THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, D e c e m b e r 24, 2025
$1.00N
12TH YEAR, NO. 11
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Help others near you Wow! It’s Christmas Eve. This year has been so slow and so fast. Time has moved swiftly since Thanksgiving after dragging much of the year. I hope everyone has plans to do something special tonight or tomorrow. We all know reality is that not everyone will have something special. So please remember your neighbors who could use a visit. Check in with that single person from work to see if they need a place to celebrate the day. Maybe drop off a plate from your special meal with an older neighbor or a family with needs. See if there are other needs you can meet. You don’t have to do everything, but do something. Do what you can to bring the Spirit of the Season to your neighbors.
Holiday deadlines set Submissions for the New Year’s Eve editions of The Plainsman are due Dec. 26. Please share your holiday lights, party and celebration photos with us at zachary@theadvocate.com. And let us know what you Carnival plans are. Mardi Gras is just a few weeks away.
Hospital lights still lit n The free Holiday Lights exhibit on the walking track behind Lane Regional Medical Center, 6300 Main St., Zachary is open through Jan. 5. n Through New Year’s Eve, West Feliciana Hospital will have its Magical Lights Display available. Drive through the hospital grounds to see the exhibit.
Holiday closing and changes n Christmas is an official city of Zachary holiday. All Zachary government offices will be closed Dec. 24-25. n In Zachary, there will be no garbage or recycling collection Dec. 25. Instead, Thursday routes will be collected Dec. 26 and Friday routes on Dec. 27. n All locations of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will close Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1. All locations will close at 6 p.m. Dec. 31. n In Baker, there will be no trash and recycling pickup on Christmas (Thursday routes will be serviced Dec. 26 and Friday routes on Dec. 27) and New Year’s Day (Thursday routes will be serviced Jan. 2 and Friday routes Jan. 3).
Zachary Bronco senior Ava Raymond, a wing guard, drives to the basketball.
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
Zachary High girls unflappable on basketball court
The 2024-2025 basketball season was special in Zachary with the Broncos picking up both the boys and girls state titles. Last year, the girls went into the playoffs as a third seed and defeated top seed Parkway in the finals 51-44. The 2025-2026 version of ZHS girls’ basketball will be quite different Warren with coach Tami McClure Brady returning a single starter, ZACHARY senior Ava Raymond. SPORTS All-State Raymond, who recently signed with McNeese State University, is also the only senior for the Broncos this year. For some, the prospects would be daunting with the large target on their backs after winning the championship last year. “Everyone is coming after you and thinks you are the team to beat,” McClure said. When I asked coach McClure if there was a theme to this year’s young team and the added pressure that comes with
Zachary Bronco’s Marcia Robinson at the free throw line during the second quarter of a Dec. 2 home game. reigning as the state champion, she responded like any good coach would, that “this is a totally different team” and then indicated that this year’s theme is a single word, “unflappable.” Webster’s dictionary defines unflappable as “marked by assurance and
self-control.” For a young team this will be critical. Assisting McClure this year are holdover Antonio Keller and new assistant Gett Thomas. Thomas coached boys at Oakdale and Anacoco and has been “a great addition to the program.” McClure indicated that she tried to schedule “the toughest teams and tournaments in the State to get the team battle-tested before district and the playoffs.” In fact, some of the teams the girls lost to over the summer McClure has scheduled to make sure they are properly challenged. Though they may lack a plethora of returning starters, the Broncos do return several key contributors from last season who will be relied on to provide more production. Players that will be relied on with playoff experience include junior Ayja Walker, and sophomores Asia Bell and Kennedi Whitfield, who McClure indicates “they have experience coming off the bench from last year and have done well thus far as starters.”
ä See BRADY, page 2G
Zachary Police Department celebrates Christmas with Community Night
Register for winter softball Registration is open through Jan. 4 for winter softball for ages 7-14 at Zachary Youth Park Registration fee is $75. Tryouts and the draft will be the week of Jan. 5. Practice will start Jan. 19, and league play starts Feb. 9. Register at https://sportsplus. app/public/6064/. Anyone interested in coaching must also register.
The legacy of MLK In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Justice Sunday, head to the Baker Branch Library at 3 p.m. Jan. 10 for a viewing of his “I Have a Dream” speech, followed by dialogue with Charles Vincent, Baker City Council member and president of the Mwalimu Institute. School supplies will be provided by Vincent to the first eight students in attendance. Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@theadvocate.com.
Doug Williams
Regena Beard
Community news report
She is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government for STEM educators, as well as the Louisiana Science Teachers Association’s outstanding science teacher of the year. Joining her as co–grand marshal is Doug Williams, a quarterback whose groundbreaking career
Doug Williams, Regena Beard to lead Zachary Mardi Gras The inaugural Zachary Mardi Gras announced Regena Hartley Beard and Doug Williams as the grand marshals of the 2026 Zachary Mardi Gras Parade, taking place at 2 p.m. Feb. 15. Regena Hartley Beard, the 2026 Louisiana teacher of the year, is a is a fifth grade science and sixth grade robotics and STEM educator at Copper Mill Elementary in Zachary.
ä See MARDI GRAS, page 4G
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
Children place letters to Santa in mailbox at the Community Night at Zachary Police Department. ä More photos. PAGE 3G
The Zachary Police Department hosted Community Night Dec. 17 unveiling its Christmas Tree Decoration Contest entries. Local businesses set up decorated Christmas trees for the contest. In addition to the tree display, children wrote letters to and visited with Santa.