The year 2023 is officially in the history books and the parish has begun a new chapter as 2024 began Monday.
Last year much occurred in LaSalle Parish, from retirements to major parish achievements. Here’s a look back at events from 2023 by months:
January
Laurel Comeaux, CLTCC Rod Brady Campus Dean, retired after 25 years of service. Under her leadership, enrollment grew from a low of 53 students in 2014-2015 to 170 students in 20212022. She brought in new programs, including Heavy Equipment Operator. Succeeding her was Michelle Morea.
Students of the Year for LaSalle Parish were recently chosen. They were Ceanna Benandi, Elementary Division, Rylee Masters, Junior High Division and Peyton Todd, High School Division.
The LaSalle Parish Police Jury elected their 2024 officers during the first meeting of the new year. Elected as President was Jerrod Douglas and elected as Vice-President was June Fowler.
The LaSalle Parish School Board elected their 2024 officers during the first meeting of the new year. Elected as President was Marcia Cooksey and elected as Vice-President was Dolan Pendarvis.
Retail sales rose an average of 11% from 2022 to 2023.
February
JHS junior Jozi Brian was chosen as the winner of the 2023 JHS Future Business Leaders of America Most Beautiful Pageant.
LaSalle Parish school enrollment remained steady for the 2022-23 school year, showing a decrease of eight students from the 2021-22 school year with parish and private school numbers combined. However, when homeschooled students and other students are added, the total number of students in the parish is much higher. Officials estimate at least 100 students are homeschooled or receive other education than public or private schools.
Drax Biomass LaSalle BioEnergy in Urania was named one of the seven manufactures in the state to receive a 44th annual Lantern Award for the Central Region. The award is given annually to Louisiana manufacturers in recognition to their community service and business excellence.
March
Jena couple Burl and Mary Clark was honored by Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Family Forum as one of the 2023 Top Ten Longest Married Couples in the entire state. They celebrated their 77th Wedding Anniversary March 10 and received a king cake and proclamation from the Governor recognizing their lifetime of dedication to each other.
The LaSalle Library patron usage was up 11% from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2021. Total patron usage was cited as 135,840 for the 2023 fourth quarter, up from 121,124 from the 2021 fourth quarter.
The LaSalle Parish School Board selected Rapides Parish Assistant Superintendent Jon Garrett as the new LaSalle School Superintendent from a field of four candidates.
LaSalle Parish Sheriff Scott Franklin officially announced his retirement at the end of his current, fourth term, set to expire June 30, 2024. He made the announcement at the beginning of the political season with the sheriff’s race on the ballot in October. Franklin served as LaSalle’s Sheriff for 16 years and has nearly 35 years of law enforcement experience.
April
The Jena Times Olla-Tullos-Urania Signal was officially purchased from the Sammy J. Franklin Succession March 28, by Craig and Kimberly Franklin, The Franklin Group, LLC. Sammy Franklin was the publisher/editor for 54 years but passed away on January 28, 2022. He left the newspaper to his six children who ultimately agreed to sell to their sibling, Craig Franklin, earlier this year.
The LaSalle Parish School Board voted to approve a four-day school week, that will begin with the 2023-2024 school year. The Board used the results from a recent parent, student and community survey to make the decision. That result showed that 76.5% of all participants were in favor of the four-day school week.
The 2023-2024 LaSalle Parish Teachers of the Year were recently selected. They were: Brayden Keene, Elementary Division, Kayla Tolbert, Middle School Division and K.C. Garcia, High School Division.
A project is underway to restore the Jena Town Park Amphitheater benches, organized by local businessman Larry Campbell. The old benches were removed over two years ago after they were deemed unsafe. The new benches are being sponsored by businesses, organizations, families and individuals and should be completed by Howdy Neighbor Day in the fall.
A Jena High School sophomore tragically died after going into cardiac arrest in a classroom. Kameron Shelton, a 15-year-old student, had life-saving measures administered to him at the school before being transported to LaSalle General Hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the emergency room.
Longtime Council on Aging Director Polly Duncan passed away on April 20. Duncan, 88, had served with the LCOA for over 49 years.
May
The LaSalle Parish School Board voted to spend $873,756.00 to install state-of-the-art security surveillance systems at all nine parish schools. The system includes more and newer cameras located throughout campuses using a cloud-based system for storage.
LaSalle Parish is set for graduation ceremonies at Jena and LaSalle high schools and 15 parish students were selected as honor graduates. They included: Marley Bass, Phaedra Dorsey, Trace Franklin, Raegan Griffin, Kristin Lin, Callie Reeder, Darbie Russell, Lydia Smith, Peyton Todd, Maryssa Tradewell, Clay Clark, Grace Fowler, Charles Shelton and Nick Fryar.
The LaSalle Parish School Board voted to call a one-cent sales tax for the October 14 election ballot. Language in the proposition calls for 25% to be used for supplemental employee pay, 25% for safety and security and the final 50% for construction and maintenance of buildings.
Major problems with the Manifest-Rhinehart Water System have caused much controversy during the past three months but State Senator Glen Womack said the problems come with a silver lining as it allows the system to merge with the Nebo Water System, opening up more grant money.
The LA DOTD closed the Tullos overpass on US 84 to all traffic due to unsafe conditions. It was reopened less than a month later with weight restrictions until the new overpass can be constructed.
June
The fire community across the state mourned the death of longtime Olla Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Joe Thompson, who passed away June 2. Hundreds of people, many of whom were firefighters from across the state, attended his funeral June 6. Among those speaking at his funeral was Louisiana State Fire Marshal Dan Wallis. The procession featured many fire trucks and fire vehicles with two large American Flags draped over highways.
LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tax Collector Don Moses retired after 34 years of service. He began as a road deputy in 1985.
The LaSalle Parish Police Jury hired a new Superintendent during their meeting, longtime employee Clifford Boyd. He replaced Ricky Jones.
Severe storms struck LaSalle Parish June 16 having emergency crews respond to several situations, including a truck driver who had ran over a downed tree on the highway.
LaSalle High School has a new principal. Heath Denison, a 1998 honor graduate of the school, was appointed by Superintendent Jon Garrett and approved by the LaSalle Parish School Board.
Town of Urania Clerk Sandy Callender retired from the town after 27 years of service. She began working for the town in 1996 and had served 12 years as the Town Clerk.
LaSalle School Superintendent Janet Tullos officially retired June 30, 2023, after serving six years as superintendent. Prior to becoming Superintendent, she served as principal of Good Pine Middle School and prior to that taught at GPMS for many years.
July
The Rod Brady Campus of the Central Louisiana Technical Community College learned that it is receiving a $10-million grant to build a new facility. The announcement was made by the LaSalle Parish Legislative Delegation of Senator Glen Womack and Representatives Gabe Firment and Neil Riser during a luncheon on the campus of Louisiana Christian University in Pineville June 26.
The Jena Town Council voted to approve a street overlay project in East Jena. They awarded the low bid of $741,770.00 to D&J Construction Company.
The LaSalle Parish School Board announced their monthly meetings would change starting in August. For decades, the Board had met the first Monday of every month, however, the change to a four-day school week had the Board change their meeting day to the first Tuesday of every month.
Local consignment businesses and other residents met and officially planned the first ever Sales Along 84, billed as “one long yard sale” along US 84 that travels through LaSalle Parish. The event was set for Thursday-Saturday, September 7-9.
With the expiration of the LaSalle Parish School Board’s 2008 one-cent sales tax on June 30, 2023, LaSalle Parish residents are now paying less on taxes for items purchased. The new sales tax totals are: In Parish, Outside City Limits of Jena, Olla and Tullos is 7.45. Inside Jena and Olla the rate is 8.45. Inside Tullos the rate is 8.95.
August
Qualifying is underway for the October 14 election. Along with state offices, LaSalle Parish positions include Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Assessor, Coroner and all ten seats of the LaSalle Parish Police Jury.
LaSalle Parish schools are set to open Tuesday, August 8, as they begin their new four-day school week.
Sales Along 84 has expanded to include the parishes of Catahoula and Concordia. Organizer Lavelle Evans noted excitement is growing as more parishes along the route look to join.
The LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office officially opened their new, state-of-the-art dispatching center in the renovated basement of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse. The new facility features new dispatching consoles and new areas for detectives and patrol divisions.
Many qualified for various positions as qualifying came to an end last week. LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court Steve Andrews and Assessor Tom Kendrick was reelected unopposed, along with three LaSalle Parish Police Jurors. History was also made as the first female coroner, Kathy (Lambeth) Thompson, was elected unopposed. Senator Glen Womack and Representative Gabe Firment also was reelected unopposed while Representative Neil Riser drew opposition.
The Town of Jena was informed last week they have been awarded a $4.7-million grant from the Louisiana Water Sector Program to replace nearly all of the town’s main water lines.
A Nebo couple, Darryle and Brittney Kitterlin, narrowly escaped the devastating Maui wildfires while vacationing in Hawaii recently. They had to flee back allies to escape the flames.
The six men running for LaSalle Parish Sheriff took center stage during the LaSalle Parish Republican Party’s Sheriff Form held August 24 at the Strand Theater in Jena. Participating in the event were candidates Brian Andrews, Jimmy Arbogast, Deon Jones, Brant King, Scott McLendon and Lane Windham.
Sales Along 84 has expanded yet again to include the parish of Winn. The event, set for September 7-9, now includes the parishes of La-Salle, Catahoula, Concordia and Winn making up over 110 miles.
A decades long federal lawsuit against the LaSalle Parish School Board concerning desegregation finally ended last week as a federal judge ordered the suit dismissed.
September
The 2023 Spring LEAP testing results are in and the LaSalle Parish School District showed overall improvement and higher scores than the state averages.
The inaugural Sales Along 84 event was held September 7-9 and organizers deemed the event very successful. Although there is no way to tell the exact number of shoppers, all locations noted very busy days. Everyone was enthusiastic and already making plans to improve the event for 2024.
Changes to Catahoula Lake have prompted LaSalle Sheriff Scott Franklin issued an open letter through social media informing duck hunters of the changes regarding duck hunting on Catahoula Lake, which for the most part is private property. He said the letter was issued to prevent someone from getting hurt or worse.
The new benches at the Jena Town Park Amphitheater have been installed right on schedule, in time for Howdy Neighbor Day October 7.
The new home for the Rod Brady Campus of the CLTCC will be 10 acres near the Jena Airport on LA 8, thanks to a donation of the land from the LaSalle Economic Development District. The new facility will be constructed with $10-million of funds from the state announce earlier this summer.
October
It took a LaSalle Parish Jury less than 15 minutes to convict a Terrebonne Parish man of second-degree murder following his trial in the 28th Judicial District Court in Jena. Brenton Miller, 32, was convicted following a four-day trial. He was found guilty of shooting Caden Madden, 29, in Trout on October 15, 2021.
Two members of the Tullos Town Council resigned last month leaving the town unable to conduct business after two called meetings were canceled due to not having a quorum. Heather Berryman and Charlie Brown were the two council members who resigned.
ELECTION: The results of the October 14 election revealed that Scott McLendon and Lane Windham emerged as the top two candidates from a field of six in the election for LaSalle Parish’s next Sheriff. McLendon was the top vote getter with 37% with Windham second with 27%. The two men will face each other in a runoff set for November 18.
ELECTION: LaSalle Parish joined with voters in other parishes to reelect Neil Riser as the State Representative for District 20. He won against opponent Kevin Bates, who received 43% of the votes district wide compared to Riser’s 57% district wide.
ELECTION: LaSalle Parish elected four Police Jurors while four other seats will require a runoff election to determine the winners. Results of the Oct. 14 elections were: District 1 – Al Cassels won by just three votes over Jacob Ayers; District 2 – Jordy Poole will face Rod Douglas in a runoff election; District 4 – Tim Kirl won with 60% of the votes over Buddy Powell; District 5 – Incumbent June Fowler won reelection with 79% of the vote over challenger Willie Twiner; District 7 – Brandon Streetman will face Steve Cripps in a runoff election; District 8 – Wacker Pritchard will face Jarred Pugh in a runoff election; District 9 – Incumbent Brent Farley will face Curt Ainsworth in a runoff election; and District 10 – Incumbent Casey Jones won reelection with 69% of the vote over challenger Pop Brown.
ELECTION: The LaSalle Parish School Board’s one cent sales tax proposition failed by just 91 votes. This was the second attempt in two years to get a one cent sales tax passed, both failing by narrow margins.
ELECTION: LaSalle Parish voters joined with voters across the state for a Republican sweep of major state positions, including Governor. Attorney General Jeff Landry was declared the winner statewide from a field of 15 candidates after he received 52% of the votes. He will replace twoterm Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards in January 2024.
After nearly three months of LaSalle Parish under a Burn Ban due to extremely dry conditions due to a drought, a recent rain allowed parish fire chiefs to lift the ban.
The Tullos Town Council received three new members following the recent resignations of three members, Heather Berryman, Charlie Brown and Carmon Cook. The Governor appointed Amanda Welch and Linda Williams to fill two of the positions and the Council then appointed Marty Jinks to fill the final spot. The three will serve until a special election can be held to fill the unexpired terms.
Just one week after lifting the LaSalle Parish Burn Ban, parish fire chiefs reinstated the ban citing insufficient rainfall and fires that continue to plague the area.
November
Red Ribbon Week was observed in all parish schools with special events and programs, including visits by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office narcotic detection dogs and criminal apprehension dogs.
Early voting began for runoff elections. For LaSalle Parish, those elections include LaSalle Parish Sheriff and four LaSalle Parish Police Juror elections.
State Representative Gabe Firment grilled Louisiana Secretary of Transportation Dr. Eric Kalivoda during a Joint Transportation Committee meeting about the lack of work on the overpass in the Town of Tullos. Firment pointed out it has been three years since the secretary announced a new bridge was to be constructed and it has yet to be completed.
LaSalle Parish awoke to sad news Saturday, November 4, as word quickly spread of the death of longtime educator, coach and recently reelected LaSalle Parish Police Juror June Fowler. Fowler, 74, died in his sleep. Just three weeks prior, he was overwhelmingly reelected to the District 5 Police Jury seat by 79% of the vote.
LaSalle Parish is gearing up for the runoff election Saturday, November 18, and the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s race has garnered the most attention.
The patriarch of the Dorroh family, Walter Evans Dorroh, Sr., was inducted posthumously into the LSU Hall of Honor of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule last weekend in Baton Rouge. Dorroh, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 94, is the father of prominent local attorney Walter E. Dorroh, Jr. and the grandfather to Evans Dorroh, an associate in the Jena firm Dorroh & Kendrick.
ELECTION: With a difference of just 110 votes, former Alexandria Police Department Lieutenant Lane Windham narrowly won the election for LaSalle Parish Sheriff over Jena Chief of Police Scott McLendon during the November 18 election. Windham won the race with just 51.11% over McLendon’s 48.89%. He will replace four-term Sheriff Scott Franklin when his term expires June 30, 2024.
ELECTION: Voters elected Rod Douglas as the District 2 Police Juror with 52% of the vote over Jordy Poole, 48%. In District 7, Brandon Streetman was elected with 51% of the vote over Steve Cripps, 49%. In District 8, Wacker Pritchard was elected with 51% of the vote over Jarred Pugh, 49%.
For the second time in three weeks, LaSalle Parish was shocked on a Saturday morning, this time on Election Day, as LaSalle Parish District 9 Police Juror Brent Farley died. Farley was facing challenger Curt Ainsworth in a runoff election for the seat but due to his death on election day, Ainworth was automatically declared the winner by the Secretary of State. Farley, 61, had battled ALS for several years and died at his residence in Nebo.
The LaSalle Parish School System continues to prove they are one of the top performing districts in the state with last week’s release of the District and School Performance Scores by the Louisiana Department of Education. The district as a whole improved by 1.1 points, earning a “B” letter grade. The top performing school in the parish was La-Salle High School, which earned a letter grade of “A.”
The Jena Giants football team will make history Friday night as they play and host the first ever semi-final playoff football game. The Giants, ranked #1, will face Union Parish, ranked #4, for a chance to play in the Superdome for a state championship.
December
Kenny Wayne Smith, Sr., 55, of Olla, was officially charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Lacey Hayman Smith, 24, by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s Office. Lacey Smith’s body was discovered November 21 at 1660 West Avenue in Olla and her husband had been held in jail since that date on a charge of violation of protective order. Bond was set at $520,000.00.
The Jena Giants’ historic season came to an end Friday night as Union Parish defeated the team in the semi-finals of the state playoffs in Jena. Union won the game 24-16 and the following week won the state championship.
LaSalle Parish’s Students of the Year were recently selected with Harper Townsend chosen as Elementary Division Student of the Year, Shelby Norris chosen as the Junior High Division Student of the Year and Hayleigh Boyd chosen as the High School Division Student of the Year.
The Town of Urania received great news as they learned they have been awarded a $2.5 million grant for upgrades and maintenance on the town’s sewer system.
The wives of two LaSalle Parish Police Jurors who recently passed away were administered their oaths of office December 11, after they were appointed by the Jury to fill the unexpired terms of their late husbands. Johonna Fowler, widow of the late District 5 Juror June Fowler, will fill the District 5 position until the March 23, 2024 election can be held. Reacey Farley, widow of the late District 9 Juror Brent Farley, will fill the District 9 position until Curt Ainsworth receives his oath in January 2024.
Three candidates have qualified for the special election to fill the unexpired term of District 5 Juror June Fowler, who passed away less than a month prior to his reelection on October 14. Mike Boyd, David Moss and Willie Twiner will face each other during the special election set for March 23, 2024.
