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, M a r c h 12, 2025
11TH YEAR, NO. 22
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Improvements coming to Zachary roads BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Road upgrades aimed at making traffic flow more smoothly through Zachary are coming soon. The City Council at its Feb. 25 meeting agreed to advertise for bids on a couple of projects. One involves widening Church Street between La. 19 and Old Slaughter Road. Mayor David Mc-
David said traffic has picked up along that stretch due to the opening of the city’s new police headquarters and the construction of new apartments nearby. Some people prefer taking Church Street because there is a red light at its intersection with La. 19, he said. On neighboring Montegudo Boulevard, traffic often backs up as drivers wait to make unprotected turns onto the
busy highway. The widening work is sorely needed, the mayor said. “When you go down the road, it’s tough to get two vehicles through there at a time,” he said. Drainage improvements will be made, too. Some trees will have to be cut down as part of the process. “We’re going to get it looking good over there so we can sustain
a lot of traffic coming through there,” McDavid said. The second project approved to go out for bids includes extending the southbound turning lane on Church Street at Old Scenic Highway and the northbound turning lane on Main Street at Plank Road. McDavid said traffic frequently bottlenecks at those intersections with long lines of drivers wanting to make turns.
Gaynell Young
Founder blamed for delays in school employees getting paid
Gaynell Young remembered as ‘a guiding force’ BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Much has changed in the two and a half decades since Zachary began its drive to create an independent school system. What started as a small breakaway district in a rural corner of East Baton Rouge Parish has grown over the years into one of Louisiana’s top academic and athletic performers — and an engine of economic and residential development that has transformed Zachary from a sleepy small town into a bustling suburb. One constant amid all those changes was Gaynell Young. As one of the original members of the Zachary Community School Board, which was seated in 2001 as the fledgling district set about figuring out how to do business, Young played a key role in shaping the schools now attended by more than 5,500 children — nearly double what they started with back in 2003, when the district officially began operations.
ä See YOUNG, page 3G
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Brandon Noel to host community meeting Mayor Pro Tempore Brandon Noel invites residents of Metro Council District 1 to attend a community meeting to discuss district updates. The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Chaneyville Community Center, 13211 Jackson Road, Zachary. This community meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to engage directly with Noel, Director of Transportation Fred Raiford and state Rep. Kellee Dickerson Hennessey. The event is open to the public, and all residents are encouraged to attend. For information, contact Lisa Rioux at (225) 389-5170 or lrioux@brla.gov.
Light the Night in memory The annual Light the Night for Chris event to honor the
ä See AROUND, page 4G
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
Xavier Ferguson, No. 10, steals the ball in an attempt to shoot but gets blocked by two Sulphur players.
ZHS boys basketball team advances to final four First it was the Zachary High girls who advanced to the final four of Marsh Madness in Nonselect Division I. The week of March 4, the ZHS Boys took the floor to begin their state championship run. The Broncos earned the top seed and a first-round bye. In the second round, regionals, on March 4, the Broncos defeated the 16th seed West Monroe Rebels at home 84-54. The Broncos Warren took on the eighth Brady seed Sulphur TorZACHARY nados on March SPORTS 7 at Zachary. Sulphur reached the quarterfinals with wins over Sam Houston 68-60, and Ouachita Parish 75-73 in two overtimes. The Tors started the game with two free throws and a layup to start the game followed by a baseline floater to take an early 6-0 lead. This enthralled a very large crowd that made the drive from Sulphur. A free throw by senior Xavier Ferguson provided the Broncos first point. Shortly thereafter, a 3-pointer by Ian Edmond tied the score 6-6 with 4:03 remaining in the period. Sulphur responded with another 3-pointer to retake the lead, which was quickly gone after a Ferguson 3-pointer. The Broncos took their first lead on a Kristion Brooks layup. The lead was extended to 4 on a Cambren Price layup. A late bucket by the Tors makes it 1816 after one. Mason Newman started the scoring in the second and a three pointer by Ferguson deep in the backcourt put the Broncos up
Zachary Broncos head coach Johnathan McClinton 23-16. Later in the period, a layup by Terin Landor extended the lead to 11 at which point Ferguson interjected with a dunk by that brought the large Zachary crowd to their feet with 2 minutes left in half and the Broncos with a controlling 31-18. Another Ferguson dunk later in the period puts the Broncos up 20. Sulphur responded with two free throws, but the Broncos were firmly in control 40-22 at the half. Ferguson led all scorers with 11 in the first half. Ferguson started the scoring in the third as the Broncos maintained a large lead throughout the period and finished up 19 (5839). The last stanza began with two strong moves to the goal by Edmond. Throughout, Zachary coach
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
Jon McClinton made multiple substitutions and placed full court pressured on the Tors throughout the game. Sulphur’s mainly seven-man rotation began to tire under this pressure in the fourth. Two straight layups by Newman extended the lead to 24 before Sulphur responded with a 3-pointer. After another Newman layup, the Broncos slowed the offense down with 2:34 remaining and a 23-point lead as coach McClinton emptied the bench. With the 78-52 victory the Broncos claimed their ticket to Lake Charles and the Burton coliseum to take on Natchitoches Central in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. March 13.
ä See BRADY, page 2G
The new leaders of embattled Impact Charter School in Baker are accusing the school’s founder, Chakesha Scott, of denying them access to payroll and other records, saying her obstruction led to a six-day delay in employees getting paid. “If Ms. Scott’s actions continue, the employees cannot get paid, the teachers may become unemployed and students will not be able to attend the school,” according to the lawsuit brought by the school’s new leadership arising from the travails of the school of about 400 students located north of Baton Rouge. Scott’s exile from the school she founded almost 11 years ago began Feb. 24 when the fresh state-appointed board of directors moved quickly to freeze out Scott and her husband, Eric, the school’s principal, placing both on paid leave. The dramatic developments unfolded after she was accused in a state audit report Feb. 10 of using the school to enrich herself and her family. In the lawsuit, filed a week after she was placed on leave, the new board claims Scott has “knowingly and intentionally” refused access to current payroll records, preventing employees from getting paid. Moreover, the suit claims Scott has continued to “delete data and information from related school financial accounts as she still has access to these accounts.” The board is seeking to remove Scott as an authorized user from all school accounts. State District Judge Ronald Johnson immediately denied the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order against Scott, instead scheduling a hearing for March 17. Ron Haley, an attorney who has represented Scott in the past, said he is not sure who will represent her in this case, but said Scott has not been obstructing the new school leaders. Rather, he said, they have brought their problems on themselves by failing to listen to his advice to place one person in control of school finances. “If they wanted to take control of the school accounts, there was a way to do that,” Haley said.
Transition and blame It is the fourth lawsuit so far in this fast-moving educational saga and the first where Scott is the defendant. Her husband, her daughter and her mother are also named as defendants, as well as anyone connected with the Friends of Impact Charter, the school’s private philanthropic foundation Chakesha Scott also leads. Scott is blaming the new management for the payroll problems. In a Feb. 28 message to supporters, she pointed to attempts “to seize the school’s bank accounts,” thereby delaying employees
ä See SCHOOL, page 3G