Four St. Tammany schools earn state soccer titles
Farmer The St.Tammany
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S T TA M M A N Y FA R M E R.N E T
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W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 4, 2026
ABITA SPRINGS BARKER’S CORNER • BUSH COVINGTON • FOLSOM LACOMBE MADISONVILLE MANDEVILLE PEARL RIVER • SLIDELL
152ND YEAR, NO. 21
50¢N
Mandeville renews low-income housing status for seniors BY KIM CHATELAIN
Local governments where the other 14 complexes are located have already approved similar resolutions, council members were told. The sale of Rouquette Lodge and 14 other low-income, senior living centers by the archdiocese is to help settle a long-running legal battle that culminated in a $230 million settlement with hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse. The complex, which opened decades ago, has expanded over the years to include about 300 efficienFILE PHOTO BY LIONEL COTTIER cy type units. The resolution was a late adThe original Rouquette Lodge, under construction here in 1981, was built by the New Orleans Archdiocese for low income elderly residents on five dition the City Council’s agenda. Council member Kevin Vogelacres of land in Mandeville. stanz explained that the sale of the Rouquette Lodge property was initiative. to maintain the complex’s afford- set for March 11, which is before As a result of the council’s ap- able rate structure, city officials the council’s next meeting. That scheduling necessitated taking up proval, the new owner will be able said.
Contributing writer
The Mandeville City Council has done its part to keep rents from rising for low-income seniors at Rouquette Lodge, one of 15 apartment complexes being sold by the Archdiocese of New Orleans to settle claims with survivors of clergy sex abuse. The council on Feb. 26 unanimously approved a resolution that essentially allows the purchaser of the sprawling apartment complex at 4300 La. 22 to maintain a favorable tax status under the state’s Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) Program, which is designed to boost affordable housing. The program requires the local governing authority where each of the 15 housing developments is located to approve the tax saving
Cabbages to fly again in Slidell’s St. Pat’s parade
the matter as an emergency resolution, bypassing the standard advertisement procedure. Vogelstanz described Rouquette Lodge as “an important part of Mandeville’s housing market.” Last November, it was announced that New York-based Tredway, one of the largest affordable housing developers in the country, had has reached an agreement with the archdiocese to buy the 15 complexes, which house some 1,700 low-income seniors. The sale price for the 15 complexes is reportedly $152 million. In other business, the Mandeville City Council on Feb. 12 approved a $1,358,709 contract to make waterline improvements in Old Mandeville. The council unanimously passed
ä See MANDEVILLE, page 3A
PARADE KEEPS PARTY GOING
BY SUZIE HUNT
Contributing writer When Slidell’s St. Patrick’s Day parade rolls through Olde Towne on March 8, it will celebrate family, fellowship and flying cabbages. St. Tammany’s largest parade will have more than 1,200 participants marching, riding and tossing (or handing) produce to the masses along the route, according to parade director Robert Johnson. The parade is sponsored by the Olde Towne Slidell Merchants Association, of which Johnson is vice president. “It’s our 51st year, and it’s going to be big,” said Johnson. “It will take four square city blocks just to line up the parade this year, as we have 63 units. “Talking with our float krewes, we estimate there will be 420,000 pounds of produce given away this year,” he said. Yes, Johnson said 210 tons of vegetables, fruit and the occasional package of ramen noodles or MoonPies. The Krewe of Mutharoux, pronounced mutharoo, has been a part of the St. Patrick’s Day parade since 1995, and the men riding the float have grown up together, said member Richard Ryals. The curious name comes from their youth. Ryals said it was a slang word they could use
The Krewe du Pooch struts its stuff in Old Mandeville Carnival ended on Mardi Gras, but the Krewe Du Pooch defies convention by parading after Fat Tuesday each year — and that’s. perfectly fine with the four-legged stars of the show and their people. This year’s Pooch
ä See ST. PAT’S, page 3A
parade was held Feb. 28 on a beautiful late winter afternoon. The pups, as
Fontainebleau will light up for Christmas
usual, were costumed to the Nines as were a few people in the parade
BY KADEE KRIEGER
and some who lined the
Contributing writer
Fontainebleau State Park will hold its first Lights in the Park display this Christmas, adding some bling and seasonal sparkle to the park’s natural beauty. The event is part of a Louisiana Office of State Parks initiative to highlight state parks through holiday events. The timing is perfect for bringing visitors to the area during months when hotel stays are on the lower side, said Visit the Northshore President and CEO Donna O’Daniels. “I’m excited about this event because it will be a cornerstone event for visitors and residents alike, and it is held during months when we’d love to drive more traffic to our hotels,” O’Daniels told the Tourist Commission board during its regular meeting held Feb. 24 at Visit the Northshore’s headquarter offices on La. 59 near Mandeville. “This could truly be part of a robust
streets to take in the sights.
CARNIVAL
2026
ä More Krewe du
Pooch photos. PAGE 2A ä Mardi Paws parades in Covington. PAGE 4A ä More Carnival festivities. PAGE 5A PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
King Gus wore the crown for the Krewe Du Pooch’s 2026 procession.
ä See FONTAINEBLEAU, page 3A
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