St. Francisville News

'Evangeline' Tickets are now on sale for performances of "Evangeline: The Musical in concert," which will benefit Playmakers of Baton Rouge.

"A very cool and dry air mass will continue to move into the area," The National Weather Service said in an advisory for Friday.

The Melville Ferry has been an institution in northern St. Landry Parish for generations but its days may be numbered.

The West Feliciana Parish Police Jury voted 5-2 after a contentious debate Tuesday to pay $95,000 for a study of future traffic patterns along much of U.S. 61 in the parish.

Another former band member filed a lawsuit against the Board of Supervisors of Southern University in August accusing band officials of negligence surrounding accusations of hazing.

The state Department of Transportation and Development resumed ferry service on the Mississippi River between St.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles N. Bell Jr. of Monroe are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Margot Marion Bell, to Richard Paul Eason Jr., son of Mr.

State highway officials took the 35-car ferry operating between St. Francisville and New Roads out of service Thursday after debris in the Mississippi River damaged the vessel's propeller.

Blood drive planned

A blood drive will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in St. Francisville for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Contact George Newton at (225) 634-2868 for more information.

Meet the author

St. Francisville author Cari P. Adams will be at the West Feliciana Parish Library at 7 p.m. today to sign her book, “The Unicorn.”

Treasures on sale

St. Francisville’s downtown merchants and St. Francisville youth groups are holding a “Clean Out Your Closet and Store Room” sale day on Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. at several business locations in the Historic District.

For set-up information, call Laurie Walsh with St. Francisville Main Street at (225) 635-3873.

Mountain bike racing

The West Feliciana Parish Parks and Recreation Department on Saturday will hold the inaugural Beast Master, a mountain bike race, at the West Feliciana Sports Park’s “Beast Trail.”

Race registration starts at 7 a.m., with the beginner event starting at 9 a.m. Remaining racers start at 10:15 a.m. and thereafter.

The entry fee is $10. Visit http://www.tunicatrails.org for more information.

Farmers in six parishes running along the Mississippi River and the east border of the state could qualify for financial assistance for flood damages from earlier in the year.

Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Tensas, and East and West Feliciana parishes have been named natural disaster areas because of their proximity to Mississippi counties that were declared primary disaster areas, according to a news release from the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Farmers in both primary and contiguous parishes who suffered losses from flooding that occurred April 25 through June 25 may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

Farmers in eligible parishes have eight months from the disaster declaration date to apply for the loans.

For additional information, visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.govor contact a Farm Service Agency office.

Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain is still waiting on a decision on a disaster declaration request for parishes affected by drought and excessive rainfall this year, according to the release.

Severe droughts during the early summer reduced yields of cotton, rice, soybeans and sweet potatoes, and excessive rainfall later in September slowed the harvesting process, according to the department.

The stately Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, La., is said to be haunted by several ghosts ranging from a former servant to the family cat.

Want to see a ghost? Not scared of the dark? We've got a list of 5 of the most haunted destinations in the world for you to visit .

Many consider Louisiana to be one of the most haunted states in America. Considering the territory hails back 300-plus years, farther back with Native American history, it's easy to understand why.

"For those who live out their lives there, Angola is the world. Eighteen thousand acres of land elbow out into the brown current of the Mississippi.

In my series of Halloween articles I have been writing about topics that usually frighten people.

West Feliciana Parish deputies issued misdemeanor summonses to seven people, including a Louisiana State Penitentiary assistant warden, during an undercover operation earlier this month to investigate suspects attempting to hire a prostitute.

Sheriff J. Austin Daniel said investigators placed an online advertisement purporting to be from a prostitute offering services in the St. Francisville area.

An undercover agent posed as the prostitute, and the men were arrested when they arrived at a St. Francisville motel on Oct. 8 and offered her money in exchange for sex, he said.

Angola Assistant Warden L. Bruce Dodd, 58, of Clinton, was issued a misdemeanor summons for soliciting for prostitution, Daniel said. Dodd, who is also a lawyer, declined to comment on the incident.

Jeff Travis, operations chief for adult state correctional services, said Angola Warden Burl Cain took disciplinary action against Dodd and he is no longer allowed to drive a “take-home” state vehicle.

In addition to Dodd, Daniel said, those issued misdemeanor summonses for soliciting for prostitution are:

Jack Damian Kelly, 33, 349 Barnevelder Drive, Lexington, S.C.

Mark Oscar Allello, 40, 33411 Nancy Drive, Walker.

John Glenn Richardson, 47, 4529 Little Farms Drive, Zachary.

Patrick Raymond Cox, 61, 14128 Pinehurst St., Baton Rouge.

Daniel Richard Buie, 40, 4566 Homochitto Road, Union Church, Miss.

Fred Dewitt Ladner, 44, 1504 Ross Ave., Baton Rouge.

Ladner also was booked at the Parish Jail with driving while intoxicated, the sheriff said

The Louisiana Department of Transportation announced Monday that the New Roads-St. Francisville Ferry will be shut down from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting today until Thursday.

Lt. Gen. John Bergman leaves the Marine Corps a year later than he expected. His retirement package was approved last year, and he was set to be replaced as commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North by Maj.

Jeff Castelaz's bike ride was supposed to be a celebration. He came up with the idea one spring day.

The West Feliciana Parish Police Jury, in a split vote Tuesday, tabled a proposed contract to study traffic patterns on a section of U.S. 61.