| May 31,
2003 |
Lord
of the Ring
John Johnson lives in Texas
now, but in the 80s he lived in Utah and, in the 60s, graduated from
Hahnville High School, then located in Hahnville. The high school
class ring he got in 1969 has made the same journey, but made the
last leg many years after its owner. |
| May 31,
2003 |
Parent
sues school board, employees for 'abuse'
A lawsuit has been filed
against the St. Charles Parish School Board, former New Sarpy Elementary
first grade teacher Dani O’Hara and former New Sarpy Elementary Principal
Frederick Treuting. The case, heard on May 13 in the 29th Judicial
Court, is expected to be decided upon in the next couple of weeks
by Judge Kirk Granier. |
| May 31,
2003 |
Council
to take up mosquito control
With the news that the West
Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Norco, the St. Charles
Parish Council will debate an ordinance Monday night to provide for
expanded encephalitis surveillance and transmission suppression with
Mosquito Control, Inc., the company in charge of keeping the population
of the insect down in the parish. |
| May 28,
2003 |
St.
Charles Teachers of the Year honored
The teachers of the year
were recently selected by St. Charles Public Schools. Teachers were
chosen from four categories: Primary, Upper Elementary, Middle, and
High Schools. One teacher from each category was selected as the overall
teacher of the year (TOY). |
| May 28,
2003 |
Hilaire
urges action on Airline 'deathtrap'
Councilman Desmond J. Hilaire
of District One has joined the voices calling for action on the six-mile
stretch of Airline Drive bordered by a canal that has claimed seven
lives in the last two years. |
| May 24,
2003 |
HHS,
DHS announce 2003 Vals and Sals
With the end of another
school year and the graduation of another class of young adults in
St. Charles Parish, the time has come to announce the top students
at the local high schools. This week, Hahnville High School named
Hunter Sims its 2003 Valedictorian and Devin Naquin the 2003 Salutatorian,
while Destrehan High School named Ronald L. Schumann III Valedictorian
and Angela Graebert Salutatorian.
|
| May 24,
2003 |
Geo-scientists
say coastal land loss to continue
Scientists from the U.S.
Geological Survey and other federal and state agencies are reporting
that Louisiana lost approximately 1,900 square miles of coastal land,
primarily coastal marshes, during the 20th century and could lose
another 700 square miles over the next 50 years if no new restoration
takes place. |
| May 24,
2003 |
School
district presents staff achievement awards
St. Charles Parish Public
Schools recently honored school system employees with staff achievement
awards. The awards were given to honor staff members who do an outstanding
job in supporting students, motivating students or colleagues, and
demonstrating commitment, dedication, and excellence.
|
| May 21,
2003 |
Four-car pileup on Airline reignites
canal worries
Another accident on Airline
Drive Monday reignited fears about the canal that has already claimed
at least six lives this year. A four-car pileup partially submerged
one car in the six-mile canal, which in some places is up to 30
feet deep.
|
| May 21,
2003 |
Council
approves Sunset Drainage subsidy, lower than in past
The St. Charles Parish Council
voted Monday night to approve the annual subsidy for the Sunset Drainage
District, but this year’s subsidy will fall short of what the district
has received in the past. |
| May 21,
2003 |
Davis
Pond levee work nearing completion
Davis Pond officials are
aiming to complete work on the west guide levee by the end of next
week clearing the way for water to be diverted from the Mississippi
River into the Barataria Estuary. The work began in March to raise
the levee in three different areas from Hwy 90 to Cypress Canal.
|
| May 17,
2003 |
Valero
buys Orion refinery
Orion Refining Corporation
announced Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement to sell
its refinery to Valero Energy Corporation. |
| May 17,
2003 |
Bystanders
save trucker from being Airline canal's next victim
The canal along Airline
Drive, alias U.S. Highway 61, missed claiming its seventh victim of
the year Wednesday afternoon when two bystanders rescued a truck driver
whose vehicle swerved into the water. |
| May 17,
2003 |
Reading
program helps local district with accountability
As the No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) legislation requires states to adopt strict accountability
measures, schools are looking at ways to help ensure all students
are prepared to rise to the challenge. The “Reading Recovery” program
in place at elementary schools in St. Charles has been touted by officials
as helpful for students to meet the higher standards put forward by
NCLB. |
| May 14,
2003 |
Drought
conditions continue for fifth week
The lack of rain in the
area for the past five weeks has officials worried about effects the
drought will have on local crops as well as area lawns. The last recorded
rainfall in the area took place in early April when a heavy deluge
caused some street flooding. |
| May 14,
2003 |
March
unemployment up in St. Charles, down in Louisiana
St. Charles Parish’s unemployment
rate stood at 5.4 percent for March, up from 4.4 percent in March
of 2002 and 5.3 percent in February 2003. Though there were a reported
21,000 employed residents and 1,200 in March of this year, a year
ago those numbers stood at 20,800 employed and 1,000 unemployed.
|
| May 14,
2003 |
LEAP
failure rate improves statewide, remains steady locally
Louisiana students fared
better than ever this spring on the state’s high-stakes exams, showing
improvement in overall scores and in the number of students achieving
at higher levels. In all grades tested, math scores improved significantly
and more students achieving at higher levels. |
| May 10,
2003 |
Local
youth return from missionary trip
Two Destrehan youth recently
returned from a missionary trip to San Blas, a small island off the
coast of Panama. Siblings Adam and Ali Conrad went to the mission
along with mother Jana and another member from Hickory Knoll Church
of Christ in Harahan, where the Conrads are members.
|
| May 10,
2003 |
Local
Marine has far-reaching roots
Every military mother with
sons or daughters serving in Iraq is naturally concerned with the
safety of her family. For Betty Russell of Destrehan, it is a concern
her family is well used to. |
| May 10,
2003 |
Fasola
given life in prison
Michael Fasola, the Metairie
man convicted of murdering his friend and dumping the body under I-10
nearly four years ago, was sentenced to life in prison by a St. Charles
Parish jury Tuesday. |
| May 7,
2003 |
Health
center opens for business
St. Charles Parish took
a step forward in Health Care Monday morning with the opening ceremonies
for the new St. Charles Community Health Center. |
| May 7,
2003 |
Parish
agrees to install culverts
After some debate Monday
evening, the St. Charles Parish Council passed an ordinance which
states that the parish will install any culverts for property owners
filling in open swail ditches. |
| May 3,
2003 |
Lakewood
unveils Habitat Garden
Students at Lakewood Elementary
have found working with shovels and trowels to be as rewarding as
pencils and paper. Thursday afternoon, Lakewood cut the ribbon on
its new student-built Habitat Garden. |
| May 3,
2003 |
Mosquito
Control outlines battle with West Nile
With mosquito season definitely
underway in the river parishes, Wayne Machado and Mosquito Control,
Inc. have their hands full trying to keep the bug population down
and keeping a vigilant eye out for disease. |
| May 3,
2003 |
Voucher
initiatives rejected by committee
The House Education Committee
defeated three measures which would have allowed students in failing
public schools attend private and parochial institutions using state
money. The panel, whose members have traditionally been anti-voucher,
rejected a measure by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, an across-the-board
proposal and a bill touted as a limited pilot program.
|
