The St. Tammany Farmer 01-28-2026 by The Advocate

St.Tammany Library system has new director

Board offers job to Trevor Collings

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

The next director of the St. Tammany Parish Library system is coming from a few parishes to the west.

The St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control unanimously selected Trevor Collings on Jan. 21 to lead St. Tammany’s 12-branch library system, which employs more than 100 people and has an annual budget of more than $13 million.

Collings currently is director of the Audubon Regional library system in St. Helena and East Feliciana parishes, where he recently oversaw the conversion of a Presbyterian church into a library branch in Clinton.

The library board voted to offer Collings a salary of $120,000. Collings accepted and will begin Feb. 23.

Collings will replace former St. Tammany Library Director Kelly LaRocca, who left the position in September to take a job at the state library In a news release from the parish library system on Jan. 22, Collings said he was grateful for the board’s conﬁdence and excited to begin the job.

Collings was one of four ﬁnalists the library board interviewed on Jan 21.

Collings chose to have his interview with the board conducted in private, which was an option given to all four ﬁnalists, but in a statement to the public after the interview, he said, “I applied for this position because I’ve always respected this library system and the community it serves.”

Collings and another candidate, Washington Parish library director Sonnet Ireland, were both from Louisiana, while one candidate

BY SUZIE HUNT Contributing writer

Grocery operator buys two anchor sites at North Shore Square

Revitalizing mall site has vexed Slidell officials for years

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

For years, Slidell ofﬁcials have grappled with calls from constituents to revitalize the largely empty North Shore Square Mall. On Jan 23, news broke that a well-known St. Tammany Parish grocery operator, Acquistapace’s, has purchased two of the former anchor sites in the mall. Adam Acquistapace, a member of the family that owns and operates the company, declined to release details, but he said one of the stores would operate under Acquistapace’s banner

He declined to say how much the company paid for the mall spots, which formerly housed Conn’s Home Plus and JCPenney stores. The mall is owned by Morguard, a company based in Canada that manages billions of dollars in real estate across North America.

“We’ve been working on this project for about two years,” he said. “We were eyeing up the Northshore (Boulevard) corridor for a while.” Acquistapace was on stage with Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal, who broke the news during his State of Slidell speech before the East St. Tammany Business Association.

“Slidell is open for business,” Fandal said, later adding that the Acquistapace development might come online by year’s end. Later Acquistapace was reluctant to give a timeframe but said the company is working as quickly as it can.

Acquistapace’s currently operates a grocery store in downtown Covington, and smaller, specialty stores in Mandeville and Slidell. The stores are popular for their large selection of cheeses, wines and liquor, in addition to run-of-the-mill groceries.

Once a regional shopping hub and economic force in eastern St. Tammany, the mall has faced an exodus of stores over the past

PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN

PHOTO BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Audubon Regional Library System Director Trevor Collings was selected on Jan. 21 to be the next director of St Tammany Parish libraries.

Sharp, King Dionysus XLI and Victoria Sharp, Queen Titan XV, stand in front of the large banner made

PHOTO BY SUZIE HUNT

Mandeville OKs deal that should lower cost of legal services

BY KIM CHATELAIN

Contributing writer

The Mandeville City Council has signed off on a new professional services agreement with its team of city attorneys that will purportedly reduce legal fees.

The council unanimously approved a resolution on Jan. 22 to execute a lawyer-client agreement with the law ﬁrm of Smith Sconzert LLC.

The agreement means the city will continue to employ the services of its city attorney, Elizabeth Sconzert, and assistant city attorneys David Parnell and

Stephanie Hough. Under a 2022 agreement that was amended in 2024, the city employed the lawyers through a contract with the Blue Williams law firm, for whom Sconzert, Parnell and Hough worked at the time.

The city’s three-member legal team are now part of a new ﬁrm — Smith Sconzert LLC. Because of that, the city had to draft and approve a new contract for public legal services with the new Mandeville-based ﬁrm.

Under the Mandeville home rule

charter the city attorney serves as chief legal adviser to the mayor, council, all city departments, ofﬁces and agencies.

The attorneys work under a contract with the city government that pays them an hourly rate for services. A 2024 policy change by the state Attorney General’s Office set the maximum hourly rate for experienced attorneys under contract with public entities at a maximum of $350 per hour, which is the amount the city has been paying under the previous contract

for legal services. The new contract approved by the council will pay up to $300 an hour for the services.

Sconzert described the decision to start the new firm as “a big leap” that should beneﬁt the local government

“This leap will allow David, Stephanie and I a lot more ﬂexibility with the services and cost savings that we can provide to our clients, including the city,” said Sconzert, who has served as city attorney in Mandeville since 2020.

City Councilman Kevin Vogeltanz, a lawyer by trade, said Sconzert has “done very strong

work for us” and highlighted the cost savings the new contract would usher in.

“Over the life of a year, this could result in tens of thousands of dollars in savings to the people,” Vogeltanz said. “That’s a big deal.”

In other action, the council appointed landscape architect Buck Abbey to the city’s Parks and Parkways Commission.

City Councilman Scott Discon, former chairman of the commission, said Abbey possesses a “wealth of knowledge” that will greatly beneﬁt the city’s efforts to preserve its tree canopy

Lacombe community gathers to honor civil rights icon

Tylynn Batiste, Brenda Ann Palmer

Coradena Batiste, Sarah Campbell

Yvonne and Thadius Baham

Sconzert

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY IN SLIDELL

PHOTOS BY GRANT THERKILDSEN

Participants in the Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade greet onlookers in Olde Towne Slidell on Jan. 19.

Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade winds through Olde Towne Slidell.

A martial arts group performs during the Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade.

KREWES

Continued from page 1A

come up with a moniker for this exceptional experience, “The Convergence of the Crowns,” and are using that theme throughout their special year

“It’s such a special thing to share. We’ve had the chance to be creative. We’ve designed a logo using both our crowns, and we have incorporated it into many of our throws It’s a lot to do, but it doesn’t really feel like work. It’s been fun,” said Victoria Planning for their year as royalty started soon after Clinton’s selection and ramped up further when Victoria’s name was announced. In their home, there are sample throws displayed on a table and their royal vestments are hanging up in the dining room. The house is decked out in Mardi Gras colors from the garland on the mantel to the standing nutcrackers in purple, green and gold doing double duty for two holidays.

“All of this has taken up almost every moment. We even had a Mardi Gras Christmas this year,” said Victoria.

Included in their bevy of throws are large metal coins featuring both their names, as well as T-shirts, featuring the “Convergence” logo. Its design depicts both crowns and a ﬂeur-de-lis. There will also be custom golden rubber ducks. Clinton’s ducks have orange beaks and his krewe logo while Victoria’s have pink beaks and her logo.

“Rubber ducks are popular right now, and we hope people will try and catch one of each,” she said.

A highlight of their special year was a party the Sharps hosted on Jan. 24 for members of both krewes, family and friends. Held at the Slidell Auditorium with the theme, “Where Visionaries Dream and Vagabonds Dance to the Magic, Myths and Miracles of Mardi Gras,” it featured live music from The Topcats and New Orleans-themed food. With most of the planning and designing complete for the parade, they were able to enjoy an evening of merriment.

“It was a combined bash for members of both krewes so they could get to know each other and relax and have fun together,” said Victoria.

A member of Dionysus for 26 years, Clinton was asked to join soon after he moved to Slidell. Growing up in Amite, he said his family rarely went to Mardi Gras.

“I was new to town and

LIBRARY

Continued from page 1A

drove in from Texas, and another from Tennessee.

The selection of Collings capped a long day for the library board. The interviews began shortly after 8:30 a.m. and the board reconvened after the last of its interviews at 6:35 p.m. to discuss and make a decision.

By that time, there were fewer than 10 people remaining in the meeting room of the library’s Madisonville branch, including

some regular attendees who have at times criticized the selection process. The library board has seen significant turnover since 2022, when the parish’s library system became embroiled in controversy over minors’ access to books with LGBTQ+ topics, following a national trend In the past, Collings has worked as a branch manager in Denham Springs in Livingston Parish and directed children’s collection development at the East Baton Rouge Parish library’s main branch, according to his résumé.

“He’s got a broad breadth of experience,” said library board chair Chuck Branton, who also noted that Collings has both a master’s degree in library science and a master’s in English. The board had opened the position up to people without master’s degrees in library science. Parish Councilman Larry Rolling, who sat in on the decision last week on behalf of Parish President Mike Cooper, said Collings was “primed to lead,” while board member Dinah Thanars praised him for indicating he wanted to work as a team.

thrilled to be asked. I have enjoyed being part of this group,” he said. Clinton is most looking forward to the parade because he and his wife will be able to share the experience.

“We will be able to ride on each other’s ﬂoats as part of the court. That will be a nice change. During my parade, I will have the opportunity to sit up high and really observe the crowd. Since the members of my royal court will be tossing my throws for me, I can spend my time relaxing and waving and enjoying the view,” said Clinton When it is his turn to ride on Victoria’s ﬂoat, it will be different from his usual “modus operandi” during her parades.

“I can catch her float first along Pontchartrain Drive. Then I hop into my car and go the back way to my office at Slidell Memorial (Hospital) and get some work done until I hear the parade coming down Gause. I can come outside and see her pass by Then I jump in my car again and I am waiting for her in the Rouses parking lot at the end of the parade,” he said.

“The best part is when he hands me up a Bloody Mary It’s important to stay hydrated,” Victoria said, sharing a grin with her husband.

Victoria has enjoyed the excitement of Mardi Gras since attending her first parade when she was eight years old. Her mother, Mary Ann Becker, served as queen of the Krewe of Nereids in Waveland, Mississippi As a young girl, she would participate in the

skits performed at the ball by the members’ children.

“My family has been knee deep in Mardi Gras as long as I can remember I had five brothers and when they were little, my mother would bring a playpen to the parade route to help keep track of them ” she said.

Although the Titans’ ball was an experience beyond her expectations, Victoria has enjoyed putting her mark on the pieces and parts of being Mardi Gras royalty

“For me, it’s all about the sparkle. I love my gown and the matching train. The 14 yards of fabric came from India and its pattern is made from hand-appliqued crystals. Since Titans is a night parade, I’m told there will be small spotlights on our float. Between my crown and the dress, there will be lots of sparkle!” she said with a laugh.

Although they are king and queen of their respective krewes, that is not their only ties to Mardi Gras. They are also members of the Krewes of Bilge and Poseidon in Slidell, and the Krewe of Endymion in New Orleans.

Several local krewes select married couples to serve as king and queen together According to Slidell Mardi Gras historian Bonnie Vanney, this is only the second time a couple has served as royals for two separate krewes in the same year The other occurrence was in 2000 when Diana Boesch was Queen of the

and her husband Ed Boesch served as King of Bilge.

Continued from page 1A

decade and a half. It currently has only two open stores: the popular Dillard’s clearance center and At Home, a chain that ﬁled for

bankruptcy last year

City officials had tried to find ways to revitalize the mall site, hearing from constituents who wanted something done with the largely empty, 621,000-square-foot space in a high-profile location off Interstate 12 at Northshore Boulevard. The Northshore Square Economic Development District last year partnered with the St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation on a study to try and determine the best way to redevelop the mall.

Fandal said the top two best uses, according to the study, are an event space or a dis-

tribution facility Toward the end of last summer it appeared that the city was actually moving toward a purchase of the mall, with the City Council adopting a new sales tax for some of the area surrounding the mall on Northshore Boulevard to provide revenue to cover the purchase and also authorizing the mayor at that time, Bill Borchert, to sign a letter of intent exploring a mall purchase by the city Borchert said then that Morguard initially sought more than $50 million for the roughly 50-acre site but the sides had come down to around $13 million. But Borchert and the city reversed course last September when news came out that Morguard had already agreed to sell two of the vacant anchor stores to another company, which at the time city ofﬁcials would only describe as a St. Tammany Parish company seeking to expand its footprint.

Krewe

Selene

PHOTOS BY SUZIE HUNT

King Dionysus XLI Clinton Sharp’s official wardrobe mimics Roman armor and weighs almost as much as the real thing

Queen Titans XV Victoria Sharp stands amidst her royal raiments. Her crown is depicted in crystals on her custommade train.

STAFF PHOTO BY BOB WARREN

A popular northshore grocer has purchased the old Conn’s and JC Penney sites at the North Shore Square Mall in Slidell.

FROM THE FILES OF THE FARMER

25 years ago

A controversial dirt pit that three years ago vexed residents off La. 21 on Higgins Road and the surrounding area will be reviewed again at the St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission’s Feb. 6 meeting

Glynn Huhn is seeking a conditional use permit for a 22-acre site next to a 15-acre pit approved at the commission’s Aug. 5, 1997 meeting. The pit is located at the end of Higgins Road and near Grande Hills subdivision.

Huhn wants to use the new pit in the same manner as the 15acre site. He wants to dig the pit and use it as a dumping site for DEQ-exempt materials from construction and other sites. Huhn has the excavated dirt hauled to construction sites for ﬁll material. Residents of the area protested Huhn’s operations, saying in 1997 that he violated conditions of his parish-issued permit. Huhn denied the allegations. The residents say he operated trucks during early morning and late evening hours, which disturbed their peace and quiet.

50 years ago

A modern marina with space for 1,000 boats has been planned for Eden Isles subdivision near Slidell, with construction to begin this month.

Boat slips, dry storage, and complete repair facilities will be featured by the marina, to be located near the I-10 twin bridges over Lake Pontchartrain Included in the project will be a marine hardware and supply store, fueling facilities, bait, ice and snack bars, and boat showrooms.

75 years ago

Reservations for the various group camps located in the state parks are now being accepted by the State Parks Commission office, 200 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge

All camping organizations planning to use these facilities for their summer camps are urged to enter their requests for reservations immediately The camp at Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville provides accommodations for 64 campers, eight counselors and other staff members

Swimming is provided in a small

lake in the immediate camp area, which is not to be confused with the public swimming beach at the park.

Camping organizations will be interested to learn that a second group camp is being developed at Fontainebleau. It is a two-story building with sleeping accommodations for 26 in two rooms on the top floor, and a kitchen and dining room on the first floor It will be especially attractive to smaller camping groups. This camp is located on Lake Pontchartrain, at the western boundary of the park.

100 years ago

The strength of unity has been so thoroughly proven and accepted that it seems superﬂuous to call attention to it now, but it may not be so generally called to mind that no development may be made in any part of St. Tammany Parish, or in proximity to St. Tammany Parish, that will not in some way affect developments in other parts of the parish.

Every man who in any way assists in the development of any part of the parish, or who gives publicly to any advantages we may have, is adding something to the success of his own plans and is helping to clear the road that may lead to his own door

The organization of the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce should have the full support of every citizen of St. Tammany Parish at the meeting to be held at the St. Tammany Hotel on Sunday evening, Feb. 1. The attendance should be so large as to leave no doubt of the sincerity of our people and their conﬁdence in the opportunity for development here.

If any doubt that the opportunity is here, we ask them to call on the Clerk of Court in the courthouse at Covington and see the ever-increasing piles of transfers that are keeping the clerks busy 125 years ago

It is the impression, in some quarters, that our parish and the various towns are not properly reported in the last census

How would it do for the parish and town authorities to have a new census taken, at their own expense? The result might justify the extra outlay

Residents asked to complete 5-minute tourism survey

BY KADEE KRIEGER Contributing writer

Visit The Northshore is encouraging St. Tammany residents to share their wish list of growth and development plans that would both attract visitors and enhance residents’ quality of life, said President and CEO Donna O’Daniels.

The organization, which is St. Tammany’s official destination marketing organization responsible for promoting the parish to visitors, has ofﬁcially embarked on the development of a comprehensive 10-Year Destination Master Plan, a long-range initiative designed to establish a shared vision for the future of St. Tammany Parish and create a clear road map for sustainable growth.

The planning process is focused on strengthening the visitor economy while protecting what matters most to residents: quality of life, community character and its long-term health.

She said resident input through a sentiment survey is a critical component of the data that will directly inﬂuence the direction and priorities of the plan.

Residents are encouraged to participate in survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/StTammanyParishResidentSentimentSurvey

“This survey provides a fabulous opportunity for residents to give their wish list of what

kind of growth they’d be excited about,” O’Daniels said. “Whatever kinds of tourism development and growth projects happen also should be something that greatly impacts the quality of life for all residents.”

recommendations, which is set be published mid-summer The process also included town hall meetings held in Covington, Madisonville and Slidell; 24 personal interviews with government ofﬁcials; and 14 focus groups.

O’Daniels said that the survey, facilitated by consultants from MMGY NextFactor, asks residents for their views on what type of development they would like to see in their communities that would attract visitors but also enhance their own lives.

She listed some options as more ways to enjoy the waterfront along the lake in Slidell, more hotel venues throughout the parish or hotel properties with unique amenities or sports and recreation developments. “These are all things people can say they want to see,” she said.

She said the minimum goal is to garner 500 to 600 resident surveys, but that Visit the Northshore won’t know how many have been submitted until the survey closes Feb. 16.

“A parish of our size should have no problem getting that many responses,” she said.

The survey is part of several ways that MMGY will gather data to create the master plan

The town hall meetings received more than 100 RSVPs O’Daniels said. While fewer people attended in person, O’Daniels said she is encouraged that residents will welcome the opportunity to complete the ﬁve-minute survey as a digital option.

“Tourism works best when it works for the people who live here,” O’Daniels said. “This plan is about listening, aligning, and planning intentionally for the next decade.”

Additional resident engagement will continue through interviews, focus groups and surveys. In late February, consultants will meet with the Visit the Northshore’s Steering Committee in a half-day session to present key ﬁndings and craft a vision for the 10-year plan, including strategic themes and possible initiatives.

Once in draft form, the committee will review and validate the plan before submitting it to the St. Tammany Parish Tourist & Convention Commission for ratification. Over the summer, the team will develop a threeyear implementation plan with success metrics and host stakeholder workshops.

Abita Springs looks at waste water ﬁx, golf cart regs

BY KIM CHATELAIN

Contributing writer

The Abita Springs Board of Aldermen has adopted a resolution declaring its intention to issue up to $3.75 million in bonds for improvements to the municipality’s beleaguered waste water system

The board’s 5-0 vote on the resolution Jan. 20 sets the stage for a Feb. 24 public hearing on the bond issue. It also allows the town to apply to the State Bond Commission for permission to proceed with the bond sale. Proceeds will be used for “ﬁnancing the cost for constructing and acquiring improvements, extensions, and replacements to the sewer component of the system” and for other associated costs, the resolution speciﬁed.

The board vote followed a presentation from Hardy Andrews, an attorney with the town bond counsel Foley & Judell LLP Andrews explained that the resolution amounts to “kicking the process off” for the bond issue. It also sets parameters for

the issuance. The bond sale is not to exceed $3.75 million. The bonds are set to mature at an undisclosed time not to exceed 22 years from the date issuance, and they are to bear interest at rates not to exceed 0.95% per annum, according to the resolution.

Abita Springs has struggled with sewerage system issues for years, to the point where the town and Mayor Dan Curtis were dragged into court. A bitter debate over whether the town wastewater treatment system can handle additional residential development was at the center of a legal battle over a 168-acre subdivision, which the local government eventually lost.

In other matters, the board renewed discussion on establishing regulations for the use of golf carts on town streets.

The board in 2024 unveiled an ordinance to regulate golf cart use, but the issue was tabled amid safety concerns among members who questioned the town’s authority to allow carts to cross

state highways in Abita Springs.

A state law prohibits the operation of golf carts on public roads and streets unless the local governing authority establishes laws to allow and regulate them.

Sandra Slifer, who heads the town’s Keep Abita Beautiful volunteer organization, noted that other municipalities in St. Tammany Parish have already established regulations for golf carts.

As it stands, those who now drive golf carts on streets in Abita Springs are technically in violation of state law, which is currently not being enforced by the town.

Board members indicated they would review golf cart ordinances from other local governments in the area before possibly coming up with their own version.

“Let’s do this and get in line with other communities in St. Tammany Parish,” Slifer said.

Help Hope House select ‘champions’ for children

Staff report

Children’s Advocacy Center –Hope House will again this year honor seven “champions” for making an impact in the lives of children and families on the northshore.

Hope House is accepting public nominations for any individuals who work to improve the quality of life and/or safety of children in St. Tammany or Washington Par-

ish. While this individual does not necessarily need to be a resident of the Northshore, their impact must be speciﬁc to this community

One of the seven award winners will be a “Youth Champion,” a student in grades K-12 who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to bettering the lives of other children on the northshore through advocacy, volunteer efforts, fundraising, etc

The seven Champions for Children award winners will be honored at an awards breakfast at The Greystone in Mandeville on April 22.

Champion nominations are due by Feb. 28. Questions should be addressed to event coordinator Sarah Federer at sarahcfederer@ gmail.com. Make nominations or get $35 tickets to the breakfast at cachopehouse.org.

FILE PHOTO BY CATHERINE S COMEAUX /THEADVOCATE.COM

Fontainebleau State Park at Lake Pontchartrain

O’Daniels

Slifer

Jacob Paretti named Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year

Staff report

NEWS ROUNDUP

of a team.”

Sheriff Randy Smith has named Deputy First Class Jacob Paretti as the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office 2025 Deputy of the Year, recognizing his exceptional dedication, proactive policing efforts, and strong commitment to teamwork.

Paretti was selected for the honor based on his work ethic, initiative, and willingness to continually learn and collaborate with fellow deputies He joined the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce ﬁve years ago, beginning his career in the Corrections Division. He has served in

Criminal Patrol for the past three years, where he has distinguished himself through consistent performance, professionalism, and continued growth.

“Deputy Paretti exempliﬁes the qualities we expect from the men and women of this agency,” Smith said. “His proactive approach to addressing crime, combined with his teamwork and humility makes him an outstanding deputy and a deserving recipient of this honor.”

Capt. Trinity Graves, commander of the 2nd District, praised Paretti’s development and teamﬁrst mindset, saying Paretti “has grown tremendously as a patrol deputy and clearly understands what it means to function as part

Deputy Paretti made 76 arrests in 2025, the majority related to narcotics enforcement. Twenty of those arrests were felony charges, many of which were forwarded to the STPSO Narcotics Division for further investigation. Those collaborative efforts resulted in additional arrests and the removal of dangerous substances from local communities.

Also in 2025, Paretti was responsible for the seizure of more than $2,700 in suspected drug proceeds, 21 illegal ﬁrearms (three of which were reported stolen), more than 1,400 grams of illegal narcotics (including methamphetamine and heroin), more than 500 illegal pills and 66 items of illegal drug paraphernalia.

Paretti said he enjoys working

St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce gives annual awards

Staff report

The St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce recently honored outstanding business and community leaders during its annual installation and awards luncheon, giving leadership awards to the Southern Hotel, to civic worker Carolyn Baringer and a number of chamber ofﬁcals.

The 2025 Tammany Award, accept by hotel owner Lisa Condrey Ward, recognized the hotel as a business that has demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and commitment to the parish. Southern Hotel has been a part of Covington’s story for more than a century, weathering closures, storm damage and even serving as parish ofﬁces. In 2011, preservationminded owners saw not what the building was, but what it could be, a chamber statement said. And three years later it reopened exactly 107 years after its original debut — revitalizing downtown Covington and setting a new standard for boutique hospitality on the Northshore.

“Since reopening, Southern Hotel has become a major driver of tourism and economic activity, supporting local restaurants, artists and shops, and positioning Covington as a destination where visitors want to stay longer,” the chamber wrote in choosing the hotel for its prestigious annual award. “Southern Hotel’s success reﬂects a long-term commitment not only to quality and preservation, but also to the prosperity of the local economy.”

The Community Leadership Award given to Baringer honors an individual the chamber believes has made extraordinary contributions to improving the quality of life in St. Tammany Parish through service, mentorship and civic engagement Her involvement in multiple nonprofits include board memberships with the Boys & Girls Club of Slidell, Steel Mimosas and the Slidell Women’s Civic Club, as well as mentoring through Lead-

PROVIDED PHOTOS BY OSCAR RAJO

The St Tammany Chamber of Commerce recently gave its 2025 membership awards that included, from left, Chairman’s Award Recipient Alan Thriffiley; Committee of the Year to the Events Committee led by Chairman Louis Ochoa; Ambassador of the Year Nina Magyar; Member of the Year Matthew Guidry; and Board Member of the Year to David Landry

ership Northshore.

“One of her most meaningful contributions happens quietly — behind the camera,” the chamber comments went on “Alongside her husband, Baringer captures thousands of moments at community events and provides the images free to nonprofits, ensuring people feel seen, valued and remembered. From Christmas photos for families to senior portraits for homeless students, her photography brings joy and dignity to countless residents.”

The chamber also recognized outstanding individuals who volunteer on its board and committees to carry out the organization’s mission and programs They included: n Board Member of the Year David Landry for exemplary leadership and governance of the chamber for almost 10 years, offering expert legal guidance that has strengthened the chamber’s governance and protected its long-term interests, the chamber wrote. Beyond the boardroom, he is an “enthusiastic ambassador for the chamber ” welcoming new members, promoting initiatives and building connections across the business community n Ambassador of the Year Nina Magyar was lauded as “a friendly face” at chamber events who always welcomed and supported members. She has been recognized as “Ambassador of the Month” mul-

tiple times and consistently goes above and beyond to repeatedly serve the organization.

n The Chamber Events Committee was honored for demonstrating exceptional dedication, teamwork and impact over the past year, playing a central role in bringing multiple signature events to life, including the Swinging for Scholarships Golf Tournament, Southern Nights Soirée and the Explore Northshore Business Expo.

n Member of the Year Matthew Guidry was recognized for his individual commitment, leadership and service on the chamber and in the business community, someone who volunteers his time, stepping into leadership roles and fostering collaboration among members and embodying the spirit of chamber membership.

n Chairman’s Award winner Alan Thriffiley was praised for his exceptional commitment to transparency and public trust through his leadership on the chamber board and with the St. Tammany ChamberPAC. “As parish government worked to identify sustainable funding solutions for the criminal justice system, Thriffiley devoted countless hours to researching parish budgets, analyzing complex ﬁnancial data, and translating it into clear, accessible information for the public,” the chamber wrote of his role.

Salmen High assistant principal killed in New Orleans shooting

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

Grief counselors and mental health professionals were available for students and faculty at Salmen High School on Jan. 21 as word spread on the Slidell campus that one of the school’s assistant principals had been the victim of a fatal shooting in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. New Orleans Police Department said ofﬁcers responded to a call of a “man down” in the 1500 block of Governor Nicholls Street just after 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 20. They found the victim on the ground there suffering from a gunshot wound. The St Tammany Parish school district said Alvin Garabold, the victim in the shooting, had worked at the high school since August 2023. One of four assistant principals at Salmen, Garabold was also the school’s disciplinarian.

with students and colleagues and made a meaningful difference in the lives of those he served,” St. Tammany schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia said in a statement.

Garabold

“Alvin Garabold was a committed educator who devoted his career to serving students and families. He worked to encourage others through his daily interactions

“Alvin was a valued member of the Salmen community and will be deeply missed.”

School district spokesperson Meredith Mendez said Garabold joined the Salmen faculty after working at Bonnabel High School in Jefferson Parish. Efforts to contact family members were not immediately successful.

As of the afternoon of Jan. 21, New Orleans police had not released additional details about the shooting.

Brant Osborn, who heads the St. Tammany Federation of Teacher and School Employees, said Garabold’s death was being felt acutely at Salmen and across the school district.

“The folks that knew him are just shocked,” Osborn said. “It’s so hard to see someone in their community just taken away.”

Willie Swett and Marco Cartolano contributed reporting to this story

narcotics cases and “getting guns out of the hands of bad people,” adding that he also appreciates “a good search warrant.”

While his enforcement statistics are noteworthy supervisors say what truly sets Paretti apart is his dedication to teamwork and his willingness to support fellow deputies.

“(He) contributes significant effort to investigations and helps without hesitation,” Graves said.

“His tenacity and refusal to give up until all avenues have been exhausted has led to the apprehension of violent felons and has made this parish a safer place.”

Smith agreed, emphasizing Paretti’s character as much as his results.

Paretti previously was named Deputy of the Quarter for the 2nd District during the second quarter of 2025.

Rather than viewing the honor as a personal achievement, Deputy Paretti credits the mentors, partners, and leadership who have helped shape his career

“Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I’m going to work any less,” he said. “I have great supervisors, and I’m on a great team. It’s a team effort.”

Paretti is a 2020 graduate of Hammond High School. He is a third-generation law enforcement ofﬁcer and the father of a 2-yearold son.

“(His) success is not driven by ego or recognition,” the sheriff said. “He genuinely wants to learn, help others, and do the job the right way That attitude strengthens our entire agency.”

Kids can enter the National Civics Bee

BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer

Do you know how long a U.S. Senator’s term is? What about the process of an executive order? Or whether an impeachment can be appealed?

The deadline for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to enter the National Civics Bee is Feb 3. Students have to submit a short essay on how they would go through the civic process to improve their community to enter. Submit the essays to sttammanychamber.org/civicsbee/.

St. Tammany Parish will host a regional competition, tentatively scheduled for April 7, with top prizes of $500, $250 and $125 for first through third place, respectively Winners of regionals advance to the state competition. And ﬁnally, each state will send one winner to the National Civics Bee championship in the fall on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., where the winner will take home

$100,000 for a 529 plan to help pay educational expenses.

The National Civics Bee was started by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation three years ago as a nonpartisan event designed to teach kids the importance of government and democracy

“Unfortunately, we are ﬁnding that many kids are not aware of how our government was formed and how democracy works,” said St. Tammany Parish Chamber of Commerce

Vice President Michelle Biggs. “We want to make sure that we have students who are educated in how this works, because we ﬁnd that informed and engaged citizens contribute to a strong community and a strong workforce and a stronger economy We think it makes that big a difference.”

The top winner from each state will also receive a $5,000 prize for their school. As part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday, the National Civics Bee is being expanded

to include winners from all 50 states.

“We have also seen how voter turnout here, and that has become a big priority for our chamber,” Biggs said. “We think the more kids learn about their government, the more of an interest they will have and see how important it is to cast votes.”

The Civics Bee follows roughly the same model as the National Spelling Bee, with students asked questions about government process and responsibilities. Last year, the last tie-breaking question was “In what address did George Washington warn against the formation of permanent alliances?” The answer is his farewell address. Aarit Koul, a student from Jackson Township, Ohio, was the overall winner “We just want to encourage our students to sign up because we know we have so many smart students from St. Tammany Parish, and we want to showcase them up on that stage,” Biggs said.

Take advantage of 0% APR on balance transfersfor 12 months when youopenanew Pelican Points, PelicanPrime or Pelican Premier

Paretti

BY DARREN COOPER

Ten-year-old George Schafer is ready to rock.

The Covington native wasn’t born with a guitar in his hand — it only seems that way and the talented young musician with the ﬁnger calluses to prove it has been selected to perform during Rockin’1000 at the Superdome on Jan. 31.

“I want to be a touring musician,” said Schafer “I want to have kids, and I want to be a rock star I want to go as far as I can go.”

Although born in 2015 into a family of musicians — his oldest brother is a trumpet player, his other brother sings George’s mother, Christina, said George wasn’t pushed into playing an instrument; he just took to it naturally

“He just toddled up to the guitar and was always fooling around,” laughed Christina. “Then he got into the Guitar Hero video game, and that’s not a real instrument but it does teach you about rhythm. Then he started to actually play with acoustic guitars. We started noticing his ﬁngering was pretty good.”

Now George owns six guitars, with a Les Paul as his personal favorite. He named it Blood Bath. He’s also played some drums

“I was always a big fan of Ace Frehley and KISS, and I saw them when I was 6, and that inspired me,” said George The family dog is named Ace. The two cats are Pete and Bess.

A typical day for George is being homeschooled in the morning for a few hours. He walks Ace, has lunch, and then more school work, before practicing or playing Call of Duty on his PlayStation George has played multiple live gigs,

MUSIC

ROOTS: Singer-songwriterguitarist Jamie Lynn Vessels will perform Feb. 10 in the Lobby Lounge listening room inside the Harbor Center near Slidell. Vessels, who moved to the area after graduate school, was drawn by the melting pot heart of New Orleans and its diversity of great music. Vessels now creates what she calls “original New Orleans roots rock for the wanderers, the dreamers (and) the ﬁghters.” Her music is said to consistently create community from a room full of strangers, and she’ll be able to get up close and personal with her audience in this intimate, bohemianstyled listening space at 100 Harbor Center Drive. Doors open 6:30 p.m.; show at 7 p.m. GA tickets from $27.50; reserved two- and four-tops also available, all at Eventbrite.com.

GO WITH THE FLOW: Extravagant New Orleans party band Flow Tribe, performing multiple genres of music as the spirit moves them, will perform one main 7 p.m. show at North Star Theatre in Mandeville on Jan. 31. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. Known for their physical stage show as much as their music. All seats are reserved at northstartheatre.org, where VIP seats are $102, including tax and fees, and general reserve seats are about $42, also inclusive. VIP ticketholders get free hors d’oeuvres and drinks at the Backstage Bar.

PERFORM: Open Mic Night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 29 in The Reminding Coffee & Creative House, 141 Terrabella Blvd., near 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. A Northshore Traditional Music Society event.

JAZZ FOR ALL: A Traditional Jam Jazz with clarinetist and teacher Ben Redwine from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 (every ﬁrst Saturday) at St. John’s Coffee, 535 E. Boston St. Two hours open to all listeners and players, usually a mix of students, amateurs and professional players. Conﬁrm session at nstms.org; sheet music available at redwinejazz.com/education.

BEGINNER’S SLOW BLUEGRASS: Slow jam from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Abita

Springs Pavilion, 22044 Main St. Please bring a chair. Great for beginners who need to play slower or others who want to practice at slower tempo. See nstms.org for link to lineup or other details.

GUITAR HEROES: The “Across The Pond International Guitar Festival” takes place in four regional cities on successive days and nights, including the Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington at 3 p.m. on Feb. 1. Featured artists are Gavino Loche, Italy; Adrian Raso, Canada; Jimmy Robinson and Phil DeGruy, of New Orleans. The event coincides this year with the release of the CD “The International Guitar Trio” with 12 pieces composed, performed and recorded by Loche, Raso and Robinson. For more information, call (504) 813-2920.

JAZZY HARP: First Baptist Church of Covington invites mature residents to the Young at Heart Adults-55+ program to hear Patrice Fisher and Arpa, a jazz harpist and ensemble, in the Central Hall at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 10. The cost is $15, including lunch, but registration is required at FBCCOV.org/ adults-55 by noon Thursday,

Feb. 5.

THEATER

THRILLER: Playmakers Theater in Covington will present “Dial M for Murder” weekends from Feb. 28 to March 15, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. This psychological thriller unravels an elegant mystery about an ex-tennis star who plots to kill his wealthy wife. Frederick Knott’s mid-century melodrama had a highly successful run on Broadway and later gained popularity as a major motion picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Leads are played by Jaclyn Krottner, Daniel Laurent, Robert Fielding and Martin Booda; directed by Derek Thrush. Get tickets at bontempstix.com/. INFAMOUS: The Slidell Little Theatre is presenting the musical thriller “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” for a ﬁnal weekend, Feb. 6-8, with evening and matinee performances. The musical tells the tale of Todd, an unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th-century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed

including the Wooden Boat parade in Madisonville and the Krewe of Eve parade last year (he’d play again at a parade if asked). He called his group the Lead Pencilz, but ﬁnding other preteens to form a real band and keep up with George isn’t easy

“I have a family band called the Skars,” said George. “We do some covers or rock and metal songs. My dad plays bass, my mom plays drums and my other brother sings sometimes.”

George has taken lessons, but he’s mostly self-taught. When he practices, it’s usually something strong, like Slipknot, Megadeth or Metallica.

He’s written one song, “Limbless” about Halloween (extreme), and continues to reﬁne his technique. He has dreams of starting his own band when he gets older

Rockin’1000 calls itself the biggest rock ‘n’ roll band on Earth. It started as a viral video in 2015 with a fan trying to convince the Foo Fighters to play in his small Italian village. The concept is to bring together 1,000 talented musicians on one giant stage and play They discovered George on social media and he turned in an audition tape. He will be one the youngest if not the youngest — musician on the stage.

George said among the songs that will be played are “Live and Let Die,” “Proud Mary” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” For George, that’s right up his alley

“He’s a serious rock and roller,” Christina said “He likes it heavy.”

When not talking about the “Stranger Things” series ﬁnale or discussing the world’s greatest guitarist (George gives a vote to Nuno Bettencourt), George is thinking about his next show, his next chance to rock ’n’ roll.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jamie Lynn Vessels

Contributing writer

PROVIDED PHOTO

George Schafer might only be 10, but

Tim Lantrip, Jan Lantrip

Kaylyn McCarthy, Lindsey Taconi

Katie Rose McConnell, Zondra Jones, Fadra White

Amy Tucker, Larry Rolling, JoAnn Rucker

Danny Burke, Rachel Fanning Jodie Burke

Abbie Gremillion, Tyler Gremillion

Snapp, Jennifer Jones, Marisa Frishhertz

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

Four new Poseidon floats are member’s labor of love

BY JESSICA SAGGIO

Contributing writer

For months, Krewe of Poseidon volunteer Bruce Harvey has quite literally hammered out details of the group’s newest ﬂoats.

The handyman with a grand plan has been hard at work completely rejuvenating four dilapidated floats the krewe acquired to restore. Harvey has labored nights and weekends peeling apart rotten wood, stripping the floats down to their chassis and rebuilding them from the bottom up. He thoughtfully cut, measured and connected new frames, making sure to treat the wood and protect it for years to come. Then, he added restrooms, steps, lighting, racks, stands and umbrellas for riders, and meticulously shaped the floats so they could be further designed to fit the krewe’s well known underthe-sea theme.

He ﬁnished the week of Thanksgiving and presented the completely redone ﬂoats, ready to be adorned with giant seashells and painted scenes by the krewe’s artists.

Now, they are ofﬁcially ready to roll.

The floats, designed specifically for the krewe’s maids, will make their debut Jan. 31 as the Krewe of Poseidon takes over the streets of Slidell. The parade will begin at 6 p.m., traveling down Pontchartrain Drive to Front Street and then turning onto Gause Boulevard. This year’s parade will feature more than 650 riders aboard 26 floats, making it the largest Carnival krewe on the northshore. It was a labor of love for Mardi Gras, Harvey said when he took on the task. The krewe needed someone to step up.

“I volunteered when nobody else wanted to volunteer to do it,” he said, but the krewe’s leadership also knew he had talent and experience. He has built two ﬂoats

Bruce Harvey stands next to a float he built for the Krewe of Poseidon

of his own, both of which currently roll in Slidell’s St. Patrick’s Day parade Harvey also owns a telecommunications company, often leading teams that build cellphone towers and handle ﬁber optic work. He knows a thing or two about manual labor.

“I like to do hands-on work,” he said That why when it came time to make magic happen for Poseidon, all eyes turned to Harvey.

“Bruce is highly skilled in all areas of construction,” said krewe Captain Ronny Kastner “He completely deconstructed four ﬂoats and rebuilt them. As a result of his knowledge, work ethic and dedication to the krewe, we’ll parade with four beautiful additions to our line up.”

It was a big commitment, but one the tradesman

KREWE OF POSEIDON

WHAT: Krewe of Poseidon parades through Slidell featuring 26 floats and more than 650 riders

WHERE: Parade route extends from PPontchartrain Drive Front Street and Gause Boulevard.

WHEN: Jan. 31, 6 p.m.

KING & QUEEN: Cliff and Jammie Laigast MORE INFO: poseidonslidell.com

wasn’t afraid to tackle.

Now, he’ll enjoy the fruits of his labor riding in Poseidon himself alongside his wife, Letia, in ﬂoat 22.

This will be the couple’s 24th year participating in Mardi Gras parades.

The father of six and grandfather of 13 said there’s just nothing better than making kids smile while tossing them a throw And at the end of the day, he’s got a “warm spot” for children, and that’s what makes being

2026 St. Tammany Parish Carnival parades

Here’s a list of upcoming northshore processions, from boat parades and canine groups to traditional float parades and superkrewes:

Jan. 30

Feb. 6

part of carnival so special “We love Mardi Gras and we hope to ride until we can’t ride no more,” he said.

PHOTO BY GRANT

parade. The work was a labor of love for the longtime lfan of Mardi Gras

EST Habitat for Humanity volunteers celebrate in Slidell

East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity supporters enjoyed Casino Night at the group’s annual Builders Ball in the Slidell Municipal Auditorium on Jan. 16. It was a night to celebrate with the people of all ages and walks of life who work together to make it possible for people to own homes who would not otherwise have the chance. It was also an evening to “Bet on Habitat” and raise money for the mission.

BY SHEILA GRISSETT Contributing writer

The Atrium Gallery at Christwood near Covington will host a new exhibition of work by mixed-media abstract artist Nancy Hirsch Lassen from Feb. 12 to March 18. There will be an artist’s reception on Feb. 21 at 4:30 p.m., and the public is invited Many of Hirsch’s paintings are large scale and executed with bold brush strokes, and for the past two decades, she has focused on painting the tension between nature and structures. “I love the soft curvilinear lines and ever-changing colors and shapes of

Gary Crouch and Eric Jones Ricky and Amanda Litsey

Event Chair Kentrell Jones is flanked by the evening’s honorees — Ray Farrell and Rebecca Saucier

Jessica Lormand, Bridget Taylor and Brandy Lormand

Barbara Doyle, Gwendolyn Clement, Marie Wade, Slidell City Councilwoman Leslie Denham, Dwight Denham

LuAnn Farrell, Denise Sullivan and Brian Schaeffer

PHOTOS BY MATTHEW DOBBINS

Kimberly Molder, Carmen Lee, Gina Sanford and Kimberly Vidrine

Doctors trade stethoscopes for screwdrivers to help out

volunteered recently

Helping kids know they really matter to someone

“I just don’t like lyrical anymore,” my 9-yearold daughter said as she plopped down in a chair next to me, plotting an excuse to skip dance.

“Well, I like lyrical, but I don’t like my class.”

She’s the youngest by a few years, she explained, and just doesn’t relate to the other girls. They don’t talk to her, she feels left out and her skill level feels not nearly advanced enough to keep up with them.

“Sometimes you have to do uncomfortable things,” I tried to persuade her But she seemed to be beyond that.

I’ve never been a proponent of quitting, but she has a point when she argues this may be a bad ﬁt for her I’ve always encouraged dance because I want her to be a part of something and ﬁnd a place to feel valued outside of home or school. Her older sister plays softball and being part of team has changed her for the better But this? We’re several months in, and it just doesn’t seem to be accomplishing what I had hoped. She has given this a fair shake, but she feels invisible, and like she doesn’t matter And that’s when it hit me. This is really about mattering.

Mattering. It’s something we all want, but in today’s world can be so hard to find. It’s the thing we’re all secretly seeking, whether we admit it or not. Deep down, we all want to be part of something, feel valued and that our presence and voice, well, matter And kids are no exception to that. Sure, we put our kids in extracurriculars to develop their skills. But the social elements, team-building and self-confidence are the real goals. Only a select few of them will actually become professionals, so let’s be real about what most of our kids are truly going to get out of these experiences. But the topic of mattering is so much more than a heart-to-heart over an uncomfortable dance class It’s simple, but it may be the key to fixing so many of the struggles we face as a society, as this isn’t just a kid-centric issue. We adults face it, too. Growing up, my mom who in hindsight was incredibly wise, would preach that everyone had an invisible sign on their chest that read, “I want to feel important.” She would

explain that if I understood this, I could not only better empathize with others, but work through misunderstandings. Once you realize everyone just wants to feel important, it humanizes everything and takes away the idea that every story needs a villain.

In my quest for clarity on this, I chatted with author and fellow journalist Jennifer Wallace, whose book, “Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose,” dives deep into the topic. She said after researching the youth mental health crisis, she discovered that this idea of mattering was seemingly the root cause of so many underlying issues kids and adults alike. Beneath anxiety, burnout, and loneliness was a deeper harder-to-name feeling: a sense of being replaceable, invisible or valued only for output.

Mattering gave language to what so many people were struggling to articulate It’s about knowing that you are important to someone, that your presence is noticed, that your needs count, and that what you do makes a genuine difference in the lives of others,” said Wallace “Once you understand that, it becomes a powerful lens You begin to see how many of our modern struggles at home at school, and increasingly at work — are about a breakdown in mattering.”

Bingo. This was what my mom was teaching me all along and gosh, it just makes so much sense. Mattering and our connection with others is perhaps one of the most important pieces of the puzzle And if we can address this very simple concept, could we possibly make the world a better place? Could we help our youth as they grow up in a world ﬁll with rapidly accelerating change and technology? We know they

are struggling. We know we are struggling. But how do we ﬁx it?

Wallace said it just takes a few “ingredients” to reach that sense of mattering. Those ingredients include signiﬁcance, appreciation, investment and dependence. We have to make sure people know they are important to us. We have to show appreciation when someone makes an effort or does a good deed. Then we have to make sure they understand the impact of those positive actions and why that impact makes a real difference to others.

“For ourselves, this means being more intentional about where we invest our time and energy Are there people who really know us? Places where we’re needed? Work that shows us the impact of what we do?” said Wallace.

“For kids, the message is similar but even more essential We build mattering by valuing them for who they are, not just what they achieve. We reinforce their sense of mattering by truly listening and attuning to their inner lives, helping them see how their actions help others, and giving them real responsibility at home and in their communities.”

As for neighbors, colleagues or even strangers, it’s about everyday acts, she said, and being able to give off the signal “I see you and you count.”

So yes, while switching up a dance class may feel like a silly thing to hyperﬁxate on, teaching her to walk away from a toxic environment for the sake of her self-worth is OK too sometimes.

We all want to matter, and when we matter and help others feel that too, we are our best selves.

So remember to make someone feel important today It really does, well, matter

AROUND

his young wife. This Broadway smash is based on the book by Hugh Wheeler; local production directed by Gary Mendoza. See complete schedule and get tickets at slidelllittletheatre.org.

ART

COLLECTIVE: The St. Tammany Art Association show, the “Renegade Artist Collective’s Barranger Gallery Exhibition,” is available for viewing through March 28 in the Art House, 320 Columbia St., in downtown Covington. This collective is a group of nationally and internationally renowned Louisiana-based artists whose work encompasses a diverse range of mediums and genres, including Anita Cooke; Jason Van Pelt; Michael Guidry; Nurhan Gokturk; Patrick Lee; Cheryl Anne Grace; Sara Hardin; Sarah Nelson; Jacques Soulas; Herb Roe; Robert Schaefer; and Erin McNutt.

PEOPLE WHO MEET

PD: The next Northshore Parkinson’s Support Group meeting takes place Feb. 4 at Lamb of God Lutheran Church, 57210 Allen Road, near Slidell. Social hour at 6 p.m.; meeting 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Occupational therapist Elizabeth Parker, with Ochsner/Slidell, will lead a discussion on “LSVT” and why it is one of the best therapies for Parkinson’s disease, as well as how to get involved with the program. The meeting is open to everyone living with Parkinson’s disease, their care partners, medical professionals or anyone else interested in learning more about living well with the disease.

WIDOWS: The Widows’ Social Club of Slidell will meet at 10 a.m. Jan. 31 in the John Wesley Center at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 360 Robert Blvd. The speaker will be nurse and community activist Sharron Newton to talk about her 50 mission trips to impoverished countries with Rotaplast International, an afﬁliate of Rotary International, to operate on children with cleft palates. All widows

are welcome to this general meeting to see old friends, make new ones and hear about all the diverse activities that can be shared with like-minded women. Questions? Call Cindy Alberts at (985) 707-7676.

SAVE THE DATES

MEN ONLY: The First Baptist Church in Mandeville will hold a one-day “Everyman Conference” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 28, a day of challenge, encouragement, fellowship and song. Main session speakers will be the Rev. Jeff Crook of Flower Branch, Ga., and the Rev. Ronny Cooksey, senior pastor at the host church. Registration details at the church website at // fbcmandeville.org/event/ ec26. Cost is $40 through Jan. 31; $50 afterward. FIRST RESPONDERS: The Slidell Elks’ will hold their 32nd annual Law and Order Night program at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 A complimentary meal will be served to those

who sign up by Feb. 14. There will be a panel of speakers from different law enforcement agencies, and questions will be taken from the audience after the speakers make remarks. The Elks will also honor ﬁve distinguished ﬁrst responders for outstanding 2025 service in Slidell. To reserve a meal, call the lodge at (985) 641-1266.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Helping our kids feel important, in a world that tells them they’re not, really matters.

Jessica Saggio

MAKING THE CALL

Familiar face leads National Championship officiating crew

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Northlake Christian’s Michael VanderVelde has been a busy man lately VanderVelde was the referee, often referred to as the white hat, during the College Football National Championship Game in Miami on Jan. 19.

“Overall, the experience was amazing. The College Football Playoff committee and its team do an excellent job of taking care of the ofﬁciating crew and our guests A lot of family members were there with us to enjoy the moments. That was one of the most amazing parts of the experience,” VanderVelde said.

“The ofﬁciating crew was there just to keep the game on the runway and manage what we needed to manage and let the players do what they deserved to do.”

VanderVelde also served as the referee during the CFP quarterﬁnal game at the Cot-

ton Bowl, which was a 24-14 Miami victory over Ohio State on Dec. 31.

A little more than a week later, VanderVelde got the call after the Peach Bowl national semiﬁnal on Jan. 9 that he would be the referee in the biggest college football game of the 2025-26 season.

Ofﬁcials are drawn from a conference not represented in the title game

“It’s very exciting when you get that information and know that you have one more game to get ready for,” VanderVelde said. “After we let that settle a little bit it was time to go to work and do the things that we needed to do to perform well.”

That’s the work that the general public doesn’t see on the ﬁeld. The entire crew spends days looking at plays and studying each team’s tendencies VanderVelde had a bit of a jump start since his crew had already seen Miami in the Cotton Bowl, but the experienced ofﬁcial said that work “shows the game

down for the crew” and allows them to focus on their individual assignments and responsibilities during each play

The work continues right up until kickoff, as VanderVelde said his crew had a ”good hour, hour and a half pregame meeting.”

“It’s always surreal the ﬁrst time you walk out of the tunnel,” VanderVelde said. “Right when warmups are starting is when it kind of hits. You have the fans pouring into the stadium, and you have the players getting prepared. You know it is bigger than the ofﬁcials. You get to be a little part of a huge game. That’s when it hits.”

He said once he’s at midﬁeld for the coin toss, it becomes just another football game.

“You don’t think about it because once you’re in the game, it feels normal,” VanderVelde said. “You’re excited about it. I’m smiling and feeling loose. Once the game kicks off, it’s football.

I never thought much more than it was a football game.”

VanderVelde started his officiating journey by following in his father, Mike’s, footsteps. Mike retired from officiating football and basketball four years ago at 78, after 61 years in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area. But not before passing that love of officiating onto this son.

“When I was a little kid, I would follow him to games and be the ball boy,” VanderVelde said. “I was just helping out the crew, or at least I thought I was helping out the crew I watched as much football as I possibly could.”

Before high school graduation, he started ofﬁciating pee-wee football, and then moved up the ladder from there. That all began in 2002. After graduating from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, in 2007, he moved to Louisiana more than a decade ago.

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

BY JIM DERRY Contributing writer

The ﬁrst time Covington and St. Paul’s faced off on Jan. 9, the Wolves couldn’t hold on to a late double-digit lead and lost a critical game that could eventually determine each of the teams’ playoff fates. On Jan. 23, they met once more in an even more important battle, as this was the District 6-5A opener for each and certainly will play a role in power ratings For quite a while, it seemed as if this one would have a similar storyline in reverse, with the Wolves coming back from a double-digit deﬁcit this time. However, the Lions were steady from the free-throw line down the stretch and turned away every St. Paul’s rally to win an emotionally charged contest, 75-69, at the Gene Bennett Sports Complex How

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

The 2026 St. Tammany Parish Wrestling Championships featured a familiar result in the team standings.

St Paul’s won the boys competition while Mandeville defended its title in the second year of girls wrestling in the state. But a deeper dive reveals strong parity in this year’s event. Six of the nine boys’ programs had at least one individual parish champion, while ﬁve different schools boasted girls’ individual champions.

St. Paul’s coach Patrick Ritchie said he was proud of his team’s performance, crediting John Martinez (215-pound champion), Liam Ritchie (120 champion) and Connor Ayala (113 champion) for their leadership.

“It’s my ﬁrst time winning an award like this,” Myers said. “It’s a lot of

that went into it I got hurt at Ken Cole (Invitational). I messed up my knee, so I

had to refocus my mind on

I felt good today I

“We had seven sophomores and a freshman wrestling today, and we were missing a couple of our top seeds,” Ritchie said. “Even with all that, they still pulled it off. I’m really proud of the guys who came out here and how they wrestled.” Fontainebleau also boasted three parish champions, including Dustin “Joon” Smith at 126, Braden Sellers at 132 and Nicholas Stan at 150 Sellers is a three-time parish champ. Covington 138-pound wrestler Cayden Myers was named Outstanding Wrestler while teammate Ja’Michael Treadwell took home the 190-pound title.

and

PHOTO BY CFP IMAGES

Northlake Christian’s Michael VanderVelde served as the referee during the 2026 CFP National Championship game on Jan. 19.

PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY

PHOTO BY RYAN DARDAR Northshore sophomore Grace Keene

cross country state championship on Nov. 17.

STAFF PHOTO BY JOSEPH HALM Slidell’s Matthew Pierce, top, defeated St. Paul’s Eli Ulfers to win the 157-pound weight class at the 2026 St. Tammany Parish Wrestling Championships at Slidell on Jan. 24.

ä See KEENE, page 3B

Northshore off to fast start in district opener against Salmen

BY DAVE WOODALL

Contributing writer

After a sluggish ﬁrst half in its last game, the Northshore boys basketball team wanted to open District 7-5A play at parish rival Salmen with a quick surge.

Mission accomplished Northshore raced out to a double-digit halftime lead and never looked back en route to a dominating 58-45 district road win on Jan. 20.

The Panthers busted out to a 15-6 ﬁrst-quarter lead fueled by an aggressive defense and eight points from senior Tyrie Spencer

“My teammates gave me the rock, and I did my best to put it in,” said Spencer. “In our last game, we kind of laid an egg, so we needed to come out tonight and make a statement.”

Spencer led all scorers with 17 points and six assists, while senior Michael Ducre finished with 15 points and three rebounds

The second period saw Salmen in foul trouble that sent Northshore to the free throw line often. While the Panthers struggled at the line — hitting only 4 of 10

Ducre added eight points as the visitors built a 33-18 halftime lead.

Northshore (12-8, 1-0) put

the game away in the third quarter with a tenacious defensive effort that held Salmen to just eight points as the lead grew to 44-27.

“I thought our team moved the ball well,” said Panthers coach Joshua Carlin. “We got a lot of guys involved early and put a lot of pressure on their defense. We shot a great percentage from the 3-point line that gave us some gas I would have liked for us to shoot better from the foul line. I felt like we gave up too many offensive rebounds in the second half that kept them in the game. We basically pride ourselves on being versatile on the defensive end and being able to ﬁgure out what works.”

Northshore coasted in the fourth period as the Spartans (13-9, 0-1) outscored them 18 to 14, but it was too little too late.

Northshore hit on 20 of 63 shots (32%) while the Spartans only managed to make 13 of 62 shots (21%).

“I talked to the guys after the game and told them that I wasn’t unhappy with the effort since we only had one day to practice,” said Salmen first-year coach Mark Weinmunson. “We planned for everything they threw at us, and I just don’t think we handled it very

well We just didn’t execute well. We got some decent shots, but we didn’t make many of them. We just need to go back to the drawing board and make some defensive adjustments next time we play them.”

GIRLS: Salmen 47, Northshore 26 The Spartans continued their impressive season start with a dominant win over the Panthers. Salmen imrproved to 20-1, 2-0 in District 7-5A while Northshore fell to 10-16, 1-1.

Senior Akayla McMooain led the way for Salmen with a game-high 16 points, while Northshore’s Kristyna Lambert and McKenna Goble each had nine points.

“We went out and did what we needed to do,” said Salmen coach Daryl Thomas “We could have controlled the ball better, especially in certain situations, and controlled the clock. At the end of the day, a win is a win.”

SCORE BY QUARTERS

NORTHSHORE | 15 | 17 | 12 | 14 — 58

SALMEN | 6 | 13 | 8 | 18 — 45

BOX SCORE NORTHSHORE (12-8, 1-0): Tyrie Spencer 17; Michael Ducre 15; Braylon Kinsey 8; Roger Williams 8; Keith Collins 3; Andre Bright 3; Jamison Hopkins 2; Braedin Hopkins 2 SALMEN (13-9, 0-1): Joshua Carroll 13; BJ Matthews 8; Pressley Marshall 8; Marley McKnight 6; Javien Ringo 5; Jayvarri Williams 3; Kendall Vonyoure 2.

Covington sweeps team titles at Lion Invitational

BY MIKE PERVEL Contributing writer

The LHSAA Powerlifting season is heating up as Covington held its annual Lion Invitational on Jan. 17 featuring 17 schools and 173 lifters. The Lions took home both the boys’ and girls’ team titles, as well as two individual Best Lifter awards.

“I’m extremely proud of how we performed overall,” Covington coach John Burford said. “We still have some work to do, but it was a good benchmark to hit. They really did well. By nature, as a coach, I always ﬁnd things we have to work on, but I’m extremely happy with their overall performance.”

The Covington boys excelled with five first-place lifters, registering a perfect 60-point team score. The rest of the ﬁeld was closely bunched. Slidell ﬁnished second (46), winning a tiebreaker over Pearl River (46). St. Paul’s (44) was fourth.

Covington senior Brett Falco, competing at 148 pounds, was named Best Lifter in the lightweight division and set a new personal best by three pounds, totaling 1,485 pounds lifted. Falco squatted 525, benched 405 and deadlifted 555.

“I was fighting to get the Best Lifter award, and I was able to hold off the competition, namely my friend, (Northshore’s) Jackson Bice, to get it done I just had to keep hitting my numbers, and it worked out,” Falco said.

“I’m very happy with my performance, setting me up for a great regionals, state and then Nationals in Omaha, Nebraska.”

Burford said Falco is in a class all his own.

“Brett is in an elite class, and he’s chasing down history He’s very driven and has a tremendous work ethic, competing at a very high level. He’s got it all, and he realizes how good he can actually be,” Burford said.

Covington junior Steele Rogers also excelled, winning the 220-pound title and earning Best Lifter honors in the heavyweight division. Rogers finished with 1,545 pounds lifted, breaking his personal best by 85 pounds. He squatted 535, benched 410 and deadlifted 600.

“I’m really proud to have earned the Best Lifter award,” said Rogers, who is also a starting linebacker on the football team. “It was really a battle with myself. I had some difficulty getting depth on my squat, but I

Rebounding, team focus key to Pearl River’s success

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Pearl River boys basketball coach Dillon Smith had a simple message to his team after a tough loss two weeks ago.

worked through it. I’m a very competitive lifter, always striving to be consistent with my lifts.”

On the girls’ side, Covington completed the team sweep after winning a tiebreaker over Northlake Christian after both teams

ﬁnished with 54 points. Pope John Paul II (48) took third, followed by Slidell (43) and St. Scholastica (40).

Mandeville’s Sara Refﬁt, a 2025 South Regional champion, took ﬁrst at 148 pounds and was named the Best Lifter in the lightweight division. Reffit finished with a total of 1,050 pounds lifted. She squatted 440, benched 235 and deadlifted 375.

“When I got the award, I was surprised, because I didn’t even know they would be naming one. Now that I have it, it’s very special,” she said. Reffit, who finished as a state runner-up last year, said she’s ready to take the next step.

“Winning at state this year is deﬁnitely on my radar I’m focused on achieving that goal, and I also want to squat 500 pounds, which I’m conﬁdent I can reach. I absolutely love to train, always looking forward to each training session.”

Pope John Paul II senior Juliette Brewer, a third-place finisher at state last year won the 165-pound weight class, with lifts totaling 935 pounds, to win Best Lifter in the heavyweight division. Brewer squatted 365, setting a new PR by 30 pounds.

The Covington girls powerlifting team took home the team title at the Lion Invitational on Jan. 17.

She benched 195 and set a new personal best in the deadlift with a 375-pound lift.

“I was super excited and super shocked, being named the Best Lifter It’s a very special award, but it wasn’t just about me; it was more about helping my team be recognized. I’m grateful to my entire team for their great support and the energy they gave me. We did a lot of joyful crying,” Brewer said.

“I was lifting with a new suit, so I didn’t have really high expectations. As the meet went on, the nerves went away, and things got better My coaches believed in me, and my teammates cheered me on during my deadlift, helping bring me through. It meant everything to me.”

PJP II coach Alan Miller described Brewer as a great person with tremendous character “Juliette lifted with full trust and confidence in her technique. She’s an extremely focused athlete and is a fantastic teammate. She loves the sport and is a fearless competitor,” Miller said.

The Lion Invitational was the beginning of the stretch run as St. Tammany Parish lifters are preparing to compete in the South Regional Championship, hosted by Covington High. The boys lift on Feb. 21, followed by the girls on Feb. 28.

The LHSAA State Powerlifting Championships are scheduled for March 25-28 at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner

“After the loss to South Lafourche, we knew we had to get back to being more physical than we were,” Smith said. “We’ve done a really good job of being physical and getting on the offensive boards. We just outrebounded Franklinton on both ends of the court.”

The Rebels took that message to heart, having won five straight, including a 56-38 District 7-4A win over Franklinton on Jan. 23.

“Our kids responded,” Smith said. “They just played hard, and they wanted it. They wanted to get another district win, so I was proud of them. This group wants to get to that 20-win mark, and they are not letting up.”

It was a total team effort against Franklinton as Pearl River improved to 14-8 overall and 2-0 in district play

COVINGTON

Continued from page 1B

The Rebels pulled down 56 rebounds as a team with 20 offensive rebounds in the first half. Senior Brayden Hutchison had 13 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Mason Hawkins and Merrick Murphy (seven rebounds) with 11 and 10 points, respectively

The Rebels have won 12 of their last 14 games after a 2-6 start to the season. And their current win streak highlights their winning recipe: ﬁnd the hot man and get him the ball. It all started with a 6049 win over Sarah T. Reed on Jan. 12. Hutchison had 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Kaysen McGinnis added 19 points and seven rebounds Three days later, Pearl River trailed heading into the ﬁnal quarter against Kenner Discovery before pulling out a 65-62 victory Hutchison had another double-double (28 points, 14 rebounds), while Mason Hawkins posted 12 points.

The next night, Hawkins hit ﬁve 3-pointers to ﬁnish with 15 points in a 52-32 district win over Loranger Hutchi-

just fed off their energy,” said Bedford who was 12 of 19 from the ﬁeld, including 5 of 7 from beyond the 3-point line, with four rebounds and a steal. “The only thing that’s important to me is the win; I really don’t focus on how many points I score.” He might not have paid attention to it, but his former coach sure noticed. St. Paul’s coach Monty Fontenot had spent the previous four seasons leading the Lions before returning to his alma mater this year, so he knows Bedford’s abilities as well as anyone.

And yet, from the opening tip, there really was no answer for one of the metro area’s top players.

“Kudos to Covington. They made the best of their opportunities, and Jordan Bedford put on a show in the third quarter,” Fontenot said. “He’s a special player Our guys battled, but we couldn’t get over the hump.”

There was an electric crowd in attendance with both sides of the bleachers ﬁlled to the top row, including a raucous student section for each team.

Early on, the Wolves (14-9, 0-1) fed off their fans’ energy They led 23-15 through the first 11 minutes, before the Lions’ changed the game over the second half of the second quarter

A combination of Bedford, Aiden Cryer and Zamyr Houston led Covington on a 18-4 run that turned an eight-point deﬁcit into 33-27 lead at halftime.

That lead swelled as large as 60-47 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when Temarkus Scott hit his only 3-pointer It was then Michel, Ethan Ballard (19 points, nine rebounds) and Don Peltier (11 points, six rebounds) who began to get St. Paul’s back in it.

Each made a shot in the ﬁnal 3:30 to make it a one-possession game. However on each of those three occasions, Covington had an answer and never lost the lead.

“It was a real emotional game. It’s a cross-town rivalry, we were facing an old coach, ﬁrst district game – and every district game is magniﬁed this year because

son recorded 11 rebounds and nine points, while McGinnis had nine points and ﬁve assists.

The Rebels scored a 48-36 road win over Jefferson Rise Charter on Jan. 20 as Hutchison poured in 16 points, and Merrick Murphy added nine.

While Hutchison has averaged 16.4 points and 12 rebounds over the past ﬁve games, Smith said his teammates’ ability to step up on any given night has ignited the team’s recent surge. “When our opponents are keying on Brayden (Hutchison), our team has done a good job of ﬁnding the next person to step up,” Smith said. “Guys like (Kaysen) McGinnis, Mason Hawkins, Merrick Murphy come to mind. Noah Long was also one of those guys, but he sprained his ankle against Jefferson Rise, so we hope to get him back soon. The key is that we have had a different guy step up every night.” The Rebels is scheduled to travel to Hannan on Jan. 30 for a battle of undefeated teams in District 7-4A.

we’re only playing four of them,” said ﬁrstyear coach Ryan Rushing, who spent two previous seasons at Salmen. “We knew it was gonna be a battle. I tell them all the time there’s no other team I would rather go to war with.

“We took punches They got us in the ﬁrst quarter, and in the fourth quarter we got a little lackadaisical with the lead. We got

PHOTO BY MATT DOBBINS

Pearl River senior Brayden Hutchison has averaged 16.4 points and 12 rebounds during the Rebels’ recent surge.

PROVIDED PHOTOS

The Covington boys powerlifting team won the championship in their own Lion Invitational.

PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY Covington’s Aiden Cryer goes up for a layup against St. Paul’s on Jan. 23.

Mandeville’s Fritts comes up big against St. Paul’s

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Mandeville’s Connor Fritts didn’t have time to think; he just reacted.

The senior found himself alone in the box as a teammate’s shot deﬂected off a St. Paul’s defender and spun to the left side of the 6-yard box. A second later, the visiting crowd was in celebration mode. Fritts’ goal in the 80th minute capped a wild comeback as Mandeville rallied for a 2-2 District 6-I draw at Hunter Stadium on Jan. 23.

“I ran up on it, saw the bottom corner and slotted it,” Fritts said “It was an amazing feeling Everyone cleared the bench. I ran to the corner to celebrate. It was surreal. It was amazing We’ve been looking forward to this game for weeks, so to get the result is an amazing

CREW

Continued from page 1B

feeling.” His goal capped a frantic final 20 minutes that saw the Skippers rebound from a 2-0 deficit in a match that St. Paul’s controlled for large portions of the first 60 minutes.

“We were a little timid to start the game,” Mandeville coach Curt Aertker Jr said.

“They had the better run of play in the ﬁrst half. The ﬁrst goal that we conceded was unfortunate We were playing on our heels too much. We weren’t playing with enough belief. We made some changes at halftime, and it turned some things around for us.”

St. Paul’s (12-4-2, 4-0-1) controlled possession throughout the majority of the ﬁrst half, but it was Carter Dantin’s header in the 20th minute that gave the Wolves a 1-0 halftime lead.

St. Paul’s outshot Mandev-

ille 9-2 in the ﬁrst half with ﬁve corners. Still, the Skippers’ best chance came in the last two minutes on a corner into the box that was cleared away at the goal line.

The Wolves seemed to regain the momentum in the second half as it took a diving save by Mandeville keeper Kinglsey Hunt on a header by Robert Graham in the 44th minute to keep the score at 1-0. But the Wolves kept chipping away, and Nicholas Gristina scored in the 58th minute for a 2-0 lead The junior had a ball skip to his feet in the corner of the box, where he took one touch and beat the keeper That goal seemed to open the game up for the Skippers as St. Paul’s pressed for a third goal, which created more gaps for the counterattack.

Mandeville (13-6-5, 2-1-2)

scored in the 61st minute as the combination play of Cohen Wilbanks to Justin Anguzza got past the keeper, allowing sophomore Mason Quilio to put a header into the net to cut the lead in half.

From that point forward,

the match was a frantic rush as both teams had chances before Fritts’ equalizer in the waning moments.

St. Paul’s coach Sean Moser said he felt that the Skippers’ rally didn’t start in the second half. It began in the

10 minutes of the

half as the Wolves struggled to close out that half,

VanderVelde has ofﬁciated in the Big 12 since 2020 after working in the Southland and Mountain West conferences. He now serves as Dean of Students at Northlake’s secondary school, and he coached baseball at NCS until 2023 His advice to any aspiring ofﬁcials is simple.

“Right now, the entry is really high school football,” VanderVelde said. “You want to get as many snaps as you can. That’s where JV, freshman and junior high games come into play Once you gain enough experience, it’s all about getting in front of the right people, and hopefully, you get an opportunity to do a college game. Hopefully, you perform well, and the supervisor will see value and continue to give you more and more opportunities.”

KEENE

Continued from page 1B

Keene posted the third-fastest time ever at the LHSAA state meet on Nov 17 with a run of 17 minutes, 21.7 seconds to claim the Division I state title It was 20.6 seconds ahead of her closest competitor and led the Panthers to a sixth-place team ﬁnish That time also set a new Division I state record.

The 5-foot-4 sophomore won six of her nine races last fall, and she capped her cross-country campaign by earning All-American status with her win in the age 15-18 Division at the AAU crosscountry Nationals in December “It’s impressive,” said Northshore cross-country coach Vincent Ruda. “Grace is gifted and talented We just try to manage what she does and make sure she’s doing the right conditioning. She’s built differently She’s more mature than most 16-yearolds.” Now, Keene has turned her attention to the LHSAA indoor track season, where she will compete in the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs. Keene said her goal is to break the 1600-meter record at the state meet on Feb. 21. Also a practiced guitar player and violinist, Keene has volunteered locally on behalf of food drives in association with St Luke’s Church. She has also donated her time to both the SPCA and PetSmart in an effort to help homeless dogs be adopted.

“Pushing her season deeper into the calendar than all of her in-state peers, Grace Keene was at her best throughout the postseason,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. “It’s exciting to think about what the next two distance seasons have in store for her.” Keene has maintained a weighted 4.44 GPA in the classroom.

Celebrating its 41st year, the Gatorade Player of the Year award is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community. The award annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls crosscountry, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer and boys and girls track & ﬁeld.

Mandeville-Fontainebleau soccer match comes down to a quick pass and ﬁnish

BY MIKE PERVEL Contributing writer

With ﬁrst place in District 6-I on the line, Mandeville and Fontainebleau battled through a scoreless ﬁrst half at Sidney Theriot Stadium on Jan. 20.

That defensive struggle continued into the second half before a Skippers’ sophomore sent the home crowd into a frenzy

Mandeville’s Mia Baham ﬁnally broke through in the 60th minute as the Skippers earned a key 1-0 district win.

“I give all the credit to Eryn (Taylor), who made a nice, quick pass, setting me up for the only goal Her on-target pass made it so much easier for me to score.

The goalie came out, so I took one dribble and tapped it straight in to ﬁnish,” Baham said about her 12th goal of the season.

“This is an important win for us against our biggest rival. I’m grateful to my teammates, and the defense played great.”

Mandeville coach Sean Esker, who is in his 23rd season with the Skippers, said it wasn’t pretty at times, but his team hung around to get a big victory

“We tried to build an attack with numbers throughout the match, and it ﬁnally happened for us, but it took us 60 minutes to get it done. Eryn (Taylor) made a crisp, short pass in the middle, ﬁnding Mia (Baham), and she did the rest,” Esker said.

The Skippers (19-4-2, 4-0) started just one senior, along with three freshmen and two sophomores. Esker said that the young lineup has struggled with its ﬁnishing touch at times, but knocking off Fontainebleau was a big step forward.

“We struggled to execute and didn’t always play with composure, but we got the win over a quality Fontainebleau team. We have to focus on building on this momentum with just two district games left,” Esker said.

Mandeville junior keeper Savannah Windham, along with sophomore defenders Isabella Bascle and Morgan Dwyer, helped anchor the defense to its 15th

shutout this season.

“Our defense did a great job,” Windham said “All I had to do was clean up a few shots. It’s my job to keep encouraging my teammates and directing them where they need to be defensively That was a great goal by Mia (Baham). I knew it had to happen at some point, and I’m glad it ﬁnally did.”

Fontainebleau sophomore goalkeeper Reagan McKinney recorded 13 saves for the Bulldogs (8-4-5, 3-1). Fontainebleau coach Carly Pennington said she expects her team to grow from the defeat.

PHOTO BY JOEY MICHEL

Mandeville’s Justin Anguzza celebrates Connor Fritts’ goal as the Skippers rallied for a 2-2 tie at St. Paul’s on Jan. 23.

PHOTOS BY MATT DOBBINS

Ellie Brocato for the ball on Jan. 20.

Mandeville’s Mia Baham is hugged by a teammate after she scored the lone goal of the match against district rival Fontainebleau on Jan. 20.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 ✦ St.Tammany ✦

with her father Jarrell G. Connell and her mother Mildred B Connell She is survived by three children Cindy Guthrie Leary (Matt) Jerri Guthrie Reeves, and Don Scott VanSandt. Also survived by three grand‐children Dylan Suarez (Erica) Leah Broom (Nick) and Calli Reeves (Ronald) and twelve great-grand‐children Savanna, Londyn, Dylan Jr. Elliot, Kennedy Davis, Amelia, Leighton, Giuliana Brynlee, Drake and Maci. Before retiring, Mrs Betty Jo VanSandt spent her time as a hair‐dresser in the ﬁeld of cos‐metology Betty’s life sparkled just as much as her taste in fashion and décor until her last days She loved people and took an active role in spreading smiles and laughter to all A longtime resident of Slidell, she found belong‐ing in many social circles through the years She spent her last ten years liv‐ing her best life at Sum‐merﬁeld Retirement Com‐munity where she contin‐ued to make her mark by welcoming new residents, being voted Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, and affec‐tionately being called “Betty Bling” by staff and

to e y welcoming new residents, being voted Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, and affec‐tionately being called “Betty Bling” by staff and residents for her sparkly jewelry and clothing. Once you met Betty, you could not forget her She adored her friends and they felt the same way about her Betty’s most noteworthy roles were as beloved wife of 37 years to her husband, Van and mother to her children She was “Gigi” to her grandchildren greatgrandchildren, and numer‐ous family members. She was the beloved Matriarch of the family and there was no place she would rather be than surrounded by thos sh lo d. She clung tight amily and God throug r life Her friend family will miss much and she remembered for the light, sparkle, and sweetness she brought to the world. Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home Inc., Slidell, LA.

her grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and numer‐ous family members. She was the beloved Matriarch of the family and there was no place she would rather be than surrounded by those she loved She clung tight to her family and God throughout her life. Her friends and family will miss her very much and she will be remembered for the light sparkle, and sweetness she brought to the world Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell, LA.

Easetheburdenon yourlovedonesby

PUBLICNOTICE

Notice is hereby given by the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Law Enforce‐ment District of the Parish of St Tam‐many that the fol‐lowing described property, and im‐provementsthereon, is no longer needed for public purpose, is declared as sur‐plus, is offered for sale to the general public, and will be sold at private sale for the highest re‐ceived offer amount The mini‐mum price shall be fair market value as determined by ap‐ praisal.

PUBLICNOTICE Notice is hereby given by the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Law Enforce‐ment District of the Parish of St Tam‐many that the fol‐lowing described property, and im‐provementsthereon, is no longer needed for public purpose, is declared as sur‐plus, is offered for sale to the general public, and will be sold at private sale for the highest re‐ceived offer amount The mini‐mum price shall be fair market value as determined by ap‐ praisal.

PUBLICNOTICE

ALL THAT CER‐TAIN PIECE OF GROUND, together with all the build‐ings and Improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, means, privileges,servitudes and ap‐purtenances there‐unto belonging or in anywise appertain‐ing thereto, situated in Section 38, Township 6 South, Range 11 East, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana and more fully described as follows: Commencefromthe Southwest corner of Section 45, Town‐ship 6 South, Range 11 East and go South 54 degrees 00 minutes West a dis‐tance of 1131.0 feet; thence go North .56 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 318.8 feet; thence go South 79 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 141.2 feet; thence go North 41 degrees 50 minutes West, a dis‐tance of 276.0 feet; thence go South 45 degrees 20 minutes West, a distance of 524.73 feet to the PointofBeginning. From the Point of Beginning go South 45 degrees 20 min‐utesWest adistance of 363.59 feet; thence go North 36 degrees 54 minutes 02 seconds West, a distance of 191.41 feet to a point on the Southerly right of way line of Polder's Lane; thence go along said right of way North 44 de‐grees 47 minutes East, a distance of 350.94 feet; thence leave said right of way and go South 40 degrees 45 min‐utes East, a distance of 193.45 feet back to the Point of Be‐ginning. Said parcel contains 1.568 acres of groundmoreorless. Improvements thereon presently bear the municipal number 1120 Pold‐ersLane, Covington,LA 70433. Inquiries and re‐quests for additional information may be made to listing agent, Kiley Thiel,

ALL THAT CER‐TAIN PIECE OF GROUND, together with all the build‐ings and Improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, means, privileges,servitudes and ap‐purtenances there‐unto belonging or in anywise appertain‐ing thereto, situated in Section 38, Township 6 South, Range 11 East, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana and more fully described as follows: Commencefromthe Southwest corner of Section 45, Town‐ship 6 South, Range 11 East and go South 54 degrees 00 minutes West a dis‐tance of 1131.0 feet; thence go North .56 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 318.8 feet; thence go South 79 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 141.2 feet; thence go North 41 degrees 50 minutes West, a dis‐tance of 276.0 feet; thence go South 45 degrees 20 minutes West, a distance of 524.73 feet to the PointofBeginning. From the Point of Beginning go South 45 degrees 20 min‐utesWest,adistance of 363.59 feet; thence go North 36 degrees 54 minutes 02 seconds West, a distance of 191.41 feet to a point on the Southerly right of way line of Polder's Lane; thence go along said right of way North 44 de‐grees 47 minutes East, a distance of 350.94 feet; thence leave said right of way and go South 40 degrees 45 min‐utes East, a distance of 193.45 feet back to the Point of Be‐ginning. Said parcel contains 1.568 acres of groundmoreorless. Improvements thereon presently bear the municipal number 1120 Pold‐ersLane, Covington,LA 70433. Inquiries and re‐quests for additional information may be made to listing agent, Kiley Thiel, Keller Williams Re‐alty Services, 1522 West Causeway Ap‐proach, Mandeville, La 70471,985-7052700; or to the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’sOfficePur‐chasing Division, 985-726-7734. Published in the St Tammany Farmer on January 14 Jan‐uary 21 and Janu‐ary 28 2026; and the New Orleans Advocate on Janu‐ary14 2026 173212JAN14-2128-3T $217.30

PUBLICNOTICE

Notice is hereby given by the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Law Enforce‐ment District of the Parish of St Tam‐many that the fol‐lowing described property, and im‐provementsthereon, is no longer needed for public purpose, is declared as sur‐plus is offered for sale to the general public and will be sold at private sale for the highest re‐ceived offer amount The mini‐mum price shall be fair market value as determined by ap‐ praisal.

Notice is hereby given by the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Law Enforce‐ment District of the Parish of St Tam‐many that the fol‐lowing described property and im‐provementsthereon, is no longer needed for public purpose, is declared as sur‐plus is offered for sale to the general public and will be sold at private sale for the highest re‐ceived offer amount The mini‐mum price shall be fair market value as determined by ap‐ praisal.

ALL THAT CER‐TAIN PIECE OF GROUND, together with all the build‐ings and Improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, means, privileges,servitudes and ap‐purtenances there‐unto belonging or in anywise appertain‐ing thereto, situated in Section 38, Township 6 South, Range 11 East, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana and more fully described as follows: Commencefromthe Southwest corner of Section 45, Town‐ship 6 South, Range 11 East and go South 54 degrees 00 minutes West a dis‐tance of 1131.0 feet; thence go North .56 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 318.8 feet; thence go South 79 degrees 30 minutes West, a distance of 141.2 feet; thence go North 41 degrees 50 minutes West, a dis‐tance of 276.0 feet; thence go South 45 degrees 20 minutes West, a distance of 524.73 feet to the PointofBeginning. From the Point of Beginning go South 45 degrees 20 min‐utesWest,adistance of 363.59 feet; thence go North 36 degrees 54 minutes 02 seconds West, a distance of 191.41 feet to a point on the Southerly right of way line of Polder's Lane; thence go along said right of way North 44 de‐grees 47 minutes East, a distance of 350.94 feet; thence leave said right of way and go South 40 degrees 45 min‐utes East, a distance of 193.45 feet back to the Point of Be‐ginning. Said parcel contains 1.568 acres of groundmoreorless. Improvements thereon presently bear the municipal number 1120 Pold‐ers Lane Coving‐ton,LA70433.

Inquiriesand requests for addi‐tional information may be made to list‐ing agent, Kiley Thiel, KellerWilliams RealtyServices, 1522West Causeway Ap‐proach, Mandeville, La 70471,985-7052700; or to the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’sOfficePur‐chasing Division, 985-726-7734.

Published in the St Tammany Farmer on January 14 Jan‐uary 21 and Janu‐ary 28 2026; and the New Orleans Advocate on Janu‐ary14 2026 173194JAN14-2128-3T $221.65

PUBLICNOTICE

Notice is hereby given that sealed bidswillbereceived for St Tammany Parish Recreation District No 14, The River Mill Office Building, 13505 Highway 1085, Covington, LA 70433, until 10:00 a.m local time on Tuesday, February 24,2026. FOR:COQUILLE PARKS& RECREATION DRAINAGE INFRA‐STRUCTURE IM‐PROVEMENTS ST.TAMMANY PARISH ANY PERSON RE‐QUIRING SPE‐CIALACCOMMO‐DATIONS SHALL NOTIFY KYLE ASSOCIATES, LLC OF THE TYPE(S) OF AC‐COMMODATION REQUIRED, NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. ELEC‐TRONIC BID‐DING IS AL‐LOWED AS PRO‐VIDED FOR BY THE STATE OF LOUISIANA BID

PUBLICNOTICE

FOR:COQUILLE PARKS& RECREATION DRAINAGE INFRA‐STRUCTURE IM‐PROVEMENTS ST TAMMANY PARISH ANY PERSON RE‐QUIRING SPE‐CIALACCOMMO‐DATIONS SHALL NOTIFY KYLE ASSOCIATES LLC OF THE TYPE(S) OF AC‐COMMODATION REQUIRED, NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS BEFORE THE BID OPENING. ELEC‐TRONIC BID‐DING IS AL‐LOWED AS PRO‐VIDED FOR BY THE STATE OF LOUISIANA BID LAW.

Bid documents are posted on https:// wwwcentralauct ionhouse.com/ main php. To view these, download, and receive bid notices by e-mail, you must register with Central Auction House (CAH) Ven‐dors/Contractors have the option to submit their bids electronically or by paper copy For in‐formation about the electronic submittal process, contact Central Bidding Support at 225-8104814. Each bid shall be ei‐ther hand delivered by the bidder or his agent, or such bid shall be sent by United States Postal Service registered or certified mail with a return receipt requested or shall be submitted electroni‐cally with Central Auction House (CAH) Bids shall not be accepted or taken, includ re‐