The St. Tammany Farmer 10-22-2025

Food & Fun

The Slidell Food & Fun Fest has been a keystone event for a few generations, and this year’s celebration, held Oct. 17-19, again drew a crowd looking for fun with midway rides, games, food, drink, music and much more.

Known to most in east St. Tammany as the “St. Margaret Mary Fair,” the festival is an annual fundraiser for the Catholic school and church of the same name, located on Robert Boulevard on the north edge of Slidell.

Reading to tiny patients as loving acts of healing

BY DARREN COOPER

Nothing beats the sound of a gentle and soothing voice, especially to the frailest infants confined to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, commonly called a NICU. St. Tammany Health System’s NICU Nursing Director Suzanne Fraiche said there are studies showing that being read to at such a young age has lasting impacts.

“... Parents can feel isolated from the baby, but when (babies) hear the voices, they know somebody is out there.”

SUZANNE FRAICHE, St.Tammany Health System’s NICU nursing director

“It is demonstrated that it benefits speech and language development. We know that babies in the NICU are at risk for speech delay and lower IQs because of medical complications, sometimes it takes them longer to catch up,” Fraiche said.

“And parents can feel isolated from the baby, but when (babies) hear the voices, they know somebody is

ä See NICU, page 4A

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

Daniel Seuzeneau, the longtime spokesperson for the Slidell Police Department, will lead the department on an interim basis following the departure of Police Chief Randy Fandal, who won a special election on Oct. 11 to be mayor Fandal recently appointed Seuzeneau as assistant chief and, per the city’s charter, the assistant chief slides into the interim chief role upon an elected chief leaving that office.

Seuzeneau, who most recently was chief administrative officer of the department, will serve as chief for the remainder of the open term, which expires June 30. Both Fandal and Seuzeneau were scheduled to be sworn into their new roles on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium, which was past deadline for this edition of the St. Tammany Farmer For coverage of the swearingin ceremonies, go online to www sttammanyfarmer.net. Full coverage of the event will be printed in the Oct. 29 edition of the Farmer Fandal collected 72% of votes on Oct. 11 to beat Bill Borchert, who served eight months as mayor after Greg Cromer resigned the office in January to take a job with

KIM CHATELAIN

FILE PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD

Randy Fandal, left, and Daniel Seuzeneau walk the route as the Krewe of Antheia parade rolls in Slidell in 2023.

CHIEF, page 4A

CHARTER, page 2A

PROVIDED PHOTO

New mom Meghan Kurtz reads to new baby Phoebe in the St. Tammany Parish Health System NICU.

Carter Anderson nearly goes horizontal inside the tumbling drum at the exit of the fun house. ä More photos. PAGE 2A

PHOTOS BY MATT DOBBINS

Carnival rides light up the night on the St. Margaret Mary campus

Oct. 18 during Day 2 of the annual Slidell Food & Fun Fest.

CHARTER

Continued from page 1A

more than a dozen in Louisiana.

The school, which is under construction at 70700 West Ochsner Blvd., near Covington, will serve 900 students. The goal is to enroll 100 students per grade, according to Carlos Sam, regional superintendent for Charter Schools USA. ACE at Covington, as the school will be called, will be open to all students in the area.

In October, Charter Schools USA began began holding com-

munity meetings in the area to disseminate information on the new school. Applications are being accepted through Dec. 5 for students interested in enrolling, Sam said. He said 211 would-be students applied on Oct. 15, the first day of open enrollment. If the number of applicants exceeds the school’s 900 seat capacity, Sam said a lottery will be held to determine the makeup of the student body ACE at Covington will be the second charter school in St. Tammany Parish. Louisiana Key Academy North Shore, a school for students diagnosed with dyslexia, opened

near Covington in 2022.

Although they are public and tuition free, charter schools in Louisiana operate independently from the local school district under a performance-based contract.

In exchange for operational autonomy the state’s charter schools are held accountable for meeting student achievement goals and organizational and financial performance goals by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Petitions for charters are heard by local school boards after a third-party review In late 2023, the St. Tammany Parish School Board voted unanimously to deny

the petition for ACE at Covington.

As a result, Sam said Charter Schools USA appealed to BESE and was ultimately given to OK to open the new charter school..

“We have a belief that students should have strong minds and good hearts,” he said. “We want to get back to some of the classical values that can help students function in society.”

Charter Schools USA announced Oct. 15 that Melissa “Missie” Howe has been hired as ACE at Covington’s founding principal. Howe earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership and technology from Southeastern

Louisiana University, where her research explored teacher retention in private schools in the Greater New Orleans area. She also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s in English with a minor in secondary education from Loyola University

She began her career in the classroom in 1995 and has held multiple leadership positions including principal, dean of academics, and curriculum specialist. She has also been an adjunct instructor at Southeastern University in Florida and Southeastern Louisiana University

SPORTS Joseph Halm jhalm@sttammanyfarmer.net

PHOTOS BY MATT DOBBINS

Nighttime is the right time at the annual Slidell Food & Fun Fest.

Gradey Barraco comes down a giant slide.

Chris Stanton tries to ring a bottle and win a prize while Jackie Burke cheers him on.

Cameron Bounds has a blast on the bumper cars ride.

Things got dizzy for Cecelia Helbling, Gemma Funel, Aspen Vucinovich and Tori Funel at the Slidell Food & Fun Fest, held Oct. 17-19 on the St. Margaret Mary church and school campus.

Monster Mash is a

Value

of air over 11th Avenue in Covington is latest

twist in parking garage saga

After grumbling from neighbors, hospital will pay for appraisal of sky bridge air

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Few stones have gone unturned in the fight over St. Tammany Health System’s plans to build a five-story parking garage and office building in Covington.

The garage, which will have parking spaces for 400 vehicles, as well as medical offices, a helipad and a sky bridge, received pushback from some area residents, who scrutinized things ranging from the scale of the garage’s site plan to the accuracy of the date on which a traffic study was conducted.

Even the value of the airspace of the garage’s sky bridge drew attention from an opponent.

Now, the city and hospital have agreed to hire an appraiser to assess the value of the air through which the sky bridge will pass as it stretches over 11th Avenue in Covington.

Odd as it may sound, it’s happening.

“It’s a strange commodity,” said Jeff Schoen, the lawyer for the hospital. “It’s public air, but who does it really have value to?”

He noted the hospital owns both sides of 11th Avenue and said he expects the value to be minimal. The sky bridge will be 80 feet long and approximately 34 feet above the ground and link the fourth floor of the parking garage to the hospital’s main building. The hospital will pay for the appraisal.

“It’s hard to imagine that there is a market for the air,” Schoen said. In densely populated New York City, for instance, air rights can go for millions of dollars, according to Robert Van Ancken, an air-rights expert based in New York. Acnken said he’s analyzed hundreds of sales in New York City, and found, generally speaking, air rights sell for approximately 60%

to 65% of what the land typically sells for

But there may be very little data to figure out the value in this case, according to Tom Cook, an appraiser with the Baton Rouge-based company Cooke, Moore and Associates, who called it a “very difficult assignment.”

Schoen, who has practiced zoning and real property law in St. Tammany Parish for 47 years, said he has never worked on a case in which the air rights were appraised.

Years ago, when the hospital built another sky bridge, which stretches across Tyler Street, a state highway, the state did not make them appraise the air rights or pay for them, Schoen said.

Still, Schoen said the question of whether the garage’s sky bridge would require air rights was something he had been thinking about since the garage’s inception.

The city, for its part, is not taking any chances when it comes to this sky bridge extending over its street.

“The council’s position is we don’t know what it’s going to look like, but we doggone want to make sure it’s addressed,” City Council Chair Mark Verrett said in an interview.

The City Council on Oct 14 authorized Mayor Mark Johnson to enter into an agreement with the hospital, allowing the hospital to purchase the “air rights servitude” for the sky bridge at a “fair market value” based on an appraisal.

Last month, the council gave the hospital the goahead to move forward with the project, despite the opposition from some area residents who say it will increase traffic in the area.

The hospital has argued the garage will improve pedestrian safety and create an easier route to the hospital’s helipad, which will now go on the top of the garage.

A key component of the plan is the sky bridge, Schoen said, arguing it will not only benefit patients that come into the hospital on the helipad, but also improve safety for anyone going from the parking garage to the hospital.

Mask-making was among the many activities youngsters could enjoy at Monster Mash.

PHOTOS BY GRANT THERKILDSEN

Graham and Benjaman Bradley get some treats from volunteer Jaylen Orkes.

Camille Kelly reaches for a toy at the 37th Monster Mash, held Oct. 18 at Bogue Falaya Park in Covington. The popular festival is a fundraiser for the St. Tammany Health System’s Parenting Center.

Benjamin and Cody Seals applied their own special touches to painted tiles at Monster Mash.

Parish plans to remove abandoned boats

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

For years, abandoned boats in St. Tammany Parish’s waterways have created obstacles for other boaters and leaked hazardous materials into wetland habitats.

Now, the parish is embarking on a $1 million effort to remove 16 abandoned vessels from the Tchefuncte River, Pearl River, Bayou Liberty and Bayou Lacombe. The work will be done in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Coastal Environments Inc., a Baton Rougebased environmental consulting company In a statement, Parish President Mike Cooper called the “unsightly derelict vessels” a “clear danger to public safety” and said the initiative was needed for visitors and residents of St. Tammany alike. Some of the boats have been abandoned since Hurricane Ka-

trina, Cooper’s spokesperson, Michael Vinsanau, said in an interview

Vinsanau said they will first try to contact the owners of the abandoned boats and have them pay to remove them. However, Vinsanau said that in many cases the boats were “intentionally abandoned” and some of the vehicle identification numbers were likely removed.

Some of the boats are in such awkward positions that scuba divers may have to be part of the effort to remove them, Vinsanau said. “It’s not as easy as tying a rope around the boat and towing it down the river.”

In Bayou Lacombe, St. Tammany Parish Council Member Joe Impastato said there are two large sunken sailboats that were abandoned before Hurricane Katrina, as well as an abandoned fishing boat and an abandoned barge.

The project is largely funded by a federal grant that the project lead,

NICU

Continued from page 1A

out there,” Fraiche said.

“If one ear on (a baby’s) ear exam is worse than the other, we make sure the other ear is up” to better hear voices, she said.

“We know that reading promotes the bonding between the baby and the nurse, as well as the family all taking care of the baby. It’s something we think about when we see the babies at the NICU reunions, we really think it’s powerful in their neurological development.”

The NICU nurses at STPH are so serious about the importance of reading to their tiny patients that their unit recently finished 28th worldwide — and first among hospitals in Louisiana — in the International Babies With Books ReadA-Thon held over a 10-day span in September.

Nurses, staff, families, siblings and others read 431 books in that short span of days to infants under the hospital’s care. Each book read was logged with a ticket and tracked The contest is based on a percentage of books related to the number of NICU beds so that the biggest hospitals don’t just win. St Tammany Parish Hospital has 14 NICU spaces.

“It really is a team effort These nurses give everything to these babies and to the families,” Fraiche said “The extra time they took to read when they are

CHIEF

Continued from page 1A

An

Coastal Environments Inc., secured for boat removal in both St. Tammany and Livingston parishes, Vinsanau said. Across the two parishes, the project will eliminate over 193 tons of marine debris, about 10%

PROVIDED PHOTO

Mother Stephanie Brown cannot yet hold baby Thomas, but she can read to him by the side of his medical crib — and he can hear her familiar voice.

already working 12-hour shifts, either by staying after (shift) or coming in early They are just so proud and they want to promote family-centered, care and that’s what they achieve through this program.”

Fraiche said the hospital became aware of the contest a few years back through an email, but this was the first time the hospital participated. A pair of NICU nurses, Mallory Carbo and Jody Brandt, decorated a space with the theme “The Jungle Book” for the Read-A-Thon and organized the process. Kept warm and snug in their NICU beds to facilitate healing, the babies are physically isolated from their families and nurses which can be emotionally

state government Slidell voters will head back to the polls in April for the regularly scheduled elections for mayor, council and police chief. Those winners will take office in July. Borchert indicated late last week that he does not plan to run for mayor in that election. He’s term-limited as a council member at-large, so he almost certainly will be stepping down from a spot in city government after 17 years of service.

Fandal said he has great confidence in Seuzeneau, who has been in law enforcement nearly 20 years and holds a master’s in business from Louisiana Tech University Seuzeneau has held a number of jobs in the department and started the Slidell PD’s popular Facebook page, which now has nearly 180,000 followers.

As chief administrative officer Seuzeneau has managed the police department’s

difficult. Fraiche explained that the staff would take care to position the babies in a way so that they could hear the stories being read.

Families were encouraged to read to their child, as were siblings at least 12 years old, and grandparents. Even STHS Medical Director Dr Kristine Chimento spent time reading to the babies as part of the contest.

“We think we have the best job in the world,” Fraiche said. “We get to see these babies at birth, and we get to help the families when they are going through a crisis. We take these most fragile little infants and know we’re adding to their development in the NICU. It’s a very, very proud moment.”

$18 million budget, as well as overseeing IT operations and public and media relations.

Seuzeneau does not live in Slidell city limits so he cannot be a candidate for the police chief office in next spring’s elections.

“There is no greater honor than to lead the Slidell Police Department,” Seuzeneau said in a news release.

“I look forward to handling off a wellpolished department to the newly elected chief sometime next year and then returning to my role as CAO,” he added.

Fandal, 65, will become the third Slidell police chief in recent history to make the move into the Mayor’s Office, joining Ben Morris and Freddy Drennan before him.

Fandal also announced last week the first move of his transition to City Hall, naming Mike Noto, who has experience in previous administrative roles with Slidell and St. Tammany Parish government, as his chief of staff. Other moves will come later, he said. Andrew Canulette contributed to this report.

of which will be recycled. Meanwhile, an educational component aimed at 20,000 K-5 students in St. Tammany and Livingston parishes will promote awareness about the importance of responsible boating practices.

The total cost of the initiative will be $1,386,856, with $1,007,888 of that specifically being spent in St. Tammany The funding for the work in St. Tammany includes $814,688 in federal funds and $150,000 from the

parish. St. Tammany Parish Council members Arthur Laughlin and Jerry Binder allocated the $150,000 in the 2024 budget, Laughlin said. The parish then partnered with Coastal Environments Inc., which was expected to receive the federal grant, Vinsanau said.

“This is a long time coming and I’m glad we’re getting these boats out of the water,” Laughlin said. He said his constituents who live near Bayou Liberty are “happy we’re finally doing something.”

Separately, council member Jeff Corbin said in an interview that he worked with state Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell, in the 2025 Regular Session to secure $75,000 in state funds that will go toward removing vessels from Salt Bayou near Slidell.

“This was an opportunity to take a little bit of discretionary funding to get the cleanup started,” Berault said.

FROM THE FILES OF THE FARMER

25 years ago

There was some opposition from about 20 River Road-area residents Monday night, but the Covington planning and zoning Commission, for a second time, gave tentative approval to The Savannahs, a 259-lot subdivision.

Rick Kessenich, president of the River Road Property Owners Association, said he had been speaking with developer Kenneth Lopiccolo and there were several reservations about the subdivision.

“This is a vast improvement, but we still have some reservations about 70 to 80 tiny lots on the southwest side,” Kessenich told the commission.

The lots in question average about 50 feet by 120 feet and back up to River Glen subdivision, where Kessenich and other residents live. River Glen is a development of lots of more than an acre with larger, more expensive homes. City zoning laws require minimum lot sizes of at least 70 feet by 140 feet. However, under a planned unit development, Lopiccolo is allowed to use the smaller lots.

50 years ago

First Baptist Church of Slidell received a donation of 20 acres of land near Yester Oaks subdivision last week.

The donation was given by the Salmen family in memory of Mrs. Rosa Salmen.

The church is planning to relocate its facilities to the south side of Slidell after it sells its educational buildings now located in the downtown area. Fire destroyed its main church building last year, only a few months after it had been totally renovated.

75 years ago

General rains over the parish

Tuesday of this week gave the Forestry Commission crews and others a much-needed rest according to, St Tammany Parish Forester Ed Burns.

Forester Burns said that during the past two weeks, and especially since the hunting season opened, the crews have been going day and night extinguishing woods fires. Twenty fires in St. Tammany Parish have been brought under control in that, he said. Those 20 fires burned approximately 800 acres. One of the fires, of undetermined origin, burned over 400 acres on the Dolly T. Ranch, west of Talisheek.

Most of the other fires were smaller in size and occurred in the Mandeville Covington and Abita Springs areas, Burns said.

A few of the fires are believed to have been of incendiary origin but most of them were started by hunters who carelessly threw lighted cigarettes, matches and abandoned fires in the dry leaves and grass. The forester at this time urges all hunters to be extremely careful while in the woods

and be sure they do not leave anything that would start a fire.

Before the heavy rains Tuesday, the woods were extremely dry. Under such conditions once a fire is started, it is almost impossible to bring it under control before considerable damage is done. Burns also said the flats and creeks were dry, allowing the fires to rage unchecked by nature, and that the ground was so hard the plows would hardly make a furrow for the fire breaks.

100 years ago

ADVERTISEMENT THE BIGGEST EVENT OF THE SEASON HALLOWEEN SUPPER DANCE Saturday nite, Oct. 31, at the St. Tammany Hotel, “On the Beach” in Mandeville. Hours: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover charge: $1.50. Costumes optional Phone 97-98 for reservations.

125 years ago New Orleans was placed 12th on a roll of American cities arranged by the Census Bureau, according to population.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY ST. TAMMANY PARISH GOVERNMENT

undated photo of an abandoned boat in the Eden Isles area

FILE PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY Covington’s Savannahs was one of several dozen neighborhoods throughout St. Tammany Parish that celebrated National Night Out on Oct. 5, 2021.

Stephanie and Trevor Thompson spend a quiet visit with little Indy in the NICU.

New mother Emily Nana reads to tiny twins Cedric and Lilian.

Leisure travel can clear the emotional browser

Traveling is not in my DNA. My family of origin never really vacationed on a regular basis There was the occasional trip to the Gulf Coast, and the most memorable was a journey to visit my father’s relatives in Jacksonville and Miami in a Ford station wagon with five kids and two adults. So, when I discovered a love of traveling as a working adult, I looked for ways to make it happen and was met with resistance. My husband is a homebody and enjoys his work, and I was reticent to travel alone. Not long after Katrina, circumstances did not give me much choice but retirement, and I got restless. I knew something had to change.

I convinced a college friend living in Houston that we should both buy opera subscriptions there that allowed us to see two operas in one weekend three times a year It was a lovely experience, and I made new friends there When my buddy died unexpectedly after a few years, I did not look for another opera friend. Years passed, and the restlessness returned. I would placate it with occasional day trips, but that was not satisfying my “en vie” for travel. About five years ago, I called a friend in Houston and suggested driving to Galveston for a Lyle Lovett concert Since then, my newfound style of travel and entertainment has taken me to St. Louis, Atlanta, and Vancouver They join me at a concert on my dime, and I get to stay with them a few days.

On my recent trip to Vancouver I attended the opening of The Who’s farewell tour with a friend. She had told me if I was going to travel that distance, I should stay for a week, which took exactly NO arm twisting. The concert was outstanding, and I was deliriously happy to be there. Visiting my friend and her husband in their beautiful home on the water was a balm for my restless soul. And a good bit of the time, we laughed uncontrollably at the most ridiculous things like two high school girls. Running errands the morning after my return, everything before my eyes appeared to be in high definition. Brighter, sharper colors and clear edges. My thoughts and reasoning were effortless, and I felt an easy confidence in all tasks. All the tabs that were open in my brain before I left home had closed, and the browser history from that same time had blessedly cleared.

I have learned that travel alone is not a selfish or egotistical undertaking. For me, and I am sure for others, it is selfcare There was a reason

I was feeling a longing to travel, to physically remove myself from the daily “busyness” of my life, and to create time and space for friendship, beauty and wonder away from the familiar This can surely happen at home, but an occasional foray into a space far removed from the ordinary is an infusion of peace, renewed energy and clarity I highly recommend it.

Economic leader says St. Tammany needs healthy N.O.

Michael Hecht of GNO Inc.:

‘No parish is an island’

Staff report

For years, St. Tammany Parish’s population has been growing, while New Orleans has been losing population.

But Michael Hecht, who heads the economic development group

Greater New Orleans Inc., told a St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce audience on Oct. 16 that St. Tammany, like the other parishes across the metro region, depends on a healthy New Orleans.

“We need a New Orleans that is successful,” Hecht told the chamber gathering at the Northshore Harbor Center “No parish is an island.”

To that end, Hecht said the recent election of Helena Moreno to mayor of New Orleans is a sign of encouragement. He said Moreno will bring a new energy and accountability to City Hall.

Hecht also touted the planned port in St. Bernard Parish as vital not only to New Orleans, but the entire region Though it has drawn opposition from some St. Bernard residents, the new port, which is planned for Violet, would be able to handle much larger ships carrying much more cargo, Hecht said Hecht said the new port would have an econom-

NEWS ROUNDUP

ic impact on St. Bernard, New Orleans East and St. Tammany Parish by opening new avenues for businesses that would service the facility During his speech to the chamber audience, Hecht also gave a shoutout to Susan Bourgeois, a St. Tammany Parish resident who heads Louisiana Economic Development. “That woman is crushing it,” Hecht said, adding that under her leadership it has become a “department of ‘yes’.” Trio of property tax proposals on upcoming ballots in St. Tammany Early voting for the Nov 15 Municipal Parochial General Election will begin Nov 1 and continue through Nov 8. Early voting hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily thru the early voting period, except on Sunday, Nov 2, when offices are closed Early votes can be cast at the St. Tammany Registrar of Voters Office, 601 N. Jefferson Ave., in Covington, on the bottom floor of the parish justice center’s parking garage; and also at the Registrar’s Slidell Office, 520 Old Spanish Trail in the conference area on the ground floor of the Towers Building.

Voting at parish government headquarters on Koop Drive near Mandeville is not open for early voting in this election.

Identification is required to vote. For more information, call (985) 809-5500 or (985) 646-4125.

Hazardous household waste collection Nov 1

Staff report

Keep St. Tammany Beautiful and parish government are hosting a second parishwide collection of hazardous household waste on Nov 1, and this one will take place in Slidell in the North Shore Square parking lot.

Residents won’t leave their vehicles at 150 North Shore Blvd. site. Parish Department of Environmental Services employees and volunteers will be there to unload the items brought in for collection.

However residents must register in advance and choose a 15-minute window during which to bring their donations. The staggered schedule is intended to keep the 8 a.m to noon project moving, reduce long lines and eliminate unnecessary waiting.

Go to stpgov.org/keep_st_ tammany_beautiful.php to register before a preferred slot is full.

Do not use trailers to bring in waste, and no container larger than five gallons can

be accepted.

This is not an event for the collection of appliances and other so-called “white goods:” those will not be accepted and must remain in the vehicles that brought them. But participants can donate computers, printers and other “e-waste” products.

Likewise, do not bring alkaline batteries, ammo, explosives, fireworks or flares, but residents can donate pool chemicals, corrosive cleaning products, acids or NiCd or lead acid batteries.

Freon and helium tanks cannot be accepted, but propane tanks can.

And finally, do not bring cans of dried paint to donate; those can be placed in residential trash containers for pick up, the parish said But by all means, bring still-liquid paints — both latex and oil — stains, varnishes and the like.

To avoid confusion and save time on collection day, go online to stpgov.org/keep_st tammany_beautiful.php for a detailed, easy to read list of acceptable and prohibited items.

THURSDAY |OCT 23RD| STARTSAT9AM City of Covington, STP Sheriff, Town of Pearl River, STP School Board, City Court ofEST, Town ofMadisonville,STP Fire Protection District5 & Others 101 Magnolia Street | Slidell, LA Preview: Wed 10/22 from 9AM -3PM |Volvo Truck & Car Hauler Trailer, Fabbro Boat with Trailer,Ram PromasterVan,Nissan NV1500 Vans Ford Fusions Chevy Tahoe’s,FordF250’s, Ford F150’s,Ford Explorers, Dodge Durango’s,GMC Sierra’s,Chevy Silverado, Ford Taurus, School Buses, AudiQ5, BMW 535i,Kobelco Excavator, JD Loader, JD 6430 Tractor w/Boom,CAT MiniExcavator,Pressure Washers, Zero Turn Mowers, Trek Police Bikes, Phone Booths Welding Machines, Generators, School Desks& Chairs,Scuba

There are three items on the ballot in different areas of St. Tammany on Nov 15. They include property tax proposals to fund Recreation District No. 11 in the Abita Springs area; Fire Protection District No. 3 in the Lacombe area; and Fire Protection District No. 7 in east-central St. Tammany Parish. For more information on the proposals, go online to voterportal.sos.la.gov/PropositionText.

Beautification efforts lauded

Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser announced recently that Keep St. Tammany Beautiful was among the 34 community affiliates across the state that met all requirements for the 2025 KLB Circle of Excellence. Annually, KLB honors Community Affiliates that meet specific benchmarks grounded in professional development, commitment to the Affiliate network, and the implementation of programming that results in long-term community improvement.

In 2024-25, the KLB Affiliate network and its grantees mobilized over 61,000 volunteers and engaged thousands of schools, governments, and organizations to create cleaner, greener communities. Together they have invested nearly $5 million in volunteer value, removed tens of thousands of cigarette butts, and carried out thousands of cleanups across the state.

For more information on Keep St. Tammany Beautiful, go online to www.stpgov.org/keep_st_ tammany_beautiful.php.

Government shutdown shuts down Wild Things in Lacombe

BY SHEILA GRISSETT Staff writer

More wild times in the federal government reached out and whacked a popular outdoor event in St. Tammany earlier this month, canceling Wild Things at Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe Four days before it was to take place on Oct. 11, a U.S Fish and Wildlife Services notice posted online advised: “Due to a lapse in appropriations, the Wild Things 2025 community event has been CANCELLED.” For those who didn’t get the word, a canceled sign was also posted at the gate. Wild Things is an annual event for children and families that encourages an appreciation of — and care for — the natural world,

a free day of interacting with native Louisiana animals, boat and canoe tours hayrides and more. Additionally, the results of the year’s Wild Things art contest for children are always exhibited, complete with ribbons at all age levels.

The U.S. government shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress again failed to agree how to resolve a budget dispute primarily involving access to health care through the Affordable Care Act enacted during the Obama administration It means that some, but not all, federal government services are temporarily suspended, and 40% of the federal workforce — about 750,000 people — are on unpaid leave each day of the shutdown according to congressional estimates.

Learnabout 2026 Humana plans—with no obligationtoenroll.

Wed, October 22, 10:00 a.m CENTERWELL PRIMARY CARE-SLIDELL 1300 GAUSE BLVD SLIDELL,LA70458

HumanaHMO plan

COPELAND'S SLIDELL 1337GAUSEBLVD SLIDELL,LA70458 HumanaHMO plan Wed, November 12, 2:00 p.m

COPELAND'S COVINGTON 680 N. HWY 190 COVINGTON, LA70433 HumanaHMO plan

504-812-4761 Kcooleyii@humana.com

Margaret Albert

Hecht

PHOTO BY MATT DOBBINS

A sign at the gate gives the sad news to children and families expecting to spend six hours at Wild Things in the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe on Oct. 11.

Jazz pianist Victor Campbell to play Oct. 25 in Mandeville

BY SHEILA GRISSETT Staff writer

Victor Campbell is not yet a household name here, but this rising Cuban piano player who moved to New Orleans in 2019 is lighting up audiences everywhere he plays. And on Oct 25 the prodigious Campbell will bring that light and his jazz quintet to the Dew Drop Jazz Hall in Mandeville.

Some music critics say Campbell is simply on fire, his style a compelling mix of virtuosity, whimsy, charisma and technical prowess. His mother taught him to play at age 5, and he spent childhood playing and singing in a home filled with music and musicians. He later studied at Cuba’s National School of the Arts in Havana and focusing on classical piano. But that slowly began to change after he saw Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center perform in Havana. “It changed my life forever and ever,” he has said, and it sent him delving into Cuban jazz.

Then came his 2012 visit to New Orleans as part of an exchange program through the Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp, and he saw Ellis Marsalis perform. The rest is history “It blew my mind,” he told Gambit in 2023, and fueled his dream of moving to New Orleans. “When I

DEW DROP JAZZ HALL SHOW

WHO: Victor Campbell and his jazz quintet

WHEN: Oct. 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m; doors open 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: 430 Lamarque St., Mandeville

HOW MUCH: Cost is $10/adult (cash preferred) to enter the grounds; kids and students free. No advance tickets

WHAT ELSE: Beer, wine, sodas and water (cash only) at the bar Hot plate dinners of fried chicken, fried fish and all the fixins’ sold next door by The First Free Mission Baptist Church (cash preferred).

SEATING: Inside is first come/first serve for about 100 but most people sit outside, so bring a lawn chair. No smoking ice chests, outside food/drinks and pets allowed.

PARKING: In the lot across the street or on neighborhood streets — but don’t block driveways.

came here, I could feel the vibes, the people, its music for my life.”

The New Orleans Jazz Museum has described Campbell this way “He has been feverishly studying all styles of New Orleans music ever since and incorporating it into his own musical language. He can effortlessly transition from a blues solo, to a Cuban timba montuno, and then right into a classical piano selection. In a 2019 interview, the great Chucho Valdés predicted that Victor will revolutionize Cuban jazz piano.” Campbell has indeed been digging further into New Orleans-styles of music since moving to the city, especially players such as James Booker and Profes-

sor Longhair He says he enjoys finding the similarities between New Orleans styles and the genres of Cuba.

“Not all the New Orleans music, but for example, here is the second line, and in Cuba. we have conga,” Campbell told Gambit. “I think also in the clave (rhythm), too. Professor Longhair puts in drums — conga and the clave in his music, it’s another vibe, it’s another diction, but I can feel points of contact.”

Dew Drop said in announcing the show, “Victor and his band create an unforgettable musical journey that’s as dynamic as it is deeply expressive.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the music starts at 6:30 p.m.

HALLOWEEN, FALL FESTS AND PUMPKINS

It’s that time of year again when ghosts and ghoulies are still flying, while fall festivals and pumpkin patches are also cropping up. There’s so much to do in St. Tammany this time of year ST LUKE PUMPKIN PATCH: The church’s annual pumpkin patch is open through Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 910 Cross Gates Blvd. near Slidell. Pumpkins of all sizes; get ‘em while they last.

SLIDELL ZOMBIE CRAWL, OCT 24: Look alive, zombies! It’s almost time to crawl down to Olde Towne Slidell for another favorite Halloween pastime.The Slidell Zombie Crawl, suitable for all ages, features trick-or-treating live music, costume contests, bounce houses, face painting, pumpkin decorating and local art vendors.This year’s crawl will take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the Olde Towne Slidell/downtown area.This is a free and pet-friendly event sponsored by the Olde Towne Merchants Association.

ACCESS BOO FEST, OCT 25: Dozens of civic groups and more will set up along the walking path and green space adjacent to Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., between Covington and Mandeville, for the annual ACCESS Louisiana Boo Fest. For only $2 per person, guests can visit six different on-site trick-or-treat “neighborhoods,” as well as decorate pumpkins, have fun with arts, crafts, games, face painting, a photo booth and more. Food and drinks will available for purchase, too. Children are encouraged to costume for the title of Scariest, Most Original and the coveted Kids Choice Award. All proceeds go to ACCESS (Adapting and Changing Children’s Environments with Successful Solutions) Louisiana, which benefits children with disabilities and their families Gates open at 9 a.m. for families with special-needs children and the general public is welcome from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, go online to accesslouisiana.org

PEARL RIVER TRUNK-OR-TREAT, OCT

25: Venture over to Pearl River for another opportunity to load those buckets with a little extra sugar This year’s free trunk-or-treat will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Honey Island Swamp Museum and Research Center

PUMPKINS IN THE PARK, OCT 25: Celebrate fall on the Terra Bella Square near Covington at 111 Terra Bella Blvd. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a pumpkin patch; a kids’ costume contest, with prizes; a hayride; miniature horses; music; and food trucks.

HORROR IN NATURE AT CASTINE CENTER, OCT. 28: What’s a horror flick without deep, dark woods or a spooky swamp? Nature often sets the scene for terrifying tales and horror films. Come learn about their parallels from Master Naturalist Jessica McDaniel at the Castine Center at Pelican Park near Mandeville.This educational and free event will take place at 6:30 p.m. and will leave guests with a new appreciation of how nature shapes the genre that “helps us experience and confront our fears.”While no gory or inappropriate materials will be shown, this event is best for ages 10 and up.

TRICK-OR-TREAT, REV PETER ATKINS

PARK, OCT 31: For a family night of fun on Halloween, bring the kiddos to the Peter Atkins Park in Covington for a free trick-ortreating event.The soiree will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and feature face painting candy Halloween crafts, games and costume contests.

ABITA SPRINGS TRUNK-OR-TREAT, OCT 31: Take a hike to the Abita Springs Trailhead on Halloween from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the town’s All Hallows’ Eve celebration.The trunk-or-treat event features, of course, trick-or-treating, but also food, games, a photo booth and a haunted house.This event is free and hosted by the town of Abita Springs.

Compiled by Jessica Saggio

FROM SHADOWS TO SPOTLIGHT

The St. Tammany Parish social calendar is filled with important events throughout the year We’ve asked organizers to help us highlight people who work behind the scenes to quietly make our most beloved events successful. We’re calling the feature “From Shadows to Spotlight” and letting it be a reminder that not only is one of our area’s biggest events coming up, but also to remind readers the tremendous effect one caring person can have on our community Be well!

Andrew Canulette, editor, St. Tammany Farmer

Elizabeth Abboud inspires Fest of the Lake volunteers

BY JESSICA SAGGIO Contributing writer

She’s the volunteer of all volunteers — quite literally — at Our Lady of the Lake’s Festival of the Lake.

And Elizabeth Abboud is a “people person” who says it’s her love of others that keeps her dedicated to one of the fair’s biggest volunteer jobs: Organizing and overseeing all the other volunteers.

She’s a coordinator extraordinaire, connecting all the dots to make sure the church’s Festival of the Lake signature event, set to return Oct. 24-26, is staffed and ready to go.

Whether she’s out recruiting folks to volunteer or soliciting church fellowship groups to lend a hand, she’s the go-to gal for everyone else to find where, when and how to best serve. She is the one behind creating sign-ups, finding high schoolers who need volunteer hours and making sure there are enough people to manage the 60 booths at the festival. And if fully staffed, that means she is overseeing around 480 volunteers any given year

It also means she has to make sure they are signed up for the right time slots, know what to do and aren’t taking on too much. It’s a balance, but with her can-do attitude, it’s never been more than she can handle, she said.

Abboud just loves being around people and said it has steered many areas of her life. A nurse by trade, the mom of two finds fulfillment in connection. So when Festival of the Lake organizers needed someone to coordinate their volunteers, she was a natural fit.

“The Festival of the Lake could not happen without Elizabeth,” said Kenzie Cardella, the event’s co-chair “She volunteers her time to coordinate all the volunteers we need to make the weekend a success.”

Abboud said she first got involved after befriending Cardella at church, and with both her children in school, it was the perfect opportunity to get involved. She told Cardella to “put me where you need me,” and that’s how she landed in her role.

“I think I just like to help, and that’s why I think I went into nursing, and that’s why I like to volunteer I like to be a helping hand,” she said. “And I like to be around people. I like the human connection.”

While simultaneously juggling being a mom and pursuing an MBA in health care administration, this multi-takser said she has been in full-blown festival mode for months. With the clock ticking, she is still trying to fill holes in the volunteer schedule and has confidence it will work out.

“My attitude is just like it’s gonna be what

Elizabeth Abboud

FESTIVAL OF THE LAKE

EVENT: Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church’s annual fair and fundraiser

WHERE: 312 Lafitte St., Mandeville

WHEN: Oct. 24, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m. Mass in Chotin Center followed by fair events from noon to 6 p.m.

WHAT: A festival with games, inflatables, music, food, wine tastings, costume contests and more WHO: Performances by Mande Milkshakers, Four Unplugged, Umphy, Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, Bag of Donuts, David Guiterrez & The Bayouself Band and Karen Waldrup; Special performance by OLL school children and NOLA Magician Magic Show.

HOW MUCH: Admission is free, but tickets must be purchased for food and games. MORE INFO: See full schedule at festivalofthelake.com.

it’s gonna be. We’ve done everything we can do, and it will pan out,” she said. “I can’t make people volunteer, so how many we get is what we get, and if we have to rearrange as we go, that’s what we’ll do.”

It’s a great, family-friendly event, she continued, and an important fundraiser for the church.

“We want people to feel welcome and included and have fun,” she said And that’s what keeps her coming back “What else was I going to do that weekend?” she joked.

PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN

PROVIDED PHOTO

Cuban-born pianist Victor Campbell

Mary, Queen of Peace supporters gather in fundraiser

Members and supporters of Mary, Queen of Peace Parish and School

gathered Oct. 11 for their annual Fleur de Fall fundraiser at Beau Chene Country Club near Mandeville. It was an evening of fine food, dancing, live music, camaraderie and an auction — always such fun when benefiting a good cause.

Happy

dancers in Slidell decked out for the holiday

The Happy Heart Dancers got in the Halloween spirit to entertain some residents of Heritage Manor and it must have been a real treat for the smiling audience. Dancers, from left, included Tina Stout, Donna Bruskotter Ellyn Campbell, Cathy Springer Dale Laborde, Lou Landry, Pauline Gay Mintz and Shirley Bagert

SlidellNoon Lions& SMHOchsner Present

SlidellNoonLions Toucha Truck Helpstoserve others

SlidellNoon Lions(SNL) will conduct their12th annual Touch-a-TruckfundraiseronSaturday, November 1, 2025 from 10-3pm.Kids10and under cancometouch avariety of bigtrucks, honk thehorn, take photos, seesomeantique trucks andhavesomeTrick or Treatfun in their Halloweencostumes.

SNLwill also be conducting free vision screening forkids1-6 yearsold,helping identify vision problems before they startschooland potentially preventing earlylearningchallenges. Parental permission formswill be provided andcan be signed on site before thescreenings Toucha Truckisthe Lions’ largestfundraiser of theyear, with over $20,000 raised in 2024. Proceeds will be donatedtothe Lions’ “BlindnessFighting”charities including“Cub Sight” vision screening, free eyeglasses for thoseinneed, LouisianaLions Camp forDisabled andDiabeticChildren, LouisianaLions/LSU Vision Research Foundation andthe Lions’ seeing eyedog program. SNLalsocontributes to localcharities to improvethe qualityoflifein Slidell. Fundraising is acriticalcomponent to providingthatservice to others.SNL hasfour ongoingfundraising

Rain Date Nov8th

activities including Bingotwice perweek, monthlyPancake Breakfasts,various Raffles and Toucha Truck.

TheSlidell Noon LionsPresident for2025/2026 is Mike Floberg, along time member establishingnew goalsand opportunities forthe Lionsto better serveothers. SNLisSlidell’s first service organization,founded in 1927, andisalways lookingtowelcome newmembers Formembershipinformation,pleasecall985-649-1644 And, of course,itisnot toolatetobea Toucha TruckSponsor!!! if youare interested,please contactJ.J.Buisman at 985-503-1519 or s.buisman@bimcc.us. Your sponsorshiphelps theLions’liveuptotheir motto: “WeServe.” SMHOchsner

"Weare proudtosponsor theLion'sCluband the‘TouchA Truck’ eventthatwill ultimately benefit thehealthy vision of children in our Community," said SandyBadinger, CEOofSlidell Memorial Hospital."Alongwithour partner OchsnerHealth, we will continuetofocus on advocating andsupporting efforts to make Slidellhealthier througha projectlikeTouch A Truck. Doingour part in helpingchildrensee the

PROVIDED PHOTO

Mark Bitterwolf, Anne Betterwolf

The Rev. Robert Cooper, Mary Calkins, the Rev Ronald Calkins

Don and Gerry Sustendal

PHOTOS BY GRANT THERKILDSEN

Mary Jo Oliveri, James Sims, Katherine Sims, Susie Lanza, John McLaughlin

Peter and Joann Beach

Michele Carlson, Larry Saunders, Melanie Saunders

Katy Dugal Simpson, Shelby Simpson and Lisa Dugal

Rich and Amy Schega

Music will cover St. Tammany over Nov. 1-2 weekend

BY SHEILA GRISSETT Staff writer

It is most assuredly festival weather in south Louisiana, and oh what a weekend of music will rock St. Tammany on Nov 1 and 2, starting with the state’s largest songwriter festival with more than 100 performances on multiple stages.

The Ozone Songwriter Festival actually begins this year with a preperformance on Oct. 30 by some of the Ozone musicians on the Paddock stage at the Giddy Up in Folsom and ends with a wrap party and jam session at the storied Ruby’s Roadhouse in Mandeville.

But the bulk of the Ozone performances will take place on multiple stages in Covington, including a ticketed concert on Oct. 31 by Mark Farner (of Grand Funk Railroad fame) and his acoustic trio. The public festival on Nov 1 and 2 is free.

But that’s not all the music happening locally

In Slidell, the NOLA Zydeco Festival takes place in Heritage Park from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov 1. The festival features a stellar lineup of zydeco’s best performers today, including Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers; Lil Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers; Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band; and more.

Guests will also be treated to the smells and tastes of a gumbo cook-off. They can also get in on some line dancing lessons; shake a booty in the dance contest; slow down for a bit and examine a Creole genealogical exhibition; and starting at 11:45 a.m., Drake LeBlanc and friends will lead a Creole jam session And what music festival would be complete without plenty of food, arts and handcrafts on site, as well as an interactive kids zone General admission tickets are $25, with upgraded tickets for those who want them. Some free tickets will also be distributed in the community Get tickets online at nolazydecofest. com. Meanwhile, just a few miles away in Mandeville, a twofer is on tap for the weekend.

The Widewater Music & Art Festival is planned on multiple stages on or near the water from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov 1. The performance and special event lineup will soon be announced by the Old Mandeville Business Association, but last year’s event included music on four stages with vendors offering art, handcrafts, food and drinks.

The lineup is set for the Nov 2 Creole Culture Festival at the Mandeville Trailhead from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and each event is geared to share the rich food, music and traditions of the Creole experience including a “cultural corridor,” an immersive exhibit that brings the history, traditions and lifestyle of the Creole people to life. Engage with historical exhibits, learn about Creole language, customs, and rituals, and meet local historians and subject matter experts who are dedicated to preserving and sharing the legacy of this fascinating culture

Live music throughout the festival again celebrating Creole rhythms, will include zydeco, jazz, blues and folk performed by a mix of northshore bands and renowned zydeco musicians. There will also be a local vendors marketplace featuring Creole-inspired arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing and specialty items, and a children’s tent with workshops, crafts, storytelling and games designed to engage, teach and entertain.

The Alexander Milne facility celebrated the changing season on Oct. 5 with a fall festival that provided its clients and their families with interactive games, hayrides, music, face-painting, a costume contest and trick or treating. As one volunteer put it on her Facebook page, “Days like this remind us what community is all about — kindness, inclusion, and love for our neighbors.”

Alexander Milne near Covington is an intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disabilities, providing services to enhance specific skills and increase independence. Activities and therapeutic programming are developed based on each person’s interests, existing skill sets, strengths, and intellectual and developmental capabilities, according to the facility.

FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

Dwayne Dopsie draws energetic crowds wherever he performs.

Alyssa Rosas and Mary Rosas

Marilyn Brown

Wendy Quinlan, Danna Breland and Ellen Tomeny with PJ

PHOTOS BY HERB GOMEZ

Shawn Rollins, Larry Dupre, Melissa Dupre and Jessica Dupre (seated)

Nick and Sharon Nunez

Donna Kellum, Lela Seal and Elaine Seals

Alexis Nethery, Luke Smith and Carrie Nethery

Kahlani Shaffett, Lani Shaffett and Princeton Schwear

MUSIC

MASTERS:

Covington Great chance for musicians of all ages and abilities to perform before a supportive audience. Each performer/ ensemble is invited to share a set of three songs or about 15 minutes Arrive early to sign up for a spot.

BLUEGRASS: A free Block Party Bluegrass Jam on Oct. 31 (every final Friday) from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. in Covington Farmer’s Market Gazebo, 100 N. Columbia St. Takes place during Columbia Street Block party in the walkable historic downtown area. See nstms. org for details

playing a mix of instrumentals of that era; favorites of the day, from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin; music from more contemporary artists, such as Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Bublé; some New Orleans-flavored rhythm & blues; and a bit of jazz. Bring chairs and blankets to the 5:30-7:30 p.m show, get food and drinks from local vendors and enjoy the shows

FEST: Multiple performers to entertain Oct. 24-26 in Mandeville during annual Festival of the Lake to benefit Our Lady of the Lake Church and School, including Four Unplugged, Umphy, Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, Bag of Donuts, David Gutierrez and Karen Waldrup, a Mandeville native and NBC’s “The Voice” finalist. Free family festival also includes food; fire truck rides, a kids’ inflatable zone, bingo with the chance at a big pot and more. For complete schedule of events, including the live music that begins during Friday’s 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. opening, go to festivalofthelake.com.

SMOOTH: The Friends of the Slidell Library fall concert series in eastern St. Tammany finishes with a flourish on Oct. 29 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Slidell

THEATER

BANG: In small-town Mississippi, a few days before the Fourth of July, Carnelle Scott (“Miss Hot Tamale”) is rehearsing furiously for the Miss Firecracker Contest and hoping that a victory will salvage her tarnished reputation. But doesn’t the unexpected always happen? In this play, a slew of crazy relatives show up to complicate matters. Tickets to see “The Miss Firecracker Contest” for one more weekend, Oct. 24-26, at 30 by Ninety Theater in Mandeville. Tickets range from $14 to $22. Tony Lagman directs, assisted by Merry Antoon.

YIKES: Be part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadowcast at 30 by Ninety Theatre in Mandeville on Oct. 30-31, but only for those 17 years or older. Shout the callbacks, dance the Time Warp, and have a blast, but keep it safe; theater staff will guide the participation moments. Also, a Rocky Horror costume contest each night for participants to strut their stuff on the runway before the curtain goes up. Do not bring outside props; prop bags will be sold in lobby. Oct. 30 show at 8 p.m., Halloween night show at 10 p.m. Check online for details ART

and continues through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The guild fosters creativity in the visual arts on the northshore by providing members and local artists an opportunity to showcase their artwork to the community. More at www lacombeartguild.com/2025fall-art-show.

STTA: Michael Guidry’s exhibition in the Art House in downtown Covington continues through Dec. 20. This New Orleans artist creates vibrant, layered works, drawing from the rich landscapes and waterways of South Louisiana, his imagination, myth and a dose of whimsy. His paintings push into contemporary terrain through bold color, experimentation with materials and narrative symbolism.

COMMUNITY GUMBO

HEROES: “Heroes Who Cook” on Nov. 2, a competitive cook-off on the rooftop of the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center Parking Garage in downtown Covington, is the primary fundraiser for Children’s Advocacy CenterHope House. Competitors are teams of cooking staff from great restaurants and “celebrity” business or political leaders. Tickets for the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. event are $105/person or $1,050/reserved table for eight online at support. cachopehouse.org/HWC2025. To help a team win, donate to Hope House and give it “tips” online before or during the event. For all info, visit cachopehouse.org and follow the prompts.

ROADEO: The American Public Works Association Northshore Branch is holding a heavy equipment “roadeo” Nov. 21 at the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Large machinery drivers will compete by maneuvering a backhoe, mini-excavator, skidsteer (bobcat) and ZTR mower through various obstacle courses. Prizes will be awarded in all categories and for overall first and second place. For more information, email Mason Macaluso at MasonM@fenstermaker.com.

PHOTO

TEE TIME: Tee up for a cause that matters and play the first One Way Love Golf Classic to benefit at-risk youth on Oct. 24 at The Bridges Golf Club at Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. This four-person scramble brings together community, competition and compassion to support St. Tammany youth who need basics and support. Starts at 8 a.m. Visit onewaylove.org/golf to register. For more information or to ask about sponsorships, contact (985) 2312180 or connect@ onewaylove.org.

MAMMOS: The Northshore Democratic Women’s Club invites all club and community members to a Be Well Screening event with a presentation on Breast Cancer Awareness at 3 p.m. St. Tammany Health’s Be Well Bus will provide on-site mammogram screenings from 2-4:30p for women over 40 on Nov. 9 at the Abita Springs Town Hall. Appointment recommended. Call (985) 773-1500.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY VATRICE RANKIN

New Orleans “Guitar Masters” Cranston Clements, Jimmy Robinson and John Rankin

PROVIDED PHOTO BY BRANDT VICKNAIR

Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes

PROVIDED

‘Three Little Birds’ by Michael Guidry

Volleyball playoff push begins

SSA sophomore setter Marginy Vaughn records one of her match-high 20 assists against Lakeshore on Oct. 14. ä This week in prep volleyball. PAGE 18B

PHOTO BY HERB GOMEZ

Farmer Football 5

Slidell-Salmen

Three weeks until the playoffs. Three weeks to make a move in the power points. Three weeks to set yourself up for November With all that said, the Game of the Week is Salmen at Slidell. This one will be an all-out war Last year, the rivalry was renewed after a 14year hiatus. The Spartans won 31-14 as a Jimmy Chanzy run on a fake punt propelled Salmen (4-3, 1-1) to a convincing win in a game that was called with about a minute left due to rising tensions on the field.

This year, Slidell gets to host the District 7-5A matchup as the Tigers search for their first win in the series since 1991. Slidell (4-3, 1-0) is in need of a victory after the offense struggled during a 28-7 loss at Covington last week. I would expect the Tigers to put up a few more points this week, but the Spartans’ defense is a tough, physical unit. It will be a challenge.

The challenge for the Tigers will be handling the one-two combo of Salmen QB Da’John Howard and senior running back Jimmy Chanzy The Spartans’ offense is averaging 35 points per game, but a loss to Slidell would essentially end any hopes of a district title. Meanwhile, a Slidell victory would move the Tigers to 2-0 in district play and set up a likely battle of district unbeatens at Chalmette in Week 9.

The potential storylines are endless, but one thing is for sure: the game will be an entertaining one.

A couple of other games to keep an eye on this Friday include:

n Hammond (5-2, 1-1) at Covington (5-2, 0-1) — The Tors are coming off a big win over Mandeville, while Covington bounced back with a 28-7 win over Slidell. The winner of this game keeps their District 6-5A title hopes alive n Loranger (4-3, 1-0) at Lakeshore (6-1, 2-0) — The Titans fell to the Wolves 28-21 last season. Lakeshore looks like they are on a mission to claim the District 7-4A title this season, so last year’s loss might be mentioned a time or two during practices this week at the Titan Coliseum

See

FORWARD FOCUS

Covington got

BY MIKE GEGENHEIMER Contributing writer

After a tough district loss the week before, Covington coach Greg Salter pulled his team together at the beginning of the week to try to rally back against a tough district rival in Slidell.

He told them that while they may feel like a 1-5 team that they’re record was still 4-2 with plenty of upside to turn the season around. Better execution and a positive attitude and the Lions would be right back into contention. But more than anything, he had one overall message just play football.

Covington listened and dominated all three phases of the game to walk away from Homecoming night with 28-7 nondistrict win over Slidell at Jack Salter Stadium on Oct. 17.

“We’re a great team,” Covington quarterback Matthew Fussell said. “We knew we needed to win this one, and we did our job. We had a great week of practice. Coaches, everybody

put in the work. We weren’t really worried.” Covington started out slowly, only leading 7-0 with a few minutes to go in the first half And on top of that the score was nearly tied had it not been for a gritty goal-line stand a few possessions earlier that saw Slidell get stuffed on back-to-back plays at the 1-yard line. But momentum quickly

Northlake makes momentum-shifting plays in district win over Pope John Paul II

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

It seemed fitting that Northlake Christian senior Charlie Gilmore was involved on the last play of the game. As the Wolverines battled with District 9-2A rival Pope John Paul II at Lester Latino Field on Oct. 16, Northlake seemed to make every momentum-shifting play and Gilmore was a big part of those moments.

Whether it was a firsthalf interception in the end zone by Jordan Willis or a key third-down conversion by Gilmore, the Wolverines pushed all the right buttons and forced three interceptions during a 14-0 victory

“We just kept fighting,” said Gilmore who had two red-zone interceptions, in-

good to shut them out.”

Northlake coach James Willis said he was not surprised that Gilmore stepped up in what he called a “confidence-building victory” to open district play

cluding on the final play “We just kept pounding them. We just happened to get them behind on the scoreboard to make them throw, and then we got the turnovers. It worked out pretty good. Pope has always been a big rivalry game, so it feels

“We have some players on our team who are very skilled players, so each night we don’t know who is going to step up,” coach Willis said. “Every game, somebody shows up. Tonight was Charlie Gilmore’s night. He’s a big-play player whether it is at receiver or at corner, he always makes plays and shows up at the right time.”

Those momentum-changing plays started in the first half as Northlake built an 8-0 halftime lead. After a scoreless first

ä See NORTHLAKE, page 3B

Joseph Halm

Covington’s Cameron Johnson, left, and Derrick Dunbar wrap up Slidell’s Ja’Kwan Jones.

PHOTOS BY BOBBY GILBOY

Covington’s Braeshun Weary returned

46 yards late in the second quarter

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

PHOTO BY HERB GOMEZ

Lakeshore’s Shawn Brown scores one of his three TDs against Pearl River on Oct. 17.

PHOTO BY MATT DOBBINS Northlake senior Charlie Gilmore gains yardage against Pope John Paul II on Oct. 16. He also picked off two passes.

ä

HALM, page 2B

ä See COVINGTON, page 4B

Sheppard making his mark at Duke

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Mandeville alumnus Nate Sheppard had his 2024 senior season cut short by a broken fibula on the first offensive play against Ponchatoula nearly a year ago. That setback may have ended a high school career that included 1,888 total yards from scrimmage and 31 total TDs in just seven games as a senior

But it didn’t slow Sheppard down as he tackled his rehab with his focus and enrolled early at Duke. The 5-foot-10 standout added 20 pounds in the weight room and en-

tered his freshman year as the Blue Devils’ fourth running back. He has shot up the depth chart, and everyone is taking notice.

Sheppard earned a place on the On3 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team on Oct. 14. Through six games, Sheppard led Duke with 56 carries for 447 yards and a team-second-best four touchdowns. He has added 14 receptions for 102 yards and a score He leads the squad with 571 allpurpose yards. At Syracuse in Week 5, Sheppard became the first Duke true freshman running back to start a game since Juwan Thompson ver-

sus Miami on Oct. 16, 2010. In Sheppard’s

first career start, he rushed for 168 yards, collected 201 all-purpose yards and tallied two rushing touchdowns.

Sheppard’s rushing yardage total against the Orange is the fourth most by a Duke freshman in a game in program history and the most nationally by a freshman in a game this season. Sheppard’s 201 all-purpose yards tied for fifth most by a Duke freshman in a game and the second most nationally by a freshman in a game this season, behind only North Texas’ Caleb Hawkins’ 218 yards against South Alabama Sheppard averaged 11.2 yards per rush against

WEEK 7 FOOTBALL RECAP

CHALMETTE 23, NORTHSHORE

20: The Owls (5-2, 1-0) earned a District 7-5A road victory as Tristan Dubose hit the gamewinning 37-yard field goal with 52 seconds left “It was a tough loss,” Northshore coach Bobby Sanders said. “Penalties hurt us all night. We had been pretty good with that for the last six games, but we struggled with it tonight. That’s what set up their game-winning field goal. We stopped them on third down out of field goal range and then, we were flagged for a face mask that kept the drive alive.”

The Panthers (2-5, 0-2) had one last chance as William Lachney’s 42-yard field goal attempt was wide left at the buzzer. Senior running back Ramon Williams finished with 2 TD runs while junior QB JJ Gonzales had the other score

The Owls took a 10-0 halftime lead, thanks to a 5-yard Breez Wilson TD run and a 29-yard Dubose FG. Gonzales scored in the opening minute of the second half to cut the lead to 10-7, but Chalmette’s Rashawn Bangham caught a TD pass from Wilson to push the Owls’ lead back to 17-7 late in the third quarter. Gonzales answered with a QB keeper to cut the advantage to three points and set up a wild final four minutes.

the Orange, in his first career start, to set the Duke freshman (minimum 15 attempts) record. Sheppard was named the ACC Running Back and Rookie of the Week following the performance. He added two TDs against Cal and was one of 13 freshmen in the country to rush for multiple scores in a game this season. Through six games, Sheppard’s 7.98 yards per carry is third in the ACC, trailing only Georgia Tech’s Malachi Hosley (8.93) and SMU’s Chris Johnson Jr (8.07). Among freshmen nationally who average at least 5.0 carries per game, the mark is the highest.

les, 1 TFL).

SALMEN 32, FONTAINEBLEAU

7: See story, Page 3B. ST. PAUL’S 45, PONCHATOULA 10: The Wolves went 3-andout on their first drive, but that was about the only time St. Paul’s offense struggled as the visitors racked up 372 yards and scored 6 TDs en route to a dominating District 6-5A road victory. On their second drive, the Wolves (5-2, 2-0) marched 60 yards in seven plays, capped by a 29-yard Cody Corales TD reception. Ponchatoula

The full parish schedule is below, but first, our Farmer Football 5 rankings.

FARMER FOOTBALL 5

1 | Lakeshore | 6-1, 2-0 (Last week: 1)

This week: vs. Loranger

The Titans took care of business against Pearl River The offense controlled the clock and finished drives, but what stood out was the defense That unit looked really salty Lorang-

COVINGTON 28, SLIDELL 7: See story, Page 1B.

HAMMOND 20, MANDEVILLE 17: The Skippers took a 17-7 halftime lead, but the Tors came storming back in the second half to rally for a District 6-5A home victory. Rush-

Dubose booted another field goal to make it 20-14 with four minutes left. A minute later, Williams scored on a long TD run, but the PAT was no good to set up Dubose’s heroics.

er junior running back Rylan James presents a new challenge this week, but if history is any indication, the Titans’ defense will be up to the task.

2 | St. Paul’s | 5-2, 2-0 (Last week: 2) This week: at Northshore Perhaps the biggest takeaway from St Paul’s dominating 45-10 win at Ponchatoula was that junior QB Brady Pierson was efficient, accounting for 232 yards of offense and 4 TDs. If the Wolves can get anywhere close to that production out of their signal-caller for the rest of

ing TDs in the first half by Jax O’Quin and Will Estep, along with a Carson Champagne field goal, gave the Skippers what appeared to be a comfortable halftime advantage. Hammond (5-2, 1-1) had other plans as they scored in the third quarter to cut into the lead. Then, the Tors recovered a punt in the fourth quarter that glanced off a Skippers’ player to score the game-winner with 5:39 left in the game.

the season, this offense will be extremely tough.

3 | Covington | 5-2, 0-1 (Last week: 4) This week: vs. Hammond Covington coach Greg Salter has said all season that the Lions need to play clean in all three phases to be successful. That happened during a 28-7 win over Slidell last week. Now, it’s up to this young team to carry that lesson forward. If they do, the rest of the season will be very interesting.

4 | Salmen | 4-3, 1-1 (Last week: NR)

This week: at Slidell

Mandeville (4-3, 1-1) had two chances in the final moments to tie the game, but both field goals were off target as the home team survived.

LAKESHORE 42, PEARL RIVER

6: See story, Page 1B.

LORANGER 28, HANNAN 7: The Wolves scored four rushing TDs by four different players as the Hawks (2-5, 0-2) fell on the road in a District 7-4A contest. Riley Jones (72 yards

The Spartans rejoin the rankings this week after a nice 32-7 bounce-back win over Fontainebleau. Salmen is averaging 35 points per game, and junior QB Da’John Howard has done an excellent job of running the offense. Couple his poise with the physical running of senior Jimmy Chanzy, and it is easy to see why Salmen could be getting hot at the right time.

5 | Mandeville | 4-3, 1-1 (Last week: 3)

This week: vs. Ponchatoula

The loss at Hammond last week stings. The Skippers held a 10-point lead at half-

of offense) scored late in the third quarter on a 10-yard TD run to avoid the shutout.

Junior QB Braden Sprang was 16-of-23 passing for 142 yards. His favorite targets were Hunter Lay (7 catches, 37 yards), David Chimento (4 catches, 44 yards) and Will Burke (4 catches, 41 yards). Defensively, Greyson Dupre had 21 tackles, followed by Paul Hoyt (12 tackles, 1 PBU) and Gabe Timmons (10 tack-

time but couldn’t finish off the Tors. They need a getright win against Ponchatoula before traveling to St. Paul’s in Week 9. The Skippers didn’t find themselves during the semifinals run until Week 8 two years ago, so there is still time. But it’s

PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY

The Covington band and cheerleaders take the field before a nondistrict game against Slidell on Oct. 17.

PHOTO BY DUKE ATHLETICS

Mandeville alumnus and Duke freshman Nate Sheppard was recently named to the On3 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team.

Runners

Blaine Sullivan, Hannah Bourque claim top spots at Northshore Half Marathon

Staff report

For the second consecutive year the 16th annual Northshore Half Marathon, 10 Miler, and Jockamo IPA 5K sold out, welcoming 1,650 runners and walkers to Fontainebleau State Park on Oct 12

Under a cool October sunrise, participants took off beneath the park’s iconic moss-covered oaks, winding through the historic streets of Old Mandeville, along the lakefront, and onto the Tammany Trace. The flat, fast course once again proved to be a personal record favorite.

In the half marathon, the men’s division was led by Blaine Sullivan, who crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 34 seconds, followed by Sebastian Rodrigo and Justin Fraser. On the women’s side, Hannah Bourque claimed the overall female title with a time of 1:21:57, followed closely by Isabella Rivault and Stefanie Slekis.

The 10 Miler also saw strong performances, with Bryant White Jr defending his 2024 title and earning the top spot in the men’s race with a time of 53:00 Joanna Stephens took first in the women’s division, finishing in 58:55

In the Jockamo IPA 5K, Jose Juan Esparza (15:45) and Margaret Mary Tees (22:30) took first place in their respective divisions.

Race Director Patrick O’Brien expressed gratitude to the runners, volunteers, sponsors and community partners who made the event possible.

“To see the Northshore Half Marathon sell out two years in a row is a testament to the passion and loyalty of our running community,” said O’Brien. “Every year, we aim to create not just a race, but a weekend experience that embodies what makes this region so special — beautiful scenery, incredible people, and that signature Louisiana energy.”

The Northshore Half Marathon and 10 Miler will return on Oct 11, 2026.

NORTHLAKE

from page 1B

quarter that saw PJP II dominate time of possession, the first moment came on the opening play of the second quarter Facing fourth and goal from the 4, the Jaguars went for it, but Jordan Willis picked off the pass in the end zone.

The Jaguars’ defense got a quick stop, but the ensuing punt was muffed and recovered by NCS senior Kaden Gill That ignited the only scoring drive of the first half as the Wolverines (4-2,

half.

“Our guys like the pressure on them,” coach Willis said. “We create a lot of pressure at practice to make practice the hardest thing that they’ll face, so game time is kind of easy.”

Gilmore’s heroics started in the second half as his 22-yard catch on third and long kept a drive alive that resulted in a 5-yard Grant TD run as the visitors took a two-score lead late in the third quarter

Gilmore picked off a pass at the 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter and then ended the game with his second takeaway. Grant finished with 84 yards rushing on 11 carries to go with 44 yards passing. Casnave added 110 yards rushing on 23 carries.

“This means a lot to us,” Cas-

Sprinkle on Oct. 16.

BY MATT DOBBINS

Now we’re executing better.”

While the Wolverines celebrated, the Jaguars (4-3, 1-1) lamented what could have been during their pink game. Senior Michael Thiel recovered a first-quarter fumble as the defense played well overall. PJP II had won three in a row by a combined score of 133-25, but the offense couldn’t finish in the red zone against Northlake.

Jaguars’ coach Philip Pigott said his team needs to play cleaner football.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a whole bunch in the first half,” Pigott said. “We jump offside on that first drive, and that kills the opening drive. We have the fumbled punt. Just too many mistakes. We’ve got to find a way to move the ball. We’re just not winning those key moments throughout games.”

The loss snapped a stretch of five straight home-team wins in the series.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

NORTHLAKE CHRISTIAN | 0 | 8 |

BY JASON RUSSELL Contributing writer

After a heartbreaking loss to Northshore, Salmen needed something positive to happen as it heads down the backstretch of the regular season.

The Spartans got all the positive vibes they needed Oct. 17, using big plays on offense and a stifling defense to put away Fontainebleau 32-7 at the Dawg Pound.

“It was a rough week for us in practice after last week, but we were able to grind through it and it showed here tonight,” Salmen coach Eric Chuter said.

While running back Jimmy Chanzy has been the star all season, the Spartans (4-3, 1-1) used their speed and quickness at wide receiver to take down the Bulldogs.

Wide receiver Terrance Mitchell hauled in four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, while Kashius Sampson caught five passes for 95 yards and a score as Salmen put up 380 yards of total offense.

Mitchell and Sampson were both happy to get their first district win under the team’s belt.

“It was in the game plan all week, and I knew it was coming to me,” Sampson said. “We just had to execute.” Mitchell said his team’s toughness is what makes the difference.

“We’re all dogs and we just needed to come out and get this win,” he said. “Last week, we had the loss, but we just had to bounce back this week. It’s always just about the next game.”

Salmen quarterback Da’John Howard threw for 294 yards and two TDs, and also ran for 41 yards and a score.

Chuter said he has a lot of offensive mouths to feed, so to speak, but it’s a good problem to have.

“We have some playmakers on this team, and I’ve got five or six guys that we have to get the ball to,” he said. “It’s too bad we don’t have five or six footballs to hand out.”

Chanzy still did his part, helping the Spartans churn up yardage late in the game, scoring twice and finishing with 57 yards on the ground.

The defense for Salmen essentially pitched a shutout, holding Fontainebleau to 139 total yards, with just 38 coming through the air

The Bulldogs’ only score came with less than a minute remaining in the first half when Travis Green stripped Rey’Sean Coleman and returned the fumble 45 yards for the score.

“I thought we played lights out on defense,”

Chuter said. “We had a little adversity in the past, but we are slowly learning our personality, and we are a physical defense.”

The Spartans had taken a 13-0 lead when Howard scored from six yards out with 1:36 left in the first quarter and then — just a few possessions later — the junior QB threw a 56-yard scoring strike to Sampson to put Salmen up two scores.

Fontainebleau (2-5, 0-2) tried to stay in the game, holding the Spartans on downs to start the second half, but, after giving up the ball on downs themselves, the Bulldogs’ defense broke down. Mitchell got behind the secondary for a 56-yard touchdown catch to make it 19-7, essentially putting the game out of reach.

After that, Fontainebleau’s offense could never get on track, as Salmen scored twice more in the second half on short runs by Chanzy Fontainebleau coach John Kavanaugh said not being able to sustain drives on offense as well as mistakes including a fumble near the goal line to end the first half — hurt his team.

“We held up our end in the first half, and if a couple of breaks go our way, maybe things change,” he said. “Our offense really struggled tonight against a good, salty defense. We played our tails off and fought adversity, but at the end it just kind of got away from us.” SCORE BY QUARTERS

PHOTO BY MATT DOBBINS

Salmen senior receiver Terrance Mitchell finished with 119 yards and a touchdown on just four catches against Fontainebleau on Oct. 17.

Hannah Bourque was all smiles after winning the Northshore Half Marathon with a time of 1:21:57.

Blaine Sullivan, crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 34 seconds to win the Northshore Half Marathon on Oct. 12.

PHOTOS BY CHARLES DYE

begin the Northshore Half Marathon at Fontainebleau State Park on Oct. 12.

before the break. They got exactly that when Fussell found Weary on a 4-yard TD pass with three seconds on the clock to extend the lead to 14-0.

“It was dead, and we were looking for a spark,” Fussell said. “Any time (Weary) catches a punt, there’s a chance he houses it. He has electric speed And then one on one, no safety help, we’re going to him.” Slidell managed to cut the score to 14-7 on a 58-yard pass from Stanley Lange to Michael Thompson in the third quarter, but that’s where the Tigers’ luck ran out Outside of that one long pass, Slidell totaled just 118 yards of total offense. No player had more than 19 yards rushing on the night While Covington (5-2) was thrilled with its execution, Slidell coach Damon Page knows his team will need to improve going forward.

“It’s execution. That’s it,” Page said. “If you watch the tape, we had guys there, we had what we wanted, but the execution was poor We have to do a better job as coaches of calling plays that are conducive to where we are right

Covington’s Max Guy fights off a block to wrap up Slidell’s Ja’Kwan

River the Titans wanted to put more pressure on their opponent’s quarterback. Stevens saw his moment to pounce, and the rest is history as his sack, forced fumble and recovery put the exclamation point on a 42-6 district domination on Oct. 17.

“Going to the line, I saw them motion, so I checked into the blitz, which we were practicing all week,” Stevens said. “I was in a great situation. I got a free shot on the quarterback, so I took it. I had a kill shot, scooped up the ball and was that close to a touchdown too.” Lakeshore held the Rebels to just 93 yards of offense, with 68 yards coming on Pearl River’s final drive against the second-team defense.

“We played solid tonight,” Lakeshore coach Brent Indest said. “We made some adjustments. Over the last two weeks, we talked collectively with our defensive staff and realized that we don’t have a lot of speed in our secondary So we need to either play strictly coverage, or we need to bring pressure. We want to affect and pressure the quarterback, and we did that ” The Titans (6-1, 2-0) finished with four sacks and 12 TFLs. Stevens and Dayton McGee both had fumble recoveries that turned into points. “We lost a game due to turnovers (against Salmen) and won a game last week against Franklinton due to turnovers. We preach that a lot We try to get that ball out and give our offense a chance to score every time,” Stevens said. The offense was efficient for much of the night as Lakeshore racked up 352 yards, with 210 coming on the ground. Nine different players carried the ball, led by junior quarterback Brody Loudermilk (13 carries, 54 yards, 3 TDs) and senior Shawn Brown (12 carries, 52 yards, 3 TDs). Loudermilk also threw for 142 yards at a 10-of11 clip.

Lakeshore’s Brody Loudermilk fights through

score one of his three touchdowns on

“They were taking away our base plays but giving us something else,” Indest said. “They were giving us the weak side edge and the weak side bootleg, and we took advantage of that. We are going to take what people give us, whether it is on run downs, pass downs or whatever We have to do that to keep people off balance. Leading 21-0 at halftime, the Titans scored 21 points in the first six minutes of the third quarter to put the game away and start a running clock. For Pearl River (2-4, 1-1), senior Gage Durand finished with 68 yards rushing on 16 carries, including an 8-yard

Pearl River’s Gage Durand scores on an 8-yard run to avoid the shutout against Lakeshore.

Lakeshore’s Dylan Cusachs records a tackle for a loss against Pearl River

PHOTOS BY HERB GOMEZ

two Pearl River defenders to

Oct. 17

Lakeshore’s Cade Stevens, left, forces and recovers a fumble against Pearl River

PHOTOS BY BOBBY GILBOY

Slidell’s Taurean McClelland wraps up a Covington’s Matthew Fussell on Oct. 17

Slidell quarterback Ricky Williams III throws into the flat against Covington.

Jones.

Eidson, John Delbert 'Big John'

John “Big John” Delbert Eidson passed away peacefully on Sunday, Oc‐tober 12, 2025 at Slidell Memorial Hospital with his daughter at his bedside following a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Everette John (1974) and Cora Belle Butts Eidson (2022); three sib‐lings: Joseph Lee (1950), Jackie Eidson Reynolds (1991), and Ouida Joyce Ei‐dson (2017) and his loving wife Brenda Joyce Stokes (2013) He leaves behind his grieving daughter, Lisa Ross Eidson his granddogs Faith and Bella, as well as two sisters: Jimmie Eidson and Linda Eidson Chase John is also survived by two sisters-in-law: Barbara Stokes Pierce ( Roland1998) and Donna Kay Stokes Byars (Donald Green), as well as a host of nieces and nephews that he adored John was born in Webster County Missis‐sippi and graduated from S D. Lee High School in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1960. John attended Missis‐sippi State University for one year and enrolled in the Army. After serving, John began working for Shell Offshore Incorpo‐rated where he made lifelong friends and enjoyed his career from March 27 1962 to 1998 John was a devoted husband, caring for his loving wife in her last years, and an amazing father In retirement, John managed JES Tackle for his dear friend until 2024. Dur‐ing his lifetime, John was an avid hunter fisherman and sports fan, (mainly the SEC). As he and one of his closest friends told each other in his last days, “I’d gladly hang another rebel for you” (John’s favorite team was Ole Miss) and “I’d gladly shoot another tiger” (LSU was his friend’s favorite). When asked what he’d like to say in his obituary, John replied, Adios.” Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell, LA. Holdeman Jr., Charles Charles Calvin Holde‐man Jr. of Harahan Louisiana, passed away peacefully on October 3 2025, at the age of 99. He was born in New Orleans Louisiana to the late Charles Calvin Holdeman and Grace Lee Procell on September 15, 1926 Charles is survived by his nephews, Nicholas Liccia‐rdi Sr. (Betty) and Charles Edward Holdeman (late wife Sharon); his niece Brenda Tromatore (Luke), and three generations of nieces nephews Char ed his life to the no of service servi country, his com nd his fellow man. His dedication to helping others was not a passing interest, but a life‐long mission marked by tireless commitment and unwavering patriotism. He was an employee of the United States Postal Ser‐vice for 37 years and re‐tired as Chief Engineer. Charles proudly served with the United States Ma‐rine Corps during WWII in the Battle of Iwo Jima. As a proud Veteran and leader, Charles served with dis‐tinction as Past Comman‐der and Officer of VFW Post 3267, and as both Past Commander and 2nd Dis‐trict Commander of Ameri‐can Legion Post 397. His leadership in these organi‐zations reflected his

Charles is survived by his nephews, Nicholas Liccia‐rdi Sr (Betty) and Charles Edward Holdeman (late wife Sharon); his niece Brenda Tromatore (Luke), and three generations of nieces and nephews Charles devoted his life to the noble call of service service to his country, his community, and his fellow man His dedication to helping others was not a passing interest, but a life‐long mission marked by tireless commitment and unwavering patriotism He was an employee of the United States Postal Ser‐vice for 37 years and re‐tired as Chief Engineer Charles proudly served with the United States Ma‐rine Corps during WWII in the Battle of Iwo Jima As a proud Veteran and leader Charles served with dis‐tinction as Past Comman‐der and Officer of VFW Post 3267, and as both Past Commander and 2nd Dis‐trict Commander of Ameri‐can Legion Post 397. His leadership in these organi‐zations reflected his deep love for his nation and his steadfast support of those who wore the uniform of freedom. His sense of duty extended far beyond the military community. For more than six decades, Charles guided others with wisdom and integrity as Director—and later, Chair‐man of the Board—of the Post Office Employees Credit Union. His remark‐able 63 years of service earned him a well-de‐served place in the Louisiana Credit Union League Hall of Fame, a tes‐tament to his vision and commitment to financial fairness and trust Perhaps the most moving reflection of Charles’s character was his quiet compassion. For over 25 years—well into his 90s—he delivered meals and friendship through the Jefferson Parish Meals on Wheels program, ensuring that no neighbor felt for‐gotten Charles also shared his time and talents with the youth of his commu‐nity as Treasurer and in‐structor of the Delta Box‐ing Club and as a dedi‐cated coach of football and baseball at Delta Play‐ground Through every punch, pass, and play, he inspired discipline, re‐spect, and teamwork—the same values that defined his own remarkable jour‐ney Charles Calvin Holde‐man Jr.’s commitment to his country and commu‐nity was unwavering, and he was a highly valued source of inspiration to all who knew him. His legacy of service love and dedi‐cation will forever be cher‐ished by his family and friends Audubon Funeral Home were entrusted with the arrangements.

B.

Guidry,Jr., CentralOffice

7.00 years, all in St TammanyParish

Julie L. Vice, Harri‐son Curriculum Center 22.30 years, all in St TammanyParish

Laurie S. Jones, Transportation Cen‐ter 33.02 years, all in St TammanyParish

Motion by Adaline Rutherford, second by Gia R Baker to accept the retire‐ment resolutions for employee support servicespersonnel. Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford Bran‐don Harrell, Amanda Martin Is‐abelle B Moore, Mike Peterson, Gia R Baker, Deborah McCollum, Tammy Lamy Michelle Hirstius, James Braud, Dennis S Cousin, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

C. Recommends ac‐ceptance of Revi‐sions to School Board Policy JGCE -ChildAbuse

Motion by Michelle Hirstius, second by Adaline Rutherford to recommend ac‐ceptance of Revi‐sions to School Board Policy JGCE -ChildAbuse

Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford Bran‐don Harrell, Amanda Martin Is‐abelle B Moore, Mike Peterson, Deborah McCol‐lum, Tammy Lamy, Michelle Hirstius, JamesBraud

Nay:GiaRBaker Abstain: Dennis S Cousin, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Roslyn Hanson, second by Gia R Baker

Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Nay: Matthew E Greene, Adaline Rutherford, Bran‐don Harrell, Amanda Martin, Is‐abelle B Moore, Tammy Lamy, Michelle Hirstius, JamesBraud

D. Recommends ac‐ceptance of Revi‐sions to School Board Policy JDEExpulsion

Motion by Michelle Ruffino Gallaher

second by James Braud to accept the policy with a friendly amendment to add the re-entry wording by Ms. Hirstius. Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Bran‐don Harrell, Amanda Martin, Is‐abelle B Moore, Mike Peterson, Gia R Baker, Deborah McCollum, Tammy Lamy, Michelle Hirstius, James Braud, Dennis S Cousin Michelle RuffinoGallaher

"Astudent returning fromexpulsionshall not be permitted on campus until a reentry meeting with the student par‐ ent/guardian, and designated school personnel has been held, and all condi‐tions of re-entry guidelines have been verified as met.

4.PublicComments A.ThreeMinutes DustinPorte DavidLocker Stephanie Under‐wood BrantOsborn

5.President Announcements A. Announcements by the Board Presi‐dent SafeSchools train‐ings are due Friday Sept12th Schools are closed October 2nd & 3rd for Fall/Fair Holi‐day Oct CAW meetings will be on Thursday Oct.9that6pm The October Board meeting will be on Thursday, October 16that6pm

6.Closing A. Adjourn - 7:13 pm 162622OCT22-1T $221.95

PUBLICNOTICE

St Tammany Parish SchoolBoard

C.J. Schoen Admin‐istrativeComplex 321 N. Theard St Covington,LA 70433

SpecialBoard Meeting(appeals) Thursday, September4,2025

Memberspresent Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Brandon Harrell, Is‐abelle B Moore, Gia R Baker, Deborah McCollum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Membersabsent Kalinda FauntleroyAmanda Martin Mike Peterson, Tammy Lamy Michelle Hirstius, DennisSCousin

Meeting called to orderat4:00PM

1.Opening A.RollCall B. Invocation & Pledge of Alle‐giance

2. To conduct stu‐dent expulsion ap‐ pealhearings,which may be held in Ex‐ecutive Session pur‐suant to the provi‐ sions of LRS 42:17A.(7)

A. Expulsion Ap‐peal Hearing for StudentA

Motion by Mrs. Baker second by Mrs. Hanson that the Board go into executivesession. Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Mrs. Baker, second by Mrs. Moore that the Board return to reg‐ ularsession. Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Isabelle B Moore, second by Deborah McCollum to uphold the action of the Superinten‐

Motion by Isabelle B Moore, second by Deborah McCollum to uphold the action of the Superinten‐ dent regarding Stu‐dentA.

Final Resolution:

MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud Nay: Michelle RuffinoGallaher

B.Expulsion Appeal Hearing for StudentB

Motion by Mr Braud, second by Mr Greene that the Board go into exec‐utive session to dis‐cuss and view the unredactedvideo.

Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

The parent of Stu‐dent B requested an openhearing.

Motion by Mr Braud, second by Mrs. Baker that the Board return to reg‐ ularsession.

Final Resolution:

MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Mr Braud, second by Mrs. Hanson to in‐clude the redacted video and the stu‐dent information packet as part of the meeting.

Motion by Gia R Baker second by Adaline Rutherford to uphold the action of the Superinten‐ dent regarding Stu‐dentB.

Final Resolution:

MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud Nay: Michelle RuffinoGallaher Abstain: Brandon Harrell

3.Toconductahear‐ing on student as‐signment which may be held in Ex‐ecutive Session pur‐suant to the provi‐ sions of LRS 42:17A(7)

A.Student Assignment Hear‐ingforStudentC

Motion by Mrs. Hanson, second by Mrs. Moore that the Board go into exec‐utivesession.

Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Mrs. Baker, second by Mrs. McCollum that the Board return to regularsession. Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud, Michelle RuffinoGallaher

Motion by Gia R Baker second by Roslyn Hanson to uphold the action of the Superintendent regarding Student C.Final Resolution: MotionCarries Yea: Matthew E Greene, Roslyn Hanson, Adaline Rutherford, Bran‐don Harrell, Isabelle B Moore, Gia R Baker,DeborahMc‐Collum, James Braud Abstain: Michelle RuffinoGallaher

4.PublicComments A.ThreeMinutes

5.Closing A.Adjourn-5:35 pm 162621OCT22-1T $125.22

work session on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 6:00PM and a public hear‐ing on Tuesday, October28,2025at 6:00PM at the Man‐deville City Hall Council Chambers, 3101 E Causeway Approach Mandev‐ille LA regarding the following case(s):

V25-10-22 –Richard and Linda James request a variance to CLURO

Section 7 5 1 3 R-1 Site Development Regulations, Old Town of Mandev‐ille, Square 85B Lots 21-24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, & 36, R1 Single Family Residential District, 527Albert V25-10-23 – Denis Bechac requests a variance to CLURO Section 9 2 5 7 Live Oak Protection Requirements Old Town of Mandev‐ille Square 1 Lot 5A B-3 Old Man‐deville Business District 2025 Lakeshore V25-10-24 – Sherry Hubbard requests a variance to CLURO Section 7 5 10 3 B3 Site Development Regulations, Old Town of Mandev‐ille, Square 25B Lot C,B-3OldMandev‐ille Business Dis‐trict,234Lafitte V25-10-25 – Ale‐jandro Gonzalez re‐quests a variance to CLURO Section 9 2 5 7 Live Oak Pro‐tection Require‐ments Old Town of Mandeville Square 77 Lot 5 & 6 R-1 Single Family Resi‐dential District 435 Atalin V25-10-26 – Paul Clark represented by Charles Walker Jr requests a vari‐ance to CLURO Sections 7 5 9 3 B2 Site Development Regulationsand9 2 5 5 Landscape Re‐quirements in Dis‐tricts Other than Low-Density Resi‐dential, Beau Ri‐vage Village, Lot 16, B-2 Highway Business District, 639LotusDr N TinaMyers PlanningSecretary 160895OCT8-1522-3T $134 55

PUBLICNOTICE THE COVINGTON HISTORIC DIS‐TRICT COMMIS‐SION HAS SCHEDULED A PUBLIC MEET‐ING FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER12, 2025, AT 4:00 PM IN THE CITY OF COVINGTON COUNCIL CHAM‐BER, LOCATED AT 222 EAST KIRKLAND STREET COV‐INGTON, LOUISIANA.

In accordance with Chapter Historic Preservation, Arti‐cle III, Certificate of Appropriateness, Section 54.63 – Pro‐cedure for issuance of Certificate ofAp‐propriateness:

CASE NO. 25-1013 CHDC - An ap‐ plication for a Cer‐tificate of Appropri‐ateness to construct an addition to the rear of the building and add a canopy over the existing courtyard Subject property is located at Lot 5 Square 23, intheDivisionofSt John, having the municipal address of 528 N. Columbia Street,Covington.Petitioner: Cather‐inePereiara

Owner: Reed In‐gram

Any person may speak or submit a written statement For more informa‐tion, or to review case material or to inquire about speak‐ing at the public hearing, please call the City of Coving‐ton Planning De‐partment at (985) 867-1214. Thanks for your interest in Covington’sfuture. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special as‐sistance, please con‐tact the ADA Coor‐dinator at (985-8921811) Covington City Hall describing the assistance that is necessary. If you have com‐ments, please e-mail them to eagee@ covla.com or mail them to the City of Covington Planning Department at P O. Box 778, Coving‐ton,LA70434.

Appeals: Any per‐son aggrieved by any decision, act or proceeding of the historic district commission shall have the right to ap‐ peal I writing to the Covington City Council for reversal or modification.

Any such appeal must be forwarded to the city clerk, in writing, within ten (10)fromthedateof the historic district commission’s deci‐sion and the council may consider such appeal at its next general meeting or

Covington

Council for reversal or modification. Any such appeal must be forwarded to the city clerk, in writing, within ten (10)fromthedateof the historic district commission’s deci‐sion and the council may consider such appeal at its next general meeting or special meeting, but in any event, not more than 45 days afterthehistoricdis‐trictcommissionde‐cision. The city council shall have the right to reverse, change or modify any decision of the historic commission only by a majority voteofcouncil. 163354OCT2229NOV5-3T $211.54

PUBLICNOTICE

The St Tammany Parish Planning and Zoning Commis‐sion will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, No‐vember 12, 2025 in the St Tammany Parish Administra‐tive Complex, 21490 Koop Drive, Mandeville, LA at 6:00 PM A public hearing will be con‐ducted at this meet‐ing to hear com‐ments for or against amendments to the Unified Develop‐ment Code with re‐spect to the follow‐ingchanges: 1 Amendments to the Code of Ordi‐nances, Part II: Uni‐fied Development Code

i Amend Chapter 200 – Procedures, Sec‐tion 200-3 3 Zoning Map Changes to clarify the amount of time the Planning and Zoning Com‐mission has to make a recommendation to the Parish Coun‐cil for a zoning map change request and to omit an incorrect andoutdatedsection on appeals for zon‐ing map changes which conflicts with other sections of the Unified Develop‐ment Code and cur‐rentpractice ii Amend Chapter 400 – Zoning, Section 400-2 Residential Zoning District Regulations, Ex‐hibit 400-2 Site & Structure Standards: Residential Districts to clarify the mini‐mum lot size re‐quired to utilize in‐dividual sewer sys‐tems to be consis‐tent with the Louisiana State Sanitary Code –Title51 iii Amend Chapter 100 –Administration in‐cluding Sec 100-5 Definitions to amend the defini‐tion of Automobile Body Shop and Chapter 400 – Zon‐ing including Sec‐tion400-3Commer‐cial Zoning District Regulations and Section 400-5 In‐dustrial Zoning Dis‐tricts to add Body Shop as a condi‐tional and permitted use and Sec 400-8 Use Standards to clarify minimum standards for a body shop iv Amend Chapter 600 – General Develop‐ment Standards Sec 600-4 2 to clar‐ify where a non-res‐idential sign is pro‐ hibited v Amend Chapter 600 – General Develop‐ment Standards, Sec 600-6 1 to cor‐rect standards for accessorystructures vi Amend Chapter 800 –SubdivisionRegu‐lations, Sec 800-3 3 to clarify the re‐viewing authority for the Planning and Zoning Commis‐sion at the ConceptSubdivision Plan re‐view phase of a majorsubdivision Maps depicting the areas proposed for land use change may be inspected at the St Tammany Parish Department of Development, 21454 Koop Drive, Suite 1B, Mandev‐ille, LA weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30PM /s/ RossLiner,Director Departmentof Planningand Development 161299OCT822NOV5-3T $172 98

meet‐ing to hear com‐ments for or against amendments to the Unified Develop‐ment Code with re‐spect to the follow‐ingchanges: Zoning Case No 2025-4407-ZC Petition to change the zoning district classification for a tract of land situated in S31 & 32, T9S, R14E, Ward 9, Dis‐trict 12, St. Tam‐many Parish, Louisiana, which is a Parcel located on the west side of PontchartrainDrive, west of North Shore Drive and Lakeview Drive, and which property comprises a total of 14 parcels more or less, from its present CBF-1 Community Based Facilities District to GC-2 General Com‐mercial District. The property peti‐ tioned for rezoning is more fully de‐scribedasfollows: All that certain por‐ tion of land being a part of Section 31 & 32, Township 9 South, Range 14 East, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana and being more fully described as delineated as fol‐lows to-wit: From milepost #172 of Southern Rail‐way System go north 34 degrees 37 minutes east along the center line of said railroad track a distance265feet; Thence go south 55 degrees 23 minutes east a distance of 200 feet to an Iron pipe set on the west‐erly right of way line U. S Highway 11, said pipe being the Point of Begin‐ning; Thence go along said right of way line south 34 de‐grees 37 minutes west a distance of 1295feet; Thence go north 55 degrees 23 minutes west a distance of 100feet; Thence go north 34 degrees 37 minutes east a distance of 1295feet; Thence go south 55 degrees 23 minutes east a distance of 100 feet to a point, said point being the PointofBeginning 160152OCT122NOV5-3T $130.11

PUBLICNOTICE

Town of Abita Springs Planning & ZoningPublicHear‐ing Notice is hereby given that the Plan‐ning & ZoningCommission of the Town of Abita Springs will hold a public hearing on Thursday October 30 2025 at 6:00 PM atAbita Springs Town Hall 22161 Level Street Abita Springs LA The purpose of the hear‐ings is to consider Final Subdivision approvalforthepro‐posed Abita Mead‐ows Subdivision on Hwy 36 in Abita Springs, Louisiana All residents, prop‐erty owners, and in‐terested parties are invited and encour‐aged to attend and provide comments For more informa‐tion, contact the Abita Springs Plan‐ning & Zoning De‐partment at (985) 892-0711 Option4 160601OCT15-2229-3T $51 69

PUBLICNOTICE

NoticeofPublic HearingforScenic RiverPermits

The Louisiana De‐partment of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) as Admin‐istrator of the Louisiana Natural and Scenic Rivers System is hosting a public hearing for three (3) applica‐ tions ofAll-State Fi‐nancial to discharge into Flower Bayou and Timber Branch upon new construc‐tion. The public hearing will be held on November 13 at 5:00pm at the St Tammany Council Chambers on 21490 Koop Drive, Man‐deville Copies of the applications can be reviewed at the LDWF main office, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge LAor by emailing awolfe@wlf.la.gov

The public is invited tocommentonthese permits until the date of the hearing and for a period of fifteen (15) days after the hearing. Responses should be mailed to LDWF Scenic Rivers Pro‐gram, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 708989000. 161621OCT15-2229-3T $606.91

PUBLICNOTICE Saia’s Market Cor‐porationd/b/aSaia’s Super Meat Market is applying to the Office of Alcohol & Tobacco Control of the State of Louisiana for a per‐ mit to sell beverages of high and low al‐cohol content at re‐tail in the Parish of St Tammany at the followingaddress: 2225 Florida St., Mandeville LA, 70448 Saia s Market Cor‐poration Saia s Super Meat Market Directors: Lindsay Antoine and LawrenceAntoine 163277OCT22-1T $127.83

PUBLICNOTICE

Slidell Station 2 LLCdbaSlidellSta‐tionisapplying to the Office Alco‐hol and Tobacco ControloftheState ofLAforapermitto sell beverages of highandlow contentatretailinSt Tammany Parish at thefollowingaddress: 2297 Gause Blvd W, Slidell,LA70460 Member: Abdulwa‐habFadhel 163055OCT22-292T $186.92

at Retail at the followingaddress: 2225 Florida St Mandeville LA 70448 located in 04R Ward Saia’s Market Corporation d/b/a Saia’s Super MeatMarket 163279OCT22-292T $157.72

//

1/03/1984 Height: 5' 9 Weight: 134 Hair Color: BROWN Eye Color: BROWN Scars/Tattoos: Mark: Tattoo: Neck - SPIDER RIGHT SIDE // Tattoo: R_arm - LORD KNOWS // Tattoo: R_forearm

I, Juan Kieran Faciane , have been convicted of POSSESSION OF MATERIAL INVOLVING THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN.

MyAddress is: 58424 RUE LEN VIR SLIDELL, LA 70460

Race: BLACK Sex: MALE Date of Birth: 2/11/1967 Height: 5' 11 Weight: 252 Hair Color: BLACK Eye Color: GREEN Scars/Tattoos: Mark: Scar: L_wrist - 2 in scar 160715 OCT 22-29 $250.00

Farmer Volleyball 5

Hannan, SSA remain hot as the playoff push begins

Joseph Halm

The regular season has just under two weeks left until the playoff pairings are released on Nov 3. Now is the time that schools need to not only stack up some wins, but also continue to improve so they will be playing their best volleyball when the calendar turns to November Below are my Farmer 5 volleyball rankings.

1 | Hannan (last ranking: 1) The Hawks (25-8) were on a 12-match winning streak before falling to Mount Carmel during the Country Day tournament on Oct. 18. Who did those wins come against? I’m glad you asked. During that 12-match stretch, they knocked off Country Day St. Thomas More, Vandebilt Catholic, Fontainebleau, Dominican and Dutchtown. That list tells exactly how good the Hawks are.

2 | St. Scholastica (last ranking: 3) The Doves (20-8) just keep stacking up big win after big win. The latest victories were a four-set victory at Pope John Paul II and a 3-set tournament win over Slidell. SSA is a really good and very battle-tested team, and they sit at No. 2 in the Division II power rankings.

3 | Slidell (last ranking: 2) The defending Division I state champions had won 10 in a row before losses to St. Scholastica and St. Michael at the Newman tournament Their other losses have come to Country Day, Dominican, Mount Carmel and two out-of-state teams. That tells you all you need to know about how tough the Tigers (277) are.

4 | Northlake Christian (last ranking: 4) The Wolverines (21-10) survived a five-set battle with Pope John Paul II to win the District 8-IV title. Their recent 4-set loss to John Curtis stings a bit, but if the playoffs were to start today, they would face the Patriots in the semifinals. The Wolverines are locked in and ready for the stretch run

5 | Fontainebleau (last ranking: 5) Losses to Country Day and St. Michael sting, but the Bulldogs will be better for those matches. The real emotional tests come at Northshore on Oct. 23 and at Slidell on Oct. 28. The district crown could be on the line again in that second match, so it looks like the Bulldogs (22-12) will be starting the playoffs a little bit early Next Up: Northshore, Pope John Paul II.

Contact Joseph Halm at jhalm@ sttammanyfarmer.net.

VOLLEYBALL

Team has it ‘TOGETHER’

BY MIKE PERVEL Contributing writer

St Scholastica junior Caitlin Cambre had a little extra motivation as the Doves took on District 6-II rival Lakeshore on Oct 14.

The Doves were on the road against their district foe as Cambre was celebrating her 17th birthday

Her SSA teammates gave Cambre the best present of all — a convincing 25-12, 25-13, 2517 road sweep.

“It was a very special way to celebrate my 17th birthday with my teammates after our big win. We end our timeouts by saying ‘Together,’ and that’s what this team is all about We just handle whatever comes up during a match,” said Cambre, who finished with seven kills, five digs and two aces.

“We concentrate on sticking to our high standard of play Everybody knows their role and plays with confidence. We all give it our best.”

SSA coach Lisa Cardinale said she liked her team’s consistent energy throughout

“I’m pleased where we are at this point in the season. We’re in a really good spot, moving forward, continuing to make good progress as a team. They showed up ready to play with everybody contributing and staying aggressive throughout the match,” Cardinale said.

The Doves (16-6, 2-0) delivered from the service stripe, finishing with 12 aces.

“We’re a good serving team, accepting the high-risk, high-reward approach. We made a few service errors, but overall they stayed aggressive, attacking the serve, which I want them to do,” Cardinale said.

In the first set, Doves’ sophomore Abbey Hartdegene rattled off eight straight points, including an ace for a 13-4 lead. SSA sophomore outside hitter Alex Liner, who finished with eight kills, netted five in the opening set as the Doves cruised to a 25-12 victory.

“Our setters do an outstanding job spreading the ball around,” Liner said. “Our hitters have to remain focused, looking for the connection. We want to play fast at the net, but always be in control. We have so many good hitters that we don’t have to put any extra pressure on ourselves to finish shots.”

Senior libero Sophia Schliem pulled up a match-high 12 digs, adding four assists with three aces.

“We’re always focused on serve/receive Coach (Cardinale) tells us to always serve aggressively, trying to keep our opponent out of rhythm We reacted well to the ball as a team throughout the match,” Schliem said.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice, putting in a lot of different offensive plays, and our setters do a great job of moving the ball around.”

It was a total team performance as Doves’ sophomore setter Marigny Vaughn made her

first varsity start and finished with a matchhigh 20 assists.

“Marigny (Vaughn) did an excellent job

her first time out. I liked her effort, and she showed an ability to run our offense. Both her and Mia (Casi) did a great job spreading the ball around, putting our hitters in good positions. There’s definitely lots of trust between our setters and hitters,” Cardinale said. SSA standout senior Mia Casi, a verbal commitment to Centre

SSA senior Mia Casi records an assist against Lakeshore.

SSA outside hitter Alex Liner records a kill against Lakeshore.

PHOTOS BY HERB GOMEZ

SSA senior libero Sophia Schliem stretches for a dig against Lakeshore on Oct. 14.