News

By Pam Folse

The St. James Parish Council is making another attempt to sell the St. James Youth Detention Center near the Sunshine Bridge.

At their meeting in Convent last week, Council members unanimously passed a resolution authorizing Parish President Timmy Roussel to proceed with the disposal of the property.

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By David Reynaud

The legal battle between St. James Parish Director of Operations Blaise Gravois and prosecutors with 23rd Judicial District Attorney Ricky Babin’s office will continue following a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that affirmed part, reversed part, and remanded (sent back) 23rd Judicial District Judge Jessie LeBlanc’s ruling to quash/dismiss all five counts of Malfeasance in Office charges against Gravois.

Gravois, on September 28, 2016, was indicted by a St. James Parish Grand Jury on five counts of Malfeasance in Office for allegedly using parish employees, equipment and funds to install a free gas line for a galvanizing company; for drilling piles on private property; for removing a shed on private property; for demolishing a mobile home on private property; and for removing a playhouse and debris from private property.

By Pam Folse

In 1875, Captain William Lafayette Burton, a Kentucky native, operated a floating sawmill on barges in the Mississippi River, from which he milled logs for local plantation owners.

Burton bought a plantation of his own in St. James Parish and his holdings included some ten to twelve thousand acres in the swamp adjoining the river. Burton built a sawmill on the land to produce cypress lumber there.

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The Festival of the Bonfires, to say the least, is a survivor.

For starters, the Festival and its organizers deserve a pat on the back for keeping the 2017 Festival up and running this past weekend despite many obstacles, most out of which were out of their control, that the group had to overcome.

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Let It Snow!

When the weather forecasters predicted a chance of snow for parts of South Louisiana early last week, I’m not sure many really thought that much of the State, and as far south as St. James Parish, would be covered with five or more inches of snow.

As I drove around taking in the rare event, there were kids chucking snowballs at each other, snowmen (some big, some small) littering the yards of homes, and there was the occasional youngster snowboarding/ cardboarding down the Mississippi River levee.

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On Saturday, December 2, 2017, at approximately 11:09 a.m., the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office received and responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting that took place at Wag-A-Pak convenience store in Vacherie.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered a black male lying face down in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.

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All you Zebra fans are in for a very special early Christmas present! The 1970’s-present hard rock band is booked and will kick-off the 2017

Festival of the Bonfires this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Zebra, founded in 1975 in New Orleans, is comprised of Randy Jackson (guitar and vocals), Felix Hanemann (bass, keyboards and vocals) and Guy Gelso (drums and vocals), and the band has rocked audiences from New Orleans to Long Island, New York. This Thursday’s concert goers will also be treated to special guest band Image, who will open up for Zebra.

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By Pam Folse Contributing Writer

Jarred Favorite will replace Kendricks Brass as the new interim District 6 representative on the St. James Parish Council. Favorite was appointed unanimously at the Council meeting held Wednesday, November 29th, in Vacherie.

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