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W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 18, 2025
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Nonprofit Hope Resuscitated brings rescue station to Zachary
Leila Ramos, winner of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, cares for a station of Narcan overdose antidotes May 26 at the Zachary library. Doses of the spray are free and funded by the nonprofit Hope Resuscitated.
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Ramos founded Hope Resuscitated, a nonprofit focused on educating teenagers and young adults about overdose prevention, as a way to curb the fentanyl Recent West Feliciana High graduate Leila Ramos crisis. Boxes of free Narcan spray are available outhas brought her own “stations of hope” to the Zach- side of the Zachary library. For information, visit hope-resuscitated.org. ary area. Contributing writer
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
At the library in July
PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
SEVEN DAYS IN SENEGAL
Zachary High graduate speaks about LSU trip to Africa
At the Zachary Branch Library, 1900 Church St., meet Heather Kinsel, the artist of the Resin Geode Artwork display at the Zachary Branch Library at 10 a.m. on July 19. Kinsel said, “I let God’s beauty and grace flow through my creativity into my artwork.” The display has several pieces that were inspired by women of the Bible and their stories. The exhibit can be viewed at the Zachary Branch throughout the month of July. The Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library, 13600 PridePort Hudson Road, will host Lethal Luau: Murder Mystery Game for 20-somethings at 5 p.m., July 16. Through Aug. 15, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will have free programs, workshops, story times, concerts and performances for all ages through the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, Color Our World. Learn more at www. ebrpl.com/SummerReading. Track your reading and earn rewards. Sign up at your library branch or online at ebrpl. beanstack.org.
Community news report/LSU’s College of the Coast and Environment
Baker prayer breakfast The Baker Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast is at 7 p.m. June 27 at the Baker Auditorium, 3325 Groom Road, Baker. Tickets are $7 at the door. Senate President Pro Tem Regina Barrow is the speaker. For information or to purchase tickets, call (225) 778-0300.
Festival announces music Downtown Live will present the third annual Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 8 and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 9 at BREC Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
11TH YEAR, NO. 36
Baobab trees were among Lucille Yoes’ favorite sights on her LSU trip to Senegal.
PROVIDED PHOTO FROM LSU
Coastal environmental science student Lucille Yoes was selected as an LSU global ambassador for 2025. She and the rest of the 2025 cohort traveled to Dakar in the African nation of Senegal. Yoes graduated from Zachary High in 2023 when she was student of the year. She answered a few questions about her experience. Your most interesting activity? We were lucky enough to visit Senegal the week of three different holidays — the last of Ramadan, Eid (the day after when the fast is broken) and Senegal’s Independence day. For Eid, the day Ramadan ends and families break their fasts, the students were paired up and spent the day with different host families. The family that I was hosted by lived outside of the city in a fishing village called Yoff. My friend and I cooked all day with the women and daughters of the family, walked around their community, and even were brought to one of the aunt’s mother’s house for a second round of amazing food. I got to see firsthand how the community celebrated that holiday, and even though the family I spent the day with had a pretty large language barrier between us, we were still had such a great time together. I have connected with the oldest daughter on social media, and I do hope to stay in touch with them. Independence day is celebrated with a huge parade through Dakar. It included a large military display and school children and
ä See SENEGAL, page 3G
Rain out? Summer at Zachary Youth Park
After a week relaxing in the Colorado Rockies where there are places that still have snow on the ground, I landed at the Baton Rouge airport to be stifled by oppressive heat. Fast forward to last week when that heat joined its familiar friend humidity as the rains came every afternoon and most mornings. The rain, lightning and, in some cases, hail led to the obvious question of how this unholy trinity could affect Zachary sports? Specifically, what does all this mean to the games, leagues and tournaments at Zachary Youth Park.
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
For those of you who have not been there, Zachary Youth Park has all you need if you are a baseball or softball enthusiast. The park has six turf fields, two T-ball fields, a high school softball field with locker room and two high school/middle school baseball fields. There are also covered batting cages, an indoor facility, and a playground structure with landing area made from recycled
tires, all within a 33-acre park. To answer weather-related questions and more, I contacted Parks and Recreation Director Gordon “P-Wee” LeBlanc. LeBlanc let me know that despite the rain, “The game must go on … safely.” The week of June 9, when monsoon season returned to the area, LeBlanc relayed that only 10 of the 44 games were canceled due to lightning. Pretty impressive considering upward of 10 inches of rain over the week. To be clear, baseball or softball games are not canceled unless there is the threat of lightning. “We only don’t play if it’s lightning and we have a lightning predictor to ensure safety,” LeBlanc
PHOTO BY WARREN BRADY
ä See BRADY, page 4G Ominous skies and empty fields at the Zachary Youth Park