THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Libraries closed Monday
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ALL NEW
All locations of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will close Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
W e d n e s d ay, J a n u a ry 15, 2025
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11TH YEAR, NO. 14
Michael McDavid, 6, came dressed for the occasion in his police outfit, with Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence.
Free throw competition Boys and and girls ages 9-14 are invited to compete in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship, Jan. 26 at St. John the Baptist Church gym, 4727 McHugh Drive. Register at 1 p.m., shooting starts at 1:30 p.m. Kids compete within their own gender and age. Entrants may compete in only one local competition. Winners advance to the Baton Rouge Diocese round and from there the state round. Contact KC Community Director James Graves at (337) 534-2700 for information.
Lane to hold free breastfeeding class Lane will be holding a free breastfeeding class from 10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 8, in the Board Conference Room at Lane Regional Medical Center, 6300 Main St., Zachary. Registered nurse Kiara Carnes with Baby Lane Labor & Delivery Carnes Unit will the discuss the ABC’s of Breastfeeding, including: n Appeal of Breastfeeding and Why It’s Important n Best Breastfeeding Positions n Common Challenges with Breastfeeding n She will answer questions about breastfeeding, plus more To reserve a spot, call (225) 658-6612 or email jschmolke@ LaneRMC.org.
Mattress sale coming The ninth annual Zachary High School Band mattress fundraiser is Feb. 15. Mattresses, adjustable bases, pillows, sheets, etc. all available. Financing and delivery available.
Books and music with Kids’ Orchestra In celebration of Black History Month and Carnival, Books & Music will feature the book “Freedom in Congo Square,” by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie. Many scholars believe that the music kept alive in New Orleans’ Congo Square (now Louis Armstrong Park) helped pave the way for blues, jazz, and rock and roll. Children will learn the Creole song “Eh la bas” and the New Orleans Bamboula rhythm. They will practice some African dance moves and try plugging their name into Shirley Ellis’ “The Name Game” song. The event will be at the Zachary Branch Library at 11 a.m. Feb. 1. Visit www. ebrpl.com for other places and dates.
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
Zachary’s new police headquarters Friday during an open house.
Public gets first look at Zachary $8.9M police station BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
A welcoming foyer, a spacious kitchen, plenty of storage and an on-site gym may sound like amenities that would be promoted in a real estate listing meant to entice potential homebuyers. Instead, they’re among the features of the Zachary Police Department’s recently completed headquarters, which replaces the agency’s aging, cramped office. Leaders believe the expansive $8.9 million facility will offer dual benefits: fostering a better work environment for officers while also improving services for the city’s growing population. Dozens of residents joined lo-
cal elected officials and heads of neighboring law enforcement agencies for an evening tour of the department’s new digs Jan. 10. “We want you to come in and see the culmination of everybody’s hard work, from our patrolmen to the construction staff to the city. The city’s been really good at helping us do this,” said Police Chief Darryl Lawrence. “We want you all to be able come in and see what your tax dollars are actually being spent on.” The facility has been in the works for years. The City Council authorized the purchase of the property, which includes more than 20 acres, in late 2019, and a site plan was approved in 2022. Groundbreaking came in
2023. The 21,000-square-foot building is at 5160 Old Slaughter Road near Montegudo Boulevard, just north of Walmart. Most employees have already begun working there; just a handful remain at the old police station on Main Street, and Lawrence expected them to move out within a couple more weeks. The city court, which long shared space with the police department, will continue to operate from the Main Street location. Leading a group of visitors down the hallways and through the various rooms of the new facility, Lawrence noted that almost everything is bigger and better than at the old station, where he worked for decades.
“This is five times bigger than what we had,” he said while showing off a room dedicated to evidence storage and processing. As Zachary continues to expand, Lawrence anticipates needing to hire more officers. The facility was designed with room to grow; for example, there are more workstations in the squad room and detectives division than are currently needed. Additional points of interest highlighted on the tour included the records office, holding cells, interview rooms, conference rooms and the chief’s office. Lawrence was eager to
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Zachary boys basketball season on hot streak in a cold winter
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Zachary’s Cambren Price drives the lane.
PHOTO BY WARREN BRADY
The story was different As the temperature this night in the Zachary plummets, Broncos basgym. Though the Rams ketball continues to stay scored first, the Broncos’ hot. onslaught from the 3-point The cold air finally arline, including three rived in Zachary to start Warren straight from senior Xavithe new year under freezBrady er Ferguson, and a layup ing conditions. gave the Broncos a 13-4 Though it was cold and ZACHARY SPORTS lead 3:39 into the first. rainy outside Jan. 9, inside Junior Kriston Brooks the Zachary High gym the was the first Bronco other Zachary Broncos basketthan Ferguson to score with 2:07 ball team was downright toasty. left in the first as the Broncos Coming into the Broncos game cruised through the first period to against the George Washingpost a 25-8 lead. ton Carver Rams, the Broncos Early in the second, a put back sported a 15-2 record that indunk by junior Cambren Price cluded wins over Dallas Kimball put the Broncos up by 24 and and Grand Prairie — Texas high the Broncos full-court press was schools at the In Season Showrelentless holding the Rams to 8 case. points in the quarter, forcing a The Broncos’ sole in-state loss running clock and finishing the was against Wossman (No. 1 in half with a commanding 49-16 Division II power rankings) on lead. Jan. 4 at the Wildcat Showcase Sophomore point guard Ian Edin Monroe, but they destroyed Walker (81-55) at Walker earlier mond started the Broncos scoring in the week. in the second half with a jumper The Rams, who are in a rebuild- in the lane. The Rams would outscore the Broncos in the third 8-7 ing year, provided a unique chalbut still trail 56-24 at the end of lenge for the No. 1 in Division three. I power rankings Broncos. The Coach Jon McClinton instituted teams met in December 2023 when the Rams defeated the ä See BRADY, page 3G Broncos in New Orleans (59-64).