January 2020

CLARIFICATION

The History of Lacassine, A Louisiana Pioneer Community Book is available at St. John Church Hall, located at 314 Dugas St., or the Lacassine Fuel Station. For more information, contact Judy Foreman at (337) 540-9924.

In a previous article, it was said that the book was available at St. John Church, not St. John Church Hall.

March for Life, and so much else

If I’m going to be completely honest, I cried a little as I listened to Donald Trump speak at the 47th March for Life, a massive annual pro–life rally in Washington, D.C. The tears were caused by a combination of things, including lack of sleep, I’m sure. There are a lot of beautiful events before and after the march, and reunions with wonderful friends from throughout the country. But my reaction also had to do with the contrast of some of the president’s words with the bile that we often hear in politics of late, including at his own rallies.

Don’t make me quit you, Red Sox

I’ve always been sentimental about baseball, the one youthful passion that’s lasted all my life. At this time of year, I’m normally counting the days until pitchers and catchers report.

During the season, I normally watch an MLB game – or large parts of one, anyway – almost every day. For me, satellite TV coverage has been a technological miracle as life–altering as the internet.

‘Education is key’

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Dist. 25 State Senator Mark Abraham says education is the key to job creation.

Abraham comes from a long line of successful business owners as his family owned grocery stores in the Lake Charles area for over 60 years. He himself has been the owner of Big Easy Foods since 1995.

“My perspective is business as a legislator,” he said. “It’s a family tradition.”

One of his goals in the upcoming legislative session is to focus on job creation.

“We need to educate the workforce,” Abraham said.

A MATTER OF BALANCE

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As people get older, some may experience a fear of falling. This may cause the elderly to restrict activity because they are afraid to hurt themselves. The Council on Aging (COA) will soon offer a class that is designed to help seniors overcome that fear.

“A Matter of Balance” is an eight-week intervention program that emphasizes practical strategies to manage falls,” said instructor Keri Spriggins. “The material we will teach will help seniors view falls as controllable, which will help combat that fear of falling.”

LAHS’ annual Candy Apple Sale underway

The annual Candy Apple Sale is now underway in an effort to raise money needed to benefit the Lake Arthur High Special Education Department. All proceeds will be used to cover the cost of supplies needed, class field trips and other activities throughout the year.

“We are accepting orders at this time,” said teacher’s aide Rachel Viator. “The deadline to order will be Friday, Feb. 14. Apples will be ready for pick up or delivery on Feb. 19-20.”

Not only does the apple sale generate funds, but it also serves as a learning opportunity for the class.

Lady Cards use big fourth quarter to earn 58-47 win over DeRidder

LACASSINE – The No. 5 Lacassine Lady Cardinals got back to their winning ways Tuesday night by stepping out of district play and knocking off the 4A DeRidder Lady Dragons by a final of 58-47. Trailing by seven heading into the final stanza, the Lady Cards used a furious fourth quarter rally to claim their non-district win.

With the win, Lacassine improves to 27-6 overall, while DeRidder fell to 7-17.

JHS ladies’ ferocious comeback falls just short

The 14th Ranked Jennings Lady Bulldogs found themselves quickly in a 14-3 hole to the fast-breaking 5th ranked Westlake Lady Rams after the first quarter. That didn’t stop the young Lady Dogs from showing their no quit, ferocious bite, attitude- mounting a huge comeback, pulling within 3 with 1:32 remaining. Westlake showed their resilience after fending off runs of 8-0, 7-0, and 8-0, from the Dogs and extended their lead to as many as 11 with 3:20 remaining in the contest.

Lady Tigers keep on rolling

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LAKE ARTHUR – The No. 3 Lake Arthur Lady Tigers (LA) claimed their third straight district win Tuesday night by blasting the Notre Dame Lady Pios by a final of 75-19 at Wilbert “Nookie” Moore Gymnasium. LA upped their record to 21-4 overall, 3-1 in district 6-2A play. The Lady Tigers continued to shoot the basketball from long distance at a high rate, knocking down 10 3-pointers in the lopsided win over Notre Dame.

Inside the Mind

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Jennings High School (JHS) and Lake Arthur High School (LAHS) Biology II students had the unique opportunity recently to observe the dissection of a bovine brain. JHS Science teacher Jared LaVergne and LAHS Coach Vickie Sketoe decided to team up to share this learning experience with the students about the brain and functions related to each section.