THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, s e p t e m b e r 18, 2024
10TH YEAR, NO. 49
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People are moving to Zachary area Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Voter Registration Week underway Voter Registration Week runs through Friday, Sept 20. The week has activities aimed at registering Louisiana citizens to vote ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Oct. 7, and the deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is Oct. 15. To register and vote in Louisiana, individuals must: n be a U.S. citizen n be at least 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles) to register and 18 years old before the next election to vote n not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony or, if under such an order, not have been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years, and not be under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offense pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1461.2 n not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights n be a resident in the state and parish in which they seek to register and vote n apply at least 20 days before an election if registering online or 30 days before an election if registering in person or by mail. Citizens with a valid Louisiana driver’s license or Louisiana ID card can register online 24 hours a day, seven days a week by visiting https://voterportal.sos.la.gov. Louisiana residents can also register in person at their parish Registrar of Voters Office, when they apply for or renew their driver’s license at any Office of Motor Vehicles, or when obtaining services at public assistance agencies and Armed Forces recruitment offices.
Baker Buffalo Festival coming The 2024 Baker Buffalo Festival is Oct. 24-26 at the Municipal Center, 3325 Groom Road. Events include a parade with a float and marching band contest, live music, rides, food, vendors, car show and more. Parking is free. Vendors need to register. For information, call (225) 778-0300 or Ashley Williams at awilliams@city of baker.com.
Hunter sight-in set The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office invites the public to its annual Hunter’s Sight-in Program from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 20. This event gives hunters the opportunity to make sure hunting and sporting rifles are safely zeroed-in before the opening of hunting season. The event is at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office Firearms Training facility, 999 W. Irene Road, Zachary. n All weapons will be sighted in by the range staff only. n All weapons must be in good working condition. n Firearm must be unloaded.
Study shows newcomers don’t include students
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
For years, prevailing wisdom has held that people move to Zachary for the schools. And with the area’s population growing in recent years and several new subdivisions being proposed, many residents have become concerned about the potential strain this trend
will put on local schools. A recently completed demographic study commissioned by the Zachary Community School District, however, begs to differ. It’s true that more people have moved into the district — but demographer Mike Hefner’s study found that many of them are older and do not have school-aged children. That means schools haven’t seen a large spike in enrollment. Hefner presented these and other findings to the School Board at its Sept. 3 meeting. He said the number of people living inside the boundaries of the district — which extend
beyond Zachary city limits — grew by 23% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. In 2022, it was estimated that 26,753 people resided within district lines. “Your largest group that grew between 2017 and 2022 was your 65- to 74-year-old age group,” Hefner said. “That was followed by your 45- to 54-years-of-age age group. Those are the ones that typically move in when their kids are already through the school system. So they’re not bringing preK-12 students with them.”
ä See MOVING, page 2G
ZHS swim team dives into season with big splash
PROVIDED PHOTO BY SHARON PHILLIPS
Metro Councilman Brandon Noel accepts a certificate from Zachary City Councilwoman Ambre DeVirgilio honoring Noel’s recent selection as mayor-president pro tempore.
Council honors Noel, volunteers BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
From a Metro Council member to several volunteer organizations, the Zachary City Council dedicated much of its Aug. 27 meeting to honoring those who have made a difference in the community. First up was Brandon Noel, who represents the Zachary area on the parishwide Metro Council and recently was named mayor-president pro tempore. “It is the very first time in the history of our parish that Metro District 1 has held the mayor pro tempore seat,” said Zachary Councilwoman Ambre DeVirgilio. Noel, who previously served on the Zachary City Council, said he was surprised when his fellow Metro Council members selected him for the position. “I actually nominated someone else for the role, and it ended up coming full circle to me,” he said. “I am very thankful for my colleagues’ trust in me.” Noel assured Zachary officials that he will
The Zachary High swim team under the leadership of coach Julie Peveto began the 2024 season with a major splash with a dual meet (835-702) victory over Denham Springs High School on Aug. 27. In the opener Joseph Johnson and Jamarcus Samuel each had two wins. Johnson’s time in the 50 and 100 freestyle already qualified him for the Division 1 state meet. Ava Ordonio was a double winner for the girls in the 100 and 200 freestyle while Evelyn Warren Deroche posted Division I State Brady meet qualifying times in the 50 ZACHARY free and 200 IM. SPORTS In the Capital City Swim League kickoff Meet on Sept. 9 at Crawfish Aquatics the Broncos girls finished 5th overall and the boys finish third. Deroche qualified for the Division I State meet in the 110 butterfly. The girls registered 9 personal best times on the data and the boys posted 17 personal bests. Joseph’s times in the 200 and 500 freestyle qualified him for state. On the 2024 season, Peveto said, “I am very excited to see what this team will do as there is lots of potential for great swims and growth to come.” She emphasized the importance of preparation when she said “they have been training every well and putting in the work toward their goals.” To expedite this progress Peveto has added two additional morning practices this year to give the Broncos the opportunity to improve, and she noted that “they are taking advantage of them.”
ä See BRADY, page 3G
continue to make time to help them. “It doesn’t change what I do for you all,” he said. “I’m still here for you. My office is open, and I’m willing to do anything I can to help you represent your constituents, which are in turn my constituents.” Next, several volunteer groups were recognized. “Thank you for all that you do for our community,” DeVirgilio told the volunteers. “And I hope that this message tonight gets out — that others can join us. Even if it’s a small role, we all have work to do, and this helps build our community and create a sense of closeness. This is what keeps Zachary the smalltown community that we love.” DeVirgilio and Councilman John LeBlanc presented certificates to the groups. Those recognized included: n The Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival Committee, which works year round to plan the event. This year’s festival was held Aug. 10.
ä See COUNCIL, page 4G
PHOTO BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Tiffany Blackwell, left of No Kid Hungry, is pictured with Bianca Coats, child nutrition supervisor for Zachary schools.
Zachary plans to serve ‘second chance’ breakfast BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
ä See AROUND, page 2G
Organizers of the Zachary Back to School Family Day were honored at the Zachary City Council’s Aug. 27 meeting. From left are Crystal McGhee, Ginger Lumpkins, Councilman John LeBlanc, Faline Keller and Cynthia Bentley.
Some kids don’t like to eat first thing in the morning. At Zachary High School, students who don’t enjoy early meals will soon be able to take advantage of a “second chance” breakfast after their first classes of the day. The initiative is being funded by a $9,000 grant the school district recently received from No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit organization. The school board heard about the effort at its Sept. 3 meeting. Bianca Coats, Zachary’s child nutrition supervisor, applied for the grant in hopes of increasing breakfast participation numbers,
ä See BREAKFAST, page 3G