The Livingston-Tangipahoa Advocate 08-13-2025

Robertson named interim director, former board leaders reinstated

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Hear the State of the Parish address

For information on a particular book club, call the branch. Upcoming book club meetings include: Box of Chocolates Book Club: 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, Denham Springs-Walker Branch. August selection: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt. This debut novel is an exploration of friendship, reckoning and hope, following

Charles Salzer SPORTS ROUNDUP

Live Oak faces same teams, just different sites from 2024

It won’t quite be a do-over, but the Live Oak football team will get another shot at the schedule it played last season From the season opener when the Eagles host St. Paul’s of Covington to the finale against Dutchtown, Live Oak’s ninegame slate is set up with the same teams in the same order as last year. The only change are the venues as the homeand-away playing sites flip.

“For us, its just about executing at opportune times,” Live Oak coach Randall Legette said. “Against good football teams we need to execute when it matters the most. We have to find ways to close games and that’s what we’ve been gearing towards here in the offseason.”

Last season, including an opening round loss to Southside in the Division I nonselect playoffs, Live Oak went 3-7.

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Like many students, Justin Wax struggles to fall asleep the night before the first day of school.

Similarly to students worried about their first day outfit or navigating the route to a new class, there are nerves, the junior high principal said.

But if you were at Denham Springs Junior High School at 7:30 a.m Friday, you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Wax with teachers Laci Lemoine, his first hire, and Kasie Guarisco, his most recent hire, energetically welcomed in uniformed students as songs such as “Celebration” and “Everything is Awesome” played in the background.

The junior high principal pointed out directions to new students and caught up with returning students.

“I’m liking the new hair,” Wax told Derrick, an eighthgrader, outside the car dropoff line.

Wax’s interactions with Livingston Parish pupils and their families are a direct reflection of the hardware he won at the end of July: 2026 Louisiana Principal of the Year

It’s his fifth year as principal of the Livingston Parish school with over 800 students.

The junior high school has received state and national recognition under Wax, including designation as a 2024 Top Gains Honoree and being on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Middle School list. The road to success

On Wax’s desk, the statewide trophy he recently received is joined by a few small

trinkets he says remind him to keep his priorities right. A purple crayon reminds him to never grow up too much, a stone reminds him to maintain a stable foundation, and a compass reminds him to follow the path despite what may happen. Getting the school to state and national recognition and increasing morale took years of work, he said It involved intention and high expecta-

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The Eagles best performance was a 21-6 win at Denham Springs in week 6. It was one of two District 5-5A wins, but there were inspired moments in other games. Live Oak led 10-0 in the early going against St. Amant before falling 42-26. Against East Ascension, Live Oak led 14-3 at halftime but faltered in the second half of an 18-14 loss. Much of last year’s team is back, giving Legette and his staff cause for optimism. Senior quarterback Cayden Jones returns after accounting for eight touchdowns last season, five passing and three rushing.

He will have experience up front with four starters on the line returning Those four seniors Briggs Moyer, Danny Madden and Tyler Kelly along with junior Jake Smart will be counted on for stability

“We have some good experience coming back particularly on the offensive line,” Legette said “We have four out of five starters, and when you look at the skill positions, those guys are experienced.”

Among the returning skill players are running back Brenden Impson and Calvin Ursin, who made his mark at wide receiver and in the defensive secondary Ursin had a key fumble recovery against Denham Springs and an interception against St. Amant that set up an

early score. At linebacker, Trey Dorsey is a returning starter but Legette has also been impressed by senior Cayden Carter

“We have experience in the secondary,” Legette said. “We’ve got some guys that have playing experience at linebacker and we’ve got two returning defensive tackles so we have some experience that we’re going to lean on. Ultimately, that’s going to lead to success.”

The second time around may well be the charm for Live Oak this season.

Charles Salzer covers Livingston sports for the Livingston-Tangipahoa Advocate. To reach Salzer, email livingston@ theadvocate.com.

PRINCIPAL

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award.

He is thankful for a school district and community that support his school.

“I’m excited to amplify what’s working in Louisiana,” Wax said about the recognition.

As for amplifying things at a school level, the principal is excited to grow studentled initiatives, expand STEM

courses, grow the horticulture program, and expand academic growth opportunities for students and teachers.

The school is also rolling out a new disciplinary three-year character program from the counseling staff and incorporating teacher leaders to help with faculty development.

He said recently they have handed over more creative freedom to the students to launch their own initiatives or ideas.

“It’s both terrifying and truly rewarding,” he said

Wax wants the educators to teach students how to leave a legacy

As the first school day officially begins a little after 8 a.m., Wax picks up the phone for the school intercom, which is right behind the trophy displaying a new addition to his legacy

“As always, it’s a great day to be a Yellow Jacket,” Wax tells the school.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.

PHOTO BY JAMES MINTON

Southeastern Louisiana University associate professor Keith Finley, center chats with Springfield lawyer Hobart Pardue following Finley’s Aug. 2 talk to the Edward Livingston Historical Association Seated left is Finley’s daughter, Grace.

Then & now: Professor discusses arguments Southerners used to defend slavery, Jim Crow

Community news report

Members of the Edward Livingston Historical Association recently explored the continuity of arguments prominent Southerners used, sometimes 100 years apart, to defend chattel slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws.

Dr Keith M. Finley an associate professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, outlined the themes in his most recent book during an Aug 2 talk at the parish library in Livingston.

LSU Press published his book, “From Slavery to Segregation: Reckoning with White Supremacy in the American South,” last year He also is the author of “Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight against Civil Rights, 1938-1965.”

A native of Queens, New York, Finley is entering his 21st year at Southeastern. He also serves as the assistant director of Southeast Louisiana Studies at SLU.

Contrasting his upbringing with that of another Queens native who domi-

nates the news today, Finley noted that his father was a New York City cop.

After graduating from Gettysburg College, he said he chose Southeastern to further his education because he saw that the school only charged $10 to apply for its master’s degree program. After getting his master’s he earned his doctorate in history at LSU.

In his animated style of presentation, Finley illustrated several “threads of continuity” employed to first defend and promote slavery and then after the Civil War to justify Jim Crow laws that cemented White supremacy in the South.

As an example Finley pointed to the idea of “paternalism,” in which slave owners claimed their enslaved workers were treated well and were happy in bondage.

“Paternalism was a myth,” Finley said, noting that a slave owner claiming they were treated almost as family would sell those workers without hesitation at the first sign of an eco-

Nurse practitioner Kelsey St. Arnaud joins North Oaks Primary Care in Hammond

Community news report

Nurse practitioner Kelsey

St. Arnaud has joined North Oaks Primary Care in Hammond, a clinic of North Oaks Health System.

St. Arnaud comes to North Oaks with more than a decade of health care experience at northshore hospitals and clinics. Her professional career began at North Oaks Medical Center, where she worked as a patient representative in the Emergency Department, transitioned into a certified nursing assistant position in the well-baby nursery and became a registered nurse for the labor and delivery unit.

holistic, relationship-centered approach to care, always aiming to meet patients where they are.”

St. Arnaud

Returning to North Oaks as an experienced primary care provider, St. Arnaud specializes IN health care for families, from preventive screenings and annual checkups to treating illnesses and managing chronic health conditions.

nomic downturn.

Paternalism remained an argument when Southerners defended the strict laws that enforced segregation of the races in nearly all aspects of society He noted that Allen J. Ellender, Louisiana’s senator from 1937 to his death in 1972, claimed that 90% of his Black constituents preferred segregated schools and other public facilities.

Proponents of slavery used the U.S. Constitution’s principles of private property rights to advance their cause and later to justify seceding from the Union, while constitutional arguments featured heavily in efforts to continue Jim Crow laws and school segregation.

Defense of the poll tax, used to suppress Black voting, also was rooted in the Constitution’s requirement that individual states have the power to set voting qualifications, Finley noted.

The association’s next meeting will be a Sept. 6 tour of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory north of Livingston.

“My strong foundation in women’s health, combined with my experience caring for underserved populations with chronic conditions, has shaped me into a well-rounded and adaptable provider,” St. Arnaud said. “I bring a

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had Jennifer Dorhauer as president and Becky Morgan as vice president. Both were among the board members who walked out when Parrish’s contract was not renewed.

He also commended Jonathan Davis, who was briefly the president in the past month. Davis supported reinstating former leaders.

“I think you showed true leadership,” Delatte said to Davis.

All members of the board voted yes except for Board members Trey Cowell and Dewanna Christian, who abstained from the vote.

Beta Sigma Phi donates diapers to Junior League

Community news report

Iota Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi International Sorority members recently presented diapers and baby wipes to an area diaper bank.

The diapers were delivered to Jessica Bergeron, operations director, of the Junior League of Baton Rouge, for its Diaper Bank.

Beta Sigma Phi is a nonprofit international organization founded in 1921 by Walter Ross with a focus on service and community involvement for women of all ages and backgrounds.

Iota Master Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi International’s Baton Rouge chapter has members in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Denham Springs

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a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

ASB Book Club: 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25, at the Albany-Springfield Branch. August selection: “Yellowface” by R.F Kuang. Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian-American in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel.

Main Branch Book Club: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Main Branch in Livingston. August selection: “The Recovery Agent” by Janet Evanovich. This bestselling author returns with a new series blending wild adventure, hugely appealing characters and pitch-perfect humor

South Branch Bookies: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at the South Branch. August selection: “The Beautiful and the Wild” by Peggy Townsend. In this 2023 survival story, the dangers of Alaska aren’t limited to storms, starvation, and grizzly bears. Sometimes the most dangerous thing is the person you love.

Women’s Leadership Conference, Expo registration underway

Registration is underway for the Livingston Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Leadership Conference and Expo, set for 10:45 a.m. Sept. 18 at Abundant Life Outreach Center in Denham Springs. The event brings together women from across the region for a day of connection, inspiration and growth. The event features an expo with a variety of vendors showcasing products and services tailored to women, plus speakers covering topics like

personal development, wellness, leadership and more. For more information, visit tinyurl. com/3tznu7ha.

Classes planned at Southeastern Livingston Center

The Southeastern Livingston Center in Walker is hosting several classes in August.

Check out the Walker site’s ACT prep class Aug. 19 and Aug. 26. The classes are $195.

Interested in learning about a sound bath? A one-hour class is designed to move energy gently and prepare the body and mind for a relaxing journey into sound. The session is from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Aug. 20 The session is $25. For a complete schedule or to register for any program, visit southeastern.nbsstore. net/life-long-learning-livingston-center

Farmers Market Saturday Four Seasons Farmers Market opens every Saturday morning at 116 North Range Ave., Denham Springs. The event includes fresh produce and crafts items. For more information, call (225) 366-7241 or email thefourseasonsfarmersmarket@gmail. com.

Walker disc golf park open

The city of Walker Disc Golf Park is open daily at 13620 Aydell Lane, next to City Hall. Parking is at City Hall. To download the city’s disc golf app, visit walker.la.us/sites/default/files//Disc%20 Golf%20app.jpg.

Send news and events for Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes to livingston@ theadvocate.com by 4 p.m. Friday or call (225) 388-0731.

St. Arnaud earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and her master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. She is certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners North Oaks Primary Care in Hammond is in Suite 201 of the North Oaks Clinic Building at 15813 Paul Vega, MD, Drive on the North Oaks Medical Center campus.

The board also voted to not change any current requirements for the director position, including the stipulation for a master’s in library science degree, after a long period of public comment about the subject.

Delatte made a motion not to change the qualifications.

“This board should act on this motion not to change,” he said. “We do not need to take the qualifications and lower them at this time.”

The majority of the room applauded when the board unanimously approved not changing any requirements for the director.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.

We arepleased to welcome Dr.Paige Deville to NorthOaks Surgical Associates! General surgeon Paige Deville is an expert in minimally invasiveand robotic-assisted procedures.Her specialties includetreatmentfor:

• Breast and colon cancers

• Melanoma and other skin cancers

• Gallbladder disease andappendicitis Hernias,bowel obstructions and cysts

To learn moreabout Dr.Deville,visit northoaks.org/deville

To schedule an appointment, call (985) 230-2778

HEAVENLY DEAL

Elmer Chocolate CEO Rob Nelson shows some of the company’s Easter candy offerings in 2019, including the Heavenly Hash Eggs. Hoffman Family of Companies, based in Florida, has purchased the candymaker

Florida investment company buys Elmer Chocolate, maker of Gold Brick and Heavenly Hash eggs

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Elmer Chocolate, the Louisiana candymaker best known for its seasonal boxed chocolates and Gold Brick and Heavenly Hash eggs, has been sold to a family-owned conglomerate based in Florida, ending local ownership of the Ponchatoula manufacturer after nearly two centuries.

Hoffman Family of Companies, which describes itself as a “family equity” firm that operates 120 different companies and brands, including hotels, wineries, airlines and newspapers, declined to disclose what it paid for Elmer, which has estimated annual revenues of around $100 million

But Hoffman co-CEO Geoff Hoffman said his firm’s investment philosophy is to buy strong local brands and help them expand while keeping existing management and employees in place.

“This is a pure expansion and growth play for us, so no local job cuts, no local losses,” said Hoffman, who shares the CEO title with his brother, Greg Hoffman “If there were a need for reductions, this wouldn’t be a company we wanted to invest in.”

Elmer Chocolate, which first began producing candy in New Orleans before the Civil War, now sells some 40 million heartshaped boxes of chocolate every year Longtime Elmer CEO Rob Nelson, whose family has owned the company since the early 1960s, said he and his brother, Michael Nelson, will remain in their roles as CEO and president, respectively, and that the investment from the Hoffman acquisition will enable Elmer’s to grow beyond Valentine’s Day sweets and other seasonal goodies

“There’s been a lot of consolidation in our industry,” Rob Nelson said. “To be successful, businesses have to be larger, and I knew we needed to be larger than we are. Hoffman will help us get there.”

Rich history

Elmer is one of the oldest companies still operating in the New Orleans area. It was founded in 1850 by a German immigrant and pastry chef named Christopher Henry Miller, who opened the Miller Candy Company in the Lower Garden District. The company changed its name after Miller’s son-in-law, Augustus Elmer and, later his children, became part of the business. In 1914, it moved to a factory in the Warehouse District.

In 1963, Roy Nelson and his son, Allan Nelson, purchased the company from the Elmer family The elder Nelson was a born salesman, while the younger was an engineer who knew manufacturing, said Rob Nelson, Allan’s son and Roy’s grandson. In 1970 they built a new 30,000-square-foot factory on the northshore and relocated there.

In the mid-20th century, the candy industry operated differently than it does today, with regional distributors supplying local retailers with most of their products

“So, if you went to K&B or Schwegmann’s, most of the candy hard candy bagged candy, mints and stuff, was made by Elmer’s, which also managed the whole candy aisle for the retailer,” Rob Nelson said. But that began to change as retailers consolidated and national companies got bigger. To remain competitive, the Nelsons decided in 1982 to get away from everyday candies and snacks and focus on only seasonal chocolates — a category that refers to boxed chocolates sold mostly from late November until Valentine’s Day — along with Easter candy

In 2016, the company invested $45 million in an expansion and upgrade of its Ponchatoula facility, adding 70,000 square feet and more automation Today, Elmer’s is the second-largest manufacturer of heart-shaped box candy in North America.

Valentine’s, Easter candy

The seasonal candy business accounts for more than 90% of Elmer’s revenues, Rob Nelson said. That includes candy it makes

Registration under way for SLU teacher training

Community news report

Southeastern Louisiana University’s Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies and College of Education, along with the America 250 Commission, will sponsor a Teacher’s Training Symposium designed to reveal Louisiana’s connection to the American Revolution and the creation of the American government.

The program is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 at the Teacher’s Education Center “Kiva,” located on the main campus in Hammond.

Participants will learn anecdotes and techniques designed to make teaching the material fun for students and educators alike, including guidance for theatrical and film projects, as well as learning less revealed as-

pects of history, certain to both entertain and educate, according to a news release. Participation is limited to the first 150 fourth through 12th grade teachers who register Participants will receive a $75 honorarium, and coffee and snacks will be provided during a mid-session break. Registration for the symposium is available at https:// tinyurl.com/2nmsv7a7.

State pharmacy group elects officers including from Ascension, Tangipahoa

Community news report

The Louisiana Pharmacists Association held its 143rd Annual Convention at the Natchez Convention Center & The Grand Hotel Natchez in Natchez, Mississippi, July 10-12, where the association installed its 2025-2026 Board of Directors.

Several people from the area were elected.

The 2025-2026 Board of Directors for the Louisiana Pharmacists Association includes Immediate Past President Scott Black RPh Gulfcoast Pharmaceutical Specialty, Prairieville; and Treasurer Peggy Dean, RPh, Woman’s Hospital, Baton Rouge.

Regional Directors for 2025-2026 include Capital Region representative Richard Bordelon, RPh, Woman’s Retail Pharmacy, Baton Rouge. Pharmacy Technician for 2025-2026 is Julie Küpper CPhT, Northshore Technical Community College, Ponchatoula. The Louisiana Pharmacists Association established in 1882, strives to promote the interests of all pharmacists of Louisiana.

under a licensing agreement for Hershey’s Gold, as well as an agreement it has with other candy companies that Rob Nelson cannot discuss because of nondisclosure agreements.

Easter candy sales make up about 7% of company revenues, which may come as a surprise to Louisianans who grew up on Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick Eggs. But they’re mostly a local thing, Rob Nelson said, with distribution limited to the Gulf Coast from Houston to the Florida Panhandle.

Operating under a seasonal model means the company works year-round making products that only sell during a few months of the year.

Since interest rates and inflation spiked after the pandemic, doing business that way has become more difficult, which was one reason the Nelsons started looking for a new partner

“We work way out in advance but you don’t get paid for that and you have to finance that and there is this whole cycle where you borrow for half the year, get paid for half the year,” Rob Nelson said. “We are trying to find the most efficient way to grow the company in this world.”

The new owners

Hoffman Family of Companies is also a family owned business, which made them an attractive partner as Elmer started looking for a buyer or investor, he said.

Though technically a private equity firm, Hoffman doesn’t have outside investors. Rather, the Hoffman family owns 100% of the 120 companies in its portfolio. Though it’s not clear what the companies’ collective value is, earlier this year founder David Hoffman was named to the Forbes World’s Billionaires list with a net worth of $2 billion.

Also unlike traditional private equity firms, which sometimes break apart and merge companies within their portfolio with plans to eventually sell them off for a profit, Hoffman has only ever sold one company, according to Geoff Hoffman, David Hoffman’s son.

“We look for businesses and management teams we can partner with over the long haul,” he said.

Geoff Hoffman said they want to help Elmer grow into new types of markets and diversify the products it makes.

“What we are going to bring to Elmer is additional stability resources, avenues for growth and capital resources so that company can continue to thrive for many, many years,” he said.

Trend?

The acquisition is the fourth recent sale by a longtime local company to a private equity firm.

In the New Orleans area, Canal Barge and Gallo Mechanical announced deals with private equity firms earlier this year In Baton Rouge, CSRS announced it has sold.

“The basic thing is it reinforces the importance of nurturing local companies and helping to foster new ones,” said GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie. riegel@theadvocate.com.

Community news report

Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon Dr Tyler M. Scott has joined North Oaks Health System’s team at North Oaks Orthopedic Specialty Center in Hammond.

Born in Hammond, Scott took the first steps toward his medical career as an operating room assistant at North Oaks Medical Center Today, he is an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in hip and knee joint reconstruction surgery “North Oaks is where my story began. I was born here and worked in the operating room before medical school,” Scott said.

“Now, as a joint-replacement surgeon, I’m giving back to the community that shaped my journey.”

From before the procedure to post-operative care and follow-up, Scott’s goal is to

empower patients to make informed decisions about joint replacement surgery options while keeping the process as smooth and comforting as possible.

“Nothing is more rewarding than seeing someone walk without pain,” Scott said. “The field of hip and knee replacement surgery captivated me because it offers a profound opportunity to alleviate debilitating pain and restore mobility, which is essential to an individual’s independence and overall quality of life.”

Following graduation from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Scott completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Colorado in Denver, serving as chief resident and in several other leadership positions. He also completed an adult construction fellowship at the Southern Joint Replacement Institute.

Acadian is the onlyambulance serviceinLouisiana to holdaccreditations fromboththe Commission on AccreditationofAmbulance Services and theCommission on AccreditationofMedical Transport Systems, our industry’smost stringentaccreditationagencies.

ThatmeansAcadian exceeds the goldstandard in EMS training, equipment, protocols and medics.