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Statement From Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President

Statement From Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President

Statement By Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President on the Passing of Pat Brister, Former St. Tammany Parish President

Pat Brister was a woman of vision, drive and commitment, who fought for St. Tammany at the local, state and national levels through her many roles in public service.

“Pat leaves behind a legacy of service, philanthropy, and entrepreneurialism. I, along with the employees of St. Tammany Parish Government and all citizens, extend deepest sympathies to Pat’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

-Mike Cooper St. Tammany Parish President

 

 

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Three St. Tammany Parish High School Students Advance to 2020 Poetry Out Loud State Competition

Three St. Tammany Parish High School Students Advance to 2020 Poetry Out Loud State Competition

The 2020 Parish-level St. Tammany Parish Poetry Out Loud Competition was held on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at Covington High School.  Eight St. Tammany Parish High Schools with a total of 22 students, competed in the ninth annual competition. The top three finalists who advanced to the State Championship coming up at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge on March 7, 2020 are as follows: First Place, Justin Basse of Covington High School; Second Place, Jessee Gille of Pearl River High School; and Third Place, Jacob Simmons of Covington High.
 
“I’d like to congratulate these three students and wish them luck at the State level in their bid for a spot in the national competition,” said Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President. “We appreciate your time and preparation for this chance to proudly represent St. Tammany.”
 
Winners from each state who advance in their respective competitions, will then compete for the National Poetry Out Loud Championship in Washington D.C.
 
Created by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through exploration, memorization and performance. The inspiration for this competition is to promote the art of poetry in both the classroom and the community. Participants are scored on performance and accuracy by a panel of judges. The St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs coordinates this competition for the students in our Parish.
 
To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud Competition and what students and schools can win through this competition, visit www.poetryoutloud.org/about.
 

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PHOTO LEFT TO RIGHT: St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs (CCA) Chair Laura Prisco; 1st Place Winner Justin Basse of Covington High), 2nd Place winner Jessee Gille of Pearl River High, 3rd Place winner Jacob Simmons of Covington High, CCA Vice Chair Kelly Elliott
 

Offices Closed Monday January 20, 2020 in Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Offices Closed Monday January 20, 2020 in Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

All non-emergency offices of St. Tammany Parish Government will close on Monday, January 20, 2020, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In addition, the Department of Animal Services will close on Saturday, January 18, 2020.  Business hours resume on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 8 a.m.

Stay up-to-date on what’s happening in Parish Government when you sign up for email updates at www.stpgov.org. Follow us on social media on Facebook and Twitter.

 

The St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs to host the 11th Annual Poetry Out Loud Competition

The St. Tammany Parish Commission on Cultural Affairs to host the 11th Annual Poetry Out Loud Competition

The 2019-2020 Poetry Out Loud competition will be held Thursday, January 16, 2020 at Covington High School. Twenty three students representing eight St. Tammany Parish high schools will compete in the poetry recitation competition. First, second, and third place winners will advance to the state competition to be held in Baton Rouge at the Capitol Park Museum on March 7, 2020.
 
“Poetry Out Loud is a competition that offers each participant great opportunities and a chance to meet students from all around St. Tammany,” said Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President. “We are fortunate to have the partnership between our schools and our hard-working Commission on Cultural Affairs, to host this event.”
 
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages thestudy of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country.


 

St. Tammany Parish Officials Sworn in at Inaugural Ceremonies

St. Tammany Parish Officials Sworn in at Inaugural Ceremonies

St. Tammany Parish Officials Sworn in at Inaugural Ceremonies

Michael B. Cooper was sworn in for his first term as St. Tammany Parish President Monday, January 13, 2020, alongside 14 St. Tammany Parish Council members, at the Fuhrmann Auditorium in Covington. District Attorney Warren Montgomery served as Master of Ceremonies. The event was moved from its planned outdoor location because of inclement weather.

The candidates were formally sworn in among their families, friends and chosen oath administrators. Dignitaries, local clergymen, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Color Guard, and Covington High School Talented Music students participated in various roles during the ceremony. The event was open to the public.

Following his swearing in by 22nd Judicial District Court Judge Peter Garcia, Parish President Michael B. Cooper delivered his inaugural address, which focused on Trust, Accessibility and Community. “St. Tammany is a place where the most important things are still our families, our friends, and our neighbors. Our deep, strong sense of community has never changed,” said Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President. “We are all in this together, and together, we will go forward into the next four years to shape St. Tammany through trust, accessibility, and community. I am humbled and grateful to have been chosen to lead us there.”

A reception, opened to the public, followed at the Bogue Falaya Hall in Covington.

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St. Tammany Parish Government in Preparedness Posture

St. Tammany Parish Government in Preparedness Posture

St. Tammany Parish Government in Preparedness Posture

St. Tammany Parish Government officials and emergency operations personnel continue to monitor any potential impacts of the anticipated severe weather slated to move through the region within the next 24-48 hours.

The National Weather Service is anticipating the possibility of damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 – 70 mph, straight line winds, damaging hail and possible tornadoes as the primary threats. These factors could result in downed trees or power lines, and cause damage to other structures. Forecasters also anticipate rainfall totals in the amount of 1-2 inches.

Parish Government is following its emergency preparedness planning. Public Works and Tammany Utilities personnel on stand-by, out of an abundance of caution. In addition, our engineers are monitoring river gauges. Parish Government remains prepared in the event conditions are predicted to worsen.

Parish Officials will continue to closely watch this system and are asking residents to do the same. The St. Tammany Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is receiving continual updates from the National Weather Service on this storm system.

Residents are urged to secure loose items around your homes, heed emergency alerts, and stay tuned to the National Weather Service for updates to the forecast. 

Parish Government will announce any emergency preparedness information to the public, contingent on the forecast, through the local media, our website, and through social media on Facebook and Twitter. Citizens can also sign up to receive automatic email updates from the Parish by visiting www.stpgov.org.  

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Sign up now for ALERT St. Tammany, here. This is the Parish-wide emergency notification system for St. Tammany Parish Government. If we can’t reach you, we can’t alert you.

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St. Tammany Parish Inaugural Ceremonies Slated for Monday, January 13, 2020

St. Tammany Parish Inaugural Ceremonies Slated for Monday, January 13, 2020

St. Tammany Parish Inaugural Ceremonies Slated for Monday, January 13, 2020

UPDATE: January 13, 2020

Due to the forecast of continued rain throughout the morning, the inaugural ceremonies of President-Elect Michael B. Cooper and 14 St. Tammany Parish Council members, have been moved to the Fuhrmann auditorium located at 128 W. 23rd Ave.in Covington. The reception will take place at the Bogue Falaya Hall, 317 N. Jefferson Avenue. The ceremony will begin at 12 p.m. This event is open to the public.

 

 

On Monday, January 13, 2020, fifteen St. Tammany Parish Officials will take their respective oaths of office at 12 p.m. on the steps of the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center, located at 701 N. Columbia Street in Downtown Covington. Warren Montgomery, St. Tammany Parish District Attorney, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Michael B. Cooper, St. Tammany Parish President-Elect, will be sworn in for his first term. The following Parish Council members will also be sworn in:    District 1 – Marty Dean (incumbent); District 2 – David R. Fitzgerald (incumbent); District 3 – Martha Jenkins Cazaubon (newly elected); District 4 – Michael R. Lorino (incumbent); District 5 – Rykert O. Toledano, Jr.  (incumbent); District  6 – Richard E. Tanner (incumbent); District 7 – James "Jimmie" Davis III (newly elected); District 8 – Christopher Canulette (incumbent); District 9 – Michael "Mike" Smith (newly elected); District 10 –Maureen “Mo”  O’Brien (incumbent); District 11 – Steve Stefancik (incumbent); District 12 – Jerry Binder (incumbent); District 13 – Jacob “Jake” Airey (newly elected, unopposed); District 14 – Thomas J. “T.J.” Smith (incumbent).

The public is invited to attend the swearing in ceremonies.

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Holiday Closures and Christmas Tree Recycling

Holiday Closures and Christmas Tree Recycling

Non-emergency offices of St. Tammany Parish Government will close Monday, December 23, 2019, through Wednesday, December 25, 2019, for Christmas. The Tammany Trace and Kids Konnection will close Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, 2019, reopening Thursday, December 26, 2019. Office hours resume Thursday, December 26, 2019 at 8 a.m. Non-emergency offices will close, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 31, 2019 and January 1, 2020, in observance of the New Year. Office hours resume Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 8 a.m.

Christmas Tree Recycling

St. Tammany Parish Government will begin accepting Christmas trees for recycling after Christmas.  Trees can be brought to the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds at 1515 North Florida Street in Covington and The Old Levee Board Property at 61134 Military Road in Slidell, during daylight hours. Trees must be stripped of all decorations —ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc. and the stands must be removed completely to be eligible for the program. Flocked trees will not be accepted at the drop-off sites.

Adopt ‘til you Drop! Pairs 32 –plus Pets with Forever Homes

Adopt ‘til you Drop! Pairs 32 –plus Pets with Forever Homes

Adopt ‘til you Drop! Pairs 32 –plus Pets with Forever Homes
 

Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President, announced today the first ever Adopt ‘til you Drop! pet adopt-a-thon was a successful event, finding homes for at least 32 pets from the St. Tammany Parish Animal Shelter on the actual day of the event, and for an additional 11 pets during the week that followed.
 
The event, held December 7, 2019, showcased just over 40 animals on a live stream broadcast. In lieu of fees, adoptions were finalized with a donation to the Northshore Food Bank. Visitors to the shelter who adopted pets had their photos taken, and had an opportunity to take a photo with Santa. Three collection boxes of food were donated to the Northshore Food Bank.
 
“We want to thank every volunteer as well as our Animals Shelter employees for making this day possible,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “We also want to thank every person who came out and adopted a pet. As the only shelter in St. Tammany to take in every animal brought to us, we are grateful to those who help us place these animals into permanent homes.”
 
The St. Tammany Parish Animal Shelter is located at 31078 Highway 36 in Lacombe. Adoption hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adoption fees are waived through the end of 2019. All adoptable pets are spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on their vaccines. To see adoptable pets, visit www.stpgov.org/pets.


To see a gallery of pet adoptions from Adopt 'til you Drop! click here.

 

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I-12 Widening One Step Closer To Starting

I-12 Widening One Step Closer To Starting

I-12 Widening One Step Closer To Starting

Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President, announced today that the State of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has selected a contractor for widening the first section of the I-12, from US Hwy 190 to LA Hwy 59. DOTD has chosen James Construction Group to handle the $54 Million improvement to one of the most traveled sections of I-12. Construction should begin in the first quarter of 2020.

“The widening of I-12 is, and always has been a priority of my administration. This step brings us closer to seeing this phase of the project take shape,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “I am thrilled to see it moving forward so quickly, and I want to thank the DOTD for working so closely with us to make this widening a reality.”

Parish President Brister, along with Governor John Bel Edwards and DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson, announced in September that the funding for this expansion was secured through a State LADOTD allocation of Federal Redistribution Funds. This funding is in addition to the $25 million in Federal BUILD Grant funds Parish President Pat Brister secured in December of 2018 for the widening of I-12 from LA Highway 21 to US Highway 190.

Plans for the I-12 expansion include the addition of a third lane in each direction, as well as the widening of bridges over US Highway 190, Ponchitolawa Creek, and Little Creek/Tammany Trace. In December of 2018, Parish President Pat Brister announced the award of a $25 million BUILD Grant to fund the widening of I-12 from LA Highway 21 to US Highway 190. Design plans for this phase are underway.

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