News

Helping comes naturally

Helping others comes naturally to some people. One local woman has spent more than 30 years doing just that.

Judy Lejeune, 75, has spent most of her life working in retail situations. She said she has worked as a volunteer at the Jennings American Legion Hospital’s (JALH) gift shop for over 30 years.

“Long ago, I promised Mrs. Mary Bearden that once I retired from my real job, I would go help out at the hospital,” she said. “Right away, they wanted me to run the gift shop because I had so many years worth of retail experience.”

77.8M acres in Gulf of Mexico for August oil, gas lease sale

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal government will offer 77.8 million acres (31.5 million hectares) in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration and development on Aug. 21. An Interior Department statement says the lease sale will include 14,585 tracts. They’re in water 3 to 231 miles (5 to 370 kilometers) offshore and in water from 9 feet to more than 2 miles (3 to 3,400 meters) deep.

For the Birds

Evangeline First Baptist Church held its vacation Bible school this past week. Children enjoyed a variety of activities. At right, students in grades 1-3 painted bird houses. At left, Alyssa Leger adorned hers with yellow flowers.

 

IT’S AN ORANGUTAN! ENDANGERED SPECIES BORN AT AUDUBON ZOO

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s an orangutan! The Audubon Zoo has announced the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan to longtime inhabitant Feliz and Jambi , a male brought from Germany last fall.

The species has been drastically reduced by hunting and by destruction of the forests where they live. Fewer than 14,000 of the great apes with long red hair are believed to exist in the wild, and “overall numbers continue to decline dramatically ,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Elton tax would benefit campuses

ELTON — Voters in School District No. 22 will decide in November whether or not to support a bond issue that would allow for the majority of the elementary here to be rebuilt.

The bonds would be sold and repaid over 20 years through a 26 mills property tax estimated to generate $4 million over 20 years. District residents in Jeff Davis and Allen parishes currently pay a millage rate of 13.77 toward the school that will soon expire.

CELEBRATING 90 YEARS

One of the oldest and continuously operated golf courses in the State of Louisiana is celebrating its 90-year anniversary. The club’s original charter date was May, 29,1929.

“In June of 1929, the course began with 44.37 acres,” said General Manager Dwayne Guidry. “It began with a clubhouse on U.S. 90 and 100 members.”

Guidry said the Jeff Davis Holding Corporation bought 10.09 acres of land in 1945 and built the Jennings Country Club building in 1957.

Eventually, the club house was moved further down on Louise Street.

PJ audit reveals ethics violation

A recent audit report revealed some Jeff Davis Police Jurors may have violated a state ethics law.

The auditor’s report expressed an unqualified opinion on the basic financial statements of the Police Jury’s primary government for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2018.

“This is the best result of an audit that you can get,” said independent auditor J. Aaron Cooper, CPA. “You have two years worth of expenditures saved up and this is a really good place to be.”

City school bus routes listed

The school board has announced the proposed Jennings bus routes for the 2019-2020 school year. The routes are as follows:

• BERTHA BENOIT - Bus #311-GREEN FROG

Morning Pick-up

Pick-up Route 1: Picking up students on the following roads starting at 6:20 a.m. for WARD, JES and OLI: Lamb Dr., RV Park., Kilpatrick Dr., Hwy 26 N., Dave Williams Rd., Dama Landry Rd., Koll Rd., Peloquin Rd., Empire Rd., Hwy 102-South, Ordoneaux Rd., Edgewood Ln., Gary Rd., Sarver Lane, JD Academy Rd., Hwy 102-North, Englewood Dr.,

July is fig time in Louisiana

It’s July, and we have a couple of events to celebrate. For one, our nation’s Independence Day. And for the many who grow figs, this date has become synonymous with the harvest season. Figs are one of the most widely planted fruit trees in the Louisiana home landscape because they’re easy to grow and readily available. With little effort, some space in the yard and plenty of sunshine, anyone can grow trees that will produce nutritious figs every July .

Touchet elected to FFA state office

Jennings FFA was well represented at the recent 90th Louisiana State FFA Convention and Expo in Alexandria June 3-6, 2019. Trevor Touchet was elected to serve as State Vice-President representing Area III for the 2019-2020 year.