THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Recycling date changes The recycling collection schedule for residents of the Oak Shadows, Meadowview, and Fairview subdivisions has changed. Collection is now every Tuesday. Residents are encouraged to place their recycling carts at the curb by the designated collection time on Tuesdays to ensure timely pickup.
Community tailgate postponed The Community Taste of Bronco Tailgate Event has been postponed. A new date will be announced. Follow the Zachary Athletic Foundation Facebook page for updates, event information, and the announcement of the rescheduled date.
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W e d n e s d ay, Au g u s t 12, 2026
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12TH YEAR, NO. 44
Zachary mayor, chief of police re-elected Others qualify for Nov. 3 election ELECTION BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Voters won’t head to the polls until November, but Zachary’s mayor and police chief both have a second term of office in the bag after no one signed up to challenge them in this fall’s election. Qualifying for the Nov. 3 election took place Aug. 5-7. Nearly every elective office in Zachary is
“When I asked for your vote in 2022, I made you a commitment: that we would get a handle on growth instead of letting growth H H H H H H get a handle on us. That we’d protect what makes Zachary special, our schools, our safety, our smalltown character, while still building Lawrence McDavid a future our kids would want to come home to,” he wrote. “That’s exactly what we’ve begun to do. on the ballot. In addition to mayor Sr. attracted any opposition. In a message posted recently But, there is still more to accomand police chief, seats on the City Council and the Zachary Commu- on his campaign Facebook page, plish. I want to finish what we’ve nity School Board are up for grabs. McDavid wrote that he plans to started together.” Neither Mayor David McDavid continue focusing on the city’s deä See ELECTION, page 3G nor Police Chief Darryl Lawrence velopment.
SCHOOL FRIENDS
Pack the Trailer The Zachary Food Pantry is asking attendees to Pack the Trailer at the fourth annual Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival. People who bring three nonperishable food items are entered into that night’s prize drawing for a hot-air balloon ride. The event is from Aug. 14-15 at BREC Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway, Zachary. The festival opens at 4 p.m. each day and has free admission.
ä See AROUND, page 3G
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
What you need to know for fall sports School has officially begun and Zachary High and Northwestern are gearing up for fall sports. Some key dates and opportunities to see them in action, learn more about Zachary athletics and/or recognize former Broncos in the next few weeks are provided below.
PROVIDED PHOTOS BY ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Copper Mill Elementary students, from left, Abigail Mitchem, Olivia Fontana and Harper Ballard at lunch Aug. 6, the first day of classes for Zachary Community School district.
Students return to campus for new school year with Zachary Community School District Students returned Aug. 6 to classes at Zachary Community School District’s six campuses. ä More first-day photos. PAGE 2G
ZHS Hall of Fame The Zachary High School Athletic Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the next class of inductees. Nominations for the Class of 2026-27 will be accepted through Aug. 24. The purpose of the ZHS Athletic Hall of Fame is to pay tribute to past Zachary High School and former Northwestern High School (1955-70) athletic greats. Athletes must have graduated at least five years prior to induction. Nominations should be based on outstanding high school athletic honors, achievements and/or accomplishments (Parish Honors; All-Tournament teams; All-District, AllState, All-American teams, etc.). Guidelines and applications are available at HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS — Zachary Community School
ä See BRADY, page 3G
Zachary High School’s Zachary Early College Academy students Camile Landry and Julia Thompson go over Rollins Place Elementary students gather on the first day of school, from left, Nathan an assignment on the fist day of school. Stephenson, William Hebert and Donovan Whitmore.
Restricted bridges means some Zachary students have longer walk BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Some Zachary students are starting off the new academic year with a longer-than-usual walk to catch a ride to school after several bridges in the district were closed to heavy vehicle traffic, forcing changes to bus routes. At their meeting Aug. 4, just two days before classrooms reopened, school board members grilled a representative of Zachary’s trans-
portation contractor about the route changes and raised questions about what would be done to keep children safe as they trek to the new bus stops — particularly on East Flanacher Road, a busy thoroughfare in the rural northwestern portion of the district. Some members also expressed frustration that they — along with families — had learned of the route changes so close to the beginning of the school year. Kyle Cutrer, location manager
with First Student, said his company and district officials only recently were informed of the updated bridge restrictions. Ten bridges within the Zachary Community School District, along with 42 others in East Baton Rouge Parish, were reclassified into lower weight limits by the state Department of Transportation and Development. Those bridges now prohibit vehicles that weigh more than 10 tons, with some limiting vehicles to just 5 tons. A school bus weighs
31,000 pounds — more than 15 tons — without fuel or children aboard, Cutrer said. In addition to East Flanacher Road, bridge classification changes along with a road closure related to the Comite River Diversion Canal construction project have thrown wrenches into bus routes on Twin Oaks Drive, Angus Avenue, Old Baker Road, Port Hickey Road, Lower Zachary Road and
ä See BRIDGES, page 3G