SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
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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 u ly 2, 2025
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ST. FRANCISVILLE BOARD OF ALDERMEN
Mayor’s budget cuts money for police car BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
PROVIDED PHOTO
James M. Norsworthy III
Longtime Jackson mayor remembered as devoted public servant BY JAMES MINTON
Contributing writer
The town of Jackson’s longtime mayor, James M. “Jimmy” Norsworthy III, died at home Thursday after a battle with cancer. “Jackson lost a highly respected friend, mayor and devoted public servant. Jimmy’s passing leaves an irreplaceable void,” Jackson Marshal Mitch Harrell said. Norsworthy, 75, was serving in his sixth term as mayor of the East Feliciana Parish community. Following in the footsteps of his father, who also served as mayor, Norsworthy served four terms in office, from July 1980 through June 1996, then returned to the post in July 2020 and was a few days short of completing five additional years in office.
The St. Francisville Board of Aldermen approved a new budget June 24 that Mayor Andy D’Aquilla said he had trimmed to eliminate possible deficit spending. D’Aquilla said the original general fund budget he proposed for the fiscal year beginning July 1 projected expenditures would eclipse revenues by $189,000. But the revised budget now projects a surplus of
insurance premium taxes. $5,116. He also said he took out The budget for the year a proposed expense of ending June 30 is expected $75,000 for a new police car, to show $273,863 more in hoping that the department expenditures than in revcould go for a year without enues. The figures distribneeding a replacement veuted at the meeting do not include how much of a bal- D’Aquilla hicle. The budget expects revance the general fund has to cover that deficit. enues in the general fund of slightly D’Aquilla said during a public more than $2.472 million and exhearing that his new budget now penses totaling a little more than includes slightly more anticipated $2.467 million. revenues from property taxes and The board also introduced an or-
MINING
KNOWLEDGE
ä See MAYOR, page 2G
Leila Pitchford
The water is flowing and the washing, sifting and cleaning commences as children mine for gems at the library.
AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Get rid of old medicines The East Feliciana Drug and Alcohol Awareness Council is holding a Prescription Take Back from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 12 at RKM Primary Care, 11990 Jackson St. in Clinton. Bring old over-the-counter and prescription drugs to dispose of them. A drop box is available.
Healthfest coming RKM Primary Care is having a Feliciana Kids Healthfest from 10 a.m. to noon July 12 at 11990 Jackson St. in Clinton. Water fun and inflatables, local vendors and resources, food treats and snacks, and health and wellness activities will be available. Visit www.rkmcare. org/events.
Vacation Bible school Jackson United Methodist Church will have vacation Bible school from 9 a.m. to noon July 14-18. Children ages 4-12 are invited to “Road Trip” on the go with God at 1727 Sycamore St.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
PHOTOS BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
In the library, from left, Sawyer Woodard, Haskell Robertson, Huxley Robertson and Gabriel Woodard, all of Ethel, show off their treasures.
Feliciana children find gems beyond books at the library
BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Contributing writer
Diamond Del’s Mobile Gem Mining program “trained” miners in East Feliciana Parish as they washed, sifted and cleaned their ore to find an abundance of gems and more.
The gem mining adventure was delivered to all three branches of the Audubon Library on June 24 as another of the library’s special summer programs. The three visits began in the morning in Jackson, where about 25 children of various ages gathered. After a brief welcome, the
dinance to set, change and adjust administrative fees the town will charge for services such as building permits, zoning requests and subdivision changes. The mayor said the ordinance would allow the board to make changes in the fees by simple resolution. A list of the proposed fees will be available when the ordinance comes up for a vote July 8. The board will begin holding one regular meeting per month, rather than two, in July.
New law lets law enforcement take down drones BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
As sheriff of East Feliciana Parish, Jeff Travis sometimes gets complaints about unidentified drones. “Oftentimes, these drones come over, and you never know who it was or what it was,” he said. “That’s a problem — that’s a big problem.” That’s why Travis praised a new state law, championed by Gov. Jeff Landry, that gives local and state law enforcement the power to take down drones. “The governor was right. He’s right about the fact that we need to be able to do something about it,” Travis said. House Bill 261, now Act 170, was sponsored by state Rep. Jay Gallé, R-Mandeville. Gallé chairs the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Act 170, also called the “We Will Act” Act, allows “a law enforcement officer or agency” to “take reasonable and necessary mitigation measures against a threat posed by an unmanned aircraft system operating within this state in a nefarious manner.” Such action could include detection, tracking and identification methods, or it could involve “the interception or disabling of an unmanned aircraft system through legal and safe methods, including but not limited to jamming, hacking, or physical capture,” the act says. The new law also bans drones from being flown over parades, unless they are being used for film production. Violating that rule would carry a fine of between $2,000 and $5,000, or a prison sentence of up to one year. Gallé said the parade rule was added to the law out of concerns that parades could be targeted for mass casualty events. In Louisiana, it was already illegal to fly a drone over a correctional facility or the Governor’s Mansion. Nor may drones be used to surveil facilities without a facility owner’s written permission, according to Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:337. According to the FAA’s website, drones are prohibited from flying over national landmarks, certain military bases and certain critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants. Drones also are not allowed in the controlled airspace around an airport.
Concerns about drones
program began with a short video about minerals and gemstones. It explained how different kinds came to be deposited in the ground. They learned that the only rock that would float was the pumice.
Gallé said the law aims to protect Louisianans from possible threats posed by drones. “From an all-around homeland security standpoint, drones are becoming cheaper and more efficient. They can carry explosives. A big enough drone can fly
ä See GEMS, page 2G
ä See DRONE, page 2G