Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Election is May 3
The May 3 election has a couple of items for Zachary residents to vote on. City of Zachary Charter Amendments: The proposed amendments to the city’s Home Rule Charter include clearer information on council member residency requirements; having the mayor pro tempore rather than the mayor conduct council meetings; sets up a plan for who takes over if the mayor is unavailable or disabled; clarifies how pay for elected officials is to be adjusted; department heads don’t have to live in Zachary; allows the police chief to appoint a deputy city marshal; if the city council doesn’t approve the budget in 45 days, 90% of the previous year’s budget becomes the default; requires majority council approval to issue bonds and take on debt. The proposed amendments can be reviewed at www cityofzachary.org or may be obtained from the Clerk of the City Council. District Attorney tax proposition (4 mills): To levy a 4-mill property tax, estimated to generate $24.4 million a year, for 20 years from 2025 to 2044, to fund the District Attorney’s Office. Hilton helping pay for rings
According to Jacques Doucet, of WAFB, LSU football player
Chris Hilton Jr., who played at Zachary High, is donating a portion of his NIL money to the Zachary High School boy’s basketball team to help pay for their state championship rings. Meet pets up for adoption Companion Animal Alliance of Baton Rouge is holding an adoption event from 1-3 p.m., Sunday, May 4, at The Pointe at Americana, 1250 Meeting St., Zachary.
Shredding company employees help unload a vehicle at the Central Branch of the Bank of Zachary on April 26. The bank is hosting two more shredding events May 3 at the Main Branch, 4743 Main St., Zachary, and the Watson Branch, 32240 La. 16, Watson.
Shred Day on May 3
The Bank of Zachary is holding free community Shred Days from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 3, at the Watson Branch, 32240 La. 16, Watson; and the Main Branch, 4743 Main St., Zachary Documents will be shredded on site.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
MovEBR road project key bridge to development plans
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
One multimillion dollar infrastructure project addressing traffic, drainage, public safety and much more attracted residents and community leaders eager to hear how the widening of Port Hudson-Pride Road will carry solutions to issues facing Zachary and surrounding areas.
The transportation and infrastructure improvements program, known as MovEBR, held an open house April 16 to provide updates and answer questions from the public.
Program manager Travis Woodard said the $22 million Port Hudson-Pride Road project is in the engineering design phase. “Next, we’ll get into the detailed design of the geometry and the drainage, so that then we can start setting right-of-way limits for how much
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
MOVEBR communications team member Stephanie James engages concerned residents from the Alsen Heights community April 16 at an open house dedicated to the Port Hudson-Pride Road project.
property needs to be acquired, so we can move utilities and ultimately build the road,” he said.
This major improvement plan has gained a high priority in Zachary, because it addresses long-
Racing through Zachary spring sports
The Zachary High baseball and softball teams concluded their 2025 seasons earlier this month.
standing safety and drainage concerns on a road with a history of accidents. “It’s a road where you saw the concern from the residents that came out tonight,” Woodard said. “There has been a number of accidents on the road over the years. There’s drainage concerns, there’s safety concerns, and so it’s nice to be able to take something like this and turn it into a real asset for the community.” East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel represents the surrounding district and he sees a big plus for people who live on the road and for those nearby who will benefit from the widened and improved corridor
“We’ve seen substantial growth in Zachary over the past decade or two, and we all know that, while I think we’re not going to see any
Council discusses zoning change requests
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Discussion of two planning and zoning matters a site plan for a mechanic shop and a request to rezone a home to a commercial classification — took up much of the Zachary City Council’s April 22 meeting.
The council approved the site plan for the shop to be located at 9981 Main St. on a 3-2 vote. Council members — along with members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, which had discussed the project at a special meeting the night prior had concerns about a few aspects of the plan and gave their approval contingent on changes being made to the building materials, parking lot and landscaping to better comply with the city development code.
The ZHS softball team entered the Division I nonselect playoffs as a 24 seed and lost to ninth seed West Monroe on the road April 18. The girls finished the season 17-12 with a 4-1 district record.
The ZHS baseball team also saw its state championship dreams end April 18-19 at the Zachary Ball Park. The 14 seed Broncos hosted 19 seed Slidell in a best two out of three series. In the opener Slidell squeaked past the Broncos 3-1 and on the following day completed the sweep (8-5). They will go on to play Northwood Shreveport in the regional round.
The Broncos finished the season 22-12 with a 6-2 record in district.
Track, field teams impressive
On April 24, the ZHS girls and boys track and field teams competed in the District 4-5A meet at Southern University The boys and girls both finished second overall with several high finishes and left some impressive marks.
Coach Chris Carrier noted
that “we qualified a lot of athletes for regionals next week and the goal is to qualify in as many events as possible to compete for not only individual but team championships at state.” The top four finishers in district qualified for regionals and the top three finishers at regional will compete at state. Caleb Hilton won the 100-meter (10.65) and 200-meter (21.30) and was second in the high jump (5-10). Tyler Jackson finished second in the 100m (10.89) giving the
Broncos a powerful one-two finish
Where council members differed was on whether the applicant, Michael Dees, should have to follow a requirement to build a sidewalk in front of his business. The commission had recommended waiving the requirement, as there are no nearby sidewalks to connect to at the property, which is in a commercial stretch of Main Street east of Plank Road. But some council members said it’s important to hold everyone to the same standard.
Council member Ambre DeVirgilio’s motion to approve the site plan included adherence to the sidewalk mandate. Brandy Westmoreland and John LeBlanc supported the motion while Jennifer Landry and James Graves were against it.
Before the council took its vote, Dees complained that he has struggled to get information from the city’s planning and zoning office, which he said has hampered progress on his project. He said it is difficult to reach anyone by phone when he has questions, and responses to paperwork he sends in are often delayed.
“I’ve gotten the runaround here, and I’m aggravated — I really am,” Dees told the council.
“My shop’s going to be shut down because I have a deadline of the 27th of April, and I can’t even get concrete over here. I just keep getting pushed around.”
Calesia Anderson, assistant planning and zoning specialist, defended her office’s handling of Dees’ requests but said “we definitely will be working on doing better on our part.”
On the rezoning item, the council
STAFF PHOTO BY LEILA PITCHFORD
PHOTO
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Zachary’s Serenity Early clears a hurdle in route to the win in the 100 meter hurdles at the
4-5A meet on Thursday at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Zachary’s
into the air during an
at
meet.
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
represent a group interested in seeing similar improvement projects across
MOVEBR communications team member Stephanie James responds to questions.
PLANS
Continued from page 1G
more developments happening recently, there’s still some that are approved,” he said. The road has two lanes adjacent to large ditches, but the goal is to have 11-foot lanes, an 8-foot shoulder, sidewalks and bike lanes The corridor will aid in easing traffic routes in the northern end of East Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes.
“You also have more people moving into the Felicianas and this area and those people still work in Zachary and around Baton Rouge, and they’re going to use these corridors to go around traffic and cut through,” he said. Noel emphasized public safety and easing the dangers involved in traveling on the road. After the Port Hudson-Pride Road completion by 2030, his district will
see the start of work on Rollins Road.
“It’s a fully funded, big project, and we’re happy to say that it is moving full speed ahead,” Woodard added.
The MovEBR program is described as the most significant transportation infrastructure investment in East Baton Rouge Parish history It is funded by a 1/2-cent sales tax proposition approved by parish voters in 2018.
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Eat
The
by May 9 School calendar changes
The Zachary Community School District
posted a revised 2024-25 school calendar To compensate for the required instructional minutes lost due to the weather closure March 31, the last three early dismissal days will be converted to regular dismissal days (May 20-22). Visit tinyurl. com/mspnjbvv to see the calendar Festival seeks vendors
The Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival is seeking artisan and craft vendors. To sign up, visit form.jotform. com/250956272325156
Send news and events for the Zachary area to zachary@theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
Environmentalstewardship is an importantpart of themission at ExxonMobil BatonRouge,and its team memberscollaborate with localuniversities, environmentalorganizationsandgovernmentagencies to developsolutions that benefit both industry and theenvironment Oneplace wherethisenvironmental stewardship happensisthe Wildlife EducationBuilding(WEB) andArboretum around ExxonMobil’s BatonRouge facilities.This200-acrespace,hometoover1,600 treesand diversewildlife, serves as aresourcefor school groups,clubs andcampers to learnmoreabout habitatcreation,healthy ecosystems andtheir role in theenvironment.Since last summer,hundredsof students have participated in STEM projects in the space, as well as nature walksand hands-on activities likebuildingbirdhousesandlearningaboutpollinators. TheWEB andsurrounding spacehas made such a positive impact that last year,the national Wildlife HabitatCouncildesignateditasasilver-levelCertified Wildlife Habitat.
“Thisrecognition reflectsthe dedication of our team to creatingecosystemsthatnot only protect localwildlifebut also engage andeducate thenext generation,” said Tara Bazille, ExxonMobil Baton RougeEnvironmental Advisor. “Webelieve that by balancingeconomicgrowthwithenvironmental responsibility, we canbuild abrighterfuturefor our communityand theplanet.”
Anotherproject for ExxonMobil hasbeenits work alongthe MonteSanoBayou,which is located adjacent to thecompany’s facilities in NorthBaton Rouge. Thebayou is part of theBRECparksystemand is recognized as acriticalstormwaterdemonstration site by theLouisiana Stormwater Coalition(LSC) for itsvital role in absorbingstormwaterand reducing floodinginBaton Rouge.
In July 2024, alitterboomwas installedacross MonteSanoBayou thanks to an investment by ExxonMobilincollaborationwiththeLSCandOsprey Initiative LLC. This floatingbarrier is designed to prevent litter from continuing to move downstream andthe collectedlitterisassessedtodetermine its source,withthe ultimate goal of reducing it “Aslong-standing membersofthe NorthBaton Rougecommunity,weare dedicatedtoenhancing thequality of life forour neighborsand employees,” said Regina Davis, ExxonMobil ComplexRefinery Manager. “Our collaborationonthis initiative reflects ourcommitmenttomaintainingthehigheststandards ofrespectandcarefortheneighborhoodssurrounding ourfacilities.” So far, theboomhas collectedclose to 1,000poundsof
litter.The majorityof thelitter (33percent) wasplastic, while 17 percent waspaper Smaller amounts of styrofoam,glass, metaland othermaterialshave also been collected.
“Wehopethatthislitterboomwillhelpkeepthe bayouclean andfreeoftrash anddebris,”saidJeff Kuehny,Directorofthe BotanicGardens at Burden andLSC co-founder.“Over thepasttwo-plusyears, we have proudlyworkedwithExxonMobilonhands-on cleanupsofthebayou,andweweregratefultoenhance this work with theinstallationofapermanent litter removalboom. By reducing andpreventinglitterin thebayou,wewillstrengthenour efforts to improve stormwater management,beautifyour community andsupport acleaner MississippiRiver andGulf. ThreeExxonMobilprojectswerealsorecently celebrated at theLouisiana Department of Environmental Quality’sEnvironmental Leadership Program Awards foroutstanding leadership in theareas of PollutionPrevention andEnvironmental Outreach Theprojectsrecognized included wastereductionsat theBaton RougeComplex andPlasticsPlant as well as communityand environmentaloutreachprograms in NorthBaton Rouge. In addition to this work,ExxonMobilisaproud sponsorofLovethe Boot Week,anannualinitiative acrossLouisianatocleanuplitterandbeautifyspaces Keep LouisianaBeautiful,the organizationthathosts Love theBootWeek, awardedExxonMobilthe Clean BizLeadershipAward in 2023 for itsdedicationto themission andits operationalpractices to support acleaner andgreener community. ExxonMobil’s commitment to creating apositive impact in BatonRouge goes beyond asingular corporateinitiative. It encompassesacomprehensive series of efforts aimedatfostering acleaner,more resilientfuturebycollaborating with localleaders, organizations, students,and educators. By Amanda
Alsen Heights community leaders, from left, Beth Miles, Brenda Sullivan, Bettie Jefferson, and Loraine Thompson, attend a MOVEBR open house April 16 at the Zachary Library. They
the parish.
MOVEBR program manager Travis Woodard, left, discusses infrastructure and improvements plans with Zachary Mayor David McDavid.
MOVEBR program Manager Travis Woodard, left, discusses infrastructure and improvements progress with EBR Metro Councilman Brandon Noel.
PHOTOS BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Area residents review presentations concerning the MOVEBR Port Hudson-Pride Road improvement project.
Are more black bears living in southeast Louisiana this year?
Wildlife expert weighs in
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD
Staff writer
Louisiana black bears are more common in northern and coastal parishes, but could that be changing?
Black bears have been spotted roaming around the greater Baton Rouge region in the past week, leaving residents to wonder if there are more black bears than normal this year
A bear went up to Holden residents’ front doors on a recent Tuesday Zachary residents found a bear calmly wandering through their yards Monday And instead of an Easter bunny, a bear made its rounds in the residential Watson area Easter Sunday
But John Hanks, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries large carnivore program manager, assures residents this is nor-
mal for springtime in this area.
“This time of year, all the way to the summer — there is a lot of food availability,” Hanks said.
Since temperatures are rising, bears are more likely to be spotted as they look for food in the next few months in any parish.
Bears, especially younger male bears, travel further out for food and for less competition during breeding season in the summer, Hanks said. Some male bears will travel 20 miles a day looking for a mate.
So, while bears are normally found in parishes closer to Shreveport, it’s not impossible to find them further south.
“It’s always been like that,” Hanks said.
The Louisiana black bear population bounced back significantly in recent years after being a threatened species for decades, so much so the state brought back black bear hunting season for the first time in 35 years last December and is now expanding it.
Hanks said this year the odds of
seeing a black bear are on par with the past two to three years, but the odds of seeing a black bear are “higher now than 15 years ago.”
Jerry Mitchell, of Holden, said he’s been living in Louisiana for 61 years and has never seen a live bear until now Mitchell spotted a black bear walk right up to his front door a few days ago.
“It’s actually pretty amazing,” he said. “I find it strange they don’t mind coming right up to your home.”
Mississippi’s black bear population, which is partly made up of Louisiana black bears, is also growing Bears from this state and Arkansas can also find their way into Louisiana, Hanks said.
To avoid attracting bears, residents should secure food and bird feeders and remove garbage outside. Black bears rarely get aggressive, but bearwise.org has tips for what to do in an encounter
Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@theadvocate. com.
The following people were booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison or issued a summons by the Zachary Police Department from April 3-23:
JERRY ALLEN: 35; 7895 La. 418, Batchelor; illegal possession of stolen firearms, failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
CALEB BERGERON: 29; 5983 La. 12, Slaughter; simple battery
TARA BIZETTE: 46; 6532 Windwood Drive, Zachary; contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, molestation of a juvenile
KALVALEISHA COTTON: 24;12723
Shady Grove, Amite; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
DMARKUS FREEMAN: 31; 4065 S Barrow Drive, Baton Rouge; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
MARIO HARRIS: 36; 962 Meadow Glen Ave., Zachary; two counts for failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
BRANDON JEANSONNE: 42; 5516 Rush Drive, Slaughter; theft under $1,000
DENNIS JEFFERSON: 40; 13034 La. 955 E, Ethel; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
TRE KIRKLAND: 26; 190 Twin Road, Boaz, Alabama; theft over $1,000
JONATHAN KNIGHT: 40’ 22424 Jacocks Road, Slaughter; contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, molestation of a juvenile
WHITNEY LILLY: 33; 4317 Delaware St., Baton Rouge; possession of marijuana, careless operation, failure to register vehicle
TERRY MINOR: 60; 1783 Old Barnwood Road, Zachary; aggravated assault with a firearm
JALON MOORE: 21; 1572 Plains Ridge Ave., Zachary; fugitive warrants from East Baton Rouge Parish and Livingston Parish
DAVIS ROOSEVELT: 33; 1672 Acadian Drive, Houma; theft
RODNEY SMITH: 56; 2742 April St., Zachary; simple criminal damage to property
CALEB THIBODEAUX: 28; 4415 Belle Vue Drive, Addis; theft
EDWARD WASHINGTON: 26; 6435 Howell Range Ave., Baton Rouge; distribution or possession Schedule I drugs, prohibited acts, illegal carrying of weapons with controlled dangerous substance, driving on right side of road, driver must be licensed
DEVONTAE WILLIAMS: 29; 4633 Avenue C, Zachary; two counts for failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
KAMERON BARFIELD: 20; 381 E. Flonacher Road, Zachary; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants, two counts of illegal carrying of weapons with controlled dangerous substance, illegal pos-
session of stolen firearms, firearm/ machine gun handling, distribution or possession schedule 1 drugs, prohibited acts
JALANTE BROWN: 37; 558 North Laurel St., Centreville, Mississippi; possession alcohol in vehicle
KRISTEN BROWN: 32; 3998 N. Row Ave., Baton Rouge; failure to appear on three outstanding bench warrants
ASHLEY CAINS: 34; 111 Annette Drive, Opelousas; fugitive warrant from St. Landry Sheriff’s Office, no insurance
STEPHANIE EDWARDS: 47; 26927 Wagner Drive, Slaughter; theft
JAYDIN HARRIS: 18; 4212 Florida St., Zachary; attempted armed robberyuse of a firearm
MONTRELL HENDERSON: 41; 4150 McHugh Road, Apt. 232, Zachary; theft
PAUL HUGHES: 45; 13261 Jackson Road, Zachary; theft
TANASHA JOHNSON: 36; 10008 Avenue L, Apt 208, Baton Rouge; failure to appear on two outstanding bench warrants
COLLIN KING: 20; 22062 Ligon Road, Zachary; illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities
TYQUAN LEWIS: 26; 2821 Chamberlain Ave., Baker; failure to appear on five outstanding bench warrants
HAROLD MAHAN: 67; 3812 Railroad Blvd., New Iberia; theft, entry on or remaining places/land after forbidden
ERNEST NEFF: 70; 25129 Shanklin Drive, Zachary; first offense DUI, general speed law, possession alcohol in vehicle
GERALD ROGERS: 54; 832 Gaulden Clinton Road, Centreville, Mississippi; possession of marijuana, possession alcohol in vehicle
HEATH RUSSELL: 39; 3205 Piper Road, Zachary; fugitive warrant from Ashley County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office, domestic abuse battery-child endangerment
ATALAYA SANDERS: 22; 610 Railroad Ave., Reserve; entry on or remaining in places/land after forbidden, theft, improper lane usage, stop signs and yield signs, equipment violationdisplay of plate, driver’s license suspended/revoked, required method of turning at intersections KEVIN WILLIAMS: 18; 6767 English Turn Drive, Zachary; aggravated assault with a firearm
ALETHA WOODS: 49; 7154 Coronet Drive, Baton Rouge; three counts of felony theft
KASHAUN YOUNG: 23; 5101 W Shilo Drive, Zachary; two counts for illegal carrying of weapons with controlled dangerous substance, illegal possession of stolen firearms, firearm/machine gun handling, distribution or possession Schedule 1 drugs, prohibited acts
A Louisiana black bear, sub-species of the black bear that was protected under the Endangered Species Act, looks out from a water oak tree in Marksville.