News

The Town of Urania Council approved the introduction of Ordinance 2020-01 to adopt the amended budget for July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 and the annual budget of revenues and expenditures for FY July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 for the Town of Urania via conference call for their regular monthly meeting last week.

Mayor Terri Corley announced the town received LGAP funding for $34,140 to upgrade the South Pine lift station as well as CWEF funding for $23,000 to install a booster pump at the LaSalle Correctional Center (LCC) and isolation valves in needed areas.

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Around 100 LaSalle Parish residents turned out for this year’s National Day of Prayer at two events last Thursday, May 7. It is believed to have been the only in-person public prayer events held that day in Louisiana.

The Jena event was held at the Jena High School football stadium where approximately 70 attended including approximately 10 pastors.

The Olla event was held at the LaSalle High School football stadium where approximately 30 people attended including approximately 3 pastors.

At both events the focus was on praying for the nation and the many issues it is facing during this coronavirus time.

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In this unprecedented time in our state, country and world, some workers are working from home in ways they never had before. Educators are counted in that number.

Though it’s commonplace for teachers to bring their work home, trying to keep in touch with students and condense the spring semester workload for their students to bring home is certainly a new endeavor for them as well as the students, parents and guardians. But how are they coping?

Several LaSalle Parish educators share insight into their work from home as well as their advice for parents and guardians working at home with students.

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The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That’s unambiguous. Not “pretty unambiguous,” just unambiguous. Full stop. Yet governors across the country are ignoring or suspending almost every one of those rights enumerated at the top of the Bill of Rights, with little to no pushback from the press, which just happens to be the only part of the first two amendments not under assault.

It’s actually not under assault -- it’s gone -- suspended indefinitely in the name of “the common good.” Governors have declared coronavirus emergencies and wiped clean the rights our nation was founded for the purpose of putting those rights beyond the reach of government.

As week seven begins in the Louisiana Stay-at-Home order by Gov. John Bel Edwards, the reported COVID-19 cases in LaSalle Parish was 27 with no deaths.

However, those numbers are misleading. According to parish officials, LaSalle only has around 2, possibly 3, active cases, apart from new cases being reported from an outbreak at prison facilities located in the parish.

Statewide as of noon Monday, there were 29,673 cases with 1,991 deaths, the majority in the Orleans and Jefferson Parish area in extreme south Louisiana.

On Monday, April 27, Gov. Edwards extended his Stay at Home order through May 15. A few restrictions were lifted under the new order effective last Friday, May 1. Edwards’ new order allows curbside retail at shopping malls and outside table dining at restaurants, though customers will have to pick up their food and take it to the outside tables.

LaSalle Parish and Jena in particular lost a long-time businessman, dedicated public servant, and parish leader in the death of Charles Otto Williams on Thursday of last week. At the time of his death, he was serving as chairman and member of the Board of Commissioners for LaSalle General Hospital and LaSalle Nursing Home.

Charles was born April 15, 1929 to the union of Clifford Otto “Pop” Williams and Doris Stringer Williams of Good Pine. He was raised in Good Pine and graduated from Trout-Good Pine High School in 1946, and honorably served in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1947-1949.

After his military service, he received his B. S. degree in Accounting at Northwestern State University, earned his Masters degree at the University of Texas, and then passed the CPA exam in 1955.

Charles was self-employed as a Certified Public Accountant in Jena for more than 50 years. During those years as CPA, he served numerous public bodies as auditor.

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the oil glut generated by the Saudis and Russians have created a perfect storm for the oil industry, and the Louisiana energy industry is teetering on the verge of collapse, according to one of the industry’s top advocates.

“We’re watching an entire industry being eliminated right before our eyes,” said Gifford Biggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) .

Briggs said the energy sector supports more than 34,000 direct jobs in Louisiana with $3.2 billion in direct wages paid to employees working in the oil and gas industry.

“What we’re witnessing has not happened in my lifetime and nobody’s paying attention,” Briggs said. “Alarms should be being sounded now and they aren’t happening. By the time everybody wakes up, it could be over for Louisiana.”

LaSalle Parish leaders approved a plan for re-opening the parish on a limited basis this Friday, May 1; even if Governor John Bel Edwards decides to extend his Stay at Home order.

Officials from all governing bodies met once again Monday morning at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse to finalize guidelines and recommendations for the re-opening.

The plan will follow Lafayette Parish’s model, which has received no push back from the governor’s office since it went into effect April 17.

“We want to make it very clear to all of our residents,” LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters said, “this plan is an effort to allow us as a parish to ease back into our normal lives…not rush back, full steam, as we were before the shutdown.”

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As of press time on April 20, LaSalle Parish has thirteen confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of over 24,000 cases statewide with several cases belonging to members of the same local family.

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Governor John Bel Edwards officially signed a proclamation Thursday, April 15, closing K-12 public schools in Louisiana to students until the end of the current school year – noting that students will get their education via remote learning all due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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