ZACHARY — Police arrested a 12-year-old on drug charges and a Zachary man on numerous counts involving pirated movies after searching a car stopped for a traffic violation Tuesday night, Police Chief David McDavid said. Officers booked Gary Sloate, 57, 8923 W. Vernon Drive, with 950 counts of illegal use of counterfeit trademarks, 31 counts … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — West Feliciana Parish School Board members clashed over personnel issues at their meeting Tuesday. Board members Milton Coates and James White objected to advertising for a curriculum specialist and an instructional coach to assist with the implementation of the new teaching standards beginning in fall. Common Core State Standards, or CCSS, … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Parish School Board should consider withholding a “13th check” from employees this summer to avoid wiping out the general fund’s small balance in the coming fiscal year, the board’s financial adviser said Tuesday. Certified public accountant Tommy LeJeune said paying a salary supplement of about $600,000 as the fiscal year … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Police Jury unanimously voted Tuesday to extend its contract with the Slaughter Charter School for another two years. The decision means the school will be able to operate on parish-owned property. The charter school already has a three-year contract with the Police Jury. Tuesday’s vote clears the way … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — The West Feliciana Parish Home Rule Charter Commission on Monday adopted the final draft of its proposed new plan of parish government and voted to send it on to the Police Jury, which by state law has to present the plan to parish voters in an election. The commission has … Continue reading →

BAKER — A community meeting is planned Wednesday concerning the fourth phase of a natural gas line-replacement program in the city, Mayor Harold Rideau said. The 6 p.m. meeting will be in the Municipal Auditorium. The city is soliciting bids from contractors to replace old steel gas lines with industry-standard plastic lines in three … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — The chairman of the West Feliciana Parish Home Rule Charter Commission said public comment will be accepted Monday on a proposed plan to change the parish form of government. The commission will meet at 6 p.m. in the Police Jury meeting room of the Courthouse Annex, Chairman Jack Hanemann said. Continue reading →

Baker Councilman Charles Vincent and members of his Youth Scholars and Leaders group will install free reflectors and lights on bicycles at four locations Saturday. The installations will be made only at the sites; none of the safety devices will be given out for installing at home. The group will be at the … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Bowing to public pressure, the Zachary Community School District won’t accept any students from other, less-successful school systems under the new state voucher program, Superintendent Warren Drake said. The School Board voted April 26 to accept 30 eligible students next year who would normally attend C-, D- and F-rated schools in other … Continue reading →

BAKER — The City Council announced Tuesday that bids will be sought for new polyethylene natural gas lines to replace old steel piping in the Baker Heights, Leland College and Morvant areas. A community meeting will be held in City Hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the project and how it may inconvenience residents … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Zachary’s budget for the upcoming year “looks good,” Chief Financial Officer Steve Nunnery told the City Council on Tuesday. Nunnery noted the city would be able to complete its current projects during the 2012-13 fiscal year, while staying in the black. “Sales taxes are still going up,” he said. Projects to … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Darrel Walton called LSU to get some help for his ailing live oak tree, but the forester who responded also was interested in another tree in the yard. Walton learned that the American holly growing beside his home on La. 964 is a new state co-champion on the Louisiana Champion Tree list maintained … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — West Feliciana Parish Home-Rule Charter Commission members hope to finish drafting a proposed new plan of government at a meeting Monday night, its chairman said. “We’re going to try our best to wrap up the whole thing. There’s very few changes that we may make,” said Jack Hanemann. The meeting … Continue reading →

CLINTON — An East Feliciana Parish work-release inmate drowned Friday afternoon in a pond at a site where an annual fishing outing is held for children who are patients of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, spokesmen for Sheriff Talmadge Bunch said. Law enforcement agencies from across the state assist the Dream Day Foundation in … Continue reading →

BAKER — Police arrested a Pride man on a warrant accusing him of raping a 12-year-old girl last year, Police Chief Mike Knaps said Thursday. Officers booked Clifford Hollingsworth, 38, 22061 Liberty Road, at Parish Prison on Wednesday on counts of aggravated rape and indecent behavior with a juvenile, Knaps said. State child protection … Continue reading →

Volunteers are invited to participate in Baker Heights Elementary School’s Second annual Restoration Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Organized by Teach for America corps members Anthony Rushing and Jessica Jones, the event will bring volunteers to the Baker school for painting and other odd jobs. One of their big projects will be to paint … Continue reading →

CLINTON — After first voting Tuesday to delay consideration of a contract for the East Feliciana Parish school system’s superintendent-elect, School Board members eventually reversed course, approved a contract and set an early starting date. The board voted 10-1 on April 12 to hire Henderson Lewis Jr., of Violet, as the successor to Superintendent … Continue reading →

BAKER — The Baker School Board meeting at Park Ridge Elementary Magnet started on a musical note Tuesday with a performance by the school’s show choir. Principal Tammy Armand-Golden told the audience the first year of the magnet school was filled with a variety of other activities for the students, such as maintaining … Continue reading →

BAKER — A police officer who observed suspicious activity outside a Walmart store Sunday morning later arrested four people accused of obtaining materials used to produce methamphetamine, Police Chief Mike Knaps said. The officer saw one of the suspects walking back and forth from his car to the store several times and later … Continue reading →

BAKER — Police arrested a 20-year-old man Sunday accused of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl, Police Chief Mike Knaps said. Knaps said Warren “Moin” Dixon, of 14036 Cayuga Drive, was booked into Parish Prison with five counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. The police chief said the girl’s mother … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — A Watson man was killed and another person injured Saturday when their motorcycle struck the rear of another vehicle on Main Street, Police Chief David McDavid said. The driver of the motorcycle, Jerry Fugler, 51, of 35992 Bend Road, was pronounced dead on arrival at Lane Regional … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Officers with the Delta Narcotics Task Force arrested five people and seized several types of drugs during a raid Thursday night at a house across from the Zachary High School campus, Police Chief David McDavid said. The officers seized approximately one ounce of marijuana packaged for sale, six codeine tablets, a half-ounce of … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — The Zachary Community School District agreed Thursday to accept 30 students eligible for state-funded vouchers next school year because they attend low-performing schools in other districts. Superintendent Warren Drake said Zachary, because of its academic standing in the state accountability program as an A-rated district, can accept students who normally would … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to block a Plaquemine development group’s plan to build a three-story, 156-unit apartment complex off McHugh Road south of Lane Regional Medical Center. Tom Delahaye, one of the developers, said the complex would be similar to a development called the Village at Juban Lakes in Livingston … Continue reading →

The 21st annual Battle of Jackson Crossroads re-enactment will be held Saturday and Sunday on La. 68, south of La. 10 and near the original site of the 1863 Civil War battle. Civil War re-enactors from several states muster for the event, sponsored by the Living History Association of Jackson, La. The gates open at 9 … Continue reading →

CLINTON — East Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday arrested a fourth person suspected of “cooking” methamphetamines Sunday in woods near an Ethel mobile home park, a spokesman for Sheriff Talmadge Bunch said. Detective Kevin Garig said deputies arrested Frank A. Stevens Jr., 35, at his residence, 6048 La. 19, on a warrant … Continue reading →

BAKER — The City Council on Tuesday heard about several properties that are either planned for demolition or related work but took no action on any of the sites. Trini Gibson, of 13810 Brantley Drive in Parkwood Terrace, came before the council to discuss a vacant house at 13765 Ector St. Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — The West Feliciana Parish School Board adopted an ordinance Tuesday to begin collecting a new half-cent sales tax that voters approved Saturday. The 10-year tax, which raises the School Board’s total sales tax levy to 3 percent, passed by a vote of 1,331 to 568, according to official returns from … Continue reading →

JACKSON — Troopers arrested an East Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputy and his wife Tuesday and accused the couple of stealing a computer taken during a traffic arrest in March 2011, a State Police spokesman said. Deputy Sidney Floyd, 43, and his wife, Adina, 38, a Jackson town deputy marshal, were booked into East Feliciana Parish … Continue reading →

ETHEL — East Feliciana Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested three men Sunday night accused of operating a methamphetamine lab, a spokesman for Sheriff Talmadge Bunch said. Deputy Kenny Sanders went to a trailer park on La. 19 known as Spaghetti Farms about 6:30 p.m. to assist a Jackson police officer in looking for a … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Parish Democratic Executive Committee will hold a free open house at 6:30 p.m. Monday at J.D.’s Seafood and Barbecue Restaurant, 11302 Bank St., for the public to meet officers and members of the committee. Snacks and soft drinks will be served. Officers elected for new four-year terms are … Continue reading →

ALEXANDRIA — The Louisiana Retired Teachers Association will hold its state spring meeting Tuesday and Wednesday at the Sai Convention Center and Baymont Inn and Suites. The organization’s executive board will meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to conduct the association’s business, and all LRTA members and the public are invited to attend. A dinner … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — A traveling exhibition commemorating 200 years of Louisiana statehood will be featured until mid-May at Audubon State Historic Site on La. 965 in West Feliciana Parish. “Becoming Louisiana: Path to Statehood,” presented by the Louisiana Bicentennial Commission, also will be featured in Louisiana museums and libraries through April 2013. Exhibition … Continue reading →

BAKER — Incumbent Mayor Harold Rideau narrowly won a third term in runoff balloting Saturday, edging Donald “Duck” Kyer with nearly 53 percent of the vote. Baker voters also voted in favor of a proposed 10.6-mill property tax for additional support to the parish’s public transportation system, CATS. Kyer, a retired city employee, survived … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — The West Feliciana Economic Development Commission is sponsoring a free seminar on small-business development Wednesday at the West Feliciana Fire Headquarters complex. The seminar will begin at 6 p.m. The parish fire complex is at 9892 West Feliciana Parkway, near the parish Sports Park and 911 Center. To begin the program, … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — Three Louisiana State Penitentiary security officers and three inmates were injured about 1 p.m. Friday when the van in which they were riding was hit by an oncoming sport utility vehicle, West Feliciana Parish Sheriff J. Austin Daniel said. Daniel said the van’s occupants were trapped in the vehicle on La. 66 … Continue reading →

BAKER — Police arrested a 49-year-old man and his 20-year-old son on drug counts Friday morning after serving a search warrant at a Cypress Drive house, Police Chief Mike Knaps said. The police chief said officers found a large quantity of marijuana inside the residence at 516 Cypress Drive, along with paraphernalia used in the … Continue reading →

ST. FRANCISVILLE — A state district judge overruled prosecution objections Thursday and postponed the April 30 trial of a man accused of first-degree murder in the throat-slashing death of an 8-year-old boy. Lewis Unglesby, attorney for Trevor Reese, 18, sought the delay to study a report by psychologist Jill Hayes, of New Orleans. Hayes evaluated … Continue reading →

BAKER — Police arrested a man and woman Thursday after a crude meth lab sparked a fire that destroyed their mobile home, Police Chief Mike Knaps said. The Baker Fire Department was called to Crestview Retirement Village on Lavey Lane at 6:12 a.m. and brought the blaze under control a short time later, spokesman Howard … Continue reading →

CLINTON — The East Feliciana Police Jury on Tuesday unanimously agreed to begin advertising for the position of parish manager. The jury will receive applications until 4 p.m. on May 1, members agreed. Judith G. Kelley, parish manager and treasurer, plans to retire at the end of September. She has been with the Police … Continue reading →

Members of the Baker Fire Department will help moms, dads and grandparents make sure that infant and child passenger seats are correctly installed in vehicles on Saturday. Drop by the fire station at 3701 Groom Road anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to see if your seats are installed properly. A limited number of free car … Continue reading →

ANGOLA — Tickets are on sale for Saturday and Sunday’s spring performances of the Angola Prison Rodeo. All seats are $15, and tickets may be purchased online at http://angolarodeo.com or by calling (225) 655-2030 or (225) 655-2607 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Friday. The prison gates will open at 9 … Continue reading →

ZACHARY — Senior citizens in East Baton Rouge Parish are invited to a free crime prevention seminar Tuesday at First Baptist Church, 4200 Main St. The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is sponsored by the parish council of Seniors and Law Enforcement Together, also known as SALT. The featured speakers on … Continue reading →

BAKER — Baker Middle School is moving forward with plans to add a sixth-grade magnet class starting in the 2012-13 school year, magnet coordinator Josie M. Williams told the School Board on Tuesday. Seventh- and eighth-grade classes would be added in the next two years, she said. Four classrooms are available in Baker Middle for … Continue reading →

BAKER — Two candidates eliminated in the March 24 primary election have endorsed Don Kyer for mayor in Saturday’s runoff election, according to a Kyer campaign news release. “I’m happy to let the people of Baker know that I am 100 percent in support of Don Kyer and his campaign to be elected as Baker’s … Continue reading →