SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
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W e d n e s d ay, Au g u s t 20, 2025
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WEST FELICIANA
Council defers decision on sign limit rules
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
SU Ag Center to host canning and preserving workshop The Southern University Ag Center will host a fruits and vegetables canning and preserving workshop from 9 a.m. to noon, Sept. 11, in room 157 of Pinkie Thrift Hall on Southern University’s campus. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. The workshop will provide a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of food preservation and canning. Participants will learn how to safely preserve seasonal produce, trends in food preservation, and the essential equipment. During the workshop, participants will prepare fruit, pack a jar, and receive a jar of preserves to take home. The workshop is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To register, visit form.jotform. com/252096036998066.
Shopping event coming The annual Pop and Shop event in St. Francisville is set for 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 23. Along with shopping specials, live music and food, Deyo will host a bourbon tasting from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www. visitstfrancisvillela.com/event/ pop-shop-2 to see a map.
Library information The LSU AgCenter’s East Feliciana Extension has a map of Clinton displayed at the Clinton branch of Audubon Regional Library. It is leading an effort to make the town safer for walkers of all ages. Stop by the library and place up to two star stickers on the town map to show where you think crosswalks are most needed. n All the Audubon Regional Library Branches have a blood pressure monitoring session available as well as units to check out for home use. n The West Feliciana Parish Library is holding a Retro Bingo from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 29. Dress up from your favorite decade for a chance to win books and other prizes. Ages 16 and up welcome. Free to play. Visit westfeliciana-la.whofi. com/calendar/event/349261 to register.
Register for soccer Registration is open for the 2025 Fall Soccer with West Feliciana Parish Parks and Recreation. Open to ages 3-13, the fee is $75. The deadline to register is Sept. 1 at www.wfprec.com. Practices run Sept. 4-26. Games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 29-Nov. 14. Coaches and referees are needed. Those interested should contact mpatten@wfparish.org or (225) 784-8447.
Community market coming The Clinton Community Market is set for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 6 on St. Helena St. Vendors, local shops and local restaurants will be available.
Save the date The 21st annual Feliciana Family and Friends Mardi Gras Parade is planned for Jan. 31 in downtown Clinton.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
STAFF PHOTOS BY JAVIER GALLEGOS
Area capital manager Blaise Provitola, center, points to a monitor as Brad Jackson, left, looks through the viewfinder of the surgery console for the DaVinci 5 soft tissue surgery machine during a tour of the new tower at Lane Regional Medical Center on Aug. 12. Surgeons operate the machine from the console and control the instruments via remotes as they view its movements through a small camera. Provitola used a bell pepper in the demonstrations.
PLANNED FOR PATIENT NEEDS Get a look inside Lane Regional Medical Center’s $90 million ‘game changer’ building
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
Lane Regional Medical Center officials unveiled a $90 million patient tower Tuesday, which they said will elevate the Zachary hospital’s patient care to match other medical facilities in the area. The tower houses 48 patient rooms and robotic medical technology. Chief Executive Officer Frank Corcoran said the expanded facility will enable the hospital to provide additional services, including neurology and critical care. “I call it a five star hotel like facility to take care of these patients,” Corcoran said at the ribbon cutting. “I am so happy to have it here.” Lane Regional had 139 beds prior to the expansion, which brought the total to 187. He said once the tower passes inspection from the Louisiana Department of Health, patients can start moving in mid- to late September. State Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, said the hospital’s surrounding areas house a “vulnerable” population, dealing with ailments like diabetes and heart disease, and the expansion and added technology will bring residents closer to care when they need it. “Time makes the difference,” she said. The new patient rooms are
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
A move to tighten West Feliciana Parish’s ban on roadside signs hit a snag Aug. 11 when a Parish Council majority voted to defer the matter for a month. Council members John M. Thompson, Thomas Pate and Jerry Tanner voted to defer the proposal, while Tab Ballard and Justin Metz favored taking immediate action. Ballard proposed the amendments to the parish’s Land Development Code last month, but Thompson asked to table action on the changes, saying he had just seen them. Thompson also said he wanted to get input from local businesses on the changes. One change would allow temporary, offpremises signs that do not have more than 16 square feet of sign face for a period of seven days or less. The other change would prohibit off-premises signs, defined as signs not on the same premises “as the establishment it advertises, identifies or enhances.” Ballard said the ordinance revisions track those in place for the town of St. Francisville, but the parish ordinance would apply to the unincorporated areas.
ä See SIGN, page 2G
ST. FRANCISVILLE
Board Chair Thomas Scott speaks during a ribbon cutting of the new tower at Lane Regional Medical Center. on the third and fourth floors of the tower, with 12 rooms on each floor that are 2 to 2.5 times larger than the older rooms at the hospital. The bathrooms are large enough to allow patients in wheelchairs to wheel themselves in, while in older hospital rooms, staff assistance may have been required for patients in wheelchairs. The patient tower also includes a sterilization room that is three times as large as the hospital’s existing room. New robotic technology includes the Stryker Mako, which performs total knee replacement surgery, and the Da Vinci 5 surgical robot, which
Board agrees to drainage work on Old Market Hall, agrees to police staffing change
performs minimally invasive procedures and lessens recovery time. The hospital plans to bring in new surgeons trained on the Da Vinci 5 equipment. Intuitive, which produces the technology, will provide training to existing surgeons on staff. Other facilities in Louisiana with Da Vinci 5 technology include Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette and Christus Ochsner Southwestern Louisiana, which both acquired the technology earlier this year. LJ Baker Jr., the hospital’s chief strategic initiatives officer and physician recruitment
The St. Francisville Board of Aldermen accepted the low bid Aug. 12 for a project to save the Old Market Hall building from erosion. Southern Underground of Louisiana offered to do the work for $197,721, engineer Bianca Hillhouse said. The town-owned building sits on the edge of a bluff along the Royal Street area. Hillhouse said the project, which is supported by a state appropriation, will involve re-routing a catch basin behind the historic structure and directing all water that falls on the grounds to a new pipe penetrating a retaining wall on the face of the bluff.
ä See PATIENT, page 4G
ä See DRAINAGE, page 2G
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
East Feliciana teachers prep for school year with convocation At its new year convocation on Aug. 1, Superintendent Keisha L. Netterville led a roundtable with students, staff and community members leading key initiatives in the district’s strategic plan. Other activities for the day included recognizing retirees and employees serving for more than 10 consecutive years. East Feliciana Enrichment Academy Principal Ella Philson, has served for 52 years.
Superintendent Keisha L. Netterville led a roundtable with students, staff and community members leading key initiatives in the district’s strategic plan. District math coach T’Era Scott explains ongoing collaboration between educators as Curriculum & Instruction Supervisor Kimberly Glascock, district literacy coach Kimberly Coats, and Early College Academy dean Brittany Jones listen. PROVIDED PHOTO
ä More photos from the event. PAGE 3G