By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – Students and parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and school held an emotional mass and celebration recently as Archbishop Gregory Aymond led a large turnout of parishioners and well-wishers, dedicating and blessing the final phase of construction that marked the end of recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
Our Lady of Lourdes was devastated when Katrina roared ashore here in August, 2005. The church and school are close to Lake Pontchartrain and were destroyed by the flood waters and winds.
Almost eight years since the hurricane pounded Southeast Louisiana, Our Lady of Lourdes students and adults were full of smiles, mixed with tears, as Aymond celebrated mass along with Father Frank Lipps, Father Basil, Deacon Troy Smith and Father Mark Lomax.
Aymond then led a procession to the school cafeteria, and finally the gymnasium, which he blessed as school children lined the walls and walkways.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church was first built back for the parish, followed by the school. The cafeteria and gymnasium were the final pieces of construction to complete the recovery by the families who make up OLL, and other families who send their children to the school.
OLL Principal Bob Kiefer spoke during the mass and fought back tears in thanking so many who supported the comeback by the church and school.
“This represents the end of our reconstruction, and there are so many to thank,” he said as he wiped away tears. “Thanks to the entire Our Lady of Lourdes community, and also to St. Margaret Mary and Pope John Paul, who welcomed us. We are grateful to all for making our school whole again. It is a joyous day for all of us.”
The millions of dollars in work was financed by the Archdiocese, hundreds at Our Lady of Lourdes who donated to see their parish restored, and FEMA money that was also contributed for the projects.
Construction on both the gymnasium and cafeteria began in 2007, with the gym finished in August, 2012, and the cafeteria opened for hot lunches in April, 2013.
The only work remaining is for the portables to be torn down and removed. Bids for that work are starting at the end of May.

When was the last time you reached out to somebody who is different from you? I mean, really different from you?
It makes us feel uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Other people’s differences. We like to surround ourselves with people who are like us, people we can relate to. Hey, I get it. The majority of my friends are suburban, minivan-driving soccer moms, just like me. Not a whole lot of diversity in my social circle.
So here’s another question. When you see somebody with a disability, what do you do? Do you avert your eyes? Do you shift a little awkwardly and wonder what to say, if you should say anything at all?
I used to do that. And then I had a kid with a disability. A cognitive disability, no less, the kind that really weirds people out. My 7-year-old can attract a lot of attention to himself in public. He can be very loud, although cheerfully so. His speech is largely unintelligible, and his movements are a little bit awkward. He doesn’t know a stranger and will often walk up to somebody he’s never met and start telling them all about…something. Right now, while he’s young, there are people who still seem charmed by him. They’ll high five him and call him “buddy.” He likes that.
I see it changing, though, people’s responses to him. The older he gets, the more uncomfortable his behaviors can make some strangers feel. As long as people are kind, I don’t fault them for their discomfort (much). I wasn’t always the mother of a child with a disability, ya know. Before having Scott, I had virtually no contact with people with disabilities. The disability community was barely on my radar. Not because I was an insensitive clod (well, maybe just a little), but because I didn’t really know anybody with a disability.
But then I had Scott. And now I see, as different as he is, he’s just a kid. Just a 7-year-old kid, like other 7-year-old kids. He likes dinosaurs and cars and jumping on the trampoline. He tells knock-knock jokes. People love to tell me how kids like Scott are always “so happy,” but that’s not really true. He’s just like your kid, he gets angry and frustrated and disappointed and scared. And he has real relationships with our family, with his brother and sister, with his classmates, with his teachers and therapists.
Scott and relationships, friendships—that’s what keeps me up at night when I worry about my son. I worry about all of my kids, the way any mother worries, but it’s different with him. I worry if he will have friends as he gets older, if he will be included. For now, he’s invited to birthday parties, he plays with other kids on the playground, eats lunch with them in the cafeteria.
But what about when Scott is no longer in school? What about when he’s no longer in a classroom with other kids his age, every day? How will he meet people? How will he develop friendships? What will he do?
Here’s what I want for him: to find his place, in the community, where he feels like he belongs. Where he can develop friendships with others and know that he is valued.
Tomorrow night at First Baptist Church in Covington, you’ll see adults and teenagers like Scott, and you’ll see people like yourself, all hanging out and having a great time. It’s called Illuminate, and it’s an evening of real inclusion, with people of all types coming together for dinner, live music, skits and games.
The point of Illuminate is to foster relationships in a fun and welcoming environment while celebrating our differences. I attended the first Illuminate last year, and it really was beautiful, seeing so many people of so many ability levels, all coming together for a great party.
Illuminate is the brainchild of Zachary Slay, Adult Programs Coordinator at Northshore Families Helping Families. Zach is passionate about inclusion and encouraging people with disabilities to find their niche in the community, exactly what I want for Scott.
Describing his first Illuminate experience, Zach said, “Gazing over a crowd engaged in Illuminate, I witnessed people experiencing the freedom to be themselves. Bringing people of all abilities together through games, skits and music set the stage for an inspiring message. Together, we were encouraged to see how much we are loved. It’s beautiful to know you’re included in something bigger than anything you alone can produce.”
I’ve attended Illuminate, and it really was beautiful, the joy and warmth I witnessed that evening. It’s so encouraging, seeing our community make a real effort to encourage inclusion of people with special needs.
“This is what I want people to know,” Zach said, “you are included. Whoever you are, whatever limitations you have, you are an essential part of this body we call community.”
Won’t you join in tomorrow night? Illuminate is happening in the ROC building at First Baptist Covington from 6-9 p.m. You can find more information on the Northshore Families Helping Families Web site at www.fhfnorthshore.org.

(Betsy Swenson can be reached at sliindelife@gmail.com.)

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – The former chief of staff for the City of Slidell was the victim on Sunday of a vicious attack by his own son, sending him to the hospital with severe facial injuries that will require surgery, Slidell Police reported on Tuesday.
Reinhard Dearing was a top city official in Slidell for many years during the tenure of Sam Caruso as mayor from 1985 to 2002, serving as chief of staff where he was the second in command for the city.
Slidell Police Spokesman Det. Daniel Seuzeneau reported that on Sunday, Bradford Dearing allegedly beat his father so severely that he was taken to a local hospital with massive facial injuries that will require surgery.
Reinhard Dearing is currently in ICU at Slidell Memorial Hospital where he reportedly has four broken bones around one eye, a broken nose and bone fragments lodged in his face that must be removed by surgery.
Bradford Dearing, 29, was arrested on Monday by Slidell Police after officers were called to the hospital on Sunday in reference to “an elderly man who had been severely beaten.”
The victim turned out to be Reinhard Dearing, the former Slidell chief of staff, who had such severe injuries to his face that he was relocated to ICU and was awaiting surgery.
When investigators asked Dearing how he obtained his injuries, he reluctantly told police that his own son had punched him in the face after an alleged argument, but he couldn’t fully remember the entire sequence of events.
Detectives spoke with Bradford Dearing, who said he and his father got into an altercation, and in self-defense, he punched his father once in the face.
Seuzeneau said that when investigators observed the severity of the victim’s injuries, it was apparent that more than just a single punch had occurred.
A warrant was issued for second degree battery and cruelty to the infirm, since Reinhard Dearing is over 60 years of age.
Dearing retired from public office when Caruso finished his 17 years as mayor of Slidell, but remained active in politics, working with several Slidell mayoral races.
Bradford Dearing graduated from Pope John Paul in the late 90s as a highly touted football player who earned a scholarship to play in college at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. However, he only completed two years from 2002 to 2004 and returned to the Slidell area, where he began getting into trouble with arrests for DWI and simple battery.
Dearing faced second degree murder charges when he was involved in a situation in a Baton Rouge apartment, where he and an acquaintance were reportedly handling a gun that went off and killed a young man. Dearing was acquitted of those charges.
He opened his own landscape business in Oct., 2007, with Tiger Tuff.
Seuzeneau said an investigation is continuing into alleged prior abuse to the father, and more charges may follow.
Bradford Dearing was placed under arrest late Monday afternoon and was booked into the St. Tammany Jail, where a bond will be set.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – Stacey Boerner had just delivered her second child on Oct. 1, 2001 when she quickly noticed her baby was not in the room.
“I ended up waiting six hours and never seeing my baby,” she said. “I knew something was wrong.”
When her doctor walked into the room, tears in her eyes and announced, “your baby won’t make it through the night,” Boerner was stunned.
“My doctor didn’t have to say anything when she came in,” she recalled about that night over 11 years ago. “I knew something was seriously wrong just by the look on her face.”
Chloe Rene was born at East Jefferson Hospital with serious problems, Boerner would later learn. As the nurses began to wash the newborn, they noticed bruising on her little body, finally finding out three months later she had fluid on the brain that would eventually lead to Cerebral Palsy.

But the surprising thing for the doctors involved was that little Chloe did survive, and surprised many as she lived for 11 years before recently passing away on March 1, 2013. As a recipient of a special gift from the Children’s Wish Endowment organization of Slidell, she had been picked as the child the 2013 fashion show and fundraising luncheon was dedicated to, even though she unexpectedly passed away shortly before the show.
Boerner attended the show in Chloe’s name, still grieving over the loss of her daughter only weeks earlier, but wanting to carry out the spirit of a little girl who meant so much to her.
“Right now I’m still very sad that she is gone, but I am also relieved she is peaceful now and not suffering anymore,” she said.
The journey over the past 11 years for Boerner, her children and husband, not only taught Chloe’s mother a lot about any child with special needs, but did more for her than some people might understand if they have never spent much time with a disabled person.
“Most people don’t realize I took care of her like any other baby, special needs or not,” Boerner said. “This was still my baby, no matter how many problems she had.”
The biological father for Chloe did not remain in the picture, but two years after Chloe was born, she started dating a friend from high school who married Boerner, along with a son she had from a previous marriage.
“My husband is not Chloe’s real father, but he is an amazing man, especially to take me with a child who had the problems that Chloe had,” she said.
The family is still together and went through the journey with Chloe that saw her surprise doctors with her improvement.
“When we brought her home, she couldn’t hold her head up or move,” Boerner said. “She smiled sometimes, but she was screaming, crying and throwing up a lot since doctors still didn’t have her diagnosed correctly.”
When she was three months old, a doctor finally discovered she had Hydrocephalus—water on the brain—but by that time, the pressure led to Cerebral Palsy and left her blinded.
“The first three months were so stressful since I wanted to help her feel better, but we still didn’t know what the complete problems were,” Boerner said. “It was overwhelming not knowing why she had such problems.
“Even through those early years, we still did everything with her. We took her everywhere, we dressed her up the best she could look, and the amazing thing was that she touched many people just with her smile,” Boerner added. “I think that’s one thing I was so amazed at, the way she could light up a room with her smile.”
Even after the diagnosis and knowing the future was going to be difficult, Boerner said she never gave up hope that somehow Chloe might get better.
“As a mother, you always hope things will improve. Some doctors said there were stories of the brain regenerating, and maybe she could get her sight back,” she said. “We had hope since the doctors kept calling her their little puzzle. She didn’t seem to go by the book.
“As a mom, you still hope, dream and pray that things will get better,” she added.
But at the age of 3, Boerner recalls a startling disappointment.
“I was still hoping for the best, but when we had to get her first wheelchair, it really hit me that she was probably not going to get a lot better,” she said.
Boerner and her husband, Charles, were still able to teach her to eat and drink—a phenomenal feat considering Chloe’s physical condition. And Chloe showed how much she wanted her mother around by refusing to eat once she entered public school.
“She wouldn’t eat for anyone but me, even at school,” she said. “And even being blind, she knew if I was there.”
A year ago, Boerner said she knew Chloe wasn’t doing well, showing fewer smiles or giggles.
“Our doctor finally asked me how long I wanted to keep her alive,” Boerner said. “He told me, ‘you keep saving her’ when she stops breathing.”
Boerner said that 11 years of Chloe living with severe physical problems had been enough, and she knew she had to let her daughter go.
“I knew she had been in a lot of pain, even if it was hard to know from what,” she said. “Finally we brought in Hospice and I let her go.”
Charles and Stacey had a baby two years ago, adding to two children he already had. She said her life with Chloe will forever impact her.
“I had to do everything in her life. But she was the one who taught me what true unconditional love is,” Boerner said. “That’s what I want people to understand about children like Chloe. She was still my child like any other baby.”
The Children’s Wish Endowment granted a wish to Chloe to be a fashion queen at Disney World. Anyone who would like to donate to Slidell’s CWE can contact the group at 645-9474.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

MANDEVILLE – An ambitious effort to fulfill a promise made to hundreds of St. Tammany families, who are related to children and adults with lifelong disabilities, was the focus of the “STARC for Life” breakfast held at the Castine Center in Mandeville.
With STARC celebrating its 40th year in 2013, serving the families of those with individuals born with lifelong disabilities, Executive Director Dianne Baham told a packed house that STARC officials are embarking on a $2.5 million campaign over the next five years to build more facilities where their clients can grow old.
“When we started with STARC we helped a lot of families with children who had disabilities they would face for life,” Baham said. “But our new challenge is that many of our clients are living to their 70s now, and their parents face a new problem of dying before their children will.”
STARC currently serves over 1,300 clients in every community of St. Tammany Parish with 14 facilities that not only provide a daily home for many disabled clients, but also offer opportunities to work every day at many of the STARC job facilities.
The most successful of those endeavors was when Baham and others started a laundry facility, which now employs many disabled workers, giving them a job every day, and a place to earn their own money and even buy their own home.

“Some of our clients have bought their own home with the money they are making in our laundry business,” Baham said. “But we need to help many others have their own home, similar to one we recently finished in Mandeville for some women.”
The day’s events were highlighted by a host of parish public officials, top businessmen and celebrities such as Ronnie Kole and John Besh, all who support STARC and the work they do.
“I want my kids to grow up in a world where we value life,” Besh said. “And in St. Tammany Parish, there is no greater sign of that than the work done by STARC.”
STARC employs 400 people and has an $8.5 million annual budget, but they are struggling to maintain services to the hundreds of clients and their families they assist each day, due in large part to severe state and federal budget cuts. Still, Baham insists they will never let the families down who they serve.
“We have promised these families we will be here for life for our clients,” she said. “And we will do what we must to fulfill that promise.”
A special moment in the breakfast was when STARC client Burnal Vaultz sang “What a Wonderful World,” a song made famous by Al Jolson. Vaultz mimicked Jolson’s well-known voice and received a standing ovation when he finished the song.
“Burnel has worked in our laundry facility for 10 years and purchased his own home from the job he has,” Baham said.
Slidell Memorial Hospital CEO Bill Davis, who is the father to a son with autism, is the current STARC Treasurer and urged the business men and women in the room to contribute to the new campaign, while many other public officials such as Slidell Mayor Freddy Drennan, Boudreaux’s Butt Paste owner George Boudreaux, and others, joined the call for STARC support.

If you would like to become a partner with STARC in the work they do in the parish, contact the organization at 641-0197.

By BETSY SWENSON
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL — Teachers, administrators and other St. Tammany Parish School Board employees breathed a sigh of relief Saturday as St. Tammany residents approved a three proposals funding school upgrades, employee salaries and benefits.
Proposition 1, a $135 million bond renewal, allows for renovations and building additions at numerous schools, plus technology and security upgrades.
The bond will fund classroom construction in the amount of $46 million, building permanent classrooms in place of the modular structures currently at Fontainebleau Junior High, Lyon Elementary, Madisonville Elementary, Mandeville Elementary, Pontchartrain Elementary and Tchefuncte Middle Schools.

$52.5 million will go toward building renovations at Bonne Ecole Elementary, Boyet Junior High, Little Oak Middle, Covington High, Slidell Junior High, Abney Elementary, Carolyn Park Middle, Chahta-Ima Elementary, Clearwood Junior High, Fontainebleau High, Mandeville Junior High, Northshore High, Pearl River High and Slidell High.
Another $20 million of the bond funds will go toward technology improvements, as the School Board looks forward to a future of state-mandated computerized standardized tests for students. Schools will also see security upgrades with that money.
Proposition 2 allows for the rededication of $5.7 million generated by an existing 3.44-mill property tax from construction repairs to employee salaries and benefits. Also tied to salaries and benefits is Proposition 3, a 10-year, 3-mill property tax that will generate $5 million annually. The new tax will cost tax payers nothing, the School Board says, because it is offset by voluntary cutbacks the board has made in other areas of the budget.
Propositions 1 and 2 will help ease the School Board’s burden of rising health care costs and increased student numbers, while state funds have dwindled.
Failure of the propositions could have resulted in increased classroom sizes and possible layoffs.
Superintendent of Schools Trey Folse thanked voters for approving the propositions. “This effort shows that our parents and the community as a whole continue to support the St. Tammany Parish Public School System,” he said. “The funding from these propositions will allow us to continue on our current path of academic excellence and help us achieve our goal of providing the best education possible for every child, every day.”

Let me tell you a little about my wife.
I have been married for 37 years to a wonderful woman who I truly believe God gave to me. I frequently marvel at how a very average looking guy like me ended up with a beautiful woman such as I am married to.
But as they say, every blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes, right?
OK, so that doesn’t sound so flattering to my wife, so I will add that she does seem to like me since I have always tried to be nice to her and treat her with respect. Also, when we got together, I fit her mold of “a thin, hippie looking guy,” which is what era the two of us came from.
But I am getting away from the story—something I easily do in this space every week.
As I said, I would like to tell you a little something about my wife, a woman who is so opposite from me in terms of attention, publicity, or being in the spotlight.
For that matter, I always have to tread a bit lightly when I talk about her publicly since she is very private, and not at all the guy like me who runs to every social, public, charity event that is going on in the parish!
We frequently laugh about how different we are in that regard. She most wants to be home with her children and grandchildren, playing the homemaker role that she has done so well, and I’m the guy who is now heading up two newspapers in St. Tammany Parish, and not only need to go to a lot of public events, but is asked to attend virtually every one of them.
So you can already understand a little about my wife from that intro, and know that she has not been a working, professional woman most of her life—nor does she have any interest or intent to be.
My wife is a homeschool mom. She really never planned it that way, but for us, it turned out that way—for 25 years.
It was barely a week ago when my wife’s career as a homeschool mom came to an end. I’m sure it is easy to understand how difficult that would be for anyone, coming to the end of a fulfilling career after 25 years.
I remember when it all started a quarter of a century ago. Our first child, Chrissy, was approaching the age to start school, so like all parents at that time in their lives, we discussed what school she would attend. We were attending a church where a lot of parents homeschooled, so my wife liked the idea of that and figured, “I can do this for a year or two, and then we’ll put her in public school.”
One year turned into two, then three—then 25.
The truth is that neither my wife nor I were any kind of great students. I barely graduated from high school and attended college for one semester before quitting. She also finished high school, but not exactly in the top 10 of the class. She was planning to go to college, just because it seemed like the next step in life, but then “Mr. Wonderful” came along, and yes, that would be me—so we got married after nine months of dating.
Unlike me, my wife actually did have an interest in learning, but once she was married and began working, college was no longer in the picture. I actually believe she would have gone to college if given more of an opportunity, but we didn’t grow up thinking much about that kind of future, much like other young people.
My wife became a stay-at-home mom after we had our first child, and since then, she taught our four children, all the way from kindergarten to 12th. All four got their GED’s, and two finished college, with a third about to start. Pretty good results, I would say.
My wife loved being a homeschool mom. She not only loved being with her children at “the table,” as they began to call it years later, but more than that, she loved learning. She frequently said it was her second chance to go to school, but at an age when she really, truly wanted to learn. And since then, she has always been a person who loves learning about new things.
As I said, about a week ago, she finished her homeschool career. Our son had his last year of high school, and is now preparing to go off to college in Oklahoma, so my wife is starting to adjust to life without “the table” being the starting point of every day.
I know this is difficult for her, as any of you could imagine. But she is slowly adjusting, finding new things to help her feel useful for, and now opening the door for any kind of opportunities down the road.
Just as there is a graduation ceremony for students, celebrating the fact they completed their schooling, my wife deserves a celebration as well. She deserves some public accolades for the job she has done.
I am proud of her, and I know my children feel like they got an education better than most—since it was filled with book learning, but also life learning, and Bible learning. To me that was the best we could do for our kids, and I thank my lovely, and still quite beautiful wife, for what she did.

Kevin Chiri can be reached by e-mail at kevinchiri@gmail.com.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – Jerry Wiggins tells a story that reminds us all about the importance of the smallest details in life, and how they can affect a child.
Wiggins is one of the best-known bankers in Slidell, working over 30 years throughout this region as a commercial lender who is now a senior vice-president with State Bank & Trust Company, now at their new location at 1936 Gause Blvd.
When he was barely 10 years of age, Wiggins remembers growing up on the streets of Bay St. Louis and seeing the bankers of that day.
“It was in downtown Bay St. Louis, and I remembered the guys walking on the streets in suits, coming out of the bank, and I was sure they were bankers who probably made a very good living,” he said. “And I knew that banks used to close at 2, so I thought that would be a good job to have.”
That small memory never left Wiggins, especially growing up with a father who worked extremely hard as a bridge tender to support his family of three children, and a wife who would go blind from glaucoma when Wiggins was in the 10th grade.
“My dad really had a hard job, but he was such a good worker and always encouraged me to go to college so I could end up with a better job than he had,” Wiggins recalled.
That’s what Wiggins did, earning a degree in banking from Pearl River College, and starting his first job in 1982 as a collector with First National Bank of St. Tammany.
From there, Wiggins never left the banking business, advancing through the ranks before being offered a job in commercial lending in 1984—a position he has maintained with great success for First National Bank of Commerce, Hancock Bank, and now with State Bank for three years.
“I love this profession since it’s all about relationships with people and trying to make deals work to help them get what they want in business,” he said.
But for a short time after college, Wiggins almost didn’t make it to the banking business, since first-time employees in that profession had to start at lower paying jobs. Learning to work early in life since money was hard to come by as a teenager, Wiggins worked part-time for Winn-Dixie at the age of 16. He continued with that job in college, and was offered a store manager position at the age of 23.
“For a while I thought I would be with Winn-Dixie my entire life,” he said. “When I came out of college, they were offering $1,000 a month and a bank job was only $600 a month, so I stayed with Winn-Dixie for a few years.”
But he still wanted to get into banking and finally made his move in 1982 after the 60-hour weeks as a Winn-Dixie manager proved to be too much.
“I was ready to leave Winn-Dixie due to all those hours, but I was also pursued by State Farm since I have always been good with people,” he said. “I almost became an insurance agent, but I never forgot about being a banker and finally got my chance.”
His first job was a tough one—a collector for First National in Covington. But his hard work payed off again, getting recognized by the bank manager, who finally offered him a job in commercial loans. Since that time, he has earned a reputation as one of the best commercial lenders in the region, working with small and big clients to support the business community in St. Tammany.
He was sought out by State Bank in 2010 as the former Mississippi bank moved into Louisiana, now with nine state locations to go with five locations in Alabama, and over 20 locations in Mississippi.
“The thing I like with State Bank is that they are truly a community bank, meaning they allow me the flexibility to make deals that some of the bigger banks might not do,” he said. “Also, we get faster decisions here, and while some banks they can get a loan through, we have the flexibility to really do it.”
One thing that still hasn’t changed for Wiggins is the steady stream of individuals wanting to start their own business. He sees a wide variety of ideas cross his desk.
“It’s still the dream of so many people to own their own business, and be their own boss,” he said. “I see a lot of those people. But the biggest challenge for most of them is cash flow. It’s the toughest thing for almost every business out there. I look at a lot of proposals, but you’ve got to make sure you can prove what you are proposing will happen with your business.”
He sees a positive Slidell economy, slowing moving forward, and expecting to continue on that path.
“We’ve got outstanding city and parish governments and they have things on track now,” he said. “I think positive things will continue to happen for Slidell in the business world.”
Wiggins can be reached at State Bank by calling 643-5084.

SLIDELL — A Boyet Junior High School teacher in Slidell has been let go by the St. Tammany school system after she was booked with three counts of indecent behavior involving a juvenile, announced La. Attorney General Buddy Caldwell.
Traci Beaucoudray, 34 years old, and who lives at 40145 Taylors Trail, Slidell, is accused of having inappropriate contact with one of her former students.
Beaucoudray was arrested on Monday and booked with three counts of indecent behavior involving juveniles, one count of computer-aided solicitation of minors, and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

“When this situation was brought to our attention, we began an immediate investigation and removed this person from the school setting. As of close of business Friday, this person was no longer an employee of the St. Tammany Parish Public School System. We have turned information over to the Attorney General’s office and continue to cooperate with investigators,” St. Tammany School superintendent W.L. “Trey” Folse, III said.
No information was available from the school system or the attorney general’s office about where the alleged crime occurred.
The arrest was a result of a multi-agency investigation involving the Louisiana Attorney General’s High Technology Crime Unit, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Slidell Police Department.
Beaucoudray was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Prison. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s High Technology Crime Unit at 1-800-256-4506.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – Leaders with the Concerned Citizen groups of St. Tammany are hoping for a huge turnout on Saturday in Slidell, when the official kickoff begins seeking a recall of parish Coroner Dr. Peter Galvan.
The Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany (CCST) filed paperwork with the Louisiana secretary of state this week, which officially began the process of seeking a recall of Galvan, who has been under intense fire and criticism the past six months due to questionable spending habits in his office, as well as hefty pay increases for himself and his key employees.
With the paperwork filed with the secretary of state, CCST now has six months to gather over 53,000 signatures from registered voters in St. Tammany. If they reach that goal, and the signatures are certified, a vote will be held in the parish asking for a recall of Galvan.
The Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany, although only forming as a parish watchdog group less than two years ago, has been vocal in their criticism of Galvan after spending allegations and mismanagement of his department’s money surfaced.
CCST was the first to call for his resignation, which was followed by a decision to seek a recall petition as Galvan has refused to publicly answer any of the charges.
CCST President Rick Franzo sent an e-mail to top public officials in the parish, including the contingency of St. Tammany state lawmakers, asking them to attend a kickoff event this Saturday, May 18 at 2104 First St. in Slidell, set for 11:30 a.m.
Franzo said there is a legislative retreat this weekend so he has set Thursday as another day for lawmakers to sign the petition.
He called the recall effort “the most challenging political effort that has ever faced the citizens of St. Tammany.” CCST has spent the past three months gathering support from groups such as the League of Women Voters and others, since they only have six months to seek all the signatures.
“I am certain that the first 30 days will be extremely challenging for all of us,” he said. “However, I know the CCST team we have put together is built on the spirit of individualism, intelligence, integrity and determination to make our communities a better place for our children.”
Franzo reminded the public that the recall petition merely allows the people of St. Tammany an opportunity to decide whether Galvan should remain in office.
Galvan was first criticized in a story published by The Slidell Independent in Dec., 2012, which reported credit card use released by Dr. Laura King and her husband, Terry King, in connection to a wrongful termination suit Laura King filed against Galvan.
King was hired as a toxicologist by Galvan in 2009, but was fired less than a year later after she questioned some of the budget decisions and practices in the coroner’s office. After filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint against Galvan, a lawsuit was approved to go forward and King began seeking public records from the coroner’s office.
Some of those records showed seemingly exorbitant credit card use for hundreds of dinners, followed by other questionable spending practices, much of it by Galvan, as well as top department officials such as Chief Financial Officer Kim Kelly. King released more information to the media in January, followed by a second story in The Independent in January, 2013, questioning other spending for food, private airplane charges and more.
Since then, other New Orleans media has joined the parade of stories concerning Galvan.
As revelations continued to be made public, the St. Tammany Parish Council asked the state legislative auditor to investigate Galvan, followed by a call for resignation from Parish President Pat Brister, and the Parish Council. Galvan has not responded to any of those requests, and also refused to turn over office e-mails to the legislative auditor, which brought about a separate court filing, asking Galvan to comply with the request.

Galvan continues to refuse comment on any of the questionable issues, claiming they are related to the pending lawsuit involving King.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – The 2014 budget for the City of Slidell received final, unanimous approval on Tuesday night at the City Council meeting.
But there was hardly unanimous agreement about a final sticking point, which was a proposed cut of $234,600 from the Slidell Police Department budget.
With the city still facing difficult financial times, a city budget committee asked Slidell Police Chief Randy Smith to cut 2 percent from his budget of over $8 million.
On Tuesday night, Smith asked the council to cut that in half, changing it to a cut of $117,300 from the police department.

Smith addressed the council and acknowledged an uptick in crime for Slidell recently, with several burglary rings operating in Slidell, although there have been some arrests.
“We have had some recent crime situations here and even though we’ve had some arrests, we’ve all seen additional crime in our city,” Smith said. “To cut $234,000 will mean I will have to lay off two more officers.
“I’m asking you to consider only half of that amount,” he said. “If you come back to me in several months and say our financial situation is more serious, then I will work with more cuts. But for now, meet me half-way. That is fair.”
That began over an hour of commentary from the public, and mostly City Council members, who took differing positions on whether the $234,000 was fair or not.
“We gave Chief Smith the budget three weeks ago and asked for this cut,” Councilman Bill Borchert initially said. “But we only got his answer today. I can’t support his request for half of the original amount.”
Councilman Sam Caruso pointed out that in the past three years, other city departments have had over $1.5 million in cuts, while the police department has had $483,925.
“It is simply not the truth that we have asked the police department to have such huge cuts,” he said. “Other departments have also had their cuts.”
Councilman Joe Fraught added that “if there were other areas to cut, we would do it. But we don’t have that to do.”
After 45 minutes of discussion, Councilman Buddy Lloyd suddenly suggested the police department cut be reduced to $176,550, noting it was the mid-way point between what Smith wanted and what the committee had requested.
That raised new questions about why “arbitrary numbers were being pulled out of the air.”
Council President Lionel Hicks waited until all other public and council discussion had finished before adding his final comments.
“I have listened to all the talk about this budget,” Hicks said. “I hear all these different numbers and wonder, where are they coming from?
“I met with the budget committee, who explained why they felt comfortable with the $234,000 being cut from the police department, and I trusted their opinion, so I will not change my support for that number,” he said.
But in the end, Lloyd’s amendment to the amendment—asking for the police department to cut $176,550—barely won out with five council members voting for it. Council members Lloyd, Borchert, Caruso, Landon Cusimano and Kim Harbison backed the new proposal, that passed in two votes to settle the matter.
Smith told the council at the start of the evening that he expected an “across the board” budget cut if “things were that bad.” But in the end, he failed in his request to have his budget cut to half of what the council asked for.
“Cutting the police department more than we have seen the last few years could jeopardize the safety of our city,” Smith said. “But I will continue to do my best to work with what the council is asking of our department.”
Smith explained that he has cut off-the-street officers several times in the past two years since being elected to office in 2010.

Also in the vote for the night was cuts by the City Council to several non-profit groups in Slidell, which had been receiving annual donations from the city. Included in the cuts was STARC, the Council on Aging of St. Tammany and the Youth Services Bureau. An amendment was passed which excluded the Children’s Advocacy Center from those cuts.
The final budget for the City of Slidell, for fiscal year 2014, passed with a unanimous vote of 9-0.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – When news leaked out in St. Tammany Parish in early 2003 that a local resident had been picked for the red-hot “Survivor” television reality show it was treated like the biggest story of the year.
After all, Survivor had become the talk around every office water cooler, so to speak, with the show setting the standard for excitement and interest during the beginning stages of popularity for TV reality shows.
John Raymond, a pastor from Slidell, was soon the man every area media outlet was trying to link up with, after it leaked out that he was the first St. Tammany resident to make the show.

“I learned there are something like 60,000 people every year who try to make it on the show,” he said. “So you need to have something special to catch their attention when you apply. Fortunately, I did.”
Raymond, a born-and-raised Louisiana boy from Springfield, made sure to get the attention of producer Mark Burnett and host Jeff Probst when he sent in a video showing him catching a 4-foot alligator in the Louisiana swamp.
“Everything about me was a Louisiana boy, and I think that is what they liked,” Raymond said.
Raymond eventually was chosen for season five, the Thailand show, but had to wait a couple of years to get his chance. He remembers seeing a promo seeking applicants for the show when he watched the Super Bowl in 2002.
“When I saw the promotion for the show that year, I remember thinking, ‘hey, they are playing my game and I didn’t get invited!’ That’s because I loved the outdoors, I was an athlete in school, my profession has always involved a social aspect,” he said. “I’ve always been very competitive and as soon as I saw that promo, I wanted to sign up.”
Raymond went home that night from his Super Bowl party and immediately went online to get information. He sent in his video to apply for season three and was called the first year.
“When they called, I thought I had made it. But then they never followed up with me, and then I never got a call for season four either,” he said.
He re-applied for season five and was called, going through two rounds of interviews before being chosen for the show.
Raymond said he remembers how popular the show was since all those chosen to play must sign a confidentiality agreement to not tell details of behind-the-scenes production work.
Additionally, all contestants were instructed that they could not even “make eye contact with any other contestants” from the time they met at the airport in the United States and flew on the same plane to Thailand.
“They want no one to have an unfair advantage so you cannot talk to any other contestant until the game actually begins,” he said. “The entire flight you have to keep your eyes down, and not make any connection with other contestants.”
The show made all contestants use alias names for the flight, with Raymond having the name “Graham Duncan.” Once in Thailand, he said they had three days being taught basic survival techniques such as how to boil water, start a fire and what plants or insects not to eat.
“I was very confident,” Raymond said. “I’m always reading people anyway and I knew I had a lot of survival techniques from growing up in Louisiana.”
But in the end, Raymond believes his “Louisiana boy” reputation, and also that of being a pastor, were the things that did him in, and had him voted off the very first tribal counsel.
“Once we got together for the first show, Jeff Probst made us all say our name and what we did for a living,” he said. “That never happened before and has never happened since. So when I said I was a pastor, everyone picked up on that. Even when we landed on the island, one of the people immediately yelled for the pastor to lead a prayer, which I had to do.”
Raymond’s outdoor skills also showed up immediately when the contestants were put into a boat and told to row to shore.
“No one even knew how to row, so I ended up telling them how to do it,” he said. “Looking back on it, I should have left them going in circles.”
In the first day, Raymond was the only one who knew how to build a hut, the only one who could start a fire, one of only two who could follow a map to their camp, and finally he also knew how to catch crabs for food. As much as he didn’t want to become a leader of the group, it was happening quicker than he wanted.
“I knew that I didn’t want to stand out at the beginning, and by the time we went to tribal that night, I was already known as ‘the pastor.’ So as soon as someone started saying, ‘vote out the pastor,’ everyone jumped on it since they didn’t have anyone else they recognized,” he said.
Raymond remembers the tribal counsel and hearing his name get mentioned once, twice, then three times.
“When I heard the third one, I was thinking, ‘oh no, this isn’t good,’” he recalled.
Raymond said that you must commit to being gone for seven weeks when you sign up for the show. And for those voted out, they go to a place known as “The Ponderosa,” which is a resort-type setting. He was forbidden contractually from revealing what, if anything, they are paid for their time, but he simply said, “CBS and Mark Burnett treat you very, very well.”
“When you are voted out, CBS treats you so well the whole time you are there,” he said. “It was still an awesome experience since they give you lots of opportunities for fun while you wait for the game to finish. I got to ride an elephant, go bunji jumping, do other interesting things in Thailand that I’ll never forget.”
Raymond said that Probst told him he was “stunned I was voted off at the beginning and that I had been his pick to win the show. That’s because I have all that Louisiana stuff I grew up with and it’s perfect for the show.”
Raymond said he still loves being in the “Survivor fraternity” and gets called with Mandeville’s Lisa Keiffer to be part of national fundraisers where other reality stars are involved. But would he play the game again, if given that opportunity?
“If they called me today, I would be packed and ready to leave in an hour,” he said. “I wanted to get to play the challenges since I think I could have gone a long way if I had survived. But now I’ve heard they are considering a show of anyone who was the first person voted off.
“The main thing I learned from my experience is that you cannot afford to miss any conversations around camp,” he said. “You need to be around anyone who is talking, as much as possible. When they started tossing out my name, everyone else went along with it since it wasn’t them.”

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL — Lisa Keiffer remembers the first day in the South Pacific, as she was among 16 Survivor contestants ready to start season nine.
“They dropped us off in a Viking-style boat and we were all rowing towards the island where the show was about to start,” she said. “I felt so grateful to be on the show—God had given me the thing in life I had most wanted—and I started crying because I was so happy.”
It wasn’t the only time during the Vanuatu season in 2004 that Keiffer, a Mandeville mom of six, got emotional at the very thought of where she was.
“One night during the show I went out near the water and sat on a big rock,” she recalled. “I looked up at the sky and it truly looked like a billion stars. I started crying and praised God for the chance he had given me.”

Keiffer is all smiles these days as she thinks back to her opportunity in ’04 to play as a contestant on the top-rated reality television show, Survivor.
Forever to be in the elite fraternity of Survivor players, Keiffer is now 52 and said she would return to play again if given that opportunity.
“I felt so privileged to get picked,” she said. “I would do it again in a second.”
Keiffer had many of the Survivor qualities when she heard about the show months before it had ever aired on TV. Growing up in New Orleans, she went to LSU in Baton Rouge and was a cheerleader for the Tigers before earning a public relations degree and working in pharmaceutical sales for 10 years.
“I remember driving in my car one day and hearing a CBS ad for the show,” she said. “It was 2000 and they were just beginning to get people to send in a video to be on the show. It had still never aired.”
Keiffer was remarried with her second husband, and only a year away from having her third baby in three years. The couple had brought together a total of three children from their first marriages.
“I was ready for a vacation to the South Pacific!” she said with a laugh.
Keiffer said she began thinking about a video the moment she heard the commercial on the radio, and eventually sent in “something very crazy and unique that showed me saying I could survive anything if I survived six kids.”
The video had no talking throughout the entire thing, only showing her in outlandish situations created due to her children, and finally ending with her only comment, challenging Survivor to take her on for the show.
But 2000 became the start of a four year wait for Keiffer, and many different videos trying to be on the show. Additionally, her husband was initially against her trying to make it.
“When I mentioned it to my husband he did not want me to try out. But then we watched the first season, and then the second, and finally he agreed to let me try,” she said. “I’m the kind of person who will find a way to get a ‘yes’ when I’m told ‘no’ about anything.”
Keiffer’s first response from the show ended in a flop as she was called by the casting director and advanced to the first round of the interviews, only to “mess up the interview.”
She tried out for show number five and was called again, this time doing well on the interview, but being told they wanted her to try out for Big Brother.
“That’s about the time I heard a pastor in Slidell was on the show,” she said. “I was so mad. But the funny thing is we later got to know each other and are now great friends.”
Keiffer didn’t quit and sent in a video for shows 7 and 8, but failed to get a call. She wasn’t going to try for season 9 before one of her sons urged her to keep trying.
“I didn’t even make a new video,” she said.
This time she was called to the interview round, but two weeks later, was told she didn’t make it, instead being told they wanted her to try for Amazing Race.
“I knew they liked me, but finally I asked why they didn’t pick me for Survivor,” she said she asked the casting director. “I was told the biggest category of entries is from moms, so I was up against so many.”
Sending in a video for the Amazing Race show, she decided to visit her son in Los Angeles, accepting the Survivor possibility was fading away. Instead, while she was coincidentally in L.A., she was on her way to the airport to end her visit when Survivor called.
“They said, ‘we know this is last minute, but is there any way you could be at the Doubletree Hotel at 4 this afternoon?’ I knew the Doubletree was where they did the final round of interviews, which means you are among 50 or so for the final decision,” she said. “We flew through traffic to just make it and I was sent up to a room where I sat down with a huge crowd, including Jeff Probst on my right and Mark Burnett across the table.”
As she left the room and interview, she heard someone on a walkie-talkie say, “keep L.K. here. And they only use your initials when you come in for the interview, so I knew I had a chance.”
Keiffer was selected for season 9 in the South Pacific and was the seventh person voted off, after working in an alliance with younger women.
“When we picked teams, the one thing I didn’t want was to be with all women, but that’s how it ended up,” she said. “As a cheerleader, I know that can be difficult.”
Keiffer is “a tennis addict” and still in top physical condition today. Preparing for the show in 2004, she quit eating sugar and caffeine, and worked out for two months to get in “the best shape of my life” at age 44.
“The entire premise of the show is me,” she said. “It’s outdoors, competitive, dealing with people—the show drew me in from the very moment I heard about it.”
Keiffer said the only part of the show that was difficult for her was the cold every night, since the sun went down near 7 p.m. and didn’t come up until 6:30 the next morning.
She said she has contacted the show several times to try and get another chance, especially now that former players are being asked to play again.
“I would do it again,” she said. “Everything you see on the show is completely real. There is nothing that is fake or set up, and that’s what I loved about all the challenges. I hope I get another chance to try—it was a dream come true for me.”

Anne Nintzel Umberger, of Slidell, passed away on Friday, April 26, 2013.
She was born in New York on July 26, 1937, and was a resident of Slidell since 1973. She graduated from Pratt Institute and also attended the Fashion Institute of Technology; and before her marriage worked in Manhatten as a fashion and fabric designer.
She was a longtime member of the Slidell Artist and Craftsmen’s Guild, having served as both an officer and as a participant in many of its craft fairs. She was a member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church family since 1982 and active in both the church and the Slidell community.
She is survived by her four children, Scott, Dawn, Reid, and Lance as well as her four grandchildren, Alexander, Austin, Evan and Elaina.
In leiu of flowers, her family requests that she be honored by her friends’ continued support of breast cancer research.
There was a memorial service at Aldersgate Methodist Church on May 3, with a private burial on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Covington.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.
Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell.

Henry Parvin Rosier Jr., of Pearl River, born January 17, 1949, in Bossier City, has lived in Pearl River for the last 31 years, passed away on Thursday, April 25, 2013, after a long hard fought battle with cancer.
He was the son of Benjamin F. Hewett and the late Maria Benjamin Hewett of Jacksonville, Fla. and the late Henry Parvin Rosier of Trout, La.
He was the father of James Clarke, Jason Rosier, and Justin Rosier and daughter-in-law Myndie; brother of Evelyn Rosier of Pearl River, Christine Towers of Tampa, Fla., Melissa Tompkins of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and John Hewett of Jacksonville, Fla.; and grandfather of Madelyn, Kayley, Justin, Jr., Jason Jr., Jarred, and Jordyn.
He was in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam from 1968-1969 with the 196th L.I.B. 3/82 Artillery a decorated combat soldier and is also a veteran of Korea. He was dedicated to the Toys for Tots drive every year and instrumental in helping all the veterans in helping and guiding them to the proper channels in the VA system for help.
Funeral services were held at Honaker Funeral Home on April 29.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.
Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell.

Lois Marcella Carlson Swanson passed away on Monday, April 29, 2013.
She was 83 years old.
Swanson was born in Taylor Falls, Minn. on March 19, 1930.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Robert and Alice Carlson; and brother, Robert Carlson.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Robert L. Swanson; two sons, Steven and Roger; and daughters, Susan Wright and Karen Sterrett-John; five grandsons; and one great-granddaughter.
Swanson was raised on farms near Dresser, WI. She graduated from Osceola WI High School in 1948 and after several years attended the University of Colorado in Denver to study real estate law and practice. She retired in Slidell, and became a very successful real estate agent and manager in New Orleans. Prior to her illness, she was an active member of the Ladies Auxillary of B.P.O.E. Lodge 2321.
A visitation was held on Thursday, May 2 at Honaker Funeral Home in?Slidell.
The family request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.
Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell.

Richard E. Ray, of Slidell, passed away on Sunday, April 28, 2013, at Slidell Memorial Hospital in Slidell.
He was 81 years old.
He was the husband of the late Carmen Ray; father of Richard Kyle Ray, Gregory Cecil Ray, Gino Romano Ray, and Sandro Bruce Ray; and son of the late Cecil C. Ray and Dessel Jones Ray.
He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was a native of Jackson County, West Virginia, and a resident of Slidell since 1975. He served his country in the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict retiring after 24 years as a Chief Master Sgt. for the US Air Force. After his retirement, he worked for NASA for 20 years and also for 10 years for Ray Bros., Inc. New Orleans, LA.
Funeral services were held at Honaker Funeral Home in Slidell on May 2.
To view and sign the guestbook, visit www.honakerforestlawn.com.
Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell.

Robert Donald Johnson, of Slidell, passed away on Friday, May 3, 2013, at his home in Slidell, due to Parkinson’s disease.
He was 86 years old.
He was the son of the late Ruth Grassmeyer Johnson and Walter Eugene Johnson.
Johnson was born and reared in Akron, Ohio. He served in World War II in the U.S. Navy, and went on to teach at Southern California University. He followed a career in aerospace and during the next 40 years worked for NASA, working directly under Werner Von Braun in Huntsville, Ala.; Northrup Grumman, developing UFO sightings as one component of his duties; and Lockheed Martin Marietta, as part of the development of the external tank in the shuttle program. He also presented scientific research on plastic defamation of metals in Europe and throughout the United States. He was an active member of the American Society of Metals for 40 years. As a NASA honoree in 1988 he was a guest of honor at a reception given by astronauts at Cape Canaveral, Fla. He was escorted to view a missile launch at that time. He has been a two-time Rotarian of the Year in the Slidell Rotary Club, becoming a Paul Harris Fellow in that group, and, in 2010, the Rotary Club of Slidell Scholarship Award was renamed the Robert Johnson Scholarship Award to honor his longtime service to the organization.
Dr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Boni Johnson of Slidell; brother, Frank Johnson of Charlotte, N.C.; and children, Robyn Markie of California; Daniel S. Johnson of Colorado; Kimberly Armstrong of Indiana; and Michele Olsen, Tennessee; two grandsons and two great-grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Harry Johnson of Denver, Colorado.
Johnson donated his remains to Tulane Medical School for scientific research. A memorial service in his honor was held on May 9.
Memorials can be sent to Hospice.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.
Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell.

Anita Kay White Macaluso, of Slidell, passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2013, at 4:30 a.m.
She was 54 years old.
Born on September 2, 1958, in St. Paul, Minn., she resided in New Orleans.
She is survived by her children, Sherry Everett and husband Chuck Everett, Peter Macaluso IV and his longtime girlfriend Lisa Pilet, Jude Macaluso and wife Amber Macaluso; grandchildren, Blaine Everett and Kaydence Everett; parents, Gerald White, Dee White, and Esther White; and siblings, Vickie Snyder, Stan White, and Gary White.
A memorial service was held on May 6 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Slidell.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Barbara Hope Charles Ducote, of Slidell, passed away on Sunday, May 5, 2013, at Greenbrier Nursing Home in Slidell.
She was 84 years old.
She was the wife of the late Donald James Ducote Sr.; mother of Brenda Joan Ducote, Chris Jerome Ducote (the late Anna), Phyllis Ann Ducote McClelland (John), and Donald James “Donnie” Ducote, Jr. (Kathy); and daughter of the late Frank and Clarice Budden Charles.
She is also survived by eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was a resident of Slidell since 1963.
Ducote was a local artist, painting with oils for many years. She hasheld numerous solo exhibits, and won merit awards in shows throughout southeast Louisiana as well as in Mississippi.
Funeral services were held on May 10 at Palmetto Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Cannon Hospice, Slidell.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

William Bennett Sr., of Pearl?River, passed away on Sunday May 5, 2013.
He was 74 years old.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Debbie Bennett; children Billy Bennett Jr. (Tracie) and Lisa LaFerrara (Michael), and four grandchildren; Caitlyn, Meaghan, Cyle, and Matthew.
Bennett is also survived by his brother, Thomas Ray Bennett; and sister, Mary B. Singletary.
He is preceded in death by his parents, George and Bertha Bennett; brothers, Phillip Roy Bennett and George “Bobby” Bennett; and sisters, Emma Shirley and Margie Singletary.
Memorial services were held on May 9 at First Baptist Church in Pearl River.
D.T. Williams Funeral Home, Pearl River, in charge of arrangements.

Brenda Stokes Eidson, of Slidell, passed away on Wednesday, May 8, 2013.
She was 69 years old.
She was the wife of John D. Eidson; mother of Lisa Ross Eidson; daughter of the late Edgar Ross Stokes and Neva Pugh Stokes; and sister of Peggy Jolly, Barbara Pierce, Donna Byars and the late Gloria Morton.
Eidson was a native of Shuqualak, Ms., and a resident of Slidell since 1984. She was a legal secretary for the late MS Senator William G. “Bill” Burgin Jr., for Sessions and Fishman in New Orleans, and many years for Martin Smith in Slidell.
Funeral services were held at Honaker Funeral Home in Slidell on May 11.
Donations to any animal shelter of your choice, preferred, in lieu of flowers.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Annette Lynn Brand passed away on Monday, May 6, 2013.
She was 44 years old.
She was born on June 16, 1968.
Brand is survived by one daughter, Savannah Brand-Tucker; son-in-law Kevin Tucker; and two grandchildren, Landon Michael, age three, and Kevin Jr. age five-and-a-half.
She is the daughter of the late Margie Brady, and daughter of Harold and Carol Brand.
She is also survived by her brother, Harold Jr.; and sister, Kimberly Brand Catoire; brother-in-law, Andre Catoire; two step-brothers, Courtney and Cary Smith; and one step-sister, Jennifer Mann.
Memorial services were held on May 11 at at New Jerusalem Praise and Worship Center, 62340 Hwy 1090, Pearl River.
Services entrusted to the staff of Professional Funeral Services, Inc., New Orleans.

Lorraine Rasch Englande, of Slidell, passed away on Sunday, May 5, 2013.
She was the wife of the late Andrew Joseph Englande Sr.; daughter of the late Alice Elizabeth Norton Rasch and Joseph M. Rasch; sister of Dorothy Reeson, the late Joseph “Buddy” Rasch, Marjorie Rasch and Norton Rasch III; and mother of Andrew Joseph Englande Jr. (Bonnie), Larry Peter Englande (Peggy), Clifford Michael Englande (Cindy), Lorraine Margie Englande, Laura Englande Scallan, and the late Norton Morris Englande.
She is also survived by nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
A memorial mass was held at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, Slidell, on May 14.
Masses preferred in lieu of flowers.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Antoinette Poley, of Pearl River, passed away on Sunday May 5, 2013.
She was 35 years old.
She is survived by her husband, Brant McDowell; son, Anthony James Kain; parents, Cecile and Delos Hall; and brothers, Jeffry Michael Hall and Paul D. Poley Jr.
Poley is preceded in death by her father, Paul Poley; and brother, Delos Hall Jr.
Memorial services will be held on Sunday May 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 63140 Hwy. 1090, Pearl River.
D.T. Williams Funeral Home, 67525 Hwy. 41, Pearl River, in charge of arrangements.

John M. Boots, of Slidell, passed away on Thursday, May 9, 2013, at his home in Slidell.
He was 94 years old.
He was the husband of the late Margaret T. Boots; and father of Susan T. Boots, Kate B. Hess and the late John E. Boots.
He is also survived by one grandson, James Hess.
Boots was a native of Pennsylvania, and a resident of Slidell for more than 30 years. The son of missionaries, Boots spent much of his youth in China and Korea. He served his country in the United States Navy during WWII and received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University in New Haven, CT.
Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a memorial gathering at Honaker Funeral Home, 1751 Gause Blvd. West, Slidell, on Thursday, May 16 from 9 to 11 a.m. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the St. Tammany Animal Shelter, Slidell branch.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Ronald E. Madej, of Mandeville, passed away at home on Saturday, May 11, 2013.
He was the husband of the late Vicki L. Madej; father of Shelley M. Hart (Rick), Stacey K. Gaskill (Scott), and Scott P. Madej (Jeanna); son of the late Benedict P. and Frances Kendziora Madej; and brother of Joanne Olenick, Conrad Madej, and Sylvia Wendling.
He is also survived by six grandchildren.
Madej was a native of Detroit, Mich., a former resident of Slidell, and recently a resident of Mandeville. He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. He was also a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Slidell since 1981.
Burial will be held at a later date in Michigan.
Donations to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital at www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org is preferred, in lieu of flowers.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Ethel Breland Walker Clark passed away peacefully on Monday, May 5, 2013.
Clark was raised in Folsom, La. and a resident of Pearl River for the last 60 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Eula Sandifer Breland; brothers, Louis and Harvey Breland; sister, Idell Walden; daughters, Mary Mayfield Breland and Margaret Walker; and four grandchildren
She was the widow of William (Buddy) Walker, Thomas Hankins and Leon Clark.
She is survived by children, Maxine and Charles Crawford, Mona and Clark Smith, Melody Martindale and David Blessing, Michael Walker and Donna D’Andria, Martin Walker and Shawn Allen; and 10 grandchildren,
She was the grandmother of 14 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on May 9 at D.T. Williams Funeral Home, Pearl River.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Audubon Cemetery, 36144 Jessie Singletary Rd., Pearl River, La. 70452 or donate at Capitol One Bank.

Louise Marie Courcelle, of Slidell, passed away on Friday, May 10, 2013.
She was the mother of Debbie Haley (Mike), Charlie Laurie (Tina), Tammy Martin. She is also survived by four grandchildren, and five brothers and sisters.
Courcelle was a native of New Orleans and a resident of Slidell for the past 40 years. She was a member of Community Christian Church in Slidell.
A memorial service will be held at Community Christian Church, 1460 Lindberg Dr., Slidell, on Thursday, May 30. Fellowship will begin from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. with services starting at 11.
Visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook.

Georgegiana Carruth passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2013.
She was the wife of the late Sylvester Carruth; daughter of her late parents, Albert and Priscilla Vallery; sister of Ola Mae Vallery, Albert Vallery, Cinderella Vallery, Lawrence Vallery Sr., Johnny Vallery, Joseph Vallery, Roger Vallery and Priscilla Vallery.
Services will be held on Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pearl River Congregation, 64211 Hwy 3081, Pearl River; (985) 863-6777.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
100 Watchtower Drive Patterson, New York 12563-9204

Dear Luke,
You are 8 weeks old. I think. Maybe 7. I have a hard time remembering. You will find this is one of the hazards of being the youngest of four children.
This isn’t the first time I have forgotten details about you, poor little guy, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. While holding you in the pediatrician’s waiting room the other day, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. “You had the baby!” she exclaimed. “What’s his name?” And I paused. For a long time. My mind went blank, and I caught myself wondering, which kid is this?
I’m sorry about that. I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings. Mommy’s head is crammed full with information, see. There are four of you now. Four birthdays. Four people to feed. Four people to get dressed in the morning. It’s a lot.
I’m afraid one day you will look at our photo albums and wonder where your pictures are. You will notice there are volumes of photographs of your oldest brother, our firstborn, and just a handful of you. I’m sorry about that, too. You are changing so quickly, and I keep saying to myself, I have got to take this baby’s picture. But then I spy your siblings playing “kitty” by dumping juice onto the floor and licking it up on their hands and knees. Or I notice they have dragged my freshly washed sheets into the back yard and are using them as cocoons in their caterpillar game. These things are distracting (and maddening). And when I finally do manage to pick up the camera, I realize your 2-year-old brother has done something weird to it, and now I can’t turn it on.
This is why there aren’t more pictures of you. Also because I am a fool and keep telling myself I have time, I will get to it later. When I know the opposite is true. If there’s anything I don’t have, especially now that you are here, it is time. I have learned from your siblings these newborn days slip away so quickly, like sand through my fingers. In no time at all, you will be licking up juice off the floor and meowing, too. I know this, and still I don’t pick up the camera.
But here is what I want you to know: I might not take your picture, I might forget your age, I might even forget your NAME, but I am absolutely nutty about you. I mean, head over heels crazy for you. I’ll be honest, at one time I wondered, can I possibly love another child the way I love these three? But then you were born, and in an instant you were mine, and I was yours, and the answer to that question was, of course. Of course I can.
I want you to know, while I’ll probably never sign us up for a Mommy and Me class, and the closest thing you have to a mobile is a ceiling fan, I sing to you all the time. Silly, made-up songs, just to see if I can get you to smile. Those first newborn smiles are so precious, and yours nearly bring me to tears with joy.
I want you to know about the hours I have spent in the rocking chair with you, just the two of us, late into the night. You are so sweet and snuggly, and your little head fits perfectly into the crook of my neck, and it is at those times I wonder how there could ever be a more precious child than you.
You should know that while I have relaxed into motherhood, I still find myself waking at night and placing a hand on your little chest—your bassinet is right next to my bed—just to make sure you’re still breathing.
My precious baby Luke, you might have shown up into this world uninvited, and your babyhood may be woefully undocumented, but never doubt for an instant that you have my heart. Even if I am always calling you Mark.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Love,
Mommy

(Betsy Swenson can be reached at sliindelife@gmail.com.)

By CHRISSY SMITH
Slidell Sports Editor

SLIDELL — Jordan Cornish is only 16 years old, but he just made one of the biggest decisions of his life.
The 6-foot-5 basketball player from Slidell verbally committed to the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team over other schools like Oklahoma, Purdue, Vanderbilt, VCU, Texas A&M and the University of Houston.
Cornish is a junior at Brother Martin High School, and was first contacted by Tennessee as a freshman. But Cornish truly got his start in the Slidell Youth Basketball Association and Biddy Leagues that were coached by guys like Ricky Suprean and Chris Jean.
“Jordan was raw as raw could be, but you could see he had tremendous athletic talent,” Suprean said, who has been coaching in the SYBA for over 20 years.
Cornish started playing in the SYBA when he was nine years old. His team went 17-0, and Cornish, who was already 5-foot-8 played point guard.
“We would have people come up to us and say, ‘How old is that tall kid?’ I’d tell them, ‘He’s nine years old and he’s our point guard,’” Suprean said.
Getting that experience as a point guard is what has helped Cornish stand out as a 6-5 guard.
At 10 years old, Cornish and his team went 38-0 on the season. Then at age 11, Cornish played in a 12-year-old tournament in Slidell, and his team upset New Orleans, and another Slidell team, but then lost to Kenner. It was Cornish’s first loss in 57 games.
“That was a great team. He was 6-feet tall and a point guard at 11 years old playing against 12 year olds,” Suprean said.
Clearly, Cornish was special from the rest. He said he chose Tennessee over the other schools because of the tradition the Volunteers have.
“Coach was always straight forward with me, and when I go up, I’ll have a shot at playing right away. I couldn’t pass that up,” Cornish said.
The teenager said he remembers playing in the SYBA league very well.
“Ricky (Suprean) and Chris (Jean) got me into it, and I really liked it,” Cornish said. “Those guys are great. They start us off young, and got me the proper training that I needed. Once I stopped playing with them, I just kept going forward.”
Suprean said Cornish is a very unique player.
“What makes him so special is that he will pass to everybody. He gets everybody involved, and he’s a tremendous defensive player. He works harder than anybody on the court. The kid was off the charts from the beginning, and all the kids loved being around him,” Suprean said. “He never had a swellhead.”

When Cornish was 10 years old, he met Chris Duhon, who is a Salmen High School graduate and NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers. Suprean said Duhon and Cornish were eye-to-eye.

“I kept thinking, ‘This kid is 10 years old, and Chris is an NBA player. They’re the same height,’” Suprean said.
Cornish is an only child and the first in his family to play at a Division-I school. He is currently playing in the middle of the Nike EYBL season with Nike Team Louisiana and is averaging 10.7 points per game against some of the top competition in the country.

By CHRISSY SMITH
Slidell Sports Editor

SLIDELL — Nick Houston is an excellent tap dancer.
But you would never know it by the way he tackles on the football field. Houston was contacted by Delta State after his senior season. After a visit and some talking, Houston signed a scholarship with the Cleveland, Mississippi school to play football.
“I sent my highlight tape to a few schools, and then Delta State called me one day. They thought I was a good tackler and had good awareness,”?Houston said.
Houston is an actor who has been performing in plays at the Slidell Little Theatre since he was in seventh grade and is also trained in tap dancing. He wants to major in theater in arts because of his background, but until he has a degree in hand, Houston will be playing college football.
Delta State is one hour north of Jackson, Ms. It’s a Division-II school that won the national championship in 2011.
“Even though the school is out in the middle of nowhere, I think it’s good becasue it’ll help me to focus more. The whole town is about football, so that’s cool,”?Houston said.
The 18-year-old said it wasn’t until his junior year that he started becoming athletic. In fact, after his freshman year he wanted to quit, but decided to give it another shot as a sophomore.
Houston’s dad played college football, but fractured his neck so he had to stop, and his second uncle played for the Oilers and Redskins in the NFL.

“I’m nervous about being so far away from home. It’s going to be a mixture of emotions, but this isn’t something I would pass up doing,”?Houston said.

The school year has come to an end, which means all prep sports have ceased. It’s sad. It’s disheartening. It makes us miss everything.
I should be appreciative of the NBA playoffs, but it seems like the Miami Heat are going to walk their way to another title, so these games aren’t that interesting. I love my Major League Baseball season, though. My favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, are sitting in first place, and that makes me happy.
I miss football, though. Don’t we all??It’s like 150 days until the first game still. That feels like forever.
So, to cheer us all up, I have reports from the Saints. I interviewed several of them last week at the Black & Gold Hoops Challenge II charity basketball game.
“This feels like a whole new season,”?Lance Moore said. “It’s nice to see how excited everyone is about Sean Payton coming back. Our goal is to try and get better. Once you get back on the field, it’s back to football.”
Darren?Sharper, a retired safety who won a Super Bowl with the Saints, said it’s nice being an analyst with the NFL?Network because he can be really honest about what is going on when talking about if Roman Harper and Malcom Jenkins should be concerned about safety Kenny Vaccaro being drafted first by the Saints.
“They (Jenkins and Harper)?better get ready to play. It means something that they drafted Kenny,”?Sharper said.
Part of the Black and Gold game is to benefit Sharper’s charity, and he said the game is something he wants to do every season.
Sharper said he was surprised the Saints didn’t draft a pass-rushing defender.
“Overall, though, I’m impressed with their picks. Whatever positions they select, you just have to go with it,”?Sharper said. “Rob (Ryan) is bringing back some of the ideas Greg (Williams) had last year. You kind of go back two years ago to when the guys were more aggressive.”
Cam Jordan, who is getting ready to start his third year in the NFL, said he is willing to play any position this season.
“With the defense, we are going to stay out of trouble. Our coach is back and it has boosted our moral. The intensity is so much higher — probably 200 percent higher,”?Jordan said.
First-round draft pick Vacarro said he’s looking forward to the competition that this season will bring.
It all sounds like positive things are going to come from this year.
We can only hope.
(Chrissy Smith is Sports Editor of the Slidell Independent, and a former college athlete. She can be reached at chrissycsmith@gmail.com.)

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – Dr. Peter Galvan may not be the only St. Tammany public official who could be affected by a recall effort that began on Saturday in the parish.
Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany (CCST) President Rick Franzo said he was “extremely pleased” with the overall turnout on Saturday for the first public signature drive, however, he was disappointed by the number of Parish Council members who previously voted for Galvan to resign, but have not responded to e-mail questions about whether they will sign the petition.
CCST kicked off its recall petition drive last week, in its attempt to allow voters of the parish to decide if they want Galvan to remain as the parish coroner.
Galvan has been under fire for the past five months after allegations of improper spending in his parish department, as well as hefty pay increases for himself and top staff members.
The first weekend of the petition drive was held on Saturday, following a special Thursday signing opportunity for public officials.
At the petition drive kickoff last Thursday, Parish Council members Jake Groby, Reed Falconer, Maureen O’Brien and Richard Tanner all showed up to sign. Franzo said he also has e-mail promises from Council Members Marty Dean and Marty Gould, who said they plan to sign the petition.
But to date, despite more than one e-mail to council members, only Councilman Gene Bellisario has responded and said he would not sign the petition.
The Parish Council voted 13-1 last month, asking Galvan to resign his position after months of questions involving his spending practices, as well as his own pay increases.
Parish President Pat Brister joined the council the same night, and also said she thought it was time for Galvan to resign—not because he had been proven guilty, but because the uproar of media reports had made it too difficult to effectively head the parish Coroner’s Office.
The recall petition drive now started by CCST faces a six-month deadline of Nov. 15, and needs to get a minimum of 53,000 signatures, out of the 165,000 registered voters in the parish.
But as the drive began this past weekend, Franzo was thrilled by the many signatures they gathered, and new volunteers who signed up to assist in the drive, while expressing serious criticism of the Parish Council members who have not signed, or indicated they would sign.
“It is most disturbing to see 13 Parish Council members vote for his resignation, and so far, I only have four signed, and two others who said they will sign,” Franzo said. “That tells me the others voted for the resignation without sincerity.”
Bellisario explained his decision to not sign the petition by saying he does not believe public officials should be a part of a recall effort.
“I completely support the right of the public to sign this petition, and last night at my district meeting, I encouraged them to do so,” he said. “But as a public official, I do not think I should sign it.”
Franzo said he is certain the position public officials take, including state lawmakers down to local officials, will be used in the next election.
“For those who do not sign this petition, I believe it will hurt them when re-election comes up,” Franzo said. “And for that matter, our group will make sure it’s a political issue.”
Among the four Parish Council members who signed the petition last Thursday, most noted their signature was not a statement of guilt or innocence of Galvan, but simply an opportunity to allow the public to decide.
“The people who think the petition is deciding to remove him from office do not understand what this is about,” Groby said, as the first person to sign. “The recall petition is only allowing people to decide, and at this point considering what has happened, I think the people should have a right to decide if he should remain in office or not.
Falconer, while also not passing final judgment on Galvan, said he believes the coroner needs to step down, only because the amount of negative publicity has made it too difficult for the office to run efficiently.
“There must be a tremendous cloud over the people in that office every day,” Falconer said. “And that is why I think the coroner needs to step down now. It’s time to move on and start over in that department.”
CCST has spent several months securing volunteers and other organizations to help them with the petition drive.
“We signed people up for CCST as well as getting them to sign the petition,” he said. “We have a good plan to achieve this goal and I believe we can do it. I’d be very surprised if we don’t get the numbers we need, which is more like 60,000 to 65,000, just to be sure we have enough.”
The recall effort has been bolstered by a big Facebook response, and Franzo said CCST will debut its website on Friday, which will continually update locations where petition stations will be available.
“We will start door-to-door soon, and will rotate our petition stations so everyone will have a chance,” he said. “The most amazing thing we’ve seen so far is how much support we have for this. We had a police officer from Madisonville come all the way to Slidell on Saturday, saying he wanted to be one of the first to sign.”
Franzo said the organization has decided to not report numbers of signatures since they believe it could be harmful to the effort.

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL – St. Tammany Parish Council Chairman Jerry Binder is reacting strongly to criticism from Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany President Rick Franzo, who blasted council members for not agreeing yet to sign a recall petition against Coroner Dr. Peter Galvan.
CCST began its six-month drive on Saturday, seeking over 53,000 signatures from registered voters in St. Tammany, which would give parish residents the decision about whether they want Galvan to remain in office or not.
Galvan has come under fire in media reports for the past five months for alleged credit card use, deemed excessive by some. He and his staff have also received large raises in recent years, particularly Galvan, who is now paying himself nearly $200,000 a year as the parish coroner.

The watchdog group that formed in St. Tammany over two years ago led the way in recent months to begin a recall against Galvan. During that time, the St. Tammany Parish Council voted 13-1 asking Galvan to resign his position, and Parish President Pat Brister also publicly asked the coroner to step down. Additionally, State Rep. Tim Burns is leading a bill through the Louisiana Legislature, changing the authority for spending in the Coroner’s Office to the Parish Council.
Since the negative publicity began, the Parish Council has been the most vocal public body in addressing the allegations against Galvan, even though nothing criminal has been uncovered yet.
The council voted to ask both the Louisiana legislative auditor and the state attorney general to perform a comprehensive investigation in the Coroner’s Office, which began over a month ago.
However, when the recall effort was getting ready to start last week, Franzo stated his interest to see the Parish Council members show their support by being among the first to sign. He even set up a special day for public officials to sign last Thursday, May 16.
On that day, only Council Members Jake Groby, Reed Falconer, Maureen O’Brien and Richard Tanner showed up to sign the petition, leading Franzo to publicly criticize any council members who have not signed, or indicated they would sign.
Franzo said he has e-mail promises from Council Members Marty Dean and Marty Gould, both saying they plan to sign the petition, while no other Parish Council members have responded about their intent, other than Gene Bellisario, who said he would not sign.
On Tuesday, the CCST leader said he saw the lack of response or support by council member as “insincere” in terms of their earlier vote asking for the resignation.
“It is most disturbing to see 13 Parish Council members vote for his resignation, and so far, I only have four signed, and two others who said they will sign,” Franzo said. “That tells me the others voted for the resignation without sincerity.”
Binder was informed of Franzo’s statement and responded strongly, saying it was not Franzo’s place to criticize any of their decisions, especially this early in the process.
“Mr. Franzo fails to recognize that we don’t have to be led by the nose, or pressured by him, to make our own decision on this matter,” Binder said. “He wants to set a timeline on when we will decide about signing this petition, but we have six months to make that decision.”
Binder said that he, along with several other council members, are waiting for the results from the legislative auditor and attorney general before making a decision about signing the petition.
“Some of us want to see the results of the investigations,” he said. “It would be a lot easier if we didn’t have to go through the recall process, assuming something came out of the investigation.”
But Binder didn’t stop with simply reacting to the comments by Franzo on this issue. He said some of the CCST leaders have pushed a little too far in their efforts to be a watchdog group, and in demanding action and specific decisions by some public officials in St. Tammany.
“I was among the four member committee who offered the resolution for Mr. Galvan’s resignation, and asked the legislative auditor for a forensic investigation,” Binder said. “It is easy to sit on the sidelines, as Mr. Franzo and some of his group have done, and not have to press ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on particular issues.
“There are a lot of people who see their group as bullying public officials to make certain decisions and we are not going to respond to that,” he said. “The decision to ask for a resignation, and the decision to sign the recall petition, are up to each individual council member and we do not need Mr. Franzo telling us when we need to do that.”