SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
The
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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 25, 2024
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Who should calculate storm reimbursement? Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Even a newspaper job can’t stop Christmas I grew up in the newspaper business. That means our Christmas plans depended on when my dad was scheduled to work. When I was 4, my dad moved us to Odessa, Texas. He was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and then have a few days off. His boss came in early in his shift and said finish what you are working on and get out of here. So, my father called my mom and said pack everything. They loaded the station wagon with kids, suitcases and presents, and my dad drove overnight to Campti, Louisiana, so we could greet my mom’s family first thing Christmas morning. After a few hours there, we drove to Baton Rouge to see his family. My high school and college years, we lived in Clinton. I remember really warm holidays and the Christmas everything froze, including our pipes. As a young adult, I remember the Christmas that Exxon exploded. Lots of newspaper stories there that take too long to explain. A memory I shared with friends recently: When I worked for the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, I had to work Christmas Eve. My car was packed so that I could head straight to my parents’ place in New Orleans after work, hoping to be on the road by 10:30 p.m. Early in the evening, Al Nassif, the senior statesman of the design desk, leaned over. “You’re driving to New Orleans tonight?!” he asked. A few minutes later, he grabbed my stack of work and told me to hit the road. I wound up beating my father home that night. Then came the holidays without my grandparents, then my parents, and now my brother. But the Grinch taught us very early: “Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without any presents at all! He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other … it came just the same.” The story continues, “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought … doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps … means a little bit more!” Indeed, Christmas does mean more, whether we are at home alone or in the middle of a big celebration. Christmas comes if we just embrace it. We at The Plainsman, The Watchman and The Democrat wish you a fantastic Christmas, no matter your circumstances. As the Grinch learned, those don’t matter.
Deadline for Jan. 1 edition Submit copy for the New Year’s Day edition by 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 26. Normal deadlines are noon the Friday before publication. So for the Jan. 8 edition, please send items by Jan. 3. Send items to extra@theadvocate. com.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
EAST FELICIANA PARISH POLICE JURY
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
East Feliciana Parish police jurors expressed support Dec. 16 for a consulting firm that has been assisting the parish in getting federal and state disaster funds since the flood of 2016. Jury Vice President Chrissie O’Quin initiated a conversation about the recent use of Police Jury employees versus project manage-
ment firm HGA to calculate disaster-related expenses for possible reimbursement by the state or Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Our people are overwhelmed,” O’Quin said, asking if the jury wanted to continue using HGA to handle the grant requests. “They’ve helped us tremendously
in the past.” “We’re not overwhelmed,” Parish Manager David Amrhein replied, adding that jury employees can gather the necessary information to seek reimbursement for expenses incurred during storms that do not meet the cost threshold for federal attention. Amrhein said the jury saves
money when it collects the information in-house rather than turning over the work to HGA. HGA representative Wendell Piper said a federal disaster declaration allows FEMA to pay his firm for any work it does on behalf of the jury. The parish manager said the firm submitted two invoices for equal amounts for recent work related
ä See JURORS, page 2G
PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Santa waves at paradegoers during the St. Francisville Christmas parade.
Chorus of voices add depth to Christmas in the Country BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Contributing writer
Handel’s “Messiah,” penned 283 years ago, is a holiday composition that lends varied, strong voices into one harmonious and distinct sound experience. St. Francisville’s Christmas in the Country is fast becoming the Handel’s “Messiah” of Louisiana celebrations not because of size and length, but based on the integration of every facet of community into a seamless holiday composition. The 2024 Christmas in the Country, held
Dec. 6-8, put the soul of St. Francisville — municipalities, first responders, businesses, schools, artists, and faith-based organizations — front and center. The city and parish led by example with the town of St. Francisville and West Feliciana Parish actively participating. Mayor Bobby Leake flipped the switch to light the town Christmas tree and rode a “Tesla sled” at the start of the Christmas parade. First responders from the Fire Department, Police Department and Sheriff’s Department monitored safety, but also brought toys and candy to children and
ä See VOICES, page 4G
Extra paycheck coming to West Feliciana educators
Dancing, dining, fellowship and fun at COA party BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Contributing writer
The Christmas party hosted by the East Feliciana Parish Council on Aging on Dec. 13 included lots of dancing, door prizes and food for about 80 seniors. The gathering for Council on Aging members from across the parish was held at the Jackson site. Dancing has become one of the more popular kinds of exercising at the organization, and live music by DJ Desselles fueled the festivities. Making dance music along with his wife, Kathy, “the man in black,” as he is sometimes called, also played some traditional Christmas songs. Senior members and sometimes staff danced solo or in small groups. A special line dance was performed by several members from Belinda Bordelon’s Council on Aging class from Clinton with Clover Stephenson, Jackson’s exercise leader, joining in. Special guests were Rep. Roy Daryl Adams and East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis, who each spoke briefly . Several Council on
greeted local and visiting participants. Traditions that continued from area churches included the Community Prayer Breakfast and hymn singing at United Methodist Church and the Living Nativity at First Baptist Church. The Rev. Brad Doyle, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, returned with crowd favorite 61 Bluffers. Originally “dancing dads,” the growing crew of golfers has quickly become a tradition at Christmastime and throughout
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
PHOTO BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Oreka Collins, of Jackson, dances with Rep. Roy Adams at the Council on Aging Christmas ä See COA, page 2G party.
West Feliciana Parish educators took a victory lap at a Dec. 17 School Board meeting in recognition of the district’s top ranking in the 2023-24 state accountability program, and the board rewarded employees with an extra paycheck. All school employees will receive a one-time $1,000 stipend, less taxes and retirement contributions, in time for Christmas shopping. Superintendent Hollis Milton said the extra money was an acknowledgment of the hard work that all employees did to make West Feliciana the No. 1 district in the state last year. Each employee also will receive a thank-you letter signed by School Board members with the extra stipend. West Feliciana received a letter grade of A in the state’s accountability rankings, with a district performance score of 98.3.
ä See PAYCHECK, page 3G