December 2021

COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP ADMIN’S BAN OF GUN BUMP STOCKS

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans is the latest to uphold a federal ban on “bump stocks” — devices attached to semiautomatic firearms so that a shooter can fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull.

Movie Break

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Alysse Carlson, 7, and Jayden Rodriguez, 7, (left) enjoy candy canes and hot chocolate, while Jadynn Cox, 9, (right) gets comfortable. The Ward Elementary students enjoyed watching The Polar Express in class.

All l want for Christmas..

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With Christmas Day drawing near, students at James Ward Elementary (WARD) shared that they are looking forward to many holiday traditions, including giving gifts to their parents and teachers.

Kindergarten teacher Kysha Simon asked her class what gifts they hope to receive and which they would gift to loved ones. Most of the students agreed that play dough and smart phones were high on their list, with Lamborghinis also being a popular response

Laura Reed, 5, said she is most excited about a visit from Santa Claus.

Gift of life

The public is invited to help save lives in Jeff Davis Parish by giving the gift of life through blood donation.

With all the advances in modern medicine today, there is still no substitute for human blood. LifeShare Blood Center’s mobile blood bank will be in Jeff Davis Parish twice this month in order to replenish the blood supply for Jeff Davis Parish residents in need.

“We would like to invite the community to give the gift of life this holiday season by donating blood at one of our many drives in the parish this month,” said Activities Director Laurie Desoto-Lacombe.

Jennings holiday events kick off tonight

The Jennings Christmas festivities are set to kick off tonight with family-oriented activities including the annual parade, Jennings Hall of Trees and Santa Claus.

City Event Coordinator Lin Fake said the parade line-up will start at the corner of Railroad Avenue and North Main Street by City Hall. Floats may start arriving at 4:30 p.m. and must be present no later than 5:15 p.m.

The parade will start making its way up Main Street at 5:30 p.m

Floats are not allowed to include a Santa Claus as St. Nick will be arriving at the end of the parade on the fire truck.

JDSO: 2021 ‘smooth sailing’ compared to 2020

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At the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office (JDSO) 2021 has felt like smooth sailing compared to 2020, which Sheriff Ivy Woods described as a year he would never forget.

“For us, it’s like 2021 just flew by,” said Woods. “The year 2020 kind of dragged along because of COVID-19. When the pandemic reached Louisiana right after Mardi Gras that year, we didn’t know what was going to happen, especially with the mandates. We didn’t want to be the mask police. Luckily, the state appointed fire marshals to enforce mask mandates instead of us.”

COA looks ahead to brighter 2022

Jeff Davis Parish Council on Aging’s (COA) director said she has a positive outlook for the future.

At the beginning of 2021, COA Director Helen Langley said the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the agency from opening its doors to the public.

“It was a hard time for everyone,” Langley said. “We couldn’t have many of the things we usually offer, like educational classes for the elderly. That is such an important service.”

Langley said the loss of so many of the agency’s patrons was also a hard hit this year.

JPD: ‘Very busy year for us altogether’

After hardships from 2020’s pandemic restrictions, 2021 thus far has been a year of pulling things back together for the Jennings Police Department (JPD).

According to Police Chief Danny Semmes, criminal activity is on the rise in the community with increased shootings and drug traffick ing. The parish jail is also at capacity, which adds a great amount of pressure to the shoulders of JPD officers.

Senators request hearing on US crime wave

Senator John Kennedy joined Senator Chuck Grassley and nine other Republican senators on the U.S. Judiciary Committee in writing to Chairman Dick Durbin requesting a full committee hearing in Washington, D.C. to address the rising crime wave.

The senators wrote the letter after Durbin held a hearing titled “Combating Gun Trafficking and Reducing Violence in Chicago” in Chicago, Ill. on Dec. 13. The senators previously requested that Durbin allow virtual or phone participation in that hearing, but the chairman denied this request.