COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 11, 2024
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Parish Council approves $177 million budget for 2025 The result was a budget that meets fundmember Rick Smith said the Par- Collin Sims called it a “piece of garbage.” Long-term funding proposal ishCouncil Council and President Mike Cooper’s That anger and frustration was in re- ing expectations for the criminal justice administration worked together to write a sponse to Cooper’s initial proposal, which system for 2025, according to Burris and for justice system “budget that will meet the needs of our com- would have halved funding for the parish Sims, who praised the amended budget as a goes to voters in spring munity in 2025.” jail, northshore judges and the district at- short-term solution, though not a long-term
Cooper, in a news release, touted the budget’s investment in infrastructure projects and public safety agencies. Staff writer Though the final budget’s passage was unSt. Tammany Parish’s $177 million budget controversial, the spending plan received a for 2025 sailed through the Parish Council rocky reception when Cooper first proposed on Dec. 5 with a unanimous vote and little it two months ago. At the time, 22nd Judidiscussion from the public or parish offi- cial District Court Judge William Burris slammed the proposal and District Attorney cials.
BY WILLIE SWETT
torney’s office. Michael Vinsanau, a spokesperson for Cooper, said the budget unveiled in October was meant to be a working document. In the weeks after the council’s October meeting, council members worked with Cooper’s administration to find ways to fill the millions of dollars in missing criminal justice funding.
one. The Sheriff’s Office has declined to comment on the budget, citing its ongoing litigation with the parish over how much the parish is mandated by state law to fund the jail. The council and administration had to make “reasonable sacrifices” to find the
ä See BUDGET, page 3A
Turkey Ride hits its stride
Turkey Ride coordinator Richard Adamiak leads the pack in a post-Thanksgiving bike ride through Old Mandeville on Dec. 1. ä More photos. PAGE 2A
St. Tammany’s first hospital hits the 70-year mark BY KADEE KRIEGER Contributing writer
On Dec. 1, 1954, the first hospital dedicated to the residents of St. Tammany opened its doors with 30 beds and 17 physicians from Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, Madisonville and Lacombe. That grand opening, held for a country hospital designed to meet the needs of the residents north of Lake Pontchartrain, since has grown into a flagship regional health care system with branches across the area. And exactly 70 years later, St. Tammany Health System celebrated both its past and future with an anniversary party held Dec. 1 in the lobby of Covington’s St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
System President and CEO Joan Coffman told the crowd of employees, volunteers, former patients, community leaders, health care system colleagues and residents gathered for the event that the “secret to success” during the past seven decades is simple. “Even with all that growth and our evolution into a modern health system, our colleagues have continued to place our neighbors and the needs of our community at the center of everything we do,” she said. During the anniversary party, staff debuted a new video ad that features St. Tammany scenes and health system physicians, nurses and staff. In addition, attendees posed as part of a photo that will be used for a keepsake 70th anniversary St. Tammany Health System
Christmas tree ornament. The commemoration of the anniversary began in September 2023 when the health system’s website started spotlighting key moments in the hospital’s past. It was a 70week project that culminated with the Dec. 1 celebration. That chronicle of history created the “70-for-70” flip book album. It spans from the hospital’s inception in the 1940s; highlights memorabilia from napkins and newspaper articles to nostalgic photos; and concludes with the most recent developments in 2024, such as openings of the St. Tammany Academic Center and a family medicine clinic. The digital book, which serves as a 70-year historical capsule of
ä See HOSPITAL, page 3A
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Frank Shaw is all in helping others battle addiction BY KIM CHATELAIN Contributing writer
Every community has good Samaritans. They are the people who serve quietly, without fanfare. They get things done outside the spotlight. They are the foot soldiers in the armies of compassion, empathy, grace. The St. Tammany Farmer sought out six of these people and will feature one each week through the remainder of 2024. We think these people, their stories, are reminders of the good things people do for one another. We’re calling them “Unsung Heroes.” But now is time to sing their praises.
PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY
Frank Shaw turned his life around with the help of AA and other recovering There was a time in Frank addicts, and he has done Shaw’s life when addiction had the same for others since ä See SHAW, page 2A getting sober himself.
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PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
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