SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
DEMOCRAT THE ST. FRANCISVILLE
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 19, 2025
Specialty store, food truck open
$1.00N
JACKSON
BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Contributing writer
A specialty grocery/convenience store with items from Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala opened recently in Jackson with a food truck added soon after. The store is Tienda Latina Velazquez and is located on the north side of the road at 3334 La. 10. The owner is Robert Velazquez Ortiz, who was getting another sign delivered to call attention to the store/food truck when interviewed on March 8. Inside the store are a variety of foods and snacks including those made in the United States. It’s the spices, seasonings, snack foods and soft drinks from Latin America that makes the store special. Lining the food aisles are many packages with things to eat, cook with and even make a tea-like drink. On one aisle are Latin-style baked goods made in New Orleans. There were some colorful fresh peppers on another aisle. An unusual item was on the
ä More photos. PAGE 2G counter — “Japanese-Style peanuts” made in Mexico. Also in the store are some clothing items, hats and shoes along with things like laundry cleaners and other miscellaneous items you might find in a small grocery/convenience store. Outside is the food truck with the menu posted to one side. Offered are burritos, quesadillas, tacos and soups. There are six choices for meat including three types of beef preparations and two pork preparations. There are two choices for the soup. The food truck hours are limited to four days a week: Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The store is open six days a week: 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The phone number for the store/food truck is (985) 869-1825.
PHOTO BY MELINDA RAWLS
Pointing out products at Tienda Latina Velazquez is store owner Roberto Velazquez Ortiz.
WEST FELICIANA
Parish Council again delays approving zoning map
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Autism Awareness Walk planned
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
The West Feliciana Parish Council again delayed action March 10 on a new zoning map for the parish, but rejected a requested zoning change based on the current zoning regulations. The parish is operating under a land development ordinance approved in 2023, but a new zoning map had not been drawn at that time. As a result, the parish is using an old map of how the parish is divided into land-use zones, and the council has not been able to agree on a new map that Parish President Kenny Havard’s administration submitted last summer. At the council’s Dec. 9 meeting, council member Tab Ballard suggested tabling the proposed map until the March 10 meeting to give individual members time to meet with the consulting firm that drew up the original proposal. But Ballard said at the March meeting that he and some of his colleagues had met with the consultants, who are still processing the information they presented and working on more zoning map revisions. When the consultants finish their work, Ballard said the council should hold a meeting with the public to allow input on the finished product. He asked to defer the matter without setting another deadline.
Autism Awareness Walk is planned for April 2 at Clinton Elementary School, 10701 Reiley St., Clinton. The 2K walk will start at 5:30 p.m. For information, call L. Smith or C. Lee at (225) 683-8582.
Adams County reunion set On the weekend of April 2527, the Descendants of the Jersey Settlers of Adams County, Mississippi, will gather for their annual reunion with activities in Natchez and Kingston, Mississippi. This group was founded in 1940 by the King, Swayze, Farrar and Eaton Families who were direct descendants of the 1770s settlers in the vicinity of Kingston. Reunion plans include a genealogy workshop, visit to the cemeteries maintained by the organization, dinner at Commencement Plantation, and Sunday Memorial Service, business meeting and dinner on the grounds of the Kingston United Methodist Church. For information and to register visit https://djsreunions.squarespace.com/.
Lenten fish fry available A fish fry fundraiser will happen at 6 p.m. every Friday in Lent except Good Friday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Hall. The $13 plate includes fried or grilled catfish, potato salad or fries, coleslaw, bread, desserts and soft drinks. Visit www.felicianacatholic.org for information.
Shop the Farmers Market From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday, the St. Francisville Farmers Market will offer a variety of fresh produce and other locally sourced goods at 9961 Wilcox St.
ä See AROUND, page 3G
ä See ZONING, page 3G
Who stole Mango, the dancing parrot? deputies arrived at the crime scene, East Feliciana bird-napping staff reportedly pointed investigators a home of a former employee in Praian inside job, Sheriff says torieville. When they arrived March 10,
BY AIDAN MCCAHILL
Staff writer
Mango, the Doja Cat dancing parrot from Magnolia Wilds in Ethel, was safely returned to his preserve a day after a kidnapping. Investigators said his kidnapping was an inside job. The revelations came after East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office arrested Shelby Alford, 29, March 12. Alford, a former employee at Magnolia Wilds where Mango lives, allegedly busted the gate to the sanctuary’s enclosure in the early hours of March 9, before snatching the 14-year old White-Bellied Caique. Mango is a popular with visitors to the preserve who loves dancing to music by singer Doja Cat. After East Feliciana Sheriff’s Office
ST. FRANCISVILLE
Aldermen consider change to meeting once a month BY JAMES MINTON
deputies found Mango unharmed. “We all have that one employee we’d point to at work if something went missing,” said Maj. Kevin Garig, chief of investigations for East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office. “That’s what this was.” When questioned by law enforcement however, the former employee confessed to East Feliciana Sheriff’s deputies the bird was stolen, but that she had no part in the heist. Instead the Prairieville resident pointed to Alford, another staff member who had recently quit. The two had reportedly left their jobs disgruntled, and had been staying together the weekend of the burglary, according to officials. Alford, a resident of Denham Springs, was booked as a fugitive in the East Baton
The St. Francisville Board of Aldermen agreed March 11 to consider meeting only once, rather than twice, per month. Mayor Andy D’Aquilla initiated the discussion, noting that agendas for recent meetings have had only a few items that needed to be considered. “I think we could get our business done in one meeting per month,” D’Aquilla said, but said he would leave the decision up to the aldermen. The mayor and board now meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, which Town Attorney Ben Klein said is spelled out in a town ordinance. Changing to one regular meeting each month would require a superseding ordinance, Klein said.
ä See MANGO, page 3G
ä See MEETING, page 3G
Contributing writer