News

Belle Chasse Barber Shop Holds Events to Help Kids with Back to School Supplies

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For the seventh year, TopNotch Barber and Beauty Shop in Belle Chasse will be holding its “WE LOVE THE KIDS” back to school event. Planned for August 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, the local barber shop plans to help families who may not be able to afford necessary school supplies by “giving away 100 backpacks filled with School Supplies, Haircuts, food and drinks.”

Picking Figs and Notes on Fruit Splitting

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The fig is a fascinating fruit with a long history of cultivation by people. It is one of the most popular backyard orchard crops in the south and was first brought to the area in the 16th century. Figs were native to Asia Minor, and their ease of propagation and value as a low maintenance food crop made them spread widely throughout the world, first into Greece and other regions of the Mediterranean, as far east as Japan, and throughout the subtropics. California is home to most of the US domestic fig production, featuring many “open eye” cultivars, which refers to the opening at the base of the fruit. Figs are botanically an interesting crop. The “open eye” cultivars rely on a small wasp to pollinate them (Pegoscapus). The fruit is botanically an inverted, inside out branch containing flowers and fruiting bodies. The tiny wasps are almost invisible to the naked eye. The wasps enter through the small eye at the base of the fig to complete their life cycle, shedding their wings and antenna in the narrow passageway into the fruit. The female wasp carries pollen from the fig fruit she hatched inside of and uses this to pollinate the new fig as it forms.

FEMA Delegation Returns to Meet with Parish Officials

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The FEMA Delegation that visited Ironton on June 24 came back down to Plaquemines to, once again, meet with government officials. Meeting in the Port Sulphur government building on Friday, Julya 15, the FEMA officials discussed recovery issues with parish president Kirk Lepine, district 7 council members Carlton Lafrance, Ironton resident Audrey Salvant, and other concerned residents. Photo by Michelle Wilcox

POINT OF VIEW

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History is littered with the remains of past civilizations. The human race believes in progress. As if somehow things will always get better over time. Such notions are misplaced. The history of the world is not a story of continued progress, but more a matter of fits and starts.

Student Loan Forgiveness? No Way!

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Forgive all outstanding student loans? Sure, why not. What this means is that all other taxpayers, that’s you and me, will pick up the cost and pay more taxes. And the price is really not all that much, is it? There are over forty-three million U.S. borrowers who owe nearly $1.6 trillion altogether in federal student loans. That’s $1,700,000,000,000.

After 63 Years of Operation in Belle Chasse, Balestra’s is Sold to Breaux Mart

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On Wednesday, July 15, the Belle Chasse grocery store Balestra’s—a community staple since the 1960s—had its last closing shift. From now on, the grocery store will be a Breaux Mart, a local chain which bought the store from the Balestra family, officially “ending an era” (as district 2 council member Beau Black worded it in a Facebook post) in Plaquemines Parish.

Ironton Documentary to Screen in Plaq. on July 26 and August 3

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Ironton, Louisiana, located in Plaquemines Parish, traces its history back to emancipation, with many of the community’s founders having once been enslaved at nearby St. Rosalie Plantation. Their descendants have remained in the area, maintaining a community despite decades of racial segregation and economic injustice. “Iron Sharpens Iron,” a new documentary that will screen in two locations this summer in Plaquemines Parish, captures Ironton’s struggles against racism, industrial encroachment and extreme weather.

Qualifying Dates for 2022 Election to Begin July 20

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The official “Qualifying Dates” for candidates who wish to run for office in the 2022 elections will begin on Wednesday, July 20 and run through Friday, July 22. The positions up for election are the 9 council seats, school board seats, and parish president.