COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, A p r i l 15, 2026
TAKING FLIGHT
Commandments mandate on way to full school board BY JIM DERRY
Contributing writer Seven weeks ago, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the mandate of a state law requiring that all Louisiana classrooms must display the Ten Commandments. At its monthly Finance and Administrative committee meeting on April 9, the St. Tammany Parish School Board preliminarily approved a resolution that “directs the superintendent (Frank Jabbia) and administration to proceed with the implementation” of the new legal requirement. Final approval is expected to come at the full board meeting April 16, but the decision sending it through to the board didn’t come without 20 minutes’ worth of clarification, debate and hesitation. Jabbia set the stage before any of the 13 board members present spoke on the subject. “We’re all on the same page, that we are instructed to move forward,” he said. “This is already happening across the state, and we were late responding because we needed clarification. We have received that clarification.” According to Louisiana Revised Statute 17:2124, the Ten Commandments must be typed “in a large, easily readable font” on an 11-by-14 poster or framed document in each public elementary, secondary and charter school classroom. Jabbia In St. Tammany Parish, there are about 3,000 public classrooms. Posters were donated from a private entity to all 69 school boards across the state, and Jabbia said the school system is only allowed to use materials that have been donated. The donated posters received, which came from The Louisiana Family Forum and feature a picture of “Moses the Lawgiver” on one side and U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson on the other with the Ten Commandments in between, were the main source of debate. “There have been many things that come across the desk of this board that we do not agree with … I just want to put that out there,” committee chair Michelle Ruffino Gallaher said. Several other board members followed by asking if they could find someone local to print the Ten Commandments “without all this other stuff.” The resolution passed, 12-0-1, with Ruffino Gallaher abstaining and two other board members absent, and it is advanced to next week’s full meeting for final approval. The board will also likely decide whether to find outside donors to print their own posters. “They have to be completely donated,” Jabbia stressed. “I don’t think Mike Johnson wanted his face on there, either. I don’t think anyone asked him.”
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW DOBBINS
Shayann Scartino puts in the speed to get her beautiful dragon kite in the air.
Gorgeous spring weather was the backdrop of a kite-flying day at Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Slidell on April 11. There were also gift cards, refreshments and an enthusiastic church welcome. ä More photos. PAGE 2A
Vets ride Bogue Chitto Mountain Bike Trail
Jack McGuire forges path in retirement
BY JIM DERRY
BY SUZIE HUNT
Contributing writer
Contributing writer In retirement, one would think Jack McGuire would want to slow down, find an easy chair and smell the lovely roses in wife Sue’s garden. But five minutes into a conversation with the man makes it evident that his mind is still on drive and not ready for park. The longtime Mandeville resident and former four-term City Council member, McGuire recently launched his latest nonfiction book, “Killing the Kingfish — The Huey Long Assassination.” Published through the University Press of Mississippi, it is the end product of years of research on the subject. “When I retired from the Savings & Loan Association in New Orleans, Sue said I had to have a project so that I wouldn’t be under
Several years ago, Toby Cortez wanted to help find a way for veterans to release stress and be able to better deal with anxiety and the aftereffects of posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, the stress of remembering traumatic events. Enter mountain biking. And one of the better sets of trails for those interested in the sport can be found in Washington Parish in Bogue Chitto State Park, just outside of Franklinton. In fact, over the past four years, the state has transformed what used to be just “a couple of trails” into an entire park dedicated to biking. It currently holds 17 miles worth of trails with areas for competitive biking, that include a pro-jump park, a slope-style course, En-
PHOTO BY SUZIE HUNT
Jack McGuire sits in his office beneath an original portrait of Andrew Jackson painted in New Orleans during a trip commemorating the ä See MCGUIRE, page 3A Battle of New Orleans.
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