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Neighborhood Watch coming back to Jonesville (published Janury 27, 2010)
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Call the News Booster Office at 318-339-7242 and
Find Out How!
Your Ad Here!
Call the News Booster Office at 318-339-7242 and
Find Out How!
Jonesville Police Chief Bubba Roy and Mayor Hiram Evans have a called for a
public meeting next Thursday for Jonesville residents interested in
re-establishing a Neighborhood Watch program in Jonesville.
The decision to call a public meeting came near the end of a small gathering at
Town Hall where a group of local individuals interested in getting the
Neighborhood Watch going again met with Chief Roy, Mayor Evans, and Sheriff
James Kelly.
Attendees of the meeting said a Neighborhood Watch program was begun in the
1970s in Jonesville, but that interest had gradually waned.
"We need more involvement from the public," said Chief Roy. "Citizens are
usually better than police, because they know what's going on around them."
Several topics were discussed, from beginning an anonymous tip line for people
to call in and report crimes without revealing their identity, to how many
people should the group try to recruit for the Neighborhood Watch.
In the end, the consensus was that the more people involved involved in
Neighborhood Watch, the better it would be.
Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and best-known crime prevention concepts
in North America. In the late 1960s, an increase in crime heightened the need
for a crime prevention initiative focused on residential areas and involving
local citizens. The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) responded, creating
the National Neighborhood Watch Program in 1972 to assist citizens and law
enforcement.
If you are interested in making Jonesville a safer place to live and a safer
place for our children, and if you are interested in banding together with
other like-minded individuals to accomplish this goal, then please, take the
time next Thursday to come to the Town Hall at 6 p.m. and get on board with the
Neighborhood Watch.
Catahoula to update Hazard Mitigation Plan (published Janury 27, 2010)
Catahoula Parish is in the process of updating the Hazard Mitigation Plan. Our current plan will expire April 28, 2011. The updated plan must approved by FEMA and adopted by the parish and
municipalities by April 28, 2011.
If the Plan is not adopted prior to this date, the parish would be ineligible
to receive HMGP funds
should they come available. The Plan Update must be submitted to the state for review on October 28, 2010,
which is 6 months prior to April 28, 2011 deadline.
In order to make the necessary changes to the plan, a Steering Committee
consisting of representatives from the Parish, Village of Harrisonburg, Village
of Sicily Island and Town of Jonesville has been established.
The Steering Committee invitee list includes representatives from the Police
Jury, Sheriff
’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Office of Homeland Security, Emergency 911, Police, Fire and Electric
and Levee Board.
A Steering Committee / Kick-Off Meeting is scheduled with our contractor,
Dewberry
& Davis, LLC, for Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 10 a.m. at the Police Jury Chambers located at 301 Bushley Street, Harrisonburg, LA. The Meeting will explain the process of updating the Hazard Mitigation Plan
Update, review the hazards and goals and objectives for reducing losses as a
result of the hazards.
Questions and comments can be directed to Patti Mizell at the Catahoula Police
Jury Office.
U.S. Census Bureau needs local help (published Janury 27, 2010)
The Town of Jonesville supports the US Census Bureau’s efforts to get an accurate population count of the citizens of the town. An accurate count will help assure the town and parish get future funding,
grants and benefits due it that are often based upon population.
The Town of Jonesville wishes to notify citizens of the area that there are some
good temporary, part-time jobs currently available with the Census Bureau which
local people can apply for which offer good pay, flexible hours up to 40 hours
a week, mileage reimbursement, and paid training (40 hours).
Interested persons can get more information by contacting the Town Hall 339-8596
or by calling the US Census Bureau at 1-866-861-2010.
More information can be accessed at www.2010censusjobs.gov.
Local tests will be given on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through February
25. This week
’s testing will be held on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Catahoula Parish Library in
Jonesville and at 2 p.m. at the library in Sicily Island. Thursday tests will
be given at
9 a.m. in Jena at LaSalle B/C Solutions, at 2 p.m. in Monterey at Concordia Bank
and Trust, and at 6 p.m. in Jonesville at Oak Grove Free Methodist Church.
Grant enables new math/science teachers for Catahoula (published Janury 27, 2010)
The Rapides Foundation announced today that 60 people with math and science
backgrounds will teach in Central Louisiana high schools while pursuing a
tuition-paid master's degree, thanks to a grant from the U.S.Department of
Education.
The project will create the Central Louisiana Academic Residency for Teachers
(CART), a site-based teacher program that will take qualified college graduates
and pay their tuition as they work toward a Master's of Natural Science Degree.
In turn, the residents will agree to teach in Central Louisiana high schools
for three years after they receive their diploma.
The Rapides Foundation conceptualized the CART project to help Central Louisiana
school districts with limited resources offer rigorous education in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
It approached LSU, which officially submitted the $8 million federal Teacher
Quality Partnership grant that will fund the project. The Rapides Foundation's
partners in this five-year endeavor are The Orchard Foundation, LSU, LSU
Alexandria and the public Central Louisiana school districts of Allen,
Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon and Winn
parishes.
The CART program is designed to increase student achievement in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM, in Central
Louisiana high schools by improving the quality and quantity of perspective new
teachers.
"Research has proven that a strong background in STEM fields leads to more
opportunities for our students," said Joe Rosier, president and CEO of The
Rapides Foundation. "Our foundation maintains a strong commitment to improving
the lives of the people in Cenla, and building a better educational system for
our youth builds a more solid foundation for the future of this area."
The residents will work in the schools while they pursue their master's degrees,
awarded from LSU. They will teach for three years in their assigned districts
after they receive their diplomas. The 15 host schools are Oakdale High in
Allen Parish; Avoyelles and Marksville high schools in Avoyelles; Block High in
Catahoula; Montgomery High in Grant; LaSalle High in LaSalle; Bolton,
Northwood, Peabody Magnet and Tioga high schools in Rapides; Lakeview and
Natchitoches Central high schools in Natchitoches; Hornbeck and Rosepine high
schools in Vernon Parish; and Winnfield Senior in Winn Parish.
LSU and its Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Basic Sciences and Education will lead the effort and The Gordon A.
Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering and Mathematical
Literacy will provide evaluation services.
"We are excited and honored to lead this program and take a giant step toward
improving STEM education in Cenla," said Gary Byerly, principal investigator on
the grant and Richard R.
& Betty S. Fenton Alumni Professor of Geology & Geophysics.
"This collaborative partnership is a model for the future of teacher
preparation," said M. Jayne Fleener, Dean of the LSU College of Education.
"University and community partners have come together to make an important
investment in the future of Louisiana. We are all stakeholders and winners in
this collaborative endeavor."
There are five major components to CART:
Teacher residency: Candidates co-teach for one year alongside an outstanding
mentor teacher. During their first three years of teaching, the candidates are
provided supportive induction services provided by the partners.
Student achievement and continuous improvement: The overall goal is to increase
the number of students who are college- and workforce-ready by offering AP/Dual
Enrollment/IB coursework in the STEM fields.
School leadership: CART provides leadership professional development to help
build and strengthen the support structures necessary to attract and retain
exemplary teachers.
Selection process: Candidates can be recent college graduates or mid-career
changers.
They must hold an undergraduate degree in science, mathematics, engineering or
other related field with 18 hours math or science content, earned a 3.0+ GPA,
possess the qualities needed to teach effectively, and be willing to reside and
teach in a high-poverty, rural location for a minimum of three years.
Broad-based partnership: The partners each bring unique attributes to the
program to collectively ensure CART is successfully implemented and meets its
goals.
For more information, call The Orchard Foundation at 318-767-6561.
LARTO LAKE
Parade is Saturday, February 6 at 2 p.m.
All Floats are Welcome! Call Betty Wiley (339-6511) or
Kathy Adams (452-0179) for more info.