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, J a n u a ry 29, 2025
11TH YEAR, NO. 16
$1.00n
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Snow was quite a show
The snow was an amazing break to our regular days. Hope it was beautiful at your home and that all are safe. Spring is on the way. It’s the busy time for Zachary. Please keep us in mind as you plan events. Let us know in time to post them for others to attend and please send us photos of the event. Contact zachary@ theadvocate.com.
Dog parade set Must Luv Dogs will hold Pawdi Gras 2025 on March 4 in downtown Zachary. The theme is Space Paws. Bark in the Park is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parade rolls at 2 p.m. For information and to register for the parade, costume contest or as a vendor, visit www.mustluvdogs.org.
Lane has breastfeeding class Lane is 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 Carnes with Baby Lane Labor & Delivery Unit will the discuss the ABCs of Breastfeeding, including: n Appeal of Breastfeeding and Why It’s Important n Best Breastfeeding Positions n Common Challenges with Breastfeeding
ä See AROUND, page 3G
WONDERS of WINTER
Snow blankets Zachary in rare snow day experience Community news report Zachary was blanketed in snow on the morning of Jan.21. Mayor McDavid applauded city departments for keeping the city safe during the winter snow event. “The city of Zachary handled the historic snowstorm exceptionally well, with approximately six inches of snow blanketing the area,” Mayor David McDavid said. “I credit our team of dedicated city department heads who, in anticipation of the rare winter snowfall, met beforehand to create a solid plan. “Our Emergency Preparedness
Director Ty Stephens worked alongside the incredible teams from public works, the fire department, police department, parks department, purchasing department, and utilities maintenance to keep our city running smoothly,” he added. “Despite the rarity of snowfall in our area, proactive measures were taken to ensure public safety. For instance, early on, the city secured two pallets of salt by traveling to Houston, Texas, which allowed us to pre-treat and brine the roads ahead of the storm.” After the snow subsided in the
Leaders, organizers pass the baton in MLK events
ZACHARY SPORTS
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Needless to say, Zachary was living in a winter wonderland most of last week as an arctic blast brought the white stuff and freezing temperatures. Here’s a little bit of what goes on behind the curtain of Zachary sports during a week that was severely limited in opportunities to watch, Zachary sports. Generally, on Sunday night I plan the following week’s article by pontificating on the sports world, spending some time reviewing the schedule for Zachary athletics during the week to see what my live viewing opportunities may be and always checking the weather.
ä See BRADY, page 4G
A Zachary street blanketed in snow in the early
ä See SNOW, page 2G morning of Jan. 21.
Warren Brady
Weather wreaks havoc on Zachary sports
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
Ethan Livous, 7, has fun in the snow making a snow angel.
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
The dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a relay activity in Zachary as faith, community and elected leaders shine King’s light to a new generation of young people being taught the tenets of nonviolence solutions paired with a love-based advocacy for the PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER poor and underprivileged in American society. Marchers face dropping, pre-snow temperatures as they travel the streets of Zachary Local and state officials on Jan. 20 in a candlelight walk honoring slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin joined civil rights advocates for a march through ZachLuther King Jr.
ary Jan. 20, even as dropping temperatures began to herald the onset of a record snowstorm that blanketed the region the next day. Taking the last possible outside show of support, leaders and other marchers huddled closely while singing and chanting the slogans made famous during the nation’s civil rights movement. The march destination, New Pilgrim Baptist Church, was the site of the annual MLK commemoration
ä See MLK, page 3G
Should Zachary allow business to erect larger outside signs? Council debates request
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
When should Zachary leaders stick to the city’s rules about how big signs outside businesses can be — and when is it OK to bend them? That question was at the crux of a discussion at the City Council’s Jan. 14 meeting, where representatives of a dermatology clinic requested a waiver allowing them to enlarge an existing sign that is already bigger than allowed. And
when it came time for a vote, the council couldn’t agree on an answer — leading to the matter being tabled. Renaissance Dermatology and Aesthetics, located on Old Scenic Highway, has a 45-square-foot sign. It was grandfathered in when the city adopted its current Unified Development Code, or UDC, which limits the area of signs in neighborhood commercial zones to 35 square feet. Now, the dermatology practice faces a dilemma: It recently opened a new clinic on its first floor called CareSouth Dermatology. The owners want to add the Care-
South logo to the existing Renaissance sign, which would enlarge it by about 3 square feet. The council, which has approved waivers before, was split on what to do in this case. “I have concerns about why we aren’t sticking to the rules,” said council member Ambre DeVirgilio, whose district includes the clinic. “There doesn’t seem to be an extenuating circumstance, and I get that it’s only 3 feet. But 3 feet is 3 feet. And what is the point of having certain measurements in the UDC if we’re not going to abide by them?” DeVirgilio moved to deny the
waiver, and council member Brandy Westmoreland seconded. Council members James Graves and Jennifer Landry voted against the motion, saying they had no problem with a modest increase in the sign’s size. With council member John LeBlanc absent, the council found itself tied, which normally would cause the waiver request to fail. Instead, the council chose to table the matter and take it up for consideration again at a later meeting. Members said they’ll use the time to look back over their notes on how previous sign waiver situations were handled.