News

For LaSalle Parish and the rest of the world, there is no doubt that the biggest news story of 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic and all of its related issues.

COVID-19 was the spotlight of everything from March until the end of the year and so many news stories that appeared in this newspaper during that time period centered upon the coronavirus and its affect on people, events, and life in general.

The first time LaSalle witnessed the impact of COVID-19 was March 13, when it was announced by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards that all public schools would be closed for two weeks in order for the state to slow the spread of the virus. He also limited the number of gatherings to 250 people.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

There is no question as to the top news story in LaSalle Parish (and the rest of the country, as well) during the year just ended – it was the Coronavirus Pandemic. After the virus began spreading in this country, steps were put into place to slow the spread, leading to a statewide Stay-at-Home order in March.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

LaSalle Parish Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie McGuffee and Tractor Supply Manager Tori Spence hold several toys from the overflowing donation box at Tractor Supply in Jena. Over 1,000 toys and other items were donated through the Children’s Advocacy Network (CAN)’s Toy Drive at the LaSalle CASA Office in Jena to help bring joy to children this Christmas. 

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

Consumers in LaSalle Parish will be paying more in sales taxes beginning January 1, 2021, after voters approved a new half-cent sales tax for the LaSalle Parish Police Jury to finance garbage collection and disposal in the parish in December.

Sales taxes to be collected parish wide include: 4.45-cents, state sales tax; 3-cents, school board; half-cent, law enforcement dis-trict; and half-cent, police jury, for a total of 8.45-cents.

Consumers will pay another 1-cent in sales taxes in Jena and Olla, making the total in these towns, 9.45-cents. In Tullos, the addition of the 1.5-cent sales tax, will make the total in that town, 9.95-cents.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

Gov. John Bel Edwards last week extended his modified Phase Two order, including Louisiana’s statewide mask mandate, to January 13, 2021, as hospitalizations have exceeded the level reached during the second surge in July.

The Governor also declared an emergency for the elections in February, March and April of next year, per a request from the Secretary of State.

“While we have seen minor improvements, no one should feel good about our current COVID situation in Louisiana. We have too many new cases, too many people in the hospital and, sadly, too many Louisianans continue to die of this illness. Just this week, we reported the highest number of deaths since July.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

For the sixth month in a row, LaSalle Parish had the lowest unemployment rate in October of any parish in Louisiana.

Like all other parishes, the rate in LaSalle rose from 4.7-percent in September to 5.2-percent in October. Jackson Parish had the second lowest rate at 5.7-percent. All other parishes in the state had rates above the 6-percent mark.

The number of people dropped considerably in most parishes, but the drop for LaSalle was only eight employees. In October, the total number employed in the parish stood at 6,436, compared to 6,444 in September.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

The annual APPLES Christmas raffle ticket fundraiser concluded on December 11th with the winner drawings at the Jena Wal-Mart Supercenter. Students in the LaSalle Parish School System sold the tickets with all money going to assist children in the school system with Christmas. Over 7,000 tickets were sold, allowing almost 170 children to shop at Wal-Mart on Saturday morning for toys, clothing and shoes. 

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

Rev. Chauncey Hardy, interim pastor of L&A Missionary Baptist Church, and Mike Cudo of Bellevue Baptist Church (with Malcolm Strozier of Bellevue in the background) load Christmas gifts into the trunk of a car during the LaSalle Parish Ministerial Alliance’s 2020 Angel Tree drive-thru event at the old Jena Elementary School Cafeteria last week. Over 120 families and 260 students received gifts through the event with the donations totaling over $30,000.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/Jena%20TimesID339/

LaSalle Parish taxpayers, as well as those in the four towns, have received their 2020 tax statements and citizens are reminded that taxes are due by Thursday of next week, December 31, 2020.

Parish tax statements were mailed by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office, as the Sheriff is the ex-officio tax collector for the parish. Tax notices for property owners in the four towns were mailed by the individual towns. Taxes are based on assessments assigned by the LaSalle Parish Assessor’s office.

LaSalle Assessor Tom Kendrick’s office reports that total assessment of all property in the parish for 2020 amounts to $112,299,000, with $22,909,910 being covered by homestead exemption, leaving $89,389,090 subject to taxation. The total amount of taxes due for year 2020 in LaSalle Parish is $13,793,348.15.

Members of the LaSalle Parish Police Jury adopted their 2021 budget totaling just over $7.181-million at their regular December meeting held Monday night of last week after holding a public hearing on the budget.

The budget contains $5,181,825 in the general fund and other parish wide funds, and $2-million in JTPA funds, which are used for health and welfare programs and administered through the Police Jury.

The budget contains the following accounts for the various funds including beginning balances in each fund and anticipated receipts expected in 2021: general fund, $2,211,699; road and bridge fund, $873,000; courthouse maintenance fund, $995,303; garbage fund, $822,200; Health Unit fund, $178,735; criminal court fund, $597,000; and parish transportation fund, $322,081.