SCHOOL NEWS FOR THE SOUTHEAST, 5G
THE SOUTHEAST
ADVOCATE
1G
THURSDAY JANUARY 7, 2016 H
COURSEY • HARRELLS FERRY • MILLERVILLE • OLD JEFFERSON • PARKVIEW • SHENANDOAH • TIGER BEND • WHITE OAK THEADVOCATE.COM
Advocate staff photo
Johnny Stassi unloads his Christmas tree Saturday afternoon behind BREC’s Independence Park Botanic Garden Center building, 7500 Independence Blvd., at one of the East Baton Rouge Christmas tree recycling program drop-off collection sites that will accept trees through Jan. 30. Other sites include Highland Road Park, 14024 Highland Road; Kathy Drive Park, off O’Neal Lane by Team Toyota; Flannery Road Park, 801 S. Flannery Road; and at LSU, in the lot across from Vet School on Skip Bertman Drive.
Advocate staff photo by CHARLES CHAMPAGNE
Tree recycling Museum uses ghostly tales to teach history of Old State Capitol to visitors pickup scheduled THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT Fireworks are shot into the night sky Dec. 4 during the Festival of Lights at the Old State Capitol in downtown Baton Rouge.
Advocate staff report
East Baton Rouge Parish will offer curbside collection of trees for residents, except in Baker and Zachary. Recycling Director Susan Hamilton said Christmas trees placed at the curb will be collected by Republic Services from Monday to Jan. 23. There will be only one pickup visit in each area, so trees should be left out at the curb during those two entire weeks. Christmas trees should be separate from other unbundled trash and woody waste. Residents should remove tinsel, stands, lights and ornaments from trees before recycling them because those items can contaminate mulch and compost. Plastic tree bags should not be used.
CASA honors volunteers
Advocate staff report
Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocates Association relies on dedicated volunteers, organizers said. The group has more than 150 volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in need of safe, permanent homes. Each month, Capital Area CASA honor a volunteer. Honored in 2015 were: n Lynnez Gray-Thompson, January n Kimberly Mockler, February n Rachel Podnar, March n Andy McCall, April n Sabrina Noah, May n S a m an t h a H aw k i ns , June n Connie Jordan, July n Gladys Wicker, August n Naiwen Guo-Xing, September n Irina Sterpu, October äSee CASA, page 2G
BY REBECCA DOCTER Special to The Advocate
One night while working in the basement of the Old State Capitol, Carl Smith said, he was exiting a bathroom stall when the door flew off the hinges and smacked into him, leaving him out of breath. Smith said the door’s hinges are designed to open in the opposite Photo by REBECCA DOCTOR
Maintenance supervisor Carl Smith stands in front of the Old State Capitol.
direction. He believes he was attacked. Perhaps by a ghost.
“That’s the worst thing that ever happened to me, in there,” Smith said. A maintenance supervisor, Smith has worked at the Old State Capitol for the last eight years. During his time in the 168-year-old building, he’s had his fair share of scares. Smith had a paranormal experience before he worked at the Old State Capitol and said he’s not sure who the ghost might be, if that’s what it was. The bathroom incident is the only physical paranormal experience Smith said he’s ever had on the Old State Capitol grounds, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t come in contact with other ghostly spirits he claims are roaming the halls. There’s a hot spot — a place with a sign of ghost activity— in the basement, which functioned as a prison and hospital during the Civil War, Smith said. He’s heard the click-clack of shoes roaming across the up-
per floors. Large, heavy doors sometimes open and shut on their own. The casts of ghost-hunting TV shows have made their way through the building’s hallowed halls, each reporting something different. Opened in 1847, the Louisiana Old State Capitol has stood the test of time, and many know the historical events that occurred, such as the impeachment proceedings for former Gov. Huey P. Long. Not many, however, know Confederate Gov. Henry Watkins Allen is buried in the building’s lawn. Museum curator Lauren Davis said after the Civil War, Allen fled to Mexico, as did many other members of the Confederacy. He died in 1866, and his body eventually was moved to Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans. From there, it was exhumed and äSee CAPITOL, page 2G
BREC caters to Busy Bodies with slew of activities BY DARLENE DENSTORFF
pointed to a photo of the Busy Bodies group. “Don’t they look like they’re Gloria LeBlanc spent the having fun?” Smith said, addlast Wednesday of the year ing that the exercise program the same way she spends most stresses low-impact movement Wednesdays. She had her morn- for cardiovascular conditioning cup of coffee, exercised ing. Smith said having fun while with around 40 of her friends and played board games at you exercise is a key to keeping BREC Independence Park with fitness in your routine. Smith, 82, who has worked members of the Busy Bodies. It’s a routine LeBlanc recom- with BREC for 12 years, said mends for other seniors in the she enjoys meeting new people and helping folks stay active. Baton Rouge area. The average age of the Busy Sheila Smith, the center’s head of adult leisure programs, Bodies members is 80. Cheryl Michelet, director of said she stays busy organizing several senior programs for communications for BREC, folks like LeBlanc who want said programs like the senior to stay active. She started her exercise group and a popular day supervising the assembly Tea Dance held every week at of new table tennis equipment. BREC’s main building on FlorIn a room at the back of the park’s community center, Smith äSee BREC, page 2G ddenstorff@theadvocate.com
Advocate file photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING
Prairieville’s Claris Duhe, 72, tries to minimize the collision, as she and her partner, husband James Duhe, 84, far left, bump into Baton Rouge’s Morgan Cryer, 81, center, and his partner, Irma LeBlanc, 86, far right, of Denham Springs, at BREC’s weekly Tea Dance for senior citizens Nov. 17. The event, held in the ballroom at Milton J. Womack Recreation Center at BREC’s facility and administrative offices at 6201 Florida Blvd., attracted about 120 people. ‘We’re kind of like a big family,’ LeBlanc said. Several couples have gotten married after meeting at the event, dancers send each other get-well cards when one of them is sick and support is shown in other ways.
BREC taking entries for basketball tournament Darlene Denstorff AROUND THE SOUTHEAST
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Saturday is the entry deadline for BREC’s annual MLK Basketball Tipoff Classic, slated for Jan. 15-17 at Sports Academy, 1002 Laurel St. The tournament has a two-game guarantee. Age groups are 7-8, 9-10, 1112 and 13-14. Cost is $75 per team. Call (225) 344-9688.
Inclusive basketball
The ARC of Baton Rouge and BREC are partnering to offer noncompetitive, inclusive basketball leagues to participants ages 3 and older, with and without disabilities. Registration and Skills Day is from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at Kathy Drive Park,
1801 Kathy Drive. Register online at arcbatonrouge.org/ inclusiverecreation.html. The league will run every Saturday from Jan. 16 through March 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Introduction to the Internet
An “Introduction to the In-
ternet” class will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Jones Creek Regional Branch Library. Attendees need to know how to use a keyboard and a mouse. Registration is required; call (225) 756-1150. äSee SOUTHEAST, page 2G