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State Senator Neil Riser of Columbia and Vance M. McAllister of Monroe, both Republicans, earned the right during the primary election last Saturday to face each other in a runoff election on November 16 to decide who

will represent the fifth congressional district in Congress for the next 13 months. The winner will fill out the unexpired term of Congressman Rodney Alexander, R-Ruston, who resigned in September to accept a position as Secretary of Louisiana Veterans Affairs after being appointed to the post by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Fourteen candidates were on the ballot last Saturday in hopes of making the runoff for the unexpired term, which ends in January 2015. The winner in the Nov. 16th general election will face voters again next fall in the regular congressional election for a full 2-year term in Congress.

 

The Jena Band of Choctaws broke ground last week for a walking trail expected to be complete in mid-November. The ¼-mile long trail, funded by the Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation’s “Live Lively LaSalle!” grant, will include seven fitness stations, a playground and picnic tables and benches.

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A large group of parents gathered at the regular October meeting of the LaSalle Parish School Board held Monday night of last week to express their concerns over the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) being taught in public schools. Justin Reeves, father of a 3rd grader at Fellowship Elementary School, was spokesperson for the group of parents. Reeves began, saying “I agree with the goal of the Common Core State Standards, which as I understand, is to raise the standard of our children’s education to be competitive on a national and international level. However, I do not feel like we are successfully implementing the necessary steps to successfully transition our students to the new curriculum.”

The Town of Olla Council approved the introduction of three ordinances as well as a change order last week at the town’s October meeting held Tuesday night, after lengthy discussion ensued for two of the four items. The ordinances were as follows - Ordinance 2013-004: An ordinance relative to the prohibition on the use of operating commercial vehicles with engine compression brake devices (known as Jake Brakes) without a muffler in good working condition; and to provide for related matters; Ordinance 2013-005: An ordinance to authorize annexation to corporate limits of the Town of Olla, known as the Olla Airport; and Ordinance 2013-006: An ordinance adopting rules and regulations for the marking of all Town vehicles owned by the Town of Olla. A public hearing has been set for Tuesday, November 12.

The Jena High School Alumni Association inducted three new members into the JHS Hall of Fame during a homecoming banquet held last Thursday night at the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church in Jena. Inductees included James F. Justiss, Jr., left; the late Jeddie Ray Hodges, Sr., represented by his wife Maxine Hodges; and Mike “Bugs” Francis. The three are shown with their plaques immediately following the induction ceremony. JHS graduate and former coach, Ray Thompson of Bossier City, was the guest speaker for the event, which was attended by a large number of JHS alumni, along with guests. Pictures of the three honorees have been added to the “Hall of Fame” display in the lobby of Jena High School.

JHS Principal Glen “Slick” Joiner crowned Lakerielle ‘Lak’ Kittlin as Queen of the Jena High School homecoming festivities during the pep rally held at the school last Friday. Lakerielle is the daughter of Kimberly Kittlin and Kevin Patterson.

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Retail sales in LaSalle Parish held steady during the first nine months of this calendar year, according to updated sales tax figures just released by the Concordia Sales Tax Collection Agency. Figures released shows retail sales parish wide dropped very slightly, as they did in the town of Jena. However, the town of Olla shows a slight gain in retail sales during the first nine months of this year. The LaSalle Parish School Board collected $1,614,343.76 on one of its three one-cent sales taxes during the nine-month period. This represents retail sales of $161.4 million.

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LaSalle Parish had the fourth lowest jobless rate in the state of Louisiana for the month of August, according to figures released this week by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The rate for LaSalle stood at 5.3 percent, down from the 5.4 percent reported for July. The parishes with lower unemployment rates in August included Lafourche Parish, 4.8 percent; Terrebonne Parish, 5.1 percent; and Lafayette Parish, 5.2 percent. Louisiana’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged in August at 7.1 percent, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.

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