 for (65 percent) and 1,018 against (35 percent), voters overwhelmingly supported the measure that is expected to generate $4,484,200 annually. The total vote count of 2,902 represents a 9.83 voter turnout percentage.
Travis Etie was named firefighter of the year by the department and by the American Legion on April 21.
The renewal is for 10 years and begins in 2018. LAPLACE RESIDENT Felix Simoneaux Jr. passed away April 19 surrounded by family. Despite the passing, there was a lot to celebrate with Mr. Felix, who, at 110 years old, was the oldest man in the United States of
America. His 111th birthday would have been May 26. Robert Young, head of research for the Gerontology Research Group, told L’OBSERVATEUR it is believed Mr. Felix took on the title of oldest living American male Jan. 18, 2015, following the death of California’s Andrew Hatch,
who was 111. Young said the Research Group uses census and records research to track aging trends in the United States and beyond. According to Young, 90 percent of people 110 years old or older in the world are female. He said the oldest female in the United States is 116. According to Young, there are more than 150 people worldwide who are 110 years old and over. AFTER SPENDING $500,000 on April 7 the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s office is the new owner of River Bend Lanes bowling alley. Sheriff Mike Tregre said the building, which is located at 947 Cambridge Drive in LaPlace, has been closed since 2008. Unfortunately for residents, the 88,000 square foot building will not be reopening as a bowling alley but as a training facility for St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies. Tregre announced in April he plans to name the new facility in honor of retired former Sheriff Lloyd B. Johnson for his 20 years of service. St. John Fleeting of Garyville sold the bowling alley to the Sheriff’s Office. “The facility will act as a range, a substation and a training academy,” Tregre said.
“We can do women’s self defense courses, hand gun safety courses, RAD classes and more.” THE FIREFIGHTERS of St. John the Baptist Parish do more than save lives. They use their training, skills and dedication to win awards to show others outside their community what they are capable of accomplishing. Once such dedicated firefighter is Travis Etie, who was named firefighter of the year by the department and by the American Legion on April 21. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be awarded firefighter of the year,” he said. “I strive for excellence. I do everything unto the Lord. I try to lead or try to be an example by what I do and what I say. I also couldn’t have won this award without my brothers. Firefighting isn’t a singleperson thing, it’s a team effort.” Etie has been giving the parish his all by being a firefighter for the past seven years. “It’s something that I dreamed about doing a long time ago but I never really pursued it,” he said. “I waited kind of late in my career to get started. I went to the Academy when I was 37 and I’m fixing to be 44. I just had a burning in my heart to serve and make a difference in people’s lives.”
Diamond action heats up; NFL great returns Riverside and St. Charles Catholic split victories in baseball and softball in the ongoing rivalry between the schools. St. Charles Catholic won the first meeting of the teams 11-6. The Lady Rebels avenged that loss with a 13-0 win, during which the team blasted four home runs. The Riverside Academy softball team led the nation in home runs, prompting officials from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association to visit the school with equipment to check the team’s bats. Both softball teams were eliminated from the playoffs in the second round. At least one of the two had been to the annual state softball tournament every year since 2004. The Comets and Rebels baseball teams also split victories. Riverside’s 7-6 win was its first over St. Charles Catholic since 2008. The Comets won the second meeting of the teams, 1-0. Former Leon Godchaux great A.J. Duhe returned to his hometown for A.J. Duhe
NFL great A.J. Duhe, right, returned to his hometown for A.J. Duhe Day at ESJH. Duhe, who spent eight seasons playing for the Miami Dolphins, presented the school with an NFL golden football to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl.
Day at East St. John High School. Duhe, who spent eight seasons playing for the Miami Dolphins, presented the school with an NFL golden football to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl. LaPlace native Errol Gauff, who once served as sports editor at L’OBSERVATEUR, was named head wom-
en’s basketball coach at Southeastern Louisiana University. Riverside Academy basketball players Malik Crowfield and Jared Butler were named to the LSWA Class 2A All-State boys basketball team. Herb Magee was named to the second team. West St. John senior Maya Trench was named to the
Class 2A All-State girls team. Riverside baseball player Tyler Gauthier was selected to participate in the Louisiana High School Coaches’ Association AllStar baseball game to be played in May. The St. Charles Catholic golf team made great strides, finishing third at the district tournament and third in the
regional tournament. Former Riverside Academy basketball standout Rico Gathers announced his intention to make himself available in the NFL draft as a tight end. Gathers had not played football since he was in middle school. The LaPlace Elementary School baseball team won the Parish Championship.
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Angelle DeLaneuville, left, named L’OBSERVATEUR Reader’s Choice Favorite Teacher of the River Parishes, celebrated in May with her coworkers, above.
Angelle DeLaneuville named top teacher
A
ngelle DeLaneuville was greeted with tasty treats, a shiny plaque and the smiles of her coworkers May 18 at St. Joan of Arc School in LaPlace. The sixth and seventh grade English language arts teacher was honored because she was named L’OBSERVATEUR Reader’s Choice Favorite Teacher of the River Parishes. Publisher Stephen Hemelt said its L’OBSERVATEUR’S responsibility as a community newspaper to show support for teachers who are working hard each day in the classroom to prepare our children with the best education possible. “We decided this year to have our first ever Reader’s Choice Teacher of the Year Award and publicize the teachers with 20 plus years of experience in the classroom,” he said. “By doing this, the teachers get the recognition they deserve.
We are very grateful to highlight our 2016 winner, voted on by our readers, and continue this effort with our community partners for years to come.” St. Joan of Arc principal Jeffery Montz said he was excited one of his teachers received the award, adding DeLaneuville cares deeply for her students. “It’s obvious to see by the way she serves her students,” Montz said. “She is driven to help them, even if they don’t understand that all of the time.” At times DeLaneuville is not popular with the students because she disciplines them, Montz said, adding she does it to teach the students and do what is best for them in the long run. “She is committed to the cause,” he said. “She isn’t going to waver from what she knows is best for the students. I think her willingness to serve makes her special. I don’t think she wants
to be put up on a pedestal, so to speak. She does what she does because it’s the right thing to do.” JUDGE MARY HOTARD Becnel has been a judge in the 40th Judicial District Court for 23 years. After many years serving the residents of St. John the Baptist Parish, Becnel announced in April that she feels it is time to retire, adding her last day is going to be Dec. 31, 2016. Judge Becnel’s husband, Daniel Becnel Jr., became ill in December 2015, and she plans to retire in part to spend more time with him. Becnel is one of three judges, along with Madeline Jasmine and J. Sterling Snowdy, who serve the 40th Judicial District Court. Her term was scheduled to end in 2021. Becnel said she is looking forward to all the things that go along with retirement, such as not having a business schedule. “Right now I’m expecting
a new grandbaby, so that’s exciting,” she said. “I also hope to travel a little bit, work in my yard and catch up on my reading.” Becnel said it is tough to leave because she loves what she does and the people she works with. A LOCAL GIRL playing unattended in her father’s LaPlace home was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot May 21 while her father was in the shower, police said. Haley Moore, 5, shot herself one time with a .45 caliber handgun on the right side of her chest area, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office incident report indicated Haley was found lying in the kitchen in a pool of blood. The victim’s father was the only adult home when the shot was fired. Sheriff Mike Tregre said he just left the office when the shooting call came out over the radio. “I went to the house and
saw the young girl,” he said. “We put her on the stretcher and proceeded to get her to the hospital as fast as we could. We blocked all of the lights. Seconds count. The Sheriff’s Office and the Fire Department did the best we could.” “This isn’t something we normally deal with or want to deal with. Anytime something like this happens, you want to make sure everybody is doing OK. Even though we are police officers or first responders, when you have an incident like this, it can effect you.” St. John Parish Councilman Buddy Boe, who’s District includes Country Club Drive, said the shooting reminds everyone that life is precious. “Guns are absolutely important to the fabric of America, but gun safety is just as, if not more important, to make sure they are operated in a safe manner,” Boe said. “This incident is just unfortunate.”
Local star drafted into NFL; high school seasons end Former Riverside Academy and Baylor University basketball standout Rico Gathers was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 217th pick of the 2016 NFL draft. The 6-foot-8, 275-pound Gathers had not played football since he was in seventh grade, but he had announced his intention to enter the draft as a tight end. Former West St. John High School player Darzil
Washington, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker who attended University of Louisiana-Lafayette, was invited to the Seattle Seahawks rookie camp. St. John the Baptist Parish baseball fans were thrilled when Riverside Academy and St. Charles Catholic advanced to the state baseball tournament in Sulphur. The bad news was the teams had to play each other in the semifinals. St. Charles
2016
Catholic defeated Riverside 3-0 to advance to the Class 2A championship game. The Comets lost to St. Thomas Aquinas, 3-1, to nab its sixth runner up trophy. The St. Charles Catholic golf team finished as the Division III state runner-up at the state golf tournament played in Carencro. Mikey Landry also finished as the state runner-up in the individual competition. Numerous St. John ath-
letes converged in Baton Rouge for the state track meet. The West St. John boys team finished second in the Class 2A team competition. It was the team’s first year competing in Class 2A. Rams junior Austin Alexander was St. John Parish’s only track state champion. The speedy sprinter won the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.95.
: A Year in the River Parishes...
May 2016 M C Y K
The St. John Legends track club opened to track and field athletes of all ages. St. James High’s standout quarterback Lowell Narcisse, who had previously committed to Auburn, announced he was committing to LSU. The Lutcher High School softball team finished as the Class 3A state runnerup after losing to Kaplan in the championship game Sulphur.
| YEAR IN REVIEW |
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Ochsner reshapes local health care with plan
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chsner Health System’s first large-scale foray into behavioral health care will be located in St. John the Baptist Parish. Ochsner and Acadia Healthcare announced in May they are partnering to renovate the Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes campus on Rue de Santé in LaPlace, turning the location into an 82-bed behavioral health facility slated to open in the first half of 2018, employing 145 people when operational. In a related move, Ochsner also announced the services and staff at Ochsner Medical Complex – River Parishes will move to a free-standing $12 million medical facility located near Tiffany Drive and Airline Highway in LaPlace. The planned 20,000 square foot medical complex is expected to open by the summer of 2017 and will house a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week emergency department and advanced diagnostics center. Ochsner Kenner CEO Stephen Robinson told L’OBSERVATEUR the 90 employees working at the River Parishes campus are expected to move to the new facility when it’s complete. LOCAL NURSE Amber Millet has taken care of
Travis Cook dove in the water when he saw a car accelerate into Lake Pontchartrain at the Kenner Boat Lunch June 19. His efforts helped save a life.
countless patients through ten years of service at multiple hospitals. Her skilled care and gentle bedside manner have propelled her professionally, earned local recognition and aided numerous friends and strangers in their times of need. Leda Mae Steib has known Millet her whole life, saying the nurse’s service to her brother approximately 10 years ago is something she’ll never forget. Because of that contribution nearly a decade ago and strong career, Steib nominated Millet as the region’s best nurse through
L’OBSERVATEUR’s National Nurses Week promotion. Steib’s submission was picked in May at random by newspaper staff, earning her and Millet gift certificates from local restaurant sponsors. ST. JOHN DISTRICT 7 Councilman Buddy Boe resigned his position in May to take the position of senior advisor and communications director for Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. Boe said Nungesser approached him late April after his previous communications director had resigned.
“It was more of a conversation than an offer, then over time it turned into a formal negotiation,” Boe said. “This wasn’t easy. Last year I had great support from volunteers and residents who voted for me and from partners across the region who’ve I’ve worked with for a number of years on different projects. There were also people that donated to my campaign.” Boe said he is looking forward to going to the statewide level and having the opportunity to promote to the country and world the assets that are in Louisiana. With the recent successes in Washington D.C. edging residents one step closer to levee protection Boe felt it was a safe time for him to leave. “We’ve worked hard these five and a half months moving the levee forward as quickly as we can,” he said. I ran (during the election) on moving that levee forward and working to get it towards construction, and I think we’ve done that.” TRAVIS COOK DIDN’T think twice about diving in the water when he saw a car accelerate into Lake Pontchartrain at the Kenner Boat Lunch June 19. Cook, of Reserve, said he was one of three people that jumped into the lake to try
to rescue a woman who was trying to commit suicide. Cook was out boating with family members when the commotion began. “The car accelerated so quickly into the water that it caught everybody’s attention,” Cook said. “I was in the boat as we were docking in. I just took off my stuff, gave my phone to my daughter and went in. I didn’t hesitate.” Cook, who works in maintenance for the St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools, said from the dock to the car, he estimates he swam 15 yards to help the woman. “I was a life guard in ’96,” Cook said. “That’s the only training I had. I was going against the wind, which made me kind of tired at the end, but I wasn’t injured.” Cook said the woman in the car resisted help from her rescuers. “As we got closer, she said ‘Let me go, I want to die,’” Cook said. “One guy said she wasn’t going to die on his watch. We tried to pull her out of the car but she locked the door on us, but the front window was down. We were able to pull her out. As we did, for some reason, her window went up by itself.” Cook and the other rescuers were able to get the woman to the dry land.
Season awards, swimming fun break in summer Summer brought the annual swim team competitions with the Larayo Barracudas and the Riverlands Stingrays participating in the River Parish Swim League. The Piranha Swim Team at Belle Terre Country Club competed for the first time in the Jefferson Community Club Association. Players from Riverside Academy, St. Charles Catholic and other schools united on the Pedal Valves American Legion team for the first time, under coach Danny Rhiem. East St. John volleyball players Melinda Perrilloux, Jessica Scioneau and Kalah Jones signed to play for Southern University of New Orleans. Riverside Academy eighth grader Lexi Johnson was named the All-St. John softball Player of the Year on the L’OBSERVATEUR’s All-St. John softball team. Lady Rebels coach Tamra Regalo was the Coach of the Year. Riverside Academy pitcher Mason Vicknair was named the Baseball Player of the Year on the All-St. John baseball team. St. Charles Catholic coach Wayne Stein was selected the Coach of the Year. East St. John head baseball coach Jade Falgoust announced he was leaving the school to become an assistant coach at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie. Rummel head coach Nick Monica is
Falgoust’s cousin. East St. John also held its very first alumni golf tournament to help raise funds for the athletic department. It was deemed a great success. During an emotional meeting in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association voted to split baseball, softball and basketball into select and non-select playoff brackets, beginning in 2017. The association will now crown nine state champions in football and 12 in basketball, baseball and softball. Some, like Riverside Academy athletic director Timmy Byrd, predicted the decision would lead to the demise of the 96-year-old association. St. James High School head coach Robert Valdez hosted the first Ladies Football Camp. Besides helping moms and female fans get an understanding of what football players go through during a typical practice, the event was a fundraiser to purchase pink jerseys for the team’s breast cancer awareness activities in the fall. Convent native “Gentleman” Dave Malarcher was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony held in Natchitoches. Malarcher’s proud family attended the 57th annual induction to honor the local great who made his name in the old Negro Leagues during the early 1900s.
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Riverside Academy pitcher Mason Vicknair was named the Baseball Player of the Year on the All-St. John baseball team.
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Region responds to tragedies, successes
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sually, the best match for a kidney patient needing a transplant is a blood relative. Sometimes, though, a different kind of brother comes through. St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Triche, who was shot and severely wounded in the line of duty in 2012, received a new kidney in July from St. Tammany Parish deputy Andre Ardeneau. Triche was shot multiple times ambush-style in a LaPlace mobile home park in August of 2012. Deputy Michael Scott Boyington also was wounded in the shooting. Deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche were killed. Triche has undergone more than 29 surgeries since then. He also has been enduring thriceweekly dialysis treatments in recent months as his one remaining kidney began to fail. In March, his sister Chasity Triche-Armstrong posted a plea on Facebook, asking for potential donors. The family got a great response from friends, family and strangers, but Triche still was waiting for a match. Ardeneau said he was on a recent cruise with his wife when he met a fellow passenger who talked about donating a kidney to his mother-inlaw. Upon returning home, Ardeneau began further research into the process. “I saw that it wasn’t a humongously invasive process, didn’t shorten my lifespan whatsoever, and the benefits the recipient has, as opposed to a cadaver kidney, is just phenomenal,” he said. After three days of grueling testing, Ardeneau learned he was a potential donor. Then he found out he was a match for Triche. GARBAGE CONTRACTOR Progressive Waste Solutions will no longer provide curbside waste pickup in St. John the Baptist Parish after July 30, the Parish Council announced. Progressive was replaced by Metro Service Group, which took over effective Aug. 1. Progressive faced increased scrutiny in recent months for not picking up trash on dates set forth in its contract with the parish. Councilwoman at Large Jaclyn Hotard said she has been extremely disappointed in Progressive’s service for some time. “Garbage pickup is a basic service, it is something that the residents deserve and expect,” Hotard said. AUGUST TORY HORTON worked throughout his ninth grade year to better himself. Horton and East St. John High School principal Cory Butler focused their morning and lunch conversations on what it would take for Horton to become a good man. “We talked about those things that would assist him in being a successful person: Getting to class on time, doing well in school, staying out of trouble and being respectful, most of all,” Butler said. “Oftentimes, we talked about dress code, making sure he was dressed appropriately.” Their attention to detail was paying off for Horton, who the principal said presented himself to strangers and friends, alike, in a cordial manner. Police said none of that mattered to a pair of assailants Aug. 5 that spotted Horton at a local convenience store, stalked the teenager and shot him in broad daylight, leaving him to die a short time later at a local hospital.
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Faith Williams, left, and Hartley Faucheux, friends and fourth graders at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School, recently went door to door in their LaPlace neighborhood collecting donations for the Sheriff’s Office bulletproof vest fund in return for handmade black and blue wristbands they created. (Candace Hemelt/L’OBSERVATEUR)
Horton, 16, would have started his sophomore year of high school in August. His shocking death was made all the more tragic because the violence cut short his unrealized potential. School district administrators announced they plan to honor Horton’s memory by presenting his family with an honorary diploma. NINE-YEAR-OLD Faith Williams recently went shopping with her mom to buy loom bracelet materials when her mother said she wanted to wear a black and blue one in honor of police officers. Faith, a fourth grader at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in LaPlace, thought maybe she could make and sell black and blue versions of the bracelets to raise money for local deputies. She went to good friend Hartley Faucheux’s house that night to talk about the plan. “That is when we decided not to sell them but donate them,” Faith said. Community safety in the wake of the police shootings in Baton Rouge is on the minds of many, especially Hartley and Faith. Hartley lives with her parents in Riverland Estates in LaPlace. Faith and Hartley were astounded by the initial results because they doubled their goal of raising $20 in a matter of minutes. The idea took off from there, with the girls working multiple nights making more wristbands and their parents buying the supplies from whatever stores had them available. The donations kept coming as the girls zoomed past raising $100 to $300 to $600 before collecting $1,203.06 in total. The girls capped off their fundraising effort by presenting St. John Sheriff Mike Tregre the money Aug. 11, complete with a
ceremonial big check. ST. JOHN THE Baptist Parish residents are again being asked to vote on a sales tax increase. School Board members voted again Aug. 18 to a seek .25-cent sales tax increase, designating funds generated from the additional sales tax split between employee salaries and benefits and the maintaining and repairing of all school buildings. PERHAPS SPENCER Chauvin didn’t grow up wanting to be a firefighter, but it certainly seemed to be his destiny. His grandfather, Louis Tassin, and his father, Ivy “Sonny” Chauvin Jr., were volunteer firemen in Edgard. According to Chauvin’s aunt, Wendy Landry, Chauvin just wanted to do something to help people. “He was the kindest, most generous, most helpful person I’ve ever known,” Landry said. “It didn’t matter who you were or what you did, he would always do his best to help.” Chauvin, 36, the St. John the Baptist Parish District Fire Chief, was killed Aug. 28 when he and two other firefighters were struck by a bus that plowed into the scene of an earlier crash on the elevated portion of Interstate 10 near LaPlace. The community of greater LaPlace mourned the loss of a husband, father and friend. “There are no words to describe Spencer,” St. John Fire Chief of Operations Cain Dufrene said of his friend. “The only thing I can say is he strived every day to make this department better. He was always working to do things a better way.” Chauvin leaves behind his wife, Jennifer, with whom he just celebrated their tenth anniversary in July, and two young children.
Former East St. John defensive lineman Greg Gathers, whose dreams of playing in the NFL were cut short by kidney failure, announced he was in need of another kidney transplant. Gathers received a kidney from his mother several years ago but it is failing and he needs a new transplant. Pedal Valves, the American Legion baseball team, which comFormer East St. John quarterback bined players Ryan Perrilloux returned as quarfrom Riverside terbacks coach of the Wildcats. Academy and ball team was eliminatSt. Charles ed from the Mid-South Catholic, won a state Regional Tournament title in its first year of in Arkansas with existence. Behind the losses to Missouri and pitching of Riverside Texarkana. The team Academy’s Mason finished with a record Vicknair, Pedal Valves of 29-8. defeated Holy CrossFormer East St. John based Ponstein’s, 3-0. quarterback Ryan The team advanced to the Mid-South Regional Perrilloux returned to his roots to become in Little Rock, Ark. the quarterbacks St. Charles Catholic catcher Brady Newman coach of the Wildcats. Perrilloux, who many signed a letter of intent consider one of the to play for Delgado greatest athletes to Community College, play in Louisiana, had along with Riverside a tumultuous career Academy outfielder at LSU before transferTyler Gauthier. ring to Jackson State Riverside’s Brandon University. He then Morris signed to spent nine years bouncplay for Baton Rouge ing around various Community College. professional leagues, The Riverside including the NFL, the Academy based CLF, the AFL and in Southern Sluggers softEurope. ball team, coached by Wildcats baseball Lutcher graduate Katie player Kevin Breaux Duhe, had a successwas invited to attend ful summer, traveling the Development throughout the region Invitational camp at for tournaments. The Dodgertown in Vero team also hosted a Beach, Fla. three-day camp with The rising sophomore several current and forcatcher got three days mer LSU softball playof instruction from ers in attendance. some of baseball’s The River Parish greatest coaches and Swim League closed players. out its season with the The 2016 football seaannual senior swim son got underway in out tradition at Hill the heat of August with Heights Country Club practices, scrimmages in Destrehan. and jamborees. The swimmers in The East St. John their last year of comHigh and West St. John petition traditionally come up with a creative High football teams christened their new way to swim their final artificial turf fields. lap, using inflatables St. Charles Catholic and props. welcomed a new scoreLocal golfer Earl board after its old one Booth hit a hole-inwas damaged by the one on the 11th hole February tornado. at Riverlands Country West St. John Club at the age of 90. It was Booth’s second ace, retooled its offense behind the speed of new the first coming roughquarterback Austin ly a decade ago. Alexander. Former Lutcher High Riverside Academy School football player went into the season Marc Zeno, who went with a pair of tested on to a stellar career at quarterbacks in Jordan Tulane, was inducted Loving and Jared into the Greater New Butler. Orleans Sports Hall East St. John of Fame. Zeno was High was countdrafted in the seventh ing on the experiround (182nd overall) ence of Marquise of the 1988 draft by the Darensbourg, while St. Pittsburgh Steelers. Charles Catholic was He later played for the relying on Lloyd Nash. Calgary Stampeders, Just before the start spent one season with of the volleyball seathe British Columbia son, East St. John Lions and one with head coach Chelsey Tampa Bay of the Nicholas-Lucas was Arena Football League. hired to be the head coach at Alcorn State AUGUST University. Jarrinisha Allen took over the The Pedal Valves team. American Legion base-
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: A Year in the River Parishes...
September/October 2016
Andouille Festival highlights local fun SEPTEMBER The 2016 football season officially began with the traditional rivalry between West St. John High and St. James. This year’s game was different in that it featured new St. James head coach Robert Valdez against his former West St. John team and many of his staff. St. James took a 33-8 win. But West St. John coach Brandon Walters experienced a parent’s worst nightmare when his own son, wide receiver Jamal Walters, suffered an apparent concussion during the game. The senior sat out one game but quarterback Austin Alexander would also be sidelined by a similar injury. East St. John and St. Charles Catholic opened their seasons with wins, but Riverside lost a close one to John Ehret, 16-13. The Wildcats would lose quarterback Marquise Darensbourg to a shoulder injury, forcing coach Aldon Foster to go with some younger players. Dasmain Crosby, a sophomore, proved to be an effective leader in a 33-13 win over H.L. Bourgeois. Riverside posted a stunning 19-8 win over Class 5A opponent Hahnville on a rainy night in Reserve. Despite the muddy conditions, Rebels running back Jeremy Gibson rushed for 162 yards. A pair of locals earned spots on the starting lineup at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Riverside Academy grad Evan Veron was a starting linebacker, who had a tackle and five assists in the Colonels’ almostvictory over Georgia. Lutcher’s Sully Laiche had four tackles and three sacks against Incarnate Word, earning him STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week honorable mention honors. It was the best singlegame sack total for the Colonels since 2003. Riverside Academy’s volleyball team got of to a strong start, going 14-1 through the month of September. The Lady Rebels were led by returning All-St. John Player of the Year, Sydney Joseph.
St. Charles Catholic head coach Frank Monica gave everyone a scare when he left his team’s game against Central High School in an ambulance. At halftime of the game in Baton Rouge, Monica told his assistants he wasn’t feeling well. He was taken to a hospital and monitored for several hours before being released. OCTOBER Teams throughout the area helped raise breast cancer awareness with “Pink games” and by wearing pink jerseys and accessories. At its annual Pink Match, the St. Charles Catholic volleyball team presented roses to breast cancer survivors and to family members of those who have succumbed. All of St. John the Baptist Parish awaited the annual matchup between Riverside Academy and St. Charles Catholic on the football field and the and volleyball courts. The Riverside Academy football team posted its third straight win over its rival Comets, taking a 35-14 victory in Reserve. The Rebels held St. Charles to 92 yards of offense. Despite the loss, St. Charles continued to surprise opponents with wins over Sophie B. Wright, Newman and West St. John. The Rebels would clinch their fourth consecutive district championship with a win 32-7 victory over Country Day. The once-fierce rivalry between Riverside Academy and West St. John High has waned in recent years. Riverside took a 49-15 win this year. The Riverside Academy volleyball team also clinched the district crown with a three-game sweep of St. Charles Catholic. They finished the district slate undefeated with a sweep of Haynes Academy. That gave the Lady Rebels a 32-4 record and the No. 3 seed in the Division IV power ratings. While Riverside and St. Charles celebrated their spots in the volleyball playoffs, the East St. John and West St. John teams struggled to finish their seasons.
Lloyd Nash leads the SCC Comets.
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he two-night season premiere of Queen Sugar was the talk of the entertainment industry in early August, but those lucky enough to take in the LaPlace premiere saw the first three episodes right away. The hour-long drama set in fictional Saint Josephine, La., chronicles the lives of estranged Bordelon siblings, who navigate the triumphs and struggles of their lives in order to run a struggling sugarcane farm that comes to their care after a family tragedy. Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay, who directed the first two episodes, leads the project, which is produced for OWN by Warner Horizon Television. Oprah Winfrey is one of the executive producers. Filmed largely in Southeast Louisiana, the show relies heavily on locations in St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes. Local interests celebrated the series with a premiere party at Acadiana Cinemas’ LaPlace Cinema 5. Jo Banner, River Parishes Tourist Commission film coordinator, said there was a great vibe at the theater after the first episode ended, with attendees excited to see the local area showcased through a quality show. “We could really feel proud of this project,” Banner said. “This one was so personal to everyone that was there. We watched the second episode and had the third episode, which we weren’t supposed to watch, but were so excited so we ended up watching all three. We got out at 11:30 p.m., but it was that good.” JA’LACIA TRENCH has always been able to bend her body like a pretzel. An active dancer and tumbler, Ja’Lacia was one of those lean and limber girls who could do splits, leg lifts, even backbends without any pain. A few years ago, the LaPlace youngster and her family discovered that her own body had twisted itself like a pretzel. In January of 2014, Ja’Lacia was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, a curvature of her spine. Over the next several months, she would undergo two grueling surgeries to correct it. She has a scar from her neck to her lower back. She has two rods fusing her spinal cord in place. Amazingly, Ja’Lacia can still do everything she could before — except the backbend. As a junior at East St. John High, she told L’OBSERVATEUR readers in September that she is a member of the track team and also is a member of the Pink Diamond Dolls dance troupe, which puts on regular showcases and marches in various parades throughout the area. “I don’t have any pain,” she said. “I can do anything I want.” DANA BARDELL WALLACE is well known as a local tattoo artist, but she has received rave reviews in recent years for a series of paintings devoted to breast cancer awareness. Wallace lost her mother five years ago to the disease and has become dedicated to the cause. When friends suggested she should submit an entry for the upcoming Andouille Festival poster, she was leery about including the pink symbol, however. “You know, when somebody asks you to do this for them, you don’t want to put your own thing into it,” Wallace said. “I was leery.” After encouragement from friends, however, Wallace went with it and was thrilled when her design was chosen
Dana Bardell Wallace, well known local tattoo artist, received rave reviews in recent years for a series of paintings devoted to breast cancer awareness. She created the Andouille Festival poster.
as the official poster of the 2016 Andouille Festival. Wallace’s painting was unveiled Sept. 19 in a ceremony held at the St. John the Baptist Parish Community Center with a host of dignitaries and Wallace’s family members on hand. “You can see why it was chosen,” Parish President Natalie Robottom said, adding a portion of the sales of the poster will be donated to a breast cancer awareness charity. The announcement also included a $30,000 check presentation from Marathon Petroleum General Manager Tracy Case and Human Resources Manager Keith Hightower. The company, which originally donated $2,000 to fund the kid’s art tent years ago, is now the festival’s major sponsor. Wallace’s painting, which she said came to her in one marathon session, is full of color, depicting the rides, food and joy surrounding the Community Center each year. She said she has never missed a festival. “It’s all movement,” she said. “Everything is moving because we are moving. St. John Parish is moving. The Community Center is at the center of it because, when the festival moved to the Center, it just exploded.” OCTOBER It was 50 years ago in October when the St. John the Baptist Parish Police Jury first petitioned State Librarian Sally Farrell for the funds to open a local library. Before that, all residents had was a single room library, located in what was then the hub of the parish — Garyville. Norris “Butch” Millet, a longtime teacher and administrator at Leon Godchaux High School in Reserve, who would be appointed to the first St. John Library board, remembers not everyone being on board with the idea. “Oh there were a few hard-heads,” Millet said. “Somebody said, ‘If I want to go to a library, I’ll just go to the school.’ There were some who said, ‘You’ll never make it.’” Fortunately for the residents of the parish, cooler heads prevailed. The St. John Parish Library celebrated its 50th anniversary with a three-day event that marked the occasion and sent the establishment into its next half century. All branches of the library held a simultaneous balloon release at 4 p.m. Oct. 27. JERRY W. JONES JR. had never attended an Andouille Festival before 2016. “I had a chance to walk around, talk to a bunch of different people and hear their stories about the festival and what the festival means to
them,” Jones said. “The general consensus I got was that it is about their family, the culture of St. John and being able to stop for a moment and tell our story.” Jones had a unique view of the three-day event that concluded Oct. 16 as St. John the Baptist Parish’s economic development director. He was part of a management team that oversaw a record number of attendees, approximately 25,000, Parish leaders said. Approximately 23,000 people attended 2015’s festival. Jones said interest and attendance jumps were noticed immediately at the 43rd Annual Andouille Festival presented by Marathon Petroleum Company. DEBORAH PERKINS could not contain her joy Oct. 25. All decked out in her favorite black and gold boots, the longtime physical education teacher at Garyville-Mt. Airy Math and Science Magnet School was about to see her dream come true. With the whole student body — also decked out in their best black and gold — filling the cafeteria with energy and excitement, Perkins awaited the group of special visitors to her school. Soon, the cafeteria erupted as Gumbo, the larger-than-life Saints mascot, barreled down the aisle, closely followed by Saints linebacker Michael Mauti and superfan Jarrius “JJ” Robertson, who lives just up the road. They all were there to make Perkins’ dream come true, by delivering — in person — the Saints $10,000 Hometown Grant in conjunction with the NFL’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program and the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association. Garyville-Mt. Airy won the grant thanks to the continuing efforts of Perkins, who heads the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at the school and has been applying for grants for years. “A lot of times schools are underfunded, especially when it comes to things that are going to improve their health, both with physical education and nutrition,” said SUDIA representative Jen Duhon. “Garyville Magnet was chosen because they have shown excellent leadership in Fuel Up to Play 60 with their program advisor and they have pledged to be healthier by exercising daily and eating nutritious foods.” This is the first such grant awarded to a school in St. John the Baptist Parish. “I’m relieved more than anything,” Perkins said. “I can’t believe it’s happening.” The NFL’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program is designed to help tackle childhood obesity by getting children active and teaching them to make healthy food choices.
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Judge’s race wanes; Denka celebrates home
eff Perilloux outdistanced fellow challenger Nghana Lewis Gauff Nov. 8, coming away with 2,216 votes (38 percent) compared to Gauff’s 2,175 votes (37 percent). The duo moved to a runoff Dec. 10 as the race to fill the unexpired term of departing 40th Judicial District Court Division B Judge Mary Hotard Becnel. Fellow challenger Rob Snyder Jr. missed out on the runoff despite garnering 1,474 votes, which equaled 25 percent of the turnout. The results from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office listed the turnout at 60.4 percent of possible voters with 5,865 votes cast in the judge’s election. Perilloux, pleased and humbled with the results, said he is very thankful so many voters participated. “I’m certainly looking forward to Dec. 10,” Perilloux added. “We will continue to work hard. We are going to anticipate another high turnout and continue to work hard and spread our message. “I think both of my opponents ran a very good race. I congratulate both of them. But for the one week-or-twospan when there were a couple of negative mailouts, I think overall we ran a good campaign and I’m talking
about all three of us.” Gauff said she was pleased with her standing among voters and referenced the strong turnout this week, which amounted to approximately 2,000 more votes than were cast in the 2014 judge’s election that saw Becnel top Snyder. “It shows people are committed to civic engagement, which is always a good thing,” Gauff said. THE ST. JOHN THE Baptist Parish Public School District retained its B letter grade for the second consecutive year, according to Nov. 17’s release of the Louisiana Department of Education accountability report. The school system’s District Performance Score held steady at 85.2. The score is based on student achievement on annual assessments, academic indicators and measures of career and college readiness, such Carnegie credits earned through ninth grade, graduation rates, ACT scores and earning Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Dual Enrollment. School District leaders stressed St. John Parish Public Schools is the only district in Louisiana to attain a B rating while serving a student population where at least 82 percent is classified as economically disadvantaged.
“We are proud of the work we are doing to help those students who need it the most and are encouraged that we are giving our graduates the tools they need to pursue their dreams after high school,” Superintendent Kevin George said. IF YOU SMELL SOMETHING, say something. That may even include calling 911, according to St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom. “We have a process that when (residents) smell something, a lot of times we’re not sure what that is,” Robottom said. “Because Denka is in the news, (residents) are making an assumption that things they smell are related to Denka. Well, that is not always the case. Sometimes, it is a barge on the river. Sometimes it is one of the other plants.” Robottom encourages residents who live around Denka’s LaPlace facility to call 911 when they smell something out of the ordinary in the air, adding, “we will send someone out to investigate what’s going on.” Denka, a Tokyo-based company, has been a source of interest for local residents for more than a year following its acquisition of DuPont Performance Polymers, a synthetic rubber business in LaPlace. At the time, Denka established LaPlace as its new U.S. corporate
headquarters. The announcement in November of 2015 accompanied Denka’s completed acquisition of DuPont’s polychloroprene synthetic rubber business, known by the trade name Neoprene. Material produced at the St. John site, located between Airline Highway and River Road on the western side of LaPlace, is used in consumer products including wet suits, orthopedic braces, adhesives, electrical insulation and coatings. The Denka plant produces chloroprene while making neoprene rubber. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies chloroprene as a possible human carcinogen — a substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer. Denka Performance Elastomer announced Nov. 22 it is instituting a series of measures to reduce chloroprene emissions from the LaPlace facility. Plant Manager Jorge Lavastida stressed Denka has always been in compliance with existing air permits, adding this effort is to “voluntarily install a series of measures designed to reduce emissions of chloroprene by 85 percent” and is being worked in unison with EPA and DEQ consultation.
Louisiana basketball coaching legend Kathy Luke, left, who spent the last four years at Riverside Academy, took over to lead the girls at St. Charles Catholic. The Riverside and St. Charles Catholic volleyball teams, right, also made the Division IV playoffs.
St. John Parish schools barge into playoffs The road to the Superdome began with all four St. John the Baptist Parish high school football teams earning spots in their respective playoff brackets. Riverside Academy earned the No. 1 seed in the Division III Select Schools bracket. St. Charles Catholic earned the No. 3 seed, putting them on a championship collision course. The Rebels beat No. 16 Sacred Heart, 48-14, No. 9 Ouachita Christian, 48-17, and No. 4 CatholicNew Iberia, 40-14, to reach the finals. St. Charles beat No. 14 Thomas Jefferson 45-6, Calvary Baptist, 21-0,
and Notre Dame, 21-10, to get to the championship game. West St. John was the No. 24 seed in the Class 2A Non-Select Schools bracket and East St. John was No. 23 in the Class 5A bracket. The Wildcats were the first to be eliminated, losing to No. 10 seed Barbe, 23-19. West St. John knocked off No. 9 East Felciana, 25-12, and No. 8 South Plaquemines, 65-17, to reach the quarterfinals. There they were eliminated by No. 1 seed Many, 44-30. The Riverside and St. Charles Catholic volleyball teams also
2016
made the Division IV playoffs. The Comets, the No. 17 seed, beat Thomas Jefferson in the first round but lost to No. 1 seed Pope John Paul II in the second round. The team had to play without head coach Meg Ericksen, who gave birth to her son just before the playoffs began. Riverside earned an historic No. 3 seed in the bracket, which gave them a bye. The Lady Rebels beat Curtis in the second round to reach the State Tournament at the Pontchartrain Center. With virtually the whole student body in atten-
: A Year in the River Parishes...
November 2016 M C Y K
dance, the team was eliminated by Sacred Heart, 3-1. Louisiana basketball coaching legend Kathy Luke, who spent the last four years at Riverside Academy, began her first season as head girls coach at St. Charles Catholic. She is assisted by former NBA great and Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Mike Sanders. The final play for reclassification had St. Charles Catholic moving up to Class 3A next school year. West St. John will move down to Class 1A. Riverside Academy remains in 2A and East St. John in 5A.
| YEAR IN REVIEW |
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017
One way Marathon Petroleum gave back to our community in 2016 was through supporting education. That included donating more than 700 school supply kits and giving more than $100,000 to local educational institutions.
St. Charles Catholic High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin in the administering of its educational policies.
SCC breaks expansion ground; new judge wins
W
ith prayers and blessings St. Charles Catholic High School leaders, students, alumni and supporters officially broke ground Dec. 20 on a $5.7 million renovation project they hope will being new life, new students as well as a new color to the 38-year-old institution. Having secured the approval of Archbishop Gregory Aymond and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, work is expected to begin over the Christmas holidays on the project, which will create a new school exterior look and new spaces on the interior for the school’s 480 students. Improvements will include updated security features, a $30,000 technology upgrade, a new large conference room, an expanded cafeteria and commons area, renovations to the gymnasium, the conversion of the current chapel into a computer lab, repairs to the parking lot and the construction of a brand new stand-alone chapel. The renovations are expected to be complete in 2018. “It will take all of 2017,” said Louis Authement, who serves as the school’s advisory board president and co-chaired the fundraising for the project. “The day will come when we all look back on this day and say, ‘Wow.’ The reality is, right now we’re in a boatload of debt. We will pay back every penny, even if we have to knock on doors with a bucket.” The project is being funded through a loan from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, along with a United in Faith capital campaign, the first in the school’s history. JEFF PERILLOUX assumed the
St. Charles Catholic High School leaders, students, alumni and supporters officially broke ground Dec. 20 on a $5.7 million renovation project. Improvements will include updated security features, plus much more.
duties of 40th Judicial District Court Division B judge in December. “I actually have court set on Jan. 3,” Perilloux said. “There is no real time to learn on the job as we go. These next three weeks I am going to spend, frankly, doing as much as I can so the people get exactly what they deserve from me, which will be the very best that I can offer.” Perilloux said he doesn’t mind the challenge that comes from election victory, capped Dec. 11 when voters propelled him to the bench over fellow challenger Nghana Lewis Gauff. The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office listed Perilloux with 1,812 votes (55 percent), compared to Gauff’s 1,502 votes (45 percent). Included in the total are 491 early votes for Gauff and 455 for Perilloux.
The total votes cast represent just more than 34 percent voter turnout. That is a significant drop from the Nov. 8 election when more than 5,800 votes were cast and the draw of the presidential election led to more than 66 percent voter turnout. Perilloux and Gauff were the top two vote getters last month, setting up this weekend’s runoff. AFTER MORE THAN 30 years as an educator, Mike Coburn was happily working as a supervisor in a local plant. The former teacher, football coach, principal and superintendent was enjoying the regular hours and the time with his wife and grandbabies. Then he got a call out of the blue. Riverside Academy principal Dr. Perry DiCarlo had announced his
retirement, citing a wish to spend more time with his own family. The school needed a replacement. Was Coburn interested? “I told them yes but I wanted to take a little time and talk to my wife a little bit,” Coburn said. “Then I came back and said, ‘You know, the passion is still there. The fire is still there.’” A few weeks later, Coburn received unanimous approval to become the 10th principal in Riverside Academy’s history. “Everything just came together,” Coburn said. “I’m just so excited. I’m back in education again.” There are other changes as well. Sonya Mazzella is the new assistant principal at the high school and Cheree Gomez is the new assistant principal at the elementary school.
Riverside Rebels win football state championship All eyes were on the MercedesBenz Superdome as the Riverside Academy Rebels and St. Charles Catholic Comets battled for the Division III Select Schools state championship. It was only the second time in the long rivalry that the two teams met for a title (the other was softball in 1998, won by SCC), and the first time in football. After a close first quarter that ended in a 7-7 tie, Riverside rolled up 27 points in the second quarter on the way to a 47-20 victory. It was the Rebels’ first LHSAA state title in their fifth appearance in the title game. St. Charles Catholic was state champion in 2011 and runner-up in 2005 and 2006. Quarterback Jordan Loving was named the Rebels’ Outstanding Player of the Game after completing 17 of 21 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Comets quarterback Lloyd Nash rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown, plus he was 8 of 11 for 87 yards passing to earn his team’s Outstanding Player award. Riverside Academy’s trophy hadn’t even been polished yet when head coach Bill Stubbs announced his retirement after five years at the school. Stubbs, who had led Salmen High
Riverside Academy rolled up 27 points in the second quarter on the way to a 47-20 state championship victory.
School to three Class 4A state championships and compiled a career record of 143-40 over 15 seasons, was hired in 2012 to replace Mickey Roussel. He left Riverside with a record of 51-13 with four consecutive district championships, a state runner-up finish and a state championship. Assistant coach Chris Lachney, who served as Stubbs’ defensive coordinator, was named the next head coach. One week later, the 2016 Lutcher
2016
football team did what no other has done — repeated as champion. Lutcher defeated Amite, 40-36, to win the Class 3A title for the second year in a row. It was the first for first-year Lutcher coach Dwain Jenkins, who coached St. James to last year’s runner-up finish to Lutcher. Jenkins joked he had no plans to retire. L’OBSERVATEUR closed out the year with its annual All-St. John the Baptist Parish volleyball and football teams.
: A Year in the River Parishes...
December 2016 M C Y K
Riverside Academy junior Sydney Joseph was named Volleyball Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Lady Rebels coach Margot Frederick was named Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica was named All-St. John Parish football Coach of the Year. Rebels quarterback Loving was named the Offensive Player of the Year and East St. John defensive lineman Myles Meyer was named Defensive Player of the Year.