The St. Tammany Farmer 07-02-2025

Fontainebleau State Park hotel idea resurfaces

Nungesser says hotel-conference center would prop up all state parks

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser is again floating the idea of a hotel-conference center for the busy Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville, a proposal that some St. Tammany Parish residents shouted down during a boisterous town hall meeting in 2020 Nungesser, whose office oversees Louisiana state parks, said a hotel-conference center would be built and operated under a public-private partnership and would not only drive tourism but also generate money to help the state pay for maintenance work at its network of public parks.

“We’ve got millions (of dollars) in backlogged work,” he said. “We can’t raise (entrance) fees high enough to cover it.” Nungesser has been working to gain support for the proposal. He recently discussed it during a presentation to the Northshore Business Council.

“Billy’s looking for partners,” said Ross Lagarde, a St. Tammany lawyer and member of the Business Council. “The (Northshore) Business Council is always in favor of anything that increases tax revenues in St. Tammany Parish.”

Nungesser said the proposal is in the early stages, without a specific site or even design in mind. But he knows it will draw intense scrutiny and, likely, some vocal opposition.

ä See CENTER, page 8A

FIREWORKS

Editor’s note: There was such a positive response to our “Where Are They Now?” stories last year that we brought the series back to the pages of the St. Tammany Farmer this summer

We asked that question about some of the best athletes in local sports and then we went out and found them.

This summer, we’ll reacquaint readers with some of these familiar faces. We’ll take a deep dive into stories that began in youth leagues, continued at local high schools and then colleges near and far Many of these homegrown talents played professionally too, reaching the pinnacle of athletic achievement.

This week, we feature St. Paul’s grad Ryan Schimpf.

BY KIM CHATELAIN

Contributing writer

Slidell gathers for Heritage Festival

It was a day of fiddling, fireworks, fun and philanthropy for families, friends and neighbors gathered on June 28 for another traditional Slidell Heritage Festival to celebrate Independence Day

From pony rides and a putting green for the kids to music from Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw and the Chee Wees after the night’s fireworks, it was another festival to remember It was also another festival – a joint venture of the Rotary Club of Slidell and Rotary Club of Slidell Northshore, joined by the city of Slidell, NOLA. com and The St. Tammany Farmer – to raise money for charitable causes. This year’s festival proceeds go to the Boy Scouts Cypress District, East St. Tammany Rainbow Child Care Center, Free NOLA and Hospice House.

“He had a swing that just looked so natural,” Craig Schimpf said. At age 8, Ryan’s hitting Covington’s Ryan Schimpf transitions off baseball circuit

At a very young age, Ryan Schimpf and a neighborhood friend would use a stick and a wadded-up ball of tape to play an improvised version of baseball in front of the family’s home. It was back then that Craig Schimpf noticed something about the way his son took a whack at the makeshift ball. Despite having had little instruction, Ryan’s batting stroke was smooth and flawless.

Ryan Schimpf

ä See SCHIMPF, page 8A

Continued from page 1A

Parish, and the standing-room-only crowd had come out to cheer on the local favorites and competing teams from across Louisiana.

“It’s a great night for St. Tammany, no matter who wins,” said Katie Guasco, chief marketing officer for Visit the Northshore, cook-off co-sponsor with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. Cooking stations lined one wall, with each of the 12 competing chefs and their sous chefs given a tight space to create a signature dish in the night’s main event. The cooking schedules were staggered, with each team having one hour to cook and plate their creation for judges

The much-envied judges for the evening were: James Fox Smith, publisher of Country Roads Magazine; Nealy Frentz, the chef/ owner of Lola Restaurant in Covington; Damien Chapman, chef/owner of Orlandeaux’s Cafe in Shreveport; and Kim Chavin, president and co-owner of Kim Chavin Seafood Company, who noted during the night how difficult it was to take only a taste of each entry and not finish such great dishes. Hundreds of guests sat in rows of chairs in front of the cooking stations, watching the teams work culinary magic. For a bit of delicious lagniappe, guests

also enjoyed food from the 20 northshore area restaurants in the hall who provided samples of their own signature dishes in the separate “A Tammany Taste of Summer Preview

Many of these local eateries will participate in the Taste of St Tammany dining promotion during August. The chefs, owners and staff scooped and ladled up thousands of samples of some of St Tammany’s finest food.

Among event ticket holders visiting the Harbor Center were sisters Jody Duvernay and Sue Goland, of Mandeville, who watched the cooking and enjoyed the samples. They were cheering on Alexis Indest, of Lafayette.

Goland came prepared, wearing her crawfish-themed T-shirt that read, “Well it ain’t going to suck itself.”

“Everyone knows that Cajun cooking is going to be delicious,” added her sister Rob and Candy Maness sat at a large table with a sea of empty sample bowls in front of their seats. Formerly of Madisonville, the couple drove from their home in Gulfport to enjoy the event and the variety of dishes on hand.

“Our favorites were the pork belly bites (with Hoisin glaze and chicharron dust) from Parish Tacos and the brie and crabmeat soup from Dakota. They were excellent,” said Candy Maness. Parish Tacos is in Mandeville, and Dakota in Covington.

The northshore had two chefs in the statewide competition Michael Kelley, executive

Halm jhalm@sttammanyfarmer.net

Covington creates Sparks in the Park

chef of Gallagher’s Grill in Covington, and

Joey Fontenot, executive chef from the Creole Bagelry in Slidell Working at side-byside cooking stations, the teams started the competition with a friendly fist bump, and each drew their own fans.

Emcees Cody Bahr and Gerald Gruenig kept up a steady banter of chef interviews and background information about the competition and encouraged a little competitive rivalry. They were on hand as each timer made its way to zero and encouraged the crowd to count down each chef’s cooking time.

After the last burner was turned off and the final dish was presented to the judges, it was time to name the winner who would go on to represent Louisiana in the American Seafood Cookoff in August in New Orleans.

“I am confident that tonight’s winner will bring the national title back to Louisiana. Last year, the crown was taken to Massachusetts, and we know it doesn’t belong there,” said Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser

Karlos Knott, executive chef of the Cajun Saucer at Bayou Teche Brewery in Arnaudville, was the named the cookoff’s biggest winner and the new King of Louisiana Seafood. His first-place dish, All Roads Lead to Arnaudville Roman Pizza, featured butterpoached Louisiana shrimp with a Champagne sauce. The pizza was served in the restaurant’s signature pizza box featuring a bright bayou design. Second-place honors were won by Chase

Raley, chef de cuisine of Parish Restaurant and Bar in Monroe, who prepared grilled ahi tuna with Ruston peach som salad. And the third-place winner was Trenton Oliphant, executive chef and owner of Benteaux Cajun-Asian Fusion Restaurant in Hammond, and his shrimp, chicken and pork tonkots entry

ACharming Summer

C Cellebrate your favorite summer memories with charms from AB

Slidell moving toward expanding mall’s taxing district

BY KIM CHATELAIN

Contributing writer

The Slidell municipal government has taken a step toward redevelopment of the near-empty North Shore Square Mall.

An ordinance that would expand the boundaries of a special taxing district that currently encompasses the mall site was introduced at the City Council’s June 24 meeting.

If approved, the measure would significantly increase the amount of money the city could put toward either purchasing or employing other measure to breathe life into the

high-profile retail site.

There was no discussion on the issue when introduced, but a public hearing and vote on the ordinance will be held at the July 8 council meeting.

In 2014, the city established the North Shore Economic Development District whereby an additional 1/2-cent sales tax is collected to offset certain improvements in the area.

It encompassed the site of the 621,000-square-foot Slidell mall near the Interstate 12 and Northshore Boulevard intersection.

Before the recent meeting, Mayor Bill Borchert said under the current

boundaries, the taxing district generates between $70,000 and $80,000 a year in revenue. The city recently invested that money toward hiring a consultant to study ways to get the 1985 vintage mall back onto commerce.

The mayor said it has been recommended that the city take ownership of the mall, a move that would likely hasten redevelopment of the site.

The ordinance pending before the council would significantly enlarge the special taxing district created in 2014. The new district would stretch roughly along Northshore Boulevard from Gause Boulevard to Sce-

Staff report

The 12th annual Larry Brewfest took place June 21 in the Castine Center near Mandeville, and the spirit of namesake Larry Hartzog — known for his big personality and most adventurous home brews — permeated the high-spirited event. Guests sampled from among 75 or so home brews cooked up by three home-brewing clubs, along with more than 100 commercially brewed craft beers, fine liquors and wines from 40 or so commercial brewers The People’s Choice first place home brew honor went to Wicked Bayou and Scott McCain; second place to LA-CO Brewing and Jacob Draffen; and third place, Three Rivers Brewing and Jeff Roussel Resonator Brewing and Angela Garrett won the People’s Choice for decorating.

Lots of attendees brought their pets to the animal-friendly part, and the Northshore Humane Society brought some of their homeless animals in need of forever homes Add to all that, good food and music, and it was quite an afternoon for those who love dogs, enjoy unique drinks or both. The fest was started by the local Mystic Krewe of Brew home brew club to honor the memory of Hartzog, an energetic member who died in 2012. The event began in a Covington pizzeria, but outgrew that venue as the craft brew scene exploded in popularity and the fest expanded along with it.

nic Drive, north of Interstate 12.

Borchert said the city doesn’t know exactly how much money the taxing district would generate if expanded, but rough estimates put the amount at $1.2 million a year

“To be honest, we’re going to need that for any kind of purchase of that property,” Borchert said The mall is owned by Morguard, a Canadian company that owns or manages more than $17 billion in real estate across North America.

The mall’s interior has been closed since 2019.

Of late, Slidell officials have worked with St. Tammany Parish’s economic development

St. Tammany Corp., as well as Morguard to push some kind of redevelopment of the mall site. Economic development leaders have said they believe a use can be found for the mall. Options could range from landing a data center or developing some sort of entertainment venue to having the city purchase it and aggressively seek to put it back into commerce. In other matters, council member Nick DiSanti was selected to be the new council president and council member Trey Brownfield, the

Some question Sims’ involvement in parish’s transparency committee

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

A recently formed DOGElike committee in St. Tammany drew criticism June 25 from some government agencies over the role that northshore District Attorney Collin Sims has on the committee. The involvement of the parish’s top prosecutor as the committee’s factfinder has rankled some taxing bodies, who question his motives and ability to be impartial. The Transparency and Resource Accountability Committee, or TRAC, was formed amid concerns around the future of funding for Sims’ office and the judiciary in the wake of repeated voter defeats of tax proposals to fund those criminal justice costs.

Sims

But Sims, who was not at the June 25 St. Tammany Parish Council meeting when the criticism surfaced, sees the questions around his involvement in TRAC as a distraction and said a day later that his primary concern is with the way government is structured in the parish, where independent taxing bodies like the parish’s fire districts and its mosquito control district have their own budgets with little to no oversight from the Par-

ish Council. “There’s no global approach,” Sims said Parish Council member Joe Impastato asked the council in a resolution to remove Sims from membership of TRAC, while keeping his office and its forensic auditor as a free resource the committee can rely on to provide data and analysis of different agencies’ budgets. At the same time, the resolution also said TRAC could review the budget of any taxing agency whose dedicated tax the council must agree to put on the ballot for a vote, such as Mosquito Abatement

But for some taxing bodies, Sims’ involvement has practically tainted the committee. Mosquito Abatement Director Kevin Caillouet, whose agency Sims has been reviewing first, had a tense back-and-forth with Sims in May after a tour of the organization’s facility

Caillouet said Wednesday that while he supported TRAC’s goal of efficiency, he thought Sims had a predetermined outcome, insufficient expertise and was going against his clients’ interest, since Sims is also technically the legal counsel for Mosquito Abatement.

Randy Hess, the chief of

Fire District No. 2 in Madisonville, was more blunt.

“If we remove the DA, I don’t think anybody has a problem,” adding, “it’s no secret he needs money

“To have somebody looking over our books forensically he could potentially smear us just because he can,” Hess told the council.

Sims admitted he can sometimes be a “bull in a china shop.” But while Sims said he understands the concern and readily admits that his office and the judiciary need money, he maintains that his role is that of a fact-finder and poses no conflict of interest.

If a taxing body does reduce its dedicated tax rate as a result of TRAC’s work, he said, the savings cannot be rerouted directly to his office but rather might help restore credibility with taxpayers.

Sims said that when he campaigned across the parish this spring in support of a tax proposition to fund his office and the judiciary, he felt credibility was missing. The voters shot down the tax proposition.

The Parish Council postponed Impastato’s resolution until August, but Sims’ review of Mosquito Abatement is ongoing and he said he plans to have a report with information about its budget and other parishes’ mosquito control budgets sometime this summer

Bill removing protections for St. Tammany rivers is dead

Revised bill will come back only on Pearl River, sponsor says

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

A Louisiana Senate bill that would have removed some rivers in St. Tammany Parish from the state’s protected status — and triggered opposition from environmental groups — never made it out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

But the senator who introduced the bill said he plans to bring back a significantly revised version that would focus only on the Pearl River in eastern St. Tammany

“We had a whole bunch of river systems that I really didn’t realize homeowners were going to get so upset about,” Sen. Bob Owen, R-Slidell, said during a recent legislative wrap-up session hosted by the St. Tammany Parish Chamber of Commerce.

The bill that withered away in committee would have removed eight St. Tammany rivers from the scenic rivers program, which adds heightened restrictions for designated rivers, generally requiring a special permitting process for work on and near them.

It also would have removed tributaries to the Tchefuncte River from the program and given an eight-year exemption to the Pearl River between Lock 1 and the Rigolets.

The bill’s goal was to make it easier for the state to de-snag the rivers to improve

drainage and reduce flooding, Owen said, but it prompted outcry from residents and environmental groups, who said removing the protected status could have vast implications for water quality, and that without further study, it would not necessarily help with flooding.

During the hearing in May in front of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, some committee members also worried about the lack of studies in the bill Owen has reiterated that his primary goal was to remove restrictions for the Pearl River to allow for future flood prevention work on the river and that when he brings the bill back, it will be just focused on the Pearl Opponents, including the nonprofit Northshore Riverwatch organization, one of a half-dozen advocacy groups that battled Owen’s original proposal, said there are ways to do necessary work without losing the protections in place.

“This is a bad bill for our rivers,” the group wrote in published remarks. “Removing 9 Scenic Rivers, plus dozens of streams, from the Scenic River Program will remove enhanced water quality protections allowing more sewerage treatment plant to discharges to lower water quality and discharge higher pollutant loads. The official position appears to be that you cannot get Scenic River Permits for flood control activities on the Scenic Rivers, yet there are exceptions in the law already providing for flood control activities on Bayou Liberty, Bayou Lacombe, Chinchuba Bayou, the Tchefuncte River and Its Tributaries, and other Scenic Rivers not listed. St. Tammany currently holds Scenic River Permits to clear and clean the rivers found in the exceptions.”

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

It’s been a long time since anyone has cast a line from St. Tammany Parish’s popular fishing pier beneath the Interstate 10 twin spans just south of Slidell. The pier, a repurposed westbound section of the old I-10 twin span left over from Hurricane Katrina, was closed in late 2020 for a $1.2 million upgrade.

But before it could reopen in late August 2021, Hurricane Ida blew across Louisiana and wrecked it.

It’s been closed ever since.

On the western side of the parish, in Mandeville, Ida also made a mess of the city’s fishing pier that runs some 400 feet into Lake Pontchartrain.

It, too, has been shut down since that year’s big storm.

But now, nearly four years after Ida blew across the region with damaging winds and disastrous storm surges, work could finally be starting on repairs to get both piers up and running again, officials say

The parish government expects to receive bids in July for repair work to the Slidell-area pier, a project

expected to cost around $3 million, St. Tammany Parish government spokesperson Michael Vinsanau said.

Construction work could begin sometime in the fall, Vinsanau said.

“We don’t want to just replace it, we want to make it better,” he said.

Vinsanau noted the repair work will concentrate on better storm-proofing the parish pier, which parish officials hope will give it a better chance of withstanding the next hurricane.

The parish has previously said improvements will include a rock jetty to protect the new pier from storm surges, a fortified entryway and repairs to the parking lot.

“We had hoped by now to be under construction,” Vinsanau said, but securing project funding has taken more time anticipated.

The work at both piers is being funded largely with money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which notified the city and parish last July that it would pay for the work.

“We could have spent our own money and rebuilt it like it was, then worked to get reimbursed,” Mandev-

ille Mayor Clay Madden said of the city’s pier

But Madden said the city, like the parish, wanted to work on improvements to harden the structure. Making it more resilient, he said, will make it “last longer and hopefully survive another Ida.”

The additional time in getting work started, he said, “is kind of a trade-off.”

Madden has previously said the new pier will be higher than the old one, and the decking material will feature a metal grid, rather than wooden planks. The work in Mandeville is expected to cost around $3.5 million and FEMA will cover 90%, Madden said.

Madden said he understands the frustration of having it take so long.

“I’ve been getting asked a lot by the (city) council members,” he said.

Principal Engineering, of Covington, is working on designs for the Mandeville pier, and the city was to update the council and public on the project during the City Council’s June 26 meeting, Madden said. Madden said he hopes construction will begin by year’s end.

‘Fragments of Imagination’ in Slidell until July 25

BY SUZIE HUNT Contributing writer

The George Dunbar Gallery was packed for the unveiling of the “Fragments of Imagination” show on June 20, an exhibit showcasing 28 original art pieces evaluated by celebrated New Orleans artist Terrance Osborne, the show juror

“When the artists saw the theme and who the juror would be, they were encouraged to be free to use a bright palette and any medium they chose,” said Charlotte Lowry Collins, director of the Olde Towne Art Commission, the show sponsor.

Although he was impressed by the images he was shown at the beginning of the selection process, Osborne said he was blown away when he saw them in person.

“I usually lean toward paintings, but the sculptures were undeniably striking,” Osborne said, and he was particularly taken by the work of firstplace winner Ned Hopgood, a piece of sculpture that pays tribute to a song written by Dr John “With that sculpture, it emotionally struck me. It was purely a work of art, and the materials he used made it sweeter,” Osborne said.

Hopgood said his sculpture, “Walk on Gilded Splinters,” took more than 10 years to complete and was made up of more than 100 parts, including diverse items that included recycled tubes, toy parts, plaster gauze and wood putty

Other award winners included second place, “Long Tall Sally” by Lyba Leona Murphy, and third place, “Mischief Fantasy Swamp Fairy” by Connie Born. Honorable mention winners were: “Hoodoo Ya Voodoo” by Keith Delaune; “Mischief Swamp Gumbo” by Connie Born; “Love One Another” by Mandie Manzano Wakileh; “Dragon” by Sally Richards; “Lil’ Blue Swamp Puppy” by Madeline Alleman; “3D Wall Hanging #26” by Charles Gudaitis; “Gator Barley” by Earnest Robert; and “Anathia: The Great Queen” by Sara Davis. The exhibit will remain on display through July 25 in the gallery at City Hall 2055 Second St., Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit by appointment only; call (985) 646-4375. Same day visits are available.

The 4 on 4th Race goes on in Covington with new operator

BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer

The 4 on the 4th race remains a signature Covington event on the Fourth of July, and nothing will change that, not even with someone new leading the pack.

The annual 4 on the 4th, started by the 15th Street Flyers running organization, will once again take place at Hubie Gallagher Park on Independence Day morning. Odds are it will be hot (remember to hydrate), and the event is capped at 400 runners, so registering early is advised at RunSignUp com. Brave individuals of a certain age or teams — can sign up for the Beer Run and win a case of suds.

After years of partnership with the Flyers, the event is now being run by the West St. Tammany YMCA. Nothing about the race will change, other than maybe the words on the T-shirt. Both organizations were in step that this is, was and will continue to be an event to benefit the community.

“The fact that they are continuing with the same goal to give back to our community is impressive,” said Diane Weiss, a co-founder of the 15th Street Flyers. “We couldn’t have asked for a better partner We know the race has a life of its own.”

“We are so honored to be trusted with this event,” said Associate Executive Director of the West St. Tammany YMCA Donna Laiche. “One of our motivations at the Y always is we want to help others and work with other nonprofit groups. Historically, 4 on the 4th provided us and other nonprofits with proceeds, and we will continue to do that.”

Weiss notes that a 4-mile race on the Fourth of July has a certain allure, and it was always popular with northshore runners. The event had a hometown feel with family-oriented games in between the races

“It was just very, very, very organic,” laughed Weiss “We would make awards and bring in homemade food. We made it familyfriendly In between the kids race and the four-mile race we would have a doughnut eating contest and a hula hoop contest.

The Flyers reached out to the YMCA for volunteers over the years, and the YMCA provided personnel and guidance Now the Flyers are taking a step back, letting the YMCA handle a large chunk of the promo-

The annual 4 on the 4th race has remained a patriotic event over the years, and runners are always encouraged to wear the red, white and blue.

tion and organization.

“We created our own 5K last year (Healthy Kids Day 5K), and we reached out to the Flyers because they are the experts,” said Laiche “Now we are doing 4 on the 4th, but the event is remaining completely the same.

It’s still going to be fabulous.”

Slots fill up quickly Even for the beer run, which requires runners or teams to drink a beer in between quarter mile laps of the park and compete for the fastest time.

With the size of the park and course, the race was capped at 400 runners. At times, it has been the Louisiana state championship race at that distance, but it is no longer a Crescent City Classic qualifying race. Proceeds from this year’s race will go toward the Covington Police Department, Covington Fire Department, Boys and Girls Club of Covington and multiple other community groups.

“We are all striving to make a difference in our community,” Laiche said. “We are all trying to make it a better place to raise a family and we can only achieve that through donations, so why not come out and have a great time and support the community?”

behind artist

shoulder hangs his painting ‘Shotgun Highrise,’ and standing next to him are Cecilia and Nelson Alexander, the couple who bought it from him. ‘It reminded us that even with everything that happened with Katrina, the sun will come out again,’ she said.

MUSIC

POWER: Soulful alt-rocker Maggie Koerner will perform one 7 p.m. show on July 26 on the North Star Theatre stage at 347 Girod St. in Mandeville, so get ready. Koerner is a regular performer at Jazz Fest in New Orleans who one recent year, finished off the penultimate set on the Gentilly stage barefoot and dancing, her head thrown back to the sky Doors open 5:45 p.m. Reserved seat tickets only on sale now, $45 plus online fees. Get the link at northstartheatre org. For more, call (985) 200-4300.

FIDDLING: Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw will perform July 4 as part of Mandeville’s Independence Day celebration on the lakefront. The festivities start at at 10 a.m., and Shaw will take the stage at 4 p.m. between Coffee and Carroll streets to highlight a day of patriotic music, games and tributes The Boogie Men will perform from 6:45 p.m. until a fireworks show over the lake closes out this annual event.

INSPIRE: A program of inspirational music by Jeremy Harper is scheduled July 15 for the Young at Heart program (that’s the 55+ set) in the Central Hall of the First Baptist Church in Covington. Program starts at 10:30 a.m. and concludes with lunch at noon for a cost of $15, payable by cash or check at the door, but online registration is required. The deadline to register or cancel is noon July 10 at fbccov.org/adults-55

FREE CONCERT: Make plans to meet up July 19 at The Groves bandstand in Pelican Park near Mandeville for a free public concert featuring Alt’r Ego. Music from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bring chairs and blankets for seating and some dancing shoes to make the most of this community musical event, 63350 Pelican Drive.

FREE JAMS: The Northshore Traditional Music Society provides several free music sessions monthly in St. Tammany Parish for people who show up. See nstms.org for details songlists and to confirm meeting times. The next scheduled sessions include:

n July 5: A Traditional Jam Jazz with clarinetist and teacher Ben Redwine every first Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. John’s Coffee, 535 E. Boston St. Two hours open to all listeners and players, usually a mix of students, amateurs and professional players Sheet music available at redwinejazz.com/ education.

n July 17: There’s a Traditional Irish Session every third Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in back room of Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly St. Musicians and music-lovers to play and sing favorite pieces of Celtic music. Visit the Session Celtic Music resource page at thesession.org/tunes or visit nstms. org.

THEATER

GAME ON: Test your nerves and compete for $500 by playing Suspense Games Live” at 30 by Ninety Theater in Mandeville on July 11. It’s an edge-of-your-seat night of interactive challenges, unexpected twists and high stakes. Play or watch and cheer, but the games start at 8 p.m. Tickets $32, fees included. See 30byninety.com or the theater Facebook page for a link to buy them

ART

SUMMER: The St. Tammany Art Association presents the return of the 55th annual national juried exhibition, The Summer Show, to the Miriam Barranger Gallery in the Art House at 320 N. Columbia St in downtown Covington. It will open with a July 12 reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. At 7 p.m. that evening, a minimum of $3,500 in cash prizes, including a $2,000 prize for Best of Show, will be awarded. Other cash and merit awards will be presented at the discretion of show juror Sasha Newkirk, who has designed and curated exhibitions, taught, given lectures and mounted artwork at some of New York’s leading institutions. The show will be on view until Sept. 13. Free and open to the public. The Art House is regularly open Wednesday through Fridays, from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. For more information call (985) 892-8650 or email info@sttammany.art.

PEOPLE WHO MEET

NEIGHBORS: The next meeting of the Hermadel/Carolyn Park/Bayou Cache Residents’ Association takes place July 10 at the American Legion Post, 1680 St. Ann Place Potluck dinner at 6 p.m., followed by business meeting with an insurance broker offering a midyear update about the industry Mayor Bill Borchert, a Slidell Police Department representative and District D Councilman Nick DiSanti usually attend with updates about

the neighborhoods. Bring a dish if you can, but no alcohol. Get to know your neighborhood. Questions to club President Jill Dalier at (504) 307-7715.

FEDS: The Slidell chapter the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association next meets on July 11 at 1 p.m. in First Christian Church, 102 Christian Lane. The speakers will be Ted and Steve Longo with The Longo Group to discuss investments and the economy. The Lunch Bunch will first meet and eat at 11:30 a.m. at Fatty’s Restaurant, 1300 Gause Blvd. All active and retired federal employees and their spouses are welcome. For additional information, contact chapter President Elroy Noel at (985) 290-0757 or email elroynoel@bellsouth.net.

COMMUNITY GUMBO

RUN & LEARN: Take an Urban Nature Walk with the Wednesday Run Club on July 9 by meeting at the Mandeville Trailhead at 6 p.m. This is a fun social club of runners and walkers of all levels and abilities who meet up on the second Wednesday of every month at the Pelican Park Nature Center.

RAPTOR TIME: Pelican Park hosts the LSU Raptor Rehabilitation Program at 10 a.m. on July 12 in the park’s White Gym. See magnificent raptors up close and learn about the vital work LSU does in conservation, research and education. Don’t miss this educational experience for all ages to learn about and appreciate Louisiana’s incredible raptor species.

SHARING: The Avanti Senior Living Community at 2234 Watercross Parkway in Covington will host an American Independence Day Celebration on July 12 at 1:30 p.m. with a mix of Chinese and American performing arts. The artists will include Cuilan Li, Mason Wu and Jeanna Chen performing Chinese classical music using ancient musical instruments, as well as American music and dances. The public is invited. For more info, contact program coordinator Tina Soong at tinasoong@att.net.

POOL TIME: The public pool at the Rev. Peter Atkins Park, 701 N. Tyler St., in Covington, opens from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, when there will be lifeguards. There is also a splash pad in the park, and both water features are available at no charge. In Slidell, at 705 Dewey Ave near the Boys & Girls Club is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, until Labor Day. There will be lifeguards, and the pool entry fee is $1.

RUNNING: The 26th annual Four on the Fourth is scheduled to start the day on July 4 at Hubie Gallagher Park, 1000 W. 15th Ave., in Covington. Adult race starts at 7:30 a.m.; kids race at 8:30 a.m. Register in advance or on race day (or pick up race numbers) from 6:30 a.m. to 7:20 a.m. There’s even a Beer Mile for those 21 and up. Registration fee is $40 for adults and $20 for kids. Red, white and blue attire suggested. Lots of awards, door prizes and music. Register at www run4onthe4th.com.

STROLLING: The eighth annual Kokomo Stroll is set for July 12 in downtown Covington. Think flip-flops and special summer cocktails, cold craft beers and Beach Boys music. Food trucks and beach games. Plan it now and get tickets, $45, at Kokomostroll.com.

QUILTING: Anyone interested in learning to quilt or experienced quilters looking for a group are invited to The Camellia Quilters Guild of Slidell, which meets at 10 a.m. on the third Thursday of every month in Genesis Hall, Aldersgate United Methodist Church. This group, meeting next July 17, provides information, education and inspiration in all things quilting and related fiber arts. For more information, contact guild coordinator Mollie Lusty at mlusty63@gmail.com.

Free parental workshop in Covington on online danger

Staff report

Parents can learn more about the dangers of their children’s use of online electronic devices in a free presentation on July 15 in the Children’s Advocacy Center-Hope House in Covington. The presentation will be given by Covington Police Detective Brian Brown, trained as a special victim investigator and certified expert in cyber and forensic investigations, and include discussion of various applications, as well as cyberbullying, sextortion and sexting. The training will be provided in person at Hope House, 223 W. 28th Ave., in Covington from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and registration is required. Free food and beverages will be ordered in advance for all registrants, so those who sign up should provide at least 24 hours’ advance notice if unable to attend. For more information on Hope House, visit www.cachopehouse.org/prevention. Anyone with questions should call or contact heather@cachopehouse.org or (985) 892-3885, extension 4.

The Atrium opens show of Paulo Dufour art

BY SHEILA GRISSETT Staff writer

An exhibit opening July 12 in the Christwood Atrium Gallery near Covington will include 45 paintings and 20 pieces of blown and sculptured glass created during the last decade by artist Paulo Dufour

Dufour’s art reflects his perception of the world surrounding him and his existence within it. His intellect and introspection are part and parcel of his art; his work takes some thinking about.

His are not seascapes that put the observer in mind of a trip to the beach, but his work does require a deep dive for its messaging. His allegorical themes touch on the eternal struggle of the human condition.

Dufour creates in diverse media, but he treasures glass above all.

“Glass is fascinating. It’s a medium you can look at and look through at the same time. Doing so prompts a kind of mental shift of your attention or your focus. That shift and the ability to make layers of transparency and meaning on the different layers is what attracts me,” Dufour says, and he works with it daily. “Glass is the passion and joy of my creative life.”

Dufour’s most recent work features the shadows of trees, plants, animals and objects merging into allegorical themes and explores the relationship his shadow — in the best Jungian sense — cast onto metaphysical landscapes.

The son of celebrated artist and longtime LSU professor Paul Dufour, Paulo Dufour has exhibited throughout the United States and parts of Europe. And from his studio in the woods north of Covington, he continues

‘Impermanent Conversation,’ blown and sculpted

with patinated iron

to create as the artist must — for himself, and from the inside out.

Dufour also answered his own early yen to teach by doing so at a few universities and some 25 or so years in the St. Tammany Parish school system’s talented arts program — all while continuing to create his own work. He left the system in 2016 to focus on his art and make up for the time he gave to other important matters.

The artist told Louisiana Life Magazine contributor John Kemp that he sees his life in two parts, the first

spent building a career, a marriage and raising a family But in his second act, Dufour is leading the contemplative life he needs now in his rural and woodsy studiohome, and he contemplates through the process of creation.

Dufour holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from LSU and a master of fine arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts. He also creates glass projects and paintings for a variety of clients, galleries and invitational museum exhibits.

In late 2019 and early 2020, Nungesser, then in his first term as lieutenant governor, pushed the hotel-conference center idea and got the St. Tammany Parish’s tourism agency to commission a feasibility study That study showed the parish’s hotel supply generally outstripped demand, but concluded that a hotel-conference center for Fontainebleau would be successful.

But the proposal also stoked intense debate and often loud opposition. At a public meeting in Mandeville in January 2020, for instance, the proposal — and Nungesser — were battered by many in the standingroom-only crowd.

Some in the crowd that night demanded environmental impact studies. Others noted that the area in and around Fontainebleau is considered sacred ground by Native American tribes

SCHIMPF

Continued from page 1A

The setting sun and cabins at Fontainebleau State Park on Lake

photo near Mandeville.

and also contains the graves of people who were slaves on what once was a large plantation. Others said a hotel and conference center would ruin the peaceful ambiance of the park.

Still others claimed the hotel-conference center was a Trojan horse to bring a casino to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, which Nungesser denied The Mandeville City Council followed a month later with a

prowess was such that he earned a roster spot in a playground league for 10-yearolds. It was the beginning of a steep ascent that led to the game’s upper echelon The journey from Little League to “the show” — the highest level of professional baseball — is made by only about 1 in 30,000 kids, and Schimpf is one of them. With his sweet swing and uncanny perseverance, Schimpf made his way to the big leagues by riding a home run spree reminiscent of Roy Hobbs in the novel and movie, “The Natural.” His two and a half seasons of major league baseball followed a standout prep career at St. Paul’s School in Covington, a national championship at LSU, and nearly eight years in the minor leagues.

Schimpf’s major league career was both splashy and relatively short He finally got his call in 2016 at the age 28 and earned a starting spot at third base for the San Diego Padres on opening day in 2017 But baseball players’ fortunes can be as fickle as the south Louisiana weather, and Schimpf soon landed back in the minor leagues. He was out of baseball by 2019. Now back in Covington, the 37-year-old Schimpf lives the life of a family man with his wife, Felicia, and three children. Instead of hitting home runs, he now helps clients obtain home loans as a mortgage officer for Core Lending.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Little Leaguer Ryan Schimpf poses in his batting stance as a member of a recreation league team at Cleary Playground in Metairie.

A sports focus

Schimpf comes from a sports-oriented family One uncle ran track at LSU. Another uncle played football at Arkansas State His dad played high school football.

“We’d go to my grandmother’s house, and trophies, plaques and all of this other stuff was everywhere,” Schimpf said. “We were a sports family and I loved it.”

In his younger years, Schimpf took a special liking to football. But as a young teenager, he and his older brother were involved in an automobile accident Schimpf suffered a concussion and was told not to play tackle football.

“That kinda ended football for him, and that didn’t break my heart, to be honest,” Criag Schimpf said of his son, who was listed at 5’9”, 180 pounds as a professional baseball player “From there, he sort of gravitated toward baseball.”

Schimpf became a starter on St. Paul’s varsity baseball team as a sophomore and still holds several school hitting records.

Former St. Paul’s baseball coach Mick Nunez, currently the school’s dean of students, said Schimpf was easily among the top players he coached during his 23-year career in the dugout.

Schimpf’s name is one of three on the center

field wall at the school’s baseball

field, where only alums making it to the major leagues get that honor

resolution opposing a hotel and conference center in Fontainebleau.

Nungesser said last week that he understands there will be opposition.

“There’s some people in Mandeville that are against anything. I get it,” he said.

“You’re never going to make everybody happy,” he added.

The 2,800-acre Fontainebleau State Park stretches from U.S. 190 to Lake Pon-

tchartrain, just east of the city of Mandeville, on the former sugar plantation of Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville. It features a beach, camping sites, rental cabins, access to the Tammany Trace and a network of trails through the woodlands and marshes.

One of the state’s busiest parks, it has drawn more than 251,000 visitors for fiscal year 2025, which ended in June. It drew

nearly 237,000 visitors in fiscal year 2024, and nearly 249,000 the year before that.

Nungesser said the parish tourist commission, Visit the Northshore, has commissioned a new study that should be done in the coming weeks. Katie Guasco, chief marketing officer for Visit the Northshore, said that study is part of an overall tourism master plan the agency is undertaking.

Nungesser promised to open the process to public input as it gets further along. He said he’s looking at something in the neighborhood of 150 rooms, with meeting space. He said the state owns land adjacent to the east side of the park, but which he said is not actually inside the park, that could accommodate the development.

He said the hotel-conference center can be built in a way that is friendly to the environment. “We’re not building a high-rise on the lake,” he said. “No, it’s not going to be a casino.”

Margie Vicknair-Pray a

“He was incredibly versatile defensively he could play just about anywhere and he could really swing it,” Nunez said.

“He was one of those guys you figured could make it to the next level if he stayed healthy and had a little luck to go along with his talent. He was a great guy and a lot of fun to coach, and to this day, he’s still an awesome guy to be around.”

Tiger roar

After high school, Schimpf took his talent to the storied LSU baseball program. In his three years there, Schimpf posted a college career batting average of .317, hit 38 home runs and had 135 runs batted in.

Part of those statistics were accumulated during LSU’s national championship season in 2009 when he led the team with 22 home runs and finished second on the team in batting average, behind only three-time major league all-star D.J. LeMahieu.

Schimpf says he has trouble remembering the details of the College World Series run in Omaha.

“To me, it’s all still kind of a blur,” he said. “What I do remember, and what’s so good about playing the game, are the friendships you make.

“It’s not the games you remember most, it’s all of the things you do as a team outside the games the practices, the workouts, the off-the-field stuff.”

Schimpf said he remains in touch with many of his LSU teammates. “We’ve got a pretty big group text going.”

After the banner 2009 season, Schimpf was drafted in the fifth round of the MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He then faced a decision: stay in school one more year or sign a professional baseball contract. He chose the latter, though he later received his degree from LSU.

Going pro

Schimpf spent for first seven years of his professional career toiling in the minor leagues. That meant being bounced from team to team and from city to city while earning a pittance of a farm club salary

He and wife had started a family, creating a situation that didn’t mesh well with minor league lifestyle. But he kept grinding toward his goal.

In the 2015 offseason, Schimpf signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres and was assigned to the organization’s AAA franchise in El Paso, Texas.

He got off to a torrid start in El Paso. In 51 games there, he was hitting at a .355 clip with 15 home runs and 48 runs batted in.

“It was a really good ballpark in El Paso, and I started off good,” he said. “Then I got really hot. I was playing the best I’d ever played.”

In June of 2016, Schimpf’s parents came to El Paso for a visit and to see their year-old granddaughter At about 1 a.m., Schimpf woke up his mother and father with news that signaled a whole new ballgame. “All of a sudden, we’re awakened, and I thought there must be something wrong,”

Lacombe resident and conservation projects coordinator with the Sierra Club, said she recently spoke with Nungesser about an unrelated issue and the hotel-conference center, which she had been hearing rumors about, came up. She said she plans to meet with Nungesser in August to discuss his idea.

“I don’t know how big his plans are,” she said. “Or how much land.”

Vicknair-Pray said she told Nungesser, “If you do it right, maybe it’s something I could support.

“If he could build an ecolodge that is sustainable, doesn’t destroy the area around it it could be a positive. But if it’s done the Louisiana way, I’ll fight it.” Even if Nungesser can convince some that the development would be built in a way that is environmentally friendly and won’t trample any sensitive areas, Vicknair-Pray thinks it will be a hard sell.

“There are a lot of people out there who say ‘Hell no!’” she said.

Craig Schimpf said. “I’m thinking we’ve got to go to the hospital. So, then Ryan says, ‘We’re going to San Diego.’

The big league was calling, and Schimpf was about to realize his dream.

“The funniest thing about it was that we both said at the same time “Well, I guess the name will go on the fence at St. Paul’s now,” Criag Schimpf said. “Why that was one of the first things that popped in our minds, I’m not sure.”

In his first major league at-bat on June 14, Schimpf lined a double down the right field line. On July 1, he slugged his first major league home run against the New York Yankees. On July 24, Schimpf set a Padres rookie record by hitting his ninth home run of the calendar month. He won the National League Rookie of the Month Award for July

He went on to hit 20 homers for the Padres during that year Added to the 15 he hit at AAA El Paso, Schimpf totaled a whopping 35 home runs in 2016.

He won the starting job at third base for the Padres coming out of spring training the following year

“That was pretty cool with all of the events and (military jet) flyovers,” he said of the opening day ceremonies. “It’s something you dream of as a kid. It was surreal.”

Back to earth

The 2017 season saw a dip in Schimpf’s production. He did hit 14 home runs in 53 games, but his batting average dropped, and he was sent back to AAA.

After the season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays and later traded to the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels

The Angels called him back up to the big leagues for a few weeks in 2018 before releasing him in May of 2018.

By then, Schimpf said he had grown frustrated with the uncertainty and the ups and downs of professional baseball. He and Felicia had welcomed their second child and the major league contract money was no longer flowing in Over his 10-year baseball career Schimpf and his family had moved more

Ryan Schimpf’s name is one of only three on the center field wall of fame at St. Paul’s baseball field. Only alums who reach Major League Baseball have their names have their names make the wall.

than 30 times. So frequent were their moves that Felicia Schimpf became an expert in staging relocations and is now owner of NEAT Method New Orleans, a professional home organizing company At age 30, Schimpf hung up his cleats, and along with his family came home to Covington.

“I wouldn’t say I ended my career being ecstatic,” he said. “As much as I loved it, and even though I wanted to keep playing, it was time. I didn’t see a path to get back to the big leagues.”

Schimpf said the transition to life without baseball was a challenge at first.

For decades, his identity was that of a baseball player He had been so laser focused on baseball that he had given little thought to what might come afterward.

“It was stressful to try to figure out how we were going to survive when the only thing I had experience with was hitting a baseball,” he said. “I had no idea what I was going do. I couldn’t take a step too far backward because I had mouths to feed.”

Eventually a friend offered him a chance at becoming a mortgage loan officer He jumped at the chance.

While he didn’t want to pursue coaching as a second career, he does volunteer to coach the teams of his kids, who are now ages 9, 8 and 4. It’s a far cry from the major leagues, but there’s a familiarity to it that hearkens back to a simpler time when baseball was a game rather than a job.

Despite the ups and downs of professional baseball a game in which even elite hitters succeed only 30% of the time — Schimpf said he would do it all over again.

“It was awesome but it does get hard when you don’t have that big contract,” he said, referring to the big salary gap between the minor and major leagues Asked what he hopes to convey to his children as they take their first steps into sports world, Schimpf thought for a while before offering some dugout wisdom.

“I would tell them ‘Go all in on what you do, but don’t wrap your identity in what you do.’

IDENTITY BUILDING

Bayou Lacombe Cardinals fall 22-14 in NLFA title game

BY MIKE PERVEL Contributing writer

The Bayou Lacombe Cardinals had high hopes as they made their secondstraight Next Level Football Alliance championship game appearance on June 21.

The South Division champions faced a North Mississippi Roadwarriors team that the Cardinals had defeated in the regular season. In fact, the game was a rematch of last year’s championship. But the Cardinals missed too many opportunities on offense as the Roadwarriors earned a hard-fought 22-14 NLFA championship victory in Jackson, Mississippi.

Bayou Lacombe faced some in-game personnel issues at the center position, resulting in inconsistent snaps that put the offense back on its heels.

Cardinals’ first-year head coach E.J. Walls, who served as offensive coordinator for five years, said missed opportunities were the difference.

“Making it to the championship game the last two years was fantastic. But the way both games ended was very, very tough. We faced some accountability stuff. We struggled offensively, and we just couldn’t get into any rhythm. That’s the best defensive line I’ve ever faced. They made it tough on me, keeping up their rush pressure.”

BY MIKE PERVEL

Contributing writer

Mandeville coach Craig Jones has repeated a simple mantra all off-season Jones mentions over and over again that the Skippers are using the summer to forge the identity of the 2025 Mandeville football team

Mandeville took a step towards solidifying that identity as the Skippers took home the varsity and JV titles during the Mandeville 7-on-7 tournament at Sidney Theriot Stadium on June 21.

“This group is still forming its own identity after graduating multiple-year starters, losing lots of solid leadership

and tons of game experience. I was proud of how they hung in there, getting the job done in key situations offensively and defensively It’s special when you can win your own tournament and improve as a team,” Jones said Mandeville’s varsity squad earned the No. 2 seed in bracket play and posted a 7-1 overall record. The Skippers held off Fontainebleau, 20-15, to capture the championship. In Saturday’s title game, the Skippers set the early tone, capping off their opening drive with senior quarterback Ben Hendricks connecting with junior Jake Jacketti for a

See MANDEVILLE, page 2B

Kade Anderson’s humility is key to his success

Former SPS lefty dominated at LSU

the Tigers in the opening game of the College World Series Championship series against Coastal

Carolina. St. Paul’s alumnus Kade Anderson didn’t throw a single pitch during his senior season on Jahncke Avenue Tommy John surgery limited the standout lefthander to centerfield. It didn’t keep him off the rubber long. As a freshman at LSU in 2024, the 6-foot-2 lefty made 18 appearances (nine starts) and posted a 4-2 mark with a 3.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in

Anderson tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season — this one against the Chanticleers to snap their 26game win streak to cement his status as an LSU legend in the Tigers’ first-ever 1-0 win in the NCAA Tournament. He struck out 10 batters and allowed just three hits in 130 pitches. It was the first 1-0 decision, win or lose, the Tigers have been involved with at the College World Series — ever LSU has won 51 games in 80 appearances in Omaha, the fourth-most all-time. And Anderson’s name will be the answer to a trivia question for years to come. “I was never worried,” former St. Paul’s baseball coach Mick Nunez said. “I don’t know how

Mandeville’s Jake Jacketti makes a leaping catch during the Mandeville 7-on-7 tournament on

JERVIOUS EPHERSON, Cardinals’ signal caller

“We had some scoring chances, but we neglected to seize the moment. We were without three players who handled the center position for us during the season, who gave up on their team by not showing up. That caused some lategame changes at key offensive positions along the line. That bit us in the butt,” Walls said.

“We strengthened our offensive line this season, but the O-line struggled to hold off their defensive rush. Our defense played well, keeping us in the game, but our offense struggled with (Epherson) running for his life.”

Cardinals’ veteran signal caller Jervious Epherson, a 2010 Northshore grad, was pressured throughout the night by a relentless pass rush. He finished 17-of-27 passing for 204 yards

See CARDINALS, page 2B

of the history that Anderson made in Omaha on June 21.

See ANDERSON, page 2B

his coaches were, but he just competes, even when he is off. That’s what I thought was most impressive about his last outing. It wasn’t his greatest day, but he still competed and was dominant.”

What Nunez is referring to is that Anderson issued a seasonhigh five walks. The lefty didn’t have his best stuff on the biggest stage and still threw a completegame shutout. Impressive, but perfectly believable.

Anderson ends his final season at LSU with a 12-1 record in 19 starts with a 3.18 ERA in 119 innings. He allowed 91 hits and struck out 180 batters (No. 1 in the nation). He struck out 212 during his St. Paul’s career Nunez said Anderson gave the Wolves a shot every time he pitched, calling him “that dude.” It was easy to see why “Talent-wise, work ethic, he has everything,” Nunez said. “But along with that, you have to have a little luck and have things fall in the right spot. He played ball with my middle son when they were young on the Madisonville Mudcats. He was great on that team, but did I think he was a future first-round pick? No shot.”

That’s not a knock by Nunez, but just another example of how what Anderson did this past sea-

CARDINALS

Continued from page 1B

including two TD tosses and an interception.

“Making it to the championship game the last two years was fantastic,” Epherson said. “But the way both games ended was very, very tough. We faced some accountability stuff. We struggled offensively, and we just couldn’t get into any rhythm. That’s the best defensive line I’ve ever faced. They made it tough on me, keeping up their rush pressure.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Bayou Lacombe struck first with 9:34 left in the second period. Epherson engineered a 5-play, 74yard drive, capped by a 51-yard scoring toss to Xavier Chatman (Lakeshore High). He finished with three catches for 76 yards as the Cardinals took a 6-0 lead

After exchanging possessions, the Cardinals’ defense forced a three-and-out and a bad snap on the punt put the ball at the Roadwarriors 3. After an incomplete pass followed by an illegal procedure penalty, Epherson was hurried on a throw that Corey Ruben picked off at the goal line.

North Mississippi mounted a late second-quarter drive, but a Zach Varela interception sealed a 6-0 Cardinals lead at halftime.

The Roadwarriors struck first in the second half as they opened the third quarter with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped off by a four-yard TD run by Martavis Hayslett.

Following a Bayou Lacombe fumble, North Mississippi capitalized with a 7-play, 41-yard drive capped off by a two-yard Robert Fields QB keeper. Fields hit tight end Zach Bonds for a successful

MANDEVILLE

Continued from page 1B

5-yard TD catch. On Fontainebleau’s ensuing drive, the Skippers’ opportunistic defense forced a three-and-out to earn two points and push the lead to 8-0. On Mandeville’s next possession, Hendricks found Brennan McNeely for a 5-yard scoring toss to make it 14-0. Hendricks, who took over as Mandeville’s starting signal-caller midway through his sophomore season, said the Skippers played confidently

“We’ve put in lots of work getting familiar with some new concepts featuring different routes We’re getting more comfortable as an offensive unit. The receivers and backs did an awesome job,” Hendricks said.

“We’re not season-ready yet, but we are getting close. We have a great all-around unit Our O-line is strong, and we’re very solid at receiver and running back. We’re building trust and confidence in each other.”

Defensively the Skippers’ secondary excelled with its ballhawking coverage Junior Dylan Henry picked off eight passes, three on Friday and five on Saturday “It’s all about knowing the down

LSU starting pitcher Kade

Anderson celebrates after getting the final out of the seventh inning in game four of the College World Series between the Tigers and the Razorbacks on June 14 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb LSU defeated Arkansas 4-1

son is even more incredible than it looks on the field.

He overcame adversity time after time and just competed for himself and his teammates. And despite all that success, Anderson sticks to what got him there a love of baseball and those who helped pave the way

“He is still such a great guy,”

Nunez said. “I’ve had some guys that, as they grew up and realized how good they were, they became too good for anybody He gets that he’s lucky to be a part of it. I’m just super excited for him.”

That love for the game and his teammates was on full display during his junior year when he was back in the dugout for the Wolves’ regular-season finale despite just having Tommy John surgery That love was on display after he logged a seven-inning victory over Arkansas in the Tigers’ World Series opener and then he still took the time to call the Wolves’ bat boy to talk after the game.

“Him being such a good guy makes it so much cooler to see,”

Nunez said. “I think every coach can say that they have a kid who doesn’t get it. Kade definitely gets it.”

Anderson’s performance in Omaha was so dominant that it earned the left-hander the John D. Diesing Sr award for most outstanding player at the CWS.

On June 25, he was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Outstanding Male Athlete from the New Orleans area for 2024-25.

The awards just keep coming for one of the brightest arms in the country, and the best is certainly still to come.

Contact Joseph Halm at jhalm @sttammanyfarmer.net.

Bayou Lacombe Cardinals’ first-year head coach E.J Walls, right, chats with his players before the Next Level Football Alliance championship game on June 21.

two-point conversion, putting the Roadwarriors up 14-6 with 2:09 left in the third.

Bayou Lacombe battled back in the fourth quarter taking advantage of a North Mississippi turnover Epherson hooked up with Kaleb Campana (Holy Cross High) from three yards out as he made a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone. The Cardinals ran the same play for a successful 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14.

North Mississippi’s Fredrick

Moore delivered an electric 80yard return on the ensuing kickoff to the Cardinals’ 20 But Bayou Lacombe’s Corey Turner picked off a pass to end the threat with 5:18 remaining.

Following a 13-yard completion, an errant snap sailed high over Epherson’s head, and North Mississippi recovered it at the Bayou

Lacombe 11.

On the ensuing play, Wayna Thomas scored, and Martivious Newby’s 2-point conversion catch set the final score with 4:04 left.

Bayou Lacombe’s last-ditch effort came up short, with a fourthdown desperation pass at the Roadwarriors’ 35-yard line falling incomplete.

Cardinals defensive coordinator Gerrin Narcisse, who was the Cardinals’ Executive Director (original founding member) and former head coach, said the team and organization will continue to build.

“Once again, the organization came up short, reaching this plateau four or five times since we were formed in 2017 We’re going to regroup, retool and rebuild going forward,” Narcisse said. Game stats provided by Scott Meyer

Former Lakeshore coach Nunez to lead STA baseball

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Former Lakeshore baseball coach Boomer Nunez is back in the head coaching ranks.

St. Thomas Aquinas announced on June 20 that it had promoted Nunez to its head coaching spot. Nunez, who has a 152-112 record as a head coach, is a Chalmette native and 2006 Northshore High graduate who has coached baseball and football throughout southeast Louisiana. He was the head baseball coach at Hannan from 2007-15, posting a 129-99 record. After that, he spent two years at St. Charles Catholic as an assistant baseball and football coach. He also served as defensive coordinator at St Thomas Aquinas for a season and was the head football coach and baseball assistant at Bowling Green for two seasons before coming to Lakeshore as an assistant. In July 2022, Nunez was named head baseball coach at Lakeshore, where he guided the Titans to their first state championship game appearance and a 23–13 record in his only season at Lakeshore. Shortly after the state championship game, Lakeshore terminated Nunez in a surprising move. He landed at St. Thomas Aquinas shortly after and will now have a chance to add to his career 152-win total.

took home the varsity and JV

and distance,” Henry said. “In shorter yardage plays, you must play tighter, looking for quick slants. In longer yardage situations, you can play off a bit and make sure to keep everything in front of you. Henry, also expected to be a big contributor offensively this season, caught a 3-yard TD pass from Hendricks in a victory over Northshore. Mandeville senior Montrell White, the younger brother of Michael White, who set the school’s all-time interception record last season, picked off five passes during the tournament, including three in the quarterfinal victory over Holy Cross.

While it looked like Mandeville would run away with the championship game, Fontainebleau rallied as junior quarterback Logan Astugue tossed a 23-yard scoring pass to Connor Tyson to cut the lead to 14-8 after Landon Surhre’s 2-point conversion with 5:30 left. Mandeville showed its poise on the ensuing possession as Hendricks found senior running back Jax O’Quin for a 5-yard TD. Fontainebleau didn’t go away quietly as Astugue tossed a 5-yard TD pass to senior Carlin Cagnolatti with just 12 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs went 0-4 in pool play on Friday before winning their first pool play game on Saturday and reeling off three straight

bracket play victories to advance to the championship. The Bulldogs downed Haynes Academy (22-8) in their last pool play game. Fontainebleau knocked off defending champion Covington, 25-22, in the first bracket play game, followed by wins over Bonnabel (19-11) and Riverdale (19-8) to advance to the title game. Fontainebleau coach John Kavanaugh said his team showed a lot of toughness. “I liked how we battled back,” he said. “I’m very proud of how the offense turned things around, getting into a rhythm on Saturday and making it to the championship game. “We have tough competitors

who want to win. They’re learning to make the key plays late. I’m excited about the rest of the summer, continuing to prepare for the season. We’re looking for consistency at quarterback this season from Logan Astugue and feel we can have a strong season.” In addition to Mandeville and Fontainebleau, other St. Tammany teams in the tournament included Northshore Christian (4-3), Covington (3-3), Salmen (2-4), Hannan (2-4) and Northlake (1-5). The Skippers’ JV went undefeated (6-0), led by freshman QB Krew Collura and sophomore TE Landon Lipps, who caught the game-winning pass in the championship game.

EAST 370.0 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE SOUTH 10.0 FEET TO A IRON ROD AND POINT OF BEGIN‐NING; THENCE WEST 15 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 120.0 FEET; THENCE EAST 300 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE NORTH ALONG THE PROPERTY LINE 120.0 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE WEST 285 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGIN‐NING. INCLUDED HEREIN IS ALSO A SERVITUDE OF PASSAGE CRE‐ATED IN AN ACT REGISTERED IN ENTRY NO. 714956. OFFICIAL RECORDS OF ST TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA. THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOW‐ING: A. ENCROACH‐MENT, BOUND‐ARY DISPUTES, OVERLAPS, SERVITUDES, RIGHTS OF PAR‐TIES IN POSSES‐SION AND OTHERADVERSE MATTERS AS WOULD BE DIS‐CLOSED BY A CURRENT ACCU‐RATE SURVEY AND INSPEC‐TION OF THE SUBJECT PROP‐ERTY B. EXTANT AND SUBSISTING SUBSURFACE MINERAL RIGHTS, IF ANY, OF WHATEVER NATURE. C. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE DOCUMENT CREATING A SERVITUDE OF PASSAGE REGIS‐TERED IN ENTRY NO.714956. D. RIGHTOFWAY IN FAVOR OF STATE OF LOUISIANA RECORDED 2/13/1956, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO. 127850 E. RIGHT OF WAY IN FAVOR OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA ELECTRIC COM‐PANY, INC. RECORDED 7/17/1967, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO. 245946 F OIL, GAS AND MINERAL LEASE IN FAVOR OF JAMES C. STORM COMPANY

LOUISIANA

OF

COMPANY RECORDED 5/24/1973, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO 268961 G. OIL, GAS AND MINERAL LEASE IN FAVOR OF LONGHORN OIL & GAS CO RECORDED 8/22/1980, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO 447117 130404

PMBCLLC 57423 CEDAR AV LA TAXES OWED ARE WITH ALL CERTAIN PIECE OR PORTION OF GROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILD‐INGS AND IM‐PROVEMENTS THEREON, WITH ALL RIGHTS, WAYS, MEANS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, PRESCRIPTIONS, ADVANTAGES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND COMPONENT PARTS THERE‐UNTO BELONG‐ING OR IN ANY‐WISE APPER‐TAINING, SITU‐ATED IN THE PARISH OF ST TAMMANY STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN SECTION 13, TOWNSHIP 9 SOUTH, RANGE 14 EAST AND BEING MORE FULLY DE‐SCRIBED AS LOTS 19 AND 20, SQUARE 3, BEV‐ERLY HILLS SUB‐DIVISION, ANNEXNO.1 ALL AS MORE FULLY SHOWN BY REFERENCE TOTHEOFFICIAL PLAT OF SAID SUBDIVISION ON FILE IN THE OF‐FICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT OF ST TAMMANY PARISH THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOW‐ING: A.ANYRESERVA TIONS OR STRICTIONS RECORD IN OFFICE OF CLERK COURT OF TAMMANY PARISH. 131938 BUNDLE BUNDLE, 70433 T OWED ARE THIS BU CONTAINS PROPERTIES. PLEASE S BELOW LEGAL DESC

PARISH 131938 BUNDLE BUNDLE, LA 70433 TAXES OWED ARE WITH THIS BUNDLE CONTAINS 3 PROPERTIES PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR LEGAL DESCRIP‐TIONS: 132226 33216 DAVE PI‐CHONRD MCBRIDE, HARRYW PARCEL I A CER‐TAIN LOT OF LAND SITUATED IN SECTION 42, TOWNSHIP 9 SOUTH, RANGE 13 EAST, ST TAM‐MANY PARISH, LOUISIANA, MORE FULLYDE‐SCRIBEDAS FOL‐LOWS: FROM THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE 2.13 ACRES OF LANDACQUIRED BY CLEVELAND J. PICHON FROM DAVEPICHONBY ACT DATED APRIL 2, 1946, RECORDED COB 172, FOLIO 325AT THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE PUBLIC ROAD GO S 89 DEGREES 05 MINUTES WEST 70.0 FEET ALONG THE SOUTH EDGE OF SAID ROAD TO THE PLACE OF BEGINNING AND WHICH IS THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE PROPERTY OF MR AND MRS. WILLIAM H MCBRIDEAS PER COB 355, FOLIO 530; THENCE GO S 89 DEGREES 05 MINUTES WEST 70.0 FEETALONG THE SOUTH EDGE OF SAID ROAD; THENCE GO IN A SOUTHERLY DI‐RECTION 100.0 FEET; THENCE GO IN AN EAST‐ERLY DIRECTION 62.5 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE SAID MCBRIDE PROPERTY AS PER COB 355, FOLIO 530; THENCE GO IN A NORTHERLY DI‐RECTION ALONG THE WEST LINE OF THE SAID MCBRIDE PROP

SHIP 9 SOUTH RANGE 13 EAST ST TAMMANY PARISH

LOUISIANA, MORE FULLYDE‐

SCRIBEDAS FOL‐

LOWS: FROM THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE 2.13 ACRES OF LANDACQUIRED BY CLEVELAND J. PICHON FROM DAVEPICHONBY ACT DATED APRIL 2, 1946, RECORDED COB 172, FOLIO 325AT THE SOUTH EDGE OF THE PUBLIC ROAD GO S 89 DEGREES 05 MINUTES WEST 70.0 FEET ALONG THE SOUTH EDGE OF SAID ROAD; THENCE GO IN A SOUTHERLY DI‐RECTION 100.0 FEET; THENCE GO IN AN EAST‐ERLY DIRECTION 62.5 FEET TO THE EAST LINE OF THE SAID 2.13 ACRES OF CLEVELAND J. PICHON;THENCE GO N 5 DEGREES W 100.0 FEET ALONG SAID EAST LINE OF SAID 2.13 ACRES OF CLEVELAND J.PICHONTOTHE POINT OF BEGIN‐NING. THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING: A. DECLARATION OF COVENANTS RUNNING WITH THE LAND RECORDED 6/1/2007, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO 1624745 132776 38181 TAMMANY ST

DRAGONFLY HOLDING ALL THOSE CER‐TAIN LOTS OR PARCELS OF LAND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILD‐INGS AND IM‐PROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLTHE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVI‐LEGES, SERVI‐TUDES, APPUR‐TENANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTO BE‐LONGING OR IN ANYWISE AP‐PERTAINING, SITUATED IN ST TAMMANY

SQUARE 12, HOWZE BEACH SUBDIVISION, ST TAMMANY PARISH LOUISIANA. SAID LOTS 23 AND 24 EACH MEASURE 25 FEET FRONT ON TAMMANY STREET BY A DEPTH OF 110 FEET GOING NORTH BE‐TWEEN LINES SAID SQUARE 12 IS BOUNDED ON THE NORTH BY CLEVELAND STREET, SOUTH BY TAMMANY STREET,EASTBY LAKEVIEW DRIVE AND WEST BY BEACH DRIVE. 132027 42149 DOWNEY RD TAMLAND IN‐VESTMENTSINC THAT PORTION OF GROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILD‐INGS AND IM‐PROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, AP‐PURTENANCES AND ADVAN‐TAGES THERE‐UNTO BELONG‐ING OR IN ANY‐WISE APPER‐TAINING, SITU‐ATED IN SEC‐TION 28, TOWN‐SHIP 9 SOUTH, RANGE 15 EAST ST TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND MORE PARTICU‐LARLY DE‐SCRIBEDAS FOL‐LOWS TO-WIT: FROM THE COR‐NER COMMON TO SECTIONS 28, 29, 32 AND 33 OF TOWNSHIP 9 SOUTH, RANGE 15 EAST GO NORTH 38 58’48” EAST, 2316.25 FEETTOAPOINT; THENCE GO NORTH 37ᵒ02’31” EAST, 388.94 FEET; THENCE GO NORTH 32ᵒ44’57” WEST, 500.94 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING. THENCE CON‐TINUE NORTH 32ᵒ44’57” WEST 287.50 FEET; THENCE GO NORTH 57ᵒ15’03”

WEST 370.66 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGIN‐NING. SAID PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TOAND INCLUDES A 30FOOT ROAD EASEMENT FOR DORIS ROAD AS SET FORTH ON THE SURVEY OF J.V BURKES III, DATED NOVEM‐BER 12, 1998, SURVEY #982865, A COPY OF WHICH IS AT‐TACHED TO AN ACT RECORDED IN THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF ST TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA A. THEROADHOME COVENANTS RUNNING WITH THE LAND RECORDED 9/19/2008, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO. 1686565 RECORDS OF ST TAMMANY PARISH STGBUN1029 ON THE DAY OF SALE I WILL SELL THE PROP‐ERTY TO THE HIGHEST BID‐DER. THE SALE WILL BE WITH‐OUT APPRAISE‐MENT, FOR CASH OR OTHER PAY‐MENT METHODS ACCEPTABLE TO THE TAX COL‐LECTOR, IN LEGAL TENDER MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES AND A NONWARRANTY CASH SALE CER‐TIFICATE SHALL BE ISSUED TO THE PURCHASER FOR THE PROP‐ERTY 146487JUL2-1T $342.24 , CONTINUING

ON

TAXES WERE ADJUDI‐CATED TO THE ST TAMMANY PARISH GOV‐ERNMENT TO ENFORCE COL‐LECTION OF TAXES. THE NAMES OF SAID DELINQUENT TAX DEBTORS AND THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION FOR EACH OF THE PROPERTIES TO BE OFFERED FOR SALE ARE ASFOLLOWS: INDIA INVEST‐MENTS/BMO HARRIS C/O C/O BMO16 LA TAXES OWED ARE WITH 2006 TS IN NAME OF BEAVER DAM LLC TO HEART‐LAND IN‐VESTORS/US BANK INST NO 1637904

WEST 15

LAND IN‐VESTORS/US BANK INST NO 1689959 2008 TS IN NAME OF HEARTLAND IN‐VESTORS INST NO 1738323 2015 TS IN THE NAME OF MARSHA AMARANENI INST NO 2030700 2016 TS IN NAME MARSHA AMA‐RANENI TO PARISH INST NO 2073471 130396 MOTICHEK, KELLYDEAN 316 HWY 21, LA TAXES OWED AREWITHACER‐TAIN PIECE OR PARCEL OF GROUND, SITU‐ATED IN SEC‐TION 41, TOWN‐SHIP 7 SOUTH, RANGE 10 EAST ST TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA, AND MORE FULLYDE‐SCRIBEDAS FOL‐LOWS: FROM THE SEC‐TION CORNER COMMON TO SECTIONS 38, 41 AND 44, TOWN‐SHIP 7 SOUTH, RANGE 10 EAST, GO EAST 370.5 FEET TO A LINE IN LOUISIANA HIGHWAY 21; THENCE GO ALONG LOUISIANA HIGHWAY 21 NORTH 32

PUBLICNOTICE ST TAMMANY PARISH GOV‐ERNMENT ADJUDICATED PROPERTY SALE ADVERTISE‐MENT BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME BY THE CONSTI‐TUTIONANDTHE LAWS OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, I WILL SELL, AT CIVIC‐SOURCE.COM, WITHIN THE AL HOURS JUDICIAL LES BEGIN‐NG AT 8:00 OCK A.M ON 2nd DAY OF 2025 AND TINUING IL SAID LESARE COM‐ETED, TITLE IMMOVABLE OPERTY ON ICH TAXES RE ADJUDI‐TED TO THE TAMMANY SH GOV‐MENT, TO ORCE COL Legal Legal Legal

SOUTH 120.0 FEET; THENCE EAST 300 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE NORTH ALONG THE PROPERTY LINE 120.0 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE WEST 285 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGIN‐NING. INCLUDED HEREIN IS ALSO A SERVITUDE OF PASSAGE CRE‐ATED IN AN ACT REGISTERED IN ENTRY NO. 714956. OFFICIAL RECORDS OF ST TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA. THIS PROPERTY IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOW‐ING: A. ENCROACH‐MENT, BOUND‐ARY DISPUTES OVERLAPS, SERVITUDES, RIGHTS OF PAR‐TIES IN POSSES‐SION AND OTHERADVERSE MATTERS AS WOULD BE DIS‐CLOSED BY A CURRENT,ACCU‐RATE SURVEY AND INSPEC‐TION OF THE SUBJECT PROP‐ERTY B. EXTANT AND SUBSISTING SUBSURFACE MINERAL RIGHTS, IF ANY, OF WHATEVER NATURE. C. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE DOCUMENT CREATING A SERVITUDE OF PASSAGE REGIS‐TERED IN ENTRY NO.714956. D. RIGHTOFWAY IN FAVOR OF STATE OF LOUISIANA RECORDED 2/13/1956, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO. 127850 E. RIGHT OF WAY IN FAVOR OF CENTRAL LOUISIANA ELECTRIC COM‐PANY, INC. RECORDED 7/17/1967, AT IN‐STRUMENT NO. 245946 F. OIL GAS AND MINERAL LEASE IN FAVOR OF JAMES C. STORM