| YEAR IN REVIEW |
PAGE 12
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2011
Dec ember 20 10 Month begins with mourning but ends with celebration December began on a somber note as news of a grisly murder in Norco shocked the community. Mary Nancy Arico was found murdered in her home weeks after the crime took place. Despite the crime’s age, police quickly targeted a group of four teens, who were later charged with the crime. Shortly after this crime, another murder rocked St. John Parish when the body of 15year-old Riverside Academy student Taylor Adams was found in her LaPlace home. Adams’ mother was at work on the evening in question, and she came home to find her daughter brutally bludgeoned. Police again quickly zeroed in on a suspect and
released his name and photo a couple of days later. That same day, police caught up to the suspect, Earnest Joseph, a neighborhood acquaintance of Adams, in Gulfport, Miss. After the suspect waived extradition rights, he was taken back to St. John Parish where he was formally charged with the crime. Amid all the darkness, some light did begin to shine in December as familiar teepee-like structures began to spring up along the Mississippi River levee from Reserve to Convent. Bonfires are an age-old tradition in the River Parishes, and this year was no different as the blazes continued to light the way for St.
Nick on Christmas Eve. Organizers of St. James’s Parish’s Bonfire Festival got a break from the bad weather that plagued last year’s celebration as they successfully pulled off the midDecember event. On the political front, Mike Tregre, a 23-year veteran of the St. John Sheriff ’s Department, was named the parish’s new public safety director after Paul Oncale announced his retirement. Meanwhile in the School Board chambers, St. John’s administrative recommendation to name Ronald Barrilleaux as Larry Dauterive’s permanent successor as athletic director at East St. John High School hit a snag when board mem-
With December came the ubiquitous presence of bonfires along the Mississippi River levee. (Staff photo by David Vitrano)
bers rebuffed the effort. In the end, it was decided the district would advertise for the position and go through formal interview procedures in finding a replacement. Problem within the St. John Housing Authority came to light in December with the release of a scathing report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Subsequently, it was recommended that all members of the Housing Board be relieved of their positions. The River Parishes lost a true champion for justice in December with the passing of St. Charles Parish Judge Edward Dufresne. Dufresne, who suffered a massive heart attack, was a well known and well liked individual in the local community. In Edgard, parishioners of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church had reason to be thankful as the church unveiled its restored stained-glass windows. Vandals damaged the original windows earlier in the year. The police had still not charged anyone with the crime. The Reserve150 committee concluded the year’s sesquicentennial celebrations with a pair of events in December. First, they buried a time capsule in front of Riverlands Christian Center. The time capsule will be unearthed in 50 years. Then they closed out the year with a Christmas Eve bonfire on the levee in Reserve. The Christmas season was filled with opportunities for giving in the River Parishes. Along with the various “toys for tots” programs, the west bank civic organization Men About Changing Society hosted a toy giveaway for children in the Edgard community. L’Observateur also got in on the act by cosponsoring a program to get residents of the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve some muchneeded items. The paper served as a collection point for donations of art supplies, toiletries and games for the Veterans. During the week before Christmas, members of the staff along with St. John’s Young Marines delivered the donations to the home.
L‘ OBSERVATEUR Bestt Alongg thee Riverr Sincee 19133
There are so many good children, Santa’s mailbox must have been overflowing! MORE LETTERS TO SANTA IN TODAY’S LIFESTYLE SECTION
DECEMBER 22, 2010
www.lobservateur.com
WEDNESDAY
VOL. 98, NO. 102
50 CENTS
Civic center will not become parish offices BY ROBIN SHANNON L’OBSERVATEUR
LAPLACE – During a brief discussion regarding pending improvements to parish
offices on the east and west banks of St. John the Baptist Parish, parish officials told council members there was an option on the table to convert the St. John Community
Center into a government office complex, but the idea was ultimately nixed. Parish President Natalie SEE CIVIC CENTER, PAGE 6A
A plan to convert the St. John Civic Center into government offices has been scrapped. (Staff photo by David Vitrano)
Christmas isn’t just for the children
Gun drawn after family argument Reserve man charged with shooting sister’s boyfriend BY ROBIN SHANNON L’OBSERVATEUR
Junius Duhe expresses his happiness after receiving gifts from family members during a Christmas party for Residents of Twin Oaks Nursing Home in LaPlace Friday afternoon. (Staff photo by Robin Shannon)
Reserve150 L’’ OBSERVATEUR will not TODAY Teens accused in fade away Norco murder to be
LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish authorities arrested a Reserve man on attempted second-degree murder charges Saturday after he shot and wounded his sister’s boyfriend during a domestic dispute. The 19-year-old victim is listed in stable condition at University Hospital in New Orleans after being shot in the back and thigh by Anthony Davis, 22, of Melius Drive, said Capt.
ANTHONY DAVIS
Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff ’s Office. Clement said Davis was arrested at his home SEE SHOOTING, PAGE 6A
Toy giveaway latest event for MACS, one of Edgard’s newest civic groups
tried as adults BY DAVID VITRANO L’OBSERVATEUR
The Reserve150 committee will officially close out this year’s sesquicentennial celebrations with a tradition that predates the official founding of Reserve itself. The committee will close out months of celebration with a Christmas Eve bonfire. The bonfire will be located on the levee in front of Phil’s Barber Shop in Reserve at the corner of River Road and West Second Street. There will be a tent in the parking lot where refreshments will be offered. The celebration will be held in conjunction with the traditional Christmas Eve lighting of the bonfires along the Mississippi River levee in St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes. Bonfires are typically lit at 7 p.m.
Two 16-year-olds allegedly beat elderly woman to death in November. NEWS | Page 5A
Rachal takes offensive MVP in class 2A SPORTS | Page 10A
INSIDE Calendar . . . . . . . . . . .2B Comics . . . . . . . . . . . .8A Classified . . . . . . . . .22B Get High on Life . . . .2B Obituaries . . . . . . . . . .2A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . .4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . .10A Weather . . . . . . . . . . .7A
BY DAVID VITRANO L’OBSERVATEUR
EDGARD – The small west bank community of Edgard looks out for its own. That is why when Lakeitha Louper, the 23year-old mother of five who had been in a coma after being shot, passed away on Dec. 1, the civic group known as MACS — Men About Changing Society — sprang into action. “We just wanted to take a moment out to give to her kids,” said Brock Batiste, the president of the group. So on Saturday Santa visited the courthouse in Edgard with gifts for not only Louper’s children but many other children in the community as well. As member Patrick Jackson said, the group is “small in numbers, big at heart.” Accordingly, the work
Men About Changing Society Vice President Bobby Poche (left) and President Brock Batiste (far right) brighten the day of the children of Lakeitha Louper, who passed away on Dec. 1. Ay’Sha Louper seems especially pleased with her new acquisition. (Staff photo by David Vitrano)
they do surpasses what one might think could be done by a couple dozen men from Edgard. What’s more, the men have certainly
packed much good into the short time MACS has been in existence. “This is something we’ve been talking about since we were in
high school,” said Brock. The West St. John High School graduates SEE MACS, PAGE 7A
The month in sports St. Charles’ football team suffered four losses between 2009 and 2010, and the list of teams they’ve lost to is shorter than that. Only John Curtis and Evangel can lay claim to that, the latter defeating the Comets 35-15 at Evangel in the Class 2A semifinals. St. Charles had all it could ask for in the fourth quarter against the powerhouse Eagles — despite a rash of turnovers, the Comets found themselves trailing by two, 17-15, after Donnie Savoie’s 70-yard bomb to Jeffrey Hall and a two-point run by Lazedrick Thompson on a “swinging gate” play. But after the Comet defense forced a stop, Evangel landed a knockout punch on the ensuing SCC possession when D.J. Gatlin intercepted Savoie for the second time in the game and returned it for a touchdown to put Evangel up by nine. Evangel added another score on its next possession and one more on a fumble recovery in the SCC end zone late in the game. St. Charles couldn’t overcome its five turnovers on the night. It was the second straight trip to the 2A
semifinals for SCC. In the Comets’ last four years in 2A (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010) SCC boasts two trips to the finals and two to the semifinals. Evangel went on to defeat John Curtis in the state championship game for the second straight season. Riverside’s Darnell Rachal capped a spectacular senior season with honors as the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association’s Most Valuable Player. He directed a Rebels’ offense that averaged 41.5 points per game and that scored 40 or more points in 10 of their 13 contests. He accounted for 48 total touchdowns (33 rushing) and over 3,300 total yards. The Rebels boys’ basketball team made waves in Florida, going to the City of the Palms tournament and downing two top nationally ranked teams, including Memphis Melrose, which was the nation’s top ranked team according to Rivals.com The West St. John girls basketball team has its best ever start to a season at 12-3, including a nine-game winning streak that it carried into 2011.