Nunez Community College culinary students and
locals looking to network with employers attended
the school’s 15th annual job fair on April 25.
Photo by Jessica Gonzalez

“We do this every year, and every year it’s a success,” said Linda Beaucoudray, Human Resources Manager for United Bulk Terminals at Nunez Community College’s 15th annual spring job fair.

Beaucoudray was one of the many employers looking to find top-notch local workers at the April 25 job fair. United Bulk Terminals is currently looking for engineers and mechanics, and Beaucoudray said that looking for qualified candidates is always a little easier in an area like Chalmette, as they are more likely to find someone with the certifications and experience needed for the job.

But the job fair was not only limited to industrial jobs. Several different employers from all over the professional spectrum came to recruit new hires at the job fair, including Acadian Ambulance, the New Orleans Police Department, Avon Products, the Aududon Nature Institute, Regions Bank and more.

Chalmette resident Kristy Hussey is in her second year as culinary student at Nunez but decided to come to the job fair to see what sort of options are available in the job market.

“All you hear from people looking for jobs is that there’s nothing out there, it’s nice to see all of these companies out here just waiting to hire people,” said Hussey.

Joining in the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony were 34th Judicial District Judges Robert Buckley, Manual Fernandez, Perry Nicosia and Kirk Vaughn, who cut the ribbon. Also in attendance was Clerk of Court Randy Nunez and his staff; Councilmembers Ray Lauga, Richie Lewis, Casey Hunnicutt and Monty Montelongo; Assessor Jaylynn Bergeron Turner and Sheriff James Pohlmann; FEMA Representatives Andre Cadogan, Joseph Armstrong and Jenny Campora; former Parish President Charles Ponstein, former Councilman Mike Ginart, former Clerk of Court Lena Torres, Superintendent of Schools Doris Voitier; Chamber Chairman Jerry Calcagno, Chamber Director Stephen Reuther, and Chamber Board members Fred Sigur Jr., Cindi Meyer, Eric Schmidt, Jodie Lohfink and Patrick Trahan.

Although it’s been open for a little over a month, the newly renovated St. Bernard Parish Courthouse was
celebrated with a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony on April 18.

“This was a major undertaking,” said Parish President Dave Peralta. “It has been extremely difficult finding
products and matching things. We were almost finished until Isaac struck and set us back another three months.”

FEMA funded the $14.5 million recovery project, and a representative from the agency called the courthouse rebuilding “a testament to the strength and resilience of the community.”

Landis Construction, Co., LLC and Beazley Moliere Architects worked on the new facility which houses the Office of the District Attorney, 34th Judicial District Judges from Divisions A-E, the Clerk of Court’s Office
and the Main Courtroom.

Architect Albert Moliere, a Chalmette High School graduate and former student of Superintendent Doris
Voitier, said it was a great feeling to see the building completed.

“They did a wonderful job,” said former Clerk of Court Lena Torres. And Torres may be the new courthouse’s toughest critic—she remembers moving into the building in spring of 1940, while she was a 19-year-old secretary.

“They added on to this; this hallway didn’t used to go down this far,” said a wide-eyed Torres, each step she
took seemed to evoke a memory of the former building.

Last November, the new $6 million Courthouse Square located just behind the historic courthouse building
was finally completed. It houses the assessor’s office, the public defender’s office and some sheriff’s personnel. It also has holding cells where up to 35 prisoners can await their court appearances.
President Peralta said the completion of this project was one of the final big pieces of the post-Katrina puzzle.

“This is something our community can be proud of, the centerpiece of the parish.”

Chef Ruth Varisco

Chef Ruth Varisco, Nunez Community College’s culinary program manager, is one of Louisiana’s 2013 Best
Food Service Professionals. Chef Ruth and five others received the prestigious honor in the Best Food Service Professional category at the American Culinary Federation of Louisiana’s annual culinary experience and fundraiser, Best Chefs of Louisiana 2013, held on April 8 at Generations Hall in New Orleans.

Best of Louisiana Chefs 2013 was judged by members of Louisiana’s culinarati: Chefs Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s; Paul Prudhomme of K-Paul’s; Susan Spicer of Bayona and Mondo; and, Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace.

An SBSO Special Investigations Officer snaps a mugshot of a suspected drug offender arrested in the March 27 early morning round up. Officers involved in the large sweep dubbed “Operation Summer Heat Phase II” went after 32 suspected drug offenders.
Photo by Jessica Gonzalez

Over 30 suspected drug offenders got a harsh wake-up call on Wednesday morning by St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s deputies as the department began phase II of last September’s
“Operation Summer Heat.”

When Phase I ended, undercover officers hit the streets soon after, SBSO says, and through their efforts warrants for 32 suspects were secured. On March 4, six additional suspects were arrested and are in parish prison.

Among the first round of arrests during Phase II was Sanaa Halum, who was put on SBSO’s radar for selling marijuana and Suboxone, a drug for weaning people off heroin. After receiving information from a confidential informant, undercover officers began investigating marijuana distribution from the home of Halum and her boyfriend, Brandon
Celastaine. Soon after, narcotics agents found 10.4 pounds of marijuana hidden under her
child’s bed and about one gram of heroin and a loaded .40 caliber hand gun hidden in the
child’s bedroom closet.

With this second phase underway, Sheriff James Pohlmann says that his department is alarmed at growing heroin problem in the parish and will continue to aggressively seek
out dealers and buyers.

“We were angered by the number of people we were able to purchase heroin from [in this operation],” said Pohlmann on Phase II. “This is all-out war for the future of our parish. We have zero tolerance for drug-dealers. Users need rehabilitation but drug-dealers need to go to prison.’’

Pohlmann says that the recent arrests should make a dent in street sales in St. Bernard Parish and will hopefully send a message to dealers: there is a high probability of
being caught if selling within parish lines.

“One reason we enjoy a low level of violence in this parish is because we don’t let drug-dealers stand on corners and end up killing each other over drug turf and customers,”
said Pohlmann.

State Representative Ray Garofalo invites the public to attend a District 103 public forum to discuss issues
related to the upcoming session.

Also at this meeting to answer any questions will be representatives from several state agencies and departments, like Education, Commissioner of Insurance, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Transportation (DOTD), Revenue and Taxation, and the Deepwater Horizon Claims Center.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. at Council Chamber at the St. Bernard
Parish Government Complex, 8201 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.

When Nunez Fine Arts Student Treyson Thedy caught wind of the YouTube phenomenon, the Harlem Shake, he knew he had to make one. Thedy, an aspiring filmmaker, said that he would love to see a film program similar to the one at neighboring Delgado Community College and what better way to get your voice heard than than a viral video on the internet.

“I thought the videos were flat out hilarious,” said Thedy. “I’m really interested in film, but there’s no film
program here at Nunez so I figured if we made one we’d bring attention that we have some people here who would participate in a program like that.”

The video features dozens of students and faculty, including Chancellor Thomas Warner, dancing their hearts out. In just four days, the video had amassed over 2,000 views. Thedy says that he and another student worked on rounding up the cast and the video was filmed on a day off for faculty and students.

“It was so great to see everyone help out on their day off,” said Thedy.

The annual Irish, Italian, Islenos parade in St. Bernard Parish hits the streets next Sunday, March 3, and this year’s parade King and Queen—Rocky and Katie Tommaseo say they are incredibly excited to reign over the festivities.

“It was an honor to find out we would be king and queen,” said Katie Tommaseo. “I love the parade, and being able to throw all that produce that people love every year will be so much fun. I’m just hoping we have beautiful weather.”

The Tommaseo’s make the ultimate Irish, Italian, Islenos King and Queen: Rocky is Italian with a little Islenos from his mother’s side of the family; and Katie is Irish.

At a first glance, the three cultures might seem worlds apart, but Katie says that they are all rooted in the same traditions and values that keep them so strong today.

“We’re all very loving, and family oriented; very close to not only our immediate family but our grandparents and extended family too,” said Katie. “Faith is also very important.”

This year’s parade will feature 35 floats and 30 marching groups. Float riders are expected to dole out nearly 250,000 pounds of produce. In addition to the traditional cabbage, onions, carrots and potatoes, parade-goers can get ready for lemons, limes, oranges, apples, bananas, pineapples, and more, says Parade President Chad O’Neil. This year’s official parade produce is being provided by St. Bernard’s own, B & G Fresh Market. Starting at the Fred Sigur Civic Center, the parade marchers begin at 11 a.m., and floats follow around 11:45 a.m.

See next week’s issue for a detailed map of the parade route.

The 30th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March and Rally attracted hundreds of St. Bernard residents
on Monday, January 21.

The march began at Chalmette High School’s Ninth Grade Academy where the participants joined hands in
prayer and listened to King’s infamous “I Have a Dream” speech, before heading to the Sigur Center for the rally to honor the civil rights activist.

Codi Whittington, a former Arabi resident and current student at Louisiana State University, will be traveling “down under” to volunteer with Australia’s endangered animals and environments.

This summer, Whittington will participate in a unique travel program in Australia with International Student Volunteers (ISV) and a group of 20 to 50 other students from around the globe, restoring Australia’s deteriorating natural habitat and declining animal population, following years of poor land practice and environmental devastation.

As a pre-veterinary major specializing in marine wildlife, Whittington is incredibly excited about her upcoming trip to the home of the Great Barrier Reef. Prior to attending LSU Codi has worked at Ponga’s Pet Palace, Hunnington Farms and completed an internship at Riverside Veterinary Hospital. She also attended a summer camp program last year at Sea World in Orlando, FL to learn more about aquatic life, and has visited Winter and other orphaned dolphins who can not be released into the wild at The Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.

During the first two weeks in Australia, volunteers will spend their time either working outdoors on a habitat restoration project or conducting scientific research in a wildlife sanctuary. Through the ISV program, Whittington says she will gain a deeper appreciation and greater sense of stewardship for the natural wonders of Australia. “The first time a speaker came to my Renewable Natural Resources class and explained what a wonderful and exciting experience it would be to travel with ISV and help discover and protect koala bears and conserve their environment, Australia is where I need to go and traveling with ISV organization is the perfect opportunity,” says Whittington.

“As a pre-veterinary student, volunteering my time in Australia to work with animals and help the environment we all so desperately need is an opportunity I just can’t pass up.”

Over the last 200 years, Australia has lost many of its iconic species and has held one of the worst mammal
extinction rates in the world. The volunteers’ efforts help to protect and restore the unique and fragile Australian landscapes that provide a safe habitat for Australia’s threatened flora and fauna.

Whittington says that her main charges now are fundraising and getting her scuba diving license.

“Right now I’m working on getting sponsors,” Whittington explained. “I’m paying for most the trip myself
but I still need some help to get me there. I’m also trying to get my scuba license so I’ll be able to dive in Australia and Fiji.”

Sheriff James Pohlmann and, to his right, Daniel Talley Sr., Operations Manager for Associated Terminals, with the 24 bicycles the company donated to the Sheriff’s Office to distribute to needy families for Christmas. Behind them are, from left, Maj. Kevin Sensebe and Capt. Adrian Chalona, who took part in the bicycles project.

Sheriff James Pohlmann said recipients of the bicycles have been chosen. Associated Terminals, one of
the largest midstream stevedoring companies on the Mississippi River, operates a fleet of high-capacity
floating cranes at 11 facilities including at Chalmette Slip in St. Bernard Parish, in Plaquemines Parish
and in Reserve.

Sheriff Pohlmann met Dec. 20 with Associated Terminals Operations Manager Daniel Talley Sr. to receive the bicycles. Sheriff’s Maj. Kevin Sensebe and Capt. Adrian Chalona, who are involved in the project to distribute the bikes, took possession of them.

“We are happy to help brighten Christmas for the boys and girls of St. Bernard who will receive the bicycles donated by Associated Terminals,’’ Sheriff Pohlmann said.

Employees at Associated Terminals donate money to help fund the bicycle project, said Talley, who added the company has had the Christmas bike project in several parishes for 10 years. Associated Terminals formerly donated bicycles to the American Red Cross chapter in St. Bernard when sheriff’s official Joseph DiFatta was chairman of that group but for several years has donated the bikes to the Sheriff’s Office.