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CAPITAL CITY

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February 2017 • Vol. 27, No. 2 • 16 Pages • Circulation 14,000 • 50,000 online • www.capitalcitynews.us • 225-261-5055

BATON ROUGE - One of Supt. Warren Drake’s com-mitments to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board when he applied for his job was that he would oversee the rebirth of Istrouma High School. Istrouma had once been the largest high school in the state and a mecca of academic and athletic suc-cess. But several years ago, the state declared Istrouma a failing school, took it over briefly, and then abruptly closed it. Since becoming superin-tendent, Drake has pushed forward with that pledge. He managed to get the school back from the state and appointed the Istrouma Advisory Committee, com-posed of Istrouma graduates to help guide him those the process of recreating the school. Drake found $22 million to finance an extensive ren-ovation program. Now con-struction is underway, and the school is expected to re-open in August, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1917. The campus will include a traditional high school for the North Baton Rouge area, a parishwide career acad-emy, and a magnet middle school. Applications are be-ing accepted for principal.

Business Prepares for Special Session

Historic SchoolOn WinbourneGets $22 MillionFor Renovation

Istrouma High to ReopenTo Coincide with 100th Anniversary of School

ISTROUMA HIGH SCHOOL UNDERGOING $22 MILLION MAKEOVER — Istrouma High School has been closed for the past two years after the state took over the school, operated it for two years, and then closed it. Now the East Baton Rouge Parish School System has reacquired the school and plans to open it this fall after extensive renovations. It will include a high school, career academy and magnet middle school.

Coleman Brown and Henry Grace at Chamber EBR

BATON ROUGE - Small busi-ness owners involved in the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish heard from state legislators about their plans for the Spe-cial Session of the Louisiana Legislature scheduled for Feb. 13-22. After legislators outlined their proposals, the business owners had their say, calling for smarter use of highway dollars on small projects, instead of massive projects for which no funds exist, and for using gas taxes solely for roads and bridges.

See Page 3

Spending Cuts on TapAt Feb.13-22 Session

Mike GaudetElected to FillVacancy onSchool Board BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted 5-3 to choose Mike Gaudet to fill the va-cancy left by the election of Barbara Freiberg to the Metro Council. Gaudet is a conservative Republican. Gaudet, who retired as division vice president of Albermarle, earned a B.S. in chemical engineering and MBA from LSU. He worked in R&D and later in mergers and acquisitions. He has served six years on the Episcopal High Board of Trustees. He has been married to his wife Margie for 41 years. He will serve until the special election this fall.

The Bonfire andOther Secretsof GoodwoodPlantationBy Woody JenkinsSee Pages 6-7

6,000-Seat Convention Center in Baker

BETHANY CONVENTION CENTER — Bethany Church in Baker is renovating its sancturary as a conference center. It will be one of the largest such facilities in the parish.

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2 CITY NEWS Thursday, February 9, 2017

Editor & Publisher Woody JenkinsBusiness Manager Jolice ProvostAccount Executive Kim Powers

910NorthFosterDrive PostOfficeBox1 Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Greenwell Springs, LA 70739

Phone(225)261-5055•Entirecontents© 2017Email stories and photos to [email protected]

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The Leader was founded April 30, 1998, and the Central City News was founded April 21, 2005. They merged May 4, 2006. The South Baton Rouge Journal began publication in 1989. It went on hiatus in 2008 during its 20th year of publication. The Journal resumed publication as the Capital City News on Aug. 16, 2012, with Vol. 21, No. 1.

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BATON ROUGE — Conservative grassroots leaders are planning a series of massive pro-President Donald Trump rallies nationwide, according to Breitbart News. On Feb. 27 and March 4, the ral-lies—dubbed the Spirit of America Rallies—will spring up nationwide in cities and towns across America. “These rallies are inclusive, non-partisan, and open to anyone sup-porting President Trump in his ef-forts to bring back manufacturing jobs to America, put the security of our nation ahead of political cor-rectness, improve our infrastruc-ture, revitalize the inner cities and secure our nation’s borders,” Deb-bie Dooley, a national co-founder of the Tea Party movement and a key organizer of the Spirit of America rallies, said in a press re-lease obtained by Breitbart News ahead of its public release. Since President Trump’s elec-tion, during his time as President-

ABC GRADUATES — Four Central High students have graduated from the Associated Builders and Contractors program and earned national, transferable industry credentials. These credentials qualify the graduates to continue their studies or to launch a career upon graduating from high school. The students who graduated from the Welding Program are Malcolm Kay, AWS Welding II; Tyler Adams, AWS Welding III; Chandler Richard, AWS Welding I; Hunter Gremillion, Welding I; not shown: Blake Olinde, AWS Welding III.

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Spirit of America Rallies Feb. 27, Mar. 4

elect and since his inauguration on Jan. 20, hardcore progressive leftists have been repeatedly pro-testing him in a sometimes violent manner. These rallies, organiz-ers said, are meant to be a peace-ful show of force from the “silent majority” that delivered Trump a landslide electoral college victory over failed Democratic president Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dooley told Breitbart News that since the anti-Trump women’s march in D.C. after the president’s inauguration, she has received so many calls from Trump support-ers including many women Trump

supporters urging her to organize a show of force among the silent ma-jority nationwide in response that she had to turn off her cell phone so she could get work done. The Spirit of America rallies will be not Tea Party rallies, she said. Ms. Dooley said she hopes that Democrat groups backing Trump will get involved and step up to help the President, too. She said the selection of Feb. 27 as the kickoff date of these pro-Trump rallies is significant, since that was the first day of the Tea Party movement back in 2009. In Louisiana, Col. Rob Maness said, “I am proud to lead the charge here in Louisiana to get support-ers of President Trump to show their support of his policy agenda through these Spirit of America ral-lies.” Maness is a retired Air Force colonel, founder of GatorPAC and two-time conservative Senate can-didate in Louisiana. “Average citizens from across the political spectrum and all walks of life elected Mr. Trump and we at GatorPAC are especially pleased to help him with his national ef-fort to Make America Great Again and #DrainTheSwamp priorities in Washington, D.C.”

Ralph King, an elector for Presi-dent Trump from Ohio and the co-founder of Main Street Patri-ots, said “The American electorate spoke loud and clear this past No-vember.” “These Spirit of America Rallies are a continuation of the collective voice of Americans who embrace President Trump’s policies to put the American workers and citizens first once again,” King said. Rallies are in the works in states as far-flung as Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisi-ana, New Jersey, Ohio, South Car-olina, and Washington state, orga-nizers said. The Baton Rouge rally is tenta-tively set for 12 noon March 4 at the State Capitol. To confirm that and details on plans for Louisiana, go to http://mainstreetpatriots.us or email Col. Rob Maness at [email protected].

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Chamber of Commerceof East Baton RougeChamber of Commerceof East Baton Rouge

CITY NEWS Thursday, February 9, 2017 3

BR Legislators Discuss Special SessionComing Feb. 13-22 with Chamber EBR

I benefitted from the TOPS scholarship program when I was in school. So I hate to see it used as a bargaining chip for tax increases. I can support rais-ing the grade point to between 2.5 and 3.0 in order to preserve funding of the program. — Rep. Ted James (D-Baton Rouge)”“

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BATON ROUGE — Three Baton Rouge area state legislators dis-cussed their plans for the upcoming Special Session before members of the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish, who gathered at Café Américain, Gov. John Bel Edwards has called for the Louisiana Legislature to con-vene from Feb. 13 to 22 at the Capi-tol to consider ways to cut spending and balance the state budget. Rep. Franklin Foil (R-Baton Rouge) said one of his goals is to fully fund the TOPS scholarship program, although he said he is willing to raise the eligibility stan-dard from a 2.5 grade point average up to 3.0. This would reduce the number of students eligible. Foil said his other major concern is infrastructure and the need for better highways, including the pos-sibility of a new Mississippi River bridge. He said any increase in the gasoline tax to fund highway im-provements should have to go to a referendum of the voters statewide. Rep. Ted James (D-Baton Rouge) said his No. 1 concern is getting additional assistance to families impacted by the flood last August.

He said his home was one of only two houses on his street that didn’t flood, but of those who did flood, only two have received financial assistance. He said $1.2 billion in federal funds is coming available, and that will help. James said he had benefitted from the TOPS program when he was in school, and he hates to see the pro-gram used as a bargaining chip to get higher taxes. He said raising the grade point to between 2.5 and 3.0 is something that makes sense. James said he is willing to support cuts in programs and in rainy day funds, but he does not want the cuts to come from education or prisons. He said, “We need to be smarter on crime. I will have some proposals, but I am discussing them with law enforcement first.”

Rep. Barry Ivey (R-Central) said his area flooded and his No. 1 goal is getting help to people. Ivey said the Special Session will be about finding $300 million to cover the projected budget deficit. He said one way to make govern-ment more efficient is transparency,

especially letting people know how their money is spent. He is propos-ing a system that will let anyone go online and see detailed expenditures in every state agency. “Transparen-cy leads to accountability,” he said. Ivey hopes to revamp Louisiana’s corporate income tax system. “We have a broken tax system,” he said. “We have a hole in the bottom of the ship, but our answer is to buy a bigger bucket” Terri Hodges, legislative aide to Rep. Valarie Hodges gave an update on the Diversion Canal and invited everyone to a hearing on the canal. Chamber chairman Cecil Cava-naugh said transportation funds are not going to building roads and bridges but 90 percent are being used for extraneous matters. Archi-tect Coleman Brown said the big-gest problem is drainage. He said we must focus on the Diversion Canal and the Darlington Reser-voir. He said smart decisions such as closing the Washington St. Exit should be done rather than pursu-ing gigantic projects such as a new bridge, for which no funds exist. The ChamberEBR is a small busi-ness-oriented Chamber. To join, call 225-921-1433

7

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BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge area legislators led by Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Central) have formed the Task Force on the Comite Di-version Canal in an attempt to speed up the building of the project. The canal would divert water from the Comite River to the Mississippi River when the Comite is approach-ing flood stage. The Task Force met Wednesday, Jan. 25 in House Committee Room 6 at the State Capitol. A number of witnesses spoke including Legisla-tive Auditor Daryl Purpera, who had been commissioned to investi-gate why the project has been de-layed and what can be done to put it on track. Here are highlights of the Legislative Auditor’s report: “Although approximately $117 mil-lion has been spent from federal, state, and local funding sources, only one

of the 27 construction components of the project has been completed. In addition, although the project was originally estimated to be completed in 2012 at a cost of $153 million, cur-rent estimates by the Corps indicate that the project will take two to three years to complete, and the cost may be as high as $313 million, which is $160 million over initial Congressional au-thorization. However, completion of the project is dependent upon funding, which has been insufficient and incon-sistent since the project commenced. We identified the following issues as reasons for delays with the Comite Project: • “A lack of consistent and sufficient funding for the Corps is the primary reason that the project has not moved forward, resulting in little construc-tion progress since 2000. Only the Lilly Bayou control structure has been completed. • “Insufficient purchasing of mitiga-

State Capitol

Sen. Bodi White and Mayor Jr. Shelton

R. J. Saucier and Bob Burns discuss the Comite Diversion Canal

Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Central) chaired Task Force of Comite Diversion Canal.


Diversion Canal Delay, What Is Needed

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tion land by the Corps when it was acting on DOTD’s behalf for Lands, Easements, Right of Ways, Reloca-tions, and Diversions (LERRDs) caused delays in the project, which is the reason DOTD took back LE-RRDs. In addition, state legislation in 2010 prohibited the expropria-tion of land for the Comite Project, which resulted in the Corps havingto identify new mitigation land. • “The current construction delay is the U.S. Highway 61 bridge construc-tion and the associated utility reloca-tions that must take place. DOTD must relocate utilities, such as pipelines and telecommunications lines, at this lo-cation prior to bridge construction; however, DOTD stated that it is con-cerned that no federal funding will be approved for the project and money spent to relocate utilities will therefore be wasted. “Federal funding has ranged from $0 in 2011 to $12.3 million in 2007. While federal funding has been avail-able in most fiscal years, the money has not come in sufficient amounts to com-plete large components of the project. “State funding has also been incon-sistent and unpredictable throughout the life of the project. The highest ap-propriation received through the state’s capital outlay process by DOTD was $5 million in 2008 and by ARBC was $287,400 in 2011. “DOTD has not received capital outlay funding from the state for the Comite Project since 2010, and ARBC has not received an appropriation from the state since 2012. “The tax paid by the locals in the ben-efit area to ARBC has been the most consistent source of funding for the project, as it has been provided every year since 2002 and has increased from $1.1 million in 2002 to $2.6 in 2016. “Another issue with federal funding is that the money appropriated for the Comite Project can be used for other

federal projects if it is not spent within the federal fiscal year in which it was appropriated. “In August 2016, Governor John Bel Edwards requested a federal aid pack-age to help with flood recovery after the flooding of August 2016. On Sep-tember 28, 2016, Congress passed a bill that included $438 million in fed-eral aid for flood damage, and $1.24 billion in additional flood relief aid was passed on December 6, 2016. Funds were not designated specifically for the Comite Project in either federal aid package. “All parties agree that a more com-prehensive approach is needed for the entire Comite and Amite River Basin area; however, all cite federal funding as a hindrance to that being accom-plished. “Due to the significant delays and unpredictable funding, the legislature, the Comite River Diversion Canal Project Task Force, and stakeholders may wish to determine if the Comite Project is still a viable project for the state or if it should be revised to fit into a larger flood protection strategy for the region.” The entire report can be found online at www.lla.la.gov. In response to the Legislative Au-ditor’s report, the Amite River Basin Committee filed comments which in-cluded the following: “ARBC is in agreement with the Legislative Auditor’s conclusions concerning the delay in completion of the Project. The Project is viable and much needed. It would be irresponsi-ble to abandon this Project after spend-ing $39 million in non-federal funds and $78 million by the federal gov-ernment. Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested direct federal funding in his disaster request to complete this Proj-ect. We urge the Trump administration and Congress to secure the necessary funds.”

Paul Sawyer, chief of staff of Congressman Garret Graves

LegislativeAuditorDarylPurperareleasedfindingsofthisinvestigation.


See DEVALL on Page 14 TheBonfireandOtherSecretsfrom

As Told to Woody Jenkins by Dr. Jesse Fairchild

The Bonfire raged for three days, consuming with it much of the wealth and many

of the secrets of Goodwood Plantation.

An antique wicker chair and the cistern

GOODWOOD PLANTATION on Goodwood Boulevard was built by Dr. Samuel G. Laycock in the 1850’s. Lookingoutasecondfloorwindow

Photos by Glenda Pollard

[NOTE: After more than 160 years in the possession of only two fami-lies, Goodwood Plantation in Baton Rouge has been sold to developer Michael Hogstrom, who plans to pre-serve and restore the home and build 48 high-end homes on the property]

By Woody Jenkins As a boy, I was always fasci-nated by Goodwood Plantation, sit-ting majestically far back off Good-wood Boulevard, secluded by trees and with its “No Trespassing” signs prominently displayed. I heard that it was haunted, that the owner was a recluse, and that there were bad dogs to keep curious boys away. Yet, it appeared so serene, and I suspected it was full of secrets. As I grew older and developed a love of history, I read what little there was about Goodwood Plantation. It had apparently never been on tour, and few writers had much to say about it — just that it was built in the early 1850’s by Dr. Samuel Laycock (1811-1884) and was part of a 2,000-acre plantation that he planted in sug-ar cane. Also, that the plantation had had only two owners — the Laycock family from the 1850’s to 1930 and

the Babin family from 1930 on. In the early 1980’s, my wife and I acquired Great Oaks, the only other antebellum-style home in the Mid-City area, and so I began to feel a kin-ship and curiosity about Goodwood. Great Oaks was only built in 1950 but it is an exact twin of Richland Plantation built in Norwood in 1820. Great Oaks is surrounded by historic oaks, including one 450 years old. By studying old maps and court-house records, I learned that Great Oaks was situated on land that had been part of the Bird Plantation, an 800-acre tract that encompassed all of present-day Melrose and a bit be-yond. More importantly, the Bird Plantation was adjacent to the 2,000-acre tract owned by Dr. Samuel Lay-cock. I wondered what if any con-nection the Birds and the Laycocks might have had with one another. In 2005, we began publication of the Central City News, and I spent a good deal of time researching the history of Central. Historian Vicky Carney told me I must meet Dr. Jesse L. Fairchild, Jr., a native of Central who wrote the book, A Historical Sketch of Greenwell Springs, Loui-siana, 1850-1950. Dr. Fairchild, a

physician who spent most of his ca-reer treating patients at Greenwell Springs hospital, was acknowledged to be the expert on the history of the northeast part of East Baton Rouge Parish. I took him to lunch, and we began a friendship that lasted until he passed away Sept. 28, 2011. Once or twice a year we would meet for lunch until his eyes went bad. After he moved to Williamsburg on Gov-ernment Street, I visited him there. Before he died, he gave me the rights to the other books that he wrote, and he asked that I edit and publish them. He also asked that I reprint his book on Greenwell Springs, all of which I agreed to do. From Dr. Fairchild, I learned there was indeed a connection between the Bird and Goodwood plantations. The founder of Goodwood, Dr. Samuel G. Laycock, married Adelia Bird. The couple also had a daughter named Adelia. Dr. Laycock died in 1884 and left several heirs. His son Joe lived on at Goodwood Plantation. Dr. Fairchild’s grandfather, Jesse Marion “Bard” Fairchild (1842-1918) was close to Joe Laycock. In fact, he was so close that he named one of his sons after him — Joseph Laycock Fairchild. Bard Fairchild purchased 700 acres of the Richard Odom plantation on Greenwell Springs Road right outside Baton Rouge. But let Dr. Fairchild tell the story... “As Mr. Joe was single and with-out help to care for his livestock, my grandfather often sent his younger sons to help him with the cattle. This included my Uncle Ed, Uncle Eu-gene, and my father, Jesse Lee “Cap” Fairchild. However, Uncle Ed spent more time with Mr. Joe than any of the others. Mr. Joe conveyed a great deal of history to Uncle Ed and to a lesser degree to my father Cap.” “The Fairchild connection to the Laycocks ended with the sale of Goodwood to the Babin family. But a great deal happened before that.” “Mr. Joe lived in the back sector of Goodwood that was the servants’ quarters. The main house was locked to everyone. He had a parrot who was free to fly in and out of these quarters through the open transom over the outside door. The parrot was capable of whistling up the dogs as well, and the poor dogs would gather outside the door, barking and ready

to go after the cattle.” “In one situation, Mr. Joe and my father, along with the parrot, went fishing in the little lake in the north-east corner of the property. They car-ried a jug of whisky with them. The boat leaked and required bailing out at regular intervals. After an hour or so, little attention had been paid to the water collecting in the bottom of the boat. In fact, it was sinking!

Mr. Joe and my father were by that time under the influence and paying little attention. However, the parrot became extremely agitated and flew back to the house, leaving them to their misery. My father often told this story amid great laughter!” “Uncle Ed said that after selling horses, mules, and cattle, Mr. Joe would head to New Orleans for a few days of relaxation and merriment. Uncle Ed frequently went with him. The first place they headed to was Felix’s Oyster Bar.” “In the early 1900’s, Mr. Joe dealt with Poncho Vila in Mexico and would sell him horses and mules. He and Vila would spend a few days cel-ebrating at the border. The Mexican bandit and revolutionary gave Mr. Joe a long horsehair braided whip, and Mr. Joe later gave it to my father.” “Uncle Ed said Mr. Joe showed him the front door of Goodwood where a Minié ball was embedded.” “Mr. Joe told him the Yankees camped in front of the Goodwood house when they occupied Baton Rouge. One day a detachment of sol-diers appeared at the door and made a demand of Dr. Laycock. When he refused the demand, a soldier shot a

Jesse Marion “Bard” Fairchild (left) grandfather of Dr. Jesse L. Fairchild, Jr., and Ed Fairchild (right), Dr. Fairchild’s uncle. Both men knew Joseph Laycock, who owned Goodwood Plantation after the death of his father, Dr. Samuel Laycock, who built Goodwood.


Dr. Laycock’s Goodwood Plantation

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Great Oaks

Goodwood

A view of the entrance to Goodwood Plantation Thestaircasetothesecondfloor The living room

The 1895 Kaiser map of Baton Rouge showing the Bird and Laycock plantations Great Oaks is located on a corner of the Bird Plantation on North Foster Drive.

Minié ball toward Dr. Laycock which landed in the door. Dr. Laycock fired back and angrily told the soldier to tell his commanding officer that he was a friend of Abraham Lincoln. There was no further problem. Mr. Joe refused to allow the Minié ball to be removed.” “The Goodwood home was one of the first houses in Baton Rouge to have running water. Lead-lined cis-terns were built in the attic to provide pressure for the running water. The pipes and gutters were also made of lead. One wonders if this amount of lead in the water may have result-ing in chronic lead poisoning to the occupants. The lead was sold to the U.S. government for a large sum dur-ing World War I.” “At the time Mr. Joe sold the prop-erty to the Babins, which must have been around 1930, there were a num-ber of strange events. From these stories, as a physician, I suspect that Mr. Joe’s behavior and eccentricities could well be traced to lead poison-ing. His relationship with his family was apparently distant and not good.” “As the property was about to be sold, he resisted giving any furniture or household items to members of his family. On the contrary, according to Uncle Ed, Mr. Joe was determined to destroy as much of it as possible.” “Thus began perhaps the most re-markable and unhappy event in the

history of Goodwood — the bonfire!” “Mr. Joe directed my Uncle Ed to assist him in chopping up large, beau-tiful pieces of antique furniture and tossing them out the second floor win-dows. They chopped large tester beds, armoires, tables, and chairs. They threw out beautiful paintings, me-mentoes, and artifacts. Heavy drapeswere pulled from the windows.” “Everything was thrown into the bonfire. Like a scene from a hor-ror movie, the process went on for three days. More than 70 years of possessions of priceless historic and personal value were thrown into the flames. On and on it went. Uncle Ed was sickened but continued to help because he managed to convince Mr. Joe to save a few things.” “Mr. Joe’s sister Miss Adelia was there for much of the show and wept at what was going on. Mr. Joe was not himself and became more and more cruel. As Mr. Joe was throwing a beautiful, expensive tea set into the flames, Miss Adelia begged him to give it to her. At first, he refused but finally relented and let her get it. She packed it up and was walking past him with it in her arms. Then Mr. Joe stuck out his foot in front of her. She tripped and fell. Much of the tea set was broken but Adelia saved a few pieces which I understand are still in the possession of the Laycocks.” “A number of other remarkable

items were thrown into the fire or saved from the fire as the case may be.” [Note: The best stories about the bonfire are being saved for Dr. Fair-child’s book. From it, you will learn about Dr. Laycock’s connection to a Bowie knife and the pirate Jean Lafitte and whether Lincoln had a spy in Baton Rouge!] “Mr. Joe inherited a number of medical instruments from his father that dated back to the 1800’s. Mr. Joe gave some of the instruments to my maternal grandfather, Dr. George W. Mixon. He already had identical ones and gave Dr. Laycock’s to me.” “After the breakup of the house-hold at Goodwood, there were still a few items, and Mr. Joe told my Uncle Ed that he could have what he could carry in one wagon. My father, Cap Fairchild, came from Greenwell Springs with the wagon and loaded up two surviving tester beds (one large and one for a child), a table, an old armoire that had been used for storage (not a fine piece of furniture) and some farm equipment. Earlier, Mr. Joe had given my grandfather sugar kettles. I grew up sleeping in the large tester bed. We stored some of the furniture in the large barn we had. During a very cold winter, a renter chopped up some of the an-tiques for firewood, including the child’s tester bed.” “At the bonfire, Mr. Joe brought

out a beautiful case containing matching dueling pistols, which my Uncle Ed thought he planned to throw in the fire. But Mr. Joe opened the box, showed him the pistols, closed the case, and took them back to the house. Uncle Ed didn’t know what happened to the pistols but he thinks Mr. Joe may have buried them on the property although he never saw a suspicious site.” “According to Uncle Ed, Mr. Joe asked him to accompany him to the bank at the time of the sale to the Babins. A check was presented in payment for the property, but Mr. Joe rejected it and insisted that cash be used. After a day or so, enough cash was accumulated, and the sale was complete. Both Mr. Joe and Uncle Ed counted the money before Mr. Joe signed the papers.” “After he sold Goodwood, it was rumored that Mr. Joe moved to Slidell. One Sunday my parents and I drove there in hopes of finding him. I was only a child. We inquired about but no one knew of him. Upon Mr. Joe’s death, my Uncle Ed was asked to be a pallbearer but because of age and emotions, he was unable to go.” There are more stories about Goodwood Plantation and many other things in Dr. Jesse Fairchild’s book, Tales, Stories and Happen-ings in Baton Rouge and Greenwell Springs, which I plan to publish.


Baton Rouge Area Republicans Gathered for Local Inauguration Events

Lewis Wrecker Service, Inc.Family Owned and Operated since 1956

9555 Joor RoadCentral, LA 70818

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Lewis Wrecker Service, Inc.Family Owned and Operated since 1956

9555 Joor RoadCentral, LA 70818

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Remember When?Lewis Cafe on

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God Has His Hand on Our Community

BATON ROUGE INAUGURATION EVENTS — Local Republicans gathered together to watch the Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. One group gathered at Doe’s Eat Place. Another met at the Rucci home.. Among those shown are Connie Bernard, Woody Jenkins, Jill Dyason, Kristina Murphy, Steve Gustafson, Maureen and Pete Rucci and Merle Shannon.

Central Sends Thanks to St. Catherine’s in Blauvelt, NY

STUDENTS FROM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL gathered to say, “Thank You!” to families from St. Catherine’s Parish in Blauvelt, NY, for their extremely generous efforts to aid the people of Central after the disastrous flood of August 2016. The people of St. Catherine’s and their community filled a large truck with thousands of pounds of much-needed relief supplies. The effort was organized by Curt and Lee Crumholt who also drove the truck. Genevieve Kelly and Audrey Angelina led the efforts in Blauvelt. Heartfelt thanks to all!

The Baton Rouge March for Life included women who regretted their abortions.

New Istrouma High Under Construction in NBR

PARTS of Istrouma High School are being gutted for renovations. Other parts are being torn down completely. This view from N. 38th St. shows the oak tree known as the bullpen.

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Baseball, Softball, T-Ball Making NewsCITY NEWS Thursday, February 9, 2017 9

Baton Rouge Area Republicans Gathered for Local Inauguration Events

God Has His Hand on Our Community

ervices:S

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$6 for first 10 words. $10 for 11 to 20 words, $15 for 21 to 30 words. $20 for 31 to 40 words. $25 for one column inch clas-sified display ad. Call 261-5055. Must be paid in advance. To pay by credit card, go to www.centralcitynews.us and click “Pay Now” on the left. Then email ad copy to [email protected]. Or mail or hand deliver check and ad copy to City News, 910 N. Foster, Baton Rouge 70806HIRING: Hiring energetic, respon-sible employees. Family Food, 14025 Denham Rd. FOR SALE: Forest River Cardinal Fifth Wheel, 33.5 ft. long and 10.2 ft wide with three slideouts, washer/dry-er all new tires for $22,000. Purchase price new for $56,000 call 225-954-0655. FOR SALE: Brand new 2017 River Birch 16x80 mobile home. New Ash-ley living room furniture, new silver-ware, and new pots and pans can be included to help flood victim. Never lived in! Must be moved. Call 225-603-9917.

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BATON ROUGE INAUGURATION EVENTS — Local Republicans gathered together to watch the Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. One group gathered at Doe’s Eat Place. Another met at the Rucci home.. Among those shown are Connie Bernard, Woody Jenkins, Jill Dyason, Kristina Murphy, Steve Gustafson, Maureen and Pete Rucci and Merle Shannon.

Mayor: Central on Road to RecoveryFlood Damage

in CentralHomes Damaged

Over 5,000Homes with

Permits to RebuildOver 3,200

Total Permits to Elevate

1Permits to Demolish

34Substantial Damage

After City Review41

Pending Evaluation157

Source: IBTS

Bethany to Build New School in SBR

CENTRAL — Central Mayor Jr. Shelton says Central is well on its way to recovery, but for many peo-ple there is still a long road ahead. The mayor is working now on securing additional federal funds to assist the citizens over and above any help from FEMA, insur-ance or the SBA. Congress has ap-proved $450 million to assist vic-tims of the August flood. The first proceeds will go to senior citizens over 62 who are below the poverty line. Mayor Shelton said he will be working with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome to insure that Central gets its fair share. Congress has also approved an additional $1.2 billion which could be available by September or Oc-tober. While these sums seem large, Central residents alone prob-ably suffered losses of more than $5 billion. Shelton said Central was for-tunate that few of its businesses flooded. The City of Central de-rives its revenue almost entirely from sales taxes and does not levy a property tax. So the city’s revenue base was not damaged by the flood. The mayor said he was pleased

with the job done by the city’s de-bris collection contractor. The city has completed debris collection on city streets. The state is still work-ing on debris collection on state highways, and the City-Parish is continuing debris collection on parish roads. The city’s debris col-

lection bill was about $8 million, 90 percent of which will be paid by the feds. This compares to Den-ham Springs’ cost of $13 million for a city of 10,000 people and six square miles. Mayor Shelton said citizens should call him if they have flood problems at 261-5988.

BATON ROUGE — Bethany Church has begun construction of the new Bethany Christian School on the church’s south campus by the three crosses on I-10, according to church administrator Jared Stock-still. The school will include the Cub Club for children from six weeks to three years. Beginning this fall, Bethany Christian School still serve young-sters from K4 to 5th grade on the south campus. The principal is Stephanie Edmonds. Because of the flood in August, Bethany Christian School in Baker

closed, and high school students transferred to Christian Life Acad-emy in South Baton Rouge. El-ementary and middle school stu-dents were bused daily from the Baker campus to Bethany’s south campus, where school continues. However, the Baker campus will not reopen, and students who at-tended Christian Life this year will continue there or move to other schools. The new school on the south campus is accepting students for the fall. For enrollment informa-tion, call Stephanie Edmonds at

225-412-5335. Church services will continue at Bethany’s four campuses — Bak-er, South Baton Rouge, Mid-City and Livingston. The senior pastor of Bethany Church is Jonathan Stockstill. Ad-ministrator is Jared Stockstill. The school is part of the church.

The Central High Cheer Team will leave Friday, Feb. 10 for the National High School Cheerlead-ing Competition (NHSCC) at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando. CHS varsity cheerleaders will com-pete Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8:45 p.m. Central time and Sunday, Feb 10 at approximately 8 p.m. The competi-

tion will air on ESPN and ESPN2. The Championship will also be streamed live at http://tv.varsity.com/event/254454. This year’s team has endured many hardships with most team members being flooded and nu-merous health problems of family and friends.

Central Cheerleaders to Compete in FL

On Jan. 17, I was headed north on Sullivan toward Wal-Mart. A truck heading south about a block before Sullivan’s Hardware ran off the road and hit a culvert. I called Central Police Chief Salsbury and went to the accident. Two or three guys were there trying to break glass. A friend of mine was getting through the passen-ger side window. We held the vic-tim’s head up to try and keep him from choking to death. The Cen-tral Fire Department arrived, and those young firemen did a great job! Using the Jaws of Life, they got the door open and the victim out. He was in considerable pain. I could not be more proud of these guys and the professional way they went about their work. At

that very moment they saved that man. Unfortunately, he later died at the hospital. We hear about our police because they do an incred-ible job! Seldom do we hear about our Fire Department. They too are true public servants! Councilman Wayne Messina

OurCentralFirefightersDoaGreatJob


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Central High Took on Scotlandville

CENTRAL’S HUNTER ARNOLD (24) goes up for a shot against Scotlandville. as the Wildcats’ Carlos Wilkerson (30) and the Hornets’ Malik Williams (2) wait for rebound.

SCOTLANDVILLE’S REECE BEEKMAN tries to get around Central’s Hunter Ar-nold (24) at Wildcat gym in Central. Scotlandville is No. 2 in the state and 98 in nation.

Reece Beekman (24) of Scotlandville and Central’s Todd Lasseigne (22).

Central’s Zak Kingman (10)

Central’s Quint Guerin (10) guards the Hornets’ JaVonte Smart (1)

The tall and short of things

CENTRAL WILDCATS — (First row) Jeffrey Campbell, Destin Franklin, Joshua He-bert, Quint Guerin, and Zak Kingman; (second row) Andre Dixon, Grayson Cox, Carlos Wilkerson, Hunter Arnold, Kaleb Batiste, Landon Thames, and Todd Lasseigne

Central High (7-14) lost to No. 2-Ranked

Scotlandville (25-3)Central Schedule

Feb. 10 Denham (H) Feb. 14 Zachary (A) Feb. 17 Live Oak (H)

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Central’s Only Optical BoutiqueOwned & Operated by Parker Family of CentralProfessional Quality • Reasonable Prices • Hometown Service

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Bring in your doctor’s prescription or schedule an appointment with Dr. Mary Vaughan at our office for an exam.

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HHHHH I walked in without an appointment and was out in a hour!!! Dr. Vaughan was amazing! Tracy helped me pick out the perfect pair of Kate Spade glasses and even got Dr. Vaughan’s input! Appreciated Tracy’s honest opinion! We narrowed it down to two frames — one a little more expensive than the other. She never tried to persuade me to buy the more expensive one... that was my doing! Thanks, Dr. Vaughan and Tracy, for a very pleasant experience. — Donna Savant

HHHHH The Spectacle! This is without a doubt the best place to go for glasses, contacts, and the best service around! Thank y’all so much for all the TLC I got yesterday! It really means alot to go to a amazing place right around the corner from your house. The Spectacle! I will never go anywhere else! Everyone, it’s definitely the place to go!!!! Awesome service and prices, and the selection is just phenomenal!!! Thanks again! — Dana Cannon

HHHHH This was my first visit to The Spectacle, and I was thoroughly impressed. My family went in yesterday to get our annual eye exam with Dr. Vaughan, which is always a pleasant experience. Then it was time to pick out new frames, which takes awhile for my daughter. The staff was so nice and patient with us. Tracy provided her honest opinion which was greatly appreciated. With their help, we finally decided on a pair of Michael Kors for my daughter, and I selected a pair of Kate Spade. We even were able to wait for our prescriptions and got our glasses within an hour. I would definitely recommend The Spectacle to anyone in need of an eye exam and/or glasses. — April Marshall

HHHHH Great service. Very quick and thorough exam. They offer a wide selection of frames and a very quick turnaround in dispensing your glasses. The price for the exam and the glasses was less than my last eye exam. Great hometown people! I look forward to doing business with them for a long time! — Brandon Hyde

HHHHH Awesome service, great selection! In and out in an hour with my new glasses! — Christy Miranda

April Marshall

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LADY WILDCATS HEADED TO PLAYOFFS — Central girls, now 20-9 on the season, (left to right) Lani Morris, Kayla Williams, Christlyn Hill, Michiko Jackson, Sarah Douglas, Hannah Cowart, Myia Forbes, JoJo O’Connor, Raven Burkhalter, Raven Alexander, Shanice Wilson, Crystal Drago, Kaylie Viola, and Janai Brue


Central High Ladies Are Playoff Bound

Central Physical Therapy at 13111 Hooper Road, offers a wide range of services, state-of-the-art facilities, and a highly-trained staff.

Holiday camps are held during school breaks. Children, ages 4-12, participate in on-site, recreational activities of holiday-themed active and passive games, as well as arts and crafts. Children must pack two

snacks, lunch and drinks for the day.

225-272-9200 brec.org/holidaycamps

FEB. 27-28 & MARCH 1 | 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. $14 per day or $42 for entire camp

EBR PARISH AREA: Ages: 4-5 (Children must be potty-trained.)

Milton J. Womack Park Ages: 5-12 Anna T. Jordan Community Park Cedar Ridge ParkHighland Road Community ParkIndependence Community ParkKathy Drive ParkMayfair ParkMaplewood ParkN. Sherwood Forest Community Park

BAKER AREA: Ages: 5-12T.D. Bickham Park

ZACHARY AREA:Ages: 5-12Plank Road Park

CENTRAL AREA:Ages: 5-12Jackson Community Park

CAMP

Registration can be done in person or online at webtrac.brec.org. Must have 15 children registered by one week prior in order to have the camp.

OLOLPhysicianGroup.com

Returning to Baker

OUR LADY OF THE LAKE PHYSICIAN GROUP INTERNAL MEDICINE AND PEDIATRICS GROUP - BAKER

6516 E. Myrtle Ave., Baker, LA 70714

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After five months of displacement due to flood damage, Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group is excited to announce that Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Group has returned home to Baker. Call today to schedule an appointment and see our newly renovated clinic.

T’lane M. Folse, MD Brad C. Giarrusso, MD Kent M. Rhodes, MD

Bradford J. Smith, MD Stephen W. Speeg, MD

Physicians:

Providers:

• Ballard Mann, PA• Sarah Mestepey, NP

• Catherine Pourciau, NP• Alice “Katy” Powell, PA

LADY WILDCATS: PLAYOFF BOUND — Central’s Hannah Cowart (1), Michiko Jackson (25), and Christalyn Hill (35). Final regular game is Friday night at Denham Springs.

CENTRAL SENIOR HANNAH COWART was honored when she scored her 1,000th point. She was presented with a commemorative ball.

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Where You’re a Friend, Not a Number!Fast Convenient Service

Central’s Hometown Pharmacy

Cholesterol and A1C Test Available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

No Walk-ins, For Your Convenience

We offer a variety of vaccinations including, but not limited to:Gardasil (HPV) • Menactra (Meningitis)

Pneumovax 23 (Pneumonia) • Prevnar (Pneumonia) Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) • Zostavax (Shingles)

Vaccinations Given Mon-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. No Appointment Neededand on Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

Attention Coumadin Patients:We Do PT/INR Testing Daily With No Appointment Needed

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262-6200

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STORE HOURS: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 6:30pm

Saturday 8:30am - 3:00pmClosed on Sunday

The Best Price In Roofing& Sheet Metal Services

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Central High senior London Perrault has signed to play volley-ball for William Carey University in Hattiesburg. After being offered several academic packages includ-ing LSU’s Ogden Honors College, London chose to continue her vol-leyball career under the direction of head coach Kelsea Weldon. London is a recipient of the WCU Scholar award and will study In-ternational Business as a “Carey Scholar”. London, daughter of Mark Per-rault and Shirlena and Corey Co-meaux, was awarded The Wildcat Leadership award by her coaches.

Brady Patt killed his first deer and first hog in Woodville. A 2nd grader at St. Al-phonsus Catholic Schoo, he is the son of Brett and Andrea Patt.

Dalton Lipscomb killed his first buck, an 8-point, on Jan. 5. He’s 8 years old and in 2nd grade at Central Private. He was hunting with his dad Travis Lipscomb in Zachary.Central Hunting News

Central Senior SignsWith William Carey

Aiden Michael Wilks shot his first buck on Jan. 7, while hunting with his dad Terry Wilks, Jr. and granddad, Terry Wilks, Sr.


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Chamber EBR Recommends Cleanup BATON ROUGE - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s Transi-tion Committee asked the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish for its recommendations on economic development. The Cham-ber EBR provided the following re-sponse:

Chamber of Commerceof East Baton Rouge Parish

7515 Jefferson Hwy. #60Baton Rouge, LA 70806

SETTING: The City of Baton Rouge has been in a state of decline for many years, as residents, espe-cially middle income families with children, have fled high crime and poor public schools and relocated to surrounding communities in the parish and to surrounding parishes. The population of Baton Rouge has been flat and the physical land-scape has deteriorated significantly. Blight has completely overwhelmed large parts of the city with little or no response from the City-Parish government. Trash collection (not referring to garbage collection) is ignored by the City-Parish, and,

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in additon, trash along the pub-lic roads, curbs, gutters, and rights of way is rarely if ever picked up. Meanwhile, the City-Parish has ac-quired thousands of blighted prop-erties and yet done little to restore or remove them. Code enforcement appears to be completely absent in much of the parish. On top of all of this, Baton Rouge suffered historic flooding in August, inundating thou-sands of homes. Five months have passed since the flooding, yet entire neighborhoods remain in a state of chaos. Much of North Baton Rouge and several other areas of the par-ish now have the squalid look of a Third World country with debris, trash, junked cars, and flooded out houses everywhere. Of greater con-cern is the fact that little seems to be changing. Many perhaps most of the flooded houses were rental prop-erties for which no FEMA assis-tance is possible. Before the flood, many of these houses were valued at $70,000 to $80,000. It would take at least that amount to restore them, and that clearly will not be done in most cases. They will ultimately

be condemned and demolished, but the question is will that be in six months or 10 years? The recent flooding caused tens of billions of dollars in losses in the Baton Rouge area, and only a tiny part of that will be replaced by insurance, FEMA or loans. As a result, the flood has destroyed an enormous part of the wealth of the community, which had been accumulated for generations. This means that property taxes will dramatically drop, and the inclina-tion of voters to support higher taxes will be very low. Immediate action is needed to try to prevent the fur-ther decline in this city and make it a place we can be proud of. If the city is cleaned up and properties are im-proved, property values will go up, and economic development will be more realistic. RECOMMENDATION: While there are countless ideas for Eco-nomic Development, the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish makes only one recommen-dation for now: RESTORE BATON ROUGEA Year-Long Plan to Clean Up and Beautify the City of Baton RougeGreatly Improve the Physical Ap-pearance of the City — House by House, Street by Street, Neighbor-hood by Neighborhood Step 1 — Jump Start Restore Ba-ton Rouge with One Week of Intense Activity • Assign every City-Parish em-

ployee with the exception of “essen-tial” personnel in the police, fire and EMS to work in the streets to clean up all trash, debris, branches, junked vehicles, random building materi-als and everything else that is out of place. Give notice of condem-nation of every building that is not habitable if it is not being improved. Give notice of seizure of abandoned vehicles. Identify and followup on code violations. • Recruit 50,000 volunteers from churches, schools, sports team, Scouts, neighborhood associations to join the City-Parish workers on two consecutive Saturdays with at least 50,000 volunteers working side-by-side with the City-Parish workers. Recruit a City Conserva-tion Corps to continue these efforts on an on-going basis. • Step 2 — Tear down and remove all blighted City-Parish owned struc-tures and all condemned buildings. Remove all abandoned vehicles. • Step 3 — City Conservation Corps assists homeowners who are making an effort to improve their property with repairs, painting and landscaping. • Step 4 — Redirect resources toward on-going cleanup and beau-tification efforts. [Example: End twice-a-week garbage pickup, make it once-a-week, and use those funds for on-going cleanup.] Cecil Cavanaugh, Chairman Woody Jenkins, President


How Physical Therapy Changes Lives

HELEN BALZLI, PTCo-Owner 6,500 Square Foot Facility

Visit Our Website atwww.CentralPTonline.com

13111 Hooper Road • Central, LA 70818 • 225-261-7094

Charles and Cristal Hebert were one of the most beautiful couples in Central with a wonderful family and a growing business, the Amer-ican Farmhouse. Then the flood came, destroying their home and business. But they went to work and were ready to reopen their res-taurant. Then on Sept. 30, the He-berts were involved in a tragic car accident that killed Charles and left Cristal physically and emotion-ally devastated.Cristal came to Helen Balzli, P.T., co-owner of Central Physical Ther-apy. She was in a wheelchair and could not walk. She was in a neck brace, and her shoulder was in a sling. But Cristal, Helen, Tom Co-plin, and their staff went to work! They started with basic things. Cristal started in the aquatic pro-gram and began moving in the pool where gravity allowed her to walk in a normal way without bear-ing her entire body weight. She advanced to the mat and then bal-ance activities. She went one-on-one with the pilates instructor. She got back her core stability.Now Cristal is returning to the routines of life she loves. She sings again and is teaching her students to sing. She’s still working hard and everyday she shows improvement and recap-tures a bit more of her joy of living.Helen Balzli well understands what Cristal is going through. When she was younger, Helen herself was in a devastating car accident but physical therapy helped to bring her back!

From Tragedyto Triumph

Cristal Hebert


Births • Engagements • Weddings • DeathsAnniversaries • Reunions

Milestones SEND YOUR MILESTONESThe City News is published on the 1st Thursday of each month. The newspaper will consider Milestones, which have not been previously published elsewhere, if submitted by the Friday before publication. Please send story and photo to [email protected]. Photos should contain at least 300 dpi.

Mr. and Mrs. David R. McMa-nus of Central are pleased to an-nounce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Hailey Brooke Mc-Manus, to Colten Lee Murphy, son of Ms. Jennifer Sparks McMor-ris of Pine Grove and the late Mr. Randall “Randy” W. Murphy of Walker. The 6:30 p.m. ceremony will take place on March 25, 2017 at The White Magnolia in Kentwood. The bride-elect is the grand-daughter of C. R. Dunbar Jr. of Greenwell Springs, the late Ms. Diane Barrios Dunbar of Baton Rouge, Ms. Mae Ashford Marino of Denham Springs, and Archie Hailey McManus and Colten Murphy

Murphy, McManus to Marry in KentwoodMcManus, Jr. She is a graduate of Central High School and of the University of Louisiana at Lafay-ette where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is em-ployed at Lane Regional Medical Center as a registered nurse. Her fiancé is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Randall Murphy and Ms. Junice Fisher, all of Den-ham Springs. He is a graduate of Walker High School and is a self-employed construction contractor. An engagement party was held June 6, 2016, at the home of the bride’s parents. The couple will reside in Walk-er.

Morris, Millet Wedding Set Feb. 25 Shannon Compton and Joseph Millet are excited to announce the engagement and upcoming mar-riage of their daughter, Katelyn Millet to Gregg Morris, son of Shirley and Clay Morris. Gregg and Katelyn are Central High School alumni and members of Central Bible Church. Gregg is a football and head basketball coach at False River Academy, and Kate-lyn is studying special education at Southeastern. After four years and three dogs, Gregg proposed in front of the State Capitol in June 2016. Their wedding is set for at 6 p.m. on Feb. 25 at The Gatehouse. They are leaving for the Baha- Gregg Morris and Katelyn Millet

mas to honeymoon the day after. Katelyn will be standing next to her eight bridesmaids — ma-tron of honor Katelyn Broussard, Abby Morris, Regan and Rebekah Randolph, Julie Peeples, Stepha-nie Jaeger, Deon Boudreaux. and Brooke Leblanc. Gregg will be standing next to his nine groomsmen — best man Ryan Morris, Zack Morris, Gar-rett Miles, Austin and Dylan Bou-dreaux, AJ Gaudin, Ira Jewitt, Brandon Porche, and Jeremy Yan-tis. His oldest brother, David Mor-ris, will be the officiant. We are all so proud and can’t wait for this next chapter in their lives.

Barksdale, Miley Plan Wedding for March

Shane Barksdale and Amber Miley

Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Miley of Baton Rouge are pleased to an-nounce the engagement of their daughter, Amber Michelle Miley, to Shane Wesley Barksdale, son of Mr. and Mrs. Brett Barksdale of Baton Rouge. Amber is a graduate of Cen-tral High School and LSU. She earned her Master’s degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from the University of South Alabama. She is employed at St. Eliza-beth Physicians in Prairieville. Shane is a graduate of Parkview Baptist High School and Nicholls State University. He is a Man-

ager at Geaux Clean Car Wash. The bride-elect is the grand-daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gene Miley, Mrs. Martha Leblanc, No-lan Leblanc, the late Mr. and Mrs. John A. Robin, Sr., and the late Al-bert Martin, Sr. The groom-elect is the grandson of J. Alton “Cowboy” Barksdale, the late Jean Barksdale, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Lamb. There was an engagement party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bonsignore on October 14. Wedding ceremonies will be held March 11, 2017, at Istrouma Baptist Church, with a reception to follow at Boudreaux’s.

Matthew Hyde and Christen Lofton

Hyde, Lofton Vows at Jefferson Baptist Mr. and Mrs. Sean Andrew Lof-ton of Baton Rouge are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Christen Danielle Lof-ton, to Matthew Randall Hyde, son of Jolice Provost and Brandon Hyde of Central. Christen is a graduate of Park- view Baptist and Southeastern, receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She is employed as a reg-istered nurse at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Matthew is a rope access technician with Acuren In-spection.

The bride-elect is the grand-daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Lofton of Baton Rouge and Pastor and Mrs. Rodney Taylor of Ham-mond. The groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Huey Hyde of Baton Rouge and the late Peggy Doucet André of Baton Rouge and Robert Wayne André of Birmingham. The wedding will take place on March 4, 2017 at Jefferson Baptist Church, with a reception to follow at the Lod Cook Center in Baton Rouge.

Lane Joseph Born at Lane CENTRAL - Pat and Regina Crawford of Greenwell Springs along with Sherri and Kevin Martin of Prairieville are proud to announce the birth of their grandson, Lane Joseph Martin. Born August 25 at 1:32 p.m. at Lane Memorial Hospital. He weighed, eight pounds, two ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Along with his parents, Korey and Brittnie Martin, he was welcomed into the world by his nanny, Kaleigh Gremillion, and parrain, Zack Braud.

Lane Joseph Martin

Presley Lynn Born Aug. 25

Presley Lynn Farrar CENTRAL - Jameson and Lac-ey Farrar of Central are proud to announce the birth of their sweet baby girl, Presley Lynn. Presley was born August 25, 2016 at the Birth Center of Ba-ton Rouge. She weighed seven pounds, nine ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Proud grand-parents are Jeff and Jackie Far-rar of Pride and Steve and Dian-na Swartz of Pearl River. Great grandparents are the Rev. Don-ald and Julia Denton of Slidell, Lindsay Dawson of Pride and the late Jesse Dawson, Richard and Janice Swartz of Slidell and the late Thelma Swartz, the late Master Sgt. James Farrar and the late Bobbie Jean Welch Farrar of Zachary, and Gary and Margaret Connelly of Colonial Heights, Virginia.

CENTRAL — Republican Women of Central will hear from Congress-man Garret Graves with social at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20 at Sammy’s. The congressman’s wife Carissa also plans to attend. Dinner is $20 including choice of four entrees, drink and door prize ticket. RSVP at [email protected] or phone 225-931-7738.

Congressman GravesTo Speak at MeetingOf Republican Women

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