January 2021

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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No oil spilled in Alaska after tugboat strikes tanker ship

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — No oil was spilled when a tugboat hit a docked tanker ship and gashed its hull in southcentral Alaska last week, officials said.

The tugboat struck the Polar Endeavor oil tanker at the Valdez Marine Terminal Jan. 11, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the collision that injured one crew member of the tugboat named Courageous.

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Gas explosion rips through Madrid building, killing 3

MADRID (AP) —A powerful gas explosion tore through a residential building in central Madrid on Wednesday, killing at least three people and ripping the facade off the structure.

A tower of smoke rose from the building, where repairs were being done to a gas boiler, and billowed through Toledo Street, near the city’s center. Aerial footage shared by Spain’s National Police showed rubble covering a nearby schoolyard — though Madrid’s mayor said no one was seriously injured at the school.

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What are your hopes for Jennings?

It’s seldom heard of fora governing body to go directly to the public to ask, without an election, how and when tax dollars should be spent. However, Mayor Henry Guinn and the Jennings city council are doing just that.

With healthy finances reported in a recent audit and $17 million available in reserve funds, officials are looking to potentially invest in areas including economic development, drainage, parks and recreation, streets and sidewalks, citywide beautification and housing. Those are areas vital to not only citizens but the city and its future.

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What America needs is a hearty laugh

America could use a hearty laugh right now, but laughter doesn’t come easily because too many Americans have lost their sense of humor.

Humor, says Merriam-Webster, is “the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny.”

We are at our best when we’re amused. Few things can better reduce stress or shed light on truth than a good joke.

I can’t think of a better time to revisit what some great minds have said about humor’s incredible value - to both individuals and well-functioning societies.

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Have you ever met a stranger?

Reminiscing with one of my mother’s photo albums, I encountered a snapshot of a long-deceased neighbor (a dear, sweet man) who is still summed up by the phrase “He never met a stranger.”

I’m sure all of you know someone like that (or ARE someone like that): the one-person welcoming committee who is drawn like a moth to the flame and wants every casual acquaintance to feel like they’re loved, appreciated and the survivor of an interrogation by Jack Bauer on “24.”

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Mayor, city council seek public feedback

With healthy reserves in place, the city’s mayor and council members would like to know what Jennings residents want to see for the future of the city.

“If we are not going forward, we are going backwards,” said Jennings Mayor Henry Guinn. “We need the public’s input to see what direction we want to take with spending. Where do you see Jennings in 10 years?”

The city currently has around $17 million in reserve monies across all funds and Guinn says that number is too high.

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Committee backs emergency leave policy

The school board is considering extending a lapsed federal policy that guarantees a 10-day emergency leave for employees who are diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19.

Superintendent of Schools Kirk Credeur said the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was put in place by the federal government from April 2, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. However, Jeff Davis Parish School Board members will vote tonight on whether or not to extend the provisions of that policy through June 30 of this year. Those provisions guarantee 10 days of paid leave in addition to annual sick leave.