News

Scott McLendon has formally announced his candidacy for Sheriff of LaSalle Parish, subject to action of voters in the parish at the fall 2019 election.

In making the announcement, McLendon issued the following statement to voters of the parish:

“I am a life-long resident of LaSalle Parish, and I currently serve as the Chief of Police for the Town of Jena; which I feel completely humbled to be able to do.  During this time, I have met and befriended residents, business owners, and leaders of this great parish.

“At the urging of many of the influential and supportive people, I have decided to expand my service to the office of Sheriff.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my service as Chief of Police, but I feel my honest, conscientious, and hardworking persona would be best utilized in a position to serve all citizens of our parish.  

LaSalle Library officials and staff, along with the contractor, architect and guests, gathered on the site of the new LaSalle Library in Jena to break ground for the facility last Friday morning. The new main office of the LaSalle Library will be constructed on the old Humphries Motors Company location along First Street between Elm and Courthouse. The $2.6 million state-of-the-art facility will comprise 12,500 square feet, doubling the size of the facility across the street, which has been used since 1964. Those taking part in the ground breaking included, from left: James Womack, partner of Womack and Sons Construction Group, contractor for the building; Mark Weeks, project superintendent; Chase Womack, partner of Womack and Sons; Wayne Coco, architect; Bard Lambeth, President of LaSalle Police Jury and ex-officio member of Library Board; Simeon Rambo, bookmobile assistant; LaDawn Edwards, Mayor of Jena; Becky Robertson, Administrative Assistant; Sammy J.

A number of major construction projects currently underway or set to begin soon have witnessed LaSalle Parish experience the results of a revival of sorts economically, according to LaSalle Economic Development District (LEDD) President Walter E. Dorroh, Jr.

“The significant number of construction projects which are ‘in the pipeline’ tell us several things about our parish,” Dorroh said last week. “First of all, this is a clear indication that the efforts to diversify our economy are successful.”

Dorroh said some 30 years ago, LaSalle Parish was a two-industry oriented parish and when both of those industries took a turn for the worse, the parish was severely affected.

“Those of you who remember the terrible economic times of the mid-1980s, which brought home all too clearly the need to diversify and become not quite so dependent on minerals and timber, can now see the positive results of those diversification efforts,” he said.

The education committee of the LaSalle Parish School Board received a presentation on Comprehensive Needs Assessment conducted at Olla Elementary School earlier this year, during a meeting last Monday afternoon at the Media Center in Jena.

Dr. Keith Courville, a member of the state assessment four-member panel, which conducted the review, presented the findings of the group to members of the education committee. Other board members attended the meeting to hear the report.

Administrators felt the comprehensive needs assessment was needed at the school after OES fell 6.1 points when school performance scores were released last year.

Panel members included Courville, Dr. Keith Leger, Dr. Tia Neal and Ms. Christy Boyte. The assessment project was contracted through the federal programs department earlier this school session, in the fall of 2018.

A Jena man has pled guilty to manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Sherwood Breithaupt of Olla, according to J. Reed Walters, LaSalle Parish District Attorney.

James Richard Bryant Rosier, age 31, of Jena, pled guilty on Friday, March 22, to the charge. He had been charged with second-degree murder. His trial date had not been set but was to be set at the status conference on March 22.

The crime had occurred in the Summerville Community on May 4th or 5th, 2018. Rosier has been in jail since this date, Walters said.

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Members of the 2018-19 LaSalle Riding Club Rodeo Team will host the 27th annual Louisiana High School Rodeo Association Jena Rodeo this Friday and Saturday, March 29-30, at the Jena Rodeo Arena.  Showtime will be at 7 p.m. each evening with gates opening at 6 p.m. Slack will be held beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Rodeo Team members shown, from left, Charlie Paul, Brielle Smith, Samuel Keene, Meredith Scroggs, Maci Scroggs, and Landon Stapleton.

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