Galilee Baptist students, families enjoy an evening of frozen fun ä5G
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ADVOCATE&
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2015 H
P R O U D LY O W N E D I N L O U I S I A N A THEADVOCATE.COM
Stacy Gill AROUND ZACHARY
SGILL@ THEADVOCATE.COM
‘Sprinter’ days have arrived Louisiana has a fifth season, well, sixth if you count crawfish season. In addition to the four seasons we learned in elementary school — winter, spring, summer and fall — there’s another season we all have come to know and love, or hate, depending on the circumstance and the person. It’s called “sprinter.” That’s right; it’s a combination of spring and winter, and here in southern Louisiana, we experience days of springlike weather followed by days of temperatures in the 20s and 30s followed by more days of warmer temps followed by scarf-wearing, glove-warming, coat-shuffling days of cold, cold and more cold. Do we light the fireplace or run the ceiling fans? Do I pack away my warm fuzzy sweaters, or do I move my sandals from my winter closet to my spring/summer closet? And what about the seasonal illnesses that warm, cold, cold, warm, freezing cold, warm days bring? What to tell a friend visiting soon from Oregon? Well, let’s see, be sure to pack some sweaters and a jacket, don’t forget your scarf and mittens, and oh, yeah, be sure to bring some T-shirts and flip-flops. So, welcome sprinter. We embrace you with coat, sandals and a warm-cold smile. Meanwhile, around Zachary...
Police chief asks for help Pay raises needed to ‘keep people’
“We’re just trying to keep people here. We’ve got some great officers and dispatchers, but we’re going to lose some of them to other agencies if we don’t make it beneficial for them to stay.”
BY STACY GILL
DAVID McDAVID, Zachary police chief
sgill@theadvocate.com Zachary Police Chief David McDavid is asking city officials to consider a pay raise for his officers. The raise is needed because several police officers working for his department are being recruited by other agencies and a few already have left, McDavid said in a letter to Zachary council members. He is asking that the pay raise be included in the upcoming budget talks. “One of our detectives recently left to work for the LSU Police Department, and we’ve recently been made aware that we may be losing a couple more to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,” said McDavid, who added that the Baton Rouge Police Department also has called. According to McDavid, officers are leaving because the agencies have better starting pay, and offer educational
benefits, advancement opportunities and more divisions to transfer into. “What I’m asking the city to do is consider budgeting an increase in starting salary for uniform patrol officers and dispatchers,” McDavid said. Zachary uniform patrol officers make $15.60 per hour, or $32,448 annually, and dispatchers make $13.80 per hour, or $28,704 annually. McDavid said he is asking the city to consider increasing the starting pay to $17.05 per hour for both officers and dispatchers as well as to consider a $150 to $225 monthly stipend based on educational experience for those with advanced degrees similar to what Zachary firefighters receive. “The educational stipend would affect at least 15 of our officers, a benefit we’ve never had,” McDavid said. “By offering a little more, we’ll gain a slight edge as well as the opportu-
nity to retain the officers we’ve already hired and trained, which costs money.” With the extra pay, the department can continue recruiting top-notch officers to protect the businesses and residents in the community, McDavid said. “We’re just trying to keep people here. We’ve got some great officers and dispatchers, but we’re going to lose some of them to other agencies if we don’t make it beneficial for them to stay,” McDavid said. The Zachary Police Department incurs a $750 expense on each officer it sends to an 11-week police academy training program. Once training is completed, additional costs include a service weapon, bulletproof vest, gun belt and other gear totaling about äSee HELP, page 2G
Baby Cakes
‘Hairspray’ cast to perform at Arts for Autism
BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com The Manship Theatre Student Advisory Board has invited members of Zachary High School’s cast of “Hairspray” to perform at the Arts for Autism fundraising variety show benefiting research for autism spectrum disorder and the local nonprofit, Unlocking Autism. Unlocking Autism was founded in 1999 by two Baton Rouge mothers of children with autism and a grandmother from Atlanta. The organization serves the autism community through grass-roots connections äSee ARTS, page 4G
Jump Start team receives $45,000 Golden Carrot Grant
Baker Little League
For 76 years, the Baker Youth Little League has provided a setting for families to come together to enjoy a fun, healthy environment for boys and girls to play T-ball, baseball and softball. On Saturday, the newly reformed Baker Youth Little
Advocate staff report
äSee AROUND, page 5G
INSIDE Arrests .................... 2G Sports..................... 1H
Advocate staff photo by STACY GILL
Members of Zachary High’s cast of ‘Hairspray,’ rehearsing a scene in January, will reprise their roles March 2 at Arts for Autism, a fundraising showcase at the Manship Theatre.
Photo provided by JAMES LIPSCOMB
A wide-eyed Ella Bordelon, 3, of Zachary, was so engrossed in consuming a piece of king cake during Mardi Gras she never noticed that her slice contained the plastic baby, which can be seen sticking out the bottom of her slice. The plastic baby, which symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it in their slice of king cake, is a tradition during Mardi Gras season in Louisiana. Ella is the daughter of Natalie and Paul Bordelon and granddaughter of Da’Anne and James Lipscomb, all of Zachary.
The Louisiana Department of Education’s North Capital Region Jump Start team — composed of East and West Feliciana, Pointe Coupee and Zachary school systems — has received another grant, this time from the Louisiana Construction Education Foundation, a private foundation based in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber announced last week that the North Capital Region team was awarded the $45,000 Golden Carrot Grant to implement a multiphased strategy promoting construction craft caäSee JUMP START, page 4G
Oil Changes, Brakes, Alignments, Check Engine Lights, A/C Repairs, Shocks, Struts, Tires