LIVINGSTON — Parish President Layton Ricks on Monday retracted his recommendation to the Livingston Parish Council to hire Laurie Durnin as the parish’s new finance director. Ricks said that while he still felt that Durnin was qualified to serve as finance director, he withdrew her name for consideration to show he is willing to work … Continue reading →

MONTPELIER — Straddling the village of Montpelier, St. Helena Parish’s two strip clubs have ignited a parishwide battle. One club owner says the other should be shut down, local pastors want both clubs shuttered, and the parish Police Jury says it lacks legal and financial wherewithal to close either of them. Oak Ridge … Continue reading →

ALBANY — Police shut down a tax preparation business Thursday after discovering it did not have a license to operate in the town, sending dozens of customers away without their promised tax refunds or documents. Village police ordered employees out and an officer parked outside the Just For You tax preparation outlet to inform customers … Continue reading →

LIVINGSTON — The Livingston Parish School Board voted Thursday to hire a specialized law firm to help the system adjudicate certain disciplinary cases. The 9-0 vote came after Superintendent Bill Spear recommended the board authorize the hiring of the Hammonds & Sills law firm of Baton Rouge and Monroe. The move would give the … Continue reading →

PONCHATOULA — A Hammond man suspected of shoplifting was arrested after leading law enforcement authorities on a chase Thursday morning from Ponchatoula south on Interstate 55 to near LaPlace, authorities said. Ponchatoula police were responding to a shoplifting complaint at a Dollar General store just after 8 a.m. when a man later identified as Murray … Continue reading →

The Livingston Parish Farmers’ Market from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The market carries fresh, seasonal produce and fruit; grain-fed beef without added hormones; fresh and smoked pork; unprocessed honey; fresh yard eggs; homemade hot sauce; pastries; and kettle corn. Craft vendors also sell soy candles, goat milk, honey lotions, soaps, … Continue reading →

North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond will offer a parking lot courtesy shuttle transportation service for patients, visitors and staff as construction continues for expansion of the hospital. The complimentary shuttle will run approximately every 8 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Stops will include the parking garage, parking lots … Continue reading →

The Tangipahoa Master Gardeners Association, an all-volunteer arm of the LSU AgCenter, installed new officers for the 2012 year. Elected were Annie Coco, vice president; Bernard West, secretary; Janet Cieutat, treasurer; and Sandra Madere, reporter. Elected to the executive board for a term of two years were Joan Morse and Russel Madere. Tootie Calmes was elected to fill … Continue reading →

The Southeastern Louisiana University theater program will stage its first production of the season, “Night, Mother,” this week in Vonnie Borden Theatre. Written by American playwright Marsha Norman in 1983, the play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are free for SLU students with their ID, $10 for adults and … Continue reading →

The Tangipahoa Master Gardeners Association and the LSU AgCenter will host a gardening seminar “Home Orchards” starting at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 24. Speakers include Dr. Charles Johnson, Dr. David Hemelrick, Vataline Hummel and Dan Femin. Speakers will focus on what participants should know about growing … Continue reading →

DENHAM SPRINGS — Blake McDonald seemed a bit overwhelmed by the packed house that showed up to support him and his cousin Austyn Yoches during a debut party Thursday evening at Big Mike’s Bar & Grill in Denham Springs. Both McDonald and Yoches -- the newest and youngest characters to duo on The History … Continue reading →

GYM WALKING: 8:30 a.m., Michael J. Kenney Recreation Department, 601 W. Coleman Ave. Continue reading →

Vita tax preparation: 9 a.m., Denham Springs-Walker Library Branch, 8101 U.S. 190. Volunteers will help prepare tax returns for free. (225) 665-8118. Preschool story time: 10 a.m., Albany-Springfield Library Branch, 26941 La. 43. (225) 567-1441. Grief Support Group: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Denham Springs-Walker Library Branch. Doctor’s Hospice-Livingston will hold a support group … Continue reading →

William Joubert, of Southeastern Louisiana University, has been certified as a global business professional, one of only five people in the state to pass the national exam taken in December. Joubert is director of the Southeast Louisiana Business Center and the university’s Louisiana Small Business Development Center. The center also houses a business incubator and several area … Continue reading →

Legislators, men and women with disabilities and more than 70 businesses were honored recently for their work with OPTIONS to help men and women with disabilities live and work in the community. Also, men and women who work independently in the community with staff support from OPTIONS were honored in January for working five years or … Continue reading →

DENHAM SPRINGS — Memorabilia from the biggest moments in Denham Springs High School sports history fill every room on the top floor of Old City Hall. The Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame and sports exhibit opened in the historic building’s museum Sunday afternoon. The exhibition honors 15 former players … Continue reading →

A mother and daughter died in a mobile home fire in Holden early Wednesday, but the father and three other children were able to escape, state Fire Marshal Butch Browning said. Elizabeth Ballard, 31, and Michelle, 7, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Livingston Parish coroner. The blaze started just after 12:30 a.m. at … Continue reading →

A state grand jury indicted Tangipahoa School Board President Eric Dangerfield, his wife and five relatives on charges of stealing from the state’s Medicaid program, the Louisiana attorney general reported Tuesday. Dangerfield, 59, and his wife Cassandra, 52, both of Hammond, were each charged Thursday with nine felony counts including six of theft by fraud, according to … Continue reading →

Residents concerned about a proposed housing development on Fore Road in Watson Heights are invited to a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Live Oak Elementary School, 35194 Old La. 16. Neighbors In Action invited developers to discuss plans and answer questions about the possibility of HUD financing. Continue reading →

HAMMOND — A 27-year-old man was wounded by gunfire during an alleged drug deal on McGee Lane near Hammond on Thursday night, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The victim, who was not identified, remains in “guarded” condition at a hospital, a Sheriff’s Office news release says. The victim told deputies that … Continue reading →

LIVINGSTON — A jury convicted an Independence man of negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of another man after the two had an argument, District Attorney Scott Perrilloux reported Thursday. The jury deliberated about three hours Wednesday before finding Ernest Beraud, 54, guilty, Perrilloux said in a news release. According to a statement … Continue reading →

GREENSBURG — The St. Helena Parish School Board on Thursday unanimously adopted its 2010-11 audit report, which cites only a minor error in record-keeping at the campus level. The smudge was discovered in the “School Activity Fund Procedures Manual,” a policy designated for tracking school expenses such as sporting events or field trips, and stemmed … Continue reading →

A pickup struck and killed a Denham Springs pedestrian lying on La. 16 on Wednesday night, State Police reported Thursday. According to a State Police news release, a 2006 Toyota pickup, driven by James Cowell, 46, was headed south on La. 16 in the outside southbound lane when it struck the pedestrian, identified as Darwin Carson, 47, … Continue reading →

WALKER — State Education Superintendent John White visited Livingston Parish on Wednesday, where he discussed implications of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed expansion of a scholarship program for students from low-income households. Such students who leave public schools under Jindal’s proposal could travel across parish lines to attend private schools, but those schools would not … Continue reading →

While Denham Springs High School seeks a permanent home for its recently established Athletic Hall of Fame, the historic Old City Hall in Denham Springs will provide temporary lodging for an exhibit Sunday through June. Not only will 15 Hall of Fame plaques be on display, representing former Yellow Jacket greats inducted into the Class … Continue reading →

A Southeastern Louisiana University graduate student has been awarded the Louisiana School Counselor Association’s Graduate Student Scholarship. Erica Kelly, of Ponchatoula, was selected for the scholarship from a pool of statewide applications. The award is based on leadership, character and academic excellence in a graduate program. “Erica’s skills are second to none; she works with … Continue reading →

Austyn Yoches and his cousin Blake McDonald are the newest and youngest character duo on The History Channel’s popular TV show “Swamp People,” which will premiere its new season at 9 p.m. Thursday. Yoches and McDonald are Livingston Parish natives and attended Walker schools. Both live on a houseboat they built in Bayou Pigeon, and … Continue reading →

The next meeting of the Denham Springs Fine Art Association will be 7 p.m. Monday at 941 Government Drive, Denham Springs, in the Denham Springs Municipal building. The special guest and artist will be Ferris Hotard, of Mandeville. Ferris is a member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society. The event is free. For … Continue reading →

DENHAM SPRINGS — Debra Ourso Becnel and Lamy J. Chopin Jr. will reign as this year’s king and queen when they ride Saturday in the Denham Springs Mardi Gras parade. The parade is set to roll at 3 p.m. and start at Denham Springs High School, 1000 N. Range Ave. The theme of this … Continue reading →

HAMMOND — A heartbroken Jeanne Davis, of Hammond, is still looking for her missing pets. Davis’ story isn’t one of cats running away from home, or of being sick or even of being hit by a car. Her two cats -- which she refers to as her children -- were … Continue reading →

Livingston Parish Council on Aging and Tangipahoa Voluntary Council on Aging: Meal site menus. (For more meal site locations, please call (225) 664-9343 in Livingston Parish or (985) 748-7486 in Tangipahoa Parish.) --Breakfast special: sausage or sliced ham, grits & biscuit, fruit punch, applesauce, jelly & margarine,oatmeal cookie and milk. Continue reading →

The last day for Livingston and East Baton Rouge parish producers to apply for the 2012 crop year is Feb 28. Producers can apply for Noninsured Assistance Program coverage on grass for grazing and hay, and summer seeded vegetables such as peas, … Continue reading →

--Pasta with meatballs or meat sauce or lasagna, green beans, fruit, wheat Italian bread, milk. --Chicken tenders, cheese potatoes, steamed broccoli, fruit cocktail, cookie, milk. --Corn dog, oven fries, baked beans, fruit, cake or cookie, ice cream cup … Continue reading →

Vita tax preparation: 9 a.m., Denham Springs-Walker Library Branch, 8101 U.S. 190. Volunteers will help prepare tax returns for free. (225) 665-8118. Preschool story time: 10 a.m., Albany-Springfield Library Branch, 26941 La. 43. (225) 567-1441. Book club: 10:30 a.m., Livingston Library Branch, 13986 Florida Blvd. (225) 686-2436. Sunny side up book club: 10 a.m., … Continue reading →

Beta Lambda Chapter of Kappa Kappa Iota, a professional teachers organization, held its monthly meeting at Linda Pearce’s home on Jan 26. The women gathered to enjoy refreshments, celebrate birthdays and decorate sugar cookies for the Denham Springs Police Department and Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, members said. Councilwoman Lori Lamm-Williams provided instructions and the membership … Continue reading →