Water, sewer rates going up in Zachary
Leila Pitchford
AROUND ZACHARY
Fall baseball registration is open
T-Ball, 8U, 10U, and 12U divisions are gearing up for a season at Zachary Youth Park
Registration closes July 31. Games run Sept 18-Oct. 23 at Zachary Youth Park Register players and coaches on the SportsPlus app at zacharyyouthpark.org/registration
Pastalaya sale planned
The Zachary Rotary is holding a pastalaya sale July 31 from 11 a.m. until sold out. Pick up is at Zachary City Hall, 47600 Main St. Delivery is available for prepaid orders of 10 or more within Zachary Text (225) 936-6523 to set up delivery The Zachary Fire Department is preparing the meal. Cash, check and Venmo @ZacharyRotaryClub will be accepted.
Back to school information
n Online registration for Extended Day (available for Pre-K through sixth grade students) ends at noon July 25. Register your child by logging into your School Cash account at zacharyschools.schoolcashonline.com. Beginning July 28, register for Extended Day at the child’s school The application will not be considered complete until the registration fee is paid. Once the application form is submitted, the fee will be posted to your School Cash Online account within 24 hours (not including weekends) and must be paid to complete the application.
n The Zachary Early Learning Center is accepting applications for prekindergarten for the 2025-26 school year Applications are in the front office, 4400 Rollins Place Road, Zachary Registration is $60 and includes all supplies, field trip shirt and field trips. Call (225) 654-6011 for information Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Monday through Thursday
n Parents with students in the Zachary Community School District can find lists of supplies and fees for the upcoming school year at tinyurl com/523wjk5k. A description of the dress code is at tinyurl. com/msx2j2sz.
n All students who need bus transportation for the 20252026 school year must request bus service by visiting tinyurl. com/mremc46m. For questions, contact First Student at (225) 654-9729.
Back to school events
n The Zachary Men’s Club will have food, games and other activities at 10 a.m. Aug 2.
n The Dr Martin Luther King Jr Committee of Zachary will hold its Back to School Giveaway from 10 a.m. until supplies run out Aug. 2 at the Zachary High School Gym, 4100 Bronco Lane. School supplies, sno-balls and other refreshments will be available as well as the bookmobile. Attendees are asked to bring a canned good to donate. For information or to sign up as a vendor, contact Johnnie Evans (225) 933-6431 or Tina Clark (225) 202-1076.
Zoo to host car show
The inaugural Rumble in the Jungle will roll into town Nov 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., bringing together car lovers,
ä See AROUND, page 2G
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Zachary City Council members agreed July 8 to adopt higher rates for city water and sewer services but they held off on approving a new technology fee that would be charged to all utilities customers.
Water rates for users inside city
limits will now pay a flat fee of $12.77 up from $12.40 each month. For every 1,000 gallons of water they use, they’ll be charged $2.39 instead of $2.32. The average Zachary customer uses about 9,000 gallons of water a month. Outside city limits, water customers will see their monthly flat rate of $24 rise to $24.72, and the per-1,000-gallons rate of $2.99 will increase to $3.08. Seniors, who currently pay a $2.32 flat fee plus $2.32 per 1,000 gallons of water, will now be charged $2.39 for both rates. Sewer fees, previously $17.27 a month, will go up to $18. Council members voiced little objection to the rate increases, which chief financial officer Deanna Mankins said are needed to off-
set rising costs. The council had questions, however, about a new $2 technology fee. The panel will reconsider whether to implement the fee at its Aug. 12 meeting.
The fee would be charged to all Zachary utilities customers, regardless of whether they use all
ä See RATES, page 2G
‘Second star to the right ... ’
Erin O’Neal, dressed as Mable, and Joshua Tiede,
Zachary library branch hosts Peter Pan play
On July 12, the Zachary Branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library hosted the “Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.”
Erin O’Neal and Joshua Tiede played several roles aided by audience members.
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Ethan McMenis, 4, Evie Stern, 5, and Katherine Prevost, 8, join Joshua Tiede, who’s playing one of the Lost Boys, to play the other Lost Boys during the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.’
28 dogs euthanized after police break up dogfighting ring
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
Thirty dogs were seized and the majority euthanized after Zachary Police broke up a dogfighting ring based out of a Baker warehouse
Tuesday
Five people were arrested for their roles in the dogfighting enterprise, as well as for possessing drugs and laundering money For over two months, Zachary Police Department detectives investigated two families for alleged narcotic distribution, finding multiple addresses in East Baton Rouge Parish that were being used to facilitate their crimes.
One of the addresses was a warehouse in the 3000 block of Baker Boulevard, where the suspects promoted and operated a dogfighting ring, a release from Zachary police said. At the warehouse, officers found treadmills, steroids, vitamins and protein used to enhance the fighting dogs. Following a raid at the address, animal control seized 30 dogs, transporting them to a local shelter. However, 28 of the 30 animals were euthanized in accordance with state law, a spokesperson for Companion Animal Alliance said. Louisiana state law has a process for deeming a dog dangerous or vi-
cious, which could lead to a judge ruling that the animal must be euthanized. However, in situations where animals are captured following a raid on a dogfighting operation, it is assumed that the seized animals are vicious and are required to be put down. The 28 animals were euthanized Tuesday night, a spokesperson for the shelter said. The dogs that have not been euthanized have the opportunity to be rehomed, the shelter’s spokesperson said. However, it will be at the discretion of East Baton Rouge Animal Control as to what will happen with the animals.
Companion Animal Alliance is not accepting offers to adopt the dogs at this time.
In total, five arrests were made July 8, for a host of drug, gun and cruelty to animal charges. Terry Wilson, 42, of Zachary, was booked on: n Five counts of aggravated cruelty to animals n Seven counts of dogfighting n Possession of narcotics n Possession of drug paraphernalia n Transactions involving proceeds from drugs n Money laundering
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
dressed as Lenny, are the actors for the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.
or just some of the city’s services, which include water, sewer and gas.
Mankins said the fee will support smart meters for gas and water, payment platforms and generators as well as a system that monitors for potential problems at sewer lift stations and water towers.
“It gives alerts whenever anything goes wrong with either of those pieces of equipment,” she said. “The person on call receives notification so we can catch things before they become a big problem.”
Mankins said the fee is an equitable way of raising cash for the utilities systems. When she developed the proposal, she said, she wanted to avoid placing too much of a burden on users of any one service.
“I tried to keep the rates for the specific services comparable to the expenses that we’re paying to run those services and then tack on that $2 across the board to cover the technology,” she said. “We’re not for profit, right? We have to have a positive bottom line, but we don’t want to overcharge people either We try to keep it as close to what we’re paying for and add a little bit for replacing equipment.”
Some council members still had reservations and wondered whether additional usage rate increases would be a better alternative.
“With the $2, I don’t have a choice to reduce my consumption,” said council member Ambre DeVirgilio. “I don’t have a choice as a customer, and it does raise my bill.”
“But if we’re trying to raise revenue in general,” Mankins responded, “It’s got to come from somewhere, so somebody’s bill is going to go up.”
Mankins urged the council to make up its mind soon about whether to begin charging the technology fee. She said the council has known about the proposed rate increases and new fee since a budget workshop in May
“We’ve set our budget — y’all voted on it — and it started a week ago,” she said. “I can make any calculation that you want but the raises went into effect last week. Our contracts that we’ve signed for various things started July 1. So the longer we put it off, the farther in the hole that we get.”
AROUND
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families and animal enthusiasts.
On
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Delvekio Neff, 40, of Zachary, was booked on:
n 29 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals
n 29 counts of dogfighting
n Possession of a firearm by a felon n Possession of drug paraphernalia
n Transactions involving proceeds from drugs
n Money laundering Terry Neff, 61, of Zachary, was booked on:
n 29 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals
n 29 counts of dogfighting n possession of drug paraphernalia n possession of a firearm by a felon Two women were arrested as well, Daisy Holiday, 29, and Er-
inn Watson, 38, but their charges were not yet available in police records.
Multiple agencies, including the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, East and West Feliciana Parish sheriff’s offices and the Louisiana State Police Narcotics Division assisted with the investigation by executing search warrants.
“I am extremely proud of our Detectives for their thorough investigation. The Zachary Police
Department is committed to the safety of our city and surrounding areas,” Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence said in a release. “Thank you to all Law Enforcement Agencies for their roles in this investigation, seizures and arrests. Additionally, thank you to Animal Control for safely removing the dogs and providing them with care and treatment.”
Email Quinn Coffman at quinn. coffman@theadvocate.com.
Vehicle registration is open through Oct. 10. Visit brzoo.org/ rumble for registration details and event updates.
At the library in July
This event will showcase an array of vehicles — from classic cruisers to custom builds set against the backdrop of the zoo grounds. Attendees can enjoy a full day of animal encounters, family-friendly activities and cars, included with the price of admission.
Heather Kinsel, the artist of the resin geode artwork display at the Zachary Branch Library, 1900
Church St., will meet with patrons at 10 a.m. July 19.
The Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library, 13600 Pride-Port Hudson Road, will host “Lethal Luau: Murder Mystery Game” for 20-somethings at 5 p.m. July 16.
Festival coming soon
Downtown Live will present the third annual Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival from 5 p.m.
to 9 p.m. Aug. 8 and from 4 p.m.
to 9 p.m. Aug. 9 at BREC Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway Visit facebook. com/p/Zachary-Really-Hot-AirBalloon-Festival-100093362362338/ for the concert schedule and other information.
Having a summer event?
If you are hosting a summer camp, vacation Bible school or other event open to the public, send us the information to run in this space. Emails are zachary@theadvocate.com for the Zachary area and extra@theadvocate.com for the Felicianas.
Send news and events for the Zachary area to zachary@ theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
Erin O’Neal, as Captain Hook, comes out to scare the Lost Boys during the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
The Zachary community comes out to support and watch the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.’
Erin O’Neal is Wendy, playing with her dog, Nana, in the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.
Joshua Tiede plays the main character Peter Pan.
Saturday, the Zachary Library hosted the ‘Bright Star Theater Presents Peter Pan.
BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is having to reduce the amount of food it can provide to clients in the face of cuts to federal aid, the nonprofit said Thursday It is the second cutback in rations in the past year, the organization said.
The reduction comes even as the food bank reports a steady increase in the number of clients seeking help each month due to ongoing inflation impacts, rising food costs and a 40% reduction in federal food support since 2024.
This past spring, the nonprofit went from being able to provide 25 pounds of food per person each month to 20 pounds. Now, that number is dropping to 15 pounds, closer to the national average of 13.5 pounds.
The food bank serves about 55,000 people every month, providing boxed groceries to more than 140 member agencies in an 11-parish area.
For many years “we were at 25 pounds per person, because we were very fortunate,” said Mike Manning, president and CEO of the food bank.
The food bank, founded 41 years ago and located at 10600 S. Choctaw Drive, provides canned fruit and canned vegetables, some produce and protein “if we have any” to its member agencies, Manning said “We provide them sufficient food based on the census at each agency,” he said.
Mark Antoine, director of the Zachary Food Pantry on Rollins Road, said the all-volunteer organization receives 80% of what it distributes from the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank In the fiscal year that ended on June 30, that was more than 231,000 pounds of food, Antoine said.
The Zachary pantry served 2,629 households during that time, providing food to 8,990 people, he said.
The community — through food barrels, churches, service organizations and individuals — is a strong supporter of the Zachary pantry, Antoine said.
But the amount the pantry has been able to provide has dropped from fiscal year 2023-24, when it was about 40 pounds per person, to fiscal year 2024-25, when it was about 32 pounds per person, he said
“When that 80% we get from the Greater Baton
Rouge Food Bank goes down, what we give out goes down,” Antoine said.
In another blow to nonprofit food agencies, the USDA this year stopped providing funding for food banks to buy from small local farms, Manning said.
The Baton Rouge food bank said it also is anticipating “sweeping changes” to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which provides food benefits to low-income families.
Legislation recently approved by Congress is expected to cut $186 billion from SNAP over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“We don’t know how that will impact the individuals we serve,” Manning said Thursday
Due to the effects of inflation, some people are already coming back to food distribution organizations “after no longer needing us,” he said.
“If there were ever a time where we are really going to need support from our community to help our friends and neighbors — now is that time,” Manning said.
Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate. com.
