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S T TA M M A N Y FA R M E R.N E T
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T h u r s d ay, N ov e m b e r 27, 2025
BLAST WITH BOCCE
50¢N
152ND YEAR, NO. 7
Council amends Cooper’s 2026 budget proposal
The St. Tammany Parish Adapted Physical Education Department hosted the 10th annual High School Students with Exceptionalities Bocce Games at Covington High School on Nov. 18, and both the athletes and the fans had a blast. It was a time of friendship and high spirits, but the concentration of athletes at work likely swept away thoughts of the impending Thanksgiving break — at least for a few hours.
It cuts employee raises, funds for Safe Haven
BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Bria Audibert tosses her bocce ball at the 10th annual High School Students with Exceptionalities Bocce Games at Covington High School on Nov. 18.
Sporting events and music just go together, and music was provided for the bocce game.
St. Tammany Parish employees may not get raises next year and the Safe Haven mental health campus would lose its funding under amendments to Parish President Mike Cooper’s 2026 budget proposed by Parish Council members. At the same time, the council proposed adding $5 million in additional funding for road and drainage improvements and other infrastructure projects across council districts. The amendments, part of council members’ efforts to put their stamp on Cooper’s plans to budget for an expected $180 million in revenue for next year, came during a special council meeting Nov. 17. The budget must be adopted by the end of the year, and the amendments paved the way for council members to approve the revised budget at their Dec. 4 meeting. Council member Cheryl Tanner, the council finance committee chair, said in an interview the revisions to the budget would “buy (the council) some time,” as it waits for more information about employee health insurance costs in the new year and looks for funding solutions for Safe Haven. Cooper argued that 2% cost-of-living wage increases for the parish’s roughly 500 workers
ä See BUDGET, page 2A
Landon Carver takes his turn tossing a Bocce ball to the court.
Allie Conney takes her turn with the ball at Covington High School.
Thanksgiving is the superior holiday Thanksgiving is the best holiday, and I will die on this hill. Woah, way to start things out aggressive, huh? What can I say? I’m a gal who is passionate about eating (until I need a pair of stretchy pants) and counting my blessings. Because, really, is there anything better than sweet potato casserole with a side of gratitude? No. No there is not. But hear me out, Christmas and Halloween fanatJessica ics. I would like to present Saggio my case, because y’all have your priorities all wrong, and I’m going to tell you why. Let’s start out with Thanksgiving’s resume. In theory, she was designed to represent peace and togetherness. Sure, we may have sugar coated her origin
story a little bit, but over the years, Thanksgiving has grown into that narrative. Thanksgiving is the one time a year we actually reserve to celebrate what we already have. Eh hem. YOU HEAR THAT, CHRISTMAS? Let me say it again so they can hear it in the back. What. We. Already. Have. You know, the blessings that exist for everyone. I promise you there are at least three good things in every person’s life. I will Vegas-style bet on that. But what does Thanksgiving do? It instructs us to dwell on that. And what happens when we dwell on our blessings? Our brain can literally rewire itself and become happier, no matter our circumstances. That is fact. That is science. Look it up. Thanksgiving also brings people together, a thing we as a society should
All stores open 7am - 2pm Thanksgiving Day.
probably start working on a little more. We’re all so buried in our phones we forget to come up for air sometimes, but Thanksgiving gives us a perfect excuse to do so. I mean, you gotta maneuver the fork into your mouth, which requires a little hand-eye coordination away from your iPhone. And we all gotta eat, right? Let’s eat together. Family meals. Friendsgivings. Combos of the two. It’s all good. Then, there are all the volunteers and organizations that pull together to make sure everybody has the means to eat something. So, in turn, they’re creating community and friendships and good vibes doing that. Hello, good will. Nice to see you again. I don’t remember you making an appearance at the Halloween
ä See SAGGIO, page 3A
St. Tammany pulling full sleigh of holiday cheer BY JESSICA SAGGIO Contributing writer
Christmas bells are ringing, the toy catalogs have all been marked up by Santa’s most hopeful fan club and the spirit of the holiday season is already off to a busy start. So busy, in fact, it’s time to bust ä USFWS out those calendars and start to celebrate nailing down plans. St. Tammany is filled to the brim with holiday Cajun Christmas. fanfare this year, and residents have their pick of the litter when PAGE 2 it comes to celebrating at local events. What tops the list? That’s ultimately for families to decide. But if you want our take, here’s our Holiday dozen, because cookies aren’t the only fun thing that come in a pack of 12.
St. Tammany’s Holiday Dozen 1. Holiday of Lights: Dec. 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20 and drive-thru Dec. 22-Jan. 1 Koop Drive near Mandeville will become a slice of the North Pole this holiday season as the St. Tammany Parish Government and
ä See HOLIDAYS, page 2A