INSIDE: LIVINGSTON PARISH POLICE BOOKINGS, PAGE 6G
ADVOCATE THE HE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA
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DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND • PONCHATOULA
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2015 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Christine Morgan AROUND LIVINGSTON
CMARCENEAUX@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Garret Graves to address Rotary Club Rep. Garret Graves will be the guest speaker at the Livingston Parish Rotary Club meeting at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill, 123 Aspen Square, Denham Springs. The Rotary Club meets on Fridays. Visitors are welcome. For information, call Leesha Gleber at (225) 9077270.
Help for abused children
Livingston Parish needs court-appointed special advocates for approximately 75 children waiting for someone to be their voice, according to Child Advocacy Services. Child Advocacy Services’ Court Appointed Special Advocates program in Livingston Parish recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to be the voice for children in the community who have been victims of abuse or neglect. The next CASA volunteer training for Livingston Parish volunteers will begin on Monday. For information and application, call (800) 798-1575, email cstein@ childadv.net or visit www. childadv.net.
PARCC workshop
Parents of children in grades three to eight are invited to a free workshop with information regarding the upcoming PARCC assessment as well as LEAP/ iLEAP. The workshop is for adults only, organizers said. The workshop will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Literacy and Technology Center, 9261 Florida Blvd., Walker. To reserve a spot, email jennifer. rabalais@lpsb.org or call (225) 667-1098. When registering, parents should provide the child’s school and grade level.
ACA seminar
Advocate staff photo by CHRISTINE MORGAN
Cecilia McMaster, 7, colors during Parents Night Out on Friday at Denham Springs High School. The night out gave parents a chance to spend time alone and raised money for the high school’s Jackets Against Destructive Decisions Club.
Advocate staff photos by ANGELA MAJOR
Artwork by Gray’s Creek students is on display Saturday during their art show at the Arts Council of Livingston Parish.
DENHAM DISPLAY Arts Council showcases local talent
Advocate staff report The Arts Council of Livingston Parish is hosting the “Welcome to My World” art exhibit by Marita Gentry through Feb. 26 at the Arts Council, 133 Hummell St., Denham Springs. Gentry is a painter, illustrator, designer, children’s book author and art instructor. She teaches art classes in Livingston Parish elementary schools for the Arts Council of Livingston Parish. The exhibit includes artwork from Gray’s Creek Elementary School students. Lara Crafton, a teacher at Gray’s Creek Elementary School, is the art club sponsor and instructor. In March, the Arts Council will host “Kaleidoscope of Art,” an exhibit by the Denham Springs Fine Art Association. A reception will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 14 at the Arts Council Gallery, located inside the Arts Council of Livingston Parish, 133 N. Hummell St., Denham Springs. The show will be from March 2 to March 27. Refreshments will be served. Visit www.artslivingston. org for more information.
ABOVE: A patron views the artwork by Gray’s Creek students Saturday during their art show at the Arts Council of Livingston Parish. LEFT: Gray’s Creek fourth-grader Mason Rivere’s artwork is on display Saturday. The artwork is inspired by Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers.’
Having fun while making good choices BY CHRISTINE MORGAN
cmarceneaux@theadvocate.com
DENHAM SPRINGS — Parents enjoyed a night alone while their children crafted Valentine’s Day cards and played games Friday during Jackets Against Destructive Decisions’ Parents Night Out. The annual event raises money for the club, which promotes making good decisions, such as avoiding alcohol and drugs, not texting and driving, and not bullying others. Jessica Bennett didn’t have Valentine’s Day plans but brought her two children, Adam Manuel, 6, and Mia Manuel, 4, to Parents Night Out so they could have fun and create crafts, she said. Jennifer Lovett said her daughter, Olivia Lovett, also enjoys spending time with friends and making crafts, a staple of the event. “I like JADD because it’s fun,” Olivia Lovett said. “It’s just a great program,” Jennifer Lovett said. “They teach good things here and I feel like if you start teaching them (to make good decisions) early, the lessons are more reinforced.” Lovett, whose husband was working Friday night, said she planned to spend the quiet time shopping for her son, whose birthday was approaching. The number of participants who attended, however, was down from about 40 during past Parents Night Out events to about 15, JADD sponsor Elise LeBlanc äSee CHOICES, page 3G
Navigators For A Healthy Louisiana will present a forum for citizens to get answers to their questions about the Affordable Care Act and purchasing insurance through the federal health insurance marketplace. Hosted by the Denham Springs-Walker Library from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, the session also will include one-on-one assistance to help participants choose the right insurance for themselves and their families. For information,
Livingston Parish residents gear up for Relay for Life
äSee AROUND, page 3G
äSee RELAY, page 3G
Fundraising goal for this year is $30,000
ciety,” said Livingston Parish teacher and Livingston Parish Relay for Life lead Laura Dunlap about this year’s event, which will be April 17 at DenBY CHRISTINE MORGAN ham Springs High School, 1000 cmarceneaux@theadvocate.com N. Range Ave. “With your help, we aren’t DENHAM SPRINGS — Livingston Parish residents are gearing up just fighting one type of canfor one of the biggest fundrais- cer — we’re fighting for every ers in the parish — the Livings- birthday threatened by every cancer in every community,” ton Parish Relay for Life. “Our goal is to raise $30,000 the American Cancer Society’s for the American Cancer So- Relay for Life website states.
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“Each person who shares the Relay For Life experience can take pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten our loved ones or rob anyone of another birthday.” Nine teams with more than 65 participants have signed up to participate in this year’s event, but organizers are hoping participation will grow and it will be one of the largest relays to
date, Dunlap said. The Relay For Life is a community-based event where teams and individuals set up tailgating tents at Denham Springs High School and take turns walking or running around a path. Each team has at least one participant on the track at all times. Cancer survivors and caregivers take a celebratory first lap to start each event. Four million people participated in more than 6,000
events worldwide in 2014, Dunlap said. Last year, over 400 people participated in Livingston Parish and raised more than $35,000. “The Relay For Life movement unites communities across the globe to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost and take action to finish the fight once and for all,” Dunlap said.