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THE NEWSPAPER OF AMERICA'S ANTIQUE CITY
APRIL 20, 2017 37th NUMBER 29
facebook.com/theponchatoulatimes www.ponchatoula.com/ptimes
Special to The Times
Few people know that interdepartmental parish and
gether in cooperative agreements to solve problems and
considerable time, effort and expense for both.
Little did Jeff Daniels
know he was in train-
ing for Ponchateula City
Councilman when he saw
first-hand how interde-
partmental agencies of the
parish and the city came
together to solve a major
drainage problem in his
Millville neighborhood
over a year ago.
Neighbors grew con-
cerned when each rain
brought more standing
water than ever before,
over the streets and final-
ly inches from houses. The
city does not have the man-
power or equipment for
clearing canals, so work-
ing with Mayor Bob Zab-
bia and the city crew, and
knowing so many people
from his years with Enter-
gy, Daniels contacted Dis-
trict Administrator Kylie
Bates the Tangipahoa
By KATHRYN J. MARTIN
city agencies often come to- Special to The Times
make improvements, saving With so many planned events occurring nearly every day and multiple project,,
underway all the time, Ponchatoula is expanding its reach to the public to include ai
updated website and presence on social media.
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Working together
Ponchatoula City Councilman Jeff Daniels and
Kiley Bates of the Tangipahoa Parish Gravity
PLEASE SEE PAGE 10
Parish avity Drainage .Drainage District Number 1. ( Courtesy Photo )
District Number
Bates was joined by each homeowner to do iels was approached by
Chuck Spangler of Span- what was needed to clear numerous people asking
gler Fingineering to in-the canal. Daniels col-him to run for city coun-
lected the signatures for cilman to fill an upcoming
vestigate. Walking every
inch of ditches and canals, Parish Councilmen Bobbyvacancy, which he won.
Spangler found blockage Cortez and Harry LavineKiley Bates continues to
from erosion in a canal,to present to the parish be of valuable assistance
(Constriction in a channel along with a request for from the parish in consult-
creates backwater which assistance. After approval, ing due to his experience
incre J es velocity causing work was begun, as well as his Industrial
more erosion.) The parish did the Technical education at
Further investigation work, the city assumed Millsaps and engineering
showed the canal did notthe responsibility, and the degree from Southeastern
belong to the city or to the canal was cleared, aiding and LSU.
parish, but to each horn- drainage from properties This example is one of
eowner along it. even north of Millville. many in which the City
This meant getting It was because of his in-
signed permission from terest and help that Dan-
Free Louisiana boating
safety course this Saturday
The Louisiana department of Wildlife and Fisher-
ies in conjunction with the Manchac Boat Association
will hold a boaters safety course this Saturday, April
22, from 8:00am - 4:30p.m. at the Manchac Fire Depart-
ment 30221 US 51 in Manchac.
This event is free, openmotorboat in excess of 10
to the public, and lunchhorsepower. The person
will be provided at no may operate the boat if
charge. Louisiana law re- accompanied by someone
quires all persons born af- over 18 years of age who
ter January 1, 1984, must if required has completed
complete a boating educa- the course.
tion course and carry proof This class will lasts be-
of completion to operate a tween 6 and 8 hours that
is usually completed in a
day. The course includes
information on choosing a
boat, classification, hulls,
motors, legal requirements
and equipment require-
ments, many navigation
rules, navigation charts,
trailering, sailboats, and
Em : F m me mm
,libra
related subjects that in-
elude canoeing, personal
watercraft and more. Com-
pletion of the course will
result inthe student being
issued a vessel operators
certification card. Boating
Classes with LDWF are
offered year-round but are
most popular in the spring
and summer.
Registration is still open
with 25 of 40 seats remain-
ing. Register now at http://
www.wlf.louisiana.gov/
boating/courses.
John Barnes of Gum-
beaux Digital Branding,
LLC, is the designer of the
"City of Ponchatoula Web-
site News."
Barnes brings over 22
years of experience in the
field beginning with his
developing military pro-
grams before becoming a
contractor with the De-
partment of Defense and
now in oil and gas. But all
along he has been a free-
lancer in web design, ana-
lytics and development, to
name only a few areas of
his expertise.
Stating his views on
the rapidly-growing area,
Barnes' message is that
whether a person moved
here after Katrina or is
here temporarily after
flooding, "If you carry
yourself accor gly, we
adopt you. While the 2:ip
of the spear' is growth and
sustaining, we are still a
family community."
To keep that "fam-
ily community" well-in-
formed, the website makes
it easy to reach any de-
partment and staff mem-
ber, report a problem, pay
a bill on-line, or simply
ask a question.
Barnes operates on the
principles of what he calls
two very simple efforts,
"authenticity and commu-
nication."
Mayor Bob Zabbia add-
ed that one of the goals
Latest objection
threatens to delay schools
desegregation case
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Publisher
The long slow slog to getting Tangipahoa Parish's
school system in compliance with federal Civil Rights
laws has hit another obstacle on the road to recognized
desegregation of our local schools.
In short, citizens are Mike Whitlow.
now suing in an apparentThe jargon used in the
bid to thwart attempts by legal battle itself begs for
Tangipahoa Parish schoolthe use of a special trans-
leaders to be rewarded for lator, and the dialogue
progress made to overcome appears to be getting naN-
all six major objections to tier.
the school board coming The most recent court
out from under close su-filing is rife with charges
pervision by the federalof official "sabotage" and
courts, accusations of basic rac-
The motion recently ism by top schOol elected
filed in federal court comes and appointed officials.
under the official heading: And because the case
"Plaintiffs' opposition to has dragged on so long, it
motion for unitary status remains unclear wheth-
facilities." er the serious charges it
Each of the six legal ob- contains were directed at
stacles to settling the case then-President Brett Dun-
takes a minimum of threecan of Hammond, or cur-
years to address and bring rent Board President Mike
to the court's satisfaction, Whitlow of Ponchatoula.
which when complete trig- What is this "unitary
gers "unitary status." status" the school board
At that time the local seeks in the courts?
school board, not the fed- To quote from the lat-
eral authorities, would est legal document fried
once again control Tan- to block the school board's
gipahoa schools, according painfully slow progress to
to School Board President PLEASE SEE PAGE 10
of the city is to help Pon-
chatoula citizens stay cur-
rentwith any news coming
out of City Hall. The site
and its accompanying Fa-
cebook pa e will also in-
elude the latest newspaper
and online articles.
Visit www.cityofpon-
chatoula.com for the ,new
"look".
By O
THE AIJ.,IGATOR
Somewhere hidden in our municipal calendar is the con-
tinuation of what founders Jimmy Kuhn and Phillip Hextall
long called Ponchatoula's Easter Bonnet Stroll, now re-
imagined as the Krewe of Erin Easter Bonnet Gala, which
is meant to be a fundraiser for the krewe's Terry Ann Mc-
Mahon Memorial L~b~th at Rosaryville.
The event has been postponed to a date you can count on
reading here, when it is released.
Terry Ann McMahon is credited with introducing Mon-
tessori Education to Ponchatoula through her Magnolia
Montessori School in downtown Ponehatoula, graduates
of which have consistently finished in Ponchatoula High
School's top-10 and have gone on to local positions of premi-
hence in government and in business.
The fundraiser Gala had to be postponed to a date soon
to be announced due to the flurry of Easter activity, which
holds special significance for the Irish. It was on Easter
Monday of 1916 that Ireland rebelled against its longtime
oppressor and declared its independence after the country's
top educator, Patrick Pearse, and a group of Irish patriots
seized the General Post Office (GPO) in downtown Dublin
and made their armed stand.
The Krewe of Erin Easter Gala honors the memory of the
founder and longtime Queen Mother of the krewe's Queen's
Committee who helped guide the young Celtic reyals along
the path of scholarship and womanly virtue for nearly 30
years.
Nearing the end of her life and fighting breast cancer,
Terry Ann McMahon made pilgrimage to labyrinths here
and in Europe, finding peace and solace in their ancient
Catholic meditative walks. Rosaryvine has generously
made a place for her memorial Labyrinth on its beautiful
Ponehatoula campus.
The Labyrinth and Other Krewe of Erin projects are the
responsibility of current krewe leader, breast cancer sur-
vivor, and accomplished nurse, Mrs. Jane Hextall and her
committees.
It was Jane HextaU who cared for her friend to the end,
flying aboard a medical shuttle put together by krewe
member and pilot Erin Pierce, transporting the beloved
Ponchatoula educator to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston, Texas, in a desperate yet futile attempt to save
her life.
Thanks again to Erin Pierce, when the fight turned hope-
less, Terry Ann McMahon was flown home to Louisiana
where she passed away December 30, 2009.
Today, the current Queen's Committee is headed by one
of the krewe's queens (they hold their title for life) Erin
March, a local educator at Martha Vinyard Elementary.
From the queenly to the kingly:
How much have you missed Hank, gadfly, artist, charac-
ter, raconteur, and any other creatively suggestive appella-
tion you might want to hang on him; they all fit?
Hank escaped Florida and is back with us here in Pon-
chatoula! I spotted the Ponchatoula sculptoFs man-size tri-
cycle in the Rouses parking lot, his long wild beard trailing
in the wind and knew that Hank Van Den Akker, Ole Har-
dhide's personal portrait artist, had returned to the land of
his friends and admirers.
Give me the Characters every time to define a commu-
nity. I mentioned Jeanne Zaleski and Ruthie Berner last
week, and that's because they are the perfect example of two
bad girls who drove their principal nuts.
Am I the only one yearning for admission to the Mayor
Bob Zabbia Memorial Parking Lot? This federally-funded
addition to our downtown cityscape will have everything but
a spaceship refueling dock, judging by all the gizmos spring-
ing from the virgin concrete of the location on West Hickory
at North Sixth.
One of the things the Ponchateula City Council could re-
ally use is the return of Jeannemarie Pierson and Margaret
Hawkins. Call it the womanly touch. Or call it ()le Hardhide
the Alligator feeling bored to tears.
The Ponchatoula Times - Call 985-386-2877 - P.O. Box 743 - Ponchatoula, LA 70454-0743 - editor@ponchatoula.com
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