COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 18, 2024
1an
Merry & Bright
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
The Abita Springs Children’s Academie performed Dec. 6 as part of the annual Holiday of Lights celebration. ä Holiday of Lights embraces joy of the season. PAGE 2A
Victoria Paz chosen new general manager of Harbor Center Slidell-area resident will take reins from retiring GM Kathy Lowrey
Some 80 applications, and a handful of interviews later, and the board decided the best candidate for the job was very close to home. Victoria Paz, a 10-year Slidell resident who is director of sales and marketing at Silver Slipper Casino BY ANDREW CANULETTE and Hotel in Bay St. Louis, Missis- Paz Staff writer sippi, was chosen to succeed LowThe Harbor Center Board of Commission- rey, who has managed the Harbor Center ers searched throughout the Gulf South to near Slidell since 2007. Paz has been with the Silver Slipper for 16 find a replacement for retiring General years, starting as a retail clerk and working Manager Kathy Lowrey.
Heroes at home share endless love, compassion for dogs Every community has good Samaritans. They are the people who serve quietly, without fanfare. They get things done outside the spotlight. Their work is as important as that of elected officials and nonprofit leaders. They are the foot soldiers in the armies of compassion, empathy, grace. The St. Tammany Farmer sought out six of these people and is featuring them through the remainder of 2024. We think these people, their stories, are remind-
ä See HARBOR, page 3A
School Board OKs vote on $325M improvements plan BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
BY MADDIE SCOTT Contributing writer
The Harbor Center.” They noted she previously served as chair of the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce board of directors, is a graduate of the Leadership Northshore development program, and was chosen to receive the Athena Young Professional Award in 2023, among other accolades. Lowrey, who was a manager at the Harbor Center when it opened in 2005 shortly before Hurricane Katrina devastated the
her way through the ranks to her most recent position with the business. Paz previously worked as the Slipper’s Advertising and Publicity Manager and she remains involved with various northshore civic and nonprofit groups. In a press release, the Harbor Center Board said Paz’s “experience in sales, marketing, and operations, combined with her deep connection to the St. Tammany Parish and Hancock County communities, makes her an ideal fit to lead
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Emanuel and Marissa Giglio sit on the couch with some of their dogs after Thanksgiving. ers of the good things people do for one another. We’re calling them “Unsung Heroes.” But now is time to sing their praises. Most families have a dog or two, maybe a cat. Not the Giglio family. Emanuel Giglio and his wife, Marissa Giglio, have housed more than a hundred canines since 2021. They’ve even sacrificed their master bathroom to
provide temporary housing for puppy litters in their 8 foot by 8 foot shower. “I miss that shower,” he said, cracking a smile. “It was very nice.” The Giglio family temporarily houses, or fosters, homeless dogs at the drop of a hat for the Northshore Humane Society, a nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue and clinic near Covington. One
ä See HEROES, page 2A
A proposed $30 million STEM and health care facility in Lacombe, where high school students could receive advanced certifications and training, came under scrutiny on Dec. 12 as the St. Tammany Parish School Board debated and ultimately agreed to put its largest ever capital improvements plan on the ballot in May. Though the facility represents less than 10% of the total $325 million bond, all the attention was on the STEM facility during the School Board’s final meeting of 2024. A cadre of people from the parish’s business community showed up in force to support the proposal, and board members pressed for more details. St. Tammany Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia said the facility would offer advanced courses in programming, nursing and other
health care and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. It would consolidate existing STEM and health care education resources that are now spread out around the parish, Jabbia said, and would create opportunities for students at schools that may not offer certain advanced courses. “The better we educate and train them, the better career opportunities they will have at higher-paying jobs that are in demand,” said board member Roslyn Hanson, one of many who enthusiastically supported the project. Local leaders from companies like Chevron and educational institutions like Southeastern Louisiana University spoke in support of the facility, arguing it would fill a growing need in the parish for STEM and health care workers while better
ä See PLAN, page 3A
P l ann ing a n Ev ent? Rou s e s i s h e re to h e lp! Please contact your local Rouses or email catering@rouses.com to place an order.
— ONLY —
12 INCH
— ONLY —
17 99
$ 20 COUNT
Chicken Wings
Fruit & Cheese Tray
2999
$
25 COUNT
Mini Meat Pies Tray
— ONLY —
25 99
$
24 COUNT
— ONLY —
18 99
$ Finger LB Sandwich Tray
— ONLY —
16 COUNT
Brownie Tray
visit rouses.com for more weekly ad specials!
LB
1499
$
Prices good at all New Orleans, Gretna, Kenner, Metairie, Marrero, Slidell, Mandeville and Covington stores December 18th - December 24th, 2024.